Hong Kong: CE begins Abu Dhabi visit

Chief Executive John Lee started his visit to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 7 by attending a business forum and visiting enterprises there.

The delegation led by Mr Lee attended the Abu Dhabi-Hong Kong Business Forum and networking luncheon hosted by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry to exchange views on fostering co-operation between the industrial and commercial sectors in Hong Kong and the UAE.

Speaking at the forum, Mr Lee noted that the UAE is Hong Kong's largest trading partner in the Middle East, and that Hong Kong will capitalise on its advantages as an international financial centre and the world's largest offshore renminbi business hub to facilitate the UAE's active participation in the Belt & Road Initiative.

Mr Lee and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industrys First Vice Chairman Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Aldhaheri witnessed the exchanges of Memorandum of Understanding between the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, which promote further co-operation between the two places on industry, commerce and trade.

The delegation led by Mr Lee then visited an Abu Dhabi enterprise, Aldar Properties PJSC, to learn more about the real estate development and investment situation there.

They also visited the UAE's sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala Investment Company, and met its Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak to introduce Hong Kong's distinctive advantages under "one country, two systems" while enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, as well as discuss collaboration opportunities with Hong Kong enterprises.

Mr Lee then met Xiao Peng, the Chief Executive Officer of tech firm G42, to introduce the enormous business opportunities in Hong Kong and to invite the company to grasp investment opportunities in the city.

He then had a meeting with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Managing Director Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is a member of the ruling family in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and deliberated on issues on economic co-operation.

In the evening, the delegation led by Mr Lee attended a welcoming dinner hosted by the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the UAE Zhang Yiming.

Mr Lee will continue his visit in Abu Dhabi today and will depart for the UAE city of Dubai later on.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijan will host the X Global Baku Forum on March 9-11, Azernews reports.

President of East Timor Jose Ramos Horta will visit Baku to attend the event.

Additionally, Executive Director of United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Winnie Byanyima will also participate in the forum.

"Looking forward to participating in the 10th Global Baku Forum, exploring how we overcome some of the worlds most pressing challenges," she tweeted.

The Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) will be hosting its 10th Global Baku Forum on the topic of "The World of Today: Challenges and Hopes".

X GBF is promising to bring over 400 participants including current and former heads of state and government, Nobel laureates, international organizations, and civil society.
Al and Pete Simpson will continue their lively conversation about "Old Timers and Early Day Women of Cody," on Feb. 16 at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West starting at noon in the Coe Auditorium.

The free talk is the first Local Lore with Bob Richard program of the 2023 season. Al, Pete, and Bob have more anecdotes and photographs to share about the history of the Cody area and the folks who made it their home.

Alan K. Simpson, retired U.S. Senator from Wyoming, is also the longest standing member of the Center of the Wests Board of Trustees, which he joined in 1968, and was chairman of the board from 1999-2011. Peter K. Simpson is a University of Wyoming professor emeritus, former state legislator, and has been on the Centers McCracken Research Library Advisory Board since 1997.

For more information on Center talks and other events, visit centerofthewest.org/events.
The Office of Public Instruction will be celebrating Indian Education for All on Monday in the state Capitol Rotunda.

This a great opportunity to showcase our Montana Constitutional promise of Indian Education for All in action, said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen.

The event is 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The public may attend.

According to Article X of the Montana Constitution, the state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.

At the celebration, the 2023 Montana Proud Poster Series, which highlights Native American educators in Montana, will be introduced and will be available for display in schools statewide.

The celebration will begin with table displays by IEFA teachers Linda Rost, Montanas 2020 Teacher of the Year, Dylan Huisken, Montanas 2019 Teacher of the Year, and Daisy Carlsmith, assistant to directors/instructor at the Western Montana Professional Learning Collaborative.

At 10 a.m., Chontay Standing Rock from Rocky Boys Reservation will offer a flag song. Arntzen will give remarks and present the 2023 Montana Proud Poster Series as well as the candidates who are in attendance.

The Montana Proud Poster Series honors Native teachers around Montana that have made significant impacts on our students, said Arntzen.

She encouraged others to join in celebrating Indian Education for All.

The poster series will feature Fort Peck Reservation members Mandy Smoker Broaddus and Roger White Jr (Wamni Jusina  Little Eagle), Flathead Reservation members Jason Smith and Michael Marie Munson, Blackfeet Reservation members Roger MadPlume, Brenda Johnston, Meredith K. Hecker and Reyna Monteau, Rocky Boys Reservation member John Murie, Crow Reservation members Shane Doyle and Christian Takes The Gun, Little Shell Chippewa Tribe member Shelby Cole, and Fort Belknap Reservation member Robe Walker.
Spring chinook bound for the Snake River and other Columbia River tributaries upstream of Bonneville Dam will make another decent showing this year.

But that is relative. Fisheries managers are forecasting nearly 200,000 springers will enter the mouth of the Columbia River, including 85,900 bound for the Snake River.

The overall prediction exceeds last years forecast of about 123,000 as well as the actual return of about 185,000.

But the Snake River forecast calls for less than the 103,000 adult chinook that returned last year. And this years forecast includes a poor prediction for Snake River wild spring chinook  just 13,200 compared to 23,000 that returned in 2022.

The number of wild fish is so low that it will serve as a constraint on the fishery for hatchery spring chinook in the Columbia River, said Ryan Lothrop, Columbia River Fishery manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

We do have our concerns on the Snake River wild (forecast return). That is why we have an agreement that reduces our impact to that stock when it doesnt hit the abundance trigger we would expect with the total run size.

Anglers can keep hatchery-reared chinook but must release wild spring chinook, which can be identified by intact adipose fins.

While the overall run is forecast to be large enough to provide fisheries on the Columbia and Snake rivers, as well as some of their tributaries, it is not as large as managers would like. But it is significantly stronger than runs from 2017 to 2021 and a vast improvement over dismally low returns in 2019 and 2020.

Lothrop said the expected low return of wild chinook to the Snake River Basin this year can be traced to low numbers of adult wild fish returning during the down years.

Washington and Oregon will hold a joint meeting at 10 a.m. Feb. 22 at Ridgefield, Wash., as part of the states process to set fishing seasons on the Columbia River. A call-in option for remote participation will be available. Those interested can sign up for meeting notifications, including call-in information at bit.ly/3XZqaV3.

Idaho will hold a series of meetings next month as part of its process for setting a spring chinook season. Joe DuPont, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Lewiston, expects the number of hatchery spring chinook available for harvest on the Clearwater River and its tributaries will be down compared to last year. Hes projecting a harvest share of about 3,200 adult chinook. Last year, 5,700 adult spring chinook were available for harvest.

Anglers on the lower Salmon River and Little Salmon River are projected to have about 3,200 adult chinook available for harvest, which is similar to last years harvest share of about 3,600.

He noted last years return of fish to the Clearwater River far exceeded preseason forecasts. He is hoping for a repeat, even if hes not predicting one.

Im still somewhat optimistic we will slightly underestimate the return, he said.
Indians traveling to many foreign markets, including the UAE and Singapore, may soon be able to use the popular UPI payments to make purchases when they land there.

Bengaluru-headquartered fintech giant PhonePe said on Tuesday that its extending support for UPI international payments in the UAE, Singapore, Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan.

Users will be able to make payments in the foreign currency directly from their Indian bank -- just like they do with international debit cards, PhonePe said in a statement.

The move appears to be PhonePes attempt to capture a slice of the large forex market, a category where there is a clear way for payment apps to make additional money, according to fintech industry executives with no affiliation with PhonePe.

PhonePes step is also in line with the vision of NPCI, the body that oversees the UPI payments, which believes that within this year Indians in many foreign cities (including Dubai) will not need to use any other payment method, according to one of the fintech execs.

A couple of other fintech apps are also expected to add cross-border UPI support in the coming months. UPI, built by a coalition of retail banks in India, is the most popular way Indians transact online. It processed over 8 billion transactions last month. UPI international is on the current NPCI's roadmap.

Onboarding merchants to accept the UPI payments in the foreign markets will be a key test for India's NPCI, because without merchants, users on PhonePe and other Indian UPI payments apps won't be able to make any payments. Ideally, the acquiring side UPI players will need to partner with local payments processor or aggregators that can extend support for UPI at scale among the local merchants. In India, while the UPI QRs are ubiquitous, the same is not necessarily the case elsewhere.

It's not the first time a mobile payments app has pushed to serve its home users in international markets. WeChat Pay and Alipay offer a similar service to their customers in many nations. But even for the Chinese players, merchant acceptance has been the key growth challenge overseas.

Story continues

PhonePe is the most valuable fintech startup in India. Valued at $12 billion, the startup clocked a revenue of $234.3 million in the first nine months of 2022. The Walmart-backed startup is the most popular UPI app, commanding over 50% of the market share. But UPI currently doesn't have a business model, forcing the participant players to look at other avenues to make money.

"UPI international is the first major step in letting the rest of the world experience UPI too," said Rahul Chari, co-founder and chief technology officer of PhonePe, in a statement.

"I am sure this launch will prove to be a gamechanger and will completely transform the way Indians traveling overseas pay at merchant outlets abroad. PhonePe has always prided itself in being the first TPAP to take new UPI features to the market, and this time is no different. We are glad that PhonePe is leading this change. The entire world needs to experience UPI!"
The North Carolina School for the Deaf hosted a blood drive for the American Red Cross on Thursday, Feb. 2 in the schools Hoffmeyer Cafeteria.

The school collected 22 blood products during the annual event this year and all donors received a $10 Amazon gift card and were entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Clearwater Beach, Fla.

Interpreting students from Appalachian State University and students from the N.C. School of Science and Math volunteered their time to assist with the check-in process and staff the snack table.

This is the schools 11th annual blood drive. Since its inception, the event has collected a combined total of 307 units for The American Red Cross.
ANACONDA  Ducks ultimately disdained the duck pond.

They turned up their bills at the stagnant, mosquito-incubating water and waddled over to Warm Springs Creek for a waterfowl convention.

Now, the duck ponds footprint in Washoe Park is destined to host a destination splash park and playground.

Commissioners in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County voted 4-to-1 Tuesday night to award a contract to Northwest Playground Equipment to build the new attraction. The city-county has allocated about $1.5 million for the project.

Northwest Playground Equipment is the company that constructed a $1 million "destination" playground in Butte's Stodden Park in 2019.

Haley Kenny, who operates Tochers Toddlers daycare in Anaconda, said she is pleased and excited about the prospect of the park.

She told commissioners before their vote that Tochers Toddlers often has 40 or more children in their care during the summer and that safe recreation opportunities in Anaconda have been few.

People are pushed to Butte, Kenny said. Having a splash park would be cool. Thank you for looking out for our children.

A special education teacher told commissioners she supported the concept of the park and hoped it will be accessible to children with disabilities.

Two others speaking during public comment expressed concerns about the potential impact of wastewater from the water park on the sewer system, on Warm Springs Creek and the nearby Washoe Park Fish Hatchery.

Commissioner Tom Gallagher, who cast the lone opposing voice, had also voiced concerns about how the sewer system would transport water from the park to the wastewater treatment plant.

Kurt Wyant, who manages the plant, expressed confidence the sewer system and wastewater treatment plant would readily absorb discharge from the splash park.

This is a drop in the bucket for the wastewater treatment plant, Wyant said.

Rose Nyman, a former commissioner and businesswoman in Anaconda, attended Tuesdays meeting.

Bill Everett, chief executive officer of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, noted that when Nyman first approached him about upgrading parks he was focused on invigorating the local economy. With that underway, he said it is time to add something for local children and those who might visit from elsewhere.

Commissioners had heard proposals from four companies during the boards Jan. 24 meeting. The companies were Great Western Recreation, Play Space Designs, Dakota Playground and Northwest Playground Equipment.

No one voiced concerns during public comment about a plan to cut down about 17 black cottonwood trees in Washoe Park. Some are near the proposed splash park site and some are not. There had been a bit of a stir on social media about this felling.

During a visit to the park Tuesday afternoon, Joe Ungaretti, director of parks and recreation, said an inventory in 2017 of trees in Washoe Park by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation identified many of the black cottonwoods as hazard trees.

Since that inventory, other black cottonwoods have shown evidence of being hazard trees, Ungaretti said.

He emphasized that the city-county plans to plant new trees of varied species to replace those being felled.

Oregon State University describes the black cottonwood as a fast growing, broad-leaf tree, reaching over 150 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter on good sites. Short-lived. Prefers moist but well-drained soils.

Glenn Ahrens, an extension forester for Oregon State University, clarified the life expectancy description.

The longevity of black cottonwood is reported to be at least 200 years and some reports say 300 or more, he said. They may be short-lived in comparison to the longer-lived conifers, but cottonwoods have potential to stay healthy for at least 200 years.

Peter Kolb, an extension forestry specialist for Montana State University, has observed that cottonwoods can be prone to safety issues.

Although all trees can suffer structural failure under extreme stress such as wet, heavy snow or high winds, some individual trees have identifiable issues that indicate a higher potential for structural failure, Kolb has written. In addition, some tree species are more prone to safety issues due to poor wood tensile strength and predisposition to wood decay (all poplars, cottonwoods, and willows)

Meanwhile, Everett said Northwest Playground Equipment planned to order playground equipment Wednesday, begin prep work in March, weather permitting, and hopes to complete the project at the end of August.

Ungaretti expressed support for the park.

What an exciting time to be a little kid in Anaconda, he said.
After more than an hour of the most intense debate seen in the Senate this session that included a fight over procedure that delayed voting, Republican lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill that would block gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

The bill is a repeat attempt by Sen. John Fuller, a Kalispell Republican who saw similar legislation defeated in the House in 2021. This sessions legislation would block gender-affirming care for minors and penalize any doctors who provide it with fines and license suspension. It would also not allow state property, facilities or buildings to be knowingly used to promote or advocate social transitioning and stop Medicaid from covering care.

Senate Bill 99 cleared a second reading on a 28-21 vote, with support coming from Republicans and opposition from all Democrats and five Republicans who voted against the bill. It faces a final vote expected Wednesday before it would advance to the House for debate in that chamber.

At several points during Tuesdays debate, the normally cordial upper chamber saw several spats over decorum and at one point an accusation of lying, followed by a fight over the rules that led to an intense exchange in the chambers center aisle.

Before the vote, Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, tried to bring a motion to table the bill, but Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, said that was out of order. The Senate briefly paused while leadership gathered in the center aisle and had heated discussions with animated hand gestures before coming back into session. Flowers then dropped his motion and the Senate voted.

In advocating for his bill, Fuller said his goal was to protect children from the administration of drugs and chemicals, from the imposition of surgical procedures for the purpose of causing the child to cosmetically appear more like a person of the opposite sex and lesser like his or her own sex and to conform to an identity incongruent with the childs sex, Fuller said. Transgender ideology is not scientific. The idea that a child can be born into the wrong body, a boy born into a girl's body or a girl born into a boy's body, is a metaphysical or a spiritual dogma. There is nothing scientific about it.

Gender refers to internal and social identity and while it can correspond with sex, it is not the same. Gender is based on social constructs that change over time and vary by society. Sex is biological characteristics like chromosomes, as well as hormones or reproductive anatomy that can be medically altered.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, the term transgender is used when a person's gender identity does not align with the sex assigned at birth. Gender dysphoria, which is not a diagnosis that applies to all trans people, is the psychological distress caused when gender identity and sex do not align. Gender dysphoria is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

Fuller argued medicine cannot make a man into a woman or a woman into a man, and brought up an argument he has cited previously in comparing gender dysphoria to a child with body dissatisfaction and telling the Senate that a doctor would not perform a leg amputation if a wounded and mentally ill veteran decided that he identified with a legless amputee.

Several other Republicans backing the bill made similar arguments, which prompted Flowers to object several times.

My wife had a mastectomy, my wife who passed away from breast cancer. There was no doctor she saw that ever called that an amputation. I'm going to ask one more time: let's leave that language out of this discussion. There's no place for it here, Flowers said during debate.

Fuller also argued that the state blocks minors from all kinds of decisions and unhealthy choices. Smoking, drinking, child pornography, sex with adults, illegal drug use, just to name a few.

He argued children are too young to make such decisions about medical care.

Performing gender transitions, transitioning surgery on minors, makes a mockery of the idea and legal concept of informed consent, Fuller said.

However, children would not make those decisions without the consent of their parents, along with extensive treatment from a medical team, said Sen. Kathy Kelker, D-Billings. And even then, as Sen. Jen Gross, D-Billings, pointed out, that type of surgical care is not provided to transgender minors in Montana.

Several Republicans also made the argument that children were not mature enough to be making decisions about gender-affirming care, though they focused on surgical procedures that are not provided to minors and not the type of social transitions the bill also targets such as different haircuts or names or clothing choices.

A child has not had their natural rite of passage, and therefore they don't have the mental capacity, nor the knowledge of what that rite of passage entails, in order to make these decisions. Parents, in my opinion, should not be making these decisions for their children because it involves lifelong medical issues that are imposed on them based on opinion that are not necessary, Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, said.

These children can, and I repeat they can when they reach the age of majority, obtain these surgeries, these drugs. And that is not our goal at this point to limit, Emrich continued. We are talking about children who have barely been on this earth for a short period of time.

Democrats focused on arguments the bill would strip Montanans of their rights. Sen. Chris Pope, a Democrat from Bozeman, said the bill would trample on individual freedoms protected under the state Constitution and that no senator had a monopoly on the definition of the human experience.

Our citizens have the inalienable right to a peaceful and lawful self-expression and self-determination and further, to the pursuit of happiness, protecting freedom and individual choice  is our (No. 1) job to support, not to sanction.

Pope also said under federal court rulings gender is a protected class that cannot be discriminated against. Pope raised concerns provisions in the bill that deny care under Medicaid would put the states federal funding of health care at risk.

Sen. Shane Morigeau, a Democrat from Missoula, said gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition and politicians' opinions related to that condition should not inform or affect the course of care available to treat it.

Morigeau said as long as parents provide reasonable care, theres no reason for the state to inject itself into families decisions.

But Emrich said he viewed the law as a protection for parents, saying it prevents parents from having child protective services say they are not properly caring for their children over if they are considered trans. While that has not happened in Montana, it describes the situation in Texas where the governor ordered his child protection department to investigate parents who helped their children access gender-affirming care.

Sen. Edie McClafferty, a Butte Democrat, said the bill would limit what teachers could do to aid their students.

I can tell you firsthand that teachers don't turn their backs on their students. We help all of our students and there's no list in our pocket that we pull out and say, Well, we can't talk about this, so you just have to go and find somebody else, McClafferty said. We're there to help our students be educated and we're there to help them grow socially and emotionally.

One of the Republicans who voted against the bill, Sen. Wendy McKamey of Great Falls, said as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother she would always protect children and has the best interest of children at heart.

I would not want them to suffer, I would not want to see them hurt. I would move heaven and earth to prevent any kind of hurt or harm to come to children, McKamey said.   I do believe that parenting is a fundamental right, and to take that fundamental right away from the parent, as the government or any other entity, is absolutely inappropriate.

Another Republican who voted against the bill, Sen. Jeffrey Welborn of Dillon, said after the debate he wants less government involvement in people's lives.

And Sen. Dan Solomon, a Ronan Republican, said he had concerns about children being able to access care and how it would affect their mental health.

Democrats in their opposition to the bill repeatedly pointed out that much of its support came from out of state.

One of the great legacies of this legislative body has been our ability to craft Montana-based solutions for the challenges facing Montana families and communities, said Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena. Unfortunately, this tradition appears to be fading. At the Senate Bill 99 hearing we saw out-of-state influences on full display. The proponents of the bill are not able to identify a single Montanan who said they regretted receiving gender-affirming care in this state, so they scoured the country for the few people that had regrets, flying in folks from Utah, Oregon and California. None of these individuals had received care in the state.

Adding that Montana is among more than 20 states looking at similar bills, Ellis again said it was not based in fixing local problems.

If you need more proof that this isn't a Montana-driven solution, you simply have to look at the online proponents of the bill. This is not a Montana issue. It is an issue pushed by well-funded national groups, Ellis continued.

Sen. Jen Gross, D-Billings, got into a terse exchange with Fuller, who after one back-and-forth refused to take further questions from her as is common protocol in the Senate.

Gross was asking Fuller if the bill had provisions to allow for intersex individuals to receive the type of treatment banned for trans Montanans, which it does and Gross characterized as discriminatory. The bill also does not ban things like hormone therapy for cisgender teens, Gross pointed out. Intersex is when a person is born with reproductive organs, genitalia or chromosomes that do not fall under typical definitions for male or female.

I am unclear why it is OK for cisgender and intersex teens to have a surgery if it is so irreparably harmful? Why is it OK for one group of young people and not another? Gross asked.

Sen. Greg Hertz, a Republican from Polson, said that his concern with the bill comes from the treatment he said may not hold up over time, and he drew a comparison to lobotomies. He also said it he didnt think it was a very long wait when you can wait 'til you're over 18 years old to make that decision on your own.

Another bitter exchange occurred between Fuller and Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula.

Boldman, after arguing the bill was not protecting vulnerable kids from political cruelty, accused Fuller of voting against a resolution last week to recognize the Indian boarding school experience. Fuller voted for the resolution both on second and third readings.

Fuller rose out of his seat, saying he supported the bill both in committee and on the floor. In his closing, he said he apologized for his outburst but added "All my life, I have resisted people who lie about me and you will find that I'm rather pugnacious at times."
WAPELLO  During its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors continued to discuss establishing an Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council. More questions than answers appeared though, leading the board to ultimately agree to table action on the council until its Feb. 7 meeting.

However, before settling on that decision, the supervisors did revisit some of the issues surrounding their approval in December of a resolution identifying EMS as an essential service in the county.

According to previous discussions, the designation will eventually lead to a referendum seeking public approval for a tax to fund ambulance services in Louisa County.

Currently, the Morning Sun Ambulance Service, Louisa County Ambulance Service and Wapello Community Ambulance Service all provide service in the county and some surrounding areas.

The advisory council would apparently set the referendum parameters, including the amount of tax and whether it would be solely based on property or a combination of property and income tax.

Any tax would need 60% voter approval to be enacted.

While those details appear to be settled, other questions concerning the membership size of the advisory council, who the members would represent, how long they might serve and even if the council is permanent or temporary appeared to remain unanswered.

Even with those questions unresolved, the supervisors agreed they needed to move forward.

I think (it) should be put on the next agenda and invite the ambulance groups here, supervisor Shawn Maine suggested.

Supervisor Brad Quigley agreed the ambulance services could provide important information on their operations and would be key potential membership pools for the advisory council.

Previously the supervisors had also discussed one member of the council being a supervisor and someone from the public also serving, but a five-member council raised its own questions.

With five persons, thats not very many, local resident Bill Small, a former volunteer with the Wapello ambulance before it became a city-operated service, pointed out.

Quigley agreed and indicated a seven-member council would be better starting out.

Maine then asked about the timeframe to have the referendum on the ballot.

County auditor/election commissioner Sandi Sturgell said she would need to check dates; and also said Iowa law prevented some referendum questions from being included on some regularly scheduled elections.

Maine said getting those questions answered were critical, since voters needed to approve any tax or the effort would end.

The Feb. 7 meeting could provide those answers.

In other action on Tuesday, the supervisors accepted a $6,350 bid submitted by Odessa Mechanical for a new furnace installation in the county food pantry building.

Jerry Koering, representative for Assured Partners, the countys health insurance broker, met with the board and provided an update on the countys partially self-funded health program.

Under a plan he presented to the board, premium costs will go up 6% with the county covering a larger share of the self-funded reserve.

The board also met with Louisa Development Group (LDG) Executive Director Cole Smith, who provided the LDGs 2022 Annual Report. Smith also requested the supervisors increase its annual LDG contribution from $12,000 to $20,000.

Later in the meeting, the board approved a $16,000 allocation, if the LDG Board of Directors is regenerated.

The supervisors also:

Approved the treasurers semi-annual report;

Approved the auditors quarterly report;

Approved a liquor license renewal for Caseys (Newport);

Continued to review Fiscal Year 2024 department budgets and other financial information.
MUSCATINE  The Muscatine Community School District and River Bend Food Banks Mobile Food Pantry will return to the MCSD District Board Office, 2900 Mulberry Ave., from 4:30 to 5:30, Tuesday, Feb. 14. MCSD is asking for residents to volunteer with the pantrys food distribution that day.

According to Lauri Ford, MCSD administrative assistant and River Bend Mobile Food Pantry organizer, anyone 12 years of age or older can sign up to be a volunteer. This includes Muscatine High School students who may be looking for silver cord opportunities.

Most of our volunteers are MCSD Staff members who take the time to be at the Mobile Food Pantry each month. That said, we have had several community members help out, and we greatly appreciate that. You can tell how impactful being there is on these volunteers, and without the volunteers, the MCSD and River Bend Mobile Food Pantry would not be possible, Ford said.

Currently, 300-500 families per month are served by the Mobile Food Pantry.

There is a need in our community, and were honored to host the MCSD and River Bend Mobile Food Pantry, Ford said. The school district would like to thank the anonymous local donor that works with River Bend to bring the food to our community. Whoever you are, we hope that you know just how much of a difference your generosity has made on the community. The same can be said for all volunteers, past and present. This is truly a team effort, and we are so grateful for your help.

For those interested in being a Mobile Food Pantry volunteer, register at https://bit.ly/3riYUUd. Volunteers should sign up a few days before the scheduled Mobile Food Pantry visit, although walk-in volunteers are welcome. For more information on upcoming Mobile Food Pantry visits can be found on the MCSD Facebook page.
By Azernews

Fatima Hasanova

Training sessions for the section commanders, operators of the anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) complex as well as for servicemen of different types of troops of the Azerbaijani army were conducted, Azernews reports per the Defense Ministry.

The training sessions were held in accordance with the combat training plan for 2023.

The crews carried out maneuvers to position the complex for firing and marching, marking targets, aiming, and conducting fire.

The units received training on how to leave alert points of permanent deployment.

In order to evaluate the military personnel's knowledge and skills and to enhance their abilities, practical shooting tasks were successfully completed.

Units from the Land Forces, the Air Forces, the Naval Forces, and Missile and Artillery Troops completed various tasks during the training sessions held with a view to contemporary combat experience.

The main goals of the training sessions are to improve the troops' combat readiness so they can quickly neutralize potential threats and manage the units in a long-lasting, uninterrupted, and efficient manner.

To recap, in the period of the combat training plan for 2023, the main focus will be paid to increasing efficiency in the management of troops by making extensive use of advanced methods and high technologies, organizing interoperability between units, furthering the organization of interoperability between units, and maintaining a high level of combat readiness of the troops in accordance with the requirements assigned by President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev.
Charles Dickens began his celebrated novel A Tale of Two Cities with the words It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

We might apply these words to the Tale of Two States emerging in Illinois and Iowa over the last couple of years. Each state has a legislature and governors office controlled by one party  in Iowa the Republican party; in Illinois the Democrats.

As may be expected from this circumstance, each has to some extent mirrored the policy priorities of their respective national political parties in legislation adopted. And each will see in the years ahead consequences of these policies impacting its citizens - including those of us who live in the Quad Cities area.

In Iowa, the legislature with Gov. Reynolds enthusiastic backing, has enacted tax cuts and a flat income tax to be phased in over the next several years. Illinois has had a flat income tax since 1970 due to a constitutional requirement. It has largely resulted in depriving schools of adequate state funding and in higher property tax to make up the shortfall. Iowa legislation has also curtailed reproductive rights for women. This will likely hinder OB/GYN physician recruitment in the state, while also limiting womens reproductive options. Recent legislation, signed by the Governor, will subsidize private education through grants to folks  rich and poor alike - to send their children to private schools. Interestingly, (as pointed out in a recent editorial in this paper on January 27th) there will be limited oversight of what courses private schools offer or how the money is used, opening the door for potential significant abuse. At the same time, increased government oversight of public schools through other legislation appears likely to hinder in multiple ways the availability and quality of public education in Iowa.

Meanwhile, in Illinois, the legislature  with Gov. Pritzkers strong support - has adopted legislation to expand voting rights and to protect rights of women to reproductive choice. Legislation has been enacted to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammo magazines - of the sort used to commit many of the nearly 40 mass shootings across the country in January of this year alone. The legislature also passed a bill to expand paid leave for most of the states employers. This may well cost Illinois jobs even as it increases employees workplace rights and benefits.

How these contrasting legislative approaches will play out only experience will tell for certain. However, a number of years ago, Kansas tried the tax-cut-to-spur development approach Iowa is now taking. They reversed direction within five years, because businesses started leaving the state due to underfunded and deteriorating public work and services. Likewise, undermining public education - a cornerstone of democracy championed since Thomas Jeffersons day - seems unlikely to foster anything but mischief for the public at large, and for democracy.

In Dickens novel, the line following It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, declared It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.

These words may well describe what we see playing out in our own Tale of Two States.
St. Helena's Charles Krug Winery, home to California's first tasting room, is celebrating 80 years of the Mondavi family legacy by expanding its hospitality offerings and launching new tastings.

Hospitality has always been at the core of our philosophy at Charles Krug and our new tasting experiences are central to showcasing our position as a pioneer in Napa Valley tourism, commented fourth-generation family member and co-proprietor Riana Mondavi Were excited to continue evolving Charles Krug as the winery for Napa's next generation and the epicenter of culture in Napa Valley.

"Taste Like a Somm" is a new, elevated and interactive workshop with Charles Krugs Certified Sommelier Jeff Arnold. Taste blind as Arnold guides guests through the nuances of wine tasting.

The new "Cabernet Connoisseur" experience invites guests to taste through four small-lot, premium estate Cabernets Sauvignons, including the Vintage Selection flagship wine.

The Estate Tasting will continue to be available to reserve daily. On weekends at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., get to know two pioneers of Napa Valley winemaking during the tour and tasting where guests explore the estate vineyards, learn more about the estates heritage, and drink wine. In the summer months, cabanas are available to reserve for a private tasting experience where guests take in the views under 200-year-old oak trees.

As we toast to 80 years of bringing guests an experience like no other, we pride ourselves on being the pioneer of Napa Valley wine experiences, said co-proprietor Peter Mondavi Jr. Today, five generations later, our family legacy continues as stewards of this historic estate, the ultimate wine country destination.

Wine Shops in the Napa Valley
After 13 years of study, the controversial Hunter subdivision is one step closer to approval.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

The Planning Commission recommended Tuesday that the City Council approve the project. A date hasnt been set for the council hearing.

The vote was 4-0, with Commissioner Marika Rothfeld absent.

Were under the gun to build housing, commission chair John Ponte said, noting that the Hunter property is the largest undeveloped site within the citys development borders.

The state is looking at us, and theyre looking specifically at this project, Ponte said. If the state comes down on us, we could lose pretty much all the land-use control we have.

The project aims to build 51 single-family homes, 11 accessory dwelling units, and a 25-unit multi-family complex on a 16.9-acre property past the eastern terminus of Adams Street.

The project would have 25 affordable housing units. Details about those units  and many other aspects of the project  will be worked out before the approval of a final subdivision map. So far the applicants have only applied for a tentative map.

Since the project complies with the propertys zoning and the general plan, California law prohibits the city from denying the project or reducing its size based on subjective standards, said Todd Leishman, an attorney representing the city.

There are very few ways to deny this, Ponte said.

Commissioner Rosaura Segura said the project is still at the tentative map stage, so theres still time for more discussion about its details.

It would be inclusive of all types of housing  affordable, low-income, market-rate and medium, Segura said. Were always talking about housing and our affordable housing shortage. Low-income housing is terribly needed here in St. Helena.

One of the most important objectives that we have in St. Helena on behalf of our residents is more housing  and more affordable housing, Commissioner Chris Warner said.

Ten members of the public spoke in opposition to the project. None spoke in favor of it.

If you were to take a vote of the city  it would be a pretty strong no, St. Helena resident Barbara Ringenberg said.

Opponents cited its impact on St. Helena's water and sewer systems, the potential hazards of building behind a levee, increased traffic on residential streets, its effect on Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park's emergency evacuation route along the levee, and the vagueness of its affordable housing component.

The project would use an estimated 37 acre-feet of water per year. An on-site well would provide the 17 acre-feet needed for outdoor landscaping. The developer will have to make other improvements to compensate for the other 20 acre-feet before the final map is approved.

The project is no longer proposing the retrofitting of toilets and other water fixtures in existing homes around town. A consultant said there are a number of other ways to offset the 20 acre-feet, like increasing the water efficiency of city parks. It's up to the developer to find those solutions.

Members of the public were still skeptical.

I dont think theres anyone in this audience who seriously believes that a project with 87 new (units) is going to use less water, Kelly Wheaton said, calling the water neutrality calculation hocus-pocus.

An environmental impact report concluded the project would have a significant and unavoidable impact on traffic, in terms of vehicle-miles traveled. In order to approve the project, the City Council will have to determine that its benefits  such as affordable housing  outweigh that impact.

Attorneys for the applicants demanded the removal of several conditions proposed by city staff, including ones related to storm drainage. The letter said the applicants could pursue all available remedies under contract and state housing law should the City decline.

The letter also said St. Helena needs the Hunter project to fulfill its legally mandated housing obligations.

The City cannot demonstrate zoned capacity to meet its (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) without the Projects units, wrote attorneys from the Holland & Knight law firm on behalf of applicants Dennis Hunter, Kelly and Ben VanZutphen and White Fang Properties.

The commission didn't recommend any changes to the conditions proposed by staff.

Photos: Grand opening of St. Helena's Brenkle Court housing complex Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony Brenkle Court Grand Opening Ceremony
The committee guiding St. Helenas ongoing utility rate study will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at the firehouse.

The City Council-appointed committee will help shape water and wastewater rates for the next five years. The committee is still discussing potential rate structures before it makes a recommendation to the council.

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.

One of the key decisions is whether to charge tiered water rates, in which the cost of water on a per-unit basis goes up as a customer uses more.

The current rates, adopted in 2016, are not tiered. Critics say that puts an unfair burden on conscientious water users and doesnt provide enough of an incentive for high-volume users to conserve.

The citys consultant at the time said tiered rates would not be legally defensible due to a 2015 court decision that struck down San Juan Capistranos water rates for violating Proposition 218, which prohibits government agencies from imposing charges that exceed the actual cost of providing a service.

The citys advisers for the current water study, from the consulting firm Raftelis, have a different take. They agree that there needs to be a rational nexus between rates and the cost of providing service, but they say that doesnt rule out tiered rates, which many California water agencies use.

A rate structure the committee reviewed in January included tiered rates for residential and non-residential users. Consultants said the standard practice is to use tiered rates for residential users but not for non-residential customers, who are instead charged based on their customer class  office, school, retail, restaurant, etc.

The committee also needs to decide whether the city can charge different rates to customers based on which water source they use. Groundwater from the Stonebridge wells is the cheapest to produce, Napa contract water is the most expensive, and water from Bell Canyon Reservoir is in the middle.

However, its not a simple matter of charging each customer one of three rates, since water from those three sources is intermingled in the citys water system.

After Thursdays meeting, the committee will meet again at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the firehouse.

Participation is down 40% in this agricultural program that protects wildlife, water, and soil Participation is down 40% in this agricultural program that protects wildlife, water, and soil There is less land in the Conservation Reserve Program than there used to be Most counties have seen declines in participation over the past 10 years Grassland establishment and habitat expansion are among the most common programs New changes from the USDA seek to improve participation
Playwright Cris Blak will discuss theater and history from his perspective as an emerging Black playwright on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m., in the Napa Valley College Little Theater.

Blak is working on a full-length play around the life of entrepreneur Mary Ellen Pleasant, who lived from 1814 to 1904, and is often referred to as the Mother of Civil Rights in California.

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.

Pleasant, who is buried in Napa's Tulocay Cemetery, was an entrepreneur, financier, real estate magnate and abolitionist.

Author Edward White wrote of her "As an entrepreneur, civil-rights activist and benefactor, Mary Ellen Pleasant made a name and a fortune for herself in Gold Rushera San Francisco, shattering racial taboos."

Considered to be the first self-made millionaire of African-American heritage, she identified herself as "a capitalist by profession" in the 1890 U.S. census.

Blak will discuss his work and its role in changing how we see history with NVC Professor Mandisa Wood, program coordinator of the Cultural Center.

His appearance is a joint presentation of Napa County Historical Society, The Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival and Napa Valley College.

The event will also feature readings from Blaks work with the Napa Valley Shakespeare Festivals Tulocay Project.

Blak's work has been produced off-Broadway and on university stages in the U.S. as well as in London, Australia, Ireland and Canada.

He has been a resident playwright with Fosters Theatrical Artists Residency, Paterson Performing Arts Development Council, Quick Silver Theatre Company, Yonder Window Theatre Company, and La Lengua Teatro en Espanol/AlterTheater Ensemble.

He is currently the recipient of the Emerging Playwrights Fellowship with The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre Company and was an inaugural-year fellow with the Black Theatre Coalition.

Blak has developed work with Rattlestick Theatre, Company One, The Road Theatre and American Stage, and is currently developing work with The Negro Ensemble Company, Pipeline Theatre Company, Et Alia Theater, as well as the Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival.

The event is free, but in-person seating and Zoom reservations are limited. To register, visit napahistory.org/event/cris-blak.

50 relatively unknown movies from Black cinema history 50 relatively unknown movies from Black cinema history Body and Soul (1925) Zora Neale Hurston Fieldwork Footage (1928) Hellbound Train (1930) Birthright (1939) Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940 (1940) The Blood of Jesus (1941) Juke Joint (1947) The Betrayal (1948) Black Girl (1966) The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1967) Oh, Sun (1967) Mandabi (1968) The Learning Tree (1969) Buck and the Preacher (1972) The Final Comedown (1972) Trouble Man (1972) Save the Children (1973) Gordon's War (1973) Three the Hard Way (1974) Willie Dynamite (1974) Leadbelly (1976) Bush Mama (1979) Personal Problems (1980) Losing Ground (1982) Sugar Cane Alley (1983) Bless Their Little Hearts (1983) My Brother's Wedding (1983) Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985) Yeelen (1987) Sidewalk Stories (1989) Chameleon Street (1989) Tongues Untied (1989) Looking for Langston (1989) Daughters of the Dust (1991) Finding Christa (1991) Hyenas (1992) Women with Open Eyes (1994) Panther (1995) Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (1995) 4 Little Girls (1997) Our Father (2002) Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed (2004) Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2 1/2 (2005) Medicine for Melancholy (2008) Middle of Nowhere (2012) An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012) Bad Black (2016) Atlantics (2019) The Inheritance (2020) Beba (2021)
Napa Valley College Theater Arts turns its focus on "Identity" in this year's Emergence Festival, taking place Feb. 10-12. The festival, which focuses on emerging artists and the development of new works, presents works by NVC students, faculty and staff.

Among the performances will be Brand New Shoes, written and performed Dr. Tia Madison from the NVC faculty. Madison's one-woman show journals a womans search for identity through the histories of influential African American women.

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.

"(Dr. Madison) is an amazing teacher and actress; we are very excited that she is playing such a prominent role in our theater arts department this semester," said Jennifer King, theater arts professor at NVC, who curates the Emergence Festival.

In theater arts, we are committed to nurturing young theater artists as well as lifelong learners," King said. We believe all students have the capacity to create art.

Dual enrollment students at New Technology High School have created film shorts to premiere at the festival, and King said, the audience can also expect to experience spoken-word pieces written, directed and performed by NVC students, alumni and staff.

The Emergence Festival takes place Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., and February 11 and 12 at 2 p.m.

Performances are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $5, at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center. Details and ticketing information can be found on the events page at performingartsnapavalley.org.

The NVC Arts Season

Napa Valley College (NVC) Performing Arts' spring season of events and productions will include partnership programs, a mainstage musical, a dark comedy and ensemble concerts.

In March, they present The SpongeBob Musical, which includes songs by Panic at the Disco!, Sara Bareilles, They Might Be Giants, Cyndi Lauper and David Bowie in a mainstage musical event.

Adapted from the iconic Nickelodeon series, The SpongeBob Musical will be directed by Reed Martin with musical direction by Dr. Christina Howell.

"I first saw 'SpongeBob The Musical' on Broadway in New York in 2017," Martin said. "I loved its whimsical design, pop music and celebration of friendship, cooperation, and the power of unity and inclusion.

The show is fun, funny and moving. It makes us laugh and in doing so, it opens our hearts to its message. As The Observer noted of SpongeBob, By situating topics like xenophobia, greed and existential threat in an elementary environment like Bikini Bottom, the show can simultaneously introduce kids to difficult problems and remind adults about what really matters.

Performances run March 17, 18, 24, 25 at 7 p.m. and March 19 and 26 at 2 p.m.

The third annual Viva Mariachi! Festival comes to the mainstage in April. This cultural event promotes the rich heritage and traditions of Mexico through Mariachi music and music education.

The Viva Mariachi! Festival will include youth and student groups from middle school, high school and college.

Headlining this years performance is Mariachi de Uclatlan, the first collegiate mariachi group in the nation, founded in 1961. For the past 30 years, they have been under the leadership of 2020 Grammy Award winner Jesus Chuy Guzman.

Two additional groups performing include Mariachi Los Gavilanes from Las Vegas and Cantares de Mi Tierra from Santa Rosa. Performances are on April 1 at 3 and 7 p.m.

In May, the Theater Arts department will produce She Kills Monsters in the NVC Performing Arts Center studio theater.

Olivia Cowell will direct this popular dark-comedy by Qui Nuygen.

This high octane play takes audiences on a storytelling adventure that lives in mid-90s reality and the world of Dungeons and Dragons, Cowell said. "This play is funny and also deeply tragic. It follows characters as they navigate self-discovery, sexuality, grief and a myriad of monsters both literal and figurative."

Performances are May 12, 13, 19, 20 at 7 p.m. and May 14 and 21 at 2 p.m.

The Music Department will present two concerts in May.

A live performance by the NVC Jazz Ensemble is on May 11 at 7 p.m., led by instructor and Jazz Ensemble director Peter Estabrook.

The NVC Chorale, in partnership with American Canyon High School Concert Choir, NVC Orchestra, and Napa Valley Youth Symphony, will present Gabriel Faure's Requiem."

Dr. Howell, who directs the Chorale, said, This first collaboration to come out of our new partnership with the Napa Valley Youth Symphony will also include a new connection with American Canyon High School and their Concert Choir led by Mr. Jaime Butler.

The performance is on May 21 at 2 p.m. on the mainstage.

All performances will be held at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center. Details and ticketing information can be found on the Events page at performingartsnapavalley.org.

Photos: Musical filled with Broadway hits brings theater back to Napa Valley College stage All Together Now! at Napa Valley College All Together Now! at Napa Valley College All Together Now! at Napa Valley College All Together Now! at Napa Valley College All Together Now! at Napa Valley College All Together Now! at Napa Valley College All Together Now! at Napa Valley College All Together Now! at Napa Valley College
Call for 2023 Napa County Poet Laureate

Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV), in partnership with the Napa County Library, is accepting applications for Napa Countys poet laureate, a program of the Napa County Board of Supervisors. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on March 10.

Napa Countys Poet Laureate is an honorary volunteer position appointed by the Napa County Board of Supervisors for a two-year term.

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.

As an ambassador for poetry, the Napa County poet laureate promotes public awareness to heighten the appreciation poetry and works to forge a connection with the community, undertaking projects that make poetry more available and accessible.

The most recent poet laureate, Marianne Lyon, served from 2021 to the present. The next poet laureate term will begin in April 2023.

During her time in the position, Lyon worked hard to connect poetry with other genres in the visual and performing arts while offering new and exciting opportunities for local poets to come together and create.

The poet laureate program is a special honor that has been supported by our county for over a decade," said Chris DeNatale, CEO of ACNV. "The chosen local writer-performer has the opportunity to serve our community and encourage creativity while showing the importance of the written and spoken word.

"Poetry expresses emotion and speaks to the human condition in unique and powerful ways," said Anthony Halstead, director of Napa County Library Services and Community Outreach. "From the exuberance of youth to the experience and wisdom that age gives us all, poetry brings people together and the Napa County poet laureate has the opportunity to foster that community and help it grow into one of encouragement and understanding of ourselves, others, and the world around us."

The Napa County Library and ACNV Arts Council facilitate the selection process on behalf of Napa County. The final appointment rests with the Napa County Board of Supervisors.

Nomination forms and guidelines are available on Arts Council Napa Valley website, ArtsCouncilNapaValley.org. For technical questions, contact Crysta Tim at 707-257-2117, ext.1 or via email at Info@artscouncilnv.org. All other questions can be directed to Rebecca Simon at Rebecca.Simon@countyofnapa.org.

County Competition for Poetry Out loud being held in person

The Arts Council Napa Valley Education Alliance (ACNVEA) is happy to announce that Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation county competition, is being held in person for the first time in three years post-pandemic.

This year's competition is open to the public and is being held at Lucky Penny Community Arts Center in Napa on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m.

According to the California Arts Council website, "Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life."

For further information, visit: ArtsCouncilNV.Org

Young Writers Contest

Jack London State Historical Park is accepting entries for its annual Young Writers Contest through March 23.

Students in grades six through eight are invited to write on the theme, Through the Eyes of Animals," and submit an original story of 1,500-2,000-words, inspired by the works of Jack London.

For these stories, the main characters should be animals and the story told from their perspective.

Jack London was known for his love of animals and surrounded himself with horses and dogs throughout his adult life. He often included animal characters in his novels. In Call of the Wild and White Fang, he cast animals in the main roles and wrote from their point of view. He was also known for his naturalistic writing style and his focus on realism.

The contest closes at 11:59 p.m. on March 31, and winners will be announced at the end of April.

The prizes are $200 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place. The contest is judged by a panel of volunteers (not employees of Jack London Park Partners).

Complete contest rules and the entry form, as well as links to last years winning entries, are available at jacklondonpark.com/annual-young-writers-contest.

Close Alyssa N. Trocio of American Canyon High School raises her arms with emotion during her performance of the Robert Browning piece "Life in a Love" during the Napa Poetry Out Loud recital contest Monday at the Lucky Penny theater. Mary Cate Hyde of Justin-Siena High School presents the first of her two recitals, Charles Lamb's "Thoughtless Cruelty," at the Lucky Penny theater Monday night during the Napa Out Loud competition. Judges picked Hyde and Olivia Boles, another Justin-Siena student, to advance to the all-California round of Napa Out Loud on March 18-19 in Sacramento. Mariana Diaz, reciting "A Poison Tree" by William Blake, was one of two students from New Technology High School to perform at Monday's Napa Out Loud event. Joining a five-judge panel at Monday's Napa Poetry Out Loud contest was Paul Leavitt of the Napa Bookmine store, who served as an "accuracy judge" to score contestants on their ability to recite their chosen poems from memory. Sabrina Leipziger of New Technology High School, one of six performers at Monday's Poetry Out Loud contest in Napa, chose Mina Loy's "Lunar Baedeker" as her second recitation at the Lucky Penny theater. Olivia Boles of Justin-Siena High School recites the Natalie Diaz poem "Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation" to open the Napa competition of Poetry Out Loud Monday night at the Lucky Penny theater. A five-judge panel named Boles and her schoolmate Mary Cate Hyde the two prize winners, advancing them to a statewide Poetry Out Loud event in March. Kristie Chau of American Canyon High School recites "I Am Offering This Poem" by Jimmy Santiago Baca before a five-judge panel at the Napa Poetry Out Loud competition Monday night. Photos: Napa County students bring verse to life at Poetry Out Loud Alyssa N. Trocio of American Canyon High School raises her arms with emotion during her performance of the Robert Browning piece "Life in a Love" during the Napa Poetry Out Loud recital contest Monday at the Lucky Penny theater. Mary Cate Hyde of Justin-Siena High School presents the first of her two recitals, Charles Lamb's "Thoughtless Cruelty," at the Lucky Penny theater Monday night during the Napa Out Loud competition. Judges picked Hyde and Olivia Boles, another Justin-Siena student, to advance to the all-California round of Napa Out Loud on March 18-19 in Sacramento. Mariana Diaz, reciting "A Poison Tree" by William Blake, was one of two students from New Technology High School to perform at Monday's Napa Out Loud event. Joining a five-judge panel at Monday's Napa Poetry Out Loud contest was Paul Leavitt of the Napa Bookmine store, who served as an "accuracy judge" to score contestants on their ability to recite their chosen poems from memory. Sabrina Leipziger of New Technology High School, one of six performers at Monday's Poetry Out Loud contest in Napa, chose Mina Loy's "Lunar Baedeker" as her second recitation at the Lucky Penny theater. Olivia Boles of Justin-Siena High School recites the Natalie Diaz poem "Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation" to open the Napa competition of Poetry Out Loud Monday night at the Lucky Penny theater. A five-judge panel named Boles and her schoolmate Mary Cate Hyde the two prize winners, advancing them to a statewide Poetry Out Loud event in March. Kristie Chau of American Canyon High School recites "I Am Offering This Poem" by Jimmy Santiago Baca before a five-judge panel at the Napa Poetry Out Loud competition Monday night.
By Azernews

Qabil Ashirov

SOCAR Turkiye has set up a donation fund worth TRY20m ($1m) to meet the needs of citizens of quake-hit regions of Turkiye, Azernews reports, citing the press service of the company.

In addition, the company made donations to different governmental and aid organizations regarding the earthquake.

We have delivered 6.4 million TL of basic relief to AFAD [The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency], and we also donate 3.5 million TL [$0.19m] in cash. We donate 2 million TL [$0.11m] in cash to the AHBAP Association; 500,000 TL [$26,000] worth of materials (water, diapers, pads) to be delivered to the region under the direction of the Directorate of Migration Management; Food support of 500,000 TL [$26,000] was provided to Alia?a District Police Department to be sent to the security and gendarmerie teams in earthquake regions the company says.

Meanwhile, the company noted that all ambulances, fire engines, rescue vehicles of AFAD and other organizations from Hazar fuel stations in Hatay, Ad?yaman, Gaziantep, Kahramanmara?, and ?anl?urfa provided with free gasoline and diesel.
Paul Pelosi was to be one of more than 20 guests invited by first lady Jill Biden to attend Tuesday night's State of the Union address by her husband, President Biden.

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.

Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, was attacked by a man with a hammer on Oct. 28 in the Pelosis' home in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Paul Pelosi was invited to join Biden in her viewing box for the official address.

An announcement from the first lady's office described the attack on Pelosi: "The attack reportedly was politically motivated, with the intruder's alleged intent to harm and kidnap the former speaker. According to court filings, the intruder confronted Mr. Pelosi, asking 'Where's Nancy?,' a similar chant of those responsible for the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection."

Pelosi's attacker was arrested at the scene with a hammer in his hand and faces local and federal charges.

David DePape, 42, of Richmond, was charged with one count of assault upon an immediate family member of a United States official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

DePape was also charged with one count of attempted kidnapping of a United States official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The federal charges are in addition to state charges filed Nov. 1 by San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins that include attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and false imprisonment.
Despite outrage over a cycle of deadly mass shootings in California and other states, a new poll out Monday has found plummeting support for a national assault weapon ban, reflecting what even backers say may be growing pessimism over whether such a law would reduce violence.

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.

President Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom have called for a ban, and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced a new ban bill last month, similar to one Congress allowed to expire after 10 years in 2004. California has banned the sale of assault weapons since 1989, but it is under legal challenge.

While Biden has undertaken a new push to ban assault weapons, public views on the issue are now closely divided, said Gary Langer of Langer Research Associates, which produced the survey for ABC News. Asked their opinion regarding the proposed legislation, 51% of respondents said they were opposed and 47% were in support.

Langer Research has asked about an assault weapon ban 22 times in 13 years starting in 1995, and noted that in most other polls, majorities have supported such a measure, peaking at 79% in May 1999. Support was at 62% as recently as April 2018 but fell to 56%, with 41% opposed, in September 2019, the last time the firm asked.

Langer said the decline in support since 2019 is broadly based across groups, but that it would take a study focused in more detail on the issue to assess its reasons. Mondays poll covered a variety of topics including the national debt and the popularity of the nations elected leaders.

Langer said the findings dont appear to be an outlier  a Quinnipiac University poll in July 2022 found 49% in support of a national assault weapon sale ban and 45% opposed, though Feinsteins office noted a Jan. 27-29 Morning Consult/Politico poll that found 65% support banning assault weapons and 67% support banning large-capacity ammunition magazines.

But Langer did say that other polls suggest reasons for flagging support. The Quinnipiac University poll also found 52% of Americans do not worry about being the victim of a mass shooting, while 47% percent do.

A Pew Research Center poll last year also found the public divided on whether making it harder to get guns would reduce mass shootings, Langer said. Another Pew study among parents of children under 18 found just 45% of the parents thought an assault weapons ban would be extremely or very effective at preventing shootings in schools.

Asked about the findings, Ruth Borenstein, legislative and policy chair for Brady California, which supports the national ban, said Its hard to know, but I suspect its due to efforts to normalize these weapons of war.

We have members of Congress wearing assault weapon pins on their lapels, Borenstein said. Plus, tragically, now that mass shootings are a daily occurrence, I think many people see them as inevitable.

Despite Californias longstanding ban on semiautomatic rifles and pistols styled after modern military guns, prohibition of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and a host of other firearm restrictions, the state in January saw its deadliest month of mass shootings in at least a decade.

Seven workers were killed Jan. 23 at a pair of Half Moon Bay mushroom farms by an allegedly disgruntled co-worker armed with a pistol, and 11 people were fatally shot Jan. 21 at a dance studio in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park by man armed with an assault pistol believed to be illegal in the state. On Jan. 16, six people died in a gang-related shooting in the San Joaquin Valley town of Goshen, including a teenage mother and her infant son.

Gun-rights supporters say assault weapons are functionally the same as semiautomatic rifles and pistols that have been in civilian use for more than a century. They fire one shot per trigger pull until empty, unlike the rifles carried by soldiers that can fire continuously with one trigger pull until empty. Such fully automatic weapons have long been prohibited for civilian use in the United States.

AR-15s are the most popular rifle in America and millions use them daily for a variety of lawful purposes, the National Rifle Association said in a statement Monday. Support for a ban on these widely owned firearms has declined because Americans know bans do nothing to reduce violent crime or enhance public safety. Common sense tells them that bans only affect the law-abiding.

Congress allowed Feinsteins 1994 assault weapon ban to expire in 2004. One study said its success in reducing criminal use of the banned guns and magazines has been mixed. That report found that following implementation of the ban, the share of gun crimes involving assault weapons declined by 17% to 72% in areas studied. But it said the decline in assault weapon use was offset by the use of other guns with large-capacity magazines that had been grandfathered in before the law took effect.

The report concluded that it was premature to assess the bans impact on gun crime because it may not be fully felt for several years into the future.

Feinsteins office said Monday it remains clear that the majority of Americans want Congress to act to end gun violence, and pointed to studies showing a drop in gun massacre deaths when the assault weapon ban was in effect, and an increase afterward.

We know the assault weapons ban worked; it saved lives, Feinsteins office said. Its time to renew the ban.

The ABC poll of a random national sample of 1,003 adults  26% Democrats, 25% Republicans and 40% independents  was conducted by landline and cellphone from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, in English and Spanish. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points.
One of the men accused of gunning down six members of a Central Valley family had been embroiled in an "extensive history and feud" with the family and had once shot at one of them, according to police records obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

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.

Shortly before 10 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2014, Tulare County sheriff's deputies responded to a shooting at the Wooden Shoe RV Park in Goshen. They found Eladio Parraz with his arm around his girlfriend, Crystal Hammonds, who was crying hysterically, a deputy wrote in a report.

Someone had fired shots at Hammonds before fleeing in a white sedan with tinted windows, Parraz told the deputies. Based on her description of the female driver, Parraz said he believed the woman was associated with someone he knew as "Nano," according to another deputy's report.

Parraz told the deputy "his family and 'Nano's' family had an extensive history and feud." Police identified "Nano" as Angel Uriarte and determined he had shot at Hammonds that night in 2014. Uriarte eventually was sentenced to prison for the shooting.

Eight and a half years later, Eladio Parraz, 52, was the first person to be executed, authorities say, when Uriarte and another man, Noah Beard, entered the Parraz family's home on the night of Jan. 16.

After gunning down Eladio Parraz, prosecutors allege, Uriarte and Beard killed Marcos Parraz, 19; Jennifer Analla, 50; and finally Rosa Parraz, 72, who was shot in the head while kneeling beside her bed. Alissa Parraz, 16, fled the home with her 10-month-old son, Nycholas, lifting the baby over a fence before scrambling over it herself. Beard pursued them, killing both with shots to the head, prosecutors allege.

Uriarte fired at federal agents who were trying to arrest him last week, authorities said. He underwent surgery after the shootout and is expected to survive. Beard was arrested without incident. Authorities now say Uriarte is known by the nickname "Nanu."

Uriarte and Beard have been charged 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.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said last week that his investigators had identified no motive for the killings, beyond the fact that members of the Parraz family were Surenos  street gang members subservient to the prison-based Mexican Mafia  while most gangs in the Visalia area identify as Norteno, meaning they answer to the Nuestra Familia, a prison gang that rivals the Mexican Mafia.

But records filed in Uriarte's 2014 case suggest he harbored a longstanding hatred of the Parraz family.

At the time of the earlier shooting, Eladio Parraz did not describe the ill will between his family and Uriarte's in detail and said he "did not involve himself with the feud any longer," wrote a deputy, Kyle Kalender, but he said "his nephew, Martin Parraz, and 'Nano' did not get along."

Eladio Parraz said Hammonds had been exiting his nephew's car, a white Dodge Neon, when the shots rang out. "Eladio felt that whoever shot at Crystal was looking for Martin," Kalender wrote.

Martin Parraz was not killed in last month's shooting.

Crying and breathing heavily, Hammonds told Kalender she'd returned from the trailer park's office, where she'd taken a shower, when a white car drove by. The driver, a Latina in her 20s, made eye contact with her, she said. The car continued about 30 feet down a dirt road, then stopped. The rear passenger's side door opened.

Hammonds recalled seeing "a tall skinny male" standing next to the car and hearing gunshots. She ducked behind Martin Parraz's car and felt rocks and dirt strike her legs and "something hit her in the face," Kalender wrote.

Inspecting the Dodge Neon, Kalender noted two bullet holes in the rear fender and a bullet fragment beneath the muffler. Another deputy wrote in a report that he found a blue bandanna, which he considered "gang indicia," on the driver's seat, and a bindle containing 20 grams of methamphetamine in the glove box.

Deputies found bullet holes in a nearby trailer, whose horrified owner said her two young children had been asleep "only a few feet away from where the bullets had struck the trailer," Deputy Kenneth Jones wrote.

That night, deputies stopped a white 2010 Dodge Avenger, which resembled the description of the suspects' car, at an Arco in Goshen. Questioned at the gas station, Uriarte, then 26, said he was a "northern dropout" but still affiliated with the "Goshen Familia" gang, Kalender wrote.

Uriarte had "GF" tattooed beneath his left eye, as well as "G-Town" and "559"  a Central California area code  inked on his left arm, Kalender wrote. He was wearing a red shirt, red belt and shoes with red laces, according to the deputy's report.

Another male stopped in the Dodge Avenger, Victor Lopez, was wearing a red hat and red Jordan sneakers. The 17-year-old said he "hangs out with northerners" but denied being in a gang, Kalender wrote.

Norteno gangs favor the color red, while Surenos generally identify with the color blue.

Law enforcement officials say a growing number of gangs in Central and Northern California  long considered the domain of the Nuestra Familia and the Norteno gangs under the organization's control  are now identifying as Surenos, meaning they take orders from and pay "taxes" to the Mexican Mafia.

At the gas station, the woman who had been driving the car began to cry, wrote one of the deputies who responded to the shooting. Claiming she "had no idea this was going to happen," Jasmine Reyes said she was afraid Uriarte would hear her talking to police, but agreed to be interviewed at the sheriff's station, Jones wrote.

In an interview room, Reyes said she had been drinking beer with Uriarte, Lopez and a woman, Catrina Jimenez, when they decided to drive around Goshen. Because Jimenez was drunk, Reyes drove her Dodge Avenger.

Reyes said Uriarte told her to drive to the Wooden Shoe trailer park. As she was pulling slowly through the rows of trailers, Uriarte opened the door and stepped out. The next thing she heard was three gunshots, she said. Uriarte got back in the car and told her to leave.

On Highway 99, she yelled at Uriarte, "What the f are you doing?" Uriate, she said, told her, "Don't trip." He said he had "funk" with the Parraz family, which Reyes said she understood to mean Uriarte and the family had "problems," the report says.

Interviewed at the sheriff's station, Jimenez, the owner of the Dodge Avenger, cursed at deputies and called the incident "bulls," Jones wrote in his report. "Catrina went on to say the only reason we are making a big deal about this is because it has to do with the Parraz family."

Jimenez said the Parraz family "gets away with everything and the sheriff's office does nothing to prosecute them," Jones wrote. She claimed they "got what they deserved" because a member of the Parraz family had run over her father with a car, leaving him permanently disabled, the report says.

Uriarte refused to be interviewed by police.

At the Arco, deputies did what is known as a "show-up," bringing the four suspects to Hammonds and asking if she recognized them. Sitting in a patrol car, Hammonds began to shake and cry when shown Uriarte, a deputy wrote. "He's the one that shot me," she said, adding she was 100% sure.

Uriarte pleaded no contest to assaulting the woman with a firearm and admitted a gang enhancement, court records show. He served five years of a seven-year prison term.

Interviewed by a deputy probation officer in jail, Uriarte said he had spent his whole life in Tulare County. He was unemployed and living with his fiancee, her mother and his five children in a small home just off the 99 in Goshen at the time of his arrest in 2014.

The home  a shabby pink stucco  is one in a pocket of houses and trailers squeezed near the highway, a set of railroad tracks and a large industrial site. It is just two blocks from the house on Harvest Avenue where the Parraz family was slain last month.

Photos: Mass shooting at Lunar New Year celebration in California
Moodys reaffirms "Export Insurance Agency of Armenia"s rating

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
By Azernews

Sabina Mammdli

Since yesterday, a total of 201 Azerbaijani citizens, including 3-4 Turkish citizens, have been evacuated from quake-hit regions of Turkiye, Azernews reports per the Foreign Ministry.

"The evacuees are being transported by buses to the border with Georgia. These are citizens, mainly from Gaziantep, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kahramanmaras, and Elazig. We keep working. The number of evacuation flights that will be carried out during this day depends on the lists," the statement said.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Turkiye on the morning of February 6, 2023, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. The quakes epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. The source of the earthquake was 7 km below the surface. Further, three more quakes with a magnitude of 6.4-6.6 rocked Gaziantep province in south-eastern Turkiye. As a result of the earthquake that hit Turkiye, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.

At the moment of writing this article, the overall death toll in Turkiye has risen to 7,108 with 38,224 injured.

Azerbaijan was the first country to provide assistance to Turkiye immediately after the earthquake.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations is continuing to send humanitarian aid and rescuers to Turkiye.

Azerbaijani rescuers are currently working in the Turkish quake-hit regions.
The alleged "spy balloon" shot down over the southeastern coast of the United States is part of an extensive surveillance program carried out by China's leadership. Such balloons have been collecting information on military facilities in various countries and regions of strategic interest to the PRC for many years, The Washington Post reported, citing U.S. intelligence sources.



According to their data, surveillance using balloons was carried out over Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines, among others. They are controlled from Hainan Island off the southern coast of China, among other places; so far, such balloons have already been spotted on five continents, it further noted.



The Chinese are combining incredibly old technology with modern communications and intelligence capabilities to gather information about the armed forces of other countries, The Washington Post quoted an unnamed U.S. administration official as saying. According to the newspaper, the U.S. State Department has sent detailed information to all American embassies about the "spy balloons," which can also be shared with third countries. "Our allies and partners are very interested in it," the newspaper's interlocutor added.



The incident with the alleged Chinese "spy balloon," which was shot down in front of the South Carolina coast on February 4 after several days of surveillance, has further complicated the already strained relations between Washington and Beijing. In particular, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken canceled a visit to the Chinese capital scheduled for February 5 and 6. The head of U.S. diplomacy explained his decision by his reaction to "the presence of a Chinese high-altitude reconnaissance balloon in U.S. airspace."



The Chinese leadership dismissed accusations by Washington and the U.S. media as baseless speculation and propaganda, saying that the incident was used as a pretext to smear China. According to the Chinese side, the balloon was a civilian object designed specifically for meteorological purposes and entered U.S. airspace by accident.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has visited the Embassy of Turkiye in Azerbaijan to express condolences over the numerous human casualties in the wake of the devastating earthquake.

Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci welcomed the head of state.

President Ilham Aliyev signed a condolence book.

The head of state then had a conversation with the ambassador.

President Ilham Aliyev said:

- I am offering my condolences again. It is a great disaster, a huge tragedy. Innocent people have been killed and injured.

You know that Azerbaijan, as always, has been by the side of brotherly Turkiye from the first minutes and hours. As always, we have shown our support and solidarity. If we have been able to help at least a little in eliminating the consequences of this bitter tragedy, we consider it an honor for ourselves. Turkiye is always with us, in good times and in difficult times.

This horrific earthquake has saddened us a lot. In other words, it has caused great moral suffering to each one of us. We share the pain of our brothers. We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. When I called my dear brother, Mr. President on the phone to express my condolences, I said that we were wholeheartedly with you. You know that people are constantly being sent to Turkiye. At the same time, doctors, rescuers and volunteers are and will continue to be sent.

You know that the people of Azerbaijan voluntarily bring whatever they have to support their brothers. Someone brings a blanket, someone brings a mattress, and someone else brings a coat. People are ready to share whatever people have. We are once again demonstrating to the whole world that true brotherly relations exist not only at the interstate level, not only at the level of heads of state, but also at the level of people, and this is natural.

Our public organizations are also providing support. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has already launched a major initiative. All the possibilities of the Foundation, all the people working under the Foundation have already joined this aid campaign.

According to my information, private companies have already sprung into action and started to provide financial and technical assistance. On my instructions, our biggest company SOCAR has started to provide support. As you may know, SOCAR has extensive activities and great opportunities in Turkiye. This company is also a Turkish company, and it is trying and will continue trying to help with all the possibilities it has.

I know that representatives of our state institutions are also active in organizing humanitarian aid within their institutions, and we can only welcome this. In other words, the entire Azerbaijani people are with the brotherly Turkish people today.

On my instructions, all aid issues will be managed from one center, and the head of the Presidential Administration has been instructed about that. In addition, our hospitals have all the conditions for the treatment of our wounded brothers and sisters. Beds have already been allocated in Baku and other cities, including the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and if necessary, we are ready to bring in patients.

In parallel, a large group of volunteers is already on the way. We have large groups of volunteers  both volunteers working under the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and ASAN volunteers, i.e. they are always the first to provide aid when an unfortunate event happens in Azerbaijan, for example, when an earthquake occurred in Shamakhi, Aghsu, Ismayilli. They are on the way now.

I am sure that Turkiye will come out of this bitter test with honor and cope with it. But this is an incredibly immense tragedy. Every life saved seems to save the world for us. Again, rescuers from Turkiye, Azerbaijan and other countries are doing a great job. Of course, the main burden, the moral burden here falls on the Turkish government. My brother, the honorable President, immediately gave all the instructions and sent all the ministers to the disaster zones, and I am sure that the strong and powerful Turkish state will overcome this difficulty and continue its efforts in conducting search and rescue operations. After that, of course, we are ready to join the restoration work. That is, Turkiye and Azerbaijan are already one fist, one heart and one soul. We see it this way, the citizens of Turkiye and Azerbaijan also see it this way. It is a great honor for us to be with Turkiye in these difficult days.

Let me say again that we hope this doesnt happen again. May Allah rest the souls of all those who perished in peace, grant patience to their relatives. Natural disasters do happen and no-one is immune to them. But the prompt and agile steps taken by the Turkish state once again showed that the human factor is the main issue for the Turkish government. At the same time, this difficult ordeal will once again show the strength of Turkiye to the whole world. This will not shake our fraternal people and will not affect the will of the Turkish state. The Turkish state is a strong state and it is showing its strength in the fight against this disaster.

***

Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci said:

- Dear Mr. President, thank you very much for your visit. You have shown your greatness. Thank you and always be there for us.

We know that brotherly Azerbaijan has mobilized all its resources on your orders since the first minute. Not only the Ministry of Emergency Situations, but also all the institutions, the entire societies and people have been mobilized. Your peoples hearts are beating in an effort to ease our pain. We are witnessing that, we are seeing that. Thank you very much, thank you.

There was a truly powerful earthquake. For the first time in the history of Turkiye, a non-local earthquake has caused us so much suffering. It has affected more than 10 cities, more than 10 million people, and our losses are increasing every day. May Allah grant patience to our nation and not make us suffer such great pain again, Inshallah.

Dear Mr. President, thank you very much. Indeed, Azerbaijan has been like a heart. Our people are helping with whatever they can. Thanks to the hard work of the people working to help, the trucks are now on the way. We are truly grateful. Today, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis, Honorable Sahiba Gafarova, Honorable Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov called us. On your instructions, institutions are inquiring about transportation, the need for generators, transformers and hospital supplies. We are also working in coordination with them.

Thank you so much for your support in healing our wounds. We know that we are brothers and we live and feel it from the heart. Turkiye also conveys its appreciation to Azerbaijan with all its heart, dear Mr. President.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Cahit Bagci: Thank you, Mr. President.
Armenia did not cancel the meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Russia in Moscow on December 23, 2022, but postponed it, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a press conference with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman.



When asked what Baku has answered to Armenian side's proposals on the peace agreement, Mirzoyan said the previous day in Berlin that the negotiations are a long process and the sides exchange answers, comments and proposals. Ministerial meetings are being held in parallel. The minister once again voiced Yerevan's stance according to which Armenia did not think it was possible to participate in the December 23 meeting in Moscow because of Azerbaijan's blockade of Lachin corridor. "But, as I said, we still passed the proposals. And now a few days, 10-15 days ago we received an answer from Azerbaijan. In fact, we are at the stage of discussions. I want to say that by and large the negotiation process has not stopped. Now we will give our comments on the proposals. The Minister did not disclose the content of the proposals and comments, considering it inappropriate at this stage. However, he said that the positions have been brought closer on some issues and there is no progress on others. "The Armenian side has issues of principle, they were talked about a lot in public," Mirzoyan reminded.



As for the meeting, we did not cancel it, but postponed it. As it comes from the wording at a certain convenient moment, we will engage, said the Minister.



Asked whether the choice of the meeting is important, the minister noted that the meetings could be in Moscow or elsewhere. He recalled that the meetings were held in different cities. According to him, the choice of place is important, but it does not have an extremely important impact on the process. We are ready for the meeting in Moscow, concluded the head of the Foreign Ministry.
By Azernews

Qabil Ashirov

Azerbaijan will sign a preferential trade agreement with Pakistan, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan Khazar Farhadov, telling at a meeting in Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

As the Pakistani media report, the Azerbaijani ambassador visited the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) to interact with the Business Community of Sialkot.

At the meeting, mutual business relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan were discussed, where Abdul Ghafoor Malik, President of SCCI, noted that Pakistan was keen to untap the potential that exists on both sides and SCCI plans to a Trade Delegation of prominent product sectors of Sialkot to Azerbaijan, to have business-to-business interactions of Pakistani business community with Azerbaijani counterparts.

Meanwhile, Khazar Farhadov noted that Azerbaijan would be signing a Preferential Trade Agreement with Pakistan, which would help businessmen on both sides to increase economic relations.

He added that last year the trade volume of Pakistan and Azerbaijan increased three times, through joint efforts from both sides.

Notably, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the 12th of December 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on the 9th of June 1992. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $27m in 2022.
There is a certain misunderstanding regarding the arrival of the EU observer mission to Armenia, and not the CSTO mission, including among the expert community of Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in the Armenian parliament on Wednesday.



According to him, there is a clear understanding of the CSTO area of responsibility. "We asked the CSTO to specify CSTO zone of responsibility in Armenia as one of the most important issues. That is, to present us your understanding of what the Republic of Armenia is? We have not received an answer to this question.



On the other hand, why was it possible to send an EU civilian mission to Armenia? Because as a result of the quadripartite meeting held in Prague, the EU clearly defined, including with the participation and agreement of Armenia and Azerbaijan, what the Republic of Armenia is. That is, they said, here is the map of Armenia, or we said it, and they confirmed it. They are going to observe and control the territory in question. Without understanding the territory the observation mission will be at least strange, because in this case it is unclear what they are monitoring," Pashinyan said.



He added that the issue arose because of Azerbaijan's occupation of Armenian territory. "If any mission doesn't know what Armenia's territory is, how will it assess whether Armenia is occupied or not?" the prime minister wondered.



Pashinyan touched on another aspect as well. "Before the EU mission arrived, Azerbaijan was explaining on Western platforms its aggressive actions against Armenia by the fact that RA, the prime minister of the republic was introducing more and more Russian troops and deploying them on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. They say a joint Armenian-Russian aggressive attack against Azerbaijan is being prepared and Baku is trying to more or less balance the situation with its aggressive attacks.



In the West, they tried to portray Armenia as a participant in Russia's aggressive policy, and in Russia - as a participant in the Western conspiracy. Since Russian partners had representatives on the ground, our Western partners have already started to look at us suspiciously, you are going to carry out aggressive actions, because there are large accumulations of Armenian and Russian troops, you are going to attack Azerbaijan. Poor Azerbaijanis want to seize the heights, so that there is a balance.



Understanding that a lot of resources are spent on this, we said: ok, you yourself come and observe everything on the spot, see if all this is true or not," Pashinyan noted.



The Prime Minister assured that there is no geopolitical subtext in all this, there is a specific agenda, a specific issue that Armenia is trying to solve.
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

The Azerbaijani Emergency Ministry rescue team has so far saved 16 people, including three children from beneath the rubble, and also pulled 29 bodies in Turkiye's quake-hit Kahramanmaras, Azernews reports.

Besides, the Foreign Ministry has reported that Azerbaijani citizen Naila Bunyatova (born in 1980) died following the fatal earthquake.

Later, another rescue team of 227 people from the emergency situations ministry arrived in Turkiye to help eliminate the consequences of the earthquake and support search and rescue operations.

The team includes personnel of the State Fire Service and the Special Risk Rescue Service of the ministry.

The plane took off from the Heydar Aliyev International Airport to the Turkish city of Adana.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Turkiye on the morning of February 6, 2023, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. The quakes epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. The source of the earthquake was 7 km below the surface. Further, three more quakes with a magnitude of 6.4-6.6 rocked Gaziantep province in south-eastern Turkiye. As a result of the earthquake that hit Turkiye, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.

At the moment of writing this article, the overall death toll in Turkiye has gone over 7,108 with 38,224 others injured.

Azerbaijan was the first country to provide assistance to Turkiye immediately after the earthquake.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations continues to send humanitarian aid and rescuers to Turkiye.

Azerbaijani rescuers are currently working in the Turkish earthquake-hit regions.
The IT sector is considered an active sphere, which does not depend on the time of year and works with the same intensity and workload as before, since the orders come from abroad and have nothing to do with the weather. Gagik Makaryan, Chairman of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia told NEWS.am.

The textile sector is also active because they receive orders from abroad, especially from European countries and Russia, so seasonality does not play any role here.



The mining sector is also active, which receives orders at exchange prices and carries them out. Pharmaceutical companies are also busy, as well as companies producing metal items.



The communications industry, partly machinery manufacturing, and the electronics sector are also operating with the same workload.



Some passivity due to the weather is observed in the construction sector, although on the whole it can also be classified as a contentedly active industry.



The food processing sector, including the production of canned goods, weakened because of seasonality. On the other hand, the production of dairy products is even growing. Production of bread and bakery products also remains active.



Tourism is passive; activity in the sphere of public services has slightly weakened, though restaurants work with the same intensity, and cafes, transport services and hotels - not so. The chemical industry has also weakened.



Imports and exports have declined to some extent, especially those of the food industry.



On the whole 70% of industries are active, passivity is observed in other spheres.



Aram Danielyan
The Azerbaijani government-controlled newspaper haqqin.az announced the active phase of creating an information base for another aggression against Armenia.



Today, the newspaper published an article "Armenia and Iran are preparing an attack on Lachin and Gubadli", citing "operational information" on the allegedly forthcoming aggression on the part of Armenia and Iran. We should remind that all such information is directly controlled and supplied from the apparatus of the president of Azerbaijan. We should also remind that all previous acts of aggression by Azerbaijan were accompanied by such dispatches of information.



The article quotes operational information from diplomatic sources, claiming that some provocation involving Armenia and a subversive group of 30 IRGC servicemen was prepared. The head of the operational group is an IRGC general whose name is known to the Azerbaijani government, the article claims. "According to the information received by haqqin.az, the subversive group is planning to organize two successive attacks in the direction of Lachin and Gubadli regions of Azerbaijan. The first attack on one of the posts of Azerbaijani army will be carried out by a group of servicemen in uniform of Armenian Armed Forces, whose task is "to destroy human strength of the enemy. The second group will attack one of the Armenian posts and destroy all the soldiers there. At that scenes of killing of Armenian soldiers, as well as speech in Azerbaijani language will be recorded on video... The main purpose of the planned sabotage - to collect evidence for the EU mission about another act of aggression of Azerbaijan and the atrocities of the Azerbaijani army," the newspaper writes.
By Azernews

Fatima Hasanova

Azerbaijan continues to support fraternal Turkiye by sending humanitarian aid to Kahramanmaras devastated by the earthquake, Azernews reports.

Along with rushing rescuers to the quake-hit region, Azerbaijan also sent military medical personnel with extensive training, who are specialized in a variety of medical spheres ready to offer the required medical assistance.

In addition, since yesterday, Azerbaijani citizens have been collecting humanitarian aid for quake victims, including warm clothes, heaters, emergency kits and etc.

In response to a request from the embassy of Turkiye in Baku and the Consulate General in Nakhchivan, citizens of Azerbaijan are carrying aid to collection points.

In total, thirteen special-purpose vehicles from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations have been sent to Turkiye. Tents, bedding, heaters, tables, and other supplies are included in the humanitarian aid.

Turkiye's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci thanked Azerbaijan for the prompt campaign to organize the aid campaign.

"Azerbaijan, you are a heart that shares our grief, and shows solidarity and support for our country!" he tweeted.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake was recorded in central Turkiye on the morning of February 6, 2023, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. The quakes epicenter was located 26 km away from the city of Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. The source of the earthquake was 7 km below the surface. Further, three more quakes with a magnitude of 6.4-6.6 rocked Gaziantep province in south-eastern Turkiye. As a result of the earthquake that hit Turkiye, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.

At the moment of writing, the overall death toll in Turkiye totaled 8,574, with 49,133 wounded, and 6,444 buildings demolished.
As a response, Russia is permanently banning 77 Americans involved in arms deliveries to the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv from entering the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.



"In response to Washington's continued expansion of the list of Russian citizens against whom personal sanctions are imposed, entry to the Russian Federation is closed on a permanent basis for 77 Americans," the diplomatic office pointed out. "Based on the principle of reciprocity, the "stop list" this time includes U.S. citizens who head the authorities in the states, a number of federal agencies, as well as companies involved in the supply of weapons to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev. The sanctions have affected not only politicians and officials involved in the formation and implementation of the anti-Russian course, but also some members of their families," added the Russian Foreign Ministry.



As the ministry noted, Washington's hostile actions against Moscow will be rebuffed and will hit the United States itself with a boomerang. "We stress once again for better assimilation in Washington that any hostile actions against Russia, including the unwinding of the sanctions spiral, will be rebuffed and will hit the United States itself with a boomerang," the statement pointed out.



The Foreign Ministry added that a number of U.S. governors and state representatives, military officers, heads of companies and their relatives are on the new Russian stop-list. The list includes Washington state governors Jay Inslee, New Mexico Michelle Lujan-Grisham, Kansas Laura Kelly, Kentucky Andy Beshear, Alaska Michael Dunleavy and a number of others. The stop list also included other state representatives and their relatives, including Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's daughter Elly McConnell and California Governor Gavin Newsom's wife Jennifer Newsom.
Associate Professor of Law Pablo Rueda-Saiz discusses his paper, Targets, Fields, and Tactics: Multi-Institutional Legal Mobilization in the Campaign of the Uwa People in Colombia on Miami Laws podcast, The Explainer. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Uwa became the poster child for the anti-globalization and anti-corporate movement in Seattle and Genoa. There were protests in support of the Uwa all around the globe, from Bogota to Tokyo, and from Canada to Argentina, and especially in the U.S. Their fame came in part because this group threatened with committing collective suicide if the oil companies went forward with their project to extract oil from their land.

In the end, the campaign successfully prevented the foreign oil companies from exploring the area they had licensed for their operation, and they gave back their license to the Colombian state-owned oil company. Listen more here.

Professor Rueda-Saizs primary interests include international and comparative constitutional law, law and society, social movements, armed conflict, and globalization. He has taught law at the University of Wisconsin, at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, and at the Universities of El Rosario and Los Andes in Colombia.
Scott Sundby needed more time. His interview with the woman who had served as a juror on a death penalty trial had already surpassed five hoursthe time limit he had imposed for their in-depth talk.

But there was still so much more Sundby wanted to delve into. Like how seeing graphic autopsy photos of the murder victim affected the woman and how she would come to regret joining 11 other jurors in sentencing a defendant to death. So, he scheduled a second interview with the woman, which would last 12 hours.

When it comes to emotions, all of us are millionaires. And that certainly applies to jurors who have been in emotionally trying situations, said Sundby, a professor of law and Deans Distinguished Scholar at the University of Miami School of Law.

As an investigator on the National Science Foundation-backed Capital Jury Project, he has interviewed scores of former capital jurors, delving deeply into the reasons they make life or death recommendations and examining whether their sentencing discretion can avoid the arbitrariness the U.S. Supreme Court condemned in the landmark 1972 Furman v. Georgia case. In that case, the court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that the death penalty, as then administered, constituted cruel and unusual punishment when it is imposed in an arbitrary and capricious manner. It effectively ended all executions for a four-year period.

They are unlike any other decisions in the criminal justice system, Sundby said of the verdicts handed down by juries on capital murder cases. We ask capital jurors to decide whether someone lives or dies, so its inevitably a moral decision that raises a host of questions on everything from legal rules to compassion, mercy, and justice. We often think of criminal trials as plays. Well, a capital case is a morality play in all the senses of that word. It is truly the most compelling stage.

Death penalty cases and the juries that decide the ultimate punishment form the backbone of Sundbys work. While at Washington and Lee University School of Law, he directed the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse, a legal clinic that assisted attorneys representing defendants facing the death sentence.

His ongoing research for the Capital Jury Project examines a multitude of issues, from how a defendants remorse influences a jurys decision to how expert witnesses and different trial strategies impact a life-or-death verdict.

More than 60 courts of law, including the Supreme Court in its 2004 Florida v. Nixon ruling, have cited Sundbys findings.

The public criticism that is sometimes heaped on juries that fail to reach a unanimous vote on imposing the death penalty is unjustified, Sundby said.

During the sentencing phase of the 2015 trial of James Holmes, who slaughtered 12 people and wounded 70 others inside an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater as they watched a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, a jury could not unanimously agree that he should receive the death penalty, resulting in a life sentence for the neuroscience student.

I wont for an instance pretend that I can imagine the sorrow, the outrage, and the anger that a massacre like that brings about in the relatives of the victims. I cant pretend what my reaction would be if I were in their shoes. My heart breaks every time I hear about such cases, Sundby said. But thats not how we decide punishment in the United States. We have a procedure where we bring in 12 members of the community, and we say to them there are several aspects that must be considered in trying to decide what the proper punishment should be.

Those aspects include not only viewing autopsy photos and listening to the testimony of survivors but also hearing the defendants life story, which can entail horrific incidents of child and sexual abuse and mental illnessall aggravating and mitigating factors a jury must weigh, according to Sundby.

Im defensive of jurors when theyre criticized, said Sundby, recently named the inaugural Robert C. Josefsberg Chair in Criminal Justice Advocacy. Its not a failure of the system. Its what we ask those individuals to doto take time out from their lives and listen to all the evidence.

Sundbys book, A Life and Death Decision: A Jury Weighs the Death Penalty, provides a unique perspective into how a jury decides the fate of a convicted murderer, examining how the jury in two cases decided between the death penalty or a life sentence and studying broader issues of capital punishment such as race and gender. The book was a finalist for the American Bar Associations Silver Gavel Award.

The professor said that he believes the diversity in race, religion, and education that comes with a jury of peers might be lost if we were to move to a professional jury system.

I admit to clinging to the belief that juries are democracy in motion, that it not only makes us better citizens to participate as jurors, but that juries keep the law from becoming ossified within a professional class, he said. I know many lawyers who would say that I hold an overly romantic view of the jury, and I certainly realize that juries are anything but perfect. However, I have found that my many hours of interviews with jurors have increased my confidence in the jury system, not diminished it.

Sundby not only studies the behavior of capital murder juries, but he also keeps abreast of death penalty issues. He noted that death sentences and executions have declined significantly since their peak in the 1990s. For instance, a total of 18 executions were carried out in 2022, the fewest since 1991, except for the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center.

The alarming number of DNA exonerations, botched executions involving lethal injection, and life without parole as an alternative to the death penalty are some of the reasons for that decline, Sundby noted. And capital defense attorneys have gotten so much better, he added. When I first started doing this work in the 1990s, which was the height of the death penalty, there would be defense attorneys who had never handled a murder case, let alone a death penalty case. The two are dramatically different. Lawyers must be more Shakespeare than Blackstone to be a successful capital defense attorney. They must tell the defendants life story, and that is a very particular type of talent, he pointed out.

It used to be that defendants going on trial for their life were not mentally evaluated, and no one looked into their background, Sundby added. Now, there are mitigation specialists who spend months and sometimes years looking into a defendants background. They learn the entire extent of the tragedy that may be involved.

Sundby is familiar with the other side of the courtroom aisle as well, having taken a two-year leave of absence from teaching to prosecute cases as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

I realized that all my experience was coming on the defense side, and when the opportunity came up to join as a special assistant U.S. attorney here in Miami, I jumped at it, he said. One of the most challenging aspects of teaching any subject, let alone law, is doing the utmost to look at something from both sides of the fence. Rarely is there a clear hero and a clear villain.
The accident occurred after the over-speeding bus collided with a car near the Shatial checkpost in the Kohistan district of the region, Information Minister of the GB province, Fatehullah Khan told media.

The passenger bus and the car fell into the ravine after the accident, said the official, adding that at least 45 passengers were onboard the bus when the incident took place, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the victims to a nearby hospital.

Road accidents are quite frequent in Pakistan mainly due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and unprofessional driving.

--IANS int/khz/

( 143 Words)

2023-02-07-22:56:01 (IANS)
The three-day SCO SAI conference kicked off in Lucknow yesterday.

Girish Chandra Murmu, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) India led the discussion on integrating emerging technologies in audit with focus on Artificial Intelligence and Cyber-security in the meeting with about 30 delegates from the SCO SAIs of India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and SCO Secretariat.

Murmu, in his remarks, appreciated the initiative of SCO Member SAIs in integrating new and emerging technologies in audit practices to enhance audit efficiency, effectiveness, and promoting transparency and accountability in public administration.

CAG also highlighted that SAI India was at the forefront in using innovative technology and AI to enhance audit processes for agile and risk-based examination of structured as well as unstructured data.

Further, CAG India while thanking the SCO SAIs for their cooperation in making the meeting happen and reaffirmed the importance of the exchange of best practices between the SCO SAIs.

He emphasized that the conference reiterated SAIs commitment to work for achieving better audit results and create significant scope to improve the depth, accuracy, and timeliness of the audit products. (ANI)
G.V. Sanjay Reddy, Vice Chairman of the GVK conglomerate, said on Tuesday that there was absolutely no pressure from the Adani group or anyone else to sell Mumbai airport. His statement came after after Rahul Gandhi's comment in the Parliament that the Narendra Modi-led government had arm-twisted GVK and hijacked Mumbai airport from the conglomerate and handed it to the Adani group. Reddy also denied any pressure from government agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED). In July 2021, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd took over Mumbai airport from GVK. "Let me explain the background to this transaction. You know, maybe a year before that (sale) itself, we were looking at fundraising because in our airport holding company, we had raised debt nearly 10 years ago when we acquired Bengaluru airport and that debt was becoming due. So we were talking to investors and we had tied up with three investors," Reddy told a news channel. "They together agreed to invest in this company, which will help us prepay the debt. However, they had many conditions like any international investor would have and then we were hit by Covid. For three months, the airport business was shut and we had zero revenue. It put more financial pressure on us, and so we were trying to work with them to complete the transaction quickly. But it was not happening," said Reddy. "So around the same time, Gautam (Adani) bhai approached me and said that he has a lot of interest in Mumbai airport and whether we are willing to do a transaction with him at the same terms and conditions - the only difference being that he said he will ensure that he will conclude the entire transaction in one month, which was very important for us," Reddy told the news channel. "As far as I am concerned, we had done this deal with Gautam Adani because of the fact that it was the need of the company. We had to repay the lenders and there was no pressure from anybody else at all. As far as other aspects of what is being said in the Parliament, I would not like to comment as I would not like to get into the politics of it," he said. "See, I know Gautam bhai for some time, and the transaction was very smooth because one thing I find with him is that he deals directly - he does not bring anybody with him. It was him and me, just the two of us. It took us about a week to be able to close everything. It was very simple, very straightforward," Reddy told the news channel. "We did not have a lot of conditions, the time frame was very specific so that we could conclude it quickly and take care of the lenders, which was the top priority. And he also gave comfort to the lenders by saying that he will do this fast so they need not worry. So my dealing with him has been excellent, no issues at all. Whatever was committed, whatever was the understanding, we kept it up, we concluded," Reddy told the news channel. --IANS ssh/arm ( 551 Words) 2023-02-07-22:34:01 (IANS)
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

The Azerbaijani commission on issues of pardon under the president considered over 100 appeals for clemency at its February 7 meeting, Azernews reports.

The commission held a total of four meetings, where over 400 appeals for pardon were discussed and appropriate decisions were made.

To recap, a total of 213 inmates were pardoned by the president on May 27, 2022.

As many as 168 people were released after serving a specified period of time, while the unserved part of the punishment for 36 people was reduced by half. Three people sentenced to conditional imprisonment were released from punishment, whereas six people sentenced to restriction of freedom  from the unserved part of the sentence.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the amendments made to the Motor Vehicles Act in 2019 clearly state that without a valid licence, as aggregator cannot operate.

The bench, also comprising justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, noted that the Pune RTO had rejected the company's plea for licence in December 2022.

Rapido moved the apex court against the Bombay High Court's order, which declined to entertain its plea against the state government's refusal to grant a two-wheeler bike taxi aggregator licence to the company.

The top court granted liberty to the company to move the high court to challenge the January 19 notification issued by Maharashtra, and also asked the high court to examine it is uninfluenced by the earlier order.

The state government had said there was no policy on licensing of bike taxis and there was no fare structure policy. It contended before the high court that a committee has been constituted to consider developing guidelines for bike taxis in the state.

The high court had directed the company to suspend the services immediately, noting that it was operating without procuring a licence from the Maharashtra government.

--IANS ss/arm

( 238 Words)

2023-02-07-22:38:03 (IANS)
Navsari (Gujarat) [India], February 8 (ANI/PRNewswire): The Navsari, Gujarat-based Desai Foundation Trust (DFT), an NGO which has been dedicated to empowering women and children through community programming to elevate health, livelihood, and menstrual equity in rural India for 25 years, welcomed former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on 7 Feb 2023. Secretary Clinton has made multiple visits to India and is well-known for her longtime dedication to uplifting the lives of women and girls and supporting inclusive economic development in India. The Secretary's visit to India included a visit to Ila Bhatt's SEWA 50th Anniversary celebration, a meeting of fellow Clinton Global Initiative Commitment Makers, and a visit to Desai Foundation's partner, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Gandhinagar to speak to the students, and a visit to the Dandi salt pans. Secretary Clinton is in India to help advance Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitments to Action that are providing employment opportunities and critical health care services to girls and women, while also providing critical support for climate resilience in the region. These Commitments were made by members of the CGI community at the CGI 2022 Meeting, which resulted in 144 new Commitments to Action addressing climate resilience, global health equity, inclusive economic growth, the global refugee crisis, and other critical global challenges. Secretary Clinton's tour began in Palaj village in the Gandhinagar District of Gujarat. She first met the Desai Foundation's Heroes for Humanity Heroes. Forty Heroes from 8 States shared stories of how the initiative impacted their lives and how they impacted the lives of millions. The Desai Foundation's Heroes for Humanity (HFH) initiative grew out of a response to the needs of rural communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Residents of the rural communities where DFT offers programming, primarily women, were recruited, trained, and employed as frontline Heroes to engage with their communities in crisis--initially around the pandemic and now around health, livelihood, and menstrual equity. The Desai Foundation's Heroes for Humanity (HFH) made a Commitment to Action at this year's The Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in 2022--and was featured on stage. "Heroes for Humanity has been an incredibly impactful program on two fronts. First, in the impact, the Heroes make on their local communities, and second on Heroes themselves who are becoming leaders in their communities, beacons of information, and an army for good in a time of need! This resilient program we hope can serve as a model for other organizations to look within the communities they serve for the solutions to uplift them." said Megha Desai, President of the Desai Foundation. After hearing their stories, Secretary Clinton addressed the Heroes directly."I am so proud that I have had the chance to meet all of you and hear some of your stories. It is so impressive that the Desai foundation understood the importance of finding local people like all of you to do this important work. I am so impressed by the model of this program, and so delighted to hear about all the things you are doing as Heroes for Humanity. And hope that you are not only learning so much, and growing personally, but understanding what an impact you are all having on your families and your communities. So thank you very much." The Secretary also visited the Desai Foundation's flagship Asani Sanitary Napkin Program by observing one of the rural Menstrual Health & Hygiene awareness sessions and engaging with the Asani Rural Saleswomen. The Desai Foundation's most comprehensive Asani program tackles the four major issues facing rural menstruators in India: awareness, access, jobs, and the stifling stigmas that ostracize women during their periods. The Asani program also produces retail-quality pads that are 85 per cent biodegradable through their three production units in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. There has been a recent focus on this issue around the world. The Desai Foundation's award-winning program has been heralded as best-in-class. It solves the problem by providing jobs, tackling them in a multi-generational way, and putting the needs and practical circumstances of rural communities first. "We've developed this program over a decade, iterating along the way. We aim to roll out this program nationally and make a major dent in solving this issue for India. We strongly believe that by eradicating the stigmas and educating the next generation of bleeders, we can shift the number of girls in school, and women in the workplace, and turn, impact the GDP of the nation," said Yati Desai, Head of Asani at the Desai Foundation Trust. "I love the way this program connects to both mothers and the next generation to create change and break the cycle of stigmas." said Secretary Clinton while visiting an Asani awareness session. Secretary Clinton's visit is a testimony to Desai Foundation Trust's innovative approach to socio-economic development in rural villages with few opportunities. The organization's work is rooted in its mission to cultivate dignity for those they serve beyond the services they provide. "To have someone who has dedicated their life to advancing the opportunities of women and girls, as Secretary Clinton has, is a real validation of our work and our holistic approach to tackling health, livelihood, and menstrual equity in the 2,500 villages we serve across India," said Mittal Gohil, Executive Director, Desai Foundation Trust. The Desai Foundation was also proud to announce a collaboration with SEWA with the launch of the SEWA Climate Fund supported by the Clinton Foundation. The Desai Foundation is committed to implementing its ReSkilling programming for the women impacted by climate change to ensure they can pursue new jobs and provide for their families. "Every organization that works in rural India has seen their constituents feel the direct and immediate impact of climate change. We are proud to partner with such an incredible organization like SEWA and collaborate to help provide courses in skills, banking, and entrepreneurship in four states in rural India," said Megha Desai. With the upcoming G20 Summit in India later this year, all eyes will be on the nation and its work to uplift the most vulnerable affected by climate change socio-economic hardship, and through the lens of women's rights. Desai Foundation's work has been fighting to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals: #3-Good Health & Well-Being; #5-Gender Equality; #8-Decent Work & Economic Growth; #10-Reduced Inequalities for 25 years. Heroes for Humanity is funded in part by S.P. Hinduja Banque Privee S.A. The bank's CEO, Karam Hinduja, was in attendance at the site visit, along with Megha Desai, Desai Foundation president Mittal Gohil, Desai Foundation Trust executive director, and DF Board Members Yash Shah (USA, CEO Jeavio), Kiran Desai (Mumbai), Dipika Desai (Mumbai), and Vikram Parekh (Navsari). IIT Gandhinagar, which partners with Desai Foundation in many of its outreach programs in surrounding communities, also hosted Secretary Clinton for a townhall conversation with its students and community members on its campus, immediately after the village visit. In the townhall conversation, Secretary Clinton shared insights from her own journey and spoke to students about leadership, inclusivity, and tackling global challenges such as climate change. The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI works with partners to drive action through its unique model. Rather than directly implementing projects, CGI facilitates action by helping members connect, collaborate, and develop Commitments to Action--new, specific, and measurable plans that address global challenges. Through CGI, the community has made more than 3,700 Commitments to Action that have made a difference in the lives of more than 435 million people in more than 180 countries. The Desai Foundation Trust is the sister entity in Navsari, Gujarat, of The Desai Foundation, headquartered in Woburn, Mass. DF/DFT empowers women and children through community programming to elevate health, livelihood, and menstrual equity in rural India. This public programmatic non-profit has 30 programs and operates in eight states in India. For the past 25 years, The Desai Foundation has been perfecting it's programming by listening to the people they serve. They have two award-winning flagship programs: Asani Sanitary Napkin Program for menstrual equity; and Heroes for Humanity, which started as a Covid-19 rapid response program and impacted nearly 3 million people in its first year. The Desai Foundation cultivates dignity so that people can dream beyond their circumstances. Learn more at TheDesaiFoundation.org. S.P. Hinduja is an innovative Swiss bank with roots in India, offering wealth management and investment advisory services to entrepreneurial clients. We partner with clients to create exponential economic and social impact, as our family has aspired to do for over 100 years. Founded in Geneva in 1994 by Srichand Parmanand Hinduja with a vision to provide clients with a bridge between East and West, our institution remains the only Indian-owned Swiss bank in history. With an active presence in Switzerland, India, UAE, and the UK, we offer clients the reliability of Swiss regulatory oversight while providing specialized access to high-growth markets. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 8 (ANI/PNN): Excitement is brewing as an early-stage D2C start-up High on Beans Coffee, has entered the coffee space. It is a youth-centric consumer brand, starting from the quirky packaging to the characters they assigned for the flavours; everything seems very new & fresh. High on Beans (HOB) promises to redefine the coffee experience, which has been eagerly anticipated by coffee lovers everywhere. The brand uses the finest Arabica Coffee beans carefully sourced from the best coffee-growing regions in the world & the aroma & taste of the coffee are expertly achieved by freeze-dried crystallization. High on beans Coffee is roasted in small batches to ensure taste & authenticity, providing a tremendous amount of energy and acting as fuel for you on a busy day. In addition to the out-of-the-world taste of High On Beans Coffee, It is certified by major federal agencies for the food industry like FSSAI, FDA, ISO, and GMP & does not contain any added sugar/preservatives, additives etc. HOB offers distinguishable flavours, namely Mocha, Espresso, Irish, and Hazelnut. High on beans Mocha coffee has a chocolatey flavour along with coffee, High on beans Hazelnut Coffee has a nutty flavour with a natural sweetness & Espresso is a bold finish yet has a very smooth texture. Whether you prefer a bold and robust roast or a smooth and delicate blend, this brand has something for everyone. They offer single units and also curated combos of two and four High on Beans Coffee. Every jar contains 50gms of coffee & one can make 25 cups of coffee from it. The products are available on the brand's website and in numerous other online marketplaces. Akshay Jain, Karan Batra and Anuj Patni, Co-founders of High On Beans Coffee, also added that the launch of this new coffee brand is a significant milestone in the coffee industry since it gives a fresh, new perspective to the sector. With its commitment to quirkiness, quality, and affordability, High On Beans is off to shake up the FMCG market and going to be every millennial & Gen-Z's coffee fix. The debut of this new consumer brand is a cause for celebration for both coffee aficionados and casual coffee drinkers. Many customers have already tried this coffee and left some amazing reviews on their official website: www.highonbeans.com So, why wait? Try this new coffee brand today and taste the difference for yourself. You won't be disappointed!" 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 8 (ANI/ATK): BookYourCatalog.com, a Surat-based online B2B platform, is encouraging female entrepreneurship. Rahul Chhajer founded the platform, which started with women's clothing but has since expanded to add men's ethnic wear collections like kurtas, kurta-pajama sets, sherwanis, kurta-pajama-koti sets and more. The platform is intended to provide female entrepreneurs with the resources they require to launch and grow their businesses, as well as achieve financial independence. Studies show that a rise in the number of businesses owned by women has had a noticeable impact on India's economy and business landscape. Women entrepreneurs are playing an increasingly important role in the country's economy by creating job opportunities and contributing to the growth of the nation. Rahul Chhajer, who grew up in a textile family, founded BookYourCatalog.com with a simple goal in mind: to help women start their own businesses. He understands the industry and the importance of providing a memorable customer experience because of his background in textiles and international management. BookYourCatalog.com sells over 45K different styles of Indian ethnic wear to boutique owners and resellers in India and around the world. The platform also offers low-cost assistance with setting up and maintaining a website. Since the launch, the brand has gathered 36,000+ B2B users, with 90 per cent of them being women and most of them located outside of India. BookYourCatalog.com provides a remarkable shopping experience with its wide range of premium quality clothing at affordable prices bundled with Customization & Stitching Options with exceptional customer support. BookYourCatalog.com is a ground-breaking initiative aimed at empowering women by helping them with the resources and support they need to start and grow their own businesses. This B2B platform has become a catalyst for positive change in the business world thanks to its sincere approach to providing financial freedom to women. For more visit us at https://www.bookyourcatalog.com/ This story has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/ATK)
Telecom Service Providers started providing high-speed 5G services in the country from October 2022 onwards.

"The Government has established a road map to make 5G services available in different parts of the country through rollout obligations. As per the Notice Inviting Application (NIA) dated 15-06-2022 for auction of spectrum and the license conditions, the rollout obligations are required to be met over a period of five years, in a phased manner, from the date of allocation of spectrum," the minister said.

The Government issued spectrum allocation letters to telecom service providers in August 2022, while asking them to prepare for the rollout of 5G services in the country.

Department of Telecom had received total bids worth Rs 1.50 lakh crore from the 5G spectrum auction.

What is 5G, and how is it different from the current 3G and 4G services?

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network capable of transmitting a large data set at a very rapid speed.

In comparison to 3G and 4G, 5G has a very low latency which will enhance user experiences in various sectors. Low latency describes the efficiency to process a very high volume of data messages with a minimal delay.

The 5G rollout is also expected to bring more development in remote data monitoring in sectors such as mining, warehousing, telemedicine, and manufacturing, among others.

Who were the participants at the auction?

Reliance Jio, Adani group, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea were the four major participants in the spectrum auction. (ANI)
Mumbai (Maharashtra)/ New Delhi [India], February 8 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised J.P. Morgan India Private Limited (J.P. Morgan), the broker, in relation to the share sale of 4.4 per cent equity stake by Sojitz Corporation in Samvardhana Motherson International Limited (Motherson) by Sojitz Corporation, over two tranches in October 2022 and January 2023, with an aggregate value of Rs 1,602 crore. The Transaction involved the sale of equity shares of Motherson by way of a share sale on the screen-based trading platform of the stock exchanges. In the first tranche, Sojitz Corporation divested 2.83 per cent stake in Motherson, for a reported aggregate amount of Rs 825.98 crore. The second tranche comprised a sale of 1.57 per cent stake by Sojitz Corporation in Motherson for a reported aggregate amount of Rs 776.3 crore. The Capital Markets Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised J.P. Morgan on the transaction. The transaction team was led by Abhinav Kumar, Partner & Regional Head Markets Practice (Western Region); with support from Anuj Pethia, Consultant; and Aashima Johur, Principal Associate. Other Parties and Advisors to the transaction included Ashurst LLP, U.S. (acted as international legal counsel for broker). The transaction was signed on 16th January 2023, and closed on 18th January 2023. 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 8 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Findability Sciences, a global Enterprise AI company headquartered in Boston announced winners of 2022 Enterprise AI awards for various projects in the United States, India, and Japan. The inaugural edition of the Findability Sciences Enterprise AI awards is given to enterprises that have adopted Enterprise AI tools in getting Strategic, Capability, and Financial ROIs for their businesses. At a gala dinner event in New Delhi in India, Findability Sciences announced Enterprise AI awards, and the winner for 2022 are Bourns Inc in the US, Hindustan Times in India, and Obayashi Road Corp in Japan. Additionally, Takeda Pharmaceutical of Japan won the Global IDP project of the year award. On the occasion, Kavita Rao, Chief Marketing Officer, Findability Sciences said, "We at Findability Sciences are proud to acknowledge the vital role that our customers have played in our success in the Enterprise AI market. Industry leaders have long recognized our contributions and innovations in this field. As a leader in the industry, we are thrilled to launch an initiative that will celebrate the achievements of our valued customers." Bourn Inc is a leading global manufacturer of electronic components, Hindustan Times is India's leading online and print news agency, Obayashi Road Corporation is a Japan headquartered global construction company and Takeda Pharmaceutical is a leading global drug research and manufacturing company. Each one of them is successfully utilizing historical data and Enterprise AI creatively to increase the efficiency of business operations. "While some traditional enterprises still hold the misconception that AI is not yet ready for deployment or does not provide immediate ROI, these four large corporations have defied that notion with their innovative adoption of AI. Their unwavering commitment to making AI a valuable asset for their businesses is truly commendable. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations and appreciation to these organizations for their leadership and for winning the 2022 award," said Anand Mahurkar, Founder and CEO, of Findability Sciences while handing over these awards during the gala dinner which was attended by many dignitaries from the industry. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 8 (ANI/PNN): ELCINA, India's leading industry federation representing electronic and IT manufacturers, aims to support the value chain for Consumer Electronics, Telecom and IT enterprises, correlating their common interest with equipment, material and machinery producers for expansion of manufacturing, is delighted to announce that in association with the Government of Tamil Nadu, will host one of the largest Global exhibitions of the year - 12th SOURCE INDIA Summit is scheduled to take place on Feb 13-14 at Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai. SOURCE INDIA is a unique B2B platform created by the industry to accelerate the growth of Indian electronics hardware manufacturing. The Summit aims to impart the importance and address challenges of the Indian Electronic and Semiconductor industry by empowering ESDM players and manufacturing enterprises for multi-fold growth on the remarkable stakeholder engagement front. The two days summit will discuss and deliberate upon the fast-changing aspects and challenges of the electronic industry and major industry stakeholders. The industry experts' insights will help enterprises revitalize and boost their business transformation journey. The event serves as a conference, mini-exhibition and platform for B2B buyer-seller meet. On the event occasion, Sanjay Agarwal, President, ELCINA & MD, Globe Capacitors Pvt. Ltd., Faridabad, said, "India needs to strengthen its electronics ecosystem and reduce our current excessive dependence on imports. SOURCE INDIA is ELCINA's annual event for promoting sourcing and investments in the domestic electronics value chain. It focuses on strengthening local sourcing, value addition, and knowledge sharing while facilitating interaction for business development. It bridges the Demand-Supply gaps across the electronics industry value chain through one-on-one meetings between OEMs, ODMs, and EMS companies with manufacturers of components, parts, consumables, etc. It also opens a gateway to India by inviting global manufacturers & investors interested in the Indian market to enable JVs and partnerships. The Tamil Nadu Government has taken a number of steps to accelerate the growth of the electronic hardware manufacturing industry. These initiatives aim to increase Tamil Nadu's electronics industry output to USD 100 billion by 2025, to contribute 25 per cent of India's total electronic exports to the world by 2025, and to attract at least two major FAB investments to Tamil Nadu in the next three years. ELCINA appreciates these initiatives and would like to support the same through SOURCE INDIA". Thiru S Krishnan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries)- Government of Tamil Nadu, said, "The Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM industry) is a key driver of the Indian economy. SOURCE INDIA is one of the key events which addresses the requirements of the ESDM industry. I am happy that ELCINA has been organizing this event in Chennai since 2009, and the Government of Tamil Nadu has been supporting this event since its inception. With global companies leveraging the well-developed manufacturing system, Tamil Nadu has emerged as one of the major electronics hardware manufacturing and exporting states in the country and marching towards the US$ 100 Bn ESDM Sector. Tamil Nadu has increased the level of value addition that is done in the state and provides an excellent opportunity for investors to set up their manufacturing facilities here. We look forward to this industry gathering at SOURCE INDIA 2023." "The Indian Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) industry offers a unique investment opportunity. With huge domestic demand, an accelerated pace of economic reforms, breakthroughs in energy transition, and rapid digital transformation, the long-term growth trajectory is clearly positive. The ESDM sector demonstrates the immense potential and is positioned to make a truly transformative impact on the world stage. Hence, industry events like SOURCE INDIA are essential for taking the Indian ESDM industry to the global stage of leadership. Wishing all the success for SOURCE INDIA 2023." --Thiru Hans Raj Verma, IAS, CMD, Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation Limited. (TIIC) India has a large domestic market, expertise, and export potential to become a significant manufacturing hub. Today, India stands at the cusp of a great opportunity to ignite the global electronic industry and prove its actual potential to the world by creating a robust business ecosystem, bringing global value chain investors to India, and becoming the leading exporter of electronics and semiconductors in the world. Introducing incentive schemes like PLI, SPECS and EMC will bring a resurgence in the manufacturing environment and create a competitive global ecosystem for India to capture the global market share. Low PC penetration may not justify this strategy for the electronics sector. Some notable speakers at the Summit will be Thiru Hans Raj Verma, IAS, MD TIIC, Arun Roy, IAS, Secretary, MSME, Jayashree Muralidharan, IAS, Managing Director, TIDCO, Ms Pooja Kulkarni, IAS, Special Secretary Industries, Tamil Nadu, Sigy Thomas, IAS, MD, FaMe, Grace Pachua, IAS, ED FaMe and Vishnu Venugopalan, IAS, MD Guidance. Source India 12th Summit aims to provide a platform for domestic manufacturers of raw materials, components and assemblies and showcase the country's capabilities to Buyers within and globally. Also, to create awareness and promote various Govt Schemes to boost investment in the ESDM Sector. Provide a comprehensive information source consolidated in one place, including details of all companies in India which are manufacturing components, parts, raw materials and providing EMS/PCBA services to the ESDM Sector. It will also include details of key global and domestic distributors of components in a separate vertical. Tamil Nadu is one of the leading states in India for the electronics industry, and the state government has been proactive in promoting the growth of the industry. The state's Industry 4.0 policy for electronics aims to drive the growth of the industry and make Tamil Nadu a hub for advanced electronics manufacturing. The policy focuses on several key areas, including Skilling and upgrading the workforce, Encouraging research and development, Fostering entrepreneurship, Promoting investment and Building infrastructure. Overall, the Industry 4.0 policy for electronics in Tamil Nadu aims to drive the growth of the electronics industry, create jobs, and make the state a hub for advanced electronics. Electronic Industries Association of India was established in 1967 as the first industry association supporting electronics hardware when India's Electronics industry was still in its infancy. Since then, ELCINA has established itself as an interactive forum for electronics and IT manufacturers. ELCINA actively interacts with the government and advises it on policy and business environment issues. It networks with technical institutions and business support organizations in India and abroad to enable business expansion and information dissemination on technical developments. With greater liberalization, ELCINA's focus has shifted to professional and value-added services to the Electronics Community. SOURCE INDIA was initiated by the Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA) in 2009 to accelerate the development of the Indian electronics supply chain. ELCINA recognizes that a strong supply chain is the backbone of any engineering manufacturing industry. The Indian market offers a great opportunity for the Electronics industry. SOURCE INDIA is a unique B2B platform which is created by the industry to accelerate the growth of Indian electronics hardware manufacturing. Source India consists of a Conference, Exhibition and Buyer Seller Meet and provides value to all Large, Medium and Small industries as a forum for interaction for business development. It highlights opportunities, and B2B Meetings, enabling the government to understand industry expectations, knowledge and information sharing, especially about supportive policies. Photoline: L to R - Richard Puthota, Sr Director McDermid Alpha, Sasi Kumar Gendham, MD Salcomp, S Krishnan IAS ACS Industries, Vishnu venugopalan IAS, Sreeram Srinivasan, CEO Syrma SGS, Ravi Bhatkal, MD McDermid Alpha, Ashwini Agarwal,Director Applied Materials, Sundeep Saxena, Addl. Secretary ELCINA This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash on Wednesday informed Parliament that the industrial growth during 2021-22 was 11.7 per cent over the corresponding period of the last year. "As per the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), the industrial growth during 2021- 22 was 11.7 per cent over the corresponding period of the last year. Whereas the annual average growth of IIP was 3.4 per cent and 3.2 per cent respectively during the period 2009-14 (Base year: 2004-05) and 2014-19 (Base Year: 2011-12)," Som Parkash said in reply to a parliamentary question today. The government has undertaken various steps to boost industrial performance. These include the introduction of Goods and Services Tax, reduction in Corporate tax, interventions to improve ease of doing business, measures for reduction in compliance burden, policy measures to boost domestic manufacturing through public procurement orders, Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP), and FDI policy reforms. "The series of measures taken by the Government to improve the economic situation and convert the disruption caused by COVID-19 into an opportunity for growth includes Atmanirbhar packages, the introduction of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme across fourteen sectors to augment the manufacturing capacity, investment opportunities under National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) and National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), the soft launch of National Single Window System (NSWS), etc. An institutional mechanism to fast-track investments has been put in place, in the form of Project Development Cells (PDCs) in all concerned Ministries/ Departments of the Government of India," the government said in a press note. The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), with a provision of Rs 3 lakh crore which has now increased to Rs 5 lakh crore, is in the form of a fully guaranteed emergency credit line to monitor lending institutions. Financial support has been given to the stressed MSMEs with an infusion of Rs.20,000 crore equity support through Subordinate Debt. Fund of Funds created to infuse equity worth Rs 50,000 crore in the MSME Sector by setting up a Rs 10,000 crore Corpus Fund. Also, the government is ensuring timely payment to the MSMEs by instructing all Government of India and CPSEs to clear all receivables of MSMEs within the next 45 days. Procurement from domestic companies is being encouraged by disallowing global tender in government procurement tenders upto Rs 200 crores. In Union Budget 2023- 24, an amount of Rs 9000 crore infused in the corpus of revamped Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSEs which will be effective from April 1, 2023. This would enable additional collateral-free guaranteed credit of Rs 2 lakh crore. (ANI)
American podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan recently courted controversy after voicing antisemitic tropes on his massively popular podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience'. According to Variety, an American media company, in a recent episode with guests Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, hosts of the 'Breaking Points' podcast, Rogan remarked that "the idea that Jewish people aren't into money is ridiculous. That's like saying Italians aren't into pizza. That's ******* stupid." Rogan made the remarks in relation to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who was recently demoted by Republicans from the Foreign Affairs Committee after being accused of antisemitism. After a 2019 tweet criticising the American Israel Public Affairs Committee reappeared, Omar came under fire. Omar wrote that American backing for Israel was "all about the Benjamins" in the post, reported Variety. After receiving criticism for the post, the Muslim congresswoman apologised, saying she was "grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of antisemitic tropes." It is noteworthy that Omar has frequently criticised how the Israeli government treats Palestinians. "She's apologizing for talking about 'It's all about the Benjamins,' which is just about money--she's talking about money... That's not an antisemitic statement, I don't think that is. Benjamins are money," Rogan continued on his podcast, according to Variety. "Disturbing that at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories, [Joe Rogan] would use his immense platform to spew antisemitic tropes about Jews and money," wrote Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in a tweet. The American Jewish Committee's CEO, Ted Deutch, a former congressman, also denounced Rogan's remarks for using "the same tropes that have been used to persecute Jews for centuries." As per Variety, Rogan, whose show ranked as the most popular podcast of 2022 on Spotify, is no stranger to backlash. Seventy episodes of "The Joe Rogan Experience" were pulled from Spotify last year for the host's repeated use of the N-word, a controversy that led to an apology from the podcast host. (ANI)
Kazakhstan is sending additional 60 rescuers to assist Turkish population suffering from the aftermath of a series of devastating earthquakes.

The squad consists of rescuers, cynology teams, and doctors of the Center for Disaster Medicine.

The emergency response forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are armed with 150 types of emergency rescue tools and equipment, and more than 160 types of medicines.

The rescue team will commence work at Gaziantep, which is the city that suffered from the quakes the most.

Consequently, the overall number of Kazakh rescue workers operating in Turkiye will reach 100.
James Corden's 'The Late Late Show' will soon be going off air. According to Variety, a US-based media house, CBS wants to reduce late-night talk and increase game show coverage in the early hours of the morning. A close source has told Variety that CBS is planning to replace its long-running "Late Late Show" after a 28-year run with a reboot of the Comedy Central game show "@midnight," in a cost-cutting move that will also revive a programming concept controlled by the network's parent company, Paramount Global. A CBS spokesman declined to comment on the network's plans, which would be the network's second raid on Comedy Central to fill its late-night grid. In 2015, Stephen Colbert moved from Comedy Central to CBS. previously announced deadline According to Variety, using "@midnight" would eliminate some of the frills in CBS' post-"Late Show" slot, which would save tens of millions of dollars in production costs, according to another person familiar with the late-night TV market. The network is considering its late-night schedule at an era when more fans of the shows are viewing them via social-media snippets and digital extensions, and the field of players is much wider than it was when David Letterman and Jay Leno ruled. Variety reports that according to a third individual involved with recent discussions, CBS was contemplating as many as five distinct concepts for replacing Corden's show. Fulwell73, the production company behind Corden's show, and Ben Winston, one of Fulwell's senior executives and a prominent producer at "Late Late Show," were among those giving CBS ideas. Fulwell became less engaged in discussions as CBS' plans for production budget cuts became more public. according to one of those acquainted with the situation. According to one person involved with the conversations, Chris Hardwick, the original host of "@midnight," is not in the running to host the next edition. CBS is known to prefer a female host and to work hard to ensure that talent in front of and behind the camera is diverse and comes from a variety of backgrounds. The programming selection will undoubtedly provide insomniac fans with something new to watch. "@midnight" garnered attention during its four-year run on Comedy Central between 2013 and 2017 for its quick pace and utilisation of a rotating crew of comedians who would weigh in on hot social-media concepts and memes. A single show's discourse may range from Apple's latest emoji to Ted Nugent's tweet to YouTube videos showing a rat carrying a piece of pizza and a squirrel slurping a milkshake. (ANI)
Taking to Instagram Amitabh shared a throwback picture and recalled a funny incident when a rat climbed into his pants.

"43 years of 2+2 = 5; Do aur Do Panch .. what fun this film was .. bell bottoms and all !!! .... Err the bell bottoms were very inviting those days .. went to see a film in a theatre, and a rat climbed into my pants.. thanks to the bell bottom," he captioned the post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoY6q77BdFm/

In the monochrome picture, the 'Don' actor could be seen in an action avatar and donning bell bottoms.

Soon after he shared the picture fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons.

"Absolute style icon," a fan commented.

Another fan wrote, "Rishte m to hm apke fan lagte h."

"Old is gold #90s look #amitabhbachchan amazing," a fan wrote.

Helmed by Rakesh Kumar, the film also starred late actors Shashi Kapoor and Parveen Babi. It was released in the year 1980 and received positive responses from the audience.

Meanwhile, Amitabh was recently seen in director Sooraj Barjatya's family entertainer film 'Uunchai' alongside Boman Irani, Anupam Kher and Parineeti Chopra.

He will be next seen in an upcoming pan-India film 'Project K' along with actor Prabhas and in 'The Intern' alongside actor Deepika Padukone. (ANI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking approval for draft recruitment rules of Group 'C' posts in the NDMC. In his letter on February 6, Delhi CM Kejriwal urged that necessary instruction should be issued for early approval of Group C recruitment rules so that around 4,500 employees can be regularised in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). Kejriwal also referred to a letter dated March 22, 2022, that he had written to Shah on the issue. "I had requested you on March 22, last year that necessary instructions should be issued for early approval of Group C recruitment rules so that RMR employees (about 4,500) can become regular employees in the NDMC. Earlier, the proposal for early approval of Group C recruitment rules was sent on September 25 and March 16, 2021," Kejriwal said in his letter in Hindi to Shah. Kejriwal further said, "Apart from this, various communications replies between the Ministry of Home Affairs and NDMC were also sent to you on March 22, 2022. Despite this, the long-pending grievance of NDMC regarding the regularisation of these TMR and RMR employees has not yet been resolved." The demand for regularisation of the employees has not yet been fulfilled, the letter said. "Due to the non-availability of permanent employees, it has become difficult for them to run their household with a meager salary," Kejriwal said. The Chief Minister said that NDMC had also sent a reminder on November 23, 2022, but the draft Group C recruitment rules have not yet been approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs. "Therefore, I again request your immediate intervention in the matter of speedy approval of the draft recruitment rules of Group C so as to resolve the grievance of these RMR employees and make them regular NDMC employees," read the letter. Kejriwal mentioned that these are "very poor people" and many of them have been working in the NDMC for the "last 20-25 years". "Because of them being not regularised, they are facing issues in running households with an ordinary income. So, I appeal that they are regularised on humanitarian grounds," Delhi CM said. "Keeping in view of the urgency of the matter, it is kindly requested to issue necessary directions for speedy approval of the draft recruitment rules of Group C so that these RMR employees can be made regular NDMC employees and would resolve their long pending grievance," he added. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday junked a plea by journalist Rana Ayyub challenging summonses issued by a special court in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. A bench of Justices V. Ramasubramanian and J.B. Pardiwala said the question of jurisdiction can be raised during the trial to ascertain if the proceeds of crime were acquired over there. It said: "We are of the view that the issue of territorial jurisdiction cannot be decided in a writ petition, especially when there is a serious factual dispute about the place/places of commission of the offence. Hence, this question should be raised by the petitioner before the special court, since an answer to the same would depend upon evidence as to the places where any one or more of the processes or activities mentioned in Section 3 were carried out." "Therefore, giving liberty to the petitioner to raise the issue of territorial jurisdiction before the trialcCourt, this writ petition is dismissed". The top court did not accept Ayyub's counsel contention that since she had opened her bank account in Navi Mumbai, in which the money was collected, she can be proceeded against not in a Ghaziabad court but in a special designated court in Mumbai. "The area in which the property is derived or obtained or even held or concealed, will be the area in which the offence of money laundering is committed." The top court said "from the pleadings on record, we are not able to make out (i) the number of persons who provided funds; and (ii) the places where the donors were located". It said the question of territorial jurisdiction in this case requires an enquiry into a question of fact as to the place where the alleged proceeds of crime were (i) concealed; or (ii) possessed; or (iii) acquired; or (iv) used. This question of fact will actually depend upon the evidence that unfolds before the trial court, it added. The bench said the involvement of a person in any one or more of certain processes or activities connected with the proceeds of crime, constitutes the offence of money laundering. These processes or activities include, (i) concealment; (ii) possession; (iii) acquisition; (iv) use; (v) projecting as untainted property; or (vi) claiming as untainted property. It pointed out that the bank account of the petitioner in HDFC Bank, Koperkhairane Branch, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, is the ultimate destination, to which all funds reached. "Therefore, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra is a place where only one of the six different processes or activities listed in Section 3 has been carried out. The other activity, namely acquisition of the proceeds of crime (if they really are) has taken place in the virtual mode with people from different parts of the country/world transferring money online,' noted the bench. The bench agreed with submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Enforcement Directorate, that the question of jurisdiction can't be raised through a writ petition. During the hearing, the Enforcement Directorate had argued that Ayyub received money through a crowdfunding platform for the purpose of slum dwellers, Covid, and some work in Assam, however she diverted the money and used it for "personal enjoyment". Advocate Vrinda Grover, representing Ayyub, had argued that can her client be deprived of personal liberty by a procedure not authorised by law? She said the ED has attached her client's personal bank account in a bank at Navi Mumbai in which around Rs 1 crore was lying. Grover pressed that the Ghaziabad court has no jurisdiction to try the offence as the alleged act is claimed to have been committed in Mumbai. Mehta had argued that Ayyub raised funds of three aspects -- slum dwellers, Covid, and for some work in Assam -- on Ketto, which is a crowdfunding platform. He added that nearly Rs 1 crore was collected and Rs 50 lakh was transferred to a personal account in fixed deposit, and after the first campaign was over, she kept receiving money. "We found that money was diverted...used for personal enjoyment...people were donating crores without knowing where money was going...," said Mehta. He further submitted that a prosecution complaint was filed in the Ghaziabad court by the agency as part of the cause of action that had arisen in Uttar Pradesh, where many people, including from Ghaziabad, donated money for her crowdfunding campaign. --IANS ss/vd ( 747 Words) 2023-02-07-21:32:01 (IANS)
Continuing its attack on the Odisha government over murder of minister Naba Das, the BJP on Tuesday raised questions on appointment of a retired judge to monitor the Crime Branch probe into the case. Addressing a press conference here, Odisha BJP spokesperson Pitambar Acharya said: "The BJD leaders are claiming that it is a court-monitored investigation, which is totally false. The Orissa High Court has not issued any judicial order for monitoring of the crime branch probe by a retired judge (J.P. Das)." Acharya urged the state government to produce the request letter it had sent to Orissa High Court for the appointment of a judge/retired judge to monitor the probe and the Orissa HC order on the appointment of Justice Das. "Which order/writ petition or judicial proceedings has allowed appointment of a retired judge to supervise the probe?" asked Acharya, who is also a senior advocate. The appointment of Justice Das is neither a judicial proceeding nor a consultation under the Commission of Inquiry Act, he claimed and urged the state government not to misuse the name of the High Court and uphold its dignity as people have faith in the constitutional institute. Claiming that the appointment of retired High Court judge, Justice Das is illegal, he demanded that the case should be handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for proper investigation. As the state government and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik do not have faith in the Crime Branch investigation, they have reportedly requested the Orissa High Court to monitor the investigation, the BJP leader alleged. Reacting to the allegation of BJP, senior BJD leader and government chief whip in Assembly Prasanta Muduli said: "The opposition has a habit of making comments on every issue. The Crime Branch is investigating the matter under the supervision of the judiciary. The society and democracy will not survive if they don't have faith in the judiciary." Meanwhile, the Crime Branch recreated the crime scene by taking the accused police ASI (now dismissed) to the spot in the presence of a forensic expert. Justice Das and Odisha DGP Sunil Bansal have reached Jharsuguda to look into the status of the Crime Branch's investigation into the sensational murder case. --IANS bbm/vd ( 379 Words) 2023-02-07-21:46:02 (IANS)
Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations.

Kharkongor said that the nomination papers and other documents would be scrutinised on Wednesday and the last date of withdrawal of candidatures is February 10.

Most of the sitting MLAs, including Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh and Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, submitted their nomination papers seeking re-election.

Conrad K. Sangma, who is the national President of the ruling National People's Party (NPP), will contest from his old South Tura constituency in West Garo Hills district, while Tynsong, the national Vice President of NPP, will contest from Pynursla.

Metbah, the President of United Democratic Party, is seeking re-election from Mairang constituency in Eastern West Khasi Hills district.

Former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is also seeking re-election from two seats -- Songsak and Tikrikilla in East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills districts, respectively.

Mukul Sangma, who was elected as a Congress candidate in the 2018 elections, joined the Trinamool Congress along with 11 Congress MLAs in November 2021.

BJP's two sitting MLAs -- Sanbor Shullai (also a minister) and A.L. Hek -- are also seeking re-election from South Shillong and Pynthorumkhrah constituencies in the state capital, respectively.

Congress Lok Sabha Member and state unit chief Vincent H. Pala has also filed his nomination papers from Sutnga-Saipung constituency in East Jaintia Hills district.

--IANS sc/arm

( 276 Words)

2023-02-07-23:24:02 (IANS)
In the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections, religious seers are joining the war of words taking place between major parties, with Mantralaya Mutt seer Subudendra Theertha Swamiji on Tuesday slamming Congress leader Siddaramaiah's statement that he is a Hindu, but he won't agree to Hindutva. Talking to reporters, he said that "there is no meaning in the vague statement given by Siddaramaiah" and contended that Hindus should agree to Hindutva. "I don't know the background for him (Siddaramaiah) issuing such a statement. He might have difference of opinion regarding Hidutva. Despite that, all Hindus must carry forward Hindutva," the seer said. Equating Hinduism and Hindutva to a "mother and a son relationship", he said: "When you are a Hindu, one should respect Hindutva. In case of any difference of opinion, the doubt should be solved through discussion. It is meaningless to oppose Hindutva by claiming yourself as a Hindu." The seer also maintained that caste system must go but termed the statement opposing Brahmins from becoming CM "anti-constitutional". "We condemn abusing of Brahmins. No community should be subjected to this. If any community is abused, it is like disrespecting the Constitution," he claimed. --IANS mka/vd ( 211 Words) 2023-02-07-23:24:04 (IANS)
Mumbai Police have arrested two persons in an alleged rape case with a minor girl, the police official said on Tuesday. The case has been registered under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. "A case of rape of a 12-year-old girl was registered in Mumbai's NM Joshi Marg Police Station against two people under section 376 of the IPC and the POCSO Act. On the basis of the victim's statement, both accused have been arrested," a Mumbai police official said. Giving the details about the incident, the police said that it took place one month ago when the victim was alone at her home. "She was alone at her home when one of the accused came and said that her brother-in-law has called on the track near Mahalaxmi and Lower Parel railway station, but when she refused to go, the accused forcefully and threateningly took the victim to the track. The other accused present on the spot (the girl's brother-in-law) takes the girl to a deserted place and raped her," the police said. According to the police, the accused also threatened to kill her family members if she tells anyone about the incident. The incident came to light when the victim girl told her family about it one month after it had taken place following a police complaint filed by her family. Both the accused and the victim are residents of the same locality, the police said. Both accused were produced in the court, where the court sent the first accused to judicial custody and the second accused to police custody. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday hit out at the Congress saying that the party lies and misleads people and to get votes. "I have asked 10 questions to reveal the truth. Congress and former CM Kamal Nath have not answered even a single question. It means that they mislead and tell lies just to get votes," CM Chouhan said. He added, "Nath had promised to start a new social security pension for the farmers and to give Rs 1000 every month under the scheme. Tell me how many people got pension, how many people received Rs 1000? You (Nath) only cheated the people. The public is watching the lies. I am asking the questions and answer it," the chief minister added. Chouhan also took a jibe at the talks about the new names of congress chief ministers of the state in the political corridors. He said, "The Congress party had launched the Hath se Hath Jodo campaign (Joining hands). But now the campaign is going on to get rid of Kamal Nath. Congress Leaders are coming forward one after the other as the CM face. The one who is coming forward, who is behind them and why, Kamal Nath should think about it." CM Chouhan further said, "The Vikas Yatra is going on in the entire state. This is not just a ritual, it is a campaign for the betterment of the lives of the people. Inauguration and Bhumi Pujan is being done across the state. We are also looking for those who remain deprived of government schemes. It is being decided that 83 lakh people will get the benefit of the approval letters distributed under the Chief Minister Public Service Campaign." "I am also interacting with the beneficiaries. Today I will communicate with Ladli Laxmi and over three lakh Laxmi will be given scholarships," Chouhan added. On the other hand, former CM Kamal Nath wrote on twitter that CM Chouhan was running away from his questions. "Shivraj ji, you are becoming a fugitive Chief Minister in front of the people of Madhya Pradesh by running away from the questions. You want to put the BJP in such a position that Hum to Dubenge Sanam, Tumhe Bhi Le Dubenge (we will fail but not alone)," he wrote. Nath further wrote,"If you have tears left in your eyes then answer the questions of the public. You had promised that high quality seeds would be made available at subsidised rates by including marginal and small farmers of every caste in the Surajdhara and Annapurna schemes. You not only didn't add people but also deprived the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe farmers who were earlier getting the benefits of this scheme. Do you have any answer?" (ANI)
The Odisha government has written to the Union government seeking the release of the pending food subsidy to the state. In the letter to Union Minister Piyush Goyal, State Food Supplies, Consumer Welfare, and Co-operation Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said requested his intervention to release the pending subsidy due to the state and release of provisional subsidy and advance subsidy. "Odisha Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd., the nodal agency of the state procures paddy at minimum support price(MSP) from the farmers and undertakes distribution of food grains under NFSA and other welfare schemes and as per MoU there has to be zero financial liability on the procuring agencies with regard to permissible items of cost to be borne by the government of India," the letter said. It further said that the anticipated cost is required to be released in the form of advance subsidy at the rate of 90% of admissible claims on a quantity basis in the first month of every quarter. "Further, the State Government and Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd. (OSCSC) shall be paid quarterly provisional subsidy after deduction of the advance amount. But, the release of advance and provisional subsidy to Odisha is highly irregular," the minister said in his letter. "Huge amount of outstanding food subsidy remains receivable from the government of India totalling to Rs. 14,249.07 crore as per the statement enclosed. It includes Rs. 5,027.36 Crore of Provisional Subsidy claim up to 3rd Quarter and Rs. 1469.78 Crore of unpaid Advance Subsidy claim bill for 4th Quarter of this Financial Year 2022-23," the letter read. The minister also apprised the Centre of OSCSC Ltd's tremendous financial hardship due to the delay and short release of subsidy. "It is also to mention that as per Standing Operating Procedure(SOP) dated 16.07.2021 issued by the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), in respect of BRL rice stock, there are provisions for replacement of stock by rice miller followed by certification by the Joint team which is to be completed within Six(06) weeks. The certificate of replacement is a mandatory document for the release of subsidy to the State. But abnormal delay is being done for inspection by DFPD officials which causes hindrance for the receipt of subsidy in respect of BRL rice stock. It requires your intervention for timely inspection by DFPD officials in the matter of BRL rice stocks and streamlines the process," the letter said adding that the delay and short release of subsidy has put OSCSC Ltd. in tremendous financial hardship on two accounts, firstly due to non-recoupment of interest and liquidity crunch to manage the procurement operations. "I would request your kind intervention for the release of the pending subsidy due to the State and the release of provisional subsidy and advance subsidy claim as cited above at the earliest," the letter added. The minister in his letter further said that since all the resources including a sanctioned limit of bank finance have already been exhausted, further paddy procurement may be severely affected if, the subsidy from the Central government is not received at the earliest. (ANI)
Sedco Holding, a leading Saudi investment company, has announced plans to open its new office building at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) on a 70,000-sq-m area.

Designed by leading US architecture group Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the tower is located adjacent to the Wadi and Financial Plaza.

A unique building in KAFD, the towers facade takes its inspiration from the three-dimensional muqarnas decorative device used in Islamic architecture, helping create distinctive office spaces with enhanced shade and protection from the sun, said the statement from Sedco.

The architecture and energy requirements of the building take into consideration the surrounding climate and environment with sun control and shading devices improving daylighting within the offices, minimising glare, and controlling the amount of sunlight and heat gain admitted, it stated.

Set in the heart of the capital, KAFD is home to 1.6 million sq m of state-of-the-art office space, world-class venues and iconic luxury residences, designed to transform the way urban communities live, work, learn and play.

The landmark development, KAFD is a key driver of Riyadhs economic ambitions. It is owned and managed by the King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company.

With almost five decades of empowering Saudi-based businesses and communities, Sedco Holding supports the kingdoms economic diversification by investing in operating companies that scale to become leaders in strategically important sectors.

The shariah-compliant investment group continues to actively seek investment opportunities that spur real economic growth and social development in full alignment with the Kingdoms Vision 2030.

Lauding the Sedco move, CEO Gautam Sashittal said: "KAFD is an ideal location for businesses in the financial services and investment sectors. The Islamic finance industry has expanded rapidly over the past decade, growing at 10-12% annually, and Sedcos decision to be a part of the wider KAFD family will bring them into closer contact with prospective partners."

"We look forward to supporting Sedco in its investment and wealth generation efforts in line with our mutual interest in growing the Kingdoms economy and increasing its prosperity," he stated.

Sedco Holding CEO Rayyan Nagadi said: "We are excited to join the KAFD community. Over our long track record at Sedco Holding, we played a pioneering role in sustainable development and currently we are an active investor guided by the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030."

"Our move to KAFD situates us in a vibrant business nexus that amplifies our ability to access more investment and FDI streams. We look forward to growing our contribution to the nation, in a hub designed for outreach, networking and access to more opportunities," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
A Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice M.M. Sundresh on Monday dismissed an appeal against the ban imposed by the Bombay High Court on horse-drawn Victoria carriages. With this dismissal, the Bombay High Court orders dated June 8, 2015 and April 3, 2017, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA) petition, stand reaffirmed. The June 8, 2015 judgment of the Bombay High Court ruled that using Victoria's carriages in Mumbai for "joyrides" is illegal. The court also maintained that none of the stables for horses in Mumbai possesses a license under Section 394 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888. On April 3, 2017, while dismissing a review petition filed by horse owners, the Bombay High Court firmly reiterated its earlier decision. Following this, on July 7, 2017, the Bombay High Court accepted Maharashtra state's rehabilitation plan for horse-drawn carriage owners and drivers, further clearing the way for the implementation of the ban on Victoria carriages. "The beautiful mechanical e-carriages now used in Mumbai instead of horse-drawn carriages have relieved the animals' suffering and are safer for city roads", says Arunima Kedia, PETA India's senior legal counsel. "Old habits die hard for some, but most tourists and drivers alike prefer the e-carriages to those that unhappy horses are forced to pull." PETA India's investigations, filed before the Bombay High Court, revealed that horses were often injured, sick, and severely malnourished and forced to stand amidst their waste in filthy and decrepit stables. Reports further documented that they were frequently denied adequate rest, water, and veterinary care. Accidents involving horse-drawn carriages have caused numerous injuries, some of which have been fatal. In the years since the Bombay High Court passed the above orders, many horse owners and carriage drivers have switched to alternate forms of livelihood, including driving mechanical e-carriages to offer rides to tourists. Numerous horses have been rescued from suffering by pulling Victoria carriages on tar roads and released to sanctuaries, where they can enjoy their lives in peace, said PETA in a statement. (ANI)
Reacting to inauguration of India's largest helicopter manufacturing unit in Karnataka's Tumakuru, Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday said that development in the country has taken wings in the country under PM Narendra Modi's rule. While reacting to the Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's statement that PM Modi and businessman Adani are two sides of the same coin, Vij said, "If Congress has anything to say, then they should come to the Lok Sabha and say it, but Congress does not believe in democracy but believes in mobocracy." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) helicopter manufacturing unit -- India's largest such factory -- in Karnataka's Tumakuru. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai were also present. It is a dedicated new greenfield helicopter factory which will enhance the capacity and ecosystem to build helicopters. On Saturday, the government informed taht Asia's largest helicopter manufacturing facility, this helicopter factory will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUH). LUH is an indigenously designed and developed 3-ton class, single-engine multipurpose utility helicopter with the unique feature of high manoeuvrability. The factory will be expanded to manufacture other helicopters such as Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH) as well as for repair and overhaul of LCH, LUH, Civil ALH and IMRH in the future. The factory also has the potential for exporting the Civil LUHs in future. This facility will enable India to meet its entire requirement of helicopters indigenously and will attain the distinction of enabling self-reliance in helicopter design, development and manufacture in India. The factory will have a manufacturing set-up of Industry 4.0 standards. Over the next 20 years, HAL is planning to produce more than 1000 helicopters in the class of 3-15 tonnes from Tumakuru. This will result in providing employment for around 6000 people in the region. (ANI)
The Union Government is envisaging for generating direct and indirect employment opportunities for about 55 lakh personnel in the fisheries and aquaculture sector by 2024-25 under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Union minister for the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala said. The scheme aims to create direct and indirect employment opportunities for fishers, fish farmers, fish workers, fish vendors, and entrepreneurs and enhance the income of fishers and other stakeholders, by implementing various targeted interventions in fish production and productivity, fisheries infrastructure, and marketing, informed the government through a release. "The PMMSY at an estimated investment of Rs 20,050 crore with an array of more than 100 components and sub-components is implemented in all the states and union territories including the government of Jharkhand for a period of 5 years from the financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25," the minister told Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He further said that the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying during the last two financial years (2020-21 and 2021-22) and current year (2022-23) has accorded approvals to the proposals of various states and union territories and other implementing agencies amounting Rs. 11783.17 crore with a central share of Rs. 4405.06 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). (ANI)
The Delhi High court on Tuesday declared that the virginity test conducted on a female detainee, accused under investigation, or in custody, whether judicial or police, is unconstitutional and in violation of Article 21 of the Constitution which includes right to dignity. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma while passing the judgment stated that the necessary information regarding the unconstitutionality of virginity test is circulated to all investigating agencies/stakeholders through the Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of NCT of Delhi. The Delhi Judicial Academy is directed to include the information regarding this issue, in its curriculum and in the workshops conducted for investigating officers, prosecutors and other stakeholders. Similarly, the Delhi Police Academy for Training shall also include the necessary information regarding this issue in its training curriculum. The Commissioner of Police, Delhi is also directed to ensure that the investigating officers are informed and sensitized in this regard, said Delhi's High Court. The directions were passed by the Delhi High Court in a case pertaining to the virginity test conducted on Sister Sephy, accused in the Sister Abhaya Murder case of Kerala. The Investigation Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation in 2020 found Sister Sephy guilty of the murder of Sister Abhaya and sentenced her to life imprisonment. The Trial Court had relied on virginity test findings. The sentence is now under consideration before the Kerala High Court in appeal. According to the petitioner's case, she was forcefully subjected to undergo the 'Virginity Test' by the Central Bureau of Investigation on November 25, 2008, against her consent. The said virginity test was conducted by the investigating agency under the pretext of an investigation to substantiate their case in relation to the death of the deceased, who was found dead in a well on March 27, 1992. The result of the said test was allegedly leaked to the media by the CBI and it is the case of the petitioner that the conduct of the CBI in subjecting the petitioner to a virginity test forcefully against her free will and selective leakage of the test by the investigating agency to the electronic and print media even before submitting the result before the concerned Court amounts to a violation of petitioner's fundamental rights. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker to move a breach of privilege motion notice against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a day after his speech in Lok Sabha where he made certain allegations about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his association with industrialist Gautam Adani. In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Dubey said, "These statements are misleading, derogatory, indecent, unparliamentary, undignified and incriminatory in nature to the dignity of the House and Prime Minister being a Member of Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi, despite making a statement in the House that he would provide documentary evidence has not submitted any duly authenticated document for supporting his statements." Dubey further said the Congress MP has made a statement which amounts to misleading the House in the absence of any documentary evidence besides being a reflection upon the Prime Minister. "This conduct is in clear violation of privileges of House and its members besides being a clear case of contempt of the House. I request you to take immediate action against Rahul Gandhi for breach of privilege and contempt of House," the letter read. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a strong attack on the government in the wake of the Hiendenberg-Adani row linking the rise of Adani group to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleged that "rules were changed" in some sectors to favour the businessman. Rahul Gandhi, who was the first opposition leader to speak during the debate on motion of thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha , said the relationship with Gautam Adani began many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister and added that "real magic" started after 2014 and the businessman rose from 609th to second spot globally in the rich list. "Relationships begin many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat's Chief Minister...one man stood shoulder to shoulder with PM Modi, he was loyal to the PM and helped Mr Modi construct the idea of a 'Resurgent Gujarat'. The real magic began when PM Modi reached the national capital in 2014," Rahul Gandhi said addressing the Lok Sabha. The BJP rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegations both inside and outside the House. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the allegations against the government were baseless and the whole ecosystem of Congress was based on twin pillars "of deal and commission". (ANI)
CBI informed in a statement on Wednesday, that the accused CA has been arrested for his alleged role in formulating and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy and causing wrongful gain to Hyderabad-based wholesale and retail licensees and their beneficial owners.

The accused will be produced in the court today, CBI said.

The excise policy was passed in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the deadly Delta Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.

The Delhi government's version is that the policy was formulated to ensure the generation of optimum revenue, and eradicate the sale of spurious liquor or non-duty paid liquor in Delhi, besides improving user experience.

The probe was done after taking into account a report forwarded by the Chief Secretary to Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommending a CBI investigation into the matter.

Following LG's recommendation, the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police's Economic Offence Wing (EOW) issued a notice to Delhi's Excise Commissioner asking him to provide all documents relating to the award of liquor licenses under the new excise policy.

Last year in August, the CBI conducted a search operation at Sisodia's bank locker in connection with Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case, where according to him the CBI had found nothing.

Several raids were also conducted at 21 places in Delhi and the National Capital Region including the residence of Sisodia and the premises of four public servants last year, according to a CBI official. The official said that raids were conducted in locations across 7 states. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha has allocated a time of over 12 hours to discuss President's Address. PM Modi's reply is expected to begin around evening in the House. The reply to the Motion of Thanks debate got underway in Lok Sabha on Tuesday and the debate was initiated by BJP Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha took up debate on the motion of thanks on the President's Address after three days of stalemate over the Hindenburg-Adani row with BJP members talking of initiatives of the Modi government and the opposition members accusing the ruling alliance of not paying adequate attention to issues such as price rise and unemployment. Tuesday saw a lot of fireworks in the Lower House with barbs being exchanged between the MPs from the ruling party and the opposition. During the address by the Joshi in Lok Sabha, Opposition MPs, especially from the DMK protested in the well of the House, after he allegedly glorified the abolished practice of 'sati'. The house was adjourned for a few minutes after DMK MP A Raja rushed to CP Joshi's chair after the intervention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and subsequently after the clarification by Joshi the matter was settled. Soon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a strong attack on the government in the wake of the Hiendenberg-Adani row linking the rise of the Adani group to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleging that "rules were changed" in some sectors to favor the businessman. Rahul Gandhi, who was the first opposition leader to speak during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha, said the relationship with Gautam Adani began many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister and added that "real magic" started after 2014 and the businessman rose from 609th to second spot globally in the rich list. "Relationships begin many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat's Chief Minister...one man stood shoulder to shoulder with PM Modi, he was loyal to the PM and helped Mr Modi construct the idea of a 'Resurgent Gujarat'. The real magic began when PM Modi reached the national capital in 2014," Rahul Gandhi said addressing the Lok Sabha. The BJP rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegations both inside and outside the House. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the allegations against the government were baseless and the whole ecosystem of Congress was based on twin pillars "of deal and commission". Late evening again, saw a war of words between a TMC MP Mahua Moitra and BJP MPs while she was speaking. After her speech ended and TDP MP Rammohan Naidu started to talk, Moitra was caught on audio allegedly abusing a BJP MP. On January 31, the Budget session commenced with President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the union budget was presented on February 1. Since the budget day, there has been no business that has been conducted in both Houses of Parliament with the opposition demanding a JPC on the Adani stock matter. Both the Houses had faced disruptions for the past three days over opposition demands concerning the Hidenburg-Adani row. The Hindenburg-Adani row figured prominently in the debate with the opposition MPs pressing their demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research came out with a report making allegations about stock manipulation and accounting fraud against Adani group firms. The Adani group has refuted the charges. The Opposition parties had demanded discussion over investment by LIC, public sector banks, and financial institutions "in companies losing market value, endangering the savings of crores of Indians" following the Hindenburg Research report. Meanwhile, in her pre-budget address to the joint session of Parliament, the President had said India has entered Amrit Kaal completing its 75 years of Independence and in this citizens have to focus on their duty towards building an 'aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) India. "By 2047, we have to build a nation that will be connected to the pride of the past and which will have all the golden chapters of modernity. We have to build an India that will be 'Aatmanirbhar' and capable to fulfill its humanitarian duties," President Murmu said. President Murmu also lauded India's growing position on the world stage and said that the country is providing solutions to the world. "Today, India's self-confidence is at its highest and the world is looking at her from a different perspective. India is providing solutions to the world," the President said. The first half of the Budget session will continue till February 13 and the second half will be held from March 13 to April 6. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the historic landing of indigenous LCA (Navy) and MiG29K jets on aircraft carrier INS Vikrant stating that the efforts towards "Aatmanirbharta" are on with full vigour. "Excellent! The efforts towards Aatmanirbharta are on with full vigour," PM Modi said in a tweet. In a major success for made-in-India weapon systems, Indian Navy on Monday carried out the maiden landing of homegrown LCA(Navy) and MiG29K jets onboard the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The exercise also demonstrates India's capability to design, develop, construct and operate Indigenous Aircraft Carrier with indigenous Fighter Aircraft. Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral S N Ghormade termed it as a big achievement for 'Make in India' in the defence sector, saying that it will boost indigenisation. "Indigenously developed fighter aircraft LCA Navy and the MiG-29K fighter aircraft today made their first landings on the country's first made-in-India aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in the Arabian Sea. This is a big achievement for the Make in India in the defence sector and will boost indigenisation," said Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral S N Ghormade told ANI. The commissioning of India's first indigenous aircraft carrier is a momentous occasion during the 'Amritkaal' of India's 75 years of independence and signifies the country's confidence and prowess stated a government release. The indigenous aircraft carrier is proof of the country's technical acumen and engineering skills. This demonstration of India's self-sufficiency to produce an aircraft carrier warship will reinforce the country's defence indigenisation programmes and the 'Make in India' campaign, the statement added. The indigenous aircraft carrier is proof of the country's technical acumen and engineering skills. This demonstration of India's self-sufficiency to produce an aircraft carrier warship will reinforce the country's defence indigenisation programmes and the 'Make in India' campaign, the statement added. Built at a cost of around Rs 20,000 crore, the INS Vikrant successfully completed its fourth and final phase of sea trials last month. With the construction of 'Vikrant', India has joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an aircraft carrier. The ship has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,700 people, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers. INS Vikrant has a top speed of around 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles. According to DRDO, Indian Navy's Commodore Shivnath Dahiya, (IN) performed the flight test carrying out successful arrested landing, hot refuelling and launching from the Ski jump of the LCA Navy from the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant (ANI)
Congress MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday gave adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha to have a "detailed discussion" on the country's border issue with China. In December 2022, a clash took place near Yangtse along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh amid the over 30-month border standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh. To discuss the matter, Tewari gave an adjournment notice earlier as well where he termed the clashes "another indication of China's steady aggression aimed at changing the status quo on the border". However, addressing the first segment of the Investiture Ceremony at Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday said that eastern Ladakh is being dominated by physical and technical patrolling by the Indian Army to ensure the territorial integrity of the country. Referring to the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Northern Army Commander said, "On the LAC, our response to Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo was a swift, undaunted and synergized action by the Indian Armed Forces. Any adverse aggressive designs or attempts will definitely be met with appropriate posturing of the forces and a strong intent with complete synergy amongst the three services." "Measures to resolve the LAC situation at diplomatic and operational levels are also simultaneously underway. I assure you that the LAC in eastern Ladakh is being dominated by physical patrolling and through technical means and our territorial integrity is being ensured. Restoration of peace and tranquillity to enable progress in bilateral relations has been and will remain our constant endeavour," he added. In December, the Indian Army in an official statement said that on December 9 PLA troops had contacted the LAC in Tawang Sector which was contested by own (Indian) troops in a firm and resolute manner and the face-off led to minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides. It further added that both sides immediately disengaged from the area and as a follow-up of the incident, own (Indian) commander in the area held a flag meeting with his counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquillity. Along the LAC in the Tawang Sector in Arunachal Pradesh there are areas of differing perception, wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines. This has been the trend since 2006, the sources claimed. (ANI)
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has alleged that the Central government did everything possible to "forcefully" prevent import of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, especially when people were ready to get the best vaccine. Rao claimed that he and several other Chief Ministers had lobbied for Pfizer in India, but the PM Modi Government stalled the entry of the US pharmaceutical giant into India The Chief Minister's remark at his recent rally in Maharashtra's Nanded came days after Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed that Pfizer had "tried to bully the Indian government into accepting an indemnity clause for supplying its mRNA COVID vaccine". MoS Chandrasekhar, shared a tweet of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the World Economic Forum in Davos in which the pharma company official stated that senior leaders in the Opposition had put pressure on the Centre to procure foreign-made vaccines during the pandemic rather than choosing Made in India vaccines. Addressing a press conference in Maharashtra's Nanded on Sunday, KCR said that "Make in India" has become a "Joke in India." "Today many multinational companies are leaving China, but why are we not able to attract them? Why are those companies not turning towards us? If Make in India would have been right, ease of doing would have been right, if they were feasible, then why were not allowed to come to India? "There is a company namely Pfizer, which manufactures vaccines, it was stopped from entering India during COVID-19. No matter how hard the company tried but they (the Centre) did not allow them to come here. What was the reason?" questioned the Telangana chief minister. "While the public wanted to get the best vaccine, people also wanted to buy it, yet the company was stopped forcefully. We also tried, many Chief Ministers also had talks with PMO and Niti Aayog but they (Govt) did not allow them (Pfizer) to come," KCR said. KCR claimed that several multinational companies which were leaving China, like Pfizer, were being prevented from entering India and the Central government was promoting slogans of 'Make in India' to encourage crony capitalism and mislead people. "Where is the environment in India? Do we have an environment of Make in India like the slogans they are giving? Do we have ease of doing business? Are we provided with the facilities? If there is, then why are we are not able to get international companies?" he asked. Taking a dig at the Centre, KCR further alleged, "They will work for those who are their friends. Will inflate their stock market, why will they let others to come?"But the Central government had said that they will not buy the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna because indigenous vaccines will be more affordable and easier to store. India was in discussions with US companies Pfizer and Moderna in 2021 for the supply of these international vaccines but their terms and conditions were not accepted ultimately by India. The Centre declined to meet the requests by the US pharma firms for legal protection over any side effects from the use of their vaccines, which are widely used in the United States and Europe. However, India successfully vaccinated its citizens, with "Made in India" vaccines under its nationwide vaccination drive, under which over 220.16 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the two years since its launch. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently tweeted that India's feat was the "world's largest and most successful vaccination drive." He saluted the efforts of doctors and other healthcare workers on the front line who made this achievement possible. (ANI)
Leading real estate development company Diyar Al Muharraq has signed up as the official sponsor of the upcoming Bahrain Real Estate Investment Exhibition 2023 to be held at City Centre Bahrain.

The event, which is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Salman bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, President of the Survey and Land Registration Bureau (SLRB) and Chairman of the Board Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera), from February 9 to 11, said the organisers Expressions Media.

The exhibition aims to highlight Bahraini companies that play a prominent role in the development of the local real estate sector by shedding light on various real estate projects and connecting investors with developers and brokers under one roof.

Over the course of three consecutive days, the Bahraini developer will showcase key projects as part of its Masterplan, including the residential project Al Naseem, which is located in the heart of its integrated community Diyar Al Muharraq, and extends over a 328,000 sq m area featuring stunning sea views of the water canal.

Al Naseem consists of two areas: a first-of-its-kind gated residential community featuring over 300 villas with canal-view and 500 uniquely-designed apartments equipped with the latest facilities and services.

The second area, a non-gated neighbourhood, includes 500 apartments in buildings featuring exquisite designs, it stated.

Diyar Al Muharraq CEO Engineer Ahmed Ali Alammadi said: "We are pleased to sponsor the fourth edition of the Bahrain Real Estate Investment Exhibition that provides an ideal platform to attract investors from within the kingdom and Mena region at large, undoubtedly contributing to the growth of the real estate market, which is witnessing a resurgence."

"We look forward to showcasing our latest real estate projects at this prestigious event, exemplified in our recent launch of the new distinctly-designed models of Aseel El Nasayem and Layl El Nasayem Villas located within the exclusive, fully-integrated residential project Al Naseem," he noted.

Diyar Al Muharraq is the largest integrated residential project in Bahrain, embracing a unique mix of commercial, recreational, and healthcare facilities.

The project of Al Naseem contains 6 different villas types: Duha El Nasayem, Sabah El Nasayem, Aseel El Nasayem, Layl El Nasayem, Aseel El Nasayem 2 and Layl El Nasayem 2.

The models feature an exceptional style each with their distinctive characteristics and atmosphere, boasting the charm and warmth of island-living. Key facilities of the villas include direct access to canals, a private boat dock, a private swimming pool, and fully-equipped indoor and outdoor kitchens.

Aseel Al Mohandes, Founder and Executive Director of Expressions Media, said: "We value Diyar Al-Muharraq's participation at the expo as well as their continuous support to various prestigious real estate events in the kingdom."

"We are pleased to witness the eagerness of real estate companies to participate in this exhibition and provide exclusive offers to attendees and look forward to witnessing an even greater turnout than in previous years," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
A theatrical performance based on the life of King Vikramaditya by Russian artistes was allegedly disrupted by panchayat members at Paliem Pernem in North Goa last month. The panchayat members alleged that the foreign nationals were practising black magic.

Russian Federation citizen Olga Makhnovetsky and Belarusian national Mikola Dranich along with other artistes were performing the re-enactment of the story in Russian.

The foreign nationals said they were misunderstood and only performed a story linked to Indian cultural history.

"We do not support any cult or religious outfit. We are just theatre performers. The story performed has a strong legacy of Indian culture," Olga Makhnovetsky told reporters here.

They claimed they had informed the local panchayat in advance about their performance. (ANI)
Besides their official in Patna, the raids are currently underway at other premises in connection with the alleged tax evasion worth crores of rupees.

He is the state General Secretary of the JD(U), elected from the Buxar area.

On Tuesday, the raids were conducted at multiple locations across Patna and Arrah, including the Babu Bazar residence, Anaith residence and Ramna Maidan Shaheed Bhawan hotel on Tuesday.

Sah is a rags-to-riches story that rose from a person selling jalebis outside Arrah railway station in the 1970s to running a business empire worth several crores.

The Income Tax Department has tightened its noose on JDU MLC Radhacharan Sah.

Apart from this, the raids were conducted in the national capital as well, since the case is said to be related to a disproportionate assets case.

In April 2022, NDA's JDU candidate cum former MLA Sah won for the second consecutive time in the Bhojpur co-Buxar MLC elections.

He defeated the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) candidate of the Grand Alliance, Anil Samrat.

In July 2022, he was nominated as the State General Secretary of JDU and has been close to the top leaders of the party.

In the past, he was also in RJD for a long time. (ANI)
Police arrested three members of the vicious Babu Wasim Gang from Uttar Pradesh's Hapur. Police Station Babugarh and Special Operations Group (SOG) team arrested the three accused on Tuesday after illegal arms were recovered during checking from the Bachlauta canal bridge area of Uttar Pradesh's Hapur. The police have arrested three members of the Babu Wasim gang with a huge arms cache. Two illegal pistols with magazines, eight empty pistols, a bike and a scooter were recovered from them. The arrested accused used to earn financial profit by selling illegal pistols for Rs. 57 thousand and illegal pistols for Rs. 50,000-1,00,000. The arrested accused used to supply illegal weapons to criminals on demand. About half a dozen cases of attempt to murder etc are registered against the arrested accused in Meerut and Hapur districts, the officials said. At the order of the Superintendent of Police, Abhishek Verma, a campaign is being run against those who make or sell illegal weapons in the district of Hapur. The Babugarh police station and the SOG team, while taking joint action, exposed the illegal arms supply gang while checking and arrested three members and necessary legal action is being taken by registering charges at Police Station Babugarh, informed Hapur SP Abhishek Verma. The Police have arrested Khizar alias Monu, Idris and Naeem, all of three are residents of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. The gang also used to supply illegal weapons in the Delhi-NCR area. They used to supply illegal pistols in Delhi NCR. A probe revealed that it was this same gang which supplied a pistol to Shahrukh who had pointed a gun at a policeman during an anti-CAA protest in Delhi, said Superintendent of Police Hapur, Abhishek Verma. On January 31, the leader of the Babu Wasim Gang, Babu Wasim was discharged by Delhi's Karkardooma Court for allegedly supplying an illegal weapon to Shahrukh Pathan, an accused in the Northeast Delhi riots case. The court noted that there was no incriminating evidence, except the disclosure statements of two accused persons in the case. It held that there was no ground to presume that the accused committed the offence. The weapon was allegedly used to fire upon police as well as the general public protesting on Seelampur Road during the Northeast Delhi riots on February 24, 2020. However, the court charged Wasim for non-appearance before the court after the declaration of proclamation. Shahrukh Pathan was arrested on March 3, 2020. he disclosed that in December 2019, he had purchased a pistol and 20 rounds from Babu Wasim by paying Rs 35,000. It was alleged that he disclosed that he had met with Babu Wasim at Masjid (Khaddewali), Ghonda and disclosed the latter's mobile number to get him arrested from Meerut. On March 9, 2020, Babu Wasim's residence in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, was raided but he was found to be on the run. On March 18, 2020, a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Babu Wasim was obtained from the court. On July 18, 2020, he was declared a proclaimed offender by the Karkardooma Court. Babu Wasim was charged under Section 174A of IPC in the first supplementary chargesheet filed on December 26, 2020. (ANI)
According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), more than 5 lakh people from across the country enthusiastically participated in the contest, out of which 272 winners have been selected.

The Ministry of Culture has awarded them for their creativity.

The Grand Finale of the contest was organised at Nehru Park in the national capital.

Responding to the series of tweets by Amrit Mahotsav, the Prime Minister said, "This spirit of patriotism filled with amazing creativity has presented a new example of #UnityInCreativity. The way lakhs of countrymen actively participated in it, it is going to inspire everyone. Many congratulations to the winners as well as all the participants."

Beginning on October 31, 2021, Unity in Creativity competitions garnered over 5.6 lakh entries from over 600 districts.

Entries for Deshbhakti Geet Writing were received in 21 languages and in 20 different languages for Lori writing. Thousands of Rangoli entries depicted scenes and heroes from India's freedom struggle, along with symbols of national importance.

Winners came from various corners of the country and enjoyed the felicitation programme. A grand total of 4760 winners were selected for the three competitions on the national, state and district levels.

The Unity in Creativity competition was open for children above 10 years, and offered the opportunity to rekindle pride in India's collective identity through creativity. (ANI)
Nabaneet Mahanta, Superintendent of Police of Hailakandi district on Wednesday told ANI that, police have so far arrested three persons including the prime accused Nizamuddin Borbhuyan.

"Our investigation is on," the top police official said.

In a video of the incident which had gone viral on social media shows that a youth was tortured by a person, his head was tonsured and another person urinated on him, the youth's both hands were tied with rope.

According to the reports, the victim's youth was allegedly involved in a theft case he illegally entered a house in the Krishnapur area under the Lala police station in the Hailakandi district.

In reference to the viral video from Hailakandi of a person being tortured, Assam Director General of Police GP Singh directed the Superintendent of Police of Hailakandi district to take lawful action immediately.

The Assam DGP also instructed Hailakandi police to take immediate action to apprehend all the accused and ensure lawful follow-up. (ANI)
Delhi Police on Wednesday, mentioned a petition before the Supreme Court seeking urgent listing of a review petition challenging the top court order which acquitted three men who were awarded the death penalty by a Delhi Court in connection with allegedly raping and killing a woman in Delhi's Chhawala area in 2012. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the plea seeking an early hearing of the review petition before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and apprised the court that one of the men, who was acquitted, has recently slit the throat of someone else. He further added that the accused are hardened criminals, and urged the court to consider conducting open hearings on the review petition. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that he would constitute a three-judge bench headed by him comprising Justices Ravindra Bhat and Bela Trivedi. "We will consider the open court hearing request," CJI said. The prosecuting agency Delhi Police has moved a review petition in Supreme Court challenging the top court order which acquitted three men in connection with allegedly raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in Delhi's Chhawala area in 2012. Social activist Yogita Bhayana has also moved a separate review petition in the Chhawala rape case. The victim's parents have also filed a review petition to the Supreme Court. In the plea, filed through Charu Walikhanna and Parminder Singh Bhullar, Yogita Bhayana sought to recall the top court's order dated November 7, 2022. The petitioner has submitted that apparent errors which warrant a review of the Impugned Judgment and order passed by this Court include casting doubts over the probative value of the CFSL's Biological Examination and DNA Profiling Report dated April 18, 2012. The Supreme Court on November 7, 2022, set aside the Delhi High Court order and acquitted three men who were awarded the death penalty by a Delhi Court after being held guilty of raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in Delhi's Chhawala area in 2012. The top court has set aside the judgments and orders of conviction and sentence passed by the trial court and the High Court in the case and gave the accused the benefit of the doubt and directed to set free the accused forthwith if not required in any other case. Three men had moved the top court against capital punishment for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl in Delhi's Chhawala. A Delhi court in February 2014 convicted them. The capital punishment was confirmed by the Delhi High Court on August 26 2014, saying they were "predators" moving on the streets and "were looking for prey". Three men, Ravi Kumar, Rahul and Vinod were convicted under various charges dealing with kidnapping, rape and murder. The case dates back to February 2012, when a 19-year-old girl's body was found in Haryana. The girl was brutally killed after being raped. A case was registered regarding this at outer Delhi's Chhawala (Najafgarh) police station. According to the prosecution, the offence was barbaric in nature as they first kidnapped the woman, raped her, killed her and dumped her body in a field in Rodhai village in Haryana's Rewari district. "The woman was kidnapped by the three men in a car from near her house in the Qutub Vihar area on the night of February 9, 2012, while she was returning from office," the prosecution had said. The prosecution had also revealed multiple injuries on the woman's head and other parts of her body and said that the three men had assaulted the woman with a car jack and an earthen pot. The crime was allegedly committed by Ravi Kumar with the help of the other two accused as the girl has refused the friendship proposal of Ravi Kumar, the prosecution had alleged. (ANI)
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MP K Keshava Rao on Wednesday gave a Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha demanding a discussion on the Hindenburg Report on Adani Enterprises and other companies of Adani Group. Rao gave the Suspension of Business Notice in the lower house of parliament, during its ongoing Budget Session, under rule 267. In the notice to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, he said that the report had revealed the dangers to which the country and its economy have been exposed to. "I desire to move the following Motion...That this House suspend the Rules, pertaining to Business listed in today's (8.2.2023) Agenda and take up discussion of Hindenburg Report on M/s Adani Enterprises and other companies of his group. Sir, The report exposes the dangers to which the Indian people and economy are subjected to and merit immediate discussion, adjourning today's list of Business in the House, as sought," it read. The concerned report is from US-based Hindenburg Research that surfaced on January 24 and claimed that the Adani Group had weak business fundamentals, and was involved in stock manipulation and accounting fraud, among others. According to a statement by the Adani Group, the Adani portfolio and the Adani verticals are focused on bringing India into the global economy and nation-building. In the summary of the long response by Adani Group, it said the report was "nothing but a lie". The report, however, triggered a sell-off of shares of all Adani Group companies. Earlier claiming that Hindenburg Research has "exploited innocent investors", advocate Manohar Lal Sharma filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court seeking a probe against the US-based firm, whose report has led to shares of Adani group plunging on the bourses. The PIL by a lawyer sought an inquiry to prosecute short sellers Nathan Anderson, a resident of US and founder of the Hindenburg Research [which published a report recently leading to a huge dent in the Adani Group firms' assets], and his Indian entities. The plea also sought to register an FIR against Anderson and his associates for exploiting and duping lakhs of innocent investors. Notably, the Opposition has been continuously demanding a discussion on the Adani-Hindenburg row and is seeking the response of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue. Opposition parties are also demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the allegations of stock manipulation against the Adani Group. The budget session of Parliament started on January 31 this year with the joint Address by President Droupadi Murmu. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget 2023-24 on February 1. Since then there has been no business in Parliament because of the continued logjam over the Adani issue. The Opposition has demanded that the government should come up and respond in Parliament about the Adani stock issue following which disruption has been witnessed in both Houses. Congress is continuously cornering the government over the issue in Parliament forcing the adjournments of both Houses during the Budget Session. (ANI)
Two youths who waved weapons while performing stunts on a bike have been arrested by Lucknow police. A video went viral on Tuesday. The police officials took cognizance of the viral video. The police swung into action and caught both youths. But to the police's surprise. The gun recovered from both of them turned out to be a toy gun. The video is said to be around a year old. Both the youth were fined for violating the traffic rules. A couple of weeks ago, a similar video went viral from Uttar Pradesh Lucknow, police probed the case under the Motor Vehicles Act against two persons for being allegedly indulged in an "indecent act" over a two-wheeler in Lucknow's Hazratganj. In the purported video, the girl could be seen hugging the person driving the scooty. A man was purportedly seen in a viral video shot in the Hazratganj area where allegedly he along with a young girl was seen making out on board a scooter on the move along a busy Uttar Pradesh capital road.The video surfaced on social media where a couple was seen making indecent gestures. Police took prompt action and detained the man in the viral video, the girl turned out to be minor. The case was registered for spreading obscenity in a public place. the police said, adding that the accused youth is said to hail from a rural environment while the girl accompanying him turned out to be minor. (ANI)
Border Security Force (BSF) troops on Wednesday deployed along International Border in Amritsar, Punjab, detected a drone intruding into Indian territory from the Pakistan side. BSF troops fired upon the rogue drone and deployed all counter-drone measures. As a result, the rogue drone, returning to Pakistan, fell down in Pakistan territory across the IB. (ANI)
To drive away monkeys, photos of Langur and fire sound sensor machines have been installed at the government bus stations of Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad region. Officials say that there is fear of monkeys at the bus stands but it is reducing with the installation of the photos and sensor machines. At the bus stands of Transport Corporation in Moradabad, large photos of Langur have been put up by the officials. These photos have been pasted on tall trees, poles, walls and roofs of bus stands. At the same time, a sensor machine has also been installed at the bus stand to drive away the monkeys. As soon as a monkey comes near the sensor machine, there is a sound of gunfire along with a fire lighting, and due to this, the monkeys run away. According to Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation officials, 10-20 thousand passengers come to the bus stand throughout the day. In such a situation, monkeys used to harm the passengers and could damage the buses. Speaking to ANI, Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, Assistant Regional Manager (ARM), finance of the Moradabad region, B L Mishra said, "This practice is being carried out for the second time. There is a huge fear of monkeys among the people and this method is useful in getting rid of them." With this initiative, now the monkeys have stopped coming to the bus stand, the nodal officer has also sent a sensor machine to the bus stand. The transport department has requested more sensor machines from the Uttar Pradesh government. A shop owner at a bus stand said, "There was a tremendous fear of monkeys. They used to pick up the goods from the shop. In such a situation, ever since posters of Langur have been installed, the terror of monkeys has been reduced." "The monkeys used to harm the passengers every day. Sometimes they used to hide under the bus and sometimes on the trees and after that, they used to harm the passengers. Now with this initiative, monkeys are not to bus stands," he added. (ANI)
The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) said it has signed an investment agreement with leading consumer tech retailer United Electronics Company (eXtra) to set up a state-of-the-art logistics centre at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam at an investment of SR35 million ($9.3 million).

The 10-year deal was signed at the Mawani HQ by its President Omar Hariri, and Chairman of United Electronics Company, Abduljabbar Mohamed Abduljabbar.

To be built over 32,000 sq m, the logistics and distribution centre will feature port-centric warehouses and storage yards designed to handle a wide range of multi-brand products and appliances, said a statement from Maawani.

The partnership goes hand in hand with Mawanis core mission to establish sustainable, cutting-edge logistics facilities that enable clients to deliver efficient and reliable operations besides boosting the kingdoms economic activity, in line with the vision drawn up by the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS), it stated.

King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam has emerged in recent times as a world-class hub offering an integrated suite of logistics services and facilities, including 43 berths, multipurpose terminals, and a 100,000 sq m logistics park, alongside a fleet of hi-tech cargo-handling equipment, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Among the parties that participated in the protest were Aam Admi Party (AAP), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shina Sena faction.

The Opposition parties are demanding 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 Hindenburg Research which made allegations against some companies of Adani group.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha took up debate on the motion of thanks on the President's Address after three days of stalemate over Hindenburg-Adani row with BJP members talking of initiatives of the Modi government and the opposition members accusing the ruling alliance of not paying adequate attention to issues such as price rise and unemployment.

The Hindenburg-Adani row figured prominently in the debate with the opposition MPs pressing their demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee raised the Hindenburg-Adani row to target the government.

He said allegations concerning the business group should be probed.

Participating in the discussion, Congress MP Digvijaya Singh asked why government was reluctant to form JPC into Hindenburg-Adani row.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the debate in the two Houses.

Both the Houses had faced disruptions for the past three days over opposition demands concerning Hidenburg-Adani row.

The US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research came out with a report making allegations about stock manipulation and accounting fraud against Adani group firms. The Adani group has refuted the charges.

The Opposition parties had demanded discussion over investment by LIC, public sector banks, and financial institutions "in companies losing market value, endangering the savings of crores of Indians" following Hindenburg Research report. (ANI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Punjab-based businessman Gautam Malhotra, son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra, in connection with its ongoing probe into Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case, sources said on Wednesday. Gautam, the Director of liquor manufacturing and distribution firm the OASIS group, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of money laundering. The ED sleuths arrested the businessman following his questioning in the case. The businessman is accused of cartelisation in the Delhi Excise policy case. This is the second arrest in the case in the last two days. On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation also arrested a Hyderabad-based chartered accountant, understood to be the auditor of BRS MLC K Kavitha. The agency is expected to produce Gautam in a special court later in the day and seek his custody to question him in the Delhi Excise Policy case. In October last year, the ED also raided the properties of Gautam and his father in Punjab. The younger son of Deep Malhotra, Gautam is said to manage the markets of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, apart from running the OASIS group's distilleries in Ambala and Indore. As per sources, Gautam is an associate of Amit Arora, Director of Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd, who was arrested by the ED in November last year in the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam. Other accused named in the case are Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the then Excise Commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, Deputy Commissioner Anand Tiwari and Assistant Commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar. Manoj Rai, a former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, director of Brindco Sales; authorised signatories of Mahadev Liquors Sunny Marwah, Arun Ramchandra Pillai and Arjun Pandey are some more accused in the case. The agency last year filed its first chargesheet before a court in the national capital in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case naming liquor businessman Sameer Mahandru as one of the accused. The agency said it has so far undertaken nearly 200 search operations in this case after filing FIR after taking cognisance of a CBI case which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor. 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. A total of five people have been arrested by the ED in this case till now, excluding Arora. Mahandru was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on September 27 following his questioning. In October, the ED had raided nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab following the arrest of Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Delhi's Jor Bagh-based liquor distributor Indospirit Group, in the case. The CBI too filed its first charge sheet in the case early this week. 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)
Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and Shiv Sena MLC Ambadas Danve has written to the Maharashtra police Director General over the security breach during Aditya Thackeray's event in Aurangabad. The LOP has requested DGP to seriously look into the breach and has sought action. Danve also released a video saying "Attempt was made during the meeting at Mahalgaon (Vaijapur) to create obstacles in the meeting of Saheb. It has come to light that the government has also neglected the security of Adityaji Thackeray." Danve further wrote, "Mindhe Group MLA Ramesh Borwane who created the said confusion was announcing his name. Action must be taken against the officers and Superintendents of Police who neglected Aditya Saheb's security." The tweet was made in the Marathi Language. Ambadas Danve also informed that some people were shouting slogans of Ramesh Borone Zindabad. He claimed that it was done to create a divide between Hindu and Dalit samaj. Notably, stones were pelted at the convoy of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray in Aurangabd's Vaijapur area on Tuesday evening during the seventh leg of his party's Shiv Sanvaad Yatra. The incident took place near the venue in Vaijapur where Aaditya was addressing his supporters, said sources. At the same time, there was also a procession in the area to mark Ramabai Ambedkar's birth anniversary. It may be recalled that following the revolt by Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena broke into two camps. Later, the Election Commission allowed 'ShivSena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray' as the party name for the Thackeray camp and 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena' (Balasaheb's Shiv Sena) for the Shinde camp. It may be noted that Aaditya Thackeray recently challenged Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to contest an election against him in the Worli Assembly constituency in Mumbai. (ANI)
Amid repeated demands by members for an investigation into allegations against the Adani Group on Wednesday, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar quipped that it seemed that the clamour seemed to indicate that the Opposition wanted to set up a Joint Parliamentary Commmittee against him! In an exchange with the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge who repeated his demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Adani issue Dhankar said , "It seems you will set up a JPC on me." Dhankhar also pulled up Kharge for making unsubstantiated charges against the government and asked him to authenticate allegations made by him. Urging members to maintain decorum amid sloganeering by Opposition and ruckus in Rajya Sabha, the Chairman said, "This House cannot be a platform to level allegations. I call upon LoP Kharge to put documentation on record right now which respects to allegations involving the name of the PM." "You use expressions that are not appropriate. I call upon you that we must work. I know you made some strong observations regarding me also a while ago. I can assure you, you bring on the table a huge experience, and I also bring on the table a modest experience. The debate in the house has to be on duly authenticated record. This House cannot be a platform for the free fall of information. One can't get anything one likes. Every allegation will have to be authenticated," Dhankar said. After a chaos broke out inside the Upper House of the Parliament when Kharge mentioned the report by Hindenburg Research, Dhankhar said, "Are we supposed to believe any random report from any corner of the world? My suggestion is, let us believe in ourselves, our strengths, and our institutions." Replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President Address, LoP Kharge hit out at the Narendra Modi government over unemployment and the rich-poor gap. "Our responsible ministers, MPs doing Hindu-Muslim, don't they get any other subject. Scheduled Castes (SCs) are beaten up upon entering the temple, if they are considered Hindu why are not SCs allowed in the temple or allowed to be educated? Many ministers show off pictures of them eating at SCs homes," said Kharge. He further questioned the PM Modi government over the Adani issue and said, "Wealth of one of the closest friends of PM Modi increased by 13 times in 2.5 years. In 2014 it was Rs 50,000 crore while in 2019 it became Rs 1 lakh crore. What magic happened that suddenly in two years assets worth Rs 12 lakh crores came, is it due to favour of friendship?" Demanding a probe into the Hindenburg report, the Congress MP said, "If the Prime Minister is not scared of anything, why should he be scared of a joint parliamentary probe on the Adani- Hindenburg row." Chairman Dhankhar intervened when Kharge was speaking and asked the MP to refrain from casting aspersions. BJP MP Piyush Goyal also intervened and said that the minister should not make allegations he cannot substantiate. "Prime Minister Modi's association with Adani has "no basis whatsoever", he added. Since the budget day, there has been no business that has been conducted in both Houses of Parliament with the opposition demanding a JPC on the Adani stock matter. Both the Houses had faced disruptions for the past three days over opposition demands concerning the Hidenburg-Adani row. The Hindenburg-Adani row figured prominently in the debate with the opposition MPs pressing their demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research came out with a report making allegations about stock manipulation and accounting fraud against Adani group firms. The Adani group has refuted the charges. The Opposition parties had demanded discussion over investment by LIC, public sector banks, and financial institutions "in companies losing market value, endangering the savings of crores of Indians" following the Hindenburg Research report. (ANI)
After Rajasthan and Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh also witnessed a paper leak issue where the NHM (National Health Mission) Contractual Staff Nurse recruitment exam paper got leaked hours before the exam. The Gwalior Crime Branch on Tuesday busted an interstate gang and arrested eight persons involved in the paper leak from a hotel on Tekanpur Jhansi Highway in the district. The team also recovered exam paper, laptop, mobile phones, and printers from the spot. The NHM Contractual Staff Nurse exam for 2284 posts was to be held at 36 centres in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Rewa in two shifts between 10am - 12pm and 3pm - 5pm on Tuesday (Feb 7). The exams, however, were cancelled. Gwalior Senior Superintendent of police (SSP) Amit Sanghi said that the Gwalior Crime Branch had received information that a gang had arrived here for the nursing exam being conducted under NHM, which is luring the candidates who were participating in the exam and leaking some questions from the paper. Acting on the information, the police raided a dhaba on the Gwalior Jhansi Highway where some people were found who had laptops, printers and mobile phones. The candidates who were going to take the examination were also found along with them. "Eight accused were arrested from the spot. Of these arrested accused, three accused are the resident of Gwalior, two accused from Prayagraj, two accused from Haryana and one from Bihar. But the mastermind is still absconding and a police team has been sent to find him. In the preliminary investigation it came to light that the absconding main accused is also a resident of Prayagraj," he added. "When police interrogated the candidates, it came to light that they had received the question paper on mobile. They told the police that these questions would come in the exam in the evening shift. The answer was being shown to the candidates who were present there. They also explained the modus operandi of the gang that the accused used to take Rs 2 to 3 lakh per examinee. First they used to take the original documents of the candidates, when the question paper got a match in the exam after that they used to return the original documents after taking the money. The accused had taken the original documents of about 70 to 80 candidates," SSP Sanghi added. "As the examination was cancelled, we are sending the recovered question paper to the Directorate to investigate at their level how many similarities there are in both the papers. A total of 39 mobile phones were recovered from possession of eight arrested accused and have been sent for forensic investigation," Sanghi said. He added that the crime branch registered a case under IPC Section 420, 120 B, section 66 E of IT Act and section 3, 4 of Madhya Pradesh Recognised Examinations Act. further investigation into the matter was on. (ANI)
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha that nine States and UTs have passed laws on online gaming adding that there is a need for a central act to regulate it. Replying to questions of DMK MP T Sumathy Thamizhachi Thangapandian on issues related to online gaming during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, the Union Minister said, "19 States and UTs have passed their own laws in this regard. 17 States have amended Public Gambling Act and introduced sections against online gambling within it. If there is something which is happening in a particular state, I don't think that this house should be commenting on that." He said that the central government is concerned about the impact of online gaming and gambling on society. "We as very responsible lawmakers should reach a consensus and have a Central act which basically has been drafted in consultation with everybody and that central act should be effectively regulating the online gaming and gambling," he added. Notably, several states including Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and others have banned online gambling. India also has the Information Technology Act of 2000 which is used to regulate online activities in the country. However, the Act does not mention anything about online gambling. (ANI)
Talking to ANI, here on Wednesday, he said, "The Opposition is united on the issue. Our demand is that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) should probe the matter, and our demand will remain."

"Taking a part in the Parliament discussion means raising the value of Adani shares," he added.

Earlier in the day, AAP, BRS and Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs staged a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue demanding a JPC probe into the Adani issue.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties had demanded discussion over investment by LIC, public sector banks, and financial institutions "in companies losing market value, endangering the savings of crores of Indians" following the Hindenburg Research report.

A report by a US-based Hindenburg Research surfaced on January 24, claiming that the Adani Group had weak business fundamentals, and was involved in stock manipulation and accounting fraud, among others. The report triggered a sell-off of shares of all Adani Group companies.

According to the statement by the Adani Group, the Adani portfolio and the Adani verticals are focused on bringing India into the global economy and nation-building. In the summary of the long response by Adani Group, it said the report was "nothing but a lie".

Both the Houses had faced disruptions for the past three days over opposition demands concerning the Hidenburg-Adani row.

The first half of the Budget session will continue till February 13 and the second half will be held from March 13 to April 6. (ANI)
Rama Devi Women's University is all set to welcome President Droupadi Murmu for its second convocation ceremony on February 10 in the Odisha capital during her two-day visit to the state. Talking to ANI, Aparajita Choudhary, Vice Chancellor of Rama Devi Women's University said, "Our university family is all set to welcome President Droupadi Murmu for the second convocation of the Rama Devi Women's University on February 10th. We have been in regular touch with Odisha's governor office." "While the convocation ceremony, Madam President will confer gold medals to 22 students, and hand over PhD degrees to two students of the university. President Murmu also will felicitate the Honoris Causa award to four renowned women of the state for their noble cause," Choudhary said. A student of Rama Devi Women's University expressed her happiness on President Murmu's visit and said, "It's a proud moment for us to hear President of India Droupadi Murmu during the second convocation ceremony on February 10th here." "She was from a poor family but with her determination towards study she secured the highest constitutional post in India and became President. She is our inspiration," a Rama Devi Women's University student said. However, it was the President herself, who had earlier evinced interest in attending the convocation of her alma mater and wrote to the Governor and Chancellor of the University, Ganeshi Lal, expressing her willingness for the same. After assuming the office, this will be the second visit of Murmu to Odisha and she will reach Bhubaneswar on February 10. Earlier in November 2022 also President Murmu had visited Odisha. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Raman Bhuraria, Chartered Accountant (CA) in connection with a money laundering probe against Shakti Bhog Foods Ltd in an alleged Rs 3,269 crore bank fraud case. The bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh on Wednesday while passing the judgement said, the period of incarceration, as well as the delay in the investigation along with any reliable material which directly involved the Applicant, justifies a prima facie release on bail. The only substantial evidence which is produced is the statements under section 50 PMLA which too have been retracted. Having regard to the totality of the circumstances, in my opinion, the applicant should be released on bail. The applicant shall furnish a personal bond in the sum of Rs. 50,000 each with 1 surety in the like amount and the applicant shall not leave the country if the applicant has a passport, he shall surrender the same to the trial Court, said the Delhi High Court. Bhuraria was represented by Advocates Arshdeep Singh Khurana, Ayush Agarwal, and Harsh Mittal while Enforcement of Directorate was represented through Advocates Zoheb Hossain and Vivek Gurnani. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Raman Bhuraria, for his alleged assistance and complicity in the Rs 3,269 crore bank fraud of Shakti Bhog Foods Ltd. Bhuraria was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 from Delhi in August 2021. ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Shakti Bhog Foods Limited and others, for criminal conspiracy, cheating, and criminal misconduct. "The allegations against the accused include his active assistance and involvement in the bank fraud by way of round-tripping through related entities. Siphoning of the funds was beingdone through fictitious sale and purchase through various dummy and other entities," said the ED statement earlier. (ANI)
The official said that a mobile vehicle check post was established in the general area of Aisi Village in Mizoram based on credible input on Wednesday.

"During the search and frisking operation by the Sajik Tampak battalion one individual was found with 275 soap cases containing approximately 3 Kilogram of brown sugar," an official familiar with the matter said.

"The seized brown sugar is estimated to be worth Rs 6 crores," the official said.

"The recovered items and the drug smuggler were handed over to Chakpikarong Police Station for further investigation," the official added.

They said the operation was carried out under the aegis of the HQ Inspector General of Assam Rifles (South).

In a similar development, Troops of Assam Rifles apprehended three cadres including one cadre of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and two cadres of the Chinese Army in two separate operations in Manipur's Kakching and Tengnoupal districts, an official statement said on Tuesday.

While the Sajik Tampak battalion in operation apprehended an active cadre of UNLF from Serou, Kakching district on Sunday, the Tengnoupal battalion of Assam Rifles apprehended two active insurgent People's Liberation Army (PLA) cadres in the Tengnoupal district on Saturday.

In a press statement, the Assam Rifles confirmed on Tuesday that both operations were conducted under the aegis of HQ Inspectorate General Assam Rifle (IGAR) (South).

In this operation, based on specific input received from its own intelligence team, the troops launched a joint operation with a team of police commandos which led to the apprehension of the active cadre.

The apprehended cadre was handed over to Sugnu Police for further investigation, officials of Assam Rifles said on Tuesday (ANI)
Ericsson has welcomed a new cohort of Saudi graduates as part of its ongoing Fresh Graduate Programme in Saudi Arabia.

Experiencing different roles in Engineering, Information Technology, and Strategy and Commercial Management, a total of 22 new graduates have joined Ericsson Saudi Arabia in early January 2023.

With Ericssons persistent efforts to increase the number of females in the field of Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM), 32% of the fresh graduates that joined Ericsson in January 2023 are female.

Young talent

The young talent plays an instrumental role in delivering industry pilots of possible 5G solutions in areas including automation, Augmented Reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0, smart airports, and smart ports.

Hakan Cervell, Vice President and Head of Ericsson Saudi Arabia and Egypt, says: Ericsson is passionate about nurturing the talents of fresh graduates from diverse areas of study and into every area of our business. Our Fresh Graduates programme provides structured training and development to promote the talent and the potential of the youth in the field of Information and Communications Technology.

The graduates have been able to observe emerging trends in the international scene, and study new technologies and business opportunities in the market. In line with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030, Ericsson is committed to the prioritisation and development of the local talent to drive the digital transformation of the kingdom.

Open ecosystem

Since its inception in 2018, the Fresh Graduate Programme in Saudi Arabia has employed more than 140 graduates. The programme has created an open ecosystem for research and implementation of innovative projects enabled by the latest technologies in line with the digital transformation ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030.

With country-specific programmes and initiatives, Ericsson confirms its commitment towards technology innovation of the network infrastructures and its role as enabler of an ecosystem that can support Saudi Arabias socio-economic growth.-- TradeArabia News Service
Meghalaya witnessed pre-poll violence, ahead of the assembly elections 2023 in the state. Clashes were reported between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and National People's Party (NPP) workers in the Phulbari assembly constituency of West Garo Hills late Tuesday night. TMC candidate SG Esmatur Mominin alleged that "several party workers were attacked by NPP men". "The attack occured at around 10.30 pm at the Charbatapara booth on Tuesday when NPP workers allegedly vandalised the premises where TMC members were conducting a meeting," Mominin alleged. A video purportedly of the clash went viral on social media. "The NPP workers allegedly barged into the meeting premises and created a ruckus," Mominin alleged. One Nozrul Hoque, a TMC member was injured during the clashes, TMC candidate Mominin said. TMC workers rushed him to the nearby Phulbari CHC, they said. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda is scheduled to travel to the northeast on two different occasions next week, a senior party official confirmed. Talking to ANI, the party official said that Nadda will be launching the party manifesto for upcoming assembly polls in Nagaland and Meghalaya. In the northeast region, BJP was elected twice- in 2016 followed by 2021 and then in Manipur which elected the BJP government in 2017 as well as in 2022. The party is hopeful that they will be able to form the government for another consecutive term in Tripura as well. However, in Meghalaya, the BJP is going solo after having declared that they will not form any alliance, despite the fact that currently it holds an alliance with the National People's Party (NPP). A TMC statement said Mominin was in contact with the injured party worker, adding TMC workers have been appealed to remain calm and work for the constituency, The Chief Electoral Officer and the Superintendent of Police, West Garo Hills could not be contacted for details of the incident. Mentionable, Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People's Party (NPP) national president Conrad K Sangma on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Meghalaya assembly polls in Tura. The assembly polls are slated for February 27. Notably, CM Conrad is seeking re-election from South Tura, which he won after being elected as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya in the bye-election for the seat in August 2018. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya on March 6, 2018. The nominations will be scrutinised on February 8 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 10, 2023. The polling is on February 27 and results will be declared on March 2, 2023. (ANI)
Three men were arrested for allegedly running a gang which used to dupe people on the pretext of providing them gigolo and escorts jobs through a website, police said on Wednesday. Three accused including the mastermind and the website creator have been arrested. The two accused were identified as Kuldeep Singh Charan and Shyam Lal Yogi. According to police, both have been defrauding people online in the name of playboy, Gigolo and escort jobs since 2017 and have defrauded more than 4,000 people. They have used more than a dozen bank accounts to receive the fraud amount, the police stated. While police have not named the third accused. According to the Delhi Police, a grievance was reported on Cyber Crime Reporting Portal from a complainant of Gautam Colony, Narela in Delhi. DCP Outer North, Devesh Kumar Mahla, said, "The complainant stated that he was searching for an online job on Google when he came across a website namely 'SP Playboy services.com' and contacted the number mentioned on the website." In the name of providing a job, the alleged demanded the initial registration fee amounting to Rs 2,499 and subsequently issued an Identity Card to the complainant on Whatsapp, the police informed. After that, the alleged started demanding amounts in the name of an advance commission of 40 per cent, massage kit, passcode charges and hotel booking charges. In this process, the alleged defrauded the complainant of Rs 39,190. After a preliminary enquiry, a case was registered and an investigation was taken up. Sensing the gravity of the offence, a team was constituted, the police stated. During the investigation, the domain name and server space details were sought, call detail analyzed and a money trail was conducted. DCP Mahla said, "As per the technical surveillance leads, recce and local input one of the accused Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Jaipur, Rajasthan was apprehended with the mobile phone." "Kuldeep was served notice to join the investigation but he did not cooperate and what he stated was contrary to the evidence in hand. On this, he was arrested. After the arrest, his disclosure statement was recorded and the case property was seized," he added. As per the investigation carried out so far the mobile number mentioned on the website through which the complainant was induced telephonically (WhatsApp) and payment received on 'PhonePe' was recovered from the accused Kuldeep Singh Charan. "The received cheated amount was found settled in the co-accused bank account (UCO Bank) registered in the name of Shyam Lal Yogi, a resident of Jaipur, Rajasthan," the DCP said. "The phone number given to the complainant in the name of the NRI client was in possession of co-accused Shyam Lal Yogi," he added. Both the accused belong to the same village and were residing together at Thadi Market Mansarovar Sector 12 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The co-accused Yogi has been arrested and one smartphone used in the commission of the crime has been recovered from him. Kuldeep Singh Charan had worked as a Room Boy in 'Man Heritage' and 'Tiptop Palaza' and 'Villa 243', all in Rajasthan, for five years. Yogi did B.A, and B.Ed and also worked as a receptionist at 'Man Heritage' and 'Tiptop Plaza' and 'Villa 243' till 2017. Thereafter working on Online Cyber Crime Fraud of Playboy Escort Services and Dating Services. He is also fluent in English. Moreover, he can mimic the voice of girls and pose as NRI Lady Client, the police added. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed an investigation into the missing land records from the revenue department in the national capital's Daryaganj under the supervision of the Assistant commissioner of police (ACP). The matter pertains to the missing of land records from the revenue department at Daryaganj. In this case, a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) was lodged in 2019 no investment took place and the record was lost way back. Justice Prathiba M Singh directed the Darya Ganj police station to investigate the matter under the supervision of ACP and file a report. "The Police station Darya Ganj shall investigate the matter and file a report," Justice Singh directed adding to convert the NCR to First Information Report (FIR). "It is valuable land records. Filing of an NCR is ill-advised," the bench observed while hearing the petition moved by a firm Monk Estate Private Ltd. The court has also directed the officer (then Sub-Registrar) who filed the NCR, to appear in person on the next date of the hearing. The court has also sought a status report from the Revenue Secretary in the matter. The officer was presented in the hearing through video conferencing. He submitted that most of the records had been digitised and it is available on the cloud. Almost more than a crore of documents are digitised. A status report was filed with an affidavit of the revenue department. The bench also said the Sub Registrar (SR-3) should look into the possibility of reconstruction of documents. The SR has been directed to verify all the documents. Meanwhile, the court has asked the petitioner to appear before the SR-3 on February 14 and directed the latter to file a status report within four weeks. It further listed the matter for the next hearing on March 27. The petitioner company has alleged that it has lost all its land records and has thus applied for obtaining the certified land record. It was revealed through the Right To Information (RTI) that the voluminous land record has been missing from the office and hence the then Sub Registrar filed the Non Cognizable report. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed gratitude to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari for sanctioning Rs 1,036.23 crore for the Bhaniyawala-Rishikesh National Highway. Dhami also expressed gratitude for the improvement and upgradation work of the Bareilly-Sitarganj Highway. Chief Minister Dhami said, "Uttarakhand is establishing new dimensions in the field of connectivity with the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the efficient work of Nitin Gadkari." Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the Sewage Treatment Plant of the Municipal Corporation of Haldwani-Kathgodam. The plant with a capacity of 28 MLD costs Rs 35.58 crore and the Legacy Waste Processing Plant costs Rs 3 crore. Chief Minister Dhami also announced the approval of funds as required for the International Zoo to be built for tourism and wildlife identification. Along with this, he said that the year 2025 will be the silver jubilee of the drug-free Devbhoomi state to keep the youth away from drugs. Announcing the establishment of a modern Cathlab in the Sushila Tiwari Hospital, the Chief Minister said that with the opening of Cathlab at the hospital, heart patients would be able to get treatment easily. The CM also announced the allocation of funds for the renovation of the damaged canal at Golapar along with the allocation of funds for electric poles, new lines and transformers in the Lalkuan assembly constituency and the preparation of DPRs for drinking water and electricity for Lalkuan Bengali Colony and Hathikhana. During his address, the CM said that the Namami Gange, which was conceived by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is being realized on the ground. He said that along with river Ganga, a plan has been started to eliminate pollution in all the rivers of the state and to revive the rivers. "With the commencement of the biggest sewer plant in Haldwani city under the state's Amrit Yojana, Goula nadi will be saved from pollution and the same sewer will be used as organic manure by the farmers. This plant would prove to be a milestone in the future. The government is working towards keeping all the rivers including river Ganga clean and pure," he said. (ANI)
A total of 669 cases of death in police custody were registered across the country in the last five years from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2022, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Rajya Sabha.Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the House in a written reply citing data provided by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Rai said a total of 175 cases of deaths in police custody were reported during 2021-2022, 100 in 2020-2021, 112 in 2019-2021, 136 in 2018-2019 and 146 in 2017-2018. As per the information provided by the NHRC, Rai further said "The NHRC recommended monetary relief in 201 cases amounting to Rs 5,80,74,998 and disciplinary action in one case during the period from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2022, in the incidents of deaths in police custody. The Minister, however, cleared that police and public order are state subjects as per the seventh schedule to the Constitution of India. He said it is primarily the responsibility of the state government concerned to ensure the protection of human rights. However, Rai said, the Central government issues advisories from time to time and also has enacted the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHR), 1993, which stipulates the establishment of the NHRC and State Human Rights Commissions to look into the alleged human rights violations by public servants. When the NHRC receives complaints of alleged human rights violations, the Minister said, the Commission takes action as per the provisions laid down under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. "The NHRC also organizes workshops and seminars from time to time to sensitize public servants for a better understanding of human rights and, in particular, the protection of rights of persons in custody," Rai said. (ANI)
The Ministry of Education on Wednesday asked the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to conduct a special audit of the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM Poshan Scheme) in West Bengal over the last three financial years. This comes after the ministry received several reports about the alleged misuse of funds in West Bengal under the PM Poshan Scheme. Instances of deviations in the implementation of the Scheme have also been reported in the media. According to an official statement, the audit will encompass compliance, performance and financial audit. The ministry added that necessary corrective action will be taken based on the CAG audit report. "The CAG is empowered to conduct this Audit under Regulations on Audit and Accounts (Amendment) 2020 framed in pursuance of Section 23 of the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971, (Act No 56 of 1971). Necessary corrective action will be taken by the Department based on the Audit Report by the 0/o CAG," the ministry said in the statement. The Department of School Education and Literacy administers the PM Poshan scheme through which funds are provided to states, based on proposals received, for one hot cooked meal to eligible children in classes one to eight and Balvatika. PM Poshan Scheme benefits about 11.80 crore children in the country studying in 11.20 lakh Government and Government aided schools. Earlier in January, a central team was constituted to visit West Bengal for reviewing the implementation of the PM POSHAN scheme. "Ministry of Education has constituted a Joint Review Mission to visit the State of West Bengal to review the implementation of the centrally sponsored scheme, Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) in January," an official statement said. The team reviewed the fund flow from State to Schools/implementing agencies, the coverage of the Scheme, the availability of Management Structure at the State, District, and Block levels, the delivery mechanism of food grains from State to Schools, the smooth implementation of the Scheme with particular reference to interruptions among other objectives. It also reviewed the Construction of Kitchen-cum-stores, Procurement/Replacement of Kitchen Devices, the involvement of NGOs/Trust/Centralized kitchens in the Scheme, the payment of the Cost of Food grains to the Food Corporation of India etc. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in poll-bound Tripura, claiming that they were like musical instruments that were broken beyond repair. Speaking at the ruling BJP's 'Vijay Sankalp' rally in the northeastern state in west Agartala on Wednesday, Singh said, "In Tripura, one party is a flute and the other is a sitar. The Congress is a flute with many holes in it while the CPI(M) is a sitar with broken strings. They do not have any melody left in them." "During the CPI(M) regime, fear, hunger and corruption were rife in this state and it wasn't until the BJP came to power that things changed for the better," the Defence minister said. Urging the people to vote the BJP back to power in the state, Singh added, "You gave us five years and we changed the face of Tripura. Give us another five years, and we will make it the number one state." "The state has long suffered the debilitating effects of terrorism and extremism. However, no insurgency could shake the undying love of the people for their native soil. Tripura has changed for the better," Singh added. He said, "In 2018, BJP raised the slogan 'Chalo Paltai' (Left's bring a change) in Tripura and you responded by uprooting the Communist rule. This time, the BJP has coined the slogan 'Chalo Sushashan Ke Majboot Banai' (let us make good governance better)." Targeting the CPI(M), Singh claimed they only exploited the poor when it power. He said, "The CPI(M), which talks about the poor, labourers and workers, only exploited them when it power. They should first implement the Old Pension Scheme in Kerala (where it is in power) before promising to roll it out here." The Union minister lauded the strides that Tripura has made under the BJP rule and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre. "The transformation of Tripura is for all to see. We have boosted connnectivity in the state like never before. Under the leadership of the prime minister, Tripura got a diamond in the form of an international airport. It was more than anyone could ever imagine," Singh added. "BJP has not done any favour to Tripura by bringing development. It was our duty. Eighty crore people across the country have been provided free ration. LPG connections have been provided to women belonging to poor families. Medical treatment has also been provided free of cost," he added. Tripura will go to the Assembly polls on February 16 and the counting of votes will take place on March 2 along with those of Meghalaya and Nagaland. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to remove the remark describing Sikkimese of Nepalese origin as people of "foreign origin" from its judgment in 'Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim vs Union of India.' A bench of justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna modified its January 13 judgement. The applications were filed seeking the removal of the foreigner tag from Sikkimese of Nepalese origin from the order dated January 13. Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde along with Advocate on record Anas Tanwir appeared for petitioners Bharat Basnett and RB Subba. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday also filed a petition in Supreme Court for rectification of the court's observation on Sikkimese Nepalis. The Home Ministry made the declaration through a series of tweets. "Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) files review petition in Supreme Court against some of the observations and directions in a recent judgement dated January 13 2023, in two petitions of 2013 and 2021 filed by Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim and Ors in Supreme Court," it said in a tweet. "The Government of India reiterated its position about the sanctity of Article 371F of the Constitution that safeguards the Sikkimese identity, which should not be diluted," mentions another tweet. The SC in its January 13 Judgement, said, "The exclusion of Old Indian settlers, who have permanently settled in Sikkim prior to the merger of Sikkim with India on April 26, 1975, from the definition of "Sikkimese" in Section 10(26AAA) is hereby held to be ultra vires to Article 14 of the Constitution of India and is hereby struck down. It is held that all Indians/old Indian settlers, who have permanently settled in Sikkim prior to the merger of Sikkim with India on April 26, 1975, irrespective of whether his/her name is recorded in the register maintained under the Sikkim Subjects Regulations, 1961 read with Sikkim Subject Rules, 1961 or not, are entitled to the exemption under Section 10(26AAA) of the Income Tax Act, the court has held." "Proviso to Section 10(26AAA) insofar as it excludes from the exempted category, "a Sikkimese woman, who marries a non-Sikkimese after April 1, 2008" is hereby struck down being ultra vires to Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India," the court said further added. The top court upholding the arguments of petitioners declared the Explanation to Section 10(26AAA) as ultra vires and directed the Union of India to amend the explanation until which date all those who had settled in Sikkim before April 26, 1975, would be eligible to get the tax benefits u/s 10(26AAA) and also irrespective of a woman marrying a non-Sikkimese, she would be eligible to get the tax benefit. Political parties in Sikkim have voiced opposition to the court's finding that Sikkimese Nepalis are immigrants while granting income tax exemption (under Section 10(26AAA) of the IT Act 1961) to all long-term settlers regardless of ethnicity. The court noted the entire history behind the Kingdom of Sikkim which was formed in the year 1642 and until the merger with India in 1975 it was ruled for 333 years by the Kingdom. By way of the Constitution 36th Amendment Act 1975, Sikkim was made a full-fledged State of India and was included in Entry 22 of Schedule I to the Constitution of India. Article 371-F was also inserted in the Constitution under which it was, inter alia, open to the President or the Parliament to extend any law to the State of Sikkim, or repeal any existing law of Sikkim. On June 21, 1975, the Home Department issued a notification stating that "all Sikkim Subjects (under the Sikkim Subjects Regulations, 1961) before April 26, 1975, were to be deemed Indian citizens." Therefore, this effaced the distinction between the persons of Indian origin residing in Sikkim (without giving up Indian Citizenship) and others who had taken up Sikkimese Citizenship. (ANI)
The Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday sent Businessman Gautam Malhotra, son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra, and Telangana CM's daughter K Kavitha's auditor to ED, CBI remand respectively in the Delhi excise policy case. The Enforcement Directorate sought 14 days of remand for Gautam Malhotra but was granted a remand of seven days by the court. The other accused, a Hyderabad-based chartered accountant (CA), also said to be the auditor of Bharat Rashtra Samiti MLC K Kavitha, was sent for three days CBI remand in the liquor scam. According to the CBI, during the course of further investigation, his (Butchibabu Gorantla) role has surfaced in the criminal conspiracy with other co-accused persons, in the formulation of favourable liquor policy and deriving undue benefits out of the same. During further investigation, the scrutiny of WhatsApp chats recovered from the seized mobile phones of Butchibabu Gorantla has revealed certain incriminating facts about the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy. "He (Butchibabu) has remained in regular touch with FIR-named accused persons and other suspects during the relevant period. He has also attended various meetings with co-accused/suspects persons in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, where the criminal conspiracies have been hatched among them," CBI said. Gautam Malhotra, the Director of liquor manufacturing and distribution firm the OASIS group, was arrested on Tuesday on money laundering charges. The ED sleuths arrested the businessman following his questioning in the case. In October last year, the ED also raided the properties of Gautam and his father in Punjab. The younger son of Deep Malhotra, Gautam is said to manage the markets of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, apart from running the OASIS group's distilleries in Ambala and Indore. As per sources, Gautam is an associate of Amit Arora, Director of Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd, who was arrested by the ED in November last year in the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam. (ANI)
Alleging that there is "Gunda Raj" in Jammu and Kashmir, People's Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti was detained on Wednesday in the national capital during a protest against the administration's anti-encroachment drive in the Union Territory. "There is 'gunda raj' in J-K. It is being destroyed like Afghanistan," Mufti alleged. Carrying placards "Stop Bullying, Stop Bulldozing", PDP chief along with party workers were detained who were taken to a police vehicle, a video showed. In an earlier tweet, the Party, alleged that "the Government is at war with the people." "This heartless "Homelessness drive" initiated by the LG administration is focused to deposssess the people of J&K," a PDP tweet said earlier in the month. The former chief Minister had earlier requested all national opposition leaders to raise the issue of a demolition drive across Jammu and Kashmir against its own people. "In the garb of 'reclaiming state land' from 'encroachers'. No notices are served and neither do they accept proof of ownership. Simply inhuman & unjust," Mufti tweeted earlier in the month. The UT administration launched an eviction drive against illegal encroachment by 'big land owners' and 'influential' people. Nearly 23,000 hectares were retrieved during the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the Jammu division. Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference chief Sajad Lone hit out at the administrtation over the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the Union Territory, saying the drive would only result in more people being rendered homeless. "We have no objection to the anti-encroachment drive if it is against big land owners. The big landowners will bring their lawyers tomorrow and take back all the encroached land. However, it's only the poor who are being targeted and left to die," Lone had earlier said. Earlier in the month, Democratic Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad had called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to apprise him of 'eviction issues' in Jammu and Kashmir. "Azad met Amit Shah to apprise him of "serious unrest and uncertainty prevailing" among the public due to the "circular of eviction issued by the UT administration directing all Deputy Commissioners to remove the encroachments on state land, including Roshni and Kacharai," a statement from the DAP had said earlier in the month. (ANI)
dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, has launched its operations at Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) with its partners Emirates Leisure Retail and Segap, a joint venture between airport infrastructure and operations specialists Egis, and private equity fund manager AIIM (African Infrastructure Investment Managers).



The three companies will work closely together to deliver world-class services for airlines and passengers at the newly-built international terminal (T3) of ZNZ. The partnership is expected to significantly contribute to the governments target of boosting its trade and tourism sectors.



The investment of dnata, Emirates Leisure Retail and Segap represents over $10 million and, to date, has created some 500 local jobs with the companies.



dnata will provide its globally renowned, quality ground, passenger and cargo handling services to airline customers at ZNZ, ensuring safe and timely operations of flights and an excellent travel experience for passengers. In addition, dnata launched meet & greet and lounge services through its airport hospitality brand, marhaba, to help passengers further enhance their experience and enjoy a smooth airport journey from check-in to boarding.



Emirates Leisure Retail has partnered with MMI as master concessionaire for all food and beverage, duty free and commercial outlets at T3. In collaboration with Eight Inc, the companies have created an innovative and immersive travel experience, Zoma, designed to create a sense of place and extend the holiday feeling for passengers. In the Zoma Zones each store is inspired by the scents, feelings, and flavours of the island. In addition to these outlets, ELR and MMI carefully selected and curated the best retailers from the island to spotlight some of the best that Zanzibar offers.



Segap entered into a 10-year technical partnership with Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA) to manage and operate Zanzibar and Pemba airports. The consortium will act as a long-term partner to help position Zanzibar as a leading tourism destination, improve airport performance across all fields (including passenger experience, operation, profitability, etc.) and enhance airport infrastructure and services. The consortium will act as one project team for ZAA, covering different airport management and operation aspects.



Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group and Chairman of Emirates Leisure Retail and MMI, said: Were delighted to celebrate the launch of our airport services and retail offering with our partners at Zanzibars new, advanced airport terminal.



We are confident that our investment, alongside our commitment to safety, quality and service excellence, will provide a major positive impact on Zanzibars transport, tourism and trade industries. This in turn will deliver significant benefits for the local community and businesses. We will continue our efforts to consistently deliver world-class services, earn the trust and loyalty of airline customers and travellers, and be an employer of choice in Zanzibar.



Olivier Baric, Egis Aviation Director for Africa, said: We are delighted to continue our key role in ZAAs strategic development in cooperation with the airports stakeholders, after a successful year of cooperation, where we have contributed to operational improvements to support the growth of tourism in Zanzibar.



Together and over the next 12 months, we will continue with our endeavours to support the modernisation of facilities, processes and staff needed for Zanzibar to achieve high quality, safety and security services in order for Zanzibar to be recognised as having an international airport that is an outstanding gateway to a destination that has everything to attract visitors, from world-class beaches to a UNESCO World Heritage site.



dnata: strong, long-term commitment with multi-million US$ investments in people, infrastructure and equipment



To establish operations, dnata has hired and trained over 340 local talent and deployed a fleet of more than 120 pieces of ground support equipment at ZNZ. The company will gradually expand its operations and team, and by 2024 expects to handle more than 4,000 flights annually with a team of over 400 aviation professionals at the airport.



dnata is also investing in a state-of-the-art facility to offer cargo services at the airport, supporting local trade and businesses. The cargo centre, which is scheduled for completion in 2024, will comply with the highest industry standards ensuring efficient and safe handling of a broad range of cargo, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles.



The dnata Group has been contributing to Zanzibars tourism sector through its global travel businesses for decades. In 2022 dnata Travel, a leading travel services provider in the GCC region, facilitated flights, hotel bookings and holiday packages for thousands of travellers to Zanzibar.



Segap will provide general airport management and operation services to ZAA, including: improving operational and financial performance, development of airport assets, increasing passenger and cargo traffic, airline route development, best practice and compliance with international standards.



Emirates Leisure Retail will operate best-in-class outlets with a team of over 130 local culinary and retail professionals at T3.  TradeArabia News Service
Valentine's Day is just around the corner and if you're looking to go away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi, fret no more! We have just the right recommendations for you to go and spend quality time with your special someone. 1. Camp Aqua Forest - Rishikesh This quaint gem is tucked away from the main touristy Rishikesh and is apt for a tribe of travellers who love to explore the not-so-mapped parts of a place which is usually swamped with tourists. Located about 9 kilometres ahead of the iconic Laxman Jhula, Camp Aqua Forest offers a comfortable and luxurious stay in Swiss cottage tents which can easily accommodate a pack of 3-4 people. The approach to the property is a rugged path down a small hill and is a peek into the adventures you will unravel at the camp. You can spend your mornings at a small brook that quietly flows in the backdrop and later meets the Ganges and trek to the hills nearby which house hamlets and taste the local culture. Food is home-like and delectable. Though there are no television sets, the place has ample to keep all, young and old alike, engrossed. 2. Neemrana Fort Palace Neemrana, a tranquil historical town in Rajasthan's Alwar district, is well-known among heritage enthusiasts for its magnificent 15th-century Neemrana Fort Palace, which has now been converted into a luxury hotel. It's just about a 2-2.5 hour drive from Delhi and offers a spectacular view. Perfect for a quaint and luxurious stay with your special someone. 3. Sariska Tiger Reserve If you're a fan of nature, jungles and quiet ambience, this is your place! Sariska Tiger Reserve, located in the Aravalli Hills, enchants visitors with its rocky landscapes, dry deciduous woods, and, of course, diverse biodiversity. Aside from Royal Bengal tigers, leopards, Indian jackals, chinkara, langurs, and sambar deer live in this 866 square kilometre area. Also, it's just 4-5 hours away from Delhi. 4. Wildflower Hall - Shimla Wildflower Hall, the former home of Lord Kitchener, the former commander in chief of the British army, is a hotel in Shimla that emanates the atmosphere of a great stately mansion. Wildflower Hall offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to immerse yourself in the romanticism of nature. Indoor and outdoor dining places with mountain views, tailored spa experiences in woodland settings, energising outdoor activities, and private dining are all available. All of this is complimented by our genuine concern for your every need at Shimla's premier hotel. 5. Araiya - Palampur (Photo Credit: Araiya Website) Located in the picturesque Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh, Araiya boasts of scenic views of the Himalayas. Frequented by power couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, Araiya offers spa services ranging from Ayurvedic, oriental and western treatments. It captures the real essence of Himalayan beauty and good spa treatments are just a bonus! (ANI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday met with the family of ASI Shambu Dayal Meena, who succumbed to injuries while catching a mobile snatching accused, and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 crore to the family. On 4 January 2023, ASI Shambhu Dayal Meena, was seriously injured while trying to catch an accused of mobile snatching, he later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The Chief Minister reached the officer's house in Madhu Vihar, South West Delhi this morning to meet his family. He met late Shambhu Dayal's father Matadin Meena, his wife Sanjana and his three children and consoled them. After visiting the family, the CM said, "Shaheed Shambhu Dayal of Delhi Police served the public with great bravery, the whole of Delhi and the country salutes his martyrdom and courage. In today's world, there are very few people who command the courage of serving society by risking their lives." Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot and local MLA Bhavna Gaur were also present on occasion. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "On January 4, Delhi Police Assistant Sub-Inspector Shambhu Dayal received a complaint from a woman alleging that a man had stolen her husband's phone. ASI Shambhu Dayal ji took the complainant to the locality to identify the accused person. The woman pointed out the accused, and Shambhu Dayal ji caught him. While he was taking the accused to the police station, the person pulled out a knife and stabbed him fatally. He showed bravery by refusing to let the thief go easily. Later, Shambhu Dayal ji was taken to BLK Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries." CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "ASI Shaheed Shambhu Dayal ji of Delhi Police served the public with great bravery, the whole of Delhi and the country salutes his martyrdom and courage. We met his family today and handed over a check of Rs 1 crore to them. We hope this helps them. In the future too we will stand with the family." Late Shambhu Dayal Meena was originally from Sikar, Rajasthan. He had joined the police service in the year 1993 and was working as an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in Delhi Police posted at Mayapuri police station. Seriously injured in the attack, ASI Shambhu Dayal Meena was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for treatment and later shifted to BL Kapoor Hospital. Late Shambhu Dayal Meena is survived by his wife Sanjana and three children Gayatri, Deepak and Priyanka. CM Kejriwal handed over a cheque of Rs 60 lakh to Sanjana, wife of late Shambhu Dayal Meena and Rs 40 lakh to his father Matadin Meena. (ANI)
The Morbi Court on Wednesday sent the Managing Director of Oreva Group, Jaysukh Patel, to judicial custody after his police remand ended on Wednesday in connection with the 2022 Morbi suspension bridge collapse case, that claimed 134 lives. Jaysukh Patel was sent to police custody by the Morbi Court earlier on January 31. He earlier surrendered before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Morbi. Patel has been sent to a sub-jail in Morbi. People who lost their loved ones also raised slogans outside the court premises against Patel. Earlier this month, Gujarat Police filed a 1,262-page chargesheet in the case and named Jaysukh Patel as the prime accused for the suspension bridge collapse in Morbi. On January 24, a Gujarat court had issued a warrant for the arrest of Jaysukh Patel of the Oreva Group in relation to the October 30 bridge collapse in Morbi in which 134 people were killed. Ajanta Manufacturing Limited (Oreva Group) had secured the contract to renovate, repair and operate the British-era bridge on the Machchu river in Morbi. On January 29, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Morbi, MJ Khan, issued an arrest warrant against Patel under section 70 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). "The court issued an arrest warrant against Jaysukh Patel of Oreva Group, which had a contract for the renovation of the Morbi bridge. He has not been arrested for 70 days. "No lookout notice issued yet," Government prosecutor Sanjay Vora had told ANI. Notably, Patel had moved to Morbi sessions court on January 20 for anticipatory bail in the case, while the hearing was adjourned till February 1 as the public prosecutor was not present.Patel is not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the police in the case. Nine persons, including four employees of Ajanta Manufacturing (Oreva Group), have been arrested so far in the case. They include two managers and an equal number of ticket booking clerks of the Oreva Group that was managing the British-era bridge. As many as 134 persons lost their lives after a century-old suspension bridge fell into the Machchhu River of Morbi, Gujarat. Gujarat High Court on November 7 took suo motu cognisance of the Morbi accident, issuing notices to officials, including those of the state Home department and seeking a report within a week. The Supreme Court in November said the Morbi bridge collapse incident was an "enormous tragedy", as it asked the Gujarat High Court, which was already holding hearings in the matter suo motu, to hold periodical hearings. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a one-day visit to Uttar Pradesh on February 10 to inaugurate the Global Investors Summit 2023, after which he will proceed to Maharashtra to flag off Vande Bharat trains in Mumbai. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister will visit Lucknow at around 10 am where he will also inaugurate Global Trade Show and launch Invest UP 2.0. Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 is scheduled from February 10-12, 2023. It will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, academia, think tanks and leaders from across the world to collectively explore business opportunities and forge partnerships, according to an official statement. "Invest UP 2.0 is a comprehensive, investor-centric and service-oriented investment ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh that endeavours to deliver relevant, well-defined, standardised services to investors," the statement said. PM Modi will then visit Mumbai to launch two Vande Bharat trains at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. "Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Train and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Train, are the two trains that will be flagged off by the Prime Minister at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai. This will be an important step towards fulfilling the Prime Minister's vision of building better, efficient and passenger-friendly transport infrastructure for New India," the statement said. Notably, Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat train will be the 9th Vande Bharat train in the country which will also facilitate travel to important pilgrimage centres like Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near Pune. Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Train will be the 10th Vande Bharat train in the country. It will also improve connectivity of important pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra like Nashik, Trimbakeshwar, Sainagar Shirdi, and Shani Singanapur. The Prime Minister will also dedicate the Santacruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR) and Kurar underpass to ease the road traffic congestion in Mumbai and streamline the movement of vehicles. "The newly constructed elevated corridor from Kurla to Vakola and from MTNL Junction, BKC to LBS Flyover at Kurla will enhance much-needed East-West connectivity in the city. These arms connect the Western Express Highway to Eastern Express highway thereby connecting eastern and western suburbs efficiently," the statement said. "The Kurar underpass is crucial to ease traffic on Western Express Highway (WEH) and connecting Malad and Kurar sides of WEH. It allows people to cross the road with ease and also vehicles to move without having to get into the heavy traffic on WEH," it added. PM Modi will also inaugurate the new campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah (Saifee Academy) at Marol, Mumbai. Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah is the principal educational institute of the Dawoodi Bohra Community. (ANI)
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar on Wednesday demanded the government to extend the budget session by one week. Maharashtra Budget Session is set to begin on February 27 and conclude on March 25. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar among others attended the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the Legislative Assembly today. "This time the budget session will run from February 27 to March 25, the state's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will present the state budget on March 9," he said. In the meeting, Ajit Pawar demanded that this budget session should be extended for a week. "Because this session will run only for 17 days and there are many issues, on which we have to question the government and we need answers," he said. "There has been a demand to extend the budget session by one more week. Due to Corona, the session could not be held for a long time, but there was no response from the government regarding my demand," he added. Pawar said that this is the first session of the Eknath Shinde government and he should not run away. "Additional days should be given to file questions in the Budget session concerning the constituencies. It was agreed upon that the concerned ministers should answer the question," he said. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and CPI(M) in Tripura, and said that during their governments, anarchy reigned supreme while faith and saints were disrespected and infiltrators were let in the state. Yogi held Vijay Sankalp Rallies in Fatikroi assembly constituency of Unakoti district as well as Suryamaninagar and Majlispur assembly constituencies of West Tripura districts to seek votes for sitting BJP MLAs and candidates Sudhanshu Das, Ram Prasad Pal and Sushant Chowdhary respectively. "The CPIM ruled Tripura for 35 years and the Congress also remained in power in the state for several years, but they only wreaked havoc on the state through their misgovernance. During their governments, there was no rule of law in the state and there was rampant violence. Women and daughters were not safe, youth were without jobs and farmers' interests were not protected," he said. "People of Scheduled Castes were not given land deeds and the benefits of the welfare schemes did not reach the poor. No highways were built and connectivity took a back seat in their priorities list. The state's security was compromised by allowing infiltrations while saints were disrespected," the Chief Minister added. Comparing the previous governments' tenures with that of the BJP government, Yogi said that the state has witnessed the establishment of rule of law and the end of violence. "Religious festivals are celebrated peacefully in the state now and saints are respected. The government accords priority to daughters' safety and therefore women police stations have been set up in the state. Besides, the government has provided 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs," he said. Yogi further pointed out that during the last five years of the BJP government, 3 lakh houses have been provided to the poor under PM Awas Yojana and 2.70 lakh LPG connections have been given for free while 2.50 lakh farmers have benefitted from PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and poor people have availed the health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. "During the COVID pandemic, people were also given free tests, free vaccines and free ration. Had the Congress and CPM been there, they would have sold the vaccines, looted the rations and captured the houses meant for the poor," he said. According to Yogi, under the supervision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highways, railways and airports are being built. "I come from the Sant tradition and I am today the chief minister of one of the largest states of India, serving people and also overseeing the building of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Under PM's leadership heritage is also getting its due respect as the airport in Agartala has been named after Maharaja Veer Vikram," he said. "During the governments of CPM and the Congress even the animals were not safe and today under the BJP Government the "North East region is making rapid strides in development, with the speed of a bullet train rather than that of a metre gauge train," Yogi added. Tripura will go to Assembly polls on February 16 and the votes will be counted on March 2. (ANI)
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the Hindenburg-Adani row and said that the Modi government was giving loans to "friends" without a grant and indulging in corruption thereby draining the country's wealth. While talking to the media, Raja Warring said, "It is understood that people have started getting clever. How much time does it take for people to take loans? However, PM Narendra Modi has given thousands of crores of rupees to these friends without a grant. By doing this, one comes to know that these people are now doing corruption through corporate houses." Raja Warring further supported Rahul Gandhi over his statement on the Prime Minister's relationship with Adani and Ambani. He said, "Rahul Gandhi had started expressing the reality of PM Modi in front of the people of India many years ago but people were not understanding it. Now it seems people's money is going to sink." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a strong attack on the government in the wake of the Hindenburg-Adani row linking the rise of the Adani group to that of PM Narendra Modi and alleged that "rules were changed" in some sectors to favour the businessman. Rahul Gandhi, who was the first opposition leader to speak during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha, said the relationship with Gautam Adani began many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister and added that "real magic" started after 2014 and the businessman rose from 609th to second spot globally in the rich list. Talking about the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said, "After Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, today in Chandigarh Congress Bhavan, there was a partnership of all Congress leaders of Punjab, in which all the Congress workers and common people were thanked for their huge contribution to make this Yatra a success." "Now, after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Hath Se Hath Jodo Yatra is going to be started soon. For that too, everyone has been asked to be ready and to give all their cooperation for its preparation," he added. The Punjab Congress President also reacted to the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state. He said, "The Aam Aadmi Party presents a bundle of lies in front of the people. They are running the government only through advertisements." (ANI)
The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Odisha on Wednesday sent dismissed ASI Gopal Krishna Das, the prime accused in the murder of Health Minister Naba Das, to a further CBI remand of five days. The court further granted permission for the conduct of narco analysis and polygraph tests of Das. The Crime Branch investigating the minister's murder had sought the court's permission to conduct narco analysis and polygraph tests of prime accused Das. "Gopal Krishna Das has been sent to five days of remand. The remand will end on February 13," Hari Shankar Agarwal, his advocate told ANI outside the court. Naba Das had been the Health and Family Welfare Minister of Odisha since 2019. He was a three-time MLA from the Jharsuguda constituency and was said to be an influential leader in the area. Das was shot at in Brajarajnagar in the Jharsuguda district and succumbed to his bullet injuries in Bhubaneswar hospital last month. During the operation, it was found that a single bullet had entered and exited the body, injuring the heart and left lung and causing massive internal bleeding and injury. Odisha Leader of Opposition (LoP) and senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra gave up his personal security officer (PSO) on Saturday, claiming he has lost faith in the Odisha police in the wake of the murder of Odisha minister Naba Kishor Das in presence of security personnel. "I don't have trust in Odisha Police. I gave up the PSO appointed by the state government for my protection. I will not avail any protection from Odisha Police," Mishra told ANI earlier in the month. BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday alleged that the killing of Odisha minister Naba Das by a policeman "shows lawlessness in the state". "The Crime Branch is probing the matter, but there is no clarity in the inquiry," Pradhan had said. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday countered the opposition barbs at his government over Hindenberg-Adani row with a strong attack on Congress over UPA rule, saying the decade before 2014 will be known as a lost decade. He also said that "blessings of 140 crore Indians" is his 'Suraksha Kavach'. Replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks on the President's address, PM Modi talked about the work done by his government, saying there is positivity and hope towards India at a global level and the reforms were not carried out of compulsion but by conviction. He said India is the mother of democracy, constructive criticism is vital for a strong democracy and criticism is like a 'shuddhi yagya'. He also said Indian society has the capability to deal with negativity but it never accepts this negativity. PM Modi said the government has addressed the aspirations of the middle class and has honoured them for their honesty." He recounted the Ekta Yatra which was carried out by the BJP in 1991 from Kanyakumari to Kashmir led by the then party president Murli Manohar Joshi. PM Modi said that he unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk without bulletproof jacket. The Prime Minister took veiled digs at Rahul Gandhi who had made sharp attack on the government over the Adani issue in his speech during the debate on Tuesday and said some speeches made on Tuesday were lauded by the their ecosystem. "I was watching yesterday. After the speeches of a few people, some people were happily saying, "Ye hui na baat." Maybe they slept well & couldn't wake up (on time). For them it has been said, "Ye keh keh ke hum dil ko behla rahe hain,wo ab chal chuke hain, wo ab aa rahe hain"," PM Modi said. Rahul Gandhi was not present in the House when Prime Minister made his initial remarks. He later reached Lok Sabha. The opposition parties kept up their demand for Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Hindenberg-Adani row and some MPs staged a walkout during Prime Minister's reply. Targeting the opposition, PM Modi said instead of constructive criticism, some people indulge in compulsive criticism. With the opposition parties accusing the government of misusing probe agencies, PM Modi took a dig at them and said Enforcement Directorate is behind their unity. "A lot of things were said in the House about the probe agencies. I had thought that the people of the country and the results of the elections would bring such people to one stage. But that did not happen. They should thank ED that due to it they have now come together," he said. PM Modi also hit back at Rahul Gandhi's jibe that there should be study by institutes such as Harvard of how Adani group's wealth had seen steep rise under a particular government. "Some people here have a craze for Harvard studies. During Covid, it was said that there will be a case study on the devastation in India. Over the years an important study has been done at Harvard and the subject of the study is the 'Rise and fall of India's Congress Party'," he said. "Those who are drunk in arrogance and think that only they have the knowledge, feel that only by abusing Modi will be a way out...Only through false, nonsensical mudslinging on Modi will a path be paved. It has been 22 years, and they still have a misapprehension," PM Modi added. The Prime Minister said that the people's trust in him was not due to the newspaper headlines but hard work. "Trust in Modi was not born out of newspaper headlines, not through faces on TV. (I have) given my life, every moment of mine for the people of the country, for the glorious future of the country. People's trust in Modi is beyond their understanding," he said. He listed the scams and controversies during Congress-led UPA rule and said that the decade was full of scams. "When something good happens, their sadness increases. In the history of the country's independence, 2004-2014 was full of scams. Terror attacks took place across the country in those 10 years," he said. "When the technology was progressing, they were stuck in 2G. Mauka Musibat Mein. In 2010, there were the Commonwealth games which was an opportunity to present Indian youth capability but again it was Mauka Musibat Mein. The coal scam came to the fore. Nobody can forget the 2008 Mumbai attack. But they did not have the courage to attack terrorism because of which the terrorists' morale was boosted," the Prime Minister added. Stepping up the attack, he said that converting every opportunity to trouble became the UPA government's identity. "There were terror attacks in every part of India from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. India's capability is being recognised and people's capabilities are coming to the fore. The country was capable earlier also but between 2004-2014, it lost that opportunity. This became the UPA's identity, it converted every opportunity into trouble," he said. He said there is peace in Jammu and Kashmir and people can go easily. "Those (referring to Rahul Gandhi who recently concluded Bharat Jodo Yatra in J-K) who came back from J-K recently must have seen how easily you can go in J-K. I too had gone on a yatra to Jammu and Kashmir with the resolve to unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk. Terrorists had put up posters and said 'Dekhte hain, kisne maa ka doodh piya hai jo Lal Chowk aake Tiranga phehra paaye,'" he said. "That day on January 24, at a public rally, I had said, "Terrorists pay heed. On January 26, sharp at 11 am, I will reach Lal Chowk without security and a bulletproof jacket. Faisla Lal Chowk pe hoga, kisne apni maa ka doodh piya hai". Then I unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk. "J-K has broken various records in the field of tourism after decades. The festival of democracy is being celebrated in J-K. Today, there is a successful campaign of Har Ghar Tiranga. Some people used to say that there is a danger of disruption in peace due to the Tricolour. Look at the time, even those people participated in the Tiranga Yatra," he added. The Prime Minister noted that challenges might arise but with the determination of 140 crore Indians, the nation can overcome all the obstacles that come our way. He said that the handling of the country during once-in-a-century calamity and war has filled every Indian with confidence. Even in such a time of turmoil, India has emerged as the 5th largest economy in the world. He said that there is positivity and hope towards India at a global level. The Prime Minister credited this positivity to stability, India's global standing, the growing capability of India and new emerging possibilities in India. He said there was an atmosphere of trust in the country and the government is stable and decisive. He underlined the belief that reforms are not carried out of compulsion but by conviction. "The world is seeing prosperity in India's prosperity", he said. Noting that India is full of self-confidence today and realising its dreams, the Prime Minister said that the entire world is looking towards India with eyes of hope and credited the stability and possibility of India. The Prime Minister reiterated the commitment towards those who are deprived and neglected and asserted that the biggest benefit of the government's scheme has gone to dalits, adivasis, women and vulnerable sections. Throwing light on the Nari Shakti of India, the Prime Minister informed that no efforts have been spared to strengthen India's Nari Shakti. He remarked that when the mothers of India are strengthened, then the people are strengthened, and when the people are strengthened it strengthens the society which leads to a strengthening of the nation. He also underlined that the government has addressed the aspirations of the middle class and honoured them for their honesty. Highlighting that the common citizens of India are full of positivity, the Prime Minister emphasised that even though the Indian society has the capability to deal with negativity, it never accepts this negativity. PM Modi also referred to remarks of Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury about the President for which he had later apologised. "When Preisdent's Address was going on, some people avoided it. A tall leader even insulted the President. They displayed hatred against ST. When such things were said on TV, the sense of hatred deep within came out. Attempt was made to save oneself after writing a letter later," PM Modi said. The Lok Sabha adopted the motion of thanks to the President's address after PM Modi's reply. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi later said that the PM Modi did not answer questions posed to him during the debate and alleged that he was "protecting" industrialist Gautam Adani. "I am not satisfied with the PM's speech. However, it has revealed the truth. His speech had nothing about an inquiry (into the Adani Group in the wake of the Hindenburg report). It's clear that the PM is protecting him (Gautam Adani)," he said. "The PM, in his speech' did not answer any (of his) questions. He was shell-shocked. I did not raise any difficult questions. They were simple questions that he dodged," the Congress leader added. Earlier during the debate, union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Kiren Rijiju refuted allegations made by Rahul Gandhi. PM Modi will reply to the debate in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. (ANI)
J-K Democratic Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday hit out at the administration in the Union Territory (UT) over the ongoing anti-encroachment drive saying that a time when the anger against the Centre's abrogation of Article 370 and 35A was starting to abate, it has done itself more harm by launching this drive. Azad claimed his party was the first to protest against the anti-encroachment drive before other Opposition voices in the UT joined in. "At a time whe the anger against the Centre (over the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A) has cooled off slightly and militancy, as well as strikes and stone-pelting has been largely contained, the government, instead of drawing the benefits of these positive outcomes, has brought harm to itself by launching the anti-encroachment drive," Azad told ANI on Wednesday. He said it was in the government's interest to withdraw eviction notices to maintain law and order in the UT. "Stone-pelting and agitations have started again. In the interest of public order, it is critically important for the administration to end the anti-encroachment drive and create a conducive ambience for the (Assembly) election," Azad said. He informed that his party has already mobilised protests in more than 50 places -- district headquarters, subdivision headquarters and Tehsil headquarters in the UT while other parties had yet to come out in protest against the move. Earlier this month, the Democratic Azad Party chief had called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to apprise him of 'eviction issues' in Jammu and Kashmir. "Azad met Amit Shah to apprise him of serious unrest and uncertainty prevailing among the public due to the circular of eviction issued by the UT administration directing all Deputy Commissioners to remove the encroachments on state land, including Roshni and Kacharai," a statement from the DAP had said earlier in the month. (ANI)
Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of UAE national airline Etihad Airways, has signed a MoU with Astral Aviation to expand the partnership between the two parties and enhance the cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Nairobi, further growing Etihad Cargos reach into the African market.

The agreement will see Astral Aviation and Etihad Cargo share up to 50% of all available capacity on the new Nairobi-Abu Dhabi-Nairobi flights, increasing the capacity Etihad Cargo offers to air cargo and air mail customers.

Via Etihad Cargos Abu Dhabi hub, the carriers global network will offer connectivity to destinations around the world, said the statement from the company.

Through the comprehensive MoU, Etihad Cargos customers will benefit from additional cargo capacity out of Nairobi via the introduction of additional services to Abu Dhabi starting from April 1.

This expansion of its partnership with Astral Aviation will further enhance Etihad Cargos capabilities in the African market, it stated.

In 2021, the carrier signed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Astral Aviation to provide reliable and cost-effective air freight solutions for the transport of pharmaceuticals across the continent.

The SLA was Etihad Cargos first Pharma Interline agreement and ensured the carriers partners full compliance with the latest IATA Pharma and GDP regulations and standards.

This latest agreement builds on Astral Aviations expanding partnership with Abu Dhabi, which will see Astral Aviation operating more flights to the UAEs capital, supported by Etihad Cargo, it added.

On the tieup, Senior VP (Global Sales & Cargo) at Etihad Airways Martin Drew said the MoU demonstrates the duos shared commitment to joint network development and providing a more comprehensive solution to international cargo transportation between Nairobi and Abu Dhabi.

"The partnership will enable Etihad Cargo to expand its African network and offer increased cargo capacity both into and out of Nairobi, strengthening the connection between the two cities via this key route and further developing this critical African gateway," he added.

Astral Aviation CEO Sanjeev Gadhia said the deal comes as part of its strategy to expand the group's network globally, which will enhance accessibility and connectivity via Etihads Abu Dhabi hub.

"We look forward to transporting Perishables from Kenya into Abu Dhabi and beyond on Etihads network, and on the return with cargoes from Asia, USA and Europe to connect into Astrals Intra African network in Nairobi. This cooperation will create new opportunities for our respective clients and will be a win-win partnership," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
After JD-U's parliamentary board President Upendra Kushwaha appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to disclose the 'deal', RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari said that Kushwaha has given his 'dil' (heart) to someone else. "After the formation of Mahagathbandhan government, the deal between JD-U and RJD was to give 20 lakh jobs to the unemployed youth of Bihar. We have removed BJP from the state and will remove it from the Centre as well. We have a deal to develop Bihar, but Upendra Kushwaha repeatedly talks about the deal. I believe he has given his 'dil' to someone else and hence he is talking about the deal. He is speaking the language of BJP," Tiwari said. Earlier on Wednesday, Kushwaha had said that Nitish Kumar should promote any leader from the JD-U and avoid promoting Tejashwi Yadav, as it will weakening the party and the 'Lav-Kush' equation. Reacting to this, Tiwari said, "JD-U had contested the 2020 Assembly elections under the umbrella of NDA, yet the RJD under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav put up an impressive performance and became the single largest party in the state. Tejashwi Yadav failed to form the government only by five-six seats. In a democracy, the voters are supreme and they have given their blessings to Tejashwi Yadav. After the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government, 'uncle' (Nitish Kumar) has given his blessings to his 'nephew' (Tejashwi Yadav). What is wrong with it?" "Why is Upendra Kushwaha feeling uneasiness. He is sitting on the lap of communal forces and hence he is talking like this," Tiwari added. --IANS ajk/arm ( 277 Words) 2023-02-08-19:08:04 (IANS)
Karnataka's ruling BJP and opposition Congress and JD-S are gearing up for the last session of the present Assembly, to be held February 10-24, and expected to witness high-voltage debates and confrontations. The session is begin on Friday, when Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot will address a joint sitting of both the houses, while proceedings in both houses will begin from Monday onwards with the debate on the motion of thanks on the speech. Opposition parties and the ruling BJP want to make a mark in the session before going to Assembly elections in less than two months. The Congress and JD-S are expected to raise the allegations of "40 per cent commission charges" against the ruling BJP, while JD-S leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy regarding BJP's "secret agenda" to anoint a Brahmin candidate, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, as Chief Minister if the BJP voted to power will also figure. The statement was aimed at the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, which play a crucial role in the election of the new government. The controversy has put the ruling BJP in a fix and pressure exerted on the party to declare the CM's face. The saffron party initially announced the candidature of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. However, in the recent past, the party leaders are stating that they will seek votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The opposition leaders have already attacked the BJP over the matter and they are expected to taunt BJP and demand announcement of CM candidate in the session. Ruling BJP will also face the challenge of managing the alleged criminal Santro Ravi case. Though he is arrested, the opposition leaders are likely to rake up the issue and question the ruling government on alleged collusion with top state leaders. The BJP, on the other hand, is expected to flaunt the generous funds for the Upper Bhadra Project, and Rs 8,000 crore allocation for incomplete railway works in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are repeatedly stressing the double engine the government is delivering in terms of development for Karnataka. Opposition parties are also likely to highlight the withholding of Rs 13,000 crore GST share of the state by the Union government. The state is the second state in terms of paying highest taxes. On the other hand, Chief Minister Bommai is all set to present a populist budget during the session to get mileage for the BJP. --IANS mka/vd ( 427 Words) 2023-02-08-19:12:02 (IANS)
Both the leaders deliberated on various issues of the state, especially about the ongoing four-lane projects being operated by the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) and other National Highways of the state.

The Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to speed up four-lane projects especially Kiratpur-Manali, Parwanoo-Shimla, Chakki-Mataur-Shimla and Nalagarh- Swarghat highways so that they could be completed in the stipulated time.

Meanwhile, for repairing the work of National Highways CM Sukhu has urged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to release funds as the bulk of tourists loves to drive and that's why roads need to be repaired.

Chief Minister Sukhu said, "I have urged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for construction of flyovers to ease traffic congestion besides reducing distance and saving commuters time."

Talking to the media the Chief Minister said, "The Union Minister has assured of all the possible assistance and co-operation on the issues raised. CM Sukhu also thanked the Union Minister for his generous approach towards the hilly state and invited him to visit the state.

Earlier in the day, CM Sukhu laid the foundation stone of five storeys 'Himachal Niketan' worth Rs 57.72 crore in Delhi's Dwarka.

'Himachal Niketan' is a third alternative of stay in the National Capital that will provide accommodation facilities to the students and visitors from the state. (ANI)
The police and the security forces in Chhattisgarh arrested two Naxals carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on their heads and four associates, who were supplying goods and raising money for banned Naxal outfits. The arrests were made from two different regions of the state, security officials said. The two Naxals were arrested in Kanker district while their associates were apprehended in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. Antagarh Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Amar Sidar said a team of police and BSF personnel left to patrol the village in Antagarh and Amabeda areas. During the routine patroling exercise, the team spotted two persons roaming suspiciously in the hilly forest of Mandanar village in the Amabeda police station area. "Seeing the security forces, they started running. The team gave them chase and arrested them. During interrogation, they revealed their identifies as Bhima Podiam alias Anil (35), a resident of Ghot village, Narayanpur district and Hirdesh Kumeti (20), a resident of Malmeta village, Kanker district," Sidar added. Bhima told police that he was an active member of a banned Naxalite organisation since 2006 as well as the current commander of Platoon No 17 under Kiskodo Area Committee of the Maoists in Kanker. Hirdesh also claimed to be an active member in Platoon No 17 under Kiskodo Area Committee of the Naxalites. The joint patrol team said they recovered a walkie talkie set with a pouch, 1 walkie talkie set battery, 1 Tiffin IED weighing approx 5 kg, an axe, 3 pieces of Naxalite literature, 2 Naxalite pamphlets and Rs 3,350 in cash from the possession of the arrested Naxalites. Further investigations were underway, the SDOP added. In the second incident, the joint police team of Dhamtari and Gariaband district arrested four Naxal associates, who used to collect food items, uniforms, banners, posters and raise funds from local contractors for banned Naxalites outfits. They were apprehended from the Nagari police station area in Dhamtari district. Gariaband Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Tukaram Kamble said, "We received information that some people were supplying recovery money and items of daily use to banned Naxalite outfits. Acting on this information, police carried out a joint search in the forests and Naxal-infested areas. The joint team questiomed a person found carrying a bag in Bhatoli village of Nagari police station area. It was during the questioning that the entire modus operandi of facilitating the Naxalites came to light." "Four Naxalite associates were arrested. They used to bring food items, uniforms, banners, posters and recovery amounts from the contractors for Naxalites. The team also recovered a walkie talkie, a mobile phone, Naxalite uniform, banner, poster and a motorcycle from the arrested accused. Further investigation is underway," he added. (ANI)
"The Uttar Pradesh Police is fully prepared for upcoming Global Investors Summit and will ensure that the event is conducted without any hindrances," Kumar said.

He said adequate security has been provided at the venues and the routes.

"We will ensure that traffic is not disrupted and ensure that ambulances face no difficulty. Overall, we will see that common people do not face difficulty. Meetings have been held between the administration and the police on this matter," he said.

Kumar said strict vigil will be kept at all the inter-state borders through patrolling.

He said foot patrolling will be conducted by police during the peak hours and special attention will be given to highway patrolling.

He said apart from state police, paramilitary forces have been involved in security arrangements.

"The ATS and STF have also been given specific responsibilities. Commando teams of the ATS will be put in place at important points in the city," he said. (ANI)
The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested four men for allegedly killing a 23-year-old man here in Mitraon village, an official said on Wednesday. The arrested individuals have been identified as -- Himanshu Dagar, 20; Dheeraj Toor, 21; Anshul Antil, 20 and Sahil, 21 -- all residents of Sonepat district in Haryana. The accused had even disfigured and smashed the face of the deceased with stones so that he could not be identified. Special Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ravindra Singh Yadav, said: "On February 4, a police control room (PCR) call was received at Baba Haridas Nagar police station that a man was spotted injured and lying unconscious in village Mitraon with blood oozing off his head. "The police later shifted that person to Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead," Yadav said. The police officer said there were multiple injuries on the head of the deceased and his face was smashed with some heavy object. "The deceased could not be identified. Empty liquor bottles, glasses, stones with iron rods, medicines were also found at the crime scene. A murder case was registered and sensing the gravity, brutality, sensitivity and nature of the crime, a team from the Crime Branch was tasked to identify the deceased and nab the accused," Yadav said. The police eventually managed to ascertain the identity of the deceased -- Bunty, a resident of Gopal Nagar in Najafgarh. During the investigation, it was learned that Bunty had gone out with some people, and they had consumed alcohol. Eventually, the identities of the accused persons were also established, Yadav said, adding all the accused were nabbed from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. On questioning, one of the accused -- Himanshu Dagar, revealed that Bunty was in a relationship with his sister. Dagar -- whom the police named as the main accused, did not approve of their relationship and he wanted to get it ended. Along with his friends, Dagar then made a plan to eliminate Bunty without getting caught, the official said. On the evening of February 4, one of the accused called Bunty from a tea seller's mobile phone and called him to meet them over a drink. "After some time, as per their plan, they began an argument that led to a quarrel with Bunty, who was killed with stones. They also stabbed the deceased with a broken liquor bottle and smashed his face to disfigure it so that the body could not be identified," the police officer said. --IANS ssh/prw/pgh ( 427 Words) 2023-02-08-20:08:02 (IANS)
BJP's former West Bengal President Tathagata Roy on Wednesday hit out at his own party's state unit, claiming that the activities of the party's state leaders are now restricted to only issuing statements. "Currently the entire state is plunged in corruption. Almost the entire state Education Department including the former Education Minister is behind the bars. The central funds for essential projects are being diverted for organising festivals. The state government employees are being denied their long overdue dearness allowance arrears. However, as the principal opposition party of the state, the BJP is restricting its activities just to issuing statements from time to time," Roy, who is also a former Governor of Meghalaya, said. He also noted that talks of a clandestine pact between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress is going on in the state. "This means that there is a secret pact, whereby the BJP will give a walkover to Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and in return, the Trinamool Congress will not let the opposition get united. It is high time that the BJP should disabuse people through its action," he said. However, he was all praises for Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari. "Suvendu Adhikari seems to be the only hope for the state BJP in this moment of crisis. He not only defeated the Chief Minister from Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly elections, but is also moving around throughout the state. When those who joined the BJP out of greed for money and women accepted defeat and left the scene on the counting day by 12 noon, Adhikari did not escape from the counting station till the end," Roy said. However, none of the senior BJP leaders agreed to give any counter-comment to his observations on this count. This is not the first time that Tathagata Roy had been critical of the state leadership of his own party. After the defeat of the BJP in the 2021 Assembly polls, he said that the over-dependence on the turncoats coming to BJP from the Trinamool and Left parties ignoring the claims of the old guards was the major reason behind its rout. --IANS src/vd ( 373 Words) 2023-02-08-20:08:03 (IANS)
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the entry of Muslim women into mosques for offering namaz inside is not "prohibited" in terms of the Islamic texts. "Considering the said religious texts, doctrines, and religious beliefs of the followers of Islam, it is submitted that entry of women into mosques for offering namaz inside mosques is permitted," the affidavit filed through advocate M R Shamshad said, adding that the AIMPLB does not want to comment on any "contrary religious opinion" to this effect. This affidavit is broadly in line with the first affidavit filed by Board in a similar petition earlier filed before the apex court. "It is submitted that the questions raised in the present petition are not in the background of state action. The practices of religion in the places of worship (which in the present matter are mosques) are purely private bodies regulated by 'Muttawalis' of the mosques." Later in an official statement, the board said that free intermixing of genders in the same or common space is not in conformity with the position prescribed in Islam and that segregation of space within the premise by the management committee, if possible. The board further appealed to the community that the issue of making appropriate space for women should be kept in mind wherever new mosques are constructed. (ANI)
Central Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Shweta Chauhan said that the incident occurred when a woman and her daughter were standing on the streets in the area when two bike-borne assailants snatched her daughter and fled the spot.

"We received two PCR calls at 5.16 pm and 5.21 pm on Wednesday regarding the abduction of the child from outside Rani Jhansi Road following the police's quick action in the matter," she said.

Based on the information, several police teams swung into action to trace the girl.

The DCP further said that a call was received at child helpline 1098 and the girl was found at Maurice Nagar in northeast Delhi.

"A case has been registered under IPC section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) at the DBG Road police station. Further investigation is in progress. The accused will also be arrested soon; probe underway," Chauhan said. (ANI)
Indian Air Force's Globemaster C-17 with 100 Indian Army officials along with medical equipment took off for Turkey from Hindon Airbase, Ghaziabad on Monday. India is extending its support to Turkey through the ongoing crisis after the earthquake that jolted the country on Monday. Speaking to ANI, Commanding Officer said, "We are taking a level II medical facility to Turkey to treat earthquake victims. A total of 100 Army officials are leaving from here. Medical specialists including surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, critical care specialists, preventive medical specialist, dental officers along with the paramedical staff are present with us." Earlier on Monday, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army), in a tweet stated, "The members of #IndianArmy Humanitarian Assistance Team are committed & determined to execute their task and assist the affected people of earthquake hit #Turkiye. The team is well equipped and geared up to provide the relief and medical assistance." Earlier on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet stated, "India dispatches an @adgpi field hospital to Turkiye to establish a 30 bedded medical facility. Its first component has left on @IAF_MCC C17 with a 45-member medical team, including critical care specialists & surgeons. Also has an X-ray machine, ventilators, OT and other equipment." Earlier on Monday, India's Air Force plane carrying the first batch of disaster relief material and rescue team to support search and rescue efforts in Turkey reached Adana in the earthquake-hit country. Several other countries have also come forward to assist Turkey after earthquakes shattered lives in the country. Turkish Embassy in New Delhi tweeted "First batch of earthquake relief material along with NDRF's special search & rescue teams and trained dog squads just arrived in Turkiye. Thank you, India for your support and solidarity." The death toll from the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday is now at least 7,266. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that the death toll in Turkey is now at 5,434, CNN reported. At least 31,777 people have been injured in Turkey. On Monday, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 centered in the Pazarcik district jolted Kahramanmaras and hit several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis, Anadolu Agency reported. Later in the day, an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude centered in Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district jolted the region. The third earthquake of magnitude 6.0 hit Goksun, Turkey on Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. (ANI)
AlWasail Industrial Company, a leading manufacturer of pipes and fittings in Saudi Arabia, has reached an agreement with global petrochemical giant Sabic to buy key raw materials and products for the manufacturing activities at its plant.

AlWasail Industrial said these raw materials are needed in the manufacture of more than 90% of its products, including polyethylene pipes and its derivatives.

As per the deal, 60,000 metric tonnes of raw materials are being acquired from Sabic for an estimated value of SR300 million ($80 million), stated AlWasail Industrial in its filing to the Saudi bourse Tadawul.

The entire supply will be completed by the end of this year, it stated.

The financial impact will be reflected on the company's financial results by increasing production starting from the first quarter of 2023, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
The death toll from the earthquakes that jolted Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 7,726, CNN reported. At least 42,259 people have been injured in Turkey and Syria after deadly earthquakes. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said that at least 5,894 people have died and 34,810 others have been injured in Turkey after earthquakes that jolted the country on Monday. At least 1,832 people have died and 3,849 others have been injured in Syria, as per the CNN report. Orhan Tatar, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency's general director (AFAD), said that at least 5,775 buildings collapsed after an earthquake hit Turkey on Monday, as per the news report. On Tuesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that around 7,500 Turkish soldiers are working in the earthquake-affected region to assist with rescue operations. Hulusi Akar also said an additional 1,500 personnel will join the team on Wednesday. Hulusi Akar said that 75 military aircraft have been dispatched to the region, as per the CNN report. He added that nine commando battalions have arrived in the region from the west and four commando battalions from Cyprus will arrive in the region as well. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 southern provinces which were hit by massive quakes, Anadolu Agency reported. While addressing the State Information Coordination Center in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said, "Based on the authority given to us by Article 119 of the Constitution, we decided to declare a state of emergency." "We will quickly complete the presidential and parliamentary processes about the state of emergency decision, which will cover 10 provinces where earthquakes have occurred and will last for three months," he added. Erdogan's remarks came after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province on Monday. Later, a 7.6 magnitude quake centred in Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district rocked the region, affecting several other provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, as per the Anadolu Agency report. The third earthquake of magnitude 6.0 hit Goksun, Turkey on Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The earthquake was also felt in several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon. In his remarks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "Both earthquakes were experienced at a distance of 7 kilometres on earth that exponentially increased the severity of the destruction," Anadolu Agency reported. He further said, "It has caused great destruction in a very wide area compared to their counterparts. Therefore, we are faced with one of the biggest disasters not only in our Republic's history but also in our geography and the world." As per the Anadolu Agency report, Erdogan emphasized that considering the devastating effect of the earthquake, they ordered expert personnel and vehicles from all over the country to immediately move to the region. He stated that despite the difficulties caused by the weather conditions, the teams struggled selflessly to reach the disaster region and participate in the work. (ANI)
On Tuesday night at the national Capitol, President Biden delivered his second State of the Union address, the first after he lost the majority in the US House of Representatives.

Soon after, the moment of the two sharing a kiss went viral on Twitter, with several social media users passing remarks.

"Jill Biden just kissed Kamala Harris' husband on the lips. Didn't see that one coming," a person wrote on Twitter. "Did Jill Biden just kiss Kamala's husband on the LIPS?!," another said.

"Sexy start to the State of the Union tonight with Dr Jill Biden and Kamala's husband with a heck of a hello kiss," wrote another.

After the Republicans seized control of the House of Representatives, Biden is giving his first significant speech before a divided Congress.

He pushed Republicans "friends" to cooperate.

Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) in his State of the Union address said that the American economy is better positioned to grow "than any country on Earth," despite disruptions from Covid-19 and Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Biden began his remarks by greeting newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, showing early signs of bipartisanship.

The president also acknowledged Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black party leader in the House and the minority leader of the House. (ANI)
As Afghan women continue to grapple with challenges related to education due to Taliban-imposed bans, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a recent statement said that the females in war-torn Afghanistan are living in exile in their own country, TOLOnews reported. The UN Chief reiterated that the basic rights of Afghan women and girls are trampled due to the ban on education by the de-facto authorities. The UN said in a statement that Guterres expressed his concerns about the right of women and girls in Afghanistan. "In Afghanistan, where women's rights are being trampled," the UN Statement read citing Guterres. The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, Zabiullah Mujahid, however, refuted the claims and asserted that women's and girls' rights have been upheld in Afghanistan and that the international community should refrain from exerting pressure on the current administration using the subject of women. "They should not make this a political tool and use it as a means of pressure," Mujahid said, as per TOLOnews. Females students in Afghnaistan have repeatedly called out to the Taliban to open education institutions for girls to attend at the earliest. "We ask the current government to reopen schools, madrassas and all educational centers to girls," said Nargis Niazi, a student. In the latest decree, the Taliban has banned female students from sitting in university entrance exams, TOLOnews reported. The decision was followed by another decree from the caretaker government prohibiting women from working in non-governmental organisations, which sparked outrage on both the national and international levels. Many Islamic countries and organisations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have condemned the ban on women's and girls' access to work and education as a violation of Islamic law. Since August 15, 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls' freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses. These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes. (ANI)
Denouncing the rights violations in Balochistan, Pakistani lawmakers in the Senate said that protests and sit-ins led by the Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) in the port city of Gwadar are fair, reported The Express Tribune. During the session presided over by Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Jamaat-e-Islami's Mushtaq Ahmed condemned the violation of basic human rights, lamenting that over 18 cases were lodged against the movement's leader whose charter has gained widespread popularity among the masses. For the past year, the port city has been gripped by protests led by Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, chief of the HDT, for being denied basic facilities, from healthcare to electricity to clean drinking water, reported The Express Tribune. Minister of State for Law and Justice Shahadat Awan on Monday said the responsibility of resolving the Gwadar issues was primarily the provincial government's responsibility after the 18th Amendment of the Constitution, reported Gwadar Today. The minister made these remarks while winding up the discussion on the motion presented by Senator Kamran Murtaza and Mushtaq Ahmed on the recent situation of protests in Gwadar City on alleged illegal trawling in the sea, a high number of security checkpoints operating in and around the city and also trade on Pak-Iran Border purportedly affecting the residents of Gwadar. Awan said the local issues, other than security or law and order, were related to the provincial government. While explaining the context in which the protests are taking place, he insisted the demands of small fishermen in Gwadar were fair, reported The Express Tribune. "On November 21, 2021, the former prime minister created a special committee to contain trawling. However, on December 26, 2022, the Balochistan government requested the interior ministry to control the law and order situation that was aggravated after the death of a police constable," the minister of state said. He noted that the federal government was well aware of the situation and, therefore, a special committee comprising the minister for maritime affairs to resolve the issues of Gwadar fishermen. "The house must demand the report of this committee to review the measures being taken so far," he urged, reported Gwadar Today. Meanwhile, Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar asked who was responsible to provide water and electricity to the people of Gwadar. "Is it Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or Imran Khan or the chief minister? After the 18th Amendment, it is the responsibility of the chief minister." The senator argued that it was not a matter of anti-state attitude but rather an issue of civil rights, where allegedly the poor governance of the provincial government was a major issue contributing to it. He alleged that the elected representative of Gwadar in the provincial assembly, despite his influence, was contributing more to the problems rather than playing his constructive role to resolve the crisis. Earlier, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed while presenting the motion apprised the house that Gwadar's Haq Do Tehreek was a just protest in resistance to the mishandling of the stakeholders, persecution of women, children, elderly, and others for demanding their fundamental rights, reported Gwadar Today. "The Constitutions Articles 16, 17 and 19 allow the countrymen freedom of assembly, association and expression respectively. The locals of Gwadar are being deprived of all these. The Haq Do Tehreek leader Hidayatur Rehman held three sit-ins to draw the attention of the provincial government," he added. Senator Ahmed said the tehreek earlier presented 42-point demands to the chief minister pertaining to education, health, border trade, missing persons, water availability and others that were all legal. "Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Qudus Bizenjo had agreed to the demands of the Tehreek but was not implemented afterwards," he claimed. Senator Tahir Bizejo on point of order urged the House to take serious note of the situation in Gwadar, reported Express Tribune Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said the people of Gwadar for centuries were relying on fisheries and their concerns should be addressed. (ANI)
The Chinese spy balloon episode will have far-reaching consequences on US-China bilateral ties. This can be seen in the postponement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China, The Hong Kong Post reported. Blinken was earlier supposed to go on an official visit to China from February 5-6. According to The Hong Kong Post, if China does not work toward repairing the relations, the balloon episode may even endanger the meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping that is being planned in Indonesia this November. China has more to lose because of the balloon incident because the country has been trying to put a friendlier face before the world as it seeks to expand its role in the international community. At the latest Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum too, China said it would continue its process of liberalization and opening up even further. The US recently shot down the Chinese balloon which the Chinese Communist Party said is a communications set-up and which the Americans have already declared a spy in the air at 60,000 feet. As the Washington Post wrote of the affair: "...in arguably one of the most dramatic incidents in years involving the United States and China, it was an unmanned balloon, bobbing along on a meandering stratospheric path across the US mainland, that set the proverbial cat among the pigeons." According to The Hong Kong Post, after tracking the Chinese balloon, which by the way is as big as three buses, in American airspace and a week after the Americans first identified it transited over an Alaskan archipelago, an F-22 Raptor jet fired a missile at the balloon, destroying it. China described the balloon as a communications assistant and put up a determined face, saying it would give a befitting reply to the Americans. The Americans say they have no doubt it is a Chinese intelligence asset. After it was shot down, the debris dropped into the ocean. Only if it is retrieved would the real identity of the balloon be known, according to The Hong Kong Post. According to scientists, balloons are better spies than low-orbit satellites because they can linger over locations and extract sharper pictures and videos of areas surveyed. According to a Pentagon official, the Chinese balloon could hover longer over collection targets like the ICBM field in Montana that was overflown a few days ago, but they're not stationary, and their signals-collection ability isn't radically different from other systems available to the Chinese. Meanwhile, China has rejected Washington's request for a telephone call between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Beijing counterpart Wei Fenghe, The New York Times reported citing Pentagon. The request was made on Saturday soon after a US fighter aircraft shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. (ANI)
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Pakistan government should consider the plight of those affected by floods in the country and ensure that they are protected from economic difficulties, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported. Pakistan is currently in talks with an IMF delegation to release much-needed money under a stalled bailout programme. The foreign minister while unveiling a post-flood rebuilding project in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sindh, urged the government and the international lender to provide "relief" to flood-hit people similar to the one given countrywide during the pandemic days in 2020. Zardari said that it was the responsibility of international organisations including the IMF "to suggest reforms for our betterment but flood affectees must also be provided protection so that they can come out of the current situation". He said the country faced serious damage in the wake of the floods as 33 million people were affected while five million acres of standing crops were destroyed. "Agriculture is the backbone of our economy but this flood broke our back," he said while referring to the impact of the calamity. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Government of Pakistan are at a stalemate over Rs 900 billion fiscal gap, a major stumbling block in striking a staff-level agreement reported Geo News. IMF has worked out a larger gap of approximately Rs 900 billion, equivalent to one per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Pakistan. IMF is asking to jack up the GST rate by one per cent from 17 to 18 per cent or impose 17 per cent GST on Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL) products, reported Geo News. Meanwhile, Pakistan is contesting the fiscal gap in achieving the primary deficit. Pakistani authorities have asked the IMF for incorporating a flow of reduction under the revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) and reduced the amount of required additional subsidy of Rs 605 billion against the earlier target of Rs 687 billion. Therefore, the fiscal gap stood in the range of Rs 400 to Rs 450 billion. (ANI)
A police statement said the grenades landed inside the house of police instructor Sahibzada on Monday night.

The statement, however, did not mention the number of grenades used in the attack, saying the police officer and his family members remained unhurt in the attack. The statement said the inmates came out of their rooms after hearing the explosion.

According to the statement, the wall of the house was slightly damaged. The unidentified miscreants managed to flee from the scene, Dawn newspaper reported

District police officer Shaukat Ali alongwith a police team also visited the house of Sahibzada on Tuesday morning to show sympathy for the family.

Ali said such acts were aimed at sowing dread and fear among the policemen, but they won't affect the police's resolve to go after the anti-peace elements with full force, according to Dawn newspaper.

Ali promised to continue the ongoing action against miscreants in the district.

Recently, at least five people were injured in an explosion near Pakistan's Quetta Police Lines area, Dawn newspaper reported citing rescue officials.

Edhi worker Zeeshan Ahmed, who was leading the rescue operations on the site, said the injured were moved to the Civil Hospital in Quetta.

Ahmed informed that police and emergency teams have arrived at the spot and the area has been cordoned off.

Police haven't issued any statement and the nature of the blast is not clear at the moment, the Dawn reported.

Further, according to the report, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group claimed that security officials were targeted in the blast, the Dawn reported. (ANI)
India under 'Operation Dost' has provided assistance to Turkey and deployed two Turkish-speaking officers, four MEA personnel in the wake of the quake-hit country, the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry said Wednesday. "MEA has deployed two Turkish-speaking officers from overseas who flew into Turkey and are stationed there. We have also deployed four MEA personnel to cooperate and help in the operation and coordinate between the Turkish authorities and our teams, "MEA Secretary West Sanjay Verma said during the special briefing on 'Operation Dost.' "We have also set up a control room in Adana. The consul general from Istanbul and other officials from our mission in Ankara are all stationed on the ground in the affected areas," the MEA Secretary said. India has extended humanitarian support to Turkey after it was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday which ripped through Turkey and Syria, followed by a series of aftershocks that caused huge devastation, loss of lives and damage to infrastructure in both countries. According to the latest estimates, nearly 10,000 people have lost their lives in both countries. He termed the recent earthquakes as the 'biggest natural disaster' that had hit Turkey since 1939. "We received an email from the Turkish side for assistance. Within 12 hours of the meeting, the first Search and Rescue (SAR) flights left from Delhi to Turkey," the MEA Secretary said during the briefing. "Thereafter, four such flights have been sent to Turkey, two of them were carrying NDRF teams and two carrying medical teams. One aircraft carrying medical supplies and equipment was sent to Syria," the Secretary added. He further informed that as on February 6, an earthquake struck the southern part of Turkey and Syria and multiple reports kept escalating the magnitude of the tragedy and affecting 10 provinces but 7 of them are in severe condition and about 435 aftershocks occurred. He said that in Turkey, 8,574 people were killed and 49,133 were injured and 6,444 buildings collapsed while in Syria, the death toll climbed to 1,262 and 2,285 sustained injuries. While giving the details about the medical assistance that India is providing to Turkey and Syria, National Disaster Response Force DG Atul Karwal said that under 'Operation Dost,' the first team landed at Adana airport and the second was diverted to Urfa because Adana was crowded. Both of them are being converged at Nurdagi which is in Gaziantep Province, one of the worst affected areas. "The third team's requirement was sent to us. It was under preparation in Varanasi and was airlifted and brought to Delhi today. I met them at Hindon Airport. In the next few hours, they would depart with 51 rescuers, a canine complement and 4 vehicles," Karwal said. "We have more teams in reserve because we don't know how many more teams will be required. The damage is extensive across a very large area and we are prepared to render whatever help any additional teams that India can provide to Turkey in this time of crisis," he added. Meanwhile,External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India is providing materials, supplies, medical supplies, and equipment, to Syria as well as sending search and rescue teams to Turkey under 'Operation Dost'. "Under #OperationDost, India is sending search and rescue teams, a field hospital, materials, medicines and equipment to Turkiye and Syria. This is an ongoing operation and we would be posting updates," Jaishankar tweeted. (ANI)
India followed the G20 mantra 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' to help quake-hit Syria, the Ministry of External Affairs said adding that the sanctions don't cover humanitarian assistance. India has sent humanitarian support in the aftermath of the earthquake that impacted the country. "At this point in time, I think what should be uppermost in the mind is the G20 mantra, 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' and in all of this, the present becomes a testing ground on how we as humans come together... Sanctions don't cover such humanitarian challenges," MEA Secretary (West) Sanjay Verma said on Wednesday while responding to whether the sanctions on Syria hampered the delivery of medical assistance to the country. "We've sent 6 tonnes of medical aid including protective gear and emergency use medicines," he added. He said that the aid also consists of hydration supplements, life-saving antibiotics, and many more in Syria. "Four flights have been sent to Turkey, two of them were carrying NDRF teams and two carrying medical teams. One aircraft carrying medical supplies and equipment was sent to Syria," the Secretary said in a special briefing on 'Operation Dost.' After the Syrian civil war in 2011, the US, EU, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, the Arab League, as well as other countries imposed sanctions against Syria. Throughout the Syrian conflict over the past ten years, Western countries and their allies have accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons against the country's civilian population. Earlier, Verma also said that India dispatched four military planes to Turkey and 6 to Syria. "We received an email from the Turkish side for assistance. Within 12 hours of the meeting, the first Search and Rescue (SAR) flights left from Delhi to Turkey," the MEA Secretary said during the briefing. "Thereafter, four such flights have been sent to Turkey, two of them were carrying NDRF teams and two carrying medical teams. One aircraft carrying medical supplies and equipment was sent to Syria," the Secretary added. He further informed that on February 6, an earthquake struck the southern part of Turkey and Syria and multiple reports kept escalating the magnitude of the tragedy and affecting 10 provinces but 7 of them are in severe condition and about 435 aftershocks occurred. He said that in Turkey, 8,574 people were killed and 49,133 were injured and 6,444 buildings collapsed while in Syria, the death toll climbed to 1,262, and 2,285 sustained injuries. While giving the details about the medical assistance that India is providing to Turkey and Syria, National Disaster Response Force DG Atul Karwal said that under 'Operation Dost,' the first team landed at Adana airport and the second was diverted to Urfa because Adana was crowded. Both of them are being converged at Nurdagi which is in Gaziantep Province, one of the worst affected areas. "The third team's requirement was sent to us. It was under preparation in Varanasi and was airlifted and brought to Delhi today. I met them at Hindon Airport. In the next few hours, they would depart with 51 rescuers, a canine complement, and 4 vehicles," Karwal said. "We have more teams in reserve because we don't know how many more teams will be required. The damage is extensive across a very large area and we are prepared to render whatever help any additional teams that India can provide to Turkey in this time of crisis," he added. (ANI)
India and Bhutan share unique and exemplary bilateral relations, which are based on mutual trust, goodwill and understanding. The increased monetary support for Bhutan by India in its Budget 2023 is a case in point, reported The Bhutan Live The Government of India has allocated Rs 2,400 crore for Bhutan, a slight increase compared to last year of Rs 2,266 crore. It received the largest share of the amount that the Budget allocated for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) under "Grants and Loans to Foreign Governments". Under the budgetary plans, the country will receive Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN) 2,400.58 crore out of which BTN 1,632.24 crore will be a "grant" and BTN 768.34 crore will be a part of a "loan". It has been the top recipient of Budget allocation from India as a number of development projects in the fields of health, digitization and other sectors in the Himalayan country, receive India's financial assistance, reported The Bhutan Live. Notably, Budget 2023 allocated BTN 200 crore for Afghanistan. It also made an allocation of funds for Mauritius (BTN 460 crore), and the port of Chabahar in Iran (BTN 100 crore). Meanwhile, Seychelles will receive BTN 10 crore as assistance during the coming financial year. Myanmar which is facing a civil disorder since February 1, 2021 coup, received a grant of BTN 400 crore and the same amount has also been granted to the Maldives, which has several India-funded development projects currently underway. An amount of BTN 550 crore has been allocated for Nepal under a "grant," reported The Bhutan Live. Meanwhile, in a meeting with a parliamentary delegation from Bhutan led by the speaker of the national assembly of Bhutan, Wangchuk Namgyel, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said that India's Neighborhood First Policy under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new direction to India-Bhutan relations. He further stated that the Government of India is determined to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation with Bhutan keeping in mind the aspirations and priorities of the people of Bhutan, reported The Bhutan Live. He also told the Members of the delegation that, for the next 25 years, serious and extensive efforts will be made in the fields of agriculture, industry, infrastructure, science, digital economy, green energy, and climate change, in order to make India a developed nation. Adding further he said cooperation from friendly countries will be required to achieve this goal. Appreciating Bhutan's goal of becoming a high-income economy by 2034, he assured that India will always be a reliable friend of Bhutan. (ANI)
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today signed an agreement with the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (NAFIS) to share the companys best practice in Emiratisation with the private sector.

EGA has one of the highest Emiratisation rates of any major company, when accounting for the high number of blue collar roles in heavy industry. Under the agreement, NAFIS and EGA will cooperate so private sector companies can benefit from EGAs more than four decades of experience in Emiratisation, said a statement.

The agreement was signed at EGAs Al Taweelah site in the presence of Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, by Ghannam Butti Al Mazrouei, Secretary General of NAFIS, and Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA.

During the visit, Dr Al Awar greeted several hundred newly-recruited Emiratis at EGA.

The recruits are amongst the more than 220 UAE Nationals EGA hired last year, including 100 women. The average age of EGAs 2022 Emirati intake was 23 years. While EGA recruits mid-career experts, the company focuses on attracting and developing young people who are starting their careers as talent for the future.

NAFIS is a Federal Government initiative that aims to raise the competitiveness of Emirati citizens and provide them with job opportunities in the private sector, including through recruitment, training, and salary and benefits support. NAFIS is projected to allocate around 24 billion dirhams to provide benefits to 170,000 Emirati citizens within five years of its initiation.

EGA finished 2022 with an in-focus Emiratisation rate of 42 per cent.

Dr Al Awar said: Meeting the talented young Emiratis starting their careers at EGA was a true pleasure.

EGA has always been at the forefront of Emiratisation over the past decades, with local talent the foundation of this UAE industrial companys global competitiveness. All private sector companies can benefit from EGA's expertise as we work to drive Emiratisation in our national economy."

Al Mazrouei said: "We are honoured to partner with EGA as a key member of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, NAFIS, in alignment with the government's efforts to establish strong partnerships and create a supportive environment for Emiratis to excel in the private sector. Our partnership demonstrates our commitment to promoting collaboration for the benefit of private sector employees through the NAFIS programme and its empowering initiatives. We commend EGA for its unwavering dedication and comprehensive programme to cultivate productive Emirati human capital in the private industrial sector."

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: Recruiting and developing UAE nationals has been a priority at EGA since we began production in the late 1970s. Emiratisation at EGA ensures we have the talent we need to succeed, as well as creating opportunities for local men and women in line with national priorities. We look forward to working closely with NAFIS to support its work to accelerate Emiratisation across the UAEs private sector. I was honoured to introduce His Excellency to some of our new recruits.

Iman Al Qasim, Executive Vice President of Human Capital at Emirates Global Aluminium, said: The agreement with NAFIS will enable us to share our knowledge and experience on recruiting and developing UAE Nationals to succeed in the private sector. Partnership with NAFIS will also support our own further Emiratisation through the recruitment and development of UAE Nationals. As our own goal is to continuously improve our Emiratisation performance at EGA for the future success of the company as well as the nation..

EGAs National Training programmes develop young UAE Nationals for operational roles in EGAs industrial facilities and in administration. More than 5,000 UAE Nationals have graduated from the programmes since they were first established in 1982, with many pursuing long and successful careers at EGA and some reaching the highest levels in the company.

Almost 1,200 UAE Nationals now work at EGA. Over 700 of EGAs Emirati employees are under the age of 35. - TradeArabia News Service
Ex-servicemen of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are being planted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the village committees to strengthen the CCP's grip on the general public and ensure their utmost loyalty to President Xi Jinping. Contrary to its actual motives, the CCP claims that this placement of PLA veterans will play a constructive role at the grass root level of governance and help in revitalization by supporting activities related to development. The CCP has also placed several video surveillance infrastructure and checkpoints in Tibet. In addition to this, the CCP has also been nurturing Chinese tech companies by CCP's Handbook to monitor, censor, and condition public opinion online and they support state-driven agenda to promote absolute control of cyberspace in the country. It notes that the surveillance tools are utilized to conduct intensive surveillance operations on targeted groups that are presumed to be threats to social stability. The article 'State Surveillance: Semocracies and Autocracies' states that the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to expand and strengthen its political and economic influence worldwide hail from the proliferation of Chinese surveillance technology and cyber tools and the associated alliances between both state and private Chinese institutions. "The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) plays a pivotal role in exercising laws that bolster the rigid regulatory environment and strategies to seize power over the cybersecurity of China. Israel on the other hand is a startup nation. The internet, its free access is the basis of innovation and the huge number of unicorns that it prides itself on." It said in 1990, the Chinese State Council legitimized the proposal to establish a national information system. The Golden Shield Project (GSP), popularly known as the "Great Firewall of China," was introduced as a surveillance initiative launched in 1998, to curate a fully digitized public security sector by using a national surveillance network by exercising control over data management. The project also included a national Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) network intended to digitize the public sector. The early stages of GSP development relied on American and Canadian-made technology, companies like IBM, Intel, Cisco, and Oracle have provided hardware and software in China's surveillance network. The project includes 416 million surveillance cameras around the country that operate on Artificial Intelligence (AI) facial recognition technology. The advancement of GSP also includes development in geolocation technology; a surveillance system that supports tracking of vehicles and people. In addition to this, Chinese tech companies are legally bound to meet the demands of the country's security services. China acts in accordance with its policy of cyber sovereignty to demand tech giants like Tencent shut down websites that host content that threatens China's social and political stability. Similarly, Weibo, a Chinese social media platform was reprimanded in 2018, allowing the government to censor certain tags and posts to eliminate rumours about China. The CCP tech-enhancement authoritarianism is expanding globally and it intends to shape, manage, and control its operations overseas to eliminate supposed threats against China's political interests. China utilizes multilateral institutions like the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and other emerging market groups to promote its surveillance technology. (ANI)
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried on Wednesday welcomed India's support for the people of Ukraine by providing humanitarian assistance, and calls by India for an immediate end to Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine. "We welcome India's support for the people of Ukraine by providing humanitarian assistance, and calls by India for immediate end for Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine," Donfried said during a telephonic press briefing alongside US Assistant Secretary Bureau of Energy Resources Geoffrey R. Pyatt. During the conference, Donfried welcomed PM Modi's assertation that today's era is not of war and PM Modi's comments at the Bali G20 summit calling for dialogue and diplomacy. "India's leadership role at G20 right now is commendable," she said. Donfried said that we are coming to the one-year anniversary of Russian aggression on Ukraine. "Ukraine did nothing to provoke this war. Putin expected a quick victory but underestimated the Ukrainian people. It is unjustified and illegal," she said. She said that the US put sanctions on Russia to target Putin to stop the war. It is, however clear that Putin is not interested in diplomacy. "Russia alone can end this war today. My boss US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that if Russia stopped fighting, the war will end but if Ukraine stops fighting then Ukraine will end. If Putin wins it would mean defeat for Ukraine and for all of us. I continue to be inspired by the people of Ukraine," Donfried said. She said we welcome India's support to Ukraine by providing humanitarian assistance. Geoffrey R. Pyatt during the conference said that US and India have so much to contribute in energy efforts. "Energy security agenda is particularly important," Pyatt said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently said the Indian government took the side of its people amid the war between Russia and Ukraine as it was important to see our benefits, and some countries had to come forward first. Referring to the Ukraine war, Jaishankar asserted that India is not alone to wish for a concrete and diplomatic solution to the situation. "The government took the side of its people. We had to see our benefits. And some countries had to come forward first. And we are not alone who want a diplomatic solution to the situation as soon as possible," Jaishankar said at a media conclave. The minister added that there are 200 nations on the globe, and if you ask them what their position is, the majority will want the war to end quickly, prices to drop, and sanctions to be lifted. "The world wants that, and I think India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have become the voice of the world and developing countries. Someone has to become the voice of the developing countries," the EAM added. (ANI)
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remark that the war is "started by the West," is "laughable" and "farcical", United States National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Wednesday. While responding to a media query regarding Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's visit to the US, Kirby said, "Looking forward to Lula's visit to the US which will not be just about Brazil but will also discuss issues like hemispheric issues, Global issues because the war in Ukraine is affecting everybody... On the agenda I think you can imagine will be the war in Ukraine because it has an effect around the world, food security, and energy security are two of the biggest ways in which Putin's War has affected nations all over the world in and it had a profound impact particularly in Latin America as well as throughout the African countries." "The Russian would have you believe as Lavrov likes to say that the war started by the West that places throughout the world, particularly in Africa and Latin America are issues with energy and food security which is farcical and it would be a laughable comment if it wasn't so serious about the impact that it is having..." he added. In the early weeks of February, the US White House said that the Brazilian President will visit Washington in March. "President Biden looks forward to welcoming President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil to the White House on Friday, February 10 to further strengthen the close relationship between the United States and Brazil," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. Before diving into the Question and Answer session, Jean-Pierre said, "Our two urban search and rescue teams are now on the ground and they are moving into position out of the Incirlik base and these are nearly 80-person search and rescue teams are Disaster Assistance Response Team is also setting up their base of operation and Incirlik and they are beginning to coordinate needs with the govt. of Turkey, at the request of Turkey's govt, of course, USAID is working to provide some support for field medical services." On Monday, a 7.8 magnitude tremor struck Turkey at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km near the city of Gaziantep. Within 9 hours, a second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 jolted the Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district. While answering to a media query regarding the Chinese spy balloon, Kirby said that they can't give many details about this but can say that they will inform allies and partners about the same. "We are going to be reaching out to allies and partners all over the world who we believe need to know more about the Chinese spy balloon program. We did acknowledge that there was a second one flying over Southern Hemisphere we did not assess that the balloon was a physical military threat any more than the one that was flying over the continental US and obviously, we routinely take app action to preserve our own informational and physical security in situations like this," Kirby said. Earlier, the US recently shot down a Chinese spy balloon which the Chinese Communist Party said is a communications set-up and which the Americans have already declared a spy in the air at 60,000 feet. On February 2, the US government detected a Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted moving over commercial air traffic over the past several days, according to the statement released by the US Department of Defence. Responding to a media query about whether the balloon is from China or from any other country, a senior defence 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." (ANI)
Union Minister of State (MoS) for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan will pay a four-day visit to Sri Lanka from February 9-12. During the visit, he will participate in the dedication of the Jaffna Cultural Centre constructed with the Indian government's grant to the people of Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Jaffna Cultural Centre in March 2015. During the visit, Murugan will visit various sites that underline the scale and extent of the Indian government's people-centric development partnership in Sri Lanka. He will also hold meetings with leaders and stakeholders, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in the press release. According to the press release, Jaffna Cultural Center is a "magnificent example of India-Sri Lanka development partnership." The centre was conceived as a reconciliation project primarily aimed at expanding the cultural infrastructure for the people of the northern province. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the press release further said, "This state-of-the-art facility consists of multiple facilities such as a museum of two floors, an advanced theater style auditorium for more than 600 people, a 11-storeyed learning tower; a public square which could also act as an amphitheater etc." Earlier on February 4, Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan participated in Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day celebrations. Muraleedharan tweeted, "Happy to represent India at 75th Independence Day celebrations of our friendly neighbour Sri Lanka in Colombo This milestone coincides with 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries India is always a dependable partner & a reliable friend of SL." During his visit, MoS Muraleedharan met Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings on 75th Independence Day. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed diverse aspects of the growing bilateral ties between Sri Lanka and India. Sharing details regarding his meeting with Sri Lankan President, Muraleedharan tweeted, "Pleasure to have called on President of Sri Lanka H.E @RW_UNP at Colombo. Conveyed greetings of PM @narendramodi ji on the 75th Independence Day of Sri Lanka. Discussed diverse aspects of the growing bilateral partnership." Muraleedharan also met Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and conveyed greetings on their 75th Independence Day. He assured Sri Lankan FM of India's continued commitment to assisting the island nation in its economic recovery. (ANI)
Turkey, which is reeling from the devastation in the aftermath of powerful earthquakes that have killed more than 8,500 people, has at the last moment refused to host Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Ankara. The visit of Shehbaz Sharif to Turkey has been postponed due to Turkish leadership's engagements related to the ongoing rehabilitation work and bad weather, The Express Tribune reported citing Express News sources. Sharif was due to leave for Turkey on February 8, however, the visit has been postponed as he will not be able to visit the earthquake-affected regions as the helicopter could not fly during bad weather and Turkey's President and Vice President have been engaged in relief work, the news report cited sources. Turkey has been facing a major humanitarian crisis after earthquakes jolted the country on Monday. The earthquake was felt in neighbouring countries, including Syria. Countries around the world have been sending relief materials and rescue teams to Turkey to assist in rescue operations. However, Pakistan's PM had planned to visit the earthquake-hit country. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan's Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Ankara on Wednesday morning to express solidarity with the people of Turkey. In a tweet, Aurangzeb said that the All Party Conference due to take place on Thursday has been postponed. Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted, "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Ankara tomorrow morning, he will express his condolences and condolences to the people of Turkey for the destruction of the earthquake and the loss of life. Due to Prime Minister's visit to Turkey, the APC convened on Thursday February 9 is being postponed, a new date will be announced in consultation with the allies." In another tweet, Aurangzeb announced that Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has decided to create the Prime Minister's relief fund to support the earthquake victims of Turkey. She further added, "The cabinet has announced to donate 1 month salary to the relief fund. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed for the generous help of our brother country Turkey." The death toll from the earthquakes that jolted Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 11,376, CNN reported citing authorities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that at least 8,574 people have died and nearly 50,000 others have been injured in Turkey. He made the remarks during his visit to disaster areas near the epicentre of Monday's earthquake. The total number of deaths has now reached 2802 in Syria. As many as 1,540 deaths have been reported in rebel-held regions in the northwest, CNN reported citing White Helmets. Meanwhile, 1,262 people have died in government-controlled areas of Syria, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghobash said, CNN reported citing Syrian state media. The total number of injured people in Syria has reached 5,008, which includes 2,258 in government-controlled areas and 2,750 in the rebel-held parts. (ANI)
The death toll from the earthquakes that jolted Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 11,376, CNN reported citing authorities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that at least 8,574 people have died and nearly 50,000 others have been injured in Turkey. He made the remarks during his visit to disaster areas near the epicentre of Monday's earthquake. The total number of deaths has now reached 2802 in Syria. As many as 1,540 deaths have been reported in rebel-held regions in the northwest, CNN reported citing White Helmets. Meanwhile, 1,262 people have died in government-controlled areas of Syria, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghobash said, CNN reported citing Syrian state media. The total number of injured people in Syria has reached 5,008, which includes 2,258 in government-controlled areas and 2,750 in the rebel-held parts. Aid agencies and emergency workers have said that the death toll is likely to rise further with many people still trapped under the rubble and freezing weather conditions hampering rescue efforts, as per the news report. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the state has mobilized all its resources. He said that 6,444 buildings collapsed due to the two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 rocked the country on Monday. He made the remarks as he inspected relief efforts in Kahramanmaras province, where two powerful quakes that shook the region, impacting nine other provinces and more than 13 million people. "We have mobilized all our resources. The state is working with municipalities, especially AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency), with all its means," Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying. The Syrian government has said that it has established more than 100 shelters equipped with aid supplies for those affected by the earthquake in government-controlled areas, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Tartus and Latakia, as per the news report. A total of 126 shelters have been set up in Aleppo, which is one of the cities that has been most impacted by the earthquake and 52 mosques have been changed into centres for people affected by the earthquake, CNN reported citing SANA. The government has said that it has provided 23 shelters and transformed 20 mosques into aid centres in Latakia, CNN cited SANA report. Furthermore, 11 shelters have been set up in Hama, Homs and Tartus. (ANI)
A two-alarm fire displaced 10 people in Mattapan Tuesday, burning in a residential building on Leston Street, the Boston Fire Department said.

No one was injured, according to the fire department.

Fire officials said companies were battling heavy fire conditions on first and second-floor rear porches at the building at approximately 8 p.m.

At approximately 8pm companies had heavy fire on the rear porches on floors 1,2 and 3 a second alarm was ordered. pic.twitter.com/6VHXcgVqxf  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) February 8, 2023

Crews had knocked down heavy fire conditions as of around 8:30 p.m., officials said.

The Red Cross was called in to assist the six adults and four children displaced with housing, according to the Boston Fire Department.

1st alarm companies are making up. Detail companies will remain to monitor any hot spots. BFD-FIU are on scene to determine the cause of the fire. pic.twitter.com/A2PEL8FXmv  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) February 8, 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
In this piece, we will take a look at the 12 countries that produce the best fabrics/garments. For more countries, head on over to 5 Countries That Produce the Best Fabrics/Garments.

The Textile Industry: An Analysis

The global textile industry is one of the largest sectors in the world. It consists of a host of different products, ranging from clothes, garments, yarn, fabrics, cotton, and more. According to research from Grand View Market Research, the sector was worth a whopping $993 billion in 2021 and grew to $1 trillion by 2022 end. From then until 2030, the firm believes that the industry will grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4% to be worth an estimated $1.4 trillion by the end of the forecast period. In terms of composition by products, the cotton sector is the largest sub segment of the textile industry. The research firm believes that cotton accounted for a strong 39% of the total market revenue in 2021, with America, China, and India being the largest cotton producers in the world. Apart from cotton, wool was also a big part of the industry, as it accounted for 13% of the market and was used primarily in winter products such as jackets and blankets. Regionally, Asia Pacific is the largest sector as it accounted for close to 50% of the total revenue. For North America, the U.S. is the largest textile country, as it produces significant amounts of cotton and textiles as well as imports large amounts of products.

These days, sustainability is an important topic in the textile, garment, and fabrics industry. Since the bulk of global textile production takes place in developing countries, and the products are also bought by firms in the developed world, customers and firms are concerned about the conditions in which the products are produced. Developed nations are growing wary of brands that do not stick to ethical practices. For example, 'sweatshops' use exploitative labor practices to ensure that they can produce cheap products and deliver them faster than competitors - a crucial competitive factor when it comes to fast fashion where designers change their products within months and then brands push the products out to the market as soon as possible.

Still, these sweatshops aren't limited only to developing countries, as numerous examples are also found in some of the most developed countries in the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom. In fact, as Forbes points out, sweatshops in Los Angeles have workers who work as much as 12 hours a day and are paid 3 cents a piece for items that can retail for as high as $75. Unsurprisingly, laborers that are employed in these shops are also undocumented immigrants, which makes it hard for the U.S. government to track them and easy for the firms to pay them low wages and no benefits without fearing any legal recourse. Taking action against the firms that use these sweatshops also becomes complicated as some people fear that boycotting the firms will lead to a loss of employment and wages for the workers as well.

Sustainability is also receiving growing interest when it comes to the textiles that are manufactured. On this front, a wide variety of both new and old sustainable fabrics are being developed. One of the more prominent examples of these is Soy Protein Fiber (SPF) which is also known as Soy Fabric. This particular fabric traces its roots back to the legendary Henry Ford, who is widely credited to having invented soy fabric. In fact, the late Mr. Ford was so enamored with the material that in his later years he would mostly wear garments that were made through this material in order to popularize soybean production in America. SPF is popular as an environmentally friendly product since it uses waste products from soybean production to make garments, while traditional garment production involves using toxic chemicals that end up harming their surroundings. Another novel sustainable textile is Algae Fiber, which - as the name suggests - converts Algae into fiber by mixing it with cellulose.

Globally speaking, the textile industry is dominated by Asia. In fact, the industry has also contributed to the meteoric rise of Bangladesh. At the time of its independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh was the world's second poorest nation. However, in just a handful of decades, the country is now the second largest economy in South Asia - with the progress being fueled primarily by textile production. Globally, some of the largest textile and oldest firms are Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fibre Company Ltd., Shadong Jining Ruyi Woolen Textile Co. Ltd., Paramount Textile Ltd., and Successori REDA S.p.A.

Photo by Rio Lecatompessy on Unsplash

Our Methodology

We used several different sources to compile our list of the top countries in garments and fabric manufacturing. Unlike for products such as tobacco and beef, these rankings are harder to sift out as it's generally firms that source them instead of the ordinary consumer that purchases them. Our research allowed us to narrow down 26 countries that have been praised for their products. Each time a country appeared in a source, it was assigned a single point, those commended for ethical practices were assigned two points, and ties between them were resolved through garment exports. Sources consulted are the quality control firm ATI, New York Spaces, digital marketplace Manufy, FASHiNZA Magazine, textile sourcing company Rag Sourcing, B2B website network Just Style, and Reddit (1,2,3). For countries that export the most garments, head on over to 12 Countries that Export the Most Fabrics/Garments.

Countries That Produce the Best Fabrics/Garments

12. Portuguese Republic

Insider Monkey's Score: 2

Garment Exports in 2021: $12.8 million

The Portuguese Republic is a European country with a GDP per capita of $42,067. While it is not a dominant player in the global textile industry, Portugal is known for its strong focus on sustainable textiles. The country has a large number of both environmentally friendly and ethical factories. For instance, the Portuguese factory consortium Friendly Factories is made up of 30 factories that ensure workers are working by choice and under conditions mandated by European Union laws. Additionally, some well known sustainable textile companies are ASBX, Create Fashion, and Tryport.

11. Kingdom of Morocco

Insider Monkey's Score: 2

Garment Exports in 2021: $297 million

The Kingdom of Morocco is a North African country. Textile is an important portion of the Moroccan economy and has seen strong growth over the past few years. Its close proximity to Europe makes it one of the continent's ten largest textile export partners, with exports growing by a strong 31% in the first quarter of 2022 alone. Some well known Moroccan textile firms are Vita Couture, Fashion Lixus, and Soft Tech.

10. Kingdom of Spain

Insider Monkey's Score: 2

Garment Exports in 2021: $297 million

The Kingdom of Spain is another prosperous European nation with a long history dating back thousands of years. In the textile world, like Portugal, Spain is littered with sustainable textile companies. Additionally, apparel manufacturing is one of Spain's largest industries, with thousands of factories in the country. Spanish brands such as Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. (BME:TX.MC)'s ZARA are leaders in the global fashion scene.

9. Federal Republic of Germany

Insider Monkey's Score: 2

Garment Exports in 2021: $578 million

Germany is one of the most developed countries in the world and Europe's largest economy. It is also another European country that focuses on sustainable textile manufacturing, with German consumers paying attention to the 'Green Button' label on products which certifies them for not having relied on exploitative labor. As a whole, the textile manufacturing sector also employs hundreds of thousands of workers all over Germany.

8. People's Republic of Bangladesh

Insider Monkey's Score: 2

Garment Exports in 2021: $600 million

The People's Republic of Bangladesh is a rising star in the textile world. Its textile industry holds a historic place in the country's history and has been producing products since the 1600s when Bangladesh alone accounted for half of the Dutch Empire's textile imports from Asia. Bangladesh has centuries old traditions of textile weaving, and brands such as Aarong and Remi Holdings are known all over the world. The country was the world's third largest garments exporter in 2021.

7. Republic of Poland

Insider Monkey's Score: 3

Garment Exports in 2021: $188 million

The Republic of Poland is a Central European country that benefits from its location in the textile industry as this allows it to export its products all over Europe. Poland's total textile exports stand at more than $10 billion, and its largest trading partner is Germany, which accounts for almost half or $4.5 billion of the exports. Some of the country's most well known textile manufacturers are Kamus, M-Corp, BFIELD, and GlocalPartner.

6. United States of America

Insider Monkey's Score: 3

Garment Exports in 2021: $265 million

The United States of America, or the U.S., is the only superpower in the world. Its corporate and industrial sectors is one of the most developed in the world, which has also led to America having a strong history in the textile, garments, and fabrics industry. The U.S. textile and garments industry shipped $65 billion of products in 2021, with total exports standing at $28 billion. Some large American textile companies are the American Textile Company (ATC), Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI), and WestPoint Home, Inc.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Countries That Produce the Best Fabrics/Garments.

Suggested Articles:

Disclosure: None. 12 Countries That Produce the Best Fabrics/Garments is originally published on Insider Monkey.
President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) gives a thumbs down during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on February 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. Credit - Win McNameeGetty Images

When South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson yelled You lie! during a 2009 speech President Barack Obama delivered to Congress, the breach of decorum quickly became the evenings most notable moment. Members of both parties condemned the outburst, which was a response to the Presidents claim that his health care plan would not apply to undocumented immigrants. After being booed by his colleagues, Wilson issued an apology and expressed contrition to Obamas chief of staff.

Fourteen years later, heckling, booing, and yelling at the President has become the norm.

During this years State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Republicans shouted at President Joe Biden on-and-off throughout the address. Though they were occasionally met by shushing and calls for order, those efforts didnt end the interruptions.

Read More: The Biggest Moments From Bidens 2023 State of the Union Address

At the beginning, things seemed to be going smoothly, with Democrats whooping, cheering, and applauding many of Bidens points and Republicans clapping politely or, most of the time, remaining pointedly silent. But that changed when Biden moved on to the debt ceiling and accused Republicans of wanting to sunset Social Security and Medicare.

Bidens suggestion led to one of the loudest reactions of the evening, with many Republicans booing and shouting No! in response. Liar! yelled Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who sat in the back of the chamber wearing a white fur outfit almost as loud as her outcry. But rather than becoming the defining moment of the event, the remark just opened the floodgates.

As more Republicans like Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne hollered at him, Biden seemed to take the disapprobation in stride, even engaging in a quick back-and-forth with some members at one point. Let me tell you, I enjoy conversion, Biden said as GOP lawmakers continued to object to his characterization that their party opposed the popular welfare programs. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy could be seen behind Biden, smirking and shaking his head.

Story continues

Biden did get Republicans to stand and cheer in agreement that Social Security and Medicare would be protected. Even McCarthy joined in. But not everyone was satisfied. When Biden said he wouldnt let Social Security or Medicare be taken away, one Republican yelled, Bullshit!

Later in the evening, soon after Biden appealed to Republicans to help pass his comprehensive immigration reform plan, he prepared to move on to a discussion of abortion rights. But Republicans wouldnt let him transition so easily, peppering him with shouts of Secure the border!

When Biden got to the portion of his speech devoted to China and didnt mention the infamous Chinese balloon that dominated headlines last week, Greene interjected again.

Chinas spying on us! she cried. Though she was promptly shushed by her colleagues, she continued speaking as Biden plowed on. Her mouth was still moving as Democrats drowned her out with applause and the President raised his voice.

Even when Biden got to his plan to reduce fentanyl trafficking and abuse, a section of the speech that began with the story of a young woman who died of an overdose, he could not have the floor to himself. He responded to more shouts about the border by pausing and saying, You got it!

But when an audience member yelled, Its your fault! Biden just shook his head, smiled, and moved on.

With reporting from Brian Bennett.
The attorneys general for 21 states sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to ask the administration to declare Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

The officials noted drug overdoses have killed more than 100,000 Americans in the past year, and almost two-thirds of them were related to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. They cited the Drug Enforcement Administration in saying that Mexican drug cartels are importing raw materials from China, using them to produce opioids at a low cost and illegally transporting those illicit drugs into the United States.

But the Republican attorneys general said the cartels threaten U.S. national security beyond the drugs themselves, having created armed forces to protect their trade from rival cartels and the Mexican government.

The existence of such forces just across our southwestern land border, and the Mexican governments inability to control them, pose a threat to our national security far greater than a typical drug-trafficking enterprise, they said.

The signers, led by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), said the cartels also have connections to foreign terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group.

They said cartels are assassinating government officials and rivals, killing Americans at the southern border and taking part in an armed insurgency against the Mexican government.

They said said designating these groups as terrorist organizations will grant state and federal law enforcement agencies increased authority to freeze cartel assets, deny members entry to the United States and give prosecutors the ability to press for tougher punishments against those supporting the cartels.

Current efforts to push back against the spread of narcotics are insufficient, they argued.

The cartels intense violence goes far beyond mere resistance to interference with their drug trafficking and now encompasses a general effort to intimidate rivals and expand their influence, they said. This violence, which necessarily involves using firearms and explosives to kill security forces, plainly constitutes terrorist activity.

Story continues

The letter comes after Biden noted in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that authorities have seized more than 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in the past several months. He called on Congress to start a major surge to prevent the production, sale and trafficking of fentanyl that will include more drug detection machines to conduct inspections at the southern border.

One controversial moment during the speech came when Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) yelled out, Its your fault to Biden after the president mentioned immigration and fentanyl.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Yokogawa Electric Corporation, a major provider of industrial automation solutions, has signed an agreement with the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Saudi Arabia (C4IR KSA) to develop governance policies for application of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in the industrial sector.

An entity affiliated with the World Economic Forum (WEF), the C4IR KSA is a platform for developing policy frameworks and protocols for implementing the 4IR to promote the adoption of emerging technologies to the benefit of the Saudi society.

Also it aims to accelerate the development and application of science and essential technology governance principles, policies and protocols to serve the Saudi Vision 2030, it stated.

The MoU was sealed at LEAP 23 in the presence of C4IR KSA Managing Director Dr Basma Al Buhairan and Yokogawa Saudi Arabia Regional Director Engineer Bader Al Khalifa.

The memorandum aims to develop frameworks and policies for the governance of the fourth industrial revolution technologies in the industrial sector, based on the methodology followed by the WEFs Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution network .

As per the agreement, the duo will supervise the pilot studies of the projects and assess the participation of other entities in the kingdom, such as the public and private sectors, and academic and research institutions, in the implementation of projects, said the statement from Yokogawa.

They will also share technical information and data in the areas of technology, and provide information to achieve efficiency in integrated and sustainable management in the industrial sector.

The scope of experience sharing and testing of policy frameworks is limited to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the kingdom, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
A child was taken to the hospital after being shot Tuesday afternoon, Orange County officials said.

It happened around 5:25 p.m. on Rivertree Circle inside the Hidden Creek Villas apartment complex in Orlando. When deputies arrived, they found a 3-year-old who had been shot in a vehicle, secured in their car seat.

The child sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital, deputies said.

READ: Ocala basketball coach accused of having sex with 2 additional minors

The child nor the car were believed to have been the intended targets, deputies said.

The shooting is still under investigation.

READ: Man, woman die in possible murder-suicide at home near St. Cloud

See a map of the scene below:

READ: Tyre Nichols death: 7 more Memphis police officers could face discipline

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Thirty news organizations have asked the Idaho Supreme Court to overturn a gag order in a case against a man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death.

The challenge, filed Monday evening, comes just a few days after an attorney representing the family of one of the victims filed an opposition to the gag order in state court, saying it is overly broad and places an undue burden on the families.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho. Prosecutors have yet to reveal if they intend to seek the death penalty.

The bodies of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found on Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home across the street from the University of Idaho campus. The slayings shocked the rural Idaho community and neighboring Pullman, Washington, where Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University.

The case garnered widespread publicity, and in January Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued the sweeping gag order, barring attorneys, law enforcement agencies and others associated with the case from talking or writing about it.

The coalition of news organizations, which includes The Associated Press, contends the gag order violates the right to free speech by prohibiting it from happening in the first place.

Justice cannot survive behind walls of silence. For that reason, a responsible press has always been regarded as the handmaiden of effective judicial administration, especially in the criminal field, coalition attorney Wendy Olson wrote in the court filing, quoting historic court rulings about prior restraints on free speech.

In the gag order, Marshall said the speech restriction was needed to protect Kohbergers right to a fair trial.

More speech does not mean a less fair trial; the speech at issue must be the kind that could prejudice a jury. And even when publicity may cause prejudice, the answer is not always to suppress the speech, Olson wrote. Other remedies like the passing of time, a change in venue, voir dire, jury instructions, and jury sequestration can cleanse any jury taint without offending the right to speech.

Story continues

Despite the great public interest in the case, there have not been any notable leaks of information that would prejudice Kohbergers right to a fair trial, Olson said.

The news organizations in the coalition would have published additional information about the slayings if the gag order wasnt in place, she wrote. For instance, police in Pennsylvania told one reporter they cant say whether they are reviewing unsolved cases that could be linked to Kohberger because of the gag order, and the mayor of Moscow told another reporter he cant talk about overall community healing because of the gag.

Several journalists have had public record requests rejected or left unfilled because agencies in Idaho and Washington fear they would run afoul of the order.

Petitioners do not make the news; they report the news. They cannot report what they cannot gather, Olson wrote.

The attorney representing Kaylee Goncalves family, Shanon Gray, filed a separate court action on Friday asking the Latah County magistrate judge to hold a hearing on the gag order or to clarify it. The current order is overbroad and vague, wrote Gray.

The gag order prevents all comments or opinions regardless of whether they could bias jurors, and it even remains in effect once jurors are instructed to avoid news coverage of the case, Gray noted, calling the order unconstitutional.

The order also prevents the victims families from having attorneys talk to the media on their behalf, Gray said.

It would place an undue burden on the Victims families, if they are unable to have a spokesperson transmit their thoughts and opinions to news organizations or others, Gray wrote.

Its not immediately clear what next steps will be in the case. Generally the Idaho Supreme Court will ask both sides to respond to requests like the one from the news coalition before issuing a ruling, though sometimes it will rule immediately based on the initial request.

Likewise the magistrate judge in Latah County also could set a hearing on the petition from the Goncalves attorney or could decide to amend or retain the current gag order.
Adela Loconte/Shutterstock

The personal finance advice available on social media can be hit or miss, but if you know who to follow, you can open yourself up to a wealth of invaluable information. In honor of Black History Month, GOBankingRates is highlighting a few standout BIPOC personal finance influencers who offer advice on everything from how to get ahead in your career to where to invest your money.

Experts: Heres How Much You Should Have in Your Checking Account

See: With a Recession Looming, Make These 3 Retirement Moves To Stay On Track

If youre looking to get inspired  and maybe even get rich in the process  consider following these noteworthy influencers.

Mandi Woodruff-Santos

Mandi Woodruff-Santos is a career and negotiation expert. She is the founder of MandiMoney and the co-host of the Brown Ambition podcast. Her total social media followers top 52,000, including 30,600-plus followers on TikTok.

Its not enough to save and budget, she told GOBankingRates. You have to pursue higher earnings and learn how to invest for long-term growth as well.

Follow her on Twitter, TikTkok and LinkedIn.

Danetha Doe

Danetha Doe is the founder of Money and Mimosas, where she covers investing, financial wellness and more.

Practice money mindfulness by having a weekly money date, she told GOBankingRates. A money date is a time to review your spending habits and investment goals. If you want to achieve success in any area of your life, you have to consistently track it. Your money date is a fun way to track your financial progress.

Follow her on LinkedIn.

Take Our Poll: What Are Your Financial Priorities in 2023?

Dasha Kennedy

Dasha Kennedy is a financial activist and founder of The Broke Black Girl Facebook group and blog. Her goal is to use financial education to help women of color kickstart their personal finance journeys.

From what Ive seen, other financial advisors talk at young women, not to them, often leaving them to feel ashamed, judged or unsure of their financial future, she told Elite Daily. I dont see a lot of emphasis on spending triggers or economic financial background that is leading young women to debt at an alarming rate. Ive attended plenty of financial workshops or sat with many financial advisors and Ive always left feeling like, They dont get it.'

Story continues

Follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Tiffany Aliche

Also known as The Budgetnista, Tiffany Aliche shares informative content on budgeting, owning a business, paying down debt, improving your credit, boosting your income and more. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Get Good with Money and the co-host of the Brown Ambition podcast. Alcihe has over 2.5 million followers across social media.

My parents, who were born and raised in Nigeria, taught me this African proverb: The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, she told PNC My Finance Academy. The key to money management is to focus on getting really good at one core skill set at a time and move forward from there. You might say, This year, Im going to practice budgeting. Next year, Ill focus on the best way to save. Thats a great plan!

Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Anthony ONeal

Anthony ONeal is the host of the podcast The Table With Anthony ONeal. His mission is to help people gain financial freedom by getting out of debt.

Growing up, for me, wealth was: What kind of watch do you have? What kind of car do you drive? What kind of house do you live in? How much? But thats not it, he said on The School of Greatness podcast. Wealth is inside us. Wealth is: What are you passing down? So, when I really started seeking what [] my purpose [is] in this life, thats when I found what true wealth is.

Follow him on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Black Personal Finance Influencers You Should Be Following
As President Biden faced a fractured Congress, his administration aims to address a host of issues despite the volatile political climate.

President Joe Biden faced a politically-fractured Congress as he soundly delivered his second State of The Union address on Tuesday (Feb. 7). From the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol building, Biden covered an extensive list of issues during the address. TheGrio examines five takeaways from the speech that uniquely concern Black Americans.

Biden mentions Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and his historic post as minority speaker

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (LR bows as US President Joe Biden acknowledges him during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Early on in the address, President Biden, shortly after addressing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, turned his attention to U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who became the first Black minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jeffries, visibly humbled by the acknowledgment, silently gestured his appreciation.

The Black unemployment rate

Although the president didnt specify numbers as it relates to Black workers, Biden touted the 3.4 percent unemployment rate, which is the lowest rate since May 1969.

The president did correctly state that the unemployment rate for Black workers is at a near-record low of 5.4%, with the record low listed at 5.3 percent. It should be noted that employment data as it pertains to Black workers only covers the past 50 years.

Biden acknowledged Black bridge worker during segment on Americas infrastructure

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by @POTUS will create good-paying union jobs for workers like Saria Gwin-Maye of @TheIronworkers, who will work to rebuild the Brent Spence Bridge in Ohio. pic.twitter.com/tTBipOITxb  Building Back Together (@BuildingBack_US) February 8, 2023

Biden zeroed in on the rebuilding of American roads and highways, centering on a bipartisan infrastructure deal that will funnel $1.6 billion in federal grants to repair the 60-year-old Brent Spence Bridge. The project will also add another bridge structure alongside it, ending years of political gridlock.

Story continues

Saria Gwin-Maye, a member of the Ironworkers Local 44 union in Cincinnati, was one of Bidens special guests and received a standing ovation for her unions service.

For 30 years, she (Gwin-Maye) tells me shes been a proud member of Ironworkers Local 44, known as the cowboys of the sky who built the Cincinnati skyline, Biden said. Saria said she cant wait to be ten stories above the Ohio River building that new bridge. God bless her. Thats pride.

Immediately after, Biden pledged to repair lead pipes in schools and childcare centers, something that has plagued millions of American homes, and most especially, those in Black neighborhoods and communities. That opened a segue into providing available high-speed Internet access to working families and students.

Biden honors parents of Tyre Nichols

Rodney Wells (2nd L) and RowVaughn Wells (3rd L), parents of Tyre Nichols, are applauded after US President Joe Biden acknowledged them during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

As expected, the shocking death of Memphis, Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of city police was a centerpiece of the address regarding the issue of public safety. Biden spoke carefully of the dangers Black people face as it relates to interacting with law enforcement, fairly noting that hes never had to have that talk with his children.

While the president didnt speak at long length to the contentious issue of police reform, he did artfully state that just as much as police officers who don the badge deserve to go home at night, so does the public theyre sworn to protect.

In a touching moment, Biden quoted Nichols mother, who said of her son that Nichols was a beautiful soul and something good will come from this.

This section of the address made a callback to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. In the absence of congressional action, Biden noted signed executive orders banning controversial police methods like chokeholds and restricting no-knock warrants.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jacksons first SOTU appearance

US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

While it is common that sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices do not attend the State of The Union address, the appearance of Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman elected to the nations highest court, was a significant moment.



Unlike the partisan divide that split the House chamber as it always had, the justices did not visibly react to any of President Bidens talking points. It did appear, however, that Justice Brown Jackson received a raucous round of applause.



In all, President Biden showed steely resolve in the face of jeering from Republican members of Congress who attempted to disrupt and derail the address. Biden was also leaning into the criticism and joked back at times.

In Closing

President Joe Biden speaks as Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), right, listen during a State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The address also covered the rising dangers of drug addiction, the overreach of social media, crime in cities, the rising costs of healthcare, and much more that also have deep resonance in the lives of Black Americans.

The Biden-Harris administration, facing a GOP-controlled House and a politically-strained Senate, will barrel ahead as 2024 looms in the distance with all the hopes and promises delivered in the address.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post 5 takeaways from Bidens State of the Union for Black America appeared first on TheGrio.
Joe Biden

President Joe Biden delivered the 2023 State of the Union Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress and other government officials and honored guests. With Vice President Kamala Harris and new Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy behind him, it was the first time Biden had given the address since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. The speech, coming a little more than halfway into the first term of the Biden-Harris administration, highlighted the administrations successes, laid out its agenda and demonstrated some of the fights ahead between Democrats and Republicans over the next two years. Here are five of the most notable takeaways from the speech.

The post 5 Takeaways From President Bidens State Of The Union Speech appeared first on Blavity.

Highlighting police violence and accountability

Perhaps the most powerful moment in the night came when Biden acknowledged the parents of Tyre Nichols, who attended the event as guests of First Lady Jill Biden. The president, who has endured the deaths of two children and his first wife, empathized with the grieving parents. As many of you personally know, theres no words to describe the heartache or grief of losing a child, Biden said before adding, But imagine, imagine if you lost that child at the hands of the law. Though not mentioned by the president, Michael Brown Sr., whose teenage son was killed in an encounter with police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, also attended at the invitation of Rep. Cori Bush.

Calls for police reform and accountability, but no grand plans

Biden went beyond acknowledging the pain felt by the families of Tyre Nichols and other victims of police violence. What happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often, the president said. While complimenting police for engaging in meaningful and dangerous work, Biden also called for greater accountability, listing several reforms he urged to implement. He noted that as president, he had issued an executive order for federal officers that included several provisions from the defeated George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, such as banning chokeholds and limiting no-knock warrants. But having had the George Floyd Act defeated just before last years State of the Union, Biden did not explicitly call for Congress to renew debate on that proposal. He only mentioned other priorities like voting rights in passing. With a divided Congress, the president seems resigned to the idea that only limited reforms in these areas will come from the federal government.

Story continues

Showcasing Vice President Harris

The State of the Union is always a visual showcase for the vice president, who traditionally sits in a prominent spot directly behind the presidents right shoulder. As Harris led the applause for Bidens accomplishments, the president took multiple moments to single out Harris achievements. First, he thanked the vice president for leading efforts to make sure small businesses have access to capital. Later, he said, The vice president and I are doing everything to protect access to reproductive health care and safeguard patient safety in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. With people on both sides of the aisle throwing criticisms and shade at Harris, Bidens mentions of Harris accomplishments were intentional efforts to reinforce her status.

Future leaders of the Democratic Party

With some people questioning Bidens plans to run for reelection and leaders like former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi already stepping aside, this State of the Union had a subtext of passing the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders, and a few rising Black Democrats got their moment. For example, at the beginning of Bidens speech, he recognized the First African American House minority leader in history, Hakeem Jeffries, with the president adding that he had campaigned for Jeffries. And at the end of the night, as Biden mingled with the political establishment after his speech, Black New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman yelled across the chamber, Mr. President, that was awesome!

Rep. Jamaal Bowman just shouted to Biden from halfway across the House chamber: "Mr President, that was awesome" he says with a fist pump Biden looks up from a huge gaggle of members/Supreme Court justices/Joint chiefs/etc  Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) February 8, 2023

Biden will face continued Republican opposition and vitriol

Meanwhile, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave the Republican response to the speech, doubling down on the policies she and other Republicans have implemented to ban CRT, racism and indoctrination in our schools, and to make the false accusation that by teaching accurate American history, our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country. Perhaps unaware of the behavior of her colleagues who were present for the State of the Union, Sanders said without any apparent sense of irony that the dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.

While Biden set the agenda for his administration and began to highlight some of the leaders expected to carry on the legacy of his administration, renewed antagonism from Republicans means that the next two years will be contentious. Regardless of how much Bidens speech called for bipartisan cooperation, making good on the promises for police reform and other priorities will be a long and hard fight.
If you want to know who really controls Michelmersh Brick Holdings plc (LON:MBH), 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 50% to be precise, is institutions. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Michelmersh Brick Holdings.

See our latest analysis for Michelmersh Brick Holdings

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Michelmersh Brick Holdings?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

We can see that Michelmersh Brick Holdings does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Michelmersh Brick Holdings, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Michelmersh Brick Holdings is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Eric Gadsden with 24% of shares outstanding. BennBridge Ltd is the second largest shareholder owning 7.3% of common stock, and Hosking Partners LLP holds about 6.8% of the company stock. Furthermore, CEO Frank Hanna is the owner of 0.6% of the company's shares.

Story continues

We also observed that the top 6 shareholders account for more than half of the share register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There is some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.

Insider Ownership Of Michelmersh Brick Holdings

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Michelmersh Brick Holdings plc. Insiders own UK26m worth of shares in the UK88m company. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

With a 19% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Michelmersh Brick Holdings. 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.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Michelmersh Brick Holdings , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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
Seven more police officers in Memphis are under administrative investigation after last month's traffic stop and fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a city official said Tuesday.

The additional officers face disciplinary action, said the city's chief legal officer, Jennifer Sink. Any criminal case related to the Jan. 7 traffic stop are being handled by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, she said in a statement.

The seven officers have not been publicly identified.

The administrative investigation is still ongoing, and so this information is subject to change," Sink's statement said. "The administrative investigation is solely to determine if City policies were violated and what disciplinary action should be taken. The criminal investigation is being handled by the TBI and DA."

Nichols, a 29-year-old amateur photographer and skateboarder, died three days after officers brutally beat him. He was kicked and punched repeatedly in a case that has drawn renewed national attention to police brutality.

Already, seven Memphis officers, five of whom were criminally charged with second-degree murder, have been relieved of duty. Six have been fired.

Tyre Nichols. (Courtesy Ben Crump Law)

And three Memphis EMTs who responded were fired after an internal investigation, the Memphis Fire Department said.

Two Shelby County sheriffs deputies have also been relieved of duty pending an administrative investigation, the sheriff said.

Memphis has disbanded its Scorpion (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit since Nichols' death. The unit was launched in November 2021 as the citys murder rate was soaring and the community was calling for action.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Olivia Julianna, left, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, right, in a composite image. Getty Images

Activist Olivia Julianna confronted Matt Gaetz at the Capitol during the State of the Union address.

She said she thanked him for helping her fundraise $2 million for abortion rights.

Julianna and Gaetz got into a Twitter spat last year after he body-shamed abortion-rights activists.

An abortion-rights activist who was body-shamed by Rep. Matt Gaetz said she confronted the congressman at Tuesday's State of the Union address and thanked him for helping her fundraise millions of dollars.

Olivia Julianna, a 20-year-old Houston-based activist for Gen Z for Change, was invited to the address by Democratic Rep. Nanette D. Barragan of California.

While in the US Capitol building, Julianna said she confronted Gaetz, the Republican lawmaker she credits with helping her raise millions for abortion funds, after he targeted her online.

"Just want everyone to know I just shook @mattgaetz hand and thanked him for helping me raise 2 million dollars," Julianna wrote on Twitter. "His response was to say 'heard you had trouble spending it.' And to quickly walk away in the opposite direction. What a loser lol," she added.

Julianna later said in a follow-up tweet that Gaetz had a "weak handshake."

Last July, Gaetz mocked abortion-rights activists in a speech at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida. Gaetz made body-shaming jibes about activists who are "5-foot-2 and 350 pounds," adding: "Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb."

Julianna responded, saying: "I'm actually 5'11. 6'4 in heels. I wear them so the small men like you are reminded of your place."

The exchange went viral, prompting Gaetz to share a photo of Julianna with his followers.

Gaetz later doubled down on his comments, telling a reporter that women at pro-abortion rallies were ugly, while telling those who might find that offensive to "be offended."

Story continues

At the time, Julianna told Insider that their back-and-forth on Twitter helped mobilize people to donate to abortion funds.

She said she was so grateful for putting the "spotlight" on her fundraising efforts that she sent Gaetz a tongue-in-cheek thank you card.

Julianna told Insider in August that she used the attention from the spat to fundraise more than $2 million for the Gen-Z for Choice Abortion Fund, which splits donations between 50 different abortion funds in states with abortion bans.

Gaetz strongly opposes abortion rights, and has an A+ rating from the Susan B. Anthony List  a ranking of lawmakers by the anti-abortion non-profit organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

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

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Las Vegas Aces attempted to introduce Candace Parker to fans Tuesday, an effort that was overshadowed by the teams choice to avoid addressing a major issue that the WNBA and WNBPA are both now investigating.

The news conference was the teams first media availability since concerning allegations of pregnancy discrimination surfaced in Dearica Hambys farewell statement to the Aces after she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks.

The reigning WNBA champions are an incredibly exciting team. That statement is even more true after the team secured the huge victory, as Aces president Nikki Fargas called it, of acquiring Parker, a two-time WNBA champion.

During the introductory news conference, Fargas, Parker and head coach Becky Hammon agreed on how dominant the Aces can be with Parkers addition.

"Candace has always been about winning. And, I think that's the one thing that stands out to me about her career everywhere she's gone, she's won. And so to add her into our locker room, I'm excited to learn from her, Hammon said of the two-time WNBA champion.

Parker even wins off the court and will become the first woman to call the NBA All-Star Game later this month, something that couldnt be discussed before the conference came to an abrupt conclusion.

An investigation into Aces' management has yet to be addressed by the reigning WNBA champions. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

When Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Andy Yamashita began to ask a question about Hamby early into the media conference, he was interrupted by the Aces director of media relations and told that Fargas needed to leave to attend a meeting.

In case folks are interested in seeing how this was handled on Candace's intro press conference...Here is the video of @ANYamashita trying to ask his question about Dearica Hamby: https://t.co/D3lMME5cAV pic.twitter.com/t4fYChCs6f  Ben Pickman (@benpickman) February 7, 2023

Then, reporters were told the next question would be the last and the session ended.

Story continues

Fargas opened with a general statement that seemed to relate to Hambys claims, but did not specifically address them.

Here at the Las Vegas Aces, we do make sure and we will always continue to make sure that our players and their families will always be in the forefront of who we are as a franchise, Fargas said. We're going to always be supportive of our players in that regard, and we will always demonstrate that we will act accordingly when you are discussing any situation surrounding the well-being of our athletes.

The WNBA reportedly didn't take Fargas at her word, as the league announced the next day it was investigating the Aces' handling of Hamby, via The Athletic's Ben Pickman:

The WNBA is currently conducting an investigation involving the Las Vegas Aces in connection with allegations raised in a recent social media post by Dearica Hamby.

The WNBPA has already said it will investigating Hamby's allegations.

Although the Aces used images of Hamby and her daughter, Amaya, often during Hamby's eight-year tenure with the team, Hambys statement alleges the team was not actually supportive of the two-time Sixth Player of the Years role as a mother.

According to her statement, the Aces promised Hamby things to "entice" her to sign a contract extension before last season. Someone in the organization then allegedly accused her of signing while knowing she was pregnant for a second time. Hamby was also allegedly subject to questions about her commitment to the sport and disgusting comments before she was ultimately traded.

Hamby spoke about the trade that left her heart broken, during her introductory news conference with the Sparks, saying that she cried in her first call with head coach Curt Miller.

She noted then that her claims have nothing to do with any Aces players.

"Don't take it out on the girls," Hamby said. "It's not Candace [Parkers] fault; it's not A'ja [Wilson] or Chelsea [Grays] fault. I'm confident that the league will do what they need to do.

Contrary to her wishes, the teams decision to stay silent on her allegations has only brought them more attention  a development that was illustrated during a news conference that should have been all about Parker.
President Biden Delivers His First State Of The Union Address To Joint Session Of Congress

President Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol's House Chamber on March 01, 2022 in Washington, DC. Credit - Win McNameeGetty Images

President Joe Biden took a defiant stance toward Beijing during his State of the Union speech Tuesday, just three days after the U.S. military shot down a spy balloon that flew over the continental United States.

Make no mistake, as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, he said. And we did. Calling out Chinas increasingly autocratic leader, Biden went off-script and shouted, Name me a world leader whod change places with Xi Jinping.

The U.S. Navy is now scouring the Atlantic Ocean to collect remnants of the mammoth air balloon that seized Americans attention and triggered an international dispute. The U.S. military is hunting information to understand how a fleet of high-altitude balloons carrying cameras and solar arrays was able to traverse American airspace on multiple occasions for years without detection.

The diplomatic fallout has been considerable, widening the fissures between Washington and Beijing in several places. The Pentagon admitted Tuesday that Chinas defense minister Wei Fenghe declined a request to speak to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after an American fighter jet shot-down the balloon. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to Beijing on Friday hours before he was set to depart, scuttling an opportunity for a diplomatic detente on shared global challenges.

During his speech, Biden said hes told President Xi he doesnt want the two nations to take a war footing. Ive made clear with President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict, he said.

Read more: Chinese Balloon Wreckage Could Offer Clues Into Years-Long Spy Operation

Outright conflict between the worlds top two economies would dwarf the damage to the global economy wrought by Russias invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and China have intertwined supply chains, international governance mechanisms, and bilateral trade that reached a record $760 billion last year.

Story continues

But the two nations also face resurgent nationalism, concerted military build-ups, and increasingly bellicose rhetoric on both sides. And so, the great power competition between the U.S. and China is becoming more militarized.

China is expanding its nuclear forces and increasing its threats toward the U.S.-allied island of Taiwan. The U.S. is responding by strengthening alliances across the Asia-Pacific region and sending additional forces and firepower to places like Guam and the Philippines.

Lets be clear: winning the competition with China should unite all of us, Biden said. We face serious challenges across the world.

Republicans in Congress have urged the administration to be more aggressive, a sentiment thats deepened since the balloon flyover. Chinas spying on us, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, shouted at the president when he mentioned the competition between the two countries.

Read more: How The Chinese Balloon Was Shot Down By the U.S. Military

Earlier on Tuesday, the House Armed Services Committee held its first hearing of the year, focusing on China. We have to stop being naive about the threat we face from China, Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama, the Republican committee chairman, said in his opening statement. We no longer have the luxury of time. We need to act now to get ahead of this threat.

The Biden Administration has labeled Beijing as a pacing challenge that holds the potential to reshape the international order. In recent years, as it has amassed economic power, China has forged close ties with governments in Africa, Latin America, and Central and Southeast Asia.

The Administration has determined that Beijing is planning a threefold increase in nuclear warheads to 1,000 by 2030, while simultaneously constructing hundreds of new silos capable of launching long-range ballistic missiles, potentially targeting the U.S. and its far-flung nuclear forces. While the U.S. has more than 10 to 1 advantage over China in the number of nuclear warheads and the weapons to deliver them, the Pentagon sees a need to prepare for the decades ahead.

But China faces challenges at home, as it struggles to emerge from COVID-19 and to overcome economic headwinds and an aging population. Biden seeks to tighten the pressure on President Xi. In his first two years, Biden has reinforced military ties with Australia and Japan aimed at reining in Chinas regional ambitions and hes successfully lobbied the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to work together to address challenges that China poses.

With reporting by Mini Racker/Washington.
Tatweer Educational Technology (Tetco) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lenovo to drive the digital transformation of KSAs education sector.

The collaboration was formalised during LEAP2023, in the presence of Eng. Abdullah Gahnem Altamimi, CEO, Tetco and Marwan Bsat, General Manager, Lenovo Saudi Arabia, as well as other high-level delegates from Tetco and Lenovo.

The tie-up will see both Lenovo and Tetco working together to create a new framework for future collaborations into building digital transformation and developing educational technologies to be provided to schools and universities across the Kingdom.

Digital shift

It aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 and its goals to support the digitalisation of the education sector. The kingdom aims to drive a digital shift in education and support both teachers and students for a 21st century learning environment. Lenovo and Tetco will play a key role in driving technology-enabled learning and preparing the classrooms of the future.

Eng Abdullah Gahnem Altamimi, CEO, Tetco, said: We believe in supporting and growing the overarching educational process and aim to provide solutions and services by developing its technological capabilities. With the era of digital transformation upon us, our partnership with Lenovo will be the key in bringing the technology-enabled future to classrooms and drive the future growth at local and international levels.

Marwan Bsat, General Manager, Lenovo Saudi Arabia, said: Saudi Arabia is on the track towards a massive digital evolution, which is evident across various sectors. The education sector is key towards the future of the country, given that it plays the role of shaping the future generations. We are excited to support Tetco and by extension the kingdoms Vision 2030 and look forward to providing tactical and dedicated solutions along with leveraging our previous experience to tackle any challenges along this path.-- TradeArabia News Service
An aerial view of the Rikers Island prison complex, Queens, N.Y. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

On Feb. 4, 65-year-old Marvin Pines died in custody at Rikers Island, New York Citys largest jail complex, marking the first death of an inmate there this year. In November, Pines pleaded guilty to multiple drug charges and was set to be sentenced at the end of the month.

According to the New York City Department of Corrections, Piness death is still under investigation, but his attorney says he suffered from drug addiction and seizures.

On Saturday morning, I got a call from the legal department indicating that shortly after 6 a.m. he had a seizure and he passed away, Javier Damien, Piness attorney, told Yahoo News. He was terrified about going to jail because he [was] concerned about his health.

The death toll at Rikers Island hit a record high in 25 years in 2022, after 19 people died in custody or shortly after being released.

Any death in custody is a tragedy. We sincerely send our deepest condolences and sympathy to Mr. Pines family and loved ones. As with all deaths in custody, we are working with our partner agencies to conduct a full investigation, New York City Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina said in a statement.

Criminal justice activists call for the closing of Rikers Island jail, Feb. 28, 2022. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Rikers Island, which includes 10 jails, currently has over 5,000 inmates in custody. The majority of inmates are awaiting trial because they cant afford bail.

Pines leaves behind a daughter who wants answers as to how and why her father died. She's devastated about it. She's very angry  she thinks they dropped the ball here, Damien said.

There have been 36 deaths at the infamous facility since January 2021, and criminal justice reform advocates say the first death of 2023 was bound to happen.

I knew that death would happen, just like there's gonna be more deaths, Olayemi Olurin, a New York City-based lawyer and progressive political commentator, told Yahoo News. To be honest, this is the obvious continuation, because the reality is they're not doing anything different.

Story continues

In 2015, District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain appointed a federal monitor to provide regular updates and issue mandates on the jail, but advocates say Rikers is still failing the incarcerated.

I am in total agreement with the monitors recommendations. My vision is to create a culture of discipline and service to those incarcerated, Molina said in an April 2022 interview with ABC News.

The Rikers Island facility. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

In 2021, photos from the facility showed some of the gruesome conditions that inmates are facing, such as the cramming of over two dozen men into one holding cell for days.

Theres a crisis weve been showing them  the medical appointments that have been missed, rampant deaths, rampant violence, all these different things, and they wont intervene, they wont allow for the receivership, Olurin said.

Swain continues to deny requests to appoint a federal receiver to take over the jail; the most recent block was in November 2022 due to important indications of improvement, the judge said.

However, if conditions continue to worsen on the 413-acre island, Swain said she could consider additional motions for a receiver this year.

In the meantime, advocates say more inmates will die if nothing is done. I honestly do not know what it'll take to get the judge to appoint a receiver, DeRay Mckesson, co-founder of Campaign Zero, an organization working to end mass incarceration, told Yahoo News.

Death is not enough, he continued. Corruption is not enough. Contraband is not enough. Incompetence isn't enough. I dont know what the trigger will be for the judge to finally say that the administration is just incapable of running the jail in a way that doesnt lead to chaos.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams at the 2023 community inauguration of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

But New York City Mayor Eric Adams says Rikers is making significant progress. Since Commissioner Molina assumed office, in conjunction with the federal monitor, weve seen reductions in use of force and assaults on staff, increased searches for weapons and contraband, and sick leave that has dropped to levels not seen since before last summers horrendous shortages, Adams said last April.

In 2022, the population at Rikers decreased by 131 people, but the detained population of over 5,900 is still far above the 3,300-person capacity. According to the New York City comptrollers office, violent incidents at the jail also decreased, but there was an increase of those detained with mental illness.

The rising number of people detained with serious mental illness in our jails adds to the ever-growing humanitarian crisis on Rikers Island. New York must not default to using our jail system as a mental health treatment facility. We have an obligation to ensure all New Yorkers in our care are given proper health treatment, and that includes New Yorkers awaiting trial, said Comptroller Brad Lander in a statement last month.

Advocates are pushing to close down Rikers completely to protect the most vulnerable population, such as those with mental illness. They need treatment, not jail, Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda, one of the key organizations leading the campaign to close Rikers, said. As long as Rikers remains open, more people are going to die.

Then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, center, with Department of Correction Commissioner Joe Ponte and warden Becky Scott, tours Second Chance Housing at Rikers Island in 2014. (Susan Watts  Pool/Getty Images)

In 2017, then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued the Roadmap to Closing Rikers Island, a 10-year plan that involves lowering the inmate population and designing borough-based jails. In de Blasio's plan the new jails will be in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx and hold only up to 3,300 people.

But advocates say closing Rikers and replacing it with four jails is insufficient. What we actually need to do is stop fueling mass incarceration, because the reality is Rikers, like all of these pretrial detention centers, are pretrial  these people don't need to be held, Olurin said.

Instead, Olurin said the problem is pretrial detention centers across the country. It isn't special at Rikers, she said.

For instance, Harris County jail in Texas, with a population of over 10,000, also saw a record number of inmate deaths in 2022 as more than 20 inmates died in custody.

While closing the 10 jails on Rikers island wont solve the entire issue, Mack of Freedom Agenda believes it will help. It will alleviate a lot of problems  people will be closer to the courts, replacing the old decrepit facility so we can have medical units on each floor, so we can have program space, so we can have air conditioning, an adequate heating system, easier access for families and and public defenders, he said.

Mack was 17 years old when he was incarcerated at Rikers Island, and he said these deaths are heartbreaking.

They're human beings, they're mothers, they're brothers, they're sisters, they're neighbors, people that come from our community  people should be alive [and] should not be suffering, he said.
This illustration photo shows the Spotify page for "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast displayed on a smart phone in Washington, DC on February 7, 2022. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Alex Jones wanted embattled influencer Andrew Tate to be featured on Joe Rogan's podcast, per the SPLC.

But Rogan responded that he was "over booked," the center said, citing texts between the pair.

The civil rights organization says it's investigating texts from a phone belonging to Jones.

In late 2019, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones tried to persuade UFC commentator Joe Rogan via text message to host Andrew Tate on "The Joe Rogan Experience," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC.

Tate, the influencer now facing human trafficking and rape charges in Romania, was the one who requested the endorsement, asking Jones via text to recommend him to Rogan, the organization wrote on Tuesday.

"If you could drop joe a txt and recommend me for his podcast I would appreciate it," Tate messaged Jones on the morning of December 14, 2019, per the SPLC.

Jones later sent Tate's contact information to Rogan, the center added.

"I have known this guy a few years," Jones texted Rogan, per the center. "He lives in Transylvania and is a really good guest. He is a long time fan of yours and said in the past you followed him on Twitter."

Rogan, who runs one of the most popular podcasts on Spotify, didn't appear to accept the recommendation.

"Yeah he's been trying to get on my podcast for a while," Rogan wrote of Tate in a text to Jones, per the SPLC. "I'm way over booked right now."

Jones responded: "I am not his agent;) just passing info on."

The text conversation was obtained by the SPLC from a phone that belonged to Jones, the center said.

Jones, who owes more than $1 billion in damages for his lies about the Sandy Hook shooting, and Tate, a self-described misogynist who regularly courts controversy for his sexist views, appeared to have dined together the night before they texted, the center wrote, citing messages between the pair.

Tate has not appeared on "The Joe Rogan Experience" before, though Rogan mentioned the former kickboxer on his podcast on January 5. Rogan compared Tate to a pro-wrestler putting on a show, saying Tate uses an extreme online persona to make money and that he was a "very smart guy."

Story continues

As for Rogan and Jones, the two appeared to be close friends at one point, two former employees of Jones' show InfoWars, Zac Drucker and Josh Owens, told the SPLC.

"I think Rogan had a significantly bigger show than Jones," Owens told the center. "I think they were genuinely friends and I think Rogan wasn't necessarily opening it up to where Jones could come on there as much as possible."

Rogan hosted Jones twice on his podcast, once in 2017 and another time in 2020, during which the latter discussed bizarre conspiracy theories like the baseless claim that politicians had engineered the COVID-19 pandemic since 2010. Rogan had to fact-check Jones on several points during the show.

Representatives for Jones, Tate, and Rogan did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
McKenzie Lange/USA Today Network via Reuters

Alex Murdaugh was born to be a lawyer.

For almost a century, members of the Murdaugh family served as solicitors (another name for local prosecutors) in five counties in South Carolinas Lowcountry before establishing one of the most renowned personal injury law firms in the area. Soon after graduating from the University of South Carolinas law school in 1994, Murdaugh assumed his role in the legal family dynasty, joining Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED) alongside his brother and father.

Eventually, Murdaugh began to volunteer part-time in the 14th Circuit solicitors office and even served as the president of the state trial lawyers association.

But his former law firm colleagues admitted during Murdaughs murder trial this week that the 54-year-old might not have been as legally gifted as his family lineage would suggest. In fact, two of them described Murdaugh as a loud and frenetic lawyer who kept different hours than everyone elseand was able to keep a good clientele roster because he had the gift of the gab.

He was successful not from his work ethic, but his ability to establish relationships and to manipulate people into settlements and clients into liking him, Jeanne Seckinger, the firms chief financial officer, testified on Tuesday. The art of bullshit, basically.

How the Murdaugh Saga UnfoldedFrom a Boat Crash to Murder

Ronnie Crosby, another former law partner who has known Murdaugh for over two decades, simply told the jury that Murdaugh wasnt a real student of the law.

The details about Murdaughs allegedly questionable professional proficiency are crucial for the prosecutions argument that he murdered his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old son, Paul, in a desperate attempt to garner sympathy and shift the focus away from his financial crimes.

Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in connection with the case, which has been deemed the trial of the century in South Carolina. His lawyers, however, have stressed that there is no concrete evidenceor motiveto prove Murdaugh wanted to harm his wonderful family.

Story continues

Over the last two weeks, jurors have heard graphic testimony about how Paul and Maggie were fatally shot near their hunting estates dog kennels on June 7, 2021. But on Tuesday, after a crucial ruling from Judge Clifton Newman, prosecutors were finally able to provide context on why they believe Murdaugh was motivated to kill his family.

Both Seckinger and Crosby went into detail about how the law firm discovered Murdaugh had been funneling millions of dollars away from the clients and company for years. Seckinger even detailed how she confronted Murdaugh about the missing money hours before the murderand again three months later, when he eventually copped to his crimes and resigned from his post.

Murdaughs colleagues also provided a window into his personality and close-knit home and work life. Seckinger, who knew Murdaugh since high school and considered him a friend, said that PMPED was more of a family environment than a workplace.

These attorneys work as a brotherhood, she said. They trusted him

That trust, Seckinger said, allowed Murdaugh to maintain an eccentric work behavior different from his peers, including constantly being on the phone and always being loud.. busy... [and in a rush]. It also allowed Murdaugh to keep his job despite not necessarily being the most gifted lawyer, who was sometimes forgetful and all over the place.

CFO Confronted Alex Murdaugh About Missing Cash Just Before Murders

Crosby seemed to reiterate his colleagues assessment of Murdaugh, who he said shined as a lawyer because of his personality. He added that among Murdaughs legal quirks included walking out of depositions and partner meetings to answer the phone.

He was good with people, Crosby said. Very good at reading people. Very good at understanding people. Very good at making people believe he cared about them and building a rapport and trust with them.

The lawyer also noted that he was extremely close with Murdaugh and his family, noting that his two sons would refer to him as Uncle Ronnie. Tearing up, Crosby added that Paul would often take his own son hunting and fishing.

That tight bond, he said, spurred him to immediately jump into his car to Murdaughs estate when he learned that Paul and Maggie had been murdered. He added that in the days after the murders, the law firm rallied around Murdaugh and went to the house daily out of concern for his mental state.

Eventually, however, Cosby and Seckinger said Murdaugh was eventually hit with the mounting questions about missing fundssomething that he eventually copped to. He resigned from PMPED on Sept. 3, a day before he allegedly staged a botched assisted suicide plot in order for his only surviving son, Buster, to receive his $10 million insurance payout.

Cosby said that the firm was also forced to inform the South Carolina Bar about Murdaughs alleged misconduct. Last July, South Carolina Supreme Court disbarred Murdaugh from practicing law in the state after an investigation into allegations he posed a substantial threat of serious harm to the public or to the administration of justice.

But those who were once closest to Murdaugh have since admitted in court they may have never really known the former lawyer they worked alongside for years.

I dont think I ever really knew him, Seckinger said. I dont think anybody knows him.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
Alex Murdaughs high-profile murder trial has been dramatically evacuated after a bomb threat was reported at the courthouse.

The bomb threat came in to staff at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, just before 12.30pm ET on Wednesday, prompting a sudden evacuation of the entire building.

SLED released a statement confirming that the threat was under investigation.

A bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel. The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriffs Office are investigating the threat, the statement read.

No additional information is available from SLED at this time.

It remains unclear who called in the threat and if there is a genuine bomb or it is a hoax.

It is also unclear if it is specifically related to the trial of the once-powerful heir to a South Carolina legal dynasty  a high-profile case that was captured attention across the globe.

The sudden evacuation came just moments after a new witness took the stand to testify.

Brian Hudak, SLED computer crimes special agent, had only just sat down on the stand and begun introducing himself, when Judge Newman interjected saying he was calling a recess.

Seconds later, he clarified that the entire building needed to be evacuated.

We have to evacuate the building at this time. Well be in recess until we discover whats going on, he said.

The Colleton county courthouse is being evacuated per Judge Newman. @ABCNews4 pic.twitter.com/1vWkWVbjs2  Tara Jabour (@TaraJabour) February 8, 2023

The judge gave no details as to what was causing the urgent need, but then calmly added: Well couple this with a lunch break until 2.30pm.

Minutes later, Mr Murdaughs attorney Dick Harpootlian told ABCNews4 that there had been a bomb threat.

Story continues

Footage posted online showed court staff, journalists and members of the public being rushed out of the building and its grounds, while jurors were transported away in vans.

Mr Murdaugh was also whisked off to an unknown location  as he remains in police custody charged with the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

A Walterboro fire truck pulled up to the courthouse minutes after the evacuation and dozens of emergency vehicles soon arrived on the scene. A bomb squad has been called in and the public is being urged to take different traffic routes around the courthouse.

It remains unclear if court proceedings will resume today.

The bomb threat comes on day 13 of the murder trial after jurors heard testimony about Mr Murdaughs alleged financial crimes.

Michael Gunn, principal of Forge Consulting, told jurors how Mr Murdaugh set up a fake account called Forge and impersonated his company so that he could steal money from law firm clients.

Annette Griswold, who worked as a paralegal at Mr Murdaughs former law firm PMPED, also revealed how she learned that he had been stealing money from the firm.

Days after his fraud scheme came to light and he was ousted from PMPED, Mr Murdaugh checked into rehab.

Ms Griswold testified that she received a text from Mr Murdaugh in late September 2021 apologising for what he had done. He also sent the text to another colleague.

Hey, its Alex. Im finally feeling a little bit better each day, the text message said.

Alex Murdaugh walks into the courthouse before his double murder trial on Wednesday (AP)

Im over the worst but still feel like i have the flu. Real weak. Im have been worried about yall and Im sorry I didnt get to tell yall myself. I know both of you have been hurt badly by me. I know it sounds hollow, but I am truly sorry.

The better I get, the more guilt I have. I have an awful lot to try to make right when I get out of here. The worst part is knowing I did the most damage to those I love the most. Im not sure how I let myself get where I did. I am committed to getting better and hope to mend as many relationships as I can.

You both are special people and important to me. Please know how sorry I am to have made you part of my misdeeds. I hope you are doing as well as possible. I love you very much.

Separate to the murders, Mr Murdaugh is currently facing around 100 charges for stealing almost $8.5m from law firm clients dating back to 2011.

On Monday, the judge ruled that jurors can hear evidence of his alleged financial crimes  as the state seeks to show a motive for the murders.

Maggie and Paul were shot dead on the familys sprawling 1,700-acre estate in Islandton back on 7 June 2021.

Their murders brought to light a series of scandals surrounding the Murdaughs including unexplained deaths, the multi-million-dollar fraud scheme and a botched hitman plot.

In September 2021  three months on from the murders  Mr Murdaugh was shot in the head in what turned out to be a botched hitman plot which he had orchestrated with alleged accomplice, distant cousin and drug dealer Curtis Eddie Smith.

Investigations have also been reopened into two other mystery deaths connected to the Murdaugh family after the double murders brought to light a sprawling saga surrounding the once-powerful legal dynasty.

Days on from the shootings on 22 June 2021 an investigtion was reopened into the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, who was found dead in the middle of the road in Hampton County.

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.

Months later, an investigation was reopened into the death of the Murdaughs longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.

She died in 2018 in a mystery trip and fall accident at the family home. Mr Murdaugh then allegedly stole around $4m in a wrongful death settlement from her sons.

Mr Murdaugh, 54, is facing life in prison for the murders. He has pleaded not guilty.
South Carolina officials were forced to pause the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh on Wednesday due to a bomb threat made against the courthouse, police confirmed to HuffPost.

The trial was suspended around 12:30 p.m. after a Colleton County Sheriffs deputy was seen running across the courthouse grounds yelling for people to clear the area, The Greenville News reported. Proceedings resumed around 2.5 hours later.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said in a statement that a bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel and its officers were working with the sheriffs office to investigate. The courthouse was evacuated and Murdaugh was taken away in a black van, according to reporters at the scene.

Here's the video of Alex Murdaugh being taken out of the courtroom and put into a van as the entire courthouse was evacuated due to a bomb threat. #MurdaughTrialpic.twitter.com/QRpjeUgLqR  Paige Lobdell (@producerpaige_) February 8, 2023

Murdaugh, a 54-year-old prominent local attorney, is accused of killing his 52-year-old wife, Margaret, and 22-year-old son, Paul. He pleaded not guilty.

The trial began last month, the crescendo of a case that has featured more than its share of twists and turns. In South Carolinas Lowcountry, the Murdaugh family name is associated with law enforcement, as three generations served as local prosecutors over a span of more than eight decades.

Paul Murdaugh was accused by several friends of drunk-driving a boat that crashed into a bridge pile in 2019, resulting in the death of a friend, 19-year-old Mallory Beach. He was expected to go to trial, but was found shot to death along with his mother at the familys sprawling hunting estate in June 2021. At first, it seemed likely the crimes were linked to Beachs death.

Story continues

Alex Murdaugh cries in court Jan. 26 as the murders of his wife and son are described by Colleton County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Daniel Greene.

Alex Murdaugh cries in court Jan. 26 as the murders of his wife and son are described by Colleton County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Daniel Greene.

Alex Murdaugh then appeared to become a target in September 2021, when he called 911 saying that hed been shot in the head while working on his car, although his head did not bear any signs of injury during a court appearance two weeks later.

Authorities soon accused him of scheming to arrange his own death so that his elder son, Buster, would reap a $10 million life insurance policy. They charged him with the killings of his wife and younger son a few months later.

Other suspicious deaths have been linked to the family, but nothing has been proven.

Murdaugh is currently facing more than 100 criminal charges for his various alleged crimes, including pilfering money from his familys law firm and evading his taxes.

Related...
(Bloomberg) -- Google owner Alphabet Inc. fell by the most in more than three months after a demonstration of its new artificial intelligence chatbot, Bard, sparked concerns that the tech giant has lost ground in the race for the future of internet search.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Google has been under pressure since developer OpenAI launched its wildly popular chatbot, ChatGPT, which many in the tech industry tout as the next generation of search. On Tuesday, Microsoft Corp., which is investing billions in OpenAI, unveiled a new version of its Bing search engine and Edge browser incorporating technology from the AI startup. On Wednesday, Google hosted a news conference in Paris where it shared more details about its progress integrating artificial intelligence into search.

Investors were largely underwhelmed by the demonstration. In one instance, Bard was asked about new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope. In one of its responses, Bard said the telescope was used to take the first pictures of a planet outside the Earths solar system  but NASA says those were actually taken by a different telescope.

For now, Bard is available only to a limited number of trusted testers, and OpenAIs ChatGPT has also been found to deliver inaccurate or outdated responses. Yet investors are keenly attuned to any threat to Googles search business, which remains its lifeblood.

That is why you see such a reaction, because this is the money generator, the cash cow in Alphabets portfolio, said Mandeep Singh, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence.

Google said in a statement that Bards response highlights the importance of a rigorous testing process. The company said it will combine external feedback with its own internal testing to ensure Bards responses meet a high bar for quality, safety and groundedness in real-world information.

Story continues

Read More: ChatGPT Reignites the Search Wars Between Google and Microsoft

Alphabet declined 7.4% to $99.67 at 1:09 p.m. New York time on Wednesday. Earlier, the shares fell as much as 8.9%, the biggest drop since Oct. 26.

Last year, Google declared a code red in response to ChatGPTs release  a move akin to pulling a fire alarm internally, which sent the companys AI engineers scrambling for a response. Bards imperfect performance on the public stage suggests the company may have felt pressure to show off the technology before it was ready, Singh said.

They did this in haste, Singh said. You dont expect it from a company that is so dominant, and really has always been able to fend off any challenges as far as their core search business.

While Microsoft won the narrative this week, Googles longstanding investments in artificial intelligence will ultimately pay off, said Gene Munster, co-founder and managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management.

Right now the snapshot is: advantage Microsoft, Munster said. However, we still think the long-term advantage should go to Alphabet given the resources it has put into AI over the past six years.

--With assistance from Divya Balji and Ryan Vlastelica.

(Updates with additional context on AI chatbots starting in fourth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed H.B. 7, known as the "Stop Woke" bill, on April 22, 2022. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald via ZUMA Press Wire)

A wave of attacks against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from conservative leaders in the U.S. has brought renewed attention to such efforts amid calls to ban DEI programs.

In recent months, Republicans have taken swipes at DEI initiatives. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called such programs at educational institutions hostile to academic freedom. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., criticized the state of Illinois for using federal funds to support DEI programs in elementary schools.

Some liberals have also criticized the latest DEI terminology intended to spur inclusion as sometimes alienating and performative.

Amid the polarizing effects of the conversation around DEI and its evolution, experts say the purpose of these initiatives and programs has been lost in politics and rhetoric. They explained to Yahoo News that DEI was not meant to be divisive, but was intended to level the playing field in an increasingly diverse but systematically fractured society  and they argue that it would be a mistake to eradicate such initiatives.

What does DEI mean?

iStockphoto/Getty Images

DEI covers a broad spectrum of identities, including race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, physical appearance, neurodivergence, socioeconomic status, language, education and marital status. It also embraces diverse perspectives, ideas and values.

According to Academy Health, a research organization, equity is defined as the fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.

Equity is those practices, policies and programs to ensure that people are treated fair and have an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of who they are, Rick Wade, senior vice president for strategic alliances and outreach at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told Yahoo News. That's really important. You can't separate where we are with regards to diversity and equity without understanding the full context: that there have been some individuals in our society who have not necessarily been treated equitably.

Story continues

Academy Health defines inclusion as the act of providing equal opportunity to all people to fully engage themselves in creating an environment and a cultural attitude whereby everyone and every group feels accepted, has value, and is supported by a foundation based on trust and mutual respect.

When we talk about inclusion, we're making the point that when we think about diversity, diversity has been shown in some small group studies to improve outcomes, Sarah Soule, a professor who teaches organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is the schools senior associate dean for academic affairs, told Yahoo News.

But it really only works if everybody feels like they're included in the decision making and that they are, in a sense, not just invited to the party, but they're invited to dance at the party. It's one thing if you just target numbers, but if you bring a diverse group of people together, how do you make sure that everybody feels included and that they can bring their best selves to work?

Where did DEI originate?

President Lyndon Johnson, in 1964, signs the Civil Rights Act. Behind him is Martin Luther King Jr. (Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

DEI was born in the 1960s during the civil rights movement, spurred by the introduction of equal opportunity laws, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and affirmative action.

A lot of early programs were focused mostly on thinking about diversity, Soule explained. How do we increase diversity, whether we're thinking about race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and so on? Coming out of the 1960s was this idea of affirmative action and attempts to issue some quotas at firms. That was kind of challenged in 1978 by the Bakke decision.

In that decision, the Supreme Court essentially upheld affirmative action but determined that racial quotas were unconstitutional.

During the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, according to the Greenlining Institute, tolerance, defined as restrained acceptance of the integration of workplaces, schools and communities, was the focal point around early initiatives. From the mid-1970s into the 1990s, this expanded to incorporate multiculturalism  recognizing, respecting and celebrating the achievements of various racial and ethnic minorities.

Whats the controversy behind DEI?

Students at New College in Sarasota, Fla., protest the appointment of a new member of the Board of Trustees by DeSantis on Jan. 31. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire)

In late January, DeSantis  a possible 2024 presidential contender who has a history of challenging educational institutes and who recently banned the College Boards Advanced Placement high school course in African American studies in Florida  announced a proposal to eliminate what he called ideological conformity.

His plan targets DEI programs in Floridas higher education system. DeSantis blamed the initiatives for draining resources and driving costs up. Under his proposal, there would be mandated courses in Western civilization and the protections of tenure would be limited.

The governors office, in a press release, called out DEI programs for being discriminatory and vowed to push back against the tactics of liberal elites who suppress free thought in the name of identity politics and indoctrination. He also voted to ban universities from funding the programs, even if the money isnt coming from the state.

Thats not what we believe is appropriate for the state of Florida, DeSantis said on Jan. 31 during an appearance at the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, one of Floridas publicly funded state and community colleges.

This idea of academic freedom and censorship versus DEI is really a misguided conversation, Soule said. I think this is a symptom of polarization. And whether we think about it as liberal [or] conservative, or this current debate on many college campuses about academic freedom versus DEI, this kind of absolutism and this polarization leads people to incredible intolerance.

During a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing last week, Greene, the Georgia Republican, claimed, erroneously, that the state of Illinois used $5.1 billion in COVID-19 federal relief funds to teach critical race theory (CRT) and push equity and diversity initiatives at the elementary school level.

In questioning Gene Dodaro, the comptroller general of the U.S. and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Greene asked him if federal funding had been used to fund abortion services or drag queen story hours for kids.

Conservatives and some liberals have also called out the evolution of terminology  shifting "Latino" to "Latinx," "homeless" to "houseless," "breastfeeding" to "chestfeeding," "women" to "bodies with vaginas"  calling it confusing, alienating and performative, rather than addressing the country's inequities. They argue that the ever-changing language used in some DEI spaces expands the divide between college-educated liberals and the 62% of Americans who dont hold a bachelors degree.

Rather than both sides kind of accepting that we are all kind of muddling through, there's this sort of throwing stones and saying, I'm sorry, you just used Latino and now you should be using Latinx, when, in fact, many Spanish-speaking people say, No, actually Latino is the generic gender version, Soule explained. It's easier for many people to just villainize somebody than it is to sit down, have a discussion [and] do the work of organizational and institutional change.

According to a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll, about 50% of Americans would allow DEI training rather than ban it (25%). Another 25% say they are not sure. The contrast is even wider when broken down by political party: About 75% of Democrats would allow it, versus only 33% of Republicans. About 44% of Republicans said they would ban DEI training, compared with 10% of Democrats.

I don't know where the harm is, Wade said. If you just look at the workforce, the growing number of women and underrepresented communities, whether they're African American and Latino, these are our workers of the future, as America has been changing demographically. This is about making sure that these individuals have the skills to compete for the jobs of the future. That points to the business case, the economic case, as to why this work is so important.

We're not taking from Peter to give to Jamal. This is about leveling the playing field so that everybody has a chance to succeed and to be competitive, not just in the workforce, but to live out their own individual American dream.

How DEI has evolved since its origins

Demonstrators near the White House on June 6, 2020, protest the death of George Floyd. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and the United States reckoning with racial injustice, major corporations and Big Tech established DEI programs to combat systemic racism.

Some companies have moved to change the makeup of their C-suites by hiring more diverse candidates to fill a void in their decision making. Other companies and government entities have poured money into DEI-driven initiatives, such as progressive movements and homeownership programs, or have donated to historically Black colleges and universities.

Since 2020 and the murder of George Floyd, certainly the awareness and the visibility of the work has been heightened, Wade said. But I would say also, with a number of major events across American history, all of them individually and collectively continue to raise the awareness of the challenges that exist [in] building a more equitable and inclusive America.

He added, Some 63% of S&P 500 companies have chief diversity officers or some type of diversity practitioner at a high level, and that's all happened within the last several years. So I think companies are demonstrating that this is a priority, by at least designating and naming and appointing executives within the company to lead this work.

According to a recent study by Revelio Labs, a company that analyzes workforce data, the top industries for DEI team growth are oil and gas, education program administration, business associations and professional organizations. But in the oil and gas industry the growth of DEI roles has stagnated, with no increase in the numbers of nonwhite males on staff in the last three years.

Additionally, the report found that DEI roles have had significantly higher attrition than non-DEI ones. At more than 600 U.S. companies that have laid off workers since late 2020, turnover rates for DEI roles have outpaced those of non-DEI roles and have accelerated in the last six months.

What I have seen happen, certainly at the university level, is that there's just a lot of people who are completely burned out, Soule lamented, some even kind of feeling disenchanted with the whole sort of movement, if you will.

One of my biggest worries about DEI efforts," she continued, "are both the backlash that we've talked about, but then this high level of burnout, too, because having both of those at the same time is really potentially very harmful to DEI efforts.

DEI experts warn companies, institutions and individuals against backsliding  retreating to established routines and relying on segregated personal networks  as a result of the backlash and burnout.

There is a moral case for this, that it's the right thing to do: to create environments where it reflects the diversity of America, where people have an equal shot to succeed, and people feel like they belong, Wade said. That just makes sense.
By Tom Perry and Timour Azhari

BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad is seeking political advantage from an earthquake that has devastated large parts of Syria and Turkey, pressing for foreign aid to be delivered through his territory as he aims to chip away at his international isolation, analysts say.

Amid an outpouring of sympathy for the Syrians hit by the earthquake, Damascus has seized the moment to reiterate its long-standing demand for aid to be coordinated with his government, shunned by the West since Syria's war began in 2011.

Western powers have shown no sign they are ready to meet that demand or re-engage with Assad, but his hand has been strengthened by difficulties facing cross-border aid flows into Syria's rebel-held northwest from Turkey.

The aid flows, critical to 4 million people in the area, have been temporarily halted since the earthquake, although a U.N. official expressed hope they could resume on Thursday. Damascus has long said aid to the rebel enclave in the north should go via Syria not across the Turkish border.

"Clearly there is some kind of opportunity in this crisis for Assad, for him to show 'you need to work with me or through me'," said Aron Lund, a Syria expert at the Century Foundation.

"If he is smart he would facilitate aid to areas outside his control and get a chance to look like a responsible actor, but the regime is very stubborn."

The West has long shunned Assad, citing his government's brutality during more than 11 years of civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, uprooted more than half the population, and forced millions abroad as refugees.

But the frontlines have been frozen for years and Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, controls the biggest part of the fractured country.

The U.S. State Department has shot down the suggestion that the earthquake could be an opportunity for Washington to reach out to Damascus, saying it will still provide aid to Syrians in government-held areas via NGOs on the ground not the government.

Story continues

"It would be quite ironic, if not even counterproductive, for us to reach out to a government that has brutalised its people over the course of a dozen years now  gassing them, slaughtering them, being responsible for much of the suffering that they have endured," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told a briefing this week.

Still, the leaders of some U.S.-aligned Arab states have been in touch with Assad since the disaster, including Jordan's king and the presidents of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

Jordan and the UAE, which once backed Syria's opposition but have normalised ties with Assad in recent years, have sent aid to Damascus, Syrian state media has reported.

Government-held areas have been hit hard by the earthquake. The overall death toll reported so far from Syria - around 2,500 - is equally split between government- and rebel-held areas.

Key ally Russia has provided support, sending rescue teams and deploying forces already in Syria to join relief work.

Russia, locked in a conflict in Ukraine and under U.S. sanctions, was fast to help Syria. Moscow regards its alliance with Damascus as a bargaining chip with the West.

WRANGLE OVER RESOURCES

Moscow has long argued that delivering aid to northwest Syria from Turkey violates Syrian sovereignty. Extending the mandate for that aid operation has prompted diplomatic wrangling between Russia and Western powers at the Security Council.

Syrians in the enclave worry Damascus would choke off aid if the Turkish route was shut and the government controlled flows.

Aid agencies, meanwhile, have been exploring ways to keep help flowing to the area, including via government-held areas.

"The U.N. and partners will continue to seek ways to expand points of access and ensure that help reaches the most vulnerable," El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the top U.N. humanitarian official for Syria, said. "Ensuring that aid reaches those who need it most will require political will from all actors."

Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh asked U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for help in a meeting on Monday. But he said aid flows must be coordinated with the government and delivered through Syria not across the Turkish border.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said this week the government was ready "to allow aid to enter all regions as long as it does not reach the armed terrorist groups", referring to rebels.

Mekdad told Arabic broadcaster al-Mayadeen that sanctions were "increasing the difficulty of the catastrophe".

The Damascus-based Syrian Red Crescent called for lifting of sanctions, which Syria's government has long blamed for mounting economic hardship. Washington tightened sanctions in 2020.

Western states say they aim to put pressure on Assad to end repression and negotiate a political settlement. The United States says the sanctions do not target humanitarian aid.

Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said Damascus was trying to leverage aid "to legitimise the regime".

"There is an outpouring of compassion by all Arabs and the world at large for the Syrians who have suffered so much. Assad will try to exploit this."

(Reporting by Tom Perry and Timour Azhari in Beirut; Maya Gebeilly in Turkey; Michelle Nichols in New York and Simon Lewis in Washington; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Another Charlotte-area Bed, Bath & Beyond store will be closing as the home goods retailer shutters another 150 stores nationwide.

Bed, Bath & Beyond will close the Franklin Square store in Gastonia at 401 Cox Road, according to a company closing list updated Tuesday.

Another local store, The Arboretum at 3413 Pineville-Matthews Road in south Charlotte, also has permanently closed. when? link? It was in the first round of 150 store closings announced in September.

Four other North Carolina stores also will be closing: 1835 Catawba Valley Blvd. S.E., Hickory; 521 Strickland Road, Raleigh; 3160 Evans St., Greenville; and 1463 University Drive, Burlington.

The incremental store closures nationwide are part of the New Jersey-based home goods retail chains turnaround strategy to stave off bankruptcy.

Bed Bath & Beyond will ultimately slice in half the number of stores it had a year ago to 360 stores and 120 buybuyBaby stores nationwide, the company said Tuesday. As of May, the company had 955 stores, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

Its unclear when the Gastonia store will close. Bed, Bath & Beyond officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Retailer struggles

Also on Tuesday, Bed, Bath & Beyond said it raised over $1 billion through an offering of preferred stock and warrants to repay outstanding loans, according to a news release. The retailer had said it had defaulted on a loan and may not be able to remain in business, raising concerns about its future.

The companys strategy for turnaround includes streamlining supply chain, technology, expense structure, and business processes.

Bed Bath & Beyond has struggled with declining sales. Net sales fell 33% to $1.3 billion compared to a year ago during third-quarter ending in Nov. 26, the company reported last month.

Bed, Bath & Beyond stores around Charlotte

There are 21 Bed, Bath & Beyond stores in North Carolina, according to the company website.

Along with Arboretum and Gastonia, other locations in the Charlotte region are: 9559 South Blvd., Charlotte; 10530 Northeast Parkway, Matthews; and 627 River Hwy., Mooresville. in 2020, Bed Bath & Beyond closed a store Concord Mills mall.

The company has about 34,000 employees, according to a 2021 company report.
Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), Saudi Arabia to establish a Data & AI and a Cloud Center of Excellence (CoE) in Riyadh.

The CoE will combine academic and socio-economic goals to build national hi-tech talent capacity, create high quality jobs, promote digital innovation and upscale small & medium enterprises, said Tech Mahindra.

The MoU was signed between Ibrahem N Al-Nasser, Deputy Minister for Technology of MCIT, and Ram Ramachandran, Head -Middle East & Africa, Tech Mahindra, in the presence CP Gurnani, MD and CEO, Tech Mahindra.

The MoU signing was also attended by Saudi government officials and top management team of Tech Mahindra. Data & AI and Cloud CoE by Tech Mahindra will enable accelerated and sustainable adoption of Data Analytics & Ethical AI. It will further drive cloud-enabled transformation across industries to develop local assets, Intellectual Property (IP) and promote a cognitive approach across smart services to contribute to Saudi Vision 2030's digital-led transformation objectives, said a staement.

Haitham AlOhali, Vice Minister at MCIT, Saudi Arabia, said: "Adoption of Cloud, Data and AI will play a major role in Saudi Arabia IT and Digital Growth. We are very pleased to announce this initiative with a digital leader Tech Mahindra, which will bring global expertise and assets to Saudi Arabia and enable talent and IP creation over the next years.

Gurnani said: The world of Data & AI and Cloud is rapidly changing with the shifting priorities of public and private sectors globally and locally in Saudi Arabia. Some levers of this change in priorities include building new IPs and assets, bringing innovation and more importantly training & upskilling local talent. Our partnership with MCIT to establish the CoE will help in addressing the fast-changing digital transformation need of Saudi Arabia. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, we look forward to partnering with MCIT and local Universities to create an ecosystem that is diverse and digital first.

Tech Mahindra will host design thinking workshops, hackathons around Data & AI and Cloud to nurture innovation and accelerate the kingdoms transformation to a digital economy. The partnership will provide training and development for 2500 Saudi nationals by providing project deployment programs that enhance skills and develop careers in Data & AI and Cloud.

This partnership is in line with Tech Mahindras DigitALL philosophy for comprehensive Business Transformation. As part of NXT.NOW framework, which aims to enhance Human Centric Experience, Tech Mahindra focuses on investing in emerging technologies and solutions that enable digital transformation and meet the evolving needs of its customers, it said. - TradeArabia News Service
Hnuchee Vang, director of policy and advocacy for the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, and hate crimes bill sponsor, state Rep. Samantha Vang.

An increase in verbal and physical attacks on Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic has helped push forward legislation designed to fix a loophole in Minnesotas hate crime law.

Updating the way Minnesota responds to hate crimes has been a goal of a community coalition and DFL lawmakers for three years. Doing so this session could be another result of the trifecta that emerged from the 2022 election.

The changes would provide a way to measure the prevalence of bias incidents that either arent reported as crimes or fall short of the legal definitions. Driven in the past by Rep. Frank Hornstein, a Minneapolis DFLer who is Jewish, the hate crimes bill is now sponsored by Rep. Samantha Vang, a Hmong-American DFL lawmaker from Brooklyn Center.

As an Asian-American woman, this is also personal, Vang said. During the pandemic, with the rhetoric being used to blame Asian Americans for the coronavirus, not just me but the Asian American community felt unsafe for the first time in a long time.

During the pandemic weve seen online and offline videos of violence and harassment and abuse against Asian Americans. The community is asking me what can I do. But the state right now doesnt have the infrastructure to report what is actually happening on the ground to our communities.

That is the new initiative in House File 181. Separate from the reporting of hate crimes to the police  reports that are collected and reported annually by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension  the bill sets up a system to report incidents that fall short of criminal acts or are not reported because the victim chooses not to. People could report events to community groups that might be more trusted. And those reports could be gathered to provide a fuller idea of what is happening on the ground.

Rebecca Lucero, commissioner of the state Department of Human Rights, told the House Public Safety Committee last week she supports expanded options for people who face slurs or verbal attacks to report them. She said her office and state lawmakers would then have a better idea of the volume of such incidents.

Story continues

Using the data collected can help you and community groups inform next steps  education, outreach or some other decisions you decide to make, Lucero told House members last month. Neither the human rights law or the hate crimes provisions apply, for example, to slurs shouted at a person because of their race, she said.

How often does it happen? Lucero said reports are anecdotal and some incidents arent reported to anyone.

But for many incidents that occur that may not be criminal, there is no coordinated, consistent tracking, reporting, analysis and recommendations for next steps. Lucero said. Even if it is a crime, the police are not getting called, there will not be an investigation or a citation, so it will never be documented or tracked. No one will ever know about it except that person and community members who feel the residual effect."

Under the Vang bill, Luceros department would be charged with soliciting information from school districts, charter schools, community organizations and individuals and compile them into an annual report. A House staff summary of the bill is here.

While reporting to organizations that advocate for Asian American, Black, Jewish or Muslim groups wouldnt necessarily lead to a crime report, it would help capture the actual prevalence of incidents, Beth Gendler, executive director of Jewish Community Action, told the committee. She is part of a coalition that has been working to update the bias laws. Police agencies and advocates estimate that two-thirds of crimes covered under bias statutes are never reported to police.

Reported incidents rise

Hnuchee Vang, director of policy and advocacy for the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, said the Hmong community experienced an increase in slurs and attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. She described one person receiving a note on their home with a racial slur and telling them to take their virus back to China.

She said incidents are underestimated because they fear retaliation or worry about rocking the boat if they speak up.

The most-recent state crime report by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension came out last August and covered 2021. It found that crimes covered by the hate crimes law rose with 238 reported incidents. Those incidents involved 271 victims and 181 offenders. The total reported in 2019 was 146

Of those 238 incidents in 2021, 40.3% were motivated by anti-Black or African American bias, the BCA reported, 10.5% were anti-gay, 8.8 percent were anti-white and 8.4% were anti-Jewish. The 16 reported incidents aimed at Asian Americans were 7% of the total. In 2019, there was one incident motivated by bias against Asian Americans.

The other sections of the bill take on segments of the current law that have been considered vague or incomplete. Currently, a list of criminal offenses can be subject to enhanced penalties if they can be proven to be motivated by hate against particular groups. Covered now are crimes motivated due to a persons actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin. Police agencies collect information on those incidents for the BCA and the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, often referred to as the POST Board, oversees training to help police officers recognize crimes motivated by bias.

HF 181 expands the categories of crimes motivated by bias to include gender, gender identity or gender expression as well as crimes against people who associate with someone in a protected group.

The bill also attempts to close a loophole in how the law treats property crimes meant to intimidate or harm protected individuals or groups. In 2019, someone spray-painted threatening and antisemitic messages on a south Minneapolis public school just five blocks from Hornsteins home. Included was a swastika and a slur against Jews. But because the vandalism wasnt to property owned by someone covered by the hate crimes law, it is unclear if the law applies. That is, graffiti on a synagogue would fall under the law, but the same messages on a building across the street might not. And public buildings, such as the Minneapolis school where the antisemitic message appeared, also might not be covered.

The bill adds language that vandalism motivated in whole or in part by an intent to intimidate or harm any individual or group of individuals is now subject to enhanced penalties. That is meant to cover not only the school vandalism in 2019 but vandalism on property that is rented or used by a targeted person or group but not owned by them.

Data collection vs. speech and association

There were concerns raised about the bill from both the political left and political right. Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, said he opposed the new reporting mechanism for incidents that arent crimes.

I am deeply concerned about the implications of this bill, Hudson said. Were going to create a database of incidents that have no objective standard determining whether or not they violated the law, whether or not they had anything distinct from normal speech, an incident of bias.

Hudson said someone could post on social media a Bible verse that defined marriage as being between one man and one woman or opposed certain sexual proclivities. Would that be an incident reportable under the bill? he asked.

Lucero said the section Hudson was citing is not about crimes and carries no penalties or investigation. The current human rights law does allow reporting to her office of allegations of discrimination and bias under that law. They are investigated and can lead to civil penalties.

The new reporting section is separate from that and leads to data collection about the prevalence of bias incidents.

Section 1 is about whats going on here? she said. Section 1 is not about crimes.

The committee also received a letter from the ACLU of Minnesota that raised questions similar to those raised by Hudson.

We are also cognizant of the fact that bias, bias-motivated violence, and individual and community identities may be perceived as associations with certain groups, wrote ACLU policy director Julia Decker. However, the expansive provisions in HF181 introduce the prospect that speech and/or associations unrelated to a particular action may be inappropriately used to infer biased motivation. While an individuals words or associations may be repugnant to some, if they are not directly connected to a specific action, using them to impose criminal penalties does raise constitutional concerns.

In an interview, Vang said she thinks both criticisms are not on point because the bill doesnt expand the current hate crimes law and contains no new crimes or criminal penalties. The criticisms seem aimed at the community reporting section of the bill that does not include any criminal sanctions.

She said she is working with Lucero and others to fine tune the bill, which remained in the Public Safety Committee. Its next stop will be the House Judiciary and Civil Law Committee.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Anti-Asian bias spurs effort to update Minnesotas hate crime law
Democratic US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised Twitter for its refusal to permanently suspend an influential account linked to anti-LGBT+ smears and threats of violence, including bomb threats at childrens hospitals.

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on 8 February, the New York congresswoman questioned former executives at the social media platform why Libs of TikTok was allowed to falsely suggest that Boston Childrens Hospital was performing hysterectomies on transgender children, claims that allegedly fuelled threats and harassment towards the hospital and its staff.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez asked Twitters former head of safety Yoel Roth why the account was not suspended despite inspiring a bomb threat due to the right-wing incitement of violence against trans Americans. Mr Roth said that regrettably the account remained active.

The hospital has faced dozens of hoax threats, including harassing phone calls and emails, individual death threats and threats of mass casualty attacks, according to federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials.

Childrens National Hospital in Washington DC has also been the target of an online harassment campaign over its gender-affirming care services. Violent posts on far-right message boards and on mainstream social media platforms have also accelerated calls for doctors to be imprisoned or killed.

Despite attempts to debunk statements and articles shared by influential far-right accounts, which have also fuelled groomer attacks used to falsely smear LGBT+ people and advocates as pedophiles, the claims have persisted across social media.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez accused Republican lawmakers of trying to co-opt the social media platform while leveraging the power of the committee to advance its agenda.

Right-wing officials and personalities cannot let go of this obsession  with inciting violence against trans people, she said.

This is the party that cant pick on anyone their own size, she added. They are trying to co-opt an entire social media platform and use the power of this committee and of Congress to pursue a political agenda.

Story continues

.@RepAOC @AOC: "It's an abuse of public resources...We could be talking about health care...We could be talking abortion rights, civil rights, voting rights, but instead we're talking about Hunter Biden's half fake laptop story. I mean this is an embarrassment." pic.twitter.com/IrgYvhb5n1  CSPAN (@cspan) February 8, 2023

Following the congresswomans remarks, the Libs of TikTok account shared a series of posts mocking Ms Ocasio-Cortez and suggested that her remarks constitute defamation.

The committee was convened by Republican lawmakers in an attempt to grill former Twitter executives about the companys 2020 decisions to prevent users from sharing a controversial story about Joe Bidens son Hunter published in The New York Post  including explicit photos of Hunter, allegedly obtained from a laptop that belonged to him.

The hearing sought to expose what GOP officials and right-wing personalities have characterised as Silicon Valleys campaign of censorship against conservative voices.

But former executives testified that Twitter changed its policies to do the opposite. Anika Collier Navaroli told the panel that the company changed a user policy to accommodate former president Donald Trump in 2019 after he said four congresswomen should go back to the crime infested places from which they came.

Former Twitter Employee Anika Collier Navaroli: "Twitter's leadership bent and broke their own rules in order to protect some of the most dangerous speech on the platform. I'm going to talk a little bit about what happened in the months leading up to January 6th." pic.twitter.com/rMMQIxsIAv  CSPAN (@cspan) February 8, 2023

Ms Collier Navaroli said that she recommended that Twitter apply a label to his post, which was rejected, she testified to the panel during questioning from Ms Ocasio-Cortez.

She also testified that the Trump White House contacted Twitter to remove a post from Chrissy Teigen, who mocked then-President Trump in a tweet calling him a p**** a** b****. Twitter ultimately decided against removing it, but Democratic lawmakers on the panel pointed to the incident  which had not been previously reported  as evidence of GOP hypocrisy when it comes to allegations of censorship.

Twitters leadership bent and broke their own rules in order to protect some of the most dangerous speech on the platform, she said, pointing to rhetoric across Twitter including from Mr Trump in the months leading up to the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez said the hearing is an abuse of public resources.

We could be talking about healthcare  We could be talking abortion rights, civil rights, voting rights, but instead were talking about Hunter Bidens half-fake laptop story, she said. I mean, this is an embarrassment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy has promised that cuts to Medicare and Social Security won't be part of a debt limit deal.

AOC told The Independent she's concerned they might still be cut given lack of details on GOP spending cuts.

During the State of the Union address, Republicans heckled Biden for saying they want to cut the programs.

AOC is worried that GOP promises to leave Medicare and Social Security alone might not hold up.

As debt limit negotiations have been heating up, Republican lawmakers have expressed their intent to use raising the debt limit  and keeping the US on top of paying its bills  as leverage to achieve their own priorities, particularly spending cuts.

And while some Republicans previously expressed a desire to cut Medicare and Social Security, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy made clear last month that cuts to those programs are "off the table." Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however, isn't convinced.

"Kevin McCarthy says a lot of things, but the math does not add up in what he's talking about," Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent.

"He cannot both say, we're going to balance the budget, we're not going to touch any of the Trump tax cuts, and we're also not going to cut any critical services," she continued. "The math does not work in Kevin McCarthy's favor."

The day before Biden's State of the Union, McCarthy delivered remarks of his own on negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, reiterating that "cuts to to Medicare and Social Security are off the table" and saying that "it's time for Washington to change its behavior and act like adults."

"First, we will continue to sit down and negotiate  just as President Biden did in the past," McCarthy said. "Second, we must commit to finding common ground on a responsible debt limit increase. Finding compromise is exactly how governing in America is supposed to work  and exactly what the American people voted for just three months ago."

Still, McCarthy did not specify what exactly he wants to cut, raising questions on the GOP's plans to reach a debt limit deal. Social Security and Medicare also took a spotlight during the State of the Union  when Biden made a remark accusing Republicans of wanting to cut the two programs, he was heckled by some lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who repeatedly called him a "liar."

Story continues

But Biden went back and forth with Republicans in real time during his speech, saying "Social Security and its bookend, Medicare, are off the books now, right?" And when both parties applauded leaving cuts to the programs off the table, Biden declared, "We have unanimity!"

Some Republicans are not quite ready to take Medicare and Social Security out of the conversation. They've introduced legislation that would create commissions to consider the solvency of Social Security and Medicare as part of a debt limit deal, and GOP Rep. Kevin Hern told Bloomberg he "wouldn't think it'd be off the table."

But the White House slammed that idea, with spokesperson Andrew Bates telling Bloomberg after it was reported that "the American people want more jobs and lower costs, not a death panel for Medicare and Social Security."

"Meanwhile, they're voting to worsen the deficit with tax welfare for the rich and big corporations," Bates said. "Think about that: they're targeting the Medicare and Social Security benefits that middle class families pay in to earn their whole lives, then turning around and giving tax handouts to big corporations."

Read the original article on Business Insider
REUTERS/Chris Berry

A federal appeals court said on Wednesday that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison can pursue his investigation into Republican online fundraising giant WinRed over an allegedly deceptive marketing scheme that bilked unwitting donors out of untold amounts of cash.

In the ruling, the Eighth Circuit of Appeals rejected WinReds argument that federal campaign finance laws preempt state attorneys general from enforcing state-level consumer protection laws, writing that WinRed errs from the start and Minnesotas deceptive-practices prohibition applies to WinRed and General Ellison can investigate whether WinRed violated it.

The court also noted that the Federal Election Commission itself had previously acknowledged that issues regarding recurring donation disclaimers were outside its jurisdiction, and had asked Congress to amend election law to, for the first time, create specific requirements regarding donor consent.

The Republican Partys Big New Online Donor Portal Is Off to a Bumpy Start

Ellison opened his investigation alongside several other states following a 2021 New York Times report that WinRed and its Democratic counterpart, ActBluethough primarily WinRed and Donald Trumps fundraising apparatushad steered donors into unwitting contributions, in some cases leading donors, including elderly supporters, to overdraft their accounts. Currently, Minnesota and Connecticut are pursuing investigations into WinRed.

However, the ruling offered WinRed a glimmer of hope. The court said the platform may not be without recourse in state court, which can restrict overbroad investigations. One judge wrote separately that Ellison has requested an extraordinary amount of sensitive information from a political organization, some of which has a tenuous relationship, at best, with the AGs investigation.

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 North Texas man has been arrested after he was accused of assaulting an officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to the United States Attorneys Office.

Jason Farris, 44, of Arlington, was arrested Wednesday on felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; obstructing, impeding, or interfering with officers during a civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; and physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.

His 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, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia said in a news release.

Farris was expected to make his initial court appearance Wednesday in the Northern District of Texas.

Farris was at the front of a mob on Jan. 6, 2021, on the north side of the Lower West Plaza of the Capitol, a location that was restricted from lawful public access, according to court documents.

Police had set up metal bicycle racks as a barricade to prevent rioters from advancing further into the Capitol.

Farris hit the baton held by of one of the officers with his hand and cursed at police, according to court documents.

Other rioters grabbed one of the bicycle racks and tried to pull it away from police moments after Farris approached one of the officers, authorities said. Several officers held onto the bicycle rack.

Farris approached a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was holding onto the bicycle rack and shoved the officer in the back with both hands, knocking him to the ground, the court documents state. After Farris shoved the officer to the ground, other rioters pulled the bicycle rack away from the police and dragged it into the crowd, the release said.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas.

The case is also being investigated by the FBIs Dallas Field Office and the FBIs Washington Field Office, with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

More than 985 people have been arrested for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including approximately 319 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers attend a gala together in November 2019. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for GO Campaign

Armie Hammer's ex Elizabeth Chambers told Elle magazine she was blindsided by accusations against him.

"I was learning things as the public was," Chambers told the magazine.

Chambers listened to the "horrible, deep, dark details" from some accusers, her sister added.

Elizabeth Chambers, Armie Hammer's estranged wife, spoke to multiple women who accused her husband of emotional and physical abuse, and she listened to all of the 'horrible, deep, dark details," her sister told Elle magazine.

When the accusations against the disgraced actor first became public, Chambers was blindsided, according to Elle.

"I was learning things as the public was," Chambers said to Elle. "I was like, 'There are no words. What the fuck?'"

Allegations against Armie Hammer, the actor known for The Social Network and Call Me By Your Name, first surfaced in January 2021 when an anonymous Instagram account posted DM exchanges purportedly from the actor.

In the messages  which weren't verified  a user whom the accuser said was Hammer called himself "100 percent a cannibal" and detailed sexual fantasies about drinking blood and cutting off someone's toe.

In addition to the DM scandal, Hammer has also been accused of raping a woman in 2017. Hammer has repeatedly denied the claims.

Elizabeth Chambers' sister Catherine told Elle that, in the midst of the media frenzy around the accusations, Chambers was flooded with DMs from Hammer's accusers.

Catherine told Elle that even though "it was all still so new to her," Chambers supported the women who were coming forward to her about her former husband. At that point, Chambers had already filed for divorce from Hammer the previous year. The divorce has yet to be finalized.

"Elizabeth chose to be there for them rather than for herself first. She listened to horrible, deep, dark details regardless of what it meant for her own life," Catherine said to Elle about her sister.

And while Chambers supported those women, she was also coming to terms with the accusations herself, according to Elle.

Story continues

But, Chambers also told Elle that she supports "Armie through his journey" and "always will."

Hammer has not been formally charged with any crimes in connection to the alleged abuse. The Los Angeles Police Department is still investigating.

Read the original article on Insider
This cabin was reported stolen from a Kalkaska County property sometime in late November or early December 2021.

KALKASKA COUNTY  Michigan State Police announced they have made an arrest in the curious case of a cabin that was stolen from County Road 571 in Northern Michigan's Cold Springs Township.

This type of theft was a first for state and local law enforcement who were tasked with finding the missing structure.

"We've had people steal things from inside a building, but we've never had anyone steal an entire building," said Michigan State Police Public Information Officer Lieutenant Derrick Carroll.

Subscribe:For the latest in local news

According to the owner, the theft of the 12x28 cabin occurred sometime between Nov. 18, 2021 and Dec. 16, 2021.

The Kalkaska-area cabin owner realized the theft just before Christmas of 2021 when they arrived on their property only to discover the building was completely gone.

On Feb. 16, 2022, the state police requested help from the public in investigating the theft.

The subsequent hunt sent troopers across the state, as they followed up on multiple tips from people of various cabins that matched the one in the original photo. Several search warrants were executed on cellular devices and many interviews followed, according to a release from Lt. Carroll.

Finally, 43-year-old Jeremy James Knoll from Kalkaska became a suspect when the cabin was located on his property during the execution of a search warrant. Knoll had attempted to conceal the cabin by erecting "large pieces of sheet metal around it as well as altering its appearance," according to the state police.

Troopers were ultimately able to make a positive identification by matching the serial numbers from inside the stolen structure.

An arrest warrant for Knoll was authorized on Dec. 27, 2022, and he was arrested on Jan. 1, 2023 and then lodged in Kalkaska County Jail. However, according to Lt. Carroll, Knoll may have not acted alone. The investigation continues and there may be more arrests to come.

Knoll was arraigned in the 87-B District Court in Kalkaska County for one count of receiving and concealing stolen property $1,000 - $20,000. He was given a $20,000 10 percent bond. His next scheduled court appearance is on Feb. 27.

Story continues

The Michigan State Police would like to thank the public for their assistance in this case, Carroll said.

 Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Arrest made in curious case of the missing cabin in Kalkaska County
Zain KSA has teamed up with Amazon Web Service (AWS) to offer its enterprise customers state-of-the-art cloud services and smart solutions powered by Zain KSA 5G network and AWS through its high-performance cloud platforms.

Zain KSA and AWS have successfully completed a trial of 5G private network marking a major milestone in the deployment of cloud-native infrastructure for enterprise customers across the kingdom.

The announcement was made during Zain KSAs participation at LEAP2023, the second edition of the global tech event held from February 6 to 9 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Convention Centre under the theme Into New Worlds.

New tools

Through this partnership, Zain KSA will be able to tap into the power of AWS cloud-native infrastructure to develop new tools and services that can improve 5G network performance, and security; support the deployment of new applications for enterprise customers.

Commenting on the partnership, Chief Technology Officer at Zain KSA, Eng. Abdulrahman AlMufadda, stated: Zain KSA and AWS share a roadmap with a plan to form a strategic partnership that aims to deliver innovative solutions that will drive growth and innovation in the industry, particularly in cloud computing. Our goal at Zain KSA is to bring to market a more reliable and secure enterprise networking solution that can help businesses to operate more efficiently and effectively while also driving the digital transformation journey, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. We believe that this partnership will provide a platform for other companies to benefit from the technology, and we are excited to see the impact that our cloud-native solutions will have on the future of enterprise productivity in the Kingdom.

Joining LEAP for the second year in a row, under the theme Tech for Sustainability, Zain KSA supports the efforts of the events organisers, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP). Additionally, Zain KSA remains committed to supporting local content and emerging projects in the Saudi ICT sector.-- TradeArabia News Service
Kevin Reddington represents Lindsay Clancy at her arraignment on murder charges Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

PLYMOUTH  From the girlfriend of mobster James Whitey Bulger to Boston Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn, the lawyer hired to represent the Duxbury mother charged in the deaths of her three children has a long list of high-profile clients spanning several decades.

Brockton-based lawyer Kevin Reddington, called the the affable Reddington by Boston Magazine, was named by the publication in 2002 as the best criminal defense attorney in the state. The 71-year-old is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honor reserved for only one quarter of 1% of the trial lawyers in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.

'We're not immune': Cohasset police chief on Ana Walshe, media frenzy and small-town policing

'She was just a kid': Family remembers victim after death of Cohasset 'Red Rose' murderer

Reddington is known for his collection of tattoos, including one on his shoulder in Latin reading Never represent an informant. Another, on the other shoulder, says Molon labe, or Come and take them, the ancient Greek equivalent of Bring it on. In his office, he has framed newspaper accounts of his trials and shelves holding skulls, swords and daggers. He holds on to evidence after acquittals, including brass knuckles and a Luger pistol.

Reddington has represented many high-profile clients, including Vaughn, who was acquitted of drunken driving in 1998; Michael McDermott, who was found guilty of gunning down seven co-workers at a software company in Wakefield in 2000; and Therese Rogers, a Bridgewater woman accused of murdering her boyfriend by plunging knives into his eyes while he slept. Reddington won that case in 1989 by convincing jurors that Rogers had been abused by Quinn for years, leading to a form of temporary insanity known as battered womans syndrome.

Reddington has also represented a number of notable defendants from the South Shore over the years.

Lindsay Clancy

First responders discovered Lindsay and Patrick Clancys three children unconscious inside the couple's home with obvious signs of trauma on Jan. 24. Two of the children, 5-year-old Cora Clancy and 3-year-old Dawson Clancy, were pronounced dead at the hospital. The third child, an 8-month-old boy named Callan, was flown to Boston Children's Hospital with traumatic injuries. He died Jan. 27.

Story continues

Lindsay Clancy has been charged with murder and was arraigned in Plymouth District Court on Tuesday. Police say she tried to kill herself after strangling the children.

Prosecutor: Lindsay Clancy 'created the situation' to kill her 3 children

More: Deaths of Duxbury children push postpartum depression and mental health to forefront

At the hearing, Reddington said Clancy was overmedicated for postpartum mental health issues when she strangled her children. He said she's just the latest example of a health care system that often fails women and those with mental illness. He said Clancy was under the care of medical professionals who prescribed her a cocktail of medications that harmed her mental well-being.

Reddington successfully argued against bail for his client Tuesday. Clancy will remain in a Boston hospital, where she is being treated for back injuries Reddington says have left her paralyzed. If she recovers, she'll be on house arrest.

Kevin Reddington talks to the media after representing Lindsay Clancy at her arraignment on murder charges Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

Catherine Greig

In 2012, Reddington represented former Quincy resident Catherine Greig, the girlfriend of notorious mob boss James Whitey Bulger.

Greig fled Boston with Bulger in January 1995, when he was indicted on dozens of racketeering charges. They were arrested in June 2011 in Santa Monica, California.

She pleaded guilty to three counts from her 16 years on the run: conspiracy to harbor Bulger as a fugitive, conspiracy to commit identity theft and identity theft. She was sentenced to eight years in prison and has since completed her sentence.

In this courtroom sketch, Catherine Greig, center, the longtime girlfriend of the late mob boss Whitey Bulger, is depicted with her lawyer Kevin Reddington, left, before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler, right, during a hearing Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in federal court in Boston.

Matthew Potter

In 2021, Reddington represented Matthew Potter, of Weymouth, who was charged with manslaughter in the death of Quincy native Chris McCallum and three other assault charges stemming from a night out at the Nickerson American Legion Post in Squantum.

Prosecutors said Potter punched McCallum in a brawl outside the bar, causing him to fall and hit his head, leading to his death.

Potter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault. Potter was sentenced to between three and four years in state prison.

Special prosecutor Daniel Bennett, left, and defense attorney Kevin Reddington go over evidence before jury selection in the trial of Matthew Potter in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Potter is charged with manslaughter in the death of Chris McCallum during a fight at a Squantum club in 2019.

Zhan Ting "Andy" Huang

Reddington represented Zhan Ting Andy Huang, one of two brothers charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of an Iraqi immigrant and his two young children in Quincy.

The brothers were charged in the deaths of Oudah Frawi, his 2-month-old son, Hassan, and his 1-year-old son, Ali, who died in a March 2009 fire at 100 Robertson St., which was owned by the Huang brothers. Frawis wife survived the fire.

The family lived in a cramped basement in a building that lacked proper exits. The building was also cited for having two illegal units, no central fire alarm system and no working smoke detectors.

Andy Huang was sentenced to three years in prison and Jason Huang was sentenced to two to three years in prison. Besides the manslaughter charges, they were convicted of wanton or reckless violation of the state building or fire code, and Andy Huang was additionally convicted of perjury.

Defense lawyer Kevin Reddington, left, and Norfolk County prosecutor Lynn Beland state their cases at the Dedham Superior Court trial of brothers Andy and Jason Huang on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. The brothers were charged after a man and his two infant sons died in a fire on Robertson Street in Quincy.

Jack Callahan

Reddington is representing a Duxbury man who is facing a murder charge in the death of his father at Island Creek Pond, in which prosecutors said the man dunked his father's head underwater in a type of baptism and exorcism.

Callahan was 19 in 2021 when he was charged with killing his father, 57-year-old Scott Callahan.

Prosecutors said at his arraignment that Jack Callahan told police that he dunked his father's head underwater four to eight times and believed he was baptizing him. The prosecutor said the then-teenager told police that he believed his father was possessed by a spirit and he had to exorcise his demons.

Katherine Dickson

Reddington represented Katherine Dickson, who in 1992 robbed and killed Eero Helin, 72, and Lillian Helin, 65, for drug money in their Pembroke home.

She was also charged in the nonfatal shooting of another man, Mark Walther, six weeks after she killed the couple.

Dickson pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Dickson can request parole again in 2024.

Katherine Dickson stands with her attorney, Kevin Reddington, in Brockton Superior Court on Sept. 1, 1994, as she pleads guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the 1992 deaths of a Pembroke couple.

Reynold Buono

Reddington represented a retired drama instructor and former Milton Academy teacher accused of sexually assaulting boys in two states.

Reynold Buono was extradited to the United States from Thailand in 2017 after a district attorney and Milton police investigated allegations by a former student at Milton Academy in the early 1980s.

Buono changed his plea to guilty in September 2022 when faced with two counts of rape of a child with force. He will spend five years on probation; submit a DNA sample; have no contact with victims; have to register as a sex offender; wear a GPS monitor; not go to Milton or Rockingham County, New Hampshire; undergo sex offender treatment; and comply with other conditions.

Reynold Buono in Norfolk County Superior Court.

Material from The Enterprise of Brockton was used in this report.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Kevin Reddington has defended many high-profile cases
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Australian government on Thursday said it had acknowledged the decision by international prosecutors to suspend their investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine in 2014.

MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK missile system as it flew over eastern Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch citizens and 38 Australian citizens or residents.

"Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine and its lack of cooperation with the investigation have rendered ongoing investigative efforts and the collection of evidence impossible at this time," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.

"Today's announcement will be distressing for many," Wong said, adding Australia remained committed to pursue its ongoing case with the Netherlands in the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Australia and the Netherlands have said they hold Russia responsible for MH17's downing.

International prosecutors on Wednesday said they had found "strong indications" Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the use in Ukraine of a Russian missile system which shot down MH17.

However, evidence of Putin's and other Russian officials' involvement was not conclusive enough to lead to a criminal conviction, they said, ending their probe for now.

In November, a Dutch court convicted two former Russian intelligence agents and a Ukrainian separatist leader in absentia of murder for their role in the shooting down of MH17, and handed them life sentences.

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
Australia's Great Barrier Reef Ayanadak123 via Wikipedia

Australian environment minister Tanya Plibersek has blocked a proposed open-pit coal mine just six miles from the Great Barrier Reef, raising hopes among advocates that she will block other potentially destructive projects.

I have decided not to approve the Central Queensland Coal Project because the risks to the Great Barrier Reef, freshwater creeks, and groundwater are too great, Plibersek said. Freshwater creeks run into the Great Barrier Reef and onto seagrass meadows that feed dugongs and provide breeding grounds for fish.

Plibersek is the first environment minister to use her powers under Australias Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to block a coal mine, The Financial Review reports. The environment ministry is reviewing 18 other coal and gas projects.

The Central Queensland Coal Project would have consisted of two large open pits yielding up to 10 million metric tons of coal a year for 20 years or more. Environmentalists cheered its rejection.

This is a victory for the Reef, for tourism, for communities that depend on the Reef for their livelihoods, and for all those who cherish this natural wonder, Coral Rowston, of Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland, said in a statement. If the Central Queensland Coal Project had been in operation last month when we were in flood, it would have pumped millions of liters of toxic wastewater directly into the Broad Sound fish habitat area  a vital nursery for many species vital to the Reefs health and our fishery industry.

ALSO ON YALE E360

Finding Bright Spots in the Global Coral Reef Catastrophe


By Lewis Jackson

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's national war memorial will remove several Chinese-made security cameras installed on the premises because officials are concerned they could be used for spying, local media reported on Wednesday.

Eleven surveillance cameras manufactured by Hikvision, partly owned by Chinese state investors, will be removed from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra by mid-2023, according to the Canberra Times. A further 189 cameras at the site are supplied by different manufacturers.

The Australian War Memorial said in a statement on Wednesday it did not comment on security matters. Hikvision did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fear that Chinese-made electronic equipment could be used for spying led the British government to ban security cameras made by companies subject to Chinese security laws from sensitive buildings.

Opposition senator James Paterson said on Wednesday he is conducting a full audit of all government departments and agencies for possible exposure to Chinese-made surveillance devices.

Paterson first raised the issue of Chinese-made surveillance equipment during public hearings last year.

"The War Memorial is to be commended in a sense that they recognise that they have these devices and that they should be

removed," Paterson told ABC TV on Wednesday.

"In their response to me, they said the devices that they have at their site here in Canberra will be removed and that is appropriate recognition of the national security risks that they pose."

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  A former principal of a ultra-Orthodox Jewish girls school in the Australian city of Melbourne molested three sisters, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Malka Leifer, 56, has pleaded not guilty in the Victoria state County Court to 29 sexual offenses that were allegedly committed at the Adass Israel School and at her Melbourne home as well as at school camps at the Victorian rural towns of Blampied and Rawson between 2003 and 2007.

The school was excited by Tel Aviv-born Leifers arrival from Israel in 2001, when the sisters were aged around 12, 14 and 16, prosecutor Justin Lewis told the jury in his opening address.

The complainants were aware that the accused had been brought over to Australia from Israel to teach by the school because of her good reputation, Lewis said.

Leifer was married with eight children, two of them born in 2004 and 2005 while she was at the school, Lewis said.

She began as head of religious studies at the school and in 2003 became the principal. She decided to give the sisters teaching positions after they finished their final year of high school.

Leifer had a tendency to take advantage of their vulnerability, ignorance in sexual matters and her position of authority, Lewis said.

The girls came from a sheltered environment within Melbournes ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community. The family did not have a television, newspapers, magazines or access to the internet at home, Lewis said.

It was not acceptable within the community to say anything against a person of high standing in the community, especially as a child, Lewis said. As a result of being raised in an ultra-Orthodox community, the three complainants did not have any knowledge or understanding of sex throughout the period of the alleged offending.

As part of their religious and cultural practices, the complainants were not taught anything about sex until they were engaged to be married, he added.

Leifer sat in a dock at the back of the court room wearing a long black skirt, a black and gold sweater and a black wrap over her hair, holding a small black book in her hands.

Story continues

The eldest sister was a student and then a teacher at the school when she was allegedly molested by Leifer.

The sister did not know about sex and didnt know that people touched each other. She was confused, Lewis said.

She felt too scared to move and scared of what the consequences would be if she told the accused to stop, especially because of the high esteem in which the accused was held within the school, Lewis added.

Leifer left the school in March 2008. The sisters reported the abuse allegations to social worker Chana Rabinowitz, psychiatrist Lorraine Dennerstein and psychologist Vicki Gordon between 2008 and 2014, Lewis said.

Defense lawyer Ian Hill told the jury that one of the sisters had told Gordon she believed she had lost her virginity to a man while in high school. A former husband of another sister would testify that he had overheard his wife say that Rabinowitz made a big deal about her relationship with Leifer and was taking it out of all proportion, Hill said.

That was around the time in 2008 that Rabinowitz raised the allegations against Leifer with authorities.

Hill said that one of the sisters gave an account to psychiatrist Natalie Krapivensky that contradicts some of the allegations on trial.

The three sisters had an "exceptionally difficult home life because their mother was physically, verbally and emotionally abusive to each of them in unimaginable and sadistic ways, Hill said.

There will be other evidence about the positive, glowing, appropriate relationship between the three sisters and Mrs. Leifer, Hill said. An issue will become as to whether, in fact, they took on Mrs. Leifer, in effect, as a substitute parent in view of what was happening at home.

Leifer denies that any sexual activity took place. But Hill noted that the sisters were old enough to legally consent to the sexual acts alleged in 21 of the 29 charges.

The sisters are expected to begin testifying when the trial resumes on Thursday. Media are not allowed to report the testimonies of alleged victims of sexual assault in Victoria.

Judge Mark Gamble has imposed a gag order that restricts media reporting on certain aspects of the case. Details of those restrictions cannot be reported.

The trial is scheduled to take six weeks.
Law enforcement officials are investigating reported bomb threats against Walmart stores across New Hampshire on Wednesday morning.

The Department of Safety says its aware of multiple calls reporting bombs at Walmart locations around the Granite State.

Multiple state agencies are assisting local law enforcement agencies that are responding to those calls and with the investigation into those calls, the Department of Safety said in a statement. The New Hampshire Information and Analysis Center is assisting by sharing information between local, state and federal agencies.

Other Walmart stores across the country have reported receiving hoax threats, but no threats have surfaced in Massachusetts at this time.

These reports are believed to be a hoax, but officials noted that the threats will be taken seriously until such time as their validity is determined.

Anyone who witnesses suspicious activity is urged to contact their local law enforcement agency or 9-1-1.

There were no additional details immediately available.

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
Tippecanoe County Offices of the Coroner, 629 North Sixth St., Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 in Lafayette.

LAFAYETTE, Ind.  William P. Starks Jr.'s autopsy did not indicate a reason why he died Monday inside his cell at the Tippecanoe County Jail.

Starks' cause of death and manner of death are pending toxicology results, Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello said in a news release Wednesday after the autopsy.

"The preliminary autopsy finds for William Porker Starks Jr. indicate no signs of acute trauma or foul play," Costello wrote in the news release.

Starks Jr., 42, was found unresponsive in his jail cell just before noon Monday. Life-saving efforts failed and he was pronounced dead at the jail.

More:Coroner identifies inmate who died in Tippecanoe County Jail

Indiana State Police are investigating Starks' death, and the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office is conducting an internal review to make sure policies and procedures were followed, Tippecanoe County Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said.

There are no conclusions in either the state police investigation or the sheriff's office internal investigation, according to ISP Sgt. Jeremy Piers and Goldsmith.

Lafayette police arrested Starks about 8:10 p.m. Sunday on a warrant from a 2005 case. He was in the jail about 15 hours before he died.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Autopsy: Jail inmate had no signs of trauma or foul play
Tuesday night the State of the Union took place with President Bidens plans for the year.

Dayton Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. shared his thoughts about the address on Twitter during the event.

>>State of the Union: Key takeaways from President Bidens the State of the Union

At 9:40 p.m., Mims shared this plane from the Biden administration:

Over the last two years, @POTUS has delivered for communities across America, including Dayton. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bispartisan Infrastructure Law & ARPA dollars directed to cities, we are #BuildingBackBetter. #SOTU23 pic.twitter.com/1GH06SzEFV  Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. (@MayorMims) February 8, 2023

Mims recounted his teaching history in public schools by saying, I understand firsthand the great responsibility of educating our youth.

As a former public school teacher, I understand firsthand the great responsibility of educating our youth. @POTUS is right  give public school teachers a raise!! #SOTU23  Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. (@MayorMims) February 8, 2023

Following Bidens comments about assault weapons, Mims echoed the presidents idea by pushing for a ban saying, Ban assault weapons now - for the victims of the Oregon District mass shooting and every life lost to senseless violence.

>>Small step forward; New rule regulates gun modification used by Oregon District shooter

Story continues

Ban assault weapons now  for the victims of the Oregon District mass shooting and every life lost to senseless violence. #SOTU23  Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. (@MayorMims) February 8, 2023

Mims referenced former Mayor Nan Whaley by saying, Dayton led the way on community police reform under former Mayor [Nan Whaley], but its clear we still need national police reform.

Dayton led the way on community police reform under former Mayor @nanwhaley but its clear we still need national police reform. Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act without delay! #SOTU23  Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. (@MayorMims) February 8, 2023

After the State of the Union address, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders shared the Republican response to Bidens remarks.

>>State of the Union: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Republican response to Bidens speech

Sanders addressed the Republican culture war issues and reportedly accused Biden of going after woke fantasies, according to The Associated Press.

On Wednesday, February 8, Mims and retired journalist Marsha Bonhart will have an interview in front of an audience to discuss the City of Daytons accomplishments and plans moving forward.

This State of the City address will be held at the Dayton Metro Library.




Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the launch and called for applications for the 2023 AWS Space Accelerator, a hybrid technical, business, and mentorship opportunity open to space startups from around the globe.

According to the United Nations, fewer than 8,000 objects were launched in the first 60 years of human space exploration. Over the past five years, this number has risen to over 14,000, and the trend shows no signs of abating. A key aspect of the discussion about space sustainability is how to handle the rapid rise in global space activity over a long period of time.

The 2023 AWS Space Accelerator, delivered in collaboration with TechConnect, is seeking innovative startups with ideas for applying cloud-based solutions that enable the long-term sustainability of operations in space and empower humans to continue to benefit from space-based data and scientific discovery.

Unique missions

The virtual four-week programme, set for May 2023, will encourage global participation. Startups are invited to propose unique missions for a range of industry-wide applications that emphasise sustainability for space and sustainability from space. These may include ideas that contribute to the long-term viability of space operations as well as those that have a positive impact on sustainability and climate goals on Earth.

Selected startups will receive up to $100,000 in AWS promotional credits and guidance from space domain and technical subject matter experts with extensive AWS experience. The programme also provides opportunities for cooperation and networking with other participating companies, AWS customers, and AWS Partner Network (APN) members seeking cutting-edge technological solutions to their most demanding space challenges.-- TradeArabia News Service
A BBC reporter and her relatives are trying to make amends after learning that their family owned slaves in the 1800s and they were compensated when slavery was abolished. British reporter Laura Trevelyan told the BBC that her family is now giving $120,000 to a community in Grenada, using the donation to establish a fund for economic development in the region.

The post BBC Reporter And Her Family Donating $120K To Grenadian Community Where Their Ancestors Owned Slaves appeared first on Blavity.

Trevelyan said her family owned six sugar plantations in Grenada until slavery was abolished in 1833.

The Trevelyan family is apologizing to the people of Grenada for the role our ancestors played in enslavement on the island, and engaging in reparations, Trevelyan wrote on Twitter with a link to an article about the matter on The Guardian.

The Trevelyan family is apologizing to the people of Grenada for the role our ancestors played in enslavement on the island, and engaging in reparations.https://t.co/R7EeBhH2DG  Laura Trevelyan (@LauraTrevelyan) February 4, 2023

How do you make up for brutal enslavement? A British family has issued an apology to the people of Grenada, where its ancestors owned more than 1,000 slaves. The Trevelyan family, including my colleague @LauraTrevelyan will also pay reparations. We discussed her familys journey. pic.twitter.com/joZlogHEcc  Azadeh Moshiri (@Azadeh_Moshiri) February 5, 2023

When she visited Grenada in 2022, Trevelyan was shocked to learn that her ancestors were compensated by the UK government when slavery was abolished in 1833 while the freed African slaves remained empty-handed.

Story continues

It was really horrific I saw for myself the plantations where slaves were punished. Trevelyan told the BBC. When I saw the instruments of torture that were used to restrain them, I felt ashamed, and I also felt that it was my duty. You cant repair the past, but you can acknowledge the pain.

Trevelyans family plans to travel to Grenada later in February to issue a public apology and deliver the funds.

For me to be giving 100,000 almost 200 years later maybe that seems like really inadequate, the reporter said. But I hope that were setting an example by apologising for what our ancestors did.
A 74-year-old man whos accused of threatening workers with a rifle was arrested on Tuesday, according to Bellevue police.

Police said the man was armed with a semiautomatic rifle when he threatened construction workers in the 1100 block of 106th Avenue Northeast at 4:20 p.m.

The incident prompted a large response from police.

The man surrendered and police seized his weapon.

No one was hurt.

The suspect was booked into jail.
As the name suggests, a cheeseburger's quality can hinge on the choice of cheese.

As the name suggests, a cheeseburger's quality can hinge on the choice of cheese.

The cheeseburger has long been an American staple. The subject of iconic music and even a major movie plot point, these dairy-topped patties are easy enough to make  just add cheese to a regular burger.

But when it comes to the type of cheese you choose, theres a range of options that can affect the quality of the dish in many ways.

A burger can go in so many different directions, said James Whitehead, executive chef at Seaworthy in New Orleans. Basically, you want to go either high-brow with characterful and divisive cheeses, or super low-brow with mild, familiar flavors like American and Muenster.

We asked Whitehead and other culinary experts to share their favorite cheeses for cheeseburgers. Keep scrolling for some exciting options and combinations of cheeses to inspire your next cookout or spice up a regular weeknight dinner at home.

Toma

Ive never understood why folks put lousy cheese on burgers, said Janet Fletcher, publisher of the Planet Cheese blog. Its a cheeseburger, people. The cheese matters. Using a tasty one takes no more effort, and its the difference between a meh burger and a memorable one.

She recommended the TomaTruffle from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. for a melty, flavorful option. Its a semihard cheese made from pasteurized cows milk and aged for 90 days.

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.'s TomaTruffle

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.'s TomaTruffle

Sharp Cheddar

For a traditional burger topped with lettuce, tomato and a creamy mayo, I like to opt for a sharp cheddar as opposed to American, said MasterChef alum Lexy Rogers. The bitterness in a sharp cheddar cuts through the fat of the burger and adds dimension no matter what quality beef you use.

Cookbook author Brian Theis is also a fan of sharp cheddar and recommended Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar, along with pickle relish for an added bonus. Lola Osinkolu, a home cook and blogger for Chef Lolas Kitchen, endorsed Sargento sliced sharp natural cheddar cheese to bring lots of richness and tanginess to a burger.

Story continues

It melts perfectly, and I like how it pairs perfectly with the savory flavors of a cheeseburger, she said.

Pepper Jack

For a slightly less traditional burger, I like to top my burgers with pepper jack cheese for a little heat, but also stuff them with a creamier slightly sharp cheese like goat or feta, Rogers said.

The chef used pepper jack in a burger recipe for her cookbook Break Bread on a Budget, and as a money-minded cook, she recommended Walmarts Great Value brand for price and quality.

If I were doing a Tex-Mex burger, Id certainly always add a melted pepper jack with a nice scoop of guacamole and red onions, Theis added.

Epoisses

If Im adding bacon to my burger, then Im going to go for the slightly stinky, slightly smoky Epoisses, said Laura Werlin, a James Beard Award-winning author of six books on cheese. This thick and creamy wonder is almost like a pre-melted cheese.

She touted the hearty cows milk cheeses ability to stand up to high heat without completely disappearing into the meat and compared it to Taleggio.

Bacon or no bacon, Epoisses makes one of the best, most satisfying, and most memorable cheeseburgers in the entire pantheon of cheeseburger possibilities, Werlin said.

Laura Werlin, a James Beard Award-winning author of six books on cheese, enjoys the French cheese Epoisses, aka Epoisses de Bourgogne, on a burger with bacon.

Laura Werlin, a James Beard Award-winning author of six books on cheese, enjoys the French cheese Epoisses, aka Epoisses de Bourgogne, on a burger with bacon.

Fontina

Fontina is a semihard cows milk cheese that originally comes from Italy. Werlin recommended a similar cheese called Wagon Wheel from Californias Cowgirl Creamery.

Its kind of like fontina, which itself is a legendary melting cheese, she said. The most important criterion when choosing a cheese for a burger is that the cheese has enough personality to stand up to the beefiness beneath it. This cheese has just that.

Our beloved burger [at Seaworthy in New Orleans] has more of a classic, casual feel, so we opt for a simple, square-cut slice of fontina that melts easily and doesnt detract from the housemade tomato jam, crispy pancetta or pickle remoulade, Whitehead said.

American Cheese

Im a traditionalist when it comes to a cheeseburger, so American cheese all the way, said Alex Hill, a home cook and creator of the blog Just Add Hot Sauce. Yes, it is processed but it has the best meltability for a cheeseburger and the mild but perfectly salted cheese reigns supreme and [complements] a good juicy burger. Im a Kraft American cheese girl!

Its indeed hard to beat the nostalgia and comfort of a cheeseburger with American cheese.

Having grown up in Long Island and in the diner business, my gold standard is always the classic American cheese for its creamy yet not [overpowering] taste, said Stella Drivas, a recipe developer and creator of the food blog Hungry Happens. You want the burger meat to have center stage here. American cheese is also the better choice since it melts quicker than most other cheeses and thus you wont overcook your meat waiting on the melt.

Even the restaurant world has embraced this old standby to help high-quality beef flavors shine.

We are big fans of Kraft American, said Shannon Bingham, executive chef at Devil Moon BBQ and Brewery Saint X in New Orleans. Since were a barbecue restaurant, we like to get big blocks of cheese and cold smoke them before slicing to give some good backyard BBQ flavor to our griddled burgers. Cheddar, gouda and provolone are also great options for this technique.

Although you might not guess from the name, the national chain Emmy Squared Pizza is known for its decadent burger, and CEO Howard Greenstone credits the simple addition of two slices of American cheese for helping to achieve the perfect blend of ingredients.

The Sammy sauce on the burger is an assertive flavor, so American cheese is the perfect [complement] to both the meat and the sauce, he noted. American cheese is creamy, melty, and beautifully balances the meat and sauce. We are looking for a cheese to [complement] the flavor and not overpower it.

Sliced American cheese is a classic cheeseburger component.

Sliced American cheese is a classic cheeseburger component.

Comte

Thicker backyard- or restaurant-style burgers invite more options, and I lean toward Alpine cheeses, said Tyler Akin, chef-partner at Le Cavalier at the Green Room in Wilmington, Delaware. Comte and raclette melt more slowly than American, matching the longer cooking times required by a thicker patty. The more elastic texture when melted also helps maintain the structure of a larger cheeseburger, holding it all together so it doesnt crumble apart.

Werlin believes certain ingredient combinations call for a melty Alpine cheese. If shes adding grilled onions, she opts for a French or Swiss cows milk option like Comte or Gruyere.

These often have roasted onion-like flavors, so why not gild the lily? she said. Most of all, these cheeses have legendary melting properties along with flavors like brown butter, roasted nuts, the aforementioned roasted onion, so they bring a level of flavor and complexity that a cheese-less burger simply wont have with or without the addition of grilled onions.

For a similar mountain cheese from the U.S., she recommends the Whitney product from Jasper Hill Farms in Vermont and Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese Company in Wisconsin. Both melt nicely while maintaining their great flavors.

Mozzarella

For all the mozzarella lovers out there, theres a reason we love it on pizza but rarely see it on burgers, Werlin said. It has little flavor. Even still, for some people, texture matters more than flavor when it comes to their burger. In that case, the oozy, stretchy qualities of mozzarella cant be beat even if the burger is a lot harder to eat because of it!

Dzung Lewis, a YouTuber and author of The Honeysuckle Cookbook, also offered mozzarella as a solid option for a cheeseburger.

When choosing cheese for burgers, I always go with something with a higher moisture content for that gooeyness that we love, she explained. So a softer cheese like mozzarella or provolone would work well.

Mozzarella can make a burger a little tougher to eat, but for many, the stretchy texture experience is worth it.

Mozzarella can make a burger a little tougher to eat, but for many, the stretchy texture experience is worth it.

Young Cheddar

While we all love aged cheddar, its harder to love on a burger, Werlin said. Aged is the operative word here because while the cheddar will usually melt, it often separates. In turn, it becomes a grainy mess and may not even adhere to the burger.

She recommended a younger, milder cheddar for a cheese with higher moisture and a more bendy rather than crumbly quality on a burger.

Cheddar is always a good option too, but a younger age like Tillamook, aged for 60 days, would melt better than a mature cheese aged more than one year because Ive found those to not only take longer to melt, but they also come out a bit crumbly too, Lewis echoed. You cant beat a classic cheddar cheeseburger, and I always go with Tillamook medium slices, or Whole Foods even carries this hickory smoked cheddar for a deeper cheesy flavor that is perfect for a bbq cookout.

Akin is a fan of the Cooper Sharp brand for a dependable option, while Fletcher enjoys a spicy cheddar like Beehive Cheeses Red Butte Hatch Chile.

Brie

If Im looking for something a little more elevated, a gourmet restaurant-style burger, I love adding a slice of melty brie and some sauteed mushrooms into my burger, Lewis said. Brie melts surprisingly well and adds so much flavor to the burger.

As always, the goal is to ensure the cheese works with the vibe of the dish as a whole.

A soft brie cheese can create a creamy, indulgent texture, OBrien noted. Its essential to choose the cheese that [complements] the flavor profile of the burger and enhances the overall eating experience.

Werlin prefers avoiding brie as a cheeseburger topping because it liquifies and oozes too much for her, but she suggested other ways to incorporate this cheese, like stuffing it into the meat patty before cooking.

Using melted brie  sans rind  as a dip for that burger or spreading the melted cheese on the bun after the burger has been cooked? Sign me up, she added.

Brie can work as a burger topping, patty stuffing or dip.

Brie can work as a burger topping, patty stuffing or dip.

Havarti

Marshall OBrien, a nutritional wellness chef and cookbook author, considers dairy sensitivities when choosing the type of cheese for a cheeseburger. Hes a fan of the semisoft Danish cows milk cheese havarti.

For those who have dairy sensitivities, some harder cheeses like parmesan are better tolerated in the digestive system, versus a softer cheese like provolone, he said. If your gut can handle dairy, one of my favorites hands down for a cheeseburger is the Arla brand havarti. Its subtle yet has a distinct flavor that complements any seasoned burger.

Gouda

I recommend a cheese thats in sync with the rest of the ingredients involved, Theis said. In other words, if you have a smoky BBQ sauce, use a smoky gouda cheese! A perfect pairing.

Be cautious when using a harder cheese, however.

If the cheese doesnt have enough moisture  like super aged gouda  it wont melt, Werlin said. Itll taste good on the side or finely grated and added to the meat, but forget about topping the burger with it.

Related...
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The world's largest miner BHP Group has suspended its Western Australian iron ore operations for a day after a worker was struck by a train at its Port Hedland iron ore facility, it said on Wednesday.

It is with deep sadness that we confirm a member of BHP's WA team was fatally injured in an incident at our rail yard in Port Hedland last night," Brandon Craig, BHP's group president for Western Australia iron ore, said in a statement.

As a result of this incident, we have suspended WA Iron Ore operations for 24 hours."

Western Australia police have showed up on the site and BHP has informed safety regulators of the incident as it begins its own investigation, the company said.

(Reporting by Melanie Burton; editing by Christian Schmollinger)
President Biden delivers the State of the Union address on Tuesday night. (Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  As he delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Biden treaded lightly on many of the culture war issues that play out nightly on cable news: vaccination, immigration, transgender rights and how to teach about race and gender in schools.

He said nothing about gas stoves, which have become a conservative cause celebre after one official floated a potential ban (not supported by the Biden administration) on new ones. So if climate and public health advocates were hoping for the president to use Tuesdays address to tout induction ranges, they were disappointed.

Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

If anything, Biden touted an economic plan that he argued transcended cultural and political divisions. While that plan  federal investments in green energy, lower drug prices, higher taxes on the rich  has fierce detractors, it was presented on Tuesday night as outreach to people left behind by the forces that have remade American society in the last 20 years.

Its part of an apparent electoral strategy  a blueprint for blue-collar voters  with which Biden and congressional Democrats hope to rebuild their appeal in key swing states.

Since the 1980s, Republicans had been making steady gains with working-class white voters in particular. Many of them have been increasingly disaffected by what some saw as the Democratic Partys elite turn.

In 2008, working-class white voters chose Republican nominee John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama by a 3-2 margin. By 2012, there was no hope of reconciliation. He sounded like he was going to make things better, but it just seems like its going downhill. Im still poor, a nursing aide in Pennsylvania told Politico ahead of that years presidential election.

Put Bill Clinton back in the office, and well be better off.

Democrats tried that four years later  sort of. Hillary Clinton was so confident in her appeal to working-class voters that she hardly campaigned in the upper Midwest, ignoring alarms emanating from Michigan and Wisconsin, where Donald Trumps appeals were gaining ever more sway.

Story continues

Then-Vice President Joe Biden at Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin's annual fundraising steak fry dinner in 2013 in Indianola, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

Trumps victory was a gut check for Democrats who had once campaigned in packed union halls and delivered speeches from bustling factory floors.

Shortly after the election, the New York Times interviewed a top Democrat who lamented Clintons apparent conclusion that working-class whites were not even worth pursuing, as the paper put it.

That top Democrat was Joe Biden, then the outgoing vice president.

Now that he is president, Biden is trying to appeal to working-class whites without alienating the diverse coalition that now constitutes the Democratic Party. On Tuesday, he presented his economic policies as a unifying factor.

My economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten. Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like theyre invisible, Biden said, in what was likely a preview of the central message of his reelection campaign, which he is expected to announce soon.

Maybe thats you, watching at home, he continued. You remember the jobs that went away. And you wonder whether a path even exists anymore for you and your children to get ahead without moving away.

He then landed on a note reminiscent of Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton, presidents who, like Biden, came from humble backgrounds: I get it.

Even the speechs most divisive moments were unrelated to culture war touchstones, instead arising from Bidens spirited defense of Social Security and Medicare.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Biden shake hands after the State of the Union address. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In short, when it came to the culture wars, Biden showed himself to be a conscientious objector. Instead, he strategically stuck to the meat-and-potatoes issues that he and other moderate Democrats believe will be the winning message should he choose to seek reelection in 2024.

Its very much the economy, Patrick Gaspard, president of the Center for American Progress, a think tank aligned closely with the Biden administration, told Yahoo News as Biden prepared to deliver his remarks.

He contrasted that focus with Republican priorities. For them, the culture has primacy, Gaspard said.

That may not be entirely true in Washington, where plenty of Republicans have confronted Biden on substantive matters like the debt ceiling, health care costs and energy independence. In those cases, ideological differences are constrained by the realities and intricacies of the budgeting process  funding the military, for example  which tends to instill the leaders of both parties with a measure of sobriety.

When it comes to culture, there are no such limits.

And among the top Republican prospects for the 2024 presidential nomination  none of whom work in Washington today  cultural issues dominate.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vows to keep restaurants open during COVID-19 at a news conference on Dec. 15, 2020. (Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 candidate, is in the midst of remaking the states schools. Taking up another burgeoning conservative cause, Trump  who is officially seeking the Republican nomination  vowed last week to stop gender-affirming care for minors and ban federal agencies from promoting the concept of sex and gender transition at any age.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, another potential presidential candidate, recently maneuvered  successfully  against a Ford factory that would have produced batteries for electric vehicles in his state. In Arkansas, new governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who delivered the Republican response to the State of the Union, recently banned the word Latinx from use by state government agencies.

Such policies have been popular with conservatives, as well as with some independents. At least in part, they are grounded in widely shared questions about where American culture should head, and how it should get there.

But there are also political considerations at work.

A relatively low-profile congressman until his 2018 election to the Florida governorship, DeSantis has become a Republican star by waging culture wars  and winning. Most recently, he forced the College Board to revise an African American history Advanced Placement course that his administration charged was inappropriate for high school students.

Glenn Youngkin at a rally shortly before his election as Virginia governor, Nov. 1, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

The culture war issues are most potent among Republican primary voters, but that doesnt mean that an education message cant be effective with independent voters or the electorate as a whole, Republican pollster Whit Ayres recently told the New York Times.

Yet even as leading Republicans like Trump and DeSantis animate the GOP base with culture war attacks, the State of the Union made clear that the president intends to remain disengaged from the kinds of controversies that play out nightly on Fox News.

Instead, he described his economic plan as one that would revitalize communities that had been devastated by globalization and automation. He vowed to restore pride and that sense of self-worth once enjoyed by blue-collar workers who could enjoy a middle-class lifestyle that, in recent years, has become increasingly unattainable for most Americans.

Democrats believe that Biden should stay above the fray. By doing so, he may earn voters admiration simply by not engaging in combat over complex issues that resist easy political resolution.

It's always about the contrast, Gaspard told Yahoo News.

Contrasts were abundant on Tuesday night.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union address in Little Rock on Tuesday. (Al Drago/AFP via Getty Images)

We are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didnt start and never wanted to fight, Sanders said in her response to Biden. A former White House press secretary during the Trump administration, she is the first female governor of Arkansas. At 40, she is almost certain to play a role in national politics in the years to come.

That role will likely include stints as a cultural warrior.

Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags and worship their false idols, Sanders said on Tuesday night.

Unsurprisingly, Democrats criticized her speech just as ardently as Republicans went after Bidens. Democratic Party deputy communications director Daniel Wessel wrote on Twitter that Sanders's address was a substance-free, cynical Trumpian speech fueled by culture wars. Contrast that to Bidens remarks. Theres your choice.

During the 2022 congressional midterms, Republicans waged a contest largely predicated on cultural issues. He cared more about criminals than victims. He wanted to force vaccines on toddlers. He embraced transgender rights because he and other Democrats harbored a latent antipathy to women.

The attacks were false. They also turned out to be ineffective.

A protester in Minneapolis during a demonstration against police brutality and racism, Aug. 24, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

If those arguments played well in Republican primaries, they fared much less well in the general election. They were never able to affirmatively pivot, Gaspard argues. Republican candidates for the Senate such as Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Blake Masters in Arizona simply could not overcome the impression that they were fringe activists uninterested in the mundane business of governing. A few more successful candidates, like J.D. Vance  now the junior senator from Ohio  did manage to make the shift, but better candidate selection might have obviated the need for such tricky maneuvers.

I see the same thing playing out right now, Gaspard says. He argues that Republicans are playing not for the heart and soul of America with good-faith policy proposals but are instead trafficking in a toxic nostalgia that, in his view, Americans will reject.
President Joe Biden urges lawmakers to ban assault weapons "once and for all." Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images

Among those attending the State of Union address on Feb. 7, 2022, was Brandon Tsay. Invited by President Joe Biden, the 26-year-old has been hailed as a hero for disarming a gunman who killed 11 people in a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California.

Biden mentioned Tsay by name as he launched into a segment of the speech in which he implored lawmakers to ban assault weapons once and for all.

We are political science scholars who study the framing of the gun policy debate in America. We believe the framing exemplified by Bidens speech  which focuses on high-profile mass shootings and the role of assault weapons over other firearms  helps explain why so many Americans feel gun laws are doomed to fail.

Do gun laws work?

The Monterey Park rampage on Jan. 21 was just one of a number of mass shootings to occur in California in January. Two days after that event, seven people were killed at Half Moon Bay, while a mass shooting in Oakland claimed another life.

With over 100 gun control laws, California has an A rating from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and is ranked No. 1 in the country in gun law strength by gun control advocates Everytown for Gun Safety. How, then, could multiple mass shootings occur in California, leaving at least 19 dead and many others injured, in the span of one week?

The answer is nuanced and complex. First, stricter gun control laws do reduce gun-related deaths. This is true for homicides, suicides and accidental shootings. In California, the annual death rate from gun violence is 8.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with the national average of 13.7.

However, the effectiveness of state gun laws is influenced by those of other states. Trafficking of guns across state lines for purposes both legal and illicit is well documented, and guns used in crimes are more likely to flow from less regulated states into those with stronger gun laws.

According to a 2018 study, there are at least 393 million guns in the United States, making it the most heavily armed civilian population in the world. Given the wave of pandemic-fueled gun buying that started in 2020, that number is likely much higher.

Story continues

Biden recognizes special guest Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park mass shooter, for his courage to act. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Image

Reframing the issue

Beyond these facts, the question of why mass shootings continue to happen reveals how policymakers, media, interest groups and citizens understand the problem.

Using an approach called the narrative policy framework, we identify the stories that politicians and interest groups tell about the problem of gun violence and how they use these stories to build political support for their policy goals. A policy narrative typically contains characters  the victims and perpetrators of violence; a setting  the location and other contextual details; and a moral or solution.

Research shows that gun policy narratives often focus on mass shootings while placing less emphasis on more common forms of gun injury and death, such as individual homicide and suicide. Studying the communications of gun policy organizations from 2000 to 2017, one of us found that gun control groups mentioned mass shootings in 30% of their blogs, emails and press releases, and in 11% of their Facebook posts. They devoted significantly less attention to all other types of gun violence.

This emphasis, however, does not accurately reflect statistics on gun injury and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2020, more than 45,000 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S. More than half of those deaths were suicides, while over 40% were murders.

Mass shootings  defined by the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive as shooting incidents involving four or more victims  accounted for just 0.1% of gun fatalities.

The overemphasis on mass shootings likely has many causes, not least of which is the medias tendency to highlight dramatic and shocking events. Given that public support for gun control temporarily increases in the wake of mass shootings, these events create brief windows of opportunity for policy change. Thus, it should be no surprise that gun control groups highlight mass shootings in their policy narratives.

Futility arguments

In asking how mass shootings like the recent ones in California could happen, its important to acknowledge the implicit argument that precedes the question: the idea that gun laws simply dont work.

This argument, which is pervasive in the gun policy debate, is labeled the futility thesis. The futility thesis holds that attempts at political change will ultimately amount to nothing, because the policy fails to appreciate that it is attempting to alter fundamental aspects of society.

In the case of gun policy, this may include the observation that the United States contains a constitutional right to bear arms, or that the country has a long-standing gun culture. Gun rights organizations, such as the National Rifle Association, also frequently claim that gun regulations do not work because criminals do not respect the law. According to this logic, any attempt to address the prevalence of firearms or to reduce criminal gun violence is destined to fail.

Consequences for politics and policy

As social scientists, we seek both to identify the major gun policy narratives and to explore their consequences. One potential consequence of focusing on mass shootings is it can lead policymakers to focus on solutions that address just one facet of the gun violence problem.

For instance, Democratic politicians and gun control advocates often call for a ban on assault weapons, with a focus on military-style rifles like the AR-15, while most shooting deaths in the U.S. involve handguns.

With each mass shooting, these arguments are reproduced, and over time the policy debate has become increasingly polarized. It is no wonder that while many Americans approve of federal efforts to regulate firearms, most dont expect legislation to do much to reduce gun violence.

Is there a way to break the policy stalemate and make real progress on the problem of gun violence? We suggest that one path forward is to reformulate the policy narratives to better capture the full scope and severity of the problem. Mass shootings are horrific tragedies, but so is every gun death.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Melissa K. Merry, University of Louisville and Aaron Smith-Walter, UMass Lowell.

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.
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden urged Congress Tuesday to come together and finish the job on police reform, in the wake of the killing of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died after a fatal beating by Memphis, Tennessee, police officers.

Most Read from Bloomberg

What happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often, Biden said Tuesday night in his State of the Union address, recognizing Nicholss mother and stepfather, who were guests in the first ladys box during the speech. We have to do better.

Police reform has been a legislative priority for Black voters, whom Biden has credited with helping him win the White House, but legislative efforts stalled in the last Congress.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a comprehensive reform bill, would seek to end tactics like chokeholds and no-knock warrants and also restrict the use of qualified immunity, a legal liability shield that protects police officers from being sued over official misconduct.

The bill passed the House twice along party lines when it had a Democratic majority, but failed to advance in the Senate. Its unlikely to pass the now Republican-controlled House.

Biden pointed out that Nicholss mother told him that something good will come from her sons death.

Lets commit ourselves to make the words of Tyres mother come true, something good must come from this, Biden said.

Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said on NBC Meet the Press Sunday that he was sobered by the prospects of passing a comprehensive bill in a divided Congress, but remained hopeful some legislation could pass.

Biden signed an executive order in last May directing federal law enforcement agencies to stop using no-knock warrants and revise their use-of-force standards, but that order does not extend to state and local level.

Story continues

Civil rights groups have pressed for legislative action, noting that Bidens order does not extend to state and local level and that a future Republican president could rescind it.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
I never in my life had I that Id see a president standing in front of an audience that size talking about such a uniquely Black American experience, Svante Myrick, president of People For the American Way, told theGrio.

President Joe Biden spotlighted the issue of race and policing in America in his primetime State of the Union address on Tuesday night, calling on Congress to do something after the deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols.

In his more than one-hourlong address before Congress, his presidential cabinet and guests  and to millions of Americans watching from their living rooms  President Biden appealed to lawmakers to act on police reform and accountability measures for law enforcement officers who violate the public trust when they abuse their authority in cases like that of Tyre Nichols.

During his remarks, President Biden acknowledged the parents of Nichols, his mother RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather, Rodney Wells, who were special guests sitting in first lady Jill Bidens box inside the well of the U.S. House of Representatives. There are no words to describe the heartache or grief of losing a child. But imagine if you lost that child in the hands of the law, said Biden.

Rodney Wells (2nd L) and RowVaughn Wells (3rd L), parents of Tyre Nichols, are applauded after President Joe Biden acknowledged them during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 7, 2023. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Nichols, 29, died last month after being beaten to death by Memphis police officers, five of whom have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder, among other charges.

In his appeal to the American public, President Biden sought to bring national attention to a conversation known well in Black communities: The Talk.

Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter came home from walking down the street, playing in the park and just driving a car, remarked the president. Most of us in here have never had to have The Talk, the talk that brown and Black parents have had to have with their children.

Making the message more personal to him, President Biden noted: Beau, Hunter, Ashley  my children  I never had to talk with them. He added, I never had to tell them if a police officer pulls you over, turn your interior lights on right away. Dont reach for your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Imagine having to worry like that every single time your kid got in the car.

Story continues

Svante Myrick, president of the progressive advocacy group People for the American Way, told theGrio that President Bidens mention of The Talk made clear that he has been listening and is aware of the challenges that Black Americans face.

I never in my life thought that Id see a president standing in front of an audience that size talking about such a uniquely Black American experience, he said.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) listen on February 7, 2023 in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The speech marks Bidens first address to the new Republican-controlled House. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)

Bidens message on policing was measured in that he was sure not to villainize American police. Instead, he appealed to a universal desire for neighborhoods to be free of violence, saying, We all want the same thing.

However, the president was clear in his position that when police officers or police departments violate the public trust they must be held accountable.

Though the president and Vice President Kamala Harris have urged the 118th Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, Biden did not mention the bill explicitly. Melanie Campbell, activist and president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, told theGrio she thought not naming the Floyd bill was a missed opportunity.

I think it was a miss not to say yall need to get together and pass legislation  he didnt call out the George Floyd act as something that could actually be voted upon and succeed, said Campbell.

President Biden did call for measures, including giving law enforcement the real training they need and emphasizing the need to hold them to higher standards.

What happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often, said Biden. Just as every cop that puts on that badge in the morning and has a right to be able to go home at night, so does everybody else out there.

Campbell said despite the lack of a mention of the Floyd bill, she thought the presidents message was balanced and credited him for linking the issue of policing as fundamental to public safety.

Myrick said that he appreciated the fact that President Biden didnt throw his weight behind any one solution during his remarks. Im hoping that by spotlighting the issue and by sending federal resources to cities to solve the issue, he can help us turn the page.

Demonstrators participate in a protest against the police killing of Tyre Nichols near the White House on January 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died three days after being severely beaten by five Memphis Police Department officers during a traffic stop on January 7, 2023. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Several guests present at Bidens State of the Union were the families of victims killed or brutalized by police. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus invited them to highlight the importance of addressing Americas policing problem.

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina invited Anthony Scott, the brother of Walter Scott, who was fatally shot in the back by a white police officer after a traffic stop. Clyburn told theGrio, I think its important for the communities [and] the people all across the country that this is an issue thats important to us and still in the forefront.

The House Democratic assistant leader said, bringing these people up here will remind the public that we have not forgotten them. And more importantly, it says to these families that just because youre not in the headlines, it doesnt means that youre not on our hearts and minds.

The chances of passing federal police reform legislation are slim in a divided Congress, where Republicans appear resistant to working with Democrats on the issue. Whether Bidens address was effective in changing Republicans minds or not, Clyburn said, What happened here in this instance with Tyre Nichols, you dont need a president of United States to tell you thats wrong.

This is about a culture of policing, said the longtime congressman. We hold doctors accountable  every professional I know is accountable. But then we see policing as being immune  somethings wrong with that.

Democrat James Clyburn of South Carolina nominates Democrat Hakeem Jeffries as the search for speaker continued for a fourth day during a meeting of the 118th Congress, Friday, January 6, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Though Biden has signed executive orders on police reforms in the absence of congressional action, Myrick, the former mayor of Ithaca, New York, said, The solutions to this issue were never going to come from the federal government because they dont control police departments.

What they can do is fund the smart thinking thats happening at the local level, he remarked.

Myrick said he would like to see pots of funds available to municipalities to institute reforms through a Race to the Top program. He said reforms like ensuring psychological examinations, paired with polygraph exams before people got hired on to that force.

He continued: Then you would screen out officers that are predisposed to violence and authoritarianism. And Tyre Nichols would be alive today.

President Biden called on leaders in Washington to commit ourselves to make the words of Tyres mom true  something good must come from this.

Its difficult, but its simple. All of us in this chamber  we need to rise to this moment, he declared. We cant turn away. Lets do what we know in our hearts  what we need to do is come together to finish the job on police reform.

Biden dedicated more than five minutes of his speech to policing, which is significant by State of the Union standards. Myrick said Biden met the moment by using his primetime moment to spotlight Nichols and the issue of police brutality.

The fact that he brought the parents of Tyre Nichols and dedicated so much time in his speech to the issue also gives me hope, he said.

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 calls for police reform, spotlights The Talk at State of the Union: Do something! appeared first on TheGrio.
President Joe Biden condemned political violence during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, including the heinous attack on Paul Pelosi last year.

The president addressed lawmakers from both chambers of Congress to lay out his record and vision for the future, including efforts to address climate change, combat cancer and build up the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. But Biden ended his address with an impassioned call to defend a democracy he said had been threatened, attacked and put at risk.

Just a few months ago, unhinged by the big lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on January 6th, Biden said. Here tonight in this chamber is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack, but is as tough and strong and as resilient as they get. My friend, Paul Pelosi.

President Biden: "Here tonight in this chamber is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack, but is as tough and strong and as resilient as they get, my friend, Paul Pelosi."

#SOTU#sotu2023pic.twitter.com/yFrqYDqwnD  CSPAN (@cspan) February 8, 2023

Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was brutally assaulted by a man wielding a hammer in October after the suspect broke into their home in San Francisco. Officials said the man repeatedly asked: Wheres Nancy?

Paul Pelosi suffered serious injuries in the attack and spent six days in the hospital for a skull fracture.

The alleged assailant, David DePape, has been charged with attempted murder, elder abuse and kidnapping. He called a local California television station from his jail cell last month and said he didnt regret his actions, telling a reporter he was sorry I didnt get more of them.

Story continues

Many lawmakers condemned the attack on Paul Pelosi at the time, but some Republicans, including Donald Trump, mocked the victim and boosted unfounded conspiracy theories instead of denouncing the violence.

Biden has urged Republicans to work with Democrats to reject the MAGA politics of his predecessor, but the party has continued to embrace the far-right conspiracies and dog whistles of the Trump era.

Biden on Tuesday said the attack on Pelosi never should have happened, reiterating his call for lawmakers to speak out against political violence and decide the course of this nation and of the world for decades to come.

In America, we must protect the right to vote, not suppress that fundamental right, Biden said. We honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We must uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy. And we must give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor.

Related...
Dana Gas, the Middle Easts largest regional private sector natural gas firm, posted net profit of AED667 million ($182 million) in 2022 as compared to AED1.16 billion ($317 million) in 2021.

Excluding other income and impairments, Dana Gas reported adjusted net profit of AED718 million ($196 million) as compared to AED469 million ($128 million) in 2021, an increase of 53%. The strong year-on-year profits were sustained by high energy prices and prudent cost control.

Revenue rose 17% to AED1.94 billion ($529 million) in 2022 compared to AED1.66 billion ($452 million) in 2021 due to higher realised prices and production output in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Production in the KRI and Egypt

Production in the KRI and Egypt remained uninterrupted throughout the year. Operational costs decreased by 5% to AED209 million ($57 million) in 2022 compared to AED220 million ($60 million) in 2021.

In 2022 production in the KRI increased by 1% to 34,300 boepd. Following the successful completion of further plant de-bottlenecking enhancements at the Khor Mor facility in the KRI in the second half of the year, the plants production capacity increased by 50 mmscfd to 500 mmscfd. Gas production reached this new record of 500 mmscfd on the 14 January which will have a positive impact on production and revenues in 2023.

The company reached an agreement with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) for consolidation of its existing concessions on enhanced fiscal terms. The new terms will extend the life of Dana Gas economic assets and help the Company maximise value for all stakeholders over the coming years. The agreement is subject to the Egyptian parliament rectification which is expected later this year.

Controlling costs

Dr Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO of Dana Gas, commented: Our strong results for the year are a testament to our ability to control costs and maintain production levels amid a prolonged environment of high energy prices. In 2022, we managed to optimise our assets in the KRI, reaching record levels of production and increasing capacity by a further 50 mmscfd following the completion of a by-pass project.

The successful completion of the project in the KRI and our plans for maximising production in Egypt will have positive impact on the environment as gas production displaces more carbon intensive fuels for power generation which will enhance the quality of life of residents in the KRI, Iraq and Egypt.

Our operational performance, in which all our assets continued to produce uninterrupted throughout the year, even under testing economic circumstances and security challenges, exemplifies our ability to keep delivering on our commitments.

The outlook for this year remains encouraging, especially if oil prices remain at current levels. However, there remains various challenges, specifically with collections in the KRI and foreign currency withdrawals in Egypt. We remain vigilant as we look at our top priorities for the year, which are, in addition to securing timely payments, to develop the vast potential presented by our world-class assets in the KRI and maximise the value of our Egypt assets once the new concession consolidation agreement is ratified by the Egyptian parliament.

Operations & production

Average group production declined slightly in 2022 to 60,200 boepd, a 3% reduction from 62,100 boepd in 2021. This resulted from an 8% reduction in Egypt to 25,900 boepd, due to natural field declines, offset by 1% increase in production output in the KRI to 34,300 boepd versus 33,800 in 2021. Both KRI and Egypt operations continued uninterrupted throughout 2022.

Liquidity

The companys cash balance at year-end stood at AED553 ($151 million), including AED322 million ($88 million) held at the Pearl level.

The group collected a total of AED1.16 billion ($318 million) in 2022, with Egypt and the KRI contributing AED311 million ($85 million) and AED854 million ($233 million) respectively.

As at December 31, 2022, the companys Egypt and KRI receivables increased to AED110 million ($30 million) and AED235 million ($64 million) respectively. The increase in the KRI is a result of delays in the payment of invoices. In Egypt, the macro-economic situation has resulted in restrictions in repatriation of US dollars. As a result, investment will remain in line with collections and foreign currency availability. The Company will be taking appropriate measures to ensure recovery of all delayed payments as soon as possible.-- TradeArabia News Service
U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to support Ukraine as long as needed during his annual State of the Union address as Russias all-out war approaches its one-year anniversary on Feb. 24.

I spoke from this chamber one year ago, just days after Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal war against Ukraine. A murderous assault, evoking images of the death and destruction Europe suffered in World War II, Biden said in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Biden said that Russias all-out war against Ukraine has been a test for the ages, a test for America, a test for the world.

"Would we stand for the most basic of principles? Would we stand for sovereignty? Would we stand for the right of people to live free from tyranny? Would we stand for the defense of democracy?" he asked the members of Congress.

"One year later, we know the answer. Yes, we would. And yes, we did. Together, we did what America always does at our best," he said.

We led. We united NATO and built a global coalition. We stood against Putins aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people.

Addressing Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, Biden said that she represented "not just her nation, but the courage of her people."

"Ambassador, America is united in our support for your country. We will stand with you as long as it takes," he said.

On Feb. 3, the U.S. announced a new security package worth $2.17 billion to Ukraine, which includes long-range Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) missiles for U.S.-provided HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and more Javelin anti-tank weapons.

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, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said on Feb. 3.

So far, the U.S. has been reluctant to supply high-precision, long-range ATACMS missiles over concerns that Ukraine could use them to attack targets deep inside Russia. Ukraine has also called for its Western partners to provide fighter jets, but so far, none has signaled it is ready to do so.

Previously, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine needs long-range missiles, including ATACMS, to stop Russian terror.
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden went off-script during an otherwise climate-friendly State of the Union speech Tuesday night to acknowledge an uncomfortable reality for the White House: Were still going to need oil and gas for a while.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The unusual assessment from the president, slipped twice into his address and not included in prepared remarks circulated beforehand, lays bare the conflict between his administrations climate and economic goals. Biden has repeatedly exhorted oil companies to invest in pumping more crude even as he seeks to end its use.

More From the State of the Union: Biden Wants to Ban Junk Fees. Heres What That Means

Bidens speech also underscored the still-simmering tension between Biden and US oil companies. He once again blasted them for using record profits to buy back stock  rewarding their CEOs and shareholders  instead of plowing that money into more drilling to increase production and keep gas prices down.

Biden said oil executives hed pressed on the issue had told him bluntly: Were afraid youre going to shut down all of the oil wells and all the oil refineries anyway so why should we invest in them?

Biden offered his answer Tuesday night. Were going to need oil for at least another decade, he said, quickly adding, and beyond that, after boos from some lawmakers.

Bidens comments offered only partial comfort to some oil industry representatives who have insisted they need more encouraging signals from Washington about the enduring need for fossil fuels in order to lure more capital and drive investments that take decades to pay off.

Story continues

The president is right that Americans and the world will continue to need affordable, reliable energy for decades to come, Ben Marter, vice president of the industrys top lobbying group, the American Petroleum Institute, said by email. So why attack the industry working day and night to provide it?

Biden called on Congress to quadruple a new tax on corporate stock buybacks, saying that would encourage more long-term investments. The push dovetails with California Governor Gavin Newsoms proposal to slap a windfall-profits tax on refineries.

By continuing to politicize market fundamentals and single out stock buyback programs, the president is overlooking how his own policies discourage the reinvestment of earnings back into the US liquid fuel supply chain, said Chet Thompson, president of the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers trade group. Its counterproductive to explore new taxes at a time when more supply is whats needed.

(Updates with tax proposal and comment from refining group starting in eighth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
President Biden urged unity during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, but there was little of that on display in a raucous chamber where the president was heckled by a number of newly empowered House Republicans.

Bidens speech was a blend of a victory lap over his first two years in office and a pitch to voters about what he would do with six more years if he were re-elected in 2024. The president rattled off a list of bipartisan legislation that he argued had revitalized the economy and shown the government can work for the public, while urging a newly divided Congress to finish the job.

To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we cant work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress as well, Biden said. I think the people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere. And thats always been my vision of our country, and I know its many of yours.

He touted his work to improve the U.S. economy early in the address, noting that the January jobs report released last week showed unemployment dropped to 3.4 percent and that gas prices are down $1.50 a gallon from their peak.

And, he touted the passage of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law, taking a stab at Republicans who voted against the legislation but have celebrated projects it funds.

But even as he urged unity, Biden also put GOP lawmakers on the spot when he suggested that some Republicans wanted to take the economy hostage over the countrys debt limit by making cuts to Social Security and Medicare, which became an unusual and tense moment of a live back-and-forth between the president and the GOP.

Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans  some Republicans want Social Security and Medicare to sunset. Im not saying its the majority, Biden said.

Story continues

One Republican  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, yelled liar toward Biden after those remarks, which drew boos from Republicans in attendance. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shook his head as he sat next to Vice President Harris behind Biden, for the first time as Speaker of the House.

Anybody who doubts it, contact my office, Ill give you a copy of the proposal, Biden said amid the jeering.

If anyone tries to cut Social Security, I will stop them. And if anyone tries to cut Medicare, I will stop them, Biden said. I will not allow them to be taken away. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

When boos and yells of no and liar erupted in the chamber, Biden replied with a thumbs up, so we can all agree? Social Security and Medicare are off the books now?

Alright, he added, with a thumbs-up, before Democrats and Republicans stood up to cheer.

The address also came with sobering moments of bipartisan applause, too.

With the parents of Tyre Nichols in the gallery for the address, his mother RowVaughn Wells applauded him when Biden said Tyres name with his mother telling the president, Thank you.

And lawmakers applauded Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a gunman in Monterey Park, Calif. last month who had shot roughly a dozen people at a Lunar New Year celebration.

Members of both parties also stood and recognized Oksana Markarova, Ukraines ambassador to the U.S., as Biden stressed his support for Ukraine amid Russias invasion.

Biden also sent a message to Chinese President Xi  just days after the U.S. military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that riveted the country.

Bidens message was that the U.S. seeks competition, not conflict.

But make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did, giving a brief nod to the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down on Saturday.

While the president frequently emphasized bipartisanship on Tuesday, his speech also had an eye toward a possible re-election and Biden sought to draw a contrast with Republicans in key areas.

One area in which he credited only Democrats was his remarks on the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the sweeping climate, tax, and drug prices bill passed only with Democratic support. He said that some members here are threatening to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act but threatened to veto any legislation that would raise the cost of prescription drugs.

He noted some Republicans voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill in 2021, but still asked for funding from the bill to fund projects in their districts.

Dont worry. I promised to be the president for all Americans. Well fund your projects, Biden quipped. And Ill see you at the ground-breaking. This law will help further unite all of America.

The president largely painted a rosy picture of the economy and the state of the country, though he acknowledged at times throughout the evening that there was more work to do.

A slew of recent polls showed many Americans dont believe Biden has done much since taking office two years ago, or that they believe the country is on the wrong track. Tuesday served as a starting point for Biden to convince them otherwise.

My fellow Americans, we meet tonight at an inflection point, Biden said. One of those moments that only a few generations ever face, where the decisions we make now will decide the course of this nation and of the world for decades to come.

As I stand here tonight, I have never been more optimistic about the future of America, he added. We just have to remember who we are.

Updated 12:05 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
During his State of the Union address, President Biden introduced the parents of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was beaten to death by Memphis police officers last month, making an emotional appeal for police reform.

Video Transcript

JOE BIDEN: Public safety depends on public trust as all of us know. But too often, that trust is violated. Joining us tonight are the parents of Tyre Nichols. Welcome.

[APPLAUSE]

They had to bury Tyre last week. As many of you personally know, there's no words to describe the heartache of grief of losing the child. But imagine, imagine if you lost that child at the hands of the law. Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter came home from walking down the street, playing in the park or just driving a car.

Most of us in here have never had to have the talk, the talk, that Brown and Black parents have had to have with their children. Beau, Hunter, Ashley, my children, I never had to have ever talk with them. I never had to tell them if a police officer pulls you over, turn your interior lights on right away. Don't reach for your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Imagine having to worry like that every single time if your kid got in a car.

Here's what Tyre's mother shared with me when I spoke to her, when I ask her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out. The faith of God, she said, her son was, quote, "a beautiful soul and something good will come of this." Imagine how much courage you carry that takes. It's up to us, to all of us. We all want the same thing-- neighborhoods free of violence, law enforcement-- of enforcement, who earns the community's trust.

Just as every cop, when they pin on that badge in the morning has a right to be able to go home at night, so does everybody else out there. Our children have a right to come home safely.

[APPLAUSE]

Equal protection under the law is a covenant we have with each other in America.

[APPLAUSE]

We know police officers put their lives on the line every single night and day. And we know we asked them, in many cases, to do too much to be counselors, social workers, psychologists, responding to drug overdoses, mental health crises, and so much more. In one sense, we ask much too much of them. I know most cops and their families are good, decent, honorable people, the vast majority.

Story continues

[APPLAUSE]

But they risk--

[APPLAUSE]

And they risk their lives every time they put that shield on. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better. Give law enforcement the real training they need. Hold them to higher standards. Help them succeed in keeping us safe. We also need more first responders and professionals to address the growing mental health, substance abuse challenges.

More resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime. More community intervention programs. More investment housing, education, and jobs training. All this can help prevent violence in the first place. When police officers or police departments violate the public trust, they must be held accountable.

[APPLAUSE]

We could support--

[APPLAUSE]

We could support the families of victims, civil rights groups, and law enforcement. I signed an executive order for all federal officers, banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act. Let's commit ourselves to make the words of Tyre's mom true, something good must come from this. Something good.

[APPLAUSE]

And all of us, all of us--

[APPLAUSE]

Folks, it's difficult but it's simple, all of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment. We can't turn away. We must do what we in our hearts that we need to do. Let's come together to finish the job on police reform. Do something. Do something.
DeFOREST, Wis. (AP)  Fresh from his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden rallied supporters in Wisconsin on Wednesday, preparing for an expected reelection announcement this spring and trying to shore up the backing of working-class voters who have edged away from Democrats in recent years.

Fighting for the sake of fighting gets us nowhere, Biden said at a training facility run by the Laborers International Union of North America. Were getting things done.

Workers lined up in orange shirts and hard hats behind the president as he spoke. A banner that said union strong hung to the side.

Biden, who beat Donald Trump in 2020 by a narrow margin in Wisconsin, talked about helping workers make a couple more bucks" and preventing them from getting stiffed by companies that play us for suckers.

My economic plan is about investing in people and places that feel forgotten, said Biden, who pointed to new federal funding for a bridge and electric buses in Wisconsin.

His trip was one stop in the traditional post-State of the Union blitz, where the president, vice president and Cabinet officials fan out across the country to promote his themes from the speech. Biden's next stop is Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, where he's expected to discuss proposals to safeguard Social Security and Medicare, and lower the cost of health care.

At the training center, Biden met workers and apprentices who are learning how to do the jobs that are being created as a result of several pieces of major legislation, some of them passed with Republican support, that Biden has signed into law.

The measures include trillions of dollars for pandemic relief, rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure, jump-starting the semiconductor chip industry in the United States, and boosting climate change and health care initiatives.

"Hes got us in his mind, and its good to hear, said Casey Kvalo, an underground pipe worker from DeForest. As for the job creation Biden promoted Tuesday evening, hes right on point about it and its exciting to hear, Kvalo said.

Story continues

Tony Kurkowski, a Milwaukee highway worker and union member, said he was pleasantly surprised by the presidents visit and focus on workers.

With a lot of politicians, its easy to take the vote for granted and once they get in have their own priorities, but its good to see hes coming back to labor, he said.

Biden's State of the Union night also included heckling by some Republicans, who called him a liar and demanded that he secure the border with Mexico.

Vice President Kamala Harris brushed off those interruptions in an interview with CBS Mornings before jetting to Atlanta for her own event on Wednesday.

The president was in command and he focused on the American people as opposed to necessarily the gamesmanship that was being played in the room," she said.

In her remarks at Georgia Tech, Harris touted investments in the green economy and the administration's fight against damage from climate change.

Were looking at at least a trillion dollars to hit the streets of America to address some of these issues, she said.

She declared that this is a moment where we should think of it not being about incremental change and slowly moving the needle but embarking, jumping onto a new plateau and establishing a whole new industry, a clean-energy economy.

Biden has said he intends to run for a second term in 2024. A formal announcement is expected in the coming months, though a majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

___

Associated Press writer Harm Venhuizen contributed from DeForest.
President Biden in his State of the Union address called for more resources to curtail veteran suicides as part of a wider plea to invest in federal aid services.

In Bidens speech, his first before a divided Congress, the president also asked for more financial assistance for former service members to help keep a roof over their heads as well as job training and placement for veterans and their spouses as they return to civilian life.

Lets do more to keep this nations one fully sacred obligation: to equip those we send into harms way and care for them and their families when they come home, Biden said.

The president said the country is losing 17 veterans a day to the silent scourge of suicide.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is doing everything it can, including expanding mental health screenings [and] proven programs that recruits veterans to help other veterans understand what theyre going through and get the help they need, Biden said.

He also pledged to help veterans afford their rent because no one should be homeless in America, especially someone who served the country.

Earlier on Tuesday, White House officials laid out the new veteran support efforts, with Deputy Assistant to the President for Health and Veterans Affairs Christen Linke Young telling reporters the administration will provide new resources to states and territories for programs aimed at tackling veteran suicide through mental health and emergency support services.

Officials will also focus on supporting veterans at challenging moments that can increase suicide risk by expanding medical-legal partnerships and expanding outreach to justice-involved veterans, in addition to expanding peer support programs.

In addition, Biden is pushing Congress with a fiscal 2024 budget that will propose a yet unnamed housing assistance initiative, Young said.

An estimated 33,000 U.S. veterans dont have reliable housing. That number has sunk more than 11 percent from 2020 to the start of 2022, though administration officials have sought to bring that number to zero.

The new initiatives build on Bidens push last year to create sweeping new benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits and other situations while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. That effort ultimately resulted in legislation passed last summer that opens such benefits for millions of veterans.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  The country is at an inflection point, as President Joe Biden likes to say. So, too, is Biden's presidency as he prepares to compete for a second-term in office.

Biden's description of how infrastructure investments will benefit middle-class families are not resonating with blue-collar workers  particularly white voters who didn't attend college. Many defected from the Democratic Party over the past decade and offered Biden lukewarm support in the last presidential election.

"It's about both actions and words," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers and close ally of Biden's. "People have to see how that connects to their everyday lives."

Ahead of an expected reelection announcement in the coming weeks, Biden is making a concerted effort to bring working-class Americans back into the fold. His first stop on his post-State of the Union tour will be at a union-run apprenticeship and training facility in Wisconsin, a state that epitomizes the challenges that Democrats face in the 2024 election with independents and workers who lost jobs amid the decline in American manufacturing.

'Four more years': Biden hints at 2024 as he rallies Democratic Party leaders in Philadelphia

A little more than two years ago, Biden won just enough of these voters to narrowly win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan  three crucial Rust Belt states that carried former President Donald Trump to a surprise victory in 2016.

Biden seeks to capture more of their support now by stressing the "good-paying union jobs" being created by his infrastructure and manufacturing investments. He made a direct appeal to the working class during his State of the Union address Tuesday, saying "too many people have been left behind" in a changing economy while calling his economic plan "a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America."

Story continues

Opinion: Biden's State of the Union address confirms America's in a clean energy boom

He told members of the Democratic National Committee gathered in Philadelphia last weekend that after corporations shipped manufacturing jobs overseas, the middle class was "hollowed out," and many working-class Americans came to believe the party had stopped paying attention to them.

"Did you ever think we'd be in a situation where blue-collar workers are voting Republican?" Biden said. "No, no, we gotta be honest, man, because they think we forgot them. They think we don't care."

The struggle is one that lawmakers in manufacturing-heavy states such as Pennsylvania, where Biden was born, have been warning the Democratic Party about for years as the party has relied increasingly on college-educated voters with higher incomes in cities and suburbs.

Rep. Brendan Boyle said he co-founded the congressional Blue Collar Caucus after workers who had typically been the "heart and soul" of the party voted Republican in the 2016 presidential election. Biden was the group's first guest speaker when the caucus launched.

"The whole point was about how the Democratic Party absolutely needed to do better in terms of messaging for working-class voters because, frankly, there was very little of it in the 2016 campaign. So Joe Biden is someone who clearly gets that," said Boyle, D-Pa.

"He gets it intellectually, but more importantly, he gets it because of where he grew up, where he's from."

Voters are not connecting Biden's policies to economic gains

Voters, though, are not connecting the president's claims that "the Biden economic plan is working" to their own financial situations  even as the nation celebrated a robust jobs report last week and a drop in unemployment to a nearly 54-year-low.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released this week found 41% of Americans believe their financial situation has gotten worse since Biden was elected, compared with just 16% who said it has gotten better.

"He's gotta get with working men and women," said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich, as she relayed a confrontation she had with union members in which she defended Democrats' record under Biden's tenue.

Democrats are still chafed by the erosion of support among blue-collar voters when Hillary Clinton topped the Democratic ticket. Clinton famously did not visit Wisconsin during the general election.

Dingell criticized Clinton for avoiding union halls in Michigan, where she would have been confronted about her position on trade and encouraged Biden not to make the same mistake.

Jobs a focus of Biden's address: A look at economy's strengths, weaknesses as Biden sets to boast of record job growth in State of Union

Concerns about Biden's age, 80, remain among many Democrats, yet no viable primary challenger has emerged and calls for Biden not to run quieted after the party exceeded expectations in the midterm elections.

Allies close to Biden expect the president to announce his reelection bid in March or April and say it's no longer a question of if he will run but when he will announce.

At the DNC meeting, Biden was met with cheers of "four more years." Party members later passed a resolution in support of his reelection.

In an interview afterward, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison recited Biden's accomplishments, such as student loan debt relief, the COVID-19 eviction moratorium and expanded health care benefits.

"And that's what we will sell over the course of the next few years as we go into the presidential race. I have no doubt that not only will Joe Biden be our nominee, but Joe Biden will get reelected. If people haven't learned anything yet, I hope they learn very soon: Never bet against Joe Biden," Harrison said.

Biden's allies characterize the president's accomplishments as historic, arguing he overcame a pandemic and a razor-thin Democratic majority in Congress to piece together one of the most prolific first terms ever. They believe Biden can make the case that his administration is making progress but it has more work to do as he seeks four more years in office.

"None of us have done a good enough job of messaging the work that we've gotten done," Dingell said. "He's human. He was the right person when this country needed to heal and come together. He has more compassion and empathy and understanding of what the real world is like than any president I have ever known."

U.S. jobs report: Economy added 517,000 jobs despite recession risk; unemployment fell to 3.4%

Americans disconnected from Biden's accomplishments

Ron Klain, the outgoing White House chief of staff, reeled off Biden's wins at a goodbye ceremony last week: signing the largest economic package since the Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal "while managing the largest land war in Europe since Harry Truman"; achieving the biggest infrastructure package since Dwight D. Eisenhower; confirming the most judges in a first term since John F. Kennedy; pushing through the second-largest health care bill since Lyndon B. Johnson; signing the most significant gun control bill since Bill Clinton; and championing the most robust climate bill in U.S. history.

"Now that's not bad," Klain said. "Especially not bad for a president and a team that was written off for dead."

Voters are struggling to identify what he has achieved, however. Sixty-two percent of Americans said Biden has accomplished "not very much" or "little or nothing" in the same Washington Post-ABC News poll, and only 36% said he has accomplished "a great deal" or "a good amount."

"I think the greatest frustration for Democrats across the board is how little penetration the tremendous accomplishments have had," said Celinda Lake, a pollster for Biden's 2020 presidential campaign who conducts focus groups with voters.

President Joe Biden talks with reporters after returning on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, from a weekend at Camp David in Maryland. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) ORG XMIT: DCSW112

Lake said a feeling of instability among voters has made it hard for Biden's accomplishments to resonate, and the scale of the president's agenda has often muddled the message. "Ironically, it would have been easier to penetrate if the man had gotten three things done instead of 300," Lake said.

As Biden shifts to campaign mode, Lake said, the president must remind Americans about the progress with repetition, and it "needs to show up at people's kitchen tables."

More: Biden turns 80 amid questions about a reelection bid

Above all, the president needs to convince non-college educated women, particularly those 50 or older  a demographic that is the target of the president's working-class rhetoric, Lake said. These are the voters who could decide whether Biden can again carry crucial states in the Midwest.

"They're the No. 1 target for anybody right now," Lake said. "You can see both parties targeting them."

Cedric Richmond, a senior DNC adviser and former Biden aide, said the president "can't say enough about how much he's done, because people are so busy living their own lives that a lot of people don't know all of their accomplishments."

Biden has aggressively hit the road to highlight bridges, tunnels and other projects finally under construction more than one year after the 2021 passage of his infrastructure package. He visited New York last week, in addition to Pennsylvania, and will travel this week to Florida and Wisconsin.

"Constantly showing up makes a difference," said Boyle, the Philadelphia-area congressman. "The first rule of politics is, you gotta show up."

Reach Francesca Chambers at @Fran_Chambers and Joey Garrison @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden eyes 2024 reelection: blue-collar voters a top concern
During his State of the Union address, President Biden urged Congress to pass legislation aimed to protect kids privacy online, a move seen as encouraging but long overdue.

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube have all come under fire for playing a role in what researchers say are rising rates of depression and anxiety in children.

In his speech, Biden said that social media companies must be held accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit.

Its time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect on all of us, he added.

Theresa Payton, CEO of cybersecurity consulting firm Fortalice Solutions and former White House chief information officer, said she was encouraged to hear Biden speak about data privacy, adding that imposing stricter limits on personal data collection from social media companies is way overdue.

Protecting childrens data online should be a bipartisan issue where both sides come together to protect our children, Payton said.

It would be terrific if 2023 could be the year we could agree that childrens privacy must come first, she added.

That could prove difficult, as two kids online safety bills introduced in the Senate last year have yet to pass the upper chamber.

The bills are the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act, also known as COPPA 2.0, and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).

The COPPA 2.0 legislation, which is led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass), would update a 1998 law, also authored by then-Rep. Markey, that deals with the data that social media companies collect from children and teenagers.

The new bill would expand protections to minors ages 12 to 16, who are not protected by the current law. The legislation would also ban targeted marketing to minors without getting consent first.

Story continues

KOSA, on the other hand, addresses the design of the social media platforms and how they operate for young users.

The legislation would create a duty for the platforms to prevent and mitigate harm to minors, including content promoting self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.

The bill would also require social media platforms to complete an annual independent audit assessing risks to minors and their compliance with the law. It would also compel the platforms to put the strictest privacy setting in place as the default setting for minors.

KOSA is led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)

In July, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced both bills with bipartisan support.

Despite the bipartisan support, some lawmakers criticized the committee for not prioritizing the American Data Privacy Protection Act (ADPPA), a House bill that addresses privacy concerns for all Americans, including children.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who voted against Markeys COPPA 2.0 legislation, said at the time that the need for a national law that provides data protection for everyone must be this committees priority.

While no legislation is perfect, the ADPPA represents a bipartisan, bicameral compromise which I believe has the best chance to reach the presidents desk before the end of this year, Wicker said.

Brandon Pugh, policy director of the cybersecurity and emerging threats team at the R Street Institute, had some similar views, saying that Congress should focus on protecting the data of all Americans, not just minors.

Some members of Congress seem interested in moving forward with narrower legislation aimed at only protecting kids privacy, but all Americans face data privacy and security concerns, Pugh said.

Acting on a comprehensive federal data privacy and security law helps ensure everyone, regardless of age, is protected, he added.

The American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), introduced last Congress, is a model for expanding data privacy protections and rights for all, including children, he continued.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to pass a pared-down package of changes to immigration law, as his administration continues to grapple with historic numbers of apprehensions at the southwest US border.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Biden, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, called on Congress to approve more funding for officers and equipment to secure the border and a citizenship path for undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, known as Dreamers, as well as farm workers, essential workers and migrants on temporary status.

American border problems wont be fixed until Congress acts, Biden said. If we dont pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan.

Several Republicans shouted secure the border as Biden spoke and Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to try and shush them from the rostrum.

Bidens narrower proposal is an acknowledgment of the divided nature of Congress. Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections, when they campaigned against the presidents immigration policies, saying they have encouraged migrants to cross into the US.

The president proposed a sweeping immigration overhaul on his first day in office that would have created a path to citizenship for many of the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US. Yet that package never gained traction in Congress over the last two years, when Democrats had slim majorities.

While Bidens new proposal is slimmer than his first, it would still mark the most significant changes to US immigration law in decades.

The Biden administration expanded a policy last month allowing authorities to quickly expel migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua using the controversial Trump-era public health authority known as Title 42.

Story continues

Migrants from those countries have driven the high level of apprehensions for the last year, including more than 250,000 alone in December. At the same time, the US will admit 30,000 migrants per month from those nations who apply to live and work temporarily.

Biden said the program has resulted in unlawful migration from those four countries falling by 97% since it was implemented.

--With assistance from Josh Wingrove and Billy House.

(Updates with new details from speech starting in 4th paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Renewables are set to dominate the growth of the worlds electricity supply over the next three years, as together with nuclear power, they will meet the vast majority of the increase in global demand through 2025, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

This will check significant rises in the power sectors carbon emissions, said a new IEA report.

The growth in world electricity demand is expected to accelerate to an average of 3 per cent over the next three years after slowing slightly last year to 2 per cent, said the IEAs Electricity Market Report 2023.

Emerging and developing economies in Asia are the driving forces behind this faster pace, which is a step up from the average growth of 2.4 percent during the years before the pandemic.

More than 70 per cent of the increase in global electricity demand over the next three years is expected to come from China, India and Southeast Asia. Chinas share of global electricity consumption is currently forecast to rise to a new record of one-third by 2025, up from one-quarter in 2015. At the same time, advanced economies are seeking to expand electricity use to displace fossil fuels in sectors such as transport, heating and industry.

The worlds growing demand for electricity is set to accelerate, adding more than double Japans current electricity consumption over the next three years, said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

The good news is that renewables and nuclear power are growing quickly enough to meet almost all this additional appetite, suggesting we are close to a tipping point for power sector emissions. Governments now need to enable low-emissions sources to grow even faster and drive down emissions so that the world can ensure secure electricity supplies while reaching climate goals, Birol added.

The strong growth of renewables means their share of the global power generation mix is forecast to rise from 29 percent in 2022 to 35 percent in 2025, with the shares of coal- and gas-fired generation falling. As a result, the CO2 intensity of global power generation will continue to decrease in the coming years, the report said.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene yells while President Biden delivers the State of the Union address. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The response from many Republican lawmakers to President Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday marked a new low for civility in politics in the United States.

Interrupted multiple times by jeering, boos and accusations of lying by GOP members, Biden gamely endured the taunts, at times seeming to revel in the prospect of egging on his political opponents, calling them out over threats to refuse to raise the debt ceiling and other contentious issues.

That led to an outburst by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who called the president a liar.

Moments later, when Biden was discussing overdose deaths caused by fentanyl, another Republican House member shouted, Its your fault!

State of the Union addresses, which are mandated by the Constitution, have, for most of the nation's history, been rather staid affairs. The president reports on the progress being made, outlines policy priorities for the year ahead, while the members of the opposing party or parties choose either to applaud unenthusiastically or sit on their hands in protest. Debate over the substance of the speeches had, until recently, been reserved for after they were finished.

Even then, the official rebuttal given by the opposing party only made news headlines when the person who delivered it needed a sip of water to get through it. On Tuesday, by contrast, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former Trump White House press secretary, came out with guns blazing.

Hes the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that cant even tell you what a woman is, Sanders said. In the radical lefts America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire.

In his own rebuttal, former President Donald Trump was equally subtle. Joe Bidens weaponized Justice Department, and Im a victim of it, is persecuting his political opponents. His administration is waging war on free speech, Trump said. Theyre trying to indoctrinate and mutilate our children. Hes leading us to the brink of World War III.

Story continues

But tonights State of the Union and the response to it, while perhaps more coarse and unsparing than those in the past, is simply another step in the decline of civility. Heres a look back at the recent developments that got us here.

Rep. Joe Wilson yells 'You lie!' at President Barack Obama

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who yelled out "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's speech on health care in September 2009, calls out to a colleague before Obama's arrival to deliver his State of the Union address Jan. 27, 2010. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

During a joint address to Congress on Sept. 9, 2009, then-President Barack Obama laid out the details of his signature health care reform bill to Congress and the nation. Republicans in the chamber who voted against its passage stewed as they listened.

But it was Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who was unable to control himself. You lie! Wilson shouted, interrupting Obama, and drawing a chorus of boos from Democrats and Republicans alike for the breach in decorum.

At the urging of leadership, Wilson later contacted the Obama White House, telling them his statements were inappropriate.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rips up Trump's speech

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., tears up her copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress, Feb. 4, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP)

At the end of President Donald Trump's final State of the Union address on Feb. 4, 2020, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angrily tore her copy of the speech into shreds.

The address was given the day before the Senate acquitted Trump in his first impeachment trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemming from his request that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launch an investigation into Hunter Biden ahead of the presidential campaign.

Like virtually all of his speeches, Trump's State of the Union address was highly combative and riddled with what outlets like the New York Times deemed to be falsehoods and exaggerated claims.

It was a manifesto of mistruths, Pelosi later told reporters regarding the speech.

Reps. Greene and Boebert heckle Biden's first State of the Union address

Rep. Lauren Boebert and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene with Rep. Byron Donalds during Biden's first State of the Union address, March 1, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via Reuters)

In a preview of Tuesday's State of the Union response, Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Greene repeatedly heckled Biden during his first speech to a joint session of Congress in 2022. The two congresswomen, who have since experienced a falling out thanks to different views on who should be named House speaker, attempted to whip up a chant of "Build the wall!" during Biden's address.

At the time many Republicans criticized the two lawmakers.

Its something that I think that theres a place, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told reporters. Thats not the place to do that.
President Joe Biden called for new gun-control measures, higher taxes, and more access to abortion during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

He took aim at former president Donald Trump  referred to only as my predecessor  for running record deficits, and he accused Republicans in Congress of holding Social Security and Medicare hostage.

He dodged responsibility for the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border, passing the buck to Congress for not passing his preferred comprehensive immigration reform proposal. And while he said that we have broken Covids grip on us, he made no mention of the significant learning loss American students suffered while many of the nations schools remained shut on his watch.

For much of his speech, Biden focused on unity and his alleged desire to work with his Republican friends, noting that hed signed over 300 bipartisan bills in the last two years, including the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. That bill has allowed for the funding of over 20,000 infrastructure projects, he said, including expanding high-speed internet and replacing poisonous lead pipes.

To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we cant work together in this new Congress, Biden said. The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere. And thats always been my vision for our country. To restore the soul of the nation. To rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class. To unite the country.

But his calls for unity typically seemed not to be calls for bipartisan compromise, but instead for Republicans to unify behind his position on controversial issues.

On abortion, Biden did not call for moderation or compromise, but instead called on Congress to codify the right to abortion that the Supreme Court took away last year. More than a dozen states, he said, are enforcing extreme abortion bans. Make no mistake; if Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it, Biden said.

Story continues

Biden called for raising taxes on the wealthy and on large corporations, so they will pay their always unspecific fair share. He called for Congress to pass his billionaire minimum tax, because, no billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter. But his call for higher taxes wasnt exclusive to billionaires. Under my plan, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in taxes, he said.

At one point, Biden received loud pushback after he accused some Republicans of holding entitlements hostage in a showdown over the nations debt limit. Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset, he said to loud boos. Biden was likely talking about Florida Senator Rick Scott, who released a proposal last year to sunset all federal legislation after five years. Biden went off script: Anybody who wants it, contact my office, and Ill give you a copy of the proposal. Im not saying its a majority of you, he said, adding that it likely wasnt even a significant number. But its being proposed by individuals. Im not planning on naming them, but its being proposed by some of you.

The president also took aim at big businesses, particularly oil companies, which he accused of profiting off of the global energy crisis. Its outrageous, Biden said. They invested too little of that profit to increase domestic production and keep gas prices down.

He called for quadrupling the tax on corporate stock buybacks to encourage long term investments instead. And he called for Congress to take aim at so-called junk fees, things like surprise resort fees, and hidden cell phone, cable, and airline charges. And well prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 roundtrip for families just to sit together, Biden said. Baggage fees are bad enough  they cant just treat your child like a piece of luggage.

Biden urged Congress to make it easier for workers to unionize by passing the Pro Act. And lets guarantee all workers a living wage, he said.

During the speech, Biden noted the attendance of the parents of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old black man who was beaten to death by black Memphis police officers last month. Biden cited Nicholss death as clear evidence for why the nation needs to pass police reform. In the wake of high-profile mass shootings in California, Biden also called for a renewed ban on so-called assault weapons. We did it before. I led the fight to ban them in 1994, Biden said.

During his speech, Biden glossed over the immigration crisis at the southern border. Earlier Tuesday, Border Patrol officials testified at a House oversight hearing that Bidens efforts since becoming president have led many immigrants to believe that the border is open. Bieen did not accept any responsibility for the record number of illegal border crossings during his tenure. Instead, he called for Democrats and Republicans to come together on immigration and make it a bipartisan issue like it was before.

Americas border problems wont be fixed until Congress acts, Biden said. If you wont pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border. And a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.

Biden made no mention of the classified documents found in his garage and in the office of his think tank in recent months, and he made no direct mention of the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the country last week. Republicans have accused Biden of waiting too long to shoot it down, after it hovered over sensitive military facilities in Montana. Make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if Chinas threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did, Biden said.

Biden gave the speech ahead of an expected reelection announcement sometime this spring. At 80, Biden is already the oldest president in American history. If he were to win reelection in 2024, he would be in line to serve until he was 86.

The White House has tried to paint Bidens first two years as president as the most successful in recent American history. But it appears that most Americans arent buying it. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that most Americans, or 62 percent, believe that Biden has accomplished not very much or little or nothing during his time in office. Likewise, most Americans think Biden has made little or no progress in terms of creating good jobs, improving roads and bridges, and making electric vehicles more affordable, according to the poll. With Republicans taking control of the House, Biden will have limited ability to advance his agenda through the divided Congress.

Bidens approval rating is 43.2 percent. According to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 37 percent of Democrats want him to seek a second term.

More from National Review
By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he would cooperate with great power rival China, but vowed "to protect our country," a reference to a Chinese spy balloon that traveled across America last week.

"I'm committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said. "But make no mistake about it: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did."

Beijing denied the balloon was an espionage device.

Biden had been expected to address competition with China, but his speechwriters would have added that remark after the balloon traversed the skies above the United States - dominating the news cycle - before a U.S. fighter jet shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who sat with other members of the cabinet in the House of Representatives as Biden spoke, canceled a planned trip to Beijing amid the uproar.

Republicans seized on the balloon incident to assail Biden's decision, based on military advice, not to shoot it down sooner for fear debris could harm people on land.

Republicans, who took control of the House of Representatives last month, have pushed a hard line in dealings with Beijing, but it is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided U.S. Congress.

Biden touted legislation passed last year with strong support from both his fellow Democrats and Republicans that boosted the U.S. semiconductor industry, and promised more.

"I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, that China intends to be dominating," Biden said.

Asked on Wednesday about Biden's remarks, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said:" the Chinese side has always believed that China-U.S. relations are not a zero-sum game in which you lose and I win, and you rise and I fall."

Story continues

"China does not shy away from or fear competition, but we oppose using competition to define the entire China-U.S. relationship," Mao said.

Democrats have joined Republicans in demanding more information about the balloon and the Biden administration's policy toward the government in Beijing.

The White House has taken a more nuanced approach, seeking to tamp down tensions with China that flared in August when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited Taiwan.

Pelosi's visit prompted Beijing to conduct military drills near the Chinese-claimed island. Tensions could spike again if the new House speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy, visits Taiwan as expected this year.

Seven weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed lawmakers from the same podium, Biden also denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and touted U.S. support for the government in Kyiv.

Congress has approved more than $100 billion in aid and military assistance for Ukraine and partner nations since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

"Together we did what America always does at our best. We led. We united NATO. We built a global coalition," Biden said, vowing to stand with Ukraine "as long as it takes."

A few Republicans - led by those most closely aligned to former President Donald Trump - have questioned whether Washington should keep sending so much money to the government in Kyiv.

But most of the party - including its leaders and top members of national security committees in Congress - expect the money to continue. Biden's comments about Ukraine were met with loud applause and cheers from both Republicans and Democrats.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by LIz Lee in Beijing, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Simon Cameron-Moore)
WASHINGTON (AP)  When President Joe Biden suggested that Republicans want to slash Medicare and Social Security, the GOP howls of protest during his State of the Union address showcased a striking apparent turnaround for the party that built a brand for years trying to do just that.

Biden is not about to let Republicans off easily and forget that history.

The record ranges from President George W. Bush's ideas about privatizing Social Security to House Speaker Paul Ryans sweeping Medicare overhaul plan to current Sen. Rick Scotts idea of allowing those and other federal programs to sunset."

As budget negotiations move ahead, expect the long history of GOP efforts to slash the popular entitlement programs for seniors to remain a politically powerful weapon the White House intends to wield.

They sure didnt like me calling them on it, Biden said Wednesday about his address that drew heckling from Republicans the night before.

He headed to political battleground Wisconsin, home of Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, who has proposed forcing Congress to authorize spending for Social Security every year.

Speaking at a union training facility in DeForest, Biden pulled out a copy of Scotts campaign proposals and quoted Johnson as well as Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to warn that Republicans would target Social Security and Medicare.

Referring to the loud GOP objections at the State of the Union, he said, When I called them out on it last night, it sounded like they agreed to take these cuts off the table.

Well, I sure hope thats true, he said. Ill believe it when I see it."

The political shift among Republicans is happening in real time, helping set the parameters for the budget negotiations as Biden and Congress try to come up with a plan for raising the nations debt limit by a summer deadline.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has insisted that cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table  and many House and Senate Republicans vehemently agreed during Bidens State of the Union address, some shouting liar! as he suggested they were proposing reductions.

Story continues

But it's unclear what Republicans will demand instead of entitlement cuts as they leverage the upcoming negotiations to extract federal spending reductions. They say they want to put the government on a path toward a balanced budget, but thats a daunting if not impossible challenge without painful cuts elsewhere  in defense or other domestic accounts that Washington has been unable to make.

Johnson accused the president of lying about the senator's approach. I want to save these programs, Johnson said in a statement Wednesday. "We need a process to prioritize spending and decease our deficits.

The White House has insisted that Republicans make their budget plans public for Americans to judge for themselves. That hasn't happened yet.

"No more saying one thing and doing another, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Lets see exactly what they want to do.

Efforts to halt the explosive growth of the federal safety net programs for older Americans have stirred and stalled for years, particularly as the nation's population ages and more and more money is needed to shore up Medicare and Social Security.

Mandatory spending on the programs accounted for about $2.1 trillion in fiscal 2022, which ended last June 30  a sizable chunk of the nation's $5.8 trillion federal budget. Both funds are on track for insolvency, and the nation's debt is climbing, already edging past the $31 trillion limit.

In 2005, then President Bush floated a proposal to partially privatize Social Security, the retirement income program mostly for seniors. Republicans in 2010 seized control of the House and elevated House Budget Chairman Ryan, the architect of a Medicare proposal to shift toward a private insurance option, to be the partys 2012 vice presidential nominee. More recently, Scott, leader of the Senate GOPs campaign arm, put forward his own plans for overhauling the entitlement systems for older Americans.

Biden quickly zeroed in on Scotts proposal when the senator first introduced it more than a year ago, using it to portray Republicans as extreme. White House officials credit that with helping Democrats hold onto the Senate in last fall's midterm elections. Its a game-plan the president appears to be eager to deploy again as he gears up for a 2024 reelection bid.

Politically it was genius to tag the party with this idea that this party wants to do away with Social Security, said William Arnone, chief executive of the National Academy of Social Insurance, an advocacy organization for Social Security. The reaction from Republicans in the room is they want nothing to do with that idea.

Scotts 12-point plan calls for all federal spending legislation to sunset in five years, subject to votes in Congress that could preserve programs.

If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again, Scotts Rescue America website states.

Scott said in a written response to the president's State of the Union address that for Biden to suggest that this means I want to cut Social Security or Medicare is a lie, and is a dishonest move.

Does he think I also intend to get rid of the U.S. Navy? Or the border patrol? Or air traffic control, maybe? Scott asked in the statement. This is the kind of fake, gotcha BS that people hate about Washington. Ive never advocated cutting Social Security or Medicare and never would.

Scott's sunset ideas have a following among some Republicans in Congress, but at the same time the Republican Party is moving toward what appears to be a public unwillingness to touch the entitlement programs.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has distanced the party from Scotts ideas, and the Florida Republican lost an internal party bid to oust McConnell from leadership after the 2022 midterm elections.

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the party's 2012 presidential nominee who chose Ryan as his running mate is proposing a bipartisan Trust Act, which would create a Rescue Commission for the nation's endangered trust funds with a mandate to come up with legislation that would extend their long-term solvency.

Romney's plan, which is gaining traction among both Republicans and Democrats, is reminiscent of the 2010 bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, otherwise known as the Bowles-Simpson commission. Headed by two former Democratic and Republican lawmakers. it proposed one of the most sweeping overhauls yet of the nation's entitlement and budget programs.

Those recommendations proved politically toxic, and the Obama administration quickly distanced itself, as did many members of Congress.

During the last debt ceiling go-around, in 2011, Biden, as Obama's vice president, helped broker deals to ease the standoff. Among the ideas? A bipartisan Super Committee to propose budget cuts.

It, too, was unable to have political staying power, and the cuts were never fully put in place.
Isaac Jing is starting to reconsider his future in Texas.

The engineer works for a large tech company in Austin and owns a house in the city. Hes lived here since finishing grad school in Pennsylvania four years ago, and he invests in real estate as a side gig. But he worries that could change under a bill that would bar him from buying new property in Texas.

The reason: He is a Chinese citizen.

Details of the proposed law, which would also target citizens of Iran, North Korea and Russia, are still being worked out, according to its Republican sponsor. But Jing isn't the only one anxious about what the coming months in Texas might hold.

He recently joined a protest at the Texas Capitol over the legislation, which arrives as anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise and, for critics, evokes an ugly history of anti-Asian discrimination facilitated by state and federal law.

Jing wasn't planning to leave the state just yet, but he and his wife have already talked about moving to San Diego or the San Francisco Bay Area, he said. The direct implications for his investments or purchasing a home in the future were one concern; the sentiment behind the bill was another.

Did he still feel welcome in Texas?

"I feel like most people like me," Jing said. "On the other hand, if this law passes  wow."

The bills most prominent champion, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, has said his goal is to stop "countries that are hostile to the interest of the United States" from buying up farmland and other land. Other Republican leaders, including those, like Abbott, rumored to be open to 2024 presidential runs, are eyeing more narrow property restrictions focused on agriculture as part of a tough-on-China push. Some Democrats, too, have expressed similar concerns.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas in August 2022. (LM Otero / Associated Press)

Discord between the U.S. and China has only intensified since Abbott tweeted last month that he would sign the bill. Last week, Americans were unnerved by a Chinese balloon suspected of conducting surveillance floating across the United States. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken subsequently canceled a trip to China, and once the balloon moved off the South Carolina coast, the U.S. military shot it down.

Story continues

The episode is expected to heighten pressure on lawmakers to counter China. And even though Chinese investment in U.S. agricultural land and other acreage remains very small  "less than 1 percent of foreign-held acres," according to a USDA report covering 2021  the Texas bill, which extends to all property, portends a possible future, and its risks. It has already had a disquieting effect among Texans of Chinese descent.

The bill's author, Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, contends that once the details are worked out and exceptions added, the bill wont apply to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. But the path to U.S. citizenship can take years, and critics fear the expansive bill could ease the way for broader discrimination.

The Texas legislation will make some people more "willing to express their hatred toward certain race groups," said Hao Zhu, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "From COVID, already just because of our skin color, we were hated."

Zhu attended the rally with her husband and 2-year-old son, who was balanced in his dad's arm holding tiny Texas and American flags.

"Look around," Zhu said, as families and businesspeople  many waving American flags and chatting in English or Mandarin  walked past the Capitol. The bill is not affecting a "security issue at the national level" but "regular people's lives."

She started to bring up fears about her son going to school, then paused, in tears.

She explained later that even though she didn't think she and her family's rights would be directly affected by the bill, she worried about where it might lead. She pointed to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

"We feel pretty safe by and large in the Austin community," she said. "Maybe in the 1940s, the Japanese Americans [didn't] feel unsafe."

A growing movement

In 2021, long before Americans noticed the white balloon drifting over the western U.S., Texas lawmakers enacted legislation that blocks companies tied to China and the three other countries from entering into critical infrastructure agreements.

Their move followed a Chinese billionaire's large land purchase and proposed wind project in southwest Texas. Greenalia, a Spanish company, has since acquired the wind farm project, according to a spokesperson. The Chinese investor could not be reached for comment.

The sponsor of the new Texas bill, Kolkhorst, cited "the purchase in 2021 of over 130,000 acres in South Texas by a Chinese-controlled firm" and its proximity to an Air Force base as among the concerns that necessitated further legislation. In addition to banning citizens from the four countries from buying or acquiring property, the bill restricts their companies and governments from buying Texas land. It does not address foreign nationals from those countries who already own property in the state.

The bill in some ways mirrors a broader legislative push to target foreign investment in agricultural and other land, particularly by the Chinese Communist Party. A new House select committee on China is expected to look at this issue, and bipartisan bills introduced last month in the U.S. House and Senate would increase review of foreign investment in U.S. agriculture. A California bill, authored by a Democrat, to restrict foreign ownership of agricultural land passed the Legislature last year but was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom .

But in the vein of former President Trump, ambitious Republicans are particularly focused on this issue as they jockey over China.

In September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely viewed as a Republican presidential contender, warned of Chinas influence from server farms to farmlands and proposed prohibitions on certain foreign purchases of agricultural land and land near military bases. Recently, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia also put out a video asking for a bill prohibiting Chinese Communist Party purchases of farmland.

China is "going to be a really big topic for both parties this year, especially for the Republicans," said Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist. "Last week's events, in my opinion, put a lot of pressure on Joe Biden to also show some toughness on China."

Jennings said he expected the movement targeting the Chinese Communist Party and agricultural land to grow, honestly, especially now with the balloon story," he said. "It's a reminder: You cannot give the communists the benefit of the doubt. I think most Americans will look at this and say, 'I can't believe they're allowed to buy any land.'"

The Texas bill, by currently including Chinese citizens, in effect does not distinguish them from China's Communist Party.

It signals a possible legislative direction for Republicans, but also the pitfalls: Abbott has more recently suggested the bill won't affect people who "intend to be citizens."

Abbott's office did not respond to requests for comment. Kolkhorsts office declined repeated requests for interviews.

Democrats "know the bill is going to have safeguards for all of our Chinese community that seeks to buy a home," said Bobby Eberle, the Fort Bend County Republican Party chairman. "That's just obvious."

But several people at the rally described waiting up to a decade to obtain a green card, and it remains unclear how a ban might ultimately affect people with different immigration statuses.

Some experts wonder whether policies that turn away from America's democratic strengths will only hurt the U.S. in the long term.

"A ban that targets a persons country of origin, particularly if it includes those on a pathway to U.S. citizenship, goes against everything that the United States stands for," said Jessica Chen Weiss, a political scientist and government professor at Cornell University.

"There are better ways to scrutinize potentially problematic investments without resorting to sweeping measures that would undermine our values and reduce our appeal as a destination for global talent and investment," she wrote in an email.

Despite Republican assurances that the proposed legislation, which hasnt yet been referred to a committee, will undergo changes, some suggest it's already had a chilling effect.

Lynn Yuan, the founder of a real estate firm in Austin, said her Chinese clients include tech workers, business owners and real estate investors. Almost all are U.S. residents, she said.

"None of those are related to government," she added. But concerns over the bill have made some of them hesitate in moving their businesses to Texas. "If they could go to another location or even another country, why would they risk it?"

"Texas is our home!"

A measure that says some people "are less equal than others" is a "really dangerous thing," said Democratic Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, shown in the House chamber of the Texas Capitol in 2021. (Eric Gay / Associated Press)

A measure that says some people "are less equal than others" is a "really dangerous thing," said Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat. In an atmosphere of rising anti-Asian hate and violence, he said, "you have the government of one of the largest states in the nation saying these people are fair game."

At the Austin rally, people held signs that said, "STOP Chinese Exclusion," evoking the Chinese Exclusion Act, a 19th century law that blocked citizenship to Chinese residents in the U.S., affirming the exclusion of Asian immigrants from a 1790 naturalization law. A speaker also referenced "alien land laws," racist laws in California and other states that restricted Asian immigrants and others from owning property, including agricultural land.

Lawmakers' framing of the new bill as a national security measure also in some ways echoes the past.

Madeline Hsu, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said that in historically justifying anti-Chinese immigration laws, Chinese immigrants were portrayed "as this threat to the civilization of the United States."

The national security focus now might be through the lens of COVID-19, technology or property purchase, she added in an email, but in using those threats as justification, racially designated groups have been targeted.

At the rally, as people marched near the Capitol, seemingly ending up at the same place, some worried about the future for themselves and their families. And some reflected on what drew them to call Texas home in the first place.

"If people ask me, 'Where are you from,' I say, 'I'm from Houston, Texas,'" Jim Wu said.

The U.S. citizen has lived in Houston for over two decades; he moved to the city from Beijing in 2001, got his MBA at the University of Houston and now works in international trade and business consulting.

"I love this state. I love this country, he said. Because of the freedom."

During his H1-B-visa-holding period, Wu bought a condo, he said. But if people cannot buy a house, he wondered, "How can they survive?"

He imagined a scenario in which he's asked to show his passport to buy a house.

If that happens, he said, then "it's not a free country anymore."

At the rally, chants of "stop Asian hate" and "stop discrimination," were often interspersed with hopeful bursts of state pride: "We love Texas! Texas is our home!"

Liebelson is a special correspondent.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
As exciting as some tech innovations may initially sound, their real-world impact is often hard to really notice. But when the developments are in something like internet search that we all use multiple times a day and the changes are dramatic, well, thats something thats bound to gain attention.

Such is the case with the latest version of Microsofts Bing search engine, which is now accelerated with artificial intelligence, thanks to a connection with the very hot ChatGPT content generation tool. (You can learn more about ChatGPT here.)

Instead of just getting back a list of links for potentially relevant websites when typing in a question, the new version of Bing can provide an easily comprehensible summary of all the information written in simple English (or one of over 140 other languages).

But, as with CHATGPT in general, accuracy is not guaranteed.

What is Microsoft Bing with ChatGPT used for?

Imagine doing a shopping-driven search for a big-screen TV or planning the day-by-day itinerary for a five-day vacation  two real-world examples the company used in its demonstration yesterday  and actually getting back everything you want to know in a single screen. Thats what this new version of Bing can do.

In the case of the TV, not only does it provide recommendations, AI-powered Bing also explains why it made the choices it did, describes what features are important, etc. Its a dramatically better experience than clicking on multiple individual links trying to read the articles or product reviews and making sense of it all. In fact, it can even put together a chart comparing the key specs if you ask for it.

The travel itinerary is even better. It showed recommendations of where to go, eat, and stay and then provided the relevant links to make the reservations or buy the tickets. The time savings are fantastic, and the quality of the experience is magical.

As great as all of this may sound, there are a few key points to remember. First, of course, is the fact that Microsofts Bing holds a tiny, single-digit share of the search engine market  the vast majority of people continue to use Google for their searches.

Story continues

And, not to be outdone, Google has already announced an AI and natural language-enhanced version of its Google search engine called Bard that will be available very shortly  though its already run into challenges with accuracy.

In addition, the initial version of the enhanced Bing search only works on PCs and Macs  a mobile version for smartphones will be coming later.

Bing waitlist

Microsoft is also launching a limited trial for the service, and youll have to join a waiting list before the company opens it up to millions of others. Also, while you dont have to use the upgraded Edge browser to use the experience, certain functions including the interactive chat features, are only available with it.

Finally, as with ChatGPT, not all the results of the summarized data are guaranteed to be fully accurate in this early version  there can still be errors.

Still, what becomes clear after you start using it is that this AI-powered Bing experience finally feels like computers are getting smart. In other words, they understand what you want, not necessarily what you typed.

How does Bing algorithm work?

In order to make this experiential leap happen, Microsoft had to upgrade a whole range of key technologies. Not only did the company further extend its partnership with OpenAI  the company that brought ChatGPT to market  Microsoft also created its own AI model called Prometheus, tapped into its Azure cloud computing infrastructure, and built a new version of its Edge browser.

The ChatGPT-powered interactive chat portion of the experience, which can be easily reached through a new sidebar window in the Edge browser, can generate the same kind of amazing original and summarized natural language content that the existing version does.

Want to refine the details on the search request you just made, generate an email summarizing the results, or read an easily understandable summary of a search topic?

The Chat function can do that and more in a matter of seconds. Best of all, the version of ChatGPT that Microsoft is using is an upgraded one that isnt publicly available anywhere else.

The real power behind the experience, however, lies in Prometheus. While its never actually visible to you as a user, it sits at the front end of the process. Its function is to determine the resources needed to best answer the particular question/request that you make. Once it does, then it orchestrates the information flow through those elements. Notably, it can tap into the existing Bing search index and then use its own capabilities to feed the appropriate requests into ChatGPT, which then generates an easy-to-read, summarized answer.

While that may sound like internal details that dont matter, the combination means you can leverage both recent news and information along with the natural language capabilities of ChatGPT in a single solution.

This is critically important because on their own, large language models like ChatGPT are trained on web-based data but only up to a certain date, meaning they dont have access to the most recent information.

What Microsoft is doing with its Prometheus AI engine is leveraging the capabilities of both traditional Bing searches and natural language responses to create a seamless and up-to-date solution that combines the two.

If youre looking for a new and better way to do internet searches, the new Bing.com is definitely worth a try. In fact, its the type of thing that, once youve tried it, youll likely never want to go back to traditional internet searches.

USA TODAY columnist Bob O'Donnell is the president and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, a market research and consulting firm. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Microsoft's AI search engine uses ChatGPT, giving Bing a makeover
Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates presents a T-shirt as a retirement gift to Microsoft Office Assistant Clippy at the Office XP launch, 31 May, 2001 (Getty Images)

The new AI-enabled Bing is Microsofts biggest ever play to take on Google, yet experts warn it is unlikely to even make a dent in the search giants dominance.

Microsoft said the artificial intelligence, which is based on the same technology underpinning the viral ChatGPT chatbot, will serve as an AI copilot. It is designed to assist people in their searches, like a souped-up version of its paperclip character Clippy that Word users may be familiar with.

AI will fundamentally change every software category, starting with the largest category of all: search, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during a press event on Tuesday, having previously said that AI will soon impact everyone, no matter their profession... for everything they do.

It is the first tangible product to come from Microsofts investment in OpenAI of $10 billion  a figure 20 times greater than what Google paid to acquire OpenAI rival DeepMind.

Googles AI division is still one of the worlds leading AI research units, yet it remains cautious about launching its powerful tools as standalone products. DeepMind boss Demis Hassabis revealed last month that its own Sparrow chatbot, which he claims can do things that ChatGPT cannot, would not be released immediately due to the potential dangers of advanced artificial intelligence.

Googles in-house chatbot Bard, which was announced the day before Microsoft launched its OpenAI search integration, is also not being released publicly. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company would instead first be working to weave AI features into Googles existing search tools.

SEO experts are betting that this approach will be enough to stave off Microsofts challenge, especially considering Google remains the default search engine for the majority of web users.

Everyday search users wont know [about this update], so Bing would have to pair the release of this feature with a huge investment in marketing to let people know. Even if Microsoft did this, would people leave the comfort of Chrome for slightly more convenient answers? Bing wont have the time needed to steal market share from Google, as the playing field will soon be even again, said Collum McCormick, an SEO expert at Embryo.

Story continues

At the end of the day, it will take effort to transition from Chrome to Microsoft Edge, which means most people wouldnt switch unless the benefit was huge. Google has obviously been threatened by this, hence the retaliation, but now I feel like the change that Microsoft Edge will make just wont be big enough to make people switch.

Googles market dominance is so complete that the companys name has become a synonym for search, however it faces other existential threats to its near-monopoly status beyond just artificial intelligence.

Antitrust laws mean Apple and other smartphone makers may soon need to drop Google as the default search engine from Safari and Chrome browsers  Google is currently dealing with lawsuits in both the US and Europe. This would open the door for a competitor with better functionality to make a serious challenge.

This could well be an AI version of Microsofts Bing or Edge. The OpenAI investment could well prove useful across other Microsoft businesses that most people do not see.

Its no surprise that the two largest software companies in the world are racing to develop and release their own generative AI solutions. Were witnessing the fastest industrial revolution in history, said Rodrigo Liang, CEO of AI startup SambaNova Systems.

While Google and Microsoft have their eyes on the consumer market, and especially search, we mustnt forget the enterprise software market which is ripe for transformation... Foundation models based on generative AI will revolutionise these businesses.
Bill Powers with his flock of white turkeys, kept under shelter to prevent exposure to bird flu, on November 14, 2022 in Townsend, Delaware. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

A deadly bird flu has been killing chickens, turkeys, wild birds, and even some mammals.

So far, it has only infected one person in the US, who had a mild illness.

But experts are still on high alert  these three charts show why.

Around January of last year, birds across the US, from South Carolina to New Hampshire, started dropping dead. Geese, ducks, even eagles were being killed off by a deadlier-than-usual bird flu, called H5N1, which had already wreaked havoc across much of Europe and Asia.

Today H5N1  a type of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)  has led to the deaths (through both infections and cullings) of a record-breaking 58.2 million farm birds nationwide, including turkeys and chickens. It's one of the big reasons that egg prices soared in 2022.

In addition to killing an unusually high number of both wild and domestic birds, this bird flu has also infected at least six people worldwide, including one patient in the US who suffered mild symptoms. But, so far, there's no evidence that the virus can transmit from person to person, which is why experts continue to stress that the risk to the public is low  for now.

"That's the tricky thing about avian influenza viruses  they mutate very fast," veterinarian and poultry expert Thaina Landim de Barros, an assistant professor at The Ohio State University, told Insider.

Here are three key charts to help you make sense of where the bird flu outbreak stands right now, and where it could be headed next.

This bird flu has spread with alarming efficiency across the entire country

USDA

Since January 2022, bird flu has been identified in poultry in 47 US states. And all 50 states have recorded cases of the illness in wild birds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This bird flu outbreak is staggering in comparison to previous US outbreaks when it comes to both the spread, and the devastation. Already, the 2022-2023 outbreak has killed 8 million more poultry than the once-record-breaking 2014-2015 bird flu outbreak did. That bird flu season had been considered as "arguably the most significant animal health event in US history" by the USDA. Since then, there have only been two much smaller highly pathogenic bird flu outbreaks, each responsible for the deaths of fewer than 500,000 domestic birds across a total of five states combined.

Story continues

"This particular strain of the virus has adapted to affecting poultry and causing very severe disease," veterinarian Julie Gauthier, assistant director of poultry health at the USDA, said during a bird flu briefing in September. Most chickens who get it will die, and die quickly.

This bird flu has also spread to at least 16 different mammal species, including humans

USDA

Mammal-to-mammal transmission of H5N1 was recently recorded between mink on a farm in Spain, and the virus has also likely been transmitted between seals in the US, suggesting that it's possible this virus could be a few key genetic changes away from something with pandemic potential for people.

In the US, the virus has been found in at least 16 mammal species including red foxes, skunks, raccoons, and even a bottlenose dolphin and black bear.

Many of the mammals that have contracted bird flu feast on wild birds, or come in contact with them regularly in the wild.

Leading bird flu expert Richard Webby, an infectious disease researcher at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, says "there does seem to be an increase" in the sheer number of mammals across the US and Europe getting severely ill with this particular bird flu.

"It does look like this one is a bit nastier, and a little bit more able to cause severe disease in these scavenging mammals," he told Insider, explaining that there is often a "large amount of virus" found in the brains of mammals who've died with H5N1.

We're not even at the peak of bird flu season just yet

World Organisation for Animal Health

Highly pathogenic bird flus aren't new. Since 2005, scientists have reported more than 18,600 outbreaks of bird flu to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). This particular strain of bird flu was first identified in a goose in 1996.

According to the WOAH, bird flu "spread is lowest in September, begins to rise in October, and peaks in February," which means it's possible we haven't seen the worst of this season's bird flu fatalities yet.

For now, if you see birds exhibiting tell-tale symptoms of the flu, like coughing, sneezing, purple bruising, or staggering around, don't touch them, and don't let your pets nibble on bird carcasses either. Contact local wildlife authorities if you see birds acting weird, or spot dead ones lying around.

"Just leave wild birds, and also mammals, where they are," de Barros said. If you keep chickens or turkeys in your backyard, be on alert for signs of the virus, which can also include swelling in the head and in the legs, nasal discharge, and diarrhea.

Read the original article on Insider
An "1870" pin to be worn by members of the Congressional Black Caucus and others at the State of the Union address. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos courtesy of the office of Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images)

At President Biden's State of the Union speech Tuesday in which he addressed the countrys top issues before Congress, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other Democrats made a bold statement of their own  albeit a silent one.

Many of them wore black pins with the number 1870 on them, which marks the year of the first known police killing of an unarmed and free Black person that occurred in the U.S. The pins are a call for action on reforming the institution of policing that has killed thousands of Black people in the 153 years since.

Im tired of moments of silence. Im tired of periods of mourning, New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat who came up with the idea to create the pins, told Yahoo News ahead of the speech. I wanted to highlight that police killings of unarmed Black citizens have been in the news since 1870, and yet significant action has yet to be taken.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman at an event at the Capitol to demand that Congress renew an assault weapons ban, July 12, 2016. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)

On March 31, 1870, 26-year-old Henry Truman, a Black man, was shot and killed by Philadelphia Officer John Whiteside after being accused of shoplifting from a grocery store.

Whiteside had allegedly chased Truman into an alley when at some point Truman turned to ask what he had done wrong, and the officer fatally shot him, according to an account in the Philadelphia Inquirer the following day. At trial, Whiteside claimed he had been ambushed by a crowd while he chased Truman. Whiteside was later convicted of manslaughter. That same year the country adopted the 15th Amendment, which granted Black men the right to vote.

Over a century and a half since Trumans killing, a steady stream of Black people have been killed by law enforcement, including 1,353 since 2017, according to data from Statista, a digital insights company. In fact, Black Americans are three times as likely to be killed by police as white people are, and they account for 1 in 4 police killings despite making up just 13% of the countrys population.

Many of the parents, siblings and children of Black people killed by police over the last decade were invited to Tuesdays address as guests of members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The guest list included the families of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was gunned down by Cleveland police in 2014 on a playground; Amir Locke, the 22-year-old fatally shot by Minneapolis police in a predawn, no-knock raid last year; Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old fatally beaten by Memphis police during a traffic stop early last month; and a dozen other families who have lost loved ones.

Story continues

I hope today that we can get Congress to see that we need to pass this bill because this should never happen, Nicholss mother, RowVaughn Wells, said Tuesday afternoon at a press conference with the Congressional Black Caucus. I dont wish this on my worst enemy.

RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, speaks with reporters on Tuesday about police reform. (Cliff Owen/AP)

In contrast, several Republicans chose to honor members of law enforcement as their guests, including Rep. Mike Garcia of California, who brought Tania Owen, a retired detective and widow of a Los Angeles County sheriffs sergeant who was shot and killed by a suspect when he answered a burglary-in-progress call in 2016. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon hosted police officers from their respective districts.

The invitations came after several other Republicans last week, during National Gun Violence Survivors Week, were photographed wearing AR-15 pins, which were passed out by Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia on the House floor. Clyde claimed the pins were to remind people of the Second Amendment of the Constitution and how important it is in preserving our liberties.

Many police reform advocates have argued that the systemic issues tied to policing transcend even racial lines, highlighting the fact that the five main officers involved in the brutal beating of Nichols were also Black.

Blackness doesnt shield you from all of the forces that make police violence possible, James Forman Jr., a Yale law school professor and expert on race and law enforcement, told the New York Times. What are the theories of policing and styles of policing, the training that police receive? All of those dynamics that propel violence and brutality are more powerful than the race of the officer.

Karundi Williams, CEO of Re:power, an organization that trains Black people to become political leaders, told NBC News that addressing the core issues is the only way to prevent more killings.

When we have moments of racial injustice that is thrust in the national spotlight, there is an uptick of outrage, and people take to the streets, Williams said. But then the media tends to move on to other things, and that consciousness decreases. But we never really got underneath the problem.

Protesters in Oakland, Calif., on Jan. 29 to protest the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

In 2022 alone, police killed 1,192 people, more than any year in the past decade, according to a new report released last week by the nonprofit Mapping Police Violence. Black people accounted for more than 300 of those killings. The report also claimed that many of these killings could have been avoided by changing law enforcements approach to such encounters, such as sending mental health providers to certain 911 calls.

But substantial police reform has continued to lag.

The 2021 George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which was put forth following the murder of 46-year-old Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020, seeks to end excessive force, qualified immunity and racial bias in policing and to combat police misconduct. The bill passed the House of Representatives twice in the previous Congress, but has continued to fail in the Senate.

"With the support of families of victims, civil rights groups, and law enforcement, I signed an executive order for all federal officers banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act," Biden said in his State of the Union speech. "Lets commit ourselves to make the words of Tyres mother come true, something good must come from this."

Following the recent police killing of Nichols, members of the Black Caucus are cautiously optimistic that change will soon come.

This unfortunately reignites the fervor and the necessity and the urgency, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, a ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, recently told Yahoo News. With 18,000 police communities, there has to be a federal law that addresses the training and the relationship between police. We have to restart.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the Oval Office last week. (Susan Walsh/AP)

An info card attached to the black pin given to members of the Black Caucus expresses the frustration of numerous police killings from Truman to Nichols.

153 years later, nothing has changed, the note reads in part. We are tired of mourning and demand change.
By Maya Gebeily

CILVEGOZU, Turkey (Reuters) - They arrived at the border in taxis, run-down vans and in piles atop flatbed trucks: black body bags carrying Syrian refugees killed by the earthquake in Turkey, now being taken to final resting places in their war-ravaged homeland.

Relatives clutched paperwork issued by local authorities that would let the dead  but not their living relatives  pass into Aleppo province through Turkey's Cilvegozu border-crossing, closed to regular traffic since Syria's conflict began 12 years ago.

Across the border, family members will pick them up for burials.

Hussein Ghandoura crouched inside a truck and put his cheek to one of five black bags. Inside, the body of his 16-year-old son Mohammad.

"I just said goodbye to him before his final journey," Ghandoura told Reuters on Wednesday.

More than 8,500 people died in Turkey as a result of record-breaking earthquakes that struck on Monday. Among the casualties are Syrians who since 2011 have fled the conflict raging in their home country. The tremors killed 2,500 more in Syria.

The border between the two neighbours remains closed to most traffic and, so far, to aid operations. But Turkish authorities were allowing bodies certified by Turkish hospitals to cross into northern Syria, much of which is held by rebel forces opposed to the Damascus government.

A man held back two crying women as they tried to stay near one of the trucks full of bodies.

"Let the dead go first, then maybe one day the living can go," he told them.

Ossama Abdulrazzaq, a tall Syrian, eyes bleary with tears, checked the paperwork for his sister's body.

"She's pregnant in her final month. She was supposed to give birth in two days. She's supposed to go into labour," Abdulrazzaq said.

FAMILY TRAGEDY

Many extended Syrian families live in the hard-hit city of Antakya and in Kirikhan, a small Turkish town about 50 km (30 miles) from the border.

Story continues

In Kirikhan, Turkish rescue teams with cranes were pulling back rubble from homes on Wednesday, aided by Syrians in work gloves looking for their own relatives.

One body after the other, Salah al-Naasan, 55, found his family.

Carrying crumpled family photographs, the Syrian man wept on the sidewalk as rescuers brought his daughter-in-law, also pregnant, then his two grandchildren. His son was still missing.

Naasan, screaming with grief, begged rescuers to check if the unborn child had survived. Few medics were visible.

A rescuer pulled back the blankets covering one of the toddlers, revealing a lifeless hand with a purple bruise and a pale face covered in dirt.

Zaher Kharbotly, a stocky 43-year-old man from the Syrian province of Idlib, somehow still had hope.

He stood in front of the apartment where his two sisters and their children lived on the ground floor. Over and over, he counted the floors that had pancaked atop one another.

"We fled to Turkey under the bombs to protect our children. Now look at us. We're just fleeing from death to death," he said.

Kharbotly said that if his worst fears were confirmed, he also would bury the family in Syria.

"Our land kicked us out  but when we perish, it will accept us."

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
The Emirates Group has renewed its agreement with Dubai Municipality for the management of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), in its commitment to preserving wildlife and protecting natural habitats.



As custodian of the reserve for over 20 years, the Emirates Group is charged with its full operations and funding of its efforts to nurture the fragile ecosystem of the UAE, in addition to research and education programs.



With Dubais rapid pace of development and urbanisation over the past two decades, the DDCR was borne out of the Dubai Governments commitment to preserving the emirates unique desert habitat and biodiversity. The reserve is the UAEs first national park, spanning an area of 225 square kilometres which is roughly 5% of the total land area of Dubai.



Signing the agreement on behalf of Emirates Group, Ali Mubarak Al Soori, Executive Vice President - Facilities, Projects Management & Group Procurement & Supply Chain said: At the core of Emirates Group strategic goals is our commitment to sustainability and protecting the precious environment that we operate in. Since the establishment of DDCR in 2002, the Emirates Group has supported this important initiative by operating the reserve and managing its vast facilities on behalf of the Government of Dubai. The UAE has declared 2023 the Year of Sustainability, and we are proud to continue playing a role in achieving the nations sustainability goals.



Alya Abdulrahim Alharmoudi, Acting CEO  Environment, Health & Safety Agency at Dubai Municipality, added: Our collaboration with Emirates Airline to preserve and manage the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (Al Maha) demonstrates the significant role of public-private partnerships in promoting the sustainable development of natural reserves. It also reflects the Municipalitys commitment to efficiently coordinate with all its partners in order to further boost the economy.



This agreement plays a vital role in preserving the diversity of environmental and natural reserves, as well as strengthening wildlife conservation, which is essential for the development of tourism and environmental sectors in the Emirate of Dubai as well as the UAE. At Dubai Municipality, we are committed to fostering sustainability in the natural and desert reserves by carrying out research operational plans and studies. This will contribute to conserving their ecological diversities in a sustainable manner and highlight their relevance as significant tourist attractions for wildlife and desert safaris.



The Emirates Group has invested more than AED28 million ($7.62 million) in the reserve since its establishment in 2002, to fund and support the conservation of the natural desert landscape and its indigenous fauna and flora.



The protected inland desert habitat is currently home to over 560 different species of plants and trees, birds, mammals, reptiles and arthropods - more than double the original 150 indigenous species which thrived in the area prior to DDCRs efforts. The reserves effective management strategies have helped promote the natural processes that lead to rewilding of the desert habitat and its rehabilitation.



By protecting Dubais valuable desert ecosystems, Emirates has also made it possible for the DDCR to provide an authentic desert experience for visitors through carefully managed and monitored tours. Funding from the Emirates Group and limited tour operations at the DDCR also enables the reserve to conduct scientific research, collect data, and develop new technologies necessary for its management, in addition to rolling out education programs designed to enrich the visitor experience.



The sustainable tourism offering allows visitors from around the world to experience spectacular dune drives, desert safaris and traditional Arabian experiences while gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of the deserts natural habitat, heritage and wildlife, and the importance of conservation. A new Desert Visitor Centre is currently being developed to further enhance the educational experience for guests of the reserve.



The DDCR operates under the supervision of the Dubai Conservation Board (DCB) which is chaired by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Since the inception of the DDCR, the reserve has been immensely successful in growing the population of sand gazelles, Arabian gazelles and the Arabian onyx, from 230 initially to over 1,300 today. A further 171 Arabian Oryx have been relocated to other protected areas in the UAE.



Also amongst its other milestone achievements are the re-introduction of 2,800 Houbara, or Macqueens Bustard, which roam freely within the safe environment of the reserve. In excess of 31,000 native trees flourish in the vast area, which include the Ghaf tree, native to the desert and known for its ability to survive its extreme climate conditions without irrigation.  TradeArabia News Service
Feb. 7A Black rancher who alleges he and his wife have endured months of racially-motivated property crimes and intimidation in their rural Colorado community was arrested Monday by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

Courtney Mallery, 41, now faces a felony charge of stalking the neighbors he has accused of carrying out a bias-based terror campaign on his property in Yoder, about 30 miles east of Colorado Springs.

In an uncommon move, after considering the charges for which Mallery was arrested  which also include misdemeanor tampering with a utility meter and petty theft of under $50  El Paso District and County Magistrate Deborah Pearson set bond at $6,000, three times the amount requested by the people.

In statements made during a video advisement Tuesday, Pearson said she came to her decision after reviewing documents detailing a history of conflict, complaints and investigations by the Sheriff's Office, dating back to March 2022.

"The court is concerned about the risk to the victims and the community," said Pearson, referencing an easement between Mallery's property and that of the neighbors he is charged with stalking, where "cameras and a loud speaker ... (allegedly) were being used."

As part of the bond agreement, Mallery promised to abide by a previously-issued restraining order barring him from contacting or harassing his neighbors.

In his plea for Mallery's release on an unsupervised "personal recognizance" bond, public defender Joseph Blythe described the Texas transplant as a life-long farmer with a clean record, "strong connections" to the local community and a wife who also lives in the greater Colorado Springs area. Mallery's wife, Nicole, was arrested Nov. 22 on two charges of felony stalking. She posted bond in December and is due back in court this week, according to court documents.

News of Courtney Mallery's arrest quickly spread through social media, redoubling outrage and online campaigns that began last month when a New Jersey-based media outlet published a lengthy piece sharing the couple's side of a story that's brought unwanted national attention to the quiet ranching community, and its law enforcement.

Story continues

"I would really hope that the El Paso County sheriff's department and several others in rural areas understand that we're taking this very seriously," Portia Prescott, president of the Rocky Mountain NAACP, told Gazette news partner 9News in Denver.

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.

During Tuesday's advisement hearing, Blythe described the long-running conflict that led to Courtney Mallery's arrest as more of a "neighborhood dispute ... than a criminal case."

What Courtney and Nicole Mallery described in the story published Jan. 16 by the Ark Republic, however, is anything but: a life-and-death struggle, of animal mutilations, poisonings and armed menacing, and local law enforcement that has been deaf to their complaints, and at times complicit in the crimes.

The Sheriff's Office pushed back against the couple's assertions and the groundswell of bad blood online in a statement Feb. 2, saying that it "vehemently denies" the allegations and "takes all allegations of crime and civil rights violations seriously." Officers, it said, responded and acted in an "appropriate" and "professional" manner at every juncture.

"Sheriff Joseph Roybal and the nearly 1,000 dedicated sworn and professional staff of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office remain committed to fostering safety for our community and our neighbors while ensuring Constitutional and civil rights are upheld regardless (of) race, color, national origin, or any other legally protected characteristic."

The statement went on to say that, over the past two years, the Sheriff's Office had investigated 19 different complaints and responded to more than 170 calls "filed by and/or involving" the Mallerys.

"Each of these complaints were individually and thoroughly investigated. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has also responded to over 170 calls for service that involve the individuals identified in the article (accurate as of February 2, 2023)."

The Sheriff's Office says it has documents and records, including body-worn camera video, that support its side of the story. It hasn't yet released that cache of information to the public, and attempts by The Gazette to gain access to the material so far have been unsuccessful.

On Monday, El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal shared a letter, via Twitter, to Willie Breazell, of the Black & Latino Leadership Coalition and former head of the local NAACP chapter, requesting an intervention-style sit-down meeting where "all interested parties meet in an effort to address ongoing concerns." Roybal also proposed the meeting be attended by a panel created of a "diverse representation of the community."

"It is my hope this meeting is the beginning of efforts and understanding to ensure a safe community for all," Roybal wrote.

The Gazette was not able to confirm Tuesday night whether such a meeting is in the works.

Courtney Mallery is set to make his first court appearance Feb. 14.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE GAZETTE
The last time a Black-owned grocery store in Detroit was in business was nearly 10 years ago. Thats about to changeone is set to open this summer on the citys east side, according to CBS News Detroit.

This neighborhood is classed as a desert because theres no immediate grocery store in it, said Raphael Wright, owner of the soon-to-open Neighborhood Grocery. Im on this mission of rebuilding the neighborhoods that I grew up in and that starts with food.

Wright envisions that Neighborhood Grocery as a full-service grocery store that will be located on the corner of Manistique and Essex in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood.

We dont see the representation because the representation is not in ownership, Wright said. You dont have people that live in it, getting the community that understands the community, owning and operating these stores.

People can become investors in the new business, according to the stores website. With just $50, Michigan residents can help fund the new venture and share in company profits, receive product discounts, and voting power on some operational matters.

The business got a great jump in development when Wright was awarded an $85,000 grant from Motor City Match.

This is a crowd-funded venture, Wright said. Neighbors, residents, Michiganders, people outside of the state have either donated or invested money into this project. I was able to raise most of the funds pretty much on the street. The $85,000 that I received pretty much closed the financial requirements that I had.

The good news of receiving the grant at the beginning of Black History Month is a great boost.

The news couldnt have came out in a much better setting or format than Black History Month so, but for me black history is everyday but because its our month to celebrate it for all of this news to come out at that time is again, its cool, Wright said.
Methodist University Hospital at 1265 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.

Amid ongoing gridlock, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system have come to an agreement about providing in-network care for TennCare recipients, according to the insurer.

Recipients of TennCare plans administered by Blue Cross are again able to seek care at Methodist facilities, including Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, without hefty out-of-pocket payments. The insurance company said the agreement takes immediate effect. The agreement applies to people covered by BlueCare Tennessee, TennCare Select, CoverKids and BlueCare Plus, the Dual Special Needs Plan.

Were pleased to continue our vital and beneficial work alongside Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare for the people of West Tennessee, said Amber Cambron, president and CEO of BlueCare Tennessee. This contract ensures that BlueCare members will be able to access health care, long-term support services, childhood wellness visits and more with support from the teams they trust.

Healthcare news:Methodist Le Bonheur now out of network for Blue Cross TN patients

Memphis news:How Methodist Transplant Institute's new leader plans to move center forward

Transplant RN Auyana Smith gets medicine for a patient on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis.

Providing the safest and highest quality care to our community, especially our most vulnerable patients, remains our top priority, said Michael Ugwueke, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. This agreement, while a major step forward, represents a fraction of what we can accomplish when insurance companies put the interests of their patients first. We look forward to continued negotiations to return insurance coverage to all of the BCBST members we are so privileged to serve.

Currently, BlueCare serves more than 630,000 members across the state, including about 200,000 people in West Tennessee, according to Blue Cross.

We are grateful to our provider partners in the Memphis area who delivered vital support for BlueCare members while we worked to reach agreement, said Cambron.

Story continues

In a statement, Methodist said Blue Cross' "claims of relying on other facilities for care are not working. This is one of the reasons we pushed for this agreement with TennCare and BlueCare, to help alleviate the burden on those we serve."

How we got here

While this agreement impacts thousands, negotiations are ongoing about in-network coverage for others who have health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. That includes 14,000 employees covered by two City of Memphis plans.

Those patients all fell out of network Jan. 1, when the healthcare system and the insurance company failed to come to an agreement on the rates Methodist charges and the fees Blue Cross pays, both for inpatient and outpatient care.

While they can still seek care at Methodist facilities, out-of-network patients often have to make significant out-of-pocket payments to do so. While some insurance plans offer out-of-network benefits or reimbursement, seeing an out-of-network provider typically results in much higher costs for the patient for everything from a standard checkup to an emergency room visit.

Negotiations over rates have been happening for months. Blue Cross said Methodist, and Le Bonheur in particular, charges significantly higher rates than other facilities in the area. Methodist said Blue Cross asked it to slash rates by 40% and did not consider a counter-offer. The hospital system has maintained its rates are fair.

Both parties said they're continuing to look for resolutions for ongoing disagreements.

Corinne S Kennedy covers healthcare, economic development and real estate for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.Kennedy@CommercialAppeal.com

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Methodist reach agreement on TennCare patients
A Lexington woman who was shot and injured by police after they say she tried to hit police and firefighters with her vehicle appeared in court for the first time Wednesday. A judge set her bond at $75,000 full cash.

Lasielle White, 29, is charged with attempted murder, wanton endangerment, criminal mischief and fleeing/evading police after she backed her vehicle into a police cruiser, and accelerated forward nearly hitting several Lexington firefighters Tuesday night.

District Judge Melissa Murphy entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf, and heard the county attorneys office suggestion on bond. They suggested a high bond amount and specifically stated $60,000 due to the significant nature of the alleged offenses.

Police were called to the 2300 block of Lonan Court at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a domestic violence incident involving a weapon, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said at a news conference Tuesday night.

The victim in the domestic violence incident had fled the area, and officers did not make contact with anybody at the home. Court documents say White tried to stab a man with a kitchen knife, but a cross-body bag prevented the knife from penetrating his chest.

White subsequently slashed the two front tires of his car. Police and firefighters were called back to the home at 5:04 p.m. for a report of wanton endangerment involving a collision.

Weathers said a woman had tried to hit someone with a vehicle and then hit a residence. She was in the vehicle and refused to get out. Police said she backed into a cruiser, then drove forward and almost hit several firefighters. In response to the life-threatening situation, an officer fired their weapon, striking the driver, Weathers said.

Court documents say White caused more than $1,000 in damage by colliding with the cruiser.

White then left the scene, and police pursued her through parts of Fayette and Scott counties for nearly 90 minutes before she stopped in Coldstream Park.

Story continues

White got out of the vehicle after Lexington Police Departments crisis negotiation unit made contact with her. Police said her injuries were not life-threatening. She was taken to a local hospital.

Weathers said the officer had their body-worn camera activated. Kentucky State Police are investigating, and he said the Lexington Police Departments Public Integrity Unit will conduct an internal review. He said the officer who fired the shot will be placed on administrative assignment.

White is scheduled to appear in district court again on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 8:30 a.m. before District Judge John Tackett.
Aerial view of the French aircraft carrier "Foch", off the Italian coast, in the Adriatic Sea, 20 May 1999. THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

The Sao Paulo was once the largest warship in the Brazilian Navy.

On February 4, Brazil sank the ship into the Atlantic Ocean after failing to sell it for scrap.

Built in the 1950s, the French-made ship is contaminated with asbestos, making it toxic.

The Sao Paulo was once the Brazilian Navy's flagship warship. But as of February 4, it's one of the biggest pieces of garbage in the ocean.

Five of 12 Super Etandard fighter bombers carried aboard the French aircraft carrier Foch are silhouetted against the morning sun as the Foch makes its way out of Cape Town harbour on its way to Rio de Janeiro 27 March 2000. ANNA ZIEMINSKI/AFP via Getty Images

In March 2021, the Brazilian Navy sold the aircraft carrier as scrap to a shipyard in Turkey. But the ship was rejected by Turkish authorities as it had asbestos, a toxic material often found in 20th century ships.

After circling along Brazil's coast for five months after it was rejected by Turkey, the warship was moved into international waters, Time reported.

On February 4, the Brazilian Navy sank the ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 217 miles off the coast of Brazil, per a press release from the Navy.

It was a controversial move: Several environmental rights organizations opposed the sinking of the ship because of the asbestos it contained.

"The sinking of the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo throws tons of asbestos, mercury, lead and other highly toxic substances into the seabed," Greenpeace said in a statement, per Reuters.

The Sao Paulo was the largest warship in the Brazilian Navy's fleet.

Super Etendard fighter planes are parked in the hull of French aircraft carrier "Foch" off the Italian coast, in the Adriatic Sea, 20 May 1999. THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

The warship had a full load displacement of 32,800 tonnes. That made it the biggest ship in Brazil's Navy, but still small compared to other modern-day aircraft carriers. For comparison, the USS Gerald R Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, has a displacement of 100,000 tonnes.

In total, the air carrier measured around 870 feet in length, per Global Security, an independent nonprofit that focuses on security research. The warship's hangar deck (pictured above), where planes are stowed, measured 499 feet by 79 feet, per Global Security.

The Sao Paulo was the last surviving ship of the Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers, which were the first aircraft carriers France built after World War II.

Story continues

The Aircraft Carrier Foch During The 50th Anniversary Of The Provence Landings, August 14, 1994. Patrick AVENTURIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The Clemenceau class was named after Georges Clemenceau, the former two-time prime minister of France. The first ship of the class  named Clemenceau  was dismantled in 2009.

The second ship of the class, now known as the Sao Paulo, was built in France in the 1950s. The French Navy originally named it Foch. It served several decades under the French Navy: It was commissioned in 1963 and decommissioned in 2000.

Under the French Navy, the warship was an active part of the country's fleet. The aircraft carrier took part in France's nuclear tests in the 1960s  the very first test by the European power in the Pacific, per the Guardian. It was also deployed in France's military missions in Africa and the Middle East through the 1980s.

The Brazilian Navy bought the Sao Paulo from France in September 2000 for $12 million.

Two Brazilian women wave a national flag as former French "Foch" aircraft carrier, renamed "Sao Paulo" leaves Brest harbour, 01 February 2001, western France. EMMANUEL PAIN/AFP via Getty Images

The Brazilian Navy commissioned the Sao Paulo in November 2000 and used it until February 2017, when it was officially declared out of service. It was eventually decommissioned in November 2018. Its pennant number was A12.

The Sao Paulo was used to train pilots for flying aircraft during carrier missions.

Aerial view of the French aircraft carrier "Foch", off the Italian coast, in the Adriatic Sea, 20 May 1999. THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

Henrique Cardoso, who served as the president of Brazil from January 1995 to December 2002, said the Sao Paulo was purchased to "operate with efficiency in the high seas" and to strengthen its naval power to protect its 4,350-mile coastline.

The Sao Paulo was extensively refitted from 2005 to 2009. The warship was powered by six boilers and four steam turbines. Despite the refitting, the warship still contained asbestos and heavy metals.

Source: Maritime Executive

The Sao Paulo had the capacity to carry up to 39 aircraft at sea.

A personnel member guides a Super Etendard 4P reconnaissance plane before its lift-off from the French aircraft carrier 'Foch' in the Adriatic sea on 4 February. GERARD JULIEN/AFP via Getty Images

The ship had capacity for 1,920 people  64 officers, 1,274 sailors, and 582 airmen.

The warship could carry 22 jets and 17 helicopters.

It was also fitted with armament including 100 milimeter turrets, 12.7 milimeter machine guns, and dual Simbad launchers.

Correction: February 9, 2023  An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the aircraft carrier that Brazil sank. It was the Sao Paulo, not the Sao Paolo.

Read the original article on Business Insider
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and Italy on Wednesday signed an export and investment partnership, Britain's first with a European Union member since it left the bloc, aimed at boosting the countries' bilateral trading relationship.

"This partnership marks a significant milestone in the UKs trading relationship with Europe," UK business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch said in a statement

"(It) shows how an independent UK can benefit from striking ambitious trade deals with the world, while also reinforcing our already strong and prosperous trading relationship with EU members."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by William Schomberg)
'Sorry out of use' on a diesel pump at BP Plc petrol station - Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg

One would imagine that BP has had enough of Bernard Looneys clumsy metaphors. But if it was a cash machine before Russias invasion of Ukraine, to borrow Looneys unfortunate words, then how might the Irishman characterise his employer on current form  a money-printing service to rival the Royal Mint perhaps?

It probably doesnt matter. Critics have been handed more ammunition than ever to lay into the company without Looney putting his foot in it again. Surging oil and gas prices on the back of Vladimir Putins war have not so much boosted profits at BP as sent them through the roof, provoking perhaps the fiercest anti-oil backlash yet with detractors queueing up to outdo each other in the outrage stakes.

BP is mining gold out of vast suffering, Greenpeace UKs head of climate justice, Kate Blagojevic, said after the FTSE 100 company announced record results for last year.

Profits of $28bn (23bn) were more than double what they were in 2021  proof that BP is laughing all the way to the bank, the Trades Union Congress said. The shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband declared that the windfalls of war were coming out of the pockets of the British people.

Meanwhile, BP continues to walk a tightrope between keeping shareholders onside with lavish payouts and reining in oil exploration to satisfy environmentalists, at the same time as pushing further and faster into green projects.

Greenpeace campaigner Sarah North holding a banner reading "Climate Emergency" whilst floating in front of BP oil rig - Jiri Rezac / Greenpeace United Kingdom

This is where the debate about Big Oil remains focused: can BP, Shell and rivals juggle widely conflicting interests as the world charges towards decarbonisation? Increasingly the answer to that question appears to be no  in order to keep one side happy, it almost inevitably means that the other is left feeling short-changed.

For BP to truly ramp up investment in clean energy, it requires that investors accept smaller payouts from a company that has long prided itself as one of the most reliable and generous dividend-payers in corporate Britain as BP places bigger bets on riskier, early-stage projects, and vice versa.

Story continues

Perhaps then it is time to ask a more fundamental question altogether, which is whether the oil and gas giants of old are actually capable of being trailblazers for renewable technology at all. Looneys argument is that BPs heritage, engineering nous, and position as a gas, power and carbon trader, will enable it to do this while continuing to post oil-like returns on capital of between 8 and 10pc.

But its a thesis that remains largely aspirational and untested, not least because BP has yet to direct meaningful levels of capital towards clean energy initiatives, a situation that seems unlikely to change any time soon.

As pressure builds on the industry to cut emissions and switch to cleaner energy, fossil fuel exploration is more lucrative than it has been for a long time, which means even greater rewards for investors  in this instance a 10pc increase in the dividend and an extra $2.75bn of buybacks, taking total shareholder returns for 2022 to nearly $14.4bn.

CEO of oil and gas company BP Bernard Looney - Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo

The upshot is that BP has already begun rowing back on its climate commitments. Whereas before the aim was to cut emissions by 35pc to 40pc by the end of this decade, it is now targeting a figure of around 20pc to 30pc. For a business with BPs carbon footprint, that is a pretty significant retreat.

Yet the issue isnt just that BP is a reluctant champion of renewables, or that traditional shareholders lack the incentive to encourage its adoption of green energy. A bigger question is this. How realistic is it, really, to think that an outfit that has spent the last century drilling relentlessly for hydrocarbons in every corner of the planet can completely reinvent itself as a business that builds and operates wind turbines, solar farms, and electric car charging points?

The reality is that BP and Shell are being asked to focus on new technologies that are as alien to them as the combustion engine was to horse breeders.

Yet, nearly 140 years after Carl Benz filed a patent for what is regarded as the worlds first motor car, if you had to lay a bet on who will become the pre-eminent electric vehicle producer of the 21st century, would it be: an unencumbered technology company like Tesla, with a visionary like Elon Musk leading the charge; or one of the other traditional car manufacturers such as Volkswagen  an organisation so wedded to diesel and petrol that it has been forced to fork out more than 30bn in fines for trying to make its cars seem less pollutive than they are.

Size and longevity are not necessarily any guarantee of survival when it comes to massive technological change. If they were, Kodak would still be around. Ditto Blockbuster, or Pan-Am airlines.

With Europes fossil fuel champions under greater political and social pressure than their American counterparts to embrace a low-carbon future, it is telling that their share prices have diverged. Total shareholder returns for BP and Shell are roughly half those of Exxon and Chevron over the last 12 months alone.

Looney has alternative options: a break-up that creates two distinct companies with different growth prospects, risk profiles, returns, and more aligned investors in each; or a complete wind-down in which BP continues pumping oil and gas out of the ground and returns all its excess profits to institutional shareholders, who can then direct the capital towards a new generation of genuine renewable energy companies that aren't constrained by an emotional and financial attachment to the past.

A company man like Looney will be reluctant to oversee such a radical shake-up but with BP struggling to navigate such diametrically opposed interests, maybe it is time to consider a plan B and admit that it isn't easy being green. In fact, for a major oil business, it is impossible.
Burts crisps - Ed Rooney / Alamy Stock Photo

British crisp company Burts Snacks has been bought by a major French conglomerate after almost three decades of family ownership.

The Plymouth-based business has been acquired by Paris-headquartered Europe Snacks, a major supplier of own-brand supermarket goods in Europe and the UK.

Burts was founded in 1997 by couple Richard and Linda Burt. They launched the company in Devon and began selling their upmarket crisps to independent local shops.

The company has been owned by businessman Jitendrakumar Patel and his family since 2014, when Mr Patel became its majority shareholder.

Mr Patel said: Since investing in the company back in 2006, it has been a very enjoyable and impressive journey.

It has been an honour to work with the Burts Family over the years and I would like to take this opportunity to wish the combined company every success in the years ahead.

Burts' sales have risen sharply as it began to appear in national retailers, with turnover up by a fifth to 68m in 2021 according to its most recent financial results.

Burts has expanded the range of products it sells, moving into healthier snacks such as lentil crisps and flavoured popcorn to broaden its appeal, and changed its name from Burts Potato Crisps to Burts Snacks in 2019.

It is based in Roborough, Devon but also owns a factory in Leicester.

Europe Snacks entered the UK market in 2016 when it merged with Stevenage-based crisp company Kolak, and employs almost 1,000 people in the country, accounts show. It now supplies own-brand crisps to most of the major supermarkets.

Etienne Lecomte, chief executive of Europe Snacks, said: Within a highly uncertain economic context, it is key to reach a size that allows us to keep investing in our people and in our factories.
Sharjah Airport has witnessed a passenger growth rate of 84.73 per cent in 2022, increasing the numbers to nearly 13 million passengers, as opposed to seven million passengers in 2021.



Meanwhile, aircraft movement experienced an increase of 51.69 per cent to 87,495 flights in 2022, as compared to 57,679 by the end of 2021. Moreover, around 170,544 tonnes of freight were handled through the Sharjah Airport in 2022, indicating an increase of 21.20 percent from around 140,717 tonnes in 2021.



Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority, said: The growth and achievements recorded in the previous year reflects our commitment to meeting evolving passenger expectations through our enhanced customer services. This marks a significant step in our journey towards excellence and leadership, which is in line with the visions and aspirations of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and are as a result of the close supervision of H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council.



The remarkable results resonate our strategic goals of reviving the travel industry in the Emirate of Sharjah, together with our ambitions to offer elevated levels of services. To satisfy the rising demand of the travel and air freight sectors, we further aim at raising our investments in expanding the airport's capacity and enhancing the network of tourism destinations.



Al Midfa added: The immense success we achieved is attributed to our dedicated workforce, cutting-edge infrastructure, as well as the use of several innovative technologies, together with our ideals of excellence and leadership. This is demonstrated by the accolades the airport has earned for its superior customer service and degree of confidence on a local and regional scale.



Sheikh Faisal Bin Saoud Al Qassimi, Director of Sharjah Airport Authority, said: The remarkable growth of Sharjah Airport Authority is the result of the staffs dedication and their extraordinary efforts, which reflected the Authority's values and mission. The growth further represents the Authority's successes in improving travel experiences of customers and offering them industry-leading services



We are eager to build on the growth and leadership that we have achieved by enhancing infrastructure, leveraging most cutting-edge technologies, and encouraging an innovative work environment. This will help to solidify Sharjah Airport's position as a leading airport regionally and globally.



The airport won the Airport Customer Experience Accreditation, making it one of the eight airports in the Middle East to receive this accreditation. The airport also won Best Airport of the Middle East, in the category five to 15 million annual passengers per year as well as the Voice of the Customer award by Airports Council International (ACI). Sharjah Airport was also honoured by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority for 100 per cent compliance to the national standard for the business continuity management system. The Authority also won the Sharjah Excellence Award 2020-2021 under the Sharjah Corporate Social Responsibility Category.



Sharjah Airport Authority was eager to complete the self-service travel journey in 2022 after launching and using the Automatic Boarding Control (ABC) Gates, the first-of-its-kind system in the United Arab Emirates that utilises an automatic visa verification system, and passengers can complete the verification process in 5 to 7 seconds.



Furthermore, passengers can now complete their travel procedures on their own after arriving at the airport till boarding the aircraft. This includes self-printing the boarding passes and baggage tags, followed by boarding card validation, then passing through the Smart Gates and scanning personal documents in less than 20 seconds, guaranteeing a smooth and unique travel experience through Sharjah Airport. Additionally, the Authority created the Smart Information Desk. The Smart Information Desk offers several smart and innovative services that allows passengers to communicate with the customer service staff.



Sharjah Airport's network includes more than 100 tourism destinations across the globe. In 2022, the airport added two more destinations via Air Arabia  Osh, Kyrgyzstan, and Milan, Italy. To improve connectivity between these destinations, Sharjah Airport welcomed the inaugural flights of several airlines, including Nile Air, Tarco Aviation and Biman Bangladesh Airlines.



Furthermore, Sharjah Airport Authority continued expanding Sharjah Airport, which began in 2017, to increase its capacity to 20 million passengers by 2026. The Authority concluded the maintenance program in the passenger terminal in 2022, including the arrivals terminal, to further improve customer experiences.  TradeArabia News Service
Kevin Reddington representing Lindsay Clancy at her arraignment on murder charges Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

PLYMOUTH  From the girlfriend of mobster James Whitey Bulger to Boston Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn, the lawyer hired to represent the Duxbury mother charged in the deaths of her three children has a long list of high-profile clients spanning several decades.

Brockton-based attorney Kevin Reddington, called the the affable Reddington by Boston Magazine, was named by the publication in 2002 as the best criminal defense attorney in the state. The 71-year-old is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honor reserved for only one quarter of 1% of the trial lawyers in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.

Kevin Reddington:Brockton lawyer takes on another high-profile case in defending 'Whitey' Bulger girlfriend

'We're not immune': Cohasset police chief on Ana Walshe, media frenzy and small-town policing

'She was just a kid': Family remembers victim after death of Cohasset 'Red Rose' murderer

Reddington is known for his collection of tattoos, including one on his shoulder in Latin reading Never represent an informant. Another, on the other shoulder, says Molon labe, or Come and take them, the ancient Greek equivalent of Bring it on. In his office, he has framed newspaper accounts of his trials and shelves holding skulls, swords and daggers. He holds on to evidence after acquittals, including brass knuckles and a Luger pistol.

Reddington has represented many high-profile clients, including Boston Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn, who was acquitted of drunken driving in 1998; Michael McDermott, who was found guilty of gunning down seven co-workers at a software company in Wakefield in 2000; and Therese Rogers, a Bridgewater woman accused of murdering her boyfriend by plunging knives into his eyes while he slept. Reddington won that case in 1989 by convincing jurors that Rogers had been abused by Quinn for years, leading to a form of temporary insanity known as battered womans syndrome.

Reddington has also represented a number of notable defendants from the South Shore over the years.

Story continues

Kevin Reddington presents his case in this undated photo.

Lindsay Clancy

First responders discovered Lindsay and Patrick Clancys three children unconscious inside the couple's home with obvious signs of trauma on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Two of the children, 5-year-old Cora Clancy and 3-year-old Dawson Clancy, were pronounced dead at the hospital. The third child, an 8-month-old boy named Callan, was flown to Boston Children's Hospital with traumatic injuries. He died Jan. 27.

Lindsay Clancy has been charged with murder in the deaths, and was arraigned in Plymouth District Court Tuesday. Police say she tried to kill herself after strangling the children.

Prosecutor: Lindsay Clancy 'created the situation' to kill her 3 children

More: Deaths of Duxbury children push postpartum depression and mental health to forefront

Defense attorney Kevin J. Reddington reflects while in his Brockton office on Friday, July 15, 2011.

At the hearing, Reddington said Clancy was overmedicated for postpartum mental health issues when she strangled her three young children. He said she's just the latest example of a healthcare system that often fails both women and those with mental illness. He said Clancy was under the care of medical professionals who prescribed her a cocktail of medications that harmed her mental well-being.

Reddington successfully argued against bail for his client Tuesday. Clancy will remain in her Boston hospital, where he is being treated for back injuries Reddington says have left her paralyzed. If she recovers, she'll be on house arrest.

Kevin Reddington talks to the press after representing Lindsay Clancy at her arraignment on murder charges Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

Catherine Greig

In 2012, Reddington represented former Quincy resident Catherine Greig, the girlfriend of notorious mob boss James Whitey Bulger.

Greig fled Boston with Bulger in January 1995, when he was indicted on dozens of racketeering charges. They were arrested in June 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif.

She pleaded guilty to three counts from her 16 years on the run: conspiracy to harbor Bulger as a fugitive, conspiracy to commit identity theft and identity theft. She was sentenced to eight years in prison and has since completed her sentence.

In this courtroom sketch, Catherine Greig, center, the longtime girlfriend of Whitey Bulger, is depicted with her lawyer Kevin Reddington, left, before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler, right, during a hearing Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in federal court in Boston. Greig pleaded not guilty to a contempt charge for refusing to say whether other people helped Bulger during his 16 years on the run. Greig is already serving a 2012 sentence for conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud. (Jane Flavell Collins via AP)

Matthew Potter

In 2021, Reddington represented Matthew Potter, of Weymouth, who was charged with manslaughter in the death of Quincy native Chris McCallum and three other assault charges stemming from a night out at the Nickerson American Legion Post in Squantum.

Prosecutors said Potter punched a McCallum in a brawl outside the bar, causing him to fall and hit his head, leading to his death.

Potter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault. Potter was sentenced to between three and four years in state prison.

Special prosecutor Daniel Bennett, left, and defense attorney Kevin Reddington go over evidence before jury selection in the trial of Matthew Potter in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Potter is charged with manslaughter in the death of Chris McCallum during a fight at a Squantum club in 2019.

Zhan "Andy" Ting Huang

Reddington represented Zhan Ting Andy Huang, one of two brothers charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of an Iraqi immigrant and his two young children.

The brothers were charged in the deaths of Oudah Frawi, his 2-month-old son, Hassan, and his 1-year-old son, Ali, who died in a March 2009 fire at 100 Robertson St., which was owned by the Huang brothers. Frawis wife survived the fire.

The family lived in a cramped basement in a building that lacked proper exits. The building was also cited for having two illegal units, no central fire alarm system and no working smoke detectors.

Andy Huang was sentenced to three years in prison and Jason Huang was sentenced to two to three years in prison. Besides the manslaughter charges, they were convicted of wanton or reckless violation of the state building or fire code, and Andy Huang was additionally convicted of perjury.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington, left, and Lynn Beland, Prosecutor for Norfolk DA, trade points during trial. At Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, the trial for brothers Andy and Jason Huang is underway, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, for the 2009 Quincy illegal apartment building fire that killed man and his two infant sons on Robertson Street.

Jack Callahan

Reddington is representing a Duxbury man who is facing a murder charge in the death of his father at Island Creek Pond, in which prosecutors said the man dunked his father's head underwater in a type of baptism and exorcism.

Callahan was 19 in 2021 when he was charged with killing his father, 57-year-old Scott Callahan.

Prosecutors said at his arraignment that Jack Callahan told police that he dunked his father's head underwater four to eight times and believed he was baptizing him. The prosecutor said the then-teenager told police that he believed his father was possessed by a spirit and he had to exorcise his demons.

Katherine Dickson

Reddington represented Katherine Dickson, who in 1992 robbed and killed Eero Helin, 72, and Lillian Helin, 65, for drug money in their Pembroke home.

She was also charged in the non-fatal shooting of another man, Mark Walther, six weeks after she killed the couple.

Dickson pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Dickson can request parole again in 2024.

Katherine Dickson stands with her attorney, Kevin Reddington, in Brockton Superior Court on Sept. 1, 1994, as she pleads guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the 1992 deaths of a Pembroke couple.

Reynold Buono

Reddington represented a retired drama instructor and former Milton Academy teacher accused of sexually assaulting boys in two states.

Reynold Buono was extradited to the United States from Thailand in 2017 after a district attorney and Milton police investigated allegations by a former student at Milton Academy in the early 1980s.

Buono changed his plea to guilty in September of 2022, when faced with two counts of rape of a child with force. He will spend five years on probation; submit a DNA sample; have no contact with victims; have to register as a sex offender; wear a GPS monitor; not go to Milton or Rockingham County, New Hampshire; undergo sex offender treatment; and other conditions.

Reynold Buono in Norfolk County Superior Court.

Material from The Brockton Enterprise was used in this report.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Kevin Reddington has defended many high-profile cases
Sarah Knowles' advocacy is inspired by her 23-year-old son Matthew.

Many people who need adult-sized changing tables must instead lay on an unhygienic public restroom floor or attempt to change in their vehicle, despite a lack of privacy and unpredictable weather. Some may decide to not leave home at all.

The first publicly available universal changing station in Waukesha County has been installed in the Brookfield Public Library and, for 23-year-old Matthew Knowles, it's now easier for him to enjoy the local farmers market, run errands or get a haircut.

Knowles has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair-user. Sarah Knowles, Matthew's mother, needs to be able to lift him on to a table, so it is important that they are not only adult-sized, but also height-adjustable, like the one installed in the library.

"Knowing that that table is there, it means that we don't always have to go all the way home," said Sarah Knowles, a Brookfield resident.

As part of Wisconsin's chapter of the Changing Spaces Campaign, Knowles has advocated for the installation of universal changing tables, needed for individuals with disabilities that make them incontinent, the aging population or people who use catheters. Thanks to Knowles' efforts since 2016, there's a table in Fiserv Form, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, General Mitchell International Airport, Froedtert Hospital and more.

She also helped shape a state bill with Rep. Robyn Vining that would require certain spaces to provide a single restroom with a universal changing station.

As someone who is normally shy and soft-spoken, political advocacy wasn't in Knowles' original life plans, she said.

An adjustable universal changing station is now available in a private room in the Brookfield Public Library.

"Basically, just fighting for Matthew is what keeps me able to do it," Knowles said.

She first reached out to Brookfield Ald. Mike Hallquist, who then worked with library staff to dedicate $8,000 of their budget to the table's installation. The table will last for over 20 years, Hallquist said.

"That is a really low investment for a city our size to be more accommodating for people with disabilities and incontinent seniors," Hallquist said.

Story continues

Hallquist admits he didn't know tables were needed until he first spoke to Knowles.

"I think all policymakers, myself included, need to do a better job making sure that when they plan these facilities, that they are accommodating people in more diverse demographics," he said. "It shouldn't require this fearless mom advocate to say we have a problem."

The need for universal changing stations is unknown, Knowles said, partly because it can be an embarrassing topic to address, but also because people with disabilities tend to be overlooked.

"People have said to me before, 'we don't see people like your son here,' as though we're the ones who are weird because we've got a son with a disability, rather than the fact that it's because people don't like to come out because there aren't the resources that they need while they're out," Knowles said.

While people may overlook an issue that doesn't directly affect them, Knowles said, anyone can acquire a disability that renders them incontinent.

"You can have a brain tumor and suddenly you're dependent on someone else," she said.

Hallquist hopes to continue to work with Knowles to improve Wisconsin's accessibility.

"I hope other cities will consider either in their current facilities, building these types of universal changing stations, and certainly in their future ones," Hallquist said.

Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.

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: Waukesha County installs first public universal changing station
Former President George W. Bush is set to return to Washington, D.C. later this month in a rare appearance to mark the 20th anniversary of the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Bush will be joined by his former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the former president of Tanzania Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete on Feb. 24 at an event hosted by the George W. Bush Institute commemorating PEPFAR, a program that the State Department says has saved 25 million lives in fighting AIDS worldwide.

The trio will discuss how PEPFAR was established and how it has impacted the world, according to Bushs press release.

Bush established the PEPFAR program in 2003 to help prevent the spread of HIV  which can turn into AIDS if not treated properly  and to care for those infected with the disease in other countries. The program now operates in 50 different countries has provided nearly 65 million people with HIV testing services, as well as treated more than 20 million people, according to the State Department.

Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates will also be in attendance, along with with David Kramer, who is the executive director of the Bush Institute, to discuss the success of PEPFARs program model.

PEPFAR is arguably the most successful U.S. foreign assistance program ever, having saved more than 25 million lives to date, Kramer said in a statement. PEPFAR has also strengthened health systems, emboldened democracies, supported economic growth, and advanced progress on human rights. Congress and the American people should continue to support PEPFAR until AIDS is no longer a threat.

Former First Lady Laura Bush will also introduce two ambassadors from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation during the event. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also deliver remarks virtually about this milestone, according to the release.

President Joe Biden during Tuesday nights State of the Union address praised Bush for the PEPFAR program, saying that he believes the United States can follow Bushs model with its treatment of cancer also.

Story continues

Twenty years ago, under the leadership of President Bush and countless advocates and champions, he undertook a bipartisan effort through PEPFAR to transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Its been a huge success, he said. He thought big. He thought large. He moved!

I believe we can do the same thing with cancer. Lets end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all, he continued.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Joe Biden pushed for an end to so-called junk fees in the State of the Union address Tuesday night and called out airlines for charging families looking to sit together on a flight.

Well prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 roundtrip for families just to sit together, said President Biden. Baggage fees are bad enough. They cant just treat your child like a piece of luggage.

Washington Correspondent Samantha Manning spoke one-on-one with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about this issue and other concerns for passengers on Wednesday.

The idea that some people have to pay in order to sit next to their kids on a flight, this is just common sense and I feel even more strongly about this now that were parents to twins, said Buttigieg about President Bidens push to end the fees.

Buttigieg said the federal government is looking into creating a federal rule stopping airlines from imposing this extra fee.

My department has been working with the White House to make sure that we have the authority to create a rule requiring airlines to do this, said Buttigieg. Im calling on the airlines to do this anyway. We shouldnt have to go through all the process of creating a federal rule. But we will and we are because one way or another, weve got to make sure things like that arent standing in the way of families having a good experience when they take a trip.

It comes as passengers around the country have faced high prices and experienced widespread delays and cancelations.

Manning asked Buttigieg how he responds to critics who argue the DOT isnt doing enough to crack down on alleged unfair practices by airlines, particularly in light of the December Southwest Airlines meltdown.

We have set records for the toughest civil penalties ever assessed in the history of the Department of Transportations consumer protection program and were not stopping there, said Buttigieg. Because of the actions we took last year, including getting the stepped-up commitments in writing about customer service, were now able to go back and enforce that with regard to what happened with Southwest passengers.

Story continues

There are several proposals now in Congress aimed at expanding passenger protections.

That includes the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights and the FAIR Fees Act.

But since we are dealing with a divided Congress, passing any legislation will be an uphill battle this session.

I think we could get some good things done with Congress but were not waiting on that in order to get results, said Buttigieg. One of the things were doing right now is processing what were hearing from passengers.

Manning asked Buttigieg if passengers can have peace of mind right now that another meltdown wont happen.

Well, weve seen a lot of improvements, but I dont think were out of the woods, said Buttigieg. Theres a lot more work that airlines need to do and theres a modernization that needs to go on in the system as a whole including at the FAA.

Members of a Senate committee will question the Chief Operating Officer for Southwest Airlines on Thursday about the December meltdown.

Buttigieg said he wants to hear the company be specific about steps they have taken to improve their systems to make sure the widespread cancellations that passengers faced never happens again.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
President Joe Biden pushed for an end to so-called junk fees in the State of the Union address Tuesday night and called out airlines for charging families looking to sit together on a flight.

Well prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 round-trip for families just to sit together, said President Biden. Baggage fees are bad enough. They cant just treat your child like a piece of luggage.

Washington Correspondent Samantha Manning spoke one-on-one with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about this issue and other concerns for passengers on Wednesday.

The idea that some people have to pay in order to sit next to their kids on a flight, this is just common sense and I feel even more strongly about this now that were parents to twins, said Buttigieg about President Bidens push to end the fees.

Buttigieg said the federal government is looking into creating a federal rule stopping airlines from imposing this extra fee.

My department has been working with the White House to make sure that we have the authority to create a rule requiring airlines to do this, said Buttigieg. Im calling on the airlines to do this anyway. We shouldnt have to go through all the process of creating a federal rule. But we will and we are because one way or another, weve got to make sure things like that arent standing in the way of families having a good experience when they take a trip.

It comes as passengers around the country have faced high prices and experienced widespread delays and cancelations.

Manning asked Buttigieg how he responds to critics who argue the Department of Transportation isnt doing enough to crack down on alleged unfair practices by airlines, particularly in light of the December Southwest Airlines meltdown.

We have set records for the toughest civil penalties ever assessed in the history of the Department of Transportations consumer protection program, and were not stopping there, said Buttigieg. Because of the actions we took last year, including getting the stepped-up commitments in writing about customer service, were now able to go back and enforce that with regard to what happened with Southwest passengers.

Story continues

There are several proposals now in Congress aimed at expanding passenger protections.

That includes the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights and the FAIR Fees Act.

But since we are dealing with a divided Congress, passing any legislation will be an uphill battle this session.

I think we could get some good things done with Congress, but were not waiting on that in order to get results, said Buttigieg. One of the things were doing right now is processing what were hearing from passengers.

Manning asked Buttigieg if passengers can have peace of mind right now that another meltdown wont happen.

Well, weve seen a lot of improvements, but I dont think were out of the woods, said Buttigieg. Theres a lot more work that airlines need to do and theres a modernization that needs to go on in the system as a whole, including at the FAA.

Members of a Senate committee will question the Chief Operating Officer for Southwest Airlines on Thursday about the December meltdown.

Buttigieg said he wants to hear the company be specific about steps they have taken to improve their systems to make sure the widespread cancelations that passengers faced never happen again.
A multistate quest to protect a dwindling Colorado River has devolved into a high-stakes battle pitting California against its neighbors.

At odds are two dueling proposals as to how seven states should apportion critical consumption cuts that could help save the lifeblood of the Western United States.

Despite engaging in months of negotiations, the states failed to produce a unified agreement by the Jan. 31 deadline stipulated by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation.

Instead, they offered two competing proposals: one from California and one from the six other basin states.

There need to be some long-term solutions here to reduce water supply, and theres a lot of money to do it, David Hayes, a former climate policy adviser to President Biden, told The Hill.

The negotiating parties could have gotten together to discuss how best to use such funds to forge a new future, added Hayes, who is now a lecturer at Stanford Law School.

Basically, now thats an opportunity that will be lost, he added, with the Bureau of Reclamation expected to publish its own proposal in the spring.

It really looks like theres a fundamental difference, said Sharon Megdal, director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.

The six-state proposal focuses on distributing the burden for evaporation losses that occur when the river flows downstream. As the biggest user of the Colorado River, California would face the greatest supply cuts in this scenario.

The Golden States proposal, which would include greater cutbacks for Arizona than for California, relies on voluntary measures that would serve to minimize the risk of legal challenge or implementation delay. And California has incentive to stick with the status quo.

If they stand pat, they will continue to get more water because of their older water rights on the river, said Neil Grigg, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Colorado State University.

Californias plans would adhere to the legal dictates of the Colorado River Compact of 1922  the traditional water priority system that originally divided up the river.

Story continues

Under the traditional priority system, California would gobble up all the Colorado River water  they were already growing and would get to use it first, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

But JB Hamby, chair of Colorado River Board of California, sees these century-old events through a different lens.

California used water earlier and quicker than other places because it was a really good place to do that, Hamby said, noting that the region was an ideal place to grow food.

The 1922 compact arose following a Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the right to divert water across state lines, according to a University of Arizona historical account.

Since the mid-19th century, settlers were able to claim water through the prior appropriation doctrine of first in time, first in right. But once that right applied across borders, states worried that quick-growing California would stake outsized claims.

The 1922 compact aimed to assuage some of these fears, by dividing the states into an Upper and Lower basin  each of which would receive 7.5 million acre-feet of water per year.

Within the Lower Basin  which includes California, Arizona and Nevada  the Golden State still ended up with the largest share, entitled to 4.4 million acre-feet.

The way the priority system works is to not upset the existing people who have been living in and dependent upon that resource for a long time, Hamby said.

While Hamby acknowledged that new users do enter over time, he said they do so with an understanding that they will endure cuts first if a shortage occurs.

Now that that chicken is coming home to roost, its uncomfortable, he added.

Today, the 1,450-mile Colorado River serves about 40 million people across seven U.S. states and Mexico  supplying drinking water, irrigating crops and powering hydroelectric stations.

Grigg, from Colorado State University, warned that if California continues to get such a massive portion of that water, there could be hardships up and down the river.

Unlike Californias proposal, the six-state plan incorporates a spread-the-pain approach, according to Grigg, a longtime policy adviser for national and state water agencies.

Californias going to say, Well, we dont want to spread it that way, he said.

Buschatzke said inequities in the Colorado Rivers priority system clash with the physical reality of a river.

Hayes, from Stanford Law, said he was surprised that Californias proposal placed such an emphasis on the idea that theyve got legal rights, so thats the end of the story.

Its pretty obvious that that doesnt solve the problem, he said. And if the problem is not solved, the potential consequences are very bad for everybody, including California.

If the basins reservoirs reach dead pool  a situation in which there isnt enough water to flow over the dams  then no one will be getting anything, Megdal pointed out.

This is really hardball right now, she said.

For Californias part, Hamby said that in the most recent meetings the other six states worked together behind closed doors and would not share their proposal ahead of time. As a result, the Golden State devised its own proposal and submitted it separately.

While Hamby agreed that there is a structural imbalance in the Lower Basin, he quipped that we did not discover last year that water evaporates.

Over the decades there were more, new demands continually added on to the system, to the point where we basically have a deficit, Hamby added.

Regardless of which solution  or combination of solutions  ends up taking effect, Megdal urged states to get back into equilibrium, as the current crisis is just too big to fail.

While Buschatzke said he believes that the federal government will ultimately have to put its foot down, he voiced support for further collaboration.

If were not talking, were not getting to any agreement, he added. So were going to continue to get in a room, and there will be some continued difficult conversations.

Hamby also stressed that California remains an active participant.

The best way to success is to develop a true consensus solution, he said. And that doesnt mean state splintering in different directions  we need to confront these hard realities.

Although collaborative momentum may currently be stuck at a standstill, Hayes said that he is optimistic that the recent failures could provide an opening salvo for future progress.

The vying parties, he said, will need to really think hard about how collectively they can use tools that are available to them to solve the problem and absolutely share the burden.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A cruiser was hit while a car attempted to run from a traffic stop in Jefferson Township Tuesday evening.

Just before 9 p.m., a Montgomery County Sheriffs deputy was attempting a traffic stop in the 800 block of Calumet Lane for a Cadillac whose rear lights were out.

The Cadillac pulled into the driveway and stopped.

The driver then put the car in reverse and rammed the front of the deputys cruiser.

The car then got stuck on a concrete table that was in the front yard of the house.

>> Student released from hospital after stabbing at Cedarville University; woman arrested

Two people then ran from the Cadillac.

Another person in the car was taken into custody and detained for questioning.

A K-9 team was used to try and track the two who ran from the car but were unsuccessful.

A medic was requested to the scene and the deputy was evaluated and released, according to deputies on the scene.

The two suspects remain at large, according to deputies.

We will update this story as we learn more.
A man who was found dead in his cell after being convicted by a Denton County jury of sexually assaulting a child killed himself by ingesting sodium nitrate, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office.

The medical examiners office told the Star-Telegram in an email that the final report has not been completed, but Edward Leclair on Aug. 11, 2022, died from toxic effects of sodium nitrate.

Authorities said Leclair chugged a water bottle containing what was at the time an unidentified, cloudy fluid in the courtroom. The 56-year-old man had the large water bottle with him bu had not been drinking from it during the trial, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported. But, the newspaper reported, when the jury returned the guilty verdict, the defendant downed the bottle.

Leclair, who had been free on bond, was taken into custody and sent to the holding cell, which is located next to the courtroom, attorneys said. The jury had been sent out of the room so the judge could decide when the punishment phase of the trial would begin, the Record-Chronicle reported.

First Assistant Attorney Jamie Beck with the Denton County District Attorneys Office told the Record-Chronicle that an investigator alerted the bailiff to what Leclair had done.

When authorities checked on him, Leclair was unconscious. He was later taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

We have had people who faint, have heart attacks and had a shooting, but never in my 27 years have we had something like this happen, Beck told the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Leclair died at 3:21 p.m. Aug. 11 at the hospital, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office.

The Denton County Sheriffs Office told the Associated Press that the in-custody death was being investigated by the Texas Rangers.

Leclairs water bottle was collected as evidence.

Leclair, a corporate recruiter, was found guilty on five counts of sexual assault of a child, all of which involved one victim.

Denton County court records indicate the offense occurred in July 2016, and he was arrested two years later. He had been released from jail on bond until the trial began.
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), one of Dubai's most sought-after lifestyle destinations, is transforming into an open-air art gallery for the second year running, bringing back its highly successful DIFC Sculpture Park.



The theme for this edition is, Tales Under the Gate, and the park will remain open to public from February 7 until September 30.



DIFC Sculpture Park provides an opportunity to get up close and personal with works of extraordinary artists from different countries and art movements.



The DIFC Sculpture Park pushes the boundaries with the displayed artworks by encouraging a variety of mediums  including traditional sculptures and paintings through to video art. It also provides a global platform to new and upcoming artists to share their creativity with a wider audience. In addition, DIFC is already home to several leading galleries and art houses from around the world and the DIFC Sculpture Park is an innovative way to utilise its unique architecture and grounds as a public art space.



Over the years, DIFC has established itself as a leading art hub, and bringing back the DIFC Sculpture Park for a second year reaffirms our commitment to supporting Dubais art and culture vision, said Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority



The park allows the public to experience both art and the landscape of DIFC in an immersive and unique way. DIFC Sculpture Park, under the theme of Tales Under the Gate invites audiences to step outside of their day-to-day boundaries and open their minds to other realities and perceptions.



During the event, well-established galleries, such as Firetti Contemporary, AWC Gallery, Leila Heller Gallery, Opera Gallery, Oblong Gallery, Belvedere Art Space and Zieta Studio, as well as independent artists will showcase their works.



Natalie Clarks Spirit of Habtoor and Anthony Clarks Love Dubai will be two of the many sculptural pieces exhibited that will offer the public a chance to get a unique photograph to share on their social media channels. Visitors will be offered the rare opportunity to view extraordinary works of Salvador Dali, including Woman of Time, which features the iconic Dalinian symbol  the melting clock.



Anthony James, whose works were some of the highlights of the November edition of DIFC Art Nights and have been featured in the movie, The Glass Onion, currently trending on Netflix, will have two works on display  60 Icosahedron (Silver Birch Grey) and 50 Triacontahedron (Solar Black) 2020, which invite the viewer to take a moment for contemplative reflection amongst the geometric lines. Jeff Koons distinctive hand painted BMW Art Car, THE 8 X JEFF KOONS will also be on display for a limited time.



Other artworks include the vast and expressive Together by Lorenzo Quinn, previously installed in Giza, Egypt and now displayed in front of the DIFC Gate Building and local Emirati artist, Azza Al Qubaisis Between the Dunes, a work that pays homage to the natural landscape of the UAE using sustainable materials. Adonai Sebhatus intriguing installation Digital Self forms part of a selection of artworks presented in non-traditional media, along with Sertac Tasdelens Muqadarat, which will be projected onto a screen. Emre Yusufis playful Hercules the DJ will emerge from the grasses outside in the grounds of the Gate Building.



Spanning the area from the iconic Gate Building and through to Gate Avenue, DIFC Sculpture Park invites visitors to take a tour around the displayed works, both outside and inside the surrounding buildings of DIFC. The event is open to public, and entry is free of charge. School and university groups, art enthusiasts, art centres and galleries are encouraged to visit the park.



DIFC has a year-round calendar of art events scheduled for 2023, including celebrating the 15th edition of DIFC Art Nights, which will be running in the months of March and November 2023.  TradeArabia News Service
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - Centene Corp has reached a $215.4 million settlement with California to resolve accusations it overcharged a state program for affordable healthcare by falsely inflating its costs for providing prescription drugs to patients.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the settlement on Wednesday with the managed care company, which denied liability and wrongdoing but considered the settlement "fair, reasonable, and adequate."

State investigators said that in 2017 and 2018 Centene took advantage of its pharmacy benefit manager contracts to save two of its managed care plans, California Health & Wellness and Health Net, $2.70 per prescription drug claim.

The St. Louis-based company then failed to pass on these savings to California's Medi-Cal program, inflating its costs, the investigators found.

Bonta said Centene's conduct violated California's False Claims Act.

He also said the $215.4 million payment recovers twice the value of the overcharges and provides full restitution to Medi-Cal.

""Medi-Cal is a lifeline that provides access to free or affordable healthcare services for millions of Californians," Bonta said in a statement. "When companies overcharge the Medi-Cal system, it drains valuable resources from the people who rely on this care."

In a statement, Centene said it respected its "deep and critically important relationships" with U.S. states, and was committed to providing "local, simple and transparent" healthcare.

On Tuesday, Centene said profit in 2022 totaled $1.2 billion, or $2.07 per share, on revenue of $144.5 billion.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis)
Russian aviation

At least one person was injured in the strike, and three others were trapped under rubble.

Early reports indicate the attack took place at 3.45 p.m. on Feb. 8. Two Russian military aircraft fired two missiles, targeting Ukrainian territory.

Read also: Russian military launch attacks on Chernihiv Oblast with artillery and mortars

No other details were provided by publication time.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
These two football fans may be mortal enemies when their teams meet in the Super Bowl, but they are on the same side when it comes to saving a life.

Philadelphia Eagles fan Billy Welsh will sit next to Kansas City Chiefs fan John Gladwell at the game on Sunday after Gladwell donated his kidney to Welsh more than two years ago. The two sat down to discuss their inspiring journey with Hoda Kotb on TODAY on Feb. 8.

The pair met more than 20 years ago when they both served in the Marines. They remained in touch through Facebook after they left the service, although they didnt actually speak for years.

That changed in 2019 when Welsh wrote on Facebook that he needed a kidney. Gladwell had himself tested and discovered he was a perfect match. He and Welsh then underwent a 10-hour transplant at a Philadelphia hospital.

John Gladwell, right, donated his kidney to his old Marine pal Billy Welsh, left. They'll now be heading to the Super Bowl. (Nathan Congleton / TODAY)

Welsh said he was moved when Gladwell decided he would step up and help him.

It meant the world to me. I was speechless. John Gladwell is my hero, Welsh told Hoda on TODAY Wednesday.

Gladwell said he didnt hesitate to donate the kidney because Welsh is a father to a son who is not much older than his own grandson.

I wasnt going to let his son grow up without his dad being there for everything, Gladwell said.

Gladwell and Welsh endured a 10-hour procedure at a Philadelphia hospital. (TODAY)

Gladwell may have saved another mans life, but he never let the enormity of the moment overwhelm him, especially right after the surgery.

Just another day. I had it set in my head that no matter what happened, its just another day, he said.

Gladwell also said their Super Bowl moment this weekend will be especially poignant because his wife has been undergoing treatment for cancer.

Shes never been able to ring the bell for remission. Thats one thing were definitely doing, he said, choking up.

Billy Welsh's 2019 Facebook post prompted John Gladwell to take action. (TODAY)

Welsh and Gladwell's story eventually found its way to the Eagles. Team president Don Smolenski contacted the Chiefs, and the two teams agreed to send both men to the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

The opportunity to bring these two guys together, their two teams playing on the biggest stage in sports, its very, very humbling and gratifying, Smolenski told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Story continues

I was stunned, Welsh told TODAY about how he felt when he got the call from Smolenski.

And while the men will be forever bonded, the goodwill ends when it comes to the big game. Both men are adamant their respective teams will win, and Welsh even joked about what it's been like living with an organ from someone who roots for the opposing team.

A Chiefs kidney? I dont know how my body will react if the Chiefs win," he said. "The Eagles are going to win. Go Birds."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
By Ivan Alvarado

CHILLAN, Chile (Reuters) -Forest fires across south-central Chile that have left 24 people dead and swallowed up hundreds of houses spread into new areas on Wednesday after raging overnight, burning up the habitats of vulnerable woodland animals.

"We call on everyone who can to take care of the forests which are currently on fire, and also of our animals, specimens of vital importance," said Valentina Aravena, the manager at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Chillan.

Chile's national forests association CONAF said on Wednesday the area affected by the fires had now spread to over 300,000 hectares (741,315 acres), an area nearly twice the size of Greater London.

Authorities said some 2,180 people have been injured and 1,180 houses have been destroyed, with most of the deaths and damages in the south-central Biobio, Araucania and Nuble regions.

Late on Wednesday, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said the government would declare a curfew in some provinces starting on Thursday. She had earlier warned of a shortage of water tanks and urged providers to make them available.

In the rehabilitation center in Chillan, the capital of the Nuble region, veterinarians treated burns on animals native to the woodlands, such as monito del monte, a small nocturnal marsupial, and pudus, the world's smallest deer.

Aravena said these were essential species that helped spread seeds.

"We try to stabilize them, treat them, relieve pain from the burns they suffered, and ideally rehabilitate them so they can return to the wild," she said.

In the vicinity of the nearby city of Quillon, local Enrique Narvaez watched firefighters at work overnight.

"The 2011 wildfire burnt down my house, all the trees, everything," he said. "I don't want to go through the same again now."

Chilean President Gabriel Boric thanked his Brazilian counterpart who offered $672,000 in aid and said he was sending air force jet with firefighting equipment, personnel and experts. Spain, Colombia and Mexico are also giving assistance.

Story continues

Chilean pulp and wood panel manufacturer Arauco, the forestry arm of Empresas Copec, said 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of its plantations could be potentially affected, though the possible extent remained unclear.

A day earlier, a Chilean minister warned that high temperatures forecast for this week could further complicate the situation.

(Reporting by Ivan Alvarado in Chillan, Sarah Morland and Carolina Pulice in Mexico City, Fabian Cabrero in Santiago, Juan Gonzalez in Concepcion and Reuters TV; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Marguerita Choy and Sandra Maler)
Duxbury mother Lindsay Clancy started her day on Tuesday, Jan. 24 as any mother would, by taking one of her three young children to the pediatrician for a morning appointment, according to court documents and a local prosecutor.

There were no immediate concerns about the demeanor or behavior of the 32-year-old Clancy, who left the pediatricians office with her daughter and returned home, where she took her children outside to play in the snow, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said in Plymouth District Court on Tuesday.

Once outside, her children built a snowman. Clancy texted photographs of the children playing to her mother and to her husband, Patrick Clancy.

Nothing in the texts was out of the ordinary, Sprague said.

But later that day, prosecutors allege that Clancy, using exercise bands, fatally strangled her three children: 5-year-old daughter, Cora, her 3-year-old son, Dawson, and her 8-month-old baby, Callan. The elder children were pronounced dead that day; the infant died days later.

On Tuesday, Lindsay Clancy was Zoomed into Plymouth District Court and arraigned on charges of murder, strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, an exercise band, in the deaths of her three children. During her arraignment, Clancy lay in a hospital bed, wearing a white mask and a neck brace.

Lindsay tried to kill herself by jumping out of a second-story window at her home, and suffered serious spinal injuries that left her paralyzed, said her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington. He said in court that Lindsay had been fighting mental health issues and had been overmedicated as she sought treatment.

This is not a situation that was planned by any means. This is a situation that clearly is a product of mental illness, Reddington argued in court.

Below is a timeline of the events of Jan. 24, as outlined in court documents and by Sprague in court:

4:02 p.m.: Lindsay Clancy searched kids Miralax on her cell phone.

Story continues

4:13 p.m.: Lindsay searched take out 3v on her cell phone. She used Apple Maps on her phone to determine the time it would take someone to travel from her home in Duxbury to ThreeV in Plymouth, according to court documents.

4:47 p.m.: Lindsay searched for the CVS website, and called CVS at 189 Summer St. in Kingston, and asked the manager if they had childrens Miralax.

4:53 p.m.: Lindsay texted her husband, Patrick, who was working in his home office in the basement of their home. She texted, Any chance you want to do takeout from 3V... I didnt cook anything... Its beena long day. Patrick texted back, Yes. Lindsay asked him to check the menu.

5:06 p.m.: Patrick asked her what shes going to order for food. She responded that shed get the mediterranean power bowl. Patrick responded that he wanted the scallop and pork belly risotto.

5:10 p.m.: Lindsay called ThreeV restaurant in Plymouth to order food, and gave Patricks name for pickup.

5:15 p.m.: Lindsay texted the words Pedialax liquid stool softener to her husband, and she sent her husband out to run these errands.

5:32 p.m.: Surveillance video shows Patrick Clancy at the CVS on Summer Street in Kingston, where he went to the childrens medication aisle.

5:33 p.m.: A call from Patrick to Lindsays cell was unanswered.

5:34 p.m.: Lindsay called Patrick. The call lasted 14 seconds. He confirmed with Lindsay which medication to get. He checked out at the register, and left the CVS three minutes later.

5:54 p.m.: Patrick arrived at ThreeV restaurant in Plymouth, paid for food, and headed home.

6:09 p.m.: After arriving home, there was silence, and Patrick did not see or hear Lindsay or the children. Patrick called Lindsay again while looking for her. The call was not answered.

Patrick Clancy then went to his bedroom on the second floor, and found the door locked. He saw blood on the floor and noticed an open window, according to court documents.

He ran outside to the backyard, and found Lindsay on the ground, conscious and with cuts to her wrists and neck. He called 911.

He asked Lindsay: What did you do? She responded, I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window.

During the 911 call, Patrick was heard asking his wife, Where are the kids? He later told police that she replied, In the basement.

When emergency crews arrived, Patrick asked them to stay with Lindsay because he had to find his kids, according to court documents.

While still on the 911 call, Patrick was heard entering the home and heading to the basement.

Guys? Patrick called out.

Shock and pain: Husband of Duxbury mother charged in childrens deaths gives statement

He then began screaming in shock and agony as he found his children, who were on the floor, according to court documents.

Each child still had the exercise band that was used to strangle them tied around their necks when their father found them, said Sprague, the prosecutor.

Sprague said Lindsay planned the murders of her children and She used Apple Maps to make sure she would have enough time to strangle each child before her husband returned from where she had sent him, Sprague said.

Lindsay is a danger to herself and others, Sprague said. She planned these murders, gave herself the time and privacy needed to commit the murders, and then strangled each child in the place where they should have been safest -- their home. She did so with deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity and cruelty.

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 Chinese government didn't want to hear it.

After the U.S. destroyed the suspected spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, China declined Washington's request for a secure call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his counterpart, National Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, the Defense Department said Tuesday.

The aim of the call, it appears, was to ratchet down tensions and open further avenues for dialogue after the spy balloon saga in an effort to "responsibly manage the relationship" between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China, or PRC, said the Pentagon press secretary, Gen. Pat Ryder.

"Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this," he said. "Unfortunately, the PRC has declined our request. Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue.

The U.S. used an F-22 Raptor to shoot down the balloon with a Sidewinder missile early Saturday afternoon. Tensions didn't chill after the balloon splashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

Before the Biden administration shared its decision to shoot the balloon out of the sky, China claimed that it was a civilian airship used for weather research and that its appearance in U.S. airspace was an unintended entry. Beijing said it aimed to continue its dialogue with U.S. officials about its appearance in American skies.

Once the balloon was destroyed, China's Foreign Affairs Ministry was quick to share strong dissatisfaction and protest over the use of force by the U.S.

The Chinese side had clearly requested the U.S. side to handle the situation properly in a calm, professional and restrained manner, the ministry's statement said, calling the administration's decision an obvious over reaction and a serious violation of international customary practice."

A balloon in the sky over Billings, Mont., in images taken Feb. 1. The Pentagon said Thursday that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was hovering over the area. (Chase Doak / AFP - Getty Images)

The Chinese side will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the companies concerned, while reserving the right to make further necessary responses, the statement said.

Story continues

A senior administration official responded to China's statement soon after it came out, telling NBC News on Saturday that the balloon was used for surveillance and that it purposely traversed the U.S. and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites.

The balloon entered U.S. airspace on Jan. 28 north of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska before it entered Canada a few days later. It re-entered the U.S. the next day in northern Idaho before it slowly made its way across the U.S., coming close to multiple American nuclear sites.

Navy divers are working to recover pieces of the balloon, which will be analyzed at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

U.S. officials said it is unlikely that China uncovered much information through its balloon's surveillance that it would not have already known through its use of satellites.

Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD, told reporters Monday that the U.S. had, in fact, waited to destroy the balloon because it was gathering intelligence on the inflatables capabilities.

This gave us the opportunity to assess what they were actually doing, what kind of capabilities existed on the balloon, what kind of transmission capabilities existed, he said, and I think youll see in the future that the time frame was well worth its value to collect over.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com


Two Muslim men, including a mosque imam, were stabbed in Khandwa city of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday allegedly by a group of Hindu men.

Huneza Khan | TwoCircles.net

Support TwoCircles



BHOPAL (MADHYA PRADESH)  Two Muslim men, including an imam of a mosque, were stabbed and injured on their way to a mosque in Khandwa city of Madhya Pradesh allegedly by a group of five Hindu men on Sunday (January 5).

Police have arrested five people, including four minors. One individual Raja Rathore has been named as the mastermind, a police official said on Monday.

The incident occurred late Sunday night, in which 23-year-old mosque imam Sheikh Huzefa and a 20-year-old youth Mohammad Talha were injured. The duo were hospitalized at nearby MY Hospital in Indore.

Location: Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh A local Imam named Hafiz Huzefa was on his way to the mosque when 3 men threw chilli powder in his eyes & stabbed him in chest. While running away, the men also stabbed another Muslim youth in the chest. pic.twitter.com/vq5Wm9chUj  HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) February 5, 2023

Recounting the incident to TwoCircles.net, Huzefa said he was on his bike to the mosque to lead the prayers when he was attacked. The assailants threw chilli powder in his eyes and stabbed him. I was on my bike to the mosque to lead the prayers. There were 4 to 5 boys. They took their knives. I didnt see them taking the knife out. They just took it out and stabbed me. I didnt realise it, the imam said.

A man from my locality came to my rescue and took me to the hospital, he said.

Huzefa has been leading prayers at Mohammadi Masjid in Khandwa for the past three years and said nothing like this has happened before. It was a lethal assault, he said.

While running away, the men also stabbed Talha in the chest.

Following the incident, dozens of people gathered outside the hospital and near the Padam Nagar police station, he said.

Khandwa Superintendent of Police Vivek Singh told the PTI news agency that Huzefa is in stable condition while Talha is out of danger. Both were injured near the chest, he said.

Attack was communal

Huzefa claimed that he was attacked because of his Muslim identity. They attacked me because of my beard and skull cap. Children of a particular community are filled with hatred against the Muslim community which leads them to do such communal acts that nowadays have become common in Khandwa. The administration is ignorant about it, he alleged.

He said these incidents would stop if the administration had taken strict actions in the past.

Huzefa alleged that various anti-Muslim organizations are active in Khandwa. The administration needs to take note of it, he said.

Ashfaq Ali, an activist from the Paigham-e-Insaniyat group in Khandwa said that the attack on the imam of a mosque is a serious issue. He was attacked just two minutes away from the mosque. The attackers were already waiting for him there. Even our religious leaders are being attacked, he said.

Ali alleged that Mahadevgarh, a right-wing organization, is attempting to disturb the peace and harmony of Khandwa.

Khandwa Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Singh told TwoCircles.net that two separate FIRs have been registered in the incidents.

The FIR has been registered against unknown persons under section 307 (attempt to murder) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). We are trying to identify the accused. The CCTV footage shows 3 persons, however, we are investigating if there were others as well, said the SP.

On being asked if the attack was communal, SP Singh said it will be cleared after investigation if the attack was communal or not.

We have come through a few incidents recently and taken action against the culprits. We will not let the law and order be disturbed by anyone, Singh added.

Huneza Khan is a journalist from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She tweets @KhanHuneza
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has always shared COVID-related information with the World Health Organization (WHO), the country's National Health Commission said on Wednesday.

The Commission said that a Chinese delegation had made that assurance during a WHO meeting held in Geneva from Jan. 30 to Feb. 7.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at BRICS Summit in Brasilia Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

China warned the West against pushing for Ukraine's "complete victory" over Russia.

"We are quite concerned about the possible escalation of this conflict," China's diplomat to the EU said.

The Chinese diplomat said Beijing believes negotiations would be a better route forward.

The Chinese government has largely avoided taking strong public stances on Russia's war in Ukraine, but Beijing's ambassador to the EU expressed concern on Wednesday about Western support for Kyiv. He also threw cold water on the idea the conflict has any connection to Taiwan, a sticking point for China.

"Frankly speaking, we are quite concerned about the possible escalation of this conflict," Fu Cong, China's top envoy to the EU, said at an event hosted by the European Policy Centre in Brussels, per Politico.

He said China doesn't believe "only providing weapons will actually solve the problem," taking an apparent jab at the military aid Western countries have been continuously providing Ukraine throughout the war.

"We are quite concerned about people talking about winning a complete victory on the battlefield," Fu went on to say. "We believe that the right place would be at the negotiating table."

Top analysts and experts have said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to illegally annex four Ukrainian territories made peace talks or negotiations highly unlikely to occur in the foreseeable future, leaving only combat.

Beijing, which tends to side with Moscow on geopolitical issues, has walked a careful line since Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last February. China has not condemned the war, but it also hasn't offered clear or full-throated support for Russia. The West has warned China against providing material support to Russia as the fighting in Ukraine rages on.

While the Chinese diplomat warned against supporting a victory over Russia on the battlefield, Western leaders and officials have repeatedly warned that if Russia succeeds in Ukraine, it would send a dangerous message to Beijing about Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that China sees as a breakaway province.

Story continues

Fu pushed back on suggestions of a link between the two issues. "Ukraine is an independent state, and Taiwan is part of China," he said. "So there's no comparability between the two issues."

His comments on the war in Ukraine came as Kyiv continues to push for more advanced weapons from Western countries.

During a surprise visit to the UK on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made yet another call for more advanced weapons  including fighter jets. Zelenskyy, who delivered a speech to Parliament, presented an air force helmet to the speaker of the House of Commons inscribed with a message: "We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it." Zelenskyy, who also visited France on Wednesday, thanked British lawmakers "in advance, for powerful British planes."

Zelenskyy's call for fighter aircraft comes after recent decisions by the US, UK, and Germany to send battle tanks to Ukraine as it braces for a major Russian offensive. The UK is now looking into which fighter jets it may be able to send to Ukraine, but no firm decision has been made on the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported. Britain will also begin training Ukrainian pilots to use more sophisticated NATO fighter jets, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The controversy over the Chinese spy balloon shot down by the U.S. off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday is raising questions about why Beijing would use a seemingly old technology to gather intelligence when more sophisticated instruments exist.

According to Timothy Heath, a senior international defense researcher at the Rand Corporation, one reason is that the balloons are hard to detect, giving them an advantage over satellites, which tend to be predictable in their movements.

There are a few reasons surveillance balloons can be hard to detect.

Newer technologies allow little motors to be attached so you can make adjustments to the position of the balloon and then they can just stay in a place for quite a while, Heath said.

Once youve identified a satellite in space, you can track its orbit and you can accurately predict when it will pass and when it will not be watching, Heath said.

This could be partly why China chose to use a balloon: Its movements are more erratic and thus more difficult to track.

The Biden administration has said several Chinese spy balloons flew over the United States during the Trump administration. Officials said the information was not even known by officials until after Trump left office.

I will tell you that we did not detect those threats, said Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. And thats a domain awareness gap that we have to figure out.

The use of surveillance balloons, Heath noted, dates back to the Civil War.

[Historically] the U.S. has used balloons to carry surveillance equipment, intelligence collection equipment, he told the Hill. The appeal of balloons is that, one, theyre relatively cheap; two, they can be hard to detect because theres not a lot of metal on them, so radars will not easily find them; and then, three, you can position them in a place and just keep them there.

Story continues

Because balloons are a more inexpensive form of surveillance, it isnt a huge loss if another country strikes one down, like the U.S. did with this stray balloon.

Additionally, the balloons are often constructed out of softer materials that make them more difficult to track on radar than metal-rich satellites. If a craft is not showing up on radar, its going to take longer for officials to spot.

China described the balloon as a high-altitude weather balloon that had drifted off course due to its limited steering capacity. The balloon was soaring above Alaska at roughly 60,000 to 65,000 feet before it drifted into Canada and then back into U.S. airspace, where it spent a week, slowly drifting across the country.

Heath said the use of balloons is a surveillance method that has been used by a number of countries.

Yes, its probably one of many methods the Chinese use to collect intelligence, just like the U.S. government uses many methods to collect intelligence on China, Heath said. Its not especially noteworthy to me that China uses different intelligence methods; the U.S. does the same.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Christina Applegate revealed that the upcoming Screen Actors Guild awards could mark an incredibly poignant milestone in her career, due to her recent diagnosis with multiple sclerosis.

Its my last awards show as an actor probably, so its kind of a big deal, the actor said in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, published on Tuesday.

Applegate is up for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series at the ceremony, marking her sixth nomination ever.

The actor, who recently wrapped the final season of her Netflix hit, Dead To Me, told the outlet that she couldnt imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set; I dont have that in me at this moment.

Applegate confessed that she even found it hard to watch the last season of the show, as she doesnt like seeing myself struggling.

Christina Applegate attends a ceremony honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Nov. 14, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Christina Applegate attends a ceremony honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Nov. 14, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Also, I gained 40 pounds because of inactivity and medications, and I didnt look like myself, and I didnt feel like myself, the actor said.

At some point I was able to distance myself from my own ego, and realize what a beautiful piece of television it was. All the scenes I wasnt in were so much fun to see and experience for the very first time, she added.

As for what the future holds next, the Anchorman star said shes doing a s**t ton of voice-overs to make some cash to make sure that my daughters fed and were homed.

Applegate disclosed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis publicly in August 2021.

This disease, which affects the brain and spinal cord, can include symptoms like weakness in the legs and body, fatigue, slurred speech, loss of vision and dizziness.

Related...
Cincinnati police are investigating a murder-suicide that has left three family members dead just months after another murder-suicide of two other relatives.

According to LEX 18 News, 19-year-old Eric Johnson Jr. shot his mother, Darlene Flores, 38, and his 16-year-old brother Rodrigo Johnson before turning the gun on himself. This tragedy happened less than six months after Flores ex-husband shot their 6-year-old daughter in a murder-suicide.

The outlet reports around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, the Cincinnati Police Department responded to a call about unknown trouble at the household. It possibly came from Johnsons friends, who claimed they received a startling call from him a few minutes earlier to say he loved them and he was sorry.

Once they arrived, police found three unresponsive victims suffering from gunshot wounds.

The Hamilton County Coroners Office confirmed the deaths of Flores and her 16-year-old son as homicides and Johnsons a suicide.

The Cincinnati police shared a statement on Twitter regarding the shooting.

Please see flyer reference a recent homicide investigation. Anyone with additional information, please contact our Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542. pic.twitter.com/Bu0tcJsccg  Cincinnati Police Department (@CincyPD) February 3, 2023

Neighbors reacted to the tragedy by acknowledging how loving and welcoming the family was.

A family friend, Robert Davis, told WLWT News he dropped to the floor when he received the call. Most of us in the neighborhood have single mothers. So, they raised us. Miss Darlene, she was very sweet, like another mother. Took us in. Anything that we needed or asked for, they always gave it to us. And they taught us life lessons and stuff.

The post Cincinnati Family Of 3 Found Dead In Murder-Suicide, Son Confessed To 2020 Murder In Suicide Note appeared first on Blavity.

Story continues

As loving as the family was, they were no strangers to catastrophe.

On Aug. 21, 2022, 40-year-old Eric Johnson killed his 6-year-old daughter Iyla in a murder-suicide following a custody exchange dispute, WCPO 9 News reported.

Friends say losing his younger sister weighed heavily on Eric Jr.

Timyone Andrew, 18, told LEX 18 News, He loved her more than anything like losing her just destroyed my boy deep down.

Another tribulation possibly weighing on the young man was his involvement in the death of 18-year-old honors student Serreno Foster Jr.

WCPO 9 News covered Fosters murder, who was found dead in his car in Dec. 2020, and Fox 19 Now recently reported authorities said Eric Johnson Jr. was responsible for Serreno Foster Jr.s death, confessing to the murder in a suicide note.

Fosters mother, Tangie Hardy, told Fox 19 Now, To hear his whole family was annihilated in less than a year, its devastating, and its heartbreaking. Because had they arrested him, I feel like a lot of lives wouldve been spared.

This is not justice for my son, she said. This is closure for my family, yes But look at how many lives are affected. Its sad, really.
A 25-year-old Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employee has been charged after being accused of inappropriately touching a student, police stated in a news release Wednesday. Now, her mother tells Channel 9 she admires her daughters bravery for reporting it.

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department school resource officer at Wilson STEM Academy notified detectives Tuesday afternoon about the incident, which was reported by the victim.

Detectives with the CMPDs Crimes Against Children Unit took over the investigation.

ALSO READ: Mom warned church about youth leader who was later arrested for sex crimes

The employee, David Lucas, of Charlotte, was arrested the next day and charged with indecent liberties with a child, taking indecent liberties with a student by a school administrator, and first-degree kidnapping.

The victims mother spoke to Channel 9s Anthony Kustura Thursday, but asked not to show her face or use her name to protect her teen daughters privacy.

I was just shocked, I was in total shock, she said.

The police report for the incident doesnt have a lot of information, but one thing does stand out -- the victim is just 13 years old. The whole family is still coming to terms with what happened.

Shes really strong. And being strong at her age, it can really damage you, her mom said.

Lucas works at the school as a family and school advocate.

In as much detail as you feel comfortable, can you please explain what exactly happened to your daughter? Kustura asked the mother.

ALSO READ: Jury rules CMS will not have to pay damages in students sex assault lawsuit

He touched her inappropriately, she explained. His hands shouldnt be where they were, she added, and then, Thats all I can really say about it.

CMS sent Channel 9 the following statement: The employee in question has been suspended with pay, pending investigation. It is our understanding that CMPD Crimes Against Children unit is conducting a separate investigation.

Story continues

Lucas employment status could change once the investigation is complete. When asked if she was satisfied by how CMS has handled the investigation so far, the victims mom said they handled it very quickly.

Im just happy she came forward after it happened, she added.

I would like justice to the full extent, she said.

She said she hopes others pay attention to her daughters bravery and courage.

If these things happen to you, speak up, she said.

>> The mom said shes raising money for her daughters therapy long term. If you would like to donate, click here.

(VIDEO: 55-year-old Lincolnton man charged with child sex crimes)
Over the past year, many The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) insiders sold a significant stake in the company which may have piqued investors' interest. Knowing whether insiders are buying is usually more helpful when evaluating insider transactions, as insider selling can have various explanations. However, when multiple insiders sell stock over a specific duration, shareholders should take notice as that could possibly be a red flag.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

See our latest analysis for Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the President & CFO, John Murphy, sold US$3.3m worth of shares at a price of US$62.29 per share. So what is clear is that an insider saw fit to sell at around the current price of US$60.07. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. We note that this sale took place at around the current price, so it isn't a major concern, though it's hardly a good sign.

Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Coca-Cola shares, than buying. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

If you like to buy stocks that insiders are buying, rather than selling, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Coca-Cola Insiders Are Selling The Stock

The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of Coca-Cola shares. In total, Senior VP & Chief Technical and Innovation Officer Nancy Quan dumped US$840k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Story continues

Does Coca-Cola Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It's great to see that Coca-Cola insiders own 0.6% of the company, worth about US$1.7b. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Do The Coca-Cola Insider Transactions Indicate?

An insider hasn't bought Coca-Cola stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. Zooming out, the longer term picture doesn't give us much comfort. On the plus side, Coca-Cola makes money, and is growing profits. While insiders do own a lot of shares in the company (which is good), our analysis of their transactions doesn't make us feel confident about the company. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. While conducting our analysis, we found that Coca-Cola has 2 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore them.

But note: Coca-Cola may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Reliever Colin Poche went to salary arbitration with the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday with the sides just $125,000 apart.

The gap between the $1.3 million the pitcher asked for and the $1,175,000 the team offered was the smallest among the 33 players who exchanged proposed arbitration figures last month. The case was heard by John Woods, Jeanne Vonhof and Walt De Treux, who will hold their decision until later this month.

A 29-year-old left-hander, Poche had Tommy John surgery on July 29, 2020, and returned to the major leagues last April 22 after six appearances at Triple-A Durham. Poche was 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA and seven saves in 65 relief appearances for the Rays. He struck out 64 and walked 22 in 58 2/3 innings.

Poche had a $707,800 salary last year.

Tampa Bay went to arbitration on Monday with reliever Ryan Thompson, whose decision also is being held until later this month. He asked for $1.2 million and the Rays argued for $1 million.

Rays right-hander Jason Adam and outfielder Harold Ramirez remain scheduled for hearings.

Players and teams have split four decisions thus far. All-Star pitcher Max Fried ($13.5 million) lost to Atlanta and reliever Diego Castillo ($2.95 million) was defeated by Seattle, while pitcher Jesus Luzardo ($2.45 million) and AL batting champion Luis Arraez ($6.1 million) both beat the Marlins.

A decision also is pending for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe.

Eighteen additional players are eligible for arbitration and hearings are scheduled through Feb. 17. Among the eligible players is Seattle utilityman Dylan Moore, who has a pending three-year contract worth $8,875,000.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
High Profile Shift Lead Sierra Lutz prepares an online order prior to the marijuana dispenary's opening Tuesday at 1500 Interstate 70 Drive SW for the first day of recreational sales in Columbia. She is weighing out a product named Elevate.

Columbia adults 21 and older now can buy recreational marijuana.

The first official day of sales started Tuesday inside Columbia city limits following the city council approving license and zoning rules Monday night. City staff had prepared for the last month to six weeks for implementing the license conversion one day after approval.

More: Columbia City Council updates marijuana license, zoning rules ahead of inside city limit sales

There was a short lineup of customers outside of High Profile at 1500 Interstate 70 Drive SW prior to its 10 a.m. opening Tuesday. The dispensary already was expecting increased foot traffic for Tuesday and so prepared by separating medical and recreational check-in lines and adding more point-of-sale stations and staff, said Abby Kramer, area manager.

Other Columbia dispensaries include Green Releaf, Hippos Marijuana Dispensary, Shangri-La, 3Fifteen Primo Cannabis, and Good Day Farm.

More: Columbia marijuana dispensaries gear up to transition to recreational sales

The range of products at High Profile includes cannabis flowers, edibles, tinctures, infused beverages and those more medical-focused, like transdermal patches, lotions and balms that do not have the psychoactive effect. Missourians purchase up to 3 ounces of dried marijuana in a single purchase. This is the same as 24 grams of a concentrate or 2,400 milligrams in infused edible or drinkable items.

"We are all about safe and accessible cannabis purchases. ... This is going to create a better source for community and education around it and (teaching how to) avoid overconsumption," Kramer said. "We recognize medical patients really carried this market and so we prioritize that queue."

That will be the practice moving forward. Budtenders at High Profile who conduct the sales also wear gloves to prevent cross-contamination between products and to prevent skin oils from impacting products. For non-prepackaged items, staff also use tongs, and specially calibrated scales to dose out products.

Story continues

High Profile has five locations in Missouri and was able to open other stores to recreational sales Saturday after the state approved recreational sales on Friday. Some customers at these stores were there out of curiosity, Kramer said.

Abby Kramer, area manager for High Profile, describes the customer experience Tuesday in the dispenary's lobby prior to its opening for recreational and continued medical marijuana sales.

"I think it is just the excitement for people to feel that they can purchase lab-test cannabis and that it is safe consumption," Kramer said. "There is a lot of curiosity of all different ages, backgrounds and genders. They want to know if they want to put it into their life."

Health educators with Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services at a recent Narcan demonstration and distribution highlighted that street-purchased marijuana has the potential of being laced with fentanyl. There is not only that concern, but if there is mold growth in a street product, Kramer said.

"Inhaling mold is terrifying and we have tests for mold and other (safety) testing," she said. "... I was a part of the black market for a long time. When I saw Missouri was really trying to make a really progressive movement, I thought it was incredible. I have a big passion for the medical side of it."

The switchover from medical to recreational is exciting because it is giving people a place and a chance to work since more staff were hired in the months since the recreational marijuana amendment passed, she said.

"We increased over 100 people in our five locations. Each store got about 20 people added to their rosters," Kramer. "They have skills that have laid dormant, they haven't been able to utilize. I'm excited to see this industry grow. ... It doesn't have to be for everyone, it just has to be safe and accessible. I can't push that enough.

"There is a lot of stuff in the world and here you are going to have people looking out for you and what you are putting in your body. I like that."

Marijuana sales exceeded $12 million in its opening weekend, with $5 million in sales for the first day on Friday, the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association said.

Around two-thirds of sales were for recreational, while the remaining one-third still was medical-related.

"Our industry was adamant that we would be ready on day one to deliver for Missourians, but I never would have imagined this type of reception, said Andrew Mullins, MoCannTrade executive director, in a news release. "To have sold more on opening day than Illinois is quite astounding."

Illinois on its first day of recreational sales in 2020 had roughly $3.1 million in sales, MoCannTrade noted.

"These opening weekend sales numbers are a testament to what a great program the Missouri Department of Health has run as well as the level of excitement we see from Missourians about cannabis legalization. The best is yet to come," Mullins said.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia dispensaries mark first day of recreational marijuana sales
Lawmakers stood for a rare bipartisan ovation in support of Ukraine as President Biden asked Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova to stand up and called Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion a test for the ages.

Bidens remarks before a Republican-controlled House of Representatives come as a small but vocal group of GOP lawmakers have criticized U.S. assistance to Ukraine and as popular support among Republican voters for U.S. support for Kyiv is sliding.

However, the president boasted that the country has remained united along with its allies in standing together with Kyiv ahead of the one-year mark of Moscows aggression.

Putins invasion has been a test for the ages, a test for America, a test for the world, the president said, describing Russias invasion as a murderous assault that evokes the worst images of death and destruction in Europe during World War II.

Together, we did what America always does at our best. We led. We united NATO and built a global coalition. We stood against Putins aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people, he said.

The president underscored why commitment to Ukraines defense is important for the U.S., saying it keeps the peace and prevents open season for would-be aggressors to threaten our security and prosperity. One year later, we know the answer.

U.S. military assistance to Ukraine has exceeded an estimated $28 since Putins February 2022 invasion.

The president nodded to the presence of Markarova, in attendance as a guest of first lady Jill Biden.

We are united in support of your country, the president said, addressing the Ukrainian ambassador. Were going to stand with you, as long as it takes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- Members of the Congressional Black Caucus wore 1870 pins at the State of the Union address to mark police killings of Black people.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The number marks the year that Henry Truman, a Black man, was shot and killed by a Philadelphia police officer. Its the first known instance of a police officer killing an unarmed, free Black person in the US.

The pins were distributed by Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, a New Jersey Democrat, who said the recent killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis last month, echoes countless other police killings of unarmed Black Americans. Nichols, an unarmed Black man, died after being beaten during a traffic stop by Memphis police.

I mourn each and every life that has been stolen from us, but I have grown tired of mourning. Mourning alone will bring us no closer to justice. she said in a video on Twitter, adding calls for police reform.

Watson Coleman has handed out about 30 pins, according to the Washington Post.

RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, the mother and stepfather of Nichols, are among guests seated with First Lady Jill Biden, the White House said in a statement. Biden, who called for police reform in his speech, said Nichols mother told him her son was a beautiful soul and something good will come from this.

Other family members of those killed by police are in attendance, including Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who died after a New York cop placed him in a banned chokehold, and Michael Brown Sr., the father of a teenager and killed by a police officer in Missouri, and Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked global protests.

Story continues

At least 1,176 people were killed by law enforcement officers in the US last year, the most of any year since at least 2013. Thats 36 more people than 2021, according to the nonprofit Mapping Police Violence.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Crypto software giant ConsenSys will financially support an ongoing lawsuit challenging the IRS ability to tax staking rewards, the company announced Tuesday.

In 2021, Joshua and Jessica Jarrett sued the IRS to recover federal income taxes levied on the Tennessee couples stake-generated Tezos, arguing that self-generated staking rewards could not be considered taxable income under federal law.

Mid-way through the lawsuit, the IRS offered to issue the Jarretts their requested refund, but the plaintiffs refused, eager to get assurances from a court that the issue wouldnt arise in the future. No such assurances came to pass, however: a federal judge dismissed the case in October, deeming the Jarretts' grievances moot after a tax refund was issued.

Many had hoped the case would offer legal clarity to the millions of crypto users who generate cryptocurrency daily through proof-of-stake blockchains. Such networksincluding, perhaps most notably, Ethereumoperate on a mechanism that encourages users to stake cryptocurrency with the network in order to validate on-chain transactions. In return for putting up those funds for extended periods of time, users accumulate newly generated cryptocurrency.

What the IRS Court Case Over Crypto Staking Taxes Really Means

Its little wonder, then, why ConsenSysthe blockchain technology company started by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubinis monitoring the Jarretts legal journey so closely. (ConsenSys is one of 22 strategic investors in Decrypt.) Next month, the Shanghai upgrade will permit Ethereum users everywhere to begin withdrawing ETH held with the network through its staking program. Over $27 billion worth of funds are currently staked with the network.

With increased liquidity in ETH staking, we expect far more everyday people to start staking, which means that getting the appropriate tax treatment for staking rewards is only getting more important, Bill Hughes, ConsenSys Senior Counsel and Director of Global Regulatory Matters, said in a statement shared with Decrypt.

Story continues

The Jarretts are currently in the process of appealing their cases dismissal, and ConsenSys will now provide financial support for that effort.

7 Common Crypto Tax Myths and How to Avoid Them

Core to the appellants' argument is the position that staking rewards should not be considered taxable income, as no employer is doling them out. They should instead be considered effectively self-generated, or created property, under the federal tax code.

Similar to a farmer who grows crops, staking rewards are created by the protocol to incentivize participating in providing security for the protocol, Hughes said. Created property is not taxed until sale.

Potentially complicating that analogy, however, is the fact that most staking rewards on Ethereum are generated through a third party. Centralized crypto exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken stake users ETH for them, on a massive scale; five such centralized entities currently hold over 80% of the ETH staked on Ethereum, according to Dune Analytics.

The case heads next to a federal appellate court, where a panel of judges will determine whether it should be reconsidered.
MUNCIE, Ind.  After a last-minute bid to again be granted his freedom, convicted killer Tom Ross has returned to the state's prison system.

Ross, now 65, in 1995 was convicted of fatally shooting his former wife, Paula Arbogast Ross, outside Gaston Elementary School. Testimony at his Delaware County trial indicated Ross had stalked and repeatedly harassed his victim before the homicide.

Then-Judge Robert Barnet Jr. imposed a 60-year prison sentence. Ross was granted parole in March 2021.

Tom Ross, 2022 photo

While he lived in Elkhart County following his release, the former Gaston resident met a Lafayette woman through an online dating service.

That woman would tell Tippecanoe County authorities that when she told Ross she no longer wished to see him after their third date, he continued to contact her, placed items in her mailbox and came to her home.

More:A quarter-century later, killer is the sole survivor in family murder saga

That led to his arrest last August, and his conviction in January for harassment, resulting in a 180-day jail term.

The arrest also led to Ross being accused of violating the terms of his parole. As a result, he was not released after being sentenced in the harassment case although he had already completed that sentence.

Last week, Ross filed a hand-written motion asking a Tippecanoe County judge to place him under the supervision of a community correction program in Elkhart County.

That did not happen, Instead, Ross has since been transferred to the Miami Correctional Facility north of Kokomo.

A state Department of Correction website lists his projected release date in December 2038, when Ross would be 81.

Whether he will get an opportunity before that to ask the Indiana Parole Board for another chance at freedom remains to be seen.

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: Convicted killer Tom Ross returns to prison
Computer scientist Craig Wright has lost a claim in a UK court to protect the Bitcoin blockchain by copyright.

Wright, who has long asserted that he is Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, claimed that Bitcoin forksspin-offs derived from the cryptocurrencybreach his intellectual property rights because he created the original digital asset.

There have been many Bitcoin forks but the largest is Bitcoin Cash, the 28th-largest digital asset, with a market cap of $2.56 billion, according to CoinGecko.

A UK court threw out the claim on Tuesday, with Judge James Mellor saying: Whilst I accept that the law of copyright will continue to face challenges with new digital technologies, I do not see any prospect of the law as currently stated and understood in the caselaw allowing copyright protection of subject-matter which is not expressed or fixed anywhere.

The Judge was referring to the issue of fixationwhen something can be protected by copyright because it exists in its original form. He argued that no relevant work has been identified showing Bitcoins origin.

Is Craig Wrights Campaign to Convince the World That He Invented Bitcoin Over?

Wright has never been able to prove that he is Satoshi Nakamoto. The most definitive way to do so would be to demonstrate that he has the private keys to Satoshis Bitcoin addressbut lawyers for Wright told Decrypt in 2020 that he didnt have them.

The Australian hinted in December that he may be less interested in people believing he is Bitcoins true creator.

Wright is currently in the process of suing 15 Bitcoin developers to retrieve around 111,000 bitcoin after he lost the encrypted keys to access them when his home computer network was allegedly hacked. A London court ruled last week that it can go to trial.
By Alexandre Meneghini and Dave Sherwood

ISABELA DE SAGUA, Cuba (Reuters) - At a porchfront coffee stand in the Cuban village of Isabela de Sagua, sunburned fishermen gather at first light to talk of wind, tide and, increasingly, the fine points of U.S. immigration policy.

The latest twist: A U.S. "parole" program announced in early January that allows up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba and some other countries to enter the United States each month provided they apply online, find a financial sponsor and pay airfare.

"Everyone is talking about it," said Carlos Hernandez, a 49-year fisherman. He told Reuters the town was fast losing its population, fleeing the worst economic crisis to hit the country in decades. "People here are desperate to leave."

This far-flung peninsula - on Cuba's north-central coast just 130 miles (210 km) south of the Florida Keys - is poised to once again become a barometer for measuring the impact of U.S. immigration policy, say residents, who for decades have watched the ebb and flow of migrants from the town's sand- and mangrove-lined shores.

Isabela de Sagua long ago became known in Cuba as a jumping-off point for maritime migrants, tempted by its proximity to U.S. territory and rules that were formerly lenient on Cubans who arrived by water.

More recently, an overland route became popular that wound north from Nicaragua through Central America and across Mexico to the U.S. border. Last year, U.S. officials intercepted upwards of a record 220,000 migrants from communist-run Cuba at the U.S. border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics.

Ana Maria Mederos, 59, who sells cups of coffee for 10 pesos (8 cents) each off her front porch, said Cubans would keep heading north in search of a better life as long as the economy continues to sputter.

"Cubans have made up their minds that you can't live here, and they are going to get out any way they can," she said, adding that she herself had no choice but to stay and care for a sick family member.

Story continues

"Those who can leave under this new program will, but there are many who won't have the possibility (of sponsorship) and will keep taking their chances by sea, over land, whatever."

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has bet otherwise. The 'parole' policy was introduced in parallel with the expansion of a program to speedily expel migrants who enter illegally and in January it said the result had been a 97% drop in migrants arriving at the southwest U.S. border from Cuba and three other countries.

The village residents confirmed that those previously flocking to Nicaragua to head overland had largely changed strategies, many opting instead to try their luck with the parole program. Reuters spoke with several residents, documents in hand, who were seeking to renew passports or prepare a parole application.

However, 20 Republican-controlled U.S. states have already sought to block the parole program through the courts, calling it an "unlawful amnesty program" that will worsen the immigration crisis.

Miguel Negrin, 56, who sells vegetables from a makeshift trailer towed behind his 1958 Dodge, said it was now or never for those looking to migrate legally to the United States.

"Whoever can take advantage of Biden's program better, because it won't last long," he said.

SEA CHANGE

The United States has warned that Cubans taking to the sea from places like Isabela de Sagua and trying to land on U.S. soil could become ineligible for the new parole program.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard in Florida told Reuters that the agency had not tabulated the number of Cuban migrants intercepted at sea since the Biden policy announcement on Jan. 5, though the agency has said it repatriated more than 200 Cuban maritime migrants in January.

During the last week of January, fishermen told Reuters at least two separate groups of migrants left Isabela de Sagua by sea. At least one group had been caught and returned to Cuban soil, they said.

One woman, who declined to be interviewed or give her name, said through a crack in her door that she had made a failed attempt by sea and had been returned by U.S. agents.

A Cuban Border Guard boat patrols the bay off the shore of Isabela de Sagua, which is ringed by densely-wooded, mostly uninhabited keys.

Several confiscated rustic boats, hammered out from zinc roofing and with styrofoam inside, now sit behind a chain-link fence guarding the Border Guard's barracks.

There are no official statistics on how many migrants have left Isabela de Sagua, but desolate streets on a recent Saturday morning, lined with shuttered homes and restaurants, hint at the exodus taking place.

Local resident Felix Garcia, 60, retired from the military and disabled with epilepsy, said he and his wife live off 1,500 pesos a month, approximately $12.50 at the official exchange rate. He told Reuters he had not been able to find medicine for his illness in months.

"The parole program works if you have someone to sponsor you. But me? I have no one," he said. "I will probably die here."

(Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Alexandre Meneghini; Additional reporting by Mario Fuentes; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
MILWAUKEE, Wisc.  An Illinois man filed a federal lawsuit alleging that an off-duty Wisconsin police officer improperly restrained his 12-year-old daughter during a fight in a middle school last year by placing his knee on her neck similar to how Derek Chauvin fatally restrained George Floyd.

Jerrel Perez, who lives in Zion, Illinois, but who used to live about 10 miles north in Kenosha, Wisconsin, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Monday. He alleges that the officer, Shawn Guetschow, used excessive force and inflicted lasting injuries on his daughter. The filing seeks unspecified damages and attorney fees from Guetschow, the city of Kenosha, and its school district.

In the 14-page complaint, the girl's attorney, Drew DeVinney, said Guetschow used "unreasonable and excessive" force and that he "acted with malice or in reckless disregard" of the girl's rights when he restrained her during a lunch room fight at Lincoln Middle School by placing his knee on her neck for more than 20 seconds.

Guetschow had been working part-time as a school security guard for the school district while also serving as a Kenosha police officer. He resigned from his role with the school district a few days following the incident, but in his resignation letter called out the district for a lack of support.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Kenosha Police Department confirmed that Guetschow is still an active officer with the department. Guetschow was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of three separate investigations but the department found that he did not violate anyone's civil rights, nor committed a crime, and was returned to active duty last week, the statement reads.

TYRE NICHOLS CASE: Ex-Memphis police officer took a photo of Tyre Nichols after beating, document says

Lawsuit: Officer's use of force was 'an unlawful chokehold'

The incident took place on March 4, 2022, and was captured on surveillance footage that showed Guetschow rushing over and separating the students.

Story continues

The video then shows Guetschow in a scuffle with Perezs daughter. He falls to the floor and takes her down with him. He then gets on top of her and appears to press his knee into the back of her neck for about 25 seconds while he handcuffs her. He then hauls her to her feet and leads her off-camera.

Perezs daughter is Black. Guetschow is white.

"Guetschow did not issue any instructions to Jane Doe," the lawsuit said. "Guetschow's use of force constituted an unlawful chokehold."

The use of a chokehold is prohibited by Kenosha Police Department policy "except where deadly force is allowed and only as a last resort," according to the complaint. Wisconsin passed a law in 2021 prohibiting police from using chokeholds except as a last resort, joining a host of other states that passed similar statutes in the wake of widespread protests over George Floyds death in 2020.

The lawsuit further said the purpose of the chokehold was to restrict the girl's breathing and that "a reasonable officer in Guetschows position would not have believed himself to be in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm."

According to the complaint, Perez's daughter could not breathe while Guetschow had his knee on her neck. As a result, the girl suffered both mental and physical trauma in addition to her constitutional rights being violated, the complaint adds

Since the incident, the girl has undergone mental health treatment, counseling and moved to a different school, according to the complaint. Perez and his daughter now reside in Illinois.

"(Perez's daughter) has (been) treated for nearly a year for the physical and emotional injuries that she sustained. Although she is not healed from her trauma, she is ready to stand up for herself," DeVinney said in a statement.

DeVinney said his clients are demanding a jury trial in the civil case.

POLICE INVESTIGATIONS: 7 more Memphis police employees under investigation in Tyre Nichols' death, city attorney says

Attorney: School district will 'vigorously defend itself'

Both the city and the school district failed to sufficiently assess Guetschow's field performance, the complaint said.

DeVinney said Guetschow was subject to the Kenosha Police Department's off-duty policies while he worked part-time as a security guard for the district.

The city failed to train Guetschow regarding security and supervision of children and students, the complaint adds. According to the complaint, the school district also failed to provide training to Guetschow and do not require any training for employees hired in his position.

Guetschow had a "short temper," a reputation known by the school district and city, the lawsuit said. Prior to working in Kenosha, Guetschow's field performance at another police department was marked as unacceptable and he was described as emotional, panicked or loses their temper.

Attorney Sam Hall, who is representing the Kenosha Unified School District and Guetschow, said the school district will "vigorously defend itself" and Guetschow.

Hall added that the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin reviewed the case and found that Guetschow "committed no civil rights violations."

The Kenosha County District Attorney's Office declined to charge Guetschow, DeVinney said, but originally charged Perez's daughter. DeVinney said there was never a conviction and "that case is closed."

At the time of the incident, Kenosha police requested the FBI look into the matter. A spokesperson with the FBI would not confirm the existence of an investigation, nor comment on the matter Tuesday.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Wisconsin school district sued after officer knelt on 12-year-old
To get a roundup of TechCrunchs biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PST, subscribe here.

Whats up, Crunchy readers!

True crime has its grip on us all, and Lorenzos review of "Tracers in the Dark" is fascinating. In the book, the author covers how cops go after cybercriminals, and it shows that there is hope in stopping drug dealers, dark web market kingpins and child abusers. And its all thanks to the immutable, persistent nature of the Bitcoin blockchain, the perfect place to follow the money.

Our Black history month mention of the day is Ijeoma Oluos "So You Want to Talk About Race," which Haje read last year and which served as a bit of an eye-opener to all the things he thought he knew but really didnt about how race shows up, ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth. For white people, its 100% worth a read before you start asking dumb and embarrassing questions to your people-of-color friends.

 Christine and Haje

The TechCrunch Top 3

First close is the best close : Global venture capital firm Partech made a first close on its new fund of 245 million, which makes it the largest Africa-focused fund. Tage writes that overwhelming interest from LPs meant Partech Africa II surpassed what was initially set for the entire fund at first close.

Bing, not Chanandler Bong : Frederic writes that Microsoft is celebrating a new day of search by launching the new Bing, complete with ChatGPT.

Capture this: Drone imagery firm DroneBase is now Zeitview. It also landed $55 million to continue developing its air and ground data capture technology, Kyle reports.

Startups and VC

You wait for ages for a real-world application of AI image generation, and then suddenly, two come along at once. Brian writes about how FRIDAs robot arm attempts to bring DALL-E-style AI art to real-world canvases, and Haje covers how 3D laser cutting company Glowforge adds AI image generation to its software package.

Story continues

Almost a year ago to the day, the 50-year-old investing powerhouse Sequoia Capital announced that it had reorganized itself around a singular, permanent structure, Connie reports. Now, thanks to an SEC form filed on Friday, we know how much is sitting in the Sequoia Capital Fund. And because we are sneaky capitalists doing it for the clicks. If you wanna know how much, you gotta read the article.

And we have five more for you, complete with a soundtrack that jackknifes between a number of unlikely genres:

Cybersecurity teams, beware: The defender's dilemma is a lie

Image of a group of yellow plastic toy soldiers pointing guns at each other on a blue background.

Image Credits: A. Martin UW Photography (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

The Defender's Dilemma is one of cybersecurity's touchstones: "Defenders have to be right every time. Attackers only need to be right once."

It may sound authentic, but David J. Bianco, a staff security strategist at Splunk, says it's actually a false narrative that leaves systems less secure.

"Defenders rightly expect attackers to lie and cheat to achieve their goals, but sometimes we forget that lying and cheating can work both ways."

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.

Whats your status? Well, if youre a WhatsApp user, you can now give a voice status update, Jagmeet writes. Each voice note can be up to 30 seconds and then set as your status. So now people have a voice to go with your photo.

Today was all about the OnePlus smartphone: Brian gives you a rundown of the $699 OnePlus 11, which arrives February 16, and he also looks at some of OnePlus' additional products like a tablet and mechanical keyboard. Then Ivan writes about the Buds Pro 2, which will run you a cool $179 but has improved sound and noise cancellation.

And we have five more for you:
UFC president Dana White has dismissed Islam Makhachevs claim that UFC 284 has suffered from insufficient promotion.

Makhachev will defend the UFC lightweight title against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event on Saturday, with the card taking place in Perth, Australia.

Ahead of the event, which could see home fighter Volkanovski become the UFCs fifth ever dual-weight champion, Makhachev suggested that the company has not done justice to the headline bout.

The 31-year-old told RSports Russia: I see that it is not such big promotion. Dana White himself has some problems [after footage emerged of him slapping his wife]. He does not pay much attention to this fight.

Here in Perth, everyone knows about the fight and is looking forward to it, [but] in terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done.

I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney. A tour could be organised around the world, a [news] conference could be held in America.

White, however, played down the Russians suggestion that UFC 284, which also features an interim featherweight title fight, has not been sufficiently promoted.

The American, 53, said on The Jim Rome Show: Yeah, thats not true. First of all, Ive talked to Islam. First of all, who interviewed him? Who translated for him? I mean, the guy speaks Russian. [Its been] taken out of context.

First of all, he lives in Dagestan. What does he know about whats going on for the promotion of the fight? He doesnt know anything. Its going to be one of the top five biggest fights of all time.

Islam Makhachev won the UFC lightweight title by submitting Charles Oliveira (AFP via Getty Images)

First of all, the event sold out, right? You couldnt get a ticket if you wanted to get a ticket in Perth. And this thing is trending right now to be the biggest pay-per-view event in Australia, which, its like six per cent behind the Conor McGregor [vs Dustin] Poirier 3 fight. Its probably going to break the record.

So, to say that the fight hasnt been [promoted], thats just ridiculous. Thats what you call some internet BS.

Story continues

The exchange followed a UFC news conference this week at which White briefly forgot Makhachevs name.

Makhachev (23-1) followed in the footsteps of his coach and childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov by winning the UFC lightweight title in November, submitting Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant belt.

Alexander Volkanovski after retaining the UFC featherweight title last summer (Getty Images)

Saturdays main event marks his first defence of the gold, which Volkanovski (25-1) is pursuing after a dominant run of featherweight title defences.

Each man has lost just once professionally, with Makhachev having responded to his 2015 defeat by winning 11 bouts in a row, while Volkanovski is on a stunning 22-fight win streak.

Australian Volkanovski is ranked No 1 in the UFCs pound-for-pound list, with his opponent this weekend sitting at No 2.
David Carrick spent 20 years with the Met, during which time he raped and abused at least 12 women - AP

Victims of serial rapist David Carrick are considering suing the Metropolitan Police over alleged failures to stop his offending, the Telegraph can reveal.

Lawyers representing some of those he attacked are exploring bringing a civil claim against the force after it emerged there were a string of missed opportunities to catch him.

Carrick, who was given 36 life sentences earlier this week, spent 20 years with the Met, during which time he raped and abused at least 12 women.

But it has now emerged that Scotland Yard received numerous complaints about his behaviour, which they failed to act upon.

The Centre for Womens Justice (CWJ) confirmed it was speaking with a number of Carricks victims to explore potential legal action against the Metropolitan Police.

Debaleena Dasgupta from the CWJ said the Met could face multiple civil claims and added: The failure to bring him to justice earlier, left him free to rape, abuse and control many more women.

Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, apologised to Carricks victims and acknowledged the forces mistakes - Aaron Chown/PA

In 2004 Carrick was reported for domestic abuse following a violent row with a girlfriend who happened to be a police officer.

The matter was reported to his bosses but no action was taken against him.

Two years later he was again reported to the police over an allegation of domestic abuse but the Met failed to act.

In 2009 Carrick was investigated by Hertfordshire Police following a third allegation of domestic abuse. The Met Police was informed but took no action when the victim dropped the allegation.

Once again in 2019 he was reported to Hertfordshire Police over allegations of assault and criminal damage following a row with a girlfriend who he grabbed around the neck.

Exploited his position

The matter was looked at by the Met, but was not linked to the previous incidents and Carrick was simply offered some words of advice.

Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner has apologised to Carricks victims and has acknowledged the forces mistakes.

He said Carrick had exploited his position as a police officer in the most disgusting way and added: He should not have been a police officer. We werent rigorous enough in our approach and as a result we missed opportunities to identify the warning signs over decades. I want to again reiterate my apology on behalf of the Met. We are truly sorry.

Matt Parr, HM Inspector of Constabulary said he believed the Met was finally getting their act together and rooting out corrupt officers.

He said: I think that policing as a whole realises that this cant go on any longer. Finally the penny has dropped and police leaders have realised that they have got to take much more interest in who gets in and who stays in, and that standards across the board have got to be raised.
Rail Car

Rail chiefs are preparing to scrap buffet cars and catering trolleys across Britain's train network in a death knell for the successor of the British Rail sandwich.

A review of on-board catering across the entire network is to be launched to see if it is affordable and valued by passengers under multi billion-pound cost-cutting measures put to trade union leaders alongside pay rises.

The need to provide food and drinks in first and standard class carriages will be considered by the review.

Although on some train lines catering is likely to remain once the review is concluded, it said that on many routes, catering is a loss-making activity.

Prospective cuts to food services are one part of a 12-page framework put to the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) by train operators to break the deadlock in a long-running industrial dispute.

Strikes - Jordan Pettitt/PA

The framework also confirms plans to axe swathes of railway station ticket offices, with staff will be brought out from behind glass screens to help customers on the platforms and trained so that they can also dispatch services.

The document says: These proposals are intended to modernise the passenger retail arrangements at stations, and this is anticipated to incorporate the closure and re-purposing of the traditional ticket office facilities.

Ticket offices will be converted into retail outlets such as coffee shops, bakeries or newsagents, or into flats to house rail workers.

Some stations will put a passenger hub facility in the place of ticket offices to allow customers to seek help.

The Telegraph reported last September that Whitehall officials had begun writing ticket office closures into new contracts with train operators.

Kevin Foster, rail minister under Liz Truss, said in October that the Government wanted to move staff from behind ticket office screens.

The way people have purchased tickets has evolved significantly since the railways were privatised. A quarter of a century ago, 82pc of tickets were bought from an office. This proportion has now fallen to only 12pc.

Story continues

It remains to be seen whether the RMT will back train operators proposals in return for a 9pc pay rise.

The union has long-campaigned against the closure of ticket offices, saying that they continue to play a vital role in helping passengers.

Ministers have admitted that the ticket office cull will generate job losses, but insisted that the primary driver for the changes is better service.

A poll by the RMT in December found that 97pc of members believe that ticket office closures would lead to fewer staff working at stations.

Ticket office closures also risk a backlash from Conservative MPs in rural constituencies.

On-board catering has been a loss-making operation for train operators for some time as many passengers prefer to buy sandwiches or drinks from station outlets rather than opt for the British Rail sandwich, which became synonymous with bad service during the days of fully-nationalised services.
Speaking at a House Armed Services Committee, a retired Navy admiral raised the red flag about at least four previous Chinese spy balloons the Pentagon failed to detect, telling lawmakers it was concerning.

Weve got all the details on the hearing and the latest on the downed Chinese spy balloon, including the Navys recovery efforts.

Tonight, were also going to discuss a man who breached the home base of Air Force One, as well as the Department of Homeland Securitys updated use-of-force policies.

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, Im Brad Dress.

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

Admiral worried about ability to detect spy balloons

Retired Navy Adm. Harry Harris Jr., who was the former commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told Congress he was concerned the Pentagon did not detect at least four previous Chinese spy balloon incursions.

Those previous balloon flyovers include three during the Trump administration and one other incident during the Biden administration that is separate from the Chinese spy balloon the Pentagon shot down on Saturday.

This ought to concern all of us: Harris said there is a disconnect in our ability to understand these balloons.

That ought to concern all of us, Harris said.

The Navy admiral made the comments a day after Gen. Glen VanHerck, the head of U.S. Northern Command, told reporters the Pentagon failed to detect four previous Chinese balloon incursions.

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), a member of the Armed Services panel, told The Hill that Congress absolutely needs to look at the balloon flyovers in both the Trump and Biden administrations.



The committee has a responsibility to look at all areas of national security, Horsford said.

GOP fury: Republicans are irate about the Biden administrations response to the Chinese surveillance device, which flew over the continental U.S. for several days.

Story continues

I would pay attention to the kinds of military sites the balloon flew over, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told The Hill. Why did we wait four days to do it?

The Pentagon, which first detected the balloon on Jan. 28 over the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, said it did take steps to ensure it was not collecting sensitive information.

Harris testified at the hearing that he believed the Pentagon responded appropriately to the balloon.



I do think shooting it down over the Atlantic was the appropriate response, he said. If it was a threat to the United States, if it was collecting information that could not be blocked  then thats a different issue.

Recovery efforts: Sailors are now pulling up the debris from the downed balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, where it fell into roughly 47-foot water.

U.S. Fleet Forces posted images of the recovery efforts on Twitter, which began on Sunday after the surveillance device was shot down.

The 200-foot aerial object is roughly the size of a regional jet.

Read the full story about the House hearing and the Navy Admirals testimony.

Man arrested after he breaches Joint Base Andrews

A man was arrested on Monday after he breached Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, home to the nations presidential airplanes, including Air Force One.

While the intruder is in custody, law enforcement officials are still investigating the incident and gathering additional details.

Heres what we know: Joint Base Andrews tweeted the man breached the base around 11:30 a.m. and gained access to the housing area before he was arrested.

A resident of the base opened fire at the man, and security officers arrived shortly after to arrest him.



Its unclear at the moment exactly how the man breached the base and what his motive was.



There were no injuries or damaged property.

Not the first time: In February 2021, another man breached Joint Base Andrews through a security lapse.

The individual, wearing a mouse ears cap, passed a military checkpoint and made his way into a C-40, an aircraft that flies government officials.

He was arrested once an observant airman noticed he looked suspicious.

An inspector general report concluded there were three major failures that allowed the man to breach the base, including the failure of a security guard who allowed him to enter the base without proper credentials.

Read more here.

New rules limit no-knock warrants, ban chokeholds

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will now limit the use of no-knock warrants and ban chokeholds in new, updated policies for its government agents.

Our ability to secure the homeland rests on public trust, which is built by accountability, transparency, and effectiveness in our law enforcement practices, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement.



Todays policy announcement is designed to advance those essential values, Mayorkas added.

What this means: President Biden issued an executive order in May requiring DHS to meet or exceed the Department of Justices updated policies in 2021, which contain similar measures on no-knock warrants and chokeholds.

Both departments have updated their policies after intense scrutiny around use-of-force procedures for police officers.

The death of Breonna Taylor in March 2020 called attention to the use of no-knock warrants. Taylor was killed when a police unit investigating drug crimes barged into her apartment just after midnight while she was sleeping.

Chokeholds have also remained a serious concern after the death of unarmed Black men while under police restraint, including Eric Garner in 2014 and George Floyd in 2020.

Dont forget: The death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tenn., last month renewed calls for federal police reform legislation.

Nichols was killed when a police unit known as Scorpion pulled him over for a minor traffic violation.



A video of the incident showed the officers beating, kicking and punching Nichols.



How many of these tragedies do we have to see on video before we say we have a problem, America? asked Nichols family attorney and national civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.

Read the full DHS story here.

ON TAP TOMORROW

The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the State of the Industrial Base at 11 a.m. ET.

The HASC will also hold another hearing on The Role of Special Operations Forces in Great Power Competition at 3 p.m. ET.

The Association of the United States Army will chat with Gen. James Rainey of United States Army Futures Command at the Gordon R. Sullivan Conference and Events Center in Arlington, Va. Opening remarks begin around 7 a.m. ET and a livestream is available here.

The Atlantic Council will talk with Tanaiste Micheal Martin, the minister for foreign affairs and defense of Ireland, at 1 p.m. ET. A livestream is available here.

WHAT WERE READING

OPINIONS IN THE HILL

Lessons and mysteries of ballongate

Chinas spy balloon: A new cold war unfolds before our eyes

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.
Officers transport murder suspect Richard Allen during a hearing regarding sealed documents, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Ind.

DELPHI, Ind.  The accused killer of Libby German and Abby Williams wants his Feb. 17 hearing rescheduled.

Richard Allen, charged with murder for the two Delphi teens' killings, filed a motion Tuesday requesting that the hearing be continued. That hearing was for Judge Frances Gull to determine whether Allen gets bond, and Gull also planned to change Allen's trial date during that hearing since the March 20 date is not practical.

Gull has not ruled yet on Allen's motion to continue the hearing.

Allen's attorneys argue in the motion that they have yet to receive all of the evidence against Allen from the prosecutors. They expect to receive that information by the end of the week, but that is not enough time to prepare for the bond hearing, according to the motion.

"Defense Counsel believes that the volume of discovery is such that there will not be adequate time to review the discovery in preparation for the bail hearing," the motion states.

In Indiana, all defendants are entitled to bail, which is supposed to be high enough to ensure the defendant's appearance in court. Those charged with murder or treason may be held without bond. However, if the case against a murder defendant is weak, a judge may set bond.

Prosecutors tied Allen to the killings with a bullet found at the crime scene. Prosecutors say the bullet has tool markings from a pistol's ejector that indicate it was cycled through Allen's Glock pistol. No one has said how the girls were killed, but the probable cause affidavit indicated that Libby's video of the man on the Monon High Bridge included one of the girls saying "gun" when their killer walked up behind them.

The Feb. 17 hearing was for Gull to determine if Allen should have bond set.

"Defendant Allen also acknowledges that the jury trial is scheduled in this cause on March 20, 2023," the motion states. "The exchange and review of discovery, as referenced above will necessitate that the jury trial be lifted and reset on a date and time convenient for all parties.

Story continues

"Defendant Allen requests that both the bail hearing and jury trial dates be lifted and reset ...," the motion states.

The Feb. 17 hearing falls on the week of the sixth anniversary of the girls' killings.

In 2017, Delphi schools didn't have class on Feb. 13, and Libby, 14, and Abby, 13, decided to hike the trails east of Delphi on that unusually warm winter day. When the girls failed to meet Libby's family member for a ride home, the families and the community began searching for the girls.

Search parties resumed the morning of Feb. 14, 2017, and the girls were found east of the Monon High Bridge along the north bank of the Deer Creek.

Police investigated the girls' killings for more than five years before allegedly finding evidence linking Allen, 50, of Delphi, to the crimes.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Delphi murder suspect asks to postpone Feb. 17 hearing
A Delta Airlines flight forced to return to John F. Kennedy International Airport after reportedly striking a bird en route to the Bahamas on Wednesday is once again on its way.

The incident was first confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which said they will investigate. The Delta flight left the airport at around 9 a.m., but returned to the airport around 9:45 a.m. after the reported bird strike.

Shortly before noon, Delta told CBS News that the aircraft was "currently en route" to the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau again after the aircraft was examined.

There were 165 passengers aboard, plus two pilots and four flight attendants, Delta said.

Delta said in a statement that the Boeing 737 "encountered birds following departure." It's not clear how many birds were involved in the incident or what kind of birds they were.

"We apologize to our customers for the resulting delay in their travel plans," Delta said in a statement.

According to the FAA, wildlife strikes with aircraft are increasing around the world. In the United States, there have been about 255,000 wildlife strikes reported from 1990 to 2021. The FAA estimates that in that window, wildlife strikes cost airlines about $900 million due to the damage done to aircraft. However, the agency said that losses could be as high as $500 million per year when accounting for the estimated number of unreported strikes and strikes where costs were not provided by the airlines.

About a third of such incidents occur in the early stages of flight, when the plane is taking off or ascending, with another 61% taking place during the landing phases and just 3% occurring while the plane is in its "en route phase," the FAA said.

While such strikes can cause injury to human passengers, it is rare: The FAA said that from 1990 to 2019, there were 327 injuries attributed to wildlife strikes on U.S. aircraft. From 1988 to 2019, there were 292 deaths reported globally.

Story continues

There were no fatalities in one of the most famous cases of wildlife strike  2009's so-called Miracle on the Hudson, when a U.S. Airways flight was forced to land in the Hudson River after hitting a flock of Canada geese while taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, which injured 95 of the 155 people on board.

Sneak peek: The Station Nightclub Fire: Who's Responsible?

LeBron James "a very worthy successor" to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Rhoden says

Former NFL all-pro safety Malcolm Jenkins talks efforts to combat the effects of brain injuries
Democrats formed a united front Wednesday, painting Republicans as staging a distracting political stunt during the GOPs first hearing targeting social media companies content policies.

Republicans grilled former Twitter executives at a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee over their decision to limit the spread of a story about President Bidens son more than two years ago.

The hearing fulfilled a pledge GOP officials made to use their newly reclaimed House majority to crusade against continuing allegations of anti-conservative censorship by social media companies.

The heated hearing, interrupted by a brief power outage in the room, showcased a hyper-partisan divide in the House on content moderation issues.

Republicans pressed the former Twitter employees present on internal communications published through a Twitter thread in December. Democrats sought to highlight concerns about the spread of pro-Trump election misinformation that fueled the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

I dont know precisely how we are going to solve the problem of private social media platforms being used for the organization of political coups and incitement of violent insurrections. But this is a grave problem confronting democracy in America and all over the world, not a phony, silly, concocted partisan issue, ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said.

Other Democrats expressed irritation about the hearing being held at all.

Were wasting our time here bullying former Twitter employees, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) said. Its calling the refs, so that way in the future when they want disinformation to be put on the internet, social media companies will be scared to call them out down the road.

The hearing was centered on Twitters decision in 2020 to limit the spread of a New York Post story about Hunter Bidens laptop. Twitter later reversed the decision, allowing the story to be shared.

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey later called it a mistake.

Story continues

Republicans alleged Wednesday that the decision was a violation of their First Amendment rights and was made at the behest of Democrats.

The documents released by Twitter CEO Elon Musk as part of the Twitter Files, however, did not show direct requests from Democrats to impact the spread of the story.

Twitters former chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde, former deputy general counsel James Baker and former global head of trust and safety Yoel Roth did not testify that they had knowledge of any such demands when pressed by members.

Roth said Twitter explicitly separated teams that interacted with campaigns from teams like his, which were responsible for content moderation.

Roth said he would not agree with the characterization of Twitter removing tweets at the behest of the Biden campaign. Tweets could be reported to Twitter and then independently evaluated, he said.

In contrast, when asked by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) if former President Trump made a request to remove a 2019 tweet by model Chrissy Teigen that criticized the then-president, a former member of Twitters safety policy team, Anika Collier Navaroli, said he did.

The tweet by Teigen was posted after Trump tweeted about her and her husband, musician John Legend.

Navaroli said she was not responsible for receiving such government requests in her role, but her supervisors let her know such a request was made from the White House to evaluate the tweet.

It wasnt Joe Biden about his sons laptop, it was Donald Trump because he didnt like what Chrissy Teigen had to say about him. Is that correct? Connolly asked.

Yes, that is correct, she said.

Beyond the scope of the handling of the Hunter Biden story, the GOP accused Twitter, a private company, of First Amendment violations based on the enforcement of their policies.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who was given committee positions this year after being stripped of assignments last Congress, slammed the former employees over Twitters banning her own account.

Her personal account was banned in January 2022 over repeated violations of the COVID-19 misinformation policy. It was reinstated in November, under Musks control.

Greene used her time to berate Twitter employees present, but she did not ask them a single question.

Democrats were quick to point out that the First Amendment protects Twitter, and other companies, from removing or allowing whatever content they see fit and to create policies that do that.

Despite all their mentioning of the First Amendment, they have not even made any sort of legal or legislative argument as to what the tie here is behind a personal grievance, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told The Hill.

She called the hearing an embarrassment and abuse of public resources.

The Republican side is not even making any sort of request, no matter how partisan it is, about what the course of action, what were even doing here is. Why is the Oversight Committee even relevant to Twitters content moderation policies? she said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Voters who kept three Pittsburgh-area state House seats in Democratic hands this week effectively also flipped control away from the Republican majority that has run the chamber for more than a decade, one of a handful of legislative bodies across the United States where partisan control shifted in recent months.

In a chamber where majority control has been used to prevent many of their priorities from getting any serious consideration, Pennsylvania House Democrats are eager to take the reins.

It will mean common sense bills that have been held up in committee for a decade can finally be debated and voted on, and it will mean working with the new governor to deliver on an agenda that puts Pennsylvanians first, said Democratic caucus spokesperson Nicole Reigelman.

But with the Pennsylvania Senate firmly in Republican hands, the governorship retained by Democrats in November and a bare, one-seat state House margin, the recent elections can't be expected to make much change in Harrisburg's deep partisanship or its lengthy periods of inaction.

WHAT HAPPENED TUESDAY?

The three special elections left House Democrats with 102 members and Republicans with 101; the GOP number will drop to 100 when a member departs soon after winning a special election for state Senate last week.

The three new members will be seated once the results are fully tabulated and certified. Democrats are suddenly able to convert their agenda into actual legislation, but they are still going to need help from the Senate to send anything to the desk of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE SPEAKERSHIP?

Despite their wins, Democrats were unable to elect their first choice as speaker, Rep. Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia, when the chamber met for the start of session on Jan. 3. Republicans, however, also failed to muster a majority for their preferred candidate, Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar of Somerset County.

The result was a compromise choice, Reading area Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Democrat known mostly as a prime supporter of giving victims of childhood sexual abuse a two-year window during which they would be able to file otherwise outdated lawsuits.

Story continues

Rozzi has said he wants to keep the job and has spent the past month working with a handpicked group of six lawmakers, three from each party, on what could be dramatic changes to how the House operates.

If they can develop rules that attract support across party lines, Rozzi might be able to prevent or at least forestall efforts to replace him with McClinton or some other candidate when the House returns to session Feb. 21.

Rozzi told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday that he expects the child sexual abuse lawsuit legislation to be considered that week, after which he might reassess whether he wants to keep the speakership.

MIGHT THERE BE MOVEMENT ON ISSUES?

Two of the country's most hotly disputed political issues, changes to election procedures and access to abortion, have not seen movement in the past few years in Pennsylvania, largely because of its divided government.

Democrats pushing to give counties more advance time to process mail-in ballots have run into Republican hopes of reducing mail-in voting and making other changes. Shapiro has said he wants Election Day voter registration and automatic voter registration, policies legislative Republicans have largely ignored.

Shapiro, like his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, is a backer of abortion rights and, like Wolf, has said he will veto any restrictions.

With the House majority, however, Democrats have no reason to send any bill that limits access to abortion to Shapiro. The political fallout from last summer's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion makes swing state Pennsylvania even more unlikely to be the site of abortion-related policy changes in the near future.

The most likely outcome for a lot of things is going to be nothing changes, right? said Dan Mallinson, a public policy professor at Penn State-Harrisburg. With abortion, youre just not going to see the type of legislation that Republicans were talking about leading to the election.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE NEW GOVERNOR?

As a candidate and during his first month in office, Shapiro has conspicuously touted bipartisanship and pushed business-friendly policies.

But one of the first things the GOP-controlled Senate accomplished last month was to bundle together and pass the child sexual abuse lawsuit proposal along with expanded voter ID requirements and a measure to give lawmakers greater power to cancel a governor's regulations.

By the time the next state budget is passed around the end of June, there should be clear evidence about whether Shapiros claim to have a mandate to bring people together and work with Republicans can translate into legislative wins.

His press secretary, Manuel Bonder, said Shapiro sees room to work with both parties on education, public safety and economic issues. Pennsylvanians have rejected extremism and elected leaders to work together and make progress on the issues that matter most  and thats exactly what Gov. Shapiro will remain focused on doing every day, Bonder said.

ROLE OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS

Republicans lost a net of 12 seats and the majority, but they have only one fewer vote than Democrats and could return to the majority if additional vacancies occur or they can persuade someone to switch parties. There are local races and judge elections that may well thin the Democrats' ranks later this year.

The House Republican spokesperson, Jason Gottesman, said his members want to get the session underway.

Democrats, over the last three months, have argued in public and the courts that they have a majority," Gottesman said. Hopefully, with last night's elections having come to a conclusion, Democrats can reverse their recent patterns and practices and stick to their word in joining with us to truly move Pennsylvania ahead for the people who live here.
An toddler is recovering after being shot while sitting in their car seat at an apartment complex in Orange County.

Deputies said a 3-year-old child was sitting in a car when they were shot Tuesday afternoon.

Photos: Deputies search for gunman after 3-year-old shot while sitting in car seat in Orange County

The shooting happened around 5:25 p.m. at an apartment complex on Rivertree Circle just off Rio Grande Avenue.

Original report: 3-year-old in car seat shot in Orange County, deputies say

Deputies said the child was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and is expected to survive.

Investigators said they believe the child is a random victim and not the intended target of the shooting.

Read: Police: Orlando man facing 2 counts of attempted homicide after beating pregnant girlfriend, child

The Orange County Sheriffs Office said it has no suspect information to release at this time.

Channel 9 is working to gather more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.

Watch: Port Orange Police arrest 4 teens for vandalism at Spruce Creek Elementary School

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former President Donald Trump (L) are taking shots at each other as the race for 2024 heats up. Alex Brandon/AP Photo and Marta Lavandier/AP Photo

Trump attacked DeSantis on Truth Social by sharing a photo of him with high schoolers when he was a teacher.

The post accused him of partying and drinking with high school girls.

"I don't spend my time trying to smear other Republicans," DeSantis said on Wednesday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday responded to former President Donald Trump's sharing of a photo alleging the governor drank alcohol with minors when he was a high school teacher.

"I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden," DeSantis said during a press conference in Ocala, Florida. "That's how I spend my time. I don't spend my time trying to smear other Republicans."

DeSantis generally takes questions from the media after most press conferences, on any topic. In this case the focus of the press conference was to announce massive tax cuts in Florida with GOP legislative leaders.

Unlike Trump's freewheeling style, DeSantis is scripted and disciplined during his public appearances. He doesn't take questions at the end of some events and at times he eschews public appearances.

Amid criticism from the former president, DeSantis generally has stayed away from hitting Trump directly. Instead, his messages tend to be more subliminal. On Tuesday, for instance, DeSantis held an event on defamation laws in which he praised a conservative lawyer who represented Dominion Voting Machines in its defamation lawsuit against Trump ally Mike Lindell.

In December, DeSantis announced several anti-COVID vaccine measures, taking aim at one of Trump's top presidential accomplishments but one his base despises due to the Biden administration's shot mandates. While he never mentioned Trump, he made the announcement geographically close to Mar-a-Lago.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Insider about DeSantis' comments.

DeSantis is widely viewed as a contender for the 2024 Republican nominaton for president. In various news profiles he's often referred to "Trump with a brain" or "Trump without the baggage," but the governor appears to be working to differentiate himself from the man who once supported and helped him win Florida in 2018.

Story continues

Among those differences is message discipline. The governor made the remark Wednesday in response to a question from a reporter, though the reporter had asked the governor to focus on how new anti-defamation laws would assist in such cases, in which Trump reposted a photo of DeSantis on Truth Social.

DeSantis addressed that piece of the question  saying his goal with new legislation to empower non-public figures in libel suits against the press  but also hit Trump directly for his attacks, without naming him. It was clear that he expected the question and was prepared and wanted to answer it.

The picture Trump shared Tuesday shows a 23-year-old DeSantis smiling between three women with blurred out faces, whose ages aren't clear. One of the females in the photos is holding a brown glass bottle but DeSantis isn't pictured drinking. Still, the caption reads, "Here is Ron DeSantimonious grooming high school girls with alcohol as a teacher," followed by the vomit emoji.

"That's not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!" Trump wrote sarcastically on his social media app, Truth Social.

The "grooming" accusation was intended as a hypocrisy attack against DeSantis, whose staff have accused those who oppose his contentious sex education bill critics dub "Don't Say Gay" of "grooming." The term "grooming" typically refers to pedophiles who try to gain the trust of their underage victims so they'll accept sexual assault without telling an adult.

DeSantis didn't address the contents of the photo during his press conference on Wednesday.

The original message Trump reshared was from a user named Dong-Chan Lee, whose Truth Social describes him as a "paleoconservative" and Trump supporter.

Trump also attacked DeSantis Tuesday through sharing a screenshot of a Tampa Bay Times story in which DeSantis said he was "glad" violent Trump protestors had been arrested after the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Trump, who does not drink alcohol, has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 26 different women. He has denied all the allegations.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Egypt revived a stalled plan to sell stakes in state-run companies, including in two military-affiliated firms, as part of a drive to revamp a battered economy and secure much-needed foreign currency.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Under the program, the government will offer stakes in 32 firms in a variety of sectors, ranging from banking and oil to real estate, insurance and ports, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told reporters Wednesday. The move is billed as a key part of Egypts broader push to reform an economy tipped into crisis by Russias invasion of Ukraine, which sent food and energy prices soaring.

The stake sales should be completed within the next year, he said, and include share offerings to the public, block sales to strategic investors or a combination of the two. The government doesnt have a target value for the sales, Madbouly told Bloomberg separately.

Notable businesses up for grabs include three banks  Banque du Caire SAE, Arab African International Bank, United Bank  and Wataniya, an army-linked fuel-distribution company.

The potential sales are being closely watched by investors after Egypts three currency devaluations in the past year indicated an effort to reverse years of economic and fiscal missteps. The devaluation helped the country, one of the Middle Easts most indebted, secure a $3 billion IMF program that, in turn, is expected to unlock billions of dollars more in funding.

Madbouly said officials had to devise various scenarios for the challenges ahead and needed to have a clear vision of the path of the Egyptian economy for at least two years.

Story continues

Tough Measures

The IMF deal includes some tough measures, such as the government following through on pledges to back out of some industries and support the private sector. At the same time, the state must cut spending without affecting the most vulnerable parts of the population and cope with a rising debt-servicing bill.

The risks ahead for Egypt were made even clearer on Tuesday, as Moodys Investors Service downgraded the countrys credit rating to B3 from B2. Moodys cited what it said are reduced external buffers and shock absorption capacity while the economy undergoes a structural change toward a more export- and private sector-led growth model under a flexible exchange-rate regime.

Read from 2018: Egypt Eyes $5.7 Billion Windfall From State Company IPOs

The latest offerings are a continuation of a 2016 program, which, over a period of years, saw little success in selling stakes in the vast majority of more than 20 state-run firms put on the auction block. Officials at the time blamed the downturn in global market conditions and repeatedly delayed pressing ahead with other offerings.

Among the companies included in the latest offering are:

Banque du Caire

Arab African International Bank

United Bank

Wataniya

Safi - mineral water manufacturer

Pachin - paint and chemicals

Helwan Fertilizers

Ethydco- Egyptian Ethylene and Derivatives Company

Sinai Manganese

Misr Insurance

El-Nasr Housing and Development

Port Said Containers

Damietta Containers

ELAB - Egyptian Linear Alkyl Benzene

Hotels owned by the Public Enterprise Ministry

(Updates with additional company names, adds quotes, context and background)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Did the Sacramento City Council really vote for a tank? The answer is no.

At last weeks city council meeting, Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester and her team gave a presentation on a Rook, a piece of equipment the department was requesting. She also answered questions related to its use. A Rook is a tractor with a shield and a platform that can be raised to allow entry into higher levels of buildings. It is not used at protests or homeless encampments  two questions that were addressed at the meeting. In fact, the Sacramento Police Department has had access to a Rook for years and it has not been used for these purposes.

The Rook is most often used in situations where a person is barricaded with a gun and is likely to shoot at officers. Recent incidents like this involved victims of domestic violence held hostage at gunpoint while their lives were being threatened. Similar situations took place in my neighborhood just a few months ago and in another city neighborhood just a couple days after our vote on the Rook.

Opinion

I wish this violence didnt happen at all and I firmly believe we need to invest in mental health care and interventions to prevent it from occurring in the first place. But while we still live in a world where this violence does occur, we must prepare for it.

These situations are traumatic and dangerous for the victims, the community and law enforcement. If this type of equipment is not available, the police might instead conduct a raid where an armed SWAT team is deployed. This would only escalate already violent situations and likely result in injury or death. The Rook, by contrast, is a less lethal tool intended for very dangerous situations, and thats why I voted along with a supermajority of my colleagues to approve its purchase.

After the January 31 vote to approve the Rook is when online harassment and bullying began.

Within hours of the councils vote, a group of people online sent messages to me and my family members that I cannot repeat in print. They posted my address online, threatened to burn my house down and harassed my staff to the point where we had to stop answering the office phones and turn off notifications on social media. Members of this group shared misinformation online that the city council had voted to purchase a military tank that could be used during protests and at homeless encampments. Then, the Sacramento Bee published a column with the headline, Caity Maple told Sacramento she was progressive. Then she voted for a tank.

Story continues

But of course, thats not true. A tank is a vehicle with attached weapons that is used in war. A Rook is a tractor with a shield used in very specific and dangerous situations.

The truth matters.

I know there is trauma associated with over-policing in communities of color and that incidents of police brutality continue to shake our nation. I believe we need reform and a shift in what public safety looks like in our city, including investing in mental health, youth programming, community-based safety responses and economic mobility.

I do not support tanks being used by our police force, and I purposely chose not to accept law enforcement contributions on the campaign trail because I wanted the community to know that I would make unbiased decisions related to the police. Voting for the Rook is not a repudiation of my stated beliefs.

I was elected to represent my community and there will be many difficult decisions ahead. I hope that we can change the dynamics of our discourse and seek to understand rather than tear one another down.

We have too much important work to do, and we can only do it together.

Sacramento City Councilwoman Caity Maple represents District 5.
Balloon. Illustrated | Gettyimages

Tensions are escalating between the United States and China over the fate of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that wafted through U.S. airspace before a fighter jet shot it down off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday. China went from being apologetic about the balloon, which it said was a civilian weather probe that strayed off course, to expressing outrage over what it called an "overreaction" by Washington. The Biden administration says the balloon's route took it past some sensitive military sites, proving its purpose was espionage.

The balloon saga ignited a partisan brawl in Washington. Republicans claim the Biden administration looked weak by letting the balloon enter U.S. airspace. Biden administration officials noted that several Chinese balloons flew through U.S. airspace when former President Donald Trump was in the White House, and his administration did nothing about them. Was Biden's reaction a sign of weakness, or of his willingness to show Beijing that the U.S. won't tolerate any more of these intrusions?

Biden showed weakness by not acting faster

President Biden is taking a "victory lap" after the downing of the balloon, says The Wall Street Journal in an editorial, but don't fall for "the triumphalist White House spin." Biden didn't order the military to take it out until after it crossed over Alaska, passed over Canada, and then drifted over the U.S. from Montana to the Carolinas. "The justification for delay was the risk of falling debris, but that is hard to credit."

There are many theories for why Beijing would send a surveillance balloon into U.S. airspace. One is that "they wanted to test Mr. Biden." Would he boldly put China in its place by announcing the intrusion and blasting the airship out of the sky? Or would he keep quiet, as he did, until people spotted it on the ground, then dither before belatedly taking it out, hoping to "court better relations" with Beijing? "This is familiar Chinese diplomatic behavior to probe for weakness in an adversary." And they found it.

Story continues

What nonsense. A balloon didn't threaten U.S. military superiority

The "Battle of the Balloon" was indeed alarming, says Max Boot in The Washington Post, but not because it posed "any actual threat" to U.S. security. It didn't. "The violation of U.S. airspace was unacceptable," but "it's doubtful that it gathered any intelligence that Chinese spy satellites cannot." And when the showdown came, there wasn't any doubt that "one of the most advanced U.S. weapons systems  an F-22 Raptor"  was going to win its one-sided dogfight with "one of China's most primitive surveillance systems: a balloon."

The biggest reason for concern was "the hysterical overreaction," which included Trump's claim that Biden had "surrendered American airspace to Communist China," even though similar things happened three times on his watch. Should Biden "have personally climbed into an F-22 cockpit and led the attack on the balloon"? "The reaction was so overwrought that Biden felt compelled to postpone Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to China. That's too bad." We need to be ways "prevent U.S.-China tensions from spiraling out of control," not needlessly escalating petty fights.

The balloon 'popped' a potential U.S.-China rapprochement

Considering the history of spying between the U.S. and China, "the current episode looks like a relatively minor infraction," says Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times. "Between 2010 and 2012, China is believed to have dismantled CIA operations within its borders  executing at least a dozen U.S. sources." A few years later, China had "hacked America's Office of Personnel Management," accessing the personal data of more than four million current and former federal employees.

There's little "trust or warmth" between Beijing and Washington. Gen. Mike Minihan, head of the US Air Mobility Command, even "recently predicted in a leaked internal memorandum" that the U.S. and China "will fight in 2025" over a Chinese attack on Taiwan. Moderates on both sides in recent weeks "had been cautiously trying to restart dialogue between the two countries." Blinken's visit to Beijing could have contributed to gradually improving relations. "Those efforts are over  for now. But in the long run, the stakes are too high for diplomacy between China and the U.S. to fall victim to a spy balloon."

China is the one that should apologize

"To avoid a catastrophic conflict, more pragmatic leaders on both sides must push back," says Minxin Pei in Bloomberg. But China's the one whose "actions caused this diplomatic crisis," so it's the one that "must move first." China's initial apology and "claim that the balloon was conducting climate research and was blown off course by strong winds, are scarcely believable." If this was an innocent mistake, Beijing could have fessed up the minute "the balloon supposedly went astray."

To set things right, "Chinese leaders must conduct a credible investigation into the incident and punish those responsible for the balloon's course, as well as those who should have informed the U.S. in a timely fashion." China also must drop its puffed-up outrage and "issue a stronger apology to the U.S. and Canada," publicly or through diplomatic channels. President Xi Jinping also could also call Biden to "underscore his commitment to a more stable relationship with the U.S." After triggering this crisis, "the least China can do is avoid causing further damage."

You may also like

Why scientists are worried about bird flu

Just what has Biden accomplished, anyway?

Food vendor apologizes for serving culturally insensitive school lunch on 1st day of Black History Month
diesel pump

Motorists are in line for savings after the price of diesel at UK pumps fell to its lowest level since just after Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

Diesel averaged 169.89 pence per litre as of Tuesday, shaving more than 16 off the cost of filling up a 55-litre car compared to July 2 2022 when the price per litre hit a record 199.21p.

Wholesale diesel prices leapt following the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine in February amid concerns about disruption to supplies as Russia is a major exporter of the fuel.

However, they have started to cool with Russian supplies still getting into the market, and other sources opening up to Europe.

Simon Williams, fuel spokesman at the RAC, said: This is good news for drivers of diesel vehicles as they have had to endure some tough times with the average price of a litre nearly hitting 2 at the end of June.

He said if retailers play fair with drivers, the price at the pumps should fall further given the relatively low wholesale prices, which are currently about 52.07p in the UK.

The price at the pump is made up of the wholesale price, delivery, fuel duty, VAT at 20pc, biofuel and margin for the retailer.

The last time diesel was under 170p was on March 9 2022, when it was 167.37p per litre.

Steve Sawyer, director of refining at Facts Global Energy, said: Prices [wholesale] have been supported for some time due to fears supply from Russia will be severely disrupted, and demand growth from China.

Theyve started to come down in the last couple of weeks, as a lot of those fears around the impact of sanctions [on Russia] ebbed away. Demand also falls as spring emerges, as there is less need for heating oil.

But he cautioned markets are in for a period of volatility amid restrictions in Russian flows, and depending on the extent to which Chinese demand grows.

The UK has banned imports of Russian diesel and crude oil since December 2022.

The EUs embargo of Russian oil products came into effect on February 5. Data reported by Reuters indicates large amounts of refined Russian products are being shipped to Asia.
Disney adults  and one in particular are the source of Internet conversation after a video of a womans return to Disney World went viral.

The term Disney adult simply describes an adult that that has an affinity for the Disney brand and is willing to spend enormous amounts of time and money on all things Disney. In June of 2022, NPR published a story on Disney adults with the headline: For some adults who love Disney, its like a religion.

TikToker Jacee Jordan (@jordan.jacee) showed just how much she loved the brand when she saw the castle at Disney World for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. She posted this video in March of 2022, but recently, TikTokers are recreating her moment and comment sections are letting their opinions be known.

Is this satire? asked @madssanch.

Although Jordans video went viral, user @emlaem111 posted a parody of the original and has gotten over triple the amount of likes as the original. Her video was so popular that many people in the comments thought her post was the original.

Disney adults aresomething, said @moon.renat0.

Get these disney adults help, replied @mooselinguist.

Since @emlaem111s post went viral, other users are posting their own spoofs of the video.

Here @perfectsweatie recreated the video, but did it in Bakersfield, Calif.

Her video was satirical and the comments picked up on it from the start.

Dont forget to visit Bakersfield beach, truly magical! @mikeam1.

Many people in the comments didnt like the idea of adults intensely loving something that is intended for children. However, there was a faction of people on the original post that stood up for Disney adults and their love for the brand.

Some of you all have so little joy in your life and it shows, said @bbqsteakburger.

These comments are not it. Im a happy crier too and your unabashed joy definitely just brought me some joy! Hope it was a fun trip, replied @shelbyhyoung.

TikTok is ultimately split, with some people in favor of big reactions and others wanting the adults to hold it inside. Either way, if you see an adult falling to their knees at an amusement park, know theyre probably a Disney adult.

Story continues

In The Know by Yahoo is now available on Apple News  follow us here!

The post <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sixtwentyseven/video/7191775437075467566?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7190073508616767022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disney Adults become online talking point after woman falls to her knees at Disney World</a> appeared first on In The Know.

More from In The Know:

Drakes Over got classically remixed and is taking over TikTok

The 8 sweetest non-candy gifts to give on Valentine's Day

This $20 desk lamp is dimmable and has 5 lighting modes so you won't wake up your roommate

TikTok movie filter is giving film fans their 'hardest battles'
HONG KONG (AP)  Walt Disney Co. has removed an episode from cartoon series The Simpsons that included a reference to forced labor camps in China from its streaming service in Hong Kong.

The company declined to comment on why the episode, One Angry Lisa from The Simpsons 34th season, was not available to stream on the Disney Plus streaming service in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, according to checks by The Associated Press.

The episode first aired on television in October and it was not clear when the episode was removed from the Hong Kong streaming service.

In the episode, Simpsons character Marge Simpson takes a virtual spin class whose instructor is in front of a virtual background of the Great Wall of China and says: Behold the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones.

The issue of forced labor is sensitive in China. Communist-ruled Beijing has increasingly imposed its controls over Hong Kong, a former British colony, after taking control of the territory in 1997.

China promised that Hong Kong would retain its Western-style freedoms for 50 years after the handover from British rule. But Beijing has been tightening controls after imposing a National Security Law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, raising concerns over a weakening of civil liberties such as freedom of speech and the press.

Under the national security law, those found guilty of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign or external forces could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

In 2021, Hong Kong implemented a film censorship law would allow authorities to ban films deemed contrary to national security interests. At the time, officials said that regulating films shown online would be outside the scope of the bill.

Western governments and activists have for years accused China of imprisoning hundreds of thousands of ethnic minorities  mainly Uyghurs  in the western region of Xinjiang in detention camps. China has rejected accusations it uses forced labor in those camps.

Story continues

China says the camps are education centers designed to teach Mandarin Chinese and vocational skills.

Censorship of Western television series or films is common in mainland China, with censors deleting scenes or banning content seen as going against values deemed appropriate by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Simpsons has been screened at times in China. According to checks by The AP, clips of the Simpsons can still be found on Chinese video sites, but not the scene from One Angry Lisa.
Red the Pirate character chats with guests outside the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim in 2021. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A group of Disneyland visitors were recently stranded for more than an hour in a sinking Pirates of the Caribbean boat before park firefighters came to the rescue, according to a viral TikTok video that detailed the debacle.

The video showed Disneyland firefighters helping riders exit the waterlogged boat, having them walk a makeshift plank back to dry ground  a setup that isn't typically part of the attraction.

The footage from the video posted Saturday  which has already amassed almost 1.5 million views on TikTok  said riders waited almost an hour as they sat with water inside the boat.

The TikTok creator called the incident a "hot mess" online but declined to comment further on the experience when reached by The Times. In comments on the video, the creator said the group on the malfunctioning boat received a $30 voucher for dry socks and some access to lightning lanes as compensation.

Disneyland did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A viral video has shown a group of Disneyland guests who were stranded in a sinking boat on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction for an hour before firefighters came to the rescue.

The viral clip was shared on social media by TikTok user Justin, who goes by @justnjames_ on the app. Since it was posted earlier this week, the video has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

In the video, a group of passengers on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland sitting in boats that begin to fill with water.

POV: Youre stuck on the pirates ride @ Disneyland and your boat is literally sinking, wrote user Justin over the video. After an hour of sitting in the waterlogged boat, firefighters from the Disneyland Fire Department came to rescue the passengers from the sinking ride by having them walk a makeshift plank from the boat to the ground.

Disney fire department had to come and rescue us, he said. After an hour of being stuck we finally got off.

Justin captioned the TikTok, It was a hot mess. Honestly thought we were gonna swim our way out of this, and explained that the Disneyland guests were given vouchers to buy dry socks and allowed to skip lines at other rides.

Yall all they gave us was some $30 vouchers for socks and single lightning lanes, he said.

Many people in the comments section were stunned by the shocking video, while others were simply amused that firefighters had passengers on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride walk a literal plank.

Damn full experience of pirates they even made you walk the plank, commented one viewer.

Love this ride but this is my biggest fear, said someone else.

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is located in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. The attraction was originally designed by Walt Disney in the 1950s and opened to the public on 18 March, 1967. Since then, the immersive attraction has gone on to inspire the popular Disney film series starring Johnny Depp.

Story continues

At the Disney World park in Orlando, Florida, the once-popular ride Splash Mountain closed last month after receiving much criticism for its racist connection to the 1946 film Song of the South.

Song of the South is considered one of Disneys most controversial movies for its stereotypical representations of Black people and its romanticised depiction of the antebellum South during the Reconstruction Era.

Splash Mountain features the films animated characters Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear, as well as the movies best-known song Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. In June 2020  in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests  Disney announced it will replace the Splash Mountain ride and will no longer play the song Zip-a-dee-doo-dah at its resorts.

The ride  which opened at Magic Kingdom in October 1992  will be replaced by a new attraction called Tianas Bayou Adventure, based on the 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog.

Tianas Bayou Adventure is prepared to launch in 2024.
Most divorce and civil cases in six New Jersey counties will not be conducted as the state grapples with a shortage of judges, officials announced Tuesday.

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said there is an overwhelming number of judicial vacancies in Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

"There are simply not enough judges at this time to conduct civil and matrimonial trials in either vicinage," he said in a news release, calling the situation "particularly challenging."

There are 69 vacant positions throughout the trial courts, more than 1 out of every 6 positions statewide, Rabner said. In Vicinage, or district, 13, which covers Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties, five of 20 judicial positions are vacant. Of the 28 judgeships in vicinage 15, which is made up of Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties, there are nine vacancies.

"That imposes heightened responsibilities on sitting judges who handle thousands of proceedings and motions each month," Rabner said.

For the past three years, the court has operated with an average of 50 vacancies, he said. Because of the shortage, coupled with the impact of the Covid pandemic, cases have been delayed, and there are "substantial increases in backlog." To best serve the public, the number of vacancies should be no higher than 25 or 30, Rabner told NorthJersey.com.

Rabner warned in his statement that without any relief, other counties could be put in a similar situation.

The suspensions in vicinages 13 and 15 will begin Feb. 21, except in "very limited circumstances," Rabner said without disclosing further details. New Jersey Courts did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Priority has been given to cases in which people's "liberty is at stake," including criminal and juvenile delinquency matters and cases that present potential emergencies, like domestic violence issues, he said.

Story continues

"We recognize that when the doors of the courthouse are closed  even partially  people entitled to their day in court suffer real harm. We therefore respectfully call on the Executive and Legislative branches to address the current vacancy crisis in Vicinages 13 and 15 as well as other parts of the state," Rabner said. "We look forward to a resumption of all proceedings in both vicinages as soon as possible."

Gov. Phil Murphy's office said Tuesday that he is "committed to ensuring vacancies in New Jerseys courts are filled by highly qualified individuals who demonstrate unwavering integrity and dedication to service, while reflecting the diversity of the New Jerseyans that they are sworn to serve."

Since 2018 when he took office, 101 judges have been nominated and confirmed, including 45 last year. Another 17 nominations are pending Senate confirmation.

Last year, the New Jersey Bar Association demanded that Murphy fill the vacant positions as quickly as possible. In a letter dated Feb. 2, 2022, the association said the number of vacancies has been allowed to "grow into a full boil of crisis."

"While some view discussions about judicial vacancies to be an esoteric issue, it has very real consequences on the members of the public and business owners who turn to the courts to resolve disputes. With the historic number of vacancies that have been pending for the past several years, there are too few judges serving the bench, resulting in too many people waiting for justice. The need to take action is real and must occur now," the association said.

Murphy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Thirty-six years after a mother was killed in North Carolina, her killer has been identified, police say.

Mary Davis disappeared on May 30, 1987, when she was last seen at the hardware store where she worked, according to a Feb. 7 news release from the Lexington Police Department. Her body was found the next day.

Davis had been strangled, police said, according to WXII.

Police collected DNA evidence from Davis in 1987, but until recent technological advancements, that evidence was not viable, according to the release. The new technology allowed the department to test the DNA and corroborate previous investigations.

After presenting the new evidence to District Attorney Garry Frank, officials confirmed Russell Grant Wood was responsible for Davis death, police said.

Wood died in 2013, according to police. If alive today, he would be charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape, according to the release.

Davis and Wood were associates, but motive is unknown, Lexington Chief of Police Robby Rummage said at a news conference on Feb. 7, live streamed by WXII 12.

The news comes days before what would have been Davis 65th birthday, her family said during the news conference.

Mary was a light in the world, her niece, Lori Martin, said. We were blessed to have her as long as we did. She was a loving mother, sister, aunt, wife and friend.

Lexington is about 60 miles northeast of Charlotte.

Teen fought for her life when she was killed in 1975, cops say. Now two are arrested

Dead man linked to two sexual assaults and killings decades ago, Nevada cops say

Slaying of Florida woman went unsolved for 36 years. A Mississippi man is now charged
The Biden administration argued in a filing with the Supreme Court that its plans to rescind the COVID-19 public health emergency will likewise terminate Title 42 powers that limit migrants ability to seek asylum.

In the late Tuesday filing, the government criticized Republican-led states for attempting to perpetuat[e] CDCs public-health orders as makeshift immigration policy.

Absent other relevant developments, the end of the public health emergency will (among other consequences) terminate the Title 42 orders and moot this case, the Justice Department wrote.

The government has also recently announced its intent to adopt new Title 8 policies to address the situation at the border once the Title 42 orders end, it added, referring to the section of the U.S. code that lays out the standard process for removing migrants from the country.

The Biden administration last month announced it will formally revoke the public health emergency on May 11, noting that both the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency orders were put in place by the Trump administration.

The Biden administration has a complex relationship with Title 42.

While it sought to revoke numerous other Trump-era immigration policies, it has used Title 42 broadly despite complaints from immigration advocates that it contravenes both U.S. and international laws dealing with the right to asylum.

It moved to rescind the policy last April, only to have it reinstated by lower courts amid legal challenges.

Since then, it has expanded Title 42 for use against Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraugans and Haitians, while also rolling out a program to allow citizens from the countries to apply for permission to enter the country for up to two years.

GOP-led states are seeking to intervene in a case first brought by migrants seeking to challenge the legality of Title 42. A district judge found the policy illegal and ordered the Department of Homeland Security to wind down its use by last December.

Story continues

If the Supreme Court allows the states to intervene, it will likely ignite further legal challenges over the legality of the underlying policy.

Republicans have said the coming end of the public health emergency will not nullify Title 42, arguing the two policies require individual termination orders.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters

The feud between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantisquietly simmering for monthssuddenly burst into the open this week with an all-out attack by MAGAworld on the Florida governor.

And the reason why was unexpected: DeSantis aligning himself with a Dominion voting machines lawyer.

On Tuesday morning, DeSantis convened a roundtable in Miami focusing on what his office called the damaging impacts of defamation from the legacy media. Seated among the conservative panelists was Elizabeth Libby Locke, an attorney who has taken up litigation on behalf of clients like Sarah Palin and the James OKeefe group Project Veritas against The New York Times.

DeSantis said Locke was an extraordinaire when it comes to First Amendment defamation. What he didnt say is that Locke is now representing Dominion Voting Systems, which is currently suing key Trumpworld figureslike Rudy Giuliani and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindellfor pushing bogus claims that the companys technology somehow stole the 2020 election from Trump.

Trump: DeSantis Begged for Endorsement With Tears in His Eyes

In a GOP where Trumps election fraud lies and 2020 obsession still hold sway, DeSantis promotion of the lawyer for one of the ex-presidents top public enemies sent Trumpworld into a frenzy.

It is disgusting! Lindell exclaimed during a phone interview with The Daily Beast. She is a liar. She is part of the lie, Lindell said of Locke, before clarifying that the Big Lie is the Big Lie.

As Trump and DeSantis shadowbox ahead of a likely battle in the 2024 presidential primary, Lindell cast the governors association with Locke as a fatal political weakness.

DeSantis being in cahoots with a Dominion lawyer has outraged the people of the United States, he continued. DeSantis lost any chance of running, Lindell added before calling the Florida governor to endorse Donald Trump right now.

Others, such as ardently pro-Trump lawyer Joseph D. McBridewho represents Jan. 6 riot defendantstold The Daily Beast in a phone interview that DeSantis destroyed himself by welcoming a Dominion lawyer.

Story continues

How in the hell is he going to beat Trump in a primary when he just gave Dominion a seat at the table? I just dont see it happening, he continued.

Asked if he viewed DeSantis giving Locke a seat at the table as a deliberate shot at Trump, McBride said it most certainly was.

Yeah, I think its a thumb in the eye, McBride said. I think its his way of saying all that election stuff was nonsense, and This is my way of passive-aggressively saying that I think that the election was without any hiccups, he added of DeSantis.

Trump Trudges Through Lame Live Commentary on Bidens State of the Union

While Trumps most loyal supporters remain outraged about the 2020 electionand Trump himself continues to talk about it on a near-daily basisit is clearly no longer an urgent topic to many GOP voters. In the 2022 election, several Trump-backed challengers to Republicans who countered Trumps election lies lost in spectacular fashion. And many election deniers who did win their primaries flamed out in the November election.

DeSantis, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a right-wing alternative for Republican voters who want to move on from Trump and the incessant 2020 talk. Despite Trumpworlds suspicions, its unclear if the governor meant to deliberately troll the former president. Neither a Trump spokesperson nor a DeSantis spokesperson returned The Daily Beasts request for comment. Locke couldnt be successfully reached for comment via phone or email.

Still, that didnt stop more Trumpworld figures from sounding off on the DeSantis panel on Tuesday.

DeSantis isnt just trolling Trump, Jan. 6 organizer Ali Alexander wrote on Twitter. Hes now trolling us. He further accused DeSantis of using [the] same font as Truth Social when it came to the graphic that was behind the governor during the roundtable.

Former Trump administration official Sebastian Gorka responded, What??????? while stoking the outrage of MAGA internet dwellers. Longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone additionally called DeSantis invite of Locke tone-deaf.

Why would DeSantis agree to this? the conservative-leaning polling firm Rasmussen further asked.

Likewise, anti-Muslim activist and staunch Trump-backer Laura Loomer said DeSantis hosting the lawyer was truly sickening.

It really confirms what Ive been saying all along, Loomer added. DeSantis doesnt care about voter fraud, problems with electronic voting machines, & he doesnt care about free speech.

As for Locke, her track record when it comes to successfully winning lawsuits against media companies is something of a mixed bag. Most notably, Locke successfully sued Rolling Stone magazine after it published a report alleging gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity, which journalists, police, and university officials later discredited. In 2017, Rolling Stone agreed to a confidential settlement with a UVA dean they defamed.

Since then, Locke's causes haven't fared as well. While she only represented Palin against The New York Times for a successful appeal that allowed the case to go to trial, the case ultimately failed. Another one of her clients, Project Veritas, was ordered to pay $149,596 in August of 2022, after a failed defamation suit against Stanford University. (Project Veritas said at the time they would appeal the ruling.) On Tuesday, she grappled with what she believes is a judiciary system stacked against conservatives.

The problem is, at every stage of the legal process, from the moment you file your complaint, all the way through appeal, the thumb is on the scale in favor of the press, Locke fumed. Judges get very nervous about applying the law in a way that is favorable, or is even, even-handed, to a defamation plaintiff.

Tuesdays dustup over Lockes involvement in representing Dominion Voting Systems is the latest in a series of attacks lodged against the Florida governor by Trump allies and as the governor leaves the door open to running for president against Trump in 2024.

On Tuesday alone, Trump amplified a claim that alleged DeSantis took part in the grooming [of] high school girls.

Trump going heavy on the "DeSantis is a pedophile" stuff today. pic.twitter.com/LS2zRpke3z  Will Sommer (@willsommer) February 7, 2023

But even before this week, Trump attacked DeSantis late last year over playing games when it comes to dodging whether or not he will run in 2024 for president. The governor later responded, directing the former president to check the scoreboard.

Editors Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Locke only worked on Palins case against The New York Times during a successful appeal for a trial.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
'Cupid and Psyche' by Italian sculptor Antonio Canova Bettmann via Getty Images

Ah, Valentines Day: that Hallmark holiday of greeting cards and chocolates, its bloody origins almost entirely forgotten over the last 2,000 years!

What began as a Christian feast day honoring two or three early Christian martyrs  the original Valentines  is now associated with flocks of winged cherubic Cupids, whose innocuous-looking bows and arrows symbolize gentle romance instead of death-dealing war. Somehow, the phrase struck by Cupids arrow is supposed to be exciting rather than excruciating.

The original Cupid was the son of Venus, Roman goddess of love and beauty. He himself was a Roman deity associated with lust and love, based on the Greek Eros. In Greece and Rome, both figures were depicted as handsome young men, not as winged infants.

But ancient poets and artists also imagined a troop of Erotes or Cupidines as attendants of these gods. The Romans portrayed them as winged infants, or putti, as they became known in Italian Renaissance art. These, in turn, became the chubby cherubs of todays valentines.

Despite envisioning the god with a troop of adorable attendants, even the Romans understood that Cupid had a darker, more dangerous side  one whose power you wouldnt want to dismiss.

Small but mighty

The archer god Apollo found this out the hard way, as the poet Ovid told in his epic of A.D. 8, Metamorphoses. Having just slain the dragon of Delphi with 1,000 arrows, Apollo provoked the fierce fury of Venus son by mocking Cupids seemingly toylike weapons.

Cupid and Apollo by Pontormo (attributed to the School of Andrea del Sarto) Samek Art Museum at Bucknell University/National Art Gallery

Cupid swiftly took his revenge. He pierced Apollos heart with a golden arrow, causing him to fall passionately in love with the nymph Daphne. But Daphne was a sworn virgin, and Cupid shot her with a lead arrow, intensifying her loathing for all things amorous.

She fled from Apollos advances. The desperate deity pursued her relentlessly, until Daphnes father turned her into a laurel tree to save her. Cupids arrows, however diminutive, were more powerful than Apollos.

Story continues

The unseen spouse

But the most famous characterization of Cupid in Latin literature appears in the work of Apuleius, who lived during the second century in what is now Algeria. He wrote a story about Psyche, a princess so exceedingly beautiful that mortals worshipped her as if she were the goddess of love herself.

Enraged by jealousy, Venus commanded her son to make Psyche fall in love with the most wretched man possible. But an oracle told the royal family that their daughter was destined to marry a savage, untamed creature that flew about tormenting everyone with fire  and they abandoned her on a cliff to meet this terrifying fate.

Instead, Psyche found herself borne by a gentle breeze to an elaborate palace inhabited by invisible servants. That night, an unknown husband arrived and made Psyche his wife, departing before sunrise.

Her unseen spouse continued to visit nightly, and Psyche was soon overjoyed to find herself pregnant. But she also became increasingly lonely. Her mysterious husband agreed that her sisters could visit  as long as she did not try to investigate his appearance. She happily agreed, telling him, Whoever you are I love you deeply. Not even Cupid could compare to you.

But when Psyches two older sisters visited, they became envious of her luxurious life. She must be married to a god! they intuited  unlike Psyche, who remained inexplicably clueless. Hoping to break up the marriage, they offered a false explanation for her husbands secrecy: He must be a monstrous serpent intent on devouring her and her unborn child.

A horrified Psyche believed them, despite her intimate physical knowledge of her spouse  his perfumed locks, tender cheeks, and warm chest. Armed with a dagger, she prepared to kill her husband as he slept. But first, ignoring his repeated warnings, she gazed at him by the light of an oil lamp. Here, halfway through the story, the audience finally finds out his identity: none other than Cupid himself!

Psyche finally gets a good look at her husband. Cupid and Psyche by Giulio Kartar. leoaleks/iStock via Getty Images Plus

At the sight, Psyche fell in love with Love. But a drop of scalding oil awakened Cupid. Utterly dismayed at his wifes betrayal, he flew away  but first explained: I have disobeyed my mothers orders to fill you with passion for some vile wretch. I flew to you as your lover instead.

Love lost  and found

The rest of the narrative involves Psyches long, arduous quest to win Cupid back. Though despairing and exhausted, Psyche willingly submitted herself to a series of brutal tasks imposed by Venus, only to fall into a deathlike slumber just before completing them.

And where is Cupid during all this? If he is characterized as a powerful, dangerous force in the first half of the story, the second half depicts him as a helpless mamas boy. He flew back to Venus palace, where his mother  furious that he had secretly married Psyche  scolded him righteously, screamed that he had embarrassed her, and locked him in his room.

Finally, recalling his love for Psyche, Cupid escaped out the window and saved her from eternal slumber. Then he made a savvy deal with Jupiter, king of the gods: Psyche could be made immortal, clearing the way for her to officially marry Cupid in an arrangement that even satisfied Venus.

Complex vision of love

Apuleius story is rare in focusing on a female character and how love and desire affect her. The audience follows Psyche through several rites of passage. Initially, as an unmarried girl, she has not fulfilled her expected role of wife and mother. As a frightened bride, she has no say in whom she marries  an experience common for young wives in ancient Roman society. Love does not enter the picture.

But Apuleius portrayal of Psyches situation suggests a lesson Roman writers of the day wanted readers to believe: that young married women eventually come to desire and love their husbands. Although that process can be long and difficult, wives and husbands both adjust to their roles over time. The birth of Psyches child, Pleasure, at the end of the story results in harmony all around, an idealized image of marriage.

Ovid and Apuleius remind us that the original Cupid is not the benign little bearer of valentines but an elemental force of human nature  a savage, untamed creature that lights the fires of passion in unpredictable ways. Whereas Apollos lust for Daphnes visible beauty remained unsated, Psyche eventually enjoyed sex with her unseen husband. Apollo learned that longing isnt always mutual, while Psyche realized that love and trust must be earned.

Apuleiuss story suggests that Cupid and all the intense emotions he represents, once tempered, can provide the basis for a loving, long-lasting relationship. In short, both stories contain valuable lessons about the nature of romance.

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: Debbie Felton, UMass Amherst.

Read more:



Debbie Felton 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.
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 []
Photograph: Michael McCoy/Reuters

Dozens of George Santoss constituents traveled from their New York district to the Capitol on Tuesday to call for the congressman to resign. The move follows weeks of outrage at the revelations that the Republican lawmaker fabricated large portions of his resume in his successful quest for office.

Related: We dont know his real name: George Santoss unravelling web of lies

On behalf of Concerned Citizens of NY-03, why are we here? Why did we come to Washington? We are here because Speaker McCarthy apparently cannot hear us when we speak from Long Island, so we had to come to Washington to make sure he hears us, said Jody Kass Finkel, coordinator of the pressure group created in the past weeks with the sole goal of getting Santos removed from squatting in our seat in the House of Representatives.

Santos is a grifter and now hes grifting his way to Congress, to a congressperson salary of about $174,000 a year and benefits. Nobody trusts him. And as a result, he is impotent as a member of Congress in his ability to represent us.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kevin McCarthy confirmed to CNN that he expects the House ethics committee to investigate the congressman, who last week announced he would not serve on any committees until the many allegations against him are resolved. Beyond that, the justice department is investigating Santos for potential campaign finance violations, while a former aide has accused him of sexual harassment.

Long Island constituents arrive at Rep George Santos office pic.twitter.com/Bg1XHoRiuj  Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) February 7, 2023

But Santos also clearly benefits the Republican House majority, who have only four seats standing between them and a return to the minority. Were he to resign, that margin of error would grow ever slimmer  but that doesnt mean the GOP is doing nothing.

Story continues

At a press conference held outside the Capitol amid a flurry of preparation ahead of Tuesday evenings the State of the Union address by Joe Biden, Santoss constituents spoke of the consequences of being represented by an admitted fabulist.

Were laughing a little bit about some of his lies, but one thing thats really not funny is that this is a community that at 9/11, we lost over 400 people on Long Island alone, said Ben Marzouk, a Republican constituent from Santoss district, which includes a small part of New York City and several suburban communities.

Thats not funny, to say that your mother was part of that. You have to be really psychologically impaired to throw that around, Marzouk said, referencing Santoss debunked claim that his mother was working at the World Trade Center when the attack happened.

Teacher Taiba Ahmad said she had worked with Santoss Democratic predecessor to get an interpreter from Afghanistan into the US.

But, I still have other cases that are ongoing and I need to be able to follow up with my congressman. Unfortunately, I cannot trust George Santos and his staff with something this sensitive, Ahmad said.

Constituents depend on their member of Congress daily to assist them with issues, some as unusual as mine, but even for everyday things like filing taxes or applying for government services. Would you trust Mr Santos with your personal information? Ahmad asked.

Later in the day, the group made the rounds of congressional offices, dropping off a petition demanding Santoss removal at the offices of McCarthy and Michael Guest, the Republican chair of the ethics committee.

When they arrived at Santoss office, Vish Burra, the lawmakers director of operations to whom the group had previously handed the petition during an encounter outside the Capitol, answered the door.

Ill make sure this gets to your representative, said Burra. As members of the group asked to meet with Santos, Burra did not respond, and walked back inside.
Beyonce made history at the 65th Grammy Awards by simultaneously becoming the first Black woman to win for Best Dance/Electronic Album and becoming the artist with the most Grammy Award wins ever.

Beyonce made history at the 65th Grammy Awards by simultaneously becoming the first Black woman to win for Best Dance/Electronic Album and becoming the artist with the most Grammy Award wins ever.

Beyonce made history Sunday night in a manner only Beyonce can pull off.

After showing up fashionably late for the 65th Grammy Awards because she had other stuff to do, she won four Grammys for her seventh album Renaissance, bringing her lifetime Grammy wins to 32. That breaks the previous record of 31, set by British conductor Georg Solti 26 years ago. (My guess is you could fit the number of people reading this who knew who he was before Sunday in a middle school gym and have enough space left over to play dodgeball.)

Every major news outlet sent a notification of the broken Grammy record and Beys emotional speech to my phone. But what she didnt win arguably made more noise: the Album of the Year award. The snub is jarring for a lot of folks in my world, where Renaissance was handily the biggest and most celebrated album release of 2022. Months after it dropped, I still saw posts and memes on my news feed about how Beys dance album was like crack infused into digital files.

Though Im personally not a huge fan of Beyonces music, my world, my social media, and my family and friends consist of many Black women who deeply adore her and everything she touches. If Lemonadewas a movement, Renaissanceisnt far behind.

In contrast, I could poll my nearly 2,000 Facebook friends asking who listened in entirety to Harrys World, the Harry Styles album that beat Renaissancefor Album of the Year and maybe get three or four hands up. (That Im in my 40s and Styles has mid-2010s boy band origins likely factors into that.)

Its the fourth time Beyonce has been snubbed for the big award  she was also nominated for I AmSasha Fierce, Beyonce and Lemonade. For many, it makes her broken Grammy record feel like eating a plate of tofu at Mastros Steakhouse. It also interestingly sheds new light on Kanye Wests infamous 2009 outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards defending Beyonce against Taylor Swift at a time when everyone still liked Swift.

Story continues

While Bey has rocked with her Grammy snubs, Drake and The Weeknd offer no quarter to the ceremony, having once again boycotted: Neither artist submitted any of their solo work for consideration, despite Drake dropping his seventh album Honestly, Nevermind(otherwise known as Great Value Renaissance) and The Weeknd dropping his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, in 2022.

Drake has had public gripes with the Recording Academy, the collective that puts on the Grammy Awards and decides the winners, since 2017, when he skipped the ceremony because it nominated his monster single Hotline Bling as a rap track despite being as poppy as pop songs get. The Weeknd stopped rocking with the Grammys in 2021 when he received zero noms for his album After Hours, which made loads of best-of-2020 album lists.

Motivation behind the snubs seems unclear considering Black artists win Grammys in some category every year, and deservedly so: This year, Robert Glasper won Best R&B Album for Black Radio III, and J. Ivy finally won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Poet Who Sat By the Door.

But there seems to be something about the top award that evades Black artists, and especially Black rappers. There have been only three Black women to win Album of the Year in the 65-year history of the ceremony; Lauryn Hill nabbed it last 24 years ago for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. OutKasts Speakerboxxx/The Love Belowisthe only hip-hop album to ever win Album of the Year. And lets be honest: Thats only because of Andre 3000s decidedly non-hip-hop half of the double album. (Some consider Miseducationa hip-hop album. I do not.)

The Recording Academys questionable treatment of Black music became most acute in the 1980s, when the nascent-yet-increasingly popular hip-hop genre wasnt even acknowledged by the Recording Academy for about a decade. When they finally added the Best Rap Performance category to the Grammys in 1989, Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff boycotted the ceremony when they learned that it wouldnt actually televise the category; they ultimately won the inaugural award for Parents Just Dont Understand.

(As an aside, Smith joined his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith in boycotting the Oscars 27 years later because of the lack of diversity in their nominees, which is ironic considering hes the one the Oscars are boycotting now.)

Best Rap Album didnt become a thing until the 1996 ceremony, and it would appear intuitive that Black folks dominate a category focused on a genre of music that we created. But whos the leading winner in that category? Eminem, who won the award six times. No hip-hop fan I know believes Em has six albums that deserve a front-to-back listen, let alone that accolade.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis winning Best Rap Album in 2014 for The Heist over Kendrick Lamars Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City  one of the last decades top five hip-hop albums  was so egregious and enraging that Macklemore himself even admitted that he benefited from the system Ive been calling out since I was f**king 20 years old.

Adele took a similar approach in 2017 when she admitted that her album 25 didnt deserve to beat Lemonadefor Album of the Year and spent the latter half of her acceptance speech throwing praises to Bey.

It may never be proven empirically, but it feels as if theres something about the Recording Academy and their highest award, like itll only award it to a Black artist when their album is an undeniable juggernaut with no real competition (see: Michael Jacksons Thrillerin 1984, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hillin 1999, Stevie Wonders Innervisionsin 1974) but are happy to throw it anyone elses way if possible. Its why Styles completely obtuse statement during his award acceptance Sunday  this doesnt happen to people like me  is like a whale confessing to its therapist that eating fish is not like me.

A year after the Recording Academys then-President Neil Portnow told Pitchfork he didnt think there was a race problem at allwith the Grammys, the academy put in work to become more inclusive, inviting hundreds of new voting members in 2018 via its then-new Task Force on Diversity & Inclusion. Some would argue that the task force is doing its job, but repeated Album of the Year snubs for Beyonces event albums certainly throw up flags in that regard.

I recently wrote about how Black content is perceived differently by non-Black critics, and how we tend to get shorted by critics and awards ceremonies. It seems that all the boycotts and hashtags dont get the job done considering how Black Twitter erupts with condemnation every awards season. Its easy to toss out the lets just do our own thing chestnut when it comes to awards shows, and we basically have that with the BET Awards. But lets keep it a buck: The mainstream high accolades matter to artists and performers. Grammys and Oscars get you paid in a way an MTV award simply cannot.

Fatalistic as it reads, I dont expect the Grammys to ever seriously acknowledge hip-hop, in the same way I dont expect all the white folks over 40 in the northern suburbs of Chicago to appreciate hearing it blaring from my truck. That The Fugees The Scorewas beaten by Celine Dion for Album of the Year in 1997 was all the proof I needed that our music just doesnt register with the Powers That Be in the Recording Academy.

Its clear that the Grammys dont understand nor care to try and understand Black music, which in context is truly American music. We birthed it all. And because of the anti-critical race theory movement, thats a controversial yet true statement. But what if Black artists stopped looking for white acceptance? What if Black artists just stopped trying to appease the old white gatekeepers? (Hell, the whole award show is named after a group of grandmothers.)

What if more major Black artists joined Drake and The Weeknd in boycotts and public condemnation, perhaps the Recording Academy would feel the impact of what happens when they dont take seriously some of the highest-selling, most influential music. That would require more Black artists to recognize the problem and stand in solidarity to do something about it, which is no simple proposition.

Just look at what happens when Beyonce walks into an auditorium late. What if she didnt walk in at all?

Related...
Sparrow President Margaret Dimond

LANSING  Sparrow Health System announced Wednesday that Margaret Dimond, former president and CEO of McLaren Medical Group, will become the new president of Lansing's E.W. Sparrow Hospital.

Dimond, currently chief administrative officer of Naples Community Health Physician Group in Florida, will join Sparrow in May. She will be the hospital's first female president in its 127-year history.

Dimond previously served as president and CEO of McLaren Medical Group, Karmanos Cancer Hospital, McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, and Ascension Crittenton Hospital in Rochester. She also served as vice president of ambulatory services for Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and vice president and COO of the Henry Ford Hospital Warren Campus.

"We are incredibly pleased to have someone of Margarets caliber join our team, said James Dover, president and CEO of the Sparrow Health System. She brings a unique set of skills and trailblazing leadership that will only enhance the extraordinary work of our caregivers."

Interim president Denny Martin will return his full-time role as chief medical officer of the E.W. Sparrow Hospital once Dimond relocates to Lansing. Dover thanked Martin for his service.

Dimond received a doctorate in philosophy from Michigan State University, a master's degree in public administration from the University of Michigan, a master's in social work from Boston College and a bachelor's degree from St. Mary's College. She also served as assistant dean for the MSU College of Human Medicine and Physician Practice plan.

In December, Sparrow announced its $800 million acquisition by Michigan Medicine, joining one of the state's largest health systems. Officials had previously said the deal would be completed in the "first half" of 2023, pending regulatory approvals.

The deal expands Michigan Medicine to a $7 billion organization with over 200 care sites, U-M Health officials said after the deal's announcement.

Officials have said they hope the acquisition will bring more specialized services to mid-Michigan, while also making it easier for patients to enter the Michigan Medicine system and receive treatments within a single care network.

Contact Sheldon Krause at skrause@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @sheldonjkrause.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing's E.W. Sparrow Hospital announces new president
NEW YORK (AP)  It was Valentines Day 1917 in the Minnesota farming village of Lewiston, and Fred Roth  a fourth grader  seems to have come up with just the way to express his love for his sweetheart, Louise Wirt. He gave her a card.

The folding, pop-up Valentine's Day card, on stock so heavy it remains in good shape 106 years later, reads: Forget me not!/I ask of thee/Reserve one spot/In your heart for me.

And so she did. Years later they married, and Louise displayed the cherished card, tucked into the fretwork of a bedroom dresser, for decades to come. She pointed it out to her daughter, and later to a granddaughter, me, and it remained near her bedside until her death at 91, a token of lasting love.

Although the message was in English, the card is printed with the word Germany and is seemingly imported, as were many cards of that era. Small companies in the U.S. also were part of a flourishing commercial card business.

Hallmark, which began offering Valentine's Day cards in 1913, estimates that today, 145 million Valentines Day cards are exchanged annually, not including the kids valentines popular for classroom exchanges.

Fertility-related customs and rituals have been celebrated in mid-February since pagan times, says Emelie Gevalt, curator of folk art and curatorial chair for collections at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.

Tokens of affection varied: In the 1600s, the practice was to give pairs of gloves in mid-February, she says.

By the 18th century, we start to see something that really begins to resemble modern Valentines cards, she says. In the 19th century, this evolved further to the point where popular ladies magazines like Harpers Weekly published instructions for readers on how to craft them.

There have long been both earnest, heartfelt Valentines like Grandpa Fred's, and ones in a more teasing, playful vein.

The museums collection includes a number of lovingly crafted tokens of affection from various periods. You see the heart motif quite a lot, Gevalt says.

Story continues

Although not specifically linked to Valentines Day, an exhibit at the museum opening March 17, Material Witness: Folk and Self-Taught Artists at Work, features two examples of fraktur, exuberantly decorated watercolors made by German immigrants in Pennsylvania. One is called Inverted Heart, and another depicts a labyrinth.

They were really dazzling objects, including motifs of flowers or hearts. The playfulness and cleverness of these objects is one of the most interesting aspects they have in common, Gevalt says.

In the mid-19th century, some people shared Vinegar Valentines, a sort of anti-Valentine that featured playfully insulting verses, not unlike a modern-day roast.

Sometimes, cards involved writing in a circle or upside down, like a puzzle. Some had a decorative folded border or verses on the folds; cutwork resembling lace; or watercolor decorations of pierced hearts, lovebirds and flowers. Lovers knots and labyrinths were also common elements.

They remind me of games, like plucking the petals of a flower saying she loves me, she loves me not, Gevalt says.

The boom in commercial Valentines Day cards in the mid-1800s was a reflection of changing courtship patterns, says Elizabeth White Nelson, associate professor of history at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The idea of companionate marriage and love became a part of the calculus of marriage, and Valentines Day cards became a part of courtship, she says.

These days, the cards continue to evolve.

Over the last few years, trends have been less about romantic love but more about letting someone know they matter," says Jen Walker, vice president of trends and creative studios at Hallmark Cards, Inc.

There are "more inclusive visuals, and a larger representation of relationships  love, chosen family, friendships, parents and children, self-care, she says.

A bit of mystery surrounds my Grandma Louises precious Valentine. It would have been out of character for Fred to buy a commercial card as opposed to, say, presenting her with a bouquet of pussy willows he had picked.

That period would have been the beginning of an organized practice of exchanging Valentines in school," says Nelson. In some classrooms, everyone was required, or at least encouraged, to give a Valentine.

The giving and receiving of Valentines was always partly about performing love, for an audience, says Nelson, and once that Valentines Day card got saved, it would have become a talisman of all that love is supposed to be.

-

For more on Valentine's Day and Lifestyles stories, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/lifestyle.
Updated

A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday ruled the states school funding formula unconstitutional, noting it leaves poor districts unable to afford the teachers, counselors, curriculum and building repairs necessary to meet students needs  and keep them safe.

After an eight-year legal battle, Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirers decision came down resoundingly on the side of the families, school districts and advocates who sued for more money. She found the stark disparities in outcomes between students in high- and low-wealth districts were directly related to the vast difference in resources made available to them by a state funding formula reliant on local property taxes.

Jubelirer said it is now up to the state to craft a more equitable system for its 1.73 million schoolchildren. Her ruling did not come with a timetable  though it did advise all relevant parties to do so at the first opportunity  nor a specific payment amount. Although Pennsylvania has since directed more money to its public schools, the plaintiffs had alleged districts were being underfunded by $4.6 billion a year.

Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

All witnesses agree that every child can learn, the judge concluded at the end of her 786-page decision. It is now the obligation of the Legislature, Executive Branch, and educators, to make the constitutional promise a reality in this Commonwealth.

Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, a senior attorney with the Public Interest Law Center who represented the school districts, said the judges ruling marked an extraordinary moment.

This is an earthquake that will reverberate for the children of Pennsylvania for a long, long, long time, he said.

Maura McInerney, legal director of the Education Law Center, another of the firms challenging the funding formula, called the ruling a clear and unequivocal victory for public school children across Pennsylvania.

The court ruled the right to an education is a fundamental right, she said, adding it found that nothing justifies the gross disparities between low-wealth and high-wealth school districts that we see across our state. We are excited and really enthusiastic about what will happen for the trajectory of the lives of schoolchildren in Pennsylvania.

Story continues

Its unclear whether the decision will be appealed to the state Supreme Court. Patrick Northen, John Krill and Anthony Holtzman, three of the defendants attorneys, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. During the trial, they argued state lawmakers had met their constitutional obligations to provide an adequate education and questioned whether the plaintiff districts had directed their resources to meet the most serious student needs.

Pennsylvanias school funding formula has long been considered among the nations most inequitable, with 38% coming from the state and 43% from local property taxes. That ratio ranks the Commonwealth 45th nationally, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Related: Landmark PA School Funding Case May Spur  or Chill  Similar Suits Nationwide

Jubelirer ruled local control  the notion that local communities decide on their own how much of their resources to devote to public education  was no excuse for the types of inequities described during the 49-day trial.

The court proceedings involved dozens of witnesses  many from the six school districts that filed the lawsuit back in November 2014  along with 1,700 exhibits that proved, in her opinion, poor districts were unable to meet students needs.

A mural in Greater Johnstown School Districts former middle school facility that was closed in 2017 when deteriorating conditions were deemed unsafe for students. The ceiling was damaged by leaky pipes. (The Public Interest Law Center)

Many students do not qualify for college-level Advanced Placement courses in high school because of an achievement gap that began in their elementary years that could not be corrected, administrators testified.

A lack of space at one of William Penns elementary schools means art and music is taught in the basement in a room that has an opening to a sump pump.

Makeshift classrooms have been set up inside hallways, closets and basements throughout these school systems. Many buildings are plagued by roaches, rodents, leaky roofs, lead paint, mold and asbestos. Some lack heat, air conditioning and potable water.

Related: Sweltering Classrooms, Leaky Roofs, Outdated Curriculum: Lancaster Schools Chief Paints Bleak Picture in Pa. School Funding Trial

It is evident to the Court that the current system of funding public education has disproportionately, negatively impacted students who attend schools in low-wealth school districts, Jubelirer wrote. This disparity is the result of a funding system that is heavily dependent on local tax revenue, which benefits students in high-wealth districts.

The evidence, she said, supported the inescapable conclusion that these students are not receiving a meaningful opportunity to succeed, adding that consistent achievement gaps for economically disadvantaged students was tantamount to a violation of the state Constitutions equal protection clause.

She said, too, that the funding formula does not adequately take into account student needs, which are generally higher in low-wealth districts.

Jubelirer said the opposing side has not proven local control would be undermined by a more equitable funding system.

Local control could be promoted by providing low-wealth districts with real choice, instead of choices dictated by their lack of needed funds, she wrote.

The defendants told the court the state requires only a minimal basic education without regard to outcomes for students, which are influenced by several factors well beyond schools reach. They said, too, that the Commonwealth needs low-skill, low-wage labor.

I think there is a need for retail workers, people who know how to flip pizza crust, said Krill, the lawyer defending then-Assembly Speaker Jake Corman, during the trial. My point is, do these proficiency standards actually in any way imaginable serve the needs of the Commonwealth such as they should be mandatory across the board? I think the answer is no.

Newly elected Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro filed an amicus brief in May 2022 in support of the lawsuit back when he served as the states attorney general, writing that the defendants in the case wanted the court only to determine whether Pennsylvanias education system provides students with the opportunity to obtain a constitutionally sufficient education.

But they ask the Court to read too little into the word opportunity, he wrote. The opportunity is meaningless if the public education system cannot actually provide a thorough and efficient education to all students, regardless of socioeconomic background.

Shapiro, in a statement released Wednesday, seemed to support his initial argument.

Creating real opportunity for our children begins in our schools, and I believe every child in Pennsylvania should have access to a high-quality education and safe learning environment, regardless of their zip code, he said. My Administration is in the process of reviewing the Commonwealth Courts opinion and we are determining next steps.

Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry said her office is still in the process of thoroughly reviewing the lengthy opinion, but we were gratified to learn today that the Court agreed with our position, paving the way for Pennsylvania lawmakers to come together to create a new system that works for all children and families.

Lancaster schools Superintendent Damaris Rau speaks at a June school funding protest. (@SDoLancaster / Twitter)

The case was filed by the William Penn, Panther Valley, Greater Johnstown, Wilkes-Barre Area and Shenandoah Valley school districts alongside the School District of Lancaster. It names parents, children, the NAACP and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools among the petitioners.

The current lists of defendants, which has changed since the case was first filed, includes Gov. Shapiro, Secretary of Education Khalid N. Mumin, Senate President pro tempore Kim Ward and House Speaker Mark Rozzi. During the trial, the governors office and the state education department did not fight to counter the plaintiffs claims while the state legislative leaders did.

The Commonwealth Court initially dismissed the case, siding with the defendants by ruling school funding decisions are the responsibility of the legislature, not the judicial branch. The plaintiffs appealed to the state Supreme Court, which sent the case back to the Commonwealth Court in 2017 for trial.

Related: A System that Strands Children: After Months of Testimony, Historic Pennsylvania School Funding Trial Comes to a Close  With Huge Consequences for Low-Income Kids

Urevick-Ackelsberg said the states obligation to fix the system starts now, even if the case is again appealed to the state Supreme Court. We are going to assume the General Assembly is going to follow the law. We will be back in court to enforce whatever we need to to make sure they do so.

The attorney said he believes the issue will be addressed relatively quickly. School funding cases are notoriously known to drag on for years, even after those challenging the formulas prevail in court.

Do we expect this to take years and years? No, he said. If there is an appeal, we will do everything in our power to make sure the ruling is not stayed  and we get to work right away.
A funeral was held in Syria on Tuesday for the family of a baby born under the rubble of her home in Jinderis, Syria, which was destroyed by a massive earthquake and aftershocks that devastated the region on Monday.

"We heard a voice while we were digging," Khalil al-Suwadi, the baby's father's cousin, told the AFP news agency. Jindayris is a rebel-held town in war-torn Aleppo province, which was badly affected by the earthquake. An estimated 25 percent of it was destroyed, according to reports.

A newborn baby who was found still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother and pulled alive from the rubble of a home in northern Syria following a deadly earthquake, receives medical care at a clinic in Afrin, on February 7, 2023. / Credit: RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

"We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact), so we cut it and my cousin took her to hospital," al-Suwadi said.

After the baby was rescued, al-Suwadi and his extended family spent hours recovering the bodies of the her family, including her mother Afraa, her father Abdullah, her four siblings and and aunt, AFP reported.

A Syrian man weeps near the bodies of a family and close neighbors who were killed as their family house collapsed during the deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, during which one newborn baby survived, on February 7, 2023. / Credit: RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

Deaths in both Syria and Turkey from Monday's massive 7.8 earthquake and multiple aftershocks neared 10,000 on Wednesday, and the World Health Organization said it was a "race against time" to rescue people trapped in the rubble in freezing conditions.

Syria, which already has a refugee crisis after 12 years of brutal civil war, is facing particular difficulty. The area worst affected by the earthquake is split between government-held territory, controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and opposition-held territory, which borders Turkey and is surrounded by government forces.

Foreign policy expert on the impact of President Biden's Ukraine visit

Meta to launch paid verification service on Facebook and Instagram, following Twitter's lead

Major Garrett on Biden's visit to Ukraine, and former President Jimmy Carter entering hospice care
ADANA, Turkey (AP)  They lifted slabs of cement with enormous cranes and smashed rubble with jackhammers. Then, they stopped.

Silence.

Key to detecting the faintest noise, which could be the sign of a survivor buried beneath rubble from Monday's quake in Turkey and Syria.

Among the wreckage of a collapsed 14-story building in the Turkish city of Adana, the shriek of a whistle pierced the noise every few minutes on Wednesday. Rescue workers hollered for quiet, and listened for any hint of voices from the debris. Hundreds of people watching hushed.

During one moment of digging, Volunteer Bekir Bicer uncovered a crushed birdcage, he said. Inside was a blue-and-yellow bird, alive after nearly 60 hours.

I was very happy. I nearly cried, Bicer said. The cage was broken, but the bird was still inside.

Friends and family of the trapped sat beside fires, waiting for a miracle even as the survival window for those trapped under the rubble was closing.

Suat Yarkan, 50, said his aunt and her two daughters lived in an apartment on the buildings fourth floor. They would have been home asleep when the quake struck. He was desperate for hope that they could be rescued alive.

Look at the bird. Sixty hours, he said. It makes me feel like maybe God is helping us ... I have to believe that they will recover everyone.

Regular moments of silence are essential to such operations, said David Alexander, professor of emergency planning and management at University College London.

We often find helicopters chattering overhead, making a huge noise and sometimes also blowing up dust whilst the teams are desperately trying to listen for any kind of noise that might indicate someone alive and moving under the rubble, he said.

Sophisticated rescue teams will use microphones to pick up faint noises, while specially trained dogs and fiber-optic cameras pick up heat inside mounds of debris. But given the need to move quickly, and the limited number of rescue teams deployed across a huge area, cries for help are key.

Story continues

If a person can attract attention under the rubble, their chance of being saved is about three times higher than it would be if theyre in a coma, statistically speaking, Alexander said.

As the sun set Wednesday for the third time on devastated cities and towns in Turkey and Syria, the push to recover survivors became more urgent as the lack of food and water, bitterly cold weather and potential injuries grew even more acute.

Prospects for finding survivors almost three days after the quake are narrow, experts say.

The first 72 hours are considered to be critical as the condition of people trapped and injured can deteriorate quickly and become fatal if they are not rescued and given medical attention in time, said Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards at Nottingham Trent University in England.

In Adana on Wednesday, rescue workers at another collapsed building draped a white sheet across a recess in the mound of debris, obscuring the view of what theyd discovered there.

The digging machines came to a stop, and a stretcher was pulled behind the sheet as the workers looked on in silence.

An ancient city of more than 2 million inhabitants just 20 miles (32 km) from the Mediterranean Sea, Adana has experienced earthquakes before. A 6.3 magnitude tremor in 1998 killed nearly 150 people in the city and its surroundings, and left thousands homeless.

This week's stronger quake left a large number of Adanas buildings, many of them modern, seemingly untouched. Many high-rise apartment buildings appeared entirely undamaged. On the citys northern fringe, however, several 14-story buildings collapsed.

As of Tuesday night, Turkeys government reported that 167 people had been killed by the earthquake in Adana, with others still trapped beneath the rubble. That was only a tenth of the deaths reported in the devastated Hatay province, miles away.

___

Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Frank Jordans in Berlin, and Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
First it was the tanks, now its the fighter jets.

As Ukraine braces for another possible major Russian offensive in the upcoming weeks, Western leaders are yet again coming up with a variety of excuses why this time, they cannot justify supplying F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Ukraine.

The argument goes that the delivery of F-16s will risk escalation or retaliation from Vladimir Putin.

But if the supply of Western tanks, HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, armored fighting vehicles, air defense systems, and artillery did not lead to an escalation or Putin waging a nuclear war, why would F-16s have that effect?

On Jan. 29, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Berlin would not send fighter jets to Kyiv. "I can only advise against entering into a constant bidding war when it comes to weapons systems," Scholz said.

When asked whether Washington would supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said no on Jan. 30.

On Jan. 31, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks official spokesperson said that sending fighter jets to Ukraine would be impractical. He added that the U.K.s F35 fighter jets are extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly.

On the same day, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz said that Poland was not discussing giving its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

The U.S. has also so far refused to supply its long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine due to the fear that they would be used to attack Russian territory and lead to an escalation.

These statements reek of a recent debate over whether or not to supply battle tanks to Ukraine.

There is the argument that it will take too much time to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s and organize their supplies and maintenance. Some say there wont be enough time before the next Russian offensive.

These arguments are absurd. The longer the West postpones the decision, the more time it will take to train pilots and deliver the aircraft.

Story continues

Does the West expect the war to end before the training of Ukrainian pilots is completed? Obviously, thats not going to happen, and the longer the West delays the supplies of F-16s and high-precision, long-range ATACMS missiles, the longer the war will continue.

Is Ukraine expected to win by magic? Any major victory without modern aircraft and long-range missiles is virtually impossible.

The whole Western approach to this war should be changed. It has become absolutely clear that it's impossible to end it by appeasing Russia or trying to avoid an escalation. Moreover, it is the appeasement of Putin that causes escalation.

Russia has demonstrated clearly that it will never accept any peace terms but Ukraine's total surrender. The only way to end this war is to supply all the weapons that Ukraine needs as soon as possible.

The longer the West drags its feet on supplying Ukraine with F-16s and ATACMS, the more time it will take for Ukraine to launch new counteroffensives, liberate all its territories from Russian occupation, and win this war.

The longer it takes for the West to realize this, the more Ukrainians will be killed, the more Ukrainian cities will be razed to the ground, and the more economic, political and military consequences the West will have to deal with in the long run.
By Brad Brooks

(Reuters) -A Texas man accused of targeting Latinos during a 2019 massacre of 23 people at an El Paso Walmart store pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal hate crimes, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office prosecuting the case.

Patrick Crusius, 24, changed his plea to guilty during a hearing in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas after federal prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty.

Crusius faces life in prison on the federal charges. He still faces the death penalty on state charges in a pending trial.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Crusius, a self-described white nationalist, was convicted on 90 total counts, but that "nothing can undo the immeasurable loss" suffered by families of the victims.

"Today's action makes clear that the Justice Department will not tolerate hate-fueled violence that endangers the safety of our communities," Garland said in a statement.

Crusius' attorney Joe Spencer told reporters after the hearing that Crusius had long wanted to plead guilty to the federal charges.

"He's glad that it's finally done," Spencer said. "There are no winners in this case. He's going to be serving 90 consecutive life sentences."

Spencer said he could say nothing more, given a gag order that a state court judge issued and with Crusius still facing the state trial. No trial date has been set in the state case.

A Texas judge last year put off the state trial, saying that determining how to proceed would be affected by the decision from federal prosecutors on whether they would seek capital punishment.

Federal prosecutors say Crusius drove 11 hours to El Paso, on the U.S. border with Mexico, from his home in a suburb near Dallas, on Aug. 3, 2019, and fired at shoppers with an AK-47-style rifle inside the Walmart store. He surrendered to officers who confronted him nearby.

A racist manifesto that prosecutors say Crusius posted online just minutes before the shooting said the attack was "a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas."

Story continues

Crusius pleaded not guilty in 2020 to 90 federal hate crime charges. Proceedings were delayed while prosecutors decided whether to pursue the death penalty.

In 2020, his lawyers argued that Crusius, then 21, had been diagnosed with severe, lifelong neurological and mental disabilities and should not face execution if convicted.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Donna Bryson, Leslie Adler, Daniel Wallis and David Gregorio)
Elizabeth Banks has discussed a controversial scene in her wild new movie, Cocaine Bear.

The movie, which Banks directs, follows a black bear in Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia, that goes on a rampage after consuming vast quantities of lost cocaine.

One scene likely to ruffle feathers when the film is released on 24 February depicts two children, played by Brooklynn Prince and Christian Convery, trying cocaine.

It was definitely controversial, Banks conceded in a new interview with Variety.

There were conversations about, should we age up these characters? We all kind of held hands and we were like, Guys, theyve got to be 12. Its their innocence being tested, she said.

Thats what was interesting to me about that scene.

Producer Christopher Miller added: Its the naivete of the kids that makes it okay. Its what makes it so tense and funny. It doesnt work if theyre teenagers. It has to be that age where you dont know anything, but you want to pretend like you do.

Cocaine Bear (Universal Pictures Australia YouTube)

Cocaine Bear is based on the true story of a bear that overdosed on the illegal substance in 1985. The bear ate 70lbs (31.8kg) of cocaine worth an estimated $15m, which was dropped out of a plane by drug smuggler Andrew Thornton, the son of wealthy Kentucky horse breeders.

Read more about the true story behind the movie here.

The movie also stars Keri Russell of The Americans, as well an ensemble cast that includes her husband Matthew Rhys, Margo Martindale, OShea Jackson Jr, Alden Ehrenreich and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

It also features one of the final ever movie performances of Goodfellas actor Ray Liotta, who died while filming the movie Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic in May last year.

Cocaine Bear is out in cinemas on Friday 24 February.
Elizabeth Chambers endured infidelity and long absences, but there was a moment early in the pandemic that proved to be the final straw that ended her 10-year marriage to actor Armie Hammer.

The Bird Bakery founder and television personality, who filed for divorce in 2020, opened up about her relationship with Hammer, 36, in a new interview with Elle magazine.

She and Hammer were living with their two young children in the Cayman Islands in the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Chambers, 40, said Hammer decided to leave them and go back to California to help a friend restore a motel near Joshua Tree National Park.

My heart was broken in nine million pieces, and I still drove him to the airport, Chambers told Elle.

Elizabeth Chambers attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic)

She filed for divorce only a few months later.

You can give, you can love, you can be there for someone, but you also need to hold people accountable for their actions," she said.

Hammer admitted in a recent interview with Air Mail that he had an affair with a woman he met online in 2016. In the months after Chambers filed for divorce, Hammer also faced allegations by multiple women that he physically and emotionally abused them, which Hammer has denied.

Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers (Lisa O'Connor / AFP via Getty Images)

In 2021, a woman accused him of raping her in 2017. His attorney denied the allegations to NBC News at the time and said all of Hammer's sexual relationships "have been completely consensual."

The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News it had opened an investigation into Hammer. No charges have been filed against him.

I was learning things as the public was, Chambers told Elle. I was like, There are no words.'"

The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News it had opened an investigation into Hammer. No charges have been filed him.

The allegations were examined in a three-part documentary series called "House of Hammer" that premiered on Discovery+ in September 2022. Chambers, who did not participate in the series, told E! News that she watched the show, calling it "obviously heartbreaking on so many levels and very painful."

Story continues

Chambers shares daughter Harper, 8, and son Ford, 6, with Hammer. She lives with them in Grand Cayman, but said she plans to move back to Los Angeles for a fresh start.

She said she's currently "in love" with a 26-year-old European physical therapist in the Cayman Islands, but shared last month that she is waiting to introduce him to their children. Chambers maintains a relationship with Hammer as they co-parent their children.

"I support Armie through his journey and I always will," she told Elle. All Ive ever wanted is for him to be sober, healthy, and happy. And he is that. Hes really present when hes with the kids, and thats all I can hope for."

Related:

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Elizabeth Chambers reflected on spending the Covid-19 lockdown with ex-husband Armie Hammer.

Early in the pandemic, the former couple and their two young children quarantined with Hammers father and stepmother at their home in the Cayman Islands.

Speaking with British GQ at the time, the disgraced Call Me by Your Name actor said lockdown made him feel like a wolf who got caught in a snare.

A wolf who wanted to chew his own foot off, Hammer described. I was just like, I cant do this.

He was the worst, Chambers told Elle of Hammer during the lockdown.

According to Chambers, it wasnt long before Hammer decided to head back to California to help his friend renovate a dilapidated motel near Joshua Tree National Park, leaving her and the children behind in the Caymans.

Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers (Getty Images)

My heart was broken in nine million pieces, and I still drove him to the airport, Chambers said. You can give, you can love, you can be there for someone, but you also need to hold people accountable for their actions.

In July 2020, Chambers filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences; the divorce has not yet been finalised.

Elsewhere in the interview, the TV personality recalled finding out about Hammers various allegations that surfaced in 2021.

The 36-year-old actor was accused of rape by one woman, and of sexual misconduct by multiple others.

Hammer has denied any criminal wrongdoing, but admitted to being emotionally abusive and treating people poorly.

He recently spoke out about the claims for the first time, alleging that he had been sexually abused by a youth pastor as a child and describing a recent suicide attempt.

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.
By Nerijus Adomaitis and Nora Buli

OSLO/LONDON (Reuters) - Equinor posted a record $74.9 billion adjusted operating profit on Wednesday, more than doubling its previous high and sending the Norwegian oil and gas producer's shares up more than 7%.

With net profit for the year of $28.7 billion, up from $8.6 billion a year earlier, Equinor joined global oil and gas majors such as ExxonMobil, Shell and BP in reporting record returns for 2022.

Majority state-owned Equinor became Europe's largest supplier of natural gas last year as Russia's Gazprom cut deliveries over the West's support for Ukraine, sending European gas prices to all-time highs.

But gas prices have tumbled in 2023 and Equinor's Oslo-listed stocks have fallen 9% year-to-date, underperforming a 3.3% rise in European petroleum stocks.

Adjusted earnings before tax and interest for October-December hit $15.1 billion, from $15 billion a year before and above the $14.4 billion forecast in an Equinor poll of analysts.

RBC analyst Biraj Borkhataria said in a note this was due to better than expected results in Equinor's refining and trading operation, which was boosted by LNG and gas sales.

Equinor also raised its regular quarterly dividend and said it expected to see annual cash flow from operations after tax of around $20 billion per year for the rest of the decade.

Graphic: Equinor adjusted earnings hit record high in 2022- https://www.reuters.com/graphics/EQUINOR-RESULTS/dwpkdelejvm/chart.png

"On the back of strong earnings, outlook, and balance sheet, we step up capital distribution to (an) expected $17 billion in 2023," Equinor CEO Anders Opedal said in a statement.

Equinor said it would pay a regular quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, up from $0.20, and make an additional, extraordinary payment of $0.60 per share for four consecutive quarters, totalling about $11 billion in dividends this year.

The board reaffirmed a regular share buyback plan of $1.2 billion per year and said it would make an extraordinary buy back in 2023 of $4.8 billion, for a total of $6 billion.

Story continues

Equinor said its overall oil and gas production fell by 2% year-on-year to 2.04 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in 2022, but it expected this to grow by 3% in 2023.

A senior executive said it is investigating the possibility of boosting output from Western Europe's largest oilfield, Johan Sverdrup, to 755,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 720,000 bpd.

Gas output from its Norwegian fields was up by 8% on a year earlier as the company focused on replacing lost Russian supplies to Europe, while oil output declined by 6%, it added.

Equinor's previous adjusted earnings record was $36.2 billion in 2008, when North Sea oil prices hit record highs.

The company, which makes most of its profit in Norway, where oil firms are subject to a tax rate of 78%, said it expected to pay a record $49.9 billion in taxes for 2022.

"The combination of this (of dividend and share buybacks) is likely to be well ahead of market expectations, and signals a strong message to the market on intentions to pay out to shareholders," RBC's Borkhataria said.

(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; Editing by Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik, Kim Coghill and Alexander Smith)
By Nora Buli

LONDON (Reuters) - Norway's Equinor raised its energy trading division's outlook on Wednesday, saying it expects the business to profit from a more flexible asset portfolio and market volatility.

Equinor earlier posted record overall profits for 2022, driven by soaring gas prices, sending its shares up 7%.

It lifted the adjusted quarterly earnings guidance for its Marketing, Midstream and Processing (MMP) segment to $400 million-$800 million, from $250 million-$500 million previously.

"It's important that we believe that the markets will be volatile because if they're not volatile, there's less money to be made," Irene Rummelhoff, the head of MMP told Reuters.

Equinor also benefits from having a flexible oil and gas production portfolio and different options for where and when to send its production, she added.

Gas produced in Norway is sent through a vast pipeline system below the North Sea, with exit points in Britain, Germany, France, Belgium and recently also Poland via Denmark, allowing Equinor to deliver to the highest priced market.

Europe's benchmark TTF front-month wholesale gas contract hit a record 343.08 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) in August, but has since fallen to around 60 euros/MWh thanks to a mild winter and supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

However, there was substantial variation in prices between different regions of Europe.

Last year's volatility was extreme and Equinor did not expect to see the same geographical spreads, Rummelhoff said.

Using algorithmic trading makes it possible to buy and sell even on small market moves, and doing so many times over meant even incremental changes added up, she said.

Equinor is also flexible on when it delivers gas, both by having access to storage and as it can steer its upstream production, Rummelhoff said, adding this was "rather unique" and had the same effect as "free gas storage".

(Editing by Victoria Klesty and Alexander Smith)
By Birsen Altayli, Daren Butler and Orhan Coskun

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Criticism of Turkey's earthquake response mounted on Wednesday, with the political opposition and people in the disaster zone accusing the government of a tardy and inadequate relief effort.

The anger grew louder as President Tayyip Erdogan, facing a tight election in three months time, visited the afflicted area for the first time and acknowledged some problems with the initial response.

Monday's quakes have killed more than 11,000 people across southern Turkey and northwest Syria. They cracked infrastructure and flattened thousands of buildings, causing hardship for millions and leaving many homeless in bitterly cold weather.

"Where is the state? Where have they been for two days? We are begging them. Let us do it, we can get them out," said Sabiha Alinak, near a snow covered collapsed building where her young relatives were trapped in the city of Malatya.

From the outset, Turks have complained of a lack of equipment and support as they waited helplessly next to rubble, lacking the necessary expertise or tools to rescue those trapped - sometimes even as they could hear cries for help.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition party, had earlier in the week said the disaster was a time for unity, not criticism. But on Wednesday he accused the government of failing to cooperate with local authorities and weakening non-governmental organisations that could help.

"I refuse to look at what is happening as above politics and align with the ruling party. This collapse is exactly the result of systematic profiteering politics," he said.

"If there is anyone responsible for this process, it is Erdogan. It is this ruling party that has not prepared the country for an earthquake for 20 years."

Rescue workers have struggled to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather and lack of resources and heavy equipment, while some areas are without fuel or electricity.

Story continues

MILITARY RESPONSE

Nasuh Mahruki, founder of a search and rescue group active in response to the 1999 earthquake that killed 17,000, said the army did not act soon enough because Erdogan's government annulled a protocol enabling it to respond without instruction.

"When this was cancelled (their) duties and responsibilities in combating disasters were taken away," he told Reuters.

"In the first seconds (after the 1999 quake), the Turkish Armed Forces started to work and were on the scene with the people within hours," he said, contrasting this with the current situation where the military had to wait for instructions.

"Now it seems the responsibility is with AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority), but it is not prepared for such a colossal problem," Mahruki added.

Speaking in Kahramanmaras, near the epicentre of the earthquake, Erdogan said: "We had some problems in airports and roads but we are better today".

"I would like to ask you not to give a chance to provocateurs, other than the statements especially from AFAD... Because today is the time for unity," he said.

He did not appear to have had a direct confrontaton with any local people.

A government official, who requested anonymity, said the efforts were hampered by damaged roads, bad weather and being unable to use airports due to damage.

"It seems that we should have been more prepared," the person said.

In the southern city of Antakya, one of the hardest hit, Melek, 64, said she had not seen rescue teams as of late Tuesday. "We haven't seen any food distribution here unlike previous disasters in our country. We survived the earthquake, but we will die here due to hunger or cold."

Selim Temurci, spokesman for the opposition Future Party, said AFAD's efforts were insufficient due to personnel shortages and the vast expanse of destruction.

"They did not have the capacity to conduct search and rescue at all the buildings at once but they only got to certain places in 30 hours," he said, adding those rescued still lacked food and water.

(Additional reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)
ROME (AP)  European bishops on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of Nicaraguan clergy detained in the governments crackdown on the Catholic Church, saying they have been falsely accused and are being subjected to unjust persecution.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Union, said European bishops would do everything in their power to press EU institutions to work to liberate the detainees.

Hollerichs letter to the head of the Nicaraguan bishops conference came a day after a Nicaraguan court sentenced four Catholic priests to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges stemming from long-standing government allegations that the church backed illegal pro-democracy protests. A fifth priest was sentenced on the same charges Sunday.

It was the latest chapter in a crackdown on the church by President Daniel Ortega.

Hollerichs letter came in sharp contrast to the relative silence from the Vatican, which did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment on the court sentences. The Holy See has kept relatively quiet about the Nicaraguan crackdown, believing that speaking out would only inflame tensions further.

Pope Francis last spoke out publicly after Nicaraguan police raided the home of Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Alvarez in August. A few weeks later, during a press conference returning from Kazakhstan, he confirmed a dialogue was under way with the government, but has said nothing since.

Alvarez had been a key religious voice in discussions of Nicaraguas future since 2018, when a wave of protests against Ortegas government led to a sweeping crackdown on opponents. Alvarez is under house arrest on charges of conspiracy and damaging the Nicaraguan government and society, and is set to be sentenced soon.

In the letter, Hollerich said the governments actions were violating religious freedom.

We are closely following the development of the situation in Nicaragua, marked by the persecution of the Catholic Church and its faithful, he wrote. We join the voices crying out over the injustice to which our brothers in Nicaragua are being subjected and demand their immediate release.
Olaf Scholz

According to him, the EU will support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Read also: Zelenskyy believes EU will be ready for Ukraine accession talks later this year

Scholz added that Germany is one of the countries providing Kyiv with most financial support.

When it comes to the supply of weapons and ammunition, we are also far ahead of everyone else in continental Europe, he added.

Read also: Germany to greenlight defense companies to supply Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

At the same time, the chancellor criticized public auctions under the motto: battle tanks, submarines, aircrafts  who will ask for more, referring to Kyiv and its allies pushing for more heavy weapons to defeat Russia. In his opinion, only Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his propaganda effort will benefit from such discussions and disagreements.

Read also: Scholz says Ukraine will not use Western weapons to attack targets on Russian territory

Scholz stressed that, despite all the assistance provided to Ukraine, NATO shouldnt become one of the parties in a military conflict with Russia.

He also promised to continue to closely coordinate arms supplies to Ukraine with Germanys partners and allies.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The evacuation order issued to East Palestine and some Beaver County residents due to the train derailment has been lifted.

Residents within a one-mile radius of the train derailment site, including some in Darlington Township, were told to leave their homes Sunday after the temperature dropped in one of the rail cars, putting it at risk for an explosion.

LATEST: Air testing continues near train derailment site, no timeline on end of evacuation order

The news is good for many, but not everyone is anxious to return.

Were not gong home tonight, said Jillian Zuch, a resident concerned about the air and water in her home. Probably not drinking water for awhile and not going home until we can get some tests done at our house.

PHOTOS: Massive explosion at start of controlled release of chemicals at train derailment

Not everyone 11 News feels that way. William Hugar was happy to head home to see his two cats he left behind.

A lot of people are...they get scared too easy. I dont think theres going to be any problems, Hugar said.

Zook, however, is not the only one asking for testing.

In nearby Negley, Ohio, a sign reads Norfolk Southern poisoned our water way. Demand your well be tested!

Officials with Norfolk Southern say testing will be made available for both wells and air in homes.

Were right beside the creek. We can smell the chemicals. Its bad, Chase Ammon said. He lives between East Palestine and Negley. He told Channel 11 he plans on taking advantage of the well testing.

We are on the low end of the creek on the waterbed. Its of high concern because theres all kind of fish dead, Ammon said.

Our Channel 11 cameras captured video of dead fish in a local creek. A representative from the Ohio EPA said today they are aware of the dead fish but people shouldnt worry.

All the information and data to date is that its still been protective of the drinking water, Ohio EPA Representative Kurt Koller said.

The Norfolk Southern resource center will be open for the foreseeable future. Anyone with questions or who wants to order testing can do it there or call 234-542-6472.

Story continues

The resource center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Its located at 46469 State Route 46 in New Waterford, OH.

The National Guard has been taking air and ground samples to ensure the area is safe. The latest statement from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said that thus far, no concerning readings have been detected.

Those air quality results proved consistent and showed multiple readings at points below concerning contamination levels, leading officials to decide the area was safe for residents to return to.

The Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency shared a safe re-entry plan with the public. That plan can be viewed below.

Safety officials will continue to monitor the area and are offering air quality readings to people who would like them done within their homes. Norfolk Southern Railroad is paying for a contractor to work with police, members of EPA and state officials to hold the tests.

Anyone who lives within a mile radius of the train derailment site can call 330-849-3919 to receive a test.

Free water tests will also be available for anyone with a private well, including all of the private wells in Pennsylvania. Until the tests are done, people with private wells are asked to use bottled water.

Anyone who is uncomfortable going back to their home can contact the railroad assistance center at 800-230-7049 to ask about hotel assistance.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

TRENDING NOW:

Special Elections LATEST: Democrats win control of Pennsylvania House 1 police officer killed, another injured in McKeesport shooting McKeesport Officer Shooting: What weve learned about the suspect, Johnathan Morris VIDEO: Never going to be forgotten; Community mourning fallen McKeesport police officer Sean Sluganski DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
Evangeline Lilly has opened up about Jeremy Renners miraculous recovery following his near-fatal snowplough accident.

On New Years Day, the Mayor of Kingstown actor was airlifted to hospital after being completely crushed by a PistenBully.

During his two-week hospital stint, Renner was treated for multiple injuries, including a collapsed chest, orthopaedic injuries and over 30 broken bones.

After a recent visit to his home, Lilly spoke out about her friends surprising development in the weeks since.

Hes recovered like a mofo, Lilly told Access Hollywood.

I walked in his house and got chicken skin because I was like, Why are you mobile? Why are you mobile? Whats happening?, the Ant-Man star remembered of her visit.

I expected to sit at his bedside and hold his hand, while he moaned and groaned in pain, and wasnt able to move. He was wheeling himself around, laughing with his friends.

Its a miracle. Its a straight-up miracle, she continued in amazement. Hes made of something really tough, that guy. And, you know, youve always been able to see that in him and he is recovering incredibly.

Lilly further recalled the really intense visit, saying: I mean, he had a near-death experience that was highly traumatic, and he was awake for the whole thing.

Im still having moments where some of the stuff he told me that he experienced and retelling me the story of what went on and the things he could hear and the things that he could see.

In later released 911 call logs, the Hawkeye actor, 52, was audibly groaning in the background of the call, due to his pain.

Sheriff Darin Balaam confirmed that Renner was conscious and speaking to the first responders when they arrived on scene.

Renner was trying to save his nephew when he was run over by the snow machine, according to the newest reports.

Lillys comments echo earlier sentiments from Renners sister, Kym, who said: If anyone knows Jeremy, he is a fighter and doesnt mess around.

He is crushing all the progress goals. We couldnt feel more positive about the road ahead.
Getty Images

Beauty standards ebb and flow throughout the years, with features like big lips, ample rear ends, and pronounced jawlines all seeing their moments in the proverbial sun. But lately, its the forehead thats receiving the most attention from aesthetics buffs and plastic surgeons alike, or more specifically, forehead reductions.

If youve ever been called five-head by some inconsiderate individual, you understand how it might make you feel self-conscious to have so much real estate above your brows. And while the facial features we collectively deem attractive vary, having a forehead that is proportional to the rest of your face is pretty universally ideal  although for reference, in Elizabethean times, wealthy women used to pluck the hair from their hairline to make their forehead appear, which symbolized nobility (the more you know!).

Sure, symmetry is great and all  its even a measurable sign of attractiveness in humans  but all that matters is whether or not the procedure can achieve the results that will help you feel more comfortable in your skin.

Luckily, there have been multiple advancements and refinements in technique over the last few decades, which has allowed for increased consistency and natural-looking results with forehead reductions, according to board-certified plastic surgeon Adam Kolker, MD, FACS. And now that more transparency in our beauty choices is becoming the norm, its easier than ever to seek out answers and make an informed decision about whether or not the surgery is the best next step. No wonder forehead reductions are surging in popularity at the moment.

Curious to know whether the treatment might be right for you? Keep reading to learn everything there is to know about forehead reduction.

:All the New Fillers You Need to Know About, and Whats Launching Soon

What is forehead reduction?

Make no mistake, this is a more serious in-office treatment than, say, getting your Botox refreshed. Forehead reductions are a surgical procedure that involves anesthesia, wherein, an incision [is made] in front of the hairline, elevating the soft tissue of the forehead and pulling it backwards, says Konstantin Vasyukevich, MD, a double-board certified plastic surgeon in New York City.

Story continues

Essentially, youre removing a small strip of skin just below your hairline and pulling the skin of your forehead upward to meet your hair. While effectively reducing the surface area of your forehead, the procedure also raises the eyebrows slightly while pulling the hairline downward. The degree to which you can make your forehead smaller varies, but according to a study in The Journal of Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine, the average amount of reduction is 1.6 cm (although this can vary from patient to patient).

Since your surgeon will be pulling back on the skin of your forehead and lifting your brows ever so slightly, double board-certified plastic surgeon Jennifer Levine, MD, adds that, raising the brows will improve the appearance of the upper lid. This isnt the main goal of the procedure of course, but rather an added benefit of going under the knife.

How to know if you're a candidate for forehead reduction:

It might seem like anyone who has a larger forehead would be appropriate to undergo this treatment, but plastic surgeons will tell you that this is not the case. If the patient has history of, or a family history of hair loss, the procedure should be used with caution as the hair loss over time may make the incision more visible, says Dr. Levine. Having a strong hairline and plenty of hair will ensure that your results remain consistent, and imperceptible, throughout your life.

This also means that since many men will eventually experience extensive hair loss (studies show that 53% of men from 40-49 will see significant balding, increasing with age) they are often not good candidates for a forehead reduction.

How to prep for forehead reduction:

As with all cosmetic procedures, youll meet with your surgeon (always check that they are board-certified) for a consultation to go over your medical history and confirm that you are able to safely undergo a forehead reduction. Youll also discuss the procedures risks and your desired results. Its a good idea to bring in photos for a visual reference of what you hope to achieve and how youd like your forehead to look once youre healed. You can also ask your doctor to see before-and-after photos of other patients who have undergone the surgery.

Additionally, your doctor will check your skin laxity, or how loose your skin is, to make sure that your forehead will have enough give to pull up during the surgery. This entails moving your scalp up and down and side to side for tension, and is crucial to ensure that you are a candidate for the procedure.

:Lip Flips and Filler Can Give You a Poutier Look, But Which One Is Right For You?

What forehead reduction surgery involves:

Once you are placed under anesthesia, your surgeon will begin your forehead reduction by making an incision at your hairline. The scalp tissues are then released and advanced forward and downward, taking advantage of existing scalp laxity, says Dr. Kolker, adding that he can often advance the hairline up approximately 2.5 cm. Once your doctor has established the new hairline position, she or he will cut away a strip of non hair-bearing forehead skin.

Next, Dr. Kolker explains that the advanced scalp is then anchored to alleviate any tension on the closure line, and multiple layers of sutures are placed to align the incision. Barring any complications, the incision line will be fairly imperceptible.

He does explain that sometimes a patient doesnt have enough skin laxity, or the forehead is excessively high, which will require a two-stage procedure, wherein a tissue expander (a balloon-like device that can stretch the scalp) is inserted under your skin, followed by the hairline lowering procedure six-12 weeks later.

What forehead reduction after-care looks like:

Post-surgery, Dr. Levine explains that youll most likely experience swelling and bruising (a small price to pay for a treatment that is otherwise permanent). Youll want to limit your physical activity during the healing process, take over-the-counter pain medication as needed, and follow your doctors recommendations on incision care.

[Maintain] a gentle compressive head wrap for 24-48 hours, after which the hair can be washed with gentle shampoo," adds Dr. Kolker. "Many activities are resumed within 48 hours, and [you can] return to work between four-seven days. Youll also need to return to your medical provider five-seven days after surgery to have your hairline sutures removed.

What are the risks involved with forehead reduction?

As with any surgical procedure, there are some risks involved with forehead reductions. Dr. Kolker explains that decreased scalp sensation above the new hairline is the most common, but often resolves over six-nine months. Dr. Vasyukevich cites noticeable scarring and asymmetry as two of the most troublesome side effects of the procedure, but these are still quite rare. There is also a risk of alopecia or telogen effluvium (shock loss) of hair follicles along the incision line, but the experts state that these are most often temporary.

How much does forehead reduction cost?

How much any cosmetic surgery costs is determined by many factors, such as choice of surgeon and where you live. For forehead reduction, it can range from $8,000 to $20,000 in major cities like New York or Los Angeles. However, its never a good idea to skimp on quality of care when it comes to permanently altering your face. Do your research, budget, ask for before-and-after photos, and find a surgeon who makes you feel confident and comfortable before deciding to undergo the treatment.

For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on InStyle.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A former top Twitter official said the social network bent its rules for Trump's 2019 racist tweet.

At the time, Trump told four Democratic lawmakers of color to "go back" to the countries they came from.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the targets of the tweet, was clearly animated by what she learned.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday lit into complaints about anti-conservative bias on Twitter after a former Twitter employee testified that the social network changed its policies in 2019 to accommodate President Donald Trump's racist tweets that told four Democratic congresswomen of color to "go back" to where they came from.

"My team made the recommendation that for the first time, we find Donald Trump in violation of Twitter's policies and use the public interest interstitial," former Twitter employee Anika Navaroli, who worked on the company's content moderation team, testified to lawmakers.

Ocasio-Cortez, who was one of the four congresswomen Trump was attacking, was clearly outraged over how the social network later decided to bend its policies to allow the president's message. Navaroli testified that her team's finding was overruled by Twitter's vice president of trust and safety Del Harvey.

"So much for bias against right-wing on Twitter," Ocasio-Cortez said, concluding the line of questioning.

Democrats and some Republicans criticized Trump for the 2019 tweet, which targeted "the Squad," a group of progressive Democratic lawmakers composed of Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Ocasio-Cortez. What was particularly galling about Trump's message is that he said the congresswomen "originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe."

Navaroli also said that at the time Twitter included an example of using the phrase "go back to your country" in a list of banned language against immigrants. She said that this content moderation guidance was suddenly changed in the days after Trump's tweet was allowed to stand unchanged. The recommendation had been for Trump's tweets to be labeled but allowed to remain on the platform since he was a public figure.

Story continues

Trump was mostly mistaken; three of the lawmakers were born in the US. While Omar fled Somalia as a child before becoming a naturalized citizen as a teenager. Regardless, there is a long and ugly history behind telling people of color to go back to another country.

House Republicans, who now hold a slight majority in the chamber, summoned Navaroli and other top former Twitter officials to testify before the House Oversight Committee about the social network's handling of The New York Post's initial report about Hunter Biden's laptop.

Twitter was repeatedly criticized for allowing Trump's tweets to stand. Following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, the social network banned the president "due to the risk of further incitement of violence." Elon Musk allowed Trump back on the platform after the Tesla CEO paid $44 billion to take over the company and make it private.

The now-former president has yet to use his account. Current Twitter representatives did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
California oil producers, fighting Democratic lawmakers efforts to limit drilling and cap gasoline profits, are running an advertising campaign that claims to lay out the facts about the states energy situation.

Californians for Energy Independence, an organization tied to the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and the California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA), is behind the digital and television spots.

Claim: Californians are paying higher gas prices because the state no longer produces most of its own oil and instead imports the majority of its supply.

Rating: Misleading

Details: The ad says California has shut down about 25% of local oil production in the last four years and says California imports 75% of its oil, resulting in an unstable energy supply and even higher gas prices for working families.

This is accurate only if you count Alaskan oil as imported, which the industry seems to do. California produced about 29% of its own crude in 2021, according to data from the California Energy Commission (CEC). Nearly 15% came from Alaska and the remaining 56% was imported from other countries.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported the states crude oil production did decline by about 25% from 2018 to 2022.

It is generally understood that California oil fields are getting old and production has been declining since the mid-1980s, said Lindsay Buckley, a CEC spokeswoman, in an email. Regardless of permit activity, new wells arent being drilled at accelerated rates, and those new permits are tapping into fields that have little resources left to give under normal economic situations.

Moreover, less California crude may be better for the environment. David Clegern, a California Air Resources Board spokesman, said states crude oil is generally more carbon-intensive than imported crude.

The higher the carbon intensity generates more (greenhouse gases) and is worse for air quality because it requires more energy to refine, Clegern said in an email.

Story continues

Claim: An increase in imports drives up California gas prices.

Rating: Misleading

Details: Kevin Slagle, a WSPA spokesman, said rising gas prices are the result of basic supply and demand. If California produces less oil in state, it will place more demand on the global market.

More demand for that oil will increase costs, he said. Slagle compared it to September 2022, when President Joe Biden oversaw the largest sale of oil from the national Strategic Petroleum Reserve and gas prices across the country fell.

The release helped to bring down costs, and conversely reducing supply on the global market, will have the opposite effect, he said.

But Californias declining in-state oil production is foreseen and will make up such a small segment of the total global market, it will likely have little to no effect on prices at the pump, said Severin Borenstein, director of UC Berkeleys Energy Institute.

Californians pay higher prices at the pump than the rest of the nation due, in part, to stringent environmental regulations and its a 54-cent gas excise tax, which is the second-highest in the nation.

Crude oil prices are not one of the factors that explain the gap between California gas prices and the national average, Borenstein said. Those prices are set by the global market, meaning that even if oil is slightly cheaper to produce in-state, the price is still set at a rate competitive with product from overseas.

Consumers will not benefit from more oil production in the state and they will not be hurt by less oil production in California, Borenstein said.

Instead of gas prices and stability of supply, Borenstein argues that the real trade-off of importing more oil from out of state is the loss of jobs and economic activity for the state and local communities that come from the industry.

Im not going to say that it would be costless to restrict (in-state) oil production, but the cost is not going to be borne by consumers, he said. Its going to be borne by workers whose jobs are displaced, firms that are making profits on their operations... and the local areas that collect property taxes and other fees.

Claim: Californians for Energy Independences website says the group is made up of over 200,000 Californians.

Rating: Cant be verified

Details: The organizations description of its membership is vague.

Its 2020 nonprofit tax filings list WSPA CEO Cathy Raheis-Boyd and CIPA CEO Rock Zierman as directors.

The California Secretary of States Office lists Californians for Energy Independence as a lobbying group that also previously served as a political action committee.

CIPAs 2019 annual report provides the most comprehensive description of Californians for Energy Independence. It describes members as a diverse coalition of community, labor, business, and education groups that support continued domestic energy production and the jobs and vital tax revenues it provides to Californias businesses, families and communities.

The report said CIPA and WSPA had overseen Californians for Energy Independence for six years as a way to combat attacks from environmentalists.

The threats against domestic energy production extend beyond the legislative, legal, and regulatory fronts with anti-fossil fuel activists attempting to pass far-reaching energy bans at the local level, the report said.

Steven Lucas, a San Rafael-based attorney listed as the organizations business agent, did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls from reporters. Lucas specializes in political campaign and lobbying law and also serves as an attorney for WSPA, according to the Secretary of States Office.
The claim: There are Plan B pills inside of pregnancy tests

A Jan. 27 Facebook video (direct link, archived link) shows three clips of people opening a pregnancy test to reveal a small tablet inside the test.

i found a hidden plan B in a pregnancy test, reads the caption.

Several other versions of the claim appeared on Facebook in 2019, and recent iterations on TikTok garnered more than 30,000 views.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

The tablet found inside pregnancy tests is meant to absorb moisture and should not be ingested, according to test manufacturers. Foundation Consumer Healthcare, which makes Plan B pills, said its product is not found in pregnancy tests.

Moisture-absorbing tablets are inside pregnancy tests

Two major pregnancy test manufacturers, Clearblue and First Response, released statements debunking the claim.

Clearblue pregnancy tests do NOT contain Plan B," reads a 2019 Facebook post from Clearblue. "All our tests contain a small desiccant tablet which is included to absorb moisture and SHOULD NOT BE EATEN. If accidentally ingested please seek medical advice."

Fact check: Polio is caused by a virus, not pesticides

The company shared that same information on Twitter. Its also prominently featured on a section of its website about pregnancy tests.

First Response, another pregnancy test maker, has a similar warning on its website.

All our First Response Test Sticks contain a small desiccant disk, which should not be eaten, the notice reads.

A package of Plan B contraceptive is displayed at Jack's Pharmacy on April 5, 2013 in San Anselmo, California.

Natalist pregnancy tests do not contain Plan B pills either, said Megan Koehler, a spokesperson for Everly Health, the company that makes Natalist tests.

Plan B is a term commonly used to describe the morning-after pill, an emergency contraceptive taken after unprotected sex. Plan B One-Step is a common morning-after pill brand.

Foundation Consumer Healthcare, the company that makes Plan B One-Step, told PolitiFact its pills are not found in pregnancy tests.

Story continues

USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.

AFP Fact Check also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, pregnancy tests do not have morning-after pills inside
The claim: US aid to Ukraine is double expenditure for Afghanistan War

A Jan. 26 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) shows a video of a man speaking about the war in Ukraine.

"Recap of all the Money Laundering that we have given to Ukraine," reads text included in the post.

The man claims the U.S. has given Ukraine a total of $91.3 billion in aid, which he says is "double the U.S. expenditure for its own war in Afghanistan."

The post generated over 2,000 likes in less than a week.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

Congress has approved about $111 billion in aid to Ukraine in the last year, according to a military expert. However, this is far less than the U.S. expenditure in Afghanistan, reports show.

Post distorts US expenditure for Ukraine, Afghanistan

The post understates how much aid the U.S. has given to Ukraine since Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022. To date, Congress has approved four aid packages that total about $111 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to the Ukrainian government, Mark Cancian, senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told USA TODAY in an email.

In 2022, lawmakers approved over $13 billion in March, more than $40 billion in May, over $12 billion in September and about $45 million in December in aid for Ukraine.

The posts claim that the amount is double what the U.S. spent in the Afghanistan War is incorrect. The Afghanistan War began in 2001, after the U.S. launched a campaign against the Taliban regime in the country, and lasted until 2021.

There are multiple ways of looking at the cost of the Afghanistan War.

Fact check roundup: What's true and what's false about the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Department of Defense reported its cumulative obligations for Afghanistan, including fighting and reconstruction, totaled just short of $850 billion from 2002 to Sept. 30, 2021, according to the latest report from The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Story continues

However, researchers at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs estimated that the U.S. cost for the Afghanistan war between 2001 and 2022 totaled over $2 trillion. The estimate includes operation costs in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and interest on war borrowing, among other things.

Either amount is far above the $111 billion allotted so for in Ukraine aid.

"The Afghanistan (war) was much more expensive because so many U.S. forces were involved," Cancian said. "Combat operations are expensive."

The Instagram post also claims U.S. aid to Ukraine is almost 33% more than what Russia has spent on its military throughout the invasion. But USA TODAY found conflicting information on Russia's expenditures.

I dont think anyone can say with good confidence how much Russia has spent on the war," Michael Kofman, research program director for the Russia Studies Program at the nonprofit CNA, told USA TODAY in an email.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment.

PolitiFact 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: Post distorts US expenditures in Ukraine, Afghanistan
(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Tuesday unveiled a juiced-up version of its Bing search engine and Edge Web browser, powered by an upgraded version of ChatGPT's underlying technology.

The launch is limited to a "desktop limited preview" available on Tuesday.

Users will need to go to this link and sign in to a Microsoft account to get on a waitlist to access Bing search.

To jump the line, Microsoft said users can set Bing as the default search engine on their PC and scan a QR code to download the Bing Search app on your phone.

The viral success of OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT, which is on track to be the fastest-growing app in history, has prompted Big Tech companies to rush out new offerings.

Here is how Microsoft has integrated the technology from OpenAI, in which Microsoft first invested in 2019, into Bing and Edge.

* During the limited preview stage, users will only be ableto try pre-set queries, a Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters.Free-form queries will be available at a later date. * Bing's AI can now sift through search results andsynthesize the findings to answer complex queries in a chatbotwindow. What to replace eggs with in a cake? Microsoft aims toget users the answer without scrolling through multiple results. * The revamped Edge browser features a sidebar with a rangeof AI features, while another mode allows users to interact withBing in the familiar ChatGPT-like chat interface. * For more complex searches, such as planning a detailedtrip itinerary or researching a TV set to buy, users can refinetheir search by asking more details through the Bing chat. Itwill also throw up purchase links to the products andexperiences users arrive at. * Bing can generate content like emails - includingtranslations of them - social media posts, job interview notesand even a five-day itinerary for a trip to Hawaii or a quiz fortrivia night. It will also cite its sources so consumers canread more on the Web. * The revamped Edge sidebar adds "chat" and "compose"features. "Chat" allows users to summarize any given Web page ordocument and seek information related to its content. "Compose"allows users to generate content for social media posts oremails based on a few prompts.

(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru and Jeffrey Dastin in Redmond, Wash.; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  More than 170 pastors and other faith leaders on Tuesday urged Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to authorize an independent review of execution procedures, as Oklahoma and Tennessee did after a series of failed lethal injections in those states.

The group applauded Ivey for taking the bold and necessary step of ordering a review of Alabama execution procedures following problems locating intravenous lines during three lethal injections, but said that review should be done by those outside the state prison system. Ivey in November ordered the Alabama Department of Corrections, which carries out executions, to undertake the review.

Given the gravity of what has transpired, we respectfully request a comprehensive, independent, and external review of Alabamas death penalty procedures, they wrote in a letter delivered to Iveys Alabama Capitol Office on Tuesday.

The faith leaders said the review should be conducted openly  and by a person or group other than the Alabama Department of Corrections. The fact of the matter is that an agency that has failed repeatedly to get its own house in order cannot be trusted to privately conduct an investigation into problems it is causing, they wrote.

The group cited the example of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who authorized a state review after acknowledging that the state failed to ensure its lethal injection drugs were properly tested. A former U.S. attorney conducted the review. It found Tennessee had not complied with its own lethal injection process ever since it was revised in 2018, resulting in several executions that were conducted without proper testing of the drugs used.

A review was also conducted in Oklahoma after the 2014 execution of Clayton Lockett. After the first drug was administered, Lockett struggled on a gurney for 43 minutes before he was declared dead. The review was conducted by a separate state agency from the prison system. It was later learned that members of the execution team had improperly inserted an IV into a vein in Locketts groin.

Story continues

The independent Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission also scrutinized state procedures.

Ivey cited concerns for the victims and their families in ordering the review in Alabama. For the sake of the victims and their families, weve got to get this right, Ivey said.

Carrying out an execution is the state's responsibility to uphold the law and to ensuring justice, Ivey spokesperson Gina Maiola wrote in a statement. "This is a responsibility Governor Ivey takes very seriously, and as she has made very clear along the way, this will review remain transparent as is appropriate, while also protecting sensitive information, she continued.

The Alabama review has so far yielded changes to make it easier to carry out death sentences. At Iveys request, the Alabama Supreme Court gave the state a longer amount of time to carry out executions by allowing death warrants authorizing an execution to last for more than 24 hours.

Ivey announced the pause on executions after a third failed lethal injection in the state. The state called off the November execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith after failing to get an intravenous line connected within the 100-minute window between when courts cleared the way for it to begin and the death warrant's midnight deadline expired.

In September the state called off the scheduled execution of Alan Miller because of difficulty accessing his veins. Alabama in 2018 called off the execution of Doyle Hamm because of problems getting the intravenous line connected. Hamm had damaged veins because of lymphoma, hepatitis and past drug use, his lawyer said.

The state completed an execution in July, but only after a three-hour delay caused at least partly by the same problem with starting an IV line.
An Illinois man sued a former Wisconsin police officer on Monday who was filmed kneeling on his 12-year-old daughters neck while breaking up a fight at a Kenosha middle school last March.

Jerrel Perez filed a lawsuit against former officer Shawn Guetschow, the Kenosha Police Department and Kenosha Unified School District over the incident, accusing the officer of using unreasonable and excessive force against his daughter, and the police department and school district of failing to properly train Guetschow.

While attempting to break up a fight between Perezs daughter and another student last March, Guetschow allegedly held the 12-year-old girl face down on the cafeteria floor and put his right knee on her neck, in what the lawsuit described as an unlawful chokehold.

Perezs daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury, cervical strain and recurrent headaches, as well as emotional distress and mental trauma, from the incident, according to court documents.

The lawsuit also alleged that the Kenosha Police Department permitted Guetschow to become a school security officer despite a previous report that described him in his previous role as a police officer in Lake Geneva, Wis., as emotional, panicked or loses their temper and his field performance as unacceptable.

Perez, who has since moved with his daughter to Illinois, has previously compared the incident to the killing of George Floyd, who died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes.

Kenosha was the site of several days of explosive protests in August 2020, after police shot and seriously injured Jacob Blake. The unrest came to a head when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two people and injured one other.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
No cascade of lies. No speaker of the House of Representatives ripping up the speech of a recently impeached president. Almost no face masks or Covid restrictions or sad empty seats in the public gallery.

Joe Bidens State of the Union address in Washington was basically normal. If someone had built a time machine in 2010 and travelled forward to 2023, they would have felt in pretty familiar territory. Its been quite a while since you could say that.

Related: Bidens State of the Union address: key takeaways

Here was a president midway through his first term, confidently touting achievements and sounding positive about the future. Biden, slayer of Chinese spy balloons, was in a feisty mood, wearing his 80 years lightly and doing enough to silence doubters within his own party about an imminent re-election campaign (Mr President, that was awesome! was the raw reaction of Jamaal Bowman, a member of the leftwing Squad).

Here, also, was a president seeking to strike bipartisan notes. He began by congratulating Kevin McCarthy, the new speaker of the House of Representatives, giving Republicans an excuse to roar in support of their own (and quipping: Speaker, I dont want to ruin your reputation but I look forward to working with you). Then he did the same for the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, giving Democrats the same liberty.

Biden went on to name-check Republican Mitch McConnell (Where are you Mitch?) and Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. It was a Bill Clinton-esque touch of charm designed to leave everyone feeling happy.

Its easy to forget now that, after failed runs for president in 1988 and 2008, and after Barack Obama was less than encouraging in 2016, Bidens political career seemed all washed up. He has said he was motivated to run again in 2020 to heal the soul of a nation traumatised by his predecessor, Donald Trump. He came to office facing interlocking climate, coronavirus, economic and racial justice crises.

Story continues

Two years later, Biden is, suddenly and unexpectedly, a historically consequential president. This was his Weve Come a Long Way, Baby speech, making the case that the worst is over, order is being restored and he is making America sane again. He reflected: Two years ago, our economy was reeling. As I stand here tonight, we have created a record 12m new jobs, more jobs created in two years than any president has ever created in four years.

Two years ago, Covid had shut down our businesses, closed our schools and robbed us of so much. Today, Covid no longer controls our lives. And two years ago, our democracy faced its greatest threat since the civil war. Today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken.

To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we cant work together in this new Congress

This was Bidens first State of the Union address to a divided Congress, following midterm elections in which Republicans gained a slender majority in the House. It was therefore McCarthy, not Nancy Pelosi, sitting him behind him alongside Vice-President Kamala Harris on the dais.

But Biden came bearing an olive branch, noting that he has signed more than 300 bipartisan laws since becoming president. To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we cant work together in this new Congress, he said.

When he announced new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America, there were bipartisan cheers. When he spoke of an America that can still do big things, citing the Republican president George W Bushs Pepfar effort against HIV/Aids, there was bipartisan clapping for activist and musician Bono in the public gallery. And when he acknowledged guest Paul Pelosi, husband of former speaker Nancy Pelosi, recovering from a vicious hammer attack, again there was bipartisan applause.

He thanked Republicans who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure law. He then teased: And to my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts, dont worry. I promised to be the president for all Americans. Well fund your projects. And Ill see you at the ground-breaking.

Elise Stefanik, a leading Republican who has already endorsed Trump for president in 2024, sat stony-faced at that. Steve Scalise, the House majority leader, could not prevent a smile dancing across his lips.

In such moments the rancor and division of the past eight years did not, for once, seem an inescapable death spiral. But you did not have to look hard for reminders. Sitting on the end of a row, wearing an orange tie and live-tweeting on his phone, was George Santos, the con artist who personifies the Republicans current divorce from truth.

And of course there were skirmishes, especially over the looming standoff over raising the debt ceiling. Biden said: Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and social security to sunset. Im not saying its the majority.

Uproar. McCarthy shook his head as many Republicans shouted No!

Marjorie Taylor Greene heckles the president during his State of the Union address. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, dressed in an elaborate white fur that would make Norma Desmond blush, yelled: You lie! You lie! Liar! Biden ad-libbed: Anybody who doubts it, contact my office, Ill give you a copy of the proposal. He was too polite to name names, he added, and as the heckles died down, he said: As we all apparently agree, social security and Medicare are apparently off the books now  Weve got unanimity!

Somehow he had tricked Republicans into joining Democrats in standing and applauding entitlements. Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman, tweeted: Joe Biden sparring with the crowd and winning wasnt something I expected.

Despite the interruptions, Biden never lost control, blending sorrow for the parents of Tyre Nichols in the balcony with anger as he demanded change. Lets do what we know in our hearts we need to do. Lets come together and finish the job on police reform. Do something.

As he so often does, the president described this as an inflection point in American history. Theres no denying that. Russia is reportedly gearing up for a massive new offensive in Ukraine. Trump is back on the campaign trail like a horror movie villain who refuses to be vanquished. Bidens own future is in question as opinion polls suggest that even a majority of his own party do not want him to run again.

But Biden also loves to say its never been a good bet to bet against America. Its also never been a good bet to bet against Joe Biden. His still unofficial campaign for the White House in 2024 is off to a strong start.
STORY: Residents were urged to keep their windows and doors closed to avoid inhaling smoke.

Firefighters and rescuers worked for four hours to contain the flames in the production building, Brigades of the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) said on Twitter.

California-headquartered Edge Autonomy's website says the company produces "autonomous systems, advanced optics, and resilient energy solutions," to U.S. federal agencies - including the Department of Defense - as well as to U.S. allies.

Two people were hospitalized and police have opened an investigation, LETA reported citing Latvia's VUGD State Fire and Rescue Service.
VILNIUS (Reuters) - Firefighters in the Latvian capital Riga were tackling a blaze on Wednesday at a factory of a U.S.-based drone maker which supplies the Ukrainian army, Latvian public broadcaster LSM said.

Lativa is the sole European production facility for U.S. company Edge Autonomy.

LSM quoted a police spokesperson as saying officers investigating the incident were aware the factory supplied drones to Ukraine, but did not suspect any foul play.

Three people were injured and 600 square meters of the factory were destroyed by the fire which began on Tuesday, LSM said.

Firefighters and rescuers worked for four hours to contain the flames in the production building, the fire brigade said on Twitter.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Alison Williams)
A protection that is, at least in this Philadelphia park, carved in stone. Zakarie Faibis via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Elon Musk has claimed he believes in free speech no matter what. He calls it a bulwark against tyranny in America and promises to reconstruct Twitter, which he now owns, so that its policy on free expression matches the law. Yet his grasp of the First Amendment  the law that governs free speech in the U.S.  appears to be quite limited. And hes not alone.

I am a lawyer and a professor who has taught constitutional concepts to undergraduate students for over 15 years and has written a book for the uninitiated about the freedom of speech; it strikes me that not many people educated in American schools, whether public or private  including lawyers, teachers, talking heads and school board members  appear to have a working knowledge about the right to free speech embedded in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

But that doesnt have to be the case.

In short, the First Amendment enshrines the freedom to speak ones mind. Its not written in code and does not require an advanced degree to understand. It simply states: Congress shall make no law  abridging the freedom of speech. The liberties embraced by that phrase belong to all of us who live in the United States, and we can all become knowledgeable about their breadth and limitations.

There are just four essential principles.

1. Its only about the government

The Bill of Rights  the other name for the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution  like the Constitution itself and all the other amendments, sets limits only on the relationship between the U.S. government and its people.

It does not apply to interactions in other nations, nor interactions between people in the U.S. or companies. If the government is not involved, the First Amendment does not apply.

The First Amendment ensures that Twitter is, in fact, free of government restrictions against spreading misinformation and disinformation or virtually anything else. The company is similarly free to expel any users who offend Musks personal sensibilities. They can be booted off Twitter and any charges of Censorship! dont apply.

Story continues

2. For decades, speech has faced very few limits

Freedom of expression was understood by the nations founders to be a natural, unalienable right that belongs to every human being.

Over the course of the first 120-plus years of the countrys democratic experiment, judicial interpretation of that right slowly evolved from a limited to an expansive view. In the middle of the 20th century, the Supreme Court ultimately concluded that because the right to speak freely is so fundamental, it is subject to restriction only in limited circumstances.

It is now an accepted doctrine that tolerance for discord is built into the very fabric of the First Amendment. In the words of one of the most revered Supreme Court justices, Louis D. Brandeis, it is hazardous to discourage thought, hope and imagination;  fear breeds repression;  repression breeds hate;  hate menaces stable government.

Opinions, viewpoints and beliefs  which are sometimes based on provable fact, other times on hypothetical theories and occasionally on lies and conspiracies  all contribute to what constitutional scholars and lawyers refer to as the marketplace of ideas. Similar to the commercial marketplace, the marketplace of ideas subjects all products to competition. The hope is that only the best will survive.

Therefore, members of the Westboro Baptist Church can picket the funerals of fallen soldiers with signs disparaging the LGBTQ+ community, Nazi hate groups can hold rallies and civil rights groups can participate in lunch-counter protests. The ideas expressed by each of these groups represent one perspective in the public debate about rights and privileges, government responsibility and religion. Other people and groups may disagree, but their perspectives are also protected from government censorship and repression.

Messages communicated by means other than speech or writing are generally protected by the First Amendment, too. A jean jacket bearing the Vietnam-era anti-war slogan F*ck the Draft is protected, as is the act of burning a United States flag in front of a crowd. These were potentially more emotionally powerful than politely worded statements opposing government policies.

It may be upsetting to see  but thats part of the point of burning a flag, and a key reason its protected by the First Amendment. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

3. But not all speech is protected

The government does, in fact, have the power to regulate some speech. When the rights and liberties of others are in serious jeopardy, speakers who provoke others into violence, wrongfully and recklessly injure reputations or incite others to engage in illegal activity may be silenced or punished.

People whose words cause actual harm to others can be held liable for that damage. Right-wing commentator Alex Jones found that out when courts ordered him to pay more than US$1 billion in damages for his statements about, and treatment of, parents of children who were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

So, abortion opponents can say what they wish but cant threaten or terrorize abortion providers. And the white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 can shout to the rafters that Jews will not replace them, but they can be held liable for the intimidation, harassment and violence they used to amplify their words.

Rules about incitement to illegal action are part of the U.S. Department of Justices investigation into whether former President Donald Trump is at all responsible for the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. On that day, citing unproven, even disproved, events, Trump delivered a speech insisting the 2020 presidential election was rife with fraud.

However, the First Amendment doesnt protect only true statements. Trump has a constitutional right to advocate for his perspective. Even his references to violence might be considered shielded from criminal prosecution by the superpower of the First Amendment. That superpower would evaporate only if a court finds that, when he spoke the words that day, And if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore, his intent was to incite the violence that followed.

4. Whats legal isnt always morally correct

Finally, and perhaps most importantly: Moral boundaries to acceptable speech are different, and often much narrower, than constitutional boundaries. They should not be conflated or confused.

The First Amendment right to speak freely as an exercise of peoples natural rights does not mean everything anyone says anywhere is morally acceptable. Constitutionally speaking, ignorant, demeaning and vitriolic speech  including hate speech  are all protected from government repression, even though they may be morally offensive to the majority.

Still, some people insist that malicious and emotionally hurtful speech adds no value to society. That is one reason used by people who seek to cancel or ban controversial speakers from college campuses.

Indeed, virulent speech may even weaken the democratic exchange of ideas, by discouraging some people from participating in public discussion and debate, to avoid potential harassment and scorn.

Nonetheless, that sort of speech remains firmly under the umbrella of First Amendment defenses. Each person must decide how their own humanity and morality allows them to speak for themselves.

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: Lynn Greenky, Syracuse University.

Read more:



Lynn Greenky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
[Source]

In a historic moment for the Filipino American community, Alameda, California, has officially opened the first park named after a Filipino American organization.

Hundreds of Filipino American community members and city officials gathered at the opening of Bohol Circle Immigrant Park in the Bay Area on Jan. 21, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D, CA-12), Alameda City Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Vice Mayor Tony Daysog, who is also Filipino American.

Speaking at the event, Lee praised Bohol Circle Inc. and the community for their contributions to the Bay Area and Alameda City.

More from NextShark: SF Woman Beaten and Dragged by Robbers Has Message: 'I Forgive You'

Let's take this opportunity to really celebrate the rich history and culture and traditions of the Filipino community, everything our Filipino community has brought to this country especially in the East Bay and the vibrant city of Alameda. Lets take up this moment to recommit ourselves to fighting for an even more inclusive society like here in Alameda but we need this throughout the entire country and standing in unwavering solidarity with the Filipino community.

Philippine Consul General of San Francisco Neil Ferrer, who was also present at the event, recognized the efforts of Bohol Circle Inc. and the Filipino American community in the Bay Area who have provided encouragement and support for the projects implementation through the years.

Certainly, we would not have come this far without the crucial support of the Alameda City Council and the assistance of the Parks and Commissions Committee, Ferrer said.

More from NextShark: Mystery vase that sat in UK family's kitchen turns out to be Qing-dynasty treasure worth $1.5 million

In a statement, Ashcraft said the Recreation Parks Commission unanimously voted for the parks name.

More than 700 names were reportedly considered.

City College of San Franciscos Philippine Studies Department Chair Dr. Lily Ann Villaraza, who is also a board member of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), said the recreational park was the first in the United States to be named after a Filipino American organization.

Story continues

More from NextShark: Teen and 2 minors aged 11 and 13 arrested for violent assault on Asian American woman, 70, in SF

While Bohol Circle Immigrant Park is the first recreational park named after an organization, other parks in the country have also been named after Filipinos and Filipino Americans, such as the Jose Rizal Park in Seattle and Delano Manongs Park in San Jose, California, to name a few.

Founded on Sept. 21, 1936, the organization was created to help Filipino immigrants obtain respectful burials in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Since then, Bohol Circle Inc., named after the Philippine province of Bohol, has evolved into an organization that serves as a financial safety net, like mutual aid, for Filipino immigrants in the area in case of emergencies, such as death.

More from NextShark: John Oliver Destroys the Model Minority Myth in Last Week Tonight

Founded by seven Filipinos, the organization relocated its home to Union Street in Alameda in 1965 after its members pooled money to buy land.

Bohol Circle Immigrant Park, which faces Jack London Square in Oakland City, California, will serve Alameda Landing residents with its amenities, such as bicycle paths, a picnic area, a playground and paved walking trails.
Much of the focus around President Bidens State of the Union speech was on the raucous reactions from House Republicans in the chamber as they heckled and jeered the president from their seats.

But the content of Bidens speech reflected his policy priorities, his views on polarizing issues and his approach to politics as he readies for a reelection bid.

Here are five key lines from Bidens address.

Economic woes

Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like theyre invisible. Maybe thats you watching at home.

Biden sought to address a major criticism of his administration head on, acknowledging that while the economy has made gains under his leadership, it hasnt worked for everyone.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released one day before the State of the Union showed 62 percent of Americans think the president accomplished not very much or little or nothing in his first two years in office, and 4 out of 10 of those polled indicated they are personally worse off financially since Biden became president, the most recorded in that survey in 37 years.

Bidens speech featured several references to a populist economic agenda  calls for higher pay for teachers, talk of higher taxes for wealthy Americans and the creation of jobs for those without college degrees. He sought to appeal to those Americans who may not have been enamored by the passage of bipartisan legislation or did not feel the slow but steady decline in gas prices in recent months, which did not do enough to change their outlook.

The Big Lie

Just a few months ago, unhinged by the Big Lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-Speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on January 6th.

Biden recognized Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who was sitting with the first lady in her box watching the speech. Paul Pelosi was just a few months removed from being severely injured after an attacker entered his home and beat him with a hammer.

Story continues

The president has routinely called out political violence, but the way Biden connected the attack on Pelosi to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, showed how he views the insurrection at the Capitol two years ago as a defining moment that still ripples throughout the country.

Bidens mention of the Big Lie, a reference to former President Trumps repeated claims that the 2020 election was stolen, was also perhaps as close as Biden got to mentioning his predecessor by name during his speech.

Big Tech cry

We must finally hold social media companies accountable for experimenting [that] theyre doing running children for profit. And its time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on our kids and teenagers online.

Amid Bidens many calls for bipartisan action, his singling out of Big Tech was a populist rallying cry that lawmakers in both parties could get behind.

Biden called on Congress to work across party lines to address how tech companies collect data on kids and teens and how they use that information to target advertisements to them.

Kids online safety has emerged as a rare unifying issue in a deeply divided Congress, however. Despite bipartisan support lawmakers failed to get a kids online privacy bill across the finish line last year.

Biden hasnt often adopted the language of populist lawmakers, but he did on Tuesday night as he at various points called out Big Tech, Big Pharma and Big Oil for preying on Americans.

Do something on police reform

Lets come together to finish the job on police reform. Do something. Do something.

One of the most notable and somber moments of the evening was when Biden recognized the parents of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died last month days after he was brutally beaten by Memphis police.

Nicholss death has renewed nationwide debate over how police treat Black people, and it has reignited discussion over policing reform legislation in Congress.

Biden sought to balance gratitude for law enforcement and their bravery with the plea for something to change as the nation reels from seeing yet another Black man being mistreated by police.

His straightforward call for lawmakers to do something was also something of an acknowledgment that he could only accomplish so much through his executive authority to make needed reforms.

Medicare, Social Security sunset

Some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset.  Anybody who doubts it, contact my office. Ill give you a copy of the proposal.  So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? Alright, we got unanimity!

Biden went off script as he spoke about Medicare and Social Security, essentially engaging directly with Republicans in the chamber who protested his claim that the GOP wanted to cut those programs.

Biden appeared to be referencing a proposal from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) from last year that called for all federal legislation to sunset after five years. But Republicans largely distanced themselves from that proposal and appeared to take offense at Bidens suggestion they supported cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) yelled out liar! and other Republicans shook their heads or called out in protest.

When Biden said the government would protect Medicare and Social Security, the remarks were met with bipartisan cheers. Biden then ad-libbed, quipping that there appeared to be unanimous agreement that those programs should not be on the chopping block.

Bidens bit of improvisation may prove to be useful for the White House in the coming months as they negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling. The administration has been adamant that it will not negotiate over spending cuts tied to the debt ceiling, with Biden pledging to veto any cuts to Social Security or Medicare.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Biden avoided talking about some major topics during his first State of the Union address before a divided Congress on Tuesday.

Here are five things Biden didnt include in his speech.

Student loan forgiveness

Biden didnt explicitly mention his student loan forgiveness plan, which is held up in the courts because of multiple legal challenges.

The president gave a nod to the burden of student loan debt, saying his administration is making progress by reducing student debt and increasing Pell Grants for working- and middle-class families.

Biden rolled out a plan over the summer to give $10,000 in federal loan forgiveness for those with annual incomes less than $125,000. Pell Grant recipients could receive $20,000 in forgiveness under the same income threshold, a move applauded by progressives and student loan advocates.

But the Biden administration has not been able to execute the program while the Justice Department fights challenges in court, including one in Texas from a Trump-appointed federal judge who argued Biden has overstepped his power in the executive branch with the program.

Donald Trump

Biden did not utter the name of his White House predecessor.

Biden rarely says former President Trumps name and other White House officials have made it a point not to mention his name if they can help it.

He did allude to Trump in comments about the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and about Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who was brutally attacked in his home in October.

For the last few years our democracy has been threatened, attacked, and put at risk. Put to the test here, in this very room, on January 6th. And then, just a few months ago, unhinged by the big lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-Speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on January 6th, Biden said.

Story continues

He also didnt say Trumps name in last years speech.

Chinese surveillance balloon

Biden did not explicitly mention the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down on Saturday, but gave a nod to the situation.

But make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did, he said.

The White House was worried the controversy could overshadow the address after Biden faced criticism from Republicans and pressure from his own party to explain why the administration let the balloon fly over much of the U.S. before it was shot down.

Officials have defended waiting until the balloon was over the Atlantic Ocean in order to prevent injuries or destruction of property from falling debris.

Republican investigations

Although Biden was heckled by some members of the newly-empowered House Republican majority, he didnt address GOP investigations into him and his family.

Bidens speech urged unity in some areas, but he also responded to the GOP jeers, including during a back-and-forth over his suggestion that GOP lawmakers want to make cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

House Republicans in recent days have ramped up their focus on investigating the finances and conduct of the presidents son, Hunter Biden.

His speech came one day before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold a hearing featuring three former Twitter employees testifying about the platforms decision to limit the spread of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden.

Iran and Afghanistan

Biden avoided talking about contentious foreign affairs issues regarding Iran and Afghanistan.

The president recently signaled an end to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear deal, following the Biden administration launching indirect talks with Iran in April 2021 to try to reverse then-President Trumps 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA.

Biden wasnt expected to talk about Afghanistan, considering he didnt address the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country in August 2021 in the 2022 State of the Union.

He did talk about some foreign affairs issues, notably the war in Ukraine and China. Members of both parties stood for Oksana Markarova, Ukraines ambassador to the U.S., when Biden recognized her in the audience and Biden said that he has told Chinese President Xi that the U.S. seeks competition, not conflict.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Pope Francis, Syriac Patriarch Call for Prayers After Devastating Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

A woman reacts as rescuers search for survivors through the rubble of collapsed buildings in Adana, Turkey, on Feb. 6, 2023, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast. The combined death toll for Turkey and Syria after the region's strongest quake in nearly a century is in the thousands. ( Can Erok/AFP via Getty Images) (CNA) -- Pope Francis and local Church leaders on Monday reacted with dismay and calls for prayer following a devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

According to Reuters, the series of earthquakes -- up to 7.8 magnitude -- killed about 1,700 people and injured thousands more, with many people still trapped under the rubble Monday. Figures were expected to grow in the coming hours.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the overnight quake struck at a depth of 11 miles.

A "deeply saddened" Pope Francis sent "heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss" in telegrams addressed to the apostolic nuncios of Turkey and Syria.

The telegrams -- signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin -- said Pope Francis prayed "that the emergency personnel will be sustained in their care of the injured and in the ongoing relief efforts by the divine gifts of fortitude and perseverance."

The pope also affirmed "his spiritual solidarity" with the "long-suffering Syrian people."

In Syria, which has been ravaged by more than a decade of civil war, countless buildings collapsed Feb. 6, including several Catholic churches, reported ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language partner agency.

Syrian Catholic Patriarch Mar Ignatius Ephrem Josef III Younan called on the local faithful to pray.

The patriarch is currently on an official visit to Syrian dioceses in Iraq. He is Syriac Catholic patriarch of Antioch and heads the Syriac Catholic Church.

Patriarch Younan asked the Lord to have mercy on the souls of the victims, heal the wounded, stand by those affected, and support all those who provide aid and assistance to the injured and affected, ACI MENA reported.

Moreover, the Church leader expressed his solidarity -- and prayers -- for all those affected by the earthquakes.

Among the many victims, the body of Father Imad Daher, a priest of the Greek Melkite Catholic Parish of Our Lady, was found under the rubble -- after many hours of searching for the priest.

According to the Catholic humanitarian organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Daher died when the residence of the former archbishop of Aleppo, Jean-Clement Jeanbart, collapsed. Jeanbart narrowly escaped and is currently being treated for his wounds in a hospital, though he is said to be stable, ACN said in a statement Monday. Another Christian man who was in the building at the time also died, the organization said.

ACN reported that many cities and towns with a significant Christian population, such as Aleppo, Homs, Lattakia, and Hama, suffered major damage.

Among the buildings damaged were the Syriac Orthodox Cathedral of St. George in Aleppo and the Franciscan Church in Lattakia, ACN reported. The ACN-supported Hope Center, also in Aleppo, sustained minor damage, the organization said.

"The Church in Syria is shocked by the catastrophe. Even as far away as Beirut, people went down to the streets, worried that another explosion was about to unsettle their country," Regina Lynch, director of projects for ACN International, said in a statement Monday.

According to a statement by the Custody of the Holy Land, a Franciscan priest in Aleppo, Father Bahjat Karakach, reported "at least 40 buildings have been destroyed and many people are still trapped under the rubble."

The friars opened the doors of their convent to the inhabitants seeking help, the priest reported. "We have taken people into the church here, from this morning, then we celebrated Mass and opened the hall to accommodate the people and give them all something to eat; our kitchen, which usually distributes 1,200 meals a day to the poor, will do its utmost today to help everyone who is homeless and cannot eat."
By Amina Ismail

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Six years ago, Rehab Talal and her family fled the Islamic State-held city of Mosul in northern Iraq seeking shelter in Turkey, but seven members of her family died, including a week-old baby, when her parents' house collapsed in the earthquake.

When Talal learned that the earthquake had struck the region where her parents and other family members lived, in the southeastern Adiyaman province, she rushed there, only to find a scene of devastation.

"I couldn't find the building, the entire area was flattened," Talal, who lives in another Turkish province, said over the phone.

The combined death toll across Turkey and neighbouring Syria from Monday's tremor climbed above 11,000 on Wednesday.

Talal said seven of her 13-member family had died. The bodies of her father, two brothers and four nieces and nephews remained on the ground in front of the collapsed building.

"The corpses have swollen, it's the third day, the bodies are on the street, no one has removed them," she said. "If they don't bury them here, we want to take them to Iraq."

Thousands of refugees from Iraq fled into Turkey during the U.S.-backed operation to drive out Islamic State in 2016.

Islamic State's brutal rule, which emerged in Iraq and Syria in 2014, during which it killed thousands of people in the name of its narrow interpretation of Islam, came to an end in Mosul when Iraqi and international forces defeated the group in 2017.

"We left Iraq because we were looking for peace and safety; my sister and husband were killed. We faced a disaster there to face another one here ... we fled wars to die in an earthquake," Talal said.

(Reporting by Amina Ismail and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event in Oviedo, Florida, three days before the November November 8 election. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A Florida GOP bill would hand Gov. Ron DeSantis $10 million to transport migrants across the US.

DeSantis previously used a state program to fly asylum seekers from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in September.

Opponents of the proposal said DeSantis is "putting politics first and our economy last."

A Florida GOP bill would officially expand Gov. Ron DeSantis' program to transport migrants to so-called "sanctuary cities" across the country.

The proposal, Senate bill 6-B, would create a new "Unauthorized Alien Transport Program" and provide $10 million to transport migrants.

The bill's proponents suggested that dumping the migrants in other states would prevent "detrimental effects" in Florida, blaming migrants for "increased crime, diminished economic opportunities and wages for American workers, and burdens on the education and health care systems."

The bill would also allow DeSantis' administration to hand out contracts to run the program without having to solicit bids from companies.

According to Politico, the $10 million would be granted in addition to $12 million that DeSantis received in his current year budget for the migrant transportation program.

That $12 million came from COVID-19 federal relief funds, Politico reported. According to the Florida House of Representatives Staff Analysis of the bill, the additional $10 million will come from the General Revenue Fund.

DeSantis previously used his program to relocate 49 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in September 2022. The move was widely criticized by Democrats as a political stunt and sparked lawsuits and investigations against the governor.

DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the bill or program.

Two identical bills were introduced this month in the state Senate and House by State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R) and State Rep. John Snyder (R).

According to The Center Square, Ingoglia said: "The state of Florida is currently in a state of emergency because of the ineptness and the incompetence of the federal government when it comes to immigration policy."

Story continues

Ingoglia reportedly said the $10 million would go towards travel, housing, and food expenses.

He also noted that the state's agents will ask migrants' permission before relocating them out of the state, although as Jonhnathon Weber of Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund told the fiscal committee Tuesday, this is not explicitly stated in the bill.

Opponents, like Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Florida State Director at the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), criticized the economic and political repercussions of the program.

In a statement Wednesday, Santiago said: "ABIC Action condemns Governor DeSantis for continuing to divert taxpayer dollars to fund this draconian migrant relocation program while Floridians are struggling to afford food, housing, and utilities."

Santiago also said that immigrants are vital to Florida's economy and "fill critical labor shortages in key industries."

"Instead of focusing on the issues that Florida-based businesses are currently facing, Governor DeSantis continues to traumatize these immigrant families, despite the fact that they would make our economy, businesses, and communities stronger," Santiago said.

The proposal passed 14-6 in a Florida committee vote Tuesday and will now be up for discussion for the wider state senate during a special session this week.

Read the original article on Business Insider
[Source]

An Asian American senior in Miami-Dade, Florida, is moving to a new home after allegedly being targeted twice by the same man because of his race.

The first incident occurred in the parking lot of the victims condo in West Flagler Street at around 10:40 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2022. Kin Pang, 63, was returning home from his work as a restaurant chef when someone emerged from a suspicious car and attacked him with a metal bat.

The vehicle in question stayed there for around 15 minutes waiting for my dad, Pangs son, Kevin, told NBC Miami. He was blindsided by this person and he was assaulted with a metal bat.

A surveillance camera caught the violent attack. In the video, a hooded and masked individual is seen approaching Pang and repeatedly striking him with the metal bat, knocking him to the ground.

More from NextShark: Survivors of Korean internment camp being described as real-life 'Squid Game' press for justice

I feel very nervous. This is very difficult. When I got home, they attacked me and I got hurt. I am tired, Pang told CBS4 in Spanish.

Pang reportedly suffered head hematomas, a cut to the side of his eye, a fractured arm and bruises throughout his body. No robbery took place.

The second incident, which was also caught on video, occurred in the same parking lot at around 1 a.m. on Sunday.

More from NextShark: First kimchi factory in the US to open in Los Angeles

This time, someone pulled up next to Pangs car, walked around it and bent over to slash the seniors tires.

Trying to see if the coast is clear, he does this for a good couple of minutes, Kevin told WSVN. He comes back, and as you can see, he bends over and starts puncturing the sidewalls with some kind of pointed object, possibly a nail.

The vandal then fled the scene in his getaway vehicle. The family believes it was the same man from the previous attack, suspecting an anti-Asian motive.

More from NextShark: Yale University 'Illegally Discriminates' Asians and Whites in Admissions Process, According to DOJ

Both attacks have been reported to Miami-Dade police; however, Pang and his loved ones no longer feel safe in their Century Parc Complex home, so its now for sale.

Theres still a certain degree of discrimination against Asians and Asian Americans alike, Kevin told WVSN. We just dont wanna deal with this anymore.

Both incidents have been reported to the police. Anyone with information on the attacks is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

More from NextShark: Security Guard Stabs 37 Children at Elementary School in China
State Supreme Court justices Wednesday questioned whether regulators adequately justified the approval of a settlement that increased base electric rates for Florida Power & Light.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in two challenges to the Florida Public Service Commissions approval in late 2021 of the four-year settlement, which began increasing FPL customers rates last year.

FPL reached the settlement with the state Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility issues, and other parties including the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Industrial Power Users Group and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

But groups that were not part of the settlement filed legal challenges, arguing that it was not in the public interest and contending that some parts of the agreement violated state law.

During Wednesdays hearing, Chief Justice Carlos Muniz and other justices questioned whether the Public Service Commission should have done more to justify approval of the settlement. Muniz also appeared to question whether it was a true settlement, as some parties were not included.

Muniz said that at the end of the day, the PSC has the responsibility to set the rates.

The PSC cant delegate to these [settling] parties just the responsibility to decide whats in the public interest, Muniz said in questioning commission attorney Douglas Sunshine. So you still have the same obligations you would have had in the absence of a settlement agreement.

As an example, Muniz and Justice John Couriel said the commissions final order approving the settlement did not detail expansion of an FPL program known as SolarTogether. That program drew objections from parties that were not included in the settlement.

The program involves some customers paying more on their electric bills to help finance solar projects and then getting credits that result in a payback. Critics contend the program is unfair to other customers who dont take part  a contention that FPL disputes.

Story continues

Theres no explanation whatsoever for the PSCs thinking on how it got to approving this, Muniz said. From a judicial review perspective and from a matter of the PSC complying with its obligations, how can the order not address the major issues that are in dispute in a way that allows us to kind of have a window into what the rational process was that led to the finding that it was in the public interest?

I would submit that the commissions final order  lays out all of the aspects that it found in the settlement agreement and provided the analysis that is within the final order, Sunshine responded.

But the chief [justice] is right, isnt he, that the final order doesnt talk about SolarTogether at all. Right? You concede that? Couriel replied.

I concede that, Sunshine said. But again, the parties, the signatories to the settlement agreement, they negotiated this document, and theres a give and take in that process.

Later, Daniel Nordby, an attorney for FPL, said the SolarTogether part of the settlement was a change in magnitude, rather than a change in kind from the way that the preexisting SolarTogether program was structured.

What the commission was considering with SolarTogether in the context of this expansion proposed here was not the underlying authority to approve the program. Because that had been done in a prior order in 2020 that was not challenged, Nordby said. The commission was considering simply whether this expansion was fair, just and reasonable and in the public interest.

The Supreme Court typically takes months to issue rulings after hearing arguments.

The group Floridians Against Increased Rates and a coalition of three other organizations, Florida Rising, the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida and the League of United Latin American Citizens of Florida filed the challenges at the Supreme Court. The cases were later consolidated.

Base-rate issues are closely watched, as they involve billions of dollars, make up large portions of customers monthly bills and help determine how much profit that utilities can earn.

FPL filed a base-rate proposal in early 2021 and ultimately reached the settlement, which includes numerous issues. After approval by the commission, the settlement led to a $692 million rate increase in January 2022 and another $560 million hike that took effect last month. The settlement also will allow increases in 2024 and 2025 to pay for solar-energy projects that are not part of the SolarTogether program.
jetcityimage / Getty Images

Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allotments (commonly referred to as food stamps) that were provided during the pandemic ended in March 2023 in most states across the U.S. Emergency allotments had already ended in 17 states by February. In Washington D.C., Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, February was the last month SNAP recipients received a higher benefit amount.

See: 11 Grocery Items To Buy at Dollar Tree

Find: How To Guard Your Wealth From a Potential Banking Crisis With Gold

While those who rely on SNAP benefits were greatly impacted as their food budgets were suddenly slashed, the move could also hurt the economy in other ways. Grocers, dollar stores, farmers markets and other businesses that accept SNAP may see reduced business moving forward in 2023.

Research indicates that SNAP recipients account for roughly 12% of all food and beverage sales online and in stores, according to CNBC. During the pandemic, with enhanced benefits, that percentage rose by 19% year-over-year, while non-SNAP shoppers drove just 1% of dollar growth.

A report from IRI showed that SNAP households purchased $74 billion of total food and beverage (minus produce, bakery, and deli) throughout the 2020 calendar year, up from $55 billion between August 2019 and August 2020.

More: Will Ending SNAP Emergency Funds Hurt Biden 2030 Anti-Hunger Goal?

Its not just grocery stores that will feel the pinch, either  although they will be greatly affected. One in five Americans now purchase at least some of their groceries at dollar stores, including Dollar General and Dollar Tree, according to a Coresight Research report recently covered by GOBankingRates.

While SNAP food cuts will affect farmers markets, grocers and other retailers, there are other proposed restrictions in the works that could also hurt these businesses, which typically operate at low profit margins.

The 2023 Farm Bill  currently under deliberation  could further restrict food choices of SNAP participants, according to Supermarket News. Right now, SNAP recipients can use their EBT card to purchase a wide range of fresh, frozen and processed foods, with exclusions limited to categories like alcohol, cigarettes, and prepared hot food. Legislation, if passed, could restrict foods to items approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This would limit food choice for consumers, particularly in areas with limited food access, and reduce sales for grocers.

Story continues

It is difficult in this very low margin business to develop capital and sustain a business without outside support, said Stephanie Johnson, vice president of government relations for the National Grocers Association (NGA), in a letter to Congress reported by Supermarket News.

Take Our Poll: How Much Salary Would Buy You Happiness?

Costcos Best Deals? Employee Reveals 10 Standout Buys for Your Money

The NGA is pushing for incentives for grocers to expand in rural and low food access communities and the implementation of programs to help grocers roll out the technology to accept EBT as a form of payment online and in stores. While these programs could help grocers increase revenue through SNAP purchases, it wont make up for the money lost as SNAP recipients receive less per month to buy groceries.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Food Stamps: How Ending SNAP Emergency Allotments Could Hurt Big and Small Businesses
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A former University of Connecticut student pleaded guilty to murder and other charges Wednesday for killing a man and severely wounding another with a sword in 2020  one of two deadly attacks that led to a six-day manhunt in several states that ended with his capture in Maryland.

Peter Manfredonia, 26, from Newtown, Connecticut, agreed to a 55-year prison sentence during a hearing at Rockville Superior Court. Sentencing was set for April 20. He also is expected to plead guilty in connection with the second attack next week in state court in Milford, his lawyer said.

Manfredonia answered questions from the judge about the plea agreement during the hearing, but did not say anything else. He pleaded guilty to murder, assault and home invasion.

State's Attorney Matthew Gedansky said the victims and their families in both cases supported the plea bargain, which was the result of months of discussions.

It was a global resolution plea agreement between everybody  a lot of discussion between the two states attorneys, the families of the victims ... and the two judges," Gedansky said in a phone interview.

Manfredonia's lawyer, Michael Dolan, called the plea agreement a fair resolution based on the evidence and seriousness of the charges. He said Manfredonia will plead guilty in the second case on Feb. 16 and receive another 55-year sentence, to run concurrently with the sentence in the other case.

Police and prosecutors said Manfredonia killed Ted DeMers, 62, and seriously wounded an 80-year-old man who lost several fingers and part of his ear in a Samurai sword attack in Willington on May 22, 2020.

It's not clear why Manfredonia attacked the men. But an acquaintance of Manfredonia's lived near DeMers' home and told police she stopped seeing him recently.

After the sword attack, police said Manfredonia broke into another mans house in Willington and held him hostage for about 24 hours before taking off with his truck and firearms. The man later told police that Manfredonia told him he just flipped.

Story continues

Two days later, Manfredonia went to the Derby home of a high school friend, Nicholas Eisele, 23, and fatally shot him, authorities said. Manfredonia then forced Eisele's girlfriend into her car and fled the state, police said.

After Manfredonia let the woman go near Columbia, New Jersey, investigators tracked him to Pennsylvania, where police said he took an Uber to a Walmart in East Stroudsburg. Authorities searched the area but didnt find him. A man fitting his description was later spotted near Scranton, Pennsylvania, prompting another search there.

Police believe Manfredonia stole a car and abandoned it in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, before taking another Uber to Hagerstown, Maryland, where he was captured without incident when police spotted him near a truck stop.

Dolan, Manfredonia's lawyer, said Manfredonia was having mental health problems at the time and it was difficult for him to get help during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.

His mental health issues werent being addressed and unfortunately he had a psychotic episode, Dolan told The Associated Press Wednesday.
A former Fort Bragg soldier was arrested this week in the 2010 Fayetteville slaying of a sex worker, officials announced Wednesday.

Joshua Aaron Richardson, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the May 31, 2010, killing of Terrance Omar Plummer Jr., 22, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.

Plummers body was found inside a vacant Rhew Street apartment in the Bonnie Doone neighborhood.

Fayetteville police detective Jeff Locklear told The Fayetteville Observer in 2011 that he was overwhelmed by what he saw when he arrived at the scene.

According to the autopsy report, at least 31 wounds were documented by a state medical examiner. That number did not include a "number of predominately shallower cuts" on the back of Plummer's neck or a "number of cuts" on his left forearm, the report said. The worst wounds were to Plummer's chest, the report said, where the weapon penetrated both lungs, causing fatal hemorrhaging.

"In 12 years of law enforcement, this is one of the more brutal murders I've seen," Locklear said at the time.

Homicide detectives and forensic crime scene technicians process the scene of a homicide at 334 Rhew Street on May 31, 2010. A former Fort Bragg soldier was arrested in Texas on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in the killing of Terrance Omar Plummer Jr.

More:More than 20 lives lost in Cumberland County to homicide in 2022

Homicide detectives and forensic crime scene technicians process the scene of a homicide at 334 Rhew Street on May 31, 2010. A former Fort Bragg soldier was arrested in Texas on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in the killing of Terrance Omar Plummer Jr.

According to a news release Wednesday, a number of items of forensic evidence were collected and preserved from the crime scene to be examined or analyzed at a later date.

The initial investigation in 2010 went unsolved; however, as technology improved, the forensic evidence that was collected at the crime scene identified Joshua Aaron Richardson as the suspect in the murder of Terrance Plummer, Jr., the release said.

Richardson, who now lives in Houston, Texas, was arrested there Tuesday in the Fayetteville murder. According to police, at the time of the killing, Richardson was an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg. He is being held without bail in the Harris County, Texas, jail awaiting extradition, police said.

The release said a number of law enforcement agencies assisted in the continued pursuit of justice.

Most recently, the release said, the US Army's Criminal Investigations Division (Fort Bragg), the Wharton County Texas Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division, and the Houston Police Department's Homicide Unit, assisted in the investigation and apprehension of Richardson.

Story continues

Locklear said in 2011 that Plummer was last seen the morning before his body was found, about a half-mile from the apartment where he died.

"The last person he was seen with was a white male. A soldier is the description given by witnesses, based on the dress, hair and stature," Locklear said. The man was driving a late model silver or gray Volkswagen Beetle convertible, he said.

Anyone with additional information regarding this homicide investigation is asked to contact Detective C. Crews at 910-751-1046 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Former Fort Bragg soldier arrested in Texas in 2010 Fayetteville slaying
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.
Andrew Tate leaving court in Bucharest, Romania after an appeal to be released was denied. DANIEL MIHAILESCU/Getty Images

An ex-girlfriend of Andrew Tate came forward to described being manipulated and attacked by him.

The woman, going by the pseudonym Sophie, told the BBC Tate is a "narcissist" with no empathy.

She said he got her to come to Romania to make porn, and that he was violent during sex.

An ex-girlfriend of Andrew Tate has come forward with new allegations against him, saying he would disappear in the middle of the night and once strangled her until she passed out.

The woman, who was given the pseudonym Sophie, spoke to the BBC for a radio documentary called "Living With Andrew Tate."

She described him as a "narcissist" lacking in "any kind of empathy." She said he manipulated her into joining his webcam porn business by making her believe they were in a committed relationship.

Tate, a controversial British-American online influencer, has been held in a Romanian jail since his arrest in December, following allegations of human trafficking and rape. His brother Tristan Tate and two female confidants, Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu, are also being held. They all deny the allegations against them.

Sophie told the BBC that Tate approached her on Facebook with an unsolicited message.

"He was very charming and he made himself seem very familiar," she said. "He made me feel very comfortable. There were no red flags at all in the beginning, he just took an interest in my day to day life, wanted to know what I was into, what made me happy. It was developing naturally."

Once they had been speaking for a while he asked her to join him in Romania. Sophie said her life was a bit boring at the time, and Tate seemed so into her that she agreed.

Things were fine at the start, but then after a few days, something changed, Sophie said. One night, Tate got up out of bed and disappeared. He didn't return for several days, she said, leaving Sophie alone in his house.

Sophie, although troubled by the experience, said she kept seeing Tate and visited him in Romania more times. He gradually started ramping up his discussions about her joining his webcam business. He told Sophie she could "make a fortune" as a sex worker, and they would build the business together. He would chip away at her, she said, until she eventually conceded.

Story continues

"He was always reminding me that the option was there," Sophie said. "And that kind of progressed into, well, if you love me, you would do it. If you care about me, you would do it."

Sophie's experience mirrors the recruitment techniques Tate bragged about in his own videos, and in the experiences described in court documents uncovered by a Reuters investigation.

The documents, from the Romanian case against him, said two women told investigators they were manipulated into sex work and forced into making content for OnlyFans. Tate's female confidants took half the earnings, and threatened to beat women who did not comply, they said.

Sophie's description also matches the "loverboy" sex-trafficking method which Romanian prosecutors allege he used  in which people are manipulated into sex work by being made to believe they are in a committed relationship.

The relationship became more violent over time, Sophie said. One time there was a disagreement, she said, and Tate held her up against the wall and yelled at her, calling her a "whore."

He also became more aggressive during sex, once choking her so hard that she passed out, she said.

It seemed like Tate panicked, she said, "because he knew he'd gone to far."

"He likes to feel totally in control of the woman and feel like he could take their life away at any second," Sophie said. "That is a big sexual turn on for him."

Two women who came forward with allegations in a Vice News investigation had similar stories. One accused Tate of rape, and the other of violent assault, saying he choked her as well.

Both women used psudenoyms, but Insider confirmed that their claims led UK authorities to arrest Tate, though he was ultimately not charged.

Sophie also got a tattoo of Tate's name, like the ones seen on two Romanian women who worked with Tate and have insisted they were never abused. In interviews, the women, called Beatrice and Jasmin, said they were wrongly painted as victims by Romanian authorities, and have no problem with Tate or his brother.

Sophie told the BBC that she was not surprised some women are supportive of Tate, because "he will intentionally be treating some people very well, knowing that they are going to go out into the world saying all this great stuff about him." Some women under his control are "so infatuated and brainwashed by him" that they would never say a bad word about him, she said.

"It's all manipulation and there's an ulterior motive to everything he does," Sophie said. "It's difficult for people to understand who haven't felt how manipulative he is, or other men can be, unless you've had experience of that."

Sophie, now in her 30s, eventually left the relationship and moved back to the UK. She said she knew Tate's empire "would all come falling down eventually."

"I just had to get away from it," she said. "I remember being at work and I was just so overwhelmed and I'd never felt a darkness like it."

The BBC said Tate's legal team did not respond to its request for comment. Insider also sought comment but has yet to receive a response.

The judge in Tate's case ruled that he must stay in jail until the end of February while the investigation continues.

Read the original article on Insider
A former U.S. Navy sailor has been sentenced to federal prison for distributing child pornography and a video of himself performing a sex act with a dog.

According to the U.S. Attorney, starting in August 2020, William Vincent, 31, of Peachtree City, Georgia, used a cloud-based instant messaging service to distribute child pornography and bestiality videos.

Vincent was unaware the recipient of the videos was an undercover FBI employee.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Vincent sent a video of him having sex with a dog and a video of an adult man sexually abusing an infant child.

FBI agents executed a federal search warrant on Vincents home once they were able to pinpoint his address.

Agents recovered numerous digital storage devices, including a memory card containing more than 970 videos of child sexual abuse and dozens of bestiality videos.

Agents also rescued the dog depicted in the video that Vincent sent the undercover employee.

Vincent was sentenced to 10 years in prison with credit for one year, and nine months served to be followed by 15 years of supervised release.

TRENDING STORIES:

This case is particularly disturbing because of the age of the victims and large number of abhorrent videos that were filmed and distributed. Predators like Vincent are appalling and have no place in civilized society, said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. The FBI is thankful for our law enforcement partnerships that make it possible to put sexual predators, like Vincent, behind bars for significant periods of time where they cannot victimize any more innocent children or animals.

Vincent was convicted of one count of distributing child pornography and one count of distributing an animal crush video, after he entered a guilty plea on September 13, 2022.

Story continues

Under federal law, the definition of animal crush video includes the obscene depiction of actual sexual abuse of a live non-human mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
The House Republicans' hearing on Twitter's role in suppressing the Biden laptop story took some unexpected twists Wednesday  including one witness testifying that the White House had requested the platform remove a Chrissy Teigen tweet insulting then-President Donald Trump.

In questioning during the House Oversight Committee hearing focused on Hunter Biden, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., asked Anika Collier Navaroli, a former employee of Twitters content moderation team, about a September 2019 exchange between Trump and Teigen. The president had tweeted about "boring" musician John Legend and his "filthy-mouthed" wife.

Teigen responded with a crude tweet insulting Trump, which included a word he notoriously used in the "Access Hollywood" tape.

"The White House almost immediately thereafter contacted Twitter to demand the tweet be taken down. Is that accurate?" Connolly asked.

"I do remember hearing we'd received a request from the White House to make sure we evaluated this tweet, and they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed at the president," Navaroli said. The tweet, however, was not taken down.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., used the hearing to push back against Republican claims that Twitter is biased against conservatives. She asked Navaroli about the company's response to a 2019 Trump tweet where he called for Ocasio-Cortez and three other Democratic congresswomen of color to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.

Navaroli said her team reviewed the tweet and found it was in violation of Twitter's policies against abuse of immigrants, which explicitly barred the phrase "go back to where you came from."

Navaroli said her assessment was overridden, and Ocasio-Cortez asked if the policy was changed "a day or two later."

"Yes, that trope, go back to where you came from, was removed from the content moderation guidance as an example," Navaroli said.

Story continues

"So Twitter changed their own policy after the president violated it in order to essentially accommodate his tweet?" Ocasio-Cortez asked. "Yes," Navaroli said.

"So much for bias against right wing on Twitter," the congresswoman said.

Democrats weren't the only ones to stray from the hearing's topic. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., used her time to chide the former executives who were present for banning her personal account in January of last year for spreading Covid misinformation.

"Consider your speech banned because you banned mine," Greene told the group. "You violated my First Amendment rights," she said, and "abused the power of a large corporation."

"I'm so glad you lost your jobs," Greene told the former executives. "Thank God Elon Musk bought Twitter," she added, referring to the billionaire who's since restored her account.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., took a similar tack, shouting at the former executives for Twitter limiting her account's reach for 90 days in 2021. She said the action was taken because of a tweet that was a "frickin' joke about Hillary Clinton," one that referred to the 2020 election as rigged.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Boebert yelled at the former executives.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., used her time at the hearing to complain about Twitter having barred some doctors for offering contradicting views from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Covid and vaccines.

"I find it extremely alarming Twitters unfettered censorship spread into medical fields," Mace said.

"I along with many Americans have longterm effects from Covid," Mace said. "Not only was I long-hauler, but I have effects from the vaccine. It wasnt the first shot but it was a second shot that I now developed asthma that has never gone away since I had the second shot. I have tremors in my left hand and I have the occasional heart pain that no doctor can explain."

She then questioned how Twitter knew how to censor certain medical professionals, and asked former Twitter general counsel Vijaya Gadde, "You're not a doctor, right?"

"No, I am not," Gadde responded.

Hearing was to focus on Biden reporting

The witnesses were called before the committee to answer questions about the platforms handling of New York Post reporting in 2020 about the alleged contents of a laptop owned by Hunter Biden, in which the social media company controversially blocked users from tweeting and direct-messaging about it.

In excerpts of prepared remarks released ahead of the hearing, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the committee, alleged that Big Tech autocrats wield their unchecked power to suppress the speech of Americans to promote their preferred political opinions.

Comer charged that Twitters handling of the stories showed there was a coordinated campaign by social media companies, mainstream news, and the intelligence community to suppress and delegitimize the existence of Hunter Bidens laptop" and its contents.

James Baker, Twitter's former deputy general counsel, said, "I was not aware of and certainly did not engage in any conspiracy" with government or campaign officials to suppress the story.

"Moreover, Im aware of no unlawful collusion with or direction from any government agency or political campaign on how Twitter should have handled the Hunter Biden laptop situation, Baker said.

The move by Twitter executives to limit the spread of the Post articles happened weeks before the November 2020 presidential election. Twitter backtracked 24 hours later, allowing users to share links to the articles, but the main Post account was suspended for two weeks for refusing to delete its initial tweets, Gadde told the panel.

Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of trust and safety, said the company had concerns because the story "at first glance bore a lot of similarities to the 2016 Russian hack and leak operation targeting the DNC. We had to decide what to do. And in that moment, with limited information, we made a mistake."

He added that these "decisions aren't straightforward," and the company had "wanted to avoid making the same mistake as 2016."

The panels top Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, blasted the hearing as a trivial pursuit about a news article that had no discernible effect on anything and that was given significant exposure on other social media platforms and in right-wing media during the brief time it was blocked on Twitter.

Silly does not even begin to capture this obsession, Raskin said.

The White House dismissed the committee hearing as a bizarre political stunt a day after the president delivered his second State of the Union address.

This appears to be the latest effort by the House Republican majoritys most extreme MAGA members to question and re-litigate the outcome of the 2020 election, White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.

This is not what the American people want their leaders to work on. As the president has said and made his focus, the American people expect their leaders to work together in a bipartisan way on the issues that most impact their lives and their families, not attack his family with long-debunked conspiracy theories, he continued.

The House Oversight Committees hearing comes as allies of the president and his son consider a legal defense fund to support Hunter Biden and others as they respond to Republican-led congressional investigations, NBC News reported last month.

Republicans allege that Hunter Biden has capitalized on his fathers political career and connections for profit amid their criticism of a series of the younger Bidens financial dealings in Ukraine and China.

Hunter Biden beefed up his legal team in December amid an ongoing federal probe and plans by Republicans to make him a key focus of investigations as soon as they took control of the House in January.

Asked in an interview Wednesday about how he planned to handle the GOP investigations into his family, President Joe Biden was largely dismissive of Republican efforts.

"The public is not going to pay attention to that," Biden told PBS NewsHour. "They want these guys to do something. If the only thing they can do is make up things about my family, its not going to go very far."

Upon his appointment as the new Oversight Committee chairman, Comer accused the president of influence peddling, and swiftly dived into investigating Hunter Biden and other Biden family members and associates.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A former Washington County Public Schools teacher's aide received two years supervised probation  and a suspended prison sentence  on Tuesday for assaulting two special-needs children in school last spring.

Washington County District Court Judge Victoria J. Lobley also ordered Glenn Warren Reynolds, 59, of the Cavetown area, to perform 30 hours of community service within 90 days and to have no contact with children who are not family members during his probationary period.

Lobley suspended a three-year state prison sentence.

Hagerstown hotel condemned:Fire sprinkler system at hotel found drained; about 100 guests forced to leave

The judge told Reynolds she wanted her sentence to reflect the seriousness with which she held his actions, while acknowledging the collateral consequences that have already occurred.

Reynolds had already lost his job with the school system.

In November, he pleaded guilty to one of the two counts of second-degree assault involving one of the two children at Lincolnshire Elementary School in Halfway.

During the sentencing hearing Tuesday, Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Flores reminded the court that while Reynolds pleaded to one count, the plea agreement was that both victims be considered in the "entire package."

Both children are autistic and one of them is nonverbal, she said.

Both children are 7 years old, according to information presented during the November plea hearing.

Reynolds did not offer comment to the court before being sentenced.

His defense attorney, Andrea Cheeatow, said Reynolds had an apology letter for the parents that she would later submit to the court.

Cheeatow said Reynolds offers his deepest apologies to the family and there was no excuse for his behavior.

The sentencing was postponed to Tuesday to allow for a pre-sentencing investigation.

The judge told Reynolds that people who work with children are put in a position of trust; more so for someone who works with special needs children, and even more so for working with a nonverbal person with special needs. A nonverbal special needs child can't go home and say something happened at school, Lobley said.

Story continues

That puts such a child "in one of the most vulnerable positions there can be," Lobley told Reynolds.

Lobley said there were at least two incidents with two children and she is hopeful this was an isolated period.

But Lobley also said she was concerned because the pre-sentencing investigation noted Reynolds had been suffering through a mental health situation with anxiety or an extreme amount of stress.

What happened between teacher's aide and two autistic students?

The separate incidents with Reynolds at Lincolnshire occurred on or about April 19 and 20 and involved Reynolds handling some issues in a special-needs classroom in a "harsh" manner, court records state.

Reynolds picked up the first child by the shirt and slammed him onto a chair and shoved the chair back into the desk, court records state. The student got back on the floor and was screaming and cussing at Reynolds. The child, who has autistic tendencies, often shouts curse words, court records state.

Reynolds then had the child between his legs on the floor and picked him up again. The student twisted himself around and "almost hit his head," documents state. The child did not suffer any injuries.

With the other child, Reynolds used his index finger to push on a pressure point on the child's collarbone area.

Reynolds told another paraprofessional that he found a way to make the student do his work by taking his index finger and putting it along the child's collarbone and pushing the area, court records state.

He said "it works every time," documents state.

The paraprofessional looked at the student and noticed he was "rubbing his shoulder," and had a "pained expression on his face."

Mother of assaulted student addresses court

The mother of the second child, who is the nonverbal child, told Lobley on Tuesday that she knew something was wrong but assumed it was an "autism day." Then she got the call from Child Protective Services about the incident with Reynolds and it "made sense."

The mother said Reynolds, as an adult, should know right versus wrong.

If he'd done that to a verbal kid, the child could go home and tell their parents, she said.

The mother said when she showed her child a picture of Reynolds, the boy started crying and said, "No, mommy, no."

His parents are looking into mental therapy for their son, the mother said. She said she had already started therapy, noting that she doesn't know what else wasn't seen or reported and that the situation has been "very difficult."

More regional news:Vehicle crashes into The Butcher Shoppe in Franklin County

Flores said the other child's mother wanted to be at the sentencing, but didn't think she would be able to get to court in time after work.

Flores said Reynolds was stressed, overwhelmed, transferred from school to school, had depression and has had five psychotherapy sessions and the doctor says he's cured. She questioned whether five sessions was the "be all and end all."

The children could have lasting trauma, including nightmares, Flores said.

Whatever stresses Reynolds went through, there's never justification for what he did, Flores said.

Former educator already facing consequences

Cheeatow submitted letters to Lobley she said were from Reynolds' psychiatrist, his pastor and family members, including his wife.

Reynolds started working with children in educational systems in 1999 and will not be able to again, Cheeatow said.

He lost his position as a volunteer firefighter, one he'd had for 42 years, she said.

Cheeatow said Reynolds has already faced serious consequences and understands those will continue.

He was active in the community, volunteering with Reach of Washington County and serving as a Little League coach and with a vacation Bible school, Cheeatow said.

Cheeatow said Reynolds and his wife ask the court for "some mercy."

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Former teacher's aide sentenced in assault involving autistic students
Four people incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail in downtown Bellingham were taken to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after all four experienced suspected opioid overdoses.

Three of the four inmates were unresponsive or unconscious at the time Whatcom County Sheriffs Office corrections deputies found them, according to a sheriffs office news release on the Feb. 7 incident.

All four were taken to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham.

The current medical statuses of the four people were not immediately available Wednesday morning, Feb. 8.

Overdose symptoms

A corrections deputy monitoring the control panel in the downtown jail noticed a male inmate on the ground and not moving at around 1:15 p.m. Other corrections deputies found the incarcerated man in a housing unit unresponsive and exhibiting symptoms consistent with a drug overdose, the sheriffs office press release states.

Deputies started CPR and gave the man Narcan,a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids such as fentanyl. It is commonly used during a suspected opioid overdose.

Deputies also called 911 for additional medical personnel to take the incarcerated man to the hospital, the release states.

Two more incarcerated people in the housing unit were also found to be unconscious and not breathing shortly after deputies began treating the first inmate, according to the release.

Deputies started CPR and also gave the additional two inmates Narcan. Another round of Narcan was given to all three of the incarcerated people, after which they all recovered a pulse and began breathing on their own, the release states.

While deputies were checking the rest of the housing unit, a fourth incarcerated person was found who was exhibiting signs of an overdose, including labored breathing and reduced levels of consciousness, according to the release. The fourth inmate was also given Narcan, the release states.

Bellingham Fire Department personnel continued advanced medical care, the release states. All four of the inmates were taken to the hospital for further assessment and treatment.

Story continues

The remaining inmates in the housing unit were being monitored for overdose symptoms, the release states. It was not immediately known Wednesday morning if any additional inmates experienced overdose symptoms, had to receive medical treatment or be taken to the hospital.

This incident highlights the clear and present danger that opioids pose to individual health and safety. The surging fentanyl epidemic and the deadly risk even a small amount poses cannot be overstated, Whatcom County Undersheriff Doug Chadwick said in a prepared statement. We are fortunate that alert and highly trained corrections deputies responded quickly and took immediate lifesaving actions.

Investigation starts

The sheriffs office suspects opioids were smuggled into the jail and ingested by several people incarcerated in the housing unit, according to the release.

No drugs or contraband were found in the housing unit during a search conducted immediately after the medical response, the release states.

The sheriffs office has started an investigation to determine how the drugs may have been smuggled into the facility and the housing unit.

The incident follows a similar one that occurred roughly two weeks ago in which several inmates notified corrections deputies of a suspected overdose. Deputies revived the inmate who made a full recovery, the release states.
Four people were taken to the hospital after an external battery caught fire on a United Airlines flight bound for Newark on Tuesday.

Shortly after takeoff from San Diego International Airport on Tuesday morning, a customers battery pack ignited in a seatback pocket. According to the airline, crew members contained the blaze by placing the battery into a thermal containment bag while flight 2664 returned to San Diego where passengers and crew members recieved attention from medics and fire department officials.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that it will investigate the incident.

According to the airline, four flight attendants were taken to the hospital as a precaution while two passengers were evaluated by medical personnel. The flight was headed for Newark, New Jersey, before the fire.

We thank our crew for their quick actions in prioritizing the safety of everyone on board the aircraft and we are making arrangements to get our customers to their destinations, United said in a statement reported by ABC News.

According to the FAA, lithium batteries, often used to power laptops, are prone to overheating and known to cause issues on planes. In December, a flight from Barbados to New York was forced to evacuate at John F. Kennedy Airport because of a smoking laptop, while another flight from California bound for Germany was forced to land in Chicago for a similar reason.

The FAA said that there were 57 incidents in total involving lithium batteries on planes in 2022, which provides a measure of insight into why the FAA more strictly regulates how those batteries can be transported.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - France's foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday in a visit resetting relations following a feud between the two countries' presidents in 2019.

It was the first French ministerial visit to Brazil since 2019 when Lula's far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, angered by President Emmanuel Macron's criticism of his handling of forest fires in the Amazon, mocked the French leader's wife on Facebook.

"With this visit, we turn the page on the last few years and put our relations back on the high level that both of our societies hope for and desire," Brazil's foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, said at a news conference.

He said the two countries were resuming the partnership that had been forged in 2006 by Lula, in his first term as Brazil's president, and President Jacques Chirac.

Vieira said Colonna's visit marked France's support for democracy in Brazil, which was threatened by Bolsonaro and his supporters who stormed government buildings calling for a military coup last month.

Lula has invited Macron to attend a summit of heads of state of the eight countries that belong to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), since French Guiana is part of the Amazon region.

The summit is expected to take place in Brazil in March.

Macron would then visit Brasilia, Vieira said.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Michel Rose, Belen Carreno and Kate Abnett

PARIS/MADRID/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A new row has erupted between France, Germany and Spain over nuclear energy, with Paris furious about a lack of support from Berlin and Madrid for its efforts to have nuclear-derived hydrogen labelled as 'green' in EU legislation, sources said.

The dispute, which could block a multi-billion euro hydrogen pipeline from the Iberian peninsula via France to Central Europe, is also delaying Europe's green energy legislation and threatening to break out into the open at an European Union summit on Thursday.

France, which relies on its aging nuclear fleet to generate electricity, is leading a campaign to count hydrogen made using nuclear power -- known as "red" hydrogen -- in the EU's new renewable energy targets, which currently focus on green hydrogen made using electricity from renewable sources.

Paris is now accusing Spain and Germany of reneging on commitments France says their leaders made at meetings in Barcelona and Paris to consider 'low-carbon' energy, which is code for nuclear, as clean.

"These negotiations are not taking a good turn," Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France's energy minister, told a small number of reporters last week about the EU's new renewable energy targets, included in a bill known as the RED-3 directive.

"It would not be understandable for Spain and Germany to take different positions in Brussels and not keep their commitments," she said.

After much foot-dragging, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to the hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille in October, a deal formalised at a summit with Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Barcelona in January.

Germany was formally added to the project after a joint Franco-German summit in Paris a few days later, with Berlin wanting to import hydrogen from Iberia and further south as it weans itself off Russian gas.

Story continues

Macron's green light for the so-called H2Med or BarMar project was, according to Paris, in return for Spanish and German commitments on red hydrogen.

French officials point to a joint statement signed in Barcelona that states "Spain and France recognise the importance of the production, transportation and consumption of clean hydrogen as produced from renewable and low-carbon energy sources".

In Madrid, officials say the row is a "misunderstanding" and they are willing to be flexible on red hydrogen in other legislation such as the gas market directive, but not in the renewables bill.

"Red hydrogen cannot be renewable because nuclear is not an energy that can be considered as such. It is impossible," a senior Spanish government source told Reuters.

Berlin's stance appears to mirror Madrid's. "I doubt it was ever a formal promise that red hydrogen would be accepted as 'green' if the pipeline from Spain is realised," a German official with knowledge of the negotiations said.

"Maybe the French calculation was that it would be more easily accepted by partners, but that's a different thing."

FRENCH THREAT

Macron will take the issue to Thursday's EU summit and two European officials said he could threaten to block the pipeline in retaliation.

"It is obvious that France would only give the OK to BarMar if it could use the pipeline in the future to send its (red) hydrogen to Iberia," an official from a southern European country said.

"The point is that without France there will be no BarMar," the source added.

Hydrogen is central to Europe's plans to decarbonise heavy industry, with the European Commission saying its green hydrogen aims require investment of up to 300 billion euros in new renewable electricity production.

At least six EU officials said they fear the dispute could spill over to a raft of other policies that are being expanded to cover renewable or low-carbon hydrogen, potentially delaying laws needed to meet the bloc's climate targets.

For example, the EU is updating its gas market laws to integrate more hydrogen into the grid and plans to propose a "hydrogen bank" to fund new projects. France wants this to include its red hydrogen but it must first be designated as renewable.

Negotiations on the RED-3 directive with the EU Parliament were postponed this week because the European Commission has still to agree a definition of "renewable" hydrogen.

"It's not a technical issue. It's a political question," one EU diplomat said.

(Reporting by Michel Rose in Paris, Belen Carreno, Aislinn Laing in Madrid, Kate Abnett in Brussels, Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Sergio Goncalves in Lisbon; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
PARIS (Reuters) - French trade unions are planning a new day of strikes and demonstrations on Thursday, Feb. 16 against planned pension changes, trade union sources said on Wednesday.

Strikes have been taking place since mid-January as unions protest against the government's plans to extend the retirement age by two years to 64.

Sources at the CGT, CFTC and Unsa unions told Reuters that France's eight main unions have agreed on a fifth day of protest, following two protest days in January, one on Tuesday and one scheduled for this Saturday.

The sources said that unions are also considering organising further protest days on March 7 and March 8, when the government's pension reform bill will be debated in the Senate.

On Tuesday, the anti-change marches were attended by about 757,000 people nationwide, the interior ministry said, well below the 1.27 million on Jan 31 and 1.1 million on January 19.

The percentage of workers on strike in key companies like railway operator SNCF, utility EDF and oil major TotalEnergies has also dropped on the three strike days.

EDF said on Tuesday that 36.9% of its staff were on strike on Feb. 7, down from 40.3% on Jan. 31 and 46.5% on Jan. 19. Unions said that the strike percentage at SNCF over those three days fell from 46.3% to 36.5% and 25%.

Among teachers and civil servants, similar falls in strike participation were seen, ministry date showed.

Unions aim for massive participation on Saturday, which will be the first protest day on a weekend, when workers do not need to strike or take time off to march.

"On Saturday, everybody can take part in the demonstrations. It needs to be a popular, massive and festive event," Laurent Berger, head of the moderate CFDT union, said on BFM TV .

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Dominique Vidalon and Geert De Clercq, Writing by Geert De Clercq, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Jack Gleason is coming to Ukraine

Gleeson will stay in Kyiv for three to four days and, together with his friends, will bring a pickup truck for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was purchased with donations from UK volunteers.

Read also: Two UK volunteers killed in Soledar

I just found out that Jack is not just coming to Ukraine, he is also delivering a pickup truck for the Armed Forces of Ukraine with his friends, Chepura said.

Read also: Orcs ask to stop comparing them to Russians in a video Lord of the Rings actor filmed for Ukraine

During his visit, Gleeson also hopes to meet with Ukrainian defenders, students, and actors.

The organizers of the meeting are also running coffee with Gleeson event, allowing anyone who donated at least UAH 100 ($2.7) a chance to win a meeting with the actor. Raised funds will be put towards buying gear for Ukrainian troops fighting in the eastern regions.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Gateway Unified School District headquarters is located on Mountain Lakes Boulevard in Redding.

After two months at the center of controversy and the threat of lawsuits, Cherrill Clifford, the embattled president of the Gateway Unified School District board of trustees, has resigned from her position.

Her one-sentence resignation letter, turned in Monday afternoon, did not offer a reason for stepping down.

"This is to inform you that effective immediately, I am resigning my position on the Gateway Unified school board, effective immediately," said the district superintendent's executive assistant, Debby Boontjer, reading the letter.

Clifford did not return a phone message left with her Tuesday. She has not responded to numerous requests for comments over the past two months.

Gateway Unified School District board of trustees' former President Cherrill Clifford

About a month after being elected to the board in November 2022, Clifford joined two other board members in a 3-2 vote to fire longtime district superintendent Jim Harrell.

The move set off an uproar among parents, teachers and others within the school district community.

Board meetings became a focal point for anger at the three board members, who often voted as a bloc on issues.

Leanne Westphal, who is on the Gateway Citizens Committee, said Tuesday she had not heard why Clifford resigned from the board.

"I would say as a group, we're pleased that maybe she saw the writing on the wall, that she wasn't the right person for the job. She wasn't up to what it takes to run a school district. And obviously, the pressure must have gotten to her, I would think," Westphal said.

In addition to issues surrounding the district's superintendent, the board also came under fire for allegedly violating the state's open meeting law, called the Brown Act.

The school district, as well as Clifford and two other members of the board, Elias and Lindsi Haynes, were sued last week for allegedly violating the district's own rules when they voted in January to bypass a board policy that sets the procedure for hiring a new superintendent.

According to school district emails, some members of the board were interested in hiring Bryan Caples of Redding, whose teaching and administrative credentials had been suspended Jan. 15 by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The suspension is set to be lifted Feb. 13.

Story continues

Shasta County Superintendent of Schools candidate Bryan Caples attends the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

One district email from interim Superintendent Steve Henson indicated Clifford signed a contract at the end of December to hire Caples, even though the board had not voted on the matter.

Caples ran for Shasta County Superintendent of Schools last year, but lost to incumbent Judy Flores.

Redding Adam Pressman, who filed the lawsuit against the district on behalf of the Gateway Citizens Committee, said the legal action only asks a judge to force the trustees to comply with their own policy, known as board policy 2120.

Because Clifford has resigned from the board, she is not likely under legal threat any longer, Pressman said.

Also during January, the board received a cease and desist letter from a lawyer representing the California Teacher's Association. That letter told the board it violated the Brown Act by voting to appoint Lindsi Haynes to head up an effort to recruit a new superintendent.

The board held public comment after it voted to appoint Haynes, which was a Brown Act violation, according to the CTA. The CTA letter said the board should have held public comment before the vote.

After receiving the CTA letter, the board rescinded its vote and approved a statement saying that it would no longer violate the Brown Act.

The Gateway Unified School District board of trustees voted Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023 to stop violating the state's open meeting law.

But at its Jan. 18 meeting, the board voted to bypass policy 2120, which sets up a procedure for hiring a superintendent. That process includes advertising for the position, conducting background checks and interviewing candidates.

With Clifford off the board, it isn't clear how the trustees will proceed with hiring a new superintendent. The district also needs to fill the vacant seat on the board.

Boontjer said the district plans to advertise that it is seeking applicants to fill the board vacancy. The trustees will review applications and interview candidates during an open session of the board, she said.

Without Clifford, the board would no longer have a 3-2 majority. Westphal said she hopes the board doesn't deadlock on appointing a new trustee.

"I know as a group, we're hoping this doesn't tie the hands of the board, that maybe this will allow the four of them to find a way to work together better and maybe follow the policies of what school boards do and do positive things for our community," Westphal said.

Boontjer wasn't sure what would happen if board members are unable to agree on who to appoint to fill the post. She said the district is awaiting direction from the Shasta County Office of Education on next steps.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Gateway's embattled school board president resigns amid controversy
Watch: Gemma Arterton shares the joy of becoming mum

Gemma Arterton has revealed that she has given birth to her first child, a son.

The 37-year-old has said she and her husband, actor Rory Keenan, welcomed their Christmas elf in December.

We are very, very happy, he was born just before Christmas. A little Christmas elf, Arterton told Zoe Ball on her BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Wednesday morning.

Read more: Stacey Solomon: Pregnancy was a surprise and fifth child will arrive very soon'

The Tamara Drewe actor announced her pregnancy in November, after displaying her baby bump at the Raindance Film Festival awards, then gave birth the following month.

Arterton previously told The Times she wasnt sure about having children, but it appears her feelings changed after marrying Peaky Blinders actor Keenan in a secret ceremony in 2019.

I don't think you can ever plan the right, exact time, she told the publication in 2013.

Gemma Arterton debuted her baby bump in November 2022. (Getty Images)

I don't feel ready for kids because I want to know that I can come back and still be valuable to the industry.'

That's only going to happen when I feel a little bit more accomplished... or at least when I've accomplished something of which I'm proud.

Arterton has previously starred in the 007 film, Quantum Solace alongside Daniel Craig in 2008, and more recently alongside Ralph Fiennes in 2021s The Kings Man.

Read more: Gemma Atkinson reveals shock as pregnancy causes nausea like 'after a big night out'

Gemma Arterton has welcomed her first child. (Getty Images)

The actor was previously married to Italian fashion designer Stefano Cattelli between 2010 and 2015, but the pair separated in 2013 after three years of marriage.

It was a wonderful time and I have nothing bad to say about it, Arterton told Marie Claire following the split.

"[Even if they don't last] relationships can enrich your life in some way and then you move on to the next part  it's all part of the process of living.

Read more: Alex Jones shares impact of fertility issues: 'You become obsessed by it'

I don't know how I feel about marriage; whether it's really necessary... If you are not religious, what does it mean? I'd always thought that  then I got married. And now I still believe in what I believed in when I was a child.

Arterton met Keenan in 2017 while they were both appearing in the play St. Joan by George Bernard Shaw on London's West End.
The General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces reported on Feb. 8 that Russia had lost 134,100 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Over the past day, Russian forces lost 910 soldiers, according to the report.

Since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has also lost 3,253 tanks, 6,458 armored fighting vehicles, 5,112 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,236 artillery systems, 461 multiple launch rocket systems, 228 air defense systems, 295 airplanes, 285 helicopters, 1,961 drones, and 18 boats, according to the General Staff.
In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Joe Biden gave Congress a deadline: Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by the one-year anniversary of his murder.

The president urged lawmakers to send the bill to his desk by 25 May, 2021, one year after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered Floyd, whose death was captured on bystander video and sparked nationwide protests calling for justice for the killings of Black people by law enforcement and demanding police reforms.

But an expansive policing bill in the hands of Congress  which sought to overhaul use-of-force policies nationwide  did not meet the presidents deadline. Bipartisan negotiations stalled. And from 2021 through the end of 2022, more than 2,200 Americans were killed by police.

The death of Tyre Nichols, who was brutally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers three days before his death in hospital in January, has sparked a renewed effort to pass the legislation.

But it faces even more hurdles in 2023 than it did when it first passed a Democratically controlled House of Representatives two years ago.

A week after Nichols funeral, where his family and civil rights leaders called on lawmakers to revive the bill, President Biden will once again face the nation in a primetime address that advocates are hoping will address police reform. The presidents State of the Union on 7 February will also include several families of victims of police violence in attendance.

Last year, two years after Floyds death, President Biden was joined by members of the Floyd family for a signing of an extensive executive order on police reform, applauded by civil rights groups as a foundation on which to build stronger protections against police violence.

But the White House has stressed that any executive measure on police reform is not a substitute for congressional action, and the administration and Democratic leaders are calling on Congress to reintroduce the bill.

Story continues

In surprise remarks at Nichols funeral, Vice President Kamala Harris  who co-authored the bill while she was a senator from California  said to let the memory of Tyre shine a light on the path toward peace and justice.

Nichols mother RowVaughn Wells also pleaded with lawmakers to pass the bill.

If we dont, that next child that dies, she said, speaking through tears, that blood will be on their hands.

Whats in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act?

Supportive lawmakers, criminal justice advocates and families of victims of police violence did not see the bill as a panacea for rooting out bias and systemic abuse among the nations police departments, but it represented an important tool for accountability.

A crucial component of the bill would overhaul the legal liability shield for individual police officers  known as qualified immunity  that would theoretically make it easier to bring civil lawsuits against them.

That decades-old doctrine provides broad protections for police officers, and Republican lawmakers have argued that weakening those protections could expose them and their agencies to excessive lawsuits.

Despite GOP campaign messaging and Republican floor speeches, the bill does not defund police departments.

Why did the bill fail?

The Democratically controlled House of Representatives passed a version of the bill without any Republican support on a vote of 220 to 212 in 2021.

A similar bill was passed in 2020 but languished in a then-GOP-controlled Senate.

A bipartisan group including Republican Senator Tim Scott, Democratic Senator Cory Booker and Democratic US Rep Karen Bass  who has since left office after her election to mayor of Los Angeles  were tasked with leading negotiations over the Senate version of the bill.

A compromise bill that was offered up by Republicans would gut any reform on qualified immunity proposed by Democratic lawmakers. Instead, it would retain immunity provisions for individual officers and allow victims or people alleging police misconduct to sue their police departments.

In his address to a joint session of Congress in April 2021, President Biden told lawmakers to come together to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve, to root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system, and to enact police reform in George Floyds name that passed the House already.

I know Republicans have their own ideas and are engaged in the very productive discussions with Democrats in the Senate, he said. We need to work together to find a consensus. But lets get it done next month, by the first anniversary of George Floyds death.

Less than six months later, negotiations hit a wall.

Senator Booker told reporters at the time that the group wasnt making any more meaningful progress on establishing really substantive reform to Americas policing.

The effort from the very beginning was to get police reform that would raise professional standards, police reform that would create a lot more transparency and then police reform that would create accountability, he said. And we were not able to come to an agreement on those three big areas.

Meanwhile, the White House quietly abandoned plans for a national commission on police oversight, first proposed during Mr Bidens presidential campaign in 2020. Domestic Policy Council director Susan Rice said that a commission would not be the most effective way to implement reforms, based on close, respectful consultation with civil rights groups.

What are the bills chances?

With a majority in the House and strong enough numbers to the Senate to obstruct critical parts of the Biden agenda, Republicans are likely to shut down any bill named in honour of George Floyd that includes qualified immunity reform and other key measures approved by Democratic lawmakers.

Republican Senator Tim Scott, who was part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers working on the bills text, has called resurrecting the legislation a nonstarter.

Resurrecting the House progressives police reform bill is a nonstarter. Ive been working toward common ground solutions that actually have a shot at passing, he said on 2 February.

He said that those solutions would increase funding and training to make sure only the best wear the badge.

Theres no perfect bill, Democratic US Rep James Clyburn, a key Biden ally in Congress, told The Washington Post.

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, he said. We may not get everything that we need or everything that we want in one fell swoop, but we need to get this done.

One day after Nichols funeral, President Biden met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the Oval Office.

My hope is this dark memory spurs some action that weve all been fighting for, Mr Biden said before the meeting began. How can we make some progress on police reform of consequence and violence in our communities?

Democratic US Rep Steven Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the death of Nichols is yet another example of why we do need action.

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 the president.

A description of the meeting provided by the White House said that the discussion focused on important reforms that have already been implemented under the presidents executive action, including a federal ban on chokeholds, restrictions on no-knock warrants, and requirements that federal law enforcement use body-worn cameras.

President Biden and Vice President Harris told lawmakers that no executive action can substitute for federal legislation, and the necessary changes at the state and local level will require Congress to act, according to the White House.
Republican Rep. George Santos of New York at the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images

Embattled Rep. George Santos grabbed a premier center aisle seat ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address.

That seating put him in a prime position to shake some hands.

But he soon discovered that not everyone, including some Republicans, was interested in seeing him.

Republican Rep. George Santos of New York grabbed a seat on the center aisle ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, putting him in a prime position to shake some hands.

Seated beside Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Santos soon discovered that not everyone  including some Republicans  was interested in seeing him.

As they began to enter the chamber around 8:30 pm, several senators customarily shook hands with the scandal-plagued Long Island congressman, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Whip John Thune, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and even a couple of Democrats: Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

But several senators were visibly uninterested, particularly Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.

Other dignitaries who passed by Santos also passed over him, even as they shook hands with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, seated on the other side of him. Among them was Vice President Kamala Harris.

Santos sat just in front of Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee and behind Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi.

Aside from reserved places for leadership, seats in the House chamber are not assigned to members of Congress during the State of the Union Address. Seats are reserved for senators as a group in the front of the chamber and House members sit behind them. House members can claim preferred spots during the day but they have to camp out there to reserve them for the entirety of the speech.

Many Republicans have spent the last month avoiding Santos, who is at the center of a media circus sparked by myriad lies on his resume and investigations of his campaign finances, and who has faced calls to resign from members not just within his own party, but from his home state delegation.

Story continues

Many of those who spoke recently with Insider's Bryan Metzger made it clear they wanted nothing to do with Santos.

But as Metzger noted, the congressman who initially sat by himself during his first days in office eventually found a "receptive crowd" among the chamber's right-wing lawmakers.

Photos of Santos from earlier this session show him sitting between Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and fellow freshman Andy Ogles of Tennessee or with Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas, who told Metzger that Santos seems like a "nice guy." Greene appears to have known Santos at least since 2020.

During the House speaker vote fight, Insider spotted Santos hanging out by Kevin McCarthy tormentors Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

In recent weeks, Insider has watched Santos roam around the chamber during votes. Sometimes that entails standing alone along the back wall as members weigh in on pending bills, while on at least one occasion he spent about 10 minutes chatting up fellow freshman GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Catoosa County Sheriffs Office is searching for those responsible for stealing over $150,00 worth of building materials.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Deputies say there were two thefts that occurred between Dec. 10 and Dec. 29 in the area of Scruggs Road in Catoosa County.

Materials stolen during the theft include:

410 KR2 sheets of metal paneling

70 base trims

9 channel covers

1 grit wrap cover trims

132 downspout straps

26 small gutters

2 gutter caps- left

2 gutter caps-right

12 Gable Fascia Trim for KR2 panels

170 KR Gutter straps

66 Corrugated downspouts

22 Corrugated downspout elbows

8 Header trims

16 AMB Trims

13 Trap. Ridge Caps

2 End Caps

9 outside corner trims

TRENDING STORIES:

The building materials totaled approximately $155,067.00.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Josh Moore at 706-935-2424.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
More than 100 local government leaders across Georgia signed a letter asking legislators to oppose a bill that would increase the weight of heavier trucks across Georgia.

House Bill 189 would increase the weight of semi-trucks to 90,000 pounds, which would add five tons to the current 80,000-pound limit.

Heavier trucks would only be allowed to drive on state and local roads because the maximum weight on interstates is 80,000 pounds.

The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks argues that these heavier trucks would instead be traveling where families live, damaging bridges and roads and threatening the safety of other Georgia drivers.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The letter details the safety and maintenance concerns of local communities and includes signers from every region of Georgia, with representation from leaders of urban, suburban, exurban and rural counties.

Studies have shown that heavier trucks would damage roads and bridges, the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks said.

According to statistics provided by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, there were 5,638 large-truck crashes in Georgia in 2020, leading to 234 deaths in those crashes. Additionally, about 25% of Georgia bridges are in either fair or poor condition.

TRENDING STORIES:

The bill is scheduled to be heard in the Georgia House Transportation Committee meeting on Thursday at 1 p.m.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
When now Georgia state Sen. Nabilah Islam first ran for office, seeking a federal Congressional seat in 2020, she campaigned full time.

Federal law allows candidates to draw a salary from their campaign once they qualify for the office, but qualification was in March and Islam's primary was in May, at which point she had been campaigning over a year already.

Islam, a Democrat from Lawrenceville, lost her primary that year. In 2022 she ran for and won her state Senate race. But based on her experience running for federal office, she filed a petition to the Federal Election Commission asking them to revise their rules on candidates being able to draw a salary and pay for health insurance while running for office. In her petition, Islam wrote that she had to cancel her health insurance, put her student loans in forbearance, and barely was able to pay rent and utilities.

Georgia state Senator Nabilah Islam

"They're trying to keep working people out of the halls of power," Islam said. "And so we should make it easier, or lower the barriers, so that more working people can run for office. We need more everyday folks representing, period."

The FEC has now put forward a number of different options regarding the rules around candidate salaries, and is taking public comment through Feb. 10. Among the alternatives put forward by the FEC are proposals to extend the date of compensation to 180 days prior to the election in which a candidate is running, caps based on federal minimum wage, the salary for the office the candidate is running for, or a $15 an hour wage, and allowances for candidates to pay for healthcare.

As it stands, candidates can take either the minimum salary of the office they are running for or their annual salary from the year prior, whichever is lower. If a candidate made no money the year prior  they were a full time caregiver, for example  they would still have zero salary. As states set qualification deadlines, the amount of time a candidate can draw a salary also varies widely.

Story continues

Islam said she was inspired by Liuba Gretchen Shirley, a candidate for the house in New York who petitioned the FEC so that she could pay for childcare from her campaign.

"I think it took more women running for Congress to say, 'Hey, you know, I'm a mom,'" said North Carolina state Sen. Natalie S. Murdock, another politician who is engaged with this issue. "I want to be able to (use)... some of what I raised for childcare."

Murdock thinks as more candidates run for offices, issues that Islam is petitioning on like paying for healthcare will also rise to the surface.

State legislator pay, campaigning also scrutinized

The FEC changes will only apply for federal elections. For state-level elections in Georgia, there is no ability for candidates to draw a salary.

"Georgia does not have any legislation regarding candidates taking a salary while they are running for office," wrote Haley Barrett, communications director for the Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission in an email. "However, it does not permit them to convert campaign funds into a personal asset."

The Georgia Republican Party did not respond to a request for their position on candidates drawing salaries for federal and state elections. The state Democratic party did not have a position on the proposals.

But Islam is interested in bringing this issue up at the state level as well, along with increased legislature pay.

"The compensation for legislators is extremely low, and in order for us to, you know, attract working people to run for office, we're going to have to increase how much we pay legislators," Islam said. "We need teachers, we need people who work at grocery stores or at warehouses."

Currently the annual salary in Georgia for legislators is $17,341, with a $247 per-diem, a salary that Islam says makes it hard for people who do not already have money to occupy those jobs. Other states are even lower, like North Carolina , which pays less than $14,000.

"I think members of the public think legislators make so much more than we do," said Murdock, the North Carolina state senator. "I think we will have to engage in education to let folks know, I'm very open about what we make, because we are a full-time part-time legislative body."

Last year, the outlet Atlanta Civic Circle analyzed state General Assembly members using public information and found that legislators were older and more likely to own property than Georgians in general. About a quarter are self-employed.

"As it stands, it's easier for wealthy people to occupy these positions of power," Islam said. "These are not the folks that are hurting day to day. ... The folks that are hurting day to day are the ones that are going to work that much harder to find those solutions needed to help their neighbors and their communities."

Those who want to make a comment on the FEC proposal can do so here.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: FEC seeks comment on Georgia State Senator candidate salary proposal
Gepard's Armed Forces

The report outlined the transfer as follows:

Read also: Germany to supply Ukraine with more Gepard systems  Spiegel

 two Gepard anti-aircraft systems and 6,000 rounds of ammunition;

 six 15-ton load-handling trucks;

 six mobile antennae and mast systems;

 five border protection vehicles;

 29 power generators;

 10 roll-off containers.

Everything except the generators and containers was delivered to Ukraine directly from German industrial asset warehouses.

Read also: Boris Pistorius becomes Minister of Defense of Germany

The day before, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that by the end of February 2023, the Ukrainian military would receive guided missiles for air defense systems and five Gepards.

On Feb. 7, Berlin issued a license to German military companies to supply Ukraine with 178 Leopard-1A5 tanks. Pistorius stated that Ukraine would receive more than 100 Leopard-1A5s from several European countries.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- Germany is increasingly concerned that European allies will not provide Ukraine with enough Leopard 2 battle tanks to create the promised two battalions of as many as 62 combat vehicles, with an escalation in fighting against Russias invading forces expected imminently.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Germany wants European allies with Leopard 2s in their military stocks to come up with concrete and detailed commitments by the end of this week, according to a person familiar with the governments position.

That would enable officials from the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to take stock and push ahead with planning at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Tuesday, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential policy.

So far, talks with allies on pulling together the tank shipments appear to have yielded little. Besides Germany, only Portugal has made a concrete offer to send the most advanced tanks, but has left open how many, according to a German government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussion are confidential.

While EU member states such as Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands have suggested that they might send the tanks, they so far havent made clear commitments. Poland has said it will contribute 14 units of an older version of the Leopard 2, but will need spare parts from Germany. Those parts, however, are no longer in production.

Speaking after talks Wednesday with his Polish counterpart in Warsaw, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the tanks coalition had still not achieved its targets and he hoped more countries with Leopard 2s would join the initiative.

Story continues

I think we could deliver at least one battalion in the first four months of this year, three months maybe, and then we have to proceed as fast as possible of course, Pistorius told reporters.

In addition to the modern Leopard 2s, the German economy ministry this week approved the delivery of as many as 178 older-generation Leopard 1 battle tanks. The tanks, which were first built in the 1960s but are no longer in production, will come from stocks in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

At least 100 of the tanks are due to arrive in Ukraine in the next few months. A German official pointed out, however, that the Leopard 1 will only serve as a supplement and possible source of spare parts for the Leopard 2s, which are much faster and better armed, and could therefore be a game-changer in the war in Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz came in for criticism in recent months from EU partners for his apparent hesitation to supply Ukraine with battle tanks. On Jan. 25, he announced that Germany would send 14 state-of-the-art Leopard 2 A6s as part of a coordinated effort to provide two full battalions.

Scholz justified the relatively lengthy decision-making process by saying he had to coordinate with other allies. U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to send 31 Abrams tanks, but as they have to be built from scratch, that process will take more time.

The longer the EU conversation over tanks continues, the more likely it is to strain unity among member states, and the worse it is for Ukraine, which is expected to face a renewed Russian offensive in coming weeks.

In the German army, a battalion consists of 44 battle tanks, while in Ukraine its 31. A defense ministry spokesman said Wednesday that Germany and its allies are aiming to get together two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks under the Ukrainian definition and this would mean 62 units.

--With assistance from Piotr Skolimowski.

(Updates with German defense minister comments starting in sixth paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Germany will send guided missiles, five Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAG) and other equipment to Ukraine by the end of February 2023.

Source: Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defence of Germany, during his visit to Kyiv, reported by European Pravda with a reference to Handelsblatt.

Details: Pistorius has said that Ukraine will receive more guided missiles, five Gepard SPAAGs and Pioneer 2A1 Dachs engineer vehicles by the end of February.

In addition, five Biber armoured vehicle-launched bridges will be supplied in March.

Background: On Tuesday, Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv with a visit and handed over a small model of Leopard 2 tank to his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov.

He has also pointed out that Ukraine will receive 100 main battle tanks of an older Leopard 1A5 version from a group of several European countries, and Leopard 2A6 will arrive in Ukraine by the end of March.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Joseph and Karen Arrington had been married more than 10 years and were working at Players Paradise when police said they were killed during an armed robbery in January 2019. Hours after news of their deaths, teddy bears, candles and photos were placed in the snow outside. [Bethany Bruner /Dispatch] (Photo: The Columbus Dispatch)

A Columbus man admitted in federal court Tuesday that in 2019 he drove others to a robbery at an East Side internet cafe that resulted in the fatal shooting of two employees, a husband and wife.

Justice B. Stringer, 28, drove two men to and from the robbery of Players Paradise on East Broad Street on Jan. 20, 2019, according to the office of Kenneth L. Parker, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

Stringer pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Columbus to two counts of robbery, two counts of aiding and abetting murder using a firearm, and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

As part of Stringer's plea, federal prosecutors and his defense attorney have agreed to a sentence of 30 years in prison.

Stringer and four others are charged in federal court with crimes related to a string of robberies of internet gaming businesses.

Stringer and three codefendants have pleaded guilty to related charges. Chris A. King, 27, is scheduled to go to trial on April 3 for three counts of murder, including the murder of a witness, according to Parker's office.

According to court documents, King and Dezhan Townsend, 22, robbed Players Paradise at gunpoint and allegedly murdered security guard Joseph Arrington, 38, and then his wife, employee Karen Arrington, 52.

Past reporting:Two employees of internet cafe fatally shot during robbery, police say

Past reporting:Family mourns couple killed in armed robbery

Stringer also participated in a prior cafe robbery on Jan. 7, 2019, according to Parker's office. He and others allegedly robbed the Planet Jackpot cafe on Alum Creek Drive at gunpoint shortly before 4 a.m/, stealing about $2,400.

The group also robbed Players Paradise at gunpoint on Dec. 10, 2018, and fled with $30,000 in cash, according to court records.

The other two people charges in connection with the string of robberies are Brisco Dawkins, 53, and Desjuan Lee Harris, 26, according to court records.

Story continues

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Getaway driver in double murder at Columbus internet cafe pleads guilty
It seemed like a simple feel-good story: A dog living in the Nevada desert with a pack of coyotes was rescued after hurting his paw and capturing the attention of local dog lovers.

The two women who trapped him in Henderson on Jan. 28 called him Ghost because he had a habit of disappearing when people got near. They thought he'd get treated for his injuries and put up for adoption.

But first, a local news station wanted to do a story about Ghost's life in the wild and his rescue. The news soon made headlines across the nation, and that's when things got complicated.

A Las Vegas family who says Ghost is theirs, and that his name is really Hades, came forward to claim him. The women who trapped Ghost didn't believe the family, leaving the two sides in a bitter feud that culminated this past weekend with a confrontation involving police.

LATEST UPDATE: Dog famed for living with coyotes in Nevada desert has emotional reunion with family

Living in the wild

Ghost was first spotted in July by Henderson residents who saw him running with a pack of three coyotes. Residents would post videos and photos of him from time to time on a neighborhood Facebook group, tracking his movements with keen interest.

Then last month a resident named Judy Hendrickson saw that Ghost was limping heavily and shot a video of him.

That's when a two-woman crew calling themselves the Southern Nevada Trapping Team say they knew they had to intervene and capture Ghost for fear the pack would turn on him.

In all, Ghost lived among the coyotes for at least six months and it showed. He's got bite scars all over his face and body, he had a broken toe (which was causing the limp and needs amputated), and his scrotum was so badly infected, a veterinarian said it would have to be removed altogether, said Carole Sandy, a board member with Amor Paludo Animal Rescue, which had taken charge of Ghost's care and potential adoption.

Story continues

The surgeries would cost thousands, and a GoFundMe page raised more than $14,000 to pay for it.

A photo showing "Ghost," a dog captured last month after living with a pack of coyotes in the Nevada desert since at least July.

A fight ensues

Christy Cabada of Las Vegas was watching the local news with her husband when they saw a story about Ghost.

Cabada said they immediately recognized the dog as Hades, the 4-year-old bull terrier mix that had escaped from their family member's home while they were dog-sitting last summer.

Cabada was soon texting with Susan McMullen of the Southern Nevada Trapping Team. Ghost had been staying with McMullen as he awaited surgery, which was scheduled for Tuesday.

Though Hades hadn't been vaccinated or chipped, Cabada said she had plenty of photos to prove ownership and sent them to McMullen.

McMullen, in consultation with Sandy, decided the dogs weren't the same and told Cabada that she would not be getting Ghost.

A photo of Hades. Hades' owner Christy Cabada says the black spots on his nose kept growing every year.

Soon after Cabada and her husband went to McMullen's house. Both women's stories vary wildly as to what happened next, but McMullen ended up putting Ghost in her car and leaving, prompting the Cabadas to follow her.

Police soon responded to the Cabadas' call that they were following the car of a woman who had stolen their dog.

When police arrived, they called Clark County Animal Protection, which impounded the dog and turned him over to a group called Animal Foundation.

Officer Luis Vidal, a spokesman with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, confirmed the agency was involved in the call. Officers determined that no crimes had occurred but could not decide who rightfully owned the dog, Vidal said.

VIdal said two people at the scene were cited for obstructing officers but declined to identify who that was. The department has no further involvement in the case.

What happens now?

The dog is now on a 10-day hold with Animal Foundation, said the group's spokeswoman, Kelsey Pizzi.

She declined to say whether he has gotten any surgeries but said that "we are caring for Ghost and he's doing well."

"He's being monitored by our veterinary team," she added.

A profile shot of Ghost, who had been living with a pack of coyotes in the Nevada desert for months.

During the 10-day hold, which ends early next week, she said her group is wading through "a handful" of claims from people who say Ghost is their dog, including the Cabadas.

She said they'll determine if any of them are his owners and whether he goes with one of them or is put up for general adoption.

Meanwhile both the Cabadas and the trapping team have obtained attorneys and believe the issue is headed for court.

The Cabadas say all they want is Hades back and for money from the GoFundMe to be returned to the donors.

"We just want him back home and pray that the day does come," Christy Cabada said.

Hades the dog is shown.

Sandy said she wants a court injunction to keep Ghost away from the Cabadas and to be able to take charge of his adoption so they can find the best owners possible.

"We don't believe that this is their dog," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ghost: Dog was living with coyotes but a Vegas family says he's Hades
google

Google has announced Bard, its latest artificial intelligence (AI) feature that it hopes will help it remain the dominant search engine on the internet.

The new software will be built into its search function, helping it compete with the new Microsoft-backed ChatGPT.

Heres what you need to know about the new product.

What is Google Bard?

Announced this week, Google Bard is the companys AI search assistant. It will work in the background of search queries to generate a short text summary of your results, rather than simply an index of links.

As people turn to Google for deeper insights and understanding, AI can help us get to the heart of what they're looking for, Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai said on Tuesday.

Were starting with AI-powered features in Search that distil complex info into easy-to-digest formats so you can see the big picture then explore more.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google Inc - SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images

How does Google Bard work?

Google Bard works by scanning the internet and learning associate words, phrases and ideas. Once the software is fully trained by AI scientists, it is deployed for testing.

Screenshots shared by Google show how it will work in practice: users can type full sentences, or questions, into the search engine and get sentences in response.

When you type in a question such as what new discoveries from the James Webb Telescope can I tell my 9 year old about, the search engine will generate a simple text summary of the most recent news from the space telescope.

What powers Google Bard?

The software is based on Googles pre-existing product LaMDA, which stands for Language Model for Dialogue Applications. Its the Google name for chatbot software.

LaMDA is a type of Large Language Model (LLM). LLMs are software algorithms trained on huge amounts of data, usually measured in terabytes.

Although they are most well known as the software that powers chatbots, LLMs can also be used to do things such as scanning scientific databases to learn about the structure of medicines.

Story continues

Once trained on how the molecules of existing medicines fit together, an LLM might be used to suggest new molecule structures for use in future medicines based on what it knows about existing patterns.

When will Bard launch?

Google has said that Bard will be made available to a select group of testers over the coming weeks.

Next month, well start onboarding individual developers, creators and enterprises so they can try our Generative Language API, initially powered by LaMDA with a range of models to follow, said the company.

Are Google Bard and ChatGPT rivals?

Bard is seen as a rival to Microsoft-backed ChatGPT technology, which lets a computer hold a conversation with a human.

Google announced it shortly after Microsoft announced a $10bn investment into OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT. The PC maker plans to integrate ChatGPT into its own search engine, Bing.

So far Google has not said that Bard will have chatbot-style features, or do more than provide a text summary of search results.

A tool like ChatGPT can create search engines that give a structured answer to questions instead of simply a list of documents like Google does at the moment, Thierry Poibeau, of French research institute CNRS, told Reuters.
At I/O 2022, Google revealed an Immersive View feature for Maps that uses computer vision and AI to combine Street View and aerial photography into a 3D format. The idea is to create a detailed perspective of buildings and other aspects of the environment.

The feature is rolling out in five cities today. You'll be able to check it out in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo. Google started offering a preview of the feature in those cities in September. Immersive View is coming to other cities over the next several months, including Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence and Venice.

Google is pitching Immersive View as a way to help folks plan a trip. The feature adds contextual information, including traffic, the weather and how busy a location typically is at different times of the day. You'll be able to soar over buildings and see things like the location of an entrance to an attraction, so you don't end up walking around an entire block to find a museum's front door (nope, I definitely haven't done that).

Are you the sort of person who needs to get the feel of somewhere before you commit? 



With immersive view on Google Maps, you can see what a neighborhood is like before you even set foot there



 Coming to more cities in the next few months #googlelivefromparis pic.twitter.com/VPvqHP25ai  Google Europe (@googleeurope) February 8, 2023

The company built Immersive View using an AI technique called neural radiance fields (NeRF), which converts photos into 3D representations. With the help of NeRF, Google can "accurately recreate the full context of a place including its lighting, the texture of materials and whats in the background," according to a blog post. "All of this allows you to see if a bars moody lighting is the right vibe for a date night or if the views at a cafe make it the ideal spot for lunch with friends."

Google laid out some other Maps updates as well. A feature called "glancable directions" will help you track your journey from your lock screen or route overview whether you're walking, on your bike or using public transit. It can tell you where to turn and keep you updated on the estimated time of arrival, and it will update the info if you switch up the route. Glancable directions will arrive on iOS (where it will be available through Live Activities) and Android in the coming months.

Moreover, there are more features on the way to electric vehicles with Google built-in. The system will factor in charging stops for shorter trips that require one, and it will suggest the best charging station based on variables like traffic, your current battery level and how much energy your EV is using. You'll have access to a "very fast" filter to locate "stations that have chargers of 150 kilowatts or higher." In addition, you'll be able to filter search results for locations that have charging stations to help you figure out, for instance, which supermarket to go to so you can top up your battery while buying groceries.

Meanwhile, Google is expanding Search with Live View and Indoor Live View to more locations in the coming months. The company has also offered a peek at its upcoming Search chatbot, Bard, but things didn't entirely go smoothly.
House Republicans and Democrats traded barbs Wednesday over parental involvement in schools and curriculums, a hot-button topic that has become one of the leading fronts in the culture wars.

During the years first House Education and Workforce Committee hearing, titled American Education in Crisis, Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said one of her top priorities is to protect parental rights, with other lawmakers saying a parental rights in education bill will likely go through the chamber this year.

Extending education freedom to more students will also be one of my top priorities, as it has been since I came to Congress, and I am pleased to see more parents taking their childs education into their own hands since the pandemic, Foxx said.

Democrats sought to make clear that no lawmakers think parents should not be involved in their childrens education.

I just hope that we put this argument that is not based on the actual facts  to rest, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said after GOP-called witnesses said there was a wedge being driven between parents and schools.

Ilhan Omar

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. on Jan. 25, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

LGBTQ topics and critical race theory in schools also proved to be sources of tension.

A real crisis in American education is that many of my colleagues in Congress and in state legislatures are applying a device of strategies rooted in discrimination towards an exclusion of LGBTQ students and students with disabilities, said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.).

One of the witnesses called by Republicans, Virginia Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Womens Forum, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) went head-to-head when he asked her about African American, Latino and queer history in school.

Although Gentles said she supports African American and Latino history, she did not directly answer a question about queer studies, saying some materials could be inappropriate for young children.

Story continues

Bowman pressed Gentles on if she had a number of schools that are so-called implementing what she and other conservatives called a woke indoctrination.

When she did not offer such a count, he blasted her for generalized statements about schools this, parents that, teachers this, but you cannot tell me a number right now of schools that are implementing this sort of curriculum.

Later, Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) clashed with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), Democrats sole witness at the hearing, about an incident Miller cited in his state in which a school talked to a child about gender transitioning supposedly without the parents knowledge.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Nov. 1, 2022, at the governors mansion in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Polis responded by saying such moves are not in the state curriculum and that schools should be focused on teaching students reading and math regardless of their identity.

So you think it is appropriate? You havent answered the question yet. I want to know is it appropriate for adults to talk to an 8-year-old about sex and gender without parents knowledge? Miller asked.

Polis responded, I dont know the incident youre referring to, but obviously I have a third grader and a fifth grader, and their classmates know that they have two dads and, you know, its never been a problem. And obviously if parents want to have discussions with other kids about what they think or dont think about having two dads, they are welcome to.

Republicans sought to keep focus on school choice and charter schools, while Democrats pushed into school lunches, gun violence and mental health services.

At one point, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) asked for advice from Polis on how to bring the two parties together on the issue of charter schools, saying it is like running into a brick wall with Democrats on charter schools while commending Polis for his own work on the issue.

There was some bipartisan ground to be found on issues such as lowering the cost of college, learning loss from the pandemic, and work-based education programs and apprenticeships.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The famous writer Franz Kafka, who died over a century ago, has inexplicably found an audience on TikTok, in the form of fancams.

Fancams have been a part of internet culture for decades, although they started out being referred to as edits on YouTube. Google Trends found that people were searching for fancams as early as 2004, but the trend really started to peak in 2020  thanks, in part, to the rise in K-pop.

The modern fancam is made up of clips of a person or character set to a song, and usually including sparkly effects, filters and transitions. Its essentially a visual ode or a video shrine to a person or character.

Anything and anyone can be made into a fancam, but its fascinating that a Czech author who died in 1924 is suddenly finding a resurgence in popularity thanks to TikTokers.

Why are TikTok creators obsessed with Franz Kafka?

The hashtag #kafka now has over 137 million views on TikTok, but its not the first site on social media to churn out Kafka-related content.

Memes of the protagonist in Kafkas novella The Metamorphosis have been around on Twitter for years. On Tumblr, users who posted existential entries from Kafkas published journals would see hundreds of reblogs from other accounts.

"So, Gregor, you awoke one morning from uneasy dreams to find yourself transformed in your bed into a monstrous vermin. That's nuts. Tell me more about that." pic.twitter.com/Ak68QdNlhT  zach silberberg (@zachsilberberg) January 23, 2022

due to personal reasons i've decided to transform suddenly and unexpectedly into a giant insect much to the horror of my loved ones  rob from online  (@robfromonline) February 16, 2019

So it makes sense that TikTok creators are the latest to jump on the bandwagon, with their bizarre fancams of the surrealist author.

Story continues

The Metamorphosis is commonly taught in high school and college-level English classes and discusses many themes that younger generations  particularly Gen Z, in part thanks to the pandemic  naturally gravitate toward: repetitiveness of everyday life, loneliness, isolation and feeling misunderstood.

With fears swirling around a potential recession, The Metamorphosis is also a timely commentary on how jobs can be seen as a workers entire identity rather than an economic necessity. As Gen Z starts to enter the workforce, this message resonates with them  that however hard they work, if they get burnt out or cant work any longer, theyll be tossed aside.

Its hard to pinpoint the reason why a certain meme or trend takes off, but in the case of Kafka fancams, and with all thats happening to the members of Gen Z in the real world, it makes sense that theyd gravitate towards celebrating an author who, honestly, completely understood the uncertainty and frustration theyre currently feeling.

As one commenter put it, gorgeous gorgeous girls lie awake at night mourning kafka.

In The Know is now available on Apple News  follow us here!

The post Gorgeous gorgeous girls lie awake at night mourning kafka: How Franz Kafka inspired thousands of TikTok fancams appeared first on In The Know.

More from In The Know:

Why is everyone on Twitter talking about the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus?

TikTok is memeing a clip of 2 dogs from a 2008 'Barbie' movie dancing to Ice Spice's new song

What is 'corecore' on TikTok? It's both nothing and everything at the same time
Gov. Kristi Noem announced Tuesday night she appointed a local businessman to take the place of a certified K-12 educator on the South Dakota Board of Education Standards in advance of its next hearing on social studies standards.

Steve Perkins has served as the owner of Perkins Consulting in Sioux Falls since July 2005, according to his LinkedIn page. He will immediately take the seat previously occupied by Becky Guffin, who began as a fifth grade teacher in Aberdeen in 1991 and became superintendent there in 2014.

Steve has grandkids of his own, and he realizes that their future is of the utmost importance, Noem said in a news release. He will always put the future of our next generation first in his approach to the Board of Education Standards, and that is why he is a great pick for this role.

Guffins term on the BOES ended Dec. 31, 2022. She had been appointed to the board effective Jan. 1, 2018 by former Gov. Dennis Daugaard, and later became president of the board.

The South Dakota Board of Education Standards meets Nov. 21, 2022 in Sioux Falls at the Convention Center. From left to right: Education Secretary Tiffany Sanderson, Board president Becky Guffin, and Board vice president Terry Nebelsick.

The shift in BOES leadership comes after dozens of local educators, Indigenous leaders, education lobbying groups and the South Dakota Education Association have repeatedly stood in opposition to the social studies standards either for their removal or lack of references to the Oceti Sakowin, or for not being age-appropriate. Opponents to the standards have largely outnumbered proponents during hearings in Sioux Falls and Aberdeen.

More:SDEA says new revision of proposed social studies standards still falls short

This reappointment also comes amid consternation from some conservatives about some educators in the Aberdeen School District who sent memos to each other against the standards, who sent in public comments opposing the standards or who testified in public hearings against the standards.

In May, Noem had also replaced Jacqueline Sly, a 37-year educator and three-year BOES member, with Rich Meyer, a retired dentist who had served on the social studies standards revision committee in 2021 but who had quit the workgroup with fellow Rep. Sue Peterson, a fellow conservative, halfway through the revision process without publicly saying why.

Story continues

Peterson had called for Guffin to resign from the BOES in September over news that Guffin and other members of the Aberdeen School District were against the standards.

More:Time for 'truth and reconciliation' in South Dakota social studies standards, opponents say

If she had problems with the standards, she should have made that known sooner in the process and been upfront about it, and not now trying to circumvent them behind the scenes, Peterson told conservative news outlet Breitbart.

The South Dakota Board of Education Standards meets Nov. 21, 2022 in Sioux Falls at the Convention Center. From left to right: Rich Meyer, Linda Olsen, Education Secretary Tiffany Sanderson, Board president Becky Guffin, Board vice president Terry Nebelsick, Julie Westra and Phyllis Heineman.

Perkins does have some education experience, according to a press release from Noems office. He taught real estate education classes and continuing education classes at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Worthington Campus; Southwest Minnesota State University; and through Community Education at Luverne Public Schools.

Considering Perkins taught in Minnesota, he isnt certified with the South Dakota DOE to teach K-12 students in South Dakota, as three of his peers on the board -- Terry Nebelsick, Huron superintendent; Linda Olsen, a teacher in Dupree; and Steve Willard, Belle Fourche superintendent -- are, and as his predecessor Guffin was.

Now, only three of seven BOES members are certified to teach K-12 students in South Dakota, according to a search of the South Dakota Department of Educations Teacher 411 lookup.

More:Opponents outnumber proponents of proposed social studies standards

Our kids are our most precious asset, and our standards should set them up with the best possible opportunity for success, Perkins said in a news release from Noems office. We need to raise the bar for our children and work to ensure that every child has the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Perkins received a bachelors degree in economics, business and political science from Macalester College, according to a press release from Noems office. Perkins describes the college as having the most conservative economics department in Minnesota, according to his LinkedIn page.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Noem names Aberdeen superintendent's replacement to education standards board
If a middle school student at a public school in Sarasota County, Florida, wants to read Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, one of their parents will have to be notified first.

The books journey from being widely available to requiring parental supervision began in May 2022, when Allison Euker, a parent to a child at Venice Middle School, filed a challenge to the book, which is geared toward sixth to 12th graders and is about the history of racism in the U.S. However, Euker claimed the book promoted critical race theory and told white children they were inferior because they were white.

In separate decisions, the school and the district declined to remove the book from the library. Euker appealed the districts decision and, on Tuesday, appeared in front of the school board to make her case against the book.

Thats how an all-white board in Florida ended up debating the fate of a book about antiracism during Black History Month.

Happy Black History Month  now lets ban a book that says racism is wrong! Tallulah Brand, a middle school student in Sarasota County, exclaimed into the microphone at the meeting.

None of the more than a dozen people making a public comment on Tuesday favored removing the book from schools.

The board ultimately voted to keep it in schools but require parental notification for it to be checked out. This may seem like a compromise, but one board member, Tom Edwards, ominously asked how many other books would be challenged and end up with this same fate.

Crosshair Of This Culture War

Like many others in Florida, Sarasotas school board is run by conservatives who won races by harping on parental rights, a term that implicitly only refers to the parents of right-leaning and Republican parents.

In November, after being sworn in, the boards first order of business was to a motion to fire Brennan Asplen, the superintendent at the time. Asplen had received high-performance evaluations, but board members said he lacked leadership, citing his COVID pro-masking policy and trying to limit public comments after parents disrupted school board meetings. As a result, Asplen signed a separation agreement in December.

Story continues

What happened in Sarasota this week resulted from a combination of anti-Blackness, book banning, and the rise of far-right political activists clinching local power across the state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis anti-woke agenda has led to censorship, including book challenges and eliminating classes that dare to take on the reality of a racialized society. And educators are bearing the brunt of it.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference at the SunTrax Test Facility in Auburndale, Florida. The Republican governor's anti-woke agenda has led to censorship, including book challenges and eliminating classes that take on the reality of a racialized society. And educators are bearing the brunt of it.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference at the SunTrax Test Facility in Auburndale, Florida. The Republican governor's anti-woke agenda has led to censorship, including book challenges and eliminating classes that take on the reality of a racialized society. And educators are bearing the brunt of it.

Teachers are censoring themselves, Marie Masferrer, a Hillsborough County public school system librarian, told HuffPost. Youre worried that if you teach Black history, someone might get offended.

On paper, African American history is still required in Florida schools, and the states Department of Education acknowledges Black History Month. But the STOP WOKE Act, championed by the states Republican governor and passed by a majority-GOP state legislature, has re-energized an anti-Black movement in Florida schools. The legislation, which became law in 2022, forbids public school educators from teaching critical race theory (CRT)  a term that refers to a college-level concept that deals with structural racism.

The law is vague about what counts as CRT on the K-12 level, leaving educators wondering what they can teach and what crosses the line conservative politicians have drawn.

Its the teachers who are caught in the crosshairs of this culture war, Masferrer said.

Conservatives have long seen themselves as warriors in a fight over American culture. But since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, the GOP has accelerated its quest to remake the country in their right-wing vision.

After Floyds death prompted widespread protests denouncing racism, conservatives latched on to CRT as the boogeyman du jour. Anti-racist works and diversity workshops drew their ire.

Then they zeroed in on people who belong to the LGBTQ community, smearing gay teachers, passing anti-trans legislation, and attacking drag performers. Anything that was both Black and gay was just extra fodder for conservatives.

Last year, the Republican-controlled Florida state legislature passed a law requiring public school librarians to adhere to new  but very vague  guidance about which books could be used in classrooms. The policy threatened that educators could be charged with a felony if they didnt follow the guidance banning books that indoctrinate students but didnt define those terms.

Educators soon began posting photos on social media of their empty bookshelves and books they felt they had to remove. The books in question mostly deal with LGBTQ or racial justice themes.

Last year, the Republican-controlled Florida state legislature passed a law requiring public school librarians to adhere to new guidance about which books could be used in classrooms.

Last year, the Republican-controlled Florida state legislature passed a law requiring public school librarians to adhere to new guidance about which books could be used in classrooms.

Last month, amidst the drama and confusion surrounding books, DeSantis announced that the states Department of Education had canceled the Advanced Placement African American History class, which was in its pilot phase but still available for juniors and seniors in high schools across the state.

As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value, the governors administration said in a letter to the College Board, the organization that oversees AP courses and college entrance exams. In its pilot phase, the course covered topics like incarceration and the debate over reparations for slavery.

Manny Diaz, the states Education Department commissioner, tweeted that the course was full of CRT and other obvious violations of Florida law.

He wrote: We proudly require the teaching of African American history. We do not accept woke indoctrination masquerading as education.

The College Board later announced removing some of the content DeSantis found objectionable, such as prominent Black authors like bell hooks and Ta-nehisi Coates and information about the Black Lives Matter movement.

[Gov. DeSantis] wants a half-full view of African American history, David Canton, an African American studies professor at the University of Florida, told HuffPost. They only want to teach the uplifting narrative about Black history.

However, the College Board said its decision about the course was apolitical.

This is the first time an entire course has been canceled, said Andrew Spar, the president of the Florida Educators Association. Its clear that they want to choose who tells Black history and through what lens.

DeSantis anti-woke agenda comes as rumors swirl that he plans to throw his hat into the 2024 presidential race. Hes increasingly pushing policies and directives that appeal to the blood-red base of the Republican Party.

Its more important to him to fight this culture war and become president than it is to let kids learn, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told HuffPost.

This is what DeSantis does when he doesnt like something, Weingarten added. He just attempts to eliminate it.

Theres evidence that DeSantis attempts to infringe on educators ability to teach Black history and other topics that make right-wingers uncomfortable are starting to have an effect.

According to a RAND survey of teachers across the country, in many states where education restrictions had been enacted, such as Florida, educators reported that they were changing their curriculums because of state-level restrictions.

I told my kids they can handcuff me and drag me out before they take any books out of my library, Masferrer said.

But for every outspoken teacher in a district with supportive administration, some worry that doing the wrong thing could cost them their jobs.

There are teachers who are scared to death, Masferrer said. Theyre leaving the profession over this.

Weingarten said the purge of so-called woke educators along with books and curriculum was likely the plan: This is exactly the chilling effect the Florida governor was pushing for.

Related...
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has rescued seven more migrants who were missing following Tuesday's shipwreck off the island of Lesbos in which three people drowned, bringing the number of survivors to 39, the coast guard said on Wednesday.

Survivors had told authorities that about 41 people were on board the rubber dinghy that had sailed from Turkey. State broadcaster ERT said the migrants were from Syria, Yemen and Somalia, citing survivors' accounts.

Greece has long been one of the main entry points into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Thousands of people have died during the short but dangerous journey from Turkey on unseaworthy boats.

Tuesday's shipwreck, amid cold weather and strong winds, was the second this week.

(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Christina Fincher)
ATLANTA (AP)  After cutting ties with Josef Martinez, Atlanta United bolstered its front line Wednesday with the signing of Greek forward Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The 28-year-old Giakoumakis comes to Major League Soccer from Celtic FC, where he led the Scottish Premiership in goals and helped the team win both the league title and Scottish Cup.

He has some big shoes to fill in Atlanta.

Giakoumakis will take a designated player and international roster spot, essentially taking over for Martinez after the leading scorer in franchise history was let go by United and signed with Inter Miami.

The signing ends a weeks-long pursuit of Giakoumakis that included reports of him heading to a Japanese team.

In the end, Atlanta got a player it desperately needed to bolster a front line that lacked for offensive punch with the season opener just 2 1/2 weeks away.

Giorgos is a player whos been on the clubs radar for a while and were excited to bring him to Atlanta, technical director Carlos Bocanegra said in a statement. Hes a powerful striker who loves to get in the box and score goals. He plays with a high intensity, works hard and is someone we think will help the team both in the attack and leading the line defensively."

Martinez was the face of the Atlanta franchise after United joined MLS as an expansion team in 2017.

He set a league scoring record and earned MVP honors in his second year, leading United to the MLS Cup title. Martinez scored 111 goals in 158 appearances for Atlanta in all competitions.

But the striker never regained his dynamic form after a severe knee injury in the 2020 opener knocked him out for the rest of the season. A falling-out with coach Gonzalo Pineda effectively ended his time in Atlanta, prompting the team to buy out his contract so he could sign with the Miami.

Giakoumakis was the Scottish league's top goal scorer with 13 goals during the 2021-22 season, and he has tallied six goals in 19 appearances this season with Celtic again sitting atop the standings.

Story continues

Across all competitions, he scored 26 goals in 57 appearances for the Scottish powerhouse.

After staring his career in his native country, Giakoumakis moved to VVV-Venlo in the Dutch Eredivisie in 2020.

He had a breakout year in the Dutch top flight with a league-leading 26 goals in 30 appearances, which led to him joining Celtic the following year.

Atlanta United, which failed to make the playoffs last season, opens the MLS campaign Sept. 25 at home against San Jose.

___

AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) says she aimed to send a fashionable message to President Biden by sporting a $500 white fur-trimmed coat to his State of the Union address.

The Georgia Republican made headlines on Tuesday as one of several GOP lawmakers who jeered Biden during his speech before a joint session of Congress.

But it was her distinctive ivory ensemble that drove much of the conversation on social media, with some Twitter users mocking her look as reminiscent of Disney villain Cruella de Vil or the White Witch of Narnia.

The Regina hooded Peruvian alpaca wool coat retails for $495 on Overland. A sales page for the clothing item boasts that its beautiful tulip-hem flatters every figure.

The website says that the sustainable, heirloom-quality garment is part of a collection that supports Peruvian artisans in earning fair wages while preserving their ancestral heritage.

Greenes office tells ITK that the congresswoman bought the now-famed coat while campaigning against former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and fundraising for Cheneys GOP primary opponent, now-Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.).

Greene wore her outfit to highlight something President Biden refused to address in his speech, the white Chinese spy balloon, a spokesman told ITK.

Biden refused to mention it, just like he refused to stop the intelligence gathering operation that traversed the United States and surveilled some of our most important military facilities in the country, Greene spokesman Nick Dyer said.

While he didnt explicitly mention the suspected Chinese spy balloon during his State of the Union address, Biden did nod to his decision to shoot it down last week.

I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world, Biden said.

But make no mistake. As we made clear last week, if Chinas threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did, he added.

Republican lawmakers including Greene have criticized Biden for being slow to act in taking down the balloon days after it was discovered hovering around sensitive military sites.

Story continues

Biden has said he immediately called for his officials to shoot down the balloon but was advised to wait until the massive aircraft was in an area where the debris field would not pose a threat to civilians on the ground.

Ahead of Bidens speech, Greene posted a video on Twitter showing her walking through the halls of the Capitol while holding the string to a white balloon.

Its just an innocent white balloon, she said in the clip.

Its not the first time that members of Congress have taken a sartorial stand at the State of the Union.

In 2019, dozens of lawmakers appeared at the Capitol dressed in white to show solidarity with women ahead of then-President Trumps State of the Union address.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) -Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has suspended its operations in an area of northwest Burkina Faso where armed assailants killed two of its employees on Wednesday, the medical charity said in a statement.

Gunmen on Wednesday morning opened fire on an MSF-branded vehicle transporting four staff members between the towns of Dedougou and Tougan, in an administrative region named "Boucle de Mouhoun" in Sourou province.

Two Burkina Faso nationals - the driver and a logistics supervisor aged 39 and 34 respectively - were killed, MSF said in a statement.

The other two passengers managed to escape.

MSF suspended its activities in the Boucle de Mouhoun while it seeks more clarity on the circumstances of the attack, the statement added.

Burkina Faso is one of several West African countries grappling with violent jihadist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

The insurgency blighting the Sahel region south of the Sahara took root after a Tuareg rebellion in Mali in 2012. Despite costly international efforts to contain it, the insurgency has spread to neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso and more recently to coastal states, killing thousands and uprooting over 2 million in the process.

MSF was providing health services to thousands of displaced civilians in the Boucle du Mouhoun. It warned in August that the number of people fleeing attacks and seeking shelter in the area was rising rapidly.

(Reporting by Thiam NdiagaWriting by Sofia ChristensenEditing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)
A Gwinnett County lawmaker told Channel 2 Action News Georgias arrest record system is preventing many poor and black and brown people from getting jobs.

Channel 2S Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke to the lawmaker who said the system needs to change.

Representative Gregg Kennard introduced a bill for those who have been arrested but never charged and sometimes never even convicted but still have criminal records.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

His concern is how this affects black and brown communities who are disproportionally arrested.

The lawmaker and Gwinnett County pastor said he sees too many poor people and people of color are unable to work because of their arrest only criminal records.

Of course these kind of measures impact people of color more acutely, he said.

When someone is arrested theres a record of that that stays with them even if theyre never charged by prosecutor.

If their case is dismissed in court Kennard said their record isnt always restricted like it should be.

HB 171 is a bill Kennard introduced this session to change that.

TRENDING STORIES:

Once charges are brought it becomes public record, but if it results in a non-conviction it is automatically restricted and sealed and cannot be seen, he said.

The Georgia justice project says there are four and a half million people with a criminal record in Georgia.

Half of those folks actually dont have any conviction history. So thats multiple million people in this state, who have a criminal record despite never having been found guilty of anything, Wade Askew, Georgia Justice Project Policy Manager said.

Askew believes one problem is employers and housing providers dont always give people a chance to respond.

Story continues

Police officers would still have access to full arrest records. The bill is still awaiting committee hearings before being up for a potential vote.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
Pariss portfolio of luxury hotels just grew by one. Hotel Dames des Arts debuted this month in the sixth arrondissements trendy neighborhood of Saint-Germain.

The new hotel is the brainchild of Parisian Raphael Navotnamed Designer of the Year at the 2023 Maison & Objet Awardswho crafted the sleek interior space to look like something out of a French New Wave movie. The hotel is decidedly modern but clearly takes design cues from the 1950s. A sultry black oak floor in the lobby is accented by plush black and beige furniture that gives the hotel a film noir sheen. Aiding this effect is sculpted mood lighting that would make Blanche Dubois nod in approval.

More from Robb Report

The restaurant inside Hotel Dames des Arts

The 109 guest rooms are not quite as cinematic but feature chic, minimalist decor that will appeal to design buffs. Each room is equipped with branded ashtrays, so you can light up like Jean-Luc Godard. Youll also find Diptyque bath products to make your soaking suitably special. Of the hotels four suites, the grandest is the 254-square-foot penthouse. Fittingly christened the Eiffel Tower suite, it comprises a king-size bedroom, a lavish bathroom and a private balcony that gives you a birds eye view of the citys famous landmarks.

Hotel Dame Des Arts was always conceived to be more than just a hotel, the co-owner, Imshan Jamal, of hospitality company EQ Group, told Robb Report. The history of Pariss famous Rive Gauche was the curation of the arts and so our privileged location in its heart, footsteps away from the Seine, Notre Dame and Boulevard St Germain, meant we had to do something special.

Beyond the accommodations, the propertys crown jewel is a rooftop bar that offers 360-degree views of the Parisian skyline, including the Eiffel Tower and the golden dome of Les Invalides. When its time to dine, youll head in the opposite direction: The ground-level restaurant, which has tables both indoors and out, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Steak frites, anyone?

Story continues

Rates for rooms start at $330 per night.

Click here to see the Hotel Dames Des Arts in photos.

Best of Robb Report

Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office is investigating a death in the Kure Beach area.

A 64-year-old man was pronounced dead near the Fort Fisher recreational area Tuesday afternoon after his body was found floating in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a news release from the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded just before 5 p.m. after a man on a bike noticed him. Kure Beach firefighters and police officers retrieved the body from the water near the Forth Fisher Aquarium. It was determined that the victim was pass life saving measures.

Kure Beach Fire Chief Ed Kennedy said the case was handed over to the sheriff's office since it's in its jurisdiction.

New Hanover County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jerry Brewer said no foul play is suspected. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

"Any additional information will be released as it becomes available," Brewer stated.

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest news by signing up for the StarNews newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: More details released on body found in water off Fort Fisher
Harrison Ford said old jokes were removed from Indiana Jones 5. (Getty Images)

Harrison Ford says jokes about his character being old were removed from the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny screenplay.

The 80-year-old actor, who last played the archaeologist in 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull said changes were made to not refer to Jones' age.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ford said: "In [Dial of Destiny] there were a lot of old jokes in the script. We took them all out."

Read more: Everything we know about Indiana Jones 5

Adding why the changes were made, Ford explained: "There is a moment where he observes himself in this situation and says, 'What the f*** am I doing in here?' But I hate what I call 'talking about the story'.

"I want to see circumstances in which the audience gets a chance to experience the story, not to be led through the nose with highlights pointed out to them. Id rather create behavior that is the joke of age rather than talk about it."

Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. (Lucasfilm)

Written by James Mangold as well as Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, the Dial of Destiny will take place in 1969 against the backdrop of the Space Race between the USA and Soviet Union.

Jones will once again do battle with Nazis who have been recruited by the American government to aid NASA's Apollo programme.

Read more: Harrison Ford will be de-aged in new Indiana Jones film

Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as Ford's goddaughter Helena Shaw who accompanies him on his adventures while Mads Mikkelsen will play villainous Nazi Jurgen Voller.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. (Lucasfilm)

John Rhys-Davies also reprises his role as Sallah from previous films while other additions to the cast include Antonio Banderas and Toby Jones.

For the film's opening sequence, Ford has been de-aged to appear as he did in the 1980's.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is set to be released on 30 June.

Watch below: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny first trailer
A Hartford man was arrested in connection with a 2022 fatal hit-and-run crash in Hartford that killed a Trinity College student, police said.

Karanja Thomas, 45, was arrested by the Hartford Police Department on Wednesday on an active warrant.

On the night of March 31, 2022, Hartford police responded to the intersection of New Britain Avenue and Henry Street across from campus for a serious motor vehicle crash involving pedestrians. Officers found three women, all Trinity students, who were hit by a car. All three were transported to an area hospital.

One of the students, identified as 20-year-old Jillian Hegarty, was pronounced dead at Hartford Hospital. Another victim was listed in critical but stable condition and the other suffered minor injuries, police said.

It was determined that the three women were hit while crossing New Britain Avenue. The vehicle fled the scene.

Hegarty was a sophomore at Trinity College studying neuroscience. She was a St. Johnsbury, Vermont, native and was described as a scholar, a dancer, a leader and a friend to all, in her obituary.

The deadly collision was captured on a surveillance camera. Police identified the car as a gray Volkswagen Touareg, which was located in New Haven the following day.

Following an investigation into the crash, detectives identified Thomas as the driver and obtained an arrest warrant.

Thomas is facing charges of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, third-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, evading responsibility resulting in death, evading responsibility resulting in injury and operation of a motor vehicle under a suspended license. He is being held on a $300,000 judge-set bond and is set to be arraigned on Friday, police said.
Feb. 7In one room, more than a dozen students are working on the engine of an old truck.

In another, every seat is filled with teens learning to write code. Down the hall, a class creates chess pieces using 3D printers.

Anyone looking for evidence career and technical education (CTE) programs across New Hampshire have expanded in recent years need look no further than the classrooms at the Wilbur H. Palmer Career and Technical Education Center at Alvirne High School in Hudson.

"Our numbers are through the roof," said Eric Frauwirth, the center's director.

February is Careers in Technical Education (CTE) Month, and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., visited the Palmer CTE Center Monday to hear from school administrators, teachers, and students about the programs offered at the site  and the secret to their success.

The Palmer Center works with employers across southern New Hampshire to address key industry needs  like a shortage of health care workers  and allows students to get valuable on-the-job training while developing the skills needed in a 21st century economy.

There are 600 students enrolled in classes at the center, representing nine communities, Frauwirth said.

"About 400 are from Alvirne (High) and another 200 are bused in," Frauwirth said.

The programs and equipment at the center are funded in large part by Perkins V Entrepreneurship Education and Training Grants, created to expand entrepreneurship-related initiatives through career and technical education programs.

Hassan said she's been working in Washington, D.C., across party lines to strengthen the Perkins grant program "that schools like this depend on."

"But what was most exciting to me about today was the kids," Hassan said. "Seeing how engaged they are, what they're learning, how prepared they are becoming for jobs in the 21st century."

As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Hassan has focused on strengthening career pathways and workforce training programs. She helped pass into law the year-end government funding bill, which includes a $75 million increase to Perkins programs, which directly support career and technical education programs across the state.

Story continues

New Hampshire has 30 CTE programs across the state, serving students from public schools in their regions.

The Palmer Center sends student ambassadors to middle schools to share their experiences and answer questions prospective students may have.

The Palmer CTE Center offers agricultural training, along with courses and hands-on experience in culinary arts, veterinary science, digital media and welding  a wide variety of career training options.

Hassan said she was encouraged to see the number of female students enrolled in programs at the center, including jobs like welding, which has historically been dominated by males.

"They're learning that there are a lot of jobs out there they could be really good at, and they need hands-on training too," Hassan said. "They're learning about welding, which is a field women have been underrepresented in, and as we learn more and more about what a difference they can make. These are family-sustaining jobs, good wage jobs. This is all about being able to proceed from high school to a career in a variety of ways."
Wives of the killed occupiers from the "DPR" [self-proclaimed and non-recognised Donetsk People's Republic in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine  ed.] have received 21 fur coats. The women have thanked the Russians "from the heart".

Source: Latvia-based Russian independent news outlet Meduza

Details: The widows have lined up in the video in order to express their gratitude for "help". "We unexpectedly received such help today. We are very grateful to you. Families of the killed soldiers gathered here. Truly, we thank you from the heart!" one woman said.

The voiceover has stated that fur coats were provided by "Russian activists". "You feel that we are one family in such moments," the man said.

Background: In July 2022, Russian propagandists broadcast a story about the father of an occupier from Saratov Oblast, Alexey Malov, who was killed in Ukraine; the man spent the funds he received after his sons death on a new Lada car. "In memory of my son, we have bought a new car," the father proudly said then.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Early on Tuesday, a Milwaukee police officer was shot and killed while trying to apprehend a robbery suspect on the citys south side.

Here's how leaders across the Milwaukee community reacted to the incident.

Jeffery Norman, Milwaukee Police Chief

"One of our finest, who put on that uniform, put on that badge, went into work last night and paid the ultimate sacrifice for protecting our community."

"Milwaukee, we need your prayers, we need your support. To the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department, I see you. I am proud of you. The work you do does not go unnoticed. This is a time to lean in and do the work in our community. The violence needs to stop."

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, right, walks with Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman after Norman briefed the media regarding a fatal officer involved shooting near the intersection of South 13th Street and West Cleveland Avenue in Milwaukee.

Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee Mayor

"Its on all of us to make sure that individuals who are out there, who would cause incidents like this  death, harm and destruction  that we keep an eye on them, that we inform them that they should put their guns down," Johnson said. "We need you to speak up, we need you to be engaged."

Denita Ball, Milwaukee County Sheriff

"The violence in our community highlights the critical need for state, local and community partners to work together to combat crime and make our neighborhoods safer."

Jose Perez, Common Council President

"Youre going to hear this message often: its up to all of us. Every one of us. Priests, pastors, fathers, mothers. We need to continue to come together. We can do better. We deserve better and its up to us. We need peace in our community."

Statement of entire Common Council

"We encourage the wider Milwaukee community to join with us in honoring the memory of our fallen officer while continuing to support one another during this painful time. We also ask community members to pray for peace, for a stop to the normalization of gun carrying and/or gun culture, and for an end to senseless violence anywhere and everywhere in our city."

Darryl Morin, Forward Latino

"Today, we offer our deepest condolences and prayers to the family of Milwaukee Police Department Officer who gave his life this morning so that we could be safe. We also send our condolences to the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Police Association."

Story continues

David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive

My most heartfelt condolences, and that of all Milwaukee County, go out to the family and loved ones of the officer who lost his life serving and protecting our community. As I have often said, as a community, we cannot sit idle. We must gather every resource available to address the gun violence plaguing our communities and prevent anything like this from happening again."

Julian Bradley, State Senator

This morning our community mourns a tragic loss. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and fellow officers. The men and women of law enforcement need our support right now. We must never take for granted the risk law enforcement faces daily while protecting and serving our communities."

Bob Donovan, State Representative

"This police officer is not only the victim of a violent perpetrator, but also the victim of a dysfunctional criminal justice system in Milwaukee County. And I think we have one example after another, and I am so frustrated regarding what's going on there. And little or no leadership."

Mark Borkowski, Dist. 11 Alderman

"I'm sick for the department because it should not have happened."

Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum

"The 37-year old police officer, whose name has yet to be released, gave his life protecting the people of our city. This heroism is what Milwaukee police officers do every day and we can never thank them enough. It is long overdue for needless gun violence to stop and for legislative action to take place on real gun safety measures. On this tragic day in Milwaukee our hearts and prayers are with the police officers family, friends and MPD colleagues."

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee leaders react to fatal shooting of a police officer
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed over 35,000 people in Turkey and Syria and left hundreds of thousands without homes, prompting an unfathomable humanitarian crisis. To add to the disaster, cold weather is posing an additional challenge for rescue and recovery crews along with displaced survivors.

With people looking for ways to help, it's important to research charities before donating. Charity Navigator has also compiled a list of nonprofit organizations that are involved in recovery efforts across Turkey and Syria and rated them on their transparency and effectiveness. Here are some of the places where you can safely donate:

An association of over 190 national Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations, including the American Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is requesting donations for its Disaster Response Emergency Fund so it can send "immediate cash assistance."

"The vulnerabilities are coupled on top of harsh winter conditions, making it unbearable for many," said Xavier Castellanos, IFRC under-secretary-general for National Society Development and Operations Coordination. "The vulnerable living conditions, particularly in Syria, are even further stretched due to the decade-long war. People who lost their homes and loved ones need our support. We must join forces and do our best to help."

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is in both Turkey and Syria, working to provide emergency assistance. In Turkey, UNICEF is supporting search and rescue efforts and distributing hygiene kits, blankets and warm clothing while also coordinating the evacuation of children living in group homes located in the impacted areas, according to its website. In Syria, UNICEF is assessing the impact on main water stations and water storage facilities as well as providing emergency water access for displaced families.

GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

Story continues

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) responds to medical emergencies around the world. With crews already present in the region, the organization was able to respond within the first few hours of the earthquake, according to the MSF website. The organization is in touch with health authorities to provide support.

A global medical relief organization founded in the United States, the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) has provided medical relief in Syria and neighboring countries since its launch in 2007. SAMS supports at least 36 medical facilities in the impacted region of northwestern Syria, plus a regional office in Gaziantep, Turkey, and other medical facilities in the country. At least four of the foundation's medical facilities have been damaged by the earthquake, three of which were closed due to severe damage.

Donations would allow SAMS to secure emergency first aid supplies, bandages, wound dressings and other medical supplies.

A nonprofit group that connects local nonprofits with donors and companies, GlobalGiving set up a relief fund in response to the Turkey and Syria earthquake. As of Wednesday, over $700,000 has been raised to meet the goal of $5 million.

"All donations to this fund will support Turkey (officially known as the Republic of Turkiye) and Syria earthquake relief and recovery efforts," according to the website. "Initially, the fund helps first responders meet survivors' immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, medicine and shelter. As needs evolve, we will prioritize longer-term recovery efforts run by local, vetted organizations in the impacted areas."

Save the Children is working in both northwestern Syria and Turkey with teams planning to support communities with winterization and emergency kits, including blankets and winter coats, according to the organization's website. Donations to the Children's Emergency Fund can be made here.

CARE is accepting donations to provide food, shelter, hygiene kits, cold weather supplies, cash assistance and other resources to communities hit by the earthquake.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app.AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
President Zelensky Makes Surprise Visit To The UK

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, addresses parliamentarians in Westminster Hall on Feb. 8, 2023 in London, England. Credit - Stefan Rousseauby WPA Pool via Getty Images

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed British lawmakers in parliament as part of a surprise visit to the U.K. on Wednesdayonly his third international trip since the Russian invasion began last yearhe had a simple message aimed at the international community.

Leaving the British Parliament two years ago, I thanked you for delicious English tea, Zelensky, donning his trademark olive green sweater, recalled to a packed Westminster hall about his first visit to Britain as Ukraines President in 2020. I will be leaving the Parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.

There was little ambiguity in what the Ukrainian President was asking for. While much of his 20-minute address was dedicated to thanking Britain for its unwavering support for Kyiv since day one, it also served as a clarion call to provide Ukraine with modern fighter jetsan ask that governments in the U.S. and Europe have so far rebuffed.

Read More: Biden Ruled Out F-16s for Ukraine. But the Debate Over Fighter Jets Is Starting to Roar

But there are signs that Western opposition to sending jets may be starting to fade. Just hours before Zelenskys arrival, the British government announced that it would begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO-standard fighter jets as part of a long-term capability investment, making it the first Western allied country to do so. The move marks a striking shift from the British governments position only a week ago, when a government spokesperson described sending jets as impractical on the grounds that the U.K.s fighter jets are extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly.

In a joint press conference following Zelenskys address to British lawmakers, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said nothing is off the table when asked about Ukraines request for fighter jets. Ben Wallace, Britains defense minister, is reportedly actively looking into whether the U.K. government can send military jets to Ukraine.

Story continues

These moves may signal a recognition that Ukraine receiving fighter jets from its allies is a matter of when, not if. The impossible has become possible more than once in terms of supporting Ukraine, says Greg Bagwell, a former senior Royal Air Force commander and president of the U.K. Air Power Association. Indeed, it was only weeks ago that the U.S. and Germany joined Britain in agreeing to send battle tanks to Ukraine after months of deliberation and debate. A similar standoff is now playing out over the issue of fighter jets: While the U.S. and Germany have so far proven reluctant to provide jets, France and the Netherlands have suggested that they are more open to doing so.

The U.S.s own willingness to provide jetsspecifically the American-made F-16sis what may prove most decisive in how Kyivs European allies choose to respond. Germany, in particular, has proven particularly reluctant to act out of lockstep with Washington for fear of provoking a Russian escalation. (Berlin initially refused to send its own Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine until the U.S. agreed to send its Abrams tanks. However, Britain had pledged on its own accord to send its Challenger 2 tanks even earlier.) Besides, should European countries wish to donate their stockpile of F-16s to Ukraine, they will need the Biden administrations permission.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street in central London on Feb. 8, 2023.TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) Justin TallisAFP via Getty Images

Still, the British government will undoubtedly come under pressure to take the lead in this areaif not from Kyiv and its allies, then certainly from within. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who Zelensky paid tribute to in his address for rallying others when it seemed absolutely, absolutely impossible, has been a vocal proponent of sending Ukraine the heavy weapons it needs to repel the Russian invasiona call he renewed today. Other lawmakers in attendance were noticeably moved by Zelenskys address, which was repeatedly interrupted with spurts of loud applause.

It is crucial that the U.K. and the international community maintains its support for the people of Ukraine as its people fight for freedom, democracy, and human rights, Alyn Smith, a Scottish Nationalist Party lawmaker, told TIME following Zelenskys address. I absolutely believe that Ukraine will win and I look forward to seeing that day soon.

It is that belief that Zelensky was counting on when he presented the House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet belonging to one of Ukraines most successful pilots, with a message scrawled on it: We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.
Around 50 schoolkids descended on the State House Tuesday to lobby for their climate agenda, but before they started knocking on lawmakers doors, one 16-year-old student told the crowd that their activism was hampered by the secret nature of the Legislatures committee votes.

Organized under the umbrella of the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition (MYCC) with support from the youth-led group Our Climate, the students policy pitch featured five proposals -- four of them climate-related bills, the fifth a proposal for added transparency from their elected officials.

One crucial step in a bills journey through the Legislature is a committee vote on whether or not to recommend passage. Most committees do not publicly share a breakdown of how every member votes at that stage, and the House and Senate do not take recorded votes even on most of the bills that make their calendars.

We are here to pass climate legislation, its true. But its hard to do that when you dont know the opinions of the people youre petitioning for change, said Sebastian Lemberger, a student at Phillips Academy Andover. If we really want to make progress on issues like climate change, issues that we care about, we cannot be kept in the dark.

Pointing up at the Golden Dome from the Beacon Street sidewalk, the 16-year-old said that the people in power, the people up there in that State House remind me why I have grown to be so cynical.

Recorded votes that show where each legislator stands on particular policies create a trail that political challengers can use to compare and contrast themselves during election season. In the House and Senate, most of the recorded votes taken occur in connection with non-controversial bills where such votes are required or when there is unanimous or near-unanimous support for a particular proposal. In cases where there is dissent on recorded votes, it often breaks down along party lines.

The House and Senate are in the midst of a debate on joint rules, with the House opposing an effort to shed more light on how committee members vote on bills and Senate leaders favoring more disclosure.

Story continues

Winsor School sophomore Anaya Raikar, of Brookline, said she was excited by the prospect of meeting with Rep. Tommy Vitolo and Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem in her first year of really getting involved with climate advocacy.

She followed a couple of her friends into the group Our Climate, in part because she was impressed by how they spoke directly with lawmakers. One of her favorite bills in MYCCs platform Tuesday was an interdisciplinary climate justice curriculum proposal.

Ive seen a lot of talk of climate science in school, like the scientific reason as to why its happening, but we dont talk about the current effect it has on people. And I think thats a really kind of ignored part that needs to be brought into school curriculums. Like the humanitarian aspect, said Raikar.

That climate education bill, filed by Sen. Julian Cyr and former schoolteacher Rep. James Hawkins, was completely written by youth, Our Climate organizer Eben Bein said, with some drafting feedback provided by teachers and others.

MYCC affiliates were also lobbying Tuesday for a polluter pay climate superfund bill (HD 3460 / SD 2366), a renewable energy renovation fund bill (HD 776 / SD 500), and air quality legislation (HD 2474 / SD 1180).

There were some activist adults on hand to support the students, including a volunteer from Act On Mass and retired Malden schoolteacher Ruth Comstock from the Mass. Teachers Association, who offered support for the climate ed bill.

If the point of education is to prepare you for life, our schools are not preparing most of the students for life. And climate change is part of that. Most of these students will experience [climate change] ... So I would say this is one of several issues that students should be learning about in school, she told the News Service as the students made their way indoors.

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
Each March in the U.S. and elsewhere, we honor the role women have played in society with Womens History Month.

Feminists in the 1970s critiqued the exclusion and lack of recognition of womens contributions to our society and campaigned for the inclusion of women in our history school curriculum, as well as in other places, like representations of our national history, statuary, public documents (stamps and currency), and portraiture, Sharon Barnes, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Womens and Gender Studies at The University of Toledo, tells TODAY.com.

Then a group of women in Santa Rosa, California, took matters into their own hands and celebrated their efforts with a Womens History Week celebration in 1978. The movement quickly spread around the country and just a few years later, women sought national recognition.

Sure enough, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Womens History Week. The weekly observance continued until 1987 when Congress designated March as Women's History Month.

Since then, the month of March has gone purple, green and white in honor of the women who've paved the way  and continue to do so today. The use of the colors purple, green, and white to represent womens history seem have their roots in the suffrage movement in England. They were the colors of the Womens Suffrage and Political Union (WSPU) from the early 1900s and were brought to the U.S. by American suffragists who worked with them," Barnes says.

Jennifer York, MS, RN, a doctoral candidate who heads the wellness design division at design firm Stephanie Parisi Studio, tells TODAY.com that the colors were adopted for the first celebration in 1978, then became a nationwide symbol in the years to follow.

Ahead, we dive even deeper into the meaning behind the three (well, four) Women's History Month colors.

Womens History Months colors and their meaning

White

Historically, white was included as part of Womens History Months palette because it represents purity and equality. The concept of purity was "especially important to contradict the smear tactics of the anti-suffragists, who portrayed suffragists as loose or immoral women," according to Barnes. However, the symbolic meaning of purity has lost its original value because of its current controversial associations with current depictions of white marking equality, truth and freedom.

Story continues

Since the movements origins, the color white has been used in association with equality and was used by womens rights activists, York says. As an example, in 1978 to support the Equal Rights amendment, 200,000 women dressed in white marched on Washington D.C. wearing white with sashes in purple and green.

White is said to calm and comfort us, as well as have an uplifting effect, shares York. Throughout history, including the womens movement, white has been worn during important rituals. This color leaves our minds open to possibility and serves to uplift our thoughts and mood.

Green

Ah, visions of verdant mountains and fertile valleys. The color green symbolizes hope, new beginnings and growth, York says.

Generally speaking, the color green represents nature. There are deep meanings associated with it as it brings one a feeling of being closer to nature thereby soothing stress and boosting our moods., York says. It is thought that it has ancient positive roots due to this association of natures cycle of new growth, rebirth and harmony, and the hope of these new beginnings.

Purple

As for purple, Barnes points to a blog post by Stephanie Hall in the Library of Congress about symbolism in the Womens Suffrage Movement.

"In England purple symbolized royalty, loyalty to the cause, and womens quest for freedom," Hall writes. In the U.S., however, purple lacks the royal nod.

"Purple is recognized internationally as the color of women and gender equality, York says, adding that it stands for justice and dignity, and signifies visionary thinking.

Something else to note: York point out that purple is a beautiful mixture of red and blue, which physiologically may have a calming and inspiring effect on body and mind.

What about gold?

This metallic hue deserves mention, too. Gold was also a popular color for American suffragists. It emerged from their losing battle for suffrage in the state of Kansas in 1867, when they adopted the sunflower, Kansas state flower, as their symbol, Barnes says. The gold of the sunflower was seen as a beacon of hope and was adopted by American suffragists along with the purple and white from the UK movement.

So, if you like glitz, feel free to accessorize with gold  in addition to purple, white, and green  during the month.

The psychology of color

Colors can influence human behavior and feelings. Colors come to have symbolic and cultural meanings over time, York says, elaborating that their meanings can be very individual, culturally determined or have universal application. They affect us both consciously and unconsciously," she adds.

In the case of Womens History Month, this combination of the uplifting mood of white, calming and inspiring effects of purple, and the feelings of harmony and rebirth elicited by the color green create a dynamic and balanced representation."

Throughout the month of March, TODAY.com is celebrating women across generations who have made history and continue to move the conversation forward by breaking stigmas, sparking dialogue and inspiring the next generation.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Honda is recalling 114,686 vehicles because the display might not show the backup video camera image, according to a report submitted to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects Hondas Fit and HR-V models. Honda told the NHTSA that the issue only affects models with key ignitions.

Affected vehicles:

2018-2020 Honda Fit Hatchback.

2019-2022 Honda HR-V SUV.

Honda has received more than 200 warranty claims over the issue since 2018, according to NHTSA. But no injuries or deaths have been reported.

What else is under recall?: Check out USA TODAY's searchable recall database; cars, food, consumer goods and more

Car recall round up: Honda, Kia, Volkswagen among 67,000 latest vehicles on recall

The defect in some Honda Fit and HR-V vehicles

The Japanese carmaker said the display circuit was improperly manufactured.

The display unit sometimes fails to boot up when the car is ignited because the cranking causes the cars battery level to drop. If the display doesnt boot up, it cant display the backup camera image, according to the NHTSA report.

Owners to be notified in March

Honda will notify impacted owners of the recall on March 13, and ask them to take their vehicle to a Honda dealer where a software update solving the issue will be performed, according to the NHTSA.

Is my car still insured?: What we know about State Farm, Progressive dropping some Hyundai, Kia cars

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Honda recalls Fit, HR-V vehicles over back up video camera issue
With the hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkey and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by a catastrophic earthquake. The confirmed death toll from the worlds deadliest quake in more than a decade passed 11,000.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured a tent city in hard-hit Kahramanmaras where people forced from their homes were living. Amid calls for his government to send more help to the disaster zone, Erdogan conceded initial shortfalls in the response to Mondays 7.8 magnitude quake but vowed no one would be left in the streets.

Search teams from more than two dozen countries have joined tens of thousands of local emergency personnel on the ground in Syria and Turkey. But the scale of destruction from the earthquake and its powerful aftershocks was so immense and spread over such a wide area, including places isolated by Syrias ongoing civil war, that many people were still awaiting help.

Experts said the survival window for those trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings or otherwise unable to access water, food, protection from the elements or medical attention was closing rapidly. At the same time, they said it was too soon to abandon hope for more rescues.

The first 72 hours are considered to be critical as the condition of people trapped and injured can deteriorate quickly and become fatal if they are not rescued and given medical attention in time, Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England.

Rescuers at times used excavators in their searches and picked gingerly through debris at other points to locate survivors or the dead. With thousands of buildings toppled, it was not clear how many people might still be caught in the rubble.

Turkeys disaster management agency said Wednesday that the recovered bodies of people who died in the earthquake but cannot be identified would be buried within five days even if they remained unnamed.

Story continues

The agency, known as AFAD, said unidentified victims would be buried following DNA tests, finger printing and after being photographed for future identification.

The move is in line with Islamic funeral rites which require a burial to take place as quickly as possible after a persons death.

In the Turkish city of Malatya, bodies were placed side by side on the ground, covered in blankets, while rescuers waited for funeral vehicles to pick them up, according to former journalist Ozel Pikal, who said he saw eight bodies pulled from the ruins of a building.

Pikal, who took part in the rescue efforts, said he thinks at least some of the victims froze to death as temperatures dipped to minus 6 degrees Celsius (21 Fahrenheit).

As of today there is no hope left in Malatya, Pikal said by telephone. No one is coming out alive from the rubble.

Road closures and damage in the region made it hard to access all the areas that need help, he said, and there was a shortage of rescuers where he was. Meanwhile, cold hampered the efforts of those who were there, including volunteers.

Our hands cannot pick up anything because of the cold, said Pikal. Work machines are needed.

The region was already beset by more than a decade of civil war in Syria that has displaced millions in that country and left them reliant on humanitarian aid and sent millions more to seek refuge in Turkey.

Turkeys president said the countrys death toll passed 8,500. The Syrian Health Ministry, meanwhile, said the death toll in government-held areas climbed past 1,200, while at least 1,400 people have in the rebel-held northwest, according to the volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets.

That brought the overall total to 11,000 since Mondays earthquake and multiple strong aftershocks. Tens of thousands more are injured.

Syrian officials said the bodies of more than 100 Syrians who died during the earthquake in Turkey were brought back home for burial. Mazen Alloush, an official on the Syrian side of the border, said 20 more bodies were on their way, adding that all of them were Syrian refugees who fled civil war.

Stories of rescues continued to provide hope that some people still trapped might be found alive. A crying newborn still connected by the umbilical cord to her deceased mother was rescued in Syria on Monday. In Turkeys Kahramanmaras, rescuers pulled a 3-year-old boy, Arif Kaan, from the rubble.

For now, the name of hope in Kahramanmaras is Arif Kaan, a Turkish television reporter proclaimed as the dramatic rescue was broadcast to the country.

Polish rescuers told TVN24 that low temperatures were working against them, though two firefighters said the fact that the predawn quake struck as many people were in bed under warm covers could help buy the search teams more time.

But David Alexander, a professor of emergency planning and management at University College London, said data from past earthquakes suggested the likelihood of survival was now slim, particularly for individuals who suffered serious injuries or significant blood loss.

Statistically, today is the day when were going to stop finding people, he said. That doesnt mean we should stop searching.

Alexander cautioned that the final death toll may not be known for weeks because of the sheer amount of rubble that needs to be sifted.

The last time an earthquake killed so many people was 2015, when 8,800 died in a magnitude 7.8 quake in Nepal. A 2011 earthquake in Japan triggered a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people.

Each earthquake is unique but, in general, research using data from previous events has shown that the ratio of those rescued that survive declines rapidly. The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%, Nottingham Trent Universitys Godby said.

The low temperatures and poor weather in the affected region will not just be directly affecting those people still trapped but will be hindering the efficiency of (search and rescue) work as well, he added.

Cold weather also exacerbated the the misery of residents who lost their homes. Many survivors in Turkey slept in cars, government shelters or outdoors.

We dont have a tent, we dont have a heating stove, we dont have anything. Our children are in bad shape. We are all getting wet under the rain and our kids are out in the cold, Aysan Kurt, 27, said. We did not die from hunger or the earthquake, but we will die freezing from the cold.

Erdogan, on his tour of quake-hit areas, acknowledged that there were problems early on in the response but said it had improved. He said his government would distribute 10,000 Turkish lira ($532) to affected families.

The disaster comes at a sensitive time for Erdogan, who faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May amid an economic downturn and high inflation. Perceptions that his government mismanaged the crisis could severely hurt his standings.



Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkeys main opposition party, blamed the devastation on Erdogans two-decade rule, saying he had not prepared the country for a disaster and accusing him of misspending funds.

In Syria, aid efforts have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces. Syria itself is an international pariah under Western sanctions linked to the war.

The European Union said Wednesday that Syria had asked for humanitarian assistance to deal with the victims of the devastating earthquake. An EU representative insisted the blocs sanctions against the Syrian government had no impact on its potential to help.

On Wednesday, Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous visited neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo, where buildings collapsed because of the earthquake.

Our priority now is to rescue the people who are still under the rubble, he said.

In rebel-held parts of northwest Syria, rescuers pulled a man, a woman and four children from the rubble in the towns of Salqeen, Harem and Jinderis, according to the White Helmets group.

The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.
House lawmakers joined together once again on Wednesday to unveil a resolution in support of Iranian protesters, but this time did so in a way that signaled a serious sharpening of the US Congress tone towards the government in Tehran.

A resolution unveiled the morning after Joe Biden addressed a joint session of the House and Senate for his State of the Union would once again declare the US Congress support for a democratic government in Iran while also including language implicitly calling on the USs European allies to cut ties with Tehran by closing consulates and calling diplomats back to their home country.

The call for such aggressive action is significant for one reason: The bipartisan nature of the event, where the legislation was released. According to a source familiar with its crafting, the new House resolution has more original cosponsors than any previous Iran-related resolution to pass the lower chamber.

Though it has no practical effects, the legislation signals one thing: The US Congress is quickly approaching a consensus, at least between the conservative right and moderate Democratic left, on the issue of Iran. Progressives seem almost totally absent from the conversation: There have been few, if any, public calls from the left wing of the Democratic Party for a renewed effort to return Iran to compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement signed under Barack Obamas administration.

Calls for an alternative to the maximum pressure campaign employed by the Trump administration and continued, to some extent, by the Biden administration are few and far between. And even some of the House and Senates most prominent progressives are derided as downright disinterested on issues of Iran policy by some advocates who find themselves partnering with the right and conservative Democrats out of necessity.

Wednesdays announcement marks the second House resolution aimed at supporting Iranian protesters  and, by extension, delegitimising Tehrans government  that the 118th Congress has pursued in less than two months.

Story continues

Protests have continued for months across Iran following the death last year of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. She was detained and severely beaten after being accused of improperly wearing a head covering.

In addition to frequent condemnations of the Iranian government and statements of support for the demonstrations, the Biden administration has also responded with a number of rounds of sanctions targeting security officials responsible for crackdowns against protesters.

Officials in the White House including Mr Biden have said that talks centred around resuming the 2015 nuclear accord are stalled, but it remains unclear what the administrations new strategy is for preventing Irans government from developing a deliverable nuclear weapon.
By Humphrey Malalo

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The housemate of Kenyan model, designer and LGBTQ rights campaigner Edwin Chiloba, whose body was found in a metal box last month, denied the charge of murder on Wednesday.

Jacktone Odhiambo, who police believe to have been in a relationship with Chiloba, was accused of murdering him between the night of Dec. 31 and Jan. 3.

Chiloba died from suffocation caused by socks stuffed into his mouth, a pathologist said last month.

His death sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ community in Kenya, where homosexuality is taboo and gay sex is punishable by 14 years in prison, although that law is rarely enforced.

(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Nick Macfie)
riot police outside an HSBC in Hong Kong in 2020 - Lam Yik/Bloomberg

HSBC is complicit in human rights abuses against Hong Kong citizens, MPs have said.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong said the FTSE 100 bank had sided with communist China and was blocking pensions payouts for those who fled to Britain.

The cross-party report said the lender was unjustly denying its customers access to their own savings.

The banks reliance on Hong Kong as a profit-hub means it cannot afford to attract Beijings ire, and there have been a number of decisions where it has been forced to endorse the Chinese Communist party line, the report said.

Alistair Carmichael, co-chair of the group and a member of the Liberal Democrats, said banks were doing the dirty work of the Chinese Communist Party.

The report claimed that HSBC blocked payments after saying entry documents provided by the British government to Hong Kong immigrants were not sufficient to unlock their money.

More than 88,000 people have been granted residency in the UK since early 2021 after leaving Hong Kong under the British National Overseas (BNO) visa scheme.

The 23-page report by the group of MPs and Lords said HSBC withheld access to Mandatory Provident Funds, a compulsory savings programme for Hong Kong residents.

Ted Hui, a Hong Kong politician, wrote to the APPG, saying HSBC blocked his and his familys bank accounts following his involvement in pro-democracy demonstrations and accused the lender of political obediance.

Mr Carmichael told Bloomberg: This is no longer just about the interpretation of the law, this is about the fundamental rights of an individual to have access to their own property.

This is causing genuine hardship for people who have made the difficult decision to leave Hong Kong.

HSBC said in a statement that it respected human rights and like all banks, we have to obey the law, and the instructions of the regulators, in every territory in which we operate.

HSBC has repeatedly come under fire from activists and politicians for publicly supporting a Beijing-backed law introduced in 2020 that bans anti-government activity in the former British colony.

Story continues

The law continues to attract widespread criticism. Campaigners say it has led to a rapid dismantling of Hong Kong's freedoms.

The APPG report demanded that banks unfreeze the accounts of political activists considered central to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

HSBC chief executive Noel Quinn was questioned by MPs over the bank's operations in Hong Kong, its biggest generator of revenue and profit.

Giving evidence in January 2021, Mr Quinn said HSBC had to comply with the law and it was not for him to make a moral or political judgement on these matters.
An anti-child marriage drive in India that led to the arrests of thousands of men has sparked protests by scores of women who are concerned over their financial well being.

Police in India's northeastern state of Assam launched a massive crackdown on Friday on the orders of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

More than 2,500 people were arrested and 4,074 cases were filed in less than a week against those either suspected of marrying or arranging marriages to underage girls.

The legal age for marriage for women in India is 18, but the rule is routinely flouted due to patriarchal customs and economic necessities.

The crackdown, according to Mr Biswa Sarma, is also aimed at religious figureheads who have aided in the registration of such marriages in mosques and temples.

But the massive drive has been severely criticised by non-profits as they accused the state government of an emotional response instead of highlighting substantive rehabilitation options for the affected girls.

In the aftermath of the crackdown, wailing women with small children have been seen outside police stations in several of Assams districts, begging for the release of their husbands.

Relatives of people arrested by police for being allegedly involved in child marriages protest against state crackdown (AFP via Getty Images)

Dhubri district authorities reportedly used batons and teargas to disperse women protesters over the weekend.

I am worried about how Im going to look after my child... I ran away from home to get married so I dont have any other support. As of now, I dont have a single rupee with me, a woman who claimed to be 18 years old, told The Indian Express.

A 17-year-old girl allegedly died by suicide in the Cachar district after her wedding was called off after the drive. A woman, 27, killed herself in the Salmara-Mancachar district on Saturday, fearing the arrest of her parents as she was married at the age of 16.

Despite the public outcry and protests, Mr Biswa Sarma maintains the drive was necessary to curb child marriage and subsequently prevent high maternal and infant mortality rates.

Story continues

According to a report by Indias National Family Health Survey, Assam has an underage pregnancy rate of 11.7 per cent compared to the 6.8 per cent national average. The state also has the third highest infant mortality rate in India, at 32 deaths per 1,000 live births.

There is zero sympathy in these matters, Mr Biswa Sarma said.

In order to save lakhs of girls from this situation in the future, one generation will have to suffer. There is no question of sympathy here... Child marriage has to stop in Assam and action against it will continue.

Mr Biswa Sarma previously said the police were directed to act against unpardonable and heinous crimes on women.

Those involved in the practice of child marriage in the past seven years will be arrested, he claimed, adding that the campaign will stretch on till 2026, when the next state election is held.

The state government had late in January announced it would make the arrests under two federal laws.

The women, who were once made to undergo marriage at a young age, are now staring at an uncertain future with a lack of support from the establishment.

If anyone has financial troubles because their husbands are in jail, the government can look into it, the chief minister said in one of his statements. But reality suggests otherwise.

We support the campaign because the enforcement is finally responding, given that police indifference was one of the core issues, Miguel Das Queah, founder of UTSAH, a non-profit working for child protection, tells The Independent.

This was necessary to bring accountability but the process could have been different.

Relatives of people arrested by police for being allegedly involved in child marriages stage protest (AFP via Getty Images)

We face strong push back when we try to stop even one child marriage. Now, given the scale of the operation, it is only natural that there would be such resistance, he says.

Mr Das Queah, however, says the state should have prepped on plans to rehabilitate women.

When they have children now and the breadwinner is arrested, there will be distress. The complexity will begin when Pocso is applied to the cases, he says, referring to the law that protects children from sex offences.

They should have targeted the facilitators first and then made an analysis of the cases and focused on the marriages with huge age gaps, he explains.

The blanket order is an emotional response from a concerned chief minister which couldve been better planned out to minimize public resistance.

Assam director-general of police GP Singh told reporters that the police were directed two months ago to look into child marriage allegations, something that led them to begin collecting data from village elders and health workers.

Most cases were registered suo motu, based on information provided by local people, he said.

Hasina Kharbhih, human rights defender and founder of non-profit Impulse, says police action has forced girls, who were forcefully wed as children, to relive their trauma.

Every state in this country should launch an anti-child marriage campaign but that should be backed by strong rehabilitation support, she said.

Instead of issuing a diktat, the state government and the police should have worked with non-profit organisations and welfare committees, Ms Kharbhih added.

They should have formed a task force to provide such women, who are mostly from vulnerable and socio-economically backward communities, with counseling and financial support."

Opposition leaders and activists have also argued police action was more prevalent in Muslim-majority districts.

Dhubri district-based advocate Masud Zaman told Scroll.in that the more stringent Pocso Act was applied against men belonging to the Bengali-origin Muslim community.

Twenty-four people arrested in Majuli got bail within 24 hours, but why are people not released here? he asked.

Dhubri is a Muslim-majority district, whereas Majuli in upper Assam is home to largely ethnic Assamese communities.

There is definitely discrimination.

Gaurav Gogoi, a Congress party lawmaker, called the move a complete farce and public relations exercise.

The Independent has written to the state women and child development minister for comment.
By Sybille de La Hamaide

PARIS (Reuters) -French farmers drove hundreds of tractors into Paris on Wednesday to protest against pesticide restrictions and other environmental regulations they say are threatening farm production in the European Union's largest agricultural power.

The action follows an EU court ruling last month that overturned a French policy allowing sugar beet growers to use an insecticide banned by the EU, raising concern of a further decline in beet plantings and of sugar factory closures.

The sugar beet decision has sharpened discontent among farmers over what they see as excessive pesticide curbs that go against government calls to boost food security in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine.

"Our means of production keep being undermined by prohibitions without solutions," Jerome Despey, secretary general of the FNSEA, France's main farming union, told Reuters.

"Enough is enough."

The FNSEA and other groups organising the protest were expecting 500 tractors and 2,000 farmers from the Paris region to participate.

A long procession of tractors, bearing banners saying "Macron is liquidating agriculture" - in reference to French President Emmanuel Macron - or "Save your farmer", rolled through central Paris to join a gathering at the Invalides monument, near France's agriculture ministry.

Environmental activists say pesticide residues damage soils and wildlife and they have welcomed the EU ruling against the use of sugar beet seeds treated with neonicotinoid insecticides that can harm bees.

"Biodiversity, indispensable for life on earth and farming, must not be sacrificed," anti-pesticide group Generations Futures said in a statement supporting the neonicotinoid ban.

Farmers argue that sugar beet plants do not attract bees and that the ban leaves them exposed to crop disease virus yellows, raising the prospect of lower production and more imports from countries that allow neonicotinoids.

Story continues

French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau will present a plan to representatives of the sugar beet sector on Thursday, the agriculture ministry said in a statement after Fesneau met farm unions on Wednesday morning.

Sugar beet growers group CGB said the minister had agreed that sugar beet growers would be compensated fully for yield losses this year if there was a severe attack of virus yellows.

"We can't be satisfied but for now this should let farmers plant and allow other solutions to be found for 2024 and 2025," Franck Sander, the CGB's president, told Reuters at the protest.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; additional reporting and writing by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Christina Fincher, Alexandra Hudson)
WASHINGTON  The House hearing Wednesday into Twitters brief suppression of a story about Hunter Bidens laptop outlined the queasiness of former executives to block it and provided a bare-knuckle arena for partisan lawmakers to debate allegations against President Joe Biden.

Former Twitter executives told the House Oversight and Accountability Committee the company blocked links to the New York Post story in October 2020 because of similarities to the posting of leaks from hacked Democratic computers before the 2016 election. The executives called the 24-hour suppression a mistake and said it was difficult to judge between contentious and dangerous speech during a campaign.

Against that backdrop, Republican lawmakers argued Twitters decision could have thrown the election to Biden rather than former President Donald Trump. Some lawmakers called for legislation to prevent Twitter from blocking posts or government agencies from recommending against publication.

Hunter Biden's art: Hunter Biden's art dealer says his work is 'important.' Why the paintings factor into GOP probes.

But Democrats called the hearing silly and a "bizarre political stunt" because Twitter is a private company free to make its own decisions about what to publish. Democrats also questioned the basic allegations against Biden stemming from the laptop as categorically false.

The laptop has become a focal point of Republican investigations because it contains a trove of documents and pictures about Hunter Biden. News organizations have confirmed the legitimacy of the laptop abandoned at a Delaware repair shop in 2019, but investigations continue about what the contents mean.

Here are seven takeaways from the hearing:

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., are seen during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Wednesday in Washington.

Former Twitter executives call 2020 laptop decision mistake based on 2016 concerns

Former Twitter executives said elements of the New York Post story in October 2020 appeared under an initial assessment similar to the results from the 2016 theft of Democratic documents distributed by Wikileaks.

Story continues

The company blocked links to the story before reversing course 24 hours later. But the former executives said people could still post comments about the story and discuss it.

Our judgment was colored by the experience of 2016 and by the very real Russian activities we saw play out that year, said Yoel Roth, Twitters former global head of trust and security, who didnt agree with the decision to suppress the story. But this isnt a case where I was right, and others were wrong: The decisions here arent straightforward, and hindsight is 20/20.

Politics to your inbox: Sign up for our On Politics newsletter

Yoel Roth, former Global Head of Trust & Safety at Twitter, testifies during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Feb. 8, 2023 in Washington.

Former Twitter executives denied violating First Amendment as a private company

From left, James Baker, former deputy general counsel at Twitter, Vijaya Gadde, former chief legal officer at Twitter, Yoel Roth, former global head of Trust & Safety at Twitter, and Anika Collier Navaroli, a former Twitter employee, are sworn in during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on "Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitter's Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Wednesday in Washington.

The former Twitter executives said they hadnt been contacted by the FBI to block links to the story, as some House Republicans allege.

Moreover, I am aware of no unlawful collusion with, or direction from, any government agency or political campaign on how Twitter should have handled the Hunter Biden laptop situation, said James Baker, Twitters former deputy general counsel.

But Republicans alleged Twitter partisanship, based on internal emails and on campaign contributions to Democrats, to thwart the story.

I think you guys got played by the FBI, said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. I think you wanted this taken down.

What is fentanyl poisoning?: These State of the Union guests lost their son to it

Comer: Twitter able to suppress and delegitimize news about Hunter Bidens laptop

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Wednesday in Washington.

The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said the result was to "suppress and delegitimize" information about alleged Biden family business schemes.

Twitter, under the leadership of our witnesses today, was a private company the federal government used to accomplish what it constitutionally cannot: limit the free exercise of speech, said Comer.

Biden's GOP antagonists in the House: Bidens most vocal GOP antagonists emerge, World Economic Forum preview: 5 Things podcast

Greene blasts Twitter for banning her

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., blasted Twitter executives for banning her from the site in 2022 until after she won her election in November and said she was glad the former executives lost their jobs.

Greene argued the company violated her First Amendment rights by censoring her for posts about COVID-19 vaccines despite Twitter being a private company rather than a government censor.

You abused the power of a large corporation  Big Tech  to censor Americans, Greene said. Guess what? Im so glad that youre censored now and Im so glad that youve lost your jobs.

Yoel Roth, Twitters former global head of trust and security, said Greene was banned after multiple warnings and timeouts for posting misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

Biden and GOP spar at SOTU: Marjorie Taylor Greene, other Republicans spar with Biden over Social Security, Medicare

Democrats call inquiry silly and bizarre political stunt

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., is seen during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Wednesday in Washington.

The top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, called the inquiry an authentically trivial pursuit because Twitter is a private company, blocked links to the story briefly and later apologized.

Silly does not begin to capture this obsession, said Raskin.

Ian Sams, a White House spokesperson, said the inquiry pursued long-debunked conspiracy theories and was a bizarre political stunt.

Romney criticizes Santos: Mitt Romney calls George Santos 'a sick puppy' after Biden State of the Union

Goldman calls Ukraine allegations about president categorically false

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden on Jan. 6, 2009, in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who previously served as a Democratic lawyer in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, challenged the main accusation Wednesday against Joe Biden stemming from his sons laptop.

Goldman said the first accusation in the New York Post story is that vice president Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its prosecutor general for investigating Burisma, a company that employed Hunter Biden. Goldman said the accusation is categorically false and there is no evidence of it" because the coordinated policy of the U.S. and Europe was to oust the prosecutor for not investigating corruption.

Weve seen no actual evidence for any lies or any support for Joe Biden being involved in anything having to do with Ukraine other than promoting U.S. foreign policy, Goldman said.

Politics latest: Follow the most up-to-date politics headlines live

Vijaya Gadde, Former Chief Legal Officer at Twitter, testifies during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Feb. 8, 2023 in Washington.

Former Twitter exec calls tweet removal slippery slope

Former Twitter executives told the House panel that Trumps White House asked Twitter to remove tweets, but Bidens administration had not.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., cited an episode from September 2019 when Trump heckled two celebrities on Twitter  John Legend and Chrissy Teigen  and she replied in a tweet insulting Trump.

A Democratic witness, Anika Collier Navaroli, a former senior expert on Twitters safety policy team, said the White House called her supervisors asking to remove Teigens tweet. But she and the other three former executives at the hearing said they hadnt heard of the Biden White House making a similar request.

Connolly asked whether it was appropriate for a president to direct or try to influence a social media company to remove its content. I think its a very slippery slope, Navaroli said.

State of the Union takeaways: Blue-collar Joe, GOP boos and a 2024 preview

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hunter Biden laptop and Twitter hearing enflames House lawmakers
A man who allegedly killed his coworker in 2019 is no longer facing charges after the court found him mentally incompetent to stand trial because of a dementia diagnosis.

Rene Jaramillo Navarrete, now 63, was charged with second-degree murder and enhanced use of a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting 45-year-old Fortino Quebrado Antunez multiple times while working with him in an onion field outside of Caldwell.

In October, Canyon County 3rd District Judge Matthew J. Roker dismissed the two felony charges because of Jaramillo Navarretes rapidly progressing dementia.

The court is convinced that the defendants lack of mental capacity to understand the proceedings against him and his own defense will continue to regress without reasonable hope of restoration, Roker said in the order.

In Idaho, defendants cannot declare an insanity plea, meaning people who are deemed mentally incompetent must seek treatment before facing trial. But in Jaramillo Navarretes case, the irreversible dementia that he developed just three years after the incident makes the competency restoration treatment unlikely, his defense attorney Thomas Monagan told the Idaho Statesman.

Monagan said in a phone interview that the defense team did not see the dismissal of the charges as a victory.

We had vigorously asserted that Mr. Jaramillo had acted in self-defense, and we were well-equipped to present that defense to a jury, he said. We wanted our day in court, and it was a great disappointment to us that he became too ill to proceed because we fully expected to prevail.

Monagan said Jaramillo Navarrete developed dementia after the alleged shooting.

He was clearly not the same, Monagan said. It was definitely a progressive situation where the dementia was getting worse over time.

After the charges were dropped, Monagan said Jaramillo Navarrete was taken to live with his family.

Farmworker killed in onion field

On the morning of July 5, 2019, the Canyon County Sheriffs Office responded to a 911 call from Antunezs then-17-year-old daughter, who was working alongside her mother and father in an onion field near the intersection of Upper Pleasant Ridge and Beet roads.

Story continues

Antunezs daughter, identified as J.K.Q. in official court documents, told authorities that her father had been shot multiple times after having a discussion with Jaramillo Navarrete.

While she and her father took a break from work, she said she heard Jaramillo Navarrete and her father speak in Spanish and then heard gunshots. She said she turned to see Jaramillo Navarrete shoot her father and ran at him to get him to stop shooting.

According to court documents, Jaramillo Navarrete ran to his vehicle to flee while continuing to shoot Antunez, who lay on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. Antunezs daughter took photos of Jaramillo Navarretes vehicle as he fled the scene.

Jaramillo Navarretes wife and daughter were also at the scene at the time of the incident. Both women told detectives that they did not know Jaramillo Navarrete had a firearm, but knew about the disagreement between him and Antunez that day.

Authorities located and arrested Jaramillo Navarrete in Nampa less than an hour after the shooting took place. Detectives found a semi-automatic pistol in the passenger seat of his vehicle.

Jaramillo Navarrete told detectives that he wore his gun every day to work for self-defense, and that Antunez threatened to fight him. Jaramillo Navarrete said he shot Antunez an unknown number of times because he feared for his life, according to court documents. He told detectives he fled the scene to cash checks to leave his family before he turned himself in.

Victims family disappointed

Olga Quebrado, Antunezs niece, told the Statesman in a phone interview that her family is disappointed with the courts dismissal of the case.

Quebrado said her cousin, Antunezs daughter, has struggled with depression since witnessing her father get fatally shot and has sought counseling.

She feels like justice was not done at all, in regards to her dad and her family, Quebrado said of her cousin. She experienced this and even testified that the man pointed a gun at her.

Quebrado said her uncle was originally from Guerrero, Mexico, and moved to the United States with the goal to provide a better life for his family.

He was always joking around, and he liked to dance at family gatherings, she said. He was the one to dance with his wife and have a good time. He was definitely loud because he did like to be heard, but he was never violent.

Quebrado said Jaramillo Navarrete brutally killed her uncle, whom she described as 4-foot-9 and harmless.

He took a life that was supporting his family, she said of Jaramillo Navarrete. He took a life for no reason whatsoever. Like as much of a disagreement that you have with somebody, you dont just pull out a gun on somebody and shoot them multiple times.
Bryan Kohberger was facing disciplinary action in his teaching assistant job at Washington State University (WSU) around the time of the murders of four University of Idaho students  before he was ultimately fired from the position days before his arrest.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student began working as a teaching assistant in August as part of his graduate program.

But within a month he was under investigation by the university because of behavioural problems and a sexist attitude towards women, according to NewsNation, which obtained a detailed timeline of his issues in the department.

On 2 November, he reportedly met with a professor to discuss an improvement plan for his behaviour.

Less than two weeks later on 13 November, Mr Kohberger is accused of stabbing to death Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in a student home over the Washington border in Moscow, Idaho.

One month on from the murders, on 19 December, NewsNation reported that he was fired from WSU following repeated warnings and failing to improve his behaviour. Days later on 30 December he was arrested and charged with the quadruple homicide.

Key points

FBI denies claim it lost Kohberger during surveillance operation

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

ICYMI: Possible animal hair found at Bryan Kohbergers home after Kaylee Goncalves dog spared in Idaho murders

22:41 , Andrea Blanco

A possible animal hair was among the evidence seized from the home of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger - sparking speculation that it could belong to victim Kaylee Goncalves dog.

Records of evidence recovered from Mr Kohbergers home were unsealed last month, nearly three weeks after his arrest for the 13 November stabbings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Story continues

Included on the list of seizures was a possible animal hair strand. While Mr Kohberger is not believed to have a pet, one of the victims he is accused of killing, Goncalves, had a dog who was at home at the time of the murders.

The dog called Murphy became the target of substantial attention in the case after investigators revealed that the pet was found unscathed in the room where Goncalves and Mogen were stabbed to death in the former students bed.

FBI says agents did not lose track of Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

21:18 , Andrea Blanco

The FBI has denied claims that its agents lost accused mass killer Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

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, law enforcement sources told Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two that in the early hours of 13 December, Mr Kohberger set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania and the surveillance team lost him.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

WSU addresses reports that Bryan Kohberger was fired from teaching assistant job before Idaho murders

20:36 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Kohberger began working as a teaching assistant in the criminology department at WSU in August as part of his graduate program.

But within a month he was already under investigation by the university because of behavioural problems and a sexist attitude towards women, according to NewsNation.

On Thursday, the university issued a statement saying that Mr Kohberger is not currently employed at WSU, but did not clarify whether he was fired before or after his 30 December arrest.

Bryan Kohberger received an appointment as a teaching assistant at Washington State University (WSU) during the fall 2022 semester. It is typical for students to receive a teaching assistantship or similar appointment as part of their PhD program, a spokesperson said.

Mr. Kohberger does not currently have a teaching assistantship and he is not currently enrolled at WSU. Information concerning a students teaching assistantship is considered a student record.

The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents universities from discussing student records. As a result, I am unable to comment on Mr. Kohbergers experience as a teaching assistant.

Pennsylvania police are sifting through cold cases for possible links to Bryan Kohberger

18:46 , Andrea Blanco

Pennsylvania police are sifting through cold cases for possible links to Bryan Kohberger

Two law enforcement offices in Pennsylvania are reportedly sifting through cold case files in search of any potential links to Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger.

Northampton County District and Lehigh County started looking for links between unsolved cases and Mr Kohberger following his 30 December arrest, King5 reported. The Washington State University PhD student is accused of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin on 13 November in Moscow, Idaho.

The Independent has the story:

Pennsylvania police looking at cold cases for possible links to Bryan Kohberger

Bryan Kohbergers attorney says defence has no evidence to hand to state

17:41 , Andrea Blanco

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.

This comes after prosecutors handed over a trove of documents, photos and video files in the case.

Kaylee Goncalves family creates Facebook page for tips

16:30 , Andrea Blanco

Kaylee Goncalves family has created a new Facebook page for the public to send in tips and leads about the murders case.

The page, Idaho Murders- The Goncalves Family Page, was launched last week and has already reached 18,000 followers.

This page is for the public to reach out if you have any tips/leads that could be helpful, the page description reads.

In an update on Sunday, the family shared an update thanking the public for their support.

We want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us throughout this tragedy. To the people who send us condolences and prayers, all the way to the (always 100% anonymous) individuals sending in multiple new leads, they wrote.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all for the unwavering support and outpouring of love.

Kaylee Goncalves family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

15:29 , Andrea Blanco

The family of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are fighting back against an unusually restrictive gag order placed on the case against her accused killer.

In an appeal filed in court on Friday, the Goncalves family attorney Shanon Gray called on the judge to pull back the scope of the gag order, describing it as unconstitutional and facially overbroad and vague.

A gag order was first issued in the case on 3 January, just days after Bryan Kohberger was arrested and charged with the quadruple homicide of Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

The initial order barred the prosecution, the defence, and law enforcement and other officials from speaking publicly about the case.

On 18 January, the gag order was broadly expanded to also ban any attorneys representing survivors, witnesses or the victims family members from talking or writing about the case.

Pennsylvania police are sifting through cold cases for possible links to Bryan Kohberger

14:15 , Andrea Blanco

Two law enforcement offices in Pennsylvania are reportedly sifting through cold case files in search of any potential links to Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger.

Northampton County District and Lehigh County started looking for links between unsolved cases and Mr Kohberger following his 30 December arrest, King5 reported. The Washington State University PhD student is accused of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin on 13 November in Moscow, Idaho.

Read more:

Pennsylvania police looking at cold cases for possible links to Bryan Kohberger

Bryan Kohberger was fired from WSU teaching job around time of murders  for sexism and behavioural issues

13:30 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger was facing disciplinary action in his teaching assistant job at Washington State University (WSU) around the time of the murders of four University of Idaho students  before he was ultimately fired from the position days prior to his arrest.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student began working as a teaching assistant in the criminology department in August as part of his graduate program.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

Bryan Kohberger was fired from WSU teaching job days before Idaho murders arrest

ICYMI: Possible animal hair found at Bryan Kohbergers home after Kaylee Goncalves dog spared in Idaho murders

12:45 , Andrea Blanco

A possible animal hair was among the evidence seized from the home of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger - sparking speculation that it could belong to victim Kaylee Goncalves dog.

Records of evidence recovered from Mr Kohbergers home were unsealed last month, nearly three weeks after his arrest for the 13 November stabbings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Included on the list of seizures was a possible animal hair strand. While Mr Kohberger is not believed to have a pet, one of the victims he is accused of killing, Goncalves, had a dog who was at home at the time of the murders.

The dog called Murphy became the target of substantial attention in the case after investigators revealed that the pet was found unscathed in the room where Goncalves and Mogen were stabbed to death in the former students bed.

Why police arent sharing more information on the case

12:00 , Andrea Blanco

A court in Idaho recently extended a gag order 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.

Kaylee Goncalves family creates Facebook page for tips

10:30 , Andrea Blanco

Kaylee Goncalves family has created a new Facebook page for the public to send in tips and leads about the murders case.

The page, Idaho Murders- The Goncalves Family Page, was launched last week and has already reached 18,000 followers.

This page is for the public to reach out if you have any tips/leads that could be helpful, the page description reads.

In an update on Sunday, the family shared an update thanking the public for their support.

We want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us throughout this tragedy. To the people who send us condolences and prayers, all the way to the (always 100% anonymous) individuals sending in multiple new leads, they wrote.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all for the unwavering support and outpouring of love.

FBI says agents did not lose track of Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

The FBI has denied claims that its agents lost accused mass killer Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

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, law enforcement sources told Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two that in the early hours of 13 December, Mr Kohberger set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania and the surveillance team lost him.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

FBI denies claim agents lost Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Why we should defend the surviving roommate in the Idaho murders

07:30 , 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

Bryan Kohbergers attorney says defence has no evidence to hand to state

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

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.

This comes after prosecutors handed over a trove of documents, photos and video files in the case.

The potential reason why Kaylee Goncalves called ex-boyfriend before Idaho murders

04:30 , Andrea Blanco

The Goncalves family has shed light on why she might have been calling her ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur in the hours before she was brutally attacked.

In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia aired last month  and filmed two days before Mr Kohbergers arrest the Goncalves said their daughter 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.

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. The family noted that they were not just blindly sticking up for Mr DuCoeur, and that they had done their due diligence by looking out for scratches on his body, and potential evidence on his shoes and inside his car.

Even logically, I think a lot of people assume that were blinded by this individual but contrary to that, were very capable of removing our emotions for Jack which is absolute love  and just looking at the situation logically, Alivea Goncalves, Goncalves sister, said on the interview released on Friday.

Looking at this individual logically, looking at a pattern of behaviours of him that we have seen throughout five, six years ... In our hearts and in our heads and in every sense of the word, its just not [plausible that he committed the crime].

Mr DuCoeur was never considered a suspect in the quadruple murder, but was targeted by online armchair detectives baselessly linking him to the crimes before an arrest was made last month.

Victims family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

The family of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are fighting back against an unusually restrictive gag order placed on the case against her accused killer.

In an appeal filed in court on Friday, the Goncalves family attorney Shanon Gray called on the judge to pull back the scope of the gag order, describing it as unconstitutional and facially overbroad and vague.

A gag order was first issued in the case on 3 January, just days after Bryan Kohberger was arrested and charged with the quadruple homicide of Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

The initial order barred the prosecution, the defence, and law enforcement and other officials from speaking publicly about the case.

On 18 January, the gag order was broadly expanded to also ban any attorneys representing survivors, witnesses or the victims family members from talking or writing about the case.

Bryan Kohbergers distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details' that linked him to the Idaho murders

01:30 , Andrea Blanco

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.

Andrea Blanco has more:

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Wednesday 8 February 2023 23:36 , Andrea Blanco

Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders.

Rader who gave himself the title of the BTK killer because he bound and tortured his victims before killing them  is serving ten consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison in Kansas after he confessed in 2005 to killing 10 people over a span of three decades.

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.

Since I spent from February 2005 to April 2005 in a cell by myself, I know how he feels. Very lonely, Rader told the outlet, adding that his situation improved when he was allowed to receive mail. And soon letters started to come in ... [I] read a lot of the Bible and wrote poetry.

Read the full story:

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Kaylee Goncalves family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:25 , Andrea Blanco

The family of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are fighting back against an unusually restrictive gag order placed on the case against her accused killer.

In an appeal filed in court on Friday, the Goncalves family attorney Shanon Gray called on the judge to pull back the scope of the gag order, describing it as unconstitutional and facially overbroad and vague.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

Kaylee Goncalves family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

University of Idaho students claim they saw Bryan Kohberger staring on campus

Wednesday 8 February 2023 19:55 , Andrea Blanco

Several students have recalled seeing Bryan Kohberger  a PhD student at Washington State University  on the University of Idaho campus in the weeks before the murders.

Three separate students told People that they believe they saw him in the Student Union building, with one saying he was sitting staring at people.

It was really early in the semester, sophomore student Chelsea said. He was at the food court, drinking water. He sat by himself.

He was the type to stare. 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.

Chelsea said that his behaviour prompted her to point him out to a friend.

I told my friend to not be suspicious but to look at him, because the eye contact was making me uncomfortable, she said. It was so weird that we ended up leaving and eating outside, because we wanted to get away from him.

Another student told the outlet she recognised Mr Kohberger after his arrest as she had seen him often around the campus  despite the fact that he did not go to UI.

Its not a huge school; its like a small town, she said.

So you start seeing the same faces again and again. They become familiar, like you know that youve seen them in class or around campus. I definitely saw him more than once. He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.

Their accounts support comments previously made by a law enforcement source to People that the suspect spent some time on the UI campus before the 13 November killings.

No connection is yet known between the suspect and the victims.

Ethan Chapins mother shares how family navigates grief journey

Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:59 , Andrea Blanco

In a Facebook post in late January, 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.

Our kids are resilient, but this is definitely a challenging time. Were grateful they have each other at school, fraternity and sorority friends, and other amazing support systems, she wrote. They are each processing this new normal in their own way, and thats okay. Our job as parents is to be there and provide tools and resources as needed.

Pennsylvania police are sifting through cold cases for possible links to Bryan Kohberger

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:01 , Andrea Blanco

Two law enforcement offices in Pennsylvania are reportedly sifting through cold case files in search of any potential links to Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger.

Northampton County District and Lehigh County started looking for links between unsolved cases and Mr Kohberger following his 30 December arrest, King5 reported. The Washington State University PhD student is accused of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin on 13 November in Moscow, Idaho.

The Independent has the story:

Pennsylvania police looking at cold cases for possible links to Bryan Kohberger

Bryan Kohberger was fired from WSU teaching job days before Idaho murders arrest

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:06 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger was facing disciplinary action in his teaching assistant job at Washington State University (WSU) around the time of the murders of four University of Idaho students  before he was ultimately fired from the position days before his arrest.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student began working as a teaching assistant in the criminology department in August as part of his graduate program.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

Bryan Kohberger was fired from WSU teaching job days before Idaho murders arrest

Dickies tag and receipts from Walmart and Marshalls seized from Bryan Kohbergers home

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:09 , Andrea Blanco

According to the search warrant record unsealed last month, investigators seized one receipt from Walmart, two from Marshalls and a tag from the clothing brand Dickies from Bryan Kohbergers home.

Last month, 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.

Dr Miller said investigators could seek to prove that the items listed on those receipts, and whatever the tag came from, match with the clothing worn by the alleged killer.

[The suspect] may have bought something to wear and discard, and then [law enforcement] found these receipts and asked Where are these clothes? he said.

The receipts could also reveal how long in advance the clothing was purchased, Ms Coffindaffer noted.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed on 13 November

I think that those would indicate not only what was purchased  which is relevant to the crime  but also when, which I think is very important to see timing, to see a forethought that this was planned, Ms Coffindaffer said. Was this just one day? Several days before? The timestamp to me is as important as what was on those receipts.

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

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco

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.

Andrea Blanco has more:

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger was fired from WSU teaching job around time of murders  for sexism and behavioural issues

Wednesday 8 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Bryan Kohberger was facing disciplinary action in his teaching assistant job at Washington State University (WSU) around the time of the murders of four University of Idaho students  before he was ultimately fired from the position days before his arrest.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student began working as a teaching assistant in August as part of his graduate program.

But within a month he was under investigation by the university because of behavioural problems and a sexist attitude towards women, according to NewsNation, which obtained a detailed timeline of his issues in the department.

On 2 November, he reportedly met with a professor to discuss an improvement plan for his behaviour.

Less than two weeks later on 13 November, Mr Kohberger is accused of stabbing to death Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in a student home over the Washington border in Moscow, Idaho.

One month on from the murders, on 19 November, NewsNation reported that he was fired from WSU following repeated warnings and failing to improve his behaviour. Days later on 30 December he was arrested and charged with the quadruple homicide.

Kaylee Goncalves family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

Wednesday 8 February 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco

The family of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are fighting back against an unusually restrictive gag order placed on the case against her accused killer.

In an appeal filed in court on Friday, the Goncalves family attorney Shanon Gray called on the judge to pull back the scope of the gag order, describing it as unconstitutional and facially overbroad and vague.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

Kaylee Goncalves family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Wednesday 8 February 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco

Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders.

Rader who gave himself the title of the BTK killer because he bound and tortured his victims before killing them  is serving ten consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison in Kansas after he confessed in 2005 to killing 10 people over a span of three decades.

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.

Since I spent from February 2005 to April 2005 in a cell by myself, I know how he feels. Very lonely, Rader told the outlet, adding that his situation improved when he was allowed to receive mail. And soon letters started to come in ... [I] read a lot of the Bible and wrote poetry.

Read the full story:

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Dickies tag and receipts from Walmart and Marshalls seized from Bryan Kohbergers home

Wednesday 8 February 2023 10:30 , Andrea Blanco

According to the search warrant record unsealed last month, investigators seized one receipt from Walmart, two from Marshalls and a tag from the clothing brand Dickies from Bryan Kohbergers home.

Last month, 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.

Dr Miller said investigators could seek to prove that the items listed on those receipts, and whatever the tag came from, match with the clothing worn by the alleged killer.

[The suspect] may have bought something to wear and discard, and then [law enforcement] found these receipts and asked Where are these clothes? he said.

The receipts could also reveal how long in advance the clothing was purchased, Ms Coffindaffer noted.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed on 13 November

I think that those would indicate not only what was purchased  which is relevant to the crime  but also when, which I think is very important to see timing, to see a forethought that this was planned, Ms Coffindaffer said. Was this just one day? Several days before? The timestamp to me is as important as what was on those receipts.

Ethan Chapins mother shares how family navigates grief journey

Wednesday 8 February 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco

In a Facebook post in late January, 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.

Our kids are resilient, but this is definitely a challenging time. Were grateful they have each other at school, fraternity and sorority friends, and other amazing support systems, she wrote. They are each processing this new normal in their own way, and thats okay. Our job as parents is to be there and provide tools and resources as needed.

Idaho murder victims mother says Bryan Kohberger lawyer had power of attorney over her as she slams betrayal

00:01 , 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.

Mr Kohberger is accused of brutally stabbing Kernodle, her boyfriend Ethan Chapin and roommates Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen on 13 November in the college town of Moscow. He was arrested on 30 December at his parents home in Pennsylvania before he was extradited to Idaho earlier this month.

Read more here:

Idaho murder victims mom says she gave Bryan Kohberger lawyer power of attorney

Hit-and-run unfolded outside Bryan Kohbergers home on night of Idaho college murders

Wednesday 8 February 2023 07:30 , Andrea Blanco

A hit-and-run unfolded outside of Bryan Kohbergers home on the same night that he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students, it has been revealed.

At around 11.40pm on the night of 12 November, police were called to a report of a crash in front of an apartment complex on the Washington State University (WSU) campus, in Pullman, Washington state, according to authorities.

The apartment complex, which houses mainly graduate or PhD students, had been home to Mr Kohberger since August when he relocated from his home state of Pennsylvania to start a PhD program in criminal justice at the university.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found two pedestrians  a male WSU student and a woman  with injuries after being struck by a car.

The driver had already fled the scene.

Witness Turner Gardner told Business Insider the incident was horrifying and the two victims were taken to hospital for treatment for serious injuries.

Hours later, 19-year-old student Carmen Fernandez was arrested and charged with DUI, felony vehicular assault and hit-and-run, the Pullman Police Department said at the time.

It is not clear if Mr Kohberger witnessed the hit-and-run which took place within the eyeline of his apartment.

However, investigators were reportedly still on the scene of the crash at the housing complex when the 28-year-old allegedly left his home in the early hours of 13 November and travelled to Moscow to carry out the murders.

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohbergers home in the Idaho murders case

Wednesday 8 February 2023 06:00 , Andrea Blanco

A search warrant was executed at Mr Kohbergers apartment in Pullman, Washington, on 30 December, the same day he was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania on charges for the 13 November stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.

A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed last month, 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

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship months before Idaho murders

Wednesday 8 February 2023 04:30 , 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.

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.

Computer, hair, glove and stained items seized from Idaho murders suspects home

Wednesday 8 February 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Police investigating the murder of four Idaho students seized a string of items from suspect Bryan Kohbergers apartment, including possible hair strands, a disposable glove, items with red and brown stains and a computer, according to a newly unsealed search warrant.

Investigators stated in the search warrant application that they hoped to find hair strands that could link the suspect to the scene of the horrific November crime in Moscow, Idaho. They said in the application that this could be either through the four victims or through a dog that was at the rental house at the time of the slayings, reported The New York Times.

Police said that one of the items found at the suspects apartment at nearby Washington State University was a possible animal hair strand.

In the documents, investigators said one item had a collection of dark red spotting, and that a pillow had a reddish/brown stain on it.

The application also stated that the murder scene near the University of Idaho campus where the victims were discovered had a large amount of the victims blood including spatter and castoff blood.

Investigators also searched the Washington State University office used by the suspect, a graduate student and teaching assistant in criminology, but did not seize any items.

FBI denies claim agents lost Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Wednesday 8 February 2023 01:30 , Andrea Blanco

The FBI has denied claims that its agents lost accused mass killer Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

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, law enforcement sources told Air Mails The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two that in the early hours of 13 December, Mr Kohberger set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania and the surveillance team lost him.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

FBI denies claim agents lost Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

ICYMI: Possible animal hair found at Bryan Kohbergers home after Kaylee Goncalves dog spared in Idaho murders

Wednesday 8 February 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco

A possible animal hair was among the evidence seized from the home of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger - sparking speculation that it could belong to victim Kaylee Goncalves dog.

Records of evidence recovered from Mr Kohbergers home were unsealed last month, nearly three weeks after his arrest for the 13 November stabbings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Included on the list of seizures was a possible animal hair strand. While Mr Kohberger is not believed to have a pet, one of the victims he is accused of killing, Goncalves, had a dog who was at home at the time of the murders.

The dog called Murphy became the target of substantial attention in the case after investigators revealed that the pet was found unscathed in the room where Goncalves and Mogen were stabbed to death in the former students bed.

Potential reason why Kaylee Goncalves called ex-boyfriend before Idaho murders

Tuesday 7 February 2023 22:30 , Andrea Blanco

The Goncalves family has shed light on why she might have been calling her ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur in the hours before she was brutally attacked.

In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia aired last month  and filmed two days before Mr Kohbergers arrest the Goncalves said their daughter 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.

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. The family noted that they were not just blindly sticking up for Mr DuCoeur, and that they had done their due diligence by looking out for scratches on his body, and potential evidence on his shoes and inside his car.

Even logically, I think a lot of people assume that were blinded by this individual but contrary to that, were very capable of removing our emotions for Jack which is absolute love  and just looking at the situation logically, Alivea Goncalves, Goncalves sister, said on the interview released on Friday.

Looking at this individual logically, looking at a pattern of behaviours of him that we have seen throughout five, six years ... In our hearts and in our heads and in every sense of the word, its just not [plausible that he committed the crime].

Mr DuCoeur was never considered a suspect in the quadruple murder, but was targeted by online armchair detectives baselessly linking him to the crimes before an arrest was made last month.

Could Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger get a plea deal?

Tuesday 7 February 2023 21:03 , Andrea Blanco

If convicted of the four murders, Bryan Kohberger faces the possibility of lethal injection, should the prosecution seek the death penalty.

In the state of Idaho, the maximum sentence for first-degree murder is death and the suspect is facing four counts of this charge.

While the Latah County prosecutor has not yet confirmed whether or not he plans to seek the death penalty in the case and he is unlikely to show his hand over the coming weeks due to the gag order now in place.

Kaylee Goncalves parents have already said that they want their daughters killer to be sentenced to death saying he has to pay for what he has done.

If you want to play gods role, youre gonna have to go answer to him, Steve Goncalves told NewsNation in early-January.

According to prominent attorney Duncan Levin, in a death penalty case, the only possible plea deal would be for the suspect to be given life in prison instead.

However, he said it is too early to tell whether this is likely in this case.

At this point, it is too early for the two sides to have a discussion about a plea deal, he told The Independent.

On a death penalty case, the only plea on the table is life in prison but both sides have too much investigating ahead of them to discuss that at this time.

Kaylee Goncalves family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

Tuesday 7 February 2023 19:00 , Andrea Blanco

The family of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are fighting back against an unusually restrictive gag order placed on the case against her accused killer.

In an appeal filed in court on Friday, the Goncalves family attorney Shanon Gray called on the judge to pull back the scope of the gag order, describing it as unconstitutional and facially overbroad and vague.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

Kaylee Goncalves family fight gag order in Idaho murders case

University of Idaho students claim they saw Bryan Kohberger staring on campus

Tuesday 7 February 2023 18:00 , Andrea Blanco

Several students have recalled seeing Bryan Kohberger  a PhD student at Washington State University  on the University of Idaho campus in the weeks before the murders.

Three separate students told People that they believe they saw him in the Student Union building, with one saying he was sitting staring at people.

It was really early in the semester, sophomore student Chelsea said. He was at the food court, drinking water. He sat by himself.

He was the type to stare. 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.

Chelsea said that his behaviour prompted her to point him out to a friend.

I told my friend to not be suspicious but to look at him, because the eye contact was making me uncomfortable, she said. It was so weird that we ended up leaving and eating outside, because we wanted to get away from him.

Another student told the outlet she recognised Mr Kohberger after his arrest as she had seen him often around the campus  despite the fact that he did not go to UI.

Its not a huge school; its like a small town, she said.

So you start seeing the same faces again and again. They become familiar, like you know that youve seen them in class or around campus. I definitely saw him more than once. He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.

Their accounts support comments previously made by a law enforcement source to People that the suspect spent some time on the UI campus before the 13 November killings.

No connection is yet known between the suspect and the victims.

ICYMI: The unique facial feature that may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Tuesday 7 February 2023 17:00 , 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.

Andrea Blanco has more:

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

BTK killer Dennis Rader expresses sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders

Tuesday 7 February 2023 16:00 , Andrea Blanco

Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders.

Rader who gave himself the title of the BTK killer because he bound and tortured his victims before killing them  is serving ten consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison in Kansas after he confessed in 2005 to killing 10 people over a span of three decades.

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.

Since I spent from February 2005 to April 2005 in a cell by myself, I know how he feels. Very lonely, Rader told the outlet, adding that his situation improved when he was allowed to receive mail. And soon letters started to come in ... [I] read a lot of the Bible and wrote poetry.

Andrea Blanco has the story:

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Ethan Chapins mother shares how family are adjusting to new normal

Tuesday 7 February 2023 15:00 , Rachel Sharp

The mother of slain University of Idaho Ethan Chapin has opened up about finding the little victories in her grief journey.

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.

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.

Read the full story here:

Ethan Chapins mom speaks about adjusting to new normal after Idaho murders
DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP)  Police on the Indonesian resort island of Bali have detained an Australian who is wanted by Italy since 2016 on drug trafficking charges.

Antonio Strangio, who holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship, was detained at Bali International Airport after arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last Thursday, said Antonius Parlindungan, an immigration official.

The suspect was identified through Interpol's red notice, he said Wednesday.

He is wanted by Italian police on charges of trafficking 160 kilograms (352 pounds) of marijuana, said Jessica Febria Tokilov, an assistant investigator. She said that Strangio was in transit in Bali on his way to Adelaide.

He is awaiting deportation to Italy, she said.
JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian security forces searched Wednesday for a pilot from New Zealand who was taken hostage by separatist rebels in restive Papua province.

The joint team of soldiers and police searching for the pilot, Philip Mark Mehrtens, also managed Wednesday to rescue 15 construction workers who had been building a health center in Paro village in remote Nduga district after separatist rebels threatened to kill them, regional military commander Brig. Gen. J.O. Sembiring said.

Mehrtens, from Christchurch, was captured early Tuesday by independence fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Organization, who stormed his single-engine plane shortly after it landed at Paro's small airport.

The plane, operated by Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was carrying five passengers and about 450 kilograms (990 pounds) of supplies from Timika, a mining town in neighboring Mimika district.

The rebels released the indigenous Papuan passengers and set fire to the plane, rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom said.

We will never release the pilot we are holding hostage unless Indonesia recognizes our sovereignty and frees Papua from Indonesian colonialism, Sambom said in a statement Tuesday.

Conflicts between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common in the impoverished Papua region, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia. Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was widely seen as a sham. Since then, a low-level insurgency has simmered in the mineral-rich region, which is divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua.

National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said soldiers and police were deployed to locate and rescue the pilot.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Wednesday that his country's embassy in Jakarta was leading its response to the hostage taking.

Story continues

Consular support is being provided to the family, Hipkins said. Youll be familiar with the fact that in these kinds of cases, we keep our public comments to a bare minimum.

Hipkins was referring to a policy of avoiding any discussion that could further endanger hostages or detainees during diplomatic efforts to secure their release.

The 15 construction workers rescued by the security forces on Wednesday came from other Indonesian islands to build the health center in Paro. They had taken refuge in a priests house in the village since Saturday after a group of armed rebels threatened to kill them, regional military commander Brig. Gen. Juinta Omboh Sembiring said.

Sembiring said the workers were taken by helicopter to a hospital for a health examination.

Separatists consider civilian workers to be outsiders and sometimes spies for the Indonesian government.

Conflict in the region has spiked in the past year, with dozens of rebels, security forces and civilians killed.

Last July, gunmen believed to be separatist rebels killed 10 traders who came from other Indonesian islands and an indigenous Papuan. Sambom later claimed rebel responsibility for the killing, accusing the victims of being spies for the government.

Last March, rebel gunmen killed eight technicians repairing a remote telecommunications tower. In December 2018, at least 31 construction workers and a soldier were killed in one of the worst attacks in the province.

Flying is the only practical way of accessing many areas in the mountainous easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua.

___

Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press writer Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Intel has provided the German economy ministry with a new calculation for a planned chip factory in the city of Magdeburg that considers almost 10 billion euros ($10.74 billion) of government funding to be necessary, business daily Handelsblatt reported on Wednesday, citing government sources.

An Intel spokesperson declined to comment on the figure in Handelsblatt but was quoted as saying the group was "working very closely with government partners to close the critical cost gap".

The company explains that its new demand, which exceeds the already approved funds of 6.8 billion euros ($7.3 billion), was necessary due to higher energy costs and that it would like to use a more advanced technology in the plant than initially planned, Handelsblatt said.

($1 = 0.9308 euros)

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; editing by Matthias Williams)
Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of ECO Animal Health Group plc (LON:EAH) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for ECO Animal Health Group

Step By Step Through The Calculation

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. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK1.18m UK4.21m UK4.78m UK5.18m UK5.51m UK5.77m UK5.98m UK6.15m UK6.30m UK6.43m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Est @ 8.45% Est @ 6.26% Est @ 4.73% Est @ 3.65% Est @ 2.90% Est @ 2.38% Est @ 2.01% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 6.7% UK1.1 UK3.7 UK3.9 UK4.0 UK4.0 UK3.9 UK3.8 UK3.7 UK3.5 UK3.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK35m

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. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK6.4m (1 + 1.2%)  (6.7% 1.2%) = UK117m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK117m ( 1 + 6.7%)10= UK61m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is UK96m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK0.9, the company appears quite good value at a 37% 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. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at ECO Animal Health Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for ECO Animal Health Group

Strength

Currently debt free.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the British market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

No apparent threats visible for EAH.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. 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. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For ECO Animal Health Group, there are three essential items you should consider:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with ECO Animal Health Group . Future Earnings: How does EAH's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Google, a company built on finding quick answers to people's questions, suddenly finds itself grappling for a response to a potential threat to its internet empire  a form of artificial intelligence that long-time rival Microsoft is now deploying to attack its dominant search engine.

Microsoft's assault combined with concerns about Google's ability to ward it off hammered its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., whose stock price plunged nearly 8% Wednesday in a selloff that wiped out about $100 billion in shareholder wealth.

It marked the steepest one-day decline since October when an Alphabet earnings report disclosed a slowdown in digital ad revenue that rattled investors. Those concerns have escalated since another report released last week revealed Google's ad sales during the holiday-season quarter fell from the same time in the previous year.

Wednesday's downturn came after Google elaborated on its plans for a chatbot dubbed Bard  during an uninspiring presentation that included inaccurate information about space exploration. It contrasted with a much more polished and well-reviewed showcase of Microsoft's plans to incorporate an already popular chatbot, ChatGPT, into its Bing search engine  long a distant second to Google's de facto gateway to the internet.

It's not like this is the end of the world for Google and Microsoft is going to eat its lunch in search," said CFRA analyst Angelo Zino said. But ChatGPT is showing there is possible threat and that is causing a lot of fear.

Google has been focusing on artificial intelligence for the past six years, but has been cautions about how it uses the technology in its search engine that holds a roughly 90% share of the internet market  in part because it's counted on as a go-to source for reliable information.

Although ChatGPT has attracted millions of users since its release late last year by OpenAI, it still makes glaring mistakes that would be mocked if they showed up in Google's search results. But Microsoft's Bing search engine has such a small sliver of the market that it can afford to experiment with what is still a largely untested technology.

Story continues

Google has had to take a more measured approach, but Microsoft really has nothing to lose so why not use ChatGPT in search?" said Edward Jones analyst David Heger.

And Microsoft's increasingly reliance on ChatGPT  a technology that prompted the software maker to pour billions of dollars into OpenAI  may not be Google's only worry. Baidu, the leading search engine in China, is rolling out a chatbot called Ernie and, on Wednesday, veteran Google executive Clay Bavor announced he is leaving the company after 18 years working on a variety of major projects to launch an AI startup with former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor.

The AI challenges are confronting Google at a time it's also gearing up for an antitrust trial triggered by a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit aimed at its search engine. The trial, scheduled to begin in September, is considered to be the biggest antitrust case targeting a technology company since the department took aim at Microsoft's dominance in personal computer software more than 20 years ago.

While Microsoft became distracted battling antitrust regulators, Google seized on the opportunity to make huge inroads in search and become a tech powerhouse.
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters on Wednesday addressed the U.N. Security Council at Russia's invitation, condemning Moscow's invasion of its neighbor as illegal - though adding he believed it was provoked - and calling for a ceasefire.

"He is lucky to be in New York, in a free country, speak his mind, say whatever he likes, including about the Russian aggression and how wrong that is. If he had been in Russia, with what he said, he might have been in custody by now," Albania's U.N. Ambassador Ferit Hoxha told the 15-member Security Council.

Soon after Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia introduced tough new laws on spreading "misinformation" about the war or discrediting the Russian army. Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy rejected Hoxha's remarks on Wednesday, saying his country respects freedom of speech.

Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" designed to demilitarize and "denazify" the country. Ukraine and its Western allies say the invasion was an unprovoked act of aggression aimed at seizing territory.

Russia called the Security Council meeting on Wednesday to discuss the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and asked Waters to brief. Waters argued against the Western supply of weapons to Kyiv in a letter that he published on his website in September.

The deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Mills, acknowledged Waters' "impressive credentials as a recording artist," but said his qualifications to speak on arms control or European security issues were "less evident."

While Waters condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as illegal, he also said it "was not unprovoked" and he also condemned "the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms." He did not give specifics.

"The only sensible course of action today is to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine," Waters said

Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya invoked Pink Floyd's hit song "Another Brick in the Wall," telling the Security Council: "How sad for his former fans to see him accepting the role of just a brick in the wall - the wall of Russian disinformation and propaganda."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
How common is pregnancy when you have an IUD? Experts weigh in. (Getty Images)

You may have seen it on social media: a newborn baby holding the IUD its mother had in place when she became pregnant. Videos of these seemingly shocking moments have gone viral on TikTok and other social media platforms, yet in reality, these moments are staged  such as the viral 2017 pic of Lucy Tyler's newborn, who had her IUD placed in his hand for a funny photo. More recently, 20-year-old mom Violet Quick took to TikTok to share a since removed video of her own baby holding an IUD. (Quick did not respond to Yahoo Life's requests for comment.)

While babies don't come out of the womb holding an IUD triumphantly, these images do raise another question: How can someone with an IUD become pregnant?

First, what is an IUD?

An IUD, short for "intrauterine device," is one of the most effective forms of long-term birth control on the market. There are two types of IUDs, both of which are T-shaped and inserted into the cervix to prevent pregnancy. The hormonal IUD uses the hormone progestin to thicken mucus in the cervix to help stop sperm from fertilizing the egg, as well as thins the lining of the uterus and partially suppress ovulation, according to the Mayo Clinic. There's also a copper IUD, which does not use hormones  instead, it prevents pregnancy due to the copper providing an inflammatory reaction that is toxic to sperm and eggs.

While results vary between brands and types, it's possible for an IUD to prevent pregnancy for up to 12 years  and one can even be used as emergency contraception if it's placed within five days of unprotected sex, per Planned Parenthood.

Why does pregnancy occur with an IUD?

Dr. Hugh Taylor, chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life that "pregnancy is uncommon but not impossible" and occurs in less than 1% of women with an IUD in place.

So how might a pregnancy be more likely to occur, given these odds?

Story continues

"Pregnancy is more common if the IUD has slipped into the cervix or actually fallen out or has expired," explains Taylor. In addition, "a hormonal IUD may not have full effectiveness for a few days after insertion."

Dr. Jonathan Schaffir, physician in obstetrics and gynecology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life, "With millions of sperm in any ejaculate, it is hard for any method to block 100% of sperm that are present. Also, an IUD that slips out of place and doesn't occupy the uterine cavity correctly will not prevent implantation."

He adds: "The overall chance of an IUD being expelled is 3-4%, so the majority of pregnancies that occur are in women who think they still have an IUD present when it may have fallen out without their knowledge."

Is it possible for a baby to grab an IUD as it's being born?

In short: not really.

"While the IUD and baby are both in the uterus, the baby grows in a sac of amniotic fluid," explains Taylor. "The IUD would be found in the uterus but not in the amniotic sac. The baby could not hold the IUD."

Taylor adds: "The IUD should be removed early in pregnancy, but if not it often comes out at the time of delivery, often with the placenta."

In fact, Tyler wrote on social media that her Mirena brand of IUD was "found behind my placenta."

What should you do if you become pregnant with an IUD inserted?

If you plan on continuing with a pregnancy, it's important to remove the IUD as soon as possible, according to Taylor, as "the risk of miscarriage and premature delivery is increased." There is also a risk of having an ectopic pregnancy, in which an egg is fertilized outside of the uterus (typically in the fallopian tubes).

Dr. Alice Sutton, associate program director in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at UC San Diego Health, tells Yahoo Life, "If a patient does not want to continue the pregnancy, the IUD can be removed at the time of surgical abortion or before a medical abortion."

If you or someone you know needs help obtaining an abortion or additional information and resources, visit abortionfunds.org or abortionfinder.org. You can also call or text the All-Options hotline at 1-888-493-0092; it offers "unconditional, judgment-free support for people in all of their decisions, feelings and experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion, and adoption."

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
After the tragic drowning death of 4-year-old Israel "Izzy" Scott in Burke County in June 2022, local state senators realized there were no laws protecting children taking private swim lessons. A new bill introduced Wednesday, "Izzy's Law," will regulate private swim instruction and put safeguards in place to protect children.

On June 14, 2022 Izzy Scott drowned while taking a swim lesson provided by Lexie TenHuisen, 66, of Waynesville, North Carolina.

FILE - Israel "Izzy" Scott, 4, died in June 2022 after drowning during a swim lesson in Augusta.

Izzy "got into the deep water of the pool undetected" and was eventually found by TenHuisens granddaughter after she went to remove the pool vacuum from the shallow end of the pool, according to Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams.

After public outcry, TenHuisen was eventually charged with involuntary manslaughter.

In August 2022, The Augusta Chronicle reported there are no laws in Georgia restricting or regulating lessons at residential pools and the pools themselves are not evaluated for safety by the Georgia Department of Public Health. In most instances, lessons held in public-use pools are also unregulated.

Scott's mother, Dori, said the family reached out to local legislators in hopes of creating a bill to protect children taking swim lessons in Georgia.

Loophole in law:Loophole in Georgia law puts children taking swim lessons in danger; lawmakers promise change

Instructor arrested:Swim instructor charged in 4-year-old's drowning death in Burke County

"We reached out to anybody that would listen," Scott said in an interview with The Chronicle Wednesday morning. "[State Sen. Max Burns] reached back immediately and agreed that there should be laws, and it just kind of went from there."

While the family said the bill has given them hope and helped them heal, Scott said she will never have closure.

"I don't know if I'll ever feel closure because I still don't know what happened to my son. No one can give me answers," she said. "But I do feel like this will help save lives and keep Izzy's legacy alive. He's making a change. He's still being the superhero he was as he lives in heaven. ... Nothing will ever bring my son back, I know that, but I am happy that he was able to make a change."

Story continues

Introduction of Senate Bill 107

The new bill, spearheaded by Burns and state Sen. Harold V. Jones II, will require private swim instructors in Georgia to follow an aquatic safety plan approved by the state Department of Health before providing swim lessons.

"Aquatic safety plans" will be written documents that have procedures, requirements, and standards related to safety, training, and emergency response procedures, according to the bill. The Department of Health will create a model safety plan, which instructors can adopt, or they can create their own  so long as they contain all of the procedures, safety requirements and standards outlined in the bill.

Some of the provisions include a student-to-instructor ratio, allowing students' caregivers to be present during instruction, CPR certifications for swim instructors, and adding safety equipment to the pools used for lessons.

FILE - Dolphin Academy Swim School features a climate controlled viewing room, flags that designate teaching stations and benches for swimmers to rest on while taking lessons.

The Scott family worked closely with legislators to develop the provisions.

"We wanted them to push having a safety net in the pool because I feel like if the safety net was in there [when Izzy drowned], he would have had something to grab on to," Scott said. "The ratios are also very important because it's not like you're watching them on a playground; you're dealing with kids in water."

Private swim instructors will be required to agree to the safety plan, and if they violate any provision, will be subject to a misdemeanor charge and fine. The fine will increase with subsequent violations and may reach $1,000.

"There should be a fine because one mistake, one rule that's not followed, could result in a child's death," Scott said. "There needs to be a fine to say, 'Hey, this is important.'"

Scott added she believes the bill will help bring awareness to parents.

"It just makes parents aware of what to look for," she said. "Especially when you're trying to do something to protect your kids, you shouldn't ever have to worry about your child being harmed or never coming back. I have a 3-year-old, and right now, when I see swim trunks in the store, I get anxiety and I have to turn around and walk away. It shouldn't be like that because learning how to swim is very important. But then this happens. I think [the bill] will definitely help parents feel more safe with sending their kids for swim lessons."

The Scott family said the process of reaching out to senators was made easier by the amount of community support.

"It was definitely easier than I thought [to reach legislators], but you have to look at the case," she said. "No parent would ever imagine that their child would drown taking swim lessons. ... So I think that it touched the heart of a lot more people and that's why it was easier to reach the legislators, because it was unheard of and unimaginable."

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Legislators introduce Izzy's Law after drowning death of 4-year-old
A troubling discovery in Jacksonvilles Panama Park community on the northside late Tuesday, as the bodies of a man and woman were found in a home.

Jacksonville police and fire-rescue personnel responded to a welfare check at the home on East 61st Street, not far from the Trout River. They found the bodies of a Black man and Black woman in the late stages of decomposition.

Detectives were unable to say if foul play was involved. Both bodies were taken to the Medical Examiners Office where autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

JSO is asking anyone with information on these deaths to contact them at (904) 630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.
















In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Joe Biden called attention to the death of Tyre Nichols last month at the hands of police in Memphis, Tennessee  and he spoke about the need for more training and resources for law enforcement officers and the communities they serve to prevent such actions.

Nichols' parents were guests at the speech at the U.S. Capitol, as was Pamela Walker, the mother of Jayland Walker, the Black man shot and killed by Akron police last year. It could be early April before state prosecutors present the deadly use of police force case to a grand jury in Summit County, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told the Beacon Journal in January.

Walker's death hastened a push for police reforms in Akron through the November passage of Issue 10, which established a Citizens' Police Oversight Board with the authority to review police investigations and offer recommendations.

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address Tuesday in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Biden said more must be done to build trust between police and the public.

Here are his State of the Union remarks on police reforms and public safety:

We have an obligation to make sure all our people are safe.

Public safety depends on public trust. But too often that trust is violated.

Joining us tonight are the parents of Tyre Nichols, who had to bury him just last week. There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a child.

But imagine what its like to lose a child at the hands of the law.

Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter will come home from walking down the street or playing in the park or just driving their car.

Ive never had to have the talk with my children  Beau, Hunter, and Ashley  that so many Black and Brown families have had with their children.

If a police officer pulls you over, turn on your interior lights. Dont reach for your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel.

Imagine having to worry like that every day in America.

Heres what Tyres mom shared with me when I asked her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out.

Story continues

With faith in God, she said her son was a beautiful soul and something good will come from this.

Imagine how much courage and character that takes.

Its up to us. Its up to all of us.

We all want the same thing.

Neighborhoods free of violence.

Law enforcement who earn the communitys trust.

Our children to come home safely.

Equal protection under the law; thats the covenant we have with each other in America.

And we know police officers put their lives on the line every day, and we ask them to do too much.

To be counselors, social workers, psychologists; responding to drug overdoses, mental health crises, and more.

We ask too much of them.

I know most cops are good, decent people. They risk their lives every time they put on that shield.

But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often.

We have to do better.

Give law enforcement the training they need, hold them to higher standards, and help them succeed in keeping everyone safe.

We also need more first responders and other professionals to address growing mental health and substance abuse challenges.

More resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime; more community intervention programs; more investments in housing, education, and job training.

All this can help prevent violence in the first place.

And when police officers or departments violate the publics trust, we must hold them accountable.

With the support of families of victims, civil rights groups, and law enforcement, I signed an executive order for all federal officers banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act.

Lets commit ourselves to make the words of Tyres mother come true, something good must come from this.

All of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment.

We cant turn away.

Lets do what we know in our hearts we need to do.

Lets come together and finish the job on police reform.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: With Jayland Walker's mother present, Biden calls for police reforms
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase & Co and Deutsche Bank AG called on a U.S. judge to dismiss lawsuits by victims of Jeffrey Epstein who accused the banks of enabling the late financier's sexual abuses.

Both requests were filed on Tuesday night in Manhattan federal court, in proposed class action lawsuits by unnamed victims seeking financial damages.

The banks said there were no allegations they knew about or actively did anything to further Epstein's sex trafficking, and had no legal duty to protect the women from his abuses.

Epstein was a client of JPMorgan from about 2000 to 2013, and of Deutsche Bank from 2013 to 2018. The plaintiffs have said numerous cash payments from the banks were used to pay Epstein's victims.

JPMorgan's filing was also that bank's most extensive discussion of the alleged role of former investment banking chief Jes Staley, including an allegation he had "personally observed" Epstein's abuse of the plaintiff known as Jane Doe 1.

Staley is not a defendant and has denied wrongdoing.

JPMorgan called the accusations about Staley "conclusory," and said there was neither evidence it knew Epstein battered the plaintiff, nor a basis to impute Staley's knowledge to the bank.

It also said providing Epstein with banking services did not amount to "substantial assistance" in his abuses.

"The complaint emphasizes JPMC's alleged failure to act on warning signs" about Epstein, the bank said. "Such allegations cannot establish substantial assistance."

David Boies, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, in a statement on Wednesday said: "We are disappointed in the banks' continuing effort to avoid taking responsibility for their role in the expansion and perpetuation of Jeffrey Epsteins sex trafficking ring."

Staley left JPMorgan in 2013, and later became chief executive of Barclays Plc.

He stepped down from Barclays in 2021 amid a dispute with British financial regulators over his ties to Epstein.

Story continues

Staley's relationship with Epstein is also at issue in a lawsuit by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned two private islands, seeking to hold JPMorgan liable for ignoring Epstein's sex trafficking there.

Epstein killed himself at age 66 in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The cases are Jane Doe 1 v Deutsche Bank AG et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-10018, and Jane Doe 1 v JPMorgan Chase & Co in the same court, No. 22-10019.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Diane Craft)
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are requesting documents that include communications between the Biden administration and social media companies as part of the panels investigation into what the GOP says were efforts to suppress free speech and censor content online.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday penned a letter to Brian Boynton, the principal deputy assistant attorney general in the civil division, requesting that the Justice Department turn over documents that it provided in an earlier lawsuit filed by GOP-led states involving purported free speech violations.

The Hill obtained a copy of the letter, which requests that the materials are handed over by Feb. 22.

The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of the Executive Branchs efforts to sidestep the First Amendment by coercing and coordinating with private companies, including social media platforms, to suppress free speech and censor content online, Jordan wrote.

As part of our oversight, we write to request a discrete set of documents and information that the Department of Justice has produced as part of discovery in federal litigation over the same subject matter, he added.

The attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri filed a lawsuit against President Biden and other administration officials in May for allegedly working with social media companies  including Meta, Twitter and Youtube  to censor and suppress free speech on topics such as COVID-19 and election integrity.

The lawsuit  brought by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) and then-Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R)  named Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Heath and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, among others. It lists a number of stories the Republicans say were suppressed on social media, including the Hunter Biden laptop story and information about the origins of COVID-19.

Story continues

Last month, Landry released a thread of emails from April 2021 between White House employees and Facebook discussing a video posted by Fox Newss Tucker Carlson that, according to Landry, criticized the COVID-19 vaccine. In the communications, then-White House coronavirus response coordinator Andy Slavitt asked about Carlsons video, and White House director of digital strategy Rob Flaherty questioned why it did not violate the platforms regulations.

Landry zeroed in on an email from a Facebook representative, whose email address is redacted, that said, The video received 50% demotion for seven days while in the queue to be fact checked, and will continue to be demoted even though it was not ultimately fact checked.

Jordan is now requesting that the Justice Department produce the documents it has provided in the Missouri and Louisiana litigation.

These documents appear to reveal that the Executive Branch repeatedly pressured social media platforms to censor certain viewpoints, Jordan wrote. Congress has an important interest in protecting and advancing fundamental free speech principles, including by examining how the Executive Branch coordinates with or coerces private actors to suppress First Amendment-protected speech.

As Congress continues to examine how to best protect Americans fundamental freedoms, the documents discovered and produced during the Missouri v. Biden litigation are necessary to assist Congress in understanding the problem and evaluating potential legislative reforms, he added.

The Hill reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Jordans letter is the latest example of increased scrutiny House Republicans are placing on the suppression of information on social media platforms. On Wednesday, the same day Jordan sent his letter, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held a hearing that looked into Twitters decisions regarding a 2020 New York Post story about Hunter Biden. Former Twitter executives testified at the hearing.

It comes after Republicans have claimed that the social media company suppressed circulation of the story for political purposes in the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
In the latest episode of "Finding Your Roots," which aired on Feb. 7, actor Joe Manganiello encounters revelations about both his paternal and maternal branches of the family.

Some discoveries are brand new: He learns his dad's grandfather was a mixed race Black man. Others, like the incredible hardship that his great-grandmother endured in the early 20th century, he was familiar with  but he didn't know the extent of what she faced.

Speaking to host Henry Louis Gates Jr., Manganiello says his maternal great-grandmother, Terviz Rose Darakijan, survived the Armenian Genocide, during which over 1 million ethnic Armenians were murdered by the Ottoman state.

Darakijan survived, but her entire family  her husband and seven out of eight children  were slaughtered by Turkish soldiers in 1915.

The Turks came into her home in 1915 under the guise of World War I and tried to enact the genocide that they had begun, Manganiello says. They shot her husband dead, shot her. She laid on the ground, pretended that she was dead while seven other gunshots that went off, which were her seven children.

Her infant was left to die after the attack. Darakijan, still with a bullet in her, took the baby on her back and swam across the Euphrates River to safety. Tragically, her baby drowned in that crossing.

Darakijan "lived in a cave" with other refugees, Manganiello says, before being picked up by German soldiers.

She later became pregnant by a German soldier in a refugee camp and had a "very blonde, half-German child, the actor says. That child, Sondra, was Manganiellos grandmother.

With the help of DNA evidence, the "Finding Your Roots" team identified Sondra's father as Carl Wilhelm Beutinger and shared the names of his own parents: Johan Heinrich Beutinger and Catharine Friederike Reischle.

"Wow! Look at that," Manganiello says as he looks at his family tree. "That's incredible."

Story continues

When he sees a photo of Sondra's father, Carl, Manganiello exclaims, "Whoa!" and instantly notices the family resemblance.

"It looks like me if I had a coat on, Manganiello says, looking at the picture of his German ancestor. Gosh, thats weird.

As he learns more about his great-grandfather, the 46-year-old marvels at being able to learn about his ancestors.

"I feel like a time traveler. This is something out of some science fiction novel," he says.

The nature of Beutinger and Darakijans relationship, the show's host says, could not be defined. But Beutinger had a wife and family in Germany when he met Darakijan in Turkey.

One of Beutinger's sons later became a member of the SS, the Nazis elite forces, during WWII.

Manganiello remarks on learning his grandmother's half-brother's Nazi status, especially in light of the siblings' father's relationship with an Armenian genocide victim.

The idea that a genocide was carried out under the veil of WWI against the Armenians and his father had relations with a woman who survived that, after all that she went through ... (He) returned home, and then his son joins the SS.

In response, Gates remarks, You have two genocides in your family tree."

The actor says, "That's right, and it's on either side."

"Victim and perpetrators ... thats a heavy thing to ponder, Gates acknowledges.

As Manganiello puts it, It's just mind blowing.

Afterward, Gates shares the names of Darakijan's parents and adds another branch to his Armenian family tree.

Hearing their names sparks a moment of gratitude in Manganiello.

"This is one of the great gifts of my life, to be in a position sitting across the table from someone who is even more obsessed about history and genealogy than me and then to live in a time when this is all possible and to find out these answers ... What an amazing time to be alive," he says.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Fawlty Towers originally aired on the BBC back in the 1970s (Alamy Stock Photo)

Yes, its finally happened. Fawlty Towers is getting a reboot.

For decades, the very idea seemed unthinkable. Running for 12 episodes (two series of six episodes apiece) in 1975 and 1979, John Cleese and Connie Booths Torquay-set comedy was a paragon of restraint. From the writing through to the performances, it was bottled lightning. Each episode was a classic. And then, after 1979, it was gone. No more. Decades later, the series would still be widely celebrated for this quit while youre ahead philosophy. Ricky Gervais, for instance, has often compared the decision to endThe Office after two series to the precedent set by Cleese. To some extent, Fawlty Towers came to embody the UKs entire attitude towards TV, establishing one of its golden rules: less is more.

And yet, on Tuesday (7 February), it was announced that Cleese would be returning to the character of Basil Fawlty, in a new series created alongside his daughter, Camilla Cleese, who will also co-star. The problem with a Fawlty Towers reboot isnt simply that it will disappoint  though disappoint it surely will. Even if some people can get past their compunctions about watching Cleese in this day and age (the comedian is tirelessly committed to causing offence about anything he considers woke), there is simply no recreating the singular charm of the original. The thrill of watching Basil Fawlty always lay in Cleeses energy, in the manic physicality he brought to the performance. Now 83, Cleeses days of frenetic gesticulation are surely behind him. But the bigger issue with a Fawlty Towers reboot is what it represents for the industry. Truly, nothing is sacred.

Of course, by now, audiences are so numb to the very word reboot, that it could be easy to overlook the significance of a Fawlty Towers one. Sex and the City. Frasier. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Take your pick. In the modern world of intellectual property, every work of art is reduced to a familiar face, a pristine corpse waiting to be dug up and dusted off. But even within this sea of dredged-up mediocrity, the absurdity of a Fawlty Towers reboot cannot be downplayed.

Story continues

The fact that its been years since Cleese was a talked-about presence on the British TV circuit is of course not insignificant. A cynical mind might suggest that reviving Fawlty Towers is the only way for Cleese to get a major TV role again. That the decision to do so constitutes one last desperate grasp at the limelight from a man who has, in recent years, become known far more for his reactionary off-camera viewpoints than any new screen work of note.

A few weeks ago, I argued in favour of the forthcoming Frasier revival, a prospect that has prompted only doom and foreboding in many of the series fans. With Frasier, particularly, there are parallels with Fawlty Towers. Both series are being revived at the sole behest of the original star, without the involvement of other cast members. Like Cleese, Frasier star Kelsey Grammer is an actor whose political opinions have marginalised him in the industry, who has struggled for prominent parts for years. Yet there is a world of difference between the two ideas. Frasier, for all its merits, was inherently a product of American TV excess  a spin-off of a long-running sitcom, lasting for 264 episodes (many of which, towards the end, were of radically inconsistent quality). Fawlty Towers, with its diamond-tight 12 episodes, is frankly incomparable.

In 2018, Cleese told The Independent: If I ever tried to do a Fawlty Towers-type sitcom again, everyone would say, Well, its got its moments, but its not as good as Fawlty Towers, so theres not much point in doing that. You have to do different things. Whats changed, exactly, between now and then? Im not sure. Maybe everybody has just got older. Maybe the TV industry really has just run out of ideas. Whatever it is, one things certainly true  there can be no changing back.
A New Mexico man is accused of fleeing Kansas as he is wanted for murder in the killing of a 53-year-old Johnson County woman who was found dead in an Olathe hotel room in late January.

Franklin Bluelake, the alleged fugitive, is accused by the U.S. Marshals Service of hiding out of state to avoid criminal prosecution in the killing of Rhoda Morgan, of Gardner. An affidavit filed in the U.S. District of Kansas on Monday says Bluelake is the prime suspect in Morgans killing.

On Jan. 29., Olathe police officers were dispatched to the Econo Lodge at 20662 W. 151st Street to check the welfare of a guest who had not checked out by late morning. Responding officers found Morgan dead inside a hotel room, prompting a death investigation.

On Jan. 31, the Olathe Police Department announced the case was being investigated as a homicide following close work between investigators and the Johnson County Medical Examiners Office.

In an affidavit seeking federal criminal charges against Bluelake, a Johnson County Sheriffs Office detective and U.S. Marshals task force member wrote that the Johnson County District Attorneys Office charged Bluelake with first-degree murder on Feb. 2 and had issued a warrant for his arrest.

An autopsy revealed Morgan was murdered and suffered a broken neck. Investigators were led to Bluelake as a suspect based on surveillance video from the area, interviews with Morgans relatives and other investigative techniques, according to court documents.

On Feb. 1, authorities spoke with relatives of Bluelake, who relayed that he told them he was in Texas and that no one will find him. A vehicle registered in Bluelakes name was later discovered in the Flagstaff, Arizona area, according to court documents.

It was later learned Bluelake is potentially hiding out on Tribal Land in that area in an attempt to avoid prosecution, the affidavit says.

Other details about the case, including the alleged motive, remain unknown.

Morgans homicide is the first investigated by Olathe police in 2023. Last year, the city saw a total of two homicides, according to data maintained by The Star.

Correction: An earlier version of this article used the incorrect dates for the Olathe police death investigation and homicide announcement. The death investigation began Jan. 29, and the announcement that the case was considered a homicide came on Jan. 31.
It was a stunning revelation: One of the officers involved in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols took a cellphone photo of the bloodied and handcuffed man and shared it with five other people.

The disclosure was part of the Memphis Police Department's request to the state that the five former officers charged with murder in Nichols' death be decertified. But the officer's statement about sharing the photo will likely never be seen by a jury.

So-called Garrity statements  or disclosures made by police officers during internal investigations under the threat of termination if they stay silent  have been viewed by courts as compelled and therefore cannot be used in criminal court.

Six officers already have been fired and one more has been relieved of duty after Nichols was pulled over for an alleged traffic violation and beaten by police. Six others could receive administrative discipline, officials disclosed, without providing any details. Prosecutors say the Jan. 7 arrest, which was captured on police video cameras, led to Nichols death three days later.

Heres a look at Garrity statements and other aspects of internal police investigations into misconduct the public rarely sees:

____

WHAT IS A GARRITY STATEMENT?

When a police officer is accused of misconduct, internal police investigators who are trying to figure out what happened often take statements from the accused officers or witnesses. Officers  like everyone  have a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and can't be forced to fess up to potential misconduct just to have those statements later used against them in a criminal case.

Police officers do not shed their Constitutional rights when they pin on a badge, said Phil Stinson, a criminologist at Bowling Green State University who tracks charges and convictions of police officers, and also a former police officer.

If an officer is told they have to answer questions as part of an internal affairs investigation or they could lose their job, courts have viewed those statements as protected or inadmissible in criminal proceedings because the officers were forced to talk.

Story continues

They are called Garrity statements" because of a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision in a case titled Garrity v. New Jersey that involved police officers who were brought in for questioning over allegations of traffic ticket fixing. The officers were warned that if they didnt answer questions they would lose their job. Some of their answers were later used against them in court and they were convicted. The Supreme Court said such statements are involuntary, so they can't be used in criminal proceedings.

That doesn't mean that an officer who gives a compelled statement to internal affairs investigators cannot be criminally prosecuted. While those statements would not be part of the criminal case, prosecutors would be able to present other evidence, such as the videos that show the brutal beating. The cellphone photos may also still be seen by jurors if prosecutors can get the information through other means, Stinson said.

Somebody who received the photo may come forward, or prosecutors may get this information through other sources independent of this material, Stinson said. But I think any good defense attorney would raise a Garrity challenge.

Officials have to be careful to keep the internal affairs and criminal investigations totally separate because it can derail the criminal case if the prosecution is found to have inappropriately used statements protected under Garrity.

The violation of the Garrity protections can come at a very high cost to a subsequent prosecution, said Bill Johnson, executive director and general counsel of the National Association of Police Organizations.

But while an officer's own Garrity statement can't be used against them in their criminal case, prosecutors can use that officer's statement to build a case against a fellow officer, Johnson said.

WHAT DID THE MEMPHIS OFFICERS SAY?

Documents released by the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission on Tuesday say that officer Officer Demetrius Haley took two photos while standing in front of the obviously injured subject after he was handcuffed. Haley admitted in his Garrity statement that he shared a photo in a text message with five people, according to the papers.

Officer Desmond Mills said in his Garrity statement that he struck Nichols three times with a baton and deployed pepper spray twice because officers were unable to handcuff him," the documents say. The records say Mills admitted that he didn't provide immediate medical aid and walked away and decontaminated" himself "from chemical irritant spray.

Another officer, Tadarrius Bean, admitted in his compelled statement that he struck the man with a closed fist two to three times in the face because he and his partners were unable to handcuff him, the documents say.

The officer's Garrity statements were not consistent with one another and not consistent with the publicly known injuries and death of Mr. Nichols, the papers say.

HOW HAVE GARRITY STATEMENTS PLAYED A ROLE IN OTHER CASES?

Former Balch Springs, Texas, police officer Roy Oliver raised concerns about Garrity materials in appealing his murder conviction and 15-year sentence in the 2017 shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards while the teen was leaving a high school party.

Olivers attorneys claimed that Garrity materials had been shared with the prosecutors office, that all interviews in the days after the case should have been considered exempted under Garrity and the whole case should have been thrown out.

Oliver had given three interviews during the investigation, one to a Balch Springs investigator, a second walk-through interview at the scene initiated by Dallas police investigators who had taken over the criminal investigation of the shooting, and a third filmed interview with a Balch Springs internal investigator.

Both a lower court and an appeals court found that Dallas Police investigators, who conducted a walk-through interview, had clearly identified themselves as investigating the criminal case around the shooting not an internal affairs issue when they asked Oliver for the interview. They also noted Oliver had not shown that any testimony had been tainted by Garrity protected materials, which had been siloed off by a prosecutors office staffer and not given to prosecutors.

In Utah, prosecutors have seen an increase in officers declining to talk to prosecutors or criminal investigators, meaning they often have to infer from other testimony or camera footage if the officer felt threatened or acted within the law when using fatal force. In one of those cases, the 2018 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Zane James, prosecutors declined to charge Cottonwood Heights officer Casey Davies.

But a federal judge ruled that James family can use Davies Garrity statements in a civil lawsuit, despite objections from Davies attorney that there is no statute of limitations on murder charges and the statements could be used in a criminal case.

The family claims that Davies statement directly contradicts the police departments narrative about their sons death, specifically that he had crashed his motorcycle when Davies said in his interview that he had rammed the motorcycle with his car after believing James was reaching for a gun.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER PARTS OF INTERNAL INVESTIGATIONS?

Garrity statements arent the only aspects of internal affairs investigations that rarely reach the public eye. Police unions are increasingly negotiating time limits on disciplinary histories for officers as part of union contracts, meaning in some places information about a disciplinary record becomes no longer releasable in public information requests as little as two years after the complaint.

Other states keep any disciplinary findings that dont result in a firing, or in some cases a suspension, from public view.

In most cases, at least the results of internal affairs investigations of officers are supposed to be available to prosecutors and to defense attorneys seeking discovery. But the different rules for public release have meant more mistakes in some departments on what files are sent to those entities as well.

In Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner filed motions in 2021 to hold police department officials in contempt for failing to turn over complete disciplinary histories of officers. In one case, prosecutors noted 16 cases involving a Philadelphia police officer who had been found in internal investigations to have falsified documents. But because the information was not disclosed in answer to requests by prosecutors, they could not disclose it in discovery to defense attorneys.

Police and prosecutors agreed before a court hearing to work toward a settlement.

___

For more coverage of the Tyre Nichols case, go to apnews.com/hub/tyre-nichols
BELLE GLADE  The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is conducting an internal investigation into the actions of two deputies involved in the January arrest of a 30-year-old Belle Glade man who was bitten by a K-9 while being taken into custody.

The deputies are on paid administrative leave with pay, PBSO spokesperson Teri Barbera said Friday. She did not disclose their names.

The PBSO investigation stems from the Jan. 26 arrest of Gerson Delmas on an outstanding warrant for sexual battery.

A video recorded by a bystander and provided to The Palm Beach Post showed Delmas being bitten on his right leg by a PBSO K-9 as he lay on the ground handcuffed and shackled near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Southwest Seventh Street.

Troll down Posted by Kingcorn Askew on Thursday, January 26, 2023

Remembering Jeremiah Malachi Bradshaw:Riviera Beach man sentenced to eight years in 2018 beating death of toddler

The verdict:Former Piper's Angels leader found guilty of fraud after nonprofit's money went missing

Cold case:Jury convicts Boynton man of murder after decades-old rape kit DNA linked him to the crime

The video shows several people standing nearby, yelling to deputies that Delmas was not resisting. A PBSO arrest report states that Delmas violently resisted arrest, kicking one deputy and head-butting another as they tried to secure him in the passenger seat of a sheriff's office vehicle.

Investigators say Delmas ignored repeated commands to place his feet in the vehicle and at one point kicked a PBSO K-9 named Nuki in the head, the report said. The arrest report states that Delmas kicked and flailed as he was removed from the vehicle and taken to the ground.

The video showed the K-9 engaged with Delmas for nearly a minute before being pulled away by its handler.

PBSO charged Delmas with battery on a law-enforcement officer, resisting arrest and touching or striking a K-9 in the incident, and he remained in the county jail on Monday with his bail set at $12,000 in the arrest case and at $25,000 in the sexual battery case.

Story continues

The Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office is representing Delmas. As a matter of policy, it does not comment on open cases.

Belle Glade Mayor Steve Wilson, a former prison administrator, said he had concerns regarding the deputies' actions after seeing video footage of Delmas' arrest.

"It was disturbing to the eyes to see that," he said. "I'm not the judge nor the jury but, in my opinion, it appears to be excessive force.  From looking at the video, it appears to be excessive with the dog because I'm (seeing) the handcuffs and the leg irons on him. What was the purpose of the dog?"

Wilson stressed that the city has a strong working relationship with PBSO.

"Every and now then, if somebody makes a poor decision, or perhaps does things not according to their policy, of course it brings attention to people not a part of that agency," he said.

"All the community wants to know is why was the dog put on the young guy. That's all they want to know and I'm sure that Sheriff (Ric) Bradshaw will get the answers for us. "

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County sheriff probing use of force incident involving K-9
A white Wisconsin police officer, working as a school security guard while off duty, is facing a lawsuit from the family of a 12-year-old Black girl after he held his knee on her neck for more than 20 seconds while breaking up a fight at school.

The lawsuit accuses the officer, whose actions were caught on tape, of using an illegal chokehold.

Also named in the action against the security guard are the city of Kenosha and the Kenosha unified school district that the girls father, Jerrel Perez, hold responsible for the unreasonable and excessive force used against his daughter during the incident last year.

The officer, who was working off-duty security at the school, was named as Shawn Guetschow. He has since resigned from the school district, but remains a police officer. His lawyer, Sam Hall, will vigorously defend him and the district, according to a statement reported by the Washington Post.

Kenosha was the scene of racial equity protests in August 2020 in the aftermath of the police shooting of a Black motorist, Jacob Blake, and subsequent decision not to charge the officer who shot him seven times in the back and paralyzed him.

Kyle Rittenhouse, a white teenage vigilante who shot dead two protesters during the unrest and wounded a third, was acquitted of murder in November 2021.

The latest incident, involving the school students, which was captured on security camera video, took place in the cafeteria of Lincoln middle school on 4 March last year. Another girl is seen approaching Perezs daughter, who pushes her off, and a fight ensues.

Guetschow is seen pulling the other girl away, scuffling with the daughter and falling to the ground with her, whereupon he appeared to kneel on her neck for about 20 seconds as he handcuffed her, before pulling her up and walking her out.

In the 14-page lawsuit seeking unspecified damages, which was filed on Monday, Perez alleges his daughter was unable to breathe during the incident, and suffered physical and mental trauma that required treatment for almost a year.

Story continues

In a statement, Perezs lawyer, Drew DeVinney, said: Although she is not healed from her trauma, she is ready to stand up for herself. He said the girl had relocated with her father to Illinois as a result of the incident.

The filing alleges Guetschow had a reputation for having a short temper during previous employment with another police department, and was improperly trained by Kenosha police and the school district.

His performance with the nearby Lake Geneva police department was graded unacceptable, the lawsuit claims, and he was assessed as emotional, panicked or loses their temper.

It further states Guetschow did not issue any commands to Perezs daughter during the restraint, which caused a brain injury, cervical strain and recurrent headaches.

Guetschow, it claims, acted with malice or in reckless disregard of the girls rights.

The case has drawn parallels with the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds in May 2020.

In a Facebook post following the middle school incident last year, Perez posted side-by-side images of the Minnesota officer Derek Chauvin, who was fired and later convicted of murder, kneeling on Floyds neck, and Guetschow doing the same to his daughter, and the caption: Whats the difference?

By law, police officers in Wisconsin are prohibited from using chokeholds, defined as the intentional and prolonged application of force to the throat, windpipe, or carotid arteries that prevents or hinders breathing, except in life-threatening situations or self-defense.

Hall, in a statement to the Associated Press, said state prosecutors decided not to bring charges against Guetschow, and the US attorneys office in Milwaukee determined he didnt commit any civil rights violations.

The Kenosha city attorney Matthew Knight declined comment and said the city had not seen the lawsuit yet.
US Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was forced to shush hecklers in his own party as they interrupted President Joe Bidens tribute to a fentanyl victim.

The newly elected speaker of the House of Representatives could be seen pursing his lips to quiet his GOP colleagues during one testy moment of Mr Bidens State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.

The heckling came as Mr Biden honoured Courtney Griffin of New Hampshire, who died in 2014 of a fentanyl overdose at the age of 20, and whose father Doug Griffin was in attendance at the speech.

As the president moved into offering solutions to the fentanyl crisis, GOP representative Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted: Its coming from China! Another colleague chimed in: Its your fault!

Biden: Fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year.



Republicans yell, its your fault! #SOTU pic.twitter.com/zlZFw17suk  philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 8, 2023

Observers on Twitter described the remarks as classless, brainless, and a example of acting like kids.

Once the heckling died down, Mr Biden continued: Lets launch a major surge to stop fentanyl production, sale, and trafficking, with more drug detection machines to inspect cargo and stop pills and powder at the border.

That drew applause from McCarthy, who apparently wished to demonstrate his support for the measure.

It was one of several times Mr Biden was heckled during his address, including Ms Taylor Greene shouting liar! when the President suggested that some Republicans wish to cut social security benefits.

On Twitter, the Georgia congresswoman alleged that Mr Biden is the Mexican cartels best business partner, and claimed: Biden loves defending Ukraines border, but refuses to do anything to stop the flood of Chinese-made Mexican Cartel imported fentanyl murdering Americans every single day.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose deaths from synthetic opioids  mainly fentanyl  =have risen steadily and rapidly since around 2014, continuing to soar under all of the last three US presidents.

Eric Garcia in Washington DC contributed to this story.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggis widow has asked the U.S. government and United Nations to intervene and help her recover her husbands electronic devices from the Turkish government so she can take legal action before the statute of limitations runs out later this year, according to letters, papers and other details about her efforts shared with NBC News.

Its been more than a year since Hanan Elatr Khashoggi first requested the laptop, tablet and two cellphones of the Washington Post columnist who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, and shes now hoping to increase pressure on Turkey to comply by getting help from Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The letters, sent in November and January say that she believes the devices will reveal previously undisclosed details about my husbands murder that are critical to knowing the full truth.

I have the right to receive all of his possessions, particularly now as I am embarking on legal action in the United States against all parties responsible for my husbands murder, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi wrote in both letters, naming NSO Group, an Israeli cyber-intelligence firm, and the Saudi and Emirati governments as planned targets of future lawsuits.

She said Turkey recovered the devices shortly after her husbands death and wrote in her letters that her personal appeals to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the phones, laptop and tablet have not been honored.

Erdogans office and the Turkish Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The Turkish Embassy sent Hanan Elatr Khashoggis attorney a letter in December 2021 that suggested she send her request to the respective Turkish courts through appropriate legal channels.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, who is an Emirati, said she cannot pursue legal action in Turkey because she is in the U.S. under political asylum, does not have a passport and does not have the necessary finances.

Story continues

Jamal Khashoggis devices are so important and so vital, she said in an interview  a point emphasized by her lawyer Randa Fahmy  to knowing what led to Jamal Khashoggis death and holding all responsible parties to account.

Jamal Khashoggi (Mohammed Al-Shaikh / AFP - Getty Images file)

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi discovered in November 2021 that cyber-intelligence firm NSO Groups Pegasus spyware had been installed on her two Android phones without her knowledge when she was in the United Arab Emirates months before her husbands death. That discovery was confirmed by a digital forensic analysis performed by Citizen Lab, reviewed by NBC News and first reported by The Washington Post. She believes this same spyware may be on her husbands devices as well.

It was the spywares discovery that started the clock on her ability to take legal action. She has two years to file her case since its detection, according to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. That window ends this November.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi contends that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and NSO Groups alleged surveillance of the couple all contributed to the death of Jamal Khashoggi and she intends to file three separate lawsuits against them in U.S. courts. She believes that finding similar spyware on her husbands devices will support her cases.

It is not only Saudi Arabia that is guilty, she told NBC News, referring to her husbands death. There are many who are guilty, and we have a right to know and bring them to justice.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not respond to requests for comment. NSO Group has denied any involvement.

NSO has repeatedly stated that our technology was not associated in any way with the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi or any of his family members, including Hanan Elatr, an NSO Group spokesperson said.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggis letter to Haines was sent to the director of national intelligences chief of staff Charles Luftig via email on Nov. 2, 2022, and he confirmed receipt of the message a day later, according to emails reviewed by NBC News. The letter was originally sent to the agency in September, but she did not receive a reply.

Fahmy, Hanan Elatr Khashoggis attorney, said that by happenstance she ran into Haines at the State Department on Nov. 4 at the swearing-in ceremony for the U.S. ambassador to Morocco, Puneet Talwar. Haines told her that she had read the letter and was discussing the request with the Justice Department, according to Fahmy.

I said, We really need those devices, the attorney recalled. She said, Youre going to get a formal response, but I will tell you that I am talking to the Justice Department if a request like this can be made.

Fahmy said she had not heard back from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence since November. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

The letter to the U.N. secretary-generals office was sent on Jan. 30. Farhan Aziz Haq, a spokesperson for the office, confirmed they had received it and said that its being studied now.

I have to continue and bring justice

The first legal case Hanan Elatr Khashoggi said she intends to file in U.S. court is against Saudi Arabia with criminal and civil claims over the killing of her husband, despite the Biden administrations decision that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sovereign immunity in his role as Saudi Arabias prime minister.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence previously concluded that the crown prince had approved the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post critical of the Saudi government, according to a report from Haines office that she declassified in February 2021. The report also named 18 other individuals involved in his death.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi and Fahmy believe that they have a strong standing to build a case and aim to target those named individuals, not just the crown prince. While Fahmy admitted theres nothing we can do about the Biden administration findings on sovereign immunity, she believes there are other avenues for the two to explore and noted that there are exceptions to sovereign immunity that she is willing to test.

The Biden administration has not imposed any severe penalties on Saudi Arabia for Jamal Khashoggis death though the president has said he will hold the country and its leaders to account for the journalists killing. The National Security Council  which had previously met with Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, who disclosed her efforts to recover her husbands devices in the meeting  did not respond to a request for comment.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi. (Courtesy Hanan Elatr Khashoggi)

The second case would target the United Arab Emirates, where Hanan Elatr Khashoggi once resided and worked as a flight attendant. She believes they installed the NSO Group spyware on her devices when she was detained by UAE intelligence agents at the Dubai International Airport in April 2018. She gave them her phones and was blindfolded, cuffed and interrogated at a separate location about her husband, she said.

She believes the Emiratis are implicated in Jamal Khashoggis death because they may have provided tracking information through an intelligence sharing agreement the country had with Saudi Arabia.

They misused this to track Jamal through me, Hana Elatr Khashoggi said. They knew how vital that relationship between me and Jamal was because we were sharing everything.

Finally, she intends to sue NSO Group. She and Fahmy believe that the same spyware could be on Jamal Khashoggis phone and that NSO Group was involved in the softwares upkeep on all their devices.

The firm is already facing other legal battles, as the Supreme Court allowed Meta to pursue a lawsuit against NSO Group last month for allegedly installing spy software on its WhatsApp messaging app to surveil numerous people, including journalists and activists, according to court documents. NSO Group has said it installed the software on the behalf of an unnamed foreign government.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi said that her life has not just changed because of her husbands death  my life is finished. But that view has kept her dedicated to her husbands case.

She lost her career as a flight attendant, her social circle in the U.S. comprises five people and she is in constant fear for her life. At her new job in Washington, D.C., she earns just enough to pay for a room and to feed herself.

Im the second victim after Jamal, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi said. Jamal, he lost his life and I lost my life as well, but I can speak about him and this gives me courage. I have to continue and bring justice to him.

CORRECTION (Feb. 8, 2023, 12:20 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated Hanan Elatr Khashoggis citizenship. She is Egyptian, not Emirati.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with his daughter Kim Ju Ae at a banquet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army the following day, in Pyongyang, North Korea February 7, 2023. KCNA via Reuters

On Tuesday, Kim Jong Un's daughter made a rare appearance at a military banquet.

She met North Korea's top generals and officers at the dinner and took photos with them.

Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 10, is the first child Kim Jong Un has debuted in public.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has put his daughter in the public spotlight again, this time at a banquet with top generals and army officers.

On Tuesday, a beaming Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 10 years old, was photographed holding her father's hand as they led a procession of officials and military brass through a banquet hall. Her mother, Kim's wife Ri Sol Ju, was present as well.

Kim Jong Un walks with his daughter Kim Ju Ae and his wife Ri Sol Ju. KCNA via Reuters

Photos from the Korean Central News Agency  North Korea's state-controlled media outlet  show the girl, Kim Jong Un, and his wife surrounded by laughing, medal-adorned generals.

The Kims are surrounded by laughing generals. KCNA via REUTERS

In another photo, two high-ranking military officers are seen stooping to flank Kim Ju Ae while posing for a picture.

Military brass pose for a photo with Kim Ju Ae and her father, North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un, and her mother, Ri Sol Ju. KCNA via Reuters

In several photos, it is Kim's daughter, not the leader himself, who is the center of attention.

Kim Ju Ae poses for a photo next to her father and mother. KCNA via Reuters

Other footage from the event shows Kim Ju Ae and her parents being greeted by rows of uniformed officers.

Kim Jong Un is thought to have three children. He has thus far only revealed Kim Ju Ae to the public. She was first seen with her father at the testing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile in November.

Her public debut gave rise to speculation that Kim could be preparing her to be his successor, though a woman has never ruled North Korea. She is believed to have an older brother, born in 2010, and a younger sibling, whose gender is unknown.

The Tuesday banquet was held to commemorate the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea's army, per the Korean Central News Agency.

In his speech on Tuesday, Kim praised his nuclear-capable army for "demonstrating its inexhaustible strength" amid "harsh circumstances," per the KCNA.

Story continues

He described North Korea's forces as the "strongest army in the world," but made no mention of a rumored military parade in Pyongyang. International observers believe that on Wednesday, Kim's regime will stage its first military parade in almost a year, giving it a chance to display its latest weapons amid North Korea's accelerated nuclear arms testing in 2022.

Kim's banquet was held after he presided over a meeting with North Korea's top military brass, where he called for an expansion of combat exercises to prepare the country for war. Before this series of high-profile appearances, Kim had disappeared from public view for 36 days, marking his longest absence from public view since 2014.

Meanwhile, tensions are rising between North Korea, its neighbors, and the US, because of its fast-growing nuclear weapons program under Kim's regime.

Read the original article on Insider
[Source]

The hunt for the co-founder of defunct cryptocurrencies Luna and TerraUSD (UST), Do Kwon, continues as South Korean prosecutors confirmed a team recently traveled to Serbia to ask for help.

The Balkan nation came up in several reports in December as the place where Kwon, whose real name is Kwon Do-hyung, 31, might be hiding.

Seouls prosecutors office reportedly confirmed on Tuesday that a team of South Korean officials, including a senior Justice Ministry official, traveled to Serbia last week to seek aid from the Balkan countrys government.

While South Korea does not have an extradition treaty with Serbia, both countries are reportedly part of the 1957 multilateral treaty European Convention on Extradition, which South Korea joined in 2011.

More from NextShark: Indian American Tech CEO Forfeits $1 Million Salary to Avoid COVID-19 Layoffs

Despite being in hiding, which Kwon had denied in a series of tweets last year after Interpol issued a red notice for him, the defunct cryptocurrency co-founder has been active on Twitter.

In October 2022, Kwon slammed reports from South Korea that claimed prosecutors had frozen his cryptocurrency assets worth around $39.9 million.

Kwons latest tweet was on Feb. 1, in which he replied to the founder of a crypto asset investment firm to defend himself against allegations that he stole money.

More from NextShark: Pchum Ben, Cambodia's 'Festival of the Dead,' will end early due to COVID-19

I find that Twitter is a good place for rumors but poor place to get facts," Kwon wrote. "I've stolen no money and never had 'secret cashouts' - happy to address specific allegations. In any case, good day to you."

I find that Twitter is a good place for rumors but poor place to get facts I've stolen no money and never had "secret cashouts" - happy to address specific allegations More from NextShark: Va. Filipino community leader fatally hit by driver suspected of driving under influence of marijuana In any case, good day to you  Do Kwon  (@stablekwon) February 1, 2023

More from NextShark: LA Angels Star Shohei Ohtani Replicates Babe Ruth Feat From 100 Years Ago
A Lackawanna County man will spend the rest of his life in prison for setting a Buckingham home on fire, killing an elderly man in late 2021.

On Tuesday, Christopher George Gillie, 62, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and attempted homicide in connection with a fire that killed 81-year-old Julius Drelick.

Gillie drove two hours from his Dunmore apartment, which he shared with then-girlfriend Lisa King, to Drelick's home in the 5700 block of Private Drive, and set the home ablaze during the early morning hours of Dec. 5, 2021. Phyllis Drelick, King's mother, was able to get out of the house, however Julius Drelick, her stepfather, could not.

The chairlift that Julius Drelick used to get up and down the stairs stopped working when the fire caused the power to go out. He died in the fire.

Phyllis Drelick, 85, died from a stroke in April.

During Gillie's hearing, family members spoke about the Drelicks and the impact they had on their lives.

King and her sister submitted a letter, read by Deputy District Attorney Marc Furber. Phylis Drelick was described as "social and outgoing," and someone who loved to see the world. When her husband died, that all changed.

"Her life, as she knew it, was gone," the letter from her daughters read.

She became angry and hateful, and lost her faith in God, Furber said.

"Her beautiful life was cut short by a selfish, self-centered, unfeeling monster," her daughters said.

Death penalty possible:Bucks County DA could seek death penalty in fatal Buckingham fire that killed 81-year-old man

Gillie charged:Man charged in fire that killed elderly man in Buckingham

A fire killed a man in his home in the 5700 block of Private Drive in Buckingham early Sunday morning. The Bucks County District Attorney's Office said Christopher Gillie, of Lackawanna County, drove two hours to set the fire that killed Julius Drelick.

Lynn Fazenbaker, Julius Drelick's daughter, spoke highly of the victim. She remembered how he introduced her to music, taught her to fish, and how he adopted her and her sister when they were younger.

Fazenbaker said she hopes Gillie can do something meaningful with his life in prison.

"May something amazing spring from this tragedy," she said.

Buckingham police said Gillie took King's car keys and keys to the Bucks County home while King was asleep, and set the blaze at the Drelick home between 2 and 3 a.m. Investigators determined there were two fires set at the home, one inside the living room and another in a soil bed alongside the home.

Story continues

Gillie, who has a history of arson convictions, including one in Bucks County, was arrested in King's vehicle in Dumore hours later. Police said he smelled of alcohol and gasoline. Two antique guns, which investigators said belonged to the Drelicks, were found in the vehicle.

Gillie told presiding Judge Raymond McHugh that he was highly intoxicated that night and does not remember why it happened, but hopes to find out why he did it.

Five Coors Light cans were found near the home after the fire. Four of the five of them tested positive for the presence of Gillie's DNA, according to Furber.

During Gillie's preliminary hearing last year, King testified that discussions of her mother and stepfather's care had put a strain on her relationship with Gillie. Still, other than one incident at a fire pit at her parents' Buckingham home, Gillie had gotten along OK with Phyllis and Julius Drelick.

Gillie offered an apology to the Drelick family.

"I don't know if mere words can up to any kind of apology, but I am truly sorry," he said.

He asked family members to not blame King, that it was not her fault what happened that day.

"It wasn't before and it isn't now," he said.

In sentencing Gillie, Judge McHugh called the crime "horrific," and said it caused immeasurable damage to people who did not do anything wrong to him.

"In one day, one night, you ruined all these lives," he said.

A fire killed a man in his home in the 5700 block of Private Drive in Buckingham early Sunday morning. The Bucks County District Attorney's Office said Christopher Gillie, of Lackawanna County, drove two hours to set the fire that killed Julius Drelick.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Life sentence for man who set fatal Buckingham fire
A plan for Meijer to build in Lake Township has been recommended for conditional approval by the Stark County Regional Planning Commission. This would mark the fourth Meijer in Stark County. Shown here is the Jackson Township location.

LAKE TWP.  The township is one step closer to having a Meijer store at 900 Edison St. NW outside of Hartville.

A proposed plan for Meijer to build a grocery store across from the Hartville MarketPlace was recommended for conditional approval at Tuesdays Stark County Regional Planning Commission meeting.

A conditional use permit will be required for the pharmacy drive-thru, Lake Township Zoning Administrator Nicole Wilkinson said. Variances must be applied for through the Board of Zoning Appeals for minimum parking spaces, size of parking stalls and signage.

Regional planner Fulton Benya said the conditional approval is good for two years. If the company doesn't work through the conditions in that time, it is able to renew or resubmit the project. It is unclear when the company wants to construct.

Many agencies had conditions, so theyll work through those conditions with those agencies as well as us because we had some, as well, Benya said.

This store would be the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company's fourth for Stark County, with one open in Jackson Township and others planned for Alliance and North Canton.

Meijer, a privately and family-owned company, didn't respond to a request for comment. The company operates more than 500 supercenters, neighborhood markets, Meijer Grocery and Express locations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Another Meijer coming to Stark County?Possibly. Find out where.

Meijer coming to Alliance:Alliance welcomes 'gemstone' of future economic growth

North Canton Meijer:North Canton board rejects rival's appeal against Meijer project

Proposed plan for Lake Township Meijer store

The proposed Meijer plan, on the opposite side of the road as the Hartville MarketPlace, includes about 13.9 acres of land, with the main store occupying 89,988 square feet. There are also plans for a drive-up pharmacy, electric vehicle charging, grocery pickup parking and quick-trip parking.

Story continues

We are proposing a Meijer supercenter in Alliance and North Canton and believe that this location will complement these two, Meijer Senior Real Estate Manager Chris Jones wrote in the project description submitted to Regional Planning. This will be a grocery store only and will employ approximately 100 people.

The proposed plan, which includes two entries, also includes adding a traffic light at the main entrance, across from the entrance to the Hartville Kitchen.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Meijer moves forward with grocery store plan in Lake Township
A bill recently filed in the state Legislature calls for state agencies to translate programs, websites, documents, and services into a variety of languages for limited English proficient individuals throughout the Commonwealth.

The Language Access and Inclusion Act, filed by Reps. Adrian Madaro, D-Boston, Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, and Sen. Sal DiDomenico, D-Everett, would require translation services in Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, simplified and traditional Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese, as well as American Sign Language and any other languages that are determined necessary by the language access survey each regional agency would conduct every three years.

Rep Antonio Cabral, D-New Bedford, signed on to the Language Access and Inclusion Act bill last week.

Rep. Antonio Cabral, D-New Bedford, signed on to the bill on Thursday. He said he co-sponsored this version of the bill since it used the same language that he contributed last session as House Chairman of the State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Committee. That bill did not move past the House Ways and Means Committee.

I think [this bill is] more realistic and more focused on how well actually get it done, Cabral said.

The presenters held a press conference last Wednesday, along with a coalition of advocates from the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, the Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, to argue for passage of the bill.

Were finally correcting a wrong, DiDomenico said at the press conference. Were going to make sure we pass this bill this session because we cant wait two, three, four more years with our friends in the immigrant community getting lost in the shuffle and not being valued for what they bring to our state.

$50 FOR A DREAM: Mass Lottery debuts its most expensive scratch ticket. Would you buy it?

Cabral also explained how the bill would allow for staggered implementation across agencies over the course of three years, with the most vital and customer-facing agencies like MassHealth, the Department of Transitional Assistance, and the Department of Children and Families implementing their language services within a year after the bills passage. Agencies like the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security would implement their services within three years after the bills passage.

Story continues

Staggered implementation planned

Staggered implementation, Cabral said, would also help with addressing the cost. He said in the past, the legislators estimated it would cost about $5 million a year for the first three years while each agency begins to offer services, and it would decrease once the access survey determines which languages are most needed. The Appleseed Centers projections were a bit lower, estimating a price tag of $3.09 million for the first year of implementation and $2.37 million every following year.

The best way is to start with a specific amount with a number of agencies to go first, Cabral said, explaining the higher cost would be attributed to how agencies would have to change many of their practices to accommodate translation services. That gives us a sense of what you get out of it, what you can get with $5 million.

Brian Pastori is the deputy director at the Community Economic Development Center in New Bedford, one of the dozens of organizations endorsing the bill. The CEDC offers a Volunteer in Tax Assistance program, and Pastori emphasized the need for a bill like this to help Massachusetts residents get the services they seek.

With the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, if someones having an issue with their taxes, they dont offer any other languages than English, he said. So we do a lot of in-between work where its really just a phone call to figure out what they need. If someone on the other end spoke their language, wed be able to do other work.

Program works with Spanish speakers and speakers of Kiche

Most commonly, Pastori said, the program works with Spanish speakers, but also speakers of Kiche, the Guatemalan Mayan language.

Opening language access to people who live in the commonwealth is a great benefit because people are missing out on opportunities for themselves and for their families to get ahead or resolve issues, Pastori said.

Cabral said the next step for the bill would be to report to a committee, likely his State Administration and Regulatory Oversight panel again, though committees have not been assigned yet for this session.

At the press conference, Madaro emphasized the importance of the Legislature passing the bill.

We interact with public-facing state agencies every single day, he said. Whether once in a blue moon, or on an everyday basis, as many of our constituents do, whether its to get a basic need or whether its a time of critical emergency, these are issues that must be addressed.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Bill would provide translation services of state websites, documents
Lynn Police say someone shot a Wendys employee right through the drive-thru window Tuesday night just before 6 p.m.

You could still see that bullet hole and shattered glass in the window as officers arrived on the scene.

NEW: Lynn police confirm an employee of this Wendys was shot through the drive-thru window tonight. He has non-life threatening injuries. You can see shattered glass in the window. Police still on scene investigating. No arrests so far @boston25 pic.twitter.com/Z8qYX0vhRn  Litsa Pappas (@LitsaPappas) February 8, 2023

Its so crazy because it must be just a kid trying to stay out of trouble, trying to work, said Yamil Cepeda, who lives nearby.

Lynn Police say the Wendys worker who was shot is a teenager, and he was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Its just a very sad situation, such a young age, said Cepeda.

About a dozen officers responded to the shooting, closing down the restaurant for hours as they try to figure out who did this and why.

All I could think about was if I was behind that person in the drive-thru, said Cepeda.

People who come here all the time were shaken to see this happen, and they hope the police find whoevers responsible.

You cant even work at Wendys anymore without something happening, you know, its sad like Lynn is a great place, but its getting a bad rap because of stuff like this, said Amy Blake, who lives nearby.

Hamra Enterprises, the franchisee who owns and operates this restaurant responded to Tuesday nights shooting.

Our number one priority is the safety of our employees and customers. We are deeply disturbed by this senseless act of violence, and we are grateful to the first responders who acted quickly in this situation. We will work with local law enforcement as they continue their investigation, Hamra Enterprise spokesperson said in a statement.

Story continues

At this point, police are still looking for the suspect.

If you have any information that can help, call Lynn Police.

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
Grace Sesma, a curandera, leads a spiritual cleansing with a client at her home in Alpine in November. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Grace Sesma works methodically to set up her home office, lighting candles and cutting thorns from seven stemmed red roses for the days first session as her client chatters nearby.

The man, 47, is talking fast  about the nice view of the area from Sesmas backyard, his connection to the San Diego area, and how he got the supplies at the last minute that Sesma told him they would need: roses, an egg and tobacco.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, he has used binge drinking as a coping mechanism. Hes been seeing a therapist and was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Therapy has helped him identify his behavior and triggering environments, but he still hasnt come to terms with the sexual abuse he suffered, he said; he wants to be at peace with himself.

Thats why he has traveled to Alpine, a small mountain community northeast of San Diego, to see Sesma. A therapist can teach him coping skills, but Sesma is here to help him repair his spirit.

Sesma, 65, is a Mexican and Yaqui curandera, or traditional healer. Clients come to her home office, in Alpine or Colorado, for a range of needs, including PTSD, nervios (panic attacks), susto (trauma), depression and spiritual counseling.

This wasnt her first line of work. Sesma spent several years as an administrator of a partial-hospitalization psychiatric program and founded a cultural consulting firm, but she felt called by her ancestors to follow a spiritual healing path and serve her community.

The philosophy behind curanderismo is that diseases are not just caused by physical factors, but also social, emotional, environmental and spiritual ones, Sesma said.

Sesma helps clients with PTSD, panic attacks, depression and other issues from her home in Alpine, northeast of San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Sesma is part of a world of traditional healers who are generally not considered by Western medicine to be a part of the mental health system, but for their clients, especially among a subset of Latinos, Chicanos and Indigenous peoples from Latin America, these spiritual healers offer a type of support they may trust more than therapists.

Story continues

Data continue to show that Latinos do not seek out therapy or other mental health support at the same rates as other racial or ethnic groups. An increasing number of Black, Asian and white Americans are seeking out mental health treatment while the rate of Latinos remains near stagnant, according to a recent analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This could be in part because of relatively low numbers of Latino mental health providers, a fact that could affect who seeks treatment as some patients want a provider who understands their cultural background. Stigma surrounding mental health conversations and services could be another factor. Little data, if any, are collected on those who seek support from spiritual healers.

Both healers and researchers say Latinos and other Southern Californians, who arent necessarily connected to the culture, often turn to curanderismo when theyve felt Western medicine didnt meet their needs. It is difficult to definitively measure the medical benefits of spiritual healing, but these same experts point out that an integrative approach with doctors and healers working together in clinics arguably produces benefits beyond those easily documented in an X-ray or CT scan.

In other countries such as China and India, traditional medicine has been merged with modern medicine and people have options of selecting one or both types of medicine," said Eliseo Torres, a faculty member of the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. Recently, "a group of staff and a physician visited [a university health clinic in Mexico] where traditional medicine has been merged with modern medicine. We returned to the U.S with the idea of doing the same.

Curanderismo is the holistic approach to healing the mind, body and spirit. A person who can heal others by looking at the whole of the person (mind, body and spirit) is called a curandera.

There are other types of healers under the curanderismo umbrella, and each has their own approach based on their teachings. For example, Sesmas teachings are rooted in Mexican and Indigenous culture.

In the U.S., these healers arent typically found working alongside doctors and nurses in primary care practices, but thats changing in small pockets of the U.S. and other parts of the world. It's similar to the recent movement in California, Arizona and other states where Indigenous leaders are pushing for Medicaid reimbursement to cover traditional healing services that they see as beneficial to tribal members' mental health.

Sesma is working with the Academy for Integrative Health and Medicine, a global community of medical professionals working toward a holistic and integrative health approach to care, where shes sharing her knowledge of traditional healing. Their collaboration will result in training for the organizations students and members on Indigenous healing practices.

For almost a decade, a program at a university in Mexico has trained healers to work in clinics and hospitals. Their graduates, once dubbed brujas (witches), witch doctors or other slurs by their medical counterparts, are finding acceptance.

Nos vamos a revolucionar el mundo de la atencion medical de Mexico, said Rafael Colin, director of the five-year bachelor's degree program at Universidad Intercultural del Estado de Mexico. Were going to revolutionize the world of healthcare in Mexico.

Roberto Camacho said he was in the process of making several life changes when he sought out Grace Sesma's help. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Sesma "has helped me look at my life with more clarity and from a perspective of abundance," Camacho said. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

A blending of healing practices

In a series of dreams that started when she was a teenager, Sesma said she was visited by the spirits of her Indigenous grandmothers, who urged her to return to the ways of the ancestors and practice spiritual healing.

Its not uncommon for curanderos to say they have been called to this work through dreams or visions. An elder can also recognize whether a person has this healing gift and help cultivate it through an apprenticeship.

Before Sesma listened to the calling, she worked and raised a family as a single mother. It wasnt until her 40s that she was ready to begin her apprenticeship with a curandero in Tecate, Baja California, and understand how to heal a whole person.

Curanderismo comes from the Spanish word curar, to heal.

Researchers have found that curanderismo dates back to Aztecan, Mayan and Incan tribes and their religious beliefs of harmony with nature, spirit and self.

When Spain colonized Mexico in 1519, the healing practice evolved to include European practices of healing, Torres said.

When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, Torres said, they brought their own culture, belief system and plant knowledge, introducing it to the native healers. The healers then incorporated the Spanish healing methodologies in their practice.

Torres, author of Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing, leads a summer course at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque about the history of curanderismo. The course explores an integrative approach to medicine  traditional healing complementing modern medicine.

He brings in guest speakers who are healing practitioners from the Southwest and Mexico. The course explores how traditional healing methods have shaped how we treat people in the past, today and what it could be in the future. His students range from people who have some spiritual healing knowledge, people who want to reclaim their culture through these teachings and others who want to learn how to care for themselves.

We try to train people to take care of their own body, to become their own healers, and [in some cases] to learn what their grandfathers and grandmothers did years ago, said Torres, whose parents taught him about Mexican folk healing.

In Mexico, students at the Universidad Intercultural del Estado de Mexico in San Felipe del Progreso, about 100 miles northwest of Mexico City, are also learning an integrative approach to medicine that they can actively use in the medical field.

The university offers a five-year bachelors degree program called the Licenciatura en Salud Intercultural that focuses on four healing methods: Mexican traditional medicine, Chinese acupuncture, psychosomatics (healing the mind and body), and conventional medicine.

Research shows that there are a lot of degenerative diseases that have an emotional aspect, so these professionals will be able to make a clinical diagnosis based on [conventional allopathic] medicine and then its up to [the doctor] to choose what kind of treatment they are going to use, said Rafael Colin, director of the program.

Spiritual healers such as Sesma offer a type of support that some clients trust more than therapists. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The Mexican traditional healing portion of the program includes classes with parteras (midwives), yerberas (herbalists), sobadoras (traditional bodyworker) and temazcaleras (who work in sweat lodges).

Treycy Velazquez, a licensed practitioner of cross-cultural health and a graduate of the first Licenciatura en Salud Intercultural cohort, now heads the traditional medicine portion of the program.

She said they welcome adult students of all ages with the understanding that they arent blank pages. Many of the students are healers in their communities, are related to a healer, or have some understanding of the practice.

Velazquez is a descendant of traditional healers. She remembers her grandmother and mother using herbs and plants to heal people and enrolled in the program about eight years ago.

Part of the class curriculum is to connect with a community and learn from their healer, which isnt easy. She said it's common for the healer to be reluctant to share their skills and work because theyre unsure of the students intentions.

Its [hard] work because we dont want to just extract their knowledge," Velazquez said. "This [exercise] is about acknowledging these individuals and protecting their knowledge."

Students also work with patients in the universitys clinic and conduct research. Colin said the goal of the program is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this ancient knowledge  and preserve it by teaching it.

Its also working to professionalize this knowledge by understanding the science in it and backing it up with research, Colin said. For example, the program and the National Autonomous University of Mexico will be collaborating on studying how acupuncture and traditional herbs have synergy [to treat] some diseases on patients who visit the programs clinic.

Students who complete the program are then able to establish a practice and have a license to practice the four healing methods, including Mexican traditional healing, in a hospital or clinic.

The first cohort of graduates were met with some stigma, labeled as brujos, Colin said.

However, the graduates interned with Mexicos secretary of health, as all health professionals are required to do in the state, and quickly proved themselves to their medical counterparts by working side-by-side to treat patients.

Recent program graduate Vanessa Carrillo Sarmiento wasnt met with name-calling, but at the Hospital Mazahua, doctors at first didn't acknowledge her as a colleague.

The hospital is in the small town of Santa Ana Nichi in Mexico; its population of nearly 3,000 is mostly Mazahua Native people.

Since graduating in 2019, shes provided holistic therapies and physical therapy for patients with facial paralysis, joint or muscle pain, insomnia and anxiety.

But the first six months were challenging for Sarmiento because she didnt have any patients.

To fix that, she made it a point to introduce herself to the medical doctors on staff and talk to them about how she cares for patients through traditional massage work or taking more time to explain post-treatment care.

Some doctors took a chance and sent their patients to her.

They soon learned her value, Sarmiento said, after seeing their patients benefit from her care and now they see her as part of the medical treatment team.

I believe that the basis for the acceptance we have had with the hospital doctors was that they realized that we are a complement to the work they do and vice versa, just as we need them to achieve significant improvement in the patient, she said.

Sarmiento has developed trust with her patients, her community, and has many who return to the hospital regularly for her services.

This relationship between a healthcare provider and patient is one that she wishes her grandparents could have experienced.

She remembers that her grandparents loathed doctor visits because they didnt feel heard or were scolded.

For me, I would have liked that my grandparents were treated the way that I treat my patients.  The closeness that you have with people is the most beautiful thing that the profession gives you, Sarmiento said.

Complementary healing

Back in Alpine, Sesma sees five clients in-person and two via Zoom over the next two days. One of her clients is Roberto Camacho, a Chicano journalist and activist in San Diego, who is coming for his second session.

Hes seeking spiritual counseling to clear his mind and body of self-doubt and negative thoughts because hes making a lot of life-changing decisions  applying for jobs and looking to move out of state.

Reflecting back on my most recent session, I believe [Sesma] has helped me look at my life with more clarity and from a perspective of abundance, Camacho said.

All of Sesmas clients, including Camacho, talk about how much they value the time that Sesma gives them and her services. Sesma and other healers wish the medical field could value traditional healing methods too.

It is more likely, that I or other curanderas, would refer a client to a doctor or an ophthalmologist or gynecologist, than they are to refer [clients] to me, she said.

Sesma feels that doctors dont acknowledge traditional healing as a mainstream method of healing because they havent taken the time to learn about it or resist learning about it because it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

She doesnt have the skills of a physician, for example, but a physician doesnt have her skill-set. So why cant they work together for the benefit of the patients whole well-being? she asked.

Lets have some humility to understand that [science-based] allopathic medicine does not necessarily address every issue that the patient may present with, she said. Theres a spiritual aspect to all of us as human beings that not everyone is equipped to take care of, to handle or to address.

Sesma sees her work as benefiting "the patient's whole well-being." (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Image: Getty/Twitter

In case youve missed it: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Co.), who dont seem to realize that they are two sides of the same terrible coin, have been very publicly at war with each other for some time now. And that war continued apace on Tuesday with Boebert once again mocking Greenethis time for carrying a large white balloon around the U.S. Capitol all day ahead of Bidens State of the Union address to symbolize the so-called Chinese spy balloon that the military safely shot down over the weekend.

When The Hill reporter Emily Brooks asked Boebert on Tuesday whether she was planning any kind of symbolic protest stunts for the SOTU, Boebert replied: Well, I wont be bringing a white helium balloon, if thats what youre asking.

Read more

Huh. When I asked Rep. Lauren Boebert earlier today if she was planning any kind of symbolic protest for the SOTU, she said: "Well, I won't be bringing a white helium balloon, if that's what you're asking." https://t.co/gcFfmIr7dJ  Emily Brooks (@emilybrooksnews) February 7, 2023

The shade was pretty obvious, as videos made their way around the internet showing Greene inexplicably navigating government hallways looking like she was on her way to a Nazi babys first birthday party.

JUST IN - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reportedly plans to bring a white balloon to Bidens SOTU



pic.twitter.com/5qmUFkRYxt  Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 7, 2023

Greene doesnt even seem to understand the stunt she was pulling. She cited the song 99 Red Balloons in a tweet, completely missing the symbolism of the classic song she was quoting.

Story continues

FYI Marjorie: The song 99 Red Balloons is about children releasing balloons in the air and countries overreacting and starting a nuclear war that destroys the world. pic.twitter.com/LJiE4NQuSk  Jason Selvig (@jasonselvig) February 4, 2023

Of course, Boebert doesnt have the moral or intellectual high ground over Greene, despite continually throwing her under the bus in interviews every chance she gets. The supposedly pro-life, gun-loving congresswoman has been openly praying for Biden to die and almost certainly will pull some kind of equally stupid protest stunt at Tuesdays SOTU address.

Previously, Greene and Boebert have fought in a bathroom, called each other childish, and engaged in high school drama over Jewish space lasers.

But returning, for a moment, to the white balloon antic: The Pentagon says three such Chinese spy balloons crossed into U.S. airspace under former President Trump, and Trump never even learned about them until after he left office. So its unclear what message, if any, Greene is hoping to get across here. Just another day in paradise in the old U. S. of A.

More from Jezebel

Sign up for Jezebel's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
Kyrylo Budanov (pictured) cannot head the Ministry of Defense due to the impossibility of being released from military service during martial law and anti-corruption legislation, Serhii Rakhmanin explained

This is because Ukrainian law requires a civilian to serve in that role, the MP noted.

Read also: Reznikov makes statement amid rumours of his dismissal

"I was surprised to hear speciations about a possible replacement of (incumbent Defense Minister) Oleksii Reznikov with Kyrylo Budanov, because I haven't seen any legal or physical grounds for such a swap, Rakhmanin explained.

The Law on National Security adopted in 2018 states that only a civilian can become Ukraine's Minister of Defence. It entered into force on Jan. 1, 2019.

Read also: Budanov elaborates on special operations, past and future

Rakhmanin added that he could not see Budanov resigning from military service during wartime (to become a civilian for the defense ministers post).

Even assuming he somehow has managed to do this, he still wouldn't be able to become defense minister as anti-corruption legislation bars ex-officials from holding a position in the same department or its subsidiaries, or a central government agency," the MP said, referring to the particulars of the national security law.

The head of the ruling Servant of the People faction in the Ukrainian parliament, David Arakhamia, said on Feb. 6 that Oleksii Reznikov wouldn't be dismissed from the position of Ukraine's Defense Minister, despite an earlier statement by the MP that Reznikov would be moved to the position of the Minister of Strategic Industries (instead of Pavlo Riabikin), while his post would be taken over by Budanov.

News about Reznikovs possible dismissal as Minister of Defense appeared following the emergence of a food procurement scandal for the military, with several top defense ministry officials suspected of being involved in wrongdoing.

Read also: Dismissed deputy defense minister responsible for army logistics is charged

Commenting on the rumors about his possible reassignment, Reznikov said he would resign if President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the relevant order.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Black lawmakers in Mississippi are denouncing efforts by the majority-white and Republican-led state Legislature to grab power from the majority-Black and Democratic-led capital city of Jackson.

The actions being taken by our legislative leadership amount to a symbolic decapitation of Black elected leadership, Democratic Sen. John Horhn of Jackson said Wednesday during a Legislative Black Caucus news conference.

The state Senate voted Tuesday to create a regional board to eventually take control of Jackson's struggling water system, which is now overseen by a federally appointed administrator.

Hours later, the House voted to create a new court in part of Jackson with judges who would be appointed rather than elected.

The two bills are not yet close to becoming law. The Senate bill will go to the House for more work, and the House bill will go to the Senate.

Nearly 83% of Jackson residents are Black, and the city has had Black mayors since 1997.

Bills to create the regional water board and the new court system are sponsored by white, Republican lawmakers who live in northern Mississippi, more than two hours drive from Jackson. In both cases, the sponsors said they wrote the bills without first consulting Jackson lawmakers. The Senate sponsor said he later incorporated ideas from Jackson officials.

One bill would create a Capitol Complex Improvement District court in the more affluent  and whiter  parts of Jackson. Judges would be appointed by the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, and prosecutors would be appointed by the state attorney general, both of whom are white.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has likened the court proposal to apartheid. During a nearly five-hour debate on the court bill, several Black lawmakers said the proposal would strip away voting rights in a state with a racist history of voter suppression.

Democratic Rep. Zakiya Summers of Jackson said at the news conference Wednesday that the proposal would create a separate but unequal court."

Story continues

This is a return to the old Mississippi - to slave patrols, to convict leasing, to installing the folks we like because we never wanted yall to vote in the first place,'" Summers said. "Its a return to a shameful past that kept us pushed out, kicked out and silenced.

Black legislators said establishing a regional water board is a paternalistic move to wrest power from Jackson's mayor and City Council.

Jackson has struggled with water problems for years. The crisis culminated in late August and early September, when the system came near collapse and most people in the city of 150,000 went several days without running water. Some lost water again after a cold snap in December.

The city is receiving $600 million from the federal government to improve the water system. Lumumba has said repeatedly that the city must maintain long-term control of the water system after the appointed administrator departs.

Democratic Rep. Chris Bell of Jackson said Wednesday that the efforts of the majority of legislators to control the capital city show the devaluation of Black assets, the devaluation of Black lives, the devaluation of Black well-being in the city of Jackson.

____ Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.
Members of Congress gave a standing ovation to the parents of Tyre Nichols during the State of the Union address in one of the most bipartisan and dramatic moments of the night.

RowVaughn Wells, Nicholss mother, and her husband, Rodney Wells, Nicholss stepfather, were present for the address a week after the funeral for the 29-year-old Nichols, who died after being brutally beaten by Memphis police officers during a traffic stop.

As President Biden spoke her sons name, RowVaughn Wells applauded him and could be seen telling him, Thank you.

Heres what Tyres mom shared with me when I asked her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out, Biden said Tuesday after introducing the couple. With faith in God, she said her son was a beautiful soul and something good will come from this.

Biden made a point about how the parents of Black children must address the issue of how they are treated by police. Nichols was Black, as are the five police officers who face criminal charges for their beating of him.

Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter will come home from walking down the street or playing in the park or just driving their car, said Biden, who made a case for police reform during the address.

Most of us in here have never had to have the talk with our children that so many Black and Brown families have had with their children: If a police officer pulls you over, turn your interior lights on right away. Dont reach for your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel, he said.

Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after police beat him. Harrowing video footage was released to the public on Jan. 27, leading to new calls for police reform.

Police reform was top of mind for members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), who met with the president last week to discuss passing reform. Members also brought families of those who were impacted by police violence.

Biden said officers are asked to be counselors, social workers and psychologists as they respond to drug overdoses, mental health crises and other situations.

Story continues

Adding more resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime, more community intervention programs, more investments in housing, education and job training will prevent violence from breaking out, he said.

And when there is police violence, Biden said, there needs to be accountability.

I know most cops are good, honorable, decent people, said Biden. They risk their lives every time they put that shield on. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often.

CBC members and Democrats in both chambers have called for police reform since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, even introducing legislation named after Floyd.

While that legislation has stalled in Congress, Biden did sign an executive order banning federal officers from using chokeholds and restricting no-knock warrants.

Lets commit ourselves to make the words of Tyres mother come true: Something good must come from this, Biden said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A new lawsuit alleges that just three days before Memphis police officers beat 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in a traffic stop that turned deadly, the same five officers were involved in violently beating another Black man during an arrest.

The suit was filed by Monterrious Harris, who allegedly was bleeding from the head and had his left eye swollen shut after he arrived at jail following a confrontation with members of the Memphis Police Departments Scorpion unit.

The lawsuit adds that when Harris arrived at the jail, he had difficulty walking because his right leg was swollen and severely bruised while his left leg had a gash. A nurse evaluated him and instructed him to be transported to a hospital for treatment.

The officers named in the case  Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Demetrious Haley and Tadarrius Bean  are the same five officers who were fired in late January for beating Nichols so severely he eventually succumbed to his injuries and died in the hospital. Video footage of the incident was released to the public last month.

The officers have since been charged with second-degree murder, among other charges.

The lawsuit filed by Harris said the confrontation occurred on Jan. 4 after he went to visit his cousin at an apartment complex. When his cousin entered Harriss car with a licensed and registered firearm, he wedged the firearm in between the passenger seat and the center console. The lawsuit states that Harris was unaware his cousin was armed, or that the firearm was in his car.

The Memphis Police Departments Public Affairs Office told The Hill that it does not comment on pending litigation.

Harris and his cousin spoke for four to six minutes before his cousin ran back into his apartment to grab a jacket and change his shoes before the two headed downtown while Harris parked the car in an empty parking space.

Seconds after parking, the suit alleges, Harriss car was suddenly surrounded by a large group of assailants wearing black ski-masks, dressed in black clothing, brandishing guns, other weapons, hurling expletives and making threats to end his life if he did not exit his car, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

Story continues

According to the lawsuit, these assailants were members of the Scorpion unit  but the five or six officers never identified themselves to Harris, nor did they ask for his license or vehicle registration. Because of this, the suit said, Harris thought he was the victim of an attempted carjacking and tried to reverse his vehicle to flee the scene.

Unable to do so, Harris eventually exited his car, unarmed and with his hands raised. Officers then exacted a swift, violent, and continuous physical assault on Mr. Harris that included punching, stomping, and dragging him across concrete, according to a lawsuit, which says the attack lasted approximately one to two minutes.

Harris began to scream loudly for his cousin, the suit added, at which point residents in the apartment complex where Harriss cousin lived heard the noise and went outside to investigate. At this point, officers ceased their beating and arrested Harris.

Harris was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, criminal trespass, evading arrest, intentionally evading arrest in an automobile, possession of firearm during a dangerous felony, possession of a controlled substance (and intent to manufacture, distribute/sell), tampering with fabricated evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia, all of which the suit says are false charges.

Tuesdays lawsuit alleges that the Memphis Police Department has a history of abuse and proceeds to name multiple other Black men who were subjected to violent beatings.

It also alleges that the Scorpion Unit, which began patrolling designated areas of the city in 2021, did not have proper training or supervision and mainly patrolled African American communities.

With respect to automobile stops, the Scorpion Units modus operandi was to target and stop young black men without any legal justification, the suit states. The Scorpion Unit would then draw their firearms, surround the suspects vehicles, yell expletives and racial slurs at them, and then demand that they exit the vehicle or risk being shot.

After these young black men exited their vehicles, an assault would commence, as the Scorpion Unit, without any legal justification, would begin to physically assault, pummel, tase, and point their firearms in the faces of the young black men who lived in neighborhoods in which the Scorpion Unit patrolled, despite the fact that they had committed no identifiable crimes, had not been genuinely been suspected of committing a crime, and had not resisted any lawful command.

Since the death of Nichols, the Scorpion unit has been disbanded, something officers assigned to the unit agree unreservedly with, the department said in a release on Jan. 28.

While the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title SCORPION, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department, take proactive steps in the healing process for all impacted, the release added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The law firm representing Gabby Petito's family has released photos that show her face bloodied, claiming officers should've taken action before her murder.

The photo released by the Parker and McConkie law firm was found on Petito's cell phone and was taken in the back of her van in Moab, Utah on Aug. 12, 2021. The photo was taken just before her stop by Moab City Police after a bystander witnessed a domestic dispute between her and fiance Brian Laundrie.

Petito had been on a cross-country trip with Laundrie and was reported missing by her family on Sept. 11, 2021. Her body was found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sept. 19, 2021. Her death was ruled a homicide due to strangulation.

The attorney representing the Petito family in the complaint said that during the stop, she attempted to tell the Moab Police officers about the injury, but the assault and injury were ignored.

In case you missed it:Petito family lobbies for 'lethality assessment' law in Utah

Opinion:A mother's love and an unthinkable allegation in the Gabby Petito murder case

Sarasota, Manatee court cases to watch:Petito suit, commissioner DUI case and more in 2023

Laundrie was the lone person of interest in the homicide investigation. His body was found on Oct. 20, 2021 after he committed suicide with a gun.

"The officers ignored this critical evidence and did nothing to follow up on, or to further investigate, Gabbys report that Brian had violently grabbed her face and cut her cheek," Parker and McConkie law firm said in a press release.

The Petito family have supported the passage of a law to require use of training and procedures to identity and prevent similar tragedies in the future by using a lethality assessment.

"Our daughter, Gabby, died as a result of intimate partner violence that could have and should have been identified by law enforcement using the lethality assessment," Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, said in a statement. "We believe that if the lethality assessment had been properly used in her situation, together with the recommended support and resources, Gabby would still be alive today.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Gabby Petito update: Newly released photos show bloodied face
Leonardo DiCaprio has sparked yet another rumour that he is dating a woman many years younger than he is, after pictures emerged of him attending a party with 19-year-old Israeli model Eden Polani.

Now, social media users have added a strange new context by comparing the alleged 29-year age gap between DiCaprio and Polani to Pedro Pascals age gap with his The Last Of Us co-star Bella Ramsey.

Neither DiCaprio nor Polani have confirmed if they are in a relationship. The Dont Look Up star has previously been criticised for never publicly dating a woman over the age of 25.

But Twitter users have been sharing snaps of Pascal, 47, and Ramsey, 19, to demonstrate how stark the age difference is.

In the hit HBO series The Last of Us, Pascal plays Joel, who is tasked with protecting a young girl named Ellie (Ramsey) as they try to reach safety in a post-apocalyptic world where people who have been infected by a fungus turn violent as they try to spread it.

Joels role as a father figure to Ellie is made even more apparent by their age gap.

Comparing Pascal and Ramseys age gap to DiCaprio and Polanis, some Twitter users branded the latter as gross and awkward.

The ick is at all-time high, wrote one person, while another said they nearly spat out my drink after realising how different the two relationships are despite having a similar age gap.

A third said: As a rule, if youre old enough to remember 9/11 you cannot date someone whose school years were interrupted by Covid.

DiCaprio was spotted out with Polani last week during the release party for Ebony Rileys new EP.

He was previously romantically linked to 23-year-old model Victoria Lamas, who he was last spotted out in public with in December.

Story continues

Lamas is the daughter of actor Lorenzo Lamas, who told the New York Post in December that she was smitten by DiCaprio but insisted they are friends, not in a serious relationship.

The Oscar-winning actor reportedly broke up with his girlfriend of four years, Camila Morrone, just after her 25th birthday in June last year.

Reports that the pair had split up emerged in August, after fans joked on social media that the relationship was about to come to an end after they learned she was turning 25 last year.

The Independent has contacted DiCaprios representative for comment.
A Southern California Gas Co. truck in Cypress on Jan. 6. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: I had to stop heating my home, because for each of the last three months my bills from the Southern California Gas Co. have doubled. If I had continued to heat my home, I'd be living in fear of what I would have to pay SoCalGas in March. ("Angry about your gas bill? Spikes follow big raises for California utility executives," Feb. 3)

But after reading about the salary and benefits for the chief executive of Sempra Energy, the parent company of SoCalGas, I would rather be cold than think I could be paying into his outrageous compensation.

Further, it has now given me the incentive to change to an electric stove top, put in solar panels to heat my water and to use an electric space heater only in the room I am occupying. If the natural gas utility is no longer economical, let's get rid of it.

Ila Tanchuk, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: I opened a mailer from SoCalGas saying that my bill was higher this month because I used more gas than efficient homes. It was my fault. There was no mention of cold-weather usage.

I was hoping SoCalGas would also include information on the recent indulgent raises for its parent company executives compared to their many customers' outrageous bills during the past months.

Of course the executives would have us believe that our bills and their compensation are not their fault. Our bills are our fault because we're not efficient, and their compensation isn't their fault because the shareholders decide what they make.

No worry though; we taxpayers will get some relief from the state. Will Sempra's top executives receive a downward adjustment in compensation to contribute to the cost of our rebate, or will they keep their money?

Mary Sikonia, Manhattan Beach

..

To the editor: I support Gov. Gavin Newsom's call for an inquiry into the cost of natural gas.

I just received a nice letter from SoCalGas noting that my gas use for the month was "good," and that our gas use had decreased from the same time last year. Nevertheless, our monthly bill increased from about $270 then to more than $800 now.

Story continues

And this from a "regulated" industry.

Joe Hilberman, Westwood

..

To the editor: Following my most recent monthly gas bill of $515.53, SoCalGas has generously offered the helpful advice that "reducing average shower time by one minute" can save me up to $10 per year.

Trevor Thompson, Echo Park

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Mississippi man charged with killing a 22-year-old Lexington man told police he was spooked and caught off guard by the victim being in an apartment he entered, which prompted him to shoot.

Bobby Hubbard, 23, is charged with murder in the death of Doricky Harris, 22, in a September shooting at the Coolavin Apartments on West Sixth Street.

In a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Det. Steven Hudak, a homicide detective with Lexington police, said Hubbard told investigators he shot Harris because he took him by surprise when he entered the apartments.

According to court testimony, Hubbard told police he arrived at the Coolavin Apartments on Sept. 12, 2022, to meet and pick up a woman, who came out to his car. Before Hubbard arrived at the apartments, the woman allegedly told him that her boyfriend had tried to shoot her a few hours before and asked Hubbard to come get her.

A couple of hours before the shooting involving Hubbard, Hudak said police did receive a call to the same apartment complex. At the scene, officers found shell casings and a broken cell phone. However, police couldnt find anyone involved in the incident to speak to officers.

When Hubbard arrived to pick the woman up, he asked if her boyfriend was inside the apartment but she did not know, according to police testimony. When Hubbard went inside the apartment, he told police that Harriss presence spooked him. He pulled his gun from his waistband and shot Harris a single time in the chest.

According to police, they were called back to the scene where they found Harris yelling for help saying he had been shot. Harris was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Police spoke to witnesses, collected evidence and reviewed security footage, which showed Hubbard arriving to the scene moments before the shooting, and leaving shortly after, Hudak said.

Three weeks after the shooting, Hubbard was found in northern Kentucky with a handgun that matched a shell casing found at the scene, according to court documents.

Story continues

Hubbard was arrested Jan. 21, 2023, by the Hattiesburg Police Department in Mississippi on the outstanding warrant. According to Hudaks testimony, Hubbard was upset and emotional in the police interview.

Hudak testified he and other officers attempted to contact the woman and her family dozens of times to set up an interview. When police finally reached the woman, they said she did not comply and invoked her right to an attorney.

Fayette District Judge Bruce Bell said there was probable cause to send Hubbards case to the Fayette County Grand Jury, and denied the lowering of his bond which is currently set at $750,000.
Lexington Police Chief Robby Rummage stand next to family members of Mary Davis during a press conference on Tuesday where it was announced a suspect was identified in her 1987 murder case.

LEXINGTON - The Lexington Police Department announced on Tuesday they have solved a murder case from 36 years ago where a woman went missing from work and was found strangled to death.

On May 30, 1987, Mary Mathis Davis, 29, left for lunch from her job at Laniers Hardware, but never returned. The following day her body was found behind the (former) Winn Dixie at 802 East Center Street.

Lexington Police Chief Robby Rummage said investigators collected a variety of evidence from the scene, but at that time there wasnt technology to process DNA evidence and the case had remained unsolved. But recently, investigators resubmitted some physical evidence and were able to identify a suspect through a comprehensive genealogical profile, which corroborated with other evidence.

Investigators in 1987 collected evidence that at the time really didnt serve a lot of purpose, but the wisdom of collecting them is the reason we are here today. That evidence wasnt viable in assisting the case until very, very recently, said Rummage.

Rummage said after getting feedback on the submitted evidence from the state crime lab in 2022, investigators with the Lexington Police contacted the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, who partnered with Othram Inc. to build a comprehensive genealogy profile from the remaining DNA evidence. This profile was used to produce investigative leads in the case and ultimately in identifying the suspect.

The suspect was identified as Russell Grant Wood of Lexington who died in 2013 when he was 58-years-old. If he had lived, he would have been charged with felony first-degree murder, felony first-degree kidnapping and felony first-degree rape.

Rummage said that Wood had previously been identified as potential suspect, but evidence at the time was not sufficient to charge him with the crime. He said that it was believed Wood and Davis lived in the same area and "knew each other, but didnt elaborate further.

Story continues

Members of Davis's family were present at the announcement on Tuesday, including her sister Lisa Yates, her niece, Lori Martin and her daughter Traci Cleary.

Mary Davis

"On behalf of the family of Mary Mathis Davis, I would like to extend our deepest and sincere appreciation to all of you at the Lexington Police Department for your work and your persistence in finding the person responsible for taking Mary from us, said Martin. You have done a phenomenal job revisiting the case over the past 36 years and it was reassuring to know that Mary was not just some file up on a shelf. Thank you all for caring so deeply and doing all of the work you have done to bring our family this closure.

She said that over the years, the family have continually questioned what kind of motive someone could have to commit such a "heinous act of violence".

We have all been left with many questions. Our family never gave up on its search for answers and we prayed that one day we would find the person that murdered our beloved Mary. We now have some answers, and although it wont bring Mary back, it does give us a sense of closure.

Martin said the family are planning on celebrating Davis on what would have been her 65th birthday on Feb. 12 at Forest Hill Memorial Park.

Rummage said it was important to make sure investigators continued to search for the suspect in the murder of Davis, and it is a relief to be able to give the family some answers in the case.

It illustrates the point that you should never give up; you should maintain hope. To bring resolution to a crime that this community has been speaking of for over 35 years. To recognize these findings are not one person, but the contributions of many countless people that include many generations of Lexington Police officers and investigators. It also shows that collaboration, as we regularly do, is of paramount importance. That is how you end up have results such as these, said Rummage.

Martin said that although the past 36 years have been difficult, they will always remember Davis for who she was and the love her family have for her.

Mary was a light in this world and we were blessed to have her as long as we did. She was a loving mother, sister, wife, aunt and friend. We know she is resting easily in the arms of our Lord and Saviour, said Martin.

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Lexington Police solve 36 year old murder case through DNA evidence
TUNIS (Reuters) -Libya's "5+5" military committee of officers from both main sides of the civil war has agreed on a coordination mechanism for the withdrawal of foreign forces in liaison with neighbouring Sudan and Niger, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

The procedural step would allow for joint coordination and data exchange to facilitate the full withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libya, the U.N. Libya envoy Abdoulaye Bathily announced after a meeting in Egypt.

However, any more concrete moves to pull out the hundreds of foreign fighters believed to be present in Libya after joining different sides in the conflict still face major political obstacles.

Although there has been little open warfare in Libya for nearly three years, the political standoff over control of government and access to state resources persists, with many Libyans fearing a return to conflict.

The main eastern and western factions fighting from 2014-20 deployed fighters from African countries, Syria, and from the private Russian company Wagner, according to U.N. experts' reports. Turkey also deployed forces in Syria at the invitation of the then internationally recognised government.

According to the terms of the 2020 ceasefire agreement that led to the formation of the 5+5 committee, all foreign forces were meant to be withdrawn within months, but very few are believed to have left.

(Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Jon Boyle and Alex Richardson)
Linda Fruits opens up about her modern family and her new book. (Photo: Courtesy of Linda Fruits)

Linda Fruits was on her second date with her now-partner, Maddy, when the topic of motherhood came up. At the time, Fruits, who chronicles her life as a mom of two boys on the popular Fruits of Motherhood Instagram account, had been separated from her husband, and navigating life as a newly out lesbian, for just a few months. When Maddy revealed that she hoped to carry a child of her own, and was actively looking for a sperm donor, Fruits's initial response was a humorous one.

"She told me she wanted to be a mom, and, you know, jokingly, I'm like, 'I have two kids, you can have one of mine,'" the Florida-based podcaster tells Yahoo Life. But the conversation also got the wheels turning, and Fruits brought up the close co-parenting and cohabitating relationship she and her boys' father, Christopher, had been able to maintain despite their separation after six years of marriage. He's going to be in our lives anyway, she remembers thinking. Would it be weird to ask him to be Maddy's donor?

Six months later, Fruits popped the question to her ex.

"I asked him [on my own] because I didn't want him to feel pressured to say yes, and he can obviously say no to me  like, we'd been together for like eight years," she says. "And I told him, I don't even want you to answer me today, because obviously that's a huge decision. Take your time and we'll circle back."

A couple of weeks later, Christopher came back with an answer, and some conditions.

"He didn't want to be a silent donor; he wanted to be the father," says Fruits, whose first book, The Mom Life: The Sweet, the Bitter and the Bittersweet Fruits of Motherhood, comes out on March 21. While having Christopher more directly involved wasn't originally part of what Linda and Maddy had envisioned for the latter's pregnancy, they were happy to have him on board. "The more the merrier," she says.

Story continues

In November, Fruits shared a blog post announcing Maddy's pregnancy  after five attempts using a DIY insemination kit  and the expansion of their modern, blended family, aka "the Fruity Bunch." The news was covered by the New York Post, and a PDA-packed maternity shoot posted in January "ruffled some feathers," prompting a rebuttal on her blog. But otherwise, Fruits says the response has largely been supportive.

"On social media, you expect the worst," she says. "I think as a mom too, you kind of expect the worst and hope for the best. And so when I shared our story ... seeing all of the positive feedback and messages and comments and love  like, I was just shocked. I'm always so impressed with people and this new generation of acceptance, because there's not a lot of representation in general. So when I put something out there that's kind of non-traditional, I'm always very pleased and happy to see the positive feedback."

The baby, who will be raised by Maddy, Fruits and Christopher in the home they all share with their two older boys, is due in May. Until then, Fruits is focusing on her other baby, The Mom Life. Illustrated and written by Fruits, the book shares her "relatable mom" perspective and firsthand experience with a number of challenges and pressures facing new moms, including breastfeeding, postpartum anxiety and depression, sleep and sex after baby. While Fruits admits going into motherhood with pretty rigid expectations for both herself and her kids, the overarching theme of her book, and Fruits of Motherhood platform, is that moms really need to cut themselves some slack.

"We think that motherhood is supposed to look a certain way, and it almost never does after the baby actually gets here," she says with a laugh. "And I think a lot of that is something that is within us that causes anxiety and stress and trying to uphold this idea that we created ourselves. Society tells us [to do this], but we are upholding these rules to ourselves, you know?

"I think the biggest takeaway that I wish I could just, like, implant in other mom's minds, is that when you have a baby, it's going to look different than you expect," she adds. "It's going to be harder, probably, than you expect. You're going to change your mind, but it's like, just meet yourself where you are every single day. And once you do that, and once you let go of these expectations, you can actually enjoy it more. It sounds funny, but once I gave up, it's actually when I was able to enjoy my kids more, versus [thinking] I need to do this, I need to do that, I need to clean the kitchen and do all this stuff and who's coming over? No one's doing a magazine shoot at my house  who cares? I'm miserable doing all that stuff every day. Like, I can't be present. I can't do all the things."

The book also stresses the importance of moms having support and making time for their mental health not only for themselves, but also for the sake of kids who can benefit from learning what speaking out for their needs and not succumbing to burnout looks like. Does her awareness of the challenges ahead, in particular the postpartum period, put added pressure on her to walk the walk, so to speak, as a non-birthing partner who will soon have another baby in the house? Yes, says Fruits, though she acknowledges that her new family situation is a unique one.

"It's very interesting because my whole platform is basically based on my struggles," she notes. "Every single day I'm like, what am I struggling with? And I write about it. But [for Maddy]  obviously she's still gonna struggle, like all moms do  but she's not going to have a lot of this loneliness that I experienced and the not having enough help, because she lives in a house with three adults. So she's not going to actually ever really get that part. You know, she sees it, she understands; she is human. But to feel it to your core where it makes you cry? ... She's just not going to know what it's like, and I would never want her to either. It's just kind of funny how, because we are together, what I know and write about, she may not fully experience, and I think that's interesting and pretty cool."

But she does already see her partner feeling the expectation to be the "perfect mom." Fruits says it's taken some "reparenting" to help her alleviate that pressure. "[We're] unpacking why we feel a certain way about things, which I didn't have anyone to do with before I had a child," she explains.

Mom identity is another big talking point in The Mom Life. When she started her platform, Fruits was a married mom with long blond hair; she's now in love with a woman and rocking a dark pixie cut and tattoos.

"I was definitely trying to look and feel the part," she says of her former look. "Sometimes we dress ourselves on the outside to match how we feel on the inside, and I was trying to feel like a good mom, and so I thought that I had to look a certain way. Women have this preconceived notion of what beauty is and we try to live up to those standards at some point in our lives. Maybe not all of us, but I definitely succumbed to that, because I was tall and they're like, oh, she's tall and blond. And I'm like, OK, these are things that people like. So I kept doing that until I realized that it wasn't who I was.

"I wanted tattoos," she continues. "I wanted this stuff, but everyone's like, 'No, don't ruin your body.' But it's not ruining your body if you want it. So for my kids, they're growing up with the notion that they don't have to wait 'til they're 32 to do that. They can be themselves, whether it's sexuality, how they want to dress ... I am going to be supportive of them. Most of our parents, they were like, 'Don't get a tattoo, you'll never get a job. Don't cut off your hair. No man's gonna love you'  all these things that we just say, we don't realize how harmful they can actually be."

Fruits lost "a bunch of followers" when she first came out as a lesbian. But she was also flooded with support that had her in tears  not to mention questions from "countless" moms who wanted to know more about coming out later in life, whether it was scary being with a woman for the first time and if she had any regrets.

"I think a lot of people expect everyone to be the same person their whole life," she says. "And it's not that I've changed, it's just that I'm talking about it. And it reminds me that what I'm doing is important. If nobody cares that I came out and I changed how I identify my sexuality, then it's like no big deal, right? We're past that. But the fact that people are still upset about it reminds me that I have to keep talking about it. It's important that I am the representation for someone else."

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Sign up here.
Prosecutors say Lindsay Clancy carefully planned the murder of her three children (Facebook )

Around 5.15pm on January 24, Patrick Clancy left the family home that he shared with his wife Lindsay and their three young children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, to pick up a takeout meal and medication.

He returned just under an hour later and, unable to find his wife or kids, forced his way into the master bedroom upstairs, according to a timeline of events outlined by prosecutors and in court documents.

He noticed blood on the floor, and from an open window saw Lindsay lying on the frozen ground below. When he reached her she was barely conscious, and suffering from severe spinal injuries and cuts to her wrists and neck.

What did you do? he asked.

She told him she had attempted suicide, and that their daughter Cora, five, and sons Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, were in the basement.

He stayed with his wife until first responders arrived, and upon entering the downstairs room began screaming in agony and shock, prosecutors say.

Cora and Callan were lying in a den area. Dawson was in a separate room that had been turned into a home office. All three children still had exercise bands wrapped around their necks that prosecutors say Ms Clancy used to strangle them.

She killed the kids, Mr Clancy screamed, according to a transcript of a 911 read out in court.

He removed the bands and begged the children to breathe, according to prosecutor Jennifer Sprague.

Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at the home. Callan died three days later at Boston Childrens Hospital.

On Tuesday 7 February, Ms Clancy, 32, lay paralysed in a hospital bed as she appeared for a virtual arraignment via Zoom on charges of first-degree murder, three counts of strangulation and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. She is likely to be charged with Callans murder at a later hearing.

The 32-year-olds defence team have argued that Ms Clancy was driven to commit the murders by postpartum psychosis. At the time of the horror incident, Ms Clancy was under the influence of a cocktail of 13 psychiatric medications, the defence has said.

Story continues

Those defence claims have prompted a difficult question: Should she be prosecuted?

Heres what we know about the case so far:

One of her best days

On the morning of 24 January, Ms Clancy had taken her daughter Cora to a pediatricians appointment. She interacted with a nurse, receptionist and doctor at the clinic, and appeared to be in good spirits, according to prosecutors.

The 32-year-old then returned to the family home in Duxbury. Cora and her Dawson played outside in the snow, and Ms Clancy texted photos of the snowmen she had built with her children to her husband Patrick, who was working from a home office in the basement.

Mr Clancy would later say that his wife had been having one of her best days after a long struggle with anxiety, according to prosecutors.

Patrick Clancy, the husband of Lindsay Clancy, is pictured with the couples three children from left to right: Cora, 5, Callan, 8 months, and Dawson, 3. (GoFundMe)

At 4.13pm, she searched online to check how long it would take for her husband to travel from her home to the ThreeV Restaurant in Plymouth, according to a timeline read out in court on Tuesday 7 February.

The restaurant was further away than where the family usually ordered takeout meals from, Ms Sprague said during Tuesdays hearing.

She then called a nearby CVS pharmacy to check if they had Miralax, a childrens laxative medicine, in stock.

Ms Clancy texted her husband at 4.53pm in his home office in the basement to say she didnt feel like cooking, and asked if he felt like takeout for dinner.

She placed an order of a Mediterranean power bowl for herself, and a scallop and pork belly risotto for him. She also asked him to pick up the kids medication.

Ms Clancy placed the food order at 5.10pm, and her husband left five minutes later.

Patrick Clancy arrived at a CVS in Kingston, about six miles south of Duxbury, just after 5.30pm. Surveillance footage showed him in the childrens aisle.

Chillingly, Mr Clancy phoned his wife during the period that prosecutors allege she was strangling her children.

The call went unanswered. Ms Clancy called him back in a 14 second call to confirm the childrens medication.

Mr Clancy would later tell investigators that the call was unremarkable, but upon reflelction it seemed like she was in the middle of something, Ms Sprague said.

Prosecutors said it would have taken four to five minutes to kill each child.

A living hell

During Tuesdays court hearing, opposing sets of attorneys set out drastically differing accounts of how the tragedy had unfolded.

Ms Sprague, the prosecutor, said the alleged murders had been carefully planned, and that phone records showed Ms Clancy had searched online how long it would take her husband to run the errands.

She used Apple Maps to make sure she would have enough time to strangle each child before her husband returned from where she had sent him, Ms Sprague told the court.

Defence attorney Kevin Reddington said his client had likely been suffering from postpartum psychosis after the birth of her third child.

Lindsay Clancy had been unfairly demonised by people who didnt know her, husband Patrick says (WCVB)

This is not a situation, your honour, that was planned by any means, Mr Reddington said during Tuesdays court appearance, according to NBC Boston.

In an earlier interview, he told the Boston Herald that Ms Clancy, a labour and delivery nurse, had been trapped in a living hell after being prescribed 13 different psychiatric medications in the three months leading up to the childrens deaths.

The mind-bending cocktail of meds had giver her her homicidal and suicidal ideations and turned the previously loving mother into a zombie, he told The Herald.

Mr Reddington said during Tuesdays court hearing that his clients dosages and prescriptions had been repeatedly altered by doctors, including benzodiazepines, antidepressants, mood stabilizers and Ambien.

He said she had checked herself into a psychiatric facility after having suicidal thoughts, he said. The childrens deaths showed just how flawed the mental health system was, he added.

Ms Clancy is unlikely to ever walk again.

Ms Sprague countered that Ms Clancy had not been diagnosed with post-partum depression.

She said that Ms Clancy had called her husband from her hospital bed and told him she killed their children because she heard a voice and had a moment of psychosis.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told The Independent that Ms Clancys lawyers had two options; argue that she was not fit to stand trial, or pursue an insanity defence.

If the jurors are convinced Clancy suffered from mental illness and was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of her conduct, they may return a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity.

Defence attorney Rachel Fiset, a managing partner Los Angeles-based Zweiback, Fiset & Zalduendo LLP, told The Independent that to argue insanity her lawyer would have to convince a jury that she could not tell right from wrong.

The fact that theyre calling it a psychosis instead of a depression does seem to set up the argument that she would have perhaps lost the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, Ms Fiset said.

If she is claiming to hear voices as a result of postpartum psychosis, if that is shown to be true there is no reason why the insanity defense would not apply.

My little hero

The alleged triple murder has shaken Duxbury, a wealthy seaside town founded in the 17th Century and located 34 miles south of Boston.

Opinion about whether Ms Clancy should be charged with murder has been divided.

Friends have posted moving statements online calling for greater awareness and understanding of post-partum depression.

What I can say for sure is she was battling some serious demons, that nobody can understand if youve never experienced it yourself, wrote one, who asked not to be identified.

Others pointed to the loving posts she wrote about her children on her Facebook page.

An outpouring of support for Mr Clancy has seen more than $1m raised through GoFundMe.

Lindsay Clancy during a virtual arraignment on 7 February (The Boston Globe)

In his only public statement, Mr Clancy wrote on the page that he forgave his wife and wants everyone else to do.

He said his wife had been demonised by many who did not know her.

The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone  me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients, he wrote in a 28 January post.

The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.

He wrote that his youngest Callan had died with enormous courage despite being so little.

Maybe it was his way of demonstrating what I need to do to press forward. Ill always try to draw inspiration from him. Hell always be my little hero.

Post-partum depression

According to the American Psychological Association, as many as one in seven new mothers experience post-partum depression (PPD).

Unlike the baby blues, PPD doesnt go away on its own. It can appear days or even months after delivering a baby; it can last for many weeks or months if left untreated, the APA advises.

Symptoms include a loss of pleasure in previously enjoyable activities, either eating much more or much less, anxiety, sadness and excessive irritability and mood swings.

If any of these symptoms last for more than two weeks, experts recommend seeking out professional treatment.

Post-partum psychosis, which experts say only occurs in one or two births per thousand, involves symptoms such as hallucinations and can come on extremely quickly.

This is a separate disorder, and is a factor in most cases of maternal infanticide.

In one high-profile case in 2001, Texas woman Andrea Yates was found guilty of murder after drowning her five children in a bathtub, only to have the conviction overturned at a second trial after a jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
Arvydas Anusauskas, Minister of National Defence of Lithuania, made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Wednesday, 8 February.

Source: Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraines Defence Minister, on Facebook

Quote from Reznikov: "Today I had the honour of welcoming my brave Lithuanian friend and colleague Arvydas Anusauskas in southern Ukraine. He was the first defence minister to visit us following the beginning of the full-scale war, in March of last year."

Details: Reznikov said that he and Anusauskas "have agreed further steps needed to defeat the terrorist state".

Lithuania announced earlier that it plans to give Ukraine nearly 40 million euros of military aid.

Photo from Reznikov's Facebook page

In January 2023, Lithuanias Ministry of National Defence announced that it will give Ukraine several dozen L-70 anti-aircraft guns, two Mi-8 helicopters and ammunition. Lithuania will also help train around 1,600 Ukrainian military personnel; the country is considering the possibility of organising training for low-level commanders.

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






luxury hotels

Looking for some unique luxury hotels with wellness offerings? Travel Noires got you covered!

Did anyone elses new year start in February, or is it just us? This year, wellness is a top priority. Gone are the days of feeling burnt out! Were taking breaks this year, exploring new destinations, and experiencing various levels of wellness.

And, were not the only ones. Research from Expedia Group reveals that wellness is the wave among millennials and Gen Z this year. Many travelers are open to wellness weekends, allowing your mind and body to rest for a few days instead of constantly being on the go.

So, what do you do during a wellness weekend? The choice is yours. You can spend time in nature journaling and reflecting while putting your phone on do not disturb. If youve been missing out on sleep, spend your wellness weekend catching up on slumber with lavender body products and pillows.

Whatever you decide to do, these luxury hotels are the perfect resting spot for your wellness needs.

Related: The Year of Wellness Travel: Bonaire Will Host Its First Yoga & Wellness Festival This Summer

Get better sleep in Charleston at one of our favorite luxury hotels

Head to Charleston, South Carolina, for a restful nights sleep at French Quarter Inn. For four years in a row, the 50-room luxury boutique hotel was named a top 5 hotel in the U.S. by TripAdvisors Travelers Choice Awards.

Book the hotels Suite Dreams package for the ultimate sleep experience. The package includes a Sound Sleep pillow menu consisting of seven plush pillows, nighttime Sleepy Tea, and turndown chocolates. Also included are two Deep Steep lavender body products, two eye masks and a lavender sachet to help you easily fall asleep.

Charlestown Hotels

If youre still finding it hard to fall asleep, pick up the propertys in-room sleep guide for tips curated by Dr. Daniel Gartenberg, founder of SleepSpace. After enjoying a blissful night of sleep, check out at 1 p.m. and spend the rest of your day exploring the charming city of Charleston.

Story continues

Immerse yourself in nature in Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina, is the perfect city to take a much-needed break from technology. Take a deep breath as you admire the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains while staying at the Foundry Hotel. This 97-room boutique hotel is located in the citys oldest Black business district, The Block.

The property offers many wellness solutions for unplugging, such as the Digital Detox Adventure Package, a private guided hike at Wild Cat Rock, Flow Bathing Nature Therapy Experience, and more.

Choose from over 50 well-being activities in Riviera Maya

If youre craving a weekend trip out of the country, head to Riviera Maya, Mexico, for the ultimate wellness experience. Enter the world of Banyan Tree Mayakoba, a property with well-being sanctuaries. The propertys personalized 64-point assessment is based on Banyan Trees 8 pillars of well-being. After your assessment, work with the propertys well-being host on curating activities from over 50 activities.

Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Well-being activities include ocean breath meditation by the sea, hydrotherapy treatments, conscious grounding, and more.

Heal your body and mind in Maui

Wailea Beach Resort, located between two of Mauis beautiful beaches, is the perfect luxury wellness haven. From private floating cabanas to the longest water slide in Maui, youll be able to unwind, move your body and heal at this resort.

The propertys Coco Yoga is a 50-minute class using a coconut as a weight, a stretching prop and even as post-workout fuel.

If you want to go all in, book the Awaken in Wailea experience and enjoy a morning filled with curated wellness activities. This experience includes a 60-minute lomi lomi massage to the sounds of Tibetan singing bowls. Afterward, enjoy Chefs menu with locally sourced ingredients.

Related: 5 Ways To Maintain Your Wellness Routine While Catching Flights
President Biden was the only scheduled speaker during the president's annual State of the Union address, and while some lawmakers were vocal throughout Mr. Biden's speech, many silent statements while in the audience. Some wore crayon pins and many displayed Ukrainian flags  here are some of the symbols spotted in the House chamber.

Crayon pins

Several Democrats were spotted wearing pins on their lapels shaped like crayons. Sen. Patty Murray explained the significance of the pin on Twitter: "Did you see the crayon I'm wearing to #SOTU today?" she wrote. "Greatnow that I have your attention, I want to talk about how child care is a serious and urgent economic crisis. Child care has to be a top priority this Congress."

Several other Democratic lawmakers  including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island  also donned the pins.

Murray, who spearheaded the effort to wear the crayon pins, has long led the charge for affordable childcare, recently heading the fight to improve the Department of Education's Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS), which supports low-income families with childcare services at schools.

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), left and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) wear crayon pins during the 2023 State of the Union address. / Credit: Getty Images

Blue and yellow for Ukraine

Many lawmakers sported Ukrainian flag pendants or blue and yellow ribbons  showing support for the country that has been battling Russian attacks for nearly a year. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky wore a blue and yellow striped tie.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), left, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) arrive for President Biden's State of the Union address showing support for Ukraine. / Credit: Jose Luis Magana / AP

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was seen sporting a blue and yellow tie at the 2023 State of the Union address. / Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / Getty Images

Green "118" pins

Several members of Congress were seen wearing little, round, green pins with the number 118 at the bottom. These appear to be pins representing the 118th Congress, which began on January 3, 2023.

1870 buttons

Some members of Congress wore round buttons that read "1870" to "stand against police brutality, Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey said in a video posted to Twitter.

"In 1870, police killed an unarmed Black man. Last year, the number of police killings reached a record high," she wrote. "Police reform cannot wait any longer. Our communities deserve better."

Story continues

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus wore the pins to advocate for police reform.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) wears an

Other lawmakers could be seen showing support for policies and legislation  like Democratic Rep. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, who wore a pin that read "ERA YES" to support the Equal Rights Amendment that would guarantee equal rights regardless of gender.

LeBron James breaks NBA's all-time scoring record, eclipsing Kareem Adbul-Jabbar

Organizations join search for survivors in Turkey-Syria earthquake

Marjorie Taylor Greene shouts "liar" at Biden during State of the Union address
[Source]

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a series of gun control measures Tuesday, including banning the sale of .50 caliber handguns in unincorporated areas.

The motions  authored by Board Chair Janice Hahn, Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath  came in response to the mass shooting at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park on the eve of the Lunar New Year, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people and injuries to nine others. The alleged gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, also died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound hours later.

The board recently declared gun violence a public health crisis.

Hahn said in a statement:

More from NextShark: Nursing Student Gets Dragged By Her Hair, Head Stepped on By Police During Wellness Check

We know that blame for the gun violence epidemic lies with the failure of Congressional leaders to pass even the most basic federal gun laws. Because they have not acted  we have found actions we can take at the county level to protect lives.

One of the motions expected to take effect soon aims to stop the sale of .50 caliber firearms and ammunition in unincorporated areas and prohibits carrying firearms on public property with certain exceptions  notably law enforcement.

Additionally, it asks the Department of Regional Planning to prepare an ordinance to implement zoning regulations with a 1,000 feet buffer between firearm sellers and child-sensitive areas  i.e. parks and schools  and for the Treasurer and Tax collector to prepare final amendments to the County code regarding business licenses to improve firearm and ammunition regulation in unincorporated areas.

More from NextShark: Woman Kicked in the Face By Teens at Bus Stop in Minnesota

Another item directs the Countys Chief Executive Offices Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations branch to send a letter to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in support of Senate bills that seek to raise the minimum age for purchasing assault weapons from 18 to 21, as well as ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.

There is also an item directing the same branch to support bills that strengthen concealed-carry laws and require federally licensed firearm dealers to complete annual training from Californias Justice Department.

Story continues

Another motion instructs County Counsel to draft an ordinance and report back to the board on requiring all firearms in a residence to be securely stored in a locked container or disabled trigger lock.

More from NextShark: Japanese Pro-Trump Supporters Stage Their Own Rally in Tokyo During Capitol Hill Riot

The motion also calls for draft ordinance language that would mandate liability insurance for gun owners.

Additionally, it calls for the feasibility of implementing a County gun database and asks the Treasurer and Tax Collector to prepare an amendment to the County code requiring gun stores to display signs with specific language that warn customers of the risks associated with firearms.

Solis said she intends to do whatever is possible to protect Los Angeles County residents, especially after the Monterey Park tragedy.

More from NextShark: Asians are dirty as a mother f***er: Man Caught Targeting Koreatown Store Cashier With Racist Rant

Gun-related violence will continue to cause mass damage, trauma, and harm if we do not take the necessary steps at all levels of government. This includes supporting key gun safety legislation like Senator Feinsteins recent action to reinstate the assault weapons and high capacity magazine ban. Today, living in the United States of America means being at risk of becoming a victim of a mass shooting. To that end, time is of the essence.

Horvath said she is proud to advance common sense gun safety guidelines through the new measures.
By Dmitry Zhdannikov, Chen Aizhu and Nidhi Verma

LONDON (Reuters) -Western sanctions on Russia have significantly reduced state oil revenues and diverted tens of billions of dollars towards shipping and refining firms, some with Russian connections.

Most of the winners from the sanctions are based in China, India, Greece and the United Arab Emirates, at least 20 trading and banking sources said. A handful are partly owned by Russian companies.

None of the firms is breaching sanctions, the sources told Reuters, but they have benefited from measures designed by the European Union and the United States to reduce the revenues of what they call Russian President Vladimir Putin's war machine.

As the Ukraine conflict heads into a second year, the calculations show that Russia's income has dropped but the volume of exports has remained relatively stable despite sanctions.

Putin told the West that sanctions would trigger an energy price rally. Instead, international benchmark Brent oil prices have fallen to $80 per barrel from a near-all-time high of $139 in March 2022, weeks after the start of the war.

Before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24 last year, Brent traded at around $65-$85 per barrel.

After the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations imposed a price cap on Russian oil in December, Moscow's oil export revenues fell by 40% year-on-year in January, Russia's finance ministry said.

"Low official oil price meant that the Russian state budget has suffered in recent weeks," Sergey Vakulenko, non-resident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.

Vakulenko was a former head of strategy at Russian energy major Gazprom Neft. He left the firm and Russia days after the start of the war.

"Judging by the customs statistics, some of the benefit was captured by refiners in India and China, but the main beneficiaries must be oil shippers, intermediaries and the Russian oil companies," he added.

Story continues

Sanctions on Russia - probably the harshest imposed on an individual state - include outright bans on purchases of Russian energy by the United States and the EU, as well as bans on the shipping of Russian crude anywhere in the world unless it is sold at or below $60 per barrel.

Russia has diverted most crude and refined products to Asia by offering steep discounts to buyers in China and India versus competing grades from the Middle East, for instance.

The ban on shipping and the price cap have made buyers wary and forced Russia to pay for transportation of crude as it does not have enough tankers to carry all of its exports.

As of late January, Russian oil firms were offering discounts of $15-$20 per barrel for crude to buyers in India and China, according to at least 10 of the traders who are involved in operations and an invoice seen by Reuters. All of the sources asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

In addition, Russian sellers have also paid $15-$20 per barrel to shipping companies to take crude from Russia to China or India, according to the 10 traders and the invoice.

As a result, Russian companies received only $49.48 per barrel of Urals at Russian ports in January, down 42% year-on-year and just 60% of the European Brent benchmark price, according to the Russian Finance Ministry.

By comparison, a U.S exporter of Mars crude - a grade similar to Urals - would pay about $5-$7 per barrel for shipping a cargo to India. Given a discount of $1.6 per barrel versus the U.S. benchmark WTI, a U.S. exporter would collect some $66 per barrel at a U.S. port, or 90% of the benchmark price.

With output of 10.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2022 and exports of crude and refined products of 7.0 million bpd, the discount and additional costs would see producers' revenues falling by tens of billions of dollars in 2023.

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, said on Sunday the price cap reduced Moscow's revenue by $8 billion in January alone.

However, because some lost revenues are captured by Russian firms, the exact hit to earnings of producers and the state is difficult to quantify.

As a further complication, some Russian oil grades, including Pacific grade ESPO, are also worth more than Urals.

The Russian energy and finance ministries declined to comment on the impact.

'CRAZY GOOD' SHIPPING BONANZA

Lower revenues have coincided with higher profits for some intermediaries, experts including Vakulenko and traders in Russian oil say.

After decades of low profits or losses, sections of the global shipping industry are enjoying a financial boom from moving Russian oil.

Those companies include Russian state shipper Sovcomflot, led by Putin's ally Sergei Frank, and Greek shipping firms TMS Tankers Management, Stealth Maritime, Kyklades Maritime, Dynacom, Delta Tankers, NGM Energy and New Shipping.

Some Greek and Norwegian tanker owners sold their old ships at record prices to shipping firms such as Fractal Shipping, with owners in Dubai.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have refused to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine and have broadened cooperation with Moscow despite Washington's pressure.

All shipping companies declined to comment on any profits they make from Russian oil.

The invoice seen by Reuters showed a shipper charged a Russian crude seller close to $10.5 million for one voyage to take a regular-size Aframax tanker with 700,000 barrels on board from a Baltic port to an Indian refinery in January.

A year ago, a similar journey would have cost a seller of Russian oil $0.5-$1.0 million depending on shipping rates.

For the shipper, the running cost of such a voyage in today's market ranges between $0.5-$1.0 million, meaning the shipper's net profit from a single voyage could be $10 million.

A trader in Russian crude described tanker business as "crazy good".

While tanker owners charge record high rates for Russian crude shipments, refiners in India and China have also benefited from big discounts.

India's Russian oil imports hit an all-time high of above 1.25 million bpd in recent weeks, meaning the country has saved over $500 million a month on its oil bill with Russian oil sold at a discount of around $15 per barrel.

Leading Indian importers - IOC, HPCL, BPCL, Nayara and Reliance - declined to comment on discounts and profits.

Nayara is 49%-owned by Russian state oil major Rosneft, run by Putin's ally Igor Sechin, meaning some of the profits are indirectly captured by Russia. Rosneft declined to comment on its role in Nayara and how it could recover some profits.

China imported over 1.8 million bpd of Russian oil between April 2022 and January 2023, Emma Li, China analyst at Vortexa Analytics, said.

Based on an estimated $10 a barrel discount for both ESPO and Urals crude on delivered basis, that saved Chinese refiners about $5.5 billion over the 10-month period, according to Reuters' calculations.

Independent refiners in the eastern province of Shandong were the biggest beneficiaries. State refining giant Sinopec Corp also gained from the cheaper oil, and state-run Petrochina, Zhenhua Oil and CNOOC made profits from trading the barrels, traders said.

All the companies, as well as Shandong provincial government did not respond to request for comment.

(Additional reporting by Arathy Somasekhar and Muya Xu; Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Barbara Lewis)
The Gomel Oblast Court in Belarus has sentenced two more "railway partisans", Sergei Plyashkun and Yury Selvych, to long-lasting prison terms.

Source: Radio Liberty Belarus

Details: The trial was held behind closed doors.

Selvych was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment, Plyashkun - to 16 years.

34-year-old Serhiy Pleshkun and 45-year-old Yuriy Selvych were detained in March 2022. At that time, Belarusian television released a story, according to which the residents of city of Mazyr were being watched by the KGB employees. Sergei and Yury discussed the possibility of obstructing the movement of Russian military equipment by rail in the garage of one of the detainees. They were eventually charged under seven articles, including terrorism and extremism.

According to the case materials, Plyashkun and Selvych allegedly purchased components for the production of Molotov cocktails and pyrotechnic products, which were stored and transported in various vehicles and places to be used later, during the period from August 2020 to February 2022.

They were also accused of having painted drawings and inscriptions on a fence and a sign near one of the businesses in the Mazyr District.

According to the Belarusian security forces, empty bottles, saltpetre, a bat, and an air pistol were seized from the detainees during the search. It is claimed that the convicts could prepare Molotov cocktails.

One of the detainees, 44-year-old Yury Selvych, is married and has three children. Two adult sons were in the army at the time of Selvych's arrest, one after graduating from the university served in Marjina Horka. The family also has a 10-year-old adopted daughter. According to his acquaintances, Yurii was self-employed, working as a repairman.

"He took an active part in the protests that took place in Mazyr after the elections. According to 23.34 [a local outlet  ed ], Selvych was detained twice; once it was "round-the-clock detention", and the second time, he was fined. Yury helped the relatives of political prisoners financially", a friend of the accused explained.

Story continues

Serhiy Plyashkun has a wife and two children. One of his son is studying in the first grade, the second is not even a year old yet. Plyashkun's wife is on maternity leave.

Plyashkun worked as a sales agent.

Background:

The Gomel Oblast Court has sentenced residents of Svietlahorsk, the "rail partisans", to long terms for damage to the relay cabinet on the railway in December 2022. Denis Dikun has been sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment, Dmitrii Ravich to 22 years, and Oleg Molchanov to 21 years. They are all connected to each other. The men were accused of setting fire to a relay box on the railway.

Vitalii Melnyk has been sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment on several criminal charges. According to the case file, Melnyk set fire to an automatic block signal system relay box on the night of 24-25 March 2022, at the Novosady-Barysaw railway line, as a result of which its devices and elements became unusable. 22 cargo and 17 passenger trains were delayed. The Belarusian was shot in the knee joints during the detention. He still moves on crutches.

Currently, the criminal case of the Babruysk "railway partisans" is being considered in Mogilev. Dmytri Klimov, Vladimir Avramtsev, and Yevgeny Minkevych are accused of destroying two relay cabinets of the signal installation on the railway near the city of Asipovichy. The young men were detained on the night of 29-30 March 2022.

Vladimir Avramtsev was injured during the detention by security forces. The citizens of Babruysk are charged under five articles of the Criminal Code.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Police in Lynn are still searching for a suspect in connection with a shooting on Tuesday that left a 16-year-old Wendys worker hospitalized.

Officers responding to a report of a shooting at the restaurant on Boston Street shortly before 6 p.m. learned that the teenager worker had been shot through the drive-thru window, according to the Lynn Police Department.

The worker, whose name hasnt been released, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Video from the scene showed a bullet hole and shattered glass where the shooting occurred.

UPDATE: #Lynn police the victim was a 16 year old and was transported to MGH with a non life threatening injury. The investigation into the shooting continues. @boston25 https://t.co/IPE1nsH8La  Kelly Sullivan (@ksullivannews) February 8, 2023

Its so crazy because it must be just a kid trying to stay out of trouble, trying to work, said Yamil Cepeda, who lives nearby. Its just a very sad situation, such a young age.

About a dozen officers responded to the shooting and closed down the restaurant for hours as they collected evidence.

Hamra Enterprises, the franchisee who owns and operates the restaurant, responded addressed the shooting in a statement.

Our number one priority is the safety of our employees and customers. We are deeply disturbed by this senseless act of violence, and we are grateful to the first responders who acted quickly in this situation. We will work with local law enforcement as they continue their investigation, a Hamra Enterprise spokesperson said.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Lynn police.

Story continues

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
Noor Noman in New York City on Jan. 11, 2023 Leo Xander Foo for BuzzFeed News

One day, when I was 8, I was sitting at my familys piano, weaving together what felt like an inspired selection of notes. My brother, Zafar  three and a half years older and infuriatingly hard to impress  asked, Where did you learn that? I told him I was making it up, and he steadfastly refused to believe me. I was equal parts outraged and thrilled.

As a kid, I wrote music a lot. I had taken some lessons in piano and guitar before deciding I would have more fun composing something new than practicing scales. It came so naturally. I didnt know how to read or write music  I still dont  but I could just sit down with an instrument and improvise or re-create a song Id heard on the radio.

Music became one of the few ways I experienced freedom in an otherwise stifling world. I grew up in a dysfunctional home with a lot of tumult. I was undeniably queer and brown, which created a whole other set of issues, including racist and anti-queer bullying and shaming. By the time I was 22, I had been sexually abused by multiple people and raped by another. My mother had almost died from cancer, and I was her primary caretaker. Id developed a debilitating form of fibromyalgia, which I had to drop out of university to manage, and my brother, my closest ally, died when he was 26. And while I now refuse to see myself as a victim, I do understand myself to be traumatized, which is an integral part of this story.

Throughout all of that, music was my saving grace, helping me survive and make sense of emotions I could not articulate or understand in any other way.

In 2008, when we found out my brothers aggressive brain cancer was terminal, I wrote a song for him and recorded it. A few months later, I sang it at his memorial service. I didnt write another song or play music seriously for 14 years. It felt as though that part of me died with him.

Leo Xander Foo for BuzzFeed News

At almost the precise time I came out as trans, around six months ago, I started playing music again. Yes, its too on the nose: I literally found my voice again. Songs started pouring out of me. Now I play and sing every day, and Im writing songs frequently, recording them on my phone to remember them, and planning gigs. Through the overwhelming transition of recalibrating my life, reorienting away from playing the woman I'd trained myself to be and toward my identity as a transmasculine nonbinary individual, music has grounded me, just as it did when I was younger. It helps me make sense of things I otherwise struggle to understand. It helps me heal.

Story continues

Amid my newfound journey toward gender euphoria, I had come up with a plan for medically transitioning, which included taking testosterone, or T, and then having top surgery. Then I found out what T does to your vocal cords. It thickens them, which is what lowers ones voice. But it can weaken your singing voice and reduce the range of notes you can sing; during that first year, when ones voice breaks, some trans men have reported not being able to sing much or really struggling to do so. In addition, people assigned female at birth have a lifetime of muscle memory associated with thinner female vocal cords. This makes it harder for transmasc folx to control their singing voices as the composition of their vocal folds change; it requires a lot of retraining.

DLo, a Sri Lankan American transmasc actor, writer, and comic, delayed taking T for many years for this very reason. I was known for these multicharacter shows where I had a different voice for [each character], he said. With a more feminine voice, for lack of a better way of talking about it  a nontestosteroned voice  I had more range. I could play old people, I could play young people, I could play men, I could play women. I liked the magic that I was able to offer in my very queer body and I knew that I was going to be letting go of that. And I mourn that still. But for DLo, who began taking T in 2015, grief does not equate to regret. I wouldn't be on such solid ground had I not taken T and had I not gone through the lessons that T afforded me.

I believed I needed to be seen as a man to be taken seriously as a man.

Some of the changes that occur on T, like muscle growth and increased sex drive, reverse if you stop taking it (though responses to hormones are very specific to an individual). But the changes to your vocal cords are irreversible. For many trans men and transmasc people who use their voice to perform, taking T is the right choice; it is so deeply personal. But I couldnt bear the thought of not being able to sing with the voice that I have or potentially not much at all for a year while my body adjusted. So I decided not to take it for the time being.

The decision was devastating. I believed I needed to be seen as a man to be taken seriously as a man  having a deep voice was a big part of that  and that not taking T would mean resigning myself to a life of constant misgendering and denial of my identity.

When I first came out, well-meaning people asked whether I was going to fully transition, which subconsciously reinforced the violence of the gender binary, despite the fact that I was more fully me than I had ever been. I saw taking T as a resounding fuck you to a lifetime of people denying my masculinity and transgenderism. No one could do that if I had a beard and muscular body and a baritone voice. And not taking T made me feel like I was abandoning younger versions of myself, exiled little boys that lived inside me. I felt shame around that.

I thought I needed to have my gender identity seen as real by others in order to have it count, but of course the inverse was true: I needed to see myself as real first.

My therapist compassionately made space for my grief and held it with me, which helped me to feel like I wasnt trapped. This created an emotional opening just big enough to fully take in what one of my dear friends texted me later that day: I wonder if theres room, in this giant and complex and daunting question youre answering about yourself, to regard taking T or not taking it, as not really what will count, she wrote. It comes with other big positives. But you are choosing the path that works for you  and becoming you  and part of that is singing your heart out.

And so I began to reevaluate my relationship with masculinity, to learn how to feel confident, centered, and joyous in ways that didnt strictly conform to the gender binary.

Leo Xander Foo for BuzzFeed News

My therapist, Kathryn Hansz, practices a form of psychotherapy called internal family systems (IFS), which has exploded in popularity in recent years . It has been integral to my being able to come out as trans. The premise is that we comprise a core essence  the Self  and a multitude of other parts (think: Pixars Inside Out) whom you work with to develop a relationship. As you heal, you unburden them from extreme roles they were forced into due to trauma. For instance, you might still carry coping mechanisms developed during a traumatic period of your childhood. The intention is to redirect these parts to their original roles, which serve and benefit the entire system. For example, the exiled boys of various ages, who were led to believe they needed to die in order for me to survive  for the first time, I am trying to be in a relationship with them.

Dr. Frank Anderson, a preeminent IFS therapist, psychiatrist, speaker, and author who focuses on trauma, is gay. When he was 6, his parents started sending him to conversion therapy. He married a woman before eventually coming out and marrying a man. I asked Anderson, who is mixed-gender, how he understood the concepts of masculinity and femininity. Defining gender restricts people from having a range and being able to embrace whatever place they're in  particularly for straight people, who then jump into these predefined roles, he said.

He expressed his dismay at gender stereotypes, saying they are corrosive for everyone, irrespective of gender identity or orientation. Boys aren't supposed to wear dresses. Girls are not supposed to be tough and strong, he said. I think there's so many messages that culture and society like to impose on us very, very early on in a way that's really confusing for kids to grow up [around].

Anderson noted how these definitions can also constrict trans people. I think a lot of trans people, just like cis, hetero people, have this range of masculine and feminine in them. Are we supposed to disavow our feminine if we're transitioning from F to M? I think we want everybody  trans people, straight people, hetero, gender-neutral people  to hold the range of who they are.

Andersons comments unlocked something inside me: I was trying so desperately to become something I feared. On one hand, I feel most at ease when I allow space for my masculinity to show up. Its a hard thing to describe: Theres a groundedness, a quiet confidence. On the other hand, I had also come to understand masculinity as rape, as sexual abuse, as sexual harassment, as violence, as domination. In my quest to understand and embrace and assert my gender identity, I was, as Anderson suggested, disavowing all my feminine parts. But what was I left with?

If I were honest with myself, part of me wanted to take T to circumvent negotiating my incredibly complicated relationship with masculinity. If I could skip to the other end of the spectrum, if I could be seen and treated as a man, then I could bypass the murky space in between  or so I had convinced myself.

After I came out as trans, after the initial boost of euphoria, I descended into a deep depression. There was a confluence of reasons. I was experiencing a devastating breakup. One of my parents has really struggled with my being trans. I was not prepared for the way the world would treat me; I had taken for granted how many advantages I had in passing as a cisgender, straight woman for most of my life.

Leo Xander Foo for BuzzFeed News

But I realized I had also been at war with myself. Parts of me were trying to kill off my feminine parts while simultaneously clinging onto ideas, feelings, embodiments, and expressions of masculinity, much of which I also distrusted. My desire to die during those months suddenly made a lot more sense.

Anderson helped me untwine my ideas of masculinity from the people who had harmed me. He suggested that I had not learned to differentiate masculinity from my experiences of violation. That's not what a man is, he said. When they project and act out on you, you should fear that. But you want to differentiate gender from wounded parts.

When I unpacked all of this with my therapist, she took this a step further. When I was raped and abused, my therapist suggested, I had been robbed of my masculinity. Over the years, this concept had never entered my mind. I wept, releasing my pain and grief, but also relief at understanding why I was struggling to reclaim that part of myself.

Disentangling the messy viscera of the relationship between masculinity and sexuality is both daunting and vital. As I become increasingly masc-presenting, Ive also been reflecting on the pressure men and masculine-presenting individuals feel to dominate in the sexual realm. (Similarly, I know plenty of femme queer women who feel equally confined by heteronormative sexual roles in which they are passive.) [B]inaries of gender, sexuality, and family intersected in participants lives and their narrative constructions, a 2019 study on the impact of heteronormativity in identity formation among young queer people found.

But I resent this common expectation. Not because I dont like being in a dominant role, but because that is not the only thing I like. I also resent that some part of me believes fulfilling this role will make me more of a man. Tragically, if masses of men believe that their selfhood and their patriarchal sexuality are one and the same, they will never find the course to create liberating, fulfilling sexuality, bell hooks writes in The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love.

hooks also describes the shortcomings of feminisms early iterations, which identified rage at men and patriarchy but stopped short of identifying the grief and anguish women and children feel when men cannot be what they want and need them to be. To simply label them as oppressors and dismiss them meant we never had to give voice to the gaps in our understanding or to talk about maleness in complex ways, she writes. This distortion of masculinity  undergirded by domination and accompanied by fear  makes many interactions with cisgender men strained.

Many of us know by now that patriarchy hurts men as much as it hurts women and nonbinary people.

For some, the unbearable grief that comes with losing a close male figure can also be accompanied by an equally unbearable sense of freedom, even more so for people who were abused.

I had always felt safer with my brother than I did any other man. We grew out of the usual big-brother bullying dynamic by my early teens, but, even before then, Zafar protected me more fiercely and consistently than anyone else in my life did. I certainly didnt feel freer when he died; I actually felt a lot less emotionally safe.

Yet, in my last moments with him, I had never felt safer or freer next to his body  in the physicality of it. He was being artificially kept alive so his organs could be harvested in accordance with his wish to donate them; by that point, the doctors had declared him brain-dead. I softly rested my head on his shoulder and slipped my hand in his as he lay there, lifeless. And for a brief period of time, I drifted off into a tranquil sleep with him.

I will forever cherish that moment. I dont really remember the words we spoke in his final days. But I remember that moment of safety. And I think what a tragedy it is that the world conditioned both of us in such a way that our freest and most transcendent physical interaction occurred as he was dying. There was nothing about him that was inherently masculine or feminine as he lay on that bed. Conversely, in my profound grief, without the bandwidth to consciously litigate my gender identity, I organically exhibited so-called paternal instincts and also so-called maternal ones. I felt physically protective, not wanting people to crowd him so he could leave in peace, and emotionally protective, wanting to ensure tenderness in his last moments on earth.

Leo Xander Foo for BuzzFeed News

Many of us know by now that patriarchy hurts men as much as it hurts women and nonbinary people. I wanted to talk to my good friend, Andy Rohr  with whom Ive had a number of expansive conversations about gender  because I realized any meaningful exploration of masculinity necessitated the inclusion of a cis, straight mans experience of it.

On a video call, Rohr described how oppressive ideas of masculinity are, particularly with the relentless expectation that men should lead, whether in professional settings or intimate ones. Theres a little bit of fear of judgment from others if youre not dominating, he said.

This contortion of masculinity often obliterates vulnerability. Even just to share things  personal things about your life that are maybe uncomfortable  it's very difficult, he said. I struggle, mightily, to talk to any of my male friends about those things.

Music has the capacity to contain everything we associate with gender: It can be gentle, strong, aggressive, sensual, a conversation.

To my delight, Andy explained that one of the few ways he feels liberated from these confines is through music. He finds a sense of liberation through his love of queer artists, like St. Vincent, and, more broadly, musicians who defy or play with expectations of gender and sexuality. It might not seem like much, but it is very affirming to step into that other world  a world that's open and that doesnt quite have those same confines in the rest of life, Andy said of the concerts he attends.

Music has the capacity to contain everything we associate with gender: It can be gentle, strong, aggressive, sensual, a conversation. It can be out of sync, just as I was. My musicality gives me the space to be curious and explore, as Anderson says, the full range of who I am. What better way to embody that range than being an instrument? Each musical note can sound different depending on the notes that come before or after. My gender is the same. It is a continuum, informed and shaped by what comes before and after it. When I take in a breath to sing, I contain every possibility before I let out a sound.

Like DLo, I love the queerness of my body, in both a literal and metaphorical sense. I love singing lyrics about what it means to be a man with an undeniably feminine voice. None of this precludes my taking T one day, but by using the voice I was born with, I can learn how I feel most comfortable existing. And that can change over time.

Im learning how to accept liminal spaces  the spaces between grief and celebration, loss and abundance, death and life, shame and liberation, masculinity and femininity. I am part man, I am part woman. I am both and I am neither. The irony is, of course, that only in existing between these extremes can I feel secure in expressing masculinity in my own way  not as domination, but as my own experience of gender, which sits quietly and securely inside of me rather than something I feel compelled to brandish and wield.

Theres a lot about the uncertainty of transitioning that feels frightening. I know I dont want breasts, for example, but will I also mourn them when theyre gone? Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue, Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote in a letter . In embracing the in-between, I can find peace in asking these questions rather than frantically searching for answers.

And in moments when I feel destabilized or scared, when I find myself desperately grasping for answers and certainty that arent there, I will return to music. There, I will traverse the range; I will exist in the spaces in between. And I will be free. 

a series of stories about the body. read more here.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania is the latest state where the public school funding system was found to be unconstitutional, but the experience in other states suggests there's no guarantee of swift, significant or longstanding change for the poorer school districts that sued in hopes of getting billions of dollars more for their budgets.

Tuesday's ruling after nearly a decade in the courts was hailed by supporters as a historic judgment on what they call a broken and discriminatory system that has long favored the wealthy.

An appeal is possible within 30 days.

If the decision survives, it should have at least some impact on school budgets, since lawmakers elsewhere have generally responded with additional funding when confronted by a judge, according to scholars who have studied similar litigation in dozens of states.

In nearly every one of those cases, however, lawmakers did not approve enough extra funding to be fully compliant with judges' orders, said Joshua Weishart, a West Virginia University law professor who specializes in education rights.

Lawmakers can be recalcitrant, forcing cases to drag on for years or decades. Some plaintiffs have returned to court multiple times, sometimes in vain, to seek help in forcing legislatures to act, scholars say.

The cases can also be complicated by economic, political and other factors, and courts can tire of trying to force compliance.

For instance a recession could drain a states treasury and, with it, the political will to follow through on a judges order. Elections can install new lawmakers, governors or judges who are hostile to funding changes. Sometimes lawmakers make strides, but then backslide, scholars say.

So the Pennsylvania judge's nudge to legislators is only one piece in a larger puzzle that is necessary to solve such a big problem, said Bruce Baker, a University of Miami education professor who researches public school financing.

The judicial nudge I think matters, but it matters more when the other pieces are in place to enable reform to be implemented and sustained," Baker said.

Story continues

It also matters how big the problem is, Baker said.

In Pennsylvania  which Baker has found to be the most inequitable state for school funding, along with Illinois  the cost of addressing funding disparities will be high compared with other states because it means dealing with huge gaps involving big school districts like Philadelphia, Allentown and Reading, Baker said.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which included six school districts, the NAACP and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, presented evidence at trial that state schools are underfunded by $4.6 billion, an estimate they said does not account for spending on special education and school buildings.

They also urged the states divided Legislature and newly elected Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro to act quickly.

However, Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer did not direct the Legislature on how much aid to distribute, or how, or give a deadline.

As state attorney general last year, Shapiro filed a brief supporting the lawsuits aims and pledged on the campaign trail to fully fund schools.

He must present his first budget plan to lawmakers in less than four weeks, and plaintiffs' lawyers hope it will include a significant sum for poorer public schools as a step towards complying with the courts order. Shapiro has given little indication as to how he will respond, however.

Top Republican lawmakers, who opposed the lawsuit, have not said whether they will appeal, but have shown no willingness thus far to follow the ruling. The House Republican floor leader, Rep. Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County, accused the court on Wednesday of overstepping its bounds.

Plaintiffs' lawyers said they will work with Shapiro and legislators to develop a plan that the court will approve. But they also acknowledged that it is up to lawmakers to act.

If they don't, frankly its hard to predict how long it will take, said Michael Churchill of the nonprofit Public Interest Law Center, which helped represent the plaintiffs. "All we can say is we will act to get an expeditious remedy as fast as we can.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/timelywriter
Prime Minister leaves Hanoi for official visits to Singapore, Brunei

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam left Hanoi at noon on February 8 for official visits to Singapore and Brunei from February 8-11.









Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse (Photo: VNA)

The visits are made at the invitations of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.



This is the first trip to the two countries by Chinh in his new position, and also the first to Singapore by a head of the Vietnamese Government over the past five years, and to Brunei over the past 15 years.



PM Chinh and his entourage are scheduled to visit Singapore from February 8-10, and Brunei from February 10-11, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties with the two nations, and enhance cooperation in regional and international issues of mutual concern, including coordination in ASEAN and regional and international forums and organisations.



The visits are expected to deepen the strategic partnership with Singapore, an important economic partner of Vietnam, and the comprehensive partnership with Brunei, also a promising economic partner.



This year, Vietnam and Singapore will celebrate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of bilateral comprehensive partnership. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Brunei marked the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties last year.



Singapore is now Vietnams top important economic partner in the region, with two-way trade nearing 9 billion USD last year, up 10.1% annually. The island state leads ASEAN and ranks second among the 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 3,032 valid projects worth 70.39 billion USD.



At present, 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks in nine Vietnamese cities and provinces have an occupancy rate of around 83.2%, attracting 17.6 billion USD for some 900 projects and generating roughly 300,000 jobs.



PM Chinhs visit to Singapore aims to lift Vietnam-Singapore economic connectivity to a greater height in the context that a series of new-generation free trade deals joined by the two nations have taken effect, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.



Meanwhile, two-way trade between Vietnam and Brunei hit 725.8 million USD in 2022, up 134% year-on-year, surpassing the goal of 500 million USD set for 2025 by their leaders.



In the near future, the two sides hope to boost joint work in promising areas such as agro-forestry-fisheries, Halal food, construction, infrastructure and joint ventures.



As of December 2022, Brunei ranked 26th out of the 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 157 valid projects valued at 971 million USD, mostly in industry, manufacturing and processing, construction and real estate. The southern province of Dong Nai was the biggest recipient of its investment capital, followed by Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Long Anh, Thai Binh and Phu Tho.
Police in Florida staked out at a home on a hunch something was wrong, and it was.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Cape Coral Police Department, 911 operators received a call of a possible battery around 6:15 a.m. Feb. 2.

Upon arrival to the residence, an officer attempted to make contact with the caller, knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell several times, but there was no answer.

The cop then executed a check of the residence but was unable to determine if anyone was home or still asleep.

No signs of distress were observed, said the report, and the officer left.

READ MORE: Florida man arrested for attacking ATM with a hammer

A little over an hour later, another emergency call came in from a female saying she was the one who had phoned before and needed help right away.

The officer returned to the home and waited outside to see if anyone went in or out. At approximately 8:15 a.m., he wrote that he observed the garage door open and a woman exit the garage. The cop pulled up to her in his patrol car and told her he was investigating a possible disturbance.

The woman said her boyfriend had been hitting her all night, and woke her up with a warning: We are going to have a bad day today.

READ MORE: Florida woman goes on the attack at a bar, police say

This wasnt the first violent encounter between the two, the complaint says. The woman also said her boyfriend, later identified as Sean Raynes, attacked her with a mallet, striking her in the center of her head during an argument in their living room a few days earlier on Jan. 31.

The victim reported that her head began to bleed, and Raynes told her, You better stop bleeding, because Im not taking you to the hospital. The victim said she then took a shower.

Another Cape Coral officer subsequently arrived to interview the defendant, who stated that he had no idea why police were called because the two hadnt even argued. He then said his girlfriend may have an active protection order against him.

Story continues

Indeed, after checking with dispatch, the victim did have a court order against Raynes.

The cops were able to see the bloody laceration on the top of the womans head from being struck with the mallet, and fresh bruising from being struck by the defendant earlier in the day. She also showed the location of the attack and the blood stains.

The mallet, along with pictures of injuries and the crime scene, were all submitted into evidence, according to the report.

The victim was provided with domestic violence information and Raynes placed in handcuffs, after being arrested on probable cause. The 36-year-old faces several charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping/false imprisonment and violation of a restraining order.

He remains in custody, with a court date set for Feb. 20.
An Arizona man climbed the tallest skyscraper in Phoenix, Arizona, without any safety harness, then was promptly arrested for trespassing Tuesday morning.

>> TRENDING: 2 transported to Shelby Co. hospital following multi-vehicle crash

Phoenix Police and Fire gathered around Chase Tower, on the intersection of East Van Buren Street and West Monroe Street, at around 9:45 a.m. after receiving reports of a man climbing the building, Captain Todd Keller, a spokesperson for the citys fire department, told multiple news outlets.

Once arriving at the scene, they found a man already 15 floors high, scaling a three-foot-wide channel located on the exterior of the building.

Maison Des Champs was identified as the climber based on social media posts during the event. He posted an Instagram video midway through his climb, feet-high above citys streets.

He succeeded in vertically climbing Chase Tower at around 10:45 a.m., according to Keller and different media outlets following the story as it was breaking. In his climb, he reached about 483 feet high without the protection of safety harnesses and passed 40 stories.

Multiple streets surrounding Chase Tower were closed by crews. Bystanders stood near the building and videoed the event, many posting them on various social media platforms.

This is a stupid, stupid move, Keller told new outlets. You put not only yourself in danger, you put firefighters in danger. You put anyone else walking below or anybody around this incident in danger.

Once reaching the top, the climber was examined by paramedics, then arrested by police on trespassing and criminal nuisance charges.

He scaled the Chase Tower to raise awareness for Let Them Live, a pro-life charity organization.
Chicago police officers exchanged gunfire with a man, killing him, early Wednesday in the Irving Park neighborhood, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

At 3:08 a.m., Albany Park district officers responded to a call of a person with a gun at a bar in the 3700 block of North Kedzie Avenue, Brown said. A security guard at the bar had heard people arguing outside of the bar and saw a man pointing a gun at people, so he called police.

The responding officers were directed to a person matching the description given by witnesses and saw the man run toward an alley in the 3700 block of North Troy Street, Brown said.

There was an apparent exchange of gunfire between the offender and officers, Brown said.

The man was shot and died at the scene, Brown said. The mans age and identity are under investigation.

The mans firearm, which had an extended magazine, was recovered from the scene, Brown said.

The officers involved were not injured but were taken to a hospital for observation, he said.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting, Brown said. The officers involved will be placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days.

Two officers were involved, one a 12-year veteran and one a probationary police officer, Brown said. Investigators believe both officers discharged their weapons, according to body camera footage, which captured the shooting. Brown said there will likely be other security video and camera footage from Police Observation Devices, or PODs, that captured the shooting. which hasnt been reviewed yet.

As far as anything related to what motivated all of this happening, all we know is what weve said at the beginning is that he was pointing a gun at these people near the bar right outside. They called police, police responded and confronted this individual and then that led to this exchange of gunfire, Brown said.

According to witnesses, the man was inside the bar at one point and was asked to leave, then came back pointing the gun outside, but the events leading up to the shooting are also under investigation, Brown said.

Story continues

It is not yet known if the man was legally carrying the gun, Brown said.

pfry@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @paigexfry
Norma Girolami - Central News/Met Police

A parasitic benefits claimant who targeted a wealthy older woman after spotting her in the hot tub of their local swimming pool, fleeced her out of 284,000 and then killed her and buried her body, a court has heard.

Serkan Kaygusuz, 42, befriended Norma Girolami, 70, in 2017 and spent the next three years plundering her fortune.

The retiree, who had never been married, was flattered when the former supermarket worker made advances towards her in their local pool.

They began seeing one another but prosecutors allege Mr Kaygusuz began demanding and receiving large sums of money from her.

When the pensioner refused to hand over any more cash in May 2021, Mr Kaygusuz, who is originally from Turkey, allegedly killed her and buried the body in order to steal her house as part of a cold-blooded plan.

Kaygusuz was jobless

Ms Girolami, who was of Italian heritage, lived alone in a 900,000 home in Highgate, and was comfortably well off thanks to a property portfolio.

Mr Kaygusuz was jobless and lived with his parents in Islington.

They had initially embarked on a sexual relationship but had later become friends, but the court was told she had been too embarrassed to introduce him to members of her family.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward told the Old Bailey: He wanted her money, she was no longer prepared to part with it, and so in order to get his hands on what he knew or suspected was left of her money and more, he killed her.

She told the jury the couple had met in 2017 at their local swimming pool and from early 2018 she had begun transferring significant amounts of money to him every few weeks, totalling almost 300,000.

But in about May 2021, it seems that things changed. The money tap which had flowed so freely for so long was switched off, Ms Ledward explained.

The prosecutor went on: By August, the defendant must have realised that his comfortable parasitic lifestyle was not going to continue, he was simply not going to get any more out of Ms Girolami. At least, not whilst she was alive.

Story continues

Kaygusuz buried Girolami's body

The court heard that on August 19, 2021 she had taken a trip to Leigh on Sea, returning to her home later that day. But she was never seen alive again.

Ms Ledward said: Telephone records suggest that shortly after 8.30pm on August 19 he came to her flat. At some point thereafter, perhaps that very night, he killed her.

After her death, he concealed her body, ultimately by burying it. The defendant accepts this, and has pleaded guilty to a charge of perverting the course of public justice accordingly.

The prosecution say that was always his plan - the burying of Normas body was part of the cover-up the planned killing had made necessary.

Mr Kaygusuz is then accused of taking over his victims mobile phone and laptop, pretending to her friends and neighbours that she was away on holiday, before systematically taking what remained of the money in her bank accounts.

The jury was told he took out two loans of 35,000 and 25,000 in her name following her death.

Ms Girolami was reported missing by friends and family on Sept 20, 2021 and he was arrested on Oct 1.

Jurors were told Mr Kaygusuz admits perverting the course of justice by hiding the body, theft, three counts of fraud and one of transferring criminal property but denies murder.

The trial continues.
PORTERVILLE, Calif. (AP)  An alleged gang member pleaded not guilty Tuesday to killing six people, including a teen mother and her baby, last month at a central California home associated with a rival gang, prosecutors said.

The Jan. 16 massacre shocked rural Goshen, a community of about 3,000 people in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley.

Noah David Beard, 25, was arraigned Tuesday and is being held without bail, according to the Tulare County District Attorney's Office. Authorities say he shot Alissa Parraz, 16, and her 10-month-old baby, Nycholas Parraz, in the back of their heads.

Beard is scheduled to return to court Feb. 16. The Tulare County Public Defender's Office, which is representing him, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Beards alleged accomplice, 35-year-old Angel Nanu Uriarte, remains hospitalized in custody after he was wounded in the shootout with federal agents last week. His arraignment has not been scheduled.

Both are charged with six counts of murder and other crimes. They each face a potential sentence of the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Investigators believe the two suspects have ties to the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Uriarte was convicted in 2015 of assault with a firearm in association with a street gang, and Beard had juvenile convictions, prosecutors said in a court filing.

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 last week.

The other victims were identified as: Rosa Parraz, 72; Eladio Parraz, Jr., 52; Jennifer Analla, 49; and Marcos Parraz, 19.

The Goshen killings were part of a violent and deadly month in California.

On Jan. 21, a gunman killed 11 people and wounded nine others at a Monterey Park dance hall before later killing himself. And on Jan. 23, authorities said a farmworker killed seven people in back-to-back shootings at two Northern California mushroom farms.
Photos show Monterrious Harris with injuries nine days after he was allegedly assaulted by the officers who beat Tyre Nichols. Court records

A man is suing the city of Memphis and the same five police officers who allegedly killed Tyre Nichols, accusing them of punching him and stomping on him without cause just three days before Nichols was brutally beaten.

Monterrious Harris, 22, is seeking $5 million in the federal lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday and alleges a pattern of civil rights violations and police abuse in Memphis. Like Nichols, Harris was stopped by officers in the police department's Scorpion Unit, and his lawsuit's complaint says he believes the only reason he wasn't more severely injured or killed is because bystanders interrupted the alleged violent assault. The officers then took him into custody and "false criminal charges" were filed, the complaint says.

"The only crime Mr. Harris had committed was being young and African American," his attorneys say in the complaint.

According to the complaint, on Jan. 4, Harris was parking outside his cousin's apartment complex when Scorpion Unit officers dressed in black with black ski masks "swarmed" Harris and threatened to kill him if he didn't exit his car. Because none of the officers identified themselves as law enforcement, Harris believed he was being robbed and reversed his car, the complaint says. The car hit something, and he then got out with his hands raised.

That's when the officers punched, stomped, and dragged him across concrete until witnesses stepped in, according to the complaint. Eight Scorpion Unit officers are named as defendants, including Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith  the five police officers who were fired and have been charged with second-degree murder.

Harris was initially taken to jail, where a nurse ordered officers to take him to a hospital for treatment of his injuries, the complaint says.

"It was really scary," Harris told FOX13. "It was just even more terrifying that days later I found out that these same guys who beat me up turned around and killed this man."

Story continues

Scorpion, an acronym for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, was created in 2021 by Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis to supposedly meet violent offenders with specialized force. On Jan. 28, the police department announced it was disbanding the unit after five of its officers were charged with the murder of Nichols.

In the complaint, Harris's attorneys say the Scorpion unit was only disbanded because of the news coverage of Nichols's death. They weren't a few "bad apples" within the police department, but rather acting on the authority of police and city leaders, the complaint says.

"While his violent and untimely death can never be justified, Mr. Nichols indefensible suffering has brought Defendant City of Memphis latest constitutional abuses out of the darkness and into the light, igniting a fire to completely  and perhaps finally  expose and extricate police abuses in Memphis. Like a grain of wheat, Mr. Nichols fell to the earth and died; but his death is hopefully slowly bearing fruit," the complaint says.

According to FOX13, the police officers wrote in the incident report that Harris's car had a "strong marijuana smell" coming from it and accused him of trying to run from officers. Officers then said they discovered multiple guns in the car; in the lawsuit, his attorneys say Harris was unarmed and his cousin, a licensed gun owner, brought a firearm into his car without his knowledge. Harris's attorney did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.

According to the lawsuit, the Scorpion unit's officers were trained to use aggressive force against Black residents of Memphis.

"Although the Scorpion Unit masqueraded as a tactical unit of the Memphis Police Department, in actuality, the Scorpion Unit was a group of violent aggressors, employed by the Memphis Police Department, to terrorize African-American communities in Memphis, Tennessee," the lawsuit states.

Neither the city of Memphis nor the Memphis Police Department immediately responded to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.

More on this
The Henry County Police Department is seeking the publics help in identifying a man they say committed felony theft at a Home Depot store in McDonough.

According to police, at around 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, the man loaded a cart with $1,700 worth of wood flooring at the Home Depot located at 1750 Jonesboro Road and left the store without paying.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police say the man has committed the same crime at other Home Depot locations around metro Atlanta.

TRENDING STORIES:

Anyone with information or who knows the suspects identity is urged to contact Detective T. Mears at 770-288-8211, the Henry County Non-Emergency Dispatch at 770-957-9121, or you can text tips, photos, and videos to 770-220-7009.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
Another earthquake rocked Turkey on Tuesday morning after two devastating tremors the day before killed thousands of people.

It struck north of the city of Adiyama at around 11.30am, just over 24 hours after a 7.8 magnitude tremor wreaked havoc in the worst earthquake to hit the country in more than 20 years.

Dozens of smaller aftershocks followed the initial tremor, with the combined death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria topping 8,700.

This map shows the approximate epicentres of the first two earthquakes and two of the major aftershocks (Independent)

Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people have been affected in an area spanning roughly 280 miles from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east, and 180 miles from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south.

Syrian authorities have reported deaths as far south as Hama, some 60 miles from the epicentre.

Thousands of buildings were toppled, hospitals and schools wrecked and tens of thousands of people were injured or left homeless in a number of Turkish and Syrian cities.

The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

Overwhelmed rescuers struggled to save people trapped under the rubble on Tuesday, with despair mounting and the scale of the disaster hampering relief efforts.

Animated map of seismicity near Turkey quakes starting ~3am local time plotting Feb 6 M7.8 mainshock (pink), early aftershocks (orange), M7.5 aftershock to the north (tan), and subsequent aftershocks in the north (tan). Time vs. magnitude progression shown on bottom graph. pic.twitter.com/TTa7qdZWzO  USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) February 7, 2023

Aid officials voiced particular concern about the situation in Syria, already afflicted by a humanitarian crisis after nearly 12 years of civil war.

The affected area in Syria is divided between government-controlled territory and the countrys last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Turkey is home to millions of refugees from the Syrian civil war.

Story continues

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has declared a disaster zone in 10 provinces, imposing a state of emergency in the region for three months.

Muhammet Ruzgar, 5, is carried out by rescuers from the site of a damaged building, following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7 (REUTERS)

In the Turkish city of Antakya near the Syrian border, where 10-storey buildings crumbled onto the streets, rescue work is being conducted on one out of dozens of mounds of rubble.

The temperature was close to freezing as the rain came down and there was no electricity or fuel in the city. Families slept in cars lined up in the streets after their homes were destroyed.

One woman called Ayla, standing by a pile of rubble where an eight-storey building once stood, said she had driven to Hatay on Monday in search of her mother.

"There have been no survivors yet, she said. A street dog came and barked at a certain point for long, I feared it was for my mother. But it was someone else. I turned on the lights of the car to help the rescue team. They took out only two bodies so far, no survivors.

Syrian rescuers gather above the rubble of a collapsed building, on February 7, 2023, in the town of Jandaris, in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province, as a search operation continues following a deadly earthquake (AFP via Getty Images)

In Kahramanmaras, north of Antakya, families gathered around fires and wrapped themselves in blankets to stay warm.

"We barely made it out of the house," said Neset Guler, huddling with his four children. "Our situation is a disaster. We are hungry, we are thirsty. Its miserable."

Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said nearly 8,000 people have been rescued from 4,758 buildings destroyed on Monday

Around 13,700 search and rescue personnel were deployed and more than 41,000 tents, 100,000 beds and 300,000 blankets had been sent to the region.
[Source]

Comedian Margaret Cho shared her thoughts on cancel culture and the power of language in a new YouTube video released Tuesday.

The 54-year-old comedian was on food show "Mythical Kitchen" to indulge in her dream last meal  which included a saag paneer burrito and dolsot bibimbap, among other things  and chat with chef and host Josh Scherer. During the interview, during which she also reminisced about the late Robin Williams, Scherer asked Cho about cancel culture as an Asian and queer comic.

Cho replied that it's "great" since it shows people are judging comedy as "being so important."

More from NextShark: Taiwan's Pokemon Go Grandpa Stopped From Hunting After Earthquake Alarm Glitch Hits His 72 Phones

We're realizing how valuable comedy and comedians are which is why people get offended. You can't say anything. But no, you can if you have skill around it, but you have to understand comedians have so much power because language has so much power and jokes stick in the mind. They kind of become these mantras of how we're going to feel about society.

She went on to emphasize that humor shouldnt dehumanize certain groups of people.

When you do jokes that essentially dehumanize people or certain groups of people, therein is the problem, therein is the cut. We have marginalized communities that don't need to be cut down, they need to be brought up. I think that also we have an acceptance around apology, or we allow people to learn. So I think it's just worth trying to understand that language is fair and you have to be more skillful. More from NextShark: Restaurant worker viciously attacked over missing egg rolls

Cho concluded by pointing out that comedy is about the unexpected.

I think what it is, is the intent behind it. If you have this intention to explain your own point of view, I think that's always going to be noble. The thing about comedy, you have to give it an unexpected twist. So comedy is really not necessarily what we think is funny, but what it is that we didn't know was coming. So that's the best way to sort of view comedy is the unexpected experience.

Story continues

The Emmy-nominated comedian and actor will kick off her Live & Livid tour on Feb. 18 in Vancouver, Canada, and play over 20 shows across North America, concluding in Irvine, California, in September.

More from NextShark: 'Asia's first' exorcism center being built in the Philippines by Archdiocese of Manila
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene walking with a white balloon at the Capitol on Tuesday night. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos via @RepMTG video/Twitter)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., appeared to be the first legislator to try to bring a white balloon to the State of the Union address, an appeal made to Republican lawmakers on extremist and conspiracy websites in recent days.

Online forums associated with domestic violent extremist groups and conspiracy theories have been calling for Republicans to show up to Tuesday nights event with a white balloon to register a protest against President Bidens handling last week of a Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the United States. By mid-afternoon, Greene posted a video of herself in the halls of Congress holding one.

Yahoo News reported Tuesday that while U.S. law enforcement was closely monitoring online forums associated with known extremist groups and other platforms used to plan the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, there had not been many threats detected that might disrupt Bidens address.

Were just not seeing much at all, really, a senior law enforcement official told Yahoo News. Theres no there there.

Experts who track online extremist activity said they have not seen signs of an increased threat level but they did notice one trend.

I havent been seeing a lot of threats, said Katherine Keneally, senior research manager at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue. I am seeing a lot of jokes, Chinese spy balloon jokes.

Those messages included posts calling for Republicans to show up with balloons and jokes about whether Biden will address the controversy during his speech, she said. Online forums where QAnon and other groups push conspiracy theories have, in recent days, become flooded posts and memes related to the Chinese spy balloon.

Story continues

Im going to be very disappointed if the Republicans Dont show up tonight with a White Balloon tied to their middle finger in protest of the deranged moron who will be giving the state of the union, a now-deleted post on one far-right platform associated with conspiracy theories stated Tuesday morning.

Other online posts also called on Republicans to bring white balloons, while still more said the balloons should be red.

Its just an innocent balloon, Greene said in a caption that accompanied the video she posted to Twitter. Greene did not end up bringing the balloon into the chamber for Biden's speech.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Greene has a long history of associating with fringe groups and conspiracy theorists. When she ran for Congress in 2020 and won, she had one of the largest public profiles among QAnon supporters. She has also posted a series of Facebook videos espousing racist, Islamophobic and antisemitic views in addition to appearing to endorse the execution of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and promoting the idea that school shootings were false-flag events.

One of the biggest promoters of the baseless conspiracy that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, Greene was temporarily locked out of her Twitter account for spreading misinformation about COVID-19. Democrats in the House voted to strip Greene of her committee assignments shortly after she took office in January 2021, citing her threats to Pelosi and promotion of conspiracy theories.

Under new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Greene has emerged as a powerful figure in the Republican caucus during her second term. Unlike some of the most far-right Republicans in the House, Greene was an early backer of McCarthy and was rewarded with positions on the Oversight and Homeland Security Committees and briefly presided over the House floor this week.

While the Chinese balloon was floating over the continental United States last week, Greene repeatedly called on Biden to shoot it down, saying thats what Trump would have done. While Biden had called for the balloon to be shot down on Wednesday, the military advised him that it posed no intelligence or physical threat while airborne and to wait until it was over the water.

On Saturday afternoon, the balloon was downed off the coast of South Carolina. Two days later, officials said they were concerned the balloon contained hazardous materials and explosives that could have harmed civilians on the ground.

In a telephone briefing with reporters, Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of the U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, said officials were worried that the balloon  which was up to 200 feet tall, with a payload the size of a jetliner  was potentially carrying explosives to detonate and destroy itself, complicating the U.S. response plan. John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council in the White House, said that the delay in shooting the balloon down also gave U.S. defense officials time to study it to give us a lot more clarity not only on the capabilities that these balloons have, but with what China is trying to do with them.
(Bloomberg) -- Masayoshi Son is now personally on the hook for about $5.1 billion on side deals he set up at SoftBank Group Corp. to boost his compensation, as losses mounted at its core Vision Fund venture capital arm.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Son, whose stake in SoftBank grew in recent months, also owns portions of the companys key investment vehicles. While these holdings have sparked controversy due to corporate governance concerns, the Japanese billionaire has denied any conflict of interest.

His unrealized losses widened roughly $400 million from three months before. The founder and chief executive of SoftBank was down $4.7 billion on the same side deals through the September quarter.

Compensation has long been a contentious issue at SoftBank. Japanese companies pay some of the lowest executive salaries in the world, reflecting a culture where job-hopping by managers is still infrequent. Son himself has kept his pay at 100 million yen, now roughly $760,000  a rounding error in the US where CEOs routinely make more than $100 million.

As SoftBank grew into a global investor, Son argued the company couldnt keep talent unless executives were allowed to cut side deals that tied compensation to the companys performance. Thats exposed him further to the current market downturn.

The Vision Fund unit posted a $5 billion loss in its fourth straight quarter in the red, sinking SoftBanks shares Wednesday in their biggest drop in almost three months. Son owns more than a third of the company, according to Bloomberg calculations based on company filings.

The global tech investor was hit by continued mark downs in its investments in unlisted startups, which outweighed gains in its public holdings. Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto said they applied extremely strict standards in writing down investment losses. SoftBank had invested in 472 companies through its venture capital arm by December.

Story continues

Portfolio losses ratcheted up Sons deficit to about $2.9 billion from his Vision Fund 2 interest, and $344 million at the Latin America fund, according to disclosures for the December quarter. His remaining deficit at SB Northstar was 246.1 billion yen ($1.85 billion). The debt totaled $5.1 billion according to Bloomberg calculations based on company disclosures.

The 65-year-old billionaire holds 17.25% of a vehicle set up under SoftBanks Vision Fund 2 for its unlisted holdings, as well as 17.25% of a unit within the companys Latin America fund, which also invests in startups. He has a 33% stake in SB Northstar, a vehicle set up at the company to trade stocks and derivatives.

There is no immediate deadline for repayment and the value of Sons positions could improve in the future, and for SB Northstar, Son has already deposited some cash and other assets. The founder would pay his share of any unfunded repayment obligations at the end of the funds life, which runs 12 years with a two-year extension.

Sons net worth stood at $12.3 billion after Tuesdays close, after adjusting for his deficit from his interests in SB Northstar, Vision Fund 2 and the Latin America fund, according to calculations by Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

(Updates with closing share price in sixth paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

The husband of a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children said his wife was having "one of her best days" since she was prescribed multiple medications and committed herself to a psychiatric hospital for postpartum depression, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors revealed disturbing details about the killings as Lindsay Clancy made a court appearance on Feb. 7 from her hospital bed, NBC Boston reported.

Clancy has been hospitalized since the Jan. 24 incident, where she is accused of killing her three children before cutting herself and jumping out of a window of her Duxbury, Massachusetts, home.

Clancy, 32, allegedly tied exercise rope around each child's neck and strangled them for several minutes while her husband was running two errands. She asked him to complete the errands after looking up online how long he would be out of the house, prosecutors said.

Image: Lindsay Clancy, John Canavan (David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe via AP)

"She planned these murders, gave herself the time and privacy needed to commit the murders and then she strangled each child in the place where they should have felt the safest, at home with their mom," Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said.

Clancy has been charged with two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office said. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors said Jan. 24 was a normal day for Clancy until she texted her husband, Patrick Clancy, asking him to pick up medicine for the children and takeout for dinner. Clancy had searched online "so she would know how long someone would be gone if they ran that errand," Sprague said.

Story continues

Clancy's husband left around 5:15 p.m., and returned around 6:10 p.m. to find the home empty and unsettlingly quiet, NBC Boston reported. As he called his wife to ask where she was, he made his way into a locked room on the second floor and found blood on the ground.

He later found his wife outside of the home with cuts on her wrists and neck, prosecutors said. He asked her, "What did you do?" and she replied, "I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window," Sprague said.

He then asked where the children were, and Clancy told him they were in the basement. He waited with his wife until first responders arrived, and then found Cora, 5, and Callan, 8 months, in the den and Dawson, 3, in his office, NBC Boston reported.

"She had to strangle each of them to unconsciousness and then make sure the bands were squeezing their little necks for several minutes. She could have changed her mind at any point during that time and removed those bands from their necks and she did not," Sprague said.

Sprague said on the 911 call Patrick Clancy could be heard "screaming in agony and shock," before he removed the bands from their necks "and begged them to breathe."

Duxbury mother charged with killing her children (Barry Chin / Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. Medics were able to restart Callan's heart, but his brain activity never returned, and he died on Jan. 27, NBC Boston reported.

Prosecutors alleged it was on Jan. 27 that Clancy, "using an erasable white board, because she was still temporary intubated," asked, "Do I need an attorney?" showing she had "the clarity, focus, and mental acumen to focus on protecting her own rights and interests."

Kevin Reddington, Clancy's attorney, told the judge what happened was "clearly was a product of mental illness."

"This is not a situation, your honor, that was planned by any means," Reddington said.

Reddington said Clancy had been prescribed more than a dozen medications in four months for postpartum depression, which she did not experience after the births of her first two children. Reddington alleged his client was overmedicated.

Clancy was prescribed the pills and told "she would be able to sleep, she would be able to feel, she would be able to emote once these medications kicked in," Reddington said. "Its easy to say, come on you have a healthy baby, a wonderful husband  youre lucky. Take the pills, youll be ok."

Reddington also said Clancy had checked herself into a psychiatric hospital three weeks before the killings. "This really is a tragedy, this case," he said.

Reddington asked that Clancy be able to stay in a medical facility while she recovers, noting she is unable to walk and is not expected to regain function in her legs.

Judge John Canavan ordered Clancy to be held in the hospital until she is cleared to move to another facility for rehabilitation, where she will remain except for medical care.

Patrick Clancy said in a Jan. 28 statement that he felt "completely lost" without his children, but he hoped the public could forgive his wife.

"I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have," he said. "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."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Before Lindsay Clancy was accused of killing her three children, she had been having one of her best days after a long struggle with anxiety, her husband told officials.

After his children were strangled Jan. 24 at the family's Massachusetts home, Patrick Clancy told police that his wife had been smiling and happy earlier in the day, prosecutors said Tuesday in court.

Lindsay Clancy has been charged in their deaths and was arraigned Tuesday in Plymouth District Court. She is hospitalized following a suicide attempt and appeared at the court hearing by a video link.

On the morning of the killings, she had taken 5-year-old daughter Cora to the pediatrician for an appointment, where medical staff members noticed nothing out of the ordinary about Lindsay Clancys behavior, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said in court. After they returned home, she built a snowman with Cora and 3-year-old Dawson, texting photos to her mother and her husband, Sprague said.

But when Patrick Clancy left the house at his wife's request to pick up childrens medicine and food, the day took a horrifying turn.

He returned home to find his wife lying in the backyard after having attempted to die by suicide, Sprague said. A 911 call captured Patrick Clancy screaming in agony and shock upon finding the couples three young children in the basement strangled with exercise bands, Sprague said.

The Clancy family home. (Google Maps)

Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at a hospital that evening, and 8-month-old Callan died at the hospital three days later.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, is charged with two counts of murder and three counts of suffocation or strangulation. A plea of not guilty was entered on her behalf Tuesday.

Prosecutors requested Tuesday that she be held without bail. They rejected her attorneys claims that she was a zombie who had been overmedicated with antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs.

She had to strangle each of them  and then make sure the bands were squeezing their little necks for several minutes, Sprague said. She couldve changed her mind at any point during time  and she did not.

Story continues

A case both horrific and tragic

The arraignment marked Lindsay Clancys first public appearance since her childrens deaths in a case that District Judge John Canavan III described as both horrific and tragic." She attended virtually from the undisclosed Massachusetts hospital where she has been treated, and she was wearing a mask and what appeared to be a neck brace.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington said his client is paralyzed below the waist because of a spinal cord injury and a broken back and ribs she sustained during the attempted suicide. He said she remains under 24/7 suicide watch.

Shes extremely emotional. However, shes unable, and has been unable, to express any happiness or sadness or cry, Reddington said.

But her emotions were muted even before the deaths, he said.

Reddington said that a month or two ago, Lindsay Clancy had said, I just wish that I could feel something.

On Tuesday, from her bed, Lindsay Clancy spoke to the judge only once, responding, Yes, your honor, when she was asked whether she could hear him. She showed little emotion other than when she closed her eyes and appeared to wipe away tears after Sprague described how the children died.

The judge ordered her held without bail in the hospital for mental health treatment. Its possible she could be ordered to home confinement, Canavan said, adding that a hearing would be held before that could happen.

She is next due in court May 2.

A history of bad thoughts

Both Lindsay Clancys lawyer and the prosecutor said her parents and husband were aware of what Reddington described as the mother's worsening depression and bad thoughts since the birth of her son Callan in May.

But while Reddington contends she was suffering from postpartum depression and possibly postpartum psychosis  a rare condition in which hallucinations and delusions can alter peoples sense of reality after childbirth, sometimes driving them to harm themselves or their children  prosecutors said Lindsay Clancy was told she didnt have postpartum depression or any symptoms when she was evaluated at the Women and Infant Hospital Center for Womens Behavioral Health in Providence, Rhode Island, last year.

She was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, Sprague said.

The day before the killings, Lindsay Clancy wrote a note in her phone that said she had a touch of postpartum anxiety around returning to work, Sprague said. A representative for Massachusetts General Hospital previously confirmed to NBC Boston that Lindsay Clancy had been an employee.

Sprague said Lindsay Clancy never used the word psychosis to describe her symptoms until after she was arrested while speaking to her husband on a cellphone belonging to a forensic psychologist whom her lawyer arranged to examine her. During that call, she told her husband she killed the kids during a moment of psychosis when she heard a voice ordering her to do so, Sprague said.

Sprague pointed to an October note in which Lindsay Clancy is alleged to have written: I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating [Callan] like my first baby. And I know thats not fair to them, I know that. I was feeling so depressed last evening when Cora and Dawson came home from school. I know it rubs off on them so we had a pretty rough evening. I want to feel love and connection with all of my kids.

She also wrote in the entry that she hopes to have more children, Sprague said.

The prosecutor also said that three days after the children's death, while intubated, Lindsay Clancy allegedly wrote a note asking, Do I need an attorney?

It was one of the first questions she asked after she regained consciousness, Sprague added.

She knew that she had murdered her children, and she had the clarity, focus and mental acumen to focus on protecting her own rights and interests, he said.

Medications and a stay at a psychiatric facility

Lindsay Clancy checked herself into McLean Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Belmont, Massachusetts, on Jan. 1 after she told her husband in December that she had had thoughts about harming the children. She had also written in a journal about having suicidal ideation, Sprague said. She was discharged from the facility Jan. 5.

After she returned home, she appeared to be getting better, Patrick Clancy told police, noting that she had stayed alone with the children and told him in mid-January that she was no longer having suicidal thoughts, prosecutors said.

But Reddington alleged that Lindsay Clancy had been thoroughly destroyed by several medications  including Valium, Prozac, Klonopin and Zoloft  which he claimed masked her symptoms rather than treated them.

Our society fails miserably in treating women with postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis. Its medicate, medicate, medicate, he told the court.

Fifty family members, friends and former colleagues submitted letters to the judge testifying to Lindsay Clancys character, her lawyer said.

When Reddington toured the Clancy family home recently, he found a wish vase with dozens of these little pieces of paper that talk about Lindsays wish for happiness and health, for her children, that she could get pregnant again  that [her children] would be happy, healthy and successful.

This is not a woman that had any reason to harm those innocent children, Reddington told the court.

If you are pregnant or a new mother and you are in crisis, the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish. Call or text the hotline at 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) quietly replaced Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) on the new House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

The change was noted in the Congressional Record last week, but was not widely noticed for days. All Republican members of the panel are appointed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.).

In order to devote adequate time to the Rules, Judiciary and Budget Committees, as well as be a dad and do my job as the Representative of Texas 21st Congressional District, I was happy to give my spot on the Weaponization Subcommittee to my friend, Matt Gaetz, Roy said in a statement.

A spokesman for Gaetz said that the Florida congressman is honored to serve on the Weaponization Subcommittee and will be working very hard.

The subcommittee was created in large part as a response to calls from House Republicans who withheld support from McCarthy to create a Church-style select committee to investigate alleged government abuses, a reference to a 1975 Senate select committee led by former Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho) that investigated intelligence agencies.

Roy and Gaetz were both among those McCarthy detractors. But for Roy, other commitments are taking precedence.

As a part of negotiations during the drawn-out Speaker battle last month, right-wing holdouts secured a commitment to have three hard-line conservative members on the House Rules Committee, which controls the structure of debate and the floor amendment process for legislation that goes to a final vote though a normal process.

During the Speakership saga, Roy had volunteered himself to sit Rules Committee in order to ensure enough hard-liners could be on the time-consuming panel, and was selected by McCarthy, along with Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

Members of the House Budget Committee, including Roy, were announced on Tuesday.

Both Roy and Gaetz opposed McCarthy for Speaker on multiple ballots, but Gaetz  unlike Roy  never voted for McCarthy for Speaker, instead voting present on the final vote.

Story continues

The weaponization subcommittee, which is chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), will hold its first hearing on Wednesday, consisting of two panels to discuss the politicization of the FBI and DOJ [Department of Justice] and attacks on American civil liberties.

Announced witnesses are Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (R-Hawaii), George Washington University Law Center Professor Jonathan Turley, former FBI agents Thomas Baker and Nicole Parker, and Elliot Williams of the Raben Group.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A former McDonald's employee in the UK said a manager sexually harassed her. NurPhoto/

A former McDonald's worker in the UK said she was "terrified" after a manager sexually harassed her.

She said there was a toxic culture at the restaurant with managers flirting with junior staff.

McDonald's signed an agreement on Wednesday committing to protect UK workers against harassment.

A former McDonald's employee described a culture of harassment at the fast food giant and said she was sexually harassed by a manager, an incident she said left her feeling frightened, the BBC reported on Wednesday, as the UK's human rights watchdog confirmed an agreement with the company to protect workers after thousands of complaints.

Christine, a former employee at a McDonald's branch in south London, said she worked there for seven years. She is only mentioned by her first name in the BBC article. In 2018, Christine said she was feeling unwell while working at the restaurant and went into the stockroom to ask for a manager's permission to go home.

"He started making really inappropriate sexual suggestions that I wasn't comfortable with," she told the BBC. "He pulled his pants down in the stockroom and wanted me to do inappropriate things."

Christine said she immediately complained to a business manager, but she was told to go back into the kitchen to work or call the police if she was so worried. She said the experience left her feeling "terrified."

A spokesperson for McDonald's told Insider that the company does not comment on individual cases but said: "The experiences described by this individual are completely unacceptable and have no place in our restaurants."

"At McDonald's, together with our franchisees who own and operate many of our restaurants, we work hard to create a positive work environment and culture. The safety of our teams and customers is our absolute priority," a McDonald's spokesperson said to Insider.

Christine told the BBC that the incident wasn't isolated and said there was a toxic culture at the restaurant where managers behaved inappropriately with junior staff.

Story continues

She said one manager walked around "touching everyone's bum," while another regularly said "inappropriate things" to her.

Christine's account to the BBC comes alongside news from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that McDonald's has signed a legal agreement in the UK, which promises to enforce measures like a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and anti-harassment training for staff.

A spokesperson for the EHRC said that the agreement was drafted in response to concerns about the handling of sexual harassment complaints made by staff at its UK restaurants.

In 2019, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU)  which represents McDonald's staff in the UK  received over 1,000 reports of sexual abuse and harassment at the chain.

McDonald's workers in the US have also complained about a "pattern of sexual harassment" against women at the company and planned a one-day strike in protest in 2021.

"I saw a lot of things that were not okay," Christine told the BBC.

She left in 2018 and has not worked for the fast-food giant since, describing it as "one of the worst experiences of my life."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Rajiv Surendra as the scene-stealer Kevin G. in Mean Girls. (Photo: CBS via Getty Images)

Despite actor Rajiv Surendra's scene-stealing moments in Mean Girls, he's been largely absent from Hollywood since the film's release in 2004. So what happened to the guy who played Kevin Gnapoor? Turns out, Surendra's journey is pretty fascinating.

Surendra is better known these days for DIY videos on HGTV's YouTube channel than acting credits. Part of the reason could be because of the "traumatic" rejection he faced missing out on Life of Pi. He dropped out of college in hopes to get the starring role in the 2012 film, but it ultimately went to Indian actor Suraj Sharma.

"I felt dead inside for a long time," he explained to GQ.

Surendra, who shot Mean Girls during his first year of college, learned the book Life of Pi was being turned into a film.

"I was determined to get that part. So I dropped out of college to go to the little town in India where the book takes place so that I could do some in-depth research. I did that for a few months and came back and was just waiting for them to start production. I assumed that it was going to happen any day now and it didn't. They lost their director and the project ended up getting put on hold so I went back to college," he recalled. The project kept getting delayed, and all of a sudden, six years went by.

"Life of Pi was attached to four different directors over the years so every time a new director [came aboard], I'd go to the library and get out all the movies they had made and research that director. I worked really really hard to try to get this part. In the end, they gave it to somebody else," he explained.

Surendra said that rejection "felt like someone had died."

"I was building this boy that was a character in a book. By the end of those years, that was a real person inside of me. Those old Tamil songs I listened to as a kid, Pi would've listened to those songs. When I got the email saying I didn't get the part, I felt like that person just died instantly. It was traumatic. I think I was in shock for a couple weeks. I felt dead inside for a long time," he continued.

Story continues

Surendra doesn't have another major credit since Mean Girls. The only credit, per IMDb, is appearing in a short in 2005. After losing out on Life of Pi, he applied for a regular office job, but working in a cubicle under the fluorescent lights "wasn't for me."

"I can't do this. I'd rather not be here on earth," he said.

"In that period of feeling dead inside and knowing I couldn't work in an office, I peripherally heard about this thing called being an Au Pair, where a young person would be hired as a nanny for kids in Europe. I thought maybe this would be the one thing that would excite me. I also just wanted to leave my life. It felt like a way to escape and to be paid. I applied on a website and I got it, so I moved to Munich," he continued.

Ultimately, that didn't work out either. "Excuse me, you paid to spend four years to get your degree and now you're washing someone's underwear? What?" he quipped.

Surendra decided to start a small business doing calligraphy. He also did a pottery apprenticeship and has started to find a following online.

"Overall I find the ultimate question people need to ask themselves is: What do I want? And they need to come up with that answer on their own. In a very deep way," he said. "When you figure that out, it actually is simple to achieve it but it means you have to let go of a lot of things."

The entrepreneur recognizes living somewhat unconventionally means there's a trade-off.

"I don't have medical insurance. People always ask, well aren't you scared? And I say, not really. It's always a trade-off. I know the cost that is associated with that security. I don't want that. I don't want to be miserable on a daily basis so I can have medical insurance," he said. "To me, it's like whats the point? What's the point in having the security of a job, an apartment, and insurance and then everyday you come home and hate your life. So you can have three weeks off a year so you can do something fun?"

So don't expect to see Surendra in Mean Girls 2, if that ever comes around: "Why ruin a good thing?" he said.
A Mebane man was sentenced to 28 to 35 years in prison Tuesday for a 2021 murder in which a woman was used as a decoy to enable the shooting at the Camelot Village Condominiums in Chapel Hill.

Jermaine Malik Jahquan Chance, 23, pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, breaking and entering, and larceny in the death of Dearie William Bourne, 21.

He could have received a maximum sentence of life without parole, Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour said.

Chances co-defendant in the case, Donavyn Lee Mayfield, 20, of Carrboro, remains in the Orange County jail. He has been held there without bond since being charged with first-degree murder in Bournes death, in addition to kidnapping, breaking and entering and larceny.

Orange-Chatham District Attorney Jeff Nieman said Mayfields trial is expected to start in June.

Bourne was fatally shot the afternoon of Feb. 19, 2021, in the doorway of his apartment, located across the street from University Place shopping center in Chapel Hill. He was shot twice in the back and had an exit wound to his cheek, Nieman said in Tuesdays hearing.

Bourne and a female friend were in the apartment with two other friends before the shooting, Nieman said. As the two other friends left and walked across the parking lot, a neighbor saw two men approach them and force one of them  a woman  back to Bournes apartment, he said.

Video footage from the complex also showed the men forcing her to the apartment, he said.

The men, later identified as Chance and Mayfield, essentially put her up to the door while they knocked, ostensibly so it would appear that it was a friendly person at the door and not assailants, Nieman said.

How the shooting happened

The woman who was inside the apartment with Bourne later told Chapel Hill police that he knew the men were there to kill them and warned her not to open the door, Nieman said.

There was a knock at the door, he said, and Bourne answered, armed with a Taurus 20-caliber pistol. The door was forced open, and Bourne was shot, Nieman said.

Story continues

The neighbor, who called 911 around 2:36 p.m., told police that he ran to his bathroom as he heard the gunshots and a bullet hit his bedroom wall. Another bullet hit the wall beside the bathroom sink, Nieman said. The neighbor saw the men flee the scene, he said.

Police who were searching the area saw Chance in the mall parking lot. He ran toward Willow Drive with an officer in pursuit who yelled show me your hands, Nieman said.

As Chance ran around the corner of the former PNC Bank at the corner of Willow Drive, he hid in the bushes outside the bank, Nieman said. A bank security guard pointed to him as the officer came around the corner, and Chance was arrested, he said.

Police found a compact-size handgun in the bushes, along with a loaded, 30-round magazine and Bournes Taurus handgun.

Back at Bournes apartment, other officers arrived to find his female friend kneeling on the ground screaming uncontrollably, Nieman said. Officers attempted to revive Bourne, but he was unresponsive, Nieman said.

Police found Mayfield hiding in Bolin Creek, which runs along the Camelot Village property line. He had been sentenced less than two weeks earlier to 18 months of probation for a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon, corrections records showed.

Shorter sentence requested

Thomas Maher, Chances attorney, asked the judge Tuesday for a shorter, 23-year sentence in the murder, noting the chaotic environment in which Chance grew up.

Chance grew up poor, living for a while with his mother and siblings in a Durham hotel, Maher said. His mother had serious mental health and substance abuse issues, and also suffered from seizures that went untreated, because she lacked health insurance, he said.

She actually instructed her children that when she had a seizure, just let her fall to the floor, and they were sometimes supposed to be responsible for her, Maher said.

Chance also suffered mental health issues from a young age, Maher said, and at one point, his parents had him committed to a hospital. His parents didnt want him in the home anymore and tried to convince the hospital not to discharge him, he said.

And so he was a young man growing up in an incredibly unstable environment, ends up basically living on the streets and attracted to the culture in which this type of behavior occurs, Maher said.

Neither Chances nor Bournes families were in the courtroom at Tuesdays hearing. Nieman said the prosecutors office had been in contact with Bournes mother over the last two years.

Bourne, who would have been 24 next month, also had legal troubles and was released from prison just before his death, Nieman said.

However, he was a young man with a full life in front of him and a family who loved him, and this was a particularly targeted and brutal murder, Nieman said. I think its frankly particularly chilling that Mr. Chance specifically used a friend as a sort of decoy to try to gain entry here, to shoot and kill this man.
It is no secret that the Duchess of Sussexs relationship with some members of her biological family has been difficult.

But the challenge Meghan Markle faces with her sister, Samantha Markle, has reached new heights after a judge ruled that Meghan and her husband, the Duke of Sussex, can be deposed as part of a defamation suit brought against them by Samantha.

Samantha, 58, is suing her younger half-sister for defamation and injurious falsehood following the duchess 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, and 2020 book Finding Freedom.

Meghan is no stranger to court cases involving her family, having previously sued the Associated Newspapers group for publishing her private letter to her father, Thomas Markle.

However, the duchess has said it is her fathers side of the family who keeps speaking out against her, not her mother, Doria Ragland. Doria and Thomas separated when Meghan was just two years old.

Heres everything you need to know about Meghans family members and their complaints against her:

Samantha Markle

Samantha Markle is Meghans older half-sister. At 58 years old, she is 17 years older than the duchess.

Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha Grant (Channel 4)

She is suing Meghan for US$75,000. Her 2022 lawsuit claims that the duchess made demonstrably false and malicious statements to a worldwide audience, which she says includes the roughly 50 million people in 17 countries who tuned into the Oprah interview.

Meghan had filed a motion last September to stop depositions in the case, but a Florida judge has now dismissed it and ruled that the duchess did not show that unusual circumstances justify the requested stay or that prejudice or an undue burden will result if the Court does not impose a stay.

Samantha is estranged from Meghan, who says she has not spoken to her paternal half-sister for more than a decade, since her early twenties. In her interview with Oprah, Meghan said she was an only child and saw Samantha just a handful of times.

But Samanthas court documents allege that the duchesss interview promoted a narrative that Samantha had sold false stories about her childhood to the tabloid press.

Story continues

Samantha previously complained via Twitter that neither she nor Meghans half-brother were invited to the Sussexes 2018 wedding, as well as other members of the family. At the time, Doria was the only family member of Meghans family who attended the ceremony.

Out of respect and humanitarianism, the Markles should be invited if 2,000 complete strangers are. Our uncle, brother, me, best friend of 30 years, nephews. At issue is not a matter of closeness. Family is family.

Samantha also released a book in 2021 entitled The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister Part One, which is 330 pages long. Meghan has previously addressed the nickname in her and Prince Harrys Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, in which she said: I dont know your name. I dont know your birthday. Youre telling these people you raised me, and you coined me Princess Pushy?

Thomas Markle

Thomas Markle, father of Meghan Markle, speaks to Good Morning Britain about his daughters interview with Oprah Winfrey (Good Morning Britain)

Meghans relationship with her father Thomas became particularly strained after he collaborated with paparazzi to stage several photo shoots. In 2018, ahead of the Sussexes royal wedding, Thomas was photographed reading a book in a cafe about British landmarks and reading about his daughter and Harry in an internet cafe.

However, it emerged that the photos were staged by a photographer, Jeff Rayner. Later, Meghans paternal half-brother Thomas Markle Jr said their father planned to apologise to her about the photo stunt. That same year, Thomas suffered an apparent heart attack and was set to undergo a heart operation, which he said was why he could not attend Meghans wedding.

In Harry & Meghan, the duchess revealed that she begged her father to stop talking to any press in a text message exchange. She added that she and Harry were worried Thomass phone was compromised because of the unusual way he was messaging her.

Since the wedding, Thomas and Meghan have been estranged. Meghan wrote a private letter to her father in August 2018, the contents of which were leaked by the Mail on Sunday. In the letter, the duchess said that Thomass actions have broken my heart into a million pieces and that he caused her unnecessary and unwarranted pain.

She later sued Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, for breach of privacy in publishing parts of the letter she wrote to Thomas. In 2021, she won the case after the High Court ruled that the publication of the letter was unlawful.

Last year, Thomas said he would be thrilled to defend Samantha in her defamation case against Meghan, adding: Ive been trying for almost four years to get to see my daughter and her ginger husband in a courtroom face to face.
Meghan Markle is facing deposition with Prince Harry over a lawsuit filed last year  by her own sibling.

On Tuesday, a Florida judge rejected a request to let the couple avoid testifying in a defamation case brought by Samantha Markle. The Duchess of Sussex was sued by her half sister in March for allegedly misrepresenting their relationship during a controversial Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021.

In court documents obtained by the news media, Samantha Markle accuses Meghan of making demonstrably false and malicious statements that reached a worldwide audience.

The suit states that Meghan orchestrated the campaign to defame and destroy her sisters and her Fathers reputation and credibility in order to preserve and promote the false rags-to-royalty narrative she allegedly fabricated for the Royal Family and the worldwide media.

This includes Meghans claims that the siblings were virtual strangers and that she was an only child, according to materials in the case.

Samantha Markle is seeking damages in excess of $75,000.

The judges ruling could lead Meghan and Harry, who famously exited the royal family in 2020 over alleged racism and infighting, to make comments under oath. Among the court documents are 38 requests for admission, intended to serve as potential questions and prompts for Meghan.

A Florida judge rejected a request aiming to prevent Meghan and Harry from being deposed.

A Florida judge rejected a request aiming to prevent Meghan and Harry from being deposed.

Those include statement such as Queen Elizabeth was not a racist and King Charles is not a racist. Meghans attorneys say that these are not relevant to any partys claim.

Samantha Markle also states that their father financed Meghans expensive private education and supported her half sisters acting career. The plaintiff adds that she drove Meghan to school on a regular basis.

The lawsuit says that roughly 50 million people in 17 countries watched the Oprah interview, prompting humiliation, shame and hatred for the less famous sibling.

Story continues

In the recent Harry & Meghan docuseries, Meghan echoed some of her statements from that 2021 conversation.

My half-sister, who I hadnt seen for over a decade  suddenly, it felt like she was everywhere, Meghan said in Netflix show. I dont know your middle name. I dont know your birthday. Youre telling these people that you raised me, and youve coined me Princess Pushy.

Related...
(Bloomberg) -- Meituan dived its most in two months after unveiling plans to hire as many as 10,000 people this quarter, as the Chinese food delivery company tries to fend off a challenge from ByteDance Ltd.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Meituans recruitment drive  which will span the nation from Beijing to Shenzhen  contrasts with layoffs rocking the tech industry as Silicon Valley titans and startups fire people to weather a potential recession. The campaign is intended to catch an upswing in consumer consumption, the company said in a statement.

That push coincides with ByteDances expanding efforts to get into a delivery arena that Meituan dominates, and where Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s Ele.me is a distant second. ByteDances Douyin  Tiktoks cousin in China  is testing a grocery and food delivery service in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu and could consider expanding that to more cities in future, a spokesperson said, confirming local media reports.

Meituan ended more than 6% lower at its lowest level since November.

Douyin seems to be expanding its ambition beyond cooperation with Ele.me and wants to do it nationwide, said Willer Chen, senior research analyst at Forsyth Barr Asia Ltd. This will lead to more head-to-head competition between Meituan and Douyin.

If Tiktoks operator forges ahead with full-fledged services, it could re-ignite a battle for control of the market that wiped out billions of dollars in value over the span of a year, before Beijing began to crack down on reckless expansion of capital.

Meituan, which continues to report losses, saw revenue surge 28% in the September quarter as demand held up during the downturn. Chinas reopening is expected to spur economic activity and benefit Meituan in the longer run.

Story continues

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

Meituans core local-commerce margin can withstand competition from ByteDances Douyin food-delivery trial, which is due to expand according to local media reports, as domestic tourism spurs a rebound in Meituans travel-related profit this year. If Alibaba remains determined to reduce losses at Ele.me, its unlikely to cut prices aggressively. So the operating landscape could stay rational, supporting margins at Meituan, which shares 95% of Chinas delivery market with Alibaba.

- Catherine Lim and Trini Tan, analysts

Click here for the research.

Douyin is becoming more ubiquitous in China, much like Tencent Holdings Ltd.s super-app WeChat. Apart from bite-sized clips and live streams, ByteDances flagship video forum is making forays into online commerce through services like grocery and food delivery. That could help ByteDance diversify its revenue from online advertising, and reduce the influence of Alibaba and Meituan over Chinas app-based digital economy.

The local services market in China is large and penetration is still low, so there can be sustainable growth for multiple players, said Vey-Sern Ling, managing director at Union Bancaire Privee. Douyin has substantial user traffic but its local service offerings may cater more to push-based recommendations and impulse-buying, rather than Meituans more comprehensive services.

(Updates with share action and ByteDances comment from the fourth paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and a number of other Democrats attending the State of the Union address wore black pins with the year 1870 on them in reference to the year the first free, unarmed Black person was killed by a police officer.

The action by the CBC comes in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who was brutally beaten by Memphis police officers following a traffic stop in early January. He died in a hospital three days later.

The beating outraged people across the United States and again produced calls for the country to meaningfully reform the institution of policing or reconsider how it concieves of public safety entirely.

The pins signal that plenty of Democratic members of Congress share the outrage that many in Memphis and beyond are feeling and are on board with the calls for, at a minimum, reform. The idea for the pins came from Rep Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, whose district contains the state capital of Trenton.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus & other Democrats will be wearing these pins tonight.



1870 marks the year police killed Henry Truman.



153 years later, nothing has changed, the note reads. pic.twitter.com/xFcAnblqtF  Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) February 7, 2023

Im tired of moments of silence, Ms Watson Coleman toldYahoo! News. Im tired of periods of mourning. I wanted to highlight that police killings of unarmed Black citizens have been in the news since 1870, and yet significant action has yet to be taken.

On 31 March 1870, a 26-year-old Black man in Philadelphia was shot and killed by a white police officer named John Whiteside after he was accused of stealing something from a grocery store. Truman allegedly chased Whiteside into an alley before shooting him, and was later convicted of manslaughter.

Story continues

Since then, there have been countless more episodes of police violence against Black people.

Black people are three times more likely than white people to be killed by police officers, five times as likely to be incarcerated in state prisons, and five times more likely to be stopped by police without case. Since 2017 alone, police have killed more than 1,300 Black people across the country.

With the recent murder of Tyre Nichols, history has repeated itself once again  police kill an unarmed Black man, the nation mourns, and nothing changes, a note attached to the button read. We are tired of mourning and demand change.

It is likely no coincidence that the first police killing of an unarmed Black person occured just after slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, given that many experts believe that modern American policing evolved in part from slave patrols.

The families of Mr Nichols; Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old killed by Cleveland police in 2014; and Amir Locke, the 22-year-old killed by Minneapolis police last year; and the families of other victims of police violence were all in attendance at the Capitol, where Mr Biden dedicated a portion of his speech to grieving the death of Mr Nichols and calling for police and gun reform.
Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis explains what's being done in the aftermath of Tyre Nichols' death. Nichols died after being pulled over by MPD.

The Memphis City Council took its first steps toward enacting police reform in the wake of Tyre Nichols death, but measures considered Tuesday fell short of encompassing the full requests of area activists.

We all know there is a correlation behind a high crime rate and high numbers of cops  more cops does not mean less crime, said activist Seema Rasoul. What does mean less crime is funding things like housing, transit, education.

The council passed two resolutions Tuesday night, the first of which makes camera misuse a disqualifying factor in the Memphis Police Department promotional process  and makes excessive use of force a firing offense.

The second resolution supports the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a federal reform bill that aims to reform U.S. police departments.

Passage of the act has been called for by Nichols family and their lawyers. The act would end qualified immunity for officers, allowing civil suits to be brought against them, create a national police misconduct registry and more.

At a celebration of life for Nichols last week, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said that if passed, President Joe Biden would sign the act into law.

More:Former Memphis police officer took two photos of Tyre Nichols after beating, sent to five people

Resolutions are non-binding, but express the will of the council. Both passed unanimously.

Nichols died Jan. 10, three days after being brutally beaten, tased and pepper sprayed by Memphis police officers. Six officers have been fired in connection with his death, five of whom have been charged with second degree murder. Other city employees remain under investigation.

The council also considered several reform ordinances on their first of three required readings. The ordinances may change significantly before they pass that third reading and become law. All of the ordinances had wide  at times unanimous  support of the council members on the first readings.

More:As Memphis weighs changes after Tyre Nichols' death, why can't it release police videos quickly?

Story continues

What do we have to do to convince you? asked the Rev. Andre Johnson, saying council members needed to stand on the right side of history.

We are asking today what side you will stand on? Stand with the people.

The ordinances, some of which were amended Tuesday, are:

An ordinance that would require an annual audit of training techniques taught to police recruits and officers.

An ordinance clarifying appropriate methods of traffic enforcement, including blocking police from pulling over drivers for having one brake light out, for not having a bumper or for having a license plate in the cars window.

An ordinance requiring police to only use appropriately marked vehicles for traffic stops

An ordinance that would require the Memphis Police Department to report in writing recommendations made by the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) regarding cases where CLERB found a case to be sustained. That report would also be made public.

An ordinance to establish an independent review process of MPD incidents involving the use of excessive, unnecessary or deadly force as well as deaths or serious injuries of people in police custody. Members of the city council would be provided with details of investigations, including any video recordings.

An ordinance requiring the regular collection and reporting of data regarding traffic stops, arrests, use of force and complaints.

Some of the items before the council may actually be subject to negotiations between the police union and the mayor, who sign a memorandum of understanding that the council is not party to, said City Attorney Jennifer Sink.

That may leave some of these decisions up to future negotiations, which Councilman Worth Morgan said makes them an election issue.

Activists attending the meeting Tuesday widely supported the measures, but urged the council to do even more to reform the police department.

The Lee Sisters and Providence AME Lay & Womens Missionary Society Dr. Kevin A. Brooks hosts a rally in front of City Hall to voice their concerns and frustrations with crime and police reform on Feb. 7, 2023 in Memphis, TN.

Some of their demands included the disbanding of MPDs other specialized units, including the Multi-Agency Gang Unit and the Organized Crime Unit.

They also blasted MPD Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis, who spoke to the council earlier Tuesday, with activist Casio Montez urging the council to hold her accountable.

Yall hear us, but youre not listening, Montez said.

CJ need to go, someone yelled from the audience.

More:She came to Memphis a 'rising star.' Why Chief CJ Davis is facing her toughest test yet.

Catherine Lewis said the items before the council looked weak to her.

The culture of slave catchers clearly still lives in that group today, she said. How do you think these things youre putting forth can make a difference? My thought is theres such a deep psychological wound among people who carry such hatred in their hearts for other people.

More:Seven additional Memphis police employees are under investigation in Tyre Nichols' case

Much of the discussion Tuesday focused on traffic enforcement, with activists stressing that the majority of negative interactions with the police begin with traffic stops.

Police originally said Nichols was pulled over by police, but MPD later said it couldn't substantiate its initial statement that he had engaged in reckless driving.

Some of the cars used by officers at the interaction with Nichols were unmarked.

Daniel Bodah, senior program associate at the Vera Institute of Justice, said that while traffic stops might intend to counter minor harms that can be caused by something like a broken headlight, there are significant harms involved in the traffic stop itself.

What happened with Nichols is not an uncommon occurrence around the country, said Bodah, who flew in from New York for the meeting. Racial disparities are huge in traffic enforcement and particularly concentrated in discretionary stops, he said.

Ultimately, those gathered in the audience urged the council to do the right thing.

Laramie Wheeler asked council members to pass ordinances crafted by Decarcerate Memphis which were presented to the council on December 6, about one month before Nichols was beaten.

Today is Feb. 7 and you are still talking about it, she said.

Knowing that ordinances take three readings, because people are dying  how fast can you read? Wheeler asked. How many more people have to die at a traffic stop for you to do your job that we elected you to do?

Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: City Council moves on reform after Tyre Nichols, but some want more
These photos of Monterrious Harris, 22, were taken nine days after he was discharged from a hospital following his Jan. 4 arrest, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against the city of Memphis and its five former officers.

These photos of Monterrious Harris, 22, were taken nine days after he was discharged from a hospital following his Jan. 4 arrest, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against the city of Memphis and its five former officers.

A Memphis man has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the city and the five former officers charged in Tyre Nichols fatal arrest, alleging that only three days before Nichols was brutally beaten, the same officers unlawfully roughed up and arrested him.

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Monterrious Harris, 22, alleges that his face was punched, kicked and slammed onto a concrete walkway on Jan. 4 after members of the police departments since disbanded Scorpion Unit swarmed his vehicle and ordered him out at gunpoint while he was parked outside his cousins apartment complex.

The men, yelling racial epithets and profanities, wore black ski masks and threatened to shoot him if he didnt get out of his car, according to his lawsuit.

Not once did any member of the Scorpion Unit identify himself as a police officer. Mr. Harris  believing himself to be a victim of a car-jacking  panicked and attempted to reverse his vehicle, striking an object located behind his vehicle prior to exiting his vehicle with his hands raised, the lawsuit states.

The Army veteran said he was pummeled by the men, leaving his head bleeding, his eye swollen shut, and the injuries to both his legs left it difficult to walk. His lawsuit includes photos of his face, depicting cuts to his forehead and under-eye bruising, that are said to have been taken nine days after being discharged from a hospital.

Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean were fired last month from the Memphis Police Department and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols death. The five men were also named as defendants in Harris suit along with the city.

Harris claims he was brutally beaten by the same five officers charged in Tyre Nichols' fatal arrest. From top left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, bottom row from left, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith.

Harris claims he was brutally beaten by the same five officers charged in Tyre Nichols' fatal arrest. From top left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, bottom row from left, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith.

Story continues

Representatives for the city and its police department told HuffPost that they are not able to comment on pending litigation.

The city of Memphis, Harris lawsuit alleges, knew or should have known that its officers were routinely assaulting, using excessive force, unlawfully detaining, unlawfully arresting and/or falsely charging persons with crimes without a legal and/or constitutional justification. The suit references past alleged incidents of police brutality by Memphis law enforcement officers, including the 2011 police beating of Michael McDonald and Quinton Lytle and the 2012 beating of off-duty officer Lakendus Cole.

All of these stories share a familiar and unfortunate theme  the Memphis Police Department continually and brazenly disregarding the constitutional rights of the citizens of Memphis, Tennessee, through a slew of unlawful, heinous, and nefarious customs and practices. This case is now among these stories, the suit states.

The officers reported pulling Harris over while conducting a trespassing sweep of the apartment complex. Harris drove at a high rate of speed towards them before stopping and reversing, Memphis station WREG reported citing a copy of the police affidavit from Harris arrest.

The officers reportedly searched his vehicle and found marijuana, the prescription drug Xanax, and a loaded handgun inside. He was arrested for trespassing, evading arrest, and various drug crimes. There was no mention of a physical confrontation in the arrest report.

The firearm found by police in Harris car belonged to his cousin. It was momentarily left in his vehicle after his cousin, who was not identified, went into his apartment to grab some belongings. The firearm was licensed and registered to his cousin, and at no time did Mr. Harris even know that his cousin was armed or that there was a firearm in his vehicle, according to the lawsuit.

He did not commit a crime, and the officers did not have any reasonable suspicion, probable cause, or any legally justifiable reason whatsoever to stop him, use force against him, assault him, or arrest him, his suit goes on.

The only crime Mr. Harris had committed was being young and African American, his suit states.

In addition to the $5 million in compensation, his lawsuit seeks punitive damages against the defendants and coverage of attorneys fees and costs.

Related...
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  Documents released Tuesday provided a scathing account of what authorities called the blatantly unprofessional conduct of five officers involved in the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop last month  including new revelations about how one officer took and shared pictures of the bloodied victim.

The officer, Demetrius Haley, stood over Nichols as he lay propped against a police car and took photographs, which Haley sent to other officers and a female acquaintance, according to documents released by the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission.

Your on-duty conduct was unjustly, blatantly unprofessional and unbecoming for a sworn public servant, the Memphis Police Department wrote in requesting that Haley and the other officers be decertified.

Haley's lawyer declined to comment, and lawyers for the other four officers either declined to comment or did not respond to requests from The Associated Press.

The five officers  Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Emmitt Martin III  have all been fired and charged with second-degree murder. The new documents offer the most detailed account to date of each officer's actions.

Another officer has also been fired and a seventh has been relieved of duty in connection with the latest police killing to prompt angry nationwide protests and an intense public conversation about how police officers treat Black residents.

As many as 13 Memphis officers could end up being disciplined, officials said Tuesday.

The newly released documents are part of a request by the Memphis Police Department that the five officers who have been charged with murder be decertified and prohibited from working in law enforcement again. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis signed each of the five requests to decertify the officers.

Haley, who was driving an unmarked car and wore a black sweatshirt hoodie over his head, forced Nichols from his car using loud profanity, then sprayed him directly in the eyes with a chemical irritant spray, according to the statement.

Story continues

You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest, it states.

Haley did not have his body camera on when he stopped Nichols but was on a phone call with someone who overheard the encounter.

Nichols ran from the officers but was apprehended again a few blocks away. At that point, Haley kicked him in the torso as three other officers were handcuffing him. Other officers kicked Nichols in the face, punched him or struck him with a baton. According to footage captured on a utility pole camera, one of the officers appears to quickly take a photo of Nichols on his phone as flashlights are shined on him.

You and other officers were captured on body worn camera making multiple unprofessional comments, laughing, bragging about your involvement, the decertification charges against Mills said.

They added, You admitted you did not provide immediate medical aid and walked away and decontaminated yourself from chemical irritant spray, and further accused Mills of later failing to give Nichols' mother an accurate account of what happened.

Martin claimed Nichols tried to snatch the officers gun from his holster after another officer forced him out of the vehicle, with Martin helping by grabbing Nichols wrist. However, video evidence doesnt corroborate the gun-grab claim, the documents said.

Audio from a body camera did not capture Nichols using profanity or making violent threats  instead, he appeared calm and polite in his comments to the officers. Martin, meanwhile, cussed at Nichols and threatened to knock him out as he commanded Nichols to put his arm behind his back.

Martin also failed to disclose in a required form that he punched Nichols in the face and kicked him multiple times, and instead added in his later statement to investigators that he gave body blows, the documents said. Video showed Martin kicking Nichols repeatedly and punching him in the face five times while two officers held Nichols arms.

Police deemed Martin's oral and written statements deceitful, the charges said.

A hearing officer wrote of Justin Smith: You admitted you struck an unarmed and non-violent subject with a closed fist two to three times in the face because you and your partner were unable to handcuff him. ... You sprayed the subject with your chemical irritant spray and also held the individuals arm while other officers kicked, punched and pepper sprayed him several times.

In a letter from Smith included in his file, he defends his conduct, stating that Nichols was violent and would not comply.

Bean was accused of holding Nichols by one arm while another officer pepper sprayed and beat him with a baton. It also notes that his indifference to Nichols distress in the aftermath was reported by a civilian who took video of the incident.

Nichols died three days after the beating. His family attended the State of the Union address Tuesday as guests of first lady Jill Biden.



Associated Press reporters Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed. Mattise and Loller reported from Nashville.
One of "the best places in the world for white shark cage diving" will no longer be accessible. The government of Mexico permanently banned shark-related tourism activities around Isla Guadalupe, a remote volcanic island located about 160 miles off the coast of Baja, California.

In 2005, the Mexican government categorized the island and its surrounding marine area as a Biosphere Reserve.

The National Commission of Protected Natural Areas last month announced the permanent suspension of shark-watching activities, sport fishing and the use of non-scientific drones. "In the Reserve, it will not be possible to carry out the observation of white sharks for tourism purposes, to avoid altering their habitat, behavior and feeding sites, and thereby preserve and conserve the species," the new Management Program states. The ban went into effect on Jan. 10.

In 2019, about 2,800 visitors participated in some sort of shark cage tourism at Isla Guadalupe. From 2014 until 2019, the number of shark cage diving vessel operators increased from six to 10. This activity has become one of the top economic drivers in the area.

A large Great white shark cruises past the underwater cameraman at Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico. The clear waters off the island allow sharks and potential prey to see each other more clearly.

This isn't the first time the government has tried to limit shark tour operations around the island. From last May until the end of 2022, sport fishing and shark-watching were suspended so the government could gather information on "best sustainability practices."

More: Shark attacks and bites dropped again in 2022. Experts explain why.

More: Reconsider travel? Safety experts talk violence in Mexico tourist spots

Due to the indefinite ban, tour companies have been forced to shut down operations. In a Facebook post, San Diego-based MV Horizon Charters said, "Unfortunately, the closure of Guadalupe Island has left us financially tapped out," adding that it will refund any deposits to customers and has a new operator taking the company in a "new direction" by the end of the month.

Story continues

Others are fighting back against the ban.

Another shark tour company, Be A Shark, posted online that "the cage diving boats have been the most practical means of monitoring, allowing constant cost-effective access to independent observers and researchers." The company said it will "negotiate with the authorities to implement policies and procedures that will ensure the continued monitoring of white sharks at this critically important location."

Why are there so many great whites around Isla Guadalupe?

The clear waters surrounding the small island are warm and flourishing with seals, bluefin tuna and other diverse marine life, making it an ideal environment for great white sharks. Over the past two decades, the great white population has increased around the island, with males returning annually and pregnant females coming every two years during the fall and winter.

What are the ethical concerns with shark-cage diving?

While shark-related activities such as cage diving can help break the stigma around great white sharks, there are some who are concerned about the ethics and impact on the sharks themselves. ome say the bait or targets used to lure sharks has changed sharks' behaviors, which can be dangerous for the shark and people. In 2018, New Zealand banned shark cage-diving activities.

Are great white sharks an endangered species?

Great whites are considered to be vulnerable but not endangered, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, due to their low reproductive potential and slow growth rate. Humans have also negatively impacted the shark population, like climate change and disruptions to their natural habitats. However, the greatest threat to great whites is being entangled in fishing nets as bycatch. There's also a history of sharks being caught purposefully as trophies.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mexico bans great white shark activities at Isla Guadalupe
There are strong indications to believe that the decision to supply the Buk anti-aircraft missile system to militants of the "Donetsk People's Republic" was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Source: Conclusion of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), as reported by European Pravda



Details: The Team has published the results of its investigation into who was responsible in the Russian Federation for the downing of flight MH17 by a Buk missile.

In recorded phone conversations, Russian officials say that the decision to provide military support rested with the president. The decision was even postponed for a week "because there is only one person who can make the decision... the person who is now at a summit in France." At the time, on 5 and 6 June 2014, President Putin was in France to celebrate D-Day [the Normandy landings], the anniversary of the massive Allied landing during World War II.

"There is specific information that the separatists' request was passed on to the president and that this request was granted. It is not known whether the request mentions the Buk system. A little later, heavier air defence systems appeared, including the Buk system that shot down MH17. Although we are talking about hard evidence, the high bar of complete and convincing evidence has not been met. In addition, the president enjoys immunity as head of state," the report says.

The JIT shared its findings with the families of 298 victims and published a report. Although much new information about the various individuals involved has been uncovered, the evidence is not yet strong enough to lead to new prosecutions.

Background:

On 17 November 2022, the District Court of The Hague sentenced Igor Girkin, Serhiy Dubinsky and Leonid Kharchenko to life imprisonment in absentia for their role in the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Donbas and ordered their arrest. The court ruled that they must pay more than 16 million in compensation to the relatives of the victims.

Meanwhile, the court found the fourth defendant, Oleg Pulatov, not guilty, despite the fact that he was Girkin's deputy and had given instructions to the other defendants to evacuate the Buk system.

The Hague court also recognised that Russia controlled the Donetsk People's Republic at the time of the downing of MH17.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A 15-year-old boy faces criminal charges after he was caught on video last week pummeling a 9-year-old girl in a Homestead school bus, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The footage clearly shows that this beating was far more serious than a simple student altercation, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a news release.

The schools police officer who investigated the matter had the discretion to issue a civil citation, as the officer did here, or make an arrest for misdemeanor battery, according to Fernandez Rundle.

We believe that, based on the evidence and the circumstances, the use of a civil citation was incompatible with the level of violence displayed by the 15-year-old against his much younger and smaller victim, Fernandez Rundle said. As a result, we have filed criminal battery charges with our juvenile courts.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade student arrested in beating of middle school girl on school bus, officials say

The students involved in the Feb. 1 fight were from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead.

Around 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was called to treat two juveniles near 24400 SW 124th Ave. The children werent taken to the hospital and were released to their parents, fire rescue said.

The 18-second fight video has been shared thousands of times and amassed over 5 million views.

It started on a crowded school bus with a fight breaking out in the aisle. A large boy walked over to a sitting girl and began pummeling the back of her head, video showed. She wrapped her arm around her head trying to defend against the blows. A smaller student joined in on hitting the girl as a boy comes from behind to restrain the larger boy from hitting the girl. Another fight also began behind them but is mostly obscured by bus seats and students.

One mother, identified only as Jenni, told the Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami last week that it was her 9-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son who were assaulted.

Emotionally, I couldnt even last two minutes. I couldnt look at the video, she told the station. Like any mother, I am destroyed. I fell to my knees and at that moment I said I have to do something.

She said her children have been bullied at Coconut Palm K-8 Academy and had only been enrolled for three weeks. While her daughter and son were physically OK, she said, both children are traumatized.
A Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher is in cuffs after police say he snuck into his 14-year-old students bedroom and later sexually assaulted her in the apartment complex.

As a father, I am deeply disturbed any time an educator betrays the publics trust, Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez III said in a statement. Schools are considered to be a safe haven for our children, and us parents entrust the educators with the safety and security of our children.

Joseph Edward Tolliver, a 37-year-old physical education teacher, is facing a charge of lewd and lascivious battery on a minor. As of Wednesday, he was in jail on a $7,500 bond, records show.

Tolliver and his student developed a relationship that led to him sneaking in through her bedroom window multiple times, avoiding her mother, the victim told Miami-Dade police.

On Saturday, she met up with Tolliver in the parking lot of her apartment complex where they subsequently had sex in his car, police said.

The mother and girl told Homestead police about the encounter Tuesday, who alerted Miami-Dade authorities. They made the arrest later that day around 11:30 p.m.

Tolliver worked for the district since 2008, and MDCPS has already begun termination proceedings, it said. He also will not be employed by the district in the future.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools is profoundly disturbed by the abhorrent allegations made against this individual, MDCPS said. This District goes to great lengths to promote a safe and secure learning environment and any actions that run contrary to that will not be tolerated.

Records show that he worked at Campbell Drive K-8 Center in Homestead, but authorities could not confirm due to protecting victim identities.

In 2012, state records indicate Tolliver was given two years of probation from teaching, issued a letter of reprimand and a $1,000 fine by the Florida Department of Education.

It is unclear what exactly led to Tollivers discipline, but his letter of reprimand read:

By your actions, you have lessened the reputation of all who practice our profession. The profession cannot condone your actions, nor can the public who employ us, said Mark Strauss, then-presiding officer for the states Education Practices Commission.

Investigators are asking anyone else who has been victimized by Tolliver to call Miami-Dade Polices Special Victims Bureau at 305-715-3300.
Daniela Rendon has been charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravate identity theft. Kali9/Getty Images

Daniela Rendon has been charged with fraudulently using COVID-19 relief funds.

The 31-year-old is an Instagram influencer and real estate broker from Miami.

If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.

A Miami influencer has been charged with fraudulently obtaining and using COVID-19 relief funds to fund her lavish lifestyle, per a press release from the US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Florida.

Daniela Rendon, 31, was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Rendon is accused of falsifying documents to obtain $381,000 in fraudulent funds. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison.

Rendon's lawyer, Sam Rabin, told Insider they are holding off on commenting on the case until they can review evidence that the government has.

Last week, Rendon appeared in federal court to face her indictment. She's accused of manipulating the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Relief Program, which were established early during the pandemic to aid small businesses suffering from the mass shutdowns, and submitting fraudulent applications with incorrect payroll and revenue information. She is suspected of using the funds to sustain her luxuriant lifestyle, like renting a high-rise apartment and leasing a luxury car.

Rendon allegedly dispersed relief funds in payroll checks made to herself, family members, and friends.

The prosecution previously tried to argue for pretrial detainment on the basis that she might be a flight risk (back to her native country of Colombia), the Miami Herald reported. However Rendon and her attorney Rabin were able to successfully fight it, and the judge settled on granting her a $150,000 bond.

The influencer had over 33,000 followers on Instagram before deleting her account, as Dexerto first reported. She is also a real estate broker, and other social media accounts that appeared to belong to her (like a LinkedIn and Facebook page) have also since been taken offline.

Insider has reached out to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Read the original article on Insider
Michael B. Jordan is opening up about his public breakup with Lori Harvey.

The actor told CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King on Wednesday that his busy work schedule helped him cope with the dissolution of his relationship with the model.

I think for me its just I was lucky enough to have a lot of work, he said. Im a firm believer in whats for you is for you, and coming out of that situation  not to give it any energy and kind of move from that ... it was an experience for me to grow, you know, and learn.

Im in my light right now, this is my Jordan year, I mean that ... this is my year, he added.

Reports that Harvey and Jordan had broken up were confirmed in June 2022 when Harveys dad, TV host and author Steve Harvey, confirmed their breakup on The Steve Harvey Morning Show.

The couple first went public with their relationship on Instagram in January 2021. Prior to his relationship with Harvey, Jordan had previously been private about his love life.

The actor had poked fun at his high-profile breakup during his Saturday Night Live monologue last month.

Jordan said that while people often boost their workout regimens after a breakup, he was already in tiptop shape for his role in the upcoming film Creed III, where he makes his directorial debut.

He joked that he instead decided to learn another language, and said in Spanish that he was on Raya, a membership-based dating app.

Estoy en Raya, he said.

When King asked Jordan about his status on the dating app on CBS Mornings on Wednesday, Jordan said that he was joking about using the app  perhaps to the disappointment of some of his fans.

Related...
NEW YORK  Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen expressed confidence Wednesday about the Manhattan district attorneys criminal investigation into the former presidents hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels.

I believe that there is a case, Cohen told reporters outside Manhattan Supreme Court before meeting with prosecutors for District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The seriousness of the prosecutorial team was evident by their in-depth knowledge of all the information, he told POLITICO in a text following the two-and-a-half hour meeting.

Cohen declined to give specifics about the sit-down, which he said was his 15th time talking with the district attorneys office. He did say another meeting is planned.

A 16th meeting has already been set, which indicates to me DA Braggs resolve in not allowing this matter to be forgotten, he said in the text.

Cohens appearance comes as former Trump prosecutor Mark Pomerantz is promoting his book, The People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account, that criticizes his former boss Bragg for dropping a similar grand jury probe last year.

The plane wasnt ready, he said outside the courthouse Wednesday of last years probe.

But things have changed.

I think the plane may be right now on the tarmac and ready to take off, Cohen said.

He was continuing a metaphor used by Pomerantz in the book, which says Bragg led the 2022 probe into the legal equivalent of the plane crash.

The revived investigation centers around whether the former president covered up money The Trump Organization paid to Daniels during the 2016 presidential election over an alleged affair, which he has denied having. Cohen has admitted to paying $130,000 to Daniels, which he said was at Trumps direction.

CLARIFICATION: A paragraph was removed to clarify the intent of Cohen's plane metaphor.
As a mother and artist, Michelle Williams found she could relate to both the son and the mother in Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans." (Ramona Rosales / For The Times)

Michelle Williams has been talking about artistic journeys  her own and the one at the heart of "The Fabelmans," the film that just earned her a fifth Oscar nomination  and she pulls out her phone to show me a photo of her 17-year-old daughter, Matilda, joyfully holding her little baby brother, the 3-month-old currently sleeping in Williams' room here at the Hotel Bel-Air.

Matilda is wearing a Bob Dylan T-shirt, which Williams bought and constantly wore half a lifetime ago when she was a teenager living in Wilmington, N.C., and shooting "Dawson's Creek." Williams has long wanted to take Matilda to Wilmington, but that's a road trip that hasn't happened yet. "I always thought, maybe I'll get a job, and it would take me back," Williams says. "Maybe someday."

Williams was 17 when she went to Wilmington in 1998 to begin her six-year run on "Dawson's Creek." It wasn't long after she had moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, living on her own as an emancipated minor, sleeping on the floor on a foam mattress, subsisting mostly on takeout pizza.

"I was totally undeveloped in so many ways," Williams says. "I was living some aspects of an adult life, sure. But I didn't go to college. I wasn't influenced by my high school peers. I was a small-town girl, having grown up in Montana and then moved to San Diego for a little bit and now, here I was, really trying to grab onto things."

In Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans," a lightly fictionalized account of the filmmaker's family life and burgeoning passion for filmmaking, Williams plays Mitzi, a version of his mother, Leah, a talented pianist attempting to balance her artistic impulses with being a wife and mother. Williams could relate with the life passages of both the movie's son and mom, knowing firsthand the single-minded pursuit of a youthful dream and the choices you make as an adult to harmonize your children's needs with your own.

With acting preempting the chance for a formal education, Williams says her "college campus" rotated between a Wilmington record store called CD Alley, a DVD shop, the name of which is lost to the sands of time, and the local Barnes & Noble.

Story continues

If someone were to write a "Fabelmans"-esque origin story of her artistic awakening, it would start, Williams says, with her watching the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, particularly "Magnolia," a movie about loneliness and loss, familial dysfunction and apocalyptic visions.

"That just scorched me from the inside out," Williams says of the 1999 film. "But all his movies scorch me with their observations and performances and humanity. As a young woman, I was really struck by his flawed and difficult characters. I thought, 'If I can love them, can I allow myself the same love for my own flaws and difficulties?' I found those characters so beautiful. They challenged my sense of myself. They gave me a window into the possibilities of cinema and who I could be as a person."

Right around this time, Fred Champion, who owned Wilmington's CD Alley and hosted hundreds of concerts, movie screenings and theater performances from his downtown loft, gave Williams a Bjork CD. She pressed play and started crying, simply because she didn't know how to make sense of what she was hearing. Quite simply, Bjork broke the way Williams understood the nature of sound.

"When someone hands you Bjork, it becomes this very important moment," Williams, 42, says. "You listen to it, you adhere to it and you stick it to yourself where there are these gaps and you need something to fill them in until you can flesh them out yourself."

As she matured as a woman and an actor, Williams found herself drawn to characters that some might call difficult, headstrong or unlikable. Some of these women have been seen in her four collaborations with filmmaker Kelly Reichardt, including the upcoming A24 release "Showing Up," in which Williams plays Lizzy, a sculptor navigating a series of annoyances before the opening of her new show. Lizzy's behavior could be read as irritable and harsh  or, if you're more charitable and observant, altogether human.

Michelle Williams plays a free-spirited mother in "The Fabelmans." (Ramona Rosales / For The Times)

"Michelle likes a complicated knot," Reichardt tells me over the phone. "She doesn't want to play the golden hero."

"Well, no!" Williams says when apprised of Reichardt's assessment. "The 'difficult' ones? Those are my girls! And the more difficult they are, the more connected I am to them. I feel like I'm fighting for them. I'm on their side. And I don't want to abandon them."

Williams felt that way about Mitzi in "The Fabelmans," so much so that she became a "blubbering mess" on the day filming wrapped and she had to say goodbye to the crew along with the experience of playing a woman possessing a personality so much bigger and bolder than her own quiet, introverted self. Williams experienced similar feelings about leaving behind Gwen Verdon on the 2019 FX limited series, "Fosse/Verdon," though, she notes, there wasn't as much a public scene.

"Oh, it was awful," Williams says. "It was so embarrassing. I couldn't believe what was coming out of me. I just loved my movie family. And I loved Mitzi. I felt like she was a piece of music and her range  her musicality, her emotions  spanned the entire keyboard."

Back in the "Dawson's Creek" days, Williams loved to take the 10-hour drive from Wilmington to New York for a day to see plays and movies and then turn right around so she could make her Monday morning call time. She'd load up her car's six-CD changer with Neil Young, the Flaming Lips (unbidden, she starts singing "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots") and, her favorite thing, mix CDs given to her by friends, unmarked repositories of music that contain mystery, a quality, Williams laments, in short supply in this information age.

Williams still has all these CDs in binders. And if you want to know how much she loves the format and the tactile feel of physical media, ask her what kind of car she owns.

"I drive a minivan, and the reason I drive a minivan is because it has a CD player," Williams says. "It also has a little place for your change too, so you can get nickels, dimes and quarters." She pauses, looking at me, assessing whether I'm passing judgment, and then laughs. "What can I say, I like to be organized!"

Still ... she's not a complete Luddite. Being the mother of 3-month-old and 2-year-old boys with husband Thomas Kail leaves Williams little time to indulge in her passion for reading. So now she "chokes down" a poem a day on her phone, emailed to her from poets.org. "It's a pretty nice way to wake up," Williams says. "My friends and I send them back and forth and have a little dialogue and I like to click on the author and do a little deep dive."

Williams hasn't acted since finishing "The Fabelmans" a year and a half ago  obviously, she's been occupied. And she says she's not hungry to return. "I'm very full," she says. And also content.

"I think you get to a certain point where you've been pushing for so many decades for self-improvement and self-fulfillment and the satisfaction of total exhaustion of every thought and energetic molecule and iota of talent," Williams says. "And it really is only recently that I've felt like I have more room to play in. I think this is really just a long-winded way of saying ..." she pauses and lets out a sigh, "now I have more joy and less strife."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP)  Authorities believe a Michigan woman fled to Thailand to avoid the consequences of a hit-and-run crash that killed a suburban Detroit college student on New Year's Day.

Tubtim Sue Howson, 57, was charged Monday with a federal crime related to her sudden one-way flight to Bangkok on Jan. 3.

Benjamin Kable, 22, was struck while walking before dawn on an Oakland County road on Jan. 1. The Michigan State University student, who was home for the holidays, died at the scene.

A state charge of failing to stop at a serious accident was filed on Feb. 2.

Howson, a United States citizen, is originally from Thailand and allegedly told a close associate after the crash that she thought she killed somebody and she was going back to Thailand, FBI agent Matthew Schuff said in a court filing.

When encouraged to turn herself in to police, Howson allegedly stated, no cops, no cops, Schuff said.

The U.S. and Thailand have an extradition treaty.

I call on the Thai government to extradite her so we can hold her accountable for her actions involving this young mans tragic death," Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.
Micron has begun laying off workers, a spokesperson for the company told the Idaho Statesman.

The news marks the beginning of the companys plan to reduce its global headcount by about 10% over the next year. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra announced during a quarterly conference call with investors in December that the company is taking significant steps to reduce costs and operating expenses as demand for its principal products wanes.

Its unclear how many Micron employees in Boise and Meridian will be affected by the cuts. The company did not respond to questions from the Statesman about how many workers were being laid off and what jobs they held.

The Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act, or WARN, requires large companies to provide 60 days notice before laying off more than 500 people in a 30-day period. Micron had not filed a notice as of Wednesday, which suggests that fewer than 500 workers may be laid off in Boise.

Microns job reductions include a combination of voluntary attrition, workforce reductions and reduced external hiring, according to a statement sent Tuesday after the Statesman asked about layoffs. The company said a mix of manufacturing and non-manufacturing jobs across all levels will be affected globally.

Micron has now started notifying some of the employees impacted by Micron-initiated workforce reductions in the face of the severe downturn that is affecting the entire industry, the company said.

The Boise company, known for its memory chips used in digital devices, wrote in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the job cuts are a result of challenging industry conditions. In addition to the layoffs, Micron is also slowing production, cutting executive salaries, halting share buybacks and suspending bonuses across the board.

In the long term, the company said it is confident that demand will bounce back.

We are acting quickly to reduce supply and control costs to address the rapidly changing business environment and will continue to assess if further actions are needed, the statement said.

Story continues

The company has roughly 49,000 employees worldwide as of December, according to its latest quarterly earnings report filed with the SEC, including more than 6,000 people in the Treasure Valley. Micron is the largest for-profit employer in Idaho.

Micron previously said it anticipates most of the job cuts will be completed by the end of February.

The decision to conduct a workforce reduction is truly a last resort, given business conditions and financial performance, the company said in a statement.

The company has chip manufacturing plants in Virginia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, according to previous Statesman reporting, and operates what it calls a pilot line for research and development at its headquarters campus in Southeast Boise.

Micron ended chip manufacturing in Boise 14 years ago, and in the years since, the Boise campus has not only remained Microns headquarters but has emerged as its principal research and development center, staffed with engineers and other workers from around the world. The technology is developed in Boise and the chips are manufactured elsewhere.

Last year, Micron announced it would invest billions of dollars to build two new fabs, or plants, for memory manufacturing, including one at its Boise campus and one in Clay, New York. The announcements followed the passage of legislation that authorized federal subsidies for semiconductor companies to expand in the U.S.

Idahos largest for-profit employer is laying off workers next year. What we know

Shipping-container homes. Apartments. Cafe Zupas, Biscuit & Hogs. Whats coming near you
Getty

Microsoft is excited about the positive sentiment created by its partnership with ChatGPT.

For an internal report, ChatGPT was asked to write a funny limerick about Bing beating Google.

Microsoft unveiled new AI features for Bing on Tuesday.

Microsoft is more upbeat than ever about its search engine Bing, which is getting a major upgrade by integrating ChatGPT's underlying technology.

That exuberance could be felt in an internal report that analyzed the positive online sentiment around Microsoft's close relationship with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, as Insider previously reported. Microsoft is investing heavily in OpenAI and is expected to further integrate the startup's technology in its other products, like the Office suite of software.

In the internal report, prepared by Sprinklr and seen by Insider, the authors asked the OpenAI chatbot to write a "funny limerick about how Microsoft beats Google by integrating ChatGPT into Bing."

ChatGPT answered:

"There once was a search engine named Bing

Which was struggling, not doing much thing

But with ChatGPT on its side

It finally got its pride

And left Google searching for its next fling"

Bing launched in 2009, and still lags far behind Google's search engine, which accounts for roughly 90% of the market. The sudden emergence of ChatGPT and its partnership with Microsoft has sparked new interest in Bing as a potential threat to Google, as Insider previously reported.

On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled a number of new features for Bing, powered by the AI technology found in ChatGPT, like interactive chat and summaries. A day earlier, Google showcased Bard, a new chatbot that competes with ChatGPT.

"AI will fundamentally change every software category, starting with the largest category of all  search," Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.

Got a tip?

Contact the reporter Eugene Kim via the encrypted-messaging apps Signal or Telegram (+1-650-942-3061) or email (ekim@insider.com). Reach out using a nonwork device. Check out Insider's source guide for other tips on sharing information securely.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Border Patrol agents encountered less than 130,000 undocumented migrants at the southern border in January, the lowest level in two years, according to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security .

Overall border crossings fell from a record monthly high of 250,000 in December to 156,000, according to the data.

The US-Mexico border situation is likely to factor in the presidents State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Mr Biden visited the US-Mexico border in January after months of criticism from Republicans, who held the first in a series of hearings in the House last week on Bidens border crisis.

Despite the brief dip, overall, monthly border control encounters are near record highs set in the early 2000s, though trends have shifted in recent years, and now most people crossing the US-Mexico border arent from Mexico or the so-called Northern Triangle nations of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Instead, according to the Pew Research Center , many migrants are fleeing political crises in places like Cuba, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela.

Democrats have also criticised the president for retaining many of the Trump administrations hard-line immigration policies dramatically curtailing the right to asylum.

In January, Mr Biden announced people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti wouldnt be allowed to apply for asylum if they crossed the Mexican border outside of official ports of entry.

My message is this, Mr Biden said at the time. If youre trying to leave Cuba, Nicaragua or Haiti, or have agreed to begin a journey to America, do not, do not just show up at the border.

Later that month, a group of 70 Democrats in the House and Senate sent the president a letter, slamming such decisions.

We encourage your administration to stand by your commitment to restore and protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees, the lawmakers wrote , adding, We are therefore distressed by the deeply inconsistent choice to expand restrictions on asylum seekers.

The administration has continued to rely on Title 42, a Trump-era policy that used public health law to turn away asylum seekers which was implemented over the advice of public health officials .
Over six years ago, Nathaniel Stinnett set out to rally an army of environmental super voters who would be capable of influencing U.S. lawmakers at all levels of government to pass legislation to cut emissions as effectively as the National Rifle Association dictates the nations gun laws.

The veteran campaign strategists Environmental Voter Project has contacted more than 8.7 million registered voters in 17 states who rarely if ever cast ballots, and has persuaded more than 1 million to pull the lever in each of their most recent federal, state and local elections since. And thats only based on data that go through 2021; the nonpartisan groups voter files arent yet updated to reflect the turnout from last years midterm election.

Stinnetts organization is not taking a break in 2023, even though its not a national election year.

We dont take odd years off, Stinnett said. No one else is mobilizing these low-propensity voters in city council primaries and library trustee elections. We take habit formation very seriously, and the only way we get these great cumulative results is by paying attention to the boring elections.

The next two states its expanding into are anything but dull: Louisiana and Nebraska.

In Louisiana, its the home of Cancer Alley and the belly of the fossil fuel industry beast, Stinnett said, referring to the majority-Black industrial region with extraordinarily high rates of cancer and disease. Every day, the fossil fuel industry is killing Americans with toxic air, poisoned water and climate change. And the industrys biggest killing field is Louisiana.

Bayou State voters directly elect the public service commissioners who regulate energy infrastructure. Later this year, they will choose a new governor in a flood-prone state with large amounts of oil drilling, gas refining and plastics production. And Stinnetts group has identified 320,000 voters who rank climate change and the environment as top concerns in surveys but either havent voted at all or have rarely cast ballots since registering.

Story continues

Ashley Moore holds her daughter Madison while casting her ballot in the presidential primary on Feb. 9, 2008, in New Orleans just three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

Ashley Moore holds her daughter Madison while casting her ballot in the presidential primary on Feb. 9, 2008, in New Orleans just three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

In Nebraska, voters pick the local regulators who oversee municipal utilities, decide who represents counties in key permitting decisions on pipeline and other infrastructure, and even select a lone elector who determines which presidential candidate wins one district of the Cornhusker State.

The Environmental Voter Project pinned down 66,000 green-leaning voters who typically skip midterms, 42,000 of whom tend to miss presidential elections, too. Of the latter group, 16,000 live in Nebraskas toss-up 2nd Congressional District, which carries its own Electoral College vote and which now leans more Republican after last years redistricting.

Nebraska is this really interesting place where harnessing the power of the states environmental electorate could yield big policy wins from the local level all the way up to the White House, Stinnett said.

The organization already operates in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

Since President Joe Biden signed the biggest climate-spending packages in history into law last year, regulators at state energy offices, municipal utilities and local planning boards will determine how and where the funding goes.

Local governments get pretty wide discretionary authority on how to spend it, and theres a lot of implementation work that needs to be done,  said Caroline Spears, executive director of the nonprofit Climate Cabinet, which funds candidates for down-ballot regulatory seats who pledge to prioritize serious decarbonization. Its really important that we have great climate champions in office in those state legislatures, public service commission, utility boards and public power districts.

Stinnetts group uses consumer data and public election files to identify and target registered voters who care deeply about environmental issues but dont usually cast ballots. The Environmental Voter Project then blasts those voters with traditional get-out-the-vote methods: phone calls, door-knocking by canvassers, mailers and digital advertisements.

These are the people who are experiencing the worst of the fossil fuel industry. These are the people who have to live with toxic air and poisoned water every day.Nathaniel Stinnett, Environmental Voter Project

The name of the group aside, the outreach messaging rarely mentions the environment. Instead, the Environmental Voter Project goes for good old-fashioned peer pressure, guilting nonvoters for their failure to exercise their rights or participate in elections in which their neighbors voted.

Stinnetts files updated through 2021 show 1,030,000 of the voters his group has contacted were now such consistent voters they voted in the most recent federal, state and local elections, he said. They have become super voters.

Its unlikely that the Environmental Voter Project can claim credit for activating all of those voters. But the organization has run randomized control trials on individual elections to study its own direct impact.

In Pennsylvania in 2020, one such study showed the group increased turnout among its targeted voters by 1.2 percentage points.

1.2 is a big number in this business, Stinnett said. Ask Donald Trump how big a deal 1.2 is in Pennsylvania.

In the U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia that determined which party held the upper chamber that year, the Environmental Voter Project spent $550,000  a small sliver of the $1 billion pie spent on the special election  yet charted a nearly 1 percentage point increase in turnout.

Last year, the nonprofits efforts boosted turnout in the Alaska special election where Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola defeated former Gov. Sarah Palin by nearly 4 percentage points.

Young climate activists stage rally in Lafayette Park across from the White House on Earth Day on April 22, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Organized by Fridays for Future DC, about 50 young people gathered to protest against the use of fossil fuels.

Young climate activists stage rally in Lafayette Park across from the White House on Earth Day on April 22, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Organized by Fridays for Future DC, about 50 young people gathered to protest against the use of fossil fuels.

Its easier to increase turnout when baseline turnout is lower, Stinnett said. In lower-turnout elections where there is also less money being spent, we often get better results.

Another finding from the past six years of shepherding climate-conscious citizens to the polls: These environment-first registered voters are disproportionately people of color.

That dynamic was particularly stark in Louisiana, Stinnett said.

The states vote files show there are about twice as many white registered voters (63%) as Black ones (31%). Among the low-propensity environmental voters Stinnetts group has identified, 59% are Black and just 33% are white.

It is abundantly clear that those seldom-voting and nonvoting Black environmentalists are in Cancer Alley, Stinnett said. These are the people who are experiencing the worst of the fossil fuel industry. These are the people who have to live with toxic air and poisoned water every day.

In a December runoff election that the Environmental Voter Project played no part in, activist Davante Lewis defeated incumbent Lambert Boissiere, a conservative Democrat from a dynastic political family whom advocates accused of corruption. Spears, whose group backed Lewis, said his unlikely victory was a sign the climate movement can push things forward  and called Stinnetts plans to expand the Environmental Voter Project into Louisiana and Nebraska fundamentally really exciting.

Stinnett said the benefits of his strategy have a longer horizon than just one election.

The environmental movement has an enormous amount of latent political power here, he said. It is at once a tragedy and an opportunity.

Related...
An associate of a sanctioned Russian oligarch who owns two apartments on exclusive Fisher Island in Miami and another three luxury residences in New York was indicted Tuesday on charges of illegally spending $4 million of the billionaires money on property taxes and other maintenance costs.

Vladimir Voronchenko, 70, was described by federal authorities as a successful businessman, art collector and art dealer, as well as a close friend and business associate of Viktor Vekselberg, a 65-year-old owner of an industrial conglomerate who was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2018 and 2022 in connection with Russias invasions of Ukraine.

Voronchenko, who lived in one of the Fisher Island apartments, was subpoenaed last May to appear as a witness before a Manhattan federal grand jury but prosecutors say he instead fled the country for his homeland.

Voronchenko, a legal U.S. resident, is charged with violating and evading U.S. sanctions against Vekselberg and with laundering $4 million on behalf of the billionaire. He also faces contempt charges for failing to appear in court.

An indictment says Voronchenko oversaw 25 wire transfers of tainted money to an unnamed New York attorney who assisted in the maintenance of Vekselbergs five properties in South Florida and New York. The money transfers were also used in an effort to sell two residences in Manhattan and a beachfront estate in the Hamptons, according to an indictment filed by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

Vladimir Voronchenko, pictured in Moscow in 2021.

According to the indictment, Vekselberg-owned shell companies in Panama and the Bahamas purchased a Park Avenue apartment for $11 million in 2008; a second Park Avenue apartment for $610,000 in 2012; a Southampton house for $11.4 million in 2008; a Fisher Island apartment for $6.2 million in 2010; and a Fisher Island penthouse apartment for $31.2 million in 2017.

As part of the indictment against the oligarchs associate, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan said they plan to seize the Russians five residential properties, which are now worth a total of $75 million. They could eventually be sold, with proceeds going to the government.

Story continues

Spanish authorities seized a 255-foot yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg in 2022 after he was sanctioned by U.S. authorities following Russias invasion of Ukraine. Associated Press

Last year, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Treasury Department sanctioned Vekselberg for the second time and seized his 255-foot super yacht in Spain. The U.S. government also blocked his private airplane, an Airbus A319-115. Each asset was valued at $90 million.

Vekselberg, whose net worth Bloomberg estimates at $16.4 billion, is chairman of the metals, mining, and energy conglomerate Renova Group. Though sanctioned by the U.S. government, he has not been charged with any crimes.
Mississippis Republican-controlled House voted on Tuesday to create a separate court system composed of unelected leaders and an expanded police force in the capital of Jackson.

The proposal, HB 1020, has been put forth by its GOP backers as a measure to increase public safety and reduce backlogs in the courts, but local leaders have argued the measure is a power grab from the states largely conservative, white legislature against the majority Black population of Jackson.

Only in Mississippi would we have a bill like this  where we say solving the problem requires removing the vote from Black people, Rep Ed Blackmon, a Democrat, said at the legislature on Tuesday .

He added that the measure, which would allow state officials to appoint judges and prosecutors instead of the usual local process of electing them, wouldnt do anything to reduce crime.

"I notice that this bill does not address part of the problem, which is lack of funding at that crime lab. Youre blaming Jackson because they cant process their cases fast enough because the crime lab is not operating at capacity because we wont give them the money," he added .

Last week, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the mayor of Jackson, said HB 1020 "reminds me of apartheid."

The Jackson City Council, including the sole Republican present, Ashby Foote, voted on Saturday for a resolution opposing the bill, according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger .

Rep Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, 175 miles outside of Jackson, defended the bill on Tuesday, saying it would make the capital safer.

"I dont know what youve heard, Ill say that, but this bill is designed to help make our capital city of Mississippi a safer city, he said . This bill is designed to assist the court system of Hinds County, not to hinder it. It is designed to add to our judicial resources in Hinds County, not to take away. To help, not to hurt.

The capital has indeed struggled with public safety.

Story continues

According to a 2022 report from the state auditor, Mississippi has had the highest homicide rate of any state in the country since 2018, with more homicides per capita in Jackson than any other major metropolitan area in the country in 2021.

The state, like numerous other cities, has also struggled with what community residents argue is excessive police force.

Last month, family members of Jaylen Lewis, who was killed by police last fall during a traffic stop, called for a federal investigation into the Capitol Police, who would get millions in new funding under HB 1020.

Few details have been released about the shooting, but the officers involved are on administrative leave and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is probing the case
Leonard Raheem Taylor, who was convicted in a 2004 quadruple murder but maintained his innocence, died by lethal injection Tuesday night at a prison in eastern Missouri.

Taylor, 58, was executed at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Karen Pojmann, of the Missouri Department of Corrections, said the lethal drug pentobarbital was administered to Taylor at 6:07 p.m.

He was pronounced dead roughly nine minutes later at 6:16 p.m.

In his final written statement, Taylor said Muslims dont die but live on eternally in the hearts of family and friends.

Death is not your enemy, it is your destiny, he wrote in part of the statement. Look forward to meeting it. Peace!

Taylor has long maintained that he was in California when his girlfriend, Angela Rowe, and her three children  Alexus Conley, 10, AcQreya Conley, 6, and Tyrese Conley, 5  were killed. All were found dead in their suburban St. Louis home on Dec. 3, 2004.

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 changed the estimated time of death to a two or three-week window based in part on the cool temperature in the house.

Lawyers for Taylor have argued that there is evidence Rowe and her children were still alive at the time Taylor was in California. A forensic pathologist hired by the defense also issued a finding on Jan. 25 challenging the conclusions on their time of death.

Among those who witnessed Taylors execution on Tuesday were nine of the victims family members. Gerjuan Rowe, older sister to Angela Rowe, said she believed justice was served by the state.

In a statement, the Midwest Innocence Project said Taylor was unjustly killed by the very system that should have protected him.

Since the moment of his arrest, Mr. Taylor proclaimed his innocence, loudly and for all who would hear. Yet no one  not the police, not the prosecutor, not the attorneys charged with defending him  seriously investigated that claim of innocence, the group wrote.

Story continues

The Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, a Missouri prison in Bonne Terre, is shown in this Feb. 7, 2023 photograph. On Feb. 7, Leonard Raheem Taylor, 58, was executed by the state for a 2004 quadruple murder in which he claimed innocence.

In recent weeks, attorneys for Taylor highlighted new information in an effort to halt his execution. Groups such as the Innocence Project and Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty also threw their support behind Taylor.

Gov. Mike Parson denied his clemency request on Monday, saying Taylor brutally murdered the victims.

The evidence shows Taylor committed these atrocities and a jury found him guilty, Parson said. Despite his self-serving claim of innocence, the facts of his guilt in this gruesome quadruple homicide remain.

In the days leading up to the execution, two petitions before the Missouri Supreme Court were denied. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. In a docket entry, the high court rejected a stay of execution.





Taylors lawyers also asked the Missouri Supreme Court to direct a prison warden to let his spiritual advisor be with him in the execution chamber.

Megan Crane, co-director of the MacArthur Justice Centers Missouri office in St. Louis, said Taylor was wrongfully executed despite a credible claim of innocence that was not heard or evaluated by any court of law. She also noted the state carried out the death sentence as there was an open legal claim that his religious rights were violated by the state.

This is an undeniable and irreversible injustice, Crane said. But, in the words of Raheem, he will live eternally in the hearts of family and friends.

Protesters gathered across the state to express opposition to capital punishment. Demonstrations were organized in St. Louis, Columbia, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Columbia and Bonne Terre.

In Kansas City, roughly two dozen gathered at 39th Street and Troost Avenue as part of a protest organized by the Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty ahead of Taylors execution. Some waved signs as passing cars honked in support.

Demonstrators gathered Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of a39th Street and Troost Avenue in Kansas City through a statewide protest organized by Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. The group came out to voice opposition to the execution of Leonard Raheem Taylor, 58, who was sentenced to die for a 2004 St. Louis-area quadruple murder in which he claimed innocence.

Im a Christian by faith, and I just dont think that killing is the right thing, said Jared Sloan, 67, an Independence minister, who carried a sign on Tuesday that read: Thou shalt not kill.

Its immoral for the state of Missouri to take on itself the right to execute and kill people.

Susie Roling, a social worker and director of operations at Journey to New Life, a prison re-entry program based in Kansas City, said there is no evidence that demonstrates the death penalty is a deterrent against crime.

The worst of the worst in our country are not put to death, Roling said. Its oftentimes the poorest of the poor.

Furonda Brasfield, an Arkansas attorney and director of leadership with the Eighth Amendment Project, which seeks to end the death penalty, said Taylors case represents a travesty of justice. She pointed to the case of Ladell Lee, an Arkansas man executed in 2017, among the cases where states have pressed on with carrying out a death sentence despite standing claims of innocence.

These types of things happen all the time. And these states have got to slow down. They have to be less bloodthirsty and just stop and fully explore these claims of innocence, Brasfield said.

In the past 10 weeks, Missouri has executed three people. Amber McLaughlin died Jan. 3, and Kevin Johnson died Nov. 29.

All three were convicted in St. Louis County, which has the sixth highest number of executions in the U.S., at 20. It trails four counties in Texas and one in Oklahoma, according to the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.

Parson has now denied clemency to two people who claimed they were innocent and consequently that they were wrongly sentenced to die.

The first was Walter Barton, who was tried five times for the killing of a woman in Ozark. The Innocence Project, the Midwest Innocence Project and the MacArthur Justice Center urged Parson to appoint a board to investigate Bartons innocence claims, which included dubious blood splatter evidence and an incentivized jailhouse informant. Barton was executed in May 2020.
WASHINGTONUtah Sen. Mitt Romney at the State of the Union address joined the growing number of Republicans who have said embattled freshman Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., shouldn't be in Congress.

"If he had any shame at all, he wouldn't be there," Romney told reporters after the address.

Santos has admitted to embellishing parts of his personal and professional resume, but Romney said they are lies, not embellishments. To embellish, he said, is to say you got an A instead of an A-. "Lying is saying you graduated from a college you didn't even attend."

Santos lied that he graduated from college and was a volleyball star, a Wall Street resume that did not exist, his ancestry and more. He is facing the most legal scrutiny, at the local and federal levels, for his campaign finances.

Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

State of the Union takeaways: Blue-collar Joe, GOP boos and a 2024 preview

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-UT, and Krsten Sinema, I-Ariz., listen to President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington.

As Romney entered the House chamber Tuesday night, he told Santos he didn't belong in Congress.

"I didn't expect that he'd be standing there (in an aisle seat) trying to shake hands with every senator and the president of the United States," Romney said to reporters after the State of the Union. Given the investigations facing him, including a House Ethics complaint, "he should be sitting in the back row and staying quiet instead of parading in front of the president and people coming into the room."

The senator described Santos as "a sick puppy" for his lies.

"He shouldn't be in Congress, and they're going to go through the process and hopefully get him out," Romney said. "But he shouldn't be there and if he had any shame at all, he wouldn't be there."

State of the Union live updates: Biden tells Americans economy roaring back, spars with GOP over debt

Heckles, spats and deflection: The biggest moments you missed from Biden's State of the Union

Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at cwoodall@usatoday.com or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

Story continues

Opinion takes on Santos:

George Santos fraud scandal shows winning at all costs is costing America

A letter from 'George Santos': 'I am recusing myself from committees. Also, I am Batman.'

George Santos scammed voters. Congress has a moral duty to kick him out of office.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mitt Romney scolds Santos at Biden State of the Union
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney had some harsh words for New York Rep. George Santos before Tuesday night's State of the Union address.

According to CNN, a member witnessed Romney, 75, telling fellow Republican Santos, 34, "You don't belong here," as the representative passed by him in the House of Representatives chamber prior to President Joe Biden's speech.

Romney later criticized Santos for taking a front aisle seat and "trying to shake hands" with Biden, 80, which Romney considered inappropriate "given the fact that he's under ethics investigation," he told reporters.

"He should be sitting in the back row and staying quiet instead of parading in front of the president and people coming into the room," he said.

RELATED: Everything You Missed During Biden's State of the Union Address  Plus All the Best Reactions

Mitt Romney, George Santos have terse exchange ahead of State of the Union Address

MSNBC/YouTube

The senator also called Santos "a sick puppy" for his lies, according to USA Today.

He told CNN he didn't hear if Santos responded at the time. Santos, however, did seemingly make a more public response, tweeting "Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT!" after the event.

Santos has come under fire as he has admitted to lying on his resume, biography and about his finances. He confessed he did not attend New York University or Baruch College, and never worked at Citigroup or Goldman Sachs, as he previously stated.

Baldwin, N.Y.: Congressman-elect George Devolder Santos joined the newly elected GOP members of the Senate and Congress during a press conference on November. 9, 2022 in Baldwin, New York.

Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty George Santos

Further lies included that he was Jewish (to which he later said he meant "Jew-ish") and that his mother was in the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, though it was later discovered she wasn't even in the country at the time.

RELATED: Fact-Checking the George Santos Claims: From Goldman Sachs Employee to College 'Volleyball Star'

Congressional candidate George Santos speaks to Trump supporters at an America First rally in Ronkonkoma, New York, on October 11, 2020.

Sipa via AP Images George Santos

RELATED: George Santos Accused of Touching Prospective Staffer's Groin  Then Denying Him a Job After Getting Rejected

Santos is currently being investigated at the federal and local level, and by the House Ethics Committee. Fellow New York Republicans have joined the chorus of people calling for him to step down.

Story continues

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, however, has yet to ask the freshman congressman to resign  a move that has been criticized by his colleagues. Romney has previously expressed his disappointment in McCarthy's lack of action.

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.

"He shouldn't be in Congress, and they're going to go through the process and hopefully get him out," Romney said to reporters. "But he shouldn't be there and if he had any shame at all, he wouldn't be there."
A mother was told her brain tumour had returned after she had a seizure playing a computer game with her son  nearly 20 years after she was first diagnosed.

Emma Fox, 35, suffered a seizure out of the blue in 2021 and a scan later revealed her brain tumour had returned.

Devastated Emma, from Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, said she will do anything to find a cure for the disease.

She said: Although I have been told its unlikely my children will inherit the disease through my genes, I want to do all I can to stop anyone from going through what I have been through.

I was playing a computer game with my eldest when I had my seizure.

Hed witnessed these happen when he was only three and remembered exactly what to do as he has had to grow up with it.

His courage and ability to deal with something like this makes me feel proud.

Mother-of-four Emma was first diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma when she was 17.

She had seizures from just 10 months old, which were put down to febrile convulsions she developed migraines from the age of five which continued into her teenage years.

Surgery removed the mass in 2005 and regular stable scans meant no further treatment was needed.

Emma said: I felt like I was being fobbed off by the GP and like no one believed me. It wasnt until I blacked out from a seizure on the bus home from school that I had an MRI scan and found out I had a mass on my brain.

In my 20s I was diagnosed with epilepsy, which I now know was caused by my brain tumour.

Surgery removed the mass in 2005 and regular stable scans meant no further treatment was needed.

Stay at home mum Emma is now on a watch and wait scheme, with a follow up scan in June.

(Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)

She is taking on a month-long challenge to complete 10,000 Steps a Day in February, in aid of Brain Tumour Research. Motivated by her own story, Emma began her challenge on Wednesday 1 February and will tot up a total of 280,000 steps throughout the month.

She added: I did it last year by doing four school runs, which was a great way of getting my steps in.

Story continues

This year I am down to three school runs so will have to be a bit more creative getting my steps in.

For years Ive kept my story to myself, and Ive never complained about being ill or how I still suffer from the side effects of living with a brain tumour; but then I never realised how little funding brain tumour research receives.

Its the biggest killer of under 40s which is a scary statistic.

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: Were grateful for Emmas bravery in sharing her story and wish her well with her upcoming scan.

Her story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age.

Its with the support of people like Emma that will help us in our mission to increase the UK investment in research in to brain tumours.

We wish Emma luck with her challenge, and to everyone who is taking part.
The CSU Channel Islands campus, seen in 2019, is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains. Campus authorities have warned of a mountain lion recently spotted in the area.

Authorities at CSU Channel Islands warned students and nearby residents Tuesday night about the recent presence of a young mountain lion in the area.

"We continue to face a difficult situation with ongoing sightings near residence halls of a juvenile mountain lion that is not collared," wrote Drake Massey, interim chief of the university police department, in a release.

Campus officials have been discussing options with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Mountain lions are a specially protected species, Massey noted, and the university is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, which is lion habitat.

Students and residents of the adjacent University Glen neighborhood were advised to sign up for campus alerts to stay updated. The alerts also provide information during wildfires, earthquakes and other incidents.

Those living in residence halls have been "strongly encouraged" to stay indoors between dusk and dawn.

A representative of the fish and wildlife agency gave a presentation at the campus Monday that can be viewed online.

The police department has increased evening and night patrols around the residence halls and University Glen when the lion is most active, Massey said, and officers are available to escort campus members.

Tall grass and brush have been trimmed down. University police are also discussing the situation with the Ventura County Sheriff's office.

Tim Daly, a spokesman with the state wildlife agency, said the mountain lion had been spotted on or near the campus once or twice a week in the last two months or so. Wildlife officials have determined the feline is a juvenile based on a yellowish coloring on its legs, which eventually grows out as it ages, he said. The young mountain lion does not have a collar.

Daly said campus presentations have focused on what's called hazing, being as loud and obnoxious as possible to keep the animal away from humans.

Outreach with the state wildlife and sheriff's agencies is aimed at protecting people in the area, Massey wrote, and is also meant "to do everything that we can to protect the life of this young mountain lion."

Story continues

Mountain lion sightings at the campus can be reported to the police agency at 805-437-8444.

Lions have been spotted elsewhere in the county recently.

On Feb. 3, state wildlife officials tranquilized a lion in front of an Ojai home that appeared to be sick or injured.

The female puma was about 10 years old, severely underweight and likely blind, Daly said Wednesday afternoon. As a result of the animal's health being "so poor," she was euthanized Friday, he said. Daly said he did not believe the mountain lion had a radio collar.

The National Park Service has tracked mountain lions as part of a long-term study on how the population in Ventura and Los Angeles counties survives in an increasingly urban area.

On Jan. 22, a 4-year-old collared mountain lion was found dead on Pacific Coast Highway near Las Posas Road, the ninth such death on local roads and highways in less than a year, officials said.

This story may be updated.

Chief Massey has shared an important update. Visit https://t.co/AQ8hJ1AUgs to read the message and learn how to stay safe. As always, please make sure you are signed up for CSUCI Alert to receive notifications of incidents or threats to campus safety. Be well and stay safe. pic.twitter.com/YzO5w48wzE  CSUCI POLICE (@CI_Police) February 8, 2023

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Young mountain lion seen around CSU Channel Islands campus
MSNBC

Immediately after President Joe Biden wrapped up his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, MSNBCs post-speech analysis largely focused on ridiculing House Speaker Kevin McCarthys weakness and inability to control his own caucus.

According to the networks liberal hosts and anchors, this was the worst possible night for the GOP leader as it revealed that he has no power within his own party. And Biden understands that, they insisted.

Republican lawmakers repeatedly heckled and cursed at the president throughout his speech, regardless of Bidens attempts to offer up some bipartisan olive branches. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), naturally, helped lead the charge. The fur-clad MAGA congresswoman screamed liar when Biden factually claimed some Republicans want to sunset Social Security and Medicare, while another lawmaker shouted bullshit.

At one point, McCarthy even attempted to quiet down his caucus when several members jeered Biden while blaming him for the ongoing fentanyl crisis. Its your fault, one congressman shouted, prompting McCarthy to shush the heckler.

Calling it the single most confrontational State of the Union address that weve ever seen, MSNBC host Lawrence ODonnell suggested that McCarthy was the nights biggest loser, specifically due to Bidens willingness to engage with the raucous Republicans.

This is the worst possible night for Kevin McCarthy. The negotiation ended in that room with Marjorie Taylor Greene yelling at a president who took her on and handled it right in front of McCarthy, ODonnell said. And McCarthy by the way, there is an isolated camera on McCarthy thats going to show him saying no, no, no every single time they did that.

MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow added that McCarthy tried desperately to hush his own members, leading ODonnell to assert that the speaker has effectively been rendered powerless going forward.

This is over for McCarthy, he declared. The year is over. He lost it right there in that moment.

Story continues

Joy Reid, for her part, proclaimed the speech as Biden at his best before blasting McCarthy for staying seated during several bipartisan applause moments.

The parts where Kevin McCarthy could not stand showed his weakness in the caucus, the ReidOut host proclaimed. That he couldnt stand up for democracy, for Ukraine, things that would have in the past been solid Republican issues. He could not stand upremarkable.

Anchor Alex Wagner was also unsparing in her commentary about the speaker and the lack of control he has over House Republicans.

Biden understands the truth, which is McCarthy has no power in that caucus. Hes along for the ride and as much as hes going to say, not all of you, the reality is that the madmen are running the asylum, she observed.

At the very end of the speech, Biden is making a sort ofin some ways, platitudestowards what democracy means and that there is no place for political violence in America, Wagner continued, adding: The best Kevin McCarthy could do was applaud from his seat because his Republican Party does not want to recognize democracy works, does not want to take subverting the will of the people off the table.

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.
Annette Griswold enjoyed her job as Alex Murdaughs paralegal, until she slowly came to the realization that the prominent Lowcountry attorney was allegedly stealing funds from his law firm.

Griswold testified on the 13th day of Murdaughs murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse, where her former boss is being tried for the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the familys rural home.

Prosecutors allege Murdaugh killed them to distract attention from his alleged financial crimes that were on the verge of being uncovered, partly thanks to Griswold.

The paralegal testified Wednesday that Murdaugh often corrected her when she made out checks to Forge Consulting, a legitimate structured settlement firm used by the law group. Instead, he told her to make them out to Forge. At the time, Murdaugh told Griswold said it was a subsidiary of Forge Consulting.

In reality, it was the the name on a shell account Murdaugh was using to divert money from the firm to himself, according to previous testimony. Murdaugh did not have any kind of permission to use the Forge name, Michael Gunn, a principal at structured settlement company Forge Consulting, testified Wednesday.

Griswold said she first became suspicious of Murdaugh when she noticed $125,000 in both client money and attorneys fees being transferred to the fake Forge account.

Those funds didnt need to go anywhere, so it was really odd that they would all be sent to Forge, she said. They could have just stayed in the account.

Later, she contacted the office of attorney Chris Wilson, a friend of Murdaughs, looking for attorneys fees that were owed to the firm for what they called the Faris case, which Wilson worked on with Murdaugh. Wilsons paralegal told Griswold the money had already been given to the attorneys at disbursement, which struck her as both surprising and inappropriate.

I knew it wasnt right, she said. It should have never gone to an individual attorney. It should go to the firm as a whole, she said.

Story continues

She eventually compiled everything she knew and prepared to take it to Jeanne Seckinger, the law firms chief financial officer. When Griswolds daughter saw all of the material she had printed out, she told her mother, You need to get your resume together, because when you turn this in theyre going to fire you, Griswold testified.

After Seckinger confronted Murdaugh about the missing money, Murdaughs wife and son were shot to death later that night, plunging the whole firm into fear and confusion, Griswold testified.

We were scared, she said. Was it a client? Was it aimed at Alex or the firm? We didnt know. Just a million thoughts running through our heads.

The firm rallied around Murdaugh and his brother, Randy, who also worked at the firm, Griswold said.

We were in complete mama bear mode, Griswold said.

Asked if she continued to try to find the fees from the Faris case after the murders, Griswold sarcastically responded, What Faris fees? That was the furthest thing from my mind.

But the firms internal investigation into the Faris resumed by early September, when Griswold said she found a check from the case made out to Murdaugh from the previous March.

Hes been lying the whole time, Griswold testified she remembered thinking. He had these funds. Hes been lying to me.

Murdaugh was fired from the firm shortly thereafter. Law partner Ronnie Crosby testified Tuesday that Murdaugh said he knew he was going to get caught when confronted about the thefts.

Griswold said Murdaugh apologized for his actions in a Sept. 26, 2021, text message, sent to Griswold and his other paralegal while he was in a rehab facility for reported drug abuse.

The worst part is knowing that I did the most damage to those that were closest to me, Murdaughs text said.

Prosecutors contend Murdaughs alleged financial crimes motivated the killings in an attempt to keep them from coming to light. His defense attorneys have strongly rejected those claims.

Megan Fletcher, a State Law Enforcement Division agent, also testified Wednesday about gunshot residue particles.

A third witness, SLED agent Brian Hudak, took the stand briefly before Judge Clifton Newman announced the Colleton County Courthouse needed to be evacuated.

In an emailed statement, SLED wrote that a bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel. The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriffs Office are investigating the threat. No additional information is available from SLED at this time.

Ronnie Crosby, Hampton attorney with Parker Law Group, gives his testimony in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool

Murdaughs ex-colleague takes the stand

Ronnie Crosby rushed to his then-law partners house the night he learned Murdaughs wife and son had been shot to death at the familys rural Colleton County home.

All the attorneys at what formerly was known as Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick were concerned about Murdaugh after the June 7, 2021, murders of Maggie and Paul. Many of them considered him a close friend.

But, on Tuesday, Crosby sat on the witness stand and identified Murdaughs voice on a video recorded on Pauls cellphone shortly before he and his mother were gunned down by the familys dog kennels  the third witness before Griswold did Wednesday to link Murdaugh to the voice on the video.

Those are the voices of Paul Murdaugh, Maggie Murdaugh and Alex Murdaugh, Crosby said after listening to the video.

In an earlier conversation with Murdaugh, Crosby testified that the question of whether Murdaugh went down to the kennels with the victims that night came up, and he specifically said that he had not.

Crosby recounted a conversation with the law firms CFO in May 2021, in which it was suggested Murdaugh may be structuring his payments to hide assets due to an ongoing lawsuit over his sons 2019 fatal boat crash.

I said, Oh f--- no, we did not, Crosby recalled. We were absolutely not going to participate in anything illegal, unethical or that would create liability or issues with the South Carolina Bar.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.
Nascar driver Kyle Busch has avoided a possible Mexico prison sentence for weapon and ammunition charges.

Mr Busch, 37, was arrested by the National Guard on 27 January when staff at an airport in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo found a gun and ammunition in his luggage during a routine screening.

Last week, the two-time Nascar champion was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, the Associated Press reported,

The Mexico federal attorneys office has since revealed that a local judge allowed conditional punishment for Mr Busch. He left the country after paying an undisclosed bond.

In a Twitter post on Monday, the two-time NASCAR champion said that he has a valid concealed carry permit from his local authority in the US and that he had made a mistake by forgetting [the weapon and ammunition were] in his bag.

Discovery of the handgun led to my detainment while the situation was resolved. I was not aware of Mexican law and had no intention of bringing a handgun into Mexico, Mr Busch wrote. When it was discovered, I fully cooperated with the authorities, accepted the penalties, and returned to North Carolina.

I apologize for my mistake and appreciate the respect shown by all parties as we resolved the matter. My family and I consider this issue closed.

Nascar said in a statement to the AP that Mr Busch, who is in his first season driving for Richard Childress Racing, will not be sanctioned by the association.

Mr Busch was vacationing with his family in Quintana Roo before the incident at the airport unfolded. The .380 calibre pistol with six hollow-point bullets was found in his bag when it was being scanned at a terminal for a private aircraft, according to the AP.

Story continues

A judge determined in late January that the charges could stand in court before Mr Busch was sentenced on 3 February.

Mr Busch, who is in his first season driving for Richard Childress Racing, is expected to attend another hearing in which a judge will set his conditional punishment.

He has been cleared for the Daytona 500 race on 13 February.
The National Guard on Tuesday destroyed a Russian Mi-24 helicopter in the vicinity of Bakhmut; on the Zaporizhzhia front, border guards eliminated a Russian drone.

Source: National Guards press service, press service of the State Border Guard Service

Quote from the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU): "On 7 February, at 14:12, on the eastern outskirts of Bakhmut, the National Guard found two Russian Mi-24 helicopters, one target was locked on and destroyed by an anti-aircraft gunner from an Igla MANPADS."

Details: The National Guard notes that the attack helicopter opened fire on NGU units and covered Russian infantry from the air, as it was advancing on the defence line of the Ukrainian defenders.

The helicopter began to lose altitude and descend after the missile attack; the fate of the pilot is unknown.

The NGU notes that the Mi-24 is one of the fastest attack helicopters in the world and the third Russian helicopter downed by units of the 3rd Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

As a result of the efficient work of the anti-aircraft gunners of the 3rd Brigade on the Bakhmut front, Russians partially lose their combat capability and air superiority, the NGU emphasises.

In addition, on 7 February, border guards, together with other members of defence forces found and neutralised a Russian MAVIC-3 UAV using an anti-drone rifle, on the Zaporizhzhia front.

Background:

On 2 February, the National Guard members destroyed a hostile Su-25 aircraft in the vicinity of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.

On 7 February, Ukrainian border guards downed another Su-25 near Bakhmut.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A kitten stranded for three days in a pine tree in Daytona Beach finally got a lucky break.

According to an incident report from the local fire department, crews were dispatched to a residential area regarding a cat up a tree in front of a home.

Neighbors kept hearing meowing noises, Jessica Wolfelschneider, spokeswoman for Daytona Beach Fire Department, told the Miami Herald, and soon realized a kitten was up there and couldnt get down on its own.

Crews arrived at around 6 p.m. Saturday. Wearing a safety harness, helmet and gloves, a firefighter snatched up the kitten and safely placed it in a bucket, says the report.

The good Samaritans who called 911 gave the kitten food and water once it was on the ground. Wolfelschneider noted that the kitten was kept on their indoor porch until the owners could be found.

As of Wednesday, no one has claimed the kitty, and the people who found it are going to keep it.

READ MORE: See firefighters rescue dog in a gate

Rescue as old as time, said the department on a Facebook post, which included a picture of the furball safely in a firefighters arms. DBFD rescues one of our four-legged friends.
Maryland State Police/Maryland District Court

One of the neo-Nazi lovers arrested last week for allegedly plotting to shoot up Baltimore power substations and destroy the predominantly Black city was described as a lifelong radical who wanted to go out with a bang before dying of kidney failure, her brother told The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

Sarah Clendaniel, 34, was arrested along with her long-distance, fellow neo-Nazi boyfriend Brandon Russell on a count of conspiracy to destroy an energy facilitya charge that could land the couple in federal prison for 20 years each.

But Sarahs brother, Luke Clendaniel, doesnt expect shell live long enough to serve a potential prison sentence, saying she may not make it through a trial in Maryland District Court. He says a doctor told Sarah late last year that she likely had just six months to live because her kidneys are failing from decades of drug abuse.

Neo-Nazi Bonnie and Clyde Arrested for Plotting to Wipe Out Baltimores Power Grid

Luke told The Daily Beast that he suspects Sarahs illness is what prompted her to do something as rash as trying to cut off all power to a major U.S. city, and that hes actually impressed she put her money where her mouth is.

I dont agree with what she did or what she planned, but because a lot of people talk, talk, talk, at least she was willing to try something, Luke said. Even if it was something stupid.

Luke, 37, said hed recently grown closer to his little sister after her release last year from prison, where shed been locked up for a string of thefts in which she wielded a machete to demand cash and cigarettes at convenience stores. The siblings started talking again recently and went on a hike last month, discussing politics, philosophy, and how they believe the worlds reliance on technology is destroying society, he said.

Luke added that his sister had always held neo-Nazi views, but never tried to act on them until this year. He suspects her anger came from drugs destroying her body and the government not doing enough to keep narcotics from coming into the country.

Story continues

She just feels like society is screwed up and she wanted to do anything she could to fix it, Luke said.

Sarahs mother, Lanette Clendaniel, wasnt so sympathetic in an interview with CBS Baltimore. She said her daughters racist views had gotten between them, and shes been taking care of her kids. She doesnt plan to attend any of her daughters court dates.

We spoke to the mother of Sarah Clendaniel, the woman accused of trying to blow up the power grid in the Baltimore area. She says her daughter held Nazi views but she didnt agree. She believes the extremism got worse when her daughter was jailed for armed robbery. @wjz pic.twitter.com/7shcJpSFov  Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) February 7, 2023

I didnt discuss her life, Lanette said. She knew I didnt agree with it, so we really didnt go there. I don't know much about her private life.

Despite not seeing eye-to-eye, Lanette reasoned she could see why her daughter thought knocking out power to Baltimores half-a-million residents might be a sound last hurrah before dying.

I understand where she feels she was coming from, Clendaniel said. The decline were seeing in this country needs a rude awakening. I think thats one of the main things she was trying to do is change the course that this country is going in, and trying to do that for her kids.

Russell, a neo-Nazi leader who founded the far-right group Atomwaffen, was jailed in 2018 for keeping lethal bomb-making materials in his apartment. A criminal complaint says it was that year he struck up a relationship with Sarah from their separate prisons.

Atomwaffen, which is German for atomic weapons, is considered a small but dangerous group, the extremism watchgroup Western States Center said in a statement to The Daily Beast. A member was charged with a hate crime for murdering a gay, Jewish college student in 2019, and an adherent allegedly killed his girlfriends parents for opposing his Nazi views.

A separate killing, at a Tampa apartment in 2017, involved Russells roommate, Devon Arthurs, who was accused of fatally shooting two other people who lived there. Russell was not attached to the killings, authorities said, but the investigation uncovered bomb-making materials in his garagean offense that landed him behind bars for five years.

Satanism Drama Is Tearing Apart the Murderous Neo-Nazi Group Atomwaffen

Court filings did not specify whether Sarah was a member of Russells hate group. An image released by authorities, however, showed Sarah posing with a rifle and wearing tactical gear adorned with a swastika.

Thomas Sobocinski, the lead agent at the FBIs Baltimore field office, said in a news conference Monday that Sarah and Russell were racially or ethnically motivated extremists.

Intentional attacks on power grids in the U.S. have long been a focus of white supremacists groups. Late last year, two high profile incidents in North Carolina and Washington made national news after about 60,000 homes and businesses were left without power just before the holidays.

An affidavit unveiled that the couples alleged plan was to cause a cascading failure of Baltimores access to power during a winter storm when most people are using max electricity.

Authorities said the devious plot was foiled because the couple were spilling details about the attack to an undercover informant.

Sobocinski said Sarah told the informant they hoped to lay this city to waste, referring to Baltimore. Russell, orchestrating the attack from his home in Orlando, Florida, allegedly ordered Sarah to target transformers specifically because theyre custom made and could take almost a year to replace, the affidavit said.

The affidavit mentioned Sarahs kidney disease, saying she told an informant the attack was a way for her to accomplish something worthwhile before dying.

Authorities found a written statement from Sarah, which they described as a de facto manifesto that painted a picture into Sarahs seemingly troubled mind.

I would sacrifice **everything** for my people to just have a chance for our cause to succeed, the statement says. Unfortunately, I have very little experience with firearms. But once I get my license, I hope to get at least a couple hours of practice in . . . What a shame I dont have a rifle yet. This storm would be the perfect time to hit some substations and knock out power.

The statement also referenced Hitler, the Unabomber, and a Norwegian mass killer, according to the affidavit.

Luke said his sister was smart growing up but always a bit different. He remembers strange things she used to say, like claiming she could taste colors, and that she showed an early love for philosophy and eventually radical ideology.

He said Sarah had no plans to undergo dialysisa procedure to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when kidneys failto prolong her life.

She was on drugs for a lot of years and felt like society failed her, Luke said. That was her whole problem in lifejust drugs. Drugs destroyed herIts just bullshit.

Sarahs mother acknowledged that shell likely never see her daughter again. She said she plans to focus on raising her grandkids and stay away from any criminal trial.

Unless theres a miracle, she'll most likely die in prison, Lanette said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands will continue to hold Russia to account for the downing of passenger flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.

Rutte said it was a "bitter disappointment" that the international investigation into the downing of MH17 had ended without further prosecutions for lack of evidence.

"We will continue to call the Russian Federation to account for its role in this tragedy," Rutte said in a statement.

Russia has denied any involvement with the downing of the civilian airliner, which killed 298 passengers and crew.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
The defense ministers of the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany issued a joint statement on Feb. 7 saying that the three countries will provide Ukraine with at least 100 Leopard 1 battle tanks.

Ukraine will reportedly receive the first set of tanks in the coming months.

The initiative will also provide the required logistic support and training, as well as a spare parts and ammunition package, the statement said.

According to the statement, Belgium has shown initial interest to participate in the Leo 1 A5 Initiative.

Together with Germany and Denmark, the Netherlands are providing Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1A5 tanks from industrial stocks, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said via Twitter.

We remain determined to support Ukraine in their fight against the Russian aggression, she said.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced in Kyiv on Feb. 7 that Ukraine will receive over 80 older Leopard 1 battle tanks by the end of the year.

Around 20-25 tanks are set to be delivered in the summer.

Pistorius said Ukraine will receive a total of over 100 Leopard 1 tanks from several European countries, but the timeframe has yet to be determined.

Pistorius visit comes a few weeks after Germany decided to supply Ukraine with tanks and authorized other countries, such as Poland, to follow suit.

Pistorius said in late January that the Leopard 2 tanks should arrive in Ukraine in late March or early April after Ukrainian servicemen undergo the necessary training.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said at a press conference that Ukrainian forces would begin training on Leopards on Feb. 6. However, negotiations continue on logistics of the tank delivery  involving their repair, maintenance, and spare parts shipment.
The baby girl was born beneath the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria. (AP)

Viewers of BBC News have praised Lyse Doucet for her reporting on a newborn baby born amid the rubble following the earthquakes in Syria.

The baby girl still had her umbilical cord attached when rescue workers pulled her out alive from a collapsed building which killed her mother, father, four siblings and aunt.

BBC correspondent Doucet replied to viewers praising her handling of the report, saying: "Thank you so much for watching  and caring."

Watch: The baby was pulled from the rubble in Syria with her umbilical cord still attached

One viewer commented: "@bbclysedoucet really has quite a remarkable way with words. Her ability to comment on any of the awful situations she covers always makes me stop and listen in a way that few others can. She has the ability to paint a picture with words without it becoming cliche or trite."

Read more: Clive Myrie debunks rumour he was beaten up during Ukraine trip

Another said: "Think because she has such a depth of lived knowledge about what she comments on."

Lyse Doucet won praise for her handling of the report about the newborn baby. (Getty Images)

A third viewer tweeted: "The story of that newborn baby rescued from the rubble....umbilical cord cut from dead mother. All siblings dead too. Unbearable. @bbclysedoucet @annaefoster @thehuwedwards . Tough, tragic stories; reported so well #TurkeySyriaEarthquake"

Thank you so much for watching - and caring  lyse doucet (@bbclysedoucet) February 8, 2023

And another wrote: "@bbclysedoucet with an absolutely gut-wrenching report from #Syria. The joy of a newborn baby girl rescued from the rubble  still with umbilical cord attached  tempered by the knowledge that her mum, dad, brothers and sisters all perished. Heartbreaking."

Dramatic footage showed a man carrying the baby girl, covered in dust, after she was pulled from debris in Jindayris, north-west Syria after the earthquake on Monday 6 February.

Story continues

She was then shown lying in an incubator and connected to a drip at a hospital in nearby Afrin.

The earthquakes have destroyed buildings in Syria and Turkey, killing thousands. (AP)

A doctor said she was treated for hypothermia on arrival and was now in a stable condition.

The baby's uncle, Khalil al-Suwadi, told AFP news agency: "We heard a voice while we were digging We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord [intact], so we cut it and my cousin took her to hospital."

Over 1,800 people are known to have been killed by the earthquake in Syria.

Read more: Huw Edwards 'embarrassed' by knighthood rumours

Another 4,500 people have been killed in Turkey, where the epicentre was.
Roger Walters has reportedly been asked by Russia to speak to the UN Security Council.

Russia wants the Pink Floyd co-founder to appear on Wednesday (8 February) at the meeting to discuss Ukrainian weapon delivery, Reuters reports.

Speaking on the request, an anonymous UN Security diplomat said: "Russian diplomacy used to be serious. What next? Mr Bean?"

Waters has previously written open letters to both the Russian and Ukrainian governments.

The musician was criticised for one he wrote to the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, in which he argued against the west supplying weapons to Ukraine.

The rock musician has previously claimed that he is on a Ukrainian kill list as a result of his controversial comments about the war.

Dont forget, Im on a kill list that is supported by the Ukrainian government, Waters said in an interview with Rolling Stone in October.

Im on the f***ing list, and theyve killed people recently ... But when they kill you, they write liquidated across your picture. Well, Im one of those f***ing pictures, he claimed.

Earlier this week, Pink Floyd lyricist Polly Samson accused Waters of being antisemitic to your rotten core, in an online row over Israel and the Ukraine war.

In the attack on Twitter, Samson  who is married to the rock bands guitarist David Gilmour  also claimed Waters was a Putin apologist, saying: Enough of your nonsense.

Roger Waters (Getty Images)

A statement posted to Waters official Instagram account said he was aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely, adding: He is currently taking advice as to his position.

Samson is an acclaimed novelist who wrote lyrics for her husbands band on The Division Bell album. She also has credits across her husbands solo work.

The Independents Ed Power explored the ongoing quarrels between the musicians this week, calling their feud one of the great tragicomedies in rock history.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Watch: Nicola Bulley diver blasts 'keyboard warriors' who say he has ulterior motives for helping search

The diver who is leading the underwater search for missing mother Nicola Bulley has blasted "keyboard warriors" who say he has ulterior motives for helping.

Bulley, 45, went missing on 27 January in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire, and Peter Faulding, leader of underwater search experts Specialist Group International (SGI), has been searching the River Wyre for two days after being called in by the family to help.

However, Faulding has faced some online criticism for helping in the search, with some suggesting he is doing it for money or publicity.

But when asked to respond to those claims, Faulding insisted there was "no ulterior motive" for getting involved in the search.

Nicola Bulley went missing on 27 January in St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire. (SWNS)

He told TalkTV: "I have no ulterior motive. I have given my time to many cases free of charge.

"We get paid to do police diving operations but I offered my services for a whole week to [murdered child] April Jones. There was no media for that, I never gave any interviews for that."

Faulding said he "does not need publicity", and insisted he only gave out information when he was asked to.

Diver Peter Faulding has hit back at online criticism over his involvement in the search for Nicola Bulley. (PA/Alamy)

He added: "The press have come to me for this... if I don't give information I get slated.

"I'm damned if I do, I'm damned if I don't. There's no ulterior motive."

When asked if he had a message to people criticising him online, Faulding said: "I suggest they come out and look for dead people under water on a freezing cold night at three in the morning when dealing with a drowning victim and watch them get pulled out the water.

"They are heartless individuals."

Peter Faulding (centre) said people criticising him were 'heartless individuals'. (PA/Alamy)

Faulding, whose SIG team are working free of charge, hit the headlines after he went against the police narrative that Bulley drowned after falling into the river.

He told TalkTV: I personally dont think shes in the river, thats just my gut instinct at this point.

Story continues

In a separate media interview on Monday night, Faulding admitted he was baffled by the case.

Police were there on day one diving where the phone was found on the bench, he told the Daily Mail.

Workers from private underwater search and recovery company, Specialist Group International, including CEO Peter Faulding (right), search the River Wyre. (PA/Alamy)

Normally, if a person has drowned, they go down within a few metres if being searched for the same day.

In another couple of days I will be confident she is not in that area at all. We have the best sonar you can buy. We have scanned a huge area today (Monday) and there is nothing there.

The expert diver added: A body will move after a time, but they searched that area and came up with nothing  that is what is weird here. We are baffled.

Faulding has said if his team does not find her in the water using his sonar equipment then he believes she has not been in the river and raised third party involvement in the disappearance.

A searcher from Specialist Group International carries an 18 kHz side-scan sonar to a rigid inflatable boat as they assist in the search for Nicola Bulley. (PA/Alamy)

But Superintendent Sally Riley, from Lancashire Police, told reporters that Faulding is not included in all the investigation detail.

In the light of other inquiries being discounted from the investigation so far... clearly our main belief is that Nicola did fall into the river.

Clearly Mr Faulding isnt included within all the investigation detail any more than the members of the public are that Im briefing through these sorts of press conferences.

Divers are extending their search into the sea after searches in the river found no evidence.
Former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley is widely expected to announce a 2024 run for president. Brett Flashnick/AP

Former governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley is running for president in 2024.

She and her husband, Michael Haley, met in college and have been married for 26 years.

They have two children: Their daughter, Rena, is a pediatric nurse, and son Nalin is in college.

1989: Nikki Haley (nee Randhawa) and Michael Haley met as students at Clemson University.

Nikki Haley and her husband Michael Haley in June 2010. Brett Flashnick/AP

The couple met during Nikki's first weekend at Clemson when she was 17 and Michael was 19, The Herald reported.

College friends told Politico in a 2021 profile that Nikki's parents initially did not approve of her boyfriend, and that it was Nikki who decided that he should go by his middle name, Michael, instead of his first name, Bill.

September 7, 1996: Nikki and Michael wed in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Nikki Haley with her husband Michael Haley in June 2010. Brett Flashnick/AP

They held two wedding ceremonies, one Sikh and one Methodist.

"I was born and raised with the Sikh faith, my husband and I were married in the Methodist Church, our children have been baptized in the Methodist Church, and currently we attend both," she told The New York Times in 2010.

June 1998: They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Rena.

Nikki Haley sits with her husband, Michael, and their daughter, Rena, during her inauguration ceremony in January 2015. Richard Shiro/AP

Rena graduated from Clemson University in 2021, where she majored in nursing and minored in psychology, according to her LinkedIn profile. She now works as a pediatric nurse in South Carolina.

In July, Rena got engaged to longtime boyfriend Joshua Jackson, whom she met at Clemson.

"He askedShe said yes! And just like that, we have another son. So proud and happy for both of them," Nikki wrote on Twitter.

September 2001: Their son, Nalin, was born.

Nikki Haley with her husband, Michael, daughter Rena, and son Nalin in the drawing room of the Governor's Mansion in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2015. Richard Shiro/AP

Nalin is currently a junior at Villanova University.

Nikki posted on Twitter about helping her son move into his dorm for his sophomore year in 2021.

"Prayers that this year is better than the last Covid year," she wrote. "His class missed out on their high school senior year and freshman college year in so many ways. So proud of him but miss him already. Have a great year Nalin. We love you."

Story continues

November 2004: Nikki was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Nikki Haley as South Carolina State Representative for the 87th district in 2009. Tim Dominick/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Nikki unseated Larry Koon, who was the longest-serving legislator in South Carolina at the time, according to Greenville News.

She served three terms as a state representative until she ran for governor in 2010.

January 2011: Michael held the family Bible as Nikki was sworn in as governor of South Carolina.

Nikki Haley is sworn in as governor of South Carolina in January 2011. Gerry Melendez/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Nikki was the first woman to serve as governor of the state.

"On this special day, I want to thank Michael and my two sweet children for the unconditional love and support they continue to show me," she said in her inaugural address. "We as a family are honored to serve this great state."

January 2013: Michael began an 11-month deployment to Afghanistan with the National Guard.

Senator Lindsey Graham, Governor Nikki Haley, Captain Michael Haley, and daughter Rena Haley talk before a deployment ceremony in January 2013. Rainier Ehrhardt/AP

Michael joined the National Guard in 2006, but he was not deployed overseas until 2013. His unit, the Agribusiness Development Team, worked to help support local farmers in Afghanistan with growing crops to sustain their communities.

December 2013: Michael returned home from his tour of duty.

Nikki Haley hugs her husband, Michael Haley, during a homecoming ceremony in December 2013. Rainier Ehrhardt/AP

While he was deployed, Nikki and Michael communicated mostly by email, the Associated Press reported.

"There's a lot lost in translation," Michael said. "You don't get the emotion, the humor you get in one-on-one communication on the telephone or physically being there."

Michael arrived home just in time for Christmas.

"Seeing him, I felt like I took my first breath in a year," Nikki told the Associated Press.

November 2014: They visited India together to encourage trade and business opportunities with South Carolina.

Governor Nikki Haley and husband Michael Haley arrive at an event in Jalandhar, India. SHAMMI MEHRA/AFP via Getty Images

On the 10-day tour, Nikki met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and spoke to business leaders about investing in South Carolina.

"I see opportunity here. Our government structures are the same. We want to be here. I want Indian companies investing in South Carolina," Nikki said at an event with the Confederation of Indian Industry, The Economic Times reported.

January 2015: Nikki was sworn in for a second term as governor with her husband and children at her side.

Nikki Haley is sworn into her second term as governor in January 2015. Richard Shiro/AP

Nikki once again thanked her husband and children in her inaugural address.

"They understand that we are a family of service," she said. "Service always brings with it some level of sacrifice, but it is my family and their love of South Carolina that motivates me."

January 2017: The Haleys moved to New York City after President Donald Trump appointed Nikki to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.

Nikki Haley with President Donald Trump at the White House. Evan Vucci/AP

Despite public disagreements and tensions with Trump during the 2016 campaign, Nikki Haley accepted a position in his Cabinet, resigning as governor of South Carolina to serve as UN ambassador. She and her husband, son, and dog Bentley moved to a New York City apartment near the UN (Rena had already moved to the dorms of Clemson University).

"Certainly living in a city like this is very different, but we've all adjusted very well and my son loves it," Nikki told "Today" in March 2017. "He's decided he's a city boy and Bentley has gotten used to the fact that there's no grass. It's been great."

Nikki resigned as UN ambassador two years later.

September 2019: The Haleys moved back to South Carolina, prompting speculation that Nikki would reenter politics in the future.

Nikki Haley with her husband, Michael Haley, during the inauguration ceremony for South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster in Columbia, South Carolina, in January 2019. Sean Rayford/AP

The Haleys closed on a home on Kiawah Island in South Carolina.

"South Carolina has always been home for the Haleys, and they couldn't be more excited to return back to their family and friends in the Palmetto State," her spokesperson Chaney Denton told the Associated Press.

September 7, 2022: Nikki and Michael celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary.

Nikki Haley and her husband, Michael Haley, in Washington, DC. Alex Brandon/AP

"Thankful for 26 years of good times, challenging times, fun times, and sweet times with my best friend," Nikki wrote on Twitter. "Now going into a new season of growth for our kids, a wedding, and empty nesting. Here's to the next #26 I love you Michael."

Read the original article on Business Insider
LONDON (Reuters) - Nine global banks have invested a total of $45 million in a new platform to help scale up transactions of voluntary carbon credits and make it easier for their customers to participate in the market.

Demand for carbon offsets, generated through projects such as tree planting or using cleaner cooking fuel, is expected to soar as companies seek to use the credits to help meet net-zero emissions goals.

Currently the credits are often traded bilaterally on a project-by-project basis and through commodity exchanges.

Each of the banks - BBVA, BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest, Standard Chartered, SMBC and UBS  have invested $5 million in Carbonplace, which will connect buyers and sellers of credits through the banks.

The capital injection represents a commitment from some of the worlds largest financial institutions, which account for nearly $9 trillion in total assets, to achieve Carbonplaces vision of accelerating corporate climate action by providing transparent, secure and accessible carbon markets, Carbonplace said in a statement.

The credit platform will be available to the banks' corporate clients later this year, and in future could also be open to retail customers, Robin Green, Carbonplace Chief Technology Officer told Reuters.

He said the funding will be used to grow the team and scale up the platforms infrastructure.

Green said the offset credits available would be those issued by existing carbon offset standards groups such as Gold Standard and Verra.

(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
Why are our property taxes the highest in the nation? Its primarily because of New Jerseys inequitable distribution of state aid to schools, which helps offset local school property taxes.

New Jerseys complex formula for calculating state aid is arbitrary and nefarious. On a per-pupil basis, there is no equity in the formula, which, among other things, poorly calculates a communitys ability to fund its own schools i.e., local fair share.

New Jersey desperately needs a simple and more equitable approach.

While never leaving any child or community behind, the reform we need is the state paying 100% of special education costs while providing aid equal to X for every English-speaking student and Y for every English-language learner. The reform should also include a reasonable cost per pupil range.

New Jerseys complex formula for calculating state aid is arbitrary and nefarious. On a per-pupil basis, there is no equity in the formula, which, among other things, poorly calculates a communitys ability to fund their own schools i.e., local fair share. New Jersey desperately needs a simple and more equitable approach.

Who would oppose students across the state all being within a reasonable cost range for their constitutionally required thorough and efficient education? Certainly not our Supreme Court, lest they be in violation of our constitutions equal benefit clause.

More Ciattarelli:Phil Murphy did little more than a victory dance. What about NJ's problems?

In the current state budget, more than $12 billion in taxpayer dollars will be distributed, inequitably, to local school districts. As required by our state constitution, the aid comes from our income taxes. And so, for nearly 50 years, most New Jersey residents have been paying twice for schools  property taxes for their local schools and income taxes for someone elses schools.

Starting to get the picture on why New Jerseys overall tax burden is the highest in the nation?

Some are requesting more aid in order to keep New Jerseys school system the best in the nation. The request is specious considering the schools currently receiving the greatest amount of aid are failing. As for our system being the best in the nation, our top 30 districts skew the data significantly. Given the number of failing districts, were doing a great many students and families a huge disservice in making the best claim.

Story continues

Two states whose demographics match up well with New Jersey are Maryland and Massachusetts. Like New Jersey, both states rank in the top five nationally in K-12 performance. Heres the difference: according to the Education Data Initiative, each state spends $3,000 less per student in state aid than New Jersey. If our aid was on par with Maryland and Massachusetts, the savings would be $4 billion.

The reform we need must also address transparency and accountability. Whats happened in Newark since Gov. Phil Murphy gave back control to the local school board demonstrates why. Mind you, state aid to Newark schools exceeds $1 billion, which is 83% of that district's $1.2 billion budget (state aid is usually 10% to 20% of a local districts budget). For Newarks 38,000 students, thats $26,000 per, which is significantly more than districts across the state.

Recently, the Newark School Board approved sending district employees to conferences in Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Atlanta, Palm Springs, Puerto Rico and Honolulu. School board members also attended conferences in San Diego and Miami. The board failed to provide any detail or educational justification for the trips.

In January, the school board secretly approved a new five-year contract for the superintendent. There was no opportunity whatsoever for public comment. Newark parents are rightfully upset, especially considering that only 13% of the districts students are on grade level for math and just 27% for reading.

Sadly, Newark is not an outlier, just the most recent example of how the state doles out taxpayer money with no requirement or expectation for transparency, accountability, or, for that matter, results.

For these reasons and more, there is great demand for school choice in Newark, where the few charter schools are among the best performing in the nation. In fact, whenever a charter has opened or expanded in Newark, applications far exceed capacity, sadly sending some families home without a choice.

The most significant collateral damage of Murphys pandering to the teachers union, which fervently opposes charters, are the students and families in failing districts. While the governor has finally shown signs of relenting in his opposition to charters, during his first five years in office he has approved only one new charter school in Paterson. Perhaps the governor should speak with the Democratic governors of New York and Pennsylvania, both of whom wholly support school choice.

When it comes to school funding, whats happening in New Jersey is unconstitutional and terribly unfair to thousands of students and families. If were going to spend $4 billion more in state aid than comparable states, lets turn around failing districts by investing in charters and providing school choice.

Murphys fifth budget address is coming up. It provides yet another opportunity to do right by students and families in failing school districts. Yet another opportunity to reform a broken school funding system and, in so doing, lower our tax burden over the long term.

Jack Ciattarelli, the 2021 Republican nominee for New Jersey governor and a likely 2025 gubernatorial candidate, is a regular contributor to the opinion pages of USA TODAY Network New Jersey publications.

Jack Ciattarelli

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ property taxes school funding formula
New Mexico State Universitys 2023 Research and Creativity Week will take place during a new season compared to past events, and feature new events that are open to the public.

This years Research and Creativity Week will take place Feb. 21-25, culminating in the Three-Minute Thesis competition organized by the NMSU Graduate School and the College of Arts and Sciences. This year marks the first time the spring competition will be organized in conjunction with Research and Creativity Week, which in the past has taken place in the fall.

Efren Delgado, chair of the University Research Council and professor of food science and technology, said the theme this year is Research and Creativity Across Borders, which highlights collaborative efforts among universities and colleges in the region in the fields of both science and the humanities.

We shouldnt see science and art separate from each other, Delgado said. Across borders means thinking beyond the thought of sticking with once science. For example, math can work with social science and the arts to solve a specific problem. Thats our vision.

Research and Creativity Week kicks off Feb. 20 with a poetry night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Grounded, 300 N. Main in Las Cruces. Throughout the week, there will be symposiums, musical performances, a lightning talk, a post doc segment and plenaries, including an international workshop with representatives from universities in the region and Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico.

This years keynote speakers will be Jessica Hernandez, an Indigenous scholar and community advocate who will discuss the preservation of Indigenous communities; and Grant Douglas, a research scientist who developed the EUREECA technology for capture and containment of radionuclides from contaminated waters.

There will be musical performances taking place daily at the Atkinson Recital Hall. Nosotros, a Southwest-based Latin band, is scheduled to perform Tuesday evening, and the NMSU Jazz Bands featuring Chad James, Jesse Parker and Mike Trujillo will perform Thursday evening. Laura Spitzer, Jim Shearer and Celeste Shearer are schedule to perform Wednesday afternoon. And Randy Granger, a Las Cruces-based Native American flute player and storyteller, is scheduled to perform Friday evening.

Story continues

There will also be a data science symposium Feb. 24, along with presentations from centers and institutes housed at NMSU Feb. 21.

For more information, visit https://research.nmsu.edu/News/RCW/index.html.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU's Research and Creativity Week marks new dates, expanded research
TAOYUAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - There is "no arrangement" for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the deputy chairman of Taiwan's main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) said on Wednesday before leaving for Beijing, but added he would follow whatever his hosts set up.

Andrew Hsia, a former senior Taiwanese diplomat and one-time head of its China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council, is going to Beijing at a time of heightened tension, as China steps up military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over Taiwan.

Speaking at Taiwan's main international airport in Taoyuan, Hsia told reporters that he would be meeting Song Tao, the newly appointed head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

"As for Xi Jinping, there is no such arrangement," he said. "In the document submitted to the Mainland Affairs Council (I said I would) meet Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao. As for other people, our attitude has always been that as guests we are at our hosts' disposal, and if they make arrangements, we will not exclude them."

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has seized on the trip to attack the KMT for being too close to Beijing and wanting to sell out Taiwan, and has criticised Hsia for going to "pay court to the communists".

The KMT traditionally favours close ties with China, but strongly denies being pro-Beijing.

Hsia said he was going because it was important to talk to China and he was "not going to do anything political".

"We will follow our own pace, and only the interests of the Republic of China, of Taiwan, are in our minds," he added, using Taiwan's formal name.

Hsia last visited China in August shortly after Beijing staged war games near Taiwan to express its anger at a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, prompting a storm of criticism from Taiwan's government and even his own party for the timing of the trip.

China has not spoken with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's administration since she took office in 2016, believing she is a separatist, and has rebuffed frequent calls from Tsai for dialogue to resume.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Vladimir Putin

Read also: Russia to receive new batch of Iranian Shahed drones soon, Ukraines intel says

The intelligence service believes that the key focus for the dictator is "weakening support [for Ukraine] from allies such as the United States and NATO, and noted that even when Russia's military plans for a takeover failed due to Ukraine's ability to defend itself as well as U.S. and EU sanctions, "Putin's government showed no signs of weakness and is able to deploy the tools of propaganda imperialism."

"Putin is stalling for time, believing that Ukraine and the West will run out of steam before Russia does," the Estonian agency wrote.

Read also: So long as Putin is in the Kremlin: What awaits Russia and what the West is striving for

"Putin thinks that he can 'bomb' Ukraine and bring it to the negotiating table.

The Russian elite is increasingly concerned that Putin has "gone mad," Estonian intelligence suggests, but most of them lack the courage to take real steps to effect change. Tallinn suggests that in a potential post-Putin Russia, "there is no significant group that shares democratic values. Instead, the "radicals" are fighting for power, including the founder of the Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin and Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.

Estonian intelligence officials have called Putin's authoritarian regime "the Soviet Union 2.0, with no new Gorbachev on the horizon, let alone Yeltsin." They are also concerned that Russia's invasion has increased the risk of military conflict in the Baltic states.

Read also: Intelligence reveals how many high-precision missiles Russia has left

"As further mobilization and planned large-scale Russian military exercises later this year are expected to increase tensions on NATO's eastern flank," the FIS report says.

In an interview with Estonian newspaper Eesti Paevaleht, the head of Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Kaupo Rosin, also said that if Ukraine is defeated in the war unleashed by Russia, its resources could be taken away and directed against Western countries.

Meanwhile, Estonian intelligence consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia against Ukraine unlikely due to "international opposition and low military effectiveness." However, the "nuclear card" that Putin continues to keep on the table will continue to be used as a "tool of anti-Western influence.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A storm in the Black Sea has prevented Russia from deploying its missile carriers and conduct aerial reconnaissance

"We have a very powerful storm," she noted.

Read also: Storm in Black Sea sends Russian warships back to port, but threat of attack remains

This storm affects the military situation. The enemy's naval grouping keeps increasing and decreasing. It is currently in a critically small state as there is only one vessel. All the missile carriers are in their basing points and are taking shelter from the storm.

According to Humeniuk, it is also stormy in the Sea of Azov, so no ships have deployed there, either.

The storm has also stopped Russian efforts to conduct aerial reconnaissance, she added.

Read also: All Russian missile carriers withdrawn from Black Sea due to severe storm, says Ukrainian military

Therefore, taking advantage of the nature-induced pause, we are practicing combat tasks. Counter-battery counteraction continues.

Earlier, Humeniuk reported that Russian forces were preparing a subversive reconnaissance group in southern Ukraine, but were prevented by Ukrainian defenders.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Feb. 7A 64-year-old Spirit Lake man will spend at least 12 years behind bars for an "incredibly unnecessary and absurd" shooting that left the man's 66-year-old friend dead last summer in North Idaho.

First District Judge Lamont Berecz on Tuesday sided with the prosecutor's recommendation and sentenced Michael L. Schofield to life in prison with parole eligibility after 12 years for the killing of Steven M. Moore. Schofield pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in December.

Schofield told the Bonner County Sheriff's Office he shot Moore in the head after the man told him he could pull a knife and stab him before Schofield could draw his gun and shoot him.

"Words don't capture the gravity of how stupid this was," Berecz said.

Schofield, whose family sat in the front row of the gallery Tuesday, stood and apologized to the Moore family and his own family for the "inexcusable" killing. The Moore family attended virtually.

"It's not me," Schofield said of the shooting.

He then sat and looked down, saying he wished he remembered what happened that day and that Moore was a "good friend."

Schofield called 911 around 4:45 p.m. Aug. 5 saying he killed Moore and that he needed paramedics and police to take him to jail, according to court documents.

Bonner County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Valerie Fenton played the 911 call for the court Tuesday.

Schofield told the 911 dispatcher he and Moore were drinking and "being stupid," and that Moore threatened to kill him with a knife. Fenton said deputies did not find a knife on Moore.

Schofield said Moore did not make movements toward him prior to the shooting, according to documents.

"I shot him in the freakin' head. He's dead," Schofield said on the 911 recording.

Schofield sounded distraught during the phone call, saying expletives multiple times and that he was going to vomit.

Schofield looked down toward his lap while the 911 call played. He wore yellow jail clothing with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, with his hands cuffed in front of him.

Story continues

Fenton also showed the court a short video of Schofield pointing a gun at Moore the day before the murder.

Schofield told the sheriff's office that Moore "didn't have a chance," according to Fenton.

"This was an intentional act and a reckless one," Fenton said.

Documents say deputies detained Schofield in front of a home on the 3400 block of Spirit Lake Cutoff Road and found Moore dead in a chair in the yard. Moore was shot once in the face.

Deputies located a .45-caliber Smith and Wesson pistol on a table in the yard and a spent .45-caliber shell casing near an empty chair across from the chair Moore was in, according to court records .

Speaking to a deputy at the sheriff's office, Schofield said Moore lived with him the week before and was supposed to move out soon and go to Maryland.

Schofield said he and Moore had been drinking alcohol that day. Breathalyzer samples showed Schofield's blood alcohol content to be 0.18 and 0.19, documents say.

Schofield said he and Moore were sitting across from each other drinking, including taking whiskey shots, at a table in the front yard of the home north of Spirit Lake. After Moore made the statement about pulling a knife faster than Schofield could draw his gun, Schofield said he drew his Smith and Wesson from a nylon holster on his right hip and shot him in the head once, saying, "Boom, you're dead."

Attorney Robyn McPherson said her client did not remember many details from the day, but that Schofield shot Moore because Schofield "was afraid that Steve was going to stab him."

She said Moore was a "mean drunk."

"He had been berating and antagonizing Mike for days," McPherson said of Moore.

McPherson asked Berecz to impose a sentence that would allow Schofield to be eligible for parole in eight years, which could be a life sentence given her client's age and health issues, she said.

Berecz said he could not follow McPherson's eight-year sentence because it would send the wrong message to the community.

Kimberly Helms, Schofield's ex-partner, said after the sentencing "justice is being served."

"Our heart goes out to the Moore family," Helms said.
Seven northeastern states saw their warmest January on record, a federal report has found.

The unseasonal temperatures were just one aspect of Januarys broader pattern of weird weather, according to a report published on Wednesday by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maine all broke average temperature records for the usually frigid month, NOAA reported on Wednesday.

Those records came amid a winter heat wave that pushed national temperatures to 5 degrees above average, NOAA found.

Most of the U.S. east of the Rockies experienced higher-than-average temperatures, and New York, Pennsylvania and Indiana each had their second-warmest January on record.

The warm winter  which also brought a snow-free winter to New York  was part of a more extensive system of weird weather this January.

The unseasonal temperatures also led to below-average consumption of natural gas, dropping prices, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Tuesday.

But the unseasonal temperatures were just one aspect of Januarys broader pattern of weird weather.

More than 100 tornadoes struck the U.S. in January  a milestone that has happened only three times since 1950, according to the federal government.

Sixty-one tornadoes hit the southern U.S. during a single storm in early January, NOAA reported.

Those tornadoes were fueled by an enormous region-spanning storm, which was part of the same system as the succession of nine atmospheric rivers that pummeled California in December and January, National Weather Service meteorologist Allison Santorelli told Reuters in January.

Those storms resulted in at least 21 deaths, 1,400 rescues and 700 landslides.

Despite the lethal damage, the storm helped recharge Californias beleaguered snowpack, a natural battery that is the source of much of the states water.

As of press time, snowpack levels ranged from 168 percent to 236 percent of their normal January levels, according to the state Department of Water Resources.

Story continues

But even these repeated downpours  which helped raise U.S. national precipitation totals to half an inch above average  were not enough to make a serious dent in the drought.

About 43 percent of the U.S. is in drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported last month.

Thats better than how things looked at the start of the month. Heavy rains contracted or ended the drought across much of the Midwest, South and West  helping to decrease the portion of the U.S. in drought by 3 percent over January.

But these gains were offset as the drought expanded over the southern Plains, the Florida Peninsula, the Pacific Northwest and other parts of the Midwest.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- The Northern Ireland Protocol is valid and drawn up in line with UK legislation, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in a boost to Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks embattled government.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The UKs top court rejected the legal challenge from a disparate group of unionist lawmakers and Brexit supporters over the contentious agreement. The protocol, put in place to avoid a land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, doesnt violate the UKs constitution and the laws that bind Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK.

The decision is a spot of welcome news for the government as it tries to renegotiate the terms of the deal. The two sides are inching closer to unlocking a comprehensive deal. A resolution would end the drawn-out dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the wider Brexit deal signed in 2020.

The judges said the approval by the parliament as part of the Withdrawal Agreement came after intense and protracted Parliamentary involvement and the protocol is compatible with the UKs laws. The most fundamental rule of UK constitutional law is that Parliament, or more precisely the Crown in Parliament, is sovereign and that legislation enacted by Parliament is supreme.

The deal effectively placed a frontier in the Irish Sea  allowing Northern Ireland to remain in the EU single market. But it has disrupted trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain because of the burden of new paperwork and customs procedures.

Anti-protocol campaigners, including two former Northern Ireland first ministers, said it was incompatible with UK law as it threatens to dismantle the union. Two previous courts had tossed the challenge.

Story continues

The post-Brexit regime was agreed to allow movement of goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland, without turning their border into a soft target for smuggling goods between the UK and the EU.

A spokesperson for the UK government said the Supreme Court was right to reaffirm the sovereignty of Parliament and the government is determined to address the problems the protocol is causing in Northern Ireland.

Intensive talks with the EU continue to that end, looking across the full range of issues we have raised, the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The protracted negotiations over the trade regime have helped keep the politically polarizing debate simmering. The two sides, however, cleared a major hurdle in January, when the EU agreed to use the UKs live database system that tracks goods moving between the countries.

The protocol represents an existential threat to the future of Northern Irelands place within the union, Jeffrey Donaldson, the Democratic Unionist Party Leader, said after the after the ruling. The longer the protocol remains, the more it will harm the union itself.

A Sinn Fein party lawmaker took a different view:

--With assistance from Jonathan Browning and Morwenna Coniam.

(Updates with the UK government comments in the ninth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Norway's justice minister apologized Wednesday for having failed to admit, when quizzed in Parliament, that she had installed and used TikTok on her government-issued phone.

The popular video-sharing app is Chinese owned, which has raised fears in the West that Beijing could use it to scoop up user data or push pro-China narratives or misinformation.

Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl, 29, told lawmakers Wednesday that she had installed TikTok on her government phone for about a month last fall and has since deleted it. Questioned by opposition lawmakers in the past, she had dodged the issue citing security reasons.

I could have been open about this earlier, Enger Mehl said Wednesday. I am sorry that the matter has developed in that way. ... I see in retrospect that I should have been open about the fact that I had TikTok on a (government) phone earlier.

The matter arose in September, when Norway's Dagbladet newspaper reported that Enger Mehl's TikTok postings included photos and videos from her official duties. That sparked concern that sensitive information and government activity could have reached Chinese authorities.

In a television interview on Feb. 1, Enger Mehl admitted having installed TikTok on her government phone  three months after she was asked about it for the first time. She claimed that she had consulted with her ministry before the installation.

Erna Solberg, a former prime minister now in opposition, said it was stupid that a justice minister, whos responsible for security laws, has installed TikTok on her work phone. During her eight-year tenure, Solberg advised government officials against TikTok on work phones.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. Several U.S. states have moved to ban the video-sharing app from state-issued devices for government workers.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Chinese balloon that traversed the United States before being shot down last weekend captivated public attention and drew sharp denunciations as a brazen spying effort.

But if the vehicle for espionage seemed novel, the concept was anything but.

In ways that are far less public, but often more worrisome, U.S. officials say, the Chinese government has been targeting U.S. industry and government agencies with spy operations designed to collect troves of commercial secrets and sensitive personal data  and to generally give the global superpower a competitive edge.

It's been a constant concern for law enforcement and intelligence agencies across administrations.

"There's a long history of spying on each other. Theres a dance and a game that both sides do. In this particular instance, maybe the Chinese got their hands caught in the cookie jar," said Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert and managing director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific program.

China's not the only country the U.S. is concerned about, of course, but its efforts to penetrate American networks often seem more covert than noisy  in contrast, say, to the Russian hack-and-dump of Democratic emails before the 2016 presidential election. And its use of cyber spying to steal industry trade secrets, U.S. officials say, runs afoul of traditional espionage norms.

A look at past Chinese operations:

CYBERSECURITY CONCERNS

FBI Director Christopher Wray has repeatedly said the Chinese government has a larger hacking program than all other countries combined, used to steal personal and corporate data and lucrative source code.

China's government, Wray said in a speech last year, has the global reach and presence youd expect of the leadership of a great nation, but it refuses to act the part and too often uses its capabilities to steal and threaten, rather than to cooperate and build. He said in a separate address in London last summer that the Chinese government poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security.

Story continues

The threat was laid bare in 2014 when the Justice Department, in a first-of-its-kind prosecution, charged five Chinese military officials with hacking into private sector companies in an effort to steal trade secrets.

The following year, Chinese hackers accessed personal information on millions of federal government workers in a hack of the Office of Personnel Management. Subsequent Justice Department indictments have charged Chinese hackers with stealing information from health care insurer Anthem Inc., and with breaking into the computer networks of the Equifax credit reporting agency and obtaining the personal data of tens of millions of Americans.

OTHER ESPIONAGE OPERATIONS

U.S. officials have also disrupted other operations on U.S. soil that took place in person rather than behind a computer.

A former Chicago graduate student was sentenced to eight years in prison last month for spying for the Chinese government by gathering information on scientists and engineers in the U.S. with knowledge of aerospace and satellite technology.

The Justice Department has also alleged a more threatening type of physical surveillance, charging eight people in 2020 with working on behalf of the Chinese government in a pressure campaign aimed at coercing a New Jersey man who was wanted by Beijing into returning to China to face charges.

TECHNOLOGY CONCERNS

The U.S. has long warily regarded China-based companies suspected of having the potential to improperly access user data.

U.S. officials are in private talks about the fate of TikTok, the hugely popular video app that is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. Wray in December raised national security alarms about the company, saying China could use the app to collect data on its users and has the ability to control the app's recommendation algorithm. TikTok says it has been working to assuage those concerns.

And the U.S. for years has taken action against Chinese tech giant Huawei, alleging that it has the capacity to facilitate spying  a claim the company vigorously denies. Last month, the Biden administration stopped approving renewal of licenses to some U.S. companies that have been selling essential components to the Chinese company.

WHAT CHINA HAS SAID

When it comes to the balloon itself, China has called it a civilian aircraft used for meteorological research that posed no threat and entered U.S. airspace accidentally.

More broadly, the Chinese Embassy in Washington has repeatedly accused the U.S. of making what it says are baseless and malicious attacks, and has said the U.S. has carried out the same type of hacking operations that it accuses Beijing of doing.

Of course, not all U.S. investigations centered on China have proven successful.

The Trump administration in 2018 developed a program known as the China Initiative" aimed at cracking down on espionage operations, but it was rebranded last year following a monthslong review in response to complaints that the program chilled academic collaboration and contributed to anti-Asian bias. Several criminal cases against professors in the U.S. who had been accused of concealing research from China have also faltered.

_____

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
Novak Djokovic, shown here in 2019 at the BNP Paribas Open, is scheduled to return to the event following a four-year hiatus.

Five-time BNP Paribas Open champion Novak Djokovic could return to the Indian Wells tournament for the first time since 2019, and he joins fellow Grand Slam king Rafael Nadal as the biggest headliners on the entry field list that was released Wednesday.

Djokovic, the top-ranked player in the men's game, did not play in the tournament in 2021 and 2022 as he was unable to travel into the country as a foreigner who had not received the COVID-19 vaccination. The tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Currently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) vaccination requirement for international visitors to the United States is in place until April 10. That could preclude Djokovic from playing at Indian Wells unless his vaccination status has changed, the requirement is lifted or he receives an exemption before then.

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote this week on a bill that would end the vaccine requirement for foreign travelers flying into the country.

This years BNP Paribas Open will be held March 6-19 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. With or without Djokovic, this year's entry field looks strong.

Headlining the women's side of the entry list is Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked player in the world, and second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Swiatek and Sabalenka are the two most recent Grand Slam winners in the women's game, and Swiatek is the defending champion at Indian Wells.

Nadal, who is tied with Djokovic for the all-time record in the men's game with 22 Grand Slam titles, reached the singles final at last years event before losing to American Taylor Fritz. The loss snapped a 21-match win streak for Nadal to start the 2022 season.

The 36-year-old Spanish tennis star is coming off a hip flexor injury he suffered earlier this month at the Australian Open. He was initially expected to miss six to eight weeks on the World Tour, and Indian Wells will start about seven weeks after the injury. Players on the entry list can still withdraw their names later, if needed.

Story continues

Eighth-ranked Fritz, 25, became the first American, man or woman, to win an Indian Wells singles title since 2001. He is slated to return to defend his title next month.

Joining Fritz on the men's entry list is second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, the teenage Spanish tennis sensation who reached the BNP Paribas Open semifinals last year. Alcaraz has not played yet this year due to a leg injury. His presence at Indian Wells would add more star power to the tournament field.

Other big names entered include third-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, fourth-ranked Casper Ruud of Norway and fifth-ranked Andrey Rublev of Russia. Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the seventh-ranked player, ninth-ranked Holger Rune and 10th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz are also among those slated to return to the tournament this year.

Eleventh-ranked Cam Norrie, the 2021 Indian Wells champion, Daniil Medvedev, who ranks 12th, and 20th-ranked Nick Kyrgios are three more names on the entry list to watch.

Iga Swiatek of Poland signs autographs for fans after winning the WTA singles title at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., Sunday, March 20, 2022.

Also headlining the womens entry list is third-ranked Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, American Jessica Pegula, who ranks fourth, fifth-ranked Caroline Garcia of France and sixth-ranked Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old American tennis star. Last year's singles finalist, seventh-ranked Maria Sakkari of Greece, is also on the entry list.

Joining Swiatek as a women's singles returning champion will be Paula Badosa (ranked 21st) of Spain, Victoria Azarenka (16th) of Belarus and Bianca Andreescu (37th) of Canada. All are on the entry list. Badosa won the event in 2021, Azarenka in 2012 and 2016 and Andreescu in 2019 as a wild card entry.

Paula Badosa of Spain reacts after defeating Veronika Kudermetova of Russia during their quarterfinal match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Thursday, March 17, 2022.

One notable name missing is Naomi Osaka, who announced earlier this month that she is pregnant and will take the 2023 season off. Other big names who are ranked outside the top 40 may still gain entry to the main draws with wild card invites to the BNP Paribas Open.

The return of Djokovic, who holds the best win percentage (84.75%) at the iconic desert tournament, would be particularly significant. The Serbian tennis star won Indian Wells titles in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and he set the tournament record with 20 consecutive wins from 2014 to 2017.

Only Roger Federer, who retired last year, has won as many BNP Paribas Open titles as Djokovic, 35, who will now have a chance to surpass Federers five titles and set nearly every other major Indian Wells record at this years tournament.

Notable Americans on the entry list

With Fritz, Pegula, Gauff and several other notable Americans on the entry list, the homegrown talent in this year's BNP Paribas Open may be greater than it has been in decades. Here are a few of the names to watch for:

On the men's side, 2023 Australian Open standouts Tommy Paul (19th), Sebastian Korda (26th) and Ben Shelton (41st) are set to appear in the desert, as well as 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe (14th). Jenson Brooksby (36th), John Isner (39th), J.J. Wolf (43rd), Reilly Opelka (44th) and 2022 ATP Next Generation Finals champion Brandon Nakashima (46th) are also set to compete. That's 10 Americans in the men's draw alone.

Jessica Pegula of the United States runs wide for a return against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their round four match of the BNP Paribas Open, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, in Indian Wells, Calif.

On the women's side, the American talent is also strong. Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens (40th) as well as former Grand Slam finalists Madison Keys (24th) and Danielle Collins (2nd) are also set to return to Indian Wells.

The remaining spots in the 2023 BNP Paribas Open draws will be filled by the winners of the qualifying tournament (March 6-7) and wild card recipients, who will be announced in the coming weeks.

Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley and beyond for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.johnj@desertsun.com.

Novak Djokovic signs a fan's arm after practicing at the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2019.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Novak Djokovic on Indian Wells entry list, could play
For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it currently lacks a track record of revenue and profit. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else investors will move on and the company will wither away.

If this kind of company isn't your style, you like companies that generate revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing (Catalist:508). Now this is not to say that the company presents the best investment opportunity around, but profitability is a key component to success in business.

Check out our latest analysis for Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing

Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing's Earnings Per Share Are Growing

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price should eventually follow. So it makes sense that experienced investors pay close attention to company EPS when undertaking investment research. Shareholders will be happy to know that Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing's EPS has grown 29% each year, compound, over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be beaming.

Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. While Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing may have maintained EBIT margins over the last year, revenue has fallen. While this may raise concerns, investors should investigate the reasoning behind this.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing isn't a huge company, given its market capitalisation of S$16m. That makes it extra important to check on its balance sheet strength.

Story continues

Are Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Many consider high insider ownership to be a strong sign of alignment between the leaders of a company and the ordinary shareholders. So as you can imagine, the fact that Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing insiders own a significant number of shares certainly is appealing. To be exact, company insiders hold 72% of the company, so their decisions have a significant impact on their investments. Intuition will tell you this is a good sign because it suggests they will be incentivised to build value for shareholders over the long term. Of course, Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing is a very small company, with a market cap of only S$16m. So despite a large proportional holding, insiders only have S$12m worth of stock. That's not a huge stake in absolute terms, but it should help keep insiders aligned with other shareholders.

Is Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing Worth Keeping An Eye On?

You can't deny that Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. This EPS growth rate is something the company should be proud of, and so it's no surprise that insiders are holding on to a considerable chunk of shares. Fast growth and confident insiders should be enough to warrant further research, so it would seem that it's a good stock to follow. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing you should be aware of, and 1 of them can't be ignored.

Although Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

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 City Councils Progressive Caucus could lose as many as 10 members due to an internal dispute over law enforcement funding, multiple sources told the Daily News on Tuesday.

The caucus, which is considered highly influential in the Council due to its sheer size, recently asked its 35 Democratic members to sign a Statement of Principles in order to remain in the group.

The two-page document obtained by The News spells out the caucus priorities for this years budget negotiations with Mayor Adams, touching on a variety of issues, including housing, education and sustainability.

It also includes an entry about law enforcement funding: We will do everything we can to reduce the size and scope of the NYPD and the Department of Correction, and prioritize and fund alternative safety infrastructure that truly invests in our communities.

That proposed pledge has stirred an uproar among some Progressive Caucus members who fear it will provide ammunition for Republicans to paint Democrats as anti-police.

As a result, at least 10 concerned Council Democrats have either already stepped down from the caucus or alerted caucus leadership that they will not sign the statement as long as it contains the language about police funding, four sources directly familiar with the matter told The News.

Its an exodus, said one Council member whos considering bailing from the caucus and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Progressive Caucus leadership informed members they have until this Friday to decide whether theyre going to ink the statement.

Two members who have already left the caucus over the police funding flap are Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan and Bronx Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez, who went public over the weekend with their decisions. Both of them are expected to face competitive general election challenges from Republicans in this years Council elections.

Manhattan Councilman Shaun Abreu, Manhattan Councilman Keith Powers and Queens Councilwoman Lynn Schulman followed suit by confirming Monday they wont sign the missive unless the law enforcement funding language is stricken or softened, as first reported by Politico.

Story continues

Since then, five more members  Manhattan and Bronx Councilwoman Diana Ayala, Queens Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers, Bronx Councilman Eric Dinowitz, Manhattan Councilwoman Julie Menin and Brooklyn Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse  have privately made clear they are unlikely to stay in the caucus because of the law enforcement issue, the sources familiar with the matter said.

Ayala, who serves as chairwoman of the Councils powerful General Welfare Committee, confirmed to The News on Tuesday she has already left the caucus.

But Ayala also said she wouldnt have signed onto the pledge if she wasnt already exiting for other reasons.

Its not the most responsible thing to sign onto pledges before weve even started negotiating, Ayala said of budget talks with the mayors team.

Narcisse, who represents a slice of southern Brooklyn that includes Canarsie and Mill Basin, confirmed shes contemplating not signing the Progressive Caucus pledge.

Whatever decision I make, it has to be based on my constituents, she said. I have to meet them where they are. My district is a lot of police officers, a lot of retirees, so you figure that one out.

Brooks-Powers, whos a member of Council leadership as majority whip, declined to comment on the record, as did Dinowitz. Menin did not return a request for comment.

The Council infighting comes on the heels of Adams unveiling a preliminary budget proposal for next fiscal year that would keep NYPD funding effectively flat, while cutting spending on other initiatives, including social services. Adams proposed cuts have drawn backlash from many Council members, though few have called for slicing funding for the NYPD instead.

The Progressive Caucus top four members, Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler, Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif, Brooklyn Councilwoman Jennifer Gutierrez and Manhattan Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa, defended their push for reducing the size and scope of the NYPD on Tuesday. In a joint statement, they said their demand for members to sign the pledge reflects their commitment to progressive values and a just vision for New York City.

A member who spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid said shrinking the Progressive Caucus isnt necessarily bad as it currently comprises nearly the entire Democratic Council conference.

Were hoping that the bylaw reforms will make a stronger progressive faction, the member said.

But one of the Council members whos likely to leave the caucus said the pledge sends the wrong message.

Im not signing a pledge to ignore the will of my constituents, and they dont want to defund or abolish the NYPD, the member said.
Weeks after going on strike at two private hospitals in New York City, a nurses union is calling on the citys public hospitals to commit to paying its members salaries comparable to what they now make in the private sector.

The New York State Nurses Association recently laid out its demand in a letter to the citys Health + Hospitals network. It is based on contracts negotiated last month with several private hospitals that ended in pay increases and assurances of better staffing.

If you dont have pay parity between the private sections and the public section, well never be able to attract nurses to work at H+H, Nancy Hagans, the unions president, told the Daily News on Wednesday.

After our recent contract victories, the gap is about $19,000 a year, Hagans said. And the nurses are trained the same way, the nurses are taking care of the patients, same care, the nurses are working very hard, same education  so these nurses, were afraid, will leave and go into the private sector.

Concerns over fair pay and a nurses exodus from the citys public hospitals are also fueling worries that those hospitals wont be able to maintain nurse-to-patient staffing ratios laid out in the unions current deal with the city, Hagans said.

But the city is also contending with potentially huge budget shortfalls in the coming years. While Mayor Eric Adams voiced support for nurses who went on strike at private hospitals last month, its unclear how sympathetic he and his Office of Labor Relations will be to their counterparts at public hospitals given the potential fiscal crunch.

The citys public hospital network  made up of 11 hospitals and dozens of other smaller medical facilities  largely serve the poor. Some, like Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, are the only local facilities equipped to deal with acute mental health issues or severe trauma such as gunshot or stab wounds.

Sonia Lawrence, a nurse at Lincoln for nearly three decades, said between the burnout nurses experienced during the COVID pandemic and the new contracts with private hospitals, nurses she works with are now making the decision to jump ship.

Story continues

Were hemorrhaging nurses. On some units, in one week, we have had four nurses leave, she said.

We are always doing more with less. We care for all New Yorkers, regardless of their socioeconomic status, their insurance, their race, their color, their ability to pay or their immigration status. But we are exhausted, Lawrence continued.

Staffing has always been a problem for us, she said. But with the pandemic and the new contracts that have just come for our private siblings, it has escalated the situation beyond control. And now our public hospitals are in a crisis.

Negotiations between the citys Health + Hospitals network and the union are expected to begin next month  around the same time the unions contract with H+H expires on March 6.

Exactly what direction those negotiations will take is not yet apparent, but in the unions recent letter to H+H and the citys Office of Labor Relations, NYSNAs Executive Director Pat Kane signaled the union will rely on a currently inactive provision of the unions current contract thats focused on pay parity, saying that the parity issue represents an existential crisis for nurses.

This provision has been suspended during the life of the agreement, which ends on March 2, 2023, she wrote. NYSNA intends to reactivate this.

According to Kanes Feb. 1 letter, many of the private hospitals that agreed to raises in the coming years are on the current contracts parity calculation list.

With these new (contract) settlements, the salary-parity gap will be over $19,000, she wrote. These increases are being implemented now, and every NYC H+H NYSNA nurse knows about them.

Before the new contracts, the average pay gap between private and public hospital nurses was more than $14,000, Kane noted.

Unlike the negotiations the union had with several private hospitals last month, the upcoming contract talks with the citys public hospital network do not carry with them the threat of a strike, given the legal prohibitions against public employees walking off the job.

That was not the case at private hospitals in January, though.

Last month, nurses at two private hospitals  at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan  walked off the job for days after negotiations ground to a halt. Talks at both hospitals eventually resumed and led to new contracts, but the relatively short strikes caused chaos, leaving patients and their families anxious about quality of care.

Throughout the strike, NYSNA received an outpouring of support  most notably from elected officials, including Mayor Adams, who said at the time that he was a strong supporter of the nurses.

But now that the mayors administration is facing its own set of demands from the union, it is uncertain how he and his team will proceed. A spokesperson from his office did not immediately respond to questions about the upcoming contract negotiations and neither did H+H.

While Adams may factor in his past support of striking nurses, he also has much broader fiscal headaches of his own to contend with. According to recent budget calculations, the city is looking at a projected budget shortfall of up to $6.5 billion in 2026.
NEW YORK  An off-duty New York City police officer who was shot in the head during a botched robbery died Tuesday, the police commissioner said as officials also announced a murder charge against a suspect.

Officer Adeed Fayaz, 26, was shot Saturday in Brooklyn, where he and his brother-in-law went to buy a car posted on Facebook Marketplace from a man later identified as the alleged shooter, authorities said.

"Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city," NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a social media post Tuesday evening. "Our Department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers."

This undated photo released by the New York City Police Department shows Officer Adeed Fayaz. Fayaz, an off-duty NYPD officer who was shot in the head on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, during a botched robbery, died Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, the police commissioner said as officials also confirmed the arrest of a suspect. (New York City Police Department via AP)

Fayaz's family and dozens of police officers gathered outside a Brooklyn hospital Tuesday evening as his body was loaded into an ambulance and driven away in a procession.

Police officials said earlier Tuesday that Randy Jones, 38, was arrested at Days Inn in Nanuet on Monday in connection with the shooting. Tuesday night, authorities announced Jones was charged with murder and attempted robbery. It was unclear if Jones has a lawyer who could respond to the allegations.

Fayaz, married with two young children, agreed to meet Jones on Saturday to buy a car for $24,000, Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference. When Fayaz and his brother-in-law arrived, Jones asked "jokingly" if the men were armed, Essig said. Jones then put Fayaz in a headlock and demanded the money, the chief said.

Fayaz said he didn't have the money, Essig said, and Jones pointed a gun at Fayaz's brother-in-law. Fayaz broke free from the headlock and Jones shot him in the head, Essig said.

Jones ran, firing more shots at he fled, Essig said. The brother-in-law grabbed Fayaz's gun from his hip and fired several shots as well, he said. The brother-in-law was not injured.

Jones drove off in a 2011 BMW that was registered to his mother, Essig said.

Jones was arrested Monday at a Days Inn in Nanuet, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of New York City. A woman and five children ages 6 months to 11 years were with him at the motel, Essig said. Police detained Jones using Fayaz's handcuffs, Essig said.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYPD cop dies, murder charge added to suspect who fled to Rockland
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) declined to give her support to President Biden for a potential 2024 White House bid during an interview ahead of his State of the Union speech.

I got here through a primary process, and out of deep respect for that, I never try to jump ahead of it, Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview with CNN. I would enthusiastically support him if he were the Democratic nominee.

Ocasio-Cortez said she hopes that Biden articulates big and bold legislative proposals in his address, pointing to plans to tax the rich and curb stock buybacks. She said that Biden needs to lay out ambitious plans for racial justice, climate change and abortion rights.

In any candidacy, we need to see what the plan is for our future, Ocasio-Cortez said.

Biden has not officially declared his campaign for the White House in 2024, but he has said he intends to run. His speech on Tuesday night is expected to serve as a platform for his reelection bid.

While no Democrat has stepped forward to challenge Biden yet, polling from this week shows that Democratic voters would prefer the party nominate someone else to be the nominee in 2024, a precarious position for an incumbent president to find himself in.

Former President Trump has already launched his campaign for 2024, and other Republicans are expected to enter the contest.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A man walks towards Union Terminal after departing the Amtrak Cardinal train in Cincinnati in 2021.

Ohio will apply for federal funding to study the possibility of expanding Amtrak service in the state, the Ohio Rail Development Commission announced Wednesday.

The federal support would allow the commission to examine two potential rail corridors: One that connects Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, and another that hits Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit. But state officials emphasized that this is the first step in a long process.

"We have a lot of questions that need to be answered before we make any commitments," Gov. Mike DeWine said. "The information we gather from this effort will help us make informed decisions about federal opportunities for passenger rail in Ohio."

The federal program is part of the bipartisan infrastructure law championed by Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Sen. Rob Portman.

"Expanding Amtrak in Ohio, whether along current routes or by connecting Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati, would transform our states economy and improve mobility for all Ohioans," Brown said in a statement.

Amtrak previously signaled that it wants to construct a new line connecting Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati. The company agreed to cover the cost of construction, track upgrades and operating costs for at least five years, then split the estimated $17 million to $20 million annual operating costs with the state.

The roughly $100 million cost to build the line would come from the infrastructure package.

If Ohio's application is approved, it would get $500,000 for each proposed route from the Federal Railroad Administration. The state could then use the money to develop a plan that details what's needed to make the corridors happen. That includes information on everything from state funding to operating costs and track improvements.

Advocates have long called for Ohio to expand its passenger rail services.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Will Ohio expand passenger rail? Gov. Mike DeWine takes first step
An Oklahoma state senator plans to revise proposed legislation to bar transgender adults up to 26 years old from accessing gender-affirming health care, lowering the age threshold to 18 amid backlash from LGBTQ and civil rights groups.

Yeah, so, we are lowering the age, state Sen. David Bullard (R), the primary sponsor of Oklahoma Senate Bill 129, told the Washington Examiner in an interview this week. It is now going to actually be in Senate Bill 613. And we are lowering the age to 18.

The bill was introduced in January as the Millstone Act in a reference to a Bible verse about punishing sinners.

Bullards original bill sought to bar state health care providers from administering or recommending gender-affirming medical care, including puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries, to patients younger than 26 years old. Violators would face felony charges and the loss of their medical licenses.

The proposed legislation would have prohibited public funds from being used to either directly or indirectly provide gender-affirming health care to an individual younger than 26 and would have barred the state Medicaid program from covering procedures related to a persons gender transition.

It is unclear whether those provisions will be included in the revised bill. The Hill has reached out to Bullards office for clarification.

The original proposal drew sharp backlash from LGBTQ advocates, who said the measure would have dire consequences for transgender and gender-nonconforming people in Oklahoma. Ahead of Gov. Kevin Stitts (R) State of the State address on Monday, hundreds of protesters crowded into the state Capitol to rally support for LGBTQ rights.

At least 15 bills to heavily restrict or ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youths and young adults have been introduced this year by Oklahoma lawmakers, whose 2023 legislative session began Monday.

During a special session in September, Oklahoma legislators approved a measure to block the University of Oklahoma Medical Center from using federal funds to provide gender-affirming medical care to minors.

Story continues

Stitt signed the bill into law the following month and in a signing statement called on the legislature to ban all irreversible gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors in Oklahoma.

We cannot turn a blind eye to whats happening all across our nation, and as governor I will not allow life-altering transition surgeries on minor children in the state of Oklahoma, he said.

Stitt on Monday again asked the legislature to send a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors to his desk.

Most major medical organizations agree that gender-affirming health care for transgender youths and adults is safe, medically necessary and often lifesaving.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Oklahoma's Senate Rules Committee will consider a bill Wednesday that would ban minors from receiving gender transition surgery and hormone therapy. Such a bill had been requested by Gov. Kevin Stitt in his State of the State address to the Legislature on Monday.

"We must protect our most vulnerable  our children," Stitt said in his speech. "We shouldnt allow a minor to get a permanent gender-altering surgery in Oklahoma."

During the address, a trans rights group gathered at the Capitol and demonstrated peacefully in the rotunda chanting "trans lives matter" and carrying signs reading "Stop the Attack" and "You Can't Erase Us."

People hold signs at a trans support rally on Monday before the start of the Legislature and Gov. Kevin Stitt's State of the State speech to the joint session.

On the committee's agenda are two bills, one of which would ban gender transition procedures for everyone under 18. The other includes the same prohibitions for people under 26.

More:Anti-trans legislation is on the rise, and Oklahoma is part of 'massive uptick'

The bills cannot move forward without committee action, but even with committee backing they would face a long approval process before they could be sent to the governor for signature into law.

State Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, is the author of Senate Bill 613, which would allow for a doctor's license to be revoked if they provide "gender reassignment medical treatment" to minors under 18.

People hold signs during a trans support rally Monday in the Capitol rotunda.

Daniels' bill defines that kind of treatment three ways:

Interventions to suppress the development of endogenous secondary sex characteristics

Interventions to align the patients appearance or physical body with the patients gender identity

Medical therapies and medical intervention used to treat gender dysphoria

More:Oklahoma lawmaker wants to ban surgery for some trans adults

The other bill introduced by Durant Republican David Bullard, would ban all gender reassignment hormones and surgeries for people under 26 years old.

Bullard previously told The Oklahoman he believes gender-affirming medical care like this is "a permanent solution to a temporary problem," and that 25-year-olds haven't reached full cognitive development and shouldn't make that kind of decision.

Story continues

A person wears a T-shirt proclaiming "Trans Lives Matter" at a trans support rally on Monday before the start of the Legislature and Gov. Kevin Stitt's State of the State address to the joint session.

On Monday, one of the protestors at the Capitol, King David Thomas, said he prays that LGBT people are recognized and treated like human beings.

"Yes, we may be queer, trans, gay, lesbian, but that's just a part of us as people. If you can't treat us like people because of just one thing, they will never treat us like people," Thomas said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gender transition surgery bill considered by Oklahoma Senate committee
A 19-year-old accused of opening fire in an Olathe high school in March and injuring a school resource officer is pleading not guilty.

Jaylon Elmore appeared for a preliminary hearing Monday afternoon, according to Melody Webb, a spokeswoman for the Johnson County District Attorneys Office. The judge heard evidence from four witnesses before Elmore was bound over for trial.

Elmores scheduling conference is set for scheduling April 10.

The former Olathe East High School student, a senior at the time of the shooting, was charged with attempted capital murder, felony possession of a firearm and two counts of criminal use of a weapon.

The day of the incident, school administrators brought Elmore to the office after a student told a school counselor she was afraid because another student had brought a gun to school, according to court documents.

After allegedly refusing to let the officer search his backpack, prosecutors claim Elmore fired the first shots, striking the officer in the chest and in the leg.

The officer returned fire, striking Elmore twice. The assistant principal tackled Elmore and was shot twice. The district attorneys office released a statement shortly after, indicating that the assistant principal was most likely shot by the school resource officer during the scuffle.

While the officer and assistant principal were released shortly after the shooting, Elmore was hospitalized in critical condition for an extended period of time until he was booked in Johnson County Jail.

Former teachers and family members paint a complex picture of the defendant. One former teacher told The Star Elmore was dealt a tough hand. The student was described as polite but could be prone to outbursts of anger.

It takes a hurt kid to hurt, the teacher said.

Elmore remains in custody on a $1 million bond.
The troubled past of a North Omaha property is finally taking a new shape. About 20 years ago, The Wintergreen Apartments sat at 51st and Sorensen but were run into disrepair by one-time owner Avrim Cimmering. He faced legal consequences and in 2006, the city decided to tear down the complex. This left behind a lot vulnerable to dumping. Soon after, Habitat for Humanity came in. A new  and very different project for Habitat Omaha at the site of the former Wintergreen Apartments took shape.
Our message is clear: Its time to limit police contact with the public and decrease the opportunities law enforcement has to introduce violence to non-violent situations. This means limiting police power to stop people on mere pretext, repealing laws that criminalize people who speak out against police abuses, and investing directly into communities instead of pouring billions into the militarized forces that kill us but have no legal duty to protect us.

At least 1,186 people were killed by police in the United States in 2022, the deadliest year for police killings on record. Thats an average of 3 people a day murdered by police: someones child, parent, sibling, significant other and neighbor.

Three times a day, a human being had their life snuffed out at the hands of the state, likely with little to no consequence. Most police killings in 2022 occurred where officers were called to respond to suspected non-violent offenses or no offense at all. Fully 7% of police killings occurred during a stop for a traffic violation. These figures do not include the countless number of people who were beaten, tased, maced, choked, threatened, and sexually harassed or assaulted by police officers. Police violence transforms traffic stops and other non-violent situations what should in theory be dull encounters into sites of fear, death, and brutality in the United States.

Police brutality has become a virus in America

Around the world, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights works to advance equity and social justice, protecting human rights defenders who speak out against state-sponsored injustice. Now, more than ever, that work is needed at home, as police murders mount in record numbers and politicians dismantle First Amendment protections.

Since 2020, legislatures have introduced over 100 bills aimed at punishing or restricting protest-related activity. These laws, which often expand criminal penalties for protestors and shield from liability people who maim or kill protestors, are now being deployed by police and prosecutors to intimidate people from exercising their rights to assemble and speak truth to power.

Story continues

Just as chilling, when people spoke out publicly for accountability, politicians gave police additional tools to violently repress demands for justice.

Delia Addo-Yobo

From Floyd to Nichols: change has yet to come

On January 7, 2023, Tyre Nichols was viciously beaten by police officers in Memphis who pulled him over due to an alleged traffic violation. They then beat Tyre so badly that his own family said he was unrecognizable. He died three days later.

The officers who murdered Nichols were a part of Memphis now-permanently deactivated SCORPION unit. The units modus operandi was initiating traffic stops with the intention to look for evidence of more serious crimes, searching peoples vehicles, and arresting them.

The Supreme Court blesses these tactics, referring to them in dry legal terms as pretextual stops. But the people who endure them recognize them as harassment, bullying, and terror. Decades of research confirm that pretextual stops increase the probability of racial profiling by law enforcement. And Tyres case is only one example of how police can use their ever-expanding power for violent, tragic purposes.

After the police murdered George Floyd in 2020, millions of Americans assembled peaceably in city streets across the country to demand an end to police violence. Viral videos captured the violent responses of police forces that beat, gassed, and shot protestors, some of whom permanently lost their vision after being shot by police with rubber bullets.

Politicians then answered cries for justice with reforms that ended up increasing funding and resources for police forces across the country: body cameras, racial diversification of police forces, de-escalation and cultural awareness training, legislative clarifications on when the use of deadly force is appropriate, and reporting requirements when police seriously injure or kill people. None of these stopped police killings.

Anthony Enriquez

The day before the video of Tyre Nichols murder by police was released, Georgia governor Brian Kemp called in the national guard to crush protests by environmentalists against the construction of a police training facility in Atlanta on forest grounds that had been previously designated for protection as a city park. Earlier that week, a police SWAT team had raided a protestor encampment, shooting and killing 26-year-old Manuel Teran. Their death is the first recorded instance in the US of the murder of an environmental activist, a shameful practice in other countries such as Brazil and Honduras. In the wake of Manuels death, other environmental protests in Atlanta have been arrested and charged with domestic terrorism in an effort to scare the community into submission.

How much time do you want for your progress? Decades ago, literary giant and civil rights activist James Baldwin questioned calls for an incremental change approach to racial justice in America. Arguably, little has changed since then, as police executions rage on across the country.

It is time, once again, to collectively raise the public conscious with our voices, demand change, and support concrete action. Supporting the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which helps protect protestors experiencing repression, is one place to start. Today, we call out injustices abroad, yet domestically police officers continue to kill indiscriminately. When people rightfully demand better, they are criminalized and punished by legislators for seeking accountability and safety.

We can and must do better.

Anthony Enriquez and Delia Addo-Yobo are attorneys for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How much longer must we wait for progress on police brutality?
The daughter of a missing 74-year-old South Florida Lyft driver confirmed Tuesday that he has died.

Gary Levin disappeared after he completed a roughly three-hour, 100-mile ride from Delray Beach to Okeechobee on Jan. 30, his family said. On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed the identity of the human remains found Feb. 4 in Okeechobee County.

My dad was truly a one of (a) kind person, if you knew him or even met him once you know exactly what I mean when I say that, Lindsay DiBetta, 36, wrote on Facebook. The stories I have received about him from friends, family and complete strangers over the last week have lifted me up more than you can ever realize.

READ MORE: None of it makes sense. Missing South Florida Lyft drivers car used in N.C. chase

His car was at the center of a police chase in North Carolina Thursday, reports say. The man caught driving it was arrested on a warrant out of Hardee County, an FDLE spokesperson told the Miami Herald.

Rutherford County, North Carolina, Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg told the Associated Press Levins car, a 2022 red Kia Stinger, was seen in the state on Thursday evening after U.S. Marshals were alerted to be on the lookout.

Matthew Scott Flores, 35, was behind the wheel of the car and is wanted in North Carolina and Florida for multiple felonies, the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office wrote on Facebook. In Florida, he is facing charges of second-degree murder, possession of firearm by convicted felon, discharge firearm in public and violation of supervised pre-trial release.

Details of the charges were not immediately available. After the multi-county police chase, Flores was arrested by authorities and treated for suspected drug use.

Florida authorities havent said whether Flores is a suspect in Levins death, but FDLE said that the homicide investigation remains active.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Opal Lee, the 96-year-old Texan whose efforts helped make Juneteenth a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S., became on Wednesday only the second Black person whose portrait will hang in the senate chamber of the state Capitol.

Lawmakers gave a lengthy standing ovation for Lee, who two years ago stood next to President Joe Biden as Juneteenth officially became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. She had organized walks in cities across the U.S. as part of her campaign to have June 19 recognized as a federal holiday.

Lee was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

Her painting will join those of other celebrated Texas figures on the walls of the 135-year-old Capitol, where nearly a dozen Confederate markers remain in and around the building. Lee, who is from Fort Worth and often called the  grandmother of Juneteenth, joins the late U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan as the only two Black Texans to have portraits in the Senate chamber.

Jordan's portrait was hung in 1973.

Change somebodys mind because minds can be changed, Lee told reporters after the ceremony. If people have been taught to hate they can be taught to love, and it is up to you to do it.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas  two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.

Lee, who began her advocacy to make Juneteenth a holiday at the age of 89, was lauded by senators from both parties who took turns praising her tenacity and legacy. Among them was state Sen. Royce West, a Democrat who is one of two Black senators in the 31-member chamber.

Opponents of Confederate monuments at the state Capitol have fought to remove them for years, and West said there still needs to be a discussion about which portraits were appropriate to remain in the state's senate chamber and which should be in a museum's collection.

Story continues

You can't hide from the history of this state, West said.

Rosalind Roland, 62, was among the lively crowd gathered in the upstairs gallery to watch the unveiling. She said her family has organized Juneteenth celebrations for 150 years, but that last year was the first time they celebrated it as an official national holiday, thanks to Lee's work.

This is probably the biggest Black history moment I am going to ever have, Roland said.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who leads the senate, told Lee when she visited the Capitol in 2021 that her portrait should be hanging on the walls of the chamber. After the unveiling Wednesday, Lee said she wanted to do a whole dance the moment she saw the portrait, which was painted by Texas artist Jess Coleman.

It was beautiful," she said. "I didnt know I looked that good.



This story has been corrected to show that Opal Lee organized walks as part of her campaign for Juneteenth, but did not walk from Fort Worth to Washington D.C. two years ago.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) walks the sideline between drives in the second quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. The Bengals led 24-7 at halftime.

Last week, news broke that local police sought to arrest Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon for misdemeanor menacing after the complainant claimed that Mixon pointed a gun at her during an argument. One day later, after Mixons agent released a statement claiming that his client was the victim of a rush to judgment, city prosecutors moved to drop the charges, which the court dismissed promptly.

I offer no opinion on whether Mixon is guilty of the charge, or whether the complainant made a false accusation, for I dont know what did or did not happen. If Mixon is innocent, then Im glad he can move forward with his life unencumbered by the criminal legal system.

Latest news on Mixon charges:Prosecutors drop charges against Bengal Joe Mixon, but police say investigation is ongoing

But most people facing unfounded misdemeanor charges are not as fortunate as Mixon to have their cases dismissed so early in the process. Each year, local prosecutors file misdemeanor charges in nearly 30,000 cases. Many of these charges are meritorious. But others are weak and waste taxpayer funds to prosecute. Indeed, according to Ohio Supreme Court statistics, Hamilton Countys Municipal Court dismisses more than 10,000 misdemeanor cases each year for a variety of reasons. These dismissals, however, almost never occur at the beginning of the case but only after the accused has made numerous court appearances.

Why does the timing of dismissals matter? Just ask the vast majority of people who come through misdemeanor court each year, individuals who, because of limited financial means, either cant miss work to attend court or, if unemployed, cant afford the child care they need to keep their court appearances.

Based on my experience defending people charged with misdemeanors in other jurisdictions, I believe local prosecutors can do a better job screening out weak cases that should not go forward and dismissing them earlier in the process. When I was a public defender in New York City and Washington, D.C., prosecutors there spent more time at the outset of the case determining whether misdemeanor charges were strong enough to prosecute. Frequently, at the initial court appearance, prosecutors would move to dismiss misdemeanor charges that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt. In borderline cases, New York City prosecutors would offer adjournments in contemplation of dismissal, which in legal speak means continuing the case for a period of time, usually six months, and dismissing it automatically if the accused stayed out of trouble. ACDs, as we called them, are an ideal way for the system to dispose of relatively minor cases where the accused either has no or a minimal criminal record.

Story continues

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) throws passes with fans during warmups before the NFL divisional playoff football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

When I moved to Cincinnati in 2001, I assumed that prosecutors spent similar time at the front-end of a case identifying problematic cases to dismiss early. I was wrong. During one of my first forays into Hamilton County Municipal Court, I urged the prosecutor to dismiss a charge I was all but certain would not result in conviction. The prosecutors response: "I have to check with the arresting police officer to see if he is OK with dismissal."

Prosecutors dont need police permission to decide which cases to dismiss. But local practice and custom in misdemeanor cases all but guarantee a subservient role for prosecutors. Here, police officers make charging decisions without consulting a prosecutor and then file the charges with a court employee to initiate the case. This court employee, who is not a lawyer, then decides whether there is probable cause (or in other words, enough evidence based on the officers complaint) for the charge to proceed.

A prosecutors role in our system is to do justice, not simply win convictions. Sometimes justice requires dismissing a case that should never have been filed  even when the arresting officer disagrees. More careful review and vetting of misdemeanor charges before they are filed, with dismissal of cases unlikely to result in conviction or a just outcome, would make our system more equitable, efficient and less costly. The Hamilton County Public Defenders Office has been advocating for such review for years. Its time for our prosecutors to listen.

Cincinnati attorney David A. Singleton is executive director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Most facing misdemeanor charges not as fortunate as Bengals Joe Mixon
By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The opposition has taken a majority in the assembly of the most populous Solomon Islands province after Daniel Suidani, a vocal critic of the country's relationship with China, lost a no-confidence vote, an adviser to the ousted leader said on Wednesday.

Celsus Talifilu, the adviser, said in an interview if a new government is formed in Malaita province, it would back the federal government's pro-China stance.

"If the new government comes in Malaita, we suspect the first thing they would do is to come up with some kind of statement publicly that recognises China," Talifilu said.

The legality of the motion of no-confidence remains before a court, he added.

Suidani is a long-time critic of the country's deepening relations with China and vocally opposed the Solomon Islands switching recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019.

He banned Chinese companies from the province, accepted development aid from the United States and even underwent medical treatment in Taiwan. This has brought him into conflict with the central government, whose relationship with China has grown stronger culminating in the two countries signing a security pact last year.

A government spokesperson in Honiara said that following the no-confidence vote on Tuesday, those who had voted against Suidani were now in talks to propose a new leader.

"As soon as they finalise the nomination, then the Speaker will call another meeting, which will likely be this Friday, so that voting on the new Premier will proceed," he said.

Suidani was ousted in a unanimous vote of no confidence. However, Suidani and his supporters boycotted the vote as they were waiting for the court to hear an application to delay the vote, Talifilu said. The court later dismissed the petition, but other legal action is pending.

He added Suidani's supporters had returned home after a small protest that ended in the police using teargas. A similar scuffle broke out on Tuesday.

The government official said more police had been sent to Malaita to maintain law and order during the transition of leaders.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
NEW YORK (AP)  Long before a bemused Riz Ahmed read its name on Oscar nominations morning, the title of Pamela Ribons short film has tended to have an effect on those who hear it. Like when Ribon went to pick up her festival credential at SXSW in Austin, Texas, shortly before premiering her movie there.

Guy at the desk: Whats it called?

Ribon: My Year of Dicks.

Guy at the desk, not missing a beat: Hard same.

There is, to be sure, no Oscar nominee this year quite like My Year of Dicks  and not just because of a title that, as Ribon notes, is tough on a spam filter.

The film, written and created by Ribon and directed by Sara Gunnarsdottir, is one of the more hysterical, painful and sweet portraits of adolescence in all its awkwardness. It's nominated for best animated short film at next month's Academy Awards. Phil Lord (Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, The Lego Movie) has called the 26-minute movie one of the best films of the year of any length.

Its based on Ribons 2014 memoir, Notes to Boys (and Other Things I Shouldnt Share in Public)  particularly a chapter that documents 15-year-old Ribons resolution to lose her virginity in 1991 while growing up on the outskirts of Houston. It proceeds as five cringe-inducing chapters of intimate encounters with not-so-great guys, though  as damning as that title is  My Year of Dicks is less about judgment for Ribon's far-from-ideal romantic partners than it is about recounting, and illuminating, the bumbling first steps of sex.

Its cheeky but it isnt mean," Ribon said in a recent interview by Zoom from her home in Los Angeles. "It really was an inclusive feeling of: We all got through that somehow, didnt we?

When they were starting out, Gunnarsdottir, an Icelandic animator who crafted the vivid animations of Diary of a Teenage Girl,  wondered if Notes to Boys would be a better, less troublesome title. But Ribon sensed something relatable  nay, something universal  about My Year of Dicks.

Story continues

Not everybody has sent a note to a boy but everybodys had a year of dicks  academically or in business or dating. It has a lot of layers, Ribon says. So it has been a way to bring everyone in, unfortunately. Everyones like Hard same.

My Year of Dicks, which is streaming on Vimeo, has emerged, against the odds, as one of the most talked-about films at this years Oscars. Not only will much be riding on whether Ribon and Gunnarsdottir can win on March 12, but perhaps even more eagerly awaited will be seeing which presenter, at the most dignified of awards shows, gets to utter the films name for an audience of millions, on live television.

Do you think theyll bleep it? anxiously wonders Ribon.

For Ribon, 47, My Year of Dicks is an oddly appropriate culmination. Though her best known credits as a screenwriter are for more kid-friendly cartoons (Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet), Ribon has, as an essayist, blogger and podcaster, long been an uncommonly open book. Her 2012 essay, How I Might Have Just Become the Newest Urban Legend, described a less than, um, sanitary trip to the masseuse parlor while she was many months pregnant.

People were like: It just would never occur to me to share that story with people, Ribon says. And I was like, What would you do? They were like, Never tell anyone ever for the rest of life my life what just happened to me. I was like, Oh!

I do sometimes feel like a walking cautionary tale, says Ribon.

Even as a teen, Ribon was deeply aware of the tragicomedy of her coming of age. She didnt keep a diary but she prodigiously wrote, either by typewriter or by hand, about her life. Holding up a thick green notebook, Ribon flips through the short stories, notes to boys and ticket stubs she accrued through those years.

I liked to have an audience from the beginning when I was processing my thoughts, says Ribon. Im still that way. I much prefer writing an email about my day than keeping it to myself. It feels weird to talk to me.

Ribon dumped all of that material and more on Gunnarsdottir, who, with a small team of indie animators, created a loose kind of rotoscoped version of young Pam intermixed with old footage of her from high school. Each of the five chapters has its own animation design to match, including an anime section and one styled as a vampire tale. For Gunnarsdottir, the power of animation is take something naturalistic and add expressionism.

So you have this foundation that feels very real but the magic happens when you go away from it and go very abstract, says Gunnarsdottir, speaking from France.

That honesty, it comes from her, Gunnarsdottir adds. I think shes very brave.

Ribon is less convinced.

I don't know if it's brave as much as it's ridiculous, she says, laughing.

Among the film's most cringe-inducing moments is a lewdly frank sex talk from Ribon's father. Ribon has had to insist to her mother it's word-for-word accurate (Ribon's father died years ago). After initially shielding her mom from the film, Ribon's mother has become an ardent supporter  even if she initially couldn't make it all the way through a public reading of Notes to Boys.

My Year of Dicks began as a television project for FX Networks, but the filmmakers ultimately decided to try their luck on the festival circuit. Since the Walt Disney Co. owns FX, My Year of Dicks technically counts, ironically enough, as one of Disney's Oscar nods, alongside the likes of Avatar: The Way of Water and Turning Red.

As time went on, My Year of Dicks began to appear different, and more distant to Ribon. The overturning of Roe v. Wade made such sexual exploration far more perilous for young women. Texas law bans abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy and makes no exceptions for rape or incest. Ribon's film, increasingly, looked like a time capsule of a bygone era.

"In modern day Texas, this is the most dangerous thing a girl can do with her future. These people should not be responsible for lifelong decisions because of a party," says Ribon. At least I felt free to find out. Now, I would have been too scared to learn about myself. Im grateful for the mistakes I was able to make. I didnt have sex in any of those situations but it could have happened. And it could have happened with just one person being more a dick than here. Its so much scarier to think about.

But Ribon believes animation offers a tool to talk to someone's unfiltered heart"  that even in an a very adult animated film, it's possible to connect back to, as she says, that part where we set out with the best intentions for ourselves.

We're thrown back into Saturday morning cartoon feelings, she says.

So, yes, My Year of Dicks might be the most giggle-inducing Oscar nominee this year. But it also may be the most nakedly heartfelt.

Maybe thats my job in life, to help people know that youre not alone and it could be worse. There is something very satisfying about knowing I officially have the worst sex talk of all time. Its not just something that I say, Ribon says, pausing to smile. The academy has spoken.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Representative George Santos (R., N.Y.) and Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah.) traded some choice words last night just minutes before President Joe Biden addressed the nation.

Multiple camera angles captured Romney confronting Santos as he walked down the center aisle in the House chamber. The veteran lawmaker scolded the freshman for claiming one of the sought-after seats near the presidents path to the rostrum.

You dont belong here, Romney can be seen telling Santos, adding you ought to be embarrassed.

Romney glared at Santos, who smiled slightly, nodded and seemed to dismiss Romney before continuing to greet others. https://t.co/4msQfD37dD pic.twitter.com/5yK4TyIhf9  The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 8, 2023

When asked about the exchange afterward by a reporter, Santos admitted that the two traded insults.

Santos is under a House ethics investigation for fabricating much of his resume.

Since Election Day, several biographical details Representative Santos shared on the campaign trail have been debunked.

At various times, the representative stated that he did not graduate from college and was also an alumnus of Baruch College; that he worked in financial firms such as Citigroup and Goldman Sachs despite both companies showing no record of employment; that his grandparents were Jewish Holocaust survivors, although he is clearly Catholic.

I never claimed to be Jewish, Santos insists. I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was Jew-ish.

In late January, Santos stepped down from his House committee assignments.

The fight continued after President Bidens State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

Hes a sick puppy, he shouldnt have been there, Romney told NBC News. Given the fact that hes under ethics investigation he should be sitting in the back row and being quiet instead of parading in front of the president.

Story continues

Hes a sick puppy. He shouldnt be in Congress. Republican Senator Mitt Romney calls out serial liar George Santos. pic.twitter.com/32Y3bWVfN9  Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 8, 2023

Santos came back at Romney later Tuesday evening online.

Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT! Santos tweeted, commenting on an earlier post endorsing former president Donald Trump.

However, Senator Romney did not engage with the callout. Instead, Romney released a video outlining his thoughts on the SOTU.

My thoughts on the President's State of the Union address: pic.twitter.com/U8RgTWEi0b  Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) February 8, 2023

Romney was pleased with Bidens comments on Ukraine and framing bilateral relations with China along the lines of competition and not conflict. However, Romney criticized Bidens remarks when the president accused Republicans of trying to trim social services.

The President got off on the wrong foot when he said Republicanssome Republicans, he saidwant to cut Medicare and Social Security and there was just an immediate response from our side of the aisle where people said No, no, no. Thats just not true.'

Seventy-eight percent of voters in Santoss New York district want him to resign, including 71 percent of local Republicans, according to a recent Siena poll.

More from National Review
Feb. 8Since the spotted lanternfly's unwelcome arrival in Berks County in 2014, researchers have been working to learn more about the invasive pest, now confirmed in 45 Pennsylvania counties and reported in surrounding states.

Native to Asia, the spotted lanternfly was a new species in the U.S., so there was little known about it at the time, said Julie Urban, research associate professor of entomology at Penn State.

"It's a complex insect, and it takes a village to fully understand what we are seeing and how this can inform management," Urban said in a press release about the pest, which feeds on the sap of fruit and landscape trees, grapevines and woody ornamental plants. "We are making discoveries and are sharing those findings with the public and with government and industry stakeholders."

Penn State is part of an interdisciplinary spotted lanternfly research group, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crops Research Initiative. The group also includes the USDA Agricultural Research Service, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Virginia Tech, the Northeastern IPM Center, the universities of Delaware and Rhode Island, and Temple, Rutgers and Cornell universities.

Researchers are studying the pest's flight behavior, where it might travel, and the conditions it needs to flourish; its feeding preferences; and the potential to disrupt the lanternfly female reproductive cycle. Scientists also are evaluating the effectiveness of biological control agents.

Educating the public about research discoveries falls to Penn State Extension educators, including Emelie Swackhamer and Amy Korman, who created a list of spotted lanternfly actualities, which they talk about during their presentations:

Spotted lanternflies don't bite people and they aren't aggressive, Swackhamer said.

"They do cause damage to plants and present a nuisance, so don't adopt one for a pet," she said. "It is widely recommended that they be dispatched upon sight."

Story continues

The pest is not killing desirable landscape trees. Still, it will kill grapevines and tree of heaven, which is a rapidly growing deciduous tree native to East Asia and a widespread invasive species across North America. Recent research led by Kelli Hoover, professor of entomology, has shown that heavy spotted lanternfly feeding has been shown to stunt the growth of saplings, including those of silver maple.

Spotted lanternflies damage grapevines by sucking out nutrients, reducing the plant's ability to make energy through photosynthesis and starving it of the starch typically stored in roots for survival through winter. While heavy infestations of spotted lanternflies on grapevines  especially in successive years  can result in their demise, most vines may be able to survive lighter infestations with few ill effects, according to a recent study published by Penn State scientists.

While the pest has not been shown to kill or damage stone fruit or nursery stock, it has created more work for commercial nurseries due to the inspections required to ensure plants are free of spotted lanternflies before they are shipped.

Contrary to initial alarm bells suggesting that spotted lanternflies were impervious to controls, insecticides  including softer products such as insecticidal soap  have been shown to be effective in controlling populations of the planthopper.

A guide that details management techniques can be found on the Penn State Extension website at extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-guide.

Spotted lanternfly population numbers fluctuate from year to year. Some residents living in regions with previously sizeable lanternfly populations have reported fewer lanternflies in recent years. These observations have led some to speculate the insect interloper might be gone for good, but that is wishful thinking, Korman said.

"Several factors are affecting spotted lanternfly populations, including the impact of natural predators and parasites, people's efforts to reduce populations, the natural ebb and flow of insect populations, and lack of food," she said.

Beneficial predators, such as praying mantis, spiders, wheel bugs and birds, have the potential to offer biological control, and an ongoing study led by Hoover's lab is investigating these predators' impact on populations.

Pennsylvania regulatory measures require that businesses transporting materials obtain a permit indicating employees have been trained on identification and removal, and that items have been inspected and are free of spotted lanternflies.

Individuals can do their part to help stop the spread of the pest by inspecting items, especially those stored outside, before moving them and by destroying any egg masses and spotted lanternfly nymphs or adults upon discovery.

More information about identifying and controlling spotted lanternflies, reporting an infestation, and complying with quarantine regulations is available at the Penn State Extension website, extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived in Changi Airport on February 8 afternoon, starting a three-day official visit to Singapore.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived in Changi Airport on February 8 afternoon, starting a three-day official visit to Singapore.





Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation at the airport included Singaporean Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaya Ratnam, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung, officials from the Vietnamese Embassy and a number of overseas Vietnamese in the country.





The visit is taking place at a time when the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership is developing strongly and dynamically across all fields. This year, the two countries are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of their strategic partnership.





The two nations have regularly and effectively maintained high and all-level delegation exchanges and meetings, along with expanding defence and security cooperation. Collaboration in other areas such as education, culture, and tourism has also been bolstered through specific agreements and memoranda of understanding.





Singapore is now Vietnams top important economic partner in the region, with two-way trade nearing 9 billion USD last year, up 10.1% year-on year. The island state leads ASEAN and ranks second among 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 3,032 valid projects worth 70.39 billion USD.





At present, 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) in nine Vietnamese cities and provinces have an occupancy rate of around 83.2%, attracting 17.6 billion USD for some 900 projects and generating roughly 300,000 jobs.





Vietnam and Singapore have worked closely together on regional and international matters of shared concern, including the East Sea issue, while strengthening cooperation at multilateral organisations and forums such as the United Nations (UN), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Together they have also worked within bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements in which both sides are joining, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).





In recent high-level visits, leaders of the two nations agreed on a number of major cooperation directions, especially in new areas such as the digital economy, digital transformation, regional and global supply chain connections, the building of the green economy, sustainable development, and cooperation in the production chain.





PM Chinhs visit to Singapore aims to lift Vietnam-Singapore economic connectivity to a new height in the context that a series of new-generation free trade deals joined by the two nations have taken effect, including the CPTPP and RCEP.





As scheduled, during his stay, PM Chinh will hold talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, and have meetings with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, and Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.





He will also meet with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Singapore, and leading businesses of Singapore, and attend a Vietnam-Singapore Business Forum to promote bilateral trade and investment cooperation.




An irrigation ditch flows through a commercial date farm on the north shore of the Salton Sea, near Mecca, California.

An irrigation ditch flows through a commercial date farm on the north shore of the Salton Sea, near Mecca, California.

More than 200 Republican members of Congress introduced legislation last week to strike down a Biden administration rule restoring long-standing federal protections for hundreds of thousands of streams and wetlands across the country  safeguards that the Trump administration dismantled in 2020.

Among the co-sponsors of the House resolution is Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), who in 2017 paid $1.1 million in fines for illegally plowing 22 acres of federally protected streams and wetlands on his farm. The settlement followed a yearslong legal battle that started when Duarte hired a contractor to rip, or deep till, his entire 450-acre property before planting wheat, including areas with federally protected waters.

The case garnered national attention, and Duarte emerged as a sort of hero among anti-environmental zealots, agricultural interests and private property rights groups. Another GOP member of Californias delegation even pointed to the case in a press release announcing himself as a co-sponsor of the new House resolution targeting the Biden administrations new regulations.

President Bidens expanded [Waters of the United States] rule is a huge land and water grab that gives the federal government overreaching authority on virtually any private property in the nation, placing homeowners, famers (sic), and small businesses under the thumb of EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) bureaucrats, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), a fourth-generation rice farmer, said in the press release.

LaMalfa highlighted three California landowners who he argues fell victim to absurd Obama-era clean water regulations. At the top of his list was Duarte  though instead of identifying Duarte as a sitting member of Congress and a co-sponsor of the resolution, LaMalfa described his colleague as simply a farmer.

In February 2013, with no warning or opportunity to discuss the matter, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers sent Tehama County farmer John Duarte a cease-and-desist letter to suspend farming operations, claiming that he had illegally filled wetlands on his wheat field by merely plowing it, reads LaMalfas press release, which borrows language from a piece in California Ag Today, a product of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. Duarte was forced to spend millions to defend himself and protect himself from financial and personal ruin, and settled the case in August of 2017 at great cost.

Story continues

Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), who owns a nursery in California's Central Valley, sparred with the federal government for years before agreeing to pay a $1.1 million fine for deep tilling federally protected wetlands and streams on his farmland. He now sits on the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over water resources and infrastructure.

Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), who owns a nursery in California's Central Valley, sparred with the federal government for years before agreeing to pay a $1.1 million fine for deep tilling federally protected wetlands and streams on his farmland. He now sits on the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over water resources and infrastructure.

In 2020, the Trump administration stripped away longstanding federal protections and replaced President Barack Obamas 2015 Waters of the U.S. regulation, better known as WOTUS, which had extended said federal protections to 2 million miles of streams and 20 million acres of wetlands, and became a magnet for litigation. A federal judge struck down the Trump rule in 2021. And in late December, the Biden administration finalized its own WOTUS rules, which largely restores protections that were in place for decades prior to the Obama administrations controversial changes. Biden officials have said that the Trump-era rule resulted in significant environmental degradation.

Duarte supported the Trump administrations industry friendly rollback and condemned Bidens latest action, arguing it would put undue pressure on small businesses & local communities in the Valley.

Proud to join over 150 of my House colleagues in calling to reverse the recent WOTUS rule that would put undue pressure on small businesses & local communities in the Valley. https://t.co/3wacuFS5Dm  Rep. John Duarte (CA-13) (@RepDuarteCA13) February 2, 2023

Duarte co-owns Duarte Nursery in Californias Central Valley. The company specializes in almonds, pistachios, walnuts and wine grapes, and boasts of being one of the worlds largest permanent crop nurseries. He and the company initially faced a $2.8 million fine for illegally ripping federally protected waters on the property, but ultimately reached a settlement agreement with the Justice Department that included $1.1 million in civil penalties and mitigation costs. In a press release announcing the deal, the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump noted that Duartes own environmental consultant had warned him that he would be subject to significant penalties for ripping without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, a right-wing law firm with a long record of fighting to weaken environmental safeguards, represented Duarte in the case.

Duartes office did not respond to HuffPosts requests for comment. But in a recent interview with Fox News, the freshman congressman called his own experience financially devastating and the Obama-era WOTUS regulation misguided and a fiasco for farmers.

Its a complete example of government overreach, he told Fox.

Duarte earns an annual salary of more than $700,000 from his company, according to a financial disclosure that is required of all congressional candidates.

A promotional billboard for the Duarte Nursery is pictured at a trade show in Sacramento, California.

A promotional billboard for the Duarte Nursery is pictured at a trade show in Sacramento, California.

Along with co-sponsoring the resolution to block Bidens new rules, Duarte landed himself a seat on two House committees with jurisdiction over natural resources and environmental agencies: the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee. His record of sparring with the federal government over stricter clean water rules all but certainly factored into his committee assignments.

On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, which is part of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, held a hearing titled Stakeholder Perspectives on the Impacts of the Biden Administrations Water of the United States (WOTUS) Rule. Their witnesses, including Garrett Hawkins, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, and Alicia Huey, chair of the National Association of Home Builders, called on the Biden administration to set its new rules until the Supreme Court rules in Sackett v. EPA later this year, a case that will decide EPAs authority to regulate wetlands under the Clean Water Act.

Duarte spent his allotted five minutes during the hearing rehashing his case  a flashpoint for American farmers and Clean Water Act jurisdictions, he called it  and portraying himself a victim of a heavy-handed federgovernment.

We all should look at my case very acutely and reflect upon our food system here in America, Duarte said. I want to make sure that we are on record that this is anything but a small nuisance or a small threat to American farmers.

Hawkins, of the Missouri Farm Bureau, thanked Duarte for his leadership and example over the years, and called his story an illustration of what weve seen across the country.

Clean water advocates dismissed the idea that federal regulators treated Duarte unfairly.

Its disingenuous to paint Rep. John Duarte as a victim when the record is clear that he knowingly broke the law when he decided to destroy wetlands and streams on his property without a permit, Jennifer Peters, water programs director at Clean Water Action, told HuffPost.

As for Bidens new rules, she and Jon Devine, director of federal water policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council, say they are anything but burdensome. And they condemned the GOPs effort to repeal them.

This attempt to cancel very modest clean water regulations is a waste of time and its supporters arent being honest about the law, Devine said. The Biden administrations rules are built on, and closely resemble, policies that have been in place since the G.W. Bush administration, so even in the unimaginable scenario where this resolution is enacted, wed simply revert back to virtually identical guidelines.

In reality our government needs to be doing much more to protect our water bodies, half of which are considered too polluted for fishing or swimming, Peters said.

Related...
Manatee County School Resource deputies have arrested a middle school student for posting a video depicting himself shooting up a classroom" on Wednesday.

The student at Buffalo Creek Middle School posted a TikTok simulating shots being fired in a classroom with a toy gun. He was located at the school and has admitted to making the social media post, sheriff's officials said.

More:Evacuation at Parrish High School after another threat, officials say

In case you missed it:Theater teacher who influenced generations of artists at SCF dies

A FortifyFL tip was received at 9:26 a.m. for the video, and he was arrested for making written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting, a second degree felony charge.

There is no evidence that this student was involved in other recent school threats in Manatee County, sheriff's officials said.

His arrest follows two threats at Parrish High School this week, separate active shooter hoax call at Riverview High School on Oct. 11 and a slew of swatting calls across high schools in the country.

Deputies continue to investigate the incident.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Palmetto student arrested for TikTok that depicts school shooting
NORFOLK, Va. (AP)  The families of two students at a Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old shot and wounded his teacher have filed notices of potential legal action against the school system over trauma they say the shooting inflicted on their children.

The parents of a first-grader said their daughter was in the classroom when the shooting occurred and suffered emotional harm as a result. The parents also alleged that school officials failed to protect their daughter throughout the school year from bullying, harassment and assault.

A letter from the other child's family cites injuries sustained during a school shooting on January 6, 2023. Their attorney did not elaborate further, although authorities have said that no children were physically harmed during the incident.

Both notices were dated Jan. 30. Newport News Public Schools provided the letters to The Associated Press after it requested them. They were first reported by the Daily Press.

The notices were the latest fallout from a shooting that has sent shockwaves through the shipbuilding city near the Chesapeake Bay and drawn mounting criticism of school administrators.

Police have said the first-grade student brought his mother's 9 mm handgun to Richneck Elementary and intentionally shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, as she was teaching her first-grade class. Zwerner, 25, was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home.

One of the legal notices was filed by Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Nieves Jr., and asks the school system to preserve potential evidence, including emails regarding any student who allegedly bullied, harassed or assaulted their daughter.

The parents of the other student were not named in their attorney's letter, although the notice makes a similar request for the school system to preserve evidence.

Zwerner's attorney, Diane Toscano, recently filed her own legal notice, which lays out a series of damning allegations.

Story continues

The document says that several hours before the shooting, at least three teachers and staff members warned school administrators that they believed the boy had brought a gun to school. The boys backpack was searched, but no gun was found, and administrators did not remove the boy from class, lock down the school or call police.

Two days before the shooting, the boy allegedly slammed Zwerners cellphone and broke it, according to her claim notice. He was given a one-day suspension, but when he returned to Zwerners class the following day, he pulled a 9 mm handgun out of his pocket and shot her while she sat at a reading table, the notice states.

The letter from Zwerner's attorney also states that the child constantly cursed at staff and teachers, chased students around and tried to whip them with his belt and once choked another teacher until she couldnt breathe.

In the days after the shooting, parents and teachers also lambasted school administrators for what they called a misguided emphasis on attendance over the safety of children and staff.

The Newport News School Board fired superintendent George Parker III, while Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker resigned. Metal detectors were also put in place at Richneck, which reopened to students on Jan. 30 after being closed for a full three weeks.

Police said the boy was taken to a medical facility where he is receiving unspecified services. A judge will determine what's next for the child.

No charges have been brought against the boy's mother, whose gun was used in the shooting. But police have said they're conducting an investigation.

___

For more coverage of the shooting: https://apnews.com/hub/newport-news
Republicans and Democrats kicked off the first major immigration policy meetings of the new Congress at odds, with little agreement on even the most basic facts on the issue.

The parties have now faced off on the legislative stage twice, in hearings convened by the House Judiciary and House Oversight and Accountability committees. Theyve accomplished little more than to highlight the growing partisan split, despite a plea to find a solution from the El Paso Border Patrol sector chief.

The Judiciary Committee, led by GOP firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), hosted the more combative hearing, focusing on an alleged correlation between immigration and fentanyl trafficking and accusing the Biden administration of purposely dismantling border security.

Make no mistake, the Biden administration is carrying out its plan, said Jordan in his opening remarks last week.

We all heard [Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas, who sat in front of this committee and said, we are executing our plan on the border. And we all heard President Biden say, were trying to make it easier for people to get here. Well, theyre certainly succeeding in that, added Jordan.

Tuesdays Oversight hearing led by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), which featured two Border Patrol sector chiefs as witnesses, was comparatively phlegmatic, though Democrats still voiced their anger at the GOPs handling of the subject matter.

The extreme MAGA forces in the Republican Party have chosen to abandon the pro-immigration stance of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan and instead spread fear about a foreign invasion, paranoia about the racist and antisemitic Great Replacement mythology, and disinformation about fentanyl  the vast majority of which is brought into our country by American smugglers working for the international drug cartels and traveling through lawful ports of entry, said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.

Story continues

I ardently hope todays hearing will become a chance to search for bipartisan agreement rather than another missed opportunity.  Turning this into more bad political theater will just extend the long pattern of failure on this question.

But Raskins hopes for bipartisanship were quickly quashed.

Following Comer and Raskins opening remarks, Comer took the microphone to complain about a White House memo released early Tuesday that said, House Republicans are more interested in staging political stunts than on rolling up their sleeves to work with President Biden and Democrats in Congress, and a tweet from the Oversight Democrats wishing, Good morning and good luck to everyone except @GOPoversight members who are using todays hearing to amplify white nationalist conspiracy theories instead of a comprehensive solution to protect our borders and strengthen our immigration system.

I mean, really? I dont even know what to say about that, said Comer, before reminding Democrats that House rules prohibit personal attacks between members.

For the next five hours, Oversight members essentially replicated the bifurcated proceedings of a week prior at the Judiciary Committee.

At the heart of the rift, apparent in both hearings, is a disagreement over whether the fentanyl crisis, legal immigration, asylum and border security should be treated as separate issues, or whether a border crackdown would resolve them all.

But the witnesses were a key distinction between the two hearings.

Comer invited two active duty border security professionals, Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Agent Gloria Chavez and Tucson Sector Chief Agent John Modlin, both of whom fielded questions from Republicans and Democrats alike on a variety of border-related issues.

If I wanted to have a big political hearing that was full of red meat, we would have victims families that lost their lives to fentanyl. We would have people that have been human trafficked. But were not. We just asked four Border Patrol bosses, Comer told attendants at a National Press Club event last month.

Jordan took the red meat approach, calling on Brandon Dunn, a father whose son died from a fentanyl overdose and the founder of Forever 15 Project, an organization to raise awareness of the dangers of the drug.

The Ohio Republican also called on Cochise County, Ariz., Sheriff Mark Dannels and Dale Lynn Carruthers, county judge of Terrell County, Texas (though Carruthers was unable to attend because of weather conditions).

Advocates were heavily critical of Jordans choice of Dannels and Carruthers as witnesses, pointing to Dannelss frequent appearances on right-wing media and alleged connections to immigration restrictionist groups.

Heidi Beirich, an expert in American and European right-wing groups and co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said both Dannels and Carruthers had embraced the rhetoric of an invasion at the southern border.

The fact that Daniels and Carruthers have engaged in this racist rhetoric about immigrants and their ties to hate and other extremist groups disqualify them from any productive discussions on things related to immigration, said Beirich.

Scores of Democrats called out the GOPs invasion rhetoric as going too far, though most Republicans avoided the word, and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) defended its use.

The definition of an invasion is an incursion by a large number of people or things into a place or sphere of activity, he said, repeating claims that enough fentanyl has entered the U.S. to kill every American five times.

I would consider that to be the direct definition of the word invasion, Hunt said.

But Democrats largely countered that point with Customs and Border Protection data that shows more than 90 percent of fentanyl enters the United States through legal ports of entry.

This hearing isnt about border security or solving our opioid crisis. It isnt even facts. What its about is painting immigrants as villains in order for my colleagues to further their anti-immigrant agenda, said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.).

Republicans are trying to rewrite history to hide their extremist agenda from the American people, he added. This extreme wing is trying to say that immigrants are trafficking fentanyl across an unchecked border but we know that thats not true. Why? Because it happens at the ports of entry by U.S. citizens, not mainly by asylum seekers.

The partisan split on immigration policy prescriptions is nothing new.

This is just exactly the kind of finger-pointing rather than serious efforts of problem solving, and political theater rather than problem solving that were likely to see because the Congress has abdicated its role for decades now, where immigration  and updating immigration laws and capabilities  are concerned, said Doris Meissner, a former commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service who now leads the Migration Policy Institutes U.S. Immigration Policy Program.

But the rift has grown in scope and in political impact.

The worldview seems so dichotomous. How in the world do we bridge a gap? said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who shortly after the Judiciary hearing led a group calling for the impeachment of Mayorkas.

Democrats are convinced the GOPs hard line is just political grandstanding.

Its the presidential election starting now. Immigration is the issue. Its an effective one that continues to be used over and over. It will be ugly, said Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.).

Despite the distance between the two parties, the Border Patrol officers at Tuesdays hearing, who largely relayed a landscape of officers under-resourced compared with smugglers and cartels, pleaded for some kind of legislative action.

I think we really just need to embrace change, good change, so that we reform our immigration law and have that balance between immigration and border security and get serious about that. We need to find a solution, said Chavez, the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol sector chief.

Emily Brooks contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Pennsylvania boy has become one of the youngest high school graduates of all time.

Nine-year-old David Balogun recently graduated from Reach Cyber Charter School. The education centre is in Harrisburg but David took remote classes from his home in Bensalem, local station WVTM reported.

The boy said that he thoroughly enjoyed his experience at the school, noting that his teachers always encouraged him to go after his goals. David, who has already completed a semester at Bucks County Community College, is also a member of the high-IQ society Mensa.

I want to be an astrophysicist, and I want to study black holes and supernovas, David told WVTM.

David and his family are now considering what college is the right choice for him. But in an interview with CNN, the recent high school graduate said he initially did not understand why his parents were so excited after he finished his 12th-grade online classes.

Everybody started talking about how this is an incredible accomplishment, and I was thinking ... all I did was graduate, David told the network. And then my mom saying, Yes, you graduated at the age of 9, and then I say, Yeah, I graduated. Whats the big deal?

Davids mother Ronya Balogun described him as a naturally curious little boy and encouraged other parents to think beyond traditional schooling.

There are so many factors that we saw very early when David was growing up. He is the type that is very curious about everything. And everywhere we went, he always asked, what is this? What is that? And then if you explain and you use big words, he will want you to break it down, Ms Balogun told CNN.

Ms Balogun, who has a psychiatric consultancy, said that she never shut down Davids questions and instead took the time to explain things to him as best she could.

During the CNN segment, David was also surprised by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who finally convinced the child genius of how impressive his achievement truly is.

For now, David is keeping his options open. He said he is working on a theory that refutes the Big Bang, adding that he might also be interested in exploring careers as an engineer, a nuclear chemist, a software developer and a rocket scientist.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for several years, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

When similar balloons passed over U.S. territory on four occasions during the Trump and Biden administrations, the U.S. did not immediately identify them as Chinese surveillance balloons, said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. But he said subsequent intelligence analysis allowed the U.S. to confirm they were part of a Chinese spying effort and learn a lot more about the program.

He refused to provide any new details about those previous balloons. When pressed, Ryder would only say that the balloons flew over sites that would be of interest to the Chinese.

One of the possible incidents was last February.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, the adjutant general in Hawaii, tweeted about a balloon over Kauai a year ago. He said U.S. Indo-Pacific Command detected a high-altitude object floating in air in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands and sent up aircraft to intercept it. He said they visually confirmed it was an unmanned balloon with no identification markings.

Ryder declined to say whether this was one of the four previous incidents that the U.S. had discussed. Pacific Air Forces, the Air Force command in the Indo-Pacific, said that balloon was not shot down.

The recent balloon was shot down by a U.S. military fighter jet on Saturday. The Navy and Coast Guard are still working to recover pieces of the downed balloon so they can be analyzed.

China claims it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological research and sharply criticized the U.S. for shooting it down.

In response to questions about China's explanation, Ryder said Wednesday that, I can assure you this was not for civilian purposes ... we are 100% clear about that.

Ryder said North American Aerospace Defense Command began tracking the balloon as it approached U.S. airspace. It passed north of the Aleutian Islands on Jan. 28 and moved largely over land across Alaska and then into Canadian airspace before crossing back into the U.S. over northern Idaho on Jan. 31, U.S. officials have said.

Story continues

Top administration officials were briefing members of Congress on the Chinese balloon surveillance program in classified sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. Avril Haines, director of national intelligence; Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman; Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of U.S. Northern Command; and Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, were among those expected to brief lawmakers.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. has briefed dozens of countries on the program, which officials said has been active over five continents.

The United States was not the only target, he said at a news conference with visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. Blinken said he and Stoltenberg had spoken about the systemic and tactical challenges that China poses to the alliance and the importance of combatting them.

The foreign countries would include nations the U.S. believes have been surveilled in the past as well as NATO allies.

Stoltenberg agreed on the nature of the Chinese threat, saying the balloon incident confirms a pattern of Chinese behavior" and noting that Beijing had invested heavily in new military capabilities, including different types of surveillance and intelligence platforms.

We have also seen increased Chinese intelligence activities in Europe, he said. We just have to be vigilant. We need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence and step up what we do to protect ourselves.

Those briefings were continuing Wednesday, and the State Department has sent a cable to all U.S. embassies and consulates outlining the administrations case against China and instructing American diplomats to discuss these points with their host governments. However, the cable is less specific than what has been briefed to allies and partners.

Off the South Carolina coast, meanwhile, Navy divers began pulling pieces of the downed Chinese spy balloon from the depths of the ocean floor on Tuesday, using sophisticated reconnaissance drones dubbed the Kingfish and the Swordfish to locate the debris.

Ryder said agents from the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are cataloguing the debris and transporting it for further processing.

_____

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
Directly after the U.S. military shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon on Saturday, the Pentagons top civilian attempted to reach out to his Chinese counterpart but was rebuffed, the Defense Department revealed Tuesday.

Immediately after taking action to down the [Peoples Republic of China] balloon, the DOD submitted a request for a secure call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Unfortunately, the PRC has declined our request, he added, noting that the U.S. will continue to keep communication channels open.

The United States keeps lines of communication free between itself and other countries such as Russia and China to avoid any situation such as missile tests or military drills being misconstrued and spinning into an unintended conflict.

In this case, the Biden administration ordered the balloon be shot down as it was over U.S. airspace off the coast of South Carolina. The aerial object, first detected over the Aleutian Islands near Alaska on Jan. 28 and spotted over Montana on Feb. 1, was thought to be gathering intelligence on the country as it traveled for days over the continental United States.

We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC in order to responsibly manage the relationship, Ryder said. Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this.

Prior to the downing of the balloon, U.S. officials had communicated the seriousness with which we take this issue to the Chinese government through multiple channels both in Washington and in Beijing, a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.

We have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland, they said at the time.

The high-profile incident also caused Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing set for this past weekend.

The Navy is now attempting to collect the balloons debris to be analyzed by federal agencies, with the service earlier on Tuesday releasing images of the cleanup in the Atlantic Ocean.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Phil Kessel, William Carrier and Chandler Stephenson each had a goal and an assist, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Nashville Predators 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Vegas had dropped four in a row and seven of eight overall. Michael Amadio and Alex Pietrangelo also scored for the Golden Knights, and Adin Hill made 16 saves in the teams first game since Jan. 28.

Its tight in the West so youve got to make these games count, Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. Theres still a lot of hockey left. Lets start taking care of business, playing the right way, building our game so that its really sound going toward the end of the year.

Matt Duchene scored for Nashville in the first period. Juuse Saros, Nashvilles lone representative at the All-Star Game, made 25 saves.

The Predators had won three straight and five of six going into the All-Star break.

We werent good in a lot of facets and theres no excuses for it, Nashville coach John Hynes said. The other team had a break too, and tonight it wasnt good.

Hill faced just four shots in the first and two in the second. Nashvilles previous low for shots in a game this season was 18, and Vegas previous season low for shots allowed was also 18.

That game was kind of weird in the sense that it wasnt like they had no zone time," Hill said. There were pucks missing the net, hitting bodies in front, so I was able to stay in it pretty easily. It wasnt like there were any long stretches of play where I didnt have any action in my end.

Duchenes 15th goal put Nashville in front at 5:04, but Vegas responded with three goals in the first.

We didnt deserve to win tonight, Duchene said. We beat ourselves more than they beat us. Thats kind of the story.

Amadio and Carrier scored 27 seconds apart, and Kessel made it 3-1 at 11:58.

It was a good response to keep the game tight, and (we) came out of that first period with a 3-1 lead is good for us, Carrier said.

Story continues

SHOT SUPPRESSION

Nashville narrowly avoided a couple of franchise records for fewest shots on goal. The two shots that made it through to Hill in the middle frame exceeded the Predators record for shots in a period by one. They registered just one shot on goal on four occasions, the most recent coming on Dec. 8, 2008.

The franchise record for fewest shots on goal during a game is nine, set Jan. 27, 2001.

SUCCESS AGAINST NASHVILLE

Stephenson has two goals and three assists in two games against Nashville this season. In 10 career games against the Predators, he has six goals and eight assists.

WHITECLOUD BACK

Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud returned to the lineup after missing 21 games due to a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Predators: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Golden Knights: Visit the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
By Yukiko Toyoda, Nobuhiro Kubo and Neil Jerome Morales

TOKYO/MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr arrives in Japan on Wednesday for a visit that is expected to pave the way for closer security ties with Tokyo, as Manila increasingly sides with the United States in its regional tussle with China.

Marcos and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to deepen cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, a possible precursor to establishing a broader legal framework that would allow Japanese forces to deploy to the Philippines more easily.

"As the United States deepens its relationship with the Philippines, it's important for regional security that Japan join in," a Japanese defence ministry source with knowledge of internal discussions on national security told Reuters. He asked not to be identified because he is not authorised to talk to the media.

Marcos' first visit to Japan since taking office in July comes after he signed an agreement last week granting the United States greater access to its military bases. It also follows a trip to Beijing last month where he told his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, that the Philippines would pursue an independent foreign policy.

"My bilateral visit to Japan is essential," Marcos said in a speech as he departed Manila. "It is part of a larger foreign policy agenda to forge closer political ties, stronger defence and security cooperation, as well as lasting economic partnerships with major countries in the region amid a challenging global environment."

Marcos said he will build collaboration on priority areas like agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation, infrastructure, and defence and security.

That sentiment is shared in Tokyo, which has been deepening security ties with nations that view China with concern.

A year ago, Japan and Australia signed a visiting forces agreement, allowing them to deploy forces on each other's soil, with Tokyo concluding a similar accord with Britain last month. Those deals provide a framework for how Marcos and Kishida could also forge deeper military ties to counter a common adversary, say experts.

Story continues

"The Philippines is a critical security partner for Japan," said Narushige Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo. "Any conflict in the Taiwan Strait would make the Philippine Sea strategically important," he added.

Taiwan, which lies between Japan and the Philippines, has become a focal point of intensifying Chinese military activity that Tokyo and Washington worry could escalate into war as Beijing tries to capture what it views as a rogue province.

A Japanese military presence in the Philippines could also help Marcos counter Chinese influence in the South China Sea, much of which Beijing claims, including territory that Manila considers its own.

Beijing has said its intentions in the region are peaceful.

Marcos has vowed not lose an inch of territory in the strategic waterway, through which $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually.

By gaining access to bases in the Philippines, Japan would extend the range of its defence forces, including surveillance aircraft that could patrol the South China Sea, according to Ken Jinbo, a professor at Keio University in Japan, who also served as a government security advisor.

"One thing people are watching out for during President Marcos' visit, is whether Japan will agree to provide infrastructure assistance now that the United States has access to the nine bases there," he said.

(Reporting by Yukiko Toyoda and Nobuhiro Kubo and Sakura Murakami in TOKYO, and Neil Jerome Morales in MANILA; writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
A porbeagle shark, captured by Cape Cod photographer Amie Medeiros Amie Medeiros via @capeimagesbyamie

A frozen porbeagle shark washed up on the beach in Dennis, Massachusetts.

Local photographer Amie Medeiros captured the creature in an Instagram post.

A local aquarium scientist went to find the shark days later and said people had taken parts of it.

A porbeagle shark  a species known for living in colder waters  turned up frozen on a Cape Cod beach following a polar vortex that swept through Northeastern states.

Local photographer Amie Medeiros captured a picture of the shark on Saturday afternoon, lying sideways while preserved in the ice around it.

Medeiros posted the photo with a passage from writer Haruki Murakami's book "Blind Woman, Sleeping Willow."

"Ice contains no future, just the past, sealed away. As if they're alive, everything in the world is sealed up inside, clear and distinct. Ice can preserve all kinds of things that way - cleanly, clearly. That's the essence of ice, the role it plays."

John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist at the New England Aquarium who has been tracking sharks washing up onshore, confirmed that it was a porbeagle shark.

"Pretty sure this is one that originally washed up last week and has been moving around with the big tides," Chisholm wrote on Twitter.

Chisholm tweeted a picture of the shark on Monday after it had thawed, noting that the tail, dorsal fin, pectoral fin, and teeth had been taken.

Over the last week, the Northeast has been experiencing sub-zero temperatures. In Cape Cod, temperatures reached as low as 30 degrees below zero on Friday night  the day before Medeiros' photo was taken, local outlet CapeCod.com reported.

The local outlet also noted that the shark had an injury on its side.

Greg Skomal, a marine biologist at Boston University, told USA Today that the deterioration of the sharks body would make it challenging to determine exactly how the shark died.

Editor's note: The main photo and thumbnail in this story was updated to show a Porbeagle shark instead of a Great White.

Read the original article on Insider
Jake Gunter and Josh Dawn of the country band

Jake Gunter and Josh Dawn of the country band "Big 50" tune their instruments before a show in Nashville, Tennessee.

Its no secret that COVID-19 (along with its variants) changed our world as we knew it, and asall businesses have been forced to adapt, the music industry has been no exception: fromsuperstars selling out stadiums to newcomers grinding to build a grassroots career path,musicians as a whole have been forced to navigate a time where playing live was not an optionand where success is measured in views on social media instead of bodies in crowds.

New forms of exposure, like TikTok and Instagram, became the only option for exposure, andeven as live music has returned, a fraction of pre-pandemic venues remain, with rising fuel andhealth safety costs have far outweighed the value of a gig.

Tour packages and traveling musicians have been forced to reduce their scope, stripping downproduction (and even band members) to keep costs at a minimum and keep touring viable. Fora while, the days of a musician being able to earn a living seemed as though they had passed.

Dawn smokes a cigarette before a show in Nashville at Springwater bar, the oldest operating bar in Tennessee.

Dawn smokes a cigarette before a show in Nashville at Springwater bar, the oldest operating bar in Tennessee.

Dawn (left) and Andrew Gaultier talk together after a show at The Basement in Nashville.

Dawn (left) and Andrew Gaultier talk together after a show at The Basement in Nashville.

Prior to COVID, musicians and bands would find themselves traveling the world over to builda name for themselves, finding their start playing in small clubs in different cities in an attempt togrow an organic fan base and, for bands with the right work ethic and sound, this route couldprove successful. Fast forward to our post-pandemic world, a large majority of small,independent venues that welcomed new artists with open arms have shut their doors due to theloss of income when live music was out of the question. These closures have left few viableoptions for independent artists to perform in public, and the venues left standing are oftenunable to provide the payouts that once allowed a band to tour profitably.

Story continues

As our world began to spend more time at home (and on our phones), musicians have found anew form of semi-organic exposure through TikTok and other forms of visual social media.Similar to how TV killed the radio star, modern musicians are forced to conform to newshort-form video standards, writing songs around a hook as opposed to writing for radio or liveplay, and while this has proven a fruitful endeavor for more social media-savvy artists, thelearning curve has been insurmountable for many musicians who got their start by hitting theroad to build an organic grassroots fan base. For many, finding an algorithm-friendly sound hasled to frustration and outright disenchantment with the music industry.

Gunter plays his guitar during a show in Nashville.

Gunter plays his guitar during a show in Nashville.

Austin Wright puts his drum kit away after a show at The Basement.

Austin Wright puts his drum kit away after a show at The Basement.

The TikTok Success Story is one that weve all heard, and while the explosive popularity of anovernight viral sensation is often an extraordinary moment for artists, its been proven time andtime again that these successes do not provide a fan base with the same long-lastingfoundation that organic, steady growth has provided to musicians in the past: simply put, thealgorithm cant replace the power of a meaningful performance and genuine connection to fans.

Now, almost three years later, artists are finally seeing the return of the days of viable touring.With TikTok usage on the decline, it is carving the route for musicians to get back to what theylove: writing great music, traveling the world, meeting new fans, and creating long-lastingrelationships with the fans who support them. With any luck, musicians can now look into 2023and beyond as a time for touring, and social media can return to its rightful place, not as areplacement, but as another tool in a kit that allows extracurricular connection with fans.

See more photos of Big 50 by Seth Herald below.

Dawn plays his guitar during a show at The 5 Spot in Nashville.

Dawn plays his guitar during a show at The 5 Spot in Nashville.

Gunter (right) and Gaultier cross the street to public radio station WUTC 88.1 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to perform a live session.

Gunter (right) and Gaultier cross the street to public radio station WUTC 88.1 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to perform a live session.

Gunter (left) and Gaultier perform during a live session at WUTC 88.1.

Gunter (left) and Gaultier perform during a live session at WUTC 88.1.

Dawn relaxing during the van ride from Chattanooga to Nashville.

Dawn relaxing during the van ride from Chattanooga to Nashville.

Gaultier (center) and Dawn enter an elevator in Chattanooga.

Gaultier (center) and Dawn enter an elevator in Chattanooga.

Dawn puts on his cowboy hat before a show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dawn puts on his cowboy hat before a show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Gaultier changes strings on his guitar before a show at Gerstles in Louisville.

Gaultier changes strings on his guitar before a show at Gerstles in Louisville.

People dance as the band performs at Gerstles in Louisville.

People dance as the band performs at Gerstles in Louisville.

Gunter after a show in Louisville.

Gunter after a show in Louisville.

Related...
These days climate investing is hot  if you will pardon the awful pun  but the days of just raising a fund and calling it climate focused are well and truly over. The market is sorting out the wheat from the chaff and if a VC fund cant prove that it can back up its thesis with hard science  I mean, this is about the climate, after all  then it would be much less likely to see the success or the returns it is setting out for.

Thats essentially the thinking behind new European climate fund Planet A Ventures.

The firm has now has closed its first fund at 160 million to back founders tackling the worlds largest environmental problems. The Germany-based VC aims to take a novel science-based approach. It has engaged a full science team, to which it will hand the power of veto over investment decisions.

The in-house science team will conduct life cycle assessments as part of its due diligence into a startup. If startup the fund is looking to back doesnt have a significant positive impact on the environment, then the deal wont go through.

Investors in the fund include BMW, KfW Capital (a large development banks), REWE (one of the largest German retailers), the Danish state's investment fund Vaekstfonden/EIFO and serial entrepreneurs such as Rolf Schromgens (Trivago), Maximilian Backhaus (HelloFresh) and Rubin Ritter (Zalando).

So far the fund has already invested in 14 early-stage green tech startups to date.

By comparison, the first fund for Pale Blue Dot (in Sweden) was 87 million, Norrsken VC has 100 million to play with, and 2150 VC launched in 2021 with a $240 million fund.

That means Planet A Ventures has come out with one of the strongest offerings in European climate VC to date.

The founders of Planet A are former Angle investors Tobias Seikel and Nick de la Forge, former entrepreneurs Fridtjof Detzner and Christian Schad, and Christoph Gras, who previously co-founded the Tomorrow Bank. Additionally, Lena Thiede is an expert in climate and biodiversity research and policy.

Story continues

Fridtjof Detzner, founding partner at Planet A told me via email: It's early stage and it's hardware and software. We do we have a full fledged science team on board. We will only do things which are scientifically proven to be better, and we will also publish those findings.

We will look at two angles: The normal VC angle and the scientific angle and only if both sides give us thumbs up will we invest. This will hopefully win us a lot more deals because that evidential approach is obviously also helpful to generalist funds, he told me.

He says the climate emergency is getting worse: We do have an all-hands-on-deck situation, right, regarding the climate. We see there is an enormous opportunity to shape future industry, so we will only invest in companies which will make a really significant difference.

The in-house science team will look at things such as material flows, emissions, but also biodiversity protection, resource savings and waste reduction.

Our scientific assessments allow us to understand how much better an innovation is compared to the status quo. This in turn enables us to identify the winners of the massive economic transformation that we are seeing, said Lena Thiede.

Some sectors Planet A will look at will include agriculture, forestry and food; construction and real estate; energy and heat; manufacturing; transport and mobility; water, waste and remediation. Initial ticket sizes range from 0.5 million-3 million.

The current portfolio includes Makersite (decarbonisation tech, used by Microsoft and P&G; GA Drilling (plasma drills); C1 (green methanol production); 44.01 (carbon storage technology, backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures).
A Pleasant Valley High School student from Saylorsburg has been arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot faculty members, along with an infant child, in order to get out of homework, Pennsylvania State Police announced Monday.

According to a press release from PSP's Troop N, on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, the Fern Ridge barracks received a tip regarding three students who had informed the PVHS assistant principal of another 14-year-old student threatening to shoot a teacher in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun, bringing harm to that instructor's infant child, and lastly shooting his remaining teachers to get out of doing homework.

The three students were interviewed, providing similar interviews as to what had been stated during class.

A 14-year-old Pleasant Valley High School student has been arrested for threatening to shoot a teacher and her infant child, along with other instructors, in order to avoid doing homework, Pennsylvania State Police reported Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.

When interviewed in the presence of his parents, the student suspect confessed to making the aforementioned threats in class.

The Monroe County District Attorney's Office approved criminal charges to include terroristic threats and harassment.

The juvenile arrestee was taken to PSP Fern Ridge for processing before being relinquished to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office for housing in Bucks County Juvenile Detention Center.

Trooper Richard Weinstock is investigating the case.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: PA State Police say Poconos teen threatened shooting
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland summoned the Belarusian charge d'affaires on Wednesday, a foreign ministry spokesman said, after a journalist of Polish origin was sentenced to eight years in prison in what Warsaw says was a politically motivated verdict.

Andrzej Poczobut was sentenced for "instigating hatred against religious and national groups, and rehabilitating Nazism" after being arrested in March 2021, Polish state-run news agency PAP reported.

"The politically motivated show trial and today's verdict are a clear testimony to the anti-Polish actions of the Belarusian authorities," the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement. "We denounce the unjust sentence handed down by the court of an authoritarian state."

The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw could not immediately be reached for comment.

The already tense relations between Warsaw and Minsk have been further strained by Belarusian ally Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

In 2021, Poland and the European Union said Minsk had engineered a migrant crisis on its borders, an accusation Belarus denies.

More recently, Poland has condemned the vandalism of Polish graves in Belarus.

Thousands of people of Polish origin live in Belarus as the west of the country was Polish territory until the borders were redrawn after World War Two.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)
Police arrested a man wanted for a parole violation after a standoff at an east Redding home that went on for several hours.

David Merrifield, 35, was arrested early Wednesday morning on a variety of charges after authorities found him hiding in the attic of a house on Irwin Road, the Redding Police Department said in a news release posted on its Facebook page.

The standoff started around 5 p.m. Tuesday after Merrifield ran from a vehicle and was spotted by a California Highway Patrol helicopter entering the back door of the home on Irwin Road.

Police said officers found a loaded shotgun and several rounds of ammunition in the vehicle that Merrifield abandoned.

Officers surrounded the home, and the Redding police SWAT team was brought in. Irwin Road was closed at East Cypress Avenue for several hours.

Merrifield refused to come out of the home on Irwin Road after several hours of negotiations before officers entered the house and found him hiding in the attic, police said. He was arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail.

Merrifield was wanted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for a parole violation, police said.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Police arrest man after long standoff in east Redding neighborhood
A man with an assault warrant for his alleged involvement in a shooting in the Chinatown-International District last year was arrested in Seattles SoDo neighborhood this week.

In partnership with the Washington State Department of Corrections and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Task Force, Seattle Police worked to find a 38-year-old man accused of shooting a man and attacking a woman in the 200 block of South King Street last November, according to Seattle Police.

At about 10:30 a.m. on Monday, SPD detectives and ATF agents arrested the man in the 3300 block of First Avenue South.

Police said that during the arrest investigation, law enforcement found two handguns, about two pounds of marijuana, and about a half-pound of mushrooms in the mans vehicles.

The man was arrested for his outstanding assault warrant. Police also requested that charges be filed against the suspect for unlawful possession of a firearm.

The suspect was booked into the into King County Jail.
Orlando police charged a man with two counts of attempted homicide Monday after they said he nearly beat his pregnant girlfriend and a child to death.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Police said the woman called officers to her home just before 3:30 p.m. Monday to report an assault.

READ: 3-year-old shot in Orange County, deputies say

She told responding officers that her boyfriend, identified as 36-year-old John Washington Jr., repeatedly punched her in the face with a closed fist and kicked her all over her body.

According to a police report, the officers noted the victim had severe injuries, including multiple contusions and a right eye that was completely swollen shut.

The woman told police she was able to sneak out and call for help after Washington fell asleep, and that he was still sleeping inside the apartment.

Police noted the victim was with a young child that also had severe contusions on its face and body. She told officers Washington was responsible for those injuries as well.

According to the report, officers spent 20 minutes calling into the apartment for Washington to come out with no response or sign of movement inside. They eventually made entry and found him asleep on the victims bed.

John Washington Jr., 36, is charged with two counts of attempted homicide and one count of battery of a child by throwing fluids.

After the woman was admitted to a hospital, she gave investigators a more detailed account of what happened.

She said it all started around 4 a.m. when Washington arrived at her apartment. She told police he was angry because he found out shed unknowingly been intimate with a relative of his before they started dating.

READ: Man, woman die in possible murder-suicide at home near St. Cloud

Thats when the victim said Washington spent several minutes punching and kicking her before he went to the next room and picked up the child.

The victim told police Washington violently threw the child against the wall. When she tried to hide the child under a bed from Washington, the victim says he grabbed the child again, lifted the child above his head and threw the child to the ground twice.

Story continues

The victim told police she begged Washington to stop but he responded by kicking the child while the child was on the ground and urinating on the child.

Police say the victim was convinced Washington was going to kill her and the child, and she only felt safe enough to sneak out of the apartment after he fell asleep.

The victim also offered police a possible motive for the attack, saying Washington recently lost a child himself and hadnt slept in several days. During his attack on the child, the victim told police Washington said no one cared when my daughter died, so now I dont care.

According to his arrest report, after he was taken into custody, Washington asked to be taken to the hospital because he felt dizzy. Washington claimed he had a seizure before he fell asleep and couldnt remember anything about what happened.

Police noted Washington had swelling and bruising around his knuckle area consistent with repeatedly punching someone.

READ: Memphis officer took, shared photos of bloodied Tyre Nichols

Washington was cleared by a doctor and booked into the Orange County jail on two counts of attempted homicide and one count of battery of a child by throwing fluids. Hes being held on no bond.

The Florida Department of Children and Families is also being notified about the case.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.




Feb. 7A man burglarizing an unoccupied house in Port Carbon was shot by the property owner, state police at Schuylkill Haven reported.

The incident occurred at 1:52 a.m. Tuesday at 222 Second St., according to police.

The man who was shot was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest, police said.

No further details were reported.
Windsor High School

A handgun in the possession of a student at Windsor High School was recovered and secured Tuesday by a school resource officer, Windsor police said.

The school resource officer, identified by Windsor RE-4 School District as Windsor police Officer Anna Baker, was at the school and able to respond immediately when a report of a weapon in the possession of a student was received, the Windsor Police Department said in a news release Tuesday evening.

The report was received at 2:33 p.m., Windsor police spokesperson Aaron Lopez said in an email. He declined to share additional information, including whether the gun was loaded.

There were no threats associated with this event prior to discovery, and there is no risk to public safety at this time, police said in the news release.

The incident remains in active investigation, police said, noting that no further information would be released.

The report was made by an administrator after receiving a report from a student about the possible presence of a weapon, Weld RE-4 said in a statement emailed Tuesday night.

The school resource officer and administration immediately acted upon the alert, following our standard protocol, and a weapon was discovered and confiscated by law enforcement, the district said. We want to assure our community that students and staff are safe. After an initial investigation, we believe there was never an active threat and there is no ongoing concern for safety.

The school district said privacy laws prevented it from sharing additional details about the incident or potential ongoing or future disciplinary action that might be taken.

We want to express our gratitude and appreciation for the student and staff members  for the student who brought the tip forward and the quick response from staff  as well as Windsor Police for its collaboration and support, Weld RE-4 said in its statement.

Police asked anyone with information pertaining to the incident who has not already spoken with law enforcement to contact Sgt. Jared Paul by phone at 970-674-6452 or email at jpaul@windsorgov.com.

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, twitter.com/KellyLyell or facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Police recover handgun in possession of student at Windsor High School
Atlanta police are searching for the man they believed was involved in the shooting and killing of Atlanta club co-owner, Michael Gidewon on Feb. 4.

According to police, Jonathan David Soto, 39, is a suspect in the incident that happened outside of the Republic Lounge on Brady Avenue.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Celebrity radio host Frank Ski, who called Gidewon a friend and colleague.

He was just such a great person, Ski said. Who would do something like that? Truly, it was shocking, like impossible.

A witness who works at the club said the gunman was a man Gidewon had kicked out for being too drunk.

RELATED STORIES:

Gidewons family are from Eritrea, a small country in Africa. Theyre a tight-knit family that came from humble beginnings and they own several businesses in Atlanta now.

Simon Guobadia, husband to Real Housewives Porsha Williams posted this on social media writing in part:

Shocking on the news of your passing is an understatement. As a family man, your loss touches me to my core.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to Guobadia who provided the following statement:

My family and friends are devastated by the loss of Michael Gidewon. He was one of my friends. We jointly owned The Republic Lounge. He operated the lounge on a daily basis.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to can submit a tip anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477), online www.StopCrimeATL.org or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637).

Crime Stoppers Atlanta is offering a reward of up to $2,000.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas on Nov. 19, 2022. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that in a head-to-head matchup, more Republican voters would cast their ballots for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (45%) than for former President Donald Trump (41%) if the partys 2024 presidential primary were held today.

Yet if even one additional Republican candidate challenges Trump and DeSantis for the nomination, splitting the partys anti-Trump vote, the former president would take the lead.

The survey of 1,585 U.S. adults, which was conducted from Feb. 2 to 6, vividly illustrates the dilemma facing GOP officials who believe that renominating Trump could doom the partys chances in 2024: How do you narrow the field enough to prevent the former president from skirting past a divided opposition with less than 50% of the vote (just as he did in 2016)?

Even now  months before he is expected to announce his candidacy  DeSantis already appears to be stronger than Trump. Besides leading Trump in a hypothetical, two-candidate GOP primary contest, the Florida governor (44%) also edges out President Biden (43%) in a general election matchup.

In contrast, Trump currently trails Biden by 6 percentage points, 41% to 47%, among registered voters. This is in large part because he performs 3 points worse than DeSantis among Republicans and 9 points worse among independents.

The problem for DeSantis  and for the majority of Republican and Republican-leaning voters who say theyd prefer someone else other than Trump as the GOP nominee (40%) or still arent sure (14%)  is that the Floridian will not have the former president all to himself.

In fact, at least five other GOP candidates are reportedly recruiting staffers in the early nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire. And former South Carolina Gov. and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is set to officially launch her 2024 bid on Feb. 15.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also appeared at the RJC Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)

Informed of this news, registered voters who are Republicans and Republican leaners approve (48%) rather than disapprove (22%) of Haleys decision to run by a more than 2-to-1 margin. Yet nearly a third (30%) say they are unsure, and few are ready to vote for her. While Haleys support in a hypothetical nine-candidate field has risen significantly since January  from 1% to 5%  Trump would currently trounce her 54% to 27% in a head-to-head primary contest.

Story continues

And given that Haley is currently polling better than any non-Trump or non-DeSantis Republican on the 2024 longlist, former Vice President Mike Pence (4%), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2%) or former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (1%) would be unlikely to represent a greater one-on-one threat to Trump.

For now, at least, only DeSantis can displace Trump as the GOP frontrunner  and he can do it only if no one else is competing for the anti-Trump vote. In a hypothetical three-way matchup, Haley effectively plays the spoiler, attracting 11% of Republicans and Republican leaners  while DeSantiss support falls by roughly the same amount (to 35%), leaving Trump with more votes than either of them (38%).

Former President Donald Trump at the New Hampshire Republican State Committees annual meeting on Jan. 28 in Salem, N.H. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

In a wider, nine-candidate field, the results are nearly identical, with Trump (37%) again losing far less support than DeSantis (36%) and narrowly maintaining his lead.

To be sure, the first GOP caucuses and primaries are still a year away. A few candidates will probably come and go before the first ballots are even cast. Someone who isnt registering now could always take off.

Still, its already clear that anti-Trump Republicans will likely want the field to shrink as much as possible by the time voting begins  or else risk propelling Trump to the nomination once again with a mere plurality of the vote.

__________

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,585 U.S. adults interviewed online from Feb. 2 to 6, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondents most recent answer given prior to March 15, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (32% Democratic, 27% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGovs opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.8%.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis offered his prayers for the thousands of victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey on Wednesday and called on the international community to continue to support rescue and recovery efforts.

"I am praying for them with emotion and I wanted to say that I am close to these people, to the families of the victims and everyone who is suffering from this devastating disaster," he said

"I thank those who are offering help and encourage everyone to show solidarity with these countries, some of which have already been battered by a long war," he added at the end of his weekly audience in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican.

Families in southern Turkey and Syria had spent a second night in the freezing cold as overwhelmed rescuers raced to pull people from the rubble two days after a massive earthquake that killed more than 9,600 people.

(Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Alvise Armellini)
Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast

Last month, I did something thats become a routine weekly practice for me as an adult entertainer: I swabbed my throat for sexually transmitted infections. For the first time, my tests came back positive for chlamydia. But thanks to my screening, I could cancel my upcoming porn shoots before I infected a scene partner. I could protect my colleagues because I voluntarily undergo the most in-depth testing before filming.

Once upon a time, adult actors mostly filmed for production companies, which demanded STI tests for liability reasons. Performers would go to one of two medical companies, where we underwent routine testing, and then a medical professional entered those results into a secure system called PASS, which would alert studios if we were cleared to perform. It was a smooth procedure, and one that undoubtedly prevented major STI outbreaks.

But the studio porn world is no longer the only place we perform. We are in a transition phase; one as transformative as when sound came to the silent cinema in Singin in the Rain. Today, performers create their own videos, which they sell directly to consumers. In the old days, we received no residuals from sales; today, we collect every dollar because we own our content. We decide how and when we film, we determine our own prices, and we battle less piracy since PornHub now only allows verified users (i.e. adult stars and porn companies) to upload videos to its platform.

Its Time for the Twitter Files to Focus on Porn Stars

In many ways, porn has changed for the better, at least in the eyes of the performers. But as with any evolution, there are growing painsand one of the most significant changes is that at-home adult content creators dont always choose to undergo mandatory testing. In the past few weeks, Ive heard of multiple other performers testing positive for STIs. At the recent AVN Awards, performers gossiped quietly about the issue, but most people have been scared to address it aloud, fearful of public outrage.

Story continues

To this, I can only say: Silence is the worst strategy. If we remain still, the problem will worsen, the gossip will reach Evangelical Christians, and they will wield our health as a weapon in their ongoing crusade against porn. The porn industry needs to come together and fix the problem for performers health and for Porn Valleys future.

To address the problem, of course, we have to analyze why it exists in the first place. The old-school testing system required porn production companies to join it, but today, such a requirement doesnt exist, as many OnlyFans performers operate without even an LLC, let alone an S-Corp. (Most performers only learn the value of incorporating after the IRS comes for their head.) Many creators are business owners for the very first time; theyre learning how to operate a business as they go along, and, for the most part, theyre still in the early ages of their companies. The giants of the 20th century, on the other hand, existed for years before we perfected our testing system.

The methods of STI testing matter, too. Even if performers and their S-Corps are testing, they may not be performing swab tests; even in the early days of studio porn, most companies relied instead on urine or blood tests. But according to the American College of Emergency Physicians, swabs offer better guidance than urine tests when identifying sexually transmitted bacterial infections like gonorrhea and chlamydia.

So how can we fix this? In the immediate, performers need to get a variety of tests for each STI before porn shoots. In the long term, content creators need to join our lobbying group, the Free Speech Coalition, and discuss how we can apply the testing methods of the old studio system to the evolving porn industry of today. The stakes are too high to avoid playing it safe. For one, STIs spread quickly. If one performer gets sick, they could transmit it to another performer, who could transmit it to another. Health must be the top priority of any workplace, including the workplaces of the self-employed.

J.D. Vance Is Coming for Your PornWatch Out

Its pivotal that we make it clear were above code and taking our health and safety seriously, but young performers may not understand the deeper implications. Porn veterans know Evangelical Christians are waging a new war on porn. Still, Ive encountered many young OnlyFans stars unaware that groups like Exodus Cry are pushing talking points that the porn industry is a child abuse racket. Just last month, conservative Canadian journalist Meghan Murphy tweeted a conspiracy that legal adult porn fuels pedophilia. Murphy may seem just slightly less fringe than Exodus Cry, but a staff writer at The Atlantic, Conor Friedersdorf, replied to her tweet. After Murphy tweeted him a link to Exodus Crys documentary Barely Legal, which claims most adult porn shows simulated fantasies of sex with minors, Friedersdorf responded, Will bookmark and watch soon, thanks for the pointer.

He may not have known he was agreeing to watch Christian propaganda. (Exodus Cry doesnt mention its name on the YouTube page.) After all, Exodus Cry is brilliant at laundering their ideas into the mainstream, and theyre even more brilliant about pretending theyre rescuing porn stars. With those threats looming large, performers must take care of the STI problem before its leveraged against us. And if we dont discuss the issue publicly and create solutions, our detractors will make so-called solutions for uswhich could lead to the abolition of our industry entirely.

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.
Port Orange Police say tips from the public helped them track down the people responsible for doing thousands of dollars in damage to a local school over the weekend.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Police say the vandals smashed windows while trying to get into the main building at Spruce Creek Elementary School on Taylor Rd. just after 2 a.m. Sunday morning.

READ: 3-year-old shot in Orange County, deputies say

They also damaged multiple portable classrooms and two storage sheds to the tune of approximately $30,000 dollars in damage.

The police department shared surveillance video of the four suspects to social media Monday in an attempt to get the public to help identify them, and their efforts seem to have paid off.

READ: One of the easiest crimes: White supremacists mock area man arrested in Baltimore power grid plot

With help from the public and extremely hard work by Port Orange Detectives, their Criminal Investigations Division managed to identify all four of the suspects involved.

Police identified them only as two 14-year-olds, a 15-year-old, and a 16-year-old.

READ: Family of second boy killed after lightning struck rowing practice files lawsuit

All four have been charged with trespassing on school grounds, felony criminal mischief and burglary.

Police say their estimate of just how much the vandalism will cost could grow once a full inventory of damaged and stolen items is complete.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Editor's note: This is a regular feature on issues related to the Constitution and civics written by Paul G. Summers, retired judge and state attorney general.

In this fifteenth column, we conclude our study of Article III, the Judicial Branch. We have one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress May from time to time ordain and establish.

The Constitution is the supreme law of our land. Our forefathers created three equal branches - two were political, the legislative and executive branches. Decisions are made based on politics, policies and polls.

The third federal branch, the judiciary, is not political. Judges decide based on the law and constitution, not on emotion or popular sentiment.

Once a judge is confirmed by the Senate, he or she has a lifetime appointment. They do not run for office every two, four or six years; they follow the Constitution. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort; the decision by the Court is final and subject to no appeal.

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

How large should the Supreme Court be?

The judiciary affects each one of us. Please remember that the judicial branch is not political like the other two. Thats the crown jewel of a constitutional republic, the United States. The judicial branch acts as a check and balance against abuse of power by the other branches.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, center, and Justice Stephen Breyer arrive for the State of the Union address by President Joe Biden to a joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol House Chamber on March 1, 2022.

We have challenges daily in our country.

There is one issue around which a broad, nonpartisan majority of Americans can agree: The Supreme Court of the United States shall be composed of nine Justices.

That is language of the proposed Keep Nine Amendment to the United States Constitution. It would permanently preserve the Courts independence; promote the Rule of Law; and preserve checks and balances on abuse of power.

The Constitution is silent on the size of the Supreme Court. Without an amendment setting the number of Justices, a future Congress and president (regardless of party) could change that number for political advantage. This strategy is known as "Court packing."

Story continues

Polling shows that by more than a 2-1 margin, voters would support the "Keep Nine" Amendment. Support among moderates and independents is overwhelming.

Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee.

Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee.

Politicians like court packing, but not the people

Both political parties, at times, have promoted Court packing. Some suggest that a president with a majority in Congress might do that which Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) famously attempted, but failed, when he tried to pack the Supreme Court in 1937.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt takes his third term oath of office at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 1941. The oath is being administered by Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, left, Charles Elmore Cropley, clerk of the Supreme Court, next to the chief justice, is holding the bible. To the left of the president is his personal aide, Thomas Qualters, and James Roosevelt, in the uniform of a Marine Corps captain, is at far right. (AP Photo)

FDR sought to increase the number of Supreme Court justices and then allegedly fill those new positions with ideological allies. FDR's plan was rejected by the American people and Congress.

Nine Justices have served the U.S. for 154 years, since 1869.

"Court packing" would be a disaster for the nation and any party that embraced it. If one party packed the court, another party with a new majority would retaliate by packing the court again. This political table tennis undermines both checks and balances of the court and the rule of law. Americans desire a nonpartisan, independent judiciary.

Our next column studies Article IV. Reading the Constitution is time well spent.

Paul G. Summers, a lawyer, is a former appellate and senior judge; district attorney general; and the Attorney General of Tennessee. Raised in Fayette County, he resides in Holladay and Nashville.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Judiciary: Americans disagree with plans to 'pack' the Supreme Court
Two Georgia educators have resigned after an investigation confirmed claims of sexual misconduct at school.

On at least one occasion, Dr. Principal Dana Simmons had sex with gym teacher Dylan Charles in a bathroom near her office at Banks County Elementary School, district officials said.

Administrators pointed to photos and video of their on-campus rendezvous, and both educators acknowledged having sexual relations, according to a report.

The extramarital affair, which Simmons called an inappropriate friendship, was the subject of an independent investigation requested by the Banks County Board of Education last month. On Jan. 27, Superintendent Dr. Ann Hopkins announced that Charles and Simmons were no longer teaching at the school.

Any issues concerning unethical conduct are thoroughly investigated, addressed accordingly, and reported to the Professional Standards Commission as necessary, Hopkins said in a statement. The safety and well-being of our students is always our first priority.

Affair lasted several years

A six-page report, released Jan. 27, detailed the affair between Charles and Simmons. An investigation was launched after Simmons accused Charles of bugging her office and being privy to Board of Education information he was not entitled to, officials wrote.

Charles spoke with administrators and admitted hed had a sexual relationship with the school principal for several years, the report states.

During the meeting, he provided officials with intimate photos that showed him and Simmons kissing. Another picture showed a naked woman in a room identified as the bathroom adjacent to Dr. Simmonss office at Banks County Elementary School.

The gym teacher alleged he and Simmons routinely used the school to have sex  a claim Simmons denied, according to the report.

Principal was manipulating

Simmons, who was in her third year as school principal, acknowledged her affair with Charles and said his wife, a fellow teacher, would arrange and film the sex acts between Simmons and her husband.

Story continues

Dr. Simmons also stated [the wife] watched as she and her husband had sexual relations, according to the report.

Administrators also spoke with Charless wife, who was aware of the affair and said Simmons manipulated both her and her husband. She also said the principal pressured her to allow her to have sex with her husband in exchange for helping advance their careers.

Should have never happened

A former paraprofessional at the school said Simmons once approached her about joining a group of swingers, but she declined, the report states. The teacher eventually left the district because she felt Simmonss behavior was unprofessional, officials wrote.

Investigators concluded there was enough evidence Simmons and Charles had an inappropriate relationship that included sex on campus at least once.

It should have never happened, Verdaillia Turner, president of the Georgia Federation of Teachers, told WAGA. It shows poor judgment, it shows a lack of good character, and it also shows a lack of respect for the taxpayers property.

Both educators have resigned and are no longer listed on the schools website.

Homer is about 75 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Teacher charged after sexual assault reported on high school campus, NC cops say

Teacher reprimanded for her crying spells in class was forced to quit, NJ lawsuit says

High school tennis coach accused of sex crimes against children, Washington cops say
President Biden had one of the largest captive audiences he will speak to all year on Tuesday night, delivering the annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress at a key moment in his presidency.

Seen largely as Bidens entrance into a campaign for a second term, his speech provided fodder for hours of analysis across cable news and debate in Op-Ed sections of leading news outlets.

During his address, Biden focused primarily on the economy, jobs, police reform and a number of other wedge issues that telegraphed his messaging plans ahead of the 2024 cycle. Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, grabbed headlines of their own for vocally chiding the president during his speech.

How Bidens speech, and cascade of Republican rebukes, lands with the American public will depend largely on how it is portrayed in the media.

Here are what leading pundits are saying about Bidens prime time address this year:

MSNBC panelists praise Bidens demeanor

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., listen. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Several pundits on the left-leaning cable channel spent the hours after Bidens speech applauding what they said was the presidents ability to deliver the address calmly without getting flustered amid a frenzy of vocal opposition from Republicans.

It was a wonderful speech, said Michael Beschloss, NBCs presidential historian. Didnt you think he was Mr. Smooth?  He was elegant, he was civilized, he was conciliatory, he was reasonable and maybe most of all, he sounded like a centrist, which is exactly where he wants to be.

During the networks coverage, before the president took to the dais, Joy Reid, a leading liberal host on MSNBC, remarked that Bidens superpower is that he is a regular person.

A long speech from him will be interesting, because it will be more conversational than what youd get with the great oratory of an Obama, Reid said.

Story continues

Fox hosts pan POTUS, heap praise on Huckabee Sanders

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark., waits to deliver the Republican response to President Bidens State of the Union address, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. (Al Drago/Bloomberg, Pool)

After Fox News concluded live continuous coverage of Bidens speech, the network turned to host Sean Hannity for punditry.

Hannity, a longtime friend and ally of former President Trump, railed against Bidens speech while praising Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), who gave the official Republican rebuttal to the presidents remarks.

What you saw tonight was a weak crotchety old man, disconnected from reality, mumbling, bumbling, the conservative firebrand said. I think the star of the night absolutely positively was a governor by the name of Sarah Sanders.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appeared on Foxs flagship morning program on Wednesday, and was pressed by host Steve Doocy about his members lashing out at Biden during the speech.

Apparently the White House comms team is delighted at the reaction because it looked like Joe Biden was standing up to the Republicans, Doocy asked. At one point it looked like you were trying to shush your side of the aisle. What happened?

Well, the president was trying to goad the members, and the members are passionate about it, McCarthy responded.

CNNs Chris Wallace: GOP heckling Biden played into presidents hands

Republican lawmakers gather in the House Chamber for President Joe Bidens State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Political anchor Chris Wallace, who recently departed Fox to take a job at CNN, said House Republicans made a mistake in loudly chiding the president during his address.

I mean, they literally played into his hands. You know, I dont know if the people at the White House as they were drafting it at Camp David this weekend envisioned that happening the way it did, but it played out perfectly, Wallace said on CNN following the speech. When he said lets all stand up for seniors, there was no politician who was not going to stand up for seniors.

Before the speech, Wallace said political observers and the American public writ large would be extremely focused on Bidens energy level as voters consider supporting him in 2024.

Itll be probably the biggest live audience the president gets this whole year, he said. This is clearly a campaign speech  how he says what he says tonight is almost as important as what he says. He needs to come off as vigorous and ready for six more years on the job.

Host of The View say Marjorie Taylor Greene should apologize for shouting at Biden

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., reacts as President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The women of The View largely praised Bidens speech, and took exception with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) screaming at the president during his remarks.

Cameras caught Greene, clad in a white fur coat, and other Republicans as they stood and shouted liar at Biden as he spoke about the Republican agenda as it relates to entitlements and deficit spending.

The conservative lawmaker has emerged as a lightning rod within McCarthys caucus, often sparking backlash from Democrats for her rhetoric and social media posts.

I think if she yells liar at the president of the united states, she should apologize for it, said Sunny Hostin, a co-host of the popular daytime political talk show. And I wonder if Kevin McCarthy has the cojones to force her to.

Whoopi Goldberg accused Republicans of showing their behinds, as my mother would say, and engaging in despicable behavior.

You dont have to like what he says, but you owe him the respect, Goldberg said. He is the president. And for god sakes we had to listen to you know who and nobody yelled and said youre a liar. You need to get your party in order, man.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Lawyers attend the judges' inspection of the MH17 wreckage, on May 26, 2021 in Reijen, Netherlands. Photo by Piroschka van de Wouw - Pool/Getty Images

Putin likely gave separatists the missile that hit flight MH17, investigators said on Wednesday.

298 people died when the Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down in 2014.

But prosecutors said they can't pursue suspects due to the high bar of proof necessary.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely supplied the missile system that shot down flight MH17 in July 2014, killing 298 people onboard, international investigators said on Wednesday.

The team has been investigating the crash since August 2014, and said in a statement that there are "strong indications" that the Russian president decided on supplying the missile system to separatists in Ukraine.

Investigators have previously said that the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down by a Buk missile brought from Russia to a field in Ukraine.

They said on Wednesday that the separatists had asked for longer-range anti-aircraft systems and that there is "concrete information" that the separatists' request was presented to the Russian president, and that this request was granted.

But, they added, it's not known whether their request explicitly mentioned the missile system that was later used to shoot down MH17.

Nor was it ultimately clear if Putin "deliberately assisted in the downing of MH17."

Russia has always denied any involvement in the fate of the plane.

The site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, July 17, 2014. Reuters

Investigators said on Wednesday that the evidence was not strong enough to formally accuse Putin.

"Although we speak of strong indications, the high bar of complete and conclusive evidence is not reached. Furthermore, the President enjoys immunity in his position as Head of State," they said in the statement.

Prosecutors also said on Monday that they did not have enough evidence to pursue criminal proceedings against anyone else associated with the crash.

A Dutch court sentenced three men  Russian nationals Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko  to life in prison last November over the downing of the plane. But the men are still at large.

The plane, a Boeing 777, was flying from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was shot down over eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists had taken over parts of the country.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters/Pixabay

Vladimir Putin did not appear out of a vacuum to birth a gangster state, invade Ukraine, roil the planet in chaos, and order his hobgoblins on Russian television to incessantly threaten the world with mushroom clouds.

Russias conquests and violence are the most natural and legitimate thing that has ever been done in history, is one of the more recent soundbites from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

The distressing question is whether theres even a tinkle of truth to Putins bombast that the U.S. shoulders blame for Russias global aggression. Three decades of post-Cold War wheeling and dealing between Russia and the U.S. provide compelling evidence that Putin is rightbut clearly not for the reasons spewed by him and his propagandists.

Nine years of news reports from Putins war in Ukrainewhich exploded into a full land invasion almost 12 months agoassorted armed mischiefs in Africa and assassinations of political opponents at home and abroad only continues to blur this historically larger and more damning canvas. Its a portrait that illustrates the Wests three decades of collaboration to enrich Russian leaders, aid and abet their oligarchs, and use diplomatic guff such as balance of power to empower Putin.

Putins Men Fear Minced Meat Fate in New Offensive

Even before Putin strong-armed his way into the Kremlin throne room in 2000 , the former KGB agent who was assistant to St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, instigated a new financial dance with the West that would revolutionize Russias finances.

Putins Money Spinner

It was a modern twist on the Bolshevik quartermaster system, which he perfected once he was in the presidential suite. The procedure involved a Russian enterprise entering into lucrative and opaque joint-venture contracts with Western energy, manufacturing, distribution or trading companies. The split was always 51/49, with the Russian entity given ham-fisted jurisdiction of the lions share and always through one of Putins hundreds of genuflecting oligarchs, all hiding the details of the transactions beneath secretive layers of completely legal offshore companies.

Story continues

Investment bankerswho during the 1998 Ruble Without a Cause economic crash said theyd rather eat cabbages from Chernobyl than lend to Russialiked the new tune coming from Putins mouth and leveraged the sound of his music to peddle more Russian shares and bonds.

"The macro picture looks all very great, but you have a problem with almost every stock you look at," Morgan Stanley Dean Witter emerging market specialist John-Paul Smith cautioned at the dawn of the Putin era. "Everything is tainted on an individual basis."

Putins quartermasters were just as aware of the dodgy consequences of these deals as they were the shared profits that enriched them and created the global oligarch class. Somehow lost or ignored in the cash pile, however, was how Putin was spending Russias cut: Militarization.

World Bank

Very few people understood the reality of what Putin was doing, says a former executive at General Electric, who had first-hand experience with the quartermaster system. Its one of those things that Im unable to even talk about, let alone explain, with anyone who wasnt there. There was too much naivete, more than there should have been.

Russia is not a nation. It is a global fascist enterprise. As a business, this is something remarkable, and those assigned the ongoing task of helping the country shed its brutal past and embrace the 21st century funded the process with eyes wide shut.

In 1991, for instance, U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Robert Strauss rationalized the wisdom of slathering post-Soviet Russia in multi billions of foreign-aid dollars and private-sector investments without a soupcon of due diligence. Id rather risk a couple of billion bucks out here for our country than fail to risk a couple of billion bucks and end up looking at a real fascist-type situation, the former FBI agent from Texas explained over lunch in the dining room of the ambassadors residence at Spaso House.

The first law of forensic science is Locards Exchange Principle: Every contact between a perpetrator and a crime scene leaves a trace, and there are perhaps not enough FBI evidence bags on hand to contain proof of the Wests enthusiasm to bankroll Putins crime spree and the paucity of its reverberation.

To be sure, five successive U.S. presidential administrations, the leaders of Americas NATO allies, the Davos Men at the World Economic Forum and Wall Street financiers ravening to feast on Russias natural resources had been repeatedly warned that Strauss fascist-type situation was baked into each and every deal cut with the post-Soviet Kremlin.

Nobody listened.

The reason, of course, was money. In 1989, Leonid Evenko, an aging high-level apparatchik at the Institute of the USA and Canada, explained how Russia worked its then nascent hustle.

The best thing is to live here with the dollars we make from cooperative ventures with America, Evenko said over tumblers of expensive whiskey and crusty cucumber sandwiches at the hard-currency bar of Moscows Savoy Hotel. This is life. Leave Russia every now and then for a steak and shrimp cocktail in New York City. Americans will never understand this reality because you dont really know or care whats going on in the world. This is the big difference between us.

Robert Trent Jones Jr. vividly remembers Russia before and after the West delivered prawns and T-bones to the Savoy. I first arrived as a Yale student in 1961, says the celebrated architect who built the first golf course in Russia, a negotiation that began in 1974 with Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and multiple members of the Cold War Politburo. I wanted to see my enemies up close.

Instead, Jones kept finding Russian friends, all of whom, he says, shared my ambitions and existential fears. Their discussions, Jones recalls, centered on how to peacefully make money with the threat of a thermonuclear cloud in the background.

U.S. Money Blows Back

More than 50 years later, Russia and Wall Street are flush with cash, but only Putin continues to terrify the world with all-out nuclear malfeasance. Everything will end with a nuclear strike, Putins televised propagandist Vladimir Solovyov recently warned. But we will go to heaven, while they will simply croak.

Or perhaps die from indifference, according to a January 2023 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, which shows the share of American adults who say the U.S. is providing too much aid to Ukraine has increased 6 percentage points since last September and 19 points since shortly after Russia launched its full-scale of invasion of the country in February 2021.

During one of his renowned poker games at Spaso House sometime between 1953 and 1957, U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Charles Bohlen poured another round of libations and expanded on the axiom that those who dont study the past will repeat its errors, and those who do study it will find other ways to err.

Let me tell you fellows something, said Bohlen, who helped author the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War Two and played a marquee role in constructing Americas Cold War policy based on the Kremlins absolute obsession to reestablish the Russian imperium in order to guarantee external security of their internally weak regime.

There are two lies that tell me to never trust anyone who tells them, Bohlen continued, according to family members accustomed to his wit and wisdom. The first is, I never get drunk on Champagne. The second is, I know how to get along with the Russians. Later asked to define Kremlinology, one of Americas foremost statesmen, who was honored with a postage stamp, said, its the study of nine men wrestling under a rug, but you dont know whose being hit and who isnt.

As Putins war in Ukraine drags into its second blood-soaked year, Bohlens 60-year-old evaluation of Russia is the only guaranteed bellwether of what happens next in Moscow, Kyiv and beyond.

There is no doubt that Western money and ignorance, peppered with no small dose of self-indulgence, empowered and continues to enable Russias invasion of Ukraine. It is a blood-crime scene and Putin is not the only person of interest.

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.
See previous 74 Interviews: Economist Tom Kane on the challenge of reversing learning loss, education researcher Martin West on this falls NAEP results, and journalist Anya Kamenetz on what COVID took from a generation of American students. The full archive is here.

By some measures, Sal Khan is the most influential math teacher in U.S. history.

The 46-year-old entrepreneur and former financial analyst is the founder of Khan Academy, a nonprofit site offering thousands of free video lessons on a range of K-12 subjects. Since its beginnings as a YouTube channel (which itself grew out of Khans early efforts to tutor his niece in math), the organization has blossomed into an internationally known learning tool reaching tens of millions students in over 100 countries. Among its English-speaking users, Khans gently probing voice has become the soundtrack to their efforts to learn algebra or geometry.

Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter

The organizations mission grew during the pandemic, as traffic to the website surged amid widespread school closures. User minutes on the site grew steadily in 2020 while American students were largely learning in isolation from teachers and peers, and for a time, school systems across the country were attempting to recreate Khan Academys model on the fly.

Their efforts, while often heroic, were insufficient. Reams of COVID-era research have shown conclusively that remote instruction led to disastrous learning losses in foundational subjects, with particularly steep declines in math skills. And even after two years of doleful news about schools and learning, Octobers release of NAEP results still managed to shock education observers.

Related: Nations Report Card Shows Largest Drops Ever Recorded in 4th and 8th Grade Math

The federal test, often called the Nations Report Card, showed that fourth and eighth graders both sustained unprecedented drops in math performance. The damage to older students was especially severe, with 38 percent of eighth graders scoring below the exams lowest level of proficiency during the 202122 school year. While the worst of the pandemic-related learning disruptions is behind us, a long climb remains ahead.

Story continues

In an interview with The 74, Khan said that learning recovery cant stop with a return to the pre-pandemic norm, which saw huge numbers of students ill-prepared for college and bound for frustrating bouts with remedial coursework. He believes that American math education should be more organized around the principles of mastery learning, a pedagogical strategy that focuses heavily on providing pupils the necessary support to address their existing knowledge gaps before moving on to new material.

Failing a shift toward more effective math instruction, he argued, the damage revealed by Octobers NAEP scores will result in lasting harm to students prospects in life  and it wont be distributed equally.

My kids are doing just fine, and everyone in their school is doing fine, Khan said. But somebody elses kid is on the other end of that average, doing pretty darn badly and probably unable to compete.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

The 74: What are your thoughts on the huge declines in math performance revealed by NAEP? Is this roughly what you were expecting, given the effects of COVID?

Sal Khan: My big takeaways are that its not surprising that the drops were larger in math, and its not surprising that they were larger in eighth grade than in fourth grade. We always talk about how math is cumulative  if you start having gaps earlier on in math, it becomes that much harder to even engage later on. Gaps obviously matter in reading comprehension, and you want a strong foundation, but you can still engage later on if you fall behind.

The silver lining on these results is that they put a spotlight on whats happened, but its not as if scores went from decent to bad; they went from horrible to even-more-horrible. Pre-pandemic, about one-third of eighth-graders were proficient in math, and now one-fourth are proficient. And its actually worse than that in some of the large urban districts that we know need a lot of help. Detroit Public Schools went from [5 percent of eighth-graders being proficient in math to 4 percent]. If I looked up where I live  Mountain View, California, or Palo Alto Unified School District  Im guessing those numbers are closer to 80 or 90 percent proficiency. So even though the averages are pretty bad, they also hide the problem.

The idea of math as a uniquely cumulative subject is one you hear a lot about. Can you explain how that works in greater detail?

In education, memorization and math facts are kind of nasty words, but I definitely believe that fluency is valuable. So Ill talk about it on a theoretical level.

Say youre a little shaky on what seven plus seven is, and you have to count on your fingers. Then you move on to multiplication, which is basically repeated addition: seven plus seven plus seven. If you have to compute those things and dont know off the bat that seven plus seven equals 14, youre not going to get the multiplication fluency either. All of a sudden, you start doing word problems or exponents, and youre going to be in a lot of trouble. And this keeps happening! If you get a 70 percent on your negative numbers test, youre going to be adding fractions with negative numbers next, and you might not even get a 70 on that test. So you compound these gaps, and of course it will eventually fail. The way I usually talk about it is with a homebuilding analogy, where if you have a weak foundation, what you build on top of it will collapse.

This isnt a crazy theory. I visited a school in the Bronx a few months ago, and they were working on exponent properties like: two cubed, to the seventh power. So, you multiply the exponents, and it would be two to 21st power. But the kids would get out the calculator to find out three times seven. They knew what to do, but the fluency gap was adding to the cognitive load, taking more time, and making things much more complex. And if you get to an algebraic equation where you have to get that in several steps  and God forbid someone says you cant use a calculator because its just simple multiplication  it just gets harder and harder.

Put the NAEP data aside. Maybe 50 or 60 percent of American kids try to go to college, and of those who do, the majority are placed in remedial math  which is not high school math, its like seventh-grade math. Even college algebra is really a remedial class, essentially tenth- or eleventh-grade math, and most kids cant place into college algebra. It shows you how they slow down around that point, and in my mind, its because of these gaps.

Related: When $7B in Remediation Falls Short: The Broken Promises Colleges Make to Students Who Need More Help

Remedial math is also kind of the kiss of death in terms of college completion, right?

Exactly. This is a whole other conversation, but we have a program with Howard University where students in Title I high schools can get mastery in college algebra on Khan Academy, and then Howard University gives them transferable college credits for the subject. Thats one of the ways we think we can get people back on track.

Another idea that circulated after the NAEP release was that eighth-grade math is a kind of gateway to more sophisticated academic concepts, making it an especially bad year to see reversals.

Actually, theyre both interesting years. Fourth graders are starting to integrate a lot of the arithmetic theyve learned up to that point, and in eighth grade, youre combining the arithmetic with pre-algebra and starting on algebraic material. The eighth-grade Common Core standards are essentially Algebra I, and Algebra I is the most popular course on Khan Academy. Its not surprising to me because thats where people start hitting walls.

Why? Because its a new way of thinking about math. But for most people, its because their fluency in pre-algebraic or even arithmetic-level skills is pretty weak. If you look at the curve in the national data, kids fall further and further behind relative to where they should be, year in and year out. And when students are able to do personalized practice and address their unfinished learning, it doesnt seem like a coincidence that eighth grade is also when students see the biggest, most dramatic gains in math.

Algebra I is the most popular course offered by Khan Academy, founder Sal Khan observed. (Nikolas Kokovlis/Getty Images)

You mentioned that memorization is sort of a nasty word. But I think many people experience a bit of success with that in the early years of math, with the multiplication tables offering one example. Do you think theres room for more of that in K-12 math  perhaps through methods like direct instruction, which places a lot of emphasis on explicit teaching methods and systematic lessons?

Yeah, although Im actually a little bit allergic to direct instruction. Im the chairman of two schools that I started, and for high schoolers, I think there should be no lecturing at our schools. You should be asking questions, making the students think about things, making them collaborate. With younger kids, of course theres going to be more direction there, but it still shouldnt really be a lecture. I think thats really important, especially for young kids. What we call play, thats really children exploring so that they can learn about the world. Kids love to explore and do things; they dont love to sit in the chair with their fingers on their lips and learn to be docile.

In the math wars, theres the rote learning and memorization, whatever you want to call it, and there are higher-order skills and problem solving. I absolutely think its got to be both. Schools that only do the latter, like project-based learning schools, their kids still struggle to get engineering degrees even though they were potentially doing engineering-type lessons during high school. Because they didnt learn fluency in some of the core skills! Meanwhile, I know plenty of people who went through traditional education systems that might have leaned a little bit towards rote learning  especially in other countries like India and China and Korea  and I dont think thats ideal either. But you do have to get the core fluencies before you get too conceptual, in many cases, and advocates of more progressive education dont necessarily buy into that.

Related: Is Homework Too Easy? With Half of Parents Expressing Concerns, New Study Says Students Assignments Lack Rigor, Favor Lower-Level Skills

Those eighth-graders I met in the Bronx were not atypical. I just wanted to sit down with them for like 24 hours and make sure they could nail their multiplication tables. Some people think that if you make them memorize the multiplication tables, they wont know what multiplication is. No, they understand the concepts, and they know what multiplication is. But can you imagine going through life saying, I dont know what three times seven is? Its actually a problem if you see a pair of pants that costs $70, but theyre on sale for 30 percent off, and you cant figure out that you can save $21. Youre going to be in trouble. So I do think that math facts shouldnt be a forbidden concept, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt also do conceptual learning.

I feel the same way about history. When people say that kids can just Google things, I think, I dont know, its pretty useful for me to know when World War II was. These are things that shouldnt be in competition with one another.

You used the phrase math wars, and Im wondering how much those are truly being fought. What we called the reading wars were really destructive, but also constructive in that theyve produced a huge research literature about how to teach literacy. Does it strike you that the math world hasnt really been through the same process, and that the science of math is therefore something of a mystery to both educators and kids?

Yes and no. The reading wars were whole-language vs. phonetics, and again, I think the answer is both: You probably start with phonics and move more toward whole-language as kids get older. You dont need to fight these wars.

Its not like there arent already cases of kids learning math really well. There are lots. We started talking about how math is cumulative, and the strongest evidence for that  from well before Khan Academy existed  is around the notion of mastery learning, which always gives students the opportunity and incentive to fill in any gaps they have. And its had something like 200 efficacy studies, all of which were dramatic in terms of what they found for student learning. Thats essentially the pedagogical underpinnings that weve used; weve had 50-plus efficacy studies of Khan Academy, and they all have the exact same narrative.

So I dont think its a secret of what we should do. The kids at KLS [Khan Lab School]  and theyre not indicative of a historically under-resourced community, its in the middle of Silicon Valley  are growing 1.52 times faster in math than demographically comparable kids in local public schools. Thats because theyre doing mastery learning, and theyre doing some things in peer-to-peer and active learning that are contributing as well. I think if you let kids work in their zone of proximal development, and you motivate them, you can actually accelerate people in math pretty quickly.

Related: Helping Students Learn at Their Own Pace: Why Some Ohio Schools Are Adopting a Mastery Approach in Hopes of Closing COVID Learning Gaps

What about the long-term trends in American math results? Last years NAEP release shows pretty clearly that, even though weve stagnated or declined recently, were still quite far ahead  in some states, massively so  compared with the early 1990s. Do you think thats a meaningful thing to keep in mind?

The long-term trends have definitely been positive. There has been progress, for sure, and I think that a lot of that has come from things like desegregating schools. When I was growing up in New Orleans, there were public schools that didnt have air conditioners. These were the legacy schools from Jim Crow, so I think a lot of that progress is probably basic blocking and tackling, just having some level of equality before you even start talking about equity.

And there has been improvement in teaching as well. I believe its now mainstream for teachers to say, Im not going to just lecture at my students for an hour. Its far more typical now, compared with when you and I went to school, for the math teacher to give a short lecture and then break the class into groups to solve problems together. But the fact remains that its a disaster when only one-third of kids are proficient in math and a majority of kids going to college need math remediation at something like the seventh-grade level.

Post-pandemic, the rate of learning might get back to where it was pre-pandemic. But it just means that youve been set back by 15 or 20 percent, at least, and now youre going to continue to learn at that suboptimal rate. The average American kid learns at about .7 grade levels per year, and that accumulates to the point where lots of high school seniors are closer to the seventh-grade level than the twelfth-grade level. Which, again, is exactly what the college remediation numbers show.

Its a huge problem, and its hugely unequal. My kids are doing just fine, and everyone in their school is doing fine. But somebody elses kid is on the other end of that average, doing pretty darn badly and probably unable to compete.

The NAEP results showed that almost 40 percent of American eighth graders scored below the tests most basic proficiency level. What does it mean to be an adult with only the most rudimentary math skills?

That 40 percent is going to be sitting in classrooms, getting more and more frustrated and continuing to think theyre not smart.

And the people around them are also going to think theyre not smart. Imagine youre a well-intentioned teacher thinking that youre explaining ninth-grade math just fine, and this kid just doesnt get it. By that point, there are going to be two problems: One, they have all these gaps that are hard for you, as a ninth-grade teacher, to address. And two, their self-esteem is shot, and theyre checked out. Some of these kids are going to drop out of high school, not even think about college, and be that much less likely to have a good path in front of them. Its not a good scenario.

I remember reading one account, though Im not sure how true it is, that because the lead time in prison planning is around 10 years, the authorities would look at fourth-grade test scores to correlate the planning. Thats about the darkest idea you can imagine, but its not crazy. Prison is obviously an extreme circumstance, but dropping out of high school, or dropping out of college with debt, is where a lot of these kids are headed.

Related: Study: Damage from NAEP Math Losses Could Total Nearly $1 Trillion

You may have also seen the research showing that, based on previous data tracking math scores and economic trends, a permanent drop in NAEP performance of this magnitude could erase something like $900 billion in future earnings.

And remember that it will disproportionately hit certain student demographics. If it were my child that fell into that below basic category, my wife or I would probably quit our day jobs. Knowing what I know about the system and its implications, and given that we have the resources, I would go all-in to help my kids catch up. And were talking about 30 or 40 percent of the country.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Bravo

Like any good reality star, Heather Gay has a talent for words. On Bravos The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, the 40-year-old medspa owner delivers hysterical, self-effacing confessionals, often roasting some curious element of her former religion, Mormonism, or poking fun at her quest to find a man.

For the most part, she addresses conflict with the same colorful sense of humor. Id give a blowjob for a burger, she famously joked during an argument this past season over a castmates rumored sexual propositioning.

On the flipside, Gays been recently accused of wordsmithing her way out of arguments and neglecting accountability by viewers online. In the just-concluded third season, Gay has been forced to explain her allegiance to controversial cast member and now-convicted criminal Jen Shah, as well as a confounding storyline involving a black eye she received during a cast trip and her ongoing tiff with her cousin and fellow Housewife Whitney Rose over who really knows at this point?

Her carefully worded, if often puzzling, rejoinders at the two-part reunion were less than satisfactory by Twitters standards. (A recent Instagram comment left by Gays sister calling her out only fanned the flames.)

Bravo

Its fortunate then that Gay is giving her critics an opportunity to get to know her outside of the distorted world of Real Housewives. Like many a popular Bravo star, shes putting her witticisms and peculiar life experiences to paper for a new book called Bad Mormon, which was published this week.

The memoir, which has been a plot point in Season 3, outlines her pious upbringing on the West Coast as a daughter of Mormon parents. In the beginning, her protective family unit and insular church community seem fairly idyllic. As she got older and eventually wed a notable Mormon, she had epiphanies regarding the churchs conservative views of women, sex and practically anything self-indulgent. After having three daughters, she made the bold decision to get divorced. And once Gay joined reality television three years ago, she was officially excommunicated from the church.

Story continues

Im in the thick of it right now, Gay says, describing the family tension surrounding her book when she spoke to The Daily Beasts Obsessed. Things are strained with my mother. I dont know if its ever going to get better or if theyre going to publicly I dont know.

Suffice to say, theres more at stake for Gay with the release of Bad Mormon than the average television personality aspiring to GoodReads fame. When speaking over Zoom, the Bravo star seemed slightly uneasy recalling some of her confessions and proclamations in the bookthough she has a strong, confident voice discussing the topics as a writer.

Why Heather Gay Escaped Mormonism to Become a Real Housewife

The almost 300-page book is a confident debut, as vivid and verbose as Gay when shes narrating her life on Bravo. One caveat: Anyone picking up Bad Mormon for Real Housewives gossip or insight into Gays current life will likely be disappointed. The book is mostly a deep dive into her pre-television days.

Strategically, it leaves plenty of room for a Part 2, as her years as a liberated woman have only just begun. In fact, the book closes on a steamy anecdote about a night in the Big Apple that ends with a hookup in the back of a cab. Its not hard to imagine Gay churning out a series of Sex and the City-esque tales from her specific point of view.

Gay spoke to The Daily Beasts Obsessed about her nervousness about the books release, her passion for writing, overcoming sexual shame and defending her buddy Jen Shah.

On RHOSLC, you narrate your life in a very compelling, humorous way. Did you always know you had a book in you?

I mean, I gave up on all of my dreams a long time ago. But yeah, as a young kid, I thought I was a writer. I entered every writing contest I could. I majored in humanities. I dreamed of living in a beach cottage crafting novels. I just never thought the opportunity would grant itself. And so becoming a Housewife put me in that situation where someone else thought the same thing and said, Theres a book in you, and it should be called Bad Mormon. It flowed for me immediately.

Bravo

You mention in the book that you wrote erotica as a kid.

It was based off of movies I had seen and books I had read. I had zero real sexual experience or dialogue with anyone. No one in my immediate group was having sexual experiences. Of course, in my house, we never discussed it, but I had seen The Princess Bride and [loved the line], As you wish. I loved writing Harlequin romance stuff. My mom finding it was terrifying to me, because I thought that made me look like a huge whore.

Your parents seemed surprisingly chill the way you describe them. Or was that just your perception as a child because you didnt know any better?

My parents were the cool Mormons. They had a sense of humor about themselves and about their faith and about their kids. And they didn't take themselves too seriously. But they watched us like hawks. I remember my brother was wearing suspenders once and my mom said he looked like a hooligan. We had to look appropriate and be appropriate. And I got reprimanded for that hot dog joke [in the book]. So yes, we knew the expectations were intense. It was strict. But it was strict under the context of what I knew. I just thought we're like a cool functioning family.

Everyone on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Is a Villain

How is your relationship with your mother now that youve written the book?

Things are strained with my mother. We dont speak. And its caused my family to change dramaticallymy immediate siblings and mom. Its strained. And this is the fallout that I always feared, which is why I always toed the line. I didnt want to be ostracized from my family. I didnt want things to be awkward. I wanted my kids to be around their grandma, you know?

You spend a lot of Bad Mormon describing the churchs rituals and immersing readers in certain ceremonies. Do all of those customs still fascinate you?

Absolutely. I love religion. I love being a scholar of faith. I like scripture and the historical context of it all. I'm taking a catechism class right now at the Orthodox church just down the street from my house. And its been fascinating for me to learn what the world thinks because Ive just been taught that the world is wrongthat [Mormons] are the center of all churches, and we have all the truth encompassed in our faith.

Real Housewives Dolores Catania and Margaret Josephs Dish the New Jersey Drama

I never looked at anything that would have shaken my faith. My brother was 50 years old when he Googled the Prophet Joseph Smith. Thats the founder of our faith. I didnt notice a single negative story about my faith, their history or anything. We dont seek out negative information. And so its been fascinating to study faith and to kind of pursue spiritual interests without the context of me being right, just admitting I dont really know anything.

You write a lot about the gender disparities within the Church of Latter Day Saints, starting in childhood. Is there a single moment when you started to realize Mormonism was holding you back as a girl or a woman?

I started to realize the differences early. Like, who I am wont work if I want to be a girl that boys like. But I didnt even accept it as oppressive. I still thought it was notable and romantic for a woman to be the nurturer and the man to be the patriarch and the head of the household. And they work together as a team. And I just thought it was noble to be the second-in-command. And I think that, at my daughters baptism, I realized, Oh, wait. Im not a co-captain. Im not the Skipper. Im not even on the ship. And I think that was when I felt really broken and devastated and oppressed.

Bravo

On Real Housewives and in the book, you talk about dealing with sexual shame. Theres even a disturbing anecdote where a bishop interrogates you about masturbation as a teen. Have you gotten more comfortable in your sexual and romantic life the more you talk about these things?

Im having an easier time dating because Im more confident with who I am in this space. But Im still super-uncomfortable with dating in front of my kids or talking about a date in front of my kids or being open at all about having a sex life. I cant help it. I just feel like Im a mom. I have to be Virgin Mary all the time. And thats what Im working on right now, is just having a healthy sex-positive relationship with myself and my children.

Your friend and castmate Jen Shahs recent sentencing is obviously casting a cloud over this book release. You got a lot of criticism from fans for blindly standing by her on the show. What have you learned from how you handled her allegations?

I dont really have any regrets other than I just think I was pretty naive. I just look back and think I was still in people-pleaser mode. I think I was just projecting a lot of my own fears and insecurities. I wanted to be the kind of friend that I kind of wished I had. I thought, as long as shes saying shes innocent, I'm going to defend her. But everything changed when she pled guilty.

As information is coming out, its so hard to stomachthe victims, the facts around it. And no one can be that naive. I just have to hope that the victims get restitution and that Jen can clear up the collateral damage with her family and her life and rebuild it because I believe in the second chapters. But I also believe in making things right.

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.
Jonathan Strickland speaks about how the police shooting has negatively impacted his life during a news conference held by his attorneys on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, outside of the U.S. Federal District Courthouse.

Editors note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2023, with a response from the City of Las Cruces' lawyer.

LAS CRUCES  A black man shot by police a dozen times in 2021 at the outset of a brief chase announced Wednesday that he was suing the City of Las Cruces in federal court for excessive force and violating his civil rights.

During a press conference outside the federal courthouse in Las Cruces, California-based attorneys representing Jonathan Strickland said Las Cruces police relied on false information and unleashed a barrage of gunfire against an unarmed Strickland.

(This shooting) reminded me of Rodney King, and I do not say that lightly, said Civil Rights attorney John Burris, who represented King in the 1990s.

The lawsuit initiates a legal process that will likely take several months before the parties reach a resolution. The civil case also marks the citys second pending high-profile federal lawsuit involving LCPD.

The first involves Amelia Baca, a 75-year-old woman with dementia killed by an LCPD officer in 2022. Bacas family sued the city in federal court after the city settled a state lawsuit last year.

What happened on Campo Street?

The incident that led to the lawsuit began on March 11, 2021, at LCPDs headquarters.

According to an affidavit filed by police, Stricklands then-wife drove herself to police headquarters to tell police Strickland abused her. Police said in the affidavit that Stricklands wife alleged Strickland acted violently toward her and threatened her with a gun.

Photos of Jonathan Strickland's truck and injuries are held up during a news conference held by his attorneys on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, outside of the U.S. Federal District Courthouse.

That day, Strickland followed his wife to the police station because he wanted to clear his name, according to his lawyers, and knew his wife planned to make false allegations. However, once he arrived at the police station, Strickland contemplated the consequence of going inside and decided to leave, the lawyers said.

As he left, LCPD officers chased Strickland across downtown Las Cruces. According to the lawsuit, the officers did not attempt to issue commands to Strickland to pull over.

Story continues

After flipping and wrecking Strickland's truck near the Campo Street and Lohman Avenue intersection, the five officers opened fire on Strickland.

Stricklands lawsuit alleges - and names as part of the suit - that Officers Joshua Savage, Manuel Frias, Nathan Krause, Daniel Benoit and Anthony Lucero fired 90 times at Strickland. Additionally, the lawsuit states that other officers were involved, but their names were not yet known to Strickland's lawyers. The names would be added once they were revealed.

Criminal charges were filed against Strickland, and a judge ordered him jailed without an opportunity for a bond. Months later, prosecutors dropped the case.

Ultimately, police found Strickland had no weapon. His wife later signed an affidavit saying the abuse allegations made against him were false.

More:Why is Black History Month in February? How do you celebrate? Everything you need to know.

Rodney King, Jacob Blake, Fred Hampton and Jonathan Strickland

On Wednesday, Stricklands attorneys hosted a news conference outside Las Cruces federal courthouses  just a few dozen feet from where police shot Strickland. His attorneys used the opportunity to announce the civil lawsuit and to link Stricklands experience with the experience of other Black men in the U.S.

Black people and brown people should not have to live in fear, said Dwitt Lacy, another of Stricklands attorneys.

Civil Rights Attorney DeWitt Lacy speaks to the media during a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, outside of the U.S. Federal District Courthouse.

Lacy pointed out that New Mexico ranks at or near the top of fatal police shootings yearly. Black people are also six times more likely to be killed by police in New Mexico than their white counterparts.

Fred Hampton Jr.  president and chairman of the Prisoners of Conscience Committee and the Black Panther Party Cub and son of slain civil rights leader Fred Hampton  said during the news conference that little had changed since his father was gunned down by Chicago police in 1969.

The reality is we are still subjected to police terrorism, Hampton said.

Hampton connected Stricklands experience to that of Jacob Blake Jr., who was paralyzed after a police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 23, 2020.

Jacob Blake Sr., father of Jacob Blake who was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot by a police officer in Wisconsin, speaks during a news conference held by Jonathan Strickland's attorneys on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, outside of the U.S. Federal District Courthouse.

Jacob Blake Sr. also spoke at the news conference. Blake said Stricklands experience mirrored his sons and described the police who shot Strickland as a "murderous mob."

Wrong is wrong. No matter how you sugarcoat it, Blake said. The template has been set in Memphis.

And, like the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis on Jan. 27, Blake and Stricklands attorneys called on District Attorney Gerald Byers and U.S. attorneys to criminally charge the officers who shot Strickland.

More:When the officers are Black: Tyre Nichols' death raises tough questions about race in policing

Hopefully, criminal prosecution will occur on the part of the local district attorney or the federal U.S. Attorney's Office (in Las Cruces), Burris said.

Living in fear of LCPD

In addition to his attorneys and other prominent Black voices, Strickland addressed the gathered media outside the courthouse.

Using the aid of a cane and reading from a handwritten letter, Strickland described his experience on the day of the shooting and his life since.

Jonathan Strickland looks down as one of his attorneys speaks during a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, outside of the U.S. Federal District Courthouse.

I just remember the burning, Strickland said. It literally feels like your flesh is sizzling.

He added that his life was changed forever that day and described the years since as a living nightmare.

Because of what they did to me, I dont feel safe here, Strickland said.

The last speaker of the news conference was Dr. Bobbie Green, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Green did not mince words Wednesday and condemned the department for shooting Strickland.

He's going to live in pain, Green said of Strickland. And the citizens of Las Cruces are going to pay the bill for the legal action that has been brought up against the Las Cruces Police Department. We continue to have to pay the bill over and over and over again.

City's attorney responds

Five hours after the news conference, an attorney representing the City of Las Cruces responded to the allegations contained in the lawsuit.

"(Strickland's attorneys) injected race and ethnicity into a case where it doesn't belong," said Luis Robles, an Albuquerque-based attorney representing the City of Las Cruces.

Robles, who is representing the city in a federal lawsuit involving Amelia Baca's family, pushed back on the allegation that there was a culture of brutality within LCPD. Instead, Robles argued that Strickland's actions during the chase and immediately after led the officers to believe that Strickland had a gun and planned to use it.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Strickland told police that he waved his hand as though he had a gun, according to Robles.

"It's not that the officers didn't wait (to issue commands to surrender)," Robles said. "It's that Mr. Strickland didn't give them a chance."

Justin Garcia covers crime, courts and public safety. He can be reached via email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Attorneys invoke Rodney King as Las Cruces man sues police department
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighed in on President Joe Biden's second State of the Union address, praising the commander in chief and criticizing Republicans for their outbursts during the speech.

Ocasio-Cortez was among the lawmakers in attendance Tuesday as Biden addressed Congress and the nation. He spoke of police reform, prioritizing Social Security and the need for cooperation in a divided Congress.

The New York congresswoman shared her thoughts with ABC News Live's Linsey Davis about Biden's agenda and whether she would support the president for another term.

DAVIS: The Republican response to President Biden's address was delivered tonight by Arkansas governor and former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Let's take a listen to a portion of her remarks.

"I'm the first woman to lead my state, and he's the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can't even tell you what a woman is. In the radical left's America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country. Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left. The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy. A woke mob who can't even tell you what a woman is."'

Some interesting characterizations there from Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We are joined now by Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York for her reaction to tonight's address. Thank you so much for joining us, Congresswoman.

PHOTO: U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee member Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the committee's hearing about Twitter's handling of a 2020 New York Post story about Hunter Biden and his laptop, in Washington, Feb. 8, 2023. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

REP. OCASIO-CORTEZ: Thank you for having me.

DAVIS: So first, just curious to get your response to Gov. Huckabee Sanders there in her remarks.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, you know, I think that it's unsurprising that a governor, Gov. Huckabee Sanders' response was emotionally and thematically kind of in tune with how Republicans were behaving tonight. I think that it was very mischaracteristic. It relied on a lot of kind of straw men and red herrings. And frankly, I think it was particularly insensitive and insulting. That line that you just repeated about, you know, quote unquote, not knowing what a woman is in this moment when, you know, trans Americans have been under so much attack. It is disgusting, frankly, to have such a vulnerable community targeted on such a large platform and alluded to and insinuated to in this way when they deserve dignity, just like every other American does.

Story continues

MORE: Addressing his first divided Congress, Biden says 'the soul of this nation is strong'

DAVIS: And let's move back into what we saw on the floor in the chamber tonight. What was your reaction to some of those outbursts by Republicans responding to some of the president's claims on issues like cutting Social Security, responding with heckles and shouts of 'liar'?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah, you know, I I think it was quite surprising, quite shocking. Even under the even under President Trump and his administration, we never saw such a contentious and heckled State of the Union. Even when President Trump himself was advancing statements that many would consider false or, you know, at best, arguable. And so it was quite diminishing, I think, of the character of the body and what this you know, what what this speech was about and what it is about institutionally, which is a report to the public and the in the whole of Congress on the State of the Union and the president's plans for the future. So it was it was truly bizarre to see that happen.

But I also think that it's quite reflective of the fact that the Republican Party has been making such an effort to say that they have not been taken over by this extreme wing of the party. But I think what tonight showed is that that quote unquote, extreme wing has become their center to the point that they that they there isn't really much self-control, especially when it came to these claims around Republicans seeking to cut Social Security and Medicare. You know, they may say that it's not true, but if you look at their plan, they're really speaking between the lines. There is no way that they can meet these financial goals that they have advanced without touching this this spending.

And so they really need to reckon with which, you know, which claim that they're sticking to. Are they sticking to this claim around their budgetary plan or are they not going to touch Social Security and Medicare? And I think the president extended his hand and said, let's not touch Social Security and Medicare.

DAVIS: On President Biden's message, how effectively do you think that he was or how effective do you think that he was in making the case for his agenda tonight?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: You know, I believe that the president really stuck to kitchen table issues, him talking about the price of insulin. Him talking about, you know, maxing out the or rather capping the out-of-pocket maximums for prescription drugs at $2,000 a year. These are important things. But on top of that, I think he he really clearly called out institutions like Big Pharma or influences like Big Pharma.

He called out the profit margins that these oil companies, while they were purchasing stock buybacks while confronting Americans and passing on some of the highest fuel prices that Americans have have encountered in the last year.

So I think it was important. I think him drawing that contrast tonight was important because it is important to really delineate what these alternatives are in order for him to clarify what path he's choosing.

DAVIS: The president spoke briefly about police reform. With so many family members of victims of police violence in the audience tonight, is there any way that you see that the parties will be able to come together to pass something meaningful? We know that it made it out of the House last time, but then stalled in the Senate. Tim Scott and Cory Booker are just not able to get it over the finish line. At this point, where do you think that things stand?

MORE: 5 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union and Republican response

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, you know, I think overcoming a Senate filibuster with ten Republican senators who are willing to take on the issue of police brutality, that is a very, very steep hill to climb. There is, you know, barely even the ability to recognize this fact that this is that this is an issue even after George Floyd and Trayvon Martin and now Tyre Nichols and so many other victims, Sandra Bland and just Breonna Taylor, I mean, the names go on. But the recognition among the Republican Party for us to tackle this as the civil rights issue that it is, is lacking.

And so, I believe that that does put additional pressure on the administration in whichever ways that they can, to use the power of the executive office, whether or the bully pulpit of the presidency, as he did tonight, to elevate the legitimacy of this issue with a lived reality for millions of Americans.

DAVIS: President Biden, of course, has not officially announced his 2024 plans, but the speech very much felt like he was making the case for another term. Like to get your take, would you support President Biden in 2024? Do you see any other Democrats as a better option than Joe Biden?

OCASIO-CORTEZ: You know, presently it doesn't seem that that that they're you know, I believe that President Biden right now is the only candidate that the Democratic Party is advancing. And I believe that, you know, should he and when he wins the nomination, he will absolutely have my support. He has you know, he has my support as the candidate for president. Yes.

DAVIS: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, we thank you so much for coming on the show. Appreciate your time.

OCASIO-CORTEZ: Thank you.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says outbursts during Biden's address 'quite shocking' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Rep. Lauren Boebert. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Lauren Boebert told a crowd God might use them to confront "demons" or a "speaker of the House."

Boebert didn't specify which speaker she meant, though she tried to block Rep. Kevin McCarthy's bid.

Invoking religion and politics, Boebert has said "the church is supposed to control the government."

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert spoke at an event where she discussed "standing up to demons" including a "speaker of the House."

Boebert, who was reelected in November in an unexpectedly tight race, was speaking at a women's conference held at a church in Dallas over the weekend when she made the comments.

"Ladies, I know you are on fire for God," the congresswoman from Colorado said, according to a clip of the speech shared by the liberal PAC PatriotTakes.

"God is using you in mighty ways. Maybe he'll have you ball up your fists, and stand in front of some demons  maybe a speaker of the House," she continued, prompting laughter and a standing ovation from the audience. When the crowd quieted down, she added: "I also stood up against Nancy Pelosi, so nobody knows what I really meant there, for the record, when they try to put this in print."

Regardless of whether she was referring to Pelosi, Boebert was among the hard-right faction of Republican representatives who initially refused to support McCarthy as speaker in the new GOP House majority.

After negotiations within the party and 15 rounds of voting, McCarthy was finally elected speaker last month, kicking off the new Congress. Boebert never voted for him but ultimately switched her vote to "present" rather than for another member, which benefited McCarthy's chances at winning.

To win the speakership, McCarthy made certain concessions to the hard-right faction, though the extent of those concessions was unclear.

In her speech at the church over the weekend, Boebert said she and some colleagues presented McCarthy with a "list of concessions" but that he "dismissed them."

Story continues

"We started hearing lies about the meeting, that we came in asking for a personal wish list, nothing for the good of the country," she said.

Boebert ended up with a coveted committee assignment on the House oversight committee, the main oversight body in the chamber that would lead any investigations into President Joe Biden.

A representative for Boebert's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Boebert has made controversial comments about Christianity and the government in the past. In June she said she was "tired of this separation-of-church-and-state junk," which is in the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

Boebert has been accused of promoting Christian nationalism, or the belief that Christianity should have a privileged position in the US, but has denied being a Christian nationalist.

In another speech at a Christian conference in September, Boebert said it was "time for us to position ourselves and rise up and take our place in Christ and influence this nation as we were called to do" and that humanity was in its "last days."

Andrew Whitehead, a sociologist at IUPUI who is a coauthor of "Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States," told Insider at the time her comments touched on Christian nationalist imagery that's linked to violence.

"Citing the end times really does feel like a call to action and a rallying cry in some sense," Whitehead said, adding: "A lot of that end times imagery is associated with violence and rapture and descending into chaos societally."

Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former Twitter executives told a Republican-led U.S. House committee on Wednesday that they made a mistake by blocking tweets about a laptop said to belong to President Joe Biden's son Hunter but said government officials were not involved.

At a combative day-long hearing before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Republicans claimed that Twitter cooperated with government officials and the news media to suppress a New York Post article on the laptop's contents, two weeks ahead of Biden's 2020 election victory over former President Donald Trump, a Republican.

The committee's witnesses, three former Twitter executives, said in subpoenaed testimony that they mistakenly believed the Post article contained hacked material and reversed their decision to limit its circulation on the social media platform within 24 hours.

Democrats accused Republicans of pursuing a politically motivated fishing expedition against Biden and raised concerns about witness intimidation after a Republican lawmaker warned the former executives that they would be held accountable for activities she deemed "highly illegal."

The proceedings, which came a day after Biden offered to work with Republicans on some of the nation's toughest problems in his State of the Union address, represented the first public hearing of an investigation into the Biden family's business dealings that Republicans promised their most hardline supporters during last year's midterm election campaign.

The White House issued a statement denouncing the hearing as "a bizarre political stunt" motivated by denial of Biden's election victory over Trump, who continues to claim falsely that his defeat was the result of fraud.

"America witnessed a coordinated campaign by social media companies, mainstream news and the intelligence community to suppress and de-legitimize the existence of Hunter Biden's laptop and its contents," committee Chairman James Comer said at the outset of the proceedings.

Story continues

Hunter Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell has denied in a statement any connection between his client and what he called the "so-called laptop," including contents that Republicans "allege to be Mr. Biden's personal data."

Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of trust and safety, testified that the team responsible for enforcing rules on content was separate from Twitter personnel involved in government relations.

He said Twitter was trying to avoid the kind of interference that occurred in 2016, when Russian officials allegedly hacked Democratic National Committee computers and disseminated material through social media.

The Twitter executives also said company policy sought to mitigate content that could lead to political violence, such as what later occurred in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump's supporters.

"I am here to tell you that doing nothing is not an option. If we continue to do nothing, violence is going to happen again," said Anika Collier Navaroli, a former member of Twitter's U.S. safety policy team.

Democrats raised concerns about witness intimidation after Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna presented what she called proof that Twitter and the federal government had acted jointly to censor Americans.

"It's highly illegal. You were all engaged in this action. And I want you to know that you will all be held accountable," Luna told the witnesses.

Representative Jamie Raskin, the panel's top Democrat, urged members to keep in mind that Twitter is a private company with the power to choose its own content.

"It's even more important now that we have members who are actually threatening witnesses with arrest and prosecution for clearly imaginary offenses," Raskin said.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone, Daniel Wallis and Lisa Shumaker)
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden took aim at Republicans at several points in his State of the Union address, but he provoked the fiercest reaction when he said some in the party want to gut Medicare and Social Security.

Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset, Biden said, referring to a means by which government programs end without votes in Congress.

At that, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., sitting behind Biden in the House chamber, conspicuously shook his head no.

Let me give you  anybody who doubts it contact my office, Biden continued. Ill give you a copy of the proposal."

Boos rained down.

US Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) gives a thumb down as US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, February 7, 2023. (Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images)

McCarthy had warned House Republicans before the address that they needed to show decorum throughout Biden's appearance. But fellow Republicans did little to hide their pique. Some GOP lawmakers loudly shouted, No!

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., sitting in the back of the chamber, yelled, Liar!

Biden appears to have been referring to a proposal last year from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, then the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Tucked into a policy manifesto Scott released was the line: All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.

Democrats seized on the language as proof that the GOP wanted to do away with popular pieces of the nations social safety net. Even some Republicans joined in the criticism of Scott. Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky later told reporters that Scotts recommendation will not be part of the Republican Senate majority agenda.

In an interview after the speech, Scott said of Biden: "First off, hes a liar."

Scott said that he doesnt favor Social Security or Medicare cuts but that benefits will be reduced unless the programs are shored up financially.

Hes been lying about me for a year, Scott added.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., was more critical of his own partys heckling.

Story continues

"You should never do that sort of stuff. When he did come out and say the bit about were trying to cut Social Security, that drew a round of boos, and I thought that was pretty fair. But the catcalling I didnt really like," LaMalfa said. "I understand the frustration, but it really isnt how  in order to conduct the business of the institution  how we should do it.

John Bolton, who was former President Donald Trump's national security adviser, said he thought McCarthy had sent the right message to Republicans not to make a spectacle of themselves, but "some of them are performance artists, and they cant help it.

"Marjorie Taylor Greene is now the face of the Republican Party, and its a mistake, Bolton said.

There are some people who like what she does and thats why she does it," he added. "But the vast majority of people  and especially people who are temperamentally Republicans but have been pushed away by Trump and others  react negatively to that kind of behavior, understandably. Its a mistake.

People are looking for calmer, more civil politics. It has nothing to do with beliefs," he said.

Biden seemed unfazed by the uproar in the chamber, and Democrats seized on every chance to stand and applaud him. You tell em, Joe! Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said.

After the address, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., suggested in an interview that she wasnt surprised by the heckling.

We know that they have people who are totally disrespectful of anything and everybody, she said. And so, he didnt take the bait.

Before the speech, White House aides emphasized that Biden would put forward a unifying message. In a briefing with reporters Tuesday morning, administration officials highlighted the issues Biden would mention that deserved bipartisan support: mental health, veterans housing and a cancer cure, among them.

Yet Biden also peppered the 72-minute address with pointed jabs at Republicans.

He suggested that some were hypocrites for having voted against his infrastructure spending legislation and  once the measure passed  requesting funds for their own districts.

Well fund your projects. And Ill see you at the ground-breaking, Biden said.

Biden spoke against the backdrop of a 2024 presidential race that is starting to take shape. Trump, the only major Republican to have declared his candidacy thus far, gave a running commentary on the speech on his social media site.

"Keeps using the word 'Folks'  must be a nervous habit!" Trump wrote.

Trumps former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is now the governor of Arkansas, delivered the official Republican rebuttal to Bidens speech.

At no point did Biden reveal his re-election plans. But he didnt sound like a president preparing to head home after a single term. A recurring sentence he used throughout the speech suggested he needs and wants a second term to enact all his policies.

We will finish the job, he vowed.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP)  Evacuated residents can return to the Ohio village where crews burned toxic chemicals after a train derailed five days ago near the Pennsylvania state line now that monitors show no dangerous levels in the air, authorities said Wednesday.

Around-the-clock testing inside and outside the evacuation zone around the village of East Palestine and a sliver of Pennsylvania showed the air had returned to normal levels that would have been seen before the derailment, said James Justice of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Hundreds and hundreds of data points weve collected over the time show the air quality is safe," he said.

Residents were ordered to evacuate when authorities decided on Monday to release and burn five tankers filled with vinyl chloride, sending hydrogen chloride and the toxic gas phosgene into the air.

Monitors did detect toxins in the air during the controlled burn at the derailment site, but other samples outside that area did not, Justice said.

The village's mayor expressed relief that the evacuation had been lifted.

We know everybodys frustrated. Everybody wants to be in their homes. We did the best we can," said Mayor Trent Conaway. The number one goal is public safety, and we accomplished that. Nobody was injured, nobody died.

He credited the villages part-time firefighters and their quick response to the derailment for saving the town.

Some residents have said they were worried about returning even if authorities say it's OK to go home despite reassurances from officials.

Its unlikely though, Justice said, that there be would any dangerous levels of toxins inside any homes or businesses based on readings from air monitors around the community.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said some residents may want to wait until their homes are checked. Rail operator Norfolk Southern Railway said it would provide testing and continue to operate its family assistance center for the foreseeable future.

Story continues

Its very understandable you may want that testing done before you go back in your house, DeWine said.

The governor said the railroad will have to pay for the cleanup and make sure something like this doesn't happen again. The burden is upon them is to assure the public that what they do everyday is safe, DeWine said.

Testing on rivers, streams and drinking water wells will continue throughout the area and in the nearby Ohio River.

Kurt Kollar, a representative from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said contaminants from the derailed tanker cars spilled into some waterways and were toxic to fish, but he added that data so far indicates the drinking water was protected.

The fire from the chemical release is no longer burning, and crews have started removing some of the wreckage.

About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash Friday night on the edge of East Palestine. Federal investigators say a mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the derailment.

No injuries have been reported from the derailment or from the controlled release of the chemicals, but some people complained about smelling chlorine and smoke in the air and having headaches.

At least one lawsuit has been filed over the derailment. An East Palestine business owner and two other residents sued Norfolk Southern in federal court on Tuesday, alleging negligence by the company and exposure to toxic substances as a result. Theyre seeking to make it a class-action case for residents and businesses in the evacuated area and people who were physically harmed because of spilled chemicals at the site.

Norfolk Southern declined to comment on the lawsuit.
President Volodymyr Zelensky will likely attend an EU summit on Feb. 9 in Brussels, Reuters reported.

Zelensky has been invited but his plans to visit Brussels have not been announced officially yet.

If confirmed, this will be Zelenskys third foreign visit since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

On Feb. 8, Zelensky arrived in London and met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Earlier this week, rumors of Zelensky's visit to Brussels circulated across European publications, starting with Italy's La Stampa.

The European Parliament has been accused of putting Zelensky in danger after details of a planned appearance at a summit in Brussels were leaked, according to the Telegraph.
Almost invariably, we root for the con artist.

Seldom does the ingenuity and cleverness of a good hustler, card sharp or con man not win us over. They are, of course, walking metaphors for the movies. Through finesse and daring, they pull the wool over our eyes while emptying our pockets.

They're also great roles for actors, our best liars, to showcase their powers of slight-of-hand seduction and subtle transformation. Sharper, a fitfully delicious pile of deceptions and double-crosses, is made with evident appreciation for the genre. It opens with a definition of its title  one who lives by their wits  and Sharper, too, skates by nimbly enough by coasting on its cast's smarts.

Sharper, which opens in theaters Friday and lands Feb. 17 on Apple TV+, is a slinky, slick caper that finds ways to distort expectations while unfolding a puzzle-box narrative. Before its lesser third act, Sharper  propelled especially by the performances of newcomer Briana Middleton and the more veteran Sebastian Stan  manages to juggle its plot twists with panache.

It opens with a seemingly sweet note of romance. Sandra (Middleton) breezes into a used bookshop on the Lower East Side to pick up a copy of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. She tells the guy behind the counter  Tom (Justice Smith)  that she's getting her PhD in Black feminist studies. The scene could be a meet cute for a bookish romcom. But given that opening title card, we're on guard for the scam. She's forgotten money  is that the play? A free book? They go on a date and later return to the store to hold in their hands a first edition of Jane Eyre. Maybe that's the goal? A fiendish scheme to swipe rare Charlotte Brontes? But as a character says later in Sharper, if you're going to steal, steal big.

Sharper, structured as a series of vignettes each titled after a particular character, unspools as a series of ever-expanding cons. First, there is Sandra, in need of $350,000 to rescue her drug addict brother from his debtors. Once that plays out, the second chapter rewinds to Sandra's past, and her chance encounter with a skilled grifter, Max (Stan). He takes Sandra under his wing to school on the art of deception. His system starts, kind of wonderfully, with reading the newspaper: So you can lie about anything. And he's single-minded about the work.

Story continues

I don't watch movies, Max says. They're a waste of time.

First off, ouch. But this is also an early hint, in Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka's layered screenplay, that the grifters of Sharper  unlike, say, Paul Newman of The Sting or Leonardo DiCaprio of Catch Me if You Can  are a more sober variety of fabulist, less a stand-in for the make-believe of movies than a concept to question and interrogate.

As Sharper, smoothly helmed by British TV director Benjamin Caron, continues to widen, it brings in more characters and backstories, including a New York socialite (Julianne Moore, also a producer) who's dating a billionaire widower (John Lithgow). But the progression begins to work against the film. As 'Sharper" turns increasingly melodramatic, we're well-conditioned by then to look for the con, and see it coming a long ways out. The streetwise characters  especially the appealingly rigorous Max, who seems like he walked in from a Paul Schrader film or a David Mamet noir  also wouldn't be so easily duped by the late plot maneuvers. After a promising start, Sharper grows duller.

But there's plenty here to savor. Middleton, who had a small role in George Clooney's The Tender Bar, brings such a shape-shifting radiance to the film that when she's not present, the movie sags even as its star power increases. And Stan, an actor I've not previously had a strong sense of, has never been so arresting on screen. His cool nonchalance gives Sharper a bracing edge. The scenes that pair Middleton and Stan together are its most potent. Plus, who can resist a con that includes, to pose as a PhD student, cramming great quotes of literature? Oh, the riches that can be unlocked by Call me Ishmael.

Sharper," an A24 release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for language throughout and some sexual references. Running time: 116 minutes. Three stars out of four.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
PROVIDENCE - A new year, a familiar question: Should Rhode Island scrap its Republican and Democratic primaries?

This year the question is being asked by one group urging "serious consideration" by state lawmakers of alternatives to the status quo, such as this:

Have a single ballot, "non-partisan primary election" where the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. The candidate who receives the majority of votes in the general election is elected.

The group pushing for reforms includes former R.I. Supreme Court Justice and GOP activist Robert Flanders; the former head of the state Democratic Party, Guy Dufault; University of Rhode Island Political Science Prof. Maureen Moakley; Gary Sasse, the founding director of the Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership at Bryant University, and one-time Journal editorial writer Robert Whitcomb, among others.

Their hope and belief?

"Party affiliations may become less relevant, and voters may have less incentives to affiliate with political parties. This in turn may mitigate the hyper partisanship that plagues todays political system," the group said in a report out Wednesday afternoon.

What does the report say?

Their report  titled the "People's Primary"  begins with this premise: Rhode Island's current Republican and Democratic primary system is a problem that needs to be fixed.

"Since there is no such thing as a perfect election system, reforms must be weighed with the understanding that principled trade-offs may be necessary," they state.

The most basic problem in their eyes: the candidate with the most votes wins, no matter how small a slice of the vote he or she may have in a multi-candidate race.

"This is problematic in any state dominated by one party, where a candidate in a multi-field primary can effectively win public office with 35% of the votes, or less, and then not face a competitive opponent in the general election," their report says.

A voter fills out a paper ballot in Providence during the statewide primary election in 2018.

Among their observations:

Story continues

"Although turnout can vary from year-to-year depending upon factors such as the timing of presidential and statewide primaries or the retirement of an incumbent, participation in the Ocean State primary elections is generally dismal.

"In 2020, for instance, 521,185 ballots were cast in the statewide general election while only 93,033 voters, or 17.9% of those who participated in the general election, cast a vote in the statewide primary."

How does RI's election system work now?

The Rhode Island Constitution says: "In all elections held by the people for state, city, town, ward or district officers, the person or candidate receiving the largest number of votes cast shall be declared elected."

According to John Marion, the executive director of the citizens' group Common Cause:

"Our current system, sometimes called first past the post ... was put into our Constitution in the 1880s after five consecutive gubernatorial elections failed to produce a majority winner and therefore resulted in the General Assembly picking the governor."

The Constitution does not, however, dictate how the Republican and Democratic parties conduct their own primary elections to choose nominees for the November general election.

The way it works now: unaffiliated voters  also called independents  represent the largest bloc of voters, and they can choose to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary on primary day, and disaffiliate again on their way out the door.

As recently as 2021, state Rep. Arthur Corvese, a North Providence Democrat, led a fight for change.

At that point, 10 states already required a candidate to win a primary with a majority of the votes. When that doesn't happen, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Vermont require runoff elections under differing circumstances.

Under Corvese's proposal: There would be a preliminary election "for all state and municipal offices ... to determine the candidates that qualify to run in the general election." The top two vote-getters for each office would then compete against each other in the general election, regardless of their party affiliations.

Steve Frias, the state's National Republican Committeeman, voiced the GOP's concerns: "In a state like Rhode Island where the number of registered Democrats far exceeds the number of registered Republicans, the two candidates in the general election would likely be Democrats ... [and] a large segment of voters who vote for Republicans in November would be denied of a real choice in the general election."

State Chairwoman Sue Cienki predicted: "Third party or independents almost would never appear on the November ballot."

Corvese's bill went nowhere. The report out Wednesday revives the debate that is also the subject of a Senate study. And Dufault, the long-time Democratic strategist and consultant, told reporters on a Zoom call: "We all know the definition of insanity and the Republican Party has just not thrived... In fact, they've starved in the present system."

"I think quite frankly it will be such an improvement to the system, it will raise the vote of the Republicans and quite frankly, raise the amount of people participating in the process."

"If anybody should be upset, it's probably the Democrats," he said, "because... they're the ones who have been the beneficiaries of a system that's been broken in their favor."

An election board worker tends to the oath envelopes for the 2020 Statewide Primary and bundles them for the next steps in the counting process.

What are the proposed alternatives for primary elections in Rhode Island?

OPTION 1: The top two vote-getters in a non-partisan primary move on to the general election.

The report cites a public opinion poll conducted for the Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership inMay 2022 that found that 59% of Rhode Islands registered voters favored adopting a single primary,while 27% opposed it.

The group said this option should "be given serious consideration'' by state lawmakers this year at least, in part, because "Rhode Islands [current] semi-closed primary system is not 'user friendly' ... [in that it requires] unaffiliated voters (who are over 40% of registered voters in our state) ... to register as a party member in order to vote in a partisan primary."

"Proponents [of a non-partisan primary] believe the top two system will entice candidates who are less partisan, less ideologically rigid and more 'pragmatic' to run because they will see the format as giving them a better chance to compete. Skeptics counter that this may not occur because it will remain difficult to encourage such candidates to run."

OPTION 2: The four top vote-getters in an "initial round" advance to the general election, with the winner determined by "ranked choice," which would require the tabulation of voters' first, second, third and fourth place preferences until one of the candidates amasses a majority.

After listing the potential benefits, the authors of the report acknowledge: ranked choice voting is more complicated than voting for one candidate and "There are concerns that the voting populace will not be properly educated about the new system," which could in turn "bring into question potential participation inequities."

They also cited the 2010 mayoral race in Oakland, California as a caution. It took 10 rounds of tallying to declare a winner. The ultimate winner received less than a quarter of first-place votes with a 1.9% margin of victory.

OPTION 3: Move to "open primaries" where voters can choose "one partys ballot and vote in that partys primary without being affiliated with the party."

The authors suggest: "An open primary may be more consistent with todays political realities, particularly in RhodeIsland, where unaffiliated or independent voters predominate in what is effectively a strong one-party state."

The arguments for and against: "Politically, open primaries could also moderate political choices by allowing centrists in one party an opportunity to vote for a candidate in another partys primary that they find to be more acceptable. [But] skeptics contend that open primaries weaken political parties, and leaves the nominating process vulnerable to manipulation by permitting partisans to vote for the other partys weaker candidate (as pundits say happened in Rhode Island in 1976)."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Should RI reimagine how it conducts elections? This group says yes
(This Feb. 7 story has been refiled to restore dropped word "he" to the first sentence)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Mitt Romney told embattled fellow Republican Representative George Santos on Tuesday that he should not be in Congress and shouldn't have taken a central seat at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.

Romney, an elder statesman of the party and former Republican presidential candidate, was seen having a brief exchange with Santos, who has made multiple false claims about his past on his way into the House of Representatives chamber before the address.

"He shouldn't be in Congress and they're going to go through the process and hopefully get him out," Romney told reporters after the speech. "But he shouldn't be there and if he had any shame at all he wouldn't be there."

Romney said he had told Santos as much.

Santos, who represents a New York district, had taken a seat along the center aisle of the chamber, which the president, members of this Cabinet, Supreme Court justices and senators use to enter the hall.

Santos is facing ethics complaints from fellow members of Congress, but the House Ethics Committee has yet to organize for the next two years and thus cannot launch any potential investigation, an aide to Speaker Kevin McCarthy said earlier on Tuesday.

Santos has apologized for "embellishing" his resume but has rebuffed calls for his resignation from constituents and fellow New York state Republicans, saying he would vacate his seat only if he loses the next election, in 2024.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller)
Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, acts as Russia's

In principle, were proceeding according to the current contract, and the stage of switching to construction and entering the second phase has already been decided in advance, in our understanding, he said.

Read also: Hungary to block sanctions against Russia's nuclear power industry, PM Orban says

If the customer asks us to speed up, well speed up, well work in the framework of the current contractual obligations, within those contractual obligations.

Likhachev clarified that the first concrete at the NPP site could be poured in a year, i.e. in 2024.

In late January, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksander Novak discussed the status of the Paks-2 NPP project by phone and agreed to accelerate investments wherever possible, the Hungarian minister said following the call.

Read also: Hungary to stick to veto of EU-Ukraine aid plan, says Orban

He once again emphasized that Hungary would not support any EU proposal that would even slightly complicate or make Hungarian-Russian cooperation in the nuclear field impossible.

In late August 2022, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued Rosatom a construction permit for the fifth and six reactors of the Paks-2 NPP.

Currently, four VVER-440-type reactors, with a total capacity of about 2 GW, are operating at the Paks NPP in Hungary, working on Soviet designs.

In 2009, the Hungarian parliament approved the construction of two new reactors for this plant, but the construction timeline was affected by a lengthy review by the European Commission.

The cost of the project is about EUR 12.5 billion ($13.4 billion). Rosatom signed contracts for the completion of the NPP in December 2014. In March of the same year, Russia and Hungary signed an agreement to provide a long-term loan of EUR 10 billion ($10.7 billion) for the plants construction.

Read also: Russias Rosatom is trying to take complete control of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, IAEA says

Story continues

In December 2022, Szijjarto said the sides were discussing another expansion for the plant.

Earlier on Feb. 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted the decision of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene gives a thumb down as President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023. Jim Watson/Getty Images

Republicans repeatedly heckled Biden during his SOTU address.

It was an unorthodox display of behavior during what is generally a tame event.

McCarthy previously said that Republicans would behave during the address.

Republicans repeatedly interrupted and heckled President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, offering a theatrical reminder of the historically contentious state of US politics as millions of Americans watched on live TV.

Biden's comments on a range of issues  everything from the national debt to fentanyl overdoses  prompted boos and loud yelling from Republicans. The president appeared to be largely unfazed by the GOP's unorthodox behavior, at times directly responding to their jeers.

GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, for example, shouted "liar" after Biden suggested that some in her party wanted to see Social Security and Medicare end. Biden ultimately got Republicans to stand up and applaud in support of both programs, and declared there was "unanimity" on the matter.

Greene, a particularly vocal attendee of Biden's address, at another point shouted "China spied on us" as the president discussed tensions between Washington and Beijing  including the recent downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

The raucous behavior of a number of congressional Republicans came after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy insisted that members of his caucus behave during the address.

"We're members of Congress. We have a code of ethics of how we should portray ourselves," McCarthy said to CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday. "And that's exactly what we'll do."

McCarthy, who said there would be no "childish games" during Biden's speech, was ultimately seen shushing Republicans who were yelling as the president addressed the nation.

Story continues

The behavior of Republicans on Tuesday night was indicative of McCarthy's struggles to control his caucus after barely clawing his way to the speakership last month  a dramatic fight that saw him to make a number of concessions to hyper-conservative members.

It was also emblematic of the rising animosity between Democrats and Republicans under a newly divided government, at a time when far right elements of the GOP are becoming more and more influential  and increasingly steering the tone of the party.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukrainian Defence Forces killed 910 Russian soldiers and destroyed 15 armoured combat vehicles, 8 tanks, an aircraft and a helicopter belonging to the invaders on 7 February.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: Total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February 2022 and 8 February 2023 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

approximately 134,100 (+910) military personnel,

3,253 (+8) tanks,

6,458 (+15) armoured combat vehicles,

2,236 (+4) artillery systems,

461 (+0) multiple-launch rocket systems,

228 (+1) air defence systems,

295 (+1) fixed-wing aircraft,

285 (+1) helicopters,

1,961 (+3) operational-tactical UAVs,

796 (+0) cruise missiles,

18 (+0) ships/boats,

5,112 (+5) vehicles and tankers,

211 (+3) special vehicles and other equipment.

The data is being confirmed.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
If the U.K. gives Ukraine fighter jets, there will be consequences for Europe and the entire world, the Russian embassy threatened on Feb. 8.

Earlier in the day, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that no type of military aid was off the table, including combat aircraft, when it comes to military aid to Ukraine. Sunak made the statement at a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to the U.K.

U.K. defense minister Ben Wallace was asked to look into what planes can be sent to Ukraine.

Sunak also said the U.K. would train Ukrainian pilots to operate NATO-standard aircraft, including British-made tech.

Zelensky made a surprise visit to London, where he met with the heads of state, as well as King Charles III, on Feb. 8.

In his speech to the British parliament, Zelensky asked for planes, in order to be able to resist and overcome Russia.


Kyiv believes that Moscow will make Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia oblasts its targets of an expected Russian offensive aimed at reclaiming the initiative in the war.

Source: Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), in an interview with Reuters on 7 February

Details: The NSDC Secretary says that Russian troops are probing Ukraine's defences in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which is the Russian-controlled land bridge between occupied Ukraines east and Crimea.

He said that Kyiv "doesnt rule out" a new Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, where Russian troops were driven back by a lightning-fast Ukrainian counteroffensive last summer.

Quote: "Attempts at an offensive in either the Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia front will of course be made. How successful theyll be will depend on us."

Details: Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have said that the Kremlin would attempt another large-scale offensive with freshly enlisted troops in the coming weeks.

Danilov reiterated previous statements that Russia still wanted to capture entire Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in Ukraine's east, which Moscow declared its territory in last year's "referendums" that Kyiv and the West considered to be a sham.

Fighting is taking place, in particular, around the Ukrainian government-controlled town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. For several weeks now, Russian troops have been trying to surround and capture the city at the cost of huge losses.

As Danilov says, Kyiv expects Russia to try to achieve tangible results by the anniversary of its full-scale invasion on 24 February.

"They need to have something to show their people, and have a major desire to do something big, as they see it, by this date," Danilov said.

Earlier, there were claims that Russian troops might try to attack from Belarus in Ukraine's northwest. However, Danilov said that "it is doubtful that they will be able to attack from this front" as "there are clearly not enough forces there."

Story continues

Ukraine is also planning a spring offensive, awaiting the supply of promised Western main battle tanks and long-range missiles, including a new kind of guided projectile from the United States that will double the effective range of the fire landed by Ukrainian troops.

Danilov said that heavy armoured vehicles and artillery shells, particularly those of 155mm calibre, are among Kyiv's most urgent needs as Ukraine faces a potential new heavy Russian heavy offensive.

"Very many questions depend on the amount of supplies of shells. Because if you have weapons, but no ammo to fire, then this is a challenge," the Secretary said.

Danilov said that Ukraine would be justified in striking targets inside Russia, although its government does not publicly admit to attacking outside the Ukrainian border.

Background: On 1 February, Oleksii Reznikov, Defence Minister of Ukraine, said that Kyiv expected an offensive of the Russian army in Ukraine's east or south.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
(Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday the United States had questions to answer over its role in explosions on the undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines last year.

Commenting on a report published earlier on Wednesday that said the United States was involved in the explosions, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the White House to comment on the "facts" that had been presented.

Reuters was unable to verify the report, published by U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh on his blog, alleging U.S. involvement in the explosions.

The White House said on Wednesday that Hersh's account was "utterly false and complete fiction".

Moscow, without providing evidence, has repeatedly said the West was behind the explosions affecting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last September - multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects that carried Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Western officials have denied those accusations.

"The White House must now comment on all these facts," Zakharova said in a post on her Telegram page where she summarised Hersh's main claims regarding the alleged U.S. involvement.

Investigators from Sweden and Denmark - in whose exclusive economic zones the explosions occurred - have said the ruptures were a result of sabotage, but have not said who they believe was responsible.

Russia said the countries "have something to hide" and are purposefully blocking Russia out from the investigation.

Construction of Nord Stream 2, designed to double the amount of gas Russia could send directly to Germany under the sea, was completed in September 2021, but was never put into operation after Berlin shelved certification just days before Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine in February.

(This story has been corrected to say that blasts were inside exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark, not in their "territorial waters")

(Reporting by Jake Cordell; Editing by Gareth Jones)
On Tuesday, Russian troops struck civilian targets several times in Kharkiv Oblast, killing two people and wounding five others.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast State Administration, on Telegram

Details: Residential buildings in Dvorichna which is located in Kupiansk district came under artillery fire throughout the day. At about 14:00 two civilians died of injuries; a 48-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman.

Five people were wounded during the day in Chuhuiv district. Artillery fire damaged at least seven apartment buildings and two private houses in Vovchansk.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
KIGALI, Rwanda (AP)  A driver whose car hit and killed a Rwandan investigative journalist has pled guilty and has been fined by a court.

Moise Emmanuel Bagirishya was fined $920 for involuntary manslaughter, three weeks after the crash which killed John William Ntwali.

Ntwali was riding as a passenger on a motorbike when the accident happened on Jan. 18.

He was investigating and exposing human rights violations in Rwanda and activists had called for investigations into his death.

The motorist who pleaded guilty will also pay $500 for injuries to the motorcyclist who was carrying Ntwali.

The prosecution during the trial had asked the court to jail the motorist for two years and fine him $1,800 after he pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness.

The law in Rwanda allows 30 days to appeal but Ntwalis family has told local media they will not file an appeal.

Dozens of African civil society groups and press associations on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into Ntwalis death, saying the official explanation lacked sufficient evidence.

Rwandan authorities have failed to provide a police report, the exact location of the alleged accident, any photo or video evidence or detailed information on the others involved in the accident, the statement said.

Ntwali had previously expressed fears for his life and told the Human Rights Watch rights organization that he had received phone threats and strangers had visited his house. Ntwali had been described as Rwandas last independent journalist and lauded for his brave reporting on human rights violations.
Ryan Reynolds co-owns Wrexham with fellow actor Rob McElhenney (Getty Images)

Ryan Reynolds has said he is so proud of his Wrexham players after a cruel FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United.

The National League side were knocked out in the fourth round replay at Bramall Lane, with stoppage time goals from Billy Sharp and Sander Berge taking the hosts through.

Anel Ahmedhodzic had put Sheffield United ahead early in the second half before Paul Mullin equalised from the penalty spot.

But Mullin missed a second opportunity to convert from 12 yards with 20 minutes to go, allowing Sharp and Berge to take their side through to an encounter with Tottenham.

Reynolds, who co-owns the Welsh club with fellow actor Rob McElhenney, had been in attendance at the County Ground for the original tie as Wrexham were denied a fifth-round place by John Egans late equaliser.

The Hollywood star extended special thanks to a healthy travelling contingent of away fans who made the Tuesday night trip to Yorkshire.

So proud of these boys, Reynolds tweeted. And the 4000 plus away supporters who gave it all.

Reynolds and McElhenney completed their takeover of the club in February 2021.

Wrexham are currently second in the National League, three points behind Notts County but with two games in hand on the league leaders.

McElhenney, co-creator and star of long-running sitcom Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, also hailed the efforts of Phil Parkinsons side.

I could not be more proud of those men than I am right now. They gave it absolutely everything.  @Wrexham_AFC @espn @ESPNFC  Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) February 7, 2023

I could not be more proud of those men than I am right now. They gave it absolutely everything, the actor tweeted, before adding in a subsequent tweet: Now lets go and win the f****** league.

Wrexham next host Wealdstone on Saturday.
Salma Hayek stuns in a see-through dress at the premiere of Magic Mike's Last Dance. (Photo: Getty Images)

Salma Hayek made headlines when she wore a see-through dress to the Magic Mike's Last Dance premiere in Miami. And although she wore the look with confidence, she previously admitted to Glamour that she was having second thoughts about her ensemble.

"I'm nervous about it," she told the publication, referring to the fishnet Oscar de la Renta dress. "I might not wear itbut I'm surprised I looked good in it."

Hayek shared that she was most self-conscious about her stomach being on display and shared her insecurities with her daughter prior to the event. "Honey, you see the belly, you see that I have a belly. And I dont want to be sucking it in,'" she recalled saying to Valentina, 15. "And then I said, 'You know what? Screw that. I'm 56, everything else looks good.'"

Luckily, the 56-year-old did wear the look, which caught the attention of many  including her film's co-star, Channing Tatum. At the premiere, the actor said that he had "no comment" on the look, adding that the dress spoke for itself.

While Hayek doesn't always seem shy about showing her body off, as she's posted a number of bikini photos on her social media, the actress credited movement for feeling comfortable in her skin.

"Dance  make sure you're sensual for yourself. Dance by yourself when nobody's watching. And don't look at yourself in the mirror when you're dancing. Blindfold yourself and feel you. Feel your body and feel how it interacts with space," she told Glamour. "Have fun, laugh, make yourself laugh. Tell yourself a joke. Be silly when nobody's watching. It's about that time you spend with yourself."

Ultimately, she also finds it important to not take any of it too seriously.

"I work really hard and sometimes I'm really tired," she explained. "I'm too tired to be sexy, to think sexy. And you have to say, 'Oh, that's OK too.'"

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
Salma Hayek got candid about marriage  and the wedding she didnt even really want  in a revealing profile in Glamour magazine published on Wednesday.

The actor wed her longtime partner, French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, in a courthouse ceremony in 2009. But as Hayek told Glamour, she didnt even know I was getting married that day.

The reason why it was a courthouse wedding was because they dragged me there, the Frida actor explained, adding that the entire ordeal was like an intervention.

I dont think I ever told this story, she said. No, they just took me to the court. My parents, my brother, they were all ganging up on me. I had a phobia of the marriage thing.

I actually didnt believe in marriage. I didnt want to marry him, Hayek says of her relationship with her now-husband, with whom she shares a daughter.

Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault arrive at the LACMA 2015 Art + Film Gala on Nov. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles, California.

Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault arrive at the LACMA 2015 Art + Film Gala on Nov. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles, California.

He tried for a long time, and I would say yes, and then I wouldnt show up. And he didnt go away when I didnt show up, he had to stick around until we got it done. And I was terrified.

Pinaults plan with Hayeks family worked, as Hayek said she had no choice but to go through with the plan, which included a lunch post-wedding that her mother-in-law had already organized.

And then afterward I said, Oh, its okay. I dont feel any different, the Desperado star said of married life. And then a little bit later I said, Okay, this is kind of exciting. And hes like, Can we have a party now?

Seeing as the two are still married, the plan worked. Hayek gave some insight into just why she thinks she and Pinault have such a successful relationship, and said it all boils down into the way the two talk to one another.

The couple attend the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018, in NYC.

The couple attend the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018, in NYC.

Story continues

I will tell you what my best advice is ... I love it that I have it with my husband, the actor explained on an episode of Red Table Talk in 2021.

When there is conflict, we put all the energy in solving the problem. Never finding who to blame or, You should have done this or that. No  all our energy goes into, How do we solve this?

And so because of this, weve never said anything nasty to each other, Hayek added, No resentment.

Related...
Suspect Dmitri Valerie Mishin FBI San Francisco / Via Twitter: @FBISanFrancisco

A San Francisco man is accused of disturbing a prayer service at a synagogue by firing off blank rounds in what prosecutors have called an attempt to terrorize Jewish people.

Dmitri Valerie Mishin, 51, has been indicted on multiple charges, including making threats and obstructing exercise of religion, which prosecutors say are considered hate crimes. He was also charged with disturbing a religious meeting and five counts of misdemeanor brandishing a replica firearm in the Feb. 1 incident, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

This is another deplorable example where our Jewish community has been targeted for who they are and what they believe, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. There is no doubt that antisemitism is real and we must stand with our Jewish community against it. My office will make clear that there is zero tolerance for hate in San Francisco and there will be no safe haven for those who perpetrate these crimes.

Mishin was arrested on Friday following an investigation into two shootings, one at a movie theater on Jan. 31 and another at the synagogue.

No one was injured and no property was damaged in either case, San Francisco police said in a statement .

Prosecutors are seeking a pretrial detention for Mishin, who they said poses a public safety risk. If convicted of all the charges, Mishin faces more than 10 years in prison.

The attack on the synagogue follows a series of recent incidents in which Jewish places of worship have been threatened. Just a few days before the attack in San Francisco, a man was caught on video throwing a Molotov cocktail at Temple Ner Tamid , a synagogue in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

More on this
Sandi Toksvig has spoken out against the Church of England. (Channel 4)

Sandi Toksvig has spoke out against the Church of England's position on same-sex marriage and accused them of harming LGBTQ+ people.

The Church is set to vote on proposals that would allow clergy to bless same-sex marriages which have been criticised by conservatives for breaking with tradition and progressives for not going far enough.

Toksvig spoke to BBC News about the Church of England's continued refusal to bless same-sex marriages: "I can't sit by and let that happen.

Read more: Sandi Toksvig pens letter to Archbishop after same-sex relationship comments

"Trust me, being gay is just a normal life. And we want to be allowed to get on with it."

Sandi Toksvig quit Bake Off, which she hosted since it moved Channel 4 from BBC One. (Channel 4)

She added: "But every time somebody condemns you, somebody somewhere in the LGBTQ+ community gets hurt. And I cannot sit by and let that happen."

Toksvig also hit back at Archbishop Justin Welby's claims he was just trying to keep the church together: "Here's the thing about 'equality', it is not a word that you qualify, you either have it or you don't have it.

"The problem is there is only one side that is impinging on the lives of others. And I'm afraid the very conservative people who interpret the Bible with less love than I would hope are causing severe mental health problems for the LGBTQ+ community."

Toksvig also recently started a campaign to have the 26 bishops removed from the House of Lords who automatically get seats in Parliament.

Sandi Toksvig criticised Justin Welby's remarks on same-sex marriage. (Getty Images)

After returning from a trip in South Sudan, Welby commented on the polarised reaction to the proposed reforms: "What we are doing is seeking to have a Church that accepts every person is equal, called by Christ to be loved and accepted and valued.

"We are seeking not to match one exclusion with another, in not saying to the conservatives 'we don't like you, so you've got to go away.'"

The vote on the reforms is expected to take place today (Wednesday, 8 February).

Watch below: Sandi Toksvig told progress on same-sex marriage in CofE will be 'glacial'
Sandi Toksvig has spoken out against the Church of Englands stance on same-sex marriage, saying that it is causing severe mental health problems for the LGBTQ+ community.

On Wednesday (8 February), the Churchs national assembly will vote on a proposal that clergy will be given the option to adopt blessing prayers for couples in same-sex marriages.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said that, while he joyfully welcomed the blessings proposals, he would not personally carry them out.

Speaking to BBC News, QI host Toksvig said that she had met with Welby last month to discuss the topic, but found the conversation very disappointing.

So what we have is two very polarised sides of this argument. The problem is, theres only one side that is impinging on the lives of others, she said.

And Im afraid the very conservative people, who interpret the Bible with less love than I would hope, are causing severe mental health problems for the LGBTQ+ community.

Asked why shed felt inspired to speak out, despite not being an active member of the Church of England, Toksvig said: I really never wanted this. There are lots of other things Id rather be talking about. Trust me, being gay is just a normal life and we want to be allowed to get on with it.

But every time somebody condemns you, somebody somewhere in the LGBTQ+ community gets hurt, and I cant sit by and let that happen.

As the Actress said to the Bishop #comeoutforlove pic.twitter.com/fIFJkGVZzr  Sandi Toksvig (@sanditoksvig) January 26, 2023

Should the proposal go through, clergy will be able to decide whether they personally want to deliver them or not. Welbys decision not to carry them out stemmed from his pastoral responsibility for the whole communion, he claimed.

Story continues

While more conservative members of the church have criticised the proposal, others have said it doesnt go far enough.

Toksvig  who is a humanist  joined in a civil partnership with her wife Debbie in 2007. The couple renewed their vows on 29 March 2014, the same day that same-sex marriage was made legal in the UK, with their civil partnership being converted into a marriage later that year.

Last summer, the former Great British Bake Off host published an open letter to the Archbishop on Twitter criticising the decision to reaffirm a 1998 Anglican declaration rejecting same-sex marriage.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders waded deep into culture war issues in the official Republican Party response to President Joe Bidens State of the Union address on Tuesday.

The former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump delivered a searing speech one might typically hear during prime time on Fox News. The 15-minutespeech included a litany of far-right grievances about so-called woke mobs that she claimed are indoctrinating American children about race and gender, alongside more conventional GOP criticisms of Bidens policies.

Im the first woman to lead my state. And hes the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that cant even tell you what a woman is, Sanders said of Biden in a seated address from Little Rock, Arkansas.

We are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didnt start and never wanted to fight. Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags and worship their false idols, she added, in another veiled attack against the LGBTQ community.

In Bidens America, Sanders continued, children are taught to hate one another on account of their race but not to love one another or our great country. The line was a reference to critical race theory, a favorite target on the right. Upon becoming governor, Sanders signed an executive order banning the teaching of critical race theory in Arkansas public classrooms on the grounds that schools shouldnt teach our kids and our students ideas to hate this country. Critical race theory, a course of study typically confined to college-level programs, investigates the way in which societal institutions are shaped by racial and ethnic history.

As governor, Sanders also banned the word Latinx from official state documents, another favorite right-wing punching bag. She claimed the word  a gender-neutral term to describe someone of Hispanic or Latino origin  constitutes ethnically insensitive and pejorative language.

Story continues

Sanders is part of a new generation of GOP leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who are tossing red meat to the partys base of voters to gain prominence on a national level. The decision by GOP congressional leaders to have her deliver the official response to the State of the Union address is an interesting one, given that many GOP candidates who ran on similar far-right themes lost their campaigns in the November midterm elections.

Sanders, who at age 40 is the youngest governor in America and whose father was a previous Arkansas governor, made a case for generational change from both major political parties in her speech Tuesday. Its unclear, however, whether her call for a new generation of Republican leadership included Trump, whos running for president again.

Its time for a new generation to lead. This is our moment. This is our opportunity, Sanders said, noting that Biden, at 80, is the oldest president in American history.

She also characterized the visions presented by the two parties in stark terms yet ones that some Democrats might agree with, albeit for different reasons.

The choice is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal and crazy, Sanders said.

Related...
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) is set to highlight the 40-year age difference between her and President Biden as she delivers the Republican Partys official rebuttal to his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) selected Sanders to deliver the GOP response, touting the 40-year-old as the nations youngest governor and representative of a new generation of Republican leaders.

Sanders is set to emphasize in her speech that 80-year-old Biden is double her age, a spokesperson for the governor told The Hill on Tuesday ahead of the high-profile remarks.

As the nations oldest president and the first octogenarian to hold the Oval Office, the presidents age has been a major point of contention amid speculation that Biden will launch a reelection bid for another four years in the White House. If he runs and wins, Biden would be 86 by the end of his second term.

Sanders will also lean on her campaign trail urging to usher in a new generation of the GOP, a clarion call used by many to suggest moving past longtime leadership like Biden or former President Trump.

The youngest governor in America, Sarah is fighting on behalf of parents, small businesses, and ordinary taxpayers. She is bringing new ideas for a changing future, while also applying the wisdom of the past.  Everyone, including President Biden, should listen carefully, McCarthy said of Sanders.

The governor has said she plans to contrast the GOPs optimistic vision for the future against the failures of President Biden and the Democrats in her remarks.

Sanders is set to give an on-air rebuttal from Little Rock, Ark., after Biden addresses a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill, scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.

Trump is also expected to release a response to Bidens speech, separate from the official GOP response.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark., gave the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union address. (Al Drago/Bloomberg/Pool via AP)

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused President Biden and Democrats of launching a left-wing culture war in the Republican rebuttal to the State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

Sanders accused Democrats of demanding fealty to false idols and hinted at the fight that Republicans have launched against critical race theory and transgender issues, but did not elaborate on her comments in her 15-minute rebuttal to Bidens second State of the Union address.

Sanderss speech echoed many of the themes that have already taken hold on the right in the nascent 2024 race  focusing on immigration and drug flow across the border and engaging in battles over teaching about race and gender.

Our freedom is under attack, and the America we love is in danger, Sanders said. President Biden and the Democrats have failed you, and its time for a change, a new generation of Republican leaders are stepping up  not to be caretakers for the status quo, but to be change makers for the American people.

Sanders, who rose to prominence as former President Donald Trumps White House press secretary, made no mention of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol or the COVID-19 pandemic, which marked Trumps exit from the White House.

Sanders delivered the official Republican Party rebuttal to Biden, a platform that has often been used to elevate rising stars within the party. But Trump himself delivered a separate rebuttal to Bidens address, saying that he was a victim of the Justice Department and accused Biden of bringing the country close to a third World War.

Trump was the first Republican to jump in the race for the White House in 2024, though he is expected to be followed soon by other candidates, including his former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, among others.
State of the Union GOP Response (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused President Joe Biden of being a slave to a woke mob in the Republican response to the presidents State of the Union address that leaned heavily on social conservatism that has animated much of the GOP.

Ms Sanders, who won her election last year, served as former president Donald Trumps press secretary and touched on her time in that role during her speech. But for the most part, she said Mr Biden was putting America on poor footing.

She noted how she was the youngest governor in the country while Mr Biden was the oldest president in history, a record previously held by Mr Trump.

Im the first woman to lead my state, she said. Hes the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that cant even tell you what a woman is.

Republicans have frequently pilloried Democrats by asking what is a woman, while referencing transgender women as biological males.

Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left, she said.

Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols, she said. All while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there isyour Freedom of speech.

Ms Huckabee, the daughter of former presidential candidate Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, touted the fact that she banned the teaching of critical race theory and the use of the term Latinx, a gender neutral term to describe people of Latin American descent that is meant to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ people.

Americans want common sense from their leaders, but in Washington, the Biden administration is doubling down on crazy, she said. She accused Mr Biden of wasting the accomplishments of the Trump administration.

Despite Democrats trillions in reckless spending and mountains of debt, we now have the worst border crisis in American history, she said. Similarly, she criticised Democrats for letting crime run rampant.

Story continues

And after years of Democrat attacks on law enforcement and calls to defund the police, violent criminals roam free, while law-abiding families live in fear, she said, despite the fact that Mr Biden and many other Democrats in Congress do not support defunding the police, though some cities and localities have reallocated money from policing to other services.

She also criticised the president for showing weakness on China, Ukraine and Afghanistan.

President Biden is unwilling to defend our border, defend our skies, and defend our people. He is unfit to serve as commander in chief, she said.

Ms Huckabee Sanders was one of two addresses that the GOP gave. Representative Juan Ciscomani, a freshman Republican of Arizona and an immigrant from Mexico, delivered the rebuttal to the State of the Union in Spanish.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Photo by Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images

Being tapped to deliver your party's official response to a president's State of the Union address is something of a mixed blessing. On one hand, it's a heartening vote of confidence from one's peers that you are the person best suited to represent them and their interests to a broad national audience. On the other, a look at the recent slate of SOTU respondees is as much an exercise in just trying to remember who some of these people even are, as it is a list of major power players in present-day American politics. The tightrope act between "impactful" and "irrelevance," between "future of the party" and "forgotten remnant of the past," is a tough one to manage for even the most adept political practitioners, making the responses to the State of the Union in many ways a more interesting, more high risk/high reward occasion than the main event. Here's everything you need to know about this year's rebuttal:

What were the main takeaways?

Speaking Tuesday evening, newly-inaugurated Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) offered her rebuttal to President Biden's second State of the Union, pushing back on his calls for bipartisan cooperation in a full-throated rallying cry for the conservative culture war, she claimed Republicans "didn't start, and never wanted to fight." Sanders' speech  full of invocations against "critical race theory," "woke mobs" and other right-wing bugbears  largely kept with her following of the political roadmap set forth by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), whose efforts to control the ideological tenor of his state's educational system has been taken as a model for other Republican governors and legislatures. But Sanders' SOTU response was not simply a rebuttal to the Biden administration, and Democrats as a whole  it was in many ways a challenge for her own party, as it struggles in the wake of a lackluster 2022 midterms showing, and amidst former President Donald Trump's second bid for re-election.

Over the course of over 14 minutes, Sanders repeatedly called for a "new generation" of conservatives to lead with "passion and new ideas" while holding up Biden as "the oldest president in American history." In mentioning Biden's age, however, Sanders made an implicit argument against 76-year-old Trump as well, and kept with a broader trend among some Republicans who hope to maintain the support of the former president's base without the baggage of Trump himself, whom they are increasingly encouraging to simply "move on" as they do the same. For Sanders, a woman whose national profile is a direct result of working for Trump, this is a tricky needle to thread  particularly as she positions herself at the forefront of Republican politics in such speeches.

Was this a post-Trump speech?

"Trump was her cause and then Trump was her springboard, and that's what's so fascinating about where she is now and what she's being asked to do," New York Times columnist Frank Bruni noted. "She's supposed to carry Republicans beyond Trump when she so carefully carries Trump inside her."

For Politico, columnist Nick Niedzwiadek pointed out that same dynamic tension in Sanders' speech, calling her attacks on Biden "not far apart" from those made by Trump himself, "underscoring the lasting impression he has made on the Republican party  albeit with the former president's sharpest edges shaved off." The result, Niedzwiadek said, was a speech delivered "in a way that Republicans have at times sought for in hopes of modulating the former president's agenda into an enduring coalition."

Consider that modulation in how Sanders addressed her career in the Trump administration through an anecdote about joining the former president on a secret Christmas visit to surprise U.S. servicemembers stationed in Iraq; over the course of the story, Sanders never once mentioned Trump by name. Save for a single quip from the former president in response to a shouted affirmation from one of the soldiers stationed in Iraq, Trump  a man who was, and for a large portion of the GOP remains, the embodiment of the party  was essentially relegated to a background character in service of Sanders' larger moral of freedom and conservatism.

How did it play with Trump supporters?

"Republicans who support Trump can like her," Republican strategist Russ Schriefer told Bruni for the Times. "But Republicans who support DeSantis can like her."

The snub didn't go unnoticed in some conservative circles, with former Fox Business personality Lou Dobbs criticizing Sanders's speech as "an insult" to former Trump administration official Steve Bannon.

"To not mention his name, to talk about 'new leadership'  it looked like the Governor's Association had written much of that speech, and aligned themselves with Ron DeSantis," Dobbs said.

Indeed, Sanders' attempt to have it both ways  invoking Trump while leaving him conspicuously absent by from her remarks at the same time  has placed her in a similar bind as other GOP politicians in the past. Her speech, heavy on the culture war grievances that have come to animate the party beyond Trump's influence "would have fit right in with Republicans' message heading into the 2022 midterms," MSNBC 's James Downie wrote. "As we now know, Republicans greatly underperformed, in part because swing-state voters rejected the most extreme GOP candidates." Coming from a conservative political dynasty in a deep red state, however, Sanders remains notably less burdened by that precedent than her other, unsuccessful predecessors.

For Republicans hoping to extricate their party from Trump while still enjoying the benefits of his political clout and populist energy, Sanders' rebuttal to Biden's State of the Union was both a response to the Democratic administration and a potential path toward a Trump-less future for the GOP. While SOTU responses can be the place where political aspirations go to die, Sanders' address may end up as consequential for her career in the party as it is for the party itself.

You may also like

Could moon dust be used to bring down Earth's temperatures?

Madonna slams comments mocking her appearance at the Grammys: World 'refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45'

Putin likely complicit in downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, investigators say
Satellite images of three Turkish towns reveal the extent of the devastation caused by the worst earthquakes to hit the country in decades.

The region was hit by two major quakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale at 4.17 am and 1.24pm local time on 6 February.

Extensive rescue operations are underway as emergency workers race against time to find survivors in affected areas of Turkey and Syria.

The death toll has already topped 7,300 but experts fear that the final number could be as high as 20,000.

Up 23 million people across both countries may be directly affected, including 1.4 million children, according to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Thousands of children are feared dead by Unicef.

Its now a race against time. Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHOs director general, speaking in Geneva.

The earthquakes are the worst to hit Turkey since 1939 when one of the same magnitude killed around 30,000 people.

New satellite images show the extent of the destruction.

Overview of Islahiye, Turkey before earthquake./Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies)

Overview of Islahiy Turkey after the earthquake 7 February 2023. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

The images show detailed birds-eye views of three Turkish towns, Islahiye, NurdaAA and Duzici after the earthquake struck.

Buildings downtown Islahiye, Turkey before earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

Collapsed buildings and rescue operations in downtown Islahiye, Turkey after earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

Images of the first two towns before the earthquakes struck allow for side-by-side comparisons of the towns before and after, emphasising the scale of the destruction. White emergency tents can be seen clustered along the roads and the few areas clear of debris.

A close up view of buildings in Islahiye, Turkey before earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

A close up view of buildings in Islahiye, Turkey after the earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

In another image, emergency tents can be seen set up outside the local hospital in Islahiye. However, reports on the ground say that hospitals are being overwhelmed as casualties come in faster than aid.

Islahiye hospital with emergency tents after earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

In the town of Nurdagi, what appears to be a residential area looks to have been hit. Houses and whole blocks of flats have either collapsed or been seriously damaged.

Nurdagi, Turkey before the earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

Nurdagi, Turkey after earthquake, 7 February 2023. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

Debris from buildings is scattered across downtown Nurdagi.

Downtown Nurdagi before the earthquake, Turkey. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

Downtown Nurdagi after earthquake, 7 February 2023. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

The images were taken by satellites owned by Maxar Technologies, a space technology company headquartered in Colorado, USA. While clouds and poor weather continue to affect the area, Maxar was able to capture these images that shed light on whats happening on the ground.

Story continues

Buildings in Nurdagi, Turkey before the earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

White emergency tents and damaged buildings Nurdagi, Turkey 7 Ferbuary 2023. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)

Maxar is continuing to monitor the region and will provide new updates as soon as they have additional imagery and information.

A residential area in Nurdagi before the earthquake. (Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies.)
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Norwegian media group Schibsted and the European Publishers Council have urged EU antitrust regulators to ensure that tech rules coming into play this year will rein in Apple's powers, especially over its App Store.

The comments from Schibsted, the largest media group in the Scandinavia region, and the publishers' lobbying group come as the European Commission's Digital Markets Act (DMA) takes effect in May, targeting Big Tech.

Apple is already in the EU antitrust crosshairs related to its App Store practices in music streaming, in e-books and competing apps as well as its mobile payment system Apple Pay.

Apple's App Store practices affect Schibsted because of its market power in Scandinavia where up to 60% of consumers have an iPhone in Norway and Sweden, said Petra Wikstrom, director of Public Policy at Schibsted.

"Apple's App Store policies, such as imposing high fees, taking control of the entire customer relationship, and withholding important user information under the guise of privacy and security, hamper our transition to a subscription-based business model," she told Reuters in an interview.

"Therefore, to put an end to such abusive practices in the digital space and induce positive behavioural change, it is crucial that the DMA is effectively implemented and enforced," Wikstrom said.

The EPC, whose members include chairmen and chief executives of Axel Springer, News UK, Conde Nast, the New York Times and The Guardian, echoed similar concerns.

"Yes, the EPC has the same position and concerns which we have raised directly with the commission too. The DMA is very clear in its obligations and we expect them to be enforced," EPC Executive Director Angela Mills Wade told Reuters.

The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Apple, which would be forced to loosen its App Store rules under the DMA, could not be reached for comment.

Story continues

The company has previously said that 85% of developers on the App Store do not pay any commission and only apps with more than $1 million in annual revenue pay 30%.

In 2021, to allay Japanese antitrust concerns, it scraped the ban on providing separate links on App Store apps for reader apps which provide content such as e-books, video and music.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Mark Porter)
Sarasota School Board Vice Chair Karen Rose made the motion to appoint Allison Foster, the district's executive director of human resources, as the interim superintendent Tuesday. Foster becomes the interim following the swift removal of former superintendent Brennan Asplen.

Allison Foster, the Sarasota County School District's executive director of human resources, was unanimously appointed Tuesday to serve as interim superintendent until the School Board chooses a permanent replacement for Brennan Asplen, who was abruptly fired in December.

Foster also worked as a principal at Phillippi Shores Elementary for 13 years. Chris Renouf, who was appointed as the acting superintendent temporarily after Asplen's departure, returns to his previous position as an assistant superintendent and chief academic officer.

Foster's contract will be drafted in the coming days and considered for approval at the next School Board meeting on Feb. 21.

Allison Foster, the Sarasota County School District's executive director of human resources, was unanimously appointed Tuesday to serve as interim superintendent.

More:Sarasota School Board finalizes Asplen's departure, appoints interim superintendent

Conservative shift:Sarasota ground zero as conservatives seek to replicate Florida school board success

She and Ron DiPillo, the executive director of career and technical education at Suncoast Technical College, had put their names forward to be considered for the appointment. Board member Tom Edwards sought to appoint DiPillo but received no second to his motion. He did, however, say he fully supports Foster and ultimately voted in favor of her appointment.

Board member Karen Rose made the motion to appoint Foster and cited her desire to increase reading achievement as a reason for her appointment.

"Student achievement is a passion of mine; I love working with students," Foster said during the meeting. "It is a passion of mine to push our students to be the best that they can be."

It's unclear exactly how long she will serve as interim, as the district has only just started its search for a new superintendent. Board Chair Bridget Ziegler has said the district hopes to have a new superintendent vetted and hired by the start of the 2023-24 school year.

Before Asplen's termination, Foster was rumored to be named as his interim successor. Edwards addressed what he called "the rumor mill" ahead of the appointment vote, expressing concerns that Foster was preordained to be the interim.

Story continues

"After the recent School Board election, a rumor mill became alive and well... that this new board was interested in terminating the superintendent and that they had a candidate in mind," Edwards said. "It seems as though much of the rumor mill has been coming to pass."

During discussion before the vote, Edwards suggested the board put restrictions on the interim administrator, requiring some personnel changes to be subject to board approval. He likened his suggestion to not allowing a substitute teacher to rewrite lesson plans.

The board majority disagreed with his suggestion. Board member Robyn Marinelli said whoever she voted to appoint as interim had her full confidence to make the best decisions for students in the district.

"Big surprise, the four didn't agree with me," Edwards said about the conservative board majority, which moved quickly to push Asplen out following the seating of two new conservative board members in November, shifting the balance of power on the panel.

During public comment, several people commended the School Board for voting earlier in the day to keep "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" on district bookshelves following a parent's challenge.

"Imagine if the resources spent on this book-banning process had been used to tutor Sarasota third-graders instead," one commenter said.

Book ban:Sarasota County School Board votes to require parental consent to read anti-racism book

Jennifer Cottrill, who supported the removal of Asplen, asked the board during public comment to not appoint Foster, instead asking them to "hire someone with a backbone." When Rose made the motion to appoint Foster, she stood up and walked out.

"She does not have a good track record for supporting our staff, and seems to have a habit of misplacing complaints in order to make things go away," she said.

The Sarasota County School District Transparency Page, a conservative activist Facebook group focused on Sarasota education issues, posted a comment during the meeting calling Foster a "terrible choice."

The board also approved adjusted times for some 2023 School Board meetings. Meetings scheduled for March 7, April 4, May 2, June 6, Sept. 5, Oct. 3 and Nov. 7 were moved to 3 p.m. from 6 p.m. while all other meetings remained at 6 p.m.

Ziegler said part of the 3 p.m. change had to do with lessening the burden on district staff and increasing accessibility by offering more times to meet apart from only 6 p.m. meetings.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota School Board taps Allison Foster as interim superintendent
Police were dispatched to Barstow Junior High School regarding a threat of a bomb on school grounds. San Bernardino County Sheriffs officials reported that on Tuesday morning, multiple agencies across the county received similar calls of threats on school grounds.

San Bernardino County Sheriffs officials reported that on Tuesday morning, multiple agencies across the county received similar calls of threats on school grounds. The Barstow Police Department also reported a bomb threat at one school.

Sheriffs officials said each call had been a hoax; however, officers and detectives have remained on campuses conducting investigations.

The Sheriff's Department said they are aware of calls to area schools regarding reports of gunfire. Deputies have responded to all locations and have secured and cleared the schools.

Sheriffs spokeswoman Gloria Huerta told the Daily Press that the department did not receive any false reports for schools in Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville, or the rest of the Victor Valley.

Inland Empire

Sheriffs Dispatch received calls reporting an active shooter at Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga and San Andreas High School in San Bernardino.

Deputies from the Rancho Cucamonga Station and Highland Station, as well as officers from San Bernardino Police and San Bernardino City Unified Police, immediately responded to their respective schools.

Both schools were secured, and a thorough search was conducted. All staff and students were safe, and the reports were determined to be false.

The investigation into the source of the calls is ongoing. Anyone with information about the Inland Empire investigations is asked by sheriffs officials to contact Sheriffs Dispatch at 909-387-8313 or 760- 956-5001.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to contact the We-Tip Hotline at 800-78CRIME (27463) or wetip.com.

Barstow

The Barstow Police Department reported that at approximately 9:32 a.m., officers were dispatched to Barstow Junior High School regarding a threat of a bomb on school grounds.

Officers and detectives searched the entire school campus and found no evidence of a bomb. Two Marine Corps Logistics Basepolice bomb detection canine teams searched the school and found no device.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Schools across the county receive shooting, bomb threats
[Source]

A man from Dundee, Scotland, is facing life imprisonment after a jury at the Edinburgh High Court found him guilty of killing a woman and her 2-year-old daughter.

On Monday, the court convicted Andrew Innes, 52, of murdering Bennylyn Aquino-Burke, 25, and her daughter, Jellica, whose bodies were found buried under his kitchen floor on March 18, 2021.

The court also found Innes guilty of sexually assaulting the toddler and raping a 7-year-old girl between February 20 and March 5, 2021.

Testimony from the rape victim revealed that Innes used a hammer to hit Bennelyn several times on the head before stabbing her with a long knife. He strangled Jellica two days later. DNA evidence from items found at the crime scene, including handcuffs and clothing, was also presented during the trial.

More from NextShark: 'Genius' YouTuber Gets 2.8 Million Views By Doing Absolutely Nothing

These are among the very worst crimes which have come before the High Court of Justiciary, Lord John Beckett, judge of the Supreme Court, said at the conclusion of the five-day trial.

During the hearing, Innes admitted to killing the mother and child but denied any premeditation and lodged a special defense of diminished responsibility. Innes changed his story several times throughout the trial and at one point claimed he killed her because I was insane, as a result of the steroids.

Story continues

More from NextShark: Jeremy Lin Calls for Minorities to Unite Against Rising Violence Against Asian Americans

A forensic psychiatrist who met with Innes several times and wrote a report for the Crown on his condition testified during the trial that he did not believe Innes was impaired at the time of the killings.

He now faces a mandatory life sentence for each of the murders and will be considered for release on parole after serving a minimum of 36 years.

Innes met Bennylyn through a dating site and visited her in Kingswood, Bristol, on Feb. 18, 2021.

More from NextShark: China publishes  and then deletes  report it detected what may be an alien signal

He then drove her and her daughter to his home in Dundee, a distance of 440 miles.

Shela, Bennylyns sister, told BBC that she met Innes via a video call as he was driving Bennylyn and Jellica to his home in Scotland. Shela reached out to Innes online after not hearing from her sister for several days. He reassured her that Bennylyn and Jellica were safe and had just brought them to Glasgow to meet someone.

Bennylyn and Jellica were reported missing on March 1, 2021, following a missed appointment. Local authorities launched a search two days later. The investigation eventually led the officers to Innes' home.

When asked where Bennylyn was, Innes responded with: "I killed her, she's under the floor. We got into a fight and I killed her."

According to Detective Chief Inspector Graham Smith of the Police Scotlands Major Investigation Team, he and his colleagues have never seen Andrew Innes level of depravity in his nearly 30 years of service.

Not only did he callously take the life of a young mother and an innocent child, he then sought to escape justice by burying their bodies beneath his kitchen floor, he was quoted as saying. He showed no regard for human life, or for the suffering that he has brought to their loved ones.

Burkes family, who flew from the Philippines to attend the trial, said in a statement that the jurys guilty verdict provides some comfort to our family and friends and brings justice for Bennylyn and Jellica.

A big part of our family has been torn from us, the statement read. We shall never see Bennylyn and Jellica again. We shall never know our beloved Jellica or ever see her grow up.
An illustration of a satellite breaking up above Earth. ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

A secretive Russian satellite broke apart in Earth's orbit, the US Space Force said on Monday.

Kosmos 2499 launched secretly and made "suspicious" maneuvers to complete a mysterious mission.

The satellite's possible explosion-induced debris field could last a century, according to NASA.

A mysterious Russian satellite with a shady mission has broken apart in Earth's orbit, creating a hazardous cloud of debris zipping around the planet and menacing other satellites, US Space Force announced.

The 18th Space Defense Squadron said on Twitter Monday that it had confirmed a satellite called Kosmos 2499 had broken apart into 85 pieces.

18th Space Defense Squadron (@18thSDS) February 7, 2023

Previous collisions and satellite break-ups have created far larger and more hazardous debris fields than this.

But the pieces of Kosmos 2499 are orbiting at an altitude of about 745 miles  so high that they'll probably be there for a century or longer before Earth's atmosphere drags them down and burns them up, according to NASA.

Kosmos 2499 is one of three satellites that Russia launched secretly from 2013 to 2015. Its beginning is even more mysterious than its end.

NASA and the US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

The satellite was launched secretly and made 'suspicious' maneuvers in orbit

A Russian "Rokot" rocket lifts off from a launch pad near the town of Plesetsk in Arctic Russia. Reuters

On Christmas Day 2013, Russia launched a small Rokot rocket into the skies above Plesetsk, carrying three military communications satellites into orbit.

It seemed like a standard launch, until space trackers noticed that the Rokot had released a fourth object into orbit, according to Anatoly Zak, an English-language reporter who covers Russia's space program and runs Russianspaceweb.com.

A few months later, Russia admitted to the United Nations that it had launched a fourth satellite, which came to be known as Kosmos 2491. Its purpose was unclear.

Story continues

Russia launched another secret satellite in May 2014, and it soon began maneuvering itself in orbit, dropping and raising its altitude until it brought itself "suspiciously close" to the rocket stage that had delivered it to orbit, according to Zak. The US military designated the object Kosmos 2499.

For nearly half a year, this mystery satellite trailed its rocket stage and maneuvered up close to it repeatedly. Then it transmitted telemetry data back to Earth in Morse code, according to Zak.

The bizarre behavior led to speculation that Russia was testing technology to follow or wreck other satellites, according to Space.com.

The head of Roscosmos at the time, Oleg Ostapenko, assured the world in a December 2014 press conference that Kosmos 2491 and Kosmos 2499 were not "killer satellites," Zak reported. Ostapenko said the satellites had peaceful, educational purposes and that "they completed their mission." Zak said the Roscosmos chief never specified what that mission was.

A similar Rokot launch sent a third unregistered satellite into orbit the next year.

The first secret satellite, Kosmos 2491, broke apart in 2019. Kosmos 2499 just met the same fate.

The satellite may have exploded, rather than crashing

The cause of the satellite's disintegration is not yet clear.

Brian Weeden, a space-debris expert at the Secure World Foundation, told ArsTechnica that he doesn't think a collision caused it, since two of the secretive satellites have gone out like this.

"This suggests to me that perhaps these events are the result of a design error in the fuel tanks or other systems that are rupturing after several years in space rather than something like a collision with a piece of debris," Weeden told ArsTechnica.

That aligns with a preliminary analysis by LeoLabs, a company that tracks objects in Earth's orbit. The company tweeted that its early data "points toward a low intensity explosion," likely from the satellite's propulsion system.

LeoLabs said its models had "moderate confidence" in this finding.

"As more of the fragments get cataloged and included in the analysis we will be able to provide a more definitive cause of the event," the company wrote, adding that "understanding why these types of events occur is key to preventing them in the future."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bakanov disappeared from the information field after his dismissal from the SBU

"Special procedures to check Bakanov have been completed," Venislavskyi said.

Read also: Ukraines parliament appoints Malyuk as SBU chief

I think that society will be informed about this when it is timely, because these are redacted verification materials, materials with limited access. Yesterday, we also received an answer about Bakanov's whereabouts. He is in Ukraine.

He emphasized that the committee members "are admitted to all levels of state secrets, but cannot always speak [publicly about them].

The MP did not provide any other details.

On July 17, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suspended then SBU Bakanov from his duties. Two days later, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraines parliament, dismissed Bakanov with the wording "dereliction of duty that caused human casualties or other grave consequences.

Read also: SBU official suspected of treason may request asylum from Russia

According to the head of Dnipro's territorial defense, Hennadiy Korban, this move by the Zelenskyy administration was connected to the detention of the former head of the SBU branch in Crimea, Oleh Kulinich, who was found to be working for Russia's security services.

According to Korban, Kulinich was fairly close to Bakanov.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Four Senators on the South Dakota Senate Health and Human Services committee voted Wednesday to advance a bill limiting several forms of gender-affirming care for minors.

The bill, House Bill 1080, will now advance to the South Dakota Senate floor in the coming days. If it passes there, as it did in the South Dakota House on a 60-10 vote, it will land on Gov. Kristi Noems desk. Noem has signaled her support for the legislation, and also signed a bill in 2022 limiting trans athletes participation in sports.

Even if HB 1080 passes the Senate, it will go further than any anti-trans healthcare ban has gone in previous legislative sessions in South Dakota.

Local high school students pose with transgender pride flags, posters and the nonbinary pride flag at Van Eps Park after the "Protect Trans Kids rally" in Sioux Falls on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 16, 2022 in support of transgender rights.

Sen. Shawn Bordeaux, the sole Democrat on the committee, motioned to kill the bill, but nobody made a second. Instead, bill sponsor Sen. Al Novstrup (R-Aberdeen) motioned the committee approve the bill, which was seconded by Sen. Erin Tobin (R-Winner).

Novstrup, Tobin, Sen. Mike Diedrich (R-Rapid City) and Sen. Sydney Davis (R-Burbank) voted in favor of the bill while Bordeaux and Sen. Tim Reed (R-Brookings) opposed it. Sen. Michael Rohl (R-Aberdeen) was excused from the vote.

Proponents include former trans people who have testified in support of similar bills

Multiple proponents for the bill argued Wednesday that children are incapable of, or not mature enough to be, making decisions that would affirm their gender or affect their medical future.

For example, Novstrup argued in favor of the bill, because he once snapped at his mother for stepping on his glasses by yelling at her and calling her an old cow, he said, explaining young people making rapid decisions doesnt end well.

Rep. Bethany Soye (R-Sioux Falls) repeated a story from earlier bill hearings about how as a child she felt she was a boy, but later in life felt glad she remained a woman.

Other proponents of the bill included two people who detransitioned: Chloe Cole and Billy Burleigh.

More:Effort to limit gender-affirming care for trans youth in South Dakota moves forward

Story continues

Detransitioning is defined by the Trans Journalists Association (TJA) as seeking gender-affirming medical care and then stopping it, and/or attempting to reverse its effects. Many of the proponents Wednesday emphasized theyd stopped transitioning for medical reasons.

Cole is an activist from California and self-described former trans kid, and both Cole and Burleigh have testified in support of similar bills in other states like Utah, Tennessee and Idaho.

Other proponents included a psychologist who didnt say where he was from, an Evangelist, and lobbyists with Family Heritage Alliance Action, South Dakota Parents Involved in Education, and LGB United.

Opponents include three of states major medical associations

Several medical groups from South Dakota again showed their opposition to HB 1080 on Wednesday, represented by Dr. Nicholas Torbert, a Sioux Falls pediatrician, as well as lobbyists from the South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians (SDAFP), the South Dakota State Medical Association (SDSMA) and the South Dakota Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Dan Heinemann, with SDAFP, explained diversity in gender identity and expression is a normal part of human existence, and gender-affirming care for gender-diverse patients is only started after multiple evaluations. Parents are part of the informed consent process, he said. He added the effects of puberty blockers are also reversible.

Justin Bell, with SDSMA, said lawmakers often hear about and speak about both parental rights and limited government, but argued that HB 1080 goes against those concepts.

More:Push to limit access to gender-affirming care for youth passes in South Dakota House

Bell continued to say gender-affirming care is evidence-based care that includes several types of consultation as well as parental consent, and that physicians have an obligation to act in the best interest of their patients.

Elizabeth Broekemeier, the parent of a trans teen in South Dakota, said when her son came out, she met him with love and acceptance, and that his need for care was not a decision made brazenly.

Other opponents included an Episcopal Reverend, the ACLU of South Dakota, Sioux Falls counselor Anne Dilenschneider, trans man and registered nurse Dylan Daniels, and a representative from the Human Rights Campaign.

Local organizations plan protests in opposition of the legislation

Moments after the committee approved HB 1080, the South Dakota Transformation Project, an organization supporting transgender people in the state, announced several protests to the bill across the state Saturday.

The protests are expected to be held before legislative coffees in Brookings, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Vermillion. Sioux Falls protest will be 9:30 a.m. at Southeast Technical College.

The protests are being supported by the Project as well as Sioux Falls Pride, the Black Hills Center for Equality, South Dakota Youth Activism, Brookings Pride, Brookings PFLAG (Parents For Lesbians and Gays), Quilting Allies, Equality South Dakota and more.

This is one of the most extreme political attacks on transgender people in recent memory, executive director Susan Williams said in a statement. Not only does it ban medically necessary, lifesaving care for transgender youth, but it also prevents parents from getting their child the medical care they need.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota Senate committee advances anti-trans health care bill
A serial Peeping Tom with more than a dozen convictions for the same sex crime is in jail again after being accused of doing the same thing, but this time it was at a local university.

Harold Rimblert III, 39, of Harrison Twp., pleaded not guilty this week to new charges of voyeurism and criminal trespass, according to Fairborn Municipal Court Records.

The charges stem from an incident in November 2022 when police were called to Rike Hall at Wright State University when a staff member reported of a man looking under restroom stalls at another staff member.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: I-TEAM: Serial Peeping Tom had over 500 photos of unknown victims, voyeurism law change pending

Rimblert was identified on security video from the hall.

Rimblert is trespassed from the University and has been since June of 2012, the statement of facts read, noting that he was previously arrested for criminal trespass at the university in 2017.

Rimblert pleaded guilty to voyeurism charges in 2022 in Miamisburg Municipal Court. Then, he had been accused of entering the womens restroom at the Poelking Lanes on Kingsridge Drive, according to court records. He crawled on the floor while a woman was going to the restroom.

Prior to that, he had been already been convicted more than a dozen times for voyeurism, court records show. His crimes of voyeurism date back to at least 2005. They include incidents in Dayton, Beavercreek, Sugarcreek Twp., Englewood, Kettering, Moraine, Trotwood and Washington Twp., municipal court records show.

>> New policies coming to Dollar General as part of agreement with Ohio AGs office over pricing issues

News Center 7 previously reported that a search warrant of Rimblerts phone in August 2021 revealed 24 photos of one of his victims and over 500 photos of unknown victims.

Rimblert was arrest last week on the charges. He remains booked in the Greene County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

Court records show hes set to appear in court on Feb. 16.
Trevor Davis for BuzzFeed News

Dorissa White has known since she was 12 that she would get a nose job one day. In 2022, after years of being teased and bullied for her distinctive nose, a feature that she said goes back many generations in her family, the 30-year-old content creator sat in a plastic surgery clinic in Istanbul, ready to undergo an ethnic rhinoplasty.

Unlike the traditional nose job, an ethnic rhinoplasty, a term that has been used since 2003, is intended to change the appearance of the nose without diminishing its cultural and ethnic markers. The end result is usually more subtle than a typical nose job.

After two years of researching and WhatsApp consultations with representatives for prospective clinics abroad, White settled on Dr. Yusuf Orhan. She traveled from New York City to Turkey for her procedure and documented the process for her YouTube channel.

For $4,500, White was able to get the procedure and also a 10-day stay at a five-star hotel to recover.

White had compiled a mood board of dream noses that included images of various models and P-Valley actor Shannon Thornton, who herself has refuted claims that her nose is the work of a surgeon.

I showed it to Dr. Orhan, and each one he said was unrealistic for my anatomy; at one point, he said, Im not even going to try that, White said. I appreciated that because I knew that he was not going to give me this small pinched nose. Just because we think something looks good doesnt mean that it will look good on us.

Dorissa White before (left) and after her surgery Courtesy Dorissa White

In Whites case, to create more projection and reduce the size of her prominent nose, cartilage from her rib was removed to form a stiff graft that the skin would heal against. The need to harvest cartilage from elsewhere in her body is often a component of an ethnic rhinoplasty, which differs from a traditional rhinoplasty.

Three months after the operation, White has no regrets. Many people tried to talk me out of it, and they told me that I needed to love myself, she said. But the thing is, you can love yourself until youre blue in the face. But if you dont like something, theres nothing that is going to convince you otherwise.

Story continues

Today, TikTok is awash with examples of nose transformations, with around 4 billion views on videos with the #ethnicrhinoplasty hashtag. According to Google Trends, interest in the procedure has climbed over the past 12 months.

Can you respect someones ethnicity yet still make it look attractive and nice as if that person was born with it?

I think ethnic rhinoplasty begins with the awareness that there are cultural variations and deviations in relationship to facial appearance, Dr. Anthony Brissett, director of facial plastic surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital, told BuzzFeed News.

Deciding on the best course of action when doing an ethnic rhinoplasty is an interesting conundrum, Dr. Nima Shemirani, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, told BuzzFeed News. Can you respect someones ethnicity yet still make it look attractive and nice as if that person was born with it? I think thats where the artistry comes in. We morph images to see what would fit on that persons face.

White desired a slimmer bridge, finished with a rounded tip, sometimes referred to as a button nose. While its still early in her recovery  it could take up to a year for her nose to fully heal  she is already satisfied with the work. I feel like it is still fairly big, but it fits my face, she said. Its much smaller than my original nose, but its not this super small nose that doesnt look realistic on my face.

Beyond its biological function, the nose is considered a defining feature in establishing facial harmony and symmetry. In addition, certain characteristics came to be associated with different groups of people and maligned thanks to harmful biases and designations.

In Sander L. Gilmans 1999 book Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery, the literary historian details how in the 18th and 19th centuries, the nose was a signifier of beauty and an indicator of moral standing and character. The noses of the black and the Jew were signs of their primitive nature, he writes. This was primarily because the too-flat nose came to be associated with the inherited syphilitic nose. In this view, flattened noses are natures moral comment on the hygiene of a race in terms of both racial difference and dangerousness.

Decades and several trend shifts later, the archetypal Black nose, with its wide bridge and flare nostrils, is still a source of shame for some Black people, who use methods like contouring, a makeup technique that uses shadow and product to create the illusion of a slimmer nose. But some critics have spoken out against such techniques. Somewhere along the way, Black women have started to drink the proverbial kool-aid, Briana McCarthy wrote for Essence magazine in 2020. Weve allowed a standard that doesnt even consider us to seep into our beauty routines. Weve begun to believe the lie that our noses are bad and theirs are better. Why else would we contour them?

Similarly, in 2022, beauty entrepreneur Bobbi Brown, who is Jewish, pushed back against the contouring trend and shared how she turned down her mothers offer to get a nose job as a young girl, once a popular trend for affluent Jewish teenagers.

a series of stories about the body. read more here.

Historically, Black celebrities who got plastic surgery opened themselves up to intense scrutiny and speculation about what procedures they may or may not have had while fighting accusations of self-loathing. Digital publication Atlanta Black Star didnt hold back when it published a 2013 list of 10 Black Celebs Caught Expressing Self-Hate and included the likes of Lil Kim, NeNe Leakes, and Tyra Banks as offenders for their decision to undergo plastic surgery. In 2020, talk show host Wendy Williams told her studio audience how she was vilified, hung, suspended without pay in the 90s for her various surgical procedures, which she spoke openly about.

The Jackson family and their evolving faces have long been the subjects of speculation and tabloid ridicule. Janet, the youngest of the siblings, spoke candidly about undergoing a nose job at 16 years old. Would I do it again? I dont know. Ive seen a lot of women that have been pulled and snatched, and its not too cute, she told Extra in 2006.

For the past two decades, according to Houston Methodist Hospitals Brissett, the aesthetic norm was more strongly based on Western influence. And so, when a patient of ethnic descent, whether it be Black, Hispanic, Asian, or any of the above, went to see a plastic surgeon, and it was for a rhinoplasty, oftentimes what they were getting was a change in nasal appearance based on Western norms and standards.

Brissett said he often saw clients who werent happy with the results. I was then forced to do a racial or cultural restoration, trying to bring patients back more towards what their noses could or should look like in relationship to their racial features, he said.

Research from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons confirms that the pandemic has had a general influence on the rising number of people getting plastic surgery for various reasons, including the so-called Zoom boom, or the phenomenon of people becoming hyperfixated on their on-camera appearance because of remote working.

People of color have been among the most rapidly growing category of patients . According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons , from 2000 to 2013, the number of procedures performed on ethnic patients increased by 243%.

This is likely due to several factors. Among them is the fact that plastic surgery is less taboo than ever, especially in racial and ethnic minority communities.

The boom of reality TV makeover shows in the 2000s demystified the process, showing viewers what was possible. And more celebrities have spoken candidly about their procedures. In 2011, Kelly Rowland made it clear that she had no regrets after undergoing breast augmentation back in 2007. And after years of gossip, rapper Cardi B confirmed during an Instagram Live that she had had a rhinoplasty back in 2020, telling fans, I had my daddys nose. That had to go.

When celebrities arent ready to speak up, the litany of social media posts dedicated to determining what work they may or may not have gotten has threatened the veil of secrecy. YouTubers like Lorry Hill have built entire brands by offering their assessment of how famous faces and bodies are being augmented.

Theres also the fact that cosmetic procedures are increasingly affordable . A rhinoplasty, which can cost north of $15,000 in Beverly Hills, can now be bought for a third of that price in Turkey, with an all-inclusive vacation to go with it. This accessibility has been a major driving force in determining who has the means to make their aesthetic revisions a reality.

Most importantly, perhaps, new developments in the procedure itself have meant patients can be optimistic about obtaining better results than in the past. Were still learning new things about the nasal anatomy to this day that we didnt know 20 years ago, Shemirani said. The evolution has changed from removing too much cartilage to adding cartilage grafts, and now to respecting the anatomy and reshaping and restructuring.

Shemirani, who has nearly two decades of experience as a surgeon, performed around 200 rhinoplasties last year, around half of which he says were for nonwhite patients.

Ive had Middle Eastern patients who have a big hump [on their nose], but they want to leave a little bump to maintain their ethnicity. Thats a common request, Shemirani said.

Performing a rhinoplasty on people of color is a process that comes with certain considerations for anatomy, which Shemirani says surgeons plan and prepare for. Black noses are very similar to Asian noses, the skins a little bit thicker, so if someone wants a little bit more definition, you have to address the skin. [Also] the cartilage, which is underneath, is the framework that the skin rests on [and] is a little bit weaker, so you really have to reinforce the nose, he explained. We take cartilage grafts from inside the nose. In some cases, especially with Asian and Black noses, there isnt enough cartilage inside the nose, so sometimes we take rib cartilage because you want a strong post so that when the skin heals against it, itll shrink-wrap nicely and it wont just crumple under the pressure of healing.

Saima Kays decision to undergo a rhinoplasty was primarily medical but also an opportunity to address the simple truth that she was not the biggest fan of her nose.

I've always disliked my nose, but it was never something that I was insecure about, said the 29-year-old, who is Pakistani and based in Dubai. My logic when thinking about something is that if you can change it, then do it. Life's too short to not go ahead.

Kays original nose had a drooping tip , which can make the nose appear longer.

Being South Asian, you have your features, right? I didnt want to lose that completely, Kay said. Don't get me wrong; my nose is very different from what it was. But I felt like if it had gotten any smaller or changed anymore, then that would take away the ethnic element.

After months of experiencing difficulties breathing and repeat sinus infections, Kay got an X-ray last January that confirmed she had a deviated septum.

From that point, I was like, OK, cool, this is my confirmation to get a nose job. So initially, I looked at septoplasty, she said, referring to the procedure that corrects a deviated septum.

After researching septoplasty, Kay decided that the most cost-effective option for addressing her medical and aesthetic concerns would be to get a combined rhinoplasty and a septoplasty, known as a septorhinoplasty. The procedure would reposition her nasal septum to the middle of her nose and also address its shape and size.

Courtesy of Saima Kay

Within weeks, the content creator had done thorough research, compiled spreadsheets of her options, and consulted with doctors in the UK, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey before settling on a surgeon in Istanbul for a fee of just over $3,000.

I read everything that I possibly could to see which doctor was the best because Ive seen bad nose jobs, and I didnt want to go through a procedure where I end up hating it even more at the end and was incurring double the cost, Kay said.

Nine months after the operation, while Kay can acknowledge that she is a lot more confident, she hasnt ruled out any further procedures.

I spoke to my doctor about that, and if Im still not happy with it once it completely heals, he said that well do a slight procedure to just shave a bit of it away, she said.

Her decision to alter her appearance generated mixed responses when she shared it with her followers online; people were particularly vocal on TikTok, where she has just under 5,000 followers.

I had a lot of people saying, Oh my god, youre getting rid of your ethnic features; your Pakistani nose was nice. she said. And I made a [response] video where I was like, why are you holding just my nose to my ethnicity? Im not praised for holding on to my curly hair, so why is it this one thing that I am doing, my personal preference, being attacked? Presently, Kays nose is three months shy of the projected healing time, and its subtle changes have been noticed by some friends, while others say they cant tell the difference.

But Kay said she can now sleep through the night. And she feels positive about her profile when she tilts her head to the left, which she considers her good side.

She wanted a slimmer nose, and a higher tip, but most importantly, she didnt want the result to be super small, where it looks like a white persons nose.

Its been two years since Ayeshah Atsegbua had her procedure done. Like White and Kay, she traveled to Turkey for the rhinoplasty, which cost around $5,000.

When I got to the point where my nose was fully healed, my confidence level was just on another level, and Im so happy that I got it done, she said.

The 26-year-old nurse, who is from New York, spent some of her formative years at a high school in Nigeria, where her nose didnt necessarily deviate from the standard but still wasnt entirely to her satisfaction. When youre around African people in Nigeria, you dont think about your features, because everyone there has a big nose, big lips, you know what I mean? So it wasnt really a thing. I did always know that I didnt really like it that much, but it wasnt like, oh my god, Im gonna go fix this one day, Atsegbua said.

After relocating to the UK, the registered nurse began considering the available options for revising her nose. I literally saw one girl from the UK post a YouTube video, she said. I loved how her nose looked, and she showed the doctor. She did a vlog of the whole situation. So Im like, OK, this is perfect. I hit him up on his Instagram.

Atsegbua was clear in her request, telling her doctor that she wanted a slimmer nose, and a higher tip, but most importantly, she didnt want the result to be super small, where it looks like a white persons nose.

Concerned that her immediate family would disapprove or try to dissuade her from getting the surgery, Atsegbua did not disclose her plans to them.

My mom lives in the UK, and I live in New York with my aunt, so I was hiding from her for like a month. When she finally saw me, shes like, Hmm, you look different, Atsegbua said.

She told her aunt that she had undergone a rhinoplasty and eventually explained her decision to her mother. My mom called me and gave me the whole speech  Oh my god, why would you get it done?  but when she finally saw me in person, she actually said she loved my nose job.

Ayeshah Atsegbua before (left) and after her surgery Courtesy Ayeshah Atsegbua

Fear over how people would react also meant that Atsegbua did not initially share her transformation with her online followers and friends.

I guess I was still afraid some people might judge, she said. You didnt hear about Black people getting their noses done often. You hear about it now, but when I got it done, I didnt really know any person that had ever done it.

In a world where the aesthetic decisions of Black women, especially, are frequently scrutinized and politicized, neither White nor Atsegbua are interested in defending their decision to get plastic surgery or debating critics who make assumptions about how they feel about their Blackness.

I dont think it takes away from my being African or hides my features. Im always like, if you dont like something, change it, Atsegbua said.

White echoed that sentiment. I think its possible to embrace yourself, but I look at a nose job like I look at braces. People will try to convince you not to get a nose job. But they wont convince you not to get braces. Why dont you love your teeth the way they are? White said. I dont think that we can say, Love yourself more. Its deeper than that. 

I look at a nose job like I look at braces.
Plenty of politicians in Washington are looking forward to President Joe Bidens State of the Union address on Tuesday night, but at least one will not be in attendance at all.

Rep Mary Miller of Illinois announced in an interview with the far-right outlet Breitbart last Saturday that she is boycotting the speech, calling Mr Biden a liar and blaming him for percieved immigration, military, and energy crises in the country.

Im not going to sit there and listen to him lie and watch the media and other members of Congress applaud his lies, Ms Miller, a second-term Republican, said.

Ms Miller told Breitbart that she gave her ticket for the event to a former colonel in the US military who was forced to leave his job when he refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Ms Millers decision to boycott the speech in protest of the president is not without precedent. A number of Democratic members of the House of Representatives boycotted former President Donald Trumps final State of the Union address in 2020, while a handful of members like Rep Earl Blumenauer and Rep Al Green of Texas boycotted multipe Trump addresses.

With the exception of Mr Trumps tumultuous four years in office, boycotts of the State of the Union have been relatively uncommon. Rep Doug Lamborn of Colorado boycotted Barack Obamas address in 2012, angered by Mr Obamas recess appointments to the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) and energy policies, while a number of Republicans boycotted Bill Clintons speech shortly after impeaching him in 1999.

Per CNN, the largest coordinated boycott of the State of the Union to date came in 1971 when the then-newly formed Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) declined to attend Richard Nixons address after the president refused to meet with them. The CBC had 12 members in 1971, including Rep Shirley Chisholm, who, that summer, would become the first Black woman to run for president.
Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / Photo by Greenwich Police Department

Hadley Palmer, the Connecticut socialite who went to prison last November for secretly recording minors in her $10 million mansion, now walks free.

The Greenwich mother-of-four entered a transitional supervision program and was granted early release on Wednesday, the state Department of Correction confirmed to The Daily Beast. Under the program, which is similar to parole, inmates with sentences of two years or less can serve the remainder of their punishment in a halfway house or with a sponsor.

Shes in the community, said public information officer Andrius Banevicius, who noted the 54-year-old inmate is still serving her time, just outside prison walls.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Palmer declined to comment.

Between her initial 90-day prison stint last spring and the 71 days she completed this winter, Palmer served less than half of her one-year sentence in a state penitentiary.

When she was arrested in October 2021, Palmer faced charges including employing a minor in an obscene performance and second-degree child pornography. Greenwich police said Palmer filmed three minors without their knowledge and for her own sexual gratification in 2017 and 2018, and that one of the victims was 15 or younger.

In January 2022, she pleaded guilty to three counts of voyeurism and one count of risk of injury to a minor. As part of a plea deal, she agreed to serve an initial term of 90 days at York CI, the states only facility for female prisoners, before her November sentencing.

At the sentencing hearing, States Attorney Paul Ferencek revealed that Palmer recorded the victims unclothed and at times fully naked at her waterfront home in Belle Haven and shared the footage with an unnamed third party. She faced up to 5 years behind bars.

Stamford Superior Court Judge John Blawiewho sealed Palmers case from public view to protect the victimsordered her to serve one year in prison and 20 years of probation. She is required to register as a sex offender for the next decade.

Story continues

Blawie also granted one female victim a 30-year criminal protective order, barring Palmer from contacting her.

Little is known about the criminal case against Palmer, and its unclear why she was arrested years after her crimes. The daughter of prominent hedge-fund founder Jerrold Fine, Palmer was known in Greenwich society circles and photographed at charity fundraisers with her now-ex-husband, venture capitalist Brad Palmer.

The sealing of Palmers case, which was opposed by the Associated Press, raised concerns about a two-tiered justice system that favors the wealthy. Open government advocates, defense lawyers, and journalists elsewhere in the state questioned why the case files couldnt be released with pseudonyms or redactions. Judge Blawie said in his lengthy sealing decision that it was not possible to protect the victims with redactions, as is routinely done in similar criminal cases, noted David Collins, a columnist for New London newspaper The Day. I find that hard to believe. You can redact a lot and still leave a lot. Even if most of the documents have to be redacted, it is possible to at least show an effort at transparency.

Still, Palmer is not without supporters.

One acquaintance told The Daily Beast they believe theres more to Pamers story and theyre happy she was released. I think its great, the person said, adding of the disturbing accusations against her: On the surface its one thing and when you know someone its another.

Please let her know there are a lot of people out there who believe in her and saw the story for what it was, the person continued.

Palmers arrest arrived in the middle of her combative divorce, leading to speculation among acquaintances that Brad could have turned her in to police.

In family court filings, Palmer repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination in response to Brads requests for discovery, including copies of photographs, video and audio recordings sent to or received from any person with whom you have had a sexual or romantic relationship, whether in person or solely by remote means. She also objected to a request for all reports by private investigators or other surveillance pertaining to her spouse or any child of the marriage.

For her part, Palmer requested files records on background checks, surveillance or other services of any and all private investigators, police officers or investigation services procured by you or on your behalf.

Palmer filed for divorce in June 2020, stating that her marriage had broken down irretrievably. Her former spouse filed a cross complaint soon after, seeking custody of the couples minor child (they also share three adult children) and support. The case is ongoing.

In January of this year, Palmers divorce attorneys revealed her early release date in a motion to postpone a scheduled status conference, so that she could participate. They noted that their client would be released on or before March 1.

Attorneys for Palmer didnt return messages left by The Daily Beast.

Banevicius said that to qualify for supervised release, an inmate must put together paperwork for the corrections departments community release unit. They must also arrange an inspection of the home where theyll stay for the rest of their sentence.

The reason we do parole and community release is that its been proven statistically that for inmates, the chance of recidivism is reduced when they have a period of supervised release prior to the end of their sentence versus just keeping them incarcerated, Banevicius said, adding that Palmers maximum release date is August 20.

Its on or about [Aug. 20] assuming that she doesnt get rearrested, that she doesnt violate her conditions, he said.

In general, he added, the rules an inmate on release must follow include abstaining from drugs and alcohol and not leaving the state unless receiving permission to do so.

Being a law abiding citizen, he said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
PIERRE  A new bill, called "Truth in Sentencing," would require people convicted of serious violent crimes to serve either all or a majority of their sentence before being eligible for supervised release or parole, a step toward a tougher stance on who gets released from prison.

Those in favor of the two-part bill, like the South Dakota Attorney General, the Minnehaha County State's Attorney and Sioux Falls Police Department chief, argued that South Dakota cities are facing a wave of violent crime being committed by people who have violent criminal records,

Meanwhile, opponents worried it could lead to increased prison populations in a state where the prisons are already overcrowded, and de-incentivize programing like addiction treatment.

Freshman Sen. Brent Hoffman, R-Sioux Falls, brought the bill after having conversation with law enforcement, various state's attorneys and others involved in the criminal justice system. He called it a landmark law and order bill while explaining its various sections.

More:Data shows Native Americans in South Dakota receive longer manslaughter sentences

"It is not a cure-all for every crime that ails us, but I think it is an important first step to address the violent crime in particular that so ravages our community, affects our citizens, and for which they want us to do something about," Hoffman said.

Currently, inmates can gather sentencing credits, from either their time served in jail before they had their trial or by attending programming. These credits can then be applied for a shortened sentence, making the person parole eligible. The bill would change parts of this programming, depending on the person's crime.

In the first section of the bill, anyone convicted of one of 13 high level violent crimes, such as first-degree manslaughter and first-degree human trafficking, would have to serve the full sentence imposed on them by a judge without credits for a shortened term. The inmate would then be eligible for supervised release.

Story continues

In the second section, those convicted of one of 10 other violent crimes, such as aggravated assault or second-degree manslaughter, they could receive credits that could be applied toward shortening their sentence. However, they must serve at least 85% of their sentence before becoming parole eligible.

The South Dakota State Penitentiary is pictured on Friday, October 29, 2021, in Sioux Falls.

Attorney General Marty Jackley said in the federal detention system, the feds had done away with parole years ago, because of a lack of resources within the parole system.

"We have good people that are in the parole system," he said. "They just don't have enough resources. They're trying to supervise too many people."

Cities like Sioux Falls are seeing a majority of violent crimes be committed by those already involved in the criminal justice system.

Jon Thum, the Sioux Falls chief, said his department had more than 60 aggravated assaults reported in July 2022, and "the vast majority had some history of assaultive behavior or involvement with the criminal justice system at a variety of ways."

More:What we learned from the city of Sioux Falls public safety update

But, opponents were wary of what they considered a massive overhaul of South Dakota's sentencing system. They worried by refusing sentencing credits for the inmates in section one of the proposed bill, those inmates would be discouraged to participate in prison programming or participate in good behavior.

Justin Bell, a lobbyist for the South Dakota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said in other states where sentencing laws like the one proposed Tuesday were passed, prison populations went up.

"The prison system quite frankly, right now, does not have capacity to take the amount of additional [people]," Bell said.

The women's prison in Pierre is currently at 156% of its design capacity, while the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls is at 160% of its design capacity, according to the Department of Corrections.

More:South Dakota gets closer to defining 'consent,' creating new rape penalty

Lawmakers are currently mulling funding to build a $60 million new women's prison in Rapid City and purchasing land for a multi-million dollar new men's prison in Sioux Falls.

Samantha Chapman, the ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager, argued parole encouraged prisons to host rehabilitative programs for inmates.

"We have to believe that people can change for good," she said. "By eliminating the possibility of parole for whole swaths of incarcerated people, we are kneecapping their motivation for self evaluation and genuine desire for change."

Sen. David Wheeler, R-Huron, gave the lone no vote against the bill. He said he felt the bill would make people feel good about offenders' sentences, but would not do much to address the true problems within the criminal justice system.

"The problem is we don't have enough programming in our prisons," Wheeler said. "The problem is our correctional system. It's not the parole system."

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: SD wants to tighten how the state handles sentencing violent crimes
An unprecedented 10-alarm fire at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital on Tuesday morning led to the evacuation of about 160 patients to other hospitals. Although the fire was extinguished by 9:25 a.m., firefighters had to shut off the facility's power due to "electrocution issues."

An "ambulance strike team" assisted with the evacuations with more than 30 ambulances responding from as far as Brookline to the north and Cape Cod to the south, Brockton Fire Chief Brian Nardelli said.

In a statement, Beth Israel Lahey Health said that their hospitals in Plymouth, Milton, Needham and Boston were accepting patients.

"Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the fire at Brockton Hospital," the statement said. "Beth Israel Lahey Health stands ready to support Brockton Hospital and is coordinating closely with their emergency management team."

Media Relations Manager Kristina Murray said loved ones trying to locate patients transferred from Brockton Hospital should first call the hotline set up by Brockton Hospital at 617-371-5971.

More: 160 patients transferred from Brockton Hospital after 10-alarm transformer fire

Quincy: 76-year-old Wheelhouse Diner building in North Quincy sells for $1.5 million

South Shore Hospital in Weymouth said it received a small number of patients transferred from Brockton. At of the early afternoon Tuesday, more patients were expected to arrive throughout the day.

"South Shore Hospital will continue to work with state and emergency response personnel as they coordinate the transfer of patients to Southeastern Massachusetts regional health care facilities," the statement said.

Senior News and Information Specialist Kristen Perfetuo said the hospital was managing well and continued to accept patients throughout the crisis.

Prosecutor: Lindsay Clancy 'created the situation' to kill her 3 children

More: Attorney for Duxbury's Lindsay Clancy has long list of high-profile South Shore clients

Story continues

As of Tuesday afternoon, no injuries or harm to evacuated patients had been reported. Signature Healthcare President and CEO Robert Haffey said all patients "were placed at the appropriate level of care."

Haffey said the hospital is still assessing the damage and there is no timeline for reopening. Elective procedures at the hospital were canceled through Friday, Feb.10.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore rallies to support patients after Brockton Hospital fire
By David Shepardson and Rajesh Kumar Singh

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) -Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson will apologize on Thursday before a U.S. Senate committee over the holiday meltdown that led to the cancellation of 16,700 flights and pledge changes to ensure that there will be no repeats.

"Let me be clear: we messed up. In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operational resilience," Watterson's written testimony for a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing seen by Reuters says.

In other written testimony seen by Reuters, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) President Casey Murray will tell the committee that the low-cost carrier's "overconfidence" in planning and a "systemic failure to provide modern tools" were responsible for the December meltdown that the union said stranded 2 million passengers and is estimated to have cost it more than $1 billion.

Murray will tell the committee that pilots "have been sounding the alarm about (Southwest's) inadequate crew scheduling technology and outdated operational processes for years. Unfortunately, those warnings were summarily ignored."

Watterson reiterates the company's view that its crew scheduling software didnt stop working but that it was overwhelmed.

"We are doing a system-wide review of our preparedness for winter operations and will implement any measures necessary to mitigate the risk of an event like this occurring in the future," his testimony says.

Watterson's written testimony offers a new apology: "It caused a tremendous amount of anguish, inconvenience, and missed opportunities for our customers and employees."

Murray blames the meltdown on "poor planning, systemic under-investment in crew scheduling technology and processes, and a failure to collaborate with frontline employees."

Murray says Southwest's mismanagement forced the airline during the crisis to fly more than 500 flights without passengers to reposition crew or planes and more than 10,000 flights where pilots sat in the back rather than flying.

Story continues

Murray says Congress should demand "a firm timeline for when crew scheduling technology and associated crew management processes will be fixed."

Southwest is facing an investigation by the U.S. Transportation Department over its flight scheduling during the crisis.

The committee had asked Chief Executive Bob Jordan to testify but Southwest told Reuters that he had a prior commitment. Jordan is in Baltimore today for an employee rally.

Murray says Jordan and Watterson "inherited a massive, complex operation held together by duct tape and baling wire. It will take time to tear down and rebuild."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter)
President Biden ripped Republicans during his State of the Union address for efforts to use the nations debt ceiling as leverage to extract spending cuts from Democrats.

Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage, I get it, unless I agree to their economic plans, Biden said Tuesday night as the White House gears up for a budget battle with House Republicans

Next month when I offer my fiscal plan, I ask my Republican friends to lay down their plan as well. I really mean it.

GOP lawmakers have yet to unify around a specific plan to cut spending and reduce the debt in exchange for lifting the borrowing limit. With just four months until the Treasury Department could run out of ways to stave off a default, time is running down for Republicans to find common ground among each other, let alone Democrats.

Budget caps

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has voiced support for limits on new discretionary funding, after he agreed to work toward a balanced budget in 10 years as part of the concessions he made with GOP rebels to secure the Speakership gavel last month.

Many Republicans have looked to nondefense programs as a way to trim expenditures and capping spending other than Social Security and Medicare at fiscal 2023 levels.

The Speaker has indicated his commitment to what weve all agreed to fighting to make sure that we restrict spending, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), among the loudest conservatives pressing for steep cuts, told The Hill.

Hes been pretty clear about needing caps, and were going to cap 2024 spending.

But there have been concerns among Republicans amid talks of budget caps over how it could impact defense spending, which makes up much of what the government spends outside of entitlement programs.

Work requirements

There has been some early chatter around work requirements for safety net programs, specifically Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Story continues

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told Semafor that he has begun socializing a pitch to other Republicans that involves work requirements for Medicaid.

Others have expressed openness to the idea.

I think, generally, able-bodied people that dont have small kids and meet all the criteria should be seeking work, Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.), a GOP moderate, told The Hill, saying he was open to the idea.

Gaetz also led a group of five conservatives  Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Dan Bishop (N.C.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.) and Norman  in a letter to Biden ahead of his address on Tuesday, urging structural reforms for SNAP to cut spending amid talks.

Both pitches are unlikely to head anywhere in the Democratic-led Senate.

COVID-19 relief funds

Some Republicans are looking to take back unspent COVID-19 pandemic relief funds from state governments as they plot their next steps in talks.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chair of the House Rules Committee, told NBC News that the idea ought to be on the table, and certainly could fit in whatever legislative deal Republicans hope to strike with Democrats in the coming months.

But some Republicans are concerned that they could face legal hurdles and opposition from Democratic lawmakers, who are less willing to claw back the money.

Entitlements

Biden took aim Tuesday at Republicans for proposed reforms to programs like Social Security and Medicare, accusing some of wanting to cut the programs in remarks that prompted immediate GOP pushback.

Some Republicans want Social Security and Medicare to sunset, Biden said to jeers from Republicans. The president appeared to be referring to a proposal by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to sunset all federal legislation after five years.

Not long after Bidens remarks on Tuesday, Scott addressed the presidents comments, calling him confused while doubling down on his proposal, which some top Republicans distanced themselves from last year.

In my plan, I suggested the following: All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again, Scott said.

The exchange comes as Republican leaders have sought to quell concerns that GOP lawmakers will target Social Security and Medicare in debt ceiling negotiations, which McCarthy has personally ruled out.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Office of the State Attorney announced it will not file charges against the Escambia County Sheriff's Office deputies who fatally shot a Navy Point man who pointed a gun at them on Oct. 4, 2022.

A press release from the SAO says they reviewed the findings of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement. investigation regarding the death of 36-year-old Colin West at his Payne Road home.

"After a review of the report, including all statements, photographs and available video recordings, this office determined the deadly force actions of deputy sheriffs of Escambia County Sheriff's Office were justified," the press release stated. "No criminal charges will be filed against the deputies."

Deputies open fire:Man fatally shot after opening fire on deputies at Navy Point in West Pensacola

Wanted: Two people wanted for questioning in January homicide on Blue Angel Parkway

Based on information gathered in October, Sheriff Simmons originally announced during a press conference that West opened the front door of his home and began firing at the deputies, resulting in the deputies returning fire.

According to the FDLE investigation report, three of the seven deputies who were found to have fired their weapons that day either said they saw West fire the gun or saw a muzzle flash from his gun.

However, in a prepared statement to the News Journal Simmons said West never fired at the deputies.

"When he opened the door and pointed his gun at deputies, they fired," the sheriff said. "Initial reports were that he fired at deputies.

"Ultimately, it matters not whether he fired first or even fired at all," Simmons continued. "He pointed a gun at deputies after being advised not to. This is indisputable."

FDLE's report notes that there was "no evidence found that Colin West actually fired his handgun during the incident in question" after reviewing the in-car and body camera footage.

Story continues

The ECSO received reports in October that West was armed inside his home and was threatening his wife. When deputies arrived, Simmons said during the October press conference that the wife fled the house after authorities knocked on the door.

"We knock on the door and a woman comes out, and she runs from the door leaving a male inside there and she claims that male has a firearm inside," Simmons said in October. "We had the house surrounded as we wait for our SWAT team."

Instead of listening to the authorities and leaving his home peacefully, West opened the front door and pointed a firearm at the SWAT team and deputies outside the home. Deputies then opened fire, killing West.

"When an individual raises a gun at deputies, there are consequences. There is not way to sugarcoat that," Simmons said in his prepared statement. "If you fight with a deputy, you may get injured, if you raise a gun at a deputy, those consequences can be fatal. We tried to get him to come out peacefully, he instead chose to open the door and raise a gun at deputies."

The FDLE review of the incident included interviews with more than two dozen ECSO and FDLE officers, interviews with neighbors and reviews of deputies' in-car and body cameras.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia deputies 'justified' in shooting armed suspect Colin West
A photo of Abbey Lynn Steele on display during a vigil on Dec. 6, 2022, outside the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City.

Attorney General Marty Jackley wants the publics help to find the source of the methamphetamine that may have killed Abbey Lynn Steele.

The state Division of Criminal Investigation conducted an inquiry into Steeles death at the request of the Pennington County Sheriffs Office, which runs the jail where Steeles heart stopped on Nov. 16, and the Rapid City Police Department, which employs the officer who arrested her on warrants for missed court appearances hours before she was resuscitated and transported to Monument Health.

Her family chose to disconnect her from life support based on doctors assessments of her chances of survival. She died several days later, on Dec. 2.

The investigation and the review of all the cameras and statements indicated that neither the police officer nor the jail staff did anything wrong, DCI spokesman Tony Mangan told South Dakota Searchlight.

Steeles death certificate, filed in mid-December in Pennington County, lists methamphetamine toxicity and pneumonia as causes of death. The autopsy and investigation indicate that the drug was likely the reason for what the Tuesday news release described as Steeles medical emergency at the jail.

We are requesting the publics assistance for further information on any individuals that may be responsible for providing the methamphetamine that has caused Abbeys death, Jackley said in a prepared statement. I would like to further extend my sympathies to the Abbey Steele family.

Selling methamphetamine that kills its user is a crime punishable by up to life in prison in South Dakota.

The DCI reviewed body and car cam footage from the Rapid City officer who arrested Steele, as well as footage from the Pennington County Jail. The footage has not been released.

The DCI also interviewed the officer and jail staff, and reviewed the autopsy results. In addition to methamphetamine, Steeles blood tested positive for oxycodone, marijuana metabolite and amphetamine.

Story continues

The Pennington County Sheriffs Office released a statement on Steeles death, noting that the cause was accidental.

This is a tragedy. We grieve for the family at the loss of Abbey Steele, said Sheriff Brian Mueller.

The law enforcement statements are unlikely to satisfy calls for justice on Steeles behalf from members of the Native American community and other supporters, who formed a justice coalition that now meets regularly in Rapid City to advocate for changes to the ways local law enforcement interacts with Indigenous residents.

The conclusion of the DCI inquiry into Steeles death does not bring closure for her family, either.

On Monday, her mother told South Dakota Searchlight that she does not trust the official version of events. Amy Steele said her daughter had a prescription for oxycodone because of an emergency cesarean section birth, and that Abbey had swallowed some of the pills before arriving at the jail. Law enforcement investigators told Amy Steele that theyd administered narcan twice at the jail, she said, to counteract the overdose.

Im still not understanding how my daughter died, Amy Steele said. The doctor told me that my daughter was brain dead, and she told me that it was the oxy that killed her. Now the coroner is telling me pneumonia. So I have no closure.

Amy Steele said shes suspicious about her daughters treatment at the jail. Inmates who saw Abbey that day told Amy that Abbey kept pushing the button for help.

Amy Steele said the family is working with a civil rights attorney in Rapid City to determine if legal action may be warranted. The lawyer declined to be named, but confirmed that his office is investigating on behalf of the Steele family.

Im going to do whatever it takes to get justice for my daughter, Amy Steele said.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: State clears police and jail staff in young mothers death, seeks info on meth dealer
Extra charge: Ceasars Palace imposes a $46 resort fee per room per night (Ceasars Palace)

Joe Biden has used part of his State of the Union address to vow to outlaw resort fees charged by hotels and to ban airlines from charging for families to sit together. He plans a Junk Fee Prevention Act.

The president said: Well ban surprise resort fees that hotels tack on to your bill. These fees can cost you up to $90 (75) a night at hotels that arent even resorts.

Such charges are very common in Las Vegas, and also apply in Florida and New York City.

Research by The Independent shows that resort fees as well as taxes can almost double the cost of a stay.

On Valentines night, 14 February, Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas has a headline rate of $89 (74). But as well as taxes of $18 (15), a resort fee of $46 (38) is mandatory. The total rises to $153 (127)  an increase of 72 per cent on the initial quote.

Some British holidaymakers have complained that resort fees, payable locally, are tacked on to the cost of pre-paid package holidays in the US

The Federal Trade Commission has published advance notice of proposed rulemaking to outlaw deceptive or unfair acts or practices relating to fees.

The chair, Lina Khan, said: Resort fees at hotels first emerged in the late 1990s. By 2015, they accounted for one-sixth of total hotel revenue. Thats $2bn [1.66bn] per year.

With rising prices, fees are becoming more prevalent, allowing some businesses to raise effective prices without appearing to do so.

The commission found resort fees artificially increase the search costs and the cognitive costs for consumers.

The presidents Junk Fee Prevention Act will also ban airlines from adding fees for families to sit with young children, he promised.

Mr Biden said: Well prohibit airlines from charging up to $50 [42] roundtrip for families just to sit together.

Baggage fees are bad enough  they cant just treat your child like a piece of luggage.

Americans are tired of being played for suckers.

While most airlines seat families together free of charge, some ultra-low-cost carriers do not guarantee this.

Story continues

For example, Spirit Airlines says: Spirit will randomly assign you a seat at check-in for free, but we cant guarantee that youll get to sit with your friends or family.

If guests with children aged 13 and under do not opt to pre-select seats at the time of booking, our gate agents and flight attendants will work to provide adjacent seats when possible.

In the UK, airlines are legally required to sit families with young children in close proximity.
Investing in many projects including the citys youth was a focus of Dayton Mayor Jeffery J. Mims Jr. during the State of City address Wednesday morning.

Mims spoke of many accomplishments and progress the City of Dayton has made during his first year in office, but more work still needs to be done.

We still know we have work to do, said Mims.

>> Very large search to be conducted for missing Dayton woman, Cierra Chapman

During the address, the mayor covered many topics, from fixing roads, revitalizing downtown, investing in neighborhoods, and investing in the youth of Dayton.

Right now, the youth represent 20 percent of our population but theyre 100 percent of our future. And how we put them in position to be their best self is very important to us, said Mims.

According to Mims, generated tax revenue from Downtown Dayton is 50 percent of the citys budget and is a focus area for him. However, 75 percent of the money is spent in neighborhoods, with continued investments to tear down abandoned and vacant homes.

We have neighborhoods that we still have not gotten to yet. For those individuals who look out their windows and your doors and you see things that you dont like. Understand we are on our way, said Mims

The city has been no stranger to dangerous activity, from hooning to car thefts, and Mims would like to put a stop to it.

Since the summer of 2022, Dayton has seen a rise in car thefts due to social media challenges and how-to-videos. In October 2022, the Auto Theft Suppression Task Force was created with the Dayton Police Department and surrounding agencies to help battle the rise in car thefts. Recent data released by the Dayton Police Department has shown the task force is finding success in recovering at least 40 stolen vehicles.

>> RELATED STORY: Its a vicious, frustrating cycle; Over 60 cars stolen from Dayton in one week

Most recently, a group of people was seen doing donuts and drifting in six different locations in Montgomery County, including Downtown Dayton.

Story continues

These individuals are very well organized. We are looking at better ways to address that situation, said Mims.

>> RELATED STORY: Im scared for our citizens; Dayton police, commissioners discuss ways to crack down on hooning

After the address, News Center 7s Xavier Hershovitz spoke with the mayor to get more specifics on the key areas of focus.

Mims was asked if he is working with state lawmakers to address some of the dangerous activities Dayton has been experiencing.

Yes. State law and federal laws because, like I said, this is happening across the nation. Its not just happening here, kind Dayton Ohio. So trying to find ways to address that., said Mims in response.

In December, Dayton City Commissioners passed the budget during an emergency meeting after the commission was initially deadlocked, leaving questions if the city government would be forced to shut down on January 1.

>> RELATED STORY: Dayton City Commission passes temporary budget after more than 3-hour long meeting

What happened shouldnt of happened, but we have it on lock right now, and its moving in the right direction. It wont be a problem again in the future, said Mims.
Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / Reuters / Warner Bros. Pictures

Steven Soderbergh is an Oscar-winning director (for 2000s Traffic) whos helmed blockbuster franchises (the Oceans Eleven series), pioneering indies (his 1989 debut sex, lies and videotape), and virtually every type of film and TV genre imaginable. Nonetheless, there may be no more thrillingly unique work in his oeuvre than Magic Mike, his 2012 drama about a Tampa, Florida stripper named Mike (Channing Tatum) who tries to parlay his unmatched lap-dancing skills into a legitimate furniture-making career.

A hit that spawned a boisterous sequel (2015s Magic Mike XXL) that Soderbergh shot and edited but didnt direct, it was another in a long line of artistically diverse projects for the 60-year-old filmmaker. Thus, its with great excitement that Soderbergh and Tatum have reteamed for Magic Mikes Last Dance, a trilogy capper that once again hits the sensual sweet spot, albeit this time with a surprising degree of poignant romanticism.

Originally set to premiere on HBO Max, Magic Mikes Last Dance now arrives in theaters on Feb. 10. Thats a fittingly grand venue for this swoon-worthy finale, which concerns Mikes exploits in the UK with wealthy divorcee Max (Salma Hayek), whofollowing a steamy rendezvous with the ex-stripperhires him to transform her London theaters stuffy period piece into an eroticized celebration of feminist desire and freedom.

The ensuing odyssey is a sensual riff on Pretty Woman by way of All That Jazz. Its mood is more subdued and seductive (and melancholy) than before, and its action is energized by a collection of dance numbers that synthesize classical and club styles into something liberatingly new.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Reimagining familiar elements in novel ways, its a film thats indebted, but not beholden, to its predecessors. For Soderbergh, its a triumph of alluring atmosphere and steamy showmanship, and it concludes what may be the most unlikely series in cinema history.

Never one to rest on his laurels or duplicate himself (even when operating in sequel territory), the acclaimed director is as unpredictable as he is prolific, and he appears set to further that reputation with two upcoming small-screen efforts: HBO Maxs Full Circle (coming this summer) and the mysterious The Pendulum Project, which has yet to find a streaming home.

Story continues

All in all, hes one of the busiestand most talentedmen in Hollywood. Thus, we were fortunate and thrilled to chat with him about returning to the stripper universe with Magic Mikes Last Dance, his outlook on the in-flux state of movie distribution, and his shrouded-in-secrecy future endeavors.

When you started out as a filmmaker, did you ever envision yourself becoming the reigning auteur of male-stripper cinema?

I felt in discussing the original idea and working on the first film that it was a potentially commercial enterprise as a stand-alone movie. We talked about trying to make a modern version of Saturday Night Fever, and we were happy with how well the first film did. There was always, in the back of our minds, the possibility, in success, of another film, because the story of going on a road trip to a stripper convention was discussed while we were developing the script for the first film, and then set aside because we all felt it was too big to incorporate into the scale of the first film. We jokingly said, if they want us to make a sequel, thats what the sequel should be: a road-trip.

Magic Mikes Last Dance Is a Sexy-as-Hell, Spellbinding Farewell to the Franchise

Which became Magic Mike XXL.

Beyond that, I certainly felt that after the second filmwhich I was really happy with and proud of and thought expanded the universe in a fun waywe were done. It was around that time that Channing, [writer/producer] Reid [Carolin] and the choreographic team started talking about a live show. This was prompted, if Im not mistaken, by a conversation that Reid was having with his now-wife, when he discovered that she had gone to Vegas with a group of girlfriends, and they had gone to see a strip show. He found out about it through somebody else that was on that trip  not her  and he said, why didnt you tell me? She said it was because it was embarrassing and awful.

Reid and Channing started talking about, why is that? Why does that have to be the case? Why hasnt this form of entertainment evolved at all since its inception? Channings idea, which I think in retrospect seems obvious but at the time was very prescient, was that the way to evolve stripping beyond just stripping is through dance. What we need to do is build a show around the best dancers we can find, and then we can teach them the other stuff. But it will be dance-centric, and it will have a narrative, and well move it into more of a cabaret space as opposed to a strip-show space. That was a really smart idea.

The most surprising aspect of Magic Mikes Last Dance is its tone: its far more tender and romantic than its predecessors. Was that shift necessary to differentiate it? And was there ever a concern that audiences might be disappointed by not getting the rowdy stripper action they expected?

Ill answer that in two parts. First, it was clear, if were going to go back, that this thing has to evolve; the second film is different from the first, and this needs to be different from the second. The key shift was, for the first time, we actually see Mike in a relationship during the film. In the first film, we tee up a relationship, and in the second film, we see the aftermath of it. So that was the first thing we knew we wanted to do.

Secondly, as far as expectations go, that is exactly what we were hoping to accomplish, which is: people walking into this thinking theyre just going to see another stripper movie, and getting something elsehopefully, something better. Because this is what Ive witnessed every time Ive seen the live show: 300+ people rolling in thinking they know what theyre going to see, and watching them be so happy that its better and more resonant than they thought it was going to be, and not a piece of single-use plastic. Thats what Im hoping for, that people are thinking they know what theyre going to get when they show up, and they really dont, and theyre happy about that.

You told me last year that Magic Mikes Last Dance was the closest youd ever get to making an outright musical. Was trying your hand at that genre also part of what brought you back?

Yes, and its certainly satisfied a lot of that desire. There are certain limitations within the story were trying to tell that keep it from being a full-blown musical that spills out into the streets. Im somewhat restricted by the physical environment in which the movie takes place, which is, in the opening scene, her house in Miami, and then the theater where the show goes on. Ive got a box of a certain size that Ive got to work within. We also have a very, very tight schedule, which means in some cases, I have hours to shoot an entire sequence.

Steven Soderbergh on Superhero Movies Stunning Lack of Sex and What Contagion Got Wrong

It did satisfy a lot of my desire to think about how to do a dance sequence, and multiple dance sequences, and how do I make them all different. Whats the thing that I can bring? Im standing on the shoulders of a lot of people whove done amazing work in this space. What am I bringing to it thats different? I guess my answer to myself was, well, this is for adults [laughs]. This is not a musical for kids. Its not a family thing. This is an erotic, sexual, sensual musical.

Were there any musicals you studied for inspiration?

If you look at my Seen, Read list from last year, and at the first four or five months of the year, you can see what Im looking at. Im looking at all the Fosse stuff, Im watching both versions of West Side Story, Im watching all three versions of Thats Entertainment!, Im reading these Fosse biographies. Im trying to get a sense of how other filmmakers have approached how to shoot things, knowing that Im working in a much more limited sandbox than a lot of these people.

Just looking at something and going, I like that, and then trying to break down, why do I like that? What is it about that sequence that I like? What do I steal? What can I repurpose or tweak to make it fit what were trying to do? Its just homework, and the best part of this job is that your homework is watching great movies.

Knock at the Cabin Proves Dave Bautista Is Hollywood's Best Leading Man

Maxs inability to finish what she starts felt like a self-referential challenge that you and screenwriter Reid Carolin were giving yourselves. Is that what appeals to you about sequels?

If youve been fortunate enough to have a good experience making a film, and theres a possibility of putting the band back together, thats always appealing. I loved showing up for Season 2 of The KnickI was so happy to be back there with all those people because I had such a great experience on Season 1. When I rolled up on day one of Season 2, I was thinking, Oh, I get it! This is why people do six or seven seasons of a show, because if youre having a good experience, its really fun to see all your friends again, and to do it again.

The challenge is always, well, whats different? We cant just do the same thing we did before. Youre going off your own desire to see something different and to not repeat yourself, with the understanding that people are rolling into this thing with a certain level of expectation, and you have to be very, very careful when you upend that. Because they can get angry!

Thats certainly true of franchise fans.

I wasnt so worried about this one, because I knew the dynamic for the viewer was going to be very similar to the dynamic of the audience showing up for the live show. Just as in the live show, theres a left-turn that happens earlyin this case, the dance between Channing and Salma. I knew, at that point, this is a clue to the audience that this is what were doing. This one is going to be much more intimate, its going to be much more emotional, and theres going to be a relationship in it. The core of the movie is this relationship between Channing and Salma.

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Magic Mike films naturally appeal to female moviegoers, and yet lots of straight men are also fans. Whats the key to making the movies attractive to both demographics?

I think part of it is feeling that the characters are based in some sort of reality. The men are trying to figure stuff out that sometimes is tricky to figure out. At the most base level, how do I make money? What am I willing to do to make a living? Thats always, to me, a really interesting question for a character in a moviehow are they making money? We all need money, we all need to pay rent, we all have to buy food. How are we doing that? Do we like working? Is it a job we enjoy, or hate, or are embarrassed by? If you ascribe to the cliche, Women are who they are and men are what they do, thats something guys think about a lot. They feel defined in large part by what they do for a living.

Certainly, the second film is all about the relationships between those male characters. Its a buddy movie, really. What were hoping is that, in the third film, now were getting into the real heart of whats up with Mike, which is that he doesnt seem to be able to sustain a relationship. When we meet him here, hes kind of given up. Hes at a loss, and he doesnt know what to do because nothing seems to be working. I certainly went through a period of my life feeling like that. I couldnt seem to crack the code. I think anybody can relate to that, but especially men, in a landscape that seems to be shifting, and the question about how men and women are supposed to relate to each otherand what are the rules of engagementis shifting, There are a lot of men who are confused.

Magic Mikes Last Dance was originally slated for HBO Max, but its now premiering in theaters. Was that decision made before the Warner-Discovery merger, or was there another reason for that switch?

That came after the studio saw the movie and felt that this is the walking definition of a moviegoing experience. You want to be in a room with hundreds of other people watching this thing. We played coy until wed seen the film, because we were feeling that this, like the other two films, would be best seen in a room with other people. We were being quiet about it until they saw it and they said that. We were thrilled about that, but we also knew that having a real audience test screening would be the last part of that decision-making process. Once we had a preview, which went really well, we started talking technically about dates, and how many screens. Thats when the conversation got serious.

You have a production deal with HBO Max, and this film has straddled both sides of the streaming-theatrical divide. Do you feel like the industry is shifting back toward theatrical, including at Warner Bros? Or are things still in flux?

First, everything is in flux. But every studio that has the potential to put movies into theaters in a significant way wants to figure this out. Theres no potential revenue stream in the streaming world that equals a movie that blows up in a theater. Theres just no bonanza that equals that. You want that to be a core part of your plan if youre a studio. The problem is figuring out, whats working? Beyond fantasy spectacle movies and A24 on the other side, where is the middle?

The middle is where I made my name. Mid-level-budgeted movies for grown-upsthats how I got to where I am today. Those people, for the most part, with some exceptions, are not going out in great numbers currently. So the question is, what does that mean? Is that a secular change or a long cycle that can be reversed?

Warner Bros. Pictures

How does Magic Mikes Last Dance fit into that landscape?

One of the things that was appealing about Magic Mikes Last Dance is, its a mid-level-budgeted movie for grown-ups that is not what would typically be described as a fantasy spectacle. But it can be event-ized. Thats the trickhow do you event-ize a mid-level movie for grown-ups that is not Oscar bait?

At the end of the day, I feel the burden is shared by the studios, the filmmakers, and the audience. Everybody has to want to figure this out for this to work. The studios have to be willing to take calculated risks. Filmmakers need to adapt and be smart about what theyre making, who are they making it for, at what budget level, and does it have the potential to convince people to leave their couches to come out to the theater, even if its not something where the laws of gravity dont apply and shits blowing up. And audiences also have to make an effort and take a runner on some stuff.

You not only have Full Circle on the horizon, but your Seen, Read list indicated that you shot a third work last yearThe Pendulum Project. What can you tell me about that?

I dont know where its headed; itll be headed somewhere. Its something that we didIm not going to say secretly, but it was all in-house. Its a comedy, I can tell you that. It grew out of a personal frustration of mine, which is looking around at everything thats going on and asking myself, what can I do? What does one do in this situation, to address the trajectory of what were all experiencing right now? What do I do? Im not going to canvas door-to-door for some councilperson; thats not what Im good at, its not a good use of my time, and nobody wants to see me do that.

All Hail Channing Tatum, King of the Himbos

The answer to that question is, you tell stories, so tell a story. The ultimate message of the story is: better is always better, even if its incremental. Its designed to convince people not to throw in the towel. If you can change anything, even in a small way, its worth doing. Dont give up. That was the impetus for it.

Were deep into post-production now. I think itll be done soon, and when its done, well start figuring out what we do with it. I hope its entertaining; it doesnt feel like eating vegetables. But the format of it is unusual. Its a long-form piece, like a 90-95-minute piece, in eight episodes. So its an unusual thing, and we just want to get it out there. Its not a money play. We just want to get this thing out there, and were still thinking about the best outlet that will get the most people to see it. So more to come!

Lastly, your Seen, Read list also indicated that youve already watched David Finchers The Killer four times. I assume that means its great?

This is a process that David and I engage in, where we send each others things back and forth for feedback. In that particular case, I was just very, very enamored, and for that week, I was just watching it in a loop, looking for shit to steal! But Im excited for him.

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.
In Pics: People across China celebrate Lantern Festival

People's Daily Online) 16:37, February 07, 2023

A lantern show in Baotu Spring Park attracts crowds of visitors in Jinan, north Chinas Shandong Province, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Peoples Daily Online/Qiao Shu)

This years Lantern Festival fell on Feb 5, 2023. Various activities were held across China to mark the event, which people celebrated in an atmosphere of joy and ecstasy.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Du Mingming)
U.S.-NEW YORK-COVID-19-FACE MASK

A man wearing a face mask walks on a street in Manhattan of New York, the United States, Jan. 19, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration will start shipping 400 million free non-surgical N95 face masks to distribution sites nationwide this week as part of the efforts to fight the surging Omicron COVID-19 variant. Credit - Wang Ying-Xinhua/Getty Images

At the start of 2020, most of the world was terrified. Faced with a novel, deadly pandemic virus, something most of us had not expected to experience in our lifetimes, and witnessing the carnage the virus reaped in Wuhan, China, and Lombardy, Italy, countries worldwide went into protection mode.

To reduce viral transmission and save lives, nations implemented pandemic control policies. These included test and trace, isolation of infected people, quarantining of those exposed, indoor mask mandates, and closing various venues to try and reduce contact between individuals. Daily life in many countries changed drastically.

Since those first, bleak days of the early pandemic, weve had plenty of time to reflect on the steps taken at the start of the crisis, when governments and their public health advisers were making emergency decisions armed with very little data and information on an entirely new illness. This was the era before we had developed the powerful vaccines and medicines that have transformed the outlook for COVID-19. While there is certainly evidence that these early community mitigation strategies, which scientists call non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), reduced the spread of the virus, what might surprise you is how little effort there has been to fully assess their impact.

Because of a lack of research on NPIs, we still cant answer important questions like: which government measures had the greatest and the least impact? How did the sequencing and timing of these NPIs affect their effectiveness? Which measures caused more harm than benefit? We need answers to these questions so we can prepare for the next pandemic, armed with better knowledge.

Story continues

When it comes to NPIs, every angry person online has a strong belief that if only we had spent more time promoting mask wearing, been more like Sweden with its government-sponsored healthcare and incredibly generous paid sick leave provisions, or done something, anything, better than we did, we could have averted the mass death, disability, and orphanhood that COVID-19 caused. However, given the lack of data, its remarkably hard to know exactly how we could have used NPIs more effectively.

Read more: The Pandemic Will Be Over When Americans Think It Is

The most strident critics of government interventions and of public health measures during COVID-19 go so far as to say that the cure was worse than the diseasethat is, they think NPIs killed more people than COVID-19 itself. Our research found no evidence for this assertion; we found that letting the virus rip through the population in an uncontrolled way was much deadlier, at least in the short term, than the most stringent NPIs, such as shelter-in-place orders.

Nevertheless, as we previously argued, highly restrictive NPIs clearly caused harms. For example, prolonged shelter-in-place orders were linked with an increase in harmful alcohol use and domestic violence. However, there has been little in the way of research on the trade-offsthat is, on understanding the balance between the harms of uncontrolled viral transmission versus those of NPIs. And it can also be very difficult to distinguish the impacts of the pandemic itself from the harms of NPIs. Theres no doubt, for example, that prolonged school closures affected childrens mental health, but so did losing a parent or other caregiver to COVID-19.

With all NPIs, when you start digging into the research evidence, the picture isnt always clear cut. Take masks. From a basic science perspective, masks workthey filter the particles that we breathe. High filtration masks, like N95s, work better than surgical or cloth masks. Masking provides quite a bit of protection for the people wearing them against respiratory diseases, and can also help reduce transmission from an infected person to others.

In theory, then, if every person in the world had worn a high-quality mask 24/7 for a few weeks the COVID-19 pandemic would have been, if not over, then at least substantially slowed. But in practice, the intervention that we implemented was not some perfect ideal of mask-wearing, in which everyone consistently wore a well-fitting N95 in every situation. During surges, not everyone masked indoors, not everyone wore N95s, and those who did wear a mask may have worn them imperfectly (weve all seen people wearing masks with their noses uncovered, or even with their masks hanging around their necks).

When researchers have assessed mask wearing under real world conditions, the impacts have been smaller than studies done under perfect conditions. The biggest real world randomized trial ever run, in Bangladesh, studied the impact of giving people free surgical masks combined with promotional activities at mosques, markets, and other public places. The intervention led to mask usage more than doubling (from 13% in villages without the intervention to 42% in villages with the intervention) while the reduction in COVID-19 cases was only 9%. This modest reduction in infections is in line with the reductions seen in other, smaller real world studies.

What about other NPIs like large event bans or shelter-in-place orders? Many people arent aware that the effectiveness of such NPIs reduced dramatically between 2020 and 2021, even though the NPIs were often stricter in 2021 than they were before. As people reported lower compliance with government restrictions, the number of cases that each NPI prevented fell. Its quite likely that implementing, say, a ban on large gatherings, was more effective in 2020 than in the following years simply because people were already changing their behaviour in response to the pandemic anyway.

Then you can add additional complexity on top of that. A new independent report from Australia into the countrys pandemic response shows precisely how complicated evaluating our decisions can be. As the report notes, Australia has seen some impressive successes during the last two years, but there are also many areas where the pandemic response was implemented poorly. While shelter-in-place orders (lockdowns) were effective, some of these orders and border closures were avoidable. Disadvantaged people across Australian society were the most heavily impacted both by the virus and the NPIs put in place to mitigate it. One of the key arguments in the report is that even the most effective NPIs had costs, and those costs were not only unfairly distributed but also could probably have been avoided. We could have reduced the harms of NPIs while also maximizing their benefits.

Now, this report is based on Australia, but its easy to see how the same idea applies the world over. School closures were in part harmful because low-income children often did not have ready access to laptops and high-speed internet, which is something that governments could have addressed. Many outbreaks across the world disproportionately affected essential workers who could not stay home, including health workers, bus and train drivers, and people working in the production and processing of food, but governments often did little to improve conditions in their workplaces until it was too late. The lack of federal paid sick leave in the U.S. was a massive hindrance to controlling COVID-19. In some countries, people who had to isolate or quarantine were not given financial or food support, making it much harder for them to comply. Too few places instituted what Tufts University epidemiologist Ramnath Subarraman and colleagues call humane shelter at home, a term that highlights both the public health benefits of shelter in place and also the need to provide social protectionssuch as income assistancethat help vulnerable populations weather the storm.

But the problem with all this complexity is that it is anathema to the tedious simplicity that surrounds most COVID-19 retrospection. Its easy to argue that ill-defined lockdowns have caused unimaginable harm, or that even the most extreme, ongoing NPIs are a great idea. It is, however, far harder to ask difficult questions like When is it reasonable to close schools due to infectious diseases? or Do stay-at-home orders have a marginal benefit or harm when coupled with a range of other NPIs? or even Could we have achieved the same reduction in cases with less damaging interventions?.

Unfortunately, difficult questions dont win any political points, even though they are the most important ones to answer. Imagine if the next pandemic comes along, and it turns out to be uniquely harmful to children, we have no choice but to close schools, but weve made no progress on how to mitigate the harms of school closuresit would be an entirely preventable disaster. Until we can start having public discussions that focus on figuring out the best way to combat a pandemic rather than assigning blame, were never going to know what to do when the next novel virus comes along.

Which is a problem, because one thing virtually every expert agrees on is that we will face another pandemic just like COVID-19, or even more deadly, at some point in the future. Hopefully, we can get ready for it.
A "tank summit" to be held next week will bring together representatives of Germany, Poland, and Ukraine to discuss the provision of Western-made tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced during his visit to Warsaw on Feb. 8.

Other allied countries, who have expressed interest in providing German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, will be invited to attend. According to Pistorius, a firm coalition of countries that will send Leopards to Ukraine has yet to form. He hopes to get as many countries involved in the coalition as possible.

Germany said it would send 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to start, while Poland promised to provide the 2A4 models. Canada is also providing four Leopard 2s. Other countries in Europe, including the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway have talked about sending theirs but have yet to make a definitive commitment.

Germany and allies will also provide at least 100 older Leopard 1 models to Ukraine.

The first of the advanced German tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine by the end of March.

Earlier on Feb. 8, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter, that Germany was pushing European allies to provide Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia is expected to push forward with a major offensive in eastern Ukraine before that happens.


U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Feb. 8 that "nothing is off the table" in terms of military aid to Ukraine, including fighter jets.

Appearing with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dorset, Sunak said that "when it comes to fighter combat aircraft, of course they are part of the conversation."

Earlier on Feb. 8, Sunak's spokesperson told the media that Sunak asked British Defense Minister Ben Wallace to look into which planes the U.K. can send to Ukraine.

The move is a departure from earlier statements by the British government that sending combat aircraft to Ukraine would not be practical, as they are extremely complicated pieces of equipment that take months to learn to fly.

Sunak added that the U.K. would deploy the promised Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine by March.

Zelensky made a surprise visit to London, where he met with the heads of state, as well as King Charles III, on Feb. 8.

In his speech to the British parliament, Zelensky asked for planes, in order to be able to resist and overcome Russia.


People exit the 1891 Pinal County Courthouse after a meeting with the Pinal County attorney and Board of Supervisors chairman to address election day ballot shortages in Pinal County on Aug. 3, 2022, in Florence.

Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh made complaints of employee quid pro quo in the Pinal County Attorney's Office last year without any factual basis, an investigation commissioned by Pinal County found.

The investigation findings are the latest twist in a legal drama that began in April when two County Attorney's Office employees, Chief of Staff Garland Shreves and Finance Manager Amanda Stanford, sued Cavanaugh. They alleged he had started a rumor that Shreves had hired Stanford in exchange for sexual favors.

In court documents, they alleged that Cavanaugh has a propensity for lying and had made up the story after Shreves refused a job offer with Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh had wanted to hire Shreves so that he could undermine his boss, County Attorney Kent Volkmer, according to the lawsuit.

The allegations, the employees say, led to both of them being investigated. Although the issue ultimately was dismissed by Volkmer, their supervisor, the lawsuit claims that the ordeal left their reputations permanently damaged and caused emotional distress.

"My mother-in-law believes everything that I'm accused of, so my home life is (expletive)," Shreves told The Arizona Republic. "I have hardly been able to live in my own house since this occurred ... my wife doesn't believe it, but she's hurt over it."

The investigation report was released after much discussion by county supervisors and a vote against it from Cavanaugh himself. The Republic obtained the document via a public records request.

"The investigative finding, based on the facts available to be collected, is that Mr. Cavanaugh did not have a reasonable basis for bringing these allegations forward, which also suggests that Mr. Cavanaugh had some other motive, other than the fulfillment of any official obligation, for his actions," the report reads.

The report was prepared by consultant Investigative Research Inc. for attorney James Jellison, representing the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.

Story continues

Its release also underscores increasing tensions between Cavanaugh and other county supervisors, some of whom have verbally sparred with Cavanaugh at recent board meetings.

Cavanaugh insisted in a special board session on the report's release that he has additional evidence that wasnt considered during the investigation. He called its findings incomplete. He would not discuss any specific evidence publicly during that meeting, saying he wanted to maintain his attorney-client privilege.

When The Republic reached Cavanaugh by phone, he did not comment beyond calling the lawsuit's claims "clearly bogus." He declined to answer any questions, saying he needed to consult with his attorney first.

Pinal County:After rocky vote tallying, Pinal County won't retrieve bonus from former elections director

The lawsuit against the county supervisor

Cavanaugh first approached Shreves about taking a job as his executive aide early in 2021, according to the lawsuit.

The job, Cavanaugh promised, would come with a substantial pay increase for Shreves, according to the lawsuit. In 2021, Shreves made little over $100,000 annually as Volkmer's chief of staff, according to The Republic's government salary database.

In exchange, Shreves would need to help Cavanaugh double-cross other county officials to gain political power, the lawsuit states.

"He literally told me that he was working for God; that he was on a mission from God and that I was one of his soldiers," Shreves told The Republic. "I was supposed to come and work with him to rid the county of corruption, and it was his mission that I was to help him literally destroy and lie about the reputation of both the county attorney and the sheriff."

Cavanaugh told Shreves that the other county supervisors were "stupid mindless puppets," the lawsuit said.

"The stupidest one of all was (Chairman) Jeff Serdy," Shreves said. "That's exactly (Cavanaugh's) words, not mine."

Shreves and Stanford's lawsuit originally named the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, but the board was removed from the suit.

In its initial reply to the lawsuit, outside attorneys for the board did little to defend Cavanaugh, who is represented by his own outside counsel in the case. The board, the attorneys argued, had no power to rein in Cavanaugh, who was elected by voters.

"It's sad, but they elected him and there's nothing we can do about it," Shreves said. "I oftentimes ask myself how to deal with such a rogue elected official. The problem is, we don't want to weaponize the ability to get rid of a political individual because it could be used in a harmful way."

No one backed up Cavanaugh's claims, report says

Cavanaugh pointed to three people to support his allegations around Shreves and Stanford, according to the investigation report: former County Attorney's Office spokesperson James Tanner, Cavanaugh's former administrative assistant Deb Mellado and an unidentified constituent that Cavanaugh claimed ran up to him while he was walking his dog to speak with him about the matter.

It was based on those claims that he filed a formal complaint with Volkmer and Deputy County Manager Mary Ellen Sheppard, he told investigators.

But when investigators spoke with Tanner, he denied ever telling Cavanaugh anything about a sexual relationship between Shreves and Stanford, according to the report. Mellado didn't directly speak to investigators because of an ongoing discrimination claim she is pursuing against Cavanaugh, but she submitted a signed declaration indicating that she never spoke with him about the allegations.

And based on descriptions from Cavanaugh, investigators tried to track down the unidentified Coolidge resident that he claimed chased him down to tell him about Shreves and Stanford. They were unable to find the woman.

"Given that the other two attributions of information (to Tanner and Mellado) by Cavanaugh were unsupported by the evidence as well as the information that follows, this investigator is skeptical about whether Mr. Cavanaugh did indeed have several conversations with a Coolidge resident, name unknown, as he has described, while he was out walking his dog," the report read.

"All things considered, there is insufficient facts to support a finding that Cavanaugh received the information he described from a Coolidge resident, although the possibility cannot be ruled out."

Allegations against other political rivals

Cavanaugh has made other salacious allegations against Pinal County employees and officials.

The report detailed three other complaints from Cavanaugh to Volkmer.

One accused Supervisor Stephen Miller of attempting to curry favor with Deputy County Manager Himanshu Patel. Patel had purchased two new air conditioning units for his home from Al and Riley's, a local company in which Miller's son-in-law owns a small stake. He paid roughly $6,000, which an investigator for Volkmer found was within fair market price range for the units.

Two others targeted Supervisor Mike Goodman. One alleged that he had used county resources to pave his driveway; another said he hired his daughter-in-law in violation of Arizona's anti-nepotism law.

An officer sent by Volkmer to investigate the claims found that Goodman's driveway wasn't paved  in fact, there was no blacktop in a half-mile vicinity of his house. And while Goodman did hire his stepson's wife, he did so only after consulting with the county's human resources director and legal counsel.

Cavanaugh was also behind a complaint to a state legislative ethics committee against Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, and Sheriff Mark Lamb. The complaint, unsealed in February 2020, accused Cook and Lamb of colluding to stop the planned seizure of a familys farm property over back taxes, suggesting Lamb took a bribe.

A separate constituent complaint to the committee alleged that Cook was having an affair with lobbyist AnnaMarie Knorr. Her family owned the farm property almost seized by Lamb's deputies.

At the time, Lamb told The Republic that Cook contacted him about a constituents tax problems and that he canceled plans to seize the farms property. He maintained there was nothing inappropriate about the legislators concerns and denied he was paid for canceling the property seizure, insisting instead that the issue prompted him to change protocols in his own office for seizing properties over back taxes.

Lamb said he even declined a campaign contribution from Knorr's father, Bas Aja, the week after Cook's call. He cited Knorr's tax issues as the reason for rejecting the contribution.

Aja, a prominent lobbyist for the ranching industry, and Knorr did donate a combined total of $450 to the sheriff's re-election campaign several months later, in June 2019. A report released a few months later by House lawmakers was not conclusive on the allegations, although it did include handwritten notes of a romantic nature between Cook and Knorr, who is no longer a lobbyist.

As an ethical guideline, government officials should be mindful of making accusations against their rivals and should not ever lie for political gain, said John Pelissero of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

"They are ethically responsible for serving the public interest while in office, not attempting to advance their political interests by making allegations against rivals that they know not to be true," said Pelissero, who specializes in local government and politics. "Honesty among public officials is an important ethical virtue."

Cavanaughs nay vote

Some of Cavanaugh's allegations seem to have rubbed his fellow supervisors the wrong way.

In discussions over whether to release the investigation's findings, Cavanaugh argued passionately that immediately disclosing the report to the public could hurt the county. He told his fellow supervisors that he had "more evidence" that hadn't been taken into consideration.

But his comments during a Feb. 1 meeting were met with clapbacks from some of his colleagues. At one point, Goodman told Cavanaugh that he wasn't sure if he actually did have further proof of his claims.

"Statements are being made that can't be validated or verified," Goodman said with frustration.

Supervisor Jeffrey McClure suggested that Cavanaugh might be trying to "change the story" by holding back the report.

Ultimately, supervisors voted 3-2 to delay the release of the investigation's findings after gathering in executive session  even as Goodman and McClure argued the report should be released immediately.

But days later, Serdy and Miller did an abrupt about-face, calling a special session to reconsider the vote. Miller said he had been under the impression that he'd voted for the report to be released on Feb. 15, in the early morning hours before the board's next formal meeting was scheduled.

When he learned that the vote had been to release the report after Feb. 15, he changed his mind, he said.

Cavanaugh wasn't spared further snark from some others at the meeting. At one point, he mentioned he wasn't a lawyer, only to be interrupted by McClure.

"But you're acting like one," McClure snapped.

This time, the vote went 4-1, with only Cavanaugh opposed.

He didn't recuse himself from either vote regarding the release of the report, even though it directly involved an investigation into his claims. Generally, elected officials remove themselves from votes in which they have a personal or financial interest in the outcome, Pelissero said.

Not doing so, he said, doesn't look especially good for Cavanaugh. "The perception among the public may be that he wants to hide negative information about his actions from being released," Pelissero said.

Shreves, the employee who filed the lawsuit, noted that Cavanaugh had pledged to be Pinal County's most transparent supervisor when he entered office. But in this case, Shreves said Cavanaugh has tried to "double down and throw more dirt," creating more stress and uncertainty for him, Stanford and their families.

"He's not a good person," Shreves said. "Not even close."

Sasha Hupka is a watchdog reporter covering Maricopa County, Pinal County and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip about your county elected officials? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SashaHupka.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Report finds no evidence for Pinal County supervisor's allegations
Various videos about Lenny's story racked up almost 5 million views TikTok;@ridgelenny

Surfer Ridge Lenny shared a story of his "heaviest wipeout" ever to TikTok in late January.

In a series of posts, Lenny told viewers about being tossed around like a "rag doll," by "Jaws."

Jaws is a famously difficult wave, named for being "unpredictable and ferocious" like a shark attack.

A 28-year-old surfer called Ridge Lenny has shared the extraordinary story of getting caught in the most dangerous wave he's ever tried to surf.

In a series of videos posted to TikTok in late January, Lenny described the experience of being pummeled by the ocean as like getting "hit by a freaking train" when trying to surf a wave known as "Jaws" that earned its nickname in 1975 after surfers described it as having the "unpredictability and ferocity of a shark attack." The wave, reported to be the "largest, heaviest, and fastest wave of the Pacific Ocean," by Surfer Today is in Lenny's native Maui, Hawaii, and its waves can reach heights of up to 80 feet.

On January 23, Lenny shared footage of himself surfing a massive wave with the on-screen caption: "It felt like the whole ocean ate me."

Viewers could see him race down the dark blue water as the wave crested and sea spray drew closer to him. After a few seconds, Lenny disappeared beneath it as the wave crashed. The video has since been watched more than 3.9 million times.

In response to comments asking how Lenny survived, he posted a four-part storytime describing the "heaviest wipeout of my life" on January 28, sharing additional footage, which appeared to be shot from a camera placed on him, showing bubbles and swirling water.

Lenny said being engulfed by the wave was like being tortured

Lenny told viewers that on the day of the incident, he'd already surfed a couple of "sketchy" waves, almost falling off, but said he was still feeling good and wanted to push himself "even further" and get a "really big, good barrel." (In surfing, a barrel refers to when a surfer rides inside the curve of a wave as it breaks).

Story continues

He waited, and when a radio call came in alerting him and his companions to a big incoming wave, Lenny got into position, he said.

As he glided across the water, he said he tried to stay calm, telling himself to "take some deep breaths, and try to focus on what you have to do to make this wave." Quickly, though, he realized how precarious his position was  telling viewers he realized the only way out of the wave was through a barrel.

screenshot of a surfer riding a massive wave

"Was a good view while it lasted," Lenny captioned a January 30 Instagram post.Instagram;@ridgelenny

As the wave began to pitch over him Lenny said he experienced a surreal moment.

"A wave that big, basically throwing over you  and you're like, sort of in this water tunnel  it's almost a view that is so hard for the brain to understand that you almost start short-circuiting and it just doesn't even feel real anymore," he explained.

He said he thought it was going well until the barrel collapsed "like a tunnel caving in"  his "worst fear." All of a sudden, Lenny had no means of escape. He told viewers, in his fear, time slowed down.

Lenny described being "launched into the air" as a "cavern of water" opened up, and a sense of perpetual falling. Acting out of survival, he kicked his board away before his body made an impact with the waves.

"I've fallen on big waves before," he said, "but nothing like this." He said he was "engulfed" by the wave, sucked into a swirling avalanche of crushing water. He said he inflated his vest so it would, eventually, help bring him to the surface, and resigned himself to waiting, thinking that if he used his arms it would only waste energy.

"It felt like I was hit by a freaking train," he told viewers of what he estimated was about 10 seconds of "utter violence," as the water exploded around him. "All of a sudden, you're just flipping and spinning as if you're a rag doll in a dog's mouth  just getting tortured."

Staying calm because, "once you panic, you can use a lot of air," he said he waited, lungs burning, until he finally surfaced, feeling "legitimately out of it," and with black spots in his vision.

Lenny was rescued by a friend on a jet ski, he said

With great relief, Lenny said he saw his friend, Ola Curnan, approaching on a jet ski. But the rescue attempt failed; he couldn't get into place securely and he realized that, unless Curnan left immediately, they would both be swallowed by a wave, with the added threat of a jet ski smashing through the water with them.

"So I just start screaming, 'go!'" Lenny said. "I just made that decision, I gotta let go."

His friend, who Lenny described as "one of the best drivers in the world," did manage to escape. The second time, Lenny said the wave "clocked me in the back of the head"  again like being hit by a train  and the "whole nightmare just started over."

This time, Lenny told viewers he made a hard impact with the bottom of the reef, which he said was about 20 feet under the surface. "I've never touched it before," he explained. "It's really rare that anybody has and, if you touch it, you know you're fricking under."

Lenny said he entered survival mode: "This is the moment I need to dig deep," he told viewers, describing going to his "happy place" as the water spun him around.

Once he surfaced, he said Curnan was riding to his aid again with a rescue ring outstretched. And, this time, the execution was perfect  enabling the pair to escape before any other wave could crash down.

Lenny, who said he later discovered he had gotten a concussion, described being "out of it" and "confused," and discovered one of his feet had been injured.

Beyond the confusion, he told viewers he felt immense gratitude, hugging Curnan. "I was just so grateful for it to be over and really grateful to even just be talking to my friend," he told viewers.

Surfers have long expressed concerns about the dangers of taking risks with big waves

Over the past decade, the surfing community has engaged in ongoing discussions about safety, rescue, and preparedness. The V1, a wetsuit designed with carbon-dioxide cartridges to inflate like an emergency vest on an airplane, was first developed by Hawaiian surfer Shane Dorian and his sponsor, Billabong, after Dorian almost drowned in 2010.

For almost as long, athletes like Allbee Layer, a surfer known for his skill on Jaws, have feared that such improved life-saving tech, while important, can also lead to "reckless" surfing emboldened by a false sense of untouchability. (In 2016, Layer nearly died on the wave).

"People of all skill levels are surfing so recklessly these days and going on absolutely crazy, un-makeable waves, myself included," he previously told Patagonia for a blog post. "I've personally had my worst and dumbest wipeouts in recent years because I feel safer wearing the vest," he later added.

"It's the nature of big-wave surfers to take risks," surfer Grant Washburn told Patagonia. "They push it as far as they think they can based on the available safety. In the beginning, that wasn't much, so the risks they took were somewhat reasonable. Now, the safety has seemingly eliminated most of the consequences. You can wipeout, inflate, get picked up by the ski, and go right back to the lineup."

Lenny said that in the aftermath he was resting and "laying low."

Altogether, Lenny's videos about the story racked up almost 5 million views. Viewers responded by jokingly telling Lenny "that's a tsunami, bro, that ain't a wave," and likening his description of the water to that of being "trapped in a huge washing machine."

In the days since his original video went viral, Lenny has uploaded more surfing content to his TikTok (which has over 473,000 followers) and Instagram (44,000 followers)  both already almost entirely surfing content.

Read the original article on Insider
Police say a Knoxville man was angry over being shorted during a marijuana purchase and got into a physical fight with the seller before fatally stabbing him early Monday morning.

Mark Venson, 56, was arrested Monday night by Knoxville police officers and has been charged with second-degree murder. Marshall Nelson, 47, died in the fight.

Venson remains in custody on a $300,000 bond, court records state.

Officers responded to The Vista apartments on Hall of Fame and Summit Hill drives in East Knoxville just after midnight Monday for a reported stabbing, court records state. When police arrived, they found Nelson with stab wounds to the head and chest. Nelson was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

According to court records, Venson was identified as the suspect and told officers he had gone to the apartments to buy marijuana. Venson said the men began arguing and Nelson punched him in the face. Venson told police he pulled a knife and stabbed Nelson twice, court records state.

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 man arrested after police say marijuana fight led to stabbing
A Tri-Cities man is in jail accused of crashing into a police car while driving drunk. And its not the first time hes charged with DUI.

Just before 10 p.m. on Sunday, a Kennewick police sergeant was driving west on West 10th Avenue near the intersection of South Rainier Street when he was hit by a Jeep that ran a stop sign, according to a social media post from the department.

The driver of the Jeep has been identified as 35-year-old Kalvin Joseph Kernan.

The sergeant suffered a concussion and a cut over his right eye, according to court documents. Photos show significant damage to the front of the Kennewick police SUV. Court documents say the sergeant was crossing the intersection headed west, when Kernan ran the stop sign headed south.

He is being held in the Benton County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail on suspicion of vehicular assault, felony DUI, violating an ignition interlock order and driving with a suspended license, according to jail records.

Witnesses told officers that they believe Kernan was traveling at about 60 mph in his 1992 Jeep Cherokee when he blew the stop sign.

Kernan told officers he f---d up and asked whether others involved in the wreck were OK.

Officers said they could smell the alcohol on him and he was slurring his speech. He told officers he drank a six pack over the course of the day, according to court documents.

Officers also found a vape pen in his pocket, which Kernan told officers contained THC and CBD oil. He then admitted to using the pen all day while drinking and told officers his life was ruined, according to the documents.

His driving record showed three previous convictions and an ignition interlock violation, according to the documents. A 2012 DUI conviction in Franklin County also included a charge for attempting to elude police.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  The Swedish domestic security agency warned Wednesday that the threat of attacks in the Scandinavian country has increased in the weeks since a far-right activist burned a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

The agency noted that international reactions to the events outside the embassy last month" have been extensive and the assessment is that the security situation has deteriorated.

"Sweden is judged to be in greater focus than before for violent Islamism globally, the security service, which is known by the Swedish acronym SAPO, said.

The security agency, however, did not change Sweden's terror threat level, which already stood at three on a five-point scale.

Its statement came at time of tensions with mostly Muslim Turkey over the applications of Sweden and Finland to become NATO members.

Turkey is angry that Sweden has allowed anti-Turkish protests to take place, and particularly that it did not prevent an anti-Islam activist from burning the Quran, the Muslim holy book. The Turkish government also claims Sweden is not doing enough to counter Kurdish activists that it considers terrorists.

Unless its demands are met, Turkey has said it wont approve Swedens NATO application, which requires ratification by all of the military alliances 30 members.

Later Wednesday, police in Stockholm said they had turned down an application for permission to burn the Quran during a new protest, saying that such a gathering is judged to be capable of causing serious disturbances to national security. Police said the decision was made in consultation with SAPO.

The police didnt say when the protest had been scheduled for or who had sought permission  which is needed in Sweden. Swedish broadcaster SVT said it was to have been staged outside the Turkish Embassy on Thursday.

On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm issued a warning of possible retaliatory attacks by terrorists in the wake of recent Quran-burning incidents in Europe.

In its security assessment, SAPO also cited a disinformation campaign that claims Swedish social service agencies kidnap Muslim children.

Last week, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the government would post guards inside social services offices and earmark more funds to the Swedish Psychological Defense Agency, which was established to counter misinformation. He didnt say how much money would be given to the agency.
The Swedish parliament approved its 10th round of military aid to Ukraine worth 4.3 billion kronor (about $406 million) on Feb. 8.

The aid package, first announced in mid-January, was reported to include advanced Archer self-propelled artillery systems, Stridsfordon 90 armored personnel carriers, anti-tank weapons, assault rifles and de-mining equipment.

Archer is one of the world's most advanced artillery systems, capable of firing projectiles at a distance of up to 50 kilometers. The Swedish government didn't specify how many Archer self-propelled guns will be supplied to Ukraine.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, Sweden has provided over $475 million to Ukraine.


Flag of Sweden

Read also: Germany and Sweden to further bolster Ukraines air defenses

The package will include anti-tank weapons, mine-clearing equipment, NLAW light anti-tank guided missile systems, as well as Combat Vehicle 90 infantry fighting vehicles. The tranche will take effect on Feb. 13.

On Jan. 19, the Swedish government announced the transfer of Archer self-propelled artillery systems to Ukraine, without specifying the exact number of them. Later, PM Ulf Kristersson announced that Swedens plans to transfer about 50 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- Europe should consider stockpiling key minerals as part of its plan to reduce its strategic dependency on critical raw materials from outside the bloc, a top Swedish official said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The EU is looking at ways to faster develop green technologies as the US and China move to ratchet up production by providing massive subsidies at home. Having access to lithium, rare earth, and other crucial minerals is essential to producing windmills, solar panels or batteries.

If we dont have all of those critical minerals, were not going to be able to make the green transition, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Industry Ebba Busch said in an interview in Stockholm on Tuesday after meeting her EU peers. If not, we will do it via other countries, putting the future of the EUs green transition into the hands of one or a few countries outside the bloc, she said.

EU Offers Funding, Tax Credit Plan to Compete With US, China

The EU imports most of the critical minerals it uses from countries including China, Turkey, Brazil and Russia. Only a small fraction are extracted and produced in Europe.

The European Commission will present a European Critical Raw Material Act next month that is aimed at building up strategic reserves where supply is at risk.

Sweden, a mineral-rich country that holds the EUs six-month rotating presidency, wants to prioritize the proposal as the global clean-tech race ramps up. But some member states have warned against national targets or even mandatory quotas to build up reserves.

Dutch Economy Minister Micky Adriaansens said the bloc should first have clear data about what critical minerals are needed in the supply chain before taking any decision to stockpile.

Story continues

We should focus more on diversification and recycling possibilities of critical raw materials: That should be our priority, Adriaansens said in an interview after the meeting in Stockholm.

As part of its strategy to reduce dependency, the EU is looking at expanding its network of mineral suppliers via trade deals with countries including Australia. Negotiations with Canberra are expected to wrap up by end-June when Swedens EU presidency concludes.

Swedish Mining Hurdles Impede the EUs Battery Push

Busch said that closer ties with Australias mining sector would be very positive. She added: I definitely see this is one part where we could collaborate as well and complement each other.

But the Swedish minister also called for exploiting more the mineral resources on EU soil to ensure the bloc achieves its green targets and in spite of environmental concerns over the impact of some mining activities.

There is a conflict of interest here, but if we dont reach our climate goals, we wont have any environment to take care of at all, she said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
By Marine Strauss

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Syria has, for the first time, asked for assistance from the European Union, two days after a devastating earthquake killed more than 11,000 people there and in neighbouring Turkey, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

The EU said it would provide additional emergency support to both countries and emergency humanitarian assistance worth 6.5 million euros ($7 million) in one of the largest ever search and rescue operations through its Civil Protection Mechanism.

"We have received a request from the government of Syria for assistance through the civil protection mechanism," European Commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic said.

Lenarcic told reporters that EU member states were being encouraged to contribute with assistance as requested.

An EU official said the 27-member bloc would need enough safeguards to ensure that the aid provided effectively reached those in need and that the provision of any future EU assistance would not go un-monitored.

A country can request assistance through the EU mechanism when the scale of an emergency or disaster overwhelms its response capabilities.

Once activated, the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre coordinates and finances assistance provided by EU member states and eight additional participating nations.

Lenarcic will visit affected areas in Turkey tomorrow.

($1 = 0.9322 euros)

(Reporting by Marine Strauss; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Kevin Liffey, Alex Richardson and Alexander Smith)
ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - After Monday's earthquake brought down his family's building in Syria's battle-scarred second city of Aleppo, Youssef managed to reach one of his trapped relatives by phone, hearing voices despite a bad line.

Since then the 25 year-old has been standing in near-freezing weather by the rubble, unable to get through again.

"I have been waiting for news of my father, my mother, my brother, my sister and her son. Nothing is known about them so far," he said.

"I talked to them and heard their voices, but unfortunately, as you can see here, they're very slow at work and they don't have enough equipment," he said of rescue efforts.

On the streets, men, women and children wrapped in blankets huddled on sidewalks around fires on Wednesday morning. Many slept in cars and vans parked near where their homes once stood. Others lay on the cold ground.

Aleppo, once famed for its labyrinthine covered souks, medieval minarets, domed bathhouses and imposing ancient citadel, was devastated by years of civil war fighting before the government recaptured a rebel stronghold there in 2016.

It is now among the Syrian cities worst hit by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that has so far killed more than 11,000 people across Turkey and Syria, including 2,500 dead in Syria.

Local authorities said on Wednesday that at least 390 people have died and 750 been injured in Aleppo province, with more than 50 buildings having collapsed.

Many Aleppo buildings had already been weakened by battles during the ongoing 12-year conflict and Youssef's apartment was in Bustan al-Basha, a previously frontline district that was badly smashed up in the fighting.

The quake has also caused further damage to the pride of the city: the towering citadel listed by the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO as a world heritage site. It had sustained heavy damage during the civil war and the earthquake reduced some of the surviving structures inside it to rubble.

Story continues

For Aleppo's citizens, still only gradually rebuilding their shattered city years after the fighting there stopped, the earthquake brought new misery.

At al-Razi hospital, 27-year-old Bakr said he was one of only three survivors when his building caved in, killing his parents, a brother and six of his nieces and nephews.

"The building collapsed on top of us," he said, lying injured in a hospital bed.

Rescue workers on both sides of the country's frontlines say more than a decade of war has drained them of resources and they require massive aid and heavy equipment to facilitate search and rescue operations

Syria's government has received help from a host of Arab countries including Egypt and Iraq, as well as from its key ally Russia, which has sent rescue teams and deployed forces already in Syria to join relief work, including in Aleppo.

aid has made its way to the insurgent-held northwest.

(Reporting by Firas Makdesi in Aleppo; Writing by Timour Azhari; Editing by Angus McDowall and Alison Williams)
A Phoenix police cruiser.

A 15-year-old boy, identified as Isaac Perez Grado, died Tuesday after a Feb. 3 shooting left Grado critically injured and a girl younger than 13 hurt, according to Phoenix police.

The drive-by shooting happened about 4:40 p.m. Friday. Officers found Grado and the young girl injured from gunshot wounds near First Avenue and Thomas Road.

Grado was taken to the hospital in critical condition on Friday. The girl was treated at a local hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.

Sgt. Melissa Soliz, a spokesperson for Phoenix Police Department, said early information indicates Grado was in a vehicle with other occupants when another vehicle drove by and began shooting. The teen was struck by gunfire and the suspect vehicle drove away before officers arrived at the scene, Soliz said.

Soliz said the girl had been walking in the area of the shooting, which spanned almost four blocks, with an adult family member when she was struck by gunfire.

Police said no one else was injured, but multiple businesses were struck by the gunfire.

Detectives were still investigating the shooting. Anyone with information can contact the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish speakers.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Teen boy dies of injuries from Phoenix drive-by shooting, police say
An Akron teen and two others have pleaded guilty to federal charges related to carjackings in Cuyahoga Falls and Solon and an attempted carjacking in Streetsboro on the same day last August.

Kenneth Franklin, 19, and Maple Heights residents Donteze Congress and Thomas J.D. Williams, both 18, pleaded guilty to three counts of carjacking Friday in U.S. 6th District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland, according to court records. Congress and Williams also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and Franklin pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

More:Man pleads guilty to felony charges for attacking disabled man in Ravenna Township carjacking

As part of a plea deal, other charges were dismissed. All three are scheduled for sentencing in May.

According to court records, Cuyahoga Falls police responded after a 22-year-old woman reported two males, one holding a handgun, stole her 2014 Jeep at Third Street and Bailey Road at about 11:30 a.m. Aug. 9. The woman said the theft took place after the men's vehicle bumped into the Jeep's rear and she got out to check the damage.

Both men got into the Jeep and left in it, followed by a third person driving the vehicle the men had been in, according to the records.

At about 1 p.m. that same day, Streetsboro police said an attempted carjacking occurred in the parking lot outside Planet Fitness on state Route 303. A woman reported that after she parked her 2020 Jeep Cherokee and got out, three males parked near her in an SUV, believed to be a Toyota RAV4, exited with guns. After they got her keys, the woman fought with them for a short while until the males returned to the SUV and left.

At about 1:45 p.m., a man reported his 2022 Volvo S90 was stolen at gunpoint in Solon. Using a tracking system in the Volvo, Solon police traced it to Garfield Heights. Garfield Heights police were contacted, and they found the Volvo backing into a parking space outside a barber shop.

Story continues

The driver, the vehicle's only reported occupant, ran away, but was eventually found hiding under boxes in a home and identified by police as Williams. A loaded 9 mm handgun was found in the Volvo, and a credit card belonging to the Cuyahoga Falls victim was found in Williams' pocket, police said. Video on Williams' phone showed him and another person, both holding guns  Williams an assault-type rifle  in a vehicle a few minutes after the Cuyahoga Falls carjacking, according to court records. The victim in that incident identified the vehicle in the video as hers.

Also found on Williams phone were social media chats between Williams and Congress indicating that Congress was involved in the Solon carjacking, records show. A search warrant was executed at Congress' home on Aug. 15, where police said they found multiple firearms.

Williams and Congress both admitted to taking part in the carjackings and the attempted carjacking in Streetsboro and were arrested, according to court records.

Court records do not indicate how Franklin was identified as a suspect, but he is included in a federal grand jury indictment with Congress and Williams.

The case was investigated by Cleveland FBI and the Solon, Cuyahoga Falls, Streetsboro and Garfield Heights police departments.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Teens plead guilty in carjackings, attempted carjacking
The Tennessee police chief whose department was roiled by revelations that at least five male officers had sex with a female officer  both on and off the job  has been fired.

La Vergne Police Chief Burrel Chip Davis was let go Monday after a "third-party investigator" concluded that he had been aware of what was going on but failed to discipline any of the officers, the city said in a statement.

"The conclusion also states that Davis impeded the initial investigation into sexual misconduct, 'contrary to City policy and permitted  if not encouraged  conduct potentially contrary to state and federal law,'" the statement said.

Deputy Chief Brent Hatcher has been named interim chief of the 60-person department in the Nashville suburbs while the city searches for a permanent replacement.

There arent words to describe the disappointment and frustration felt by myself and other city leaders," La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole said. "Officers are held to a higher standard, even more so is their chief."

Davis' departure came after the former officer at the center of the sex scandal, Maegan Hall, filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint with the state alleging that Davis fostered an environment that encouraged this kind of illicit behavior, the NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville reported.

Officer Maegan Hall being sworn in by Chief Davis of the La Vergne Police Department in Tennessee on Aug. 19, 2021. (La Vergne Police Department)

The ex-chief, who is not accused of sexual misconduct, was put on paid administrative leave after the city was notified that Hall had filed an EEOC complaint, according to the affiliate.

The actions of a few do not represent the department as a whole," Davis declared last month when the story broke. The officers involved were accused of taking part in Girls Gone Wild-type parties, having sex in the police station, and sharing cellphone photos of their genitals.

Hall was fired last month along with four male officers: Sgt. Lewis Powell, Sgt. Henry Ty McGowan, Detective Seneca Shields and Officer Juan Lugo-Perez.

Officers Larry Holladay, Patrick Magliocco and Gavin Schoeberl were suspended.

Story continues

Magliocco and Schoeberl are back from their suspensions, while Holladay has resigned from the force, city spokeswoman Anne Smith said.

In addition to trying to reach Davis for comment, NBC News reached out to all of the officers who were dismissed or suspended but received no response. They were also accused of impeding the investigation by lying about their actions as well as violating departmental rules against having sex while on duty.

The investigation into the department began on Dec. 12 after a police sergeant informed Cole that Hall was having intimate relationships with fellow officers, according to a report obtained by WSMV that laid out the allegations in graphic detail.

Under questioning, Powell, Magliocco, Holladay, Shields and Lugo-Perez all admitted having had sex with Hall, the report stated.

Hall also admitted having had sex with those officers and with McGowan, as well. She said she also shared nude images with Holladay, Magliocco, McGowan and Schoeberl.

Shields told city investigators that Hall performed oral sex on him in the police gym after initially claiming, I have never had sex with Maegan Hall, the report said.

Powell also initially denied having sex with Hall, the report said. He later admitted in the report that he, too, engaged in oral sex with Hall on duty in a police substation.

Magliocco told investigators that in addition to having sex with Hall, she also proposed doing things with him and his wife. Holladay also reported that Hall floated the idea of having a threesome with him and his ex.

In what the report described as contentious interviews with police brass, McGowan admitted he went to Halls house with another female and exposed his genitals. He was also accused of trying to intimidate a city human resources assistant by grabbing her by the neck.

McGowan claims it was playful however it was unwanted and an aggressive form of physical contact that is not permitted at work, the report said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Editors note: This story references a racial slur.

The state's highest criminal court Wednesday morning reinstated the execution of John Lezell Balentine scheduled for this evening, overruling a state district judge who had delayed it last week because his lawyers weren't given enough notice of the execution date.

Lawyers for Balentine, who was convicted of killing three teens in an Amarillo home, had also filed appeals raising questions about juror misconduct and racial prejudice at his trial. The Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed those efforts as well, according to his lawyers, leaving them to pursue a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court as the execution loomed.

Balentine, a 54-year-old Black man, was sentenced to death nearly 25 years ago for shooting three male teenagers, all white, in the head while they slept in a home Balentine had previously shared with his ex-girlfriend, according to court records.

One of the victims was his ex-girlfriends brother, who had disapproved of the couples interracial relationship and previously threatened Balentine in a dispute that grew racist. Balentine did not recognize the other two victims. A jury found Balentine guilty of capital murder in 1999.

Although Balentine confessed to the murders, his current lawyers have argued that racism pervaded the trial, leading jurors to hand down a death sentence rather than life in prison.

The execution date was set after a flurry of court filings and rulings and following years of appeals.

A state district judge in Potter County recalled the execution date and execution warrant last week after finding Balentines last-known lawyer was not properly notified of the warrant of execution and date in accordance with state code.

Interior of Death Chamber

Prosecutors last Friday appealed to the CC, asking it to reinstate Wednesdays execution date. With two judges dissenting, the CCA issued its opinion Wednesday morning reinstating the execution order and warrant.

The lower court's ruling conflated two parts of a state code article in question and "misstates the law," the judges wrote in the opinion.

Story continues

Meanwhile, Balentines lawyers had also asked the court to stop the execution so they can file new appeals based on evidence they have unearthed concerning the jurys decision to sentence him to death. The CCA also rejected the stay, according to Balentines lawyers who said they plan to appeal to the Supreme Court.

In their initialrequest, his lawyers say they have new evidence revealed about the jury forepersons long-held racist views. The foreperson, who used the N-word frequently and said he did not like Black people, believed that interracial relationships like the one Balentine had had with his ex-girlfriend were wrong, according to the application.

The foreperson also did not disclose violent incidents that would have disqualified him as a juror and later admitted he had intentionally withheld the information, according to the appeal. He also did not disclose that he had been both a victim of and witness to violent crimes, including being shot and sexually molested.

When the jury began deliberations, he refused to consider a life sentence for Balentine.

I am pretty stubborn and pretty aggressive. I dont play well with others, the foreperson said in his sworn declaration, according to the application for post-conviction relief. I made it clear that we were chosen to take care of this problem, and that the death penalty was the only answer. If we didnt, I told them Balentine would do it again.

One juror tried to send a note to the judge saying she did not want to sentence Balentine to death, but the foreperson ripped it up, according to the filing. At least four jurors expressed opposition to execution.

The filing also scrutinizes Balentines defense lawyers for racist attitudes and for disparaging their own client. In one handwritten note between two of the attorneys, one wrote, Can you spell justifiable lynching?

We now know that the jury foreperson held racist views, lied about his background, and pressured other jurors to vote for death, Shawn Nolan, one of Balentines current lawyers, said in a statement this week. This kind of juror misconduct would be egregious in any case, but it is particularly damaging in a death penalty case already rife with racial issues.

The latest execution date was scheduled in September after the Supreme Court did not take up the case in June.

Balentine, who has also asked the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Gov. Greg Abbott to commute his sentence, is among a group of condemned inmates involved in an ongoing legal battle to stop the state prison system from extending the expiration dates of its execution drugs.

The practice, which the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has maintained for years due to fewer pharmacies producing execution drugs, violates the U.S. Constitutions prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, the inmates claim.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Texas seeks to execute John Balentine for killing 3 teens in Amarillo
By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Texas sued the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday to prevent it from asking pharmacies to fill reproductive health prescriptions.

The Biden administration said in July 2022 that refusing to fill prescriptions for drugs that could be used to terminate a pregnancy could violate federal law, regardless of various state bans on the procedure.

This guidance from the Biden administration, which involved roughly 60,000 U.S. retail pharmacies, came days after Biden signed an executive order easing access to services to terminate pregnancies after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortions legal nationwide.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Tuesday.

"The Biden Administration knows that it has no legal authority to institute this radical abortion agenda, so now it's trying to intimidate every pharmacy in America by threatening to withhold federal funds," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday.

White House officials said in January that 60 anti-abortion bills have been filed in the 2023 legislative session and over 26 million women currently live in U.S. states that have banned abortion.

The Food and Drug Administration said January that abortion pills would become more widely available at pharmacies and through the mail. A legal battle is under way at a federal court in Texas, where abortion opponents have sued to undo the approval of the drugs.

A group of 20 Republican state attorneys general last week told Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc and CVS Health Corp that they risk running afoul of federal and state law if they dispense the abortion drug mifepristone by mail.

Walgreens and CVS have said they intend to become certified and dispense the drug in states where abortion is legal, though neither has yet done so.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Here are some takeaways from U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, an address that could serve as a blueprint for his 2024 re-election bid:

BIDEN, REPUBLICANS SPAR

Biden, a Democrat, told Republicans in Congress who have questioned his legitimacy and threatened to block his policies that "there's no reason we can't work together."

Many Republicans found reason to disagree.

While Democrats were quick to rise in applause, Republicans applauded only sporadically, and remained silent when Biden listed his administration's accomplishments. Several Republican lawmakers remained seated throughout.

JEERS, THEN AN OVATION

Republicans jeered the loudest when Biden accused them of planning to cut Social Security and Medicare, as some members of the party have suggested but whom Biden said he would not name.

"Liar!" shouted Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

"We never said that!" said Byron Donalds, another House Republican.

Biden, who seemed to be on the brink of losing control of the room, seized on the apparent Republican lawmakers' support for the popular old-age and healthcare programs, to say: "I enjoy conversion."

"We got unanimity," he continued. "Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors. Americans have to pay into them from the very first paycheck they started. So tonight, let's all agree, and apparently we are, let's stand up for seniors."

"Stand up and show them! We will not cut Social Security!" a gleeful-looking Biden said amid cheers as lawmakers from both parties stood.

ATTACK ON BIG COMPANIES

Biden used a large segment of his ostensibly bipartisan pitch attacking corporations, from what he called "Big Pharma" and "Big Oil" to "Big Tech." Biden accused the pharmaceutical companies of charging too much for insulin but made no mention of their role in tamping down the COVID-19 pandemic.

Story continues

He accused tech companies of running for-profit "experimenting" on children, said oil companies were making too much money and made a case for higher taxes on billionaires.

"They aren't just taking advantage of the tax code, they're taking advantage of you - the American consumer," Biden said of corporations.

'CROTCHETY' OR 'METAPHYSICAL'

The millions of viewers who tuned in to U.S. news channels to watch the speech were treated to vastly different commentary.

On conservative Fox News, commentator Sean Hannity rhetorically asked viewers whether they trusted Biden "to protect our country" and volunteered that "the answer is obvious" that "what you saw tonight was a weak, crotchety old man."

On liberal MSNBC, anchor Rachel Maddow ran a highlight reel of the president's remarks and invited Senator Chris Murphy on to offer his evaluation.

Murphy, a Democratic ally of the president, called the speech "the best the president has ever been" and touted Biden's "metaphysical connection" to the viewing public.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Gram Slattery, Dan Whitcomb and David Morgan; Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller)
Facebook's internal presentation was unsealed in a California court. Getty Images

Roughly 245,000 developers in "high risk" countries could have accessed Facebook users' data pre-2014, unsealed documents show.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg asking for more details.

Facebook said in a statement the documents are an "artifact from a different product at a different time."

Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio  who lead the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence  wrote to Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, after it came to light that over 240,000 software developers in "high-risk countries" could potentially have accessed Facebook users' data prior to 2014.

In the letter, the senators said: "We have grave concerns about the extent to which this access could have enabled foreign intelligence service activity."

The details about those developers were revealed in an internal Facebook presentation from 2018, which was unsealed on January 27 as part of a California lawsuit related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.

Last December, Meta agreed to pay $725 million to settle the lawsuit, which accused it of sharing users' data with the political consulting firm. In April 2018, Facebook said that 87 million people were affected by the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Facebook said in the 2018 presentation that its intention was to "review the developers who created the most apps as potentially raising increased risk." It suggested there were roughly 245,000 developers  including 87,000 in China, 42,000 in Russia, 76,000 in Vietnam, and some in North Korea, Cuba, and Iran  who could have accessed Facebook user data until interfaces were changed in 2014.

Facebook defined the countries as "high-risk" because they "may be governed by potentially risky data storage and disclosure rules or be more likely to house malicious actors."

Warner and Rubio said the investigation was "especially remarkable given that Facebook has never been permitted to operate in" China.

They asked Zuckerberg for an estimate of the number of Americans whose data was shared with the developers, and whether it could have "enabled malicious advertising or other fraudulent activity by foreign actors."

Story continues

The software developers listed created Facebook apps before 2014, and while the precise data they could have accessed isn't detailed in the internal slideshow, CNN reports that the period was before the company restricted third-party access to data like political views and relationship status, among other things.

A Meta spokesperson told Insider: "These documents are an artifact from a different product at a different time. Many years ago, we made substantive changes to our platform, shutting down developers' access to key types of data on Facebook while reviewing and approving all apps that request access to sensitive information."

Read the original article on Business Insider
This body camera image of 33-year-old Taylor L. Lowery, recorded during a situation in which he was fatally shot early Oct. 13 by Topeka police outside a Kwik Shop at 4500 S.W. Topeka Blvd., was among images accompanying a report created by Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.

Five Topeka police officers acted justifiably Oct. 13 when they fired 34 gunshots, killing a man who had raised a knife above his head and charged at an officer, said Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.

Kagay made public a report revealing his findings regarding the fatal shooting of Taylor L. Lowery, 33, in a Kwik Shop parking lot at 4500 S.W. Topeka Blvd.

"The investigation revealed that each of the 34 projectiles fired was justified," the report said.

The names of the officers haven't been made public. The district attorney's office won't seek to prosecute them criminally, Kagay said.

Lowery was found to have been under the influence of amphetamine, methamphetamine and cocaine at the time of his death, he said.

More:Topeka police refuse to release body camera footage of June fatal officer-involved shooting

What led to the Oct. 13 police shooting?

This image of 33-year-old Taylor L. Lowery, taken from police body camera video recorded at Lowery's sister's mobile home prior to an incident in which he was fatally shot early Oct. 13 by Topeka police officers, was among images accompanying a report created by Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.

Kagay made public a 15-page report compiled after reviewing results of an investigation the Kansas Bureau of Investigation conducted into the situation involved.

The report was accompanied by 27 still photo images, including 25 taken as the situation was in progress.

Kagay's report said the chain of events involved began just before 12:30 a.m. Oct. 13 when Lowery's sister called 911 to report he was trying to force his way into the bedroom in which she was barricaded in her home at 4842 S.W. Topeka Blvd., Lot No. 6. The woman's name wasn't given in the report.

Police arrived, saw Lowery holding a butcher knife inside the mobile home at 12:39 a.m. and ordered him to drop it, but he fled through a rear door, the report said.

It said police caught up with Lowery outside the mobile home, but he waved the knife around in a "fighting stance" while holding a socket wrench in his other hand.

Police reacted at 12:41 a.m. by putting out a "Signal 13" call indicating they were in distress and needed assistance, the report said.

It said Lowery went back into the mobile home, where officers subsequently forced their way in.

Story continues

Lowery then came toward officers inside the mobile home before leaving it through a rear door and driving away in a Chevrolet Equinox, the report said.

It said Lowery drove to the Kwik Shop at 4500 S.W. Topeka Blvd., parked the Equinox, approached another vehicle on foot and violently tried to pull a woman out of it.

More:Topeka officer fatally shoots suspect who drew gun. Police shooting is fourth since June.

What triggered Topeka police to shoot?

Police were watching, and reported over police radio that a carjacking was being attempted, the report said.

It said officers got out of their vehicles, identified themselves as police and began yelling commands to Lowery as he tried to pull the woman from the car.

Lowery turned toward a police sergeant, screamed, raised the knife over his head and charged him, the report said.

It said the sergeant backed away but fired three times when Lowery was five to 10 feet away.

A police detective shot Lowery about the same time, which was 12:44 a.m., and he "went down," the report said.

Meanwhile, three other officers, one of them a sergeant, had taken up positions near Lowery, it said.

The report said he got up, grabbed an object and began moving again toward the sergeant before the three other officers shot him. The object was found to have been a socket wrench.

Officers then began rendering aid to Lowery, who was pronounced deceased at 12:57 a.m. at the scene, the report said.

"The autopsy performed on Lowery determined that he was struck by multiple projectiles and 10 projectiles were recovered during that examination," Kagay's report said. "The most significant injuries consisted of three gunshot wounds to the abdomen and three gunshot wounds to the chest. These gunshot wounds were determined to be the cause of death."

No one else was hurt.

Was the incident caught on police body camera?

The five officers subsequently spent time on paid administrative leave, as is standard protocol for the Topeka Police Department, said Topeka police Chief Bryan Wheeles.

"The involved officers placed themselves in imminent life-threatening danger in order to fulfill their obligation to protect the public," Kagay's report said. "It was only through their efforts in utilizing deadly force that they were able to finally bring an end to the danger posed by Lowery."

The sergeant and detective who initially shot Lowery weren't assigned or wearing body cameras, and the locationwhere the interaction took place was in a blind spot of the Kwik Shop cameras, Kagay's report said.

Body cameras worn by the other officers involved showed what happened after the initial shots were fired, it said.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka police found to have acted justifiably in killing knife-wielding man
Ukrainian military personnel on training in Great Britain

The U.S. political news outlet Politico wrote that, while no decision on the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine has been made, the internal debate on the matter is underway  referring to European military officials and diplomats. Still, fears of escalation" prevent some countries from making a positive decision on the matter.

Read also: Photos of Ukrainian troops training in UK

Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson called on the UK to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with everything they need, especially F-16 fighter jets. Responding to that call, Ben Wallace, the UKs Secretary of State for Defence, said that the UK had not made any firm decision on the aircraft for Ukraine issue.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian military in the UK on Feb. 8.

Read also: Ukrainian troops to start training on Leopard tanks next week

It is to be Zelenskyy's first visit to the UK and his second trip abroad since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His previous trip included stops in the U.S. and Poland.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Butchers shop run by the suspect, Millers of Melrose, was covered in wooden boards as police guarded the business - Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

A transgender butcher was charged in connection with the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl.

Andrew George Miller, who was also known locally as Amy, is due to appear at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday after his arrest on Monday night.

The butchers shop that was run by the suspect, Millers of Melrose, was covered in wooden boards as police guarded the business, which Miller announced he was closing at the start of the year.

A major search operation including mountain rescue teams and police divers was launched following the disappearance of the child from Galashiels town centre on Sunday evening.

After more than a day she was discovered safe and well, police said, with an investigation centering on a property in Gattonside, around three miles from where she had last been seen.

Police referred to Miller, who locals said had presented themselves as female for several years, as a 53-year-old man, in contrast to Nicola Sturgeons push to introduce sex self-identification laws to Scotland.

Private court hearing

Details of the charges he faces are expected to be revealed on Thursday following a private court hearing. The court will also decide whether to bail Miller or remand him in custody.

Announcing that Miller had been charged in the early hours of Wednesday, Chief Superintendent Catriona Paton, Lothians and Scottish Borders commander, said: I want to thank the public for their huge effort and assistance during this incident.

The people of Galashiels really came together and supported each other, the emergency services and search teams.

We believe this incident to be contained and enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.

There will be increased high visibility patrols in the streets to provide reassurance and advice to the public, and anyone with concerns can speak to an officer at any time.

Workers fixed wooden panels to the butchers shop on Melrose High Street, which Miller promoted as Amy during a nationwide campaign to promote local businesses in 2020.

Story continues

Among the items displayed in the window of the shop was a framed picture of JK Rowling, an outspoken voice on gender issues, after the business was mentioned in one of her books.

Reported missing on Sunday

Millers of Melrose was briefly mentioned in the novel by Robert Galbraith, the Harry Potter authors pseudonym, with the lead character visiting it to buy some venison pies.

The child was located at a property at around 9:30pm on Monday evening, after going missing at around 5:45pm the previous day.

She was reported missing at 8:15pm on the Sunday with the disappearance leading to a frantic search. Police admitted they were very concerned for the welfare of the child before she was found.

Millers of Melrose has been in the suspects family for four generations, before Miller announced it would be closing permanently at the start of the year.

He had previously spoken out in favour of Nicola Sturgeons plan to reform gender laws to make it easier for Scots to change their legal sex, after they were blocked by the UK Government last month.
This year is the year of exploration for many, especially after almost three years of being stuck at home. Intrepid Travel knows this and is launching over 80 new travel experiences in 2023.

Known as the largest B-Corp-certified travel company in the world, Intrepid continues to lead the industry by offering fresh perspectives on travel in a sustainable and eco-friendly way.

After one of our most successful years in over 30 years in business, we are very excited to share the thoughtfully designed itineraries debuting in 2023, said Erica Kritikides, the Global Product Manager at Intrepid.

Kritikides adds, I am extremely proud of the Intrepid team for continuing to reach new heights, bringing to life the adventure, natural beauty and hidden stories within some of our most unique and conscious tours to date.

For over 30 years, Intrepid Travels purpose has been to help travelers discover the most amazing destinations worldwide. There are over 1,150 Intrepid trips on every continent. Each trip is curated by a local.

Itineraries in new locations

This year, Intrepid debuts itineraries to new destinations, more activities supporting indigenous communities and women-run businesses, and more ethical wildlife adventures. The travel company aims to give its travelers more meaningful ways to experience destinations.

The 80 experiences launched for 2023 are activities added to existing itineraries, brand new tours and destinations.

Related: Intrepid Travel Creates Trips Geared Toward Honoring BIPOC

Here are 6 of Intrepid Travels new itineraries for 2023:

Intrepid Travel

Starting at $2,382 per person, this inaugural trip allows you to attend a naming ceremony for the baby gorillas born in Rwandas Volcanoes National Park in the past year. In addition to trekking alongside gorillas in Uganda, youll enjoy a boat cruise and game drives and learn how the human-wildlife conflict is being handled.

Head to this South Pacific destination to learn more about the cultural practices of the Pentecost Islands land-diving Indigenous people. Land diving is considered by many to be the original bungee jumping and is a coming-of-age ritual for young men in this region. This five-day adventure starts at $2,382 per person.

Story continues

Intrepid Travel

This year marks the first time that Pakistan is an Intrepid Travel destination. On this 15-day experience, travelers will learn about the countrys past, present and future. Starting at $5,100 per person, youll immerse yourself in Pakistani culture by meeting local families in Shimshal, eating local cuisine, visiting female-led community projects and more.

Spend eight days exploring the rainforests, beaches and wildlife of Costa Rica. Visit the Terraba matriarchal Indigenous community, which has survived the land for over 500 years. Travelers will learn more about the women who have passed information down through generations, learn how to carve traditional wooden masks and more. This experience starts at $2,890 per person.

Intrepid Travel

Intrepid Travel partners with SA Expeditions, a fellow B Corp business, on a sustainable trip along the Great Inca Road. This is the first time a global tour operator will bring travelers to experience this 25,000-mile ancient highway. For $3,185 per person, alongside a traditional llama caravan, youll get an up-close look at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If youre a foodie, add this experience to your 2023 travel plans. In addition to eating incredibly delicious meals, youll experience the first female brewer in the Middle East, Taybeh Brewing Company. This business has been running since 1994. This experience starts at $3,550 per person.

Explore Intrepid Travels other new experiences and trips here.

Related: Best Countries To Visit For Black History Month
Donald Trump has amplified a social media post suggesting Florida governor Ron DeSantis groomed teen girls and drank with his students while the Republican state leader was a high school teacher.

In a series of statements on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Mr Trump responded to a post from a user showing a low-quality photo of a man with a resemblance to Mr DeSantis standing with a group of young women with blurred out faces, one of whom appears to be holding a beer bottle.

Here is Ron DeSanctimonious grooming high school girls with alcohol as a teacher, a caption on the users post reads.

Mr Trump, resharing the image multiple times, responded, No way? and, Thats not Ron, is it?

Mr DeSantis has yet to address the matter publicly as of Wednesday morning. The Independent has contacted his office for comment.

The image, shared by a Truth Social user whose other posts include a claim that he is a soldier for Trump ready to go on a battlefield and shed blood, links back to a 2021 report on Mr DeSantis from a site called Hill Reporter, a blog from a Democratic super PAC.

The article cites anonymous sources and claims that someone with close knowledge of the matter said Mr DeSantis had a reputation among students for being a young hot teacher who girls loved, and the girls in the photo are believed to have graduated in 2002, making them seniors at the time.

Last year, the New York Times reported that after Mr DeSantis graduated from college, he spent time teaching at the Darlington School in Georgia as a 23-year-old, where he had a reputation for attending parties with seniors who lived nearby.

As an 18-year-old, I remember thinking, What are you doing here, dude? one former student told the paper.

Others said his alleged presence at the parties, including at least two where alcohol was served, wasnt unwelcomed.

It was his first job out of Yale, he was cute. We didnt really think too much about it, another former student told the Times.

Mr Trumps amplification of the photo comes as he seeks another run at the White House in 2024, a campaign in which Governor DeSantis is seen as a top Republican rival.
Photo: Photo via @apoxonindustries/TikTok. Police in Metro Vancouver were informed that a man verbally harassed people at the Tim Hortons drive-thru located in the 15200 block of 56 Avenue in Surrey, B.C.

A video of a man verbally harassing people at a Metro Vancouver Tim Hortons has sparked outrage on social media.

On Sunday, Feb. 5, at around 9:20 a.m., Surrey RCMP was informed that a man verbally harassed people at the Tim Hortons drive-thru located in the 15200-block of 56 Avenue, going so far as to get out of his truck (before getting back in).

In the video, a man shouts a slew of insults toward the staff, which includes telling them to "hurry up" and "give me my [expletive] coffee."

He also gets outside of his truck at one point and then gets back inside and drives onto a curb.

Surrey RCMP spokesperson Const. Vanessa Munn says the responding officer followed up with the caller and identified the driver in question. Police will also conduct follow-ups with other parties involved as part of an ongoing investigation.

Officers conducted patrols of the area but could not locate the vehicle, added Munn.

"Certainly, the behaviour displayed in the video by the driver towards a staff member at Tim Hortons is unacceptable," she said.

"If someone is feeling unsafe or feels that a situation is escalating we encourage them to err on the side of caution and call police."

Glacier Media contacted Tim Hortons and the original poster of the video for additional comment.




Donald Trump was very active on Tuesday as his 2020 rival Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union speech from Capitol Hill.

The former president (and current 2024 candidate) attempted to capture headlines and public attention with a long thread of live commentary meant to accompany his political foes address. Few saw it, however, as the former president remains inactive on Twitter after being unbanned by Elon Musk.

Having a hard time getting the words out, even though the Fake News will credit him with one of the Great Speeches of all time. I really want to see him improve. Come one Joe, you can do it! he wrote in one Truth Social post.

But that was far from the extent of the ex-presidents attempts to hug the spotlight on Tuesday. While Mr Biden spoke, his 2024 campaign released a flurry of press releases  eight in total  touting various accomplishments and goings-on of the Trump presidency.

Mr Trump also attacked Mr Biden and his campaign for supposedly coordinating with social media companies to censor conservatives  though theres no evidence thats true, beyond some instances where the Biden campaign sought to have explicit images of the presidents son removed from Twitter.

Mr Trump launched his 2024 campaign for president last year, despite a wave of criminal investigations targeting him and his closest advisers. His company, the Trump Organization, also was recently found guilty of tax fraud.

His attacks aimed at Joe Biden Tuesday evening came as he took his most gratuitous swipe yet at Ron DeSantis, his presumed top rival for the GOP nomination.

The former president faces a GOP establishment more hostile than ever to his attempts to retain dominance over the party, and saw his supporters attack on the US Capitol once again condemned on the national stage Tuesday by his successor.

Mr Trump remains largely holed up in Florida as he plots a third presidential campaign and weathers criticism from his own former allies following a dismal performance by his chosen candidates in many races during last years midterm elections.
Former President Donald Trump; Chrissy Teigen Drew Angerer/Getty Images; Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

An ex-Twitter employee said Trump's White House asked the company to take down a tweet.

The expletive-filled tweet, written by Chrissy Teigen, insulted Trump.

"They wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement," the ex-official said.

President Donald Trump's White House asked Twitter to take down a 2019 tweet posted by celebrity Chrissy Teigen that insulted him, a former employee at the social media company testified before a congressional committee on Wednesday.

"I do remember hearing that we had received a request from the White House to make sure that we evaluated this tweet, and that they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed towards the president," Anika Collier Navaroli, previously a senior expert on Twitter's US Safety Policy Team, told lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee.

In the September 9, 2019 tweet, Teigen called Trump "a pussy ass bitch"  an apparent response to a Trump tweet roughly an hour before deriding Teigen's husband, musician John Legend, as "boring" and her as his "filthy mouthed wife."

Navaroli confirmed on Wednesday that Teigen's expletive-filled tweet was what the White House asked to be removed, though Twitter declined the request.

The revelation came as the committee's Republicans led a hearing titled, "Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias," featuring testimony from Navaroli along with three former Twitter executives.

The hearing focused on how Twitter blocked the distribution of a 2020 New York Post story about emails claimed to be retrieved from a laptop belonging to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. Twitter executives had limited the story's reach over concerns of a foreign disinformation campaign a month before the 2020 election, but later allowed the story to be shared and said the company mishandled the situation. Other news outlets, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, confirmed the New York Post's reporting months later.

Story continues

Conservatives have long claimed that social media platforms like Twitter are biased against them, censor their speech and favor liberals. At the start of Wednesday's hearing, Chairman James Comer praised Twitter's new CEO, Elon Musk, saying he brought to light the platform's alleged suppression of conservative voices.

Yet the GOP's push to discuss alleged social media bias against conservatives seemingly backfired during Navaroli's testimony about the Trump White House seeking to remove Teigen's tweet.

"My, my, my, what happens when you hold a hearing and you can't prove your point," said Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who led the line of questioning toward Navaroli.

Three of the four former Twitter officials also testified they had no evidence that Biden's White House had ever asked the company to remove content.

"But there's plenty of evidence Donald J. Trump tried to do that," Connolly said. "And if we're gonna have a hearing about the misuse of social media and the intrusion of government in the content on social media, we've got an environment-rich target but it's not Joe Biden. It's Donald J. Trump."

Teigen quickly reacted to the testimony on Wednesday, tweeting: "oh my god" with a laughing emoji. Trump's office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: The Canadian Press Piet Ploeg, right, who lost his brother, sister-in-law and nephew on Malaysia Airlines flight 17, is interviewed outside the Eurojust building in The Hague, Netherlands.

An international team of investigators said Wednesday it found strong indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the supply of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian separatists who shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 with a Russian missile.

However, the Joint Investigation Team said they had insufficient evidence to launch any new prosecutions and suspended their long running probe into the shooting down that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Russia has always denied any involvement in the downing of the flight over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and refused to cooperate with the international investigation.

Dutch prosecutors said in their summary of investigation findings that there are strong indications that the Russian president decided on supplying a Buk missile system to Ukrainian separatists. A Buk system was used to bring down MH17.

Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said that without Russian cooperation, the investigation has now reached its limit. All leads have been exhausted.

The announcement comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the plane. One Russian was acquitted by the court.

None of the suspects appeared for the trial and it was unclear if the three who were found guilty of multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.

The convictions and the court's finding that the surface-to-air Buk missile came from a Russian military base were seen as a clear indication that Moscow had a role in the tragedy. Russia has always denied involvement. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the news media.

But the November convictions held that Moscow was in overall control in 2014 over the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic, the separatist area of eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched. The Buk missile system came from the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in the city of Kursk.

The Joint Investigation Team is made up of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine. Most of the victims were Dutch. It had continued to investigate the crew of the missile system that brought down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in Ukraine.

As well as the criminal trial that was held in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.
On 8 February, two air-to-ground missiles hit the Semenivka hromada [an administrative unit designating, in this case, the town of Semenivka and its adjacent territories  ed.] in the Chernihiv Oblast during an air raid-siren.

Source: Viacheslav Chaus, Head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration; Operational Command Pivnich (North)

Quote: "An airstrike in Semenivka hromada. Two air-to-ground missiles were used. Information about victims and destruction is being clarified."

Details: Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian army shelled the border village of Hai in the Chernihiv Oblast, causing destruction, according to the Operational Command Pivnich.

Details: Operational Command Pivnich [North] reports that the Russian army has shelled a border settlement in Chernihiv Oblast.

Around 3:45 p.m., 2 fighter jets were observed; they launched 2 missiles over the territory of Ukraine, around the settlement of Semenivka.

Information about losses among the local population and destruction is being clarified. According to preliminary information, one civilian was wounded, three others were under the rubble of the building.

Details: Earlier on Wednesday, according to OC Pivnich, the Russian army shelled the border village of Hai in Chernihiv Oblast with artillery, causing damage to local infrastructure.

"From 9:23 to 11:05, information was received about 22 rounds, probably from tubed artillery, [hitting] the settlement of Hai. There were no losses among the personnel and equipment. There were no losses among the local population. During the shelling, a non-residential building was hit", OC Pivnich reported.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
President Joe Biden acknowledged the family of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died after Memphis police officers beat him during a traffic stop, while addressing the need for law enforcement reform during the State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) invited RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, Nichols mother and stepfather, to the address. Vice President Kamala Harris attended Nichols funeral last week, and some elected officials have used his death to push for police reform in Congress after the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act failed to pass last year.

There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a child. But imagine what it is like to lose a child at the hands of the law, Biden said. Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter will come home from walking down the street or playing in the park or just driving their car.

Biden said he never had to have the talk with his children about policing issues that so many Black families had to have with their kids. Public safety officials depend on public trust, he added, and the trust is too often violated.

Rodney Wells and RowVaughn Wells attended the State of the Union as guests.

Rodney Wells and RowVaughn Wells attended the State of the Union as guests.

I know most cops are good, decent people. They risk their lives every time they put on that shield, the president said.But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better. Give law enforcement the training they need, hold them to higher standards and help them succeed in keeping everyone safe.

The Wells family has been thrust into the national spotlight after police officers beat Nichols, 29, on Jan. 7. Body-camera footage of the incident shows officers punching, pepper-spraying and shouting obscenities at Nichols, who died three days later.

Nichols can be heard saying I didnt do anything and Im just trying to go home in the video.

Activists used a graphic photo of Nichols in a hospital bed to raise awareness about the incident and bring national attention to his story.

Story continues

Six Memphis Police Department officers have been fired, and five face charges including murder and kidnapping. The Shelby County Sheriffs Department suspended two deputies who were on the scene during the arrest, and the Memphis Fire Department fired three employees who were tasked with rendering aid to Nichols.

The Department of Justice announced Friday it would investigate the Memphis Police Department.

Related...
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is working on declassifying U.S. intelligence that includes details of Chinas flying surveillance balloons above dozens of other countries around the world, according to three administration officials.

The U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon Saturday off South Carolina after its trek across the continental U.S. The administration officials said China has used similar balloons to conduct surveillance of other countries infrastructure and sensitive sites.

The administration, most likely the State Department, is expected to share some of the declassified information as early as Wednesday, but the process continues, the officials said.

They said Biden administration officials plan to brief the dozens of countries the U.S. believes have been subject to surveillance by Chinas balloons violating their airspace. The U.S. believes Chinese surveillance balloons have flown in the airspace of more than 40 countries, two officials said.

Some of the countries may already be aware of the incidents through their own intelligence, officials said. They also said some of the countries may not want to publicly disclose that China has flown a surveillance balloon across their airspace. The Biden administration doesnt plan to name the countries publicly, officials said, and its not clear how revealing or new the downgraded or declassified intelligence will be to these countries or to the public.

Two officials didnt know whether the balloons had flown over U.S. military bases or assets in various countries around the world or whether the administration has data granular enough to definitively state the balloons tracks.

A senior Biden administration official said Sunday that Chinese surveillance balloons had flown over the continental U.S. before  once during the Biden administration and at least three times during former President Donald Trumps term, a discovery that was made after he left office.

Story continues

Once officials concluded that the objects in the previously unidentified sightings were Chinese spy balloons, they chose to conceal from China how they had unmasked the balloon flights, a U.S. official with knowledge of the matter said.

Administration officials have said the U.S. has already been discussing with allies its concerns about balloon over the U.S. and the challenge that Beijings program presents globally. But the intelligence set to be declassified this week will go further, officials said.

Other regions of the world have also been subjected to these brazen violations of sovereignty, as well, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday. We think its important in the first instance that we share as much as we can because, these are challenges that many of us have and will continue to have to confront together.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Humeyra Pamuk, Yew Lun Tian and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States held briefings in Washington and Beijing with foreign diplomats from 40 nations about the Chinese spy balloon that Washington shot down on Saturday for spying over U.S. territory, a senior administration official and diplomats said on Tuesday.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Monday briefed nearly 150 foreign diplomats across 40 embassies, the official said, while in Beijing the U.S. embassy gathered foreign diplomats on Monday and Tuesday to present U.S. findings about the balloon.

"We want to make sure that we are sharing as much as we can with countries around the world who may also be susceptible to these types of operations," the senior administration official said.

Sherman's briefing was first reported by the Washington Post.

The appearance of the Chinese balloon over the United States last week caused political outrage in Washington and prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing that both countries had hoped would patch their frayed relations. Blinken would have arrived in Beijing on Sunday.

A U.S. Air Force fighter jet shot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace. China's foreign ministry has said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course and accused the United States of overreacting.

The State Department also sent U.S. missions around the world information about the balloon incident to share with allies and partners, the official added.

In the briefings in Beijing, the United States presented information to demonstrate that the balloon, which entered U.S. airspace in the last days of January and flew over U.S. military sites, was not a weather research balloon as Beijing said but an airship that was used for espionage, said diplomats in Beijing who attended the discussions.

Washington said the balloon was controlled by the Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army.

Story continues

The diplomats at the Beijing briefing said they were told that the solar panels on the balloon meant that it needed more power than a weather balloon, and that its flight path did not conform with natural wind patterns. U.S. officials have said the balloon was equipped with rudders and propellers.

"Based on the U.S. briefing, our own understanding about such balloons and the fact that China has so far refused to name the company or entity that owns this balloon, we find it hard to believe it is a civilian weather balloon," said a Beijing-based Asian defence diplomat.

The information was similar to what Pentagon has shared with reporters since the weekend, saying the balloons were part of a Chinese aerial fleet that has also violated the sovereignty of other countries.

The Washington Post reported that although analysts still dont know the size of the balloon fleet, one U.S. official said there have been "dozens" of missions since 2018 and that the balloons use technology provided by a private Chinese company.

(Editing by Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle and Mark Porter)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday on two members of the international criminal gang MS-13, accusing them of involvement in drug trafficking and murder in Central America and the United States.

The sanctions against the two individuals -- an MS-13 leader in Honduras and an associate with the gang in Nicaragua -- are part of a broader U.S. government effort to disrupt the group's activities and financing, the department said in a statement.

"Treasury's sanctions against MS-13 aim to interrupt its use of the financial system to launder illicit proceeds," department official Brian E. Nelson said.

The leader in Honduras, Archaga Caria, has distributed cocaine from that country to the United States, and has ordered the murders of rival gang members, the department said.

Caria, also known as "Porky," escaped from prison in Honduras and is a fugitive from U.S. and Honduran law enforcement, it added. The department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction, it said.

The MS-13 associate, Campbell Licona, used businesses the gang owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through U.S. banks, the department said. He is currently incarcerated in Nicaragua, it added.

Washington has sought to increase pressure on MS-13 in recent years. U.S. authorities have charged top MS-13 leaders with terrorism, sought the death penalty for a leader facing murder charges, and pressured El Salvador to extradite wanted group leaders.

(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee on Tuesday set a third confirmation hearing for the Biden administration's nominee to a seat on the Federal Communications Commission that has been vacant for more than two years.

President Joe Biden last month renominated Gigi Sohn, a former FCC senior official under President Barack Obama, to serve as a commissioner. Biden first nominated Sohn in October 2021 but she was not confirmed despite hearings in 2021 and 2022.

The Senate Commerce Committee said Tuesday she would appear at a hearing on Feb. 14.

Democrats since January 2021 have been unable to command a majority of the five-member FCC, the telecommunications regulator, stalling Democrats' efforts to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules revoked under Republican former President Donald Trump.

In July 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate the rules.

Republicans have questioned Sohn's role as a board member of a nonprofit that operated a transmission service called Locast. It was ordered shut down after four broadcast networks filed a copyright infringement lawsuit.

If confirmed, Sohn has voluntarily agreed to recuse herself on some matters involving retransmission consent and TV broadcast copyright.

Sohn said in 2022 that opposition to her nomination was "about stopping the FCC from ensuring that the media is diverse and serves the needs of local communities. ...A deadlocked agency helps almost nobody, save for a few huge corporations."

Last year, Senate Democrats said that some companies and critics wanted to prevent the FCC from acting.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)
By Elias Biryabarema

KAMPALA (Reuters) -Uganda will not renew the mandate of the United Nations' rights office in the East African country and will rely on domestic institutions to safeguard rights, the government said, after the body flagged torture and unlawful detention sites.

In a letter by Uganda's Foreign Affairs Ministry sent to Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Feb. 3 and seen by Reuters on Wednesday, the ministry noted progress Uganda had made in developing a domestic capacity to monitor rights as the main reason for its decision.

"The ministry wishes to convey the government's decision not to renew the mandate of the OHCHR Country office in Uganda beyond the current term," said the letter, which the ministry confirmed to Reuters as authentic.

OHCHR Uganda country office spokesperson Bernard Amwine said had no comment. The OHCHR head office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

During discussions of a report on torture in November, the body recognised Uganda's progress in developing national rights institutions.

Tensions were evident, however, when the body raised in the talks allegations of arbitrary detention of hundreds of people including critics of President Yoweri Museveni, and a lack of action to prosecute case of torture.

Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka at the time said hundreds of torture cases had been successfully prosecuted and denied the government ran illegal detention centres.

A year ago, Ugandan military and police officers beat and seriously injured journalists who covered the delivery of a petition about human rights violations to the OHCHR office in Kampala.

Sarah Bireete, head of Kampala-based campaign group the Centre for Constitutional Governance said she doubted rights would be upheld by Uganda's own institutions.

"President Museveni's leadership has no commitment to the protection of human rights," she told Reuters.

Story continues

Officials have denied almost all of the accusations of rights abuses and said all security forces implicated in rights abuses have been duly punished.

In the letter, the ministry said the government was committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and that there was peace, strong national human rights institutions and a vibrant civil society.

Museveni, 78, who came to power after a five-year guerrilla war, has ruled Uganda since 1986. Uganda's next election is in 2026 and Museveni is widely expected to seek another term, although he has not indicated if he will stand.

The OHCHR Uganda office was established in 2006 and was initially allowed to focus only on human rights issues in conflict-plagued areas in Uganda's north and northeast, according to the Uganda government. It was later allowed to cover the rest of the country.

(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Frank Jack Daniel)
Vladimir Putin (AP)

A new raft of sanctions that will target those helping to fund Vladimir Putin's war machine were announced by the UK Government on Wednesday.

It came as Volodymyr Zelensky made a historic visit to London and Britain announced it will train Ukrainian pilots to fly Nato-standard fighter jets.

The Foreign Office said individuals who have helped the Russian President amass his extensive personal wealth, and companies profiting from the Kremlins war machine will be penalised.

In total, the UKs sanctions package was extended to cover six more companies providing military equipment, such as drones, for Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Eight individuals who help "maintain wealth and power amongst Kremlin elites" were also hit.

They include:

CST, a manufacturer of Russian drones which have been used to destroy Ukrainian combat vehicles

RT-Komplekt who produce parts for helicopters used by Russia in their assault on Ukraine

Oboronlogistics who organise the transportation and delivery for Russian military equipment

Universalmash and Lipetsk, who manufacture or modify the tracked chassis for anti-aircraft missile systems used by Russias armed forces in Ukraine

Topaz, a software company involved in military aviation

Mr Zelensky has called on the West to continue ramping up sanctions against the Kremlin.

During a speech in Westminster Hall, the Ukrainian President said Britain provided "preventive" support before the invasion.

We must take these principles of preventive aid to those who are threatened with aggression and preventive sanctions against those who threaten aggression as basic principles of the world anti-war policy, he said.

Story continues

He added: "We put together a powerful sanction coalition and your leadership is protecting the international legal order through sanctions against a terrorist state cannot be questioned.

"And we have to steadily continue along this way until Russia is deprived of any possibility to finance the war."

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion.

"He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country.

We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.

These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin  undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail.

I am determined, consistent with our laws, that Russia will have no access to the assets we have frozen until it ends, once and for all, its threats to Ukraines territorial sovereignty and integrity.

The Ukrainian president landed on an RAF C-17 aircraft amid tight security at 10.22am at Stansted airport where he was met by Rishi Sunak.

He then headed to Downing Street for talks with the Prime Minister before addressing Parliament in Westminster Hall.

This afternoon he was due to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace before travelling to see Ukrainian troops being trained in the UK.
Rishi Sunak has promised nothing is off table as the Prime Minister was pressed on whether the UK will send fighter jets to Ukraine.

The Prime Minister made the comment at a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, hours after Ukraines President used an historic address to Parliament to call on Britain to send planes to help it defeat Vladimir Putins forces.

Mr Sunak was speaking at a press conference at Lulworth Camp military base in Dorset, where the leaders met Ukrainian troops being trained by the British Army at a base in Dorset.

Asked if he could provide clarity on whether Ukraine will get fighter jets from the UK, Mr Sunak said the UKs been very clear when it comes to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine and nothing is off the table.

He continued: When it comes to fighter combat air force, of course they are part of the conversation... thats why weve announced today that well train Ukrainian air force on Nato-standard platforms.

Downing Street earlier said the Government was investigating whether it can supply British fighter jets to Ukraine.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is now actively looking at whether the planes can be sent to help in the war against Russia.

He stressed that it would be part of a long term solution plan, rather than the short term capability, which is what Ukraine needs most now.

Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelensky visiting the Dorset military base where Ukrainian troops are being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks (Getty Images)

Downing Streets comments came after Mr Zelensky flew to Britain to make an impassioned plea for UK fighter jets urging the Prime Minister to give us wings for freedom.

In a powerful speech in Westminster Hall on Wednesday, the Ukrainian President told MPs and peers: We know freedom will win. We know Russia will lose.

But in a direct appeal to Britain and other western allies, he said his country now needed advanced combat planes to help Ukraine defeat Vladimir Putins forces.

He said: I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words: combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.

Story continues

No 10 has previously insisted it is not practical to send British fighter jets to Kyiv despite calls from President Zelensky for planes to help the war effort.

The PMs spokesman said on Wednesday: We are investigating in terms of what jets we may be able to give, but emphasising the long term nature of the training involved in this complex issue.

Britain is set to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Nato-standard jets from the spring.

The Royal Air Force instruction programme is usually five years long. However No10 suggested Ukrainian troops may be fast-tracked through the scheme.

The PMs spokesman added: I think weve been clear that we will consider all further possible ways of helping Ukraine, including jets.

Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, holds the helmet of one of the most successful Ukrainian pilot, as it is presented to him by President Zelensky in Westminster Hall (Getty Images)

But certainly this is the first time weve confirmed that there will be a training programme for Ukrainian pilots and the Defence Secretary is actively looking at whether we send jets.

But President Zelensky used his earlier speech to step up the pressure on Britain, concluding his 25 minute address by saying: I will be leaving the Parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.

He also presented a helmet worn by one of the Ukrainian Air Forces top fighter pilots to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle - a symbolic gesture which hammered home the purpose of his surpise visit to the UK.

Following the speech, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: Thank you President @ZelenskyyUa. Your powerful and passionate appeal must be heard. There is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by sending planes now.

Hundreds of MPs from all parties stood shoulder to shoulder with members of the House of Lords, Westminster staff and journalists to see President Zelenskys lunchtime address.

Rishi Sunak welcomes Mr Zelensky to No 10 (Simon Walker / No10 Downing Street)

The Ukrainian leader joins an illustrious list of world leaders to deliver speeches in Westminster Hall which includes Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev and Barack Obama.

The 900 year old hall - the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster - was the setting for the late Queen Elizabeth IIs lying in state.

President Zelenskys visit to the UK is only the second time he has travelled overseas since the Russian invasion last February, after he held talks in the United States and Poland during a trip in December.

He thanked Britain for its support and supplies of weapons and other defence equipment which includes Challenger 2 tanks.

But he also used the speech to warn President Putin that evil would be overcome and that Ukraine would triumph.

He added: We really know that the victory will change the world and this will be a change that the world has long needed.

The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most, I think, the most important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visit to UK

(PA)

(Simon Walker/No10 Downing Street)

(PA)

(Simon Walker / No10 Downing Street)

(Simon Dawson / No10 Downing Street)

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

(PA)

(Simon Walker/No10 Downing Street)

(UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER)

(PA)

He continued: We prove together, that the world truly helps those who are brave in defending freedom and thus paves the way for a new history.

A history of the world that knows how to be quick in help, who knows how to be effective in the defence. Who knows how to remain principled in dark hours. Who implements its treaties and arrangements in good faith. Who does not allow perpetrators to enjoy immunity. Who knows how to overcome veto when its abused. Who knows no fear and who knows how to win. This shall be the new reality of the free world Im sure.

He concluded his speech by saying: God Bless Great Britain and long, long live the King. Slava Ukraini.

Following the address the Ukrainian President shook hands with Mr Sunak, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and greeted other members of Labours shadow cabinet before shaking hands with former PM Mr Johnson.

He then headed to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III before travelling to the South West to see Ukrainian troops being trained in the UK.
Photo: The Canadian Press

House Republicans are expected to question former Twitter executives about the platforms handling of reporting on Hunter Biden, the president's son, fulfilling a party promise to investigate what they have long asserted is anti-conservative bias at social media companies.

Three former executives will be appearing Wednesday before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to testify for the first time about the companys decision in the weeks before the 2020 election to initially block from Twitter a New York Post article about the contents of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden.

The witnesses Republicans subpoenaed to testify are Vijaya Gadde, Twitter's former chief legal officer; James Baker, the company's former deputy general counsel; and Yoel Roth, former head of safety and integrity.

Democrats have a witness of their own, Anika Collier Navaroli, a former employee with Twitter's content moderation team. She testified last year to the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot about Twitter's preferential treatment of Donald Trump until the then-president was banned from Twitter two years ago.

The hearing is the GOP's opening act into what lawmakers promise will be a widespread investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, with the tech companies another prominent target of their oversight efforts.

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," Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the committee chairman, said in a statement announcing the hearing.

The New York Post first reported in October 2020, weeks before the presidential election, that it had received from Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, a copy of a hard drive from a laptop that Hunter Biden had dropped off 18 months earlier at a Delaware computer repair shop and never retrieved. Twitter blocked people from sharing links to the story for several days.

Months later, Twitters then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, called the companys communications around the Post article not great. He added that blocking the articles URL with zero context around why it was blocked was unacceptable.

The newspaper story was greeted at the time with skepticism due to questions about the laptops origins, including Giulianis involvement, and because top officials in the Trump administration had already warned that Russia was working to denigrate Joe Biden before the White House election.

The Kremlin had interfered in the 2016 race by hacking Democratic emails that were subsequently leaked, and fears that Russia would meddle again in the 2020 race were widespread across Washington.

Just last week, lawyers for the younger Biden asked the Justice Department to investigate people who say they accessed his personal data. But they did not acknowledge that that data came from a laptop that Hunter Biden is purported to have dropped off at a computer repair shop.

The issue was also reignited recently after Elon Musk took over Twitter as CEO and began to release a slew of company information to independent journalists, what he has called the Twitter Files.

The documents and data largely show internal debates among employees over the decision to temporarily censor the story about Hunter Biden. The tweet threads lacked substantial evidence of a targeted influence campaign from Democrats or the FBI, which has denied any involvement in Twitter's decision-making.

Nonetheless, Comer and other Republicans have used the Post story, which has not been independently verified by The Associated Press, as the basis for what they say is another example of the Biden family's influence peddling."

One of the witnesses on Wednesday, Baker, is expected to be the target of even more Republican scrutiny.

Baker was the FBIs general counsel during the opening of two of the bureaus most consequential investigations in history: the Hillary Clinton investigation and a separate inquiry into potential coordination between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans have long criticized the FBIs handling of both investigations.

For Democrats, Navaroli is expected to counter the GOP argument by testifying about how Twitter allowed Trumps tweets despite the misinformation they sometimes contained.

Navaroli testified to the Jan. 6 committee last year that Twitter executives often tolerated Trump's posts despite them including false statements and violations of the company's own rules because executives knew the platform was his favorite and most-used  and enjoyed having that sort of power.

The Jan. 6 committee used Navaroli's testimony in one of its public hearings last summer but did not identify her by name.
During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, King Charles III said that he was very worried about the president's life and Ukraine as a whole.

Source: BBC News



Quote from Charles III: "Weve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I cant tell you."

Details: The media reported that the King told Zelenskyy that he was pleased to welcome him to Buckingham Palace.

Zelenskyy said what a "big support" both Houses of Parliament had been to Ukraine, to which the monarch replied, "I'm so glad."

Royal correspondent Sean Coughlan believes that for King Charles, the meeting with Zelenskyy was more than a photo shoot.

Quote from Coughlan: "Its been a deeply personal matter. The King has been unusually outspoken about Ukraine, so the presidents visit will mean much more than a handshake and a photo shoot.

After the Russian invasion, the then Prince of Wales condemned brutal aggression in language much stronger than the usually neutral royal tones."



In addition, Charles visited the Ukrainian community in the UK, going to the Ukrainian cathedral in London and meeting those helping refugees.

Charles was also the first senior member of the royal family to unexpectedly visit the Ukrainian-Romanian border in May 2022, where millions of Ukrainian refugees were fleeing the Russian attack.

At an aid centre where food, clothes and counselling were being distributed, he talked about the "nightmare" the Ukrainian people were facing.

Coughlan notes that nine months later, Charles is greeting Ukraine's president as King, and the war is still ongoing.

Background:

On Wednesday 8 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United Kingdom on his second foreign visit since the beginning of the full-scale war with Russia.

There he addressed the members of the UK Parliament and met with King Charles III. Zelenskyy and Sunak also visited a military base in Dorset in the South West of England to meet with Ukrainian military personnel being trained by the British Army.

Following the visit, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hinted that British Challenger 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine as early as March 2023 and also announced the expansion of the training programme for Ukrainian military personnel.

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








(Bloomberg) -- A committee of UK lawmakers criticized HSBC Holdings Plcs treatment of Hong Kong customers who have found it impossible to access their savings after moving to Britain.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The politicians issued a 23-page report Wednesday accusing HSBC of aiding the Chinese governments efforts to financially isolate Hong Kong citizens who had left the former British colony.

At stake are Mandatory Provident Funds, a compulsory savings program for Hong Kong residents. According to evidence provided to the all-party parliamentary group, HSBC has withheld the release of MPF funds, saying entry documents provided by the British government to Hong Kong immigrants were not sufficient to unlock their money.

The informal cross-party collective of lawmakers said HSBC was unjustly denying its customers access to their own savings.

Alistair Carmichael, co-chair of the group and a member of the Liberal Democrat party, said banks were doing the dirty work of the Chinese Communist Party.

This is no longer just about the interpretation of the law, this is about the fundamental rights of an individual to have access to their own property, Carmichael said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg. This is causing genuine hardship for people who have made the difficult decision to leave Hong Kong.

HSBC said in a statement that it respected human rights and like all banks, we have to obey the law, and the instructions of the regulators, in every territory in which we operate.

The report comes two years after HSBC Chief Executive Officer Noel Quinn faced a grilling by UK lawmakers over the banks operations in Hong Kong, its biggest generator of revenue and profit. Giving evidence in January 2021, Quinn said HSBC had to comply with the law and it was not for him to make a moral or political judgment on these matters.

Story continues

The UKs visa program opened the same month, in response to Beijings sweeping national security law. At least 150,600 Hong Kongers have applied for the British National (Overseas) visa program that is a pathway to UK citizenship. China has said it no longer recognizes this type of passport as a valid travel document.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to look into which warplanes the U.K. can provide to Ukraine, after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in London on Feb. 8.

After his surprise visit to the British capital, Zelensky thanked the U.K. for its support and asked Western allies for combat jets, saying Ukraine needs them to defeat the Russian forces. "We have freedom, give us wings to protect it," the Ukrainian leader told the U.K. parliament.

Sunak's spokesperson said Wallace is "actively looking at whether we send jets" to Ukraine but added that this is a "long-term solution."

Sunak also said that the U.K. will train pilots to operate NATO-standard fighter jets and will receive the first batch of Ukrainian trainees in the spring. They will be taught to operate British planes.

Just over a week ago, the British government said it was "not practical" to send jets to Ukraine, as they are extremely complicated pieces of equipment that take months to learn to fly.

Western allies recently agreed to send modern main battle tanks to Ukraine, as well as older Western designs, after months of hesitation. Ukraine expects to receive up to 140 tanks from 12 countries during the first wave of deliveries, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Serhiy Zgurets, the director of consulting company Defense Express said that for maximum effectiveness, the tanks will need to be used in combined-arms operations, including mechanized infantry and aircraft.


Ukrainian soldier

Almost a year into Russia's invasion, the demand for ammunition and explosives is turning into a test of Europes industrial production capacity in EUs pursuit of rearmament, the article says.

Read also: Bakhmut becoming increasingly isolated by Russian invasion forces, UK intelligence says

It is a war about industrial capacity, Brandtzg argues.

Read also: Russia has lost over 130,000 of its soldiers so far in full-scale invasion and war

According to him, some components for weapons production are in such high demand that their delivery time has increased from months to years. Also, most companies have extended worker shifts in anticipation of expected orders, and are hiring more people.

Read also: Missiles, jets, NATO membership are Ukraines priorities at Munich Security Conference

Earlier, The New York Times reported that small NATO member states have exhausted their potential to supply weapons to Ukraine. According to the newspaper, allies are discussing investments in old factories in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria to resume production of Soviet-era 152mm shells for Ukraine's artillery arsenal.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previously called on the allies to ramp up arms production to support Ukraine, as the alliance has exhausted most of its stockpiles of weapons and ammunition.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Shoigu tells fresh tales of Russian army's

Read also: Russias Shoigu inspected occupied Crimea, not forward positions, investigation shows

Shoigu recently announced complete Russian control over Soledar, Klishchiivka, Krasnopillya, Blahodatne, and Mykolaivka in Donetsk Oblast, as well as Pidhirne and Lobkove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The HUR did not confirm Shoigu's assertions, and added that Ukrainian troops withdrew from Soledar on Jan. 25.

Ukrainian intelligence officers also noted that Shoigu deliberately didnt mention the fact that Russian Wagner PMC mercenaries are actively involved in attempted assaults in the area.

Read also: Ukrainian interior ministry advisor explains why Putin cannot remove Shoigu

On Feb. 5, the Financial Times reported that Moscows new large-scale offensive might begin within the next 10 days  before Ukraine receives an influx of Western heavy weapons.

Ukraines Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov previously said that during a possible new offensive in February, Russia will not try to seize the entire country at once, but will instead conduct focused pushes in specific directions. According to Reznikov, key risks are in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Read also: Putin inventing new type of military after Ukraine liquidated almost his entire army

On Feb. 5, Reznikov stated that Ukraine does not rule out a new offensive by Russia in February, but so far, no strike formations have been detected.

According to Bloomberg, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin hopes that a new offensive by the Russian army in February-March 2023 will allow his forces to seize the initiative in the war. Meanwhile, he remains determined to wage war against Ukraine for many years, Bloomberg wrote.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The NBU was able to increase international reserves

According to the NBU, the central bank's foreign currency reserves grew by 5% in January, mainly due to inflows to the governments accounts and spending on servicing and repaying public debt.

Read also: NBU keeps key policy rate at 25%

Meanwhile, forex inflows to the governments accounts with the NBU amounted to $4.3 billion. This included:

$3.2 billion from the European Union;

$1 billion from the United States (through the World Banks trust fund);

$71.6 million from offering forex-denominated domestic government debt securities.

Read also: IMF program will help Ukraine get through 2023, NBU governor says

The central bank noted that the government of Ukraine had spent a total of $65 million on servicing and repaying forex-denominated public debt. In particular, $59 million was allocated to service and repay debt to the World Bank, $5 million was spent for repaying forex-denominated domestic government debt securities, while the rest went to repaying debt to other international creditors.

The NBUs Ukrainian forex market transactions were the second factor leading to this positive figure.

In January, the NBU sold close to $3.1 billion and bought $28.5 million on the forex market to replenish its reserves. Net forex sales as a result fell by about $100 million from December 2022.

Finally, the third factor in the growth of Ukraines reserves was the revaluation of financial instruments (due to changes in their market value and exchange rate fluctuations). In January, the value of financial instruments increased by $225.7 million due to this revaluation.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden asserted in an interview that Vladimir Putin has already lost Ukraine.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Group of Seven member states are discussing whether to sanction companies in China, Iran and North Korea they believe are providing Russia with parts and technology that have military purposes, according to people familiar with the matter.

The British government is assessing the long-term possibility of sending combat aircraft to Ukraine to help in the war against Russia as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a visit to the UK.

Addressing lawmakers in London, Zelenskiy praised the UK for supporting his nation in its fight against Russia since the first day of the invasion. Later, he arrived in Paris for a nighttime meeting at the Elysee Palace with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

Bidens Top Russia Adviser Leaving as Ukraine Conflict Drags On

Putin Likely Greenlit Missiles Used to Down MH17 Jet, Says Probe

G-7 Mulls Sanctioning Chinese Firms for Aiding Russias Military

Russia Survived a Year of Sanctions by Investing as Never Before

Russia Will Fail to Break Ukraine, Estonias Spy Chief Says

On the Ground

Russia struck the center of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine with at least six S-300 missiles, regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram overnight. An industrial facility and the citys central park were hit, Interfax-Ukraine reported, citing Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Over the past day, Ukrainian forces repelled attacks near 22 settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, Ukraines General Staff said on Facebook. Russian troops are continuing their offensive on several axes in the east, including near the towns of Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, Vuhledar and Kreminna.

Story continues

(All times CET)

Biden Says US Aid Is Open-Ended, for Now (1:25 a.m.)

President Joe Biden said that US assistance to Zelenskiys government was open-ended for now, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin has already lost Ukraine.

In a wide-ranging interview with Judy Woodruff on PBS NewsHour Wednesday night, Biden added that he was proud that Ive been able to unite NATO completely since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began nearly a year ago.

There is no way Putin is going to be able to - hes already lost Ukraine, Biden said in the interview, which took place a day after his second State of the Union Address. In that speech, he called Putins invasion a test for the ages, a test for America, a test for the world.

Zelenskiy Uses European Tour to Request More Weapons (11: 12 p.m.)

Zelenskiy, toward the end of a day that took him to the UK and France, met with Scholz and Macron in Paris on Wednesday night, using the meeting to request more weapons, including long-range missiles and fighter planes.

Scholz and Macron both reiterated their support for Ukraine until it wins the war. For as long as Russia attacks, it will be necessary that we continue, adjust and modulate the military support needed for the preservation of Ukraine and its future, Macron told reporters in Paris, standing alongside the other two leaders.

Scholz also said Germany would continue to support Ukraine financially and militarily for as long as needed. President Macron and I will assure President Zelenskiy of this once again during our talks this evening, Scholz said. I am heading to the EU summit in Brussels with a very clear message: Ukraine belongs in the European family.

G-7 Mulls Sanctioning Chinese Firms Aiding Russias Military (9:24 p.m.)

Group of Seven member states are discussing whether to sanction companies in China, Iran and North Korea they believe are providing Russia with parts and technology that have military purposes, according to people familiar with the matter.

The aim is to coordinate a package of measures by Feb. 24, the one-year mark of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing sensitive matters.

The discussions are still in the formative stage, and actions taken by each G-7 state might not be the same, one of the people said. The companies that might be included are also still being decided, the people said. Spokespeople for the White House National Security Council declined to comment.

Read the full story here.

France Urges EU Sanctions on Russian Mercenary Group (8:57 p.m.)

France is pushing the European Union to sanction the Russian mercenary outfit Wagner Group as part of its next package of restrictive measures, according to people familiar with the matter.

The penalties would include listings of individuals and entities that would add to existing sanctions from the Wagner Groups role in other conflicts, one of the people said. The US has designated it as a transnational criminal organization.

Wagner is estimated to control about 50,000 troops in Ukraine and is also present in countries in central Africa and the Sahel. The EU intends to agree on a new package of sanctions before the end of the month.

Zelenskiy Expected to Attend EU Summit (5:51 p.m.)

The Ukrainian leader is expected to be in Brussels Thursday to attend a summit of European Union leaders, according to people with familiar with the matter. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will have a bilateral meeting with Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the event.

Naftogaz Chief Discusses Energy Investment with JPMorgan Delegation (5:31 p.m.)

Oleksiy Chernyshov, the chief of national energy company NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, met a JPMorgan Chase & Co. delegation to discuss investment in the Ukrainian energy sector.

Naftogaz proposed that the US bank consider cooperation and projects to increase the extraction and transportation of hydrocarbons, as well as projects in renewable energy, Chernyshov said on Facebook.

Portuguese Premier Suggests Tanks May Be Provided in March (5:17 p.m.)

Portugal is carrying out a maintenance plan for Leopard 2 tanks under which the country may be able to provide Ukraine with three such vehicles in March, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said in parliament on Wednesday.

UK Assessing Possibility of Sending Jets to Ukraine (4:12 p.m.)

The UK is assessing the possibility of sending combat aircraft to Ukraine and aims to begin training Ukrainian pilots in the spring. Britain isnt looking to send Typhoon jets in the immediate future, but rather sees the possibility of doing so as a long-term solution, Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, told reporters.

Zelenskiy had earlier in the day urged Britain to provide planes, telling parliamentarians, We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.

Zelenskiy, Scholz to Meet Macron in Paris (3:28 p.m.)

Zelenskiy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Paris later on Wednesday to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement from the French presidents office.

Zelenskiy Hails UK Support in London (2:25 p.m.)

Addressing lawmakers in English, Zelenskiy praised the UK for backing Ukraine from the very start of the war.

London has stood with Kyiv since day one, he said, insisting that Russia was destined to lose.

The United Kingdom is marching with us toward the most important victory of our lifetime. After we win together, any aggressor, it doesnt matter, big or small, will know what awaits him if he attacks international order.

Read More: Zelenskiy Hails UK Support in London Ahead of Russian Offensive

Russia Wont Break Ukraine, Estonias Spy Chief Says (1:50 p.m.)

Estonias top intelligence official predicted a grinding conflict in Ukraine, with the war to be decided on the battlefield, though he expressed optimism that Kyiv will prevail against Russian forces.

Kaupo Rosin, director general of Estonias Foreign Intelligence Service, spoke after the agency issued an annual report assessing that Putin remains convinced time is on his side in the war. As NATO member states ramp up weapons deliveries with battle tanks  and potentially air power  the Kremlin will struggle to fulfill its war aims, he said.

Sunak Hopes to See First ICC Indictments Over Ukraine War Soon (1:25 p.m.)

UK Prime Minister Sunak said he expects the International Criminal Court will announce its first indictments relating to Russias war in Ukraine soon. Sunak told the House of Commons at Wednesday lunchtime that he discussed Britains work with the ICC with Zelenskiy during their meeting this morning, and that he hoped to see the ICCs first indictments shortly.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met King Charles for the first time while on a trip to the UK to drum up support for his countrys defence against Russia.

Mr Zelenskys plea for British fighter jets took a step closer to being met after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked his defence secretary to investigate which planes the RAF could send to Ukraine.

In a speech to parliament, the Ukrainian president thanked Britain in advance for powerful English planes, which he had repeatedly asked for in a bid to gain advantage over Russia in the skies.

Mr Sunak earlier announced Britain would train Ukrainian fighter pilots to fly Nato jets, as he prepared to discuss further arms supplies with Mr Zelensky in Downing Street.

Key Points

Zelensky meets King Charles

Britain takes step towards sending jets to Ukraine

Thanks in advance for powerful English planes, says Zelensky

Ukrainian pilots to be trained in Britain

Britain pushing for Ukraines victory, says Sunak

Zelensky in surprise visit to UK  first since Russia invasion

09:47 , Liam James

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will make his first visit to the UK since Russias invasion of his country today, Downing Street has said (Adam Forrest writes).

No 10 said the surprise visit would see the war leader meet Rishi Sunak and address MP in parliament later on Wednesday.

The prime minister also announced plans to train Ukrainian fighter jet pilots as part of a long-term UK investment in its ally.

Mr Sunak said on Wednesday that he was proud to announce an expansion in training from soldiers to fighter jet pilots and marines, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future.

Zelensky in surprise visit to UK  first since Russia invasion

Russia planning new offensive, could target Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia

10:15 , Liam James

Top Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelensky have said Moscow will attempt to mount another major offensive with newly mobilised troops in the coming weeks as the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion on 24 February nears.

Story continues

Ukraines national security chief Oleksy Danilov said in an interview on Tuesday that the Kremlin is expected to target the northeastern Kharkiv or southern Zaporizhzhia regions in a new thrust.

They need to have something to show before their people, and have a major desire to do something big, as they see it, by this date, Mr Danilov said.

After Russia failed to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv last year and lost ground in the second half of 2022, Moscow is now making full use of hundreds of thousands of troops it called up in the autumn in its first mobilisation since World War Two.

The last few weeks have seen Russia boast of its first gains for half a year. But the progress has been incremental, with Moscow yet to capture a single major settlement in its winter campaign despite losing thousands of troops.

Mr Danilov echoed earlier predictions by Kyiv that Russia still wants to capture all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east that Moscow claimed as its own territory last year in referendums dismissed by Ukraine and the West as a sham.

A Ukrainian serviceman of the artillery unit of the 80th Air Assault Brigade confirms the positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk (AFP/Getty)

Volodymyr Zelensky lands in UK

10:25 , Liam James

Watch live as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky lands at Britains Stansted airport:

King Charles to hold reception with Zelensky

10:33 , Liam James

King Charles will hold an audience with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky today, Buckingham Palace said.

The president has landed at Stansted airport and is set to visit London, where he will also meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and address the British parliament.

Moment President Zelensky arrives in UK

10:46 , Liam James

Independent TV has clipped the moment Volodymyr Zelensky touched down in Britain.

The Ukrainian president was in the country to push for stronger arms support, in his first trip to the UK since the Russian invasion last year.

Moment Zelensky arrives in UK in first visit since Ukraine war began

Ukrainian pilots to be trained in Britain

11:05 , Liam James

Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes, Downing Street said ahead of todays visit to Britain by Volodymyr Zelensky.

The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an immediate surge of military equipment including longer-range weapons.

Downing Street said the government is following a two-pronged approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future.

Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a long-term capability investment.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future.

While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely operated by other Nato countries are more likely to be supplied to Ukraine, should Western leaders agree to Mr Zelenskys requests.

Ukrainian soldiers take part in a training on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire last week (POOL/AFP/Getty)

President Zelensky arrives at Downing Street on UK visit

11:09 , Liam James

Watch live as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky arrives at Downing Street to meet Rishi Sunak.

Zelensky heading to Brussels tomorrow

11:24 , Liam James

Volodymyr Zelensky is to visit Brussels tomorrow a European Union diplomat said on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian president is currently in London with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a meeting with King Charles and an address to parliament.

His trips aim to drum up support for Ukraine ahead of an expected Russian offensive.

Zelensky and Sunak arrive at Downing Street

11:37 , Liam James

British prime minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Zelensky have arrived at Downing Street where they will discuss further UK arms supplies for Ukraine as it prepares to defend against an expected Russian offensive.

Prime minister and president shake hands on No 10 steps (Reuters)

Red carpet was laid out for Zelenskys visit (Reuters)

Zelensky and Sunak: Pictured on Ukraine presidents first UK trip since Russian invasion

11:44 , Liam James

Photographs have landed showing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and British prime minister Rishi Sunak arriving at Downing Street.

(PA)

(PA)

Britain announces new Russia sanctions as Zelensky lands at Stansted

11:48 , Liam James

The UK announced a new round of sanctions on Russian military and Kremlin elites, including six entities providing military equipment such as drones for Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The sanctions also target eight individuals and one entity connected to financial networks that help maintain wealth and power amongst Kremlin elites, the government said in a statement as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Britain.

Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion. He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.

Cleverly at a training drill for Ukrainian troops on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire last week (POOL/AFP/Getty)

Thanks for the support, Zelensky tells Britain

11:58 , Liam James

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Britain for its big support from the first days of full-scale invasion as he met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Downing Street.

Mr Zelensky is in London to discuss further British arms supplies for Ukraine ahead of an offensive expected to be launched by Russia as the first year of its invasion comes to an end.

Zelensky outside 10 Downing Street (PA)

Zelensky leaves Downing Street after Sunak meeting

12:05 , Liam James

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has left Downing Street after a meeting with Rishi Sunak.

Mr Zelensky is set to meet King Charles III and appear before parliament on his trip to Britain today.

Speaking as the Ukrainian president arrived at Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: Its a privilege to have you here, Volodymyr. We want to stand by you throughout this conflict and ensure that youre victorious.

Zelensky leaves No 10 Downing Street (Reuters)

12:07 , Liam James

Rishi Sunak said he was delighted to host Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Britain today.

Speaking before MPs in parliament for Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Sunak said the president's visit is a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.

Zelensky carries spirit of Ukraine, says Britains Starmer

12:16 , Liam James

British leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer said Volodymyr Zelensky embodies the heroism, the bravery and the resolve of the Ukrainian people.

At Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons he asked Rishi Sunak if he agreed that continued support of Ukraine is vital and that Vladimir Putin must be defeated.

Mr Sunak said: We will continue to stand with [Ukraine] united as one parliament and one United Kingdom.

He went on: Our aim is to ensure a Ukrainian victory in this conflict. Vladimir Putin's aggression cannot be seen in any way to have been successful.

Sir Keir in the House of Commons today (Parliament TV)

Russia must pay to rebuild Ukraine, says Starmer

12:30 , Liam James

British opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should force Russia to pay for rebuilding Ukraine with assets frozen as part of the sanctions regime brought against Moscow for invading Ukraine.

Since last February the UK has locked down billions of pounds worth of assets held by Russian individuals and companies in Britain.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said funds held in Britain will be set aside for a reconstruction fund for Ukraine and the government was working with allies to determine how the money could be diverted for rebuilding efforts.

Ukraine has suffered an estimated more than $100bn (80bn) in damage to infrastructure since the Russian invasion. Rebuilding efforts by charities have already begun, as The Independent covered here.

UK wants Russian war trials very shortly'

12:37 , Liam James

Rishi Sunak said he is hopeful of seeing the first International Criminal Court (ICC) indictments linked to Russias renewed invasion of Ukraine very shortly.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked Mr Sunak if he agreed that Putin and all his cronies must stand at The Hague and face justice once the war is over.

Mr Sunak replied: Hes absolutely right that we must hold those to account for the horrific crimes that they have committed.

Im proud the United Kingdom has played, again, a leadership role in this regard being one of the first countries to provide financial and technical support, putting investigators on the ground, were shortly to be hosting a conference together with the Dutch.

And also one of the things I discussed with President Zelensky this morning is our support for the work of the ICC where, thanks to the efforts of UK members, Im hopeful we will see the first indictments very shortly.

Sunak and Zelensky in Downing Street earlier (POOL/AFP/Getty)

UK pushing for Ukraines victory, says Sunak

12:49 , Liam James

The UK will continue to support Ukraine to ensure decisive military victory on the battlefield this year, Rishi Sunak said.

Addressing the British parliament after a meeting at Downing Street with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, the prime minister said: Our objective remains to ensure a Ukrainian victory in this conflict.

Vladimir Putins aggression cannot be seen in any way to have been successful and thats why we have accelerated and increased our support militarily for Ukraine this year.

Sunak and Zelensky in Downing Street earlier (POOL/AFP/Getty)

Flight tracker shows Zelenskys journey from Poland to UK

12:50 , Liam James

Independent TV tracks the Ukrainian presidents flight over Europe to Britain this morning.

Zelensky to address UK MPs

13:05 , Liam James

Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived for an address of Britains MPs on his first trip to the country since the Russian invasion.

Zelensky on Whitehall today (Reuters)

13:10 , Liam James

Taking to the lectern before MPs, Volodymyr Zelensky said: I stand before you on behalf of the brave.

He thanked the UK for training Ukrainian soldiers to fight on the frontlines skilled, equipped and eager to win against Russia.

(Reuters)

Zelensky recalls first trip to UK

13:14 , Liam James

Volodymyr Zelensky told MPs a story about his first trip to London as president in 2020.

He said that sitting in the Churchill war rooms he was asked how he felt. I knew I felt something. It is only know that I know what the feeling was, and all Ukrainians know the feeling perfectly well too.

It is how bravery takes you through enormous hardships to finally reward you with victory.

Boris, thank you: Zelensky praises former PM for support

13:17 , Liam James

Volodymyr Zelesnky used an appearance before MPs to thank former British prime ministe Boris Johnson for his support in the early days of the Russian invasion.

Boris, you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible. Thank you, Mr Zelensky said.

Boris Johnson watches Zelenskys speech (Parliament TV)

Evil will crumble, says Zelensky

13:22 , Liam James

Addressing British MPs, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said evil will crumble as Kyivs forces fight back against the Russian invasion.

Evil will crumble ... Freedom will win ... Russia will lose, he said, as he thanked Britain for supporting Ukraine throughout the war.

Zelensky addressed MPs in Westminster Hall (PA)

Ukrainian victory will deter aggressors the world over, says Zelensky

13:30 , Liam James

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said a Ukrainian victory against Russia will deter aggressors around the world.

He told British parliamentarians gathered in Westminster Hall: We really know that the victory will change the world and this will be a change that the world has long needed.

The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most, I think, the most important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war.

After we win together, any aggressor, it doesnt matter big or small, will know what awaits him if he attacks international order... Any aggressor is going to lose.

Zelensky thanks Britain in advance for fighter jets

13:35 , Liam James

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his address to parliament to urge the UK and the West to provide fighter jets, telling MPs: Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.

Mr Zelensky presented the British parliaments speaker with a flight helmet worn by a Ukrainian fighter pilot before thanking the UK in advance for any future jet supplies.

Helmet presented to British speaker (Reuters)

Breaking: Vladimir Putin supplied missile that downed MH17 missile, say investigators

13:40 , Liam James

Vladimir Putin personally signed off on a decision to allow the Russian missile system that downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) into Ukraine, investigators said (Emily Atkinson writes).

The international team investigating the 2014 downing has convincing evidence of the Russian presidents involvement, Dutch prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The BUK-TELAR missile system was used to shoot down MH17 on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, investigators said.

Vladimir Putin supplied missile that downed MH17 missile, say investigators

Zelensky thanks Britain 'in advance' for 'powerful English planes'

13:49 , Liam James

Watch as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky issues a plea for British fighter jets.

Boris Johnson welcomes Volodymyr Zelensky to UK

14:02 , Liam James

Boris Johnson has welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to Britain, as the Ukrainian president headed to London to seek more arms supplies for the fight against the Russian invasion.

The former prime minister has made much of his friendship with Mr Zelensky and is understood to view his strong support for Ukraine as one of the key legacies from his time in office.

Welcome back to the UK, @ZelenskyyUa. Look forward to hearing you address Parliament  #Ukrainemustwin  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 8, 2023

Pictured: Zelensky in Downing Street

14:13 , Matt Mathers

Downing Street has published pictures of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in No 10.

The wartime leader was cheered by MPs and Lords after addressing them in Westminster Hall this afternoon.

Pictures published by the government showed Mr Zelensky sharing breakfast with Rishi Sunak, the prime minister.

They can also be seen walking through the famous black door at No 10 and posing for pictures in front of a portrait of Winston Churchill.

(Simon Walker / No10 Downing Street)

(Simon Walker / No10 Downing Street)

(Simon Walker / No10 Downing Street)

(Simon Walker / No10 Downing Street)

Zelensky arrives at Buckingham Palace

14:22 , Matt Mathers

Mr Zelensky has arrived at Buckingham Palace, where he has an audience with King Charles.

Earlier the Ukraine president said it would be a special moment to meet the monarch.

It is Mr Zelenskys first visit to the UK since Russia invaded his country in February last year and his second foreign trip during the war.

Mr Zelensky was greeted at the Kings Door firstly by the Kings equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson.

Lt Col Thompson, dressed in his military uniform with kilt, shook hands with Mr Zelensky before introducing him to Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen Consort.

Sir Clive also shook hands with the president before welcoming him inside Buckingham Palace.

(BBC)

You can watch Mr Zelenskys arrival below:

Zelensky meets King for first time

14:45 , Matt Mathers

(Reuters)

(Reuters)

(Reuters)

Tactical nukes unlikely to be used in Ukraine, says Estonian intelligence

15:00 , Liam James

Tactical nuclear weapons are unlikely to be used in the Ukraine, conflict, the Estonian spy service has said.

Western observers have repeatedly warned that Vladimir Putin may be planning to use the atomic munitions, which are also known as battleground nukes for their relatively small blast radius, to turn the tide of his frustrated invasion.

Mr Putin has confused the situation by variously warning that nothing is off the table in the Russian arsenal, which includes large supplies of nuclear warheads, and denying having any plans for an atomic escalation.

But an annual report by the Estonian Intelligence Service released today said that Mr Putin would likely not employ tactical nukes as they have low battleground effectiveness and their use would invite a harsh international reaction.

Zelensky going to Paris for talks with Macron and Scholz

15:01 , Liam James

As weve been reporting, Mr Zelensky has been in the UK today meeting with political leaders and the King as he drums up support for the war effort.

After meeting the King he will travel to Paris to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Sholz.

Ukraine has been ramping up calls for more military aid in recent weeks ahead of an expected fresh offensive by Russia in the spring.

Mr Zelenksy has been calling on Western allies to send his country fighter jets to help push back the Kremlins forces.

Boris Johnson calls on Sunak to give Ukraine fighter plans

15:12 , Matt Mathers

In a statement on Wednesday, Boris Johnson said it was time to give them exactly what they need to finish the job  saying Britain had more than 100 Typhoon jets, Adam Forrest, our politics correspondent, reports.

It is true that the Typhoon is a four-nation plane and that we require the approval of allies for export, said the former PM.

But there is no reason to think that Germany or others should oppose our decision  these are UK planes.

Mr Johnson added: Every time we have stepped up with more military support the Ukrainians have responded and turned the tide of war. Now is the time to give them exactly what they need to finish the job.

UK to investigate what jets it could send to Ukraine

15:22 , Liam James

The defence secretary is to investigate what jets the UK could send to Ukraine after President Zelensky called for planes to help the war effort in an address to MPs (Kate Devlin writes).

Before the Ukrainian leader arrived in London, Rishi Sunak announced Britain would train fighter pilots.

No 10 has now said that Ben Wallace has been tasked with investigating what jets we may be able to send (to Ukraine). No decision has been taken on that.

Downing Street described their approach as a multi-year and emphasised that it currently takes 5 years to train a pilot in the UK.

UK to investigate what jets it could send to Ukraine

UK pushing for Russia ban at 2024 Olympics

15:50 , Liam James

Downing Street said it has pressured the International Olympic Committee to block Russia from competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The issue of preventing Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the 2024 Games was raised during Volodymyr Zelenskys visit to the UK, his office said.

The prime ministers official spokesman said while Russia was invading another country it should be treated as a pariah state and should not be able to legitimise its illegal war in Ukraine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Russians and Belarusians may be allowed to compete as neutral athletes not representing a country, as Russian athletes did in 2016 after a doping scandal.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo today said she did want Russia to compete at the 2024 games, adding that a neutral banner doesnt really exist because sometimes there are athletes who are dissidents. They march and compete under the refugee banner.

Boris Johnson calls for UK to send its jets and tanks to help Ukraine finish the job

16:19 , Liam James

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson has put pressure on Rishi Sunak to send jets and tanks to Ukraine.

He said more than 100 Typhoon jets were held by the UK and the best single use for them would be to assist Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

His call came as Mr Sunak ordered his defence secretary to investigate which planes Britain could send, after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for jets in the face of an expected offensive from Moscow.
(Bloomberg) -- Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands will supply Ukraine with as many as 178 older generation Leopard 1 battle tanks in the latest shipment of heavy military equipment as Kyiv braces for an expected intensification of fighting with invading Russian forces.

Most Read from Bloomberg

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the defense ministers said the first deliveries would arrive in Ukraine in a few months in a package that includes training, spare parts and ammunition. Belgium has also shown interest in participating, they said.

Within the coming months, Ukraine will receive at least 100 Leopard 1 A5 battle tanks, they said in the statement. Germanys Defense Ministry said that the final number could reach 178.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was quoted by German public broadcaster ZDF as saying the deliveries would be made in stages, with about 20, 25 to arrive by the European summer and more than 100 by early next year.

The Leopard 1, which is no longer in production, was West Germanys primary main battle tank in the 1960s and 1970s until it was succeeded by the Leopard 2, which is faster and more heavily armored, with a more powerful main gun and better targeting systems.

Last month, Germany and its allies pledged to supply Ukraine with around 90 Leopard 2s, or enough to equip two battalions.

--With assistance from Michael Nienaber.

(Updates with confirmation from defense ministers from first paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Out of all the types of armoured vehicles, Ukraine needs the tanks that have attracted so much media attention in recent weeks the least, says Michael Kofman, a leading Western analyst and director of Russian Studies at the Center for Naval Analysis in Arlington, Virginia.

Source: BBC News Russian service, referring to Kofman's podcast, War on The Rocks

Details: The expert says that Ukraine needs infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) much more than tanks, and in large quantities. The fact that hundreds of so-called "tank killers", Bradley IFVs, have been promised to Ukraine is more important than the Leopards.

Kofman says that IFVs are needed both to repel the upcoming Russian offensive and for a counteroffensive by Ukraine later  probably in late spring or early summer.

The analyst noted that "Ukraine can expect to lose hundreds of vehicles" during any offensive operations, even the most successful, but, in his opinion, new supplies will cover these losses.

Kofman also noted that Russia was unlucky that the winter in Ukraine and other European countries was warmer than usual. This has led to the fact that the power required in Ukraine was lower, as well as gas use in European countries.

Meanwhile, the expert suggests, the number of missiles that Russia is firing at Ukraine during bombardments "is beginning to decrease to the number of missiles that they can produce in a month".

Background:

On 31 January, the United States announced that it had sent the first batch of more than 60 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

On 25 January, the German government officially announced the decision to transfer Leopard 2 main battle tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to allow re-export to other countries that also want to do so.

US President Joe Biden confirmed his intention to transfer 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which is equal to one Ukrainian battalion, to strengthen its defence capabilities against the backdrop of Russian aggression. The USA announced that, together with the tanks, they would provide training to the Ukrainian military and supply spare parts as soon as possible.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Photo: Tim Hortons

In June 2022, Canadian privacy commissioners found coffee giant Tim Hortons allegedly used a mobile app to track peoples movements without their consent.

In the wake of that finding, the much-loved company is offering Canadians who used the app a beverage and a snack.

The offer came as a result of a class-action suit filed against the company in Quebec Superior Court, said Montreal-based LPC Avocat Inc., a class-action law firm focusing on protecting consumer rights.

The plaintiffs said the company collected geolocation data of Canadian users who used the Tim Hortons app, without adequate notice to users or proper consent.

The plaintiffs claimed the actions constituted breaches of the Civil Code of Quebec, of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, of federal and provincial privacy legislation, of provincial consumer protection legislation, of the Competition Act, breach of contract, intrusion upon seclusion, statutory privacy torts and breach of trust.

The Quebec firm noted none of the allegations have been been proven in court and are contested by the company. Tim Hortons maintains it complied at all times with all applicable legislation and committed no wrongdoing of any kind.

The parties have agreed to a national settlement of the claims, without any admission of liability, the firm said.

The offer applies to all Canadian resident users of the app with registered accounts in Canada whose geolocation information was collected by any of the defendants between April 1, 2019 and Sept. 30, 2020.

Without admitting liability, the company has agreed to give each eligible user an app credit for a baked good such as a croissant, muffin, cookie, bun, biscuit or a doughnut to a maximum value of $2.39, and a hot beverage such as a brewed coffee, hot latte, hot cappuccino, hot espresso, a hot cortado, hot tea or a hot chocolate, to a maximum value of $6.19, plus taxes.

Commissioners findings

The federal and provincial privacy commissioners report released in June said tracking peoples movements can give companies insights into sensitive data such as trips to medical clinics indicative of specific medical treatments or illness. Other locations can lead to deductions about religious beliefs, sexual preferences, social and political affiliations as well as other information such as a person living at a sexual or domestic abuse shelter or working at a prison, the report said.

This continual and vast collection of location information resulted in a loss of app users privacy that is not proportional to the potential benefits Tim Hortons may have hoped to gain from improved targeted advertising promoting its coffee and associated products.

For Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien, the case was unacceptable and gravely serious. Moreover, he said it presents mass surveillance concerns.

As a society, we would not accept it if the government wanted to track our movements every minute of every day, Therrien said.

But thats what Tim Hortons did, he said.

People were simply misled, Therrien said. You simply cannot consent on that basis.

B.C. commissioner Michael McEvoy said such behaviour is both contrary to the law and erodes trust between customers and companies.

This case is a clear lesson to all organizations to think before collecting, McEvoy said.

The commissioners did not know if other companies were doing the same thing but suggested such behaviour was likely.

The joint investigation was done by the federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the provincial offices in B.C., Alberta and Quebec.
Ukraines regulator declares Forward Bank insolvent

The NBU took this decision due to the irreversible deterioration of the banks financial condition.

Read also: No reason to nationalize former Alfa-Bank, NBU says

The bank has been considered problematic since Nov. 24, 2022 due to a drop in its income, which created the risk of it dipping lower than its statutorily required capital levels.

Since then, the banks situation has only worsened, with a further fall in capital and no prospects for its improvement.

The NBU stressed that Forward Banks share was only 0.1% of the assets of solvent banks, so its bankruptcy would not affect the stability of Ukraines banking sector.

All bank depositors will be able to get their money back through the Deposit Guarantee Fund. The possible amount of guaranteed deposits as of Jan. 21, 2023 was UAH 1.5 billion ($42 million).

Read also: Ukrainian banks made $298 million in profit in 2022, reports NBU

Forward Bank operated in Ukraine under the Russian Standard brand until November 2022. Later on, media reported that Russian Standard Bank, the largest in the consumer lending sector, had begun to freeze its business activities until a more favorable economic situation developed.

In November 2022, the NBU temporarily deprived Russian shareholders of voting rights in Forward Bank, Ukrainian Capital, and First Investment Bank.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukraine has succeeded in bringing back 128 children forcibly taken by the invaders to Russia.

Source: Yuliia Usenko, Head of the Department for the Protection of the Interests of Children and Combating Violence of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, quoted by Ukrinform

Quote: "We have managed to bring 128 children back to Ukraine.

More than 50 of them, together with their parents or guardians, are currently in EU countries.

You may ask, why is the number so small compared to the number of those being deported? But for us this is not a number, it is 128 children's lives. Bringing them back to the Motherland is the work of a large number of people. They have been working for months to bring back at least one child. That's a lot of security risks, including for people helping the process. At this moment, I cannot disclose who these people are and how everything is happening..."

"Ukraine is doing everything it can, but, unfortunately, it is not enough. The usual tools of diplomacy are not working, the requirements of international humanitarian law against the aggressor are not working, therefore there is no single mechanism, and common rules do not apply. Our task is to be continuously searching for ways and to maintain a dialogue with those who support us."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Ukraines Ministry of Information Policy has shown a video of the GLSDB long-range cruise missile. This projectile has a range of 150 kilometres and is part of a new package of military aid to Ukraine from the United States.



Source: Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security on Telegram



Details: The Centre reports that the cruise missile is an experimental US development that will help the Ukrainian Armed Forces drive the Russians out of Ukraine.

The GLSDB is a hybrid of an aerial bomb and an M26 unguided missile. Such bombs and missiles will be launched from ground-based installations and are highly accurate.

For reference: The GLSDB munition was developed by Boeing in cooperation with SAAB and has been under development since 2019. The GLSDB combines the GBU-39 (SDB) air-launched bomb with the M26 rocket engine. The GBU-39 is a small guided bomb weighing about 130 kilograms. The wings of the GBU-39 unfold in the air, which significantly increases the range of the bomb.

The weapon uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) and an inertial navigation system to hit the target.

These munitions can be fired from HIMARS and M270 launchers.

Background: In early February, Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said that a new military aid package for Ukraine would include long-range GLSDB missiles with a range of 150 kilometres.

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






BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will ask a summit of European Union leaders on Thursday for more arms to fight Russia and powering ahead with Kyiv's bid to join the EU, a senior Ukrainian official said on Wednesday.

Zelenskiy visited Britain on Wednesday, winning a pledge to train Ukrainian pilots on advanced NATO fighter jets, and was expected in the European Union hub Brussels on Thursday for talks among the 27 national leaders of the bloc.

"My president travels to get results," said the Ukrainian official. "He is on a foreign trip today. First and foremost, the main result is - weapons.... We need the support of the European Council to speed up arms deliveries to Ukraine."

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout)
By Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill

LONDON/LULWORTH CAMP ARMY BASE, England (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Britain and others on Wednesday to give Ukraine "wings for freedom" by sending combat aircraft to help turn the tide against Russia's offensive, hoping to overcome Western reluctance to take that step.

Western countries have scaled up their pledges of military aid for Ukraine this year with promises of hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles as well as longer-range weapons, but have so far refused to deliver war planes.

Britain said nothing was off the table and it wanted to start training Ukrainian fighter pilots to fly "sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future".

It is also investigating which jets London could send, and discussing with allies the supply chain needs around such aircraft, but with a caveat that this was long-term action rather than meeting Kyiv's immediate demands.

"The first step in being able to provide advanced aircrafts is to have soldiers or aviators that are capable of using them. That is a process that takes some time. We've started that process today," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said alongside Zelenskiy at an army camp in Dorset, southwest England.

Britain also announced an immediate surge of military deliveries to help Ukraine fend off an intensifying Russian offensive.

Earlier Zelenskiy praised Britain and the West for the support and the sanctions they had provided so far in an address to lawmakers from across the political spectrum in the Gothic expanse of parliament's Westminster Hall in London.

But, offering an air force helmet with the message "we have freedom, give us wings to protect it" to the speaker of the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament, Zelenskiy called on the West to deliver up the fighter jets.

"I appeal to you and the world, with simple and yet the most important words - combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom."

Story continues

Later, alongside Sunak, Zelenskiy said via an interpreter that he had heard from the British leader "the desire to provide fighter jets".

Sunak's spokesperson said the defence secretary would investigate what jets Britain might be able to give, "but to be clear this is a long-term solution, rather than a short-term capability which is what Ukraine needs most now".

In response, news agency TASS cited Russia's embassy to Britain as warning that any delivery of British fighter jets to Ukraine would have serious military and political ramifications.

FIRST STOP

London was Zelenskiy's first stop on only his second trip abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, after a visit to Washington in December. He was expected in Paris later on Wednesday and then Brussels.

Zelenskiy also met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

"We've all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can't tell you," Charles said.

Russia is bringing tens of thousands of recently mobilised troops to the battlefield to try to break through Ukrainian defences in eastern Ukraine in what it calls a special military operation launched to stop Ukraine's shift towards the West.

Ukraine's allies have sent tanks and armoured vehicles but said it will take time to train Ukrainian forces to use them.

Britain has trained 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months and will train a further 20,000 soldiers this year, the government said.

Last week, Ukrainian troops arrived in Britain to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks which Sunak said would be operating in Ukraine by next month.

The move to train pilots was likely to involve simulators rather than advanced Western aircraft and did not mean Britain would soon supply such jets, Justin Bronk, an expert at the RUSI think tank, said on Twitter. But it would help pilots prepare for possible future such deliveries, he wrote.

(Additional reporting by Muvija M, Sachin Ravikumar, Alistair Smout and Farouq Suleiman; editing by William James, Kate Holton, Philippa Fletcher, Nick Macfie and Diane Craft)
Ukrainian defenders destroyed seven light motorboats belonging to the Russians in the south of Ukraine on 8 February 2023; the Russian occupiers were preparing to use these boats for their sabotage and reconnaissance groups (SRGs).

Source: Natalia Humeniuk, Head of the Joint Press Centre for Operational Command Pivden (South), on air during the 24/7 national joint newscast

Quote from Humeniuk: "We have managed to destroy those light boats that the enemy had prepared for sabotage and reconnaissance groups. Seven of them."

Details: Humeniuk has also added that Ukrainian defenders had damaged two Grad multiple-launch rocket systems in Oleshky from where the invaders had shelled Kherson.

Background:

It was reported on 31 January 2023 that Ukrainian forces had destroyed at least five light motorboats carrying Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the area of the islands at the mouth of the Dnipro River.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Ukrainian servicemen carry the coffin of a comrade killed in the Donetsk region, January 8, 2023. P Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

Russia's upcoming offensive will take advantage of delays in sending Ukraine tanks, an MP told Insider.

Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian lawmaker, said delays from Western allies will cost lives in Ukraine.

Germany and the US hesitated for months in sending tanks to Ukraine, prompting outcry from officials.

Russia's looming offensive in Ukraine is set to take advantage of a delay from the West in sending tanks to Ukraine, a Ukrainian lawmaker told Insider.

Inna Sovsun, a liberal opposition MP, said the time the US and Germany took to decide whether to send tanks gave Russia a window of opportunity to attack, before Ukraine's troops were better prepared.

"They are doing that because they know that in three months we are going to have soldiers who are training to use Leopards and other tanks," she said.

The impact of the delay in sending the advanced weaponry will be that more Ukrainians will die, she added. "We might lose some of our towns and villages and we will definitely lose some of the people."

A German Leopard 2A6 tank during training at the 7th Army Training Command Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, May 2017. US Army photo by Spc. Nathanael Mercado

A long decision on tanks

Ukrainian officials have been warning for months that Russia is poised to launch a large-scale attack, perhaps as soon as this month. One Ukrainian military advisor told the Financial Times on Sunday that Ukrainian intelligence believes Russia could launch its attack within 10 days.

Ukraine first started asking for tanks at the start of Russia's invasion, but those requests became increasingly frequent and public towards the end of 2022.

The US and Germany were slow to act, with their indecision also delaying other countries, which said they wanted to send tanks but had to hold off because they needed permission to re-export German-made vehicles. Germany declined to act without the US also committing to doing so.

Both countries finally agreed to send tanks at the end of January, paving the way for other nations to announce their commitments.

Sovsun told Insider that it was hard to watch countries debate sending the needed weaponry, and that she couldn't understand how the decision to send tanks was not made sooner.

Story continues

"It became emotionally difficult because we are losing hundreds of people there daily sometimes. Lives could have been saved if that weapon were provided," she said.

Sovsun said her own partner is fighting on the front lines, "risking his life every day."

"I wake up every day and I double check if he is alive, and I am worried about him like hell every single day, every second."

Ukraine has, until now, had to rely on Soviet-era tanks, and the country says more advanced tanks are necessary to push back any Russian offensive.

Sovsun added that having the tanks earlier would also have helped Ukraine in recent battles, where both sides reached a bloody deadlock, including the months-long, close-quarters battle for the city of Bakhmut.

"We are in very close combat. And close combat is exactly what tanks are made for. That is why they were created, for trench warfare," she said.

A Ukrainian serviceman holds a portrait of his brother-in-arms Volodymyr Androshchuk, who died fighting near Bakhmut, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Adding to the frustration, Germany's defense minister said in late January that the Leopard 2 tanks will only be operational in Ukraine in about three months.

Commenting on this, Sovsun said simply that people in Ukraine were dying every day because "decisions to give us tanks were not taken before."

Read the original article on Business Insider
United Airlines planes parked at gates at Terminal C at Newark Liberty Airport Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

A United Airlines flight was grounded after a passenger's battery pack caught on fire.

Cabin crew contained the fire by putting the battery in a fire bag, per The New York Times.

Four people were taken to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, per The Times.

A United Airlines plane was forced to turn around mid-flight and return to the San Diego International Airport after a passenger's battery pack caught fire in the cabin.

An unnamed passenger's portable battery pack burst into flames around 10 minutes after United Airlines Flight 2664 took off on Tuesday morning, per NBC San Diego. The Boeing 737 plane was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, an airport spokesperson named Sabrina LoPiccolo told NBC News.

United Airlines said in a statement to CBS News that the battery pack had "ignited," but did not give further details on the cause of the fire. The cabin crew managed to contain the fire by putting the battery in a fire bag, Monica Munoz, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Fire Department, told The New York Times.

Fire bags are also known as thermal containment bags, or burn bags, and can be used to put out fires from portable electronic devices.

A representative at the Federal Aviation Authority told Insider that the plane landed safely back in San Diego at around 7:30 a.m. local time. This was half an hour after it first took off, LoPiccolo told The Times.

The FAA told Insider it will investigate the incident.

Four people on board the flight were taken to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, per The Times.

"We thank our crew for their quick actions in prioritizing the safety of everyone on board the aircraft," United told CBS News.

It's unclear what exactly caused the battery to catch fire. Representatives for United Airlines and the San Diego Fire Department did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Story continues

Lithium-ion batteries power electronic devices like mobile phones and laptops. They can cause fires on planes when they overheat. These batteries cannot be packed in checked bags, but can be brought on-board in carry-on luggage, per the TSA's regulations.

In January, two passengers on Scoot flight TR993 from Taipei to Singapore suffered minor burns when a portable charger caught fire, per Channel News Asia.

And in May, a passenger's phone caught fire on board a Wizz Air flight from Budapest to Malmo, Sweden, right before it took off. The pilot was forced to turn around, return to the terminal, and evacuate all passengers on board.

Read the original article on Insider
A US-made M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). Ukraine has used these weapons to great effect against Russian forces. US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Beaux Hebert

The US State Department has approved the sale of HIMARS launchers, missiles, and rockets to Poland.

Poland would be the latest country bordering Russia to secure these deadly weapons from the US.

Ukrainian forces have used the HIMARS to devastate Russian positions on the battlefield.

The US State Department has signed off on a request by Poland to buy an advanced rocket system, as well as longer-range missiles and rockets for it. The country is among several other US allies bordering Russia that have sought to obtain this capability.

Poland requested to buy 18 M142 US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and related equipment in a expected $10 billion sale, according to a notice this week from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The HIMARS has proven to be a highly effective weapon for Ukraine, which has used the system to devastate Russian forces on the battlefield.

The sale will also include 468 HIMARS launcher loader module kits, 45 M57 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS)  longer-range missiles for the HIMARS that Ukraine has long requested  and over 1,500 different variants of guided multiple launch rockets (GMLRS) and warheads. ATACMS are surface-to-surface missiles that have a range of 190 miles, while the XM403 GMLRS, one of the variants included, are extended-range munitions.

Additionally, the sale is expected to consist of practice rockets, communications and support equipment, systems integration assistance, and personnel training.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe," the DSCA notice states. "The proposed sale will improve Poland's military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies."

US Army soldiers fire their High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during an exercise near Camp Buehring in Kuwait on January 8, 2019. US Army/Sgt. Bill Boecker

Poland will be able to use this advanced weaponry to modernize its forces, beef up its homeland defense, and deter regional threats, said the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. It added that the country will not have any trouble absorbing these systems into its forces and that the sale  which still needs Congressional approval  won't change the regional military balance.

Story continues

With this sale, Poland would become the latest eastern European country that borders Russia to secure the much-celebrated HIMARS. The State Department last year approved a sale of HIMARS to Estonia, which borders mainland Russia. Lithuania  which, along with Poland, borders the tiny militarized Russian exclave of Kaliningrad  also secured a deal with the US government. And Latvia, which is also a Russian neighbor, has previously requested to buy the weapon. Lithuania and Estonia both requested the ATACMS and extended range GMLRS as well.

Ukrainian forces have found success with the HIMARS on the battlefield since they arrived in the early summer of 2022, using its GPS-guided rockets to target Russian sites like ammunition depots, command posts, and bridges. The weapons were also critical in helping Ukraine recapture territory around the southern Kherson region.

The UK-based Royal United Services Institute wrote in an assessment last year that the HIMARS  and US-made M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems  signaled the moment where Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine ended and the war transitioned into a new phase.

Earlier this year, Ukrainian forces used the HIMARS to carry out a deadly strike on Russian positions in the eastern occupied city of Makiivka. Scores of Russian troops were killed in the incident, which sparked sweeping anger and criticism of Moscow's military leadership.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: The Canadian Press

Patients without family doctors in B.C.s urban areas have been signing on to the provinces Health Connect Registry. And now, doctors who participate in a new payment model will be required to supply the province with a roster of active patients.

This summer, the province plans to begin merging those lists in hopes of connecting patients with family doctors who have room for them.

Family physicians who adopt the new payment model must, by July 1, submit a list of active patients for whom they have accepted responsibility, or within three months of enrolling in the payment model, whichever is later.

Under the new model, doctors are paid for time spent with patients and on paperwork, instead of a fee for service.

B.C. Health Ministry Adrian Dix announced last week that about 1,400 of about 4,000 family physicians in the province had registered in the new system.

The Health Connect Registry (healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry) has been open to anyone who wants a family doctor or nurse practitioner in urban areas around the province, which on Vancouver Island includes Victoria, Saanich Peninsula, Western Communities, Oceanside, Nanaimo, Cowichan, Comox Valley and Campbell River District.

Patients must provide a personal health number  found on the B.C. Services Card, previously known as a care card  a home address, postal code, email address and phone number.

The Health Ministry says the provincial rostering system will integrate lists, including the Health Connect Registry, within a new and refreshed Health Gateway, which now includes about 1.3 million British Columbians.

The Health Gateway allows patients to get online access via a website or mobile app to health records, including medication history dating to 1995, lab results, hospital visits, as well as proof of COVID-19 vaccination and other immunizations.

The Ministry of Health says it will work with Doctors of B.C. and B.C. Family Doctors to develop the provincial rostering system to make attachment easier for both patients and physicians.

Once the rostering system is in place and all family physicians have provided a list of active patients by July 1, the information can be cross-referenced or merged.

Physicians will then continually provide updates through the rostering system to receive payments based on their panel size and complexity, the Health Ministry said.

Patients registered under the Health Connect Registry will not have to re-register.

The Health Ministry says the patient roster will allow the province to work with providers and clinics to identify gaps and attach patients to doctors.
SUBIC BAY, Philippines (AP)  Once-secret ammunition bunkers and barracks lay abandoned, empty and overrun by weeds  vestiges of American firepower in what used to be the United States' largest overseas naval base at Subic Bay in the northern Philippines.

But that may change in the near future.

The U.S. has been taking steps to rebuild its military might in the Philippines more than 30 years after the closure of its large bases in the country and reinforcing an arc of military alliances in Asia in a starkly different post-Cold War era when the perceived new regional threat is an increasingly belligerent China.

On Feb. 2, the longtime allies announced that rotating batches of American forces would be granted access to four more Philippine military camps aside from five other local bases, where U.S.-funded constructions have picked up pace to build barracks, warehouses and other buildings to accommodate a yet-unspecified but expectedly considerable number of visiting troops under a 2014 defense pact.

Manila-based political scientist Andrea Chloe Wong said the location of the Philippine camps would give the U.S. military the presence it would need to be a strong deterrent against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, where China, the Philippines and four other governments have had increasingly tense territorial rifts  as well as a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory to be brought under Chinese control, by force if necessary.

Around the former U.S. Navy base in Subic, now a bustling commercial freeport and tourism destination northwest of Manila, news of the Philippine governments decision to allow an expanded American military presence rekindled memories of an era when thousands of U.S. sailors pumped money, life and hope into the neighboring city of Olongapo.

Olongapo was like Las Vegas then," Filipino businessman AJ Saliba told The Associated Press in an interview in his foreign currency exchange and music shop along what used to be Olongapos garish red-light strip.

Story continues

Noisy as early as noon with neon lights turned on and the Americans roaming around. Women were everywhere. Jeepney drivers, tricycles, restaurants, bars, hotels  everybody was making money  so if they will return, my God, you know, thatll be the best news, he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during his visit in Manila last week that Washington was not trying to reestablish permanent bases, but that the agreement to broaden its military presence under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement was a big deal.

Visiting American military personnel could engage the Philippine military in larger joint combat-readiness trainings, provide help in responding rapidly to disasters and press efforts to help modernize Manilas armed forces, Austin and his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

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," Austin said at a news conference in Manila.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the U.S. militarys strengthening in the region was escalating tensions and risking peace and stability.

Regional countries need to remain vigilant and avoid being coerced or used by the U.S., Mao told reporters Feb. 2 at a briefing in Beijing.

Austin and Galvez did not reveal the four new locations where the Americans would be granted access and allowed to preposition weapons and other equipment. The Philippine defense chief said local officials, where the Americans would stay, had to be consulted.

In November, then-Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro disclosed that the sites included the strategic Subic Bay, where the Navy base was once a boon to the local economy. But two senior Philippine officials told the AP that Subic, where a Philippine navy camp is located, was not among the current list of sites where Washington has sought access for its forces, although they suggested that could change as talks were continuing. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

Subic freeport administrator Rolen Paulino said he has not been notified by the government that the former American naval base has been designated as a potential site for visiting U.S. forces.

A renewed U.S. military presence at Subic, however, would generate more jobs and raise additional freeport revenues at a crucial time when many Filipinos and businesses are still struggling to recover from two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and an economic recession wrought by coronavirus outbreaks, Paulino said.

I see them as tourists, he said of the U.S. forces whose presence could boost economic recovery.

About the size of Singapore, the former American Navy base at Subic with its deep harbors, a ship repair yard and huge warehouses had been used to support the U.S. war effort in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s. It was shut down and transformed into a commercial freeport and recreational complex in 1992 after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension of U.S. lease.

A year earlier, the U.S. Air Force withdrew from Clark Air Base near Subic after nearby Mount Pinatubo roared back to life in the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century and belched ash on the air base and outlying regions.

The American flag was lowered for the final time and the last batch of American sailors left Subic in November 1992, ending nearly a century of American military presence in the Philippines that began in 1898 when the U.S. seized the archipelago in a new colonial era after Spain held the Southeast Asian nation as a colony for more than three centuries. Washington granted independence on July 4, 1946, but maintained military bases and facilities, including Subic.

Chinas seizure in the mid-1990s of Mischief Reef, a coral outcrop within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines that extends into the South China Sea, provided the first hint that the allies may have been too quick to downgrade their relationship," said Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Philippine Constitution prohibits permanent basing of foreign troops in the country and their involvement in local combat but allows temporary visits by foreign troops under security pacts such as the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and a 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement.

The 1998 agreement allowed a large number of American forces to be deployed in the southern Philippines to help provide combat training and intelligence to Filipino forces battling the then-al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, which was blamed for deadly bombings and mass kidnappings for ransom, including three Americans  one of whom was beheaded and another shot and killed in a Philippine army rescue. The third survived.

There is still, however, domestic opposition to a U.S. presence in the Philippines, which left-wing groups have criticized as neo-colonialism, reinforced by the 2014 killing of a Filipina transgender woman by a U.S. Marine, Wong said.

Governor Manuel Mamba of northern Cagayan province, where Bacarro said the U.S. has reportedly sought access for its forces in two local military encampments, vowed to oppose such an American military presence. Cagayan, located on the northern tip of the main Luzon island, lies across a narrow sea border from Taiwan, the Taiwan Strait and southern China.

Itll be very dangerous for us. If they stay here, whoever is their enemy will become our enemy, Mamba told the AP by telephone, adding the Philippines could be targeted by nuclear weapons if the conflict over Taiwan boils over.

You cannot really remove any presumption by anyone that the Philippines has a nuclear capability through the Americans, who will be here, Mamba said.

___

Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila in Manila, Philippines, and David Rising in Bangkok contributed.
Feb. 7The Hillsborough County Corrections Department has referred allegations of possible staff wrongdoing to Manchester police for investigation, the Corrections Department reported Tuesday.

In a news release, the Hillsborough County Corrections Department said it received notification from an outside law enforcement agency about staff misconduct.

Hillsborough County operates the Valley Street jail.

"If true, (the misconduct) may constitute violations of the New Hampshire criminal code as well as violations of the facility policies and procedures," reads the statement, which was dated Tuesday.

The possible violations were reported by a former inmate, and jail officials first learned of them on Jan. 31.

Superintendent Joseph Costanzo referred the matter to Manchester police for investigation.

"Any charges that may follow will be resolved through the criminal justice system and if true, is not conduct tolerated or sanctioned by Hillsborough County," the statement reads.

The Hillsborough County Corrections Department is also undertaking a non-criminal administrative investigation.
Four juveniles seen in video surveillance smashing the doors of a Port Orange elementary school with a fire extinguisher and causing more than $30,000 in damages have been arrested, police said.

Port Orange police said late Tuesday that the juveniles who entered the the Spruce Creek Elementary school around 2 a.m. on Sunday were identified and arrested.

Port Orange police say these are some of the damages four juvenile vandals caused at Spruce Creek Elementary School. The juveniles, who broke into the school early Sunday, were arrested on Tuesday.

The juveniles, all boys, included two 14-year-olds, a15-year-old and 16-year-old, according to investigators with the Port Orange Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division.

All the boys were charged with trespassing on school grounds, felony criminal mischief (vandalism), and burlgary, police said.

1 vandalism a monthVandalism: Port Orange registers at least one incident per month since February

According to Port Orange police, the juveniles broke into the elementary school early Sunday and caused at least $30,000 in damages.

The juveniles damaged several portable classrooms, two storage sheds and smashed windows to the main building, police said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Vandals who damaged Port Orange school arrested




Photo: Ascannio (Shutterstock)

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. Within two months of its release it reached 100 million active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application ever launched. Users are attracted to the tools advanced capabilities  and concerned by its potential to cause disruption in various sectors.



A much less discussed implication is the privacy risks ChatGPT poses to each and every one of us. Just yesterday, Google unveiled its own conversational AI called Bard, and others will surely follow. Technology companies working on AI have well and truly entered an arms race.

Read more

The problem is its fueled by our personal data.

300 billion words. How many are yours?

ChatGPT is underpinned by a large language model that requires massive amounts of data to function and improve. The more data the model is trained on, the better it gets at detecting patterns, anticipating what will come next and generating plausible text.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, fed the tool some 300 billion words systematically scraped from the internet: books, articles, websites and posts  including personal information obtained without consent.

If youve ever written a blog post or product review, or commented on an article online, theres a good chance this information was consumed by ChatGPT.

So why is that an issue?

The data collection used to train ChatGPT is problematic for several reasons.

First, none of us were asked whether OpenAI could use our data. This is a clear violation of privacy, especially when data are sensitive and can be used to identify us, our family members, or our location.

Even when data are publicly available their use can breach what we call textual integrity. This is a fundamental principle in legal discussions of privacy. It requires that individuals information is not revealed outside of the context in which it was originally produced.

Story continues

Also, OpenAI offers no procedures for individuals to check whether the company stores their personal information, or to request it be deleted. This is a guaranteed right in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)  although its still under debate whether ChatGPT is compliant with GDPR requirements.

This right to be forgotten is particularly important in cases where the information is inaccurate or misleading, which seems to be a regular occurrence with ChatGPT.

Moreover, the scraped data ChatGPT was trained on can be proprietary or copyrighted. For instance, when I prompted it, the tool produced the first few paragraphs of Peter Careys novel True History of the Kelly Gang  a copyrighted text.

ChatGPT doesnt consider copyright protection when generating outputs. Anyone using the outputs elsewhere could be inadvertently plagiarising.



Finally, OpenAI did not pay for the data it scraped from the internet. The individuals, website owners and companies that produced it were not compensated. This is particularly noteworthy considering OpenAI was recently valued at US$29 billion, more than double its value in 2021.



OpenAI has also just announced ChatGPT Plus, a paid subscription plan that will offer customers ongoing access to the tool, faster response times and priority access to new features. This plan will contribute to expected revenue of $1 billion by 2024.

None of this would have been possible without data  our data  collected and used without our permission.

ChatGPTs flimsy privacy policy

Another privacy risk involves the data provided to ChatGPT in the form of user prompts. When we ask the tool to answer questions or perform tasks, we may inadvertently hand over sensitive information and put it in the public domain.

For instance, an attorney may prompt the tool to review a draft divorce agreement, or a programmer may ask it to check a piece of code. The agreement and code, in addition to the outputted essays, are now part of ChatGPTs database. This means they can be used to further train the tool, and be included in responses to other peoples prompts.

Beyond this, OpenAI gathers a broad scope of other user information. According to the companys privacy policy, it collects users IP address, browser type and settings, and data on users interactions with the site  including the type of content users engage with, features they use and actions they take.

It also collects information about users browsing activities over time and across websites. Alarmingly, OpenAI states it may share users personal information with unspecified third parties, without informing them, to meet their business objectives.

Time to rein ChatGPT in?

Some experts believe ChatGPT is a tipping point for AI  a realisation of technological development that can revolutionise the way we work, learn, write and even think. Its potential benefits notwithstanding, we must remember OpenAI is a private, for-profit company whose interests and commercial imperatives do not necessarily align with greater societal needs.

The privacy risks that come attached to ChatGPT should sound a warning. And as consumers of a growing number of AI technologies, we should be extremely careful about what information we share with such tools.





The Conversation reached out to OpenAI for comment.

Uri Gal, Professor in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

More from Gizmodo

Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
Vice President Kamala Harris made a visit to Atlanta as she discussed the Biden Administrations investments and plans to combat climate change.

The vice president stopped at Georgia Tech as part of a two-day trip to discuss the United States economy.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Channel 2 Action News was at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as she arrived on Air Force Two just before 11 a.m.

The vice president and President Joe Biden last traveled to Atlanta together in Jan. 2022 to discuss voting rights.

President Biden traveled to Atlanta last month and spoke at Ebenezer Baptist Church in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

TRENDING STORIES:

Democrats say the reason Harris chose Georgia to visit after the State of Union is because Georgia is now a battleground state.

Republicans criticized the stop saying the Biden administration is failing Georgia.

Access to clean water should be a right, not just a privilege to those who can afford it, Harris said.

It was much less of a political speechand much more of a very policy-heavy panel discussion of the Biden administrations approach to climate change, environmental equity, and public health.

Georgia is quickly becoming a capital of electric mobility manufacturing, something Harris talked about, too.

One of the other areas where Im very particularly interested and excited about is electric vehicles and in particular electric school buses, Harris said.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Electric mobility, thats vehicles and batteries, is also Republican Gov. Brian Kemps initiative, luring manufacturers Rivian and Hyundai to Georgia. He was critical of Harris visit and Bidens State of the Union.

Story continues

Inflation, a non-existent south border, and their continued opposition to Georgia manufacturing jobs are hurting hardworking families in our state. The state of Bidens administration in Georgia is disastrous, Kemp said.

Right before the vice presidents appearance, Channel 2 spoke with Democrat Stacey Abrams.

She said the fact that Harris came here after the State of the Union shows that Democrats believe Georgia is in play in the coming elections.

IN RELATED NEWS:
Photo: Rob Kruyt, BIV. The current state of the Broadway Corridor, east of Granville Street near Arbutus, in Vancouver.

Subway construction along Broadway has killed many businesses, is killing many more, and neither the City of Vancouver nor the provincial government has agreed to provide failing businesses compensation.

This so far has led to one lawsuit and calls for compensation from countless business owners as well as city councillors, such as Lisa Dominato.

Their proposed solution is to have B.C. create a system similar to what Quebec did in 2019 in Montreal.

The City of Montreal in January of that year launched a financial assistance program to help business owners with operating losses that stemmed from nearby construction projects. Montreal put $5 million into a fund, while the Quebec government added $20 million.

Business owners then filled out forms to prove losses, and were eligible for compensation up to $30,000 per year  a threshold that has since increased to $40,000 per year.

Other cities, such as Edmonton, have investigated launching similar programs, but none yet have.

Dominato said she and other councillors supported former Coun. Colleen Hardwicks motion last year for city staff to look into ways to potentially compensate Broadway merchants for losses caused by subway construction, including by using the Montreal model.

I share the concerns of small businesses along the Broadway corridor, she said.

Merchants along the corridor say they should not be punished because a needed infrastructure upgrade to the regions transit system was built in their neighbourhood.

Compensation, however, is a tough sell for the B.C. government.

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming declined a request for an interview.

His ministry sent an email that stated it is aware of the Montreal program, though not its details, and the province does not provide compensation for temporary disruptions arising from construction.

Flemings ministry then highlighted its instruction to Broadway Subway Project Corp.  the joint-venture partnership between Acciona and Ghella that is building the line  to tunnel underground where possible and install temporary bridges called traffic decks to enable as much access as possible to businesses.

This method results in far less above-ground disruption for businesses than the cut-and-cover approach used on the Canada Line, the ministry wrote.

Entire city blocks on Broadway, where stations are being constructed, have been completely torn up with cut-and-cover construction, as have some adjoining blocks.

The B.C. government maintains that it sufficiently communicated with those who own impacted businesses. It surveyed 2,626 businesses beforehand and alerted 823 owners with briefing packages before construction started, it said in its email.

Access to businesses strained by construction

Despite what the city and province maintain are genuine efforts to provide access for shoppers who want to visit Broadway merchants, the reality is that the corridor has had significantly less parking during the past two years than it had previously.

Two lanes of parking were removed along the entire corridor in 2021.

The citys manager of transit integration and projects, Steve Brown, says the province and its subway-building partners have authority for all decisions within the project area, and that this includes all parking decisions on Broadway.

He said the city tried to mitigate the loss of parking by changing parking rules on side streets.

Mt. Pleasant Business Improvement Area executive director Neil Wyles says he appreciated that the city changed unmetered parking on some side streets to short-term parking to ensure turnover and to keep people from parking their cars there all day. The city also added some new loading zones, he added.

One thing that Wyles calls a bone of contention is that the subway builders banned public parking on two curb lanes on some parts of Broadway to provide free parking for workers on the project.

Pylons cordon off those lanes, and the workers vehicles are able to park there all day.

So Johnny Lunchbox gets to park his car there all day for free and the parking is not available for customers of the businesses, Wyles said.

Other parts of Broadway still have parking meters with covers that say no parking, he added.

Im looking for the restoration of some parking, Wyles said. The numbers support it.

The province, however, said in an email that all parking prohibitions on Broadway have been necessary.

Subway construction leaves devastation in its wake

Broadway Subway Project Corp. construction not only led to lane closures and parking prohibitions, but temporary bus stop removals and fencing that reduced the width of sidewalks.

Some stretches of sidewalk closed entirely to allow for work below.

This, too, hurt Broadways vibrancy as a shopping destination, as it forced consumers to endure obstacles in order to patronize local businesses.

Small-business owners along the strip between Main and Arbutus streets have seen their revenues ravaged, forcing many to close permanently and others to bear losses that could take years to finance, unless they declare bankruptcy.

Sandy (Surinder) Sangha says her Subway sandwich stores sales plunged by about 75 per cent compared with pre-pandemic times.

In debt by about $50,000, she closed her restaurant  which was between Alberta and Yukon streets  in late January, just before her lease expired.

Surinder [Sandy] Sharma stands in her Subway sandwich shop in January, during her last month of operations. Glen Korstrom, BIV

Mei Gour, who owns the Your Dollar With More at the southeast corner of Yukon and West Broadway, told BIV that she wishes her lease were expiring, instead of being in effect until 2026.

She has to pay monthly lease payments on a store that generates little revenue.

Ive lost hope completely, Gour said. My rent is more than $20,000 per month.

Gour said she has remortgaged her home and, when that money runs out, she will consider her options.

Construction workers closed the sidewalk between Gours store and the busy No Frills grocery store to the east.

Her store entrance opens onto a part of the sidewalk that leads to a dead end.

The result is virtually no foot traffic and less visibility for store.

Workers long ago removed the crosswalk that was next to her corner store.

Some Broadway Subway Project signs alert shoppers that stores are open, but the placards can be hard to spot and have not reduced the drop in pedestrian traffic.

The result is that Gour had to lay off four of her seven employees.

In the pandemic, people still had things they needed so they came to buy them as our store was right there, she said.

When the subway construction started, even though people still needed some things, they would not come because they knew the road was not convenient for them. The pandemic didnt kill us. The construction  that is what is killing us.

The now-closed Subway franchise on West Broadway is visible past workers constructing the Broadway subway. Chung Chow, BIV

Many Broadway merchants say they remember politicians and government representatives stressing when the subway was being conceived that street disruption would be kept to a minimum.

They say they remember public figures assuring them that there would be no repeat of the 2005-to-2009 fiasco on Cambie Street, when Canada Line builders used disruptive cut-and-cover construction that created noise, dust and fencing that impeded customer access to stores.

Heritage Asian Eatery owner Paul Zhang says he feels misled by politicians.

It was always, Hey, its not going to be like it was on Cambie Street. Were not going to do cut-and-cover. There are going to be minimal disruptions, and it is going to be for a short duration, he said.

That was the pitch they were making.

Business was brisk after Zhang signed his original lease in 2019, and he survived the pandemic thanks in part to government subsidies. But he has since closed his restaurant on West Broadway, because operating an eatery at the end of a dead-end sidewalk is unviable, he said.

Like Gour, Zhang saw no outside foot traffic, and said that it can be difficult for potential customers to read his restaurants signage from across the street because it is partly blocked by green fencing.

Indeed, workers in late January could be seen at the bottom of a gaping hole in the street outside Zhangs restaurant, where they were installing pipes.

Zhang spends more time at his original West Pender Street restaurant, and he has plans to open a new Heritage Asian Eatery location at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver later this year.

He remains on the hook, however, for lease payments at his closed West Broadway site.

Court action can be complicated

Greens Market owner Sentheepan Senthivel in August launched a lawsuit in BC Supreme Court against the provincial government because West Broadway subway construction caused what the lawsuit calls a nuisance.

His sales were $7.7 million in 2020, and they dropped to $6.8 million in 2021, when construction began. In 2022, his sales fell further  to $5.6 million.

Weve burned through close to $800,000 in cash  just burned through it because we had to try to sustain our business, he said.

Senthivel said he is speaking with his landlord about whether a rent reduction is possible.

He is also trying to shift more business online.

Senthivel knows his lawsuit is a hail-Mary move with little likelihood of success: B.C. has a law that states businesses are not able to sue to get compensation for corporate losses that stem from the effects of infrastructure projects that are in the public interest.

He has spoken with other merchants about whether it is worth the time and effort to launch a class-action lawsuit similar to the one that 80 Cambie Street property owners and merchants launched in 2009, when they alleged that their property values were diminished during Canada Line construction.

The merchant won in court only to watch defendants appeal the judgment.

They have not yet received so much as a penny in compensation, class-action participant and former Festival Cinemasowner Leonard Schein said.

The Cambie merchants continue to argue in court that the lines operators should compensate them because the businesses paid more to lease properties than the leases were worth, Schein explained.

He said that there has been some agreement from TransLink and other defendants that the merchants and property owners are owed some money for a one-year period.

TransLink in 2018 sent a statement saying that it was appealing the BC Supreme Court judgment that awarded damages to Cambie merchant class members, because TransLink disagreed with how land values were being calculated.

It wanted an official assessment from a real-estate appraiser instead of a property value that was estimated using a revenue-loss formula.

Schein is urging the City of Vancouver to provide property-tax discounts for impacted Broadway merchants, and the province to provide compensation to those merchants based on whatever formula is eventually determined in court to compensate Cambie merchants.

No court date has been set to hear TransLinks appeal of the Cambie merchants class-action lawsuit.

The colossal amount of time and money involved to get the case this far is a deterrent to Broadway merchants thinking about launching a similar lawsuit.

Zhang says that if he takes part in a class-action lawsuit, he would want to be sure that it has a strong chance of success.

If Im not guaranteed at least a 70-per-cent chance of seeing some kind of return on it, Im not sure, he said. People just dont want to throw good money and time after this.
Cosmic Girl, the modified Boeing 747 that carried a LauncherOne rocket, sitting on the tarmac before its January launch.

Last month, Virgin Orbit ran into trouble when its LauncherOne rocket crashed, destroying seven payloads on board in an attempt to deploy satellites in low Earth orbit. Now, the company suspects that the cause of the anomaly could have been a pesky filter that only cost around $100.



Speaking at the SmallSat Symposium in Mountain View, California this week, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart shed some light on the possible cause of the crash, which occurred on January 9. Had the launch been successful, the Start Me Up mission wouldve marked the first orbital launch from British soil. The prime suspect is likely a filter that was supposed to be in the rockets second stage engine, and Hart claimed that the company would be assessing other filter options for future missions.

Read more

Everything points to, right now, a filter that was clearly there when we assembled the rocket but was not there as the second stage engine started, meaning it was dislodged and caused mischief downstream, Hart explained, as quoted in SpaceNews. He added: This is like a $100 part that took us out.

The crash involved the companys LauncherOne booster rocket, which gets tucked beneath the left wing of a modified Boeing 747 and carried to a high altitude. The aircraftdubbed Cosmic Girlreleased the rocket over the Atlantic Ocean after lifting off from Spaceport Cornwall in southwest England.

LauncherOne managed to reach space, and fairing separation was achieved at the designated time, but the upper stage experienced an anomaly at an altitude of around 112 miles (180 km), causing the rocket and its payload to fall back to Earth, the company said. The rocket was moving at 11,000 miles per hour (17,700 kilometers per hour) when it failed, according to Virgin Orbit.

Despite the setback, Virgin Orbit is expecting to launch Cosmic Girl with a new LauncherOne rocket in the coming weeks pending the results of the companys investigation into the incident. However steadfast the Richard Branson-owned Virgin Orbit is, the company has been struggling financially over the past few months, as evidenced by the $55 million pumped into it by Virgin Investments Limited over the past few months. The LaunchOne failure in January is certainly no help.

Story continues

More: Rolls-Royce Nuclear Engine Could Power Quick Trips to the Moon and Mars

More from Gizmodo

Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Virginia's economic development agency says it has at least 1,700 emails and documents pertaining to talks about the possibility of a Ford Motor Co. battery plant landing at a Danville-area megasite. But it won't release any of them under the state's public records law.

The Associated Press sought the records in January after Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin disclosed that he intervened in an apparent effort by Virginia to land the project. Youngkin objected to the role of a Chinese company in the joint venture, which he has characterized as a front for the Chinese Communist Party that would raise national security concerns.

Lisa Wallmeyer, general counsel for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, wrote in an email this week that about 1,700 emails and documents were found that matched AP's request but were being withheld for two reasons.

Wallmeyer said some records contain proprietary information voluntarily provided by a private business pursuant to a promise of confidentiality. Others are memorandum and working papers developed by VEDP staff, the disclosure of which would adversely affect the financial interest of the public body, she wrote.

The AP sought emails that included any discussion of the possible project in the possession of certain agency leaders and staff of the business investment division.

Separately, VEDP confirmed that no record exists of an incentive package offered by the state connection with the potential project. That's in line with a timeline provided by the governor, who has said the project never reached end-stage talks and that no incentive package was submitted.

Reaction to the disclosure by Youngkin  who is widely seen as a possible 2024 presidential contender  has largely split along partisan lines. Democrats have accused him of putting his political ambitions ahead of a chance to secure a major job-creation project, while Republicans have largely been supportive and say the site has been preserved for a better-suited project.
The Washington state Attorney Generals Office is contending that state lawmakers can refuse to provide certain records to the public under a legislative privilege exemption, court filings from Monday show.

Defendants are immune from being required to produce certain records under Article II, Section 17 of the Washington Constitution, the AGs Office wrote Monday in response to a lawsuit filed in January against state legislators.

That lawsuit was filed in Thurston County Superior Court by open government activist Arthur West, who recently settled a public records lawsuit with the Washington State Redistricting Commission for $40,000.

Court filings show that West is filing for declaratory and injunctive relief regarding whether or not lawmakers can claim legislative privilege to withhold records and shield them from the states Public Records Act.

The lawsuit aims to find out whether the constitution gives lawmakers the authority to exempt themselves from releasing certain records, with West asserting that legislative privilege is an issue of major public importance, and an actual dispute between parties having genuinely opposing and substantial interests.

Article 2, Section 17 of the Washington State Constitution says that no member of the legislature shall be liable in any civil action or criminal prosecution whatever, for words spoken in debate, but it does not speak specifically to public records, such as emails and texts, held by legislators.

Public records released by House and Senate legislative bodies also show that those documents are being withheld citing Freedom Foundation v. Gregoire, a ruling by the Washington state Supreme Court that said governors of the state could assert executive privilege to justify withholding documents that would otherwise be disclosable under the Public Records Act.

That case only explicitly addressed executive privilege, and Gov. Jay Inslee has vowed not to use the exemption to withhold public records.

Story continues

Court filings also show that the AGs Office is asserting immunity of civil process for state lawmakers during the legislative session, something that is written in the Washington State Constitution. This means that lawmakers cannot be served until after the legislative session adjourns on April 23.

In January, McClatchy first reported that lawmakers were using legislative privilege to shield their records from release under the Public Records Act.

Public records are still being withheld under the exemption after McClatchy requested unredacted copies of those files.

The Washington Coalition for Open Government responded in an email to McClatchy regarding the move by the state AGs office.

WashCOG is disappointed that the state Attorney Generals Office has apparently agreed with the state Legislatures argument that it can declare records secret whenever it wants by citing legislative privilege, WashCOG said in the statement. This is a new interpretation of an old provision in the state Constitution. A privilege allowing legislators to withhold records at will is unsupported by Washington states statutes, case law and Constitution.

Were troubled that Washington states legislative and executive branches are now arguing that lawmakers can hide more of their work from the public by citing a new privilege that was unrecognized and unused until last year, when lawmakers quietly started claiming it without any public discussion, WashCOG added.
What shall this year bring? It is hard to believe, it is already February and time is passing at a rapid pace.

Looking back, in 2022, we explored remote islands in the Bahamas and several islands off the coast of Florida. We also spent a few days outside of Franklin, North Carolina, hiking on some of the nearby mountain trails and a bit of the Appalachian Trail. A cool place to check out on foot was Savannah, Georgia. Yes, its a beautiful planet.

This year I hope to step it up a few paces. A few 2023 treks we are considering are:

Morgan at sunset on the Florida Keys.

Coast to Coast (C2C) 250 miles across Florida

According to their website, The Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail (C2C) was conceived as an ambitious effort to create a continuous paved multi-use trail across the state of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, the first state trail of its kind in the United States. It will span approximately 250 miles and is currently more than 80 percent complete. The trail will link communities between St. Petersburg and Titusville along its entire length, allowing residents and visitors to explore Central Florida by bicycle or foot.

A hike across Croatia

The Republic of Croatia, is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. Its coast lies entirely on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy. I am excited about meeting people of different nationalities, trying their food, and taking in their beautiful geography.

For this trip, we are considering an 8-day Croatian Islands Walking Tour that starts in Split, then to Supetar (Brac Island), then to Korcula, and ends in Dubrovnik. Croatia is famous for its dramatic coastline but it also boasts lots of mountains, canyons, lakes, and forests that make Croatia a great place for walking, hiking, and trekking. Croatia has a number of National Parks and lots of mountain ranges.

In a few weeks, we will be exploring the islands of our southern neighbors in the Caribbean  St Thomas, St Johns, and St Croix. I understand there are many great places to hike while in the islands.

Story continues

My wife, Morgan, wants us to consider walking the Florida Keys. This sounds great but I am unsure about dodging traffic while walking across the 7 Mile Bridge. We have also discussed hiking down the east coast of Florida. We would walk on the beach where the sand is hard-packed.

Ellie and Morgan on the Appalachian Trail.

Move Tallahassee

Locally, we are planning many Move.Tallahassee walks that check out our local region exploring by foot.

Move Tallahassee will crank up a 2023 schedule where walks will include.

Miccosukee Greenway at Thornton going east and west

Alford Arms  to The Lake Heritage Trail

Lake Heritage Trail starting at Tom Brown Park

Lake Overstreet starting at Forest Meadows

FSU, FAMU and TCC  exploring their campus

Cascades Park

Deserted Florida beach awaits a long walk.

Benefits of walking

Wherever I am, (home or traveling), exploring our world by foot, always nourishes my soul. Being outside brings peace of mind and clears my brain so I can solve any challenges in my life. This is also a great stress reduction activity that works for many people, including me.

The great thing about walking is it is so portable. Wherever you are, the opportunities are limitless to explore your surroundings. Just strap on your shoes and head out the door.

In addition to the health benefits, walking outside provides stimulation of all your senses. Your feet are grounded with the earth. Outside in the woods, you can hear the crunching of leaves under your feet with each step. Here you can smell the fragrance of your surroundings, or even bacon cooking while walking the neighborhood.

Outside you can hear birds singing their songs or the sound of the wind passing through the trees. Step by step, the world slowly passes by giving you an opportunity to appreciate the surroundings provided by Mother Earth. Ah, this is what life is all about.

So I urge you to grab a family member, friend, or four-legged companion. Get outside for a walk and explore your surroundings. Talking about positive things in your life, or what brings you happiness, or what you are thankful for. Watch your stress levels disappear.

Are you in?

Gregg Patterson

Contact Gregg Patterson at greggbpatterson@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Reduce stress, expand life by walking more in 2023
Walmart workers have been protesting low wages for years. Joe Skipper / Reuters

Walmart announced last month that it will increase its minimum wage from $12 an hour to $14 an hour.

The move has been met with mixed reactions, with some saying it's a good start but not enough.

The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, with some states setting higher minimums.

Walmart is set to boost its minimum wage for workers to $14 an hour in the coming weeks.

But the move is receiving mixed reactions from Walmart employees.

Several workers told Insider or wrote on social media that the new minimum wage is not sufficient.

"It seems like Walmart executives are finally listening to what Walmart associates have been saying for years, that we need higher wages to make ends meet in today's economy," said Emily Francois, a Walmart worker in Texas who is a leader for retail-worker advocacy nonprofit United for Respect.

"But a higher poverty wage isn't enough." Francois has argued for a $25-an-hour wage.

In response to critiques from workers, Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield told Insider in an emailed statement that the company has been "continuously raising wages and is starting the new year by investing in higher pay for frontline associates  the average U.S. associate now makes more than $17.50/hour as a result." The wage increase will be reflected in employees' March 2 paychecks, the retailer said.

One Walmart worker from Kentucky, who asked to be anonymous for fear of retaliation, told Insider that he makes $16.53 an hour and his store has had a base pay of $14 an hour for more than a year.

"I live in a rural area with lower cost of living and it still is barely enough," he said. "The cost of living is higher than this, and it still makes it near impossible to live alone with the ($14 per hour) pay."

But for employees making the company's current minimum wage of $12 per hour, the incoming boost to their pay is welcome news.

A Walmart worker in Oklahoma told Insider they think the wage boost is enough "especially given the fact that some places around me still pay below $10."

Story continues

Up until the middle of last decade, Walmart's minimum wage matched the federal level at $7.25. The retailer's minimum rose to $9 per hour in 2015, to $11 an hour in 2018, and then to the current $12 an hour in 2021.

Still, Walmart's starting wage falls below those of several of its competitors.

Amazon raised its minimum wage for all US employees to $15 per hour in 2018. One year later, Target also announced it would be raising its minimum wage to $15 per hour. And in 2021, Costco announced that its employees would be paid a minimum of $17 per hour.

And the move may have minimal impact on those who already make at least $14 per hour  which includes the vast majority of workers at some Walmart stores.

A store manager in Texas told Insider that his store currently has a base pay of $13 per hour and only roughly 20% of his employees will directly benefit from the minimum wage increase. The manager asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.

The move is "a step in the right direction" but does not help "a wide swathe of associates," he said.

Are you a Walmart associate? Reach out to the reporter Ben Tobin by email at btobin@insider.com to let him know what you think of the minimum wage increase.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Canary Media thanks Sense for its support of the Home of the Future series.

The home of the future wont just be more efficient and powered by cleaner energy than todays houses. It will interact with the broader energy system in ways that reward the people living there  and that help ensure theres enough electricity for everyone else.

The power grid is already straining to keep up with current demand in the face of extreme weather, like heat waves across the West or winter storms across Texas. To address climate change, the housing sector needs to stop burning fossil fuels and switch to electricity for its energy needs, but doing so could layer a whole new challenge on this already-stressed system.

Simply electrifying all buildings significantly increases the demand for electricity, necessitating even greater buildout of renewables and wires to deliver that clean power. That adds cost and complexity to the clean energy shift when getting any grid infrastructure built is hard enough already. But if these newly electrified buildings are grid-interactive  that is, equipped with tools to control when they do and dont use energy  then these buildings can lower the cost to keep the lights on and accelerate the adoption of clean energy.

This kind of grid interactivity is already happening, albeit at a relatively small scale: Homes can heat water or cool their interiors when renewable power is cheap and abundant, offsetting demand in the hours when grid power is dirty and expensive. Batteries offer even more flexibility, and smart electric-vehicle chargers can adjust the flow of power into cars based on momentary signals.

I dont think we should be calling it the home of the future; its the home of the present, because the technology is already here, said Elta Kolo, vice president at Huck Capital, which invests in the sector.

But relatively few households have achieved the full-fledged vision of generating, storing and consuming power based on signals from the grid.

Story continues

The state of grid interactivity today is very poor, said Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect, one of the leading aggregators of grid-interactive home devices. We are nowhere near where we need to be.

Often, people dont stand to clearly benefit from becoming more active citizens of the power network. The grid was designed to deliver electricity to passive consumers, and most regions lack systems for rewarding customers who behave in ways that help the overall system. Even when those incentives exist, folks have to care enough to participate in an obscure energy system that they know little about  or be persuaded to sign up even if they dont.

The urgent question facing the movement for carbon-free homes, then, is how do you convince millions of people to participate in the broader energy system?

The first step is to equip homes with devices that can be controlled digitally. Thats exactly what the smart-home industry has spent years trying to do  selling connected devices based on appeals to comfort, security and energy savings.

Consumers haven't responded as quickly or comprehensively as Silicon Valley evangelists said they would. But after years of industry efforts, smart, controllable devices are finally starting to find their way into millions of American homes.

Households are increasingly getting smart devices, and people are saying almost universally that the top goal for their smart devices is energy savings, DeVries said.

Smart-home adoption is a crucial stepping stone to unlocking grid-interactive homes. But the latter demand even more from residents. Once a home is outfitted with an array of smart appliances, owners must choose to use them not just for personal comfort and safety, but also to help the broader energy system. Realizing that vision involves surmounting a number of barriers:

Grid-interactive homes depend on timely and accurate energy data, which is still generally hard or annoying to get from utilities, even though its supposed to be easily accessible.

They also depend on widespread ownership of smart energy devices. Smart thermostats have broad adoption, but electric-vehicle chargers, battery storage, smart water heaters and the like dont yet have mass uptake.

Installing heavy-duty energy appliances requires contractors, and were in the midst of a nationwide shortage of trained electrical contractors.

Typical utility rates dont offer any reward for shifting energy use. If you pay the same for a kilowatt-hour no matter when you use it, then why bother shifting your consumption?

Savings customers can get from grid participation are getting washed out by increases in utility bills.

These companies are making grid-interactive homes despite all that

Given all those challenges, a robust future of grid-supporting, all-electric homes is by no means guaranteed. Nevertheless, some pioneers are breaking through the logjam of hurdles and signing up thousands of customers to participate in some form of grid interactivity.

These include a broad array of companies: electric utilities, smart-device manufacturers, solar and storage installers, software startups, electric-vehicle charging companies, even automakers themselves. Heres a sampling of those that have made grid-interactive homes the core of their business.

Octopus Energy: Sell cheaper power for more flexible homes

Octopus Energy has its tentacles in a lot of pies. The London-based clean-energy company started out as a retailer that wanted to make its customer-service calls actually helpful and nice. It soon evolved from just selling clean electricity to manufacturing its own heat pumps, installing smart EV chargers, and offering solar and batteries. Last November, ahead of a potential winter energy crunch in the U.K., Octopus enlisted 400,000 of its customers in a flexible demand rewards program, almost overnight.

On its first activation, participating households reduced 108 megawatts of demand during an hour of peak consumption. In the U.S., the company sells retail power in Texas, where it rewards customers with lower electricity rates for each energy device the company gets to control. Its one of the early participants in Texas first virtual power plant, which lets households commit their devices to supply the ERCOT wholesale markets.

Sonnen: Turn whole residential communities into power plants

Sonnen has installed 120,000 batteries globally, most of them in Europe, where the company operates them as a decentralized power plant to supply customers with lower-cost electricity. Thats not so easy in the U.S., thanks to the patchwork of differing state energy regulations. Sonnen found a way in by working with homebuilders to outfit whole housing developments with batteries. Now its partnering with solar installers in places such as Utah and California to make more money for customers by helping them interact with the grid at the most valuable times. A whopping 88 percent of sonnen batteries in the U.S. are part of a virtual power plant, said sonnen U.S. CEO Blake Richetta  far higher than the industry norm.

OhmConnect: Gamify energy savings with whatever devices youve got

California startup OhmConnect has assembled an army of 300,000 grid-interactive homes worldwide, and those customers dont need to own any fancy clean-energy devices to participate. At its most basic, the company sends a message when the grid needs help, and if a household reduces its consumption during the specified time, OhmConnect pays them for it. Sure, the payments go up if a household has more controllable devices, but OhmConnect gets a lot of mileage out of sending customers smart plugs for major appliances and connecting to their smart thermostats. Incremental progress can add up to meaningful capacity in aggregate, DeVries said. You've got to start somewhere that is relatively easy and makes sense to people, and you can build from there. He also tries to make it fun: OhmConnect frames grid interactivity as a game, and customers get rewarded the more they play.

Strategies for success in making grid-responsive homes

Though these entities vary in terms of the products they offer and the customers they serve, they have arrived at the same core insights on how to successfully market grid interactivity at scale.

One critical lesson: You cant assume regular people want to nerd out on the intricacies of real-time grid operations, however titillating that may be to industry insiders.

If you ask whycustomers [would] want to interact with the grid, the answer is they probably dont, Kolo quipped.

The people selling grid-interactive homes know why it matters (that whole making a clean energy grid actually possible thing). Their job is to meet customers where they are and find ways to get them to sign up regardless of their degree of interest or literacy in the broader energy system. Three leading strategies for this are: deliver clear financial rewards; automate and simplify the experience; and make the customer part of a bigger story.

Deliver clear financial rewards

It falls to cleantech businesses to distill the complexity of clean-energy supply and demand into simple financial rewards for their customers.

It ultimately comes down to, what do [the customers] pay? said Michael Lee, CEO of Octopus Energy U.S. If you can make that cheaper, theyll come along on the journey with you.

Octopus Texas retail business starts by offering a normal electricity supply at standard pricing. But if the customer agrees to let Octopus control smart devices, the monthly per-kilowatt-hour rate drops. Throw in a thermostat, energy storage and programmable hot water heater, and suddenly Octopus customers are paying significantly less for electricity than they would from a conventional retailer. Just allowing the company to control when your electric vehicle charges unlocks a 20 percent discount compared to the norm.

The for-profit company isnt doing this to throw money away. The reduced rates for customers reflect the lower prices Octopus pays to source power at specific times.

More controllable load means more cheap, off-peak power for us to buy for you, Lee said. The lower the cost we create for our customer, the lower the rates for ourselves.

Notably, it doesnt always work that way. Regulated utilities get to pass on fuel costs to their customers, rendering most of them structurally indifferent to serving consumer demand with pricey gas- or coal-fired units versus cheap solar. And utility regulation typically rewards companies that build new peak power plants with more profit, rather than pressuring them to shift demand out of peak hours.

Sonnen, too, runs a battery-assisted retail electricity business, but it got started in Germany. In the U.S., its adapted its approach to make grid interactivity a key part of the business model for installing rooftop solar as generous solar policies fall away.

The crown jewel of our U.S. operations, said Richetta, is the Wattsmart program in Utah, a state that phased out net metering to compensate new rooftop solar customers for exporting power to the grid. But by adding a sonnen battery and responding to the needs of the grid, customers can unlock thousands of dollars in rewards from utility Rocky Mountain Power.

Its true self-reliance, said Zach Randall, VP of sales at ES Solar, which installed nearly 2,000 sonnen battery units for the grid program last year. You don't need to rely on an export rate for solar to make sense.

In California, sonnen has supplied batteries to some 400 homes in partnership with Baker Electric Home Energy. That state is about to slash the compensation it used to give solar customers for exporting power to the grid, a move that many solar installers have said spells doom for the industry. Sonnen takes a different tack: The company says it can insulate customers from any negative impacts of the new net-metering regime by more intelligently responding to price signals in the market and by earning revenue for grid services.

Whether its lowering the overall price of electricity, paying customers to participate or using grid flexibility to make rooftop solar pencil out economically, these companies offer customers tangible financial rewards for helping the grid.

Automate and simplify the customer experience

The financial compensation detailed above can bring customers in the door. But given the uncertainty around how many people are actually motivated to participate in the broader grid, making that participation as easy and frictionless as possible is a no-regrets strategy.

There are very few wonks like me [who] will download their data and do analysis on it, Huck Capitals Kolo said. This is why automation is important  set it and forget it options with the ability to override [load-reduction events] without penalties.

That last part is significant: If customers are offering up control of their home devices, they need assurance that they can retake the steering wheel if needed. Saving money through smart EV charging sounds great  provided that you always have enough charge when you need to drive.

Kolo also contends that this suite of home energy opportunities needs to exist in one app, one portal, one umbrella brand to avoid confusing customers with too many unconnected services.

Remember Octopus Energy and the 20 percent discount for letting the company toggle when your EV charges? Octopus also got a license to sell and lease electric vehicles in the state of Texas. That means customers who want an EV can get one, lock in cheaper electric rates and pay their car lease, all on a single bill. Its one way to reduce the friction of adopting a new type of car and registering it for demand flexibility programs (old-school utility Duke Energy is trying a similar concept for its North Carolina customers).

You have to have automation, plus rate design, plus customer-centricity, Lee said.

Make the customer part of a bigger story

Lastly, some companies have found that assuming customers have no interest in the energy system may be giving them short shrift. For a growing number of potential grid-flexibility participants, a well-crafted appeal to join a broader clean-energy movement can be effective.

The problem with relying solely on financial rewards as an incentive is that any one interaction with the grid can be so tiny as to look ridiculous on its own. If you bought yourself a Tesla, why bother delaying your charging schedule to earn just a few cents?

If you talk about an individual dispatch, I think youre going in the completely wrong direction, sonnens Richetta said. His company pitches California customers on the potential for hundreds of dollars of annual grid-services revenue and pays customers on a monthly basis. Individual homes have earned as much as $70 in a month, he noted.

Getting customers on board requires telling an emotionally compelling story, he added. If you present in an overly technical, wonky, grid-nerd way, consumers are going to be like, Huh? Richetta said.

The Baker Electric Home Energy solar sales team, for instance, appeals to prospective customers by painting a picture of a future state that a grid-interactive home helps to bring about. How would you like to help stabilize all of Californias grid? If there were a million virtual power plant batteries in California, no more Flex Alerts, Richetta said, referring to the last-ditch emergency notification via which California officials beg homes to reduce electricity consumption because the state doesnt have enough power to go around.

The question of how nerdy to go remains open to debate. James McGinniss, founder of distributed energy retailer David Energy, agreed that it will take time for the average person to get their head around the mechanics of a decentralized grid. But he cautioned against overlooking the under-explored category of energy-aware people.

There's a very rapidly growing group of people who are out there buying EVs, buying solar, buying batteries, for reasons other than virtual power plant participation, but who would think it's cool, he explained. They're more than a normie, and they're not quite an energy nerd, and they're like, Whats next?

ES Solars Zach Randall acknowledged that in his home base of Utah, pitching grid services to homeowners is today a more technical sell than the old net-metered rooftop solar product used to be. Some customers worry the utility will drain their batteries; the companys 150 salespeople explain that the utility actually just uses them for short bursts of power to correct the frequency of the grid. But instead of referring to this using the industry-insider term frequency regulation, they liken it to a defibrillator to stabilize the grid. And theyre finding that people appreciate the opportunity to make their communitys grid stronger and cleaner.

Weve had our best years since the net-metering phaseout began, said Randall. People are doing it for true self-reliance, literally owning their own power plant, and being a bigger part of the solution for the future.



Canary Media's Home of the Future series is supported by Sense.

Consumers need better tools to make their homes more efficient and to foster electrification. Sense technology is built on a simple, proven premise: Customers need real-time information to engage. With the first-of-its-kind Sense app, consumers can see exactly where and how to save energy in their homes. Sense works for utilities, for consumers and for the grid. Leading meter manufacturers are partnering with Sense to create consumer-ready smart meters that take home-energy management to the next level. Learn more.
Its like a slowly slipping down like a rabbit hole. Before you know it, you cant scream to get out, said Canton mother Katie Pierce, remembering the darkness of postpartum depression in the months after her son Benjamin was born.

After struggling to find help, Pierce said she turned to postpartum doula Kimberly Melody of Serene Baby Care in Bridgewater.

We can be an ear and we have like an in with resources, or we can find a way to help that can make all of the difference in their day, said Melody, who is certified in postpartum mental health.

Boston 25 News reached out to Melody and several other area experts in this field for more information about postpartum concerns.

Mental health experts say at least 1 in 7 moms experience a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, and though each case is different, there are some common signs, that you need support.

WARNING SIGNS:

 Anxiety that feels different

 Uncontrollable crying

 Inability to bond

 Cant get out of bed

 Symptoms last more than 2 weeks

If youve had anxiety before, but this feels different. I think that thats a warning sign, said Caroline Flowers Tomekowou, a perinatal therapist and Director of Counseling Services at the Mass College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences in Worcester.

If youre finding that youre uncontrollably crying, that youre feeling like youre in a hole that you cant get out of if youre not really bonding with your baby or you feel like you just cant or dont want to, or you just cant get off the couch or out of your bed, are other signs Melody pointed out.

Those symptoms lasting for two or more weeks, qualify for a diagnosis of major depression, added Dr. Leena Mittal, a psychiatrist and Chief of Womens Health at Brigham and Womens Hospital. Any time theres a thought about hopelessness or not wanting to be alive or thoughts of harming others, thats really an emergency. And that should be something that somebody should reach out to their provider or emergency services right away.

Story continues

POSSIBLE TREATMENTS:

When it comes to possible treatments, the professionals we spoke with say its not a one size fits all approach.

Psychotherapy is certainly a treatment form that can happen at any level, said Flowers Tomekowou.

Some may find group intervention or therapy is helpful. Others may consider having a medication conversation with your provider.

I say a medication conversation because nobody is going to force anyone to take medication, but it is an intervention that has and is very helpful. And you and your provider will make that decision together. So medication conversation is just that. And its education based on how it could be helpful depending on your symptoms, said Flowers Tomekowou.

WHERE TO FIND HELP:

Talking with your doctor or pediatrician at a well-visit is a great place to begin connecting with resources the professionals told us. Many work with the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program or MCPAP for Moms.

The group works to find the right services to match your needs, based on location, financial situation, access to insurance or not, race or language, and whether or not you have twins or multiples. They say much of the services offered are free, to prevent any barriers to access.

Postpartum Support International of Massachusetts or PSI is another resource. You can call: 1-800 944-4773 or text: in English: 800-944-4773 or text en Espanol: 971-203-7773

They do lots of online group programing. So there are resources like those that are all over the place, said Dr. Mittal.

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is always just a call away, with trained counselors ready to help at 1-833-943-5746 OR 1-833-9-HELP. You can call or text that number as well.

The professionals encourage families to make the call.

Dont feel ashamed. If you need any kind of support, said Melody. Nothing is too small and nothing is too big for people in mental health industry to handle.

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 Washington State Board of Natural Resources approved proposals to rename wetlands in Garfield, Mason, and Okanogan counties, to honor Black, Indigenous history, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.

The legacy of Black homesteaders is an important aspect of Washingtons history and helped shape the state we live in today, said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, the elected official who oversees the WA-DNR. I am thrilled that the contributions that Rodney White and Nathaniel Sargent made to the communities of the Kitsap Peninsula will be honored with the renaming of these features.

The Garfield County and Okanogan County proposals came after the U.S. Department of the Interiors orders in 2021 to rename geographic features throughout the country that have derogatory names, the release said.

On Jan. 17, the WA-DNR accepted nine tribal proposals to change the names of places in Washington State.

On Jan. 19, the WA-DNR renamed four more wetlands in Washington.

Garfield County:

A spring is now named South Tucannon Spring, after the nearby Tucannon River. The name comes from the word tukanin, which means bread root and is an important food source. The spring previously bore a name derogatory to Native American women, the release said.

Mason County:

A 10.5-acre lake, two miles north of Tahuya, is now named Nathaniel Sargent Lake, in honor of a Black man born into slavery. The man homesteaded in Seabeck and became a fixture in the community before dying in 1954. The lake had previously been renamed Grass Lake in 1990 from its original name Negro Slough, according to the release.

An unnamed 18-acre wetland, two miles north of Tahuya, is now named Rodney White Slough. White was born into slavery in Missouri and moved to Mason County in 1890. He homesteaded there and some of the roads he built are still in use today. After Whites death in 1913, the slough where his orchard had been was given a name that included a racial slur toward Black people, the release said.

Story continues

Okanogan County:

A creek in Okanogan County is now named Gooseberry Creek, reflecting the plants that grow nearby. The two-mile-long stream, just outside of Aeneas, is a tributary of Frosty Creek. The creek previously bore a name derogatory to Native American women, according to the release.

The four names have been adopted into Washington Administrative Code and will be sent to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for federal approval, the WA-DNR said.

For more information on the proposals go here.
























Photo: RCMP The RCMP released this image of a Trail, B.C. bank robber.

Police are investigating a bank robbery downtown Trail, B.C. last week.

RCMP say they were called on Feb. 2 at 3:51 p.m. for a robbery at the CIBC 1200 block of Bay Avenue.

A Caucasian man wearing a yellow and gray jacket, sunglasses, blue face mask, and blue latex gloves entered CIBC and presented a note to the teller demanding money from her.

The teller handed over $400 cash and the suspect ran off down Eldorado Street toward Pine Avenue.

Bank staff called the police right away and officers patrolled the area, questioning two possible suspects.

The incident remains under investigation.

If you have any information about the identity of the suspect, or witnessed anything that could lead to an arrest, contact the Trail Detachment at 250-364-2566 to speak to an investigator.
Mykhailo Podolyak

The weapons provided by the allies are used for defense, de-occupation of Ukrainian territories, and destruction of enemy warehouses, said Podolyak.

Read also: Ukraine has no constraints on aiming military targets in Russia, said Danilov

Earlier on Feb. 7, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said that Ukraine already has weapons that can reach and destroy targets within Russia.

On Feb. 2, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov claimed that Ukraine guarantees its partners that it wont use Western weapons to attack Russian territory.

Read also: Ukraine needs hundreds of thousands of UAVs, says Defense Minister Reznikov

On Feb. 6, a drone exploded 150 kilometers from Moscow, near the city of Kaluga. According to Defense Express, it was most likely a converted Soviet-era Tu-141 Strizh jet-powered reconnaissance drone.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Epsom College head Emma Pattison, her husband George, and their daughter Lettie, were found dead in the grounds of the grounds on Sunday morning. (PA)

The seven-year-old daughter of Epsom College headteacher Emma Pattison died of a "shotgun wound to the head", an inquest has heard.

George Pattison, 39, is believed to have murdered Mrs Pattison, 45, and their seven-year-old daughter Lettie on school grounds before killing himself on Sunday 5 February.

An inquest at Surrey Coroner's Court on Wednesday heard that Emma Pattison died of shock, haemorrhage and shotgun wounds to the chest and abdomen, while daughter Lettie died of a shotgun wound to the head.

Speaking at the opening of the inquest into Mr Pattisons death on Tuesday, coroner Simon Wickens said: I would like to offer my deepest sympathies to Georges wider family at this difficult time.

The three were found dead at their home within the grounds of the private school in Surrey after Mrs Pattison made a distressed call to her sister.

Pattisons post-mortem examination was done by Dr Ashley Fegan-Earle at East Surrey Hospital three days after the shooting, coroners officer Kelly Truss told Surrey Coroners Court.

The bodies of the family were found at Epsom College at about 1.10am on Sunday morning. (PA)

Here is a summary of the tragic events at Epsom College:

When did the shooting happen?

The bodies of Mrs Pattison, her husband and child were found on the schools grounds when officers were called to the private school by the South East Coast Ambulance Service at about 1.10am on 5 February.

Mrs Pattison became Epsoms first female head in September 2022 after six years as headteacher of Croydon High School in south London.

Her husband was a chartered accountant who was director of a management consultancy firm called Tanglewood 2016.

Police described it as an isolated incident with no third-party involvement.

Undated family file handout photo issued by Surrey Police of Epsom College headteacher Emma Pattison, 45 and her seven-year-old daughter Lettie. (PA)

According to a report in The Sun, the couple hosted a dinner party just hours before the shooting.

A friend told the newspaper: "On Saturday night they threw a dinner party. It was quite an intimate affair and literally turned out to be their last supper.

"Nothing unusual happened. There were no arguments, no indication he would go on to do something so horrific a short time later."

Story continues

'Gunshots heard'

Reports state that a member of staff is believed to have called police after hearing gunshots.

While a gun was found at the scene, Surrey Police said causes of death would not be confirmed until post-mortem examinations are carried out.

The area surrounding the Pattison's home was sealed off soon after  including Epsom College's rifle range.

However, Surrey Police said it did not form part of the crime scene and was not a line of inquiry in the investigation.

The firing range was thought to be closed due to its close proximity to the house.

George Pattison had shotgun licence

It subsequently emerged that Mr Patisson held a shotgun licence which had recently been updated.

A firearm belonging to the dad was discovered alongside the bodies of the family at their home on the grounds of Epsom College.

Mr Pattison, a chartered accountant, had alerted officers to a change of address last week, after the family moved to the grounds from their previous home in Caterham, Surrey.

Watch: Colleagues pay tribute to headteacher found dead with daughter and husband

Police said the update was "routine"  but the incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to how recently it was made. On Friday, the watchdog decided not to investigate Surrey Police over the forces contact with him about the licence.

The Telegraph reported that George Pattison set up an unsuccessful wine business and spoke of his desire to be more than just an accountant.

The newspaper said that a business pitch for a wine importing company started by Mr Pattison suggested he was unhappy in his work, describing himself as "a career accountant desperate to do something better with his days".

Emma Pattison's distressed call to relative

According to the BBC, Mrs Pattison made a distressed call to a close family member some time later on the Saturday evening.

But when the relative arrived at the scene, Mr and Mrs Pattison and their daughter were already dead.

The Epsom College firing range and the home of the family was cordoned off following the shooting. (PA)

Surrey Police confirm homicide investigation

The force confirmed on Tuesday that officers have launched a homicide investigation.

The deaths of the family are being investigated as a possible murder-suicide, according to latest reports.

Mr Pattison is thought to have shot his wife and daughter dead before turning the same gun on himself.

Epsom College's acting headmaster Paul Williams announced on Tuesday that the school will close until after the half-term break following the incredibly distressing details about the incident.

In a letter to parents, the BBC reported that Williams said: Now is a time for families to come together and try and process this shocking news.

The impact on your children cannot be underestimated and we are doing everything we possibly can to support them in whatever way they need.

Emma Pattison's family issue statement

In a joint statement, the family said: "To see the esteem in which Emma is held by all who knew her is an enormous comfort.

"She was everything one could hope for in a daughter, sister, mother, wife, friend, teacher and so much more.

"We are an extremely close family and the family was at the centre of Emma and Letties universe. The Epsom College community had become part of that universe for them both.

"Seven-year-old Lettie was Emmas pride and joy: an adorable, vibrant little girl with a compelling curiosity, a heart-melting smile and an intellect beyond her years.

"The two of them were inseparable and we take comfort in that they will remain so.

"Emma had a warm, welcoming smile and sparkling, blue eyes, full of optimism. Over the last eleven days weve noticed the sky has been bright blue, with at times a warm glow of pink."

A flag is flown at half-mast at Epsom College following the deaths of the family. (PA)

More details emerge about couple

Since the deaths, various details have emerged about the couple, with Sky News reporting that Mr Pattison called police in 2016 to claim his wife had assaulted him by slapping him across the face.

She was reportedly arrested on suspicion of common assault before being released without charge.

The Telegraph also reported that Mr Pattison had set up an unsuccessful wine business and spoke of his desire to be more than just an accountant.

The newspaper reported that the chartered accountant had launched Castle Street Vinters, a "specialist importer of high quality, low yield wines", with an Australian friend, and described himself as "a career accountant desperate to do something better with his days".

It has also been reported that the couple hosted a dinner party hours before their deaths, with witnesses saying there had been no arguments or any indication anything was wrong.

Where is Epsom College?

The independent school is situated on Epsom Downs in Surrey, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18.

Boarding students at the college pay more than 42,000 a year and its alumni include Conservative MP Sir Michael Fallon, broadcaster Jeremy Vine and comedian Tim Vine. More than 850 boys and girls attend the school, which was founded in 1853.

According to its website, the school picked two awards at this years Independent School of the Year Awards, picking up the Student Wellbeing award and the coveted overall prize of Independent School of the Year.

In its last set of league tables, the Department for Education placed the school in the top 1% nationally.
In Antakya, Turkey, people warm up by a fire amid the rubble caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Sarwan Oghlu shook her head and screamed as she stood before the building that had been her familys home, and where her youngest daughter and son, aged 12 and 7, remained, amid floors flattened one against the other.

As her sister and two daughters strained to calm her, she pleaded with God.

Where are my kids? If you love me get me my kids. I wont go anywhere before my kids return," she said, her shouts made raspy by grief. "For three days Ive been here. God, youve heard everyone but not me.

She turned to a group of rescue workers standing nearby, her face rapidly shifting from sadness to rage.

Get up! Get UP! Come on. What are you waiting for? I want my children. Go get my children, she said, her voice breaking mid-scream. The fury in her spent, she began to sob again as one of her daughters ran her hand on her cheek to dry the tears.

Women try to comfort each other as emergency crews search through the rubble in Antakya, Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Her brother, Erde Oghlu, stood behind her, shaking his head as a bulldozer rumbled toward the wreckage.

It's been two days and theres no space to crawl inside and see, he said. I have hope, but we havent heard anything. No sound, nothing.

In the days since a catastrophic magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, early Monday morning, killing more than 16,000 and wounding multiples more, rescue workers and volunteers have swarmed into affected areas. Officials said Wednesday that more than 100,000 disaster relief personnel were in the earthquake zone.

A woman collects items from a destroyed home in Antakya, in southwest Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

That includes Antakya, a well-appointed city in Turkeys southwest that  though at least 120 miles away from the temblors epicenter  is one of the countrys most devastated.

As hundreds of rescuers work throughout the day and night in frigid temperatures, scenes of suffering and frustration similar to that of Oghlu and her family play out on almost every block of this shattered city.

It's a huge area to cover, said Zeynep Akbaba, a 37-year-old academic who had driven down from Bursa, a city near Istanbul.

Leading a group of volunteers down the street from Oghlus family to another stricken part of the neighborhood, she explained that the level of carnage here had taken authorities by surprise.

Story continues

Yesterday we didnt have any heavy machinery  it was sent to other areas closer to the epicenter, she said. The thinking was that they were more damaged. That had changed by Wednesday, she added, gesturing toward a massive crane rising above a mound of crumbling concrete.

But its still not enough.

She had barely finished the sentence before a shout rang out above the din of machinery, and was soon echoed by others. It had come from a group of workers in an alleyway snaking through a group of buildings.

One of the buildings, mostly intact save for a horizontal crack running through its lower floors, stood askew; another had its side sheared off to reveal a worn-out bathtub and what must have once been a living room. The third buildings floors had collapsed onto themselves, leaving only the top apartments  now at the level of the first floor  accessible.

A worker thought he had heard a sound and called for silence.

Engines were quickly shut off and conversation stopped; the wail of a siren and the whump-whump of a Chinook helicopter sounded in the distance. A man climbed up to a window with a microphone and a long antenna and put headphones on; a minute later he shook his head. Another shout signaled it was OK to talk once more. Akbaba exhaled.

Belongings are scattered amid the rubble in Antakya, Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Adults cant survive in this situation in such a small space. It could be a baby or a child, she said.

But the workers didnt lose hope. One of them, named Altun, gestured to a bulldozer to approach. The driver swiveled the vehicle and extended the backhoe arm inside an opening in the building, then pulled it back, sweeping onto the ground a group of glass jars, somehow unbroken, and a water cooler. Altun climbed into the opening and peered into the space left behind before turning to the crowd.

The concrete is just closing in here. Its too dangerous to go through, he said, walking to the side and lighting a cigarette.

On a parallel street, another crew worked to recover a body from an apartment block. So far that day they had removed six corpses, and the occasional smell of rotting flesh overpowering the diesel fumes of a bulldozer indicated there were more.

Four team members crowded around an opening in the building's side the bulldozer had widened with the teeth of its bucket. After 10 minutes of carefully pulling and shifting debris, the workers pulled out the body wrapped in a blanket before placing it on a silver body bag and zipping it up. Experts have said the window for finding people alive in the rubble is rapidly closing.

Some residents in surrounding Hatay province have criticized the government's response. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the province on Wednesday and acknowledged some shortcomings. But Erdogan, who has imprisoned dissenters, called critics dishonorable people."

The internet monitoring group Netblocks said access to Twitter had been restricted, even though some survivors had used it to alert emergency crews. Turkish authorities have said they are targeting disinformation and "provocative posts."

Around the workers in Antakya were people with family members left inside buildings and others who hoped to save belongings from their homes. The latter included Elif, a 24-year-old sailor who had been working on a boat docked in Belgium. His parents and three siblings had been in the building when it fell.

Children walk past destroyed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

When I heard, I kept on calling them, over and over again. No answer. I was so angry, he said. He left for Turkey in the morning and had arrived in Antakya on Tuesday, but there was little he could do: His uncle had already buried Elif's parents and older sister and taken the younger brother and sister to the hospital.

I havent even seen them but the situation is not good. I came here first, but I cant do anything. Even taking out bodies is impossible. Everyone is facing this problem, he said.

He looked around him, sighing for a moment. I want to go somewhere far from here. Nothing is left for me here."

Not far from where he stood was a neighborhood park that had been turned into a makeshift refugee center for survivors. It was a tableau of loss: Families huddled around a fire fed with pieces of wood scavenged from the remains of their homes, with what few, random belongings they could save arrayed beside them.

As night fell, they would face another issue: Where to sleep.

Where do you think? Antakya is gone and we have no home, said Mujahed Aktyul, a 67-year-old who had lost a nephew. Despite the grim assessment, he maintained a stoic attitude.

My wife and I? Were in one car. My son and his family? One car. My daughter and her four children, well put in another. What else can we do?

More than 15,000 people across Syria and Turkey have died in the earthquake. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Luqman Ahmad, 31, sat with his friend on a pair of ornate but worn couches. Ahmad had been lucky: Living on the ground floor of a building in Gaziantep, a Turkish city some 100 miles northeast of Antakya and closer to the earthquakes epicenter, he was able to escape before the building crashed down. But his mother, who lived in a now-ravaged building in Antakya, was still under the rubble.

Its been three days and weve heard nothing. Shes an old woman. With this cold, I know shes not alive. I dont have hope, he said.

But I wont leave until they get her out.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Wednesday dismissed a blog post by a U.S. investigative journalist alleging the United States was behind explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines as "utterly false and complete fiction."

Reuters has not corroborated the report, published by U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, which said an attack was carried out last September at the direction of President Joe Biden.

"This is utterly false and complete fiction," said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. Spokespeople for the CIA and State Department said the same.

The pipelines are multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects designed to carry Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Sweden and Denmark, in whose exclusive economic zones the blasts occurred, have both concluded the pipelines were blown up deliberately, but have not said who might be responsible.

The United States and NATO have called the incident "an act of sabotage." Moscow has blamed the West for the unexplained explosions that caused the ruptures. Neither side has provided evidence.

On Wednesday, Russia's foreign ministry said the United States had questions to answer over its role in explosions on the pipelines.

Construction of Nord Stream 2, designed to double the volume of gas that Russia could send directly to Germany under the sea, was completed in September 2021, but was never put into operation after Berlin shelved certification just days before Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine last February.

Hersh is a former New York Times and New Yorker reporter who won numerous awards for his investigative journalism, including about the Vietnam War and the 2004 Abu Ghraib scandal following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

More recently, he ignited controversy with a report disputing the Obama administration's version of the 2011 killing of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in a U.S. special forces operation, and another accusing Syrian rebels of staging an August 2013 sarin nerve agent attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds of civilians.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Jonathan Landay and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Daniel Wallis)
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov

On the night of February 5-6, in the gray building on Bankova - the Office of the President - the lights in the windows of some of the main offices were on for a long time. The fate of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov was under intense discussion in those halls.

At that time, one of the close associates of the country's president, the head of the Servants of the People (SotP) parliamentary faction, David Arakhamia, announced the resignation of the head of the defense ministry. He said that Reznikov would be transferred to a more suitable position - to the Ministry of Strategic Industries (Minstrategprom), which deals with the defense industry. His post would be filled by Kyrylo Budanov, a young and ambitious general and the current head of Ukraines military intelligence service (HUR).

Servant of the People MP Mariana Bezuhla, the deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada committee on national security issues further explained that the current head of the Ministry of Strategy and Industry, Pavel Ryabikin, would be dismissed.

Read also: Defense Ministry calls expose on suspected food contract corruption misleading

The announcement of Reznikov's transfer to his new position took place against a negative background for the top official himself: scandals involving overpriced purchases of products for military personnel, the immediate resignation of two of his deputies and the announcement, as well as one more representative of the Ministry of Defense, of suspicion of corruption. In addition, billions of dollars were included in the relevant charges.

"The security agencies at this stage should be headed not by politicians, but by personnel security officers," Arakhamia wrote that evening on his Telegram channel.

Meanwhile, Reznikov himself explained that he had learned about his possible resignation from the media, claiming that he had not been offered a position in the Ministry of Strategy and Industry, and if he had, he would have refused.

Story continues

As several sources in parliament told NV, the key reason for Bankovas dissatisfaction with Reznikov was the negative media publicity caused by the scandal surrounding the food procurement for the Armed Forces.

Overnight, the president held several meetings devoted to the future fate of the minister, both with a narrow circle of close associates and in a more extended one, with the participation of a number of representatives of the SotP faction. According to sources, they discussed corruption in the Ministry of Defense, risks facing the ministry, and the minister's failures.

Yet by morning, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had decided to postpone Reznikovs dismissal.

Then, Arakhamia contradicted his earlier statements on his Telegram channel  saying instead that the Rada would not yet vote on Reznikovs resignation.

NV spent the entire day of February 6th finding out what arguments saved the minister.

"The night of deep thoughts"

"We are waiting for the appointment of heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and SBU, wrote Arakhamia early on February 6.

No personnel changes in the defense sector will take place this week.

This meant that the President and the Cabinet would officially propose appointing the current "acting" heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and SBU, Igor Klimenko and Vasyl Maluyka, respectively, to full-time status. Reznikov, it seemed, had gotten a pass.

Bezuhla tried to add some details explaining the unfulfilled government reshuffle. On Facebook, she wrote that there will be no resignations this week due to the risks of government instability and an upcoming meeting of defense ministers of partner nations, in the Ramstein format.

Yet a more serious reason for keeping Reznikov in place was the expected arrival of a new Russian offensive in the near future, she wrote.

A representative of the Zelenskyy administration anonymously added: Reznikov would stay on as Defense Minister for the following week, and beyond.

Another associate of the president clarified in a conversation with NV that the minister's immunity will last until the end of February. But personnel purges will begin immediately in the ministry itself.

Read also: Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov not to be dismissed yet, says ruling party factions head

The decisive factor for Reznikov's retention was not only the fact that part of the presidential team had stood up for the minister, but that also some public opinion leaders spoke out in the ministers defense as well. For example, Valery Pekar, a professor at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, wrote: The defeat of the Ministry of Defense during the war is worse than any other misfortune.

Even though corruption is still everywhere, don't forget who the main enemy is, Pekar opined.



To blow up the working mechanisms of the entire structure and make it so that no one wants to go there, because it is a damned place, and to break the process of interaction with Western partners is even worse."

Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko believes that the question of full dismissal of Reznikov was not raised at all - only what ministerial portfolio to give him instead of his current posting.

"But he [Reznikov, who is a professional lawyer] was thinking about one position [Minister of Justice], though he was offered another one [Minstrategprom], Fesenko speculated.

He did not agree with this decision, and probably contacted [presidential chief-of-staff Andriy] Yermak, and perhaps the president himself, after which the decision was either postponed or canceled.

Meanwhile, military intelligence chief Budanov likely didnt want to the post of defense minister either, Fesenko believes, as that would require Budanov to leave military service  by law, the head of the Ministry of Defense must be a civilian.

Fesenko considers the situation with the Ministry of Defense to be a double mistake by administration: a properly-conducted personnel rotation should instead be agreed upon with its subjects.

Deputy of the liberal opposition Holos faction, MP Roman Kostenko  colonel of Ukraines SBU security service and member of the parliamentary committee on national security, suggested that Bankova's original idea to appoint Budanov in Reznikovs place was to placate the Ukrainian public.

"Budanov has become very popular recently, he said.

It would be a political decision, not a military one.

The good-bad minister

All the MPs and experts interviewed by NV expressed confidence in Reznikovs excellent diplomatic skills.

"He has his own experiences with regard to interaction with allies," one member of the Zelenskyy administration told NV.

MP Kostenko agrees with that assessment. According to him, the minister has done a lot to strengthen the country's defense capabilities, and he enjoys the respect of his colleagues in Ramstein.

According to Kostenko, Reznikov's biggest weakness  a weakness stemming from the Ministry of Defense structurally  was dependence on Bankova, which appoints deputies to the ministry.

I could become the Minister of Defense too, but with only one deputy out of nine," the MP explained.

"The rest would be assigned from the [Office of the President].

Kostenko does not support Reznikov's resignation: he says that Ukraine faces more serious problems  a probable oncoming Russian offensive in the spring.

"The best new minister will spend at least a few months building relationships and learning the specifics of the job," he said.

According to Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military-political observer from the Information Resistance group, with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Reznikov made an important contribution to the supply of high-tech weapons to Ukraine.

"This is an element of his ability to manage at the international level," Kovalenko explained.

Read also: Reznikov makes statement amid rumours of his dismissal

Serhii Zhurets, editor-in-chief of Ukrainian military news portal Defense Express, also had high praise for Reznikov's diplomatic abilities. However, he believes that the issue is not so much with the head of the Ministry of Defense as with the attention of the partner countries to Ukraine itself and its needs.

But on the "internal front", the minister has turned out to be a far-from-ideal leader.

"There are general difficulties associated with the intensification of production processes, which required more active cooperation with the Ministry of Strategy and Industry, Ukroboronprom," explained Zhurets.

"But, as we can see, he didn't succeed."

In addition, although the ministry under Reznikov's tenure claims to have provided all military personnel with body armor and clothing, there are actually reports that representatives of the Ministry of Defense supported projects to supply uncertified "armor". In addition, the food procurement scandal falls squarely under the ministers purview.

Zhurets also expressed confusion on why the Ministry of Defense didnt properly supply the Armed Forces with the necessary ammunition and drones, and said that he has the impression that Reznikov took the post without understanding his areas of responsibility. And that's why he followed a direction that was clear to him - external contacts.

"He tried [to act in other directions], because in the summer of last year, an arms procurement agency was created, which was supposed to minimize the shadow elements in this issue," Zhurets said.

"The agency was created, though the effectiveness of its work is not yet fully understood - whether it benefited the army or not."

He has similar questions regarding the liquidation of special arms exporters initiated by the minister.

Now, Reznikovs future will be hindered by a proverbial sword of Damocles: if Reznikovs deputy ministers are indeed found guilty of corruption by the courts, then the minister would need to take responsibility: It would only be right, Zhurets said.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A circuit judge wont level sanctions against The Palm Beach Post for naming State Attorney Dave Aronberg in its lawsuit to obtain secret grand jury testimony that could show why state prosecutors soft-pedaled the initial case against serial sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Aronberg opposed the release of the Epstein grand jury transcripts before reversing course and adopting a neutral position while seeking more than $71,000 in legal fees. The Post dropped Aronberg from the suit once he changed his position on the newspaper obtaining the transcripts.

But Aronberg is hardly conceding after last weeks ruling on sanctions. Within hours of the judge's Jan. 31 order, Aronberg asked him to essentially consider the matter again.

Post 2019 investigation:Jeffrey Epstein case, the first failure: To the first prosecutors, Epstein's victims were prostitutes

More:Dave Aronberg: Post's suit to unseal Jeffrey Epstein documents meant only to humiliate me

Why The Post sued:The Palm Beach Post sued to find out why Jeffrey Epstein wasn't stopped 15 years ago

Jeffrey Epstein, center, appears in Palm Beach County Circuit Court in 2008.

Circuit Judge Luis Delgado found Aronberg's testimony reliable and credible but denied the motion because Aronberg failed to provide The Post a required 21-day notice to resolve the issue before filing for sanctions against its lawyers.

The state attorney testified in September that he was trying to save taxpayers' money by seeking sanctions against the newspaper but then he acknowledged that his lawyer wont get paid unless the judge ordered it.

We are pleased with the judges ruling, said Marc Freeman, spokesman for Aronbergs office. He denied our sanctions motion only on procedural grounds, which we believe will be corrected through our next motion.

Jeffrey Epstein 2006 grand jury: Post investigation learns of questionable moves behind closed doors

The Post, in seeking the grand jury testimony, wants to know the exact nature of how then-State Attorney Barry Krischers office presented its case before the grand jury.

Story continues

The Post filed suit to obtain the testimony and documents after its 2019 investigation, Jeffrey Epstein: The First Failure, discovered that Krischer undermined his own case in front of the grand jury. The only charge against Epstein that emerged was soliciting a prostitute.

Palm Beach police in their investigation identified five underage girls, among several others under age 18, who gave nearly identical accounts of how the financier abused them. The age of consent in Florida at that time was 16.

But Krischers office called only one 14-year-old girl to testify in front of the grand jury, sources told The Post. Authorities would find as many as 150 victims over the years and suspect there were even more.

Sources told The Post that one of Krischer's prosecutors undermined the case by questioning the girl about her social media pages, which showed her talking about drinking and sex.

Epstein in 2008 pleaded guilty to state charges  procuring a child for prostitution, added to the solicitation of prostitution charge. Both were felonies. He was required to register as a sex offender.

Legal and public records experts said that Aronbergs efforts are not about legal fees They said it is designed to deter newspapers from holding elected officials accountable.

He definitely wants to chill First Amendment rights, " said Michael Barfield, director of public access for the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

Epstein was found hanged in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 after New York prosecutors brought child sex trafficking charges against him. In 2021, his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of sex trafficking for procuring underage girls for Epstein to abuse and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Even though the grand jury proceeding occurred under Krischers tenure, Aronberg has remained close to his predecessor, allowing him in the past to work as a volunteer in his office.

Circuit Judge Donald Hafele in December 2021 denied The Posts efforts to make the transcripts public, saying the newspaper had strong arguments but that he was bound by state law to keep the proceeding secret. The ruling is being appealed.

Grand jury proceedings not always kept secret: The case of Breonna Tayloir

Grand jury testimony has long been seen as locked in a vault from the public and the media. But there have been exceptions.

A Kentucky judge released audio recordings of grand jury proceedings into the 2020 fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in her home by Louisville police while they executed a search warrant.

The Legal Defense Fund reviewed the grand jury materials and found the attorney general presented a biased view of the case that favored law enforcement.

The Post in its suit to obtain the Epstein grand jury transcript originally named Aronberg and Sharon Bock, then the clerk of court.

The clerk's office holds the documents.

Aronberg then sought fees in July 2020 for the private attorney hired to defend the State Attorney's Office in the matter. Aronberg amended his motion in November of that year.

Under Florida law, a court may award reasonable legal fees if it finds the losing partys legal representation knew or should have known a claim was not supported by law.

Aronberg took the witness stand in September in a hearing over the legal fees and testified that the newspaper has a vendetta against him. I have had numerous battles over the years, usually one-sided, where The Palm Beach Post for the past 12 years has attacked me, written many misleading articles, he said.

Post Executive Editor Rick Christie has called Aronberg's claims "ludicrous."

Delgado inherited the case from Hafele. Delgado's order on the amended motion denied awarding the fees on procedural grounds because Aronberg did not comply with the strict 21-day safe harbor notice provision in state law. The provision allows the claim to be withdrawn before sanctions are sought.

After Delgado's ruling last week, Aronberg immediately filed a motion for Delgado to rule on the initial motion made in July 2020, which his attorney said was never heard by the court.

We are optimistic that we will prevail because the facts and the law are on our side, " Freeman said.

Besides the state attorney, the countys current Clerk of Courts Joseph Abruzzo is also seeking legal fees for his office being named in The Posts lawsuit. That motion is still pending.

Expert: Aronberg could be trying to only increase costs for The Post

Robert Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University, said Aronberg appears to want to force The Post to have to pay its attorneys to defend the sanctions all over again.

"Aronberg wants to tie up The Post, waste The Posts time, waste The Posts resources and make The Post have to pay their attorneys more money, he said.

He went on to say that the taxpayers are ill-served by Aronberg even if his lawyer never gets paid.

Any time that is taken away from Aronberg or Aronbergs staff, where they can't devote themselves to things they really should be focused on, is a misuse of the taxpayers' money, he said.

Barfield, though, described Aronberg seeking sanctions against The Post as essentially a SLAPP suit, which stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation. Such actions are designed to censor, intimidate or silence critics through the burden of a costly legal defense.

I think it is an effort to intimidate the media, he said. If he is vindicated in a case that ends up keeping information of what Mr. Krischers office did years ago in covering up the Epstein case, it's just wrong. It is morally wrong. It is ethically wrong.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jeffrey Epstein: Palm Beach Post won't have to pay Aronberg's lawyer
Hollis Daniels is escorted out of a Lubbock Courtroom on Monday after a jury was selected for his capital murder trial set to begin on Feb. 6.

Leo Johns told jurors on Tuesday that the night before Hollis Daniels III shot and killed a campus police officer, Daniels stole his gun then threatened to kill him when he confronted him about it.

The stolen gun was the same caliber, make and model as the gun investigators believed Daniels used on Oct. 9, 2017, to shoot and kill Officer Floyd East Jr. in the briefing room at the Texas Tech Police Department.

Daniels, who entered an open plea of guilty on Monday to count of capital murder, faces between life in prison without parole and the death penalty.

He admitted to shooting and killing Texas Tech police officer Floyd East Jr. at the Texas Tech police station after East had arrested him for an unrelated drug offense.

Defense attorneys hope to spare their client a death sentence by showing that Daniels' did not pose a future danger, saying his actions the night he shot and killed East were driven by a combination of mental illness and drug addiction that no longer plagues him.

Meanwhile, prosecutors argued that Daniels' actions that night warrant a death sentence and said he had squandered the opportunities he was previously given to break away from his path of self-destruction.

Johns was among a handful of people who were a part of Daniels core group of friends when he moved from Seguin to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University.

Madison Davenport, who was a member of that core group of friends, told jurors said she met Daniels at the dorms of Texas Tech. She described Daniels as a "pretty cool guy" who was passionate about music, particularly rap, and aspired to be a radio DJ.

However, she began seeing a darker side to Daniels saying he appeared to have a fixation with death and suicide, and shared his fascination about the the death of Kurt Cobain, the Nirvana front man, who died by suicide in 1994.

She said Daniels' behavior would change when he was on drugs, especially on Xanax. She said Daniels was often forgetful and hostile when he was on the antianxiety drug.

Story continues

Davenport told jurors that group of friends usually gathered at a Johns' house in the 3400 block of 28th Street.

However, Daniels behavior got so bad that the group began to exclude him, Davenport said.

"We decided that we weren't going to tolerate using anything more than marijuana," she said.

Wyatt Pustejovsky, another member of the group, told jurors Daniels' morbid leanings made him uncomfortable and suggested to Daniels to seek help.

Pustejovsky described Daniels as belligerent and aggressive when he under the influence of Xanax. He was often forgetful too.

Meanwhile, Johns said Daniels had reached out weeks before the shooting to the group apologizing for his behavior and asking to be allowed back in the group.

Johns said for a while, Daniels appeared back to normal.

However, the group, who testified individually, told jurors that Daniels' behavior backslid and the night before the shooting he started acting forgetful and hostile.

They said at some point in the night, Daniels left without saying goodbye, which was unusual for him.

Johns told jurors that as he was going to bed that night, he noticed his gun, a black .45 caliber Springfield XD pistol that he kept on his nightstand, was missing.

Pustejovsky, told jurors he saw Daniels in Johns' room that night.

Johns said he called Daniels' and asked him to return to the house to talk about the gun.

He said Daniels arrived and they both argued about the theft, with Daniels denying that he took the gun, saying if he did he would have already shot him with it.

He said the argument moved outside when Daniels let them search his vehicle for the missing weapon, which they never found.

John's said Daniels' threatened him repeatedly, saying he didn't fight fair and that if he did have his gun he would shoot him.

He said during the argument, Daniels appeared to reach for what he believed to be a weapon and punched him in self defense.

"Shoot or stab I didn't know what he had, but from what he was saying," Johns told jurors.

Davenport told jurors she was inside the house during the fight but said she believed she heard Daniels bawling after Johns struck him, saying "I have depression, even if I did take your gun, I would have used it to kill myself."

Johns said he and the rest of the group went back in the house and Daniels left only to return about 10 minutes later, and appeared to be pacing outside the home.

He said they barricaded themselves in the house and armed themselves with shotguns in case Daniels began shooting at them.

Davenport, who hid in the bathroom, called 911, telling a dispatcher that they believed one of their friends had stolen a gun, was dealing with depression and had talked about killing themselves.

Pustejovsky, said Daniels appeared to be holding a flashlight to the ground and appeared to be searching for something.

Lubbock police officer Clint Duckworth told jurors that he spotted Daniels driving his BMW X5 southbound on Indiana Avenue and stopped him in response to Davenport's 911 call.

Footage from Duckworth's body camera was played to jurors. Daniels could be heard telling the officer that he was coming home from a friend's house where he had an argument about a stolen gun.

He said the friend, who he identified as Johns, hit him and he believe he phone fell out and he returned to the residence to find it.

During the stop, Daniels refused consent to search his vehicle. And Duckworth told jurors he found no cause to search the vehicle without consent.

Meanwhile, another officer contacted the group of friends on the 28th Street house to get their version of events.

Ultimately, Duckworth told jurors that he released Daniels with a criminal trespass warning and told him that he would be a suspect in a theft of a firearm investigation.

Daniels would return to his dorm at Talkington Hall on Tech Campus where he lived with three roommates. George Vaughan and Andreas Olivo told jurors that they were woken up with a loud sound that they believed to be a gunshot.

Vaughan told jurors he didn't confront Daniel's about it immediately saying he feared for his safety. He said he didn't know Daniels well.

Olivas told jurors he asked Daniels about it the next day and Daniels first told him the sound was from a book falling. However, he said he admitted that his gun went off accidentally.

Vaughan told jurors he and Olivo went to the police station at the Student Union Building to report the gunshot to police.

After the dust up at John's residence, Davenport told jurors that she reached out to Daniel's mother, Janice, and shared her concerns.

She said she was in contact with Janice Daniels, who was making her way to Lubbock.

Lisa Viator, managing director of Texas Tech student counseling center, told jurors that Janice Daniels called the school's crisis hotline saying she believed her son was suicidal and had access to a gun.

However, the records show, a counselor spoke with Hollis Daniels, who denied having a gun or having any plans to kill himself.

The counselor determined that no further intervention was needed since Daniels appeared positive and did not appear distressed.

A few hours later, a campus-wide alert was raised about an active shooter on campus.

Davenport told jurors she told Daniels' mother to pray.

The trial continues Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Witnesses say Daniels stole gun the night before officer's fatal shooting
LAS VEGAS (AP)  The WNBA is investigating former Las Vegas player Dearica Hamby's allegations that the Aces bullied and manipulated her for being pregnant, the league said in a statement Wednesday.

It was the first time the league acknowledged publicly it was looking into the situation. The players' union had pushed for an inquiry into whether Hambys rights under the leagues 2020 labor agreement were violated, as well as state and federal laws.

The Aces released a statement Wednesday evening that read, in part: As an organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the tremendously talented women in our league, we take seriously our responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest professional standards. We have been in contact with league investigators to assist with all information requested, and will continue to do so throughout the investigation.

The statement added the organization wouldnt comment further at this time.

The investigation also includes looking into allegations that the Aces circumvented the salary cap by making under-the-table payments to players, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.

The salary cap allegations were first reported by the website The Next, which covers women's basketball.

Hamby made her allegations after being traded Jan. 21 to the Los Angeles Sparks. The Aces were trying to clear up salary-cap room to sign two-time MVP Candace Parker, who agreed to a deal Jan. 28.

Hamby agreed to a two-year contract extension with Las Vegas in June. After she was traded, she posted on Instagram: Being traded is a part of the business. Being lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against is not.

Hamby, who is pregnant with her second child, stuck by her words in her introductory news conference with the Sparks.

Aces President Nikki Fargas responded to Hamby's comments Tuesday during Parker's introductory news conference, but didn't use Hamby's name in saying that our players and their families will always be in the forefront of who we are as a franchise.

Story continues

We are here to assemble the best team possible, and when putting together a team, there are times when trades will happen, Fargas said. But thats for us to also remain competitive. The moves weve made, obviously, have given us the flexibility we needed to sign (those) players.

Las Vegas guard Kelsey Plum, who was elected to serve as first vice president of the WNBPA's executive committee in December, was asked about the allegations levied by Hamby.

Its tough. ... I wear a lot of different hats. Im best friends with Dearica. I am vice president of the players association, and Im a very proud member of the Las Vegas Aces, Plum said on a Zoom call from USA Basketball training camp in Minneapolis. Because the investigation is going on, I cant comment at this time. But in the meantime, I know that I can continue to support my friend and continue to be a proud member of the Aces, and continue to do my job as a VP."

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

___

Feinberg contributed from New York.
Xi stresses grasping, advancing Chinese modernization

Xinhua) 08:03, February 08, 2023

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance) on Feb. 7, 2023. The session was attended by newly-elected members and alternate members of the CPC Central Committee, as well as principal officials at the provincial and ministerial levels. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

*Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday stressed the importance of correctly understanding and vigorously advancing Chinese modernization.

*The summation and elaboration of the theory of Chinese modernization is a major theoretical innovation achieved at the 20th CPC National Congress, and it represents the latest major achievement in developing scientific socialism, Xi said.

*Advancing Chinese modernization is a systematic endeavor, Xi stressed, adding that it is also an exploratory undertaking.

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday stressed the importance of correctly understanding and vigorously advancing Chinese modernization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance).

The session was attended by newly-elected members and alternate members of the CPC Central Committee, as well as principal officials at the provincial and ministerial levels.

The summation and elaboration of the theory of Chinese modernization is a major theoretical innovation achieved at the 20th CPC National Congress, and it represents the latest major achievement in developing scientific socialism, Xi said.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Li Qiang, and attended by Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi. They are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance) on Feb. 7, 2023. The session was attended by newly-elected members and alternate members of the CPC Central Committee, as well as principal officials at the provincial and ministerial levels. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has been a shared aspiration of the Chinese people since the beginning of modern times, Xi noted, adding that the historical task of exploring the Chinese path to modernization fell on the shoulders of the CPC.

Xi stressed that since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Party has made new progress based on previous explorations, continuously achieved innovations and breakthroughs in theory and practice, and successfully advanced and expanded Chinese modernization.

The historic achievements and changes, particularly the elimination of absolute poverty and the completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, have resulted in more robust institutions, stronger material foundations, and a source of inspiration for taking greater initiative for Chinese modernization, Xi added.

Noting that Party leadership is vital to the fundamental direction, future and success of Chinese modernization, and defines the fundamental nature of Chinese modernization, Xi said only by upholding Party leadership can Chinese modernization have a promising future.

Xi stressed that the modernization process of a country needs to follow the general rule of modernization, but it shall be suited to its realities and characterized by features unique to its context.

Citing the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi said Chinese modernization is characterized by five features that are unique to the Chinese context. It is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development.

Xi said Chinese modernization is a new model for human advancement, and it dispels the myth that "modernization is equal to Westernization," presents another picture of modernization, expands the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization, and provides a Chinese solution to aid the exploration of a better social system for humanity.

Advancing Chinese modernization is a systematic endeavor, Xi stressed, adding that it is also an exploratory undertaking.

Once the strategy is formulated, it must be adhered to over the long term, he said, adding that the right direction of Chinese modernization must be ensured.

Xi said innovation must be placed in a prominent position in overall national development, and efforts must be made to achieve higher efficiency than capitalism while maintaining fairness in the society more effectively.

He also demanded more efforts to expand high-standard opening up and deeply involve the country in the global industrial division of labor and cooperation.

"The cause of promoting Chinese modernization, which is an unprecedented and pioneering venture, will inevitably encounter all kinds of risks, challenges, difficulties and even dangerous storms, some of which we can foresee and others we cannot," Xi said. "Let us harness our indomitable fighting spirit to open new horizons for our cause."

Xi stressed the importance of the work during this year in advancing Chinese modernization. The decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee must be fully implemented and efforts must be made to achieve an overall improvement in the economy, he said.

Presiding over the opening of the session, Li Qiang said that the important speech delivered by Xi enriched and developed the theory of Chinese modernization and should be carefully studied and grasped. He called for thinking and acting in line with the guiding principles of the speech.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Southwest Airlines executives expect bookings in the spring to remain strong despite the airlines widespread cancellations in December, which likely had some effect on business at the start of the year.

The carrier expects business travel to hit 2019 levels in March for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dave Harvey, Southwests chief sales officer who also oversees the business division, in an interview with the Tribune in Chicago.

Advertisement

He outlined steps the company has taken to address the issues that led to the December meltdown, which left masses of stranded travelers and piles of luggage at Midway Airport. A broader upgrade to scheduling technology that contributed to the airlines challenges is underway, he said.

Were applying a lot of the learnings, he said. I feel very confident that the outcomes would be different today.

Advertisement

Southwest slashed nearly 17,000 flights nationwide during the busy December holiday travel period, as it struggled to catch up after a winter storm left thousands of flights canceled and crews and planes out of place. The airline faced a series of challenges that hindered its recovery, capped off by scheduling technology that couldnt keep up with the airlines complex flight network once the weather-related cancellations started rolling in.

At Midway, a major center of operations for the carrier, the combination of the storm and later schedule cuts led to more than 1,850 Southwest flights being canceled between Dec. 22 and 29. About 260 more were canceled at OHare International Airport, where Southwest expanded operations in 2021 as it sought to win business from larger rivals such as Chicago-based United Airlines and American Airlines.

The cancellations cost Southwest $800 million, the airline reported in a January earnings call, which led to a $220 million loss in the last quarter of 2022. The carrier said it could lose $300 million to $350 million in revenue at the start of the year tied to the December disruptions, but executives said they expected the fallout to be mostly limited to January and February.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said in late January it was investigating whether Southwest deceived customers by knowingly scheduling more flights in late December than it realistically could handle. Harvey said the carrier was confident in its schedule, echoing previous comments from Southwest executives who said there were no signs of schedule challenges at other recent times and they would cooperate with the government inquiry.

Yes, it was a realistic schedule, Harvey said. Yes we were staffed. It was just the event, and then trying to recover from the event.

A Southwest Airlines employee helps Sam Acuna find his familys luggage from among the hundreds of bags stranded by major Southwest Airlines service interruptions at Midway International Airport on Dec. 27, 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

As Southwest contended with the thousands of flight cancellations, the carrier had to reunite bags with their owners, issue refunds for canceled flights and reimbursements for items such as meals, hotels, rental cars or tickets on another airline. The carrier brought in staff from other departments to help sift through luggage, and trained nearly 3,000 employees who dont usually handle refunds and reimbursements to help with the process, Harvey said.

The carrier finished reuniting luggage with its owners in recent weeks and finished processing all refunds for the flight cancellations in recent days, spokesman Dan Landson said. The airline has nearly finished issuing reimbursements, Harvey said, but a small number remained this week.

Southwest has hired consulting firm Oliver Wyman to review the meltdown, and expects the results of the report in the coming weeks.

Advertisement

An upgrade to Southwests scheduling technology is underway, and the fixes are currently being tested, Landson said. The scheduling software worked as designed in the aftermath of the storm, Harvey said, but it couldnt keep up with the vast number of cancellations taking place so close to scheduled flight times.

The airline also learned it needed more engine covers during the December storm, as plane engines froze overnight, removing the aircraft from service. Among other changes to technology and practices, the airline is working on enhancing an early-warning dashboard addressing staffing and operation levels, that can reveal hot spots that might need to be addressed in the network or places the airline can put extra staff on standby.

Southwest plans to spend at least $1.3 billion on technology, upgrades and maintenance this year, up from a typical annual technology spend of about $1 billion, Harvey said.

Recent events, such as an hourslong halt by the Federal Aviation Administration on all flights in mid-January and winter weather in Texas tested the system, and the airline came through, he said.

You dont look at something like what happened in December as a good thing, Harvey said. But were already applying learning to help us run a cleaner, more reliable operation.

The Associated Press contributed.
A 60-year-old man has been convicted for the second time in the death of a woman who was killed 27 years ago in Oregon, officials said.

Billy Lee Oatney was sentenced to life in prison on charges of first-degree murder and sexual assault on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Washington County District Attorneys Office said in a news release.

Oatney met with 34-year-old Susi Larsen in 1996 to discuss making jewelry for her wedding, officials said in the release.

Larsen told friends she was meeting Oatney, then she disappeared, officials said. Her body was found two weeks later near Champoeg State Park in Marion County, officials said.

Oatney was charged and convicted in her death in 1998, but he was granted a new trial in 2015 after an appeals court determined his attorney had not provided adequate representation at trial in 1998 KGW reported.

Following his new three-week trial, the jury learned Oatney had been convicted of attempted murder in the 1980s, officials said.

He was accused of stabbing a service member in the chest and slitting their throat while he was in the U.S. Navy, officials said. He served 12 years and six months in prison out of the 22 years he had been sentenced.

He was released from prison months before Larsen was killed, officials said.

Now 27 years later, Oatney was convicted for a second time in her death, and the judge used this past history to sentence him to life in prison without parole.

Mr. Oatney is one of the most dangerous predators our office has prosecuted, Chief Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey said in the release. Ensuring public safety and upholding justice for victims like Susi Larsen to the fullest extent is a top priority in Washington County  and our county is a safer place because of this conviction.

DNA helps identify man accused of killing a loving mom 36 years ago, NC police say

Grandmother is charged with murder after 8-year-old beaten to death, NC cops say

Teen fought for her life when she was killed in 1975, cops say. Now two are arrested
Gina Prince-Bythewood Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Oscar pundits were surprised when The Woman King was blanked at this year's Academy Awards, and the film's director is now speaking out.

The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood has responded in The Hollywood Reporter to her film receiving zero nominations at the 2023 Oscars. The historical drama was widely expected to earn a Best Actress nod for Viola Davis, who plays the leader of a group of female warriors in 19th century Africa.

Prince-Bythewood said the Academy "made a very loud statement" by not giving the film any nominations, which is a "reflection of where the Academy stands and the consistent chasm between Black excellence and recognition." She continued that she was "struck" by Academy members who "simply didn't want to see the film" during awards season and directly told her they had to be "dragged" to a screening.

In addition to Davis not being nominated for Best Actress, Danielle Deadwyler was also left out for Till, while Andrea Riseborough earned a surprise nod for the little-seen indie movie To Leslie after a grassroots campaign that later drew Academy scrutiny. In apparent reference to this, Prince-Bythewood took issue with "how people in the industry use their social capital" during the awards race.

"There is no groundswell from privileged people with enormous social capital to get behind Black women," she said.

Davis shared Prince-Bythewood's article on Instagram, seemingly also referencing the Riseborough controversy by saying that "whether it be a 'grassroots' campaign spearheaded by peers or multi-million industry dollars backing one, we rarely are the benefactors."

Till director Chinonye Chukwu previously spoke out after her film also did not receive any Oscar nominations, writing on Instagram, "We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny toward Black women."

Story continues

You may also like

Why scientists are worried about bird flu

Just what has Biden accomplished, anyway?

Putin likely complicit in downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, investigators say
By Farah Master and Jennifer Rigby

HONG KONG (Reuters) -The world should "calm down" about the possibility of new COVID-19 variants circulating in China, leading Chinese scientist George Gao said.

A paper by Gao and colleagues published in the Lancet medical journal on Wednesday showed that no new variants had emerged in the initial weeks of China's recent outbreak, after the end of its zero-COVID policy saw a huge wave of cases.

"The world should completely calm down from the fear that there are new variants or special variants circulating (in China)," Gao, professor at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Reuters.

The variants causing infections in China were the same Omicron sub-variants - BA.5.2 and BF.7 - seen elsewhere in the world, he said by email.

The study analysed 413 new COVID cases in Beijing from Nov. 14 to Dec. 20, 2022 and found all were likely caused by existing strains. It found that 90% of the majority-locally acquired infections were due to the above two sub-variants.

The findings are representative of the entire country, the authors said, citing the characteristics of Beijing's population and circulation of highly transmissible COVID strains.

China ended more than three years of a stringent zero-COVID policy involving city-wide lockdowns, mass testing and extensive quarantine in December, which was followed by a wave of infections across its 1.4 billion population.

A prominent government scientist said on Jan. 21 that 80% of people had been infected already and China's CDC has said repeatedly in the past month that continuous monitoring showed no new strains of COVID-19 have been found.

Many countries put in place COVID testing requirements for Chinese travellers in the wake of its large outbreak, citing concerns that new variants could emerge and a lack of data, though China has said the measures are not justified.

Story continues

Gao said China was continuing widespread viral genomic sequencing, and would identify any new variants if they emerged.

He said cases were currently declining, but "a new wave is possible in the future."

The Chinese-funded study in the Lancet was conducted by researchers from the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CDC and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The authors said there were some limitations to the study, including China's decision to end large-scale mandatory testing.

In the CDC's latest release on Wednesday, it said that from Sept. 26, 2022 to Feb. 6, 2023, 23,217 local cases of the novel coronavirus genome valid sequences were reported nationwide, all of which were mutant strains of Omicron, with the main epidemic strains BA.5.2.48(53.0%), BF.7.14 (24.1%) and BA.5.2.49 (14.8%).

A total of 13 cases of variants were found, including 1 case of XBB.1, 5 cases of BQ.1.1, 1 case of BQ.1.1.17, 4 cases of BQ.1.2 and 2 cases of BQ.1.8.

(Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Jamie Freed, Kylie MacLellan and Jacqueline Wong)
CANYON  On Tuesday, Feb. 8, at about 2:30 a.m., the Canyon Police Department (CPD) made two arrests of Amarillo suspects believed to be involved with the motor vehicle burglaries that took place over the evening. Upwards of 13 vehicles were burglarized in Canyon over the evening, not including burglaries that occurred on campus at West Texas A&M University.

CPD officers located a vehicle believed to be involved in motor vehicle burglaries on campus based on descriptions from the WTAMU Police Department (UPD). That car was identified alongside another vehicle that was later determined to have been a stolen vehicle, according to a CPD news release.

As reported earlier Wednesday, the WT University Police Department (UPD) responded to a call on-campus for multiple motor vehicle burglaries reported to have occurred at approximately 2 a.m. Tuesday in parking zones 6, 16 and 31 on the WT campus.

"While attempting to stop the suspects vehicle, a pursuit ensued. The car crashed shortly after the pursuit into a parked car on the side of the road. The stolen vehicle also drove away and was later found crashed in another location in Canyon," the CPD release states. "After the suspects car crashed, the occupants fled on foot. With the help of UPD and the Randall County Sheriffs Office, the subjects who fled during the pursuit were apprehended."

The suspect driver, identified as Elliot Patterson, 18, of Amarillo, was arrested on charges for evading arrest in amotor vehicle and a separate traffic offense. The passenger, Zangel Tavarez, 17, from Amarillo, was arrested on a charge for evading arrest.

Residents with any video from the evening of Feb. 7 into the morning of Feb. 8 in the area of 28th Street and 8th Avenue are encouraged to turn the footage into the Canyon Police Department by calling (806) 655-5005.

The Canyon Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is currently investigating the case in conjunction with UPD. If Canyon residents discover they were victims of a burglary of a motor vehicle over the evening, contact CPD.

Story continues

While nothing is failsafe, UPD notes some suggestions everyone may want to consider:

Lock all doors and windows before leaving your vehicle.

Ensure all locks are in proper working order.

If you return to find an unexplained open/broken window or door  do not enter. Contact the Police.

Do not touch or clean up until the police have inspected for evidence.

Be a good neighbor. If you notice anything suspicious in your neighborhood, call 9-1-1 immediately.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: 2 arrested after vehicle burglaries on West Texas A&M campus
Zibby Owens is expanding from her influential podcast, "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books," to a publishing imprint and now Zibby's Bookshop, her first store, in Santa Monica. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

In a move that could cause certain members of the East Coast literati to lose their minds, the New York book scene is about to take up residence in Santa Monica.

OK, maybe not the entire scene but certainly a very big player: On Feb. 18, Zibby Owens is opening her first bookstore, Zibbys Bookshop, on Montana Avenue.

In less than four years, Owens' wildly successful, award-winning podcast, "Moms Dont Have Time to Read Books," has made her one of New Yorks most highly praised (and desperately sought after) bookfluencers. And this is not a side gig.

Unlike Oprah, Jenna Bush Hager, Reese Witherspoon or other celebrities who used their clout to anoint certain authors through must-read lists and book clubs, Owens had no platform before she created one, solely out of books and 30-minute author interviews (and, it must be said, unlimited funds).

Stepping into the gap between Oprah and the A-listers and Colleen Hoover and BookTok, Owens is now not so much a podcaster as she is an ecosystem, the center of an ever-widening Zibby-branded media empire that includes seven podcasts, a magazine, a book club, classes, retreats and, beginning this year, a publishing company.

This month, she is settling bricks-and-mortar roots not on the Upper East Side of Manhattan but on the Westside of Los Angeles.

It makes perfect sense, both universally and personally. Even as the industry has struggled, Los Angeles has always embraced independent neighborhood bookstores (please see The Times' "65 Best Bookstores in L.A.," complete with map).

Though Owens is a born-and-bred Park Avenue New Yorker (a donation by her financier father resulted in the main branch of the New York Public Library being named the Stephen A. Schwarzman building), she and her husband, Kyle Owens, have had a home in Pacific Palisades for five years.

She admits to looking at a few spaces in New York, but she said the rent was so high, There was no way to make it a viable business.

Story continues

In New York, she said in an introductory Zoom interview, there are bookstores everywhere and its so easy to get from one to another. I didnt think there would be a value for another bookstore, and I like to meet unmet needs. And L.A., she added, L.A. is my happy place.

She originally wanted the store to be in Palisades Village, but the Montana site was such a deal, she said, that she couldnt resist. Ive gotten to know so many authors in L.A. and theres a real desire for more bookish stuff out there.

Zibby's Bookshop, occupying a small slice of Montana Avenue, shortly before the books were moved in. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

It is a small slice of a store, formerly a dry cleaners, standing, conveniently enough, right next to a chocolatier, and on the same block as other specialty stores including the Quilted Monkey (childrens clothes) and Ten Women (local handmade art).

The stores out-facing wall has a painted mural of an open book and the words Stories are best when shared. The stories in books, yes  but also the social media variety.

Thats the Instagram wall, Owens said on a visit to the store a few weeks before its opening. We want to make it easy for people.

Within, the shelves are beginning to be filled with books. More than half are by authors, mostly women, who have been featured on Owens podcast, which leans heavily on novels and memoirs. Several shelves hold curated selections reflecting how Owens and her small staff believe the books will make the reader feel.

Post-It notes stand in for labels that will direct customers who want to  cry, lust, tremble, escape, laugh.

It's a lighthearted way of dealing with a problem that's bedeviled the publishing industry ever since Amazon's algorithm ate the browsing experience. The issue is summed up in one bookseller buzzword: discoverability.

Independent bookstores cant compete with product availability, said Owens, whose shop will stock roughly 1,300 titles. But thats not what I believe is the value. ... I want to offer curation, to help people find books easily that they are going to love and that will resonate with them  and maybe not the book they came in to find.

In addition to the emotionally organized volumes, Zibbys will feature shelves curated by what type of person you think you are  books for the foodie, books for the athlete, books for the historian, as well as a huge local authors section and shelves curated by writers, including Kristin Hannah and Kevin Kwan.

Were also going to be doing a lot of events," Owens adds. "We want to have book clubs at the store  including her own, which is virtual but could now be hybrid.

Unlike the podcast, this will not be a one-woman operation. Owens' bookshop staff includes Sherri Puzey and Diana Tramontano, who have worked on other Zibby brands; events manager Sofie Parker; and store manager Jenny Wannir Tarzian, who until recently managed Flintridge Bookstore, to help her stock the store. But in the end, Owens chooses which books to Zibbify based on what she is looking for as a reader. I realize that a lot of the instincts I have going into stores, a lot of people think the same way.

Owens' understanding of the current vogue for personal curation is reflected even in the color scheme of her store  the same deep-sea blues that echo in her Palisades home. For the simple reason that the same painter-contractor who did her house  Joe Nicoletti from Chameleon Paintworks, she is quick to note  also did her shop.

I said, just use the same colors, the same wallpaper, Owens said.

Owens, right, partnered with Sherri Puzey, left, and Diana Tramontano, center, to launch Zibby's Bookshop. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Puzey, Tramontano, Tarzian and Parker gather round as Owens opens one of two just-delivered boxes containing high chairs that will be used for author events. The women debate where to store the chairs, discuss the possibility of having a coffee on offer via a Keurig machine and marvel at how fast the shop has come together.

We had our first conversations in November, said Puzey. We basically planned the thing in one weekend.

In fact, the bookstore was not supposed to be part of the Zibby-verse until much later, after Zibby Books was firmly launched. It will publish a book a month beginning this month with Alisha Fernandez Mirandas My What if Year: A Memoir."

But then so many parts of the Zibby empire have formed very slowly and then all at once.

I just wanted to write a book and get it published, Owens said, laughing. Which I did, finally, but not before all this.

The book, published last summer, is Owens' memoir, Bookends. (She is also the author of a childrens book, Princess Charming.) At the moment, it occupies two shelves in Zibbys Bookshop, and it could be read as business backstory as easily as memoir.

Owens grew up amid New Yorks elite, hitting all the predictable rich-kid markers  friendly childhood doorman, private school, parents' divorce, undergrad at Yale, internships at Vanity Fair and Ogilvy & Mather, Harvard business school  and some much less predictable, including near-crippling shyness, a stint as a Weight Watchers rep and a string of devastating losses. One close friend was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks; another was plagued by addiction that led eventually to suicide. A published essayist since she was in her teens, Owens attempted to make sense of it all by writing a memoir  and then couldn't get it published.

Somewhere along the way, Owens married Andrew Right (the terms of their divorce preclude her writing about the marriage, and her ability to sidestep it in Bookends borders on the miraculous). They had four children.

As is almost always the case, the challenges of motherhood took Owens by surprise, and she began writing about it for various publications. When she floated the idea of publishing a collection called Moms Dont Have Time to Read, an agent informed her that essay collections dont sell and suggested she start a podcast.

Before Zibby's Bookshop's opening, books are shelved with Post-Its marking future sections organized around making you want to "tremble" and "escape." (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

It sounds laughable  how many people have tried to start a podcast?  except Owens and Moms quickly became serious business. As the podcast episodes stacked up, she began holding salons and even private book fairs inside her Park Avenue triplex. Authors, agents and publishers, flailing about in their attempts to publicize books when book tours were increasingly reserved for the few and already famous, soon heralded her as a marketing messiah.

Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when, desperate to help authors any way she could, Owens produced her podcast daily. As in: a book a day.

I go through all the pitches and anything I think looks interesting, I ask for a galley, she said. I dont read the books start to finish; I can pick up a book and spend 15 minutes with it and be able to talk about most things in the book.

This appears to be amazing but true. None of the shyness she describes in Bookends is evident on her show; Owens is an engaged, engaging and informed interviewer.

Now Ive done this 1,500 times, Ive gotten pretty good at it, she said. I wasnt as good when I started.

It is important to note that Owens is not a critic but a booster; her mission is to present books and authors she believes her audience will like, something she now also does on Good Morning America, to which she regularly provides Must Read lists.

Her superpower as an influencer is so well known that when Owens was on tour with Bookends, it often overshadowed her career as an author. People would come up to me and say, I loved your book. Ive written one, would you read it? she said, adding with a laugh, and Id think, Can I just have my moment in the sun?

As the podcast grew and branched into other podcasts, including Moms Dont Have Time to Lose Weight and Moms Dont Have Time to Grieve, Owens asked authors to write essays. After posting them, one a week, she decided to collect them into a book. Moms Dont Have Time to: A Quarantine Anthology was published in 2021.

That was the seed of her foray into publishing. Having seen what goes into making a book, Owens said, I realized Id have to do it myself. ... Everyone kept telling me how hard it would be, she said, but Im not afraid of hard work.

When asked about the irony of a woman whose brand is Moms dont have time for somehow managing to build a media empire, Owens laughs, admitting that the fact that her twins are now in boarding school, and that her custody arrangement leaves her with child-free days, certainly helps. I dont think I could do it if I had the kids full-time.

She also has the financial resources that make all these ventures less of a risk. Owens herself does not wear wealth on her sleeve  when I met her at her Palisades home, which is lovely but not showy, she was wearing a denim skirt, a worn Moms Dont Have Time T-shirt and a blue hoodie  but her father remains one of the richest men in the country.

Still, if her path is not one everyone could follow, it is her own, not her fathers. She has said she did not start the podcast, now a company known as Zibby Audio, to make money, but she does have a Harvard business degree.

A few days into Zibby's Bookshop's soft opening, bookseller Molly Mittelbach moves to greet a visitor. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

It is a business, not a nonprofit, she said in an email, adding that some elements of the empire, including Zibby Audio and Zibby Classes, are profitable already, and its too soon to know how the publishing house and bookstore will do. There has been prelaunch investment across channels and now Im hoping the books take off, she said, adding, If I find some areas arent working, Ill pivot and try new things.

Although the other podcasts in Zibby Audio are hosted by other people, Owens is still very much in charge of Moms Dont Have Time to Read Books, which features a disparate mix of guests, from the very famous (Hillary Clinton and Alicia Keyes) to emerging voices. On a recent Friday, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt joined Owens in the office/studio in her Palisades home to discuss her new childrens book, Good Night, Sister. The writer was running late and Owens filled the time recording the lead-ins to upcoming podcasts.

Following the half-hour conversation, Owens told her guest about Zibbys Bookshop and invited her to have a signing there. When Schwarzenegger Pratt agreed, Owens told her there was a childrens book section where they would host Mommy & Me classes every day.

Ill be there, Schwarzenegger Pratt said.

We want this to be a communal space, Owens said later, at the store. She and her husband split their time between New York and Los Angeles, but she says she will be in the store as often as she can, beginning with an opening weekend chock-full of author events.

If interest from the street is any indication, there is definitely an appetite for what Zibbys Bookshop offers. During the 45-minute visit, a string of people popped their heads in asking if the store was open. We were just saying that Montana needs a bookstore, said one man, accompanied by a woman with a baby in a sling.

February 18, Owens said, pitching the Mommy & Me classes again. Stepping outside, she fretted a bit about the greenery she had planted in a small strip of dirt beside the door. I think we should get something taller, she said.

But she is not worried about opening a bookstore, or starting a publishing company when the industry remains in turmoil.

There is something about books that will never really go away, she said. There is some sort of instinct for people to write them and, not to be woo-woo about it, theres something about leaving something tangible behind."

Like a bookstore.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Rep. George Santos' constituents from New York's third congressional district traveled to Washington, D.C., to call for his removal from Congress. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Constituents from George Santos' congressional district gathered in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

They demanded Santos' removal from Congress and questioned why he would not meet with them.

Santos has refused to resign until the people who voted for him in New York demand it.

A group of constituents from Rep. George Santos' district in New York turned up at his office in Washington, D.C., demanding his removal from Congress.

The group was seen flooding the hallway outside Santos' room in the Longworth House Office Building on Tuesday. Santos aide Vish Burra opened the door and spoke briefly with a female constituent, who handed Burra a petition demanding Santos be removed from Congress.

"We are not comfortable with the lies, and the deceit," said the woman, who was wearing a shirt from the nonprofit organization Courage for America. "We wanna vote to expel. We want him to respond to us. We sent over 50 different meeting requests and did not get a response back."

After Burra went back into Santos' office and shut the door behind him, the people gathered outside started to clamor for a response.

"Where is George?" one person shouted.

"We came down from New York, and we're not being seen," another woman said. "We all sent emails, nobody got a response, and he's not here to meet with us. That's unacceptable."

A spokesperson for Courage for America told Insider that 45 constituents from New York traveled to DC together to try to meet Santos. The trip was organized by Courage for America in collaboration with "Concerned Citizens of NY-03," a grassroots organization that wants Santos out of office, the spokesperson said.

Courage for America also posted several videos on its Twitter page that show the group outside the Capitol building.

"@RepSantosNY03 's constituents have travelled all the way to DC because they want an honest and credible person representing them in Congress, not a fraud," the organization tweeted.

Story continues

Courage for America (@Courage4America) February 7, 2023

In another video, the constituents were seen holding up signs and chanting "Santos has got to go." One sign read: "SCAMTOS." This may be a reference to accusations from multiple people that Santos pocketed thousands of dollars raised for animal welfare and pet rescue initiatives.

On Tuesday, Courage for America tweeted that a letter with close to 1,500 signatures from Santos' constituents was delivered to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The organization called for McCarthy to "do what's right" and hold a vote to expel Santos from Congress. McCarthy did not immediately respond to the petition, and did not meet with the group.

However, a McCarthy aide separately told Reuters that the House Ethics committee has "received complaints" about Santos.

Santos has admitted to lying about going to university, being Jewish, and working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Santos has refused to resign from his congressional seat, saying he will only do so if the people who voted for him in New York demand it. Santos, however, did say in January that he would step down from his committee assignments on the science and small business panels.

Representatives for Santos and McCarthy did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A former Brooklyn man, who became a sniper and weapons instructor for ISIS, was convicted Tuesday of providing material support to terrorism and other charges.

Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Bay Ridge, was found guilty on all five counts, including charges that his material support for ISIS resulted in death. He faces up to life in prison.

As proven at trial, Asainov was a member of ISIS, a violent foreign terrorist organization, which has committed numerous acts resulting in the deaths of many U.S. citizens and others, said United States Attorney Breon Peace. The defendant committed to the terrorist organizations evil cause and made an extraordinary journey to the battlefield in Syria, where he became a lethal sniper for ISIS and trained many other ISIS members to kill. Even after being captured, he still pledged his allegiance to ISIS.

Asainov is a naturalized U.S. citizen who converted to Islam in 2009 and became increasingly interested in Islamic extremism. By 2013, he was consuming radical content online, dropped out of Borough of Manhattan Community College and began preparing to travel to Syria.

MORE: US forces kill top ISIS leader during raid in northern Somalia

PHOTO: In this courtroom sketch, Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, foreground right, appears in federal court, on Feb. 7, 2023, in New York. (Aggie Whelan Kenny/AP)

Asainov abandoned his wife and daughter in Brooklyn before traveling on a one-way ticket from New York to Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain entry into Syria. Upon his arrival, he fought for five years on behalf of ISIS, including the Islamic States last stand in Syria Baghouz, in March 2019. His wife testified he sent her a photograph of three dead fighters, one of whom was wearing a patch that stated, Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, in Arabic script.

Asainov received training on how to use automatic rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and trained as a sniper. During the two-week trial, a former U.S. Navy SEAL scout sniper testified the sniper training course Asainov was in was consistent with what the former SEAL would expect to be taught in a sniper training program.

Story continues

MORE: Top ISIS leader captured during US military ground raid in Syria

Asainov was captured in Syria and told his mother in a recorded phone call from prison he was carrying out Allahs orders when he waged jihad and killed for ISIS. He also said that he intended to return to waging jihad if released, and that he would fight until he meet[s] Allah, according to the indictment.

New York man who became ISIS sniper found guilty of providing support for terrorism originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand police said Wednesday they found more than 3 tons of cocaine floating in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean after it was dropped there by an international drug-smuggling syndicate.

While they had yet to make any arrests, police said they had dealt a financial blow to everyone from the South American producers of the drugs through to the distributors in what was the nation's largest-ever drug seizure.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the cocaine had been dropped at a floating transit point in 81 bales before it was intercepted by a navy ship, which was deployed to the area last week. The ship then made the six-day trip back to New Zealand, where the drugs were being documented and destroyed.

Coster said the wholesale value of the 3.2 tonnes (3.5 tons) of cocaine was about 500 million New Zealand dollars ($316 million) and it was likely destined for Australia.

We believe there was enough cocaine to service the Australian market for about one year, and this would be more than New Zealand would use in 30 years, Coster said.

He said police, customs and the military found the drugs after launching Operation Hydros in December in collaboration with international partner agencies to identify and monitor the movements of suspicious vessels.

Coster said they were continuing to investigate the case with other international agencies.

Bill Perry, the acting comptroller of the New Zealand Customs Service, said the haul illustrated the lengths that organized syndicates were going to in order to smuggle drugs in the South Pacific.

We see perhaps this is just an indication that the transnational organized crime groups are testing the market in different ways, so as agencies, we need to collaborate," Perry said.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said he was axing or delaying many of his government's more contentious policy plans as he looked to refocus on priorities like the rising cost of living.

Hipkins, who was sworn in two weeks ago after the shock resignation of Jacinda Ardern, said his government had been trying to do too much, too fast.

Among the plans he has dropped or delayed is legislation that would have outlawed hate speech against religious groups in the wake of the deadly 2019 mosque shootings, a plan to merge the nation's public television and radio broadcasters, a new insurance scheme to help laid-off workers, and a mandate for fuel suppliers to increase their use of biofuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

These are the first and the most significant set of decisions that we are taking to refocus the government's agenda, Hipkins said. They'll allow us to shift our focus, our time, our energy and our resources to the most pressing issues that are facing New Zealanders at the moment. They won't be the last policy changes we'll be making.

Among criticisms of the plans were that the hate speech bill would have impinged on free speech, the broadcasting merger was unnecessary, the insurance scheme would have been expensive for employers and workers, and the fuel mandate would have raised the cost of gas.

Hipkins said the government was continuing to take a hard look at other contentious plans, which include the government taking more control of water infrastructure, building light rail connections in Auckland, and taxing the greenhouse gas emissions of farm animals.

Hipkins also announced a 7% increase in the minimum wage, to 22.70 New Zealand dollars ($14.40) per hour.

Hipkins faces a general election in just over eight months. After Ardern won the last election in a landslide, her popularity faded and opinion polls put her Labour Party behind its main conservative rival, the National Party. Polls indicate the Labour Party has gotten an initial boost in support since Hipkins took the reins.

Story continues

Before she resigned, Ardern had said she planned this year to refocus some of the government's priorities.

But the sweeping nature of the reset by Hipkins took some observers by surprise. Hipkins said the changes could save hundreds of millions of dollars. He said many of the plans remained good ideas but the time wasn't right to implement them.

Taxpayer groups applauded the measures, while environmentalists said the country was in danger of stepping away from its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon said the government was merely putting many of its plans on hold for another day.

Theyre still obsessed with ideological pet projects, they still have no plan to reduce the cost of living, and they are still addicted to wasteful spending, Luxon said.
Walmart, which opened this pickup-only store in Lincolnwood in 2019, announced Wednesday the store will close Feb. 17. At the time the store opened it was one of the only Walmart locations of its kind in the U.S. (Daniel I. Dorfman / Pioneer Press)

Walmart plans to shutter three locations in the Chicago suburbs, including one of its first pickup and delivery-only locations in the country, the retail giant said Wednesday.

The location in Lincolnwood was an early prototype for the pickup-only model when it opened in 2019. The store at 6840 N. McCormick Blvd. will close by Feb. 17. Walmart is also closing its other pickup and delivery-only store, located in Bentonville, Ark., where the retailer is headquartered, said company spokesperson Felicia McCranie.

Advertisement

In the Chicago area, Walmart also plans to close stores in Plainfield, at 12690 S. Route 59, and in Homewood, at 17550 S. Halsted St., on March 10.

We are grateful to the customers who have given us the privilege of serving them at our Lincolnwood location, McCranie said in a statement.

Advertisement

Walmart said the decision to close the three suburban stores came after a thorough review process found the stores hadnt performed as well as hoped. The retailer has a location in Skokie about a mile from the Lincolnwood location and six Walmart Supercenters within 10 miles of the area.

In a statement posted on the villages Facebook page, Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld said the village was surprised by news of the closure and will work with the property owner to fill the space as soon as possible.

Employees at all three suburban stores slated for closure will be eligible to transfer to other Walmart locations, McCranie said.

Walmart has nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S., including about 180 Walmart and Sams Club locations in Illinois.
Addressing the British parliament, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 8 asked the U.K. to provide fighter jets to protect Ukraine's freedom.

Zelensky, who is visiting London, presented the helmet of a Ukrainian pilot to the parliament's speaker as a metaphor for Ukraines pleas for Western fighter jets.

We have freedom, give us wings to protect it, the helmet inscription reads.

The world needs Ukrainian bravery, Zelensky said. "We proved together that the world truly helps those who are brave in defending freedom.

He thanked the U.K. in advance for the powerful English planes" that Ukraine hopes to get from the West.

We know Russia will lose, Zelensky said, as quoted by Bloomberg. We know victory will change the world. The U.K. is marching with us toward the most important victory of our lifetime. Any aggressor will know what awaits him. Any aggressor is going to lose.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the U.K. Parliament. STEFAN ROUSSEAU/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to the United Kingdom on Wednesday. While there, he met with national leaders and addressed Parliament to ask for further assistance in helping secure victory over Russia.

Speaking to both houses of Parliament, Zelensky told lawmakers that "freedom will win  we know Russia will lose," per BBC News, adding that the U.K. could help Ukraine secure "the most important victory of our lifetime" by providing the country with additional jet fighters and weapons.

"I will be leaving Parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes," Zelensky said.

This sentiment was echoed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said on Twitter, "There is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by sending planes now."

Zelensky also stopped at 10 Downing Street to meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and also had an afternoon meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

Zelensky's visit comes as Ukraine nears the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. While some Western allies have been reluctant to provide aid, The Washington Post noted that the U.K. is "the largest donor of military assistance to Ukraine after the United States."

A recent parliamentary briefing paper cited by the Post showed the U.K. has provided $2.8 billion in aid to Ukraine since the war began, and has pledged to match that figure in 2023.

The U.K. will not be the only leg of Zelensky's tour of European allies. He is slated to travel to Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a statement from the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Other media outlets have also reported that Zelensky will meet with additional European leaders in Brussels on Thursday.

You may also like

Why scientists are worried about bird flu

Just what has Biden accomplished, anyway?

Putin likely complicit in downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, investigators say
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will make his first visit to the UK since Russias invasion of his country today, Downing Street has said.

No 10 said the surprise visit would see the war leader meet Rishi Sunak and address MP in parliament later on Wednesday.

The prime minister also announced plans to train Ukrainian fighter jet pilots as part of a long-term UK investment in its ally.

Boris Johnson has criticised Mr Sunaks decision not to send fighter jets after No 10 said last week that it was not practical to send British aircraft to the warzone.

Mr Sunak said on Wednesday that he was proud to announce an expansion in training from soldiers to fighter jet pilots and marines, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future.

The prime minister said: President Zelenskys visit to the UK is a testament to his countrys courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.

Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory, Mr Sunak said.

He added: It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come.

Mr Zelensky will also use his surprise visit to the UK on Wednesday to inspect Ukraines troops being trained by the British armed forces.

The expansion of the UKs training to include jet fighter pilots is significant as Mr Zelensky has been urging Western nations to supply planes. The UK has so far refused, arguing that the RAFs F-35 and Typhoon jets take too long for pilots to train on.

But the announcement by No 10 signals a shift. Officials said that as part of that long-term capability investment the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to co-ordinate collective support to meet Ukraines defensive needs.

Story continues

Ukrainian troops are already being trained in the use of Challenger 2 tanks, expected to be sent to the country next month. Mr Sunak will offer longer-range firepower to help counter Russias ability to strike at Ukraines towns and energy plants.

Mr Zelensky gave a historic virtual address to the Commons in March 2022, echoing Winston Churchill and comparing his countrys fight to Britains battle against the Nazis.

The Ukrainian president visited Washington in December, giving a 20-minutes speech to Congress in which he vowed that his country would never surrender and thanked Americans for helping fund the war effort.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at Downing Street in London for talks with Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the UK.

Source: European Pravda

Details: A motorcade of cars amid heightened security measures arrived at Downing Street at around 13:30 Kyiv time. Zelenskyy and Sunak were photographed at the entrance, but did not speak to journalists.

Zelenskyy was joined at the meeting by Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Minister of Ukraine, and Andrii Yermak, the Head of the Presidents Office. The Ukrainian and UK ambassadors were also present.

Earlier, Sunak met Zelenskyy at Stansted Airport upon his arrival. The British media noted that this was an unusual move for the Prime Minister, as leaders are usually met by representatives of the government office.

Sunak is to announce an expanded training program for Ukrainian troops, as well as the supply of longer-range weapons to Kyiv.

Earlier, Buckingham Palace also confirmed that King Charles III would have an audience with Zelenskyy on 8 February.

Background: The UK has announced new sanctions against Kremlin elites and organisations supplying military equipment such as drones.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in France on the evening of Wednesday, 8 February, after spending the day in the UK. This is Zelenskyys second foreign visit since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion.

Source: European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyys plane landed at the Paris Orly Airport around 21:45. He was met by a guard of honour and French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu.

After a brief photo op at the aircraft steps, Zelenskyy headed to the Elysee Palace where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for dinner. Scholz arrived in Paris earlier the same day.

On Thursday Zelenskyy will take part in the EU summit in Brussels.

Media reported that in the morning the Ukrainian president will address the European Parliament plenary during a short, one-hour session. He will later attend the EU summit. Zelenskyy said that he will discuss the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine with European Union leaders.

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






Sunak met Zelenskyy at the London airport

Zelenskyy said that he was in London to personally thank the British people for supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russian invasion forces.

Read also: Sunak government plans to increase military aid to Ukraine, says UK PM

"The United Kingdom was one of the first to come to Ukraine's aid," Zelenskyy said.

"And today I'm in London to personally thank the British people for their support and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his leadership."

He also shared a photo with the British PM at London Airport.

Read also: UK proposes building massive arms factory for Ukraine in Poland

The news that the Ukrainian President would pay an official visit to London only surfaced on Feb. 8. This is his second foreign visit after a trip to the United States, and his first visit to the United Kingdom since the outbreak of the full-scale war.

Zelenskyys plane was reported to have landed in London at around 12:30 pm.

The president then met with Sunak and addressed the UKs parliament, and is further scheduled to meet King Charles and then visit Ukrainian troops undergoing training and exercises in Britain.

There are also reports that an expansion of the training program will be announced to include fighter pilots and marines. Additionally, London plans to announce the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine.



Read also: Photos of Ukrainian troops training in UK

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy

French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu welcomed Zelenskyy on the tarmac in Paris.

Read also: Ukraine to get French radar systems

This is the first visit of the Ukrainian President to France since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Later, journalists reported that Zelenskyy has already arrived at the Elysee Palace.

Earlier on Feb. 8, Zelenskyy made an official visit to London.

Read also: Zelenskyy, Sunak discuss arms, peace formula, says Presidents Office

The Ukrainian president met with PM Rishi Sunak and addressed the Parliament, telling MPs that he will convey his gratitude to King Charles III, from all Ukrainians, for his support since even before he ascended the throne, and visited Ukrainian troops training in the UK.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, have arrived at a military base Bovington Camp in Dorset County, in the south of England, in order to meet Ukrainian soldiers that are trained by the British army.

Source: Sky News; European Pravda

Source: Zelenskyy and Sunak have arrived there by helicopter, and they have seen a Challenger 2 tank simulator that will be used for exercises later.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Sunak for the support before awarding Ukrainian soldiers.

Quote from Sunak: "It is a great honour to have all of you here, and your courage is inspiring to us, and the courage of your families is inspiring to us."

Background: In late January, Ukrainian tank crews arrived in the United Kingdom for training with Challenger 2 tanks.

On 15 January, the United Kingdom confirmed its plans to provide Ukraine with a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks and about 30 155 mm AS-90 Self-Propelled Howitzers (SPHs).

Alex Chalk, the British Deputy Defence Minister, expressed his hopes that Challenger 2 tanks would arrive in Ukraine at the end of March.

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






During his visit to the UK, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russians did not stop their offensive so the international community must make them wait for the Ukrainian counter-offensive to start.

Source: press conference of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 8 February

Quote: "Concerning the offensive and when it will start. We are living in a state of war and speaking about when the offensive will startDid it ever stop? It was simply on a different scale. I think that we should make Russians think when the Ukrainian offensive will start, and how they can withdraw from our territory."

Details: Zelenskyy also explained why Ukrainian forces are not withdrawing from the city of Bakhmut. He stated that if it happened, the occupiers would want to advance further and the question would be what city they would choose to besiege next.

Background:

On Wednesday, 8 February Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United Kingdom, making it his second visit abroad since the beginning of the full-scale Russian war against Ukraine.

There he addressed the members of the British Parliament and met with King Charles III. In addition, Zelenskyy and Sunak arrived at a military base in Dorset in southern England to meet with Ukrainian military personnel trained by the British Army.

Following the visit, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hinted that British Challenger 2 tanks would arrive in Ukraine as early as March 2023 and also announced the expansion of the training programme for Ukrainian military personnel.

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






President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that French President Emmanuel Macron has changed his mind on whether the West and Ukraine need to "save face" of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has invaded Ukraine.

Source: President Zelenskyy in an interview with Le Figaro

Quote from Zelenskyy: "I think he [President Macron] has changed, this time he has really changed. After all, it was he who opened the door for tanks to be supplied [to Ukraine]. He also supported Ukraines application to join the EU. I think that was a real signal."

Details: Zelenskyy believes that a real trust now exists between Ukraine, France, and other international partners.

He also said that he was surprised by those second- and third-generation Russians in Europe who support Putins regime: "Russians who left their country during the 1917 revolution, all of the intelligentsia members who fled the communist regime, settled in Europe. But I am surprised to see that some of their descendants support Vladimir Putin while his actions have the same effect on their families as the actions of the communist regime in 1917."

According to Zelenskyy, everyone who believed that those Russians became Europeans turned out to be wrong.

Zelenskyy also expressed his opinion that even after Putins fall the world "will no longer talk to Russia the way it used to".

Quote from Zelenskyy: "The West will have to reconsider its politics towards Russia even if a new leader comes to power in Moscow. You have to change your attitude."

Background:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in France on the evening of Wednesday, 8 February, following his visit to the UK, his second foreign visit since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion.

Zelenskyy headed to the Elysee Palace where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for dinner. Scholz arrived in Paris earlier the same day.

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






In todays social media age, chock-full of internet-fueled celebrities, U.S. Rep. George Santos really stands out.

Thats partly because the first-term New York Republican has gotten as far as he has, which is surprisingly far, because of his not being famous.

Advertisement

If only more media than the feisty local North Shore Leader in his Long Island and Queens district had been paying attention, Santos might not have been elected.

The Leader was reporting in September, when few others were covering Santos, about his inexplicable rise in reported net worth, from about $5,000 in 2020 to as much as $11 million two years later.

Advertisement

This newspaper would like to endorse a Republican for U.S. Congress in New Yorks District 3, the Leader editorialized. But the GOP nominee is so bizarre, unprincipled and sketchy that we cannot.

But Santos won, and afterward came a stream of irregularities that led to a bounty of astonished amusement for late-night comedians and serious investigations by authorities and the media, including probes into allegations that Santos misrepresented his background to voters.

Its not hard to see why some people wonder if Santos is a complete oddball or if his escapades are oddly appropriate for an age in which young people seem to be pressured more than ever to live the life they want, whether they can legally afford it or not.

He reminds me of James Thurbers classic, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, in which the meek and boring title character is connected less to his actual environment than to his elaborate, heroic fantasies.

That occurred to me after photos surfaced that apparently showed him in drag. Santos nevertheless disputed claims that he was a drag queen in Brazil. I was young and I had fun at a festival, said Santos, who is openly gay. Sue me for having a life.

Well, excu-u-use us, congressperson.

Constituents from the district of New York U.S. Rep. George Santos demonstrate during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 7, 2023. The Democratic representatives from New York and some of Santos constituents are backing a petition calling on Santos to resign from Congress. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

An impressively perceptive take on the Santos saga from one of his fellow millennials was provided by Danielle Lee Tomson, who recently defended her doctorate at Columbia University as a scholar specializing in conservative social media influencers.

In Politico, she describes Santos as a product of an attention economy like the one created by the Kardashians and other influencers on social media platforms. For this new, rising generation, attention is the most valuable currency, over truth or morality  even money, she writes. Santos is simply a product of his environment.

Advertisement

Like many others in his generation, the 34-year-old Santos has watched national recognition lead to power and influence in a media age much more accelerated than the one us TV-age baby boomers grew up in.

Santos, among others, is simply playing to the incentives of the attention economy, which exploded in the past decade, Thomson writes. Those trying to shame Santos will find their words falling on deaf ears: For the congressman, it is more important to be noticed than liked.

Attention economics, I have learned, is a new-wave approach to information management that treats our attention spans as a scarce commodity.

I wont try to go any more deeply into it than that. But it rang a lot of bells with me when she wrote of an environment in which everyone wants to pitch their personal brand in the public marketplace and, as Santos tends to confirm, a fake it till you make it attitude pervades.

Indeed, some modern-day scammers and hustlers like accused cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried or Anna Delvey, aka Anna Sorokin, who posed as a wealthy heiress to fleece young New York social swells, seem to reveal how lying for dollars has become a national sport.

Suddenly some wise words from my dearly departed dad come echoing back into my mind: Always try to be honest with your financial habits, he said. That way you dont have to waste time trying to remember which lie you told last time.

Advertisement

Some people, I have since learned, dont seem to care. Fake it til you make it, they say, and hope they dont get taken away.

cpage@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @cptime
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has visited Buckingham Palace, where he had an audience with British monarch King Charles III.

This was reported by European Pravda.

This is the first time the British monarch and the Ukrainian president have met. British media noted that photos show the King wearing a classic suit, while Zelenskyy was dressed in a military-style jumper and trousers.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and King Charles III

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and King Charles III

Photo by the Office of the President of Ukraine

Zelenskyy said that he congratulated King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on his recent accession to the throne and wished peace and prosperity to the British people.

"It is an honor for me to be the first President of Ukraine in the history of Ukrainian-British relations to be honored by the British monarch with an audience. I am grateful to His Majesty for the warm welcome and support of Ukrainian citizens who have found refuge from the war in the UK," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president went to the audience with the King immediately after addressing UK lawmakers in the British Parliament.

The media reported that after his visit to London, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Paris on Wednesday evening, 8 February, where he will meet the French President and the German Chancellor.

It was previously reported that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is to announce an expanded training program for Ukrainian troops, as well as the delivery of long-range weapons to Kyiv.

Earlier, the United Kingdom announced new sanctions against the Kremlin's top officials and organisations that supply military equipment such as drones.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
King Charles III and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

It was the first time the monarch had met Zelenskyy, the BBC said.

Read also: Zelenskyy arrives in London, elaborates on goal of his historic visit

The Ukrainian president congratulated the English monarch on his recent accession to the throne and wished peace and prosperity to the British people, the Presidents Office reported.

The Ukrainian leader also expressed gratitude to the British people and His Majestys Government and emphasized that the United Kingdom is one of Ukraines closest and most important allies.

It is an honor for me to be the first president of Ukraine in the history of Ukrainian-British relations to be honored by the British monarch with an audience, Zelenskyy wrote on Facebook.

I am grateful to His Majesty for the warm welcome and for supporting Ukrainian citizens who have taken refuge from the war in the United Kingdom.

King Charles III and Volodymyr Zelenskyy Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS

The news that the Ukrainian president would pay an official visit to London only surfaced on Feb. 8. This is his second foreign visit after a trip to the United States, and his first visit to the United Kingdom since the outbreak of the full-scale war.

The Ukrainian president met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and addressed the UK Parliament, telling MPs that he would convey his gratitude to the King, from all Ukrainians, for his support even when he was still the Prince of Wales.

Read also: Zelenskyy, Sunak discuss arms, peace formula, says Presidents Office

Zelenskyy is also scheduled to visit Ukrainian troops undergoing training and exercises in UK.

There are also reports that an expansion of a military training program for Ukrainian servicemembers will be announced to include fighter pilots and marines. Additionally, London plans to announce the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Read also: Long-range missile coalition to help oust Russia from Ukraine, says Zelenskyy

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
After his visit to London, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Paris on Wednesday evening, 8 February.

This was reported by BFMTV, which cited various sources, writes European Pravda

The media outlet does not specify any details of the visit.

It is also known that Zelenskyy is going to attend the EU summit in Brussels.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, stated that on Monday, 7 February, he invited Zelenskyy "to participate in the future summit in person".

On Wednesday, 8 February, Zelenskyy arrived in Great Britain with an unannounced visit. This is his second foreign trip since the start of the war.

He also talked to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and addressed the lawmakers in the British Parliament.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the U.K. on Wednesday for the first time since Russia's invasion, a rare trip out of his war-torn country.

Zelenskyy met U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and addressed Parliament in a bid for more military aid in the form of advanced weapons and "wings for freedom" fighter jets as Ukraine prepares for expected spring offensives by Russian forces.

For the first time, Sunak said he's open to the idea of providing fighter jets. Nothing is off the table, he said at a joint news conference at a British army base. We must arm Ukraine in the short term, but we must bolster Ukraine for the long term.

It is Zelenskyy's second known trip outside Ukraine since Russia's invasion nearly a year ago, after his December visit to the U.S.

On Wednesday night, Zelenskyy arrived in Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Zelenskyy will also visit Brussels, where leaders from the 27-nation bloc are holding a summit Thursday, Macron's office confirmed.

Developments:

Zelensky visited Buckingham Palace and met with King Charles. The royal family posted a photo of the men shaking hands on Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron was to meet with Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris later Wednesday, the Elysee Palace said. Zelenskyy also is expected to visit Brussels, where leaders from the 27-nation bloc are holding a summit Thursday, but no announcement had been made.

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly announced new sanctions against Russian President Vladimir "Putins inner circle and producers of Russia's warfare equipment," adding that, "Putin is desperate. He will not succeed."

GRAPHICS: Mapping and tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine

RUSSIA, OLYMPICS: Russia's path to 2024 Olympics takes shape, Ukraine objects

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street in London on Feb. 8, 2023. It is the first visit to the UK by the Ukraine leader since the war began nearly a year ago.

UK moves closer to providing Ukraine with fighter jets

Zelenskyy, wearing his trademark olive sweatshirt, presented the speaker of the House of Commons with a Ukrainian air force helmet inscribed by a Ukrainian pilot: We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.

Story continues

The U.S., U.K and other allies have been reluctant to provide advanced fighter jets, citing the complexity of the aircraft and concerns over escalating the war. But in a shift, the British government said Wednesday that it was actively looking at whether Ukraine could be sent Western jets and was in discussion with our allies about it.

Sunaks spokesman, Max Blain, said the government was exploring what jets might be provided over the coming years but had not made a decision on whether to send its F-35 or Typhoon jets.

We think it is right to provide both short-term equipment  that can help win the war now but also look to the medium-to-long term to make sure Ukraine has every possibility it requires, he said.

Zelenskyy addresses UK Parliament, asks for jets

Zelenskyy asked allies to send "combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom" as hundreds of lawmakers and staff packed into Westminster Hall for his address.

Zelenskyy also urged stronger sanctions against Russia and thanked Britain for its aid.

"London has stood with Kyiv since Day One," he said, handing over a combat helmet as a thank-you to Britain. The helmet was inscribed by a Ukrainian pilot with the words, We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.

UK announces pilot, marine training program for Ukraine

Zelenskyy's visit coincides with Sunak announcing that Britain will expand training for Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and marines "as part of long-term investment in their military," according to a statement from the prime minister's office.

Britain pledged to train Ukrainian pilots on "NATO standard fight jets," but the U.K. has been reluctant to meet Ukraine's request for allies to send warplanes.

"I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak said in a statement. "It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come."

US MILITARY AID: As Biden seeks to avoid wider war, M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine escalates conflict

The U.K. is one of Ukraine's biggest military supporters and has sent the country more than $2.5 billion in aid. More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops have trained at U.K. bases, and Britain said 20,000 more will do so this year. Last week, a group of Ukrainians arrived in the U.K. to learn to operate Challenger 2 tanks Britain is supplying.

The U.K. also announced a series of sanctions Wednesday against six entities it said provided equipment to the Russian military.

Zelenskyy keeps busy itinerary in UK

Zelenskyy arrived at London Stansted airport on a Royal Air Force plane as Sunak greeted him. Sunak tweeted a photo of the two embracing on the tarmac.

"The United Kingdom was one of the first to come to Ukraines aid. And today Im in London to personally thank the British people for their support," Zelenskyy said on Instagram.

Zelenskyy and Sunak traveled to Downing Street amid a large convoy of vehicles before briefly posing for photos in front of the famous black door that leads into the U.K. prime minister's residence.

Zelenskyy started the meeting by thanking Britain for its "big support from the first days of full-scale invasion." He also met with King Charles, U.K. military chiefs and Ukrainian troops training in Britain.

IOC resists pressure to ban Russian, Belarusian athletes from Paris Games

As the push against allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in next year's Summer Games in Paris gains support, the International Olympic Committee continues to resist.

On Wednesday, Olympic leaders said they don't intend to have Russian and Belarusian delegations at the event. Instead, the IOC plans for those countries' qualifying competitors who have not actively supported the war in Ukraine to participate as neutral athletes without a national identity such as team uniforms, flags and anthems.

Zelenskyy and many political and sports figures have advocated for extending to the Paris Games the ban initially applied in most Olympic sports to participants from Russia and Belarus, imposed shortly after the war began last February.

It is not possible to parade as if nothing had happened, to have a delegation that comes to Paris while the bombs continue to rain down on Ukraine, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said Tuesday, drawing the IOC response.

US MILITARY AID: Ukraine to get 45 top battle tanks from US, Germany. How they will aid in war with Russia

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy visits UK, first time since Russia invasion
Nelson County Public Schools administrators have prepared a $31 million budget for fiscal year 2024 that incorporates anticipated increases to the divisions personnel, health insurance and utilities costs.

The divisions 2024 draft budget requires an additional $1.3 million from the county to balance, beyond the $17.1 million the county contributed to NCPS in fiscal year 2023.

Nelson County School Board members looked at budget elements in greater detail, and discussed continuing challenges facing the division, at a Jan. 26 work session.

The biennium budget Virginias General Assembly approved last year included a 5% salary increase for all SOQ, or Standards of Quality-funded, positions for two years. With the additional $1.5 million the Nelson County Board of Supervisors in fiscal year 2023, NCPS administration elected to establish a $15 hourly minimum wage for all employees and make adjustments to support staff and teacher salary scales, creating a 0.5% raise between seniority steps to reward employees every year they stay with the division.

The anticipated 5% salary increase for employees on top of last years 5% increase, plus newly integrated seniority step increases, have contributed to the budget increase. Gov. Glenn Youngkins proposed budget also includes a 1% retention bonus for all SOQ-funded positions, which NCPS Superintendent for Instruction Shannon Irvin said she spread out among all employees as a $300 bonus to be awarded in August. She also included a new stipend in the budget, equivalent to half a degree supplement, for instructional assistants who have passed the paraprofessional assessment.

The budget is built on a projected enrollment of 1,396 students, down from 1,418 in fiscal year 2023. It reflects a downward trend in enrollment that Irvin said has made its way from the elementary schools to the middle and high schools, as smaller cohorts move up grades. Declining enrollment has an impact on state funding, as a change in one student equates to a $4,447 loss in state revenue, and makes it more difficult to offer a diversified course load, according to Irvin.

The divisions special education student enrollment has remained fairly constant over the last decade, however. School board member George Cheape pointed out that with declining overall enrollment, this population has become a greater percentage of the student body. That trend has contributed to the budget increase, Cheape said, because these students cost the division more to educate.

Irvin explained she included an estimated 10% increase in the divisions health insurance rates and allowed for increased electricity and propane costs. NCPS has also requested the addition of an in-school suspension assistant at the middle school and the reinstatement of an assistant principal position  currently Tye River Elementary School and Rockfish River Elementary School share one assistant principal.

After being in the schools last week during the teacher awards and being in some classrooms, I see the need for the in-school suspension person, School Board member Ceaser Perkins said.

Perkins and board chair Shannon Powell recently visited each school to award teachers of the year.

Theres a ton of stuff that goes into that classroom  teachers have different methods of engaging their students and it was good to see that. he added.
The family of a former Virginia Commonwealth University student who died in a hazing incident has sued Delta Chi fraternity, 12 former members and the chapter's adviser for $28 million.

Adam Oakes was a 19-year-old freshman when he died in 2021 of alcohol intoxication at a Delta Chi "big-little" initiation party. Six members of the fraternity were found guilty or pleaded guilty to misdemeanor hazing or providing alcohol to a minor.

Courtney White, Oakes' cousin, filed the wrongful death suit Monday in Richmond Circuit Court. The people responsible for hazing deaths often escape responsibility, the family said in a statement.

The fraternity and its members are liable for Oakes' death because of their negligence and misconduct, the suit claims.

They "long have known, or should have known, of the unparalleled dangers associated with big brother ritual, hazing, alcohol misuse and inept risk and crisis management within the VCU chapter and their other fraternity organizations," the suit states.

VCU expelled the chapter from campus after Oakes' death. In September, VCU settled with the Oakes family for almost $1 million.

An investigation by the Richmond Times-Dispatch showed Delta Chi struggled with discipline for seven years before Oakes' death. Its students were accused of hazing, sexual assault, underage drinking, illegal parties and a fight.

That these traditions continued year after year was "negligent and reckless adherence to dangerous rituals," the suit claims. The fraternity's administration of member recruitment, initiation and member education activities also was flawed and negligent.

Oakes did not have sufficient grades to meet membership requirements, but the chapter welcomed him anyway as an "underground pledge." Because of his status, he never received hazing prevention training.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Delta Chi Fraternity Inc., the Delta Chi Educational Foundation  a nonprofit that financially assists the fraternity  and the local chapter. Karl Grindel, CEO of Delta Chi, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the summer of 2018, Delta Chi faced a four-year suspension. The chapter had "demonstrated patterns of failing to comply," a university administrator wrote.

But Delta Chi fought the charges. It hired a lawyer who specializes in defending fraternities, and she argued that VCU made procedural errors, misinterpreted its own rule book and issued a "grossly inappropriate" punishment.

VCU backed off. The university reduced the suspension to one year, and in the fall of 2019, Delta Chi was reinstated.

A year and a half later, Oakes died. The night of his death, he was instructed to chug a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, which was fraternity tradition.

Authorities charged 11 members of the fraternity with hazing, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. None of the six who pleaded guilty or were found guilty received jail time. Authorities dropped the charges against the other five.

All 11 are named as defendants: Jason Mulgrew, Andrew White, Alessandro Medina-Villanueva, Alexander Bradley, Benjamin Corado, Christian Rohrbach, Colin Tran, Enayat Sheikhzad, Quinn Kuby, Riley McDaniel and Robert Fritz.

Also named was Alec Mingorance, who was on the fraternity's executive committee, according to the suit, and Aaron Gilbert, the chapter's adviser.

"We know that the filing of these lawsuits will not bring Adam back, but we are hopeful that by holding Delta Chi, the VCU chapter of Delta Chi and each of the individual fraternity brothers accountable, it will send a message that echoes across America's national Greek organizations and college campuses that change is coming."

Oakes paid $400 in membership dues  money that was spent on insurance policies designed to protect the fraternity in the event of a death or injury, the suit claims. The suit alleges that Delta Chi purchased comprehensive insurance for its headquarters but inferior insurance for local chapters that doesn't cover death or injury in an effort to deter creditors, such as Oakes' family.

Delta Chi "profited upon the very risk of injury and death created by Delta Chi and the chapters it undercapitalized and controlled, while shielding the substantial assets held by Delta Chi and the foundation and frustrating and avoiding the claims of forseeable creditors," the suit claims.

Delta Chi, a nonprofit, had $13 million in net assets in 2019, the suit states.

Since Oakes' death almost two years ago, at least four other students in the United States have died in hazing incidents, according to a researcher who tracks them.

"Too many families like ours have lost their sons and daughters to these senseless and dangerous hazing rituals," the Oakes family said. "Our hope is that one day we and all the other families who have been impacted by hazing can look forward to a day when such senseless deaths no longer occur."
The Philippine government is planning to deport the two remaining fraud suspects to Japan on Wednesday. The men are also suspected of being involved in a series of robberies in Japan.

Watanabe Yuki and Kojima Tomonobu are among the four suspects that Japan asked the Philippines to repatriate. Japanese police officials have obtained arrest warrants for them. The men are suspected of fraud.

Fujita Toshiya and Imamura Kiyoto were repatriated to Japan on Tuesday.

The deportations of Watanabe and Kojima were delayed because they were facing unrelated criminal charges in the Philippines. But, the cases against them were dismissed on Tuesday. ...continue reading
NHK - Apr 14

Japan's government has approved a plan by Osaka Prefecture and the city of Osaka to open the country's first resort featuring a casino in 2029. It is the first time for the government to make such an approval.
, Feb 08 ( NHK ) - NHK has learned that Japan's government is considering advising senior citizens and other high-risk people to wear masks when they visit crowded places during a coronavirus outbreak.

The advice will be part of the health ministry's basic stance on mask use after COVID-19's planned downgrade to the same status as seasonal flu on May 8.

The government now recommends mask use indoors, but it plans to counsel people to make their own decisions on whether to wear them after the reclassification.

The ministry also plans to recommend people wear masks when they visit medical institutions or nursing care homes so they won't transmit the viruses to others in case they are infected. ...continue reading
McDonalds is bringing back a holiday menu item that first appeared in 1967. Starting Feb. 20, the Shamrock Shake is set to hit McDonalds menus nationwide in the lead-up to St. Patricks Day, according to TheStreet.

The treat, made of vanilla soft serve ice cream, swirled with a green, minty shamrock syrup and topped with whipped cream, was originally invented in 1967 by a Connecticut McDonalds owner named Hal Rosen. Three years later, it made its debut on menus across the country, according to a McDonalds press release from 2020. The item has a cult following for its neon green appearance.

Advertisement

Proceeds from Shamrock Shake sales in 1974 helped build the very first Ronald McDonald House, in Philadelphia. The nonprofit organization provides housing and meals to families while their children are in the hospital. San Francisco has a Ronald McDonald House at 1975 4th St., near the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay.

In 1978, McDonalds created a Grimace character to help promote the shake leading up to St. Patricks Day. If youre unfamiliar with the Grimace creatures, the furry blob monsters were a species that the marketing department at McDonalds created at a time when brands used caricatures to attract kids and promote new items. Uncle OGrimacey is a green Grimace character who is the uncle of the original Grimace, Ronald McDonalds purple best friend.

Advertisement

Once Valentines Day is over, its time to start shifting into green mode to get ready for those Shamrock Shakes.
In honor of Black History Month, the Council Bluffs Public Library is hosting a series of presentations focusing on the importance and history of this month.

This series is provided by the State Historical Society of Iowa and includes We Came Home Together: Black Civil War Veterans and Community Building in Iowa; The Education and Training of Seven African American U.S. Army Officers; and Emancipation Celebrations: the Historical Context for Juneteenth.

We Came Home Together: Black Civil War Veterans and Community Building in Iowa will be presented today (Wednesday) and Friday by Dwain Coleman, who is a University of Iowa Ph.D. candidate and co-director of the Iowa Colored Conventions Digital Project.

He discusses how Black Civil War Veterans of the 1st Iowa Regiment of African Descent (60th U.S. Colored Infantry) and their families used the goodwill obtained through their service to fight for equal rights and social space in Iowas communities, a press release said.

The Education and Training of Seven African American U.S. Army Officers will be presented on Feb. 15 and Feb. 17 by Bernard Harris, Ph.D.

Harris provides an analysis of little-known facts uncovered from archives and museums concerning Fort Des Moines, Iowa, in 1917, when the installation hosted the segregated Infantry and Medical Officer Training Camps, the release said. Harris explores the activities experienced by seven African American civilians who attended and graduated with U.S. Army officer commissions, who went on to serve overseas in France, many in the trenches of WWI.

The Emancipation Celebrations: the Historical Context for Juneteenth will be presented on Feb. 22 and Feb. 24 by Leo Landis, State Curator for the State Historical Society of Iowa. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, and a state holiday in Iowa in 2022.

Emancipation events in Iowa took place prior to the Civil War in Muscatine and over time, communities of various sizes including Clarinda, Corning and Sioux City have hosted events, the release said. The gatherings show that Iowans of many backgrounds have come together to celebrate freedom and equality.

Presentations are from noon to 1 p.m. at the Council Bluffs Library, 400 Willow Ave., in meeting room D. For more information about upcoming events visit bit.ly/3HF2Aq5 or call 712-323-7553 ext. 5427.
Wounded Warriors Family Support has a mobile memorial for the last 13 Americans killed in Afghanistan, and the vehicle is stored in Council Bluffs inside the McMullen Ford showroom.

The service members  11 Marines (including Lance Cpl. Daegan W. Page of Omaha), one Army soldier and one Navy hospital corpsman  are memorialized on a custom-painted Ford Bronco that bears their images and names, which are listed below:

USMC Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, Rio Bravo, Texas

USMC Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, Sacramento, California

USMC Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, Salt Lake City

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, Corryton, Tennessee

USMC Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, Indio, California

USMC Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, Jackson, Wyoming

USMC Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, Rancho Cucamonga, California

USMC Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, Norco, California

USMC Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, Omaha, Nebraska

USMC Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichard, 25, Lawrence, Massachusetts

USMC Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, Logansport, Indiana

USMC Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, St. Charles, Missouri

Navy Hospital Corpsman Max W. Soviak, 22, Berlin Heights, Ohio

The 13 heroes were killed on Aug. 26, 2021 while trying to protect Americans and Afghans waiting to be evacuated from Afghanistan as U.S. Armed Forces prepared to withdraw. They were struck by ball bearings and shrapnel when a suicide bomber ignited an explosive near Abbey Gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 170 Afghan civilians were also killed.

Wounded Warriors Family Services, an Omaha-based charity not affiliated with the Wounded Warriors Project, ordered a Ford Bronco in 2020, which was delayed by the plant shutdowns and supply chain issues of the pandemic.

When I first ordered it, I wanted to tour it, said Kate McCauley, CEO and president. That would mean driving it to different communities for fundraising activities. In the past, WWFS had used Ford Shelby Mustangs and F-150 pickups for the task.

But by the time the Bronco arrived in early 2022, McCauley had decided to dedicate it to the last 13 lost in Afghanistan. She told the organizations board of directors, and one board member offered to sponsor the airbrush paint job by Mickey Harris of South Dakota.

Harris painted the faces and names of the service members on the sides of the vehicle, along with uniformed soldiers from various historical periods and hands reaching up behind them.

He wanted to merge the founding fathers with the current service members, McCauley said. The hands symbolize them welcoming the soldiers into the brotherhood.

He decorated the hood with a couple Purple Hearts  one with the original design and one with the current one  a Bible, candle and other items.

After seeing the results, McCauley changed her mind about the vehicles purpose.

Its more of a tribute to our veterans than for driving for tours to the various cities, she said. Its just that its something so unique and so valuable we didnt know what to do with it.

Since then, the families of 12 of the 13 have signed the vehicle next to the images of their loved ones with comments like Forever my hero, forever my baby boy  Mom; Love you, Brotato, miss you everyday  Vchey; and, to Page, Love never ends. The finished product was displayed at the Midlands International Auto Show in January at the CHI Health Center in Omaha.

It really drew a lot of people over to look, at the show, she said.

The Bronco rolled down the streets of Millard during the Millard Days Parade and McCauley thinks they might drive it in more parades in the future.

We just hope people see the vehicle and see what it represents, and maybe theres a concern for them, she said. In the meantime, its a memorial for our veterans who have served.

Wounded Warriors Family Services provides support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations, according to its mission statement.

The families of our casualties suffer in many ways: some physically, some psychologically, the website states.

One thing the organization does is provide vehicle grants and modified vehicles for combat-wounded veterans so they can have freedom and independence in their everyday lives. WWFS awards about $1.2 million in vehicle grants per year, McCauley said.

Theres a lot of suicides and a lot of isolation with veterans, she said. Our thinking is if we can get more veterans mobile, it will make a big difference. To date, weve given $9.6 million in vehicles.

WWFS has vehicles modified at the Driver Rehabilitation Center of Excellence in Chantilly, Virginia, and flies the recipients out so the modifications will fit the driver, McCauley said.

The organization also provides respite care and supplemental services for family members who take care of veterans, McCauley said. Caregivers of veterans often spend long hours caring for their loved one, feel high levels of stress and neglect their own person health, its website states.

We have agencies we contract with nationwide, she said.

WWFS also sponsors 96 families a year to take vacation retreats.

Our family retreats give wounded veterans and their families a break from the pressures of everyday life to take time to become stronger as individuals and families, the website states.

The organization also provides scholarships for veterans to receive six weeks of welding instruction at the United Auto Workers-Ford Technical Training Center in Lincoln Park, Michigan, near Detroit. The program is specifically for veterans and gives them an opportunity to test for welding certification.
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.
The fierce repression carried out by Algerias ruling junta against activists in Kabylie was evidenced again this week when militant poet Samir Mokrani was sentenced to two years in prison for his peaceful activism in favor of the autonomy of Kabylie.

The conviction of Samir Mokrani, Monday February 6 by the court of Tizi Ouzzou, is part of the harassment targeting Kabyle militants by a justice subservient to the military junta of General Chengriha.

Samir Mokranis poetry disturbs the junta. Through his lyrics, he expresses his love for Kabylie and denounces the injustice the Algerian regime inflicts on the Kabyle people.

The poet, aka Anza, is one of the survivors of the black spring of 2001, when the Algerian gendarmes fired live ammunition on young Kabyles, killing 130 and injuring thousands.

His troubles with the Algerian justice date back to 2017. He was then sentenced to 6 months in prison for the positions in favor of a free Kabylie he expressed in his poems that he shared on Facebook.

In August 2019, he was victim of an assassination attempt for the same reasons. He was violently attacked and left for dead near his village in Larbaa Nath Irathen, where he was rescued and supported by many activists from the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK).
A Moroccan woman was confirmed dead in the powerful earthquake that hit on Monday Turkiye and Syria Monday.

The Moroccan embassy in Ankara said the woman, 51, died in Antakya. She was married to a Turkish citizen. Her 16-year-old son was slightly injured in the quake.

King Mohammed VI has offered his condolences to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On this sad occasion, I send you and the grieving families, on my own behalf and on behalf of the Moroccan people, our sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy following this natural disaster, the Monarch said.

We share your grief and wish to convey the Kingdom of Moroccos solidarity and compassion in these difficult circumstances, underlined the King, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

The death toll in the two countries has surpassed 11,000 people in the worlds deadliest earthquake disaster in over a decade. The number of victims is climbing quickly two days after the earthquakes leveled cities and towns in both countries. Rescuers warn time is running out to find survivors amid freezing temperatures.

Turkeys government is overwhelmed by the extent of the damage to infrastructure, logistical problems and aid needed to assist the 13.4 million people living in the disaster zone. Dozens of countries have so far offered help.
France has put pressure in the last moments preventing the authoritarian regime in Tunis from handing opposition figure Amira Bouraoui to Algeria.

Amira Bouraoui fled persecution under the Algerian regime which banned her from leaving the country for her pro-democracy stands and opposition to the regime. She sought to travel to France from Tunisia. But little did she know that Tunisia has become an Algerian state where Algerian pro-democracy activists face the risk of kidnapping to Algiers in full sight and connivance of Tunisian authorities.

Amira Bouraoui was arrested at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport on February 3. She was released by a Tunisian judge to be kidnapped again and led to a border post to be extradited to Algeria.

But the protection of the French embassy in Tunisia saved dual-national Bouraoui from an abhorrent fate in Algiers.

Her case highlights the human rights violations risks in cash-strapped Tunisia which come as a concession for gas and sugar from Algeria, where dissent is quelled.

Her case highlights the loss of Tunisian sovereignty and its fall into Algerias orbit. She was not the first political activist to be targeted by Algeria in Tunis.

Slimane Bouhafs, a Kabyle refugee and pro-democracy activist registered with UNHCR, was kidnapped in August 2021 by Algerian secret agents in full sight of Tunisian authorities.

The one-year anniversary of President Saieds power grab serves as a signpost of an ever-growing dismantling of human rights protections. Ruling by decree and without oversight or review, the president has undermined several key human rights achievements that the country has made in the ten years following the 2011 revolution that ended the rule of former President Ben Ali, Amnesty said in a report last July.
Senegal and Liberia Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to curtail illegal and unauthorized fishing activities within their respective maritime borders.

Pape Sagna Mbaye, Senegals Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, and his Liberian counterpart Metieh Glassco signed in capital Dakar the agreement, which according to the Senegalese side, will enable the arrest in Senegalese international waters all Liberian-flagged vessels guilty of maritime crimes.

If Liberian-flagged vessels engage in criminal practices and fall foul of the law, our vessels will be able to arrest them if they arrive in our waters, Mbaye said following the signing.

Both countries, the Senegalese official added, through the agreement, will equally mutualize forces and speak in unison within international organizations that govern fishing activities around the world.

Illegal and unauthorized fishing is costing Senegal around over $25 million and Liberia over $328 million. Both countries also pledged to establish South-South and South-North cooperation to effectively combat the phenomenon which affects their fragile economies.
Cameroon under the directives of President Paul Biya has lined up for a $34.7 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to finance the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the Anglophone Regions of Northwest and Southwest.

The plan estimated at around $3 billion encompasses three phases namely rehabilitation and development of basic infrastructure, economic revitalization and promotion of social cohesion.

Cameroon has been hit by a civil war since 2017 launched by separatists who have been demanding the independence of English-speaking side of the country. The rebels are denouncing years of discrimination by the countrys French-speaking majority.

The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and displaced over 750,000.

The head of presidential plan, Paul Tasong, in July indicated that 18 months after scheme has been rolled out, dozens of health centers have been rehabilitated, 30 schools rebuilt, 2,400 fishermen and farmers received equipment, 120 startups have been funded in addition to 47 cooperatives.
Logan Pappenfort, a member of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and interim director at the Dickson Mounds Museum, is part of a group who have started to confront the history of the museum, including its lack of repatriations, August 2022. (Sky Hopinka/Sky Hopinka for ProPublica)

Every day when Logan Pappenfort is at work, he tries not to dwell on whats under his feet. Beneath the south wing of the museum where hes interim director are the remains of at least 234 of his ancestors.

For more than 800 years, they lay undisturbed, carefully buried inside a mound of earth overlooking a quiet valley and a slow river. Then in the 1920s, a chiropractor named Don Dickson dug open the mound, eventually exposing the remains of hundreds of Native Americans. He left them in place, and his family turned the excavation into a roadside attraction they called Dickson Mounds. They charged visitors 50 cents for admission.

In 1945, the state of Illinois purchased the site and later expanded it into a museum. The exposed human remains were used for decades to teach schoolchildren, visitors and local residents about what the museum presented as a long-gone culture of Illinois Indians.

Dr. Don Dickson, a chiropractor, began the excavation of the Dickson Mounds site, located on his family farm near Lewistown, Illinois, in 1927. The tent was put up to protect the Native American remains while Dickson performed his excavation work. (Illinois State Museum)

The exhibit closed in the early 1990s, after Congress passed legislation requiring museums to begin returning Native American human remains and funerary objects to their rightful owners. Contractors installed cedar floorboards over the pit. They left no doorway, no hatch.

The remains at the Dickson Mounds Museum, which is a branch of the Illinois State Museum, account for a sliver of all the Native American human remains still in the hands of the state of Illinois. Federal records show the Illinois State Museum has reported that it holds the remains of at least 7,000 Native Americans. In three decades, it has returned only 2% of them  156 individuals  to tribal nations who could claim them under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. That is among the lowest return rates in the country.

ProPublica found that the museum avoided repatriating any remains dating to before 1673, when European records of the area begin, which marks the start of what archaeologists call the historic era. Museum leaders believed anything older than that could not be traced to living people and therefore could not be repatriated. Those decisions were based solely on geographic, scientific and historical evidence  including the maps and journals recorded by Europeans during their travels down the Mississippi River in 1673  despite the law requiring institutions to also weigh linguistics, folklore and oral history. NAGPRA does not require absolute certainty in order to repatriate.

Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown in August 2022. (Sky Hopinka for ProPublica)

In its initial inventory, the museum declared 98.4% of the Native American remains in its collections culturally unidentifiable, and after completing required tribal consultations in the mid-1990s, it did close to nothing to advance repatriations for more than 20 years. Instead, ProPublica found, the museum prioritized the scientific study of Native American human remains over their return.

[ Where to find depictions of Native American life  created by modern Native Americans  around Chicago ]

The Repatriation Project, an ongoing investigation by ProPublica and NBC News, has found that some of the nations most renowned museums have exploited loopholes in the law to hold on to Native American human remains and related items.

D. Rae Gould, executive director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown University and a member of the Hassanamisco Band of Nipmucs of Massachusetts, said its common for institutions to say they cant figure out who they should return remains and items to. Gould said such institutions often use arbitrary analysis they call science to say theres no cultural affiliation with modern day tribes.

Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, who until her death last month was director of the Illinois State Museum, said that using the year 1673 to decide whether tribes have connections to the human remains and can reclaim them is not OK. Many museums, including ISM, have been superb at avoiding the spirit of the law, she said.

A new generation of leadership at the museum aims to reverse its abysmal repatriation record. Curator of Anthropology Brooke Morgan said the institution no longer privileges archaeological and historical evidence over tribal knowledge. She and Pappenfort hope to set a new precedent for how the museum handles repatriations  one that relies less on finding a scientific link to prove a tribes cultural connections to ancestral remains.

Cultural affiliation is kind of a moot point, said Pappenfort, who joined Dickson Mounds Museum as a curator of anthropology in 2021 and now serves as its interim director. The reality is many tribes can lay claim to affiliation.

Pappenfort is the first tribal citizen on the museums payroll and a member of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, which includes descendants of more than a dozen tribes that collectively were known as the Illinois.

[ Owamni by The Sioux Chef boldly reclaims Indigenous food in the Midwest: Its an act of resistance that we exist ]

Growing up in Kansas City, Kansas, Pappenfort said kids teased him when he would tell them he was Native American. He could not be an Indian, they would say, because Indians are extinct.

In college, he came across a photograph in a textbook of the exposed burials at Dickson Mounds Museum. He realized the kids who taunted him in grade school had something in common with the Dicksons: They werent actually looking at my ancestors as people.

That was on his mind as he drove across the state line into Illinois.

My ancestors put me here, Pappenfort said. They came from Illinois, and its my responsibility to do everything I can to get them where theyre supposed to be again.

The land and its history

High on a limestone bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, two painted monsters stared down at the Frenchmen below. Jesuit priest Jacques Marquette described them in his journal as having mens faces, with horns on their heads, scales on their bodies and long tails that ended in fins.

These two monsters are so well painted that we cannot believe that any savage is their author; for good painters in France would find it difficult to paint so well, Marquette wrote upon arriving in what he called the Illinois Country in 1673.

Logan Pappenfort looks at Odgen Fettie Mound in Lewistown, August 2022. (Sky Hopinka for ProPublica)

Marquette and fur trader Louis Jolliet had entered a land that Indigenous people had inhabited for more than 12,000 years. More than 30 federally recognized tribes can trace their ancestry or cultural connections to the land that is now the state of Illinois. At the time of the Frenchmens arrival, though, most of that land was under the control of nearly a dozen tribes  including the Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Michigamea, Peoria and Tamaroa  who lived along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.

Some of these tribes accommodated Marquette and Jolliet as the pair traveled through the Mississippi and Illinois river valleys in the summer of 1673 aiming to introduce Indigenous people to Catholicism and expand the French trading empire.

Marquette and Jolliet would have passed what today is called Dickson Mounds. There, a winding little tributary called the Spoon River floods into the slow waters of the Illinois and transforms the prairie into a Midwestern Everglades, teeming with life.

Marquette and Jolliet left no records of people who may have lived or camped at that spot in 1673, but archaeological research indicates that between 1100 and 1350, thousands of people lived in the Central Illinois River Valley  many in a large town near Dickson Mounds and others in smaller communities nearby.

The burial mounds that remain are testament to their lives, explained Pappenfort. A massive network of Indigenous communities stretched from Florida to Michigans Upper Peninsula. They shared similar ways of life, such as trading and farming, and traditions that included burying the dead in large earthen platforms. The mounds were built by moving thousands of pounds of dirt, basket by basket, often over many generations, said Pappenfort.

The Dickson Mounds Museum and grounds in Lewistown, August 2022. (Sky Hopinka for ProPublica)

Between 1350 and 1450, something changed. Groups began to move out of centralized communities, including the area around Dickson Mounds. About 150 miles to the south, Cahokia, a multicultural metropolis thats sometimes called Americas first city, also experienced relatively fast population loss. Archaeologists have estimated that at its peak, around the year 1200, more than 20,000 people lived in Cahokia and its outskirts.

Recent research suggests a changing climate that made growing maize difficult might have forced people to leave Cahokia. But theres no widely accepted explanation for why they left or where they went.

In the 1800s, a racist myth that the mounds were too sophisticated to have been built by the local Indigenous people led some to theorize that an extinct race of mound-builders had once inhabited the area. Though it was disproved as early as 1884, the remnants of that myth, in tandem with the unexplained depopulation of Cahokia, gave rise to an oft-repeated story that the people responsible for the mounds throughout Illinois had vanished or that their culture ceased to exist.

Then Marquette and Jolliet showed up in 1673. That summer, Marquette chronicled the locations and customs of various tribal groups, including the Peoria and Kaskaskia. Archaeologists and anthropologists rely on the information in Marquettes journals, but the missionary didnt record the histories of any tribe he encountered. More than 300 years later, in 1995, some tribes would tell the Illinois State Museum curators that their oral histories describe their ancestors as mound-building people. But because that history wasnt written down, the museum dismissed it.

The year 1673 also marked the beginning of the end of tribally held lands in what is now the state of Illinois. By the 1830s, after Indigenous people were devastated by warfare and disease brought by Europeans  and after some tribes resisted ceding the land of their ancestors  the U.S. government gave Native people in Illinois two options: move or perish.

White settlers soon arrived in larger numbers. Some, like the Dicksons, dug up burial mounds and speculated about who had built them. Amateurs were later joined by professional archaeologists and anthropologists.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Fay-Cooper Cole and Thorne Deuel of the University of Chicago set up a field school just north of Dickson Mounds on land owned by Joy Morton, the founder of Morton Salt. Cole and Deuel lamented that many mounds had been leveled and looted in Fulton County. Nearly every village had its local collection from the Mound Builders, they wrote. Mounds were looted and valuable data relating to the prehistory of the state were destroyed. They still surveyed roughly 900 archaeological sites in the area, prompting their development of a cultural classification system that archaeologists still use today.

Their field school at the Morton site is often referred to as the Birthplace of American Archaeology, wrote a former Dickson Mounds Museum curator, Alan D. Harn, in a 2010 paper.

Federal records show that the remains of at least 15,461 Native Americans were excavated in Illinois, more than in any other state. Most are still in the state, and many are property of the Illinois State Museum.

Early photos of Dickson Mounds Museum entrance in Lewistown, circa 1940. (Illinois State Museum)

When the Illinois State Museum opened its Dickson Mounds branch in 1972, an elevated pathway guided guests around Don Dicksons excavation. Below, exposed and broken, were the remains of a fetus with a shell pendant on her chest; two men in their mid-40s lay beside her. A woman, about 20 years old, rested with her left hand on her pelvis. She once wore a necklace of shells, but at some point it was stolen. Someone misplaced her mandible. A man lay with two fishing hooks made of bone, and another had five arrows between his knees. A 2-year-old child was buried with a rattle made of mussel shells, but that, too, was lost.

Inviting tribes back to Illinois

In the fall of 1995, the Illinois State Museum invited tribes from across the Midwest to discuss the remains in its possession. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act required institutions receiving federal funds to inventory their Native American holdings by the end of that year; they were then to consult with tribes about how to return the material to the appropriate groups.

Leaders of tribes in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa were invited to Dickson Mounds Museum. Some tribal members were returning to Illinois for the first time since their ancestors had been forcibly relocated.

Archaeologist Duane Esarey, who retired from the museum in 2021, said he remembers many on staff felt nervous before the meeting because it would be their first time speaking with the tribes.

Johnathan Buffalo, historic preservation director of the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, was skeptical that the museum actually wanted to return anything to the tribes. Images of the Dickson Mounds burial exhibit and the controversy over its recent closure were fresh in his mind.

A protest against the museums open burials in the early 1990s. (Illinois State Museum)

In early 1990, the museums leadership had recommended that the exhibit close, acknowledging changing norms and anticipating the passage of NAGPRA later that year. Illinois Gov. James Thompson agreed, then reversed his decision, claiming the closure would harm tourism while arguing that Native American tribes had no special say in the matter because they werent related to the ancient people who built Dickson Mounds. Protesters swarmed the museum, and some jumped into the pit with shovels to rebury the ancestors. The debacle, which drew the attention of national news outlets, ended in 1992, when a new governor, Jim Edgar, allowed the exhibit to close.

In his office at the tribes headquarters in Tama, Iowa, last summer, Buffalo flipped through a packet of information that the Illinois State Museum had given to tribal members during the 1995 consultations. He read off the names that the museum uses to divide up thousands of years of history  the archaic period, woodland period, Mississippian, prehistoric  and arrived at the number of human remains in the museum collection that it said were from the historic era, beginning in 1673. There were 88.

The museum had preemptively designated the rest of the remains  at least 5,450 ancestors excavated from at least 55 counties in Illinois  as culturally unidentifiable. All of them were dated to before 1673.

Bruce McMillan, director of the Illinois State Museum from 1977 to 2005, told ProPublica the museum did that because its very difficult  regardless of what the NAGPRA regulations say  to trace things prehistorically, meaning before there are written records. He said that during the prehistoric era, between roughly 1450 and 1673, many Native groups in the Illinois region were fissioning, coalescing, and migrating because of war and disease, and that they were constantly reorganizing.

We wanted to make sure that if remains and associated objects prior to the time [were going to be repatriated], that we had some kind of written records, McMillan said. We wanted to make sure that they were going to the correct group or tribe.

At least two tribes claimed during the 1995 consultations that oral histories traced their ancestry in Illinois to mound-building cultures. And Robert Warren, the museums curator of anthropology at the time, wrote in a report to the National Park Service that the museum was open to evidence that might counter its previous conclusions. But when the museum finished its four months of consultations with six tribal nations, curators did not change a single determination of cultural affiliation.

No tribe formally requested the return of remains that dated to before 1673. Many of the tribes invited to the museum viewed the ancestors as their collective responsibility. Connecting the remains to a specific tribe mattered less than ensuring they were reburied in the areas theyd been taken from. Every tribal leader told the museum that their ancestors should be reburied in Illinois.

The conversations did lead to the Illinois State Museum returning the remains of at least 117 ancestors to the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. The museum also transferred ownership of more than 32,000 funerary objects to the tribe, though the museum continues to hold the objects on the tribes behalf. (At the time of the repatriation in 1997, the tribe lacked the resources to appropriately store the objects.) Those human remains and funerary objects had been excavated from several sites throughout the state, not including Dickson Mounds, and all dated to after 1673.

The Illinois State Museum submitted reports to the National Park Service and, with that, it had complied with the law. (The museum later submitted a grant proposal to the park service to help fund a reburial facility, but funding was denied.)

Johnathan Buffalo holds an old photo from a meeting of tribes at Dickson Mound Museum in the mid 1990s at Dickson Mounds Museum. (Sky Hopinka for ProPublica)

And even though every tribe had said during the 1995 consultations that they believed the human remains in the museums collections should be reburied in Illinois, the reburial has yet to take place.

They show us their stuff  our stuff  but its a look at it but dont touch it kind of thing, Buffalo recalled of those early consultations. And then thats it. When they close, we leave and we never hear from them again.

Research instead of repatriation

In the late 1960s, the state excavated more human remains from Dickson Mounds to make way for the museum. Archaeologists found at least 10 burial mounds and two cemeteries, unearthing the remains of more than 800 people.

All of them were sent to Massachusetts. George Armelagos, a new assistant professor recruited by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to help start its anthropology Ph.D. program, had requested them for research.

Anthropologists hoped that the remains, which were on loan from the Illinois State Museum, would offer a window into how people who lived for hundreds of years in roughly the same spot adapted to the expansion of agriculture and population growth.

Over the next 20 years, Armelagos published at least 15 papers based on his research using the remains, and his students produced even more. Their work on the Dickson Mounds ancestors helped convince the field that Native American remains had scientific value (before then, many were kept in storage but not examined), and by 1990, the collection was dubbed by prominent anthropologists as one of the most intensively studied skeletal samples in North America.

Unfortunately, in retrospect, I think there just werent many conversations about who were the likely descendant communities of these individuals, said Alan Goodman, one of Armelagos students who now teaches biological anthropology at Hampshire College and previously was president of the American Anthropological Association.

After the passage of NAGPRA, the museum continued to allow scientific research on human remains it had deemed culturally unidentifiable. The law does not prohibit it, nor does it require that tribes consent.

ProPublica obtained records showing the museum approved almost every request to research its Dickson Mounds collections from 1990 to 2018. Museum leaders hoped studies would lead to groundbreaking findings and bring prestige to the institutions.

So, when the museum received a request in 1991 from Anne C. Stone, a Ph.D. student at Pennsylvania State University, the institutions leadership was interested. Stone wanted to extract DNA from the ribs of 43 people excavated from Dickson Mounds and compare it to another group buried nearby. The process, according to her proposal, would require freezing bone samples to -112 degrees Fahrenheit, crushing them and soaking the powdered bone in an enzyme.

The museum approved Stones request.

Former Illinois State Museum Anthropology Curator Michael Wiant told ProPublica that at the time he believed DNA might answer big questions about migration and genetic continuity. Wiant said he hoped it also would give tribal people a better sense of their history and add to conversations about who may be culturally connected to people who lived near Dickson Mounds 1,000 years ago.

Wiant said that, in hindsight, tribal leaders should have been involved in conversations about using the remains for research.

Stone kept the remains for seven years. The museum approved her requests to experiment with different DNA extraction methods, and even to travel abroad with the samples. But none of the methods she tried were successful.

In an interview, Stone, who now runs an anthropological genetics lab at Arizona State University and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, explained that at the time, methods of extracting ancient DNA, or aDNA, were fairly new and far more destructive than current methods.

Today, she said, any of her research that involves destructive analysis is done in consultation with descendant communities.

In 2010, a new rule was added to the federal repatriation law that created a pathway for tribes to bring their ancestors home without establishing a cultural affiliation. It also required institutions to consult with tribes about culturally unidentifiable remains. Professional organizations, including the Society for American Archaeology, opposed the rule, as did the Illinois State Museum.

The Rule would deprive the entire world of valuable scientific knowledge and historical information on biological and cultural heritage, diversity, and change, wrote Bonnie Styles, then-director of the Illinois State Museum, in public comments.

Under Styles leadership, from 2005 to 2015, records show that the Illinois State Museum repatriated the remains of only seven Native Americans. Records show she allowed Dickson Mounds remains to be lent to various institutions and approved destructive analysis requests from her own staff until as recently as 2014.

In a written statement, Styles said that during her tenure these actions were not disallowed by NAGPRA and its associated rules and that the museum followed its board-approved policies on collection management, the treatment and disposition of human remains, and destructive analysis.

The Illinois State Museum did not willfully ignore NAGPRA and associated rules in order to hold onto collections of culturally unidentified human remains, said Styles.

Home no matter what

In a wooden crate from Piggly Wiggly, Pappenfort keeps letters written by his great-great-great-grandfather George Washington Finley. Finley was Piankashaw, an Illinois people with roots in the Miami tribe that merged with the Wea, Peoria and Kaskaskia in the 1850s.

Finleys first language was his native one, Pappenfort said, and he was one of the few survivors of removal to record some of the Miami-Illinois language and oral histories his parents and elders shared with him. As Pappenfort deliberated in the summer of 2021 whether to accept the job as curator of Dickson Mounds Museum, he thought about what Finley would want him to do. He read the letters to help him decide.

Accepting the job would mean moving to a place where the scars of forced removal are still visible on the land: dozens of burial mounds, many of them excavated or disturbed, surround the museum. But leaving Oklahoma would also mean reconnecting with a place he felt hed lost.

Two hundred years, said Pappenfort from his desk at Dickson Mounds Museum, thats how long it took to have more of an active voice in Illinois.

For the first time in more than 25 years, the museum has again entered formal consultations with tribes about repatriation. This time, the museum is asking different questions. Instead of trying to answer who, exactly, is the right tribe to repatriate to, the museum is asking tribes to lead in deciding whats the best way to right a wrong.

Our institutional will is to get the ancestors home no matter what, Pappenfort said.

So far, conversations with tribes have led to reuniting many ancestors remains with the belongings they were buried with  a task that required a recall of all loans and a moratorium on new research and imaging.

Then Dickson Mounds began cleaning up its own house.

In September 2021, the museum closed its most popular archaeology exhibit. For weeks, Pappenfort worked with the museums then-director Esarey and anthropology curator Morgan to disassemble each display case and remove funerary objects that tribes had requested not be displayed. When they were finished, about 40% of the exhibit was gone.

Logan Pappenfort talks about a display where artifacts have been removed at the Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown, August 2022. (Sky Hopinka for ProPublica)

Pappenfort and Morgan found solace in the work. To Esarey, who earlier in his career had excavated some of the human remains and pulled out funerary objects to put on display, it was the bittersweet dismantling of a world he helped build.

The objects from 75 years of Illinois excavations had guided visitors through a categorized chronology as archaeologists understand it: from the archaic period, to the woodland, the Mississippian, the prehistoric and, following the arrival of Europeans in 1673, the historic. Archaeologists can spend decades seeking to connect the past and the present, Esarey realized, but theyll always find more questions than answers. Doing the work of repatriation required a willingness to let go: Finding the right answer mattered less than doing what is right by tribal nations.

Theres nothing special about 1673, said Esarey. Its all history.

The museum intends to repatriate about 1,100 ancestors from Dickson Mounds, including those excavated in the 1920s whose grave sites are still covered by cedar planks in the south wing. If the effort is successful, the remains will be reclaimed by a coalition of more than two dozen tribes with ancestral lands in Illinois. It would be the largest repatriation in the states history.

Until then the door to the south wing is locked.
Sergei Lavrov, Russias top diplomat, indicated Tuesday that Moscow was keen to provide assistance to Sahel and Gulf of Guinea countries fighting terrorism, as he was on a two-day trip to ally Mali.

The fight against terrorism is of course a reality for the other countries in the region, he said at a joint press conference with his host and Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop.

We will provide assistance to overcome these difficulties. This concerns Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad, and in general the Sahel-Saharan region and even the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea, he added.

Lavrov is the highest ranking Russian official to have visited the West African country led by the transitional government headed by Colonel Assimi Goita.

The visit bolsters relations between the two countries. Mali under Goita has tilted towards Russia at the expense of former colonial power France.

Lavrov also promised Moscows commitment to continue providing military support to Mali also grappling terrorism. The Russian top diplomat vowed Russias increased commitment to help the African countries facing neo-colonial approaches from the West.

Diop stressed the rapprochement between the two countries arguing that Russia meets the needs of Bamako on security and military matters.

We will not continue to justify our choice of partners. Russia is responding effectively to Malis needs in terms of capacity building of our Defense and Security Forces, Diop indicated.

Russia is here at Malis request. Russia is responding effectively to Malis needs in terms of capacity building of our defense and security forces, and we also want to improve this economically, he added.
The signing ceremony of the industrial compensation agreement Morocco concluded with the American Aeronautics company Boeing was held Wednesday at the headquarters of the National Defense Administration in Rabat.

This industrial compensation agreement, which is part of the extension of the acquisition program of Apache helicopters, further illustrates the royal vision aimed at modernizing and strengthening the operational capabilities of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) as well as the emergence of a defense industry sector in Morocco, the National Defense Administration says in a statement.

The agreement provides for strengthening the autonomy of the Royal Air Force in terms of metrology, manufacturing and composite repair of various spare parts and superstructures, according to the most advanced aeronautical standards, says the statement.

The deal also reflects the two parties willingness to strengthen the existing partnership between Morocco and the American company Boeing through the implementation of joint strategic projects while promoting the emergence of a Defense Industrial and Technological Base in the Kingdom.

The agreement seeks to strengthen cooperation in the field of research and development and technology transfer through the qualification of Moroccan engineering offices of international standards in the aerospace sector as well as the realization, in partnership with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Ben Guerir, of a research center for advanced additive manufacturing 4.0, the Defense Administration statement adds.

Also, and as an extension of the industrial memorandum of understanding, signed before King Mohammed VI, on September 27, 2016, for the creation in Morocco of an ecosystem of aeronautical equipment, the compensation agreement, concluded this Wednesday, provides for the realization by the Boeing Company, from qualified local manufacturers, of a volume of sourcing of spare parts of $150 million, contributing to the creation of jobs in Morocco and the economic revival of the national aeronautics sector, explains the statement.

The signing ceremony, held at the instructions of the King, was chaired by Abdeltif Loudyi, minister delegate in charge of the National Defense Administration, and was attended by Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, Inspector General of FAR and Commander of the South Zone, , Commander of the Royal Gendarmerie, and other senior officials of FAR General Staff as well as representatives of the US Embassy in Rabat.

At the end of this ceremony, the members of the American delegation expressed their admiration for the impressive economic and social development level achieved by Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, making the Kingdom a dynamic and competitive partner, the statement states further.
Moroccan lawmakers, lawyers, analysts and representatives of civil society are taking part in a conference hosted this Wednesday by the Moroccan Parliament to discuss the hostile campaign led by some French members of the European Parliament against Morocco.

The debate will focus on the use by MEPs of human rights and the Pegasus spyware as blackmail tools to get commercial and economic gains in Moroccan market which is expanding.

The Moroccan Parliament conference comes on the eve of a hearing scheduled by the European Parliament on Pegasus which continues Morocco bashing after a hostile resolution passed just few weeks ago.

An EP inquiry committee on the Pegasus spyware had revealed that Israeli NSO Company which developed the spyware had contracts with 22 customers in 12 countries of the 27-member European Union, while an internationally orchestrated campaign tried to shift the blame and focus on Morocco and other states in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, accusing them of breaching privacy laws and snooping.

We have to recognize that all EU member countries use spyware, even if they dont admit it, said Dutch MEP Sophie int Veld, Head of the EP inquiry committee investigating Pegasus.

But French Presidents entourage is spearheading a hostile campaign against Morocco inside European institutions in a bid to exert pressure on Rabat to preserve French interests amid a decline of Paris influence across Africa and worldwide.
A Wisconsin man lead Nebraska State Troopers on a 29-mile chase on Interstate 80 Monday morning before the driver was arrested and lodged in Dawson County Jail.

Troopers saw a Honda Civic speeding eastbound at mile marker 232, about 5 miles west of Lexington, and signaled for it to pull over. However, the driver, Marvin Adams, 44, of Appleton, Wisconsin, accelerated.

He lead troopers on a chase at speeds over 100 mph, passing other vehicles on the shoulder multiple times, the State Patrol said in a press release.

Finally, Adams voluntarily brought his vehicle to a stop in the I-80 median. That was near mile marker 261, about two miles west of the Odessa exit.

Troopers took Adams into custody without further incident. He is charged with willful reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest and no operators license.
Longtime North Platte lawyer Stephen Kay moved back home from North Dakota in October 2021  just as soon as he and his wife, Jean, could afford to be together again.

He told a Unicameral committee Tuesday he had to give up his 40-year practice in 2018 because he and Jean, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2002, faced too large a gap in covering her health bills and medication despite getting federal disability benefits and Medicare starting in 2016.

Stephen Kay led off nine testifiers in favor of North Platte state Sen. Mike Jacobsons Legislative Bill 32, which would make Nebraska insurers offer Medigap policies for early Medicare enrollees with disabilities or end-stage renal disease.

Hoping to head off depleting their retirement accounts too early, Kay applied at North Plattes Walmart and Menards in seeking a job with health insurance for him and Jean.

However, I did not receive interviews, he told the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee.

Only after Jean Kay turned 65 in October 2021 could she get Medigap to cover her copays and deductibles, he said. That let him give up the federal job he had taken in Fargo  where he wrote Social Security disability decisions  and come back to North Platte.

The drive from North Platte to Fargo is 10 to 12 hours. Weekend trips home were not possible, Stephen Kay said. Had Jean been able to get Medigap earlier, I would have been able to continue practicing law in North Platte and assisting my wife.

Jean, who was ill and couldnt attend Tuesdays hearing in Lincoln, submitted written testimony saying she had faced Medicare hospital deductibles of up to $9,600 a year, plus $8,000 in annual copays for just one MS medication.

While her husband was gone, she needed help from friends and hired people to help with chores. The couple called each other daily, morning, noon and night to ensure Jean would not be unassisted for hours in case she fell.

No one plans on having a disease process leading to a disability, added Jean, a retired registered nurse. Whether (its) MS, ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease), Parkinsons, end-stage renal disease or other disability, we should be treated equally as those age 65 and over and allowed to purchase a Medigap plan.

LB 32 would let eligible Medicare recipients younger than 65 enroll in supplemental Medicare insurance plans within six months of becoming eligible for regular Medicare or two months after losing group coverage.

Medigap policies would be guaranteed for renewal as long as their premiums continue to be paid, Jacobson, the Banking Committees vice chairman, said in his bills statement of intent.

He told the committee that 34 states, including Kansas, Missouri, Colorado and South Dakota, require insurers to offer at least one type of Medigap policy for under-65 people with certified disabilities or needing kidney dialysis.

That would keep people from having to spend down (assets) and go on Medicaid, Jacobson said. This is a matter of justice, equity and fairness.

Stephen Kay said after the hearing that he worked with Jacobson on LB 32s language. He worked on a similar 2022 bill that didnt reach the floor.

Though he and Jean no longer face problems with health bills, I just didnt feel it was right that others are in similar situations, he said.

LB 32 received in-person support Tuesday from representatives of the Nebraska Medical Association, AARP, disabilities advocates and providers of dialysis care. The committee also received 11 letters besides Jean Kays.

Lobbyists for the Nebraska Insurance Federation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska opposed LB 32, saying it likely would raise Medigap premiums for some 182,000 Nebraskans who are 65 or older.

MedPAC, which advises Congress on Medicare policies, has said Medicare recipients younger than that account for a disproportionate share of Medicare spending, as do individuals with end-stage renal disease, said Robert Bell, the insurance federations executive director.

He estimated Medigap premiums would grow by $400 a year, but he admitted he didnt have precise figures.

Tom Gilsdorf of Medica Insurance Co., which sells policies in Nebraska and 11 other states, contended that Medicare Advantage plans serve much the same purpose. Theyre available in 86 Nebraska counties and 95% of Nebraskans on Medicare, he said.

But Dean Large, 64, of rural Wauneta told the committee Tuesday he got a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare Advantage plan in December when he also went on regular Medicare.

His kidney dialysis provider doesnt take Medicare Advantage, and in southwest Nebraska, there was only one insurance company that provided anything, he added.

I have been on the (Blue Cross and Blue Shield) policy for two months and still have no idea if Im exposed to any large bills or not.

Large said he was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2021, after heart bypass surgery, and has been on a transplant list since then. He wont qualify for a Medigap policy until he turns 65 in September, he said.

Jacobson challenged insurers opposition to LB 32, noting in his closing that hospitals and clinics in Curtis, Trenton, McCook, Columbus and Superior dont take Medicare Advantage.

In truth, its a replacement to Medicare, not a supplement, he said.

The District 42 senator, who represents Lincoln County and all or parts of five others, cited a February 2022 Health Management Associates study that estimated Nebraskas Medigap premiums would rise $1 per month under a bill like LB 32.

A July study of Kansas and Missouri Medigap plans by Wakely Consulting Group said it did not observe significant rate increases after both states allowed eligible under-65 Medicare recipients to buy Medigap.

Its easy to go ahead and scare people with premiums to keep from doing the right thing, Jacobson told fellow committee members. This is a bill that needs to be done. Its probably two to three years late.
Two jury trials are set to begin at 9 a.m. March 14 at the Lincoln County Courthouse. Both defendants who requested trial by their peers are facing felony charges related to firearms.

Leopoldo Munoz, 34, of Sutherland, faces charges of attempt of a Class I felony and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony.

Armani Vieyra, 28, of North Platte, will also have his charges and evidence heard by a jury. He is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, possessing or receiving a stolen firearm, criminal impersonation and a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

A number of other defendants appeared before Judge Cindy Volkmer or Judge Michael Piccolo on Monday. They are all from North Platte except when noted otherwise.

Lindsey Saucedo, 28, was sentenced to 14 days in jail with credit for 14 days served for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. A charge of theft by unlawful taking, $5,000 or more, was dropped as part of a plea agreement. She rented a car last May, but did not return it on time. The car was located in Texas. Saucedo was also ordered to pay restitution of $813.29.

Christopher Bornschein, 33, pleaded not guilty to three charges of felony possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer. A status hearing was set for March 20.

Thomas Harvey, 61, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, 0.15 blood alcohol content or greater or refusal to be evaluated, with three prior convictions. A status hearing was scheduled for March 20

Brenda Lee, 49, pleaded not guilty to Class II felony possession of an extremely hazardous substance or possession with intent to deliver, and Class IV felony possession of a controlled substance. A status hearing was scheduled for April 3.

Latosha Ryan, 35, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of first degree forgery, possession of a forged instrument and possession of a forgery device. A status hearing was set for April 3.

Jack Neumann, 31 pleaded not guilty to felony intentional child abuse, no injury. Status hearing was scheduled for April 3.

Jerick Canty, 32, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, did not appear for his arraignment on a felony charge of strangulation or suffocation, and two misdemeanor charges of assault causing bodily injury to a person. Judge Volkmer issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

Volkmer set bond at 10% of $20,000 for Austin Simkins, 26, of Alliance, who is currently in Lincoln County Detention Center following violations of a number of conditions of his probation, including DUI, failure to report, not abstaining from drugs and alcohol and operating a vehicle without interlock.

Ryland Clemmons, 18, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges: possession of or receiving a stolen firearm, use of a firearm to commit a felony, first degree assault, and tampering with physical evidence. A status hearing was set for April 3.

Matthew Earhart, 39, pleaded not guilty to possession of a dangerous weapon by a prohibited person (felony) and second degree trespassing (misdemeanor). Status hearing set for April 3.

Raymond Webster, 37, pleaded no contest in an agreement with the state, to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail with credit of 86 days served.

April Pent, 43, pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of attempted possession of a controlled substance, a Class IV felony. The charges stem from a traffic stop in December in which the K-9 drug dog was brought in and discovered the drugs. She was sentenced to 120 days in jail with credit for 48 days served.

David Diaz Jr., 52, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of third degree assault, and a misdemeanor charge of negligent child abuse, no injury. A status hearing was set for March 20.

Marco Ortega, 33, of Lincoln, failed to appear on status hearing on three felony charges related to driving under the influence of alcohol. Judge Volkmer issued a warrant for his arrest.

Ricci Foster, 40, pleaded no contest to a reduced misdemeanor charge of attempted possession of marijuana, more than one pound with intent to deliver.

Judge Michael Piccolo ordered 12 months of probation with the stipulation that Foster maintain fulltime employment.

Erick Coffey, 48, was scheduled to appear on a pre-sentencing investigation on an amended felony charge related to possession of an extremely hazardous drug. His attorney, Victoria Hervey, stated that Coffey is in treatment in Omaha. Piccolo ordered a warrant for Coffey.

Ransley Foust, 24, was sentenced to three to six years in Nebraska Department of Corrections for second degree felony burglary, with 181 days credit. Attorneys for the state noted that Foust has had lots of charges in the last couple of years and, He comes out and does something worse.

However, he never really had an opportunity to address his drug and alcohol addiction, argued Fousts attorney, Amanda Speichert. She recommended probation, stating that he needs the structured treatment that he wont get in prison.

Piccolo noted that Foust had racked up 18 criminal offenses from the age of 19 to 24, and testing showed that he had a high risk of reoffending.

Speaking to Aaron Goold, I worked on your case a lot last night, Piccolo said. He said he had carefully considered Goolds age, background and other factors.

Goold, 39, of Wellfleet, must serve 18 months with the Nebraska Department of Corrections, with credit for 308 days served. Following that he will be on probation for 18 months, following by 12 months of post release supervision.

Goold was convicted on three counts of felony possession of a controlled substance, along with making terroristic threats and a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault

While attorneys for the state noted the seriousness of the assault charge, Goolds attorney, Mark McKeon, argued that he had taken full responsibility for his actions and had a strong desire to live a crime-free life.

Hopefully you stay sober, Piccolo said.

Brandon Decent, 22, pleaded not guilty to a charge of intentional child abuse. A status hearing is scheduled for March 13.

John Kramer Jr., 62, pleaded not guilty to five charges. Those include four felony charges: Making terroristic threats, using a deadly weapon to commit a felony, resisting arrest and assaulting a police or health care professional. He is also charged with misdemeanor domestic assault.

Kramer was extremely intoxicated when the incident occurred, said Robert Lindemeier, Kramers attorney. It was not premeditated.

A status hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. March 20, and Piccolo denied to grant bail reduction.

Tobin Schaneman, 45, of Milford or Kearney, pleaded not guilty to possession of methamphetamine 28 to 139 grams, possession with intent to distribute, possession of a defaced firearm, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. A hearing was scheduled for April 3.

Ronald L. Gonzales, 23, of Loveland, Colorado, pleaded not guilty to eight felony charges related to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, theft by receiving stolen property more than $5,000, possession or receiving a stolen firearm, possession of controlled substances and operating a vehicle to avoid arrest. A status hearing was scheduled for April 3.
Auburn police have arrested a suspect in connection to a sexual assault investigation that began on Jan. 30.

On Friday, police arrested Andres Lenardo Hurtado, 48, of Auburn, on felony warrants charging him with rape first degree, sodomy first degree and sexual abuse first degree.

Police said they met with the complainant who stated they were assaulted by a male acquaintance at a residence in Auburn.

Hurtado was developed as a suspect and he was located by police. After further investigation he was placed under arrest, according to the police report.

Hurtado was transported to the Lee County Detention Center and is currently being held without bond.
Editor's note: This story is part of 'Broken Defense,' an investigative series from Lee Enterprises. More details about this project can be found at the bottom of this article.

Public defense across the West suffers deep-rooted, decades-old problems. States have two solutions to consider: dole out more cash or shrink the criminal justice system.

More cash would help states hire public defenders, increase pay and add support staff, all which lessens workloads and improves representation quality.

Not jailing people for non-violent crimes related to mental illness, homelessness, poverty and addictions would lessen the strain on public defenders. Treatment or community programs could handle those minor cases.

Those strategies combined would increase the supply of public defenders and ease current demands on them. People without attorneys in hundreds of felonies and more than 100,000 misdemeanors across the West could get public defenders who have time to represent them effectively.

Neither option seems particularly savory to many. A public defense system overhaul is expensive, particularly for smaller, resource-strapped counties. Some states controlled by conservative politicians want more people locked up, said University of Wyoming professor Daniel Fetsco, who has worked as both a prosecutor and public defender.

However, I believe you can try to persuade people through awareness and education that some of these issues are not conservative, theyre not liberal, Fetsco said. It goes beyond politics. I think its a matter of humanity.

Stephen Hanlon leads a national public defense reform effort and has half a century of legal experience. He says change is long overdue.

Judges, prosecutors and public defenders have for decades pushed millions through the criminal justice system without fully investigating their cases or ensuring an effective defense, Hanlon said.

We became the principal facilitators of mass incarceration  the whole profession, Hanlon said.

Black, brown and low-income people are disproportionately affected by public defense crises, said Jason Williamson, executive director of NYUs Center on Race, Inequality and the Law, which helped sue Oregon to dismiss cases without attorneys. Black people made up nearly 20% of people waiting for attorneys in Multnomah County on one day in October, according to the lawsuit. That countys population is less than 6% Black.

The legal profession is starting to come to terms with this problem, Hanlon said. We're gonna need the governors and state legislators  and Congress [to] step up and address this problem. This is a national embarrassment.

Hanlon advocates for federal legislation that could better fund state public defense. He and other national legal organizations soon will have a very powerful lever to push for improvements.

His law firm, Lawyer Hanlon, partnered with the American Bar Association, the National Center for State Courts and the public policy research RAND Corporation to develop new national public defender workload standards expected in February, Hanlon said.

Whats about to happen is a watershed moment in public defense, Hanlon said.

The standards will be the first in the nation to prove with reliable data the extent to which public defenders are overworked, Hanlon said. They will be based on public defender workload studies in 17 states. Two of those studies revealed Oregon and New Mexico have about a third of the public defenders needed to provide adequate representation to everyone accused of crimes.

Outdated standards

The National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals (NAC) adopted national standards 50 years ago that now overestimate how many cases attorneys can effectively handle.

Hanlon said those standards are based on nothing. A few lawyers scribbled them on a cocktail napkin in the 70s, he said.

I'm old enough that I know who was there, Hanlon said. About seven or eight guys in a bar at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego who sat around and came up with those numbers, but there was no methodology. There was no data.

It's truly astonishing that we relied on that for 50 years, and there's no excuse for having done that.

The lawyers Hanlon said were at that bar were National Legal and Defender Association committee members. The association in a statement acknowledged those standards are outdated and ignore modern-day case complexity and time-intensiveness. The association hopes updated standards will provide a wake-up call to states and localities on the need to properly invest in public defense.

Jessica Kampfe, Oregon Office of Public Defense Services executive director, said national caseload maximums would be hugely helpful for Oregons dire public defender shortage. The new standards will offer a reference tool to show lawmakers that public defender caseloads go far beyond the acceptable limit, she said.

Idaho has proven that caseload standards work to motivate local lawmakers to support public defense. The states 2019 caseload cap has helped public defenders secure more county resources when theyre stretched thin.

Idaho contract public defender Rick Cuddihy said his Nez Perce County office was way over the annual maximum of 210 felonies per attorney within eight months.

We went to the (county) commissioners and they gave us more money to hire more help, Cuddihy said. I think the system works very well.

The new standards could work the same on a national scale. Hanlon assembled his old law firm Holland & Knight, consulting firm Moss Adams, research organization the JFA Institute and civil rights organizations to implement and enforce the standards. The team plans to file lawsuits that demand minor case dismissals to help decrease public defender caseloads and that states fix public defense systems within five years.

We will be aggressively advocating for the changes that are so obviously needed, and if we cant get them, we are prepared to litigate to get them, he said.

Federal funding

Some federal lawmakers agree state public defense needs improvements.

Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici in November reintroduced a bill that would provide $250 million for public defense grants. The bill would set public defender workload limits, establish pay parity with prosecutors and improve training and data collection.

Right now, we have a dangerous shortage of public defenders, Bonamici said in a statement. Im leading the EQUAL Defense Act to finally secure the resources that our public defenders and people in the criminal justice system need and deserve.

The bill would require participating states to show measurable improvement over the next five years. States could model a five-year plan proposed for New Mexico, Hanlon said.

New Mexicos public defender office recently tapped Moss Adams and the JFA Institute to help close the states attorney shortage. New Mexico would have 600 of 720 needed attorneys by 2028 if it follows the plans suggestions, improving the current gap.

The state currently has one third of the 900 attorneys it needs to handle public defense cases effectively. More funding would double the states existing attorneys, meaning the state would have 600 of the 900 attorneys needed. A decriminalization effort would reduce the need to 720, further closing the gap.

The report calls on New Mexicos Legislature to more than double public defender office funding over five years to help hire 300 full-time public defenders and add support staff, such as paralegals and investigators. The offices budget would increase from $64 million to $157 million, but would make up less than 1% of the state budget.

The plan also suggests decriminalizing some charges, including half of traffic violations and non-violent misdemeanors, and most drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and probation violations. That would decrease cases by a third, reducing the public defenders needed from 900 to 720.

Decriminalization

Idahos ACLU backs a similar decriminalization effort for its state, legal director Aadika Singh said. Offenses that could be removed or made a lesser charge to lighten attorney workloads include alcohol age violations, drug possession, gambling, prostitution, disturbing the peace, trespassing, littering, graffiti and driving with a suspended license, Singh said.

These are people we are not scared of, we're just upset with them, Hanlon said. Theres no reason for that to be in the criminal justice system. None.

Many Arizona drug cases shouldnt be prosecuted, said Dean Brault, Pima County Public Services director. His staff is nearly maxed out on cases, but prosecutor's office leaders told him they wont change how they charge people.

Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said he would support more funding for Oregon public defenders, but that the claim by some that the solution is to stop prosecuting crimes is detached from reality and reckless. People must be held accountable, he said.

Lassen County District Attorney Susan Melyssah Rios said she cant overlook minor crimes in California. Property damage victims, for example, deserve restitution, she said.

What gives someone the right to damage, deface, destroy the hard earned property of someone else? Rios said. What about the people whose property is damaged? Why should they have to pay to fix that?

The New Mexico report emphasizes that only victimless crimes should be decriminalized.

23 cases, one man

Those cases can consume public defender resources.

Joel Trombley, a transient in Great Falls, Montana, was cited nearly two dozen times in two months for carrying alcohol in an open container or trespassing, sometimes both, always around the same location. Twice he was cited three times in one day.

Each of Trombleys citations were filed as separate cases. An open container violation equals about three hours of work, potentially creating a nearly 70-hour workload for his public defender.

So my caseload looks like I got 23 misdemeanors, and its one guy whos just existing, his court-appointed attorney Caitlin Boland Aarab said.

Great Falls city code has no defined open container violation penalty, so the violation faces a catch-all penalty of a possible 6 months in jail and a $500 fine.

State Sen. Ryan Lynch, D-Butte, has filed draft legislation that would make local governments shoulder public defense costs when the city violation penalty is undefined, like Trombleys case.

Lynch says a funding shift could help cities see how often they charge people for minor offenses and evaluate whether to slow that practice or provide public defenders more resources to handle the work.

If were going to put resources into prosecuting people, we should put similar resources into defending that, Lynch said.

State action

This year, all 50 states will have legislative sessions and the opportunity to pass new public defense laws. Idaho and Oregon, in particular, are poised for change.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill into law last year to create a statewide public defense system by October 2024.

Lawmakers want to make right the ACLUs 2015 lawsuit that shows poor defendants got inadequate representation, said Rep. Jon Weber, R-Rexburg, a lead sponsor of that bill.

Weber and other Idaho lawmakers will develop a statewide model for public defense in the upcoming session.

Each Idaho county runs its public defense how they want. They funded their own systems before the state began helping in 2019.

County-by-county public defense models can lead to resource disparities. In Washington, for example, poor, rural Whitman County spent less than $8 per capita on public defense in 2019, according to Washington State Office of Public Defense data. Wealthier and urban King County spent nearly four times as much to defend people.

Last summer Idaho took over all funding responsibility.

Weber and Singh, the Idaho ACLU legal director, agree a uniform statewide system will address disparities between counties and work better for defendants.

Singh said the Legislatures annual $50 million for public defense keeps the current system running, but is way too low and keeps things static. She said more money is needed to hire attorneys, investigators and social workers who can help lighten workloads and improve representation quality. Singh worries the Republican-controlled Legislature wont approve enough funding.

The new systems cost is difficult to estimate because there is no chosen model yet, Weber said.

If it does cost more (than $50 million), we will address it at that time and see what that number is, Weber said. But this isnt an open checkbook, if you will, to see how much money we can spend on public defense.

Oregon lawmakers last spring gathered attorneys and judges to develop public defense crisis solutions.

Co-chair Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, said the group will consider how to restructure the system and recommend ideas to the Legislature. The group's recommendations so far are unclear.

The Legislature in emergency sessions last year approved more than $100 million to address the public defender shortage.

The Fair Shot of Oregon coalition includes nearly 30 racial justice groups, community organizations and labor unions, and supports two bills to reduce public defenders workloads, Oregon ACLU policy director Jessica Maravilla said. One bill gives public defense more money, including for state student loan forgiveness. The other suggests low-level, nonviolent crime incarceration alternatives.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, has proposed a 22% budget increase for the public defender office.

That could add 20 attorneys, but would still leave the agency shorthanded. Since 2019, the Montana public defenders office needed an additional 63 attorneys on average to handle the caseload assigned to the agency and still meet its workload management limits, according to the agency's December budget request to the state Legislature.

The proposed budget includes a $1.5 million rapid response cushion to contract private attorneys or raise wages when the agency cant fill vacant positions.

Its unclear whether Montanas majority Republican legislature will support public defense changes. Other agencies in severe disrepair, including the state prison and hospital, may need some of the $2 billion surplus more than the public defenders office.

Legislators have grown more responsive to the public defender offices appeals since the agency illustrated its issues in data presentations  its the difference between hearing the barn is on fire and seeing it for themselves.

Single greatest tool

Whether run by counties or the state, an office with full-time attorneys is the best way to provide effective public defense, experts in multiple states agree. Creating more offices is a reasonable solution for state or local governments.

More than 2,000 of the roughly 3,000 U.S. counties have no public defender office, said Jon Mosher, Sixth Amendment Center deputy director. The default for those counties is for judges to assign public defense cases to private attorneys.

Texas had five county public defender offices in 2001, said Geoff Burkhart, Texas Indigent Defense Commission executive director. Now it has offices that serve 70 counties.

More people who need public defenders get them when counties operate their own office, according to a June 2019 study of Texass system. The quality of representation also improves, Burkhart said.

It is probably the single greatest tool we have for improving Texas public defense, Burkhart said.

Locally-controlled offices are not a cure-all, Burkhart said, but benefits, salary and student loan forgiveness can attract public defenders to rural areas. A federal program allows forgiveness for government employees. Private attorneys contracted for public defense work are not eligible.

County office attorneys also can provide holistic defense that aims to support defendants and prevent them from reentering the criminal justice system, said Graciela Martinez, California Public Defender Association president.

Support staff, including case managers, social workers and mental health professionals, can help defendants find treatment. Immigration experts can help defendants who make plea agreements avoid deportation. Case investigators can strengthen a defense.

I dont think theres any substitute for having an institutionalized public defender system in any county, Martinez said.

The Texas Indigent Defense Commission is requesting from the Legislature another $50 million over the next two years to continue building public defender offices, including one taking shape in College Station.

We actually see change here as we build these public defender offices, Burkhart said. Thats hundreds, sometimes thousands of defendants with a lawyer by their side  and hopefully a really qualified lawyer by their side  who might not have had a lawyer otherwise. So it makes me feel really excited about this work. Weve done a lot, but we have a lot more work to do.

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.
PARIS  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought Western support for his country in surprise visits to Britain and France on Wednesday, pushing for fighter jets to battle Russian invaders in a dramatic speech to the U.K. Parliament, and then flying to Paris to meet the French and German leaders over dinner at the Elysee Palace.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy will join EU leaders at a summit in Brussels, which German Chancellor Olaf Sholz described as a signal of European solidarity and community.

Advertisement

The embattled leaders European tour and pleas for more advanced weapons came as Ukraine braces for an expected Russian offensive and hatches its own plans to retake land held by Moscows forces. Western support has been key to Kyivs surprisingly stiff defense, and the two sides are engaged in grinding battles.

Zelenskyy thanked the British people for their support since Day One of Moscows invasion nearly a year ago, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said fighter jets were part of the conversation about aid to Ukraine.

Advertisement

Nothing is off the table, he said at an evening news conference at a British army base. We must arm Ukraine in the short term, but we must bolster Ukraine for the long term.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs all kinds of supplies, not just planes, but also ammunition and long-range missiles

Without this, there would be stagnation which will not bring to anything good, he said, calling his visit to Britain very fruitful.

Then it was off to Paris for dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Zelenskyy was greeted Wednesday night on the steps of the Elysee Palace with a friendly embrace by Macron, and then all three leaders headed inside. The visit marks a turnaround in Zelenskyys relations toward France and Germany, which earlier in the war were viewed by many in Ukraine as not doing enough to help.

Ukraine can count on France, its European partners and allies to win the war. Russia cannot and must not win, Macron said before their working dinner.

He said they would discuss the operational needs of Ukraine, adding: We will pursue the effort.

Wednesdays travel was only Zelenskyys second foreign trip since Russia invaded on Feb, 24, 2022, after a December visit to Washington, where he met with President Joe Biden and addressed the U.S. Congress. Expectations also were growing that he also would meet European Union leaders Thursday in Brussels, where they are holding a summit.

Advertisement

His day began when he arrived on a Royal Air Force plane in London and was greeted on the tarmac with an embrace from Sunak. They held talks at the prime ministers 10 Downing St. residence before Zelenskyys speech to lawmakers in the 900-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest  and, on a cold winter day, unheated  part of Parliament.

London has stood with Kyiv since Day One, he said, repeatedly thanking Britons for their aid. The U.K. has sent Ukraine more than 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in weapons and equipment,

Wearing his trademark olive drab sweatshirt, he urged allies to deliver jets to Ukraine, saying combat aircraft would be wings for freedom.

In a dramatic gesture, Zelenskyy presented the speaker of the House of Commons with a Ukrainian air force helmet, inscribed by a Ukrainian pilot: We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.

The president was trying to soften allies reluctance to send advanced fighter jets, both because they are complex to fly and for fear of escalating the war.

The U.K. has repeatedly said its not practical to provide Ukraine with British warplanes. But in a shift, the government said Wednesday it was actively looking at whether Ukraine could be sent Western jets, and was in discussion with our allies about it.

Advertisement

Britain also said it would train Ukrainian pilots in Britain on NATO-standard fighter jets within weeks.

Sunak spokesman Max Blain said the government was exploring what jets we may be able to give over the coming years, but had not made a decision on whether to send its F-35 or Typhoons.

We think it is right to provide both short-term equipment  that can help win the war now, but also look to the medium to long term to make sure Ukraine has every possible capacity it requires, he said.

Ukraine has sought Western fighter jets since early in the war to bolster its force of Soviet-made MiG-29 and Su fighters. The success of its air force in defending its skies and territory despite Russias bigger numbers helped push back Moscows initial assault.

The Russian Embassy in London strongly warned the U.K. against supplying the warplanes, saying Britain would bear responsibility for another twist of escalation and the ensuing military-political consequences for the European continent and the entire world.

Macron has said France hasnt ruled out sending fighter jets but set conditions, including not leading to an escalation of tensions or using the aircraft to touch Russian soil, and not resulting in weakening the capacities of the French army.

Advertisement

Sunak and Zelenskyy flew by helicopter to Lulworth Camp, a base in southwest England, where they met Ukrainian troops being trained on the Challenger 2 tanks the U.K. is sending as part of the hundreds that Kyiv says it needs. More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops have been trained in the U.K., and Britain says it will train 20,000 more in 2023.

I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future, Sunak said.

Zelenskyy also went to Buckingham Palace, where he met with King Charles III, who greeted him with a broad smile and a warm handshake before they had tea. The king told the president that weve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long.

In his Parliament speech, Zelenskyy noted that Charles was a qualified military pilot.

The king is an air force pilot, Zekenskyy said, and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.

Zelenskyy was greeted with applause, cheers and cries of Slava Ukraini  Glory to Ukraine  as he arrived in Parliament, where his cause has wide support.

Advertisement

He had addressed the U.K. Parliament remotely in March, two weeks after the start of the invasion. He echoed World War II leader Winston Churchills famous never surrender speech, vowing that Ukrainians will fight till the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.

On Wednesday, he recalled how on a prewar visit to London, he sat in Churchills chair in his subterranean wartime headquarters, and had a feeling that only now he understands: It was the feeling of how bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory.

In past wars, evil lost, he told U.K. lawmakers. We know Russia will lose and we we know victory will change the world.

He also urged stronger sanctions against Moscow until Russia is deprived of any possibility to finance this war.

Coinciding with the visit, the U.K. government announced new sanctions against six entities that Britain said supplied equipment to the Russian military. CST, a manufacturer of Russian drones and parts for helicopters used against Ukraine, were among them.

The London visit came as Russian forces shelled areas of eastern Ukraine in what Kyiv authorities believe is part of a thrust by the Kremlins forces before the invasion anniversary. Moscow, meanwhile, believes Ukraine is preparing its own battlefield push.

Advertisement

Lawless reported from London. Danica Kirka and Sylvia Hui in London and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed.
A Disturbing Trend: OSHA Finds Obstructed Exit Routes and Boxes, Merchandise Stacked in Unsafe Manner at Alabama Dollar Tree

The discount retailers string of citations continues with proposed penalties of $171K after a recent inspection.

Just a week after its most recent OSHA citation, Dollar Tree has been cited again.

Following an inspection at a store in Florence, Alabama, OSHA cited Dollar Tree after it found exit routes obstructed by a dumpster, wheeled carts and a moveable conveyer belt, and boxes and merchandise stacked in an unsafe manner, according to a news release. This July 2022 inspection resulted in citations for three repeat violations and proposed penalties of $171,886.

In the event of a fire or other emergency, seconds matter. The inability of employees and others to exit a store quickly and safely could have very serious consequences, said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta in the news release.

In what OSHA calls a disturbing trend, the violations identified at the store in July 2022 mirror those found in other Dollar Tree stores in the past, according to a news release.

The companys repeated and continued disregard for human safety suggests the company thinks profits matter more than people, Petermeyer continued.

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com
Investment in Southeast Asian countries is set to soar in the next five years.

After the US levied sweeping restrictions against Chinas semiconductor manufacturing industry last autumn, opportunities are emerging for other countries to bolster their positions in the supply chain for this critical component of the global economy and linchpin of future technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and next-generation computing.

In October, the US Department of Commerce blocked the sale of semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China in a bid to slow its domestic industry. The executive order came two months after the US had signed the CHIPS Act into law, which committed $52.7bn to develop the US semiconductor chip manufacturing industry.

How effective the new restrictions will be in slowing Chinas industry remains to be seen. In December China announced that it was investing $143bn to combat US measures by developing and acquiring semiconductor technology.

The US also has a long way to go to catch up. It will take roughly three years for the Taiwanese company TSMC, for instance, to build its new semiconductor fabrication facilities, or fabs, in the US state of Arizona to produce advanced chips.

Nevertheless, given how central semiconductors are to a countrys ability to produce a wide range of electronics critical to the digital transformation and energy transition, emerging markets have a strong incentive to shore up their semiconductor supply, either by finding alternative suppliers or by building manufacturing facilities of their own.

Meeting domestic demand

The global market for the sale of semiconductors reached $595bn in 2021, a 26.2% increase from 2020, as the shift to remote work brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and the shift towards digitalisation increased demand for electronic devices.

However, the disruption of supply chains for the past two years, punctuated by Chinas Zero-Covid slowdown, restricted the industrys growth, resulting in an estimated $500bn in lost sales in the semiconductor industry and other industries it supports. Tepid growth of 1.1% in 2022 translated into just $602bn in sales.

Many expect momentum to continue to stall in 2023, as most memory chip companies, which account for 25% of the market in 2022, have announced reductions in capital expenditure for the upcoming year.

The shortage of semiconductor supply hampered growth across the world, especially in emerging markets with electronics, automotive or defence hardware industries that rely on a steady supply of chips.

For instance, many emerging markets are targeting a share of the global electric vehicle manufacturing market, which is heavily reliant on semiconductors. The easing of the shortage in the second half of 2022 helped Thailands car manufacturing sector grow by 15% year-on-year in November to 190,155 units, its highest monthly mark in the last 44 months, according to the Federation of Thai Industries.

Semiconductor diplomacy

The manufacturing of semiconductors is dominated by three countries  China, South Korea and Taiwan  which accounted for 87% of the global market in 2021.

The US and Japan used to lead the industry and are both still major players, especially in designing chips that are outsourced to fabs in China, South Korea and Taiwan  underscoring the complicated levels of interdependence in semiconductor supply chains.

Overall production figures belie the markets segmentation, however. Taiwans TSMC produces more than 90% of the worlds most advanced chips, whereas South Korea is the largest exporter in revenue terms, and China leads in total volume of production and exports.

These big-five producers have been engaging in semiconductor diplomacy to win new markets.

In January South Koreas President Yoon Seok-Yeol visited the UAE with the goal of opening new technology companies for semiconductors and competing with China in a key market in the Middle East that is embracing new technologies like AI.

In August the CEO of South Koreas Samsung met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam and announced a $850m investment to manufacture semiconductor components in the country. In 2021 South Koreas Amkor Technology began construction on a $1.6bn plant in Vietnams northern province of Bac Ninh to manufacture, assemble and test semiconductor products.

Meanwhile, Japanese companies are exploring investment opportunities in India, which is keen to play a larger role in the semiconductor supply chain. International Semiconductor Consortium, a joint venture between UAEs Next Orbit Ventures and Israels Tower Semiconductor, plans to start constructing Indias first fab in February.

In December Indias multinational conglomerate Tata Group announced its intention to invest $90bn in the semiconductor industry across its companies in the next five years, including in fabs for advanced chip manufacturing.

New centres of production

Emerging markets in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, are seeking to leverage the CHIPS Act to grow their semiconductor industries and win market share from China in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for some 60% of global sales.

ADVERTISEMENT

Indonesia and the Philippines have been courting new investment from the US in its semiconductor industry after the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in May 2022.

Malaysia is already a major producer of semiconductors  with seven plants scattered around the country and a 13% market share in the global assembly and testing of chips  and is actively seeking investment from leading companies like Taiwans TSMC to build new fabs in the country.

Meanwhile, at the 2023 North American Leaders Summit in January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) of Mexico and US President Joseph Biden agreed to organise the first-ever trilateral semiconductor forum with industry to adapt government policies and increase investment in semiconductor supply chains across North America.

President Biden and President AMLO also agreed to set up high-level teams to increase cooperation in the chip industry, according to a report from Bloomberg, with the specific goal of supporting the building of a new hub in southern Mexico for Taiwanese semiconductor producers.

Taiwanese router motherboard makers relied on China for an estimated 50% to 70% of their production capabilities last year, but the CHIPS Act is prompting them to look at Thailand and Vietnam as well as Mexico in addition to the facility in Arizona.

By Oxford Business Group

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Russias failure to achieve a quick military victory in Ukraine as most people thought likely at the outset of its invasion has weakened its own geopolitical position and, albeit to a lesser degree, that of its key ally, China. This is being reflected in a series of deals by key Middle Eastern countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) made with an eye on winning back favour with the U.S. and Europe, and last weeks deal between Oman and key NATO member, Turkey, is part of this emerging pattern.

It could be that a reversal is taking place from the previous creeping influence of the China-Russia alliance in the Middle East, the aim of which was to secure the regions enormous oil and gas resources, strategic ports, and military and intelligence cooperation. These assets are vital to Chinas One Belt, One Road (OBOR) power-grab project and crucial as well to Russian President Vladimir Putins plans to resuscitate the Soviet Union, the breakup of which he stated was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the twentieth century. Only one year ago, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, and the secretary-general of the GCC were arriving in Beijing for a five-day visit to push ahead on negotiations over the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA). At these meetings, the principal topic of conversation was to finally seal the China-GCC FTA and a deeper strategic cooperation in a region where U.S. dominance is showing signs of retreat.

Related: French Strikes Halt Fuel Shipments From Refineries And A Fuel Depot

Omans primary significance to both Beijing and Moscow, and anyone else with a map for that matter, lies in its geographical position, with long coastlines along the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, away from the extremely politically-sensitive Strait of Hormuz, through which passes at least one third of the worlds crude oil supplies. These coastlines offer largely unfettered access to the markets of South Asia, West Asia, and East Africa, as well as to those of its neighbours in the Middle East. What China has really been after in the steady build-up of its presence in recent years, but especially since the unilateral withdrawal of the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran that left many Middle Eastern countries feeling in need of a new superpower alliance, is to control all the major crude oil shipping route chokepoints from the Middle East into Europe and the West. For China, these routes avoid the more expensive and more nautically-challenging Cape of Good Hope route around South Africa and the more politically-sensitive Strait of Hormuz route. The all-encompassing 25-year deal with Iran, as uncovered in a worldwide exclusive by me published on 3 September 2019, gave China effective control over the Strait of Hormuz. The same deal also gave China a hold over the Bab al-Mandab Strait (through Irans dealings with the Houthi rebels), through which crude oil is shipped upwards through the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal before moving into the Mediterranean and then westwards. Control over the Gulf of Oman is the last piece of the set of key sea routes for oil and LNG out of the Middle East.

Omans secondary significance is that it has considerable liquefied natural gas (LNG) capabilities, one of the few countries in the world that does, and that they are not fully utilised, given the relatively paltry hydrocarbons resources that Oman itself has. In the current hydrocarbons supply and demand matrix in Europe, gas is the thing that all countries want to secure, to offset lost supplies from Russia, and LNG is their best option, as it is available much quicker than pipelined gas, without the prerequisite build-out of costly and time-intensive infrastructure. Iran has long had its eye on utilising this unused LNG capacity in Oman as part of a broader gas cooperation plan and the same blueprint to do so has been on the board for nearly 10 years. The middle of 2022, however, saw Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, visit Oman to finalise the remaining details of the plan that broadly involves two elements: first the LNG capacity utilisation by Iran, and second the laying of a pipeline between the two countries.

The LNG part of the plan is for Iran to use at least 25 percent of Omans LNG capabilities to allow it to realise its long-term target of becoming a world leading LNG exporter. This plan was part of a broader co-operation deal made between Oman and Iran in 2013, extended in scope in 2014, and fully ratified in August 2015, that was centred on Omans importing at least 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year (bcm/y) from Iran for 25 years beginning in 2017. This equated to just less than 1 billion cubic feet per day and was worth around US$60 billion at the time. The target for this was then changed to 43 bcm/y to be imported, albeit for a shorter period, of 15 years, and then finally to at least 28 bcm/y for a minimum period of 15 years.

The pipeline element of the plan  that would be key to enabling Iran to dramatically increase the amount of LNG it could produce, using Omans LNG facilities  involves a land and a maritime section. The land section would comprise around 200 kilometres of 56-inch pipeline (to be constructed in Iran), to run from Rudan to Mobarak Mount in the southern Hormozgan province. The maritime section would include a 192-kilometre stretch of 36-inch pipeline along the bed of the Oman Sea at depths of up to 1,340 metres, from Iran to Sohar Port in Oman. The overall objective was that Iran would use these facilities to bring on further phases of development of North Pars. It would also use them with a view to the using the gas from several other major gas fields, including most immediately Golshan, Ferdowsi, Farzad A and Farzad B, and Kish, for LNG purposes.

Turkey, with which Oman struck the major gas deal last week, has been notable in recent years for its political, economic, and military fluidity in dealing with NATO countries on the one hand, and Russia on the other. Like Russian President Putins dreams of an idealised Soviet Union, Turkish President Recep Erdogans thoughts seem to be of the same ilk, focused on the once mighty Ottoman Empire. Just in the way that Putin seems to imagine himself as the new Tsar of the new Russian Empire, so Erdogan appears to regard himself as the caliph of a new Ottoman Caliphate, calling his supporters during election campaigns grandsons of Ottomans. In this sense, Erdogan is useful to NATO and to Europe, particularly as Europe can dangle the carrot of highly lucrative European Union membership in front of him, as the geographical position that Turkey has always offered  as being both part of the West and of the East as well  is augmented by his apparent geopolitical cognitive dissonance.

The deal between Turkey and Oman, crucially, is focused on the very LNG sector that Iran and Russia and China have been keen to exploit in the Sultanate. According to statements from the companies involved, Oman LNG will start supplying 1 million metric tonnes of LNG every year for 10 years to Turkeys BOTAS Petroleum Pipeline Corporation, beginning in 2025. As highlighted by the chief executive officer of Oman LNG, Hamed al Naamany last week: Signing this term-sheet agreement with BOTAS supports our efforts to further develop our position in the global energy and LNG industry and explore new markets with key industry partners [] This step complements our commitment to add value to the local economy through growth and collaborations with international partners such as BOTAS. Turkeys Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Fatih Donmez, added that: The new gas purchase agreement with Oman also includes an opportunity to be extended further if needed [and] At a time when the world, especially Europe, is suffering from gas supply problems, Turkey is taking all steps to become a gas trade centre.

It is apposite to note that all of Omans major LNG deals this year have been with companies not associated with either Russia or China or any of their proxies. These included, on January 18, Oman LNG signing two deals with Thailands PTT Global LNG and Frances oil and gas giant TotalEnergies to supply a total of 1.6 million metric tonnes of LNG annually, starting in 2025. Just before this, on 27 December, Oman LNG signed long-term agreements with three Japanese companies - JERA Co, and trading firms Mitsui & Co, and Itochu Corporation  to supply them with 2.35 million tonnes of LNG annually from the Sultanate.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
With energy demand set to surge in Pakistan this summer, a cold winter in Europe would be disastrous for the country.

Europes growing dependence on LNG since Russias invasion of Ukraine has sent LNG prices to multi-year highs and been a disaster for Pakistan.

Pakistan has experienced multiple crises over the last few years, and with summer fast approaching a new energy crisis could be on the horizon.

Pakistan, along with other developing nations, has experienced a flurry of crises since the pandemic. A vicious combination of fiscal, social, and energy issues has left the country in a very precarious position. With summer approaching, and Pakistans energy demand set to surge, a cold spell in Europe might just be enough to push the country into yet another crisis.

European demand for LNG has spiked since Russias invasion of Ukraine and Europes resultant embargos on Russian natural gas. Global demand for LNG has increased (hitting 101 million tons in 2022 - 58 percent higher than in 2021) and Europe is working on scaling its capacity by 34 percent from 2021 levels. A warmer-than-expected winter in Europe has led to a lull in LNG prices, although they still remain at multi-year highs.





Weather Check

Never before has the weather in Europe been such a critical factor in global energy markets. Thanks to a mild winter, Europe was able to maintain its natural gas inventories and some were even proclaiming the end of Europes energy crisis. However, recent assessments show that such claims might have been premature.

The latest data shows that temperatures have started to fall again. According to a brilliant Twitter thread by Francesco Sassi, gas stocks fell to 78.35 percent from 81 percent a few weeks ago - gas storage now looks to have dropped below 70 percent, although that remains higher than in previous years at this time.

The Polar Vortex is also getting strong. As such we can expect temperatures to fall further in Europe and therefore the likelihoods of withdrawals from the inventories increase (as shown in the chart below by Heinrich Leopold).







The image shows that the trend is negative when it comes to gas storage.

A strong Polar Vortex is also affecting temperatures in East Asia as 160 people have died in Afghanistan and the temperature in Beijing has dropped to minus 16C. Japan received a record amount of snow. This is putting further upward pressure on LNG markets.





China factor

China remains another wild card as its reopening is set to boost demand and could leave Europe with a 27 bcm shortfall (if Russian supply drops to zero and Chinas demand regains 2021 levels). Analysts expect a strong rebound in Chinese energy demand in 2023 will projections that its LNG imports could rise to between 70-72 million tonnes - an increase of 9 to 14 percent YoY which will subsequently be translated into higher prices. It will also pose a risk for Europe for the restocking of its inventories next winter.

Rising Prices - Impact Beyond Borders

Natural gas futures have already started to rise. The benchmark, TTF, recently registered a 6 percent weekly gain which was the biggest increase since December 2022.





Source: AGSI

Such global economic conditions bode ill for a country like Pakistan which is already dealing with an ailing economy and failing power infrastructure. A week ago, almost the entire country was plunged into darkness due to the failure of the national power grid. This was the second such incident in the past three months. Natural gas accounts for about 40 percent of the countrys total energy mix. It also imports about 80 percent of its oil needs.

Recently, ENI - an Italian company - declared force majeure, leaving Pakistan with no LNG cargo for the month of February and creating an expected shortfall of 325 MMcfd. This will increase the use of furnace oil (which is more costly) subsequently skyrocketing consumer bills. If the price of LNG increases further it will make it even more difficult for cash-strapped Pakistan to purchase it. For instance, the offer from Qatar Energy for a shipment price of 39.8 mmBtu back in July was the priciest in Pakistans history.

Pakistan has recently ramped up its efforts to get discounted Russian oil, but there are multiple diplomatic and technical challenges to the implementation of such a development. It will take billions of dollars of investment to tune the current refineries to process heavy-grade, sour crude oil from Russia, which means it is unlikely to be a short-term fix.

Asias imports of LNG have fallen as a whole. From 282 million tons in 2021 to 263 million tons in 2022.





As temperatures rise in Pakistan, the load on the power grid will increase considerably. It will put further pressure on the government as it tries to prepare for a $1.1 billion tranche from the IMF. The customers will face a double whammy of a rise in energy prices plus upward adjustment by the government, resulting in unprecedentedly expensive energy. The chance of further power outages will also increase and the menace of load shedding will become unbearable.

ADVERTISEMENT

European energy policies have long had a significant knock-on effect on developing countries like Pakistan. Now, with global natural gas markets having been transformed by the halting of Russian gas flows to Europe, it seems European weather is just as important.

By Osama Rizvi for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Swedens security dilemma has worsened in recent years due to Moscows increasingly aggressive behavior, as demonstrated by Russias invasion of Georgia in 2018, its invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014, and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The consequences of potential Russian expansion into the Baltic Sea region are particularly dire for Stockholm, given Swedens control over the strategically important island of Gotland situated in the heart of the Baltic Sea. Given this situation, Swedens National Defense Strategy has renewed its focus on territorial defense and strengthening security in the Baltic Sea region (Foi.se, November 2017).

However, if Sweden is to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it needs credible defense-by-denial mechanisms to support NATO air and missile defense structures. Therefore, it is imperative that Sweden possesses credible capabilities in these areas, given the countrys location within the northern flank of NATOs air defense architecture, which extends from the northern shores of Norway to Iceland and Greenland.

To that end, even before the start of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish Armed Forces introduced the acquisition of a new Patriot surface-to-air missile system in 2021, formally known as Air Defense System 103, or LvS 103 (Forsvarsmakten.se, November 19, 2021). The LvS 103 will allow the Swedish military to extend its threat interception range largely due to the two types of missiles the system utilizes: the Guided Enhanced Missile, GEM-T, and the PAC-3 MSE; the latter is optimized for defense against ballistic missiles (Fmv.se, August 18, 2022). The system reached its initial operational capability by December 2021, meaning that it could now be put into active service (Aviation Week, December 20, 2021). According to then-Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist, the introduction of the new Patriot system enables the Swedish Armed Forces to strengthen their air defense capability, pointing out that the LvS 103 allows Sweden to counter long-range missiles and air attacks and  also be able to fight ballistic missiles (Forsvarsmakten.se, November 19, 2021). Hultqvist further explained, This is a powerful modernization and upgrade of Swedish air defense and Swedish defense capabilities as a whole (Army Technology, November 22, 2021).

The new Patriot system replaces one of Swedens aging air defense systems, the US-made MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missile system. The Patriot also serves as a deterrent against Russian short-range, nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles deployed in Kaliningrad, which present a threat to key Swedish areas, including Gotland and Stockholm.

The acquisition of Patriot systems not only benefits Sweden from a security perspective, but it also benefits Stockholms foreign policy objectives by enabling the Swedish Armed Forces to better integrate with the air defense network of other NATO members. In the words of Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson, the acquisition of advanced systems, such as the Patriot, provide Stockholm with the capabilities and assets to integrate easily into NATOs defense planning (Sputnik, January 30).

While for Sweden, this interoperability will be necessary for using NATOs air and missile defense assets in the most conducive manner, for NATO, this interoperability would ensure that member states can fully exploit Swedens strategic location within the Baltic Sea region. Increased Swedish air defense capabilities would also provide better protection for those counties that are already NATO members in the Baltic Sea regionnamely, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Further, it would ease any command-and-control difficulties within NATOs air and missile defense architecture.

In addition to the acquisition of the Patriot, in November 2021, some reports announced that the Swedish Armed Forces had reactivated Launch Unit 23, a medium-range air defense system that had been in material reserve for several years. This system, which includes surface-to-air missiles, a mounted gun system, as well as command radar and infrared cameras, can operate independently if need be but can also be connected to a central radar system. The system is planned to be deployed to Gotland to strengthen the air defense network there (Airforce Technology, March 18, 2021). According to Air Defense Regiment head, Colonel Mikael Beck, with the reinforcement of air defense systems such as Launch Unit 23, Sweden will now have even more units available. By using already existing resources more effectively, this is part of the armed forces growth (Airforce Technology, March 18, 2021).

Not only upgrading its capabilities in long- and medium-range air defense, Stockholm has also sought to upgrade its short-range capabilities. To that end, Sweden has introduced the RBS-90 system to replace the RBS-70 Man-Portable Air-Defense System. Compared to the RBS-70, the RBS-90 has a higher top speed and greater maneuverability, which is achieved through a sustained rocket motor installed in the new system (Armyrecognition.com, October 27, 2022). The IRIS-T SLM short-range ground-based surface-to-air missile system supplied by German firm Diehl Defense is another important short-range capability of the Swedish Army. The addition of this system to Swedens arsenal will enable Swedish forces to offer protection for counterforce assets and ground troops from aerial threats (Airforce Technology, October 4, 2019).

At sea, meanwhile, in 2016, the Swedish Navy reintroduced the anti-ship air defense RBS-15 Mk3 missile system by using parts from a previously scrapped battery and discontinued vessels (Forsvarsmakten.se, March 17, 2021). Such steps enable the Swedish Armed Forces to stay in sync with Stockholms policy of total defense, in which Swedens top brass plan to optimally use defense and security resources without disturbing the states economic growth and prosperity (Defence24.com, August 25, 2022).

Looking toward the future, Stockholm continues to seek out further options for bolstering its defense-by-denial capabilities. At sea, the proposed RBS-15 Mk4 Gungnir anti-ship missile will strengthen Swedens ability to destroy a missile before it is launched. This anti-ship missile can be launched from Visby-class corvettes of the Swedish Navy and from the Gripen-E multirole fighter aircraft. The system can also be land-based and integrated within any command (Naval Technology, January 4, 2021). In the air, the ramjet-powered air-to-air Meteor BVRAAM missile system was recently tested in August 2022 by the Swedish Air Force. Launched from a Gripen-E, the Meteor is capable of intercepting aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles (The Eurasian Times, August 30, 2022).

Furthermore, in 2022, reports indicated that Saab had developed a mobile short-range air defense system. The system, which includes advanced multi-mission 3D radar and short-range RBS-70 missiles, is coordinated with Saabs ground-based air defense command-and-control system. Overall, it is capable of identifying and engaging a diverse array of aerial threats, including fighter jets, helicopters, missiles, rockets, artillery, mortars, UAVs and loitering munitions (Army Technology, May 8, 2022).

In terms of future partnerships, it is possible that, in the near future, Sweden will acquire components of Israeli air and missile defense systems, such as radars, as Stockholm has openly expressed its interest in Israeli capabilities. Israels defense systems are equipped with Link 16 tactical data protocols that make them compatible with NATO and US defense systems (The Insider, November 17, 2022).

ADVERTISEMENT

The further development of holistic air and missile defense capabilities that include ground-based, air-launched and sea-launched platforms would enable Sweden to play a crucial role in Baltic Sea region defense, complementing NATOs security infrastructure there. Stockholm will also aim to play a more active role in air and missile defense through improved radars and sensors as it brings to an end its era of neutrality and moves toward a more challenging role within NATO.

By Jamestown.org

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
As a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, the World Bank estimates that world trade will drop by 1%, lowering global GDP by 0.7% and GDP of low-income economies by 1%.

Geopolitical risk has a strong correlation with GDP per capita, meaning that developing economies typically have less stability.

The Russia-Ukraine war highlighted how geopolitical risk can up-end supply chains and weaponize trade. More precisely, the war led to trade sanctions, a food crisis, and energy shortages.

In this graphic from The Hinrich Foundation, the third in a five-part series on the sustainability of trade, Visual Capitalist's Jenna Ross explores how geopolitical risk differs by economy. It pulls data from the 2022 Sustainable Trade Index, which The Hinrich Foundation produced in collaboration with the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

Breaking Down Geopolitical Risk

Geopolitical risk has a strong correlation with GDP per capita, meaning that developing economies typically have less stability.

The following table shows how geopolitical risk breaks down for select economies that are covered in the 2022 Sustainable Trade Index. A lower number indicates less stability, while a higher number indicates more stability.

Economy Geopolitical Stability Pakistan 5.2 Myanmar 9.9 Bangladesh 16.0 India 17.0 Mexico 17.9 Philippines 18.9 Papua New Guinea 20.3 Russia 20.8 Thailand 24.5 Indonesia 28.3 Ecuador 34.4 China 37.7 Peru 38.7 Cambodia 41.0 Vietnam 44.8 Sri Lanka 45.3 U.S. 46.2 Chile 49.1 Hong Kong 50.0 Malaysia 50.9 UK 61.3 South Korea 62.7 Laos 69.3 Taiwan ADVERTISEMENT 72.2 Australia 73.1 Japan 87.3 Canada 90.1 Brunei 90.6 Singapore 97.2 New Zealand 97.6

Source: World Bank, based on the latest available data from 2020. Values measure perceptions of political instability and violence, which are a proxy and precursor to geopolitical risk.

New Zealand has the highest level of stability, likely supported by the fact that it is a small nation with no direct neighbors. The country has taken steps to repair relationships with Indigenous peoples, through land and monetary settlements, though challenges remain.

The U.S. has moderate stability. It has been impacted by increasing political polarization that has led to people having lower trust in institutions and more negative views of people from the opposing party. As the worlds largest economy, the U.S. also faces geopolitical risk such as escalating tariffs in the U.S.-China trade war.

Want more insights into trade sustainability?

Download the 2022 Sustainable Trade Index for free.

Russia has one of the lowest levels of stability. The countrys invasion of Ukraine has led to war along with economic roadblocks that restrict normal trade activity. For instance, sanctions against Russia and blocked Ukrainian ports led to a food shortage. The two countries supply a third of the worlds wheat and 75% of the sunflower oil supply.

The Impact of Geopolitical Uncertainty on Trade

Geopolitical risk can lead to civil unrest and war. It also has economic consequences including trade disruptions. As a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, the World Bank estimates that world trade will drop by 1%, lowering global GDP by 0.7% and GDP of low-income economies by 1%. A separate study found that Pakistans history of political instability has negatively affected trade in the country.

Of course, geopolitical risk is just one component of an economys trade sustainability. The Sustainable Trade Index uses a number of other metrics to measure economies ability to trade in a way that balances economic growth, societal development, and environmental protection. To learn more, visit the STI landing page where you can download the report for free.

By Zerohedge.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
In a rather surprising comment during the State of the Union Speech Tuesday night, U.S. President Joe Biden admitted that the world would still need oil and gas for at least another decade, adding and beyond that.

The acknowledgment surprised some followers and even elicited boos and hearty laughs from some in the crowd, although most in the oil and gas industry have long maintained that they will be needed for many years to come.

Others in the oil and gas industry could consider his acknowledgment as going not far enough, considering the Presidents chastisement of said industry for not ramping up investments as the world rebounded from Covid. Instead, the oil industry has been hard at work spending billions in share buybacks and paying out dividends, and President Biden has not wasted the opportunity to point out the industrys war profiteering. In his speech last night, President Biden called for a quadrupling of taxes on corporate stock buybacks, which the President says will encourage more industry investments in the long term.

But long term to the industry likely goes significantly beyond the decade to which Biden is referring, especially considering he is asking the industry to sink billions and billions of dollars into future developmentmany of which take years to come to fruition. Promising that the industry will have life for at least a decade is insufficient for the industry who is likely looking ahead much further down the road.

The comments, while drawing criticism from the climate-conscious left who would love to see nothing more than a speedy renewable shift, drew criticism from the oil industry as well, for asking for billions while calling the effective end to the industry in a mere decade.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Chinas Unipec has signed a contract with Oman LNG for the delivery of 1 million tons of the super-chilled fuel over a period of four years.

This is the first contract with a Chinese buyer for Oman LNG and is part of its efforts to reach new markets, the Omani company said in a tweet. The deliveries will begin in 2025, it also said.

The deal follows another that Oman LNG signed last month with Turkeys BOTAS, for annual deliveries of 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas over a period of ten years.

Earlier this year, the Omani company also sealed LNG delivery deals with French TotalEnergies and Thai PTT. Each of the companies will receive 800,000 tons of LNG annually, with French deliveries commencing in 2025 for a period of 10 years, and Tahi deliveries starting a year later for a period of nine years.

Japanese energy majors JERA, Mitsui & Co, and Itochu Corp are also among the clients of Oman LNG and recently inked deals for the supply of a total of 2.35 million tons of LNG annually over 10 years, beginning in 2025.

Rystad Energy four years ago forecast that gas production in the tiny Gulf country will this year surpass its oil production, in evidence of the growing attractiveness of natural gas as a source of energy.

Since then, competition for gas has intensified, motivating production expansion plans in all the large producers of LNGQatar, the United States, and Australia. Yet even smaller producers such as Oman are expanding production in response to strong demand.

China is a natural target for LNG producers given the size of its economy and levels of industrialization that requires massive energy inputs. Although it last year lost the crown of top LNG importer in the world to Japan, China remains one of the biggest buyers of the commodity and, unlike European countries, is willing to commit to long-term deals to secure precious supply and hedge against wild price fluctuations.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Moscow is considering a one-time windfall tax on large corporations as a stop-gap measure for dangerously declining oil and gas revenues that have left the country with a $25-billion deficit.

According to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Moscow is discussing a voluntary, one-off contribution from big businesses.

Russian-language news outlet The Bell cited unnamed sources familiar with the discussions as saying that a proposal and counterproposal have been tabled so far. The first proposal comes from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, calling for members of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) to pay a one-off amount of $2.8 billion to government coffers. The counterproposal from RSPP calls for a 0.5% increase in the existing 20% income tax on companies.

The Finance Ministry says it is not considering an increase in income taxes.

"This is not a tax increase. It is a windfall tax, a concept in tax practice known as a one-time tax collection," Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov was quoted as saying, emphasizing that the contribution would be voluntary.



Russias budget revenues from oil and gas plunged in January by 46% compared to the same month last year due to the sanctions on Russian oil exports, which led to a slump in the price of Russias flagship crude grade.

In January 2023, the price of Russias flagship Urals grade averaged 42% lower than in the same month of 2022, as its discount to Brent Crude grew wider following the EU embargo and the G7 price cap, which came into effect on December 5. The average price of Urals in January, at $49.48 per barrel, was 1.7 times lower than in January 2022, when it averaged $85.64 per barrel, Russias Finance Ministry said earlier this week.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

ADVERTISEMENT

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Brent crude is up 1.55% today, rising for the third day in a row following Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powells unexpectedly less hawkish statement on Tuesday, which appears to have given risk appetites a bit of a boost.



While Brent was trading at $84.99 per barrel on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. EST, with WTI up 1.58% at $78.36, sentiment is that with a weakening U.S. dollar, dollar-dominated oil will be cheaper for buyers with other currencies.

On Tuesday, Powell said he saw indications that inflation is cooling. That statement came just days after the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate a quarter percentage point to 4.5%-4.75%.

Powell, however, also noted that if the U.S. job market continued to strengthen or if inflation readings accelerated, the Fed may have to raise its benchmark interest rate higher than projected. Last week, new data showed 517,000 jobs were added in Januarya doubling over December, with employment falling to 3.4%, the lowest level in over half a century.

Also boosting oil prices is the growing consensus that Chinas rebound will be solid, while Russian supply losses add to further bullishness. Chinas oil consumption is expected to account for half of this years global oil demand growth of 1.9 million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Particularly, the IEA sees significantly improved demand for jet fuel and diesel, presenting upticks in travel and industrial activity.



The National Bank of Kuwait said in a Wednesday report that it expects oil prices to average $91 per barrel this year, despite having traded sideways so far.

The IEA expects global oil demand to hit 101.7 million barrels per day this year, which includes a drop of 0.8 million bpd for Q1 2032 (quarter on quarter) in oil demand.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Police investigate the scene where a man was fatally shot after exchanging gunfire with Chicago police officers in the 3700 block of North Troy Street on Feb. 8, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police officers exchanged gunfire with a man, killing him, early Wednesday in the Irving Park neighborhood, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

At 3:08 a.m., Albany Park district officers responded to a call of a person with a gun at a bar in the 3700 block of North Kedzie Avenue, Brown said. A security guard at the bar had heard people arguing outside of the bar and saw a man pointing a gun at people, so he called police.

Advertisement

The responding officers were directed to a person matching the description given by witnesses and saw the man run toward an alley in the 3700 block of North Troy Street, Brown said.

There was an apparent exchange of gunfire between the offender and officers, Brown said.

Advertisement

The man was shot and died at the scene, Brown said. The mans age and identity are under investigation.

The mans firearm, which had an extended magazine, was recovered from the scene, Brown said.

The officers involved were not injured but were taken to a hospital for observation, he said.

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 >

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting, Brown said. The officers involved will be placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days.

Two officers were involved, one a 12-year veteran and one a probationary police officer, Brown said. Investigators believe both officers discharged their weapons, according to body camera footage, which captured the shooting. Brown said there will likely be other security video and camera footage from Police Observation Devices, or PODs, that captured the shooting. which hasnt been reviewed yet.

As far as anything related to what motivated all of this happening, all we know is what weve said at the beginning is that he was pointing a gun at these people near the bar right outside. They called police, police responded and confronted this individual and then that led to this exchange of gunfire, Brown said.

According to witnesses, the man was inside the bar at one point and was asked to leave, then came back pointing the gun outside, but the events leading up to the shooting are also under investigation, Brown said.

It is not yet known if the man was legally carrying the gun, Brown said.

Advertisement

pfry@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @paigexfry
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in the United Kingdom for talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, his second known trip abroad since Russia's unprovoked invasion of his country one year ago.

We will continue to support Ukraine to ensure a decisive military victory on the battlefield this year, Sunak told parliament.

Sunaks office said Zelenskiy will visit Ukrainian troops training in Britain on February 8 and address the British Parliament. Additionally, Buckingham Palace said Zelenskiy would meet with King Charles.

Sunak was expected to announce expanded training for the Ukrainian military, including training for fighter jet pilots and marines. The training for pilots would ensure they are able to fly NATO-standard fighters in the future, the statement said.

For months, Kyiv has been urging the West to increase its military support, including the possibility of providing fighter jets.

The United States, Britain, Germany, and other Western allies recently relented and approved sending hundreds of battle tanks, amored vehicles, and other heavy weaponry to Ukraine amid expectations that Russia is gearing up for a new major offensive, possibly as early as this month.

President Zelenskiys visit to the U.K. is a testament to his countrys courage, determination, and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries, Sunak was quoted as saying.

Britain also announced additional sanctions targeting individuals and companies that are profiting from the Kremlins war machine. The sanctions targeted Russian drone manufacturer CST; RT-Komplekt, a Russian producer of helicopter parts; and software developer Topaz.

These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

Oil executive Nikolai Yegorov and Sergei Rudnov, owner of the pro-Kremlin Regnum news agency, were also targeted.

In all, over 1,300 individuals and entities have been sanctioned by Britain over the invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskiy's visit comes shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden, in his annual State of the Union address to Congress, pledged U.S. support for Ukraines war against invading Russia for as long as it takes.

In a post on Twitter, Zelenskiy thanked Biden for his powerful words of support.

Our values are the same, our common goal is victory, Zelenskiy wrote.

Zelenskiys visit to Britain will be his first since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. He visited the United States and addressed Congress in December.

On February 7, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark pledged to provide more than 100 Leopard 1 battle tanks. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said 20 to 25 of the tanks would arrive by summer, about 80 by the end of the year, and at least 100 more in 2024. The three countries also promised to provide necessary training and support for the tanks.

ADVERTISEMENT

In an interview with RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko, head of the parliaments National Security Committee, said Russia was planning a new offensive in the eastern Donbas region and possibly in another diversionary area.

The enemy is preparing an offensive, Kostenko said. Whether he will be able to attack or not remains to be seen.

Russian forces carried out air strikes in the city of Kharkiv during the night, the head of the regional administration, Oleh Synyehubov, said. The strikes targeted an industrial area of the city and ignited a large fire. No casualties were reported.

Russian military officials said the strike targeted a workshop for upgrading drones.

By RFE/RL

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
I expected that Aaron Sorkins adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird would be different from previous iterations of the play, which hewed closely to Harper Lees classic story about racism and, like her book, unfolded more slowly.

When I saw those earlier plays, the familiar story was gripping: In a small Alabama town during the Depression, idealistic attorney Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson, a Black man who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman, and it has a profound effect on his family.

But Sorkins touch  along with direction by Bartlett Sher; brilliant acting, especially from film and television veteran Richard Thomas as Finch; and incredible production values  transformed that same tale of hatred and, ultimately, hope into something spellbinding.

The traveling production of the 2018 Broadway hit opened at the Orpheum Theater on Tuesday night, a couple of years later than planned because of the pandemic. It now has a place near the top of my best-ever list.

Sorkins script cuts through the books languid beginning, making the tense trial the plays first major scene. And you quickly learn that hes given that script the insightful, witty, pointed and fast-paced dialogue hes become known for in other pieces such as televisions The West Wing and The Newsroom and movies such as The American President and A Few Good Men.

Interestingly enough, that back-and-forth structure focuses the story instead of making it seem disjointed. Along with new takes on some of the characters  notably Atticus, his Black maid Calpurnia and Robinson  it also makes the story, which is essentially about the evil of racism, as relevant today as it was in the 1930s. (My husband, raised in the Deep South in the 1960s and 70s, confirmed that.)

Its impossible not to think about recent current events when youre listening to Robinsons testimony at the trial.

As in the book, Sorkins Atticus defaults to believing that theres good in everyone. Sorkin reveals the characters soul in one particularly notable speech, a quote from Trappist monk Thomas Merton: I dont always know the right thing to do, Lord, but I think the fact that I want to please you pleases you.

An interesting tidbit: Sorkin has used that quote in other scripts, on Sports Night, The West Wing and The Newsroom, to name three. Ill be pondering his motive behind that for some time. His Atticus is clearly a spiritual man, but some of his dialogue indicates that hes not necessarily a fan of people who identify  but dont act  as Christian, a fairly common sentiment these days.

Other characters challenge Atticus on his idealistic and, some would say, naive beliefs. Calpurnia, for instance, points out that when Atticus makes excuses for people who are racist, hes hurting others who love him. This makes the lawyer more human and therefore, more believable.

Calpurnia (Jacqueline Williams, whose wry delivery and facial expressions are golden) and Robinson (Yaegel T. Welch) also have more chances to speak for themselves in this version than they did previously.

Earlier scripts depicted Calpurnia as sassy with the kids but deferential to Atticus, but she gives as good as she gets in Sorkins reimagining. Scout likens them to squabbling brother and sister.

And Robinson defends himself with fierce dignity in the courtroom, giving Welch a showcase for his considerable acting skills.

I cant say enough about Thomas. As Atticus, his fiery courtroom speech as his defense goes up in flames was as good as anything Ive seen in a while. My husband said he thinks everything Thomas has done in the last 50 years was leading him to this stage role, ever since he performed a similar speech against book burning as John Boy Walton in The Waltons.

Adults playing the three kids and narrators, Scout (Melanie Moore), Jem (Justin Mark) and Stephen Lee Johnson (Dill, their friend, whom Lee supposedly based on childhood pal Truman Capote) were completely believable. Other standout performances came from Joey Collins (Bob Ewell, father of Toms accuser), Arianna Gayle Stucki (Mayella Ewell, his daughter) and Mary Badham (crabby and racist Mrs. Dubose). Badham played Scout in the 1962 film version of the book.

Miriam Buethers scenic design portrayed the Depression-era courtroom in Maycomb, Alabama, as dingy and neglected, which I imagine isnt far from the truth for some locales during that era. The Finch house was equally as authentic, and allowed for innovative staging choices. Costumes also were on-point: Mayellas thin cotton dress and thick stockings, combined with Stuckis slouching, head-bowed countenance in the courtroom, spoke volumes.

The script doesnt flinch at using pejoratives commonly used to describe Black people during that time, and no one should expect it to. Shameful as it is, thats part of our history (and, unfortunately, our present in some cases). Kids from middle school on up should definitely see this play, but one parent told me it shocked and dismayed her daughter enough that it prompted a discussion.

I rarely  if ever  leave a show thinking I want to see it again right away, but I did Tuesday night. I know that wont happen, so Ill have to content myself with trying to remember all the things I meant to mention in the review  and then regretting I dont have another chance to do so.

But theres no way I could tell you everything about this play, even with a second review. Youll need to see it for yourself.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023
A former Omaha Public Schools security guard accused of sexually assaulting a child pleaded no contest to first-degree sexual assault in Sarpy County on Tuesday.

Carlos J. Ornelas Ramirez, 24, was employed as a security guard for the Omaha Public Schools and worked at Pawnee Elementary in Bellevue.

According to police, on Dec. 10, 2021, Ornelas Ramirez and a student entered a portable classroom at the school where he assaulted the student. The age of the student was not released. He had been working at the school for a little over two months at the time.

School staff contacted police on Dec. 14 after receiving information that a guard might have had sexual contact with a student on school property. Ornelas Ramirez was placed on leave immediately after the district learned of the reported misconduct.

Ornelas Ramirez pleaded no contest to one count of first-degree sexual assault in Sarpy County court Tuesday. He will be sentenced on May 16.

First-degree sexual assault carries a minimum sentence of one year in prison and a maximum sentence of 50 years.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023
Civil rights leader, museum founder, historian, author, student, educator, speaker, promoter, playwright, journalist, administrator, mentor, wife and mother.

Bertha Calloway had a lot of titles during her long life but is perhaps best known as founder of the Great Plains Black History Museum in Omaha.

Forty-seven years ago today, about 500 people attended the opening of the Great Plains museum, at 2213 Lake St., as part of the celebration of National Black History Week.

The museum focused on the contributions of Black people who had lived in Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri and Colorado since the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. The 10 rooms of exhibits showcased Black contributions in history, religion, art, music, sports, defense and education.

At the time, it was the only museum of its kind west of the Mississippi.

Calloway was among a handful of Omahans who began working for racial equality in the 1940s and '50s, long before the 1964 Civil Rights Act. As a Creighton University student, Calloway had joined the Omaha DePorres Club, which worked to end segregation and discrimination.

She continued as a civil rights activist and later, with her husband, James T. Calloway, protested housing discrimination in Lincoln and attended Omaha City Council meetings to push for open housing policies.

In 1962, Bertha Calloway organized the Negro Historical Society in Omaha, which led to the eventual founding of the Great Plains Black History Museum more than a decade later.

Calloway had amassed a collection of photographs, historical documents and other artifacts on Black history that became so large she had to find a place for it, her son Jim Calloway once said.

"I believe in this neighborhood," Bertha Calloway said in a 1977 interview, "and I believe the Great Plains Black Museum makes a contribution toward its betterment. It certainly is a focal point of pride."

The museum opened, after several years of effort by many people, thanks primarily to a $100,000 government grant.

"Our grant will end soon, so we need donations or some other form of financing to keep goin' in the fashion we're accustomed," Calloway said in 1977.

"The preservation of Black history is much more important, more valuable than the never-ending quest for funds."

Photos: Bertha Calloway and the Great Plains Black History Museum
WASHINGTON  The House Republican investigation into the financial dealings of President Joe Bidens family risks turning off more voters than it attracts, as Democrats paint the inquiry as time-consuming political retribution that diverts attention from the approaching debt crisis and other problems.

The Biden-centric investigation led by the Oversight and Accountability Committee kicks off Wednesday morning, hours after the president delivers his State of the Union address to Congress. At the center of the probe is the contents of the laptop of Bidens son Hunter  a topic thats been a far-right preoccupation since 2020.

Yet a series of recent polls show the majority of Americans just arent that interested in what may or may not be on Hunter Bidens hard drive.

Polling released last week by the Pew Research Center showed that as clashes over the debt ceiling and other key issues intensify, 65% of American adults surveyed said they are concerned Republicans would focus too much on investigating the Biden administration. Results of a CNN poll released Jan. 26 found that 73% of American adults think House Republicans havent paid enough attention to the countrys most pressing problems.

The Republican majority in Congress has to make sure that they dont get branded as the party that only cares about investigations. Voters elected them to address other concerns, including the economy, said Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections.

Still, Republicans are moving ahead with what Oversight Chairman James Comer calls his panels first hearing into the Biden corruption. Comer also says his goal is to find a bipartisan solution to Washington influence peddling.

The Kentucky Republican is hardly the most iconoclastic member of the House GOP, but the panel is stacked with outspoken colleagues like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Jim Jordan and Lauren Boebert, who are known more for partisan vitriol than policy.

The Oversight panels top Democrat, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, described Comer as being on the more thoughtful and reasonable side of his party.

But Raskin, the lead manager for President Donald Trumps second impeachment trial, also said he recognizes Comer must operate within Speaker Kevin McCarthys commitments to right-wing extremists. And he says any effort focusing solely on alleged influence peddling or business dealings of Biden family members, and not on Trumps, would be a hatchet job that Democrats are prepared to counter.

Hunter Bidens work with foreign entities, including in Ukraine while his father was vice president, has drawn interest for years. He also has been under federal investigation since 2018 for tax affairs tied to his overseas activities. The president has denied knowledge of, or involvement in, his sons business dealings.

The Wednesday hearing will address alleged collusion by the FBI with Twitter Inc., and other technology giants to censor news reporting before the 2020 presidential election about the laptops contents, Biden family shady business schemes and influence peddling. Three former Twitter executives are expected to testify.

At the same time, Jordan, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, and Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner sent letters on Monday to 12 former U.S. intelligence officials that suggested those panels also are looking into the matter. The letters to former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and others seek transcribed interviews and other information explaining their involvement in an October 2020 statement that implied reporting about Hunter Biden was the product of Russian disinformation.

Some critics of the inquiry see similarities to the drawn-out Benghazi hearings that stirred up controversy around Hillary Clinton before her 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans portrayed that investigation as a sober look at security lapses that led to the 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. compound and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya. The investigation ultimately did not blame Clinton, but it might have played a factor in her narrow loss to Trump in 2016.

Thomas Mann, a government expert at the Brookings Institution, called Comers investigation, along with those of some other committees, transparently political in the same fashion as the Benghazi hearings and will likely reinforce the reputation of House Republicans as having no agenda beyond getting the libs.

Comer dismisses criticism he is reviving a Benghazi-type strategy designed to injure Joe Biden politically before the 2024 elections. Im not dusting off any old playbook, he said.

Yet in a late January interview on Bloomberg TV Balance of Power with David Westin, he did acknowledge that his committee is going to get a lot of media attention, if for no other reason because we have so many firebrands on both sides of the aisle.

Democrats seated Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Katie Porter of California on the panel. Dan Goldman, a New York freshman who served as counsel during Trumps first impeachment trial, also is on the committee.
A U.S. District Court judge Wednesday froze most assets of AltEn and several related companies at the request of seed companies remediating severe environmental harm at the former biofuel plant.

The injunction ordered by Judge Brian Buescher prevents AltEn or its parent or sibling companies from transferring, selling, or otherwise concealing any and all cash funds, assets, or any real or personal property that could be used to reimburse the six seed companies.

In his order, Buescher said the so-called AltEn Facility Response Group  a coalition of companies including Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva, AgReliant, Becks Superior Hybrids, and Winfield Solutions  had performed AltEns duty to remediate the site and were entitled to seek the now-shuttered plants assets.

Without taking action to prevent AltEn from moving assets around, the seed companies have shown a threat of irreparable harm from an unrecoverable judgment, Buescher wrote.

The Facility Response Group said it has spent $28 million to perform environmental remediation at the AltEn site since 2021, when the coalition formed at the urging of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

AltEn, which is also facing a civil lawsuit from the State of Nebraska in Saunders County District Court, has violated numerous state environmental regulations between when it went into business in 2015 and when it was forced to shut down nearly two years ago.

Pesticide-contaminated solid and liquid waste stockpiled at the site has shown alarmingly high concentrations of the agricultural chemicals, and has been detected in area streams and reservoirs, in wildlife and insects, as well as in nearby homes in Mead.

In a court hearing in Omaha last week, attorneys representing the seed companies said AltEn has done little to aid in the remediation efforts at the site while continuing to pay a handful of employees  including some receiving six-figure salaries  from a fund controlled by Earth Environment & Energy LLC, a parent company to the ethanol plant better known as E3.

An attorney representing AltEn said the money being dispersed by E3 came from the sale of the Mead Cattle Company in 2021 for $2.6 million to Champion Feeders of Texas, and while the feedlot was adjacent to the ethanol plant and shared ownership, it was not for the seed companies to take.

A financial expert consulted by the seed companies estimated E3 had roughly $2.9 million in a Wells Fargo account in October 2021 and had drawn that amount down to roughly $1.8 million by October 2022.

An analysis of the cash burn rate showed E3 was dissipating its assets at a rate of more than $100,000 per month  an amount the seed companies said was unnecessary.

Buescher agreed with the seed companies and said without action, it was likely that cash account would be fully depleted before the federal lawsuit brought by the facility response group against AltEn reaches a conclusion.

The judge did not grant the full freeze requested by the seed companies, however, and agreed to grant a request from both AltEn and the State of Nebraska to allow the ethanol plants operators to access some of its money.

AltEn will be able to use its remaining funds to continue meeting the obligations of a pair of state-granted permits, comply with a consent order from the state environmental department, conduct quarterly groundwater monitoring, assist in any remediation efforts led by the seed companies, and to pay its attorneys and legal fees.

The court acknowledges that certain expenses for employee salaries will be necessary given the tasks classified as demonstrably necessary expenses, Buescher wrote.
LINCOLN  Gov. Jim Pillen told lawmakers Tuesday that a bill guaranteeing state support for every public school student and boosting special education funding is pivotal to his education package.

With these two pieces, the state of Nebraskas making a huge investment in public schools, he said. Were working to provide them with the funding necessary to educate all of our students.

The governor kicked off testimony at a hearing on Legislative Bill 583, which State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue introduced on his behalf. Those who followed offered a mixed bag of praise and concerns.

Almost all testifiers welcomed the part of Pillens proposal that would increase special education funding.

Under the bill, the state would put enough money into special education so the combination of state and federal support would cover 80% of costs. Currently, they cover around 40% of costs, with the rest coming from schools general fund budgets.

The Governors Office estimated the increase at $157 million in the first year. The legislative fiscal office, based on estimates from the Department of Education, pegged the cost at $253 million in the first year.

Kristen Larsen, executive director of the Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities, called the proposal a historic investment that would finally fulfill a decades-old pledge to reach the 80% mark. She said sufficient funding is critical to helping students with disabilities get the education they deserve.

Its something long overdue, said Kathy Danek, a Lincoln Public Schools board member.

Danek supported the special education funding, saying it would help all Nebraska public school districts, but raised concerns about the other part of LB 583, which would provide public schools with $1,500 for each student.

The provision would increase state support for the two-thirds of Nebraska school districts that do not qualify for equalization aid, which tend to be rural districts with lower property tax levies. But it would not help the others, which tend to be larger schools with higher tax levies.

Equalization aid provides state dollars to fill the gap between a districts educational needs and the money it can get from property taxes and other sources. For so-called equalized districts, the proposed $1,500 per-student payments would be offset by a loss of equalization aid.

The Governors Office estimated the per-student payments would increase state school aid by $103 million per year, with an amendment offered Tuesday to strike per-student payments for option enrollment students.

The amendment responds to a World-Herald story that pointed out schools already get state aid for accepting students from other school districts. Those students are referred to as option students.

Spencer Head, Omaha Public Schools board president, spoke against LB 583, although he said the district supports the special education increase. He said that OPS wants to see state school aid changes that are equitable for taxpayers and for students but that the per-student payments would increase disparities in property tax levies.

Head suggested the district would be more comfortable if state equalization aid could be included in Pillens proposed Education Future Fund, thus giving it some protection against future cuts.

The fund would be created under LB 681, another piece of the governors education package. The bill would make an initial $1 billion investment this year, then provide for a $250 million infusion each following year. The fund would be used to provide the per-student payments and the additional special education funding.

The third piece of Pillens package, LB 589, would put a 3% cap on school revenue growth.

Mark McHargue, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, testified in support of the school aid increases as long as they remain part of the three-bill package, a position also taken by representatives from Americans for Prosperity Nebraska, a conservative advocacy group, and the Lincoln Independent Business Association.

This cannot just simply be a windfall for the education community, said Jessica Shelburn with Americans for Prosperity Nebraska. Property tax payers have to see some relief.

But Rebecca Firestone, executive director of the OpenSky Policy Institute, questioned how the pieces of the education package would affect each other and be affected by a separate package of income and property tax changes.

She said that an analysis done by institute staff showed that nine model districts would lose funding under the revenue cap. The model also suggested that the new fund would be substantially depleted within seven years, while the tax cut measures would reduce state revenues and make it harder to replenish the fund.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
What if a big Chinese balloon flew right over Nebraska  and hardly anyone noticed?

Thats apparently what happened last week, when an alleged spy balloon measuring the size of three school buses floated over the country, from Alaska to Idaho to South Carolina.

The Cornhusker State sits squarely in the path between Billings, Montana, where the giant balloon was first spotted Feb. 1, and Kansas City, Missouri, where it was seen two days later. Eyewitnesses later spotted it over Tennessee and the Carolinas before an Air Force F-22 shot the balloon down over the Atlantic Ocean near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Saturday afternoon.

Several southeast Nebraska news outlets carried reports of potential sightings, but U.S. military officials have revealed few details about the balloons exact path across the country. Likely routes calculated by intelligence analysts and meteorologists show the balloon probably crossed into Nebraska from South Dakota somewhere in the Panhandle and exited near Falls City, in the states southeast corner.

The crossing would most likely have taken place late Thursday or early Friday.

It gives a new definition to Nebraska being flyover country,  said Tyler White, director of the National Security Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The balloon was reported at altitudes from 50,000 to 65,000 feet, well above where commercial airliners fly.

Using meteorological estimates of the balloons route as well as line-of-sight and horizon calculations from open sources, a former military intelligence analyst who uses the Twitter handle @TheIntelFrog estimated in a post Sunday that sensors aboard the balloon could potentially have eavesdropped over a wide swath of the country.

Pretty much everything in Nebraska was in its line of sight, he said in an interview.

White said that could include Minuteman ICBM silos and launch-control facilities (more than 70 sites) in western Nebraska, and Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha  the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command, the keepers of the nuclear arsenal.

Those missiles out west, StratCom here in the east. Are there things (the Chinese) would like to check out? White said. Sure.

But Robert Hopkins III, a former 55th Wing RC-135 pilot who has written several books on post-World War II military reconnaissance flights, doubts the Chinese would seriously try to spy using a large, slow-moving balloon when it has so many better ways  including satellites  to gather valuable intelligence.

Theres nothing a balloon could collect that could not be gathered by other means, Hopkins said. What is it getting that isnt already available through commercial imagery? A Chinese guy with a camera standing outside the gate at Offutt could get more valuable information.

He believes the balloon may have been launched as a provocation in the midst of rising tensions between the U.S. and China.

China is rapidly expanding its own nuclear arsenal, and asserting its presence in the South China Sea. It has cracked down on democracy in Hong Kong and stepped up flights around Taiwan, leading to predictions that it will try to invade the island where nationalist Chinese took refuge after the 1949 Communist revolution.

Last month, shortly before the Chinese balloon was launched, the U.S. signed an agreement to share military facilities in the Philippines, a neighbor to China.

I think theres a lot of knee-jerk reaction, Hopkins said. I dont see this as the crisis that people are making it out to be.

President Joe Biden has been attacked by Republicans for allowing the balloon to fly over the country before finally ordering the Air Force to shoot it down.

They knew the CCP spy balloon was coming, they knew it was here, Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer said Friday in a tweet. Its likely already passed over NE, which is home to a number of important military assets. By failing to neutralize this earlier, the Biden admin. further complicated this egregious incursion into our airspace.

But White and Hopkins both believe the U.S. gained valuable intelligence of its own by monitoring the balloon. American U-2 spy planes  among the few capable of flying at altitudes higher than the balloon  followed it during part of its journey, according to reporting in The War Zone, a military news site.

We have a ton of platforms that would be able to gather ELINT (electronics intelligence), White said. Is it talking with people in China, and what kind of intelligence is it sending?

Hopkins said Offutts own 55th Wing has an aircraft well-configured to scoop up that kind of data: the RC-135U Combat Sent, which is designed to gather electronic communication.

Combat Sent is the perfect platform to assess any emissions because of its specific ELINT-collection abilities, he said.

IntelFrog noted in a Twitter post that a Combat Sent took off from Offutt about 2 p.m. Central Time Friday and flew an 11 -hour mission primarily over Missouri and Tennessee at about the same time the Chinese balloon was passing over the area. It flew at about 35,000 feet, safely below the balloons altitude.

A 55th Wing spokesman declined to comment on the balloon or the Combat Sent mission.

IntelFrog said the flight wasnt in an area where the 55th Wing commonly conducts training missions, and the flight patterns were somewhat unusual.

Its all speculation, but the timing was a little too coincidental, he said. It was definitely a weird sortie.

Hopkins was at first skeptical, but he came to believe it was at least plausible that the Offutt-based jet was monitoring the balloon. And he thinks the military came out ahead by monitoring the balloon instead of shooting it down earlier.

They had a lot of potential intelligence windfall by letting it continue, he said.

White said he hopes the Pentagon will eventually make public what it learns from the wreckage of the balloon.

Its just a curious case, he said. Im excited to hear more.
Update: Dominique Banks was sentenced to 30 months probation after his guilty plea. He was also sentenced to 111 days in jail, but he had credit for 111 days already served.

BLOOMINGTON  A Bloomington man faces up to 14 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea Wednesday in a McLean County domestic battery case.

Dominique M. Banks, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated battery involving strangulation, a Class 2 felony. The incident happened in October 2022 and involved one victim, prosecutors said.

Two other charges were dismissed in the plea agreement. He was initially charged with two counts of domestic battery, a Class 4 felony.

Assistant State's Attorney Mary Koll said that at the time of the incident, Banks and the victim were arguing at a residence when he grabbed the victim by the neck and cut off her breathing temporarily.

Banks entered an open plea to the one count, which means Judge Jason Chamber will decide his sentence.

The charge is eligible for a probation sentence, but if he is sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Banks faces between three and 14 years in total.

His sentencing date was not immediately available.

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 Danvers man has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for the criminal sexual assault of a girl under the age of 18.

Alexander B. Smith, 23, was facing two counts of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony, and two counts of criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony. Prosecutors say he engaged in sexual activity with a girl younger than 16, knowing she could not legally give consent.

But on Tuesday, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual assault. Had he been convicted of a first-degree felony, Smith could have been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Because of a conflict with the McLean County State's Attorney's Office, the case was handled by a special prosecutor.

As part of the plea agreement, Judge William Yoder sentenced Smith to five and a half years in prison. Smith also was ordered to pay $15,240 in fines and fees.

Smith would be credited for 508 days served in prison. Once he is released, Smith will be on mandatory supervised release for three years to life.

Smith had been sentenced to six and a half years in prison last year for the transfer of obscene photos to a minor.

It had been determined that in February and March 2021, Smith had communicated via Instagram with a girl whom he knew to be younger than 16, prosecutors previously said. A subsequent investigation and search of Smith's phone uncovered 21 videos and 462 images of child pornography.

In addition to this sentence, Smith was required to register as a sex offender and pay $2,000 in restitution.

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
The death of a beloved and effortlessly brilliant Northwestern University doctoral student whose body was found in Lake Michigan after he left a party on the North Side and went missing has been ruled an accidental drowning, officials and the school said.

The primary cause of Peter Salvinos death was drowning with a secondary cause of ethanol intoxication, according to the Cook County medical examiners office, which on Monday ruled his death accidental. Salvino, 25, was found Dec. 20 in the 2400 block of North Cannon Drive.

Advertisement

Officials, family, friends and the Northwestern University community had been searching for him since Dec. 18 after hed left a party in the 2400 block of North Geneva Terrace in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and was reported missing, according to a Chicago police alert.

He was a doctoral candidate in the Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience program, according to a statement from the school, which sent heartfelt condolences to Salvinos family and friends after the terrible loss.

Advertisement

Salvino was a graduate research assistant in the laboratory of Dr. Lucas Pinto, where he worked alongside others to understand how neural circuits across many brain areas interact to support decision making, according to the statement. Salvino was described by his colleagues as effortlessly brilliant, kind, humble and generous with his time and intellect, according to the statement.

My heart goes out to Peters family and his many, many friends, Pinto said in the statement. This is an incalculable loss. All of us who knew Peter know how effortlessly brilliant he was. But what we will truly miss is his endless kindness, humbleness and generosity with his time and intellect. And, of course, his understated dry humor, Pinto said in the statement.

He was universally loved by our team and will leave an indelible mark. My grief is immense. But it is surpassed by my gratitude for getting to know him, work with him and share in his contagious enthusiasm for science. We will really miss you, Peter, Pinto said in the statement.
BLOOMINGTON  The Easterseals Community Rally will return to Central Illinois for a third year from April 15 to 22.

The weeklong celebration is a chance for community members to rally in support of the Easterseals mission: to ensure that children with developmental delays, disabilities and other special needs can reach their full potential.

The event will kick off with with a "Run, Walk & Rally" at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 15, in East Peoria and Bloomington. This is a family-friendly 5K run/1-mile walk that celebrates participants of all abilities. There will be a post-race party with prizes and games. Wheelchairs and strollers are welcome.

The Bloomington run will be held in Tipton Park, 2201 Stone Mountain Blvd., and the East Peoria run will start outside of Jersey Mike's at 404 W. Washington St. Registration fees range from $20 to $35. Participants must register by March 20 to receive a race shirt.

Registration for the Bloomington run can be completed at runsignup.com/Race/IL/Bloomington/EastersealsCommunityRally and the Peoria run at raceroster.com/events/2023/66063/run-walk-and-rally-peoria.

Additionally a telethon will air during the WMBD/WYZZ newscasts from 4-6 p.m. Monday, April 17, through Friday, April 21.

Easterseals Central Illinois served over 6,000 families and provided 36,792 hours of pediatric therapy services last year.

Visit Eastersealsci.com/CommunityRally for more information.

Who do you know: Photos from the 27th Annual Grape Soiree Keith and Kirsten Evans Kimberly Wright, Andi Whalen Jennifer Armstrong, Megan Sargent, Jessie Leake, Chrissy Hamilton Tristan and Monica Bullington Billy and Crystal Johnson, Daphne and John Louie Ashley Zeller, Tina Wenzel, Angie Gremore Jill and Jason Stahr Shelleigh and Kevin Birlingmair Angie and Frank Hoffman, Ronda Glenn Tracy Patkunas, Kim Schoenbein Shari Buckellew, Brad Glenn Sylvia Clinkenbeard, Dian Nealey Nick Lurkins, Tracy Patkunas, Jolene Aldus, Kate Burcham, Annie Swanson Missy Holliday,Vicki Berg, Alison Kosanovich, Stacy Belz Neil and Lynn Finlen Sunil and Meenu Bhaskar Emily and BJ Wilken, J and Crystal Phillips Nancy Greene, Angie Prang Matt and Liz Waldschmidt Russell and Alyssa Edelman, Easterseals Community Vice President Amber Gruenloh Bill and Stacie Croff Group photo Michael Palmer, Dezi and Reece Knipe Amber Gruenloh, Kirsten Evans Avah Waldschmidt, Abby Bickers-Townsend Nic and Erin Baker Matt and Avah and Liz Waldschmidt Cheryl Magnuson, Jizet Benyamin, Rena Weyrauch Cathy Fleming, Dana Klauss, Nancy Brady Sara Larsen, Kirsten Evans Ryan and Angie Gremore, FJ Hafner, Sarah Cronin Amber Gruenloh Sahan Kuruppuaratchi, Cheryl Magnuson VisionPoint Eye Center table Dawn Urewicz Bremer Jewelry Team: David Haynes, Larum Dean, Krystal Barker, Katie Black
How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region.

100 years ago

Feb. 8, 1923: The hunt for $6,000 worth of radium belonging to Dr. F.M. Hagans of Lincoln came to an end when visiting technical expert A.H. Miller used an electroscope to discover the bit of precious metal in the ash heap of St. Claras Hospital. The radium needles were likely carried out of the room in some waste bandages. The collection of radium used by Dr. Hagans amounted to 155 milligrams, of which 35 milligrams was lost and now must be separated from the ashes.

75 years ago

Feb. 8, 1948: As is the case with every presidential aspirant, Robert A. Taft, who will speak here next week, is surrounded every waking hour with newsmen who pound out reams of copy concerning his every word and action  including the fact that he had pancakes for breakfast. Twenty-four regulars are traveling with the Ohio senator on his current junket in a three-car special train, and eight Central Illinois newsmen will join his encourage in Bloomington.

50 years ago

Feb. 8, 1973: Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of a McLean County Highway Department road conveyer should contact the department, which seems to have lost one. Auditor Elisabeth Stubblefield told the county boards finance committee that an inventory of property revealed the roughly $15,000 conveyer could not be accounted for. Highway Superintendent Herbert Bekermeier thinks maybe he traded it, she said, but also thinks it may be around somewhere.

25 years ago

Feb. 8, 1998: Bob Nielsen, currently assistant superintendent for curriculum in Urbana, will take over as Bloomington District 87 superintendent on July 1. He said he wants to give each building flexibility in how it achieves district academic goals. We have unbelievably talented people teaching today, but at times they are treated as kids, he said. ... I trust a teachers judgment.

101 years ago: See vintage Pantagraph ads from 1922 Gerthart's Union Gas and Electric Co. Hoover Dr. J.A. Moore Dentists Moberly & Klenner W.P. Garretson W.H. Roland Pease's Candy Thor 32 Electric Washing Machine The Kaiser's Story of the War Ike Livingston & Sons Gossard Corsets Cat'n Fiddle 'Stolen Moments' Case Model X The Johnson Transfer & Fuel Co. The Pantagraph want ads Franklin Motor Car Co. 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' Calumet Baking Powder Mayer Livingston & Co. Newsmarket 'The Emperor Jones' 'California Fig Syrup'

Compiled by Pantagraph staff
Facing a new reality of a divided Congress in a bitterly partisan Washington, Biden nevertheless made the hopeful appeal in his State of the Union address that there is no reason we cant work together.
DECATUR  A Macon County judge has issued a temporary restraining order halting the state from enforcing its semi-automatic weapons ban on about 2,000 people and a handful of gun dealers.

But Judge Rodney Forbes' order, issued Wednesday afternoon, does not apply to the entire state as plaintiffs in the case had requested.

"We wanted to do something for the whole state, but I understand the judge's decision," said state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, the lead plaintiff in the case. "It's still another win for the people of Illinois. This is the first step. We need to get a permanent restraining order. And that's what our attorney Jerry Stocks is going to be working on."

It is the third order issued by a downstate judge temporarily shielding gun owners from being subject to the law, which was passed by the state legislature and signed last month by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The issuance of the order was widely expected following an appellate court ruling last week that upheld another temporary restraining order issued by an Effingham judge earlier in January blocking enforcement of the law.

In his ruling, Forbes found that "the Court is required by precedent to enter a temporary restraining order" in the case due to the higher court's ruling.

READ THE MACON COUNTY RULING

It only applies to plaintiffs in the case, who include Caulkins, Decatur Jewelry & Pawn owner Perry Lewin and those under the banner of "Law-Abiding Gun Owners of Macon County." A list provided to the court included about 2,000 names of people who are members of the association.

They join about 850 plaintiffs in Effingham County and nearly 1,700 in White County who are now free from the ban's reach for the time being.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to review the appellate court decision upholding the temporary restraining orders.

A ruling from the state's high court may be necessary to prevent a patchwork of enforcement from continuing to develop should additional lawsuits seeking temporary relief be filed.

Left unaddressed was a motion to intervene filed by attorney Tom DeVore on behalf of six Macon County plaintiffs who say they were misled by Caulkins as they were only included as members of the association, not as individuals.

The plaintiffs were also encouraged to donate $200 to Caulkins' campaign account to help cover legal expenses. Only one of the six actually donated and Caulkins said that contributions were voluntary.

DeVore is the lead attorney in the state cases in Effingham and White counties.

However, the point appeared to be moot as Forbes allowed all members of the association to be covered by the order upon receiving a full list.

"The judge has affirmed that our association is legitimate, it's real and the people in it have been afforded protection that we asked for," Caulkins said.

A status hearing in the case is scheduled for March 20.

In addition to the state-level lawsuits, several legal challenges to the semiautomatic weapons ban are working their way through federal court.

States with the biggest gun industries States with the biggest gun industries #50. Washington DC (tie) #50. Hawaii (tie) #49. Rhode Island #48. Delaware #47. New Jersey #46. Vermont #45. New York #44. North Dakota #43. Illinois #41. Alaska (tie) #41. Maine (tie) #40. Massachusetts #39. South Dakota #38. Nebraska #37. Wyoming #36. West Virginia #35. Connecticut #34. New Mexico #33. California #32. Montana #31. New Hampshire #30. Maryland #29. Mississippi #28. Idaho #27. Iowa #26. Utah #25. Louisiana #24. Arkansas #23. Nevada #21. Oregon (tie) #21. Washington (tie) #19. Oklahoma (tie) #19. Minnesota (tie) #18. Kansas #17. South Carolina #16. Kentucky #15. Wisconsin #14. Alabama #13. Missouri #12. Indiana #11. Michigan #10. Tennessee #9. Colorado #8. Georgia #7. Virginia #6. Ohio #5. North Carolina #4. Pennsylvania #3. Arizona #2. Florida #1. Texas
During the first term of Barack Obamas presidency, my then 8-year-old daughter asked a simple question. Why do Black people have a special month?

I responded with a mini-lecture on the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Jim Crow and the efforts of the Harvard-educated historian Carter G. Woodson, who championed Negro History Week. She calmly took it in and responded with another question: When the bad men were kidnapping people from Africa and turning them into slaves, was the president Black?

I laughed, although her question made perfect sense. The only president she had known was Black; so why couldnt a Black person have served as president prior to the Civil War? Afterward, I found myself reflecting on her underlying point. Why, in modern America, do we even have Black History Month?

In a 2013 newspaper column, Cynthia Tucker suggested that Black History Month might be a bit passe. Designating a Black month made sense when official history effectively ignored Black Americans: In such a hostile landscape, black Americans desperately needed an acknowledgment of their patriotism, enterprise and ingenuity.

It was these truths that Woodson sought to illuminate at a time when whites, for the most part, considered Blacks to be brutes whose highest purpose was to serve whites: It is our job to get the truth of Negro history over first to Negroes, who for generations have been told they have no history, and then to take the truth to white people, Woodson told a group of educators in a 1926 speech. In history books, pointed out Woodson, the African is portrayed as a savage, matted, thick lips, with rings in her ears. The Caucasian is represented by a photograph of Bismarck or Shakespeare. Woodson saw this as propaganda, a systematized plan to educate the world  that the African was only intended to become a hewer of wood and a drawer of water.

Over the years, many others called out efforts to promote ignorance of racial reality. In 1944, the Chicago Defender accused the U.S. War Department of refusing to distribute a pamphlet debunking white supremacy because the South Doesnt Want Soldiers to Read About Negroes of accomplishment. Three years later, the Baltimore Afro-American dismissed most public school history books as (p)oisonous propaganda degrading the race and holding it up to ridicule. Virtually all texts praise the Ku Klux Klan for its vicious connivings during the Reconstruction Period and describe minorities as lazy, ignorant and irresponsible.

Since those days, considerable effort has gone into making textbooks less one-sided, more inclusive and generally more honest about the nations racial history. But of late, those efforts have been stymied by politicians fearful that an honest accounting of history will somehow damage sensitive, self-blaming white schoolchildren.

Numerous books have been effectively banned; and examination of such lives as Margaret Garners have been forbidden. Garner escaped enslavement in Kentucky in the 1850s by fleeing, with her children and husband, to Ohio. Facing recapture, she slit her daughters throat rather than see the girl enslaved. Her story inspired Beloved, a novel by Toni Morrison that has become a particular target of book banners. At least 18 states, according to Axios, have enacted legislation to limit the teaching of divisive concepts about race in the last two years.

This January, 650 African American studies teachers and administrators signed a letter condemning Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis move to reject the Advanced Placement African American studies curriculum, which he had claimed lacked educational value. The educators accused DeSantis of trying to deny the young citizens of his state the world-class education to which they have a right. They noted that the contention that an AP curriculum in African American Studies lacks educational value is a proposition supported by white supremacist ideology, because it fundamentally demeans the history, culture, and contributions of Black people.

Woodson understood that knowing about the history of race in America is crucial to understanding America itself. That insight is as valid today as it was 100 years ago. Such knowledge is essential to understanding the stereotypes that allow many law enforcement officials to see Black and brown men as threatening brutes, and to explaining why racist tropes are so prominent in our politics and why huge racial disparities still persist.

Black History Month is indeed a relic of another age. We should not require a special month to understand the past that created the present  or to celebrate the achievement of African Americans. But if keeping that relic reminds us of the danger of promoting ignorance, it serves a valuable purpose: pointing us in the direction of understanding the racial problems in this country that have never been solved.
Former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Nunoo Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, Brigadier (retired) has said Ghana does not need a war college.



In his view, instead of a war college, the government must build an agricultural college to promote agriculture to feed the nation because Ghanaians are hungry.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced plans to establish a war college in the country at the Ghana Armed Forces 2022 end-of-year West African Soldiers Social Activities (WASSA) celebrations at Burma camp in Accra.



The war college, which is to be established with a seed capital from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), is expected to be the capstone of Ghanas military education system.



It is meant to provide and improve the professional education of the highest levels of military leadership when established.



The war college if established will educate and train senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders advanced tactical and strategic thought, doctrines and policies.



But Mr Nunoo-Mensah says the college is not necessary.



Speaking on the Class Morning Show on Class91.3FM on Tuesday, 7 February 2023, he said: Akufo-Addo is my friend, I campaigned with him to be NPP flagbearer in 1998 but even if you are my friend Ill tell you my piece of mindwhat we need is not a war college but agricultural college to feed the people, the people are hungry.



He said the Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Training Centre has the capacity to train the military in whatever capacity, hence, there is no need for a war college when there are pressing issues like hunger.



We need agricultural college and the reason is that Ghanaians are very hungry, I am hungry ... involve everybody in farming because food is very expensive he added.







































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
UGANDA: The Deputy Commander Land Forces in Uganda, Major Gen Francis Takirwa has asked health workers to stop treating homosexuals in public health facilities.



Maj Gen Takirwa made the statement on Sunday, February 5, 2023, when the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) commissioned and handed over different projects to Mbarara District residents at the headquarters in Bwizibwera.



"Don't use our health facilities to treat homosexuals, someone comes with pampers leaking and wants treatment because he made a decision as if he didn't have brains. No. No. This is too much and unacceptable, Maj Gen Takirwa said.



He said such practices are shameful and should not be accepted. "Someone comes and starts doing such shameful, unnatural, un-African practices and you keep quiet. Something a dog which you give food on the ground can't do but you with brains who eats on a plate can do, it's shameful. God is about to fix us, so prepare yourselves for doing some of these practices even dogs can't do,? he added.









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 Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has directed the Business Committee of Parliament to schedule the Finance Minister to appear before the House on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 to brief members on affairs of the Domestic Debt Exchange programme (DDEP).



He said both sides of the House had agreed that Ken Ofori-Atta be scheduled to come and brief the House on policy statement and some details about debt arrangement since Parliament was ever prepared to assist the government to get out of that quagmire.



This is a very urgent matter particularly dealing with elderly people; if the pensioners are picketing at the Finance Ministry, we need to do this as quickly as possible, he stated.



MPs concerns



Addressing members of Parliament at the start of the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament today, Mr Bagbin said The Business Committee kindly and urgently schedule the Finance Minister to appear before the House to give us a brief on the statement of affairs.



The Speaker gave the directive after some Minority MPs had raised concern after the Vice Chairman of the Business Committee, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had presented the business statement for this week.



Enormous anxiety



First, the National Democratic Congress MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa had told the House that in spite the enormous public interest in the ongoing domestic debt exchange programme which the government was pursuing, it never found space in the business statement.



He recalled how the leadership of Parliament, during recess, received a petition from the Association of Individual Bondholders and the recent picketing of bondholders by senior citizens at the Ministry of Finance just yesterday.



Those developments, he said, had created enormous anxiety, with Ghanaians being concerned about their lifesaving and investments.



No briefing



He said although the House had received no briefing or debated the programme yet the Ministry of Finance was going ahead to implement it as a conditionality of the IMF programme.



Mr Ablakwa also drew the Houses attention to how the Finance Minister, in presenting the 2023 budget, assured MPs that the details of the debt operation programme would be announced soon to the public and the investor community had been engaged.



Mr Speaker this engagement has not taken place; members of Parliament have not been engaged and the individual bondholders were not being engaged.



Indeed, the President had, a few days prior to the announcement, assured that bondholders would be exempted but now all those who were told they would be exempted have been included, he said.



He added that: The Finance Minister must come and brief us and we debate and agree what should be the nature of this domestic debt programme and its full ramifications on the economy and citizens.



Unconstitutional act



Sharing similar concern, the NDC MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, said the duty of the Finance Minister was not to simply to engage the House.



He said article 181 (3) of the Constitution was clear that the government was borrowing on behalf of the state and sections 55 and 56 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 was also clear that government was borrowing on behalf of the state.



Hence the terms and conditions of the borrowing ordinarily must be laid before the House and must be approved by a resolution of the House.



To the contrary, the Finance Minister had gone ahead to define his own terms and conditions of borrowing, negotiating with bondholders terms and conditions that had not been approved by the House, coercing and compelling banks, insurance institutions to accept terms and conditions that has not been approved by Parliament, he said.



The conduct of the Finance Minister, he added, was clearly illegal and unconstitutional and was clear breach of his responsibility as Minister of Finance and an affront to this House.



He must therefore bring the terms here for us to approve before he offers it to individual bondholders and institutions for them to accept or reject he said.



Weve engaged all bondholders



Responding, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, in the 2023 budget, the Finance Ministry sounded and mentioned that the government was going to come up with a domestic debt exchange policy.



And based on the budget that was approved by the House, Parliament gave the Finance Ministry to spend compensation, borrow and undertake capital expenditure and goods and services to a certain tune.



For my friend (Ayariga) to say that we are now going to borrow it is untrue as these are funds that were approved for us to utilise previously, she said.



She added that due to the conditions government found itself in, it publicly announced that it would not be able to discharge what it initially had agreed with its debtors.



Mr Speaker, let me put it on record that the pensions funds are not part of the exercise that we are engaging in now. We have been able to engage all these bondholders and we did it with the banks, insurance companies.



I know that last week when we met the Business Committee of the House, we mentioned that once Parliament comes through we will come and brief the House on how far and the steps that we have taken to get to where we are, she said.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Convener of the Individual Bondholders Forum, Martin Kpebu has called out Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta for saying Ghana's economy will collapse by March if government is not able to secure the IMF loan.



Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on Monday, February 6, pleaded with the pensioners to accept a 3.5% cut and accept the new terms of 15% coupon rate and 5% maturity.



We really feel that government has listened, there is humanity to us, we are protecting the destitute, widows and the orphans and the older people who have worked for this nation. We are in a crisis, we cannot put our heads under the sun and pretend that we are not . . .



We need to be mindful that we really need to be successful in going to the fund by this March to avoid what we all experienced last year which we all dont want to experience again, he stated.



Speaking in reaction to this in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', he asked the Finance Minister not to abuse his office.



"Ghana won't collapse. Anyone who will say Ghana will collapse is being deceitful. It's just scaremongering, which is bad . . . it's just an abuse of office. It's never true . . . in the worst-case scenario, what we would have to do is to reduce the 3 billion," he intimated.



Article 36:1 of the 1992 constitution clearly says "the state shall take all necessary action to ensure that the national economy is managed in such a manner as to maximize the rate of economic development and to secure maximum welfare and to provide adequate means of livelihood and suitable employment" . . . "You've not been able to do this yet you want to take what we've struggled to put down," he added.



Ofori-Atta Pleads With Individual Bondholders



Ken Ofori-Atta in his address also called on eligible individual bondholders to voluntarily tender their holdings and participate fully in the DDEP in order to ensure the success of the governments debt operation.



However, Martin Kpebu has urged individual bondholders not to accept the new amendment made by government.



"We urge our members not to accept this new agreement. They shouldn't sign it . . ." he said.





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
Benjamin Kofi Quashie, South African Council of Elders Chairman of the National Democratic Congress and the Group Chairman of Allied Consortiums, has bemoaned the president's decisions of filling ministerial vacancies within his government instead of total reshuffling to reduce ministers' numbers.



In his view, the president hasn't broken any law regarding filling the vacancies within his government arising from resignation but, "I'm sorry to say governance is sometimes the application of common sense. There are technocrats who could step in so why to appoint new ministers?" he quizzed.



He argued that the president is running this country as if he is running his personal business and this is not right. When his attention was drawn to the fact that, the president hasn't broken any law, Mr Kofi Quashie averred that the president hasn't broken any law when he asks for people to have a haircut regarding bonds.



"How can he go on profligate spending and let the citizens suffer? Has he broken any law?, he questioned sorrowfully. He questioned why Hon. K. T. Hammond was appointed to the Trade and Industry Ministry. What is he bringing on board to Trade and Industry Ministry that would help us in these IMF negotiations", he quizzed.



He continues "Is it that during the censure motion for the finance minister, he did a good job for the party so, he's been rewarded for that?, he surprisingly questions.



SA NDC Council Chair argues further that, the Trade and Industry Ministry has substantive deputies, why K. T. Hammond? What new is he bringing on board and why not elevate some of the deputies?



From the way things are going, it appears the president isn't taking anything seriously. If the president wants Ghanaians to take a haircut, it would only be prudent for him not or add on to his ministers but, to rather promote his deputies to avoid swelling up his ministerial numbers.



"This was a fine opportunity for the president to show leadership. Be the first to take steps that would let the citizenry know that, the president is doing something worthwhile", Mr. Benjamin Quashie stated. He added, in these times of haircut on people's investments, "You don't bungle around ministers who have resigned and put in new ministers there. What do you expect of the taxpayer", he asked again.



The Allied Consortiums Chairman was speaking to Blessed Sogah on the 'Pulse Show' on Joy News, on 7th February 2023 assessing the appointments of new ministers by President Nana Akufo-Addo.



In sum, Mr. Benjamin Quashie underlined the fact that "Even though there hasn't been any scientific proof as to whether a lean or large size government delivers, we're not in normal times and this has been rehashed by many people to this government. The bureaucrats, technocrats, people have spoken and the president must listen", he ended.







Source: DC Kwame Kwakye - Contributor









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
THE Third Session of the Eighth Parliament commenced yesterday with the lenses focused on the Minority caucus to see whether they will have a divided front or show solidarity to their new leadership.

It was awe-inspiring to see the new leadership led by Dr Cassiel Ato Forson welcome their predecessors with open arms, hugs and jokes.



Governance



In his welcome address as the new Minority Leader on the floor of Parliament yesterday, Dr Forson expressed the unwillingness of the Minority Caucus under his leadership to countenance anymore bad governance from the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration.



He said the Minority would insist on the highest levels of performance from all government officials and institutions over whom Parliament had oversight and jurisdiction.



"We are unwilling to be part of any negligence of duty of any sort, and neither shall we tolerate lackadaisical attitude towards the work of this House by public officials," he said.





Dr Forson said "We will maintain the highest levels of vigilance and offer intense scrutiny of government programmes, policies, agreements,bills, and legislative instrument.We will not compromise on what we earnestly believe to be the right thing.



Speaker



The Speaker congratulated the new Minority leadership.



He said the new leaders had all been in the House for a while and were very conversant with the culture and law of Parliament.





"I have confidence in their ability to meet the high expectations of our stakeholders. On behalf of the House, I warmly welcome them to the hot seat of the leadership of Parliament. Congratulations and I wish you well, he said.



Mr Bagbin also wished the former Minority Leader , Haruna Iddrisu, and other Minority leadership well in their endeavours.



"The former members of the leadership of the Minority led by Haruna Iddrisu must be applauded too. Their record of performance is visible for all to see.



And I hope the new leadership will continue to draw from their fountain of wisdom and wealth of experience.





"I know what it entails to lead a populous minority caucus in Parliament.



All I can say to the former leader is that the lord is your shepherd, and you shall now want.



When one door closes another opens," he said.





Mr Bagbin also wished Chriatian Astu, Black Stars Player a speedy recovery following his entrapment in the Turkiye earthquake.



Majority



The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, called on the new Minority leadership to cooperate with the Majority leadership to enhance the functionality of Parliament and deliver a transparent and accountable legislature.



He said the new leadership of the Minority had what it takes to deliver on their mandate and must cooperate to deliver the Parliament Ghanaians wished to see.



I trust that with the new Minority leadership, we can work together to achieve the functionality of Parliament.



I look forward, and indeed all of us in leadership from the majority look forward to working with the new leadership in a very professional manner to promote transparent and accountable government that will indeed help to grow Ghana, improve living standards of our people, he said.



Unusual action

The former Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, and the former Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi, were literally everywhere to cheer up their colleagues.However, conspicuously missing was the former Minority Leader, Mr Iddrisu.



Mr Iddrisu reported early to register his name at the Table Office but checked out almost immediately even before most of his colleagues arrived.



After smiling for the cameras Alhaji Muntaka also sneaked out, leaving only Mr Avedzi who stayed for the day's activities.



Both Alhaji Muntaka and Mr Iddrisu could not be reached after the sitting to react to their rather unusual action.



But that notwithstanding, the atmosphere in the House was electrifying as both sides of the divide came in their numbers.



Friendship



Members displayed courtesy towards each other and exchanged pleasantries.



Two incidents reignited the parliamentary spirit and firmed up the camaraderie that has existed for years.



First, it was the entry of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyepong, and the reaction to the nomination of the MP for Nhyieaso, Dr Stephen Amoah, as a Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry.



Deafening noise



Kennedy Agyepong's entry was greeted with a deafening noise of "presidoo, presidoo", perhaps to celebrate his intentions to run as a presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).



With smiles all over, the Assin Central MP lost his way and found himself seated on the Minority side at the start of proceedings.



And the noise even escalated a notch higher when the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, announced new nominations made by President Akufo-Addo.



The entire House erupted into Sticka oooo Sticka to welcome Dr Stephen Amoah, who has been nominated as a Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry.



The nominee is nicknamed Sticka.







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
Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan has endorsed Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to be flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party.



The date for NPP's presidential and parliamentary primaries has not been decided, however it is expected to come off this year as the party gears up for the 2024 general elections.



Various candidates in the persons of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, former Minister of Agriculture Dr. Afriyie Akoto among others are vying for the flagbearer position.



To Kwamena Duncan, the wisest thing for the party to do is to choose Dr. Bawumia who he strongly believes will bring victory to the party, come 2024.



Mr. Kwamena Duncan cautioned the party delegates not to make a mistake of electing any other candidate to lead the NPP.



"He is the President Ghana must have . . . It is the wisest thing this party must do [the wisest thing] that the image, the name and the future of this party will be best decided by making the Vice President bear our flag and lead us into victory in December 2024. It is the wisest thing!", he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.





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 National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye a.k.a Nana B has condemned the suame Kill to win elections' comments made by the Suame constituency Youth Organizer of the NDC to the effect that his party will kill in order to win power in next years elections.



Nana B charged the Police to apprehend the NDC Youth Organizer and prosecute him to serve as a deterrent to others.



A video of a man inciting violence ahead of the 2024 general elections has triggered reactions from many Ghanaians.



The NDC Youth Organizer, in an interview with the media, asked supporters and members of the NDC not to hesitate to kill NPP supporters in their quest to win the 2024 elections and make former President John Mahama President of Ghana.



I will plead with Ghana Police; they should arrest that gentleman and prosecute him without any further delay", Nana B said on Okay FM "Ade Akye Abia" morning show.



He also appealed to the Police not to politicize the issue stressing "we should avoid violence at all times and not use violence as a tool to capture power because you belong to a political party. How can you kill your fellow human being because of power? This must be condemned and any necessary action needed must be taken to serve as a deterrent to others"



He urged Ghanaians to ensure peace and unity.



Watch the full video below;





Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[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
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 research suggests that in adolescents living in London, U.K., exposure to higher levels of the pollutant nitrogen dioxide was associated with lower systolic blood pressure, while exposure to higher levels of particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was associated with higher systolic blood pressure. Credit: Mario La Pergola, Unsplash, CC0 (creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

In a new analysis involving adolescents living in London, exposure to higher levels of the pollutant nitrogen dioxide was associated with lower systolic blood pressure, while exposure to higher levels of particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was associated with higher systolic blood pressure. Alexis Karamanos of King's College London and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on February 8, finding that these associations are stronger for girls than for boys.

Exposure to air pollutants is linked to greater risk of cardio-respiratory disease, hospital visits, and death. Adolescents' rapidly growing bodies may be particularly susceptible to long-lasting effects of exposure to air pollutants, including effects on blood pressure. However, most prior studies on air pollution and blood pressure have focused on adults.

To better understand these associations in adolescents, Karamanos and colleagues analyzed data collected as part of the Determinants of Adolescent Social Well-Being and Health (DASH) study, which tracks the well-being of thousands of ethnically diverse London schoolchildren over time. For this analysis, they used data on 3,284 adolescents in DASH to examine associations between blood pressure and exposure to pollution in the form of nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5 ; exposures were estimated based on annual mean levels of pollutants where each participant lived.

The researchers found that greater estimated exposure to nitrogen dioxide was associated with lower systolic blood pressure, and greater estimated exposure to PM 2.5 was associated with higher systolic blood pressure. These associations were stronger in girls than in boys. No evidence of a relationship between nitrogen dioxide/PM 2.5 and diastolic blood pressure was observed.

For example, a 1g/m3 increase in nitrogen dioxide was associated with a 0.30 mmHg (95% CI 0.18 to 0.40) decrease in systolic blood pressure for girls and 0.19 mmHg (95% CI 0.07 to 0.31) decrease in systolic blood pressure for boys. Meanwhile, a 1g/m3 increase in PM 2.5 was associated with a 1.34 mmHg (95% CI 0.85 to 1.82) increase in systolic blood pressure for girls and 0.57 mmHg (95% CI 0.04 to 1.03) increase in systolic blood pressure for boys. The associations between pollutants and blood pressure were consistent regardless of ethnicity, body size, or socioeconomic status.

Eighty percent of the adolescents studied were from ethnic minority groups, and the residential estimates suggest that these adolescents were exposed to higher levels of the pollutants than their white peers.

The researchers call for further studies to help confirm and clarify these findings, particularly among young people from different socioeconomic backgrounds. They also note that levels of nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5 in London remain well above World Health Organization Guidelines, suggesting opportunities to reduce pollution and improve lifelong health for adolescents in the city.

Seeromanie Harding, from King's College, London, adds, "This longitudinal study provides a unique opportunity to track exposures of adolescents living in deprived neighborhoods. Given that more than 1 million under 18s live in neighborhoods where air pollution is higher than the recommended health standards, there is an urgent need for more of these studies to gain an in-depth understanding of the threats and opportunities to young people's development."

More information: Associations between air pollutants and blood pressure in an ethnically diverse cohort of adolescents in London, England, PLoS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279719 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:

Technician Juan Carlos Gatica checks electronics on the ALMA correlator. For this task, he's using supplemental oxygen at the high-altitude site. ALMA was recently approved for significant upgrades to the correlator, or brain, of the telescope. Additional upgrades were approved for the Digital Transmission System (DTS), the arrays information highway. Credit: Carlos Padilla, NRAO/AUI/NSF

The Board of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)an international collaboration in which the National Science Foundation's National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a partnerhas approved multi-million dollar upgrades for the development of a second-generation correlator and a digital transmission system (DTS). As part of the ALMA2030 Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade, these projects aim to double and eventually quadruple the correlated bandwidth of the array.

Central to the ALMA2030 upgrades, the Second Generation ALMA Correlatorthe "brain" of the arrayis a type of supercomputer that combines the individual signals from each antenna to create exquisite images of astronomical objects. The new correlator will improve the current one's already highly refined ability to process and combine data and increase the sensitivity of astronomical images and the flexibility of making them.

"While ALMA's current correlators are already some of the fastest supercomputing signal processors in the world, the Second Generation Correlator will be capable of producing 200, and ultimately 400 times more data per second along with an increased sensitivity equivalent to adding more than 1000 hours of observing time per year," said Crystal Brogan, ALMA-North America Program Scientist and the ALMA Development Program Coordinator at NRAO.

"The initial expansion in system bandwidth by a factor of two, and eventually four, will enhance the science throughput for all areas of ALMA science from the most distant galaxies to our Solar System. The Second Generation ALMA Correlator will also enable high spectral resolution at wide bandwidth for the first timeaffording an unprecedented view of the kinematics and chemistry of star and planet formation."

The $36 million project will take approximately six years to complete and combines the hardware and firmware expertise of scientists and engineers at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the software expertise of NRAO's Data Management and Software Department. Additionally, experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Haystack Observatory will be assisting with the implementation and testing of the Phased Array aspects of the new correlator. The project is led by the NRAO's North American ALMA Department.

"The new correlator provides the foundation for the rest of the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU). With the project's approval, the WSU has moved from plans to construction. The international ALMA collaboration will work together to deliver this project, and by the end of this decade, we'll see the results in amazing new science," said Phil Jewell, Director for ALMA-North America.

The upgraded Digital Transmission System (DTS)a collaboration between NRAO's Central Development Laboratory (CDL) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), also a partner in ALMAwill act as an expanded information highway, increasing the amount of data that can travel from each of ALMA's upgraded receivers to the upgraded correlator by a factor of eight.

"The DTS is an exciting collaboration with our colleagues at NAOJ and will provide a higher-capacity digital path for data from the upgraded receivers to the ALMA Talon Central Signal Processor. The project leverages our expertise in photonics and digital signal processing and will be built using state-of-the-art hardware, enabling a wide range of improvements," said Bert Hawkins, Director of CDL.

Alvaro Gonzalez, East Asia ALMA Program Manager at NAOJ added, "The new ALMA2030 DTS will be based on the latest high-speed data-transmission standards and use commercially available technology as much as possible. As a collaboration between NAOJ and NRAO, we will combine the best aspects of technology and know-how from the two partners. The DTS will be designed to support the goal of 4 times increase of instantaneous bandwidth of ALMA receivers and also the eventual increase of the distance between antennas, up to around 75 km, for improved angular resolution."

Phase 1 of the DTS upgradeapproved for ~US$800,000aims to produce a prototype of the new end-to-end system by 2026 and will be followed by a Phase 2 production proposal.

NRAO's and NA ALMA's central role in the ALMA2030 upgrades extends beyond the correlator and DTS and includes the conversion of the Operations Support Facility to house and operate the new correlator, additional infrastructure and support systems, and receiver upgrades. CDL has already commenced work to upgrade ALMA's 1.3mm (Band 6) receivers after receiving approval and Phase 1 funding in late 2021. The Band 6v2 receiver prototype is expected in 2025, allowing for the build-out of an entirely upgraded set of Band 6 receivers for ALMA that will increase the quantity and quality of science measured in wavelengths between 1.4mm and 1.1mm.

Upon completion, ALMA2030 will realize upgrades to most ALMA receivers resulting in increased bandwidth and sensitivity, complete replacement of the ALMA digital signal chaindigitizer, digital transmission system, and correlatorand installation of new fiber cables connecting ALMA's Operations Site to its Operations Support Facility, and develop associated control, data acquisition, and data processing software.

"An already immensely powerful observatory, ALMA has uncovered the secrets of protoplanetary disks and the unseen gas and dust that drives the formation of stars, planets, and galaxies. These upgrades will help us see further than ever before and process this information faster and more clearly," said NRAO Director Tony Beasley. "With each upgrade, we are quite literally building the future of radio astronomy."

ALMA Director Sean Dougherty added, "This is a very exciting moment for ALMA. The approval of these two major components of the Wide-Band Sensitivity Upgradea new data transmission system and future-forward correlatorwill extend the science capabilities of ALMA enormously across all fields of science."

"This exciting project ensures ALMA continues to operate and provide fantastic observations," says Joe Pesce, NSF Program Officer for ALMA. "Improved capabilities enabled by the upgraded correlator will lead to new discoveries about our universe and advancement of science."

"This project will significantly improve the sensitivity, flexibility and efficiency of the telescope," said Brent Carlson, Research Officer at the NRC's Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Center and the NRC's Principal Investigator for the correlator project.

"The Second Generation ALMA Correlator will allow much more spectral information from radio sources to be imaged instantaneously, giving scientists access to a colossal amount of new data. The ability to do spectral scans efficiently at such high resolution is unprecedented and will keep ALMA at the forefront of scientific discovery."
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:

Melting sea ice has no discernible impact on sea levels because the ice is already in ocean water, but it is problematic because it helps accelerate global warming.

The Antarctic Ocean area covered by ice was the lowest on record for January, exposing Earth to even more planet-warming heat, scientists reported Wednesday.

Last month was also the third warmest January on record in Europe, with temperatures on New Year's Day reaching all-time highs on some parts of the continent, according to European Union's Copernicus climate monitor (C3S).

Melting sea ice has no discernible impact on sea levels because the ice is already in ocean water.

But it is problematic because it helps accelerate global warming.

When white sea icewhich bounces up to 90 percent of the Sun's energy back into spaceis replaced by dark, unfrozen sea, the water absorbs a similar percentage of the Sun's heat instead.

Globally, last year was the fifth or sixth warmest on record despite the cooling influence of a natural La Nina weather pattern.

Europe clocked its hottest summer ever, which fuelled deadly droughts and wildfires on the continent.

Copernicus said Wednesday that much of Europe saw above-average temperatures last month, including the Balkans and eastern Europe "where New Year's Day experienced record warmth".

Elsewhere, warmer temperatures were also recorded in the eastern United States, Canada and Mexico, the monitor said.

"These extreme temperatures remain a tangible indication of the effects of a changing climate for many regions and can be understood as an additional warning of future extreme events," C3S deputy Samantha Burgess said in a statement.

"It is imperative for global and regional stakeholders to take swift action to mitigate the rise in global temperatures."

Siberia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Australia however saw below-average temperatures, the monitor added.

Antarctic sea ice extent was 31 percent below average, and well below the previous record for January.

Below-average sea ice concentration was also seen in the Arctic, where it was four percent below average, Copernicus said, the third lowest for January.

 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:

Some 280,000 hectares have been destroyed.

Forest fires that have killed 26 people and left thousands homeless in south-central Chile in the past week threatened new regions Tuesday as temperatures soared.

Some 5,600 firefighters, the majority of them volunteers, are actively battling 81 priority blazes out of 301 still burning, according to authorities.

As international help in the form of personnel and equipment boosted the teams' efforts, officials declared a red alert in the southern region of Los Rios where fires threatened the Corral and Valdivia municipalities.

Officials also fear fires could break out in the metropolitan region around the capital, Santiago.

After a brief reprieve over the weekend, temperatures soared again Tuesday to create conditions that, combined with the effects of a devastating drought, are conducive to fire spread.

The mercury in many places was likely to exceed 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) until the end of the week, according to forecasts.

"A very complex climate situation can arise," said deputy interior minister Manuel Monsalve, urging teams to be "prepared for any eventuality."

More than 2,100 people have been injured in a week of blazes in the regions of Biobio, La Araucania and Nuble, where a state of emergency is in place.

A state of emergency is in place in three regions of Chile.

Flames have consumed more than 280,000 hectares of land, an area larger than the country of Luxembourg, and razed 1,150 homes, according to the Senapred national emergency response service.

The smoke cloud covering much of Chile as a result has also triggered health warnings.

Fifteen people have been arrested on suspicion of setting some of the fires.

'Intense'

Some 2,200 professional firefighters from the CONAF forest corporation and private companies are being backed in the battle by 3,400 volunteers, and hundreds of experts sent as backup by foreign countries.

France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter Tuesday the country would send another 80 firefighters and rescue workers to Chile within hours "to support their counterparts who have been fighting courageously for several days against very intense fires."

The majority of the firefighters battling Chile's blazes are volunteers.

"What moves us to be firefighters is... being of service. No renumeration can ever replace the gratitude of people," volunteer Jose Antonio Sepulveda told AFP.

In Chile, paid, professional firefighters called "brigadistas" concentrate on forest fires while the rest are all volunteers, including those who fight city blazes.

With permission from his employer, the 26-year-old engineer traveled on his own time and on his own steam from Concepcion, where he lives, to hard-hit Santa Juana more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) away to help battle fires there.

Colleague Macarena Fernandez, a 31-year-old physical education teacher, also from Concepcion, described Friday's situation in Santa Juana as "intense."

"We did what we humanly could, what was within our means," she said.

"The most difficult is to see the situation of people left without homes, without their family, without their animals and completely destitute."

Mexican firefighters have joined the battle in Chile.

Volunteers called back

Another volunteer firefighter, Danilo Figueroa, an electrician of 50, said he and his colleagues are working 18-hour days.

Some have received calls that their own homes had burnt down while they were out trying to save others.

"Even then... they do not stop," he said.

A week into the emergency, the government said some employers were demanding their staff who volunteer as firefighters return to work.

The government says companies have started calling back their workers who serve as volunteer firefighters.

"We have learnt that in some places... we have lost many firefighters," for this reason, said Interior Minister Carolina Toha.

"For as long as there are fires threatening lives, (the work absence required) is not too long," she insisted.

"The more days (of fire) the more we need the volunteers, the more tired they are and the more in need of help," said Toha.

 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:

Red velvet mites accumulate carotenoids from pollen that give them their bright red color. Credit: Satoshi Shimano from Hosei University and Masahiro Osakabe from Kyoto University

Living on the rugged landscape of rocks and concrete, the red velvet mite Balaustium murorum braves intense sunlight and ultraviolet radiation. These non-parasitic mites feed largely on pollen and emerge during spring from eggs that were laid during the previous summer. One can easily spot these critters crawling around due to their striking bright red color, making them an object of both fascination and fear, given the association of red with danger.

The vivid coloration of these mites has not been subject to much scientific scrutiny. However, a study by researchers from Hosei University and Kyoto University, Japan, now suggests that the bright red pigment in these mites has a specific protective function.

"Every year, the number of online searches related to the red velvet mite shoots up in early spring. Many people consult the internet to know if this mite is harmful and whether its bright red color signifies that it has sucked blood. But the red velvet mite never acts as a parasite on other organisms," says Professor Satoshi Shimano from Hosei University.

"While we sigh in relief, knowing that these mites are mostly harmless, one does tend to wonder whether the distinct red color offers a specific survival advantage considering the harsh environments that red velvet mites live in."

Though none are as visually striking as the red velvet mites, several other mites, such as spider mites (Panonychus citri), display red pigmentation. Spider mites remain active during the day and are also exposed to intense sunlight. Being constantly exposed to solar radiation causes the production of harmful reactive oxygen species in the body leading to "oxidative stress". To cope with oxidative stress, spider mites are known to accumulate the carotenoid astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant, in their body. The accumulation of these carotenoids ultimately manifests as a deep red color on the spider mites' bodies.

To investigate whether the red velvet mite's bright pigmentation plays a similar protective role, the researchers identified and quantified carotenoids present in the arachnid's body. A chemical-profiling analysis revealed that carotenoids in the red velvet mite were primarily composed of astaxanthin (60%), followed by 3-hydroxyechinenone (38%), both of which are known to be powerful antioxidants.

Red velvet mites accumulate carotenoids from pollen that give them their bright red color. Credit: Takamasa Memoto

Professor Masahiro Osakabe from Kyoto University further adds, "Astaxanthin concentration in the red velvet mite was 127-fold higher than that in spider mite, Panonychus citri, which is an astaxanthin-rich species. This is one of the highest known levels of microarthropods, including crustaceans. Hence, the red velvet mite's color is the result of high concentrations of keto-carotenoids, which act as antioxidants against reactive oxygen species that form in harsh environments, due to strong ultraviolet rays and radiant heat."

While the flashy red color protects these mites from the harsh environment, one might wonder whether it is a double-edged sword, making them vulnerable and easily targeted by their natural predators. But Shimano and Osakabe say there is no need to worry since the mite is active only in early spring before other insects are fully active.

In fact, this peculiar life cycle could be the reason why these mites prefer such hot environments. Furthermore, their natural enemiesants and predatory stink bugsdo not have photoreceptors for red. So, their red color, which is unusually conspicuous to us humans on concrete, is not thought to affect the hunting behavior of their predators.

"Red velvet mites can stain white clothing due to their carotenoid-rich pigment if they get crushed underneath people. Fortunately, a quick and easy remedy is using ethanol commonly used in hand sanitizers," offers Shimano.

In conclusion, the red velvet mite's peculiar color, a feature that many people find striking and potentially indicative of danger, has been revealed to be a benign protective feature. What appears to some people as an indication that the mite is harmful, is likely an adaptation that simply helps them remain active under intense sunlight.

The work is published in the journal Experimental and Applied Acarology.

More information: Masahiro Osakabe et al, The flashy red color of the red velvet mite Balaustium murorum (Prostigmata: Erythraeidae) is caused by high abundance of the keto-carotenoids, astaxanthin and 3-hydroxyechinenone, Experimental and Applied Acarology (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10493-022-00766-z

Provided by Hosei University
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

Secret, coded letters penned by Mary, Queen of Scots, while she was imprisoned in England by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, have been uncovered by a multidisciplinary team of international codebreakers.

The contents of the letters were believed for centuries to have been lost. That was until George Lasry, a computer scientist and cryptographer, Norbert Biermann, a pianist and music professor, and Satoshi Tomokiyo, who is a physicist and patents expert, stumbled upon them while searching the national library of France'sBibliotheque nationale de France's (BnF)online archives for enciphered documents.

The trio only discovered Mary was the author after solving her sophisticated cipher system. Their decipherment work of 57 letters, which is presented in the journal Cryptologia, reveals approximately 50 new scripts previously unknown to historians.

These date from 1578 to 1584, a few years before her beheading on this very day 436 years agoFebruary 8, 1587.

Mary's correspondences expose fascinating insights into her captivity. Most are addressed to Michel de Castelnau de Mauvissiere, the French ambassador to England. He was a supporter of Catholic Mary, who was under the Earl of Shrewsbury's custody when she wrote them. Interview with George Lasry. Credit: Taylor & Francis

"Upon deciphering the letters, I was very, very puzzled and it kind of felt surreal," says lead author Lasry, who is also part of the multi-disciplinary DECRYPT Project involving several universities in Europe, with the goal of mapping, digitizing, transcribing, and deciphering historical ciphers.

"We have broken secret codes from kings and queens previously, and they're very interesting, but with Mary Queen of Scots it was remarkable as we had so many unpublished letters deciphered and because she is so famous. This is a truly exciting discovery."

He added, "Together, the letters constitute a voluminous body of new primary material on Mary Stuartabout 50,000 words in total, shedding new light on some of her years of captivity in England.

"Mary, Queen of Scots, has left an extensive corpus of letters held in various archives. There was prior evidence, however, that other letters from Mary Stuart were missing from those collections, such as those referenced in other sources but not found elsewhere.

"The letters we have deciphered  are most likely part of this lost secret correspondence."

One of the 16th century's most famous historical figures, Mary was first in line of succession to the English throne after her cousin Elizabeth.

Catholics considered Mary to be the legitimate sovereign and Elizabeth had her imprisoned for 19 years because she was seen as a threat. Mary was eventually executed at the age of 44 for her alleged part in a plot to kill Elizabeth.

During her time in captivity, Mary communicated with her associates and allies through extensive efforts to recruit messengers and to maintain secrecy.

The existence of a confidential communication channel between Mary and Castelnau is well-known to historians, and even to the English government at the time.

But Lasry and his fellow codebreakers provide new evidence that this exchange was already in place as early as May 1578 and active until at least mid-1584.

Using computerized and manual techniques, the study authors decoded the letters, which show the challenges Mary faced maintaining links with the outside world, how the letters were carried and by whom.

Key themes referred to in Mary's correspondence include complaints about her poor health and captivity conditions, and her negotiations with Queen Elizabeth I for her release, which she believes are not conducted in good faith.

Her mistrust of Elizabeth's spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham is also apparent, as well as her animosity for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and a favorite of Elizabeth. She also expresses her distress when her son James (future King James I of England) is abducted in August 1582, and her feeling they have been abandoned by France.

Writing in this Special Issue version of Cryptologia, Lasry and his co-authors describe how they first came across the letters. Some were in a large set of unmarked documents in cipher and using the same set of graphical symbols.

The BnF catalogue listed them as from the first half of the 16th century, and related to Italian matters. However, the study authors say they "quickly realized"after starting to crack the codethat they were written in French and "had nothing to do with Italy."

Their detective work revealed verbs and adverbs often in the feminine form, several mentions of captivity, and the name "Walsingham," which gave rise to the suspicion that they might be from Mary, Queen of Scots.

This fact was confirmed by comparing them with the plain text of letters in Walsingham's papers in the British Library and through other methods. A search for similar letters in BnF collections uncovered 57 letters with the same cipher.

Commenting on the new paper, John Guy, an expert on Mary, Queen of Scotswho wrote the 2004 biography of Mary, Queen of Scots, which led to a major Hollywood filmsays this is the most significant find about Mary for a century.

"This discovery is a literary and historical sensation; fabulous. This is the most important new find on Mary, Queen of Scots for 100 years. I'd always wondered if de Castelnau's originals could turn up one day, buried in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France or perhaps somewhere else, unidentified because of the ciphering. And now they have."

Lasry and his co-authors suggest, too, that other enciphered letters from Mary that are known to have existed may still be missing. A physical inspection of documents, as well as online searches, are needed to uncover these, they add.

It is hoped, now too, that the study will lead to future research.

"In our paper, we only provide an initial interpretation and summaries of the letters. A deeper analysis by historians could result in a better understanding of Mary's years in captivity," adds Lasry. "It would also be great, potentially, to work with historians to produce an edited book of her letters deciphered, annotated, and translated."
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:

Graphical abstract. Credit: Acta Materialia (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2022.118465

A new method to grow single crystals and simultaneously control their growth orientation without melt processing has been discovered by Texas A&M University materials science and engineering doctoral graduate Dr. Hande Ozcan and Dr. Ibrahim Karaman, department head and Chevron Professor.

The discovery of this new crystal growth and orientation control method in solid-state was recently published in the journal Acta Materialia. The research paper focuses on growing large single crystals and their ability to change their crystallographic orientation. Crystallographic orientation describes the alignment of the crystals within a bulk specimen.

"We have been working on single crystals over the last three decades, but growing the crystals with melt processing and controlling their orientations has been quite challenging," Karaman said. "The method Hande discovered now saves us a lot of time and provides more flexibility. There is more to explore; that's what makes us excited about this new method."

According to the research paper, controlling the size, shape and crystallographic orientation of single crystals is vital to exploit the desired properties. Ozcan said this method is important for applications that require materials with anisotropic properties.

"This mechanism allows these materials to change their orientation in solid-state without cumbersome and costly melt processing techniques. This is important because these materials exhibit different properties when they have different crystallographic directions," Ozcan said.

For the first time, Ozcan has seen crystallographic orientations can be changed at this large scale.

"This could fundamentally change how we look at single crystals and manipulate materials properties, because with solid-state methods, we can not only grow large single crystals very easily, but at the same time, we can now play with their crystallographic orientation," Ozcan said.

Single crystals are essential to microelectronics, optical crystals, magnetic devices, solar cells, piezoelectric components and multifunctional alloys. One specific use case example for these materials is multifunctional shape memory alloys. These materials can change their shape and recover upon applying heat or stress.

"For example, you can deform the material when you apply a load, but when you release it, it returns to its original shape," Ozcan said.

These properties strongly depend on the orientation of the single crystal; some orientations exhibit this recovery in a perfect fashion, and some do not. Thus, the orientation control is critical in obtaining superior functional properties.

Another advantage to this technique, according to the research paper, is that it does not require complex and expensive equipment.

Traditionally, melt-growth techniques, called the Bridgman and Czochralski processes, are used to obtain large crystals with a preferred orientation. However, controlling the crystal orientation is still challenging.

These methods rely on the availability of proper seed crystals, precise nucleation and thermal profile control during processing.

Because of this complexity, these methods are very expensive. The new method is called the solid-state crystal growth (SSCG) technique, a method where large bulk crystals with different crystallographic orientations could be made with simple heat treatments.

In this process, the crystals produced are more versatile and can achieve better chemical homogeneity than in the traditionally used melt-growth techniques.

The research team at Texas A&M demonstrated the SSCG method in two alloy systems, FeMnAlNi and CuMnAl, and achieved repeated, massive orientation changes in the solid state.

These findings offer a new strategy for manipulating the orientation of large single crystals on demand to take advantage of their superior and highly anisotropic properties, according to the research paper.

"This process works with materials that have semicoherent precipitates and that have two-phase regions in their phase diagram," Ozcan said. "When you cycle the material from high to low temperatures in a two-phase region multiple times, precipitates nucleate and dissolve and leave subgrain boundaries behind. Then the grains start to grow, decreasing the excess subgrain boundary energy. These grains continue to grow and merge, and finally, you can get a single crystal."

When you continue to cycle the material after it becomes a single crystal, there are no other ways to reduce the excess energy in the system, and it activates a mechanism that changes its crystallographic orientation.

"We actually discovered this technique while we were working on something else. We were not specifically targeting to change the crystallographic orientation," Ozcan said. "We were just working on growing large single crystals."

During that process, Ozcan and the team found that in just a few cycles, the alloys would turn into single crystals, and with additional cycles, she realized that the orientation of the single crystals started to change completely.

"I showed the results to Dr. Karaman, and I was so excited," she said. "After that, we started understanding what was going on and why the crystal orientation was changing; we tried different methods and processing schedules in order to manipulate this change."

This discovery will open up extensive research areas, she said. This is just the beginning of this exciting new path of finding new materials.

More information: Hande Ozcan et al, Massive reorientations of bulk single and oligocrystals via solid state processing, Acta Materialia (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2022.118465 Journal information: Acta Materialia
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

Researchers from San Diego State University, Rutgers University, and Vienna University of Economics and Business published a new Journal of Marketing article that examines how to translate customer participation in subscription box services into outcomes that benefit companies.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "Understanding Customer Participation Dynamics: The Case of the Subscription Box" and is authored by Nita Umashankar, Kihyun Hannah Kim, and Thomas Reutterer.

The subscription box market has grown by more than 100% year-over-year the past five years. The most popular categories in this segment, comprising 55% of total subscriptions, involve companies curating boxes containing apparel, meal kits, tech gadgets, personal care, or toys and delivering them to customers' doorsteps at regular intervals. Such services seek to surprise and delight customers with new items and highly personalized experiences.

Established retailers such as Sephora, Walmart, Nordstrom, and Target developed their own subscription boxes as a means to compete with hundreds of newcomers like Birchbox and Stitch Fix. For customers, subscription boxes provide an easy, convenient, and consistent way to access a variety of products with little commitment. In addition, they can skip a box or return the box's products when they wish. "Although such flexibility is attractive, its consequences are concerning for companies. Customers frequently skip boxes, and even when they do not, they return 60 to 70% of the box's products," says Umashankar. Nordstrom and Target have since shut down their subscription boxes, and although Sephora continues to offer one, it and other retailers are concerned about "box fatigue."

How involved should subscription box customers be?

Hoping to improve their outcomes, subscription box services have started to involve customers throughout the box process through a series of digital touchpoints. For example, customers are invited to preview an upcoming box digitally, provide feedback about the products in a delivered box, and give reasons for skipping a box. The idea is that, in addition to learning about customers' tastes, having them actively participate in the box process is engaging, which, in turn, should result in less skipping and more spending.

"Participation is indeed engaging, empowering, and entertaining for customers, but it remains unclear whether customer participation translates into objective outcomes that benefit companies," says Kim. This new study explores this question using secondary data from a national apparel box company that include approximately 30,000 customers' repeated participation, closed- and open-ended feedback, and box purchase behaviors from 2015 to 2018.

Overall, customer participation in terms of previewing the contents of an upcoming box lowers future box purchases. Had the partner box company limited upcoming box participation instead of encouraging it, they would have gained 14% in customer lifetime revenue. Further, had the company not encouraged customers to provide concrete and specific reasons for skipping a box, it would have gained 10% in customer lifetime revenue. However, had the company encouraged feedback when the subscription boxes were delivered, it could have boosted customer lifetime revenue by 5.7%. As Reutterer summarizes, "In other words, while providing feedback with the delivered box drives future purchases, participation before and after decreases box opt-in and spending."

Lessons for managers

The researchers offer these suggestions for companies curating subscription boxes:

Cautiously promote digital previewing for upcoming boxes by allowing customers to be surprised versus informed. For example, consider providing unique and exclusive items or early releases, enable previewing for some product categories but not others, or rotate these options to maintain the surprise.

Focus on the first box, not only from the perspective of products matching customers' preferences but also from a customer participation perspective. If customers choose to skip the second box, their chance of churning is high, so refrain from soliciting extensive feedback on why they skipped the box. Instead, increase their interest in earning a new surprise.

Analyze feedback concerning open-ended comments for sentiment, information, and linguistics, and capture word count, punctuation, and other metrics of text engagement.

Solicit emotional and concrete feedback for delivered boxes, especially for the first box. Ask customers about specific product attributes (concrete feedback) and how they feel about the products (emotional feedback), and ask them to elaborate. For example, ask questions like: "How did you feel about what you saw in the box?" (emotional) or "List the top three things that came to mind when you tried on this product" (concrete).

Avoid having customers elaborate on why they are skipping a box. Don't ask customers to explain why they are skipping a box. If anything, use close-ended questions rather than open-ended ones.

More information: Nita Umashankar et al, EXPRESS: Understanding Customer Participation Dynamics: The Case of the Subscription Box, Journal of Marketing (2022). DOI: 10.1177/00222429221148978 Journal information: Journal of Marketing
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

Charlie, Jari, and Kiwi are pet dogs with a superpower: Their sensitive noses can distinguish between a healthy deer and one sick with chronic wasting disease (CWD), all from a whiff of the deer's poop.

That's the finding of a study by scientists from Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine, published in the journal Prion. Using feces samples from CWD-positive deer and deer in which CWD was not detected, the researchers trained the dogs to identify the odor of CWD, alerting their handlers to its presence in the lab and in the field.

"We were already quite certain that the dogs could detect the volatile organic compounds released by chronic wasting disease in feces," says Amritha Mallikarjun, a postdoctoral researcher in Penn Vet's Working Dog Center and lead author on the study. "Not only did we show this was possible, but we also answered a second, more interesting question, which is, Can they detect the disease in a simulated field setting, as they would if we were using the dogs to find the disease in the landscape of a forest or on a deer farm?"

The dogs indeed could, with enough accuracy to suggest that detection dogs could be a useful strategy in the fight to manage CWD.

"We learned a lot through the study and are now set up well to continue refining our training," says Cynthia Otto, the senior author on the study and director of the Working Dog Center.

CWD is a disease that affects a variety of deer species, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk. Always fatal and highly contagious, the disease can hide away in an affected animal for a year or two before symptoms manifest: the deer losing weight"wasting"and developing neurological signs, like stumbling and drooling. No cure or treatment exists.

The disease has been in Pennsylvania since 2012, and the state has invested significantly in trying to contain it, with several tools in place for keeping tabs on its spread. One hurdle is figuring out which deer are affected. A healthy-looking but infected animal could shed prions, malformed and infectious proteins, for many months or even years before succumbing to the illness. What's more, prions are known to bind to soil, potentially contaminating the land on which other animals may roam.

The gold-standard diagnostic test can only be performed after death by assessing an affected animal's brain. Some alternative tests have been trialed that involve taking a biopsy from a potentially infected animal while it's still alive, but deer are known to be highly stressed by being captured, and collecting these samples can be physically and logistically difficult for the people involved as well.

The Working Dog Center, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the Wildlife Futures Program, a partnership between Penn Vet and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, were well positioned to try to contribute an additional technique for managing the disease: dogs and their highly sensitive noses. Ideally, dogs trained to discern CWD-positive from CWD-not-detected feces in a forest or deer farm could help state agencies and private landowners understand whether further testing or management would be needed to keep their land and herds free from the disease.

First, scientists had to prove the dogs could make this distinction reliably. The Working Dog Center began by enlisting three dogs from their citizen science programLabrador retrievers Charlie and Kiwi and Finnish spitz Jarito train on the Center's "scent wheel," a contraption equipped with eight ports, each containing a specific substance or scent.

The dogs proved adept at this task. Once they had been trained, using samples provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and processed by the Wildlife Futures Program, the dogs responded with great specificity, passing by the not-detected samples 90-95% of the time. Their sensitivity, however, was not as strong, alerting to just 40% of the positive samples. Overall, the researchers found that the dogs spent more time at the ports containing positive samples than those with not-detected samples, suggesting that they perceived a difference even if they didn't always produce the trained response, such as a bark or sitting down when they smelled the positive sample.

Moving toward a more naturalistic setting, the researchers then experimented with having the dogs and their handlers try to discern CWD-positive samples placed throughout a large, privately owned field. To avoid contaminating the soil or having the dogs come in contact with the samples, two-gram samples of feces were placed in jars with mesh lids to allow the odor to waft out and then partially buried in the ground in different areas.

The researchers observed that the dogs responded to the positive samples more often than the not-detect samples in the field trial. In total, they detected eight of 11 positive samples in the field, with a false negative rate of 13%. Both handlers and dogs seemed to improve as they went, their accuracy increasing after their first field search.

"Given the amount of time that we trained these dogs and the novel environment, not to mention the fact that these are pet dogs and not trained search dogs, our results are promising," says Mallikarjun. "As we move forward and work with dogs that are specifically trained to search in a field setting and devote their entire lives to detecting this odor, they are going to do an even better job."

That's a step the Wildlife Futures Program is already taking, with canine handlers training "professional" detection dogs how to canvas fields and forests, searching for CWD.

The researchers believe that, while dogs don't represent a silver bullet in the fight against CWD, they may prove useful as an early warning system, helping fill gaps in knowledge from other monitoring systems and management approaches.

"These dogs could increase the odds of catching an outbreak early," says Lisa Murphy, a study co-author and co-director of the Wildlife Futures Program.

The Penn Vet team is also collaborating with other groups not only to work with detection dogs but also to identify the odor dogs may be responding to in order to develop other systems for early detection. The lessons learned could be broadly useful.

"If we're able to tap into what we've learned with chronic wasting disease and apply it to other issues in agriculture and conservation, these dogs could be a major asset," Otto says.

More information: Amritha Mallikarjun et al, Canine detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in laboratory and field settings, Prion (2023). DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2023.2169519
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: MediaNews Group

Hidden in the redwoods above Watsonville, California, a shy and ghostly beauty once drew crowds but is now destined to live, and die, alone.

The small white doe is the sole survivor of a large and cherished herd of fallow deer created by famed publisher William Randolph Hearst, gifted to cattle baron Henry Miller, bought by Santa Clara County and then expanded by the addition of a smaller herd seized during a raid of an illegal farm in Morgan Hill.

Now she is a mere oddity. The exotic creature, living out her final years in comfort in a wooded pasture, represents the end of an era at Mount Madonna County Park that is now committed to protecting wildlife that is native and natural, not weird.

"The strategy is to keep her healthy and alive," said ranger Scott Christopher, who schedules the deer's veterinary appointments and feeds her daily with a flake of alfalfa and a half can of sweetened honey oats. Protected by a tall black chain link fence, "she seems cheerful and happy and prancing around, running."

Named Penelope, the 10-year-old deer was born cream-colored but is now white, giving her a haunting appearance among the park's dark forests. Fallow deer aren't albino; rather, they're "leucistic," with dark eyes and muzzle. Much smaller than California's native mule deer, fallow deer are an ancient species believed to be related to the extinct Irish elk. Like elk, their antlers aren't pointed but are huge and flat, in the shape of a hand.

Her last companion, dubbed Big Boy, died of old age last year. Separated by a fence so they wouldn't breed, they could only gaze at each other.

Fallow deer, native to the eastern Mediterranean, have been moved around by humans since the Roman Empire, populating every continent except Antarctica. In the 11th century, Normans introduced them to medieval Britain, where royalty kept them in large herds on enclosed estatesoften called deer parksfor viewing and hunting. They represented power and privilege.

The deer were brought to California by newspaper mogul Hearst, who in the 1920s dreamed of building the largest private zoo in America at his sprawling 83,000-acre ranch in San Simeon, joining a menagerie of zebras, antelope, musk ox and other imported wildlife.

The deer flourished, overpopulating Hearst's estate. A pair was shipped to the hills above Gilroy, the summer home of Henry Miller, an ambitious Gold Rush-era immigrant famed for expanding the West's cattle and sheep industry.

But after Miller's death in 1916, the ranch fell into disrepair. County supervisors arranged for the purchase of the first piece of the park from Miller's heirs in 1927. The deer, which had grown into a herd, were part of the package.

"We inherited the deer. We didn't have a choice," said Christopher. "But we figured out a way to make it successful."

The herd grew and grew, until as many as 70 animals roamed the pen. For years, they were a huge draw, awing visitors with their ivory fur and regal antlers. Visitors were allowed to feed them carrots and other treats.

"They were probably the main attraction for Mount Madonna. People would come from all over and bring their kids, especially at Christmas time, to go see 'the Santa deer.' You had to stand in line to get up to the fence to see them," recalled retired Santa Clara County game warden Henry Coletto, who worked at the park in 1964 and became a county conservation officer in 1967.

They were well cared for, "because they were a real attraction," said Coletto.

But in the 1970s, with attention fading and funding tight, "they weren't taken care of and didn't do very well," he said. Once, without enough food, they ate the bark of redwood trees "and just laid down and died," he recalled.

There were other challenges.

Inbreeding began to affect the herd's health, causing congenital heart problems, according to Dr. William Seales, the veterinarian responsible for their care.

"If you were to run them around too much, they would roll over and die," he said.

In the 1990s, someone climbed into the pen and shot several animals. To protect them, park authorities had to move the pen closer to the park office, where road access was locked at night.

The herd rebounded in size. But in 2005, a mountain lion killed over two dozen.

"The cat was smart enough to climb up a tree on the outside, jump into the pen and kill a couple of deer at night," said Coletto. "Then it jumped right out of the pen, the same way."

When a tree fell on the fence, damaging it, six or seven animals escaped. To be recaptured, said Seales, some of the animals had to be sedated with explosive darts filled with anesthesia.

Neither wild nor tame, the fallow deer couldn't simply be released to join the park's native mule deer. Conservation biologists are increasingly alarmed by the infiltration of introduced animals, plants and microbes, which create ecological imbalance and often crowd out native species. State law required that the deer stay in a pen.

"They're non-native, so there are strict rules and regulations," said Christopher. "They're a controlled species."

To reduce the herd size, males and females were separated to prevent breeding. The county also sold some deer to businesses that wanted a roadside attraction, such as Casa de Fruta in Hollister. But that became a paperwork chore. Over time, the weaker deer were just culled.

Penelope and several other does arrived about six or seven years ago, shipped by authorities from a San Martin property that lacked proper permits for the deer, considered a "restricted species" under California law.

California's other scattered herds are also now largely gone. Fallow deer at Point Reyes National Seashore, purchased from the San Francisco Zoo in the 1940s and released by a local landowner prior to the establishment of the park, have been eradicated.

But Mendocino County's Ridgewood Ranch is still home to some descendants of animals brought from the Hearst Ranch by Charles Howard, owner of the famed racehorse Seabiscuit, in 1949. The San Francisco Zoo said it could look into accepting the Mount Madonna deer, if offered.

In her pen, Penelope is healthy and well cared for, said Seales. She has no parasites and is disease-free.

She still gets visitors but is no longer a celebrity. She isn't advertised in park brochures or other promotional materials and lacks the impressive antlers of a buck. She's reclusive, hiding in the woods during the day.

These days, people are more often drawn to the vast park for its wildernesshiking, horseback riding, camping or exploring trails for a glimpse of banana slugs, California newts, gray foxes or other native wildlife.

Penelope wanders her pen alone, with only birds and squirrels for company.

Once gone, she won't be replaced, according to Christopher.

"We're not a zoo," he said.

MediaNews Group, Inc.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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:

Proportion of choices to remove posts and to suspend accounts. All numeric values represent percentages. (A) Choices to remove posts or do nothing by misinformation topic (all cases). (B) Choices to remove posts or do nothing, by topic and respondents party affiliation. (C) Choices to penalize account by misinformation topic (all cases). (D) Choices to penalize account by topic and respondents party affiliation. N=40,845 cases evaluated in total. (Cases evaluated by Democrats, including Democrat-leaning, n=19,338; by independents n=8,229; by Republicans, including Republican-leaning, n= 13,278). Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210666120

Online content moderation is a moral minefield, especially when freedom of expression clashes with preventing harm caused by misinformation. A study by a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, University of Exeter, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and University of Bristol examined how the public would deal with such moral dilemmas.

They found that the majority of respondents would take action to control the spread of misinformation, in particular if it was harmful and shared repeatedly. The results of the study can be used to inform consistent and transparent rules for content moderation that the general public accepts as legitimate.

The issue of content moderation on social media platforms came into sharp focus in 2021, when major platforms such as Facebook and Twitter suspended the accounts of then U.S. President Donald Trump. Debates continued as platforms confronted dangerous misinformation about the COVID-19 and the vaccines, and after Elon Musk singlehandedly overturned Twitter's COVID-19 misinformation policy and reinstated previously suspended accounts.

"So far, social media platforms have been the ones making key decisions on moderating misinformation, which effectively puts them in the position of arbiters of free speech. Moreover, discussions about online content moderation often run hot, but are largely uninformed by empirical evidence," says lead author of the study Anastasia Kozyreva, Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

"To deal adequately with conflicts between free speech and harmful misinformation, we need to know how people handle various forms of moral dilemmas when making decisions about content moderation," adds Ralph Hertwig, Director at the Center for Adaptive Rationality of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

In the conjoint survey experiment, more than 2,500 U.S. respondents indicated whether they would remove social media posts spreading misinformation about democratic elections, vaccinations, the Holocaust, and climate change. They were also asked whether they would take punitive action against the accounts by issuing a warning or a temporary or indefinite suspension. Respondents were shown information about hypothetical accounts, including political leaning and number of followers, as well as the accounts' posts and the consequences of the misinformation they contained.

The majority of respondents chose to take some action to prevent the spread of harmful misinformation. On average, 66% of respondents said they would delete the offending posts, and 78% would take some action against the account (of which 33% opted to "issue a warning" and 45% chose to indefinitely or temporarily suspend accounts spreading misinformation). Not all misinformation was penalized equally: Climate change denial was acted on the least (58%), whereas Holocaust denial (71%) and election denial (69%) were acted on most often, closely followed by anti-vaccination content (66%).

"Our results show that so-called free-speech absolutists such as Elon Musk are out of touch with public opinion. People by and large recognize that there should be limits to free speech, namely, when it can cause harm, and that content removal or even de-platforming can be appropriate in extreme circumstances, such as Holocaust denial," says co-author Stephan Lewandowsky, chair in cognitive psychology at the University of Bristol.

The study also sheds light on the factors that affect people's decisions regarding content moderation online. The topic, the severity of the consequences of the misinformation, and whether it was a repeat offense had the strongest impact on decisions to remove posts and suspend accounts. Characteristics of the account itselfthe person behind the account, their partisanship, and number of followershad little to no effect on respondents' decisions.

Respondents were not more inclined to remove posts from an account with an opposing political stance, nor were they more likely to suspend accounts that did not match their political preferences. However, Republicans and Democrats tended to take different approaches to resolving the dilemma between protecting free speech and removing potentially harmful misinformation. Democrats preferred to prevent dangerous misinformation across all four scenarios, whereas Republicans preferred to protect free speech, imposing fewer restrictions.

"We hope our research can inform the design of transparent rules for content moderation of harmful misinformation. People's preferences are not the only benchmark for making important trade-offs on content moderation, but ignoring the fact that there is support for taking action against misinformation and the accounts that publish it risks undermining the public's trust in content moderation policies and regulations," says co-author Professor Jason Reifler from the University of Exeter.

"Effective and meaningful platform regulation requires not only clear and transparent rules for content moderation, but general acceptance of the rules as legitimate constraints on the fundamental right to free expression. This important research goes a long way to informing policy makers about what is and, more importantly, what is not acceptable user-generated content," adds co-author Professor Mark Leiser from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

More information: Anastasia Kozyreva et al, Resolving content moderation dilemmas between free speech and harmful misinformation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210666120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of 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:

A male giraffe begins the lip-curling flehmen behavior as the female begins to urinate. (Lynette Hart, UC Davis). Credit: Lynette Hart, UC Davis

It can be hard to know if someone is really into you. Sometimes, you get hintsa certain look or smile, a nervous blush or flirtation. Giraffes get none of that.

They have no set breeding season. They don't go into heat, like dogs or cats. They don't make mating calls or provide visual cues of sexual readiness. So how is a male giraffe to know his advances will be well-received? In short: pee, pheromones and a gentle nudge.

A study from the University of California, Davis, provides new insight into the unique sex life of giraffes, their reproductive behavior, and how their anatomy supports that behavior.

Animal attraction

The study, published in the journal Animals, describes how male giraffes test females for sexual receptivity.

First, the bulls provoke the females to urinate by nudging them and sniffing their genitalia. If the female is open to his invitation, she widens her stance and pees for about 5 seconds while the male takes the urine in his mouth. He then curls his lip, inhaling with an open mouthan act called flehmen that transports the female's scent and pheromones from his oral cavity to the vomeronasal organ.

The study provides the most precise understanding yet of how flehmen occurs with giraffes' anatomy. While flehmen is common among many animals, including horses and cats, most mammals wait until urine is on the ground to investigate. The giraffe, however, is not built for such explorations.

"They don't risk going all the way to the ground because of the extreme development of their head and neck," said lead author Lynette Hart, a UC Davis professor of population health and reproduction in the School of Veterinary Medicine. "So they have to nudge the female, effectively saying, 'Please urinate now.' And often she will. He has to elicit her cooperation. If not, he'll know there's no future for him with her."

A male giraffe mates with a female giraffe at Namibia's Etosha National Park. Credit: Lynette Hart, UC Davis

Straight from the Harts

Hart and her co-author and husband Benjamin Hart, professor emeritus with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, witnessed this behavior on multiple research trips to Namibia's Etosha National Park.

Dotted among the park's western side were large watering holes, where dozens of giraffes would congregate. Lynette called it "a dream come true" for observing giraffes. "So often you see a few in the distance, not an up-close view of what they're doing," she said.

Benjamin had studied how flehmen behavior worked within the anatomy of other animals, including goats. During their trips to East Africa, the Harts suspected a similar process was underway for giraffes.

"This is part of their reproductive behavior," Benjamin Hart said. "This adds to our understanding of what giraffes are doing as they accumulate around a water hole. People love watching giraffes. I think the more the public understands about them, the more interested they'll be in their conservation."

A group of giraffes congregate at a watering hole in Namibia's Etosha National Park. Credit: Lynette Hart, UC Davis

Calling bull, chewing bones and possibly grieving

The Harts also describe in the study previously undocumented giraffe behaviors, from chewing bones to potentially mourning their dead:

Earlier studies noted that osteophagia, or chewing bones, was unusual for giraffes. But the Harts observed many instances of giraffes seeking and chewing bones, and sometimes getting them lodged in their mouths.

After a giraffe had been killed by two lions, the Harts also witnessed for several days a steady procession of giraffes arriving to investigate the body.

The Harts experienced another significant observation when they heard a bull emit a loud growl on different occasions. It was most likely a warning call, as it drove away most surrounding giraffes. Giraffes are typically very quiet and were once even thought to be mute.

More information: Lynette A. Hart et al, Flehmen, Osteophagia, and Other Behaviors of Giraffes (Giraffa giraffa angolensis): Vomeronasal Organ Adaptation, Animals (2023). DOI: 10.3390/ani13030354
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:

Killer whales. Credit: Center for Whale Research (Photo taken by Kenneth Balcomb) Permit number, NMFS 21238.

It's not unusual for parents and especially mothers to sacrifice their own future success for the sake of their offspring. Now a new study in Current Biology on February 8 shows that killer whale mothers take this to a surprising extreme. They sacrifice their own reproductive success to care for their sons, even after those sons are full-fledged adults.

"We've known for over a decade that adult male killer whales relied on their mothers to keep them alive, but it had never been clear whether mothers pay a cost to do so," said Michael N. Weiss of the University of Exeter, U.K., and the Center for Whale Research in the U.S.

Now it is. Weiss and his colleagues studied a group of killer whales known as the "southern resident" population in the coastal waters of Washington state and British Columbia, which has been monitored since 1976 by the Center for Whale Research. They wanted to learn whether the care adult whales, and especially males, receive from their mothers came at a measurable cost. The availability of detailed demographic data allowed them to look directly at how caring for sons and daughters impacted females' chances of further reproduction.

"The southern resident killer whale community presents an incredible opportunity to investigate these kinds of questions," Weiss said. "Along with their bizarre social system, where both males and females stay with their mom for life, they are also one of the best studied wild populations of mammal anywhere in the world."

Their analysis of the existing data found a strong negative correlation between females' number of surviving weaned sons and their annual probability of producing a viable calf. Those costs didn't get any smaller as their sons grew older, either.

The costs couldn't be explained by lactation or group composition effects, which they say supports the hypothesis that caring for sons into adulthood is reproductively costly. They say that the findings offer the first direct evidence for lifetime maternal investment in any animal, revealing a previously unrecognized life history strategy.

"The magnitude of the cost that females take on to care for their weaned sons was really surprising," Weiss said. "While there's some uncertainty, our best estimate is that each additional surviving son cuts a female's chances of having a new calf in a given year by more than 50%. This is a huge cost to taking care of [adult] sons!"

The findings suggest that there are significant benefits to keeping adult sons alive and well, he added.

"Females gain evolutionary benefits when their sons are able to successfully reproduce, and our results indicate that these benefits are enough to outweigh a large direct cost," Weiss explained.

The findings also may have important conservation implications, the researchers say. The southern residents are critically endangered, with one major concern being their low reproductive rates. The new findings reveal a major and previously unrecognized determining factor in a female's reproductive success, which may help to inform future population viability analyses.

"One big take-away is further evidence for how special (and maybe unique) the mother-son bond in killer whales is," Weiss said. "Maybe more importantly, our study adds to the growing body of work showing the importance of animals' social systems in determining demographic patterns. This is of central importance both for an understanding of our world, and to effectively conserve endangered species."

In future work, they hope to learn more about the nature of the costs to mother whales. They suspect mothers may not eat enough themselves as they continue sharing food with their full-grown sons. He noted that the southern resident killer whales are "very food-stressed." As such, a primary conservation goal for the whales is to recover the population of Chinook salmon they rely on.
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 position, multi-wavelength images, and spectra of the molecular bubble. The upper right panels are the images of 12CO, 13CO, C 18 O, and 250 m continum. The lower right panels show the average spectra of the molecular bubble (dotted line) and the outflow (solid line). Credit: Duan Yan

The process of star formation interacts with the surrounding environment and produces observable dynamical phenomena, such as outflows and bubbles, collectively known as stellar feedbacks. As one of the primary sources of energy injection into the natal cloud, such feedbacks are critical for the evolution of interstellar medium.

An international team led by Dr. Li Di from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) conducted carbon-monoxide emission observations in the Taurus molecular clouds using the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range (IRAM) 30-m telescope and James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). They identified a new molecular bubble in the carbon monoxide signal from both telescopes.

The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal on Feb. 7.

"Through combined analysis with the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) survey of the Taurus molecular cloud, we found an outflow located at the center of the molecular bubble," said Duan Yan, a Ph.D. candidate from NAOC and the first author of the study.

Based on Gaia EDR3 data, the researchers suggested that a pair of T Tauri binary stars might have produced the molecular bubble 70,000 years ago. Only one similar case of a molecular bubble coexisting with an outflow (in Orion A) has been reported before.

This discovery supports the common origin of molecular bubbles and outflows. It enhances our understanding of how stellar feedback acts on molecular clouds. The detection of the bubbleoutflow structure provides new observational evidence for the feedbacks of T Tauri stars to the interstellar medium.

Dr. Paul F. Goldsmith from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Dr. Laurent Pagani from Observatoire de Paris contributed to the estimation of physical parameters and the driving-source analysis of the molecular bubble-outflow structure.

More information: Yan Duan et al, Discovery of a New Molecular BubbleOutflow Structure in the Taurus B18 Cloud, The Astrophysical Journal (2023). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aca805 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal
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:

NASA's Curiosity used its Mastcam to capture this 360-degree panorama of Marker Band Valley on Dec. 16, 2022. Rippled rock textures found in this area are the clearest evidence the rover has seen of water and waves from Mars' ancient past. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Among other discoveries made by the Curiosity rover, rippled rock textures suggest lakes existed in a region of ancient Mars that scientists expected to be drier.

When NASA's Curiosity rover arrived at the "sulfate-bearing unit" last fall, scientists thought they'd seen the last evidence that lakes once covered this region of Mars. That's because the rock layers here formed in drier settings than regions explored earlier in the mission. The area's sulfatessalty mineralsare thought to have been left behind when water was drying to a trickle.

So Curiosity's team was surprised to discover the mission's clearest evidence yet of ancient water ripples that formed within lakes. Billions of years ago, waves on the surface of a shallow lake stirred up sediment at the lake bottom, over time creating rippled textures left in rock. NASAs Curiosity rover recently found surprising clues to Mars watery past, including while exploring a region called the Marker Band. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

"This is the best evidence of water and waves that we've seen in the entire mission," said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity's project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "We climbed through thousands of feet of lake deposits and never saw evidence like thisand now we found it in a place we expected to be dry."

Layers of history

Since 2014, the rover has been ascending the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain that was once laced with lakes and streams that would have provided a rich environment for microbial life, if any ever formed on the Red Planet.

Mount Sharp is made up of layers, with the oldest at the bottom of the mountain and the youngest at the top. As the rover ascends, it progresses along a Martian timeline, allowing scientists to study how Mars evolved from a planet that was more Earth-like in its ancient past, with a warmer climate and plentiful water, to the freezing desert it is today.

Billions of years ago, waves on the surface of a shallow lake stirred up sediment at the lake bottom. Over time, the sediment formed into rocks with rippled textures that are the clearest evidence of waves and water that NASAs Curiosity Mars rover has ever found. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Having climbed nearly a half-mile above the mountain's base, Curiosity has found these rippled rock textures preserved in what's nicknamed the "Marker Band"a thin layer of dark rock that stands out from the rest of Mount Sharp. This rock layer is so hard that Curiosity hasn't been able to drill a sample from it despite several attempts. It's not the first time Mars has been unwilling to share a sample; lower down the mountain, on "Vera Rubin Ridge," Curiosity had to try three times before finding a spot soft enough to drill.

Scientists will be looking for softer rock in the week ahead. But even if they never get a sample from this unusual strip of rock, there are other sites they're eager to explore.

Martian clues

Far ahead of the Marker Band, scientists can see another clue to the history of Mars's ancient water in a valley named Gediz Vallis. Wind carved the valley, but a channel running through it that starts higher up on Mount Sharp is thought to have been eroded by a small river. Scientists suspect wet landslides also occurred here, sending car-size boulders and debris to the bottom of the valley.

Because the resulting debris pile sits on top of all the other layers in the valley, it's clearly one of the youngest features on Mount Sharp. Curiosity got a glimpse of this debris at Gediz Vallis Ridge twice last year but could only survey it from a distance. The rover team hopes to have another chance to view it later this year.

At the bottom of this valley, called Gediz Vallis, is a mound of boulders and debris that are believed to have been swept there by wet landslides billions of years ago. The rover team hopes to get a closer look at this evidence for flowing water. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity used its ChemCam instrument to view Gediz Vallis Ridge, spotting boulders that are thought to have been washed down in an ancient debris flow. One reason scientists are interested in this ridge is because it includes boulders like these, which originated much higher up on Mount Sharp, where Curiosity wont be able to reach. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS/IRAP/IAS/LPG

One more clue within the Marker Band that has fascinated the team is an unusual rock texture likely caused by some sort of regular cycle in the weather or climate, such as dust storms. Not far from the rippled textures are rocks made of layers that are regular in their spacing and thickness. This kind of rhythmic pattern in rock layers on Earth often stems from atmospheric events happening at periodic intervals. It's possible the rhythmic patterns in these Martian rocks resulted from similar events, hinting at changes in the Red Planet's ancient climate.

"The wave ripples, debris flows, and rhythmic layers all tell us that the story of wet-to-dry on Mars wasn't simple," Vasavada said. "Mars's ancient climate had a wonderful complexity to it, much like Earth's."
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

Canada's carbon-capturing natural areas can play a smallbut effectivepart in the country's overall strategy to lower greenhouse gas emissions, according to a national report including two University of Alberta experts.

The recent report from the Council of Canadian Academies assessed the potential of fully protecting, restoring or expanding Canada's forests, wetlands, grasslands and croplands. It found that not only would such nature-based climate solutions (NBCSs) result in a modest drop in annual greenhouse gas emissions, but could also have other environmental benefits.

The findings suggest there is a place for NBCSs in Canada's overall strategy to mitigate climate change, says Vic Adamowicz, an environmental economist in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences who served on the panel along with colleague David Olefeldt.

"We have to also use other approaches to try to achieve greenhouse gas reduction, but nature-based climate solutions can play an important role."

The report, sponsored by Environment and Climate Change Canada, stemmed from the federal government's request to more fully explore the potential for enhancing carbon storage and reducing emissions through NBCSs.

The findings can help inform the federal government's commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to at least 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, and reaching a net-zero Canadian economy by 2050.

The various benefits, limitations and costs for NBCSs in forests, freshwater systems, agricultural land, grasslands and coastal zones were analyzed by the panel, which consisted of 15 Canadian and international experts from a range of areas including climatology, ecology, agronomy, economics and Indigenous knowledge.

The report's wide scope provides "a synthesis for the country of what the options are, the uncertainties, the challenges of trying to implement some of these nature-based climate solutions," Adamowicz notes.

Among the key conclusions was that some NBCSs come with additional benefits, including better flood control, better air and water quality, higher biodiversity and property values, and lower soil erosion and urban heat island effects.

That finding shows the importance of considering the value of NBCSs beyond their costs and the ability to capture carbon, suggests Olefeldt, a wetlands scientist.

"When looking at conservation and restoration, the policy frameworks should not be just focused on the climate benefits; the consideration needs to be more holistic."

Complex challenges

There are some limitations to NBCSs, the report noted.

Fully implementing NBCSs would mitigate about six percent of Canada's current annual greenhouse gas emissions, but would also involve a variety of complex factors that need to be weighed carefully.

The report laid out cost options for various scenarios, showing that the highest mitigation potential over the next 30 years lies in preserving peatlands and grasslands and managing croplands to sequester more carbon.

But along with that, factors such as costs, policies, technical impediments and other challenges made some NBCSs more feasible than others, including income loss to resource and agricultural industries when land is set aside for preservation.

"The potential exists for nature-based climate solutions, but there are both scientific questions and feasibility of implementation," Olefeldt notes.

And while Canada's natural areas store carbon, under adverse conditions like warming temperatures or land development, they could also release greenhouse gas, adding to climate change and weakening the effectiveness of NBCSs, noted the report.

Finding feasible solutions

The panel's findings can now help the federal government weigh and identify the most promising solutions for feasible widespread use in Canada, Adamowicz says.

"They can start thinking about these challenges around implementation and evaluation, and where and how to invest in these solutions that natural systems offer."

The report also noted that integrated approaches involving the public, Indigenous communities and all levels of government would be essential to successfully leveraging natural systems.

"We're going to need some government programs, policy design, conversations with landowners and work with Indigenous communities to find our way through to programs that will deliver the carbon benefits and keep everyone comfortable with how the programs are working," Adamowicz notes.

Work on carbon sequestration using natural systems has already been happening, he adds, through various government incentive programs and the research of scientists like the U of A's Edward Bork and Cameron Carlyle.

Next steps would be to strengthen the science around measuring NBCSs, Olefeldt suggests.

"If we are to successfully implement solutions, we need to conduct more research and do more monitoring of conserved and restored sites, to verify that what we are claiming about carbon accumulation is actually happening. Right now, we don't have the data at a fine enough scale."

Policy design and evaluation will help determine "whether we are getting the carbon benefits of what we are investing in," adds Adamowicz.

"Because these are natural systems, there's much we don't yet know about them."

The report can help draw attention to the importance of Canada's natural areas as a tool in the fight against climate change, Olefeldt believes.

"This might help us take the next steps in creating new policies that are even better at helping restore and conserve wetlands and other ecosystems. Policy and public perception go hand in hand, and one allows the other."

Building up nature-based climate solutions is doable, Adamowicz adds.

"We have to do a lot of things to get to net zero, and using natural systems is one of the options; it can play a role and generate some co-benefits, so let's look at it and start choosing the ones that would work well."

More information: Nature-Based Climate Solutions: The Expert Panel on Canada's Carbon Sink Potential: cca-reports.ca/reports/canadas  rbon-sink-potential/
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:

Ocean-centered principles to guide Ocean governance transformation. Interconnected relationships between Ocean-centered governance principles of justice, data sovereignty, rights, protection, and relationality rippling out from the key understanding that the Ocean is living. Transformation in Ocean governance requires action across all 5 principles. Credit: PLOS Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001828

The ocean is the largest of Earth's systems that stabilizes climate and supports life and human well-being. Despite its vital role in our ecosystem, the ocean has been gravely degraded and historically underrepresented within international climate change agreements. However, the tide is changing.

The United Nations has declared a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development from 2021 to 2030 outlining 10 challenges to be tackled over 10 years with the goal of advancing efforts to reverse the ocean's decline and improve conditions. The declaration has added to a growing movement calling for the development of a new ocean ethosone that allows for greater representation and recognition of the ocean's vital role.

Dr. Kelsey Leonard, Canada Research Chair and professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, is part of an emerging field that identifies recognizing the Rights of Nature as a crucial pathway for achieving these goals.

The ocean is its own legal entity with rights

The Rights of Nature is one branch of Earth law that promotes greater respect for all living things on our planet by recognizing that nonhumans have inherent rights and value, merely by existing. In this framing, the ocean is its own legal entity. To illustrate, the Chicama wave was granted legal protections under Peruvian national law in 2016. This law now prohibits changes to the coastline and seabed that would alter the integrity of the wave, which is the longest left-breaking wave in the world.

Recognizing the ocean's rights is an important distinction that moves away from assuming "nature is a subject" or "service provider" that is commonly embedded in our current global attitudes which are rooted in colonialism and place humanity above nature. Adopting an ocean-centered governance approach that prioritizes the ecological needs and interests of the ocean will shift this longstanding anthropocentric lens to put the ocean first.

To guide this approach, Leonard and her research colleagues, Michelle Bender and Rachel Bustamante, put forward five principles to guide the transformation:

Ocean rights (including the right to life and restoration)

Ocean relationality (creating a balanced and reciprocal relationship between humans and the ocean)

Ocean data sovereignty (producing an accessible technological infrastructure for observing ocean trends)

Ocean protection (accepting collective responsibility to protect and preserve the ocean)

Ocean justice (ensuring the democratization and equitable access to ocean spaces and resources).

Informed by Indigenous peoples' perspectives and worldviews

Overall, the approach and its paradigm shift are informed by Indigenous Peoples' perspectives and worldviews. For Leonard, this is closely tied with the work happening in the Shinnecock Nation.

"As a Shinnecock scientist my research is committed to ocean protection and re-writing the legacy of ocean grabbing and colonialism towards an ocean-centered ethic of hope," says Leonard. "These efforts were further championed by the designation of Shinnecock Bay by Mission Blue as an Annoosu Chohkag (Hope Spot)."

Hope Spots are special places that are scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean and championed by local conservationists. Shinnecock Bay is named for the Shinnecock Nation, who have stewarded those waters for millennia despite colonization and genocide. Shinnecock means "people of the stony shore," and it speaks to the wealth of Indigenous knowledge of this unique waterscape filled with shore protectors.

"Shinnecock Bay is part of our ancestral territory that we still care for today, and we are part of itwoven together across time and generations. We have not only witnessed each other's trauma (colonization, pollution, climate change) but also our shared moments of hope."

Although the ocean-centered governance approach is deeply connected to Indigenous Peoples' perspectives and worldviews, Leonard and her colleagues note that many Indigenous Peoples do not express their relationships with other humans and the natural world in terms of rights. Therefore, care is needed in considering appropriate ways to engage with law due to the role that western law has played in the colonization and subjugation of Indigenous Peoples, lands and waters.

Shifting our relationship and recognizing the ocean as a living being is increasingly important for repairing the devastation that humanity has created. Adopting an ocean-centered governance approach and its principles will allow governments, businesses and citizens to realize solutions to the challenges the United Nations identified, like tackling marine pollution, increasing resilience to ocean hazards and developing an equitable ocean economy.

The work is published in the journal PLOS Biology.

More information: Michelle Bender et al, Living in relationship with the Ocean to transform governance in the UN Ocean Decade, PLOS Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001828 Journal information: PLoS Biology
China already locomotive of world economy: Croatian expert

Xinhua) 08:08, February 08, 2023

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 17, 2023 shows a morning view of Jingtang Port Area at Tangshan Port in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo by Liu Mancang/Xinhua)

According to IMF's latest projection, China's economy is set to rebound this year, as mobility and activity pick up after the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This in turn will provide a boost to the global economy.

ZAGREB, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China is set to become the leader of the world's economy, a Croatian expert said in an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday.

Ljubo Jurcic, former Croatian Minister of Economy and now professor at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb, said that due to strong economic growth and its huge size, China is already the "locomotive" of the global economy.

In the past 20-30 years, the U.S. economy has slowed down while the Chinese economy has been rapidly expanding, Jurcic said. China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew to about 18,000 billion U.S. dollars last year, meaning it is currently the second largest economy in the world.

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 17, 2023 shows export vehicles waiting for shipment at Yantai Port, east China's Shandong Province. (Photo by Tang Ke/Xinhua)

According to the latest projection by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China's economy is set to rebound this year, as mobility and activity pick up after the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This in turn will provide a boost to the global economy.

The IMF report said that the Chinese economy will expand 5.2 percent this year, against 3 percent last year, thereby contributing a quarter of global growth.

Jurcic agreed with these predictions, noting that although the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the Chinese economy somewhat, it is expected to resume strong growth after the refinement of pandemic measures by the government.

An Indian businessman (R) shops at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

In the last 20-30 years, China has transformed its economic structure, and the Chinese economy has become more resilient, Jurcic said. It also has a huge population and market.

However, the United States-led Western world regards China's rise as a challenge, Jurcic stressed, because the current world order is still based on its reorganization in 1945 after the second World War.

Nevertheless, China will inevitably replace the United States as the global economic leader, Jurcic said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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:

On-chip scheme for deterministic N-photon state generation in LNOI circuit. Credit: Liu, Shang, et al., doi 10.1117/1.APN.2.1.016003

Can quantum optics be used for practical applications? A lot depends on whether a large number of photons can be gathered in quantum state.

Among all quantum systems, photons are known for their weak interaction, which allows long coherence time to be achieved even at room temperature, making them suitable for transmitting quantum bits (also known as "qubits") between distant locations. However, the weak interaction of photons restricts the generation of quantum states known as multiphotonic qubit states, or "N-photon states." Generating N-photon states remains a fundamental challenge in the field of quantum optics.

As reported in Advanced Photonics Nexus, researchers from Nanjing University have proposed the first scheme that, in principle, can practically generate an N-photon state deterministicallyso that photon number doubling happens with 100 percent efficiencywith unlimited numbers of photons. The scheme is experimentally feasible, taking account of practical material capability by using a lithium-niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) platform, which provides an ultrastrong (2) nonlinear interaction.

In the reported scheme, the key component is the photon-number doubling unit (PDU), which can double photon numbers while keeping the spectrum unchanged. In the PDU, the most challenging part is the deterministic conversion from single-photon to bi-photon. It has been proposed and theoretically studied before, but only with an ideal (2) or (3) material assumption. Based on practical material parameters, the researchers proposed the first experimentally feasible scheme for the PDU process. Author Minghao Shang provides a brief video explaining the research. Credit: Liu, Shang, et al., doi 10.1117/1.APN.2.1.016003.

The team shows that the PDU is universal for generation of N-qubit states for different quantum technology applications, proposing as examples on-chip designs for N-photon Fock state, cluster state, and GHZ state.

Their scheme involves deterministic parametric down-conversion (DPDC) in a high-Q LNOI microring resonator. Combining the ultrahigh nonlinearity of the LNOI platform and the cavity-enhancement effect of the resonator, DPDC can be achieved with 107 Q-factor microring, which is within the current limits of fabrication and experimentation.

Besides the DPDC, for scalability, a deterministic parametric upconversion (DPUC) is necessary in the PDU for converting the photon frequency back to pump frequency. They show that this can be achieved with milliwatt-level on-chip power in LNOI circuitry.

(a) Scheme for deterministic N-photon state generation. (b) The PDU layout on chip. (c) On-chip design for N-photon Fock state. (d) DPDC process in the microring resonator. Credit: Liu, Shang, et al., doi 10.1117/1.APN.2.1.016003.

As the first experimentally feasible scheme for deterministic N-photon state generation taking account of practical material parameters, the work provides significant guidance for actual realization of large-photon-number states in the future. According to Senior author Zhenda Xie, professor at Nanjing University's School of Electronic Science and Engineering, "Large-number photon state is regarded as one of the ultimate goals for physicists in quantum optics and quantum information. This work proposes the first feasible scheme to actually achieve the goal."

Xie adds, "Such deterministic single photon interaction based on LNOI may be used not only for photon generation, but also for photon manipulation to realize quantum gates, quantum storage, and so on, to push forward the development of quantum computation, quantum communication, and overall quantum information technology."

The team anticipates that their optical approach to quantum information will arouse interest and encourage fellow researchers to actually demonstrate it.

More information: Hua-Ying Liu et al, Deterministic N-photon state generation using lithium niobate on insulator device, Advanced Photonics Nexus (2022). DOI: 10.1117/1.APN.2.1.016003

Provided by SPIE
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 eyes of a greater bushbaby shine in the light of a camera at night in South Africa. Credit: Birthe Linden

Many of the hallmarks of human civilizationfrom roads and power lines to pet dogsare taking a larger-than-expected toll on non-human primates living in Africa, according to two recent studies.

The findings result from a collaboration between the University of Colorado Boulder and three South Africa-based institutions: the University of Venda, Lajuma Research Center and the conservation organization the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). They take an almost forensic look at what is killing wild animals in South Africa. The country is home to five species of non-human primates, including greater (Otolemur crassicaudatus) and southern lesser (Galago moholis) bushbabies. These primates spend most of their lives in trees, and some are so small they can fit in the palm of your hand.

In one study, scientists led by Birthe Linden at Lajuma analyzed hundreds of cases in which non-human primates had been killed on roads or around power lines across the country.

In a companion paper, the researchers explored the growing risks that domestic dogs pose to the animals.

The research shows that the threats facing the world's monkeys, apes and other non-human primates aren't always easy to see, particularly for lesser-studied animals like bushbabies.

"Bushbabies, especially, are an example of species that may be having problems, but we don't know what they are until we go looking," said Michelle Sauther, co-author of the two studies and professor of anthropology at CU Boulder.

For her, the results border on personal.

In the process of studying bushbabies in South Africa for more than a decade, Sauther and her colleagues got to know one male, in particulara greater bushbaby with one eye who the team nicknamed Bruiser because he reminded them of an old prize fighter.

Then in 2019 Bruiser, who had bad and missing teeth, tried to move on the ground to reach a fig tree with easy-to-grab fruit. A pet dog found and killed him.

A samango monkey crosses a simple canopy bridge in South Africa. Credit: Birthe Linden

"These are small stories," Sauther said. "They're not the big stories of conservation, but they really do matter, especially as we have no good data on bushbaby mortality and thus cannot easily judge their conservation status."

They're also small stories that likely touch almost all non-human primate species, not just in South Africa but across the continent.

"We found that all South African non-human primates are in one way or the other impacted by human linear infrastructure, such as power lines or roads," Linden said.

Roadkill on the rise

Linden, a primatologist from South Africa, first became interested in the hidden dangers facing primates on her almost daily drives to the University of Venda in South Africa's Soutpansberg Mountains.

She kept seeing samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis) run over on the side of the road. These monkeys are listed in the "Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho" as "vulnerable," one step up from "endangered."

"It's one stretch where the road is quite close to indigenous forest, which is where samango monkeys typically live," Linden said.

She wondered if a lot more non-human primates could be dying as roadkill than researchers suspected. South Africa is home to more than 675,000 miles (1,090,000 kilometers) of roads and power linesand the number keeps climbing.

To explore this pervasive threat, Linden and her colleagues drew from a wide range of data sources. They include Road Watch, a citizen science app released by the EWT that allows anyone in South Africa to upload reports of roadkill. In all, the team gathered 483 examples of primates killed on roads or around power lines, some dating back to the late 1990s. Species included the two bushbabies, samango monkeys, chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) and vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus).

Greater bushbaby seen crossing a canopy bridge in South Africa at night. Credit: Birthe Linden

Next up, Frank Cuozzo of the Lajuma Research Center and a research fellow at the University of Pretoria's Mammal Research Institute led the group in exploring a different kind of peril: domestic dogs. The researchers tracked down 13 reports of greater bushbabies like Bruiser killed by dogs in South Africa since 2014. In one case, humans intentionally released dogs to hunt down a bushbaby that had gotten too close to town.

"These reports are clearly a sliver of what's actually happening," said Cuozzo who earned his doctorate in biological anthropology from CU Boulder in 2000. "It's happening in the towns and suburban areas, in the rural areas, the reserve areas, and it's happening far more than anyone would think."

Why did the monkey cross the road?

The researchers aren't sure how big of a dent roads, power lines and domestic dogs are making in non-human primate numbers in South Africa or surrounding nations. But they argue that these deaths are important to followespecially for animals already struggling to survive amid climate change and habitat loss.

Wendy Collinson-Jonker, co-author of the infrastructure study and a researcher at the EWT, noted that these problems are widespread, but the fixes may be surprisingly simple.

Studies have shown, for example, that monkeys and other forest critters can hop across roads safely on "canopy bridges," such as a rope bridge hanging between trees.

Humans can also keep dogs away from primates by being careful to not leave food out, especially at night.

"We know the solutions," Collinson-Jonker said. "It's a case of now getting them implemented."

As for Bruiser the bushbaby, Sauther noted that his story ended with a small bit of consolation. The team was able to recover his body and collected X-rays that helped reveal a deeper picture of his more than a decade of lifedown to the arthritis building up between his joints that likely led him to climb down to the ground.

"We were able to document his whole life story," Sauther said. "We knew him right to the end."
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

Employees who have previously been the subject of rude behavior run a greater risk of being bullied at work. These are the findings of a year-long series of surveys carried out by a researcher at Malmo University. The findings are published in the journal BMC Psychology.

"The results show how important it is to act immediately when you see disrespectful behavior in the workplace," says senior lecturer Kristoffer Holm.

Three surveys were conducted by Holm in collaboration with a Swedish trade union for engineers.

On three occasions over the course of a year, questionnaires with the same questions were sent to 5,000 randomly selected workers from the trade unions. The questions addressed the degree to which one experienced incivility or was being bullied at work. A final part dealt with how these actions affected well-being. A total of 1,005 people answered one or more of the questionnaires.

"We specifically looked at those who we could see answered at least two of the questionnaires, and in this way we could follow the development over these twelve months," says Holm.

Rude behavior can be disparaging or sarcastic comments, not being invited to different events or being treated disrespectfully in different ways. Bullying is something that is repeated systematically where the victim feels that they are at a disadvantage; repeated negative actions that the person has difficulty defending against. But it is not just bullying that has consequenceseven incivility can lead to poorer well-being, according to Holm.

The results show that there is an increased risk of workplace bullying over time for people who previously experienced being treated rudely. To some extent, the study also provides evidence that there is an increased risk of witnessing bullying if one has previously witnessed rudeness.

Of the participants in the study, approximately 73% report that they have been treated rudely in the past month, approximately 10% said that they have been bullied.

"The major contribution of our study is that we can see that there is a clear connection between rudeness and bullying over time. The risk was clearly elevated over the entire time span in the study. If you don't act in time, work-related conflicts can develop into bullying in the worst case," says Holm.

"Early interventions are necessary. Rude behaviors can easily be normalized and spread in a workplace until someone is put at a disadvantage."

More information: Kristoffer Holm et al, Workplace incivility as a risk factor for workplace bullying and psychological well-being: a longitudinal study of targets and bystanders in a sample of swedish engineers, BMC Psychology (2022). DOI: 10.1186/s40359-022-00996-1 Journal information: BMC Psychology

Provided by Malmo University
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:

University of Montana graduate student James Frakes holds handfuls of salmonflies, a favorite insect of both Montana's fish and anglers, which were collected from Rock Creek in western Montana. Credit: University of Montana

With each passing year, climate change alters characteristics and increases temperatures of mountain streams all over the world. These changing conditions impact mountain-dwelling organisms in a number of direct and indirect ways, and the fate of many will be determined by their ability to adapt and evolve before they become extinct.

To this point, determining which populations will persist in any particular location has been no easy task. But thanks to a study recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, a team of University of Montana researchers are closer to understanding how one particular organism, the salmonfly, may react to the rising freshwater temperatures of our changing world.

Rachel Malison, an assistant research professor with UM's Flathead Lake Biological Station, said populations of aquatic insects may respond to climate change in a number of ways. These responses include shifting their range, evolving new physiologies and behaviors, exhibiting physiological and behavioral plasticity, or going extinct.

"We studied salmonflies because they are an important part of the food web," Malison said. "One salmonfly can provide a lot of energy to a fish, and they have a lot of gillswhere oxygen is taken upwhich was important for physiology measurements. We need to understand how aquatic insect populations will respond to changing habitats because they play critical roles processing materials in streams and providing food for other organisms."

Focusing on physiological and behavioral plasticity responses, Malison and her team measured changes in growth, survival and observable respiratory traits of salmonfly nymphs in different experimental combinations of dissolved oxygen and temperature. Specific combinations were used because rising temperatures can stimulate a higher metabolic demand for oxygen in organisms that exceeds available oxygen in the surrounding environment, which results in insufficient oxygen for the organism.

After introducing salmonfly nymphs to varying temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions over a six-week experimental period, the scientists found that oxygen and temperature interacted to affect growth in complex ways.

They found the survival rate was only slightly lower for the nymphs subjected to warmer water temperatures. Nymphs that were able to acclimate to the warmer temperatures did not show any changes to their mobility in relation to temperature. But nymphs that acclimated to lower oxygenated water did start to lose mobility and coordination at warmer temperatures than normal.

"The temperature at which organisms lose their ability to move normally is an important indicator of temperature tolerance," Malison said. "If a stonefly can't crawl or flip themselves over, they can't escape predators."

Study results suggest salmonfly nymphs may have enough adaptive plasticity with their internal systems for uptake and delivery of oxygen to survive at least some of the changing conditions of their mountain stream habitats.

To further test the initial findings of the study, Malison and her team observed and measured the oxygen sensitivity of metabolic rates and gills structures located on the thoracic segments of the salmonfly nymphs.

Combining the results from multiple performance metrics, their findings indicate that rising temperatures and low oxygen may interact in ways that increase health risks to aquatic insects, but that physiological plasticity in respiratory systems may be able to offset some of these risks.

To put it simply, the results of the study suggest that acclimation may allow the salmonfly, which is Montana's largest stonefly, to persist in warmer streams longer than previously expected.

These results are notable as scientists continue to search for answers in an uncertain future. Understanding and predicting how natural populations will respond to our changing climate is a pressing issue, and physiological plasticity may be a key mechanism of population resilience. However, assessing its potential is difficult because it can occur across many different traits simultaneously at different levels of biological organization.

"Models are often used to predict what will happen to our mountain streams and the organisms in them for coming decades, but the models are only as good as the information we put in them," said Malison. "Having data on physiological responses at the level of the individual can greatly improve models, especially when we measure unexpected responses."

Researchers emphasize that additional studies on more species over longer time scales are needed to provide even more ecologically relevant information on the degree to which acclimation will allow persistence in the face of climate change.

These studies may require more time and resources, but they also may reveal vital information about the long-term effects of climate change both locally and throughout the world.

More information: Rachel L. Malison et al, Plasticity of salmonfly (Pteronarcys californica) respiratory phenotypes in response to changes in temperature and oxygen, Journal of Experimental Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244253 Journal information: Journal of Experimental 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:

The European sturgeon is one of the fish species declared to have disappeared entirely from Swiss waters.

More than half of Switzerland's native fish species are threatened with extinction or are already extinct within the country's waters, a new assessment showed Wednesday.

Out of 71 native fish and jawless fish, 34 are under threat of extinction in Swiss waters, like the critically-endangered European eel, and nine are no longer found within Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) said.

The study of around 70,000 fish in landlocked Switzerland's rivers and lakes categorized the native species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's criteria, under which threatened and extinct species appear on the Red List.

The update, completed in 2022, is the first since 2007.

Nine native species have had their domestic threat category raised, including the European eel, the stone loach, and the European grayling.

But there was better news for the common carp, the Wels catfish and the telestes muticellus, which saw their threat category drop.

The number of native species assessed has widened from 55 to 71including five for which there is insufficient data to make a threat conclusion.

However, the number of threatened species is up from 24 to 34.

"The 2007 Red List already showed a precarious situation for fish," FOEN deputy director Franziska Schwarz said in the update.

"This revised list unfortunately shows no reversal of the trend: overall, the number of threatened fish species continues to increase, thus contributing to an erosion of fish biodiversity."

Global warming cited

Switzerland is known for its big lakes like Geneva, Constance, Neuchatel, Maggiore and Lucerne, and rivers like the Rhine, Rhone and the Aare.

The report said human activities were threatening fish, especially water pollution, degradation of habitat and hydroelectricity generation.

Meanwhile global warming and competition from non-native species were also putting on the pressure.

"Considerable efforts" to stop heavy pollution and improve wastewater treatment have had a positive impact, though small rivers in intensive agricultural areas have a lot of micro-pollutants.

The nine native species now considered extinct within Switzerland are the European sturgeon, the allis shad, the huchen, the European river lamprey, the weatherfish, the sea lamprey, the Atlantic salmon, the sea trout, and the Salvelinus neocomensis deepwater trout.

Any European sturgeon caught in the Swiss basins of Lakes Maggiore and Lugano "probably come from fish farms or private ponds in Italy", the report said.

 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

As people leave traditional 9-to-5 work for more flexible employment, what will keep them from bolting gig jobs is a greater connection with co-workers and the company, according to a new University of Michigan study.

Gig jobssimilar to work by independent contractors and freelancersallow millions of people to earn more money and set their own hours. But that autonomy and flexibility come at the expense of work identity and co-workers' bonds, said study co-author Yan Chen, U-M professor of information.

This has resulted in some gig workers leaving their companies. For example, more than 60% of Uber drivers leave the platform in the first six months. To alleviate the problems of lack of engagement and attrition, the researchers turned to identity economicsa concept that people make economic choices based upon financial incentives and their identityand market design to find solutions.

Researchers developed randomized field experiments involving team formation and inter-team contests at a large ride-sharing platform. They assigned drivers to teams either randomly or based on similarity in age, hometown location or productivity.

Having these teams compete for cash prizes, researchers learned three things:

Compared with those in the control condition, drivers randomly assigned to virtual teams worked longer hours and earned 12% higher revenue during the contest

Drivers randomized into teams during the experiment earned 6% higher revenue two weeks after the experiment was over

Drivers in hometown-similar teams were more likely to communicate with each other, whereas those in age-similar teams continued to work longer hours and earn higher revenue during the two weeks after the contest ended

The study's authors also analyzed the importance of team identity vs. monetary bonuses. For this second experiment, which did not involve monetary bonuses, nearly 28,000 drivers in three cities participated. Drivers saw either their team ranking or individual ranking within their team, whereas those in the control condition saw only their individual performance information.

Drivers in virtual teams worked longer hours and generated a significantly higher revenue than those who did not see the team ranking information, the findings indicated. Furthermore, drivers in the team-ranking treatment continued to be more engaged three months after the end of the experiment.

Qiaozhu Mei, U-M professor of information, said the results show that companies can leverage team identity and contests to increase revenue and worker engagement in a gig economy.

Other researchers included lead author Wei Ai, assistant professor of information studies at University of Maryland; Jieping Ye, University of Michigan associate professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics; and Lingyu Zhang, doctoral student of computer science and technology at Shandong University (China).

The research is published in the journals Management Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of 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:

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The World Health Organization called Wednesday for vigilance after the recent detection of bird flu in mammals, but tried to calm fears that large-scale human outbreaks could be looming.

"The recent spillover to mammals needs to be monitored closely," the UN health agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, stressing that "for the moment, WHO assesses the risk to humans as low".

Since late 2021, Europe has been gripped by its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu, with North and South America also experiencing severe outbreaks.

This has led to the culling of tens of millions of domestic poultry worldwide, many with the H5N1 strain of the virus. The global outbreak is also responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of wild birds.

The recent detection of the disease in a number of mammals, including foxes, otters, minks, sea lions and even grizzly bears, has sparked growing concern that humans could be more at risk.

Tedros noted that since the virus first emerged in 1996, "We have only seen rare and non-sustained transmission of H5N1 to and between humans."

But, he cautioned, "We cannot assume that will remain the case, and we must prepare for any change in the status quo."

Tedros called on countries to "strengthen surveillance in settings where humans, farmed or wild animals interact."

"WHO is also continuing to engage with manufacturers to make sure that if needed, supplies of vaccines and antivirals would be available for global use," he said.

'Stay one step ahead'

Over the last two decades, there have been 868 confirmed H5N1 cases in humans with 457 deaths, according to the WHO. There were four confirmed human cases and one death last year.

Last month, Ecuador reported South America's first case of the A(H5) bird flu virus in a humana nine-year-old girl who was in contact with backyard poultry.

The girl's condition was "improving," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told reporters, adding that so far, there was no indication that other people had been infected.

That reflects the usual pattern when people are infected, explained Sylvie Briand, WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director.

"The transmission from animals to humans is rare, and when it infects humans, further transmission between humans is not easy, because the virus is not well-adapted to the human population," she said.

But, she warned, "We need to be vigilant to make sure that spread in animals is contained."

"The more the virus circulates in animals, the higher is the risk for humans as well," she said, adding that this was "because the virus circulating in animals can evolve to forms that are more transmissible."

Ryan agreed that intense spread among small mammals "creates the chance that this virus can evolve".

But, he stressed, "Our job is to stay one step ahead.

"Protecting humans isn't only about managing viruses in humans. It's about managing viruses in the animal kingdom and especially at that animal-human interface," he said, urging concerted action.

"Risks can be reduced," he said. "People should not be alarmed."

 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:

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) has just finished construction in the southwestern province of Guizhou. Credit: FAST

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), located in China, is currently the world's largest and most sophisticated radio observatory. While its primary purpose is to conduct large-scale neutral hydrogen surveys (the most common element in the universe), study pulsars, and detect Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), scientists have planned to use the array in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Integral to this field of study is the search for technosignatures, signs of technological activity that indicate the presence of an advanced civilization.

While many potential technosignatures have been proposed since the first surveys began in the 1960s, radio transmissions are still considered the most likely and remain the most studied. In a recent survey, an international team of SETI researchers conducted a targeted search of 33 exoplanet systems using a new method they call the "MBCM blind search mode." While the team detected two "special signals" using this mode, they dismissed the idea that they were transmissions from an advanced species. Nevertheless, their survey demonstrated the effectiveness of this new blind mode and could lead to plausible candidate signals in the future.

The survey was conducted by researchers representing the FAST collaboration, Breakthrough Listen, and multiple universities and institutes. This included the Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Beijing Normal University, the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at UC Berkeley, the Institute for Astronomical Science at Dezhou University, the College of Physics and Electronic Engineering at Qilu Normal University, and the University of Glasgow. The paper that describes their work has been accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal.

The first SETI experiment (Project Ozma) took place in 1960 under the direction of Professor Frank Drake, for whom the Drake Equation is named. Since then, most SETI experiments have searched for radio communications as technosignatures due to their effectiveness at propagating through interstellar space. The earliest experiments searched at specific frequencies, like the absorption line of neutral hydrogen (21 cm) and hydroxyl (18 cm), which correspond to radio frequencies of 1.4 and 1.6 gigahertz (GHz).

But with the advancement of technology, the available bandwidth of SETI systems has expanded into the tens of GHz range. In addition, SETI surveys have come to rely on a strategy known as Multibeam Coincidence Matching (MBCM) to address RFI and filter it out of their signal noise. Dr. Vishal Gajjara researcher at the SETI Institute, UC Berkeley, and a co-author on the studyexplained to Universe Today via email:

"Single-dish radio telescopes observe a small portion of the sky, known as a beam, which is about the size of the tip of a pencil held at arm's length. Despite their accuracy, these telescopes often pick up interference from nearby terrestrial sources. To overcome this issue, some telescopes are equipped with multiple beams, allowing them to observe several small areas of the sky at the same time. By searching for signals of interest in all beams simultaneously, we can determine if a signal is truly from a source in the sky or if it is a result of interference. When a signal is detected in multiple beams, it is likely to be terrestrial interference."

According to Gajjar, MCBM is considered better than conventional methods for three main reasons. These include:

Increased accuracy and robustness: MBCM can eliminate false positive detections caused by terrestrial interference, resulting in more accurate results. MBCM is less susceptible to interference from terrestrial sources, making it more robust and reliable than conventional methods. Faster processing: MBCM can be performed in real-time, making it faster than traditional methods that require post-processing. Increased coverage: MBCM allows for a wider field of view by using multiple beams, providing more coverage than a single beam.

Artist impression of a fast radio burst (FRB). Credit: Danielle Futselaar

This third advantage was integral to the work of Dr. Gajjar and the international team. The FAST telescope is the world's largest radio array and is equipped with a 19-beam receiver, allowing astronomers to simultaneously observe 19 different positions in the sky. When paired with FAST's instruments, the MCMB technique effectively eliminates sources of interference and ensures accurate observations. For their study, the team observed 33 nearby exoplanets using the traditional MBCM strategy and a new search method they call the "MBCM blind search mode."

As they indicate in their paper, the blind search mode was inspired by the multibeam blind search mode that was recently developed to study FRBs. The basic idea is to use all 19 of FAST's beams to search for ETI signals, where the central beam (Beam 1) tracks a target while the others serve as reference beams. If a signal covers non-adjacent beams, more than four adjacent beams, or three or more beams in a line, the team classified the signal as RFI. They also identify four beam coverage arrangements that could indicate radio signals that are ETI in origin.

As illustrated in the diagram below, these included any one of FAST's 19 beams, two of the adjacent beams (Figure 1a), three adjacent beams forming an equilateral triangle (Figure 1b), and four adjacent beams forming a compact rhombus (Figure 1c). Any beam coverage arrangements that did not fit into these four categories (like the three examples in the second line of the diagram) were considered false positives and rejected. As Gajjar indicated, this paper builds on previous work where they conducted targeted observations with FAST of the same 33 exoplanetary systems:

"During those observations, we aimed the central beam of our 19-beam receiver at each individual target and only analyzed data from the central beam where the target was situated. If a signal of interest was detected, we cross-checked the same frequency across other beams to eliminate terrestrial interference. In the present paper, we perform a more comprehensive search by blindly searching for signals across all 19 beams, regardless of the presence of any exoplanetary system in the field of view. This approach allows us to conduct an agnostic search without prior knowledge of any potential targets of interest present in our beams."

Schematics of the MBCM blind search mode. The first row shows three examples of allowed signals, and the bottom row shows three examples of forbidden signals. Credit: Luan, Xiao-Hang, et al. (2023)

After scanning these 33 exoplanets, the team discerned two rather unusual and intriguing signals. As Gajjar related, while it was challenging to evaluate these signals (as they only appeared in one beam), after a thorough examination, they determined that they were just RFI interference:

"One of the signals was only present in one of the two polarizations of the telescope. Normally, sky-based sources would show similar intensity in both polarizations over a longer period of observation, but this wasn't the case for the first signal, making it easy to dismiss. The second signal was more intriguing as it showed the same intensity in both polarizations. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that the frequency of the second signal was very close to known sources of interference."

In another case, further examination of the data revealed a signal in one beam with a very low signal-to-noise (STN) ratio. The team also rejected this signal because its behavior was similar to other instances of RFI they had identified. While no clear technosignatures were detected, the survey was invaluable because of the way it tested the team's silent mode technique. What's more, the two signals identified are fitting targets for follow-up observations, which could be conducted by Breakthrough Listen (the largest SETI effort ever mounted) in the coming years.

"This is a groundbreaking stride in the field of SETI," said Gajjar. "In SETI, this technique has been deployed for the first time. This unique technique can be useful because it reduces the amount of false positives, allowing for a more efficient search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. By reducing the amount of interference, multibeam coincidence rejection increases the sensitivity of the search and makes it easier to detect weak signals that might otherwise be overlooked."

More information: Xiao-Hang Luan et al, Multibeam Blind Search of Targeted SETI Observations toward 33 Exoplanet Systems with FAST, arXiv (2023). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2301.10890 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal , arXiv
GRANVILLE  A Granville woman has been formally indicted on animal cruelty charges for allegedly failing to provide proper sustenance for horses, rabbits and goats on her property.

Wendy L. Murphy was indicted on 33 misdemeanor counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and a felony of tampering with physical evidence.

State police executed a search warrant on Murphys property on Aug. 26 and found 31 neglected horses. Washington County Animal Control and the SPCA of Upstate New York assisted with the operation.

She was charged with 31 counts of the New York Agriculture and Market Law-overdriving, torturing and injuring animals.

She was arrested in November on additional charges after police said rabbits and goats were found on her property lacking necessary sustenance.

She was arraigned in Washington County Court on Jan. 20 on the indictment.
BOLTON  The Lake George Land Conservancy will open registration for its 11th annual Lake George Hike-A-Thon on March 6 at 8 a.m.

This free event, scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, is open to the public, and all who register in March can receive a free event T-shirt.

Information about the event, site details, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, and registration can be found at lakegeorgehikeathon.org.

The Hike-A-Thon is a free, watershed-wide event that includes nearly 700 hikers, paddlers and volunteers in an organized morning of guided outdoor recreation. The simultaneous hikes and paddles culminate with aerial photography of each group by Carl Heilman II, who will once again be flying in a helicopter piloted by Bruce Mowery of North Country HeliFlite.

This years event includes 22 hiking and paddle options at sites all around Lake George. Site difficulty ranges from the very challenging, 6-mile round-trip hike at Pole Hill Pond Preserve to the driveable Prospect Mountain. The choice to participate virtually is also still available, according to a news release.

After the morning of excursions are finished, participants and community guests are invited to come to the Hike-A-Thons After-Party at the Bolton Community Center from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The after-party will have food and drinks, live music by the High Peaks Bluegrass Band, activities for kids and adults, sponsor booths and merchandise.

After organizing the first Lake George Hike-A-Thon in 2013 as a celebration of the LGLCs 25th anniversary, the event has continued each year since to showcase the LGLCs parks and preserves as free public resources, and to promote an appreciation for the outdoors and for the protection of the land that protects the lake.

Since then, the Hike-A-Thon has expanded to include partner sites  properties that are being cared for with both ecosystem health and recreation in mind. Those partner sites for 2023 include Silver Bay YMCA Conference and Family Retreat Center, Up Yonda Farm Environmental Education Center, YMCA Camp Chingachgook, The Sembrich, and Wiawaka Center for Women.

The LGLC is an accredited, nonprofit land trust dedicated to working with willing landowners and other partners to protect the water quality of Lake George and to permanently preserve the natural, scenic, historic and recreational resources of the Lake George region.
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  Mayors in Cape May County, or most of them at least, heard about efforts to head off future events like a rogue car rally in Wildwood last summer that proved deadly.

Assemblyman Antwan McClellan, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, recently provided an update on legislative efforts to prevent future car rallies or other disruptive events, and other moves to give police more authority in dealing with problem juveniles, an issue that has become a perennial summer problem in shore towns.

Wildwood was unable to stop the unsanctioned H2oi car rally from taking place in late September, bringing hundreds of cars and thousands of spectators to the shore on what was already set to be a busy weekend.

The event overwhelmed Wildwood and neighboring towns, overtaxing police and creating dangerous situations that only got worse on Sept. 24, when one accident left two dead and others injured, while others were badly hurt in separate crashes and the town seemed under siege.

A Pittsburgh man faces extensive criminal charges in the fatal crash. Since then, local and state officials have sought ways to prevent anything similar from happening again.

Desiderio to lead Cape May County Board of Commissioners CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE  Leonard Desiderio will lead the Cape May County Board of Commissioner

Under a bill proposed by McClellan, communities would have the authority to establish special event zones to limit where events could take place, and to come down hard on those who do not follow local ordinances and state rules on vehicle operation and safety.

That could include impounding vehicles and jail time for event organizers.

I would love to say it was my idea, McClellan said, but the proposal grew out of talks with officials in Ocean City, Maryland, where the community has dealt with the annual car rally for years, working to make the drivers and other rally participants feel less and less welcome until the event eventually relocated to Wildwood.

The Friday gathering was the first of a promised series of roundtable meetings of Cape May County mayors proposed by Leonard Desiderio, the mayor of Sea Isle City and a longtime Cape May County commissioner.

The plan is to hold the meetings quarterly, to strengthen connections between communities and the county, and to help local officials work together better. On Friday, the mayors met at the county administration building in the Crest Haven Complex.

Of the 16 mayors in Cape May County, 12 attended, Desiderio said. He was pleased with the turnout, and said the first meeting went well.

Cape officials meet to strategize about heading off future unsanctioned events MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  Cape May County officials continue to call for more police authority to de

In addition to the update from McClellan, the mayors heard an update on the status of a proposed offshore wind power project from attorney Michael Donohue, a former judge who also serves as the county GOP leader, and Commissioner Will Morey spoke about efforts to ease a shortage of housing for seasonal workers and year-round employees in the county, according to details of the meeting from Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian included in his weekly message to residents.

Desiderio also told the mayors that each community in the county will be eligible for $400,000 toward infrastructure projects under the federal American Rescue Plan.

It was an informative and productive meeting, and I want to thank the director for his commitment to unity among all of the municipalities that share so much in common, Gillian said after the roundtable.

According to McClellan, Middle Township Mayor Tim Donohue had arranged talks with the city administration in Ocean City, Maryland, about how they addressed the car rallies. Mayor Donohue is the brother of Michael Donohue.

McClellan said he is working with other members of the Assembly to hammer out the intricacies of a bill, in hopes of getting it through before the summer. Thats not just because that is when shore communities are at their busiest. The legislative session will be done by July, and with an election in the works, McClellan does not expect much lawmaking to be completed this year after that.

McClellan and his fellow district representatives, Sen. Michael Testa and Assemblyman Erik Simonsen, plan to run for reelection, McClellan said. The team flipped the 1st District to the GOP in 2020, after several terms of Democratic representation.

While McClellans party is in the minority in Trenton, he said lawmakers throughout the state understand the issues faced by the shore communities, and many visit South Jersey beach towns regularly. Hes looking for progress on the bill this year.

Thats the hope were pushing toward, McClellan said.

More details remain to be settled, he said, but as proposed, some vehicles that do not meet New Jersey safety standards could be impounded and would need to be towed away, not driven. The driver could also face a fine of up to $1,000. There are already laws against drag racing, but McClellan is proposing more serious penalties, and providing ways for authorities to go after organizers of similar events.

He also updated the mayors about efforts from the 2nd District legislators, including Assembly members Don Guardian and Claire Swift, R-Atlantic, and Sen. Vincent Polistina. As McClellan explained it, Swift and Guardian are working to bring forward a bill to give police officers additional authority in dealing with juveniles.

In multiple shore communities over the past two summers, local officials have expressed frustration as large crowds of teenagers gathered on beaches. Many critics cited juvenile justice reforms that prevented police from detaining juveniles for minor offenses, including possession of alcohol or marijuana. Part of the stated aim of the changes was to reduce the number of juveniles tied up in the justice system, but local police have said giving warnings with no further repercussions provided little deterrent for some juveniles.

There, too, work is underway to finalize a bill and bring it to the full Assembly for a vote.

911 calls capture 'nightmare' car rally in Wildwood WILDWOOD  Its starting to be a dangerous situation out here, a man warned. He told the 9

It gives law enforcement officers more rights with teens, McClellan said. That can include detaining those under 18 and notifying parents of infractions, or making parents or guardians come to the police station to pick up their teen if they were found with marijuana or alcohol, even if there are no charges filed in connection to the incident.

Its being received fairly well, McClellan said.
ATLANTIC CITY  The Fire Department on Monday added a new fire engine to its fleet, the fourth new apparatus in the past four years.

The new truck will primarily be seen in the Westside and Venice Park neighborhoods, city officials said Tuesday in a news release.

Mayor Marty Small Sr., fire Chief Scott Evans, firefighter union President John Varallo and other firefighters held a pushing ceremony for the engine at Fire Station 3 on North Indiana Avenue. The truck will operate out of that firehouse, officials said.

In a pushing ceremony, fire officials manually push the new apparatus into the firehouse.

The men and women of the Atlantic City Fire Department can expect more reliability with this new engine, Evans said. Having that confidence that your equipment will work well in an emergency situation goes a long way.

The new engine replaces one that was 20 years old, city officials said.

The Fire Department expects to add three more firetrucks to its roster in the coming months, officials said.
BJP is fearing that their councillors may vote for our candidate: Durgesh Pathak

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday staged a protest outside the BJP headquarters over the delay in the mayoral election for Delhi civic body, MCD.

AAP leaders and party workers carrying placards gathered at Rouse Avenue Road and raised slogans against the BJP for delaying the election. The party had staged a protest, a day after the MCD House was adjourned for a third time without electing the mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee members for the MCD.

By insulting the mandate of the people of Delhi and murdering the Constitution, the BJP is not allowing the mayors election to take place, said AAP leader Durgesh Pathak while demonstrating the protest against BJP. He added that BJP is fearing that their councillors may vote for AAP thats why they are not allowing the Mayoral election in the MCD.

AAP party leader Reena Gupta said that the people of Delhi had rejected the BJP in the MCD elections. But BJP has become so used to corruption that it is not ready to give up its hold on MCD. AAP strongly opposes this and will go to SC against BJPs hooliganism, she said on the occasion.

After the MCD House was adjourned for the third time on Monday without electing a mayor, AAP leader Atishi had said that the party will move to the Supreme Court to conduct the Mayoral polls within a week to 10 days.

Addressing a Press briefing, Atishi had said, The AAP is going to the Supreme Court today. We will appeal to the apex court that the MCD elections should be held within one week to 10 days under their supervision. 

Satya Sharma (BJP) is MCD presiding officer. IANS
Child is being treated in the ICU of Sassoon hospital, condition stated to be serious; flat owners plan to lodge police complaint against animal lovers defending the presence of strays in the gated society

By: Gunwanti Paraste & Ali Shaikh

PHOTOS: NIKHIL GHORPADE

The worst fears of the residents of Bramha Suncity in Wadgaon Sheri over being attacked by stray dogs came true around 5.39 pm on Tuesday. Aniruddh Jondhale, a six-year-old boy, whose grandfather works as a housekeeper in the society, that has been hounded by a pack of around 80 strays, was brutally attacked by the canines, leaving the residents in shock. The victim has landed in the ICU of Sassoon hospital, where his condition was stated to be serious, but stable.

Dwellers are living in fear due to the presence of the pack of canines. They have reported the menace to the civic authorities;

however, opposition by a section of members has stalled action.

Barely a week ago, on January 31, Mirror highlighted the issue at Bramha Suncity under the headline, Not, mans best friend.

The residents of the society told Mirror that Aniruddh was attacked by six to seven stray dogs while he was playing. They saw MAULED him bleeding and running from the dogs from their balconies and rushed to his help and. He was somehow rescued from the pack.

PHOTOS: NIKHIL GHORPADE

Aniruddha was immediately taken to a nearby hospital as he was bleeding profusely due to multiple injuries. Aniruddhas grandfather, who works as a housekeeper in the society, panicked after the incident. His mother, Manjusha, who works as a maid in the area, started crying after hearing about her only childs condition.

The society members, who are already tired of complaining about the matter to the civic authorities, blamed the animal lovers, who, according to them, stopped the civic staffers multiple times in the past when they came to impound the dogs. The strays have been allowed to stay on the society premises as it has been their territory even before buildings came up. The residents said that they have been compelled to live in fear. Around 100 society residents went to the police station to register a complaint against the animal lovers following the incident.

PHOTOS: NIKHIL GHORPADE

Paramjeet Kaur, a resident of the society, narrated the incident as she was a witness to it. I was on the balcony when I heard the boys screams. I thought he must have fallen while playing and got injured. However, later I saw that he was being chased by the dogs. I shouted for help from my balcony and some residents rushed to his rescue. He was somehow saved from the animals.

Roshan Gurang, another resident of the society, said this is not the first time the dogs have attacked a child on the society premises. His child was also attacked by the dogs a couple of months ago. I was walking in the society with my kid when this incident took place. I saw some residents rushing and there was complete chaos. So I immediately left my child at home and rushed to the spot. The boy was badly injured. We had rushed him to hospital, he said.

PHOTOS: NIKHIL GHORPADE

I had complained to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) then. However, the animal lovers living here did not let the civic workers impound the canines. Instead, they filed a complaint with the police against me.

Seema, another resident, said the flat owners will now register a case against the animal lovers as they stop the municipal corporation from taking away the animals. These dogs are causing major inconvenience to all residents. We are compelled to live in fear. Now, we will reach out to the police and demand that they register a case against the animal lovers as they are equally responsible for this incident.

According to the society members, there are around 10 animal lovers in the society, who regularly feed the stray dogs despite other members of the society objecting to it. The society is spread over around 42 acres and has 1250 flats. Around 4000 families live in the residential community. The civic officials had informed Mirror earlier that they were not allowed to sterilise stray dogs by the animal lovers living in the society in the past. They were forced to not take any action due to this. They said they cannot forcibly enter society premises to sterilise the canines since they have to abide by certain laws laid down for animal welfare.

Speaking to Mirror, a doctor at Sassoon said, The boy was brought in critical condition, but he is stable now.
Bombay high court orders state government to recover excess money paid to class 3 & 4 employees of 11 universities

The Bombay high court has ordered the Maharashtra government to recover around Rs 15,000 crore paid to class 3 and class 4 employees of 11 universities after manipulating their posts.

While delivering an interim verdict on a clutch of writ petitions, the HC accepted that a scam happened in state universities from 2009 to 2023 by restoring certain non-teaching posts and enhancing the salaries of employees without obtaining the approval of the state government.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and justice RN Nadda directed the state government to start the recovery process after a gap of four weeks to allow other high court benches in the state to close similar petitions since the verdict has been delivered.

Significantly, the universities in question had changed the designation of non-teaching staff belonging to A, B, C, and D categories in order to provide them with enhanced salaries without making applications to the finance department or obtaining permission from the Wage Error Redressal Committee. This malpractice resulted in the loss of thousands of crores of rupees to the state exchequer. The then secretary, directors, administrative officials, and registrars of these universities have been accused of carrying out the scam.

A writ petition was filed by the Shivaji Vidyapeeth Sevak Sangha in the matter against the principal secretary, the secretary (higher and technical education), the director of higher education, the joint director of Kolhapur division, and the Shivaji University. The court tagged 1,100 plus writ petitioners in the case. State attorney general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni and advocate AV Anthurkar plead on behalf of all petitioners.

Atul Bagul, a petitioner, said, The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Jalgaons North Maharashtra University, Amravatis Sant Gadgebaba University, and Aurangabads Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada increased the pay scales of their employees by changing the name of the posts. These varsities caused a loss to the government exchequer to the tune of crores of rupees.

Abhishekh Haridas, a petitioner said, The SPPU changed the designation of C posts consisting of plumbers and masons and named them construction assistants. This benefitted them by increasing their pay to the scale of Group B employees. While only 61 Group B posts are sanctioned, this led to the disbursal of salaries for more employees in a similar pay bracket. All four varsities adopted similar methods to enhance salaries by changing designations of over 1,000 employees from different groups providing them with an excess benefit of around Rs 2,500-3,000 each. Thus, each varsity committed fraud to the tune of Rs 110 crore. In all, a scam of about Rs 15,000 crore was perpetrated in 11 universities.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FINANCE DEPARTMENT CAUGHT UNAWARES

While Pune, Jalgaon, Amravati, and Aurangabad universities were changing designations and pay scales illegally, the finance department was caught napping, as it was completely ignorant about the issue. The state government approved the proposal by the universities to change the designation, but cleverly hid the fact that it would entail salary increments. A reference number of a letter from the finance department had been provided in the government decisions. However, the finance department, while replying to an RTI query by the Sajag Nagrik Manch, denied providing reference numbers in this manner.
Activists demand FIRs, accuse PMC of inaction as poll season begins; contempt petition pending before HC

Not than a month had passed since the citys political parties promised to support the citizens campaign to make the city free of illegal flex and banners. However, as by-elections approach, these banners are reappearing on city roads. Even the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which was seen in action mode prior to the G20 conference, last month, appears to be missing in action.

These banners wishing political leaders on their birthdays or congratulating them on some accomplishment, however, are back on city roads in violation of a 2017 Bombay high court injunction. In its judgement, the high court directed the administration to file cases against violators and remove unauthorised flex and banners from the roads.

It may be mentioned that members of the Pune Platform for Collaborative Response (PPCR), a citizen forum in the city, recently met with political party leaders requesting their cooperation in ridding the city of illegal flex and banners. PPCR members launched a campaign against illegal flex last month, with banners placed throughout the city. They also visited with political party leaders and asked them to support the campaign by requesting their leaders to desist from displaying such illegal flex or banners. The message was also shared with the citys housing societies, urging their assistance in locating and reporting the illegal banners in their areas to civic authorities. Mirror also published the news item in its January 20 edition.

Sudhir Mehta, a city-based industrialist and member of PPCR, said, We held another meeting with the civic officials on the issue on Monday and requested them to start taking strict action against the offenders. The citizens should also contribute by reporting such illegal flex or banners, hoardings to PMC and cases should be registered against the offenders. The next step of our campaign will be to request police and PMC to register cases against offenders. During our campaign, we requested the political parties and their leaders to support us and they assured us as well but since this seems to be happening at a local level there is no control on it. The high court does not allow such illegal flex or hoardings, he added.

The administration has failed to enforce the court ruling, said Qaneez Sukhrani, a city-based activist and one of the petitioners who took the matter to the high court.

In 2017, we filed a petition on the problem, and the court issued a detailed order. However, the administration has failed to follow the government order and is simply playing a blame game. The police claim that civic officials do not come to submit complaints, and civic officials claim that the police do not register cases against criminals, she told Mirror. The flex and banners are always illegal as they are not given permission and the most of them appear between midnight 12 and 3 am, she added.

Sukhrani also said that she had filed a contempt petition against the administration for failing to follow the court order. I have filed a petition for contempt of court against the administration and the matter is still in the court. Hearing on the matter was on hold during the COVID pandemic. It resumed about six months ago, she said.

Despite several attempts by Mirror, the PMC officials did not respond to the calls.
"The purpose of the forums is to ask questions of our Iowa legislators  both Republican and Democrat senators and representatives, regarding concerns to us," organizer Maggie Tinsman wrote in a news release. "Our goal is to encourage courteous civil discourse. We urge attendees to be respectful of all Legislators, as well as of those asking questions or listening to the discussion."
A former John Deere employee is suing the company, saying he was fired in retaliation for raising safety concerns over electric batteries.

Daniel White, of Bettendorf, claims he was fired after informing management about alleged safety risks related to batteries for autonomous tractors and other equipment. He was chief of electrification, small ag & turf, according to the suit, and started working for Deere in Moline in February 2022.

A Deere spokeswoman said Wednesday that the company denies White's allegations and plans to "vigorously defend ... against these meritless allegations."

As the matter is pending in court, Deere could not supply further comment.

White had 24 years of experience, the lawsuit states, and his job was to help develop an autonomous, battery-powered tractor/farm product.

The week of June 20, 2022, he traveled to Kreisel Electric Inc., an Austrian company that makes electric batteries. Deere secured a majority ownership of Kreisel early last year. During the trip, White saw multiple safety risks, his complaint states.

One concern was immersion cooling of Kreisel's electric batteries, which contain no insulation between the cells and coolant, and White said he was concerned it could lead to electric shock, a chemical reaction or explosion. He took his complaints to several leadership personnel at Deere and at Kreisel, he said, where they were ignored.

Shortly after his visit to Kreisel, White met with Deere's director of electric powertrain and the CEO of Kreisel Electric. The complaint says the Deere employees and suppliers handling the batteries didn't know of the safety concerns. But the lawsuit also alleges Deere leadership was aware, not only because White informed them, but because there had been a failure in a competitor's battery and it was plausible it could happen again, according to his claim.

Instead, leadership for both companies demanded the Kreisel batteries be used in the development of autonomous equipment without additional testing.

White's lawsuit indicates he spoke with various company leaders in a range of roles, urging them to perform tests on the batteries, including what could happen in the event of "foreseeable misuse," which he categorized as standard testing criteria.

These tests included immersion, vibration, shock and salt spray, which the complaint identifies as standard safety tests. Though White said the tests are common, his suit alleges they were refused.

In late October, White said, he sent a proposal for battery testing to a global engineering manager. By Nov. 1, White was terminated.

The case has been moved from circuit court in Rock Island County and now is pending with the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.

"Deere terminated White because of White's reports and complaints of serious safety concerns with the electric batteries that were to be used in the power equipment White's team was ultimately to produce," the complaint states.

The suit further claims White's termination was in violation of a clear mandate of Illinois law and official public policy of the State of Illinois. He is seeking compensation.
Healthcare workers make it their mission to make the community a healthier place. A local hospital has taken that initiative internationally.

And it all started with a 7-year-old.

Chris Manson, vice president of government relations at OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria, started U.S. Ambulances for Ukraine last March. While watching the news with his daughter, she expressed her wish to help in some way, which sparked the idea of filling an ambulance with supplies and sending it overseas, according to a press release.

"An ambulance, which is at the end of its life in the U.S., can literally mean the difference between life and death for someone in Ukraine, Manson said.

He reached out to Genesis Health System last winter about a donation. The timing could not have been better.

Genesis Ambulance Director Adam Haut said the hospital had just purchased a brand new ambulance and was about to retire the old one. Instead, they donated it.

A new ambulance comes with an average cost of $190,000, he said. Old ones have very little value and go for about $3,000. Haut was surprised when Manson reached out about the 6-year old rig but was assured it needed only to run.

"It was heading to the ambulance graveyard, but it's been able to serve a purpose. People over there have really taken to it," he said.

By the end of March, Manson is hoping to have 35 ambulances and five fire trucks in or on the way to Ukraine.

Unity Point Health-Trinity donated 22 cardiac monitors to be used in ambulances in Ukraine. The monitors are used to track vital signs, monitor and report patient data and revive someone from sudden cardiac arrest, according to a news release.

Its a critical need for ambulance medics to have access to life-saving equipment to monitor patients during transport, said Rachel Pohl, Executive Director of UnityPoint Health Trinity Muscatine. While these monitors have been retired from use in the United States, these older, yet effective machines remain useful. This in-kind donation ... will not only ensure timely access to emergency care for patients in Ukraine but help support and rebuild their healthcare system.

Pohl continued, saying as technology evolves, hospitals have to continually update equipment. While no longer be used locally, many devices and supplies are coveted elsewhere. The donation was made possible thanks to the Trinity Health Foundation and Trinity Muscatine Foundation.

Bandages and medical supplies donated by the Animal Rehabilitation Center in Hillsdale also onboard. Haut said the Genesis team also put in patches from their EMS uniforms as well as the state flags of Illinois and Iowa to remind the Ukrainian people they were being supported from afar.

"Just to let them know this ambulance came all the way from the Quad-Cities, and there's folks here that are thinking about you," he said.

The ambulance left Silvis on a flatbed on Dec. 9 and headed for Chicago. The driver was a former member of the Ukranian Air Force who now is living in the United States. Normally, he would drive it to Baltimore, but his daughter was in the hospital and he was unable to make the trip.

From Maryland, the rig was put on a ship and made its way to Germany on Jan. 11. It was then driven to Poland and into Ukraine. Pictures of the ambulance have since made their way back to Genesis, and the feedback has been gratitude.

"As horrific as that scenario is, it's definitely a bright spot," Haut said. "They have been so appreciative, and we are happy to be able to provide."
With the opening of their new shared space, the Rock Island Public Library and Two Rivers YMCA are taking steps to utilize their partnership and unique amenities with the goal of meeting the Rock Island community's needs, in mind, body and spirit.

The two organizations held a ribbon tying, rather than a ribbon cutting, ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the new space, located at 2715 30th St., after almost a year's-worth of renovations. The facility, formerly the Tri-City Jewish Center, cost $9.9 million to update.

One of only a handful of YMCA-library partnerships in the U.S., Rock Island Ward 4 Alderperson Jenni Swanson said it's a dream come true to see a community asset like this come to life in her ward.

"I am just very grateful and excited to have this in our community," Swanson said. "It's an exciting endeavor to bring together a facility that strengthens minds and bodies together  a way to get a healthy, strong body and a healthy and knowledgeable mind, the best of both worlds."

Both the library and YMCA branches will hold soft openings beginning Feb. 8, operating at limited hours and programming. The library will operate 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 8-10 and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 11, and the YMCA will open to Charter Members 4:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. Feb. 8 before opening to all members beginning Feb. 9.

The YMCA's regular hours, 4:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays, will begin Feb. 9. Regular operating hours for the library starting Feb. 13 are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays.

With a gym, group exercise areas, equipment and a commercial kitchen, Two Rivers YMCA CEO Mike Wennekamp said the new space will help the YMCA expand on its health and wellness programming, especially with youth. Included in membership is a child watch area for kids ages 6 weeks-12 years.

"We've got a brand new bus stop going up out front so the whole community can can access this, whether they ride their bike, they walk, they ride a bus or they drive here," Wennekamp said. "It's just going to really help us serve a greater part of Rock Island."

New library amenities include private study rooms, a conference room, 140-seat auditorium, teen area and outdoor patio. The opening of their newest branch ensures that the everyone living in Rock Island is within 3 miles of a public library, Rock Island Public Library Director Angela Campbell said.

An after-hours book locker will also be installed in the library for pickup by late-night YMCA visitors.

In addition to the new branch permitting for expanded resources, Campbell said the space has been designed with flexibility in mind. Furniture and shelves can be easily moved if needed, allowing for new programming opportunities as the library continues to listen to community needs.

"We just want to make sure we can change with the times," Campbell said.

Both organizations consulted the public for their wants and needs before entering this partnership. Campbell said that beyond serving logistical needs in sharing the space, they hope to reach people that might not traditionally stop in the library or center, ultimately reaching more of Rock Island as a whole.

"This is community," Wennekamp said. "It's not just the facility  it's the programming and it's the people that make YMCA's and make libraries."
The beach and boathouse at West Lake Park will reopen this summer after more than three years of restoration work at the park's four lakes.

The welcome back was delayed after a dry year that left lakes largely empty. Lake of the Hills, the biggest lake of the four and the one with the beach, didn't hit the full mark until about a month and a half ago, said Roger Kean, executive director of Scott County Conservation. Originally, the plan was to open the beach summer of 2022.

"Last summer was pretty much a drought year to be really honest," Kean said. "It took a long time, much longer than we anticipated, for the lake to fill."

The beach and boathouse open Memorial Day weekend, which this year falls on May 27.

And with it comes a new amenity on the water for beach-goers  an inflatable floating playground. The colorful playground's two structures will be able to hold 40 children and teenagers each at a time, Kean said, with safety checks by lifeguards every hour. Kean emphasized the park is hiring for lifeguards and boat staff.

The reopening this summer marks the completion of a $4 million, multi-year restoration project that involved draining and dredging the four lakes, setting up fish habitats, and erosion control on the shore to prevent sediment from re-entering the lake.

"This is a really busy park, and a lot of it is focused around water usage," Kean said. "Our cabin and camp site renters are really excited to have another amenity back."

Managed by Scott County Conservation, the park complex seen from Interstate 280 has camping sites, hiking trails, playgrounds, and the four lakes, which underwent the restoration in an effort to improve water quality.

The four lakes have been on the state's list of impaired waters, and the restoration project, three-quarters of which was paid for by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, aims to take the lakes off the list. Kean said there's still years of monitoring and water-quality testing ahead before that can happen.

When the 620-acre park was built in the 1960s, the banks of the lakes were not set up to prevent erosion, Kean said. Sediment would cause cloudiness in the water, or what conservationists call turbidity. Sediment in water impacts oxygen levels of the lake, which in turn causes problems for plants and fish that live there.

Contractors reshaped the shoreline of the Lake of the Hills to add rocks and boulders to prevent erosion from wave activity in the lake, Kean said. Large boulders were put in place, and stabilized, which will prevent sediment from sloughing off into the lake.

The western-most Blue Grass Lake, in particular, required significant work to remove sediment. The entire lake bed needed to be dredged.

New fish habitats were set up, too. What looked like blue tubes emerging from buckets replaced an abandoned practice of creating fish habitats  old tires at the bottom of the lake.

Trail projects on the horizon

With $2 million of the county's allocation of pandemic-era American Rescue Plan funds, Scott County Conservation is planning new paved trails at West Lake Park and Scott County Park.

Kean said the project will help improve accessibility of the parks and meet a demand for outdoor recreation spaces that ramped up during the pandemic.

At West Lake, an eight-foot concrete trail will connect a fishing pier and the beach/boathouse at Lake of the Hills and continue along the shoreline of Railroad Lake. Bump-outs in the design, he said, will allow people with disabilities to get close to the shore.

"We'll also have what we're referring to as bump-outs where someone with a wheelchair can get right up to the edge of the lake, and people have room to walk behind them," Kean said.

At Scott County Park, a paved path is planned to circle Pride Lake as well as Whispering Pine and Hickory Hills shelters.

Kean said the county would like to add more paths in the future and is seeking grant funding to add more connectivity.
WATERLOO  An Evansdale sex offender has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a girl in Waterloo.

Police arrested William Lee Edward Lynn, 40, of 125 Forest Circle, on Friday on a charge of second-degree sexual abuse. Bond was set at $100,000.

He is also held on probation violation warrants.

Authorities allege Lynn had sexual contact with a child in 2021 at a Waterloo address. Authorities were notified of the allegations in October 2022 and the girl was interviewed at the Child Protection Center. Detectives questioned Lynn, who allegedly admitted to the allegations, according to court records.

Lynn is required to register as a sex offender because of a 2002 conviction for criminal sexual conduct with a girl under age 14 in Macomb County, Michigan. He also has several convictions for violating registration requirements including incidents in 2020 and 2021 where he moved without notifying authorities of his new addresses.

Photos: Missing children in Iowa Alexandra Storm Hailey Coleman Jamira Debose Osbourne Breasia Terrell Julian Murray Daniela Salinas-mejia Jade Colvin Fredrick Workman Benjamin Roseland Erin Pospisil Marc Allen Eugene Martin John Gosch Kimberly Doss Colleen Simpson Caleb Williams Xavior Harrelson Alyssa Dluzak Fatima Conteh Daniela Vera-Ortega Xerxes Blaesing Jorge Peneda Castillo Anya Pritchard Desirae Gifford Daquan Nelson Diomarix Crespo
Combining humanitarian efforts with a practical agenda, Freedom's Haven for New Americans' Workforce wants to fill jobs in South Dakota while aiding Ukrainian refugees. Future Rapid City residents Lala Guliyeva and her sons are among the thousands of Ukrainian refugees South Dakota hopes to attract.

Refugees such as the Guliyevas could help fill some of about 30,000 current job openings in the state, said Michael Cartney, one of the founders of Freedom's Haven for New Americans' Workforce. Freedom's Haven ultimately aims to bring 5,000 to 10,000 Ukrainian refugees to South Dakota.

The states job vacancies are caused by multiple factors, including retirements and more than 3,100 deaths in South Dakota caused by COVID-19 since the pandemic began in 2020.

The Guliyeva family lived in Dnipro, Ukraine, but theyve left the war conditions there and currently are in Warsaw, Poland. They should be arriving in Rapid City sometime in the next few weeks. Guliyeva taught English in Ukraine and wants to teach in South Dakota. Her older son is 20 and hopes to get a job, while her younger son, 17, will finish high school, according to Judith Kennedy, the contact person in western South Dakota for Freedom's Haven for New Americans' Workforce.

The group hopes to help more Ukrainian refugees secure asylum and work in South Dakota. Dream Design International President Hani Shafai championed the launch of Freedom's Haven in the Rapid City region through a $50,000 matching donation, he announced last fall in a statement on his company website, dreamdesign.com.

A lot of (Ukrainian refugees) have professional careers, are very highly educated, and (are) familiar with industries that exist within our state, Shafai said.

Freedom's Haven was formed in 2022 by a joint effort of politicians, business leaders, communities, support agencies, sponsors, employers, clergy, Ukrainians and Cartney, who is the president emeritus of Lake Area Technical College in Watertown. Freedom's Havens role is to deal with obstacles that might otherwise hinder refugees from being able to move to South Dakota.

This originally started off with Lake Area Technical College, whose job is work force development, Carney said. How do we get more new Americans  legal immigrants, guest workers coming in on Visas? Were over 30,000 people short of being able to meet job demands in South Dakota. When war broke out in Ukraine, that urgency made (work force development) a priority We only have 700 people on unemployment (statewide). We always have companies that want to expand. We need people in South Dakota.

A charitable fund at the South Dakota Community Foundation was established to aid in bringing Ukrainian refugees to the state. About 60 businesses statewide in communities such as Watertown, Milbank, Mitchell, Arlington and Rapid City are offering jobs for Ukrainian refugees and helping identify practical needs in communities where refugees will relocate.

Theyre helping Freedom's Haven to identify everything from where is temporary and long-term housing to some of the sponsors when refugees need financial assistance. Maybe they need plane tickets to get their families here, Cartney said.

Theres a gauntlet of areas Freedom's Haven is looking at to help communities prepare for their new residents, he said. Watertown, for example, has set a target to attract 1,000 Ukrainian refugees. Cartney estimated Rapid City has about 1,200 Ukrainian refugees currently living here and plans to welcome more.

You cant have a significant-sized group of people come into a community and not have prepared for it. Is your school system ready? Do you have language support? Cartney said. If you have nobody on your police force that can talk to refugees, that would be an issue Were moving big obstacles for folks in these communities that want to do this Were trying to solve big problems for the state as a whole.

Shafai said South Dakotans have a duty and responsibility to help. God has given us the abilities  physically, mentally and financially  to help, not just ourselves, but other people. It is sad to see what people are experiencing, whether it is in Ukraine, Africa, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia or Europe.

Shafai, who grew up in the Gaza Strip, said the plight of Ukrainian refugees brought home some of the experiences I lived growing up. I was fortunate enough and blessed to be able to come to the United States (in 1981) and live the life that I live. I was given an opportunity that very few around the world have the ability to experience.

Cartney said people in South Dakota have been receptive to the idea of welcoming Ukrainian refugees.

Most people in South Dakota are not that many generations away from being immigrants ourselves, Cartney said, noting that his great-grandparents were immigrants who homesteaded in South Dakota.

Thats true for a lot of South Dakotans. Weve only been a state since the late 1800s. Its part of our core, and South Dakota is also a very welcoming state. The work ethic and the common sense in South Dakota really beats (places elsewhere). This is good for everybody thats here, Cartney said.

Anyone who wants to make financial donations to Freedom's Haven can contact the South Dakota Community Foundation. Contact Cartney at cartneym@lakeareatech.edu for more information about Freedom's Haven for New Americans' Workforce.
Daniel Ainslie announced this week he'll be leaving Sturgis' city manager position to become Director of Finance for the City of Rapid City.

Ainslie announced his resignation during the Sturgis City Council meeting on Monday that was scheduled to consider design services for the Sturgis Adventure Park as well as to hear from a city attorney to extend the Office of City Manager Subcommittee.

Council members passed a resolution to extend the subcommittee until Feb. 14, 2024, or the date on which the subcommittee is disbanded, whichever occurs first.

The subcommittee was established in January 2022 when the council passed a resolution in support of the office of city manager. The move to support the position came after three Sturgis residents circulated petitions to remove the office of the city manager.

The three had also filed a lawsuit in October 2022 against Ainslie, claiming the election procedure that authorized the city of Sturgis to hire a city manager was improperly called and he should pay back all of his salary and benefits since he was hired in 2011.

The plaintiffs claimed because the election procedure was allegedly called under a different statute under South Dakota Codified Law, that the city manager position was effectively invalid.

Ainslie said it was not these attempted reprimands that pushed him to leave.

"Honestly, there were a few people in the community that created a lot of animosity that did impact my family. But I think it was just time for new challenges," he said. "As city manager you're consumed by a multitude of different types of tasks so I am just looking forward to being more focused on just finance."

Ainslie has a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in social science and history from the University of the Pacific. After school, he stayed in the area and worked as the Development Manager for Merced, CA for seven years before moving to Sturgis.

Ainslie, who served as Sturgis City Manager for 11 years, said his experience has prepared him for the financial position in Rapid City.

"Sturgis, as well as other communities that I've worked for, has really worked for an elimination of redundancies so that there can be cost savings for the taxpayers. We also looked at other routes, to perhaps gain a little bit of additional revenue for our communities so that they're not as hyper-focused on property tax," he said.

In his new role, Ainslie says he'll work with Mayor Allender and the city council to serve Rapid City residents.

"I think that's the goal of any of the public employees is just making sure that we're able to implement the vision that the mayor and the council set forward. We are stewards of the taxpayer resources and trying to make sure that they get as much bang for their buck as possible," he said.

When Ainslie announced his departure, Monday's meeting descended to a melancholic mood. The council expressed remorse to let him leave including Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen, who said he believes the city has come a long way since it hired Ainslie and wouldnt be on such solid footing if it had not.

During his time as city manager, Daniel has stabilized the communitys finances, led the charge to add and rehabilitate significant infrastructure, as well as spearheaded residential and commercial growth. We will be hard pressed to replace him, Carstensen said.

"Sturgis is a community that I've loved working for," said Ainslie. "I love a lot of the people in our town, especially on the staff, and I have tremendous respect for the mayor. There's been just tremendous strides that have been made. And I love the generous heart of the community to try new things to try to make differences in their town."

Ainslie is indifferent about who replaces him, he says, but he wants them to have the right values in mind.

"I just hope it's someone that truly loves the community and is focused on ensuring that it remains an affordable place to live, but also expands quality of life of the residents. Our community center, library, public works, and our trail systems and, hopefully, the new adventure park, will provide a tremendous quality of life at a very affordable price," said Ainslie.

Ainslie has chosen to remain in the Black Hills.

"The Black Hills are a fantastic place. This is our home, we love it here," he said. "We love the quality of life, we love the people and their values here, and I think not just in the Black Hills, but in South Dakota and the Upper Midwest."
A Black Hawk man was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison after he was found guilty of attempted sex crimes following his ensnarement in a child sex trafficking sting during the Sturgis bike rally.

Federal Judge Jeffrey Viken sentenced Stephen Fontenot Jr., 40, of Black Hawk, to 17.5 years for attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, 10 years for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet, and five years for attempted receipt of child pornography. The sentences will run concurrent, and Fontenot will be placed on supervised release for five years following prison.

A federal jury in Rapid City found Fontenot guilty on Nov. 3, 2022.

Fontenot has maintained his innocence throughout the case. He was arrested during the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in a sex trafficking sting after trying to meet up with an agent posing as a 12-year-old girl. The yearly federal and local law enforcement sting has resulted in 79 convictions over the years, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins, who prosecuted Fontenot's case and called it "one of the most aggravated cases," out of the 79, noting that it's not common for people to try to meet up with someone so young.

Fontenot sent a message to the 12-year-old persona on Aug. 8, 2022 through the cellphone app MeetMe, which is used for dating and "hookups," an affidavit filed in the case states.

"Fontenot asked the agent's persona to have sex with him in the woods and to meet him at his house to have sex. The agent's persona was not willing to do that and agreed to meet with Fontenot first behind a hotel in Summerset before taking the persona into the woods to have sex. On Aug. 10 at 10:45 p.m., Fontenot showed up at the meet location and was then placed under arrest."

He had condoms when he was arrested, the affidavit states. Fontenot denied any intentions of having sex with the girl, claiming to law enforcement officers that he went to the meeting spot to counsel the girl instead.

"In my experience, that is a common assertion by arrestees in these types of cases," Robert Espinosa, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, stated in the affidavit.

Collins also highlighted the excuse when she addressed the court during Fontenot's hearing, stating it's a very common excuse used when people are arrested during the sting.

Fontenot said on Monday that news reports about his case resulted in him receiving an unfair trial. He also said he overheard jurors state during selection that they knew he was guilty. Collins said there was no more coverage of Fontenot's case than other sex sting cases, and if coverage had been an issue, "his very capable attorney could have come forward."

He also blamed news reports for trouble he had in the Pennington County Jail, adding he likely won't survive federal prison.

"A prison sentence is nothing more than a death sentence to me," Fontenot said. "I'd be better off on the front lines." Fontenot is a veteran.

Viken told Fontenot it is not his or anyone's intention that he doesn't survive his sentence. He also noted that Fontenot will require rehabilitation, although that will likely come after his prison sentence.

"Prison is for punishment," Viken said. "Rehabilitation is supervised released."

Fontenot's lawyer, Ellery Grey, asked the court to sentence Fontenot to the minimum required sentence for the attempted exploitation charge, which was 15 years in prison. Grey added that the defense wanted the court to run the other sentences concurrent to the 15-year sentence.

Grey also stated that his client and his wife both have health issues, and his parents were present in the courtroom showing their support. He also said that Fontenot is a very willing to help others and is handy.

"(He) would like to be home to help his wife," Grey said.

Federal sentencing guidelines suggested the judge sentence Fontenot, who has no prior criminal history, from 17.5 to 21 years and 10 months. Viken opted for the lower end of the guideline range, saying the sentence was adequate punishment.

Fontenot is one of the nine men who were arrested during the 2021 operation, and joined the ranks of local men who have spoken with undercover agents posing as minors.

Of the eight men arrested in the 2020 operation, six were local to the Black Hills. Of the nine arrested in the 2021 operation, only one lived out of state. Seven were from the Black Hills, and one lived on Ellsworth Air Force Base. The six arrested in 2022 were all local.

Viken said it was lost on him how Fontenot, a local, didn't know about the operation when he spoke to the agent.

Remaining cases move through the system

Of the nine arrested in the 2021 operation, three defendants  including Fontenot  have maintained their innocence.

James Dean Hanapel, 20, of Ellsworth Air Force Base at the time of his arrest, is charged with attempted enticement of a minor using the internet. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations, and his case resulted in a mistrial in October 2022 when the jury could not arrive at a unanimous verdict. A second trial is scheduled to start on April 4.

Clayton John Paulson, 36, of Spearfish is charged with attempted enticement of a minor using the internet. He pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to go to trial on April 26.

The remaining six entered plea deals, five of which have been sentenced.

Alec Walker Daniel, 23, of Rapid City was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2022 for attempted possession of child pornography after pleading guilty in December 2021. His release date is Aug. 8, after which he'll spend five years on supervised release.

Alexander Wayne Basaldu, 36, of Rapid City was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2022 for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet after pleading guilty in February 2022. His release date is Feb. 12, 2030, after which he'll spend five years on supervised release.

Joshua Robert Lehmann, 36, of Rapid City was sentenced to five years and five months in prison in July 2022 for attempted receipt of child pornography after pleading guilty in March 2021. His release date is Oct. 28, 2026, after which he'll spend five years on supervised release.

Jesse James Young, 37, of Box Elder was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison in December 2022 for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet after pleading guilty in August 2022. His release date is March 8, 2031, after which he'll spend five years on supervised release.

Christopher Thomas Dahl, 29, of New York was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet on Jan. 31 after pleading guilty in October 2022. He is currently held at the Pennington County Jail. He will serve five years on supervised release after he completes his sentence.

Anthony Kemp, 54, of Spearfish was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor using the internet, and attempted receipt of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to attempted receipt of child pornography in December 2022. His sentencing is scheduled for 11 a.m. on April 3.
The Box Elder Streets Division is getting some financial help from the U.S. Department of Transportation in the form of $48,000 from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program.

Box Elder is one of the fastest-growing communities in South Dakota, with 36 miles of roadway throughout. The grant funding will go towards an in-depth analysis of the existing roadway network.

There are other infrastructure projects in the works, with planned widening of Highway 14/16 and sewer improvements on the Radar Hill corridor. Public Information Officer Matt Connor said both of those thoroughfares are notoriously the worst areas for traffic safety in the Box Elder area.

The city is growing, with the B-21 Raider mission expected to arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base mid-decade, bringing several thousand new airmen and their families to the area.

Regardless, the Black Hills as a whole is growing, with Rapid City noted by the U.S. Census Bureau as the fastest-growing metro area in the Midwest and in the top 8% nationwide.

"If we look at a 10% growth rate in Box Elder, you can imagine in 10 years our population is going to double, so this analysis is going to be vital looking forward  not just for today," Connor said. "As the full ramp-up of all the military personnel for the B-21 come to the city, we want to make sure that our roadways and our side streets and our ingress and egress in and out of the city can handle the peak usage times."

As the city conducts the analysis, staff will work to identify and prioritize needs, including through a series of opportunities for public comment. Connor said city staff want locals to share areas that might not be on the radar, while also giving city officials the opportunity to talk about where and what they're looking to fix.

"It looks like it's just a traffic roadway safety study for the city  which is going to be a blessing with our transformation and our expansion  but further funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of Transportation are going to be available as a result of these studies," he said. "Hopefully we're going to make a very good case for continued design funding and construction funding to actually get these roadway improvements completed in a timely fashion."

A media release from the city of Box Elder indicates the total project cost is estimated at $60,330, about $12,000 more than the grant from the DOT. Connor explained that the city has some savings in the general fund, including savings on several road projects that went out for bid this year to help cover the gap.

The SS4A Program was funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and provides $5 billion over five years for regional, local and tribal projects.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) preliminary report indicated 42,915 people died in traffic crashes in 2021 alone, up 10.5% over 2020. It marks the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

"Every year, crashes cost tens of thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "We face a national emergency on our roadways and it demands urgent action. We are proud that these grants will directly support hundreds of communities as they prepare steps that are proven to make roadways safer and save lives."

According to that preliminary report, fatalities on rural interstate roads and urban arterial roads both jumped 15%, while deaths on local collector roads rose 20%. Motorcycle fatalities increased 9%, pedestrian fatalities 13%, and cyclist deaths by 5%. An NHTSA report released in 2023 shows a $340 billion cost to society due to traffic crashes in 2019.

The next $1.1 billion funding opportunity is expected to be released in April.

At the same time, the Federal Highways Administration awarded $21 million to 70 tribal governments to improve road safety, including 16 tribes that have not participated in the program before and will be developing their very first transportation safety plans.

That funding comes from the Tribal Transportation Safety Fund, which saw in influx of capital from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at $3 billion for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026.

This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will not only improve safety on Tribal roads for drivers, but it will improve safety and accessibility for other users such as road work crews, pedestrians and bicyclists, said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. Were pleased to help Tribes implement these projects that will help save lives in Tribal communities.

In South Dakota, the following tribes received funding:

 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe: $1,287,876.27 for the Cheyenne River-Ziebach County Route 55 Realignment Safety Project

 Crow Creek Sioux Tribe: $7,500 to update an existing transportation safety plan; $62,609 for the design of improvements to address roadway departures on BIA Routes 2, 4 and 23; $458,618.63 for the construction of improvements to address roadway departure on BIA Route 23

 Lower Brule Sioux Tribe: $7,500 to update an existing transportation safety plan

 Oglala Sioux Tribe: $50,000 for road safety audits of high-risk BIA routes; $1,166,800 for phase one of the BIA 4 road and guardrail improvement project

 Rosebud Sioux Tribe: $45,000 for speed radar trailers; $697,963 for phase one of the Antelope and White Horse communities pedestrian connectivity project; $54,581 for the design phase of the Turtle Creek pathway

 Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate: $104,383.77 for preliminary engineering on the BIA 5 shoulder widening project

 Yankton Sioux Tribe: $508,376.45 for the Wagner pathway project; $45,000 for a speed radar trailer
The Oglala Sioux Tribe is heading to federal court in Rapid City Wednesday following a lawsuit the tribe filed against the United States for alleged treaty violations.

Testimony will begin at 9 a.m. at the Andrew Bogue Federal Building on allegations from the tribe claiming the federal government failed to provide adequate law enforcement officers to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The lawsuit alleges the United States violated treaty obligations for law enforcement, which caused violent crime to rise on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Chief Judge Roberto Lange will hear opening statements and arguments over two full days  Wednesday and Thursday.

The tribe filed the lawsuit in July 2022. The complaint involves a shortage of law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which is roughly 5,400 square miles or 3.1 million acres, larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the reservation is home to just over 19,000, although the tribe states in its complaint that 40,000 people reside or conduct business on Pine Ridge.

The tribe alleges the government provides enough funding for 33 police officers and eight criminal investigators to cover the sprawling reservation land, leaving only six to eight officers per shift.

That number exposes officers to "extraordinary danger" and "unreasonable amounts of overtime" in addition to requiring them to patrol alone and respond to dangerous calls without proper backup, the lawsuit alleges. Response times often exceed 30 minutes and 911 calls are abandoned simply because there are not enough officers, the complaint states.

In the lawsuit, the tribe referenced a 2018 Bureau of Indian Affairs report that states the standard for law enforcement officers is 2.8 per 1,000 people. Service populations under 600 could operate with fewer, according to the report.

According to the BIA's scalable model, if a tribe has a service population between 16,251-19,500, the basic 2.8 per 1,000 metric should be doubled.

That places the reservation's need at 107 officers, although the lawsuit states that number should be a minimum of 112 based on their assessment of 40,000 people who operate within the tribe's law enforcement service area.

"When the federal government helps to create a mess, it must contribute to cleaning it up," the complaint states.

The tribe argues its case on the basis of the 1825 Treaty and the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868. It writes that the 1825 Treaty was one of the "earliest federal commitments to impose U.S. criminal law in Oglala territory, and to provide basic federal law enforcement services in Oglala."

But the government disagrees, stating there is "no language that can be interpreted as obligating the United States to provide a particular number of law enforcement officers, or funding therefore, to the Tribe."

The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 states that the United States promised "to protect the aforesaid Indian nations against the commission of all depredations by the people of the said United States in exchange for the tribes allowing the government to establish roads, military and other posts within tribal territory.

The government argues that treaty does not require the United States to provide any specific funding to the tribes for law enforcement, but rather general protection.
For her 100th book club pick, Oprah Winfrey relied on the same instincts she has drawn upon from the start: Does the story move her? Does she think about it for days after? In a work of fiction, do the characters seem real to her?
Medicaid covers 30% of Montanas working-age maids, child care workers, food preparation workers, cooks and bakers, according to one of two new reports recently released that examine the health and economic impacts of Medicaid and the states expansion program.

Among adult Medicaid recipients who work, about half are employed within just 20 occupations, from personal care aids to cashiers and waitstaff to retail salespeople, farmers, ranchers and janitors, among other jobs.

The author of the study examining the economic effects of Medicaid and its expansion in Montana is Bryce Ward, who said he wanted to look at employment characteristics to put a human face on the data.

Its just my way of trying to (take) one step more toward personalizing these people, Ward, who operates his own economic analysis consulting firm, said in an interview this week.

If you are at a restaurant, 30% of the cooks at that restaurant have Medicaid on average; 34% of maids and housekeepers, these are 31% of child care workers. I might interact with some of these people or at least I have some vague sense of who they are. Were talking about a third, thats a high percentage, and we dont walk around telling people 'I'm on Medicaid expansion.'"

A lot of the ways we talk about people who receive Medicaid or all forms of public assistance, there tends to be a dehumanization of it a lot of times, Ward continued.

The duo of reports, Wards and an annual document reviewing the performance of Medicaid in Montana, both show the program is working to increase access to care, reduce the reliance on using emergency departments and help people move to more preventative services. The information also shows Montanas Medicaid expansion program more than pays for itself through savings to the state budget from an increased federal match for the program and higher revenues from increased economic activity.

The annual report is funded by the Montana Healthcare Foundation and the economic report is paid for by MHF and the Headwaters Foundation.

Dr. Aaron Wernham is CEO of the Montana Healthcare Foundation and said he was struck by how the list of occupations most frequently covered overlaps with people classified as essential workers during the COVID-19 shutdown.

We know these people are doing jobs that are absolutely essential to the rest of us, Wernham said in an interview this week. They keep society running, they keep children cared for, they keep us stocked with food and keep the supply chain going.

The Montana Healthcare Foundation's annual report is meant to understand if the program is holding up to its intended goal of improving health in the state. Reviews have show thats the case, and that the program pays for itself and also generates a massive amount of increased economic activity in the state.

Overall were continuing to build on how the program is really achieving its aims, Wernham said.

The annual report shows that people are accessing preventive services, which appears to be contributing to the reduced use of higher-cost emergency and inpatient services, Wernham said. That translates to lower costs over the years people are enrolled.

In 2021 more than 15,470 adults covered on expansion had preventive or wellness exams, according to the report. Across all Medicaid programs, there were more than 62,000 wellness exams, 118,000 preventive dental services and more than 45,000 non-COVID-19 vaccinations.

In 2021, those covered by expansion had 2,117 newly diagnosed cases of hypertension and there were 6,611 treated for the disease. About 1,090 were diagnosed with diabetes and 3,506 were treated. Figures were even higher for mental health treatment, with 34,156 receiving care in 2021 and 5,750 getting substance use treatment.

Thats really painting a picture of the type of early screening and diagnoses and treatment we hoped to see in the program and people are using the program that way, Wernham said.

The annual report also showed that previous data indicating evidence people are using emergency departments less is continuing to play out. In their first year of enrollment, about 4,200 people with substance use disorder went to emergency departments, but by their third year that figure dropped 10%. Emergency department use for dental problems like loss of teeth dropped even more dramatically, down 37% over three years.

The report also shows that people are shifting their care, along with corresponding cost changes, to more preventive options.

This all paints a picture of a program doing what it was supposed to do to improve the health of Montana and help contain the costs as well, Wernham said.

The reports both show that a majority of those covered by expansion are working, with 66% working in some capacity and 76% either working full- or part-time or attending school. Only 4% are not working and report no impediments to work. Ward added that Montanans on Medicaid are more likely to work than those in other states, which would include states with work requirement programs.

The economic-focused report found that some of the economic impacts, especially at a county level, are hard to track, but the total number of jobs supported by Medicaid expansion is equal to 0.7% of total county employment in a median county. That's much larger  1.3%  in health care centers like Yellowstone or Missoula counties.

To put that into context, Ward said 1.3% of jobs in Missoula County would be equal to everyone working in the real estate industry, or the number of people working at gas stations.

Take out that 1% and thats noticeable, Ward said. Many recessions don't even decline by that amount.

Ward also pointed out most of the jobs are in health care, which tends to offer relatively high wages and stability.

Medicaid expansion also has a higher reimbursement rate, with the federal government picking up 90% of the costs. That means the state can shift people from lower-reimbursed programs to expansion, which saves between $32-$49 million a year, or about half of the cost of the expansion program. The report also estimates Medicaid expansion's coverage of substance use and mental health programs and a shift in inmate hospital costs has saved the state $13.8 million, which is about 15% of the program's cost.

"Even without accounting for additional ripple effects from Medicaid expansion on the state budget ... budget savings attributable to expansion offset roughly 59-83% of the state's share of expansion costs."

Additionally, a special revenue fund created in the 2019 bill to continue expansion covered $53.4 million, or 58%, of the state's expansion costs.

The report also found that shifting who pays for health care from individuals to a program thats mostly paid for by the federal government has meant Montana households have from $250-$300 million more to spend in other parts of the economy.

The store, gym, rent, whatever it is, I now get to spend that money elsewhere in the economy and  its a couple hundred million, that's a lot of money, Ward said.

Ward's report also found that in addition to the 71% of people who received Medicaid working in the year they had coverage, the program also did not change the propensity for low-income Montanans to work. The work requirement provision in a 2019 bill that reauthorized Medicaid expansion was stalled following federal action.

There are big changes coming for Medicaid in Montana, first with the start of the redetermination process in April. That will be when the state starts reviewing the qualifications of enrollees after a pause put in place during the pandemic.

There are concerns that people who still remain qualified for coverage may lose it because they miss communications from the state health department.

The big concern about unwinding here and across the country is really that its very possible that some of the people you care most about keeping on Medicaid are the most likely to lose Medicaid, Wernham said. People with serious mental illness or substance use  have had to move around a little bit to get treatment and dont have a current address in the system, or on reservations or very rural areas that dont have reliable mail. There are going to be the people that are very vulnerable from a health standpoint as well as maybe having some barriers to completing the redetermination in a timely way.

The annual study showed that about two-thirds of those covered by expansion are from rural parts of the state.

The next big hurdle is in 2025, when the state's expansion program will end unless legislators that year pass a bill to continue it. While that's still two years away, Wernham said groups are already working to provide lawmakers with information about the program and its economic effects.
Musician Rosanne Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash, is heading to Richmond this week.

Cashs Friday night concert at the Modlin Center sold out shortly after tickets were announced last year.

But tickets to the free talk with Cash on Thursday at Camp Concert Hall at 7 p.m. are still available. Admission is free, but visitors must register for a ticket at https://tickets.modlin.richmond.edu/events.

Cash will join moderator Jenny Cavenaugh, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Richmond, for a discussion on the relationship between creative expression and womens leadership development.

Cash received the Visionary Leadership Award in 2019 from The International Festival of Arts & Ideas, which honors a leader whose work impacts the world. She has released 15 albums of songs that have earned 15 Grammy Award nominations and four wins. She is an advocate against gun violence and is a longtime board member of PAX and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Cash headlined the Richmond Folk Festival in 2012 and drew record crowds of 15,000 to 20,000. She previously performed at the Modlin Center in 2014.
An 18-year-old motorist is accused of hitting a Richmond police officer with his car during a disruption on the Lee Bridge on Friday night.

Officers were called to the 700 block of South Belvidere Street at about 10:40 p.m. after there was a report of the southbound lanes being shut down by an illegal gathering of a car club, police said in a statement.

Hundreds of individuals and cars were engaged in dangerous, unlawful activity on the Lee Bridge, police said.

Police said Ryan Anderson, 18, hit the officer, who was taken to a local hospital with an injury described as non- life-threatening. A stolen gun was found in the car, police said.

Anderson was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a stolen firearm, concealed firearm, blocking a roadway and dangling objects on a mirror.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (804) 646-1712 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
A Rockville man found guilty last year of killing his girlfriend more than 25 years ago in an unusual case tried without the victims body died Tuesday before he could be sentenced. The charge against him will now likely be dismissed.

Hours after learning that John H. Howard, 64, died after being transferred from Riverside Regional Jail to VCU Medical Center pending his Feb. 21 sentencing hearing, defense attorney Greg Sheldon filed a motion in Chesterfield County Circuit Court to dismiss the indictment against his client based on the abatement doctrine.

Abatement is the dismissal or discontinuance of a legal proceeding for a reason unrelated to the merits of a case. In criminal prosecutions, abatement traditionally has been limited to circumstances where the defendant dies prior to a final resolution of the case in the trial court, Sheldon wrote in his motion.

It is clear that when a defendant dies before the trial court has confirmed a verdict by a final order of judgment, the death of the defendant causes the prosecution to abate, Sheldon added. Obviously, subsequent to the death of the defendant there is no one upon whom the trial court can impose a final judgment.

Consequently, the law requires dismissal of Howards conviction and indictment, the attorney said in his filing.

Last month, the Richmond Commonwealths Attorneys Office took similar action after Vance Holloway, awaiting sentencing on his conviction of first-degree murder, died Dec. 12 in the Richmond Jail  six weeks before he was to have been sentenced.

Given that a prosecution is not final until a sentence has been imposed, the court had no option other than to abate the prosecution, Richmond Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Michael Hollomon said at the time.

Howard had stage 4 cancer and suffered from other ailments that may have contributed to his death.

He was granted bond before his August trial and had been living with his daughter in Arizona until November, when his bond was revoked after Chesterfield Circuit Court Judge Lynn Brice denied a defense motion to strike the evidence on the grounds that it was insufficient as a matter of law to sustain a conviction.

Howard was then remanded to Riverside Regional Jail, and he was moved to VCU Medical Center in late January due to health problems.

Neither Sheldon nor Chesterfield Commonwealths Attorney Stacey Davenport, who prosecuted Howard with two assistants, would comment on Howards death and its ramifications, citing a gag order that was imposed last year by Brice. The gag order barred both sides from commenting on the case until its conclusion.

However, Brice is no longer sitting on the bench. Brices six-year term expired in December, after she failed to win re-election by the General Assembly subsequent to losing the support of half of the state legislators who served Chesterfield and Colonial Heights.

After deliberating for about seven hours at the end of a weeklong trial in August, a Chesterfield jury returned a guilty verdict against Howard in the disappearance and murder of his then-girlfriend, Linda Lunsford. She was a 38-year-old mother of five, and worked at Walmart at the time.

Lunsford suddenly disappeared on Dec. 26, 1996, after she and Howard finished their shifts at the Walmart just off Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield. Her Nissan Sentra was found in front of the Food Lion store in the Village Marketplace Shopping Center, just west of Walmart. Lunsford and Howard had a contentious on-and-off relationship.

Howards conviction marked the third time in a little over six years that the Chesterfield Commonwealths Attorneys Office succeeded in prosecuting men for killing their girlfriends without bodies being found. The other cases were in 2016 and 2017.

The Howard case may have been more challenging due to the time that passed since the victims disappearance.

A no-body homicide case has two main hurdles: proving the victim is deceased, and proving the victims death was the result of a homicide. Examination of a body usually provides significant direct evidence of a crime.

In cases where no body is recovered, there can be no autopsy and no photographs of injuries or clothing, among other things. Under those circumstances, prosecutors must present a large amount of circumstantial evidence, rather than the direct forensic evidence jurors typically expect to see.

Howard had maintained his innocence from the beginning. Before the jury began its deliberations, Sheldon asked the judge to strike the prosecutions evidence, arguing the prosecution had failed to prove Lunsford was, in fact, deceased, and further, had failed to prove that Howard caused her death if indeed she was dead.

The judge did not immediately make a ruling at trial, opting to take the motion under advisement until a hearing could be held. But Brice then denied the motion at the conclusion of the Nov. 15 hearing.

Howards scheduled Feb. 21 sentencing hearing will still be held, but it will be devoted to whether Howards case should be dismissed.
The movement toward marriage equality is the perfect metaphor in Americas quest for a more perfect union.

As hard as it may be to recall, the idea of legal same-sex marriage was a nonstarter in Virginia not so long ago. In 2006, 57% of Virginians who cast a ballot voted to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. The amendment also banned same-sex civil unions, domestic partnerships and any relationship between unmarried couples that approximates marriage.

Sen. Tim Kaine was governor of Virginia when voters ratified the amendment. At the time, Kaine  a former civil rights lawyer  argued that the measure went too far in its potentially adverse impact on unmarried people engaged in private contracts.

The governor has repeatedly said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman, and he also believes that current Virginia law makes that clear. But he believes the second half of this proposed amendment just overreaches, his then-spokesman, Kevin Hall, said at the time.

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, the former ACLU of Virginia director who led the coalition against the amendment, lamented the outcome after it was ratified.

How can you not be disappointed when Virginia has made the statement it made, which was that we are going to write discrimination into the constitution? she said.

Times and attitudes have shifted dramatically since then. Its past time for Virginia to make another statement, this time against discrimination.

Senators Mark Warner and Kaine agree. As detailed in Tuesdays Richmond Times-Dispatch, they are urging the General Assembly to repeal the shameful ban.

It is long past time that Virginias governing document conveys to same-sex marriages the same freedoms, rights, and responsibilities that are afforded to all other constitutional marriages. We urge you to work with your colleagues to advance legislation for a referendum that would fully protect Virginias LGBTQ couples, Warner and Kaine wrote.

Inscribing bigotry into the state constitution was a dreadful idea whose time would quickly pass.

Today, seven out of 10 people in America support same-sex marriage, according to polling conducted by Gallup last May that showed a majority of Republicans also in support.

Given the numbers, its difficult to understand the recalcitrance of Republicans in the House of Delegates. I can only conclude that they are awaiting a more bigoted season.

Or a gift-wrapped reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court on marriage equality. After all, the high court overturned Roe v. Wade, another ruling that had enjoyed majority support.

The 2015 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Obergefell v. Hodges, recognized same-sex marriage as protected by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Marriage equality appeared to be settled law. And then came last years ruling by the court, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade  with justice Clarence Thomas in a concurring opinion suggesting that the court should revisit similarly decided erroneous decisions, including Obergefell. Unnamed in his concurrence is the similarly decided Loving v. Virginia decision striking down state bans on interracial marriage. Thomas apparently is unbothered by the implications on his own interracial marriage.

During a recent anti-abortion march at the state Capitol, Gov. Glenn Youngkin  who avoided the abortion issue during his gubernatorial campaign  said: Virginians elected a pro-life governor, and the one thing I do know is Virginians want fewer abortions, not more abortions. But fewer than one-quarter of Virginians surveyed want more restrictions on abortion, according to poll results released in January by The Wason Center at Christopher Newport University.

Kaine and Warner both supported the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden in December ensuring that same-sex and interracial marriages are recognized by every state.

The Obergefell decision, which is currently the law of the land, overrides Virginias ban. However, if the Supreme Court overturns Obergefell, the right of LGBTQ Virginians to marry in the Commonwealth would be jeopardized unless that ban is repealed, Kaine and Warner said in a statement in December.

If Obergefell teaches us anything, its that a change of heart, or of law, is always potentially around the corner. Or to be wary of states that seem to be hedging their bets.

Alabama, in 2000, became the final state to repeal an interracial marriage ban in its constitution, 33 years after Loving v. Virginia made such bans unconstitutional. Remarkably, 40% of Alabama voters opposed the repeal.

On the other hand, voters in four states  Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont  voted last November to change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime, which is still allowed by the 13th Amendment. America needs to be headed in that direction.

Our foundational documents remain stained with bigotry. Until they reflect a more perfect union, well always fall short.

Close Tim Kaine photographed with Nat, his first son, in 1990. Tim Kaine became mayor in 1998 after winning a third two-year term on Richmonds City Council. Richmond Mayor Timothy Kaine listens during a council meeting at City Hall on 11/23/98. He is flanked by Richmond Vice-Mayor Rudy McCollum Jr (left) and Richmond Interim City Manager Connie Bawcum. Richmond City Council members Tim Kaine and Viola Baskerville check out a water-damaged ceiling at Armstrong High School. The roof at the then-43-year-old building had been patched but never replaced. Richmond Mayor Timothy Kaine acknowledges members in the audience during his State of the City address at the City Council meeting 1/11/99. Mayor Timothy Kaine, who resigned from Richmond City Council, Sept. 10, 2001, displays to council a print given to him by his staff as a gift during council meeting. Newly-elected mayor of Richmond Timothy M. Kaine, addresses the crowd at City Council chambers July 1, 1998 after being sworn in. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine listens to people lined up to speak in opposition to the hiring of Calvin D. Jamison as City Manager during a council meeting at City Hall on 11/23/98. After City Council colleagues elected him mayor of Richmond, Tim Kaine addressed spectators, family and friends on July 1, 1998, at City Hall. Lt. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine (left) and Gov.-elect Mark R. Warner celebrate their victories at the Richmond Marriott Nov. 6, 2001. Timothy M. Kaine (left) the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, greets his Republican counterpart, Jay Katzen on Oct. 5, 2001, just before their debate at the University of Richmond. Kaine was a former mayor of Richmond and Katzen was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Soichi Aikawa (far right) mayor of Urawa, Japan, Richmond's sister city, Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine and Richmond City Council member Gwen Hedgepeth took turns helping to plant a sweet osmanthus tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens at 1800 Lakeside Ave. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, governor Timothy M. Kaine and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, undertake a walkabout on Capitol Square, from the executive mansion to the South portico of the capitol in Richmond on Thursday, May 3, 2007. The walkabout was lined by extraordinary Virginians who have made great contributions to the Commonwealth. The 54 people who won the Royal Walkabout Lottery also lined the queen's path. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine reads a book at Cople Elementary School in Westmoreland County on June 7, 2002. Timothy M. Kaine gives supporters a hug as he walks on stage at the Richmond Marriott to celebrate his victory for lieutenant governor Nov. 6, 2001. His father-in-law, former Gov. Linwood Holton, is on the right. On March 1, 2004, state Sen. Russ Potts, R-Winchester (right) smiled as Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine talked about a Senate resolution honoring Potts, a former athletic administrator who had been named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. State Sen. Thomas K. Norment, Jr., R-James City (center, back to camera) waits for an answer to a technical question posed to (from left) Senate Clerk Susan Clarke Schaar, Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, and Deputy Senate Clerk John Garrett, during a break in the floor session of the Virginia Senate on Feb. 20, 2004, at the state Capitol in Richmond. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine addresses the media following a closed-door session in which the status of Leonidas Young (far right) as a member of city council was discussed in light of his recent legal troubles. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine wipes away a tear while laughing during a roast in his 'honor' at the Jefferson Hotel on Nov. 15, 1999 to raise funds for the Emergency Shelter Inc. Jelena Matkovic, 19, of Serbia locates her hometown on a map for Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Aug. 2, 2002 at the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School. Kaine spoke to a group of international students participating in Project B.R.I.D.G.E., an intensive 12-day leadership workshop hosted by the Council for America's First Freedom. From left are Davorka Zadro, 18, of Croatia; Matkovic, Stephanie Byers, 17 of Chesterfield County; and Karl Mercer, 15, of Hanover County. Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine relaxes in his Richmond office Nov. 7, 2001, the morning after winning the race for the state's second-highest office. Retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark (left) speaks with Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine during the Democratic Party of Virginia's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond Feb. 7, 2004. Mayor Timothy M. Kaine cuts the ribbon during the YMCA's dedication of the new Capital One Outreach Center and The Mary Morton Parsons Wellness Center on March 2, 2000. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine at Richmond City Council meeting on 7/26/99. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine gave his wife, first lady Anne Holton, a kiss after he finished his State of the Commonwealth speech before the joint legislative session in Richmond, Jan. 16, 2006. Mattaponi Indian Chief Carl Lone Eagle Custalow (left) presents the annual tax tribute from members of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Indian tribes to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and first lady Anne Holton at the Executive Mansion in Richmond Nov. 22, 2006. The traditional ceremony was held inside the mansion due to the rain. A treaty signed in 1646 calls for the tribes to make an annual offering to the governor, traditionally the day before Thanksgiving, in lieu of paying taxes. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine talks with a visitor just before the Richmond City Council meeting on July 9, 2001. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine greets the crowd after his victory on Nov. 8, 2005. On board the back of a fire department vehicle, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine tours the flooded downtown area of Franklin, Va. with a truck load of members of the media on Oct. 10, 2006. Stanley Lowe, vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservaton (left) talked with Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine (right) before addressing a gathering at the Black History Museum in the Jackson Ward section of Richmond, June 25, 2001, where he announced that the Historic Jackson Ward Landmark District had been named one of the 11 most endangered historic places in the country. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine received a salute from Virginia state troopers as he arrived at the old Capitol in Williamsburg to be sworn in as governor. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine waves along the route of the Ukrop's Christmas parade. Barbara Miller, of Richmond, takes first lady Anne Holton's driver's license at the Main Street Station polling station around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning as her husband, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, waits his turn. Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine cycles spent cartridges out of his gun after a round of skeet shooting before a news conference Aug. 26, 2005, in Hardy, Va. Kaine stressed his outdoors lifestyle and support for the 2nd Amendment. Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the Democratic nominee for governor, watches returns on the internet on Nov. 8, 2005 in Richmond. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine delivers his first State of the Commonwealth speech Jan. 16, 2006. At rear left is House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, and rear right is Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. Gov. Mark R. Warner (right, front) and Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (second from left) raft through the Hollywood Rapids of the James River to promote Virginia tourism. Warner's daughter, Gillian, is seated next to him. Governor Timothy M. Kaine and his wife Anne Holton leave a ceremony held in remembrance of the fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001. The governor was joined by other elected officials, the Virginia National Guard Color Guard, first responders and other public safety officials. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and first lady Anne Holton watch President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address inside the Executive Mansion in Richmond, on Jan. 31, 2006. Virginia Lt. Gov. and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine speaks at the Labor Day Parade Monday, Sept. 6, 2004, in Buena Vista, Va. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine speaks during an informal press conference in the lobby of the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, VA Friday, Feb. 2, 2007. Virginia Governor-elect Tim Kaine reacts to applause from the Richmond Renaissance at the organization's annual meeting at the Jefferson Hotel. Kaine addressed the group. Tim Kaine speaks during the gubernatorial debate against Jerry Kilgore at the Hilton McLean in Tysons Corner on Tuesday, September 13, 2005. Gov. Tim Kaine, visiting Richmond International Raceway for the Crown Royal 400, chatted with fans in the infield. Here, he poses for a picture with Sunsiri Martin of Sandston. Philip Vasquez, head of the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia, holds up a paper signed, in Spanish, by Virginia Governor-elect Tim Kaine, after he met the media and announced his transition team during a news conference in Richmond, VA Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005. Gov. Tim Kaine delivers the keynote speech at the 2006 Winter Commencement Convocation at Virginia State University in Petersburg Saturday. (Lisa Billings/For the Times-Dispatch) Lt. Governor Timothy Kaine, during an interview with reporter Frank Green on 1/9/04. Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine takes aim while shooting skeet in Hardy, Va., before a news conference Friday, Aug. 26, 2005. Kaine stressed his outdoors lifestyle and support for the 2nd Amendment. Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (left) listens as Gov. Tim Kaine discusses his action on firearms background checks during a press conference at the Patrick Henry Building at Capitol Square in Richmond. Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner, left, receives a standing ovation from cabinet members and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, right, as he enters the committee room of the General Assembly Building in Richmond to present his budget proposals to the joint House and Senate money committees Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003. Gov. Tim Kaine is greeted by his wife, Anne Holton, as he arrives to deliver his first State of the Commonwealth speech on Monday 1/16/06. Tim Kaine briefly donned a Krispy Kreme hat to show his affection for the shop at 4910 W. Broad St., which was holding an auction of some Krispy Kreme memorabilia for charity. The shop is actually across the city line in Henrico, and Kaine joked about attempts by the city to annex the donut shop. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine (left) and Gov. Mark Warner share a smile as they meet with reporters outside the Executive Mansion on Friday, Nov. 11, 2005. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine during an interview July 7, 1998. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine chaired a City Council meeting at Richmond city hall on July 26, 1999. Virginia Lt. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at a news conference Tuesday morning, May 31, 2005, on the steps of the Bristol, Va., courthouse. Kaine, a Democrat who is running for the governor's seat, outlined his economic plan for Southwest Virginia. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, right, tries to get the attention of a Senator after the vote to over ride his ruling against a request that would have stripped Sen. H. Russell Potts, Jr., R-Winchester, left, of committee assignments and chairmanship during the floor session of the Virginia Senate at the State Capitol in Richmond, VA, Wednesday, April 6, 2005. Some members of the Senate Republicans are trying to oust Potts after he declared he is running for Governor as an independent. Democratic Tim Kaine, left, shakes hands with Republican Jerry Kilgore, right, as Dr. Larry Sabato, center, watches after the last in a series of Kaine-Kilgore gubernatorial debates in Richmond on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005. Former Virginia Governor and current Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, left, announced in Richmond his endorsement Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005 for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, right, during a news conference in a city park overlooking the skyline. Gov. Tim Kaine awaits his turn to speak at the Virginia21 Leadership luncheon. At the table with him is Catherine Tobin, left, of the University of Virginia; and Greg Paulsen of James Madison University. Gov. Tim Kaine and first lady Anne Holton arrive at the Main Street Station polling station around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning to cast their votes. They are greeted by an energetic Amber Smith, who was there representing her mother Chandra Smith, a 6th district candidate for the Richmond School Board. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, center, received the backing of former Virginia Governor and current Richmond, VA Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, right, during an announcement in Richmond on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005 in a city park overlooking the Richmond skyline. Gov. Tim Kaine delivers the keynote speech at a luncheon sponsored by Virginia21 Thursday at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton Kaine embrace on stage during his acceptance speech. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, left, shakes hands with Stephen King during a campaign fundraiser for Jim Webb in Charlottesville, Va., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006. Gov. Tim Kaine and first lady Anne Holton kick off the 68th National Folk Festival 10/13/06 Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, shares a laugh with publisher Tom Silvestri, center, and Ross Mackenzie, right, editor of the editorial page, as he meets with the Times-Dispatch editorial board in Richmond on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005. Nat Dance, owner of Boss night club, talks about the problem of how to handle the late-night crowds that hang out on and near West Broad Street in the VCU area. From left: city manager Calvin Jamison, city council member Denise McQuinn, Sa'ad El Amin, and mayor Tim Kaine. They were in the parking lot of the Community Pride at West Grace Street and Harrison Street. It was just after 2 a.m. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and daughter, Annella, 7, talk with Bill Lohmann, right, and son, Jack, 6, during the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Va., on Friday, August 9, 2002. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine play a harmonica to the tune "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" with the group No Speed Limit during an inaugural concert at William and Mary Hall in Williamsburg, Friday, Jan. 13, 2005. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine interacts with children at John B. Cary Elementary school after a ribbon cutting ceremony dedicating the train caboose on its campus into a center for art and science. Members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) listen to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine at an AARP rally in Capitol Square. Hundreds are calling for improvements in long-term care services. Governor Tim Kaine casts his ballot at Main Street Station around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne, give the thumbs up to passing units from the reviewing stand during the Inaugural Parade in Williamsburg, Va. Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine shows off his "I Voted" sticker after casting his ballot in Richmond on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003. One of the items on the local ballot was a proposition to call for an at-large elected mayor for the city of Richmond. Kaine, a former mayor of the city, favors the proposal. Tim Kaine and his family joke around as they walk a block from his Confederate Avenue home to the Hermitage Methodist Home voting precinct Tues. Nov. 8, 2005. From left, son Nat Kaine, 15, Kaine's father, Al Kaine, Kaine's 13-year-old son Woody. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine speaks to a group of 800 boys at The American Legion Boys State of Virginia, Thursday June 22, 2006, on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Kaine spent about an hour speaking to the boys and answering questions from the students about education policy, economic development in Southside and same-sex marriage. On his way out, Kaine collected letters from the boys to deliver to Virginia Girls State in Farmville, Va., where he spoke later in the afternoon. Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (center) and their mother First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton unveil Gov. Tim Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine speaks to the press at the Virginia Summit on Economic Competitiveness and Higher Education, sponsored by Grow By Degrees, at the Richmond Convention Center on Thursday, October 1, 2009. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (right) and James M. Guyette, President and CEO, Rolls-Royce North America, both spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of an aerospace facility in Prince George County. Behind them is a Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey which uses Rolls-Royce engines. The aircraft was flown in from New River, NC by US Marines. Gov. Tim Kaine, L, tries out the buttons on the passenger seat on the first JetBlue arrival at RIC. At right is JetBlue founder and CEO David Neeleman pointing out the features available to passengers. Governor Tim Kaine listens to a question about the measures to be taken for Virginias budget shortfall during a press conference Tuesday, September 8, 2009. Deputy Secretary of Finance Daniel S. Timberlake is on the right. Gov. Tim Kaine talks with International Paper mill employee David Johnson at the mill in Franklin, Va. during shift change on Oct. 30, 2009. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the beginning of a meeting of the Governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates. At left is Senator Charles J. Colgan; on the right is Secretary Richard D. Brown, Virginia's Secretary of Finance. Va. Governor Tim Kaine answers questions about yesterday's elections, first covering his role in facilitating the transition to Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's team, and second as national chair of the DNC. Kaine dismissed the notion that wins by Republicans were a referendum on President Obama. Gov. Tim Kaine visits Home Team Grill in Richmond to recognize the enactment of the Virginia smoking ban and encourage Virginians to support their local smoke-free restaurants and bars. Here, Garland Taylor (left), managing partner of Home Team Grill, applauds the governor's support of the ban. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, canoe in the James River near the Boulevard Bridge. Gov. Kaine and his wife --avid fans of the James -- spent the morning on the river with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Eight other boats -- kayaks, rafts, and canoes -- accompanied Kaine and the first lady. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine answers a caller's question during WRVA's monthly "Ask the Governor" program. Gov. Tim Kaine (L) and former Gov. and presidential aspirant Mark Warner (C) shake hands along the route during the Labor Day Parade in Buena Vista. (From left) Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Richmond mayor Dwight Jones and City Council president Kathy Graziano, 4th district, sign a conservation easement to protect the James River Park from development on Friday, May 29, 2009. The signing ceremony took place on Brown's Island, in Richmond. Todd Culbertson, editor of the Editorial Page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, left, talks with outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine during Kaine's visit to the newspaper offices. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton canoe in the James River near Belle Isle. Gov. Kaine and his wife spent the morning on the James with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton canoe in the James River near the Boulevard Bridge. Gov. Kaine and his wife --avid fans of the James -- spent the morning on the river with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Eight other boats -- kayaks, rafts, and canoes -- accompanied Kaine and the first lady. U.S. President Barack Obama greets Virginia governor Tim Kaine before speaking at the Rally for Virginia at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (right) look on as their parents, First lady of Virginia Anne Holton and Gov. Tim Kaine, kiss after the unveiling of Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the opening of CenterStage. Gov. Tim Kaine visited the Editorial Board of The Richmond Times-Dispatch to recap his four year term as governor. (From left) Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Richmond mayor Dwight Jones arrive on Brown's Island, in Richmond, on Friday to sign a conservation easement to protect the James River Park from development. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine speaks with Annesha Sengupta, 10, at the Cultural Center of India in Chesterfield County. Annesha had just performed a traditional Indian dance. Kaine visited the center during its India Independence Day celebration. Gov. Tim Kaine, L, speaks with First Officer Tom Kilmurry in the cockpit of the first JetBlue flight to arrive bringing service to RIC. Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine talks with his 10-year-old son, Woody as they and the rest of the family prepare to head toward Damascus, VA, Monday, August 5, 2002 down the Virginia Creeper Trail, so named for a narrow guage railroad that formerly occupied the site. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine talks with Paul Galanti and his wife, Phyllis Galanti after they and others took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center at the Virginia War Memorial. (From left) Virginia governor Tim Kaine, U.S. President Barack Obama and Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds wrap up the Rally for Virginia at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. DNC chairman Tim Kaine talks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in his Washington DC office on election day, Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Jeff Brown (left), Pamunkey councilman, and Gary Miles, also a Pamunkey councilman, hold a deer as their Chief Kevin Brown presents (middle) it to Governor Tim Kaine during the annual tax tribute from the Virginia Indians to the Virginia governor Wednesday, November 25, 2009. Governor Tim Kaine holds up a harmonica after Pamunkey Chief Kevin Brown presented him with a case for it during the annual tax tribute from the Virginia Indians to the governor Wednesday, November 25, 2009. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announces Wednesday, July 22, 2009 that previously lost medical mental health records of Virginia Tech shooter Seung-hui Cho have been recovered. Kaine also announced that he is calling a special session of the General Assembly on Aug. 19. Va. Gov. Tim Kaine announces that he is calling a special session of the General Assembly on Aug. 19, and that previously lost medical records of Virginia Tech shooter Seung-hui Cho have been recovered. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, center, hands 5-month-old Willa Baker back to her mom, Sarah Baker after giving Willa a hug as he works the polls outside Linwood Holton Elementary School in Richmond, VA Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Gov. Tim Kaine delivers his final State of the Commonwealth address. Gov. Tim Kaine smiles up at his wife, First Lady Anne Holton near the end of his final State of the Commonwealth speech. At rear from left: Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, House Speaker Wm. Howell and Sen. Charles Colgan. At bottom right is Bruce Jamerson the House Clerk. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine talks to the media about the Remote Area Medical program on Friday in Wise. Former Gov. Linwood Holton, his daughter First Lady Anne Holton and Gov. Tim Kaine enjoy the concert on the Festival Stage at Jamestown on May 12, 2007. Bruce Hornsby, left, grabs the hand of Gov. Tim Kaine after a jam on stage at Anniversary Park in Jamestown, VA Saturday, May 12, 2007, one of the scenes of the 400th Anniversary Festival. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (right) and wife Anne Holton (left) applaud as former President Bill Clinton takes the stage to make a speech at the 2009 Jefferson Jackson Dinner at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton talk with the media after voting just after 6 a.m. in Precinct 203, inside the Hermitage Methodist Home in Richmond, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and First Lady Anne Holton wait to enter the south portico Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., just before Bob McDonnell was inaugurated as the 71st governor. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his family watch fireworks at the Diamond, July 4, 2008. Former Governor Tim Kaine listens during a debate with former Governor George Allen inside the State Capitol in Richmond, VA Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011. Both are running for the U. S. Senate seat that Allen once held. Pandemonium erupts as Senator-elect Tim Kaine, right, announces that President Barack Obama has been reelected during his victory speech at the Richmond Marriott on election night in Richmond, Va. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Governor Tim Kaine watches VCU play Ga. State Saturday, February 28, 2009. University of Richmond graduates listen to the address of Va. Gov. Tim Kaine during graduation ceremonies at UR on May 10, 2009. Gov. Tim Kaine arrives to deliver his final State of the Commonwealth speech Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, left, talks with former Gov. Tim Kaine, right, who is running for the U. S. Senate and is debating former Gov. George Allen later in the day at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Jim Nolan during an online chat for TimesDispatch.com at the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. On his way to the White House correspondents dinner in DC, Va. Governor Tim Kaine stopped by the Asian Festival in the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Sat. May 9, 2009. Kaine spoke briefly and posed for photos during his tour of the event. Anne Holton with family, including daughter Annella, right, during Thanksgiving 2009. From left, son Linwood "Woody" Kaine, son Nathaniel "Nat" Kaine, husband Tim Kaine, father Linwood Holton, Anne Holton, mother Jinks Holton, daughter Annella Kaine. Va. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the Hampton Convention Center during the Virginia Democratic Convention on Saturday, June 14, 2008. (L-R) Mayor Doug Wilder, John A. Luke, Jr., (chairman and CEO of MeadWestvaco) and Governor Tim Kaine share a laugh during the groundbreaking ceremony for Westvaco's Headquarters Monday, May 21, 2007. US Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine is shown at his office at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. US Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine attends a budget committee hearing at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Gov.Tim Kaine has a look at the work being done in the crawl space of the home of Lois Marshall Wed. May 13, 2009. The home is undergoing a comprehensive weatherization. Tim Kaine and Joe Biden talk prior to a news conference after a roundtable discussion at Virginia Commonwealth University, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. U.S. Senators for Virginia Tim Kaine, left, and Mark Warner talk to each other on their way to Senate Recording Studio at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Senators introduced Senate legislation to authorize energy exploration and production off the Virginia coast. Va. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the Hampton Convention Center during the Virginia Democratic Convention on Saturday, June 14, 2008. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine takes part in an interactive chat with readers at the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Friday, April 10, 2009. Here, Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Jim Nolan reads questions sent in by readers. Gov. Tim Kaine has a quiet moment Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 at the State Capitol in Richmond just before Bob McDonnell was inaugurated as the 71st governor. Senator Tim Kaine waits for his turn to be sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Gov. Tim Kaine arrives to deliver his final State of the Commonwealth speech. Sen. Tim Kaine (center) took part in a roundtable discussion with then-Vice President Joe Biden. At left was Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security. DNC chairman Tim Kaine talks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in his Washington DC office on election day, Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Virginia governor Tim Kaine announces the launch of a project to digitize the records of the Virginia Freedmen's Bureau outside the Black History and Culture Museum, in Richmond, on Thursday, July 9, 2009. The Virginia Freedmen's Bureau is the earliest major compilation of information on the African-American community, including names, marriages, educational pursuits, work contracts, health care and legal services. Behind the governor (from left) are Virginia secretary of administration Viola Baskerville, Sen. Henry L. Marsh, III, D-Richmond, Dr. Maureen Elgersman Lee. executive director of the Black History and Culture Museum, and Ahmad Corbitt, of the Church of Latter-day Saints. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine stands in line to vote just after 6 a.m. in Precinct 203, inside the Hermitage Methodist Home in Richmond, VA Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. US Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine, center right, and US Senator for Maine Angus King, right, listen to a witness during a budget committee hearing at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine delivers the State of the Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the General Assembly on January 14 , 2009 Gov. Tim Kaine speaks to reporters on August 18, 2008 after addressing a joint meeting of the House Appropriations, House Finance and Senate Finance Committees at the General Assembly Building about Virginia's projected revenue shortfall. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine helps Viola Baskerville down the capitol steps, followed by his wife and daughter, after the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, left, and Republican George Allen, right, after the debate at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., on Saturday, July 21, 2012. First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton and her daughter Annella Kaine watch Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as he sings along with the St. Elizabeth's Gospel Choir during the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. US Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-VA, left, and US senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, during a media availability at Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, and wife, Anne Holton walk up to WCVE-TV in Chesterfield County, Va., scene of the latest senatorial debate Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Gov. Tim Kaine holds a rally for local canvassers at the Obama "Campaign for Change" office, in Richmond, on Sunday, August 17, 2008. Tim Kaine (right) is greeted by Ted Allen, of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, P.C., before speaking at the symposium "Emerging from the Great Recession: Perspectives on Law and Policy Implemented Along the Road to Economic Recovery" at the University of Richmond's Jepson Alumni Center on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Va. Governor Tim Kaine (right) talks during an action session -Innovations and Trends during the Southern Governor's Association meeting at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008. Listening are (l-r) are West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III and Alabama Governor Bob Riley. Gov. Tim Kaine kicks off his "Renew Virginia" project accompanied by Patrick O. Gottschalk, Secretary of Commerce and private business leaders at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. In the foreground is an evacuated solar water heater. Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Tim Kaine at John Tyler Community College on August 21, 2008. Democratic Senator-elect Tim Kaine hugs his wife, Anne Holton as their daughter, Annella Kaine, left, applauds as Kaine was giving his victory speech in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, after defeating Republican George Allen. Va. Gov. Tim Kaine and wife Anne Holton dance at the late-night governor's party at Marlow's, a downtown restaurant during the DNC national convention in Denver on Aug. 25, 2008. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine strides into the Homestead Resort at Hot Springs, Va., on Friday, July 20, 2012, as he prepares for the debate tomorrow with Republican George Allen. Allen and Kaine are both former governors of Virginia and Allen is running for the seat he lost to Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., 6 years ago. (From left) Richmond mayor Dwight C. Jones, former Virginia First Lady Anne Holton and former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine attend President Barack Obama's speech about his jobs plan at the University of Richmond's Robins Center on Friday, September 9, 2011. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine had no comment as he walked from the governor's office to the Executive Mansion, today, Friday August 22, 2008. Kaine is rumored to be one of leading contenders as Sen Barack Obama's choice as running mate. Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and U. S. Senator Mark R. Warner, D-VA, right, interact with students during a campaign stop at the Maggie Walker Governor's School in Richmond, VA Wednesday, April 4, 2012, to promote Kaine's candidacy for the U. S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen Jim Webb, D-VA. US Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-VA, left, and US senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, during a media availability at Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. U.S. Senator-elect Tim Kaine talks about the past hard-fought campaign and his political future during an interview inside Republic, a restaurant in Richmond, Va., Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. (From left) VCU head men's basketball coach Shaka Smart greets former Gov. Tim Kaine at President Barack Obama's campaign rally at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va., Saturday afternoon, May 5, 2012. Connie Chamberlin, CEO of Housing Opportunities Made Equal, talks with Tim Kaine in his University of Richmond Law School office Tuesday, January 4, 2011. Kaine will be on the HOME board. Senator Tim Kaine is sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, and staffer Mo Ellithee, left, check camera angles on the set of WCVE-TV in Chesterfield County, VA, scene of the latest senatorial debate Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Senator Tim Kaine (left) is sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden, as his wife Anne Holton looks on, in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton enter a rally in Richmond, Va., Monday Nov. 5, 2012. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton canoe chat with Greg Velzy of Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation in the James River a few hundred yards east of the Pony Pasture Rapids. Gov. Kaine and his wife -- avid fans of the James -- spent the morning on the river with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Eight other boats -- kayaks, rafts, and canoes -- accompanied Kaine and the first lady. Tim Kaine is greeted by Carl Tobias, faculty member of the UR School of Law and adviser to the Law Review, before speaking at the symposium "Emerging from the Great Recession: Perspectives on Law and Policy Implemented Along the Road to Economic Recovery" at the University of Richmond's Jepson Alumni Center on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. The symposium is sponsored by the University of Richmond School of Law. Sen. Jim Webb and Gov. Tim Kaine at Sen. Barack Obama rally at the Verizon Wireless Virgina Beach Amphitheater Thursday, October 30, 2008. Senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia, shakes hands with a volunteer as he enters Kaine for Virginia campaign headquarters in Richmond, VA Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Former governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine speaks to a crowd before President Barack Obama arrived at the Carillon in Byrd Park Thursday, October 25, 2012. U.S. Senator-elect Tim Kaine, right, is greeted by Jami Bohdan, general manager of Republic, a restaurant in Richmond, Va., on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. DNC chairman Tim Kaine visits a phone bank in Washington DC on election day, Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Volunteers at the phone bank were making calls to voters in Colorado and Ohio asking if they had already voted today. Senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia, talks to volunteers at Kaine for Virginia campaign headquarters in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver , August 28 , 2008 Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (center) shares a laugh with friends Frank Driggs (left) and Mark Askin (right) during their Tues. breakfast at Karen's City Diner in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. Tim Kaine rides the elevator out of his hotel to head to Invesco Field for his afternoon speech on Aug. 28 (Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium) Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton held a press conference on the capitol grounds, in front of the Virginia Civil Rights Monument to comment on the presidential election of Senator Barack Obama. Gov. Kaine praised the State Board of Elections and said he was proud to have been a part of such an historic election. Democrat Tim Kaine, left, gives his wife Anne Holton a kiss after the Kaine-Allen debate inside the Capital One Conference Center in McLean, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Democrat Tim Kaine makes a point during his debate with Republican George Allen inside the Capital One Conference Center in McLean, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Republican senatorial candidate George Allen, left, and Democrat Tim Kaine, right, after their debate on the set of WCVE-TV in Chesterfield County, VA, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia, yells hello as he enters Kaine for Virginia campaign headquarters in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Pandemonium erupts as Tim Kaine announces that Obama has been reelected during his victory speech at the Richmond Marriott on election night in Richmond, Va., on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012. Sen. Mark Warner (left), actor Denzel Washington (center) and Sen. Tim Kaine outside Warner's office in the Russell Senate building in Washington. Washington met with Warner to discuss the importance of the Boys and Girls Club. Kaine sat in on the meeting, which lasted about half an hour. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine received a salute from Virginia state troopers as he arrived at the old Capitol in Williamsburg to be sworn in as governor in January 2006. Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine (left) watches as his son, Nat Kaine, presents a photo ID to voting officer Barbara Miller at the Main Street Station polling place in Richmond, shortly after 7am. Nat Kaine, 18, was voting for the first time in the presidential primary. Nat Kaine, 7, a second grader at William Fox Elementary School and a member of Cub Scout Pack 443 sang during a Christmas program at the Home for Ladies Wednesday, December 17, 1997. Timothy M. Kaine (left) chats with his son, Nat, and his father, Al Kaine, before a prayer service Saturday morning at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg. Timothy Kaine was to be inaugurated as governor of Virginia at noon Saturday. City Councilman Tom Kaine plays volleyball with his son Nat prior to dedication ceremonies at Smith Peters Park on Catherine St. in Richmond. Tim Kaine with Nat, his first son, 1990 (Left to right) Woody Kaine, Nat Kaine with their dad, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, as he waves to the crowd at the end of the inaugural ceremonies. Democratic Senator-elect Tim Kaine hugs his wife, anne Holton as their daughter, Annella Kaine, left, applaudes as Kaine was giving his victory speech in Richmond, VA Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, after defeating Republican George Allen. Actor Kal Penn ("Kumar" of "Harold and Kumar") speaks to Obama supporters at their Virginia campaign headquarters on Aug. 12, 2008. Behind Penn is Nat Kaine, son of Gov. Tim Kaine. First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton and her daughter Annella Kaine watch Virginia gov. Tim Kaine as he sings along with the St. Elizabeth's Gospel Choir during the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. Anne Holton with family, including daughter Annella, right, during Thanksgiving 2009. From left, son Linwood "Woody" Kaine, son Nathaniel "Nat" Kaine, husband Tim Kaine, father Linwood Holton, Anne Holton, mother Jinks Holton, daughter Annella Kaine. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine hugs his daughter, Annella, who was a Senate Page during the 2009 Legislative session, after she completed her duties on the last day of the session at the State Capitol in Richmond, VA, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. Timothy Kaine along with his daughter Annella attended the neighborhood picnic. Sen. Mark Warner talks with Anne Holton, wife of senate candidate Tim Kaine, second from right, as they watch returns in the hotel suite at the Richmond Marriott Nov. 6, 2012. Third from left is Annella Kaine, daughter, and at right is Al Kaine, the candidate's father. (BOB BROWN PHOTO) ORG XMIT: RIC1211062210333135 Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, with (from left) his son, Woody, his wife, Anne, his daughter, Annella, and his son, Nat, heads for a horse-drawn carriage to lead the parade down Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg. Va. Gov. Tim Kaine, (center) wife Anne Holton (left) and son Nat (right) listen to Mark Warner's keynote speech during the DNC convention in Denver on Aug. 26, 2008. November 8, 2000 Former Governor Linwood Holton talks with children at Linwood Holton Elementary School Wednesday, November 8, 2000. He was there to mark a partnership between Holton's law firm and his namesake school. Holton's granddaughter Annella Kaine is in his lap. His grandsons Linwood and Nathaniel were also in the group. The picture above his head is of him taking his daughter to school. Annella Kaine, daughter of the newly-sworn in Gov. Tim Kaine, does the Limbo at the Williamsburg, VA Inaugural ball Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, hand to face, and First Lady Anne Holton, right, sit with other parents in the Senate inside the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, VA Saturday, March 11, 2006. They were there for the "Page Resolution" honoring Senate pages, including their son, Woody. Democratic nominee for governor and current lieutenant governor of Virginia, Timothy M. Kaine spends time with his family, including one of his sons, Woody, 13 yrs. old,(reading paper) before walking down the road to vote Tuesday Nov. 8,2005. November 6, 2001 ELECTION 2001: Virginia Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, Timothy Kaine, leaves the voting booth with children Nat,11, and Annella,6, after casting his ballot in Richmond,Va., Tuesday, Nov. 6,2001. Virginia gov. Tim Kaine, First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton, their daughter Annella Kaine and Secretary of Administration Viola Baskerville are seen on the Capitol steps during the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. With his wife, Anne Holton, holding the Bible, and his children standing behind Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr., Timothy M. Kaine takes the oath of office as governor of Virginia Saturday in Williamsburg. From left are Kaine's daughter, Annella, and his sons, Woody and Nat. Tim Kaine and his family joke around as they walk a block from his Confederate Avenue home to the Hermitage Methodist Home voting precinct Tues. Nov. 8,2005. From left, son Nat Kaine, 15, Kaine's father, Al Kaine, Kaine's 13-year-old son Woody. Tim Kaine watches returns on the internet with his wife Anne, and son Woody, 12, and daughter Annella,9. JOE MAHONEY PHOTO Tim Kaine watches returns on the internet with his wife Anne, and son Woody, 12. JOE MAHONEY PHOTO Kaine victory speech Kaine Anne Holton, daughter Annella Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (center) and their mother First lady of Virginia Anne Holton unveil gov. Tim Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Gov. Tim Kaine dances with daughter Annella at the Inaugural Ball in Williamsburg. Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (right) look on as their parents, First lady of Virginia Anne Holton and Gov. Tim Kaine, kiss after the unveiling of gov. Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, his wife, Anne Holton, and their daughter, Annella, ride a carriage down Duke of Gloucester Street. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (right) is joined by his family on the reviewing stand during the inaugural parade. From left are sons Nat and Woody and First Lady Anne Holton. Daughter Annella is not in the picture. Tim Kaine and his family joke around as they walk a block from his Confederate Avenue home to the Hermitage Methodist Home voting precinct Tues. Nov. 8,2005. From left, son Nat Kaine, 15, Kaine's father, Al Kaine, Kaine's 13-year-old son Woody. Senate candidate Tim Kaine (third from left) talks with Sen. Mark Warner (R) as they await senate returns in a hotel suite at the Richmond Marriott, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. At left is Ann Holton, Kaine's wife, daughter Annella is second from left and Kaine's father Al Kaine is .second from right. (BOB BROWN PHOTO) ORG XMIT: RIC1211062210323134 Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine talks with his 10-year-old son, Woody as they and the rest of the family prepare to head toward Damascus, VA, Monday, August 5, 2002 down the Virginia Creeper Trail, so named for a narrow guage railroad that formerly occupied the site. NOTE: FOR RT. 58 PROJECT. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and daughter, Annella, 7, talk with Bill Lohmann, right, and son, Jack, 6, during the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA, Friday night, August 9, 2002.NOTE: FOR RT. 58 PROJECT. Annella Kaine holds her dog Gina Kaine at the seventh annual Fur Ball held at the Jefferson Hotel on Friday, October 6, 2006. The event was a fundraiser to support the Cinderalla Fund, an organization which helps pay for the cost to take care of animals taken in by the Richmond SPCA. ONE TIME USE ONLY - FREELANCE PHOTO PHOTOS: Sen. Tim Kaine through his career From his days on Richmond City Council and as governor of Virginia to his present day job as in the U.S. Senate, take a look back on Sen. Timothy M. Kaine's career through the years in photos. Tim Kaine photographed with Nat, his first son, in 1990. Tim Kaine became mayor in 1998 after winning a third two-year term on Richmonds City Council. Richmond Mayor Timothy Kaine listens during a council meeting at City Hall on 11/23/98. He is flanked by Richmond Vice-Mayor Rudy McCollum Jr (left) and Richmond Interim City Manager Connie Bawcum. Richmond City Council members Tim Kaine and Viola Baskerville check out a water-damaged ceiling at Armstrong High School. The roof at the then-43-year-old building had been patched but never replaced. Richmond Mayor Timothy Kaine acknowledges members in the audience during his State of the City address at the City Council meeting 1/11/99. Mayor Timothy Kaine, who resigned from Richmond City Council, Sept. 10, 2001, displays to council a print given to him by his staff as a gift during council meeting. Newly-elected mayor of Richmond Timothy M. Kaine, addresses the crowd at City Council chambers July 1, 1998 after being sworn in. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine listens to people lined up to speak in opposition to the hiring of Calvin D. Jamison as City Manager during a council meeting at City Hall on 11/23/98. After City Council colleagues elected him mayor of Richmond, Tim Kaine addressed spectators, family and friends on July 1, 1998, at City Hall. Lt. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine (left) and Gov.-elect Mark R. Warner celebrate their victories at the Richmond Marriott Nov. 6, 2001. Timothy M. Kaine (left) the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, greets his Republican counterpart, Jay Katzen on Oct. 5, 2001, just before their debate at the University of Richmond. Kaine was a former mayor of Richmond and Katzen was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Soichi Aikawa (far right) mayor of Urawa, Japan, Richmond's sister city, Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine and Richmond City Council member Gwen Hedgepeth took turns helping to plant a sweet osmanthus tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens at 1800 Lakeside Ave. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, governor Timothy M. Kaine and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, undertake a walkabout on Capitol Square, from the executive mansion to the South portico of the capitol in Richmond on Thursday, May 3, 2007. The walkabout was lined by extraordinary Virginians who have made great contributions to the Commonwealth. The 54 people who won the Royal Walkabout Lottery also lined the queen's path. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine reads a book at Cople Elementary School in Westmoreland County on June 7, 2002. Timothy M. Kaine gives supporters a hug as he walks on stage at the Richmond Marriott to celebrate his victory for lieutenant governor Nov. 6, 2001. His father-in-law, former Gov. Linwood Holton, is on the right. On March 1, 2004, state Sen. Russ Potts, R-Winchester (right) smiled as Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine talked about a Senate resolution honoring Potts, a former athletic administrator who had been named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. State Sen. Thomas K. Norment, Jr., R-James City (center, back to camera) waits for an answer to a technical question posed to (from left) Senate Clerk Susan Clarke Schaar, Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, and Deputy Senate Clerk John Garrett, during a break in the floor session of the Virginia Senate on Feb. 20, 2004, at the state Capitol in Richmond. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine addresses the media following a closed-door session in which the status of Leonidas Young (far right) as a member of city council was discussed in light of his recent legal troubles. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine wipes away a tear while laughing during a roast in his 'honor' at the Jefferson Hotel on Nov. 15, 1999 to raise funds for the Emergency Shelter Inc. Jelena Matkovic, 19, of Serbia locates her hometown on a map for Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Aug. 2, 2002 at the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School. Kaine spoke to a group of international students participating in Project B.R.I.D.G.E., an intensive 12-day leadership workshop hosted by the Council for America's First Freedom. From left are Davorka Zadro, 18, of Croatia; Matkovic, Stephanie Byers, 17 of Chesterfield County; and Karl Mercer, 15, of Hanover County. Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine relaxes in his Richmond office Nov. 7, 2001, the morning after winning the race for the state's second-highest office. Retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark (left) speaks with Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine during the Democratic Party of Virginia's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond Feb. 7, 2004. Mayor Timothy M. Kaine cuts the ribbon during the YMCA's dedication of the new Capital One Outreach Center and The Mary Morton Parsons Wellness Center on March 2, 2000. Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine at Richmond City Council meeting on 7/26/99. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine gave his wife, first lady Anne Holton, a kiss after he finished his State of the Commonwealth speech before the joint legislative session in Richmond, Jan. 16, 2006. Mattaponi Indian Chief Carl Lone Eagle Custalow (left) presents the annual tax tribute from members of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Indian tribes to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and first lady Anne Holton at the Executive Mansion in Richmond Nov. 22, 2006. The traditional ceremony was held inside the mansion due to the rain. A treaty signed in 1646 calls for the tribes to make an annual offering to the governor, traditionally the day before Thanksgiving, in lieu of paying taxes. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine talks with a visitor just before the Richmond City Council meeting on July 9, 2001. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine greets the crowd after his victory on Nov. 8, 2005. On board the back of a fire department vehicle, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine tours the flooded downtown area of Franklin, Va. with a truck load of members of the media on Oct. 10, 2006. Stanley Lowe, vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservaton (left) talked with Richmond Mayor Timothy M. Kaine (right) before addressing a gathering at the Black History Museum in the Jackson Ward section of Richmond, June 25, 2001, where he announced that the Historic Jackson Ward Landmark District had been named one of the 11 most endangered historic places in the country. Gov.-elect Timothy M. Kaine received a salute from Virginia state troopers as he arrived at the old Capitol in Williamsburg to be sworn in as governor. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine waves along the route of the Ukrop's Christmas parade. Barbara Miller, of Richmond, takes first lady Anne Holton's driver's license at the Main Street Station polling station around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning as her husband, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, waits his turn. Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine cycles spent cartridges out of his gun after a round of skeet shooting before a news conference Aug. 26, 2005, in Hardy, Va. Kaine stressed his outdoors lifestyle and support for the 2nd Amendment. Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the Democratic nominee for governor, watches returns on the internet on Nov. 8, 2005 in Richmond. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine delivers his first State of the Commonwealth speech Jan. 16, 2006. At rear left is House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, and rear right is Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. Gov. Mark R. Warner (right, front) and Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (second from left) raft through the Hollywood Rapids of the James River to promote Virginia tourism. Warner's daughter, Gillian, is seated next to him. Governor Timothy M. Kaine and his wife Anne Holton leave a ceremony held in remembrance of the fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001. The governor was joined by other elected officials, the Virginia National Guard Color Guard, first responders and other public safety officials. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and first lady Anne Holton watch President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address inside the Executive Mansion in Richmond, on Jan. 31, 2006. Virginia Lt. Gov. and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine speaks at the Labor Day Parade Monday, Sept. 6, 2004, in Buena Vista, Va. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine speaks during an informal press conference in the lobby of the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, VA Friday, Feb. 2, 2007. Virginia Governor-elect Tim Kaine reacts to applause from the Richmond Renaissance at the organization's annual meeting at the Jefferson Hotel. Kaine addressed the group. Tim Kaine speaks during the gubernatorial debate against Jerry Kilgore at the Hilton McLean in Tysons Corner on Tuesday, September 13, 2005. Gov. Tim Kaine, visiting Richmond International Raceway for the Crown Royal 400, chatted with fans in the infield. Here, he poses for a picture with Sunsiri Martin of Sandston. Philip Vasquez, head of the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia, holds up a paper signed, in Spanish, by Virginia Governor-elect Tim Kaine, after he met the media and announced his transition team during a news conference in Richmond, VA Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005. Gov. Tim Kaine delivers the keynote speech at the 2006 Winter Commencement Convocation at Virginia State University in Petersburg Saturday. (Lisa Billings/For the Times-Dispatch) Lt. Governor Timothy Kaine, during an interview with reporter Frank Green on 1/9/04. Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine takes aim while shooting skeet in Hardy, Va., before a news conference Friday, Aug. 26, 2005. Kaine stressed his outdoors lifestyle and support for the 2nd Amendment. Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (left) listens as Gov. Tim Kaine discusses his action on firearms background checks during a press conference at the Patrick Henry Building at Capitol Square in Richmond. Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner, left, receives a standing ovation from cabinet members and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, right, as he enters the committee room of the General Assembly Building in Richmond to present his budget proposals to the joint House and Senate money committees Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003. Gov. Tim Kaine is greeted by his wife, Anne Holton, as he arrives to deliver his first State of the Commonwealth speech on Monday 1/16/06. Tim Kaine briefly donned a Krispy Kreme hat to show his affection for the shop at 4910 W. Broad St., which was holding an auction of some Krispy Kreme memorabilia for charity. The shop is actually across the city line in Henrico, and Kaine joked about attempts by the city to annex the donut shop. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine (left) and Gov. Mark Warner share a smile as they meet with reporters outside the Executive Mansion on Friday, Nov. 11, 2005. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine during an interview July 7, 1998. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine chaired a City Council meeting at Richmond city hall on July 26, 1999. Virginia Lt. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at a news conference Tuesday morning, May 31, 2005, on the steps of the Bristol, Va., courthouse. Kaine, a Democrat who is running for the governor's seat, outlined his economic plan for Southwest Virginia. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, right, tries to get the attention of a Senator after the vote to over ride his ruling against a request that would have stripped Sen. H. Russell Potts, Jr., R-Winchester, left, of committee assignments and chairmanship during the floor session of the Virginia Senate at the State Capitol in Richmond, VA, Wednesday, April 6, 2005. Some members of the Senate Republicans are trying to oust Potts after he declared he is running for Governor as an independent. Democratic Tim Kaine, left, shakes hands with Republican Jerry Kilgore, right, as Dr. Larry Sabato, center, watches after the last in a series of Kaine-Kilgore gubernatorial debates in Richmond on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005. Former Virginia Governor and current Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, left, announced in Richmond his endorsement Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005 for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, right, during a news conference in a city park overlooking the skyline. Gov. Tim Kaine awaits his turn to speak at the Virginia21 Leadership luncheon. At the table with him is Catherine Tobin, left, of the University of Virginia; and Greg Paulsen of James Madison University. Gov. Tim Kaine and first lady Anne Holton arrive at the Main Street Station polling station around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning to cast their votes. They are greeted by an energetic Amber Smith, who was there representing her mother Chandra Smith, a 6th district candidate for the Richmond School Board. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, center, received the backing of former Virginia Governor and current Richmond, VA Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, right, during an announcement in Richmond on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005 in a city park overlooking the Richmond skyline. Gov. Tim Kaine delivers the keynote speech at a luncheon sponsored by Virginia21 Thursday at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton Kaine embrace on stage during his acceptance speech. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, left, shakes hands with Stephen King during a campaign fundraiser for Jim Webb in Charlottesville, Va., Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006. Gov. Tim Kaine and first lady Anne Holton kick off the 68th National Folk Festival 10/13/06 Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, shares a laugh with publisher Tom Silvestri, center, and Ross Mackenzie, right, editor of the editorial page, as he meets with the Times-Dispatch editorial board in Richmond on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005. Nat Dance, owner of Boss night club, talks about the problem of how to handle the late-night crowds that hang out on and near West Broad Street in the VCU area. From left: city manager Calvin Jamison, city council member Denise McQuinn, Sa'ad El Amin, and mayor Tim Kaine. They were in the parking lot of the Community Pride at West Grace Street and Harrison Street. It was just after 2 a.m. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and daughter, Annella, 7, talk with Bill Lohmann, right, and son, Jack, 6, during the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Va., on Friday, August 9, 2002. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine play a harmonica to the tune "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" with the group No Speed Limit during an inaugural concert at William and Mary Hall in Williamsburg, Friday, Jan. 13, 2005. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine interacts with children at John B. Cary Elementary school after a ribbon cutting ceremony dedicating the train caboose on its campus into a center for art and science. Members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) listen to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine at an AARP rally in Capitol Square. Hundreds are calling for improvements in long-term care services. Governor Tim Kaine casts his ballot at Main Street Station around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne, give the thumbs up to passing units from the reviewing stand during the Inaugural Parade in Williamsburg, Va. Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine shows off his "I Voted" sticker after casting his ballot in Richmond on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003. One of the items on the local ballot was a proposition to call for an at-large elected mayor for the city of Richmond. Kaine, a former mayor of the city, favors the proposal. Tim Kaine and his family joke around as they walk a block from his Confederate Avenue home to the Hermitage Methodist Home voting precinct Tues. Nov. 8, 2005. From left, son Nat Kaine, 15, Kaine's father, Al Kaine, Kaine's 13-year-old son Woody. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine speaks to a group of 800 boys at The American Legion Boys State of Virginia, Thursday June 22, 2006, on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Kaine spent about an hour speaking to the boys and answering questions from the students about education policy, economic development in Southside and same-sex marriage. On his way out, Kaine collected letters from the boys to deliver to Virginia Girls State in Farmville, Va., where he spoke later in the afternoon. Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (center) and their mother First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton unveil Gov. Tim Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine speaks to the press at the Virginia Summit on Economic Competitiveness and Higher Education, sponsored by Grow By Degrees, at the Richmond Convention Center on Thursday, October 1, 2009. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (right) and James M. Guyette, President and CEO, Rolls-Royce North America, both spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of an aerospace facility in Prince George County. Behind them is a Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey which uses Rolls-Royce engines. The aircraft was flown in from New River, NC by US Marines. Gov. Tim Kaine, L, tries out the buttons on the passenger seat on the first JetBlue arrival at RIC. At right is JetBlue founder and CEO David Neeleman pointing out the features available to passengers. Governor Tim Kaine listens to a question about the measures to be taken for Virginias budget shortfall during a press conference Tuesday, September 8, 2009. Deputy Secretary of Finance Daniel S. Timberlake is on the right. Gov. Tim Kaine talks with International Paper mill employee David Johnson at the mill in Franklin, Va. during shift change on Oct. 30, 2009. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the beginning of a meeting of the Governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates. At left is Senator Charles J. Colgan; on the right is Secretary Richard D. Brown, Virginia's Secretary of Finance. Va. Governor Tim Kaine answers questions about yesterday's elections, first covering his role in facilitating the transition to Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's team, and second as national chair of the DNC. Kaine dismissed the notion that wins by Republicans were a referendum on President Obama. Gov. Tim Kaine visits Home Team Grill in Richmond to recognize the enactment of the Virginia smoking ban and encourage Virginians to support their local smoke-free restaurants and bars. Here, Garland Taylor (left), managing partner of Home Team Grill, applauds the governor's support of the ban. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, canoe in the James River near the Boulevard Bridge. Gov. Kaine and his wife --avid fans of the James -- spent the morning on the river with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Eight other boats -- kayaks, rafts, and canoes -- accompanied Kaine and the first lady. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine answers a caller's question during WRVA's monthly "Ask the Governor" program. Gov. Tim Kaine (L) and former Gov. and presidential aspirant Mark Warner (C) shake hands along the route during the Labor Day Parade in Buena Vista. (From left) Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Richmond mayor Dwight Jones and City Council president Kathy Graziano, 4th district, sign a conservation easement to protect the James River Park from development on Friday, May 29, 2009. The signing ceremony took place on Brown's Island, in Richmond. Todd Culbertson, editor of the Editorial Page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, left, talks with outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine during Kaine's visit to the newspaper offices. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton canoe in the James River near Belle Isle. Gov. Kaine and his wife spent the morning on the James with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton canoe in the James River near the Boulevard Bridge. Gov. Kaine and his wife --avid fans of the James -- spent the morning on the river with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Eight other boats -- kayaks, rafts, and canoes -- accompanied Kaine and the first lady. U.S. President Barack Obama greets Virginia governor Tim Kaine before speaking at the Rally for Virginia at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (right) look on as their parents, First lady of Virginia Anne Holton and Gov. Tim Kaine, kiss after the unveiling of Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the opening of CenterStage. Gov. Tim Kaine visited the Editorial Board of The Richmond Times-Dispatch to recap his four year term as governor. (From left) Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Richmond mayor Dwight Jones arrive on Brown's Island, in Richmond, on Friday to sign a conservation easement to protect the James River Park from development. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine speaks with Annesha Sengupta, 10, at the Cultural Center of India in Chesterfield County. Annesha had just performed a traditional Indian dance. Kaine visited the center during its India Independence Day celebration. Gov. Tim Kaine, L, speaks with First Officer Tom Kilmurry in the cockpit of the first JetBlue flight to arrive bringing service to RIC. Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine talks with his 10-year-old son, Woody as they and the rest of the family prepare to head toward Damascus, VA, Monday, August 5, 2002 down the Virginia Creeper Trail, so named for a narrow guage railroad that formerly occupied the site. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine talks with Paul Galanti and his wife, Phyllis Galanti after they and others took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center at the Virginia War Memorial. (From left) Virginia governor Tim Kaine, U.S. President Barack Obama and Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds wrap up the Rally for Virginia at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. DNC chairman Tim Kaine talks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in his Washington DC office on election day, Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Jeff Brown (left), Pamunkey councilman, and Gary Miles, also a Pamunkey councilman, hold a deer as their Chief Kevin Brown presents (middle) it to Governor Tim Kaine during the annual tax tribute from the Virginia Indians to the Virginia governor Wednesday, November 25, 2009. Governor Tim Kaine holds up a harmonica after Pamunkey Chief Kevin Brown presented him with a case for it during the annual tax tribute from the Virginia Indians to the governor Wednesday, November 25, 2009. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announces Wednesday, July 22, 2009 that previously lost medical mental health records of Virginia Tech shooter Seung-hui Cho have been recovered. Kaine also announced that he is calling a special session of the General Assembly on Aug. 19. Va. Gov. Tim Kaine announces that he is calling a special session of the General Assembly on Aug. 19, and that previously lost medical records of Virginia Tech shooter Seung-hui Cho have been recovered. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, center, hands 5-month-old Willa Baker back to her mom, Sarah Baker after giving Willa a hug as he works the polls outside Linwood Holton Elementary School in Richmond, VA Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Gov. Tim Kaine delivers his final State of the Commonwealth address. Gov. Tim Kaine smiles up at his wife, First Lady Anne Holton near the end of his final State of the Commonwealth speech. At rear from left: Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, House Speaker Wm. Howell and Sen. Charles Colgan. At bottom right is Bruce Jamerson the House Clerk. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine talks to the media about the Remote Area Medical program on Friday in Wise. Former Gov. Linwood Holton, his daughter First Lady Anne Holton and Gov. Tim Kaine enjoy the concert on the Festival Stage at Jamestown on May 12, 2007. Bruce Hornsby, left, grabs the hand of Gov. Tim Kaine after a jam on stage at Anniversary Park in Jamestown, VA Saturday, May 12, 2007, one of the scenes of the 400th Anniversary Festival. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (right) and wife Anne Holton (left) applaud as former President Bill Clinton takes the stage to make a speech at the 2009 Jefferson Jackson Dinner at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton talk with the media after voting just after 6 a.m. in Precinct 203, inside the Hermitage Methodist Home in Richmond, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and First Lady Anne Holton wait to enter the south portico Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., just before Bob McDonnell was inaugurated as the 71st governor. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his family watch fireworks at the Diamond, July 4, 2008. Former Governor Tim Kaine listens during a debate with former Governor George Allen inside the State Capitol in Richmond, VA Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011. Both are running for the U. S. Senate seat that Allen once held. Pandemonium erupts as Senator-elect Tim Kaine, right, announces that President Barack Obama has been reelected during his victory speech at the Richmond Marriott on election night in Richmond, Va. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Governor Tim Kaine watches VCU play Ga. State Saturday, February 28, 2009. University of Richmond graduates listen to the address of Va. Gov. Tim Kaine during graduation ceremonies at UR on May 10, 2009. Gov. Tim Kaine arrives to deliver his final State of the Commonwealth speech Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, left, talks with former Gov. Tim Kaine, right, who is running for the U. S. Senate and is debating former Gov. George Allen later in the day at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Jim Nolan during an online chat for TimesDispatch.com at the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. On his way to the White House correspondents dinner in DC, Va. Governor Tim Kaine stopped by the Asian Festival in the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Sat. May 9, 2009. Kaine spoke briefly and posed for photos during his tour of the event. Anne Holton with family, including daughter Annella, right, during Thanksgiving 2009. From left, son Linwood "Woody" Kaine, son Nathaniel "Nat" Kaine, husband Tim Kaine, father Linwood Holton, Anne Holton, mother Jinks Holton, daughter Annella Kaine. Va. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the Hampton Convention Center during the Virginia Democratic Convention on Saturday, June 14, 2008. (L-R) Mayor Doug Wilder, John A. Luke, Jr., (chairman and CEO of MeadWestvaco) and Governor Tim Kaine share a laugh during the groundbreaking ceremony for Westvaco's Headquarters Monday, May 21, 2007. US Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine is shown at his office at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. US Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine attends a budget committee hearing at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Gov.Tim Kaine has a look at the work being done in the crawl space of the home of Lois Marshall Wed. May 13, 2009. The home is undergoing a comprehensive weatherization. Tim Kaine and Joe Biden talk prior to a news conference after a roundtable discussion at Virginia Commonwealth University, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. U.S. Senators for Virginia Tim Kaine, left, and Mark Warner talk to each other on their way to Senate Recording Studio at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Senators introduced Senate legislation to authorize energy exploration and production off the Virginia coast. Va. Governor Tim Kaine speaks at the Hampton Convention Center during the Virginia Democratic Convention on Saturday, June 14, 2008. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine takes part in an interactive chat with readers at the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Friday, April 10, 2009. Here, Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Jim Nolan reads questions sent in by readers. Gov. Tim Kaine has a quiet moment Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 at the State Capitol in Richmond just before Bob McDonnell was inaugurated as the 71st governor. Senator Tim Kaine waits for his turn to be sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Gov. Tim Kaine arrives to deliver his final State of the Commonwealth speech. Sen. Tim Kaine (center) took part in a roundtable discussion with then-Vice President Joe Biden. At left was Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security. DNC chairman Tim Kaine talks to the Richmond Times-Dispatch in his Washington DC office on election day, Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Virginia governor Tim Kaine announces the launch of a project to digitize the records of the Virginia Freedmen's Bureau outside the Black History and Culture Museum, in Richmond, on Thursday, July 9, 2009. The Virginia Freedmen's Bureau is the earliest major compilation of information on the African-American community, including names, marriages, educational pursuits, work contracts, health care and legal services. Behind the governor (from left) are Virginia secretary of administration Viola Baskerville, Sen. Henry L. Marsh, III, D-Richmond, Dr. Maureen Elgersman Lee. executive director of the Black History and Culture Museum, and Ahmad Corbitt, of the Church of Latter-day Saints. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine stands in line to vote just after 6 a.m. in Precinct 203, inside the Hermitage Methodist Home in Richmond, VA Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. US Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine, center right, and US Senator for Maine Angus King, right, listen to a witness during a budget committee hearing at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine delivers the State of the Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the General Assembly on January 14 , 2009 Gov. Tim Kaine speaks to reporters on August 18, 2008 after addressing a joint meeting of the House Appropriations, House Finance and Senate Finance Committees at the General Assembly Building about Virginia's projected revenue shortfall. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine helps Viola Baskerville down the capitol steps, followed by his wife and daughter, after the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, left, and Republican George Allen, right, after the debate at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., on Saturday, July 21, 2012. First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton and her daughter Annella Kaine watch Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as he sings along with the St. Elizabeth's Gospel Choir during the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. US Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-VA, left, and US senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, during a media availability at Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, and wife, Anne Holton walk up to WCVE-TV in Chesterfield County, Va., scene of the latest senatorial debate Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Gov. Tim Kaine holds a rally for local canvassers at the Obama "Campaign for Change" office, in Richmond, on Sunday, August 17, 2008. Tim Kaine (right) is greeted by Ted Allen, of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, P.C., before speaking at the symposium "Emerging from the Great Recession: Perspectives on Law and Policy Implemented Along the Road to Economic Recovery" at the University of Richmond's Jepson Alumni Center on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Va. Governor Tim Kaine (right) talks during an action session -Innovations and Trends during the Southern Governor's Association meeting at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008. Listening are (l-r) are West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III and Alabama Governor Bob Riley. Gov. Tim Kaine kicks off his "Renew Virginia" project accompanied by Patrick O. Gottschalk, Secretary of Commerce and private business leaders at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. In the foreground is an evacuated solar water heater. Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Tim Kaine at John Tyler Community College on August 21, 2008. Democratic Senator-elect Tim Kaine hugs his wife, Anne Holton as their daughter, Annella Kaine, left, applauds as Kaine was giving his victory speech in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, after defeating Republican George Allen. Va. Gov. Tim Kaine and wife Anne Holton dance at the late-night governor's party at Marlow's, a downtown restaurant during the DNC national convention in Denver on Aug. 25, 2008. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine strides into the Homestead Resort at Hot Springs, Va., on Friday, July 20, 2012, as he prepares for the debate tomorrow with Republican George Allen. Allen and Kaine are both former governors of Virginia and Allen is running for the seat he lost to Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., 6 years ago. (From left) Richmond mayor Dwight C. Jones, former Virginia First Lady Anne Holton and former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine attend President Barack Obama's speech about his jobs plan at the University of Richmond's Robins Center on Friday, September 9, 2011. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine had no comment as he walked from the governor's office to the Executive Mansion, today, Friday August 22, 2008. Kaine is rumored to be one of leading contenders as Sen Barack Obama's choice as running mate. Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and U. S. Senator Mark R. Warner, D-VA, right, interact with students during a campaign stop at the Maggie Walker Governor's School in Richmond, VA Wednesday, April 4, 2012, to promote Kaine's candidacy for the U. S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen Jim Webb, D-VA. US Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-VA, left, and US senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, during a media availability at Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. in Richmond, VA Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. U.S. Senator-elect Tim Kaine talks about the past hard-fought campaign and his political future during an interview inside Republic, a restaurant in Richmond, Va., Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. (From left) VCU head men's basketball coach Shaka Smart greets former Gov. Tim Kaine at President Barack Obama's campaign rally at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va., Saturday afternoon, May 5, 2012. Connie Chamberlin, CEO of Housing Opportunities Made Equal, talks with Tim Kaine in his University of Richmond Law School office Tuesday, January 4, 2011. Kaine will be on the HOME board. Senator Tim Kaine is sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, right, and staffer Mo Ellithee, left, check camera angles on the set of WCVE-TV in Chesterfield County, VA, scene of the latest senatorial debate Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Senator Tim Kaine (left) is sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden, as his wife Anne Holton looks on, in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton enter a rally in Richmond, Va., Monday Nov. 5, 2012. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton canoe chat with Greg Velzy of Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation in the James River a few hundred yards east of the Pony Pasture Rapids. Gov. Kaine and his wife -- avid fans of the James -- spent the morning on the river with Riverside Outfitters, boating from the Pony Pasture Rapids to Reedy Creek. Eight other boats -- kayaks, rafts, and canoes -- accompanied Kaine and the first lady. Tim Kaine is greeted by Carl Tobias, faculty member of the UR School of Law and adviser to the Law Review, before speaking at the symposium "Emerging from the Great Recession: Perspectives on Law and Policy Implemented Along the Road to Economic Recovery" at the University of Richmond's Jepson Alumni Center on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. The symposium is sponsored by the University of Richmond School of Law. Sen. Jim Webb and Gov. Tim Kaine at Sen. Barack Obama rally at the Verizon Wireless Virgina Beach Amphitheater Thursday, October 30, 2008. Senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia, shakes hands with a volunteer as he enters Kaine for Virginia campaign headquarters in Richmond, VA Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Former governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine speaks to a crowd before President Barack Obama arrived at the Carillon in Byrd Park Thursday, October 25, 2012. U.S. Senator-elect Tim Kaine, right, is greeted by Jami Bohdan, general manager of Republic, a restaurant in Richmond, Va., on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. DNC chairman Tim Kaine visits a phone bank in Washington DC on election day, Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Volunteers at the phone bank were making calls to voters in Colorado and Ohio asking if they had already voted today. Senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia, talks to volunteers at Kaine for Virginia campaign headquarters in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver , August 28 , 2008 Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (center) shares a laugh with friends Frank Driggs (left) and Mark Askin (right) during their Tues. breakfast at Karen's City Diner in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. Tim Kaine rides the elevator out of his hotel to head to Invesco Field for his afternoon speech on Aug. 28 (Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium) Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton held a press conference on the capitol grounds, in front of the Virginia Civil Rights Monument to comment on the presidential election of Senator Barack Obama. Gov. Kaine praised the State Board of Elections and said he was proud to have been a part of such an historic election. Democrat Tim Kaine, left, gives his wife Anne Holton a kiss after the Kaine-Allen debate inside the Capital One Conference Center in McLean, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Democrat Tim Kaine makes a point during his debate with Republican George Allen inside the Capital One Conference Center in McLean, Va., on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Republican senatorial candidate George Allen, left, and Democrat Tim Kaine, right, after their debate on the set of WCVE-TV in Chesterfield County, VA, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012. Senatorial candidate Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia, yells hello as he enters Kaine for Virginia campaign headquarters in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Pandemonium erupts as Tim Kaine announces that Obama has been reelected during his victory speech at the Richmond Marriott on election night in Richmond, Va., on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012. Sen. Mark Warner (left), actor Denzel Washington (center) and Sen. Tim Kaine outside Warner's office in the Russell Senate building in Washington. Washington met with Warner to discuss the importance of the Boys and Girls Club. Kaine sat in on the meeting, which lasted about half an hour. Gov.-elect Tim Kaine received a salute from Virginia state troopers as he arrived at the old Capitol in Williamsburg to be sworn in as governor in January 2006. Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine (left) watches as his son, Nat Kaine, presents a photo ID to voting officer Barbara Miller at the Main Street Station polling place in Richmond, shortly after 7am. Nat Kaine, 18, was voting for the first time in the presidential primary. Nat Kaine, 7, a second grader at William Fox Elementary School and a member of Cub Scout Pack 443 sang during a Christmas program at the Home for Ladies Wednesday, December 17, 1997. Timothy M. Kaine (left) chats with his son, Nat, and his father, Al Kaine, before a prayer service Saturday morning at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg. Timothy Kaine was to be inaugurated as governor of Virginia at noon Saturday. City Councilman Tom Kaine plays volleyball with his son Nat prior to dedication ceremonies at Smith Peters Park on Catherine St. in Richmond. Tim Kaine with Nat, his first son, 1990 (Left to right) Woody Kaine, Nat Kaine with their dad, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, as he waves to the crowd at the end of the inaugural ceremonies. Democratic Senator-elect Tim Kaine hugs his wife, anne Holton as their daughter, Annella Kaine, left, applaudes as Kaine was giving his victory speech in Richmond, VA Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, after defeating Republican George Allen. Actor Kal Penn ("Kumar" of "Harold and Kumar") speaks to Obama supporters at their Virginia campaign headquarters on Aug. 12, 2008. Behind Penn is Nat Kaine, son of Gov. Tim Kaine. First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton and her daughter Annella Kaine watch Virginia gov. Tim Kaine as he sings along with the St. Elizabeth's Gospel Choir during the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. Anne Holton with family, including daughter Annella, right, during Thanksgiving 2009. From left, son Linwood "Woody" Kaine, son Nathaniel "Nat" Kaine, husband Tim Kaine, father Linwood Holton, Anne Holton, mother Jinks Holton, daughter Annella Kaine. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine hugs his daughter, Annella, who was a Senate Page during the 2009 Legislative session, after she completed her duties on the last day of the session at the State Capitol in Richmond, VA, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. Timothy Kaine along with his daughter Annella attended the neighborhood picnic. Sen. Mark Warner talks with Anne Holton, wife of senate candidate Tim Kaine, second from right, as they watch returns in the hotel suite at the Richmond Marriott Nov. 6, 2012. Third from left is Annella Kaine, daughter, and at right is Al Kaine, the candidate's father. (BOB BROWN PHOTO) ORG XMIT: RIC1211062210333135 Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, with (from left) his son, Woody, his wife, Anne, his daughter, Annella, and his son, Nat, heads for a horse-drawn carriage to lead the parade down Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg. Va. Gov. Tim Kaine, (center) wife Anne Holton (left) and son Nat (right) listen to Mark Warner's keynote speech during the DNC convention in Denver on Aug. 26, 2008. November 8, 2000 Former Governor Linwood Holton talks with children at Linwood Holton Elementary School Wednesday, November 8, 2000. He was there to mark a partnership between Holton's law firm and his namesake school. Holton's granddaughter Annella Kaine is in his lap. His grandsons Linwood and Nathaniel were also in the group. The picture above his head is of him taking his daughter to school. Annella Kaine, daughter of the newly-sworn in Gov. Tim Kaine, does the Limbo at the Williamsburg, VA Inaugural ball Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, hand to face, and First Lady Anne Holton, right, sit with other parents in the Senate inside the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, VA Saturday, March 11, 2006. They were there for the "Page Resolution" honoring Senate pages, including their son, Woody. Democratic nominee for governor and current lieutenant governor of Virginia, Timothy M. Kaine spends time with his family, including one of his sons, Woody, 13 yrs. old,(reading paper) before walking down the road to vote Tuesday Nov. 8,2005. November 6, 2001 ELECTION 2001: Virginia Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, Timothy Kaine, leaves the voting booth with children Nat,11, and Annella,6, after casting his ballot in Richmond,Va., Tuesday, Nov. 6,2001. Virginia gov. Tim Kaine, First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton, their daughter Annella Kaine and Secretary of Administration Viola Baskerville are seen on the Capitol steps during the Capitol Square Christmas tree lighting in Richmond on Friday, December 5, 2008. With his wife, Anne Holton, holding the Bible, and his children standing behind Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr., Timothy M. Kaine takes the oath of office as governor of Virginia Saturday in Williamsburg. From left are Kaine's daughter, Annella, and his sons, Woody and Nat. Tim Kaine and his family joke around as they walk a block from his Confederate Avenue home to the Hermitage Methodist Home voting precinct Tues. Nov. 8,2005. From left, son Nat Kaine, 15, Kaine's father, Al Kaine, Kaine's 13-year-old son Woody. Tim Kaine watches returns on the internet with his wife Anne, and son Woody, 12, and daughter Annella,9. JOE MAHONEY PHOTO Tim Kaine watches returns on the internet with his wife Anne, and son Woody, 12. JOE MAHONEY PHOTO Kaine victory speech Kaine Anne Holton, daughter Annella Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (center) and their mother First lady of Virginia Anne Holton unveil gov. Tim Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Gov. Tim Kaine dances with daughter Annella at the Inaugural Ball in Williamsburg. Woody (left) and Nat Kaine (right) look on as their parents, First lady of Virginia Anne Holton and Gov. Tim Kaine, kiss after the unveiling of gov. Kaine's portrait at the Library of Virginia in Richmond on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, his wife, Anne Holton, and their daughter, Annella, ride a carriage down Duke of Gloucester Street. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (right) is joined by his family on the reviewing stand during the inaugural parade. From left are sons Nat and Woody and First Lady Anne Holton. Daughter Annella is not in the picture. Tim Kaine and his family joke around as they walk a block from his Confederate Avenue home to the Hermitage Methodist Home voting precinct Tues. Nov. 8,2005. From left, son Nat Kaine, 15, Kaine's father, Al Kaine, Kaine's 13-year-old son Woody. Senate candidate Tim Kaine (third from left) talks with Sen. Mark Warner (R) as they await senate returns in a hotel suite at the Richmond Marriott, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. At left is Ann Holton, Kaine's wife, daughter Annella is second from left and Kaine's father Al Kaine is .second from right. (BOB BROWN PHOTO) ORG XMIT: RIC1211062210323134 Virginia Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine talks with his 10-year-old son, Woody as they and the rest of the family prepare to head toward Damascus, VA, Monday, August 5, 2002 down the Virginia Creeper Trail, so named for a narrow guage railroad that formerly occupied the site. NOTE: FOR RT. 58 PROJECT. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, left, and daughter, Annella, 7, talk with Bill Lohmann, right, and son, Jack, 6, during the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA, Friday night, August 9, 2002.NOTE: FOR RT. 58 PROJECT. Annella Kaine holds her dog Gina Kaine at the seventh annual Fur Ball held at the Jefferson Hotel on Friday, October 6, 2006. The event was a fundraiser to support the Cinderalla Fund, an organization which helps pay for the cost to take care of animals taken in by the Richmond SPCA. ONE TIME USE ONLY - FREELANCE PHOTO
With just over two weeks left in this election-year session, the General Assembly has dispensed of hot-button issues from abortion to guns, as the Democratic-led Senate and the GOP-led House cancel each other out on many bills.

But much that remains to be done ahead of the scheduled Feb. 25 adjournment, on the state budget and other key issues, which range from tax policy to Dominion regulation to fixes for the states behavioral health system.

Here is a look at where 25 key issues stand.

Abortion

A Senate committee defeated bills to bar most abortions after certain junctures with exceptions for rape, incest and when the pregnant persons life is in jeopardy. These included bills that would have barred most abortions at conception, after 15 weeks and after 22 to 24 weeks. The GOP-led House did not take up its versions of some of the bills, saying they had no path toward passage. The Senate backed a proposed constitutional amendment on reproductive rights. It faces likely defeat in the House.

Appointments

Senate Democrats rejected Gov. Glenn Youngkins appointments of Suparna Dutta to the State Board of Education, Colin Greene as health commissioner and former prosecutor John Buck to the Parole Board. Their bid to remove Youngkin appointee Bert Ellis from the University of Virginia Board of Visitors failed on a 20-20 tie vote.

Behavioral health

The House and Senate have approved legislation aimed at easing pressure on the states overwhelmed mental hospitals by allowing people held under temporary detention orders to be released if they are no longer in a mental health crisis. Both bodies propose spending more money than the governors increase for crisis services, and both propose budget increases to boost Community Services Board efforts to recruit and retain staff.

Cannabis

Virginia has been in the process of setting up a legal market for recreational marijuana after legalizing it for medical use four years ago. When the Democrats led both chambers in 2020, lawmakers spoke of a establishing a legal market by 2024. Now, however, the legislatures intended pace is unclear. Unanswered questions include whether pharmaceutical companies should have a head start in the market ahead of small businesses or others looking to get into the industry, and whether people who are incarcerated for cannabis convictions should have resentencing opportunities. While some bills related to the matter have cleared the Senate, it is uncertain how they will fare in the House.

Casinos

Petersburg is hoping for a different outcome in the Senate for its bid to host a casino and block a rival gaming resort proposed in Richmond. The Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee narrowly defeated one bill to add Petersburg to the list of cities allowed to have casino gaming, but House Republicans approved a bill despite opposition from supporters of Richmonds bid for a second casino referendum. Neither chamber included language in its version of the state budget to address the issue, but anything can happen in budget negotiations.

China

After Youngkin raised security concerns in his State of the Commonwealth address about entities affiliated with Chinas Communist Party buying Virginia farmland, the Senate passed legislation to bar foreign adversaries from buying Virginia farmland. The House passed a bill that says state agencies cannot buy goods or services from any company owned in whole or part by a foreign adversary.

Youngkin has said his concerns about Chinese Communist Party influence were one reason why 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.

Crime

A number of proposed crime measures passed the House but were defeated in the Senate, meaning they are likely dead for the session. These include measures to make drug dealers liable for felony homicide charges in fatal overdoses; to allow manslaughter charges against someone who kills another persons fetus; and to repeal a law that bars law enforcement officers from pulling over a driver for certain reasons, such as defective equipment or tinted windows.

A House committee defeated a bill to repeal the Community Policing Act, which prohibits law-enforcement officers and State Police officers from engaging in bias-based profiling in the performance of their official duties. The House passed a bill to expand the list of prisoners who cannot ask the Parole Board for early release.

The House and Senate passed bills that add petit larceny to the list of offenses within the definition of racketeering activity, and measures that make catalytic converter theft a felony.

DEI

The House passed a bill requiring colleges to disclose how much money they spend on staffers working in diversity, equity and inclusion. The measure is part of a larger effort by Republicans to crack down on DEI spending in colleges. The Senate defeated a similar bill.

Dominion

The House and Senate passed radically different versions of bills that began with Dominion Energys latest idea about how the state should regulate its rates. The House and Senate say their measures would bring customer bills down, but the Senate version authorizes a higher profit rate to help the electric company secure financing for its $9 billion offshore wind project.

Elections

The House passed and the Senate defeated bills to reduce the 45-day period for in-person absentee voting.

Family Leave

The Senate backed legislation to set up a paid family leave program funded through a Virginia Employment Commission tax on employers and employees. The legislation faces an uphill battle in the House.

Guns

The divided governance in the House and Senate means the chambers offset each other on gun legislation. The House defeated a number of bills aimed at reducing gun violence through certain restrictions or bans. The House is likely to now defeat bills that cleared the Senate on storage requirements and bans on the future sales of assault-style firearms.

K-12 funding

A mistake by the Department of Education overstated basic aid for local school divisions by almost $202 million, but the House and Senate propose different ways of fixing it in their budgets. The Senate includes $58.1 million to make localities whole in their school budgets for the current fiscal year. The House includes just $4.9 million, but promises that additional sales tax revenues in Youngkins introduced budget will more than make up any shortfall in basic aid. Both budgets include money for an additional 2% raise for teachers, but the Senate plan goes further by proposing to eliminate a 14-year-old cap on state funding of support positions in local school systems.

Old City Hall

The national historic landmark  saved from demolition almost 50 years ago  has become a political battleground between the General Assembly and Youngkin administration, which is eying the renovated building for executive offices. The assembly is counting on moving its IT agency and Capitol Police force into the building under a previous budget agreement. The Senate included language in its budget to give the Joint Rules Committee control over occupancy of the building, under the administration of the House and Senate clerks.

Rights restoration

The Senate backed a proposed constitutional amendment to automatically restore felons rights once they serve their time. A House committee did not vote on a similar measure.

Same-sex marriage

The Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment to remove language barring same-sex marriage from the state constitution, but it also faces likely defeat in the House, where a committee did not put the House version to a vote.

School choice

Republicans put forth four bills that championed school choice, but only one had steam behind it. That administration-backed bill would have allocated a portion of per-pupil state funding to a savings account for parents to spend on private school tuition or other specified education expenses. It advanced from the House Education Committee, but the Appropriations panel sent it back to the education panel and it failed to cross to the Senate.

School libraries

Bills that made it through the House would let parents bar their own children from access to books with graphic sexual content, while another measure would require the state to create model policies for how school divisions should regulate the selection and removal of books. These bills face scrutiny from some Democrats, who assert that the proposals target books with LGBT characters, and books written by people of color.

Site readiness

Making large sites ready for economic development projects is a priority for Youngkin and the legislature, but the House and Senate disagree on how to do it. The governors proposed budget would add $500 million for site readiness initiatives, including $450 million for a proposed new site acquisition fund. The House budget would split the money, with $200 million for state acquisition of sites and $250 million for the existing business-ready sites program. The Senate budget would provide $250 million for the existing business-ready sites program and none for site acquisition.

State workers

One area of agreement between the House and Senate is compensation for teachers and state employees. Both budgets include money for an additional 2% raise  on top of the 5% pay hike approved last year. The Senate proposes an additional $1,000 one-time bonus on Dec. 1, while the House proposes money to help state agencies hire and retain workers, especially in agencies with high job vacancy rates.

Tax cuts

This is the front line of the looming budget battle, which will intensify in the April veto session if Youngkin doesnt get the $1 billion package of tax cuts he has proposed. The House has approved all of the proposed tax cuts, while the Senate has rejected all of them.

The most contentious proposals would drop the corporate income tax from 6% top 5% and lower the top individual tax rate from 5.75% to 5.5%, which Democrats say would make the tax code less fair to lower and middle income taxpayers. The governor also wants to raise the standard deduction to double what it was when he took office, remove an age limit for veterans to exempt a portion of their military retirement income from state taxation and create a new tax credit for small businesses.

Threat assessments

Following the November shooting at the University of Virginia, both chambers passed bills directing college threat assessment teams to take specific actions once they discover a threatening person on campus. The Senate narrowly passed a measure that would ban guns on college campuses.

Transportation

Youngkin wants a $300 million project opportunity fund to pay for transportation improvements to support economic development projects, including an ongoing effort to lure the new FBI headquarters to the Springfield area of Fairfax County. The governors initial proposal irked legislators by proposing to eliminate requirements that the administration inform the assembly money committees of any grants he makes from the fund. The assembly has restored those reporting requirements and, in the Senate, rolled back the amount of money that would go into the fund. They are still trying to resolve how to involve assembly leaders in reviewing big grants  more than $35 million  before the governor makes them.

Virginia Literacy Act

Proposals to expand the Virginia Literacy Act passed unanimously through both chambers. The legislation would require reading intervention services to students in kindergarten through eighth grade who are struggling to read, extending provisions of the legislation passed last year that capped those supports at grade three.

Workforce development

The House and Senate approved legislation to fulfill a Youngkin priority of consolidating the states dozens of offices and programs that provide job training services and link job-seekers with firms seeking employees. The aim is better coordination, more streamlined access to services and a more efficient way of tracking the effectiveness of these services.
The state Senate on Tuesday backed a proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion access in Virginias state code  a possible last hurrah for the measure this session, as its counterpart already failed in the House of Delegates.

The Senate measure passed on a party-line vote of 21 to 18.

Senate Joint Resolution 255, carried by Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, would protect a pregnant persons right to seek an abortion.

It is written in line with the legal framework outlined in Roe, McClellan said.

She added: This constitutional amendment restores the rights that I had during my childbearing years so that my daughter and my son will have those same rights when they reach their child-bearing years.

When a protection is part of the state code, it is less subject to the shifting powers of the General Assembly. But proposed constitutional amendments require a longer process than regular legislation in order to become law.

In order to become law, a proposed constitutional amendment must pass the legislature two years in a row, with an election for the House of Delegates in between. Then the proposed amendment would go to voters in a state referendum.

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George and Sen. Amanda Chase, R- Chesterfield spoke in opposition to the proposed amendment, with concerns that it went further than protections outlined in Roe v. Wade. Chase said that fetuses should have rights as well. Stuart said the language was overly broad. Several GOP senators argued the amendment would allow abortions up to the moment of birth.

No one goes into labor and then says in the middle oh, Ive changed my mind, McClellan said, and added that any abortion occurring later in pregnancy is because something went terribly wrong.

Under the resolution, abortion access cannot be limited unless there is a compelling state interest.

A state interest is compelling only when it is to ensure the protection of the health of an individual seeking care, consistent with accepted clinical standards of practice and evidence-based medicine, the resolution reads.

Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington  a cosponsor of the resolution  said were relying on physicians. This is a medical issue. Its a health care issue and there are standards of practice that health care providers use.

Sen. Siobahn Dunnavant, R-Henrico, noted the scope of Roe v. Wade and cited polling that she said indicated support for setting restrictions on abortion at some point during pregnancy.

Roe specifically recognized due process and recognized at some point there is viability in the second trimester, Dunnavant said. Thats why Roe gave states the right to limit abortions in those two trimesters.

With Republicans controlling the House of Delegates and Democrats controlling the Senate, movement on the process is yet to be determined. Bills on abortion access tend to fall along partisan lines, with most Republicans in opposition.

Still, the resolution signals to voters an appetite among Democrats for protecting abortion access in the state. In a news conference announcing the proposed constitutional amendments, Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria  who carried the now-defeated House version of the bill  said that her party will not stop trying to get it through and that the next possible time a referendum could happen would be 2026.

Abortion is still legal in Virginia for any reason up until 26 weeks of gestation (or the second trimester), and later in a pregnancy if physicians have attested that carrying a fetus to term will put the pregnant persons life or mental health at serious risk. A number of abortion-restricting bills carried by Republicans have been defeated in the Democrat-controlled Senate, while the House voted down or refused to review other abortion-restricting bills.

Dunnavant said that she was disappointed when a Senate committee defeated her own abortion-restricting bill, which she presented as a compromise. Her bill would have moved the abortion cutoff date from 26 weeks to about 22-24 weeks.

I think it was a reasonable attempt to find consensus, she previously told The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

At the recent Virginia March For Life rally, Stafford County resident Mary Cronquist said that while she hopes for eventual bans on abortion, she is all for it should incremental steps at restricting access to abortion pass in the future.

At the start of the session, House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R- Shenandoah, said he did not think restrictions or bans could get much traction this year amid the split-party control of each legislative chamber.

Abortion is anticipated to feature as a prominent issue in 2023 elections, when all 40 state Senate seats and all 100 House of Delegates seats will be up for election later this year.

Abortion is on the ballot in 2023, said Jamie Lockhart, director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia.
The sound of oohs and ahhs filled Virginias Senate chamber Tuesday when debate emerged over whether the state should continue piecemealing its cannabis and hemp laws, should or ask voters via ballot referendum if they are ready for a full legal marijuana market.

Should the state legalize the sale of recreational marijuana from privately licensed retailers, wholesalers, and growers for use by adults? Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, proposed as a ballot referendum in this years general election in November.

We need to deal with this comprehensively instead of a piecemeal solution, he said as he referred to numerous Democratic and Republican bills that deal with marijuana and hemp.

Surovells ultimately unsuccessful floor amendment arose during discussion of Senate Bill 903 by Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County. The bill, which the Senate passed on a vote of 25-15, outlined regulations for hemp products that contain tetrahydrocannabinol  or THC, the chemical that causes a high. Delta-9 is most commonly found in cannabis, while synthetic THC  or delta-8  can be found in hemp products.

Surovell said the influx of people using delta-8 is a result of a lack of a full legal and regulated cannabis market.

But Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, opposed Surovells proposed referendum.

The amendment appears to be focusing on opening a poll at the next elections, but the bill itself deals with the regulation of hemp and hemp-related products, he said.

After placing the Senate at ease for a few minutes, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears ruled that the amendment was not germane, meaning it was not relevant to the underlying bill.

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, challenged Earle-Sears ruling.

When Earle-Sears asked if the ruling should be sustained, she was met with a 20-20 vote. Lieutenant governors may cast tie-breaking votes on most issues, but she could not on her own ruling. Still, as those in opposition were unable to build a majority on her ruling, it was upheld.

Hangers bill comes after a task force supported by Attorney General Jason Miyares proposed recommendations to regulate hemp products meant for human consumption. The task forces creation stemmed from an uptick in calls to poison control centers due to delta-8 product users accidentally getting more high than expected.

Labeling is part of this, Hanger said.

Ultimately, Hangers bill passed the chamber and will next be taken up in the House of Delegates. A handful of related bills also passed the Senate on Tuesday.

Current Virginia law allows people over 21 years old to grow up to four plants in their home and possess small amounts of marijuana, but does not not legally allow them to purchase it. Virginians can receive marijuana as a gift or purchase products from medical dispensaries. When the Democrat-controlled General Assembly decriminalized possession in 2021, Democrats hoped to establish a legal market by 2024. Amid the split-party control of both chambers and lingering concerns about the best path forward, it is unclear if a market will be set up by next year.

Senate Bill 1133 by Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, cleared the Senate. It would create a regulatory framework for Virginias intended future legal marijuana market. Sales would continue to happen through existing medical cannabis dispensaries, along with new businesses run by people who live in historically disadvantaged communities.

In a speech ahead of the Tuesday vote, Ebbin said that the bill fixes a major public health, consumer safety and public safety issue.

A related bill to establish a framework for a legal market was left in a House of Delegates committee last week, which indicates the challenge ahead for Ebbins bill.

Other legislation that passed included Senate Bill 1366, a cannabis incubator program aimed at helping small businesses and farmers get into the legal cannabis industry; Senate Bill 1090, which would expand medical cannabis licensing; Senate Bill 1337, which would allow practitioners to issue certification for medical marijuana via telemedicine; and Senate Bill 1214, to adjust classifications for child abuse and neglect for when a parent uses or possesses cannabis.

Chelsea Higgs Wise, director of Marijuana Justice, said shes hopeful that Senate Bill 1214, carried by Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, could progress through the House of Delegates, given how it passed the Senate on a 31-9 vote.

Senate Bill 1523, also carried by Lucas, would allow for resentencing opportunities for people who are currently incarcerated due to cannabis possession, something Higgs Wise notes will most affect the people who have been most affected by marijuana criminalization.

A 2019 report under then-Gov. Ralph Northams administration found that from 2010 to 2019, Black people were arrested 3.5 times more than white people and that they were more likely to be convicted on marijuana-related incidents.

Higgs Wise called the resentencing component of marijuana legalization a human rights issue, though she remains skeptical that efforts can clear this session. It should have happened earlier, she said.

To continue the fear tactic of the war on drugs, there has to be a bad guy and a reason to increase or not repeal criminalization to limit competition for large multi-operators to capture the market while the police capture individuals trying to survive poverty conditions by the state, Higgs Wise said. This is how the war on drugs has been successful and will continue to infringe on our human rights post-legalization.

States with the highest revenue from cannabis taxes States with the highest revenue from cannabis taxes #11. Maine #10. California #9. Massachusetts #8. Michigan #7. Arizona #6. Illinois #5. Oregon #4. Alaska #3. Washington #2. Nevada #1. Colorado
Michael Lipford roamed Virginia, the Southeastern United States and parts of Central America in a 36-year career dedicated to identifying and preserving biologically significant land and habitat.

Now, two months into retirement from The Nature Conservancy, Lipford is bringing his talents back home to the Richmond area as director of conservation partnerships for the Capital Region Land Conservancy.

I really havent focused a lot of time on my own backyard, he said Wednesday, three days into the new job for the Richmond-based nonprofit organization. The places I play in.

Born in Richmond and raised in Portsmouth, Lipford proposed to his wife, Elizabeth, in James River Park. They lived in Woodland Heights, a turn-of-the-20th-century neighborhood near the James in South Richmond before moving to western Henrico County almost 30 years ago to settle in an 18th-century home that was part of Tuckahoe Plantation.

Now 67, he wants to help the 18-year-old land conservancy in its mission to identify and protect sites that are environmentally and culturally significant, from the riverfront in downtown Richmond to Civil War battlefields and farmlands in an area that spans nine localities. The region includes Richmond, Ashland, and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, New Kent, Goochland, Powhatan and Charles City.

I was not ready to fully retire and wanted to apply my experience to conserving important lands and waters in my backyard, Lipford said.

His decision to come out of retirement is a coup for the land conservancy, led by former Richmond City Councilman Parker Agelasto, its executive director.

We are thrilled to have Michael join our team as we work to increase our efforts to conserve the land that is closest to where we live, work, and play, Agelasto said in an announcement on Wednesday. His mastery of the tools for protecting important habitat on a statewide level will increase our effectiveness here.

Lipford joined The Nature Conservancy in 1986, when he launched the Virginia Natural Heritage Program to identify and protect biologically significant lands and habitats. Two years later, he led the programs transition into a division of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, which he said now employs 60 people and preserves 60 sites across the state, many of them biologically sensitive.

He became state director of The Nature Conservancy in 1992 and held the leadership position until 2016, when he became the international organizations director for the Southeast region of the U.S.

During his career at The Nature Conservancy, the organization purchased the 1,095-acre Cumberland Marsh Natural Area Preserve in New Kent County, acquired the 2,000-acre Piney Grove Preserve in Sussex County to protect the habitat of the threatened red-cockaded woodpecker, and established the Agricultural Reserve Program in Virginia Beach.

Lipford worked for state passage of the Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit program for encouraging landowners to place conservation easements on scenic and environmentally significant properties, and helped to create the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation.

Im a fan of history, both cultural history and natural history, he said. You can [preserve] both of them.

As director of conservation partnerships, Lipford said he will help the conservancy develop a new strategic plan for accomplishing its preservation goals through partnerships with local governments, state agencies, other nonprofit organizations and civic groups. Hell also help raise funds and cultivate donors for the conservancy, which he called one of the most effective land trusts in Virginia.

Compared with his previous work, Lipford said his new role is a little bit broader, but the difference is its local.

Being able to get back closer to home is going to be a rewarding capstone to my work, he said.

The Times-Dispatch's 'Photo of the Day'  Jan. 1, 2023 Jan. 2, 2023 Jan. 3, 2023 Jan. 4, 2023 Jan. 5, 2023 Jan. 6, 2023 Jan. 7, 2023 Jan. 8, 2023 Jan. 10, 2023 Jan. 11, 2023 Jan. 12, 2023 Jan. 13, 2023 Jan. 14, 2023 Jan. 15, 2023 Jan. 16, 2023 Jan. 17, 2023 Jan. 18, 2023 Jan. 19, 2023 Jan. 20, 2023 Jan. 21, 2023 Jan. 22, 2023 Jan. 23, 2023 Jan. 24, 2023 Jan. 25, 2023 Jan. 26, 2023 Jan. 27, 2023 Jan. 28, 2023 Jan. 29, 2023 Jan. 30, 2023 Jan. 31, 2023 Feb. 1, 2023 Feb. 2, 2023 Feb. 3, 2023 Feb. 4, 2023 Feb. 5, 2023 Feb. 6, 2023 Feb. 7, 2023 Feb. 8, 2023 Feb. 9, 2023 Feb. 10, 2023 Feb 11, 2023 Feb. 12, 2023 Feb. 13, 2023 Feb. 14, 2023 Feb. 15, 2023 Feb. 16, 2023 Feb. 17, 2023 Feb. 18, 2023 Feb. 19, 2023 Feb. 20, 2023 Feb. 21, 2023 Feb. 22, 2023 Feb. 23, 2023 Feb. 24, 2023 Feb. 25, 2023 Feb. 26, 2023 Feb. 27, 2023 Feb. 28, 2023 March 1, 2023 March 2, 2023 March 3, 2023 March 4, 2023 March 5, 2023 March 6, 2023 March 7, 2023 March 8, 2023 March 9, 2023 March 10, 2023 March 11, 2023 March 12, 2023 March 13, 2023 March 14, 2023 March 15, 2023 March 16, 2023 March 17, 2023 March 18, 2023 March 19, 2023 March 20, 2023 March 21, 2023 March 22, 2023 March 23, 2023 March 24, 2023 March 25, 2023 March 26, 2023 March 27, 2023 March 28, 2023 March 29, 2023 March 30, 2023 March 31, 2023 April 1, 2023 April 2, 2023 April 3, 2023 April 4, 2023 April 5, 2023 April 6, 2023 April 7, 2023 April 8, 2023 April 9, 2023 April 10, 2023 April 11, 2023 April 13, 2023 April 14, 2023
The LAST LOT available in the exclusive community of Henley is under construction! Over 7000 square feet of modern luxury coming soon for the discerning lifestyle. The first floor will accommodate large gatherings in the gourmet kitchen with Wolf appliances, a prep-pantry, and the bright & light dining space. The main living area is just steps away from the veranda which overlooks the private acre lot that is perfect for a pool. Plenty of room for extended guests stays with a first floor ensuite bedroom and laundry. Restore and find your balance in any of the many flex spaces perfect for reflection or meditation or catch up on the days work in the home office. As you move to the 2nd floor the open floor plan continues with a loft and study space. The primary bedroom with a spa bath and multiple closets is tucked away from the other 3 bedrooms on this level. The basement is where the fun will happen. Room after room of possibilities. Potential theater space, exercise room, storage, large great room with bar and the ability to walk-out right out onto your patio. This showcase estate style home features all the high end finishes you would expect from one of RVAs top custom builders.

View More
INM issues statement on Colombian woman denied entry at Cancun International

Cancun, Q.R.  The National Institute of Migration (INM) has issued a formal statement regarding the denied entry of a Colombian woman Friday. On February 3, a woman who arrived at 7:45 a.m. on a Volaris flight from Bogota was denied entry into Mexico.

The woman, who arrived at Terminal 2, was flagged with an active migratory alert registered since October of 2018. The INM reported that for that reason, her inadmissibility to the country was determined as established by the Migration Law and its regulations.

According to procedure, people who are not admitted must wait in a space assigned by the airport administration to board their return flight to the country they came from, during which time, the airline that transported them is responsible for food, they added.

The woman, who took to social media regarding her denial into Mexico, was returned to her home country of Colombia at 10:57 p.m. that same day. Federal authorities did not disclose details regarding the 2018 immigration alert.
Yucatan native shot to death in front door of Tulum house

Tulum, Q.R.  A Yucatan native was shot and killed in his front door late Monday by gunmen who managed to escape. According to neighbors, three men aboard a gray van arrived at the mans house.

The men reportedly approached the house. In response, the now-deceased tried to prevent the men from entering. Instead, they shot him through the glass of his front door then fled.

Shot dead was 52-year-old Eliodoro P from the state of Yucatan. He was hit at least once in the head.

Tulum police responded to neighbor reports of the 10:00 p.m. shooting on Naab Street only to find the man dead. Shell casings were collected from the scene.
Two bills spurred by the discovery of an increasingly dire contaminant in the Roanoke River have made it halfway through the General Assembly.

The Senate on Friday passed proposed legislation, introduced by Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, that would require public water providers to inform their customers when so-called forever chemicals are detected.

And Tuesday, the House approved a bill by Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, that would require certain industries to check their wastewater for the chemicals  an obligation that, had it been in place in 2015, might have prevented GenX from first infiltrating the river.

Rasouls bill now goes to the Senate and Edwards to the House.

In early 2020, test samples taken from the Spring Hollow reservoir, which holds drinking water for residents of the Roanoke region, showed traces of GenX. Thats the trade name for a chemical that can repel oil and water and is widely used in the manufacture of a variety of consumer products.

Concerns grew in June 2022, when the Environmental Protection Agency issued a health advisory that put the levels of GenX in Spring Hollow far higher than the agencys recommendation for long-term consumption of drinking water.

After additional testing showed the chemical was also in the Roanoke River, which feeds Spring Hollow, the Western Virginia Water Authority intensified its efforts to find the source. In November, it was determined that the pollution came from a Montgomery County plant that cleaned industrial equipment for Chemours, a company that makes GenX.

Rasoul said the intent of his legislation is to prevent that from happening again.

Im glad we were able to work with the administration and stakeholders to find a reasonable way to keep our drinking water safe, Rasoul said after the House vote Tuesday. What happened last year was completely unacceptable.

Edwards bill requires public water providers to promptly notify their customers when GenX is found in their supplies, which some critics say did not happen after the water authority first detected the chemical in early 2020.

The water authority needs to come clean and let the public know the facts, said Bill Tanger, chair of Friends of the Rivers of Virginia.

There was a mention of the test results on the authoritys website and in its annual water quality report, but direct communication with customers did not happen until late August 2022  nearly three months after the EPAs health advisory came out.

At the time, water authority officials said they were planning to send a letter out to Spring Hollow customers the following month, but expedited the notification after receiving inquiries from The Roanoke Times.

The authority said it was pleased to see Edwards bill advance.

We are still in support of transparency and sharing information, as we have been all along, spokeswoman Sarah Baumgardner said.

The company linked to the pollution, ProChem Inc. of Elliston, says it didnt know that its process of cleaning machinery for a chemical manufacturer was creating problems, and stopped the releases to a nearby Montgomery County waste water treatment plant as soon as it became aware.

Had ProChem known that GenX was in vessels  which are the same configuration as home water softeners and serve essentially the same purpose  it cleaned for a West Virginia customer, it would not have accepted the order, the company has said.

Although ProChem has not named the customer that was the original source of GenX, it has been identified by the water authority as Chemours, which had its equipment shipped from its plant in Washington, West Virginia, for servicing.

Under Rasouls bill, an industrial cleaner like ProChem would be required to test equipment it receives if it has a reasonable belief that it might contain forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfuoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The bill also requires testing of any wastewater from the process before it is released to a public treatment plant.

The EPAs health advisory recommends against lifetime consumption of drinking water with more than 10 parts per trillion of GenX. But the advisory is not binding, and PFAS remain largely unregulated at the state and federal levels.

As more is learned about the risks of forever chemicals, both the EPA and the Virginia Department of Health say they are considering guidelines to be imposed in the near future.

Late last year, tests found extremely high levels at two locations near ProChem: a manhole in the sanitary sewer that carried wastewater to the treatment plant, and a spot where the effluent was released into the South Fork of the Roanoke River.

Water released into the sewer system showed levels of GenX at 1.3 million parts per trillion. After the discharges from ProChem had gone through the county treatment plant, the level had decreased to 23,900 parts per trillion  still far above the EPAs advisory.

More recent tests, conducted after ProChem terminated its contract with Chemours, showed the water had returned to acceptable levels, the company said.

At Spring Hollow, which is about 5 miles downstream from ProChem, tests for GenX showed concentrations as high as about 60 parts per trillion in early 2020.

But the authority has said the levels, which were intermittent, have declined over time. A carbon filtering system has made the water safe to drink, the authority said, although as a precaution the authority has stopped drawing water from the Roanoke River to fill the reservoir.

PFAS are called forever chemicals because they can remain in the air, soil and water indefinitely. There are more than 6,000 of the compounds that can resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water  making them popular in the manufacture of items such as nonstick cook wear, waterproof clothing, fast food containers, upholstery, carpets and cosmetics.

Exposure to GenX can cause health problems that include complications to the liver, kidneys and immune system, the EPA says. However, the agencys health advisory is based on long-term consumption, which is defined as a 70-year-old drinking two liters of tainted water per day over a lifetime.
MARTINVILLE  Bobby Ronnell Helms two-day jury trial ended Tuesday with a verdict of not guilty on all counts, clearing the Henry County man of sexual assault allegations made by a woman who said that she had been abducted from Radford.

Helms, 44, of Fieldale, stood with his attorney, Michael McPheeters of Martinsville, and heard jurors clear him of two counts of rape and two counts of forcible sodomy  accusations that could have sent him to prison for life.

The verdict came after jurors watched a video tape of Helms being questioned last year at the Henry County Sheriffs Office. In the interrogation, Helms denied attacking Catlyn Marea Wilhelm, a 20-year-old who told authorities that she was abducted and assaulted by several people in an incident that began Jan. 10, 2022. It concluded the next morning when Wilhelm texted Henry Countys emergency dispatch center for help and deputies came to Helms residence.

Charges were filed against five people, some in Henry County and some in Radford.

But Wilhelm died of a drug overdose in August, leaving only her account to investigators and her testimony at preliminary hearings for prosecutors. The Roanoke Times usually does not identify victims in sexual assault cases, but did so in this case after Wilhelms death.

In the videotaped interview presented Tuesday, Helms said Wilhelm had not told the truth.

I dont know why shes doing this. Its a lie, Helms repeated to Investigator J.M. Duffy. This is not like me. Its not like me. All we were doing was smoking some weed.

Wilhelms account of the night began with her and another woman driving around and ending up in the parking lot of the Food City in Radford. They were met there by Deshawn Kiree Tucker, 30, of Dublin, Wilhelms former boyfriend. She had been avoiding him because she owed him $2,000 that he loaned her to buy a car, she said at a preliminary hearing in Radford last year.

Wilhelm said Tucker told her he wanted his money, and that he threatened her family. He told me we could do this the hard way or I could work it off, Wilhelm said at an earlier hearing. She said that she and the other woman got out of her vehicle and into Tuckers, and left with him.

Tucker took the two women to his residence in Dublin, then to Floyd County, where he transferred them to Waylon Allen Cox, 37, according to Wilhelm. Cox took them to his home on Frank Redd Road in Fieldale, she said.

Tucker also gave Cox $2,000, Wilhelm said.

In Radford courts, where Tucker and Tabitha Suzette Stephenson, the woman who accompanied Wilhelm, are charged with her abduction, Commonwealths Attorney Chris Rehak has said that Tucker owed a debt to the men in Henry County, and settled it partly with cash and partly by handing over Wilhelm for sexual abuse.

I told them I didnt want to do this, Wilhelm said at a preliminary hearing in Henry County.

From Coxs house, Wilhelm said, she was taken to Helms house on Sleeping Hills Farm Road in Fieldale.

Charges against Cox were dismissed earlier in the case. Also dropped was a charge of procuring prostitution filed in Henry County against Patricia Beth Inman of Bassett, who was Coxs girlfriend at the time.

Henry County Deputy Matt Hodges testified that the 911 Communications Center received a text from the womans phone and that he was sent to Helms home.

Investigator Evan Monroe testified that Wilhelm said that she was raped, and that he took her to the sheriffs office for further questioning. Then she was taken to the Carilion hospital in Rocky Mount where DNA obtained from her was determined to be that of Helms.

McPheeters continued to attack Wilhelms credibility, noting that hospital records contradicted part of what she told investigators.

She also denied using drugs, McPheeters said, but tests at the hospital showed she had marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine in her system.

They got high and had consensual sex, McPheeters repeated.

Tucker has a jury trial scheduled in Radford Circuit Court on March 2 on charges of abduction with intent to defile and conspiracy to abduct with the intent to defile. Stephenson has a plea hearing set for March 10 in Radford on a charge of conspiring to abduct with the intent to defile.

Roanoke Times staff writer Mike Gangloff contributed to this article.
CHRISTIANSBURG  Mark Cherbaka announced Tuesday night that he wont seek another term on the Montgomery County School Board.

Cherbaka represents District G, much of which covers Blacksburg. His first term on the board began in 2016.

I think having somebody whos a parent and works full-time is an important thing  its not easy to do. This is an extra part-time job. Parenting is an extra part-time or full-time job. But I think its important, especially on this board, to have the whole gamut. People who have been through the whole thing, people who are in the middle of it, he said. The flip side of that is I think that people like me cant really do this forever, although I think I would love to do it as long as possible.

Cherbaka, whos currently board chairman, said hes not ruling out another bid for elected office in the future.

I will not close the door on joining Penny [Franklin] in her 40th year on the school board somewhere down the road, or Jamie [Bond]. Or maybe Linwood [Hudson] in his 20th year or 15th year, Cherbaka said.

Cherbaka encouraged others interested in public office to consider the school board.

I do think the rhetoric is such that we need good people. We need to encourage the next round of busy, smart people, parents, workers, people who care about schools and public education, he said. Anybody whos thinking about joining the board, think about it, especially in District G and come join these good people up here.

Cherbakas decision is the latest election related development for the board.

Franklin, who represents District B, said near the end of a Jan. 24 meeting that she will indeed seek another term. Earlier that month, former Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Miear announced his plan to run for her seat.

Franklin made a brief remark on her reelection plan, but didnt elaborate as much as Cherabaka on her decision.

I will be running for reelection, Franklin said last month. Seems to be some folks who didnt understand that, but its kind of a no-brainer for me.

District B, which is located roughly at the center of Montgomery County, includes the town of Christiansburg.

The other board members whose seats are up for reelection this year are Marti Graham and Sue Kass. Both board members have yet to make public announcements about whether they plan to run for reelection.

Graham and Kass, respectively, represent districts E and F. District E mainly covers western Montgomery County and includes a portion of Blacksburg. District F borders District E and also includes Blacksburg.

Grahams time on the board started in 2015, while Kass joined the elected body in 2020.

During his comments Tuesday, Cherbaka said hes proud to have served with all his colleagues, even if they didnt always agree on issues.

Every single one of you cares about public education and you advocate for our students. You advocate for all of our students, he said.

Cherbaka described his time serving District G as one of the best honors of his life.

Im a believer in good government, and I think good government requires citizen participation, and thats all citizens, he said. I feel like Ive always pushed for the involvement of all voices, even voices I dont necessarily agree with.
Roanoke County is set to begin a $700,000 stream restoration project in Goode Park, thanks in part to funding from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Phase 2 of the Wolf Creek stream restoration project in Vinton is set to begin later this spring after the county was recently awarded $350,000 from DEQ, with the county matching that amount as a stipulation.

County Director of Development Services Tarek Moneir said repairing the small waterways throughout the county is an ongoing process which aims to make the streams more accessible to citizens, while also reducing the sediment and bacteria in the water.

He said one of the main ways to do this is through erosion control and redirecting the flow of the water to go down the center of the stream.

This is often done by clearing out overgrown areas of a creek, widening the width of the waterway, hydrology and angling the edges of the stream in a way that helps prevent erosion.

Rocks and tree branches are used to build walls of sorts, which in addition to planting native vegetation along the banks that are easy to maintain are integral in maintaining the renovations, Moneir said.

The second phase of the project is approximately 600 to 700 feet, according to Moneir, approximately the same distance as Phase 1.

Another benefit to the restoration is the improvement of the ecosystem for wildlife, particularly aquatic animals.

Erosion can cause some small insects at the bottom of the stream to be trapped and not available to be eaten by fish and other animals.

One of the reasons erosion can happen so rapidly is increased development in areas near a watershed is it causes more stormwater runoff, which only exacerbates the problem, according to county officials.

The Wolf Creek project is one of many on the countys list to complete in the next several years, but Moneir said grant funding and local matches must be available before the projects can proceed.

We try to have one of these projects every two to three years, depending on funding and other factors, he said.

Monier expects the project to go out to bid in the spring, and if all goes according to plan, the restoration would be complete by mid to late summer, completing all phases currently planned for Wolf Creek.

To learn more about stream restoration, watch Stream Restoration: Roanoke County Development Services, on YouTube.
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.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
 Pre-gaming the State of the Union with a few White House Fact Sheets talking a bit about crimes and punishment | Main | After recent wave of notable rulings, a wave of new Second Amendment commentary 

February 7, 2023

Missouri completes its second execution of 2023

As reported in this local article, "Missouri on Tuesday executed 58-year-old Leonard Taylor, who was convicted of killing his girlfriend and her three children at their home in Jennings nearly two decades ago." Here are more:

A state executioner delivered a fatal dose of pentobarbital at 6:07 p.m., and Taylor was pronounced dead a short time later, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.... Taylor was the third person to be executed in Missouri in three months. His death marked only the second time since 2015 that more than one person was executed in a calendar year. He was convicted in 2008 of killing 28-year-old Angela Rowe and her three children, Alexus Conley, 10, AcQreya Conley, 6, and Tyrese Conley, 5, at their home on Park Lane in Jennings. He has insisted he is innocent of the killings. Rowe's older sister, Gerjuan Rowe, attended Tuesday's execution along with eight other loved ones. "Justice was served," Rowe said. "Now, I get a little peace." Rowe and her children were found Dec. 3, 2004. Rowe was covered by blankets and shot four times, once fatally in the head. The children were also shot and lined up on a bed. Prosecutors said they believed the family was shot on the night of Nov. 23 or early morning of Nov. 24, 2004. Taylor had called his brother just before midnight, then again at 12:05 a.m. Nov. 24, and admitted to the killings. The brother told police Taylor stayed in the house with the bodies because he was waiting for a letter from his wife in California.... A jury sentenced Taylor to death on Feb. 29, 2008, for the four murders. Taylor had since filed several appeals, including a request last month asking St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell to hold a hearing to review discrepancies in the state's evidence and consider new declarations from Taylor's daughter and her mother saying Taylor was actually in Los Angeles at the time of the killings. Bell denied that request last week, finding "the facts are not there to support a credible case of innocence." On Monday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson denied Taylor's petition for clemency. "Leonard Taylor brutally murdered a mother and her three children. The evidence shows Taylor committed these atrocities and a jury found him guilty," Parson said in a statement. "Despite his self-serving claim of innocence, the facts of his guilt in this gruesome quadruple homicide remain."

February 7, 2023 at 09:48 PM | Permalink

Comments

Rowe's older sister, Gerjuan Rowe, attended Tuesday's execution along with eight other loved ones. "Justice was served," Rowe said. "Now, I get a little peace."

15 years. It should not have taken this long.

Posted by: federalist | Feb 8, 2023 8:59:08 AM

Missouri does better than a lot of states. 1 year from appeal to oral argument on direct appeal, opinion on direct appeal within six months of oral argument. Collateral review in trial court completed within two years of mandate on direct appeal. Less than 1 year from appeal to oral argument on collateral review appeal. Opinion within two months of oral argument. All told, about nine years from the offense to the end of normal state review. Problem was that it took approximately eight years for federal habeas review. (not counting the 1 year that habeas counsel has to convert the two state appellate briefs into a federal habeas petition and to investigate any claims which motion counsel knew about and failed to raise in the collateral review application). Given the limitations on federal habeas review, it should not take longer for any stage of federal habeas review than it does no state appeal, but the reality is that federal courts do not resolve capital habeas cases quickly regardless of what Congress has said about the need to resolve capital habeas cases quickly.

Posted by: tmm | Feb 8, 2023 1:15:53 PM

agreed, tmm.

Which is why I believe that federal courts should be out of the capital punishment business

Posted by: federalist | Feb 8, 2023 1:42:47 PM

I likewise agree with tmm. His well-informed post shows why the AEDPA needs to be strengthened.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Feb 8, 2023 2:52:14 PM

Post a comment
 After recent wave of notable rulings, a wave of new Second Amendment commentary | Main | Texas completes its third execution of 2023 

February 8, 2023

Sentencing Project releases "Ending 50 Years of Mass Incarceration: Urgent Reform Needed to Protect Future Generations"

The folks at The Sentencing Project have a new website and a new "featured campaign" (with its own webpage) titled "50 Years and a Wake Up: Ending The Mass Incarceration Crisis In America." As explained on the webpage: "The campaign raises awareness about the dire state of the U.S. criminal legal system, the devastating impact of incarceration on communities and families, and proposes more effective crime prevention strategies for our country."

The most recent publication from the campaign is titled "Ending 50 Years of Mass Incarceration: Urgent Reform Needed to Protect Future Generations." This eight-page document has a number of graphics and charts; its text begins this way (footnotes removed):

By year end 2021, the U.S. prison population had declined 25% since reaching its peak in 2009. Still, the 1.2 million people imprisoned in 2021 were nearly six times the prison population 50 years ago, before the prison population began its dramatic growth. The United States remains a world leader in incarceration, locking up its citizens at a far higher rate than any other industrialized nation. At the current pace of decarceration, averaging 2.3% annually since 2009, it would take 75 years  until 2098  to return to 1972s prison population. It is unacceptable to wait more than seven decades to substantively alter a system that violates human rights and is out of step with the world, is racially biased, and diverts resources from effective public safety investments. To achieve meaningful decarceration, policymakers must reduce prison admissions and scale back sentence lengths  both for those entering prisons and those already there. The growing movement to take a second look at unjust and excessive prison terms is a necessary first step. As the country grapples with an uptick in certain crimes, ending mass incarceration requires accelerating recent reforms and making effective investments in public safety.

Another longer document in this campaign was released a few weeks ago and is called "Mass Incarceration Trends." Among other part of that document is a chart highlighting that an era of massively increased incarceration also brought massive increases in community supervision:

As depicted in Figure 3, probation and parole have expanded both in the absolute number and length of supervision for several decades now. Between 1980 and 2020, the number of people on probation nearly tripled and the number of people under parole supervision nearly quadrupled.

February 8, 2023 at 03:00 PM | Permalink

Comments

Don't pay the ferryman. Don't even fix a price.

Posted by: federalist | Feb 8, 2023 3:23:51 PM

For your listening pleasure, federalist, that voice that came from beyond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kNwvIEQsg0

Posted by: Doug B | Feb 8, 2023 4:05:13 PM

By any reasonable measure, crime is a bigger threat to future generations.

Posted by: TarlsQtr | Feb 8, 2023 6:53:06 PM

Post a comment
Worker pulling cardboard box at warehouse aisle (Photo: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE - A 53-year-old Singaporean worker died while unloading a shipment of glass doors from a shipping container in a warehouse in the Alexandra district.

According to a media statement released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Wednesday (8 February), the man died from injuries suffered after nine glass doors toppled onto three workers.

The man was one of the trio, and was taken to the National University Hospital alongside another worker, who was also injured but is now in a stable condition. The third worker was not injured.

MOM said the accident took place at about 2.15pm last Thursday (2 February) at 61 Alexandra Terrace Harbour Link Complex.

This incident raises the number of workplace fatalities in Singapore to four this year.

Company instructed to stop activities and appoint new auditor

MOM has instructed the company, AGL Facade Systems, to stop all work activities and appoint a workplace safety and health auditor to review its work practices.

The company's director is required to personally account to MOM for safety lapses and take direct responsibility for rectifications.

The company has also been barred from hiring new migrant workers for three months.

MOM is still investigating the incident.

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.
   KOKO MARE2400 University Hill 1   CEOCEO161 ChatGPT2029 0.08% 25 0.46%  6   ChatGPT    64.24 48  27%2024    ChatGPT  0.71% GDP  1.4 9  LV5000     GDP5% 16% 415 KeeTa   0.38% 0.26%15%    OTT TVB
Big changes are coming to health care after pandemic emergencies expire. People will soon have to pay part or all the cost of COVID tests, treatments and vaccines, and as many as 15 million people will likely lose their Medicaid coverage. Read more

Big Changes Are Coming to U.S. Health Care as Pandemic Emergencies Expire WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Americans received unprecedented access to health care during the pandemic, including hassle-free public insurance and free tests, treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.

Americans are getting more comfortable talking over mental health with doctors. Between 2006 and 2018, the percentage of primary care visits that addressed mental health concerns rose 50%, research shows. Read more

Americans Getting More Comfortable Talking Over Mental Health With Doctors WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Primary care doctors are no longer just in the physical health business: Americans are increasingly turning to them for mental health care, too, a new study finds.

Tying the knot could keep high blood sugar at bay. Married or cohabiting couples have lower blood sugar levels than single people, a new study shows, and that was true whether or not the couple got along with each other. Read more

Tying the Knot Could Keep High Blood Sugar at Bay WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Getting hitched could help middle-aged and older folks get a better handle on their blood sugar, a new study reports.

Long COVID risk may be especially high for people with cancer. More than half of cancer patients develop long COVID, new research reveals, and women are at higher risk than men. Read more

Long COVID Risk May Be Especially High for Cancer Patients WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Many cancer patients who are infected with COVID-19 are left with lingering symptoms.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and two local organizations have updated the state's suicide prevention plan that will be implemented for the next three years.

The Kim Foundation, a statewide organization focused on suicide prevention, created the 47-page document with DHHS and the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition to provide guidelines for individuals, businesses, schools, medical professionals, communities and other agencies to prevent suicide. It replaces another statewide strategic plan that was created in 2016.

"We really wanted to make it more of an action plan and framework for all communities in Nebraska, no matter where they were, to dive into and select what would work in their community," said Julia Hebenstreit, executive director of the Kim Foundation. "We knew that not everything in the plan would resonate with all communities, but every community or every person can find something in the plan."

Throughout the summer of 2022, the Kim Foundation collected data from 501 people through an online survey and focus groups. Participants were from each area of the state and included school personnel, suicide survivors, farmers, parents, youth and more. Hebenstreit said the foundation also made sure to survey people of different races, gender and sexuality.

The plan includes four major strategic directions: healthy and empowered individuals, families and communities; clinical and community prevention services; treatment and support services; and surveillance, research and evaluation. There are localized goals and recommendations depending on each strategic direction.

Hebenstreit said because the plan was just released, it hasn't received any state funding yet for implementing the goals on a larger level.

"There are some systemic pieces that are going to take major funding and major undertakings, but there's also a lot of recommendations that can be used just on the grassroots level," she said. "All of us can find something in there that we could do to help save lives from suicide."

In 2020  the latest data available  Nebraska's suicide rate at 14.9 per 100,000 people was higher than the national rate of 13.48 per 100,000 people.

A Nebraskan is lost to suicide every 32 hours, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for Nebraskans in the 10-34 age range.

Nebraska has been trying to prevent suicide since 1999, said Dave Miers, senior director of behavioral health services at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln. Miers helped write the first statewide suicide prevention plan back then and has since formed the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition.

"Every couple of years we developed and reformulated suicide prevention goals, but it wasn't until probably the last decade or so that we worked with the state and the state kind of took ownership," Miers said. "Then we started developing new state plans to where they became part of DHHS."

One of the plan's strategies on a local level is to form more suicide prevention coalitions across the state. These coalitions will be run by communities that can take recommendations from the state plan to incorporate in their own neighborhoods. Hebenstreit said communities can apply for funding when the Kim Foundation opens grant applications later this year.

Quinn Lewandowski, a research specialist at the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center who worked on the new plan, said it will be a challenge but also a key development to establish more local coalitions.

"We want to continue to identify a primary contact so we can all coordinate together. We want people to collaborate because this is a very important issue and we can't all work in silos," Lewandowski said. "We can do really good work together as a team."

Joining a coalition is just one of the recommendations for individuals to get involved in suicide prevention. People can also undergo training, attend local mental health events and continue to promote 988, the national suicide and crisis lifeline telephone number.

Hebenstreit said one of her favorite parts of the plan is that the voices of Nebraskans who were surveyed are intermingled throughout the recommendations. One resident said the state has improved in talking about behavioral health, but it's crucial to train people on how to talk to others about it.

Another said: "I want to see our community working on prevention efforts all the time, not just when something happens."
CRAIG, Iowa  A 2-year-old boy was was run over by a tractor Monday in Plymouth County.

The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office said in a statement released Tuesday that deputies, as well as the Ireton Ambulance, were dispatched to the Craig area at 3:47 p.m.

The 2-year-old was riding on a tractor with his father, the driver, at the time of the incident.

"The driver became distracted and the child fell to the ground and was partially ran over by the back wheel of the tractor," the statement said.

The child, whose injuries were described as "non-life-threatening," was transported to Floyd Valley Hospital by Ireton Ambulance and later flown to a Sioux Falls hospital. The incident remains under investigation.
SIOUX CITY  The Crittenton Center plans to build six tiny homes on a nearly 5-acre portion of its Green Avenue campus for youth who are aging out of the foster care system.

"They can be independent. They can have their own little house, where they'll have to mow their yard and take care of their garbage and utilities and all of that," said Kim Scorza, the Crittenton Center's executive director.

The durable, modern one-bed, one-bath homes will each be about 600 square feet inside and come equipped with a kitchen, living room and outdoor space. Scorza said the homes could house as few as six young adults or as many as 12 and be move-in ready by the end of the year.

"Some of them really want to have their own space. But, some of them have said, 'It wouldn't have been too bad to have a roommate and to have bunkbeds in our space, so that I can share and don't have to feel so lonely,'" she said.

The idea for the tiny homes was developed roughly 18 months ago, when the nonprofit was working on its strategic plan, according to Scorza.

Crittenton Center tiny homes project Kim Scorza, Crittenton Center executive director, holds a laptop displaying a rendering of the agency's tiny homes project during an interview

Due to staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Crittenton Center had to close its emergency youth shelter in April 2021. When the shelter reopened in January, Scorza said staff immediately began encountering youth who were nearing age 18 and facing the reality of being discharged to the street with no place to go. She said that "didn't sit well" with her and others.

"One of the things that kept coming up is that we have no ability to move children through our programs into the community and toward independence, because we just didn't have the space to do that," Scorza said. "What we really found is that some of the kids that are in our shelter program are older and, if they don't have a bed to go to, they'd literally be discharged to the street if there was not an alternative plan."

The nonprofit offers a Supervised Apartment Living (SAL) program, which teaches teens who are aging out of the foster care system to live independently.

"We have what we call cluster. That's in our main building -- like dorm-style living. We have six kiddos in there. Those are the kids that really want to be able to get their own apartment and get out into the community," Scorza said. "Being 18 or 19, it's very hard for people to want to rent to you. There's a lot of difficult challenges for those kids."

Scorza said living in the tiny homes will give youth the opportunity to "build credit" so that they can eventually get out on their own. She said they would potentially be able to live in the homes until their 22nd birthdays and, maybe even beyond that, depending on their needs.

"This is another way for us to say, 'You can rent from us your own tiny home. This is your lease agreement with us. We're going to support you and have services wrapped around you, but the goal is to move toward independence,'" she said.

Crittenton Mini Houses A rendering of six tiny homes, which will be built on the Crittenton Center's Green Avenue campus, are shown. Nathan Kalaher, an architect at 

Scorza said the Crittenton Center has been fundraising quietly for the project. She said remodeling the main building at 3901 Green Ave. and building the six tiny homes will cost about $2 million.

Nathan Kalaher, an architect at PLaN Architecture in Sioux City, is donating architectural services for the project. Scorza said contractors and subcontractors have committed building supplies and/or labor and that the Crittenton Center has also received some cash donations and has written for a large grant.

Scorza said youth at the Crittenton Center worked one on one with Kalaher to design the tiny homes. She said the kids opted for a bathtub with a shower, rather than a walk-in shower and also expressed a desire for an outdoor space where they could hang out.

"Baths are really soothing to them. To be able to soak in a bathtub, that's not something that a lot of them had when they were little," Scorza said of the youth, who often have experienced abuse and neglect. "And, most facilities don't have that. For kids who have been in group care, it's usually just showers."
Back from a tour of the San Diego-Mexico border and meetings with Mexican officials, Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst on Tuesday called on Democratic President Joe Biden to crack down of the flow of fentanyl entering the United States, including having every vehicle entering the Southern border screened by a drug-sniffing police dog.

Ernst spoke with reporters after returning from a visit with Iowa Republican U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra and Mariannette Miller-Meeks to the San Diego sector of the U.S.-Mexico border and to Mexico City. Ernst called the Port of San Diego, the worlds busiest land border crossing, the epicenter of fentanyl trafficking.

The lethal drugs that come through this sector of the border feed right into the Midwest, said Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. It is our joint responsibility with Mexico to bring an end to the fentanyl crisis and the resulting cartel violence. President Biden must present a clear plan that meets the challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border. Its a complicated problem, but complicated cant mean complacency.

Ernst said the delegation met with members of the National Border Patrol Council, which outlined the difficulties border agents are facing curbing illegal border crossings, including outdated surveillance technology and a shortage of agents and K-9 units.

"Right now, our Border Patrol is demoralized," Ernst said. "They feel like Uber drivers and paper pushers instead of front-line agents who are pushing back on cartel activity and drug and human smuggling. Border Patrol told us they're seeing a trend of even more gotaways, people that illegally cross the border and are never caught, than people who were actually apprehended in the previous year."

Biden was expected to call on Congress during his State of the Union address Tuesday night to work with the administration to address the fentanyl crisis. Biden was to call for expanded access to opioid-related addiction treatment and announce he will ramp up efforts to curb fentanyl trafficking at the Southern border and through commercial delivery packages, according to a White House official.

Biden was expected to announce:

123 new large-scale scanners at points of entry along the Southwest border by fiscal 2026, increasing inspection capacity from what has historically been about 2 percent of passenger vehicles and about 17 percent of cargo vehicles to 40 percent of passenger vehicles and 70 percent of cargo vehicles. These investments will crack down on a major avenue of fentanyl trafficking, securing our border and keeping dangerous drugs from reaching our country, a White House official wrote in an email.

Customs and Border will expand voluntary data sharing partnerships this year in an effort to capture more information  and, in turn, seize more commercial packages containing illicit substances.

A sustained diplomatic push to address fentanyl and its supply chain abroad.

Plans to work with Congress to make permanent tough penalties on suppliers of fentanyl.

An official with the Office of National Drug Control Policy said the strategy is to go after the entire illicit global fentanyl supply chain and the profits that drive drug traffickers.

Provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 107,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in the 12 months ending in August 2022. Most of those deaths were caused by illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine. Thats a slight decrease from the 110,315 fatal drug overdoses provisionally estimated for the 12 month period ending March 2022.

Ernst proposed improved relations with Mexico, the creation of an interagency task force in Mexico to deter the flow of drugs and increased K-9 units along the border. She said the port of entry in San Diego has 34 lanes of traffic with 70,000 vehicle and 20,000 pedestrian crossings each day, but only three to five K-9 units working on a given day.

This initial K-9 screening should be conducted on every single vehicle entering this country, and right now thats simply not happening, Ernst said.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last year ended state troopers' increased inspections of commercial vehicles that gridlocked commercial traffic throughout the Texas-Mexico border for more than a week.

Asked how she would avoid similar congestion, Ernst said vehicles with suspected drugs would be pulled into a secondary inspection area to help keep traffic moving.

If we did have dogs available on all of those lanes, or every other lane, those dogs could quickly detect any illicit materials that are in those cars, Ernst said. We would have much greater coverage to be able to detect much more of the fentanyl coming in.

Ernst said she did not have a figure on how much the inspections would cost, how many new dogs would be needed or how quickly they could be trained and deployed.

Miller-Meeks said the contingent also conducted classified briefings with numerous federal agencies in Mexico City regarding border security and other immigration issues.

"You know, Mexico is a willing partner," Miller-Meeks said. "They're capable. There are some things we can do, perhaps, in technology to help them. They have concerns about arms that get into the hands of cartels. We have concerns about drug trafficking and human smuggling, and then also the horrific things that go along with human smuggling, which is sex trafficking and unaccompanied minors coming into the United States."

Feenstra said the delegation also discussed a proposed ban in Mexico on genetically modified corn imports with Mexican officials.

"We talked about how 25 percent of corn exports go to Mexico," Feenstra said. "We had a great discussion with them about how we can move forward, and make sure we can continue the opportunity of exporting our corn to Mexico. We're hoping that there's a solution in the next six to 12 months regarding this issue."

Ahead of a House Oversight Committee hearing Tuesday on the border and immigration, the White House issued a memo accusing House Republicans of staging political stunts and undermining border security.

In the memo obtained by The Gazette, White House Counsels Office spokesman and Special Assistant to the President Ian Sams credited a series of new immigration and border security actions by the administration with reducing southern border crossings last month. Sams also lambasted House Republicans for voting against last years omnibus spending bill that included billions of dollars in border security funding and accused them of pushing an agenda that would make border security worse.

It is clear that House Republicans are more interested in staging political stunts than on rolling up their sleeves to work with President Biden and Democrats in Congress on legislation to strengthen border security and fix our immigration system that has needed repair for decades, Sams wrote.
SIOUX CITY -- Newly-appointed Woodbury County Board of Supervisors member Mark Nelson has been appointed as a liaison between the board and the Law Enforcement Center Authority.

The joint city-county Law Enforcement Center Authority oversees the operation and construction of the new county jail.

Originally, Rocky De Witt was the county board's representative on the authority. After being elected to the Iowa Senate, De Witt resigned from his Board of Supervisors position but was allowed to stay on the jail authority.

Nelson has become a liaison to the authority in order update the board on the meetings and progress of the jail, said Board Chair Matthew Ung.

Nelson attended his first meeting on Friday and had no update. He said he plans to meet with Authority Chair Ron Wieck and the jail contractor Hausmann Construction to catch up on the progress.

The original resolution appointing De Witt to the seat stated resignation from the Board of Supervisors vacates the authority position.

The authority's articles of incorporation state the Board of Supervisors elects one commissioner for the authority that lives in the area outside the county seat. It does not require the individual to be a County Supervisor.

In January the board approved a new resolution allowing De Witt to keep the seat until the end of his term in December 2027.

Ung said at the time De Witt has institutional knowledge of the process of the jail project and would be helpful to avoid a vacancy.

LEC Authority commissioners receive no compensation. The authority is led by Wieck and also includes Sioux City Mayor Pro-Tem, Dan Moore.

The Authoritys purpose is to oversee the construction and initial operations of the new Law Enforcement Center until 2040 at which time the building will be turned over to the county.
SIOUX CITY  At 6 p.m. Thursday, the Sioux City Human Rights Commission will hold a chat called "Good Hair/Bad Hair: A Conversation about Discrimination and the Crown Act" at the Sioux City Public Museum on Fourth Street.

The presentation, which is co-sponsored by Women Aware, a Sioux City non-profit, is free to the public and is focusing in part on a 2022 federal bill meant to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture. The legislation was proposed by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-New Jersey.

Through 2022, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington all had laws banning race-relate hair discrimination. Another 12 state have municipalities with bans of their own. A 2022 piece from Bloomberg Law shared an anecdote about a Black hotel desk clerk who got high marks at work for her performance but was dinged for wearing her hair in a natural way.

According to a press release from the Sioux City Human Rights Commission, the Thursday night presentation is meant to "educate about the Crown Act legislation and race-based hair discrimination in our society."
WASHINGTON  Joe Biden stepped to the rostrum for his State of the Union address at what should be a high point of his presidency. He's repeatedly beaten the odds with a string of legislative accomplishments and a historically strong midterm election where Democrats held the line against Republicans. His steadfast support for Ukraine has won praise. The cloud of the pandemic has lifted.

But on Tuesday night, he found himself facing a problem that has shadowed him for years  doubt.

Polls show a majority of Americans are largely unaware of his successes and don't approve of his job performance. Even Democrats question whether he should run for reelection amid concerns about his age.

It all added up to a particularly high-stakes moment for Biden, providing him with his last, best opportunity to make his case for why he deserves a second term before a formal campaign announcement.

He left no doubt that he believes he has more work to do as president. Addressing Republicans who recently won control of the House, Biden said "the people sent us a clear message" about the need to find common ground.

"We've been sent here to finish the job," he said.

Although Biden frequently used the language of cooperation, he slipped in a few digs at the other party, such as when he talked about Republicans who voted against his infrastructure law but still celebrate the money being used in their districts.

"Don't worry," he said. "I promised to be the president for all Americans. We'll fund these projects. And I'll see you at the groundbreaking!"

At another point, Biden accused Republicans of trying to curtail Social Security and Medicare benefits for older Americans, provoking shouts of "liar" from his critics.

Veering from the text of his speech, Biden responded with a grin. "Anybody who doubts it, contact my office, I'll give you a copy of the proposal." It was a thrust and parry more likely to be found on a debate stage than in a State of the Union.

Now it's just a matter of waiting for Biden to reveal his decision on whether he'll run again. He's promised an announcement early this year.

"Until the moment when he makes that pronouncement, that's still that question that hangs over every word that he utters," said Patrick Gaspard, a former White House political director and top official at the Democratic National Committee.

Gaspard, who is currently president of the liberal Center for American Progress, said the State of the Union "is often considered the opening bid in an argument for reelection. And in this situation, it's certainly the case."

American presidents almost never forgo a shot at a second term. The last one was Lyndon Johnson, who did not seek reelection in 1968 after his presidency became unmoored by the Vietnam War.

But there's also never been a president as old as Biden. He's 80, and would be 86 at the end of a second term. He first ran for the White House in 1988.

"I'm not new to this place," Biden acknowledged in his speech. "I stand here tonight having served as long as about any one of you has ever served here."

Lyndsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian, said Biden's age is "the X factor" that differentiates him from his predecessors. Even when other presidents faced low approval ratings during their first term, "no one was suggesting that they not run."

"If he was ten years younger, none of these conversations would be happening," she said.

Biden gave a glimpse of his campaign pitch on Friday in Philadelphia, when he spoke at a Democratic National Committee meeting. He rattled off legislative accomplishments, some of which were achieved after they were left for dead in Congress, and blasted Republicans as "extremists," even calling them "nuts" at one point.

"Let me ask you a simple question. Are you with me?" he said to the cheering crowd, which responded by chanting, "Four more years!"

Political appearances rarely draw the same attention as the State of the Union. Last year, 38 million people tuned in, compared to nearly 100 million who watched the Super Bowl.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss said the challenge is to find the right way to harness that fleeting focus.

"The speech will probably be remembered for two or three lines," he said. "He has to decide which he wants those to be."

Judging by the text, Biden wants that line to be "finish the job," a phrase included no less than a dozen times. Whether it's increasing taxes on billionaires, preventing police brutality or lowering insulin costs, Biden said he wants to "finish the job."

It may not have been a campaign announcement, but it's an implicit request for voters to stick with him.

Biden planned to travel to Wisconsin on Wednesday and Florida on Thursday to continue pushing his agenda, part of an administration-wide plan for top officials to fan out across the country this week.

After a Democratic midterm showing that was strong by historical averages in a president's first term, Biden has successfully tamped down handwringing within his party over whether he should seek another term. No primary opponent has emerged.

And he has a record to build upon. He's also secured investments in infrastructure, computer chip manufacturing and financial incentives to encourage Americans to adopt cleaner technologies for fighting climate change.

However, Biden still faces skepticism from the country at large.

Only 37% of Democrats say they want Biden to seek a second term, down from 52% before the midterm elections in November, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
From alcohol to cigarettes, most adults have tried some form of recreational drug. Fewer people have experimented with prescription medication for recreational reasons, but certain areas of the country are experiencing a serious problem with opoid addiction. Other drugs like cocaine and LSD, are used sporadically among adults in the U.S.

Using data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive, the experts at HealthGrove, a health data site, ranked the 25 most commonly used recreational drugs. The substances are ordered by the increasing percentage of people age 12 and over who used the drug recreationally in 2015. In the case of a tie, the drug with a higher classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is ranked higher.

To collect this data, SAMHDA conducts the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in which they record use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the U.S. population aged 12 or older. It is important to note that this data only includes recreational use of drugs, not proper medical use.

Drugs that are legal, alcohol and tobacco, have the highest recreational use. According to the survey, nearly one in five people over the age of 12 also used marijuana in 2015. As the drug becomes legal in more states, recreational use is likely to increase. Other Schedule I drugs (drugs determined to have no medical benefit by the DEA) including heroin and DMT had a recreational prevalence rate of less than 1 percent in 2015.

Note: Not all images in slideshow depict the exact drugs.
OMAHA, Neb.  In the last three years of his life, Joseph Jones was repeatedly sent to psychiatric hospitals because of his schizophrenia and delusions that a drug cartel was after him. The Nebraska man once lay down on a highway in Kansas because he wanted to be run over by a truck, but officers tackled him as he ran in front of vehicles. Time and time again, his family and the police took away his guns.

But Jones was able to keep legally buying firearms and law enforcement could do little. Once a deputy returned a Glock pistol to him, while another time a sheriff's department confiscated his gun, although keeping it raised questions. Last month, Jones opened fire in an Omaha Target store using a legally purchased AR-15 rifle. No one was hit by Jones' gunfire, but police shot and killed the 32-year-old as shoppers fled in panic.

The episode demonstrates how gun laws fail to keep firearms out of the hands of deeply troubled people, despite a national effort to pass red-flag laws in recent years.

Mental health experts say most people with mental illness are not violent and are far more likely to be victims of violent crime. Access to firearms is a big part of the problem.

For him to be allowed to buy a firearm, theres no excuse for it, Jones' uncle, Larry Derksen Jr., said. It was just inevitable that something was going to happen."

In August 2021, a deputy was called because Derksen didn't want to return a gun to his nephew, who had just been released from a psychiatric hospital. Derksen said Jones was paranoid, had been hearing voices, and had traveled through several states fearing a cartel was chasing him, according to a Sarpy County Sheriffs Office incident report.

But Jones told the deputy he was taking medication, he felt fine and had no plans to hurt anyone. The gun was clean, and the only conviction Jones had was for a DUI after he collided with another vehicle on his way home from a bar years earlier.

I had no reason, the deputy wrote in the report, to believe Joseph could not possess a firearm.

Nebraska isn't among the 19 states with a red-flag law. Also known as extreme risk protection orders, theyre intended to restrict the purchase of guns or temporarily remove them from people who may hurt themselves or someone else.

A red-flag law has been proposed for Nebraska this year, but it hasnt received a legislative hearing yet.

This is a kind of example screaming out for an extreme risk protection order, said Kris Brown, the president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. It actually breaks my heart that that did not happen here.

Federal law has banned some mentally ill people from buying guns since 1968, including those deemed a danger to themselves or others, who have been involuntarily committed, or judged not guilty by reason of insanity or incompetent to stand trial.

But it sets what Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesman John Ham described as a very high bar. In order for someone's name to be submitted to the FBI for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, they must undergo a hearing in which they are deemed unable to take care of their personal business because of mental illness.

The law describes it as being adjudicated as a mental defective." Every state has a different process, but the multiple three-day involuntary commitments that Jones' family and law enforcement records described didn't trigger such a hearing.

A couple of years ago, Jones family was so desperate that they considered going through the process. They are familiar with some of the court processes because Jones mother also has schizophrenia, is low functioning and had to be committed to a group home.

But they decided not to pursue that because they were able to persuade law enforcement to intervene and get Jones into a mental hospital.

Recently, Jones called the FBI to report some sort of harassment, his uncle said; the agency said it couldnt discuss specific calls.

Police haven't said why Jones entered the Target with 13 loaded rifle magazines and fired multiple rounds. Derksen said he believes his nephew didn't want to carry out a mass shooting, but instead wanted police to kill him. He said his nephew had delusions that the cartel would hurt his family if he didnt kill himself.

A timeline released by police made no mention of Jones firing directly at customers or workers. Instead, he fired his AR-15 style rifle in the air and at inanimate objects including a self-checkout and a drink cooler. Authorities ordered him to drop the gun more than 20 times, and after Jones said Ill kill you! he was shot once.

We do really feel bad for the people who were traumatized at Target and even for the law enforcement officer who was forced to take that shot," Derksen said. We know they did what they had to do. It just should have never been able to get there.

Gun control legislation that passed and failed over the last 20 years Gun control legislation that passed and failed over the last 20 years Tiahrt Amendment Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act District of Columbia v. Heller Expanded background checks Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act Domestic Violence Gun Homicide Prevention Act of 2014 Homemade Firearms Accountability Act Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015 Criminalizing straw purchasing and gun trafficking Enhanced background checks 72-hour waiting period for those on terrorist watch lists Help End Assault Rifle Tragedies Act Preventing Gun Violence Act Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2017 Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act Handgun Safety Trigger Act Background Check Completion Act of 2017 Bipartisan bump stock ban Closing the Charleston loophole Universal background checks Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Protecting Our Kids Act Assault Weapons Ban of 2022
A U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday froze most assets of AltEn and several related companies at the request of seed companies remediating "severe environmental harm" at the former biofuel plant.

The injunction ordered by Judge Brian Buescher prevents AltEn or its parent or sibling companies from transferring, selling, "or otherwise concealing any and all cash funds, assets, or any real or personal property" that could be used to reimburse the six seed companies.

In a four-page order, Buescher said the so-called AltEn Facility Response Group -- a coalition of companies including Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva, AgReliant, Beck's Superior Hybrids, and Winfield Solutions -- had sufficiently demonstrated they were entitled to seek the now-shuttered plant's assets.

Without taking action to prevent AltEn from moving assets around, the seed companies "have shown a threat of irreparable harm from an unrecoverable judgment," Buescher wrote.

The Facility Response Group said it has spent $28 million to perform environmental remediation at the AltEn site since 2021, when the coalition formed at the urging of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

AltEn, which is also facing a civil lawsuit from the state of Nebraska in Saunders County District Court, has violated numerous state environmental regulations between when it went into business in 2015 and when it was forced to shut down nearly two years ago.

Pesticide-contaminated solid and liquid waste stockpiled at the site has shown alarmingly high concentrations of the agricultural chemicals, and has been detected in area streams and reservoirs, in wildlife and insects, as well as in nearby homes in Mead.

In a court hearing in Omaha last week, attorneys representing the seed companies said AltEn has done little to aid in the remediation efforts at the site while continuing to pay a handful of employees six-figure salaries from a fund controlled by Earth Environment & Energy LLC, a parent company to the ethanol plant better known as E3.

An attorney representing AltEn said the money being dispersed by E3 came from the sale of the Mead Cattle Company in 2021, and while the feedlot was adjacent to the ethanol plant and shared ownership, it was not for the seed companies to take.

A financial expert consulted by the seed companies estimated E3 had roughly $2.9 million in proceeds from the feedlot's sale in October 2021 and had drawn that amount down to roughly $1.8 million by October 2022.

An analysis of the cash burn rate showed E3 was dissipating its assets at a rate of $136,000 per month -- an amount the seed companies said was unnecessary.

Buescher agreed with the seed companies and said without action, it was likely that cash account would be fully depleted before the federal lawsuit brought by the facility response group against AltEn reaches a conclusion.

The judge did not grant the full freeze requested by the seed companies, however, and agreed to grant a request from both AltEn and the state of Nebraska to allow the ethanol plant's operators to access some of its money.

AltEn will be able to use its remaining funds to continue meeting the obligations of a pair of state-granted permits, comply with a consent order from the state environmental department, conduct quarterly groundwater monitoring, assist in any remediation efforts led by the seed companies, and to pay its attorneys and legal fees.

"The court acknowledges that certain expenses for employee salaries will be necessary given the tasks classified as demonstrably necessary expenses," Buescher wrote.

Photos: Mead ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant Mead AltEn Ethanol plant AltEn Ethanol, 2.4 AltEn Ethanol, 2.4 AltEn Ethanol, 2.4 AltEn Ethanol, 2.4 AltEn Ethanol, 2.4 AltEn Ethanol, 2.4 Mead, 2.4 AltEn Ethanol AltEn Ethanol, 2.4 Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak Mead AltEn Ethanol plant leak AltEn Ethanol cleanup Saunders County Board of Supervisors AltEn Ethanol cleanup Saunders County Board of Supervisors AltEn Ethanol cleanup Saunders County Board of Supervisors AltEn Ethanol cleanup Saunders County Board of Supervisors AltEn aerial Wet cake in field Stan and Evelyn Keiser, 6.30 Keiser pond Mead Tour, 7.8 Mead Tour, 7.8
Back from a tour of the San Diego-Mexico border and meetings with Mexican officials, Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst on Tuesday called on Democratic President Joe Biden to crack down of the flow of fentanyl entering the United States, including having every vehicle entering the Southern border screened by a drug-sniffing police dog.

Ernst spoke with reporters after returning from a visit with Iowa Republican U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra and Mariannette Miller-Meeks to the San Diego sector of the U.S.-Mexico border and to Mexico City. Ernst called the Port of San Diego, the worlds busiest land border crossing, the epicenter of fentanyl trafficking.

The lethal drugs that come through this sector of the border feed right into the Midwest, said Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. It is our joint responsibility with Mexico to bring an end to the fentanyl crisis and the resulting cartel violence. President Biden must present a clear plan that meets the challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border. Its a complicated problem, but complicated cant mean complacency.

Ernst said the delegation met with members of the National Border Patrol Council, which outlined the difficulties border agents are facing curbing illegal border crossings, including outdated surveillance technology and a shortage of agents and K-9 units.

Right now, our Border Patrol is demoralized, Ernst said. They feel like Uber drivers and paper pushers instead of front-line agents who are pushing back on cartel activity and drug and human smuggling. Border Patrol told us theyre seeing a trend of even more gotaways, people that illegally cross the border and are never caught, than people who were actually apprehended in the previous year.

Biden was expected to call on Congress during his State of the Union address Tuesday night to work with the administration to address the fentanyl crisis. Biden was to call for expanded access to opioid-related addiction treatment and announce he will ramp up efforts to curb fentanyl trafficking at the Southern border and through commercial delivery packages, according to a White House official.

Biden was expected to announce:

123 new large-scale scanners at points of entry along the Southwest border by fiscal 2026, increasing inspection capacity from what has historically been about 2 percent of passenger vehicles and about 17 percent of cargo vehicles to 40 percent of passenger vehicles and 70 percent of cargo vehicles. These investments will crack down on a major avenue of fentanyl trafficking, securing our border and keeping dangerous drugs from reaching our country, a White House official wrote in an email.

Customs and Border will expand voluntary data sharing partnerships this year in an effort to capture more information  and, in turn, seize more commercial packages containing illicit substances.

A sustained diplomatic push to address fentanyl and its supply chain abroad.

Plans to work with Congress to make permanent tough penalties on suppliers of fentanyl.

An official with the Office of National Drug Control Policy said the strategy is to go after the entire illicit global fentanyl supply chain and the profits that drive drug traffickers.

Provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 107,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in the 12 months ending in August 2022. Most of those deaths were caused by illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine. Thats a slight decrease from the 110,315 fatal drug overdoses provisionally estimated for the 12 month period ending March 2022.

Ernst proposed improved relations with Mexico, the creation of an interagency task force in Mexico to deter the flow of drugs and increased K-9 units along the border. She said the port of entry in San Diego has 34 lanes of traffic with 70,000 vehicle and 20,000 pedestrian crossings each day, but only three to five K-9 units working on a given day.

This initial K-9 screening should be conducted on every single vehicle entering this country, and right now thats simply not happening, Ernst said.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last year ended state troopers increased inspections of commercial vehicles that gridlocked commercial traffic throughout the Texas-Mexico border for more than a week.

Asked how she would avoid similar congestion, Ernst said vehicles with suspected drugs would be pulled into a secondary inspection area to help keep traffic moving.

If we did have dogs available on all of those lanes, or every other lane, those dogs could quickly detect any illicit materials that are in those cars, Ernst said. We would have much greater coverage to be able to detect much more of the fentanyl coming in.

Ernst said she did not have a figure on how much the inspections would cost, how many new dogs would be needed or how quickly they could be trained and deployed.

Miller-Meeks said the contingent also conducted classified briefings with numerous federal agencies in Mexico City regarding border security and other immigration issues.

You know, Mexico is a willing partner, Miller-Meeks said. Theyre capable. There are some things we can do, perhaps, in technology to help them. They have concerns about arms that get into the hands of cartels. We have concerns about drug trafficking and human smuggling, and then also the horrific things that go along with human smuggling, which is sex trafficking and unaccompanied minors coming into the United States.

Feenstra said the delegation also discussed a proposed ban in Mexico on genetically modified corn imports with Mexican officials.

We talked about how 25 percent of corn exports go to Mexico, Feenstra said. We had a great discussion with them about how we can move forward, and make sure we can continue the opportunity of exporting our corn to Mexico. Were hoping that theres a solution in the next six to 12 months regarding this issue.

Ahead of a House Oversight Committee hearing Tuesday on the border and immigration, the White House issued a memo accusing House Republicans of staging political stunts and undermining border security.

In the memo obtained by The Gazette, White House Counsels Office spokesman and Special Assistant to the President Ian Sams credited a series of new immigration and border security actions by the administration with reducing southern border crossings last month. Sams also lambasted House Republicans for voting against last years omnibus spending bill that included billions of dollars in border security funding and accused them of pushing an agenda that would make border security worse.

It is clear that House Republicans are more interested in staging political stunts than on rolling up their sleeves to work with President Biden and Democrats in Congress on legislation to strengthen border security and fix our immigration system that has needed repair for decades, Sams wrote.
Attorney General Mike Hilgers has joined a 24-state coalition of attorneys general in opposing what they described as Yelp's company practice of discriminating against crisis pregnancy centers in online consumer notices.

Last year, Yelp announced that the company would begin issuing consumer notices to the Yelp profiles of crisis pregnancy centers that "claim to inform consumers that crisis pregnancy centers typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite," according to a news release from Hilgers' office.

In their letter, the attorneys general, all of whom are Republican, argue that applying these notices to all crisis pregnancy centers, but not to Planned Parenthood and related facilities, is discriminatory.

That means Yelp "has singled out crisis pregnancy centers for disparate treatment," they wrote.

The attorneys general "have called on Yelp to stop misrepresenting the services of these crisis pregnancy centers," Hilgers' news release stated.

Yelp is a website that provides information about businesses.

Photos: The business of governing in Nebraska in 2023
Gov. Jim Pillen's effort to create "a much more competitive tax climate" will help build Nebraska's future and address the state's workforce shortage, especially if it is paired with federal immigration reform, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Bryan Slone of Omaha said Tuesday.

"I don't think I've ever been more optimistic," Slone said in a news media briefing conducted over Zoom.

Nebraska needs to develop "more tech innovation," increase its college and university enrollment, tackle its housing shortage and attract young families, Slone said.

"But there is no long-term solution without immigration reform" that brings more workers and families to the state, he said.

The state's economy "remains remarkably strong post-pandemic," Slone said, and growing state revenues create economic opportunities that will allow Nebraska to be more competitive as a state.

It's a moment of "enormous opportunities," Slone said, and "we need to recruit thousands of people to Nebraska every year."

New young workers and their families will need affordable housing and child care, he said, so community investments will be needed in addition to state efforts, including "expedited income tax relief" along with other tax reforms.

"We have to lower property and income taxes to be competitive," he said.

Slone described Gov. Jim Pillen's tax reduction initiatives and proposed $2.5 billion state investment in school funding through the end of the decade as "pretty bold."

That proposal would provide school districts with $1,500 in per-student state funding while limiting revenue growth from property taxes and replacing the current state school funding model.

"No state has more to gain than Nebraska" from immigration reform, Slone said.

"We have 50,000 to 80,000 jobs that we can't fill and that will grow" unless the federal government reaches agreement on immigration reform, he said.

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
Sioux City residents should expect temperatures in the 40s. It looks to reach a nippy 43 degrees. A 25-degree low is forecasted. It should be a fairly cloudless day. The forecast is calling for clear skies. The area will see gentle winds today, with winds only reaching 10 miles per hour, coming from the South. This report is created automatically with weather data provided by TownNews.com. For more daily forecast information, visit siouxcityjournal.com.
How do you begin to explain Chef Boyardeehis cultural significance, his canned pasta achievementsto a teenage girl born into a post-apocalyptic world? If The Last of Us is any indication, you can just let the ravioli speak for itself. Said teenage girl, Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey), is an orphan making her way across the country with a middle-aged smuggler named Joel (Pedro Pascal), and in the shows most recent episode, the two stop to share, and bond over, some camping stovecooked Chef Boyardee. Ellie offers an instant assessment: That guy was good, she says, definitively and without pausing from shoveling it into her mouth.

Advertisement

Joel, who was around to see both the great chefs glory days and the collapse of civilization, had told Ellie a moment earlier that their meal came from a 20-year-old can. They had just foraged it from a secret supply station, and it was likely left over from the time before a fungus caused a catastrophic pandemic that would have seriously impacted the global food supply. The episode moved on from there, but viewers would be forgiven for letting that number nag at them: 20 years? Yeah, its the apocalypse, but surely that cant be safe? And yet Ellie and Joel dont appear to get sick or suffer any consequences from consuming the pasta. What gives?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

There arent a whole lot of people in this world who can speak to the experience of eating canned food far past its best by date, but Kinton Connelly is one of them. Hes the founder of MREInfo.com, a website for enthusiasts of vintage military rations. MRE stands for meals ready to eat, and theyre the packaged meals given out to service members. For whatever reason, there are people who are really into eating very old versions of them, and they know a thing or two about how well they keep. (Check out the How to With John Wilson episode featuring MREs if you want to know moreits a trip.)

When I asked Connelly what he thought of that The Last of Us scene, he had a lot to say. MREs come in pouches now, but for most of the 20th century, they came in cans. Canned food will last a long time, Connelly told me. He didnt think it was at all out of the question that canned pasta could last 20 years, if the can was undamaged.

Advertisement

How it holds up, it kind of depends on the food, Connelly said. Things like canned fruit, you know, wet stuff like peaches and things like that, that doesnt hold up so well. That stuff turns brown, and its not very appetizing. Things like the ravioli or the canned spaghetti, I think theyre still pretty good.

Advertisement

Connelly cautioned that hes not a food scientist or safety expert. But even the U.S. Department of Agriculture more or less agrees with him: As its website recently advised, Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Indefinitely as in forever? The website doesnt say.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Unconvinced, I reached out to Conagra Brands, the company that owns Chef Boyardee, for any comment on whether you should be eating its 20-year-old ravioli, but it had not responded as of publication time.

Just as the USDA does, Connelly advised that before eating canned pasta, you should check that the can is not dented, bulging, leaking, or otherwise compromised. Then its on to the smell test. If it smells OK and looks OK, you might taste-test it. Its a bad sign if your mouth starts to go numb, Connelly saidthis is a sign of botulism, and its happened to members of the MRE community. (Go to the emergency room if you think you might have it.)

Advertisement

Connelly himself has eaten old ravioli and lived to tell the tale. Back in year 2000, it was the whole Y2K thing, he explained. I went to the store and I bought a lot of canned food, canned spaghetti, ravioli, stuff like that. And I kept that for a long time, to the point where my wife would start getting mad at me, like, What are you doing with all these old cans? So eventually, after probably 10 or 12 years, I did get rid of them. But before that, I gave them a try.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The food in them was fine, he said, if a little metallic tasting. Its not going to be the most appetizing thing, he said, but I dont think its going to kill you. He told me he currently has some canned pasta in his garage that he bought about five years ago. Every few months, he tries one to make sure theyre still good, and so far, they are. (Partly, this is a practical matter: As a Florida resident, he said, he tries to stay prepared for hurricanes.)

Advertisement

Advertisement

In the world of The Last of Us, they probably went through all the canned goods they could easily find in the first five years, Connelly said. This would explain why Ellie had never encountered it before. But he even noticed an additional scene featuring canned food in Sundays episode, when the camera captured some cans of beef stew, peas, and corn in an attic where people had been hiding out. Based on that scene, Id say the producers of the show are establishing that 20-year-old canned food is a normal thing for people in that world, he saidfor some people, anyway.

Connelly said he could imagine a circumstance where food redolent of metal wouldnt be an immediate red flag, though. It doesnt taste bad, it doesnt taste spoiled, but theres kind of a funny metallic taste, he said. At that point in my normal civilian life, Im done eating it. But if thats all I had, and I was starving, then Im probably going to make that decision: Well, Id rather take a chance. It just comes down to Hey, it might be good and I need to eat. If I eat it and I get sick, hopefully Im not that sick. Eating its probably worth the chance.

But hes strictly speaking about the show here, in case youre getting any ideas. Its definitely not worth the chance if youre sitting around looking at your 20-year-old can thinking, I wonder if I should eat this for lunch. 
Slate Plus members get more Care and Feeding every week. Have a question about kids, parenting, or family life? Submit it here!

Dear Care and Feeding,

I am from Australia and just moved to a deeply religious southern city in the U.S. There is a bit of a cultural difference in how overtly religious people are and my kids who are 10 and 14 are trying to navigate life in a new country. So I let the 10-year-old join a local religious youth group figuring he would be surrounded by basically wholesome types and able to make friends.

Advertisement

But in between the bowling trips he is becoming indoctrinated into some pretty extreme ideas. There were tears the other day about the fact that his beloved atheist grandpa died and went to hell. When I asked the local pastor I was astonished to learn that this is what they taught. This church also appears to be a little racist in that they have no Black kids attending at all even though his school is pretty diverse and the church is a big part of the local community. I am loosely Catholic but very much of the idea that faith or lack thereof is a private conviction and that churches are social institutions. His dad thinks we should let him stay in this group as many of his school friends belong but I think its doing more harm than good. Help!

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Godless in Georgia

Dear Godless in Georgia,

I was raised evangelical Christian in the Bible belt, and without knowing the details of the church your child is attending, I can confirm that many religious groups in the South are teaching some pretty extreme ideas. Since youre from Australia, you probably didnt know what you were getting into. But you should do some more research now to see if this churchs teachings align with your values. Some Christian churches have an anti-abortion agenda, teach that homosexuality and being transgender are evil, and have outdated ideas about sex and womens roles in society. The fact that your child is coming home upset by what hes being taught is a red flag to methe traumatic aftermath caused by some of these communities can be long-lasting.

Advertisement

That said, faith itself can be a beautiful thing. I think its great to make kids aware of the different systems of belief in the world and let them draw their own conclusions. This could be a good opportunity to explore other world religions with your son, particularly ones like Buddhism that teach a gentler, kinder version of what happens when we die than the burning in hell model. Let him know that hes free to believe whatever he would like, and if that means he wants to continue attending this youth group, let him. But also remind him hes free to change his mind. Continue to have these tough conversations by sharing your own religious beliefs and why you value kindness and tolerance toward others. Chances are your son will come around to your way of thinking eventually if you keep the doors of nonjudgmental communication open.

Emily

More Advice From Slate

What is the current policy on allowing young children to urinate in public parks? I let my 3-year-old son pee in a park recently, in a secluded spot among some bushes, and another adult confronted me.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly seemed to open a new front in the confounding post-Dobbs battleground over when and where and whether abortion is actually still legal in this country. In an unexpected order, the judge asked for supplemental briefing about whether the right to abortion is secretly protected by the 13th Amendments ban on involuntary servitude. Was this an audacious judicial request? Maybe. But in the alternate-abortion-reality timeline in which we now reside, is it truly all that different from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk entertaining a request to ban the use of abortion pills nationwide? Not really. If the rules of abortion-rights Calvinball that followed the Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade in June have illuminated any one thing, its that there are no rules in this game. Theres only the matter of who holds the ball.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Kollar-Kotellys unusual request stems from a criminal caseover which she is presidingagainst several anti-abortion activists accused of conspiring to block access to a D.C. abortion clinic in 2020. These individuals used chain and rope to blockade an abortion clinic in the District of Columbia. They were indicted in April for violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act, which bars interference with those seeking reproductive health care. On the same day the lead defendant, Lauren Handy, was indicted, D.C. police removed five fetuses from her home.

In January, Handy asked Kollar-Kotelly to dismiss the charges against her under the FACE Act, which targets criminal conspiracies designed to deprive individuals of their constitutional and legal rights. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe in Junes Dobbs decision, Handy claims, the majority made clear there never was a constitutionally protected right to abortion. As a result, she argues that the FACE Act cannot apply to her.

Advertisement

Kollar-Kotelly, a Bill Clinton appointee, could have dealt with Handys arguments without forcing both sides to address the constitutionality of abortion; for instance, she could have noted that the defendants also blocked access to birth control, which remains constitutionally protected. Instead, the judge chose to tackle the abortion issue head-on. In response to Handys argument, Kollar-Kotelly pointed out that the issue before the Court in Dobbs was not whether any provision of the Constitution provided a right to abortion. Rather, the question before the Court in Dobbs was whether the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution provided such a right. Just because abortion is no longer protected by the 14th Amendment, the judge reasoned, doesnt mean it isnt protected elsewhere. She thus ordered briefing from the parties on whether any other provision of the Constitution could confer a right to abortion as an original matter, which may or may not be addressed in Dobbs, such that Dobbs may or may not be the final pronouncement on the issue, leaving an open question. Taking the first stab at drafting the arguments herself, Kollar-Kotelly pointed the parties at the 13th Amendments bar against involuntary servitude, best known for abolishing slavery after the Civil War.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Of those provisions that might contain some right to access to such services, Kollar-Kotelly wrote, the Thirteenth Amendment has received substantial attention among scholars and, briefly, in one federal Court of Appeals decision. She then cited Andrew Koppelman, who has advanced the argument that the 13th Amendment plainly forbids forced childbirth, and a 1995 appeals court decision describing this argument as not frivolous. The reasoning here is that a law compelling individuals to remain pregnant against their will places them in servitude to their fetus, their own interests totally subordinated to the future person they are gestating.

Grudging respect to the judge for her deft use of the post-Dobbs time machine to claim:

Mindful that that this Court is bound by holdings, and in consideration of the Supreme Courts longstanding admonition against overapplying its own precedent, it is entirely possible that the Court might have held in Dobbs that some other provision of the Constitution provided a right to access reproductive services had that issue been raised. However, it was not raised.

Advertisement

We are both reasonably certain that Justice Samuel Alito would have been even more contemptuous of the unbriefed 13th Amendment arguments that were never put forth in Dobbs than he was of the decades of binding precedent he swept aside.

Advertisement

Advertisement

But then, the post-Dobbs time machine was the instrument that allowed defendant Lauren Handy to argue that the conspiracy charge against her must be dismissed because the Dobbs decision meant there had never been a right to abortion in the first place. Because she and her nine co-conspirators were arrested in March 2022three months before the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortionthe time-machine logic would hold that there was no right to an abortion on the day of the clinic disturbance in 2020, or at the time of the arrest. As Handys lawyers put it: the Dobbs court did not [just] indicate that there is no longer a constitutional right to abortion; the court has made clear there never was.

Advertisement

Advertisement

To reiterate, both Handys briefing and Kollar-Kotellys response are irrelevant to the case at hand, for at least two reasons. First, in Dobbs, the Supreme Court expressly stated that the Constitution still protects a right to contraception. As the judge noted in her order, Handys actions blocked patients from accessing that right and therefore still violated the FACE Act. The abortion question is not dispositive. Second, and more importantly, the FACE Act is rooted in Congress power to regulate interstate commerce, not to enforce the 14th (or 13th) Amendment. So the prosecution is constitutionally legitimate no matter how you read Dobbs.

Advertisement

Reading the filings from both the plaintiff and the court, though, you get the sense that these details are pretty much beside the point. Certainly, we can fight all day about which plaintiffs advance the most lawless arguments against reproductive health care, and which district court follow the most reckless path in todays choose-your-own-ending field of modern abortion regulation. Of course, this is why one is meant to approach reversing longstanding precedent with some modicum of care. People who needed certainty now have none. Dobbs itself was demonstrably an invitation to every judge in the country to engage in the sort of addled cherry-picked historical analysis modeled by the court in that decision. Freestyling your way across time and space and the Constitution is the new judicial humility. And whether you are for Dobbs or against it, we should laud any and every jurist willing to step into the ring and have a go.

Advertisement

We have both written recently about the ways in which the rule of law turns on some quantum of certainty and predictability. Now the only thing we can predict on the reproductive rights front is that nobody knows whats coming next. Whats the current state of abortion law nationwide? Who knows? Who decides what an exception to state abortion laws might be and how to invoke it? Nobody! With what confidence can anyone understand what the law in their state is today, and what it will be tomorrow? Zero! (Right now, 4 women in 10 dont know whether medication abortion is available in their state!)

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The problem with this brave new world is twofold. For one thing, it seems to be never-ending, dragging courts further and further away from anything approaching consensus. For another, the people who currently feel empowered to choose how every pregnancy must end seem to forget that millions of pregnant people are no longer allowed to choose anything at all. They have created chaos on the ground, as health care providers and their attorneys try to figure out just how close to death a patient must be before they can undergo a legal abortion in a red state. And thats increasingly mirrored by chaos in the courts, as judges desperately seek to impose dueling versions of the kind of stability and certainty upon which law is builtand which is no longer possible in a winner-take-all post-Dobbs world.
One week has passed since a Chinese balloon was spotted sailing 60,000 feet above Montana; four days since a U.S. F-22 fighter jet shot it out of the sky 6 miles off the South Carolina coast; and three days since Navy divers started pulling its shards out of shallow waters.

Much remains unknown about what this thing was doing, but enough is known to answer many of the questions that this whole incident has raised. For instance:

Advertisement

Could Chinese spokesmen be telling the truth? Might this just have been a weather balloon gone astray?

Almost certainly not. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the balloon was part of a vast surveillance program that the Chinese army has operated out of an intelligence base on its southeastern coast for a long time. This past weeks flight was one of dozens that similar balloons have taken since 2018, over not only the U.S. (on at least four previous occasions) but other countries of interest including Japan, Taiwan, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Either from the ongoing excavation or from U.S. planes that followed the balloon as its presence became known, it is known that the airship was 200 feet high and carried a payload weighing 2,000 pounds, including digital cameras, radar, and signals and communications gear.

Advertisement

Where did the balloon fly? What were its navigators, presumably guiding it from a base back in China, trying to see, hear, or learn?

U.S. officials have said that it passed over Alaska, Utah, Montana, and Missouri, and tried to monitor sensitive military sites. Its not clear what this means. There are nearly 500 military bases or installations in the United States. It is hard to follow any line across the country without flying over some military bases. All 50 states have at least one; several have dozens. For instance, Montana has a Minuteman ICBM site and launch-control center, but thislike the activities at all the other basesis publicly known.

A former senior U.S. intelligence officer told me that the balloons cameras might have higher resolution than those on imaging satellites. Other devices onboard could intercept line-of-sight microwave signals. In short, the balloon could give China the same sort of information that U.S. surveillance drones retrieve when flying over a place of interest, such as a terrorist camp.

Advertisement

Advertisement

How much damage did this overflight do to national security?

Little to none, compared to the extensive cyber penetrations and human spying activities, the former senior intelligence officer told me. China takes terabytes of data from defense industries and other sites on a regular basis. An expansive human spy network targets industry and academic organizations. In short, the balloons might have given the Chinese a little extra information, but nothing to justify the panic that some pundits and Biden critics tried to stir.

Advertisement

Didnt the United States once send spy balloons over Russia and China?

Yes, but that was mainly in the 1950s, before the days of spy planes, spy satellites, and drones. We no longer have any need for spy balloonsthough one can imagine some obscure branch of the Pentagon proposing to spend money developing some balloons, or an anti-balloon program, to match or deal with Chinas capabilities. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, head of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), told reporters that the balloon revealed a domain-awareness gap that we have to figure out.

Advertisement

The Post quoted one U.S. official describing Chinas balloon program as a massive effort in which they took an unbelievably old technology and basically married it with modern communications and observation capabilities. This may be clever and it was certainly a cost-saver, compared with building and launching more satellites. But does it give China an edge over the U.S.? If so, it isnt clear what that edge might be.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Could China put a destructive weapon in a balloon, fly it over the U.S., and detonate it?

Theoretically, but what would be the point? Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told Fox News last week that the balloon might be carrying bio-weapons from Wuhan, the lab in China where some believe the COVID virus originated. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich warned that Chinas balloons could be trial runs for low-visibility deliver[y] of devastating EMP weapons. (EMP refers to electromagnetic pulse, which could turn off the lights over vast swaths of the U.S.)

Advertisement

Both scenarios seem like stretch, to say the least. From 60,000 feet, biological (or chemical) weapons would likely dissipate before reaching earth. EMP is most efficiently delivered by a nuclear explosion way above the atmosphere. Its unclear what EMP weapons inside a balloon would even be. In any case, lets say the Chinese did this. Then what? The U.S. would retaliate; a wider war would ensue. The surprise of starting the war with a low-visibility balloon would have no lasting advantage.

Advertisement

So has all the Sturm und Drang been a big hullaballoo over nothing?

Advertisement

Well, its not nothing. Whatever its motives or results, the balloon was a major violation of American sovereign airspace. (By contrast, reconnaisance satellites orbit far above U.S. airspace and are treated in international law as not only permissible but productive, as they allow nations to detect other nations military activities and thus refrain from reacting to worst-case speculations.) In that sense, it is worth close attention and smart counter-steps.

Advertisement

So what should we do?

As a result of this violation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a long-planned trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinpingthe first such trip by a secretary of state in six years. The point of the trip had been to explore ways to reduce the tensions in U.S.-China relations. Blinken would have had to focus on the balloon; the agenda would be scrapped; going ahead with the meeting would have been worse than worthless.

Xi was looking forward to this meeting at least as much as Biden and Blinken. China is suffering huge economic problems, lingering from its extreme no-COVID lockdown, supply-chain problems, and sanctions left over from the Trump administration. In other words, the balloon fuss hurt China probably much more than it ever helped.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Some analysts have wondered whether Xi even knew about this balloon, much less ordered this balloon to fly over the U.S. as a test of Bidens pliancy (as some Republicans have charged). This is something we may never know.

In any case, the public spotting of this balloon has all but blown any usefulness that the program may ever have had. John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, said that because the flight over America was publicly known early on, U.S. officials could track its path and ensure no sensitive activities or unencrypted communications would be conducted in its vicinity.

Advertisement

Now that we know what these balloons look like, and what they can do, preempting their gaze during future flightsby stopping activities, encrypting communications, or perhaps even jamming their sensors and feeding them false informationshould be a snap. The same is true of other nations that might be surveilled. According to the Post, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman recently gave 150 people from 40 embassies a detailed briefing on its patterns and capabilities.

This may have been the last mission for Chinas spy-balloon unit. Its time to go back to worrying aboutand dealing withfar more serious incursions.
Slate blogged along as President Biden delivered his post-midterms State of the Union. You can read below about all the jokes, jeers, and Bidenismsand at least one surprising outfit.

So How Did Biden Do?

Just speaking on the metric of agewell, Biden seemed like he was definitely 80 years old. He basically delivered his speech, and occasionally nailed it, but he also got a little lost sometimes.

The most important moment came just before the end, when Biden ad-libbed: Im not new to this placeI stand here tonight having served longer than almost any of you have served.

Advertisement

Maybe his best option is to acknowledge it! Susan Matthews

A Big Night for Bidenisms

Biden is known for his folksy rhetoric. His you betchas and cmon pals, his look busters and geez mans have long been a part of his political appeal, punctuating his speech like it does that of so many other American grandpas. Such 1950s Scrantoninflected grace notes are no small part of why many Democrats refer to him as Grandpa Joeor, unfortunate predecessors aside, Uncle Joe.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Tonights State of the Union was positively overflowing with such Bidenisms, in both the presidents prepared remarks and his ad libs. Weve compiled some of our favorites here.

Shirin Ali and Seth Maxon

The Focus Stayed on Domestic Issues

Biden spent just five minutes on foreign policybut thats OK.

Given that a majority of Americans believe that Joe Biden hasnt done anything in his two years as president, its no surprise that he spent just five minutes on foreign policy in his State of the Union address. Even those five minutes were fairly easy crowd-pleasers. Will we stand for the defense of democracy? he asked. (Well, maybe it wasnt so easy; most lawmakers on the Republican side didnt stand and applaud.)

Advertisement

He repeated his frequent pledge to stand with Ukraine as long as it takes; to seek competition, not conflict with China; and that nations make a big mistake if they bet against America. Its debatable that democracies in the world are strengthening while China is weakening. Name me a world leader who would change places with Xi Jinping! Name one! he challenged. Well, I could think of several. But thats OK. No one expects detailed foreign policy proposals to come out of speeches like this. In just about every other respect, it was one of the strongest SOTUs in ages. Fred Kaplan

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Railed Against the Woke Fantasy of Bidens Speech

The official GOP response included a slow-chant of USA, USA, USA.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in responding to President Bidens State of the Union address, hit on familiar territory for the modern Republican partyemphasizing Democrats moral depravity, general weakness, and rejection of freedom.

Advertisement

Our freedom is under attack, and the America we love is in danger, she warned. The Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality most Americans face.

Advertisement

But she had previously said she would be striking an optimistic note, based on earlier reporting, and now we know what that note is: that a new generation of Republican leaders would take charge and fix everything.

Sanders is only 40, so it makes sense that she is celebrating the youth of up-and-comers in her party. But it sounded slightly ominous paired with the fact that she spoke multiple times about the next generation, when the only officially declared presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is 76.

Sanders praised the good state Trump had left things in around the countrylargely as a way of going on about how badly Biden and the Democrats had bombed. (Some of her main points: the crisis at the border, which she and the other Republicans blame for opioid deaths, and the weakness on crime that allowed violent criminals [to] roam free while law-abiding families live in fear.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Mostly, Sanders speech served as self-promotion. She repeatedly touted her credentials as a mom, a qualification that she cited as giving her the ability to not believe anything Biden said in his speech. She announced the unveiling of her education platform for Arkansas. She touted the culture-war-oriented executive orders she signed during her first week as governor. (One of these included banning the term Latinx in state documents.) And she told a lengthy and detailed story about visiting American soldiers in Iraq with Trump on Christmas, when, she claimed, a young man had given her a rifle patch as a sign of ultimate respect.

But the strangest part of the speech was when Sanders started comparing herself to Biden. Im for freedom; hes for government control, she said. Im the first woman to lead my state; hes the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that cant even tell you what a woman is.

Advertisement

Advertisement

We are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didnt start and never wanted to fight, she said. Molly Olmstead

Biden Played the Oil Drum

Last years high gas prices are still clearly weighing on him.

If theres something President Joe Biden wanted to make clear tonight, its that hes not making a mortal enemy of the oil and gas sector, as Republicans often proclaim. But if he is speaking out against those companies, hell tell you, its not his faultthey are forcing his hand.

Advertisement

You may have noticed that Big Oil just reported record profits, Biden said. Last year, they made $200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis. I think it is outrageous. Why? They invested too little of that profit to increase domestic production.

Advertisement

You heard that right: The problem is the oil companies didnt take their money to increase drilling and refinement at home. That may seem out of place for the president who, just before that outrageous comment, was vividly describing the horrors of climate change and the upcoming solutionsclean energy, electric vehicle chargers, resilience measuresthat his legislation will be funding for years to come. But that line about the need for oil wasnt a fluke. Read more here. Nitish Pahwa

A Spicy Back-and-Forth Over Medicare and Social Security

Biden engaged with the jeerers.

About midway through his speech, during a particularly spicy section about Medicare and Social Security, things got as close to out-of-hand as things get in a State of the Union address, with Biden engaging in an ad-libbed back-and-forth with Republicans.

Advertisement

Biden, referring to the upcoming fight over the need to raise the debt limit, said that some Republicans wanted to take the economy hostage unless he agreed to their economic demands. This earned one of many severely, severely disappointed head-shakes from Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

All of you at home should know what their plans are, he said.

Biden then mentioned how some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years. This, of course, was a plank in the policy manifesto released by Florida Sen. Rick Scott in early 2022, a plank that caused Republicans headaches throughout the midterm election season.

Republicans loudly jeered.

Some more loudly than others.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) yells "you lie, you lie" and "liar" after President Biden says Republicans are proposing to sunset Medicare and Social Security. pic.twitter.com/nhRYn5KC7E  The Recount (@therecount) February 8, 2023

Advertisement

Biden chose to engage with the jeerers, assuring them he didnt mean all Republicans wanted Medicare and Social Security to die a quick death. Im not saying its the majority! he said. He wouldnt name names.

Although some Republicans would like to look for Medicare and Social Security savings in the debt limit fight, their leader, McCarthy, has said they wont be on the table. Eventually, Biden thanked the Republicans who were irate at him: Theyd all agreed in the room not to touch Medicare and Social Security.

After Biden's claim that some Republicans want to end Medicare and Social Security provoked GOP anger, the president responds, "I'm glad to see it, I enjoy conversion."



"Social Security and its bookend, Medicare, are off the books now, right?," Biden adds. "We have unanimity!" pic.twitter.com/3aymKQlf1d  MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 8, 2023

Advertisement

Advertisement

We will hear much griping from Republicans about this when the speech concludes. Jim Newell

Biden Struck a Feisty, Punchy Tone

And its a far cry from the way President Obama sounded after the 2010 midterms.

Twelve years ago, President Barack Obama kicked off his post-midterms State of the Union on a somber note. Many people watching tonight can probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or a business downtown. You didnt always need a degree  if you worked hard, chances are youd have a job for life, with a decent paycheck.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The rules have changed, he followed. Steel mills that once needed 1,000 workers can now do the same work with 100, punctuating a resounding note of defeat on an economy that remained punishing for blue-collar workers in particular. Those jobs, Obama indicated, were not coming back.

Advertisement

President Biden finds himself in a political situation not completely dissimilar. He, like Obama, is heralding a newly established Republican takeover of the House after his first midterms cycle as president. Bidens presidency, like Obamas at the time, is two years removed from a recession. But his tone could not be more different. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives, Biden declared on Tuesday night. He celebrated the creation of 800,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs, many of which do not require a college degree.

Thats not just rhetoric. President Biden is right: Job creation continues to boom, and its not just the top end of the income distribution benefiting. That trend is evidence of the great success of the American Rescue Plan Act, which put billions of dollars toward the recovery effort. The ARPA was, in essence, a refutation of Obamas dreadfully undersized response to the Great Recession, which led to a brutal recovery that languished throughout a decade-long period. That approach made Wall Street whole first; everyone else came after.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Some economists criticized ARPA for causing inflation. Knowing what we know now, what wouldnt Democrats have given for a little more inflation. Alex Sammon

Tonights Designated Survivor: Marty Walsh

Every year, when so many members of government gather in one place for the State of Union, one member of the cabinet has to remain out of the building in case of some emergency that results in the death or disablement of the President, Vice President and other officials in the line of presidential succession, according to the Congressional Research Service.

This year, the designated survivor is Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. Walsh is 11th in the presidential line of succession as labor secretary, and he will spend the evening in an undisclosed location during the presidents address, preparing to jump into leadership if need be. Is he really prepared to take the job? Well, Walsh is reportedly leaving the White House to take up a job with the NHL Players Associationmaybe thats why he doesnt get to attend. Designated survivors are typically assigned to a secretary from the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce. Shirin Ali

Advertisement

Sinema Made Yet Another Style Statement

In keeping with her custom of wearing outfits wildly outside the normative bounds of dress for the situation, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema attended Bidens speech in a fitted yellow dress with a high slit and massive structured ruffles for sleeves.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The garment may have broken the single most important dress-code rule of any seated event: Do not wear something that will overshoot the sides of your chair and tickle the shoulders of the people sitting next to you. (Newly an independent, she also chose to sit between two Republicans.)

Advertisement

Advertisement

Sinema, a confirmed clotheshorse and resale maven, has been favoring a strong shoulder lately. Recall the fluffy sheepskin vest she sported at Davos, an obvious attempt to stand out among all the terrible people in business suits at that confab. At the State of the Union, a number of women in the audience dressed more flamboyantly than usual, but Sinemas sunshine-yellow sleeves still glared bright in every wide shot, thanks to their color and girth. Her wardrobe reveals a yearning for celebritybut a background appearance at this speech is probably as close as shes going to get to a red-carpet moment. Christina Cauterucci

A Lone Mask in the Chamber

Bernie Sanders, who has a storied history of wearing viral accessories at presidential speeches, is delivering tonight as well. The 81-year-old appears to be the only one present wearing a KN-95 mask.

Advertisement

Bernie Sanders is the only person wearing a KN95 mask at the #StateOfTheUnionAddress. Respect that man - @SenSanders thank you. pic.twitter.com/xkmbUIDTik  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 8, 2023

Well, That Was Awkward!

Oh, George.

Theres a type of member of Congress who will get to the House chamber early on State of the Union night to grab a seat near the aisle and shake important hands. Some call them aisle hogs. I think of them as nerds. Tonight, we learned that New York Rep. George Santos is one of these people.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Santos snagged a seat by the aisle and attempted to greet senators as they entered the chamber before the address. Many appeared to ignore him, with the exception of glad-handing football coach Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

One interaction, though, looked particularly spicy. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney didnt look happy to see Santos, and Santos was taken aback by whatever he heard.

Not clear what was said here between Romney and Santos pic.twitter.com/1ZqzW6WOCY  Acyn (@Acyn) February 8, 2023

Advertisement

Hmm!

Looks like it was Romney who said something to Santos - who was caught on camera saying "what an asshole" after he walked by. https://t.co/4SbkcBJU4t  Ben Siegel (@bensiegel) February 8, 2023

President Biden is likely being briefed on the need to avoid Santos before he enters the chamber. Jim Newell

Advertisement

Advertisement

A Dispatch from the War on Balloons

How long will this brief detente last?

After several days of bitterly partisan balloon rancor, theres been some pre-State of the Union movement toward bipartisan balloon comity in D.C., Politico reported late Monday.

Some House Republicans had been planning a resolution condemning Bidens purportedly weak response to the Chinese weather* (*spying) balloon that floated across the country last week, the Beltway publication said, but have been convinced by cooler heads within the caucus to pivot toward language targeted at the Chinese government instead. There is, apparently, some hope that Democrats will vote for such a measure as well.

But will this atmosphere of aisle-crossing harmony survive the night? Especially given the chance it presents to the GOPs far-right to heckle the president, in person, about some alleged connection between the balloon and his son Hunter that they read about on Marjorie Taylor Greenes Facebook page? Ben Mathis-Lilley

Advertisement

What Special Guests Are Invited Tonight?

Tyre Nichols parents, the man who disarmed the Monterey Park shooter, and a Philly bus driver who stopped a carjacking are among the guests lawmakers have invited to attend tonights address. Shirin Ali has more details on tonights guest list here.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Will Do the Official GOP Rebuttal

A symbolic choice for the clapback portion of the evening.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders will issue the Republican rebuttal to tonights State of the Uniona symbolic choice that shows the power of former President Trumps continued influence over the GOP, even after he basically ensured the partys failures in last years midterm elections.

As one of the former presidents press secretaries, Sanders enjoys the dubious distinction of not just surviving the Trump White House without eliciting the former presidents wrath (a rarity), but thriving afterward. After a brief stint on cable news, she was elected governor of Arkansas last fallproof, according to Politico, that there do exist some Trump-world associates who could hitch themselves to Donald Trump, accumulate power in the process and, ultimately, outlive the most unsavory parts of the association. Indeed, she managed to win her gubernatorial election without ever having run a campaign before. Read more here. Molly Olmstead

Advertisement

Advertisement

Does Biden Seem 80?

Or is he getting away with appearing somehow closer to 75?

The big subtext of tonight is somewhat awkward to talk about, but I would argue we have to: How old does the president really seem? Joe Biden became the first-ever president to turn 80 while in office last November, and hes certainly been trying to downplay it (the White House didnt even really host a party). He still has yet to announce whether he is running for president again, but tonight he will almost certainly attempt to make a case for himself. If he does run again, he would reach 86 years old before he would leave office (by a few months, but still).

Advertisement

Michelle Goldberg has been beating the Biden-should-step-down drum for some time now, and in a column today she observes: Theres a rift in the Democratic Party about whether this is wise for an 80-year-old to do. Democratic officials are largely on board, at least publicly, but the majority of Democratic voters are not. Even though the president enjoys a high approval rating among Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents (at 78 percent), 58 percent want a new candidate for 2024.

Despite Bidens reluctance to publicly celebrate his 80th, Slate took the opportunity to do a deep dive into the situation at hand, including interviewing other 80-year-olds, who had a lot of thoughts about the matter but seemed generally supportive of their peers attempt to stay in office. We also checked in with some experts, who explained that men who make it to 80 tend to live another 8.7 years after that. It seems likely he will stay with us through a second termbut is that equivalent to having the energy needed to perform the job? His performance tonight might give us a little insight. Susan Matthews

Ah, Its That Time Again: the State of the Union Is Tonight

Once again its the State of the Union address, in which the president reflects on the year that was and sets goals for the year that will be. No line from the speech, written and edited over weeks and months and delivered to a joint session of Congress, will be remembered by 2 p.m. the following afternoon.

And yet!

Many variables hang in the air. How will President Biden approach the biggest legislative challenge this year: raising the debt limit? On what issues will he pretend the administration can work with the new House Republican majority? What kind of disruptions or practical jokes do the likes of Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert have in mind? And despite recent successes, is the Global War on Balloons (GWOB)  winnable?

Watch this space for answers. Jim Newell
Most observers expect the Supreme Court to end racial preferences in college admissions sometime this spring following oral arguments this past October in two critical affirmative action cases. Given the looming decision, universities should already be looking at a variety of new paths to diversity that dont rely on race in order to preserve important gains in racial diversity won over the years. These should include favoring economically disadvantaged students and ending unfair preferences for the children of wealthy alumni and donors. But an especially promising approachnot yet widely employedis to provide an admissions boost to students from families that have low (or negative) levels of wealth.

Advertisement

Banning of racial preferences will require selective colleges and universities that are committed to racial diversity to think creatively about how to open the doors to economically disadvantaged students, who are rarely found on todays campuses.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Consider Harvard University, which is a subject of part of the litigation before the Supreme Court. Using racial preferences, Black enrollment has increased from 1 percent of the freshman class in the early 1960s to 15 percent today. At the same time, research finds that Harvards student body has about as many students from the top 1 percent by income as the bottom 60 percent. Seventy-one percent of Harvards Black, Hispanic, and Native American students came from the richest one-fifth of those groups.

Advertisement

Many selective public universities in states where racial preferences have been banned (including California and Florida) have provided a leg up to students from families with low incomes and/or low levels of education, and from disadvantaged neighborhoods and high schools. This makes sense. These programs have often been successful in promoting both economic and racial diversity.

But virtually all of these universities (with the notable exception of UCLA Law) have ignored using a familys wealth (net assets minus debts) in the admissions process. The omission of wealth is a mistake two times over. As a matter of fairness, because more than virtually any other factor, wealth determines opportunity in America. And as a matter of promoting diversity, wealth should be used in admissions because of the huge wealth gaps between white and Black families and white and Hispanic families.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Researchers have found that wealth is even more important than income in determining opportunity in the United States. One landmark study found that parental education and wealth were more powerful predictors of college completion than race or income. The study concluded that educational advantages are acquired through major capital investments and decisions such as purchasing a home in a neighborhood with high-performing public schools.

Wealth gaps in America are even greater than income gaps. The richest 1 percent of Americans take home 22 percent of the nations income but have 38 percent of the nations wealth. The bottom half of all Americans earn 11.5 percent of national income, but possess only 2 percent of national wealth.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Likewise, the racial wealth gap is much larger than the racial income gap. Black families make about 58 percent of what white families make in annual household income, and Hispanic families make about 66 percent. In contrast, median Black wealth ($23,000) was just 13 percent of median white wealth ($184,000), while the median Hispanic wealth ($38,000) was only 21 percent of median white wealth. Black households headed by an individual with a bachelors degree have just two-thirds of the wealth, on average, of white households headed by an individual who lacks a high school diploma. This means that any admissions policy that considers wealth will de facto offer the school a path toward racial diversity.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The roots of the racial wealth gap can be traced back to slavery, when most Black Americans were not only prohibited from owning property, but were treated as property themselves. But the most recent causes have to do with widespread racial discrimination in the housing market, especially redlining by government, the banking industry, and real estate agents. Studies reveal that banks and real estate agents continue to discriminate against Black and Hispanic would-be homeowners. Homeownership is the biggest source of wealth for most Americans, but for white Americans in the bottom half of the wealth distribution, the homeownership rate is 46 percent; for Black Americans it is 31 percent, and for Hispanic Americans, 28 percent. Even if all discrimination by lenders and real estate agents was eliminated, the legacy of past racismand the ability to pass on family wealth to subsequent generationswould continue to influence the wealth of contemporary Black and Hispanic families.

Advertisement

Researchers from the Brookings Institution, meanwhile, note that the racial wealth gap exists even among those at the top. White families among the richest 10 percent have five times more wealth than Black families in that upper tier.

Advertisement

Likewise, among those in the bottom half, wealth varies a lot by race, according to the Federal Reserve. Among white families in the bottom half, median wealth is $19,180, compared with $10,290 among Hispanic families, $8,050 among Asian American families, and $6,601 among Black families.

Advertisement

The good news for colleges facing a likely ban on using race is that using wealth in admissions is not only fair but will also boost racial diversity more than other factors, such as parents income and education. Researchers Sean Reardon, William Bowen, and Maria Cancian have found in separate studies that when class-based affirmative action programs are confined to income and education levels, their impact on racial diversity is more modest.

Advertisement

By contrast, researcher Anthony Carnevale found that using wealth alongside other socioeconomic factors boosted racial diversity. He found that if admissions officers rewarded strivers who overcame obstacles, including low wealth, then Black and Hispanic enrollments would actually be higher than they had been under affirmative action with racial preferences.

Having said that, wealth is not just a clever proxy for race. Some Black families do have high levels of wealth and their children would and should not benefit from a wealth preference. Meanwhile, many low-wealth white applicants will benefit from this approach to college admissions. The child of a white truck driver, warehouse worker, day care worker, retail clerk, hotel housekeeper, or waitresseven some schoolteachers and nursesis likely to benefit from a preference for applicants from low-wealth families. So, too, will Asian American children whose parents, particularly those from immigrant communities, have little wealth.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Finally, using wealth in admissions is feasible. Economists often shy away from asking people about wealth because families have trouble accurately describing it. But university admissions officers do have access to wealth data because reporting is required when students apply for financial aid.

Advertisement

Information currently comes in two forms. Students provide family wealth data on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). More detailed wealth dataincluding home equity and small-business ownershipis required for families filling out the College Board CSS Profile, which almost 400 colleges use to provide institutional aid.

Of course, extremely wealthy families arent likely to apply for financial aid. But when tuition and fees at some selective colleges can exceed $300,000 over four years, the very fact that a family does not apply for financial aid speaks volumes about their wealth.

Advertisement

Applications for admission and applications for financial aid are often filled out at different times in the process (with financial aid forms filed later), so institutions wishing to use wealth (and income) data at the admissions stage may need to accelerate the process by why which they ask families about their financial status, including wealth.

UCLA Law school, which pioneered the use of wealth data after it was banned from using race in the 1990s, has asked families about wealth on admissions applications (as well as other socioeconomic factors) for decades. Applicants have been asked to provide wealth estimates within one of several ranges, according to Richard Sander, a law professor and economist who helped devise the program.

The application information is later checked against financial aid data. (Families who knowingly submit false information on the FAFSA can be punished by a $20,000 fine and time in prison.)

Advertisement

An analysis conducted several years after UCLA Law began implementing its admissions system that includes wealth showed that Black students were 11.3 times as likely to be admitted under that system and Hispanic students were 2.3 times as likely to be admitted. And, of course, the wealth approach boosted economic diversity, a quality sorely lacking at selective law schools.

Advertisement

Preferences based on wealth and other economic factors will require more financial aid funds than racial preferences. Universities will have to place greater priority on financial aid than they currently do, as will state and federal policymakers. These are investments in Americas future.

Using wealth, alongside other socioeconomic factors, could also have broader political ramifications for the country and for progressive politics and organizing. Racial preferences have been effective but controversial because they apply very differently to working-class and lower-middle-class people of different races. By contrast, an admissions policy that gives a preference to low-wealth households will remind working families, across racial lines, that they will all benefit by an approach that provides their children with greater opportunities to attend the nations best colleges and universities.
Last Monday, I began looking into why artificial intelligence is still so bad at creating hands. In recent weeks, lots of people have been sharing images that could be mistaken for photos of actual humansuntil your eyes wander to the subjects misshapen fingers. A.I.s inability to create realistic hands is a long-standing issue, highlighting both that the technology needs refining and that fingers are extraordinary things.

don't feel bad if you can't draw hands, even AI can't do it pic.twitter.com/89xEEQQvWv  pikat (@pikatl) June 22, 2022

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

To compare various A.I. tools hand skills, I entered this prompt into five different art generators: A couple that has been together for 50 years holding hands after a fight.

The hands were not stellar. Heres an example created using DALL-E 2, a free tool that OpenAI, a prominent A.I. company, offers to create realistic images and art from a description in natural language.

Advertisement

And heres one using Images.AI, another free image-generator tool (which relies on open-source code from Stable Diffusion, another A.I. system):

Advertisement

Advertisement

And still another series, created through Shutterstock, the stock-image supplier, which two weeks ago began offering customers the ability to license A.I.-generated images:

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

What stood out to me, even more than the witchy, misshapen fingers, was that the couples were all white. Every single one of them. Most tools offered up four interpretations of my prompt and they varied in other ways. Some couples looked joyful; others bashful. There were close-ups featuring pinkies shaped like deflated balloons and more distant shots offering hints of suburban life beyond the frame. One of the results from Images.AI even included what appeared to be two womens hands melded into a single age-spotted mass.

Advertisement

Advertisement

But regardless of whether I was using Shutterstock, NightCafe, Images.AI, Stable Diffusion Playground, or DALL-E 2, and no matter the stylistic choices I made within the tools, every one of the 25 or so couples was white.

Here are some more:

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

As an experiment, I adjusted the prompt to include the word poor: A photo-realistic portrait of a poor couple that has been together for 50 years holding hands after a fight.

Advertisement

This produced my first brown couple:

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Given that around 40 percent of people in the U.S. are not white and that there are lots of nonpoor brown people in the worldincluding some who participated in making these toolsthis struck me as odd. Even more so because DALL-E 2 updated its tool last July to more accurately reflect the diversity of the worlds population. Indeed, Asian and Hispanic couples tend to have lower divorce rates than white couples do. So, perhaps the algorithm knew that white couples fight more, per my prompt? Or perhaps developers were overcorrecting against tendencies to link certain groups to conflict? What would happen if I switched out holding hands after a fight for smiling on the beach or eating in a restaurant?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Basically, just a lot more white couples.

With enough prompt experiments, I did eventually succeed in getting more racial diversity. Reducing the years the couple had been together and including the word anniversary, for example, helped. And on occasion, after my colleagues and I got white couples more than 20 times with the same prompt, a Black couple emerged. But producing an output that resembled the world we live in took way more effort than we expected it to. And interracial couples, which account for around 1 in 5 newly married couples in the U.S., were about as difficult to produce as five-fingered hands.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

For years, weve been hearing about biases baked into artificial intelligence tools. They have manifested in a resume-prioritizing tool that delivered exclusively male candidates to Amazon and a criminal-justice tool that presented judges with racially skewed predictions about who was likely to become a repeat offender, among many other examples. For these reasons, you could tell yourself that A.I. tools struggle to conjure up a long-partnered couple that is not whiteunless they were explicitly pooris not surprising enough to write about. Initially, I did.

Advertisement

Advertisement

But as I consumed article after tweet after newsletter heralding the extraordinary feats accomplished by artificial intelligence that week, I changed my mind. Here we are, living in a world where, just two months ago, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot so impressive that whole industries are now rethinking their approach to work. Image generators, including one created by that same company, are infiltrating group chats where they have never gone before. And yet, while playing around with these tools, rather than feeling as if Id stepped into the future, I felt as if Id entered a portal back to a magazine from the 1950s. Whats going on here?

Advertisement

The answer, I concluded after talking to a bunch of people who research this stuff, seems to be data issues, human blindspots, and the fact that these A.I. tools dont work the way that many of us assume they do when creating couples or hands. (OpenAI, the creator of DALL-E, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for Stability AI, the creator of Stable Diffusion, responded to a list of questions with The teams schedule is full and we are not accepting interview requests.)

Advertisement

For those who require a refresher on how artificial intelligence art generators work: Basically, companies and research groups with lots of money scrape massive troves of photos, art, and other images (including porn) from the internet. They then train A.I. models, such as DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion, to look for patterns in those images and the words accompanying them. A goal is to help these models build their own understanding of what terms like breakfast, boat, and couple look like, so that if you enter a phrase like Couple eating breakfast on a boat, within a few minutes, youd get this:

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The reason that Id gotten the results I hadsomething that every expert I talked to agreed was not idealhas to do with whats in these training sets. If it contains some intrinsic biases in it that the creators of these A.I. tools failed to identify and isolate in the early stage of product development, the product will likely produce biased results, said Manjul Gupta, a professor of information systems at Florida International University who published a paper on racial and gender bias in A.I. recommendations. Its a bit like forcing a teenager to closely watch 100 movies from the 80s, telling them to model their behavior on what they see, and then being surprised when they act like Indiana Jones.

Advertisement

The other issue is that I, like many people before me, misunderstood what these tools were trying to do. Typically each prompt produced four results. These tools were supposedly created by some of the most innovative people in the world. Call me ignorant, but Im going to assume that these geniuses have figured out how to generate results that are statistically representative of the world we live in. Not simply because Im one of those annoying people who fixate on things like representation. But because if were creating tools that threaten artists livelihoods and introduce errors into news articles, the least A.I. could do is outperform humans by producing a more accurate representation of what people look like in America, or wherever people are entering the prompt.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Nope. Even if we request four versions of our prompt, A.I. tools will generally offer only minor artistic variations of the most heavily overrepresented group in the data set, explained Abhishek Gupta, the founder and principal researcher of the Montreal AI Ethics Institute, a nonprofit research organization. That will typically be a white person. Its not that someone is explicitly trying to make those connections, its just something that is prominently present in the data set, Gupta said. To help me understand this, he asked me to conjure in my head an image of a banana. What color is it? he said. Of course I picked yellow. Thats how many A.I. tools also work, he said. They conjure up the most common version, unless you add a modifierlike greento your term.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

This is connected to why a wide range of prompts produce only white men, Sasha Luccioni, a research scientist focused on ethical A.I. at Hugging Face, a machine-learning company, found. She created two tools that show how Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2 render 150 different professions. Often, unless you explicitly include language requesting a woman, a Black person, or an Asian person, for example, the tools will offer a world where they dont exist.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The reason why its difficult to fix is connected to why A.I. often gives us hands with six fingers, Luccioni said. You cannot code the program to offer results that are demographically accurate or anatomically correct because they dont have explicit rules baked in; they are just learning patterns.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Thats not to say that there arent ways to adjust results. In July, in response to criticism, OpenAI updated DALL-E to produce results that were more varied in terms of race and gender. The company has not explained what exactly it changed. One theory is that rather than adjusting the model, the tool tacked on words like Black or female to some user prompts, an approach that is difficult to verify because the additional terms dont appear in the prompt box, in the file name, or within the metadata. Luccioni, who published her bias tools after the update, called the injection technique tweak quite artificial and said she believes that it explains why some prompts generate racially diverse results, while others do not. (I shared this feedback with OpenAI and asked for clarification about how the update works. No one responded.)

Advertisement

Advertisement

Here are the results of my request for a portrait of a couple on their wedding day. Still no obviously interracial couples, but a bit closer to what America looks like than the version Id been getting with other prompts.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

These new tools are obviously not the first to create an ultra-white world. In 2020 researchers at Duke released a fun tool that promised to deliver on that CSI trick of turning a blurry photo of a face into something crisp. Alas, it also turned many famous people, including Barack Obama, white.

Charles Isbell, the dean of computing at Georgia Techs College of Computing, was surprised to get blond hair. But also not surprised.

Advertisement

Advertisement

All of this reminds Isbell of the early days of color photography. In the 1950s, Kodak developed a system for calibrating photos in terms of light and color that relied on a white woman. From the very beginning, it was optimized for white people, he said. It took decades for Kodak to update its system to account for Black and brown skin. Complaints from companies that were unable to get pictures of mahogany furniture and chocolate ultimately prompted the change, he said.

Advertisement

Blaming data or engineering has a way of absolving creators of responsibility. But in either case, these issues could be addressed by involving people early on who will ask the right questions, Isbell believes.

Several researchers have praised ChatGPT, which is a text-based tool, for assertively going after user feedback, while noting that this is missing from most image-based tools. Dall-E, which was created by the same people as ChatGPT, does include a content policy that prohibits the perpetuation of negative stereotypes. But if you click on the link offered to report violations, you end up on a page with no clear way to share a concern.

To be fair to the developers, they dont seem to want to sell us an all-white world. Take Shutterstock, for example. After you put in your prompt, the A.I. tool suggests images generated by other prompts. This image, for example, popped up at the bottom of my page:

What did it take to generate this? This series of words: Two extremely detailed handsome rugged stubble black men muscles male married gay hunters, in the romantic style of William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Boosting the believability of this image, their hands are conveniently out of the frame.
This past Sunday marked 20 years since then-Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered his remarks to the U.N. Security Council laying out the evidence for the existence of Saddam Husseins weapons of mass destruction. The episode is now infamous, but probably few remember the PowerPoint slides Powell used to add gravitas to his presentation, which was titled Iraq: Failing to Disarm. Aided by the ubiquitous slideshow software, Powell performed his sleight of hand to justify the impending U.S. invasion. As Mr. Powells presentation unfolded with its layers of allegations and counter-allegations, its satellite photography and banal conversations between apparatchiks of Saddams oppressive security apparatus, the Guardian reported at the time, his chosen vehicle to deliver what was supposed to  convince the waverers and doubters on the security council was none other than PowerPoint. Powells slides included a title card, bulleted lists, and diagramsall the .ppt trappings we have come to know and (usually) despise. It was a pitch deck selling a war.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Powell was far from the first or the last defense official to wield PowerPoint slides for militaristic ends. PowerPoint has become so ingrained in U.S. military culture that phrases like death by PowerPoint are commonly understood by anyone who has sat through an interminable Pentagon briefing. In a 2021 essay for the New Yorker, historian Jill Lepore chronicled how businesses have adopted military culture; for example, in the 1970s business guru Peter Drucker urged businesses to draft mission statements, a term adopted from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Vietnam War, as part of their strategic planning, another mainstay of military language. But this is a two-way street: The military has also adopted business culture. How did this benign corporate software become the Pentagons weapon of choice, equally at home in the boardroom and the war room?

Advertisement

Released in 1987, PowerPoint added flashy computerized flair to the overhead-projector presentation. Its accessibility and preinstallation on personal computers using the Microsoft operating system led to a quick uptake across organizations of all stripes, but PowerPoint found a natural home in the U.S. militarya bureaucratic, hierarchical institution with a culture accustomed to briefing superiors up the chain of command. These slides are principally made because briefings are so integral to U.S. military culture, and PowerPoint emerged as a really easy way to create the visual component that was a smaller part of briefings historicallythe map, the chart, the graph, the list, said Elspeth Van Veeren, a professor at the University of Bristol and an expert in U.S. security cultures and policies. Just like in other settings, like the business world and education, it has become the expected standard. If you give a talk, you should have visualsand usually PowerPoint.

Advertisement

Advertisement

By 2000, PowerPoint already had such a high rate of usage in the U.S. military that Gen. Hugh Shelton, who was then chairman of the joint chiefs, issued a militarywide order to cut down on the visual bells and whistles in PowerPoint presentations. Not only were they distracting from the content of the briefings, the bandwidth being used for spinning pie charts and zooming tank icons was slowing the DODs servers. There is an arms-race dimension to it, Peter Feaver, a military expert at Duke University, told the Wall Street Journal at the time. If there are three briefings in a row, and you are the one with the lowest production values, you look really lame.

Advertisement

This obsession with distracting visuals was not unique to the PowerPoint era. During World War II, Gen. Clayton Bissell, George Marshalls chief intelligence officer, was notorious for an insatiable appetite for visual aids, which had grown so large that a special truck carried the colorful maps and charts required at his morning meetings. But the advent of PowerPoint only exacerbated these tendencies, enabling the production of briefing visuals on a scale beyond Bissells wildest dreams.

Advertisement

As anyone serving in the military can likely attest, Gen. Sheltons early-2000s directive did little to keep the slides at bay. Active service members and veterans know these strange visuals all too well. Any organization the size of the U.S. military will inevitably claim several superlatives: largest employer in the world, single largest institutional producer of greenhouse gases in the world, and worlds largest landlord. But one more distinction deserves a spot on the list: most prolific creator of bizarre, indecipherable infographics.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Since Powells time, these infographics have become great fodder for internet jokes. In 2021, James Clark, writing for Task & Purpose, pondered an infographic titled The Integrated Survivability Onion,  pulled from a PowerPoint slide made by the U.S. Armys Combat Capabilities Development Command center. Clark, a Marine veteran, remarked on the militarys ability to transform anythingeven something as gripping as dont be killedinto a mind-numbing pixelated JPEG. The chart, Clark noted, looked so baffling that someone created a KnowYourMeme page for it under the category Science Diagrams That Look Like Shitposts.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

But for other service members, death by PowerPoint is no laughing matter. PowerPoint makes us stupid, Gen. James Mattis told the New York Times in 2010. One major with over 18 years of military service wrote in Small Wars Journal in 2012 about the exhausting and high-maintenance requirement to churn out repetitive and non-explanatory slide decks for nearly every conceivable information requirement. When asked how he spent most of his time while deployed in Iraq, one Army platoon leader responded (seriously): Making PowerPoint slides. Statements from everyone from top brass down to the rank and file reveal a damning consensus that PowerPoint kills critical thinking and wastes precious time.

Advertisement

Perhaps the most scathing broadside came from Col. T.X. Hammes in his 2009 essay for the Armed Forces Journal, Dumb-Dumb Bullets. For Hammes, PowerPoint was the antithesis of thinking, a tool that is actively hostile to thoughtful decision-making. Time wasted on complex infographics and font choice is bad enough, but most sinister for Hammes was the use of bullet points, which reduce complex issues to half-formed thoughts. These half-formed thoughts clutter slides, which attempt to portray a mind-numbing amount of information coherently. Hammes once counted 90 pieces of information on one slide. Such sins would be unsurprising to Edward Tufte, a Yale professor, information design expert, and famed PowerPoint opponent who once wrote, Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Meditations on the PowerPointification of the armed forces have not remained solely in the military sphere. Over the years, certain slides have gone public and invited a kind of morbid fascination. Usually when they hit the civilian world, its for comical reasons, as with the Integrated Survivability Onion chart, or this graphic shared on Twitter by a defense reporter, which looks like a lo-fi nightmare of a Wheres Waldostyle wimmelbilder.

Advertisement

Its easy to see why these go viral so often. The slides are dopey, overcrowded products of a dated medium, used by an organization thats supposedly at the cutting edge of technology and research. In 2018, the Internet Archive held a live karaoke event called Battle Decks in which comedians and artists improvised a briefing in front of military PowerPoint presentations they had never seen before to celebrate the archives collection of nearly 60,000 files scraped from .mil web domains. In a video from the event, the first presenter stands before a title slide that reads Over the KM Horizon, written across a rainbow, above the words On the Path to Intelligent Behavior. As she ad-libs the meaning, the host advances to the next slide, which immediately elicits laughter from the crowd. She almost doesnt have to say anything: The slide is the joke.

Advertisement

Advertisement

In 2020, longtime military graphics collector Tim Hwang launched a Twitter account, @DefenseCharts, a feed dedicated to the presentational aesthetics of the defense-industrial complex. Its an endless scroll of maximalist geometry, dizzying causal webs, and WordArt. Browse long enough at the jumble of fonts and lines and you may start to dissociate. Initially a pandemic project, the feed quickly gained followers, who now number over 28,000. In the replies, members of this mixed civilian and military audience are all in on the joke, gleefully picking apart these design travesties.

Beyond the comical, there are darker reasons these military PowerPoints go viral. In 2014, writer Paul Ford summed up the uncanny feeling conjured by the slides. Part of what makes military diagrams so fascinating is that they look a lot like the images civilians use to do their regular workaday jobs, he wrote. Also, there is a foundational fact that applies to each image: No matter how abstract they are, these pictures describe systems that the U.S. military uses to make optimal, efficient decisions about killing other humans. This was another reason that Hwang started @DefenseCharts. I was immediately struck by the fact that decision-making at the military was essentially being done by PowerPoint slide, he said in an interview.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

When some of the more absurd PowerPoint slides get the spotlight, they can also generate important and long overdue political debates. After NBCs Richard Engel made the Afghanistan Stability/COIN DynamicsSecurity chart public in late 2009, the media lambasted it and the Pentagon consultants who produced it. (This graphic is also the one that inspired Hwang to begin collecting images.) The chart ostensibly depicted the complex causal mechanisms fueling the insurgency in Afghanistan at the time in order to inform the militarys counterinsurgency (COIN) efforts. To some, the graphic was an honest attempt to bring order to chaos, but to most, the graphic looked like spaghetti, a visual representation of the quagmire the country already knew it was in.

Advertisement

PA Consulting Group - "Afghanistan Stability / COIN Dynamics" (2009) pic.twitter.com/RnEROSrGn1  Defense Charts (@DefenseCharts) October 29, 2020

Advertisement

At a briefing at the time, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was then the leader of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, quipped, When we understand that slide, well have won the war. Its probably safe to say McChrystal never figured out the slide, one that indicates a bureaucracy that assumes most everything about war can be knowable and related, but endures as a symbol because its an unintelligible mess, said military technology journalist Kelsey D. Atherton in an interview. It reflects the war it was built to guide.

Advertisement

Advertisement

For their part, the contractors who made the graphic, PA Consulting, defended their work. In May 2010, PA Consultings Executive Chairman Jon Moynihan wrote a letter to the Times of London, which had published an article called The Afghan Situation Explained  Or Not, Depending on Your Opinion of PowerPoint. While conceding that thoughtless use of PowerPoint is pervasive and corrosive, Moynihan claimed that the chart was taken out of context, and represented a well-known techniquesystem dynamicsto review a highly complex situation.

A few months after PA Consulting defended its chaotic slide, Special Forces officer Col. Lawrence Sellin wrote an essay for United Press International raging against the endless tinkering with PowerPoint slides to conform with the idiosyncrasies of cognitively challenged generals in order to spoon-feed them information. He was fired just two days later.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Sellin is long gone, and yet the maligned and ridiculed PowerPoint has remained in the military. This could be because some see its shortcomings as assets. In explaining the Afghanistan Stability/COIN DynamicsSecurity chart, senior military officers told the Times that the software comes in handy when the goal is not to impart information. Such briefings are known as hypnotizing chickens. These obfuscation tactics are particularly handy for making the case to a fatigued public that a war is winnable and worth continuing.

However, there are other, less malicious explanations as well. I honestly dont think any of it was intended to obscure, said Jennifer Taw, a professor of international relations at Claremont McKenna College and former RAND analyst who has often been tasked with creating similar slides in the past. In fact, I think it was usually intended to create a visual, intuitive simplification for extremely complex systems. Visually, this can result in simplification to the point of abstraction.

Advertisement

Advertisement

When junior officers and consultants are asked to represent abstract concepts like battlefield awareness and counterinsurgency on a PowerPoint slide, things can get pretty messy. I think these presentations are like this because they are produced and used entirely by an ingroup, which consists mostly of PowerPoint-reading and -producing officers and their staff, said Atherton. The visual style is such that the chart itself becomes a proof of legibility. Viewing the slides through the lens of an art critic rather than journalist, Hwang makes sense of the PowerPoints in a similar way. Its a form of folk art, an aesthetic tradition passed through the bowels of the bureaucracy of the Pentagon, said Hwang. Its a way of expressingan outsider art. For Taw, theres utility in creating symbols that will feel familiar, create trust, affirm community, and make immediate sense as shared language.

Advertisement

Advertisement

There are also more structural reasons for the persistence of PowerPoint in military culture, far outside the control of any one junior officer. Some of these reasons are mundane: the inertia of legacy systems, long-horizon contracts, and slow procurement processes. Others get to the very heart of the militarys role in society. For Atherton, PowerPoints suggest an insular language between people whose only questions about the wars they are asked to fight are primarily technical. Taws experiences making some of these slides bear this out. We elided political questions over which the military has no control and where, honestly, the biggest problems lie, she said. We also worked with the assumption that the military must be able to do whatever is asked of it, which contributes, in a circular way, to the military being asked to do everything.

Advertisement

Whatever the reason, theres still something unsettling about these slides. When I asked Hwang what his favorite graphic in the @DefenseCharts library was, he sent me this one without hesitation. The graphic contains a generic-looking machine at the center of a diagram with Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems Inertial Sensors, Compact, Lightweight Optics, Focal Plane Algorithms, and other components labeled. And at the bottom, in yellow font against a blue background: Kill Everything.

As former prime minister of France Georges Clemenceau once said, War is too important to be left to the generals. Perhaps its also too important to be left to PowerPoint, either.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Two cases of measles in Bratislava, meteorologists issue temperature warnings. Learn more in today's digest.

Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled

Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, February 8 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

LGBT+ people survey: Avoiding places, everyday fear

(Source: TASR - Milan Kapusta)

The LGBT+ community in Slovakia had faced hatred, attacks and inequality long before last year's terrorist attack on Zamocka Street in Bratislava which left two people dead.

According to a 2022 survey on the life of LGBT+ people in Slovakia carried out before the murders, more than one in three members of the community believed the situation was changing for the worse. This was up on the number who said the same in 2017.

Almost 1,600 people aged 15 to 75 took part in the survey.

Read more about the situation for the LGBT+ community:

More stories on Spectator.sk

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our NEW online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.

Feature story for today

For material scientist Tamas Csanadi, it almost felt like receiving the Nobel Prize. When representatives of the Eset Science Award 2020 called and told him that he had named Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia Under the Age of 35, he was shocked.

When people ask Csanadi what brought him to Slovakia, he admits that his answer might sound strange, especially when he says he is from Budapest, which is home to many prestigious universities.

Find out his reasons by following this link.

When a Hungarian material scientist came to Kosice, he felt as if he was in heaven Read more

Song of the day

Monika Subrtova is a Slovak electronica producer based in London. This track is from her debut EP.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/Oe-eim7FIYY

In other news

Following her meeting with outgoing Czech President Milos Zeman in the High Tatra mountains on Tuesday, President Zuzana Caputova kicked off her regional tour of the Spis region in northeastern parts of Slovakia by paying a visit to the historic town of Levoca. On Wednesday, she visited Spisska Nova Ves and Kezmarok.

in northeastern parts of Slovakia by paying a visit to the historic town of Levoca. On Wednesday, she visited Spisska Nova Ves and Kezmarok. Two cases of measles have been detected in Bratislava in two-year-old and nine-month-old children . No further spread of the disease has been confirmed. Both children have been hospitalised.

. No further spread of the disease has been confirmed. Both children have been hospitalised. On Tuesday evening, mountain rescuers helped two hikers and their baby who got stuck on a summer trail between Popradske Pleso and Strbske Pleso. The couple ignored the barrier in front of the trail and proceeded despite an avalanche warning in place. Both were rescued and transported to the mountain hut at Popradske Pleso.

The premises of the Salon for MPs in the National Council building in Bratislava. (Source: TASR)

From May, lunch subsidies for all children in the last year of kindergartens and in primary schools will be renewed. MPs approved an amendment to the law on assistance in material need. This year the costs of the subsidy will reach 110 million.

MPs approved an amendment to the law on assistance in material need. This year the costs of the subsidy will reach 110 million. Slovakia posted its forst foreign trade deficit for more than a decade in 2022. For 14 years exports exceeded imports, but last year saw a 4.3 billion deficit, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday.

For 14 years exports exceeded imports, but last year saw a 4.3 billion deficit, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday. Interim Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said that a new package of aid for Ukraine could be approved "in the near future" . No further details were provided.

. No further details were provided. The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) has issued warnings for low temperatures. Level 1 and 2 warnings have been issued for several districts of north, central and east Slovakia. Temperatures could drop to -23 degrees Celsius. The map below shows level 1 warnings in yellow, and level 2 warnings in orange. Both are in place until Thursday, 10.00 AM.

(Source: Screenshot SHMU)

Weather for Thursday: Clear skies with occasional clouds. In some places fog might appear in the morning. Daily temperatures between -1 and 3 degrees Celsius are forecast.

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Plans include reconstruction of old power plant.

Some of the high-rise buildings in Bratislava. (Source: SME - Jozef Jakubco)

Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled

Apartment buildings, offices, a zone of family houses - these are just a few of a slew of projects that were given the green light by Bratislava municipal authorities recently.

INDEX magazine has selected five interesting projects that can now apply to local authorities for additional permits, including probably the most interesting of them all - reconstruction of the old power plant in the Istrochem area.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1L9tbI0DUfftxgpBIBt7alsP5IB9vQWU&ehbc=2E312F

Apartment building in Ruzinov

The borough of Ruzinov is a favourite location for developers, and is popular among their clients.

In the next few years Ruzinov's boundaries are expected to expand with construction of an apartment building with four underground and six above-ground floors near the intersection of Mierova and Gagarin streets.
Welcome to On The Menu presented by Oatly. Check out more signature drinks in our On The Menu archive.

This week in our drink series On The Menu, were highlighting the incredible work being done at Matryoshka Coffee in Nashville, Tennessee. Were focusing on their elevated and extremely fun take on the gas station cappuccino (the kind of drink offered at service stations from an automatic froth-dispensing coffee machine). But before we do, we wanted to pull back a bit and take a look at the whole space, because like the drink itself, this place is an elevated and joy-provoking take on the cafe experience itself.

Inspired by designer and researcher Ingrid Fetell Lees book Joyful, Matryoshka was designed, built, tiled, and painted by founder Abbey Chiavaro to promote a feeling a joyfulness. The feeling is palpable, evoked by a use of bright colors, rounded geometric patterns, pops of interest, confetti, plant-life, and nostalgic foodstuffs like instant ramen and breakfast cereal. Chiavaros partner Jake Chiavaro operates a coffee and technician business called Technico in the same building unit, and Matryoshka serves as its cafe storefront (described as a postage stamp sized space but big enough to fit some table seating).

The cafe opened in December of 2021 and has come to embody so much more than colorful interiors coupled with good coffee. It represents community, inclusiveness, joy, playfulness, a safe space, and we hope it continues to evolve in this same way, their website proudly states. Matryoshka is a dedicated safe space for our LGBTQIA+ community and other minority groups and we intend to do all we can to ensure we stay that way.

This is all, lets be clear, absolutely sweet music to our cafe loving ears. But about that drink: Abbey Chiavarios Gas Station Capp combines vanilla made with brown sugar and infused with cardamom and nutmeg and complemented with a traditional vanilla syrup. The drink has its genesis in the one-touch machines dispensing French vanilla cappuccino commonly found at places like 7-11 and Buccees and so forth, all around America (our international readers may be intrigued and appalled in equal measure, which is 100% the correct response).

At Matryoshka the goal is to build on nostalgia while adding a little more flavor. They aim to provide a creamy cappuccino thats well-balanced and not too sweet. Its available both hot and iced starting at $4.50. We simply had to learn more, so we sat down with Abbey Chiavaro digitally to discuss the Gas Station Cappuccino.

Hey Abbey! Thanks for speaking with us. First things first, is there a specific gas station that inspired this beverage?

I grew up going to my local Speedway, but theyre all good as far as Im concerned!

Can you share some of your past signature drinks at Matryoshka Coffee?

Our crowd favorite wild card was a drink we had during fair season at the end of the summer inspired by freshly-popped kettle corn. It was called, unsurprisingly, the Kettle Corn Cappuccino. It was a cappuccino that had 10mL of sweetened condensed milk with the espresso, popcorn steeped milk, and topped with sea salt. We also had a one-day-only drink on Earth Day last year that was a dirt pudding latte. It was a scoop of chocolate putting on the bottom, topped with an iced mocha, and garnished with oreo crumbs and a gummi worm. People *loved* this drink. Another fun one we do is another one-day-only drink on New Years Eve called No Resolutions. Its iced coffee topped with vanilla cold foam, glitter, edible stars, and strawberry pop rocks. And, finally, my other favorite is the Dirty Dr. Peppera short iced oat milk latte with a little vanilla and topped with Dr. Pepper. The espresso/oat milk combo interacts with the carbonation in the soda to create a float-like texture and its incredible.

I love that the cafe itself was inspired in part by Ingrid Fetell Lees Joyful! What brings you the most joy?

I love our customers reactions to our drinks. At this point, the idea of glitter is so commonplace in here that I often forget it isnt normal, so its incredibly fun to serve the Confetti Cuban or Gas Station Cappuccino to a customer who is excited about the idea of edible glitter. This entire environment brings me an incredible amount of joy. Were tiny 300 sq ft with four tables, and it really does feel like an extension of my living room a lot of times. People come in and sit down but often, due to space, offer up an extra chair at their table or start a conversation with someone next to them about what theyre reading or drawing. Theres something about it in here that feels magical. We get people who come in and laugh and cry (if you cry, we have a sticker that says i cried at matryoshka hehehe). Its special and pretty close to magic.

Thank you!

Visit Matyroshka Coffee at 370 Herron Dr. #4 in Nashville, Tennessee and follow them on Instagram. Photos by Victoria Quirk courtesy Matryoshka Coffee.

On The Menu is proudly presented by Oatly. Check out more signature drinks in our On The Menu archive.

Photos by Victoria Quirk
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/african-tech-startup-funding-passed-3bln-in-2022-report-says-1107066059.html

African Tech Startup Funding Passed $3Bln in 2022, Report Says

African Tech Startup Funding Passed $3Bln in 2022, Report Says

In 2022, a total of 633 African tech startups received $3.33 billion in investment, which means that the $3 billion mark has been passed for the first time in history.

2023-02-08T09:44+0000

2023-02-08T09:44+0000

2023-02-08T09:44+0000

africa

business

startup

investment

nigeria

egypt

south africa

kenya

economy

finance

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107070699_0:159:3076:1889_1920x0_80_0_0_d30b2a6b9af2ac687cae1526d22f50dc.jpg

In 2022, a total of 633 African tech startups received $3.33 billion in investment, which means that the $3 billion mark has been passed for the first time in history, the African Tech Startups Funding Report 2022 said.Although the total investment growth rate was smaller than the previous year (55.1% in 2022 against 206.3% in 2021) because of harsher global economic conditions, the number of funded startups is unprecedented and increased by 12.2% compared to 564 in 2021.The average deal size grew by 38.2% from $3.29 million in 2021 to $5.27 million in 2022.Since 2015, when the portal started publishing its reports, the total number of funded startups has increased by 406% (from 125 to 633), with the total funding growing by over 1,000%.According to the report, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, and Kenya remain the continent's "big four" in terms of funding. However, startups from a record number of African countries  27  secured investment in 2022.In February last year, the report says, Nigerian fintech startup Flutterwave secured an all-time Africa record, raising $250 million. In the list of the continent's startups with the best investment, it is followed by Nigerian mobility fintech Moove ($181.8 million) and Egyptian fintech platform MNT-Halan ($150 million), Algerian super app Yassir ($150 million), Kenyan retail-tech Wasoko ($125 million), Tunisian AI startup InstaDeep ($100 million), South African e-commerce startup Clickatell ($91 million), and Kenyan PAYG solar firm M-KOPA ($75 million).The number of disclosed investors grew by 28%  to 987 from 771 tracked in 2021  with the most active investors being early-stage funds (e. g. Launch Africa Ventures, LoftyInc Capital Management, and Future Africa) and accelerators (including Y Combinator, Techstars, Flat6Labs, and Startup Wise Guy). Late stage-investors such as large global ones (Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, and SoftBank) have become more active in the market.It was earlier reported that the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative by the African Development Bank (AfDB) had reached $1 billion in approved funding. The program is mainly focused on small and medium-sized women-run businesses that play a key role in Africa's agriculture.In November 2022, Akinwumi Adesina, the president of the AfDB, called for more active investment in Africa, noting that the continent is "not as risky as you think" and positively compared the investment climate in some African countries with a number of European ones.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230130/african-investment-firm-raises-296mln-to-promote-digital-inclusion-on-continent-1106823527.html

africa

nigeria

egypt

south africa

kenya

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Petr Baryshnikov

Petr Baryshnikov

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

Petr Baryshnikov

africa finance, africa investment, africa startup, africa startups, africa funding, africa economy, africa business, africa fintech
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/arrest-of-sputnik-editor-kasem-signals-latvias-turn-to-police-state---foreign-ministry-1107059379.html

Arrest of Sputnik Editor Kasem Signals Latvia's Turn to Police State - Foreign Ministry

Arrest of Sputnik Editor Kasem Signals Latvia's Turn to Police State - Foreign Ministry

The arrest of Sputnik Lithuania editor Marat Kasem shows that Latvia is transforming into a police state, where opinions that do not coincide with those of the state are suppressed through fabricated legal processes, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

2023-02-08T00:16+0000

2023-02-08T00:16+0000

2023-02-08T00:09+0000

world

latvia

sputnik latvia

police state

arrest

/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

"In the Baltic states, including Latvia, we are now witnessing the actual formation of a police state, where any opinion that does not coincide with the official line is suppressed very harshly, including through trumped-up processes, through criminal prosecution, police measures and so on," Sergey Belyaev, a senior diplomat at the Russian foreign ministry, told the RTVI broadcaster. Belyaev noted that there was no direct contact with Kasem, but the jailed journalist was communicating with his lawyer. According to the Russian diplomat, the question of Kasem's release is not discussed with Latvian counterparts, because contacts between Moscow and Riga "have been reduced to a minimum." Earlier in February, Kasem's lawyer said the editor was in a critical condition and needed medical help. The lawyer also noted that the conditions of the journalist's imprisonment could be regarded as torture. 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, having been accused of violating EU sanctions against Russia as well as of espionage, an offense punished by up to 20 years in prison.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230105/rossiya-segodnya-head-kiselev-slams-latvia-for-illegal-detention-of-sputnik-lithuania-editor-1106065311.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

sputnik editor, marat kasem, arrest, latvia
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/biden-if-china-threatens-our-sovereignty-we-will-act-to-protect-our-country-1107061216.html

Biden: 'If China Threatens Our Sovereignty, We Will Act to Protect Our Country'

Biden: 'If China Threatens Our Sovereignty, We Will Act to Protect Our Country'

US President Joe Biden remarked in his State of the Union address that should China threaten the nation, his administration will respond accordingly.

2023-02-08T03:21+0000

2023-02-08T03:21+0000

2023-02-08T05:42+0000

americas

us

joe biden

china

chinese balloon over us

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/01/12/1081799952_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_9162f74d85eebf2ecaa044876a0419fe.jpg

US President Joe Biden remarked in his State of the Union address that should China threaten the nation, his administration will respond accordingly.Make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if Chinas threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country," Biden vowed to the American public, in reference to the downed Chinese balloon that stole headlines over the last week. "And we did. The American president stated that winning the competition with China should unite all Americans, and that the US is in the strongest position in decades to compete with Beijing or anyone else in the world.Biden's comments in light of the downed Chinese weather balloon comes as US national security adviser Jake Sullivan relayed to reporters on Monday that the US has no intention of returning the instrument to the Chinese government.Speaking during the US Global Leadership Coalition summit, Sullivan admitted that Washington intends to "exploit what we recover and learn even more than we have learned."In the lead-up to the US' decision to shoot down the balloon, Biden recieved a wave of backlash as US officials blasted the commander-in-chief over their beliefs that he failed to act decisively enough. Biden later explained he chose to hold off on shooting down the balloon until it was over airspace that would cause no injuries to the wider public.The Chinese government has stated that US' decision was a clear overreaction after authorities had informed the Biden White House that the balloon was not of a surveillance nature but of research purposes. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng on Monday reiterated that the downing was harmful for US-Chinese relations.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230206/overreaction-to-balloon-snafu-shows-us-incapable-of-dialogue-with-china-ex-diplomat-says-1107026607.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230207/price-of-shooting-down-chinese-balloon-what-is-the-us-f-22-raptor-jet-1107040441.html

americas

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, joe biden, chinese balloon over us
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/borrell-conducts-diplomacy-of-persecution-against-russian-delegation-in-africa-foreign-ministry-1107072390.html

Borrell Conducts 'Diplomacy of Persecution' Against Russian Delegation in Africa: Foreign Ministry

Borrell Conducts 'Diplomacy of Persecution' Against Russian Delegation in Africa: Foreign Ministry

The head of the European Union's foreign policy service, Josep Borrell, is conducting "persecution diplomacy" against the Russian delegation in Africa. This was stated the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

2023-02-08T13:12+0000

2023-02-08T13:12+0000

2023-04-12T17:05+0000

africa

russia

mali

sergey lavrov

josep borrell

foreign ministry

russian foreign ministry

foreign minister

maria zakharova

diplomacy

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/15/1092432024_0:0:3073:1730_1920x0_80_0_0_ec86c7d2617592762aa6694437f541f2.jpg

The head of the European Union's foreign policy service, Josep Borrell, is conducting "persecution diplomacy" against the delegation of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Africa, the official representative of the diplomatic body, Maria Zakharova, said on air on Sputnik radio on Wednesday.Zakharova also noted that the Russian side manages to execute its foreign policy goals without the EU, while drawing attention to the "arrogance and hatred" with which Borrell's comments are made regarding the ongoing tour of the Russian delegation.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid his first working visit to Mali on Tuesday. In the country's capital, Bamako, the diplomat held talks with his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop and interim President Assimi Goita. They discussed the economic relations between the two countries and the need for their development, the problems of security and terrorism, as well as participation in the Russia-Africa summit.At a press conference in Bamako, the head of Russian diplomacy said that Moscow sees how negatively the West regards the strengthening of relations between Russia and Mali and that such a reaction violates the principles of equality in terms of international relations. He also noted that the former colonizers should forget how they conquered the African continent  because the world has changed.In his turn, Mali's foreign minister said that his country does not need to justify its cooperation with Russia to anybody.After traveling to Mali, Russia's foreign minister arrived in Mauritania, and is planning to visit Sudan next.In January, Lavrov conducted another Africa tour, encompassing South Africa, Eswatini, Angola, and Eritrea. At a press conference in Massawa, Eritrea, he said that during the trip, pro-Western media tried to cover his visits "in a twisted, distorted way".In December 2022, Borrel claimed that Africans who showed their support for Russia did not even know who Vladimir Putin was or where Donbass was located. In response, the Russian president noted that Africa knows about Russia's location and its role in the process of liberation from colonialism.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/russia-to-keep-supporting-africa-in-decolonization-efforts-foreign-minister-says-1106946724.html

africa

russia

mali

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Petr Baryshnikov

Petr Baryshnikov

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

Petr Baryshnikov

russia africa, eu russia, borrel russia, borrel lavrov, lavrov africa, eu africa, zakharova borrel
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/corrupt-draft-evasion-scheme-uncovered-in-ukraine-source-says-1107075050.html

Corrupt Draft Evasion Scheme Uncovered in Ukraine, Source Says

Corrupt Draft Evasion Scheme Uncovered in Ukraine, Source Says

A new corrupt draft evasion scheme, which involves military commissars and volunteer organizations in Ukraine, has become known to the Russian security forces from sources among Ukrainian troops

2023-02-08T10:16+0000

2023-02-08T10:16+0000

2023-02-08T12:17+0000

world

ukraine

corruption

ukrainian army

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/03/15/1094059454_0:79:3071:1806_1920x0_80_0_0_4b570d54a2e996598fa11df8e86c0827.jpg

"According to information received from sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a corruption scheme of draft evasion has been established in Ukraine. The entrance tariff is $10,000. It is a one-time payment to a military commissar in order to enroll a potential recruit in a volunteer organization operating at each Recruitment and Social Support Center of the Ukrainian army. This is how the military enlistment offices are called there now," the source said. Each volunteer is expected to collect voluntary donations through social networks from citizens in favor of the army, the source added. In August 2022, Ukrainian media reported that a scheme involving traveling abroad under the pretense of being students to evade conscription, allegedly to attend Polish and Baltic universities, was gaining momentum among Ukrainian residents.

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

new corrupt draft evasion scheme, ukrainian troops, russian security forces
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/demands-for-supply-of-combat-aircraft-submarines-to-kiev-harm-allies-unity-scholz-1107079899.html

Demands for Supply of Combat Aircraft, Submarines to Kiev Harm Allies' Unity: Scholz

Demands for Supply of Combat Aircraft, Submarines to Kiev Harm Allies' Unity: Scholz

Demands for the supply of military aircraft and submarines to Ukraine only harm the unity of NATO partners, and Germany will not take part in such discussions

2023-02-08T12:57+0000

2023-02-08T12:57+0000

2023-02-08T12:57+0000

world

ukraine

germany

olaf scholz

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/19/1106691286_0:141:3073:1869_1920x0_80_0_0_6ae259fe6ac573fbc1b2b71dfe709d23.jpg

"What harms our unity is a public competition over who will demand what more  tanks, submarines, aircraft. What also hurts is bright domestic political statements and public criticism of partners and allies. Germany will not participate in this. Because every dissonance and speculation about a possible difference of opinion only benefits [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Scholz told lawmakers.Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Melnyk said that Germany should supply fighter jets, warships and submarines to Ukraine. In January, Germany pledged to send 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine, after being repeatedly urged to do so by some of its EU and NATO allies. The United States said it would send Ukraine 31 Abrams tanks and eight M88 recovery vehicles, noting that the delivery would take considerable time. Also, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on NATO countries to unlock the supply of long-range missiles and military aircraft to Kiev.Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops.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.

ukraine

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

supply of military aircraft, nato partners, combat aircraft to kiev
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/dr-congo-reportedly-soon-to-start-new-exploration-for-green-metals-president-says-1107070439.html

DR Congo Soon to Start New Exploration for 'Green' Metals, President Says

DR Congo Soon to Start New Exploration for 'Green' Metals, President Says

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is set to become the world's major supplier of metals for the green energy transition, and that implies the launch of new exploration for such metals as nickel and chrome.

2023-02-08T11:50+0000

2023-02-08T11:50+0000

2023-02-08T12:07+0000

africa

central africa

drc

mining

chrome

nickel

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107069973_0:93:1773:1090_1920x0_80_0_0_88ba3a8968e989376513619efb9c74e5.jpg

The DR Congo is set to become the world's major supplier of metals for the green energy transition, and that means that new exploration for such metals as nickel and chrome will be launched, according to the country's President Felix Tshisekedi.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, South Africa, the president noted that the exploration for these two minerals is about to start "in the next few days" in the Kasai region, in the southern part of the country. He highlighted that the DRC is inviting new partners to join exploration and invest in cobalt, tantalum, tin and lithium processing.He stated that the country has recently created a national geological service that is intended to oversee the exploration. He also mentioned that the new investment will be attracted to the country as the government is taking measures aimed at improving business and regulatory environment. As an example, he noted that the country could offer various incentives such as the creation of a special economic zone around lithium deposits in the south-eastern part of the DRC. The DRC is responsible for more than two-thirds of the mineral cobalt essential in the manufacture of batteries, and is one of the worlds biggest copper producers, according to the US international trade administration. In 2020, the country became the worlds largest cobalt miner with a production of 95,000 tons, or approximately 41 percent of the worlds cobalt. The country also has deposits of other minerals including lithium, graphite and manganese. However, as stated by the president, less than 20 percent of the country has been explored. Therefore, the DRC needs support of international community in terms of financing and exploration. Tshisekedi noted that even though the country is rich in minerals, it still remains one of the world's poorest countries. According to the UN, very little of the revenues from natural resource exploitation has contributed to the overall development of the DRC or to the improvement in the living standards of its inhabitants. In this regard, the president emphasized that potential investors and miners are expected to take into account the interests of the Congolese and ensure people also benefit from their activities. It means, he elaborated, that the miners should buy insurance from companies registered in the country and negotiate with local communities while implementing their exploration projects.President Tshisekedi has recently criticized a $6.2Bln minerals-for-infrastructure deal with China, stating that the central African nation, as the worlds biggest producer of key battery metals, hasnt benefited from the contract. The deal, signed in 2008, stipulated that Chinese companies invest $3.2Bln in a copper-cobalt mine and another $3Bln in infrastructure construction. The DRC government claimed that most of the minerals end up in China, even though the latter has released less than a third of the funds designated for infrastructure. The discussions, intended to improve the deal, have been going on for more than a year. The review of the contract is part of the president's campaign to ensure that the DRC gets paid for providing its natural riches.The ongoing transition to green energy technology is a main driving force of demand for metals used in batteries, such as nickel, cobalt and lithium, as well as in solar components and wind turbines. As mine output in recent years has been limited, prices for the commodities surged, with copper being up more than 40 percent since 2019 on the London Metal Exchange and nickel up by more than 90 percent. According to IMF experts, the clean energy transition needed to prevent the effects of climate change may unleash unprecedented metals demand in the next few decades, requiring about 3 billion tons.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230204/dr-congo-wants-russia-to-invest-in-energy-and-mining-ambassador-says-1106970617.html

africa

central africa

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Maria Konokhova

Maria Konokhova

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

Maria Konokhova

the democratic republic of the congo, president felix tshisekedi, mining, copper, clean energy transition, nickel, chrome, green energy metals, cobalt
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/iran-triples-arms-exports-since-march-2022-1107083414.html

Iran Triples Arms Exports Since March 2022

Iran Triples Arms Exports Since March 2022

Iranian arms exports tripled between March and December 2022 year-on-year, Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Seyyed Mehdi Farahi said on Wednesday.

2023-02-08T14:42+0000

2023-02-08T14:42+0000

2023-02-08T14:44+0000

military

iran

iranian defense ministry

arms export

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/101920/46/1019204627_0:207:2200:1445_1920x0_80_0_0_957b88026fb9284d94f09421ec816eac.jpg

"The export of our defense products is gradually developing. This year [1402 according to the Iranian calendar, which began on March 21, 2022] it has tripled compared with last year," Farahi was quoted by Iranian news agency IRNA as saying. Iran started enhancing the development of its military-industrial complex ten years ago, which today has resulted in a noticeable increase in the share of domestic military equipment in exercises, the military official said. In 2022, its share increased by 10%, meaning that 93% of military equipment used in drills is Iranian-made, he specified. With the country having to contend with numerous foreign adversaries, its defense industry should be under the control of the government and not private actors, the Iranian general said.

iran

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

iran, iranian arms export, iranian defense sector, military supplies
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/kim-jong-un-attends-banquet-to-celebrate-day-of-army-founding-with-his-wife-and-daughter---photos-1107063469.html

Kim Jong-un Attends Banquet to Celebrate Day of Army Founding With His Wife and Daughter - Photos

Kim Jong-un Attends Banquet to Celebrate Day of Army Founding With His Wife and Daughter - Photos

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called to strengthen the country's military,

2023-02-08T06:20+0000

2023-02-08T06:20+0000

2023-02-08T06:20+0000

world

democratic people's republic of korea (dprk)

kim jong-un

army

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/07/1107039076_0:94:1000:657_1920x0_80_0_0_fc9df2256c809efbc4450140d2e09cab.png

On February 7, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with his wife and daughter visited the Korean People's Army commanders' quarters to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country's army. They also attended a celebratory banquet. Korean State media published photos from the banquet showing Kim Jong-un with his daughter and wife Ri Sol Ju. This was his daughter's third public appearance.North Korea is preparing to stage a massive military parade in capital Pyongyang to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the army.Kim Jong-un has pledged to strengthen the country's military, state media reported.Prior to that, Kim Jong-un promised to expand military drills and beef up the nuclear-armed country's war readiness posture.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230101/kim-jong-un-accuses-us-of-creating-asian-version-of-nato-1105971689.html

democratic people's republic of korea (dprk)

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

strengthen the country's military, north korean leader kim jong-un, parade in dprk
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Delivers Republican Rebuttal to SOTU

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered a scathing review of the Biden administration late Tuesday following the US president State of the Union address, calling the commander-in-chief "unfit to serve."

"The dividing line is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy," the Trump-era spokesperson said of Biden, adding that the president and the Democrat camp "failed" the American people.

"Tonight, let us reaffirm our commitment to a timeless American idea: that government exists not to rule the people, but to serve the people."

Huckabee Sanders used much of her speech to highlight the generational differences with Biden.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/mexican-anesthesiologist-accused-of-killing-people-with-fungal-meningitis-prosecutor-1107070120.html

Mexican Anesthesiologist Accused of Killing People With Fungal Meningitis: Prosecutor

Mexican Anesthesiologist Accused of Killing People With Fungal Meningitis: Prosecutor

A fungal meningitis outbreak in hospitals in the Mexican state of Durango that has killed 35 people was allegedly caused by an anesthesiologist who misused drugs during gynecological obstetric and prosthetic replacement procedures

2023-02-08T07:48+0000

2023-02-08T07:48+0000

2023-02-08T07:48+0000

americas

mexico

infection

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107722/69/1077226991_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_b3ad7c0ed955b93ee0035253e5caea86.jpg

"This specialist is detained on charges of criminal negligence, that is, negligent homicide, although the charges may be reclassified as premeditated murder during the investigation," Yadira said in an interview with local broadcaster Formula. The first information about the outbreak appeared in early November 2022. On November 8, the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) issued an order to seize four batches of the anesthetic Bupivacaine, which was initially recognized as a source of infection in four regional hospitals. A total of 79 people were infected, 35 of whom died. The investigation found that the detained anesthesiologist, who worked at all four hospitals, was directly linked to the identified cases. It became known that he injected patients with drugs from open ampoules and even arrived at work with pre-filled syringes, combining his drugs with hospital ones. Two regional officials - the head of the COFEPRIS and the inspector, who added false information into the reports on the work of subsequently closed hospitals - were also detained, the prosecutor added.

americas

mexico

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

fungal meningitis outbreak, gynecological obstetric and prosthetic replacement procedures
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/mh17-investigation-does-not-have-enough-evidence-to-initiate-new-trials-dutch-prosecutors-1107080506.html

MH17 Investigation Does Not Have Enough Evidence to Initiate New Trials: Dutch Prosecutors

MH17 Investigation Does Not Have Enough Evidence to Initiate New Trials: Dutch Prosecutors

The investigation into the crash of the MH17 plane in Donbass in 2014 has failed to gather sufficient evidence to initiate new trials

2023-02-08T13:07+0000

2023-02-08T13:07+0000

2023-02-08T13:07+0000

world

flight mh17

joint investigation team (jit)

investigation

prosecutors

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/102845/94/1028459458_0:198:2939:1851_1920x0_80_0_0_5d5952386787fa793af5f7cacd3316ab.jpg

The Hague hosts on Wednesday a press conference on new findings from the JIT regarding the 2014 downing of the MH17 plane in eastern Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, crashed on 17 July 2014 in eastern Ukraine amid military clashes between the Ukrainian government and local self-proclaimed republics. All 298 people on board (most of them Dutch citizens) died.The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was established to probe the case; however, Russia was denied any access to the investigation. Russia launched its own investigation and provided the JIT with evidence, including radar data showing that the plane had been shot down by a Ukrainian Buk missile that had been stored in Ukraine since 1986 and never went back to Russia after the break-up of the Soviet Union.However, all of that information was ignored by the Dutch investigators, who insisted that the Buk missile had come from the Russian military.

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

mh17 investigation, sufficient evidence, mh17 plane
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/millions-of-people-at-risk-of-flooding-due-to-climate-change-research-finds-1107060789.html

Millions of People at Risk of Flooding Due to Climate Change, Research Finds

Millions of People at Risk of Flooding Due to Climate Change, Research Finds

Glaciers are melting, exposing the lives of millions of people around the world to the risk of flash floods, says new study. Most of these people live in India, Pakistan, Peru and China.

2023-02-08T04:09+0000

2023-02-08T04:09+0000

2023-02-08T04:02+0000

science & tech

nature

glacier

lakes

floods

climate change

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0a/0d/1101811252_0:153:2941:1807_1920x0_80_0_0_956816f8990e7c7408affd9eb8fe25c0.jpg

Glaciers are melting, exposing the lives of millions of people around the world to the risk of flash floods, according to a new study. Most of these people live in four countries - India, Pakistan, Peru and China, where glacial lakes are abundant and populations are vulnerable to climate disasters.As temperatures rise, glaciers have increasingly retreated, prompting melted water to accumulate at glacier fronts. These lakes can suddenly break up, causing glacial lake outburst floods that can spread more than 120 kilometers from the original site.The recent study details that climate change has led to a sharp increase in the number of glacial lakes since 1990. At the same time, the number of people living in these catchments has also increased significantly. Scientists studied 1,089 glacial lake basins around the world and assessed the ability of people in different regions to respond quickly to the threat of flooding.The analysis showed that the areas of greatest risk are not those with the largest, most numerous or fastest-growing glacial lakes, as might be expected. Rather, the number of people in the region and their ability to cope with natural hazards is critical to their risk.The results showed that 15 million people live within 50 kilometers of glacial lakes. Critically, high altitude Asia (from Kyrgyzstan to China) is at greatest risk of flooding, with perhaps 9.3 million people. There are about five million unprotected people in India and Pakistan alone.The researchers say their methods could be used to monitor the risk of future glacial lake outburst floods.

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Egor Shapovalov

Egor Shapovalov

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

Egor Shapovalov

climate change, glacier lakes, unexpected floods, why floods happen, which countries are at risk of flooding
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/nigerian-supreme-court-suspends-banknote-transition-deadline-amid-naira-scarcity-1107079461.html

Nigerian Supreme Court Suspends Banknote Transition Deadline Amid Naira Scarcity

Nigerian Supreme Court Suspends Banknote Transition Deadline Amid Naira Scarcity

Nigeria's Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the deadline for transition to new naira banknotes, media report. Acceptance of the old Naira notes was initially planned to end on 10 February.

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

africa

west africa

nigeria

central bank

currency

banknote

crisis

economy

finance

court

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107081674_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_380f33169716852f64c64cbab6714dbb.jpg

Nigeria's Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the deadline for the transition to new naira banknotes, the country's media report. Acceptance of the old 200, 500, and 1,000 naira notes was initially planned to end on February 10.The decision came after a lawsuit was launched by the states of Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kogi against the federal government at the Supreme Court in order to compel the federal authorities and the CBN to stop implementing the transition  due to banknote scarcity and the difficulties that have arisen from it. The legal case has been adjourned until February 15.The lack of currency in Nigerian banks led to long queues and protests as people tried to acquire new banknotes.According to Aisha Dikko, the attorney general and commissioner for justice, Kaduna State, the naira redesign policy was launched as part of the federal government's efforts to transition to a cashless economy; however, cash is required for several types of transactions. She also underlined that people in rural areas, where the majority of the three states' population lives, do not have access to banks and are unable to deposit their savings, which are still mostly in old banknotes.Against the backdrop of the naira reform, Nigeria has also seen growth in demand for alternative assets, such as for cryptocurrency, namely bitcoin. According to Google Trends, Nigeria is one of the nations most interested in cryptocurrency.As part of its attempts to establish a cashless economy, in 2021, Nigeria became the first country in Africa to introduce a central bank digital currency  the eNaira. The country's government stated that the currency "serves as both a medium of exchange and a store of value, offering better payment prospects in retail transactions when compared to cash payments."In November 2022, Nigeria's government announced that it would not include cryptocurrences in its plan to improve trading in digital assets due to high risks and a lack of standards for protection of investors.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230204/top-largest--fastest-growing-economies-in-sub-saharan-africa-in-2023-1106951646.html

africa

west africa

nigeria

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Petr Baryshnikov

Petr Baryshnikov

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

Petr Baryshnikov

naira crisis, new naira, nigeria currency, naira deadline, nigeria court, nigeria banknotes, naira banknotes, nigeria inflation
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/norway-procures-new-leopard-tanks-from-germany-bringing-hot-arms-debate-to-a-close-1107063272.html

Norway Procures New Leopard Tanks From Germany Bringing Hot Arms Debate to a Close

Norway Procures New Leopard Tanks From Germany Bringing Hot Arms Debate to a Close

The planned $1.91 billion procurement comes as Norway previously signaled readiness to ship an unspecified amount of older tanks to Ukraine.

2023-02-08T06:29+0000

2023-02-08T06:29+0000

2023-02-08T06:31+0000

military

norway

military & intelligence

tanks

leopard 2

leopard ii

scandinavia

germany

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/1a/1106729541_0:68:3401:1981_1920x0_80_0_0_322de335b3432577edcdc542d79ee3cb.jpg

Norway has decided to acquire 54 German Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks, bringing a bitter debate between the military and politicians over funding priorities to a close.The planned 19.7Bln NOK ($1.91Bln) package also includes an option to buy a further 18 vehicles. The new tanks will replace Leopard 2A4 vehicles and are due to be phased in between 2026 and 2031.Although the contract with manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMV) has yet to be signed, Norway's Defense Materiel Agency said it is expected to be in the near future.Justifying the procurement, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store enigmatically claimed that Oslo finds itself in "one of the most demanding security policy situations since the Second World War." He also stressed that the Leopard 2A7 acquisition will both lead to closer security ties with Germany and ensure that Oslo shares a common main battle tank with its Nordic neighbors and close allies.The choice of the Leopard follows Norways close military collaboration with Germany on a number of major defense and security related projects, including submarine cooperation. The bilateral engagements between Oslo and Berlin were also heavily boosted by the conflict in Ukraine, as Norway replaced Russia as Europe's biggest supplier of gas after Brussels opted to cut down on Russian imports.Although appearing logical, the decision was not without debate. Top-ranking military officials, including Norways Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen openly opposed the procurement, instead urging the government to buy new helicopters and long-range precision arms.Last month, Norway committed itself to sending tanks to Ukraine, indicating its readiness to contribute a yet unspecified amount of Leopard 2A4 vehicles. 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, according to its military.Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine and boosted their own military spending under the pretext of bolstering self-defense after Russia launched a special military operation on 24 February 2022, responding to calls for help from the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Moscow condemned western military assistance to Kiev, stating that it merely prolongs the conflict and constitutes legal targets for Russian troops.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/norway-preparing-for-its-largest-military-drill-of-the-year-1106939720.html

norway

scandinavia

germany

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

leopard tanks, norwegian-german cooperation, arms procurement, weapons sales, military spending
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/pink-floyds-roger-waters-reportedly-to-be-present-at-unsc-meeting-on-ukraine-1107059522.html

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters Reportedly to be Present at UNSC Meeting on Ukraine

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters Reportedly to be Present at UNSC Meeting on Ukraine

Roger Waters, ex-musician from Pink Floyd, will be present at Wednesday's UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine which was requested by Russia, the UN Source told Sputnik on Tuesday.

2023-02-08T00:18+0000

2023-02-08T00:18+0000

2023-02-08T00:18+0000

world

un security council (unsc)

roger waters

pink floyd

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107669/61/1076696183_0:183:2993:1866_1920x0_80_0_0_b8a22051b11b13690150c2d1ae0a5dd7.jpg

The UN Security Council discussed Ukraine on February 6 at the request of France and Ecuador. There will also be a meeting on February 24 held at the ministerial level, marking exactly one year since Russia's special operation began.Pink Floyd was one of the most popular music groups in the 1980s. Waters left the group in 1985 because of differences among its members. In the past, Waters has attended protests supporting freeing Assange. Some US politicians have also criticized Waters for accusing President Joe Biden of fueling the conflict in Ukraine.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220822/roger-waters-name-spotted-on-notorious-ukrainian-kill-list-website-1099867063.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

roger waters gives speech at un security council meeting, roger waters, unsc, roger waters on ukraine, what did roger waters say about ukraine assange biden
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/prc-challenging-us-across-almost-all-domains-but-war-avoidable-if-america-doesnt-poke-the-dragon-1107089567.html

PRC Challenging US Across Almost All Domains, But War Avoidable if America Doesnt Poke the Dragon

PRC Challenging US Across Almost All Domains, But War Avoidable if America Doesnt Poke the Dragon

During his State of the Union speech, President Biden boasted that his administrations investments in the military, US alliances and American technology and innovation put Washington in its strongest position in decades to compete with China. House lawmakers have to some very different, and alarming, conclusions.

2023-02-08T19:50+0000

2023-02-08T19:50+0000

2023-02-09T17:46+0000

analysis

china

taiwan

us

house armed services committee

threat

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106548/66/1065486612_0:0:2048:1152_1920x0_80_0_0_f65d7aceaaa696770d0fa5ee090b7028.jpg

Im committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake about it: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did, Biden said during his big speech to Congress Tuesday night, referring to his decision to pop a Chinese balloon flying off the US East Coast over the weekend.We face serious challenges across the world. But in the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker. Autocracy has grown weaker, not stronger. Name me a world leader who would change places with Xi Jinping. Name me one! Name me one! Biden boomed, wagging his finger and furrowing his brow. Bridges are forming between partners in the Pacific and those in the Atlantic. And those who bet against America are learning how wrong they are. Its never, ever been a good bet to bet against America. Never! Biden added, sparking roaring applause and chants of USA! USA! USA! from gathered lawmakers.Earlier in the day, the House Armed Services Committee met to discuss China, coming away with a decisively more somber assessment of Americas military, technological and economic capabilities vis-a-vis the Peoples Republic. Beijing, it turns out, is no longer just a 'near-peer adversary' to the United States, but a full-blown 'peer' challenger.If we fail to acknowledge [the Chinese threat] and take immediate action to deter it, the next 30 years would be devastating for our nation, House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers warned in his introductory remarks.The Peoples Liberation Army has gone from an obsolete force barely capable of defending its borders to a modern fighting force capable of winning regional conflicts. The Chinese Communist Party now controls the largest army and navy in the world, with the goal of having them fully integrated, modernized by 2027. The CCP is rapidly expanding its nuclear capabilities. They have doubled their number of warheads in two years. We estimated it would take them a decade to do that. Weve also just been informed by the Department of Defense that the CCP now has more ICBM launchers than the United States, Rogers added, citing a recent report to Congress by STRATCOM.Pointing to Chinese advances in space, the Peoples Liberation Armys activities in the South China Sea, aerial and naval operations around Taiwan, and moves to establish a military and intelligence presence overseas, Rogers warned that the CCP is starting to outpace us on new battlefields as well.Congressman Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the committee, echoed Rogers' concerns, touting the PRC as the greatest threat we face to our national security objectives and the biggest problem that we face as a country, and perhaps most importantly  a danger to the rules-based international system. That term is the current preferred jargon of the Biden State Department, and refers to Washingtons global geopolitical, military and economic primacy, which officials would like to preserve and expand as far as possible.Don't Poke the DragonChas W. Freeman Jr., a retired US diplomat and interpreter with decades of experience with China under his belt going back all the way to Richard Nixons 1972 visit to Beijing, where he served as the presidents main interpreter, says precision is crucial when talking about Chinese threats to America.The veteran diplomat says the crux of the US-China confrontation is centered around the fact that Washington has trouble reconciling with the fact that it is no longer the supreme player on the world stage, but rather one player, among others.International affairs observer and China expert Gal Luft echos Freemans sentiments, telling Sputnik that China doesn't want a war with the US, and would "only be a military threat if the US challenges the status quo over Taiwan.Unlike the US, which is overstretched and preoccupied with numerous threats and scenarios, Chinas military planning is focused on warfighting scenarios in its own neighborhood, which allows the PLA to better optimize its resources," Luft says.The PLA and the rest of the Chinese defense ecosystem are focusing on asymmetric warfare and their investments are targeted to very few relevant war-fighting scenarios, the observer explained. As far as Taiwan is concerned, the observer noted that Beijing was preparing for hybrid war which includes many non-kinetic elements - cyber, space, economic coercion etc. - with which it can bring the island into submission without actual invasion.China Has Already Shifted the Regional Military BalanceTuesday's hearing featured a number of other bombshell admissions regarding Chinas growing capabilities. Admiral Harry Harris, former commander of the US Pacific Fleet and United States Indo-Pacific Command, testified that today, the modernization of the PLA has changed the regional military balance, and significantly enough that the United States no longer can be confident that we would decisively defeat every type of play.Whats more, Harris said, its infeasible for the US to divert all of its global military potential toward China and Taiwan since the US cannot afford to pare down its commitments elsewhere around the world.Attempting to demonstrate superiority for all contingencies vis-a-vis Beijing would require a commitment of forces that would inhibit the United States from behaving like the global power that it is with global interests to which its military must also attend, the admiral said.Chinas Navy surpassed the USs in total size in late 2021, with Beijing planning to expand the fleet of warships and submarines to some 460 total by 2030, according to the Pentagon. The US currently has about 280 ships and subs, and unlike Chinas, which are concentrated in the Pacific, these are spread across the world.Challenge Across Almost Every DomainIn his testimony, Harris also touched on Chinas economic and technological advances, warning that Chinas considerable military buildup could soon challenge the US across almost every domain. The PRC is making significant advances in missile systems, including hypersonics, fifth generation fighters, [a] blue water navy and the next wave of technologies, including artificial intelligence and advanced space and cyber.US military raw materials security is also under threat by China, according to Harris, who urged Washington to work in our own enlightened self-interest to develop our own reliable sources of various pharmaceuticals and chemicals for weapon-bearing independent of the PRC.Pointing to a recent report by the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based security think tank, which highlighted US dependence on China for a number of critical energetics materials used in explosives and propellants for bullets, artillery and missiles, Harris urged the US to invest and innovate to right the errant course that were on, or risk a situation in which Joint Force will struggle to compete with the Peoples Liberation Army in our future battlefields.US Right to Be Concerned by China's Technological BoomWashington has good reason to be concerned about China's military-technological rise, according to Freeman.China does lead now in a number of militarily important technologies. It has installed, apparently, rail guns on its ships. We attempted to develop those but were unable to do so. Its air-to-air missiles out-range ours. It does have a range of hypersonic missiles. We don't we have a defense against those. In addition, China has famously developed ballistic missiles with terminal guidance that can strike an aircraft carrier a thousand miles away from the coast. The Chinese have, in fact, begun to develop technologies that we don't have that are important for our military purposes, Freeman said.Ukrainian Lessons: A Blueprint for Taiwan?A big portion of Tuesdays hearing focused on Taiwan, and the lessons the NATO-Russia proxy conflict in Ukraine may have for the US strategy vis-a-vis the island.We need to apply those lessons and make sure that our military is modernized to meet the threats that we face today, Adam Smith said. Calling the Ukrainian crisis crucial to the USs deterrence message against China, the lawmaker suggested that if Russia was able to achieve [its] aims lawlessly and through the use of military, that will only further embolden President Xi and his objectives in China.Smith argued that visible preparation of Taiwans defense forces against a potential PLA incursion may also prove a deterrent, and called on the Pentagon to enhance the islands porcupine position in the defense concept through things like investments in short-range anti-air and anti-ship defenses, naval mines and so forth.Admiral Harris confirmed that the military is looking at the Taiwan front through the lens of the Ukraine front to some extent.Ukraine is the wolf closest to the sled and we had to deal with Ukraine today, but I think there is more juice in that orange, if you will, Harris said, pointing to the delivery of evermore advanced weapons systems to the Eastern European country by the US and its allies over the past year.I do believe that we need to do as much as we can for Ukraine, and we have the capacity to help Taiwan at the same time. Its not binary, Harris assured, when asked by a lawmaker to comment on the problem of the $19+ billion backlog of US weapons sales to Taipei, caused at least in part by arms deliveries to Kiev.Harris called on Washington to abandon its decades-old policy of strategic ambiguity vis-a-vis Taiwan in favor of strategic clarity,  i.e. an outright alliance, and urged for a bilateral free trade agreement to be inked as soon as possible.Either of these measures would undoubtedly be seen by Beijing as violations of multiple Sino-US agreements  including the diplomatic framework behind the One China principle  which requires Washington to refrain from diplomatic and military agreements with Taipei, and a 1982 communique requiring US arms sales to Taiwan to drop to zero over time.The former commander suggested that Chinas leadership should be reminded of the potential for direct US-Chinese military-to-military engagement over Taiwan, and of US military superiority in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, which allows us to threaten the maritime shipping upon which China depends for access to energy, global markets and supply chains.In his address to the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party last fall, President Xi Jinping emphasized that Beijing is committed to peaceful reunification of the island with the mainland under the One Country, Two Systems model. He warned that Taiwan is Chinas Taiwan, and that resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, a matter that must be resolved by the Chinese. Accordingly, Xi said, Beijing would never compromise to renounce the use of force to counter the aims of outside forces and the few separatists seeking Taiwan independence.Comparing Taiwan, Ukraine Misguided at Best, Nonsense at WorstLuft says comparing the crisis in Ukraine to a scenario of China-US conflict over Taiwan is at best misguided, because there are just too many substantial geographical, operational, diplomatic and cultural differences that make it a very risky analogy. At the same time, the observer noted, the battlefield situation in Ukraine and the hesitancy of the West in providing essential platforms like tanks and planes will not inspire confidence in Taiwan. The observer doesnt expect Taipei to fall into the "trap" set by Washington as easily as Ukraine did in 2022, and believes ordinary Taiwanese may make their voice in preference of peace heard at the ballot box in 2024, where the liberal Progressive Democrats of President Tsai Ing-wen will face off against the nationalist Kuomintang  which favors rapprochement with Beijing.Freeman agrees with this assessment, suggesting that comparisons are essentially nonsense, with Ukraine a large European country with a long border with Russia and NATO, making it ripe for a proxy war, while Taiwan is a small island 100 miles (160 km) off the Chinese mainland, and 8,000 miles (12,800+ km) from America, in other words, not next door.Freeman fears that the attempts by US lawmakers and military commanders to link the Ukrainian and Taiwan fronts is not only absurd, but dangerous, because it indicates thinking in Washington that the US could somehow fight a proxy war with China over Taiwan.Freeman believes that if China has drawn any lessons regarding Taiwan from the conflict in Ukraine, its that you should go all out from the beginning, use overwhelming force, decapitate the leadership so it can't have the kind of public relations counter-offensive that Mr. Zelensky has done and expect that the local population will not greet you with flowers and dancing girls, but with guns and bayonets and prepare accordinglyThey don't want to get into a war of attrition. They want to do something that will be sudden and decisive if they have to at all. But they like the Russian government in the run up to the Ukraine war, want to settle this diplomatically, politically, through dialog across the Taiwan Strait. The last thing on earth they want is a war over part of their territory, he emphasized.Today's US is Yesterday's USSRIn a speech before the American Academy of Diplomacy earlier this week, Freeman suggested that in some ways, the US in relation to China today is in the same position the USSR was in relation to the US during the Cold War.It's a theory which has some basis that it was the pressure of military competition with the United States that caused the Soviet Union to divert too much investment to its military while it neglected the needs of its civilian population and its economy. This ultimately caused the Soviet Union essentially to go bankrupt, Freeman said in his interview with Sputnik.The problem was that the Soviet Union had a much smaller economy and a much less vigorous civilian economy than the United States, and it had limited capacity to ramp up its defense budget. That defense budget went up to somewhere around 12 to 15% of GDP, which is an extraordinary level in the case of the United States today. Every dollar that we spend on defense and then some is borrowed. We are not paying our own way. We do not have the capacity to surge the budget upward in the event of a war, the observer noted.Ultimately, the observer believes that Sino-US tensions will continue for quite some time before we return to a rational, peaceful, mutually cooperative and beneficial relationship. In the meantime, we will have tensions. And what we've just shown with the balloon nonsense is that we don't know how to handle the crisis. And that's pretty dangerous, pretty frightening.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221208/china-possibly-surpasses-us-in-number-of-nuclear-warheads-reports-say-1105177350.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/china-and-us-military-strength-compared-1107086943.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230120/taking-on-russia--china-biden-needed-only-two-years-to-push-world-to-verge-of-war-scholars-say-1106536013.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220605/prc-could-starve-us-military-industrial-complex-of-ability-to-build-weapons-with-one-move-report-1096026836.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210609/pentagon-seemingly-drops-quest-for-ship-based-electromagnetic-railgun-1083104479.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220502/taiwan-forced-to-go-howitzer-free-as-us-military-industrial-complex-pumps-out-guns-for-kiev-reports-1095203610.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/senior-us-general-predicts-war-with-china-in-2025-urges-airmen-to-prepare-to-come-home-in-body-bags-1106791710.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221127/taiwans-ruling-dpp-party-suffers-major-loss-in-local-elections-1104740628.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/senior-chinese-diplomat-no-point-to-blinken-visit-after-seeming-us-reversal-on-balloon-reaction-1107089164.html

china

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Ilya Tsukanov

Ilya Tsukanov

News

en_EN

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

1920 1080 true

1920 1440 true

1920 1920 true

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

Ilya Tsukanov

china, us, threat, taiwan, ukraine, house armed services committee
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/report-memphis-police-officer-took-picture-of-tyre-nichols--texted-image-to-at-least-five-people-1107059664.html

Report: Memphis Police Officer Took Picture of Tyre Nichols & Texted Image to At Least Five People

Report: Memphis Police Officer Took Picture of Tyre Nichols & Texted Image to At Least Five People

On January 7, Memphis Police pulled over 29-year-old Tyre Nichols for alleged reckless driving. Body cam footage showed the officers beating a restrained... 08.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-08T00:50+0000

2023-02-08T00:50+0000

2023-02-08T00:44+0000

americas

tyre nichols

memphis police department

memphis

police brutality

murder

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/1c/1106778836_7:0:2556:1434_1920x0_80_0_0_0e11f9e8008cc01e3942c206f84c6e42.png

One of the five Memphis police officers fired and charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the beating death of Tyre Nichols admitted to taking a picture of Nichols after the beating and sending it to at least five people.The actions were revealed by a document released by the Memphis Police Department on Tuesday as part of a request to decertify the officers involved. Decertifying the officers will make them ineligible to be hired as police officers again in the state of Tennessee.According to the document, Officer Demetrius Haley admitted to taking the picture and sending it to at least five people with his personal cellphone. The police departments policy prohibits officers from using their personal cellphones while performing police duties, including traffic stops.Police said at the time that Nichols was pulled over for driving recklessly; however, Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said her department was unable to find evidence of Nichols driving recklessly.Haley was one of the officers involved in both the initial police confrontation with Nichols and the beating that led to his death. During the initial stop, Haley can be seen in body camera footage pulling Nichols out of the car and attempting to pepper spray him, while another officer fires his taser gun at Nichols. Nichols eventually breaks free and flees the scene.Several minutes later, officers caught up with Nichols and repeatedly beat him with kicks, fists, and batons for nearly three minutes. Haley was not present for much of the beating, only arriving after other officers had him restrained on the ground. Still, Haley can be seen on the video kicking the restrained Nichols in either his head or upper body.Nichols, who was left handcuffed and bleeding on the street for an extended period after his arrest, died three days later.The document does not specifically say to who Haley sent the pictures or what he texted when he sent it, but does provide some details.The document also notes a sixth person received the same picture.Nichols death led to protests in multiple cities nationwide, including Memphis. In response, the Memphis Police Department said it is disbanding the SCORPION unit the officers were assigned to. That unit, also known as a saturation unit, floods high-crime areas with a large number of officers.The citys fire chief also fired the two Emergency Medical Technicians who were the first medical professionals on the scene. The state board also suspended their licenses, saying they waited 19 minutes before providing medical assistance to Nichols. A fire lieutenant was also fired for not leaving the firetruck while at the scene.The five fired police officers are scheduled to appear in court on February 17. All five officers are out on bond until their hearing. On Tuesday, Memphis City Attorney Jennifer Sink told the city council that eight more officers will likely be charged in connection to Nichols arrest and death. She said the officers' names and their charges will likely be released next week.Two additional officers were also fired from the force following Nichols' death. They have not yet been charged with a crime, and it is not known if they are among the officers Sink expects will face charges.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230131/two-more-cops-relieved-emts-fired-after-beating-death-of-tyre-nichols-1106841731.html

americas

memphis

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Ian DeMartino

Ian DeMartino

News

en_EN

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

1920 1080 true

1920 1440 true

1920 1920 true

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

Ian DeMartino

tyre nichols, memphis police department, memphis, police brutality, murder
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/russians-foreign-ministry-idea-to-send-un-peacekeepers-to-karabakh-hardly-realistic-1107060268.html

Russian's Foreign Ministry: Idea to Send UN Peacekeepers to Karabakh Hardly Realistic

Russian's Foreign Ministry: Idea to Send UN Peacekeepers to Karabakh Hardly Realistic

The idea to send UN peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh is hardly realistic, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent effectively carries out tasks of restoring peace and security in the region, Pyotr Ilyichev, the director of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, has told Sputnik.

2023-02-08T01:09+0000

2023-02-08T01:09+0000

2023-02-08T01:03+0000

world

nagorno-karabakh conflict

un peacekeepers

russian foreign ministry

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/101801/35/1018013524_0:68:1310:805_1920x0_80_0_0_5dd965e26988fe038952fb9ffac09e0f.jpg

The official said only the International Committee of the Red Cross is working in Nagorno-Karabakh among all international and foreign organizations, and "humanitarian agencies of the UN have not received permission from Azerbaijanis and Armenians to access the enclave, even for conducting an initial needs assessment mission." He added that difficulties arise from "the political impossibility to maintain an equidistant position with the parties." "We proceed from the fact that the Russian peacekeeping contingent is effectively carrying out all the tasks of restoring peace and security in Nagorno-Karabakh," he added. The diplomat said peacekeeping missions, deployed under a UN Security Council mandate, do not always enjoy the trust of nations, adding that some countries "advocate the withdrawal of the blue helmets because of their low effectiveness." The South Caucasus is considered one of the most conflict-ridden regions across the globe, primarily due to the long-standing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region (also known as the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh). In September 2022, the world saw a new outbreak of hostilities between Yerevan and Baku in an area unrelated to Nagorno-Karabakh  the most serious escalation since the 2020 events. The situation exacerbated in December when the Lachin corridor, the only road that links Armenia to the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave but runs through the Azerbaijani district, was blocked by a group of Azerbaijanis described by Baku as environmental activists. According to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the corridor's blockade violates the ceasefire declaration brokered by Russia between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020. The document delegated control of the Lachin corridor to Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh. In late December, Pashinyan alleged that the peacekeepers did not fulfill their obligations regarding control over the corridor.

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 foreign ministry, un peacekeepers, karabakh, nagorno-karabak
Robert C. Kissane Named Special Agent in Charge of the Counterterrorism Division at the New York Field Office

Director Christopher Wray has named Robert C. Kissane as the special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Division of the New York Field Office. Mr. Kissane most recently served as a section chief and acting deputy assistant director in the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington.

As SAC, Mr. Kissane will also oversee the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Mr. Kissane joined the FBI as a special agent in 2003 and has spent the bulk of his career in the New York Field Office. He was first assigned to investigate violent crime as a member of the New York Joint Bank Robbery Task Force. In 2009, he transferred to the New York JTTF and investigated terrorist threats to the United States from East Africa. He was promoted to supervisory special agent in 2014 and oversaw those investigations.

In 2017, Mr. Kissane was named the chief of a unit in the Counterterrorism Division at Headquarters that focused on terrorism matters originating in the Arabian Peninsula and Africa.

Mr. Kissane returned to New York in 2020 as an assistant special agent in charge, responsible for ensuring the office executed its national security mission to defeat foreign intelligence threats and activities.

In 2021, Mr. Kissane was appointed chief of a China operations section in the Counterintelligence Division at Headquarters that covers intelligence services, technology transfer, and espionage. He also served as acting deputy assistant director of the divisions China Branch.

Mr. Kissane received the FBI Directors Award for Excellence in the human intelligence program for his role on the team that located an operative wanted for his role in the 2000 USS Cole Attack.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Kissane served in the U.S. Army and worked in banking and finance. He earned a bachelors degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a masters degree in finance from the University of Colorado.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Quake death toll in Turkiye, Syria crosses 6,000, with calls mounting to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria

Xinhua) 08:11, February 08, 2023

People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the town of Demsarkho of Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 812 in Syria on Tuesday. (Str/Xinhua)

ANKARA/DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 in Trkiye and 812 in Syria on Tuesday, while calls mounted to lift the U.S. sanctions on Syria.

The number of injured rose to 31,777 and 1,449 respectively in Trkiye and Syria, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and the media office at the Aleppo governorate headquarters.

The death toll in both countries is expected to rise further as the rescue operations are hampered by bad weather.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Trkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT) on Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in Kahramanmaras.

Trkiye's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest loss of lives, while Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus also felt the tremor.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday in 10 of the country's provinces hit by the quakes.

The decision was taken in order to ensure that search and rescue activities and subsequent studies can be carried out quickly, he said at a press conference.

CALLS FOR LIFTING U.S. SANCTIONS

As the rescue effort was underway in quake-hit regions, the Syrian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the U.S. sanctions for blocking the humanitarian work and rescue operations in the war-torn country.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Syrians, while dealing with the earthquake catastrophe, are digging among rubbles with their own hands or using the simplest tools as the equipment for removing the rubbles is banned by the U.S. sanctions.

It also said that the Syrians are also denied access to medicines and medical equipment that would help them face dangers and diseases.

Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) President Khaled Hboubati on Tuesday called for lifting the U.S. and Western sanctions on Syria to facilitate relief efforts as the country is in dire need of rescue equipment.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, the Syrian capital, Hboubati stressed that the SARC needs equipment, ambulances and heavy machinery, but "the main obstacle is the sanctions imposed on Syria, which we demand to be lifted immediately."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on different countries to pressure the U.S. to lift the sanctions on Syria.

The ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday, parts of which were released on Tuesday.

He urged other countries to force the U.S. to lift the siege of the Arab state so that international humanitarian aid can be delivered to the quake-stricken people without any obstacle and at the shortest time.

INTERNATIONAL AID POURS IN

Two days into the deadly earthquake, more countries joined the rescue and relief efforts underway in Syria and Trkiye.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, has ordered an aid package totaling 100 million U.S. dollars for earthquake relief in Syria and Trkiye, which will split the aid equally, the Emirates News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the operation of an air bridge to provide various aid to help the earthquake victims in Syria and Trkiye.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the air bridge will provide health, shelter, food and logistical assistance to alleviate the effects of the earthquake on the Syrian and Turkish people.

Jordan, for its part, sent on Tuesday humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Syria and Trkiye to help search for survivors.

Lebanon, bordering Syria, also sent on Tuesday morning a delegation to its neighbor to assist the rescue operations in Syria.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi made separate phone calls to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts on Tuesday, extending his condolences to the victims of the deadly earthquakes. On the same day, Egypt sent five military planes loaded with medical supplies to both quake-stricken countries.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday also made separate phone calls to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, expressing readiness to offer assistance for the relief efforts.

Iran has already sent three batches of humanitarian aid to Syria, Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Mehdi Sobhani was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying on Tuesday.

This photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows a damaged building in Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras Province, Trkiye. (Xinhua/Shadati)

People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the town of Demsarkho of Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 812 in Syria on Tuesday. (Str/Xinhua)

People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the town of Demsarkho of Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 812 in Syria on Tuesday. (Str/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/russias-lavrov-and-mauritanias-fm-merzoug-hold-joint-press-conference-in-nouakchott-1107076102.html

Russia's Lavrov and Mauritania's FM Merzoug Hold Joint Press Conference in Nouakchott

Russia's Lavrov and Mauritania's FM Merzoug Hold Joint Press Conference in Nouakchott

Sergey Lavrov and his Mauritanian counterpart Salem Ould Merzoug are holding a joint press conference following bilateral talks in Nouakchott on Wednesday, February 8.

2023-02-08T13:22+0000

2023-02-08T13:22+0000

2023-02-08T13:22+0000

africa

russia

mauritania

sergey lavrov

russian foreign ministry

press conference

joint press conference

cooperation

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107075953_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_00373a0da018d6fa91cc08dc6825cce6.jpg

Sergey Lavrov and his Mauritanian counterpart Salem Ould Merzoug are holding a joint press conference following bilateral talks in Nouakchott on Wednesday.The two sides were expected to discuss bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas, as well as regional and international issues. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, they planned to hold talks on the situation in North Africa and the Middle East, in the Sahara-Sahel region, the state of affairs in the Western Sahara, Middle East settlement, the situation in and around Syria, as well as other subjects of mutual interest.This is the first time a Russian foreign minister has visited Mauritania since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1964. After Mauritania, Lavrov is expected to travel to Sudan.Yesterday, the minister visited Mali, where he discussed the expansion of military-technical and economic cooperation with the country's leaders. Earlier this week, the Russian top diplomat went to Iraq for talks on energy and food security in light of the Ukraine conflict. Last month, Lavrov also conducted an Africa tour, visiting four countries on the continent - South Africa, Eswatini, Angola, and Eritrea.Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More!

africa

russia

mauritania

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

Russia's Lavrov and Mauritania's FM Merzoug Hold Joint Press Conference in Nouakchott Russia's Lavrov and Mauritania's FM Merzoug Hold Joint Press Conference in Nouakchott 2023-02-08T13:22+0000 true PT21M30S

1920 1080 true

1920 1440 true

1920 1920 true

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

Sputnik International

sergey lavrov, mauritania, nouakchott, salem ould merzoug, joint press conference
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/sanctions-theft-pressure-west-refuses-to-stop-tormenting-syrians-despite-quake--war-damage-1107080946.html

Sanctions, Theft, Pressure: West Refuses to Stop Tormenting Syrians Despite Quake & War Damage

Sanctions, Theft, Pressure: West Refuses to Stop Tormenting Syrians Despite Quake & War Damage

On February 6, northern Syria was hit by a series of earthquakes reaching 7.8 on the Richter scale. The natural disaster killed over 2,000 Syrians and injured many more, amplifying the sufferings of the war-torn nation which has also borne a heavy burden of Western sanctions for years.

2023-02-08T14:26+0000

2023-02-08T14:26+0000

2023-02-09T13:08+0000

analysis

syria

middle east

us

opinion

aleppo

humanitarian aid

us sanctions

caesar syrian civilian protection act

syrian democratic forces (sdf)

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107068612_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_fa60389cfca16222c3333b80567ab022.jpg

"This is going to just be more pain for the Syrian people, as I witnessed in Syria - many of the towns in Syria are still not rebuilt after the war. Many of the towns you'll go through you just see devastation, buildings that have crumbled, debris that hadn't even been taken away," Dan Kovalik, an adjunct professor of international human rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law told Sputnik.In the aftermath of the natural disaster, the Biden administration expressed its "deepest condolences" to the Syrians, but ruled out lifting the 2019 Caesar Act, a set of punitive measures suffocating the Arab Republic's economy. The sanctions package adopted by the Trump administration in 2019 blocked imports of essential goods like food, energy, and basic medical supplies and equipment to the country.To complicate matters further, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and their Western patrons are continuing their illegal occupation of Syria's oil fields, thus crippling the economy even further. The US and its NATO allies claim that the measures are aimed at punishing the legitimately elected government of Bashar al-Assad, whom Western governments and their proxies have been failing to topple for the past 12 years. Syria is one of the most heavily sanctioned nations in the world, with over 2,600 sanctions currently in place against the country by the US and its allies.Kovalik recollected that when he visited the Syrian Arab Republic, "people have about two hours of energy a day," which is still the case there. He emphasized that with that little energy, there's no way to make the materials necessary to rebuild.Speaking to Sputnik in October 2020, Dr. Ibrahim Alloush, economist and lecturer at the University of Damascus, noted that the US had been methodically ruining the Syrian economy for decades. He pointed out that Washington adhered to this ploy in the late 1970s, with a gradual tightening of sanctions on Syria over the decades. The US' illicit occupation of the country has led to severe energy shortages. Oil and gas are especially important, being used in sectors such as transportation, generating electricity, manufacturing, agriculture, etc.In addition, as a food crisis was unfolding last year, the US stepped up smuggling Syrian wheat from illegally occupied regions. Prior to the civil war, Syria had been the only Arab country that was self-sufficient in wheat and had a surplus to export, as Basma Qaddour, a Syrian journalist and co-author of "Voices from Syria," told Sputnik in May 2022. According to her, the US-backed SDF have grabbed and sold Syrian grain over the past years in coordination with the US military. What's more, US-led coalition forces burnt Syrian crops in order to raise the commoditys purchasing price and force farmers into selling grain, according to her.Washington Deprives Syrians of Aid & ChoiceWashington made it clear that it would not provide humanitarian aid to Damascus in the wake of the quakes, but would be working with "NGO partners on the ground," not elaborating on who these "partners on the ground" are exactly and when precisely the much-needed help would arrive.Meanwhile, many states have not extended their helping hand to the Arab Republic so far, either, as they are afraid of sanctions, according to Elijah Magnier, veteran war correspondent."Only a few countries, six or seven countries like Russia, China, Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia and the Emirates, rushed to help Syria," Magnier told Sputnik. "The problem is all the other countries feel afraid of the American sanctions because they were told that any flight that landed in Damascus means a violation of the US and EU sanctions."Western countries have so far failed to provide aid not only to Syrians living in the areas controlled by the government, but also to those under the control of jihadists and Syrian rebels, according to the war correspondent.Furthermore, the Syrian government is not able to help refugees living in the US-controlled al-Tanf zone, according to him.The West's Syria strategy and attitude to the population of the Middle Eastern country is mind-boggling, according to the veteran war correspondent. It's unclear what the exact goals the US and its NATO allies want to reach in the Middle East are, given that their sanctions policy has failed a myriad of times, he noted, adding that it has not worked when it comes to Iran, nor has it worked in Russia."The sanctions against Iran have not changed anything in 43 years since 1979, and the sanctions against Syria since 2019 will not change anything," he remarked.The US doctrine in a nutshell is to break the population's legs and arms to force them into turning against their rulers, the correspondent noted. However, it does not work like that.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20201030/us-is-methodically-ruining-syrian-economy-but-damascus-has-tools-to-avert-the-pressure-prof-says-1080917918.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230207/us-cries-crocodile-tears-about-quakes-impact-on-syria-while-keeping-crushing-sanctions-in-place-1107048120.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/aftermath-of-deadly-earthquakes-in-syrias-aleppo-1107065460.html

syria

aleppo

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Ekaterina Blinova

Ekaterina Blinova

News

en_EN

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

Elijah Magnier: Only Few Countries Rushed to Help Syria After Earthequake, Others Were Afraid of US Sanctions Elijah Magnier: Only Few Countries Rushed to Help Syria After Earthequake, Others Were Afraid of US Sanctions 2023-02-08T14:26+0000 true PT3M25S

Elijah Magnier: Syria is Really Suffering From Sanctions Elijah Magnier: Syria is Really Suffering From Sanctions 2023-02-08T14:26+0000 true PT2M43S

1920 1080 true

1920 1440 true

1920 1920 true

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

Ekaterina Blinova

syria earthquake, humanitarian aid for syria, us sanctions against syria, the 2019 caesar act, theft of syrian oil, illegal occupation of syria by the us, us smuggling syrian grain, syrian economy
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/senior-chinese-diplomat-no-point-to-blinken-visit-after-seeming-us-reversal-on-balloon-reaction-1107089164.html

Senior Chinese Diplomat: No Point to Blinken Visit After Seeming US Reversal on Balloon Reaction

Senior Chinese Diplomat: No Point to Blinken Visit After Seeming US Reversal on Balloon Reaction

A senior Chinese diplomat has criticized Washingtons recent downing of a Chinese high-altitude balloon, saying the US had suggested it would react otherwise. The irresponsible act has made it inappropriate for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to resume his plans to visit Beijing.

2023-02-08T18:44+0000

2023-02-08T18:44+0000

2023-02-08T18:44+0000

world

china

antony blinken

chinese balloon over us

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/07/0b/1097167649_0:165:3073:1893_1920x0_80_0_0_793cebd8c54122a226b5d35e694e6183.jpg

The United States is exaggerating in this matter, Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France, told French news on Monday, adding, it is a civilian balloon used for meteorological research.A day earlier, the US Air Force used a missile to shoot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast after it had wandered for days across the continent, beginning in Alaska. While the Pentagon said it had tracked the balloon since then, news agencies only caught wind of its presence once it passed over a US nuclear missile base in Montana late last week.Beijing said the balloon was Chinese, but denied American claims that it was for surveillance, saying it was a civilian research balloon that scientists had lost control over.At first, I think the Americans accepted this explanation, because according to the Pentagon this balloon presents no military or physical threat to people on the ground, Lu explained. They asked China to get the balloon out of the way as soon as possible. But what is incomprehensible is that after asking the Chinese side to do so, they knocked down the balloon the next day, when the balloon was already about to leave [US airspace].Blinken Postpones TripInitially, the US declined to take action against the balloon other than observing it, but Blinken nonetheless postponed his planned visit to Beijing that weekend to meet with senior Chinese leaders until conditions are right.Wang reiterated Chinas position, saying that China has always followed international law and that the balloon was not for intelligence-gathering, adding that "We do not accept any groundless speculation or hype. He also said that in the face of an unexpected situation, both sides should compose themselves, communicate in a timely manner, avoid misjudgment and manage their differences.Persona non GrataAs a result of Blinkens comments, Lu said the US foreign minister should be persona non grata in Beijing.The US eventually decided to shoot down the balloon in order to study it, the Pentagon said on Sunday. The wreckage has been collected by the US Navy and Beijing has demanded it be returned, since it is Chinese property - a point Lu reiterated on Tuesday.During the early decades of the Cold War, the US flew regular spy plane missions over Chinese territory, with at least five U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes getting shot down by Chinese air defenses. The flights reportedly ceased in the 1970s as the US normalized relations with Beijing.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230206/how-chinese-balloon-exposed-us-weaknesses-political-divisions--neocon-war-plans-1107019327.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/blinken-to-meet-xi-during-china-trip-marking-first-such-encounter-in-six-years---reports-1106934167.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/us-navy-rolls-out-photos-of-chinese-balloon-debris-recovered-1107069289.html

china

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Fantine Gardinier

Fantine Gardinier

News

en_EN

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

1920 1080 true

1920 1440 true

1920 1920 true

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

Fantine Gardinier

us, china, anthony blinken. blinken postponed visit to china, chinese balloon
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/snp-sausage-party-scottish-police-id-trans-butcher-in-child-kidnap-case-as-man-1107072744.html

SNP Sausage Party: Scottish Police ID Trans Butcher in Child Kidnap Case as Man

SNP Sausage Party: Scottish Police ID Trans Butcher in Child Kidnap Case as Man

Police Scotland have adopted the same policy  of referring to criminals by the gender of their choosing  as the Scottish National Party (SNP) which leads the devolved regional government.

2023-02-08T11:48+0000

2023-02-08T11:48+0000

2023-02-08T11:48+0000

uk

britain

great britain

scotland

trans

butcher

transsexual

transgender

scottish nationalist party (snp)

snp

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107073768_0:177:3073:1905_1920x0_80_0_0_61074ccb6e0df86a47f22275d50b4713.jpg

Scottish police have broken with the devolved government's rules on gender identity by referring to a transgender butcher arrested over a child's disappearance as a man.Police Scotland announced on Tuesday that they had arrested a "53-year-old man" in Gattonside, near Galashiels, on Monday night.The 11-year-old girl was found at a house in the village in the Scottish Borders, south-east of Edinburgh, after going missing for over 27 hours. The perpetrator was later charged.The media quickly identified the suspect as Andrew George Miller, who now identifies himself as Amy George or Amy G. Miller."Its a really affluent area and is extremely quiet so this has all come as a bit of a shock. The person who lives there used to run the butcher shop in Melrose," one neighbour told reporters at the scene. "They use a womans name now, but were previously known as Andrew and are very well known in the community."Two Facebook* accounts were linked to Miller, one under his birth name and one under his assumed identity  where "Amy" stated he was a "single woman, only interested in single women."A post under the name Andrew Miller on January 3 this years announced that he was giving up the family business. "Many Thanks for all your wonderful wishes. The Shop in Melrose will Not be opening again as a Butchers Shop. 4 Generations and nearly 200 years in the trade is enough," Miller wrote.Another post in January warned the UK government against blocking controversial gender identity legislation passed by the devolved Holyrood parliament in December, saying: "Silly Billys in Westminster... Never mess with Scottish Transgender Issues."The police statement notably appeared to go against the force's own rules on dealing with transgender suspects and convicts by referring to Miller as a man in its statement.But the incident came hot on the heels of Scottish First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon's embarrassment over a transgender double rapist sent to a women's jail. She alternately referred to convict Isla Bryson  known by his birth name Adam Graham until after his first court appearance on the charges  as "the individual" or a "rapist" and later "she".Ironically, Miller had displayed a signed photograph of Harry Potter authoress J.K. Rowling in the window of his shop.Rowling has faced strident criticism from Sturgeon and others, along with anonymous threats of violence and death, for criticising the trend of referring to female biology in gender-neutral terms.*Facebook and its parent company meta are banned in Russia for extremist activities.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230206/snp-woman-mp-tells-sturgeon-to-change-trans-self-id-law-after-rapist-sent-to-womens-jail-1107014507.html

britain

great britain

scotland

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

uk, scotland, snp, nicola sturgeon, transgender, butcher, child, kidnapping
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/south-korean-parliament-votes-to-impeach-interior-minister-over-itaewon-tragedy-reports-say-1107074858.html

South Korean Parliament Votes to Impeach Interior Minister Over Itaewon Tragedy, Reports Say

South Korean Parliament Votes to Impeach Interior Minister Over Itaewon Tragedy, Reports Say

The National Assembly of South Korea, for the first time in the 75-year history of the country's constitution, voted to impeach a Cabinet member

2023-02-08T10:11+0000

2023-02-08T10:11+0000

2023-02-08T10:11+0000

asia

impeachment

south korea

minister

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107074711_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_ceef86e6433cebc069bf234405da724f.jpg

According to a South Korean news agency report, 179 members of the South Korean parliament voted for impeachment, 109 against, while another five members abstained. The proposal was put forward by the main opposition Democratic Party, which holds 169 seats in parliament. It was also joined by the Justice Party and the Basic Income Party, media said. The minister will be suspended from office until the final decision on the impeachment process is made by the Constitutional Court. Depending on the court's decision, Lee will either be reinstated or dismissed, media reported. At least 159 people died in the crush in Seoul on October 29, 2022, after thousands headed into a narrow street in a popular nightlife district to celebrate Halloween. Police admitted to having been warned about the dangerous crowd surge in the Itaewon neighborhood hours before it became deadly. In November, the parliamentary leader of the main opposition Democratic Party called on President Yoon Suk-yeol to dismiss Lee, but the government refused to that. The police, in turn, decided not to prosecute any officials from the Interior Ministry or the National Police Agency, concluding that these agencies were not legally responsible for crowd control.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20211224/south-korea-pardons-impeached-former-president-park-geun-hye-1091763195.html

south korea

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

national assembly of south korea, impeach south korea interior minister
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/switzerlands-political-bias-affects-geneva-international-forums-neutrality---envoy-1107095652.html

Switzerland's Political Bias Affects Geneva International Forums' Neutrality - Envoy

Switzerland's Political Bias Affects Geneva International Forums' Neutrality - Envoy

Changes in Switzerland's political landscape have affected the neutrality of Geneva-based international forums, hindering Moscow's work there, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Gennady Gatilov said on Wednesday.

2023-02-08T21:50+0000

2023-02-08T21:50+0000

2023-02-08T21:43+0000

world

switzerland

gennady gatilov

political bias

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/102416/89/1024168968_0:0:2881:1622_1920x0_80_0_0_365e21d7d088e1e7705802237654c3ad.jpg

"In Switzerland, the political situation as a whole has changed, and this, of course, has affected Geneva international forums. First of all, this is due to the fact that Switzerland, unfortunately, has lost its neutral status," he said at a briefing with Russian media. The diplomat noted the Swiss government has joined almost all sanctions against Russia, "which was impossible even in the worst times of the Cold War," making it difficult for Russian delegations to even get to Geneva. The diplomat said the Swiss parliament's discussion regarding the amendment of laws allowing the re-export of Swiss weapons to Ukraine could also be regarded as a further step toward NATO membership. Moreover, the Russian representative accused the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of only listening to its Western donors. "The main donors of the OHCHR are, of course, Western countries, and 'whoever pays the money, chooses the music.' In this case, OHCHR fulfills the tasks that were set by its Western donors," he said. Gatilov said that Russian experts were put under pressure and being altogether forced out of international cooperation frameworks. According to the diplomat, the affected forums are the International Labor Organization, the World Health Organization, the Intellectual Property Organization and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Gatilov also expressed concerns that the Russian mission to the UN in Switzerland has been facing logistical and financial problems due to the sanctions imposed by Switzerland against Moscow. "As for the activities of our mission, the situation has changed for us too and we are experiencing certain difficulties during this time in logistical services, in the financial support of our mission through Swiss banks," Gatilov said. He also said that his mission has been trying to solve these issues with the Swiss authorities, however, not everything could be done, as some companies were refusing to cooperate with the Russian mission over "its aggressive policy towards Ukraine." Gatilov reminded that diplomatic missions must be provided with everything necessary for their operation without any restrictions under the Vienna Diplomatic Convention. Earlier in the day, Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry Pyotr Ilyichev said that Switzerland was no longer a suitable host country for the UN headquarters as it could no longer act as an "honest broker" in international affairs.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/wests-irresponsible-ukraine-policies-lead-to-greater-risks-to-global-stability-russian-ambassador-1107072008.html

switzerland

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

switzerland, political bias, international forums, gennady gatilov
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/trudeau-canadians-devastated-by-news-of-bus-ramming-into-laval-daycare-center-1107092904.html

Trudeau: Canadians Devastated by News of Bus Ramming into Laval Daycare Center

Trudeau: Canadians Devastated by News of Bus Ramming into Laval Daycare Center

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Canadians are devastated by the news of a bus ramming into a daycare center in the city of Laval, Quebec, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau... 08.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-08T20:18+0000

2023-02-08T20:18+0000

2023-02-08T20:11+0000

americas

canada

bus

arrest

children

justin trudeau

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/102864/15/1028641538_0:107:2048:1259_1920x0_80_0_0_ee5be24f959118e23539e1838c651d56.jpg

"I want to start by saying how devastated we all are about the news out of Laval where a bus crashed into a daycare," Trudeau said during a press conference. Trudeau noted that first responders and the local authorities are very active at the moment, but emphasized the federal government would be there if requested. On Wednesday morning, a Laval public transportation bus crashed into the Sainte-Rose Daycare. Media reported that two persons have died and five have been wounded as a result of the incident, while another eight are in critical condition. It's believed the two deaths were of two children.Laval police said they have arrested the bus driver, who is suspected to have crashed the bus deliberately. Canadian media reported that the individual was arrested on reckless driving and homicide charges.Hamdi Ben Chaabane, a local resident who witness the crash told CBC that the driver had been traveling between 30 to 40 kilometers per hour when he drove into the daycare center, adding that he appeared to be "in another world."Laval Mayor Stephane Boyer has since relayed to the public that the arrestee did not appear to have any prior criminal history.

americas

canada

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

canada, bus, arrest, children, justin trudeau
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/unverified-account-of-renowned-journalist-says-us-planted-explosives-destroyed-nord-stream-1107081241.html

Renowned Journalist Seymour Hersh Says US-Planted Explosives Destroyed Nord Stream

Renowned Journalist Seymour Hersh Says US-Planted Explosives Destroyed Nord Stream

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh confirmed to Sputnik that he authored an investigative report saying that US Navy divers planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines last year.

2023-02-08T13:28+0000

2023-02-08T13:28+0000

2023-02-08T18:31+0000

nord stream sabotage

us

nord stream

russia

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/09/1c/1101300397_0:94:1800:1107_1920x0_80_0_0_c57b09b7699abd78e61ecd94a183ef53.jpg

"Of course," Hersh told Sputnik, when asked whether he authored the article, which was published on a Substack account created shortly before its publication.The article states that the United States decided to sabotage the pipelines following more than nine months of highly secret debate inside the US national security community.The article also says that the alleged decision to sabotage the pipelines followed more than nine months of highly secret debate inside US national security community.The White House dismissed the claims as "false and complete fiction. Commenting on the situation, a US Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik on Wednesday that the United States was not involved in the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines on September 26, 2022."The United States was not involved in the Nord Stream explosion," the spokesperson said.The blasts occurred on September 26 at three of the four strings of Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines built to carry a combined 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe annually.Germany, Denmark, and Sweden launched separate investigations into the suspected sabotage, with German media reporting trust issues among the three EU nations. The Russian chief prosecutor's office said it had opened an inquiry into possible international terrorism.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230202/berlin-not-excluding-possibility-that-west-could-scapegoat-russia-for-nord-stream-media-reports-1106924174.html

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

nord stream, investigate journalist seymour hersh, us navy divers, nord stream sabotage, nord stream explosion
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/us-refuses-to-lift-syrian-sanctions-after-earthquake-russia-gate-hoax-exposed-lavrov-in-africa-1107060073.html

US Refuses to Lift Syrian Sanctions After Earthquake; Russia-gate Hoax Exposed; Lavrov in Africa

US Refuses to Lift Syrian Sanctions After Earthquake; Russia-gate Hoax Exposed; Lavrov in Africa

The US State Department has announced that the brutal and illegal sanctions against Syria will continue despite the devastating earthquake. 08.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-08T03:37+0000

2023-02-08T03:37+0000

2023-02-08T09:42+0000

the critical hour

syria

turkiye

earthquake

new knowledge

hamilton 68

radio

sergey lavrov

ukraine

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107059927_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_005a3c5678a5e0c67d5dcf76bd2728a5.png

US Refuses to Lift Syrian Sanctions After Earthquake; Russia-gate Hoax Exposed; Lavrov in Africa The US State Department has announced that the brutal and illegal sanctions against Syria will continue despite the devastating earthquake.

Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Middle East and the Turkey/Syria earthquake. The US State Department has announced that the brutal and illegal sanctions against Syria will continue despite the devastating earthquake. Also, we discuss the brutality of the new Israeli regime.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. Russian soldiers are advancing across the entire front line. Also, Ukraine vows to defend Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Sergey Lavrov is in Africa.KJ Noh, peace activist and writer, joins us to discuss China. The US is weaponizing Japan against China as Japan tries to reach a detente with Russia over the South Kurils. Also, Americans are less hawkish than the ruling elite over China and North Korea.Ted Rall, Political Cartoonist, and Syndicated Columnist, joins us to discuss Russia Gate. A developer of the Hamilton 68 scam has a long record of Russia Gate hoax activity. Also, Facebook protects Nazis on its platform.Dr. Gerald Horne, Professor of History at the University of Houston, TX, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the State of the Union Speech and foreign policy. We evaluate the state of the nation and discuss President Biden's speech. Also, the infamous Monroe Doctrine is soaked in blood.Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to discuss US policy. Republicans pressure Biden to be more hawkish in Ukraine. Also, we discuss the US-sponsored instability in Peru and the impact of the Biden agenda.Jim Kavanagh, whose work can be found at Jim Kavanagh's Substack, thepolemicist.net, and Counterpunch, joins us to discuss woke imperialism. In his latest article, Chris Hedges exposes the contradiction between the woke agenda and true social and international justice.Marjorie Cohn, Professor Emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, joins us to discuss Police accountability. Marjorie Cohn discusses the infamous "broken windows theory" and how it gave rise to today's violent police tactics.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.

syria

turkiye

ukraine

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg

Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.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

Garland Nixon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125302_0:0:239:239_100x100_80_0_0_d5d43c970b0740f228597fbcdb4ffd66.jpg

syria, turkiye, earthquake, new knowledge, , hamilton 68, radio, sergey lavrov, ukraine
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/wests-irresponsible-ukraine-policies-lead-to-greater-risks-to-global-stability-russian-ambassador-1107072008.html

West's Irresponsible Ukraine Policies Lead to Greater Risks to Global Stability: Russian Ambassador

West's Irresponsible Ukraine Policies Lead to Greater Risks to Global Stability: Russian Ambassador

Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov on Wednesday outlined the reasons why it was unavoidable for Russia to undertake a special military operation in Ukraine and warned that the longer Western countries continue promoting their irresponsible policies

2023-02-08T09:09+0000

2023-02-08T09:09+0000

2023-02-08T10:01+0000

russia

ukraine

west

nato

russia's special operation in ukraine

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/02/1106909630_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_7a0f2ee9d1e271b4518d075d3c0541dd.jpg

"The longer the West continues ignoring the will of its constituents and proceeds with its irresponsible policies, the greater the risks to global stability," Stepanov said in an opinion piece published on the Russian embassys social media accounts. "Before it is too late, the West and Europe in particular must realize that there is a way out of the crisis. Kiev will announce that it ceases hostilities, order its troops and nationalistic units to lay down their arms, voluntarily subject itself to demilitarization and denazification. This is the only way to build a healthy society in Ukraine in accordance with the interests of its people." Stepanov said while this outcome remains the future, the conflict will be settled sooner or later. Stepanov emphasized that Russia reaffirms the goals of the special military operation and they all will be achieved. The ambassador said that if the collective West continues to supply Kiev with weapons, equipment and expertise, the conflict will be protracted and result in more blood and suffering, while the final result will be the same for Ukraine and for the geopolitical balance. "The Ukraine conflict is not a thing-in-itself core issue. Its just a symptom, a sign of ailment the current world order is striving to survive," he said. "Western leaders and thinkers have to pay utmost attention to the ontological differences in how Russia and the West look at the crisis. We comprehend it through spiritual optics, they - in a very materialistic manner." Stepanov said the resolution of the Ukraine crisis would be been based not only on striking a balance of powers and interests, but also inserting the traditional values-based multiplier in the equation. "For the West to believe it is all only about territories, borders and military balance in Europe, would be a shortsighted error, he said. Special Military Operation Became UnavoidableStepanov noted that following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the accords signed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Russia set on the path of building a federal multi-ethnic state with a Russian majority, but one that respects the rights, cultures, interests of all other nationalities. Stepanov said Russia's hope was for its neighbors to take the same approach. Independent Ukraine appeared three decades ago in that composition and Russia looked at it as a sister state in which half of the population was historically Russian, Stepanov said. We hoped it should become the new Switzerland, Canada or Belgium in terms of adherence to democratic and human rights norms. A democratic state where all peoples, languages and ethnicities peacefully live side by side and build common future, he said. That was in 1992. Its 2023 now. More than 30 years passed, presidents changed in Ukraine. Despite the difference in their publicly expressed views, they were all disastrous for the domestic agenda. Regardless of political affiliation, each leader repeated the same fatal error - they acted from the ultranationalist Western Ukrainian positions in trying to create a mono-ethnic state. Stepanov pointed out there were regions in Ukraine that did not want to be separatist and never thought of seceding but wanted to enjoy dignified democratic equality complete with television, newspapers and education in their native language. Canada is an example of how a country managed to build a democratic society with two official languages and respectfully cherishing indigenous languages, he said. Canada, given its strong Ukrainian community and connections, invested heavily in building a new Ukrainian state, but inexplicably failed to share its experience of bilingualism, Stepanov said. Had it shared, maybe there would not be a conflict. Thee ambassador noted that another milestone was the 2014 coup in Ukraine when the democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted from power. After this first attempt to discriminate against Russians, a significant part of Ukraines population realized the new authorities would bring hardship and that prompted Crimea and Donbass to rebel, he said. Then followed the civil war in Donbass, he said, adding that this was an inter-Ukrainian conflict between the nationalists and the regions who were eager to stay in Ukraine if their rights had been respected. However, Kiev denied them this opportunity. Stepanov emphasized that the civil war in Donbass was eventually halted by the signing of the Minsk agreements and President Vladimir Putin personally was constantly trying to convince the Kiev authorities to implement the accords. As it turns out now, the West did not want a win-win situation, but a zero-sum game in order to achieve not a consensus, but the defeat of Russia within a broader geopolitical game at the expense of the Russians living in Ukraine, he said. Stepanov also noted that Russia had tried to reach a settlement with Ukraine and the West for seven years, including proposing draft security guarantee agreements at the end of 2021 that were "haughtily rejected. Between November 2021 and January 2022, there was a lot of talk in the Western media that Russia was amassing 125,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, while remaining silent that Kiev throughout 2021 was concentrating some 300,000 troops to engage in a lightning strike against Donetsk and Luhansk. To take over the republics, reach the borders of Russia, enlist NATO support and put us before this fact, he added. That is why our special military operation became inevitable.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230131/west-begins-to-understand-that-us-provocation-lies-at-heart-of-ukrainian-conflict-moscow-1106853573.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221029/stepanov-canada-sanctions--ukraine-bond-offer-show-allegiance-to-us-uk-anti-russia-line-1102814589.html

russia

ukraine

west

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

special military operation in ukraine, western countries, irresponsible policies
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/wests-military-support-is-futile-as-it-authored-insecurity-in-africa-experts-say-1107078878.html

West's Military Support is 'Futile' as it 'Authored' Insecurity in Africa, Experts Say

West's Military Support is 'Futile' as it 'Authored' Insecurity in Africa, Experts Say

The recent study on underlying reasons for surge in violent extremism in Africa revealed that insecurity is mainly driven by social instability, and economic difficulties. Sputnik has asked experts to comment on these conclusions.

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

africa

sahel region

sub-saharan africa

terrorism

counter-terrorism

undp

united nations development programme (undp)

terrorist groups

terrorist acts

report

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107078297_0:158:3077:1889_1920x0_80_0_0_c6300667c6fd20c6089f844fad6e974f.jpg

According to the study, titled "Journey to Extremism in Africa," the international community plays a significant role in the response to violent extremism on the continent.However, it revealed that this assistance has had a limited impact, saying that although counter-terrorism initiatives achieved some initial success, terrorist groups continue to expand their presence and have a "devastating impact across much of sub-Saharan Africa."Against this background, Sputnik dug into the causes of Western support's ineffectiveness and tried to figure out whether Western aid to African nations has made sense at all.The military support provided by the West in the fight against terrorism can't be described as successful because it is purposeless and futile without tackling the underlying causes, which are colonial injustices, resource exploitation, and external interference, says Dr. Moses Tofa, pan-Africanist and political analyst who leads the African Leadership Center's research agenda on Peace, Society and the State in Africa from its Nairobi office, in an interview with Sputnik.He underlines that the influence of these factors can't be eliminated through military interventions, saying that ironically, those countries that have provided military support to Africa "are responsible for some of the long-standing problems" on the continent. Therefore, the sincerity of this assistance is always questioned by locals. The expert recalls that "since time immemorial," Western nations have been seeking to somehow dominate the continent and exploit its natural resources. Following the end of the colonial era, the former colonial powers failed "to address colonial related injustices," in particular, concerning the issue of the ownership and control of resources. He underscores that these "injustices" became deeply entrenched, as "Africans continue to be impoverished."Speaking about external interference in Africas affairs, the analyst outlines three main objectives which the West pursues in doing so - control the continent's political and economic spheres, exploit its natural riches, and "dissuade radical economic transformation in Africa."Professor Solomon Asiimwe Muchwa, lecturer on international relations and security at Nkumba University in Kampala, Uganda, agrees that the accusations of meddling in the affairs of African countries are justified, as some Western states that have an interest in the continent's resources and do business there might get involved in the internal political processes. In saying so, he implies that this kind of interference includes "selling their arms, armaments, and all those things" with the intent to destabilize the political situation.He also states that US and EU support has had a limited impact in terms of ensuring stability and security in Africa. He underlines that African countries are in dire need of providing their own security, which can be achieved by ensuring "good governance" with better organized and disciplined militaries. The professor highlights that most African countries don't need the West to support them militarily, as they have "the capacity to create their own militaries." He notes the recent tendency of African states to cooperate with each other to address the most glaring security issues in the region. As an example of such regional cooperation and regional arrangements, he recalls that "the East African Community has come together to fight rebels in the DRC." He compares this initiative to how "the EU and America have NATO" to ensure their security, concluding that "Africa should also do the same."He elaborates that instead of interfering in the internal affairs of African states, foreign powers could provide technical support and military training, calling it a "good meddling." There is need for technology transfer and financing in the areas most affected by terrorism and insurgent violence.According to the professor, fighting terrorism is a global issue that is on the world's agenda. The problem has reached such an extent that a single country can't resolve it alone. Muchwa states that interdependence is inevitable and support is much needed, however, the developed world could also help in a good way by promoting "democracy, human rights protection" and international law. The UN study dubbed the continent as the "global epicentre" of terrorist activity. Even though worldwide deaths from extremism have declined over the past several years, attacks in sub-Saharan Africa have more than doubled since 2016. In 2021, the region accounted for 48% of all terrorism-related deaths, with more than one-third in just four countries: Somalia, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. It was noted that the inability of African states to provide public goods and employment opportunities is one of the major causes and drivers of violent extremism. This has resulted in vulnerability among some people, especially the youth. To a certain extent, the experts agreed on this notion, saying that African countries are indeed responsible for the worsening security situation, as their duty is to "build societies that are inclusive and progressive."The political analyst emphasizes that this "state of affairs has forced" many ordinary citizens to turn to extremists' ideas and their pledges to provide protection and basic services. Meanwhile, trust in the government has progressively been depleted over the years, creating "fertile ground for violent extremist groups to peddle their ideologies."Professor Muchwa also states that external powers and terrorists take advantage of situations where there is no state institution or governance, or where the state fails to provide basic services to its people. Dr. Moses Tofa, for his part, concludes that the absence of so-called "good governance" creates the space and opportunity for foreign forces to interfere in the continent's political and economic affairs, mainly by participating in the "scramble for Africas resources," and in this regard colluding with African political elites. These factors, in turn, impact the security situation, making many people, especially the youth "excluded, impoverished and hopeless."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230201/reports-somalia-kenya-ethiopia-and-djibouti-discuss-common-anti-terror-efforts-1106873642.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230207/unemployment--social-unrest-drive-rise-of-extremism-in-africa-undp-says-1107041808.html

africa

sahel region

sub-saharan africa

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Maria Konokhova

Maria Konokhova

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

Maria Konokhova

undp, sub-saharan africa, insecurity, terrorism, violent extremism, terrorist acts, good governance
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230208/zimbabwe-to-launch-new-unit-at-its-largest-coal-power-plant-amid-frequent-blackouts-1107084497.html

Zimbabwe to Launch New Unit at Its Largest Coal Power Plant Amid Frequent Blackouts

Zimbabwe to Launch New Unit at Its Largest Coal Power Plant Amid Frequent Blackouts

Zimbabwe is going to launch a new unit at its Hwange coal-fired power plant by March in order to provide relief to the country's citizens hit by frequent blackouts in recent months, said the deputy energy minister Magna Mudyiwa.

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

2023-02-08T16:51+0000

africa

southern africa

zimbabwe

power outages

power plant

electricity

coal industry

energy crisis

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/08/1107083780_0:136:3159:1913_1920x0_80_0_0_2bfbfce9924bb6ad3636449183d21353.jpg

Zimbabwe is going to launch a new unit at its Hwange coal-fired power plant by March in order to provide relief to the country's citizens, who have been hit by frequent blackouts in recent months, Deputy Energy Minister Magna Mudyiwa said. The deputy minister stated that the new unit at the Hwange power plant is expected to increase the country's installed electricity generation capacity by more than 14% to 2,400 megawatts (MW). Another new unit will be commissioned soon after; however, she didn't provide any details or specific information as to the timeline. The Hwange power plant, located in the northwestern part of Zimbabwe, is the country's largest coal-fired power station with 920MW installed capacity, and is comprised of six units. All of the units were commissioned in the 1980s. According to the government owned power entity the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), it is the 14th largest thermal station in the Southern Africa region and generates about 40% of the countrys electricity needs.The deputy minister noted that less than half of the country's population has access to electricity, while the nation faces a significant deficit in terms of electricity generation, with power cuts lasting as long as 18 hours in recent days. Zimbabwe has recently seen a decline in hydropower generation due to a decrease in water levels in Lake Kariba, which is located along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The drop in the water level in the Lake, which is the main hydropower source for both countries, is largely attributed to continuous droughts with low rainfall and excessive use of water for power generation. This has forced the Southern African states to curtail power supply and introduce power rationing. At the same time, the efficiency of decades-old coal-fired utilities has decreased sharply over time, while demand for electricity has surged. As of February 8, the Kariba South Power Station generated 318MW of power, lower than the 384MW produced at the Hwange Thermal Power Station. The country also has several other smaller thermal power stations including Harare, Bulawayo, and Munyati, among which only the latter was on stream, generating 17MW of power. This means that total local power generation was 719MW, falling short of the average daily demand of approximately 2,000MW. According to the ZPC, the failure of the stations to generate power at the installed capacity levels is connected with challenges at the plants, as well as with limited coal supplies. Part of the deficit, however, is offset by imports from regional neighbors, including Zambia and Mozambique.

africa

southern africa

zimbabwe

Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60

2023

Maria Konokhova

Maria Konokhova

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

Maria Konokhova

southern africa, zimbabwe, energy crisis, hwange coal-fired power plant, electricity supply, power outages
Lynne St. Jacques was looking for a horse. Not just any horse, but one with the ability to change lives.

As an Equine Facilitated Learning Specialist and Executive Director of Heartwood Equine Connections, a registered Canadian charity, St. Jacques has seen, first-hand, the difference a horse can make in the lives of the women who come to the farm in Middlesex, Ont.

A safe haven for women who have suffered trauma from abuse, Heartwood is a centre for counselling and care, employing the use of horses as therapists in the healing process.

It was in 2019 and I was doing equine therapeutic work with women who had dealt with various forms of abuse, recalled St. Jacques. I was working with other clients, but that was becoming more and more my focus. There are women in the area who really need that help. I had two horses at the time, but one was suffering from laminitis and I knew she was in such pain that we were going to have to put her down. That was in the spring, and the workshops started at the end of April, and I needed to get a horse fairly quickly. I had a Standardbred before and I thought highly of them because of their nature.

It led St. Jacques to reach out to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS). Founded in 1996, OSAS assists in the adoption and relocation of retired and non-racing Standardbred horses within Ontario.

The farm, home to dozens of Standardbreds, is in Moffat, Ont., about a 90-minute drive northeast from Heartwood.

One of the residents is Gostreet, a daughter of Angus Hall who enjoyed a banner racing career with 55 top-three finishes, including 25 wins, and more than $305,000 in earnings from 95 career starts. She was also an OBrien Award finalist in the Older Trotting Mare category in 2009.

I called OSAS and asked if there were any mares available and Joanne [Colville, OSAS administrator] directed me to Gostreet. I went up to look at her and brought a friend along with me. The friend was looking at conformation and if she was sound. I was looking to see if she would connect with me, which is so important with a horse who is doing that work. Shes tall and Im short, so that was the first thing I noticed. I lost the concern about her height because she was so approachable. She was really greeting me. There was a connection. It happens with the eyes.

St. Jacques filled out the adoption papers the moment she got home.

Soon after the papers were submitted, Gostreet arrived at Heartwood, taking to her new surroundings with ease.

Thrilled to have the bay mare in her stable and optimistic that the former pacer would be ideal in her new calling; St. Jacques couldnt shake the reality of needing Gostreet to be fully prepared for her new role in a months time.

I was worried about getting her trained because I hadnt had any time to work with her and to get to know her. I train with the Parelli method [a basic training for humans and horses, which is based on mutual communication, on respect and trust between the two, which considers the varying needs of different horse personalities]. If the horse knows Parelli, then the activities I have the women do with the horses, it just blends.

Gostreet quickly allayed any fears St. Jacques had about the horse being ready.

She was a natural from the beginning.

One month after she arrived, Gostreet, now known as 'Sophie,' was ready to meet the first group of women to arrive at Heartwood.

I dont quite remember what it was, but I had a fancy name for her that started with the letter K. There is another animal communicator at the stable and she told me that she spoke to her and Gostreet said she wanted to be known as Sophie. Its Greek for wisdom.

A wise choice, St. Jacques said with a laugh.

Its very appropriate. Its perfect.

Sophie has embraced her role working with the women who come to Heartwood.

I am trained to be able to communicate with her, offered St. Jacques. The clients I have, 90 per cent of them have never been near a horse. So, theyre a little afraid. The first thing they do is go into the stall with her and I have them start to groom with their hand. As they are doing that, Sophie actually gives me information. She will show me if the person is sad, holding on to anger shes able to do that with her movement. Right away, I can say to that person, What is your sadness about? And that starts it all. But that first connection is meant to help them get over any fear they might have about horses. They run their hand over her and shes very quiet. She doesnt move around. Its her instinct, she knows that she needs to stand still.

Its quite the opposite, however, whenever St. Jacques pulls into the driveway.

A familiar face is always waiting to greet her.

She recognizes my car when I come to the stable. She comes to the gate. Its a great feeling. Of course, she knows shes going to get treats, but she really enjoys people. When she sees someone, she wants them to come and meet her. If people come into the stable, she tries to get their attention. She pokes her head out and looks them straight in the eye. Shes always happy to see me. She likes to cuddle with her head. Shell put her head down by my neck and loves when we are close like that.

Now 19, Sophie is anything but a one-trick pony.

Beyond her therapeutic work, she is also excelling as a riding horse.

Im not young, so I needed a horse that was going to be very steady. And she is. Weve just gone through hunting season in this area and youll hear a gunshot go off. Shell stop, but she never jumps. Shell stop when shes scared, Ill calm her and then well be able to go on from there. Something could fly up, but she never gets flustered. She is, for me, the perfect horse. She is safe and kind. Im taking lessons and trail riding, and she is the ideal companion.

One who appreciates a song, especially a particular tune from just over 70 years ago made famous by Doris Day.

St. Jacques will often sing while riding and often sings My Buddy, which includes the verse, "Nights are long since you went away. I think about you all through the day. My buddy, my buddy. Nobody quite so true."

I hope she likes my singing. I think she likes it. There is very much a connection between us, almost spiritual.

Shes hopeful those who depend on Heartwood can, on some level, forge a similar bond with Sophie.

These women have been through unimaginable, life-altering experiences. When they come here, we want them to feel safe and know we are here for them, to help them in any way we can. Seeing the interactions these women have with Sophie it is truly wonderful.

(Woodbine)
Standardbred Canada honoured the 2022 OBrien Award champions on Saturday (Feb. 4).

The gallery of 2022 Presentation Shots is now available, with photos courtesy New Image Media.

Portraits from the 2022 O'Brien Awards are available at the O'Briens Portraits website.

The event was covered live on SCs website. The official list of winners is available here.

To view the presentation photos, click on one of the following links:
A Gering man charged with shooting another man in August 2022 has pleaded guilty to two charges.

Alexander Maldonado, 36, pleaded guilty Jan. 31 in Scotts Bluff County District court to attempted first-degree murder, a Class II felony, and use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Class IC felony.

According to court documents, Scotts Bluff County prosecutors filed the plea agreement in the case on Jan. 30. As part of the agreement, three charges were dismissed: a count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and first-degree assault, both felonies, and a misdemeanor charge of violating a harassment protection order. No agreements have been made regarding sentencing, according to the plea agreement.

Alexander Maldonado had been accused of shooting at Martin Maldonado Jr. during a confrontation at Main Street Market in Scottsbluff on Aug. 4, 2022. Though arrest affidavits didnt indicate a motive in the shooting, protection orders and other court filings indicate Alexander Maldonado had been involved in a contentious divorce that involved custodial issues. Martin Maldonado Jr. had been identified in court documents as dating Alexander Maldonados former wife.

According to court affidavits, Martin Maldonado suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Online updates from family members at the time indicated he had been transported to a Colorado hospital, where he underwent 13 surgeries related to his injuries.

Alexander Maldonado had been scheduled for trial later this month. Sentencing is scheduled at 9 a.m. March 31 in Scotts Bluff County District Court.
Paul Dooley had been a character actor, a commercial pitchman, a Broadway thespian, and a stand-up comedian by the time writer-director John Hughes cast him as the father of Molly Ringwald in 1984s Sixteen Candles.

After that? He was a dad, says Dooley, 94, as he talked recently about his new memoir, Movie Dad. I got typed being a dad, he says from his Los Angeles home. So thats why the multitude of things are being a dad.

Hed been a movie dad before. Director Robert Altman, a frequent collaborator, cast him as the father of Mia Farrow in 1978s A Wedding. A year later, he was dad again in the acclaimed coming-of-age film Breaking Away. Oddly enough, Dennis Christopher played his son in both those films.

And hed be a movie dad after that, too. Dooley played Julia Roberts dad in 1999s Runaway Bride, walking her down the aisle three times  Once on a horse, he notes. Years later he had a recurring role on HBOs Curb Your Enthusiasm as Cheryl Hines father, which made him Larry Davids father-in-law.

But the irony in all those paternal roles, and all the other onscreen fathers he played, was that off the screen, Dooleys own children vanished for most of a decade, a trauma he alludes to in the subtitle of the book: Finding Myself and My Family On Screen and Off.

Many of his roles are well known, though the stories behind them are fresh and entertaining in his memoir. But that real-life family drama around his role as a dad is something Dooley says he has almost never shared.

I dont think anybody knows about that until they read the book, Dooley says. Some of my friends know it. But even with many of my best friends, I didnt talk about it.

You couldnt believe the thing was happening. Yet it happened.

A boy grows up

For an actor so often typecast as a father, Dooleys own dad didnt provide much of a role model.

It didnt put me in a bad mood to write about my father, he says of revisiting his childhood and adolescence growing up in Parkersburg, West Virginia, a factory town on a bend in the Ohio River. Id long come to grips that he was the kind of man he was.

He was unable to share, Dooley says. I really think my father was afraid of people. He didnt have friends. And his dad had left the family, so he had all that to deal with.

And as a kid growing up in the 30s, that wasnt all that unusual among the fathers of his friends, he says.

The odd thing is I bonded with him to the extent that I wanted to be like him, Dooley says. If he didnt smile, I didnt smile. If he didnt laugh, I didnt laugh.

I became this kind of character to portray these guys on screen who were kind of withdrawn, stoic, kind of, you know, unfeeling people. Sometimes cranky guys.

At 12, he discovered radio comedies with stars such as Jimmy Durante and Jack Benny, and become obsessed with the art of jokes. A few years later, a high school friend introduced him to the films of Buster Keaton, and Dooley saw a vision of his future.

I knew, somehow, I wanted to do what he did, he writes in the book. I wanted to try to become a comic actor.

That dream went on hold as Dooley served in the Navy just after World War II. But on his discharge, after a friend told him he could enroll at West Virginia University for free on the GI Bill, that spark rekindled.

On the WVU campus in Morgantown, Dooley studied acting and theater and made silent movies with his friends. Occasionally, he and his classmate, the future star Don Knotts, drove the 70 miles to Pittsburgh to catch the comics who opened the burlesque shows there.

After graduating in 1952, he and his first wife headed to New York City where Dooley the actor, who dreamed of his name in lights, soon ended up in a different kind of greasepaint, working as Dooley the Clown, doing pratfalls for school kids to pay his rent.

Bright lights, big city

Nine years later, Dooley got his break.

Throughout the 50s, hed worked on the edges of show business, gaining experience but rarely landing the kind of gig that might lead to something big.

Still, some moments stood out, such as the time he was cast in the New York City debut of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weills The Threepenny Opera in an off-Broadway production, or his steady if low-paying work as a stand-up comic.

Several summers he worked as a comic in the Upstate New York resorts where actors, comedians and musicians from the city would put together revues to entertain the guests.

It was nine years before I made any money, Dooley says of his slow path through the 50s. But in between, I had some very nice jobs. I worked with Carol Burnett at a place called Green Mountains.

I worked the door at the Village Vanguard where I saw Mike and Elaine the first time they came to New York, he says of groundbreaking comedians and writers Mike Nichols and Elaine May. I saw Lenny Bruce there. I got to watch Miles Davis and Coltrane and all those people.

At the Timberland resort one summer, he met and fell in love with one of his co-workers. They married and had two children as Dooleys career took off in 1961 after landing his first big TV commercial role as a spokesman for Fab detergent.

That was the turning point, when I got my first commercial which became a big contract for me, Dooley says. That 40 grand, guaranteed, after living on $3,000 a year in the 50s.

Success, then trouble

Things remained good in the 60s.

Steady commercial work filled the decade interspersed with legitimate theater work. He was cast in The Odd Couple on Broadway as one of Oscar and Felixs poker buddies. When Art Carney left the show, Dooley replaced him as Felix opposite Walter Matthau as Oscar.

When the Second City comedy troupe came to New York City from Chicago, he discovered a love and natural talent for improv, and appeared with them regularly during a long run in Greenwich Village.

But at home things were not good. Around the end of the decade, he and his wife split, sharing custody of their daughter and son.

Dooley stayed busy as his background in comedy and commercials led him to a new gig as a co-creator of Childrens Television Workshops new series The Electric Company, which debuted in 1971.

I brought my sense of humor, Dooley says. I was an improviser before I was an improviser. I always like satire or wit or parody. Im a minimalist.

And that worked perfectly for The Electric Company, which was designed to help kids learn to read in an entertaining package. The cast featured Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Luis Avelos as well as contributions from Mel Brooks, Irene Cara, Carol Burnett and many more.

One of the things we did in our commercials was to disguise the message of the commercial within the humor, Dooley says. It was perfect for a kids show because of the attention span of kids. You dont do a 10-minute sketch, youre gonna do one-minute scenes or two minutes.

The kid who loved jokes now got to make jokes for a new generation, though he found the work entertaining himself, too.

I was doing little private jokes for myself and they became features, Dooley says of some of the regular characters he created. Like Child Chef Julia Grownup, a play on the name of the real-life chef Julia Child, or the detective character named Fargo North, Decoder, a play on city and state.

Then, one summer day in the early 70s, while Dooleys kids were on vacation with his ex-wife, a letter arrived.

Im taking the kids, it read in part. Were not coming back.

Heartache to happy days

When it happened, I had some odd sense it could have been my fault, Dooley says. You think, What could I have said or done that made this happen? Well, you forgot about the fact that my ex-wife had her own problems for her own reasons.

Dooley hired detectives. He went to court and got an order granting him sole custody. Yet no traces of the children could be found.

In the first three months, it was almost just like a trauma, he says. But I didnt bring it up to friends. I didnt want to feel pity or anything. I just was hurt, but I was very passive, and I just ate it.

The New York (TV news) catchphrase was, Its 10 oclock, do you know where your children are? Dooley says. What could be worse than that? Every night it might be on whatever network I was watching.

Finally, after a year, he made the difficult choice to halt his active efforts to find them.

I said to myself, What happens when I find them? Dooley says. By law, I could take them back. I thought that might traumatize them for a second time.

A decade or so passed. Then, a tip arrived with his daughters location. Soon, though hesitantly at first, Dooley and his now-young adult children were reunited.

Today, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife of four decades, Winnie Holzman, a screenwriter and dramatist whose credits include creating the TV series My So-Called Life and co-creating the smash Broadway musical Wicked, which shes most recently adapted as a film.

They have a daughter together, and Dooleys older children remain close to their father, having rebuilt the bonds and made up for lost moments in the decades since their reunion.

Were each others constant companion, he says of his wife, and the happiness he finally found in his family. And theres not a day goes by that we dont make each other laugh hundreds of times, in small and large ways.
The City of Statesville recognized February as Black History Month through a proclamation, and with that, the city also took a moment to address some of its own history and the possible preservation of it.

There has been a push to recognize a number of places of interest, in particular for their significance for Black residents, led by Lisa Mozer. Mayor Costi Kutteh provided an update during Mondays meeting as he said the situation was taking longer than hoped, but he is hopeful as the city continues the process of recognizing landmarks in the Green Street and Garfield Street areas of Statesville.

There are five of interest, which include Mount Pleasant A.M.E. Zion Church, the former home of Dr. Robert S. Holliday and Mary Charlton Holliday, the site of The Billingsley Memorial Academy, the site of Morningside Academy and the Green Street Cemetery.

Mozer has said she would like to see the city put up signs or monuments to recognize their history, as well as grant them historic neighborhood status.

The city was approved by the states Historic Preservation Office to study the area in regard to its significance, and the staff is also applying for an architectural study of the area, according to Kutteh. He said this would move toward declaring it a national historic district, which would be different from the citys own historic neighborhood status. Once that process with the Historic Preservation Office was completed and if grants were awarded, Kutteh said the city could consider how to proceed.

At that time, it would probably be best for the community to collaborate toward how structures would be recognized with signs, monuments and how they would look and be located, Kutteh said.

There was also a group of people who came as part of a sit-in to show support for the effort as well.

Consent agenda

The following items were passed with a consent vote and considered routine by the city council.

Airport: Approved the addition of one full-time airport line technician and one full-time airport groundskeeper. These two positions will increase expenses by $57,700.

The airport also was approved for improvements to runway 10 at the cost of $294,395, but the amount will be covered 100% by an existing grant, according to the city.

Annexation: Approved property owned by Locke-Lane Properties LLC to be annexed. The 34-acre parcel is on Candy Drive and is within the citys extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ). The current total taxable value of the parcel is approximately $520,510. The applicant estimates that the land value plus development cost would be approximately $2,410,000.

Rezoning: Approved second reading of a rezoning request for properties at 2507 and 2511 Newton Drive from LI (Light Industrial) District to R-10 CZ (Urban Low-Density Residential Conditional Zoning) District.

Piggybacking: The Third Creek Wastewater Treatment will replace a 24-year-old diesel-powered portable emergency bypass pump. The budget includes $142,000 to replace this pump.

North Carolina law allows local governments to enter into contracts with vendors who have in the past 12 months been awarded a contract by any arm of the state or local government if the vendor is willing to extend the same or more favorable price to the state or local government. In this case, staff proposes to piggyback a bid of the Tribe of Florida that was awarded in April of 2022 for one dri-prime diesel pump for this purpose.

AMI water meters: The city approved a bid from RTS Water Solutions, LLC for completing the conversion to AMI water meters after a number of delays. This contract with RTS Water Solutions, LLC, will complete the installation of AMI water meters not completed under the initial AMI contract with Contract Callers Inc. with a difference in cost being $16,589. In 2020, the council authorized funds $4,210,000 for the water portion of the AMI project, with a later budget amendment changing the cost to $4,260,000.

Sinkhole: The city approved a contract with Country Boy Landscaping, Inc. for the Earlwood Road culvert replacement and sewer relocation. A sinkhole on Earlwood Road created the need to relocate the sewer line. Country Boy Landscaping, Inc. had a winning bid of $512,921.28. Country Boy Landscaping, Inc. beat out bids from Bell Construction Co., Inc. ($579,000) and Preston Contractors, Inc. ($899,420).

Regular agenda

Project Flow: The city council unanimously approved an economic incentive in the amount of up to $215,793 over five years based upon an investment by the company of up to $10,800,000 for an industrial development known as Project Flow.

According to the city council action request from Chad Thomas of the Iredell Economic Development Corp., the request comes from Water Tech Inc., based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with locations in two other states that has a primary industry focus of food-processing facilities along with other industrial facilities. The request states that a minimum of 13 jobs, and up to 26 could be created, with the wages being above the average county wage of $64,433.
On Jan. 19, a ceremony was held in the Council Chambers of City Hall in which four veterans with the Statesville Police Department were promoted. These promotions are the key to moving our department forward, Chief David Onley said. These officers are the future of Statesville and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow in their new positions.

Kevin Brookshire was promoted to sergeant of the Bravo Squad. He has been with the Statesville Police Department for seven years and was formerly a corporal over traffic and community services.

Christy Clearly was promoted to sergeant of Criminal Investigations. Cleary has been with the Statesville Police Department for nine years and was formerly a master corporal in investigations.

Samantha Lindon was promoted to captain of District One. Lindon has been with the Statesville Police Department for 18 years and was formerly sergeant over training and recruiting and CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies).

D.B. Bryan Johnson was promoted to assistant chief of administration. Johnson joined the Statesville Police Department in 1992 as a non-sworn police service aide and has been with the department as a sworn officer for 28 years. He was formerly captain over District One and records and communications.

January also saw the swearing-in of five new police recruits. All five completed Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) at Mitchell Community College and graduated in December 2022. Four of these recruits were hired under the City of Statesville Police Recruiting Program, which has been extremely successful, according to SPD. Onley introduced the new police recruits at the Monday City Council meeting.

Brenna Geyer was born in Forsyth County and graduated from Appalachian State University in 2021. She has a passion for helping others and being a police officer has always been a dream.

Ethan Moreau was born in Massachusetts and graduated from North Iredell High School in 2020. He knew at an early age that he wanted a career in law enforcement and is looking forward to serving the Statesville community.

Devon Adams graduated high school in Charlotte but was raised here in Statesville. He wanted to give back to his hometown by serving as a law enforcement officer and is excited to be working for the Statesville Police Department.

Chavis Finger was born in Catawba County and previously served in the Army National Guard as a combat engineer. Hes always had an interest in law enforcement and wants to be a role model for future generations, including his five daughters.

Carson Fleming was born in Statesville and always knew he would pursue a career in law enforcement. He joined the Alexander County Sheriff Explorers program at the age of 15. He previously worked for the Alexander County Detention Center and is excited about the opportunity to serve the Statesville community.

City Manager Ron Smith stated that Onley has done an outstanding job since taking over last year.

David has made great progress with retention and hiring, and his consistent presence throughout the community at events and meetings has made a lasting impact, Smith said. He has the department moving in the right direction and I couldnt be happier with the improvements hes made.
During the General Federation of Womens Club of North Carolina (GFWC-NC) Statesville Womans Clubs February meeting welcomed guest speaker Dr. Lisa Mozer of the Up Wind Project.

Author of Peer Support Workbook & Journal for Wellness Mozer shared the importance of activity and addressing self-care routines that help to increase emotional intelligence and proven wellness practices.

Her current project is working with the Statesville City Council in the planning for Statesville to adopt a Black Historic District. The five key places include the Green Street Cemetery, Mount Pleasant Church, former residence of Mrs. and Dr. Holliday, Billingsley Academy and Morningside School.

Members brought canned goods, shelf-stable food products, paper products and hygiene products for the Epiphany food collection that was Januarys project focus and donated to Yokefellow Ministries.

Club President Dana White presented membership recognition of two Special Gems within the club and for January and February. The Gem of the Month was Lee Ann Sherrill and Hidden Gem was Shelley Arthur.

The project focus for February is the Love Your Valentine Bake Sale, with proceeds to help the club Clubhouse Capital Campaign Fundraiser. The sale will take place at the Historic Clubhouse on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. The proceeds from this sale go to the Clubhouse Capital Campaign Fund. This campaign is for the preservation of the clubhouse located at 515 W. End Ave.

The club will host a Coffee & Conversation social get-together on Feb. 21 at Panera Bread on Glenway Drive in Statesville from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and welcomes anyone interested in learning more about the club.

The next club meeting will be held on March 2 and will be about Friends of the Library 100th anniversary, with guest speakers Local History Librarian Joel Reese and Lisa McBane. The meeting will be held at the historic clubhouse at 515 W. End Ave. and there will be a time of social fellowship at 11:30 a.m. and meeting at noon. All members, guests and interested women are invited to attend. The project focus for March will be Read Across America.

The club is currently taking orders for Blooms for a Cause the General Federation of Womans Club of North Carolina (GFWC-NC) Statesville Womans Club annual Geranium Sale, which will be held on April 15 from 8 a.m. to noon.

These North Carolina geraniums will be available in bi-color cherry, double salmon with variegated leaf, orange, pink, pink flame, red, red with variegated leaf, salmon, white and white/pink splash for $6 per plant or $38 for a flat (eight plants per flat, mixed colors qualify). There will also be hanging baskets (pink, pink splash, red or white) for $25 each.

Ordering and is available by contacting Geranium Sale Chair Sandra Landry by calling or texting 704-775-2109 or by email at stlmadison@yahoo.com for more information.

Proceeds will benefit those in need through club and community projects.

For club information or about renting the GFWC of NC Statesville Womans Clubs Clubhouse for your meeting or event, inquiries may be emailed to the club at Statesvillewomansclub@gmail.com or by calling 704-761-8208. The club website is www.statesvillewomansclub.org. For details on joining the GFWC of NC Statesville Womans Club, contact Membership Chair Stephanie Gill at 704-657-5008.
Lake Norman Medical Group, Orthopedic Spine Mooresville welcomes Brooke Colombero, MSN, FNP-C, and Erin Tankoos, MSN, FNP-C. They are joining Dr. Ben Garrido, orthopedic spine surgeon in the Mooresville practice.

Colombero is a board-certified nurse practitioner, focusing on orthopedic spine surgery. Her medical education includes an associate degree in nursing from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in Concord, a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a Master of Science in nursing from University of North Carolina Charlotte in Charlotte.

Tankoos is a board-certified nurse practitioner, focusing on orthopedic spine surgery. Her medical education includes an associate degree in nursing from Mercy College of Ohio in Toledo, Ohio, and a Master of Science in nursing from Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts.

For more information, visit LakeNormanMedicalGroup.com. Call 704-660-4750 to schedule an appointment. Lake Norman Medical Group, Orthopedic Spine Mooresville, is at 517 Alcove Road, Suite 102, Mooresville.
A Chilhowie man is being held in the regional jail following a fire at his home yesterday that began while the house was occupied.

At 12:30 p.m., Chilhowie police and firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire at 1404 W. Lee Highway. Firefighters with the Adwolfe and Saltville departments also responded. According to Chilhowie Fire-EMS, the first fire units were on the scene within five minutes and the blaze was brought under control in less than 30 minutes.

A Chilhowie Fire-EMS statement and Chilhowie Police Chief Andrew Moss both said that preliminary indications point toward an incendiary fire.

Moss said that information received at the scene led to probable cause for an arrest. The suspect was found a short time later walking on East Main Street and was taken into custody.

Moss said that John Edward Callahan, 62, of 1404 W. Lee Highway, was arrested on a charge of arson of an occupied dwelling.

The other resident of the home, who was in a relationship with Callahan, was unharmed, Moss said. The house sustained significant damage.

The chief emphasized that the investigation is still in the preliminary stage and details are still emerging.

Moss expressed gratitude to the U.S. Marshals Service, the Virginia State Police, and the Washington County and Smyth County sheriffs offices for their assistance.

He said the fire continues to be investigated by the Chilhowie Fire Marshals office with assistance by the CPD and Virginia State Police.

Callahan is being held in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail on a secured bond.
RAINIER  People can help raise money for Rainier Junior and Senior High School students to go on a trip to the nations capital by attending a spaghetti feed fundraiser at 5 p.m. Saturday at the school.

Students are planning an educational trip to Washington, D.C. this summer.

People can purchase presale tickets for the fundraiser or tickets at the door. Presale tickets are $8 for kids and $12 for adults. Tickets at the door are $10 for kids and $15 for adults.

The school is located at 28170 Old Rainier Rd.

For more information, contact Andrew Demko at andrew_demko@rsd.k12.or.us.
WOODLAND  Councilman Karl Chapman has stepped down from the Woodland City Council, making him the second councilmember to resign since December.

Councilman Monte Smith announced Chapmans departure at the start of Monday nights meeting.

The five remaining council members will decide who will take over the two open seats. According to Woodland City Attorney Frank Randolph, four residents have already applied to be considered for appointment for the seat last held by former Councilmember Jennifer Rowland.

Rowland resigned in December due to what she said were issues with fellow council members and staff, while Woodland officials say Chapman resigned over time conflicts.

Chapman, who joined the City Council in 2016, verbally resigned last Thursday, according to City Administrator Peter Boyce. His last official City Council meeting occurred on Jan 17.

Boyce told The Daily News that Chapman did not submit a resignation letter.

Woodland Mayor Will Finn told The Daily News Chapmans departure was due to a personal conflict and that he was hoping to finish his term but was unable to make Monday evening meetings anymore.

He will be missed, Finn said.

Councilman Smith said he was a little disappointed in Chapmans abrupt exit.

He was a good guy; he brought a lot of input, Smith said.

When asked if she was surprised about Chapmans exit, Councilmember Deanna Holland said his departure was weird because we just had that conversation at the previous meeting.

I guess some stuff changed since the last meeting, he was moving into his eighth year. I thought he wasnt [going to] run again, said Holland.
A small group of active local readers met in a bookshelf-lined side room at the Longview Public Library on Monday night.

They were part of the first meeting of the Book Club For Our Times, a project being hosted collaboratively by the Longview Library and the Kelso Public Library. The new book club is meant to support educated conversations about race, homelessness, history and other issues that currently affect Cowlitz County.

The handful of adults at the meeting Monday said they were interested in talking about divisive political issues and interesting books.

Our library tries to be a place that is non-judgmental, that doesnt espouse any political views, Longview Library Director Jacob Cole said. Were hoping that in this time of polarization and lack of communication that people will be able to listen to each other.

Contacts For more information or to share a book idea, people can contact the libraries below. Longview: 360-442-5309 or jacob.cole@ci.longview.wa.us Kelso: 360-423-8110 or emoser@kelso.gov

The new book club is also organized by Lower Columbia College and the Civil Dialogue Project, which held a series of public forums over the fall to discuss a similar swath of local issues. Alan Rose, the Woodland author who helps organize the WordFest readings and the Civil Dialogue Project, led the meeting on Monday.

Rose talked through the list of potential titles put together by library staff and organizers. The group fleshed out how often they would meet and what issues they wanted to read about first.

We want to have an array of views in a place where it stays polite, and were all OK, and we actually encourage conversation, Rose said.

A similar launch meeting will take place at the Kelso Public Library at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Kelso Library Director Erik Moser said the group will meet at different times to allow more people to attend and could potentially choose a different set of books to focus on.

For their first two entries, the Longview group selected the graphic novel memoir Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and the book version of the New York Times 1619 Project.

Books and audiobooks will be provided digitally for the club. The Friends of the Longview Library will help provide any titles the library doesnt currently have enough copies of.

The new book club is separate from the existing book club at the Longview Public Library, which will meet on Feb. 22.
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:

Google plans to release a conversational chatbot named Bard in an AI showdown with Microsoft and ChatGPT.

Google on Wednesday announced a slew of features powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it ramped up a battle with Microsoft to maintain its dominance of the web search industry.

The latest announcements however fell short of investor expectations and Google's share price plummeted by more than seven percent on Wednesday amid growing doubts that the company will fend off its rival.

The two Silicon Valley titans are rushing into the space after the ChatGPT bot caught the imagination of web users around the world with its ability to generate essays, speeches and even exam papers in seconds.

Microsoft has announced a multibillion-dollar partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI and unveiled new products on Tuesday, while Google tried to steal the march a day earlier by announcing its "Bard" chatbot.

Google vice-president Prabhakar Raghavan told an event in Paris that Bard was now being used by "trusted testers" but did not give a timeline for a public release, which is expected within weeks.

Analysts have suggested Google has rushed its announcement under pressure from Microsoft, but Raghavan denied the claim.

"This has been a multiyear journey," he said, adding that no single event had "dramatically changed the course" of Google's plans.

Google executives announced on Wednesday several AI-induced improvements across products including maps, translation and its image recognition tool Lens.

Microsoft has similarly said it will incorporate AI into its Office suite and Teams messaging app.

But its promise to soup up its much-maligned Bing search engine put it on a collision course with Google, which has dominated the field for two decades.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT hold the promise of supplying users with ready-made answers from multiple sources, replacing the familiar list of links and ads that have been Google's bread and butter for two decades.

Media reports said the overnight success of ChatGPT was designated a "code red" threat at Google with founders Sergey Brin and Larry Pagewho left several years agobrought back to brainstorm ideas and fast-track a response.

The pressure to act was heightened last week when Google-parent Alphabet posted disappointing results and announced it was laying off 12,000 employees.

 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:

A four-wheeled robot dodges pedestrians on a street outside Tokyo, part of an experiment businesses hope will tackle labour shortages and rural isolation.

"Excuse me, coming through," a four-wheeled robot chirps as it dodges pedestrians on a street outside Tokyo, part of an experiment businesses hope will tackle labor shortages and rural isolation.

From April, revised traffic laws will allow self-driving delivery robots to navigate streets across Japan.

Proponents hope the machines could eventually help elderly people in depopulated rural areas get access to goods, while also addressing a shortage of delivery workers in a country with chronic labor shortages.

There are challenges to overcome, acknowledges Hisashi Taniguchi, president of Tokyo-based robotics firm ZMP, including safety concerns.

"They are still newcomers in human society, so it's natural they're seen with a bit of discomfort," he told AFP.

The robots won't be operating entirely alone, with humans monitoring remotely and able to intervene.

Taniguchi said it's important the robots "are humble and lovable" to inspire confidence.

ZMP has partnered with behemoths such as Japan Post Holdings in its trials of delivery robots in Tokyo.

Its "DeliRo" robot aims for a charming look, featuring big, expressive eyes that can be made teary in sadness if pedestrians block its way.

"Every kid around here knows its name," he said.

Proponents hope the machines could eventually help elderly people in depopulated rural areas get access to goods.

'How about some hot drinks?'

There is a serious purpose behind the cuteness.

Japan has one of the world's oldest populations, with nearly 30 percent of its citizens aged over 65. Many live in depopulated rural areas that lack easy access to daily necessities.

Labor shortages in its cities and new rules limiting overtime for truck drivers also make it difficult for businesses to keep up with pandemic-fuelled e-commerce and delivery demands.

"The shortage of workers in transport will be a challenge in the future," said engineer Dai Fujikawa of electronics giant Panasonic, which is trialing delivery robots in Tokyo and nearby Fujisawa.

"I hope our robots will be used to take over where needed and help ease the labor crunch," he told AFP.

Similar robots are already in use in countries such as the United Kingdom and China but there are concerns in Japan about everything from collisions to theft.

An employee at a control centre monitors Panasonic delivery robots using a live feed from remote cameras at the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Regulations set a maximum speed of six kilometers per hour (four miles per hour), meaning the "chances of severe injury in the event of a collision are relatively small", said Yutaka Uchimura, a robotic engineering professor at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT).

But if a robot "moves off the sidewalk and collides with a car due to some discrepancy between the pre-installed location data and the actual environment, that would be extremely worrying", he said.

Panasonic says its "Hakobo" robot can judge autonomously when to turn as well as detect obstacles, such as construction and approaching bikes, and stop.

One person at the Fujisawa control center simultaneously monitors four robots via cameras and is automatically alerted whenever their robotic charges are stuck or stopped by obstacles, Panasonic's Fujikawa said.

Humans will intervene in such cases, as well as in high-risk areas such as junctions. Hakobo is programmed to capture and send real-time images of traffic lights to operators and await instructions.

Test runs so far have ranged from delivering medicine and food to Fujisawa residents to peddling snacks in Tokyo with disarming patter such as: "Another cold day, isn't it? How about some hot drinks?"

Test runs so far have ranged from delivering medicine to peddling snacks in Tokyo, with disarming patter such as: 'Another cold day, isn't it? How about some hot drinks?'

'A gradual process'

"I think it's a great idea," passerby Naoko Kamimura said after buying cough drops from Hakobo on a Tokyo street.

"Human store clerks might feel more reassuring but with robots, you can shop more casually. Even when there's nothing you feel is worth buying, you can just leave without feeling guilty," she said.

Authorities don't believe Japanese streets will soon be teeming with robots, given the pressure to protect human employment.

"We don't expect drastic change right away, because there are jobs at stake," Hiroki Kanda, an official from the trade ministry promoting the technology, told AFP.

"The spread of robots will be more of a gradual process, I think."

Experts such as SIT's Uchimura are aware of the technology's limitations.

"Even the simplest of tasks performed by humans can be difficult for robots to emulate," he said.

A child and his mother look at a mobility robot RakuRo, developed by Tokyo-based robotics firm ZMP, at the company's service station in Tokyo.

Uchimura believes rolling the robots out in sparsely populated rural areas first would be safest. However, firms say demand in cities is likely to make urban deployment more commercially viable.

ZMP president Taniguchi hopes to eventually see the machines operating everywhere.

"I think it would make people happy if, with better communication technology, these delivery robots can patrol a neighborhood or check on the safety of elderly people," he said.

"Japan loves robots."

 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:

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks during the introduction of the integration of Microsoft Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence.Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence.

The revamping of Microsoft's second-place search engine could give the software giant a head start against other tech companies in capitalizing on the worldwide excitement surrounding ChatGPT, a tool that's awakened millions of people to the possibilities of the latest AI technology.

Along with adding it to Bing, Microsoft is also integrating the chatbot technology into its Edge browser. Microsoft announced the new technology at an event Tuesday at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

"Think of it as faster, more accurate, more powerful" than ChatGPT, built with technology from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI but tuned for search queries, said Yusuf Mehdi, a Microsoft executive who leads its consumer division, in an interview.

A public preview of the new Bing launched Tuesday for desktop users who sign up for it, but Mehdi said the technology will scale to millions of users in coming weeks and will eventually come to the smartphone apps for Bing and Edge. For now, everyone can try a limited number of queries, he said.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Search, demonstrates the integration of the Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

The strengthening partnership with OpenAI has been years in the making, starting with a $1 billion investment from Microsoft in 2019 that led to the development of a powerful supercomputer specifically built to train the San Francisco startup's AI models.

While it's not always factual or logical, ChatGPT's mastery of language and grammar comes from having ingested a huge trove of digitized books, Wikipedia entries, instruction manuals, newspapers and other online writings.

Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday that new AI advances are "going to reshape every software category we know," including search, much like earlier innovations in personal computers and cloud computing. He said it is important to develop AI "with human preferences and societal norms and you're not going to do that in a lab. You have to do that out in the world."

People walk past a Microsoft office in New York on Nov. 10, 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Swayne B. Hall, File

The shift to making search engines more conversationalable to confidently answer questions rather than offering links to other websitescould change the advertising-fueled search business, but also poses risks if the AI systems don't get their facts right. Their opaqueness also makes it hard to source back to the original human-made images and texts they've effectively memorized, though the new Bing includes annotations that reference the source data.

"Bing is powered by AI, so surprises and mistakes are possible," is a message that appears at the bottom of the preview version of Bing's new homepage. "Make sure to check the facts."

As an example of how it works, Mehdi asked the new Bing to compare the most influential Mexican painters and it provided typical search results, but also, on the right side of the page, compiled a fact box summarizing details about Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and Jose Clemente Orozco. In another example, he quizzed it on 1990s-era rap, showing its ability to distinguish between the song "Jump" by Kris Kross and "Jump Around" by House of Pain. And he used it to show how it could plan a vacation or help with shopping.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Search, speaks to members of the media about the integration of the Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond, Wash. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Gartner analyst Jason Wong said new technological advancements will mitigate what led to Microsoft's disastrous 2016 launch of the experimental chatbot Tay, which users trained to spout racist and sexist remarks. But Wong said "reputational risks will still be at the forefront" for Microsoft if Bing produces answers with low accuracy or so-called AI "hallucinations" that mix and conflate data.

Google has been cautious about such moves. But in response to pressure over ChatGPT's popularity, Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday announced a new conversational service named Bard that will be available exclusively to a group of "trusted testers" before being widely released later this year.

Wong said Google was caught off-guard with the success of ChatGPT but still has the advantage over Microsoft in consumer-facing technology, while Microsoft has the edge in selling its products to businesses.

The logo for OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, appears on a mobile phone, in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

Chinese tech giant Baidu also this week announced a similar search chatbot coming later this year, according to Chinese media. Other tech rivals such as Facebook parent Meta and Amazon have been researching similar technology, but Microsoft's latest moves aim to position it at the center of the ChatGPT zeitgeist.

Microsoft disclosed in January that it was pouring billions more dollars into OpenAI as it looks to fuse the technology behind ChatGPT, the image-generator DALL-E and other OpenAI innovations into an array of Microsoft products tied to its cloud computing platform and its Office suite of workplace products like email and spreadsheets.

The most surprising might be the integration with Bing, which is the second-place search engine in many markets but has never come close to challenging Google's dominant position.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Search demonstrates the integration of the Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond, Wash. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Bing launched in 2009 as a rebranding of Microsoft's earlier search engines and was run for a time by Nadella, years before he took over as CEO. Its significance was boosted when Yahoo and Microsoft signed a deal for Bing to power Yahoo's search engine, giving Microsoft access to Yahoo's greater search share. Similar deals infused Bing into the search features for devices made by other companies, though users wouldn't necessarily know that Microsoft was powering their searches.

By making it a destination for ChatGPT-like conversations, Microsoft could invite more users to give Bing a try, though the new version so far is limited to desktops and doesn't yet have an interface for smartphoneswhere most people now access the internet.

On the surface, at least, a Bing integration seems far different from what OpenAI has in mind for its technology. Appearing at Microsoft's event, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the "the new Bing experience looks fantastic" and is based in part on learnings from its GPT line of large language models. He said a key reason for his startup's Microsoft partnership is to help get OpenAI technology "into the hands of millions of people."

The Microsoft Bing logo and the website's page are shown in this photo taken in New York on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, second from left, watches a presentation introducing the integration of the Microsoft Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks to members of the media during the Introduction of the integration of the Microsoft Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott, left, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman watch a presentation introducing the integration of the Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks during the introduction of integration of Microsoft Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Search speaks to members of the media about the integration of the Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Search speaks to members of the media about the integration of the Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks to members of the media during the Introduction of the integration of the Microsoft Bing search engine and Edge browser with OpenAI on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Redmond. Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence. Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

OpenAI has long voiced an ambitious vision for safely guiding what's known as AGI, or artificial general intelligence, a not-yet-realized concept that harkens back to ideas from science fiction about human-like machines. OpenAI's website describes AGI as "highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work."

OpenAI started out as a nonprofit research laboratory when it launched in December 2015 with backing from Tesla CEO Elon Musk and others. Its stated aims were to "advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return."

That changed in 2018 when it incorporated a for-profit business Open AI LP, and shifted nearly all its staff into the business, not long after releasing its first generation of the GPT model for generating human-like paragraphs of readable text.

OpenAI's other products include the image-generator DALL-E, first released in 2021, the computer programming assistant Codex and the speech recognition tool Whisper.

 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:

Microstructure and fractography of the CrCoNi-based alloys Credit: Dr Dong Liu

Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered an alloy that shows increased strength at over 250C (20 Kelvin), making it the toughest material on record.

The findings, published in Science, show that chromium-cobalt-nickel alloy displays a high fracture toughness in cryogenic temperatures paving the way for its use in extreme environments on Earth and in space.

The behavior of this particular combination of metals is caused by a phase transformation that, when combined with other nano-scale mechanisms, prevents crack formation and propagation.

Lead author Dr. Dong Liu of Bristol's School of Physics, explained, "This is very interesting because most alloys become more brittle with a decrease in temperature. I reference the sinking of liberty ships in WWII and Titanic which were due to the metals losing its ductility at low temperatures."

"People often mix the concept of strength and toughness. If you Google, 'what is the toughest materials on earth?' 'Diamond' will jump out on the top line. Diamond is the hardest known material to date, but hardness is usually related to strength of a materialdiamond is indeed very hard and strong but it is not tough."

Structures such as nuclear pressure vessels require metals which are less hard but have good ductility and toughness to tolerate damage. These metals give warning before they finally fracture, which is necessary, particularly for life-critical applications.

Dr. Liu added, "As this CrCoNi material does not decrease in strength and toughness as it becomes as cold as 20 Kelvin, it can be potentially used as structural or load-bearing components for many potential applications in space and cold regions on earth and other planets."'

"Also, as we have discovered the mechanisms that are responsible for the improved strength and toughness. This means these processes can be used as a design guide for scientists and engineers to design better materials."

Now Dr. Liu and her team plan to further untangle fundamental causes for the sequence of toughening mechanisms in this material at 20 Kelvin using novel experimental and modeling methods. They also want to look at other types of high entropy alloys to see if they will show similar behaviors.

Dr. Liu said, "The experimental testing the toughness of this material at 20K was not a trivial effort, it took us a few years to design and complete. The success of the experiment was based on our rich experience and strong expertise in testing materials under extreme conditions."

More information: Peng Zhang et al, Getting tougher in the ultracold, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.adf2205 Dong Liu et al, Exceptional fracture toughness of CrCoNi-based medium- and high-entropy alloys at 20 kelvin, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abp8070 Journal information: Science
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

Concerns are mounting among policymakers and utility companies amid the impact of severe weather on the nation's electrical grids. In recent months, electrical grids in Texas have been tested to the point of near failure. So it seems like perfect timing that new research in the journal Management Science identifies a new method that provides the best way to utilize "direct load control contracts" to mitigate electricity demand surges, increase grid reliability and reduce electricity cost. All of this right down to the individual household.

"With this tool, utilities can quickly determine which customers to reduce power to, and for how long, while limiting the amount of time in a year that any one customer is affected," says Ali Fattahi of Johns Hopkins University. "Direct load control contracts affect only households that volunteer (in exchange for a break on their electricity bills)."

The study, "Peak Load Energy Management by Direct Load Control Contracts," finds that by allowing utilities to mitigate demand surges by controlling air conditioners and other devices in residential and commercial units, more reliance can be placed on electrical grids, calming fears nationwide.

This research provides a more efficient way to design direct load control contracts to reduce total cost of generating electricity during peak times.

"Let's say you're going to be away from your house for an extended period, one or two months. With this program, you can coordinate with the power company to reduce the load your house is placing on the grid during that time, freeing up energy that can be directed to people on your grid who are home," says Fattahi.

Fattahi, alongside study co-authors, Sriram Dasu and Reza Ahmadi of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, say that while utilities could rely on rolling blackouts or widespread brownouts to reduce peak demand, demand-response mechanisms such as direct load control contracts mean that power cuts will affect only households that volunteer.

To test the model, the authors used electricity consumption figures for three California utilities between 2009 and 2014.

"Our results suggest the model could reduce the utilities' peak-demand energy costs by about 5%. And it showed a reduction in summer peak demand from 36,000 to 32,000 megawatt hours," says Dasu, professor in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

More information: Ali Fattahi et al, Peak-Load Energy Management by Direct Load Control Contracts, Management Science (2022). DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2022.4493 Journal information: Management Science
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 illustration showing the local and broad generalization setup in the Phy-Q testbed and the Phy-Q score obtained by different AI agents and humans. Credit: Xue et al

Humans are innately able to reason about the behaviors of different physical objects in their surroundings. These physical reasoning skills are incredibly valuable for solving everyday problems, as they can help us to choose more effective actions to achieve specific goals.

Some computer scientists have been trying to replicate these reasoning abilities in artificial intelligence (AI) agents, to improve their performance on specific tasks. So far, however, a reliable approach to train and assess the physical reasoning capabilities of AI algorithms has been lacking.

Cheng Xue, Vimukthini Pinto, Chathura Gamage, and colleagues, a team of researchers at the Australian National University, recently introduced Phy-Q, a new testbed designed to fill this gap in the literature. Their testbed, introduced in a paper in Nature Machine Intelligence, includes a series of scenarios that specifically assess an AI agent's physical reasoning capabilities.

"Physical reasoning is an important capability for AI agents to operate in the real world and we realized that there are no comprehensive testbeds and a measure to evaluate the physical reasoning intelligence of AI agents," Pinto told Tech Xplore. "Our primary objectives were to introduce an agent friendly testbed along with a measure for physical reasoning intelligence, evaluating the state-of-the-art AI agents along with the humans for their physical reasoning capabilities, and providing guidance to the agents in the AIBIRDS competition, a long running competition for physical reasoning held at IJCAI and organized by Prof. Jochen Renz."

The Phy-Q testbed is comprised of 15 different physical reasoning scenarios that draw inspiration from situations in which infants acquire physical reasoning abilities and real-world instances in which robots might need to use these abilities. For every scenario, the researchers created several so-called "task templates," modules that allow them to measure the generalizability of an AI agent's skills in both local and broader settings. Their testbed includes a total of 75 task templates.

Screenshots of example tasks in Phy-Q representing the 15 physical scenarios. The slingshot with birds is situated on the left of the task. The goal of the agent is to kill all the green pigs by shooting birds from the slingshot. The dark-brown objects are static platforms. The objects with other colors are dynamic and subject to the physics in the environment. Credit: Xue et al

"Through local generalization, we evaluate the ability of an agent to generalize within a given task template and through broad generalization, we evaluate the ability of an agent to generalize between different task templates within a given scenario," Gamage explained. "Moreover, combining the broad generalization performance in the 15 physical scenarios, we measure the Phy-Q, the physical reasoning quotient, a measure inspired by the human IQ."

The researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of their testbed by using it to run a series of AI agent evaluations. The results of these tests suggest that the physical reasoning skills of AI agents are still far less evolved than human abilities, thus there is still significant room for improvement in this area.

"From this study, we saw that the AI systems' physical reasoning capabilities are far below the level of humans' capabilities," Xue said. "Additionally, our evaluation shows that the agents with good local generalization ability struggle to learn the underlying physical reasoning rules and fail to generalize broadly. We now invite fellow researchers to use the Phy-Q testbed to develop their physical reasoning AI systems."

The Phy-Q testbed could soon be used by researchers worldwide to systematically evaluate their AI model's physical reasoning capabilities across a series of physical scenarios. This could in turn help developers to identify their model's strengths and weaknesses, so that they can improve them accordingly.

In their next studies, the authors plan to combine their physical reasoning testbed with open-world learning approaches. The latter is an emerging research area that focuses on improving the ability of AI agents and robots to adapt to new situations.

"In the real world, we constantly encounter novel situations that we have not faced before and as humans, we are competent in adapting to those novel situations successfully," the authors added. "Similarly, for an agent that operates in the real world, along with the physical reasoning capabilities, it is crucial to have capabilities to detect and adapt to novel situations. Therefore, our future research will focus on promoting the development of AI agents that can perform in physical reasoning tasks in different novel situations."

More information: Cheng Xue et al, Phy-Q as a measure for physical reasoning intelligence, Nature Machine Intelligence (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-022-00583-4 Journal information: Nature Machine Intelligence

 2023 Science X Network
State Sen. Charles Schwertner was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to Travis County sheriffs office records.

Schwertner, a Georgetown Republican who has represented Senate District 5, a 10-county region of central and east Texas that includes Brazos, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Milam and Robertson counties, was booked into the Travis County jail at 2:12 a.m. and charged with driving while intoxicated. Records showed Schwertner was in Travis County sheriffs custody most of Tuesday morning, but had received a personal recognizance bond and was released from jail shortly after noon. He is an orthopedic surgeon by trade.

As he left the Travis County jail after noon, Schwertner told reporters: Im deeply sorry, apologetic to my citizens and my family. I made a mistake.

Schwertners office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Texas Tribune. His attorney, Perry Minton, did not respond to a request from The Tribune but told the Austin American-Statesman, which first reported news of Schwertners arrest on Twitter: I met with Senator Schwertner very early this morning directly after his unfortunate arrest. He was certainly humble and embarrassed by his circumstances but he was clear-eyed, sober and making good sense. Because of this, well be interested in the discovery once it becomes available.

Schwertner was arrested around 12:45 a.m. when an Austin police officer saw the Black Cadillac that Schwertner was driving swerving to the right and the left and split the two lanes repeatedly, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The officer followed the car and saw it continue to swerve between lanes, the affidavit said. The officer stopped the car and the driver identified himself as Schwertner.

The officer said Schwertner had bloodshot, glassy, watery eyes, was confused, and had slurred speech patterns. The officer also said Schwertner had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath.

The officer described Schwertners as polite, sleepy, cooperative, in the report. Schwertner refused a breath test, and he was not given a blood test to measure his blood alcohol concentration. Schwertner has no previous DWI convictions, according to the affidavit.

Schwertner, who leads the Senates Business and Commerce Committee, was expected at the Capitol at 11 a.m. Tuesday when the Senate reconvened for the week. The Business and Commerce Committee also had a scheduled hearing to discuss proposed changes by the states Public Utilities Commission to the energy markets design that stemmed from failures that led to millions of people losing power across the state during the 2021 winter freeze. Schwertner, who has served in the Senate since 2013, has expressed dissatisfaction with those changes.

Schwertner missed the Senates scheduled meeting and the Business and Commerce Committees meeting. Sen. Phil King, a Weatherford Republican who is serving his first term in the Senate, took the helm of the committee as the groups vice chair.

The chair, as you know, is not going to be able to be with us today, said King, who previously served in the House.

Schwertner, 52, has faced other scandals in the past. In 2018, he was accused of sending sexually explicit photos of his genitals to a graduate student at the University of Texas. He denied the allegations, saying that someone else sent the messages using his LinkedIn account and another privacy phone messaging app that belongs to him.

A university investigation, which described the senator as uncooperative, did not clear Schwertner of wrongdoing but said it could not prove Schwertner sent the texts.

After the sexual harassment allegation, Schwertner voluntarily gave up his chairmanship of the Senates Health and Human Services Committee to work on other issues in the Legislature and spend more time with his family. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate, followed the investigation closely.

Patrick has not commented on Schwertners arrest, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2016, after Austin voters approved stricter requirements for drivers that prompted Uber and Lyft to leave town, Schwertner spearheaded Senate legislation designed to create statewide regulations that would allow the companies to return to the city. The bill aimed to ensure the companies had the same rules in every city in Texas. When he argued for the bill in the Legislature, he said ride-hailing companies provided transportation to people who otherwise are getting in vehicles and driving drunk.

Other state lawmakers have faced drunken driving charges in recent years. Former state Rep. Dan Huberty, a Houston Republican, was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated in April 2021. He decided to retire later that year.

In 2017, state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, a Dallas Democrat, was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated. She remains in the Legislature.

Such arrests also have been used as political attacks. In 2013, Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, was arrested for and pleaded guilty to drunken driving. Then-Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, demanded her resignation and threatened to use his line-item veto power to cut funding to the offices Public Accountability Office if she did not resign. When Lehmberg did not resign, Perry defunded the unit. He was later indicted in relation to the move but was cleared of charges.
One man was killed during an officer-involved shooting in the 900 block of Spring Loop Drive in College Station on Wednesday morning, according to College Station Police Chief Billy Couch.

Investigators from the College Station Police Department served a knock-and-announce search warrant just after 6 a.m., Couch said. During the execution of the search warrant, officers encountered a man armed with a shotgun who fired at officers. Couch said one officer returned fire and struck the man, who was a resident of the location and was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident.

Police identified the man killed in the incident as Mark Bennett Hopkins, a 22-year-old from College Station. Police said two other people were arrested at a separate location in relation to this incident and more charges are likely.

The investigation remains ongoing and there is no danger to the public, police said.

Myself and the members of this organization dont take lightly that a member of our community was killed this morning, Couch said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon, and our hearts and our prayers go out to the individuals family and friends because I know this will be a difficult time for all of them.

The officer who fired the fatal shot is a six-year veteran of the College Station Police Department and Couch said he has been placed on paid administrative leave, which Couch noted is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings.

I met with him this morning and he seemed to be doing OK, but  while he physically wasnt injured, its a pretty traumatic effect on his end as well, Couch said. We dont take it lightly. Its a big deal.

Since the incident is an officer-involved shooting, Couch said he requested the assistance of the Texas Rangers to take over the investigation.

Details of the warrants nature or target werent disclosed by Couch, but he said it is a part of a pretty complex investigation that involved multiple locations Wednesday morning and has been ongoing for quite some time that will probably have a lot of tentacles.

No other officers fired their weapons during the execution of the search warrant and no others were injured during the incident, Couch said. He noted the incident occurred inside the residence and there were three adults present.

More information will be provided when available.

(tncms-inline)1623294432987557890[0](/tncms-inline)
Are prices headed up or down? Where are the hotspots for buyers and sellers? Find out with these charts and graphs, updated weekly.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica 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 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 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 Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of 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 Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
The expansion of high-speed internet to underserved areas of Franklin County has taken significant strides in recent years. Thousands of additional homes in the county now have access to broadband with plans to reach even more in the coming years.

In 2019, the county found that only around 30% of residents had access to high-speed or broadband internet with download speeds above 25 mbps and uploads above 3 mbps. Any home below that is considered underserved.

That number has doubled in recent years and is now at 60%.

According to Assistant County Administrator Steve Sandy, estimates are that more than 90% of the county should have access to broadband internet in the next few years as projects continue and if two grants the county recently applied for are approved. The grants are for more than $16 million in funding that would provide broadband to more than 5,000 additional homes in Franklin County.

Then the goal is going to be filling in any gaps, Sandy said of completing the last 10%.

The grants are through the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative created by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Since 2020 Franklin County has applied for and been awarded nearly $22 million toward its efforts to expand broadband. If the most recent VATI grant is awarded, that number will be closer to $38 million.

For us, VATI has been a godsend, Sandy said.

The most recent grant application is for $15 million from VATI with the county providing a $1.5 million match. Internet provider Shentel would provide an additional $10 million in funding.

In addition to Shentel, Franklin County is working with Riverstreet Networks. The two companies have partnered with the county to run cable and fiber lines through the county carrying high-speed internet.

The county also partnered with Seiontec to provide fixed wireless broadband internet from several telecommunication towers in the county. Those projects are nearing completion.

The private partnerships have also provided significant funding for broadband expansion in the county. The county has received more than $30 million combined in funding for the projects from Riverstreet, Seiontec and Shentel. That amount would increase to $40 million if the most recent VATI grant is awarded.

If approved, the VATI grant would provide fiber internet to homes throughout the county with a significant portion being in the Snow Creek and Blackwater communities. Word on if the grants have been approved is expected in the coming months.

While Franklin County has considered a variety of ways to tackle the need for high-speed internet in the county, Sandy said the ultimate goal is to have fiber connections to as many homes in the county as possible. With a fiber connection, homes can have download and upload speeds as high as 1 gbps or 1,000 mbps.

All of our new projects are looking to bring fiber to the home, Sandy said.

Franklin County has had to provide a county match for much of the VATI grants. A vast majority of those county matches were funded using a portion the federally funded American Rescue Plan Act provided to localities nationwide during the height of the pandemic in 2021.

Nearly $8 million of the countys $10 million in county match funding so far has come from the American Rescue Plan Act. A significant portion of the ARPA funds went toward Franklin Countys broadband expansion as well as water and sewer expansion in the county.

We want to leverage costs as much as we can with state and private dollars, Sandy said.
A Russian national on February 7, 2023, pleaded guilty in the U.S. to money laundering charges and for attempting to conceal the source of funds obtained in connection with Ryuk ransomware attacks.

Denis Mihaqlovic Dubnikov, 30, was arrested in Amsterdam in November 2021 before he was extradited from the Netherlands in August 2022. He is awaiting sentencing on April 11, 2023.

"Between at least August 2018 and August 2021, Dubnikov and his co-conspirators laundered the proceeds of Ryuk ransomware attacks on individuals and organizations throughout the United States and abroad," the Department of Justice (DoJ) said.

Dubnikov and his accomplices are said to have engaged in various criminal schemes designed to obscure the trail of the ill-gotten proceeds.

According to DoJ, a chunk of the 250 Bitcoin ransom paid by a U.S. company in July 2019 after a Ryuk attack was sent to Dubnikov in exchange for about $400,000. The crypto was subsequently converted to Tether and transferred to a co-conspirator, who then exchanged it for the Chinese Renminbi.

In all, the parties involved in the criminal enterprise are estimated to have laundered at least $150 million in ransom payments.

Dubnikov is also the co-founder of Coyote Crypto and Eggchange, with the latter headquartered in Federation Tower East (or Vostok), a supertall skyscraper known to harbor several cryptocurrency businesses with ties to money laundering associated with ransomware operations.

According to Chainalysis, Eggchange received over $34 million worth of cryptocurrency from darknet markets, scams, fraud shops, and ransomware operators between 2019 and 2021.

UPCOMING WEBINAR Master the Art of Dark Web Intelligence Gathering Learn the art of extracting threat intelligence from the dark web  Join this expert-led webinar! Save My Seat!

Ryuk, which first emerged on the threat landscape in 2018, is attributed to a threat actor tracked as Wizard Spider and has compromised governments, academia, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology organizations worldwide.

Often delivered through first-stage malware such as TrickBot or BazarBackdoor, Ryuk is also a predecessor to the Conti ransomware, which shuttered its operations in May 2022 and splintered into smaller units.
Howard Elementary School principal Julie Schnitzler is retiring after leading the campus 15 years.

Schnitzlers retirement will be effective at the end of the school year.

Making the world a much better place one student at a time has been rewarding and makes it a difficult decision to retire, Schnitzler said.

Said Toni Palmer, GIPS Chief of Leadership and Learning: Throughout her tenure, (Schnitzler) intentionally sought out initiatives such as the continuous calendar, Makerspace, community partnerships, full-day preschool and numerous after-school programs to ensure students have access to high-quality instruction and a variety of opportunities and experiences.

Schnitzler is also a military veteran, and incorporates her service into the schools Veterans Day activities.

Schnitzler told The Independent last year, I know that through being a veteran, I have a powerful voice. I really dont like the attention. I dont like to stand out. Being in the background and supporting and helping kids learn  Im wearing this uniform for the kids because I want them to have a better understanding and see things to ask me questions. I wear it for them.

Palmer said Schnitzler will be remembered for fostering a culture of care, inclusiveness and acceptance and special events and traditions such as The Veterans Day assembly, May Day celebration, and family game nights.

Schnitzler has been Howard Elementary Schools principal since 2008.

A GIPS release states: As Mrs. Schnitzler looks to ease into retirement, GIPS is committed to finding the right new leader to help Howard Elementary venture into its next chapter. We will share more as the process develops.

Last school year, Howard Elementary had 440 students, according to Nebraska Department of Education data.

The school is located near the corner of 10th and Walnut Streets near Uptown Grand Island. Howard Elementary was established in 1884, but at a different location.

Grand Island's Howard Elementary principal uses service as teachable moments Her job in the military has helped her to make Veterans Day celebrations at Howard Elementary extra special over the course of her 14 years there.
New York Pizza & Italian Restaurant has moved into the former home of Pams Pub & Grub at 2848 S. Locust St. The restaurant was in Conestoga Mall for a year and a half.

From 6 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Sunday, customers can order breakfast, including items served at the former Pams Pub & Grub. Pizza and Italian food are served from noon to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

The business offers takeout as well as dine-in service. Owner Mynor Barahona, a native of Guatemala, moved at the age of 19 to New Jersey, where he learned the pizza business. Telephone numbers are 308-675-3285 and 308-675-3286.
CARBONDALE  Filmmaker and former Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty member Sarah Kanouse will bring a combination of storytelling, lecture and live documentary film to campus later this month.

Kanouse will present her 75-minute solo performance My Electric Genealogy at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in Parkinson Halls Browne Auditorium. A 15-minute Q&A will follow. The event is free and open to the public. A four-minute excerpt of Kanouses performance is available on Vimeo.

The performance takes a look at issues surrounding climate change and the worlds ecological crisis and explores the cultures and politics of energy in Los Angeles through the lens of her own family. For nearly 40 years, Kanouses grandfather designed, planned and supervised the spider-vein network of lines connecting the nations second-largest city to distant power sources  rivers that are now drying up and power plants that are coming down.

Now an associate professor in the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University, Kanouse was an assistant professor in the now College of Arts and Media from 2005 to 2008. Kanouse made a few projects around Southern Illinois; in 2013, her feature-length essay film Around Crab Orchard premiered at the Big Muddy Film Festival, where it won the John Michaels Award.

Kanouse has visited several times and said she is excited to return.

SIU has such a rich tradition of experimental arts and culture, stretching back to the time that Buckminster Fuller was on faculty and Allan Kaprow led Happenings around the Campus Lake, she said. Southern Illinois is also a beautiful and fascinating place.

Project evolved for several years

My Electric Genealogy premiered in September 2022 in Los Angeles at 2220 Arts and Archives. Kanouse said her daughters birth, along with query in 2012 while Kanouse was in residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts near San Francisco on why she hadnt made a project specifically about climate change, helped guide her. The germ of the idea to use performance to discuss her familys entanglements in the climate crisis came in 2014, when Kanouse, then at the University of Iowa, contributed a five-minute monologue to a 10 Tiny Performances event by choreographer Esther Baker-Tarpaga.

While Kanouse had never done that type of performance before, she pursued the project as if I were making a film.

After sharing clips and speaking several times during works-in-progress presentations at artist talks and at residencies, I realized that my physical presence was an important part of the project, Kanouse said, adding she spent time developing movement and performance skills.

Project was set to premiere in 2020

Kanouse explained that the program was to premiere nearly three years ago but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. That, however, gave her time to develop a relationship with some of the environmental justice groups advocating for reparative relationships over the same transmission lines that my grandfather built.

To say its been a long journey would be an understatement, but the project took the time that it needed to take, she said.

She hopes her performance prompts the audience to become more engaged in addressing the climate crisis.

The performance is a long meditation on complicity in forms of structural violence  racism, settler colonialism, patriarchy, presentism  that come together in the climate crisis, she said. Rather than being something to feel guilty about, complicity can be the basis of obligation and a directive to act  a concrete response-ability. I am complicit in very specific and direct ways, but I hope working through this publicly will prompt the audience to consider their own inevitable complicity as the starting point for a more engaged and intimate obligation to address the ecological crisis.

The performance is presented by SIUs School of Media Arts, the College of Liberal Arts, the University Honors Program, the Fine Arts Activity Fee and the Mississippi River Project.
CARBONDALE  Southern Illinois University Carbondale earned a top ranking from U.S. News & World Report for the 2023 Best Online MBA Programs. The No. 58 rank put SIU atop all other Illinois institutions of higher learning.

This is wonderful recognition for the quality of our students, faculty, staff and program, said Marc Morris, dean of the College of Business and Analytics and acting co-provost and vice-chancellor for academic affairs. This is proof our online Master of Business Administration program meets the market needs by marrying practical experience and instruction with world-renowned faculty who have a reputation for the outstanding research they do and bringing that knowledge into the classroom with the students.

Various factors assessed

The publication evaluated more than 1,800 online bachelors and masters degree programs, using a wide variety of factors such as faculty credentials, student engagement, services and technologies. The listing includes a profile of SIU and its program. The profile notes that the program is 100% online and designed with working professionals in mind, allowing students to complete their MBA in 23 months while working. It also notes that the same faculty who deliver the full-time residential MBA teach the courses and that students have the opportunity to study abroad in Grenoble, France. SIUs College of Business and Analytics and its MBA program are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which is also quite a feat, he noted.

Morris said the faculty who teach in SIUs program are extraordinary.

For example, Greg DeYong is a world-renowned supply chain and logistics expert who is often interviewed by NPR, New York media and beyond, he said, and Bruce DeRuntz is a leadership expert who gets the students engaged. He challenges them and sets a pretty high bar but helps them meet and exceed that bar.

DeYong is an associate professor of operations management and the faculty adviser for Beta Gamma Sigma, the business honors society for top bachelors and masters students. DeRuntz has cross appointments as a professor in the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology and Mathematics and in the College of Business and Analytics; he also serves as director of SIUs Leadership Development Program.

Morris said DeYong and DeRuntz are just a couple of the many acclaimed and gifted faculty members who teach in the program and mentor students. He noted that he is himself a proud product of SIUs MBA program, earning his degree in 1991.

It gives me great pride and respect for this program and its enduring legacy of excellence, Morris said.

College offers students unique opportunities

Morris said SIU stands out from other universities with its wide range of learning experiences offered outside the classroom for anyone who is interested. Through the Saluki Student Investment Fund, students obtain real world experience dealing with actual dollars as they manage a nearly $3.5 million portfolio for the SIU Foundation. Just this month, a student team won first place in the national Deloitte FanTAXtic Case Competition, and in December, an SIU student team beat more than 930 teams in the Bloombergs Global Trading Challenge, an international trading competition, to earn fourth place in North American and 12th place globally, Morris noted.

We have a great group of faculty, programs and opportunities for students here, he said.

Evolving to meet needs of the future

Morris said in addition to the online and on-campus MBA programs, SIU offers a J.D./MBA concurrent degree program allowing students to earn their law and MBA degrees at the same time.

But, he said, SIU is constantly working to assure programs are relevant, best serving students in the field and on campus. College officials are looking into offering more options such as a condensed, one-year MBA program and/or a more flexible program for the on-campus and perhaps online programs.

The innovation doesnt stop at SIU, he said.
The South Carolina Bar is sponsoring Law School for Non-Lawyers, an eight-week course designed to provide an overview of the states legal system and insight into 16 common legal issues.

All classes are taught by licensed attorneys and judges.

The spring 2023 course at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College will be held on consecutive Tuesdays from 69 p.m., starting March 7 and ending April 25.

Tuition is $55 and includes the textbook.

To register, call 803-535-1236 or enroll in person in the Continuing Education office. Registration closes March 1.

Topics that will be discussed include:

 March 7  Overview of state courts, alternative dispute resolution

 March 14  Juvenile justice, child protection hearings

 March 21  Family law, real estate and landlord tenant law

 March 28  Wills, estates and probate, plus health care and elder law

 April 4  S.C. workers compensation and employment law

 April 11  Bankruptcy law, consumer law and debt collection

 April 18  Criminal law and torts

 April 25  Education and immigration
The Wyoming Highway Patrol has arrested a California man accused of stowing away on his ex-girlfriend's semi-truck and physically and sexually assaulting her.

The man, Alejandro Delgado, was booked into the Sweetwater County Detention Center on a felony warrant out of Bakersfield, California, and interference with a peace officer.

The arrest occurred Saturday after highway patrol troopers responded to a possible domestic disturbance involving people inside a Volvo semi-tractor trailer at the Bitter Creek Rest Area in southwest Wyoming.

A woman who'd been driving the semi told troopers Delgado had entered her vehicle without her knowledge in California. She accused him of physically and sexually abusing her in the truck over several days, the highway patrol said. She also told the troopers he'd stabbed her in the leg.

The highway patrol says Delgado initially gave them false information in an attempt to conceal his identity.

Investigators are still working the case.
Rising home values have resulted in especially burdensome property taxes lately, especially for Wyoming residents on fixed incomes.

Lawmakers responded by filing more than a dozen bills aimed at property tax relief this session. They target everything from tax exemptions, to assessment values, to refund and deferral programs.

Here are the bills that were still in the running as of Tuesday afternoon.

Changing the assessment rate for real and personal property

Senate File 136, sponsored by Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, would reduce the assessment rate for all real and personal property for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 tax years from 9.5% to 8.5%.

The assessment rate is what determines how a homes market value translates to its assessed value.

Say your house was appraised for $500,000. Under the current statewide assessment rate, the assessed value would be $47,500.

Barring further amendments, Senate File 136 would drop that to $42,500 (at least, temporarily).

The assessors office in your county would then multiply that amount by your local tax rate to determine what youd owe in property taxes that year.

In Casper, for example, you pay $72.89 dollars for every $1,000 of assessed property. That means for an assessed home value of $42,500, youd owe $3,098 in property taxes.

Senate File 136 cleared the Senate on Jan. 30 and has been received for introduction in the House.

Property tax exemption resolution for elderly and infirm

Senate Joint Resolution 3 would recommend that the Legislature bring a constitutional amendment to create a new residential property tax exemption for the elderly and infirm.

Since its not a bill, the resolution wouldnt have any legal power. Its just meant to signal interest in taking legislative action at a later time.

The resolution cleared the Senate on Jan. 26, and has been referred to the House Revenue Committee for further review.

Homestead exemption

House Bill 98, which last year earned sponsorship from the Joint Revenue Committee, would temporarily exempt homeowners from paying property taxes on the first $50,000 of their homes fair market value (not to exceed 25% of that figure.)

Qualifying residents must have owned their homes for at least 5 years, and live there for six months out of the tax year.

An amendment adopted by the House Revenue Committee would only make the act effective until the end of 2025, and would set aside $40 million in general fund money to reimburse the Wyoming School Foundation Program and local governments for tax revenue lost under the exemption.

The bill on Tuesday passed its second reading in the Senate.

Property tax refund and deferral programs

A bill backed by the Joint Revenue Committee would expand eligibility for both the state and county-level property tax refund programs.

Under House Bill 99, the programs would begin accepting households earning less than or equal to 125% of the statewide median income or the median income in their county of residence, whichever is higher.

Applicants would not be able to own more than $150,000 in personal assets per adult in their households, unless the property taxes they owe exceed 10% of their household income, according to the bill.

The bill would also amend qualifications to require the taxpayer (or an immediate family member of the taxpayer) to live on the property for at least nine months out of the tax year.

House Bill 99 cleared the House last week and has been referred to the Senate Travel Committee for review.

Another bill sponsored by Rep. Martha Lawley, R-Worland, would introduce a number of changes to the states property tax deferral program, which was created to provide tax relief for people on limited incomes  namely long-term homeowners, seniors and people with disabilities.

The program allows counties to cover up to one-half of the property taxes owed by qualifying residents, which are transferred to liens on those homeowners properties.

House Bill 121 would, among other things, rehouse the program under the Wyoming Department of Revenue  rather than at the county level  and require the state to reimburse local governments for any deferred taxes.

The taxes would be due upon abandonment of the property, death of the homeowner or transfer of the property. If the total amount of deferred taxes grows to more than one-half of the homes fair market value, the department could decide to step in and require the owner to pay off the lien, the bill says.

The bill passed its third reading in the House on Thursday and has been referred to the Senate Revenue Committee.

Property tax acquisition study

House Bill 100, if adopted as currently written, would give the Department of Revenue $10,000 to commission a report on what it would take for Wyoming to transition to the so-called acquisition model of assessing property taxes. At its most basic, the model assesses properties based on the value residents acquired them, as opposed to the properties current market values.

The bill passed its third reading in the House on Monday by a 58-2 vote, and has been referred to the Senate Revenue Committee.

What didnt make it

A bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson that would have made any government-owned or nonprofit childcare facilities exempt from property taxes failed its first reading in the House on Monday by a vote of 15-47.

Another piece of proposed legislation brought by Sen. Troy McKeown, R-Gillette, would have effectively repealed Wyomings personal property tax, which covers things like oil field equipment, titled mobile homes and more. That bill failed its third reading in the Senate on Monday by 14-17.

Another bill sponsored by Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, sought to cap increases in the assessed values of both real and personal property at 5% per year. That means that no matter what the market does, if your house is assessed at $47,500 this year your propertys assessed value next year could not exceed $49,875.

Senate File 125 would have made exceptions for value increases due to changes to the property, like renovations or additions, however.

The bill was not considered for introduction in the Senate by the Legislatures Monday deadline.

A proposal brought by Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander would have created a property tax relief authority to provide loans to tax-burdened homeowners. Case pitched Senate File 90 as an alternative to the states existing property tax deferral program. That bill also missed the Monday deadline for introduction.

Additional property tax relief proposals that died earlier in the session include:

a resolution brought by Rep. Tony Locke, R-Casper, encouraging the Legislature to pass a constitutional amendment to cap annual property assessment increases;

another bill sponsored by Locke to temporarily reduce property tax assessment rates for the 2023 tax year;

a proposal sponsored by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, that would ban school and local government mill levy hikes that lead to an increase in state revenue;

a bill brought by Rep. Bill Allemand, R-Casper, that would create a residential property tax exemption for seniors and veterans;

a proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Sen. Don Dockstader, R-Afton, that would implement an acquisition-based model for taxing Wyoming residential properties;

a bill brought by Rep. Bill Henderson, R-Cheyenne, that would allow renters to apply to the state property tax refund program, granted that they meet certain eligibility requirements; and

a bill sponsored by Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, increasing the annual property tax exemption amount for veterans.
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.
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.
Doctors tried to resuscitate and save the life of pregnant Chavelle Mitcham and her baby, bu
The Government needs to promote discussion and engage the public more on initiatives that have major implications for the people and society of Trinidad and Tobago.

One example is the current push towards a cashless society in a world touted as one of financial inclusion. This initiative is being led by the Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Centre (TTIFC), which heads the Governments digitalisation initiatives in the financial services sector, and Visa, one of the worlds biggest names in digital payments.
CHICAGO  Before I was a food critic for the Chicago Tribune, I spent 15 years writing, cooking and, most importantly, eating as much as I could. To review a restaurant these days, I visit multiple times, read any books that might be helpful, and spend hours crafting a review that is both helpful and, hopefully, engaging to read.

But what if I could plug a few sentences into a chatbot that would spit out reviews for me in a matter of seconds?

When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November, it almost immediately led to discussions that were nearly unthinkable a few years before. Is this a new tool to help cheat on homework, a product that will unleash a dystopian future of mass unemployment or nothing more than a distracting toy?

Wondering if I needed to quickly switch careers, I decided to see how ChatGPT would do as a Chicago Tribune food critic for the afternoon.

Artificial intelligence isnt a new concept, but in the past year, concerns have sprouted over whether its ethical for bots such as Lensa AI and Midjourney to use artists copyrighted works to generate imitations and charge users for the stolen art. There are also concerns over the accuracy of the generative AI knowledge, which cant always distinguish between fact and fiction.

While Im definitely not a programmer with the ability to really explain why ChatGPT stands apart from its predecessors, heres what I could figure out: The GPT stands for generative pre-trained transformer, and the generative, reinforcement learning means the AI is supposed to improve the accuracy of its responses as it chats with humans.

Although I may not understand it, ChatGPT is a breeze to use. Simply type in a question and itll spit out an answer. All you need to do is log in and hope the system isnt too busy. (Considering how much attention the program has gotten, its down an awful lot.)

So how did it do? To state the obvious, no artificial intelligence can dine out, a fact ChatGPT is honest about. When I asked if it had ever been to Alinea, a restaurant I knew would have loads written about it online, ChatGPT wrote back: As an AI, I do not have physical presence and therefore I havent been to any physical location, including Alinea.

But it did go on to give some general facts about the restaurant, including that it was a three-Michelin starred restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, and is known for its avant-garde approach to modernist cuisine, which uses techniques such as molecular gastronomy and multicourse, tasting-menu format.

But when I asked it to write a restaurant review of Alinea, it didnt hesitate:

Alinea is a truly unique dining experience. The food is meticulously crafted and visually stunning, with an emphasis on creativity and innovation. The flavors are bold and complex, and the dishes are expertly paired with a wide selection of wines. The service is impeccable, with attentive and knowledgeable staff who are happy to explain the dishes and the techniques used to prepare them. The atmosphere is elegant and intimate, making it the perfect spot for a special occasion. Overall, Alinea is a must-visit for anyone interested in cutting-edge culinary experiences.

While basically coherent, and not too far off from some Yelp reviews, you may have noticed an almost complete lack of specifics. Replace the restaurants name and the review could apply to any number of fine-dining restaurants in Chicago.

ChatGPT can get more specific, but I found it also became less accurate. When I asked it to write a detailed restaurant review of Alinea, mentioning every single course, it started spitting out names of dishes I dont think ever appeared on the restaurants menu. ChatGPT also only pulls information from a data set of texts that goes up to 2021, so at this moment, it wont help with any new restaurants.

Where things get far more enjoyable is when you ask the program to write a restaurant review in the style of a famous author. Ever wondered what it would sound like if William Shakespeare wrote a review of Alinea?

"Ah, sweet Alinea, how doth thy flavors please

Thy dishes, a symphony of taste and ease

From appetizers to desserts, all artfully made

Each morsel, a feast for the eyes and the palate



But alas, dear Alinea, thy prices do soar

For but a select few, thy doors do open

But for those who can afford, thy feast doth reward

For memories, and tastes, that shall never be forgotten."

This led me down a rabbit hole of asking ChatGPT to write reviews of Alinea like other famous authors, including Jane Austen and Dante Alighieri. My favorite was this negative review in the style of Friedrich Nietzsche:

It is with great disappointment and disgust that I write this review of the so-called fine dining establishment known as Alinea. The pretentiousness and self-aggrandizement of this restaurant is a testament to the decline of modern society and the celebration of mediocrity.

While good fun, I feel like my critic job is safe for now.

But where ChatGPT might truly shake up the food writing world is with curating lists of places to eat, a topic brought up recently by Michael Gebert on Fooditor. Other publications have already given this a go, including the Houston Chronicle.

When I asked ChatGPT where to find the best hot dog in Chicago, it kicked out a solid list featuring Portillos, Superdawg Drive-In, The Wieners Circle and Gene & Judes. But it certainly wasnt perfect, considering it included Hot Dougs, even if it noted in the write-up that the restaurant was now closed. It seems likely that ChatGPT will only get better at sorting through the internet to give recommendations.

This leads to all sorts of ethical questions, like where ChatGPT is getting its information from, and whether OpenAI should pay for it. And what happens if restaurants are able to pay for the program to recommend them more?
You are here: Arts

Suzhou Youth Symphony Orchestra made its debut by performing with Suzhou Symphony Orchestra at Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre on Feb 5.

Music pieces, such as Youth Waltz and Bolero, were performed by the Suzhou Youth Symphony Orchestra.

The concert also brought famous music works, including Spring Festival Overture and Tchaikovsky's Overture 1812, Op.49.

According to Chen Guangxian, head of Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, it was the first concert of 2023 that the two orchestras had performed in, which was to celebrate the occasion of the Spring Festival.

Suzhou Youth Symphony Orchestra, featuring over 100 members aging from 10 to 18 years old, rehearsed for the concert for three months. First launched in July 2022, it aims at training the next generation musicians as well as popularizing classical music among young people.

Suzhou Youth Symphony Orchestra also has a name, Qing Tuan Zi, which is named after the traditional food qingtuan, or sweet green rice ball, of Suzhou.
PHOENIX  The way a Scottsdale lawmaker sees it, the words are written on every bill and should be obeyed.

No, not In God We Trust.

Its the language that says This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private. And Republican Rep. Joseph Chaplik wants to be sure that Arizonans dont get turned away from businesses in the state because they want to use that legal tender to pay.

His HB 2555, awaiting action by the full House, would spell out in law that any business with a physical location in Arizona must accept cash as a payment for goods and services. And it also spells out that consumers with cash cannot be charged a penalty.

The measure even comes with teeth. Customers whose cash is refused can seek civil damages of $1,000 a day from the errant merchant.

There have been moves away from cash since the COVID outbreak, with some merchants loath to accept dollar bills and the viruses that they fear they might carry. Chaplik scoffed at that logic, saying theres no more chance of transmission of disease from cash as there is from pressing the buttons on a device that accepts credit and debit cards for payment.

Instead, he said the issue is that there are people who, for whatever reason, only operate with cash.

That, Chaplik said, includes about 6 million people who are unbanked, meaning they have no relationship at all with a financial institution.

This helps those individuals that live paycheck-to-paycheck and cash their checks, he said. And Chaplik said that includes 11% of Black and 9% of Hispanic people.

The lone person to testify against the measure when it was heard earlier this week in the House Commerce Committee was Mike Huckins, lobbyist for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. He described the measure as an unacceptable mandate on business.

While we understand that some people prefer to use cash, its our position that businesses should be free to take the form of payment that best suits their individual business model and/or needs, Huckins told lawmakers.

There are many reasons why businesses may choose not to accept cash payment, including operational efficiencies, less risk of robbery or accepting counterfeit bills, he said.

The Federal Reserve  the folks who print out all those bills with the legal tender verbiage  says there is no federal law mandating that any person, private business or organization must accept their currency or even coins from the U.S. Mint.

Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law that says otherwise, the agency says.

But lawmakers on the panel from both parties were not convinced.

Cesar Aguilar, D-Phoenix, recalled as a broke college kid not being able to pay cash for his rent. In fact, he said, the only way to pay the rent was to log into a web portal which charged an additional fee to use a credit or debit card.

Rep. Justin Heap, R-Mesa, spoke of his time working in construction along with Hispanics.

I know a lot of them were operating on cash only, he said.

I dont know how those people function in a cashless society, Heap said. And I dont feel there should be any burden on them to go to banks and get debit cards if they dont want to when, as Mr. Chaplik pointed out, the cash states on it that it is for every debt, both private and public.
Back in the 1970s, when Randy Tudisco went to introduce her boyfriend Steven Fenton to her Italian grandmother, she stuttered and what came out in the introduction was not Fenton.

It was Fentonelli.

Grandma approved of the relationship, even though the beau was not Italian, and the couple eventually married and had three kids.

Those kids  Courtney, Zachary and Tyler Fenton  drew on their parents love story when they renamed the northwest Tucson location of their popular downtown pizzeria.

As of Thursday, Feb. 9, Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink North at 7262 N. Oracle Road, the 18-month sister of its namesake location at 101 E. Pennington St., is Fentonellis Pizzeria & Bar.

It was a cute family story, said Tyler Fenton. When it was time to decide a name, we went with that.

Fenton, who runs the kitchens at both eateries as well as the siblings nearly-year-old restaurant Bata at 35 E. Toole Ave., said the rebranding started out simply as a few menu tweaks. But the more they tweaked, the more he and sister Courtney, who runs the front-of-house operations at the restaurants, realized they could end up confusing customers if the two Reilly menus didnt match.

We wanted to make sure there wasnt some brand confusion, Fenton said Tuesday, Feb. 7, as he and the staff prepared for Thursdays relaunch. The changes we wanted to make were large enough that we thought a full rebrand, concept tweak, was the right move. So we ran with it.

Those changes include replacing the 12-inch pizzas with a 16-inch longer-bake pie, inspired by one Fenton experienced during a trip to Philadelphia.

It was just really good and I got back from that trip and I started experimenting with how our dough behaved with the longer bake, he explained. It worked out well and it kind of gave us a new direction to go.

The larger pie holds up better for takeout, he said, and the takeout business at the northwest side restaurant is significantly higher than at the downtown location.

Fentonellis menu also includes build-your-own scratch-made pastas: diners can choose between rigatoni and spaghetti or gluten-free pasta and top it with their choice of marinara, vodka sauce, Sunday gravy (meat sauce), creamy alfredo and shrimp scampi. You also will find on the menu chicken parmesan, mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce, cheesy garlic bread, parmesan-truffle crinkle fries and, in a nod to Reillys, Brussels sprouts with hot sauce and pecan brittle.

The restaurant also has a full bar menu of cocktails, wine and imported and domestic beers.

Fentonellis is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays; its closed on Mondays.

Follow the restaurant on Instagram at instagram.com/fentonellispizzeria.
Now that the George Alan Kelly story has gone national, picked up by the Associated Press, people think they already know what it means.

They pick the version they want to be true, the one that fits their preconceptions of how the border really is.

Kelly, 73, is accused of shooting to death a Mexican man just north of the border, in the rural Kino Springs area east of Nogales. Kelly and his wife live there, and he described himself as a rancher, the Nogales International reported.

If youre the type who watches Fox News, this is the story you will probably choose: An American rancher under siege due to Pres. Bidens bad border policy, now is accused of murder for simply defending his home against smugglers.

If youre the type who watches MSNBC, youre more likely to see it as the story of a vigilante border rancher looking for trouble and killing an innocent migrant.

At a preliminary hearing, now scheduled for Feb. 22, prosecutors and investigators will present their evidence that the killing of 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, a Mexican citizen from Nogales, Sonora, was a crime. Cuen-Buitimea has previously been convicted of illegal entry at least twice.

But nothing presented at that hearing is likely to change the story people want to tell themselves about the incident leading to Kellys arrest.

Whats surprising about this incident, different from others involving ranchers over the years, is that Kelly apparently had his own story of border violence to tell long before this shooting occurred.

As reported by Angela Gervasi of the Nogales International, there is an unknown little novel, published in 2013 by a George Alan Kelly who by all appearances is the same man accused in this case. The story takes place on the VMR Ranch; in real life, Kelly and his wife Wanda own a property named the Vermillion Mountain Ranch.

The book is about a rancher named George and his wife Wanda who live near the international line and become embroiled in a violent cross-border incident.

I bought the short book for $2.99 on Amazon yesterday and sped through its 57 pages on my computer. Its not surprising that Far Beyond the Border Fence is not a good book.

But thats not really the point. What interested me is the kind of story this man living right near the border on a rural property chose to tell about the border.

George and Wandas ranch was doing fine until after the 2008 election, when work on a nearby border wall stopped, the book recounts. Then, smugglers and migrants become an increasing problem.

One day in fall, Georges prize horse is stolen, and a cut-open fence suggests the horse was taken to Mexico, the story goes on. The effort to recover the horse, a gift from Georges son in Montana, leads to the kidnapping of one son and that sons wife. That then leads to various illegal incursions into Mexico on horseback by George, his other son and the local sheriff.

Finally, deep in the Sierra Madre, they uncover something even more sinister  a terrorist plot involving a dirty bomb! The drug traffickers in a nearby Mexican town have become entangled in a plot involving Ecuadorians and Arabs to destroy Santa Cruz, a U.S. border town that seems to stand in for Nogales, as well as its twin city in Mexico.

Near the climax of the story comes this passage: Then a voice came from the west, it was Eben. In broken English he issued a warning, that if the former hostages didnt surrender, he would remotely detonate the bomb. The Sheriff hollered for him to go ahead. No reply.

The Sheriff was sure that Ebens plan for his own personal Jehad wouldnt forego the mass destruction of Santa Cruz just to blow up an Arizona Sheriff and ten more gentiles. Eben, realizing that his bluff had been called, screamed out what the Sheriff figured were the Arabic words for son of a bitch or worse.

You will not be surprised to learn that after much gunfire, the rancher and his sons, bloodied but unbowed, return to the ranch in time for Christmas. Sorry for the spoiler.

Rancher stories have been a staple of border news for decades. Back in the late 1990s, I spent significant time on Cochise County ranches, compiling the depredations suffered there at the hands of border crossers who cut fences and burglarized homes and occasionally committed violence.

There were also the ranchers accused of taking the law into their own hands  the Hanigans in the 1980s, and the Barnetts in the early 2000s.

Over time, these became a staple of conservative news outlets, a cliche, and I soured on them. Border-rancher stories took on the trappings of stereotype, starring the same one or two characters, who I learned they were not even representative of the broader experiences of borderland ranchers  variable, not uniformly of suffering or violence.

If George Alan Kelly did indeed shoot Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, there is infinite variety in the possible reasons, and ultimately a yes-or-no decision on whether the killing was a crime.

In the meantime we shouldnt fall back on old tropes in assessing the case, a danger that even border ranchers apparently fall into when they take pen in hand.
As glaciers melt and pour massive amounts of water into nearby lakes, 15 million people across the globe live under the threat of a sudden and deadly outburst flood, a new study found.

More than half of those living in the shadow of the disaster called glacial lake outburst floods are in just four countries: India, Pakistan, Peru and China, according to a study in Tuesday's Nature Communications. A second study, awaiting publication in a peer-reviewed journal, catalogs more than 150 glacial flood outbursts in history and recent times.

It's a threat Americans and Europeans rarely think about, but 1 million people live within just 6 miles of potentially unstable glacial-fed lakes, the study calculated.

One of the more devastating floods was in Peru in 1941 and killed between 1,800 and 6,000 people. Heavy rains and a glacial lake outburst flood combined in 2013 in India to kill thousands of people. A 2020 glacial lake outburst flood in British Columbia, Canada, caused a tsunami of water about 330 feet tall, but no one was hurt. A 2017 glacial outburst flood in Nepal, triggered by a landslide, was captured on video by German climbers. Alaska's Mendenhall glacier has had annual small glacial outburst floods in what the National Weather Service calls "suicide basin" since 2011, according to study lead author Caroline Taylor, a researcher at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.

Scientists say so far it doesn't seem like climate change has made those floods more frequent, but as glaciers shrink with warming, the amount of water in the lakes grows, making them more dangerous in those rare situations when dams burst.

"We had glacier lake outburst floods in the past that have killed many many thousands of people in a single catastrophic flooding event," said study co-author Tom Robinson, a disaster risk scientist at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. "And with climate change glaciers are melting so these lakes are getting bigger, potentially getting more unstable."

Dan Shugar, a geoscientist at the University of Calgary who wasn't part of the two studies, said much of the threat depends simply on how many people live in a glacial flood zone.

"In a warming world we certainly expect more and larger glacial lakes," Shugar said in an email. "But the threat that these lakes might pose critically depends on where people are living and what their vulnerabilities might be."

Robinson said what's different about his study is that it's the first to look at the climate, geography, population, vulnerability and all these factors to get "a good overview of where in the world is the most dangerous places" for all 1,089 glacial basins.

At the top of the list is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa basin in Pakistan, north of Islamabad.

"That's particularly bad," Robinson said. "Lots of people and they're very, very vulnerable" because they live in a valley below the lake.

The trouble is that scientists are focusing too much attention on the Pakistan, India, China and the Himalayas, often called High Mountain Asia, and somewhat ignoring the Andes, Robinson said. The second and third highest risk basins are in Peru's Santa basin, and Bolivia's Beni basin, the paper said.

After the deadly Andes flood in the 1940s, that region "was sort of a leader" in working on glacial flood outburst threats, but in the last decade or so High Mountain Asia took over because of its high population, said University of Dayton geology professor Umesh Haritashya, who wasn't part of the studies.

Three lake basins in the United States and Canada rank high for threats, from the Pacific Northwest to Alaska, but aren't nearly as high as areas in Asia and the Andes and have few people in the danger zone. They are in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula  distinct from the Mendenhall glacier near Juneau  northeast Washington and west-central British Columbia.
STOCKHOLM  Tickets for the first concert of Beyonce's upcoming "Renaissance" world tour sold out Tuesday, and concert management group Live Nation said a second concert in Stockholm was added because of the high demand.

The tour starts in Sweden in May and is scheduled to include stops in London, Paris, Barcelona, Toronto and the United States. The last expected concert is set for Sept. 27 in New Orleans.

No details were given on how quickly the R&B superstar's fans snapped up all the tickets for her May 10 Stockholm show. Tickets are set to go on sale Wednesday for the second show in Sweden's capital on May 11.

Beyonce will perform both concerts at the Friends Arena, a multi-purpose stadium with a retractable roof and a concert audience capacity of 65,000.

This year's performance's will be will be Beyonce's first solo world tour since her "Formation" tour in 2016. She last appeared in Stockholm in 2018 while touring with her husband, Jay Z.

"Renaissance," the album Beyonce released last year, is a celebration of dance music, the artist said.
LOS ANGELES  The life of Los Angeles most famous mountain lion followed a path known only to the biggest of Hollywood stars: Discovered on-camera in 2012, the cougar adopted a stage name and enjoyed a decade of celebrity status before his tragic death late last year.

The popular puma gained fame as P-22 and cast a spotlight on the troubled population of Californias endangered mountain lions and their decreasing genetic diversity. Now, with his remains stored in a freezer at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, wildlife officials and representatives from the regions tribal communities are debating his next act.

Biologists and conservationists want to retain samples of P-22s tissue, fur and whiskers for scientific testing to aid in future wildlife research. But some representatives of the Chumash, Tataviam and Gabrielino (Tongva) peoples say his body should be returned, untouched, to the ancestral lands where he spent his life so he can be honored with a traditional burial.

In tribal communities here, mountain lions are regarded as relatives and considered teachers. P-22 is seen as an extraordinary animal, according to Alan Salazar, a tribal member of the Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and a descendent of the Chumash tribe who said his death should be honored appropriately.

We want to bury him like hes a wot, like a tomier,  Salazar said, which are two of the words for chief or leader in the Chumash and Tataviam languages, respectively. Because thats what he was.

Likely born about 12 years ago in the western Santa Monica Mountains, wildlife officials believe the aggression of P-22s father and his own struggle to find a mate amid a dwindling population drove the cougar to cross two heavily traveled freeways and migrate east.

He made his debut in 2012, captured on a trail camera by biologist Miguel Ordenana in Griffith Park, home of the Hollywood sign and part of ancestral Gabrielino (Tongva) land.

Promptly tagged and christened P-22  as the 22nd puma in a National Park Service study  he spawned a decade of devotion among Californians, who saw themselves mirrored in his bachelor status, his harrowing journey to the heart of Los Angeles and his prime real estate in Griffith Park amid the citys urban sprawl. Los Angeles and Mumbai are the worlds only major cities where large cats have been a regular presence for years  mountain lions in one, leopards in the other  though pumas began roaming the streets of Santiago, Chile, during pandemic lockdowns.

Angelenos celebrated his life recently at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park in a star-studded memorial that featured musical performances, tribal blessings, speeches about the importance of P-22s life and wildlife conservation, and a video message from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Proceeds from merchandise sales of P-22 T-shirts, toys and prints went to the Save the LA Cougars campaign. The group was inspired by P-22 to advocate for a wildlife crossing over a Los Angeles-area freeway that will allow big cats and other animals safe passage between the mountains and wildlands to the north. The bridge broke ground in April.

P-22s star dimmed last November, when he killed a Chihuahua on a dogwalkers leash in the Hollywood Hills and likely attacked another weeks later. Wildlife officials said the puma seemed to be exhibiting signs of distress, in part due to aging.

They captured P-22 on Dec. 12 in a residential backyard in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood. Examinations revealed a skull fracture  the result of being hit by a car  and chronic illnesses including a skin infection and diseases of the kidneys and liver.

The citys cherished big cat was euthanized five days later.

Los Angeles mourned P-22 as one of its own, with songs, stories and murals crying long live the king. Post-It notes of remembrance blanketed an exhibit wall at the Natural History Museum and childrens paw print messages covered a tableau outside the LA Zoo.

While fame is fleeting for most celebrities, P-22s legacy lives on  though in what form is now up for debate.

The Natural History Museum took possession of the animals remains, prompting swift condemnation by tribal leaders who feared P-22s body could be taxidermized and put on display. Samples taken during the animals necropsy also are causing concerns among the tribal communities about burying the cougar intact.

In order to continue on your journey into the afterlife, you have to be whole, said Desiree Martinez, an archaeologist and member of the Gabrielino (Tongva) community.

A year before P-22s death, Ordenana  the wildlife biologist whose camera first spotted the cougar and is now a senior manager of community science at the Natural History Museum  had applied for a permit from the state for the museum to receive the mountain lions remains when he died. Typically an animal carcass would be discarded.

Ordenana and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife have apologized, saying they should have spoken with the tribes from the start.

Museum, state and other officials began talks with the tribes Jan. 30 in the hopes of reaching a compromise. Ordenana and other scientists are advocating to retain at least some of P-22s tissue samples to preserve future research opportunities for the endangered animals as new technologies and techniques arise.

Were trying to see what can we do differently  regarding outreach, regarding our process  that is feasible for us as an institution, Ordenana said, but respectful of both the scientific and the cultural-historic legacy of these animals.

Salazar and Martinez, however, do not believe samples should be taken from the animals remains and held by the museum in perpetuity.

Weve been studied like the mountain lion has been studied, Salazar said. Those bones of my tribal ancestors are in boxes so they can be studied by future generations. Were not a science project.
NURDAGI, Turkey  Search teams and aid poured into Turkey and Syria on Tuesday as rescuers working in freezing temperatures and sometimes using their bare hands dug through the remains of buildings flattened by a powerful earthquake.

The death toll soared above 7,700 and was still expected to rise.

But with the damage spread over a wide area, the massive relief operation often struggled to reach devastated towns, and voices that were crying out from the rubble fell silent.

Mondays magnitude 7.8 quake and a cascade of strong aftershocks cut a swath of destruction that stretched hundreds of miles across southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria. The shaking toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by Syrias 12-year civil war and refugee crisis.

One temblor that followed the first registered at magnitude 7.5, powerful in its own right.

Unstable piles of metal and concrete made the search efforts perilous, while freezing temperatures made them ever more urgent as worries grew about how long trapped survivors could last in the cold.

The scale of the suffering  and the accompanying rescue effort  was staggering.

More than 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkey alone, and some 380,000 took refuge in government shelters or hotels, said Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.

Many took to social media to plead for assistance for loved ones believed to be trapped under rubble. Turkish authorities said the information was being relayed to search teams.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 13 million of the countrys 85 million people were affected, and he declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. Turkey was already grappling with an economic downturn.

Adelheid Marschang, a senior emergencies officer with the World Health Organization, said up to 23 million people could be affected in the entire quake-hit area, calling it a crisis on top of multiple crises.

Teams from almost 30 countries headed for Turkey or Syria. The United Nations said it is exploring all avenues to get supplies to rebel-held northwestern Syria.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the road leading to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey was damaged, temporarily disrupting aid delivery to the rebel-held northwest.

Dujarric said the U.N. is preparing a convoy to cross the conflict lines within Syria, but that would likely require a new agreement with President Bashar Assads government, which has laid siege to rebel-held areas throughout the civil war.

Volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets have years of experience rescuing people from buildings destroyed by Syrian and Russian airstrikes in the rebel-held enclave, but they said the earthquake overwhelmed their capabilities.

Mounir al-Mostafa, the deputy head of the White Helmets, said they were able to respond efficiently to up to 30 locations at a time but now face calls for help from more than 700.

Teams are present in those locations, but the available machinery and equipment are not enough, he said, adding that the first 72 hours were crucial for any rescue effort.

Nurgul Atay told The Associated Press she could hear her mothers voice beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the Turkish city of Antakya, the capital of Hatay province. But rescuers did not have the heavy equipment needed to rescue her.

If only we could lift the concrete slab, wed be able to reach her, she said. My mother is 70 years old, she wont be able to withstand this for long.

Residents of Hatay accused the government of not rushing rescuers there fast enough, while the Turkish presidency has rejected such criticism as disinformation.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 1,647 people were killed in Hatay alone, the highest toll of any Turkish province. At least 1,846 people had been rescued as of Tuesday evening, he said. Hatays airport was closed after the quake destroyed the runway, complicating rescue efforts.

Turkey has large numbers of troops in the border region and tasked the military with aiding in the rescue efforts, including setting up tents for the homeless and a field hospital in Hatay province.

A navy ship docked on Tuesday at the provinces port of Iskenderun, where a hospital collapsed, to transport survivors in need of medical care to a nearby city.

A large fire at the port, caused by containers that toppled over during the earthquake, sent thick plumes of black smoke into the sky. The Defense Ministry said the blaze was extinguished with the help of military aircraft, but live footage broadcast by CNN Turk showed it was still burning.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Arizona Republicans just gave themselves permission to destroy email and text messages. Their choice to hide conversations about new laws  or ill-conceived election audits  should concern everyone.

Two weeks ago, Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate unilaterally voted to change their operating procedures. Under their new rules, lawmakers are allowed to delete public records including text messages, chat messages and calendar entries whenever they want. They can even delete email 90 days after the email is sent or received. The destruction of important public records will have a devastating impact on transparency, accountability, and stopping out-of-state influence on Arizona laws.

Arizonas public records statutes give insight into the lawmaking process by opening up government activity to public review and public scrutiny. The statutes give people a direct mechanism to monitor the behavior and activities of elected officials. While broadly defining public records, our statutes create a presumption that those public documents will be available upon request. Closely aligned to the definition of public records are requirements that documents and communications be preserved and maintained. All of these statutory safeguards are in place for good reason.

Recently, Arizona State Rep. Justin Heaps email revealed he was evaluating legislative meeting requests based on whether donations were made to his campaign, the Washington Post reported Jan. 27. Regarding the 2020 election audit, Republican leaders in the Arizona Senate publicly denied Trump was involved. A public records request helped uncover email and text messages confirming that $1 million of the audit money from outside Arizona actually came from Trump.

The communications lawmakers have in furtherance of legislative duties are critically important to an accurate historical understanding of both how and why a law came about. For example, when out-of-state groups hand legislators a bill in final form, the public should know what group drafted the bill. Similarly, when a legislator changes a bill to favor one industry, the public should know which group asked for the change. Knowing these details gives the public a necessary window into who elected officials talk with, listen to, or take direction from.

The new rule permitting destruction of email after 90 days is highly concerning because new laws go into effect 90 days after the legislative session ends. By the time a new Arizona law takes effect, all records about legislative communications will have been destroyed. In most cases, meetings and discussions about a bill happen many months before the text of a proposed law becomes public. As a practical matter, if a group sends a public records request to a legislator, the legislator can simply delete all text, chat, and calendar entries.

During the legislative session, a little-known trick lawmakers use to pass surprise legislation is called a non-germane striker. This political maneuver allows them to insert a completely new bill after the opportunity for public comment has expired. Quite often, these bills are drafted five to six months before introduction and secretly kept in a legislators back pocket. Records destruction after 90 days would encourage the use of this trick and there would be no evidence trail left for anyone to follow or investigate.

House Speaker Ben Toma claimed the 90-day rule was made to balance disclosure and privacy. When it comes to the public trust, transparency trumps privacy. Elected officials know their legislative activities are presumptively open to public scrutiny and their conversations about non-legislative matters are private. So whose privacy are the Republicans trying to protect? Under this dangerous rule, valuable historical information about the drafting decisions and influences on lawmakers will be permanently lost. Republicans dont want the public to know what they are doing or who they are working with, and that should worry us all.
Robin Li , CEO of Baidu, speaks during the main forum of the 3rd Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, Oct. 12, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]



Chinese online search giant Baidu Inc. will launch an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service named "ERNIE Bot" after it completes internal testing in March, according to the company.

The chatbot is currently going through the final phase of preparations. Once operational, it will run in a similar fashion to ChatGPT developed by the U.S. company OpenAI, which can generate human-like text based on input.

Baidu CEO, Robin Li, identified a shift in AI development at both the technological level and business applications back in September 2022. The company noted that it has all the necessary technology related to the ChatGPT project, with a full-stack layout in its AI framework, including chips, deep learning frameworks, large models, and search applications.

Baidu has put years of effort into developing artificial intelligence. In March 2019, it proposed the ERNIE framework, which incorporates knowledge on the basis of deep learning and a continuous learning capability.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden exhorted Congress Tuesday night to work with him to "finish the job" of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.

In his 73-minute speech, Biden sought to portray a nation dramatically improved from the one he took charge of two years ago: from a reeling economy to one prosperous with new jobs; from a crippled, pandemic-weary nation to one that has now reopened, and a democracy that has survived its biggest test since the Civil War.

"The story of America is a story of progress and resilience. Of always moving forward. Of never giving up. A story that is unique among all nations," Biden said. "We are the only country that has emerged from every crisis stronger than when we entered it. That is what we are doing again."

"We're not finished yet by any stretch of the imagination," he declared.

The backdrop for the annual address was markedly different from the previous two years, with a Republican speaker now sitting expressionless behind Biden and newly empowered GOP lawmakers in the chamber sometimes shouting criticism of him and his administration.

Biden sought to reassure the nation that his stewardship has delivered results both at home and abroad, as he also set out to prove his fitness for a likely reelection bid.

But the challenges for Biden are many: economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China and more. Signs of past trauma at the Capitol, most notably the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, were unavoidable: A large fence encircled the complex, and lawmakers and those in attendance faced tighter-than-usual security.

From the start, the partisan divisions were clear. Democrats  including Vice President Kamala Harris  jumped to applause as Biden began his speech. New Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, though he had greeted the president warmly when he entered the chamber, stayed in his seat.

Rather than rolling out flashy policy proposals, the president set out to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation's condition, declaring that two years after the Capitol attack, America's democracy was "unbowed and unbroken."

He highlighted record job creation during his tenure as the country has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden also pointed to areas of bipartisan progress in his first two years in office, including on states' vital infrastructure and high tech manufacturing. And he said, "There is no reason we can't work together in this new Congress."

"The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere," Biden said. "And that's always been my vision for the country: to restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America  the middle class  to unite the country."

"We've been sent here to finish the job!"

The president took to the House rostrum at a time when just a quarter of U.S. adults say things in the country are headed in the right direction, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About three-quarters say things are on the wrong track. And a majority of Democrats don't want Biden to seek another term.

He sought to confront those sentiments head-on.

"You wonder whether a path even exists anymore for you and your children to get ahead without moving away, I get it," Biden said. "That's why we're building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years."

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who gained a national profile as former President Donald Trump's press secretary, delivered the Republican response to Biden's speech.

She focused much of her remarks on social issues, including race in business and education and alleged big-tech censorship of conservatives.

"While you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day," she said. "Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn't start and never wanted to fight."

"The choice is between normal and crazy," she added.

With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted, the White House and legislators from both parties invited guests designed to drive home political messages with their presence in the House chamber. The mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, who was severely beaten by police officers in Memphis and later died, were among those seated with first lady Jill Biden. Other Biden guests included the rock star/humanitarian Bono and 26-year-old Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a gunman in last month's Monterey Park, California, shooting.

"There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a child," Biden said after introducing RowVaughn and Rodney Wells to a standing ovation. Their grief was palpable as they stood and were recognized by the president and the audience. Biden called on Congress to "rise to the moment" after Nichols' death to make meaningful change.

Biden drew bipartisan applause when he praised most law enforcement officers as "good, decent people" but added that "when police officers or police departments violate the public's trust, we must hold them accountable."

Biden, not known for his oratory, appeared relaxed and confident as he delivered his address. He casually adlibbed remarks, fed off the responses from Democratic lawmakers who frequently stood up with thunderous ovations and playfully engaged with his Republican critics.

Addressing Republicans who voted against the big bipartisan infrastructure law, Biden said he'd still ensure their pet projects received federal support. "I promised to be the president for all Americans," he said. "We'll fund these projects. And I'll see you at the ground-breaking."
Welcoming several pews full of schoolchildren, Bishop David Konderla quipped that they were the only ones there Tuesday who would still be around for the dioceses next 50-year jubilee.

But what will happen in the next 50 years? the bishop wondered.

Pope Paul VI created the local Catholic diocese on Feb. 7, 1973. And exactly five decades later, priests from 78 different parishes came together to celebrate a special Mass in downtown Tulsa.

Anniversaries mark the past, Konderla said during the homily, but we celebrate because of the future. And the future of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma  and of the church itself  is, I think, dependent on one thing.

While modern culture regards some Catholic doctrines as controversial, the church will bear fruit only if it remains faithful to its original teachings and will wither on the vine if it doesnt, Konderla said.

The future of the diocese is not a question of politics or cultural ideology or demographics, he said. Rather, it is entirely a question of fidelity to Jesus Christ.

Hundreds of people came to the Mass at Holy Family Cathedral, one of Tulsas most recognizable landmarks with a 251-foot central spire that made it the tallest building in the city when it was finished in 1914.

Tulsa had a population under 20,000 at the time, making Holy Family seem almost ridiculously big for a relatively small city. But early parishioners anticipated the city growing and their church eventually becoming a cathedral, or seat of a bishop, and wanted Tulsa to have a suitable facility.

In the late 1920s, Oklahoma City Bishop Francis Kelly asked the Vatican to split his diocese and name a new bishop to oversee the eastern half of the state. For the time being, however, church officials agreed only to make Tulsas Holy Family a co-cathedral, or a sort of second headquarters for Kellys sprawling jurisdiction.

The Tulsa dioceses birthday has sometimes been listed as Dec. 19, 1972, the date Bernard Ganter was named the citys first bishop. But he was not formally installed until Feb. 7, 1973.

At the time, the new diocese included 50,000 Catholics at 50 parishes with 64 priests.

The Tulsa diocese now serves 61,000 Catholics across 31 counties with 78 parishes overseen by 105 priests and 89 deacons.

After Tuesdays Mass, the pastor of each parish received a papal blessing parchment from Pope Francis for display in every Catholic church across the diocese.

Mayor G.T. Bynum, the grandson of Mayor Robert LaFortune, who was in office when the diocese was born, also spoke briefly to declare it Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma Day.

As the mayor, one of the privileges you get is to issue a proclamation on truly momentous days for our city, Bynum said. And this is one of them.

Featured video:

Photos: Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Mass at Holy Family Cathedral 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p1 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p2 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p3 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p4 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p5 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p6 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p7 020823-tul-nws-diocesebirthday-p8 Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Diocese of Tulsa 50th anniversary Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now HIDE VERTICAL GALLERY ASSET TITLES
A second 15-year-old has been arrested in connection with a homicide after a boy was found fatally shot in a Broken Arrow neighborhood last month.

The U.S. Marshals Services Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task force assisted police in the arrest of JaCori Whitmore, the Broken Arrow Police Department announced in a press release.

Whitmore is accused in the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy who was found in the 1400 block of West Trenton Street, a residential area northeast of 51st Street and 145th East Avenue, early Jan. 24, police said.

A week earlier, 15-year-old KyLeigh Shaw was arrested in connection with the homicide. Both Whitmore and Shaw are expected to face first-degree murder charges and be tried as adults, police said.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to Broken Arrow police.

April 2021 video: Gang violence a community issue
The squabble between veterans groups and Gov. Kevin Stitt took on a new dimension Tuesday when a bill that would strip the chief executive of his control of the commission that oversees the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs became one of the first this session to be advanced from a House of Representatives committee.

House Bill 1080, by Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, would reduce the gubernatorial appointments to the Oklahoma Veterans Commission from all nine members to two. The other seven members would be appointed by the president pro tem of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general and the labor commissioner.

The president pro tem and speaker would each have two appointees, the others one each.

HB 1080 passed the House Government Modernization and Technology Committee on a 9-0 vote Tuesday, the second day of the legislative session, and is now eligible to be heard by the full House. Passage by the House seems likely, if it is brought to a vote, but whether the Senate will go along  much less whether Stitt would sign such a measure  is less certain.

The bill retains the current protocol whereby three members are appointed at large and the other six represent specific service organizations such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Each of the service organization representatives is supposed to be chosen from among five candidates submitted by each of the organizations, but that procedure has not always been followed by Stitt.

The Veterans Commissions nine members must all be honorably discharged military veterans. Of those, at least two must be Persian Gulf vets and one must be a Vietnam War veteran.

Stitts office maintains that some of the service organizations have forfeited their right to nominate members because of technical violations of the law. The organizations dispute that and say Stitt has circumvented them in order to control the commission.

Under the terms of HB 1080, the governor would appoint one member from the National Guard Association of Oklahoma and one at-large member.

The speaker of the House would name one member from the Military Order of the Purple Heart and one at-large member; and the Senate president pro tem would name one member from the Oklahoma American Legion and one at-large member.

The lieutenant governor would name one member from the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the attorney general would name one member from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The labor commissioner would have one appointee from the Disabled American Veterans.

Steagall, a veteran of more than 20 years in the National Guard, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve and chairman of the Veterans Caucus, said the Oklahoma Veterans Commission is not designed to report directly to the chief executive. He said thats difficult when one person is making all of the appointments.

Leaders of some veterans groups have said they believe Stitts appointments in the past year have been driven by his desire to have the board fire Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director Joel Kintsel, who challenged Stitt in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary, and they say Stitt wants to privatize the seven veterans homes overseen by the agency.

Stitts office denies any privatization plans.

My concern is not to try to save anybodys job, despite what this might look like, said Steagall. The goal of this bill is to make sure that politics are taken out of the equation with the appointment of these commissioners, so that doesnt translate into a hindrance of the services we need to provide roughly 400,000 veterans in the state.

One controversy bubbling in the background is a dispute with a former contractor that has delayed work on a new $75 million veterans home on 90 acres near Sallisaw. In a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, last week, Kintsel said poor work by the contractor has cost the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs $21 million, which it is suing to recover.

Featured video:
Not unexpectedly, Oklahomas all-Republican congressional delegation had little good to say about President Joe Bidens State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Hes so out of touch with the American people, 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern said in a tweeted video. He wont take responsibility for the economy crisis, the border crisis or the energy crisis, or even the Afghanistan crisis and now the crime crisis.

The American people are hurting, said Hern. The president needs to acknowledge that. Its time for him to be a leader.

In a written statement, Hern said, We need honesty from the White House, and we need a legitimate effort to work with Republicans to cut the spending of American taxpayer dollars and restore fiscal sanity before its too late.

In a 19-minute tweeted video, U.S. Sen. James Lankford said Bidens speech is exactly what socialism sounds like. Were going to have much higher taxes on every single company. Were going to try to compel companies to come back, but when they come back from overseas, were going to dramatically increase their taxes. And were going to get government involved in everything from the price of drugs to the price of your hotel to the price of your concert tickets. He made all of these promises  everything that annoys you, government is going to fix it. So that was jarring, to say the least.

Lankford was also critical of Bidens comments on energy and border security and for taking credit for a sharp decline in budget deficits during his term. Most analyses say thats almost entirely because the COVID-19 pandemic has waned and that by some measures the deficits, while lower, are still higher than projected.

In a written statement, Oklahomas other U.S. senator, Markwayne Mullin, said: Once again, Joe Biden offers empty words, false promises, and no solutions for the many crises he has created. Joe Biden ran on unity, but his last two years in office have been among the most divisive and destructive in history.

Also in a written statement, 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas said: Theres no doubt the president can find common ground with the Republican House majority the American people elected. We must pass a fiscally responsible government funding bill, a strong National Defense Authorization Act, and a comprehensive Farm Bill. While Im sure President Biden will soon launch another presidential campaign, the President has an opportunity to set aside his partys progressive all-or-nothing approach that sharpens the ideological wedge in our country.

The Twitter accounts of Mullin, Hern, Lankford and Reps. Stephanie Bice and Josh Brecheen were busy during Bidens speech, mostly with critiques that followed GOP talking points.

While Biden projected as optimistic a picture as possible, Republicans  including Oklahomas delegation  were mostly gloom and doom.

While the American people remain strong, sadly the state of the union is anything but strong, Bice tweeted at the end of the speech.

Illegal immigration and drugs were a popular Republican Twitter topic.

In the last three months of 2022, Customs and Border Protection seized over 9,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the border, said Brecheen. THIS is Bidens Border Crisis.

Mullin also connected illegal border crossings with fentanyl, although most reports indicate the drug is entering the U.S. mostly by air, sea and land ports of entries.

The flyover of what U.S. officials described as a Chinese surveillance balloon was offered as a sign of administration weakness.

Joe Biden let a Chinese spy balloon fly over America. What else will he let China get away with? tweeted Lankford.

Biden on Chinese balloon: We did the right thing
OKLAHOMA CITY  A senate committee passed two bills aimed at transgender care on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 613, by Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, would prohibit the provision of transgender health care to minors.

Violation of the act would be a felony with a fine of up to $100,000 and a prison sentence not to exceed 10 years. Violators would have their license revoked and could also face civil action.

Daniels said the measure was needed to prevent irreversible medical transitions in minors who might regret the decision when they get older.

Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said lawmakers are taking away a parents right to determine medical treatment for a child. She said the Legislature is also interfering with rights of doctors.

Daniels said she knows how divisive the issue is.

The Senate Rules Committee was packed with people who support the rights of transgender individuals.

This bill is government intervention in the worst way, said Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City.

Daniels said there is nothing in the bill that targets anyone, which drew laughter from the crowd followed by an admonishment by the committees vice chairman about the need to keep order.

The Rules Committee also passed SB 129, by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, which would prohibit public funds from being used for transgender care.

Public funds shall not be directly or indirectly used, granted, paid, or distributed to any entity, organization, or individual that provides gender transition procedures, the bill says.

Both measures passed along party lines, 12-2, with Democrats voting against them.

Willa Marlowe, 20, who is in the process of transitioning to male, attended the meeting.

We lost the battle, but we will try again tomorrow, said Marlowe, of Oklahoma City. It is important that we keep trying.

While some lawmakers claim that such legislation protects children, it actually puts them at risk and in danger, Marlowe said.

I myself have struggled with gender dysphoria, anxiety and depression for a vast majority of my life, Marlowe said. And I have seen people who have taken their own lives because of the same thing.

Featured video:

Gallery: Highlights from bills filed for Oklahoma's 2023 legislative session Minimum age to carry firearms Second Amendment protection Changing the state question process School choice proposal Senate Bill 943 by Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee Slate of bills from Senate Education Committee chair Senate Bill 656 by Sen. David Bullard Putting abortion to a vote Race Massacre reparations Addressing problems at the polls Transgender health care Clarifying Oklahoma's abortion ban Prohibiting sex ed Psilocybin research Defining criminal lewdness Continued work on medical marijuana oversight House Bill 2012 by Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now
Rescue efforts intensify as devastating earthquakes kill about 5,000 in Turkiye, Syria

Xinhua) 08:18, February 08, 2023

ANKARA/DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The international community has pledged support for Turkiye and Syria after devastating earthquakes jolted vast swathes of the two neighboring countries on Monday. Rescuers are braving harsh weather and the risk of more quakes to save survivors from the wreckage.

About 5,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured as of Tuesday noon by the devastating earthquakes that could also be felt in Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel and other surrounding countries.

Aid and condolences poured in from world leaders as Turkiye and Syria called on the global community to help.

HEAVY CASUALTIES, LOSSES

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT), followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake minutes later in the southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. (1024 GMT) in Kahramanmaras.

At least 78 aftershocks were recorded, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Monday. Meteorological authorities monitored several magnitude 5.0 or stronger tremors in the afternoon.

Rescue work is in progress in quake-hit Aleppo province, northern Syria, Feb. 6, 2023. (Str/Xinhua)

In Turkiye, the death toll climbed to 3,419, at least 20,534 others were injured, and more than 5,775 buildings destroyed, according to official data.

In the wake of the deadly quakes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared national mourning for a week, saying, "Turkish flag will be hoisted at half-mast until sunset on Sunday all around Turkiye, at all foreign representations."

More than 1,500 people died, and some 3,500 were injured in Syria, according to the Syrian health ministry and local authorities.

Historic sites in Syria were affected. "Parts of the Ottoman mill in the Citadel" of Aleppo have collapsed, and the defensive walls have cracks, said Syria's antiquities and museums directorate.

Monday's earthquake is believed to be the strongest in Turkiye since the magnitude 7.9 tremor in eastern Erzincan Province left 33,000 people dead in 1939.

Earthquakes frequently strike Turkiye due to its tectonic location. In 2020, the country recorded almost 33,000 earthquakes in the region, including 332 at magnitudes of 4.0 and higher, the country's emergency authority said.

The country should undergo a massive campaign to reconstruct cities threatened by natural disasters, Turkish seismology expert Ovgun Ahmet Ercan told the media.

HORRIFYING MOMENTS

In Turkiye, residents who had fled from their homes in pajamas and T-shirts were waiting on streets covered by ice and snow. Many people were trying to leave the quake-hit areas, causing traffic jams and hindering emergency efforts, Turkiye's NTV reported.

People check damaged buildings after the earthquakes in Malatya, Turkiye, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

In northern Syria's Aleppo Province, one of the worst-affected Syrian areas, people have yet to recover from shock and panic.

In the Karm al-Jabal neighborhood in the provincial capital of Aleppo, local resident Muhammad Boushi was overwhelmed by the shock, not knowing what to do with his brother's family trapped under rubble.

Boushi was luckily awakened by the tremor and fled his house before it collapsed. "We felt the earthquake and immediately took to the streets. Everyone left and took shelter on the streets. And we heard that buildings had collapsed, so we came to help," he told Xinhua.

"The civilians started to help rescue people from under the rubble, whether dead or alive. My 37-year-old brother, his wife, and their three children are still under the rubble. We are trying to contact them via mobile phone. It's ringing, but no one is answering," Boushi said anxiously.

"Around 4:30 in the morning, homes started to shake, so we woke up and went down to the streets. We heard a bang, and we rushed to see what was going on and tried to help. I hope all those under the rubble stay alive," said Mahmoud Muhammad, who lives in the nearby al-Shaar area.

Mamdouh Barot, another resident in the area, told Xinhua he and his family left their apartment before it started to crumble. When they got to the street, their building's upper floors collapsed in front of their eyes.

Barot lived on the ground floor and risked returning to grab some belongings. "When I came out, I heard a big noise. So we ran, not daring to look back. When we returned there later, we found the building had totally collapsed," he said.

RESCUE UNDERWAY

Turkiye issued a level-4 alarm after the earthquake, which included a call for international aid.

The Turkish Red Crescent and the country's emergency authority have dispatched rescue teams to the stricken area. The Turkish security forces, search and rescue volunteers and local rescue personnel also participated in the quake-relief work.

People search for survivors in the rubble of a destroyed building in quake-hit city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Str/Xinhua)

Some 3,500 soldiers have participated in rescue operations, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said, noting 17 aircraft loaded with aid supplies are flying to the region from Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara.

The Turkish Defense Ministry has set up an air corridor to facilitate search and rescue teams to reach the disaster sites.

Disaster and Emergency Management Authority President Yunus Sezer said nearly 15,000 rescue personnel and about 5,000 vehicles and construction equipment had been deployed in the region.

However, a winter blizzard and freezing conditions hampered search and rescue efforts. Current temperatures were colder than seasonal averages, below 10 degrees Celsius in most affected regions. The weather service forecasted rain and sleet across southeastern Turkiye until Thursday.

The Syrian government has set up a 24-hour central operation center led by Prime Minister Hussein Arnous to coordinate earthquake relief operations. All relevant ministries, institutions and authorities were on alert, state news agency SANA reported.

In Aleppo, rescuers used bulldozers and shovels to pry open building rubble to search for survivors in the region enveloped by snow and rain on Monday. Some rescuers struggled to pull casualties out of the debris with their bare hands.

In Hama Province in central Syria, rescue work continues, with shelters secured for people who lost their homes in the earthquakes, Interior Minister Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun told Xinhua at the site of a collapsed building in the province's al-Arabeen neighborhood.

Standing by a seven-story building in Hama, home to 100-150 people, Alaa Shaker, coordinator of the emergency unit at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, said only 45 of the dwellers had been rescued.

"We have reports on deaths between 15 and 20 people under the building," he added.

INTERNATIONAL AID

World leaders have expressed solidarity with the people of Turkiye and Syria and their condolences to the families of the victims, pledging to mobilize support.

People check damaged buildings after the earthquakes in Malatya, Turkiye, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

"My heart goes out to the people of Turkiye and Syria in this hour of tragedy," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement after the quakes. "The United Nations is fully committed to supporting the response. Our teams are on the ground assessing the needs and providing assistance."

China has launched an emergency humanitarian assistance mechanism and will provide emergency aid to quake-hit Turkiye and Syria, said Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, on Tuesday.

China will provide the first batch of emergency aid worth 40 million yuan (about 5.89 million U.S. dollars) to Turkiye, sending a rescue team and a medical team in the shortest time, he added.

Members of a Chinese rescue team prepare to leave for Turkiye from a fire fighting training base in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country. The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Iran, Lebanon, India, Egypt, Russia, France, Finland and other countries worldwide have also expressed their readiness to help Turkiye and Syria.

More than 100 Russian rescuers have arrived in Turkiye to assist in the aftermath of the deadly earthquakes, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Tuesday.

Algeria and Libya pledged to send rescue workers to help with the aftermath. Israel said it would dispatch two rescue teams to Turkiye following the request of the Turkish government.

Erdogan said Ankara has received offers of help from some 45 countries.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
You are here: Business

People visit the 19th China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Sept. 16, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]



The first round consultations of Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations started on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Relevant authorities of China and the ASEAN countries, as well as officials from the ASEAN Secretariat, attended the meeting via video link.

The two sides held in-depth discussions on the procedural rules, organizational arrangements and work plans of the negotiations, and worked out a timetable and road map for follow-up negotiations.

In November 2022, China and ASEAN jointly announced the official launch of the negotiations. The two sides agreed that the negotiations will cover the fields including trade in goods, investment, digital and green economy, so as to build a more inclusive, modern, comprehensive and mutually beneficial China-ASEAN FTA.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brought his daughter to visit troops to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country's army as he lauded the "irresistible might" of his nuclear-armed military, state media said Wednesday.

The visit preceded a massive military parade that Kim presided over in the capital, Pyongyang, where troops rolled out the latest hardware of his fast-growing nuclear arsenal.

North Korean state media photos of the parade published Thursday showed Kim attended the event with his wife and young daughter. He was smiling and raising his hand from a balcony as thousands of troops lined up in a brightly illuminated Kim Il Sung Square, named after his state-founding grandfather.

The parade Wednesday night came after weeks of preparations involving huge numbers of troops and civilians mobilized to glorify Kims rule and his relentless push to cement the Norths status as a nuclear power.

North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency said the parade featured a variety of nuclear-capable weapons that fuel tensions with its neighbors and the United States, including tactical nuclear weapons targeting South Korea and ICBMs, which the agency described as crucial weapons supporting the Norths power-to-power, all-out confrontation against enemies.

Commercial satellite images of the parade released by Maxar Technologies Inc. showed huge, missile-carrying trucks passing the squares main road as thousands of spectators watched.

During the troops visit, Kim's daughter, Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 9 or 10 years old, stood close to her father as he shook the hands of senior officials and then sat next to him at a table. Analysts say Kim's decision to bring his daughter to public events tied to his military is to remind the world he has no intention to voluntarily surrender his nuclear weapons, which he apparently sees as the strongest guarantee of his survival and the extension of his family's dynastic rule.

State media's lofty description of Kim Ju Ae, who has been called "respected" and "beloved," also inspired debate on whether she's being primed as her father's successor. She also attended a flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in November and has accompanied her father to a meeting with military scientists and an inspection of ballistic missiles.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim visited the lodging quarters of the Korean People's Army's general officers with his daughter. He later gave an encouraging speech to troops at a banquet, praising them for maintaining the "strongest army in the world" despite external difficulties.

The visit came a day after Kim presided over a meeting with his top military brass and called for an expansion of combat exercises aimed at sharpening war readiness, as he looks to escalate an already provocative run in weapons demonstrations in the face of deepening tensions with his neighbors and Washington.

State media photos showed military officials applauding at the banquet, which appeared to be held at Pyongyang's Yanggakdo Hotel. Kim and his daughter dressed alike in black suits and white dress shirts and held hands as they walked down a red carpet alongside Kim's wife, Ri Sol Ju.

Kim during his speech said it was his "greatest honor" and delight to be the supreme commander of an army that is "fulfilling (the) call of the times and history as the strongest army in the world."

State media reports on Kim's visit to troops didn't mention any comments made toward Washington or Seoul. But Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an editorial Wednesday that the North's military is prepared to unleash a "super strong strike of unimaginable might to wipe out the origins of provocations without a trace" when facing enemy threats.

The newspaper said North Korea's ramped up weapons tests and combat exercises last year were successful demonstrations of "overwhelming military might" that supports the government's escalatory nuclear doctrine.

Residents in Pyongyang marked the anniversary by visiting the city's Mansu Hill to lay flowers and pay respect to the statues of their late leaders, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, respectively the grandfather and father of their ruler, as soldiers lined up to salute.

North Korea is coming off a record-breaking year in weapons testing, and the dozens of missiles it fired in 2022 included potentially nuclear-capable systems designed to strike targets in South Korea and the U.S. mainland.

The intensified testing activity was punctuated by fiery statements threatening preemptive nuclear attacks against its neighbors and the United States in a broad range of scenarios where it may perceive its leadership as under threat.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry last week warned that the country is prepared to counter U.S. military moves with the "most overwhelming nuclear force" as it condemned U.S. plans to expand its joint exercise with South Korea and deploy more advanced military assets to the region.

North Korea is facing deepening economic isolation and food shortages, showing the costs of Kim's nuclear ambitions are piling up.
The death toll of a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria jumped to more than 7,800 people on Tuesday as rescuers worked against time in harsh winter conditions to dig survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings. As the scale of the disaster became ever more apparent, the death toll looked likely to rise considerably. One U.N. official said thousands of children may have died. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. But residents in several damaged Turkish cities voiced anger and despair at what they said was a slow and inadequate response from the authorities to the deadliest earthquake to hit Turkey since 1999. "There is not even a single person here. We are under the snow, without a home, without anything," said Murat Alinak, whose home in Malatya had collapsed and whose relatives are missing. "What shall I do, where can I go?" Monday's magnitude 7.8 quake, followed hours later by a second one almost as powerful, toppled thousands of buildings including hospitals, schools and apartment blocks, injured tens of thousands, and left countless people homeless in Turkey and northern Syria. Rescue workers struggled to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather and a lack of resources and heavy equipment. Some areas were without fuel and electricity. With little immediate help at hand, residents picked through rubble sometimes without even basic tools in a desperate hunt for survivors. Aid officials voiced particular concern about the situation in Syria, already afflicted by a humanitarian crisis after nearly 12 years of civil war. Erdogan declared 10 Turkish provinces a disaster zone and imposed a state of emergency for three months that will permit the government to bypass parliament in enacting new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms. The government will open up hotels in the tourism hub of Antalya to temporarily house people impacted by the quakes, said Erdogan, who faces a national election in three months' time. The death toll in Turkey rose to 5,894, Vice President Fuat Oktay said. More than 34,000 were injured. In Syria, the toll was at least 1,932, according to the government and a rescue service in the insurgent-held northwest. Rescuers carry a woman after she was evacuated from under a collapsed building following an earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters 'Every minute, every hour' Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people were affected in an area spanning roughly 450 km (280 miles) from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east, and 300 km from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south. Syrian authorities have reported deaths as far south as Hama, some 250 km from the epicentre. "It's now a race against time," World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva. "Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes." Across the region, rescuers toiled night and day as people waited in anguish by mounds of rubble clinging to the hope that friends, relatives and neighbours might be found alive In Antakya, capital of Hatay province bordering Syria, rescue teams were thin on the ground and residents picked through debris themselves. People pleaded for helmets, hammers, iron rods and rope. One woman, aged 54 and named Gulumser, was pulled alive from an eight-storey building 32 hours after the quake. Another woman then shouted at the rescue workers: "My father was just behind that room she was in. Please save him." The workers explained they could not reach the room from the front and needed an excavator to remove the wall first. More than 12,000 Turkish search and rescue personnel are working in the affected areas, along with 9,000 troops. More than 70 countries offered rescue teams and other aid. But the sheer scale of the disaster is daunting. "The area is enormous. I haven't seen anything like this before," said Johannes Gust, from Germany's fire and rescue service, as he loaded equipment onto a truck at Adana airport. Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said 5,775 buildings had been destroyed in the quake and that 20,426 people had been injured. Two U.S. Agency for International Development teams with 80 people each and 12 dogs are set to arrive Wednesday morning in Turkey and head to the southeastern province of Adiyaman to focus on urban search and rescue. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva that the earthquake "may have killed thousands of children." An aerial view shows damaged and collapsed buildings following an earthquake, in Hatay, Turkey February 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters 'Terrifying scene' Syrian refugees in northwest Syria and in Turkey were among the most vulnerable people affected, Elder said. In the Syrian city of Hama, Abdallah al Dahan said funerals for several families were taking place on Tuesday. "It's a terrifying scene in every sense," said Dahan, contacted by phone. "In my whole life I haven't seen anything like this, despite everything that has happened to us." Mosques opened their doors to families whose homes were damaged. The Syrian state news agency SANA said at least 812 people were killed in the government-held provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib and Tartous. At least 1,120 people were killed in Syria's opposition-held northwest with the toll expected to "rise dramatically", the White Helmets rescue team said. "There are lot of efforts by our teams, but they are unable to respond to the catastrophe and the large number of collapsed buildings," group head Raed al-Saleh said. A U.N. humanitarian official in Syria said fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles. "The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged," U.N. resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters from Damascus. In Malatya, Turkey, locals with no specialist equipment or even gloves tried to pick through the wreckage of homes crumpled by the force of the earthquake. "My in-laws' grandchildren are there. We have been here for two days. We are devastated," said Sabiha Alinak. "Where is the state? We are begging them. Let us do it, we can rescue them. We can do it with our means."

The death toll of a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria jumped to more than 7,800 people on Tuesday as rescuers worked against time in harsh winter conditions to dig survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings.

As the scale of the disaster became ever more apparent, the death toll looked likely to rise considerably. One U.N. official said thousands of children may have died.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. But residents in several damaged Turkish cities voiced anger and despair at what they said was a slow and inadequate response from the authorities to the deadliest earthquake to hit Turkey since 1999.

"There is not even a single person here. We are under the snow, without a home, without anything," said Murat Alinak, whose home in Malatya had collapsed and whose relatives are missing. "What shall I do, where can I go?"

Monday's magnitude 7.8 quake, followed hours later by a second one almost as powerful, toppled thousands of buildings including hospitals, schools and apartment blocks, injured tens of thousands, and left countless people homeless in Turkey and northern Syria.

Rescue workers struggled to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather and a lack of resources and heavy equipment. Some areas were without fuel and electricity.

With little immediate help at hand, residents picked through rubble sometimes without even basic tools in a desperate hunt for survivors.

Aid officials voiced particular concern about the situation in Syria, already afflicted by a humanitarian crisis after nearly 12 years of civil war.

Erdogan declared 10 Turkish provinces a disaster zone and imposed a state of emergency for three months that will permit the government to bypass parliament in enacting new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms.

The government will open up hotels in the tourism hub of Antalya to temporarily house people impacted by the quakes, said Erdogan, who faces a national election in three months' time.

The death toll in Turkey rose to 5,894, Vice President Fuat Oktay said. More than 34,000 were injured. In Syria, the toll was at least 1,932, according to the government and a rescue service in the insurgent-held northwest.

Rescuers carry a woman after she was evacuated from under a collapsed building following an earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

'Every minute, every hour'

Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people were affected in an area spanning roughly 450 km (280 miles) from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east, and 300 km from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south.

Syrian authorities have reported deaths as far south as Hama, some 250 km from the epicentre.

"It's now a race against time," World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva. "Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes."

Across the region, rescuers toiled night and day as people waited in anguish by mounds of rubble clinging to the hope that friends, relatives and neighbours might be found alive

In Antakya, capital of Hatay province bordering Syria, rescue teams were thin on the ground and residents picked through debris themselves. People pleaded for helmets, hammers, iron rods and rope.

One woman, aged 54 and named Gulumser, was pulled alive from an eight-storey building 32 hours after the quake.

Another woman then shouted at the rescue workers: "My father was just behind that room she was in. Please save him."

The workers explained they could not reach the room from the front and needed an excavator to remove the wall first.

More than 12,000 Turkish search and rescue personnel are working in the affected areas, along with 9,000 troops. More than 70 countries offered rescue teams and other aid.

But the sheer scale of the disaster is daunting.

"The area is enormous. I haven't seen anything like this before," said Johannes Gust, from Germany's fire and rescue service, as he loaded equipment onto a truck at Adana airport.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said 5,775 buildings had been destroyed in the quake and that 20,426 people had been injured.

Two U.S. Agency for International Development teams with 80 people each and 12 dogs are set to arrive Wednesday morning in Turkey and head to the southeastern province of Adiyaman to focus on urban search and rescue.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva that the earthquake "may have killed thousands of children."

An aerial view shows damaged and collapsed buildings following an earthquake, in Hatay, Turkey February 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

'Terrifying scene'

Syrian refugees in northwest Syria and in Turkey were among the most vulnerable people affected, Elder said.

In the Syrian city of Hama, Abdallah al Dahan said funerals for several families were taking place on Tuesday.

"It's a terrifying scene in every sense," said Dahan, contacted by phone. "In my whole life I haven't seen anything like this, despite everything that has happened to us."

Mosques opened their doors to families whose homes were damaged.

The Syrian state news agency SANA said at least 812 people were killed in the government-held provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib and Tartous.

At least 1,120 people were killed in Syria's opposition-held northwest with the toll expected to "rise dramatically", the White Helmets rescue team said.

"There are lot of efforts by our teams, but they are unable to respond to the catastrophe and the large number of collapsed buildings," group head Raed al-Saleh said.

A U.N. humanitarian official in Syria said fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles.

"The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged," U.N. resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters from Damascus.

In Malatya, Turkey, locals with no specialist equipment or even gloves tried to pick through the wreckage of homes crumpled by the force of the earthquake.

"My in-laws' grandchildren are there. We have been here for two days. We are devastated," said Sabiha Alinak.

"Where is the state? We are begging them. Let us do it, we can rescue them. We can do it with our means."
The UK is willing to share its experience to help Ho Chi Minh City develop into a financial hub in the Southeast Asian region, UK Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew said during a meeting with Ho Chi Minh City chairman Phan Van Mai on Tuesday. He expected that 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK, will witness the strong development of cooperation between the two countries in many sectors. He shared that the UK will focus on cooperating with Ho Chi Minh City in three key aspects this year, including trade, education, and sustainable development. As for trade, the UK ambassador said the two sides have a solid cooperation foundation with their bilateral free trade agreement. The UK is also completing procedures to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to which Vietnam is party. Some UK delegations will visit Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam to boost their cooperation in the coming time. In addition, the UK hoped to foster the collaboration with Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in education. Regarding sustainable development, Frew said the UK will work with Vietnam in energy transition to head toward clean, green development and carbon neutrality. In response, Ho Chi Minh City chairman Mai said that the city is building a plan to turn into a financial center and it is in need of the support of other countries, such as the UK. The city always welcomes and creates favorable conditions for foreign citizens to live and work here. Moreover, the city pays a lot of attention to further cooperation with the UK in education and sustainable development. Ambassador Frew also shared a plan to celebrate the two countries diplomatic ties in September this year. Mai affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City is willing to participate in events held by the UK Embassy in Vietnam. On the same day, patrol vessel HMS Spey of the British Royal Navy arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, commencing a five-day friendship visit to the city. Frew said the visit proved the cooperation commitment between the two countries in national defense, marine security, and the East Vietnam Sea. Chairman Mai said the visit by HMS Spey is a milestone to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bilateral ties between Vietnam and the UK. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The UK is willing to share its experience to help Ho Chi Minh City develop into a financial hub in the Southeast Asian region, UK Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew said during a meeting with Ho Chi Minh City chairman Phan Van Mai on Tuesday.

He expected that 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK, will witness the strong development of cooperation between the two countries in many sectors.

He shared that the UK will focus on cooperating with Ho Chi Minh City in three key aspects this year, including trade, education, and sustainable development.

As for trade, the UK ambassador said the two sides have a solid cooperation foundation with their bilateral free trade agreement.

The UK is also completing procedures to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to which Vietnam is party.

Some UK delegations will visit Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam to boost their cooperation in the coming time.

In addition, the UK hoped to foster the collaboration with Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in education.

Regarding sustainable development, Frew said the UK will work with Vietnam in energy transition to head toward clean, green development and carbon neutrality.

In response, Ho Chi Minh City chairman Mai said that the city is building a plan to turn into a financial center and it is in need of the support of other countries, such as the UK.

The city always welcomes and creates favorable conditions for foreign citizens to live and work here.

Moreover, the city pays a lot of attention to further cooperation with the UK in education and sustainable development.

Ambassador Frew also shared a plan to celebrate the two countries diplomatic ties in September this year.

Mai affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City is willing to participate in events held by the UK Embassy in Vietnam.

On the same day, patrol vessel HMS Spey of the British Royal Navy arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, commencing a five-day friendship visit to the city.

Frew said the visit proved the cooperation commitment between the two countries in national defense, marine security, and the East Vietnam Sea.

Chairman Mai said the visit by HMS Spey is a milestone to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bilateral ties between Vietnam and the UK.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Read what is in the news in Vietnam today: Politics -- HMS Spey, the British Royal Navys offshore patrol vessel, was anchored at Ho Chi Minh Citys port on Tuesday, beginning a five-day friendship visit to the city on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK. -- A South Korean court ordered the government on Tuesday to compensate a Vietnamese victim of atrocities during the Vietnam War in the 1970s, when about 300,000 South Korean troops fought alongside U.S. forces, Reuters reported. Society -- The weather is expected to remain hot and sunny in southern Vietnam on Wednesday, while northern provinces will still have light rain, drizzle, fog, and high humidity, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. -- Police in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam said on Tuesday they have issued an urgent arrest warrant against a 40-year-old tractor-trailer driver for not helping people who were in a life-threatening situation following a traffic accident. -- At least eight flights were canceled and 28 others had to make a detour due to foggy weather at Tho Xuan Airport in north-central Thanh Hoa Province on Tuesday. -- A 26-month-old boy from Vietnams Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap suffered from severe intestinal obstruction and required a small bowel resection after swallowing a ring of 14 rusted magnet marbles, the Ho Chi Minh City Childrens Hospital said on Tuesday. -- Vietnams state-run lottery company Vietlott announced on Tuesday the winner of the Mega 6/45 jackpot, which is worth over US$3.9 million and has a probability of one in 8.1 million. Business -- Vietnam Airlines plans to resume five more routes between Vietnam and China from March and April this year, thereby restoring a total of nine out of ten routes to China compared to the pre-pandemic period. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- HMS Spey, the British Royal Navys offshore patrol vessel, was anchored at Ho Chi Minh Citys port on Tuesday, beginning a five-day friendship visit to the city on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the UK.

-- A South Korean court ordered the government on Tuesday to compensate a Vietnamese victim of atrocities during the Vietnam War in the 1970s, when about 300,000 South Korean troops fought alongside U.S. forces, Reuters reported.

Society

-- The weather is expected to remain hot and sunny in southern Vietnam on Wednesday, while northern provinces will still have light rain, drizzle, fog, and high humidity, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

-- Police in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam said on Tuesday they have issued an urgent arrest warrant against a 40-year-old tractor-trailer driver for not helping people who were in a life-threatening situation following a traffic accident.

-- At least eight flights were canceled and 28 others had to make a detour due to foggy weather at Tho Xuan Airport in north-central Thanh Hoa Province on Tuesday.

-- A 26-month-old boy from Vietnams Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap suffered from severe intestinal obstruction and required a small bowel resection after swallowing a ring of 14 rusted magnet marbles, the Ho Chi Minh City Childrens Hospital said on Tuesday.

-- Vietnams state-run lottery company Vietlott announced on Tuesday the winner of the Mega 6/45 jackpot, which is worth over US$3.9 million and has a probability of one in 8.1 million.

Business

-- Vietnam Airlines plans to resume five more routes between Vietnam and China from March and April this year, thereby restoring a total of nine out of ten routes to China compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Doctors in Ho Chi Minh City recently saved a 26-month-old boy from the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap suffering severe intestinal obstruction after the child swallowed a ring of 14 rusted magnet marbles. The Ho Chi Minh City Childrens Hospital said on Tuesday that L.T.Q., 26 months old, is being further monitored for intestinal mucosal damage and gastrointestinal function. Q. was admitted to the hospital in a state of restlessness, discomfort, coupled with abdominal pain and vomiting. A family member told doctors at the hospital that Q. had swallowed a ring of magnet marbles a month before. After the family took Q. to a local medical facility, the child underwent an X-ray and was diagnosed with foreign bodies in his small intestine. Local doctors then prescribed purging medicine and asked the boys family to monitor his poop. The baby had normal bowel movements before he was uncomfortable, had abdominal pain, and vomited. The family thus took Q. to the Ho Chi Minh City Childrens Hospital, where doctors took another X-ray of his abdomen and found the foreign bodies were still in the small intestine. The Ho Chi Minh City doctors then carried out emergency gastrointestinal endoscopy and laparoscopy before deciding to conduct a small bowel resection on him. One week after the surgery, during which 14 magnetic marbles of different colors were removed from his small intestine, the baby no longer had stomach pains and vomiting symptoms. He is now in a clear-minded state and is resuming eating by mouth. Doctors said that some of the marbles were rusty, causing serious intestinal damage to the baby. They advised parents to be cautious to keep small objects out of childrens reach. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Doctors in Ho Chi Minh City recently saved a 26-month-old boy from the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap suffering severe intestinal obstruction after the child swallowed a ring of 14 rusted magnet marbles.

The Ho Chi Minh City Childrens Hospital said on Tuesday that L.T.Q., 26 months old, is being further monitored for intestinal mucosal damage and gastrointestinal function.

Q. was admitted to the hospital in a state of restlessness, discomfort, coupled with abdominal pain and vomiting.

A family member told doctors at the hospital that Q. had swallowed a ring of magnet marbles a month before.

After the family took Q. to a local medical facility, the child underwent an X-ray and was diagnosed with foreign bodies in his small intestine.

Local doctors then prescribed purging medicine and asked the boys family to monitor his poop.

The baby had normal bowel movements before he was uncomfortable, had abdominal pain, and vomited.

The family thus took Q. to the Ho Chi Minh City Childrens Hospital, where doctors took another X-ray of his abdomen and found the foreign bodies were still in the small intestine.

The Ho Chi Minh City doctors then carried out emergency gastrointestinal endoscopy and laparoscopy before deciding to conduct a small bowel resection on him.

One week after the surgery, during which 14 magnetic marbles of different colors were removed from his small intestine, the baby no longer had stomach pains and vomiting symptoms.

He is now in a clear-minded state and is resuming eating by mouth.

Doctors said that some of the marbles were rusty, causing serious intestinal damage to the baby.

They advised parents to be cautious to keep small objects out of childrens reach.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The ongoing humidity in northern Vietnam is expected to linger until April, the Vietnam News Agency quoted Nguyen Van Huong, an official from the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, as saying. February is the middle of winter in northern Vietnam, so the cold spell still has a strong impact on the region, the weather expert elaborated. The dry air in the region is usually replaced by humidity starting February, and the common weather patterns are light rain, drizzle, fog, and low temperatures at night and early in the morning. Such weather typically lasts from February to April, characterized by humidity of up to 80 percent, drizzle, and fog. It ends when the northeast monsoon dominates the weather in northern provinces. The humid weather can interfere with daily activities and adversely affect the health of local residents. High humidity is a favorable environment for all kinds of respiratory pathogens and allergies, especially for young children and the elderly. It is also a favorable condition for pests and diseases such as late blight and aphids, which damage crops and vegetables. It is recommended that residents keep their doors closed, switch the air conditioner to dry mode, use dehumidifying materials such as old newspapers and charcoal or dehumidifying equipment, and wipe the house with a dry rag. Farmers should make a plastic frame to shield vegetables, fertilize plants to increase resistance, clean the field, use insecticides, and check the leaves regularly to detect aphids. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The ongoing humidity in northern Vietnam is expected to linger until April, the Vietnam News Agency quoted Nguyen Van Huong, an official from the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, as saying.

February is the middle of winter in northern Vietnam, so the cold spell still has a strong impact on the region, the weather expert elaborated.

The dry air in the region is usually replaced by humidity starting February, and the common weather patterns are light rain, drizzle, fog, and low temperatures at night and early in the morning.

Such weather typically lasts from February to April, characterized by humidity of up to 80 percent, drizzle, and fog.

It ends when the northeast monsoon dominates the weather in northern provinces.

The humid weather can interfere with daily activities and adversely affect the health of local residents.

High humidity is a favorable environment for all kinds of respiratory pathogens and allergies, especially for young children and the elderly.

It is also a favorable condition for pests and diseases such as late blight and aphids, which damage crops and vegetables.

It is recommended that residents keep their doors closed, switch the air conditioner to dry mode, use dehumidifying materials such as old newspapers and charcoal or dehumidifying equipment, and wipe the house with a dry rag.

Farmers should make a plastic frame to shield vegetables, fertilize plants to increase resistance, clean the field, use insecticides, and check the leaves regularly to detect aphids.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Giang brothers  a Vietnamese acrobatic duo  made their circus photo album in Italys Milan, after setting a new world record for a head-to-head balancing walk last Friday. Circus artists Giang Quoc Nghiep, 38, and Giang Quoc Co, 34, named their album Vietnamese Circus in Italy  A Stage amid Everyday Life. The album features their spectacular circus performances during their recent walking tour of many streets and landmarks in Milan. This image shows the Giang brothers performing while crossing a street in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre They went from the Milan Cathedral to the 1,300-year-old Piazza Mercanti square, the 1,500-year-old Sforzesco Castle, and the 164-year-old Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) built during the Napoleonic period. They also performed outside the 16th-century Giureconsulti Palace and the 38.6-ha Sempione Park, among other attractions in Milan. The street-performance tour took place for six hours in total, drawing special attention and interest from excited locals. The two acrobats are seen in another performance at the ancient Giureconsulti building in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre In the past, the Giang brothers created performance photo sets everywhere they performed, not only to record beautiful memories and unforgettable impressions, but also to promote a unique type of Vietnamese circus to the world. Last Friday, the acrobatic duo earned one more place in the Guinness Book of World Records by successfully performing a head-to-head balancing walk at the Guinness World Record Show in Milan. After three weeks of preparation, they smoothly walked up 10 steps to a height of two meters, passed through a crossbar 0.4 meters wide and 10 meters long, and then walked down the 10 steps for their gig. This image shows the Vietnamese acrobatic duo performing their head-to-head balancing walk outside the ancient Giureconsulti building in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre They took part in the show at the invitation of Banijay S.p.A Company more than a year after they broke their own world record in Spain. After their latest feat in Milan, the Giang brothers said they have determined that this was their last international gig. Everything has its limit. It is better for us to stop at the right time, Nghiep said. The Vietnamese acrobatic duo perform their head-to-head balancing walk at the Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre He explained that their parents, wives and children, and friends have long been worried for their safety during their stunts and want them to stop engaging in such adventurous maneuvers. We, however, will still continue practice and perform to the public at our own will, Co said. This image shows Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep on Dante, an ancient street leading to the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre Five years ago, Co and Nghiep earned a reputation for themselves over daredevil gymnastics routines that booked them a spot amongst the finalists of Britains Got Talent 2018. The Giang brothers also won several local and international circus prizes, including the Grand Prix Award at the 10th International Circus Festival 'Circuba 2011' in Havana, Cuba; three prizes at the 13th International Circus Festival in Italy including a silver medal and two minor titles awarded by internationally renowned circus groups Monte Carlo Circus and Cirque du Soleil; and the Silver Lion Award at the 13th International Circus Festival in Hebei Province, China in 2011. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The Giang brothers  a Vietnamese acrobatic duo  made their circus photo album in Italys Milan, after setting a new world record for a head-to-head balancing walk last Friday.

Circus artists Giang Quoc Nghiep, 38, and Giang Quoc Co, 34, named their album Vietnamese Circus in Italy  A Stage amid Everyday Life.

The album features their spectacular circus performances during their recent walking tour of many streets and landmarks in Milan.

This image shows the Giang brothers performing while crossing a street in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre

They went from the Milan Cathedral to the 1,300-year-old Piazza Mercanti square, the 1,500-year-old Sforzesco Castle, and the 164-year-old Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) built during the Napoleonic period.

They also performed outside the 16th-century Giureconsulti Palace and the 38.6-ha Sempione Park, among other attractions in Milan.

The street-performance tour took place for six hours in total, drawing special attention and interest from excited locals.

The two acrobats are seen in another performance at the ancient Giureconsulti building in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre

In the past, the Giang brothers created performance photo sets everywhere they performed, not only to record beautiful memories and unforgettable impressions, but also to promote a unique type of Vietnamese circus to the world.

Last Friday, the acrobatic duo earned one more place in the Guinness Book of World Records by successfully performing a head-to-head balancing walk at the Guinness World Record Show in Milan.

After three weeks of preparation, they smoothly walked up 10 steps to a height of two meters, passed through a crossbar 0.4 meters wide and 10 meters long, and then walked down the 10 steps for their gig.

This image shows the Vietnamese acrobatic duo performing their head-to-head balancing walk outside the ancient Giureconsulti building in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre

They took part in the show at the invitation of Banijay S.p.A Company more than a year after they broke their own world record in Spain.

After their latest feat in Milan, the Giang brothers said they have determined that this was their last international gig.

Everything has its limit. It is better for us to stop at the right time, Nghiep said.

The Vietnamese acrobatic duo perform their head-to-head balancing walk at the Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre

He explained that their parents, wives and children, and friends have long been worried for their safety during their stunts and want them to stop engaging in such adventurous maneuvers.

We, however, will still continue practice and perform to the public at our own will, Co said.

This image shows Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep on Dante, an ancient street leading to the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy. Photo: Hai An / Tuoi Tre

Five years ago, Co and Nghiep earned a reputation for themselves over daredevil gymnastics routines that booked them a spot amongst the finalists of Britains Got Talent 2018. The Giang brothers also won several local and international circus prizes, including the Grand Prix Award at the 10th International Circus Festival 'Circuba 2011' in Havana, Cuba; three prizes at the 13th International Circus Festival in Italy including a silver medal and two minor titles awarded by internationally renowned circus groups Monte Carlo Circus and Cirque du Soleil; and the Silver Lion Award at the 13th International Circus Festival in Hebei Province, China in 2011.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The China-Africa economic and trade digitalization service base of Hunan Province was unveiled in Changsha, the provincial capital, on Monday.

The base mainly serves Chinese companies in Africa and provides related digital information services. It will also promote the innovative application of new business forms such as cross-border e-commerce, China-Africa economic and trade data statistical analysis, and other digital products related to telecommunications, Internet, software and information technology services.

The base can provide campsite communication support equipment services for enterprises in need and build cross-border interconnection routes for African branches of Chinese-funded enterprises. Furthermore, it can also provide services such as website construction in local languages to help high-quality economic and trade development between China and Africa.

In addition, based on mutual sharing and mutual trust between China and Africa in bilateral economic and trade data, the base is expected to contribute to China-Africa economic and trade development. It will issue industry insight reports through the use of data statistics, analysis and research. The service base will also provide preliminary research data for the implementation of projects related to China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

In the future, it will help build digital and information capabilities in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. At the same time, it will also help some African countries build more comprehensive and efficient payment systems.

Hunan is the longterm host of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Last year, Hunan's imports and exports with Africa reached 55.66 billion yuan (about 8.19 billion U.S. dollars), up 42.8 percent year on year.
Paramount Australia / NZ has restructured its streaming division as part of a globalising of operations, which has led to a number of execs departing, including one who has been with the company for 37 years.

The AFR reports Liz Baldwin, senior vice president and head of streaming at Paramount ANZ, will depart along with Jean Jenkins, vice president of marketing at Network 10 and Frank Filosi, vice president of operations and Adelaide general manager.

The Sydney Morning Herald adds that Network 10s vice president of marketing, Jean Jenkins is included in around eight positions affected, including a role in sales.

Ms Baldwin (pictured top) joined Network 10 in 2015. In a note to staff she was thanked along with Frank Filosi (below) for his 37 years with the company.

Liz was instrumental in positioning Paramount Plus in the Australian market for its launch, now the fastest growing SVOD service in Australia, and its ongoing success, a spokesperson said.

Franks contribution to the company, to countless careers and to the industry is impossible to overstate. His unwavering enthusiasm, professionalism and committed leadership has been instrumental in South Australia, not to mention nationally.

The changes see Beverley McGarvey appointed as head of Paramount+ in Australia, while Jarrod Villani will be Australias regional lead and report into Paramounts international markets council.

Both will continue their roles as co-executive vice presidents, chief creative officer and chief operating officer respectively.

Within Paramount, Australia has been part of a cluster with the UK, Israel and Canada, led by international markets CEO Pamela Kaufman and international broadcast and studios president Maria Kyriacou, who will both visit Australia later this month.

Advertising-funded video on-demand service Pluto TV is also set to launch in Australia. The platform had 72 million monthly active users around the world in October 2022,

Network 10 is due to file its 2021 financial report soon which is expected to show circa $100 million in underlying earnings for the calendar year.
Meanwhile in news nobody expected.

John Cleese is returning to Fawlty Towers, more than 4 decades after the finale screened, in a project with daughter, Camilla Cleese.

The sequel even sees Cleese, 83, perform as Basil Fawlty, now grappling with the fact that he has a daughter who he didnt know existed, trying to run a boutique hotel, all the while trying to stay up to date with the modern, ever-changing world.

Backing the project is famed director / producer Rob Reiner (This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally) and a producing team at Castle Rock.

John Cleese is a comedy legend. Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh, said Reiner.

Last year, Cleese signed up to become a presenter for UK news channel GB News, complaining that cancel culture had prevented him from being on screen.

Fawlty Towers only ran for two six-part seasons wrapping in 1979.

In 2009, John Cleese said that there would never be another episode of the show.

I think everyone would be excited if we did it [a new series], he said. The problem is, when you do do something that is generally accepted as being very good, a horrible problem arises, which is: how do you top it? The expectation of what you will do is so high.

No, really?

Source: Metro, The Guardian
10 News First presenter Natasha Exelby will sign off tomorrow after many years with the network.

On social media she told her followers,

I can EXCLUSIVELY reveal Im departing 10 News First this Friday. I look forward to drawing on my 20 years in journalism for the next adventure!

Working in more than 50 countries and meeting extraordinary people has been the greatest privilege of my life so far.

I somehow survived a military coup while living in Turkey where my house was sprayed with bullets. Reporting from nations like Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. learning their stories of torture and loss, has taught me humility, and the breathtaking brilliance of humanity  even when unimaginable evil strikes.

Joining refugees on their harrowing journey from the Middle East, across the Aegean Sea to Europe is a life lesson in bravery and grit that will stay with me forever.

The resilience and brilliance I observed in the Hong Kong uprising was mind blowing. And in our own backyard, meeting those whove lost everything through bushfires and floods, and STILL getting up to fight another day, makes me so proud to be Australian.

Covering the Tokyo Olympics has been a true highlight. What a pleasure to report on happy news after 2 years of covid chaos!

Ive spent half of my career at TEN and so many colleagues have become friends and even family. And will be forever 

Exelby returned to 10 in 2019 after earlier stints from 2008  2013, and regular appearances on Studio 10, Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Wake Up.

But its time for a new chapter! (Details after the break . Stay tuned) she added.

But for now, its Good Night & Good Luck! Stay Classy Australia! Ill be back!
Aussie-made feature True Spirit, which dramatises Jessica Watsons heroic sail around the globe, has enterted Netflixs weekly Top 10 Films globally.

True Spirit has debuted at #5 globally in the platforms top films (English) according to Netflixs Global Top 10, from January 30  February 5.

Released on February 3, the film has reached the Top 10 in 58 countries, including New Zealand, Canada, Spain and Italy with 11.09 million hours viewed.

Director / Writer Sarah Spillane last week told TV Tonight, Netflix has changed the way that movies are consumed throughout the world and in the case of True Spirit I could not be happier to be partnered with them. On Feb 3 Netflix will drop True Spirit across the globe, making it accessible to people in more than 190 countries, and more than 30 languages. Jessicas story is truly a universal one so what better place to land than a truly universal platform like Netflix?
CapitaLand China Trust (SGX:AU8U) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: S$383.2m (up 1.4% from FY 2021).

Net income: S$119.6m (up 16% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 31% (up from 27% in FY 2021).

EPS: S$0.072 (up from S$0.067 in FY 2021).

AU8U Net Asset Value

Net asset value (NAV) per share: S$1.38 (down 12% from FY 2021). The current share price is 11% lower than NAV per share.



All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

CapitaLand China Trust Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 4.5% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 4.6% growth forecast for the REITs industry in Singapore.

Performance of the Singaporean REITs industry.

The company's shares are down 1.6% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 3 warning signs for CapitaLand China Trust (1 is significant!) that you need to be mindful 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
There are "strong indications" Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved the decision to supply the missile system used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, an international team has said.

However, evidence of Mr Putin's and other Russian officials' involvement in the shooting down of MH17 was not concrete enough to lead to a criminal conviction, and the probe will end without further prosecutions, a press conference at The Hague heard.

Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said: "The investigation has now reached its limit. The findings are insufficient for the prosecution of new suspects."

While Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte added it was a "bitter disappointment" that the investigation had ended without further prosecutions.

"We will continue to call the Russian Federation to account for its role in this tragedy," Mr Rutte said.

Guilty may never face justice

The fate of the investigation was announced three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the Boeing 777 on 17 July 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. One Russian was acquitted.

None of the suspects appeared for the trial and it is unclear if the three who were found guilty of multiple murders in their absence will ever serve their sentences.

Russia has always denied involvement in the tragedy. It launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the media.

But the convictions, combined with the court's finding that the surface-to-air Buk missile which brought down the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight came from a Russian military base, were seen as clear indicators Moscow had a role.

In November prosecutors argued Moscow was in overall control of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, the separatist area of eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched from, at the time of the disaster in 2014.

Story continues

Hague hears calls indicating Putin's likely involvement

Evidence cited at The Hague on Wednesday provided the closest links so far between Mr Putin himself and the weapons responsible for downing MH17.

Intercepted phone calls between leaders of the breakaway region and "high-ranking Russian government officials held in the summer of 2014'' were described by prosecutors.

The intercepts suggested Mr Putin had to approve the supply of weapons to separatists.

Prosecutors also played a 2017 conversation between Mr Putin himself and the Russian-appointed chief administrator of Ukraine's Luhansk province, in which the two discussed the military situation.

"The indications for close ties between the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic and Russian government officials raises questions about their involvement in the deployment of the missile," the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service said on its website.

The Buk missile system came from the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in the city of Kursk, investigators found.

But they could not trace the specific soldiers who fired the weapon at flight MH17.

Read more:

Three pro-Russian troops convicted of murder over deaths

Russia 'lying' over role in MH17 downing, families say

As well as the criminal trial held in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of the passenger plane.

Piet Ploeg, who heads a foundation representing victims, said he was disappointed the investigation had ended, but was glad prosecutors had laid out their evidence of Mr Putin's involvement.

He said: "We can't do a lot with it, Putin can't be prosecuted.

"We wanted to know who was ultimately responsible and that's clear."

Mr Ploeg's brother, his brother's wife and his nephew died on MH17.
By Foo Yun Chee

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Belgium and EU competition regulators on Wednesday faced off again in Europe's second-highest court on whether Belgium's 700-million euro ($750 million) tax scheme for Magnetrol, BP and 33 other multinationals was illegal state aid.

The European Commission in 2016 ordered Belgium to recover the money from the companies that benefited from the scheme, one of several high-profile cases in a crackdown on sweetheart tax deals between EU countries and multinationals.

Belgium won the first round of its fight in a lower tribunal, which annulled the Commission's ruling in 2019. But Europe's top court backed the EU regulator and referred the case back to the General Court.

Ireland had also won the first stage of its court fight against an order to recover some 13 billion euros from Apple in 2016.

EU nations caught in the tax crackdown received a boost last year when the top EU court backed Fiat Chrysler in its fight against the regulator's order to pay 30 million euros in back taxes to Luxembourg.

Belgium on Wednesday brandished the Fiat ruling in its arguments to the General Court.

"The Commission wrongly identified the reference framework in breach of the method clearly set out in the Fiat judgment, namely the determination of the reference framework must follow from the examination of the content and specific effects of rules under the national laws of that state," Belgium's lawyer Marianne Clayton said.

She said the Commission also erred as it did not examine separately the issues of advantage and selectivity, and if this was granted to the companies.

Ireland's lawyer Paul Gallagher said the Commission's approach was technically flawed and breached the EU treaty and national sovereignty.

Commission lawyer Paul John Loewenthal said it was clear that the scheme offered tax breaks to multinationals, with Belgium widely advertising the measure.

"Multinationals are given tax breaks if they bring jobs and investment," he told the court, citing the Belgian finance ministry's advertisement.

Story continues

The court will hear arguments from some of the companies on Thursday and next week. The case is T-131/16 RENV.

($1 = 0.9308 euros)

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
Russia's defence minister warned Western military aid to Ukraine would potentially drag NATO into the conflict and that it could lead to an "unpredictable" escalation.

"The US and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

"To do this, they have started supplying heavy offensive weapons, openly urging Ukraine to seize our territories. In fact, such steps are dragging NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to an unpredictable level of escalation."

His reference to "our territories" appeared to indicate the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which Moscow claims to have annexed, a move widely condemned by Kyiv and its Western allies.

A large portion of the region is currently controlled by Ukrainian forces.

Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands to send Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

The warning comes as Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands announced that they are planning to send Ukraine at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks.

The defence ministers of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands said in a joint statement that the shipment of the tanks is meant to support Ukraine in their endeavour to withstand Russian aggression.

[It] will significantly enhance Ukraines military potential for the restoration of their violated territorial integrity, they said.

And the statement added that the shipment would arrive in Ukraine within the coming months.

The US has sent more than 18.6 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine since February and is set to provide Kyiv with longer-range rockets as part of a new 1.8 billion package of weapons announced last week.

Watch Euronews' report in the video player above to learn more.
The mural has attracted dozens of complaints (Towerhamletsstreetvlogs/Instagram)

Parents were outraged after an OnlyFans mural with a QR code going directly to sign up for the adult social media site was painted on the side of a Brick Lane cash-and-carry.

The owner of the business says he was misled by the artists who asked permission to put up the advert starring IBF bantamweight world champion Ebanie Bridges alongside Towie star Chloe Sims and Blane Muise, best known as rapper Shygirl.

But locals in the heart of Banglatown, Brick Lane erupted in fury with some claiming teenagers on the way to school used the QR code to nearly sign up to the 18+ site.

Graffiti artist Woskerski completed the painting on January 15 but it wasnt long before locals were threatening to throw paint over it.

Locals, who complained in their droves, believe it was finally painted over on Monday just before King Charles IIIs visit to Banglatown so as not to cause embarrassment to the new monarch.

One local told the Standard: It was originally brought up to me by a mother who was walking past it with her young teenage daughters who are in Year 7.

We think it being taken down is more to do with the King visiting though than local outrage.

He added: Its bad enough the youth in the ends are exposed to a lot of crap but now they are targeting young impressionable girls and women too.

(towerhamletsstreetvlogs/Instagram)

Juned Miah, manager of the family run cash-and-carry, told the Standard he moved quickly as he could to paint over the offensive mural with the more family-appropriate message Welcome to Banglatown.

He said: Kids were walking past it, it didnt look good.

I had enough complaints, never in all my three years have we had as many as this.

We were misled by the OnlyFans people.

We think someone changed the QR codes so it went straight to sign up for OnlyFans. We thought it would just be the brand name.

It wasnt suitable for the community, it didnt look good. So now we have painted over Welcome To Banglatown.

I had to cut my holiday to Bangladesh short and come back and sort it out. We have dealt with it as soon as we could.

Story continues

IBF fighter and OnlyFans model Ebanie Bridges paid a visit to the mural and asked people to take photos in front of it and tag her.

She told her followers: Ngl its pretty cool that people have commissioned murals of me around England. Thank you for everyone who continues to support me. I feel so honoured to have this beautiful art on walls in the country I now call home.

A Tower Hamlets council spokeswoman confirmed the mural was on private property so the council couldnt block the graffiti ad from going up.

She added: They had some complaints and its all gone now.

An OnlyFans spokeswoman said the QR code linked to OFTV - a family-friendly version of the site.

She added: While the mural is no longer available to the public, we are proud to showcase the talented WOSKerskis art in The Mural: UK on OFTV.
A customs officer guides a passenger arriving in Shenzhen from Hong Kong at the Lo Wu Control Point in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 6, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chan Kwok-ki, acting chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said on Tuesday that around 280,000 cross-border travelers were recorded on Monday when normal travel between Hong Kong and the mainland started to resume fully.

Speaking ahead of an executive council meeting, Chan said all the seaborne, land and air control points have been fully reopened since Monday. The overall operation was smooth on the first day of the full resumption of cross-boundary travel, when around 220,000 people traveled through the land control points with the one at Lo Wu being the busiest.

Chief Executive of the HKSAR John Lee departed for a visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday. During Lee's absence, Chan, the chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, becomes the acting chief executive.
ReportLinker

The Middle East Red Meat Market is projected to register a CAGR of 2.57%. Key Highlights. Largest Segment by Type - Mutton : Mutton in the form of fresh and chilled have a higher penetration in the market for these are easily available and considered better in quality, mainly grass-fed ones.

New York, Jan. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Middle East Red Meat Market - SIZE, SHARE, COVID-19 IMPACT & FORECASTS UP TO 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381183/?utm_source=GNW



Largest Segment by Country - Saudi Arabia : Beef is the largest consumed red meat in Saudi Arabia. The local regulatory bodies are encouraging local producers to boost meat production to cater to the surging demand.

Fastest-growing Segment by Type - Pork : The rise of expat population and tourism in the region is driving the demand for pork meat. Fresh and chilled pork is likely to be the fastest growing pork form in the region.

Fastest-growing Segment by Country - Bahrain : The influx of expats into Bahrain has resulted in the globalization of cuisine preferences and a rise in the public appetite for meat products, including pork products.



Key Market Trends



Mutton is the largest segment by Type.



Mutton is the major red meat type consumed in the Middle East, primarily due to the increasing per capita consumption of mutton in the region, which rose by 70% in 2021 from 2016. Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait have the highest per capita consumption of mutton in the region. The rise in mutton consumption in Bahrain can be attributed to increased disposable incomes. The country has also seen an increase in the ex-pat population from Western and Asian nations over the past two decades, leading to a more diverse range of gastronomic preferences, including items like hamburgers. Similarly, among red meat, consumption is largely dominated by mutton due to the religious affiliations of Bahrains population.



Apart from mutton and other meat, pork is expected to be the fastest-growing meat consumed in the region, with an anticipated CAGR of 10.50% during the forecast period (2022-2028). The demand for pork increased in the region due to the increased ex-pat population. In 2020, 12.9% of the UAE population was Christian. Similarly, other Middle Eastern countries like Cyprus (which has a 78% Christian population), Lebanon, and Egypt have high Christian populations. This population group consumes all types of red meat, including pork, resulting in higher consumption.



Beef is the second most consumed meat in the region, and Oman has the highest per capita beef consumption, amounting to 16.28 kgs in 2021. The country relies on beef imports from New Zealand, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. Most fresh meat cuts available through online channels are New Zealands Beef Sirloin, Topside Steak, and Silverside Steak.



Saudi Arabia is the largest segment by Country.



Among all the countries, Bahrain is anticipated to be the fastest-growing red meat-consuming country during the forecast period. It is anticipated to register a growth of 4.04% by value. As a result of the approximately 48.9% increase in ex-pats from western and Asian nations in 2020, Bahrains cuisine preferences have become more diverse, with locals favoring items like hamburgers and sausages. Among red meat, consumption in Bahrain is largely dominated by mutton, mainly due to the religious affiliation of Bahraini consumers.

The Rest of the Middle East, which includes countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, was the major red meat-consuming regional segment in the market in 2021. The segment is also anticipated to grow by 16.7% in value from 2022 to 2028. This is highly attributed to the increasing government support in the segment. For instance, in 2021, the head of Irans Livestock Provision Council urged the government to support local producers of edible meat by purchasing meat at guaranteed prices. The system was implemented in 15 provinces of Iran and proved its efficiency by increasing red meat production in Iran by 41% in the fourth month of the Iranian calendar year ((July 22-August 21), compared to the same period in 2020.

After Bahrain, Oman is anticipated to be the fastest-growing country in the market for red meat consumption and is expected to record a CAGR of 3.31%, by value, during the forecast period. This growth is anticipated majorly due to the increasing beef consumption in the country, as it is the most consumed red meat in Oman. For instance, beef consumption increased by 2.7% from 2016 to 2021.



Competitive Landscape



The Middle East Red Meat Market is fragmented, with the top five companies occupying 4.71%. The major players in this market are Al Kabeer Group ME, BRF S.A., Herfy Food Services Co., Tanmiah Food Company and The Organic Meat Company LTD. (sorted alphabetically).



Additional Benefits:



The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06381183/?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




Johannes Radebe has opened up about the homophobic abuse he suffered at school. (BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing professional Johannes Radebe has opened up about the homophobic abuse he suffered at school in South Africa.

Radebe, who grew up near Johannesberg, spoke to The Guardian about dealing with bullies and bad times at school.

Read more: 'Strictly' partners John Whaite and Johannes Radebe go on 'Celebrity Gogglebox'

He said: "I had to duck and dive. School was horrid.

"They [the bullies] used to say to me, 'Oh, sissy boy!'"

Radebe added: "If I was close by I would have been punched, which I was many times."

Johannes Radebe was bullied at school for his sexuality. (Getty Images for BFI)

Radebe has previously opened up about his "internalised homophobia" and "hating" himself over his sexuality.

On Loose Women he discussed not being ready to fall in love: "I blame it on internalised homophobia and the fact that I have hated myself for such a long time. So I'm in a better place. I also deserve some love."

During the 2021 edition of Strictly Come Dancing, Radebe made history by becoming one half of the show's first same sex couple along with The Great British Bake Off contestant John Whaite.

Johannes Radebe and John Whaite on Strictly Come Dancing. (BBC)

Radebe said that he felt more comfortable discussing his sexuality after dancing publicly with Whaite.

He said it helped his relationship with his mother: "What happened between John and I last year really changed my relationship with my mother - for the first time, we can speak about my sexuality openly. There was no problem but it was something that we never addressed, it was something we never spoke about."

Radebe is set to embark on a solo tour entitled Freedom Unleashed based on South African rhythms and party anthems.

The tour, which starts on 31 March in Bridlington, will visit various locations in the UK and Ireland until it wraps in Dublin on 28 May.

Radebe will also be visiting cities such as London, Birmingham and Edinburgh.

Watch below: Strictly's John and Johannes reveal training fall out
HA NOI  The stock market posted a loss on Tuesday, weighed down largely by the poor performance of the construction materials sector.

On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index started off the afternoon under the baseline. It then fell with a steep bearish trend and eventually hit 1,065.84 points, down 23.45 points (2.15 per cent) from the previous session.

The market's breadth was negatively skewed as decliners outnumbered advancers by 263 to 68. Among the stocks, six hit ceiling prices whereas 12 sat at the other end.

HoSE was not so busy yesterday since investors traded just 595 million shares on the exchange, equivalent to about VN10 trillion (US$420 million).

The VN30-Index echoed the VN-Index pattern but with a larger loss. It lost 24.87 points (2.27 per cent) to reach 1069.5 points. In the basket, five stocks climbed, one stayed flat and 24 slid.

Vietcombank (VCB) was leading the slump with a loss of 4.17 per cent. Other major stocks behind the market torpor include Hoa Phat Group (HPG), BIDV (BID), Vinhomes (VHM), Vingroup (VIC) and VPBank (VPB).

A construction materials sector in decline was a drag on the market yesterday. In the sector, Hoa Phat Group (HPG) lost 6.62 per cent, followed by Hoa Sen Group (HSG) and Vicostone (VCS). Heavy selling slashed the sector by 5.57 per cent.

Securities was the next sector dragging down indices as it was overrun by decliners including SSI Securities (SSI), VNDirect (VND) and Viet Capital (VCI). Overall, the sector lost 2.85 (3.35 per cent) yesterday.

Plastics was another sector contributing to the market downturn yesterday. One of the largest decliners in the sector was the Vietnam Rubber Group (GVR), which dropped by 5.13 per cent. Duc Giang Chemicals (DGC) came next with 4.14 per cent.

In the realty sector, the trio stocks of the Vin family - Vingroup (VIC), Vinhomes (VHM) and Vincom (VRE) - saw red on the screen. The first lost 1.79 per cent, the second 2.4 per cent, and the last 3.22 per cent.

"The stock market is being exposed to various types of risks, including the liquidity risk posed by a huge volume of corporate bonds coming due and the risk carried by the realty sector facing high policy rates", said a securities expert.

The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) followed the bearish trend with a dip of 4.47 points (2.09 per cent), ending at 210 points.

Foreign investors poured money into the market by net buying a total of around VN25.8 billion worth of shares on the two exchanges. Of which, they net bought VN34.94 billion on HoSE and net sold VN9.14 billion on HNX. VNS
HA NOI  Foreign ownership limits at credit institutions were expected to be raised to an appropriate level to attract foreign investment, which plays an important role in improving operational efficiency and accelerating the banking sector's restructuring.

The State Bank of Viet Nam is drafting a decree to amend several points of the Governments Decree No 01/2004/N-CP dated January 3, 2014, about foreign investors purchasing stakes at Viet Nams credit institutions.

An amendment proposal which attracted attention was that banks which received the forced transfer of weak credit institutions could extend the foreign ownership limit from 30 per cent to 49 per cent.

Nguyen The Minh from Yuanta Securities Viet Nam said that to attract big foreign investors, the foreign ownership limit must be attractive enough to ensure their rights.

Increasing the foreign ownership limit to 49 per cent might create a magnet for foreign investors, he said, adding that this would also help foreign investors to have large enough stakes to participate in the governance and management to improve operational efficiency and accelerate the restructuring process.

According to Yuanta, among banks which were participating in the process of restructuring weak credit institutions, except for Vietcombank, which has a State stake of more than 50 per cent, the remaining three banks, including MBBank, HDBank and VPBank, would have the opportunity to increase the room for foreign ownership.

The foreign stake at MBBank is currently at 23.24 per cent, HDBank 18 per cent and VPBank 17.6 per cent, much lower than the proposed limit of 49 per cent.

If the foreign ownership limit at credit institutions is raised to 49 per cent, there would be significant room for banks to raise capital from international financial institutions to restructure weak banks transferred to them.

Under the EU  Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement, within five years of the agreement's effective date, Viet Nam would consider allowing two European credit institutions to own up to 49 per cent of the charter capital of two Vietnamese banks (except for the Big 4 group).

This meant that up to five banks could have a foreign ownership limit of 49 per cent.

According to Vietnam Securities Depository, as of January 3, among 30 listed commercial banks, 16 of them had at least 15 per cent in foreign stakes.

Despite the proposal to increase foreign ownership limits, it is not easy to attract foreign investment.

While some banks are running out of room for more foreign ownership, others failed to attract foreign investments to the limit of 30 per cent.

According to General Director of the Banking Association Nguyen Quoc Hung it is necessary to improve the legal framework in a way that is more in line with international practices and ensures long-term stability and consistency.

Hung said that increasing the foreign ownership limit was necessary, but it must ensure the harmonisation of benefits between investors and State management requirements, stressing that clear and consistent policies from the beginning would greatly support commercial banks in accelerating the restructuring and integration process.

With a cautious viewpoint, expert Vo Tri Thanh said that there should be different foreign ownership limits for different groups of banks, depending on the assessment of the State Bank of Viet Nam.

For example, commercial joint stock banks which completed Basel II and were underway to implement Basel III could be allowed to increase their foreign ownership limit to more than 30 per cent.

However, Viet Nam needed to study more carefully the benefits of increasing the foreign ownership limit, Tran Thi Hong Minh, Director of the Centre Institute for Economic Management, said.

She added that the increase of foreign ownership limit should be considered along with other policies and proposals about developing international financial hubs, fintech and payment intermediaries.

Promote securities market

In June 2022, once again, Viet Nam was not included in the list of Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) for consideration of upgrading from a frontier market to an emerging market. Out of 17 ranking criteria, MSCI assessed that Viet Nam did not meet nine criteria, one of which was foreign ownership limit.

Financial expert Duong Anh Vu said it was necessary to increase the foreign ownership limit at listed banks early.

Many other markets in the region with T+ transactions and similar securities market infrastructure and technical conditions were upgraded to emerging markets while Viet Nam remained at frontier status. The only difference was that foreign ownership in Viet Nam was limited, Vu pointed out.

According to Minh, foreign ownership was the core factor in upgrading to an emerging market.

We must create a fair playing ground for every investor, he stressed.

In other words, if foreign ownership at banks was still limited at 30 per cent, the road to emerging markets was far away, Minh said, adding that banking stocks were the group with the highest market capitalisation on the stock market.  VNS
HAI PHONG  Just four days after discovering nearly half a tonne of illegal ivory tusks, Hai Phong authorities discovered another 42 tusks weighing a total of 125kg on Monday.

The discovery came after a suspicious 40-foot container was inspected by the Coast Guard Region 1, in coordination with the Hai Phong Customs Department and relevant authorities.

During the inspection, the authorities discovered 42 tusks hidden inside sacks that were mixed with the horns of farmed cows, imported from Africa to Viet Nam by sea.

Previously, on the afternoon of February 2, the coast guard and Hai Phong customs authorities unsealed a different container that was also registered to be carrying cow horns, finding inside 117 elephant tusks with a total weight of about 490kg, following an insider tip.

So far 625kg of ivory tusks have been discovered in this smuggling case.

The case is under investigation. Authorities said those responsible would be strictly penalised following the law.

Viet Nam has banned the trade of elephant tusks since 1992. According to Vietnamese law, individuals who store, transport, trade or advertise ivory of 2kg or more can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined up to VN15 billion (US$633,820).  VNS
HA NOI - The Festival of Spring Colours is taking place at the Viet Nam Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism throughout February with a series of traditional cultural activities.

The festival is held annually to welcome the spring and to honour ethnic communities' identity, promote solidarity among them and offer a traditional festive atmosphere to tourists as well.

Some 100 representatives of 15 ethnic groups from 13 localities throughout the country will host activities each day during the month.

The festival climax will be on February 11 and 12 with the Kate Festival of the Cham group, tree planting, folk cham o ho singing and performing Xoe Thai - a UNESCO recognised intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The Kate Festival is one of the biggest and most unique cultural activities of the Cham. It features a host of activities and ceremonies at ancient towers, with traditions including offerings to ancestors, musical performances, and the signing of hymns praising kings who were prominent in the building and development of the Champa Kingdom and the Cham people.

Tree planting has become an annual Vietnamese custom each Lunar New Year since President Ho Chi Minh initiated the campaign, contributing to environmental protection, socio-economic development, and national defence and security.

Since then, tree planting has been practised whenever a lunar new year comes. It will take place over half an hour at the Thai ethnic village.

Some 60 Thai artists from the northern province of Son La will perform Xoe Thai. The dance expresses the solidarity, democracy and collectiveness of the Thai people.

The group dance xoe at spring festivals, crop festival and weddings, which has been considered a cultural symbol of the northwest region.

Xoe Thai performances will begin at 2.30pm on February 11 and 9.30 and 2.30pm on February 12.

There will be folk games, traditional dishes, typical delicacies of various ethnic groups and folk singing and dancing.

In addition, visitors to the festival can enjoy and learn how to cook delicious dishes and specialties and make traditional handicrafts of the groups.

The festival offers an opportunity for ethnic groups to meet and exchange cultural values and daily life activities. It also contributes to honouring and preserving the traditional culture of Vietnamese ethnic minorities.

The village is in ong Mo District, 45km to the west of Ha Nois centre. Bus No 107 runs from downtown Ha Noi to the village. - VNS
HA NOI The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and Fine Arts Publishing House have collaborated to release a bilingual book on nine national treasures that are now preserved in the museum.

The 115-page book, entitled 9 Bao vat quoc gia o Bao tang My thuat Viet Nam (9 National Treasures in the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum) and presented in both English and Vietnamese, introduces the creators and the nine national treasures, including their features and artistic values.

The book will help readers learn about Vietnamese fine arts and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum collection in particular.

Among them are five artefacts that became national treasures in 2013, including the statue of Quan Am (Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara) originating from the Hoi Ha Pagoda in Vinh Phuc Province, the Statue of Queen Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc originating from Mat Pagoda in Thanh Hoa Province, oil painting Em Thuy (Little Sister Thuy) by artist Tran Van Can (1910-1994), the oil painting Hai Thieu Nu Va Em Be (Two Girls and a Child) by painter To Ngoc Van (1906 - 1954), and a lacquer painting Ket Nap ang o ien Bien Phu (Party Admission Ceremony in ien Bien Phu) by painter Nguyen Sang (1923-1988).

Four artefacts recognised as national treasures in 2017 are a pair of doors carved with dragon motifs of Keo Pagoda in Thai Binh Province, lacquer painting Bac Ho O Chien Khu Viet Bac (Uncle Ho in the Viet Bac War Zone) by painter Duong Bich Lien (1924-1988), the standing screen by painter Nguyen Gia Tri (1908 - 1993) and the lacquer painting Saint Giong by artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem (1918-2016).

One of the national treasures featured in the book, the artwork Party Admission Ceremony in ien Bien Phu Battlefield, was completed by Nguyen Sang in 1963, nine years after the ien Bien Phu Victory. This year marks 60 years since the painter created the lacquer painting and ten years since it was recognised as a national treasure of Viet Nam.

The lacquer painting depicts the Party admission ceremony, which took place on the ien Bien Phu Battlefield, an important event for each soldier.

According to the book's introduction, Sang spent days living with the soldiers during the anti-French resistance war. He became familiar with their figures, manner and equipment. However, he carefully made many sketches to study the soldier's physique, weapons, and personal belongings before painting them.

Party Admission Ceremony in ien Bien Phu Battlefield has a tight composition, strong shapes, and bold colours. The painting does not reveal too many techniques, but the bold contrast and ingenious colour transition have showcased a richness of colours and the artistic style of the leading artist of Vietnamese fine arts. It is an epic representation of the Vietnamese revolutionary spirit.

The oldest artefact introduced in the 9 National Treasures in Vietnam Fine Arts Museum is the lacquered wood statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokisteshvara, crafted in the 16th century.

It is divided into three parts: the upper part is the 42-arm Avalokiteshvara sitting on a lotus pedestal; the middle part is a monster holding the lotus pedestal, a dragon head and two attendants Kim ong, Ngoc Nu; the lower part is a hexagonal pedestal in which is intricately carved with typical motifs.

The statue, 314 x 215 x 155cm and about six tonnes in weight, is one of the most massive and sophisticated ancient sculptures in Viet Nam. It is also assessed as an original and unique artefact bearing unique artistic values, typical of Vietnamese Buddhist art.

The book is now available at the museum's shop, La art, located at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba inh, Ha Noi. It is priced at VN 390,000 (US$16.60). VNS

7
HA NOI  Domestic internet service providers on Tuesday said that the Network Operation Center (NOC) Services announced the repairs scheduled for three broken undersea cables that have resulted in slowed connections in Viet Nam in the last few weeks.

Four out of five submarine internet cables connecting Viet Nam and the world are simultaneously seeing issues, an unprecedented occurrence.

According to the plan, the disruption on the S6 line of the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) cable will undergo fixes between March 22-27, while repairs on the S9 line will be conducted on April 5-9.

The ruptures on the Asia, America Gateway (AAG) will be repaired between March 30 and April 4.

Repairs for the 6,800km Intra Asia cable are slated for mid-March, as registration and licensing of ships for the maintenance of the line are still underway.

There is also a problem with the Asia-Africa-Euro 1 (AAE-1) cable near Hong Kong (China) but the NOC has not announced a repair timeline.

This means that internet connection quality between Viet Nam and the world will only improve towards the end of March, even mid-April.

The only undersea cable that is still operating normally is the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 3 (SMW-3), but this is an old cable with low capacity and does not contribute much to Viet Nam's internet traffic to overseas servers.

There have been about 10 incidents on undersea fibre optic cables each year in the last decade. A representative of the Viet Nam Internet Association said that incidents on fibre optic lines are not rare but also unpredictable.

Previously, when only one or two cable lines had problems concurrently, Vietnamese internet providers could quickly offload internet traffic between cable lines.

Currently, land-based internet cables cannot be upgraded quickly due to equipment limitations and other factors.

Troubleshooting on undersea fibre optic cables depends heavily on the severity of the problem, the weather at sea, the time it takes to get permission to access the waters of countries to carry out repairs, and many other factors. Therefore, instability and slow connection speeds will persist in the weeks to come.

Representatives of major network operators in Viet Nam - including Viettel, VNPT and FPT - are committed to actively working with cable managers and international partners to quickly handle and ensure service provision for customers.  VNS
QUANG TRI - The central province of Quang Tri is looking to send about 1,200 labourers, mainly skilled and qualified workers, to work abroad this year, the provincial Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has announced.

Workers are being given recruitment advice to help them find employment quickly, conveniently and effectively.

Every year, the provincial Employment Service Centre organises job fairs to support labourers and graduates who want to study and work abroad.

The centre coordinates with employment service providers. Quang Tri continues to maintain key labour export markets such as Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, where incomes for foreign labourers are high, efficient and suitable for Vietnamese labourers.

The provincial department has promoted the search and expansion of new markets in European countries and Australia.

According to Vo Van Hoan, Director of the Employment Service Centre, Japan and South Korea still have a high demand for foreign labour recruitment after COVID-19, mainly in the fields of agriculture, industry, fisheries and construction.

Foreign partner enterprises highly appreciate the quality of Vietnamese workers.

"This year, the centre still carries out two types of direct and online job transactions to create conditions for workers to access information about foreign labour markets easily," said Hoan.

The centre has coordinated with domestic enterprises and prestigious abroad labour markets to introduce to local workers.

"This year, we will strengthen foreign language training for employees."

The province has identified sending workers abroad as an important solution to reducing poverty.

Since 2015, about 2,000 workers have gone abroad annually, mainly to Japan and South Korea.

So far, the province has sent about 12,000 labourers abroad under contracts, with the total amount of money sent home estimated at more than VN5,000 billion.

Quang Tri has about 5,000 labourers working abroad who have already returned home.

Young people in the province strongly desire to build careers and possess the discipline and skills necessary for the industrialisation and modernisation of socio-economic development. Many have chosen to work abroad in their professional pursuits.

This also helps create jobs, develop the economy, and reduce local poverty. VNS
HCM CITY - In recent days, people in Long Hoa coastal commune, HCM City's Can Gio district, have talked a lot about Huynh Tran Diem Thuy, a graduate who volunteered to join the army this year.

With a bachelors degree in archivology, Thuy could easily find a suitable job but instead, wants to enlist in the military.

And she couldn't have been happier when she got the go-ahead to join the army.

At first, she was worried that because she only weighed 44kg, she might not meet the criteria for enlistment, but her fears were put to rest when she got the call-up.

For Thuy, her mother who works as a police officer has always been her idol.

The image of the mother in a military uniform, working for the community has been the driving force behind Thuy's decision.

Like Thuy, Phan Vu Kim Phung, a 25-year-old woman from District 3 in HCM City, also wrote a volunteer application for military service.

After graduating from university with academic results in economic law, Phung applied to join the local mobile militia.

Wearing the blue shirt of militia, she actively participated in local movements and social activities. With outstanding achievements in local activities, the young woman became a Communist Party member in 2022.

Phung's mother Vu Thi Ngoc Hai Phuong said she encouraged her daughter's ambition, and saw many young people join the military service while she was working in Ward No 13.

"I felt quite emotional when I found that my daughter wrote an application to join the army," Phuong told Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberation Sai Gon) newspaper.

Phung is her youngest daughter and joined the local mobile militia after graduating from university and participating in COVID-19 prevention works.

The mother said: "Phung really becomes more mature when she is a member of the Communist Party. It will be more difficult for a woman to serve in military service, but I always support my daughter's determination. And I believe Phung will complete her duty well."

For Nguyen Trang Huong Truc, 22, from Xuan Thoi ong Commune, Hoc Mon District, wearing a blue shirt of the soldier is the fulfilment of her family's 20-year wish.

Nguyen Van Cuoc, Truc's father said after leaving the army in 1989 and getting married, he wished to have a son and his son would join the army. But he has three daughters only.

Understanding her father's wish, Truc volunteered to join the army after obtaining a college degree in economics.

"Teachers often told the whole class about the hometown's stories with glorious historical victories," she said.

"The desire to join the army, wearing the blue shirt of Uncle Ho's army has come true. The days in the army will be difficult and hard, but I'm confident I can do it."

Pham Huu Nghia, military commander of Xuan Thoi ong Commune, said Truc was the only female citizen representing Hoc Mon District to sign up.

"Not only her family, but the people in Xuan Thoi ong Commune are so proud of her," Nghia said.

Like other localities around the country, HCM City is scheduled to hand over the new soldiers to army units by February 8.

This year, the city recruited 4,079 citizens to join the military, including three females who wrote volunteer applications for military service.

Of these, 84 people are Party members, accounting for 2.21 per cent. Over 45 per cent of recruits have university and college degrees. VNS
Ronnarong Phoolpipat, Thailands Minister of Foreign Trade, has revised the expected rise in cement supplies to the Philippines in 2023. Now that the duty on imported cement has been eliminated, the Philippines will be a promising market for Thai exporters, Ronnarong said.

Cement exports under duress from neighbours, Source: baodautu.vn

According to the Philippines Ministry of Trade and Industrys investigative committee, the reduction of taxes on imported cement will reduce the process of price increases for both locally produced and imported cement, benefiting the economy.

Previously, the Philippines side found that cement imported from other nations did not cause or threaten to cause severe harm to the countrys cement sector throughout the review period. Notably, a safeguard tax rate on imported cement entering the Philippines expired in October 2022. Within the next five years, cement exports from Vietnam will no longer be subject to safeguard duties there.

In recent times, the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam has advised Vietnamese corporations to consider the competition among Thai cement exporters to draw more importers from the Philippines.

Eliminating the levy has spurred Thai producers to see the Philippines as a possible market. According to an article in The Nation Thailand, Thailand produced around 20.56 million metric tonnes of cement in the first nine months of 2022 and exported 1.67 million MT of cement, mostly to Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. Taxes are owed on exports that have not been remitted to the Philippines.

Analysts note that Thai cement has dominated globally, but Vietnam has only exported since 2010. Therefore, Vietnam has limits in export expertise and brand recognition.

Some Vietnamese cement exporters also verified that the quality and speed of Thailands shipment are two of its competitive advantages. Conversely, consumer psychology emphasises selecting clients with long-standing traditional ties, such as Thailand, requiring Vietnamese enterprises to put in twice the effort.

Currently, the demand for construction materials, especially cement, is rising in the Philippines since the government is eager to encourage economic development via investment in constructing infrastructure, a sector that contributed 12 per cent to the Philippines third-quarter 2022 GDP growth. This presents the potential for Vietnamese companies to enter the Philippine construction materials industry and engage in infrastructure projects.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction, the Philippines is a major importer of cement and clinker, importing around 15-17 million MT per year, with around seven million MT coming from Vietnam. Two months ago, chairman of Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), Bui Xuan Dung, stated that six million MT of cement would be exported to the Philippines before 2025 as part of an agreement between VICEM and two importers, Fenix International, Inc., and Gold Falcon Trading of the Philippines.

VICEM exports 1.5 million MT per year, or 21.5 per cent of total exports. It has 10 plants with 16 production lines, a capacity of 21 million MT of clinker per year, more than 25 million MT of cement per year, and a consumption of almost 30 million MT of primary products, accounting for about 33 per cent of the domestic market and 23 per cent of exports.

According to Global Cement, Philippines producers are concerned about Vietnams dominance in cement imports. As the Philippines real estate sector and economy continue to thrive, and cement demand will increase. Since the Philippines does not impose safeguard measures on cement from Vietnam, local cement makers will have a greater opportunity to grow exports.

Cement businesses anticipate headwinds in 2023 Huge inventories, a stagnant real estate market, and capital source constraints are some of the factors heralding an unfavourable outlook for cement businesses in 2023.
Could you highlight the companys business performance in 2022, and your expectations and plans for this year?

Bolat Duisenov, chairman at Coteccons

In 2022, the company implemented 65 projects spanning from north to south in Vietnam. Key ventures include Lego, Diamond Crown in the northern port city of Haiphong, and a VinFast factory, among others.

As of now, our total revenues are about $630 million, fulfilling 97 per cent of our plan, and profits also reached our plan. For 2023, we have conservative figures based on the existing backlog, which is expected to increase by 10-20 per cent compared to last year.

We aimed to be cautious in 2022 and it was not an easy year for the market. We did struggle too, but we managed to achieve a positive business performance. Thanks to such a positive result, we stay competitive to bid for both public and commercial projects.

It is said that Coteccons bad debt could reach over $113 million, and Nam Hoi An Casino, SonKim Land, NovaLand, and others lead to an increase in the number of provisions. What is your plan for receivables in these?

These are great customers, and we are proud to have built great projects for them. Not every construction company can complete ventures at such a large scale, but Coteccons has built iconic buildings in major cities.

In terms of risks, some are unpredictable. The pandemic was one example, and 2023 will not be an easy year given market fluctuations. Therefore, all companies will face challenges. We are constantly looking at receivables as well as projects and customers. To date, we have not seen any risks with receivables from these customers, including failure to recover such amounts.

In 2023, we will enhance risk management by taking more steps in the business process before deciding if we are going to join a particular initiative. We used to just look at a project technically to see if we could meet the requirements of the investor, but we now consider the financial health of our clients before deciding if we are going to partner with them.

Vietnam has recently called for more intensive public investment. Have you had any specific strategies or actions?

There are currently many ventures developed on the market and Coteccons has been involved in considerable mega-projects. When it comes to such large projects, Coteccons doesnt go all out to get them  we will analyse its risks, what needs to be prepared, what values it will bring to us in the future, and whether it is in line with our infrastructure development policy.

In the infrastructure development segment, we also have numerous projects underway, but most of those are buildings or residential areas. In the near future, our board will assign dedicated teams in charge of infrastructure development.

At least one rival is facing an internal crisis. Does Coteccons take this type of event as an opportunity in terms of regaining the position of largest construction company by revenue in Vietnam?

Coteccons is often called the largest or a leading construction company, but we would prefer to be mentioned with humility. It is true that we are a big company with 2,000 employees. Most of them are civil engineers, who are doers rather than talkers.

We know what our companys values are and what to do to protect those values. We set strategies to agree with each other on bringing these values to our customers, partners, shareholders, and employees. We absolutely do not believe in the idea that a single person can do it all, especially in this industry.

A company that keeps comparing itself to others will always find ways to change and not be truly itself. Once again, we know very well what we need to do and how to do it to build a great company, so we need to be patient and act step by step.

We have defined our direction, and our vision will not change just to go along with peoples comparisons. Our whole team share the same vision and stick with it.

Coteccons wins a series of large-scale projects in Q2/2021 Coteccons Construction JSC has received an announcement of bid winning for the Ecopark Swanlake Residences project from the investor Ecopark Group JSC, and a series of new projects spread across the country.

Coteccons won series of large projects with total value of more than $435 million in Q1 In the first quarter of 2022, Coteccons (CTD) and its member company Unicons (UNC) made a mark with large bidding packages valued at over $435 million.

Coteccons teams up with local partners for The Emerald 68 Coteccons, DSPcons, Danh Khoi Real Estate Services JSC, BIDV, and Anabuki NL Housing Service Vietnam have become partners of Le Phong Group to develop The Emerald 68 Luxury Apartment Project located in Binh Duong New City.
Vietnam is in the final stages of preparation to make commercialisation of 5G a reality this year. According to the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), Vietnam will commercialise it this year, partly using domestically produced equipment and devices.

Large investment is still required to ensure 5G commercialisation reaches its potential, Le Toan

MIC Deputy Minister Pham Duc Long said, Under the rollout plan, 5G has been in trial at provincial scale with 300 base transceiver stations since December, and will be commercialised nationwide in June 2023 when the devices are available.

Vietnam began developing 5G devices in 2019. So far, locally made devices are installed to provide network services for people in some areas, with download speeds of 15Gbps and uploads of 60Mbps.

To support commercialisation, the MIC created Decision No.1856/QD-BTTTT governing the collection of the base rate for band 2300-2400 MHz, while continuing to study the plan to adjust the frequency band planning of 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz to meet the requirements of new development and rapidly grant band frequency licensing for businesses.

The country granted band frequency licensing for more than 23,000 devices and testing over various operators and bands.

In 2023-2025, it will work on the national radio frequency spectrum planning and auctioning 900 MHz band and 700 MHz band for international mobile telecommunications. The country will also build 6/7 GHz and over 40 GHz frequency band planning for such telecoms in Vietnam based on the radio frequency spectrum planning. It will also promulgate the plan for developing a radio frequency control technical system for 2026-2030, while matching border frequency with Laos, Cambodia, and China across various bands.

New hopes

According to experts, band frequency auctions are significant to the commercialisation of 5G, and to facilitate players to make the next steps in the market. Such moves are good, but there are more factors to make the rollout successful.

Shah Zeb, senior director of Business Development of Qualcomm Technologies, told VIR, They are still in early trials and an early licensing period. For Vietnam to be ready for 5G, there should be spectrum options such as mid-band and mmWave in place and combining them in strategic locations, choosing suitable options for population density, and traffic. The underlying infrastructures are critically important.

Rollout should align with Vietnams vision for digital transformation, and modernising the system. By enabling 5G communications, Zeb added, it can help Vietnam accelerate towards its goal. Devices also need to be available to facilitate it for individual users and systems.

One factor is that the pricing for 5G should be lower, encouraging the ecosystem to come and build upon the pre-existing infrastructure, Zeb said. Another factor is that policies will help accelerate it, and Qualcomm is working with policymakers to create and facilitate more favourable policies for deployment and commercialisation.

Denis Brunetti, president of Ericsson in Vietnam and Myanmar said, Vietnam needs to continue to invest in 4G networks to enhance the experience of customers. And we will continue to work with service providers in Vietnam towards providing coverage. Beyond that, 5G will also enable Vietnam to unlock the potential of Industry 4.0, and will be the foundation on which it can build on its digital transformation journey and realise the governments vision.

Since 2020, Viettel, Vinaphone, and MobiFone have trialled services in 35 cities and provinces. The country aimed to commercialise 5G in 2022. However, the plan failed due to issues related to frequency band, investment, and delays in the manufacturing of related devices due to disruptions in the global supply chain.

According to the MIC, the disruption in the global supply chain and a lack of semiconductor chips have lengthened the research and manufacturing of devices by 10-12 months.

Vietnam has invested about $70 million in 5G, while some groups have poured in $2-10 billion. It is estimated that to launch on a large scale, it requires 30,000-70,000 5G base transceiver stations, with each costing over $43 million.

According to the Global System for Mobile Communications, investment in 5G will make up a large proportion of the total investment of mobile operators by 2025. Funding in this period will account for 85 per cent of the $620 billion that mobile operators are expected to invest in developing their networks.

Growing interest

2022 marked a busy year for the ICT market as it welcomed growing interest among international groups. Late last year, Samsung opened a new research and development (R&D) centre in Hanoi to strengthen its hand in ICT training, illustrating its strong attention and long-term investment strategy in the country.

In December, Samsung Electronics Vietnam and the Post and Telecommunications Institute of Technology signed an extension to a cooperation agreement to train high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of enterprises, focusing on R&D of mobile and telecommunications networks.

According to the MIC, last year marked growing interest among foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) in Vietnam, as well as the shift of investment from manufacturing outsourcing to investment in R&D. Samsung, Qualcomm, Panasonic, Intel, and Synopsys lead such activities.

At a meeting with the MIC last November, South Koreas ACE Technologies also expressed its plan to open an R&D centre in Vietnam. Also last year, STE Infosec under Singapores ST Engineering met with the MIC to seek cooperation opportunities with state and government agencies, as well as businesses in Vietnam in information security.

Nguyen Huy Dung, MIC Deputy Minister, said, Vietnam is accelerating digital transformation and developing towards a digital government, economy, and society. Therefore, information security plays an increasingly important role. The MIC creates favourable conditions for FIEs to do business in Vietnam to ensure cybersecurity in Vietnam.

Seeing the growth potential in Vietnam, a group of Swiss and German businesses have made similar moves and discussed cooperation opportunities in digital technologies with the MIC and Vietnamese firms.

The MIC is chairing the development of 35 digital platforms to accelerate transformation in the country, of which there are many Swiss and German companies that have advantages, such as on platforms in education, tourism, administration, e-commerce, agricultural data, and others.

Moreover, Vietnam is building a legal framework for digital economy development, thus facilitating businesses in innovation and development, including in fintech.

Accelerating digital transformation in Vietnam and the road to 5G Vietnam is on a steady trajectory towards the digital age. The government has spared no effort in recent years to accelerate national digital transformation based on three key pillars: digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

5G to accelerate Vietnams digital transformation Vietnam is yet to commercialise 5G despite detailed preparations and the expectations of the business community. Denis Brunetti, president of Ericsson in Vietnam and Myanmar, talked to VIRs Bich Thuy about the crucial factors that will make 5G happen.
Last month, state-run Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), one of the largest cement producers in Vietnam, released its financial assessment for 2022 and plan for 2023. While business results for 2022 were not strong as expected, the corporation is determined to concentrate power sources for projects to utilise excess heat from waste gas. The project is one of four key missions that the company targets this year.

Producers face up to fight in mitigating GHG emissions, Source:baodautu.vn

According to the plan, by 2025, all clinker production lines with a capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes per day will be installed with power generation systems using excess heat and self-supply at least 25 per cent of the electricity demand for production.

VICEMs cement production facilities are subject to mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and inventory under legislation released in January 2022. Conducting inventories by cement groups is an urgent requirement because cement production in construction is most vulnerable to long-term climate risks due to large and direct carbon emissions that require expensive decarbonisation technologies. Around 8 per cent of global carbon emissions came from cement production in 2021.

In 2020, the Vietnamese government also assigned the specific requirement to lower GHG emissions in the cement sector this decade. During this period, there should only be investment in new production plants with a capacity of not less than 5,000 tonnes per day, associated with a raw material area and funding in a power generation system that takes advantage of exhaust heat, fully satisfying indicators on the environment.

By 2025, cement plants with a capacity of less than 2,500 tonnes per day that consume many raw materials, must invest deeply in tech to improve productivity, product quality, energy saving, and environmental protection.

VICEM has developed a strategy for sustainable development to work alongside an action programme to reduce carbon emissions, which was implemented in 2017.

Other cement producers such as INSEE, Xuan Thanh Cement, and Thanh Thang Group are also implementing emissions reduction solutions. Their facilities focus on optimising technology, reducing energy consumption, and increasing use of alternative raw materials in production. Moreover, they apply new science and technology in cement production, deploying projects to utilise waste heat to generate electricity.

However during implementation, they face many challenges. Duong Ngoc Truong, deputy head of the VICEM Environmental Safety Department, said that when using waste as raw materials and alternative fuels, enterprises must assess environmental impacts and apply for environmental permits. The self-disposal of hazardous waste within the premises of waste-generating facilities must be consistent with rules on environmental impact assessment reports.

The procedures for using excess heat to generate electricity are too complicated, and waste gas heat generation will only be implemented when it is added to the local electricity development planning, Truong said. The order and procedures for the handling of a number of relevant departments and branches in localities must go through many steps and take a long time to complete.

Data from the Vietnam Environment Administration showed that Vietnam has issued licences for co-processing waste to four cement manufacturers  INSEE Hon Chong Cement; Thanh Cong Group; Nghi Son Cement Company; and VICEM Ha Tien Cement.

Associate Prof. Luong Duc Long, deputy president of the Vietnam National Cement Association, said that using waste to become alternative fuel in cement production has many advantages. Co-processing will help reduce waste storage and handling costs, reduce burial and disposal space, take advantage of heat energy, and reduce coal consumption.

There is also economical and environmental efficiency when co-processing waste is applied in the industry. For example, it eliminates dioxin, reducing emissions, Long said.

However, the current use rate of alternative fuels in the industry remains low.

Truong said that cement producers have yet to receive favourable supporting and encouraging mechanisms and policies in handling and treating ash, slag, synthetic gypsum, and sludge. For example, producers are asked to have licences of entire localities to transport waste to sites for treatment.

In addition, the amount of waste does not meet the demand, and the quality in terms of size and technical requirements is not stable. It is necessary to buy garbage from many sources without support from the state, so the goal is to increase the quality, Truong said.

Vietnams cement producers strive to deal with excess Vietnams cement industry is anticipating an oversupply issue as a result of Chinas reopening and lower coal prices.
Processing shrimps for export in Ho Chi Minh City. - Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hong Kong  Since it entered into force in early 2022, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has helped strongly promote integration of value and supply chains, strengthen confidence in regional economic recovery and create new impetus for trade and investment growth in the region and the world, according to an article on the Zhongguopinglun (China review) website of Hong Kong (China).

The article quoted Oramon Subthawitham, Director-General of the Department of International Trade Negotiations of the Thai Ministry of Commerce, as saying that the total import-export value between Thailand and RCEP member countries accounts for more than 50 per cent of Thailand's foreign trade.

The effective implementation of RCEP has great effects in promoting trade between Thailand and other RCEP member countries, Subthawitham said.

According to data released by the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, in the first half of 2022, the country's exports to RCEP member countries increased by nearly 10 per cent year-on-year.

Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Undersecretary of State and Spokesman Bin Soviji emphasised that RCEP and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement are important factors in boosting Cambodia's export growth.

Thanks to RCEP, Cambodia exports more products to other RCEP member countries and has expanded its export markets.

For Vietnam, Vietnam's seafood exports also surged thanks to RCEP. Vietnam has exported seafood to more than 160 markets around the world, of which exports to RCEP member countries account for over 63 per cent. In the first 10 months of 2022, Vietnam's seafood exports increased by 34 per cent over the same period in 2021.

According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs China (GACC), the total import and export turnover between China and RCEP partners in 2022 reached over 12.95 trillion CNY (1.9 trillion USD), up 7.5 per cent year-on-year, accounting for 30.8 per cent of China's total foreign trade turnover.

Secretary-General at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebecca Greenspan said in the context of declining global openness, rising trade costs and bottlenecks of supply chains, RCEP has significantly contributed to the global economy.

The RCEP comprises 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, together with their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. It is the world's largest free trade agreement, and has entered into force in 14 member countries.

RCEP among most-promising trade agreements for Vietnam Vietnam is expected to reap the most investment and trade benefits from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) when compared to many other trade pacts, as most of the countrys largest foreign investors are from the deals member economies.

Long-term gains on horizon for Vietnam via RCEP The application of favourable conditions for rules of origin within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is expected to benefit Vietnams trade performance and enable the country to participate more deeply in the regional supply chain.
This will be Rheem's third factory in Binh Duong province, situated 45km north of Ho Chi Minh City. The brand, which includes solar energy equipment manufacturer Solahart, is seeking to expand its manufacturing capacity as it marks its 10-year anniversary in the southern industrial hub.

The programme will include increased capacity of storage tanks, ranging from 6 litres up to 400 litres, for its electric, gas, heat pump, and solar products. According to Matthew Chessum, general director of Rheem Vietnam, this step, "helps reinforce the positive differences between Rheem and its competitors around the world through its sustainable manufacturing practices."

Currently, Rheem Vietnam mainly exports all of its products to its partner groups via international distribution channels.

Rheem Vietnam has previously invested over $46 million in its manufacturing capabilities in Binh Duong province, where its available land use covers 61,000 square metres. The company currently employs 270 people making over 348,000 heaters, 480,000 solar collectors and 100,000 integrated assemblies per year.

Beginning as a joint venture between Rheem Singapore, Rheem Manufacturing United States, and Paloma Industries, Rheem Vietnam is now a subsidiary of Rheem Australia. The manufacturing facility is set to expand from its original objectives to provide for the global market to establish a domestic presence in both renewable energy and electric storage heaters with both the Rheem and Solahart trademarks.
He made the comments on February 8 at the Real Estate Credit Conference presided over by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the Ministry of Construction.

The conference this morning

Tu said that the SBV only provided directives to carefully restrict credit risk in certain high-risk locations and segments of the real estate industry. "For instance, speculation and huge segment business leading to freezes and bubbles, which impact the system," he said.

In essence, the SBV constantly analyses real estate credit trends and implements monetary and credit policies with the objectives of guaranteeing the security of the banking system, contributing to economic growth, and ensuring the market's sustainable development, he said.

I would like to clarify that SBV has not received any papers or declarations about the restriction of real estate credit. To protect the integrity of the system, credit should be rigorously regulated for some vulnerable sectors, such as those with a high rate of speculation. Up to this point, we have maintained the same guiding stance. As in other industries, credit for genuine home buying reasons is equally assured, Dao Minh Tu, Deputy Governor of the SBV.

Ha Thu Giang, deputy director of the Credit Department for Economic Sectors at the SBV, said that bond purchases in the real estate market originate from a wide range of sources, including listed companies' own equity, advance capital from property investors, capital for issuing stocks and bonds, private investment capital from international investors, and commercial bank capital.

For the banking sector, market trends and company issues have a direct influence on credit quality and macroeconomic stability.

According to the SBV, unsettled real estate credit will reach approximately $109 billion by the end of 2022, representing a 24.27 per cent annual increase.

This is one of the fastest-growing industries, accounting for 21.2 per cent of all outstanding loans to the economy, the highest level in the last five years.

The real estate business climbed by 11.5 per cent, accounting for 31.28 per cent of the rise, while the client credit balance increased by 31.1 per cent, accounting for 68.72 per cent of the increase.

By section, outstanding home loans accounted for 62.19 per cent, land use rights for 20.66 per cent, industrial and export processing zones 2.67 per cent, meeting houses 0.71 per cent, and others 13.79 per cent.

It is evident that financial institutions continue to provide credit to the real estate sector, notwithstanding rapid expansion and substantial loan balances. In accordance with the rules, credit institutions must make loans for viable projects and lending plans.

In addition, the SBV stressed that it would continue to conduct monetary policy firmly, aggressively, flexibly, and synchronously with fiscal policy and other macroeconomic measures in the future.

In addition, improving the legislative framework on credit and banking operations in line with the existing circumstances is necessary to establish favourable conditions for individuals and companies to obtain credit and eliminate real estate challenges.

In addition, the SBV intends to instruct financial institutions to manage credit risk for the high-end real estate sector, which is experiencing excess supply, trading speculatively, price fixing, and manipulating the market. Additionally, it will manage the extent of credit consolidation for a few big customers, consumers associated with key shareholders, and related individuals of shareholders of credit institutions.

It will also secure the safety of banking operations.

Real estate stability on top of SBV agenda The State Bank of Vietnam is encouraging the lowering of real estate loan rates to assist enterprises in overcoming liquidity issues, a vital action that on its own will be insufficient to foster stable market development.

Expanded credit probable for January The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will likely provide commercial banks with more credit room in January, according to economists.
Demand for cement in this country will increase to 100-105 million metric tonnes this year, Le Toan

By investing in the technological chain of Danish multinational FLSmidth, general director of Xuan Thanh Cement Vu Quang Bac aims to get a licence to enter high-standard markets such as the EU and the United States.

With the completion of the 4.5 million-tonne-per-year production line in October 2022, Xuan Thanhs total cement capacity will far exceed its previous capacity.

Exports may be a solution for Xuan Thanh and other Vietnamese cement makers with a significant export rate, although it is insufficient to deal the present surplus.

Chairman of the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) Nguyen Quang Cung is worried about the impact of the supply-demand mismatch on producers. The industrys actual production exceeds its intended capacity of 107 million metric tonnes per year, although cement export output is only approximately 35 million MT.

According to the VNCA, the countrys total cement consumption in 2022 did not exceed 62.68 million MT. Since the second quarter of 2022, weak domestic demand owing to the downward cycle of the real estate market has driven cement and clinker stocks to around six million tonnes, equal to 25-30 days of output. Under typical consumption circumstances, the inventory level is 15 to 20 days.

Meanwhile, the effect of high raw material costs on Vietnamese cement makers is unfavourable. State-run Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group decided to triple the selling price of coal in 2022. In addition, domestic petrol prices grew by an average of 28.01 per cent between 2012 and 2021.

In 2023, many businesses anticipate that exports encounter challenges. Many nations that import cement and clinker use protectionist measures, while freight prices remain high.

Exports of steel, cement, fertiliser, aluminium, power, and hydrogen to Europe will be subject to a carbon border policy beginning in October.

According to a VNCA study in December 2022, the total amount of cement and clinker exported in 2022 was 30.65 million MT, a 33 per cent decrease from 2021. In 2022, total foreign currency earnings from exports of cement and clinker totalled $1.36 billion, down $398 million.

Chinas reopening of its borders might partly reverse the glut, according recent projections. China has been Vietnams main export market for cement since 2018, accounting for 54 per cent of Vietnams cement exports in 2021.

The Building Materials Department under the Ministry of Construction projects that in 2023, the demand for cement will reach 100-105 million MT, up 7-10 per cent from 2022, with domestic consumption accounting for 60-65 million MT and exports totalling 35-40 million.

As the real estate sector remains weak, SSI Research anticipates flat domestic cement consumption in 2023. On a positive note, it is predicted thatthe value of the public investment plan for 2023 will grow by 25 per cent on year.

In the previous quarter, as cement exports grew 32 per cent compared to the previous quarter, SSI Research saw indications of recovery.

Nonetheless, it noted that when performance is blended with weak use and a decline in export, this results in more competitive pressure in the north and central regions, which are the focus of new cement production initiatives.

Due to potentially less conflict in Ukraine, SSI Research predicts the price of imported coal will likely be low. Oil and liquefied natural gas prices have become steadier, and China intends to boost coal output.

There is a gap, however, between the global and Vietnamese coal price. Consequently, SSI Research anticipates profit recovery of 50-90 per cent for cement businesses in 2023, mostly in the second half.

Ho Sy Hung - Vice chairman Commission for the Managenment of State Capital at Enterprises When the economy is in a downturn, expanding public investment is the way to stimulate growth, particularly when there is little space for monetary policy, fiscal policy room is still fairly decent, and the ratio of public debt to expenditures is low relative to the required limit. In 2023, the cement market will rely on public investment. The cement sector must continue to anticipate good signals from the governments robust disbursement. Nguyen Quang Cung - Chairman, Vietnam National Cement Association The present surplus is mostly due to the licensing of cement projects. Since 2019, the local administration has mostly submitted investment permission for cement projects to the federal government. Cement, however, is not a typical commodity since it is resource-intensive and non-renewable. Consequently, the existing supply-demand mismatch may be remedied by new planning and legal investment procedures.

Cement producers facing headwinds After hitting an export volume approximating 46 million tonnes in 2021, the cement sector faces a tough road ahead due to headwinds in exports and slow rebound in pandemic-hit domestic consumption.
It was a rainy Tuesday at the Waco Animal Shelter, almost as if the weather knew the gloomy fate on the horizon for Raven, a pit bull mix, who sat atop the list of shelter dogs most at risk for euthanasia. Raven found her forever home late Tuesday, but as capacity reappears as a growing issue, happy endings become more difficult for the Humane Society of Central Texas to provide.

Tuesday morning there were eight dogs on the Humane Societys code red list, a rolling list of animals at the shelter that are at risk for euthanasia if they do not find a home that day.

Humane Society operations supervisor Sarah Fanning said staff pulled off enough exits to stave off any euthanasia Tuesday, but as the shelter remains at capacity, the list must recycle. Another eight would be at risk Wednesday.

We really prefer to get over, in an ideal world, 30 dogs out tomorrow, Fanning said.

Fanning said foster and adoption efforts Monday opened up six kennels, yet those kennels would inevitably refill and the list would recycle the next day. The shelter can hold about 170 dogs  115 in kennels on the adoption floor and another 30 in the intake building  depending on their size, she said.

Fanning said code red status works a little differently than it has before.

In the past we would do those almost last-minute code reds youd get at 4 in the afternoon, she said.

Rather than sending out an urgent message toward the end of the day, the Humane Society has been pushing out a list of at-risk animals in the morning, as well as updates throughout the day on social media.

The list is rolling and depends on the number of kennels available at the shelter, Fanning said. But the number of kennels available also depends on the number of intakes on any given day and the size of the animal.

Those spots will fill right back up, but at least itll buy more time for those at-risk dogs, she said.

While the Humane Society strives to provide 100% live exits for the animals that enter the shelter, the shelter also has open intake, meaning it cannot refuse animals when they are surrendered. Fanning said the shelter averages 15 to 20 intakes per day, and it saw 31 come in Saturday.

We could always get those high intake days at any time, she said.

The shelter restarted intakes last month, after a distemper outbreak in October forced officials to quarantine and test every animal in the shelter. The city, which runs the shelter while the Humane Society manages adoptions, shut down all intakes to prevent the spread of the virus deadly to dogs. In the months since the closure, the city and Humane Society have worked together on new procedures to ensure animals are vaccinated promptly when they arrive.

Not only does the shelter receive public surrenders, but it also receives animals from its partner animal control agencies in neighboring cities, which cannot be turned away. Fanning said the shelter was trying to take intake slow as it resumed operations, only opening at first to animal control officers. Now that the shelter is open for public intake, it has gotten more difficult to take things slow, she said.

The shelter must also hold room for animals that have bitten a person or another animal and must be quarantined in accordance with rabies guidelines from the Department of State Health Services. Fanning said some owners end up surrendering their dogs after the 10-day quarantine.

She said there are options to save animals that are on the at-risk list, including adoption, which has slowed lately. She said fostering is another great option that helps two dogs at once: one that gets a home for the time being and another that can stay in the open kennel. There is no time limit on how long someone may foster a dog.

The longer you can foster the more kennels can be freed up, Fanning said.

Another alternative meant to keep dogs out of the shelter altogether is the Safety Net in Foster Friends Program. Fanning said through SNIFF, anyone could find a stray and agree to keep it for three days.

The shelter would give the dog a microchip and administer vaccinations so if it must enter the shelter, immunity is already built. During the three days, finders may help to contact the pets owner, and the Humane Society may provide a kennel, food and other pet necessities the finder may not have on hand.

The Humane Society also works behind the scenes to find rescue facilities for dogs. Fanning said several dogs will leave for a rescue in Washington on Feb. 9.

Were working really hard to get those rescue numbers up and make those relationships the best we can, she said.

Although not everyone is able to keep a pet, Fanning said those who would like to help out can also sponsor an adoption by donating at the sponsor link on the Humane Society of Central Texas Facebook page.
A changing Medicaid policy could make things tougher for Waco Family Medicine, the nonprofit system of clinics focused on helping patients in poverty, Director Dr. Jackson Griggs said Tuesday.

During a Waco City Council meeting, Griggs gave an update on Waco Family Medicines progress on a new headquarters expected to open in 2024 on Colcord Avenue, along with a warning about changes to Medicaid coming in April. He said while capital campaigns aimed at building new clinic locations have been successful, day-to-day operational funding will be harder to maintain.

Were facing a cliff thats concerning, Griggs said.

He said since 2016, Waco Family Medicine tracked a steady decline in the number of Medicaid patients with coverage through Medicaid. Medicaid does not pay directly for treatment, but Federally Qualified Health Centers, including Waco Family Medicine, can be fully reimbursed through the program.

We do well when we see Medicaid patients because  we dont operate at a deficit, we dont have to subsidize care, whereas we do have to subsidize care for uninsured patients, Griggs said in an interview before the meeting.

He said the trend of fewer patients with Medicaid coverage reversed in 2020, when a federal policy change in response to the pandemic meant Medicaid recipients automatically remained eligible and enrolled.

Medicaid recipients make up about 42% of the patients Waco Family Medicine treats, but that share is bound to drop in April, when Texas resumes removing people from Medicaid, Griggs said.

For patients, getting dropped from Medicaid can happen seemingly at random, even if they previously qualified, and reapplication is difficult. Sometimes it happens because the patient qualifies for other programs, sometimes it is because Texas Health and Human Services could not verify their address, but it is always onerous to get back on, Griggs said.

Statewide, 20.4% of people younger than 65 are uninsured, a higher rate than any other state, Griggs said.

Waco Family Medicines service area includes McLennan County and Temple, where one small clinic is located. The systems patient base has grown from about 51,000 in 2014 to 61,000 in 2022, spurring the addition of new locations.

Griggs said despite the designation Federally Qualified Health Center, as a private nonprofit, only about 5% of Waco Family Medicines funding comes from federal sources. A stipend from the city of Waco provides about 1.1% of its annual budget, and McLennan County provides money through a smaller stipend and indirectly through its indigent care program.

About 63% of Waco Family Medicines revenue comes from patients, but Griggs said the looming April deadline makes him worry that number will decline.

When we have a high uninsured rate and a growing uninsured rate, it makes financing the work we do very difficult, Griggs said.
[Photo/cfp.cn]

The United States is pursuing an ever-expanding technology war against China. Aiming to maintain a monopoly over high-end supply chains, and by extension, military dominance, it is doing everything it can to try and block China's rise in high-end manufacturing and technological advancement. Its primary logic of doing so is that of "embargo."



Beginning with the Trump administration, the U.S. has blacklisted a growing list of Chinese tech companies, prohibiting them from receiving American-made technology through the Department of Commerce's "entity list" and the more severe "foreign direct product" rule, which prohibits the U.S. held patents or "technology" anywhere in the world from being used when doing business with targeted entities.

This use of long-arm jurisdiction was first deployed against Huawei in order to forcibly isolate it from the global semiconductor supply chain, but starting in November last year the U.S. has sought to impose the rule on all Chinese chipmakers in an attempt to hobble their ability to obtain semiconductor manufacturing equipment and slow their rise in capabilities.

As the U.S. does not have complete control over the entire semiconductor industry, but seeks to do so, part of this effort has involved coercing allied countries to follow suit, even if it comes at a cost to the given ally in the process. For example, the U.S. has frequently sought to pressure its allies to block Chinese acquisitions in any firms relating to chip or semiconductor technology. It demanded the U.K. make a U-turn on a Chinese owned firm's acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab, even though it did not genuinely represent a "national security risk."

In addition, the United States is deliberately eroding the semiconductor manufacturing capabilities of its allies by coercing leading firms to invest in capacity inside of the U.S. and pursuing large-scale industrial subsidies, which will erode the trade balance of the impacted countries. Across the board, the U.S. is tearing up the global semiconductor supply chain, and forcing its allies to forego China, the world's largest and most important semiconductor market.

The latest addition to this effort is the coercive push to force the Netherlands and Japan to follow its restrictions on the export of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China. Negotiations have been going on behind the scenes for a long time. However, recently, unnamed U.S. officials have repeatedly leaked claims to the press that a "deal" has been reached and that the two countries have agreed to follow suit, although it is not clear what form the final agreement will take, which will reportedly never be publicized. However, it has gone through despite aggressive resistance to such a proposal by the respective industries in both countries.

In particular, ASML of the Netherlands  one of the world's leading chip-making equipment manufacturers  has repeatedly warned that such restrictions will place the company at a disadvantage, because it will force China to reinvent the technology themselves and cost them access to the market. The company had already experienced similar economic coercion from the United States when it was prohibited from exporting an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine to China in 2018. Now, the U.S. wants the firm to stop sending any machine capable of constructing chips at 14 nm and below to China as well, despite the huge level of demand and potential sales.

Under the last two administrations, the United States has been taking delight in destroying globalization in the name of "America First." Seeing the world purely in terms of its own hegemony and dominance, it ultimately opposes the idea of other countries integrating for common prosperity and strives to create fractures through the promulgation of geopolitical conflict in order to sustain its dominance. This involves demanding and forcing allies to sacrifice their own economic well-being and prosperity in order to fulfil Washington's agenda against target countries, pursuing "decoupling."

The result is that U.S. allies become weaker and ultimately dependent upon American power. As the U.S. subsequently rages its technology war against China in pursuit of containment, compliance and obedience to American policies will cut off impacted countries from the world's largest market and have a detrimental impact on their prosperity. It remains a fundamental truth that the Chinese market is critical for the Japanese economy, and that the two countries cannot afford to be locked in deepening geopolitical conflict, an outcome which will be adverse not just to Asia, but the world.

Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/TomFowdy.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
Black History Museum

A Mini Black History Museum experience will return Tuesday in observance of Black History Month at Dewey Community Center, 925 N. Ninth St. The exhibit will be on display through Feb. 28 and will showcase African Americans great impact on our nation.

The museum experience will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Additionally, a free Taste of Soul event will kick off the museums opening. Starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, samples of smoked neckbones, cornbread, mac and cheese, greens and meatloaf will be served while supplies last.

CenTex Teen Book Fest

CenTex Teen Book Fest on the Brazos, presented by LitWaco, will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Indian Spring/Carver Middle School, 500 N. University Parks Drive.

The event will include 16-plus diverse middle grade and young adult authors, author panels, a literary cosplay contest, door prizes and storytelling.

For more information, call Tracy Guillory at 254-313-8538.

Food giveaway Saturday

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1312 Dallas St., will host a giveaway of nonperishable food from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

For more information, call 254-495-5292.

Waco Calligraphy Guild

The Waco Calligraphy Guild will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 800 N. New Road.

Debbie Dutton, of Houston, will present a program on drawing versal letters, transferring them to book paper, painting them and turning them into a finished art piece.

B-E VFD chili dinner

The Bruceville-Eddy Volunteer Fire Department will have its annual chili dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 143 Wilcox Drive in Bruceville-Eddy.

A chili bowl or Frito pie, dessert and drink costs $12.

Valentines Sweetheart Dance

Historic Waco will have a Valentines Sweetheart dance from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at East Terrace House, 100 Mill St.

The event will include refreshments, a chance to learn some ballroom steps, and dancing to the music of years past. The Baylor Ballroom Dance Society will be in attendance to help teach the basics. The event will take place downstairs and upstairs in the East Terrace Ballroom, and vintage clothing is strongly encouraged. Admission is $10, and an RSVP is required.

For more information, call 254-753-5166.
Tuesday marks a notable landmark in the COVID-19 pandemic, the three-year anniversary of when Nebraska had its first brush with the coronavirus.

On Feb. 7, 2020, some 57 Americans who had been in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, landed in Omaha and were shuttled to the Nebraska National Guards Camp Ashland. Ten days later, 13 Americans who tested positive or were exposed to the coronavirus aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Japan were brought to the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine campus.

Much has changed since. After hundreds of thousands of infections among Nebraskans and nearly 5,000 deaths, the state is in the midst of its first winter lull, with cases currently at one of the lowest points in the pandemic.

That anniversary comes a week after the Biden administration announced plans to end the national and public health emergency declarations issued for the pandemic on May 11.

The state recorded 911 new cases of COVID-19 last week, a tally similar to the 800 and 918 cases recorded the previous two weeks. Cases, in fact, are a small fraction of what they were a year ago, when the state was in the grip of its largest-ever surge, brought by the omicron variant.

Nebraska currently has the fourth-lowest case rate among the states. Hospitalizations are trending sharply down and are at their lowest level since mid-October.

Cases and hospitalizations also continue to trend down nationally. Now with the emergency declarations slated to end, what does it mean?

In place since early 2020, those declarations gave the federal government the flexibility to waive or modify certain requirements in a variety of areas, from Medicare and Medicaid coverage to telehealth requirements. They also made sure that Americans, including those without insurance, could get COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments at no cost, either by making them available at no charge or by requiring insurance companies to cover the cost of administering them.

Dr. James Lawler, a co-executive director of UNMCs Global Center for Health Security, said the biggest impact of the move will be on access to testing, vaccines and therapies for a large portion of the population.

I think youre going to see access to tests and vaccines and therapies go down even more, and I think it will differentially affect people who are already on the margins in terms of access to health care and ability to pay for health care services, he said.

The Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, has proposed changing to annual vaccines for COVID-19, like the schedule now used for influenza shots. Some have argued that such a step would improve vaccine uptake, which has dropped off significantly.

But Lawler said its premature to assume that health officials know what an ideal vaccine schedule looks like for COVID-19.

Its pretty clear from available data, he said, that most people probably need to be vaccinated at least every four to six months. Thats the timing that has provided evidence of adequate protection against infection and severe infection, given the rate at which immunity from the shots and infections wanes and new variants rise with greater immune escape capabilities.

As for announcing an end to the pandemic emergency now, he said, most of these decisions are now driven by political calculation rather than science or public health interest.

The reality, he said, is that the nation still is losing thousands of people a week to COVID-19.

Indeed, Nebraska added 19 deaths last week. The state has averaged nearly two deaths a day over the past month, bringing the total pandemic toll to 4,765.

Charts that track COVID-19 variants, vaccination rates and hospitalizations in Nebraska
by Matt Scales

On February 4th, 2023, the U.S. Air Force had an unusual mission, a task so atypical to modern warfare that it was almost beyond living memory, having last occurred at the tail end of WWII.[1] Now faced with the necessity of downing a balloon, Air Force officials turned to the unit with the most historical experience in this role, the Fightin Eagles of the 27th Fighter Squadron. So when the F-22 Raptor pilot flying callsign Frank 01 announced, Splash one, and his wingman in Frank 02 followed up with, The balloon is completely destroyed, upon the 27th Fighter Squadrons successful completion of their mission to destroy a Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast, the moment was far from the first time that pilots from the Fightin Eagles had sent a balloon to its doom.[2] While the leadership of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base knew the history of the squadron they selected for this unique assignment, it is unlikely that they understood just how deep the units connections to The Great War actually ran.

During World War One, American pilots downed 57 German observation balloons. A month before the first American ground troops fought in the Battle of Cantigny, Maj. William Thaw, a former member of the La Fayette Escadrille now flying with the 103rd Aero Squadron, teamed up with his squadron mate, 1Lt. George E. Turnure, to shoot down a German balloon near Montaigne. The final American aerial victories over German balloons took place on November 8th, 1918, three days before the war ended. Early that morning, 2Lt. John DeWitt of the 94th Aero Squadron downed one of these balloons, earning his first aerial victory. Later that day, 1Lt. Albert Weatherhead of the 95th Aero Squadron claimed two additional balloons, while 1Lt. Leslie B. Cooper dispatched a further example near Montmedy, wrapping up a unique legacy for his 27th Aero Squadron.[3]

The 27th Aero Squadron shot down a total of 22 balloons during the last five or so months of WWI, accounting for almost 40% of the total number falling to American pilots in the entire conflict. 1Lt. Zenos Miller opened the squadrons tally on July 16th, 1918, with two balloons falling to his guns. 2Lt. Frank Luke (whom the 27th Fighter Squadron rightfully honored in the call sign they used during the events of February 4th) shot down ten balloons by himself, sharing credit with squadronmates in four further encounters; he accomplish this feat in just seventeen days! 1Lt. Joseph Wehner was the next highest scoring balloon buster in the Fightin Eagles; he received credit for five balloons, three of which he shared with Luke. In addition to Luke and Wehner, five other pilots from the 27th received full credit for downing balloons before the war ended. Two other men, 1Lt. Thomas Lennon and 1Lt. Leo Dawson, also each shared a victory with Frank Luke.[4]

However, while the 27th was busting balloons over enemy lines, another WWI squadron was doing its part to keep the aircraft flying. The 106th Aero Squadron arrived in France during December, 1917, undergoing redesignation as the 800th Aero Squadron two months later. They spent the war away from the front lines, repairing aircraft for the combat units. After the war, a former 94th Aero Squadron member named Jimmy Meissner moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where he started a flying club. Using his WWI celebrity as an eight-victory ace (including a balloon), Meissner gained federal recognition for this club to become part of the National Guard in 1922. In 1936, the Army consolidated the WWI-era 106th Aero Squadron with the newly-formed 106th Observation Squadron, giving the National Guard Unit claim to its WWI heritage. In 1994, this squadron, newly redesignated as the 106th Air Refueling Squadron, accepted delivery of its first KC-135 Stratotankers.[5]

On February 4th, 2023, the unique stories of these two historic squadrons finally came together. The 27th Fighter Squadron was called upon, once again, to bring down a balloon, but needed help to stay in the air. From their birth in 1918, when airmen from the 106th Aero Squadron turned wrenches to make sure that fighter planes could accomplish their missions, their successors more than a century later again supported their friends at the 27th, although this time from the air. As KC-135 57-1473 (call sign Gasman 02) flew a racetrack pattern off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, its crew from the 106th ARS provided the much-needed air-to-air refueling support for the 27th Fighter Squadron, ensuring that their F-22 Raptors were able to successfully prosecute their mission, a mission which the squadrons forebears were no strangers to. It is fascinating how history sometimes repeats itself

Many thanks to Matt Scales for this article. Scales is a 2007 Samford University history graduate, and a member of the U. S. Air Force Reserve who conducted a years-long search to track down and locate the iconic C-47 Thats All, Brother. To read his previous interview about that endeavor, please click HERE.

[1] World War One was not the last time balloons had been destroyed. Nearly 20 Japanese Fu-Go balloon bombs were downed over the US during WWII, the final being on April 13, 1945 when P-38s shot down balloons over Attu Island, Alaska.

[2] Altman, Howard and Tyler Rogoway. The Shooting Down of Chinas Spy Baloon In Moment-By-Moment Audio. The Drive. February 6, 2023. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/the-operation-to-down-chinas-spy-balloon-in-moment-by-moment-audio

[3] U.S. Air Service Victory Credits: World War I. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Historical Research Division, Aerospace Studies Institute, 1969.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Matthew Scales, Jimmy Meissner: The Father of The Alabama Air National Guard (bachelors thesis, Samford University, 2006), 4-6.
LONE TREE  Chad Yoder has enough on his plate with a full-time job as an animal health consultant, a sideline of raising Duroc pigs and a family that includes three boys under age 10.

That's why Yoder Family Farms, of Lone Tree, hired ChopLocal to market and sell the farm's pork online.

"Managing inventory, setting up the sales, collecting money," Yoder said. "These are big things that are pretty time-consuming."

ChopLocal.com, an Iowa-based online market created in 2020 to connect small meat producers with customers, now is helping 45 farms and butcher shops in 12 states sell their products directly to consumers.

The site has everything from steaks, chops and chicken breasts to unusual items like beef tallow, smoked turkey legs and Boston Butt (if you know, you know).

ChopLocal co-founder Katie Olthoff, who lives north of Ames, describes the website as "Etsy for meat," referring to the popular site for handmade crafts.

Americans bought more than $80 billion in meat in 2021, up 3 percent from 2020, according to the Power of Meat report from the Food Industry Association and the North American Meat Institute.

The share of shoppers who bought meat online more than doubled from 14 percent in 2019 to 35 percent in 2021.

"We want to make sure farmers and small processors in Iowa and other rural areas can grab a chunk of that," Olthoff said of online sales.

How it started

The COVID-19 pandemic threw off the normal demand for meat and temporarily shuttered some meatpacking plants.

"Our meat went to sandwich chains, but when restaurants closed and people stopped commuting, our meat couldn't go anywhere," said Olthoff, who married into a family of turkey producers.

ChopLocal co-founder and CEO Jared Achen, a Wayland turkey and grain farmer, had the idea for the company and brought Olthoff aboard. They launched the site just before Thanksgiving 2020, adding vendors and building a customer base.

Farms or butcher shops pay a fee to ChopLocal, which helps them set up their online stores with appealing photos and product descriptions. ChopLocal markets the meat and handles online sales. About 60 percent of meat products sold on ChopLocal are picked up at the farms and 40 percent is shipped directly to customers.

Most of the ChopLocal producers have kept their businesses small to focus on quality.

"Almost all of them are controlling the entire process from genetics and birth to the very end when they choose which processor they want to work with," Olthoff said.

ChopLocal sells meat from animals that are grain-fed and grass-fed and has two producers who raise organic meat, which means the feed and the processor must be certified organic.

One of the site's rules is there is no disparaging marketing of other agricultural practices.

One producer's experience

When Yoder was working on his Ph.D. in swine genetics, he was involved in a research project about Duroc pigs. These pigs, an older breed known for red coloring, droopy ears and mild temperament, could be bred to produce high-quality meat, he said.

Most pigs raised in Iowa have Duroc fathers, but not mothers, Yoder said. That's because Duroc sows only have eight to 10 piglets. Other breeds have much larger litters.

"We are selecting animals on mom's side and dad's side with a focus on high-quality meat," Yoder said. "We try to breed the best of the best so every generation has a better pig."

As a consultant for an animal health company, Yoder is mindful of what he feeds his pigs. Sows get a mix of ground corn and soybean meal with specific vitamins and minerals.

Pigs just weaned from their moms get a different feed mix, as do the older pigs. Yoder works with Terra Products, of Iowa City, to get the mixes just right.

Yoder Family Farms has about 20 sows who farrow every 2 1/2 months, 10 at a time. Yoder raises about 150 to 200 pigs a year to sell to the meat locker. Yoder started selling pork products, including chops, bratwurst and shoulder roast, on ChopLocal last summer.

"It went way better than we expected," he said. "We should be fully restocked in four to six weeks."

Expansion

ChopLocal won $15,000 in January as one of four finalists at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 2023 Ag Innovation Challenge held at the group's convention in Puerto Rico.

Olthoff and Achen are using that money to invest in developing new tools for the website, such as a new easier-to-use invoicing system, Olthoff said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also awarded ChopLocal a three-year $356,000 grant last year that focuses on providing education for livestock farmers, ranchers and seafood producers about how to market and sell their products online. ChopLocal will provide training and technical assistance to 500 producers through a blog, webinar series and online course.

That grant allowed ChopLocal to hire another employee  for a total of four. All work remotely.

Olthoff knows online meat sales will never replace going to the grocery store.

"But there are also people who really enjoy getting to know the farmer," she said. "This just makes it so much more convenient for them to do that."

Counties with the longest life expectancy in Iowa Counties with the longest life expectancy in Iowa #47. Osceola County #47. Henry County #43. Washington County #43. Howard County #43. Wright County #43. Boone County #41. Floyd County #41. Marion County #37. Sac County #37. Winnebago County #37. Warren County #37. Grundy County #35. Jasper County #35. Hardin County #34. Poweshiek County #32. Clay County #32. Madison County #27. Crawford County #27. Keokuk County #27. Delaware County #27. Shelby County #27. Benton County #26. Plymouth County #24. Greene County #24. Linn County #21. Adams County #21. Carroll County #21. Buchanan County #19. Kossuth County #19. Jefferson County #18. Humboldt County #16. Worth County #16. Dubuque County #13. Clayton County #13. Guthrie County #13. Mitchell County #12. Buena Vista County #11. Dickinson County #10. Bremer County #9. Cedar County #7. Jones County #7. Lyon County #5. Hancock County #5. Dallas County #4. Story County #3. Johnson County #2. Sioux County #1. Winneshiek County
WATERLOO  An Evansdale sex offender has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a girl in Waterloo.

Police arrested William Lee Edward Lynn, 40, of 125 Forest Circle, on Friday on a charge of second-degree sexual abuse. Bond was set at $100,000.

He is also held on probation violation warrants.

Authorities allege Lynn had sexual contact with a child in 2021 at a Waterloo address. Authorities were notified of the allegations in October 2022 and the girl was interviewed at the Child Protection Center. Detectives questioned Lynn, who allegedly admitted to the allegations, according to court records.

Lynn is required to register as a sex offender because of a 2002 conviction for criminal sexual conduct with a girl under age 14 in Macomb County, Michigan. He also has several convictions for violating registration requirements including incidents in 2020 and 2021 where he moved without notifying authorities of his new addresses.

Photos: Missing children in Iowa Jade Colvin Fredrick Workman Benjamin Roseland Erin Pospisil Marc Allen Eugene Martin John Gosch Kimberly Doss Colleen Simpson Fatima Conteh Daquan Nelson Diomarix Crespo
CEDAR FALLS  The Cedar Falls Chapter of Daughters of American Revolution will hold their monthly meeting at First United Methodist Church at 715 Clay St. on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Area high school students chosen by their schools to be a "Good Citizen" will be recognized. All of the Good Citizen students participated in a scholarship essay contest. The essay winner chosen by independent judges will be announced at the meeting.

If you think you can prove direct lineage to a patriot of the Revolutionary War, you can contact cfchapterdar@gmail.com or call (319) 277-7514.
DES MOINES  Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill eliminating reporting requirements and other regulations on public K-12 schools.

The bill, proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, covers several provisions that a representative from Reynolds office said will remove burdensome and trivial requirements on schools. The bill:

Eliminates the requirement for schools to develop an annual comprehensive improvement plan

Allows school districts to hire a person who has previously worked as a public librarian for the position of teacher librarian

Prohibits schools from offering more than five days or 30 hours of instruction online per year

Provides flexibility for schools contracting with community colleges to teach high school courses

Allows schools to teach sequential units of a subject in the same classroom

Loosens educational standards required to graduate and removes requirements for certain instruction

Extends extra funding for school districts that share administrators and staff.

This proposal will eliminate redundant reporting, allow greater flexibility in course credits, and encourage schools to offer options best suited to their students, said Molly Severn, a representative with Reynolds office.

However, some lobbyists and education representatives were concerned that the loosening of requirements in the bill would lead to subpar education for Iowas students.

Michelle Kruse, a teacher librarian from Cedar Rapids, said the skill set for teacher librarians is distinct from public librarians, and public librarians may not be able to provide the same education as a certified teacher librarian.

If the intention of these proposed changes is to address the shortage of teacher librarians within the state, we need to have a conversation about the reasons current teachers are not choosing to go on to seek certification as a teacher librarian, she said.

The bill also requires schools to offer two units of a foreign language rather than four, and removes the requirement that schools include instructions about HIV and AIDS, which some lobbyists opposed.

House Study Bill 119 passed out of a subcommittee with only Republican support. It now is eligible for consideration by the full House committee on education.

County compensation boards

Iowa county boards of supervisors would be able to create or dissolve county compensation boards under a proposal advanced in the Iowa House on Tuesday.

Iowa law currently requires counties to have compensation boards that set the salaries for elected officials. Under the bill, if a county does not have a compensation board, the board of supervisors would serve the same function.

Compensation boards would be required to provide data to the board of supervisors explaining how they decided salaries.

It also allows counties to reduce the proposed salary increase of certain officials, but the compensation cannot be lower than the previous year. Current law only allows counties to reduce the proposed salary increase of all county elected officials equally.

House File 75 passed a House subcommittee, 2-1.

Commercial trucker protections

Legal protections for commercial trucking companies advanced out of the Senates judiciary committee.

Under the proposed legislation, trucking companies would be shielded from liability for direct negligence in many cases if their drivers are involved in a serious crash, and jury awards for non-economic damages in cases regarding crashes involving commercial truck drivers would be capped at $1 million. The legislation does not cap awards for economic or punitive damages.

Only Republicans on the committee supported Senate Study Bill 1114, which now is available for consideration by the full Senate.

Sen. Michael Bousselot, R-Ankeny, said he believes the bill would protect the supply chain by adding legal protections for trucking companies, and also protect people who are injured in crashes.

Sen. Nate Boulton, D-Des Moines, said the proposal could restrict juries from being able to make whole the victims of crashes involving commercial truck drivers.

Judicial nominating

A proposal to remove judges from District Court Judicial Nominating Commissions, and give the governor a sixth appointee to the 11-member panels, passed out of the Senates judiciary committee.

Currently, the most tenured judge in the district serves on the commission as chair.

Only majority Republicans voted to approve Senate File 171, which now becomes eligible for consideration by the full Senate.

Opponents of the legislation say judges bring important perspective and expertise to the process of nominating new judges to openings in Iowas District Court system. Supporters of the bill say the judges can have an outsized influence over the process.

Last year, Republican legislators approved a similar change that kept the judge on the commissions. Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed that provision, saying it still left too much influence in the judges hands.
Melody's memorable stories from 2022

Its like a being a parent asked to choose their favorite child. Theyre all my favorites is the standard response, or occasionally, it depends on which day.

When reporters were asked to choose their five favorite stories for 2022, my first thought was how do I narrow the list? It came down to a good narrative and the joy and inspiration I got from the people I interviewed.

These are the stories that are closest to my heart.

University of Northern Iowa professor emeritus and former Courier columnist Scott Cawelti tipped me off about Phil Pirages. Pirages, 77, is one of the nations most-respected rare book dealers and author of the new Booked by Fate. Now an Oregonian, Pirages graduated from Cedar Falls High School and UNI in the 1960s. In our phone interview, Pirages described his exotic adventures in the esoteric world of medieval illuminated manuscripts, first editions and slightly tatty but charming collectible books. I could almost smell the sweet, musty old books as I wrote the story published earlier this month.

Cherie Dargan captured my imagination with the first heartwarming book in her five-part Grandmothers Treasures series, The Gift. It was inspired by her marvelous collection of antique quilts and other heirlooms and the strong women in her family, especially her mom and aunts, who have been Dargans lodestars.

Milo Meads stunning domed clock cathedral was an impressive creation by the Cedar Falls woodworker. I wrote about the project last spring, detailing the 800 hours he spent drawing, designing, sawing and assembling the elaborate clock. It stands 5  feet tall, measures 35 inches square, has multiple floors, detailed fretwork and a clock pendulum that chimes the hour.

In January, I wrote about Kevin Dills inspiring work as an advocate for all forms of dementia. Dill was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, a degenerative and progressive form of dementia, nearly four years ago. Since retiring as director of Black Hawk County Veterans Affairs, Dill has devoted his efforts to hosting golf tournaments and other events for Dementia Friendly Cedar Valley and veterans projects. He also paints as a form of therapy and sells the artwork.

What could be more fun than hearing a bunch of young musicians mastering the monster guitar riff and raw power of AC/DCs Back in Black? In August, I covered Amp Camp, the innovative summer music camp that is UNIs version of School of Rock. Kids learn to play guitar, bass, drums and keyboards and sing rock, hip-hop, R&B, country and pop music. They break into bands, and Mutual Shock blew me away with their enthusiasm and talent.
 Flash





People check damaged buildings after the earthquakes in Malatya, Turkiye, on Feb. 6, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 in Turkiye and 812 in Syria on Tuesday, while calls mounted to lift the U.S. sanctions on Syria.

The number of injured rose to 31,777 and 1,449 respectively in Turkiye and Syria, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and the media office at the Aleppo governorate headquarters.

The death toll in both countries is expected to rise further as the rescue operations are hampered by bad weather.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT) on Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in Kahramanmaras.

Turkiye's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest loss of lives, while Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus also felt the tremor.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday in 10 of the country's provinces hit by the quakes.

The decision was taken in order to ensure that search and rescue activities and subsequent studies can be carried out quickly, he said at a press conference.

Calls for lifting U.S. sanctions

As the rescue effort was underway in quake-hit regions, the Syrian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the U.S. sanctions for blocking the humanitarian work and rescue operations in the war-torn country.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Syrians, while dealing with the earthquake catastrophe, are digging among rubbles with their own hands or using the simplest tools as the equipment for removing the rubbles is banned by the U.S. sanctions.

It also said that the Syrians are also denied access to medicines and medical equipment that would help them face dangers and diseases.

Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) President Khaled Hboubati on Tuesday called for lifting the U.S. and Western sanctions on Syria to facilitate relief efforts as the country is in dire need of rescue equipment.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, the Syrian capital, Hboubati stressed that the SARC needs equipment, ambulances and heavy machinery, but "the main obstacle is the sanctions imposed on Syria, which we demand to be lifted immediately."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on different countries to pressure the U.S. to lift the sanctions on Syria.

The ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday, parts of which were released on Tuesday.

He urged other countries to force the U.S. to lift the siege of the Arab state so that international humanitarian aid can be delivered to the quake-stricken people without any obstacle and at the shortest time.

People search for survivors in the rubble of a destroyed building in quake-hit city of Jableh, Latakia province, Syria, on Feb. 6, 2023. [Photo/Str/Xinhua]

International aid pours in

Two days into the deadly earthquake, more countries joined the rescue and relief efforts underway in Syria and Turkiye.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, has ordered an aid package totaling 100 million U.S. dollars for earthquake relief in Syria and Turkiye, which will split the aid equally, the Emirates News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the operation of an air bridge to provide various aid to help the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkiye.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the air bridge will provide health, shelter, food and logistical assistance to alleviate the effects of the earthquake on the Syrian and Turkish people.

Jordan, for its part, sent on Tuesday humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Syria and Turkiye to help search for survivors.

Lebanon, bordering Syria, also sent on Tuesday morning a delegation to its neighbor to assist the rescue operations in Syria.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi made separate phone calls to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts on Tuesday, extending his condolences to the victims of the deadly earthquakes. On the same day, Egypt sent five military planes loaded with medical supplies to both quake-stricken countries.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday also made separate phone calls to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, expressing readiness to offer assistance for the relief efforts.

Iran has already sent three batches of humanitarian aid to Syria, Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Mehdi Sobhani was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying on Tuesday.
 Top News Today

 Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu has hosted a teleconference with the leadership of the Armed Forces.

 Russian Group of Forces in Syria continues providing assistance in eliminating the consequences of the earthquake.

 In Kupyansk direction, the attacks, launched by Ground-Assault and Army aviation, as well as the artillery of the Zapad Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of the AFU manpower and hardware near Ivanovka, Berestovoye (Kharkov region), and Novosyolovskoye (LPR).

 In Krasny Liman direction, the attacks, launched by Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, the artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems of the Tsentr Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of the AFU units near Novosadovoye (DPR), Nevskoye, Chervonopopovka, and Chervonaya Dibrova (LPR), as well as Serebryanskoye forestry.

 In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, the artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces has neutralised the AFU manpower and hardware near Ugledar and Vodyanoye (DPR).

 Eastern MD engineers clear the tram depot and tracks from explosive devices in Mariupol.

 Russian Defence Ministry has published footage of Army Aviation helicopters and Airborne Troops assault groups in combat action within the special military operation.

#MoD #TopNews #Russia #Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

WtR
Weather Alert

.Warm temperatures may melt snowpack and increase river flows. ...FLOOD WATCH FOR SNOWMELT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by snowmelt continues to be 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. &&
 Flash

The Iranian military on Tuesday unveiled an underground tactical airbase dubbed Oqab-44 (Eagle 44).

During the unveiling ceremony, the airbase was visited by Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri and Army Commander Abdolrahim Mousavi, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Located beneath the mountains, the airbase has the capability for the takeoff and landing of different fighter jets, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles of the Iranian Air Force, the report added.

It is also home to different places such as an alert station, hangers for fighter jets and centers for aircraft repair and maintenance, and has navigation and airport equipment as well as fuel tanks, it said.

Oqab-44 is one of the several underground tactical air bases of the Iranian Air Force across the country.
You are here: World

 Flash

The Indonesian police's anti-terror squad arrested on Tuesday a suspected terrorist identified as AF, 33 years old, in the country's Lampung province.

"We arrested him at dawn on Tuesday at his house and confiscated several things that are allegedly related to his terrorism acts," Indonesian Police's spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan told reporters in Jakarta.

Ramadhan said the suspect was affiliated with the homegrown extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which is linked to the armed terror group Islamic State.

The JI was behind the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed more than 200 people on the resort island.

Since early 2023, the Indonesian Police have intensified preventive and law enforcement measures to fight against possible terrorist acts in the country, the police said.

On January 22, the anti-terror squad arrested a suspected terrorist, who was allegedly a follower of the Islamic State, in Yogyakarta province.

On January 20, the authorities arrested three terrorism suspects in North Jakarta, South Jakarta and South Tangerang, respectively. All of them were reported to be allegedly affiliated with the Indonesian Islamic State, a rebel group that aims to make Indonesia an Islamic state.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation is partnering with local government and Cumulus Media to provide safe transportation during Super Bowl Sunday.

In a news release, the NMDOT said its Take a Ride on Us program is offering 800 rides for people living in and around the Albuquerque metro area with a $10 Uber credit, available by using the code SUPER23 in the Uber app, in an effort to combat drunk driving during and following the big game. The offer will be available from 10 a.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday.

According to the release, the Take a Ride on Us program has provided about 26,000 rides home since 2017 when it began. The program is often active during holidays or sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, to give people safe options to get home if theyve been drinking.

In 2022, NMDOT said, they provided 4,500 rides. The program is a partnership between Bernalillo County, the city of Albuquerque, Uber, and Cumulus radio stations.

The release specifies that tips are not included in the offer, and that a refund is not available if the full $10 credit is not used.
SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is headed to Washington D.C. for five days of political meetings and hobnobbing with fellow governors and top federal officials.

The Democratic governor, who started her second term last month, left New Mexico on Tuesday to attend the National Governors Associations winter meeting, according to the Governors Office.

While in the nations capital, Lujan Grisham will also attend a Western Governors Association meeting with Cabinet secretaries in President Joe Bidens administration, along with a discussion on youth mental health issues with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

The NGAs three-day meeting will wrap up with a White House reception hosted by Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden. The governor will then return to New Mexico on Sunday, a spokeswoman said.

Lujan Grisham was also in Washington D.C. last month to undergo a knee replacement surgery. However, she returned to New Mexico to deliver the annual State of the State Address on the opening day of this years 60-day legislative session.

As for the cost associated with the governors latest travel, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said the expenses would be paid by taxpayer dollars since the trip is part of Lujan Grishams official duties.

Per the state Constitution, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will serve as acting governor while Lujan Grisham is traveling out of state.
SANTA FE  A proposal to ban AR-15-style rifles in New Mexico began moving through the Roundhouse on Tuesday as Democratic legislators pursue aggressive new gun-control measures intended to address mass shootings and other crime.

On a series of party-line votes, members of a House committee advanced legislation to establish a two-week waiting period for firearm purchases and prohibit the sale and possession of certain semiautomatic rifles and handguns.

The ban would go into effect in March 2024, with some exemptions for people who already have the prohibited firearms.

Republican lawmakers and other opponents who crammed into a packed committee room to testify on the proposals said the restrictions would interfere with the rights of law-abiding citizens and do nothing to deter crime.

Supporters showed up in force, too, and a crowd filled the hallway as people waited for a seat.

Rep. Andrea Romero, a Santa Fe Democrat and co-sponsor of the bills, said the legislation would reduce suicide by establishing a cooling off period for gun purchases and help prevent the massacre of children at schools by removing weapons of war from city streets.

This essentially is a mass-shootings prevention bill, Romero said.

Opponents said the proposals would keep domestic violence victims from arming themselves in an emergency and would restrict the rights of gun enthusiasts who legally bought their firearms.

One rancher called the proposals a declaration of war on gun owners.

A right delayed is a right denied, San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari said. This is going to prevent people from protecting themselves against their aggressors.

Lets go after the bad guys, not law abiding citizens.

Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park, said the proposed restrictions would abridge peoples right to self defense.

This bill is hugely problematic for me on so many levels, she said of the proposed ban.

Supporters also helped fill the room. Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, urged lawmakers to keep in mind the damage caused by shootings.

We bury the victims, he said. These are real people with real mourning families.

The proposed 14-day waiting period is contained in House Bill 100.

A separate proposal, House Bill 101, would ban the sale and possession of assault weapons  defined as semiautomatic rifles and handguns with certain characteristics  but with a grandfather clause.

Among the items restricted would be a semiautomatic rifle with a detachable magazine and a pistol grip.

People who owned the prohibited firearms before the law took effect could keep them but would face limits on where they could take them. They would have to submit paperwork to the state.

Possession would be permitted, for example, at firing ranges and sport shooting competitions.

The proposals considered Tuesday are still at an early stage. They passed the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on identical 4-2 votes and head next to the House Judiciary Committee, potentially their final step before reaching the full chamber.

House approval would send the bills to the Senate. To reach the governors desk, the bills must navigate both chambers by noon March 18.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised Tuesdays action on the assault weapons ban.

I am a firm believer in responsible gun ownership  thats not up for debate, she said in a statement after the vote. But the fact of the matter is that our communities, our families and our law enforcement are put at risk every single day when weapons of war fall into the wrong hands.

Also advancing at the Capitol this session are proposals to ban firearms at polling places, raise the minimum age for gun purchases to 21 and prohibit the sale of hollow-point bullets.

New Mexicos firearm fatality rate is among the nations highest.

A total of 562 state residents died in 2021 due to firearm-related injuries  up significantly from 481 firearm-related deaths in 2020, according to state Department of Health data.

Of that number, more than half  or 319 cases  were classified as suicides and 243 were classified as homicides.

Dan Boyd of Journal Capitol Bureau contributed to this article.

Gun bills advancing at Capitol

Senate Bill 171: Prohibit sale or transfer of semiautomatic pistols with certain characteristics, machine guns, short-barrel rifles and shotguns, and hollow-point bullets or other ammunition that designed to explode or segment on impact.

House Bill 9: Make it a crime to store a firearm in a way that negligently disregards the ability of a minor to access it. Criminal charges could be brought only if the minor later brandishes or displays the firearm in a threatening way or uses it to kill or injure someone. Advanced past two committees, awaiting action by full House.

House Bill 100: Establish a 14-day waiting period for the purchase of a firearm.

House Bill 101: Prohibit sale or possession of assault weapons.

Senate Bill 44: Prohibit carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place during an election.

Senate Bill 116: Raise the minimum age to 21 for purchasing an automatic or semiautomatic firearm.
In November, when the state was alerted that taxpayers were forking out up to $18 million and more for unoccupied office space, the Governors Office made it clear that it had plans to get employees who had been working remotely back into the office to address productivity and customer service.

So, its no surprise that state workers who had been logging in from home since the pandemic got orders to report in person by Feb. 2. What is surprising is that some were apparently told to report to a different office from the one they left, and office was used loosely to describe a basement and an empty building without sufficient furniture or equipment. What happened to those  unused offices? And why were employees told to show up to sites far less conducive to productivity or customer service than logging in from home?

Emma Green, a Public Education Department employee, told the Journal she and colleagues were instructed to report to the basement of a Santa Fe state government building. On Feb. 2, PED employee Barb Armijo shared in an email that the basement of the Willie Ortiz office building in Santa Fe was certainly NOT ready to be moved into  ventilation is jacked up, no windows, broken desks from the state surplus.  Also, the state has secured offices in Las Cruces and employees were notified yesterday at 3 p.m. that they should report to that office. When they got there, they found no furniture and offices in an empty building that is for sale.

The state Personnel Office said last month that most workers were already back in person and most of the one-third still working remotely were on a hybrid schedule that included office time. Union officials and state workers have said flexibility is key to attracting and retaining employees, and some will leave because of the in-person mandate. Even with remote work as an option, state agencies had a 24.3% vacancy rate for rank-and-file positions as of September, and those vacancies are not good for productivity or customer service.

We agree taxpayers deserve the best workforce, but echo Armijo when she asks: Why the urgency  when the state obviously was not ready?

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
A little over a year ago, Liudmyla Yakovenko was living in the Ukranian city of Cherkasy, three hours southeast of Kyiv, when the air raid sirens went off.

She called her husband, a chef in Albuquerque, in a panic. For four years she had been working on immigrating to America, but Russias invasion of Ukraine, almost a year ago, pressed the issue.

My wife had been stuck in Ukraine for four years, said Marc Anthony Salazar. And I needed a huge intervention.

The intervention came from Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., whose office worked on behalf of Yakovenko, who fled to Romania in the early days of the war. On Tuesday, Salazar and Yakovenko attended the State of the Union address as Stansburys guests.

He called Stansbury the couples lifeline.

Everybody was scrambling, everybody was scrambling for safety and trying to come up with a life-saving plan, he said. I think were fortunate. But theres a lot of families out there.  If Melanie (Stansbury) wouldnt have intervened at the time the war started, there wasnt a clear path.

https://twitter.com/Rep_Stansbury/status/1622707585324572672?s=20&t=IUdhR1mOafLGzzkRvG0P1g

Stansbury said some of her offices work included getting the needed documents to the American Embassy in Romania and streamlining the immigration process because of the emergency situation.

Salazar made several trips back and forth to Romania to see his wife.

Three months after Stansburys office intervened, Yakovenko arrived in America, where she has settled into life in Albuquerque. Shes growing fond of local customs  green chile, Dions pizza and watching prairie dogs off the interstate.

The couple has been married for four years after meeting as part of Salazars work training and mentoring chefs for a Ukrainian hotel company.

Yakovenkos parents and sister with children still live in Ukraine.

They have everything in Ukraine. Its not easy to change all (of your) life, she said. I was alone in Ukraine. I was preparing to go to America for four years.  It was hard for me, but I was prepared.

A trained gynecologist, Yakovenko plans to work on perfecting her English before trying to get licensed here.

When she was a little girl, Yakovenko said she had a recurring dream about the White House in America. She gazed at the building in person on Monday, and on Tuesday was going to watch the president speak before Congress.

Part of the reason Stansbury chose the couple as her guests was to show that America continues to stand with the people of Ukraine and the Ukrainian government.

And, the congresswoman said, because its a great love story.

Its a story of love and resilience, and the triumph of the human spirit in a time of war, she said.

Other guests invited by New Mexicos delegation

My special guest for President Bidens State of the Union address tonight is Charlene Bencomo, Executive Director of @BoldFutures. pic.twitter.com/NpRdBPAsOP  Martin Heinrich (@MartinHeinrich) February 7, 2023

I'm so excited to welcome Carrie-Leigh Cloutier as my guest from Nuevo Mexico for #SOTU2023. Carrie-Leigh does amazing work every day for abused and neglected children with CASA. Bienvenidos! pic.twitter.com/Wue8k7e9Mj  Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (@RepTeresaLF) February 7, 2023
SANTA FE  New Mexico lawmakers are poised to move quickly to pass legislation clarifying their ability to represent constituents in dealings with state agencies, after a dust-up over the practical implications of a nearly 60-year old state ethics law.

The filing of a Senate bill on Tuesday was prompted by a recent state Ethics Commission advisory opinion that concluded lawmakers could run afoul of the states Governmental Conduct Act by writing letters on legislative stationery to state agencies on behalf of constituents, or by making references to their role as legislators.

The opinion, issued last month at the request of the Legislature, has roiled the Roundhouse, with some lawmakers accusing the independent ethics agency of misreading state law.

I just cant believe that anybody in their right state of mind would say that senators are not allowed to act as senators, Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, said during a Senate floor session this week.

The two respective Senate floor leaders  Democrat Peter Wirth of Santa Fe and Republican Greg Baca of Belen  recently teamed up on a letter asking the Ethics Commission to reconsider its stance.

But the Ethics Commission declined the request at a meeting last week, and retired judge William Lang, the panels chairman, told Wirth and Baca in a letter sent this week they should instead pursue legislation to address the dispute.

Wirth said he doesnt believe the Ethics Commissions stance represents a correct reading of state law, but suggested lawmakers tread carefully until the issue is resolved.

Until this is addressed, and until a bill is signed, were kind of in a limbo, Wirth said.

I think youll see a bill move pretty quickly to address that issue  and were working with both sides (of the aisle), he added.

After being filed Tuesday, the Senate proposal to resolve the issue, Senate Bill 364, is scheduled to be heard Wednesday in its first assigned committee. If approved there, it would go directly to the full Senate.

Meanwhile, the issue has clouded, at least for now, whether lawmakers can use their legislative posts, for instance, to help constituents get rebates from the state Taxation and Revenue Department under legislation passed last year.

Under the Ethics Commissions advisory opinion, it would be unethical to do that, said Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview.

The emerging debate comes after several recent high-profile ethics scandals involving New Mexico legislators, including the 2018 conviction of Democratic ex-Sen. Phil Griego on fraud, bribery and other public corruption charges stemming from his role in the sale of a historic state-owned building near the Capitol.

Specifically, the law in question states that legislators shall not represent or assist another person in a matter before a state agency, except in certain instances.

The disagreement centers in large part on the phrase in those instances that also appears in the same law, and whether that wording applies to all legislators or just lawmakers representing individuals as attorneys or for other professional occupations.

Jeremy Farris, the Ethics Commissions executive director, said Tuesday hes hopeful for a productive resolution to the issue.

The commission looks forward to a statutory amendment that makes clear that legislators may not be paid to represent private persons in discrete matters before state agencies and, while doing so, also use their legislative stationery, make reference to their legislative powers, or make threats or implications regarding legislation, Farris told the Journal.

For his part, Baca said he does not believe its an issue lawmakers should have to address.

What exactly are we here for if we cant help our constituents? Baca said.

Meanwhile, a similar but more expansive measure, House Bill 5, was introduced Tuesday in the House of Representatives.

That proposal, sponsored by a group of first-term Democratic female lawmakers, would raise the maximum fine for ethics violations and would also clarify that using elected office to obtain sexual favors represents a violation of the Governmental Conduct Act.

Rep. Kathleen Cates, D-Rio Rancho, one of the bills sponsors, said backers of the bill might be new to the Legislature, but want the states public corruption laws to more specifically spell out specific types of unlawful behavior.

We understand what unethical behavior is and it will not be tolerated, Cates told the Journal.
Investigators have linked three decades-old sexual assaults in Alabama and Colorado to a Jemez Springs man known in New Mexico as the longtime director of the Hummingbird Music Camp for young musicians.

Elliott Higgins, who died in 2014 at age 73, was linked by DNA evidence to two rapes in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, and a third attack in Colorado Springs, said Capt. Jack Kennedy, a detective with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriffs office.

The two Alabama rape cases coincided with visits Higgins made to Alabama in 1991 and 2001 for the International Horn Competition, which Higgins founded in 1976, Kennedy said.

An accomplished French horn player, Higgins served as a judge for the music competition at the time of both attacks while the University of Alabama hosted the contests.

The case demonstrates the power of DNA to solve cold-case sexual attacks.

Genetic testing showed that a single man was responsible for all three attacks in Alabama and Colorado spanning 1991 to 2004, Kennedy said Tuesday in a phone interview.

Genetic testing of Higgins biological relatives identified him as the attacker with a 99.999% probability, he said.

Investigators have provided their findings to the FBI and law enforcement agencies in communities that have hosted the horn competition dating back to the 1970s, Kennedy said.

So far, Higgins has not been linked with any other sexual assaults, he said.

Messages sent Tuesday to the U.S. Attorneys Office in the District of New Mexico were not immediately returned.

Higgins family established the Hummingbird Music Camp in Jemez Springs in 1959. Higgins later served as director.

Higgins began his career as a horn player for the Albuquerque Symphony at the age of 14, according to his obituary. He later played for the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera and many other organizations.

A breakthrough in the case came in October 2021 when a private laboratory tested DNA collected from the 1991 rape of a University of Alabama student in Tuscaloosa.

An Alabama news website AL.com reported this month that a man held the 19-year-old college student at knifepoint as she returned home to her off-campus apartment. The man forced her to drive to another location and raped her, the website reported.

DNA taken from a sexual assault kit in the 1991 case matched blood evidence from a 2004 attempted rape in Colorado Springs, Kennedy said.

We got a lead generated through the genetic genealogy, Kennedy said. In this case, it was extremely fruitful.

In the 2004 case, the attacker was a little bit older, maybe had some health problems, and produced a handgun, Kennedy said. The victim in that case fought him for an extended period of time and actually either busted his lip or nose.

Blood from the womans clothing and carpet matched DNA from the 1991 Tuscaloosa rape kit, he said.

Investigators in Alabama recognized similarities between the Colorado Springs attack and a 2001 rape case in Tuscaloosa, including descriptions and composite drawings of the attacker, Kennedy said.

In the 2001 case, a real estate agent was raped by a man who had arranged by phone to view a property, he said.

Higgins was known to be visiting Tuscaloosa during both the 1991 and 2001 attacks.

Both of our sexual assaults occurred the week that that competition was in town, Kennedy said.
The SWAT team arrested two men accused in separate homicides over the past year around Albuquerque.

Casper Rickords, 22, and Melvin Robinson, 33, are each charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy and tampering with evidence in the Oct. 22 death of 19-year-old Isaac Torres.

Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said the two are also suspected of shooting a man Monday who was then fatally run over by a car.

He said the pair were caught on video shooting the man, who has not been identified, but they have not been charged in that case.

Rickords and Robinson were arrested Monday night by the SWAT team at an extended stay motel in Northeast Albuquerque and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center. It is unclear if either man has an attorney.

Robinson has been arrested a handful of times over the past few years on auto theft, battery upon a peace officer, drug and gun charges. He is awaiting trial in a February 2022 case in which Rio Rancho police allegedly found him with fentanyl pills and a gun that had been stolen in Albuquerque.

Months later, Torres was found dead.

An online obituary described Torres as full of life and loved by so many. His smile and laugh could light up a room, according to the obituary.  Isaac loved being outdoors on his skateboard, discovering the town. He found joy in animals, plants, and nature.

On Oct. 22, police were called around 11:40 p.m. to gunfire outside the Alvarado Transportation Center, near Gold and First, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Torres was found shot to death in the breezeway of the center and 9mm casings were found close by.

Police said surveillance video showed two men on a moped meet Torres and one of them points a gun at him. Torres tried to grab the gun before the second man shot him twice and both men left on the moped.

Police put out a be on the lookout for the shooter, a white man, and the second suspect, a Black man, as well as the moped, according to the complaint. Tips came in about the suspects  that they possibly sold fentanyl and lived out of motels  but nothing concrete.

Then, on Monday, police responded to a homicide near the Ambassador Inn at Candelaria and Interstate 25. Officers found a man who had been shot and then crawled into the street hours later, where a vehicle accidentally ran him over.

Police said surveillance video showed one man  later identified as Robinson  hit the man with a pole, according to the complaint. Then, according to police, Robinson and another man  later identified as Rickords  both shoot the man.

Police said after their arrest, Rickords told them Torres asked to buy pot off them and then asked to buy Robinsons gun. Rickords reportedly said Torres then grabbed Robinsons gun and Robinson shot him.

Robinson told police a similar story except that he only pushed Torres after he grabbed the gun and Rickords shot him twice, according to the complaint. Robinson said he asked Rickords why he did that before rummaging through Torres belongings to take back the pot they sold him.
 Flash

Chinese and Slovak diplomats confirmed their intention to further enhance bilateral ties at a reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Slovakia Monday evening.

In 1993, the Slovak Republic became an independent sovereign state. China immediately recognized and established diplomatic relations with it.

"Over the past 30 years, the friendly relations and cooperation made steady progress," Chinese Ambassador Sun Lijie said at the reception marking the 30th anniversary of China's recognition of the independence of the central European country.

The ambassador praised the bilateral economic relations, with China becoming Slovakia's largest trading partner outside the European Union (EU), and Chinese investment stock in Slovakia exceeding 400 million U.S. dollars, creating thousands of jobs.

China attaches great importance to the development of China-Slovakia relations, and is willing to continue carrying forward traditional friendship, deepening pragmatic cooperation and strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges, so as to elevate the bilateral relations to a higher level in the new period, according to Sun.

"This year, we want to focus our cooperation between China and Slovakia on deepening the bilateral political dialogue," Pavol Sykorcin, secretary general of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, said.

"Our interest is to support tangible economic cooperation activities, especially in the framework of the EU-China dialogue. We should look for solutions with an open heart," he said.

The embassy also hosted an exhibition showcasing drawings of traditional Chinese architecture by Aurel Fabri, a Slovak architect, who has been teaching in China for the past twelve years.

"Positive cultural exchanges between the West and the East are not only extremely important but also necessary," Fabri said.

According to Pavol Demes, former Slovak foreign minister who is also the curator of the exhibition, "for the last 30 years, we have been developing friendly relations and getting to know each other. I think we can build on that and improve our ties in the future."
The conservative advocacy organization Better Together New Mexico accused environmental group New Energy Economy on Monday of potentially illegal fundraising activity in violation of its charitable nonprofit status.

Better Together  which bills itself as a grassroots organization working to reduce government and protect individual freedom and free enterprise  filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service alleging that NEE lost its IRS status as a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization in May 2022 after failing to file its tax returns for three consecutive years, from 2019-2021. Despite the revocation, NEE continued to solicit charitable donations without informing donators about its loss of IRS certification, according to the complaint.

Larry Sonntag of Better Together filed the IRS complaint, plus an additional complaint with the Attorney Generals Office alleging that NEE also failed to submit required annual charity reports for the last three years with the attorney general.

NEE is an advocacy group that promotes renewable energy development and consumer protection, participating in most Public Regulation Commission proceedings regarding Public Service Company of New Mexico and other utilities. Its also a principal proponent of the new Local Choice Energy bill (SB 165), which would allow counties, municipalities and tribes to manage their own electric generation, taking that responsibility away from PNM and other companies.

After the IRS revocation, NEE continued to solicit charitable donations as if nothing had changed, Sonntag told the Journal.

The IRS reinstated NEEs 501(c)(3) status in December, retroactive to May. But that doesnt legally justify potentially fraudulent solicitation of tax-deductible donations from May-December, said Carla Sonntag, president and CEO of both Better Together and the New Mexico Business Coalition.

NEE executive director Mariel Nanasi said the IRS never informed NEE its status was temporarily revoked in May. The organizations accountant did prepare a 2019 tax return, and the IRS approved an extension for NEE to file its 2020 and 2021 returns, Nanasi said. Its unclear if the groups accountant failed to file the 2019 return or if the IRS failed to process it.

An IRS letter to NEE dated June 10  which Nanasi shared with the Journal  appeared to reaffirm NEEs charitable status. But when NEE asked about its status in September, the IRS said to resubmit the 2019 tax return, which NEE did in October, leading to reinstatement in December.

We never knew there was a problem, Nanasi told the Journal.

Nanasi said Better Together has deliberately overblown the issue in coordination with PNM to derail NEEs advocacy for the Local Choice Energy bill, which will get its first hearing in the Senate Conservation Committee on Thursday.

When PNM and their associated front groups cant win on the merits of Local Choice Energy vs. investor-owned-utility monopoly control, they stoop to make underhanded and inaccurate accusations, Nanasi said in a statement. They are trying to grab headlines and divert the Legislatures and publics attention.

Better Together is independent and unrelated to PNM, said utility spokesman Ray Sandoval.

PNM does not fund, control nor direct Better Together, Sandoval said. Presumably, like any other organization, Better Togethers own management makes decisions that it considers to be in the best interest of the organization.

More from Kevin Robinson-Avila
Albuquerque Police Department homicide detectives are investigating after a person was found dead in an apartment complex in the International District Wednesday morning, according to APD spokeswoman Rebecca Atkins.

Officers were dispatched to the Cinnamon Tree apartment complex at 7220 Central SE near Louisiana, Atkins wrote in a release.

APD has not provided more information, including how the person was killed.
SANTA FE  Students would get Election Day off and motor-vehicle offices would expand automatic voter registration under a bill moving forward in the state House and backed by the chambers Democratic leadership.

The legislation, House Bill 4, cleared its first House committee on a party-line vote Wednesday over the objection of Republicans who questioned the propriety of registering people automatically and asking later if theyd like to opt out.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat who served as an expert witness on the bill, said the proposal includes safeguards to ensure only qualified electors are registered automatically.

The Motor Vehicle Division is linked to an electronic database with citizenship information, for example, and the legislation will strengthen the accuracy of the voter rolls by also updating addresses during MVD transactions, Toulouse Oliver said.

Newly registered voters will be told theyve been added to the voter rolls and that theyll get a postcard in the mail allowing them to decline the registration.

The automated procedures would go into effect in mid-2025.

The state Taxation and Revenue Department estimated it would cost about $718,000 to carry out the automated registration.

Republican lawmakers skeptically questioned the proposal, contending that some people dont want to register for religious reasons and shouldnt be added to the rolls without active consent.

Thats backwards, state Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, said of automatic registration. The person should be opting in.

New Mexico already has same-day voter registration for people who show up to the polls without being registered.

But Democratic lawmakers hailed the proposal as a meaningful expansion of voter rights.

In addition to automatic registration, the bill includes a Native American Voting Rights Act intended to protect access to the polls in tribal areas, the restoration of voting rights for felons when they exit incarceration and a permanent absentee voter list.

We all deserve to be able to exercise our right to vote, Rep. Charlotte Little, D-Albuquerque, said.

The proposal also would make Election Day a school holiday for general and regular local elections. Many schools serve as polling sites.

The bill passed the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee on a 6-3 vote. Approval from a second committee would send it to the House floor.

The sponsors include House Speaker Javier Martinez and House Majority Leader Gail Chasey of Albuquerque, Sen. Katy Duhigg of Albuquerque, Rep. Doreen Wonda Johnson of Church Rock and Raymundo Lara of Chamberino, all Democrats.
SANTA FE  Lawmakers are evaluating a wide-ranging package of proposals to impose new firearms restrictions in New Mexico.

Democrats hold large majorities in both chambers and have made gun legislation a priority this year.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, also called on lawmakers to take action during her State of the State address.

One proposal  a restriction on a straw purchase for a felon  has bipartisan sponsorship.

What it would do: Make it a crime to store a firearm in a way that negligently disregards the ability of a minor to access it. Criminal charges could be brought only if the minor later brandishes or displays the firearm in a threatening way or uses it to kill or injure someone.

Where it stands: Awaiting action by full House. Approval there would send it to the Senate and Senate committees.

Sponsorship: Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque; Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque; Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, D-Albuquerque; Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque; and Rep. Joanne Ferrary, D-Las Cruces.

What it would do: Prohibit carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place during an election, with an exception for law enforcement.

Where it stands: Awaiting action by the Senate. Approval there would send it to the House and its committees.

Sponsorship: Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe.

What it would do: Establish a 14-day waiting period for the purchase of a firearm. Ownership couldnt be transferred to the buyer earlier than two weeks after submission of the federal instant background check.

Where it stands: Awaiting action by the House Judiciary Committee. Approval there would send it to the full House of Representatives.

Sponsorship: Reps. Andrea Romero and Linda Serrato, both Santa Fe Democrats

What it would do: Prohibit sale or possession of assault weapons and assault weapon attachments. The definition would cover AR-15-style rifles and semiautomatic rifles and handguns with certain characteristics.

People who owned the prohibited firearms before the law took effect could keep them but would face limits on where they could take them. They would have to submit paperwork to the state.

Possession would be permitted at firing ranges and sport shooting competitions

Where it stands: Awaiting action by the House Judiciary Committee. Approval there would send it to the full House of Representatives.

Sponsorship: Reps. Andrea Romero and Linda Serrato, both Santa Fe Democrats; Reps. Patricia Roybal Caballero and Eleanor Chavez, both Albuquerque Democrats; and Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque.

What it would do: Raise the minimum age to 21 for purchasing or possessing an automatic or semiautomatic firearm, with some exceptions.

Where it stands: Awaiting action by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Approval there would send it to the full Senate.

Sponsorship: Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D-Las Cruces

What it would do: Prohibit sale or transfer of semiautomatic pistols with certain characteristics; automatic firearms, such as machine guns; short-barrel rifles and shotguns; and hollow-point bullets or other ammunition designed to explode or segment on impact.

Where it stands: Awaiting action in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Approval there would send it to the full Senate.

Sponsorship: Sen. William Soules, D-Las Cruces

What it would do: Prohibit buying a firearm for another person who is legally banned from the purchasing it on their own. It would be illegal, for example, to buy a gun for a felon.

Where it stands: Awaiting action in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. Passage there would send it to the House Judiciary Committee.

Sponsorship: House Minority Leader Ryan Lane, R-Aztec; Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis; and Rep. Raymundo Lara, D-Chamberino.

How a bill becomes a law

New proposals can still be introduced, and lawmakers are free to combine or reshape legislation as it moves through the Capitol.

Each of the gun bills has been assigned to two committees in its first chamber. If passed to the other chamber, the measure is usually again assigned to a committee or two.

Any change made by one chamber to the others legislation requires the bill to go back to the first chamber for agreement.

Lawmakers have until noon March 18 to grant final passage sending a bill to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Visit nmlegis.gov and enter the bill number into the bill finder to call up a proposals precise language and status.
Valentines Day is an occasion that can be observed in multiple ways. Of course, the notion behind the celebration is love, and couples overindulge  and possibly overspend  to promote their feelings for each other to the general public.

And theres nothing wrong with that.

You dont need a traditional love story to participate in the festivities, however. Sometimes celebrating with a friend or a gathering of others is just as joyous. No matter if youre in a committed relationship, a casual courtship, out to have a good time or a lonely heart, Albuquerque has plenty of ways for you to spend your Valentines Day.

Dinner & A Movie at the Lobo Theater

The Albuquerque Film & Music Experience is hosting a screening of the classic comedy Theres Something About Mary at the Historic Lobo Theater on Tuesday, Feb. 14. General admission for the movie is $10, plus fees.

Its a fantastic way to celebrate Valentines Day with dinner and a movie, said Ivan Wiener, AFMX executive director.

On top of the movie, dinner will be $26. The menu includes a Caesar salad, a choice between a 6-ounce filet, pan seared salmon, roasted chicken or cheese enchilada, and a lava cake with either cinnamon whipped cream or creme caramel for dessert.

Wiener added attendees are allowed to bring their purchased drinks and food into the theater to watch the movie.

The event starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are available at eventbrite.com.

The Lobo Theater is located at 3013 Central Ave. NE.

Love Is In The Air at the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum

The Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum Foundation is offering a Valentines Day celebration for friends, family and sweethearts on Saturday, Feb. 11, which includes three gatherings.

There will be a sunrise breakfast, a sunset Valentines Day cocktail party with a balloon glow and access to the Balloon Museum Artisan Market, which will feature 15 local vendors. All this comes with a great view of the Friends & Lovers Balloon Rally and a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum.

The breakfast from 6-9 a.m., and cocktail party from 4-7 p.m., are each $100 per person or $180 per duo. Children ages 10-16 are $25, and ages 0-9 are free.

On Sunday, Feb. 12, from 6-9 a.m. the museum is also hosting a Galentines Day celebration, which includes yoga, breakfast, mimosas and spectacular views. It is priced at $80 per person or $140 per duo. Children ages 10-16 are $15 and ages 9 and under are free.

You can purchase tickets at balloonmuseum.com.

The museum is located at 9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE.

Be My Valentine at The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot is a staple when it comes to romantic outings, but can also serve as a great way to spend time with friends.

Melting Pot Albuquerque is promoting various Valentines Day specials in February that several individuals/couples can participate in based on how they choose to celebrate the day, said Jasmyne Clark, The Melting Pot Albuquerques account coordinator at Tilson PR.

On Thursdays in February, the Melting Pot hosts its Thursdate, which includes a four-course fondue dinner for two, which is $55 per person.

On Feb. 14, the restaurant is offering their Be My Valentine special, which is $195 per couple and includes a four-course fondue dinner for two, including a bottle of wine or two beers plus one shared cold-water lobster.

Another special, Hearts on Fire, is offered from Feb. 11-13, and Feb. 15, and is $160 per couple. It includes a four-course menu and a bottle of wine or two beers.

Clark added that reservations are encouraged, which can be made at meltingpot.com/albuquerque-nm.

The Melting Pot is located at 2201 Uptown Loop Road NE, Suite 1A.

Valentines Day Dinner at Gruet ABQ

The New Mexico winery is hosting a Valentines Day Dinner at its Albuquerque location on Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 6-9 p.m.

A five-course dinner designed by chef Michelle Michelotti-Martinez, founder of Eatentions, will be prepared for attendees. The food will also be paired with Gruet wines. The menu, which has a chocolate theme, includes an oyster and caviar appetizer with a chefs choice amuse-bouche, a wild mushroom veloute starter, seared scallops as the first course, a chefs choice palate cleanser, braised short ribs as the second course, and a chocolate and cheese board to indulge on for dessert. Tickets are $395 per couple, and seating is extremely limited, so it is encouraged to RSVP as soon as possible if interested. Visit gruetwinery.com to make reservations, or call 505-821-0055.

Leading up to Valentines Day, both the Albuquerque and Santa Fe tasting rooms are offering exclusive dessert and wine pairing flights from Feb. 10-14 during normal business hours. The price for the package is $30 per person.

The Gruet Albuquerque tasting room is located at 8400 Pan American Freeway NE. The Santa Fe location is at 210 Don Gaspar Ave.

Mack & Cheeze Variety Show at Juno

Nick (Furious) and Mandy Meyers are offering a special Valentines-themed vibe to their regular Sunday showcase at Juno.

On Sunday, Feb. 12, the show will feature the pair as Mack & Cheeze, as well as folk duo Clark Libbey and Kristen Rad, Quietly Kept and poet Kristin Patton.

This is a free event and runs from 3-6 p.m.

Nick Meyers shared a message for the public: Were looking forward to seeing you and whomever you bring.

Juno is located at 1501 First St. NW.

Taste of Auberge at Bishops Lodge

For couples willing to get away, Bishops Lodge in Santa Fe is offering Taste of Auberge at the resort. The weekend includes a pastry class taught by executive chef Susana Querejazu from 10-11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, followed by a tasting menu designed by chef Bradley Nicholson and executive chef Pablo Penalosa Najera from 5-8 p.m.

The pastry class is $75 per person and the tasting menu starts at $155 per person. Reservations are required and can be made through aubergeresorts.com/bishopslodge.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, there will also be the resorts regular-priced a la carte brunch menu available at SkyFire complemented by a jazz performance.

Bishops Lodge is located at 1297 Bishops Lodge Road in Santa Fe.

Calling all hearts

Though some of the specials may seem geared toward couples, anyone can partake in the events, because everyone deserves a happy Valentines Day no matter your relationship status.
Instagram Celebrity

The beauty queen-turned-TV personality credits the 'Kardashians' star with helping her to find a surrogate as she is embarking on a journey to motherhood.

Feb 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Maria Menounos is due to welcome her first child with her husband Keven Undergaro. The 44-year-old star has announced that the loved-up couple are expecting their first child via a surrogate.

"So we had a lot of plans. We were going to go to Greece in the summer. We're having to move that up because we're having a baby," Maria during an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan".

Marie admitted to feeling "emotional" and "super excited" about her baby news. The actress - who has previously spoken about her fertility struggles - told Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa, "I had to share it here first because you guys are my family - you guys have been on the journey and I'm so grateful."

Maria revealed that she actually turned to some of her celebrity friends in a bid to have a baby. She said, "Zoe Saldana' and [c=Kim Kardashian have been so helpful to me in this journey and they both gave me all their advice and people. And Kim especially gave me this wonderful lawyer named Andy and he found me this woman, Stephanie, who helped me find our surrogate."

Maria also hailed her surrogate and her family as "literal angels." The TV star - who married Keven on New Year's Eve in 2017, in a ceremony conducted by Steve Harvey - shared, "We're just so so grateful because these people really help you bring life forward and without them we wouldn't have been able to do this."

"Our surrogate and her family are literal angels. I'm so grateful that we're gonna have this extended family our baby will be part of, and we're just so grateful to everybody who's helped us along the way."

You can share this post!
Cover Images/Instagram/AdMedia/Media Punch Celebrity

Meanwhile, the 48-year-old Oscar-winning actor has been dragged on social media for allegedly dating the young model, with some critics labeling him 'predator.'

Feb 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently still single. If a new report is to be believed, the "Titanic" star is "not dating" 19-year-old Israeli model Eden Polani despite they were recently spotted at a party together.

Sources close to the Oscar-winning actor confirmed to Daily Mail that the pair are not in a relationship. "They were seated next to each other at a music-listening party. There were a number of people at that event," the insiders said. However, they did not comment on whether there had ever been any romantic connection between the two.

The dating rumors emerged after Leo was photographed getting close to Eden at Ebony Riley's release party for her new EP on January 31 in Los Angeles. In some pictures, the "Don't Look Up" actor could be seen showing off a soft smile next to the model as he appeared to enjoy himself at the packed party.

After photos of Leo and Eden made its way online, some Twitter critics called him out. "Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend is so young her high school experience was interrupted by COVID-19," one person wrote. Someone else commented, "Stop making jokes about Leonardo DiCaprio being a almost 50 dating literal teenagers and start calling him what he is - a predator."

The sighting arrived after Leo sparked romance rumors with Victoria Lamas. It is unclear if he is still with the 23-year-old beauty as he was apparently last seen in public with the model back in late December, when they celebrated New Year's Eve together.

Leo was rumored to be dating Victoria, the daughter of Lorenzo Lamas, after they were caught leaving a Los Angeles social club in December 2022. However, Lorenzo himself clarified that the two are "not in a serious relationship" though Victoria "likes him very much" and is "very smitten."

Prior to this, Leo was romantically linked to Gigi Hadid following the split from his girlfriend of four years Camila Morrone. As for the current nature of his relationship with Gigi, a source close to the twosome claimed that they "have respect" for one another.

"Leo and Gigi have enjoyed their time together when they're able to see each other, but when they're busy with various commitments, they're doing their own things," said the insider. "They have respect for one another and have always just been seeing where things go."

You can share this post!
Cover Images/Janet Mayer Movie

The actor's lawyers claim that Andrea Reeb, who was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in November 2022, serving simultaneously as a legislator and a special prosecutor is 'unconstitutional.'

Feb 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Alec Baldwin's lawyers are seeking to have the special prosecutor on the "Rust" case disqualified. The 64-year-old actor is due to appear in court on February 24 over the death of Halyna Hutchins, but Baldwin's lawyers have filed to have Andrea Reeb, who serves as a prosecutor and as a state lawmaker, disqualified from the case, calling her involvement "unconstitutional."

In a motion filed on Tuesday, February 7, Baldwin's lawyers said, "Representative Reeb is not constitutionally permitted to serve simultaneously as a legislator and a special prosecutor. Doing so vests two core powers of different branches - legislating and prosecuting - in the same person and is thus barred by the plain language of Article III of the New Mexico Constitution."

Reeb was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in November 2022. Meanwhile, Baldwin previously vowed to "fight" his involuntary manslaughter charge. The actor's attorney, Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel, also hit out at the decision to charge the Hollywood star in connection with the death of Hutchins, the cinematographer who was killed when a prop gun went off on the set of "Rust" in October 2021.

He said in a statement, "This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun - or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds."

Baldwin has always denied any wrongdoing, and he's determined to clear his name. His attorney added, "We will fight these charges, and we will win."

You can share this post!
Cover Images/Instagram Celebrity

The British monarch will be coronated in London on May 6, and the Hollywood actor will pause filming for the new 'Mission: Impossible' movie in order to attend the historic event.

Feb 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Tom Cruise is reportedly putting his film projects on hold to attend the coronation of King Charles. The British monarch will be coronated in London on May 6, and Tom will pause filming for the new "Mission: Impossible" movie in order to attend the historic event.

A source explained, "Tom has been invited to King Charles' coronation and there is no way he would have ever turned it down. It is a hugely prestigious event and Tom is a real royalist - plus he is now close with Prince William and Kate. Tom has told film bosses to shut down the production on 'Mission: Impossible' over the coronation weekend to make sure he can attend."

Tom's decision has shocked the production staff working on the new "Mission: Impossible" movie. But the film star is determined to attend the event. The insider told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre newspaper, "It shocked some people on the film, as Tom is so dedicated to his craft and would never normally deviate from his intense production schedules. But something as important - and grand - as King Charles's coronation is something he would not want to miss out on. It is a huge thing for Tom to be invited and he is honoured."

Meanwhile, a royal expert recently suggested that Charles will invite Prince Harry to his coronation as an "olive branch". The king will be formally crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, and royal expert Katie Nicholl thinks Harry - who was openly critical of his father in his recent memoir - will receive an invite for the landmark occasion. Katie said, "I'm not sure the reports about harry being dis-invited from the coronation are accurate. My sources close to the king say that he will be extending that olive branch and that he will be inviting Meghan and Harry to the coronation."

You can share this post!
Instagram Celebrity

In a new episode of his 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast, which features MSNBC contributor Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjet, the UFC commentator discusses a 2019 tweet from Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Feb 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Joe Rogan landed in hot water after promoting anti-Semitic tropes on his popular Spotify podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience". In a new episode of his podcast, which featured MSNBC contributor Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjet, Joe referenced a tweet from Rep. Ilhan Omar.

In the 2019 tweet, Omar claimed that Israel's defenders in the U.S. were motivated by money. "It's all about the Benjamins baby."

Weighing on the matter, Rogan said, "She's talking about money. That's not an anti-Semitic statement, I don't think that is. It's about, Benjamins are money." He continued, "You know, the idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. That's like saying Italians aren't into pizza. It's f**king stupid."

Twitter users quickly called out the UFC commentator. "Disturbing that at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories, @joerogan would use his immense platform to spew antisemitic tropes about Jews and money," Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt wrote.

He continued, "For centuries, people have used these longstanding tropes to spread vicious lies about the Jewish people. 'Comedian' or not, Rogan's comments are no joke."

Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and author David Baddiel also blasted Rogan. "It's despicable language like this that leads to attacks and threats against Jewish people," Gottheimer said. "@JoeRogan has a massive platform and it's infuriating to watch him and @krystalball promote blatant, dangerous antisemitic tropes, including those masquerading as anti-Israel sentiments."

"I actually want to stop banging the Jews Don't Count drum at some point but hard to do when a racist myth about Jews is just...said, breezily, on one of the biggest podcasts in the world and no-one gives a f**k," Baddiel wrote.

He continued, "For the hard of understanding, "Jews are into money" is not like "Italians are into pizza". Because unless my history lessons really missed something out, no-one has exterminated a large section of the entire Italian community because of their love for pepperoni."

You can share this post!
Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA negotiations start first round consultations

Xinhua) 08:33, February 08, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The first round consultations of Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations started on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Relevant authorities of China and the ASEAN countries, as well as officials from the ASEAN Secretariat, attended the meeting via video link.

The two sides held in-depth discussions on the procedural rules, organizational arrangements and work plans of the negotiations, and worked out a timetable and road map for follow-up negotiations.

In November 2022, China and ASEAN jointly announced the official launch of the negotiations. The two sides agreed that the negotiations will cover the fields including trade in goods, investment, digital and green economy, so as to build a more inclusive, modern, comprehensive and mutually beneficial China-ASEAN FTA.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Aanandita Datta has been named as Chief Marketing Officer of Pizza Hut India. Aanandita will be collaborating closely with Merrill Pereyra, who is the managing director of Pizza Hut Indian Subcontinent. She will be overseeing all aspects of branding and marketing, with the primary goal of turning Pizza Hut into a Younger and Everyday brand by making Pizza Hut pizzas accessible and available to a much younger and large audience. A marketing expert with nearly 17 years of experience, the earlier designation of Aanandita was Global Brand Director, Unilever, based in the Netherlands. She played an instrumental role in driving Global Brand Equity, Brand Positioning and Purpose, Innovation Road Map, Core Strategy and Communication Development across emerging and developed markets.

Neha, Pizza Huts current Chief Marketing Officer, has been promoted to Senior Director, Marketing at Pizza Hut Global and will relocate to Dallas.

Aanandita has earlier worked with a major consumer goods companies, in charge of brands which are renowned globally such as Kissan, Lipton and Taaza at Unilever, as well as Corporate brand Unilever, Horlicks and Sensodyne at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Health Care and Whirlpool Refrigerators.

Indian consumers today are highly globalised in their outlook and preferences, yet rooted in Indian tastes and traditions, said Merrill Pereyra, managing director, Pizza Hut Indian Subcontinent, about the appointment. Aananditas distinguished career path, combining precious international experience with an extensive domestic work profile, is thus a perfect fit for us. As we embark on a rapid expansion and transformation to become a Younger and Everyday brand in India, Aananditas experience managing high-level marquee brands will be critical in steering Pizza Hut India in the right direction. We welcome her to the Pizza Hut family and are looking forward to her contribution in the further strengthening of our position as Indias most trusted and loved pizza brand.

India is one of the most fascinating markets in the world at this day and age, and brands are opened up to unlimited experimentation and possibilities by our young demographic, said Aanandita Datta, chief marketing officer at Pizza Hut India. Ive been following Pizza Huts trajectory in India, and what the brand has accomplished in the last three years, despite the pandemic, is admirable. With a focus on technology, expansion, distinctive communication, disruptive products, value pricing, I have faith that Pizza Hut is already on the right track. I am thrilled to be working with this especially talented team and to keep our promise of Dil Khol Ke Delivering.
ABP Network  one of India's leading media conglomerates  has reached a major milestone on the world's largest video-sharing platform, YouTube, registering a combined subscriber base of 59.2 million. According to Social Blade, a global leader in social media analytics, ABP News and ABPLIVE are among the top 10 most-subscribed news channels on YouTube, with 35.2 million subscribers for ABP News and 24 million subscribers for ABPLIVE. ABP News is now the second most subscribed channel in the world on YouTube, and ABP Network, the second most subscribed news network, which solidifies its position as a leading player in the media industry globally.

With an impressive reach and widespread popularity, ABP News and ABPLIVE have clocked over 19 billion video views in a lifetime  the second highest in India under the News & Politics genre, according to Social Blade. The network's impressive reach is further highlighted by a staggering 122 billion impressions recorded across all its YouTube properties in 2022, as per YouTube Creator Studio. These figures are a true testament to ABP Networks commitment to delivering quality content and their success in connecting with the audience.

ABP Network's regional news channels, including ABP Majha, ABP Ananda, ABP Asmita, and ABP Ganga, are also expanding their reach and providing in-depth and unparalleled news coverage to an ever-growing global audience. According to Social Blade, ABP Majha is the most-subscribed Marathi news channel, with over 10 million subscribers. ABP Ananda stands strong with over 8 million subscribers and 3 billion+ lifetime views, making it the most-subscribed and most-viewed Bengali news channel. ABP Asmita is also the most-viewed Gujarati news channel, with over 700 million lifetime views.

ABP Network's commitment to delivering extensive and the most comprehensive news coverage was demonstrated in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections when ABP Ganga garnered 97,769,865 views and emerged on top of the news channels leaderboard, outpacing its competition by three times, according to Social Blades March 10, 2022, report. On the counting day of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, on December 8, 2022, ABP News achieved remarkable success by recording the highest real-time concurrent views on YouTube's live stream among top news competitors.

On reaching the significant milestone of 59.2 million subscribers, Mr Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network, said: This momentous achievement is a testament to our commitment to becoming digital leaders and innovators. We are confident that with our sustained efforts, we can continually stay ahead of the changing times and grow our leadership in this space. We remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries and ensuring our network continues to record robust growth across all its properties and platforms. In our relentless pursuit of excellence, we will leave no stone unturned to remain the very best.

With its comprehensive innovative strategy, ABP Network is looking forward to continued growth across its properties and platforms in the coming years.
In continuation with the strong volume growth of the last 3+ years, AWL delivered 16% YoY volume growth in Q3. This was achieved on the back of the large opportunity available in the packaged food industry, well supported by our portfolio of premium and popular brands, pan-India distribution, and manufacturing facilities across the length and breadth of the country.

The quarter also saw macro tailwinds in the form of strong demand on the back of festivities and weddings, gradual recovery in rural markets and a bumper kharif crop.

The Company continues to stay focused on increasing the direct reach to retail outlets and expanding its manufacturing capacity, both organically and inorganically.

Performance Highlights (Consolidated):

Performance Highlights (Standalone):

Food & FMCG segment: This new growth engine of the Company is now contributing 15% by volume to the overall sales and delivered 27% volume growth in Q3 FY23. Both of our top product categories  Wheat Flour and Rice have been growing well on the back of increased distribution reach and new product launches.

The Wheat Flour team has been focused on the development of SRM products (Sooji, Rawa and Maida), which have been well received by the customers and is growing faster within the Wheat Flour category.

In the Rice business, we launched premium regional variants in West Bengal in the Non-Basmati Rice category under Fortune brand, becoming the only national brand to offer such regional variants.

In the Basmati Rice category, we re-launched the Kohinoor brand in August 2022, following its acquisition by AWL. Kohinoor is scaling up well and has crossed INR 100 crores of revenue on annualized run rate basis.

Pulses had a significant volume growth on a relatively smaller base.

The Company will keep leveraging its extensive oil distribution network to increase the penetration of our Food & FMCG products.

Overall Food & FMCG basket clocked INR ~2,900 Cr. of revenue in the first 9 months and will register around INR 4,000 Cr. revenue for the full year FY23.

Edible Oil segment: We continued to gain market share and witnessed satisfactory volume growth in the backdrop of weakness in demand for the baking and frying industry. Growth was enabled by a portfolio approach of having both premium and popular brands, as well as various types of edible oils, which usually see shift in consumer demand, basis their relative market price. Under Edible Oils, Mustard Oil is a key focus category for the Company, given the widespread domestic availability and the governments focus on reducing import dependence of edible oils. We grew our Mustard Oil volume by 50%+ YoY during Q3. Fortune brand continues to be the no. 1 player in Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil with the next largest player being a distant no. 2.

Industry essentials: The Company does further processing of by-products created from oil refining, resulting in valuable products that are key ingredients for the manufacturing of home & personal care products, paints, pharma, industrial rubber, livestock feed, etc. Oleochemicals, which is a forward integration of palm oil refining, registered a double-digit growth as the newly commissioned capacity at Mundra (400 TPD unit commissioned in October 2021), is enabling us to serve the increased demand of stearic acid, glycerin, soap noodles etc. The Mundra plant, now with total capacity of 800 TPD has become the largest oleochemical plant in India. AWL is also the largest manufacturer of stearic acid and glycerin in the country. Further, the Company is focused on moving up the value chain into certain specialty chemical products. Some of our products recently received acceptance from customers, adding to the oleochemical volume growth. The Company continued its leadership position in Castor Oil exports, increasing its market share to 32% (of castor oil exports from India) in Q3 FY23.

Alternate Channel: Alternate channel (E-com, Quick commerce, Modern Trade, eB2B) registered a strong YoY volume growth of 32% & 26% in Q3FY23 and 9M FY23, respectively.

GTM & Distribution: Rural towns (less than 100,000 population) are contributing around 30% of volume to both edible oil and Food & FMCG business for us. Given that most of the Indias population resides in those towns, the Company has been focusing on increasing our distribution in the rural towns. In Q3 FY23, the company expanded its distribution network by 13% YoY, with addition of the sub-distributors (Sub-D) network in rural towns. The direct reach too increased in double digit across the key product categories like edible oil, wheat flour and rice (products with huge TAM). The distribution expansion in rural markets has led to the broad-based volume growth across urban and rural markets.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Angshu Mallick, MD & CEO, Adani Wilmar Limited said:

We have been witnessing a consistent demand for safe, hygienic, and nutritious packaged staple food. We are leveraging the distribution network, manufacturing facilities, logistics and customer relationships of edible oil business to grow rapidly in Food & FMCG business, which offers a much larger opportunity compared to our well-established edible oil business. We are also expanding our product portfolio with region specific products, ready-to-cook products, and category adjacencies. The Company is progressing well in the forward integration of its Industry essential business, resulting in the growth in sales of specialty chemicals, in addition to the growth in basic oleochemicals from capacity expansion. In Q3, the standalone volume grew by 17% to 1.41 mn MT, leading to EBITDA growth of 23% and PAT growth of 15%. For the quarter, the Company recorded consolidated revenue at INR 15,438 cr. and on standalone basis, registered revenue of INR 14,714 cr., EBITDA of INR 623 cr. and PAT of 277 cr. in Q3.

Market Share: (Nielsen MAT December 2022)

Edible Oil: For AWL group, we consolidated our market share in Edible Oil from 19.4% to 19.5%. Fortune continues to be the no. 1 player in India.

Fortune Atta gained market share reaching 4.8% share as against 4.3% in Dec 2021 MAT; 'Fortune is no. 2 player in India in the atta category.

Fortune Basmati gained market share to reach 7.5% as against 6.5% in Dec 2021 MAT; Our overall market share in Basmati rice along with Kohinoor is 8.4%.

Profitability:

For the Q3, on the standalone basis, Gross profit per ton improved by 7%, resulting in absolute gross profit growth of 25% YoY, on the back of 17% YoY volume growth. Accordingly, EBITDA also grew by 23% YoY.

Increase in the benchmark rates during the year also increased the interest cost for the quarter and 9 months, resulting in lower PBT per ton in comparison to EBITDA per ton.

Wholly owned subsidiary in Bangladesh made a loss of INR 47 cr. in Q3 and INR 51 cr. in 9M FY23. Q3 FY23 loss was accentuated by local currency-related issues such as significant reduction in dollar availability for imports, price caps by Government on edible oils, unavailability of counter party for forex hedging. This has resulted in lower consolidated PAT, compared to the standalone PAT.

Capital Expenditure:

At the time of IPO, the company identified capital expenditure (capex) of INR 2,220 crores, to be spent over next 3 years, primarily towards expansion of food capacities across multiple locations. The funding for this capex is tied up with a mix of IPO proceeds of INR 1,900 crores and the remaining shall be funded from internal accruals.

Debt position & Credit Rating:

Long-term debt: Currently, the company has no outstanding long-term debt as on December 31, 2022.

Credit rating: CARE Long term (AA-) & Short term (A1+) with stable outlook.

Environment, Social & Governance (ESG):

Responsible sourcing of Palm Oil: AWL is amongst the early adopters of responsible & sustainable sourcing of Palm Oil in India. Over ~90% of the palm oil sourced by AWL is traceable upto mills (TTM).

SuPoshan: SuPoshan is a social initiative of Adani Wilmar, in association with Adani Foundation, with an objective to address the issue of malnutrition & anaemia across the country. In the past five years, the company has touched and impacted more than 1.6 million people across multiple sites.

Recyclable Packaging: ~98% of the packaging at AWL is recyclable. AWL was the first edible oil company to introduce recyclable packaging in India.

Clean energy: Currently, 7 out of 23 manufacturing facilities of AWL have been installed with solar power. The company will continue to plan such installations across locations going forward.

Awards & recognition:

CSR Project of the Year Award to Fortune SuPoshan: Company received CSR project of the year award for Fortune SuPoshan at the 8th CSR impact awards organized by CSRBOX.

Letter of appreciation for Excellence in Best Practices for managing plastics & packaging wastes under EPR: The company received a letter of appreciation from the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for recognition towards best practices in managing plastics & packaging.

 Outlook: Going forward, the company believes that there is a huge opportunity in the Food & FMCG category, wherein the Company will play with its multiple strengths in a very focused manner. HoReCa is another very large customer segment, which we can serve well with customized service, given the trust that our brands enjoy and large range of products offered by the company, with pan-India presence.
Tata CLiQ Luxury, Indias premier luxury lifestyle platform, and HSBC recently hosted The Luxe Life: Edition 3 in association with Vogue Business. One of the highlights of this event was the screening of a special film, titled India on the Move. India is brimming with energy and optimism and the endeavour of this film was to capture liberation, revolution, and opportunity that are driving a change in our needs and desires. As a result, it has impacted the way we think, feel, and consume.

After travelling 7,500 kilometres across the country, this film captures the enthusiasm, eagerness to go, and inspiring stories of hope, optimism, and beauty through the voices of 44 creatives. Creators from different walks of life, such as CEOs, entrepreneurs, stylists, models, musicians, fashion consultants, and authors, are featured in the film and share their thoughts on what beauty, liberation, and India on the Move mean to them. The film gives the audience a glimpse into the lives of various personalities who have been inspired by beauty in different forms and are filled with energy and creativity to push their boundaries to create new things.

In conversation with Adgully, Mohua Das Gupta, Head - Marketing, Tata CLiQ Luxury, speaks about the Evolution of luxury industry, Luxury with purpose, India on the move, engagement with the audience, marketing strategies, and more.

What is the vision behind the Luxe Life?

The Luxe Life is Tata CLiQ Luxurys flagship property and an ongoing review of Indias ever-evolving luxury industry. The objective was to offer consumers a nuanced, elevated view of the latest movements in the world of luxury by championing new ideas and trends and celebrating Indias most thought-provoking voices. Given how the luxury industry has evolved and how the new world of luxury transcends conventional norms, The Luxe Life aims to decode these norms.

The first two digital editions of The Luxe Life explored insightful conversations and featured films from global tastemakers and luxury insiders. The first edition was introduced in July 2021 to #decodethenew ideas and themes that drive Luxury with Purpose across fashion, beauty, design, and more while the second edition held in March 2022 was a five-day digital film and shopping festival with a #visionforfuture.

After the success of the first two digital editions, Tata CLiQ Luxury and HSBC hosted The Luxe Life: Edition 3, in association with Vogue Business, on January 17, 2023, at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. The first Luxe Life on ground event brought together luxury thought leaders and tastemakers to discuss the future of luxury and slow commerce through the lenses of technology, sustainability, and innovation.

With the theme of Moving Fast. Living Slow, the event provided a forum for thought leaders from India and across the globe to discuss how the slow luxury experience is changing in relation to the rest of the world, embracing new technologies, and forging ahead following the pandemics pause. The day long event had an exclusive line-up of sessions and curated experience for the guests. Renowned leaders such as PlatformEs Goncalo Cruz, Authentic Brands Groups Henry Stupp, Tata Sons Brand Custodian Harish Bhat, TCS Extended Reality (XR) Labs Dr Ashok Maharaj, designers Anita Dongre and Masaba Gupta, BCGs Abheek Singhi, Metas Meghna Apparao, and others discussed themes such as slow commerce and sustainability, luxury and metaverse, understanding the new luxury customer, futureproofing ones business in the Web 3 age, and more.

In addition, a special film titled India on the Move was premiered at the event and has been released digitally on the Tata CLiQ Luxury social media channels. As the country brims with energy, raring to go, this documentary explored what India is thinking, feeling, and consuming. The film discovers the inspiring stories of hope, optimism & beauty through the voices of 44 creatives from across India.

What is your media mix strategy and how do you engage with your audience?

As a luxury e-commerce platform, we target a very niche audience segment, i.e., the top 5 million affluent households, or 12% of the top consumers in India.

Digital as a medium has been booming for the past few years and is scaling up in the luxury segment. Most of these consumers are digital natives, and given our footprint in e-commerce, we are digital first in our approach. We leverage digital and social effectively to drive our brand messaging, deliver an engaging brand narrative, and reach out to our existing and new customers.

In addition, to drive brand reach across relevant audience cohorts, we leverage selective mass media channels such as cinema and programmatic out-of-home.

On what terms do you think your approach differs from fellow competitors when it comes to marketing strategies?

At Tata CLiQ Luxury, we are embracing our brand philosophy of Slow Commerce, where the focus switches to finer elements like craftsmanship, heritage, and the value of an experience when shopping for luxury. It is about slowing down to savour the experience, appreciating the craftsmanship, and making thoughtful purchases. It is through this philosophy and our story-telling approach across all consumer touchpoints that we are building a luxury tech platform that differentiates us from other e-commerce platforms. This approach has also shaped our marketing strategy, right from communication and campaign strategy to storytelling that is done via our visual merchandising on the platform to the kind of thought leadership events and IPs we curate. It also guides our social, content, and influencer engagement activities.

Our efforts will be focused on continuing to build on this approach to enhance the luxury shopping experience, where browsing is a delight and Quality is Nurtured.
The industry-first automated content production platform, Clapboard, is launching its web application, which engineers the skill sets of an agency producer into AI form. Ex-Ogilvy Senior Creative Director has launched this platform to package advertising services as a SAAS offering. Clapboard enables brands and agencies to produce film content in-house. The platform is built with a tech stack similar to some of the bigger e-commerce marketplaces.

Clapboard web app is a comprehensive ecosystem that automates the discovery and booking of film crews. The web app generates three honest, fact-based quotations in minutes. The costing algorithms make Clapboard a one-of-a-kind transparent cost benchmarking tool. With all showreels, portfolios and costings collated on a single dashboard, the web app helps make informed decisions with sufficient options for comparison. Through Clapboard, agencies and brands can virtually assemble a film crew and get PPM in no time at all.

Speaking at the launch of the Web App, Varun Katyal, Founder of Clapboard said, "Clapboard is a bit like "The Lego of ad film production." Through algorithm-guides journeys, the web app empowers agencies and clients to virtually assemble end-to-end film production crews. In a way it's the best of both worlds - discovery of the best talent that's out there and transparent costing for procurement. The purpose really is to create some epic work by collaborating with the best talent thats out there. And while doing so, democratise the entire content production process.

Agency and client teams need to register on www.clapboard.com. Clapboard assigns a dedicated producer who helps to virtually assemble a crew by selecting Directors, Cinematographers, Actors, Locations and Music Directors, all in line with the brand aesthetics and the set budgets. The 3000 plus curated showreels and portfolios make this an engaging process. Once the budgets and project contracts are out of the way, in consultation with the shortlisted Director, the crew is finalised. Next, the empanelled producers turn the vision into reality.

Clapboard also aims to create a level playing field for talent who are not in association with renowned agencies or production houses. Professionals from the film industry, directors, cinematographers, casting directors or composers can register and showcase their work on the platform. To this effect, the Clapboard team has created a fairly comprehensive portfolio management section. By curating their profiles, the professionals can put their best foot forward while pitching for upcoming projects. Professionals get alerts when the profiles get shortlisted. Further, the producers contact the professionals with the details of the shoot and one gets paid without delays.

This digital-first content production startup is an agency agnostic, brand content production platform. With the use of technology, the industry-first platform aims to disrupt the creative services space. The platform has delivered some big campaigns for marquee clients and agencies. Next, theyre building Clapboard into a creator platform for the future. One that always puts talent at the forefront and in control. They believe that if they best serve the talent, theyll better serve the companies that need them.
Edelweiss General Insurance is now Zuno General Insurance Limited (Zuno GI). It is a new age digital insurer with an aspiration to reimagine and redefine Insurance to make it easy, friendly, and transparent. It is built on the premise that any kind of general insurance should be simple, easy, and straightforward.

The new identity will help resonate with the Millennial and GenZ audience and help communicate the companys position as a digital insurer who is upbeat, approachable, and innovative. Zuno has been derived from two words  Zeal and Uno. The name reflects the companys passion and singular focus on making insurance easy, simple, and convenient for all.

With the new identity, Zuno GI has also launched its brand film #ZunoAndChill. The film brings out the fact that while life can be dramatic, it neednt be the same with insurance. Zuno is the friend you can turn for help with the confidence that we will always have your back. So, just #ZunoAndChill.

Interestingly, Zuno GI has also used its own employees as its brand ambassadors to showcase its zeal, energy and enthusiasm which are trademarks of its brand personality. After all, innovation starts in-house first!

Speaking at the launch, Shanai Ghosh, MD & CEO, Zuno General Insurance, said, For most people, insurance is equal to complicated, jargons, too much paperwork, etc. We decided it was time to turn things around! Amidst all the jargon and seriousness, Zuno is the friendly voice speaking in a language you understand, and listening to what you have to say, stepping in at the right time, so that you dont have to worry when things dont go as planned. Zuno GI is all about reimagining Insurance to make it easy, transparent, and friendly using three pillars of customer experience, innovation, and digital delivery platforms.

Zuno GI will be leveraging all digital mediums to engage with its TG. In the next 3-4 months, the company will be extensively engaging with customers and other stakeholders with a mix of digital-first communication supported by ALT & BTL avenues like radio, sponsorships, brand integrations, etc. The digital outreach will be done via google platforms, influencer and content marketing, leveraging these through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Youtube with the message #ZunoAndChill.

Zuno GI has been fore fronting the concept of usage-based insurance (UBI) in India for almost three years now. Along with the new identity, the company has launched a consumer study titled Usage Based Insurance: Decoding Awareness, Perception and Behaviour. The study was done to understand Millennial and GenZs awareness, understanding and consideration for UBI.

Zuno GI was the first in the country to launch usage-based insurance using mobile telematics and has been developing this category since 2020. Last year, the company launched SWITCH, Indias first mobile telematics based, on-demand motor insurance product. The policy is an app that shows customers the savings that is accumulating because of good driving for every drive. SWITCH encourages people to become safer drivers which is good for their own safety, their family and overall, for the society.
The launch of ChatGPT took place in November last year. Since then, OpenAI has revealed ChatGPT's amazing skills and how they impact daily life. For the last six years, Google has been working on AI, and now Bard has been made public.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai described Bard's purpose and some of its fundamental features in a blog post. It is called as an experimental conversational AI service. The ability to derive information from the web is what sets Bard apart from ChatGPT.

Sundar Pichai has explained some the basic functionalities of Bard. Bard is an experimental conversational AI service powered by the company's Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA

Bard will initially use a lightweight version of LaMDA, which requires less computing power, enabling it to scale to more users and receive more feedback. In the coming weeks, trusted testers will gain access to Bard before the public has a chance to use it.
India is one of the most diverse countries in the world in many aspects, and one of them is the number of languages spoken in India. The most interesting and exciting part of Indias diversified linguistic culture is, that languages change every few kilometres.

To celebrate this distinct nature of our country, Axis Bank has launched a heart-warming campaign #23in23 that acknowledges the one language that Indians speak across borders: The Indian Sign Language. According to the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution, there are only 22 recognised languages in India. The campaign aims to get the Indian Sign Language officially recognised as the 23rd language in 2023.

The campaign has been conceptualized by GREY Group, produced by Dora Digs, and directed by Puneet Prakash.

As a part of the ongoing campaign, the brand, with the help of Harshal Hariyani, has also re-released their latest films in sign language as they believe that communication should be OPEN to all. This is the first time in India an advertisement has been released in the sign language.

Nishanth Ananthram, Executive Creative Director, and Atul Pathak, Associate Creative Director  Grey, Bangalore, said We wanted to capture this diverse linguistic culture for our campaign for Axis Bank when we discovered that there is one language that's commonly spoken in all places in India - The Indian Sign Language. When we met a sign language expert, Mr. Sitaram Chavan, he mentioned that every Indian speaks the Indian Sign Language for communication every day. This sparked the idea and helped us craft this campaign

Anusha Shetty, Chairman and Group CEO, GREY group India said #23in23 is not just a campaign, but a plea to the Government to recognize the Indian Sign Language as the 23rd recognized language of India
Jupiter, a leading neo-banking start-up from India, has launched ad films highlighting No-Penalty SIP, their new feature that helps customers invest worry-free. The ad films, aimed at retail investors, emphasize the difficulties and frustrations associated with missed SIP payments and the unrealistic penalties charged over them. Momo Media, a video content studio offering complete video solutions, created the two-film campaigns.

The ad films highlight the difficulties of financial management and how Jupiter can resolve them. The creative direction of the CCTV film emphasizes the challenges individuals face in managing multiple SIP payments while the Dreams film illustrates how simple it is to skip SIP payments and how the saved money can be invested in pursuing one's aspirations.

Anant Sharma, Co-Founder & Creative Head of Momo Media, said "The biggest consideration we had for this campaign was to keep it as far away from conventional online advertising as possible. One film was treated like it was leaked footage from a frustrated customer's private home, and another used editing and sound design techniques inspired by Edgar Wright films. Working with Jupiter as a client is always a great experience because they strive for originality, perfection, and unmistakable clarity in all their content. What more could an agency ask for!"

The films are directed by Shombuddha Majumdar from Momo Media, and the CCTV film was conceptualized by Aman Jain from Jupiter. Shombuddhas ability to bring strong performance from actors and his attention to detail make the films relatable.

Jupiter, a digital neo-bank partnered with Federal Bank, offers a range of money management services, including savings and salary accounts, real-time spending insights, liquid asset tracking, personalized savings goals, and mutual fund investment options. With its fully digital platform, Jupiter makes it easy for customers to set up an account and manage their finances.
After successful editions in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, CNN-News18 Town Hall comes to the Silicon Valley of the country, Bengaluru with a platform which is bigger and better. The Bengaluru Town Hall will be held on 7th Feb 2023, 4pm onwards and will bring together prominent political figures, industry leaders, and cultural icons to discuss key issues that will shape the upcoming elections in Karnataka. The conversations would be centred around the theme Will Karnataka Vote for Continuity or Change?

The Town Hall will feature Honble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai who will share his views on the theme, followed by a discussion with DK Shivakumar, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

Padma Shri Awardee and Former Director of Infosys, Mohandas Pai will share his views on the topic "How to make elected Netas prioritize Bangalore's infrastructure?". The event will also be joined by Sameer Nigam, Founder & CEO, PhonePe who will put forward his views on the theme of "Can Bengaluru retain its edge as Indias startup capital?"

The evening will further witness a discussion with Actor Chetan Ahimsa followed by a discussion with Historian Vikram Sampath on "From Savarkar to Tipu, Karnataka election narrative to be dominated by historic figures?". The last session of the evening will be with Kiccha Sudeepa, Actor & Director, on the theme of "Is South Indian cinema better than Bollywood?"

Speaking about the upcoming event, Zakka Jacob, Managing Editor, CNN-News18 said, CNN-News18 Town Hall is a dynamic platform where thought leaders engage in informed conversations and provide their nuanced opinions on themes that are relevant to the local people in that state. We are honoured to bring together these prominent figures to share their perspectives and insights on the future of Karnataka. CNN-News18 always strives to provide a stellar repertoire of content across all formats.

Having received a tremendous positive response to the previous events held in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, we are now ready to host this marquee event with distinguished personalities in Bengaluru. As the No. 1 English News Channel in India, CNN-News18 is able to put a spotlight on local issues through its Town Halls. said Smriti Mehra, CEO - Business Cluster, Network18. We also thank our partners for their trust in CNN-News18 and associating with this property.

CNN-News18 Bengaluru Town Hall has Canara Bank as the Presenting Partner, Acko as the Co-Presenting Partner, and Reliance Industries Ltd and Tata Capital as Associate Partners.
Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced that it has been onboarded as the official Sustainability Partner for ELECRAMA 2023, the flagship exhibition of the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA) and the largest congregation of power sector ecosystem in the country. As part of this association, Schneider Electric reinforces its commitment towards a More Electric and More Digital world, which will be the key enabler to a sustainable and resilient future.

Emphasizing the need to bolster decarbonization initiatives and adopt sustainable solutions, Mr. Anil Chaudhry, Zone President, India, and CEO & MD Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd. said, Sustainability is at the heart of Schneider Electric. We empower our customers and partners to bridge progress and sustainability, contributing to the nations commitment towards net-zero by 2070. As the largest congregation of electrical and allied industries, Elecrama is a great platform to create awareness about sustainability, energy efficiency and digitization. We are proud to be the Sustainability Partner for Elecrama 2023. We believe that this collaborative journey will spark climate-positive conversations across industry stakeholders. As part of this association, we are looking forward towards launching a report on the Decarbonization path for India during Amrit Kaal focusing on the development of India Energy Services & bold steps required to accelerate the path towards sustainability.

Mr Rohit Pathak, President, IEEMA expressed, "India has seen rapid growth over the past decade. We are expecting 8x growth in power consumption by 2047, while 7/8th of the infrastructure is yet to be built along with focus on Net Zero, a large part of this share will be built through renewables and new technologies geared for higher efficiency, reliability, and circularity. For IEEMA, Sustainability is a core theme and we look forward to deepen this engagement with Schneider Electric through various other initiatives of IEEMA.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr Jitendra Kumar Agarwal, Chairman, ELECRAMA 2023, opined, We are pleased to announce that Schneider Electric is our sustainability partner for ELECRAMA 2023. This proves that ELECRAMA is already leading the path for the latest happenings in the electrical space.

Schneider Electric will continue to work with IEEMA to make ELECRAMA a carbon-neutral event by facilitating a carbon footprint measurement process, along with devising and implementing a carbon reduction and offset strategy for the event. The company will also devise various interesting installations and creatives at the event to bring focus on sustainability in an all-electric world.

Schneider Electric believes that the deployment of world-leading processes and energy-efficient technologies would create a positive impact on the environment and society at large. Harnessing the potential of Electricity 4.0 & Next-Gen automation solutions can open new opportunities for the governments and businesses to achieve energy efficiency. As India races towards achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2070, the energy sector should take decisive steps to create a sustainable and resilient future.

Visit us between February 18th to 22nd at ELECRAMA 2023, Hall No - 9 & 16, India Expo Mart, Greater Noida
Schweppes, The Coca-Cola Companys leading premium mixer brand, has been refreshing its consumers for 240 years by offering them the ultimate sparkling mixers such as  Tonic water, Soda Water and Ginger Ale. The brand has unveiled a new campaign #MixItUpWithSchweppes, today. #MixItUpWithSchweppes celebrates Schweppes as the perfect mixer to enhance experiences across moments of consumption. With a rich and sparkling legacy of over two centuries globally, Schweppes has been synonymous with elevating everyday refreshment, through its unique and refined offerings. The brand has continued to innovate and address the evolving needs of consumers across beverage consumption occasions, since 1783.

In India, Schweppes has been enhancing experiences for consumers, be it in moments of celebration during festivities, occasions or just unwinding with their loved ones every day; Schweppes has been at the core of spreading enjoyment through its popular fizzy beverages.

Through this new quirky campaign, #MixItUpWithSchweppes, the brand also introduces Siddhant Chaturvedi, the heartthrob of Bollywood and youth icon and Manushi Chhillar, Actor and former Miss World as their new/official brand ambassadors.

Announcing the launch of the new digital campaign, Ruchira Bhattacharya, Director, Marketing - Emerging Categories, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia said, Schweppes is a leading brand in the premium mixer category and has been loved by Indians for its distinct and perfectly balanced taste The brand embodies the vibrant and enthusiastic spirit of new-age Indian consumers as they continue to experiment with new innovations. Our new campaign #MixItUpWithSchweppes aims to celebrate moments with friends. In addition, We are very happy to launch 2 new flavours  Mint Mojito and Bitter Lemon with the new campaign. These are the first 2 in a sequence of many to come.

Siddhant Chaturvedi, the popular Bollywood actor and the new brand ambassador of Schweppes India, said, I am thrilled to partner with the new-age iconic brand Schweppes. The brands young and refreshing spirit brings alive exhilarating experiences, and that is something I resonate with as well. #MixItUpWithSchweppes campaign represents the convivial vibe that Schweppes exudes across consumption occasions with our loved ones, and I am excited to be a part of it.

Manushi Chhillar, former Miss World, and new brand ambassador of Schweppes India, said, I am delighted to partner with Schweppes as its brand ambassador. The new campaign #MixItUpWithSchweppes echoes the brands youthful and quirky spirit, which enables fun times for consumers across India. I am personally a Schweppes fan, and I love the innovative product offerings.

The quirky campaign film has been conceptualized by Glitch. Commenting on the new campaign, From the get-go, our aim with the campaign was to capture the absolute, unparalleled joy of mingling with the right spirits. That feeling of freewheeling euphoria that accompanies good times and great camaraderie was our NorthStar while crafting every aspect, from the visuals to the art to the edit. We wanted a campaign that would make our audience crave to be part of this really fun, lively ambience, no matter where you are." Sunetro Lahiri, Chief Creative Officer, The Glitch, Co-Chair, WPP Unite India, said.
Indian makeup brand Swiss Beauty has rolled out their digital campaign #SwipeYourLove to celebrate self-love this Valentines Day. It aims to encourage people to express themselves effortlessly while being fearless in the pursuit of aspiring for the best for themselves with its easy-to-use, fuss-free products, innovative packaging, and comfortable makeup formulations. The beauty brand is laying the foundation for the campaign with the message My First Love with Swiss Beauty to instill confidence and self-love in those starting their beauty and skincare journey.



View this post on Instagram A post shared by Swiss Beauty Cosmetics (@officialswissbeauty)

Swiss Beauty seeks to celebrate first love in all its forms for customers who are embarking on their beauty journey. They have introduced an exclusive must-have Valentine's kit for getting the perfect day and night makeup looks within minutes. It includes Cheek-a-boo face palette, matte liquid lipstick, and Swiss Beautys lift and curl mascara.

As a part of the campaign, Swiss Beauty has released interactive and engaging social media posts across Youtube, Instagram, and Linkedin. They have also rolled out influencer-led content that guides users on easy-to-do makeup tutorials. Alongside, Swiss Beauty has also curated an exclusive Valentine's store for its users.

Saahil Nayar, COO, Swiss Beauty, Swiss Beauty, said, Valentines Day marks the celebration of love and is an opportunity to show love for those who bring us joy and togetherness. However, this celebration shouldnt be limited to others. With this campaign, we encourage self-love as well as love in all its forms. For customers just starting out on their journey with makeup, self-assurance and self-love naturally lead to greater confidence, which empowers them to be authentically themselves. So, this year, we are propagating our users to celebrate themselves as their first love with Swiss Beauty.
The Pakistan government has complained to Twitter about a News9 Plus expose on human rights violations in Balochistan. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) objected to the December 25, 2022, docu-series saying the story Balochistan: Bangladesh 2.0 allegedly violated the laws of Pakistan.



Twitter contacted Aditya Raj Kaul, Executive Editor of News9 Plus on February 5 about the story. Kaul is the director of the docu-series for which a News9 Plus unit traveled across Balochistan braving obstacles from the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps.



The two-part series describes the rise in alleged state-sponsored killings of the Baloch people. Strategic experts and geo-political observers have labeled the restive province a second Bangladesh, a reference to East Pakistan which broke away as an independent country in 1971.



The spike in violence is also attributed to anger by Baloch rebels over Chinas investment plans in the province. Beijing continues to expand investments in its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passes through the province. As Balochistans resentment grows over the Chinese shunning locals, violent attacks against Chinese nationals have seen a surge over the last few years.



We have been investigating the human rights abuse and persecution of the Baloch people by the Pakistan Army and the ISI. While reporting the story, we spoke to activists, journalists and common people across the province collecting primary evidence of the gruesome torture and its conversion into a virtual Chinese colony. Pakistans objection to our Balochistan series is an attack on freedom of expression and only vindicates the questions that we have raised, said Aditya Raj Kaul.



Twitter has rejected the Pakistan governments request to gag the News9 Plus story and upheld freedom of journalistic expression on social media.



In October 2022, Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) constituted a team to trace and arrest social media voices and journalists including Aditya Raj Kaul for News9 Plus story Intercontinental Terrorist on Mumbai 26/11 attacks mastermind and ISI asset Sajid Mir. Pakistans attempts to silence world media only prove Islamabads desperation to hide facts and keep Balochistan away from global media glare.

Watch the full series on Balochistan: Bangladesh 2.0 on News9 Plus

https://www.news9plus.com/webepisode/balochistan-bangladesh-china-in-the-crosshairs
Zee Business, one of the leading Hindi business news channels, successfully aired the Shining India Budget show, witnessing a higher number of eyeballs and maximum traction on the channel for its Union Budget programming on 1st February 2023. Zee Business agenda of simplifying the budget and finance jargons for the common man through the Shining India show resulted in the channel achieving the highest concurrent viewership and became the most-watched Business News Brand via various social media platforms.

As per the Youtube analytics score, the channel witnessed 154,484 peak concurrent viewers on Budget Day and 50.1 lakh views became the most viewed Business news brand during Union budget programming on Budget Day as per VID IQ two consecutive days (1st to 2nd February 2023). Facebook analytics also showed impressive statistics of 63.2K views, making Zee Business the most-watched Business news brand compared to its competitors. The remarkable viewership also added extensive value to the advertisers, thus creating impactful brand value among the target audience all throughout the day.

The Shining India Budget show primarily focused on a full-day analysis, empowering the citizens of India with an in-depth understanding of the impact of Union Budget proposals on their day-to-day life. Key industry leaders were allowed to voice out their opinion and present well-researched analysis to the viewers, through this special Budget Program titled Shining India.

Commenting on the remarkable achievement, Anil Singhvi, Managing Editor, Zee Business, said, Zee Business programming has consistently been extraordinarily sharp, covering varied topics ranging from global markets to domestic franchise, economic development to the financial well-being of Indian households etc. The increase in the number of eyeballs on Budget Day is an acknowledgment of the efforts put in by our entire team and a moment of pride for packaging the Union Budget with a strategic approach. We look forward to not only reporting the latest news on a timely basis, but also empowering citizens by providing an analytical view. 

With 2.36X growth, Zeebiz.com is one of the fastest-growing business news brands in India. The Budget season generated cross-platform avenues on the channel; with 12.8 Lac Live Youtube Views, the channel was the most-watched Hindi news brand during the FM's budget speech. This encourages us to further expand our reach and plan thought leadership show programming, and sustain the momentum, said Madhu Soman, Chief Business Officer, Zee Business & WION.

Anindya Khare, Head of Marketing, ZMCL, added Content consumption patterns are evolving and so should marketing strategies. Leveraging the marketing tools such as mailers, print ads, Social Media Push mixed with Budget contests has resulted in maximum ROI for stakeholders engagement. Zee Business executed a unique activity where we reached over Millions of people in the city with visibility across Mumbai Local trains and streets a day before the Budget to create the Pre-Buzz and also had 2000+ Dabbawalas delivering tagged dabbas to Mumbaikars wearing Zee Business Branded Caps where the communication was built around Keeping glued to Zee Business as Budget 2023 unfolds. In fact, Zee Business also benefited the from the on-air Contests and puzzle mixed with social media push as it not only created a pre-buzz for the grand roll out of the show, but also invited an increased number of eyeballs to tune in on Budget Day.

Being the pioneer in the history of Indian (Private) news channels to breaking the monopoly of Doordarshan of broadcasting news bulletins, Zee Network has been at the forefront of delivering the news from a nationalist perspective and not just presenting facts.
Republicans neither know nor care how crime got so bad, and unsurprisingly keep losing elections. The revolving door crime wave exploded in the 1960s, putting the criminals back on the street before the police could fill out the paperwork. Over the last year I talked to a thousand people about crime and not one, including criminal justice professionals and elected officials, could tell me how this revolving door started in the 1960s. Some suggested the Great Society, drugs, or the disintegration of the American family, but these came later. Crime shot up like a Saturn V rocket because it was deliberate policy to open up the jails and let criminals walk. Supreme Court justices, other top judges, intellectuals, criminologists, and the U.S. attorney general all proclaimed prison confinement a medieval idea and that behavioral scientists would simply rehabilitate the criminals.

The results were disastrous. Homicides more than doubled and all other categories of crime quadrupled or more. Progressives refused to reverse course and fought against sentencing reform for decades. The defeat of Democrats in Congress in 1995 corresponded to Truth-in-Sentencing laws passed in the mid-1990s that cut homicides back to 1950s levels. In 2014 progressives such as BLM and Defund the Police movements launched the War on Police, now homicides are soaring. Since progressives opened up the prisons in the 1960s over one million Americans have been murdered and 1.2 million have died in opioid overdoses, more than in all U.S. wars combined.

Another lesson not learned is that crime rates climbed higher in good economies and dropped lower during downturns. Rampant crime drove thriving businesses and good jobs out of the inner cities. The supposed correlation of crime to unemployment or bad economies is false. A century of statistics strongly show the opposite. Homicide is the most reliable crime statistic -- missing persons and bodies are hard to overlook. But homicides are less than 00.18% of all reported crime in the last sixty years, a lagging indicator of overall crime. The graph shows murders soared in the Roaring Twenties and Booming 1960s, fell during the Great Depression and Great Recession and mendered through the Carter and Reagan economies. In the 1920s and 1930s homicides move opposite to what leftist dogma claims. The repeal of failed Prohibition is the trigger that flipped the murder rate. The follies of U.S. Prohibition, revolving door policies, and Defund the Police and the success of Truth-In-Sentencing can be seen in the data.

Progressives rode the crime wave they created to 40-year control of Congress starting in 1955. The U.S. prison rate barely ticked up from 1950 to 1980 and yet overall crime had exploded in the 1960s, up 400% by 1980. The progressives did nothing to protect the public from criminals. For sixty years leftists have undercut the courts and corrections, today they also undercut the police. The cost of policing and corrections is about $250 billion a year, but the economic devastation of crime is ten times higher at $2.6 trillion. Logic dictates fully funding the criminal justice system. Instead, progressives spend wildly on everything except effective criminal justice.

Republicans have failed again as the out-party in midterms, despite record crime and against extremist opponents. Most conservatives run the standard myopic campaign: police good, crime bad, and attack their opponent. In local elections where I live, conservatives did not attack open borders-fueled record opioid deaths or run on returning prosperity to the inner cities. They never documented decades of liberal failure and never mentioned Truth-In-Sentencing that lead to falling crime rates, that lead to falling incarceration rates too.

A truly astonishing number of conservatives never ask themselves what the payoff is, what the backend agenda is for leftists. For example, former US Attorney General William Barr said in the Wall Street Journal that progressives did not understand the relationship between incarceration and downward violent crime rates. They missed the point he said. Wrong, they are getting everything they want. Crime is the engine of progressive power to grow the government for purposes of largesse and for political gain. State and federal governments are forever expanded and spending shifts to more socialist redistribution.

Social spending dumps keep coming. Progressive bureaucracies keep failing as they undercut traditional criminal justice, but they create an army of partisans. The right of self-defense is whittled away. This extortion has been going on for sixty years yet most conservatives do not see or attack it. Ignorance of this history shows, for certain, that decades of failure are not used in campaigns as critical issues and the lessons of history are not learned.

Chris Kemble has published articles at American Thinker, MacIver Institute, Wisconsin Interest, Federalist Society, Wisconsin Conservative Digest, Hastings Historical Society and Canada Free Press.

Image: C. Kemble
Everyones probably heard of the Wounded Warrior Project, but there are other veteran support efforts that deserve similar recognition and acknowledgement, even if they are quite small. Operation Black Hills Cabin in Custer, South Dakota is one of them.

One family said, We would like to thank Operation Black Hills Cabin, the donors and the people of Custer. Your generosity and the love you have for veterans and their families are incredibly touching. Another family said, This was a life changing experience... it was exactly the family respite we needed to disconnect and reconnect. A third said, My family was blown away by how this community comes together to support and provide us and every veteran and family this opportunity. These families are referring to the week they had just spent in the Black Hills of South Dakota thanks to Operation Black Hills Cabin (OBHC).

It is a longstanding value within the U.S. Armed Forces that the military takes care of its own. But sometimes veterans and their families need care and support long after they leave active duty. While the Veterans Administration has provided critical medical care to veterans who are combat wounded as a consequence of deployment on military operations in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a multitude of non-profit organizations have sprung up to aid veterans over the long term.

The brainchild of a retired Air Force couple in 2011, the concept was quickly embraced by both the people of Custer and the surrounding communities because it was a tangible way for the community to say thank you to the veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. Operation Black Hills Cabin is a 501(c)3 non-profit that operates entirely from donations and volunteers -- every single contribution, whether monetary or material, goes to either the cabin or the supported families. The mission of the Cabin is to provide a therapeutic respite to veterans and their families. It provides an opportunity, via a week-long retreat, for the disabled veterans to reacquaint themselves with their family in a quiet, peaceful and leisurely environment, far away from the stress and daily routine that has become their new normal.

The fully handicapped-accessible 1,200-square-foot cabin, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, was donated by the South Dakota Housing Authority. Built by state prison inmates, one of whom was so inspired by the OBHC mission he donated his weekly pay, it was escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders the entire 375-mile journey to Custer. Volunteers built a healing hike on the one-acre property, which is leased from the City of Custer for $1 a year, that includes benches at scenic overlooks and inspirational quotes sandblasted into rocks along the path.

The families stay at the cabin for free, and while it has no television, internet, or telephone, it is fully furnished and has a fully stocked kitchen and laundry. A welcoming committee meets each family and explains the wide variety of potential activities available to them. Options include watching the abundant local wildlife, playing a variety of indoor and outdoor games, or exploring the Black Hills. The local business community has enthusiastically supported OBHC and the families are given coupons for free meals and free admission to many popular Black Hills attractions, such as Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and the Custer State Park. The cabin operates from Memorial Day to the end of September and can host up to 17 families a year. Since its beginning in 2011, 139 families from 36 states have stayed at the cabin.

The biggest challenge OBHC currently faces is getting the word out about this unparalleled opportunity for qualified veterans. To qualify, a veteran has to be a minimum of 30% combat injured from any post-September 11, 2001 military operation. Warrior Transition Unit members are also eligible. Qualified veterans can apply at any time. The application and further information about Operation Black Hills Cabin are available at the website.

Operation Black Hills Cabin and the Custer community exhibit the best attributes of American culture and traditions and they serve as a living example that small, local efforts matter. Small-town America has something valuable to give to our wounded veterans and their families. Evidence of mission accomplished by OBHC and the community has been provided by families every year. One said, OHBC is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was very emotional the entire trip thinking about how such a small community can come together to honor each family. I rarely see my husband smile or laugh anymore... but during this trip he actually was smiling for the majority of the trip. That in itself is a memory that my children and I will have for many years to come. Another veteran echoed the sentiment in 2022, Our family received a one-of-a-kind message of gratitude for our service to this country. Never in our lives have we felt this kind of sincere thank you for our service to this country.

Colonel Deborah Hanagan (U.S. Army, retired) is a proud volunteer for Operation Black Hills Cabin
There was a lot to dislike in Joe Biden's State of the Union speech last night, but one point stands out: Biden promoting the lie that all police officers are racists, to the point where black parents must counsel their sons with "the talk."

According to The Hill:

Biden's comments about the death of Tyre Nichols, made as Nichols' mother and stepfather looked on from the gallery, resonated in an appropriately somber chamber. Biden recalled how he had never had to have "the talk" with his children commonplace among Black Americans, in particular  about how to minimize the dangers if they were to be stopped by police. The president recounted some of the advice often given in such conversations, such as keeping hands on the steering wheel and turning on the vehicle's interior lighting immediately.

It was an inept comparison, because "The Talk" black parents supposedly have with black sons about how to avoid problems with police is about white police officers, who are all supposedly racists. The incident that happened in Memphis was black cops beating to death a black victim, which didn't seem to have racism as a factor at all.

According to Wikipedia:

The talk is a colloquial expression for a conversation Black parents in the United States feel compelled to have with their children and teenagers about the dangers they face due to racism or unjust treatment from authority figures, law enforcement or other parties, and how to de-escalate them. The practice dates back generations and is often viewed as a rite of passage for Black children.

Based on recent incidents around blacks who were stopped by police and ran into trouble, it's pretty obvious that their parents, or more likely, single moms, didn't have the talk, because virtually all of those who run into problems with police seem unable to comply with reasonable police orders and bring a load of grief on themselves and their families. To call "the talk" a customary black means of adapting to one's completely racist surroundings seems pretty questionable.

But this is far from the only problematic thing with Joe's statement, with Joe claiming a special coziness with the Black community and Black culture, which is something he has done since his "Corn Pop" days, when he claimed to know all about black street toughs in Delaware. It was as phony as his claims to have participated in the civil rights marches of the 1960s and his claim to have been arrested in South Africa during the Apartheid protests. They're all made-up tales.

Joe has never been close to the Black community, and it's striking that his son, Hunter, has been caught using the extremely racist "n-word" slur in his since revealed emails. Did that kind of talk go on in the Biden household as young Hunter grew up? Where'd Hunter learn to talk like that? It's the first thing that comes to mind when one reads that disgusting stuff that no normal person would utter or write from the emails and texts of Hunter Biden.

Here's the third problem with that claim  Joe's specifics within his speech:

But imagine what it's like to lose a child at the hands of the law. Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter will come home from walking down the street or playing in the park or just driving their car. I've never had to have the talk with my children  Beau, Hunter, and Ashley  that so many Black and Brown families have had with their children.

That's quite a smear on cops, that they just go around picking up young Black men and try to kill them for walking home from the park.

As for Joe never having the talk with his son Hunter, well, yeah, we know. The only talk Joe has had with his son Hunter was that he would get out of jail scot-free no matter what kind of scrap he got in with the police because "the big guy" had political pull. That's a very different talk from the kind Joe described about learning to follow police orders and communicating effectively with them. Normal people, whatever their color, don't have that kind of pull. Of course Hunter never got "the talk" as Joe described it. He probably got a different kind of talk.

Joe's actual specifics are particularly laughable and absurd:

If a police officer pulls you over, turn on your interior lights. Don't reach for your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Imagine having to worry like that every day in America.

Ummmm, Joe? We know that you use standard corruption and political muscle to ensure that your kids never have to follow laws, but as for turning on one's interior lights at a police pullover at night, yeah, we all do that. That's not a black thing. That's not an "imagine having to worry like that every day in America" thing. No matter what our color, we also don't reach into the glove box as if to pull out a weapon when we are stopped by a cop in traffic, and we keep our hands on the steering wheel where the cops can see them. All of us do that; it's a standard recommendation on every advice sheet there is on dealing with cops, and it's not confined to skin color. When I get pulled over by a cop at night, and it's happened occasionally, I do exactly that, even though I am a white woman. It's common sense, because the cop has no idea who I am, and cops regularly deal with the dregs of society, so it could color their outlook. It's also a hard fact that the police can't be too careful. Traffic stops are statistically one of the most potentially dangerous police activities, with many police fatalities occurring on that activity.

Here's what the Nolo legal encyclopedia says about how to handle the police at a traffic stop  for people of all colors:

Roll down your window all the way. Put out a cigarette if you have one and discard any chewing gum (within the car). You might also want to place your hands on the steering wheel, and, if it's dark, turn on your interior light. These actions will tend to allay any fears the officer might have. After all, police officers have been killed in traffic-stop situations, and the officer's approach to the vehicle is potentially the most dangerous moment.

Here's WikiHow, saying pretty much the same thing:

Roll down your driver's side window and any tinted windows. If it is dark, turn on interior lights. Make all your movements slowly. The officer is watching you carefully to make sure you're not drawing a weapon or hiding something. Do not reach for anything in the passenger compartment of your vehicle or under your seat. As the officer approaches, put your hands on the steering wheel where the officer can see them.

It's standard advice to anyone. Anyone who doesn't do that hasn't heard this vaunted "talk" Biden expressed umbrage about, or is simply a fool.

Yet Joe seems to think it's outrageous that anyone should have to try to assure a cop on a potentially dangerous traffic stop that they aren't a threat. In Biden's mind, cops should just ignore what's going on around them, observe nothing, and let themselves become victims, which is the logical outcome of Joe's claim.

It's such garbage. He doesn't know the Black community, he doesn't know "the talk," and he has no idea what all people must deal with when stopped by a cop in traffic. He's been so cosseted by political power that the idea of maximizing one's safety at a traffic stop by making the right kinds of communication is completely foreign to him.

It's a nasty reflection of how out of touch he is. He won't fool anyone.

Image: Scott Davidson via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Fedora? That 1898 opera, composed by Umberto Giordano of Foggia in southern Italy, that few save aficionados can lay claim to having heard of? What usually springs to mind, of course, is the eponymously natty topper.

That may largely be due to its rarity on the boards, since it last appeared to opera-lovers 25 years ago. Traviata, Aida, Carmen, Rigoletto and the rest of the beloved opera canon are almost daily commuters compared with that.

And when you do hear the word, in 2023, you wonder why people are talking of paying high ticket prices for a brimmed, felted, usually male chapeau. When Fedora was composed, the star planned for its presentation was the famed, boundary-bursting Jewish-French actress, Sarah Bernhardt. Bernhardt played both male and female roles in her stellar career. She brought worldwide audiences to their feet, a favorite of royals, counts, and dukes alike. When she went onstage in this opera  at 54  in fact, she wore a fetching felted brimmed hat that afterwards became known as a fedora because of Bernhardt's lively enactment onstage.

Now voluptuously staged at Lincoln Centre's Metropolitan opera venue, Fedora hasn't been seen since 1997, almost a lifetime in theatrical terms.

A classic story with some alteration, the libretto tells of a Russian princess's betrothed being killed, setting her to mourning  at least until she meets the assassin of her now-dead fiance. Wouldn't you know it  she falls madly in love with this unexpected swain.

The stage is lushly outfitted with three captivating sets and even more alluring costumes, especially the furbelowed ladies dancing, lilting, and gracing the lit goings-on.

Although some colleagues did not find her wonderful, my escort and I were entranced with the acting presence and vocalizations of the Met's Sonya Yoncheva, soprano, onstage almost nonstop through the three long acts, and the tenor playing Count Loris, Piotr Beczala, also in fine voice for the dramatic evening's offering. Conducting seamlessly was Marco Armiliato.

We were privileged with excellent seats, with surtitles nicely displayed on the seatback ahead of each, should we not glom on to the Italian without assistance.

Despite the rarity of the production  or perhaps because of it  the hall was packed, even the five boxed tiers.

Hats off to the Lincoln Center and the Met for this one.

Image: Orhun Ruzgar OZ, Pexels.
Former governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) has gone from a loyal Trump ally to a Trump critic. He has emerged in the media as one of the "go-to Republicans" when it comes to criticism of the former president.

On ABC's The Week, the former governor said there is no chance Trump could win the general election.

"I've said, over and over again, that he can't win a general election," Christie said.

"That's based upon the polling that I was privy to prethe 2020 election, and what we saw actually happen in the 2020 election. And it's only gotten worse since then," he added, with losses among several high-profile candidates whom Trump endorsed in 2022.

Christie was asked whether he felt Trump could defeat Biden in 2024.

In response, he said, "I don't think so."

However, according to a Washington PostABC News poll, approximately 50% of registered voters would feel "positive" if the former president won the 2024 election.

Moreover, over 60% of registered voters indicated they felt "negative" toward President Joe Biden's hypothetical re-election.

Additionally, on social media, Trump and Christie shared a war of words.

On Truth Social, the former president shared his thoughts about "sloppy" Chris Christie.

"Sloppy Chris Christie, the failed former Governor of New Jersey, spent almost his entire last year in office campaigning in New Hampshire for the Republican Nomination for President. Much like his term in office, where he left with an Approval Rating of just 9%, his Presidential campaign was a complete disaster," Trump said.

"He endorsed me the following day, later recommended Chris Wray for the FBI (how did that work out?), went down in flames, and then was SALVAGED by ABC FAKE NEWS. I never wanted him!" he added.

In response, Christie said that the former president's remarks were "lies" and that he was the target of Trump's new "tantrum."

It is possible that Chris Christie is planning a 2024 presidential run against the former president. In October 2022, the former governor said he was considering one.

If Christie runs, he will be the second Republican to challenge Donald Trump.

Image: Chris Christie. Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Much has changed in 59 years. Perhaps the biggest change is that we had one TV in the living room back then. This is probably why the Sullivan show was so popular: because it had something for everybody. Hard to believe that today when everybody is connected to something on his phone.

Back in February 1964, an estimated 73 million Americans saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. It all started at 8:19 P.M., when Paul sang, "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you"...the famous first line from "All My Loving."

Down in Cuba, our family waited for "el telegrama," or the official notice to leave the country. Getting out of Cuba was a long ordeal of paperwork and bureaucratic steps intended to harass people, like our family, for disagreeing with the regime. The alternative was jumping in a raft and crossing the Florida Straits on a wing and a prayer.

We missed the Beatles debut and did not even hear about it until we arrived in the U.S. eight months later. I remember listening to my first Beatles song in Jamaica, where our family was waiting to get our permission to travel to the U.S. It did nothing for us because we were so focused on getting to the U.S. So the song went in one ear and out the other. Also, it felt as though Kingston, Jamaica was still into Elvis because I remember walking around and seeing promotional material for Fun in Acapulco. Truthfully, my parents were very familiar with Elvis because his films and songs were popular in Cuba.

Aside from that, all I remember was something about holding a girl's hand. For some reason, a song about holding a girl's hand was something we had heard in other Spanish ballads before.

Years later, I read about Fred Kaps. Who was Fred Kaps? He was a popular magician and the man who followed the Beatles on their first appearance on U.S. TV. The poor man had to deal with hundreds of girls in the audience who could not get enough of the Beatles. As we understand, he did it well and entertained many with his magic act. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

It was a great week, but we missed it in Cuba. In other words, we had no idea that a bunch of Cuban girls were screaming at the TV in Miami only 90 miles north of us. We went to bed and woke up the next morning and heard nothing about it. I slept through the first chapter of Beatlemania.

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

Image: PxHere.
The National Enquirer was fined $187,500 by the Federal Election commission for squelching a story about Donald Trump because they said it was a prohibited in-kind contribution to influence an election.

Here's the story from the Associated Press:

National Enquirer, caught in catch-and-kill scandal, sold The National Enquirer, the scandal-plagued tabloid that engaged in catch-and-kill practices to bury stories about Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, has been sold. The Federal Election Commission fined a360 Media $187,500 in June 2021 for squashing the McDougal story. The FEC said the publishers payment to Karen McDougal to purchase a limited life story right combined with its decision not to publish the story, in consultation with an agent of Donald J. Trump and for the purpose of influencing the election, constituted a prohibited corporate in-kind contribution.

What about fining all the news outlets that continuously published fake news stories about Russian collusion? Those were obviously in-kind contributions seeking to destroy Trump and influence elections, too.

The fines should be huge for all the media outlets that caught and killed the true Hunter Biden abandoned laptop story showing the corruption of the Biden family before the 2020 election. They are still killing the story. They are also killing all the information out of Twitter that shows how corrupt the media has been as they colluded to elect Democrats.

How many years did the media catch and kill stories about the Clintons' serial mental and physical abuse of women in their attempt to influence elections?

Did ABC News bury the Jeffrey Epstein story to protect Bill Clinton and others?

Anybody remember this?

I am sure the public would have great interest in all the men who enjoyed the benefits of hanging out with Epstein, but the biased media seems to have little interest.

How many women and young girls have been abused and destroyed over decades because the media spent so much effort catching and killing stories about powerful men? How long was the story about Harvey Weinstein buried because he hung around with and donated to Democrats?

The FEC and Justice Department are extremely political as they selectively prosecute.

Think of the massive election fraud that the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC perpetuated on the public and the Justice Department when they paid more than $10 million to a corrupt foreign national to produce the fictional Russian dossier.

Then they committed fraud by lying to the FEC that the money was for legal fees.

Then the corrupt Justice Department used the fictional dossier when they lied to the FISA court in order to illegally spy on people surrounding Trump to influence the election.

And all the people who committed this massive fraud on the American people are scot-free because they are above the law.

But the National Enquirer is the "scandal-plagued" one.

Most of the media is scandal-plagued as they continually campaign for Democrats and their radical policies and are willing to print lies to destroy Republicans to block their policies.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
The debt ceiling limit is back in the news. In the past, political leaders have responded to concerns about this issue by suggesting that Social Security checks might not go out on time should Congress not agree on another debt ceiling extension.

This raises the obvious question: why a program with a $2.8-trillion reserve cannot pay benefits on time.

Pundits have weighed in on the subject, as have the fact-checkers, who largely agree that checks should not be at risk  at least in theory. It is time for the Treasury Department to explain why Social Security checks might not be sent, and what steps have been taken to protect seniors who depend on the monthly checks.

In 2021, the last time this question surfaced, Treasury secretary Yellen wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that 50 million seniors "could stop receiving benefits for a time."

Clearly, "could" is a puzzling choice of words, considering that Social Security serves as a lifeline for many of America's senior citizens. Telling these Americans that "their monthly checks are in danger" conveys a cavalier attitude to the needs of the elderly.

If there is any uncertainty about how Social Security would work in a situation where the government's finances get tight, the question should move to the top of the priority list. "Could" implies that the question is not at the top list.

The history of the question makes me wonder whether it is on the list at all. It has lingered for more than a decade, dating back to 2011, when Barack Obama warned that "checks might not go out" in a CBS News interview.

It is understandable, if not entirely excusable, for a president to be unaware of the intricate details behind getting a Social Security check to every beneficiary. The president appoints someone to look after the details of how money moves from incoming taxes to the payment of checks  namely, the Treasury secretary. Thus, it is that person's job to know whether the checks heading to seniors will be sent or not.

After more than a decade living with this uncertainty, seniors deserve an immediate answer.

The concern about checks getting to seniors is somewhat justified because there is a gap between the theory of Social Security and the actual mechanics of moving dollars from the pockets of workers to the checks of seniors. These dollars indeed pass briefly through the accounts of the general government as the government sorts out what is a payroll tax from the rest of the incoming cash.

What is entirely unjustified is the doubt. While the back office operation is a bit complicated, Social Security can't really be a Rube Goldberg machine, where no one really knows whether the mouse will eat the cheese, which drops the weight, which releases the car that shuts off the flamethrower pointed at 20 percent of the public.

Instead of fostering fear and uncertainty, public servants like Secretary Yellen should provide assurance and clarity to the public that she understands the problem and is working to solve it.

Yellen could explain to Congress that it would need to pass legislation to temporarily exempt bonds from the debt ceiling calculation so that a program with $2.8 trillion in reserves doesn't bounce any checks. Believe it or not, the Congressional Research Service says that was the response in 1996, when Congress passed the required law in a month. Interestingly, Sen. Josh Hawley recently introduced a similar bill, the Keep Our Promises Act, which seeks to replicate the 1996 legislation.

For example, as managing Trustee for the Social Security Trust Fund, Yellen has sole responsibility for the investment of trust fund assets and is required to invest only the portion of the funds not, in her judgment, needed to meet current withdrawals.

Yellen should be asked to explain why she is investing the money in bonds, which she fully doubts will be available when the money is needed.

If fact-checkers have time to provide answers in theory, it is not unreasonable to expect the Treasury secretary to provide concrete solutions.

This is not too much to ask. Actually, it is her job to do so.

Brenton Smith (think@heartland.org) is a policy adviser with The Heartland Institute.

Image: Social Security Administration.
Since 1828, Democrats have seen race as their path to power and wealth. They started with slavery and then went to Jim Crow, the spoils from the Civil Rights Movement, and the political cudgel of Critical Race Theory. Democrats never see a whole human being; they just see color. Most recently, Disneys execrable The Proud Family introduced children to reparations, systemic racism, White supremacy, and White privilege. To counter that, Matt Walsh has the best analysis Ive heard about this toxic thinking, while a persecuted Australian police officer offers a truly colorblind worldview.

As a refresher, heres the rap from The Proud Family episode that aired in honor of Black History Month:

To celebrate Black history month day let me share this awesome clip from Proud Family Louder and Prouder HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!! pic.twitter.com/lyxwW63Pxr  GalaGuy #Quantumania #DeplatformValidLs (@GalaGuyXD21) February 3, 2023

Its all there: America was built on slavery (it wasnt), Lincoln didnt free the slaves, Blacks are owed reparations, White supremacy controls America, race hatred, race hatred, and race hatred. In another segment, we also get White privilege and police hatred (along with a dollop of gay rights because the Black man is speaking to his White partner):

This is a scene from 'The Proud Family' a kids show on Disney+



They're beaming woke BLM propaganda straight into your living rooms.



"Do something with your white privilege." pic.twitter.com/kLq8NwC3LS  DOUG IS MY GOV (@MagaMastriano) February 5, 2023

Children are malleable and impressionable. If a hip Disney cartoon says this, it must be true.

The only thing to can stop this dive into a racial animus that will see America turn into a Hutu v. Tutsi nation is for adults to take the lead: They need to take the lead in educating children about the truth (we are one human family) and they need to take the lead in bankrupting Disney (dont go there; dont buy the products) and any other purveyor of this racist garbage.

This post offers two weapons in this ideological war. The first is Matt Walshs monologue about the cartoon, which is, in my estimation, the smartest take Ive heard on the lefts racial madness:

The other wisdom about race comes from an Australian police officer who, in 2019, shot and killed an Aborigine man who was, in his turn, trying to stab the officer to death.

Officer Zachary Rolfe was trying to arrest Kumanjayi Walker, who responded by trying to stab Rolfe and his partner with scissors. Rolfe, who disliked the thought that the scissors entering his shoulder could as easily slice his jugular, used his service Glock to fire three shots at Walker, killing him. The shooting instantly became a racial cause celebre.

In March 2022, Rolfe was finally and fully acquitted of committing a crime, but police departments across Australia have refused to hire him, and law officials are still trying to expose him for racism, sexism, and homophobia, allegations based on text message exchanges between police officers (although its not clear that he was involved in all these exchanges). The police system is accusing him of being the second coming of George Wallace; hes denying it.

I have no idea where the truth lies and am neither condemning nor defending Rolfe. I was very struck, however, by how Rolfe, a former military member who served in Afghanistan, responded to questions about his having taken cultural sensitivity training as part of becoming an officer:

Rolfe said he did receive some cultural awareness training during his time in the force, but to be honest, the cultural training that we did, I havent found the specific use of that in the job because Im responding to humans. Human problems of humans asking for help, and then humans breaking the law, he said. As a police officer, Im responding to a job where someone has called for help or someone has broken the law. Ive not been called to a cultural issue.

Whether those were his own words or he was reading his lawyers script does not matter. That is quite possibly the best summation Ive heard about how we should deal with each other.

In that vein, there are American norms to which all should subscribe because they are part of Americas culture as it developed over the centuries and because they work well to create strong, successful people living in a wealthy, stable, pluralist country: Obey the law, study in school, work hard, get married, have a family, stay married. I would add dont abuse drugs or alcohol and view your fellow citizens as individuals, not statistics or skin colors. As long as they and you obey the law and stay mostly sober, any cultural differences shouldnt matter too much.

Image: Hands by freepik.
For a very short five years, Wilmington, Los Angeles, was connected to the Willmore area of Long Beach by a street railway, initially pulled by a horse and later by a steam engine. Officially, it was called the Wilmington & Long Beach Rapid Transit Railroad, but it was more popularly known as The Get Out and Push Railroad (G.O.P.R.R.) because the railways underpowered locomotive frequently required assistance from its passengers for overcoming steeper sections of the route.

The Wilmington & Long Beach Rapid Transit Railroad after it was fitted with a steam engine. Photo: University of Southern California Libraries / California Historical Society.

The line was built by Judge Robert M. Widney to transport potential buyers to a new tract of land which he and his partner W. E. Willmore were developing in Los Angeles County. Widney and Willmore had acquired the land, consisting of over 10,000 acres, in 1882, with the goal of transforming it into a new town. The development was called The American Colony Tract, but later it was decided to call the town Willmore City. This town was to have 80-foot-wide streets running east and west, and 100-foot-wide streets running north and south. Aside from residential lots, lots were to be set aside for parks, churches and schools.

Initially, immigrants who arrived to Wilmington from Los Angeles by the daily train were conveyed to the site of Willmore City in a horse and buggy. But soon it became evident that improved transportation was necessary, and Judge Widney thought it would be straightforward and cost-effective to construct a horse-drawn streetcar line across the salt flats connecting Willmore City to the Southern Pacific tracks near Wilmington.

A proposal was made to the County of Los Angeles for the right of way, and this being granted, Widney immediately established a company to build the railroad. Widney wanted to make the railroad his personal business. He therefore purchased all the companys stock, worth $3,000, except for four shares with a combined value of just over $160.

Robert Maclay Widney.

The route of the proposed railway ran from Willmore Station, on the Southern Pacific line near Wilmington, for three and a quarter miles in a more or less straight line to Willmore City. Widney made all of the plans for constructing the railroad himself, and the actual work of building the line was done by three carpenters and their assistants. Construction began on September 1882. Three by four inch redwood ties were laid six feet apart and notched at both ends to hold the rails of three inch pine scantlings which were laid in the notches and spiked to the ties. Widney designed the little open cars, and had them built in Willmore City by one of the town's pioneer carpenters. The iron wheels were cast by a foundry in Los Angeles.

Widney had set a date for an auction of the lots at the end of October. With the help of a few extra workers, the line was completed just in time. On the day of the auction, Widney organized a special six-car train from Los Angeles to Willmore Junction to bring in potential buyers. Despite this train filled to overflowing with enthusiastic passengers, many people couldnt get a seat and were obliged to wait for the regular train.

When Widney saw the crowd get off at the Willmore Junction, he realized that his horse-pulled railway would be inadequate. Even his carpenter, who had helped build the road, was afraid the wooden rails would break under the weight of the crowded car. So Widney hired several farm and lumber wagons to haul some of the passengers to the site of the auction.

The first batch of passengers started out for Willmore City, but before the town was reached the wooden rails broke, and the male passengers were forced to get out and push. Thereafter, the American Colony Railroad was popularly called the Get Out and Push Railroad.

Widney managed to sell only 36 lots that day. That November, nine houses were completed, but only six families arrived to live in the town. During the dreary winter of 1882, the residents of the town felt as if they were living on an island, and communication with the outside world was rather tenuously maintained by Widney's little railroad. During that winter, a few improvements were made to the railway. The route was made straighter, the number of

ties was doubled, the pine rails were overlaid with stripiron, and two new passenger cars were added.

The following winter was unusually wet, and floods washed out the railway line twice. With Widney making poor progress with the sale of the lots, the project was abandoned, and the land was sold back to the original owners, the Bixbys. However, Widney retained possession of the railroad.

The new owners changed the name of Willmore City to Long Beach and began an extensive advertising campaign to establish Long Beach as a summer resort. The company also constructed a new hotel, a five-story building which rose above the bluff just south of the present Lincoln Park, and Widney extended his horsecar line to the door of the new hotel. During the summer, the horsecar made two daily round trips from the hotel to Long Beach Junction on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Eager to increase the capacity of the railway, Widney decided to upgrade the line to a steam locomotive.

Construction of the new railroad began on September 1885, and by October enough tracks were laid to facilitate a trial run. But when the small steam engine was put to test, it was found that the 100 pound of steam pressure the locomotive generated was not enough to move the cars without a little help with a pinch bar. Even after the line was completed the next year, the issue with the underpowered locomotive persisted and so did the nickname, Get Out and Push Railroad.

In the History of Long Beach and Vicinity, Walter H. Case wrote:

The little engine was a very primitive affair. It was so constructed that it had to be started with a metal bar, and was covered with a wooden jacket which used to catch fire when the boiler was hot enough to make a good steam. Then, since the water in the boiler had to be used to extinguish the fire, the steam would go down and the engine refuse to run ... It ran fairly well on level ground, but on a rise it was apt to stop entirely till the male passengers got out and applied the iron bar with considerable force.

Soon after the railroad was completed, the Los Angeles Times published a humorous song which was to be sung to the tune of Paddy Duffey's Cart:

Oh, sing a song of railroad, / Likewise the iron hoss,

Of all that run beneath the sun, / The Long Beach is the boss;

With a thirteen-cat-power engine, / That starts with a big pinch-bar,

Oh, everyone gets out and pushes / On the G. O. P. R. R. Two streaks of rust, a ballast of dust, / Amid a two-foot right of way,

We blister space at an awful pace, / Two miles and a half a day;

With rails of cold rolled hairpins, / And a shoebox for a car,

Oh, everybody get out and push, / On the G. O. P. R. R.

Despite the poor performance of the little steam engine, the railroad served its purpose as it was faster than the old horsecars. The residents of Long Beach also found the little open cars, with seats all around and a place in the center for baggage, a very convenient mode of transportation.

In 1887 the line was taken over by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The light rails were taken out and replaced with standard rails. Before the end of the year, the Long Beach Railroad was completely absorbed by Southern Pacific and trains were running directly from Los Angeles to Long Beach. Passengers no longer had to get out and push.

References:

# Franklyn Hoyt, The Get Out and Push Railroad, The Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly
A new rumor states ASUS is planning to launch the ROG Phone 7 towards the end of this year, according to a report from The Tech Outlook, citing Paras Guglani on Twitter. When you think about it though, that shouldnt really be surprising. Nothing is certain, of course. But for the last several years now, ASUS has shipped a new ROG Phone device every single year.

And if the company was to continue following its trends, then consumers could probably expect a new ROG Phone device in 2023 as well. When is another matter entirely though. And thats where the rumor sheds a little more light on things. Keep in mind that a rumor is still just a rumor. And with it being this early in the year, theres plenty of time for things to change.

Rumor says the ROG Phone 7 will launch sometime in Q3 of 2023

If the timing of the launch is accurate, then its possible we could see the phone arriving around the same time the ROG Phone 6 did last year. ASUS launched the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro globally on July 5. Now the rumor doesnt mention a specific date. It merely says sometime in Q3. But July 5 would be within the Q3 timeframe. Albeit very early on.

In addition to the launch window, the rumor also mentions that ASUS will launch three models of the device. The ROG Phone 7, ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, and ROG Phone 7D. Worth noting is that the ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate are both listed as global releases, whereas the 7D is listed as a China-only release.

Advertisement

When it comes to specs, Guglani doesnt mention everything. But he does highlight a few key specs such as storage, RAM, and chipset. Both the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate versions will supposedly come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Which is to be expected given ASUS always uses the flagship chipset from Qualcomm. At least in its standard and pro model gaming phones. The chipset for the ROG Phone 7D isnt listed, but its likely to come with a new MediaTek chip like last years ROG Phone 6D.

The phones are also rumored to have 16GB of RAM, and come with either 256GB (ROG Phone 7) or 512GB (ROG Phone 7 Ultimate) of internal storage. Additionally, the phone will come with Android 13 and use an AMOLED panel.
Samsungs latest flagships come with the same charging speed rating as the 2022 models. The Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra charge at a maximum speed of 45W, while the base Galaxy S23 model tops out at 25W. However, the new phones still appear to charge faster than their respective predecessors.

A charging speed test by the YouTube channel TechDroider shows that the Galaxy S23 Ultra charges from 0 to 75% in 30 minutes with a 45W Samsung power brick. The handset charges fully in less than 52 minutes. Similar tests from last year, shortly after the Galaxy S22 series debuted, showed that the Galaxy S22 Ultra reached only 60% charge from 0 with Samsungs 45W charger. It took almost an hour to go from 0 to 100%. Both generations of Ultras pack a 5,000mAh battery.

By the looks of it, Samsung has optimized its charging algorithms and related tech this year. The company certainly needed to work on it. It has been reluctant to go above 45W speeds while rivals are breaching the 150W mark. Its not to say that the Korean firm should go with the flow, but its 45W charging isnt much faster than 25W. Last year, the Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra took just a few minutes less to charge fully with a 45W power brick compared to 25W.

Samsung seems to have made some much-needed improvements this year, though we havent seen a side-by-side charging speed comparison between the two generations of Galaxy S flagships. But going by this result, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ may also be getting as charging boost. These two models come with slightly bigger batteries (200mAh more than last year). It would be a step in the right direction even if they take the same amount of time to charge fully as their respective predecessors.

Advertisement

You can bypass charging on the Galaxy S23 series

The Galaxy S23 phones have another nice trick when it comes to charging. The latest Samsung flagships allow you to altogether bypass charging and feed the input power directly to the processor. This helps reduce heat and protects battery health. The feature is available as part of Samsungs Game Booster service. Its called Pause USB Power Delivery. Once enabled, your phone will not use the battery while gaming. It will draw power directly from the charger (only if you have more than 20% charge). This feature works with any charger that supports USB PD (Power Delivery).
Last month, a well-known tipster suggested that a new Concept phone from OnePlus is coming at MWC 2023. The company just confirmed it. The OnePlus 11 Concept will be presented at MWC 2023 in Barcelona.

OnePlus announced as much during its Cloud 11 event yesterday. During that event, the company had plenty to say. It announced the OnePlus 11, OnePlus 11R, OnePlus Pad, the first OnePlus keyboard, a new OnePlus TV, and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 truly wireless earbuds.

The OnePlus 11 Concept will be presented at MWC 2023 in Barcelona

As if thats not enough, the company also confirmed that its foldable phone, or phones, will be coming in Q3 this year. On top of everything else, we also got this Concept phone teaser.

OnePlus didnt really say much about the device. At this point in time, we only know its name, and that it will have an imaginative design. It is expected to offer some sort of industry-first tech, as did the OnePlus Concept One back in the day.

Advertisement

The company was tight-lipped regarding the phone, so we can only guess what will it be. Considering that the OnePlus Concept One included a special electrochromic glass on the back, which covered the camera lenses, we wonder what will it be like this time.

This new concept will almost certainly be based on the OnePlus 11, hence its name. OnePlus will change something hardware-wise, to present it in a different light. It may implement leather on the back again, and on top of that an industry-first tech, as it did back in the day. On the flip side, it may be something completely different.

The OnePlus Concept One included electrochromic glass on the back

On the OnePlus Concept One, the electrochromic glass basically made the cameras disappear. When theyre not in use, the glass is entirely black, and you cant see the sensors. When you activate the camera, the cameras appear, basically.

That phone did look really nice, and it presented something entirely new in the smartphone world. We expected OnePlus to implement it into a commercial device at some point, but that didnt happen, unfortunately.

Advertisement

As a reminder, the MWC 2023 will kick off on February 27, and wrap up on March 2.
Last year, Google launched the Pixel Watch, and its a really nice piece of wearable hardware. Just as smartphones need to have software updates, smartwatches also need updates. Google is rolling out the February security update to its first smartwatch according to 9To5Google.

The company also released the latest security update to the Pixel 4 phones. This marks the final update these phones will receive. The phone was released back in 2019, and its gotten the latest platform upgrades since then. If youre a Pixel 4 user, then youll want to be on the lookout for the update.

Google releases the February security update for the Pixel Watch

This update is rolling out now, so youll want to keep an eye out for the OTA. Being a standard security update, there arent any user-facing changes or new features. It brings the watch up to the latest security level which makes the device more secure from hackers and other bad actors.

The update has the version number RWD9.220429.075 in the states and RWD9.220429.075.J1 in Japan and Taiwan. To check for the update, go to Settings > System > System updates. Your phone will then check for the update and download it if its available.

Advertisement

Should you pick up the Pixel Watch?

As said before, this device launched back in October last year, and its the companys first smartwatch. Regardless, Google was able to do a good job with the watch. The Pixel Watch has a beautiful and premium design with a rounded screen.

This is the first watch to launch with pure Wear OS 3 loaded. The Galaxy Watch 4 was able to launch with it back in 2021, but that has Samsungs own paint job applied to it. On the Galaxy Watch, we see Googles vision for the software, and its a major improvement over Wear OS 2.

If youre thinking of picking up this watch, you can order one here. The Pixel Watch is a pricey device, but its worth the money.
Samsung may have a new type of flexible or folding display in the works. The companys display manufacturing division Samsung Display recently applied for a trademark for the brand FlexMirror. The name suggests the product will be a flexible panel with reflective properties. But details are scarce, so we cant confirm anything.

The Korean tech giant filed this trademark application with KIPRIS (Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service) this Monday, February 6 (via). The information on the KIPRIS database reveals that the Samsung FlexMirror is a display that can be used on smartphones, tablets, TVs, computers, digital signage, digital cameras, monitors, wearables, and other electronic gadgets. In other words, it can come in various sizes.

However, thats pretty much all we can take away from the KIPRIS database. Theres no way to confirm if the FlexMirror has reflective properties. These kinds of concepts arent new. There already exists electronic gadgets that serve as a screen when powered on, and as a mirror when off. Its possible that Samsung is looking to enter this field. If not by itself, then by selling the display to other firms. The Korean behemoth is already one of the biggest vendors of display solutions.

That said, trademark applications are never a confirmation that the company is working on a product with that name. Tech firms often apply for trademarks just to protect brands and names that fit in their existing product portfolio. This is done to ensure that they have the name available should they pursue such a product in the future. Many trademarked names never end up being real products. They remain just a trademark and nothing more.

Advertisement

Samsung may soon add another Flex product to its portfolio

Samsung already has several other Flex branded display products in its portfolio. It unveiled the Flex Hybrid, Flex Slidable Solo, and Flex Slidable Duet ahead of CES 2023 last month. All of these are flexible display solutions with varying capabilities. The Flex Hybrid is a combination of foldable and slidable display technologies, while the latter two are slidable panels. These products were trademarked long before they materialized in real-world products.

Samsung also showed off a 360-degree folding device at CES 2023. Called the Flex In & Out, this device looks similar to its Fold series foldable smartphones. However, it can fold both inward and outward. Its unclear if the company plans to commercially launch this product anytime soon. We will let you know as soon as we have more information about the Flex In & Out or the FlexMirror.
Its now official, the Xiaomi 13 series will launch globally on February 26. Xiaomi has reached out to confirm the news, while it will also confirm it via its official social media channels (if it hasnt already).

Global Xiaomi 13 series variants will become official on February 26

Considering that the Xiaomi 13 series already launched in China, we basically know what to expect. Xiaomi did say that the launch event will include some exciting AIoT products as well, though.

The press event will kick off at 4 PM CET / 3 PM BST / 10 AM EST / 7 AM PST. The company will livestream this launch event, as a livestream will be available via mi.com, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. We still dont have a link for that, but it will pop up as we get closer to launch. Well let you know.

Xiaomi is using the Behind the masterpiece tagline for this launch event. Considering this is the Xiaomi 13 series, Leica will very much be a part of the equation too, as the companys official teaser for this event confirms.

Advertisement

Now, in regards to the phones themselves. The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro will likely launch globally, as they did in China. The vanilla Xiaomi 13 will feature flat edges, a flat display, and itll be noticeably smaller and lighter. The Pro model will have a curved display, plenty of curves all around, and a more powerful camera setup.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro will include a 1-inch camera sensor

The Xiaomi 13 Pro is the only one that will include a 1-inch camera sensor, out of these two phones, of course. A 50.3-megapixel main camera (Sonys IMX989 sensor) will be included, along with a 50-megapixel ultrawide, and 50-megapixel telephoto cameras.

The Xiaomi 13 will include an entirely different camera setup. A 50-megapixel main camera (different sensor) will be backed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto unit. Leica lenses will be included on both phones.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will fuel both devices, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro will include faster charging (120W vs 67W wired). Both phones will include 50W wireless charging, though, and 10W reverse wireless charging.

Advertisement

If youd like to know more about these phones, you can check out our original coverage, when they launched back in China, while were waiting for the global launch event.
(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 8 - Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said Wednesday that Italy will resist in all shapes and forms Irish health warnings on wine which he said have split Europe and allegedly breach common trade treaties.

Ireland on Tuesday informed the World Trade Organization of the new warning labels on bottles of wine, beer and spirits alerting consumers to possible liver damage and links to certain forms of cancer with excessive use.

Italy has made common cause with France, Spain and six other big wine producing countries against the new labels.

"We will activate all forms of resistance with respect to a measure that divides Europe and we are transmitting to our colleagues who have signed a document with us, from Spain and France, and from 6 other countries, the letter written yesterday by (Foreign) Minister (Antonio) Tajani to (European Trade) Commissioner (Valdis) Dombrovskis in which (Tajani) denounces "that in our opinion it is a violation of the treaties on common trade", Lollobrigida said on the sidelines of the 9th Economic Conference of the Cia-Agricoltori Italiani farmers' group in Rome.

The new Irish health warning labels risk hurting the EU, Tajani said in his letter to Trade Commissioner and Commission Vice President Dombrovskis Tuesday.

Tajani said the labels "risk being a source of distortion of international trade, equivalent to a quantitative restriction".

He said the Irish move, as well as being open to criticism under EU law, "could trigger a chain reaction that would end up damaging the whole of he Union".

Italy has said it will appeal to the World Trade Organization against the warnings.

Italian officials have stressed that wine is good for you when drunk in moderation and Lollobrigida has said he will propose mediation on labelling to include the positive effects of moderate wine drinking.

Ireland on Tuesday notified the WTO of its new labelling policy.

The European Commission has given the green light to the warnings on wine, beer and spirits, even though this would require specific labels for products sold in Ireland and thus pose a limitation to the single market. (ANSA).


Foibe: Fvg Governor, let tragedy be a warning for tomorrow At screening of 'Ricordare, portare al cuore' in parliament

(ANSA) - ROME, 08 FEB - "Ideological extremism always causes tragedies, such as the foibe and the exodus of Italians from Istria and Dalmatia after World War II fleeing Tito's Yugoslav communist regime. The lessons of history that man is not always able to learn, as proven by what has been happening for almost a year in Ukraine. Lastly, the experience of Friuli Venezia Giulia, a region where, after a bloody season of conflict, we were able to shape a model of coexistence and cross-border cooperation under the banner of peace and friendship among peoples." These ideas were expressed by Fvg Governor Massimiliano Fedriga in the Hall of the Parliamentary Groups of the Chamber of Deputies, in front of an audience composed of students from all over Italy, on the occasion of the event, moderated by journalist Fausto Biloslavo, dedicated to the screening of the docu-film produced by Trieste's Teatro Stabile Rossetti 'Ricordare, portare al cuore,' inspired by the tragic events that affected the Italians of Istria and Dalmatia at the end of World War II. According to the governor, the exodus and the foibe are "a page of history that remained in oblivion for decades, inflicting further injustice on the victims and all those Italians who were forced to leave their land to live in freedom. Therefore, to remember means, first of all, to give justice to the exiles and the victims of the Foibe, but it is also important to start again by overcoming hatred and distrust.



Hence the desire to establish institutional relations with Slovenia and Croatia, and thanks to those choices made a few decades ago, we could reach the appointment of Nova Gorica Gorizia European Capital of Culture 2025. The last step on a path of authentic coexistence was the highly symbolic handshake in front of the Foiba of Basovizza between the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and Borut Pahor, at that time President of Slovenia." "It was the common European home to which we belong that, by tearing down the borders, strengthened a process of pacification that today we can say was accomplished. For this reason," the governor underlined, "the value of remembrance takes on an even stronger meaning: without memory, we risk losing those 'antibodies' that defend us from past errors." (ANSA).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
ISTANBUL - The number of victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria for now stands at 11,719 people. Officials and medics said 9,057 people had died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria from Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor. While digging in the freezing cold, a little 8-year old girl was rescued after being trapped under the rubble for 40 hours in Salgin, a city in North Western Syria.



Turkish President Erdogan has arrived in Kahramanmaras, city close to the epicentre of February 6 main shock of magnitude 7.8. He had announced yesterday that he was going to go to Adiyaman, where one of the victims was Yakup Tar, a member of Erdogan's AKP (Justice and Development Party).



But in Turkey protests are increasing for the delay of the rescue missions in some areas affected by the earthquake. "Where is the State? Where? Two days have gone by and we have not seen anyone, children are freezing due to the cold", these are the words of Ali Sagiroglu in Kahramanmaras, in the south of Turkey.



"I can't free my brother from under the rubble. I cannot have my niece back. Look around you. There isn't one State official to be seen here, for God's sake", he repeats.




Another 106 migrants arrived in the Canary islands, one died Two people among the rescued are in critical conditions

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, 08 FEB - The Spanish rescue services pronounced the death of one person out of the 107 they saved at sea during the last hours off the Canary Isles coastline. The migrants were traveling on two makeshift boats. Of the survivors, 42 were brought to the island of Lanzarote and 64 to the Grand Canary island. Nine persons were hospitalized in Lanzarote for their poor health conditions, two are in critical state.



During the first days of February, Spanish authorities registered the arrival of several hundreds of migrants in the Canary Isles, while in January the number had been reduced (566 persons for the entire month). Some NGOs warn that other boats with migrants on board could have started the crossing to reach the Canary isles from Africa's North-Western coastline, but this news remains unconfirmed for the moment. (ANSAmed).




Hundreds of tractors converge on Paris Farmers lead new protests against government measures

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, 08 FEB - Hundreds of tractors converged on Paris, for a protest led by farmers denouncing the "binding measures" that affect the agricultural sector, in particular the restriction pesticides use. According to FNSEA, France's largest farmers' union, a total of approximately "500 tractors" and "over 2,000 farmers" are headed toward the capital. The line of tractors should reach the gates of Versailles, to the South of Paris, where a high number of policemen were deployed. The protest has negatively affected traffic, leading to 354 kilometers of traffic jams and delays slightly before 8 a.m. in the Paris region of Ile-de-France. "An incredible figure for that time of the day", states Sytadin, the site specialized in road and traffic information. What caused the farmers to come out and protest is, in particular, the recent government decision not to authorize the use of pesticides to grow beet.



(ANSAmed).




Lebanese PM in Damascus today, unprecedented visit Earthquake accelerates resumption of Beirut-Damascus relations

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, 08 FEB - The earthquake in Syria has accelerated the resumption of relations between Lebanon and Syria after over a decade when their relations were cold at best due to the armed conflict in Syria. Following yesterday's invitation by Syria of the Lebanese Military from the Engineering Corps- for the first time in the history of the two countries- to enter the areas affected by the earthquake. The Lebanese outgoing PM, Najib Miqati, is expected today in Damascus. He will be the first Lebanese head of government to go to the Syrian capital in decades. As shared by Lebanese media, "to show solidarity with authorities and the Syrian people" Miqati leads a large delegation of Ministers: from the Transport Minister, to the Minister of Social Affairs and the Minister of Culture.



Department heads of the Ministry of Health and representatives of Civil Protection are also on their way from Beirut to Damascus. Relations between Beirut and Damascus had taken a nosedive in 2005 following the military withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after 29 years of political-military "guardianship" by Damascus over Lebanese affairs. (ANSAmed).




Alec Baldwin has sought to have the special prosecutor in his upcoming US hearing dismissed, saying that her involvement in the case is unconstitutional.

Baldwins lawyers argued that Andrea Reeb should be disqualified from the hearing, due to her elected position in the New Mexico House of Representatives.

The Hollywood actor is set to appear in court for the first time on February 24, and faces two charges of involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Charges were filed last week by the Santa Fe District Attorneys Office, and Ms Reeb was listed as the special prosecutor in the case.

The special prosecutor in this case, Andrea Reeb, is a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, the motion, filed by Baldwins lawyer Luke Nikas, states.

Under Section 1 of Article III of the New Mexico Constitution, however, a sitting member of the Legislature may not exercise any powers properly belonging to either the executive or judicial branch.

The motion argues that Reebs position constitutes a violation of the New Mexico constitutions separation of powers provision and that she could make prosecutorial decisions that serve her legislative interests.

Ms Reebs continued service as a special prosecutor in this case is unconstitutional, the motion states.

The Hollywood actor is set to appear in court for the first time on February 24 (Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office/PA)

The legal question is not a close one. She must be disqualified.

Ms Reeb was elected as Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives for the 64th district in November 2020, taking up the position last month.

The motion to dismiss her comes after the DAs office released a 44-strong witness list for the upcoming hearing, which included several members of the films production team as well as director Joel Souza.

Souza was also harmed during the incident in October 2021, during which a prop gun held by Baldwin went off and killed Ms Hutchins.

No charges were pressed over the non-fatal shooting of the director.
A child had to hide in a cupboard for an hour during the violent outburst of a police officer accused of raping a woman and another youngster, a court has heard.

Martyn Coulter, 36, is on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh accused of raping a woman and assaulting her three times between June 2013 and November 2014 at addresses in East Lothian and Edinburgh, and is also accused of being threatening towards her.

He is further charged with raping, sexually assaulting and threatening a girl aged under 13.

He denies all the charges.

The court on Wednesday heard pre-recorded evidence from a child, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

She told the court how she had to hide in a cupboard for an hour due to Coulters alleged behaviour in or around October 2014.

The court also heard how Coulter would regularly hit the child and get really angry.

She also told the court how she heard Coulter throw another child against a radiator close to the same period of time, so hard it left a permanent dent in the back of her head. She said she also heard him hitting a womans head off of a marble kitchen counter.

Coulter has lodged a special defence, stating that between September 6 and September 21, 2013 he was in England on a military police training course.

But the specific date the alleged events are said to have taken place have not been confirmed, with various witnesses saying they could not remember.

On Tuesday, the woman who has accused Coulter of raping and assaulting her told the court he smashed her head off of a cabinet.

Asked by advocate depute Kath Harper why she did not involve the authorities during this time, the witness said Coulter told her nobody would believe her because he was a police officer.

On Monday she said the officer raped her.

The trial before Lady Drummond continues.
Rules around MP redundancy payments should be relaxed and the body that sets members pay should look at how the current package compares with more favourable international schemes, MPs have suggested.

The Commons Administration Committee said loss-of-office payments should not be contingent on an MP closing down their office and instead should be treated more like a redundancy settlement.

In its report titled Smoothing The Cliff Edge: Supporting MPs At Their Point Of Departure From Elected Office, the committee said: The loss-of-office payment should be treated as a redundancy package to support MPs when making their transition from the House to another vocation.

Payment should not be contingent upon the completion of the winding-up tasks as this goes against the spirit of the payment and its intended function.

During its inquiry, the committee found that some MPs experienced financial challenges and hardship after losing their seats, with some waiting months for their loss-of-office money.

The 37-page report published on Wednesday said that for MPs defeated at the 2019 general election, the median loss-of-office payment was 5,250  equivalent to less than one month of their 84,144 salary.

The committee found that Westminsters pay-outs compared poorly with comparable international democracies, with an ousted MP in German who has served for 18 years qualifying for 162,360 compensation.

In the UK, loss-of-office payments are only paid out if the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), the body created in the wake of the expenses scandal to set MPs pay, deems that certain wind-up criteria are met.

They include issuing redundancy notices to staff, submitting all business cost claims associated with running their MP offices and paying any outstanding debts to IPSA.

If IPSA is satisfied, then members who lose their seat at a general election after a period of two years continuous service are entitled to a loss-of-office payment equal to double the statutory redundancy entitlement.

In the case of MPs, the statutory maximum wage of 571 per week is used for the calculation.

Support for those leaving office is much more generous internationally, the inquiry found.

In Germany, members of the Bundestag with a minimum of one years

membership receive a transitional emolument to help with their next step into employment, with the pay-out equivalent to one months salary  9,020  for each year of service, up to a maximum of eighteen months.

Outgoing Australian MPs can expect to receive either 31,455 or 62,909, depending on length of service, while those exiting the Canadian House of Commons receive severance of close to 70,000.

In comparison, any MP who won their seat at the 2019 election but is ousted at the next, which is scheduled to take place by January 2025, can expect to receive a loss-of-office payment of 5,139.

The Administration Committee said IPSA should look at how Westminsters system compares internationally to inform a potential future review.

Long-serving departing members of the Bundestag can earn a six-figure pay-off (Markus Schreiber/AP)

MPs said: IPSA should provide the committee with examples of comparable redundancy payment schemes in other sectors and organisations against which to test the loss-of-office payment system for MPs.

This should be used as a benchmark for a future review of the system.

The committees other recommendations included holding a departure ceremony for former MPs, with Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and family and friends attending a presentation of a medallion of service.

Security should also continue for those deemed to be at high risk of an ongoing threat, the committee recommended.

Sir Charles Walker, chairman of the committee, said: Parliament matters. The role of a Member of Parliament  in debating and making laws, scrutinising draft policies and representing and servicing constituents  is a noble enterprise, and one that should be defended, encouraged and recognised.

However, it is clear that without the right support for members when they leave Parliament, we may well be putting off talented candidates from seeking election to the House of Commons.

He added: We must recognise that, if the public wants the best individuals to represent them in the House of Commons, it is vital that MPs receive the support they need to do  and leave  their jobs well.
A private school where the headteacher was found dead alongside her husband and their daughter will reportedly close until after the half-term break as police conduct a homicide investigation.

Emma Pattison, 45, was found dead with her husband George Pattison, 39, and their seven-year-old daughter Lettie at their home in the grounds of Epsom College in Surrey on Sunday.

According to the BBC, acting headmaster Paul Williams announced on Tuesday that the school will close until after the half-term break following the incredibly distressing details about how Mrs Pattison died.

Surrey Police said Mr Pattison legally owned a gun that was discovered at the scene of the tragedy.

On Tuesday, the force confirmed that officers have launched a homicide investigation.

The deaths are being investigated as a possible murder-suicide.

We will be in close contact with Surrey Police over the coming weeks and months. We hope everyone will respect the privacy of Emma's family at this time and allow the College's pupils, staff and wider community the time and space necessary to come to terms with this loss. 3/3  Epsom College (@EpsomCollegeUK) February 6, 2023

In a letter to parents, the BBC reported that Mr Williams said: Now is a time for families to come together and try and process this shocking news.

The impact on your children cannot be underestimated and we are doing everything we possibly can to support them in whatever way they need.

The Times reported that Mrs Pattison had contacted a close relative with concerns about her husband in the hours before the killings, and when they arrived at the house they found all three members of the family dead.

While a gun was found at the scene, the force said causes of death will not be confirmed until post-mortem examinations are carried out later this week.

Mr Pattison had been in contact with Surrey Police just days before the killings about his gun licence in order to change his address after the family moved to the school site from Caterham.

A statement from the force said: We had contact with George on February 2 after he notified us of a previous change of address, as is routine.

Due to the short period of time between that contact and this incident, we have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The IOPC said it is assessing the information available to decide if any further action is necessary.

Emma Pattison, 45, who died at the weekend (Surrey Police/PA)

Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey, senior investigating officer on the case, said: This is an incredibly traumatic incident and we are working around the clock to investigate and understand the exact circumstances which led to this point.

We understand the public concern and upset, and we will clarify what we can, when we can, while respecting the right to a level of privacy for the families of those who have lost their lives.

Mr Pattison had held a gun licence for a number of years and it was up for renewal early last year, according to the Times.

The newspaper said he had not been reported to Surrey Police before, but in 2016 had contacted them to allege that his wife had hit him, before withdrawing the claim.

Mrs Pattison became Epsoms first female head in September 2022 after six years as headteacher of Croydon High School in south London.

Boarding students at the college pay more than 42,000 a year and its alumni include Conservative MP Sir Michael Fallon, broadcaster Jeremy Vine and comedian Tim Vine.

Mrs Pattisons husband George was a chartered accountant who was director of a management consultancy called Tanglewood 2016, according to Companies House.
A GP is set to appear in court accused of sexually assaulting four women.

Hampshire Police is investigating a series of non-penetrative sexual assaults against four women who were receiving medical treatment at the time of the offences.

The offences are said to have taken place in the Havant area between September 2019 and July 2021.

Mohan Babu, who was working as a GP during this period, has been reported for summons relating to five offences of sexual assault.

Babu, 46, of Nore Farm Avenue in Emsworth, is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on February 23.
Johnson calls for UK to send its jets and tanks to help Ukraine finish the job

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has put pressure on Rishi Sunak to send jets and tanks to Ukraine.

He said more than 100 Typhoon jets were held by the UK and the best single use for them would be in Ukraine.

His call came after Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky used an address to Parliament to plead for combat aircraft, saying his country needed wings for freedom.

Thank you President @ZelenskyyUa. Your powerful and passionate appeal must be heard. There is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by sending planes now.  #UkraineMustWin pic.twitter.com/pzxHBtt8aU  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 8, 2023

Mr Johnson, who struck up a close relationship with Mr Zelensky while he was in No 10, said: It is time to give the Ukrainians the extra equipment they need to defeat Putin and to restore peace to Ukraine.

That means longer range missiles and artillery. It means more tanks. It means planes.

We have more than 100 Typhoon jets. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks.

The best single use for any of these items is to deploy them now for the protection of the Ukrainians  not least because that is how we guarantee our own long-term security.

He said supplying the weapons now would help make the world safer by stopping Vladimir Putins forces.

Mr Johnson acknowledged that supplying Typhoon jets to Ukraine would require the support of Germany, Italy and Spain, the other countries involved in its development, but he insisted that should not be an issue.

Todays investment in helping Ukraine will avert instability and chaos for years to come, Mr Johnson said.

By helping Ukraine to push back Putin, we can make our world safer  and above all, save an innocent country from destruction.

It is true that the Typhoon is a four-nation plane and that we require the approval of allies for export. But there is no reason to think that Germany or others should oppose our decision  these are UK planes.

In the year since Putins barbaric invasion, we have learnt that he fears nothing except the heroism of the Ukrainians and western willingness to give them the tools they need.

Every time we have stepped up with more military support the Ukrainians have responded and turned the tide of war. Now is the time to give them exactly what they need to finish the job.

The UK has so far refused to supply planes, arguing it would take years to train pilots to use the sophisticated F-35s and Typhoons in RAF service.

But Mr Sunak has now signalled that Ukrainian pilots will be trained on the jets as part of a long-term strategy and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been asked to consider whether British planes could eventually be sent.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Individuals need to be trained on these fighter jets before they can use them. Simply providing the jets alone would not be sufficient.

On tanks, the spokesman said: Were always seeking to provide everything possible and the provision of Challenger 2 tanks shouldnt be seen in isolation, it comes on top of additional support in terms of longer-range guns, longer-range capabilities.
Members of the Church of Englands Synod must not give in to the fear of a slippery slope when considering proposals for clergy to bless same-sex couples, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

The Synod  known as the churchs parliament  is considering a motion which repents the churchs failure to be welcoming to LGBTQI+ people and the harm they have faced and still experience.

Within the proposals, the position on gay marriage will not change and same-sex couples will still be unable to marry at church.

General #Synod now moves to a debate on Living in Love and Faith. You can live watch online:https://t.co/2kaFiNeFsG  General Synod (@synod) February 8, 2023

Justin Welby, who is supporting the motion, acknowledged the painful disagreement within the church on the matter but said he cannot duck the issue any more than anyone else here.

Addressing the Synod on Wednesday afternoon after having listened to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the nearby Westminster Hall, Mr Welby said: We are not divided, but we disagree, and that is very painful.

He warned that members of the Synod should not vote on the motion before them in the context of what further change there might be in the future as a result.

He said: I know there is fear of a slippery slope, of what may or may not happen at some point in the future. But let us not give in to the fear of a future which we can neither predict nor control.

Fear leads us to do the wrong things  trying to secure the future for God tomorrow, rather than trusting the Holy Spirit today.

Ive just been in Westminster Hall hearing President Zelensky, who knows well what it means for the world to change overnight.

Mr Welby had already said last month that he welcomes the proposals but will not personally carry them out due to his pastoral responsibility for the whole communion.

During the debate, he added: I am supporting these resources, not I think because Im controlled by culture, but because of Scripture, tradition and reason evidenced in the vast work done over the last six years so ably by so many. I may be wrong. Of course I may.

But I cannot duck the issue any more than anyone else here.

I ask each member of Synod to vote with their spirit-inspired consciences, scripturally and spiritually-guided and not because groups or lobbies or outsiders have told you to.

But in the wide-ranging debate, others questioned whether the motion would go some way to condoning sexual relations outside the traditional setting of marriage, which the church teaches remains an institution between a man and a woman.

Bishop Jill Duff told those gathered it would be a seismic shift in Christian teaching.

She said: It would distance LGBTQI+ Christians living faithful celibate lives. It would distance mainstream Christian denominations, never mind the freedom of conscience for other faiths. It would be distancing the majority of the Anglican community who seem to be rather silent in our discernment.

Jayne Ozanne, a prominent LGBT+ campaigner, said there had been words but absolutely no action to stop discrimination within the church.

She questioned the apology from the Bishops of the Church of England who wrote a letter last month admitting LGBT+ people had been failed at times and adding they should be and are welcome and valued.

She said: Why yet another apology? Who does it serve? It seems to me, and Im going to be frank, that its primary purpose is to make you feel better, even if by doing so it makes those of us its aimed at increasingly angry.

Ms Ozanne likened the apology to that of an abusive partner who keeps telling the one they abuse that they love them and that they are sorry, and they will never do it again.

Debate on the motion and a series of amendments was listed for five hours after which a vote was due to take place, but as the session ran on its chair adjourned to resume at 9.15am on Thursday.
The King was in fine comedic form as he encountered mannequins that speak, breathe and blink at pioneering mock hospital wards at the University of East London (UEL).

The monarch visited the universitys Stratford campus in east London for its 125th anniversary, unveiling a plaque and opening its new hospital and primary care training hub.

He met student nurses who showed him six different mannequins that can also bleed and urinate, saying: They are quite realistic, arent they?

The King unveils a plaque during a visit to mark the universitys 125th anniversary (Frank Augstein/PA)

The King then quipped: Ah, somebody who is real when he was presented to a student who was demonstrating a diabetes treatment.

He also received laughs when joking: And it works? after seeing a genuine oxygen pump that would be used to treat a dummy with a chest complaint.

The King had earlier met three infants and their mothers at the hubs baby development lab which researches how living in urban areas affects childrens early years.

One of the infants started crying when the King sat down on the sofa, to which he replied: Oh dear.

The King meets students in the exhibition hall for sustainability (Frank Augstein/PA)

He was later given bouquets of flowers by two local schoolchildren and a toddler. The toddler enthusiastically handed his posy to the King before he had finished greeting the first pupil, which greatly amused the monarch.

The hub hosts a range of wards that simulate real-life hospital care  including accident and emergency, intensive care and maternity care  and will train future NHS professionals on the universitys nursing and physiotherapy courses.

The King was accompanied on the visit by Professor Amanda Broderick, UELs vice-chancellor and president, and was greeted by several dignitaries when he arrived shortly after midday.

A toddler enthusiastically hands King Charles a bouquet of flowers on his visit to the University of East London for its 125th anniversary. pic.twitter.com/RYD0mzvOsE  Tim Sigsworth (@tjsigsworth) February 8, 2023

He shook the hands of onlooking students who had waited for hours to see him, one of whom asked: Can you bring back Harry?

The King replied: Who? after initially mishearing, before bursting into laughter when he understood what the man had said.

During his arrival, a choir of UEL students and year six pupils from the local Sandringham Primary School sang a bespoke composition on sustainability.

Charles talks to trainees at the Intensive Care Ward (Frank Augstein/PA)

The song was written by UEL music lecturer Tristan Parkes, who played along on an acoustic guitar while Sandringham music teacher Simon Lambert played the soprano saxophone.

Mr Lamberts pupils had been rehearsing for 12 weeks but were only told they were singing for the King two days ago.

I kept telling them it was someone very important, but I think they all just thought it was going to be a local politician, Mr Lambert told the PA news agency.

It has upped their game and upped their performance, I think.

The King later visited the universitys great hall for a sustainability exhibition, meeting students, staff and entrepreneurs whose work was on display.

The King meets participants at the Baby Development Lab (Frank Augstein/PA)

Exhibited items included wooden box habitats for beetles and concrete made from sugar cane.

The King then went to a stage at the front where he unveiled a plaque, saying: Very, very happy 125th birthday as he did so before being given sustainably-produced thank you gifts by students.

One was a laser-engraved wooden portrait of him and the other was a light brown striped scarf. I will treasure that, the King said.

Julian Ellis-Brown, a 26-year-old entrepreneur, gave the King an organic cotton gilet that is insulated by bulrush seeds.

He is clearly someone who cares about the environment and has done for a very long time, Mr Ellis-Brown told the PA News Agency.

3 months to go until the Coronation of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort. Find out more about what's on over the Coronation weekend and plan your Coronation celebrations https://t.co/aIrz65PL2a | @RoyalFamily pic.twitter.com/wyXqXy9vEj  Department for Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) February 6, 2023

He was delighted to receive it. He said something like: It is good that it is sleeveless because then it will fit me.

UEL research fellow, Dr Shaherah Jordan, 43, also met the King and said it was clear his interest in green issues was genuine.

She told the PA: You spend a lot of time in the trenches by doing research, so whenever somebody actually wants to learn more about it, it is a nice feeling  especially when it is the King.

I am very pleased with the whole event and the whole interaction.

UEL has more than 29,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying on 535 different courses.

It has hosted three royal visits before, with the Queen and Prince Philip visiting in 2006, Queen Consort Camilla in 2007 and the Princess Royal in 2013.
TikTok and Instagram posts by Laura Whitmore for a gin and vodka brand have been banned for being inappropriately targeted, implying that alcohol can increase confidence and not being clearly marked as adverts.

The ads for The Muff Liquor Company, seen in July, featured Whitmore drinking peppermint tea, and then water, beer and Muff & tonic, while her dancing became increasingly energetic.

Music in the background included the lyrics: Ill be f***** up if you cant be right here.

Text on screen stated #MakemineaMuff and If drinks were dance moves @muffliquorco #makemineamuff #muffboss #irishowned.

A complainant, who understood that Whitmore was an investor in The Muff Liquor Company, challenged whether the ads were obviously identifiable as marketing communications and were inappropriately targeted because they featured alcoholic drinks.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated whether the ads encouraged irresponsible drinking because they implied that alcohol could enhance confidence and was capable of changing mood.

The Muff Liquor Company said it asked Whitmore to remove the ads within 24 hours of being made aware of the complaint.

One of the posts by Laura Whitmore for The Muff Liquor Company banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA/PA)

The firm confirmed she was a shareholder but said she was not paid for the ads.

They said 2.7% of Whitmores 1.6 million social media followers were under 18 years of age, and therefore understood that the product had not been inappropriately targeted to under-18s.

Since receiving notification of the complaint, they had agreed with Whitmore that future ads for The Muff Liquor Company would be reviewed by the company before being posted.

Whitmore told the ASA that the hashtag #muffboss was used to declare her shareholder status and believed that #ad would not have been a suitable disclaimer because she was not paid by The Muff Liquor Company for the posts.

TikTok said Whitmore had not used its branded content disclosure tool, even though the post appeared to fall into this category.

Instagram said it had no comment on the investigation.

The ASA said the posts should have been clearly marked as ads.

It noted that Whitmore was the former presenter of the television programme Love Island  the fifth most-watched programme by those aged four to 15 years old in the second quarter of 2022. As a result, a large proportion of individuals who were under 18 with TikTok accounts were likely to interact with content related to Love Island on the platform.

Even if those individuals did not follow Ms Whitmore, we considered it was likely that the algorithm would determine Ms Whitmores posts to be of interest to them, meaning they would appear in their For You page, the ASA said.

Referring to Whitmores dancing while drinking alcohol, the ASA added: Whilst we acknowledged that the ads were presented in a light-hearted tone, nonetheless we considered that consumers would interpret the ads to mean that drinking alcohol could precipitate a change in an individuals behaviour and could enhance an individuals confidence.

The ASA ruled that the ads must not appear again.
The man suspected of building the bomb that downed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988  killing 270 people  has pleaded not guilty, a US court has heard.

Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi is alleged to have helped make the bomb which killed all 259 passengers and crew on board the jumbo jet bound to New York from London on December 21, 1988.

Another 11 people were killed in Lockerbie when wreckage destroyed their homes, in what remains Britains deadliest terrorist attack.

Libyan-born Masud faces three charges, including two counts of destruction of an aircraft resulting in death, and a further count of destruction of a vehicle resulting in death.

He appeared in a federal court in Washington on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

A total of 270 people were killed in the bombing (PA)

Each of the charges are punishable by a sentence of up to life imprisonment, the death penalty or a fine of up to 250,000 US dollars (206,000).

A previous hearing in December heard that Masud will not face the death penalty because the bombing occurred before the specific charges which he faces carried a possible penalty of capital punishment.

A further hearing was fixed for later in February for Judge Moxila Upadhyaya to hear arguments on whether Masud should be detained or released for trial.

In December, US officials announced that Masud, who allegedly worked as an intelligence agent for the countrys former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, had been taken into custody, two years after it was revealed he had been charged in connection with the explosion.

In 2020, he was charged by US Attorney General William Barr with being the third person involved in the terrorist attack.
Administrators for collapsed airline Flybe have applied for a temporary operating licence, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced.

This would give the administrators from Interpath the chance to put the regional carrier on a firm footing, but flights would not initially resume.

It is the first time the CAA has received an application for a temporary licence from a failed airline.

A spokesman for the regulator said: Flybes administrators have applied for a temporary operators licence.

If approved, it would allow the administrators to start the process of restructuring the business.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has not yet made a decision on whether to grant a temporary licence.

Flybes licence currently remains suspended in accordance with the undertakings given by the administrators.

Flybe collapsed into bankruptcy for the second time in three years on January 28.

The airlines administrators confirmed 277 of its 321 staff would be made redundant.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that airline groups Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are in talks with the administrators to buy the carrier, which held lucrative take-off and landing slots at Heathrow Airport.

Flybe was first pushed into administration in March 2020 with the loss of 2,400 jobs as the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed large parts of the travel market.

Before then it flew more UK domestic routes between airports outside London than any other airline.

Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, linked to US hedge fund Cyrus Capital.

Flights resumed 12 months later, with the airline based at Birmingham Airport.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has accused Ofgem and the Government of creating a booming business for loan sharks after the prepayment energy meter scandal was uncovered.

Mr Brown accused the regulators chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, of dismally failing to protect vulnerable customers after it was revealed that hundreds of thousands of impoverished Britons were forced to switch to costly prepayment meters, pushing some of them into the hands of illegal moneylenders.

The scandal uncovered by The Times found that British Gas routinely sent debt collectors to break into customers homes and force-fit pay-as-you-go meters, even when they were known to have extreme vulnerabilities.

Responding to these revelations, Mr Brown said the Ofgem boss needed to consider his position after failing on his responsibilities to energy customers.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown accused Ofgems chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, of dismally failing to protect vulnerable customers(Jane Barlow/PA)

Writing in The Independent, the former Labour leader savaged both the energy regulator and the Government for perpetrating harsh and callous policy decisions and failing to defend low-income families against the indefensible.

(Mr) Brearleys official responsibility is to protect energy customers by ensuring they are treated fairly (and to) stamp out sharp and bad practice, Mr Brown said.

So (Mr) Brearley  and the now restructured Energy Department  should immediately explain why instead of being on the side of the public, they have failed dismally to properly monitor and expose utility companies and their debt agents who, in the middle of the worst cost of living crisis for 50 years, have been breaking into the homes of impoverished customers.

The former prime minister said Ofgem was not alone in failing to defend low-income families against the indefensible, accusing the Government and its agencies of harsh and callous policy decisions that were turning illegal money lending into Britains biggest booming business among low-income communities.

A recent Times investigation revealed British Gas routinely sends debt collectors to break into customers homes and force-fit pay-as-you-go meters, even when they are known to have extreme vulnerabilities (Steve Parsons/PA)

Mr Brown said that through his work with local charities he had learnt users of pre-payment metres were needing to spend a lot more for each unit of their energy, adding that at least 20% of them had not been able to obtain the cash or discount vouchers they were promised.

This failure to act is creating an even more serious social emergency for hardpressed families: Pushing them further into debt and, most worrying of all, into the hands of illegal moneylenders, he said, listing the bedroom tax, the two-child rule and other caps and taxes which had worsened the financial situation for low-income households.

Ministers are leaving families unable to cover the costs of their weekly food bill, without resorting to borrowing wherever they can find cash.

The welfare state safety net is now full of holes  and instead of being the last line of defence for people in need, our own social security ministry is pushing families into ever more desperate measures.

The former Labour leader said our own social security ministry was pushing families into ever more desperate measures (Andrew Matthews/PA)

He added: Blood is in the water and loan sharks are circling.

A record number of families are now so deep in debt that they are turning to the door-step lender, and the pay-day lender standing outside the cut-price stores, the pub and the betting shop. And even more worryingly, as illegal money lending moves online, the desperate are even more at risk as long as these social media platforms remain exempt from proper scrutiny.

Mr Browns comments follow the senior presiding judge of England and Wales telling magistrates to stop the processing of applications by energy firms to enter homes to install prepayment meters.

Ofgem has already asked energy suppliers to suspend the activity.

Meanwhile, Paypoint revealed that around one in five people did not redeem the 66 energy support voucher they were sent in November by the company under a Government support scheme

Of the hundreds of thousands of vouchers sent out only about 81% had been redeemed on Sunday when they ran out  90 days after they were issued.

It means that thousands of households with prepayment meters missed out on energy bill support they were entitled to receive.
Marks & Spencer will overtake John Lewis in the rankings of the UKs biggest retailers by 2026, according to a new sales forecast.

Tesco will retain its position as the largest retailer, followed by Sainsburys, but Amazon is on track to move into the top three within the next few years, industry title Retail Week has calculated.

The forecast, which calculated the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the top 30 retailers by sales in the UK, found M&S is on track to overtake the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) within three years.

M&S has a CAGR of 2.7%, while JLP is set to grow by 1.8%, meaning the rival retailers would swap places at seventh and eighth in the rankings.

Exclusive: M&S to overtake John Lewis by 2026, forecast reveals https://t.co/ZRcVhBqAoT  Retail Week (@RetailWeek) February 8, 2023

M&S recently emerged as one of the winners of the Christmas trading season, with a 6.3% rise in like-for-like sales across its food halls in the 13 weeks to December 31, while it saw clothing and home comparable store sales rise 8.6%.

It said recent sales across stores already revamped as part of its overhaul had traded better than expected, with clothing and home sales 26% ahead of plans at its new store in Colchester, Essex.

But it is also investing in its digital offering, with the rollout of click-and-collect to 130 stores across the UK.

Retail Week data and insights director Lisa Byfield-Green said: M&S willingness to evolve and diversify has been key to its success.

It has been on a long-term mission to transform its business, first under Steve Rowes five-year plan and now under the Reshaping for Growth strategy led by co-chief executives Stuart Machin and Katie Bickerstaffe.

Ranking: Who will be the biggest retailers in the UK in 2026? https://t.co/9m9y4CznPM  Retail Week (@RetailWeek) February 8, 2023

She added: With a reduced store portfolio for John Lewis department stores, there are many customers that do not have easy access to a store. This makes the business heavily reliant on the online channel, which makes significant growth difficult in the current market as footfall returns to high streets and shopping centres and customers shift away from buying as much online.

Waitrose has also seen sales slump this year as customers trade down and reduce basket sizes in the cost-of-living crisis. This means that our forecasts for the grocery part of its business have been revised down.

Retail Week calculated that Amazons growth will overtake Asdas by almost 8 billion, while Tescos rate of 3.1% will fall slightly behind Sainsburys 4.1%.

Ms Byfield-Green said: We had originally forecast Amazon to be number two behind Tesco but, in light of its current cost focus and its first-ever year of single-digit growth in 2022, we revised our forecast down slightly.
Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Volodymyr Zelenskys forces.

The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an immediate surge of military equipment including longer-range weapons.

The latest announcements came as President Zelensky made his first visit to the UK since Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

 A warm welcome to Ukrainian personnel who have arrived in the UK this weekend to get to grips with the AS90.  The AS90 is an armoured self-propelled artillery weapon which the UK is providing to help Ukraine defend its homeland and retake territory.  #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/BAlEGfzQmn  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) February 6, 2023

Downing Street said the Government is following a two-pronged approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future.

Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a long-term capability investment.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future.

Tank crews from the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been quick to master the controls of the mighty Challenger 2 this week. The UK is providing Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to help them defend their homeland and retake territory.@DefenceU  #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/iHiOmqR14U  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) February 4, 2023

While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely operated by other Nato countries are more likely to be supplied to Ukraine, should Western leaders agree to Mr Zelenskys requests.

The latest offers of support follow the UKs decision to become the first Nato ally to supply Ukraine with modern Western battle tanks.

Ukrainian troops are already training on Challenger 2s, with 14 of the tanks expected to be sent to Ukraine by the end of March.

The UK also promised around two dozen AS90 self-propelled guns, hundreds more armoured vehicles and precision-guided missiles, and 100,000 artillery rounds on top of the 100,000 already sent.

An AS90 self-propelled artillery gun (MoD/PA)

It keeps the UK at the forefront of Kyivs military backers with 2.3 billion of support provided during the course of 2022, and ministers promising a similar amount this year.

Even before the fighting began, as Russian forces massed on the border, Britain was sending the first of thousands of modern Nlaw anti-tank missiles.

The shoulder-launched weapons proved highly effective as Ukrainian troops halted a huge Russian column advancing on Kyiv in a reverse which stunned the Kremlin.

Since then Britain has steadily been stepping up its supply of military materiel in terms of both volume and sophistication as fears that the West could be drawn into a direct conflict with Russia eased.

Rain, snow or shine, Ukrainian recruits train hard, learning battlefield skills that will help them defend their homeland.  Ukrainian recruits are participating in a UK-led training programme consisting of nine other nations. #WeStandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/2i7yZEDji4  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) January 24, 2023

It includes powerful multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS), which are crucial in the artillery battle that has come to dominate the conflict, as well as 28 M109 155mm self-propelled guns and L119 105mm artillery guns.

There has been a formidable array of missiles  including Brimstone, AMRAAM and Javelin systems  and hundreds of armoured vehicles, with six Stormers fitted with Starstreak missile launchers and 2,000 aerial drones.

Other equipment includes nearly three million rounds of small arms ammunition, more than 82,000 helmets, 8,450 sets of body armour, medical supplies, and more than 5,000 night-vision devices.

The UK has also provided a significant military training programme based in the UK.

Some 10,000 Ukrainian troops have been brought to battle readiness in the last six months, with a further 20,000 expected to receive training this year.

In addition, Britain has also donated Sea King search and rescue helicopters while training dozens of Ukrainian sailors to use unmanned underwater drones to clear mines laid by the Russians.
SNP MP Stewart McDonald has said he fears he may be the victim of a disinformation attack as he claimed his personal email account has been hacked by Russia.

The Glasgow South MP told the BBC he was targeted in a phishing attack on January 13, in the form of a password-protected attachment sent in an actual email account for a member of his staff, purporting to be about Ukraine.

After clicking on the link and entering his log-in details, he was redirected to a blank page, the MP said, and when he asked the member of staff about it, he responded: I didnt send any email.

MP Stewart McDonald voiced concern that access to his account could lead to a disinformation attack (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA)

Several days later the same staff member informed Mr McDonald he had been locked out of his personal email account because of suspicious activity  and that he had never sent him the email with the log-in page.

Mr McDonald, formerly his partys defence spokesman and someone with a keen interest in Russia, said he is concerned about what may be done with personal emails that could have been taken from his account.

If it is indeed a malicious state-backed group, then, in line with what Ive seen elsewhere, I expect them to dump some of the information online, he told the BBC.

I can expect them to manipulate and fake some of that content and I want to get out ahead of that to ensure any disinformation attack against me is discredited before its even published.

It can catch people, even those who are alive to these threats.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland on Wednesday, Mr McDonald said he wanted to raise awareness of the threat.

He added: This is a phishing campaign that was long-planned, and was targeted against me. I know it was targeted against some others also.

 Today, the UK has issued an advisory highlighting the continued threat from spear-phishing campaigns carried out by Russia-based group SEABORGIUM and Iran-based group TA453.https://t.co/9q0E87x5OK  NCSC UK (@NCSC) January 26, 2023

Unfortunately the hackers managed to breach the private email address of one of my staff team as well, so I would recommend to all of your listeners to read the National Security Cyber Centres guidance on spear phishing.

These are more sophisticated than general phishing emails that I am sure all of us have received from time to time and ensure you dont fall victim to it.

It is a deeply unpleasant experience.

The incident came in the weeks after an advisory was issued by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a wing of the intelligence agency GCHQ, which warned of spear-phishing attacks  which are targeted at specific people using tailored content more likely to deceive  from actors in Russia and Iran.

The advisory did not explicitly say the groups  known as Seaborgium and TA453  were backed by any government.

A spokesman for the NCSC said: An incident has been reported to us and we are providing the individual with support.

The NCSC regularly provides security briefings and guidance to parliamentarians to help them defend against the latest cyber threats. This includes expert advice for MPs and their staff available on the NCSC website.
The Supreme Court will later rule on the lawfulness of Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol.

The legality of the contentious trading arrangements has been challenged by a collective of unionists and Brexiteers.

Arguments were considered by the UKs highest court at a two-day hearing last year after the Court of Appeal upheld a ruling in Belfast High Court dismissing the legal challenge.

The protocol, which is a key aspect of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, was jointly designed by London and Brussels to keep Irelands land border free flowing following the UKs departure from the EU.

Becoming effective in 2021, the arrangements instead shifted customs and regulatory checks to the Irish Sea and created new red tape on the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with trade in the region remaining subject to certain EU Single Market rules.

The appellants argue that the legislation passed at Westminster to give effect to the Withdrawal Agreement conflicts with the 1800 Acts of Union that formed the United Kingdom, particularly Article 6 of that statute guaranteeing unfettered trade within the UK.

The legal challenge also contends that the protocol undermines the peace process legislation underpinning Northern Irelands powersharing settlement at Stormont  the 1998 Northern Ireland Act.

The Northern Ireland Act, which gave effect to the historic Good Friday peace agreement, guarantees that the constitutional status of the region can only be changed with the consent of its citizens via referendum.

It also includes cross community provisions (Section 42) that ensure controversial decisions at Stormont can only be taken if they are supported by a certain proportion of both nationalist and unionist MLAs.

The Withdrawal Agreement does provide for a future Assembly vote on the continuation of the protocol, however the UK Government has amended Stormont rules so the vote can be passed on a straight majority basis, rather than having to meet the cross community consent thresholds.

In 2021, Belfast High Court judge Mr Justice Colton dismissed a judicial review challenge against the lawfulness of the protocol on all grounds.

His judgment was upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.

While the Appeal Court found that the protocol does conflict with the Acts of Union in respect of unfettered trade, judges ruled that the 1800 statute had been lawfully modified by Parliament.

The court also dismissed the argument that the post-Brexit trading arrangements have changed the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.

It further ruled that the Government did have the authority to disapply the cross community voting provisions in the Stormont Assembly when it came to the vote on the future of the protocol.

The Court of Appeal later granted leave for the case to be referred to the Supreme Court.

The case involves two conjoined challenges  one taken by unionist politicians and Brexiteers including Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister, former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib and Baroness Kate Hoey and the other mounted by a loyalist pastor from Belfast, Clifford Peeples.
Rishi Sunak has asked the Defence Secretary to investigate what jets the UK could potentially give to Ukraine, Downing Street has said.

It comes after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used a surprise visit to London to urge the UK and Western allies to provide wings for freedom by supplying his air force with advanced jets.

Earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots, paving the way for them to eventually be able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard jets, but that is seen as a long-term ambition.

Downing Street on Wednesday was keen to stress that any potential move to send jets would not happen immediately and was part of the UKs long-term efforts to support Ukraine.

Earlier, Mr Zelensky used an address to Parliament to thank the UK for its steadfast support since Russia invaded.

But, as he presented a Ukrainian fighter aces helmet to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, he said more planes were needed to defeat Vladimir Putins forces.

Mr Zelensky said he wanted a coalition of nations to supply planes.

He said: I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words: combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The Prime Minister has tasked the Defence Secretary with investigating what jets we might be able to give but to be clear, this is a long-term solution, rather than a short-term capability, which is what Ukraine needs most now.

But Downing Street stressed that no decision had been taken on whether to supply UK jets.

I think you can see from the steps that we are taking that we are willing to put Ukraine in the position where, once we have reached the goals of training pilots, they are able to fly these type of jets, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said.

What we have not made a decision on is whether we send UK fighter jets. Obviously there is an ongoing discussion among other countries about their own fighter jets, some of which are more akin to what Ukrainian pilots are used to.

But the supply of British planes is being actively considered by Ben Wallace, the spokesman said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses parliamentarians in Westminster Hall (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Weve confirmed there will be a training programme for Ukrainian pilots and the Defence Secretary is actively looking at whether we send jets.

Mr Zelensky, who for the visit was dressed in his trademark khaki green military fatigues, met the King on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier, to the audience gathered in Westminster Hall, Mr Zelensky had referred to Charless former military service in the Royal Air Force, saying: The King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.

He said that on his last trip to Parliament two years ago in peacetime, I thanked you for delicious English tea, but now he would be thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.

It was only Mr Zelenskys second time travelling overseas since the Russian invasion, after he held talks in the United States and Poland during a trip in December.

Addressing a packed Westminster Hall, Mr Zelensky told parliamentarians: We know freedom will win. We know Russia will lose.

And we really know that the victory will change the world and this will be a change that the world has long needed.

The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most, I think, the most important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war.

Rishi Sunak welcoming Mr Zelensky at Stanstead Airport, Essex (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/PA)

Ahead of his speech in Parliament, Mr Zelensky visited Downing Street for talks with Mr Sunak.

The Prime Minister promised training for pilots and also Ukrainian marines so they can mount further offensives.

At Prime Ministers Questions, Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer staged a show of unity in support of the UKs backing for Ukraine.

Sir Keir said Putin and all his cronies must stand at the Hague and face justice when the war is over.

Mr Sunak said he had discussed the situation with Mr Zelensky and Im hopeful we will see the first indictments very shortly at the International Criminal Court.

The expansion of the UKs training programme to include jet fighter pilots is significant given Mr Zelenskys call for Western planes.

The announcement by No 10 signals a shift for the future, and officials said that as part of that long-term capability investment the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to co-ordinate collective support to meet Ukraines defensive needs.

The King holds an audience with President Volodymyr Zelensky (Aaron Chown/PA)

It is part of a two-pronged strategy, offering military kit now to fend off a Russian spring offensive while also preparing Ukraines forces for the longer term.

Ukrainian troops are already being trained in the use of Challenger 2 tanks, which are expected to be sent to the country next month.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson also stepped up his call for the UK to provide more equipment  including jets  to Ukraine.

We have more than 100 Typhoon jets. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks, he said.

The best single use for any of these items is to deploy them now for the protection of the Ukrainians  not least because that is how we guarantee our own long-term security.
Irelands premier has vowed to tackle racism after a number of protests against refugees.

Protests have been held in recent weeks in Waterford, Cork and areas of Dublin where refugees or asylum seekers have been accommodated.

During leaders questions in the Irish parliament on Wednesday, People Before ProfitSolidarity TD Mick Barry accused of the Government handing racists their number one gift in terms of the housing crisis in the Ireland.

He said the Governments efforts to house Ukrainian refugees, compared with the lack of effort to house victims of the housing crisis, mean people feel aggrieved, adding: The door opens up for the racist messaging of the far right facilitated by your Government.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (Brian Lawless/PA)

Referring to himself as a man of colour, Mr Varadkar urged TDs not to inadvertently make excuses for racists.

He described protests outside hospitals where foreign nationals are members of staff as a new low if health care workers who were so grateful for the fact that theyve come here, are now facing protests.

The Taoiseach said the Government will publish a national action plan against racism in March, described as a whole-of-Government effort, including funding for integration and countering racist activities.

Racists and the far right will blame whatever problem the country is facing on migrants. Thats the way it works. Thats the way they think, he told TDs.

So if we have a housing crisis, itll be the foreigners are taking our homes. If we have an unemployment crisis, itll be the foreigners are taking our jobs. If weve got high levels of crime, theyll blame the foreigners for the high levels of crime.

If theres violence against women  one of the oldest tropes in the book  they will blame that on migrants and people whove come here from overseas, particularly those who are brown or black.

We shouldnt play into those arguments.

Whatever country, whatever problem any country faces, theyre going to blame it on the brown man or the brown woman.

Its housing now, it could just as easily be employment, it could just as easily be crime.

Mr Varadkar said that as a person of colour and someone who is biracial, he did not want to see the issue of race or migration at centre-stage in Irish politics.

He urged Mr Barry to be careful not to play their game.

I know youre well intentioned and I know youre fervently anti-racist and internationalist, so I absolutely accept that, but I just asked you not to inadvertently play their game, he said.

Dont make any excuses for them. No matter what problem a country faces the far right and racists will blame that on migrants.

They will always pick on whatever issue is hurting a country at a particular point in time and try to blame that on the other.
A wealthy Nigerian politician has denied offering to reward his sick daughters prospective kidney donor, saying selfless acts were less of a rarity in his country.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, daughter Sonia, 25, and medical middleman Obinna Obeta, 50, are accused of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of the young man to Britain with a view to his exploitation.

The 21-year-old street trader from Lagos was allegedly offered up to 7,000 and the promise of a better life in the UK in exchange for giving a kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu.

It is alleged he was falsely presented as Sonias cousin in a failed bid to persuade medics at the Royal Free Hospital in London to carry out the 80,000 private procedure.

In opening addresses at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, lawyers for the defendants insisted they believed the donor, who cannot be identified, was acting altruistically.

Martin Hicks KC, for Ike Ekweremadu, told jurors: Be alive please to the possible cultural differences between this country and that of Nigeria, particularly to altruistic donation.

He said: We say the issue in this case is simple  did there exist an agreement to exploit (the donor) in the way the prosecution allege and if so who was a party to it?

The politicians case is that Dr Obeta had spoken to Ekweremadus medically trained brother Diwe in the autumn of 2021 and had offered to help find Sonia a prospective donor.

Mr Hicks said: In Nigerian society there is an expression everyone is each others keeper and the altruistic donation of organs is not regarded there as such a rare event as it is in this country.

He will also say he was told (the donor) had offered to altruistically donate a kidney to Sonia.

He denies he put directly or indirectly any reward to (the donor) or offered to do so and throughout he believed (the donor) was content to do so without reward.

Mr Hicks said Ekweremadus only communication was through his brother Diwe and he relied on the medical knowledge and standing of the doctors involved.

He denied lying in support of the donors visa application to travel to the UK and was not privy to an online application which claimed the young man was related to Sonia.

Mr Hicks said Ekweremadu did not attend any visits to the Royal Free Hospital in February and March last year, which concluded that the donor was unsuitable.

He added: In April 2022 and with the assistance of Diwe he continued the family search for a suitable donor for his daughter Sonia and that search continues.

We question whether (the donor) was exploited as suggested by the prosecution.

Speaking on behalf of Sonia, John Femi-Ola KC said: She suffers from a very severe kidney disease. She receives dialysis treatment three days per week. Each session is for four hours.

The treatment is for the rest of her life unless there is a transplant in the future which now must be much in doubt given the publicity this case has attracted.

Opening addresses were made at the Old Bailey on Wednesday (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

Her illness is life threatening, life limiting and potentially life ending. Of course her parents love her as do all her immediate family and friends.

It may not surprise you to learn that everyone, in particular her parents, would wish to protect her against the emotional and psychological stress which you may think accompanies such a terrible illness.

It is her case that she had no awareness of any reward or other material advantage offered to potential donors that came forward to help her.

He suggested there was an irony in the case and questioned who the real victim was.

Anu Mohindru KC, for Beatrice, disputed the prosecution claim she was kept up to speed on what was going on, saying she was party to only a tiny amount of communication.

In her opening address, Sally Howes KC said her client Dr Obeta was in the unique position to help the Ekweremadus, having gone through a kidney transplant.

She said Dr Obetas donor, who also came from Lagos, was voluntary and completely altruistic.

She told jurors: Through his work as a doctor of medicine in Nigeria, Obinna Obeta was both respected and admired.

He had touched the lives of many and those people had a great affection for him.

It is perhaps of little surprise that (his donor) was not the only donor willing to make the necessary kidney donation to the doctor for his transplant.

When he was contacted by his former medical school classmate Diwe about his sick niece, Dr Obeta was both keen and willing to help, Ms Howes said.

She told jurors that his medical knowledge combined with his own personal experience put him in a unique position to help and advise.

She added: He was motivated by his desire to help a fellow citizen because no-one would understand the misery and pain like someone who had been through it themselves.

The Ekweremadus, who have an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, and Dr Obeta, from Southwark, south London, deny the charge against them and the Old Bailey trial continues.
HS2 Ltd is undervaluing the natural habitats affected by construction of the high-speed rail line, according to a coalition of wildlife charities.

The Wildlife Trusts accused the Government-owned company of using an accounting tool that is untested, out of date and fundamentally flawed to assess its impact on nature.

It published a report claiming there will be at least 17% less nature present after construction of Phase One between London and Birmingham, whereas HS2 Ltd say there will only be a 2.6% nature loss.

Phase 2a between the West Midlands and Crewe will result in a 42% nature loss, compared with HS2 Ltds prediction of 17%, the document stated.

HS2 Ltd said it does not believe the Wildlife Trusts figures are reliable.

The company is seeking no net loss of biodiversity for replaceable habitats during Phases One and 2a.

This relies on accurate assessments of land on the route in order to calculate the required amount of compensation, such as new trees and hedgerows being planted.

The Wildlife Trusts said there are major problems with the way HS2 Ltd has valued the habitats being lost, citing examples of watercourses, ponds and trees which it believes have been missed out of the data.

Author of the report Dr Rachel Giles, evidence and planning manager at Cheshire Wildlife Trust, said: Weve been shocked by the errors and discrepancies that our audit revealed.

HS2 Ltd must stop using a deeply flawed method to calculate the value of nature affected by the construction of the route.

It is astonishing that a flagship infrastructure project is able to use a metric which is untested and not fit for purpose.

HS2 Ltd should urgently recalculate the total loss to nature, by re-evaluating existing biodiversity along the entire route whilst there is still time to change the schemes design and delivery.

The Wildlife Trusts chief executive Craig Bennett said: This new evidence is damning and reveals a host of inaccuracies that are built into HS2 Ltds current approach.

(PA Graphics)

Our report exposes the absurdity of allowing HS2 Ltd to self-regulate without proper transparency and independent oversight.

The company needs to be held to account by the Government for its failings.

Responding to the report, a HS2 Ltd spokesman said: We dont recognise the figures from the report nor do we believe them to be reliable.

The Wildlife Trusts have undertaken limited desk research and have not accessed huge areas of land for undertaking ecological survey, in contrast to the ecologists who have compiled HS2s data.

Independent experts from Natural England have consulted on our methodology and it has been rigorously assessed by a team of professional ecologists, with the data shared with the independent Ecological Review Group.

Were committed to reviewing our assessment methodology on an ongoing basis and intend to align more closely with the Governments biodiversity metric once it is published in the coming months.

As well as delivering the countrys largest environmental programme, planting seven million trees and creating over 33 square kilometre of new habitats on Phase One alone, we continue to minimise loss through design refinements, such as our recent 30% reduction of the impact on ancient woodlands on Phase One.
Zelensky pleads for jets as he urges Parliament to provide wings for freedom

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the UK and Western allies to provide wings for freedom by supplying his air force with advanced jets.

In a surprise visit, Mr Zelensky used an address to Parliament to thank the UK for its steadfast support since Russia invaded.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle holds the helmet of a Ukrainian fighter pilot, presented to him by Mr Zelensky, inscribed with the words: We have freedom, give us wings to protect it (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

But, as he presented a Ukrainian fighter aces helmet to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, he said more planes were needed to defeat Vladimir Putins forces.

Earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots, paving the way for them eventually being able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard jets, but that is seen as a long-term ambition.

Mr Zelensky said he wanted a coalition of nations to supply planes.

He said: I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words: combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.

The Ukrainian president, who will meet the King during his visit, said: In Britain, the king is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outside 10 Downing Street with Rishi Sunak (Victoria Jones/PA)

He said that on his last trip to Parliament two years ago in peacetime, I thanked you for delicious English tea, but now he would be thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.

It was only Mr Zelenskys second time travelling overseas since the Russian invasion, after he held talks in the United States and Poland during a trip in December.

Addressing a packed Westminster Hall, Mr Zelensky told parliamentarians: We know freedom will win. We know Russia will lose.

And we really know that the victory will change the world and this will be a change that the world has long needed.

(PA Graphics)

The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most, I think, the most important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war.

Ahead of his speech in Parliament, Mr Zelensky visited Downing Street for talks with Mr Sunak.

The Prime Minister promised training for pilots and also Ukrainian marines so they can mount further offensives.

At Prime Ministers Questions, Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer staged a show of unity in support of the UKs backing for Ukraine.

It's an honour to be in Parliament as we are addressed by President Zelenskyy. As a country, we are at our best when we unite to confront tyrannical aggression. Our duty now is to stand on the shoulders of giants who came before & support Ukraines fight for liberty & victory.  Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) February 8, 2023

Sir Keir said Putin and all his cronies must stand at the Hague and face justice when the war is over.

Mr Sunak said he had discussed the situation with Mr Zelensky and Im hopeful we will see the first indictments very shortly at the International Criminal Court.

The expansion of the UKs training programme to include jet fighter pilots is significant given Mr Zelenskys call for Western planes.

The UK has so far refused, arguing that the RAFs F-35 and Typhoon jets take too long for pilots to train on.

But the announcement by No 10 signals a shift for the future, and officials said that as part of that long-term capability investment the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to co-ordinate collective support to meet Ukraines defensive needs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 10 Downing Street (Dan Kitwood/PA)

It is part of a two-pronged strategy, offering military kit now to fend off a Russian spring offensive while also preparing Ukraines forces for the longer term.

Ukrainian troops are already being trained in the use of Challenger 2 tanks, which are expected to be sent to the country next month.

Mr Sunak will also offer longer-range firepower to help counter Russias ability to strike at Ukraines towns and energy facilities.

The Prime Minister said: Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Speaker of the House of Lords Lord McFall welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Westminster Hall (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future.

It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson stepped up his call for the UK to provide more equipment  including jets  to Ukraine.

We have more than 100 Typhoon jets. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks, he said.

The best single use for any of these items is to deploy them now for the protection of the Ukrainians  not least because that is how we guarantee our own long-term security.

The UK also announced a fresh package of sanctions on Russian firms and allies of Mr Putin to coincide with Mr Zelenskys surprise visit.

CST, a manufacturer of Russian drones, and RT-Komplekt, which produces parts for helicopters used in the war against Ukraine, are among the entities sanctioned.

Five individuals linked to Mr Putins luxury residences, including presidential commissioner for entrepreneurs rights Boris Titov, and Aerostart owner Viktor Myachin, were also hit with travel bans and asset freezes.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin  undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail.
WALTERBORO, S.C.  A called-in bomb threat temporarily halted the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh on Wednesday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of a packed courtroom of lawyers, the defendant and his family, and spectators just as a witness was about to take the stand.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m., Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman calmly told the courtroom in the Colleton County Courthouse that "we have to evacuate the building at this time. We'll be in recess until we discover what's going on."

The sudden announcement in the televised trial brought heightened drama to the court proceedings against Murdaugh, a once-powerful South Carolina lawyer and the scion of a well-connected legal family who stands accused of murdering his wife and son in 2021. Murdaugh was walked out of a back door, while members of his family, who have been sitting in rows behind the defense table, were quickly escorted out.

"Alex was taken by the police, but they grabbed the family and rushed them out ahead of us," said Marty Yates, a spectator in the courtroom. "And then we all evacuated the building and have scattered around."

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said that Colleton County Courthouse personnel received the threat, and that the agency is investigating along with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office. Police dogs were brought in to help sweep the courthouse, and court staff and attorneys were allowed back in around 2:30 p.m. after the building was cleared.

Court personnel have not identified the caller, but said it was a male-sounding voice.

Murdaugh, 54, is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Margaret, 52, and their youngest son, Paul, 22, on the evening of June 7, 2021, in a case that has captured national attention.

The sprawling saga began as an unsolved double homicide but eventually unraveled into wider allegations of financial fraud, a hired hitman plot and drug addiction, and revived questions into other deaths linked to the Murdaughs.

Since last week, the prosecution and the defense have clashed over whether the jury should be allowed to hear testimony over Murdaugh's alleged financial misdeeds. Newman ruled this week that he would permit it because it speaks to the alleged motive  prosecutors charge that Murdaugh killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and put a halt to the investigations being held by his law firm about missing funds.

The jury has heard testimony about $792,000 that had gone missing from Murdaugh's former law firm and from former colleagues who began questioning him about it, but said they suspended the inquiries once Margaret and Paul were killed.

"He's been lying this whole time. He had these funds. He lied to me," Annette Griswold, who worked as Murdaugh's paralegal for several years, testified Wednesday. "That feeling in the back of my mind was correct."

The chief financial officer of the law firm, Jeanne Seckinger, had testified Tuesday that she confronted Murdaugh about the missing funds on the morning of the murders and that he gave her a "dirty look" that she had not ever received.

She said the conversation with Murdaugh was stopped when he received a call about the health of his dying father and she didn't want to press him because she was concerned.

"He was successful not from his work ethic, but his ability to establish relationships and to manipulate people into settlements and clients into liking him," Seckinger testified. "The art of bulls----, basically."

Murdaugh's defense team contends there is no direct evidence linking him to the deaths of his wife and son, and that state prosecutors have a "whole lot more evidence about financial misconduct than they do about evidence of guilt in a murder case."

Haylee Barber, Selina Guevara and Carol Gable reported from Walterboro, and Erik Ortiz from New York.
Elizabeth Chambers endured infidelity and long absences, but there was a moment early in the pandemic that proved to be the final straw that ended her 10-year marriage to actor Armie Hammer.

The Bird Bakery founder and television personality, who filed for divorce in 2020, opened up about her relationship with Hammer, 36, in a new interview with Elle magazine.

She and Hammer were living with their two young children in the Cayman Islands in the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Chambers, 40, said Hammer decided to leave them and go back to California to help a friend restore a motel near Joshua Tree National Park.

My heart was broken in nine million pieces, and I still drove him to the airport, Chambers told Elle.

Elizabeth Chambers attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic)

She filed for divorce only a few months later.

You can give, you can love, you can be there for someone, but you also need to hold people accountable for their actions," she said.

Hammer admitted in a recent interview with Air Mail that he had an affair with a woman he met online in 2016. In the months after Chambers filed for divorce, Hammer also faced allegations by multiple women that he physically and emotionally abused them, which Hammer has denied.

Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers (Lisa O'Connor / AFP via Getty Images)

In 2021, a woman accused him of raping her in 2017. His attorney denied the allegations to NBC News at the time and said all of Hammer's sexual relationships "have been completely consensual."

The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News it had opened an investigation into Hammer. No charges have been filed against him.

I was learning things as the public was, Chambers told Elle. I was like, There are no words.'"

The allegations were examined in a three-part documentary series called "House of Hammer" that premiered on Discovery+ in September 2022. Chambers, who did not participate in the series, told E! News that she watched the show, calling it "obviously heartbreaking on so many levels and very painful."

Chambers shares daughter Harper, 8, and son Ford, 6, with Hammer. She lives with them in Grand Cayman, but said she plans to move back to Los Angeles for a fresh start.

She said she's currently "in love" with a 26-year-old European physical therapist in the Cayman Islands, but shared last month that she is waiting to introduce him to their children. Chambers maintains a relationship with Hammer as they co-parent their children.

"I support Armie through his journey and I always will," she told Elle. All Ive ever wanted is for him to be sober, healthy, and happy. And he is that. Hes really present when hes with the kids, and thats all I can hope for."

Related:

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Dont worry, Zach Gilford wasnt thrilled with the cancellation of Good Girls either. Although the NBC comedy was ready to start pre-production for its fifth and final season, the show was abruptly pulled from the network in June 2021.

I was super bummed, Gilford, 41, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his new horror film, Theres Something Wrong With the Children. Its between COVID and networks and everything comes down to a penny.

Friday Night Lights Cast: Where Are They Now?

And unfortunately, I mean, I know that was the same thing with L.A.s Finest, he added, referring to his Spectrum Originals series, which was axed one year prior. It was just the way we wouldve had to shoot that show during COVID, it wouldnt work. We needed to be on the busy streets of L.A. We couldnt have shot it the way that show needs to be. (News of L.A. Finests fate came after Fox announced it had acquired the broadcast rights to both seasons of the show.)

He continued: And I think with Good Girls, part of it, I think it was a lot of money stuff and you keep seeing shows go away that you love and its just a money thing, which is unfortunate.

Courtesy of NBC/YouTube

Gilford played the ex of Mae Whitmans Annie Marks on the beloved comedy, which still has a devoted fan base. The Parenthood alum, 34, alongside Christina Hendricks (Beth Poland) and Retta (Ruby Hill), played three suburban mothers who get involved with a gang after initially robbing a bank to take back control of their lives.

Last year, Retta, 52, broke her silence over the shows cancellation during an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan, noting they were very close to getting a season 5 renewal, but one person ruined it for all of [the] cast and crew.

Good Girls Cast: Where Are They Now?

When Kelly Ripa questioned why the writers just couldnt get rid of that one person, the Parks and Recreation alum explained that it was a little too close to when [the writers] would have to start [season 5 scripts] and figure out [a] story.

Trust me. Trust me, Kelly! Im salty! she added. I was literally like, OK, maybe there was a bomb scare at some point, and then a bomb actually went off, and thats why that persons gone.'

Retta didnt disclose the person she was speaking about, but her comments came amid rumors that costar Manny Montana and Hendricks, 47, didnt get along.

Courtesy of NBC/YouTube

We come in, do our job, and then go home. Its very business-like, Montana, 39, said of his working relationship with the Mad Men alum in a 2020 interview with The Total Celebrity Show podcast.

The following year, Hendricks claimed that Montana refused to address her by her actual name. Manny calls [me]  Chris, she sighed during a Q&A at 92nd Street Y at the time. No one in my life calls me Chris. Its not my name. I think its totally stupid. And hes never taken the chance to realize that I hate it. Its really weird. (As noted by Gilford, Good Girls was reportedly also cut due to money, despite Hendricks, Whitman and Retta agreeing to take pay cuts.)

In order to view the video, please allow Manage Cookies

Due to the open-ended story lines, viewers are left wondering if exes Annie and Gregg would have ever reconciled.

Mad Men Cast: Where Are They Now?

I think they wouldve. I think that was kind of a little bit of the hope endgame. They were just such a fun duo. Her and I had so much fun together and Jenna Bans who created it, who Ive worked with several times is just one of my favorite people to work with because shes so collaborative and gets characters so well and would write just fun scenes to do and with Mae, the Friday Night Lights alum told Us. Our dynamic on screen is kind of our dynamic in real life. It was just like, Yeah, guys just go bicker. Just bicker. Just give each other a hard time. I was like, All right, cool. Mae loves to just try and crack me and I love to pretend like, Youre not funny. Youre just annoying. And her goal is always to make me laugh and she was very good at it.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Microsoft's new AI-powered Bing search engine comes with ChatGPT powers.

I tested it out by asking it to write me a cover letter for a job. But it refused, saying it would be "unethical" to do so.

But gave me tips for writing one and even added a "Good luck! "

The rise of artificial intelligence powered chatbots such as ChatGPT have raised questions about the ethics of using such platforms for job searches and exams, but Microsoft's new AI-enabled Bing search engine seems to have certain built-in controls.

On Tuesday, the tech giant announced the integration of an AI language model into its Bing search engine, and it says the AI tool is "more powerful than ChatGPT." Microsoft has invested more than $11 billion into OpenAI, ChatGPT's creator, since 2019.

Insider previously put ChatGPT to the test in various scenarios including writing cover letters that are realistic enough to get the attention of recruiters  although, several recruiters told Insider's Beatrice Nolan said the letters lacked personality.

So, we tried the new Bing to see if we can get it to generate letters with more punch.

Can the new Bing write a cover letter?

In the test, I asked the new Bing  now available in a trial format  to write a cover letter for the position of social media content producer at Insider's bureau in Singapore. It flat out refused to do so.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot write a cover letter for you. That would be unethical and unfair to other applicants," the new Bing told me.

However, it did provide me with a few tips and links to several cover-letter writing resources including Zippia, a career-building platform.

Some of the tips Bing gave me include "research the company and the role, and tailor your cover letter to show how you fit their needs and values" and "use a clear and professional tone, and avoid spelling and grammar errors."

Its human-like touch was also apparent when it wished me luck at the end of its response  with a smiley emoji: "I hope this helps you to write a cover letter that stands out. Good luck!  ."

ChatGPT vs Bing: Which is better at writing cover letters?

In comparison, ChatGPT generated a 270-word cover letter based on the job description.

ChatGPT's cover letter started with a boilerplate introduction, stating the person writing the letter (me) wants to express "strong interest" in the open role. It went on to say generic things like: "As a highly motivated individual with a passion for digital and social media, I am confident that I have the skills and experience necessary to excel in this role."

It also generated a few sentences that seemed to fulfill requirements of the job listing.

It's not surprising that Microsoft's new Bing exhibits more human-like traits than ChatGPT.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday at the presentation of the new Bing that it's important to develop AI that is "more aligned with human values, more aligned with what our preferences are  both individually and as a society."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Alec Baldwin in 2021 before the "Rust" shooting. (Associated Press)

Alec Baldwin is seeking to have a New Mexico lawmaker overseeing "Rust" criminal prosecutions disqualified from the case.

One week after Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the actor's legal team filed a motion demanding that special prosecutor Andrea Reeb be removed from Baldwin's case.

In Tuesday's motion, Baldwin's lead defense attorney, Luke Nikas, argued the New Mexico Constitution prevents Reeb  a state legislator  from simultaneously holding a position in the judicial or executive branch of government.

Reeb, a former district attorney from eastern New Mexico, joined the "Rust" prosecution team last summer amid her campaign for a seat in the New Mexico legislature.

The Republican was elected to her first term in November; she assumed her seat in the New Mexico legislature Jan. 1.

The motion argued that Reeb's dual role opened the door for politics to seep into Baldwin's prosecution.

"A prosecutor who also serves as a legislator could face pressure to make prosecutorial decisions that serve her legislative interests, such as by prosecuting a prominent defendant associated with an opposing faction within the Legislature even in the face of conflicting evidence or law," Baldwin's motion reads.

Baldwin, whose long career included roles in "The Hunt for Red October," "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "30 Rock," famously lampooned former President Trump on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," making him a polarizing figure among political conservatives.

Prosecutors declined to respond to the allegations contained in Nikas' motion.

"Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys can use whatever tactics they want to distract from the fact that Halyna Hutchins died because of gross negligence and a reckless disregard for safety on the 'Rust' film set," New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney spokesperson Heather Brewer said in a statement. "However, the district attorney and the special prosecutor will remain focused on the evidence and on trying this case so that justice is served."

The move comes as Baldwin's legal team has been expanded to include other partners of Nikas' firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

Alex Spiro, who represents Elon Musk and has played a pivotal role in his takeover of Twitter, joined the case along with John Bash, a former Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for Texas. Bash also served as a special assistant to Trump and associate counsel to the president. Since 2020, he has been an Austin, Texas-based partner of Quinn Emanuel.

Nikas, a New York attorney, has represented Baldwin in the "Rust" case for nearly a year.

Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

In charging documents, New Mexico prosecutors  led by First Judicial District Atty. Mary Carmack-Altwies, who oversees the tricounty region that includes Santa Fe  laid out the case against Baldwin by citing reckless behavior and safety lapses on the set of "Rust." Such negligence led to the Oct. 21, 2021, fatal shooting, they said.

Baldwin acted with willful disregard of the safety of others and in a manner that endangered other people, the prosecutors said in the probable-cause statement. The statement also said that Baldwin was distracted on his cellphone during firearms training; that he should have checked the weapon that was handed to him; and that he should not have pointed the loaded weapon at the cinematographer and the film's director, Joel Souza, who was injured.

Beyond his role as star of the western, Baldwin also acted as a producer who was responsible to ensure safety on the set, the prosecutors argued.

Baldwin has denied responsibility for the fatal discharge and blamed the actions of others on set for the tragedy.

"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, 25, was charged with two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter. First assistant director David Halls was charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon, a misdemeanor. Halls pleaded no contest in exchange for a suspended six-month sentence of unsupervised probation. His plea agreement is pending approval by a judge.

Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed are expected to make their first court appearances later this month.

"Under Section 1 of Article III of the New Mexico Constitution, however, a sitting member of the Legislature may not 'exercise any powers properly belonging' to either the executive or judicial branch," Nikas wrote in a motion filed on behalf of Baldwin.

The motion noted that the legislature has granted partial funding to Carmack-Altwies' office for the "Rust" prosecution. The proposed budget included a request for $156,000 for Reebs salary.

The motion argued that it wasn't enough for Reeb to abstain from votes dealing with the "Rust" prosecution budget.

"Even if she does not allow her legislative interests to influence her prosecutorial choices, the perception of bias could diminish public confidence in the fairness of the criminal process," Nikas' motion reads. "Defendant hereby moves the Court for an order disqualifying the special prosecutor from further participation in this case."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Raheem "Leonard" Taylor, inset, and the execution chamber at the state prison Bonne Terre, Missouri. (AP)

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri man convicted of killing his live-in girlfriend and her three young children was executed Tuesday despite his claims that he was in another state when the killings occurred.

Raheem Taylor, 58, was the third Missouri inmate put to death since November at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was the nations fifth execution this year, following a previous execution in Missouri, two in Texas and one in Oklahoma. All were by lethal injection.

Taylor kicked his feet as the 5 grams of pentobarbital were administered, then took five or six deep breaths before all movement stopped. In a final statement, Taylor said Muslims dont die but live eternally in the hearts of our family and friends.

Death is not your enemy, it is your destiny. Look forward to meeting it. Peace! he wrote in the statement.

Taylor, who previously went by the first name Leonard, long maintained that he was in California when Angela Rowe, her 10-year-old daughter Alexus Conley, 6-year-old daughter AcQreya Conley, and 5-year-old son Tyrese Conley were killed in 2004. His supporters included the national NAACP, nearly three dozen civil rights and religious groups and the Midwest Innocence Project.

But Taylors innocence claims were turned aside time and again. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, a Democrat, last week declined Taylors request for a hearing before a judge, stating the facts are not there to support a credible case of innocence.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson declined to grant clemency on Monday, the same day the Missouri Supreme Court denied a stay request. Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.

'Im OK but Im not'

Gerauan Rowe, Angela Rowes sister, said after the execution that moving on remains difficult, more than 18 years after she lost her sister, nieces and nephew.

Im at a point in my life right now  Im OK but Im not, she said. But I know justice was served. Its kind of hard trying to move forward, but I think I can do it.

There was no question that Taylor was not in Missouri when the bodies were found. What isnt known for certain is when the family was killed.

Taylor and Angela Rowe lived with the children at a home in the St. Louis suburb of Jennings. Taylor boarded a flight to California on Nov. 26, 2004.

On Dec. 3, 2004, police were sent to the home in Jennings after worried relatives said they hadnt heard from Rowe. Officers found the bodies of Rowe and her children. All four had been shot.

The initial finding by a medical examiner was that the killings likely happened within a few days of the discovery of the bodies  when Taylor was in California. But at Taylors trial, Medical Examiner Phillip Burch said the killings could have happened two or three weeks before the discovery of the bodies.

'Completely made up'

Taylors attorney, Kent Gipson, said that several people, including relatives of Rowe and a neighbor, saw Rowe alive in the days after Taylor left St. Louis. Meanwhile, Taylors daughter in California, Deja Taylor, claimed in a court filing that she and her father called Angela Rowe and one of the children during his visit. The court filing said Deja Taylors mother and sister corroborated her story.

Bob McCulloch, who was St. Louis Countys elected prosecutor at the time of the killings, said Taylors claim of innocence was nonsense, and the alibis provided by his daughter and her relatives were completely made up.

McCulloch told The Associated Press that evidence suggested Rowe and the kids were killed on the night of Nov. 22 or on Nov. 23, at a time when Taylor was still in St. Louis. He noted that Rowe typically made around 70 outgoing calls or texts each day. Starting Nov. 23, she made none.

Meanwhile, DNA from Rowes blood was found on Taylors glasses when he was arrested, a relative taking him to the airport saw Taylor toss a gun into the sewer, and Taylors brother told police that Taylor admitted to the crime, McCulloch said. Authorities believe Taylor shot Rowe during a violent argument, then killed the children because they were witnesses.

All three recent Missouri executions involved cases out of St. Louis County. Kevin Johnson was executed in November for killing a police officer in 2005. Amber McLaughlin was put to death Jan. 3 for killing a woman in 2003. It was believed to be the first execution of a transgender woman in the U.S.
President Biden gives his State of the Union address on Tuesday. (Photo illustration: Kelli R. Grant/Yahoo News; photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  It is a truism of politics that what goes unsaid is often just as newsworthy as what officials deem worth mentioning. President Bidens State of the Union address on Tuesday night was no exception.

Several notable omissions  as well as topics that seemed to receive only a passing mention  offer a hint at how the president may approach his expected run for reelection.

1. Afghanistan

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden at Dover Air Force Base in August 2021 as soldiers carry the remains of a Marine killed in Afghanistan during the withdrawal of American forces. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

When he withdrew American forces from Afghanistan, Biden said the choice before him was between leaving or escalating a war begun by George W. Bush two decades ago to root out al-Qaida terrorists responsible for the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Leaving, he argued, was necessary to save American lives and finally allow Afghans to govern their own nation.

But the August 2021 withdrawal was widely seen as chaotic and poorly planned; a bombing at Kabul Airport killed 13 American service members, a brutal punctuation to a conflict that had already taken 2,500 American lives, as well as the lives of 47,000 Afghan civilians.

And the speed with which the Taliban assumed power once more was a disheartening coda to what was supposed to be an experiment in nation building in a country that had for so long known only war.

Neither Biden nor his top advisers could explain why the withdrawal seemed so haphazard or why the Taliban were allowed to take power without any resistance from political leaders in Kabul whom the Americans thought they could trust with the nations custodianship. Uninterested in finding out what the Taliban had in store, Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country.

After no more than a few days of questions from reporters and foreign policy experts, Biden and his top deputies simply stopped trying to account for what had gone wrong  and how they could help keep Afghanistan from descending into anarchy or extremism.

The withdrawal also marked the beginning of a rough political stretch for Biden, who continued to face questions about that withdrawal but also encountered a determined resistance to his domestic agenda.

There were new waves of the coronavirus too, requiring continued focus on the pandemic.

By the second month of 2022, the world was focused on Russias invasion of Ukraine, and Afghanistan became a background concern, even though Taliban rule had become increasingly  and predictably  repressive toward women.

Famine, meanwhile, has become so pronounced that helpless parents put desperately hungry children to sleep by sedating them with medication.

2. Abortion

Abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Biden said the word  abortion  which, as a general practice, he does not like to do. But he did not say it much, and he did not say it in the opening minutes of the speech, when public focus tends to peak.

To be sure, his stance remains unambiguous: Make no mistake, if Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it, he said. He also criticized Republican governors who had passed abortion bans in the wake of last years Supreme Court decision that did away with the federal protections for the procedure that had stemmed from Roe v. Wade.

But there is also a limit  and a rather unforgiving one, at that  to what the president can do on his own when it comes to reproductive rights. That has frustrated abortion rights activists, while also providing Democrats with a base-motivating opportunity.

In the run-up to last years congressional midterms, Biden made clear that if Americans wanted abortion rights protected, they needed to vote against Republicans who wanted to impose ever stricter bans, and instead elect Democrats who would protect reproductive rights and appoint judges who would do the same.

That approach seemed to work, especially when it came to the Senate, with Republican candidates facing questions about whether they would outlaw the procedure. Similar questions are already hounding potential Republican presidential candidates, who must negotiate between a conservative movement that wants abortion to be illegal in all circumstances and moderates who generally want abortion to remain legal, especially if the pregnancy is the result of rape or if the mothers health is at risk.

Though he sparred with Republicans on Social Security and Medicare on Tuesday night, abortion did not turn out to be a major flashpoint in the president's speech.

Without forcing the issue  and thereby highlighting his own relative powerlessness  Biden seems to be laying the groundwork for a reelection argument that highlights his ideological support for reproductive rights while pointing out that it is voters who will ultimately decide if, and how, those rights are delineated.

3. Returning to the office

From left, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra look on as Biden delivers remarks on COVID vaccinations in October 2022. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

In last year's State of the Union, Biden called on workers to return to the office, arguing that doing so would help revitalize American cities.

Its time for America to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again with people, he said in 2022. People working from home can feel safe and begin to return to their offices.

But with the remote-work culture war as intense as ever, Biden simply put the issue aside, not mentioning it a single time in his address on Tuesday.

Overall, he mentioned the coronavirus markedly less than he did last year. Criticized for declaring the pandemic over last fall, Biden appears to have concluded that when it comes to matters like masking, vaccines and other measures, both elected officials and private citizens have made decisions from which they can no longer be swayed.

The controversy over remote work is not one that can be easily resolved, given that it sits at the nexus of difficult questions about economic opportunity, technological access, urban policy, government support for working parents, demographic change and transportation.

And the controversy isnt going away, especially not in Washington, where Biden presides over an enormous federal bureaucracy that has largely continued to work from home.

That has frustrated Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who used her third inaugural address last month to ask Biden to bring federal workers back to offices, thus helping to presumably revive a moribund downtown. The Biden administration has quietly opposed Bowsers request.

The presidents silence regarding office work on Tuesday night could also not have been encouraging to the mayor.

4. The balloon

A balloon drifts above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, on Feb. 4, with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it. (Chad Fish via AP)

The Chinese surveillance balloon that floated over the United States last week before being blasted out of the sky by the U.S. military has become something of a celebrity, starring in the cold open of Saturday Night Live.

The massive balloon loomed large in headlines and on social media, where it became a source of humor, consternation and, inevitably, political recrimination.

Republicans condemned Biden for not destroying the device more quickly, though defense officials downplayed it as a potential threat while also pointing out that similar balloons had entered U.S. airspace during the Trump administration.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., even brought a white balloon to the Capitol to draw attention to the debate.

But when it came to the State of the Union address, the balloon was snubbed, with exactly zero direct mentions from the president.

Biden did allude to the balloon, but only indirectly. As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, he said. And we did.

5. Israel

A Palestinian demonstrator waves a national flag near burning tires, protesting against an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on Jan. 26. (Fatima Shbair/AP)

Nobody expected Biden to put forward a plan for peace with the Middle East  and he didnt surprise Americans by offering one on Tuesday.

It was an expected omission, for reasons of both domestic political realities and geopolitical dynamics.

With war continuing to rage in Ukraine and tensions with China deepening, getting involved in one of the most intractable conflicts in the world  between Israel and the stateless Palestinian people  would require more diplomatic resources and political energies than a single president could muster.

Israel was not mentioned by Biden a single time in Tuesdays address, but tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus nationalist government and militant new Palestinian groups are only deepening. And the administration may be forced to address the crisis in the near future, given that the United States is Israels closest ally, while the Palestinians political and humanitarian plight is also a concern.

Bidens onetime boss, Barack Obama, reassured critics of his own Middle East policy by using his 2014 State of the Union address to call Israel a Jewish state that knows America will always be at their side. But he made no significant breakthroughs there during his eight-year presidency.

Former President Donald Trump helped broker the Abraham Accords, a series of treaties between Israel and previously hostile Arab neighbors. He also introduced a Middle East plan ahead of his final State of the Union address. We must be determined and creative in order to stabilize the region and give millions of young people the chance to realize a better future, he told members of Congress.

Not long after that, the coronavirus shut down much of the United States  and the rest of the world. Trumps peace plan was shelved. Biden is unlikely to introduce one of his own in 2023.
Isaac Jing is starting to reconsider his future in Texas.

The engineer works for a large tech company in Austin and owns a house in the city. Hes lived here since finishing grad school in Pennsylvania four years ago, and he invests in real estate as a side gig. But he worries that could change under a bill that would bar him from buying new property in Texas.

The reason: He is a Chinese citizen.

Details of the proposed law, which would also target citizens of Iran, North Korea and Russia, are still being worked out, according to its Republican sponsor. But Jing isn't the only one anxious about what the coming months in Texas might hold.

He recently joined a protest at the Texas Capitol over the legislation, which arrives as anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise and, for critics, evokes an ugly history of anti-Asian discrimination facilitated by state and federal law.

Jing wasn't planning to leave the state just yet, but he and his wife have already talked about moving to San Diego or the San Francisco Bay Area, he said.The direct implications for his investments or purchasing a home in the future were one concern; the sentiment behind the bill was another.

Did he still feel welcome in Texas?

"I feel like most people like me," Jing said. "On the other hand, if this law passes  wow."

The bills most prominent champion, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, has said his goal is to stop "countries that are hostile to the interest of the United States" from buying up farmland and other land. Other Republican leaders, including those, like Abbott, rumored to be open to 2024 presidential runs, are eyeing more narrow property restrictions focused on agriculture as part of a tough-on-China push. Some Democrats, too, have expressed similar concerns.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas in August 2022. (LM Otero / Associated Press)

Discord between the U.S. and China has only intensified since Abbott tweeted last month that he would sign the bill. Last week, Americans were unnerved by a Chinese balloon suspected of conducting surveillance floating across the United States. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken subsequently canceled a trip to China, and once the balloon moved off the South Carolina coast, the U.S. military shot it down.

The episode is expected to heighten pressure on lawmakers to counter China. And even though Chinese investment in U.S. agricultural land and other acreage remains very small  "less than 1 percent of foreign-held acres," according to a USDA report covering 2021  the Texas bill, which extends to all property, portends a possible future, and its risks. It has already had a disquieting effect among Texans of Chinese descent.

The bill's author, Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, contends that once the details are worked out and exceptions added, the bill wont apply to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. But the path to U.S. citizenship can take years, and critics fear the expansive bill could ease the way for broader discrimination.

The Texas legislation will make some people more "willing to express their hatred toward certain race groups," said Hao Zhu, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "From COVID, already just because of our skin color, we were hated."

Zhu attended the rally with her husband and 2-year-old son, who was balanced in his dad's arm holding tiny Texas and American flags.

"Look around," Zhu said, as families and businesspeople  many waving American flags and chatting in English or Mandarin  walked past the Capitol. The bill is not affecting a "security issue at the national level" but "regular people's lives."

She started to bring up fears about her son going to school, then paused, in tears.

She explained later that even though she didn't think she and her family's rights would be directly affected by the bill, she worried about where it might lead. She pointed to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

"We feel pretty safe by and large in the Austin community," she said. "Maybe in the 1940s, the Japanese Americans [didn't] feel unsafe."

A growing movement

In 2021, long before Americans noticed the white balloon drifting over the western U.S., Texas lawmakers enacted legislation that blocks companies tied to China and the three other countries from entering into critical infrastructure agreements.

Their move followed a Chinese billionaire's large land purchase and proposed wind project in southwest Texas. Greenalia, a Spanish company, hassince acquired the wind farm project, according to a spokesperson. The Chinese investor could not be reached for comment.

The sponsor of the new Texas bill, Kolkhorst, cited "the purchase in 2021 of over 130,000 acres in South Texas by a Chinese-controlled firm" and its proximity to an Air Force base as among the concerns that necessitated further legislation. In addition to banning citizens from the four countries from buying or acquiring property, the bill restricts their companies and governments from buying Texas land. It does not address foreign nationals from those countries who already own property in the state.

The bill in some ways mirrors a broader legislative push to target foreign investment in agricultural and other land, particularly by the Chinese Communist Party. A new House select committee on China is expected to look at this issue, and bipartisan bills introduced last month in the U.S. House and Senate would increase review of foreign investment in U.S. agriculture. A California bill, authored by a Democrat, to restrict foreign ownership of agricultural land passed the Legislature last year but was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom .

But in the vein of former President Trump, ambitious Republicans are particularly focused on this issue as they jockey over China.

In September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely viewed as a Republican presidential contender, warned of Chinas influence from server farms to farmlands and proposed prohibitions on certain foreign purchases of agricultural land and land near military bases. Recently, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia also put out a video asking for a bill prohibiting Chinese Communist Party purchases of farmland.

China is "going to be a really big topic for both parties this year, especially for the Republicans," said Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist. "Last week's events, in my opinion, put a lot of pressure on Joe Biden to also show some toughness on China."

Jennings said he expected the movement targeting the Chinese Communist Party and agricultural land to grow, honestly, especially now with the balloon story," he said. "It's a reminder: You cannot give the communists the benefit of the doubt. I think most Americans will look at this and say, 'I can't believe they're allowed to buy any land.'"

The Texas bill, by currently including Chinese citizens, in effect does not distinguish them from China's Communist Party.

It signals a possible legislative direction for Republicans, but also the pitfalls: Abbott has more recently suggested the bill won't affect people who "intend to be citizens."

Abbott's office did not respond to requests for comment. Kolkhorsts office declined repeated requests for interviews.

Democrats "know the bill is going to have safeguards for all of our Chinese community that seeks to buy a home," said Bobby Eberle, the Fort Bend County Republican Party chairman. "That's just obvious."

But several people at the rally described waiting up to a decade to obtain a green card, and it remains unclear how a ban might ultimately affect people with different immigration statuses.

Some experts wonder whether policies that turn away from America's democratic strengths will only hurt the U.S. in the long term.

"A ban that targets a persons country of origin, particularly if it includes those on a pathway to U.S. citizenship, goes against everything that the United States stands for," said Jessica Chen Weiss, a political scientist and government professor at Cornell University.

"There are better ways to scrutinize potentially problematic investments without resorting to sweeping measures that would undermine our values and reduce our appeal as a destination for global talent and investment," she wrote in an email.

Despite Republican assurances that the proposed legislation, which hasnt yet been referred to a committee, will undergo changes, some suggest it's already had a chilling effect.

Lynn Yuan, the founder of a real estate firm in Austin,said herChinese clients include tech workers, business owners and real estate investors. Almost all are U.S. residents, she said.

"None of those are related to government," she added. But concerns over the bill have made some of themhesitate in moving their businesses to Texas. "If they could go to another location or even another country, why would they risk it?"

"Texas is our home!"

A measure that says some people "are less equal than others" is a "really dangerous thing," said Democratic Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, shown in the House chamber of the Texas Capitol in 2021. (Eric Gay / Associated Press)

A measure that says some people "are less equal than others" is a "really dangerous thing," said Texas stateRep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat. In an atmosphere of rising anti-Asian hate and violence, he said, "you have the government of one of the largest states in the nation saying these people are fair game."

At the Austin rally, people held signs that said, "STOP Chinese Exclusion," evoking the Chinese Exclusion Act, a 19th century law that blocked citizenship to Chinese residents in the U.S., affirming the exclusion of Asian immigrants from a 1790 naturalization law. A speaker also referenced "alien land laws," racist lawsin California and other states that restricted Asian immigrants and others from owning property, including agricultural land.

Lawmakers' framing of the new bill as a national security measure also in some ways echoes the past.

Madeline Hsu, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said that in historically justifying anti-Chinese immigration laws, Chinese immigrants were portrayed "as this threat to the civilization of the United States."

The national security focus now might be through the lens of COVID-19, technology or property purchase,she added in an email, but in using those threats as justification, racially designated groups have been targeted.

At the rally, as people marched near the Capitol, seemingly ending up at the same place, someworried about the future for themselves and their families. And some reflected on what drew them to call Texas home in the first place.

"If people ask me, 'Where are you from,' I say, 'I'm from Houston, Texas,'" Jim Wu said.

The U.S. citizen has lived in Houston for over two decades; he moved to the city from Beijing in 2001, got his MBA at the University of Houston and now works in international trade and business consulting.

"I love this state. I love this country, he said. Because of the freedom."

During his H1-B-visa-holding period, Wu bought a condo, he said. But if people cannot buy a house, he wondered, "How can they survive?"

He imagined a scenario in which he's asked to show his passport to buy a house.

If that happens, he said, then "it's not a free country anymore."

At the rally, chants of "stop Asian hate" and "stop discrimination," were often interspersed with hopeful bursts of state pride: "We love Texas! Texas is our home!"

Liebelson is a special correspondent.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Chinese, Slovak diplomats vow to boost bilateral ties

Xinhua) 08:36, February 08, 2023

BRATISLAVA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Slovak diplomats confirmed their intention to further enhance bilateral ties at a reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Slovakia Monday evening.

In 1993, the Slovak Republic became an independent sovereign state. China immediately recognized and established diplomatic relations with it.

"Over the past 30 years, the friendly relations and cooperation made steady progress," Chinese Ambassador Sun Lijie said at the reception marking the 30th anniversary of China's recognition of the independence of the central European country.

The ambassador praised the bilateral economic relations, with China becoming Slovakia's largest trading partner outside the European Union (EU), and Chinese investment stock in Slovakia exceeding 400 million U.S. dollars, creating thousands of jobs.

China attaches great importance to the development of China-Slovakia relations, and is willing to continue carrying forward traditional friendship, deepening pragmatic cooperation and strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges, so as to elevate the bilateral relations to a higher level in the new period, according to Sun.

"This year, we want to focus our cooperation between China and Slovakia on deepening the bilateral political dialogue," Pavol Sykorcin, secretary general of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, said.

"Our interest is to support tangible economic cooperation activities, especially in the framework of the EU-China dialogue. We should look for solutions with an open heart," he said.

The embassy also hosted an exhibition showcasing drawings of traditional Chinese architecture by Aurel Fabri, a Slovak architect, who has been teaching in China for the past twelve years.

"Positive cultural exchanges between the West and the East are not only extremely important but also necessary," Fabri said.

According to Pavol Demes, former Slovak foreign minister who is also the curator of the exhibition, "for the last 30 years, we have been developing friendly relations and getting to know each other. I think we can build on that and improve our ties in the future."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
An "1870" pin to be worn by members of the Congressional Black Caucus and others at the State of the Union address. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos courtesy of the office of Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images)

At President Biden's State of the Union speech Tuesday in which he addressed the countrys top issues before Congress, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other Democrats made a bold statement of their own  albeit a silent one.

Many of them wore black pins with the number 1870 on them, which marks the year of the first known police killing of an unarmed and free Black person that occurred in the U.S. The pins are a call for action on reforming the institution of policing that has killed thousands of Black people in the 153 years since.

Im tired of moments of silence. Im tired of periods of mourning, New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat who came up with the idea to create the pins, told Yahoo News ahead of the speech. I wanted to highlight that police killings of unarmed Black citizens have been in the news since 1870, and yet significant action has yet to be taken.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman at an event at the Capitol to demand that Congress renew an assault weapons ban, July 12, 2016. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)

On March 31, 1870, 26-year-old Henry Truman, a Black man, was shot and killed by Philadelphia Officer John Whiteside after being accused of shoplifting from a grocery store.

Whiteside had allegedly chased Truman into an alley when at some point Truman turned to ask what he had done wrong, and the officer fatally shot him, according to an account in the Philadelphia Inquirer the following day. At trial, Whiteside claimed he had been ambushed by a crowd while he chased Truman. Whiteside was later convicted of manslaughter. That same year the country adopted the 15th Amendment, which granted Black men the right to vote.

Over a century and a half since Trumans killing, a steady stream of Black people have been killed by law enforcement, including 1,353 since 2017, according to data from Statista, a digital insights company. In fact, Black Americans are three times as likely to be killed by police as white people are, and they account for 1 in 4 police killings despite making up just 13% of the countrys population.

Many of the parents, siblings and children of Black people killed by police over the last decade were invited to Tuesdays address as guests of members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The guest list included the families of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old who was gunned down by Cleveland police in 2014 on a playground; Amir Locke, the 22-year-old fatally shot by Minneapolis police in a predawn, no-knock raid last year; Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old fatally beaten by Memphis police during a traffic stop early last month; and a dozen other families who have lost loved ones.

I hope today that we can get Congress to see that we need to pass this bill because this should never happen, Nicholss mother, RowVaughn Wells, said Tuesday afternoon at a press conference with the Congressional Black Caucus. I dont wish this on my worst enemy.

RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, speaks with reporters on Tuesday about police reform. (Cliff Owen/AP)

In contrast, several Republicans chose to honor members of law enforcement as their guests, including Rep. Mike Garcia of California, who brought Tania Owen, a retired detective and widow of a Los Angeles County sheriffs sergeant who was shot and killed by a suspect when he answered a burglary-in-progress call in 2016. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon hosted police officers from their respective districts.

The invitations came after several other Republicans last week, during National Gun Violence Survivors Week, were photographed wearing AR-15 pins, which were passed out by Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia on the House floor. Clyde claimed the pins were to remind people of the Second Amendment of the Constitution and how important it is in preserving our liberties.

Many police reform advocates have argued that the systemic issues tied to policing transcend even racial lines, highlighting the fact that the five main officers involved in the brutal beating of Nichols were also Black.

Blackness doesnt shield you from all of the forces that make police violence possible, James Forman Jr., a Yale law school professor and expert on race and law enforcement, told the New York Times. What are the theories of policing and styles of policing, the training that police receive? All of those dynamics that propel violence and brutality are more powerful than the race of the officer.

Karundi Williams, CEO of Re:power, an organization that trains Black people to become political leaders, told NBC News that addressing the core issues is the only way to prevent more killings.

When we have moments of racial injustice that is thrust in the national spotlight, there is an uptick of outrage, and people take to the streets, Williams said. But then the media tends to move on to other things, and that consciousness decreases. But we never really got underneath the problem.

Protesters in Oakland, Calif., on Jan. 29 to protest the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

In 2022 alone, police killed 1,192 people, more than any year in the past decade, according to a new report released last week by the nonprofit Mapping Police Violence. Black people accounted for more than 300 of those killings. The report also claimed that many of these killings could have been avoided by changing law enforcements approach to such encounters, such as sending mental health providers to certain 911 calls.

But substantial police reform has continued to lag.

The 2021 George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which was put forth following the murder of 46-year-old Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020, seeks to end excessive force, qualified immunity and racial bias in policing and to combat police misconduct. The bill passed the House of Representatives twice in the previous Congress, but has continued to fail in the Senate.

"With the support of families of victims, civil rights groups, and law enforcement, I signed an executive order for all federal officers banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act," Biden said in his State of the Union speech. "Lets commit ourselves to make the words of Tyres mother come true, something good must come from this."

Following the recent police killing of Nichols, members of the Black Caucus are cautiously optimistic that change will soon come.

This unfortunately reignites the fervor and the necessity and the urgency, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, a ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, recently told Yahoo News. With 18,000 police communities, there has to be a federal law that addresses the training and the relationship between police. We have to restart.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the Oval Office last week. (Susan Walsh/AP)

An info card attached to the black pin given to members of the Black Caucus expresses the frustration of numerous police killings from Truman to Nichols.

153 years later, nothing has changed, the note reads in part. We are tired of mourning and demand change.
Rep. Chuck Brannan III, R-Macclenny listens to debate on his co-sponsored House Bill 543: Concealed Carry of Weapons and Firearms Without a License in the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)

The opposition to Floridas proposed legislation to allow Floridians to carry concealed firearms without a permit or training was expected from gun safety advocates.

But at a Tuesday hearing on the bill, there were just as many disgruntled Second Amendment supporters, who said the bill didnt go far enough because it doesnt allow for open carry, the visible carrying of a firearm.

Only a few of the dozens of public commenters told legislators they were happy with the measure as written. But Republican members of the House Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee passed the bill out of the committee on a 10-5 vote along party lines.

The bill now only has one other committee hearing to move through before it goes to a vote on the House floor. House Speaker Paul Renner has expressed strong support for the bill, holding a news conference last month with uniformed sheriffs to announce its filing.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo has also expressed her support for the measure, though no matching legislation has yet been filed in the Senate. Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, has said he will be the bills sponsor.

Constitutional carry in play

Permitless carry, often called constitutional carry by supporters, allows people within certain legal parameters to carry weapons without having to go through the permitting process. In Florida, that includes a background check, fingerprinting, a payment of $97 for a new application and the completion of a training course, which includes firing a live round in front of an instructor. Gun carriers would be required to carry a personal ID.

Some of those gun rights advocates said Floridas proposal is not true constitutional carry because it applies only to people being able to carry a concealed weapon; it doesnt permit open carry of weapons in public and still restricts gun possession for people under the age of 21 and on college campuses.

To call this bill constitutional carry is an insult to our intelligence, said Bob White, the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.

Luis Valdes, Florida director of Gun Owners of America, said the bill is a step in the right direction compared to prior years when similar bills didnt make it out of committees. But he said it doesnt go far enough.

The governor has pledged he wants constitutional carry, he didnt pledge that he wants permitless concealed only, Valdes said.

Members of the Moms Demand Action group listen to debate on House Bill 543: Concealed Carry of Weapons and Firearms Without a License in the Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)

Opponents speak against gun violence

Speakers with March for Our Lives, a gun safety organization that began after the Parkland shooting, and the gun safety group Moms Demand Action also spoke in opposition to the bill, raising concerns about the number of mass shootings across the nation and a fear of increased violence.

Catherine Allen, who graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2019, said she and her peers have grown up afraid of gun violence. Feb. 14 will be the fifth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people died and another 17 were injured.

It feels like that experience that the youth has in states like Florida or in America as a whole is being invalidated for what seems like a political agenda, she said.

Democratic lawmakers have pushed back against the idea of excluding any training requirement. Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, called the measure untrained carry when it was first unveiled by Republicans.

Rep. Chuck Brannan, R-Macclenny, one of the bills sponsors, said he encourages training and thinks it is important, but that it is a personal responsibility.

I dont think it says in the United States Constitution that you have to have training to carry a gun, he said.

In response to the calls for open carry, Brannan said the bill is what it is as its filed.

People who are forbidden from owning a firearm would not be able to qualify for permitless carry. That includes those with felony convictions, people who have been committed to a mental hospital and people with certain arrests related to substance use.

Under the proposed legislation, people are still prohibited from carrying concealed weapons in certain establishments, like courthouses, polling places and legislative meetings.

Rep. Jervonte Edmonds, D-West Palm Beach, filed an amendment to expand the prohibited areas to include more locations, including grocery stores, religious institutions and music festivals, but his amendment failed.

Sheriffs Association favors bill

The Florida Sheriffs Association has endorsed the legislation. Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the former association president, spoke in favor of the bill during Tuesdays hearing.

Gualtieri said criminals dont stop to get concealed carry permits, and noted that the proposed legislation keeps in place prohibitions against people who wouldnt be able to carry a weapon. He said the existing training is often done online and is meaningless.

READ MORE: No permits or training required to carry concealed guns in bill backed by Florida GOP

Research on permitless carry is lacking. Twenty-five states currently have the measure in place, most of which adopted it in the past few years, making it hard to study long-term effects.

In the previous fiscal year, about 33,000 people were denied a concealed carry permit  the majority because of incomplete documentation. About 284,000 people got a new concealed carry permit during the same time period, and about 94,000 got their licenses renewed.

Brannan said maybe it was a good sign that people on both sides of the gun debate opposed the bill.

Maybe were in the right spot, he said.
Farmers drive tractors through Paris in protest at pesticide bans French farmers protest in Paris over pesticide restrictions

By Sybille de La Hamaide

PARIS (Reuters) -French farmers drove hundreds of tractors into Paris on Wednesday to protest against pesticide restrictions and other environmental regulations they say are threatening farm production in the European Union's largest agricultural power.

The action follows an EU court ruling last month that overturned a French policy allowing sugar beet growers to use an insecticide banned by the EU, raising concern of a further decline in beet plantings and of sugar factory closures.

The sugar beet decision has sharpened discontent among farmers over what they see as excessive pesticide curbs that go against government calls to boost food security in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine.

"Our means of production keep being undermined by prohibitions without solutions," Jerome Despey, secretary general of the FNSEA, France's main farming union, told Reuters.

"Enough is enough."

The FNSEA and other groups organising the protest were expecting 500 tractors and 2,000 farmers from the Paris region to participate.

A long procession of tractors, bearing banners saying "Macron is liquidating agriculture" - in reference to French President Emmanuel Macron - or "Save your farmer", rolled through central Paris to join a gathering at the Invalides monument, near France's agriculture ministry.

Environmental activists say pesticide residues damage soils and wildlife and they have welcomed the EU ruling against the use of sugar beet seeds treated with neonicotinoid insecticides that can harm bees.

"Biodiversity, indispensable for life on earth and farming, must not be sacrificed," anti-pesticide group Generations Futures said in a statement supporting the neonicotinoid ban.

Farmers argue that sugar beet plants do not attract bees and that the ban leaves them exposed to crop disease virus yellows, raising the prospect of lower production and more imports from countries that allow neonicotinoids.

French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau will present a plan to representatives of the sugar beet sector on Thursday, the agriculture ministry said in a statement after Fesneau met farm unions on Wednesday morning.

Sugar beet growers group CGB said the minister had agreed that sugar beet growers would be compensated fully for yield losses this year if there was a severe attack of virus yellows.

"We can't be satisfied but for now this should let farmers plant and allow other solutions to be found for 2024 and 2025," Franck Sander, the CGB's president, told Reuters at the protest.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; additional reporting and writing by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Christina Fincher, Alexandra Hudson)
Grace Sesma, a curandera, leads a spiritual cleansing with a client at her home in Alpine in November. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Grace Sesma works methodically to set up her home office, lighting candles and cutting thorns from seven stemmed red roses for the days first session as her client chatters nearby.

The man, 47, is talking fast  about the nice view of the area from Sesmas backyard, his connection to the San Diego area, and how he got the supplies at the last minute that Sesma told him they would need: roses, an egg and tobacco.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, he has used binge drinking as a coping mechanism. Hes been seeing a therapist and was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Therapy has helped him identify his behavior and triggering environments, but he still hasnt come to terms with the sexual abuse he suffered, he said; he wants to be at peace with himself.

Thats why he has traveled to Alpine, a small mountain community northeast of San Diego, to see Sesma. A therapist can teach him coping skills, but Sesma is here to help him repair his spirit.

Sesma, 65, is a Mexican and Yaqui curandera, or traditional healer. Clients come to her home office, in Alpine or Colorado, for a range of needs, including PTSD, nervios (panic attacks), susto (trauma), depression and spiritual counseling.

This wasnt her first line of work. Sesma spent several years as an administrator of a partial-hospitalization psychiatric program and founded a cultural consulting firm, but she felt called by her ancestors to follow a spiritual healing path and serve her community.

The philosophy behind curanderismo is that diseases are not just caused by physical factors, but also social, emotional, environmental and spiritual ones, Sesma said.

Sesma helps clients with PTSD, panic attacks, depression and other issues from her home in Alpine, northeast of San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Sesma is part of a world of traditional healers who are generally not considered by Western medicine to be a part of the mental health system, but for their clients, especially among a subset of Latinos, Chicanos and Indigenous peoples from Latin America, these spiritual healers offer a type of support they may trust more than therapists.

Data continues to show that Latinos do not seek out therapy or other mental health support at the same rates as other racial or ethnic groups. An increasing number of Black, Asian and white Americans are seeking out mental health treatment while the rate of Latinos remains near stagnant, according to a recent analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This could be in part because of relatively low numbers of Latino mental health providers, a fact that could affect who seeks treatment as some patients want a provider who understands their cultural background. Stigma surrounding mental health conversations and services could be another factor. Little data, if any, is collected on those who seek support from spiritual healers.

Both healers and researchers say Latinos and other Southern Californians, who arent necessarily connected to the culture, often turn to curanderismo when theyve felt Western medicine didnt meet their needs. It is difficult to definitively measure the medical benefits of spiritual healing, but these same experts point out that an integrative approach with doctors and healers working together in clinics arguably produces benefits beyond those easily documented in an X-ray or CT scan.

In other countries such as China and India, traditional medicine has been merged with modern medicine and people have options of selecting one or both types of medicine," said Eliseo Torres, a faculty member of the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. Recently, "a group of staff and a physician visited [a university health clinic in Mexico] where traditional medicine has been merged with modern medicine. We returned to the U.S with the idea of doing the same.

Curanderismo is the holistic approach to healing the mind, body and spirit. A person who can heal others by looking at the whole of the person (mind, body and spirit) is called a curandera.

There are other types of healers under the curanderismo umbrella, and each has their own approach based on their teachings. For example, Sesmas teachings are rooted in Mexican and Indigenous culture.

In the U.S., these healers arent typically found working alongside doctors and nurses in primary care practices, but thats changing in small pockets of the U.S. and other parts of the world. It's similar to the recent movement in California, Arizona and other states where Indigenous leaders are pushing for Medicaid reimbursement to cover traditional healing services that they see as beneficial to tribal members' mental health.

Sesma is currently working with the Academy for Integrative Health and Medicine, a global community of medical professionals working toward a holistic and integrative health approach to care, where shes sharing her knowledge of traditional healing. Their collaboration will result in training for the organizations students and members on Indigenous healing practices.

For almost a decade, a program at a university in Mexico has trained healers to work in clinics and hospitals. Their graduates, once dubbed brujas (witches), witch doctors or other slurs by their medical counterparts, are finding acceptance.

Nos vamos a revolucionar el mundo de la atencion medical de Mexico, said Rafael Colin, director of the five-year bachelor's degree program at Universidad Intercultural del Estado de Mexico. Were going to revolutionize the world of healthcare in Mexico.

Roberto Camacho said he was in the process of making several life changes when he sought out Grace Sesma's help. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Sesma "has helped me look at my life with more clarity and from a perspective of abundance," Camacho said. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

A blending of healing practices

In a series of dreams that started when she was a teenager, Sesma said she was visited by the spirits of her Indigenous grandmothers, who urged her to return to the ways of the ancestors and practice spiritual healing.

Its not uncommon for curanderos to say they have been called to this work through dreams or visions. An elder can also recognize whether a person has this healing gift and help cultivate it through an apprenticeship.

Before Sesma listened to the calling, she worked and raised a family as a single mother. It wasnt until her 40s that she was ready to begin her apprenticeship with a curandero in Tecate, Baja California, and understand how to heal a whole person.

Curanderismo comes from the Spanish word curar, to heal.

Researchers have found that curanderismo dates back to Aztecan, Mayan and Incan tribes and their religious beliefs of harmony with nature, spirit and self.

When Spain colonized Mexico in 1519, the healing practice evolved to include European practices of healing, Torres said.

When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, Torres said, they brought their own culture, belief system and plant knowledge, introducing it to the native healers. The healers then incorporated the Spanish healing methodologies in their practice.

Torres, author of Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing, leads a summer course at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque about the history of curanderismo. The course explores an integrative approach to medicine  traditional healing complementing modern medicine.

He brings in guest speakers who are healing practitioners from the Southwest and Mexico. The course explores how traditional healing methods have shaped how we treat people in the past, today and what it could be in the future. His students range from people who have some spiritual healing knowledge, people who want to reclaim their culture through these teachings and others who want to learn how to care for themselves.

We try to train people to take care of their own body, to become their own healers, and [in some cases] to learn what their grandfathers and grandmothers did years ago, said Torres, whose parents taught him about Mexican folk healing.

In Mexico, students at the Universidad Intercultural del Estado de Mexico in San Felipe del Progreso, about 100 miles northwest of Mexico City, are also learning an integrative approach to medicine that they can actively use in the medical field.

The university offers a five-year bachelors degree program called the Licenciatura en Salud Intercultural that focuses on four healing methods: Mexican traditional medicine, Chinese acupuncture, psychosomatics (healing the mind and body), and conventional medicine.

Research shows that there are a lot of degenerative diseases that have an emotional aspect, so these professionals will be able to make a clinical diagnosis based on [conventional allopathic] medicine and then its up to [the doctor] to choose what kind of treatment they are going to use, Rafael Colin, director of the program, said.

Spiritual healers such as Sesma offer a type of support that some clients trust more than therapists. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The Mexican traditional healing portion of the program includes classes with parteras (midwives), yerberas (herbalists), sobadoras (traditional bodyworker) and temazcaleras (who work in sweat lodges).

Treycy Velazquez, a licensed practitioner of cross-cultural health and a graduate of the first Licenciatura en Salud Intercultural cohort, now heads the traditional medicine portion of the program.

She said they welcome adult students of all ages with the understanding that they arent blank pages. Many of the students are healers in their communities, are related to a healer, or have some understanding of the practice.

Velazquez is a descendant of traditional healers. She remembers her grandmother and mother using herbs and plants to heal people and enrolled in the program about eight years ago.

Part of the class curriculum is to connect with a community and learn from their healer, which isnt easy. She said it's common for the healer to be reluctant to share their skills and work because theyre unsure of the students intentions.

Its [hard] work because we dont want to just extract their knowledge," Velazquez said. "This [exercise] is about acknowledging these individuals and protecting their knowledge."

Students also work with patients in the universitys clinic and conduct research. Colin said the goal of the program is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this ancient knowledge  and preserve it by teaching it.

Its also working to professionalize this knowledge by understanding the science in it and backing it up with research, Colin said. For example, the program and the National Autonomous University of Mexico will be collaborating on studying how acupuncture and traditional herbs have synergy [to treat] some diseases on patients who visit the programs clinic.

Students who complete the program are then able to establish a practice and have a license to practice the four healing methods, including Mexican traditional healing, in a hospital or clinic.

The first cohort of graduates were met with some stigma, labeled as brujos, Colin said.

However, the graduates interned with Mexicos secretary of health, as all health professionals are required to do in the state, and quickly proved themselves to their medical counterparts by working side-by-side to treat patients.

Recent program graduate Vanessa Carrillo Sarmiento wasnt met with name-calling, but at the Hospital Mazahua, doctors at first didn't acknowledge her as a colleague.

The hospital is in the small town of Santa Ana Nichi in Mexico; its population of nearly 3,000 is mostly Mazahua Native people.

Since graduating in 2019, shes provided holistic therapies and physical therapy for patients with facial paralysis, joint or muscle pain, insomnia and anxiety.

But the first six months were challenging for Sarmiento because she didnt have any patients.

To fix that, she made it a point to introduce herself to the medical doctors on staff and talk to them about how she cares for patients through traditional massage work or taking more time to explain post-treatment care.

Some doctors took a chance and sent their patients to her.

They soon learned her value, Sarmiento said, after seeing their patients benefit from her care and now they see her as part of the medical treatment team.

I believe that the basis for the acceptance we have had with the hospital doctors was that they realized that we are a complement to the work they do and vice versa, just as we need them to achieve significant improvement in the patient, she said.

Sarmiento has developed trust with her patients, her community, and has many who return to the hospital regularly for her services.

This relationship between a healthcare provider and patient is one that she wishes her grandparents could have experienced.

She remembers that her grandparents loathed doctor visits because they didnt feel heard or were scolded.

For me, I would have liked that my grandparents were treated the way that I treat my patients.  The closeness that you have with people is the most beautiful thing that the profession gives you, Sarmiento said.

Complementary healing

Back in Alpine, Sesma sees five clients in-person and two via Zoom over the next two days. One of her clients is Roberto Camacho, a Chicano journalist and activist in San Diego, who is coming for his second session.

Hes seeking spiritual counseling to clear his mind and body of self-doubt and negative thoughts because hes making a lot of life-changing decisions  applying for jobs and looking to move out of state.

Reflecting back on my most recent session, I believe [Sesma] has helped me look at my life with more clarity and from a perspective of abundance, Camacho said.

All of Sesmas clients, including Camacho, talk about how much they value the time that Sesma gives them and her services. Sesma and other healers wish the medical field could value traditional healing methods too.

It is more likely, that I or other curanderas, would refer a client to a doctor or an ophthalmologist or gynecologist, than they are to refer [clients] to me, she said.

Sesma feels that doctors dont acknowledge traditional healing as a mainstream method of healing because they havent taken the time to learn about it or resist learning about it because it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

She doesnt have the skills of a physician, for example, but a physician doesnt have her skill-set. So why cant they work together for the benefit of the patients whole well-being? she asked.

Lets have some humility to understand that [science-based] allopathic medicine does not necessarily address every issue that the patient may present with, she said. Theres a spiritual aspect to all of us as human beings that not everyone is equipped to take care of, to handle or to address.

Sesma sees her work as benefiting "the patient's whole well-being." (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A man says he survived an unrelenting beating by the same Memphis police officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols days before his death.

A federal lawsuit filed by Monterrious Harris, 22, of Memphis, says members of the Memphis Police Departments now-deactivated Scorpion Unit suddenly swarmed him and threatened to kill him if he didnt step out of his car while visiting his cousin on Jan. 4  just three days before Nichols deadly Jan. 7 encounter with police.

Harris maintains he hadnt committed a crime before men wearing black ski masks and tactical vests, who he didnt realize were officers, grabbed him once he exited his car, slammed him face-down into concrete and began punching and kicking him, according to a complaint.

Now Harris is suing the city of Memphis, the five former officers facing murder charges over Nichols death  Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean  and four unnamed Memphis police officers, the complaint shows.

Hes seeking $5 million in damages.

The Memphis Police Department and the city declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on Feb. 8.

Following an internal investigation and video showing Nichols brutal death, Martin, Mills, Smith, Haley and Bean were fired, the Memphis Police Department said in a Jan. 30 news release. Each of the men face the same charges, including second-degree murder, according to the Shelby County District Attorneys Office.

Fortunately, unlike Mr. Nichols, Mr. Harris survived his encounter with the Scorpion Unit and is alive and able to recount the events, the complaint says.

In a statement to McClatchy News, Harris attorney Robert Spence characterized the Scorpion Unit as a group of thugs, created by the Memphis Police Department, who had the authority to harass, demean, beat, and otherwise assault young African American men until Nichols was killed.

The police departments Scorpion Unit was deactivated on Jan. 28 over Nichols death.

Life-altering beating

Harris lawsuit argues the life-altering beating from Memphis police officers ended because others witnessed the assault.

It happened on Jan. 4 as Harris drove to pick up his cousin at the Twin Oaks apartment complex in Memphis before officers swarmed him, the complaint says.

According to the lawsuit, officers created a false narrative to justify their actions against Harris.

As Harris backed into a parking spot, five or six men armed with guns suddenly appeared and ordered him to get out of his car or be shot while hurling racial slurs, the complaint says.

Initially, Harris thought the men were a part of a street gang, according to his attorney.

When Harris stepped out of his car with his hands raised, the men beat him for roughly one to two minutes until other apartment complex residents came outside, the complaint says. Then, officers are accused of handcuffing Harris and transporting him to jail as he bled from his head with severe injuries.

FOX13 reports the officers involved in arresting Harris wrote in an incident report that Harris, whose car allegedly smelled of marijuana, tried fleeing police and was seen throwing a bag containing a leafy substance. Additionally, they reportedly said Harris had guns and a scale in the car.

Spence denies the details in the officers incident report and said there was one registered gun in the car that belonged to (Harris) cousin who had just seconds before exited the car to return to his apartment to change clothes.

Harris is taken to jail before hospital, lawsuit says

This photo shows Harris facial injuries about nine days after he was released from the hospital after the beating, according to the lawsuit.

When Harris was brought to jail after the beating, a nearby nurse saw his injuries and advocated for him to be taken to a nearby hospital, according to the lawsuit.

He was transported to a hospital before being taken back to jail, the complaint says.

Harris stayed in jail until his family bailed him out, according to the complaint, which accuses the Scorpion Units officers of faking an affidavit and lying about the details surrounding the day Harris was beaten.

The officers are accused of wrongly issuing a slew of charges against him.

The Scorpion Units entire encounter with Mr. Harris was legally unjustified, unquestionably unconstitutional, and unacceptable in any civilized society, the complaint says.

The lawsuit blames the city of Memphis, saying it was responsible for the hiring, training, discipline and control of all personnel of the Memphis Police Department, including the Individual Defendants and the Scorpion Unit.

Harris maintains he was deprived of his civil rights.

Tyre Nichols death

On Jan. 7, Nichols, 29, was illegally stopped by the Scorpion Unit as he was on his way to eat dinner with his mother, the complaint says.

Then, the unit beat (him) so severely that he was unrecognizable without legal justification before he eventually died at a hospital on Jan. 10, the complaint says.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement on Jan. 26 the officers clearly violated police department policy during their encounter with Nichols.

I am sad and angry for the family of Tyre Nichols, he said.

McClatchy News contacted attorneys representing Martin, Mills and Haley in the criminal case against them on Feb. 8 and didnt immediately receive a response. Information regarding attorneys for Smith and Bean wasnt immediately available.

It is unclear if the five former officers obtained legal representation in connection with Harris lawsuit.

While his violent and untimely death can never be justified, Mr. Nichols indefensible suffering has brought Defendant City of Memphis latest constitutional abuses out of the darkness and into the light, igniting a fire to completely  and perhaps finally  expose and extricate police abuses in Memphis, Harris lawsuit says.

Like a grain of wheat, Mr. Nichols fell to the earth and died; but his death is hopefully slowly bearing fruit.

I probably would have ran too. Ex-Memphis cop reacts on TikTok to Tyre Nichols slaying

Girl dug her way out of adoptive parents basement dungeon to escape, NH lawsuit says

Man who couldnt afford bail dies after losing nearly 100 pounds in jail, lawsuit says
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas on Nov. 19, 2022. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that in a head-to-head matchup, more Republican voters would cast their ballots for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (45%) than for former President Donald Trump (41%) if the partys 2024 presidential primary were held today.

Yet if even one additional Republican candidate challenges Trump and DeSantis for the nomination, splitting the partys anti-Trump vote, the former president would take the lead.

The survey of 1,585 U.S. adults, which was conducted from Feb. 2 to 6, vividly illustrates the dilemma facing GOP officials who believe that renominating Trump could doom the partys chances in 2024: How do you narrow the field enough to prevent the former president from skirting past a divided opposition with less than 50% of the vote (just as he did in 2016)?

Even now  months before he is expected to announce his candidacy  DeSantis already appears to be stronger than Trump. Besides leading Trump in a hypothetical, two-candidate GOP primary contest, the Florida governor (44%) also edges out President Biden (43%) in a general election matchup.

In contrast, Trump currently trails Biden by 6 percentage points, 41% to 47%, among registered voters. This is in large part because he performs 3 points worse than DeSantis among Republicans and 9 points worse among independents.

The problem for DeSantis  and for the majority of Republican and Republican-leaning voters who say theyd prefer someone else other than Trump as the GOP nominee (40%) or still arent sure (14%)  is that the Floridian will not have the former president all to himself.

In fact, at least five other GOP candidates are reportedly recruiting staffers in the early nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire. And former South Carolina Gov. and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is set to officially launch her 2024 bid on Feb. 15.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also appeared at the RJC Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)

Informed of this news, registered voters who are Republicans and Republican leaners approve (48%) rather than disapprove (22%) of Haleys decision to run by a more than 2-to-1 margin. Yet nearly a third (30%) say they are unsure, and few are ready to vote for her. While Haleys support in a hypothetical nine-candidate field has risen significantly since January  from 1% to 5%  Trump would currently trounce her 54% to 27% in a head-to-head primary contest.

And given that Haley is currently polling better than any non-Trump or non-DeSantis Republican on the 2024 longlist, former Vice President Mike Pence (4%), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2%) or former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (1%) would be unlikely to represent a greater one-on-one threat to Trump.

For now, at least, only DeSantis can displace Trump as the GOP frontrunner  and he can do it only if no one else is competing for the anti-Trump vote. In a hypothetical three-way matchup, Haley effectively plays the spoiler, attracting 11% of Republicans and Republican leaners  while DeSantiss support falls by roughly the same amount (to 35%), leaving Trump with more votes than either of them (38%).

Former President Donald Trump at the New Hampshire Republican State Committees annual meeting on Jan. 28 in Salem, N.H. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

In a wider, nine-candidate field, the results are nearly identical, with Trump (37%) again losing far less support than DeSantis (36%) and narrowly maintaining his lead.

To be sure, the first GOP caucuses and primaries are still a year away. A few candidates will probably come and go before the first ballots are even cast. Someone who isnt registering now could always take off.

Still, its already clear that anti-Trump Republicans will likely want the field to shrink as much as possible by the time voting begins  or else risk propelling Trump to the nomination once again with a mere plurality of the vote.

__________

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,585 U.S. adults interviewed online from Feb. 2 to 6, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondents most recent answer given prior to March 15, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (32% Democratic, 27% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGovs opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.8%.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene yells while President Biden delivers the State of the Union address. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The response from many Republican lawmakers to President Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday marked a new low for civility in politics in the United States.

Interrupted multiple times by jeering, boos and accusations of lying by GOP members, Biden gamely endured the taunts, at times seeming to revel in the prospect of egging on his political opponents, calling them out over threats to refuse to raise the debt ceiling and other contentious issues.

That led to an outburst by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who called the president a liar.

Moments later, when Biden was discussing overdose deaths caused by fentanyl, another Republican House member shouted, Its your fault!

State of the Union addresses, which are mandated by the Constitution, have, for most of the nation's history, been rather staid affairs. The president reports on the progress being made, outlines policy priorities for the year ahead, while the members of the opposing party or parties choose either to applaud unenthusiastically or sit on their hands in protest. Debate over the substance of the speeches had, until recently, been reserved for after they were finished.

Even then, the official rebuttal given by the opposing party only made news headlines when the person who delivered it needed a sip of water to get through it. On Tuesday, by contrast, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former Trump White House press secretary, came out with guns blazing.

Hes the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that cant even tell you what a woman is, Sanders said. In the radical lefts America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire.

In his own rebuttal, former President Donald Trump was equally subtle. Joe Bidens weaponized Justice Department, and Im a victim of it, is persecuting his political opponents. His administration is waging war on free speech, Trump said. Theyre trying to indoctrinate and mutilate our children. Hes leading us to the brink of World War III.

But tonights State of the Union and the response to it, while perhaps more coarse and unsparing than those in the past, is simply another step in the decline of civility. Heres a look back at the recent developments that got us here.

Rep. Joe Wilson yells 'You lie!' at President Barack Obama

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who yelled out "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's speech on health care in September 2009, calls out to a colleague before Obama's arrival to deliver his State of the Union address Jan. 27, 2010. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

During a joint address to Congress on Sept. 9, 2009, then-President Barack Obama laid out the details of his signature health care reform bill to Congress and the nation. Republicans in the chamber who voted against its passage stewed as they listened.

But it was Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who was unable to control himself. You lie! Wilson shouted, interrupting Obama, and drawing a chorus of boos from Democrats and Republicans alike for the breach in decorum.

At the urging of leadership, Wilson later contacted the Obama White House, telling them his statements were inappropriate.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rips up Trump's speech

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., tears up her copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress, Feb. 4, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP)

At the end of President Donald Trump's final State of the Union address on Feb. 4, 2020, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angrily tore her copy of the speech into shreds.

The address was given the day before the Senate acquitted Trump in his first impeachment trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemming from his request that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launch an investigation into Hunter Biden ahead of the presidential campaign.

Like virtually all of his speeches, Trump's State of the Union address was highly combative and riddled with what outlets like the New York Times deemed to be falsehoods and exaggerated claims.

It was a manifesto of mistruths, Pelosi later told reporters regarding the speech.

Reps. Greene and Boebert heckle Biden's first State of the Union address

Rep. Lauren Boebert and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene with Rep. Byron Donalds during Biden's first State of the Union address, March 1, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via Reuters)

In a preview of Tuesday's State of the Union response, Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Greene repeatedly heckled Biden during his first speech to a joint session of Congress in 2022. The two congresswomen, who have since experienced a falling out thanks to different views on who should be named House speaker, attempted to whip up a chant of "Build the wall!" during Biden's address.

At the time many Republicans criticized the two lawmakers.

Its something that I think that theres a place, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told reporters. Thats not the place to do that.
A sign stands on a quiet day in what used to be AmericaAfs largest overseas naval base at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales province, northwest of Manila, Philippines on Monday Feb. 6, 2023. The U.S. has been rebuilding its military might in the Philippines after more than 30 years and reinforcing an arc of military alliances in Asia in a starkly different post-Cold War era when the perceived new regional threat is an increasingly belligerent China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

SUBIC BAY, Philippines (AP)  Once-secret ammunition bunkers and barracks lay abandoned, empty and overrun by weeds  vestiges of American firepower in what used to be the United States' largest overseas naval base at Subic Bay in the northern Philippines.

But that may change in the near future.

The U.S. has been taking steps to rebuild its military might in the Philippines more than 30 years after the closure of its large bases in the country and reinforcing an arc of military alliances in Asia in a starkly different post-Cold War era when the perceived new regional threat is an increasingly belligerent China.

On Feb. 2, the longtime allies announced that rotating batches of American forces would be granted access to four more Philippine military camps aside from five other local bases, where U.S.-funded constructions have picked up pace to build barracks, warehouses and other buildings to accommodate a yet-unspecified but expectedly considerable number of visiting troops under a 2014 defense pact.

Manila-based political scientist Andrea Chloe Wong said the location of the Philippine camps would give the U.S. military the presence it would need to be a strong deterrent against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, where China, the Philippines and four other governments have had increasingly tense territorial rifts  as well as a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory to be brought under Chinese control, by force if necessary.

Around the former U.S. Navy base in Subic, now a bustling commercial freeport and tourism destination northwest of Manila, news of the Philippine governments decision to allow an expanded American military presence rekindled memories of an era when thousands of U.S. sailors pumped money, life and hope into the neighboring city of Olongapo.

Olongapo was like Las Vegas then," Filipino businessman AJ Saliba told The Associated Press in an interview in his foreign currency exchange and music shop along what used to be Olongapos garish red-light strip.

Noisy as early as noon with neon lights turned on and the Americans roaming around. Women were everywhere. Jeepney drivers, tricycles, restaurants, bars, hotels  everybody was making money  so if they will return, my God, you know, thatll be the best news, he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during his visit in Manila last week that Washington was not trying to reestablish permanent bases, but that the agreement to broaden its military presence under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement was a big deal.

Visiting American military personnel could engage the Philippine military in larger joint combat-readiness trainings, provide help in responding rapidly to disasters and press efforts to help modernize Manilas armed forces, Austin and his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

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," Austin said at a news conference in Manila.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the U.S. militarys strengthening in the region was escalating tensions and risking peace and stability.

Regional countries need to remain vigilant and avoid being coerced or used by the U.S., Mao told reporters Feb. 2 at a briefing in Beijing.

Austin and Galvez did not reveal the four new locations where the Americans would be granted access and allowed to preposition weapons and other equipment. The Philippine defense chief said local officials, where the Americans would stay, had to be consulted.

In November, then-Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro disclosed that the sites included the strategic Subic Bay, where the Navy base was once a boon to the local economy. But two senior Philippine officials told the AP that Subic, where a Philippine navy camp is located, was not among the current list of sites where Washington has sought access for its forces, although they suggested that could change as talks were continuing. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

Subic freeport administrator Rolen Paulino said he has not been notified by the government that the former American naval base has been designated as a potential site for visiting U.S. forces.

A renewed U.S. military presence at Subic, however, would generate more jobs and raise additional freeport revenues at a crucial time when many Filipinos and businesses are still struggling to recover from two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and an economic recession wrought by coronavirus outbreaks, Paulino said.

I see them as tourists, he said of the U.S. forces whose presence could boost economic recovery.

About the size of Singapore, the former American Navy base at Subic with its deep harbors, a ship repair yard and huge warehouses had been used to support the U.S. war effort in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s. It was shut down and transformed into a commercial freeport and recreational complex in 1992 after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension of U.S. lease.

A year earlier, the U.S. Air Force withdrew from Clark Air Base near Subic after nearby Mount Pinatubo roared back to life in the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century and belched ash on the air base and outlying regions.

The American flag was lowered for the final time and the last batch of American sailors left Subic in November 1992, ending nearly a century of American military presence in the Philippines that began in 1898 when the U.S. seized the archipelago in a new colonial era after Spain held the Southeast Asian nation as a colony for more than three centuries. Washington granted independence on July 4, 1946, but maintained military bases and facilities, including Subic.

Chinas seizure in the mid-1990s of Mischief Reef, a coral outcrop within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines that extends into the South China Sea, provided the first hint that the allies may have been too quick to downgrade their relationship," said Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Philippine Constitution prohibits permanent basing of foreign troops in the country and their involvement in local combat but allows temporary visits by foreign troops under security pacts such as the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and a 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement.

The 1998 agreement allowed a large number of American forces to be deployed in the southern Philippines to help provide combat training and intelligence to Filipino forces battling the then-al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, which was blamed for deadly bombings and mass kidnappings for ransom, including three Americans  one of whom was beheaded and another shot and killed in a Philippine army rescue. The third survived.

There is still, however, domestic opposition to a U.S. presence in the Philippines, which left-wing groups have criticized as neo-colonialism, reinforced by the 2014 killing of a Filipina transgender woman by a U.S. Marine, Wong said.

Governor Manuel Mamba of northern Cagayan province, where Bacarro said the U.S. has reportedly sought access for its forces in two local military encampments, vowed to oppose such an American military presence. Cagayan, located on the northern tip of the main Luzon island, lies across a narrow sea border from Taiwan, the Taiwan Strait and southern China.

Itll be very dangerous for us. If they stay here, whoever is their enemy will become our enemy, Mamba told the AP by telephone, adding the Philippines could be targeted by nuclear weapons if the conflict over Taiwan boils over.

You cannot really remove any presumption by anyone that the Philippines has a nuclear capability through the Americans, who will be here, Mamba said.

___

Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila in Manila, Philippines, and David Rising in Bangkok contributed.
A dirt-covered fragment of a cryptic artifact sat undisturbed for centuries in Belgium. Now, the object  common in geometry classes, but rare in archaeological excavations  is puzzling archaeologists.

Patrick Schuermans, a hobby archaeologist, was scanning the ground in Kortessem with a metal detector when he stumbled upon an unusual fragment, according to a Jan. 10 news release from the Flanders Heritage Agency.

Puzzled by the piece, Schuermans contacted the local government and showed it to them. The archaeologists recognized the fragment immediately as part of a Roman dodecahedron, the release said.

These dodecahedrons are 12-sided bronze objects with a hollow center, circular holes on each side and small balls on each corner, experts said. Only two such artifacts have ever been found in Belgium. Photos show what these unusual objects look like when complete.

An example of a complete Roman dodecahedron.

Despite the extensive reach of the Roman empire, most dodecahedrons have been found in parts of the empire that coincide with the Celtic civilizations, the release said. For this reason, these items are sometimes referred to as Gallo-Roman dodecahedrons. Archaeologists have found about 120 specimens in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the U.K.

But what is this quirky object for? Is it a weapon? A tool? Or something else entirely?

Archaeologists arent completely sure.

There have been several hypotheses for it  some kind of a calendar, an instrument for land measurement, a scepter, etcetera  but none of them is satisfying, Guido Creemers, a curator at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium, told LiveScience.

We rather think it has something to do with non-official activities like sorcery, fortune-telling and so on, Creemers said.

Most experts think the 1,600-year-old dodecahedron was used during magic rituals, LiveScience reported. On the recently-uncovered fragment, Belgian archaeologists noticed fractures and repairs, indicating the item may have been broken during a ritual, the release said.

As mysteries continue to surround these Roman dodecahedrons, archaeologists finally have one breakthrough. For the first time, they know the exact location where such a rare item was uncovered.

Archaeologists will continue monitoring the location in Kortessem with the hope that more finds will be unearthed there, the release said.

Kortessem is about 50 miles east of Brussels. Both cities are located in the region of Flanders.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Flanders Heritage Agency.

Lost treasures found in toilets of 400-year-old palace in Poland destroyed by Nazis

Ruins of 600-year-old convent in Spain hid much older secret  a three-toed footprint

4,800-year-old human remains unearthed near cattle burial in Germany, experts say
In Antakya, Turkey, people warm up by a fire amid the rubble caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Sarwan Oghlu shook her head and screamed as she stood before the building that had been her familys home, and where her youngest daughter and son, aged 12 and 7, remained, amid floors flattened one against the other.

As her sister and two daughters strained to calm her, she pleaded with God.

Where are my kids? If you love me get me my kids. I wont go anywhere before my kids return," she said, her shouts made raspy by grief. "For three days Ive been here. God, youve heard everyone but not me.

She turned to a group of rescue workers standing nearby, her face rapidly shifting from sadness to rage.

Get up! Get UP! Come on. What are you waiting for? I want my children. Go get my children, she said, her voice breaking mid-scream. The fury in her spent, she began to sob again as one of her daughters ran her hand on her cheek to dry the tears.

Women try to comfort each other as emergency crews search through the rubble in Antakya, Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Her brother, Erde Oghlu, stood behind her, shaking his head as a bulldozer rumbled toward the wreckage.

It's been two days and theres no space to crawl inside and see, he said. I have hope, but we havent heard anything. No sound, nothing.

In the days since a catastrophic magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, early Monday morning, killing more than 16,000 and wounding multiples more, rescue workers and volunteers have swarmed into affected areas. Officials said Wednesday that more than 100,000 disaster relief personnel were in the earthquake zone.

A woman collects items from a destroyed home in Antakya, in southwest Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

That includes Antakya, a well-appointed city in Turkeys southwest that  though at least 120 miles away from the temblors epicenter  is one of the countrys most devastated.

As hundreds of rescuers work throughout the day and night in frigid temperatures, scenes of suffering and frustration similar to that of Oghlu and her family play out on almost every block of this shattered city.

It's a huge area to cover, said Zeynep Akbaba, a 37-year-old academic who had driven down from Bursa, a city near Istanbul.

Leading a group of volunteers down the street from Oghlus family to another stricken part of the neighborhood, she explained that the level of carnage here had taken authorities by surprise.

Yesterday we didnt have any heavy machinery  it was sent to other areas closer to the epicenter, she said. The thinking was that they were more damaged. That had changed by Wednesday, she added, gesturing toward a massive crane rising above a mound of crumbling concrete.

But its still not enough.

She had barely finished the sentence before a shout rang out above the din of machinery, and was soon echoed by others. It had come from a group of workers in an alleyway snaking through a group of buildings.

One of the buildings, mostly intact save for a horizontal crack running through its lower floors, stood askew; another had its side sheared off to reveal a worn-out bathtub and what must have once been a living room. The third buildings floors had collapsed onto themselves, leaving only the top apartments  now at the level of the first floor  accessible.

A worker thought he had heard a sound and called for silence.

Engines were quickly shut off and conversation stopped; the wail of a siren and the whump-whump of a Chinook helicopter sounded in the distance. A man climbed up to a window with a microphone and a long antenna and put headphones on; a minute later he shook his head. Another shout signaled it was OK to talk once more. Akbaba exhaled.

Belongings are scattered amid the rubble in Antakya, Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Adults cant survive in this situation in such a small space. It could be a baby or a child, she said.

But the workers didnt lose hope. One of them, named Altun, gestured to a bulldozer to approach. The driver swiveled the vehicle and extended the backhoe arm inside an opening in the building, then pulled it back, sweeping onto the ground a group of glass jars, somehow unbroken, and a water cooler. Altun climbed into the opening and peered into the space left behind before turning to the crowd.

The concrete is just closing in here. Its too dangerous to go through, he said, walking to the side and lighting a cigarette.

On a parallel street, another crew worked to recover a body from an apartment block. So far that day they had removed six corpses, and the occasional smell of rotting flesh overpowering the diesel fumes of a bulldozer indicated there were more.

Four team members crowded around an opening in the building's side the bulldozer had widened with the teeth of its bucket. After 10 minutes of carefully pulling and shifting debris, the workers pulled out the body wrapped in a blanket before placing it on a silver body bag and zipping it up. Experts have said the window for finding people alive in the rubble is rapidly closing.

Some residents in surrounding Hatay province have criticized the government's response. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the province on Wednesday and acknowledged some shortcomings. But Erdogan, who has imprisoned dissenters, called critics dishonorable people."

The internet monitoring group Netblocks said access to Twitter had been restricted, even though some survivors had used it to alert emergency crews. Turkish authorities have said they are targeting disinformation and "provocative posts."

Around the workers in Antakya were people with family members left inside buildings and others who hoped to save belongings from their homes. The latter included Elif, a 24-year-old sailor who had been working on a boat docked in Belgium. His parents and three siblings had been in the building when it fell.

Children walk past destroyed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

When I heard, I kept on calling them, over and over again. No answer. I was so angry, he said. He left for Turkey in the morning and had arrived in Antakya on Tuesday, but there was little he could do: His uncle had already buried Elif's parents and older sister and taken the younger brother and sister to the hospital.

I havent even seen them but the situation is not good. I came here first, but I cant do anything. Even taking out bodies is impossible. Everyone is facing this problem, he said.

He looked around him, sighing for a moment. I want to go somewhere far from here. Nothing is left for me here."

Not far from where he stood was a neighborhood park that had been turned into a makeshift refugee center for survivors. It was a tableau of loss: Families huddled around a fire fed with pieces of wood scavenged from the remains of their homes, with what few, random belongings they could save arrayed beside them.

As night fell, they would face another issue: Where to sleep.

Where do you think? Antakya is gone and we have no home, said Mujahed Aktyul, a 67-year-old who had lost a nephew. Despite the grim assessment, he maintained a stoic attitude.

My wife and I? Were in one car. My son and his family? One car. My daughter and her four children, well put in another. What else can we do?

More than 15,000 people across Syria and Turkey have died in the earthquake. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Luqman Ahmad, 31, sat with his friend on a pair of ornate but worn couches. Ahmad had been lucky: Living on the ground floor of a building in Gaziantep, a Turkish city some 100 miles northeast of Antakya and closer to the earthquakes epicenter, he was able to escape before the building crashed down. But his mother, who lived in a now-ravaged building in Antakya, was still under the rubble.

Its been three days and weve heard nothing. Shes an old woman. With this cold, I know shes not alive. I dont have hope, he said.

But I wont leave until they get her out.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
When disaster strikes in war-ravaged Syria and the world watches from afar, a group of ordinary Syrians don their trademark white helmets and rush in to save lives.

The Syria Civil Defence, better known as the White Helmets, consists of about 3,000 volunteer first responders who "come from all walks of life," including bakers, tailors, pharmacists, firefighters and engineers, according to the organization's website. Unpaid and unarmed, they risk their lives to help those in need "in all areas" of Syria that they "can access," the organization says.

PHOTO: Members of the Syrian civil defence, known as the White Helmets, transport a casualty from the rubble of buildings in the village of Azmarin, Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images)

Most recently, the White Helmets has been garnering attention for their vital response to the devastation in rebel-held areas of northwestern Syria after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the region on Feb. 6, with the epicenter just across the border in southeastern Turkey. The quake and its powerful aftershocks toppled thousands of buildings in both countries, killing more than 11,000 people, according to Turkish and Syrian officials.

MORE: Turkey-Syria earthquake live updates

The White Helmets says it formed as a grassroots team of volunteers during the earlier years of Syria's ongoing civil war, which began as a peaceful revolution in the southern city of Dara'a in 2011 before descending into a full-fledged conflict by 2012. When the Syrian regime and its allies began bombing civilian targets in opposition-controlled areas, the White Helmets responded by rescuing people from the rubble and helping rebuild their homes. The organization says it has saved more than 125,000 lives "on all sides of the conflict."

PHOTO: A family is rescued from rubble in this screengrab obtained from social media, in Bisnia, Syria, Feb. 7, 2023. (The White Helmets via Reuters)

Initially, the volunteers had limited experience and equipment, often digging out victims "with only their bare hands," the organization says. In 2013, some volunteers traveled to neighboring Turkey for their first professional training in urban search and rescue. Additional and more advanced training over the years has allowed the White Helmets to develop expertise in using heavy tools, establish specialized teams and open facilities.

MORE: How to assist quake victims in Turkey, Syria

In addition to search and rescue missions and the rehabilitation of neighborhoods, the White Helmets says it now provides "a range of essential services" for more than 4 million civilians across northwestern Syria. Those services include firefighting, health care, fixing electrical grids, sewage maintenance, removing unexploded weapons, clearing rubble from roads, as well as educating communities and preparing them for future attacks, according to the organization's website.

PHOTO: White Helmet Syrian rescue workers warm themselves by a fire next to a collapsed building late on Feb. 6, 2022, in the town of Sarmada, in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province. (Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images)

The White Helmets operates only in rebel-held areas of Syria, though the organization describes itself as non-partisan.

The White Helmets says its volunteers pledge commitment to the principles of "humanity, solidarity, impartiality," as outlined under international humanitarian law. The organization's motto comes from an oft-quoted verse in the Quran: "to save a life is to save all of humanity." Their work has earned them the 2016 Right Livelihood Award, often described as the "Alternative Nobel," as well as several nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.

However, many volunteers have paid the ultimate sacrifice -- at least 293 have been killed while saving others, according to the organization's website.

Who are the White Helmets? A group of ordinary Syrians doing the extraordinary originally appeared on abcnews.go.com


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
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Foreign and Security Policy Advisor Jens Plotner in Berlin.

Mirzoyan and Plotner exchanged views around prospects of enhancing the political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between Armenia and Germany. A broad circle of issues related to regional security and stability were also discussed, according to a read-out issued by the foreign ministry.

The importance of addressing humanitarian issues, as well as immediately eliminating the blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan was emphasized.

The cooperation between Armenia and Germany in multilateral platforms, as well as issues related to Armenia-EU partnership were also discussed. In this regard, the Armenian Foreign Minister highly appreciated the EUs decision on deploying a long-term monitoring mission to the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and expressed confidence that the mission will contribute to establishing stability in the region.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. The new proposals conveyed by Azerbaijan to Armenia on a peace treaty show that the negotiation process hasnt stopped and it continues, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman in Yerevan.

Id like to reaffirm what I said in Berlin, the negotiations around a peace treaty are a continual process and the parties exchange proposals, comments and substantiations in several stages, followed by new proposals in new stages, and thats how the process should presumably advance. Alongside this process, meetings of the ministers take place where these proposals are discussed. We really didnt find it to be possible to participate in the meeting planned for December 23 in Moscow obviously because of the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, but like Ive said, without having participated, we conveyed our proposals remotely. And ten days ago we received Azerbaijans proposals. We are basically in the phase of discussion. This shows that by and large the negotiations process has not stopped, comments and proposals continued being exchanged, and now we will present our new comments based on the comments of the Azerbaijani side, FM Mirzoyan said.

Mirzoyan said releasing the content of the proposals is inexpedient.

And the stances of the parties around various issues in various stages are approximating to each other in some cases, but in some cases they continue to be very far from each other. Thus, politically its inexpedient to release an individual detail and reveal the stances of the sides at this moment over the given issue, because tomorrow there could be an entirely different picture. I say again, in some cases its been possible to bring us closer, but the Armenian side has its principled issues in this process, and I believe weve publicly spoken about these issues on many occasions, the minister said.

The FM said Armenia did not cancel the planned Moscow meeting in December, but postponed it.

He said the meeting will be rescheduled at a convenient time. The meeting can take place in Moscow or elsewhere. If youve followed the trajectory youve seen that weve had such meetings in various capitals and various cities. Id like to say that it would be fair to note that the selection of the host city for the meeting is certainly important, but at the same time, by and large, it doesnt have an extremely significant impact on the process. And in this regard we are ready to hold the next meeting in Moscow, Mirzoyan said.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. At the National Assembly, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan referred to the question of why Armenia agreed to deploy an EU observation mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, but not a CSTO observation mission.

ARMENPRESS reports, during the parliament-Government Q&A session, MP Hripsime Grigoryan from the "Civil Contract" faction mentioned that there were publications in the press regarding the deployment of the EU observation mission, and in some cases, speculations about how and why the Government of Armenia choose to accept the EU observation mission and not the CSTO mission. According to the MP, some circles even went further, trying to give geopolitical shades to the topic. Grigoryan asked the Prime Minister about his opinion on the issue.

The Prime Minister agreed with the MP, noting that there are many misunderstandings related to the topic, including among Armenian experts, because they ask how it happened that the CSTO observation mission does not arrive in Armenia, but the European observation mission does.

"In the case of CSTO, we formulated the issue very clearly. because the CSTO has documents with very detailed descriptions, including the regulation of response to crisis situations, which was adopted back in 2010, where actions are clearly written, but, at the same time, there is a clear understanding and concept of the zone of responsibility of the CSTO. We have asked the CSTO about one of the most important principles: to adjust the zone of responsibility of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the Republic of Armenia. In other words, we have asked them to tell us their idea of what the Republic of Armenia is. We have not received a clear answer to this question. On the other hand, the civilian mission of the European Union was possible, because as a result of the quadrilateral meeting in Prague, the European Union clearly outlined, including with the participation and consent of Armenia and Azerbaijan, what the Republic of Armenia is. In other words, they said that in their opinion the map of the Republic of Armenia is this, or we said this is the map, they took it into account and confirmed it. They come to monitor and observe that area," explained the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister emphasized that deploying an observation mission without an idea of the territory will be strange, because it is not clear to them what they will observe.

"The issue arose from the situation when Azerbaijan occupied the territories of the Republic of Armenia. If any mission does not know what the Republic of Armenia is, the territory of the Republic of Armenia, how will it consider whether the territory of the Republic of Armenia is occupied or not? This is the most important issue," said the Prime Minister.

Pashinyan also stated that before the deployment of the European Union observation mission, Azerbaijan justified its aggressive actions against Armenia on Western platforms by the fact that the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia is deploying more and more Russian troops on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and preparing a joint Armenian-Russian aggressive attack on Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijan with its aggressive attacks is simply trying to balance the situation, to manage its vulnerabilities to some extent.

"This process continued. Moreover, I have already said that in the West, an attempt was made to present Armenia as a participant in "Russia's aggressive policy", and in Russia, an attempt was made to present it as a participant in the Western conspiracy. Since the Russian partners had representatives there and our Western partners had already started looking at us with mistrust, saying that you are actually preparing for aggressive actions, because there are large concentrations of Russian and Armenian troops there, you are going to attack Azerbaijan, the poor Azerbaijanis are forced to occupy heights, trying to balance the situation. Realizing that they are spending a lot of resources on it, we said: very well, let's consider whether all that is true or not. The key point is that, of course, there is no geopolitical context in all of this. There is a specific agenda, there is a specific issue that we are trying to solve," concluded Pashinyan.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Potentially problematic parties for the ruling caste are excluded from the vote. Thus Tokaev will not be able to get rid of the old guard linked to his predecessor Nazarbaiev. Without real reforms, riots similar to those of January 2022 could reoccur.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan, to be held on 19 March, appear to be largely an attempt to strengthen the personal power of President Kasym-Zomart Tokaev, as most observers from various countries write.

After his hasty re-election as president at the end of a year of tensions and dramatic internal and external events, Tokaev must now consolidate his role as a 'democratic reformer', but he risks creating further disappointment and unrest in the country.

As Almaz Kuzmenov notes in Eurasianet, the formal simplification of registration procedures for political parties is not eliminating the practice of allowing only those groups most loyal to the regime to take part.

A certain fervour of participation was aroused by the presidential decision to reduce the minimum number of members needed to register a party, from 20 to 5,000. Hopes were greatly reduced after the Ministry of Justice refused to admit the opposition parties Alga, Kazakhstan!, Namys and other groups.

The leader of Namys, Sanzar Bomaev, is now an established businessman, having been a ruling party official for years. He complains that the government continues to invent all kinds of obstacles to prevent the participation of independent associations in the political struggle.

His views are shared by activist and journalist Sergei Duvanov, for whom 'there is no doubt that Akorda [the presidential palace] is tailoring its parliament to suit itself, making the electorate choose only those it knows it can control'.

In truth, two new parties have registered: one is Baytak, which expresses ecological positions, although so far it has not been involved in any major initiatives in this field. Its leader, Azamatkhan Amirtaj, is nevertheless in favour of Tokaev. The other party, Respublica, is also in favour of the Akorda line. The majority party of the last elections, Amanat, is, however, not sure about confirming its leadership, in Kuzmenov's opinion.

In turn, political scientist Tolganaj Umbetalieva, head of the Central Asian Foundation for the Development of Democracy, argues that the other two parties currently represented in the Mazilis (Ak Zol' and the People's Party) also cannot be sure of gaining any seats, because the Akorda does not trust them much.

"The old parties only support Tokaev's policies in order to survive in parliament, but they are too susceptible to the manipulations of former President Nazarbaev's men, which the current president must manage to get rid of.

Some moves by Nazarbayev's relatives and associates in the financial markets reveal that the old caste of 'eternal power' is far from willing to step aside.

Auyl and the National Social Democratic Party will also appear in the elections. The latter has so far been represented as the opposition, but appears to be a formation with exhausted potential.

The electoral law stipulates that of the 98 seats up for grabs, 69 will be allocated by proportional representation, while the remaining 29 will be contested in uninominal constituencies. In the various hypotheses on the results, many expect a parliament 'new in formation, but old in content'.

According to Umbetalieva, 'it is important for Tokaev that new men come to the Mazilis to support the project of a new Kazakhstan, faithfully following the indications of the system in power', but the risk is that 'the president is playing with fire, at home and with Russia'.

If the course of reform does not appear credible enough, there could be a repeat of uprisings similar to those of January 2022, which risked Moscow's troops invading Kazakhstan and then pouring into Ukraine.
In India alone, an estimated eight million people have been the victims of this crime. For Pope Francis, the system of trafficking profits from [. . .] injustice and wickedness. In Goa, the missionary-run Trust of Nano Nagle School is one of the many entities fighting trafficking. Meanwhile, two girls go missing in Chandpukur parish (Bangladesh), possibly taken by traffickers.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis released a video message for the 9th World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking. In it, the pontiff says that, Human trafficking disfigures dignity. Exploitation and subjugation limit freedom and turn people into objects to use and discard.

In South Asia alone, the United Nations estimates that 150,000 people are trafficked each year, most of them women (44 per cent) and girls (21 per cent); forced labour, sexual exploitation, and early marriage are the main reasons for this crime.

[T]he system of trafficking profits from the injustice and wickedness that oblige millions of people to live in conditions of vulnerability. Indeed, people impoverished by economic crisis, wars, climate change and many forms of instability are easily recruited, Francis says in the video.

This years theme, Journeying in dignity", remembers Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese woman who was sold into slavery, abused, and finally freed, and is now the patron saint of survivors of human trafficking.

The pope's words reflect the experience of many Church entities in Asia that fight prostitution and human trafficking, like the Trust of Nano Nagle School (TNNS) in Goa (India). Run by Redemptorist Fathers, it is open to children who live in slums or from migrant families.

The schools vision is to provide free English medium education to migrant street children, slum children and dropouts in Goa and prevent child labour and child abuse, and to uphold the rights of children, said TNNS director Fr Ritesh Rosario, speaking to AsiaNews.

The school, which is located in the Redemptorist Vice Province of Majella, welcomes children, especially girls, from the slums in Margaon and Navelim, south of Goa.

In line with the statutes of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the TNNS offers schooling from kindergarten to high school; in addition to an all-round education, it provides breakfast and lunch.

Its courses cover a panoply of subject matters, from home skills, personality development and moral values to technical training and computer literacy.

For Fr Rosario, the school programmes overall aim is to help girls to break free from the dangers that lack of education favour.

According to some estimates, at least eight million people have become involved in Indias trafficking networks, mostly slave labourers.

The successes of so many girls who attended the Redemptorist school show the importance of education to prevent young people from being abducted or lured into trafficking.

The latter is a tragic, daily reality in many parts of Asia, as evinced by a recent case in neighbouring Bangladesh, where two girls went missing, very likely taken by human traffickers.

In the morning of 28 December 2022, Rumila Mardi, 14, and her baby sister Maria, 4, went to harvest rice in a paddy, but never made it back to their village, Phulbaroiya Baghdanga, in Chandpukur Naogaon, northern Bangladesh.

After two days, the mother went to report her missing children with the police who failed to formally file the case; only after the intervention of Fr Belisario Ciro Montoya, a Colombian fidei donum priest associated with PIME, did the authorities begin an investigation.

I met the family, Fr Montoya said. I want the police to search for these missing girls. Every day we pray for them during Mass and the rosary, he told AsiaNews.

"We have no enemy. We are also on good terms with our neighbours; we don't understand why our daughters disappeared," said Aroti Murmu, the mother of the two girls.

According to a UNICEF report, about 400 women and children are trafficked in Bangladesh every month.

Another study notes that some 300,000 Bangladeshi children and women between the ages of 12 and 30 were trafficked to India alone in the past decade.

(Nirmala Carvalho and Sumon Corraya contributed to this article)
by Fady Noun

Many Lebanese show generosity, sorrow, and closeness to quake victims. The first Lebanese rescue teams set off for the affected area. A delegation of Lebanese ministers travels to Damascus. Despite its serious economic crisis, Lebanon mobilises to bring aid. Like the Port of Beirut explosion, tragedy brings together.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  Mondays earthquake has profoundly distressed people in Lebanon, torn from their sleep in the middle of the night by repeated tremors. Uncertain about their origin, they relived bad memories of the explosion of 4 August 2020 in the capital.

Yet, many regain their composure when they realised that it was an earthquake, and not the accidental explosion at a warehouse, a bombing, or an attack.

In the southern suburbs of Beirut, people started shouting Allahu akbaru as the ground shook. This scared 22-year-old Hussein out of his wits. I thought it was the return of the Mahdi," he is quoted as saying in the media.

A delegation led by Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib that included Ali Hamieh, Hector Hajjar and Abbas Hajj Hassan, respectively outgoing ministers of Public Works, Social Affairs and Agriculture, was due in Syria today to discuss "the possibilities of Lebanese assistance in rescue operations".

This came despite the fact that relations between Lebanon and Syria were suspended in late 2011 after Bashar al-Assads regime was banned from the Arab League following its brutal crackdown of a popular uprising.

In fact, Lebanese rescue workers have already been sent to Syria. The Lebanese military announced yesterday that it was sending 15 members of its Corps of Engineers to Syria to help in search and rescue operations.

Money has been allocated for a civil defence team, while the Lebanese Red Cross has also sent a rescue team. For his part, Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh (Hezbollah), announced yesterday that a number of Lebanese companies have decided to send excavators and other heavy machinery to Syria to help clear the rubble.

"Our ports and airport are at the disposal of rescue operations," the minister said. They will be open to all ships and planes carrying relief and fully exempt from all fees and taxes," he added.

Churches naturally expressed their solidarity with the suffering Syrian population, as did many of their faithful.

All political movements did the same, but some politicians, such as Fares Souaid, stressed that their solidarity is addressed "to the people and not to the regime".

Like the United States, many political groups who see themselves as "sovereigntist want to prevent the regime in place from diverting to its advantage the momentum of humanitarian solidarity.

Churches open to refugees

Bringing relief from Lebanon is complicated by the fact that the quake-affected areas are in government-controlled as well as rebel-controlled areas.

More than a quarter of deaths have been reported in government-held Aleppo province. The city was also hit hard with about 50 collapsed buildings.

Vincent Gelot, director for Lebanon and Syria of the L'uvre d'Orient NGO, accompanied a 10-tonne semi-trailer lorry loaded with blankets that left Beirut yesterday for Aleppo; this followed a request from Aleppo bishops after they held an emergency meeting.

Luvre d'Orient is working with Bishop Mario Zenari, nuncio to Syria, who also arrived in this city on the same day with a load of fuel oil, so precious in the extremely cold winter, which is sorely missed by residents who have been the first victims of a heartless US blockade.

In addition, mosques and churches are open to families who saw their homes collapse as a result of the quake, or fear that they are too unsafe in case of more tremors.
Administered by Taiwan, the islands are 10 km from mainland China and almost 200 km from Taiwan. For local councillors they are not defensible. A police force should replace soldiers in order to turn the area into a demilitarised zone where the two sides can talk.

Taipei (AsiaNews)  Two groups of councillors from Kinmen County, one cross-party and one non-partisan, are calling for the withdrawal of Taiwanese troops from their islands, which are just across from mainland China

In a broader effort to promote peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the islands would become a demilitarised zone.

As reported by Focus Taiwan, the two newly created political alliances want the central government in Taipei to heed the concerns of the local population, which feels threatened by a possible attack from the mainland as tensions rise between China and Taiwans current, US-backed government of President Tsai Ing-wen.

Administered by Taiwan, Kinmen is located 10 kilometres from Xiamen, in the Chinese province of Fujian, 187 kilometres from the island of Taiwan.

In the 1950s, it was the scene of two major crises and was heavy shelled by communist China. At the height of the tensions, the county was home to 120,000 troops. Now 2,000 are deployed.

For the promoters of the demilitarisation initiative, troops currently stationed are too few to face a possible Chinese attack, but are seen as a provocation by Beijing, which considers Taiwan a rebel province to be taken, by force if necessary.

According to Shih Ming-te, former chairman of Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party, Taipei should also withdraw its troops from the Matsu Islands, which are also closer to mainland China than to the island of Taiwan.

Kinmen's counsellors suggest replacing troops with police and coast guard forces. They also ask to turn the area into a place where the two parties can meet for talks.

In order to promote local economic development, the two political groups envisage building a bridge to Xiamen and developing a special economic zone with the Chinese city.

All these initiatives require peaceful relations between Beijing and Taipei. However, Fujian is heavily militarised, and the reunification of Taiwan remains one of Chinese President Xi Jinping's primary objectives.

Meanwhile, the Tsai administration is boosting Taiwans defences. Today it announced that it signed a US$ 85.3 million maintenance agreement with the United States for its F-16 fighter jets.
The Pope calls for solidarity with those suffering from the devastating calamity during his general audience. In his address to the faithful, the pontiff retraced the stages of his peace journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, with a new warning about the "shame of those who say they give aid and sell arms". "God places his hope not in the great and powerful, but in the small and humble".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "I encourage everyone to show solidarity with those territories already battered by a long war," Pope Francis urged this monring, at the end of the general audience held as he does every Wednesday in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.

He invited the faithful to be close to those affected by the earthquake that in Turkey and Syria has caused thousands of deaths and injuries, saying: "Deeply moved, I pray for them and express my closeness to these peoples, to the families of the victims and to all those who are suffering from the devastating calamity. I thank those who are working to bring relief. Let us pray together that these brothers and sisters of ours may move forward in the face of this tragedy and let us ask Our Lady to protect them."

Earlier - in his address to the faithful - Pope Francis had retraced the stages of the apostolic journey he made in recent days to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

"I thank God who has allowed me to make this long-desired journey," he commented, "Two 'dreams': to visit the Congolese people, custodians of an immense country, Africa's green lung, a land rich in resources and bloodied by a war that never ends because there are always those who fuel the fire. And to visit the South Sudanese people, on a pilgrimage of peace together with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Moderator General of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields: we went together to testify that it is possible and right to collaborate in diversity, especially if one shares faith in Christ."

"Before the authorities in Kinshasa,' the pope continued, 'I said two words: the first is negative: "enough!", stop exploiting Africa! The second is positive: together, together with dignity and mutual respect, together in the name of Christ, our hope'. The Pontiff also recalled the shocking testimonies of some Congolese victims, "especially women, who laid at the foot of the Cross weapons and other instruments of death. With them I said 'no' to violence and resignation, 'yes' to reconciliation and hope".

On the ecumenical peace pilgrimage to South Sudan, the Pontiff recalled that it was the point of arrival of a journey begun in Rome in 2019 with the South Sudanese authorities, to make a commitment to overcome the conflict and build peace.

"Unfortunately, the process of reconciliation has not advanced that far and the newborn South Sudan is a victim of the old logic of power and rivalry, which produces war, violence, refugees and internally displaced persons. Therefore, addressing those same Authorities, I invited them to turn the page, to carry forward the Peace Agreement and the Road Map, to say decisively 'no' to corruption and arms trafficking and 'yes' to encounter and dialogue". In this regard, the pontiff also stigmatised "so many so-called civilised countries that offer help, but this help consists of weapons: it is a disgrace".

In this context, the ecumenical pilgrimage was a testimony "that religion is fraternity, it is peace, it is communion; that God is Father and always and only wants the life and good of his children". "God places his hope," he concluded, "not in the great and the powerful, but in the small and the humble. Let us pray that, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in South Sudan, and throughout Africa, the seeds of his Kingdom of love, justice and peace may germinate'.

Finally, as he does every week, Pope Francis invited us not to forget "the suffering of the Ukrainian people, so tormented: in this cold, without light, without heating, and at war".
by Stefano Vecchia

The Philippine vice president, who is also secretary of education, presented a report that shows that 81 per cent of students cannot deal with math problems and have trouble understanding texts of moderate lengths. She launched a plan to boost support for teachers.

Manila (AsiaNews)  Philippine Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte recently spoke about the countrys education system with her usual frankness, and with a realism often absent from official statements.

Citing her Departments Basic Education Report 2023, which displays a tougher than usual analysis, Ms Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, stresses the problems, such as the lack of classrooms and poor infrastructure, staff shortages, flawed managerial practices, and inadequate curricula.

The study also found that students find themselves subjected to "emotional abuse, exhaustion and psychological fatigue. About 81 per cent "cannot deal with math problems" and have trouble understanding texts of moderate lengths, while 78 per cent "could not recognize explanations for scientific phenomena or draw conclusions from them.

According to the vice president, a solution depends in part on teachers who need more support, particularly in explicitly and strategically teaching critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are indispensable in the 21st century, along with higher-level knowledge.

Indeed, for Duterte, teachers dedication, integrity and commitment to serve Filipino children and our country strengthened our collective effort to achieve our shared dreams for our learners. Still, education is in a critical state, and requires greater coordination with private sector and labour partners.

In light of these problems, the Department of Education conceived and launched the Young Nation, Youth for the Nation programme (Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa), as a framework to bring together all stakeholders over the coming years.

The programme has four specific objectives: making the curriculum relevant so that it can train competent, employable, active, and responsible citizens; accelerating the development of essential educational facilities and services; improving the learning environment and student well-being with inclusive education; and helping teachers to teach better.
by Guido Alberto Casanova

The families of the 159 boys who lost their lives on Halloween night held a rally and set up a memorial structure in front of the city hall. Civil society organisations and opposition party members accused the conservative executive of doing nothing to help the city overcome the trauma of the tragedy.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - The Halloween tragedy in Itaewon remains an unforgettable nightmare for the families of the 159 victims. The city government is not helping them to heal their trauma, preventing the setting up of a memorial structure in front of the city hall.

To commemorate the 100th day since the massacre, the families of some of the victims had requested the city government to organise a public commemoration in Gwanghwamun Square, the capital's main square. The conservative-led authorities, however, rejected the request on the grounds that the square had already been booked for other activities on that day.

On 4 February, however, the relatives gathered in the centre and erected an altar for the victims anyway. Together with about 5,000 people, the demonstrators marched through the streets of the capital and set up a structure in front of the town hall even without the consent of the local authorities. The police intervened to try to block the installation, but after a brief scuffle with family members, they desisted.

Numerous civil society groups and opposition parties joined the commemoration. The tone of the demonstration, as reported by the local press, immediately turned into an attack against the national government of the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol, accused of failing to protect the victims. "You cannot find the responsibility of the state before the tragedy, after the tragedy and now," opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said from a stage.

Thundering against the alleged dictatorial nature of the current executive, Lee added that "the Seoul city government has also coldly rejected the request of the bereaved families to have even a small space to commemorate the victims".

The municipal authorities, however, did not give up and ordered the removal of the installation. Initially, the municipality had ordered the families to remove the altar by 6 February, but then the deadline was postponed.

In the meantime, the deputy mayor of Seoul contacted one of the families' representatives to propose an alternative space inside the underground station in Noksapyeong. A proposal that was not liked and was interpreted as an attempt to hide and silence the condolence demonstration.

In addition, families had already erected a memorial altar near the Noksapyeong station, but it proved cramped and difficult for many people to reach. Not to mention the fact that the structure had been defaced several times by an extreme right-wing group.

The families of the victims did not give up and took turns to stand guard around the altar in front of the town hall. But from inside the building the authorities continue to demand its removal. Yesterday the deputy mayor issues his latest warning, announcing to the families that they have until 12 February to dismantle the unauthorised structure. After that, the police might intervene.
Today's headlines: the death toll from quake in Syria and Turkey exceeds 8,700; Thailand expects 30 million tourists this year; Australia bans coal mining near the Great Barrier Reef; Dispute in Russia over the name of the former Stalingrad; Tomb of the father of Azeri literature destroyed in Iran.

CHINA-UNITED STATES

Despite geopolitical tensions, trade between China and the US peaked in 2022 at USD 690.6 billion. US exports grew by 2.4 billion to 153.8 billion. However, the trade deficit with the Chinese, who exported 536.8 billion (+31.8 billion) worth of goods to US soil, increased.

TURKEY-SYRIA

The provisional number of victims of the earthquake on the Turkish-Syrian border has now exceeded 8,700, with 6,200 dead in Turkey. While rescue operations continue, offers of help arrive from many countries, including from Taliban-held Afghanistan. Chinese and Taiwanese intervention teams are present.

THAILAND

According to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, more than 30 million tourists will arrive in the country this year, exceeding the previous estimate of 20 million. After the removal of foreign entry restrictions due to the pandemic, the government adopted a series of measures to facilitate the recovery of the tourism sector.

AUSTRALIA

The Australian Government has decided to ban coal mining operations near the Great Barrier Reef. The ban concerns a mining plant that was to be built 10 km from the well-known natural site.

SRI LANKA

Colombo's main creditors (Paris Group) are ready to give financial assurances to allow the International Monetary Fund to release .9 billion worth of aid to the island.

RUSSIA

Protoierej Leonid Kalinin, member of the Patriarchal Commission for Culture, commented on the discussion on the return of the city of Volgograd to the name Stalingrad. In his opinion, "it would be right to return to the even older name of Tsaritsyn", the "city of the tsars", which would provoke less discussion and return to the title under which it was founded.

IRAN-AZERBAIGIAN

In Iran, the historic tomb of the 13th century Azerbaijani poet Izzeddin Gasanoglu, the first author of literature in the Azerbaijani language, has been destroyed in the city of Khorasan. This was announced on social media by a folklore scholar, Ali Samil, who appealed "to our intelligentsia and official circles" not to let the incident pass over in silence.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
MIT Study: Self-Driving Cars Could Drive Up Carbon Emissions

Written by Scott McClallen, The Center Square

Published Feb. 8, 2023

A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says the computers that power autonomous cars could become a significant source of carbon emissions if widely adopted.

For years, Michigan taxpayers have subsidized research on autonomous cars, which aim to drive themselves using a series of sensors and advanced technology.

The goal of autonomous vehicles is to reduce traffic deaths and relieve humans of manual driving. In 2021, the most recent data available, there were 282,640 crashes in Michigan. Of those crashes, 1,068 were fatal, according to crash data from the Michigan State Police.

The study said 1 billion autonomous vehicles, each driving for one hour daily with a computer consuming 840 watts, would consume enough energy to generate about the same amount of emissions as data centers.

Data centers housing computer infrastructure currently account for about 0.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, or about the annual carbon emissions of the country of Argentina, according to the International Energy Agency.

We are hoping that people will think of emissions and carbon efficiency as important metrics to consider in their designs," study co-advisor Vivienne Sze said in a statement. Sze is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Research Laboratory of Electronics. "The energy consumption of an autonomous vehicle is really critical, not just for extending the battery life, but also for sustainability."

Michigan has spent millions investing in self-driving vehicles and industry 4.0, according to a Michigan Economic Development Corp. report. One of the core objectives of the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, a part of the development corporation, is to further develop systems and for deploying autonomous and shared transportation.

The development corporation hasnt responded to a request from The Center Square for comment about the study. The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification is also tasked with accelerating EV adoption, the goal of which is to reduce carbon emissions from transportation.

Michigan is developing a 40-mile corridor for connected and autonomous vehicles between downtown Detroit and Ann Arbor that allows for a mix of connected and autonomous vehicles, traditional transit vehicles, shared mobility and freight and personal vehicles.

Michigan and other partners have invested in autonomous vehicles since 2013, according to a 2017 Department of Transportation report. A 2022 report from The Citizens Research Council of Michigan recommends state transportation planners should refocus efforts on proven solutions to todays problems.

Michigan cannot be a leader in automotive by chasing transient technology trends, the Citizens Research Council report said. The industry appreciates that Michigan officials are interested and engaged in the development of new technologies, but there should be more reflection and less reflex when investing public resources. Such efforts distract from finding real solutions to real problems that exist today.

A 2021 Department of Transportation study said out of 49 state transportation departments reviewed, 27 states were involved in connected autonomous vehicle activities while 22 states were not.

Michigan is partnering with Cavnue on its CAV corridor, The Center Square reported in 2020. Cavnue didnt provide a comment to The Center Square about the MIT study by time of publishing.

There is no denying, the future of vehicles is connected and automated, Tyler Duvall, co-founder and CEO of Cavnue, said in an Michigan Economic Development Corp. article deeming the company a "success story." A network of CAV corridors powered by an integrated hardware, software and advanced roadway operation solution can ensure that the future is safe and efficient. Coupled with the industry leading center of excellence in automotive that calls Michigan home, it only makes sense to begin here and grow a network of CAV corridors across the rest of the country.

The National Science Foundation and the MIT-Accenture Fellowship partly funded the research.

We thank The Center Square for reprint permission.
Along with the refreshed GLE and GLE Coupe range produced by Mercedes-Benz, the AMG department also launched the GLE 63 S 4Matic+ Coupe version.

Even though the German automaker split its line of AMG products into a different brand, several models shared many parts. So, it was just normal that when the three-pointed star brand launched the GLE, the Affalterbach brand also followed with its performance SUV Coupe. But, unlike its lower-powered siblings, the 63 S 4Matic+ came with more standard features, and obviously, with its powerful V8 engine.

There was nothing subtle about the GLE 63 S 4Matic+ Coupe. Its front fascia boasted the Panamericana grille, but this time adorned with a redesigned badge on it that featured a single line for the satin-silver surrounding. Also, the multibeam LED headlights were adorned with four blocks (two on top and two on the bottom), replacing the formerly used inward-pointing V-shaped lights. From its profile, the performance SUV came fitted with standard 22" light-alloy wheels. Finally, at the back, the car featured redesigned taillights that sported a line spread from the rear quarter panels onto the tailgate.

Inside, the new and enhanced MBAUX system was displayed on a 12.3" touchscreen that sat atop the center stack. In addition, the driver's instrument panel retained the previously used screen of the same size. Both displays were covered under the same piece of glass, creating a seamless look for them. Apart from the high-bolstered front bucket seats, the automaker also installed a split-folding bench in the back, fit for up to three adults and yet profiled just for two.

Under the hood, the four-liter V8 gasoline engine provided 612 PS (608 hp) as its predecessor.
DOHC

Praga revived its two-wheel history in the 1990s with the introduction of the ED 250. More recently, it unleashed a hypercar that weighs less than 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds). The limited-run Bohema flaunts a Nissan GT-R V6 powerplant modified to belt out circa 700 ponies.Only 89 units will be produced. The motorcycle well be covering today is even rarer, and similarly to the 1.28 million (nearly $1.4 million) Praga Bohema , its ridiculously expensive. 28 examples of the ZS 800 are planned, each one priced at 86,000 or about $93,300.There are plenty of reasons why this oh-so-classy motorcycle costs so much, reasons other than rarity. For starters, its a modern-day take on the 1928 Praga BD 500, an iconic motorcycle masterminded by aviation designer and passionate motorcyclist Jaroslav Frantisek Koch.Similar to the original, the ZS 800 features a four-stroke mill with avalvetrain. The air-cooled parallel twin rocks 773 cubic centimeters, and its official ratings are 50 ps (49 horsepower) and 65 Nm (48 pound-feet). Not bad for this displacement and engine design, and clearly not bad for a bike that weighs 158 kilograms (348 pounds).Scheduled to start deliveries in the summer of 2023, the ZS 800 is the brainchild of Jan Zuzi, an engineer who worked on the Praga Bohema mentioned earlier. Zuzi started the ZS 800 as a passion project, and in keeping with the 700-hp Bohema, it flaunts a lot of exotic materials.From the chrome molybdenum steel frame to the woven carbon wheels and titanium exhaust, all wrapped up in a retro-infused package, this motorbike can be rightfully considered a sight to behold. Developed in collaboration with fellow engineer Radek Sebesta, the Czech motorcycle features hydraulic drum brakes, Ohlins suspension, as well as a 50:50 weight distribution.Certain elements are brought to life using 3D printing. The air-cooled engine is joined by an 11.5-liter (3-gallon) fuel tank embellished with forged carbon for extra visual delight. Almost every nut, bolt, and screw is titanium.Aviation-spec duralumin also needs to be mentioned. More than 300 hours of five-axis machining are needed to achieve the complex structure of the ZS 800. Pictured on 18- by 2.5-inch wheels with carbon tensioned spokes, the superb-looking motorcycle runs Dunlop Roadmaster TT100 GP tires measuring 100/90 fore and 130/80 aft.If you want one, youd better send them an email because Praga has already sold at least one unit of the 28 they intend to make. Chassis number one is heading to a customer in Dubai, according to the Czech manufacturer.
EV

Subaru of America obnoxiously uses all-new to describe the 2024 model, which may be considered misleading by certain enthusiasts. If you ask for my opinion, heavy facelift would be the most appropriate way of characterizing the newcomer due to its unibody vehicle architecture.It's hard to believe this, but the Subaru Global Platform is the Japanese automakers first completely new platform since the first-generation Legacy rolled out in 1989. Subsequent vehicles are built around evolutions of the Legacys platform. Even the first-generation BRZ flaunts a VA-series WRX STI-based rear suspension layout, and the second-generation BRZ borrows a few bits and pieces from the Subaru Global Platform mentioned just earlier.Theres nothing inherently long with said architecture, though. The only problem would be Subarus promise of all-electric vehicles based on the SGP, all-electric vehicles that have yet to launch. If theyll ever launch, that is, because Subarus first series-productionis a rebadged Toyota manufactured by Toyota on a Toyota platform.Pompously touted as completely redesigned, the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek promises three highlights prior to its unveiling. First and foremost, its obviously better styled than its predecessor. The pictured trim level is dubbed Sport. Finished in a very interesting paint that gives the impression of a matte finish, the Sport also comes with yellow garnish here and there, as well as black-painted alloy wheels mounted with Falken Ziex all-season tires.Zooming in on the black plastic grille up front doesnt reveal any intercooler in the engine bay, which means that its a naturally-aspirated mill hiding under the hood. The 2.5-liter boxer in the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Sport belts out 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet (237 Nm), with said engine carrying over to the well-equipped Limited.Subaru let it slip that more power is coming to the Crosstrek, although thats all we know for the time being. Are those additional ponies coming to the 2.5 mentioned earlier or by way of a different engine altogether? The FA24 comes to mind, which is offered in both free-breathing and turbo flavors depending on the application.The Japanese market gets one powertrain in the form of a mild-hybrid 2.0 connected exclusively to a continuously variable transmission. The naturally-aspirated boxer is backed up by an electric motor to return a WLTC-estimated 6.1 liters per 100 kilometers or 38.6 miles per gallon with front-wheel drive on the combined cycle. Yes, front-wheel drive ! All-wheel drive is  of course  also available.On an ending note, Subaru also made a case for enhanced safety. The Tokyo-based manufacturer may be referring to small improvements to the Subaru EyeSight system. One of those small improvements is the ability to identify bicyclists and pedestrians at intersections sooner thanks to a wider field of view and updated control software.Even though Subaru hasnt said anything in this regard yet, look forward to more inches for the touchscreen infotainment unit. The outgoing model offers 6.5- and 8.0-inch units, while the third generation for the Japanese market boasts an 11.6-inch portrait-oriented display.
The company already sells a series of folding e-bikes and a cargo e-trike in Europe, but after sealing some key partnerships at IFA 2022, it is now ready to enter the U.S. urban mobility market.The folding e-bikes they will be offering here are called Henri, Fiete, and Fiene. They are basically the same bike model in different color combinations, and they all offer pedal assist up to 20 mph (32 kph) and a 45-mile (72.4 km) range between charges.When it came time to apply that spirit to the problems of getting around our cities, communities, and even long-distance travel, Blaupunkt jumped in with both feet. We knew our offering had to be both fast, powerful, and fun while also being convenient to move around, all at a price that balances accessibility and a premium experience, said the CEO of Blaupunkt Americas.Being built around a die-cast magnesium-alloy frame, Blaupunkts two-wheeler weighs 46 pounds (20.8 kg) and folds down to just 20 x 30 x 23 inches (50.8 x 76.2 x 58.4 cm) for easy transportation between riding sessions. Magnets help keep it in place in transit.Magnesium seems to be a great choice of material for folding e-bikes , as it not only helps shave weight down but it is also strong, does not corrode, and contributes to a smoother, more efficient ride. Not to mention it is also cheaper than popular lightweight materials like carbon fiber.Blaupunkts folding e-bike is equipped with a rear-hub motor making 350W of power and 50 Nm (36.8 lb-ft) of torque, mated to a 378-Wh battery pack. With this combo, riders will be able to reach a top speed of 20 mph (32 kph) over three levels of pedal assist. The motor is coupled to a Shimano six-speed gearset for increased ride flexibility.Considering the removable 36V, 10.5Ah Li-ion battery pack promises to offer a per-charge range of 45 miles (72 km), Blaupunkts e-bike would be able to satisfy most commuters needs.All e-bike versions have a maximum payload of 265 lbs (120 kg) and ride on 20-inch magnesium-alloy wheels shod in 2.125 tires. Braking is handled by Tektro mechanical disc brakes that are said to offer ample stopping power.A small backlit LCD display with the usual deets and adjustment buttons is mounted on the left handlebar, while a LED headlight and rear reflector combo are also part of the package.As mentioned, the Henri, Fiete, and Fiene are all the same bike model, and their color combinations are as follows: grey/black for Henri, blue/black for Fiete, and orange/black for Fiene. All three variations are now on sale in the U.S. via Bike Exchange at a $1,999 price point.
EV

Born from the ashes of Dieselgate, Electrify America did not have a great time in the last couple of months customer experience-wise. Many have complained online about the reliability of the companys chargers. A couple of stalls appeared on the virtual map as working while they were offline. Somedrivers almost lost their vehicles because of charging issues, while other technologically-inclined people figured out how to bypass the chargers default app and went online to put the competitors charging map on the Electrify America charger.So, from a customer perspective, things are not going that great. However, when expanding a network of over 3,500 chargers that covers almost the entire country and parts of its northern neighbor, errors can happen, especially as technology continues to improve. Nobody is perfect. Deploying such a vast number of stalls and making sure everything works fine at more than 800 locations is a challenge.However, Electrify America has impressive backers and proper financing. It should be able to fix everything in a timely manner and verify that its charging stations work just fine. Lets hope they will learn from what happened recently.The management change comes right before the VW-owned and Siemens-backed charging network is getting ready to apply new price hikes across the U.S. Still, the outgoing CEO pointed out a couple of milestones achieved under his tenure. Palazzo underlined the 17 partnerships with EV manufacturers (which include those complimentary miles or passes you might have heard about), the launch of Electrify Home charging solutions for individuals who want a superior charger at their house, and the delivery of six million charging sessions in 2022.Over the next few months, I will be transitioning from my current role as President & CEO of Electrify America to my next chapter with the company as Chairman of the Board of Electrify America and Senior Vice President of Global Charging and Energy at Volkswagen AG, said Palazzo as he backs away from an active role to a more administrative one.Usually, the Chairman of the Board sits higher than the CEO in a companys management structure. However, the Chairman and the CEO are often known to effectively co-lead a company by working together. This is what might happen at Electrify America as well since the current CEO is planning on serving as senior VP at VW after he leaves the current role. So, things can go even smoother!The transition began already, but it will be a couple of months before the new CEO can fully take the reins. Electrify Americas current VP of Technology, Robert Barrosa, will replace Giovanni Pallazo. He said the company achieved so much in so little time, but from now on, everyone will have much more to do.Its a new day for Electrify America, but it does not represent the start of a dramatic change. Well what the new CEO will do considering all the challenges hell have to face regarding the increasing costs of doing business, the NEVI funding, and the intense competition coming from Tesla s Supercharging network, EVGO, Chargepoint, and even the likes of Rivian with its Waypoints and Adventure Network.
Photo: USAF/Staff Sgt. Lawrence Sena

The full list of contractors and subcontractors taking part in the F-35 program is not entirely known, but we do know the two prime Lockheed Martin partners in this production effort: Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.Northrop Grumman is tasked with making the airplanes center fuselage (the part of the plane which houses most of the planes internal weapons bay and fuel), a series of high-tech pieces of hardware, including the fire control radar, communications, and avionics, but also some software, including for mission systems. BAE Systems on the other hand makes the rear fuselage for the plane, and a series of other components meant to give the plane computing power and pilot controls.As one of the most modern aircraft ever made, the F-35 is scheduled to remain in service at least until the 2070s, and that means a lot of milestones will be reached until that time comes.The most recent such achievement in the production of the F-35, the worlds largest defense program, as some call it, has to do with BAE Systems. The British company said this week its production lines rolled off the 1,000th rear fuselage for the F-35, 18 years after the first one was made, and it got delivered to Lockheed Martin for integration into an actual plane.Although the undisputed king of the sky remains the F-16 , at least as far as the number of units made is concerned, with some 4,600 of them produced, the F-35 seems to be rapidly catching up to it.Available in three main variants for the U.S. military branches, (F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, respectively), the airplane is also operated by several allied nations.To date, under 1,000 of them have become operational, but according to BAE Systems, the global program of record has more than 3,000 units listed as needed. Of that, the USAF alone needs a total of 1,700 F-35A variants.In this configuration, the one-seater is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney turbofan engine capable of developing 43,000 pounds of thrust. It can shoot the plane to a top speed of Mach 1.6 (1,200 mph/1,931 kph) and to a top altitude of 50,000 feet (15 km).The F-35A can fly for a virtually unlimited distance when it can refuel in the air, but with internal fuel it can only go as far as 1,350 miles (2,173 km).According to a Forbes report, the cost of a single airplane is $78 million.
SUV

EV

BEV

kWh

kW

The main gist was for the reinvented GMC Hummer EV pickup truck andto harness all the full-size love and channel it into the Ultium-powered behemoth, probably. Well, at least for now, the strategy backfired and even during its first year of full availability on the market the 2023 GMC HummerEdition 1 did not impress, regardless of its many technical qualities and alleged all-terrain high performance.At the end of 2022, it turned out the sales were hardly anything to write home about, despite the potentially astonishing 85,300 percent increase year over year. In reality, the EV pickup truck only jumped from a single unit sold in 2021 to 854 examples delivered last year. That does not compare favorably with Americas most popular electric pickup truck for 2022, the Ford F-150 Lightning (15,617 units), or with Rivians new EV kids on the block, the R1T and R1S, which delivered a combined 20,332 units in 2022 (up from 920 the year prior).And the competition is not getting any easier because the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV siblings are also coming, while the Ram 1500 Revolutionand the Tesla Cybertruck are also in tow for potential 2024 releases on the market. Well, that is not to say that anyone who invested in an Edition 1 collectible of the GMC Hummer EV did anything wrong. Quite on the contrary, if they also dared to play with the factory settings and give it novel customization and personalization features. As such, here are the custom-forged wheel experts over at Santa Fe Springs, California-based AG Luxury , who have uncovered yet another potentially outrageous truck customization.Courtesy of Miami, Florida-based MC Customs , mostly  as also evidenced by the seaside photo shoot that accompanies the social media post embedded below, the 2023 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 battery-powered pickup truck now slipped on a fresh pair of shoes. Aka the AGLuxury AGL78 dual-block forged model, which is also bespoke-matched with a factory paint Grey and factory paint Metallic Black finish. By the way, this aftermarket wheel model is available from 19 to 26 inches and in a variety of form factors like monoblock, three-piece, or with a concave center profile.As for the GMC Hummer EV that looks like it was snatched out of a Game of Thrones or Vikings TV/movie shoot, we are probably dealing here with a stock Edition 1 packing the 1,000-hp Ultium powertrain complete with 246.8/212.7(gross/net) battery pack and 800V (at up to 350) recharging capabilities for when the 329-mile (529 km) range is not enough.
A Florida-based owner will soon get to officially meet their new fishing companion, Jemily II. And they have plenty of reasons to be very proud of it.This is actually only the second hull of a recently-launched series by Horizon Yachts, so you can bet that everyone will be eager to take a closer look at this newcomer, once it hits the sea. And once they do that, theyll probably fall in love with it. I mean, just look at those elegant lines and cleverly-configured spaces!First, check out the aft deck. You get there via a three-stage passerelle to port. Youll be delighted to find a full bar with two bar stools, a generous seating area, and an electric fold-down 65 TV. The enclosed skylounge is another dazzling spot. The owner really wanted to make this yacht as cozy as a home away from away, and it shows. Another TV (an 85 one) is the main attraction here, strategically placed so that guests can enjoy maximum privacy when they want to relax.If you were wondering where the Jacuzzi is, the bridge deck might become your favorite area on board, with a second bar, the Jacuzzi tub, and additional storage space. Theres plenty of room to lounge on the foredeck too. The owner even decided to take the helm station out of the picture and turn the uppermost deck into a stunning area for dining in the open air. Theres a table thats big enough for the whole family, plus a wet bar and sunpads.The Jemily II looks so stylish and sophisticated that its hard to believe that it can also be the perfect fishing buddy. A dedicated storage area on the beach club will reveal unexpected treasures, such as four fishing rod holders, a Dometic Eskimo fishbox ice system, plus a cabinet thats specifically designed for fishing gear. And theres still room left for diving equipment and two Montague bikes.You might say that this family-friendly yacht is like going camping at sea. Youve got TVs, fishing gear, wine coolers, a generous galley, plus the typical perks of luxury yachts  sunpads, lavish lounge areas, and a jacuzzi. And yes, the five staterooms are just as stylish and comfortable as youd expect.Jemily IIs owner didnt just make it feel more like home, but also played around with the onboard tech. He added things like a control system for all the exterior and underwater lights, a monitoring camera on the aft deck (to keep an eye on the towed tender) and additional charging outlets on the bridge deck.No doubt about it, this is one cool family yacht thats got something for everybody. Already on its way to the new owners, the second Horizon Tri-Deck FD100 will soon be making waves in the Bahamas.
EV

Elon Musk is about to announce his Master Plan 3 during Investor Day on March 1, and part of his plan is scalingproduction to the extreme. Nevertheless, Tesla needs more production facilities to increase production and lower costs. This is not only true for car manufacturing plants but also battery manufacturing facilities and raw-mineral processing plants. Of course, every country wants to host a Tesla gigafactory, but few would make a compelling proposition Previous information indicated Tesla might choose India to build its next gigafactory, although similar rumors surfaced about Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and Indonesia. Each of these countries has its strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, Indonesia seems most determined to convince Tesla to invest. Although it wants Tesla to build cars, presumably the affordable EV model it plans to unveil at the Investor Day event, its more likely that Tesla intends to tap into Indonesias vast mineral reserves.New rumors indicate that Tesla might consider producing EV batteries in a green industrial park located in North Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, using the countrys rich nickel resources. Not only Tesla wants to do that, but also battery giant CATL. The only problem is that Indonesia is a coal country, the largest exporter of coal for electricity, and it uses coal to produce most of its electric power. Although this green industrial park is projected to run on solar power and hydropower from a nearby river, it would take years to build the hydropower infrastructure.According to NPR, Indonesia is considering building new coal-fired power plants to provide electricity to its green park. If you dont get the irony, its not much different from running a coal-fired steam engine in the back of a Tesla to charge the battery and pretend it is green. According to the same source , theres a reason for that: the green park is the project of coal billionaire Garibaldi Thohir, whose brother is a minister in the Indonesian government. Several government members are also known to have ties to the coal industry.Tesla so far hasnt announced any project in Indonesia, although Elon Musk met with Indonesia President Joko Widodo in May last year. They nevertheless signed a $5 billion deal to supply nickel to Tesla, and the Indonesians would be more than happy to extend this partnership. Considering Teslas goals to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels , making its batteries using coal power might not be the best idea.
Photo: VisionF Yachts

Photo: VisionF Yachts

Photo: VisionF Yachts

The Turkey-based shipyard is a relatively new presence on the market, but its already causing both figurative and literal waves with its lineup of catamarans. After the initial VisionF 80 model, VisionF Yachts introduced the VisionF 60 model and is now branching out into yacht-like builds, with the new flagship 100 model. They preceded the announcement by saying that two units have already been sold.With its dual hulls, a catamaran provides a much more stable and comfortable experience at sea than a typical monohull. For all you millionaires reading (and looking to add to your collection of expensive toys), we should note that catamarans also offer a larger interior volume as compared to a yacht, as well as better efficiency and higher speeds. Catamarans might look boxier or less impressive in design from a distance, but in reality, they can offer a handful of advantages over a monohull yacht. And they also bring the same kind of luxury amenities and features millionaires have grown accustomed to  and expect from a yacht.Most shipyards that include cats in their lineups will offer either fully customizable layouts or a series of options from which to choose. VisionF does it too, and it does it for the 100 model as well. As such, the renders in the gallery only serve as an indication of how such a pleasure craft might end up looking, since the final layout is ultimately up to each individual owner.The yard describes VisionF 100 as sharing the same DNA as its smaller predecessors, but with everything blown up to scale, so that it becomes worthy of being included in the superyacht category. The VisionF 100 might not be as elegant or mysterious as the VisionF 80 BLK , but it comes with dual hulls made of kevlar composite, so its lighter and more durable. Its actually the first model in the lineup to use kevlar instead of aluminum or fiberglass, as well as the largest this far.This flybridge cat is 30.5 meters (100 feet) long and has a beam of 12 meters (40 feet), which means it boasts an incredible amount of space, both inside and out. The draft measures 1.2 meters (4 feet), allowing it to explore shallow waters without issues, drop anchor closer to shore, and go into bays where no superyacht would go.More space on deck means more opportunities for superyacht-like amenities , including a spectacular glass-bottomed pool on the foredeck  a must for any self-respecting millionaire. This is no regular glass-bottomed pool either: due to its location, this 3.7 square-meter (40 square-foot) body of water hangs in between the two hulls, so the view from the transparent bottom is of the sea below. This beats any James Bond-type of pool that looks into a nightclub, or most pools on this kind of luxury craft.With a sizable sundeck of 116 square meters (1,249 square feet) that can be turned into an open-air gym or yoga studio, VisionF 100 becomes the perfect vacation boat. The sundeck also holds several tanning and lounging areas, including a dining area and a bar. An indoor, 100 square-meter (1,076 square-foot) saloon is also available, for more formal occasions.The exterior dining area represents another highlight of this cat , thanks to the sofa design with a shifting backrest and a fold-down terrace right behind it. For social gatherings at mealtime, the sofa faces the dining table, and the terrace can be elevated to offer protection from the elements. For lounging and tanning, the sofa can face the other way, and the terrace folds down and out over the stern, maximizing the area with sun exposure.The layout of the hulls can be customized to include six guest staterooms with ensuite bathrooms, a large galley, and three crew cabins with separate access. It can also integrate a larger master suite facing forward, with private terrace (by means of fold-down bulwarks) and direct access to the foredeck.The VisionF 100 is powered by four Volvo Penta IPS 1050 engines that will take it to a top speed of 22 knots (25.3 mph / 40.7 kph). Millionaires looking to reduce their carbon footprint with a more sustainable option will have to wait: VisionF Yachts has previously collaborated with Silent Yachts for a line of solar-powered electric cats, so maybe the 100 model will benefit from the conversion at some point.Since these are custom yachts and because, in certain circles, if you have to ask, you cant afford it, pricing on the VisionF 100 model has not been revealed. But the yards founder and CEO Coskun Bayraktar says that two such units will hit the seas in two years time: We have sold the first VisionF 100 in kevlar composite and we are going to deliver the catamaran in early 2025. And we plan to start building the second unit that will be launched in March 2025.
Kias letting some of its customers know that they can benefit from a software update if their vehicle is affected by the TikTok trend which led to some serious consequences for the brands buyers. Besides that, once the car has been successfully upgraded to the latest build, the customers will also receive a sticker thats supposed to deter potential wrongdoers from attempting to steal the vehicle with the famous USB trick.According to the document, Kia is allowing affected customers to do this update for free until August 2024. The entire process is estimated to take one or two hours. In some cases, it might be necessary to take a day off because the time limit can extend.Last summer, we were telling you about a dangerous trend that started on one social network. Teenagers saw two people firing up the engine of a Kia with a turn-to-start ignition system by simply using a USB charger cable instead of a key or some other complicated or expensive device. At first, people thought it had to be an iPhone cable, but others quickly realized that it worked with almost anything. Besides that, Hyundai vehicles with the same ignition system were also vulnerable.Because the automakers didnt act quickly enough, things spiraled out of control. At first, a security kit was offered but only after customers started a class-action lawsuit about this issue in 14 states. Then, steering wheel locks were offered to the Police patrolling the areas prone to these kinds of nefarious actions. But online reports from customers said such devices are nowhere to be found. Those officers contacted by the unlucky owners said they don't know anything about free stuff coming from any automaker.More recently, even public authorities turned against South Korean brands. Seattle, for example, argues that the Police are spending too many resources on trying to find what happened with stolen or broken-into vehicles. They want the brands to pay up because they left these cheaper cars without immobilizers and now customers and law enforcement must deal with the companies desire to save a couple of bucks per vehicle.Finally, insurers are declaring many Kias and Hyundais ineligible for renewing their policies. State Farm, for example, said 105 vehicles manufactured between 2015 and 2021 cant be insured any longer. Their data says that includes approximately 74% of all the automakers' cars in the U.S.If youre among those targeted by the Kia Boyz TikTok challenge, make sure your vehicle is secured and contact Hyundai or Kia regarding this matter.
SUV

As far as the palpable realm is concerned, the company recently showed there are no such things as hard times for the uber-rich and naturally posted a 2022 sales record on the back of Huracan, Aventador, and (especially) big Uruss hype. Now they are at a major crossroads and look decidedly prepared to conquer whatever comes next.For example, the special edition Huracan Sterrato is a great collectible for anyone who thinks that supercars (like the Porsche 911 Dakar) should also be (mild) rock-crawling and dune-bashing kings. The Aventador ceased production, but Lambo is bidding farewell to the iconic V12 mill with two related one-off models, the Autentica and Invencible , plus everyone is trying to find out all the juicy details about the formers successor.As for the Urus, we can easily expect a flurry of aftermarket creations based on the newly introduced Performante and Urus S, plus the exotic carmaker is carefully testing the 2024 Urus PHEV  as per the spied prototypes caught by our spy photographer partners testing in a winter wonderland. Even better, the rumor mill is very active about the plug-in hybrid version of the super-, claiming it will beat all other rivals with around 820 ponies on tap!So, are we surprised that everyone across the digital kingdom, including Germany-based virtual artist Andras Veres, better known as andras.s.veres on social media, is going crazy trying to showcase the next installment of Lambos flagship supercar, now hypothetically seen as a hybrid V12 wonder? Well, as it turns out, at least a few people are looking at Lambo from a different CGI angle.Such is the case with Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation-based virtual artist Aksyonov Nikita, who has prepared on Behance the perfect Lamborghini family car, according to his digital vision, at least. And while it may never see the light of day because certain regions do not favor the station wagon legacy anymore (such as North America), I am all in for an Audi RS 6 sibling with ample space in the trunk and the virtual looks of an elongated Urus super-SUV.After all, I am pretty sure that my two kids would love to get taken to and from school, practice, or the adventure wonderland into something that looks like an edgy spaceship and has the pounding heart of a twin-turbo V8 with more than 650 ponies on tap. Sadly, this is all wishful thinking , but I am still giving it or CGI hall pass because I admit being a sucker for high-performance station wagons that can take the groceries to and from the racetrack in what I imagine to be just a heartbeat!
Photo: Track

Photo: Track

Considering that most of what we find in Aussieland is basically trying to kill you, you know darn well they know how to build campers designed to keep you alive in the bush. However, most Americans have no chance of getting their hands on such a camper. Why? Well, for a couple of reasons.First and foremost is the fact that shipping an Australian camper to the U.S. is a very costly venture. Heck, I shipped my Grand Cherokee from New York to Europe, and I ended up paying somewhere along the lines of $6,500. Not to mention having to wait over two months for my baby to arrive. Secondly, the United States has been influenced by a different trend in off-grid and on-road living, one that doesn't necessarily require that your mobile habitat be bulletproof. After all, America is a pretty chill place in terms of weather and deadly wildlife compared to the land down under.Still, this doesn't stop folks like you and me from wanting to get their hands on some of the most capable campers in the world, and so, those folks I mentioned at the beginning, XGRiD Campers, a crew operating out of Las Vegas, Nevada, have opened up a direct collaboration with a major Australian camper manufacturer, Track. Yes, Americans can now get their hands on one of Australia's most notoriously capable campers, the friggin Tvan, and it's all thanks to XGRiD Campers. Let's dive deeper and see what we can get our hands on and how much of a premium is added for this luxury Suppose the name Track sounds familiar to you. If that's the case, it's because I've covered their works extensively while at autoevolution, and may I say, we should be honored to have their definitive presence on American soil. Why? Well, the Tvan - definitely not a van  is a camper that likes to nestle itself into whatever terrains you're trekking through and simply makes itself at home. It does so by being equipped with a military-grade suspension  Track used to build military trailers - and more off-grid features than I could ever cover in just one article.Aside from the suspension I mentioned, a few other big-ticket items we can look forward to are a complete REDARC RedVision electrical system, fully integrated with 120 watts of solar processing power, a stunning outdoor kitchen set up to function on several slide-outs, and more storage bays than you can shake a stick at.Then, there's the habitat itself, built like a dang tank, with an interior accessible via a hatch at the rear, similar to the way a teardrop works, minus the galley. Best of all, you can integrate a tent annex into the darned thing and expand this camper's capabilities. Do take the time to explore it in more detail.As for the biggest question on our minds: how much is access to this bugger going to run us? Well, let me start off by talking a bit about what's happened with the price of a Tvan in recent years, or most campers and RVs, for that matter. That way, you can understand a bit more about the industry and what's happening with it.When I first covered the Tvan in 2022, I could find select units for around $45,000 (USD or 42,000 at current exchange rates). However, that was after 2020, when shifts in industries worldwide caused the price for raw materials to rise by around 30%, a jump clearly reflected upon the eventual owner of a unit. After all, companies must maintain profit margins, even growing them in the long run. Before that, these buggers may have come across as dirt cheap to interested buyers, and honestly, I wouldn't have minded dropping at least another $5,000 (USD) on shipping.With this in mind, my research into this movement and how it may affect your Tvan purchase is, how do I say this, discouraging? Yeah, that's a good word for it. I found turnkey options priced around $90,000 (AUD) or more. That's the equivalent of around $64,000 (USD or 59,500) for a travel trailer, which could prove to be a "no, thank you" point for most Americans. Luckily, this was the price for a variation of the Tvan dubbed the Zenith, an anniversary model and one of the more equipped units available. Packages like the Tanami or Inspire, if ever available in the U.S., are sure to cost less, typically starting at $45,000 (USD) if purchased from Aussieland distributors.This I really where XGRiD comes in; you cannot buy directly from Track . If the idea of heading out to Australia, buying a camper, and shipping it back to the U.S. sounds like the thing to do, don't! Why? Well, some outdoor lovers don't realize that habitats designed for America are not the same as the ones in Australia, or any other country for that matter. This means that you can't just go out there, grab your camper, ship it home, and hit the road. Most of that has to do with highway safety and regulations, but even design and electrical setups differ.And this is why a team such as XGRiD is essential in helping Americans access foreign machines tuned to domestic environments. What I mean to say is that XGRiD ensures that the habitat you order is a true turnkey unit from all aspects of the experience. You won't be stopped by local law enforcement because your overlander seems a bit off from the norm, nor will you have any issues running systems without starting fires in a local campground or out in the wild.This brings me to my last and final point in this venture: what is XGRiD's benefit in all this? If you guessed money, you're probably right; they are a business. But my discussions with XGRiD revealed that it's passion that drives this business. Sure, the members that make up this team must eat, too, but expect a business that's already seeing return customers, and that says something.Does the Tvan sound like something up your alley? Give good ol' XGRiD a call and find out exactly what to expect; pre-orders for these puppies are now open on the distributor's website
A new wave of electrification is transforming ports all over the world. The small ones should be able to act as charging stations for all types of electric watercraft, while the huge ones that welcome the behemoths of the oceans on a daily basis should help them cut emissions down to zero when docked. Theres only one answer for that  shore power.Port Everglades officials say that electrification has been on the table since 2009, but it took a while to actually get there. Finally, a real project will start moving things in the right direction. In just a few years, the Port will get shore power for all of its eight cruise terminals.The numbers sound good: the future infrastructure will be able to deliver up to 16 MW of electricity at the same time to each of the cruise terminals. When fully implemented, this would lower NOx and SO2 emissions by 75% and 51%, respectively. As for CO2, the electrification plan could prevent 11,366 metric tons of it from reaching the atmosphere. According to the project, this would be the equivalent of removing 2,470 cars off the road each year.Its crazy to think that these numbers have nothing to do with the movement of the ships, but with what happens when theyre docked. During those times, cruise ships are responsible for significant air pollution levels, simply because theyre using their engines to run all of the onboard systems. Instead, if they get access to the local power grid wherever they dock, cruise ships could simply turn off the engines and still operate as usual.Port Everglades is still in the early stages of development, when it comes to shore power. So far, it has completed the study for this large-scale project, and plans to kick off construction by the middle of 2024.As for the money, its coming from multiple sources, including federal and state grant funds, local funds, but also from the cruise lines that are part of the project. These are Carnival Corporation, Disney Cruise Line, and the Royal Caribbean Group, which have also contributed to the initial study, together with FPL (Florida Power & Light).Each cruise terminal will require around $20 million, bringing the total cost of the shore power project to $160 million. And it wont happen overnight. Port Everglades will be working on each terminal and hopefully get things done by 2027.
Mercedes-Benz declared fan

Photo: Instagram / Teresa Giudice

4MATIC

Someone broke into Teresa Giudice 's $3.35 million property in Montville, New Jersey, on Monday, February 6. But the thieves didn't just break into her house. They also found the perfect getaway car, driving away in one of her Mercedes-Benz vehicles.The police are trying to get Teresa her car back and are still investigating the incident. However, it's been a few days, and they haven't found the Benz yet. Something like this is nerve-wracking, especially when it happens at your home and the thieves leave with your possessions.It's unclear which vehicle was the target of this incident, because Teresa Giudice and her husband, Luis Louie Ruelas, own several from the German premium car manufacturer.One of them is a grey-painted Mercedes-AMG G 63 . And it's not a surprising choice, given how popular the G-Wagen is among celebrities. It's feisty, rugged, and powerful, with lots of premium features meant for a comfortable ride.Add to that quite a performance, because this one needs no more than 4.5 seconds to get to 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill. It features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, good for 577 horsepower (585 ps) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) on board, which, with the help of a nine-speed 9G-TRONIC gearbox, take it all the way to a top speed of 137 mph (220 kph).The other one is a Mercedes-Benz S-Class and this one comes with sentimental value. On top of its price tag of $114,000, that is. Because the reality star received it from her then-fiance Luis Ruelas for Christmas in 2021.As opposed to the G-Wagen, which comes with a 4.0-liter V8, the S-Class offers a variety of engines. In the U.S., customers though, only have two choices: the S 500and the S 580 4MATIC. Chances are Ruelas went for the top-of-the-line version, which offers 496 horsepower (503 ps) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque, all thanks to a 4.0-liter biturbo V8 engine with a mild hybrid drive.The Bravo reality star and her husband did not comment on the theft on social media, where both have been active as usual.While Giudice didn't get her car back yet, TMZ reports that the police have some leads thanks to Teresa's surveillance cameras, which caught the footage of the incident and the suspects. And that means the 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star has a lot of chances to be reunited with her expensive car soon.
EV

With Tesla Investor Day only weeks away, it wasnt a surprise to see that the invites had already been sent. If you havent got one, chances are youre not going to get it, although theres a remote possibility it landed in your spam folder. Nevertheless, the most interesting side of this story is not the invites being sent, but what it says (and doesnt) about what to expect from the March 1 event If you like general statements, you already know that Elon Musk will be presenting his Master Plan 3, which he confirmed is mainly about solving the energy problem in a fully-sustainable way. We expect Musk to cover many things in his third master plan, and some of them have already been discussed . In August 2022, Musk published his Global Vision in a Chinese magazine, and we expect Master Plan 3 to expand on that with more up-to-date information.Musk believes the Tesla Bot, Neuralink, and SpaceX are crucial for humankinds survival. One year ago, when Musk announced his Master Plan 3 intentions , he spoke about artificial intelligence (AI) and The Boring Company. While AI is a very hot subject these days, it seems that the latter has become a little boring for Musk, so we dont expect to see much about it in the new plan. Nevertheless, were car guys, so were most interested in what he has planned for Tesla first and foremost.Based on an old tweet, the main Tesla subjects are related to scaling to extreme size, a crucial step if we want humanity to shift away from fossil fuels. This continues to concern Musk, and his Investor Day speech will surely address this. The invites Tesla sent to investors tell us that much if we read the cues correctly. Although the image seems to show a Tesla logo with a terse message about the time and place of the event, its much more than that.Upon closer inspection, the picture reveals a wall of body-sides, which Cory Steuben from Munro & Associates has been tracking to a real photo. They look like Model Y body sides on racks, with the image multiplied to cover the whole picture. This certainly depicts Musks tweets scaling to extreme size message. It goes hand in hand with the information that Tesla would share details about its Gen-3 automotive platform, rumored to spawn an even more affordablethan the Model 3 today.Tesla is also expected to revolutionize car manufacturing , and part of the process would be the extreme optimization of a cars architecture. The EV maker is already producing front and rear megacastings, as well as structural body parts. This paves the way to build a cars body with very few components, much quicker than traditional car manufacturing. To the extreme probably means using two megacastings front and rear, two body sides left and right, a structural battery as the base, and a glass panel on top, and that would make the bulk of the cars body.
Electric Vehicle

EV

In the World Car of the Year, the big winner will have to be selected from no less than ten contenders at the moment. These comprise the Alfa Romeo Tonale , BMW 2 Series Coupe, BMW X1/iX1, Honda HR-V/ZR-V, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Kia Niro, Mazda CX-60, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Ariya, and Nissan Z in alphabetical order.Only one will prevail over the rest in the Worldcategory too, and it will ultimately come down to the jurors to trim it down to just one from the BMW i7, Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Kia Niro, and Lucid Air. The latter is also a contender in the World Luxury Car class, alongside the BMW 7 Series/i7, Genesis G90, and Land Rovers Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.The coveted World Performance Car award will go to one of the following: BMW M4 CSL , Kia EV6 GT, Nissan Z, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, or Toyota GR Corolla. In the World Urban Class, there were already three candidates in the previous leg of voting, so these have automatically become semi-finalists. The list here includes the Citroen C3, ORA Funky Cat/Haomao, and Volkswagen Taigo/Nivus.In the World Car Design of the Year shortlist sees the Cadillac Lyriq, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Land Rovers Range Rover, Lucid Air, and Nissan Z battling it out. Last but not least, the World Car Person of the Year category currently comprises the Hyundai and Genesis chief of design SangYup Lee, Lucids CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson, BMWs research engineer Stella Clarke, BYDs Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu, and the Toyota GR Corolla chief engineer Naoyuki Sakamoto.The panel of jurors, which includes 100 car journos from 32 countries, will further trim down the list to just three in each category, which will be announced on March 7. The road to the 2023 World Car of the Year will officially come to an end on April 5, when the winners in all categories will be announced at the 2023 New York International Auto Show.In 2022, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 managed to beat the Kia EV6 and Ford Mustang Mach-E, and it bagged the World Car of the Year award. It also won the World Electric Vehicle of the Year, where it proved itself against the Mercedes-Benz EQS and Audi e-tron GT in the final. The World Performance Car award went to the Audi e-tron GT, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS won the World Luxury Car. As for the World Urban Car trophy, this went to the Toyota Yaris Cross.
kW

The reason behind mentioning these two is simple, as it revolves around the video embedded at the bottom of the page. At almost 10 minutes long, the footage came from Speed Phenom on YouTube, and it shows the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 proving their mettle at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California.For what its worth, the Youtuber owns both vehicles, and he is obviously not afraid of putting them through their paces. Another thing that should be mentioned is the fact that the bowtie brands car came fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, whereas the Blue Ovals had the less sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber on its feet, so we all know where the balance slightly tilts, dont we?Since weve inevitably moved on to the performance part, we might as well remind you that the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 from the C8 generation uses a flat-plane crank V8, with 5.5 liters in displacement, which came to life with indirect help from Ferrari . It has 670 hp (680 ps/500) and 460 lb-ft (623 Nm) of torque via the loud pedal, for the 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) acceleration in 2.6 seconds. The quarter-mile is a 10.6-second affair, the GM-owned brand claims, which is about the same as its rival from Ford.The Mustang Shelby GT500 is still the brands most powerful street-legal car ever made, and it is superior to the Z06 in terms of output and torque. At a hard push of the throttle, the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 develops 760 hp (771 ps/567 kW) and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm) of torque. Now, despite being way punchier than the mid-engine Chevy, the muscle car is a bit slower to 60 mph (97 kph), as it can deal with the sprint in roughly three seconds. Those numbers should be significantly improved in the upcoming Shelby GT500, assuming that the Dearborn auto marque still has one in the pipeline.Now that weve reminded ourselves about the numbers that truly matter, it is time to move on to the actual video, which shows a difference of 3.5 seconds between the two at the aforementioned racetrack. One might argue that the result is irrelevant, as were not talking about a pro racing driver, but the Youtuber does seem to know his way around fast rides. So, think you can tell which of the two was quicker?
Is your head spinning with all the new types of aircraft promising to revolutionize commercial flights? Hybrid, electric, hydrogen or SAF-fueled, each new concept pushes the boundaries of what was believed to be possible until now. But the related infrastructure must also catch up.We could be witnessing the final moments of conventional commercial fleets. They are already starting to be replaced by greener alternatives, from SAF-fueled to hybrid-electric aircraft. And lets not forget the famous eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing), getting ready to make most helicopter designs obsolete. Whether it takes years or decades, these old fleets will get replaced.New aircraft should also mean new infrastructure. Its not just about the technical compatibility the airports of the future should become an extension of the green air mobility revolution, and reflect a broader definition of sustainability.Glasgow Airport is set to become something called a Connected Airport Living Lab and it will be the first of its kind in the UK. What does this mean? Well, it will no longer be a simple transportation hub. It will act as a platform where innovative tech can be tested. And this includes anything from the use of hydrogen to automation data analytics.Plus, it will be adapted for working with an innovative drone network for medical transportation, the first of its kind in Scotland. CAELUS (Care & Equity  Healthcare Logistics UAS Scotland) and NHS Scotland are currently building this network. Soon, these drones will be delivering life-saving medical supplies across the country and especially to remote areas.The future Living Lab will also make things better for passengers, apparently. There arent many details available on that, but the goal is supposed to be a more inclusive passenger experience. At the same time, freight management will also be improved. After all, Glasgow is the largest cargo airport (by freight value) in Scotland.All of this is part of a partnership with Connected Places Catapult, UKs innovation accelerator that focuses on urban transport. Its the beginning of a five-year program that will basically organize a series of trials and demonstrations at the Glasgow Airport, based on sustainable green technologies Can you picture airports at the forefront of the green revolution? A grandiose vision depicts them as incorporating things like vertical farms, university campuses, and flight tech labs. Sounds too futuristic? Well, its already happening in some places. The Glasgow Airport could become something similar  green, exciting, and research-oriented.
NHTSA

ECU

kWh

As opposed to $27,975 for the combustion-only model and $30,725 for the hybrid, the plug-in hybrid carries a sticker price of $42,340 sans destination charge. Not only does it offer 42 miles (approximately 68 kilometers) of all-electric range, but its also pretty damn quick. The official estimate from zero to 60 mph (97 kph) is 5.7 seconds The first-ever Toyota RAV4 Prime rolled out in December 2019, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The U.S. market received this efficiency-oriented powertrain in 2020 for 2021, the model included inrecall 23V-041.An estimated 16,679 units of the 2021 model year Toyota RAV4 Prime are called back stateside over engine stalling concerns. The subject vehicles contain HEVsoftware that calculates the batterys output limits by monitoring the voltage, electrical load, SOC, and so forth.Bad software logic doesnt limit the high-voltage batterys output as required to protect said battery. If the accelerator pedal is rapidly pressed to further accelerate the compact-sized crossover after it has been continuously driven in all-electric mode in cold temperatures, the voltage may drop below a programmed threshold. When this happens, the plug-in crossover will display a warning message, warning the driver that the hybrid system will turn off.The loss of motive power may not seem like a big deal when youre cruising around town, but at higher speeds, the scenario presented earlier may end rather badly for the RAV4 Prime, its driver, and other traffic participants. The supplier of the faulty software in the hybrid vehicle control engine control unit is Japanese corporation Denso, which weve covered on many occasions here on autoevolution. The infamous Denso fuel pump recall springs to mind. Toyota became aware of this problem in March 2022 by means of a field report from Europe. Over in the United States, the Japanese automaker is aware of five warranty claims and no field reports whatsoever. Dealers have already been informed what to do with these vehicles.Owners will receive Toyota-branded envelopes in the period between February 27th and April 3rd. The subject vehicles were manufactured from 2019 through 2021.As a brief refresher, the RAV4 Prime comes in either SE or XSE flavors. The plug-in powertrain is built around the 2.5-liter engine shared by all RAV4s for the U.S. market. Capable of 302 horsepower combined, the RAV4 Prime comes with an 18.1-battery. Its backed up by a 10-year or 150,000-mile (241,402 kilometers) warranty, which is more than adequate for a plug-in hybrid crossover.
Pashinian claimed that unlike the European Union, the Russian-led military alliance has declined to recognize CSTO member Armenias current borders.

Russia and other CSTO member states proposed such a deployment during a summit in Yerevan last November. Armenia turned down the offer on the grounds that they refused to condemn Azerbaijans offensive military operations along the border.

Yerevan requested a new and larger monitoring mission by the EU instead. The EU announced the impending launch of the two-year mission on January 23.

They [the EU] said that this is what we regard Armenias map or rather we said that and they certified that, Pashinian told the Armenian parliament. They are coming to monitor that territory.

By contrast, he said, the CSTO has still not clarified what it sees as Armenian territory. Hosting a CSTO monitoring mission in these circumstances would be at least strange, he said during his governments question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.

Because it would not be clear to them what they monitor, Pashinian went on. The issue arose when Azerbaijan occupied Armenian territory. If a particular mission doesnt know what the territory of Armenia is, how is it going to determine whether or not Armenian territory is occupied?

The Russian Foreign Ministry said late last month that the EU mission can only bring geopolitical confrontation to the region. It accused the EU of seeking to push back Russia's mediation efforts at any cost.

Pashinian indicated on Wednesday that the more than 100 European observers that are due to be deployed in Armenia later this month will also be monitoring Russian troops stationed in the South Caucasus country. He said Azerbaijan has told Western powers that its aggressive actions are a response to increased Russian military presence in Armenia.

Our Western partners started rebuking us that you are planning aggressive actions because there is a buildup of Russian and Armenian troops planning to attack Azerbaijan and the poor Azerbaijanis have to seize [Armenian] border heights to counter that threat. We said, OK, come and monitor on the ground and see if that is true, added Pashinian.

Pashinian made similar claims in early January. He said that the close military ties with Russia may therefore be putting Armenias security and territorial integrity at greater risk. Moscow dismissed the claims as absurd.

Russian-Armenian relations have soured lately also because of Azerbaijans two-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakhs sole land link with Armenia. Pashinian has accused Russian peacekeepers of doing little to unblock the vital road.

Other Armenian officials have gone farther, alleging that Moscow is using the blockade to try to force Armenia to join the union state of Russia and Belarus. The Russian Foreign Ministry has strongly denied the allegations.
The charred bodies of the young conscripts were recovered after a major fire destroyed their makeshift barracks located in a village in Armenias eastern Gegharkunik province early on January 19. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Defense Minister Suren Papikian said hours later that the fire was sparked by an officer who poured gasoline into a woodstove in breach of the militarys fire-safety rules.

The officer, Captain Yeghishe Hakobian, suffered serious burns and remains in hospital. Hakobian and two other, more high-ranking officers are prosecuted in connection with what was one of the deadliest ever non-combat incidents registered in the Armenian army ranks. The two officers were arrested later in January.

We are officially declaring that the [families of the] victims do not believe in the official theory  and do not exclude any other theory, including the theory about a premeditated murder of their sons, said Norayr Norikian, a lawyer representing the families of 13 of the 15 soldiers.

Norikian said, in particular, that Pashinian jumped to a conclusion right after the start of the investigation. He also pointed to conflicting statements about the soldiers deaths made by other officials.

One of those officials, a senior firefighter, said the soldiers died in their sleep because of apparent suffocation. However, a military prosecutor involved in the probe claimed the opposite afterwards.

Norikians clients believe that their sons were either dead or unconscious when the fire erupted at the village house turned into barracks.

Arman Barseghian, the father of one of the victims, said that surviving soldiers of his son Gagiks engineer-sapper company have given contradictory accounts of what happened on the night from January 18-19.

One of them testified that the door [of the barracks] was closed while the other testified that it was open, Barseghian told reporters. One soldier heard voices and a hassle but another felt like he was alone there and heard nothing. Isnt that suspicious?

The father of another victim, Hay Kirakosian, claimed that two soldiers of the unit had a conflict with another junior officer who is not among the indicted suspects.

Armenias Investigative Committee has pledged to look into such claims.

The grieving families were also angered by parliament speaker Alen Simonians claim that the deceased soldiers had decent living conditions and failed to observe fire-safety rules.
Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon (C) presents a Chinese boy with a Cambodian traditional scarf at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 7, 2023. Cambodia on Tuesday welcomed Chinese flag carrier Air China's inaugural flight to its capital here with a water cannon salute.

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport from Beijing and received a warm welcome from Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian as well as other officials. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has pinned high hopes for its tourism recovery after Chinese tourists gradually returned to the Southeast Asian nation.

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport from Beijing on Tuesday, receiving a warm welcome from Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian as well as other officials.

Speaking to reporters at the welcoming ceremony, Khon said China is the most important outbound tourism market for the world, as some 155 million Chinese tourists travelled around the globe in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era.

The minister added that the comeback of Chinese tourists has given a boost not only to the tourism sector, but also to the kingdom's economy as a whole.

"For Cambodia this year, we will try to attract between 800,000 and 1 million Chinese tourists," he said, noting that in January, the kingdom received 25,000 Chinese tourists.

Khon said Cambodia is expected to attract a total of 4 million international tourists in 2023, almost doubling from 2.27 million in 2022.

China was the largest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia in the pre-pandemic era, a Ministry of Tourism's report said, adding that the kingdom received 2.36 million Chinese tourists in 2019, accounting for 35.7 percent of total tourist arrivals to the country and generating about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the return of Chinese tourists gives "high hopes" for the kingdom's tourism sector and economic growth in the post-pandemic era.

"We hope the return of Chinese tourists will help us recover our tourism sector rapidly because we see that Chinese tourists are very happy to come back to Cambodia," she told Xinhua.

"Chinese tourists like shopping and buying souvenirs, so their comeback will also revive tourism-related businesses such as souvenir producers," she added.

Chinese tourists are free to travel in Cambodia without any COVID-19 restrictions, Sivlin said, adding that the Angkor Archeological Park in Siem Reap province and coastal areas in Preah Sihanouk province will remain attractive destinations for them.

Poch Dola, a 35-year-old souvenir vendor near the National Museum in Phnom Penh, is confident that the return of Chinese tourists would boost his sales, which had been hit hard in the past few years due to the pandemic.

"I'm very happy because their arrivals will help boost our economy, especially our local products made for tourists," he told Xinhua.

"Our sales used to suffer from the global COVID-19 crisis, but since the start of this year, the number of tourists has increased, so our sales have also increased significantly," he said. "We hope their return will spark our tourism boom again like it was before the pandemic."

Vun Phanith, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy, an arm of the state-run Royal University of Phnom Penh, said Cambodia will remain a popular destination for Chinese holidaymakers, given the historical and close relationship between the two countries.

"The comeback of Chinese travelers will be a great boon for our tourism and economy," he told Xinhua. "Their return will also help promote cultural exchanges and people-to-people connectivity between the two countries towards the building of a community with a shared future."

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy. The country attracted up to 6.61 million international tourists in 2019, generating gross revenue of 4.92 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Ministry of Tourism. 

Chinese tourists arrive at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 7, 2023. Cambodia on Tuesday welcomed Chinese flag carrier Air China's inaugural flight to its capital here with a water cannon salute.

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport from Beijing and received a warm welcome from Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian as well as other officials. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

Chinese tourists take a shuttle bus at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 7, 2023. Cambodia on Tuesday welcomed Chinese flag carrier Air China's inaugural flight to its capital here with a water cannon salute.

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport from Beijing and received a warm welcome from Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian as well as other officials. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrives at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 7, 2023. Cambodia on Tuesday welcomed Chinese flag carrier Air China's inaugural flight to its capital here with a water cannon salute.

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport from Beijing and received a warm welcome from Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian as well as other officials. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrives at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 7, 2023. Cambodia on Tuesday welcomed Chinese flag carrier Air China's inaugural flight to its capital here with a water cannon salute.

Air China flight CA745, carrying some 125 Chinese tourists, arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport from Beijing and received a warm welcome from Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian as well as other officials. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Former Brazil international midfielder Lucas Lima has returned to his former club Santos on a short-term contract.

The 32-year-old will initially be tied to the club for three months under a performance-based deal that includes the option of a 12-month extension if both parties agree.

"I wanted to apologize for all the times I hurt [you]," Lima told fans in a video, in reference to his acrimonious departure from the club in 2017.

"I know I didn't react in the best way and I regret it. I have a chance to write a new story in the place where I was most happy in life," he added.

Lima, who has been capped 14 times for Brazil, made 163 league appearances for Santos before joining Palmeiras in 2018. He spent the last 18 months on loan at Fortaleza. 
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has accused Ofgem and the Government of creating a booming business for loan sharks after the prepayment energy meter scandal was uncovered (Alamy/PA)   Alamy Stock Photo

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has accused Ofgem and the Government of creating a booming business for loan sharks after the prepayment energy meter scandal was uncovered.

Mr Brown accused the regulators chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, of dismally failing to protect vulnerable customers after it was revealed that hundreds of thousands of impoverished Britons were forced to switch to costly prepayment meters, pushing some of them into the hands of illegal moneylenders.

The scandal uncovered by The Times found that British Gas routinely sent debt collectors to break into customers homes and force-fit pay-as-you-go meters, even when they were known to have extreme vulnerabilities.

Responding to these revelations, Mr Brown said the Ofgem boss needed to consider his position after failing on his responsibilities to energy customers.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown accused Ofgems chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, of dismally failing to protect vulnerable customers(Jane Barlow/PA)   Jane Barlow

Writing in The Independent, the former Labour leader savaged both the energy regulator and the Government for perpetrating harsh and callous policy decisions and failing to defend low-income families against the indefensible.

(Mr) Brearleys official responsibility is to protect energy customers by ensuring they are treated fairly (and to) stamp out sharp and bad practice, Mr Brown said.

So (Mr) Brearley  and the now restructured Energy Department  should immediately explain why instead of being on the side of the public, they have failed dismally to properly monitor and expose utility companies and their debt agents who, in the middle of the worst cost of living crisis for 50 years, have been breaking into the homes of impoverished customers.

The former prime minister said Ofgem was not alone in failing to defend low-income families against the indefensible, accusing the Government and its agencies of harsh and callous policy decisions that were turning illegal money lending into Britains biggest booming business among low-income communities.

A recent Times investigation revealed British Gas routinely sends debt collectors to break into customers homes and force-fit pay-as-you-go meters, even when they are known to have extreme vulnerabilities (Steve Parsons/PA)   Steve Parsons

Mr Brown said that through his work with local charities he had learnt users of pre-payment metres were needing to spend a lot more for each unit of their energy, adding that at least 20% of them had not been able to obtain the cash or discount vouchers they were promised.

This failure to act is creating an even more serious social emergency for hardpressed families: Pushing them further into debt and, most worrying of all, into the hands of illegal moneylenders, he said, listing the bedroom tax, the two-child rule and other caps and taxes which had worsened the financial situation for low-income households.

Ministers are leaving families unable to cover the costs of their weekly food bill, without resorting to borrowing wherever they can find cash.

The welfare state safety net is now full of holes  and instead of being the last line of defence for people in need, our own social security ministry is pushing families into ever more desperate measures.

The former Labour leader said our own social security ministry was pushing families into ever more desperate measures (Andrew Matthews/PA)   Andrew Matthews

He added: Blood is in the water and loan sharks are circling.

A record number of families are now so deep in debt that they are turning to the door-step lender, and the pay-day lender standing outside the cut-price stores, the pub and the betting shop. And even more worryingly, as illegal money lending moves online, the desperate are even more at risk as long as these social media platforms remain exempt from proper scrutiny.

Mr Browns comments follow the senior presiding judge of England and Wales telling magistrates to stop the processing of applications by energy firms to enter homes to install prepayment meters.

Ofgem has already asked energy suppliers to suspend the activity.

Meanwhile, Paypoint revealed that around one in five people did not redeem the 66 energy support voucher they were sent in November by the company under a Government support scheme

Of the hundreds of thousands of vouchers sent out only about 81% had been redeemed on Sunday when they ran out  90 days after they were issued.

It means that thousands of households with prepayment meters missed out on energy bill support they were entitled to receive.
Father Aidan McCann outside Craigavon Court where he found not guilty of voyeurism   Pacemaker Press

A priest accused of voyeurism by spying on a woman in a changing room was found not guilty of the charge today.

Having heard evidence from the complainant, District Judge Bernie Kelly said she had not been satisfied to the criminal standard so she was dismissing the single count against Father Aidan McCann.

Fr McCann, with an address at the parochial house on Maddens Row in Keady, had always denied the single charge of voyeurism.

It had been alleged that on March 28, last year for the purpose of sexual gratification, he observed a female doing a private act knowing that the other person did not consent to being observed for [his] sexual gratification.

At Craigavon Magistrates Court, a woman gave evidence that she had been in a changing cubicle in Rushmere Shopping Centre when she saw her curtain twitch a number of times, leading her to take a video of the incident on her mobile phone.

During cross-examination from defence counsel Andrew Moriarty, the court heard there were a number of inconsistencies between her initial police statement and the evidence and it was those inconsistencies that led to Father McCann being acquitted.

Fr McCann was ordained as a priest into the Armagh dioceses in July 2015.

The court was previously told that after the allegations came to light, Fr McCann had to step down from his role because the claims were causing him difficulties.
West should immediately stop interfering in political manipulation of HK's judicial proceedings: Chinese FM commissioner

(Global Times) 08:36, February 08, 2023

Photo taken on June 29, 2020 shows a billboard on the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Central area in Hong Kong, south China. Photo:Xinhua

The Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) expressed strongly disapproval and firm rejection on Tuesday to the irresponsible remarks made by some groups and members of the US Congress concerning HKSAR courts' trial of the Hong Kong 47 case. They slandered the situation of human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong, and interfered in its judicial proceedings.

The Chinese side urged the US politicians to stop their twisted political show immediately, as they flagrantly denigrated the human rights and rule of law in Hong Kong and interfering in its normal judicial system, a spokesperson of the office said in a statement.

A National Security Law trial of 47 opposition figures began on Monday in Hong Kong, drawing widespread attention both locally and overseas. The ultimate intention of these suspects was to take power in HKSAR by using loopholes in the city's electoral system and to seek independence by colluding with external forces, according to media reports.

Prosecutors on Monday began explaining their basis for accusing the 47 suspects of conspiracy to commit subversion, in the high-profile case.

Representatives from the UK, the US, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, European Union and France were also among those queuing up outside the court on Monday, according to the Guardian.

Laurence Vandewalle from the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau, said the EU had been observing trials across the world "as a sign of commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law", the report noted.

The Commissioner's Office spokesperson pointed out that before the nomination of candidates for the Seventh Legislative Council of the HKSAR (LegCo) in 2020, those anti-China elements in Hong Kong had conspired to organize a "primary election" and fabricate public opinions in an attempt to seize control of the LegCo.

In so doing, they sought to paralyze the SAR Government and pressure both the Central and the SAR governments, said the spokesperson, adding that such a despicable plot not only jeopardized the democratic electoral system stipulated in the Basic Law of the HKSAR, but is also suspected of committing the crime of subversion under the National Security Law for the HKSAR.

Enforcing laws and holding lawbreakers accountable is the core tenet of the rule of law. No one has the privilege to be above the law, and no rights and freedoms should cross the bottom line of national security. This is not only an explicit provision of relevant international conventions, but also a legal practice among all countries.

However, some politicians from a few countries insist on hypocrisy and double standards, repeatedly interfere in the judiciary of the HKSAR, and put political manipulation above the law. Without caring about democratic chaos in their own countries, they vilified the National Security Law for the HKSAR, sugarcoated anti-China forces in Hong Kong as "fighters for freedom," and meddled with the judiciary of the SAR, the spokesperson noted.

The spokesperson stressed that the rule of law is a cornerstone of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, and "one country, two systems" has always been upheld based on the rule of law. Since the implementation of the National Security Law, public order in Hong Kong has been restored, the legal principles upheld, development back on track and the rights and freedoms of local residents better protected.

The spokesperson said that in the face of the historical trend of Hong Kong moving from chaos to stability and prosperity, Western politicians can never get their way in disrupting the city by interfering in the judiciary of the SAR. No external forces can dampen the legal foundation in Hong Kong or the confidence of the international community in Hong Kong's rule of law, nor can they impact our strong determination to safeguard "one country, two systems" and national security.

"We urge Western politicians to put themselves in the right position, recognize the reality, earnestly respect the spirit of the rule of law, and immediately stop interfering in and damaging the judicial system of Hong Kong," the spokesperson said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
NICOSIA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye has accepted Cyprus' offer of rescue teams to help in the search for victims of the earthquake which hit the southern part of the country on Monday. Turkiye had originally rejected the offer.

Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Demetris Demetriou said in a tweet that Turkiye had conveyed its acceptance via the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

A Turkish military operation in 1974 led to the partition of the eastern Mediterranean island, and its northern part is still controlled by Turkish troops.

However, on Tuesday Cyprus expressed its readiness to help Turkiye.

Demetriou told state CyBC television that a team of rescuers has been assembled and is now ready to depart.

"Cyprus Airways will make capacity available on its scheduled flights to Beirut, and is willing to organize special relief flights to bring the necessary cargo to the areas that most need the support," he added.

Cyprus' state-run Volunteerism Coordinating Council and several non-governmental organizations have announced they are collecting money and goods for victims of the earthquakes.

Special accounts have been opened for the collection of aid in the two main banks of Cyprus.

The earthquake has so far claimed the lives of over 11,000 people in Turkiye and Syria.

Among the dead are several Turkish Cypriot schoolchildren who were taking part in a school volleyball tournament in a southeastern Turkish city, and some of their parents. 
Ex-councillor later given money by Britain First, says its leader

A public services watchdog has heard allegations that former councillor Jolene Bunting doctored a wage slip and wrongly claimed to have been fined for allowing Britain First member Jayda Fransen to sit on the mayoral chair in Belfast City Hall.

Bunting was later given money through two online payments made by Britain First leader Paul Golding for the alleged council fine, before an internal investigation by the far right party caused them to suspect they had been misled.

In January 2018, Fransen  at the time the deputy leader of the controversial political party  posted a video of herself sitting in the Lord Mayors chair in the council chamber of Belfast City Hall wearing official robes.

Fransen, who had just appeared in court on incitement charges that morning, was heard saying she intended to fight the case and clear her name for a speech in which I mentioned the I word, Islam.

Her access to the chamber had been facilitated by Bunting, who was an independent councillor for the Court ward, having originally been elected on a TUV ticket.

Belfast City Council said at the time that the protocols for filming in the chamber were not followed and it was not made aware of the plans. It said it was looking into the circumstances.

A complaint was made to the Local Government Commissioner for Standards. That, and a number of other complaints to the NI Public Services Ombudsman (Nipso) about Buntings conduct, are yet to be heard.

But a separate complaint was also made by Golding, who claimed she had used her position as a councillor to defraud Britain First, and is now being heard.

At an adjudication hearing in Belfast on Tuesday attended by Golding, a Nipso panel heard that in July 2018, Bunting rang the far right leader in a flustered state.

Giving evidence, Golding, dressed in a navy suit, said that in a phone call Bunting had told him she had been fined a 500 penalty by Belfast City Council for allowing Fransen to sit in the mayors chair. Jolene Bunting was very flustered and stressed, he told the panel. He added that he told her that if Jayda Fransens stunt was responsible that the party would pay the penalty.

We will cover it, that was obviously our stunt, he said.

Paul Golding

However, he said he would need to see some sort of proof before he could release the funds.

He later received an email from Bunting that included a scan of her council payslip.

It showed other deductions of 545.35. Following this Golding authorised two payments, one of 50 and a further payment of 60.

Golding added that he had only recently been released from prison and that Britain First was in a bad state financially, hence the part payments.

He said Bunting was chasing me for payment.

The hearing was told about messages sent from Bunting, one of which asked: Were you able to put something in Paul?

Another read: You wont forget about me today and was accompanied by a smiley face emoji.

At that stage I was on good terms with Jolene, he added.

This all occurred at a time when Fransen was in prison serving a sentence for incitement.

However, later in July 2018 there were allegations that another party member was using Fransens credit card while she was in jail.

Golding claimed Bunting was aware of this and didnt report it.

Bunting, he said, was not a member of Britain First so couldnt be expelled. Instead they proscribed her, banning other members from associating with her, and stopped the payments.

Golding claimed that shortly after this, an unnamed DUP councillor cast doubt on the fine story and when they checked the payslip they discovered it had been doctored.

A copy of the same payslip presented to the hearing showed that the extra deductions were in fact for mobile phone usage.

The hearing was also told that pay slips provided to investigators from the Public Standards Ombudsman showed that Britain First had just 1,379.56 in its bank account at the time the payments to Bunting were made.

Jolene Bunting (left) and Jayda Fransen

Senior commissioner Ian Gordon concluded the hearing, which will deliver its findings on Wednesday.

Bunting was not present to hear the complaint against her and had chosen not to be legally represented.

However, in statements given previously, she claimed the money was wages for allowing her home address to be used as PO Box for Britain First.

Golding denied this, saying the party used PO boxes in Belfast and England and would never use a home address for official correspondence.

Never far from controversy Jolene Bunting was elected to Belfast City Council in 2014 as a member of the TUV.

She resigned from the party in 2017 after it failed to select her to run in the Assembly elections.

She served the rest of her tenure as an independent and lost her seat in May 2019 with just 351 first preference votes.
TUV leader Jim Allister, Ben Habib, former first minister Dame Arlene Foster, and DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaking to the media outside the UK Supreme Court in London   PA

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (left), Ben Habib (back left), Baroness Kate Hoey (second right), and former first minister Dame Arlene Foster (right), outside the UK Supreme Court in London   PA

Unionist politicians have pledged to continue their campaign against the Northern Ireland Protocol despite the Supreme Court ruling that it is lawful.

Sinn Fein welcomed the judgment and said it was now time to move forward politically and ensure a London-Brussels deal was speedily secured to make the protocol work better for everyone.

However, the DUP, UUP and TUV were united in saying the ruling proved the legitimacy of unionist concerns that the protocol damaged Northern Irelands place in the UK.

In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court in London rejected the case taken by unionist politicians and Brexiteers  including TUV leader Jim Allister, Baroness Kate Hoey, and former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib  that the protocol was unlawful because it was in conflict with the 1800 Acts of Union.

The court ruled that while there had been a modification of the Acts of Union, that did not amount to a repeal.

The protocol had been approved at Westminster and the court stood by the principle of parliamentary sovereignty.

Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill tweeted: "I welcome the Supreme Court ruling which rejects arguments that the protocol is incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement. The protocol is lawful, but also necessary to limit the damage done by Brexit.

Party chairman Declan Kearney said: Now that legal clarity has been confirmed, it is time to move forward politically and ensure that a deal between the British Government and EU to deliver pragmatic and durable solutions is secured without delay that makes the protocol work better for everyone.

However, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who was in London for the ruling, said: "A solution to the protocol was never going to be found in the courts, but the cases have served to highlight some of the reasons why unionists have uniformly rejected the protocol.

"The Government must consider this judgment, their own arguments to the court and take the steps necessary to replace the protocol with arrangements that unionists can support.

"The protocol represents an existential threat to the future of Northern Ireland's place within the Union. The longer the protocol remains, the more it will harm the Union itself."

The DUP leader added: "The checks on the Irish Sea border are the symptom of the underlying problem: namely, that Northern Ireland is subject to a different set of laws imposed upon us by a foreign entity without any say or vote by any elected representative of the people of Northern Ireland.

"Political progress in Northern Ireland was hard won and is built on the support of unionists and nationalists.

"There will be no solid basis for an Executive and Assembly until the protocol is replaced with arrangements that restore NI's place in the UK internal market and our constitutional arrangements are respected."

UUP MLA Steve Aiken said: While this is no longer a matter for the courts, the judgment today demonstrates that the concerns of unionism about the protocol and the damage it stands to do to Northern Irelands place within the UK are legitimate.

These concerns cannot simply be shrugged at. That the Supreme Court recognises that the protocol suspends a part of the Act of Union should be a matter of considerable concern for all those who believe in our Union, whether they be in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales.

TUV leader Jim Allister said: "The fact the Supreme Court is satisfied it was lawfully made does not in the least affect its political unacceptability, nor its dire constitutional consequences.

"Indeed, findings of the Supreme Court greatly strengthen our case against the protocol. The declaration that the protocol has suspended Art 6 of the Acts of Union confirms everything we have said about it dismantling the Union.

Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the judgment should "focus minds" on the need to find pragmatic solutions to issues with the protocol.

He added: "The only viable way forward lies with the current UK/EU negotiations. Any outcome will be based on pragmatic solutions, and it is time that all Northern Ireland parties place themselves in that headspace.

"A pragmatic deal on the protocol and restoration of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are essential to allowing Northern Ireland to work."

SDLP Stormont leader Matthew O'Toole described the ruling as providing "important clarity" on the protocols legal status.

He said: "Following this judgment, it is now critical that the EU and UK negotiating teams reach a comprehensive resolution that protects our unique access to the single market for goods while addressing the concerns around protocol implementation that have given rise to sincere objections related to trade barriers and identity issues in the unionist community. The people of Northern Ireland deserve government."
Former UUP leader accuses DUP of squandering majority and warns unionists against turning backs on Good Friday Agreement

A former UUP leader who helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement has warned that unionists could face a perilous situation if the peace deal is ditched and the Stormont institutions are not restored.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has been urged to challenge Switzerland over its plan to hand back millions in seized assets to Kremlin-linked Russians who have been sanctioned in the UK.

Swiss authorities are set to return 15.3 million dollars (12.72 million) to three individuals accused of being involved in one of the largest tax frauds in recent Russian history as exposed by the late lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who then died in a Russian prison in 2009.

MPs have written to Mr Cleverly, demanding that he put pressure on his Swiss counterpart to prevent the stolen funds from being given back, as well as urging him to consider downgrading the mutual legal assistance treaty with the Swiss government due to the bad faith displayed in this case.

Labour former frontbencher Dame Margaret Hodge and Conservative former minister Jonathan Djanogly wrote: The UK has made every effort to lead the way on holding Russia to account for (Russian President Vladimir) Putins invasion through wide-ranging sanctions and providing support for Ukraine.

It seems unreasonable that our supposed ally would return clearly ill-gotten gains to these Kremlin-linked perpetrators.

Swiss law enforcement ruled last year that the laundered money could be given back to Vladlen Stepanovs and Dimitry Klyuev  who have been sanctioned under the anti-corruption Magnitsky laws by the UK, US, Canada and Australia  and Denis Katsyv  who has paid a settlement in the US and is under criminal investigation in the Netherlands for his involvement in the Magnitsky case.

Bill Browder, the financier who employed Mr Magnitsky and leads the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, told the PA news agency: Switzerland are living up to the label of a banana republic and should be treated as such by the British Government.

First there was Nazi gold, then dictators money and now they are returning money to UK-sanctioned individuals with ties to the Kremlin in the middle of Putins murderous war in Ukraine.

This money should be used for the relief and reconstruction of Ukraine instead.

The British Government should use every means to put pressure on the Swiss not to send this money of criminal origin back to Russia.

This case is the just tip of the iceberg and countries like the UK and US should downgrade their legal relations with Switzerland to reflect the black hole of dirty money in the country.
A former Northern Ireland secretary has warned that the rules around powersharing in Northern Ireland need to change if the devolution settlement is to survive.

Lord Hain, who helped negotiate the arrangement in 2007, suggested that sanctions should be imposed on any political party that refuses to powershare and therefore collapses the Northern Irish government.

His comments came as the DUPs refusal to form an executive, due to the Northern Ireland Protocol, has stretched on for more than a year.

Lord Hain suggested, in an amendment to the Northern Ireland Budget Bill, new rules around executive formation in Northern Ireland, which would mean any party eligible to form a powersharing executive and which refuses to do so should have their funding withheld.

This would include its Assembly party funding, the salaries of the Members of the Legislative Assembly, the salaries of the members staff and its office and travel expenses.

He told peers he wanted to highlight a deeply troubling gridlock in Northern Irelands self-governance, which is relentlessly ravaging the very foundations of the Good Friday Agreement.

The Labour peer continued: From 2007, when a settlement I helped negotiate under Tony Blair brought the unlikely duo of Ian Paisley Snr and Martin McGuinness to share power, there was a decade of DUP/Sinn Fein-led self-government as stable as Northern Ireland was ever likely to get.

Then, that was collapsed by Sinn Fein for three years.

Now, post-Brexit, Stormont has again been collapsed, this time by the DUP, for over a year

Meanwhile, public support for the carefully negotiated system of self-government is in danger of collapsing completely in the midst of the worst cost-of-living crisis for generations, the NHS facing a worse crisis, costing lives, than anywhere else in the United Kingdom, and other manifestations of dysfunctional public administration causing serious problems.

This amendment does not point fingers or apportion blame. Any political party has a right to refuse to serve and to use that as leverage.

The problem is that the political architecture necessary to achieve the Good Friday peace accord requires cross-party government, so that a refusal to serve collapses everything and amounts to a veto.

Theres got to be a cost for doing that and my amendment would impose one, not so much as a penalty, more as a deterrent.

He added: A situation in which one party or other can simply walk away and paralyse Northern Ireland self-governance, because they do not get their way, is anti-democratic.

This issue will have to be addressed by the Government if the devolution settlement, which was so hard won, is to survive.

His remarks came as the House of Lords discussed the Northern Ireland Budget Bill, which will authorise resources of public services in Northern Ireland for the years ending March 31 2023 and 2024 in the absence of a functioning devolved Northern Ireland Assembly and executive.

Lord Caine, a minister in the Northern Ireland Office, spoke of his disappointment that the UK Government had had to step in and legislate for something the Northern Ireland Assembly should be in charge of.

He said: People in Northern Ireland rightly expect to see those decisions taken at Stormont and I agree with them.

I state again my continued disappointment that we are, as a Government, having to step into Northern Ireland affairs and intervene in this way, and I look forward to the restoration of the Northern Ireland executive and Assembly at the earliest possible opportunity.

Former DUP deputy leader Lord Dodds of Duncairn blamed the absence of an Assembly and executive in Northern Ireland on the imposition of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He also accused Lord Hain of targeting unionists, arguing that sanctions were not suggested when Sinn Fein collapsed the government for three years in 2017-2020.

He said: I fail to recall at any point during the three years when Sinn Fein collapsed the executive that there were any such amendments brought forward.

Indeed, I asked the library to check how many vociferous statements by members of the Northern Ireland Select Committee, Northern Ireland spokespersons, people who take an interest in Northern Ireland, frontbench spokespersons, and I found very, very few examples of where any of these people were prepared to come out and say Sinn Fein is at fault for the collapse of the Assembly, or to seek any kind of punishment or to seek any kind of redress

So it is interesting  and its not been lost on unionists in Northern Ireland  that at a time when unionists are making the point that they cannot operate a protocol that is injurious to the Union, the very thing that we are there to defend and to promote, that we have this approach to unionist parties.

Northern Irelands former first minister Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee concurred with this assessment.

The non-affiliated peer said: There was no such pressure to have Sinn Fein back in government during those three years when there were huge pressures, particularly on our health service. I remember it very, very well.

DUP peer Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown also took Lord Hain to task, claiming his proposal would threaten the unionist electorate through their politicians that if they do not obey this diktat then their legitimacy will be cast aside as if we were under some communist regime.

He added: Does he really think the DUP would be willing to sell the constitutional future of our province for a paltry 30 pieces of silver?

Lord Hain responded: At no time have I attacked the DUP for its stance over its withdrawal from the executive I understand their position.

Explaining why he never put forward such an amendment when Sinn Fein refused to form a government, he said: All I can say in mitigation is I did not think this was going to become a habit.

Labour frontbencher and former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Murphy of Torfaen said Lord Hains amendment was not Labour Party policy.

He said: Its a personal view of Lord Hain, but it does express his frustration  as all of us express our frustration  at the lack of progress.

The minister responded that he could not support Lord Hains amendment, saying: What hes putting forward would be a significant change to the process of executive formation in Northern Ireland at a time when the priority of the Government is to get those institutions back up and running; and his motion could be perceived as a tilting of the playing field significantly against one party, which might have the effect of frustrating our objectives.

He added that the motion could also make it more difficult for political parties wishing to go into opposition in Northern Ireland.
The trial was being held at the Old Bailey in London (Jonathan Brady/PA)   Jonathan Brady

A wealthy Nigerian politician has denied offering to reward his sick daughters prospective kidney donor, saying selfless acts were less of a rarity in his country.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, daughter Sonia, 25, and medical middleman Obinna Obeta, 50, are accused of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of the young man to Britain with a view to his exploitation.

The 21-year-old street trader from Lagos was allegedly offered up to 7,000 and the promise of a better life in the UK in exchange for giving a kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu.

It is alleged he was falsely presented as Sonias cousin in a failed bid to persuade medics at the Royal Free Hospital in London to carry out the 80,000 private procedure.

In opening addresses at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, lawyers for the defendants insisted they believed the donor, who cannot be identified, was acting altruistically.

Martin Hicks KC, for Ike Ekweremadu, told jurors: Be alive please to the possible cultural differences between this country and that of Nigeria, particularly to altruistic donation.

He said: We say the issue in this case is simple  did there exist an agreement to exploit (the donor) in the way the prosecution allege and if so who was a party to it?

The politicians case is that Dr Obeta had spoken to Ekweremadus medically trained brother Diwe in the autumn of 2021 and had offered to help find Sonia a prospective donor.

Mr Hicks said: In Nigerian society there is an expression everyone is each others keeper and the altruistic donation of organs is not regarded there as such a rare event as it is in this country.

He will also say he was told (the donor) had offered to altruistically donate a kidney to Sonia.

He denies he put directly or indirectly any reward to (the donor) or offered to do so and throughout he believed (the donor) was content to do so without reward.

Mr Hicks said Ekweremadus only communication was through his brother Diwe and he relied on the medical knowledge and standing of the doctors involved.

He denied lying in support of the donors visa application to travel to the UK and was not privy to an online application which claimed the young man was related to Sonia.

Mr Hicks said Ekweremadu did not attend any visits to the Royal Free Hospital in February and March last year, which concluded that the donor was unsuitable.

He added: In April 2022 and with the assistance of Diwe he continued the family search for a suitable donor for his daughter Sonia and that search continues.

We question whether (the donor) was exploited as suggested by the prosecution.

Speaking on behalf of Sonia, John Femi-Ola KC said: She suffers from a very severe kidney disease. She receives dialysis treatment three days per week. Each session is for four hours.

The treatment is for the rest of her life unless there is a transplant in the future which now must be much in doubt given the publicity this case has attracted.

Opening addresses were made at the Old Bailey on Wednesday (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)   Daniel Leal-Olivas

Her illness is life threatening, life limiting and potentially life ending. Of course her parents love her as do all her immediate family and friends.

It may not surprise you to learn that everyone, in particular her parents, would wish to protect her against the emotional and psychological stress which you may think accompanies such a terrible illness.

It is her case that she had no awareness of any reward or other material advantage offered to potential donors that came forward to help her.

He suggested there was an irony in the case and questioned who the real victim was.

Anu Mohindru KC, for Beatrice, disputed the prosecution claim she was kept up to speed on what was going on, saying she was party to only a tiny amount of communication.

In her opening address, Sally Howes KC said her client Dr Obeta was in the unique position to help the Ekweremadus, having gone through a kidney transplant.

She said Dr Obetas donor, who also came from Lagos, was voluntary and completely altruistic.

She told jurors: Through his work as a doctor of medicine in Nigeria, Obinna Obeta was both respected and admired.

He had touched the lives of many and those people had a great affection for him.

It is perhaps of little surprise that (his donor) was not the only donor willing to make the necessary kidney donation to the doctor for his transplant.

When he was contacted by his former medical school classmate Diwe about his sick niece, Dr Obeta was both keen and willing to help, Ms Howes said.

She told jurors that his medical knowledge combined with his own personal experience put him in a unique position to help and advise.

She added: He was motivated by his desire to help a fellow citizen because no-one would understand the misery and pain like someone who had been through it themselves.

The Ekweremadus, who have an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, and Dr Obeta, from Southwark, south London, deny the charge against them and the Old Bailey trial continues.
Tractors park in front of the Grand Palais museum, left, in Paris on Wednesday (Christophe Ena/AP)   Christophe Ena

Hundreds of farmers have driven their tractors through Paris to amplify their demand to be allowed to use banned pesticides on sugar beets and other crops to ensure food sovereignty for France.

Entering the French capital through a southern gateway, the farmers convoy rolled to the gold-domed Invalides monument, site of Napoleons tomb.

The farmers were protesting against what the national farming union FNSEA claims will be the disappearance of French farmers, who are competing with cheaper imported products and facing multiple other challenges.

A tractor drives past the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday (Christophe Ena/AP)   Christophe Ena

The French government decided last month to ban the use of neonicotinoids, which are chemicals used to kill infects that eat plants, following a decision by the European Court of Justice to end a dispensation granted for the class of insecticides.

Farmers notably fear for their sugar beet crops.

The European Unions executive commission wants to ensure that at least 25% of agricultural land across the 27-nation bloc is reserved for organic farming, compared to 8% in 2020.

Tractors park in front of the Grand Palais museum (Christophe Ena/AP)   Christophe Ena

At this rate, French agriculture will disappear, France 3, a regional television station, quoted Damien Greffin, FNSEA president for the Paris region, as saying.

Mr Greffin said Napoleons tomb, with a large field stretching before it, is not just a practical site for tractors to gather  but also symbolic because Napoleon imported sugar beets from Poland to ensure Frances sugar independence.
Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, right, answers questions while in custody during an interview with an FBI agent. Asainov, a former New York stockbroker-turned-Islamic State group militant, has been convicted of becoming a sniper and trainer for the extremist group during its brutal reign in Syria and Iraq. (US Attorneys Office/AP)

A former New York stockbroker has been convicted of becoming a sniper and trainer for the so-called Islamic State terrorist group.

The trial of Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a Kazakh-born US citizen, was the latest in a series of cases against people accused of leaving their homelands around the world to join the militants in combat.

A former broker who doted on his toddler daughter, Asainov converted to Islam around 2009 and later resigned from his job and started watching radical sermons online, his ex-wife told the court.

He left his family in Brooklyn in December 2013 and made his way to Syria as IS stormed to power.

In a case built largely on Asainovs own words in messaging apps, emails, recorded phone calls and an FBI interview, prosecutors said he fought in numerous battles and built a notable profile in IS by becoming a sniper and later an instructor of nearly 100 other militants.

Ruslan Maratovich Asainov pictured in Syria (US Attorneys Office/PA)

The evidence has shown that people died as a result of the defendants conduct. It is time to hold him accountable, prosecutor Douglas Pravda told a Brooklyn federal court jury in a closing statement.

Asainov, 46, didnt testify, telling the court he was not part of this process.

His lawyers did not dispute that he went to Syria and affiliated with IS, but they argued that his accounts of his role were boasts and did not prove anyone died as a result of his conduct.

Nobodys arguing to you that Mr Asainovs view of the world is not a very warped view, Sabrina Shroff, defending, said , asking the jury not to confuse his views with what is needed to convict him beyond a reasonable doubt.

Theres not a single piece of paper that ties Mr Asainov to anything in the Islamic State that would tell you he, in fact, is the person he claims to be, she said.

Jurors, whose identities were kept confidential, found Asainov guilty of offences that include providing and attempting to provide material support to what the US designates a foreign terrorist organization.

The jury also concluded that his actions caused at least one death, a finding that means he faces the potential of life in prison. His sentencing is set for June 7.

Asainov was picked up by US-backed forces and turned over to US authorities.When FBI agents questioned him, he gave his occupation as sniper and frankly detailed how hed taught others, explaining that he could spend three hours just on the fine points of pulling a trigger, according to video played at trial.

He had also been forthcoming in messages and calls from Syria to friends and the now-ex-wife hed left behind, according to trial evidence.

He sent photos of himself in camouflage uniform with a rifle and pictures of the bloodied bodies of men with whom he said hed fought.

He texted one confidante  in fact a US government informant  a rundown of prominent battles in which he said hed participated and asked for money to buy a night scope for his rifle.

Later, with the sounds of explosions in the background of Asainovs phone, he asked another friend for money to send his new wife and children to safety as US-backed forces fought to capture the extremists de facto capital of Raqqa in 2017.

After his arrest, a defiant Asainov declared in court that he was an Islamic State citizen, not a United States citizen and jail officials said they later found a hand-drawn version of the militants flag in his cell.

He told his mother on the facilitys recorded phones that her son doesnt exist anymore replaced by a man who saw himself as a holy warrior who fought and killed on divine command, didnt regret it and would be fighting until the end.I will never change this path, even if they give me freedom a thousand times, he told her in one translated call.

Do you understand?
YEREVAN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Armenia has sent 56 rescuers to the quake-hit Turkiye and Syria to assist in the search-and-rescue operations, the Internal Affairs Ministry said Wednesday.

Of the rescuers, 27 are dispatched to Turkiye and 29 to Syria, the ministry said.

The rescue team has arrived and started working in the earthquake zone in Turkiye, Armenian media reported.

On Tuesday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offered condolences and support to the Turkish people in a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Over 11,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured after earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria on Monday. 
Shutterstock.com

Everyone has taken a personality quiz at some point. Whether its a Which Abbott Elementary Character quiz you saw on Facebook or one you saw while skimming through Cosmopolitan Magazine, personality quizzes have become a popular part of entertaining the masses.

However, have you heard of the Enneagram Personality Test? The Enneagram Personality Test, or EPT, is a personality typing system that illustrates patterns in how people handle emotions and see the world. It describes nine personality types and plots each type on a nine-pointed diagram which explains how the types relate to each other. Enneagram is the combination of two Greek words. Ennea is Greek for nine, and Gramma means something that is written or drawn.

What does the Enneagram Personality Test tell us?

The EPT says that each of the nine personality types is defined by a specific core belief about how the world works. This core principle drives your deepest fears and motivations, fundamentally shaping someones worldview and viewpoint through how they see the world and the people around them.

Our core beliefs arent wrong, but they can serve as blinders for some people. Understanding your Enneagram type and how it influences our perceptions can help us broaden our perspective and approach situations more efficiently. Understanding someones Enneagram type helps us see why they behave the way they do. Each Enneagram has a collection of beliefs that will encourage them to make certain choices.

Behavior that may seem inconsistent or unclear can be explained when we understand someones Enneagram type. The Enneagram also assists with understanding how people react to stress. The Enneagram shows openings for personal development and gives a foundation for understanding each other by describing how each type responds and adapts to supportive and stressful situations.

Controversy with the Enneagram Personality Test.

As eye-opening as the EPT may be for personalities, some Christians believe Christians shouldnt take the test because they see it as evil. Christian author Jackie Perry shared her concerns about the Enneagram test, saying she was skeptical about the controversy surrounding the test. However, Perry says the Lord prompted her to look more into the history of the test.

Perrys issue is that the current personality Enneagram derives from Claudio Naranjos development of occult teacher Oscar Ichazos work with later expansions by Russ Hudson and Don Riso. Claudio Naranjo was a psychiatrist and creator of the nine personality types of the Enneagram test. Its said that Naranjo got his idea for the types from automatic writing, a form of channeling spirits when a demon guides your hand or mind to assist you with writing down ideas.

The nine personality types are based on the seven deadly sins, the nine divine forms, and some Kabbalah traditions. Ichazos influences came from philosophical, occultic and religious traditions, including Roman Catholicism, mystical Judaism, Taoism, Greek philosophy, and Taoism, making the Enneagram of Personality a combination of numerous differing ideas. According to Perry, when someone engages with the EPT and identifies their types, they apply their identity to the wisdom of demons.

Positives about the Enneagram Personality Test.

While some Christians denounce the EPT, others see it as a positive tool. John Starke, the lead pastor of Apostles Unknown, said that while some use the Enneagram test in a goofy way and it might be a fad for others. However, Starkes says that some spiritual directors and counselors use the test carefully and wisely. He added that these groups had been using the test before it became popular and will continue to use it. Starke maintains that the Enneagram test isnt a chant that summons demonic forces whenever you use it in counseling or post about it online. According to Starke, the Enneagram is nothing for Christians to fear.

Starke believes that Satan is trying to divide the church and destroy lives and that demons are real, but the Enneagram isnt what Christians should worry about. He says that pastors and counselors use the Enneagram to help others see where they could be inclined to trust in their strength instead of Christ. Starke also added that dozens of self-professing Christians have written books about Enneagrams within trustworthy publishers and encouraged Christians to read about them instead of watching YouTube videos because Starke believes YouTube sources can be untrustworthy.

Ian Cron, an Episcopal priest, believes that every number on the EPT teaches us something about the character and nature of God. Roman Catholic Friar Richard Rohr wrote that the EPT is concerned with making a turnaround and change with what religious traditions call repentance or conversion. Christopher Heuertz, another Roman Catholic author, thinks the EPT is more than a personality tool, but it gives us nine ways to find our way back to God.

Should Christians take the Enneagram Personality Test?

The Enneagram Personality Test might be an exciting way to understand personality types, but it contradicts the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:5 says it has a form of godliness but denies its power. While the Enneagram Institute is correct in the thought that we are spiritual beings and not living like were meant to live. However, instead of getting in touch with our true nature, we should look to God for salvation. Were sinners who need Gods forgiveness, made available by His grace through trust in Jesus.

The dead cant get a spiritual awakening by themselves. They have to receive the life of Christ, regardless of their personality type.

Christ rebirths us, making us anew. His power makes us righteous, and our lives should be lived for His glory. Nothing in the Enneagram is derived from the Bible. The EPT is a way to determine personality types, but its something that Christians should be wary of. Some believe that the EPT originates from demonic or occult practices, while others see it as a helpful tool for spiritual counselors. Ultimately, it would be best to use the EPT at your discretion. If you feel this test would benefit your life, use it wisely. However, remember that the test doesnt come from the Bible. If you think you should stay away from the test, do what you feel is best.
BAMAKO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-four terrorists were killed in a special operation launched against the GAT (Armed Terrorist Groups) during the night of Feb. 6-7 in the Korientze area in the Mopti Region of central Mali, the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces said in a statement released Wednesday.

According to the statement, the operation also resulted in the confiscation of large quantities of arms and ammunition, including AK 47 rifles, and anti-tank rocket launchers.

"This operation is the result of a joint effort by the Malian army and the Ministry of Defense. The operation is the result of a series of information gathering and analysis on the chain of command of terrorist groups active in the area," the General Staff of the Armed Forces said.

"The professionalism of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMAs) in this long period of intelligence accuracy, as well as the speed and surprise of the action, reduced collateral damage to zero," said the same source, adding the FAMAs suffered no casualties or injuries in this operation.

Since 2012, Mali has been engulfed in a deep multi-faceted crisis at the security, political and economic levels. Independence insurgencies, jihadist incursions and inter-communal violence have left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands more displaced in the West African nation. 
Police guard a hospital where workers threatened by Papuan rebels were brought for medical examinations in Mimika regency, Papua province, Indonesia, Feb. 8, 2023.

Indonesias military said Wednesday it was still searching for a New Zealand pilot who rebels took hostage in Papua after setting fire to his plane a day earlier, but that the five passengers they let go were safe.

The military also said it had safely evacuated from Paro, a district in Nduga regency, 15 workers who were building a health clinic but whom separatist rebels had threatened to kill.

The joint [military-police] task force is still searching, a local military commander, Brig. Gen. Juinta Omboh Sembiring, said about Philip Mehrtens, the 37-year-old pilot working for regional carrier Susi Air.

National police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the five passengers on the plane had been brought to safety with the help of local people.

[As] for the passengers, everyone is safe, Listyo told reporters.

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) had said in a statement Tuesday that it would not release Mehrtens unless Indonesia sets us free from its colonization.

On Wednesday, the Liberation Army said it would not release the pilot until Western countries stopped supporting Indonesias rule over Papua.

The story isnt over here, Liberation Army spokesman Sebby Sambom said in a voice note sent to BenarNews.

It will continue until countries like New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and Europe take responsibility for arming Indonesia and training them to kill us for 60 years.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Armed Forces chief Admiral Yudo Margono cast doubts on claims that Mehrtens had been taken hostage, and said the pilot fled after his plane was attacked.

There was no hostage-taking. He saved himself. We dont know his whereabouts but we are searching for him, Yudo told reporters.

Consular support had been given to the pilots family, the New Zealand government said in an email sent to BenarNews on Wednesday morning, declining to comment further.

Definitely traumatized

Separately, 15 workers who were building a community health clinic in Nduga were transported by helicopter and underwent medical examinations in Kenyam, the main town in Nduga, according to Papua military commander Maj. Gen Saleh Mustafa.

Saleh said the workers were briefly held captive by the Liberation Army, but the rebel groups spokesman, Sambom, called that nonsense.

The TNI [military] and the police are only seeking legitimacy to carry out armed operations here. If we had really taken them hostage, we wouldnt have released them, Sambom told BenarNews.

Local military commander Brig. Sembiring said the leader of the Liberation Army in Nduga, Egianus Kogoya, had threatened to kill the workers if they did not leave Paro district.

I think they are definitely traumatized, so we are now focusing on restoring their condition, both psychologically and physically, Sembiring said in a statement.

Threats to civilians and airline crews had disrupted humanitarian work in Nduga, a regency in Papuas central highlands, said Theofranus Litaay, an aide to President Joko Jokowi Widodo.

The workers were building a much-needed health center, and the pilot is serving a government-subsidized route to support access for the community, Litaay told BenarNews Wednesday.

Police must conduct a thorough investigation and enforce the law against the perpetrators of this crime.

Air transportation is vital in jungle-covered Papua, where road networks are limited.

Violence and tensions in Papua, a region that makes up the western half of New Guinea island, have intensified in recent years.

In July 2022, rebels killed 10 civilians, mostly traders from other parts of Indonesia, accusing them of being spies for government security forces.

It was the deadliest attack by insurgents in the region since 2018 when insurgents attacked workers who were building roads and bridges in Nduga, killing 20 people, including an Indonesian soldier. At the time, the TPNPB said those killed were not civilian workers, but soldiers from the armys engineering detachment.

The attack prompted the government to send more troops to Papua.

The region has a history of human rights violations by Indonesian security forces and police. Papuan separatist rebels also have been accused of attacking civilians.

In 1963, Indonesian forces invaded Papua, a former Dutch colony like Indonesia, and annexed it.

In 1969, the United Nations sponsored a referendum where only about 1,000 people voted.

Despite accusations that the vote was a farce, the U.N. recognized the outcome, effectively endorsing Indonesias control over Papua.

Pizaro Gozali Idrus and Dandy Koswaraputra in Jakarta contributed to this report.
A Philippine police investigator inspects a crime scene after two suspected drug pushers were gunned down during an anti-narcotics operation in Manila, Sept. 25, 2016.

The Philippines has formally appealed to the International Criminal Court to overturn its decision to allow an ICC prosecutor to press on with investigating the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte that left thousands of people dead.

In its appeal, a copy of which was released Wednesday, the Philippine government maintained that it disagrees with and rejects the Jan. 26 decision by the ICC, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands.

The appeal is against the whole decision, read the Philippines official document, dated Feb. 3 and signed on behalf of the government by Solicitor General Monardo Guevarra.

In late 2021, when Duterte was still in power, the world court suspended its probe into extrajudicial killings committed during his administrations crackdown on illegal drugs, after Manila requested a deferral because of its own investigations into the killings.

But in authorizing the ICC prosecutor to resume the investigation, the court argued that various initiatives and proceedings relied on by the Philippines do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps being carried out by Manila into the killings linked to Dutertes drug war.

An old van converted into a coffee shop on wheels is parked in the compound of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Manila district of Baclaran, Feb. 8, 2023. Relatives of Filipinos slain during the drug war by former President Rodrigo Duterte operate the mobile coffee shop, whose proceeds help other affected families. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews]

The Philippine Government disagrees with, and hereby rejects, the Pre-Trial Chamber Is conclusions, Guevarras appeal partly stated.

The relief being sought is a reversal of the decision and the denial of the OTPs request to resume investigation regarding the Situation in the Republic of the Philippines, he stressed, referring to the ICCs Office of the Prosecutor (OTP).

Dr. Aurora Parong, co-chairperson of the Philippine Coalition on the ICC, said that Guevarra appeared to be using a tactic to delay the quest for justiceof families of victims of the drug war under Duterte.

The move, Parong said, serves as an obstacle to efforts for justice at the International Criminal Court while domestic efforts to deliver justice remain very inadequate.

The Philippine government's appeal at the ICC doused cold water to the ray of hope for justice at the international court among the families of the tens of thousands killed in the war on drugs, she said.

More than 8,000 suspected drug addicts and dealers were killed when Duterte launched his drug war after he became president in 2016. He actively told members of the police force that he would protect them from prosecution if they were charged, as long as the deaths occurred while they were performing their mandate as law enforcement officers.

During his term (2016-2022), Duterte also withdrew the Philippines from an international treaty that created the ICC, and he repeatedly argued that he would not allow himself to be subjected to an international trial.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos wave as they prepare to board a flight in Manila for an official visit to Japan, Feb. 8, 2023.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. embarked Wednesday on a four-day working visit to Japan to boost investment and defense ties, days after his government agreed to give U.S. forces greater access to military bases amid Chinese threats to Taiwan.

During his first presidential trip to Tokyo, the Philippine leader will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose country is also engaged in a maritime territorial dispute with China  in Japans case, over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The visit is expected to generate billions worth of investment pledges from Tokyo to Manila.

Marcos said he and Kishida would work to deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, a move that would soon allow Japanese troops to be deployed in the Philippines.

My bilateral visit to Japan is essential, Marcos said in a statement as he departed from Manila on Wednesday.

It is part of a larger foreign policy agenda to forge closer political ties, stronger defense and security cooperation, as well as lasting economic partnerships with major counties in the region amid a challenging global environment.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said it expected Marcos trip, which goes until Feb. 12, to clinch 150 billion Philippine pesos (U.S. $2.7 billion) in investment deals that could create 8,000 jobs.

Marcos will also witness the signing of at least seven key agreements focusing on infrastructure development, defense, agriculture and information and communications technology.

The official working visit is expected to reaffirm the strong and vibrant relations between the two countries. It also seeks to maximize the full potential of the Philippines-Japan strategic partnership in all its aspects and facilitate closer defense, security, political, economic and people-to-people ties, Neal Imperial, the departments assistant secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs, told reporters.

Japan has been a very important partner in providing assistance in relation to disasters, Imperial said.

According to Chester Cabalza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines, Marcos trip is strategic because Japan and the Philippines, given the location of their islands, would bear the brunt of any spillover war if China attacked Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a Chinese province.

The trip is valuable to increase multilateral efforts and dialogue with strategic partners since Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan are part of the first island chain that will experience war shocks and immediate casualties of attack in case the forcible Taiwan retake happens, said Cabalza, who heads the International Development and Security Cooperation, a Manila think-tank.

Japan could also help mobilize forces to evacuate Filipino and Taiwanese refugees in northern Luzon in expanded sites that fall under an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between Manila and the United States. Last week, under its EDCA agreement with the UnitedStates, the Philippines agreed to grant the U.S. military expanded access to military bases in the Southeast Asian country, which is strategically located in the South China Sea and close to Taiwan.

Manila, one of the claimant states in the South China Sea, has its own territorial dispute with Beijing in the waterway, although Marcos, since taking office in June, has pursued warm ties with both China and the United States, rival superpowers.

Japan has a world war experience that the Philippines can learn from in case war erupts. The reliable neighbor has aligned regional interests and our military capabilities are complimentary, Cabalza told BenarNews.

Tokyo has also been sympathetic to the Philippines military modernization program and sent observers to join U.S.-Philippine military exercises last year, he noted.

Japan has also been helping in the modernization of the Philippines Coast Guard as the first line of defense in the maritime boundaries and domains, Cabalza added.

During a visit to the Philippines last year, Tsuyohito Iwamoto, the Japanese vice minister for defense, renewed Tokyos commitment to helping the Philippines modernize its military.

Over the past several years, Japan has donated trainer aircraft, spare parts for Huey helicopters and search-and-rescue equipment to the Filipino armed forces. Japan was also involved in the Air Surveillance Radar System Acquisition Project under the militarys 5.5 billion peso ($98 million) modernization program.

Ramon Beleno III, head of the political science and history department at Ateneo De Davao University in southern Davao City, said Marcos trip would also be crucial in helping revive a Philippine economy still struggling from a worldwide slowdown due to COVID-19.

When former President Fidel Ramos took over the country from his predecessor, Cory Aquino, [his] foreign travels helped the countrys economy recover, Beleno said.

The pledges coming from other countries where Marcos visited are not automatic and will turn into money. There are procedures for that, he added.

While in Japan, Marcos office said his team would work on further strengthening the bonds of friendship with a close neighbor, like-minded and future-oriented like us in many ways, and a most reliable partner in times of both crises and prosperity.

The meeting with Kishida is to take stock of our bilateral relations and regional cooperation in a broad range of engagements, from security and economic relations to Manila and Tokyos continued commitment to mutual peace and prosperity.

Japan is the first country that signed a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the Philippines, through the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA).

Jeoffrey Maitem contributed to this report from Davao City, southern Philippines.
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.
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Twelve terrorists were killed in an armed offensive of the Pakistani army in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

In the overnight operation, the security forces targeted a vehicle of the terrorists associated with the proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan by acting on an intelligence tip-off, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

"Terrorists' movements and activities were being watched by intelligence tentacles for the last week. Terrorists were lured in by providing a vehicle for escape that was intercepted and neutralized," the ISPR said.

Weapons, ammunition, and foreign currency were also recovered from the terrorists during the operation, the statement added.

Security Forces are carrying out clearance operations in the area, the ISPR said. 
Manos Unidas (United Hands), a Pittsfield cooperative that aims to create community through mutual aid by working especially with low-income, immigrants and youth, has been offering free bilingual classes since early February.
Business writer

Tony Dobrowolski's main focus is on business reporting. He came to The Eagle in 1992 after previously working for newspapers in Connecticut and Montreal. He can be reached at tdobrowolski@berkshireeagle.com or 413-496-6224.
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.
GREAT BARRINGTON  An appraisal of Housatonic Water Work Co.s system is underway as the town continues to cast about for solutions to drinking-water problems that include discoloration and elevated levels of disinfection byproducts.

For an inspection and appraisal the town has hired a Latham, N.Y.-based consultant firm, Raftelis, which, in part, specializes in water utility finances and valuation.

Raftelis website says the company has worked with municipalities across the U.S. and beyond, including Boston, Austin, Texas and Flint, Mich.

The appraisal of the privately-owned waterworks comes as residents filed a citizens petition in support of a town purchase and management of the waterworks. Sixteen people signed it, which puts the question before voters at annual town meeting on May 1.

William Nappo, a Housatonic resident, said he created the petition as a way to educate residents and give town officials an extra nudge.

Nappo says hes one of the lucky ones: His water is usually clear. But theres always an element of surprise.

Its like a lottery every day when you open your faucet, he said. You dont know what youre getting, which is scary.

A report on Raftelis findings should be available in middle- to late-February, said Town Manager Mark Pruhenski, speaking to the Select Board at its late January meeting.

Sign-up for The Berkshire Eagle's free newsletters Sign up

The cost for the the service will be around $34,000, Pruhenski said.

Waterworks co-owner and Treasurer James Mercer did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The appraisal comes after several years of increasing water-quality problems that includes a range of discoloration due mostly to excessive manganese in the Long Pond source, as well as safety questions over disinfection byproducts linked to cancer.

It also comes amid a steady drumbeat of outrage from residents. Most recently it has prompted a a demand for action written by a Boston-based environmental lawyer.

The waterworks problem is at the top of the boards current priority list. The document says the Select Board is holding regular strategy sessions with the towns attorney and considering several options at this time.

About two years ago someone first floated the idea of a town purchase of the aging system. The rationale was that municipal ownership would give the town access to government grants that the waterworks management says are not available to a private company.

Another possibility is a purchase by a company like Aquarion, an Eversource Energy subsidiary. The Select Board met last fall with Aquarion representatives to explore that option. Other towns and Aquarion also are courting one other.

Raftelis work for municipalities has included financial models of water systems across the country. The companys website says it has extensive experience with water and wastewater utility valuation.

In 2013, before Flint suffered through its lead-contamination crisis, it hired Raftelis to perform a water rate study and financial analysis for the citys transition to supplying water from the Flint River.
DHAKA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has declared one- day state mourning Thursday for the deaths in earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

The Bangladeshi Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification in this regard Wednesday.

The national flag will be hoisted at half-mast atop office buildings of all government, semi-government, autonomous organizations, educational institutions and Bangladeshi missions abroad.

Special prayers will also be offered at different religious institutions. 
What is the rapture? And what does the Bible say about it? Many are familiar with the term. But all too often their understanding of the rapture is based more on popular writings like the Left Behind series than Scripture itself. The intent of this article is to look at what the Bible has to say about the rapture.

Where Does the Bible Talk about the Rapture?

Rapture is not a word that is found in Scripture. But it is used to describe a very biblical doctrine; the return of Christ and the gathering up of his elect. This doctrine is central to the hope that we have as believers.

There are many scenarios of the end times that have been drawn from Jesus Revelation to John. But I do not find that there are any unambiguous references to the rapture contained in Revelation. Much of how one interprets Revelation is based upon their eschatological perspective. So, for that reason, I have chosen not to include anything from Revelation in this discussion. But there are three passages in the New Testament that do provide us with explicit information about this event.

Matthew 24:30-31 is a portion of Jesus teaching about his return. In this passage he says that all the peoples of the earth will see him coming in the clouds. And that with a trumpet call, he will send his angels to gather his elect from throughout the earth.

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul defends the future resurrection of believers. And in verses 50-55 he describes what that will be like. It will happen in a moment, at the last trumpet. When the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, and the living believers will be changed.

The third passage is also from Paul and is in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. In this passage Paul is seeking to encourage the believers in Thessalonica concerning some of their members who had died. He assures them that the Lord will return from heaven, along with a trumpet call. And when that happens, the dead in Christ will be raised, and those still alive will be caught up together with them.

These three passages do not share all the same details. But they do have enough in common to point to a common event. They affirm that Christ will return visibly for all to see and the last trumpet points to this event being at the end. It will involve the resurrection of believers who have died and the transformation of those who are still living at his return.

When Does the Bible Say the Rapture Will Happen?

When will this second coming of Christ and our being gathered to him occur? The best answer we can give with any certainty is that it will be at the end of this age. In Matthew 24:3 Jesus disciples ask about Jesus coming and the end of the age. Jesus response to their question culminates with the passage mentioned above with Jesus return and our being gathered to him.

But exactly when the end of the age will be is a big unknown. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus tells his disciples that no one, other than the Father, knows when that end will occur. Not even the angels in heaven, or even the Son. And, in Acts 1:7, in response to his disciples question about the establishment of the kingdom, Jesus says that it is not for them to know the when. The end will come in the Fathers time, and he has not chosen to share that with us.

Another passage that deals with the when of the rapture is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. In this passage, Paul cautions the Thessalonian believers not to become concerned that the Lords return and our being gathered had already occurred. He assured them that it will not come before a great apostasy first takes place and the antichrist is revealed.

But, while we may not know when the rapture will occur, it should not take us by surprise. In Matthew 24:42-51 Jesus tells us to keep prepared for his coming. While we do not know the when of the event, we should expect it at any time.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8, Paul expresses that the Lords return will be like a thief in the night. But we are not in darkness, so that day should not be a surprise to us. So always be ready, living in the light, and wearing the hope of salvation as a helmet.





What Does the Bible Say Will Happen at the Rapture?

When the rapture does occur, what will happen? In Matthew 24, Jesus simply tells us that we will be gathered by his angels. But Pauls writing gives us a little more detail. Both 1 Corinthians 15:52 and Thessalonians 4:16-17 tell us that the rapture is not just of those who are living at the time, but that those believers who have already died will be resurrected and together we will meet our Lord.

In 1 Corinthians 15:45-54, Paul gives us some additional information about this rapture. When the Lord returns for us, we will be changed. The bodies we have now are not suitable for an eternal existence in the presence of God. This perishable and mortal body will be changed into one that is imperishable and immortal. Just what it will look like though is unknown. Earlier in this fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul expressed that what is sown often bears little resemblance to what is raised. So it will likely be with our bodies. At the resurrection/rapture our bodies will go through a radical transformation and may or may not resemble what they do now.

There are some who would propose that at the resurrection we will be purely spiritual beings, like God. But Scripture tells us that we will have a body  a body that will be like Christs. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-49 Paul contrasts the body we have now with the one that we will have. That coming body will be imperishable, immortal, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. Identifying it as a spiritual body lends support to a resurrection that is spiritual in nature. But note that it is a spiritual body, not a spirit. And we will bear the image of the heavenly man, Christ. What our bodies will be like is unknown. But we can be certain that we will have bodies.

Is the Rapture Separate from the Second Coming of Christ?

No discussion of the rapture would be complete without pointing out that there is a relatively recent school of thought that separates the rapture and the visible return of Christ by a seven-year tribulational period. As an amillennialist, this is not something I agree with. But apart from that, there is agreement among the different eschatological views concerning the rapture; the gathering of believers at the end of the age.

So, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:54, Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Because of the hope we have, we should let nothing move us from serving our Lord. Know that our service will not be in vain.

Further Reading

What Is the Rapture and When Will it Happen?

4 Things Every Christian Should Know about the Rapture

What Is the Difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?

Photo credit: Getty Images/YoriHirokawa

Ed Jarrett is a long-time follower of Jesus and a member of Sylvan Way Baptist Church. He has been a Bible teacher for over 40 years and regularly blogs at A Clay Jar. You can also follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Ed is married, the father of two, and grandfather of three. He is retired and currently enjoys his gardens and backpacking.

This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Biblical truths. You do not need to fear or worry about the future!

Seven Churches of Revelation

Antichrist

Seven Trumpets

New Heaven and New Earth

Who Are the 144,000?

Listen to our podcast, The Bible Never Said That. All of our episodes are available at LifeAudio.com.




A decade on from the launch of Lego Friends, the Lego Group has re-imagined the Friends Universe with a new lineup of characters and accompanying TV series hosted on the brand's YouTube channel.

Source: Supplied

The 2023 Lego Friends Universe includes characters with a wider variety of skin tones, cultural backgrounds, disabilities and neurodiversity, all with more authentic personalities and relationships. By launching this new generation of products, the Lego Group said it hopes that when kids play in the Lego Friends Universe, theyll see more of themselves in the characters and gain a better understanding of others, helping them navigate their own experiences and in turn, become better friends.

Lego said the development comes at a time when the ups and downs of friendship are not widely shown on TV or in the online content kids consume, meaning many young children are left to navigate these complex feelings, without understanding that its completely normal and that others are feeling the same.

Source: Supplied

To support the launch, the Lego Group conducted global research to understand more about the diversity and complexity of modern friendships amongst young children around the globe. Focusing on 18,000 kids aged 6-12 years old from 19 different countries, the research shines a light on the importance that friendships have on the well-being of kids in early childhood.

The study revealed that:

Kids rely on friendships to deal with the complex emotions of modern life, with eight in 10 (87%) saying that they turn to friends as a source of comfort when they have problems

Kids value having fun and being happy as main elements of friendship, with more than three quarters (67%) wanting someone to have fun with and six in 10 (60%) wanting someone to laugh with and the majority (94%) said that friends made them feel happy

Kids also see the value in diverse friendships with nine in 10 (93%) agreeing that its good to have a diverse friendship group who can teach you different things

Kids dont often experience complex emotions portrayed in the content they view, with just two in five (40%) saying they have seen friends have ups and downs on TV or content they are consuming and only a third (32%) saying they have seen friends having problems or arguments

When asked if it would be good for more toys to feature characters that embodied different emotions, more than two in three children (68%) agreed. Over a quarter (27%) said this is because everyone feels this way sometimes and 22% of kids said it would help children know that others felt the same

Two in three kids (68%) said they want to see more toys and characters portray different emotions to better reflect real life

"The Lego Group recognises the importance friendships have on child development and how it plays a huge part in helping kids understand diversity," the company said.

Further to the launch of the new generation of characters, the storylines within the Lego Friends universe have been refreshed in collaboration with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, helping to develop content narratives that ensure theyre relatable, inclusive, and reflective of the real-life experiences of children today.

Reflecting modern real-world friendships

Child psychologist Laverne Antrobus commented on the research saying: The research findings give a fascinating insight into the complexities of childrens friendships in the modern and increasingly diverse world that we are living in. Its encouraging that children want to see diverse friendships represented in the content they watch and the toys that they play with.

These changes will help children understand difference and give them the confidence to make relationships with others who are not the same as them. Learning from friends about how they are similar and different will ultimately help children to be accepting of others as they navigate friendships and relationships in the world that they are living in.

Its great to see the new Lego Friends universe will be fully inclusive and a better reflection of real-world friendships in 2023, so young people can play, explore and express their emotions with a more diverse range of characters and replicate these experiences in their everyday friendships.

Tracie Chiarella, head of product, Lego Friends at the Lego Group said; Children are our role models and guide everything we do here at the Lego Group. After an incredible 10 years on Lego Friends, this re-imagination has enabled us to push the boundaries not only in the content and the storytelling, but also in the reflection of modern, childhood friendships so that children can truly see their experiences reflected in the world around them.

From the research released today, it's great to see that kids acknowledge the importance of friendship for their mental health and it's encouraging to hear they want more emotional diversity to be represented in the content they consume and the toys and characters they play with.

The new generation of Lego Friends is available to buy now with a Lego Friends TV special available to watch on the Lego YouTube channel.

Lego South Africa will also be celebrating friendships with a range of global activities to help children experience the joy and benefits of play themselves. Locally, these activities will include a two-week play experience taking place from 14 February to 21 February 2023 at Sandton City with activities available for kids.
In response to the challenging economic outlook over the next three years, dentsu has launched the Dentsu Procurement Academy (DPA) for procurement leaders and teams who deal with communication, content, media, digital, sponsorship, martech, and creative agencies. The academy aims to maximise investment value by sharing valuable insights, information, and best practices in procurement within the industry.

According to Dawn Rowlands, CEO of Dentsu Africa: "Procurement and beneficial business outcomes are now closely intertwined, and by sharing knowledge and skills, we can create a better working environment and re-shape the code of conduct, process and way of procurement together. So, if you have ever wondered how global contracts are developed, how to resolve relationship challenges, or how to motivate your partners, join us at the DPA.

The Dentsu Procurement Academy will launch this month with events in Cape Town on 21 February and in Gauteng on 23 February.

The key topics to be discussed include the importance of procurement for the media, advertising, creative, and digital industries, how to pitch, develop fees, measure media value, and brand performance, and maximising the value of creativity. Other topics of discussion include agency transitions, working with auditors/pitch consultants, and opportunities in martech, data and beyond. Sessions are being hosted by several international delegates and local experts.

Cheryl Steyn, new business, client development, and talent manager for South Africa, will lead the academy. Interested parties can reach out to Steyn directly for more information, or to participate in the inaugural events.

By fostering collaboration and operating under the same code of practice, we can collectively create better structures, pricing, and working relationships within the industry," Rowlands said.




From the late seventies, television has become a staple with South African audiences, from bunny-ears, decoders to dishes, and streaming devices.

Dallas, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Live Sport, Noot Vir Noot, Surf Show Pick A Box and the on-set of 24hr local news channels has seen TV morph itself into the giant it is today.

Storytelling has been a key tool in the television matrix and has helped the medium develop affinity with audiences. It allows viewers to escape their daily lives and experience a world filled with characters and situations that resonate with them. Whether it is a drama series that explores complex relationships, a comedy that makes us laugh, or a documentary that informs us about an issue, television storytelling can evoke strong emotions and engage us in a shared experience. As we watch a show, we connect with the characters and identify with their struggles, joys, and triumphs.

This shared connection creates a sense of community and a sense of belonging, as we come together to discuss, analyse, and debate what we have seen. Different channels, programmes and content angles have started unlocking and showing the diverse experiences of people from all walks of life, providing a platform for underrepresented voices, and helping to promote greater understanding and empathy among viewers. Television storytelling is a means of bringing people together, fostering community, and creating a shared sense of purpose and meaning.

In recent years, with the rise of branded content and content integration, storytelling has taken on a new dimension and has become an increasingly popular tool for advertisers. Branded content refers to the subtle integration of brands into television shows, while content integration refers to the integration of products and services into the storyline of a show. These two forms of storytelling on TV have proven to be highly effective in building brand awareness, creating emotional connections with viewers, and driving consumer engagement.

One of the main benefits of storytelling on TV using branded content is that it allows brands to build brand awareness and create an emotional connection with viewers. This type of advertising is often more memorable and impactful than traditional advertisements, as it allows brands to highlight their products in a more organic and relatable way. For example, a beverage company might create a branded content series that follows the story of a group of friends on a road trip, highlighting the role that their products play in fuelling the adventure. This approach allows the brand to connect with viewers on a subtly connected and engaged level.

Another advantage of storytelling on TV using branded content is that it allows brands to reach a large and diverse audience. Television remains one of the most widely consumed forms of media, and by incorporating branded content into popular shows, brands can reach a broad and diverse group of people. This type of advertising also has the advantage of being shareable, as viewers are likely to talk about and share the story with others, which can help to extend the reach of the brand even further.

In addition to branded content, content integration is another effective form of storytelling on TV. This approach involves incorporating products and services into the storyline of a show, allowing brands to highlight their products in a more natural and organic way. A fashion brand might partner with a daily soap opera to feature its clothing in several key scenes or have a lead character drive a certain car. This approach allows the brand to reach a large and engaged audience and create a lasting impression, without feeling intrusive or disrupting the flow of the story.

A key benefit of content integration is that it allows brands to differentiate themselves from the competition. By incorporating their products into the storyline of a show, brands can create a unique and memorable brand identity that sets them apart from other brands. This can help to increase brand recognition and recall, as viewers are more likely to remember the brand if it is associated with a compelling story.

Content integration is a cost-effective advertising strategy. While traditional television advertising can be expensive, content integration can be produced at a lower cost because it is integrated into existing programming and story lines. By reaching a large and engaged audience, brands can often see a higher return on investment compared to other forms of advertising.

Finally, storytelling on TV using branded content and content integration allows brands to build a relationship with their target audience. By creating relatable and engaging stories that align with their values and interests, brands can build trust and loyalty with their target audience. This can help to increase brand advocacy, as viewers are more likely to recommend the brand to others and make future purchases.

Marketers that aren't considering the opportunities of branded content and on-screen integration are placing their clients' campaigns on mute. MediaHeads 360 have embraced the television space with the same enthusiasm and passion we have for radio. Our team has developed a deep understanding of the fast-paced world of live TV and pre-produced shows. With an astute grasp of the medium and an expert understanding of what brands want to achieve, we'll make your campaign worth watching!




For the most part, South African media, and journalists, experience democracy and freedom. However, there are spaces where journalists, in particular women journalists, are being threatened, physically as well as virtually.

Source  CGTN Africa CGTN Africa Journalists, in particular women journalists, are being threatened, physically as well as virtually

Asanda Ngoasheng says that while we have heard of the situation in Swaziland, she believes South Africa is unfortunately yet another African country when it comes to threats against journalists.

Whether these threats are physical or cyber, and although the South African government is in many ways not as oppressive as in other African countries, there are still threats by specific politicians and people who have a lot to gain by not being exposed in the media for corruption.

Ngoasheng was one of the speakers at the recent South African Editors Forum (Sanef) webinar that examined the increasing violence against journalists, their safety, and their impact of this on the journalism profession.

Apart from being the Sanef Western Cape convener, Ngoasheng is a well-known speaker, political analyst, academic, and diversity trainer with a decade of experience working in different media and lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).

In particular, she spoke about physical and cyber threats against women journalists.

Threats to women journalists

Women in newsrooms are experiencing high levels of attacks from men, including sexual harassment and violence, particularly when women challenge the status quo and start to ask difficult questions of politicians in power, says Ngoasheng.

Whether cyber or physical, any threat impacts how journalists approach the kind of stories that they do, the kind of people they engage, or talk to, she says.

The Sanef Ethics Report found that women in newsrooms do not always feel safe from their own colleagues and other people who have access to newsrooms such as celebrities and politicians.

Some politicians even ask for sexual favours in exchange for information. Women are often not able to talk about this as it is a very personal attack and there is a lot of shame around sexual violence, says Ngoasheng.

It is difficult to work under these conditions, and while Sanef has started a health and safety committee, the industry needs to do a lot more to protect women, and newsrooms in particular need to take that responsibility.

It has also had the unfortunate effect that many investigative journalists are men because it is a dangerous place for women, she adds.

Media houses taking responsibility

In terms of editorial management, often people are appointed as editors or as leaders in the newsroom, who are great at their job in terms of being a writer but dont necessarily have management skills.

She says that newsrooms and media houses need to invest in the development of leadership and management skills to help cultivate a culture of emotional and physical safety.

More must be done to provide physical support for people working on sensitive cases, such as bodyguards, especially when there are death threats.

She adds that while some media houses are doing this, not all media house are. The industry needs a more uniform perspective on how to provide emotional and physical support to journalists as well as to equip them when they are going into dangerous situations.

The bottom line, she says is that media houses must support the journalist.

However, while the responsibility for ensuring the safety of journalists lies with the newsrooms and their managers, it also lies with all members of society from civil and business to general society.

The responsibilities of civil society, business and society

The role of civil society and business is to highlight these issues and put them on the agenda.

Important research has, and is, being done by civil society bodies on the violence and the extent of the violence that journalists face. It is important to quantify the problem if we are to find solutions.

General society can also not be silent on this issue. Too often we hear someone being interviewed slander the media, and derogate the integrity of the media, or question the ethics of media.

She says while there is nothing wrong with questioning the media when you do you need to be aware of your potential to discredit the validity and the important role that the media can play.

Unfortunately, in SA we are seeing an increasing lack of tolerance for journalists. Journalists are being beaten, attacked, and even shot at when they cover stories.

She points out that ironically journalists are finding themselves under attack especially when covering community-led protests.

This is because the community does not always understand the role of the media and journalists and the importance of journalists covering these very issues.

Political parties also need to take responsibility. Political parties often make statements that the media is bought or sold, and the media does not care about you as the people. These are very dangerous statements as they inform the ways in which people engage with and relate to the media, she states.

The importance of journalism

Civil society, business, and society in general need to re-emphasise the importance of journalism as a trade and its role in society.

If journalists start being too scared to cover stories, then we wont know what is happening. State capture would not have been exposed if it was not for journalists putting their lives on the line. This goes for all other stories that help us as citizens, whether in SA or elsewhere, to have an understanding of exactly what kind of world we are living in and what is happening in our communities, she says.

If journalists feel they cannot report without fear or favour, based on who and how and where they are reporting on, we are running the risk of losing the potential of having a diversity of opinions.

We need to support journalism - while questioning it when necessary - so that people dont feel that the media and journalists are the enemies, adds Ngoasheng.

This Sanef webinar was supported by Sanlam, showing how businesses can support journalists and the media.
The chief executive officers of some of South Africa's largest retailers and consumer goods companies have addressed a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa bemoaning the energy crisis and its "crippling" effect on businesses.

President Cyril Rampahosa. Source: Reuters/Sumaya Hisham

The open letter was issued on behalf of the CEOs of member companies belonging to the Consumer Goods Council Of South Africa (CGCSA). The list of companies included Massmart, Famous Brands, Coca-Cola, Tiger Brands, Exclusive Books, Pick n Pay, Shoprite, PepsiCo, Mars, Burger King, OBC, BAT East and Southern Africa, Bidfood and Magaliescitrus.

The communication noted the consumer goods industry's contribution to GDP and its impact on livelihoods as the country's largest employer, and the responsibility many of the companies play in feeding the nation. "If this crisis continues, we will not be able to guarantee stable supplies of food, medicines and other essential goods," the letter read.

The CEOs expressed alarm at the escalation of load shedding in recent months, and while emergency backup power supplies have helped to maintain operations the financial cost endured has been significant and "unsustainable". The letter warned that should conditions not improve companies will be forced to raise prices, putting further pressure on already financially-constrained consumers.

The letter called on the government for "urgent and decisive action" in solving the energy crisis and stated numerous measures that the CGCSA members feel are vital to the action plan.

Among the measures mentioned, the industry is pushing for a suspension of the fuel duty levy and road accident fund for the consumer goods industry and value chain, for as long as regular load shedding occurs. "This is a critical sector that should be considered for fuel rebates similar to the mining, agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors," the letter read.

The open letter was signed by CGCSA co-chair Gareth Ackerman, CGCSA co-chair Johann Vorster and CGCSA CEO Zinhle Tyikwe, and was issued on behalf of the CEOS of the association's member companies.

Read the full open letter below.

Dear Mr President,

This open letter brings together many of South Africas most significant manufacturers and retailers of food and other essential products, such as quick-service restaurants and medicines.

We take our responsibility to feed and sustain the nation very seriously. We work tirelessly, night and day, to produce food and household products, secure healthcare products, and to ensure they are always available in our stores when customers need them.

The consumer goods industrys contribution to the GDP is significant and is also the countrys largest employer. Millions of people depend on us for their livelihoods.

We are alarmed and dismayed by the levels of load shedding which we have all had to endure over the past decade, and which have escalated catastrophically in recent months.

While we have maintained our operations and supply chains so far by using emergency power generators, this has been at an unsustainable financial cost. It is crippling our businesses, and will in the end mean much higher prices for consumers, who are already under severe financial strain.

The deterioration of other essential infrastructure  including water, roads, rail, and policing  all make our tasks, and those of thousands of other businesses around the country, even more difficult.

If this crisis continues, we will not be able to guarantee stable supplies of food, medicines and other essential goods. The government needs to understand this, rather than believe we can maintain business as usual.

We require urgent and decisive action from government to solve the crisis, and specific steps to ensure that the consumer goods industry can fulfil its role as an essential service for every family in the country.

These steps must include:

rapid implementation of the plans already in place to solve the overall energy crisis

the removal of regulatory red tape and escalating indirect taxes such as the health promotion levy to enable investment and business sustainability

address the deterioration of essential infrastructure such as including water, roads, rail, and policing

a suspension of the fuel duty levy and road accident fund for the consumer goods businesses and value chain, for as long as we suffer regular load shedding. This is a critical sector that should be considered for fuel rebates similar to the mining, agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors

effective tax and other incentives to install localised renewable energy at small and medium scale

action to ensure that critical infrastructure, such as essential food production, medicines and distribution facilities are not only exempted from load shedding but are prioritised on the safety and security list, and

accelerate the fight against illicit trade across the economy as it reduces the tax base and deprives government of crucial revenue at this critical time.

We look forward to hearing your plans for action in the 2023 State of the Nation Address (Sona), giving due consideration to the proposals put forward in this letter by the chief executive officers who are signatories.

We will continue to work tirelessly to sustain our customers and communities.

We will support government where we can and ask urgently for decisive action from you.
About 50 Distell workers stopped work and picketed outside the Adam Tas production site in Stellenbosch on Monday morning and [continued striking on Tuesday]. They are demanding that Distell give their union of choice, Solidarity, recognition and bargaining rights.

Some Distell workers in Stellenbosch picketed on Monday demanding that the company recognise their union Solidarity. Distell says membership numbers are too low for recognition. Photo: Liezl Human via GroundUp

The striking workers included warehouse workers, machine operators, order pickers, and cellar staff, among others. Distell is South Africas largest alcohol producer, with brands such as Klipdrift, Savanna, J.C Le Roux, and Hunters. The company is currently merging with international giant Heineken.

Shop steward Cederik Arendse said that about 187 workers have decided to join Solidarity but Distell is refusing to recognise the union and give it access to the workplace. Solidarity is the largest union at the Adam Tas site, he said.

Distell spokesperson Dennis Matsane said to GroundUp, While we respect the unions right to strike, we do not believe the strike is warranted nor does it have merit. He said bargaining rights are awarded to unions with a minimum of 20% member representation at the national level.

Solidarity took the matter to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) last year. The CCMA recommended that Solidarity reach the level of 20% membership at national level at Distell in order to get bargaining rights.

Matsane said that 120 Distell workers were members of Solidarity, of whom 105 worked at Adam Tas. Nationally, Distell has a total of about 3,700 workers and at Adam Tas there are about 640 workers, but these numbers do fluctuate, he said.

Arendse said many workers are still cautious about joining Solidarity because it has not been recognised by Distell. He said that the two other unions in the workplace - the Food and Allied Workers Union and The National Union of Food, Beverage, Wine, Spirit and Allied Workers - were not helping workers enough during bargaining and did not consult workers before concluding negotiations.

We want the union of our choice, said worker Belinda Appollis. We want a union who will fight for our rights. Appollis said that some members of Solidarity werent striking because they were afraid of losing their bonuses. The striking workers intend to stay away from work until Distell gives in to their demands.

Matsane said Distell would continue to engage the union with the hope of finding common ground.
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A senior Pakistani official has said that the government is committed to facilitating the country's exports and urged the exporters to adopt export-oriented policies for the public and private sectors to accelerate export-led growth.

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal made the remarks here on Tuesday during a roundtable with the country's exporters to review the progress of the exports and issues being faced by them.

"Increasing exports is the only solution to get rid of the economic crisis and every sector should set a target to increase exports," Iqbal said while assuring them that the government would facilitate and remove all bottlenecks in this regard.

He told the exporters that the government will soon organize a conference in which 50 brands of the country would be invited to highlight their work globally, adding that a body would be established for this purpose as well so that Pakistan's work could be showcased internationally.

The minister said that unprecedented floods last year had badly affected Pakistan's economy and the government has been making hard decisions to bring the country to the path of stability. 
LG Electronics' Global Ambassador Challenge is underway and still open to Gauteng-based residents with innovative and sustainable ideas aimed at empowering their communities., so time is running out for NGOs and individuals to enter. [To enter the LG Global Ambassador Challenge, submit your proposal here .]

The winners will be announced at a media event and ceremony at the LG headquarters in Midrand, Gauteng on the 22 February. Each winner will receive a grant of almost R150,000 to fund their community-enriching projects and stand to be recognised as official LG ambassadors.

The challenge  the companys annual corporate social responsibility initiative  promotes sustainable solutions to help solve social issues in South African communities. In partnership with Friends of Hope, Korea Food for the Hungry International, the challenge takes place in six countries on three continents and calls for talented participants from various fields including digital education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and design.

The LG Electronics Global Ambassador Challenge was successfully launched in South Africa in 2022, and this year, LG aims to increase the number of entrants from NGOs and community projects for increased community development in Gauteng.

President of LG South Africa, Jinkook Kang said, The inspiring response to last years challenge informs us of a pressing need for community development in South Africa. At the heart of these communities are brilliant minds who hold key innovations for a healthy and sustainable future. We are eager to collaborate with residents and leaders and encourage them to share their visions of social upliftment with us so that together, we can make them impactful realities.

The three winners of the 2022 challenge were notable examples of projects encompassing transformative innovation from communities in Soweto and Pretoria. Cavall-Ann Elliotts project aims to empower young people with digital education, Annette Hole of Keagile Project Partners hopes to change her community with an agriculture project, and Sarah Shkaidy looks to provide community members with the tools and resources to live sustainably by starting a bakery.

To enter the LG Global Ambassador Challenge, submit your proposal here. For more information on the initiative and for any queries, contact June Lee at moc.liamg@nujtevic.

Once winners are selected, the initiative will run from March to July 2023, during which time the winners will work directly with KFHI representatives to develop and realise their projects.

Media Contact

Jonathan Mutumba

Senior Account Executive

Jonathan.Mutumba@Clockwork.co.za

079 339 5769
It's official. African Bank is making the right moves to cement its 'greatest of all time' status as a certified top employer in South Africa.

Kennedy G Bungane, CEO at African Bank

The bank is delighted to celebrate yet another significant milestone with its recognition as a Top Employer in the country for the second year running.

This certification was provided by the Top Employers Institute, which is the global authority on excellence in people practices. It audits and certifies qualifying organisations based on the results of their H.R. Best Practices Survey. This survey audits six HR domains including People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Leaning, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Wellbeing.

African Bank was certified as a Top Employer in South Africa, alongside 2,053 organisations in 121 regions across five continents.

African Banks CEO, Kennedy G Bungane, lauds the organisations consistency in its score which illustrates the banks commitment and determination to create an environment where employees could thrive and realise their full potential.

The Top Employer results reflect an improvement in areas of our business related to strategy, leadership, engagement and onboarding/offboarding, as well as diversity and inclusion practices. This accolade solidifies to us that our employee value proposition is strong and empowers our employees to deliver the best customer experience, Bungane says.

African Bank strives to ensure that its human capital policies and people practices are continually aligned to the purpose of the bank, which is to advance lives through financial and related services.

Adds Bungane: We are more than just a bank. We are a mission manifesting itself as a bank. And our mission and vision is to build a scalable, diversified, and sustainable banking business with a compelling listable proposition and our employees are a crucial part of this vision.

African Bank is built on a culture of participation and inclusion that shows its people they are all a valued and crucial part of the African Bank story. Creating a movement in an environment where employees can live out the brand essence  that of having the audacity to believe  allows employees to aim for excellence and achievements.

This accomplishment is no coincidence as part of our Excelerate25 strategy is to return to African Banks heritage which is to be a bank for the people, by the people, serving the people. So how people experience us  whether as a customer or employee  is extremely important to us, concludes Bungane.




Wiocc has landed 2Africa - the world's largest subsea cable system - into carrier-neutral data centre OADC Durban, owned and operated by Wiocc Group company, Open Access Data Centres (OADC), in KwaZulu-Natal. This offers the province and country a huge increase in international capacity and the promise of more reliable internet and other connectivity services.

Image supplied

WIOCC group chief executive officer, Chris Wood, commented:

We are pleased to be working with our partners in the 2Africa project, bringing faster, more reliable internet to local businesses and consumers, and making an enduring contribution to communications in Africa. The subsea cable system is enabling more communities to access transformative online resources, from education and healthcare to jobs and financial services, and experience the economic and social benefits of seamless connectivity.

Economic benefits

The 2Africa cable project was launched in May 2020 to significantly increase the capacity, quality and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world, and a recent study by RTI International predicts that within two to three years of becoming operational, 2Africa will spur economic impact worth $26.2bn to $36.9bn, equivalent to 0.42-0.58% of Africas GDP.

The arrival of the 45,000km, 180 terabits per second (tbps) 2Africa cable system in Amanzimtoti, 25km south of Durban, will bring much-needed additional international capacity for internet and other services, support high-speed internet delivery and provide greater diversity, which will benefit businesses and individuals throughout South Africa.

Benefits of Amanzimtoti landing

This landing, into OADCs 4MW-capable open access OADC Durban facility in Amanzimtoti, is 2Africas fourth on the coast of South Africa - two in the Western Cape (Yzerfontein and Duynefontein) and one in the Eastern Cape (Gqeberha).

Service uptime can be maximised by utilising this new OADC Durban-2Africa route for international traffic because, apart from the Metiss system, no other international cable lands in Amanzimtoti.

Organisations can quickly and easily access 2Africas international connectivity to extend their operations in KZN and elsewhere in South Africa, as OADC Durban is open-access and carrier-neutral.

The cable systems landing in Amanzimtoti also offers the potential for increased regional job creation in sectors that rely on direct international connectivity, such as data centres, call centres and software development, which can help contribute to both local and national socio-economic development.

About 2Africa

The 2Africa cable consortium partners are China Mobile International, Meta (formerly Facebook), MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, Center3 (Saudi telecom company), Telecom Egypt, Vodafone/Vodacom and Wiocc.

Manufactured and being deployed by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the 45,000km 2Africa cable system has a design capacity of up to 180Tbps and will interconnect 33 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East when it is completed in 2024.
Tongaat Hulett has announced that the group's current chief business transformation officer, Dan Marokane, has been appointed as the group's acting chief executive officer. He will take over from current CEO Gavin Hudson, who is leaving the group at the end of February.

Source: Supplied | Dan Marokane, Tongaat Hulett acting chief executive officer

Marokane joined Tongaat Hulett in 2018 and has been a key member of the management team which led the turnaround journey of the company.

He has played an important role in internal cashflow optimisation programmes and the management of the companys asset disposals. He was appointed as an executive director of Tongaat Hulett in November 2019 and was previously the chairman of the companys listed Zimbabwean subsidiary, Hippo Valley Estates Limited.

Marokane has a BSc Chem Eng, MSc Pet Eng and an MBA and has held various senior executive roles over the past 20 years in the oil and gas, power and agroprocessing industries.
Fairvest Limited has completed an aesthetic refurbishment of the offices at 220 Madiba Street in central Pretoria. The updated 2Twenty Madiba - as the 15-storey building has been renamed - is said to combine heritage with modernity.

2Twenty Madiba. Source: Supplied

The 12,000m2 building was formerly advocates chambers, being situated opposite the Gauteng High Court and in a well-established government node.

The refurbished property features a triple-volume reception area, and each floor spans 730m2 with cellular offices offering views across the city.

Said Fairvest COO, Alon Kirkel: 2Twenty Madiba is a great address in a well-established neighbourhood, boasting over 400 parking bays, making it ideal for a government tenant. Weve overhauled the asset to meet the future needs of businesses in the area, and Fairvest is excited about its new chapter."

Uptick in development

The surrounding neighbourhood is seeing an upsurge in development, with investments and improvements rejuvenating the area and making it an increasingly attractive node.

When Fairvest merged with Arrowhead, we took the opportunity presented by the vacancy to refresh the property because we are confident in the future of this asset and the area. The investment in 2Twenty Madiba will help to close the vacancy gap and contribute to buoying central Pretoria, said Kirkel.
Daily Investor has shown exceptional growth and now attracts over 400,000 South African fund managers, analysts, and retail investors.

Daily Investor has shown exceptional growth in recent months and now attracts over 400,000 South African fund managers, analysts, and retail investors.

In January, 421,000 investors visited Daily Investor to read the latest news and analysis about local and international markets.

What sets Daily Investor apart is not only the size of its audience, though, but the quality of its readers.

Over the last month, its readers included:

25,000 financial and investment professionals



3,500 fund managers and asset management professionals



5,000 financial advisors



350,000 retail investors

The publications audience also includes 140,000 people with a household income of over R1m per year, while 68,000 readers earn over R2m per year.

Daily Investors newsletter is also incredibly popular. It has 45,000 subscribers and is growing to over 5,000 new subscribers per month.

Many top investment companies have partnered with Daily Investor to reach this powerful audience, including Old Mutual, IG, Scoin, and M&G Investments.

For more information about Daily Investor, visit its advertising page: https://dailyinvestor.com/advertise/
BREAKING BALLOON NEWS: The alleged Chinese "spy balloon" which flew over the US this week and captured the nation's attention was shot down on Saturday by an F-22 fighter pilot using a $400,000 AIM-9 Sidewinder missile.



"NEW: senior defense official tells me an F22 fighter jet fired a single shot at the Chinese spy balloon in U.S. air space over Atlantic Ocean," Pentagon stenographer Jennifer Griffin reported. "The F22s flew from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Senior US military official says 1 air to air missile fired by F22 at 58,000 feet (an A9X missile) brought down China spy balloon. The balloon was at 60-65,000 feet when shot."





NEW: senior defense official tells me an F22 fighter jet fired a single shot at the Chinese spy balloon in U.S. air space over Atlantic Ocean. The F22s flew from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.  Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) February 4, 2023

Senior US military official says 1 air to air missile fired by F22 at 58,000 feet (an A9X missile) brought down China spy balloon. The balloon was at 60-65,000 feet when shot.  Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) February 4, 2023



Each AIM-9 sidewinder costs around $400,000, according to Wikipedia.



Yes, the US could have shot the balloon down with some low-cost bullets and potentially recovered its electronics but this balloon was trying to take our freedoms and had to pay.





#BREAKING: Incredible HD footage of the Chinese surveillance balloon being shot down



#MyrtleBeach l #SC



Watch incredible HD video of the moment when the Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down by a single missile from an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base pic.twitter.com/KjwTrgcvcb  R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 4, 2023



We will never know whether it was just a weather balloon as China claimed or the highest-tech spy balloon in history because the rocket apparently made a direct hit on the lower section with all the electronics.



With the balloon finally out of our airspace, Americans can rest easy knowing they're now safe at last. While it's true China has satellites in orbit which can potentially see pennies on the ground of American cities (and the US has the same spying on China), this balloon was different.



This balloon was an evil Chinese balloon and I'm glad to see it dead.





One top Trump official says none of the Chinese spy balloons back then were near sensitive sites or had payloads as large as this one appears to carry. Other sr Trump officials say they werent personally aware of any China surveillance balloons and dont believe Trump made aware  Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 3, 2023

Biden said he knew Wednesday he wanted to shoot Chinas balloon down but it was decided that the best time to do that was when it got over water on Saturday within our 12 mile limit.  Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 4, 2023



The US is now on war footing with China over #Balloongate.





While an alleged "spy balloon" rocks the nation to its core, the Secretary of Defense was just in the Philippines this week announcing the establishment of new US bases in anticipation of war with China over Taiwan. But remember, any response to this will be declared "unprovoked" pic.twitter.com/eIsGKKKCCn  Michael Tracey (@mtracey) February 4, 2023



China flying a "spy balloon" over the US is an outrageous violation of our sovereignty but the US surrounding China with US military bases and pouring tens of billions of dollars of military aid into Taiwan is just about maintaining the "rules-based order!"





Congratulations to US sharpshooters who - after several attempts - shot down a Chinese balloon strayed near the Land of the Free

Below is a map of some of the 400 US bases that surround China, spying, probing, several with nuclear arms. The US describes the bases as a 'noose'. pic.twitter.com/93GCmMnzKa  John Pilger (@johnpilger) February 5, 2023



Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds and Telegram.
JAKARTA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday urged police and army officers to be well-prepared for forest and land fires as the El Nino dry season approaches.

Widodo warned that police and army chiefs in provinces would be sacked if significant flames start.

"If a fire occurs in your area and it is not handled well, you will be dismissed," Widodo told a joint meeting with police and army leaders in Jakarta.

Such a warning was given by Widodo in 2016, and he reiterated it in 2018.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency predicts that Indonesia will experience the phenomena of El Nino, or the dry weather phase, beginning last February or early March through mid-year and that it will be the driest season since 2019. 
JAKARTA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's counterterrorism squad, known as Densus 88, has arrested six people on suspicion of terrorism activities in four separate operations, the unit's spokesman said on Wednesday.

Aswin Siregar of the Densus 88 told local media that all suspects had alleged ties with the homegrown extremist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), which is linked to the Islamic State.

The JI was behind the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed more than 200 people on the archipelago's resort island of Bali.

Siregar said that the operation began in the city of Palembang in South Sumatra on Tuesday morning where members of the squad detained the first suspect identified with the initial J. Meanwhile, three others IR, LS and AF were arrested early Wednesday in the neighboring province of Lampung.

"A few hours later, Densus 88 detained AT and A separately in the city of Cirebon in West Java and Jakarta," he said.

AT was a fugitive and other suspects were allegedly trying to help him escape from the police search, Siregar added. 
Billionaire Gina Rineharts rival bidder for Western Australian gas developer Warrego Energy has pulled out of a drawn-out contest for control of the company and has accepted the mining magnates offer to purchase its stake.

Hancock Energy, an arm of Rineharts privately owned Hancock Prospecting, has been locked in a bidding war with ASX-listed Strike Energy to acquire Warrego and the prized 50 per cent interest it holds in a promising onshore gas basin 230 kilometres north of Perth.

Gina Rineharts Hancock Energy wants to use gas from the Perth Basin to power mining operations. Credit: Getty

On Monday, Hancock said enough Warrego shareholders had now opted to sell their stock to Hancock at its offer price of 36 a share to give it a majority position of more than 50 per cent.

Strike Energy on Wednesday announced its intention to accept Hancocks offer to acquire its 25.9 per cent interest in Warrego. Strike said it would earn about $116 million in cash proceeds from the sale.
Google owner Alphabet fell by the most in more than three months after a demonstration of its new artificial intelligence chatbot, Bard, sparked concerns that the tech giant has lost ground in the race for the future of internet search.

Google has been under pressure since developer OpenAI launched its wildly popular chatbot, ChatGPT, which many in the tech industry tout as the next generation of search. On Tuesday, Microsoft, which is investing billions in OpenAI, unveiled a new version of its Bing search engine and Edge browser incorporating technology from the AI start-up. On Wednesday, Google hosted a news conference in Paris where it shared more details about its progress integrating artificial intelligence into search.

The incorrect answer has raised questions about the accuracy of the chatbot. Credit: Getty Images

Investors were largely underwhelmed by the demonstration. In one instance, Bard was asked about new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope. In one of its responses, Bard said the telescope was used to take the first pictures of a planet outside the Earths solar system  but NASA says those were actually taken by a different telescope.

Alphabet shares fell by 7.7 per cent on Wall Street. The fall has wiped more than $US100 billion ($144 billion) off Alphabets market value.
After spending much of her 87 years exploring the depths, Valerie Taylor is still looking for ways to swim towards the creatures most of us avoid.

But because of overfishing of oceans and reefs, the self-described really old lady of the sea  who once filmed white sharks without a cage  rarely sees sharks or large fish when she dives except where fishing has been banned.

Valerie Taylor with diver Sam Fricker. Both are working to educate youth on the risks facing our oceans. Without the ocean, the planet will die, says Taylor. Credit: Louise Kennerley

At Wednesdays announcement that the first Youth Ocean Carnival will be held in Sydney on June 8, Taylor said few people understood how the ocean and its tropical and subtropical reefs had changed since she started diving in 1958. We are poisoning it, polluting it, and raping it, she said.

She called for young (and old) to do anything they could do to help the future of the oceans. Diving last year off an island reef on the coast of New Guinea where fishing had been banned for 20 years, Taylor noticed a difference. Three whale sharks rocked up, she said. Divers paid $25 to feed them.
The family of a girl stabbed to death in a Sydney hotel room days before she turned 18 have told a court they no longer celebrate birthdays as they came face to face with her killer, who admitted to a preoccupation with serial killer Ted Bundy.

Kristian Kovaleff, 21, pleaded guilty to murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after attacking two teenage girls at the Meriton apartments in Parramatta on December 18, 2020. The victims, who were best friends, cannot be identified as they were juveniles at the time.

A 17-year-old girl died following a stabbing at Parramatta, while her friend was critically injured. Credit: Nine

At his sentence hearing before Justice Stephen Rothman in the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday, Kovaleff said he had traded his phone in at Cash Converters for $500 and bought a hand saw, rope, duct tape and garbage bags from Bunnings.

He admitted to having previously thought about killing the girl who survived the stabbing, and fantasising about driving her around in his boot while playing his favourite song, Im a Bomb.
A man who bought a torture kit from Bunnings and booked an escort he later bludgeoned with a hammer in a Sydney CBD hotel was more likely acting from a nihilistic world view than as a result of psychotic delusions caused by schizophrenia, a Sydney court has been told.

In the days and hours leading up to his attack on a woman at the Primus Hotel on February 23, 2021, Matthew Donaldson made the booking, bought a sledgehammer, withdrew cash, checked out a firearm from a gun club at St Marys, ordered food and sanitised his hands, a sentencing hearing at Downing Centre District Court heard on Wednesday.

Matthew Donaldson took photos inside the hotel room which he posted after the attack with the caption, Game over.

He also took photographs of the hotel room that he would post to his Facebook as he rode a train to Penrith after the attack  which the woman survived  with the caption, Game over.

Police found Donaldson in bushland two days after the assault. Donaldson, 43, pleaded guilty last year to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder over the assault, in which he cut off the womans underwear with a knife and bludgeoned her on the head with the hammer.
Two men have each been jailed for at least seven years in Queensland for attempting to possess 30 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a shipping container.

Mark Anthony Dumenil, 50 and Hashanth Arjuna Kulatunge, 51, faced Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday for sentencing on one count each of attempting to possess commercial quantities of unlawfully imported border-controlled drugs.

A total of 99 thin cocaine bricks were found to be concealed in an upper structural rail.

The pair had gone on trial last year on the more serious charge of importing drugs but the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Covert police devices captured the pair discussing the ridiculous payday they anticipated from passing on the cocaine to co-offenders in Brisbane.
Sydney council investigates reports of dog baiting

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
Victorias peak legal bodies have warned that proposed new laws responding to the Lawyer X scandal will open the door to police using other lawyers to snitch on their clients.

Under legislation revealed in parliament on Wednesday, the Victorian government has moved to give police discretion to register children, lawyers, journalists, doctors, priests, parliamentarians and judges as human sources.

Former criminal barrister turned police informer Nicola Gobbo. Credit: The Age

The bill was drafted in response to the McMurdo royal commission, which recommended the government legislate the management of police informants, rather than leaving it to police regulations and policies.

The Victorian Bar and the Law Institute of Victoria are concerned that the legislation, if passed unamended, would not prohibit defence lawyers from providing information to police about their clients.
Elderly and medically vulnerable Victorians who are under-vaccinated have become the typical COVID-19 hospital patient, requiring longer stays and several courses of treatment.

Doctors and officials are urging the elderly or vulnerable to keep up to date with their booster doses, saying to fall behind is almost as if youve almost had no vaccine at all.

Raymond Daly being treated COVID-19 in the Northern Hospital this week. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Many Victorians now have waning immunity because of the time [that has passed] since their last vaccination, Victorias chief health officer Brett Sutton said.

We strongly encourage anyone whos due for their next dose to make an appointment with their local GP or pharmacy as soon they can.
THE HAGUE, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- An international team of investigators has suspended their investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 citing lack of evidence.

"The purpose of this investigation was to find out the truth, and I think we have come further than we ever imagined in 2014," Digna van Boetzelaer, deputy chief public prosecutor of the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service and leader of the MH17 team, told a press conference here.

Flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, was blown out of the sky on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board died, among them 196 Dutch citizens.

The Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Belgium and Ukraine worked together to conduct the international criminal investigation of the cause of the crash and those thought to be responsible.

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) said that it had learned a lot about the decision making process regarding the provision of a Buk missile, the weapon that was used to shoot down flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.

Although the investigators obtained new information about the Russian government's role in the downing of the flight, the evidence is not enough to launch a new lawsuit, according to the JIT.

Russia has denied any involvement in the downing of MH17.

"The high bar of complete and conclusive evidence is not met," the investigators concluded. Therefore, there is too little evidence to start a new lawsuit.

On Nov. 17 last year, a Dutch court sentenced three suspects in absentia to life imprisonment for their involvement in the downing of MH17.

The three were also ordered to pay more than 16 million euros (16.5 million U.S. dollars) in damages to the relatives of the victims. 
A pamphlet explaining the Voice to parliament before the referendum will be posted to voters in a backflip by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the opposition argued it was necessary for Australians to make an informed decision.

Government sources confirmed the prime minister had agreed to keep the pamphlet, but would not change his decision not to fund either the Yes and No case and instead would only fund a civics education campaign.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Albanese in parliament on Wednesday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton criticised the prime minister for resolving to ditch the pamphlet before deciding to reverse course.

It was frankly quite arrogant of the prime minister to believe that he didnt need to provide details to the Australian people. Now, in the cases weve seen in the past, the government has published a booklet which has the Yes or No cases put so that people can look at the information, Dutton said on Wednesday.
Calls for a parliamentary inquiry into last Octobers Maribyrnong River flood are being shrugged off by the Andrews government, despite two separate motions from the Greens and the Coalition after the independence of Melbourne Waters review was called into question.

The head of the Maribyrnong River flood inquiry, Nick Wimbush, stood down on Tuesday night.

Two people ride through flood waters from the Maribyrnong River in October 2022. Credit: Scott McNaughton

The resignation came after The Age revealed on Tuesday afternoon his previous role in supporting planning changes that led to a riverside retirement village in Avondale Heights building homes in areas that were swamped during last years disaster.

The possibility of a separate inquiry in the Victorian parliament has strengthened, with both the opposition and the Greens now seeking to establish a review.
Singapore/Denpasar: An Australian man originally from Italys Calabria region has been apprehended in Bali, in a police operation praised by Italys prime minister.

Antonio Strangio, 32, is wanted by Italian police over the sale of 160 kilograms of marijuana but had evaded their grasp in the seven years since an Interpol red notice global alert was issued for his arrest.

Australian-Italian dual citizen Antonio Strangio, 32, is transferred by police in Bali on Wednesday. Credit: Amilia Rosa

He is now facing extradition to Rome after being detained by immigration officers as he arrived at Balis Ngurah Rai International Airport last week and could face as long as 30 years in prison in Italy if found guilty.

Police in the southern Italian region of Reggio Calabria had been searching for Strangio for seven years, as part of the anti-mafia project, and had known of his whereabouts for some time, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
Wellington: More than 3 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated $NZ500 million ($453 million) have been seized in the Pacific Ocean as part of a New Zealand Police, Customs and Defence Force operation.

NZ Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the seizure was one of the biggest hauls of illegal drugs by authorities in New Zealand history.

NZ Customs say the cocaine seized as part of Operation Hydros has a street value of more than half a billion dollars. Credit: NZ Police/Stuff

The seizure would deal a significant blow to an international criminal syndicates operation. Coster said the size of the shipment, found afloat, suggested it was likely destined for Australia.

The amount would supply New Zealand for 30 years and Australia for one year, he said without elaborating.
Latest News New product could end 'defective' reverse mortgage market Pre-retirement property owners among the beneficiaries, says company

CBA lifts variable rates again, cuts select three-year fixed rates It's the second time in two weeks that the bank has hiked its variable rates for new customers

This article was produced in partnership with BizCap

Bizcap, known as the most open-minded lender in the Australian and New Zealand market, has recently funded its largest ever deal.

It provided a retail and hospitality business owner in Sydney with a $3.8 million secured business loan - in just two days.

The client required bridging finance to support a hotel refurbishment and cash flow needs. Bizcap was able to offer a fast and efficient solution, when a loan facility with their existing bank couldn't meet the business needs.

The broker who facilitated the deal had this to say about the experience with Bizcap: The process with Bizcap was smooth and seamless, despite the complex corporate structure of the customer. The team kept me in the loop the whole way through, and they were a pleasure to deal with.

Bizcap offers unique selling points that make it an excellent choice for brokers and SMEs looking for business funding. With unsecured business loans up to $500,000 and funding options up to $4 million, Bizcap has the capacity to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

"At Bizcap, we are pushing the envelope on traditional lending and are focused on delivering solutions for both Brokers and business owners alike, says Rebecca del Rio, chief revenue officer at Bizcap. Our unique lending process considers more than just a credit score, and we are able to provide efficient funding options that meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Our business development managers are here to work closely with brokers, accountants, and finance professionals to say 'yes' to even more customers, and help them secure the funding they need to grow their businesses.

What sets Bizcap apart is its quick funding process - applications can be funded within three hours. Bizcap looks at more than just a customer's credit score, lending to those with defaults or judgements, and even those previously declined by other lenders.

Bizcap is a low-doc business lender, requiring just a completed loan application and bank statements for conditional approval.

With a proven track record, and having helped over 15,000 Australian and New Zealand SMEs since the companys inception, Bizcap has a strong reputation for providing reliable and effective funding solutions. Bizcap has also established partnerships with hundreds of brokers, accountants and other finance professionals, offering their customers funding options that are fast and convenient.

Financial advisors and brokers, if you have clients in need of business funding, Bizcap is the answer. With a unique lending process that considers more than just a credit score, and the ability to provide quick and efficient funding options, Bizcap is an excellent solution to offer your clients.

What are you waiting for?

Get accredited with Bizcap

Submit your deal(s)

We review, assess and, within a couple of hours, provide a conditional offer

Once the offer is accepted, we complete the credit checks, send a contract via DocuSign and confirm the finer details

You get paid your commission

Remember, cash flow financing can be a great bridge-finance tool enabling your SME clients to maximise their growth opportunities this year!

Contact Bizcap today to become accredited and start getting your clients funded. Alternatively, email [email protected] for more information.
South Korean authorities have previously requested cooperation from the Serbian government to bring Do Kwon back (Photo: Stefan Kostic/Unsplash)

Do Kwon, the controversial founder of the now-defunct Terra ecosystem, is the subject of an escalated manhunt, with reports indicating that South Korean officials have confirmed they have sent at least two agents to Serbia in an effort to locate him.

Previously, it was reported by Chosun Media, a publication in South Korea, that a state intelligence official informed them that Kwon had established his base of operations in Serbia.

Now, according to Bloomberg, the prosecutor's office in Seoul stated that the rumors "aren't false" regarding members of its team venturing out to the Balkan state in order to find Kwon.

South Korea and Serbia do not currently have an extradition pact that is in force between the two countries.

According to a recent opinion post written by Minso Kim, a journalist for the publication Chosun Media in South Korea, Kwon most likely found Serbia to be an excellent place to hiding because of this.

It would appear that at least two state officials went, one of whom worked in the prosecutor's office, and the other of whom was a senior member of South Korea's Justice Ministry.

However, Kwon has had his passport revoked by South Korea, which may make it more difficult for him to travel in the future.

Since South Korean prosecutors filed an arrest order against Kwon on Sept. 14, he has been suspected of evading capture ever since. Kwon has denied the allegations made against him.

The disgraced entrepreneur, who is now 31 years old, has also been charged of violating regulations governing capital markets.

It is common knowledge that Kwon is a frequent tweeter; yet, he went nearly two months without tweeting or retweeting a single message, which has led some people to wonder what the controversial figure has been up to in that time.

However, Kwon recently gave a response to an accusatory tweet that was directed at him, in which he stated that he has never taken any money and has never participated in any "secret cashouts."

The de-peg of Terra's algorithmic stablecoin, TerraClassicUSD (USTC), was one of the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem. Terra Classic (LUNC), which was tightly related to the stablecoin, also had a decline that was close to 100%.

It is estimated that the ecosystem has lost value equal to approximately $60 billion.

Kwon has, up until this point, denied any crime.
By Mohi Narayan and Sakshi Dayal

BENGALURU (Reuters) -Adani Total Private Ltd expects to receive 2.2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at its terminal at Dhamra on India's eastern coast during the year ending March 2024, the company's chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday.

Adani Total has a 20-year take-or-pay contract to provide regasification services to state-run Indian Oil Corp for 3 million tonnes of LNG per annum at the Dhamra terminal. Government-run gas distributor GAIL (India) Ltd has a similar 1.5 million tonnes per annum deal.

Adani Total - in which French oil and gas major TotalEnergies has a 50% stake - said it was still in discussions on how much gas it would supply Indian Oil and GAIL, adding that a final decision had not been taken yet.

"We are still in discussions, we have not finalized supply plans, but we are, in the first year, expecting close to about 2.2 million tonnes," Chief Executive Satinder Pal Singh told Reuters on the sidelines of the India Energy Week conference.

Indian Oil and GAIL did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on supply plans.

Also Read Petronet LNG Ltd to invest Rs 40,000 cr in 5 yrs to expand import infra Adani Total expects to get 2.2 mn tonnes at Dhamra LNG terminal in FY24 Low-pressure area intensifies into depression, cyclone to be formed by Mon Odisha receives 145 proposals worth Rs 7.26 trn so far in biz conclave How Bengaluru Airport's new terminal is like a walk in the garden ONGC in talks with energy giants for deepwater exploration technologies There was no pressure from Adani Group to sell Mumbai airport: GVK's Reddy OnePlus launches flagship smartphone 11 5G, TV 65 Q2 in India: Report Uniper signs pact with Greenko to source green ammonia from India Maharashtra ban on bike aggregators: SC refuses to grant relief to Rapido

India's LNG imports fell for the second straight year in 2022, mainly due to fewer imports by utilities as the country ramped up coal-fired power production at the expense of natural gas.

The energy-hungry country expects deeper penetration of city gas distribution to drive LNG demand in the coming years.

The Dhamra terminal, which was supposed to be commissioned during the second half of 2021, is now expected to start operations in the fiscal year beginning April.

Under so-called "take-or-pay" obligations, payments are still due even if a buyer cancels a cargo due to unusually low demand.

"The demand is always there at the right price. I think things are starting to look better but it's a volatile market," Singh said.

Global LNG prices eased off record highs in the second half of 2022, amid ample inventories in North Asia and Europe.

(Additional reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- China is the fourth largest destination country for Spain's wine exports with sales increasing by 10 percent a year on average, the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) reported on Wednesday.

Spain currently holds a 7 percent share of the Chinese market after France, Australia and Chile, and one of its main aims in the next few years will be to increase this figure, Maria Naranjo, director of food, wine and gastronomy at ICEX, told Xinhua.

"2023 will be a year of rebuilding in the Chinese market because the distribution channels need to be reestablished in the hospitality sector, which is fundamental so that wines -- particularly quality wines -- can find their niche," she said.

"Spanish wines are becoming especially valued in the Asian markets," she said, adding that she expects "the strong return of Chinese tourism to act as a driver for the sale of Spanish wines in the Chinese market."

Chinese importers of Spanish wine share Naranjo's optimism.

"The Chinese economy will recover very soon, and China has a large population," Jane Zheng from the Chinese wine importer Wajiu told Xinhua during the Barcelona Wine Week (BWW). "The quality of Spanish wine is improving and so I think sales will also grow."

"The situation is difficult because French wine, or wine from Chile, is more famous than Spanish wine. But the quality of Spanish wine is good and so is the price, so little by little it's becoming more popular in China," Luis Lei from the wine importer Xiamen Bodegas Castejon told Xinhua.

Around 70 percent of Spain's wine exports are concentrated in the European Union (EU), but the highest growth rates are in the Asian and Latin American markets. Chinese wine importers were among 1,800 key buyers of Spanish wine from around the world who attended the BWW between Feb. 6 and Feb. 8. 


"This year could see a shift in the appraisal process, with companies looking to be more conscious of the costs associated with appraisals and better align them with their overall business objectives. Additionally, this year companies are less likely to increase employee salaries due to seniority or tenure in the organization," said Ruchi Ahluwalia, chief human resource officer (CHRO) at staffing firm Quess Corp. As companies continue to lay off their employees amid high market volatility, they may change the process to determine the quantum of the appraisals to be awarded in the upcoming year, experts told Business Standard. The salaries are less likely to increase based on seniority or tenure.



However, the experts were divided on the expected quantum of the salary hikes. "The approach for merit this year would be industry-competent and performance-based hiring which focuses on individual output and measurable outcomes," she added.



On the other hand, Sumit Sabharwal, chief executive officer (CEO) of TeamLease HRtech, said, "Since most businesses are experiencing moderate growth, it would be difficult for them to give very high increments in salaries." He added that the companies are likely to provide non-monetary benefits instead. "Employers in India are gearing to offer a decent 10-12 per cent appraisal in 2023 and this might range up to 20 per cent for key talent in niche job roles for certain sectors," said Anjali Raghuvanshi, chief people officer at recruitment agency Randstad India.

Also Read IT firms tighten employee scrutiny amid high costs, thin margins: Report No employee was sacked, all resignations were voluntary: Amazon India Amazon layoffs in India may be higher than other tech majors: Report Where did big tech and startups go wrong on hiring? EPAM sacks around 100 Indian employees, revokes offer letter of others Bank loan exposure to Adani Group against shares not significant: RBI DG Skye Air Mobility comes out with unmanned air traffic management system TenderCuts launches new platform HappyChops for local meat outlets Amid Adani Group's turmoil, RBI chief says Indian banking system stronger NCLAT rejects bankruptcy board's plea against telecom tower firm GTL Infra



"Better employee engagement helps retain employees by increasing the sense of belonging," he said. Sabharwal added that companies increasingly use SaaS-based platforms to improve employee engagement and manage benefits.



Irrespective of the appraisals, however, employees will have to reskill and upskill themselves to meet the demands of the industry. Ahluwalia said that at Quess Corp, they have already started to focus on giving benefits for "emotional, physical and financial wellness".



Notably, in her Budget 2023 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH) stack portal would be launched soon. It will aim to "empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through online training". "It would also be important for employees across sectors to understand the changing demands of today's employment scenario and develop their professional expertise accordingly. With the ongoing digital transformation, employees must focus heavily on reskilling, upskilling and soft-skill development to keep up with the changing nature of work," Raghuvanshi said.

Experts further stated that the employees will now have to take an active role in their appraisal meetings and carefully underline the work done by them.
US-based cybersecurity company Secureworks, backed by Dell Technologies, has laid off about 9 per cent of the workforce globally as part of its restructuring.

According to CRN, Secureworks did not disclose the total number of workers affected by the layoffs.

The company last disclosed its workforce in a regulatory filing in March 2022 to 2,351 employees, and if its workforce size remains the same, the 9 per cent workforce reduction will affect more than 200 SecureWorks employees.

During its filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company said it is implementing the layoffs to "align its investments more closely with its strategic priorities".

"Our business is evolving with our partners and customers in support of their security needs," CEO Wendy Thomas wrote in a message to employees.

"This demands agile footing and a smaller, more focused team. We are forging a structure that emphasizes simplicity and agility, requiring fewer roles and different skill sets a Our path to profitability will be achieved in part by reducing our spending," he added.

Also Read Pak President Alvi okays appointment of Asim Munir as Chief of Army Staff Amnesty International Canada says it was target of a China-sponsored hack Google has trained 40,000 people in cybersecurity so far: Vice President HCL Tech lays off over 300 globally working on Microsoft projects Mondelez Intl expands multi-year cybersecurity contract with HCLTech Govt asks Irda & insurance cos to address concerns to reduce consumer cases Hero Electric partners with Dhoot Transmission for wiring harness solutions Microsoft's ChatGPT-powered Bing browser now available for public use TotalEnergies puts hydrogen partnership with Adani on hold for now Zoho introduces unified communications platform to help boost productivity

Earlier this week, Dell Technologies also announced to lay off about 6,650 workers globally, becoming the latest technology company to do so.

The cuts will include 5 per cent of the company's global workforce, reports Bloomberg, citing sources.

Clarke told employees that previous cost-cutting measures, such as a halt in hiring and travel restrictions, are no longer sufficient.

--IANS

shs/pgh


Hero MotoCorp's sales in the 111cc-126 cc motorcycle segment increased by 5.65 per cent year-on-year to 452,274 units in April-December of FY23, according to data by SIAM. Hero MotoCorp on Wednesday said that the firm needs to recover its market share in the 125-cc engine motorcycle segment as it sees an opportunity in building a premium portfolio.



"On our domestic internal combustion engine (ICE) business, we are doing well in the short term. We need to recover our 125 cc market share. Our opportunity lies in building a premium portfolio for which multiple launches have been lined up for the next 3-5 years," said Niranjan Gupta. chief financial officer, during the post-results call on Wednesday. However, other players such as Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor saw a growth of 29.91 per cent, 48.84 per cent and 291.78 per cent, respectively, in the segment during the same period.



"It (corporate restructuring) is about various considerations one has to take into account such as what stage of launch you are, the taxation, the balance sheet and what is the intent behind doing the restructuring. So, we continue to evaluate all options," he mentioned. When asked if Hero is open to creating a separate subsidiary to handle its electric vehicles (EV) business Vida, Gupta said all options are on table.

Also Read Pricing hurdle may hit Hero MotoCorp's entry into EV segment: Brokerages Hero MotoCorp: Q1 disappoints, but there's hope of a better second half Q2 results: Hero MotoCorp net profit falls 9% YoY to Rs 682 crore Two-wheeler sales in India rise 9% YoY, still below pre-pandemic levels GoPro launches Hero 11 Black, Creator Edition, Mini: Know price, features Number of recognised startups rises to 86,713 in Dec 2022 from 445 in 2016 Tech Mahindra to open its first data, AI and cloud centre in Saudi Arabia Filling Big Tech shoes: Game begins for India's tryst with mass app economy Adani Power Q3 profit falls 96% YoY to Rs 9 cr; revenue rises 45% Bharti Airtel targets top 150 cities and towns for 5G subscriber expansion



Ranjivjit Singh, chief growth officer (CGO), Hero MotoCorp said that the company has made good progress in the 125-cc engine motorcycle segment with the launch of Glamour X-Tec. Hero MotoCorp on Tuesday reported a 2.41 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 721.24 crore in the third quarter of FY2022-23 amid weak demand, especially in the rural areas.



"Premiumisation is the trend. In our overall portfolio, X-Tec (latest variants of motorcycles) contributes to about 30 per cent. This is helping us strengthen our position in the core market. The 125-cc segment is a work in progress. You will see some new information coming from us by the end of this month," the CGO noted. "X-Tec has a tremendous amount of acceptability in the market. We are strengthening our 125-cc portfolio as we go forward. In Super Splendour, we will come with an X-Tec variant, and that will give a positive fillip to the entire portfolio," Singh noted.
A private firm has signed an MoU with the Uttar Pradesh government to set up health ATMs providing screening of various health parameters at more than 4,600 community and primary health care centres in the state.

India Health Link signed the MoU with the UP government under their InvestUP programme.

Swadeep Srivastava, Co-Founder & President of India Health Link (IHL) said the health ATM, 'hPod', offers a non-invasive digitally-integrated ecosystem that enables Primary, Preventive and Predictive Healthcare.

This is a self-service, walk-in Health ATM wherein individuals can get their screening done for 20+ health vital parameters including BP, weight, pulse, temperature, and ECG within 10 minutes followed by an instant report, without any paramedic assistance."



India Health Link (IHL) has committed through signing an MoU of up to Rs 1,000 crore investment and opening significant employment opportunities in UP over the next five years by establishing a manufacturing plant in the state's first Medical Device Park," said Srivastava.

"The recent announcement by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to enable up to 4600 CHCs and PHCs with rapid screening Health ATMs is the primary motivation behind bringing the Health ATM ('hPod') technology to UP, he added.


The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) last November dismissed a petition by Canara Bank against GTL Infrastructure and associate unit GTL, saying both companies are going concerns and are repaying their debt. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has dismissed as "infructuous" a plea by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, saying IBBI has nothing to do with the litigation between lenders and GTL Infrastructure.



"The corporate debtor (GTL Infrastructure) has made claims aggregating to Rs 13,393.83 crores against Aircel entities. Further, this Tribunal has directed to pay approx. Rs 900 crores to the corporate debtor, same has been pending on appeal. Moreover, the corporate debtor has to recover Rs 49.84 crores from Tata Teleservices; Rs 20.38 crores from ATC and Rs 351 from BSNL in pending arbitration proceeding. The amount received would be sufficient to pay the debt of the petitioner (Canara Bank)," the NCLT had said. As per the NCLT order, GTL Infrastructure, a telecom tower company, has monthly revenues of Rs 120 crore (net of GST), showing that it is a viable going concern. "Further, the company has repaid an amount of Rs 16,915 crores between 2011 to August, 2018, which clears that the position of the corporate debtor is reasonably healthy and is in a position to repay the sustainable debt," the order had said.



Moreover, the adjudicated and un-adjudicated claims of the GTL Infrastructure are far more than the debt claimed in the present petition. Citing the Vidarbha Industries case, the NCLT said the business of the corporate debtor is sustainable and it is a viable going concern under its current management and the overall financial health of the corporate debtor is not bad enough to be admitted under bankruptcy.

Also Read NCLT dismisses bankruptcy proceedings against GTL Infra, GTL Ltd NCLT adjourns Bajaj Hindusthan bankruptcy petition to December 7 CCI likely to appeal against NCLAT order in DLF matter: Sources Smog tower in Anand Vihar brought pollution down by only 17%: Report Mission 2025: Telecom tower firms to invest Rs 2 trillion in 5G infra NHPC net profit declines 12.59% to Rs 776 crore for December quarter PVR expands its footprints in North, opens at third location in Faridabad Volkswagen recalls 21K electric SUVs over faulty battery software To win back investors' trust, Adani Group to probe Hindenburg allegations TCS expands partnership with UK's Phoenix Group, inks over 600 mn deal



NCLAT in March will hear a separate petition filed by Canara Bank in the GTL Infrastructure matter. The NCLAT said as the NCLT has dismissed the bank's petition, it was refraining from expressing any opinion on merit as to whether IBBI is authorised to file a petition or not and hence the petition is dismissed as "infructuous.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced an expansion of its long-standing partnership with Phoenix Group, UKs largest long-term savings and retirement provider, through a contract valued at over 600 million (around $723 million).



This will be the largest deal win for TCS in FY23. As part of the deal, TCS will digitally transform Phoenixs ReAssure business, including its administration services, using the BaNCS-based platform.



Under the agreement, TCSs Diligenta will manage customer administration and servicing of ReAssures 3 million policies. Diligenta is TCSs regulated subsidiary in the UK on behalf of the Phoenix Group. This will be one of the largest deals for the company in the coming quarter.



The expanded partnership will result in a transformation of ReAssures operations, consolidating the heritage business on the same future-proof TCS BaNCS-based digital platform used to administer Phoenix Groups other books of business. TCSs solution will help Phoenix transform the end-to-end customer service through self-service across channels and analytics to enhance customer satisfaction and retention. Phoenix Group acquired ReAssure, a UK-based life insurance provider, in 2020, and has now engaged with TCS to drive synergies and enhance customer experience for its policyholders.

Also Read TCS beats Street estimates in Q2, net rises 8.4%; attrition remains high TCS Q2 result: Brokerages upbeat on margin improvement; macro risks remain New assets, expansion to drive growth for mall firm Phoenix Mills TCS changes its hike structure, does away with anniversary hikes Consultancy companies doubling capacity in sustainability divisions Paytm logs 89 mn monthly transacting users, GMV grows 44% to Rs 1.2 trn LinkedIn India's membership crosses 100 million, second largest after US Polaris Smart Metering raises $100 mn in funding from I Squared Capital With focus on non-US geographies, Amneal Pharma eyes India market Turmoil in Adani's empire prompts Nomura, SMFG to disclose fund exposures



At a strategic level, this business transformation initiative will integrate the ReAssure business into the Phoenix Group platform. TCS will leverage its Innovation Lab in the UK where its contextual experts and solution architects look for new ways of harnessing digital technologies to enhance the experience for policyholders, advisers, employers and operational staff.



R Vivekanand, president, BFSI Products & Platforms, TCS, added, Customer experience transformation has been the cornerstone of the TCS BaNCS platforms value proposition. Towards this, we have been continuously investing in product and service innovation, setting a benchmark in the UK life and pensions industry. Brid Meaney, CEO of Heritage Division, Phoenix Group, said: We continually review our operating model to ensure it is meeting the evolving needs of our customers on their journey to and through retirement. This transformation will ensure that Phoenixs customers benefit from the clear digital focus, consistent customer journeys and customer proposition provided by one platform.


The company said the CoE will combine academic and socio-economic goals to build national Hi-tech talent capacity, create high-quality jobs, promote digital innovation, and upscale small & medium enterprises. IT major Tech Mahindra said on Wednesday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia to set up a data, AI, and cloud centre of excellence (CoE) in Riyadh.



Haitham AlOhali, Vice Minister at MCIT, Saudi Arabia, said, "Adoption of cloud, data and AI will play a major role in Saudi Arabia's IT and digital growth. We are pleased to announce this initiative with a digital leader Tech Mahindra, which will bring global expertise and assets to Saudi Arabia and enable talent and IP creation over the next few years. This partnership is in line with Tech Mahindras DigitALL philosophy for comprehensive Business Transformation. As part of NXT.NOW framework, which aims to enhance the Human Centric Experience, Tech Mahindra focuses on investing in emerging technologies and solutions that enable digital transformation and meet the evolving needs of its customers.



CP Gurnani, MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra, said, The world of data & AI and cloud is rapidly changing with the shifting priorities of public and private sectors globally and locally in Saudi Arabia. Some levers of this change in priorities include building new IPs and assets, bringing innovation and more importantly training and upskilling local talent. Our partnership with MCIT to establish the CoE will help in addressing the fast-changing digital transformation need of Saudi Arabia. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, we look forward to partnering with MCIT and local Universities to create an ecosystem that is diverse and digital first. The MoU was signed between Ibrahem N Al-Nasser, Deputy Minister for Technology of MCIT, and Ram Ramachandran, Head-Middle East & Africa, Tech Mahindra. The event was also attended by Saudi government officials and the top management team of Tech Mahindra.

Also Read Freebies to doctors: Why has the ethical code not been enforced? Moonlighting not ethical: IBM India's Patel joins IT industry debate Jio Cloud PC: Will it be a game changer for small and medium businesses? There's a sea change in public sector cloud in India: AWS' Rahul Sharma Reliance Jio Cloud-linked laptops likely to cost less than Rs 10,000 Filling Big Tech shoes: Game begins for India's tryst with mass app economy Adani Power Q3 profit falls 96% YoY to Rs 9 cr; revenue rises 45% Bharti Airtel targets top 150 cities and towns for 5G subscriber expansion Digital lending apps issue clarifications after Centre's ban on loan apps Citing profitability, cybersecurity firm Secureworks lays off 9% of staff
PARIS (Reuters) - TotalEnergies has not yet signed a contract announced last year to extend its partnership with India's Adani to the production of green hydrogen, the chief executive of the French oil major said on Wednesday.

Patrick Pouyanne told reporters the company was waiting for the result of an audit launched by the Indian conglomerate in response to allegations of financial irregularities by Hindenburg Research.

"It was announced, nothing was signed. It doesn't exist," Pouyanne said, referring to the new hydrogen venture. "Mr Adani has other things to deal with now, it's just good sense to pause things while the audit goes forward."

Pouyanne said TotalEnergies was "not in charge" of the financial health of Adani group, with whom it has a number of joint-ventures.

He said the stakes held by TotalEnergies in Adani Total Gas and Adani Green Energy were still worth more than when the French company purchased them.

"Adani Green is still worth twice as much as we invested, Adani Gas is still worth eight times more. Our accounting is healthy, there was due diligence before and due diligence after," he said.

Also Read NTPC, Reliance, Adani top green hydrogen plays to bet on, say analysts France's TotalEnergies income hits $6.6 billion despite Russia loss Reliance showcases hydrogen-run truck at India Energy Week in Bengaluru TotalEnergies may trim stake in Adani Green to cash in on valuation jump Green Hydrogen Mission to help India meet net-zero targets: Experts TD Power Systems net profit appreciates by 3% to Rs 20 crore in Dec quarter Reliance, BPCL, Nayara among buyers using UAE dirham for Russian oil As layoffs continue, companies may tweak processes to determine appraisals Bank loan exposure to Adani Group against shares not significant: RBI DG Skye Air Mobility comes out with unmanned air traffic management system

He added that Adani had not requested financial support from TotalEnergies for existing projects.

(Reporting by America Hernandez, writing by Silvia Aloisi, editing by Richard Lough)
Getting ready for 300m students' return to campus; schools embrace vitality, expectations with full preparedness

By Fan Anqi and Du Qiongfang (Global Times) 08:37, February 08, 2023

After attending "online schools" for three years, students and teachers in China are finally meeting their beloved classmates as they move on-site in the upcoming spring semester, with nearly 300 million people expected to return to campuses nationwide.

As the first batch to be "tested" after China downgraded its COVID-19 management, authorities urged educational institutions to fully restore the normal operation of teaching activities while ensuring the health and safety of students and teachers.

Ahead of the new semester, Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan visited a number of campuses in Beijing on Monday, including world-renowned Peking University and Tsinghua University. She urged schools at all levels to implement and optimize relevant COVID-19 prevention management and fully restore the normal operation of teaching activities.

The health of students and teaching staff as well as the safety of campuses must be ensured, Sun stressed.

Before the start of the semester, schools should do thorough research on how many students and teachers had been infected and organize their return in an orderly manner. School hospitals should prepare medications in advance and monitor the health status of personnel within the campus, Sun noted.

With regard to the mental health of students and teachers due to the impact of COVID-19, she urged more attention and education be given in this regard. Schools should carry out leisure activities based on the characteristics of different age groups so as to create a more positive atmosphere.

"No nucleic acid tests, no health codes, everything is returning to normal! Students can freely enter or leave the campus without any form of permission, and canteens are also open for dining in," Wang Wei, professor at the School of Interpreting and Translation of Beijing International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

A high school teacher in Beijing, surnamed Hua, said she can feel the excitement from herself and her students and their parents as three years of online classes finally end.

"Parents are mostly thrilled about this news," Hua told the Global Times with big smiles. "On-site teaching is much better than online classes in terms of efficiency and interaction. We did not see much of each other in the last semester, and I am looking forward to seeing my students very soon," she said.

Hua's school is collecting the number of infections, the vaccination status and underlying physical conditions among students and staff, and it has ended the mandatory reporting of travel outside Beijing. However, body temperature checks and face masks are still required.

A teacher from Qibao Wenlai School in Shanghai surnamed Tang said that there are no particular requirements for epidemic prevention in his school and wearing a mask is no longer mandatory.

"Both teachers and students are looking forward to the new semester when face-to-face education can be carried out normally. We hope the situation can completely return to the pre-epidemic period so that the impact of the epidemic on education activities could be minimized," Tang said.

In the latest guidebook on epidemic prevention and control issued by the State Council, schools that have not reported COVID-19 infections can restore on-site teaching normally. Health monitoring will be conducted for seven consecutive days after students and faculty return to campus, and schools should minimize gatherings.

Higher education institutions will no longer conduct nucleic acid screening for all members, but will conduct nucleic acid or antigen testing for key personnel engaged in catering, logistics, security and cleaning on campus, the guidebook said.

Students and teachers at various levels of educational institutions are no longer required to provide nucleic acid test results in order to enter or leave the campus, it added.

To prevent the potential spread of the virus, schools must stockpile drugs for COVID-19 infection treatment regularly and prepare sufficient antigen tests, masks and other medical materials.

Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based medical expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the risk of a large influx of students bringing in new waves of infection is relatively low.

The biggest risk with the largest scale of personnel flows happened during the Spring Festival holidays and the period passed smoothly without bringing in a new spike. The majority of people were infected in the last round of the epidemic in December, with about 90 percent of people infected in Beijing and some 80-90 percent in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, he said.

"This formed an immune barrier against the virus, and with the inoculation of a full course of vaccines among the vast majority of students, the mixed immunity has formed even stronger protection," the expert said.

However, he reminded people that mask wearing and good personal hygiene are still necessary to prevent other infectious diseases such as the flu.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)


Nomura Holdings Inc.s asset management arm released details on Tuesday about 30 of its publicly offered investment trusts that hold either stocks or bonds of Adani companies. The move followed similar steps last week by units of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. The turmoil in Gautam Adanis empire is spilling over to Japan, where major asset managers are stepping up disclosure over mutual funds with exposure to the group in response to jittery investors.



A rout sparked by market manipulation claims wiped out more than $100 billion of the Adani groups value before a rally in stock prices Tuesday. Concerns had grown over the conglomerates access to funding since US-based Hindenburg Research released a report in late January alleging market rigging and accounting fraud  claims Adani has repeatedly denied. We have judged it necessary to provide information this time because volatility in the share and bond prices of the Adani group hasnt fallen, Nomura Asset Management Co. said in an emailed response to Bloomberg queries.



We have opted to move quickly to announce facts partly because inquiries to our call center and other channels have notably increased since late January, said Kuniaki Matsuo, a spokesman at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co. Recent news over the Adani groups alleged wrongdoings have the potential to pour water over enthusiasm toward India so we are closely monitoring how broad the impact could become, he said. Nomura Asset Management published a note Friday as reference material explaining the situation surrounding the Adani group. Volatility in shares and bonds of Adani companies could remain high over the short term because the market is paying close attention to the groups strategy, fund raising plans, and credit ratings in addition to further reports from Hindenburg, it said.

Also Read Nomura hires ICICI banker Mahesh Natarajan to head India ECM biz: Report 'No need for concern over SBI, LIC exposures': Fin Secy on Adani stock rout Adani Group exposures not large to pose risks to banks: Fitch, Moody's Goldman Sachs, Nomura downgrade China GDP forecasts as outlook darkens Nomura Singapore sells 1.52% stake in CSB Bank worth Rs 61 crore Despite a good Q3, near-term demand worries cloud Apollo Tyres' outlook Distressed funds including Oaktree Capital scoop up Adani Group bonds Adani Ports considering to repay $605 mn of loans to calm investors Entropik raises $25 mn in Series B funding led by Bessemer, SIG Venture Adani Total expects to receive 2.2 MT of LNG in FY24 at Dhamra terminal
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reprimanded BJP MP Surendra Singh Nagar for speaking directly to the opposition members.

"I do not approve this conduct," said Dhankhar

The chairman even called Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs Minister V. Muraleedharan to restrain the treasury members.

Speaking on the motion of thanks to the President's Address, Nagar said that the UPA government was full of scams, raising objections from the opposition. He then alleged that one family, which is on bail, is talking of scams.

The chairman said that if any allegation is made he will call upon the member to authenticate it.

He also alleged that Bharat Jodo Yatra was being done with people who are openly supporting Pakistan, to which Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan raised objections and started speaking, the chair was upset with Nagar for responding directly to the member.

Also Read Vice President Dhankhar praises India's 'exceptional' human resources Vice-President Dhankhar to host dinner for Rajya Sabha floor leaders today Houses adjourned to stop Oppn from raising Adani issue, says Jairam Ramesh 10 yrs of Nirbhaya case: DCW wants Parliament to discuss women's safety India most favoured destination globally for investments: Jagdeep Dhankhar AAP, BRS, Shiv Sena walkout from RS after chair rejects adjournment notices BJP questions appointment of retd HC judge to monitor minister murder probe GVK Group rebuts Rahul's statement, says no pressure to sell Mumbai airport RBI repo rate hike to impact affordable housing demand, say experts Maximum road accidents in Delhi take place on Friday night: Report

Earlier, the chair rejected the suspension of business notice of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi along with BRS member K. Keshav Rao and AAP member Sanjay Singh.

The four notices demanded discussion on the Adani row and the Constitution of the joint parliamentary committee in the case.

The AAP, BRS and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) protested at the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises to press for a JPC probe.

--IANS

miz/dpb
The Delhi Police is celebrating safer internet month posting videos regarding cyber awareness everyday starting from Monday, officials said.

A senior police officer said the campaign was started from Monday which is celebrated as 'safer internet day'.

"Through this campaign (Cool bano fool nahi), our motive is to spread awareness about the cyber crime which is increasing now a days rapidly. A one-minute video is being posted everyday till February 28 started from Monday. This is for every age group," the officer said.

Interspersed with music and message, the video talks about creative awareness in a comic way so that it could reach to a bigger audience, they said.

Everyday, the video has different topics, including earn from home, insurance frauds, ransomware update, Whatsapp and social media fake account, cyber bullying, sextortion - video calls, lottery or reward scams, dating apps, protect your information during the holiday online shopping season, payment gateway frauds etc., police said.

On Monday, the police had posted a video with caption "Raise your awareness of potential online hazards as we all celebrate Safer Internet Day. Delhi Police advises citizens to use the internet safely and responsibly to secure yourself from cyber fraud and crime. #FoolNahiCoolBane.
Union ministers G Kishan Reddy and Parshottam Rupala and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will on Wednesday address the Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting organised in Rann of Kutch as part of India's G20 presidency, officials said.

Working sessions will be held on five priority issues, namely green tourism, digitalisation, skills, tourism MSMEs and destination management, as per an official release.

Union Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday addressed a side event at the start of the three-day TWG meeting and said tourism can be a positive force for economic transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, and India plans to use the key segment to achieve sustainable development goals during its G20 Presidency.

This is the second G20 event in the state after the 'Business 20 Inception' programme held in Gandhinagar last month.

The delegates who arrived from different countries were on Tuesday given a traditional welcome, which included performances by folk artistes at the Bhuj airport and at the tent city Dhordo in Rann of Kutch.

More than 100 delegates are attending the first TWG meeting.

Also Read Ex-Guj min Solanki, Rivaba Jadeja among candidates in 1st phase of polls Voting begins for 1st phase of Gujarat polls; 89 seats, 788 candidates 21 yrs after quake, Bhuj seeks industrialisation without disturbing ecology 'US looking forward to support India's G20 presidency': Janet Yellen Another lotus blooms Forest cover goes up by 6.95% in Telangana between 2015 to 2021: Report Tourism can help in economic transformation, rural development: Minister Global space economy to reach $1 trn in coming years: Ex-Isro chief Budget Session: Census paused, no plan to hike amount under PM-Kisan & more India will take leading role in oil requirement till 2045: OPEC report

On Thursday, international delegates and participants will have a yoga session at the White Rann of Kutch followed by a visit to Dholavira, the UNESCO world heritage site from the Harappan civilization.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asserted that India has emerged as a strong nation that can face any challenge.

Asserting that the BJP will secure at least 50 seats in the elections to the 60-member assembly in Tripura on February 16, the Union minister called the seat-sharing agreement of the Congress and the CPI(M) a "jugalbandi between a flute that does not produce sound and a sitar with torn strings".

Addressing an election rally in Barjala area of Agartala, the senior BJP leader said that the Indian Army can kill Pakistan-backed terrorists on either side of the border.

"India was earlier known as a weak nation. But now, the whole world is aware that India is a strong country. We are now ready to face any challenge.

"The Indian Army easily neutralises Pakistan-backed terrorists entering our sovereign territory. When required, we even entered Pakistan and liquidated these terrorists. We can kill these terrorists on either side of the border," he said.

Singh said Tripura was once a hotbed of insurgency but the situation has changed completely under the BJP rule.

Also Read Fifa World Cup: Why are players wearing Batman-style facemasks in Qatar? India emerged as a security provider in Indo-Pacific, says Rajnath Singh Govt trying best to equip nation to deal with challenges: Rajnath Singh Young generation will provide new direction to themselves, nation: Rajnath Rajnath calls on people to act as responsible riders for nation's growth Affordable housing demand to remain low as home loan rates rise: Experts Country needs a strict federal law for online gaming: IT Minister Vaishnaw ED has done what voters couldn't; united the Opposition, says PM Modi Pawan Hans services launched in 4 sectors in Assam, aims to boost tourism Trainer aircraft overturns at Thiruvananthapuram airport, pilot safe

Noting that peace is the primary condition for development, Singh said the BJP government will "not tolerate violence in any form".

Singh claimed that currently, nobody in the country dies of hunger but news of starvation deaths was heard of before 2014.

The Union minister claimed that before the BJP came to power in the state in 2018, the rural areas of Tripura were plunged into darkness, and even there were massive power outages in state capital Agartala but now the entire state is well-electrified.

He said the state now has a good network of roads, better internet connectivity and an international airport.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday said the central flagship programme Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has achieved substantial progress in the Union Territory and is set to be completed by June this year.

The information was given at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta who conducted a virtual tour of the works taken up under JJM and interacted with public and officials of the department for first hand appraisal of the progress made in the mission so far, an official spokesman said.

Principal Secretary Jal Shakti Department, Shaleen Kabra, informed the meeting that the mission is under implementation from 2019 and has achieved substantial progress till now.

All rural institutions like schools, Anganwadi centres and health institutions have been provided piped water under this mission. Every remaining rural household would get the tap water connection under this mission by June this year as most of the targets would be completed by then, he said.

The spokesman said the meeting was informed that of 6,774 works, 6,712 has been tendered, and 3,696 works stands allotted till date.

1,893 works are currently under progress and 284 works are completed in the UT.

Also Read 78.1 mn rural households provided tap water in last 3 years under JJM: Govt 110 mn rural households in India now have access to tap-water connection Goa becomes first state to be 'Har Ghar Jal' certified, says PM Modi Mamata Banerjee voices happiness over Bengal's Jal Jeevan Mission feat Jal Jeevan Mission hits 11 million mark, PM Modi lauds 'great feat' Third NDRF team with 51 rescuers to leave for earthquake hit Turkey Turkiye, Syria earthquake toll crosses 11,000-mark; deadliest in decade Drones from Garuda Aerospace to be deployed in earthquake-hit Turkey Gadkari unveils advanced drone air traffic management system 'Skye UTM' Rahul Gandhi making baseless allegations against govt: Ravi Shankar Prasad

All the works of the JJM would be allotted till March this year, Kabra said, adding that in order to enhance the transparency and monitoring of the works, NGOs have been empanelled as Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs).

These ISAs are going to work across villages and help in capacity building of Gram panchayats, Pani Samities and perform other support activities as well, he said.

The Chief Secretary asked the officers about the progress of the mission and asked them to meet the deadlines without any fail.

He also laid stress on using techniques like Critical Path Method (CPM) and Resource Management System for better control and understanding of the priority areas and discerning the way forward to complete each work on time.

Mehta instructed the officers to carry out the capacity building of the field workers so that the mission worth Rs 11,000 Crore is implemented efficiently.

He maintained that such missions provide golden opportunities to departments to enhance their efficiency in terms of capacity of their employees and addressing the requirements of manpower as well.

The Chief Secretary also asked about the pace of water testing under JJM and the remedial measures taken in case of poor quality of water found anywhere.
The opposition hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday for not responding to allegations related to industrialist Gautam Adani, which they termed "the elephant in the room", with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi accusing Modi of "protecting" the billionaire.

The opposition's attack came after Modi said the trust reposed in him by crores of people is his protective shield, which cannot be breached by abuse and allegations from his detractors.

Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Lok Sabha, the prime minister said people know that he has come to their help in times of crisis and asked the opposition parties how would these same people agree with their abuses and allegations.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the prime minister's reply in Parliament as diversionary and said there was not even a word on his "links" with his "favourite businessman".

Trinamool Congress's (TMC) leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the prime minister should clearly make a statement assuring the depositors of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and State Bank of India (SBI) that their money is in safe hands.

"It is a fact that money has gone to Adani from them (LIC and SBI) and people were waiting for a reply to get an assurance from the prime minister but sadly, it did not come," Bandyopadhyay told reporters outside Parliament after Modi's address.

Also Read Europe pushes FIFA for answers to migrant worker's issues ahead of WC President Murmu pays homage to victims of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amidst opposition protests over Adani issue Opposition seeks to raise Adani issue; Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm Sunak's rise as next UK PM triggers war of words between BJP, opposition India has emerged as strong nation, can face any challenge: Rajnath Singh Affordable housing demand to remain low as home loan rates rise: Experts Country needs a strict federal law for online gaming: IT Minister Vaishnaw ED has done what voters couldn't; united the Opposition, says PM Modi Pawan Hans services launched in 4 sectors in Assam, aims to boost tourism

Referring to the Adani-Hindenburg issue, Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Harsimrat Kaur Badal said "the elephant in the room" was not addressed by the government.

"It is very obvious what is on the minds of people and every member of the House, but it was not addressed. Some issues were raised and the nation deserves a reply. It is people's money that is involved and we have to make sure that the people get the answers to the questions that are arising," she said.

Gandhi said it was clear that Modi was protecting Adani as he did not order an inquiry into the allegations levelled against the industrialist by US-based short-selling firm Hindenburg Research.

Talking to reporters outside Parliament after Modi's address, the Congress leader said the prime minister did not answer the questions he had posed to him.

"I am not satisfied, but it reveals the truth. There was no talk of an inquiry. If he is not a friend (of Adani), he should have agreed to an inquiry. There was no probe into shell companies in the defence sector and benami money is changing hands, but the prime minister did not say anything on that.

"It is clear that the prime minister is protecting him (Adani)," Gandhi said.

"He is surely trying to protect him and I understand this and there are reasons for it," he added.

Gandhi said it is an issue of national security and concerns the country's infrastructure and the prime minister should have said there will be a probe into the allegations levelled against the industrialist.

Asked if he got the answers to his questions, the former Congress chief said, "I did not get any reply from the prime minister to my questions."



"The prime minister was shell-shocked. He was in shock and there was no answer. I have not asked any complicated question. I only asked how many times he (Adani) has gone (abroad) with you. How many times did he meet you. I posed simple questions but got no answers," he said.

"I am not satisfied, but it reveals the truth," Gandhi said when asked if he was satisfied with the prime minister's reply.

In a tweet, Ramesh said: "Divert. Defame. Denigrate. Deny. The 4 Ds in PM's own style that Describe his so-called reply in Parliament."



"Not a word -- direct or indirect -- on the prime minister's links with his favourite businessman, Adani, or his ghotalas (scam)," Ramesh said.

Sharing pictures of Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Jaya Bachchan in the Rajya Sabha and Modi in the Lok Sabha, Ramesh tweeted: "At 5:15 pm today. One of India's most famous actress on the right speaking in Rajya Sabha. India's most famous actor on the left speaking in the Lok Sabha."



Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the prime minister gave a good speech but did not answer a single question put forward by the opposition.

The opposition has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations of fraud and manipulation levelled by Hindenburg Research against Adani's companies, triggering an unprecedented stock crash. The business group has, however, denied the charges.
Central PSU Pawan Hans Ltd on Wednesday launched its helicopter services for several sectors connecting four major cities in Assam, with an aim at boosting tourism in the northeastern state, a senior official said.

The service will be available on the Dibrugarh-Jorhat-Tezpur-Guwahati-Tezpur-Jorhat-Dibrugarh routes for three days a week, he said.

The chopper service provider has entered into an agreement with the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) to operate in these sectors.

"Pleased to sign MoU with Pawan Hans Ltd on behalf of ATDC for its chopper services started from today connecting 4 sectors in Assam under RCS UDAN. Initiative will certainly going to boost tourism sector," ATDC Managing Director Padmapani Borah wrote on Twitter.

Pawan Hans has been awarded 86 routes under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in six states.

"Today's launch is part of the first phase of the programme, another official said.

Also Read Pawan Hans to launch helicopter services on 6 routes in Assam this week How unregulated is the helicopter tourism industry? TMS Ep285: Helicopter tourism, poverty, markets, Digital Banking Units Centre set to wait for NCLAT ruling for Pawan Hans sale, hearing on Sept 1 Ahead of IDBI privatisation, Centre working on tightening disclosure rules Trainer aircraft overturns at Thiruvananthapuram airport, pilot safe Aero India: Flight operations at B'luru airport to be impacted for 10 days BRS MP K Keshav Rao moves suspension notice in Rajya Sabha on Adani issue PM to reply to motion of thanks on President's address in Lok Sabha today G20: Kishan Reddy, Rupala to address Tourism Working Group meet in Gujarat

Subsequently, the services will be expanded to neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, an official release had said earlier.

The scheme is providing special impetus to boost air connectivity to remote places of the northeastern states, which have inadequate rail and road links, it added.
A plea has been filed before the Delhi High Court asserting that the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund must be deemed to be a public authority under the Right to Information Act.

The application was filed by retired Navy officer Commodore Lokesh K Batra in a pending appeal dealing with the issue of classification of the fund as public authority under the law.

The applicant said the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), headed by a constitutional authority (Prime Minister of India) and administered by joint secretary to the prime minister, has all the trappings of being a public authority, and thus prayed for disclosure of certain information pertaining to the fund.

The applicant had filed an RTI application before the Prime Minister's Office in April 2020 seeking information concerning the creation of the fund, entrusting the fund to the prime minister and the selection of chartered accountant for conducting of the audit, among others, the application said.

The Central Information Commission (CIC), however, subsequently, disposed of the RTI plea on account of the pendency of the issue of the fund coming under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act before the high court.

The applicant submitted that when his RTI query was pending, the authorities claimed that they were not bound to share the information as the fund was not a public authority and that all contributions to the fund are voluntary in nature.

Also Read 10 people from Gujarat banned from filing RTI queries in last 18 months AICF claims pests destroyed records in response to query under RTI Act Effective use of RTI will help building a corruption free country: Om Birla Online portal for filing RTI applications 'practically ready', says SC Centre gets 2 weeks to file affidavit on plea against Places of Worship Act 1.6 million youths trained so far under Skill Development Mission in UP Kerala Assembly pays tribute to Turkey earthquake victims, announce aid 2,359 Kisan Rail services by Railways till Jan 2023, says Ashwini Vaishnaw ISRO conducts initial trials of human space mission crew module recovery Sikkim happy as SC removes people of foreign origin' reference from order

In his plea, the applicant further said that the Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018 is completely inconsistent with their claim that the fund only accepted voluntary funds by individuals and associations.

Sec 12(2) of the 2018 Scheme provides for automatic depositing of amount of electoral bonds not encashed within the validity period of 15 days directly to the Appellant body. Depositing amounts of Electoral Bond (not encashed within the validity period) with the appellant, by no stretch of imagination can be termed as a voluntary donation', the application said.

It further said that the fund must be deemed to be a public authority under the RTI Act as all disbursements are made solely on the discretion of the prime minister in his official capacity and the applicant should be made a party to the pending appeal on the issue.

In May 2018, a division bench of the high court had delivered a split verdict on the issue of compulsory disclosure of the details of institutional donors in the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund under the RTI Act following a plea by Aseem Takyar, and referred the matter to a third judge.

The spilt verdict came on the fund's plea challenging a single judge's order of November 19, 2015 dismissing its petition against a 2012 Central Information Commission order asking it to disclose the details of its institutional donors.
Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has said he wants the Centre to nationalise the assets of Adani Group, which has faced scrutiny after its stocks tumbled following a report over its financial deals and a ruckus was created in Parliament by opposition parties over it.

In an interview with PTI here, Swamy spoke about how his recent tweet on being "sorrowful" regarding the demise of former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf which has received a lot of criticism online.

He also spoke about how Union Budget 2023-24 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alleging it lacked either objectives or strategies and said the allocation for defence is low at a time when China is aggressive on the border issue.

Excerpts from the interview --



Question: How do you think the BJP government has handled the Adani Group issue, while opposition parties are demanding action against the beleaguered conglomerate?



Answer: I would like to see the Prime Minister nationalise all the assets of Adani Group and then auction it for sale and out of that money, help people who have lost this way. As if Congress didn't have deals with Adani. I know many of them who had lots of deals with Adani but I don't care for the Congress. I want the purity of the BJP to be established. The general public opinion is that (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has something to hide and now it is the job of the government to punish it.

Q: Your recent tweet on being "sorrowful" about ex-Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has been widely criticised on social media even by members of BJP. What do you have to say about it?



A: A lot of criticism on me, saying that Pervez Musharraf was a butcher who killed Indians in the Kargil war. But in the Kargil war, Pervez Musharraf was commander-in-chief for the Pakistan Army. I mean, he didn't go around shooting people. He asked the army to shoot. Now, how can you be called a butcher and so on when the Prime Minister of Pakistan was Nawaz Sharif during the war (in 1999).

Now, I believe PM Modi is the one who broke all protocol, went to Pakistan and had lunch with him... Why didn't they talk about the real man who was behind the attack on Kargil, that is Nawaz Sharif. I know Musharraf because I have met him several times. I met him in Pakistan, and in India. He had at that time become president by a coup. When he started wearing civilian clothes, he gave up the commander-in-chief position. He said, I would like to work with India. And he was also the person who helped the United States to finish the Taliban, at least temporarily.

Also Read Ex-BJP MP Subramanian Swamy meets Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata Several temples in Telangana closed due to solar eclipse: Official MK Stalin defamation case: Kishore K Swamy sent to custody till Dec 5 BJP leader Subramanian Swamy meets Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa brothers Subramanian Swamy moves Delhi HC over Centre's failure to provide security Three million people in India at risk of flooding by glacial lakes: Study SC seeks replies from LG's office on holding of mayoral election in MCD BJP MP Surendra Singh Nagar faces flak from RS Chairman Dhankhar in RS AAP, BRS, Shiv Sena walkout from RS after chair rejects adjournment notices BJP questions appointment of retd HC judge to monitor minister murder probe

So, these (netizens) are funny people. If they want to question me on that, the first question I have is why did Modi go to Nawaz Sharif's place, who is the real architect of Kargil war? They won't do that...

Q. The appointment of Justice Victoria Gowri as an additional judge of Madras High Court has received criticism and outcry by a section of lawyers. Senior advocates say the decision by the Supreme Court on dismissal of the petitions will be challenged. Your comments?



A: In a democracy, anyone can challenge anyone. What she said, as an individual, as a member of RSS, as a member of BJP cannot be assessed unless she became a judge and then behaved the same way. Secondly, as the Chief Justice has correctly noted, she is an additional judge at the moment. And after two years, there'll be a review... So she has to act according to the law.

We have other judges which I don't want to name, we have made them judges and they have been "fanatic Muslims" before becoming a judge. So, I think this hounding and hunting people just like that, because they held some views. Why didn't you prosecute her at that time? When she expressed those views. You could have easily done it. One could have filed a PIL like I do all the time. Go and file a case against her if you want. This is the selection made by the Government of India and supported by the judges of the Supreme Court. So, I think it's a bogus campaign against her.

Q. You have been a critic of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman from the time she has taken up the portfolio. What is your view on this year's budget?



A: It is a bogus budget. Budget must have four pillars. What is your (government) objective? No objective was seen in this budget. She said India will grow at six and a half percent next year. What about last year? What happened from 2019 to today, we have only grown at 3 per cent or 4 per cent per year. How is it going to work at 6 per cent?



Regarding the priorities, is agriculture a priority? or is industries a priority or services a priority? Nothing about that. On the question of strategy. What is your (government) strategy? Do you have a strategy for government control? or do you have a strategy for encouraging people to save more? What is the strategy? Nothing. Finally, where are we going to get the resources from? They have cut down the resources for defence, a minuscule amount when China is threatening you. We are cutting our defence allocation. We have got so many essential sectors. So, what she should do is tell us what happened.
Entrepreneur and venture capitalist M R Rangaswami has claimed that there has been a dramatic rise in the influence of Indian Americans in the US and stressed the need for the community to be "more high profile" about philanthropy.

The founder of Indiaspora -- a non-profit organization which aims at transforming the success of the Indian diaspora into meaningful impact worldwide -- Rangaswami said the Indian American community has grown in all spheres, including politics, government, entrepreneurship, the medical profession as well as academics.

"It (influence and impact of Indian Americans) has been dramatic. Even recently there was an article from a Jewish American author who said, the time has now come for Indians to take over from the Jews.

"So it was almost another community kind of saying, time is now for the Indian community," he told PTI in an interview.

Rangaswami, however, said that the community needs to do more on the philanthropy, service, and charity fronts.

"We need to be more open about it. Our community tends to be very low profile. But we need to be more high profile because all Americans need to know that we are generous and we help," he said in response to a question.

Also Read Women's Entrepreneurship Day: 5 women who are breaking the glass ceiling US venture capitalists hope Budget 2023 supports growth, startup ecosystem Rohini Nilekani is changing philanthropy HCL's Shiv Nadar most generous: Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022 Sebi drops Indian connection clause to make investment easy for AIF, VCF Top headlines: Two-wheeler EVs under fire, Vivad se Vishwas-II, and more Venkaiah Naidu stresses importance of women in politics, decision-making TMS Ep364: Adani group, Indian ports, defensive stocks, fault lines India ranks first, contributes 24% of global milk production: Govt to LS LiFE initiative by Modi can help address climate challenges: Fatih Birol

According to him, in 2012, the big news was that Indians were one per cent of the population with Indian Americans being seven per cent of the doctors and 10 per cent of the IT workforce.

"But what we lacked at that time was any influence in politics. But in the past decade one of the things we have noticed, and this was an aspiration for Indiaspora was how to be 1 per cent of the political force. We have accomplished that pretty quickly. In three election cycles between 2012 and 2016, we were now 1 per cent of Congress," he said.

The House of Representatives has five Indian Americans. They are Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar.

"We have the Vice President (Kamala Harris) on top of that. We have built political influence," he said.

On the business front, he referred to the long list of top Indian American CEOs, including those from Google and Microsoft.

"Now, we have close to 60 CEOs in Fortune 500. Even though we are 1 per cent of the population, we're more than 10 per cent of the Fortune 500 CEOs. Some of the most recent ones being Laxman Narasimhan at Starbucks and Raj (Subramaniam) at FedEx," Rangaswami said.

"Look at the doctors. We not only have the numbers, but the Surgeon General (Dr Vivek Murthy) of the United States is an Indian. The Chief of COVID Response (Dr Ashish Jha) for the White House is Indian," he said.

He claimed that Indian-Americans are growing rapidly in academia too with around 20,000 Indian American professors.

"Then you can look at unicorn CEOs... At least a third of companies in Silicon Valley that come for funding now have an Indian American co-founder. Across the board, the influence of our community has grown immensely in the past decade," Rangaswami said.

Responding to a question, Rangaswami said he is very pleased that the next generation of Indian Americans are paying more attention to public service.

"Our generation came here as immigrants, to get a job, save money and educate our kids. But our children want to be historians, they want to be in public service, and in fields which are not about making money, but making an impact, he said.

"You will see the next level of influence of our communities on issues that are not related to money," Rangaswami said.

He, however, feels that the community has a long way to go but exuded confidence that it will be fast.

"I give it another 10 to 20 years where we will be much more assimilated, integrated with American society, our children will be growing up to be in positions of influence all across the country, whether it's in universities or nonprofits or government, he said.

"Like other communities, at some point, we become so assimilated that we will just be Americans. I think 65 per cent of Indian Americans are foreign-born, and 35 per cent are like our kids who are born in the US. But that'll go higher for people born in the US and that's when they'll become much more Americans than Indian Americans," Rangaswami said.
The Centre has issued multiple advisories to states to increase the representation of women in police force to 33 per cent, but their actual strength as on January 1, 2022 stood at 11.75 per cent, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued advisories dated April 22, 2013, May 21, 2014, May 12, 2015, June 21, 2019, June 22, 2021 and April 13, 2022 to all the state governments to increase the representation of women police to 33 per cent of the total strength.

"According to data compiled by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), as on January 1, 2022, the actual strength of women police personnel is 11.75 per cent at all India level," he said in a written reply to a question.

Ladakh has the highest percentage of women in police force (28.3 per cent), followed by Andhra Pradesh (21.7 per cent), Chandigarh (21.6 per cent) and Bihar (21.2 per cent). States with least share of women in police are Jammu and Kashmir (3.2 per cent), Tripura (5.29 per cent) and Meghalaya (5.9 per cent).

The minister said all state governments have been requested to create additional posts of women constables, sub-inspectors by converting the vacant posts of constables and sub-inspectors.

The aim is that each police station should have at least three women sub-inspectors and 10 women police constables, so that a women help desk is functional round the clock, he said.
The Uttar Pradesh government has said that foreign visitors have evinced keen interest to invest in five out of 25 sectors in the state ahead of Uttar Pradesh Global Investors' Summit (GIS)-2023.

According to a press release, the five sectors are data centre, logistics park, renewable energy, apparel and textile besides the Film City.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had sent eight teams abroad to hold international roadshows in 21 cities of 16 countries to attract investment in run-up to the UPGIS-2023 scheduled in Lucknow from February 10-12.

A state government spokesman said that in all, 108 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 7.12 lakh crore were signed there.

The investment proposals, when implemented, are expected to generate employment for 7 lakh youth in the state.

An investment of more than Rs 17,000 crore has been proposed for setting up a data hub, thereby, making the sector first choice of investors. The second priority has been the logistics park.

Also Read What's behind the fall in India's FDI inflows? TMS Ep311: India's FDI Inflows, Second-hand Car, Auto Stocks, India Stack FDI equity inflows dip 14% during April-September to $26.9 billion: DPIIT 'Make in India' completes eight years, annual FDI nearly doubles to $83 bn FDI inflows expected to rebound in India on account of high growth: Survey Public procurement via GeM portal to cross Rs 2 trillion in FY23: Official MPC's 11.7% nominal GDP growth projection way higher than Budget estimate Penal charges by lenders on RBI radar, to come out with a paper: Das ED arrests businessman Gautam Malhotra in Delhi excise policy scam Rs 10423 cr sanctioned to Bihar for welfare of SC, OBC, EBC in 5 yrs: Govt

The spokesman said that the policies of the Yogi government have led to setting up of the first data centre in Greater Noida.

At roadshows held in Singapore and Australia, Global State Capital Pvt Ltd showed interest in investing Rs 8,260 crore to build a data centre in the state and Star Consortium Private Limited worked out a proposal for investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

At the roadshows in the UK and tUS, Sify International proposed investment of Rs 8,300 crore.

In the logistics park sector, investment proposals for Rs 16,810 crore have been signed. These included investment proposals for over Rs 8,200 crore received at Canada and the USA and proposals for Rs 1,000 crore received in the logistics services at the roadshows in Singapore and Australia.

At the roadshow in the UAE, Aastha Green Energy Ventures Private Limited proposed an investment of Rs 4,480 crore while Shree Siddharth Infratech and Services has made an action plan to spend Rs 8,000 crore.

Boson Energy SA has proposed to invest Rs 1,000 crore at the road shows in Germany, Belgium and Sweden. The Geothermal Core Inc proposed to set up a renewable energy plant with Rs 820 crore.

Fourth priority sector includes apparel and textile. At Japan and South Korea, Japan India Industry Promotion Association signed MoU worth Rs 2,500 crore and Nisenken Quality Evaluation Centre signed an MoU of Rs 10,000 crore.

An investment of Rs 12,500 crore has been thus proposed in this area.

The film industry stands on the fifth spot as during roadshows in Germany, Belgium and Sweden, International Group AB decided to invest Rs 10,000 crore in the Film City in the state.

--IANS

amita/ksk/
The government neither controls social media intermediaries nor casts any fetters on the freedom of expression of their users, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said that the IT Rules, 2021, cast specific obligations on the intermediaries that no intermediaries shall violate the rights accorded to citizens under the constitution.

"The government does not interfere or control social media intermediaries and also does not cast any fetters on freedom of expression on their users. The IT Rules, 2021, casts specific obligations on the intermediaries that no intermediaries shall not violate the rights accorded to citizens under the Constitution," the minister said.

He said that the government's objective is to ensure an open, safe, trusted and accountable internet for citizens.

In response to a question of whether the government proposes to appoint an officer to hold the accountability of social media, the minister shared that Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, known as IT Rules, 2021, cast a specific obligation on intermediaries around kind of information is to be hosted, displayed, uploaded, published, transmitted, stored or shared.

Under the rules, intermediaries are also required to remove any content violative of any law for the time being in force as and when brought to their knowledge either through a court order or through a notice by the appropriate government or its authorised agency.

Also Read Sebi urges intermediaries to join accounts aggregator framework China warned US officials not to interfere in its ties with India: Pentagon Sebi revises framework for approving changes in control of stock brokers Sebi amends rules; intermediaries require prior nod for change in control Govt recognises 84,102 entities as startups as on Nov 30: MoS Commerce Over 5,400 vehicles scrapped at Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities Railways earns over Rs 600 cr via convenience fee in FY23 so far: Minister Public procurement via GeM expected to cross Rs 2 trillion-mark in FY23 FinMin issues draft scheme for settling disputes related to govt contracts Govt notifies Vivad se Vishwas-II scheme; comments invited till March 8

"In case of failure to follow diligence as provided in the IT Rules, 2021, by intermediaries, they shall lose their exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act and shall be liable for consequential action as provided in such law," the minister said.

Chandrasekhar in response to a question on action taken by the government against social media companies said that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued directions for blocking a total of 6,775 web links in the year 2022, which include URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) for webpages, websites and content and accounts on social media platforms.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha that nine States and UTs have passed laws on online gaming adding that there is a need for a central act to regulate it.

Replying to questions of DMK MP T Sumathy Thamizhachi Thangapandian on issues related to online gaming during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, the Union Minister said, "19 States and UTs have passed their own laws in this regard. 17 States have amended Public Gambling Act and introduced sections against online gambling within it. If there is something which is happening in a particular state, I don't think that this house should be commenting on that."

He said that the central government is concerned about the impact of online gaming and gambling on society.

"We as very responsible lawmakers should reach a consensus and have a Central act which basically has been drafted in consultation with everybody and that central act should be effectively regulating the online gaming and gambling," he added.

Notably, several states including Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and others have banned online gambling. India also has the Information Technology Act of 2000 which is used to regulate online activities in the country. However, the Act does not mention anything about online gambling.
The Ministry of Health on Tuesday decided to extend the last date of internship completion for to be eligible for NEET PG 2023, to August 11.

The ministry said that the decision was taken considering the future of over 13,000 MBBS students who were not eligible for the NEET PG 2023 exam due to the delayed internship.

"Considering the future of more than 13,000 MBBS students across 5 States/UTs who were not eligible for NEET PG 2023 exam due to delayed internship, MoHFW has decided to extend the last date of completion of the internship for eligibility to 11th August 2023," Ministry of Health said.

It further said that more than 3000 BDS students across states and Union Territories were not eligible for NEET MDS 2023 exam due to the delayed internship.

"To benefit them, MoHFW has decided to extend the last date of completion of the internship for eligibility to 30th June 2023. Wishing all candidates the very best," the Ministry added.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry in consultation with the National Medical Commission (NMC) has decided to reduce the eligibility criterion for NEET-Super Speciality courses from 50 percentile to 20 percentile.

Also Read NEET UG Result 2022 announced: Check merit, cutoff, score, and percentile NEET answer key 2022 announced: Check all important details here NEET UG 2022 Counselling schedule: Registrations to begin from October 11 Budget 2023-24: Manufacturing sector eyes revised taxations, new PLIs Union Budget 2023: Experts don't expect surprises in social sector outlay NEET PG aspirants seek postponement of exam to May-June to save time Application for CUET-UG 2023 to be announced shortly: UGC Chairman Prof 2nd admission list for entry-level in Delhi's pvt schools likely on Monday DU offers 2 seats each in UG, PG courses to orphans from next academic year JEE-Main January session registers all-time high attendance of 95.8%

NEET PG 2023 will be conducted on March 5 for candidates seeking admission to MD/MS/PG Diploma Courses for the academic year 2023-24.
China has declined Washington's request for a telephonic call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Beijing counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe, the Pentagon has said after fighter jets shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon.

The request was made soon after the balloon was shot down on Saturday off the coast of South Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean. It had hovered over continental America for several days after entering the US airspace on January 30 in Montana.

China has acknowledged that the ballon was theirs but denied that it was for surveillance purposes rather for weather monitoring and that it had drifted off course.

The US, however, has asserted that it has enough evidence to prove that this was a surveillance balloon.

"On Saturday, immediately after taking action to down the PRC balloon, the DOD (Department of Defense) submitted a request for a secure call between Secretary Austin and PRC (People's Republic of China) Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe," Pentagon spokesperson Gen Pat Ryder said Tuesday.

"We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC in order to responsibly manage the relationship. Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this," he said.

Also Read US faces pivotal years in countering China, says Pentagon chief Austin US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin positive for Covid for second time Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to leave for Tashkent to attend SCO meet Indians comprise largest share of homebuyers in Central Texas: Report Asia's travel hotspots Bali, Chiang Maiquiet quiet, await Chinese tourists Over 750,000 protest in France against Macron's pension reform plans Pakistan: 30 killed, 15 injured in road accident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa UK's Sunak pledges 'steadfast support' in phone call with Turkish president Prime Minister Trudeau says Canadian healthcare isn't living up to promise Wreckage, rescue and hope persists in Turkey's earthquake epicentre

Unfortunately, China has "declined our request. Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue," the spokesperson said.

The US has accused China of violating American sovereignty and international law. China, on the other hand, has said that by shooting down its balloon, the US has violated international law and warned that it reserves its right to take appropriate action in response.
BENGALURU, India (Reuters) - Ghana, which is struggling with its worst economic crisis in a generation, is seeking Indian investment in its oil and gas sector, William Owuraku Aidoo, its deputy minister of energy, said on Wednesday.

Ghana has asked India to consider exploration of three blocks in the western basin and to build refineries as the African nation aims to construct a petroleum hub, Aidoo said.

"There are some opportunities in Ghana specially in the oil and gas front. We have some oil blocks available and we came here hoping to attract Indian investments," Aidoo told Reuters after a meeting with Indian oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri at India Energy Week.

He said Ghana will award exploration licences through direct negotiations if Indian companies are interested. Ghana wants India to consider three blocks in the western basin, he said.

Apart from offering exploration opportunities, Ghana is also seeking Indian support to build refineries of about 300,000 barrels per day.

"We have space for three of them ... we want to make a petroleum hub," Aidoo said.

Also Read Fifa World Cup: Korea through to last 16; Uruguay go out even after winning Fifa World Cup Highlights: Portugal, Brazil win as Uruguay draw vs Korea S Jaishankar discusses bilateral issues with Ghana, Comoros, Nicaragua FIFA World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo makes history, Portugal beats Ghana 3-2 Ghana coach slams referee after Ronaldo's record FIFA World Cup goal Death toll in Turkey, Syria earthquakes reaches 9,400; deadliest in 10 yrs Fourth IAF plane carrying earthquake relief assistance lands in Turkey SL Prez Wickremesinghe calls for unity, to continue with his decisions US Prez Biden calls for urgent police reforms in State of the Union address North Korean leader Kim brings daughter to visit troops

Separately, he said Ghana's oil production this year could average 120,000-150,000 bpd.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma, Writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has said that India is the biggest friend of the island nation in times of crisis.

Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy last year and defaulted on its USD 51 billion foreign loans for the first time since independence from Britain in 1948. India has played a significant role in aiding the island nation over the last year to tide over the economic crisis.

Addressing the Tata Tiscon Dealer Convention 2023 in Colombo, Prime Minister Gunawardena called on Indian companies to invest further in Sri Lanka.

He further said that India is the biggest friend of Sri Lanka in times of crisis, the Colombo Gazette portal reported.

Outlining the benefits of Indian investments in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Gunawardena highlighted that 90 per cent of components used by Lanka Ashok Leyland were indigenous, it said.

Speaking at the event, High Commissioner Gopal Baglay said that both Government of India and Indian corporates are working to build relationships that are beneficial to the people within and beyond India, especially the neighbours, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Neighbourhood First Policy.

Also Read Sri Lankan PM stresses need for further growth in trade with India EAM discuss cooperation in infra, connectivity with Lankan counterpart SC begins live streaming of constitutional bench cases on Sept 27 Amid political crisis, Gotabaya to return to Sri Lanka next week: Report Sri Lanka concludes debt restructuring talks with Japan: Wickremesinghe Chinese spy balloons have targeted several countries, including India: Rpt ISF Winter Gymnasiade 2023 in Turkey's Erzurum canceled due to earthquake Urgent need to resolve Tibet-China conflict, says UN Advocacy group US economy better positioned to grow than any 'on Earth', says US president Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been a test for the ages, says Biden

He added that the driving force behind this spirit of engagement was the community-centred business practices and the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family).

Referring to India and Sri Lanka as 'civilisational twins', the High Commissioner noted that both Governments are promoting people-to-people and business-to-business ties.

He added that the presence of numerous Indian business entities for the convention was the biggest vote of confidence not only in the relationship between the two countries but also in Sri Lanka's potential.

Business and commercial linkages between the two countries are witnessing steady growth. India was the largest investor and also the biggest export destination for Sri Lanka in 2021. India continues to be the largest source of tourists as well.

Indian companies in Sri Lanka actively support Sri Lanka's economic recovery through increased economic activities, value addition of products, and services, job creation for Sri Lankan nationals and direct assistance to the people of Sri Lanka through various corporate social responsibility activities.

In the last year alone, India has gone over and above to help Sri Lanka's collapsing economy which has led to food, fuel and even medicine shortages.

Sri Lanka's unprecedented economic crisis had paradoxically brought the best out of India's concerns for its southern neighbour given the island nations' proximity in economic cooperation with China until then.

When the crisis started to bite a year ago, India came forward with assistance worth USD 4 billion.

India has also given the required assurances to debt-ridden Sri Lanka for the much-needed IMF bailout package.

Sri Lanka, which is trying to secure a USD 2.9 billion bridge loan from the International Monetary Fund (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.

The IMF bailout has been put on hold as Sri Lanka pursues talks with creditors to meet the global lender's conditions for it.
An international team of investigators said Wednesday it found strong indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the supply of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian separatists who shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 with a Russian missile.

However, members of the Joint Investigation Team said they had insufficient evidence to prosecute Putin or any other suspects and they suspended their 8-year inquiry into the shooting down that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Russia has always denied any involvement in the downing of the flight over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and refused to cooperate with the international investigation.

Dutch prosecutors said that there are strong indications that the Russian president decided on supplying a Buk missile system the weapon that downed MH17 to Ukrainian separatists.

Although we speak of strong indications, the high bar of complete and conclusive evidence is not reached," Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said, adding that without Russian cooperation, the investigation has now reached its limit.

All leads have been exhausted.

Also Read No Dutch prosecutors won't appeal sole acquittal in 2014 MH17 trial Nato chief fears Russian-Ukraine war could widen into a wider conflict Our approach to Russia-Ukraine conflict people-centric: India at UNSC 73,000 evacuated from Ukraine's conflict-hit areas in August: Ministry Ukraine conflict aggravates food and energy inflation, says Jaishankar Samvardhana Motherson's profit jumps 85% in Q3 on demand recovery Sunak extends military training support as Ukraine President visits UK S Korean lawmakers impeach interior and safety minister over crowd crush Japan's current account surplus drops 50% to lowest in 8 years in 2022 Ghana seeks Indian investment in oil and gas sector to become petroleum hub

She also said that, as head of state, Putin would have immunity from prosecution in the Netherlands. The team played a recording of an intercepted phone call in which they said Putin could be heard discussing the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Are we disappointed? No, because we think we came further than we had ever thought in 2014. Would we have liked to come further? Of course, yes, said Andy Kraag of the Dutch police.

The team informed relatives of those killed in the downing of MH17 of their findings before making them public.

There was disappointment because ... they wanted to know why MH17 was shot down," Kraag said. "We're really clear on what has happened, but the answer to the question why MH17 was shot down still remains in Russia.

Van Boetzelaer said that while the investigation is being suspended, phone lines will remain open for possible witnesses who may still want to provide evidence. If that happens, the inquiry could be reactivated.

Russian officials say that a decision to provide rebels with military support over the summer of 2014 was in Putin's hands.

A decision to supply arms was even postponed for a week because there is only one who makes a decision (), the person who is currently at a summit in France, the investigative team said, citing a phone conversation that was referring to Putin.

Prosecutors said that at the time Putin was at a commemoration of D-Day in France.

The announcement by the investigative team comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the plane.

One Russian was acquitted by the court.

None of the suspects appeared for the trial and it was unclear if the three who were found guilty of multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.

The convictions and the court's finding that the surface-to-air Buk missile came from a Russian military base were seen as a clear indication that Moscow had a role in the tragedy.

Russia has always denied involvement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the news media.

But the November convictions held that Moscow was in overall control in 2014 over the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, the separatist area of eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched.

The Buk missile system came from the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in the city of Kursk.

The Joint Investigation Team is made up of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine.

Most of the victims were Dutch.

It had continued to investigate the crew of the missile system that brought down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in Ukraine.

As well as the criminal trial that was held in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.

The findings revealed Wednesday will likely strengthen the case at the human rights court and could also be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court who are investigating possible war crimes in Ukraine dating back to the start of the separatist conflict.
A senior Pakistani official has said that the government is committed to facilitating the country's exports and urged the exporters to adopt export-oriented policies for the public and private sectors to accelerate export-led growth.

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal made the remarks here on Tuesday during a roundtable with the country's exporters to review the progress of the exports and issues being faced by them.

"Increasing exports is the only solution to get rid of the economic crisis and every sector should set a target to increase exports," Iqbal said while assuring them that the government would facilitate and remove all bottlenecks in this regard.

He told the exporters that the government will soon organise a conference in which 50 brands of the country would be invited to highlight their work globally, adding that a body would be established for this purpose as well so that Pakistan's work could be showcased internationally, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Minister said that unprecedented floods last year had badly affected Pakistan's economy and the government has been making hard decisions to bring the country to the path of stability.

--IANS

Also Read 2 killed in north-central Nigeria after gunmen attack church during service 76 people killed after boat overturns due to rising floods in Nigeria Nigerian reported as Delhi's 9th monkeypox case; India's tally rises to 14 Commerce Ministry seeks cut in gold import duty in Budget to push exports Department of Commerce to set up a dedicated trade promotion body Germany sees record decline in real earnings by 4.1% due to high inflation Australian central bank lifts cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.35 per cent Land degradation to blue economy: Priority areas under India's G20 prezy Dubai receives 14.36 mn int'l visitors in 2022, close to pre-Covid levels Blowout jobs: A headache for Federal Reserve, or a back-to-2019 gift?

int/khz/
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday that he will go ahead with the devolution of powers within a united Sri Lanka and continue with his unpopular decisions to ensure that the bankrupt country recovered from the economic crisis.

In a major policy address, Wickremesinghe also told Parliament that talks with the IMF to unlock a USD 2.9 billion bailout package are in the final stages.

"We expect to devolve power within a Unitary State. However, I wish to reiterate a fact that has been emphasised on many occasions. There will be no division of the country, Wickremesinghe told lawmakers.

His remarks came days after the powerful Buddhist clergy expressed strong opposition to the move, claiming it challenges the unitary nature of the country.

President Wickremesinghe has underlined the need to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to grant political autonomy to the minority Tamils in the country.

India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13A which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

Also Read Sri Lanka concludes debt restructuring talks with Japan: Wickremesinghe Lankan govt designates high-security zones for ensuring stability: Official Sri Lanka ruling party urges Wickremesinghe to ease Rajapaksa's return Wickremesinghe hopeful of resolving problems faced by ethnic Tamils Sri Lankan President to present interim budget with major relief measures US Prez Biden calls for urgent police reforms in State of the Union address North Korean leader Kim brings daughter to visit troops India highest attacked country by hackers in Asia, 2nd globally in 2022 Sri Lankan police quiz Gotabaya Rajapaksa over president's house cash Another 4.3 magnitude earthquake jolts Turkey's Nurdagi

Sinhalese, mostly Buddhist, make up nearly 75 per cent of Sri Lanka's 22 million population while Tamils are 15 per cent.

Talking about the economic crisis, Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka expects to recover from bankruptcy by 2026.

"Let's not be prisoners of the past, but think about the future. Let's unite consensually and move forward democratically to support the recovery of the nation from the current crisis, he said.

He said unpopular decisions taken by him will have positive results in the years to come.

"Remember, I'm not here to be popular. I want to rebuild this nation from the crisis situation it has fallen. Yes, I'm ready to make unpopular decisions for the sake of the nation. People will realise the importance of those decisions in two to three years," he said.

The Sri Lankan government has introduced painful economic measures such as tax hikes and utility rate hikes. Trade unions and opposition groups have organised protests against such measures.

Wickremesinghe said that talks with the IMF are in the final stages and talks with China and other creditors to restructure Sri Lanka's debt are also ongoing.

Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves, sparking political turmoil in the country which led to the ouster of the all-powerful Rajapaksa family.

The IMF in September last year approved Sri Lanka a USD 2.9 billion bailout package over 4 years pending Sri Lanka's ability to restructure its debt with creditors -- both bilateral and sovereign bond holders.

By the end of June 2022, Sri Lanka owed nearly USD 40 billion to bilateral, multilateral and commercial loans, according to the figures released by the Treasury.

With assurances from creditors, the USD 2.9 billion facility could get the IMF board approval in March, officials said.

The IMF facility would enable the island nation to obtain bridging finance from markets and other lending institutions such as the ADB and the World Bank.
Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been questioned by police over the discovery of a large amount of cash in his office-cum-residence when he fled the country for safety as thousands of protesters stormed the place in July last year.

"A three-hour long statement was recorded on Monday at his private house as directed by the court," police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told reporters.

The protesters who occupied the President's House in the capital in July last year said that they had discovered over 17 million rupees in cash and handed over the money to the Colombo Fort police.

The police reported the matter to the court, which ordered a statement to be recorded from Rajapaksa on the discovery of cash.

The 73-year-old disgraced former president fled Sri Lanka on July 13 last year to the Maldives. From there, he travelled to Singapore from where he sent in his resignation on July 14, paving the way for the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe to take over the presidential reins. Later, Rajapaksa flew to Thailand. He returned home on September 2.

Rajapaksa and his family faced multiple accusations of wrongdoing between 2015-2019.

Also Read Sri Lanka's Oppn party demands Rajapaksa must be tried for misusing funds Lanka's human rights commission directs prez to ensure Rajapaksa's return Amid political crisis, Gotabaya to return to Sri Lanka next week: Report Sri Lanka ruling party urges Wickremesinghe to ease Rajapaksa's return Sri Lanka to form unit to help restructure state-owned enterprises: Prez Another 4.3 magnitude earthquake jolts Turkey's Nurdagi India is Sri Lanka's biggest friend in time of crisis, says Sri Lanka PM Chinese spy balloons have targeted several countries, including India: Rpt ISF Winter Gymnasiade 2023 in Turkey's Erzurum canceled due to earthquake Urgent need to resolve Tibet-China conflict, says UN Advocacy group

After he became president in November 2019, one such case, alleged misuse of public funds to erect a monument for his parents, was dropped based on the presidential immunity.

Lawyers say the case can now be reopened as he no longer enjoys presidential immunity.

The Rajapaksa family has dominated Sri Lankan politics for over two decades. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the 76-year-old patriarch of the Rajapaksa family has been the country's president and prime minister.
In his first UK visit since the Russian conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive at 10 Downing Street here on Wednesday for a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and go on to address Parliament.

The visit comes as Sunak extended the UK's ongoing support to train Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and marines to help upskill their defensive capabilities.

According to UK government officials, the leaders will discuss a two-pronged approach to Britain's support for Ukraine, starting with an immediate surge of military equipment to the country to help counter Russia's "offensive" and reinforced by long-term support.

"President Zelenskyy's visit to the UK is a testament to his country's courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries, said Sunak.

Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory, he said.

"I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future. It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come, he added.

Also Read Ukraine conflict: Putin announces partial mobilisation for Russian citizens Putin's ally accuses US for Russia's breakup, says it could lead to doom Want to end war, 'the sooner, the better', says Russian President Putin Putin threatened me with missile strike before Ukraine war: Boris Johnson 'We want all of this to end': Putin to Modi on Russia-Ukraine conflict S Korean lawmakers impeach interior and safety minister over crowd crush Japan's current account surplus drops 50% to lowest in 8 years in 2022 Ghana seeks Indian investment in oil and gas sector to become petroleum hub Death toll in Turkey, Syria earthquakes reaches 9,400; deadliest in 10 yrs Fourth IAF plane carrying earthquake relief assistance lands in Turkey

Downing Street said the bolstered training offer will ensure Ukraine's pilots are able to fly sophisticated North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) standard fighter jets in the future. As part of that long-term capability investment, the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to coordinate collective support to meet Ukraine's defensive needs.

A training programme for marines will be in addition to the recruit training programme already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year, officials said.

The UK says it will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the programme up in 2023.

Last week, Ukrainian troops arrived in the UK to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the Sunak's decision to send the main battle tanks to Ukraine.

Under his expanded offer, Sunak will provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities aimed at disrupting Russia's ability to "continually target Ukraine's civilian and critical national infrastructure and help relieve pressure on Ukraine's frontlines.

During the visit, Zelenskyy and his team will also meet Britain's defence and security chiefs, including the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of the Air Staff, to discuss the details of the training programme.

Meanwhile, the UK is expected to announce further sanctions on Wednesday in response to Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine, including the targeting of those who have helped [Russian President] Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin's war machine.
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said the death toll in the country currently stood at 5,894, while the number of injured persons spiked to 34,810, reports Anadolu News Agency.

At least 8,326 people have now been confirmed dead and nearly 40,000 injured following the devastating 7.8-magnitude quake that stuck Turkey and Syria earlier this week, with aid agencies saying that the figures could significantly rise as many people still remain trapped under the rubble.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged the UK's "steadfast support" to Turkey in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A Downing Street spokeswoman on Tuesday said Sunak had also expressed his "deep condolences for the tragic loss of life" caused by the earthquake, BBC reported.

The latest death toll from the quake in Turkey now stands at 5,894, while the figure over the border in Syria is 1,932.

"The Prime Minister confirmed that a 77-strong British search and rescue team arrived in Gaziantep today with specialist equipment and dogs, in response to a request from the Turkish government, and will immediately start work assisting with the rescue effort," the spokeswoman said.

"President Erdogan thanked the Prime Minister for the UK's solidarity in response to this tragedy and welcomed international search and rescue and medical support for the initial emergency response."

"The Prime Minister also noted the deeply concerning humanitarian situation over the border in north-west Syria, where Turkey plays an important co-ordinating role, and set out how the UK has increased support to aid organisations and emergency responders."

Also Read Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan warns Greece over 'harassment' of Turkish jets Ukrainian President Zelensky to meet Recep Erdogan, UN chief this week Russia's Putin, Turkey's Erdogan discuss bilateral ties, Ukraine over phone President Erdogan vows to protect Turkey's rights, interests against Greece Turkey mediates Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap involving 200, says Erdogan Prime Minister Trudeau says Canadian healthcare isn't living up to promise Wreckage, rescue and hope persists in Turkey's earthquake epicentre Aid to quake-hit Syria slowed by sanctions, war's divisions, battered roads Toll in Turkey, Syria crosses 7,800; chorus to lift US sanctions grows US approves $10 billion arms sale to Poland as Ukraine war rages on

--IANS

int/khz/


"The allegations made by Binance in their blog are false and unsubstantiated. As far as Binance's actions are concerned, we are taking the necessary steps to seek recourse and protect our legal rights," it said in a blog post. Indian cryptocurrency exchange WazirX said that the allegations made against it by the world's biggest crypto exchange Binance were "false and unsubstantiated". It added that the exchange was taking steps to protect its "legal rights".



"It is in the interests of Binance and the public that Zanmai is not permitted to perpetuate false narratives based on their use of Binance's wallet services. We view such false claims as an attempt to shift the responsibility for WazirX's operations to Binance. On January 26, 2023, we offered Zanmai a choice between retracting the false public statements (and continuing to use our services) or terminating the use of our wallet service. Since Zanmai has refused to clarify their misleading statements, Zanmai has till February 3, 2023, to remove the funds from the accounts that they used for WazirX's operations," it said. This comes just days after Binance gave an ultimatum to Zanmai Labs, the parent company of WazirX, to not spread "false claims" and stop using Binance's wallets by February 3.



The latest blog post signals that the fund transfer was complete. In response, WazirX tweeted that it was in the process of transferring the funds and expected to complete the job "within hours". "Users can continue to trade, deposit & withdraw funds as usual," the tweet said. "Your funds are safe with us." The amount wasn't disclosed.

Also Read Crypto industry wants 0.1% TDS, Sebi-like regulator in Budget 2023 WazirX's reserves at $284.4 million, highest in the form of Shiba Inu Crypto wrap: Market participants coming out of bear phase, experts suggest Crypto weekly wrap: Binance hack, inflation fears keep volatility high Binance-FTX saga deepens crypto investors' fears, Bitcoin near two-year low ED attaches Rs 936 cr as proceeds of crime, arrests 5 for crypto fraud Indian crypto exchange WazirX moves funds after Binance cuts off service India will try to forge consensus on roadmap to regulate crypto at G20: DEA Rupee likely to open higher after Fed rate hike, local equities in focus Decenpool, the new-age crypto and blockchain trading platform, garners 650+ users in a month



The spat between the two exchanges became public in August 2022 when the Enforcement Directorate launched an investigation for alleged money laundering against Zanmai Labs. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao tweeted that Binance does not own WazirX. But in 2019, it announced the acquisition of WazirX. "WazirX users do not have to be concerned about Binance's announcement. We have made arrangements to ensure that WazirX's digital assets are stored in accordance with industry-leading standards. Users can continue to trade, deposit, and withdraw their funds as usual," it said.



"The technology, the product, the domain, the brand and everything was sold by our Singapore entity Zettai to Binance," Shetty said. Zanmai Labs is the Indian arm of Zettai. WazirX's co-Founder Nischal Shetty rebuffed Chao's claims and said that the claim that Binance does not own WazirX was wrong.

Since then, the tussle between the two exchanges over WazirX's ownership has remained hot.
Also Read

Ambuja Cements, ACC receive lukewarm response from public shareholders

ACC, Ambuja Cements shares tank over 5% on concerns over encumbrance

Ambuja rallies 11% on Adani's Rs 20K-cr boost; brokerages mixed on outlook

Ambuja Cements and ACC stocks close much above the offer prices

ACC, UltraTech Cement, Ramco: Here's how cement stocks look on the charts

MARKET LIVE: Sensex gains 350 pts; Airtel down 2%, Paytm, Zomato zoom 6%

Stocks to Watch: Bharti Airtel, Hero Moto, Adani Green, Ambuja Cement, NDTV

3 more weeks to online bond platforms to register as stock brokers: Sebi

Sebi moots institutional mechanism for stock brokers to curb market abuse
3M India reported 87% surge in consolidated net profit to Rs 124.81 crore in Q3 FY23 as compared to Rs 66.74 crore in Q3 FY22.Revenue from operations rose 20.18% year on year to Rs 993.03 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2022.

Profit before tax stood at Rs 167.34 crore in Q3 FY23, registering a growth of 88.06% on YoY basis.

EBITDA grew 78% to Rs 183 crore in Q3 FY23 as against Rs 103 crore posted in Q3 FY22.

During the quarter, total expense was at Rs 837.68 crore (up 12.44% YoY) and cost of raw material consumed stood at Rs 376.46 crore (up 15.36% YoY) while employee benefits expense was Rs 97.23 crore (down 5.32% YoY).

The company said that the cost headwinds and supply chain volatility continued to be a challenge.

Ramesh Ramadurai, managing director of 3M India said, Transportation & Electronics segment led with 31% growth. Healthcare grew 20.5% and Safety & Industrial grew 16.1% during the quarter, versus prior year. Our teams continued to execute multiple actions, including pricing and mix management, to mitigate the impact of cost headwinds and supply chain challenges. These actions continued to yield steady results with PBT margin for the quarter improving to 16.7%.

Also Read Vinati Organics Q3 PAT climbs 51% YoY to Rs 125 cr D & H India consolidated net profit rises 125.58% in the September 2022 quarter Asia Pack standalone net profit rises 125.00% in the September 2022 quarter Tarini Enterprises standalone net profit rises 125.00% in the September 2022 quarter Maruti Suzuki to recall 9,125 vehicles Uno Minda gains after Q3 PAT jumps 60% YoY Adani Wilmar hits the roof after Q3 PAT rises 16% YoY to Rs 246 cr Symphony spurts after Q3 PAT climbs 86% YoY, board OKs Rs 200 cr share buyback Barbeque-Nation Hospitality Ltd leads losers in 'A' group RPP Infra spurts on bagging order in Chennai

Meanwhile, the company's board approved the changes to the Intellectual Property agreement with 3M Company USA and 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M IPC), for the provision of technology, intellectual property, products and services to 3M India. The royalty rates currently being paid have remained in place since 1 July 2009. The royalty fees payable will increase effective 1 April 2023 from 1.48% of sales turnover (Rs 44.5 crore in FY 21-22) to approximately 2.40% of turnover, based on FY 21-22 product mix.

3M India is a diversified company engaged in manufacturing of, and trading in, a wide variety of products catering to the industrial, transportation, automotive, construction, engineering, healthcare, traffic and safety, household, and office segments. Its operations are broadly classified under five business segments: safety & industrial, transportation & electronics, health care, consumer and others.

The scrip rose 0.93% to end at Rs 23,043.90 on the BSE.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News
The drug maker said that its step-down subsidiary company, Aurolife Pharma, has received US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) approval to manufacture and market Diclofenac Sodium Topical Solution USP.This medication is indicated for the treatment of the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee(s). It is bioequivalent and therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug (RLD), Pennsaid Topical Solution, 2% weight in weight (w/w) of Horizon Therapeutics Ireland DAC (Horizon). The product is expected to be launched in Q1FY24.

The approved product has an estimated market size of around $487 million for the twelve months ending December 2022, according to IQVIA.

This is the first ANDA to be approved out of the Aurolife Unit-II, North Carolina, USA, used for manufacturing topical products. Aurobindo now has a total of 430 ANDA approvals (404 Final approvals and 26 tentative approvals) from USFDA.

Aurobindo Pharma is principally engaged in manufacturing and marketing of active pharmaceutical ingredients, generic pharmaceuticals and related services.

The company's consolidated net profit tumbled 41.3% to Rs 409.45 crore on 3.7% decline in net sales to Rs 5,673.65 crore in Q2 FY23 over Q2 FY22.

The scrip was down 0.72% to Rs 415.65 on the BSE.

Also Read Alembic receives USFDA approval for Diclofenac Sodium Topical Solution Alembic Pharma gets USFDA nod for osteoarthritis drug Aurobindo Pharma receives USFDA approval for Diclofenac Sodium Topical Solution USP Aurobindo Pharma arm gets USFDA nod for fungal infection drug Aurobindo Pharma arm gets 2 observations from USFDA Deepak Nitrite declines after Q3 PAT slips 14% YoY to Rs 209 cr Basic materials shares gain Information Technology stocks rise Financials shares edge higher Adani Green Energy Q3 PAT soars 110% YoY to Rs 103 cr

Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Sales decline 7.80% to Rs 309.29 croreNet profit of Bharat Rasayan declined 26.39% to Rs 33.77 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 45.88 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. Sales declined 7.80% to Rs 309.29 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 335.44 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. ParticularsQuarter EndedDec. 2022Dec. 2021% Var.Sales309.29335.44 -8 OPM %16.1420.88 -PBDT54.3270.78 -23 PBT47.7564.18 -26 NP33.7745.88 -26

Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Industrials stocks were trading in red, with the S&P BSE Industrials index falling 6.35 points or 0.09% at 7029.19 at 13:47 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Industrials index, Centum Electronics Ltd (down 7.51%), Mold-Tek Packaging Ltd (down 3.98%),Bharat Dynamics Ltd (down 3.77%),United Drilling Tools Ltd (down 2.99%),Power Mech Projects Ltd (down 2.96%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were Steel Exchange India Ltd (down 2.9%), KEI Industries Ltd (down 2.88%), Shaily Engineering Plastics Ltd (down 2.41%), Sadbhav Engineering Ltd (down 2.33%), and Huhtamaki India Ltd (down 2.18%).

On the other hand, Kriti Industries (India) Ltd (up 14.81%), TD Power Systems Ltd (up 9.37%), and Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (up 7.84%) moved up.

At 13:47 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 401.72 or 0.67% at 60687.76.

The Nifty 50 index was up 146.25 points or 0.83% at 17867.75.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 194.16 points or 0.69% at 28150.9.

Also Read Industrials shares edge higher Industrials shares edge higher Industrials shares edge higher Industrials shares edge higher Industrials shares edge higher Capital Goods shares fall Telecom stocks slide Shree Cement declines as Q3 PAT slumps 44% YoY to Rs 277 cr IRB Infra gains after toll collection jumps 36% YoY Alkem Laboratories Ltd soars 2.64%, Gains for third straight session

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 63.84 points or 0.72% at 8877.63.

On BSE,1948 shares were trading in green, 1455 were trading in red and 154 were unchanged.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Taking a dig at the Delhi government, Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday said while the Centre provided funds to the city under different heads in the Union Budget 2023-24, the AAP dispensation was busy distributing 'revdi' (freebies).

No immediate reaction was available from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the allegations.

Speaking at a press conference, Lekhi noted that Rs 11,932.03 crore was allocated to Delhi Police in the budget which is an increase of Rs 1,576.74 crore over the previous year. This is in line with the commitment of the central government to ensure law and order in the city, she said.

"The eyes of the world are set on Delhi being the G-20 Summit venue this year, and the Centre has increased the 'capital' section allocation to Delhi Police by 136 per cent to Rs 1,289.92 crore for the 2023-24 financial year which is Rs 546.90 crore more than the last financial year," a party statement quoted Lekhi as saying.

The Minister of State for External Affairs also said that the railways has allocated a budget of Rs 2,477 crore for the development of infrastructure at various stations in Delhi.

"Redevelopment of the New Delhi Railway Station is being done at a cost of more than Rs 4,500 crore. Four stations - Bijwasan, Safdarjung, Delhi Cantt and New Delhi -- will be given major restructuring on the lines of modern airport terminals with lobby, food court, plaza, waiting lounge, children's play area, parking and other facilities," she said.

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 Vote for delivered promises not fake promises: Meenkashi Lekhi to Delhiites Meenakshi Lekhi unveils 'Wall of Delhi' mural depicting 75 historical sites BJP protests outside AAP headquarters over delay in Mayoral election AAP has pushed back Punjab into age of darkness: Sukhbir Singh Badal Delhi mayor polls: Amid sloganeering, MCD House adjourned briefly BJP will fight Congress' Tughlaqi decrees through campaign: Jai Ram Thakur TMC wants debate, not disruption: Derek O'Brien on repeated adjournments

Hitting out at the city government, Lekhi, the New Delhi MP, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is "cheating" people in the name of "freebies".

"The Kejriwal government does not want to upgrade the infrastructure of the city, rather it wants to distribute 'revdi'. In the name of freebies, the AAP government has not given anything to the citizens of Delhi," she alleged.

"Kejriwal is fond of making tall claims. Earlier AAP leaders used to lie to the people of Delhi, now they are doing it with people of other states as well," she added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will reply to the motion of thanks on the President's Address to Parliament.

The opposition on Tuesday led by Rahul Gandhi attacked the government and the Prime Minister.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his Lok Sabha speech brought up the Adani controversy. He alleged that the Central government was favouring only one corporate, Adani Group, 'who gets all the contracts, including the overseas ones'.

"Earlier he used to travel in Adani's aircraft and now Adani travels with Modiji in his aircraft. First the matter was limited to Gujarat then the country and now he has become international," Gandhi said on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.

He alleged, "The Prime Minister went to Australia and by magic, SBI gave a $1 billion loan to Adani. The PM goes to Bangladesh and then the power development board of the country signs a 25-year contract with Adani."

"How much money Adani gave to the BJP in the last 20 years," Rahul Gandhi asked.

Also Read PM Modi performs last rites of his mother Heeraben in Gandhinagar Congress outsourced contract of abusing me, says PM Modi in Rajkot rally Toolkit that spreads lies, propaganda, says RSS on BBC documentary Next 8 yrs will see Indian Railways on new modernisation journey: PM Modi PM Modi to interact with winners of National Awards to Teachers on Monday Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav flays rise in milk prices, bus fares Power had gone to their head: CM Shinde on Thackerays for ignoring demands Rahul questions rise in Adani's fortunes, says happened during BJP's rule Will BJP order CBI probe into paper leak incidents in MP: Ashok Gehlot Delhi CM writes to Shah over regularisation delay of 4,500 NDMC employees

--IANS

miz/dpb
The opposition leaders in Lok Sabha on Tuesday staged a protest claiming that BJP member Chandra Prakash Joshi glorified the abolished practice of 'sati' in the Parliament. Following this, Speaker OM Birla adjourned the house amid the ongoing ruckus in Lok Sabha till 1

The MP from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, mentioned Padmavati, the queen of Mewar, who is said to have self-immolated to protect her honour from invader Allaudin Khilji.

Joshi, however, clarified that said he did not intend to advocate the abolished practice and his statement was about the 'Jauhar' tradition.

Joshi in the Lok Sabha said that he had not mentioned the tradition of 'Sati,' but that Padmavati had undertaken 'Jauhar' (self-immolation) to safeguard her honour.

Those who protested against Joshi includes DMK MPs along with other Opposition MPs. Lok Sabha Speaker met with party leaders, especially women MPs, protesting against CP Joshi.

The sati practise, which was outlawed in India by the British in 1829, is considered as a symbol of women's oppression.

Also Read UP PET examinees miss trains after huge ruckus at railway stations Guru Tegh Bahadur refused to bow to injustice: PM Modi pays tributes Uttarakhand: CM Dhami to visit sinking Joshimath, promises necessary action Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti blames NTPC for land subsidence Netaji will be remembered for his fierce resistance to colonial rule: PM Pralhad Joshi seeks apology after Mahua Moitra uses offensive word in Parl First bring together Raj Congress leaders, then talk of uniting India: BJP Maharashtra leader Balasaheb Thorat resigns as Cong legislature party chief No scope of complacency, take Budget to masses: PM Modi tells BJP MPs Opposition parties to meet today to discuss strategy for parliament

CP Joshi also referred to Ramayana during his Parliament speech and sought to compare President Droupadi Murmu with Shabari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lord Ram. He also made a personal attack on Rahul Gandhi.

Joshi said that in 'Treta Yug' Shabari was eager to welcome Lord Ram.

"If we talk of the joint session, when the President was entering Parliament, it felt like....Lord Ram was welcoming Maata Shabari at the doorsteps of Parliament to honour her," Joshi said.

He said the Prime Minister is working to make India a developed country.Joshi also referred to construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The BJP member also made a personal attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the Bharat Jodo Yatra which concluded last month.

He said somebody was holding someone's hand and somebody was hugging someone during the yatra.

"When some rituals do not take place at the right time, such things happen. There is an appropriate time for sanskaras... When panigrahan sanskar (related to marriage) does not take place at an appropriate age, such things come to the fore," he said.

Joshi lauded PM Modi's leadership saying India's stature in the world forums had risen. He said government has taken a series of measures for the welfare of every section of society.

On Tuesday, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha took up debate on the motion of thanks on the President's Address after three days of stalemate over Hindenburg-Adani row with BJP members talking of initiatives of the Modi government and the opposition members accusing the ruling alliance of not paying adequate attention to issues such as price rise and unemployment.

The Hindenburg-Adani row figured prominently in the debate with the opposition MPs pressing their demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Uddhav Thackeray, who heads a faction of the Shiv Sena, on Wednesday said that the decision by the Supreme Court on the disqualification of the party's rebel MLAs should come first and then by the Election Commission on who the original party belongs to.

Addressing a press conference, Thackeray also asked why the EC froze the Shiv Sena name and its bow and arrow' symbol when it has not been used by the rival Eknath Shinde faction yet.

The decision on disqualification should come first and then by the Election Commission (which faction Shiv Sena belongs to), Uddhav said, adding that the apex court will start hearing the matter related to the disqualification of rebel MLAs on a daily basis from February 14.

The Sena was split last June after a rebellion led by Shinde, prompting his faction and the one headed by Uddhav Thackeray to try to stake claim over the party's name and its symbol.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray's car was pelted with stones during the Shiv Sanvaad Yatra, Shiv Sena leader Ambadas Danve said on Wednesday.

The alleged incident occurred on Tuesday when Thackeray's program and Ramabai Ambedkar's procession took place simultaneously.

Aaditya Thackeray was carrying out the Shiv Sanvaad Yatra in Mahalgaon in Vaijapur, and at the same time, the procession on Ramabai Ambedkar's birth anniversary also started.

Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve alleged that the stones were pelted by "anti-social" elements to create a rift between those carrying out the procession and the Shiv Sena convoy.

"Some stones were pelted at the convoy while we were leaving the venue. A stone fell inside the venue. The crowd was raising slogans in support of local MLA, Ramesh Bornare. It was an attempt by anti-social elements in the mob to create a rift between the two groups," he said.

Danve further said that after the police asked them to stop the DJ and the procession, the crowd went angry and started pelting stones at the convoy.

Also Read Maharashtra opposition leader seeks resignation of ministers Sattar, Samant Maharashtra: 1,023 farmers ended lives in Marathwada in 2022; 887 in 2021 What did rebel Sena MLAs achieve by backstabbing us? Aaditya Thackeray asks President Murmu pays floral tributes to Ambedkar on his death anniversary Aaditya Thackeray may join Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', says Shiv Sena PM Modi to reply to motion of thanks on President's Address in LS today Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav flays rise in milk prices, bus fares Power had gone to their head: CM Shinde on Thackerays for ignoring demands Rahul questions rise in Adani's fortunes, says happened during BJP's rule Will BJP order CBI probe into paper leak incidents in MP: Ashok Gehlot

"Looking at the situation, Aaditya Thackeray gave the speech by coming down the stage. He apologised to the crowd for the inconvenience and said that they can if they want to play the DJ and carry out the procession," he further said.

Danve also alleged that the crowd tried to stop Aaditya Thackeray's car, but it was taken out safely by the security guards.
With the Pune-Nashik High-Speed Rail project getting in-principle approval of the Centre, researchers at the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) here have expressed concern over likely disruption of the scientific facility operations due to continuous movement of trains on the route located near the observatory antennas.

When contacted, a senior official of the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (Maharail) told PTI that necessary precautions will be taken and all the issues will be resolved.

The GMRT, which operates at 150-1420 MHz, is located at Khodad, 80 km away from Pune city. It consists of 30 antennas each of 45 m diameter, and is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the Ministry of Railways has accorded "in-principle approval" for the Pune-Nashik high-speed rail project, which will boost development and provide seamless connectivity to the industrial zones of both the cities.

A source at the GMRT told PTI that the route chosen for the high-speed rail project passes through Narayangaon, which is within the 15 km circle of the antennas at the facility and very close to some of the antennas.

The closest distance (of the rail project route) is less than one kilometre from one of the antennas.

Also Read James Webb telescope reveals exoplanet atmosphere as never seen before Astronomers detect hot gas bubbles swirling around supermassive black hole Astronomers find new Saturn-like planet hiding in disc through novel method NASA captures 1st direct image of exoplanet outside our solar system Nasa to use SpaceX's Dragon to boost Hubble telescope to higher orbit Microsoft to revamp its web browser and search engine with more AI Microsoft packs Bing engine, Edge browser with AI in challenge to Google Mobile device makers mull fee for Google to pre-install its apps ChatGPT owner OpenAI gets into top 50 global sites as visits hit 672 mn Apple cuts iPhone 14 models prices by up to $125 in China to boost sales

"This whole route is going to be very dangerous (for GMRT operations) for the reason that when a high-speed electric train moves, its pantograph touches the high power line and that is like make-and-break contact and sparks are generated which produce unwanted radiation," the source said.

Apart from these disturbances, all modern trains have communication systems which are normally of frequencies at which the GMRT operates, and this may cause a lot of problems, the source added.

NCRA Director Yashwant Gupta said they have "initiated a dialogue" with the rail authorities concerned to address the issue.

"Though we have received some response, we have not got a final conclusion for the issue and under those circumstances, giving the approval to go ahead is worrisome for us," said Gupta.

When contacted, Maharail Managing Director Rajesh Kumar Jaiswal said they have held meetings with GMRT officials and they have been told that when the actual work of the rail line starts, necessary precautions will be taken and all the issues will be resolved.
By Jeffrey Dastin

REDMOND, Wash. (Reuters) -Microsoft Corp is revamping its Bing search engine and Edge Web browser with artificial intelligence, the company said on Tuesday, signaling its ambition to retake the lead in consumer technology markets where it has fallen behind.

The maker of the Windows operating system is staking its future on AI through billions of dollars of investment as it directly challenges Alphabet Inc's Google, which for years has outpaced Microsoft in search and browser technology.

Now, Microsoft is rolling out an intelligent chatbot to live alongside Bing's search results, putting AI that can summarize web pages, synthesize disparate sources, even compose emails and translate them into more consumers' hands. Microsoft expects every percentage point of share it gains will bring in another $2 billion in search advertising revenue.

Working with the startup OpenAI, Microsoft is aiming to leapfrog its Silicon Valley rival and potentially claim vast returns from tools generally that speed up content creation, automating tasks, if not jobs themselves. That would affect products for business, such as the cloud-computing and collaboration tools Microsoft sells, as well as the consumer internet.

"This technology is going to reshape pretty much every software category," Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella told reporters in a briefing at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Also Read Google improves Gmail search, Chat with search labels, related results Google adds 'Search Status Dashboard' to provide real-time service outages Key staff driving Apple search engine leaves, rejoins Google: Report Google adds direct access of Lens image search to homepage: Details here Google Chat lets users filter search results with search chips on web Mobile device makers mull fee for Google to pre-install its apps ChatGPT owner OpenAI gets into top 50 global sites as visits hit 672 mn Apple cuts iPhone 14 models prices by up to $125 in China to boost sales Streaming platform 'Twitch' announces new 'Chat History' feature Amazon's cloud gaming service 'Luna' to lose over 50 games: Report

The company's share of search so far is about an estimated tenth of the market. Still, many investors see new technology as a win for all players. Microsoft's stock closed 4.2% higher on Tuesday, while Alphabet gained 4.6%.

The power of so-called generative AI that can create virtually any text or image dawned on the public last year with the release of ChatGPT, the chatbot sensation from OpenAI. Its human-like responses to any prompt have given people new ways to think about the possibilities of marketing, writing term papers or disseminating news, or how to query information online.

Microsoft's new Bing search engine is live in limited preview on desktop computers and will be available for mobile devices in coming weeks. The company hopes user feedback will improve its AI, which Microsoft officials said may still produce factually inaccurate information known as a hallucination. It meanwhile has pursued work to safeguard against misuse of its tech.

Underpinning the new Bing is what Microsoft is calling the Prometheus model - OpenAI's most powerful technology informed as needed by real-time web data from Bing. That means Bing's chatbot can brief consumers on current events, a step beyond ChatGPT's answers that currently are limited to data as of 2021.

Jordi Ribas, Microsoft's corporate vice president for search and AI, told Reuters the tech advances his team witnessed last summer emboldened the company to move ahead with an AI-infused Bing.

Microsoft's chief financial officer also said OpenAI's "new, next-generation" technology is powering its search engine, though officials declined to specify if this entailed the startup's highly anticipated upgrade known as GPT-4.

FROM BUSINESS TO CONSUMER

Microsoft is aiming to market OpenAI's technology, including ChatGPT, to its cloud customers and add the same power to its entire suite of products, not just search.

In the near term, Gartner analyst Jason Wong said Microsoft's "partnership with OpenAI is more relevant for its business customers." Still, he said, it could offer "disruptive opportunities" in consumer businesses as well.

"Except for gaming, Microsoft has not been a leader in key consumer technologies, such as search, mobile and social media," he added.

Google has taken note of Microsoft's challenge nonetheless. On Monday it unveiled a chatbot of its own called Bard, while it is planning to release its own AI in search that can synthesize material when no simple answer exists online.

Microsoft's decision to update its Edge browser will likewise intensify competition with Google's Chrome competitor. However, the Redmond-based company expects to roll out the updated Bing to other browsers eventually.

The rivalry in search is now among the technology industry's biggest, as OpenAI sets up Microsoft to expand its 9% share at Google's expense, said Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities.

For the quarter ended Dec. 31, Alphabet reported $42.6 billion in Google Search and other revenue, while Microsoft posted $3.2 billion from search and news advertising.

PRACTICAL USES

Microsoft executives said the new Bing would change how people find information on the internet.

A chatbot for instance can help users refine queries more easily and give more relevant, up-to-date results.

The AI-driven search engine would be able to give clear answers in plain language, synthesizing what Bing found on the web and in its own data vaults, rather than simply spitting out links to websites. Queries on current events would draw more from live data on the internet.

At the news briefing with reporters, Microsoft Consumer Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi demonstrated how the AI-enhanced search engine also could make shopping easier. He showed how Bing could estimate, for example, whether a certain type of seat could fit in the back of a car by pulling together web data on one's vehicle dimensions and on the shopping product in question.

Within the Edge browser, Bing's AI can present takeaways of financial results or other web pages as well, aiming to save readers from having to make sense of a long or complicated document, Microsoft said. It can suggest computer code, too.

Behind these efforts is Microsoft's plan to invest in supercomputer development and cloud support so OpenAI can release still more sophisticated technology and aim at the level of machine intelligence dreamed up in science fiction.

Already, results of this collaboration are manifesting beyond search. Last week Microsoft announced the startup's AI will generate meeting notes in Teams, its collaboration software, as well as suggest email replies to vendors using its Viva Sales subscription.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Redmond, Wash.; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Christopher Cushing)
OnePlus kicked off 2023 with the Cloud 11 event in which the Chinese electronics maker launched in India a whole bouquet of devices, including its premium flagship smartphone  the OnePlus 11 5G. The smartphone ticks all the right boxes for a premium smartphone. It has a glass-metal construction and top-of-the-line specifications. Besides, it gets an imaging system co-created in partnership with Hasselblad  something that was restricted to the Pro model last year. Likewise, the alert slider is a feature that marks the return to its non-pro smartphone. Do these additions make the OnePlus 11 5G a pro-grade phone? Let us find out:

Design

The OnePlus 11 5G is a polished version of the OnePlus 10 Pro (review) in terms of design. It has a premium glass-metal construction with tapered sides for secure in-hand grip. Adding to the premium quotient is the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the screen and Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the back. The phone looks dull in the titan black colour (review unit) despite featuring a fingerprint resistant sandstone-like finish on the back cover.

Aesthetics aside, the phone is neither heavy nor bulky, but appropriately built for comfortable use. Its alert slide, however, is placed a little too high from the power button  on the right side of the frame. It is aligned with the rear camera module and looks aesthetically well placed, but requires effort to operate. Nevertheless, the return of the alert slider here adds to the experience.

Display and audio

Screen is gateway to smartphone experiences and the OnePlus 11 5G scores well in this regard. It has a two-side curved 6.7-inch 2K resolution 10-bit AMOLED screen of 120Hz refresh rate. It is a LTPO 3.0 panel for adaptive properties, which allows the screen to automatically switch between 1Hz and 120Hz refresh rate based on the on-screen content requirements. The adaptive refresh rate aids power efficiency without compromising on the experience, and it works as intended on the OnePlus 11 5G.

Also Read OnePlus 10T review: A sub-flagship phone boosted by top-notch performance OnePlus 11 5G smartphone, Buds Pro 2 wireless earphones unveiled: Know more Xiaomi unveils four Redmi Note 12 series smartphones in China: Details here Xiaomi to launch Redmi Note 12 5G series smartphones on January 5: Details Xiaomi to launch Redmi Note 12 5G series smartphones on Jan 5: Details here Blaupunkt BTW300 Bass Buds review: Basic earphones lifted by good audio GoPro Hero 11 Black review: A pro-grade action camera that is easy-to-use Costar Mateband N300 review: An attempt to stand out amid budget earphones Fitbit Versa 4 review: Fitness focussed, but falls short on smart features Airbus testing autonomous flying tech that may boost safety, efficiency

Adding to the experience is the brightness, which makes the screen easy to read in outdoor environments and boosts the contrast for an immersive multimedia experience  especially while watching high dynamic range (HDR) content. Speaking of HDR, the OnePlus 11 5G supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats. 10-bit colours, ample brightness, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ come together to deliver a wholesome experience. Lifting the experience further are the value-added display settings such as natural tone, which automatically adjusts screen colour temperature based on ambient light conditions. It may seem a small addition, but has a big influence on the experience in everyday use.

Rounding up the good visual experience is the audio experience delivered by stereo speakers. With support for Dolby Atmos, the speakers sound loud and balanced with a nuanced mix of high and low frequencies. Mid frequencies are strong, and the speakers do justice to voice-focused content such as podcasts. The OnePlus 11 5G does not have a 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio output, but it supports Hi-Res audio over wireless (Bluetooth)  LDAC and LHDC codecs. Besides, there is support for spatial audio. Therefore, you are covered on the audio front as long as you have the supported wireless headphones or earphones.

Imaging

The OnePlus 11 5G has a triple-camera set-up on the back, featuring a 50-megapixel primary sensor (Sony IMX890) with optical image stabilization, a 48MP ultra-wide-angle sensor (Sony IMX581) of 115-degree field-of-view (FoV), and a 32MP telephoto lens (Sony IMX709). On the front, the phone has a 16MP sensor (Sony IMX471). The three cameras on the back support auto-focus, which enables macro photography on the ultra-wide-angle sensor.

Details aside, the OnePlus 11 5G is the third-generation smartphone from OnePlus to feature an imaging system co-created in partnership with Hasselblad. In this generation, however, the partnership with Hasselblad goes beyond colour calibration in manual mode. Portraits is one of the imaging features where the Hasselblad partnership brings apparent improvements. OnePlus does not force 2x or 3x magnification for portraits. Instead, it offers portraits in both 1x and 2x levels. In both, the cameras perfectly segment the subject and the background. At the 2x, tuned for half-body portraits, the phone uses the telephoto lens to mimic the bokeh effect of the Hasselblad XCD 65mm. Likewise, there is a bokeh effect similar to Hasselblad XCD 30mm available at 1x setting for the wide-angle lens to capture both the subject and its surroundings with natural shallow depth of field. In both the settings, the results look captivating. There is no stage light feature, like Apple iPhone, available here for portraits but the custom portrait solution by OnePlus and Hasselblad seems to have them built-in for no-frill experience.

Besides portraits, Hasselblad partnership with OnePlus extends to image filters too. There are three new filters  Serenity, Radiance, and Emerald  and each of them add zing to the imaging experience. The Serenity is for portrait imaging, Radiance for humanity and cultural things, and Emerald for landscapes.

It is important to note that the above features are in addition to the existing features co-created by OnePlus and Hasselblad such as colour calibration in Pro mode, 12-bit RAW+, and more.

Aside from Hasselblad features, the cameras are good and work well irrespective of lighting conditions. There is a symmetry in colours, frame, and details across sensors. Therefore, the experience is consistent. The weakest link in the imaging set-up is the front camera sensor. Not that it is bad, but not up to the mark to complement the overall imaging set-up.

Coming to the videos, the phone can do up to 8K resolution videos at 24fps and 4K resolution videos at 60fps. Both these are from the main camera with no provision to switch between available sensors before and during the recording. Video quality is good but not pro-grade. Likewise, stabilisation is modest but one expects better from cameras with optical image stabilisation. That said, the OnePlus 11 5G is good for photography, but so for videos.

Performance

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system-on-chip, paired with 16GB RAM (LPDDR5x) and 256GB (UFS 4.0) on-board storage, the performance is flagship-grade with no throttling even after extended usage. Gaming is one of the areas where the phone impresses with consistent performance and power efficiency. Besides, there is no heating issue to hamper the experience. The phone warms up when stretched with power-intensive workloads, but that is it.

Adding to the experience in a positive way is the Android 13 operating system-based OxygenOS 13 interface. It does not look anything like the old OnePlus interfaces, but there is no reason to complain because it is still clean, smooth, and non-intrusive.

Battery and charging

The OnePlus 11 5G has a dual-cell battery of a 5,000mAh combined capacity. With moderate usage, the phone sails through a day on a full charge with a display set to QHD+ resolution at 120Hz refresh rate. The phone ships with an 100W fast-wired-charger, which replenishes the completely drained battery fully in about 40 minutes. As stated above, there is no wireless charging here.

Verdict

It is a pro move by OnePlus to include a two-side curved screen, alert slider, and Hasselblad imaging on its non-pro smartphone. The lack of ingress protection rating and wireless charging may unsettle some, yet the OnePlus 11 5G at Rs 61,999 (review unit: 16GB+256GB) is a pro-grade smartphone even if it does not have it in the name.
Chinese consumer electronics maker OnePlus launched the Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds at its Cloud 11 event on February 7. Priced at Rs 11,999, the earbuds are available for pre-order on the OnePlus website, OnePlus store app, OnePlus experience stores, Flipkart, Myntra and Amazon India. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 will be available for purchase from February 14. Below are the details:

Supported by the HeyMelody app, these earbuds support smart adaptive noise cancellation (ANC)  filters noise up to 48dB. The earbuds support personalised noise cancellation feature for perfect fit and noise isolation. These feature transparency mode to keep the users aware of their surroundings. OnePlus said the wireless earbuds would be an ideal companion to the OnePlus 11 5G smartphones. These earbuds are compatible with Android devices.

The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is a pair of in-ear wireless earbuds featuring 11mm + 6mm dynamic audio drivers with LHDC 4.0 codec for Hi-Res wireless audio. It is IP55 rated for sweat and water resistance. Each earbud is powered by a 60mAh battery, supported by a 520mAh case battery. Featuring the OnePlus' spatial rendering algorithm, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 supports spatial audio experience with wide sound field and multi-dimensional sound. For real-time tracking of the head movement, the earbuds feature six-axis IMU sensors that recalibrate audio based on head movement.
Faced with global challenges due to a growing population and climate change, among others, farmers need a solution to feed the planet through healthy and safe solutions. Today, Rovensa Group, a global leader of agricultural inputs for sustainable agriculture, answers that need with Rovensa Next, a new global business unit dedicated to biosolutions for agriculture that aims to give back to the Earth what the Earth gives to us. Rovensa Next makes its debut this week at Fruit Logistica Berlin (Hall 1.2, Stand B-50), the leading trade fair for the fresh fruit industry.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005486/en/

Jose Alfredo Garcia, Co-COO Rovensa Next, Javier Calleja, incoming CEO Rovensa Group, Eric van Innis, CEO Rovensa Group and Carlos Ledo, Co-COO Rovensa Next (Photo: Business Wire)

Rovensa Next aggregates ten Rovensa Group companies, creating a holistic platform of innovative biosolutions to shape a sustainable future for agriculture and drive its bio-transformation. With this announcement, Agrichembio, Agrotecnologia, Idai Nature, Microquimica, MIP Agro, OGT, Oro Agri, Rodel, SDP, and Tradecorp will become part of the new business unit, combining local technical knowledge, innovation and teams that work alongside farmers and distributors in the field to solve their sustainability challenges, with the global expertise and leadership of Rovensa Group.

Eric van Innis, Rovensa Group CEO, stated: With this flagship project Rovensa Next, and our holistic platform of biosolutions, we are taking a strategic step forward in our goal to be a reference provider of well-balanced and sustainable solutions for agriculture. Farmers and distributors do not need a singular product or a multi-card generalist; they need specialised advisors to help them create a potent strategy that considers their local environment and challenges. Rovensa Next is our answer to our partners needs for sustainable crop management that leads to safe and healthy products with better quality and increased yield.

Betting on sustainability, innovation, and technical expertise, Rovensa Next unites a global network of 30 R&D laboratories, excellence centres, fields, and greenhouses; 14 production plants; more than 84 partnerships with research centres and universities; 100 R&D and innovation specialists; and a dedicated team of more than 850 field expertsi. All of this allows Rovensa Next to be the pioneer on cutting-edge research to create more effective and environmentally friendly biosolutions that dont compromise on performance or quality.

Carlos Ledo, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Rovensa Next, commented: With a rising population and a rapidly changing climate, there is a clear need to transform the agricultural sector. The formation of Rovensa Next, consisting of ten brands with entrepreneurship in their DNA, gives us the right talent, know-how, expertise, and innovation to drive the necessary change in agriculture. The time is now for sustainable transformation.

Jose Alfredo Garcia, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Rovensa Next, added: We want to be a trusted partner that helps our customers drive sustainable transformation without compromising on performance and yield output. Our unique value add is our team of field experts that work on the ground with growers to understand their needs and solve their challenges. By uniting all of our local and specialised expertise in various crops and geographical areas into one global portfolio of solutions, we aim to help facilitate, or even kickstart, the bio-transformation for customers, ultimately helping to shape an overall more sustainable future.

With the new business unit, Rovensa Group anticipates a turnover of more than EUR 1 billion by 2025i. Todays announcement marks the beginning of the global transition to Rovensa Next followed by local implementation across all countries from July 2023.

For more information, go to www.rovensanext.com

About Rovensa Group

Rovensa Group is a global leader in agricultural solutions for sustainable agriculture. It is a group of companies that develop, manufacture, and commercialise agricultural solutions to help farmers produce safe, healthy and nutritious food for all.

Committed to generating a positive impact through its companies, more than 4,000 employees strive each day to contribute to our mission of feeding the planet. With more than 30 Research and Development (R&D) experimental centres and laboratories across the world, we are leading the change in agriculture through science-led innovation to continuously develop pioneering agricultural inputs to preserve and enhance soil, environmental, and human health. We are providing farmers, spread over 80 countries across the globe, a complementary portfolio of solutions for bionutrition, biocontrol and crop protection to support the transition towards a more well-balanced agriculture, enabling them to grow a larger quantity and higher quality of food with fewer natural resources.

For more information, go to www.rovensa.com

Rovensa Next figures including ten aggregated companies and the Cosmocel acquisition.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005486/en/
Schweppes, The Coca-Cola Companys leading premium mixer brand, has been refreshing its consumers for 240 years by offering them the ultimate sparkling mixers such as  Tonic water, Soda Water and Ginger Ale. The brand has unveiled a new campaign #MixItUpWithSchweppes, today. #MixItUpWithSchweppes celebrates Schweppes as the perfect mixer to enhance experiences across moments of consumption. With a rich and sparkling legacy of over two centuries globally, Schweppes has been synonymous with elevating everyday refreshment, through its unique and refined offerings. The brand has continued to innovate and address the evolving needs of consumers across beverage consumption occasions, since 1783.



In India, Schweppes has been enhancing experiences for consumers, be it in moments of celebration during festivities, occasions or just unwinding with their loved ones every day; Schweppes has been at the core of spreading enjoyment through its popular fizzy beverages.Through this new quirky campaign, #MixItUpWithSchweppes, the brand also introduces Siddhant Chaturvedi, the heartthrob of Bollywood and youth icon and Manushi Chhillar,as their new/official brand ambassadors.Announcing the launch of the new digital campaign,said, Schweppes is a leading brand in the premium mixer category and has been loved by Indians for its distinct and perfectly balanced taste The brand embodies the vibrant and enthusiastic spirit of new-age Indian consumers as they continue to experiment with new innovations. Our new campaign #MixItUpWithSchweppes aims to celebrate moments with friends. In addition, we are very happy to launch 2 new flavours  Mint Mojito and Bitter Lemon with the new campaign. These are the first 2 in a sequence of many to come.said, I am thrilled to partner with the new-age iconic brand Schweppes. The brands young and refreshing spirit brings alive exhilarating experiences, and that is something I resonate with as well. #MixItUpWithSchweppes campaign represents the convivial vibe that Schweppes exudes across consumption occasions with our loved ones, and I am excited to be a part of it.said, I am delighted to partner with Schweppes as its brand ambassador. The new campaign #MixItUpWithSchweppes echoes the brands youthful and quirky spirit, which enables fun times for consumers across India. I am personally a Schweppes fan, and I love the innovative product offerings.The quirky campaign film has been conceptualized by Glitch. Commenting on the new campaign, From the get-go, our aim with the campaign was to capture the absolute, unparalleled joy of mingling with the right spirits. That feeling of freewheeling euphoria that accompanies good times and great camaraderie was our NorthStar while crafting every aspect, from the visuals to the art to the edit. We wanted a campaign that would make our audience crave to be part of this really fun, lively ambience, no matter where you are, said
Smiths Detection, a global leader in threat detection and security inspection technologies, has been awarded a contract to supply New Zealands Aviation Security Service (AvSec) with advanced checkpoint security technology for its five major international airports; Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown and Wellington.

Smiths Detection will supply 35 HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX computed tomography (CT) X-ray machines. The HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX, which meets international regulatory requirements in both the USA and EU, ensures the highest level of security while improving the experience for both passengers and operators. The carry-on baggage scanner can speed up security screening by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their cabin baggage, as well as deliver cost savings to airports as it is the most energy efficient checkpoint CT X-ray on the market. In addition, Smiths Detection will also supply:

The iLane.evo smart automatic tray return system, which delivers a steady flow of trays, removing bottlenecks and providing a seamless checkpoint journey

The iCMORE Weapons algorithm that supports security operators by identifying knives, guns, gun parts or ammunition concealed in bags



Each piece of equipment is part of Smiths Detections integrated checkpoint and uses leading-edge technology designed to help increase security, improve passenger experience, and enhance operational efficiency.

Speaking of the contract award, Smiths Detections North & South Asia Market Head, Aurelien Guilbert, said, Were delighted to be continuing our long-standing relationship with New Zealand AvSec. Through the roll-out of this technology, passengers flying out of New Zealands international airports will have a smoother and more efficient checkpoint experience.

The new technology supplied by Smiths Detection will help AvSec continue to evolve and improve the New Zealand security screening system while also helping to enhance passenger facilitation and experience, said Ben Smith, Group Manager Strategic Development in the Aviation Security Service. Having seen these systems during the trial in Christchurch and other international airports already, we are confident in being able to deploy advanced technology solutions within our security checkpoints.

Installation of the systems will begin in 2023.

ENDS

About the technology

About Smiths Detection

Smiths Detection, a division of Smiths Group, is a global leader in inspection and detection technologies for the air transport, ports and borders, armed forces and urban security markets. With more than 70 years of experience in the field, we offer the necessary solutions to protect society from the threats posed by explosives, prohibited weapons, contraband, toxic chemical agents and narcotics  helping to make the world a safer place.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207005797/en/
Main battle tanks rumble in snow-covered area

China Military Online) 08:41, February 08, 2023

Main battle tanks attached to a tank element of the army rumble through snowfield during a training exercise in late-January, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by He Rui)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Cemtech Asia 2023 Conference and Exhibition will take place at the Melia Hanoi, Vietnam, on the 25-28 June 2023.

Across Asia, the cement industry is transitioning to a new low-carbon future. New business opportunities are being explored around the circular economy as consumers increasingly seek green and sustainable building materials.



To achieve this, cement producers in the region are adopting modern technologies and pursuing new solutions to address their challenges across the cement and concrete value chain.



At Cemtech Asia, cement producers and industry experts will discuss and share case studies on a range of innovative low-carbon technologies, from alternative fuels and blended cements, to digitalisation and carbon capture systems. Manufacturing excellence and sharing best practice will be at the heart of the agenda.



Cemtech events in Asia have grown with each successive meeting and we expect the forthcoming Cemtech Asia 2023 to be no exception. This event includes a generous hospitality programme, incorporates a sold-out equipment exhibition, and will be held in one of the citys finest conference hotels, the Melia Hanoi.



Meet with 250 cement professionals in Hanoi for the industrys leading conference and exhibition:

In-person event with extensive networking opportunities

Engage with world-class experts

25 papers covering market and technology developments

Large international exhibtion area

Field trip to local cement works

Superb hospitality programme and Gala Dinner

Exhibition

This year's Cemtech Asia exhibtion is now sold out. Please contact Russell Bateup r.bateup@CemNet.com for sponsorship opportunities.




JK Lakshmi Cement signs solar power agreement

08 February 2023

JK Lakshmi Cement on has signed an agreement with Amplus Solar to set up a 56MWp solar power plant for its Durg facility, located in Chhattisgarh. This will form part of the company's Green Pahal, Behtar Kal campaign that creates awareness about improving energy efficiency and saving the environment.



With this initiative, JK Lakshmi Cement will be able to replace 92m units with green electricity in the first year that will help reduce its CO 2 emissions by 73,000t, equivalent to over 3.3m trees saved.

We support the countrys vision to achieve net zero emissions by 2070. As a responsible corporate, we have taken multiple steps to reduce both direct and indirect carbon emissions. Last month, for the first time in India, we deployed LNG trucks to transport the raw material. Now with switching to solar energy at our Durg Plant, nearly 80 per cent of energy requirement of the plant will be met through renewable energy source," said Arun Shukla, president and director, JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd.

Published under
CEMEX Philippines signs biosolids partnership

08 February 2023

CEMEX Philippines and Manila Water Co recently signed a partnership allowing the use of biosolids as alternative fuels, a first in the Philippines and a major accomplishment in helping address climate change in alignment with the Philippine governments policy.

Biosolids are organic materials coming from a sewage treatment process. Wastewater undergoes full treatment and clean water is discharged to rivers, and byproducts such as biosolids can be turned into useful resource, such as alternative fuels. Use of biosolids as alternative fuels is an important step to sustainability and developing climate-friendly energy solutions that help address climate change.

An initial 10t of dried biosolids has been delivered from our Makati South Sewage Treatment plant to the CEMEX Antipolo plant, which we hope to scale up very soon, said Donna Cabalona-Perez, Manila Waters head of wastewater operations.

As pioneers in the country of biosolids as alternative fuels, we have just signed what will now create the series of significant steps towards making circular economy a reality, said Christer Gaudiano, CEMEX Philippines sustainability and public affairs director.

This partnership is a significant step in making sure we maximise every opportunity to increase the use of alternative fuels, ensuring we are forerunners of circular economy and innovation, said Luis Franco, CEMEX Philippines president CEO.

Published under
New Haven officials are warning the public of a spike in fatal drug overdoses over the past two weeks.

There have been 12 reported fatal overdoses in the city since Jan. 25, according to the federal Overdose Mapping and Application Program (ODMAP) that tracks real-time suspected overdose data. This is up from the usual average of around two fatal overdoses per week. There were four fatal overdose cases reported in the Hill neighborhood and three in the Newhallville neighborhood, according to a release from New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

Early reports indicated that these cases are related to the usage of crack cocaine with a suspected mixture of opioids like fentanyl.

We are experiencing a sudden increase in fatal overdoses in the city of New Haven, and we want to alert residents and the community about these incidents and encourage residents to learn more about the resources that are available to them, Elicker said in the release.

Anyone who would like to get connected to treatment, or knows someone who does, can call 1-800-563-4086 or visit connectgnh.org at any day or time. Anyone who uses drugs is encouraged to get their substances or drug paraphernalia tested at the Yale Community Health Care Van located at 270 Congress Ave., Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with no questions asked.

It is critical that we raise awareness about this spike in fatal overdoses so residents who use drugs are extra careful, New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond said. The New Haven Health Department is working with city and community partners to enhance outreach and improve access to harm reduction supplies. Community members should reach out to your loved ones who use substances to get them connected to harm reduction supplies and treatment information.

The New Haven Health Department said it will continue to monitor overdose data and is actively coordinating with local partners.
A Hartford man was found guilty of murder on Tuesday for fatally stabbing a Manchester man after he forced his way into his apartment in 2021, according to the Department of Criminal Justice.

A jury found Garry Ramsey, 58, of Hartford, guilty of murder in connection with the stabbing death of Robert Callahan, 68. Ramsey was accused of attacking Callahan inside his Carver Lane apartment on June 5, 2021, while a 32-year-old woman hid from the possessive Hartford convicted felon in a bedroom, according to court records.

The woman told police she knew Ramsey for about a year and said he provided her with drugs and hotel rooms, according to Ramseys arrest warrant. She said he had become possessive, stalking her, and wants to own her, court records said.

According to court records, the woman claimed she was with Ramsey a few hours before the stabbing at the Best Value Inn. She told police she escaped when he went to get more drugs and went to Callahans apartment. She told police she hoped Ramsey would not find her there but warned Callahan that Ramsey would come looking and was crazy as [expletive], records show.

The woman told police she heard pounding on the front door around noon as she opened the back door for Callahan, according to court records. She said she went into the bedroom to hide. She said she heard the two men tussle before two loud thuds and then silence, according to court records.

When she came out of the bedroom she said followed the blood to Callahan on the porch and saw Ramsey driving away, court records said.

After the woman contacted the police, officers found Callahan covered in blood on his front porch. He was still alert enough to tell police he had been stabbed in the chest by a man named Garry, according to court records.

Police said blood throughout the apartment appeared to reveal a confrontation started at the bedroom door and led down to the hallway, into the living room and out to the front porch, court records said.

Callahan was rushed to Hartford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a single stab wound to the chest that punctured the left ventricle of his heart, court records said.

Ramseys sentencing is scheduled for April 4 in Hartford Superior Court before Judge Kevin C. Doyle.
Jenna Johnson has named her son Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

The 'Dancing with the Stars' professional dancer and her co-star and husband, fellow dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, 36, welcomed their first child together into the world on January 10, and now the couple have shared the sweet moniker for their baby boy.

Alongside an adorable picture of the tot laying next to a wooden plaque with his name on it, Jenna wrote on Instagram: "Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy

"Cannot believe its been 4 weeks of being completely infatuated with you. Thank you for bursting my heart wide open and showing me what unconditional love is. Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!!"

She added: "**the left dimple melts me every time."

Announcing the arrival of their first child, Jenna wrote on Instagram last month: "Our world is forever changed 1.10.2023."

She also shared a black and white picture of the little one's hand on top of their hands.

Val - who has twice won 'Dancing with the Stars' - shared the same picture and caption on his Instagram account.

Several stars took to social media to congratulate the couple - who married in 2019 - including pro dancer Witney Carson, who is currently pregnant.

She posted: "AHHHHHH!!!!!!! (sic)"

Nikki Bella commented: "Chills!!!! So happy for you both! Sending you all so much love!!!! (sic)"

Actress Rumer Willis - who won 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2015 while she was partnered with Val - posted: "Congratulations you two, I cant wait to meet you sweet boy."

Prior to the announcement, Jenna posted several pictures of her baby bump on social media and thanked her body.

She wrote: "Thank you body for this moment in time. Soaking up these last few weeks with this bump of mine."

The couple tied the knot in April 2019 in front of family and friends at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palo Verdes, California.

They expressed their love for each other in their vows, which they read out under an archway decorated with several white flowers.

Val's best man was his brother, fellow 'Dancing with the Stars' pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

The pair got engaged in June 2018 when Val popped the question in Venice, Italy.
Tom Cruise is reportedly putting his film projects on hold to attend the coronation of King Charles.

The British monarch will be coronated in London on May 6, and Tom will pause filming for the new 'Mission: Impossible' movie in order to attend the historic event.

A source explained: "Tom has been invited to King Charles coronation and there is no way he would have ever turned it down.

"It is a hugely prestigious event and Tom is a real royalist - plus he is now close with Prince William and Kate. Tom has told film bosses to shut down the production on 'Mission: Impossible' over the coronation weekend to make sure he can attend."

Tom's decision has shocked the production staff working on the new 'Mission: Impossible' movie.

But the film star is determined to attend the event.

The insider told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre newspaper: "It shocked some people on the film, as Tom is so dedicated to his craft and would never normally deviate from his intense production schedules.

"But something as important - and grand - as King Charless coronation is something he would not want to miss out on.

"It is a huge thing for Tom to be invited and he is honored."

Meanwhile, a royal expert recently suggested that Charles will invite Prince Harry to his coronation as an "olive branch".

The king will be formally crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, and royal expert Katie Nicholl thinks Harry - who was openly critical of his father in his recent memoir - will receive an invite for the landmark occasion.

Katie said: "I'm not sure the reports about harry being dis-invited from the coronation are accurate.

"My sources close to the king say that he will be extending that olive branch and that he will be inviting Meghan and Harry to the coronation."
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
The Chattanooga Music Club will host a program of barbershop harmony featuring the Scenic City Chorus - the Chattanooga Chapter of Sweet Adelines International.

This concert will be held next Sunday at 3 p.m. at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1505 N. Moore Road.

The program is free and open to the public.

Officials said, "The Scenic City Chorus is based in Chattanooga, and our 60+ members of all ages come from eastern Tennessee, northeastern Alabama, and northwestern Georgia. A wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles are represented among us, but together we share a common bond through music and performance. Scenic City Chorus has a mission to bring its unique sound to the community through performance.

"We also offer education in the barbershop craft and performance opportunities to young women between the ages of 14 and 25 through the Young Women in Harmony program."

The Chattanooga Music Club was founded in 1896 by a small group of musicians dedicating the club to the stimulation of interest in the beauties of art in Chattanooga.

The CMC holds the distinction of being the oldest music club in Tennessee and has played a leadership role in Chattanoogas fine arts for 125 years. It continues to provide free music concerts to the public and to foster other music activities to members and guests.

The CMC is also known for major restorations of the Austin pipe organ at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium.
The business manager of the Broad Street United Methodist Church in Cleveland has been charged with embezzling large sums from the church.

David Michael Apps has entered into an agreement to plead guilty in Federal Court to wire fraud.

The plea agreement said he had extensive oversight of church finances.

It says in early 2019 he represented to certain people at the church that he was being treated for prostrate and brain cancer.

At that time, the senior pastor authorized a payment to him of $3,500 toward his medical expenses, it was stated.

The plea agreement says Apps began issuing multiple checks using church funds payable to himself.

He used some of the funds for personal items, travel, automobiles, boats, firearms, and marina fees, the agreement says.

As a result of his actions, the church faced a tax debt of over $900,000, prosecutors said.

The agreement says he will get no more than 20 years in federal prison and will have to pay no more than a $250,000 fine.
A man told police that around 10 a.m. at least one white male cut a hole in the fence of his property on Workman Road to gain entry to steal auto parts from his salvage yard. Another man told police that he was there during this time. He said there was a Silver Ram parked on the Wilson Road side of the business. He chased the white male who was wearing light clothing toward the Ram. He said it appeared that the man had two catalytic converters in his possession when he entered the truck. He was able to get the tag number of the truck and gave it to police. The registration came back to a 2018 Ram 1500 to a man in Chattanooga. The registration also showed a man in Lawrenceburg, Tn. listed as an owner. The caller told police about a man who operates a place behind a parts store on Rossville Boulevard that he thinks is moving these stolen converters. It is unknown if he runs a legitimate operation. Auto Crimes was notified this information.

* * *

A woman at an apartment on Poplar Street Court told police she got into a heated verbal disorder with her mother's boyfriend. She said the boyfriend came over to her apartment and knocked on the door and she allowed him to enter. Soon after this, both of them got into a heated verbal argument which started because she asked him where her mother was. The man then left and went back to his residence on Poplar Street Court. Police went to his residence and asked him to stay away from her apartment.

* * *

A woman on Rossville Avenue told police that sometime overnight, someone broke the front passenger window of her GMC Denali. The suspect(s) then stole the following: an Adidas pink cinch/backpack; misc. ID cards; misc. credit/debit cards; a checkbook; and a gold wedding ring set.

* * *

A disorder was reported at the Circle K, 2514 Amnicola Hwy. Police spoke with the store manager, who said she had a disorder with a contract employee from Shift Smart, who had also had a previous disorder with an employee. She said she asked the contract employee to leave the store, but she continued to argue and make "threats" toward her staff. The manager said the woman left the store after she said she was not welcome and that Police were en route.

* * *

A man told police that at some time, someone cut off the catalytic converter to his 2002 Toyota Sequoia while parked in the apartment complex parking lot at 7255 Lee Hwy. He believes this may have occurred Sunday night.

* * *

Police responded to a residence on S. Crest Road on a burglar alarm. Police spoke with a woman inside the residence. Upon checking her ID, it was verified that she resides there. She was able to facetime her father, with police present, and let him know she was the one that set the alarm off.

* * *

An man on S. Marks Avenue told police he witnessed a thin black male (red shoes) walk up his driveway and place a blue chrome bicycle near the side of his house. The caller said that he did not want the bicycle on his property and handed it over to police, who placed it into Property under the same complaint number.
Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report:

ADDISON, STEVEN ALLEN

1109 MCDONALD RD CHATTANOOGA, 37421

Age at Arrest: 44 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT



APOLINAR, KEVIN JOSE

728 FRAWLEY RD APT 716 EAST RIDGE, 37412

Age at Arrest: 44 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

FALSE IMPRISONMENT

DOMESTIC ASSAULT



BARRETT, STEPHANIE A

373 JENKINS ROAD ROSSVILLE, 30741

Age at Arrest: 38 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER $2,500

FAILURE TO APPEAR



BETTIS, CHRISTOPHER BRAD

1732 CRABTREE RD HIXSON, 37343

Age at Arrest: 42 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL.

OR MANUFACTURING)BOYKINS, LAGABRIOUS F3899 MOSS RD CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 18 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDCRIMINAL TRESPASSINGVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEFPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEBUCHANON, GABRIEL E1565 BURNS AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeDOMESTIC ASSAULTINTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY CALLSBURSON, DARREN LEVONE3414 4TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency:Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)CAL, KALISTA ANN2723 CANNON AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37403Age at Arrest: 36 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)CASTO, TODD EDWARD4445 PALOMINO DR OOTEWAH, 373637078Age at Arrest: 52 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDOMESTIC ASSAULTCOFFMAN, HEATHER RENEE1615 E 50TH CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF METH FOR RESALECRONKHITE, MACKINZIE M812 PEMBROOK LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37343Age at Arrest: 18 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDOMESTIC ASSAULTDUNN, AMBER LYNN804 GRANDVIEW AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency:CRIMINAL IMPERSONATIONSPEEDINGREGISTRATION, EXPIREDTAMPERING WITH OR FABRICATING EVIDENCEEMBREY, TREVOR SCOTT9148 INTEGRA PERSERVE COURT OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: CollegedaleBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)FOSSETT, MICHAEL ANTHONY67 MINERAL AVE ROSSVILE, 30741Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeOBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICEFRANKS, WILLIAM ROBERT727 EAST 11TH STREET KNOXVILLE, 379174797Age at Arrest: 60 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVIOLATION COMMUNITY SUPERVISION FOR LIFEFUNK, DUSTIN JAMES1685 WHOOPING CREEK CHURCH RD CARROLLTON, 30116Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffPRESCRIPTION DRUG FRAUDCRIMINAL IMPERSONATIONTHEFT OF SERVICESFORGERYPRESCRIPTION DRUG FRAUDCRIMINAL IMPERSONATIONTHEFT OF PROPERTYGILES, SAMUEL BLAKE3018 CUMMINGS HWY CHATTANOOGA, 374192393Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDEVADING ARRESTPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAREGISTRATION, EXPIREDGILLESPIE, GREGORY LAMAR311 NORTH GREEN WOOD CHATTANOOGA, 374042416Age at Arrest: 53 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDVIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION OR RESTRAINING ORGOLDSMITH, MADISON LOU414 SHADOW PARKWAY CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVIOLATION OF PROBATION(POSS OF DRUG PARA)GRAVETT, JUSTIN WADE515 COLEMAN CEMETERY ROAD SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 45 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffTHEFT OF SERVICESHANCOCK, BRANDON SCOTT1557 DALLAS LAKE RD APB HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffFAILURE TO APPEARHARDEMAN, AUSTIN TYLER1221 COUNTY RD BRYANT, 35958Age at Arrest: 26 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffFAILURE TO APPEARHENLEY, KRISTI LYNN1001 NORTH NATCHEZ ROAD APT A14 CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest: 54 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALEPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIALIGHT LAW VIOLATIONREGISTRATION, IMPROPER DISPLAY OF PLATESHICKS, CARL LONNIEHOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDASSAULTHOLLAND, KRISTY JO46 CHARLES J LANE DUNLAP, 37327Age at Arrest: 46 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffFAILURE TO APPEARHUGHES, JONATHAN LEE49 BLACK MOUNTAIN RD DUNLAP, 37327Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: Soddy DaisyPOSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINESJOHNSON, ELDRIDGE FRANK2008 E 20TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 374046218Age at Arrest: 50 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEJOHNSON, RACHEL LYNN NICHOLE48 KAY DR RINGGOLD, 307364400Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffPOSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING)POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCELEDBETTER, AUSTIN SHANE11052 DOLLY POND ROAD BIRCHWOOD, 37308Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)MARSH, GREGORY LEBRON2201 WHEELER AVE CHATTANOOGA, 374063857Age at Arrest: 47 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEFAGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION)EVADING ARRESTRECKLESS ENDANGERMENTMARSHALL, GEORGE ARNOLD6530 RAMSEY RD HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 61 years oldArresting Agency: CollegedaleBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)MARSHALL, IAN MICHAEL7604 STANDIFER GAP RD APT 0704 CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffTHEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE)MAYS, DAKOTA EUGENE5423 MARION AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 28 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCERECKLESS ENDANGERMENTDRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CAREDUTY UPON STRIKING FIXTURES UPON A HIGHWAYRESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESSMORROW, BRANDY LEE730 E 11TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37403Age at Arrest: 45 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffPOSSESSION OF METH FOR RESALEMURPHY, CODY RYAN514 SPEARS AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVIOLATION OF PROBATION AGGRAVATED ASSAULTPETTYJOHN, THOMAS N181 OLD COUNTY RD RINGGOLD, 30736Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIARIPPY, DEXTER ALLEN901 ALBANY ST CHATTANOOGA, 374052808Age at Arrest: 28 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYTINTED WINDOWS VIOLATIONRUIZ ARGUETA, PEDRITO312 MCBRIEN RD APT 5307 CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 27 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDDOMESTIC ASSAULTINTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY CALLSSIMS, BILLY LAMAR6113 BLYTHS FERRY LN BIRCHWOOD, 37308Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)SMITH, CHARLES DAVID4904 CAMERON LN CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 41 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDAGGRAVATED CRIMINAL TRESPASSWIERSEMA, COBY ALLEN1333 CENORA LANE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: Soddy DaisyFAILURE TO APPEARWILLIAMS, DEMETRIA CHASTITY4507 TERRAVISTA CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDBURGLARY

Here are the mug shots:

ADDISON, STEVEN ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 44

Date of Birth: 04/10/1978

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT APOLINAR, KEVIN JOSE

Age at Arrest: 44

Date of Birth: 01/10/1979

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

FALSE IMPRISONMENT

DOMESTIC ASSAULT BAILEY, RANIA ALEXIA

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 09/25/1999

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

SPEEDING

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE BARRETT, STEPHANIE A

Age at Arrest: 38

Date of Birth: 01/25/1985

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER $2,500

FAILURE TO APPEAR BETTIS, CHRISTOPHER BRAD

Age at Arrest: 42

Date of Birth: 02/20/1980

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING) BOYKINS, LAGABRIOUS F

Age at Arrest: 18

Date of Birth: 07/09/2004

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE BUCHANON, GABRIEL E

Age at Arrest: 21

Date of Birth: 04/17/2001

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY CALLS BURSON, DARREN LEVONE

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 01/13/1990

Arresting Agency:



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

CAL, KALISTA ANN

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 08/06/1986

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

CASTO, TODD EDWARD

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 09/11/1970

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

COFFMAN, HEATHER RENEE

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 09/09/1985

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF METH FOR RESALE CRONKHITE, MACKINZIE M

Age at Arrest: 18

Date of Birth: 11/24/2004

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT DUNN, AMBER LYNN

Age at Arrest: 24

Date of Birth: 11/17/1998

Arresting Agency:



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION

SPEEDING

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

TAMPERING WITH OR FABRICATING EVIDENCE FOSSETT, MICHAEL ANTHONY

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 04/09/1989

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE FRANKS, WILLIAM ROBERT

Age at Arrest: 60

Date of Birth: 09/20/1962

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

VIOLATION COMMUNITY SUPERVISION FOR LIFE FUNK, DUSTIN JAMES

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 07/16/1985

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

PRESCRIPTION DRUG FRAUD

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION

THEFT OF SERVICES

FORGERY

PRESCRIPTION DRUG FRAUD

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION

THEFT OF PROPERTY GILLESPIE, GREGORY LAMAR

Age at Arrest: 53

Date of Birth: 05/31/1969

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION OR RESTRAINING OR GOLDSMITH, MADISON LOU

Age at Arrest: 21

Date of Birth: 10/21/2000

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION(POSS OF DRUG PARA) HICKS, CARL LONNIE

Age at Arrest: 20

Date of Birth: 03/04/2002

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

ASSAULT HOLLAND, KRISTY JO

Age at Arrest: 46

Date of Birth: 12/14/1970

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR

HUGHES, JONATHAN LEE

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 10/23/1997

Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINES JAMES, MICHAEL GENE

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 09/04/1985

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE JOHNSON, ELDRIDGE FRANK

Age at Arrest: 50

Date of Birth: 01/02/1973

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE JOHNSON, RACHEL LYNN NICHOLE

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 12/16/1991

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING)

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE LEDBETTER, AUSTIN SHANE

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 08/18/1999

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

LOOPER, DAVID ASHER

Age at Arrest: 41

Date of Birth: 10/11/1981

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE MALONE, VINCENT MARSHALL

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 09/26/1986

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT MARSH, GREGORY LEBRON

Age at Arrest: 47

Date of Birth: 07/25/1975

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF

AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION)

EVADING ARREST

RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT MAYS, DAKOTA EUGENE

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 09/30/1994

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT

DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE

DUTY UPON STRIKING FIXTURES UPON A HIGHWAY

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS MORROW, BRANDY LEE

Age at Arrest: 45

Date of Birth: 10/24/1977

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF METH FOR RESALE

MURPHY, CODY RYAN

Age at Arrest: 34

Date of Birth: 12/21/1988

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION AGGRAVATED ASSAULT PETTYJOHN, THOMAS N

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 03/08/1985

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA RIPPY, DEXTER ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 12/28/1994

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

ALIAS CAPIAS DRIVING ON SUSPENDED) RUIZ ARGUETA, PEDRITO

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 05/10/1995

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

INTERFERENCE WITH EMERGENCY CALLS SIMS, BILLY LAMAR

Age at Arrest: 34

Date of Birth: 03/21/1988

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

SMITH, CHARLES DAVID

Age at Arrest: 41

Date of Birth: 04/06/1981

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL TRESPASS TRUEITT, WILLIE JAMES

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 12/27/1985

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION OR RESTRAINING OR WARE, ARIAH MYASIA

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 01/23/2000

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

SPEEDING WATERS, ROBERT MARTIN

Age at Arrest: 54

Date of Birth: 12/03/1968

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

WIERSEMA, COBY ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 24

Date of Birth: 07/29/1998

Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR WILLIAMS, DEMETRIA CHASTITY

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 06/28/1990

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Charge(s):

BURGLARY WOODRUFF, CHRISTOPHER LEE

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 10/14/1985

Arresting Agency: Collegedale



Last Date of Arrest: 02/07/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)






A West Haven woman was found guilty of murder Tuesday in a case in which another woman was fatally shot in 2021 in New Haven, according to state authorities.

Brianna Triplett, 32, was found guilty by a New Haven Superior Court jury in the shooting death of Dwaneia Alexandria Turner, 28, of New Haven.

Authorities said that the evidence presented at trial showed that the victim was fatally shot by Triplett during an altercation.

Tripletts sentencing is scheduled for April 25 at New Haven Superior Court.
This week at a conference of Tennessee Realtors, I was honored to receive the 2023 Good Neighbor Award for the work that I, alongside my wife Lindsey, have done with Camp Horizon, a camp we started in 2005 for young people who have special needs. My wife Lindsey, a physical therapist at T.C. Thompson Childrens Hospital, saw a need for her patients to experience life without the limitations that their physical handicaps imposed upon them. So, for one weekend each year, campers are invited to step outside their limits and challenge their horizons in the outdoor environment with other kids with similar issues. Theres a lot that goes into making this camp successful, and there are many people who graciously donate their time. Each camper is paired up with a Doctoral candidate student volunteer from the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs at the University of Tennessee  Chattanooga.

While I am thrilled to receive such an honor, I cant help but feel humbled to be in the company of previous Good Neighbor Award recipients who have done so much work in their communities. 2022 honoree, Cindy Lockhart of Nashville, a volunteer at Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue, has spent hundreds of hours caring, socializing, and training rescued animals. 2021 honoree Holly Swogger of Memphis founded a nonprofit For Those Who Serve to work toward establishing a new healthcare facility for military veterans and their families in the Memphis area.

I would be remiss if I didnt recognize the first ever recipient of the Good Neighbor Award, fellow Chattanoogan Janice Robertson, who founded Snack Pack, a program that provides food for children over the weekend when school meals are not an option. Greater Chattanooga Realtors admires the work Janice does for our community that we hold multiple fundraising efforts for Snack Pack, along with an annual donation. I also think it says a lot about our state association, Tennessee Realtors, that they believe in giving back by presenting this award. Tennessee Realtors provides $5,000 to the recipients charity, and the winner is entered in the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Good Neighbor Award.

While the work these people have all done might be varied, there is one constant between us all. We are all REALTORS. We all believe in serving and helping others with the resources weve been afforded. And the community service provided by REALTORS doesnt always make the front page. In fact, the Community Aid and Real Estate Report, known as the CARE Report from NAR, shows that 82% of Realtors donate money to charitable causes every year, compared to the national average of 56.6% of Americans who do so. That translates to a huge impact not just in our area, but across the country.

Being a REALTOR is more than just planting a For Sale or Sold sign in a yard. Its working to make things better for everyone. Ive heard many times over the years that REALTORS serve as ambassadors to their communities, and I believe that wholeheartedly. We serve the needs of homeowners and those wishing to attain homeownership. All REALTORS are good neighbors, and we truly love where we live. Thats Who We R.
Pictured, left to right: Tay Taylor, housing navigator for The Salvation Army; Marchel Robinson, volunteer; Keyta Young, program director for The Salvation Army; Jake Bratton, volunteer; Brooke Robinson, volunteer; Roseann Rustia, volunteer; Angelica Richardson, case manager for The Salvation Army; Shirliece Lundy, volunteer and special event coordinator for The Salvation Army; Candice Nelson, case manager for The Salvation Army; Jocelyn Simpson, outreach specialist for The Salvation Army; and Captain James Sullivan, of The Salvation Army. Previous Next

The Salvation Armys 614 Corps Day Shelter hosted a suit giveaway event for the Chattanooga community On Monday and Tuesday.

The Salvation Army opened its doors to the public to shop at no charge for professional attire such as suits, slacks, button up shirts and ties. Volunteers assisted guests in finding the correct clothing size as the shoppers cruised the large selection. While some lightly used items were donated by community members, Giorgios Mens Warehouse donated more than 300 new suits in varying sizes to help those who may otherwise not have professional clothing.

For more information on how you can assist the Salvation Army in doing the most good, visit https://www.csarmy.org/.
My friend, colleague, and brother as far as I was concerned, has passed away suddenly at the age of 67. Garry Mac and I were competitors, co-workers, co-conspirators, and quite possibly the biggest fans each other ever had. We could truly finish each others sentences, and often did.

As soon as I saw the name on the Caller ID Tuesday night, I knew what I was about to hear. This cant be good, I told my wife. The last time I got a late-night call from Dr. Dan Bowden, a Chattanooga-based emergency physician, it was August of 2020, when he informed me that his cousin Garry, my lifelong radio friend had had a serious, life-threatening heart attack, his second one. Garry had a rough recovery, but bounced back a few months later, as he always did.

Since then, Garry moved to Florida, but still visited Chattanooga for a few days now and then to check on his now-deceased mother Betty, and to tackle a few freelance public relations projects, like the recently-approved free standing Parkridge Emergency Room, soon to open in Soddy-Daisy. Garry provided the advice and guidance on maneuvering through the governmental red tape, and helped unite the community toward a much needed common goal.

Garry and I had lunch last Wednesday at Zarzours Cafe, and continued our long standing tradition of gobbling up a meat and 3, and peach pie with ice cream, then spending the next hour telling jokes, spreading gossip, and analyzing politics.

We were always right, and after satisfactorily solving the worlds problems, we would hug in the parking lot, discuss his route home to the beach he loved, and remind each other that our friendship was a blessing. I think somewhere in my head, I would always think that due to his health issues, this could be the last time, but only briefly. Garry was always full of life, and his mom was a force of nature who lived well into her 90s.

Sadly, my gut feeling was right when I answered the phone Tuesday night, and Dr. Dan started to speak. Weve lost Garry, he said. He explained that Garry had not responded to some phone calls and texts for a day or so, and thats not like Garry. Family members had asked some contacts in Florida to check on him, and they soon received the sad news. Our world will never be the same.

I owe so much to Garry, and I reminded him often. When I was the morning DJ at WGOW (and later at KZ-106) Garry was hired as news director, so we saw each other every morning. Soon, he would hire a Pennsylvania girl named Cindy Hain, and when he introduced us, he recruited her to cheer for our softball team.

Later, when Garry teamed up with Dale Deason to host their incredible Those Guys in the Morning show on the AM station two doors down the hall from my FM show, they would nudge Cindy to hang out with me, which led to a date, which led to.well the past forty years. Garry and Dale made for a very effective, entertaining team in so many ways.

Garrys career path took him in and out of radio for the past fifty years. Just last week, we reminisced about his early days at WEDG radio in Soddy-Daisy, where the Red Bank High student would spend his summer days and nights living in the station owners houseboat, waking up each morning to sign the station on the air.

Except for those mornings when he overslept, which led to another prized tradition. You see, we had Eastern time, Central time, and Garry Mac time. From my KZ control room window, I would barely be in my chair at 6 a.m., waving across the windows to Dale Deason in the WGOW room, confidently knowing that at approximately 6:05-ish, about the time the newsperson was handing off the show to the deejays, Garrys car would enter the long driveway at a blazing speed, providing just enough time for his to hit the brakes, slam the door, and sprint into the building, almost like nothing happened. And our day could officially begin.

Garrys full-time radio career pretty much ended in the late 1980s, when he joined Congresswoman Marilyn Lloyds staff, masterfully handling her communications. Marilyn was not a natural public speaker, and Garry knew how to make her feel comfortable, and loosen up a bit. She faced a few serious election challenges in those days, but Garry always helped put her over the top. She never lost an election.

There was one time when Garry failed to tell his boss about one important detail. Marilyn had been invited to speak at a Veterans Day event in Marion County, and I was the emcee. It was a cold day, and luckily one of the organizers had told me it was an outside event, and we (the speakers) would be seated on a truck bed. I still have the picture of us seated at the event, me in an overcoat and gloves, and poor Marilyn, somewhat under-dressed. She had not been informed it was to be outdoors. That look she gave Garry! We would laugh about that story too.

He left that position to give TV news a whirl, anchoring at Channel 12 for a couple of years in the mid-1990s. He worked with Rebecca Williams, David Neal, Linda Edwards and Kevin Billingsley, and amassed a pretty good war chest of stories about life in TV news.

He dabbled a bit more in radio, and was a frequent fill-in on Talk Radio. He could be called upon on a minutes notice, and fill a few hours without any show prep. He was a natural communicator. He kept up with the news, he was quick on his feet, and he loved people. Put him on the radio with any combination of Kevin West, Jim Reynolds, or whoever, and you would have the best radio show in town without even trying hard.

During the past twenty years, he really found his footing in health care marketing, primarily at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, and Hospice of Chattanooga. He did some memorable commercials for both organizations, and led their successful marketing teams to new heights.

More recently, he did freelance marketing efforts primarily in the Chattanooga area and in Florida, but his work also took him all over the nation. When youre good, youre good, and word travels fast. He built up quite the clientele, and he always delivered. Garry was well-read, and common sense smart. He knew what the public liked, and he knew how to speak to them. He LISTENED.

On a personal level, I have lost a friend and brother who is irreplaceable. My wife loved him. My sons adored him. He made us all laugh.

In the early 1990s, he and I were among a group of old radio guys who began gathering for lunch occasionally. We called ourselves the VRW (Veterans of Radio Wars). Our little group of 4 to 6 people gradually grew to 12, to 25, to 50, 60 or more. Until the pandemic, we met regularly each December. Lately, weve been more cautious in our gatherings, but whenever we resume, it will not be the same. Garry was the straw who stirred the drink.

In the last few years, I have branched out into a few side gigs and Garrys fingerprints are on every one of them. When I started writing books, Garry is the one who got me started going out to churches and clubs, doing programs and book signings. Hes the one who organized my first event, a book signing for Chattanooga Radio and Television at Northgate Mall, a fundraiser for Hospice of Chattanooga with Luther Masingill and Miss Marcia Kling. It led to a few hundred more, ongoing as recently as yesterday.

When I began pitching ideas for a weekend radio show, those lunches with Garry helped narrow it down to what it would become: a 7-year, 350 show success with a plan, an idea, a format, and a theme. It is sadly fitting that the show will end soon. He was a regular listener, and provided some great guidance and ideas, every step of the way. He was among the first advertisers for a little show that had more than a little trouble getting off the ground. I truly couldnt have done it without him.

When I started writing blogs and newspaper columns, if there was one of which I was concerned about, or particularly proud of, I would always run it by Garry first. He was my unofficial, unpaid editor, advisor, and fixer. Every one of his suggestions and corrections was on point.

He was a terrific public speaker. On more than one occasion, if I had to suddenly bow out of an event for work or illness, I knew I could count on Garry to cover for me, and I would do the same for him. Most recently, I was supposed to emcee a debate between two Tennessee US Senate candidates, former Gov. Phil Bredesen, and then US Rep. Marsha Blackburn. Just a day before, when I learned I would be unable to do it, I called Garry, who was ready and willing. (It would turn into a Bredesen-only event when Blackburn declined to attend). Garry did a great job, as he always did.

He loved radio, and he and I were among the first board members on the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame. He believed in giving our local Chattanooga area broadcasters their due on a statewide level, and we had many fun trips to and from the annual induction ceremonies. If you wanted to attend a party, just ride somewhere with Garry. A party would soon begin.

Just last month, Garry was near his home in New Smyrna Beach, Florida enjoying one of his favorite activities, a rocket launch. He thought he heard a familiar voice, and realized it was another longtime radio buddy, Bob Boyer, with whom he had worked at WGOW and WDXB. Bob and his wife Pat enjoyed their surprise encounter with a Chattanooga pal.

More glorious stories will emerge in the days and weeks to come. Garrys beloved family, spread far and worldwide, will soon begin planning a celebration of a life like no other. Until then, those of us who loved him can take comfort in the memory of a one-of-a-kind, life changing friend. There was only one Garry Mac.

And on this cloudy morning, an awful lot of people are feeling just like me. They too, have lost a best friend and a brother. Thats one big family, and Garry loved sitting with us all at the big table. The loud, laughing table.

David Carroll

* * *

What David Carroll said, it was an incredible tribute.



Mike Dunne

* * *

Everyone has a Garry Mac story. Here is mine.

Years ago when Garry was working with Clark Taylor at CHI Memorial, Garry cornered me after a local Chamber meeting. He told me Memorial Hospital wanted to build a healthcare facility in Ooltewah. When Garry told me that, Ooltewah was little more than a wide spot in the road with a new red light. I wondered at his information. It was Clark Taylor's vision and Garry's enthusiasm that would be the cornerstone for the facility.

Garry asked me if I would go to Nashville for the Certificate of Need hearing. He said Erlanger was opposing the project. I told him sure and a few days later myself and about 20 other Ooltewah business owners and residents got on a charter bus with Garry and Clark and went to Nashville in support of CHI Memorial.

As the bus pulled into the State Capital complex, Garry sat next to me and spoke quietly in my ear saying, "They're going to ask for comments and I want you to speak for the group." And then he added, "And I want you to be funny."

Sure enough my name was called and I walked to the podium to address the 20-something committee that would decide Memorial's fate in Ooltewah.

I gave the group my name, I told them what I did and told them where Ooltewah was located. I added that Ooltewah was actually an old Native American name for the area. One of the committee members asked, "What does Ooltewah mean?" I looked him in the eye and said, "It means See Rock City."

I looked to my right where Garry and Clark were sitting and there was Garry with both hands covering his face. The room thankfully erupted in laughter and there was Garry looking at me shaking his head. After the meeting as we walked out of the large hearing room, Garry said, "I didn't mean THAT funny." The Memorial proposal passed.

Not many years later the CHI Memorial facility was built on property the hospital purchased from the Brooks family on Mountain View Road. It is where my family goes for our family medical needs. Now every time I go through those heavy glass doors, I'll think of Garry Mac and know that without him, the facility probably wouldn't have been built.

Garry, you will always be missed.

Steve Ray


Over 100 Special Olympics Tennessee supporters, athletes, friends and family members are set to jump into the chilly pool this year at Chattanoogas annual Polar Plunge. Happening on Saturday, the event will take place at The Green in downtown Chattanooga. Check-in will begin at 10 a.m. with the plunging commencing at 11:30 a.m.

The event will also host its annual costume contest, available for both group and individual parties, with judging occurring prior to the plunge at 11 a.m. Abbey Markus of 103.7 KISS-FM will be this years emcee. Those interested in plunging can still register on the Special Olympics Tennessee website.

Ive participated in at least 10 plunges, said Patrice Schermerhorn of Chattanooga, Special Olympics volunteer and long-time advocate. Its not that bad. Just do it once, you wont know until you try.

Ms. Schermerhorn volunteered with SOTN at the 2022 USA Games in Orlando, Fl. as their medic. A few months later, she jumped into the waters of Antarctica, raising over $500 for SOTN.

All participants are asked to raise a minimum of $75 in donations prior to participation in the chilly event. Participants' fundraising money supports athletes in the greater Chattanooga area. Supporters will also receive prizes based on the amount of money raised. All plungers will receive the 2023 Polar Plunge Tennessee long-sleeve shirt. Other goods range from stainless steel tumblers to wireless chargers, to a 45 qt YETI Cooler.

The public is invited to come watch and cheer on participants during the event. Admission is free.
The daughter of murder victim Taja Whiteside said on the witness stand on Wednesday that she could not remember hearing Kameron Leslie say Ill kill you the night her mother was killed.

Prosecutor Michael Dowd had told the jury in an opening statement that she had told that to police.

The trial of Leslie began Wednesday with 14 witnesses. He is accused of murdering Ms. Whiteside on Jan. 11, 2019. Leslie represents himself along with "elbow counsel" Garth Best.

The daughter stuck with her position even after chief homicide prosecutor Dowd asked her to read the statement she made at the crime scene four years ago.

In the statement taken the day of the murder, she had said she did hear Leslie say, Ill kill you. The statement was taken by forensic interviewer Candy Overby, who will be called as a witness in order to enter the statement into evidence.

The daughter stated that she woke in the middle of the night to Leslie and her mother cussing and arguing, and to bumping and crashing like shattering glass. She said she heard the front door slam and a car start and drive away.

Ms. Whitesides three children, ages 17, 11 and 9, testified that Leslie had been their mothers boyfriend at the time and was living in the home with them. They were 13, 7 and 5 at the time of the murder.

The oldest son testified that he and his siblings woke up late in an empty house Jan. 11, and that he found his mother, dead, in her room after using a gift card to unlock the bedroom door. He called his grandmother to tell her, I think my moms dead. She told him to check for a cold, stiff body, and then told him to call 911.

Chattanooga Police Department officer Derek Roncin, crime scene investigator Gregory Mardis and Jerry McElroy of the CPD crime scene unit also testified Wednesday. They were in agreement that there had been no forced entry to the home nor signs of a struggle downstairs. They said that Ms. Whitesides body showed signs around her neck and eyes of strangulation.

Nine more witnesses are scheduled on Thursday. Judge Amanda Dunn decided she will allow Leslies expert witness regarding phone records because in this case an expert witness cannot influence any interpretation of facts presented.

In 2021 the state agreed not to introduce evidence of prior bad acts, specifically Leslies arrest and charge of assault in another Tennessee city, after an objection had been filed by Leslie.

I and the state are not limited to his version of reality, said prosecutor Dowd.

In his questioning, the prosecutor spent a lot of time establishing these things:

That CPD had found an unused condom underneath Ms. Whitesides body.

That the family and Leslie had eaten chicken and broccoli for dinner Jan. 10 and then the kids went to bed at about 9 p.m.



That the blue Ford was Ms. Whitesides car which she always drove and Leslie only drove a couple of times.



That the oldest son had his own room and that the younger two sisters and brother shared a room.

Leslie was arrested in Jacksonville, Fla., almost four months after the slaying and after he went on the TBI's Most Wanted List. He drove Ms. Whiteside's car to Florida.


TL;DR:

The royal familys reportedly given Prince Harry incentives to go to King Charles IIIs coronation.

They include a high-profile seat and the royal familys word Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wont lose their titles.

Prince William is reportedly apprehensive about Prince Harry attending the coronation.

King Charles III and Prince Harry | Hannah McKay- WPA Pool/Getty Images

A report says Prince Harrys getting some encouragement from the royal family to attend King Charles IIIs coronation. Ahead, the incentives supposedly on offer to get the Duke of Sussex to England in May 2023. Plus, how Prince William reportedly feels about the possibility of his brother attending and an added incentive to go.

The royal familys reportedly offered Harry good seats and assurance on titles as inducement to attend the coronation

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Mike Coppola/Getty Images for 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala

According to a Mail on Sunday report, Harrys received inducement for him and Meghan Markle to attend the coronation.

First, a high-profile seating position for the Westminster Abbey ceremony on May 6 in London, England. Second, confirmation the pair gets to keep their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles.

The idea that he would just attend the coronation and behave himself but then be stripped of his titles was a total non-starter, a source said. They continued, saying Harry may eventually give up his titles voluntarily. However, hes not fond of having them forcibly stripped.

Additionally, Harry, the source claimed, doesnt like being viewed as the two problem princes' along with Prince Andrew.

Meanwhile, Harry has demands of his own as the countdown to the coronation continues.

Prince William supposedly doesnt trust Harry not to steal the spotlight at the coronation

Amid the reported incentives, the Prince of Wales reportedly isnt keen on his younger brother attending the coronation.

Williams said to be concerned Harry will pull a stunt by way of a walkabout to put the spotlight on him instead of their father, King Charles. As for where the king stands on Harrys attendance, royal experts and reports both put the 74-year-old as steadfastly wanting his youngest son there to him crowned.

A royal author says seeing pregnant Princess Eugenie is an added incentive for Harry to go to the coronation

Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, and Prince Harry | Aaron Chown  WPA Pool/Getty Images

In addition to the incentives, theres another potential plus to attending the coronation. It may be a good opportunity to see Princess Eugenie, according to Ingrid Seward, Editor-In-Chief of Majesty Magazine.

Eugenie, 32, is currently expecting her second child with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, after a January 2023 pregnancy announcement. If the Sussexes come to the coronation in May, Seward said, there will be an added incentive to see Eugenie as by then it is doubtful if she will want to travel herself.
As the second child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte is third in the line of succession in the royal family behind her father and brother, Prince George. The 7-year-old is the first female royal that benefits from a change her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, made to the rules of succession in the 2010s. However, as Charlotte grows into her future role as a senior royal, there is one title she cannot inherit, Princess Royal, until this unfortunate event occurs.

Princess Charlotte | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Princess Charlotte could someday reign as Queen of the United Kingdom, thanks to Queen Elizabeth II

In 2011, Queen Elizabeth gave royal assent to the succession to the Crown Act, which meant both sons and daughters of any future UK monarch would have an equal right to the throne. Elizabeth modernized a rule where women were passed over for rights to the crown in favor of the next male heir.

Queen Elizabeth II became the ruling monarch of the United Kingdom only because her father had two daughters and no sons. However, if hed had a male heir, Elizabeth would have been skipped over in favor of the male. Thanks to the Crown Act, this is no longer the case.

This means that if, when the time comes, Prince George cannot take the throne for any reason, Princess Charlotte would be next in line rather than passing over to her younger brother, Prince Louis.

As she grows older, Charlotte may be given notable titles and privileges as a senior member of the royal family. However, there is one title, Princess Royal, that she cannot take on until one unfortunate event occurs.

King Charles IIIs sister, Princess Anne, is currently Princess Royal

Princess Charlotte and Princess Anne | Richard Pohle  WPA Pool/Getty Images

Related Princess Charlotte Looks Uncannily Like Elizabeth the Queen Mother in Vintage Photograph

Purely honorary, Princess Royal is the highest honor given to a female member of the royal family. It falls just under Queen Regnant. There have been seven Princesses Royal. Anne became Princess Royal in June 1987.

The title is held for life. Princess Anne is officially the seventh Princess Royal in the British Monarchy per the royal family website. Therefore Charlotte cannot have that title until Annes passing.

The title of Princess Royal is traditionally bestowed on the eldest daughter of the monarch, royal expert and author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story Duncan Larcombe tells Town and Country. It is a title that remains for life. So Princess Charlotte will have to wait at least until the death of the current Princess Royal, Larcombe adds.

Who decides if Charlotte will become Princess Royal?

Hi Merseyside ? pic.twitter.com/wSAYBPu0XC  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 12, 2023

Duncan Larcombe says it will be up to Charlottes father, William, to decide if and when Charlotte gets the title. It took 21 years to appoint the title to Anne.

Princess Anne had to wait until 1987 before her mother, the Queen, bestowed the title of Princess Royal on her. Even though the title had been vacant since 1965, Larcombe said.

Princess Mary was the previous Princess Royal. Mary was the eldest and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She held the title from 1932 to 1965.
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice has made hyping her four daughters birthdays something of an art. So when her daughter, Milania, turned 17, she turned to her more than two million Instagram followers to let them know she was over the moon with joy, as usual. The family has been through some ups and downs, but Teresa never fails to let her daughters, and the world, know how much she loves them.

(L-R) Gabriella Giudice, Gia Giudice, Teresa Giudice, Milania Giudice and Audriana Giudice | Manny Carabel/Getty Images for ABA

Teresa Giudices 4 daughters

Giudice shares all of her daughters with her ex-husband Joe Giudice, and Milania is the second youngest. Joe and Teresa married in 1999 and had their children over the next decade. First came Gia, then Gabriella, then Milania, and finally Audrina.

In 2013, the couple was charged with fraud, and each served prison time before Joe was deported to Italy. Teresa accompanied their daughters to visit, but they realized their marriage was not salvageable and announced plans to divorce in 2019 (Us Weekly).

An insider said, Teresa and Joe talked about their future when she and the girls were in Italy and decided it was best. Neither of them wanted to be in a long-distance relationship. Joe has been dating in Italy, Teresa is busy taking care of their girls right now. They harbor no ill will toward each other and will continue to coparent their kids.

Teresa married Luis Ruelas in 2022, adding two stepsons to her family.

Teresa Giudice celebrated her daughter Milanias 17 birthday with her blended family

Giudice took to Instagram to share her excitement with fans that Milania turned 17. She posted an Instagram story of a video of her family singing Happy Birthday as Milania blew out her candles.

They celebrated as a blended family with Milanias sisters, Ruelas, and his son Nicholas (per People).

Teresa also shared two pictures of herself with Milania, her pretty blue cake, balloons, and the whole party shebang. It was all buttoned up with the caption, Happy 17th Birthday my beautiful MILANIA  I Lovvvvvve [you] to the moon [and] back.

In response to the post, Milania shared her appreciation for her mom with a simple reply, I love you.

Fellow RHONJ stars Jackie Goldschneider and Dolores Catania also hopped in the comments to wish Milania a happy day.

Teresa Giudices daughter, Milania, wants to go to college in California

Teresa Giudice and Milania Giudice | Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

After turning 17, Milania might have some big life choices on the horizon, like where she wants to go to college. And on Watch What Happens Live, Teresa revealed that Milania hopes to get out of New Jersey (per Bravo).

While chatting with fellow guest and Saturday Night Live star Ego Nwodim, Teresa said, I looked you up and you went to college in California  Milania wants to go to California.

She added that while she was on Dancing With the Stars, her second youngest had looked at two San Diego schools.

But it seems like the two remain close at heart, even if they might end up on other sides of the country. In a 2022 Instagram post, Milania shared a picture of her and Teresa standing in front of the Hollywood sign and captioned it, My best friend.

In response, Teresa wrote three separate replies. First, I love you to the moon [and] back, then, You are my life, and finally, just three heart emojis.
Ball & Socket Arts was recently awarded major funding to further advance construction, abatement and programming.

The first piece is a landmark federal appropriation of $625,000 towards fire safety systems, that was secured and championed by Congresswoman Jahana Hayes.

The lawmaker secured more than $23 million for 15 projects in the final 2023 appropriations government funding package.

The funds received by Ball & Socket Arts will go towards fire safety and the installation of a sprinkler system in Building 1, the largest industrial building on the site, a 45,000-square-foot space. These funds are vital, as the building cannot be granted an occupancy certificate without the sprinkler system in place.

This winter, Ball & Socket Arts also received confirmation of an award for $925,000 from the Connecticut Department of Economic Community Developments Brownfield Office towards hazardous materials abatement, slab repair and roof repairs for Building 1.

On Jan. 18, Hayes toured the site with Ball & Socket Arts leadership; the projects architect, David Arai; Executive Director Ilona Somogyi; leadership from the states Brownfield Office; Town of Cheshire officials; and board members. Other stakeholders, including those who had written letters of support for the federal funding, also attended.

Hayes noted the value of the site being returned to public use, and becoming an amenity for residents of all ages to access arts and culture.

Somogyi said, We are thrilled to partner with Congresswoman Hayes and are so grateful for her impactful support of the project. Fire safety systems arent the first thing funders think of, but they are a critically important step in the development and renovation of Building 1. We were delighted to host the Congresswoman and her staff, along with Binu Chandy, Mark Burno and Shawntay Nelson from the DECD Brownfield Office. We are so happy to share with them the progress weve made so far and clearly demonstrate the vision and needs for the remainder of the site.

Ball & Socket also announced a municipal parking partnership with the town for a rear parking lot.

This arrangement will allow residents to use the parking area for Ball & Socket Arts events, as well as to access the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail.

The rear parking lot is projected to be completed by this summer.

The town will also be working in tandem with Ball & Socket Arts to improve pedestrian access and walkways on Willow Street, increasing safety for visitors and residents along with beautifying the neighborhood.

In December, the project was awarded operating funds for 2023 with a $5,000 grant from Connecticut Humanities.
Abuse of highly-addictive opioids, even when prescribed by a physician, is a problem that seems to be getting worse, even locally.

Cheshires Director of Human Services, Michelle Piccerillo, warns that we may feel safe, but the town is certainly not protected from that at all. The problem, she points out, is actually trending the wrong direction. Although 2020 saw just six overdose incidents in Cheshire, there were 11 documented overdoses in 2022. That may not paint the total picture either, she says, as people who are residents here might overdose somewhere else.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States had 106,699 drug overdose deaths in 2021 alone, largely attributable to opioids. More than half of the deaths, over 71,000, were linked to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than morphine. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health website, A number of these drugs are being sold through social media and online, not just on the street. Pills marked as Adderall, Xanax, and Oxycodone can be pressed by illegal drug mills to resemble these prescription drugs. Over 25% of these pills tested positive with a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Back in December of 2022, the Cheshire Town Council authorized an appropriation of $62,397 for the purposes of developing additional resources to address the crisis, bringing the total amount of money to approximately $97,000. The funds come from a $10.7 billion class action settlement with drug retailers CVS and Walgreens. Connecticut received $127 million from that action, and has received $600 million total from opioid-related litigation, per a release from the State Attorney Generals office.

The money doesnt come with a hard deadline for use, says Piccerillo, but it can be allocated towards a variety of approaches for addressing the problem of what is called opioid use disorder, or OUD, before it leads to fatal consequences.

Town Council Chair Tim Slocum stated in December of last year that, with regard to the funds, We want to look at this in a holistic way because the numbers are getting significant, and well be adding to it. We need to come up with a decent program so its safeguarded for appropriate expenditure.

Piccerillo has been busy doing just that. With the participation of various Town entities including the Cheshire Police Department, Public Library, schools and health department, a targeted action plan for the funds is coming into focus. Outreach to parents, faith-based organizations, non-profits and other community entities is also part of the planning.

A community-needs assessment is underway and is scheduled to last three to four months. The main purpose of the survey, Piccerillo explains, is to identify the strengths, including resources already in place, along with the possible weaknesses that exist in Cheshire. Data collection aimed specifically at the youth population is scheduled for completion by June 1.

These will run concurrently with other programming, Piccerillo says, but will yield a more focused report that supports the goal of harm prevention.

Reducing harm takes various forms, as Piccerillo describes it, including non-arrest interventions that can divert people into appropriate treatment programs. Overcoming the stigma attached to drug addiction so that individuals are more willing to seek help is also a key directive.

Providing training for first responders, school staff, and others, on the use of naloxone, often known by its brand name Narcan, is also necessary, Piccerillo explained. The Connecticut Department of Public Health has developed a free online application called NORA (Naloxone and Opioid Response App) to educate about opioids and how to administer a life-saving dose of naloxone if necessary. According to the site, the first step in a suspected overdose is to call 911.

Giving local health care providers more tools to identify OUD is another prong of the approach. We want to make sure theyre screening for possible signs, and giving them more tools so theyre equipped to identify when somebody is at risk, Piccerillo stated.

As new approaches come to light, those who have concerns about addiction whether of themselves or another person, can get more information from resources including Health and Human Services, Youth Services, and the DPH.

People can contact the Cheshire Human Services Department at (203) 271-6690 to find out about the services available to them. Those include the following:

Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)  DMHAS has established a 24/7 Access Line (1-800-563-4086.) to facilitate access to substance abuse treatment. Individuals from anywhere in Connecticut may call to help with linkage to residential detox. The Access Line is able to prioritize transportation services for detox.

211/United Way of Connecticut  Call 2-1-1 for information and referrals 24/7 or go to the 2-1-1 website (www.211ct.org) for substance abuse related service listings.

Governors Prevention Partnership Public  A private partnership co-chaired by the Governor and business CEOs that works with schools, colleges, workplace settings, the police, communities, parents, and youth to prevent youth substance abuse and violence. Visit www.preventionworksct.org/ for more.

HealthyLivesCT.org  The HealthyLivesCT website focuses on overall wellness programs and services to assist Connecticut residents with helping to lower stress, reduce the risk of illness and ensure positive interactions. HealthyLivesCT targets emotional, physical, holistic, and financial wellness by providing screening tools and links to information and options to help individuals attain a sense of well-being.
A 19-year-old who pleaded guilty to assault charges for his role in a fatal New Britain hit-and-run in 2021 has been sentenced to seven years in prison, according to court records.

Luis Pagan-Gonzalez, who pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree assault, was sentenced in court in New Britain on Feb. 2 to 20 years in prison to be fully suspended after seven years  meaning hell serve seven years behind bars  followed by five years of probation, court records show.

Pagan-Gonzalez was arrested on June 30, 2021, and faced charges stemming from an incident on June 29, 2021, when the then-17-year-old was driving a reportedly stolen Audi, struck a fence post and hit a pedestrian identified as 53-year-old Henryk Gudelski, according to a warrant for his arrest.

After hitting Gudelski, the teen driver struck two vehicles that were parked behind East Street in New Britain and ran away from the scene with a person who was a passenger in the Audi, police said in the warrant.

Gudelski, an avid runner from New Britain, was taken to a nearby hospital where he died, records show.

Police said in the warrant for his arrest that Pagan-Gonzalezs reckless operation of the vehicle led to Gudelskis death.

Pagan-Gonzalez remains in custody at the Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire, where he has been held since July 2021, according to the Department of Correction.
Levi and Jennie Lusko on fighting for their marriage after losing a child, God's faithfulness amid pain

Levi and Jennie Lusko know firsthand what it means to face unspeakable tragedy.

In December 2012, their 5-year-old daughter, Lenya, died after suffering an asthma attack  a tragedy the couple admits that, if not for the grace of God, would have broken them.

Statistically speaking, our marriage shouldn't still be standing because we endured the death of a child, which sounds a death knell for marriage, Levi Lusko, the lead pastor of Fresh Life Church, a multi-site church in Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Oregon, told The Christian Post. But by God's grace, we're not only married, we're happily married  more so than ever.

Though prioritizing one another  much less going on a date night  seemed nearly impossible after such an unspeakable loss, the couple clung to one another in their time of grief, believing that God is best honored when the family thrives.

We're so thankful we buckled down and fought for [our marriage], Lusko said. We chose to honor God and as an act of spiritual worship, prioritize our marriage, and we're reaping the rewards of it all these years later.

Now married 19 years, the couple is on a mission to help other couples fight for their marriages, no matter what obstacles they face. The couple  parents to three other daughters and a son  recently releasedThe Marriage Devotional: 52 Days to Strengthen the Soul of Your Marriage.

In it, they offer biblical wisdom to help marriages flourish, along with short prayers to pray over ones spouse and a checklist of fun, thoughtful activities to do throughout the week.

Jennie and I have seen the good the bad and the ugly and 19 years, we both are breaking, by Jesus' power, chains of divorce that come to us on both sides of our family, and we're watching that new legacy open up for our kids. And we're excited about it. We want to fight for other people's marriages too, the pastor said.

The Luskos are the first to acknowledge they dont have it all figured out  but in a society rife with divorce, they said theyve been convicted to speak out about the importance of marriage. When marriages flourish, they said, society flourishes.

We're speaking out of the pain of experience, Lusko said.

Strong marriages and strong homes are what the world needs, he added. He cited Psalm 128, which says, in part: Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

If I want peace in my country, I want my city to be touched, I want the world to be changed, well it starts in our souls with Jesus and then spreads to our marriage bed and then our table which is where life happens, he said. I think that that can transform the world  so goes marriage, so goes civilization. I think we both have a conviction that marriage is worth fighting for. It's not something that's like, Oh, it is what it is. It's something we can grow in. Its a grace, it's a muscle, it's an art.

The couple stressed the importance of reading the Bible together, going on dates, communicating, forgiving and extending grace  and having fun together. And the key to a healthy marriage, Jennie Lusko said, is each individual developing a strong, personal relationship with the Lord.

I think the key is  our soul, us having the responsibility of our own soul and our own relationship with the Lord, she said. I think what our hope is, is that this would really build the foundation of a relationship with Jesus even stronger.

Theyre also big fans of counseling and professional help, when necessary: Psychology and faith can and do coexist, Lusko said. All the principles that are true in psychology are all God's truth. All truth is God's truth.

The Luskos also emphasized the power of language when it comes to talking about marriage, avoiding, for example, terms like ball and chain.

We like to say that language matters, Levi Lusko said. How we talk does matter.  one thing we tell engaged couples is, don't use the language when you want to have a kid that we're going to start a family. Your family began at the altar when you said I do. If this child has the power to create a family  does that mean when you're empty nesters, you're no longer a family? Start to see the marriage as the family and then you're going to add members in and they're going be there as a welcome part of the family, but not the center of the family. The marriage comes first.

Marriage, he added, is a gift that's been given from God to man to enrich our lives and to help us become who were meant to be and to change the world.

So speak of it carefully and enjoy it fully, he said.

To couples who, like them, have suffered tremendous loss and suffering, the Luskos stressed the importance of resting in Gods providence.

I think the biggest thing is just holding desperately on to Jesus and not letting go, because He's the only one who's going to give us hope and peace and purpose and power as we walk through the unimaginable, and as we walk through the trouble, Jennie Lusko said.

Levi Lusko agreed: Give yourself the grace to be angry. It's OK to feel confused. That's not a betrayal of God, the confusion. Press into Him, He's present with you and for whatever reason, God saw fit to entrust your child to you. It wasn't haphazard or willy-nilly or an accidental lottery.  He said in Matthew 5, Blessed are the brokenhearted. So there's some blessing in it even if you don't see it yet.

Thriving marriages and families are the cornerstone of society and the key to building Gods Kingdom, the Luskos said  and they hope their devotional can play a small part in helping marriages flourish.

We hope that this marriage devotional is encouraging, Jennie Lusko said. The change we want to see in the world, the peace, we want to see the hope, the change and knowing that it starts with us. It starts with the strength of our marriage, the strength of our family, the strength of our table. And so our hope is that this would just encourage couples to go deeper.
Biden tells Congress to restore abortion 'right' Supreme Court 'took away': 'Its our duty'

During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass a bill to codify Roe v. Wade into law following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year, vowing to veto any national ban on abortion that Congress might pass.

In a more than hourlong speech, Biden told members of both chambers that it was our duty to protect all the peoples rights and freedoms.

Congress must restore the right that was taken away, the president said. He was temporarily interrupted as he vowed to protect Roe, denouncing the Supreme Court's decision last June in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.

In the ruling, the nation's high court decided that abortion is not a constitutional right and returned to the states the ability to make their own laws governing abortion, which was severely limited by the 1973 Roe ruling.

The vice president and I are doing everything to protect access to reproductive healthcare and safeguard patient privacy," he said. "But already, more than a dozen states are enforcing extreme abortion bans.

As Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives last month, Biden vowed if Congress passes a national ban" on abortion, he will veto it. The comment received strong applause from Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The president also celebrated the bipartisan passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified the legalization of same-sex marriage. He also demanded Congress pass the Equality Act, which would add gender identity and sexual orientation to federal civil rights protections.

Lets also pass the bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity, the president added.

Biden addressed an assortment of issues, plugging the bipartisan achievements of Congress and his administration, touting 300 pieces of bipartisan legislation he signed into law.

While often receiving applause, Biden was also periodically heckled by Republican members of Congress, especially at one point when he accused them of trying to cut Social Security.

At another point, when Biden discussed the harms of the fentanyl addiction epidemic, one lawmaker shouted, it's your fault, referring to the unsecured southern border under his administration from which the drug is being funneled into the country.

Biden argued that major corporations were not paying their fair share in taxes, called for a federal assault weapons ban, supported expanding preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds and also championed infrastructure improvements.

He commended those who work with seniors and those with disabilities, saying that such workers are doing Gods work when they care for the vulnerable.

Shortly after the address ended, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave the Republican response from the governors mansion in Little Rock, arguing that Biden and the Democrats failed you.

Sanders stated that the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day and that Republicans will not surrender this fight.

Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didnt start and never wanted to fight, she said.

In the radical lefts America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country.
'We are ready to worship!': CBS deletes tweet promoting 'Unholy' Grammys number

What or whom, exactly, was being worshiped during the 65th annual Grammy Awards?

CBS, which broadcast the awards show Sunday night, posted and then subsequently deleted a tweet that promoted a controversial performance of the hit song Unholy by artists Sam Smith and Kim Petras.

Ahead of the performance at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Smith tweeted an image of himself wearing a top hat with devil horns and the caption, This is going to be SPECIAL, to which CBS verified account replied, ...you can say that again. We are ready to worship!

Moments later, Smith and Petras, who became the first nonbinary-identified and trans-identified artists, respectively, to win a Grammy, delivered a demonically-inspired performance in which Smith, at one point, donned the top hat with devil horns while dancers gyrated around him while wearing grotesque face masks.

Petras sang from inside a cage as flames roared behind her and performers wearing devilish headgear stalked around the locked cage door.

By Monday evening, the tweet was marked as deleted by the author.

Its unclear when and why CBS decided to take down the tweet. A request for comment Tuesday from The Christian Post was not returned.

In response, conservative Christian watchdog group Media Research Center tweeted, Did CBS just admit it worships Satan?

Viewers also took exception to the segment after a sponsored by Pfizer tag was shown on air following the performance.

Pfizer has since stated the sponsorship was for the Grammys broadcast as a whole and not for that specific segment.

In response, the American Family Association launched a petition calling for supporters to urge the company to distance itself from controversial programs that have a history of offending decency and disrespecting people of faith.

Pfizer's sponsorship and ads suggest the company wants your body to be healthy but has no concern about souls celebrating hell, the petition stated.

Ratings for the Grammys bounced back to a three-year high with over 12.55 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings reported Monday.

While its a 31% rebound from the audience who watched the 2022 awards, its still sharply down from 2020, the last pre-pandemic show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

After the show, Petra told reporters backstage the Unholy performance was inspired by not being able to choose religion.

I think a lot of people, honestly, have kind of labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as religiously not cool, and I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it but slowly realizing it didnt want me to be a part of it, she said.

So its a take on not being able to choose religion. And not being able to live the way that people might want you to live because, as a trans person, Im already not kind of wanted in religion. So we were doing a take on that, and I was kind of hellkeeper Kim.

The duos song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last October.
Jeff Younger says pediatrician ex-wife began telling son he was a girl at age 2: 'Monsters eat boys'

A Texas father who found himself in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife as a result of her efforts to get their twin son to identify as a girl recently revealed he hadn't seen his two sons in over a year, and his ex's attempts to get her son to transition date back to the time when the boy was only 2 years old.

Jeff Younger, whose son, James, is the subject of the GiveSendGo fundraiser Save James, appeared on Tim Pools Timcast IRL podcast Friday night. The fundraiser was set up to help the Texas father pay legal bills associated with the contentious custody battle he's engaged in with his ex-wife, Anne Georgulas  a pediatrician who is not the biological mother of James and his twin brother.

Starting [at] about 2 years old, my ex-wife decided to transition my son to a girl, Younger said.

I told her that she couldnt do that, he recalled. She forced me out of my house, filed for divorce and then began to really in earnest try to transition my son.

When James was 3 years old, Younger recorded footage of his son repeating what his mother had told him, saying, Im a girl. When Younger asked, Who told you you were a girl? The child replied, Mommy. James also told his father she paints my nails and answered in the affirmative when he asked if she had him wear dresses.

Younger shared other details of his ex-wife's early efforts to convince their son, who is now 10 years old, to identify as a girl. I first noticed it when she would put him into time-outs and she would say things like, Dont be a boy. The monsters only eat boys, he said.

When asked under oath why she wanted to raise her son as a girl, Georgulas mentioned that her son once wanted a girls toy in a McDonalds Happy Meal and asked for a silver purse at Target that had a multicolored unicorn on it. Younger dismissed this suggestion because James is a painter.

Younger insisted that James only presents as a girl with his mom, and has said his son believes that Mommy doesnt love me if Im not a girl. Although the boy recounted these feelings with court-appointed psychologists, they all concluded that he needed to be transitioned to a girl.

Younger completely lost custody of his sons after James told his counselor that he doesnt want to be a girl; hes getting embarrassed wearing dresses at school. When the counselor didn't reply to James, Younger said his son pulled out his Apple watch and told her he was going to record their conversation.

She totally freaked out, threw him out of the office and initiated a [Child Protective Services] investigation against me and told the court that I had forced him to say it, Younger claimed, denying that he had ever forced his son to make those remarks. He did ask me if he could record.

Younger explained that he had told James he could record the conversation as long as he asked permission first. Younger hasnt seen either of his children in the year-and-a-half since that meeting took place, because the judge gave his ex-wife full custody of the twin boys shortly after the meeting. In September, Anne and their sons moved from Texas to California.

The move to California caused Younger particular concern because of the states passage of Senate Bill 107, which makes it a sanctuary state for those seeking to prescribe puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or perform body-mutilating sex-change surgeries on minors. Under the law, state courts have the authority to assume temporary emergency jurisdiction if a child is subjected to or threatened with mistreatment or abuse, or because the child has been unable to obtain gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care.

Younger unsuccessfully asked the Texas Supreme Court to order Georgulas and the two boys to return to Texas, where the state government has taken the opposite view about sex-change procedures for minors. While the state has not passed legislation banning experimental drugs and body mutilating surgeries for minors, both Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Commissioner of Family and Protective Services Jaime Masters have issued opinions characterizing such procedures as a form of child abuse.

The characterizations of sex change operations for minors as a form of child abuse stem from concerns about their long-term effects. The American College of Pediatricians has listed potential long-term effects of puberty blockers as including osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment and, when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility, while warning that cross-sex hormones can lead to an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots and cancers.

Three states have already banned the prescription of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and sex-change surgeries for youth: Alabama, Arizona and Arkansas. Similarly, the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine has voted to ban sex-change procedures on minors.

Outrage over the situation involving his son has led Younger to become politically active. Last year, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, losing the Republican runoff election to represent the 63rd House District to now-State Rep. Ben Baumgarner.
Newborn with umbilical cord attached rescued from earthquake rubble in Syria

A Syrian newborn with her umbilical cord still attached was rescued alive after being found buried underneath large chunks of rubble in the aftermath of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Monday.

Agence France-Presse reports that the disastrous earthquake tore through the northern rebel-held Syrian town of Jindayris, where the newborn was the sole survivor from her immediate family after the quake flattened their family home.

Relative Khalil al-Suwadi told the news agency that the baby's parents and siblings did not make it out alive. Extended family members discovered the infant alive as they searched the debris and wreckage for their loved ones.

"We heard a voice while we were digging," Suwadi told AFP.

"We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact), so we cut it, and my cousin took her to hospital."

It is unknown if the mother, Afraa, went into labor while she was stuck in the ruins. News of the infant's miraculous survival has gone viral online.

A video of the baby being recovered shows a man who can be seen running out of the rubble holding the infant covered in dust in his arms. And another man gave him a blanket for the baby in an attempt to warm the infant in the freezing temperatures.

Suwadi shared that the baby was taken to the nearby town of Afrin to receive medical attention at a clinic. Other relatives took hours to search for the dead bodies of the infant's immediate family.

The infant's mother, father, Abdullah, four siblings and an aunt all died.

Pediatrician Hani Maarouf told AFP that the baby arrived at the Afrin clinic in bad condition but is now stable.

"She had several bruises and lacerations all over her body," Maarouf said. "She also arrived with hypothermia because of the harsh cold. We had to warm her up and administer calcium."

Maarouf told The Associated Press that the baby weighed roughly 7 pounds and was carried nearly to term.

"Our only concern is the bruise on her back, and we have to see whether there is any problem with her spinal cord," he said. The doctor noted that the baby has been moving her legs and arms normally.

Sleiman, who arrived at the scene just after the baby was discovered, told AP that the baby was "found in front of her mother's legs."

"After the dust and rocks were removed, the girl was found alive," Sleiman was quoted as saying.

A joint funeral was held outside a relative's home on Tuesday for the immediate family killed.

The infant is another story of children being found dead or alive in the aftermath of the natural disaster.

The death toll from the earthquake in both Turkey and Syria is up to over 11,000 as of Wednesday morning.

The White Helmets rescue group that provides rescue efforts to rebel-held areas of Syria reported Wednesday evening that the death toll in northwestern Syria has risen to over 1,730 while over 2,850 are injured as hundreds of buildings have been flattened.

"The number is likely to rise significantly due to presence of hundreds of families under the rubble of destroyed buildings," the organization tweeted. "Our teams continue rescue operations amid difficult circumstances."
New Tim Keller Center for Apologetics will equip the Church to reach 'post-Christian' society

The Gospel Coalition has announced the launch of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, a new initiative designed to help pastors, young people and other Christian leaders adapt to a "post-Christendom culture."

Inspired by the legacy of the TGC co-founder, The Keller Center has the stated aim of raising up and supporting "a new generation of bold evangelists and effective apologists who will communicate the unchanging Gospel for a changing world."

"How do you win people to Christ in a post-Christian era? The Church doesn't have any idea how to do it," Keller says in a video announcing the initiative.

"The way the Keller Center is seeking to address this is, want to raise up a new generation of younger thinkers and ministers and leaders who are able to do evangelism and cultural apologetics in a post-Christendom situation."

If the new center is successful, Keller said the "new generation" of thinkers and scholars will produce "great cultural apologetics in a compelling way to secular people, very secular people, the Church itself will start to translate this content."

"You'll find all sorts of platforms and vehicles for the content that the Keller Center is producing," he said. "And if that happens, the reversal of the decline of the Evangelical Church in this country will take place."

Many younger people are leaving the Evangelical Church partly because the Church doesn't know how to "protect our own young people from the narrative and arguments and messages of our secular culture," Keller added. Training in apologetics will also help strengthen the faith of younger Christians, he said.

"The Keller Center will not just do evangelism; it'll do formation," he said. "I think it also, 20 years from now, hopefully, it'll close that back door so that more young people are coming into the Church than are leaving. And that's our hope for what change and difference the Keller Center could make to the Church."

Collin Hansen, TGC's vice president for content, serves as executive director of the center. Michael Graham serves as the director. Fellows include Sam Allberry, Josh Butler, Sam Chan and others.

Throughout his ministry, Keller, the founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, has championed planting churches in urban areas through Redeemer City to City and popularized the term "Gospel-centered churches."

"If there's a sense in which Evangelical Christians are eager to participate in the work of Gospel-centered church planting, especially in cities, that's Tim Keller more than anybody else," Hansen, who recently authored a book on Keller's spiritual formation, told The Christian Post.

The pastor popularized the idea "that our churches need to stay focused on the Gospel, that the Gospel applies to all of life, including our work and how we treat the poor and how we love our neighbors, all those sorts of things, and then doing it in an urban context," Hansen said.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center found that three in 10 Americans identify as "religiously unaffiliated" as the share of Americans who identify as Christians has steadily declined in recent decades. The center surmised that based on the trends, Americans will "continue" to grow less religious in the future.

Hansen told Religion News Service that the center's work will be informed by a national survey of people who have left churches, conducted in partnership with political scientists Ryan Burge, a Baptist pastor and professor at Eastern Illinois University, and professor Paul Djupe of Denison University, who both study the changing religious landscape.

The study findings will be published in a forthcoming book, The Great Dechurching, co-written by Keller Center staffer Graham.

"In summary, The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics helps Christians show unbelievers the truth, goodness, and beauty of the gospel as the only hope that fulfills our deepest longings," the website notes.

"We want to train Christians  everyone from pastors to parents to professors  to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age."



Keller was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in May 2020 and is undergoing immunotherapy. He told CP the treatments have kept his cancer at bay, keeping him "exactly where I was two-and-a-half years ago when I got the cancer diagnosis."

Since his diagnosis, Keller has continued to write and teach, sharing biblical wisdom surrounding topics like race, social relationships, systemic injustice and sexuality.

Hansen told CP that Keller has "plenty of other things he wants to write," adding: "We've been praying all along for a good another decade of energetic ministry."
Revelation 8: Silence in Heaven?

Revelation chapters 6-19 describe the Tribulation period during the End Times. After the Church is taken out of the world in what might be called the first phase of Christs return, the Rapture, the time of Gods wrath, emerges in three waves of seven: seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls.

There are many titles in Scripture for this period, such as the Day of the Lord (Obadiah 15; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Zephaniah 1:7, 14; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Zechariah 14:1), the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, (Malachi 4:5), the Day of Wrath (Zephaniah 1:15), the Day of Jacobs Trouble, (Jeremiah 30:7), The Day (I Thessalonians 5:4), Those Days (Matthew 24:22; Mark 13:20), The Tribulation, (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24), The Great Tribulation, (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 2:22; 7:14).

Starting in Revelation 6-7, and the start of chapter 8, the Lamb of God, Christ, opens the seven seals of the scroll given to him, which is the title deed to the earth. These seven seals and their judgments represent the first half of seven years of what the book of Daniel calls the 70th week (Daniel 9:25-27). It is the darkest moment in human history  a time of spiritual apostasy and the rise of a mighty world figure who deceives the masses  a time of war  a time of famine  a time of death  a time of Christian martyrdom  a time of terror when the universe itself is shaken.

In Revelation 8, Christ breaks the seventh seal, and this is what happens:

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour. I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets (Revelation 8: 1-2).

Silence in Heaven for about a half hour? What is this momentary pause that creates a solemn interval where everyone and everything within the heavenly realm is hushed?

Several speculations have been advanced. Some speculate its like the calm before the storm. Others contend its like that moment of great solemnity when everyone waits silently with bated breath for the Judge to reveal his verdict. Still, others argue its a deafening silence generated by the shock of what God is about to do to the prideful rebels who repudiated his grace and mercies. Its a half-hour of tense expectation, they say.

A Frankfurt prayer from the 16th century says:

Lord, the Bible says: There is a time for silence and a time for speech. Savior, teach me the silence of humility, the silence of wisdom, the silence of love, the silence of perfection, the silence that speaks without words, the silence of faith. Lord, teach me to silence my own heart so I may listen to the gentle movement of the Holy Spirit within me and sense the depths of God.

Surely all these virtues are rolled into that half hour of silence in Heaven. But a better interpretation of the text connects this silence with the following verses:

Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of Gods people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of Gods holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake (Revelation 8:3-5).

In The Revelation of Jesus Christ, John Metcalfe offers the best explanation for the silence. He writes:

Silence pertains to the ear. It is what is required if something is to be heard by those who listen. They are not making the noise. They are not making a sound. The noise comes from elsewhere. And all Heaven is still during this sufficient interval to catch the sound. What sound? Since the following verses show that the prayers of all saints are ascending into the silence of Heaven, for long enough an interval for Heaven to catch all that is breathed; to every sigh; and to listen to each one of the groanings; indeed, to detect even the near silent drop of every tear; the whisper of every lip: then the reason for the silence is confirmed. That is why there is silence in Heaven, because by this, in a figure, God is assuring his elect that all Heaven  in a moment, in one brief, but very distinct interval  inclines to hear the very words and sighs breathed from the saints below Revelation 5:8 manifests the things in Heaven and speak of the golden vials full of odors which are the prayers of the saints. The opening of the fifth seal revealed the souls of them, which are under the altar, slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. This was their prayer: How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? (Rev. 6:10). With this prayer. Revelation 8:3 agrees. If these are the prayers of the suffering saints on earth, and if the prayers of all saints are preceded by the symbol of silence in heaven and followed by the figure of prayer ascending up as incense, the cause of silence in heaven is no longer a matter of conjecture. Here is metaphorical language. Truth is conveyed by figures: by pictorial imagery. Silence, therefore, answers to the quiet command in heaven to give ear to the prayers of all saints. It is all saints to whom the God of Heaven is listening. In connection with those prayers, the seal had been broken, and the seven angels with the seven trumpets appear.

What a word from God! What comfort for all who suffer for their faith in Christ! What hope that their pleas, holy complaints, and anguish are always heard and answered. These prayers are of the utmost importance to God. They take priority. Just as the four angels were instructed to hold back the winds of Gods judgment upon the earth until the Lords 144,000 Jewish evangelists were sealed, Gods dreadful judgments in the seven angels who will blow their trumpets are delayed until the prayers of Gods Tribulation saints are gathered in a golden incense burner as a sacrificial offering on the altar. This golden censer filled with the prayers of Gods servants is mixed with incense, poured out on the altar, and ascends to Gods throne. This golden censer is then taken and filled with fire from the altar and thrown down on the earth. Consequently, there comes a loud rumble of thunder and lightning flashes and a terrible earthquake. In so many words, these prayers have set in motion the coming judgments in the second half of the Tribulation.

The late T.F. Torrance, a Scottish theologian and professor of Christian dogmatics at New College in the University of Edinburgh, wrote:

What are the real master powers behind the world, and what are the deeper secrets of our destiny? Here is the astonishing answer: the prayer of the saints and the fire of God. That means that more potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the world, more powerful than anything else, is the power of prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth.

No doubt, many of these prayers offered were imprecatory. Imprecatory prayers ask God to bring judgment to those who despise his ways and his people. These are not petitions for personal vengeance.

The Psalmist David prayed imprecatory prayers. He prayed, O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you (Psalm 5:10). He also asked God, Dont let them get away with their wickedness; in your anger, O God, bring them down (Psalm 56:7). David even prayed prayers asking God to deal in judgment with those who had treated him unjustly when he had done what was godly.

Some would say these prayers are beneath the Christian today and no longer proper for a New Testament believer. Nevertheless, making ethical distinctions between Old and New Testament believers is flawed.

David Chilton, in his book, Days of Vengeance, admonishes:

If our churches were more acquainted with the foundational hymnbook of the Church, the Psalms, instead of the sugary, syrupy, sweetness-and-light choruses that characterize modern evangelical hymnals, we would understand this much easier. But we have fallen under a pagan delusion that it is somehow unchristian to pray for Gods wrath to be poured out upon the enemies and persecutors of the Church. Yet that is what we see Gods people doing, with Gods approval, in both Testaments of the Holy ScripturesMuch of the impotence of the churches today is directly attributable to the fact that they have become emasculated and effeminate.

Certainly, we should lovingly and earnestly pray for the repentance of the unsaved and the enemies of Gods people. Nevertheless, it is not improper to also earnestly pray that if particular individuals or groups callously persist in their sinful ways, if they are hell-bent on spreading their evil to the harm of many others, shamelessly rejecting and ridiculing righteousness  it is righteous to call for Gods judgment on them. It is right to call on God to stop them in their tracks. Out of love and passion for Gods holy purposes, it is appropriate to petition heaven to deal with people who are hardened and arrogant against God  people who persist in defying his objectives in the world. Of course, no one should engage in imprecatory praying before also pouring out ones heart for the salvation of the wayward.

In the end, the prayers of Gods people under severe duress are of the utmost importance to him. All of Heaven bends the ear in silence to hear them. God will respond aggressively to take vengeance on all who despise him and his saints.
Seminary student Caylee Dugger taught on promise of Heaven hours before she was killed in car accident

Hours before she tragically died in a car accident, youth director and seminary student Caylee Dugger preached on the promises of Heaven outlined in the book of Revelation.

In a somber message delivered Sunday morning at First Baptist Church North Kansas City, Associate Pastor Mike Parrett revealed that on Thursday morning, just hours before she was killed in a three-vehicle wreck, Dugger taught the churchs Women Missionary Union a lesson based on Revelation 7:9-17.

The passage reads, in part: They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple, and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne. He will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.



Caylee is at the throne of the Lord. And He is there with her and she with Him and she is worshiping Him and He is loving her, Parrett said.

Ahead of Parretts message, the church watched a video of Dugger singing a song she wrote about Gods perfect purpose amid suffering.

Titled Hands, the song includes the lyrics: Making beauty from ashes is what You do best/ So in Your promise Im waiting and in this Ill rest/ In the hands of a good God/ I know You are a good God/ My suffering is never for nothing.

As we grieve together, we [do not] grieve as those that do not have hope; we do have hope, Parrett said. We are ones that have hope, this hope that Caylee reminded us of, this Scripture that she taught from. We do have hope.

According to local news station Fox 4, Dugger was traveling to Texas to visit her nephew when the accident occurred. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Dugger served as the churchs youth director and was also a student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She was a graduate of Union University and was planning to graduate in the Spring of 2023 from Midwestern Seminary with her master of theological studies in missions. She was also planning to pursue a master of divinity degree in international church planting following graduation, according to Baptist Press.

As of Monday afternoon, a GoFundMe created for Duggers funeral cost and other expenses had reached over $18,500 of its $20,000 goal.

We have been amazingly encouraged by the messages of so many different people who were personally impacted by Caylee's life, the page reads.

From professors who explained that they have never seen someone share the Gospel with fellow students as much as she did, to friends who praised her genuine kindness and love. It is clear that in her 30 years, Caylee made an unbelievable impact on everyone she encountered. We are sad, broken, and hurting. And yet, we have found such peace in knowing that Caylee is in the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ  and that her incredible faith has been given sight. Even in the midst of this tremendous sorrow and grief, God has given us joy.

According to Baptist Press, Dugger was an avid podcaster and aspiring author who posted often on her blog, "A Girl and Her Adventures," and shared posts regarding her walk with the Lord.

Im a Christian, she wrote in a June 2022 post. Im a follower of Jesus who holds the Bible as the infallible Word of God and who believes that I am saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. The Holy Spirit is at work in my life making me more like Jesus every day (even when I fail and mess up, He is still faithful) and at the end of all things, when Im worshiping the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the only title thats going to matter is Redeemed.

In a statement, Midwestern Seminary President Jason Allen remembered Dugger as a delightful young woman, devoted to seeing others come to faith in Christ.

Even as we grieve, we grieve not as those without hope. Our hope is in Christ  as was Caylees, he said.

Karen Allen, wife of President Jason Allen and director of the Midwestern Womens Institute said: I was deeply saddened to learn this morning of Caylees tragic car wreck yesterday afternoon. To know Caylee was to love Caylee. Her deep passion for the nations was evident, and I know the ladies in Midwestern Womens Institute will greatly miss her, as will I.

Duggers church said in a Facebook post that a memorial to celebrate her life will be held Wednesday at First Baptist Church in her hometown of Joelton, Tennessee.
2023 Grammy Awards: Maverick City Music gives God the glory after tying Beyonce for most wins

Maverick City Music gave all the glory to God after sweeping the Grammy Awards in nearly every Christian music category on Sunday night, tying Beyonce with the most wins of the night.

At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Maverick City Music and gospel legend Kirk Franklin took home four Grammy Awards: Best Gospel Performance/Song (Kingdom feat. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore), Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance (Fear is Not My Future feat. Brandon Lake & Chandler Moore), Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (Breathe) and Best Gospel Album (Kingdom Book One Deluxe).

Im super grateful to God and what Hes able to do when you just decide to give your life to serve other people and to uplift voices that are not normally heard, Maverick City Music member Naomi Raine said after accepting the award for Best Gospel Album.

This album for us was one where we were able to go into Everglades Correctional Facility and minister to incarcerated people and let them know that God still loves them and still sees them no matter what. And so we're just honored that it's making an impact, she continued.

Franklin added that the albums success is evidence that gospel music is still alive and well, adding: This is the future.

With four trophies, the Atlanta-based gospel music collective tied with Beyonce for the most awards for the night. The group beat out other CCM heavy hitters, including Erica Campbell, for King & Country, TobyMac, Anne Wilson, Keith and Kristyn Getty and Chris Tomlin.

Chandler Moore said the album "Breathe" aims to encourage those struggling to remember God's faithfulness.

"We did this album in the middle of the pandemic when it was so hard for many people to breathe and just catch a breath," he said after accepting the trophy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. "God gave us a song and an album just encouraging people as deep as a breath as you need to take, take that breath because God gave you a breath, and God gave us a breath for one reason, to praise the Lord. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

Maverick City Music also performed on this years Grammy Award broadcast as part of a tribute to late Migos member Kirsnick's Takeoff Ball. The group joined fellow Migos representative Quavo for the emotional set.

In the performance, Maverick City Music aimed "to raise awareness around gun violence and keeping the faith during troubled times," a press release announcing the performance read.

Moore, Raine, Tony Brown, Jonathan Jay, Brandon Lake, MJ George, Joe L. Barnes, Harold Brown, Lizzie Morgan and Aaron Moses make up the multicultural group.

On social media, the group celebrated the win: Wow!! Fam!! We are incredibly honored and grateful to our Father for using us in this space and to YOU for always supporting us, they wrote.

Tennessee State University Marching Band also made history, becoming the first HBCU band to win a Grammy, winning the Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album ("The Urban Hymnal").

Raine previously credited the honesty of Maverick City Music's lyrics and commitment to honoring God for its crossover success.

Its about [Gods] consistency, His goodness, His faithfulness. I think, really, thats something we can all agree on, Raine told CP.

The 2023 Grammy Awards aired live on CBS and Paramount+ Sunday night from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Two women were arrested on a slew of charges after they hit a police cruiser head-on while driving a stolen vehicle allegedly containing an illegal firearm and narcotics in Waterbury on Monday, police said.

The Waterbury Police Department received information regarding the location of a red Hyundai Elantra that was recently reported stolen on Monday. Officers found the vehicle parked and unoccupied at the intersection of Johnson and Fairview streets, police said. The officers later saw two women enter the vehicle, later identified as 22-year-old Alaze Alizphat and 18-year-old Alaysa Slaughter of Waterbury, according to police.

Officers tried to take Alizphat and Slaughter into custody as they were entering the Hyundai, but Alizphat drove the vehicle forward and struck a cruiser head-on, police said. The women then tried to flee on foot but were caught and arrested soon after, according to police.

Officers allegedly found 25 baggies of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, over 14 grams of crack cocaine and a loaded 9-millimeter ghost gun with a 10-round magazine during the arrest, police said.

Alizphat was transported to Saint Marys Hospital and treated for body aches. Slaughter was treated at the scene for a minor abrasion, police said.

Two officers were transported to Saint Marys and treated for injuries sustained in the crash, according to police.

Slaughter was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer, theft of a motor vehicle, weapons in a motor vehicle, second-degree criminal trover, interfering with an officer, possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession of over a half-ounce of cocaine in free base form. She was also served an outstanding warrant for a separate incident and charged with first-degree robbery, sixth-degree larceny and first-degree threatening, police said. She was held on a $1 million bond.

Alizphat was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, illegal sale of transfer of a firearm, criminal possession of a pistol, weapons in a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, second-degree criminal trover, interfering with an officer, possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession of over a half-ounce of cocaine in free base form. She was held on a $750,000 bond.
Influencer Oli London says going to church, listening to Jesus saved him from mutilating his body

British social media influencer Oli London, who identified as trans for six months and underwent surgery to resemble male Korean pop idols, said visiting a church and listening to Jesus prevented him from traveling to Thailand for irreversible body surgeries he would have regretted, presumably castration.

The defining moment for the 32-year-old influencer was when he was seated at the back of a church and he heard an inner voice say to him: Stop doing what youre doing. Be happy with who you are.

In a recent interview with "Triggernometry" co-hosts Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin, London said he then started going to church more, started reading the Bible  just the teachings of Jesus.

Away from the noise of social media and societal messages that London described as pushing transgenderism, it was in the pews where he realized he need to accept who he was instead of listing to celebrities and other influences online who are encouraging people suffering from body dysmorphia to have more and more surgeries.

London said he stopped doing all these crazy things because, at the end of the day, its not fulfilling me; its not giving me happiness. Its harming me, its harming other people.  Its whats inside that counts.  I actually regretted what I was doing.

He feared that, "Maybe I was persuading people to have surgeries."

He said he felt he had a moral responsibility to let youth and others who look up to him know that he believes identifying as Korean or as trans were mistakes and he feels obligated to publicly share the dangers of diving into a lifetime of drugs and surgeries because of insecurity, not fitting in and being uncomfortable with one's physical appearance.

In the United States, he added, children are inundated with messages from influencers or at school where they hear that it's easy, and they should take puberty-blockers or get sex change surgeries, and he wants to encourage people not to follow these life altering fads.

That's why Ive kind of been trying to do some activism to try and spread love and positivity in the world  better message.

London added that by going to church and listening to Jesus, he was saved from making the mistake of going to Thailand to be castrated and get other body surgeries.

I could have done more to myself. I was going to go to Thailand and do body surgery. I could have died, and I would have also been left with deep regret for the rest of my life.

In November, London told Catholic News Agency the Bible allowed him to accept himself as God created him.

London revealed that he has struggled with body dysmorphia and identity issues since he was 13 and faced bullying for his weight.

However, a move to South Korea, where he taught English in 2013, led to him being bombarded with messages about the transformative power of plastic surgery. This led to him eventually having 32 surgeries to change his appearance.

London, who grew up atheist but was exposed to church when he attended a Church of England-run school, acknowledged that many young people can relate to being bullied for their appearance and hopes to inspire others to find the same acceptance he did through faith.

London previously told Fox News his desire to look Korean was rooted in his love for the culture and people of South Korea.

He underwent multiple plastic surgeries, including a chin surgery, facelift, neck lift, eye surgery and reshaping of his cheek fat and forehead bone to appear more feminine. However, after initially feeling happy with the results, he found that he did not feel right after starting to live as a woman, wearing female clothes and makeup.

It was in August 2022 that he walked into a Catholic church where a priest gave him a Bible after a service.

London has said he plans to get baptized by a well-respected priest in the U.S.
Christian charities on frontlines providing earthquake relief in Turkey, Syria: 'Families are afraid'

Updated Feb. 9 at 12:15 p.m. ET

Christian charities are on the frontlines in Syria and Turkey helping those impacted by the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that has left more than 20,000 dead and tens of thousands injured.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, confirmed Thursday that at least three Americans were among the dead in that country.

Relief efforts are underway in the two countries after the earthquake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck on Monday, leveling buildings and leaving thousands dead or injured. The earthquake was followed by a 7.5-magnitude temblor only hours later.

The two quakes, along with at least 120 aftershocks, have caused tremendous destruction in Turkey and Syria.

Authorities have warned that the death toll figures could continue to rise and the chances of finding survivors under the rubble are rapidly diminishing amid freezing temperatures.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Christian organization Samaritans Purse announced it's deploying a 52-bed Emergency Field Hospital and at least 75 staff to Turkey later this week to address the immediate medical needs of families impacted by the devastation. The hospital will include two emergency operating rooms.

The organization is also airlifting critically needed items into Turkey, it said in an announcement Wednesday morning.

"As our response continues to develop, we will be deploying additional disaster assistance specialists and supplies to the region, Samaritan's Purse said. Please also join us in praying for so many suffering families and for our teams and partners serving them in Jesus Name.

Amid the devastation, many families have taken to sleeping in churches, convents or even hospitals, according to Aid to the Church in Need.

Anne Marie Gagnon, the director of the main Catholic hospital of St. Louis, in Aleppo, told ACN that the hospital is working exhaustively to attend to those injured. She said that though the hospital itself survived the earthquake, she fears structural damage has made it unsafe.

We have operated just now on two people with injuries. We have a Christian family in the hospital whose family members have died in the earthquake. We are now awaiting the arrival of the body of the priest who died, Father Daher, she said.

At our hospital, there is a part that looks as though it may fall, the stones have moved, and we are afraid they will give out, but mostly we are focused on providing free care for the people who are injured right now, said Sister Anne Marie.

People are now asking the churches and convents, and with us at the hospital, if they can stay there until the crisis passes. Many buildings have fissures in them, and the people who are on the fourth or the fifth floor, are afraid to stay there. We have put some mattresses on the ground for our personnel so they can stay here, she said.

Sister Arlene, a Carmelite sister, also from Aleppo, said that many nuns there have opened their doors to those suffering: The families are afraid, and they do not want to return to their houses, they are looking for a place to spend the night. We have had five families come to us, and we are sheltering them. Other families are going to the schools or churches, she said.

Perhaps if the night is OK, they will return home, but there is damage in their homes. Tonight, as a congregation we are praying for peace. The people here they are shocked, they are not talking very much. So many were injured or died, she said.

Other international Christian relief organizations responding to the crisis include First Hope Association, World Vision and Send Relief.

Rest assured, World Vision is already responding  providing aid to the most vulnerable children and families, World Vision said in a statement. Were helping people get access to temporary shelters, heaters, clean water, and critically needed healthcare. Were also providing care for children whose families arent able to in the midst of this crisis.



Child Protection Senior Technical Advisor at World Vision, Matthew Stephens, told The Christian Post that currently, the organization is prioritizing providing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene and restoring electricity to medical facilities and temporary shelters.

"The season right now is really difficult. It's very cold. There's been snow and rain that has hampered search efforts, but also it's hampering efforts of helping survivors stay alive. It's harder for workers to work in these kinds of weather conditions. So fuel and heat right now is critical for emergency shelters and care for workers," he said.

The organization is also working to ensure that children and families separated due to the earthquakes are unified and have temporary shelter, along with resources to support them in future months.

"One of the challenges anytime you lose everything in a catastrophe or crisis is that vulnerable families are forced into impossible spaces to help their children and their family survive," he said. "The choices are detrimental to children, so we don't want to put them in a position where they have to do that. We want to equip them with the resources and support that they need so that they stay together."

Meanwhile, the Middle East Council of Churches is calling on the U.S. government to lift its sanctions on Syria, arguing that due to the sanctions, the U.S. occupation of Syrian land and the looting of billions of dollars of its resources, Syria is unable to fully respond to the tragic catastrophe.

"We urge the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials, so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity," said the attendees of the Council in a statement.

They added that "despite their [churches] limited resources as a result of the blockade," however, "all the churches in the Middle East have put their resources at the disposal of the affected and displaced people due to the earthquake, since the first moments of the disaster."

In a statement, J. Herbert Nelson, the stated clerk of the General Assembly, said that the sanctions, which have been in place for decades, only add misery to an already traumatized and impoverished population, particularly following the devastating civil war that began in 2011.

This earthquake adds yet more misery to the people of Syria who in recent years have been slowly trying to rebuild their homes and their lives, Nelson said.



Lifting the sanctions will enable the aid that is required for the immediate emergency to flow smoothly and equip people to rebuild their homes and lives in the coming weeks and months.
Ex-gays respond to Andy Stanleys claim that LGBT people have more faith than a lot of you

Christians who once identified as homosexual have mixed opinions about recent remarks made by Pastor Andy Stanley, in which the megachurch leader said that LGBT individuals who go to church have more faith than a lot of you.

Last month, a short clip of Stanley was posted on Twitter in which he said a gay person who still wants to attend church after the way the church has treated the gay community, I'm telling you, they have more faith than I do. They have more faith than a lot of you.

A gay person who knows, 'You know what? I might not be accepted here, but I'm going to try it anyway,' have you ever done that as a straight person? Where do you go that you're not sure you're going to be accepted and you go over and over and over? Stanley asked in the viral clip.

Stanley acknowledged that there were verses in the Bible that condemned homosexuality, but then added, oh my goodness, a gay man or woman who wants to worship their heavenly Father, who did not answer the cry of their heart when they were 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. God said, 'No,' and they still love God?

"We have some things to learn from a group of men and women who love Jesus that much and who want to worship with us," he continued. "I know the verses; I know the clobber passages, right? We got to figure this out. And you know what? I think you are.

Christopher Doyle, a professional counselor and executive director of the Institute for Healthy Families, told The Christian Post that, because the full sermon is not easily accessible online, Stanleys words leave me with more questions than answers.

I appreciate Pastor Stanley's compassion for Christians struggling with sexual and gender identity. As a young man, I experienced unwanted same-sex attractions and having a safe place surrounded by loving, embracing Christians would have really helped me on my healing journey, said Doyle.

Stanley is also correct that LGBT-identified Christians have been unfairly marginalized in the Body of Christ, and, indeed, we certainly have a lot to learn from these sensitive souls. In my experience, they are creative, artistic, and mercy-driven individuals with amazing character qualities, and historically, the church has used Scripture [as Stanley said] to clobber them instead of appreciating and loving the whole person.

Nevertheless, Doyle also told CP that it's important to recognize we are all sexually broken and in need of emotional, relational and spiritual healing, adding that the Gospel remains the same and calls us to pursue righteousness.

Is Pastor Stanley challenging his entire congregation to pursue holiness and righteousness or providing a seeker-friendly environment with a watered-down Gospel? Doyle asked.

In my personal experience as a sexually broken Christian man and my professional experience as a counselor walking with believers pursuing healing, holiness and righteousness can only come with a renewing of the mind and a sanctification of the heart.

Stephen Black, an author and executive director of First Stone Ministries, told CP that he believed Stanleys remarks showed that his church has a terrible theology based in psychology rather than an actual biblical theology.

Stanley is filled with such corrupt theology that he believes gay and other corrupt identities are legitimate, said Black. This is not a biblical worldview.

Andy Stanley repeatedly communicates gay people as a legitimate identity given to this modern culture over the last 100 years from psychology and the American Psychological Association legitimizing corrupt human sexual desires as orientations.

Black believed that it was important for sincere Bible-believing Christians who have a saving faith to pay attention to what leaders like Stanley are really communicating in their nuanced words.

Simply said, people like Stanley are filled with unbelief concerning the transforming grace of God, he continued. They are telling on themselves that they have a terrible theology of easy-believism that does not require real change or repentant life that endures to the end.

Black drew a parallel to the ministry known as Revoice, a Christian ministry that, while adhering to the belief that homosexuality is sinful, garnered controversy in theologically conservative circles for its embrace of ideas like Christians being able to identify as LGBT.

Stanley and leaders like him in Revoice are communicating a psychological worldview, Black added. They believe more in the orientation narrative and belief structures of the APA than they do Holy Scriptures.

We need to pray that Andy Stanley and other Revoice leaders come into the full revelation of Jesus resulting in righteousness, a saving faith with a confessed life, and living out repentance. I know hundreds of ex-homosexuals who are living out a life without labels and are found in Jesus Christ alone.
Jesus is coming back: What drives biblical End Times intrigue?

What drives intrigue in the biblical end of days?

Christian Post reporter Nicole Alcindor joins Billy Hallowell to discuss "Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist" and the many themes in the new movie. She also addresses why the film has received such favorable reviews from fans as well as a 97% Rotten Tomatoes audience score.

"For some Christians, I think they went to see the film just because of the excitement. ... It's not every day that you see a Christian movie in the theaters," Alcindor said, proceeding to explain why some might have also found deeper meaning in the movie's exploration of eschatology. "It reminded me that, ultimately, Jesus is coming back."

She added that it "served as a wake-up call to live lives pleasing to God."

Alcindor also tackles deconstruction and her powerful interview with Charles Andrew Payne, one of the stars of the film.

Listen to the fascinating story:

The Inside Story takes you behind the headlines of the biggest faith, culture, and political headlines of the week. In 15 minutes or less, Christian Post staff writers and editors will help you navigate and understand whats driving each story, the issues at play  and why it all matters.

Listen to more Christian podcasts today on the Edifi app  and be sure to subscribe to The Inside Story on your favorite platforms:
PCUSA head urges Biden to lift sanctions on Syria to help earthquake victims hurt by blockade

The head of Presbyterian Church (USA) has called on the Biden administration to lift sanctions on Syria so that humanitarian aid can reach earthquake victims.

A massive earthquake clocked in with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the Turkish town of Nurdagi, which is near the Syrian border, resulting in more than 11,200 deaths.

The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk for PCUSA Office of the General Assembly, said in a statement Tuesday that the United States should lift its sanctions on Syria.

The sanctions, which have been in place for decades, only add misery to an already traumatized and impoverished population, particularly following the devastating civil war that began in 2011, stated Nelson.

This earthquake adds yet more misery to the people of Syria who, in recent years, have been slowly trying to rebuild their homes and their lives.

According to Nelson, the effect of the sanctions slows down transfers of aid to its partners working in the region, sometimes delaying the delivery of humanitarian aid by months at a time.

Lifting the sanctions will enable the aid that is required for the immediate emergency to flow smoothly and equip people to rebuild their homes and lives in the coming weeks and months, said Nelson.

This would be the most compassionate action our government could take in response to this tragedy. We urge that the well-being and needs of the most vulnerable people in Syria and throughout the region  who have suffered so greatly  be at the center of our concern.

In addition to the initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt as far as Lebanon and Israel, there have been multiple aftershocks in the region, including one that registered as a 7.5 magnitude quake.

"I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I've lived," said a resident of Gaziantep, southern Turkey, as quoted by the BBC. We were shaken at least three times very strongly, like a baby in a crib.

According to the U.S. Department of State, Syria was labeled an official state sponsor of terror back in 1979, and various sanctions were implemented against the Middle Eastern nation in 2004 and 2011.

In addition to the PCUSA, the Middle East Council of Churches have also called on the United States to immediately end sanctions against Syria "so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity."
Chinese Spy Balloon Raises Concern, Satanic Performance At Grammys, PCUSA Clergy Claim Scriptures 'Cause Harm'

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 08:24 08:24

A Chinese spy balloon traversed the United States last week, sparking national security concerns and raising debate over how and when to shoot it down amid questions about the U.S. government's response.



The first African American woman to be ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church will be honored as part of the United States Mints 2024 American Women Quarters Program.



Christian surfer Bethany Hamilton, whose life story was depicted in the 2011 film "Soul Surfer," says she will no longer compete in or support the World Surf League now that the organization will allow biological men identifying as women to compete against female surfers.



The music industrys biggest night took an Unholy turn Sunday after Kim Petras became the first trans-identified artist to win a Grammy and delivered a dark performance of the hit song.
Smithsonian museum kicked out Catholic students for wearing pro-life hats, admits wrongdoing

A Christian legal organization told the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., to prepare for litigation after Catholic students and their chaperones were allegedly asked to leave the National Air and Space Museum for wearing pro-life beanies.

The American Center for Law and Justice delivered the legal letter last Wednesday in response to the incident on Jan. 20, the week of the annual March for Life in Washington.

The legal nonprofit demanded that the Smithsonian's personnel preserve all information relevant to the incident, putting them on notice of potential litigation.

The ACLJ represents six students and two parents involved and anticipates representing more.

According to ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow, students from Our Lady of the Rosary School in Greenville, South Carolina, were all wearing beanies that read "Rosary PRO-LIFE" to identify who was in their group while visiting the museum on Jan. 20.

"The museum staff mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a 'neutral zone' where they could not express such statements," Sekulow wrote in a statement posted to the ACLJ's website. "The employee who ultimately forced the students to leave the museum was rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building. We here at the ACLJ are absolutely appalled at this blatant discrimination and won't let this behavior stand."

In a statement to The Christian Post, a spokesperson for the museum apologized on behalf of the institution.

"A security officer mistakenly told young visitors that their pro-life hats were not permitted in the museum," the spokesperson stated. "Asking visitors to remove hats and clothing is not in keeping with our policy or protocols. We provided immediate retraining to prevent a re-occurrence of this kind of error."

The Smithsonian Institution, a group of 21 museums and education and research centers created by the federal government, receives around $1 billion from the government each year.

"It states on its website that they 'welcome all people to explore' its museums, apparently just not kids with pro-life views," Sekulow stated.

"This was a clear-cut First Amendment violation, not only of their freedom of speech but of religion as well. The federal government simply cannot ban speech with which it or its employees disagree."

The ACLJ contends that government institutions can't censor people's speech.

"The law is clear: 'The government may not suppress or exclude the speech of private parties for the sole reason that the speech is religious,'" Sekulow argues, citing the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Shurtleff v. City of Boston.

The mother of one of the students posted about the event on Twitter the day it happened.

"They were told to remove their hats or leave," the mom tweeted. "Daughter told man they had to wear to find each other in crowd. KICKED OUT for refusing to remove!"

As CP reported, the March for Life was the first to occur since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June. The decision, handed down in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, reversed the court's 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

My daughter just called from DC a dozen kids from Greenville just got kicked out of the Air & Space Museum for wearing Pro Life hats.They were told to remove their hats or leave. Daughter told man they had to wear to find each other in crowd. KICKED OUT for refusing to remove! pic.twitter.com/5RSJp2ccGi  Move to South Carolina (@KihneSheila) January 20, 2023
Something rotten in Denmark? Thousands of Danes protest plans to abolish Christian holiday

A plan to eliminate a public Christian holiday in Denmark to beef up defense spending drew thousands of protesters to the streets of Copenhagen.

On Sunday, crowds as large as 50,000 took part in what was Denmarks largest demonstration in more than a decade over a proposal to scrap Great Prayer Day, a nearly 330-year-old holiday that falls on the fourth Friday after Easter, according to Reuters.

About 50,000 people in Denmark on Sunday took to protest a government bill put forward to cancel the Christian holiday (Great Prayer Day). #Denmarkpic.twitter.com/ucNgbcxsCA  Jen doesnt hate your Grandma (@Jinkies78) February 6, 2023

The proposal was first introduced in December by Denmarks Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as a means of cutting spending in order to boost defense spending levels to a NATO-led target of 2% of GDP three years ahead of schedule, Reuters reported.

As part of a new bipartisan government, Frederiksen is calling for the holidays elimination to free up some 4.5 billion Danish crowns  or roughly $654 million  to meet that target.

By abolishing Great Prayer Day, the government anticipates higher tax revenues that could be used to cover the spending gap.

While Frederiksens coalition holds a slim majority in the Danish parliament, the proposal is expected to pass despite opposition from union leaders and economists who have cast doubt on the proposals projections, according to Reuters.

Essentially a collection of minor Christian holy days consolidated into one day, Great Prayer Day was initially created to be a day of prayer and fasting when it was officially made a holiday in 1686, but in modern times, its more commonly associated with hot wheat buns known as varme hveder.

In earlier times, church bells would announce the start of Great Prayer Day and all work and commerce  including baking  were suspended until the holiday was over. In addition to fasting, Danes were urged to abstain from any worldly vanity such as gambling and traveling.

As a way of circumventing the work stoppage, bakers in Denmark would bake the wheat buns with a generous helping of butter on Thursday to preserve them until they could be heated up and enjoyed the day after.

While baking is no longer forbidden, Great Prayer Day in modern Denmark has more recently served as a day to gather with other Christians from various denominations to pray for the nation and for the world.

In addition to Great Prayer Day, there were 22 holy days in the state of Denmark by 1770, but following a number of government reforms, roughly half of those days were abolished, including Three Kings Day and Saint Johns Day. Great Prayer Day is one of the days that made it through those reform efforts.

The effort to abolish the Christian holiday is the latest government intrusion on religious freedom after the introduction of a draft law in 2021 that would require all sermons to be translated and submitted to the government.

While introduced as a way to prevent acts of Islamic terrorism, churches were also included in the measure in a nod to political correctness, since restrictions cannot solely be placed on mosques, according to one report.

But after bishops in Europe began voicing their protests, the Danish Council of Churches called on Fredriksen to back down from the discriminatory and ill-considered legislation.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
The Massachusetts mother and former Connecticut resident accused of strangling her three children to death used exercise ropes to allegedly kill the kids as her husband begged them to breathe after discovering their bodies in the basement, a prosecutor said at Tuesdays arraignment.

She killed the kids! husband Patrick Clancy cried out at the scene the evening of Jan. 24, Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said.

The prosecutor asked that the mom, Lindsay Clancy, be held without bail  adding that soon after the 32-year-old woke up at the hospital she wrote on a whiteboard: Do I need an attorney?

Sprague also said Lindsay Clancy used mapping software to track how long it would take her husband to run errands she sent him on that evening  including a trip to a nearby CVS for stool softener for kids and take-out dinner.

That dinner, the prosecutor added, was called in by Lindsay Clancy to ThreeV Restaurant in nearby Plymouth, where she ordered a Mediterranean power bowl for her, scallop and pork belly risotto for him.

He arrived at the CVS at 5:32 p.m. and ThreeV at 5:54 p.m. and headed back home within a minute with the food, Sprague said.

When he arrived home, the ADA added, the first thing he noticed was the silence.

A bedroom door was locked; there was blood on the floor upstairs; and then Patrick Clancy found his wife on the ground outside, her cuts no longer bleeding.

What did you do? he asked her, Sprague said.

Where are the kids? he added.

In the basement, the mom said.

Guys? the dad called out, Sprague added. Thats when he found them with exercise ropes still around each of their necks.

The prosecutor then spelled out how notebooks and journals on her phone, a trip to the pediatrician that day, and her spelling out precisely of the dinner choices and medicine to buy showed a suspect in control.

Sprague added Lindsay Clancy killed the kids because she heard a voice and had a moment of psychosis.' When her husband asked what voices Sprague said she responded that she heard a mans voice telling her to kill the kids and kill herself because it was her last chance.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington pushed back saying his client is a paraplegic  paralyzed from the waist down  who cant walk after jumping out a second-floor window that night and who was pumped full of drugs as she coped with postpartum complications after the birth of her third child.

Reddington added the one-time labor nurse now needs someone in the hospital room 24/7? out of concern she will commit suicide.

Reddington is asking she be sent to Spaulding Rehab with a GPS, if the court orders more safeguards. The prosecution sought an alternative, Shattuck Hospital in JP.

At that, Reddington groaned and threw up his hands calling the Shattuck dismal and dank  like something out of Iran.

Judge John Canavan ordered that Clancy be held at the unnamed hospital shes at now and will likely be sent to Spaulding Rehab once she is cleared by her doctors to do so. But, he added, she needs to keep receiving mental health care and is due back in court May 2  a date that will probably be moot once the case is bumped up to superior court.

The mom was arraigned in Plymouth District Court at 2 p.m. on two counts of juvenile murder and three counts each of strangulation or suffocation and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Clancy appeared for the hearing over the Zoom from a hospital bed. The horrific tragedy at the home at 47 Summer St. in Duxbury was discovered when her husband, Patrick, called 911 at 6:11 p.m. Jan. 24 to report that his wife had tried to commit suicide.

Two children, Cora, 5, and Dawson, 3, would be pronounced dead that night at area hospitals. A third, 7-month-old infant son Callan, was flown to Childrens in Boston and would succumb to his injuries early on Jan. 27.

Reddington has said Lindsay Clancy had been prescribed an unbelievable amount of medication that were turning her into a zombie.

He said Tuesday that holding her without bail is an inhumane order for a woman in her condition.

She was so bad she turned herself into McClean Hosptial, Reddington added, rattling off all the drugs she was on. This is really a tragedy this case.

A GoFundMe organized to help Patrick Clancy pay for medical bills, funeral services, and legal help in the wake of the tragedy has sailed past its goal of $1 million to reach $1,041,610 by 10:06 a.m. Tuesday.

Joe Dwinell contributed to this report.
Last year, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Connecticut moved swiftly to become a safe harbor state for those seeking abortions. In this session of the Connecticut General Assembly, the focus is on easier access to contraception.

A bill proposed by Sens. Ryan Fazio and Heather S. Somers would allow Connecticut pharmacists to prescribe certain types of contraceptives to customers without a doctors input.

Its very important to make birth control more readily available and convenient for consumers, allowing them to have access to these medications without the need to see a physician, Somers said in an interview.

Many times its tough to get in to see a physician, if they arent readily available to new patients. This [bill] increases accessibility, especially to people in rural areas people with limited resources, she said.

S.B. No. 171 passed the public health committee in a vote Jan. 30. Thirty-four members voted yes. Three  Reps. Mark DeCaprio, Anne Dauphinais and Karen Reddington-Hughes  voted no.

The bill will have a public hearing, yet to be scheduled.

Somers said that pharmacists with special training would be able to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptives  in pill, patch or ring form  to patients, and report those sales to the patients general practitioners.

Should a person have to wait if they cant get an appointment for six months and not have access to birth control during that time? We want people to see their physicians, but this is a stopgap measure. Its part of the continuum of health, Somers said.

Governor approval

In a news conference in Waterbury on Monday, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull urged passage of S.B. 171.

By expanding access to birth control, we are giving women more control over their own reproductive health and ensuring that everyone has the resources they need to make informed decisions, Bysiewicz said. Gov. Lamont and I remain committed to ensuring that all women in Connecticut have access to the care they need.

Seagull added Providing the ability for pharmacists to prescribe safe and effective contraception to women who ask for it is just one way we can reduce barriers to health care for women.

According to the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, 21 states and the District of Columbia allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives. The states are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

Fazio said he has followed the legislation in other states.

Just from reading and paying attention to good public policy, I thought it was a common sense reform, he said. The surveys of women discussing the issue show that 75% feel confident in the ability of their pharmacists to prescribe birth control. From all the evidence, the states that adopted it are happy with the outcome.

Nathan Tinker, CEO of Connecticut Pharmacists Association, said if the bill is approved, the Department of Consumer Protection and the state Department of Public Health would devise a regulatory framework for pharmacists to follow in prescribing. He said that framework probably would resemble the procedures in place in California and Washington.

Tinker said he supports the legislation because many women dont live near doctors, but they do live near pharmacies.

This service would be available virtually everywhere.  In Connecticut several counties are considered health-care deserts with low access to primary doctors, hospital beds and so forth, he said. Thats not true in the pharmacy space.

Connecticut is the only state that doesnt allow over the counter medications, including emergency contraception, to be sold in vending machines, according to the American Society for Emergency Contraceptives. A bill that got approval from the Public Health Committee would change that.

Vending machines

A second proposed bill is H.B. No. 5197, to allow emergency contraceptives to be sold at medical vending machines. That bill, introduced by Reps. Devin Carney, Tammy Nuccio, Nicole Klarides-Ditria and Tracy Marra, also passed the public health committee on Jan. 30. Vote total was identical to S.B. 171: 34 voting yes and Dauphinais, DeCaprio and Reddington-Hughes voting no. That bill also will have a public hearing.

According to a report from the American Society for Emergency Contraception (ASEC)  drawing on data compiled by Public Policy Partners and the National Health Law Program  Connecticut is the only state in the country where vending-machine sales of emergency contraception is still illegal.

Kelly Cleland, a spokeswoman for ASEC, said the vending machines are generally found on college campuses, and that 33 colleges nationwide have the machines.

Cleland added that price is another advantage of the vending machines.

In the pharmacy EC usually costs $40 to $50. Generic prices are coming down, theyre maybe $35 now. Thats out of reach for many students. Several campuses have EC in vending machines for seven, eight, nine dollars, Cleland said.

Klarides-Ditria, a sponsor of H.B. 5197, said although Plan B and its generic varieties are sold in pharmacies, that is not always a viable purchase point.

If you go to a pharmacy, it may not be open 24 hours. People might need it at off-hours. Or it might not physically be on the shelves and you have to ask a clerk for help finding it. That can be intimidating for people because of the social stigma around unwanted pregnancies, she said.

Cleland added that current ASEC research found that 27% of pharmacies still cite an age restriction for buying Plan B and generics, although the FDA eliminated the restriction in 2013.

That gives a lot of discretion on the part of the [pharmacist] in control of whether they would let you buy it or not, Cleland said. Vending is a good solution for that.

Reddington-Hughes, who voted no on the bills, said she voted against the pharmacist bill because she was worried about possible health hazards and liability.

A medical doctor was not involved in this prescription  and what is prescribed is a medication, Reddington-Hughes said. If the young adults they would be prescribing to didnt have a medical examination, if they perhaps had any heart conditions or high blood pressure, that kind of medication would be counterindicated and be harmful to them.

She said she voted against the vending-machine bill because she worried there would be insufficient attention paid to the pills expiration dates.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
Iranian president approves law on Iran's SCO membership

Xinhua) 08:57, February 08, 2023

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday issued an order for implementing the law on Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The directive was issued in a letter signed by Raisi to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, according to the website of the Iranian president's office.

Last week, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf submitted the law for Iran's SCO membership to Raisi for final approval and implementation.

The move followed the Iranian Constitutional Council spokesman's announcement that the vetting body had approved the bill on the country's membership in the SCO.

In November 2022, the Iranian parliament approved the bill for Iran's SCO membership by the overwhelming majority of the lawmakers.

In September 2021, the 21st summit of the SCO leaders held in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe declared the decision to start admitting Iran as a full member of the SCO.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The New York developer that wants to build modular apartment buildings in Rocky Hill, Glastonbury and New London is seeking to put up 80 units in Simsbury.

Vessel Technologies would erect a four-story building on the Hopmeadow Street site where one single-family home stands now.

The zoning commission planned to conduct a public hearing on the proposal this week, but announced Monday that the session was postponed. It has not set a new date.

Unlike most apartment developers in the state, Vessel bases its business on attainable but modern housing. Units are less costly but also much smaller than the average; a two-bedroom, two-bath Vessel unit measures about 700 square feet.

In Simsbury, the company is eying 446 Hopmeadow St., a property of just under 2 acres. Town records list the owner as EAY Properties LLC.

Vessel wants to build 77 one-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom units there, along with 94 parking spaces in front of the building.

The company proposes to restrict the rents on 24 of those apartments to a level that meets Connecticuts standard for affordable housing. Tentatively, Vessel said it would cap rents in the range of $1,054 and $1,265 for one-bedroom apartments, and between $1,302 and $1,563 for a two-bedroom unit.

The companys application states that it is applying under the states 8-30g statute, which limits municipal control over proposals that provide 30 percent or more of new apartments as long-term rent-restricted affordable housing.

Vessels attorney, Alter & Pearson of Glastonbury, sent a memo to town officials last month about Simsburys shortage of affordable housing.

Current market rate rents for apartments in Simsbury are far above the projected rental rates for dwelling units developed as affordable housing, according to the memo.

Under its current zoning rules, Simsbury has no practical way to bring in new affordable apartments, it said.

The cost of land and costs of development render it impossible to develop housing units that will meet the affordable standards without the commissions approving additional density greater than that permitted by the existing regulations and/or by the creation of government programs that support the development, such as significant tax incentives, it continued.

If Simsbury is to continue its effort to provide housing opportunities for a wide range of diverse citizens, then it must take reasonable steps to meet the needs of people who wish to move to Simsbury, or who wish to remain here, Alter & Pearson wrote.

Vessel Technologies image of what its four-story apartment building would look like from the Farmington Canal Heritage trail.

Vessels first building was completed last year in Trenton, N.J., and envisions more of its largely identical, modernistic buildings of three to five floors around Connecticut. It plans to build one near the former Ames corporate headquarters in Rocky Hill, and others in Glastonbury and New London.

The modular building technique allows the building to be built in parts off-site and assembled in-place permitting the building to be constructed within a matter of months. The design integrates modern technology and sustainable design with the goal of passing savings to the residents, Vessel said in its Simsbury application.

Each Vessel property is operated by a caretaker, who will be a local resident trained by Vessel and empowered to have a career within his/her community, it said.

Vessel contends the solar panel array on the roof would make the building energy-neutral.
The Multicultural Student Coalition at Wilkes University hosted a vigil for Tyre Nichols on Tuesday evening, Feb. 7, 2023.

Kathrine Ermeus, a junior political science major and president of the coalition, opened the program. David Ward, senior vice president and provost, and Helen Davis, associate professor of English and representative from the University's Council of Diversity Inclusion and Equity, provided brief remarks. A collective moment of silence was led by Erica Acosta, director of diversity affairs. Alicia Govens, assistant director of residence life, concluded the program with the singing of "Amazing Grace."
Criminal defendants have a right to question undocumented people about their immigration status and potential bias when they testify for the prosecution under a program that rewards their cooperation with immunity from deportation and other citizenship benefits, the state Supreme Court said this week.

The court issued its first analysis of what has become known as the federal governments U visa program late Monday when it ordered a new trial for a Danbury man convicted of child abuse charges in part on testimony by two women who faced deportation for being in the country illegally.

The U visa program is similar to a cooperation agreement. Undocumented migrants who assist authorities in criminal cases are eligible for U visa citizenship benefits that would not otherwise be available, including immunity from deportation, permission to work and, in some cases, a fast track to naturalization.

The Supreme Court, as have courts elsewhere, said the citizenship benefits create a motive for undocumented witnesses to falsely support prosecution cases in order to qualify for benefits that allow them to remain in the country.

In the past, trial judges have ruled that questions by defendants about a witness immigration status are irrelevant. But the court said that criminal defendants have a right to ask questions that demonstrate to a jury bias or motivation by a witness to fabricate.

In the Danbury case, the defendant was not permitted to ask about the immigration status of two undocumented women, both mothers, who qualified for the U visa program. To protect the identities of child victims, the names of the defendant and the women were withheld from the decision.

The defendant argues that the rulings were harmful because they prevented him from presenting to the jury a plausible theory as to why (the women) would falsely implicate him in the alleged crimes, and why they would manipulate their children to do so, Justice Joan K. Alexander, a former prosecutor, wrote for a unanimous court.

The court ruled the Danbury defendant should have been allowed to question witnesses about immigration status, but reversed his conviction on other grounds. It said it was offering its analysis of the U visa program because it is likely to arise in the future.

The U visa program was enacted by Congress in 2000 to help law enforcement prosecute serious crimes against undocumented immigrants by encouraging cooperation. It created a new visa classification that permits undocumented victims to qualify for the citizenship benefits by assisting law enforcement.
Primeste notificari pe email Nota bene: Adresele email cu extensia .ru nu sunt acceptate.

Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele
Launched in 1985, Lloyds Bank Foundation is an independent charitable trust funded by the profits of Lloyds Banking Group. We partner with small and local charities, people and communities, working towards a more just and compassionate society.

Through unrestricted funding, capacity building support and campaigns to influence policy and practice, we help small and local charities thrive, communities grow stronger, and people overcome complex issues so they can transform their lives.
Official portrait of Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Charity sector bodies have responded after Lucy Frazer was appointed the new culture secretary, making her the 13th to hold the position in as many years.

Yesterday, prime minister Rishi Sunak announced the creation of four new departments, including that the former Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will return to its former title and lose responsibility for the digital sector.

Sunak said a re-focused Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will recognise the importance of these industries to the economy and build on the UKs position as a global leader in the creative arts.

Meanwhile, civil society minister Stuart Andrew has retained his parliamentary undersecretary role in DCMS and minister for equalities position, although the latter brief now sits in the newly-created Department for Business and Trade.

However, ministerial portfolios are still being decided at DCMS, so a different civil society minister could be announced.

Splitting up DCMS could prove to be a good thing for charities voice in government

Frazer replaces Michelle Donelan, who had been culture secretary for five months and will be heading up the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The new culture secretary has been MP for South East Cambridgeshire since 2015 and was previously the minister for levelling up.

Sarah Vibert, chief executive at NCVO, congratulated Frazer on her new position, adding: We also need to urgently work together to ensure charities and voluntary organisations get the targeted support they need to continue helping people and communities through this cost-of-living crisis and beyond.

Meanwhile, Jay Kennedy, director of policy and research at DSC, said that the wider changes with DCMS potentially provide an opportunity to focus more on civil society policy but this remains to be seen, as the structural changes will also likely involve administrative and staffing disruption.

Dan Corry, NPCs chief executive, said: Splitting up DCMS could prove to be a good thing for charities voice in government. The old department had taken on so much that civil society risked being crowded out.

The charities minister should really of course be in the Cabinet Office, as the true value of civil society is in how it can contribute across different policy areas.

sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
The Church of England has paid 1.1m for a 3.6% stake in Charity Bank, the organisation has announced.

Its investment was made through its social impact investment programme, which is managed by the Archbishops Council and was established in 2020 to support projects which share the churchs Christian values and benefit society.

Charity Bank, which uses savers money to provide loans to UK charities and social enterprises, said the investment will enable it to make more than 8.8m in new loans.

Ed Siegel, chief executive at Charity Bank said: Investment capital is vital to our mission. It underpins our lending activity and enables us to leverage our savers money. For every 1m of capital, we can make more than 8m of loans to the charities and social enterprises that are tackling some of the most challenging issues facing UK society today.

We are very excited about the potential of this partnership, particularly as we seek to grow our activities in the green lending space, which is a specific area of interest for the church, and as we continue to expand our lending to housing and social care providers, Christian charities and other faith-based organisations. We look forward to working together to use our financial resources to build a better world.

Vanessa Morphet, head of social impact investment at the Archbishops Council, said: Charities, social enterprises and faith-based organisations provide key services to communities in areas such as housing, social care, food banks, skills development and tackling loneliness.

Charity Bank loans are a vital part of the funding landscape for these organisations enabling them to sustain, improve and grow their services. We are delighted that our equity investment will enable Charity Bank to support more of these organisations across the UK.

Meanwhile, the charity investment arm of the Church of England recently announced a 100m funding pot to atone for its links to transatlantic chattel slavery.

The Church Commissioners revealed last month that the funding would be delivered over a nine-year period as part of a programme of investment, research and engagement.

sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, in June, twenty-four states have banned or have tried to ban abortion. State legislatures and conservative organizations have pushed to curb other reproductive rights. In a federal court in Texas, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative advocacy group behind Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the case that overturned Roe, is now challenging the Food and Drug Administrations approval of mifepristone, an abortion pill that has been administered to patients for twenty years.

In CJRs recent Abortion issue, Betsy Morais, our managing editor, noted that there has never been consensus in the press about how to cover abortion. That has left many journalists scrambling to catch up, and keep up, with the ongoing fallout of Dobbs. Some journalists are tapping the expertise of Rewire News Group, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to reproductive health and justice, to help them navigate the reproductive-rights beat. Reporters in Texas, for instance, recently called on Jessica Mason PiekloRewire News Groups executive editor, and an attorneyfor guidance in deciphering the states bounty hunter law, which targets abortion seekers and providers.

Last week, I met with Pieklo and Galina Espinoza, Rewire News Groups president and editor in chief. The publication had just celebrated its tenth year. We do this work because we want to have an impact, Espinoza told me. We want to inspire folks to act on the information theyre getting.

Pieklo and Espinoza discussed how the press can improve its abortion coveragebased on what Rewire has learned from its decade of experience at the federal, state, and individual levelsand how they think the media should be prepared for the next round of Supreme Court decisions. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.



ER: Jess, you predicted the overturn of Roe while talking to CJRs editor, Kyle Pope, on an episode of our podcast The Kicker back in May 2021. Do you feel now, looking back, that members of the news media in general were prepared for this outcome?

JMP: No, they werent. Weve seen the Supreme Court for the first time in history stop recognizing a right that it recognized before. Even in the aftermath of Dobbs, I feel like were not having robust enough conversations. What does it mean for usfor the first time in our nations historyto stop having a right? This is something that feels really urgent because it is. This is the first domino. If the court can stop recognizing one right, it can stop recognizing two rights, it can stop recognizing three rights, it can stop recognizing ten rights if it wants to. How do we check that?

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

I like your use of the word domino, because Dobbs is often framed as this big event when, really, it was one blow on a yearslong continuum of decline in reproductive rights. We are stubbornly fixated on the policy side of things. Is that how you see it?

JMP: There was a tendency to cover the abortion issue as a political issue, as devoid of actual real-world consequences in health spaces. For example, the lack of patients and providers being quoted in stories [despite] journalists consistently talking to lawmakers. Its important to know the antiabortion restrictions that are being proposedwhos proposing them, what theyre doingbut there was a long media conversation around the coordinated campaign to roll back abortion rights that missed the boat because it did not talk to patients. It did not talk to providers. It focused on the issue as a battle in statehouses, which it wasbut, at the same time, with real-world consequences.

GE: In 2020, NARAL Pro-Choice America commissioned a research group to analyze how abortion is written about in digital, television, and print media. They found that only 14 percent of stories quoted a doctor. A patient was quoted in fewer than 10 percent of stories. Meanwhile, 80 percent of the reporters covering abortion were either political reporters, legal reporters, or general-assignment reportersnot healthcare reporters, not even womens-issues reporters. So, when you think about how reporters start their coverage, its What is the lens that they are looking through? If youre starting from a political lens and youre reaching out to your contacts who are politicians, youre not thinking about the patients; youre not thinking about the doctors. Now think about any other procedure or medical situation that has to take place in a clinic or through a doctors prescription. Its almost like journalism malpractice not to talk to a doctor or to not talk to a patient. I dont think there is literally any other medical coverage that would pass muster with an editor. You would get sent back, like, Wheres the patient? Wheres the doctor? That doesnt happen with abortion. The framing is so completely off that it leads to this perpetuation of an idea that abortion is this polarizing, political issue.

Do you think the Dobbs decision has been a wake-up call to journalists to shift their approach?

JMP: I think that the leaked opinion in May did journalism a favor in terms of the shortcomings in framing stories. There was a persistent belief before Dobbs that the Supreme Court is supposed to be a nonpolitical actor. Those of us who cover the court have been suspicious of that for some time. I think the leaked opinion created an opportunity for journalists to see behind the curtain, to see that the court is, as the third branch of government, a political actor. Journalists have frequently fallen into an objectivity when covering the courts. And it makes sense. We want to believe that our institutions are solid.

We have high hopes.

JMP: We do. There is an element to Supreme Court coverage that can fall into palace intrigue. We dont know what goes on behind the robes. Everythings very secret. Im hopeful that this is a moment in the media where we can have a reckoning about how some of our institutions behave, because it will create better journalism.

Jess, in a recent piece that you wrote marking what would have been the fiftieth anniversary of Roe, you foreshadowed the court overturning other landmark cases like Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that extended the right to marry to same-sex couples. How do you balance armchair speculation with warning people, so that they arent caught off guard by the court again?

JMP: Thats not my opinion; that was Justice Alito and Justice Thomas letting us know, in the Dobbs opinion, what they would like to see next. Alito does this all the time, and we can look to the attacks on the legality of public- and private-sector unions as a playbook for this. In opinion after opinion after opinion, he has breadcrumbed what conservative advocacy groups should do next. And guess what? They did it. What didnt happen was a lot of legal journalists saying, Oh, hey, isnt this interestingthat every time Sam Alito says, Id like the next case to look like this, the next case looks like exactly what he would like.

So you feel doubtful that most journalists have picked up on what you see to be clear clues from the court as to whats to come?

JMP: I think that they havent learned. There is still a reluctance to take the justices at their word.

GE: Or theyre off chasing the next story, because, again, these are not folks who are assigned to the abortion beat. These are folks who are much more broadly examining and chasing whatever is coming next. Theyre not connecting the dots, and theyre not using these examples that we have seen play out over and over again. The National Right to Life Committee has an annual meeting; every time it meets, it drafts model legislation that it hopes to see statehouses pick up and introduce. Jess and our team are there looking at, What are the pieces of model legislation? And thats how we know what the next battlegrounds are going to be.

Talking about state legislatures, in our Abortion issue, Amy Littlefield wrote that in the immediate aftermath of Dobbs, we suddenly had fifty breaking news storiesone in each state. How has Rewires coverage adapted to that reality?

GE: It really hasnt changed that much. The mistake that a lot of journalists made is that they thought Roe was a constitutional right, that abortion was taken care of. Sure, in theory, abortion was legal. But, state by state, it was a patchwork system of where abortion was actually legal and accessible. Thats always been the lens that we have applied. State coverage has been core to what weve been doing: identifying trends, identifying places where theyve been chipping away at access and targeting certain groups of people to not be able to have access and alsocontinuously, almost nonstopintroducing pieces of legislation that they knew were unconstitutional but that they wanted to use as test cases in front of the Supreme Court. What were seeing today is perhaps more urgent than what was happening before. But its the same story.

I want to ask about digital surveillance, because thats obviously terrifying. Mary Retta touched on this in the Abortion issue. How do you think about covering that, as it becomes more real and more common?

JMP: We actually have some models for some of what is coming and what is hitting the abortion rights and access landscape, in terms of reporting these stories out. Weve learned a lot from the war on drugs. What were seeing here is the war on drugs coming to the war on bodies, on our pregnancies, because of that level of surveillance. When you outlaw abortion, you create a legal presumption that a positive pregnancy test requires delivering a healthy baby to the state. When you do not deliver a healthy baby to the state, you have created probable cause for a crime, and so surveillance of people who can become pregnant is increasing now. That will change behaviors. People are starting to delete their period apps. Were seeing people start not to go to prenatal appointments. What I hope can happen in media spaces is an understanding that abortion is a health issue and that, because we are criminalizing access to healthcare, we are creating a new class of suspected criminals. There is a crime beat to covering pregnancy now.

For our Abortion issue, I interviewed an obstetrician-gynecologist who reaches people who could become pregnant, and debunks myths around abortion, on TikTok. Im curious, since a lot of young people have migrated to TikTok, would Rewire ever adopt a similar approach?

GE: Were actually planning to launch on TikTok; thats a huge priority for us. When we started ten years ago as an independent media organization, Twitter was where journalists went. What we have realized from our own audience data is that folks are migrating to new platforms and they are increasingly consuming news on these new platforms. Youve got twenty- to twenty-five-year-olds looking for that kind of information on TikTok. The social media landscape is fracturing, but that almost doesnt matter for us because its just about making sure that we are where our audience is, and the majority of them are between the ages of twenty-five and forty-four. We know we need to be following that. We take our lead from the audience. Where they go, were going to follow.



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Overclassification, the Finnish way

Emily Russell is a CJR fellow.
In January 2022, an extremist held four innocent people at gunpoint at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, as they prayed together during sabbath services. While the standoff thankfully ended without casualties, Colleyville remains a tragic reminder of the increased threats against houses of worship across the country.

On that day, houses of worship like Congregation Beth Israel had just begun to host in-person services at pre-pandemic levels. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker welcomed a stranger in from the cold that morning, only to be held at gunpoint and taken hostage with three other worshippers. Unfortunately, the pandemic of antisemitism was once again threatening the lives of peaceful worshippers at a synagogue. Lasting for a total of 11 hours, the hostage crisis ended on live TV when Rabbi Cytron-Walker and the remaining hostages sprinted to safety. Despite the immediate relief we all felt at that moment, incidents of antisemitism continue to grow.

Over the last year, hate incidents reported to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Connecticut increased from 161 incidents in 2021 to 361 incidents in 2022. ADL Connecticut has responded to each of these incidents, providing support for victims, education for communities, and by working with law enforcement. Most incidents reported to ADL involve the distribution of white supremacist propaganda, vandalism, or hate in schools or they involve issues of discrimination or religious accommodation. The tactic of flyering, in particular, is a growing way to spread hate and recruit new members.?Sadly, in early January, Newington experienced the first reported flyer incident of the year.

Though Rabbi Cytron-Walker would later credit ADL and law enforcement for the tactical training that helped saved his life and the lives of others held captive, training may not be enough to stop future attacks. In a country like the United States, where religious freedom is a cornerstone of our democracy, defense training for the clergy cannot be our only option in the fight against violent extremism. We need to combat the rhetoric of hate and bigotry that pushes people to extremes and leads to grave consequences for not only Jews but for people of all minority faiths and backgrounds.

Thanks to the overwhelming support received from so many during the hostage crisis, Colleyville also reminds us that we have many more allies than enemies in the fight against hate. In its aftermath, ADL Connecticut has worked with law enforcement to better identify threats of hate and extremism in our communities. More schools and organizations are utilizing ADL programs to combat antisemitism, bias, discrimination and bullying in the workplace, in K-12 schools and on college campuses.

As of Jan. 1, Connecticut law requires that all hate crimes be reported to Connecticuts new Hate Crimes Unit. This will enable better data collection and a more centralized response. Also, Connecticut is one of only a handful of states that has criminalized and provided a civil remedy for doxing, and the state has since established and funded a new grant program that prioritizes combating cyberhate and online abuse across the state. This program will allow school districts, non-profits, government agencies and others to secure much-needed funding in order to provide education and training regarding emerging threats online  including in the form of?swatting, doxing, cyber-harassment and cyberstalking. This is critically important at a time when online hate and harassment, including in Connecticut, have reached extremely concerning levels.

These examples give us hope that Colleyville could one day be seen as a defining moment in the eradication of antisemitism, racism, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim bias, and other forms of bigotry. This new reality will require brave and difficult conversations in our schools, workplaces and public forums. It will require a focus on the future to preserve, protect and build on our shared values of freedom, diversity, and just and fair treatment for all.

Suzanne Pinkes is ADL Connecticut Board Chair. Stacey G. Sobel is ADL Connecticut Regional Director.
Gov. Polis administration appears to have intended to, but failed to notify cities in advance of transporting immigrants from Denver out of state, emails obtained by The Denver Gazette show. The emails make clear that the administration knew the immigrants were going to other cities because officials asked the immigrants to verify on a waiver informing intended host cities they might need help once they were transported out of Denver.
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.
Clayton Vickers is a graduate student at the University of Missouri Journalism School, and through his education there he aspires to become a public-affairs journalist of great renown.

Clayton is working in Jefferson City to cover the ongoings of the state legislature and the stories within the community that matter to Missourians. He hopes to utilize his political science background to step into government-accountability reporting that places power into the hands of constituents (at any scale).

Clayton will graduate with his master's degree in Spring of 2024 after completing an internship with a reputable publication.
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.
Microsoft today unveiled a new AI-powered Edge browser and Bing search engine with a chat functionality.

The new search engine allows users to ask questions and receive answers from GPT-4, the latest version of the artifical intelligence (AI) language model built by research lab OpenAI. The new, AI-powered search engine and Edge browser are available in preview now at Bing.com.

The announcement today highlighted Microsofts partnership with OpenAI, the research venture that created ChatGPT, a chatbot that can generate natural language, essay-like answers to user-submitted text questions. The new AI-powered search capability will generate answers similar to how ChatGPT does, the company said.

For example, the revamped Bing search engine and web browser will be able to respond to questions such as, Plan a week-long trip to Paris, producing an itinerary based on information scraped from the internet, according to CNBC. Then, a user can follow the question up by asking something something like, How much will it cost?

Microsoft An example of a Bing search using OpenAI's chatbot technology.

Microsoft also updated Edge with AI capabilities and a new look, and added two new functionalities: chat and compose. With the Edge Sidebar, a user can ask for a summary of a lengthy financial report to get the key takeaways  and then use the chat function to ask for a comparison with a competing companys financials and have the data automatically put in a table.

A user can also ask Edge to help compose content, such as a LinkedIn post, by giving it a few prompts to get started. After that, it can be used to update the tone, format, and length of the post. "Edge can understand the web page youre on and adapts accordingly," Microsoft said.

Microsoft Users can now ask Edge to help compose content by giving it a few prompts to get started.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said AI is going to reshape the largest software category on planet earth, which Ive been working on for a long time and which we are very excited about  search. Its a new day in search, its a new paradigm for search, rapid innovation is going to come.

Along with more in-depth answers to user questions, the new GPT-4-powered Bing will offer interactive chat.

The chat experience empowers you to refine your search until you get the complete answer you are looking for by asking for more details, clarity, and ideas  with links available so you can immediately act on your decisions, Microsoft said.

The company also said it has taken steps "together with OpenAI" to implement safeguards to defend against harmful content, such as misinformation and disinformation, and to prevent the promotion of harmful or discriminatory content in line with its AI principles.

Except for gaming, Microsoft has not been a leader in key consumer technologies such as search, mobile, and social media, according to Jason Wong, a distinguished vice president and software design and development analyst with Gartner Research.

The early mover advantage afforded to Microsoft with their exclusive OpenAI partnership should open up more disruptive opportunities in its consumer technologies business through AI as an assistive technology, more than a replacement technology, Wong said in an email reply to Computerworld.

Given that most Microsoft products are aimed at businesses and large enterprises, Wong said most of its customers will be a bit more conservative in using the generative AI capabilities.

Microsoft really needs to showcase well-thought-out patterns and help its customers with training and upskilling business users to properly take advantage of AI, he said.

Microsoft is far from alone in pursuing new AI capabilities. Google, for example, plans to make an announcement tomorrow regarding an upgrade to its search engines capabilities.

Google announced a partnership and strategic stake in a competitor to OpenAI, and has launched its own chatbot called Bard. Bard is an experimental, conversational AI service that Google said is powered by a technology called Language Model for Dialogue Applications (or LaMDA for short).

Google An example of Google's Bard AI-powered search engine results.

Google opened up Bard to beta testers this week ahead of making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.

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," Google said in an announcement posted on YouTube. "Join us to learn how we're opening up greater access to information for people everywhere, through Search, Maps and beyond."

Wong said Google was caught off guard by the success of ChatGPT, which reached one million users in only 5 days.

You can draw the parallels to the launch of the Netscape browser and Microsoft being caught off-guard. Microsoft in turn partnered with a small vendor and eventually launched Internet Explorer, Wong said. Google has the advantage currently over Microsoft in the consumer technologies business, while Microsoft has the edge in the business technologies markets. We will likely see each play from their respective strengths.

Gartner predicts that by 2025, the market for AI software will reach almost $134.8 billion. Over the next five years, market growth will accelerate from 14.4% in 2021 to 31.1% in 2025, considerably outpacing the overall growth in the software market.

OpenAI is a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research lab that opened in 2015 with the backing of big-name technology players such as Elon Musk, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Infosys, YC Research and investor/entrepreneur Sam Altman. Altman became the CEO of OpenAI in 2019, the same year the company went public.

The group of initial investors pledged more than $1 billion for the venture, which has so far yielded five AI-based products, the best known of which is ChatGPT. Launched in November 2022, the chatbot application answers users' text questions by writing essays. The answers are generated by information on the internet related to any question and then composed in conversational prose.

In 2019, Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI as part of a partnership to bolster AI's development and adoption. OpenAI believes its technology has widely distributed economic benefits.

Microsoft said in its 2019 announcement that the companies would focus on building a computational platform in Azure of unprecedented scale, which will train and run increasingly advanced AI models.

Last month, multiple reports indicated that Microsoft is planning to invest $10 billion in OpenAI. Later in January, Microsoft teased today's announcement, saying it planned to deploy its AI model across our consumer and enterprise products and introduce new categories of digital experiences built on OpenAIs technology.
Google today announced several upgrades to its search, translate and maps applications that use artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to provide expanded answers and live search features that can instantaneously identify objects and locations around a user.

In at an event in Paris, the company demonstrated upgrades for its Google Maps Immersive View and Live View technology, along with new features for electric vehicle (EV) drivers and people who walk, bike or ride public transit that show 3D routes in real time. Live View, announced in 2020, allows users to get directions placed in the real world and on a mini map at the bottom of a mobile screen.

Googles Immersive View, first previewed last year, is now live in five cities. An upgrade to the Google Maps navigation feature, Immersive View uses AI and AR to combine billions of street view and aerial images to create a digital model of the real world that can be used to guide users on a route. That feature is now available in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Tokyo.

Search with Live View and Immersive View are designed to help a user find things close by  such as ATMs, restaurants, parks, and transit stations  just by lifting a phone while on the street. The features also offer helpful information, such as when a business is open, busy right now, and how highly its rated.

Google An example of Google search with Live View.

The Live View feature also allows aerial views. So, for example, users visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam could use it to virtually soar over the building and see entrance locations. And a time slider shows an area at different times of day and with weather forecasts.

You can also spot where it tends to be most crowded so you can have all the information you need to decide where and when to go," Google said. "If youre hungry, glide down to the street level to explore nearby restaurants  and even take a look inside to quickly understand the vibe of a spot before you book your reservation."

Google said the AR technology used to create the overlaid 3D maps can be especially helpful when navigating tricky places, such as an unfamiliar airport. In 2021, the company introduced indoor Live View for select locations in the US, Zurich and Tokyo for just that purpose. It uses AR-generated arrows to point a user to locations like restrooms, lounges, taxi stands, and car rentals.

Over the next few months, Google plans to expand indoor Live View to more than 1,000 new airports, train stations, and malls in Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Paris, Prague, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney, and Taipei.

To create the realistic scenes in Live View, Google uses neural radiance fields (NeRF), an advanced AI technology that transforms photos into 3D representations.

With NeRF, we can accurately recreate the full context of a place including its lighting, the texture of materials and whats in the background. All of this allows you to see if a bars moody lighting is the right vibe for a date night or if the views at a cafe make it the ideal spot for lunch with friends, Google said.

Immersive View with Googles Live View technology also allows a user to use their mobile devices camera to experience a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue before going inside. So, for example, pointing it at a store allows a person to "enter" the store and walk around without even going inside. The feature also identifies landmarks, not only in real time, but also on saved video.

Google Googles Live View allows a user's mobile device camera to discover information about landmarks, such as buildings, not only in real-time video but also in saved clips.

Last year, Google launched a feature called multisearch in the US. It allows for search using text and images at the same time.

Google Google launched multisearch in the US in 2022 and said it is now available worldwide.

Today, Google announced Multisearch is live globally on mobile devices, in all languages and countries where Google Lens is available. It also announced multisearch near me, which allows users to snap a picture or take a screenshot of an object, such as a couch or oven, and then find the merchandise nearby. The company plans to launch "multisearch near me" over the next few months in all languages and countries where Lens is available.

Googles app updates were timed to compete with announcements by Microsoft on Tuesday about enhancements to its Bing search engine. Microsoft, through its partnership with OpenAI, launched upgrades to both Bing and the Edge browser, allowing users to chat or text with the search engine and receive essay-like answers similar to what ChatGPT produces.

"While Google spoke about the promise of AI and demoed parts of it (not necessarily on the core search), and the capabilities being in 'limited preview,' Microsoft announced and showcased deeper integration of AI features into the Bing search and Edge browser, had us play around with it, and talked in detail about the Responsible AI steps that they have taken so far and plan to take on an ongoing basis," said Ritu Jyoti, group IDC"s vice president of Worldwide Artificial Intelligence and Automation Research.

Microsofts event announcing new Bing on the Edge browser was about one thing: getting more search users, said Jason Wong, a distinguished vice president and software design and development analyst with Gartner Research. "The Microsoft investor presentation that followed indicated that a 1% uplift in search could lead to $2 billion in revenue for their advertising business."

What Google announced today was about showing that a mere chatbot interface on top of a search engine will be table stakes, Wong said.

Search is more than just typing phrases or questions in a browser. The need for real-time, contextual answers and information spans our daily activities. We are just beginning to reimagine the last 25 years of the web through generative AI, Wong said.

Google also announced upgrades to its Translate app, providing users with more context. For example, if a user were to ask what are the best constellations for stargazing, after receiving a list, the user could ask about the best time of year to see them.

Google Translate also provides the option to see multiple meanings for questions and help a user find the best translation. The update will start rolling out in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish in the coming weeks.

Search will never be a solved problem. Search is our biggest moonshot, said Prabhakar Raghavan, Googles senior vice president in charge of search, assistant and geo.

Google Prabhakar Raghavan, Googles senior vice president in charge of search, assistant and geo, speaking at the company's Paris event.

Announced in 2016, Google Translate uses a proprietary technology called Google Neural Machine Translation (GNMT) and Zero-Shot Translation to provide word-for-word conversion between language pairs never seen explicitly by the AI system. So, if someone speaks a sentence in English, the application can transpose it into any of 133 languages.

Google also announced a partnership and strategic stake in a competitor to OpenAI, and launched its own chatbot called Bard. Bard is an experimental, conversational AI service that Google said is powered by a technology called Language Model for Dialogue Applications (or LaMDA for short).

Google opened up Bard to beta testers this week ahead of making it more widely available soon.

Wong said Google was caught off guard by the success of ChatGPT, which reached one million users in just five days.

Many people will likely compare Bings ChatGPT responses to Google Bards answers just to see what the differences are. Without a mobile presence for this new Bing chatbot interface, it will likely be hard for Microsoft to make serious inroads into the consumer search business, Wong said.
Singapore set to experience a piece of revived Urdu culture with Dastangoi

Audiences in Singapore are set for a unique experience as a centuries-old Persian and Urdu traditional storytelling art form comes to the city.

Dastangoi - The re-discovered Art of Urdu Storytelling will take place over two evenings on February 10 and 12, 2023 at the Mandarin Oriental Ballroom in Singapore. The upcoming show features performances from famed Indian writer and director Mahmood Farooqui who, along with his uncle, famous Urdu poet and critic Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, revived the lost art in the modern era, and TV anchor, journalist and one of Dastango (storyteller) Darain Shahidi.

Mahmood Farooqui, along with his uncle, famous Urdu poet and critic Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, revived the lost art in the modern era. Photo courtesy: Dastangoi Collective

Dastangoi, which literally means storytelling, is an art form performed by either one or two people that originated in pre-Islamic Arabia in the 13th century. Over the next few centuries, the art migrated eastwards and became a popular community activity during the Mughal Empire.

With Delhi and Lucknow as the primary centres of Dastangoi, the performance art reached its peak in the 19th century before shrinking audiences and Dastangos (storytellers) led to its dormancy in the early 20th century.

Farooqui and his students put on the first modern performance in 2005. Since then, they have staged hundreds of performances in India and abroad and trained Dastangos, signalling a rebirth of the art form.

When I read SR Faruqis magnificent book on Dastangoi, I was immediately hooked and began to plan its revival and popularisation. But we had no models, no previous performers, nothing that we had seen. We worked closely with SR Faruqi and I used my intuition as a theatre person to bring in two performers and roped in my old school friend and theatres associate Himanshu Tyagi for the first show. Our performance was a cross between the traditional ones and modern stage acting and from the very first show in May 2005, it worked and worked magnificently and we never looked back, Mahmood Farooqui told Connected to India.

Dastangoi originated in pre-Islamic Arabia in the 13th century. Over the next few centuries, the art migrated eastwards and became a popular community activity during the Mughal Empire. Photo courtesy: Dastangoi Collective

The upcoming event has been organised by local event firms Action Replay, 7Stories and Limelight Arts. Their aim is to promote the revival of ancient art forms and simultaneously support a Singapore charity, Its Raining Raincoats, an initiative to spread kindness to migrant workers in Singapore.

Two different Dastans will be performed over the two evenings - Chauboli, one of the most popular Dastans, on February 10, and Karn-Az-Mahabharat on February 12.

Chauboli has been our greatest hit and has been performed over a hundred times by over 10 different pairs of performers. I chose it for its story-within-a-story format and it was the third modern story I devised for the stage after Dastan-e-Partition and Dastan-e-Sedition, Farooqui said. Dastan-e-Karn-Az-Mahabharat is the tale of an anti-hero, anti-establishment figure; the angst-ridden outsider, the marginalised. Its a powerful narrative that resonates even in times today, and its ability to make the viewer seek and find contemporary motifs in an ancient story, is the absolute beauty of it.

One of the unique aspects of Dastangoi is the lack of music, special effects and props. The only tools that a Dastango uses are his/her expressions and voice. Records of traditional Dastans highlighted the prevalence of fantasy themes and characteristics in the narratives, which resonate with modern audiences.

Sentences with punch, expressive language and an ability to sketch pictures with language are essential skills for a Dastango. Photo courtesy: Dastangoi Collective

The kind of plots, twists and the fantasy world we create with our stories excite the audiences. Fantasy drama has been a hit globally, people love Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Stranger things etc. because they transport you to a different world. Thats what Dastangoi does to the audiences. Plus, the use of Urdu poetry really adds to the beauty of Dastans, Farooqui said.

Farooqui, who is a journalist, published author, actor and director Farooqui, sees Dastangoi as the medium which allows him to express himself fully. His childhood love of literature and poetry has had a major role in the course of his life.

I can put history, research, poetry, academia into a narrative while keeping it gripping for the audience because of Dastangoi. My education gave me not only wider knowledge about the art form and its background and context, but also the confidence to take it on, he said.

Farooqui envisions a future where Dastangoi has become a widespread phenomenon, and aims to create more Dastans and train more Dastangos.

In earlier days, audiences used to request that the Dastangos perform favoured Dastans. The audience knew their Dastans well back then; this is where I want Dastangoi to go in future, Farooqui said, signing off.
At around 8:45 pm on February 1, 2023, a caller to the Groveland, Massachusetts, 911 emergency line told dispatchers that he harmed someone in a home on Marjorie Street in the upscale small town 34 miles north of Boston. The caller also said he would harm first responders, too.

Groveland police chief Jeffrey Gillen summoned the police, fire, and emergency mutual aid of the nearby towns of Ipswich, Rowley, Topsfield, and Haverhill. Police evacuated neighboring homes around the house on Marjorie Street but soon found out that the call was a hoax, a "swatting" incident designed to draw significant police presence to a targeted location. So far, no arrests have been made.

This incident is part of a growing surge in swatting attacks across the country, including yesterday, when swatting threats were leveled against nearly a dozen school districts in Michigan and multiple schools in Southern California. Swatting, which derives its name from the specialized police forces known as SWAT teams, is a highly dangerous prank that has caused many accidental injuries and even deaths.

Coordinated precision attacks against corporate executives

Prank phone calls to police have existed for decades, but swatting in its more dangerous form took hold in the early 2000s when the FBI warned of the "new phenomenon." It has become a popular revenge technique among gamers. One gamer even incurred a prison sentence for orchestrating a swatting incident that led police to kill a man in Kansas.

Swatting has affected many high-profile individuals, from Hollywood celebrities and music industry stars to political leaders and even cybersecurity journalists. Now, according to digital executive protection company BlackCloak, swatting incidents are reaching the top ranks of Fortune 500 companies, with unknown bad actors targeting C-suite executives and corporate board members.

The company is announcing today that over the last four months, its threat intelligence team has identified a surge in doxxing and swatting of executives, board members, and other high-profile persons. These incidents use information from the dark web, data broker information, company website "about the leadership team" pages, and property records. The recent attacks have been heavily focused on the healthcare, biomed, pharma, and esports gaming industries but have expanded in recent weeks to other sectors.

"What we're seeing right now is very, very different," Chris Pierson, a former DHS advisor and the founder and CEO of BlackCloak, tells CSO. "It's a coordinated precision attack against corporate executives."

Information retrieved from data brokers, data breaches

The way it works in this new corporate swatting surge is that the malicious actors go to the websites of corporations, identify the top executives and board members, and with lists in hand, visit the websites of data brokers such as 411.com, Spokeo, and others. While there, the swatters grab whatever they can  names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, whatever is available. It is a "one-stop shop for finding the locations of executives and corporate officers," says Pierson.

Alternatively, the threat actors plumb the archives of content aggregated from thousands of data breaches over the years. The swatter can easily find out that an executive "ordered new jogging shorts or whatever" and where those shorts were shipped, he says.

Once the cybercriminals have that information, they do one of two things: use synthesized voice devices or make robotic recordings and call the police. The messages generally focus on a hostage or murder situation. Pierson says a sample recording might be "there's a hostage situation, murder situation, two people are dead at One Main Street or One Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Get there quickly. We need help."

Regarding executive swatting, "We are seeing this with more frequency," Pierson says, and "the trend is unnerving." That is why BlackCloak is issuing a press release alerting corporate America to a phenomenon that his firm has seen accelerating over the past five or six weeks.

"I think it's become much more dangerous. And, we've been communicating privately with our relationship partners on the inside of the companies that this is now something about which everyone needs to be much more sensitized."

Steps to lower swatting risks

BlackCloak has no insight into why swatters would be targeting corporate decision-makers but does think it's an organized campaign. "We don't know what the motivation is. It could be things associated with current events, or it could be to cause chaos," Pierson says. "But we don't have a definitive motive."

Absent a clearer picture of who the adversaries are, Pierson's advice to corporate leaders is to "number one, remove your personal information from data broker sites however you do it, but remove it." Number two is sharing less personal information. "Decrease the amount of stuff you are sharing," he says.

The third thing to reduce the risk of swatting is: "Alter the information that is on the [company] About Us page, so it does not include the, 'Hey, I live in Newton, Massachusetts with my wife Sally, and my dog Muffy, and my three kids.'" Moreover, "make sure that if you're a publicly traded company that within SEC reports you remove mention of family, residence, home residents, family members from any publicly filed documents."

A more difficult recommendation offered by Pierson is for executives and board members to register their homes not in their own names but in the name of a trust or an LLC. "Now, the only problem with that is if your homes are already registered in your name, you can never erase it from the record."

Pierson offers no details on which of BlackCloak's clients have been hit with swatting attacks. However, he did say the areas that have been clusters of corporate executive swatting since the beginning of the year include Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

"A lot of those companies we're protecting are located in those areas, so we're seeing that. But, there is a lot more activity happening in some of those big geographic areas," he says. Given the widespread and coordinated nature of the campaigns, Pierson thinks we will likely see some of these cases coming out in local police reports soon.
Data security and management vendor has announced the 7.0 software release of its Cohesity Data Cloud platform. The release provides customers with enhanced cyber resiliency capabilities to help protect and secure data against cyberattacks, the firm stated in its announcement. Expanded features include privileged access hardening, accelerated ransomware recovery for files and objects, and attack surface reduction via AWS GovCloud support, Cohesity added.

Cohesity 7.0 focuses on a data-centric approach to cyber resilience

In a press release, Cohesity explained that the 7.0 software release helps businesses take a more data-centric approach to cyber resilience including data immutability, data isolation (or cyber vaulting), and recovery at scale. Organizations are facing significant challenges with managing and securing their data estate across cloud and on-premises, with ransomware and data theft as their number one concern, commented Chris Kent, VP product and solutions marketing, Cohesity. Cohesity Data Cloud 7.0 adds a new layer of protection and recovery to organizations most critical data.

Cohesity 7.0 offers hardened access controls, data lifecycle features, AWS GovCloud support

Hardened access controls for Cohesity Data Cloud enable tighter control and management of privileged administrative accounts and protection of access credentials, Cohesity said. These controls further increase the difficulty of threat actors tampering with backup data. New innovative differentiators, like split key capabilities, require multiple people to authenticate for some privileged access to administrative controls. No single administrator can unilaterally issue privileged commands, thereby helping to protect data from malicious threat actors, the firm added.

Cohesity has also advanced ransomware recovery for files and objects with Cohesity SmartFiles, the vendor stated. New powerful data lifecycle features are designed to reduce the attack surface for data exfiltration by ensuring data is not retained for longer than necessary, and custom security policies help further secure unstructured data from unauthorized access and attacks. The new release also introduces new capabilities for analyzing and visualizing data utilization on third party NAS systems to help organizations move data to SmartFiles for long-term retention and data immutability, it added.

Lastly, Cohesity Data Cloud 7.0 adds support for AWS GovCloud for target data and metadata protection to help organizations reduce their attack surface by consolidating multiple point products, Cohesity claimed. Additional storage targets for long-term retention, and support for local backup on third-party platforms including Lenovo SR645, HPE DL360 and DL380, Cisco UCS C220M6 AFC and C240 M6, and Dell 740XD for private cloud deployments.

Commenting on the release, Randy Kerns, senior strategist and analyst at Evaluator Group, noted Cohesity Data Cloud 7.0s split key and KMS auto-failover capabilities as a means to help support customers and partners to protect data against cyberattacks.
Researchers warn that a new threat actor has been targeting over a thousand organizations since October with the goal of deploying credential-stealing malware. The attack chain also involves reconnaissance components including a Trojan that takes screenshots of the desktops of infected computers.

Tracked as TA866 by researchers from security firm Proofpoint, the group's tooling seems to have similarities to other campaigns reported in the past under different names going as far back as 2019. Even though this latest activity appears to be financially motivated, some of the possibly related attacks seen in the past suggest that espionage was also a motivation at the time.

How the Screentime attack campaign works

Proofpoint has dubbed this latest campaign Screentime due to attackers using screenshotting utilities written in different programming languages early in the attack chain for victim profiling.

"Screenshotter has a single purpose of taking a screenshot of the victim's screen and sending it to the command and control (C2) server," the researchers said in a new report. "The threat actor likely manually examines the victim's screenshot image during their normal working hours and places additional payloads for the WasabiSeed loop to download. Screenshotter takes more screenshots if the actor is not satisfied with previous screenshots."

The attacks start with phishing emails that use thread hijacking techniques and have different lures such as "please judge my business presentation." They try to get users to download and open either Publisher (.pub) files with malicious macros or malicious JavaScript files. The emails contain links that direct users to the files after the traffic is filtered through a series of redirects, PDF attachments that include the links or directly .pub attachments.

"Most campaigns during October and November 2022 involved only a limited number of emails and focused on a small number of companies," the researchers said. "Campaigns were observed on average one to two times a week and messages contained attached Publisher files. In November and December 2022, around the time when the threat actor switched to using URLs, the scale of operation grew, and email volumes increased drastically. Typical campaigns consisted of thousands or even tens of thousands of emails and were observed two to four times a week."

If executed, the malicious files deploy a malware program called WasabiSeed that's delivered as an MSI installer and establishes persistence by creating an autorun shortcut in the Windows startup folder. WasabiSeed is a simple script written in VBS whose goal is to download and execute additional payloads.

One of those first payloads is the Screenshotter tool. Since the campaign began attackers have used multiple variants of this tool written in Python; AutoIT, a scripting language for task automation in Windows; and JavaScript with a bundled copy of IrfanView, an image editing tool for Windows. The JavaScript+IrfanView variant is the latest one observed.

On targets deemed interesting WasabiSeed also deploys a post-exploitation dubbed AHK Bot that's written in AutoHotKey, another scripting language used to automate tasks on Windows. AHK Bot is composed of AutoHotKey scripts that enable the attackers to perform different tasks. One is called Domain Profiler and is used to extract the ActiveDirectory domain the machine is connected to and send it to the command-and-control server.

Another script called Stealer Loader downloads a DLL file and loads it into the computer's memory. This DLL file is an information stealing malware known as Rhadamanthys Stealer that started being advertised for sale on cybercrime forums in August 2022. Its features include stealing crypto wallets, steam accounts, passwords from browsers, FTP clients, chat clients (e.g., Telegram, Discord), email clients, VPN configurations, cookies and any other files attackers may want.

Because the payload delivery requires manual intervention from the attackers, the researchers suspect their time zone is UTC+2:00 or +3:00 (Eastern Europe and Russia). Some of the malware also contains comments in Russian. The campaigns have targeted over 1,000 organizations, primarily from the US and Germany.

Screentime attack could be for financial gain or espionage

"Most of the activity recently observed by Proofpoint suggests recent campaigns are financially motivated. However, assessment of historic related activities suggests a possible, additional espionage objective," the researchers warned. "The use of Screenshotter to gather information on a compromised host before deploying additional payloads indicates the threat actor is manually reviewing infections to identify high-value targets. The AD profiling is especially concerning as follow-on activities could lead to compromises on all domain-joined hosts."






China provides emergency aid to Turkiye, Syria

Xinhua) 09:19, February 08, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China has launched an emergency humanitarian assistance mechanism and will provide emergency aid to quake-hit Turkiye and Syria, said Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, on Tuesday.

China will provide the first batch of emergency aid worth 40 million yuan (about 5.89 million U.S. dollars) to Turkiye, according to Deng. A rescue team will leave within hours and a medical team will be sent within the shortest time possible, he added.

He said China is coordinating efforts to provide relief supplies to Syria and speeding up the implementation of the ongoing food aid program.

More than 4,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

The Chinese government will continue to provide aid to the two countries within its capacity and in light of the evolving situation and actual needs, Deng said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Protesters interrupted an event hosted by Turning Point USAs University of Oregon chapter featuring two far-right speakers, Tuesday night. The event was held in Lillis 112.

A group of people dressed in black heckled the speakers, Stephen David and Anthony Watson. David got in a yelling match with the protesters, prompting UO safety and risk services and UO police department Chief Jason Wade to tell the group of protesters to leave.

The protesters said they came together to the event after they saw posters for it around campus.

Graphics for the event were shared on social media, gathering support and opposition.

This is fascism, the protestors said during the event.

Six UOPD officers stood outside the room during the event.

Wade said UOPD came to the event because they were wary of fallouts that had occurred at other conservative speaking events similar to this one.

Weve seen different ideals clash, Wade said. We wanted to make sure it was verbally and not physically.

The event wasnt listed on the UOs website, but UO spokesperson Kay Jarvis said UO was aware of the club event.

UO policy and the Constitution protects freedom of speech, she said, and supports open debate.

While the university may find certain speech to be disagreeable, offensive, or contrary to many of the values we hold as an institution, we at the same time recognize the rights of our student organizations to speak on such topics, Jarvis said.

There are resources available to students and employees who may be distressed by this event, she said.

The Lundquist Deans office said the event is not sponsored by the Lundquist College of Business.
A glorious , late winter afternoon in Central London. Celestial sunlight cascaded through the stained glass windows of Westminster Hall, bathing it in a sea of buttercup yellow. Soon though, President Volodymyr Zelensky was transporting our imaginations to a far bleaker place.

A place smashed by tanks and haunted by the constant whine of rockets. A place where mothers, sisters, daughters, fathers, brothers and sons, pray hard each day as heroic Ukrainians sit in the trenches facing artillery fire.

A place not so very far from our own peaceful shores.

There had been no state trumpeters, no ceremonial guards, not even so much as a fancy string ensemble to mark his arrival. But then Zelensky requires no fanfare or flummery to make an entrance.

Just the mere sight of the Ukrainian Presidents purposeful march into the hammer-beamed Norman barn of the Hall yesterday  barrel-chested, arms pumping  prompted the sort of thunderclap reception that makes the spine tingle and skin prickle.

Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord McFall (L) and Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle (R), welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (2nd L) to Westminster Hall

A selfie taken by Seema Malhotra during the speech by the Ukrainian President inside Westminster Hall

He had been invited to address both Houses of Parliament, our rarest of honours. Nelson Mandela did it. So did De Gaulle and Obama.

Now too, this extraordinary man who, over the past year has galvanised a nation  if not the world  by daring to stand tall against the most detestable of despots, has been rightly afforded the same privilege.

He stood at the lectern, his face etched in stony defiance, as MPs and Peers clapped and whooped their appreciation. Zelensky may like to fashion himself as a man of the people, but at that moment he could not have looked more kingly had he been draped tip-to-toe in ermine.

And yet it was dressed in his customary army fatigues and commando boots that he faced his audience  a resolute symbol of solidarity with his own armed forces, and a sign that he too was ready to do battle against a foreign invader whose own tyrannical leader remains hidden away in his palaces.

Zelensky could have taken the cowards route by accepting safe passage abroad when war broke out. But he chose to remain and lead his nation, winning the worlds admiration in the process as Ukrainians demonstrated an indefatigable resistance to malign forces that many had predicted would overrun their land within days.

President Zelensky thanked Britain for its support, acknowledging we had been with Kyiv since Day 1. And he gave special thanks to Boris Johnson who, as prime minister, had led the West in supporting his country.

A selfie of Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE with Sue Hayman prior to Mr Zelensky's speech today

He stood at the lectern, his face etched in stony defiance, as MPs and Peers clapped and whooped their appreciation

You got others united when it seemed impossible, Zelensky said. A nice touch.

Boldly, he chose to speak in English. It was a tad shaky at times. But he is a natural performer who knows how to hold an audience. Indeed, the man oozes charisma. Its hard to remember that this global statesman was, not so long ago, earning a crust as a TV actor/comedian before fate selected him for a far higher calling.

Around the Hall, MPs listened on, enraptured by their guests courageous oratory. Usually at this hour, most members are heading to the bars for post-PMQs snifters. Whisper it, but some even head for the train to attend to what might loosely be described as constituency business. A long weekend to you or I. Not yesterday. The Hall was rammed to the rafters.

Zelensky recalled his last trip to London in 2020, two years before the bombs began falling on his homeland, when hed taken afternoon tea in the Commons with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Sir Lindsay had earlier informed us that he had served up Chorley Cakes, a traditional delicacy from his native Lancashire. Mr President enthused about the tea but, diplomatically, offered no verdict on the Chorley cakes.

Zelensky recalled his last trip to London in 2020, two years before the bombs began falling on his homeland

King Charles III held an audience with the Ukrainian President during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion

Maybe it was the chill in the Hall  those vast, cold slab flagstones like an inbuilt layer of permafrost  but there seemed to be a collective sense of goosebumps when he described visiting the War Rooms off Whitehall.

We heard him, in pin-drop silence, tell of the moment he sat in Sir Winston Churchills chair. A tour guide had asked him how it felt.

And I said that I suddenly felt something, he said. But it is only now that I know what the feeling was. And all Ukrainians know it perfectly well, too. It is a feeling of how bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory.

There were many Churchillian overtones in this speech as, with determined gravity, he told us of the need for aggressors to lose. Evil loses, he announced. We know that freedom will win.

Then it was time to go. God Bless Great Britain, and long, long live the King, the President yelled. Slava Ukraini!

And with that, he disappeared into the audience, his stocky frame soon lost among the admirers desperate to grab some of his stardust. A true giant among a sea of pygmies.
There was something strange about Chinas high-altitude balloon travelling across America last week before it was shot down by the U.S. Air Forces F22 jets.

For six days, the lumbering airship floated some 50,000 ft over the worlds greatest superpower, reportedly even travelling over Alaska without being detected.

In an age of advanced satellite communications, Star Wars-style anti-missile defences, early-warning systems and laser-guided missiles, here was a machine that would have looked old-fashioned to the Wright brothers, the American aviation pioneers of the early 20th century.

Beijings spy balloon was able to run rings around the U.S.s top surveillance programmes precisely because it was so slow and primitive.

The case, I believe, has profound and far-reaching lessons  and we would do well to heed them.

Aggressive

The spy balloon is seen drifting above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, on Saturday - with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it

This week, the Mail has drawn attention to the parlous state of Britains defence capability. As the world becomes ever more perilous, with a revanchist Russia and an increasingly aggressive China destabilising geopolitics, the democracies have a clear need to retain mighty military forces.

Several influential voices have called for a vast increase in Britains military spending  and with good reason.

But while new tanks, jets, guns, warships, ammunition and the rest are all vital, the next world war  should it ever come  is just as likely to be fought online as on the battlefield. That is why we must match any spending on military hardware with massive investment in technological defence  that is, our ability to wage war in cyberspace.

Just imagine a nightmare scenario in which the Chinese fitted a small nuclear bomb to a second balloon and floated it over the U.S.  to detonate over Chicago, say.

Given the limited scale of the weapon, the explosion itself might not cause much physical devastation or loss of life.

But its shockwaves could nevertheless cripple much of the electronic infrastructure across the eastern U.S..

Mobile phones, internet access, energy grids, water supplies, transport networks and military logistics would all be hit. Parts of society would cease to function.

This is the threat for which we should be preparing: investing in the technology and the skills needed to detect and neutralise such attacks.

Britain is lucky to have a world-beating intelligence and security asset in GCHQ at Cheltenham. But our systems are still too prone to attack by foreign regimes, criminal gangs and terrorists.

In recent months, the world has been dazzled by developments in artificial intelligence (AI). Programs such as the remarkable ChatGPT machine-learning software, which can answer many questions better and more coherently than humans do, have hinted at the scale of this capability.

Deepfake technology, in which computers generate spookily realistic videos of individuals apparently saying things they would never say in real life, is another example.

These technologies are aimed at civilians. But you can be sure that our potential adversaries are studying how to exploit AI and other modern tech in a future war. We should now be matching their investment pound for pound.

In recent months, the world has been dazzled by developments in artificial intelligence. Programs such as the remarkable ChatGPT machine-learning software, which can answer many questions better and more coherently than humans do, have hinted at the scale of this capability

My point is that, as regular scandals in military procurement illustrate, a splurge of cash on huge projects is in itself no guarantee of effectiveness. As with the NHS, just throwing money at problems doesnt solve them.

The Ajax armoured vehicle, for instance, was meant to enter service six years ago. The 5.5 billion project remains beset by problems in development and production.

Our entire approach over recent years has been unbalanced, with too much money squandered on prestige initiatives, while the foundations of defence have been neglected.

All three of the services have been reduced in size, but there has been no commensurate pruning in senior hierarchies.

In 2019, the Ministry of Defence admitted that the Royal Navy had 34 admirals  but just 20 warships. The higher ranks of the RAF are packed with air vice-marshals, yet the entire RAF has fewer operational planes than the average U.S. aircraft carrier.

These people need to be far better deployed  and better trained, regardless of the cost  for the hi-tech world of the 2020s.

The truth is that our Armed Forces have grown complacent, the generals fighting  or at least preparing to fight  the wars of the last century.

After the Soviet Union fell, a misguided belief took hold that Britain was no longer in any danger from external threats  the world had witnessed what some called the end of history.

This led to the theory that our Armed Forces should project British power overseas instead of protecting us at home. The Army was to be revamped as an elite, lean expeditionary force, just as the Royal Navy would inspire awe around the world with two vast new aircraft carriers, together costing 7 billion.

It is a strategy that has backfired calamitously.

Sabotage

The Royal Navy released images of HMS Portland tracking the Russian vessels in the North Sea on January 9, 2023

Failed interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan badly undermined Britains military reputation, while the construction of the two carriers now looks like an act of epic folly.

One has been plagued with technical problems, and both have had to use borrowed American planes because Britain does not have its own suitable seaborne aircraft.

The skewed priority given to the carriers has left our defence spending hopelessly unbalanced. The Royal Navy now lacks the sailors, submarines and ships to guard the underwater infrastructure  such as utility pipelines and internet cables  around our coast.

Like a nuclear explosion released from a high-altitude balloon, a deliberate, sustained, but deniable attack by unknown assailants on this infrastructure would cause social mayhem and economic meltdown. The sabotage of the Nordstream gas pipeline last September was a warning shot in this respect  one that has exposed our lack of preparedness for such attacks.

And this leads me to another key question about how best to prepare for war in the modern era. It is often a question of proportion.

The former U.S. President George W. Bush, a critic of Pentagon excess, complained about the absurdity of aiming a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent, and then hit a camel in the butt, as he put it.

The same mismatch can be seen in the current Ukrainian war, where Western anti-aircraft missiles, often costing over $250,000, are being fired against Iranian drones with a price tag of just $5,000. Old-fashioned flak guns could do the job just as well.

Danger

Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston (left) and Station Commander for RAF Coningsby Billy Cooper (right) with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his visit to RAF Coningsby in Linconshire

We also need less sophistication in our defence recruitment. The RAFs emphasis on gender balance for its fighter pilots, for instance, ignores the fact that the Typhoon helmet is too heavy for the average woman, no matter how committed she is.

This is not just a question of redesign: the helmets in-built protections and hi-tech components mean it is always going to be very heavy.

It is ridiculous that, as we learnt this week, the RAF is struggling with personnel shortages, yet at the same time rejecting young, tough, capable men who are keen to do the job  simply because of their sex.

Some elements of war are timeless. As George Orwell warned: We sleep soundly because rough men stand ready in the night to do violence on those who would do us harm.

It is critical, then, that increased spending on military hardware corresponds to far greater and better-targeted investment in how to deal with the sort of attacks we are actually likely to face in future  as well as on the spying capabilities that could identify the perpetrators.

The world is growing more dangerous. How we approach that danger now will determine whether or not we finally overcome it  should the terrible day ever come when we discover we need to try.

Mark Almond is director of the Crisis Research Institute, Oxford.
As if she's a Hollywood film star obsessing over celebrity magazines covering the latest twists and turns in her colourful private life, ISIS terrorist Shamima Begum started attacking the British media for exposing her horrific crimes against humanity.

'What was there to obsess over? We went to ISIS, that was it, it was over. They just wanted to continue the story because it was a story  it was the big story,' she sneered like a sulky teenager.

You'd imagine such shameless propaganda would be confined to marginalised pro-ISIS corners of the dark web.

But last night, our so-called public service broadcaster spewed out 90-minutes of this vomit-inducing crap and I am furious about it.

The British Bashing Corporation otherwise known as the BBC has decided Shamima Begum deserves rehabilitation, despite admitting that when she defected to ISIS she KNEW she was leaving the UK for good and felt 'relieved' about her decision.

As if she's a Hollywood film star obsessing over celebrity magazines covering the latest twists and turns in her colourful private life, ISIS terrorist Shamima Begum started attacking the British media for exposing her horrific crimes against humanity

But, according to the Beeb's narrative, as a Muslim teenager growing up on the racist, Islamophobic streets of East London, it wasn't really her fault that she chose to defect to a death cult that had already started a vicious campaign of terror, including the beheading of Brits.

So first the BBC commissioned a glamorous podcast series aimed at young people titled I'm Not a Monster, just in case anyone was confused about their editorial position on Shamima.

And last night, BBC2 handed over 90-minutes of its primetime schedule to broadcast The Shamima Begum Story, where the stateless ghoul was given the chance to totally rewrite her narrative.

We're now meant to believe Shamima is a victim, you see.

Shockingly, this twisted campaign seems to be working.

At the weekend, Begum appeared on the front of the prestigious Times Magazine.

Dressed in a western outfit, complete with Nike hat, designed to convince us she has changed, the cover line trumpeted, alongside promotion of the latest Hollywood movie and winter stew recipes: 'Unveiled: The Confessions of Shamima Begum.'

Remember this is the same Shamima who, when she was first tracked down to a Syrian camp, refused to express remorse for the ISIS Manchester Arena bombings, where 22 innocent Britons were slaughtered, including eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos.

When asked to apologise to the British victims then, she snarled: 'It's a two-way thing really because women and children are being killed back in Islamic State right now. And it's kind of retaliation.'

Last night, BBC2 handed over 90-minutes of its primetime schedule to broadcast The Shamima Begum Story, where the stateless ghoul was given the chance to totally rewrite her narrative

At that point, it was obvious what sort of monster we were dealing with: A treasonous traitor who could never be trusted and certainly shouldn't be paraded as a glamorous victim on the cover of a b****y magazine.

The Home Secretary Sajid Javid rightly stripped Begum of her citizenship, insisting the decision was morally and legally right, given her Bangladeshi heritage, to protect the British people and that we'd all do the same if we knew what he knew.

But Begum, following the celebrity playbook and using the platform provided by the BBC, last night unbelievably decided to blame the media organisations who tracked her down for her current troubles.

She whined: 'I felt very used by the journalists. I felt they did not care about my mental health and where my mind was at that time.'

Begum told the BBC puff piece she now 'regrets' her words and apologised to the victims by saying: 'I'm so sorry that you went through this.'

But those words are hollow.

Begum has been PR trained to within an inch of her life by the various hard-left lawyers, activists and media figures who have had unbridled access to her in the camp for the past few years.

They know that a massive turnaround in public opinion is required if Begum is ever going to be able to return.

So her well-rehearsed line is that she just had to keep spouting pro-ISIS bull on camera because otherwise she would be murdered by female terrorists at the Al-Roj camp in northeast Syria, where she rightly continues to languish.

As ever with the BBC, I think much of their embrace of Begum comes down to grotesque identity politics.

Dan Wootton

Bleeding heart Beeb staff allow Shamima and her friends to present a picture of a disadvantaged 'brown girl' from East London who felt like a 'black sheep' in modern British society because of her Muslim religion being groomed and manipulated by a terror group.

To hell with the fact that the Home Office and MI5 still believe Begum would pose a threat to national security and that she joined ISIS 'with her eyes open'.

There has been no such campaign to rehabilitate Jihadi Jack Letts, a middle-class white teenager from Oxford who doesn't engender the same sympathy from the liberal establishment.

I'd love to know how the families of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning  both good men beheaded by ISIS  feel about the relentless push to present Begum as the victim.

Because we know what they think about the clear and present threat she poses to British society.

David's daughter Bethany Haines has described her as a 'ticking time bomb', while Alan's brother Paul Henning rightly labelled her 'evil scum'.

Last night's rewriting of history on primetime TV might have accepted her flat denials, but I believe the reports that Begum spent her time in ISIS working as a member of the barbaric morality police, carrying a Kalashnikov rifle and ensuring women stuck to their sick rules while helping to sew suicide vests for male jihadists.

Showing the immoral bid to transform Shamima Begum from terrorist to celebrity cover star shames the BBC and reveals clearly why I am convinced the corporation no longer has the best interests of Britain at its heart.
A server sparked furious outrage after she revealed she was forced to pay a customer's bill after they dined and dashed because their card was declined.

Audrey, 22, from Dallas, explained that the burden of the check fell on her when the table she was waiting on couldn't cover the amount and left the restaurant.

The server caused a massive debate between social media users to ensue, just two months after another woman brought tipping etiquette to the forefront of the conversation.

In a viral video, which has amassed over 721,000 views, she begged customers to avoid dining out, before adding, 'don't order s*** you can't afford.'

While many TikTok viewers felt bad for the waitress and pushed her to sue the establishment she works for, others slammed Audrey for not knowing the labor laws and handling the check without question.

Audrey , 22, from Dallas, revealed she had to pay a customer's bill when their card was declined and they dined and dashed

In a viral video, which has amassed over 721,000 views, she begged customers to avoid dining out, before adding, 'don't order s*** you can't afford'

Meanwhile, other servers came to Audrey's defense, noting that they too have been left with other choice but to hand over their wallet in these instances, leaving social media users in a frenzy over how establishments should handle pesky dine and dashers.

'A big [f***] you to the people who walked $300 worth of food and alcohol and the card declined and I had to pay part of their bill since I was your server.

'Not only did I lose a $55 tip I lost $70 of my own money because of yall.'

Poll Do YOU think servers should have to pay the check when a customer dines and dashes? Yes No Do YOU think servers should have to pay the check when a customer dines and dashes? Yes 11 votes

No 604 votes Now share your opinion





'Treat your servers better and dont order s*** you cant afford,' she captioned the viral video.

The clip quickly garnered popularity amongst TikTok viewers as many of them pushed the 22-year-old to file a lawsuit, prompting some users on the video-sharing platform to claim she wasn't 'too bright' for paying.

However, many fellow servers took to the comments to reveal they had also been forced to pick up the check when a customer had dined and dashed.

In a follow-up video, the 22-year-old explained that she had just moved to a new state and didn't know the labor laws.

She added that she liked her job, co-workers and doesn't have the luxury of quitting her job because of this incident.

'I cannot afford to just quit my job and not have another one lined up.

'I literally cannot afford to do that right now,' she explained.

In a follow-up video, the 22-year-old explained that she had just moved to a new state and didn't know the labor laws

Audrey assured her followers that she planned to discuss the shocking occurrence with her manager.

Many social media users came to Audrey's defense and claimed that forcing servers to pay a customer's bill is against the law.

According to Slate, the situation isn't as clear cut as it seems.

Luke O'Neill wrote: 'On a federal level, this type of wage deduction isnt roundly prohibited by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the law that establishes minimum-wage and other employment standards.

'The FLSA generally prevents employers from taking servers tips, and it prohibits wage deductions for walkouts when an employer claims the maximum tip credit or when such deductions bring a workers net earnings below minimum wage.'

This means that if an employer is paying below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, reductions are only illegal if they bring a worker's hourly wage below $7.25.

Social media users, still outraged by the occurrence, offered their support and advice to the 22-year-old

However, many states have laws in effect to prevent employers from deducing a server's wage due to a customer's refusal to pay.

These states include Massachusetts, New York, and California.

Social media users, still outraged by the occurrence, offered their support and advice to the 22-year-old.

One user said: 'Omg Im so sorry. This should be illegal. It wasnt your fault.'

Another added: 'Depending on the state you live in you can sue the restaurant for that.'

'You got this girl! Youve got the best mindset. Be nice but firm,' commented one user.

Other servers took to the comments section to let her know she wasn't alone in her experience

Other servers took to the comments section to let her know she wasn't alone in her experience.

'This has happened to me they will do it again please look out for yourself,' commented one user.

Another person wrote: 'Same thing happened to a server at a place I bussed at. $250 or something and they walked, the owner tried to get him to pay and he walked.'

'This just happened to me last night. $280 tab. Then she came back, tried to order more I said no she called me lazy and I went in on her,' commented one user.
A woman sparked a debate after saying she thinks that customers are 'behaving in an increasingly unreasonable, rude and aggressive manner'.

Taking to the parenting forum Mumsnet, the British woman, who works in Customer Service explained that she is 'broken' due to the 'unreasonable' behaviour of the public.

She claimed that she loves her job, but finds that customers are becoming more regularly rude and aggressive, and fellow commenters agreed with one McDonald's worker describing how they've been threatened and sexually assaulted.

Meanwhile, a convenience store worker said they'd been abused by a customer because his none of his lottery tickets were winners.

However, others claimed staff attitudes in public- facing roles has 'really gone downhill'.

A woman sparked a debate on Mumsnet after saying she thinks that customers are 'behaving in an increasingly unreasonable, rude and aggressive manner' (stock image)

The original poster explained that she 'loves my wee job' but 'the customers broke me today'

'So much rudeness, aggressiveness and just general unreasonableness. It seems to be becoming a very regular thing lately. Anyone else? Broken,' she wrote.

'I'm afraid that I absolutely WILL lay it at the feet of the customer when they are criticising me for doing my actual job, and being unreasonable in not accepting that there are store policies, which mean that I can't just do it their way because that's not how it works. I will also criticise them when they are just plain rude and aggressive.

'None of these have anything to do with genuine customer service, and everything to do with customers who think they know how to do your job and you don't, and that they can take their bad day out on the retail staff who don't count as actual people.'

Taking to the parenting forum, the British woman, who works in Customer Service explained that she is 'broken' due to the 'unreasonable' behaviour of some people

From defecating in a changing room to swearing and sexual assaults, people have revealed the worst experiences they've had in customer services

Commenters were quick to agree, ad said things had become worse since the pandemic.

'Worked in the same industry for 30 years and definitely an increase in horrible entitled people since COVID,' one wrote.

Another added: 'Customers expect us to bend the laws of physics for them. We must do the impossible while being screamed at and all for near enough minimum wage.

'I feel like Covid was a real turning point in how customers behave. Its like everyone forgot their manners after lockdown.

'We went from refereeing loo roll fights to being essential workers and now were bottom of the pile. I think everyone forgets that we still rocked up at work every day and had customers loom over us coughing in our faces sans mask.'

Others described how they've been screamed at and sworn at by customers over things that are completely beyond her control - leaving them wanting to quit

A fellow commenter described how a colleague had a drink thrown over her because she couldn't replace it.

'We are a franchise and although we are the same brand, we cannot replace from stores not belonging to our franchise,' she explained.

Elsewhere, a McDonald's worker said that while most customers are 'fantastic', she's been sexually assaulted, spat at and verbally abused.

And a retail worker recalled how someone defecated in a changing room and wiped themselves with the curtain.

However some people think staff attitudes are the problem saying people are frustrated by terrible customer service.

However some people think staff attitudes are the problem saying people are frustrated by terrible customer service

One person replied saying: 'I find it completely the opposite experience. Staff attitudes in public-facing roles has really gone downhill lately, rude, abrupt, abrasive, ignoring you, chatting amongst themselves and then being huffy when you ask for their help.

'Someone was so rude to me the other day in a shop that I'd had enough and after I paid for my things I said to them ''I hope a computer replaces you by next year''.

Another said: 'I think as a lot of people have said, people are increasingly frustrated by terrible customer service. It seems to be everywhere.

'You are treated as an inconvenience or treated as though you're bone achingly stupid for not knowing the rules or procedure in the particular place youre in, even if its not clear or no one has told you.

'There is little to no excuse for people being rude to you but it is easy to also be ground down from the other side of it.'

While someone else agreed: 'Unfortunately OP customer service has declined in many areas.

Others claimed that people are getting even ruder to customer service and retail staff who deal with 'constant abuse'

'I don't think there's a customer service phone line that isn't experiencing an unusually high volume of calls at the moment, for example.

'This is because there's often not enough staff to do the required workload and the people at the top wan to make sure they get their bonuses and payouts. It means some otherwise polite customers might be a little fed up.

'There's no excuse for customers being deliberately mean and unpleasant for the sake of it.

'Sometimes I imagine some of the very rude ones go back to their friends cackling about "so I told her! I said (insert totally unnecessary mean comment here)" and then the friends all laugh about how hilarious it is.'

While others think customer service has got worse since Covid which is making people more agitated

Another wore: 'I do think COVID has made a lot of people forget their people skills.

'However I also think customer service is at a diabolically low level, Im sick of paying for pi** poor service by people who cant be arsed doing their job properly.'
Stuck on where to go on vacation?

Well a celebrity astrologist has revealed where you should book your next trip and who you should avoid as your travel companion based on your star sign.

Inbaal Honigman said our personality types can be divided generally into four categories 'temperamental, emotional, practical or intellectual, or to use their elemental synonyms  fiery, water, earthy or airy.'

'Those characteristics show themselves in our astrological signs and have quite a noticeable influence on who we are during our holidays, a time when we are really free to be ourselves,' she said.

A celebrity astrologist has revealed where you should book your next trip based on your star sign and who you should avoid as your travel companion

Ready for a vacation? The best cities or countries you should visit based on your star sign Aries Location: London, UK Avoid: Cancer Taurus Location: Paris, France Avoid: Gemini Gemini Location: Melbourne, Australia Avoid: Taurus Cancer Location: Winterthur, Switzerland Avoid: Aries Leo Location: Bangkok, Thailand Avoid: Virgo Virgo Location: Hanover, Germany Avoid: Leo Libra Location: London, UK Avoid: Sagittarius Scorpio Location: Reykjavik, Iceland Avoid: Capricorn Sagittarius Location: Nepal Avoid: Libra Capricorn Location: Beijing, China Avoid: Scorpio Aquarius Location: Tokyo, Japan Avoid: Pisces Pisces Location: Brazil Avoid: Aquarius Advertisement

'Fire signs like Aries, Leo and Sagittarius love to keep active and need a holiday that gets them sweating. Water signs like Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces love a restful holiday surrounded by their favorite people.

'Earth signs like Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn enjoy a vacation with a touch of luxury. Air signs like Gemini, Libra and Aquarius go for a break that challenges the mind.'

The celebrity astrologist has also detailed which signs should avoid traveling with each other.

Inbaal reveals why a 'fiery' Aries would be a mismatch for a 'peaceful' Cancer while on vacation, and how it could spell bad news for a holidaying Libra to team up with a 'free-spirited' Sagittarius.

With the help of rental property search engine Holidu, Inbaal has laid out the best destinations for each star sign and why they're a perfect fit for you.

London's calling for Aries: Its fast pace will suit the 'tireless' star sign

Travelers who were born under the sign of ram 'find themselves getting bored quick,' so the fast-paced city life of London will hold their attention. Pictured is Buckingham Palace

Travelers who were born under the sign of ram 'find themselves getting bored quick,' so the fast-paced city life of London will be more than enough to hold their attention.

'[They] are active, busy, and like to go, go, go,' Inbaal told DailyMail.com

'London is one of the cities with the most activities available, chock-a-block with experiences and attractions, and so would fit a tireless Aries.'

Holidu researchers picked London as it had more than 2,000 five star-rated 'things to do' based on Tripadvisor data.

Other destinations recommended were Rome, Paris, Kathmandu and Hanoi.

As for a travel buddy, Inbaal advises Aries not to pick a Cancer companion as they don't like being 'slowed down' and the latter likes to 'take things at their own pace.'

Say oui to Paris if you're a Taurus: A true destination for food-loving sign

Holidu picked Paris as it had the most Michelin Guide approved restaurants out of any city in the world, according to its research

They're said to be the 'biggest foodies out of all the zodiacs,' so Taurus will love the indulgent culinary scene of Paris.

'Big fans of quality over quantity, they'll have a blast in a destination like Paris, that's famed for its Michelin star restaurants,' Inbaal said.

Holidu picked Paris as it had the most Michelin Guide approved restaurants out of any city in the world, according to its research, with 10 three-star, 14 two-star and more than 100 one-star restaurants.

Taurus foodies should also consider New York, Tokyo, London and Singapore to satisfy their appetites.

But Inbaal says they should avoid traveling with Geminis as they never want to eat or sleep on vacations.

Geminis should head Down Under: Melbourne is the place to be for the 'sociable and bubbly' sign to make new friends

'Melbourne has very high population density, which makes it a fabulous holiday spot for gregarious Gemini,' the celebrity astrologist and psychic said

It's very high population density is what makes Melbourne so appealing for travelers who were born under the sign of the twins.

Celebrity astrologist Inbaal Honigman helps you out with your next holiday

Their 'sociable and bubbly' personality means they crave a destination where they can make new friends easily, according to Inbaal.

'Melbourne has very high population density, which makes it a fabulous holiday spot for [the] gregarious Gemini,' the celebrity astrologist and psychic said.

Holidu also recommends Beirut, Mumbai, Perth and Kathmandu as other destinations where there's lots of opportunities to make friends due to its population density.

But they should go without their Taurus friends who are 'happy to spend a whole day in one museum room,' whereas Geminis love to 'fly from one attraction to the next.'

Nature-loving Cancers will thrive in Winterthur: The Swiss city will bring them back down to earth

Cancers are 'big lovers of nature and anything that is natural,' which is why Winterthur is the perfect spot for them

Cancers are 'big lovers of nature and anything that is natural,' Inbaal told DailyMail.com.

When picking the right vacation spot for this star sign, Holidu researchers analyzed light pollution levels and concluded that Winterthur, a city northeast of Zurich, Switzerland, had the lowest amount.

'They'll enjoy a break to Winterthur in Switzerland, as the low levels of light pollution make it a calming place to visit,' Inbaal said.

Other holiday recommendations were Reykjavik, Helsinki, Stockholm and Adelaide.

But what isn't advised is traveling with an Aries.

'Peaceful Cancer won't be able to relax with the non-stop itinerary of activities that an Aries likes to bring on holiday,' the celebrity astrologist added.

Leos will relish the heat of Bangkok: The city will suit the sign ruled by the Sun

The high-temperatures in Bangkok will suit the 'warm and sunny' Leos

Born to chase the Sun, 'warm and sunny' Leos will love the high-temperature days of Bangkok.

Holidu data shows that Bangkok has an average temperature of 84F year-round, so it'll be ideal conditions for Leos.

For those wanting to find relief from the cold, Muscat, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh and Singapore are the other cities with high-temperature days.

Inbaal says Leos also like to spend on holidays, so avoid traveling with Virgos who are known to be sensible with their money and likely won't treat themselves to expensive treats.

Next stop, Hanover: Virgos will love this city for its efficiency

Virgos will love the efficiency of Hanover, Germany as they like 'planning, packing and darning their socks well in advance'

They're known to love efficiency, so Virgos will no doubt be a fan of Hanover, Inbaal said.

'Planning, packing and darning their socks well in advance, Virgos would enjoy Hanover, which is famous for traffic efficiency,' she said.

Based on Virgos' 'appreciation of organization and structure,' Holidu researchers found the cities with the best traffic efficiency and they landed on Hanover.

Other cities on the list were Basel, Frankfurt, Malaga and Dakar.

To enjoy the best of Hanover, Inbaal says Virgos should avoid traveling with Leos who would favor modern sights, while the former likes to 'see all the oldest antiques.'

Picture perfect London: Libras want 'Instagrammable' vacation

Holidu researchers determined that London made the cut as they searched for the city that had the highest number of Instagram photos

'Selfie stations' are 'aplenty' in London and will suit travelers born under sign of the scales just fine as they are 'elegant and love beauty.'

'A holiday with Instagrammable locations is their dream,' Inbaal said.

Holidu researchers determined that London made the cut as they searched for the city that had the highest number of Instagram photos, and the destination was appealing due to 'its blend of ornate, historical buildings and looming, modern structures, not to mention the quintessential red phoneboxes and open-top buses.'

'Other Instagram-worthy sites in the iconic city include Columbia Road Flower Market, Notting Hill, and the breathtaking views from its many skyscrapers,' they said.

Outside of London, Paris, Istanbul, New York and Dubai also had the next highest amount of Instagram hashtags.

With Libra travelers liking to 'dress up and go out on the town,' they should avoid sticking with 'free-spirited Sagittarius' holiday-goers as they want to 'spend the day in a swimsuit.'

Reykjavik a winner with Scorpio travelers: 'Off-the-beaten-track' city is perfect for sign who 'likes to keep their private business private'

When a Scorpio searches for adventure they want to discover 'unusual destinations and experiencing one-off events,' and Reykjavik fits the bill

When a Scorpio searches for adventure they want to discover 'unusual destinations and experiencing one-off events.'

'Therefore, the low number of views of Reykjavik in Iceland on TikTok, one of the world's biggest social media platforms, make the city ideal for Scorpio's wanting to explore somewhere off-the-beaten-track,' Inbaal said.

With its remote location, Iceland's capital is 'definitely unspoilt.'

Iceland has just over 360,000 people spread over a country that is twice the size of Denmark.

Other destinations with the same vibe are Costa Rica's San Jose, Seville, Winterthur and Dubrovnik.

As Scorpios like to 'keep their private business private,' Inbaal says this sign's travelers will be incompatible with Capricorns who like to 'upload hundreds of photos a day.'

Sagittarius travelers can go wild in Nepal: The 'free-spirited' sign can let go in this country

A Sagittarius craves a destination 'where they are free to go wild,' with Nepal fitting the bill. Pictured is Khumjung which is on the way to the Everest base camp

A Sagittarius is 'free-spirited and gregarious,' and crave a destination 'where they are free to go wild and be surrounded by people who are also somewhat wild,' Inbaal said.

'Nepal's low number of tourist arrivals will offer a somewhat "off-the-beaten-track" attraction to Sagittarius,' she added.

Holidu researchers also said: 'In first place is Nepal, a country that is famous for being home to the highest mountain in the world, Everest  something that definitely makes it a great destination for those seeking adrenaline.'

Other countries with a similar experience are Bolivia, Senegal, Tanzania and Serbia.

To get the most out of your vacation, Sagittarius jetsetters 'will make friends with all locals,' so avoid traveling with Libras who take time to 'warm to others.'

Capricorns made for Beijing: The sign that 'values tradition'

To find their perfect match, Holidu found the cities that had the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Beijing came out on top

Inbaal describes Capricorns as people who 'value exquisite quality and think about the uniqueness and rarity of life.'

To find their perfect match, Holidu found the cities that had the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Beijing came out on top.

Sites to see in the Chinese capital include the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace.

London would the second-best place for Capricorns to visit, according to Holidu researchers, followed by Madrid, Brussels and Rome.

To get maximum enjoyment, ditch Scorpio travel buddies as they like to see the 'underbelly of the town,' while Capricorns 'can spend the whole day following a tour guide.'

Aquarius art-lovers unite in Japan: A city this 'creative' sign will adore

'Creative' Aquarius travelers will love the art galleries of Japan, Inbaal said

Aquarius travelers are 'all about the creative and the unique,' Inbaal said.

'Tokyo has a very high number of art galleries, so it will definitely prove of interest,' she added, with the city boasting almost 500.

Holidu researchers gathered data that rounded up cities with the most number of art galleries.

Tokyo was heads above the competition, which included London, Istanbul, New York and Paris.

Aquarius and Pisces travelers don't mix as the former 'will try every beach on the island,' and the latter 'will have their perfect spot and will stick with it all week.'

Brazil is the place to be for Pisces: Vacation by the beach for this water sign

Keeping in line with its water-sign roots, Pisces will love 'a holiday by the water,' like in Brazil. Pictured is Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro

Keeping in line with its water-sign roots, Pisces will love 'a holiday by the water,' the celebrity astrologist said, and Brazil fits the bill, with its long coastline, rainforests and rivers aplenty.

To come to this determination, Holidu researchers found the countries with the highest number of internal freshwater sources, 'including internal river flows and groundwater from rainfall.'

'Being home to the largest river and perhaps the most well-known rainforest in the world, it might not come as a surprise that Brazil came out on top for Pisces,' researchers said.

'The South American country was closely followed by Canada, which is considered a freshwater-rich country, discharging close to 9% of the world's renewable water supply whilst also boasting the longest coastline of any country in the world.'

These top two destinations were followed by the US, China and Colombia.

Pisces travelers like to 'stick with familiar sights and sounds,' so they should avoid Aquarius companions who want to 'explore the unexpected.'
Security told her she was at a 'family establishment'

A furious traveller has described the moment she was told to 'cover up or get out' whilst enjoying a cocktail at a beachside pub

A furious traveller has described the moment she was told to 'cover up or get out' while enjoying a cocktail at a beachside pub.

Naomi Tibbles was at a pub on Stradbroke Island in Queensland for 15 minutes before she was approached by several security guards.

She said they told her she couldn't wear thongs at the pub because of the dress code - before changing their approach when she pointed out she was actually in sandals.

The men then explained the pub was a 'family establishment' and her crochet pants and bikini top were not appropriate.

"And this motherf***er says, 'Do you have something to cover yourself?' I said, 'No, I don't actually, because I'm on a f***ing island and I was just at the beach, we're on a f***ing beach island, you are on the beach actually,' she recounted in a furious video on Instagram.

Naomi said she was sitting at the bar, where children aren't allowed, and there were only two kids in the pub - at the other end of the establishment.

Scroll down for video

The offending outfit is pictured here - security told her to cover up or get out

She said security told her thongs were not allowed in the venue - but told her the whole outfit was a problem when she pointed out she was wearing sandals

She also added she was just drinking her watermelon spritz, and had walked three kilometres before stopping at the pub for a break.

Naomi described the incident as 'rude, embarrassing and gross'.

'Absolutely not sorry for this one. Half way through my cocktail before I get told in front of the whole damn establishment?' she blasted.

And her fans agreed, the pub was out of line with many claiming her outfit was perfectly fine.

The model said she walked three kilometres in the heat to get to the pub and was halfway through her drink when the security approached her

'I have seen less clothing on at the supermarket and restaurants on the Gold Coast.. what is their problem,' one woman said.

'Looks alright to me, on a beach, on an island, in Australia,' added another.

Others said they 'always wear swimmers in shops and pubs' on the famous island.
Fashion designer Stella Jean has pulled out of this month's Milan Fashion Week and gone on hunger strike, citing a lack of commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Jean, who was born and raised in Rome to a Haitian mother, said she would strike out of concern for other minority designers associated with her, who she feared might suffer a backlash.

She said the Italian National Fashion Chamber, of which she is the only member of Afro-European background, previously cut support for the We Are Made in Italy (Wami) collective after she gave a speech on highlighting racial injustice in Italy last year.

The Wami collective is made up of young designers of colour working in Italy.

Jean added that she would only end her strike with written assurance that no professional harm would come to the Wami designers 'as a result of our history of misunderstanding'.

Based in Rome, Jean's brand has become an international force, featuring in the Victoria and Albert Museum's exhibition on Italian fashion in April 2014.

She has used her platform to speak on issues close to her, attending the Palace of Nations as a speaker on the 'Power of Empowered Women' and working with the UN on an ethical fashion programme.

Stella Jean, pictured, is the only Black member of the Italian National Fashion Chamber

The Wami collective celebrate at the end of Stella Jean's Spring/Summer collection in Milan

The Wami collective also confirmed they would withdraw from Milan Fashion Week, which will run from Tuesday 21 until Monday 27 February.

Italian Fashion Chamber president Carlo Capasa said he regrets Jean's decision, saying the final fashion week calendar being presented on Wednesday is 'full of diversity'.

'In the calendar that we are presenting today, you will see all that we are doing for people of colour who are working in Italy,' he said.

In a letter to Caprasa regarding the strike, Jean said: 'This admittedly extreme measure of mine stems from having heard several voices from the collective worried about 'soft' or 'hard' repercussions, including difficulty in securing funding and services from sponsors and partners, given the power wielded by you as president of the chamber in the industry.'

Kehinde Wiley, Stella Jean, Naomi Campbell and Afua Hirsch (L to R) speaking in Qatar in 2022

Stella Jean attends the Palazzo Portinari Salviati to celebrate the Renaissance Awards in 2022

Mr Capasa said he had not yet read the letter and was unaware of the hunger strike and Wami's withdrawal.

Both Jean and Wami appeared on a draft of the Milan Fashion Week calendar of mostly womenswear previews for next winter released last month.

Wami was launched on the heels of the Black Lives Matters movement in 2020 by Jean, African-American designer Edward Buchanan and the head of Afro Fashion Week Milano Michelle Ngonmo to draw attention to the lack of minority representation in the Italian fashion world.

It followed racial gaffes by major fashion houses which made global headlines.

President Carlo Caprasa pictured in 2019. He said he regretted Jean's decision to withdraw from Milan Fashion Week and said he had not yet read the letter detailing the hunger strike

Designer Stella Jean talks during an interview with the Associated Press, in Rome, in 2020

Ngonmo said financial support for the project from the chamber has dwindled over the three years it has run so far and Afro Fashion Week Milano was not able to come up with the 20,000 euros (17,800) it would have cost to support the five young designers in making solid looks to present, plus a video.

The Italian fashion chamber fully supported the collections for the two Wami classes, each with five designers, but the third generation has not received any funding from the chamber, Ngonmo and Jean said.

The September show featuring Jean, Buchanan and Wami was financed through other allies and their own contributions.

'Maybe the message is the whole industry needs to open their eyes and say, 'What can we do to make that happen?' Ngonmo said.

Wami designer Joy Meribe opened Milan Fashion Week previews for spring-summer 2022 in a major milestone for the movement.

But Jean said such moves turned out to be 'performative'.

'They used Wami as a free pass of safe conduct for diversity,' she said.

She said she is withdrawing out of fatigue with the 'continual fight' for recognition for designers of colour in Italy.

'I am a fighter by nature but I cannot be this way all the time,' she added.
Queen Letizia of Spain looked sensational in an all-white outfit with checked trim around the collar as she arrived at a specialist foundation in Africa.

The Queen, 50, wore a disposable face mask and covered up her pristine uniform with blue overalls while visiting the Ngana Zanza Foundation in Angola.

Letizia donned gold hooped earrings behind her long silky brown hair, which fell below her shoulders.

The news comes as she and her husband King Felipe attended a meeting with the President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira.

The new photos show the European monarch changing into a glamorous red dress as she held her bright red chromatic handbag.

Queen Letizia of Spain (above) looked sensational in an all-white outfit with a discrete black collar as she arrived at a specialist foundation in Africa

Letizia was pictured with her husband King Felipe, who dazzled in a long pinstriped suit.

Walking down the red carpet, the monarch donned a white shirt, spotty blue tie and black buckled shoes.

The royal couple then posed for the cameras with President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira.

Carolina looked stunning in the heat with a loose fitting ankle length pink dress with flowing sleeves.

Along with this subtle base of make up, Letiza was pictured wearing a slick of nude lipstick underneath her disposable facemask

The new photos show the European monarch changing into a glamorous red dress as she held her bright red chromatic handbag

At the health centre, Photos show her talking to young people, shaking hands with children and posing with workers at the site.

The glamourous Spanish royal attracted the attention of many people, being pictured talking to dozens of different

For her makeup, the royal went for an understated look with a smoky eyeshadow.

Along with this subtle base, Letiza was pictured wearing a slick of nude lipstick.

Letizia was not pictured with husband King Felipe, who she arrived with at Angola's capital Luanda two days ago.

The couple will be visiting the country's Foreign Affairs minster Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, and will be returning on Wednesday.

This will be the couple's first state visit to a sub-Saharan African country, and they will begin their official engagements there tomorrow.

The royal couple walked down the red carpet before posing for the cameras with President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira

Carolina (pictured left) looked stunning in the heat with a loose fitting ankle length pink dress with flowing sleeves

The glamourous Spanish royal (right) pictured in her red dress and heels while clutching her handbag next to her husband, King Felipe VI and Carolina Cerqueira

For her makeup, like at the health centre, the royal went for an understated look with a smoky eyeshadow

They will be staying in Luanda, Angola's capital, and will be hosted by the President, Joao Lourenco during their visit.

The Queen will spend time with Angolan First Lady Ana Afonso Dias Lourenco, who is a trained economist and keen promoter of women's rights.

The royals were pictured leaving for their trip from Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

As a big fan of pink Letizia broke up her monochrome all-black outfit with a fuchsia pink roll neck jumper as she flew out from Spain.

The Queen, 50, wore a disposable face mask and covered up her pristine uniform with blue overalls (above) while visiting the Ngana Zanza Foundation in Angola

Letizia donned gold hooped earrings behind her long silky brown hair which fell below her shoulders

Photos show her talking to young people, shaking hands with children and posingwith workers at the site

The European monarch (above) was photographed with many people in uniform at the health centre in Angola

The glamourous Spanish royal attracted the attention of many people, being pictured talking to dozens of different faces

The Queen will spend time with Angolan First Lady Ana Afonso Dias Lourenco, who is a trained economist and keen promoter of women's rights (Pictured: Queen Letizia of Spain (R) and Ana Alfonso Dias Lourenco (L) attend an activity related to Health issues)

Behind her facemask, for her makeup, the royal went for an understated look with a smoky eyeshadow.

The Queen of Spain was seen shaking hands with children at the health centre in Angola, Africa as she was on tour in the country

In her blue overalls and blue face mask, Letizia slightly bent down towards her audience to talk and listen to what they had to say

The Qyeen of Spain slightly bends down to stroke a baby's hair with one finger as she is held by her mother in the foundation

The news comes after the Queen of Spain was pictured looking to perfection as she arrived at the University of Cuanza in Angola yesterday.

The European monarch was suitably smart in a long-sleeved chiffon white blouse with a trendy wraparound detail.

For the university presentation on the paintings of Spanish Catalan artist Joan Miro, the mother-of-two opted for a sophisticated black pencil skirt with a bow at the waist.

The stylish royal pulled her formal ensemble together with a pair of black suede heels and a leather clutch bag with a gold bar fastening.

In-keeping with her smart attire, Letizia styled her brown hair in an elegant bun - but still allowing a few wisps to frame her face.
A new documentary has revealed intimate details of a kidnapping victim's struggle to reconnect with her birth family after discovering she'd been snatched as a baby.

Girl, Taken, which aired on Channel 5 last night, delves into the story of Miche Salomon, dubbed South Africa's Madeleine McCann, who was stolen by Lavona Salomon from the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town in 1997, when she was three days old.

Miche's birth parents Celeste and Morne Nurse only tracked her down 17 years later, when she took a selfie with her school friend Cassidy - their daughter - and they noted the incredible resemblance between the girls and suspected she was their missing child.

Kidnapper Lavona Salomon was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016, but it took years for Miche to accept her biological family, leading her to cut contact with them and side with the 'mother' who had raised her.

Speaking in the documentary, her sister Cassidy admitted she was heartbroken and at one point told her sibling she was 'not worth finding.'

Miche was born on April 30 1997, pictured, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, to Celeste and Morne Nurse, who named her Zephany. However, she was stolen from her parents three days later by Lavona Salomon

Speaking in the documentary, which originally aired on Paramount+, Cassidy, who is four years younger than Miche, said: 'I told her "you were not worth finding, because the way you were raised, it's completely different to the way I was raised".'

Celeste was 17 when she got pregnant with Morne, a few months into their relationship, and the couple decided to get married and raise the baby together.

Celeste, now nearing 40, recalled the painful moment her child was taken away from her three days after being born.

'I remember I was in bed, I had a bit of pain. Nurse came in and gave me morphine medication.

'And I heard the baby cry, and I saw the sister come in, and she asked me "Can I pick up the baby?" I said "Yes, it's fine, you can pick up the baby",' she recounted.

Celeste said she fell asleep shortly after, but was later woken up by someone asking her where her baby was.

'I said, "Oh, the nurse was here with the baby",' but soon realised something was amiss.

'We looked everywhere, I ran with my drip to each and every floor. They found Morne and he went mad,' she said.

It took years for Miche to build a connection with her birth parents after initially rejecting them upon hearing her parents were not who they thought

In 2015, Miche struck a friendship with Cassidy Nurse after they met at school, not knowing they were related

Morne rushed to the hospital with the police, admitting he 'lost total control.'

'The main image that remained, that broke me, was when I saw Celeste sitting there, crying, pushing people away from her,' he said.

Sakkie Van Der Westhuizen, an investigating officer who initially handled the case said: 'You only hear of something like this, it doesn't happen really, not to you. Not in a hospital as well-known as Groote Schuur Hospital.'

'I can remember that young girl's face. It's absolutely terrible, when she realised that her child is missing,' he added.

News that a baby had ben snatched spread around the hospital, causing a wave of panic over the other women in the maternity ward.

'People were crying, people were traumatized. Nurses running to and from,' Sakkie said.

'The other mothers in the maternity ward, they were scared. They were frightened, they received the news. It could have happened to any of them,' he added.

'It grasped the imagination of everybody.'

Morne and Celeste nurse embracing each other after the trial of Lavona Solomon came to a close in 2016

A portrait of the suspect was shared, put together from Celeste and other eye-witness accounts.

After a national alert was broadcast, the investigators enlisted the help of profilers, who suggested Zephany's abductor could be a woman who had miscarried and wanted to pass the baby as her own.

Zakkie recalled that he had to go through a list of women who had miscarried at Groote Schuur Hospital in the 12 months that led up to Zephany's birth and see if any of them had a baby.

'It's inhumane to think of it, you had a miscarriage and then the police knock on your door, suspect you of maybe stealing a child,' he said.

Celeste and Morne never stop believing they would find their daughter, but were disheartened after too many false alarms raised their hopes.

Celeste broke down in tears in the documentary as she recalled visiting a woman and having her hopes dashed when the baby she had been told could have been her child turned out to be a boy.

Morne leaving the Cape Town high court during Lavona's trial. At that point, he had no contact with his daughter Miche

Celeste, pictured in 2016, recounted in the documentary how she eventually decided to forgive Lavona

She said that as a mother, she had no choice but to pick up the pieces and move on with her life.

The couple welcomed their daughter Cassidy four years after Zephany's disappearance.

Celeste said: 'It was very scary to be pregnant after that with Cassidy. Just the fear of going back to Groote Schuur Hospital. That was my fear, going back there.'

But the couple said they had been 'very happy' to welcome their second child.

Morne said: 'She was like a drug to me. It's like whenever I miss Zephany, I will just shower this child [with love], keep her close to me. I call her "my little pain away".

Meanwhile, Cassidy was raised knowing she had a sister who was missing.

'At that time, it never bothered me because I never met her,' Cassidy said in the documentary.

'I would always try and made them feel there is still hope and they should stay positive.

'I would see older sister and younger siblings together, I 'd look at them and think "that should have been me with my sister".'

The Nurses had two more children, their son Joshua, in 2006, and Micah, a girl in 2007.

The family would celebrate Zephany's birthday every year in the hope that she would return.

Mike Barkhuizen, a former senior investigator, said the couple made an impression him.

From left to right: Celeste, Morne and Cassidy Nurse with Miche Salomon, born Zephany Nurse, on This Morning in 2021

'These weren't your normal run of the mill people looking for somebody, a missing relative. They were convinced that their child would be found,' he recalled.

As Cassidy grew older, she got frustrated with the way her parents were raising her.

'As I grew up, they told me every day about her. Every day it was just "Zephany, Zephany, Zephany" and I'd go, "But I'm not Zephany".'

Her grandmother Marilyn remembered how Cassidy's life had been impacted by the disappearance of her elder daughter.

'We had to keep everything locked, locked doors, locked gates,' she said. 'We didn't allow her to play outside at all.'

Cassidy added: 'I couldn't play with my friends, I couldn't go out to the movies. I can't even go to the shop for five minutes without my father screaming, yelling like a mad person.

'It made me so upset, it made me a rebel. I felt like I was the other Zephany that was just being there and kept there to take the pain away, that's how I felt.

Meanwhile, Celeste and Morne's marriage began to crumble under the weight of their daughter's disappearance.

'The only person I could blame was Celeste. I blamed her,' Morne's said.

Meanwhile, Celeste said: 'I blamed Morne. I told him, "You were not there for us. You were supposed to be there with me while I gave birth. You were supposed to watch the baby while I sleep".'

Eventually, the couple's relationship broke down after Morne cheated on his wife.

Soon after that, Celeste was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer, and Cassidy had to hold her family together, taking care of her mother and her younger siblings.

In 2015, she transferred to Zwaanswyk High School when she was 14.

There, a friend and a teacher both told her she looked like another girl in her school, named Miche Solomon.

The two met by chance one day, felt a connection and became instant friends.

'When I saw her face, I had this sensation, this connection in my chest,' Miche said, 'I thought maybe it's because she looked so similar to me when I was 14 years-old.

'We immediately clicked, we immediately became friends after that, which isn't normal for a 18-year-old and a 14-year-old,' she added.

'I felt a sense of protection over her. like a big sister, cause I could pick up that's what she needed,' she went on.

'I told him about this girl and I said "Daddy, I think this is my sister". He said: "Cassidy, you know I don't like this false hope",' she revealed.

Her father recalled seeing Miche for the first time, saying: 'This girl approached my vehicle. Something drew me to this girl. I don't know if it was love, I told her "Wow, you do look like Cassidy." In fact, you look a bit like me.'

Cassidy continued: 'He was telling me, "Keep an eye on her. Don't tell her you have a missing sister yet because if it's her, those people will flee".'

As her relationship with Miche grew stronger, Cassidy eventually told her she had a missing sister.

'At first I didn't believe it, because it didn't sound real. This was as if it was in a Hollywood movie or something,' Miche said.

'I felt really sorry for her, for what she had gone through,' she added.

Eventually, Morne met Miche and admitted she looked a lot like Cassidy and her husband.

A conversation where Miche showed Morne pictures of her parents raised the dad-of-four's suspicion.

He alerted the police after Miche told him her date of birth, which was the same day as the day his daughter was taken from him.

'I got this lump inside my throat and I couldn't talk, knowing that my daughter was stolen on that date,' he said.

Police saw that there was no record of a Miche Solomon at Retreat hospital, where her mother, Lavona, had claimed she was born.

In fact, there was no record of Miche's birth until she was six. Which led police to convince her to give them a DNA sample.

Marshionette Jonkerman, a social worker who worked on the case, said of Lavona: 'She was very calm, nice lady', but added: 'She was not remorseful, there was no way she was going to admit to anything.

The social worker said that Lavona was so adamant that she almost believed her.

And Miche was also convinced that the DNA test would should she was not the Nurses' daughter.

'I had no doubt that this was a lie or something like that, because that's how much I believe in my mum,' she said.

However, the test proved she was indeed baby they had named Zephany, with a 99.96 score.

Celeste said she heard the results of the test on the phone.

'The phone fell out of my hands, I cried, I just burst into tears, I couldn't stop crying,' she said.

'My whole world, everything just changed. I was happy, and I was sad at the same time.

Meanwhile, Morne said: 'It was unbelievable, it was beautiful, it's a moment that you can't really explain because it was too much to show.'

Miche's reaction was a stark contrast, as she recalled: 'Marshionnette told me: "You are the Zephany baby". And I just sat there. I went into complete shock and I sat there and Marshionette started crying,' she said.

Miche met her biological parents, however, she struggled to connected with them.

Morne said he had hoped all his life for his family to be 'complete' with the return of his first child, however, it wasn't quite a happy ending for the Nurses.

'They were over the moon, and they were kind, but I really, at that time, I really wanted to just go home,' Miche said.

'I asked "I'd like to see my mum" And they said, "Unfortunately, she was obviously arrested".'

Miche's non-biological father, Michael Solomon, didn't know that she wasn't his child.

'I was just stunned,' he said. 'I didn't know what to say. How could it be? This is my daughter, it couldn't be the missing child that they're looking for,' he said.

When he came home to find that his daughter wasn't there after his wife's arrest, Michael admitted he cried, 'because I didn't believe that this is happening to me'.

'That's the only time that I'm thinking, "Where is my family?",' he said.

Eventually, Miche decided to stay with Michael rather than going to stay with her biological parents, even though it made her feel 'guilty.'

'If it was my child, my son, my baby telling me he's gonna live with the kidnappers, of course I would burst out in tears and be angry and question, "Why don't you want to come live with me?' she said.

'I felt kinda that guilt feeling, but I made that decision because it was what I needed,' she said.

Morne shared his disappointment, saying: 'We didn't expect things to turn the way they did. We wanted to genuinely have our family complete.'

'We didn't look at the consequences, this thing comes with a price,' he added.

Celeste said: 'I had to explain to my kids. "We can see her, but it's going to be different. She might not want to see us, so we have to take it step by step.'

Eight months after the truth came to life, Lavona was tried in Cape Town's high court.

The trial was a matter of national interest because the country had felt so invested in Zephany's disappearance.

Miche cut off ties with her biological parents during the trial, and said it brought her closer with Lavona.

'When I saw my mum on TV for the first time, she had her face covered by a hoodie and she didn't look herself.

'And it broke me, seeing her like that because this is not the mother that I know, the mother that I was raised by. It was very challenging for me to read all the negativity. It definitely impacted my relationship with my biological parents.

'It made me even love her more,' she admitted, about Lavona.

Meanwhile, Morne said he couldn't forgive the woman who had stolen his daughter.

'Steal my bicycle, you're forgiven, stealing someone's daughter, that's stealing someone heart. I cannot show mercy for someone who committed such a crime,' he said, of his state of mind at the time of the trial.

The audience at the trial heard that Lavona had miscarried in 1996, but hid it from Michael for four months.

She said she met a woman named Sylvia who told her she would help her buy a baby, but that she was handed a child for 50 at a train station months later.

This is against eye-witnessed accounts placing her at Groote Shuur hospital the day Miche was taken away from the nurses.

The court also heard that Lavona has tried to steal another woman's baby the day before she snatched Miche away.

As the trial unfolded, Miche grew closer with her non-biological father, who she said was there for her.

She said of her biological parents: 'they were just about the money, the limelight, the media, that was what I thought.'

She was distraught when her mother was found guilty of kidnapping, fraud, and of not respecting the Children's Act, which makes it illegal to pretend to be a child's parent.

'One day she's your mum and the next day, she's a criminal, how do you love a criminal, how dare you say you love a criminal. How dare you say that's my mother,' she said of Lavona.

'That's the only mother I knew for 17 years and that's not my fault, that's the only thing I can recall from my childhood,' she explained.

Following the trial, Lavona was imprisoned, and Miche got pregnant.

She called her mother while she was in labour, and had her non-biological father, Michael, with her, but she didn't call Celeste or Morne until after three days had passed.

After the trial, she also got a publishing deal for a biography, where she told her side of the story, and which was very critical of her birth parents, especially Morne.

She said in an interview to promote the book that she wished her biological father would have been more like Michael, and said of her birth parents: 'I've accepted they are broken people.'

Morne said that at this point in time, he was struggling with had had happened in his life, and 'regretted' having found Miche.

Cassidy said of this period: 'There is no happy ending because it hurt everyone. Miche's can't win because she's in the middle, she's stuck in between, she's still trying to find herself.

'I'm still stuck in the middle as well, working on working out our differences,' she added.

Eventually, after the birth of her daughter Sophia, Celeste and Miche resumed contact.

The case of Zephany Nurse The case of missing Zephany Nurse was one of South Africas biggest and longest running news stories. It was found that Lavona Solomon took Zephany Nurse from Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town in April 1997 while her mother was in bed recovering from a C-section. Lavona told the court she hid a miscarriage from her husband and had bought the baby for 50 at a train station from a woman who promised to help her with an adoption. Her lies meant her betrayed husband brought the baby up as his own, unaware of his wifes dark secret. Zephany only learned of her true identity after an extraordinary twist in the lifelong hunt for her  when she made friends with a girl at school who turned out to be her sister. Advertisement

'When I saw Sophia, I fell in love with her,' Celeste said, adding she felt Miche had been 'thrown into the deep end' when she became a mum and needed her support.

'God brought Sophia in order for me and Miche to build a relationship,' she said.

Miche agreed that the birth of her daughter helped her 'restore my relationship with my biological mother.'

'All the love she wasn't able to five me, she's actually giving it to my kid,' she added.

'Finally, after all these years, we're starting to find each other.'

Celeste got to know Michael and his sisters and brothers, saying 'they are good people.'

'I can't be upset with him, they haven't done anything,' she said.

Miche admitted she has wondered over the years whether her father was involved in her disappearance, or had known she had been taken,' which he has always denied.

'If it comes out one day that he did know, it would be very hard,' she said.

She and Sophia temporarily moved with Morne, Celeste, Cassidy and her other siblings during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020.

At that time, Morne also wanted to work of his relationship with his daughter.

'It brought us very close, they would literally speak to me about things I never knew, things they never spoke about. how they were looking for me,' Miche said of her parents.

'If I had not been stolen, my life wouldn't have been okay, they were waiting for me, they were ready to have me, they changed their lives to have me,' she said.

'The more I got to know them, the more it kind of felt like home. Like home was starting, that home feeling I was feeling.'

In November 2020, Celeste and Morne remarried each other, with Miche present.

Lavona also reached out to Miche, asking her whether the couple would accept her apology.

'If I look at what we have now, me and Miche, I'm scared that the day she's gonna be released, we're gonna lose that,' Celeste said of the woman who took her child.

'The Bible says, "one should not turn one's heart into a murderous pit" and I don't want that, I don't want to dig a grave for myself and for Lavona, I don't want Lavona to have the better part of me,' she said.

Morne also reflected on Lavona's apology, saying: 'They've hurt us heavily, but then again, if she must show through remorse like that, genuinely, and we can feel it, then I think from my side, I think, the forgiveness will have to come because then she makes me feel guilty before god,' she said.

Miche reflected at the end of the documentary: 'We are still very fragile, all of us, and we still have to work on many things individually.'
A mother was left fuming after a school duct-taped her daughter's legs to cover her ripped jeans- saying the cheerleader uniforms are shorter.

Shanah Drummond, from Missouri, took to her TikTok @shanahdrummond2 to share a clip of her teenage daughter with red duct tape over the rips in her jeans after the school deemed her clothing inappropriate.

The clip, which racked up 3.9 million views, shows Shanah walking into her child's school and asking an administrator if they thought it was 'acceptable' and part of their 'policy' to place duct tape on her daughter's skin.

The angry mother recorded herself walking into the school and could be heard asking her daughter, 'Who was it?'

Challenging a member of staff behind a plastic screen, she continued: 'Did you think it was acceptable to put duct tape on my daughter's skin?'

Shanah Drummond, from Missouri, was left fuming after a school duct-taped her daughter's legs to cover her ripped jeans- saying the cheerleader uniforms are shorter

In response, the administrator could faintly be heard saying that she told the student to go to the nurse's office, although it's not clear why.

However Shanah claimed in the comments section that that was a 'lie' saying the administrator had asked if she had an extra pair of pants, which she reportedly did not, before demanding the pants be taped shut.

The mother captioned the video: 'Am I overreacting, or am I justified in being p***ed off that the school thought it was acceptable to put duct tape on my childs skin?

'I feel the school should've called me if they needed her to change her pants. We have never had an issue with a dress code before.

'The cheerleader uniforms are shorter than this. She was humiliated and had to hide it by tying her coat around the front of her. My daughter has eczema & sensitive skin and if she didn't text us, she would've sat all day with duct tape irritating her legs.'

Many rushed to the comment in support of the mother with some people agreeing that the school went too far.

One person wrote: 'Dress code or not, you call the parents and tell them to bring a change of clothes. You dont put tape on someones child!'

Another wrote: 'The issue isnt wether or not she was in dress code, its that they put duct tape on her w/o giving her the choice to call home for new clothes instead.'

Shanah claimed in the comments section that that was a 'lie' saying the administrator had asked if she had an extra pair of pants, which she reportedly did not, before demanding the pants be taped shut

Someone else said: 'I have 2 daughters extremely allergic to adhesive it would have pull her skin off. How do these laws come to pass.'

While a fourth wrote: 'I would like to point out something. in the caption, the CHEERLEADING UNIFORMS ARE SHORTER. same with my school!!!!'

One person wrote: 'This isn't right but she did tell the girl to go to the nurses office and it does say not ripped jeans.'

To which the Shanah replied: 'That was a lie. She asked her if she had anything else to change into. The nurse doesn't have Adult clothing, just a limited amount of kids clothing.'

Many rushed to the comment in support of the mother with some people agreeing that the school went too far but others didn't see the problem with it and sided with the school

While some people didn't see the problem with it and sided with the school.

One person wrote: 'Maybe its me that doesnt see it as a big deal. Its just tape. I was dress coded enough in school to know that they probably offered her sweats '

Another said: 'Should read the school handbooks they really never change.'

While another simply wrote: 'some parents are too much.'
The Duchess of York, 63, enjoyed a night on the tiles with Princess Beatrice, on Tuesday night, as the pair hit Mayfair for some mother-daughter bonding.

Sarah Ferguson linked arms with her oldest daughter, 34, as the pair left exclusive private members club Lou Lou's after a long night out.

The royals cut a stylish pair; while Beatrice opted for a burgundy dress with black leather ankle boots, and clutching a favoured Gucci bag that the princess has been spotted wearing on previous nights out in the capital.

Meanwhile her mother opted for a striking white jacket with gold buttons and a knee-length LBD, tying her flame-red locks into a loose ponytail.

Prince Andrew's former wife also donned a comfy-looking pair of black velour Charlotte Olympia pumps with the face of a cat adorned on them.

The Duchess of York, 63, and her oldest daughter, Beatrice, 34, hit Mayfair on Tuesday, enjoying a long night out together at Lou Lou's in Mayfair

A smiling Beatrice escorted her mother to a waiting car and mother and daughter chatted as they strode down the streets of Mayfair around 1am.

Clearly enjoying a girls' night out, there was no sign of Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, with whom she shares one-year-old daughter Sienna Elizabeth.

Fergie is set to become a grandmother for the third time this summer when her younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, 32, is set to welcome her second child with financier husband Jack Brooksbank.

One of London's most popular private members club, guests can expect to pay around 20 for a cocktail at Lou Lou's, with a main course in the club's restaurant costing around 40.

The club is owned by Robin Birley, who is the son of Mark Birley, who owns another royal favourite nightspot, Annabel's on Berkeley Square.

Holding on tightly to her oldest daughter's arm, Fergie cut a stylish figure in a striking white jacket with gold buttons and a knee-length LBD

The Duchess of York also donned a comfy-looking pair of black velour Charlotte Olympia pumps with the face of a cat adorned on them. Mother and daughter made their way to an awaiting car after leaving the club around 1am

Sarah Ferguson pictured with Beatrice, still smiling, before they sped away from the Mayfair haunt

Mother and daughter continued to chat as they were whisked away from the London venue

The Duchess' cute Charlotte Olympia pumps, which she's been spotted wearing on previous occasions

On Monday, Beatrice was revealed as the new patron of the British Skin Foundation

Mother and daughter have a famously close bond and looked to have enjoyed their night out

On Monday, Princess Beatrice cut a sophisticated figure when visiting Queen Mary University of London in her role as the new patron of the British Skin Foundation.

The 34-year-old royal looked the part in a white lab coat as she toured the research lab at the Centre For Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research, Blizard Institute.

When not sporting the garment, which was branded with the British Skin Foundation's logo as well as 'HRH Princess Beatrice, Patron', the mother-of-one looked fashionable in a patterned white and black dress.

Princess Beatrice said she was 'so pleased' to be working with the British Skin Foundation.

The royal said: 'I have admired their work and research for many years, and they have helped so many people through the foundations pioneering efforts.'
King Charles, 74, visited the institution's new hospital wing and spoke with staff

King Charles brushed off a member of the public's comments about Prince Harry with a chuckle as he arrived at the University of East London today.

The monarch, 73, was met with cheers as he stepped out of his black Rolls Royce at the premises this afternoon.

As the royal greeted members of the institution who were standing outside the building, a student in the crowd was heard yelling: 'Please bring back Harry!'

At first, the monarch did not hear what the member of the public and asked a member of his team for clarification.

An aide told him: 'Harry, your son.'

King Charles pictured arriving at the University of East London. A member of the public called out to the monarch: 'Please bring back Harry!'

Appearing unbothered by the mention of the Duke of Sussex - who unleashed fresh bombshells on the Royal Family with his memoir Spare last month - King chuckled and said: 'Oh.'

The King visited the University of East London to mark the institution's 125th anniversary.

During their tour of the university, King Charles also opened their new frontline medical teaching hub.

Earlier today, the monarch made a trip to Brick Lane in East London for the first time since becoming King.

The King and Queen Consort were treated to a warm welcome as they travelled to Brick Lane in East London this morning.

The couple met with the movers and shakers of the London Bangladeshi community, visiting charities and businesses.

They also met individuals who were actively involved in the anti-racism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

The couple were welcomed by dancers in traditional clothes with basket of flowers as they walked down the historic East London street.

The King brushed off a student's remark about his second son as he completed his visit to Brick Lance today

King Charles didn't appear to hear the student's comments at first and had to be told by an aide what they had shouted. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured in October 2018

For her day out, Queen Consort Camilla looked elegant in a white coat and black boots, while the Sovereign looked dapper in a large dark grey coat.

The couple were escorted out of their car to rapturous applause from members of the public.

They were soon led down the street by four dancers and musicians carrying flowers, platters and music instruments.

The king shook the hand of the Ukrainian president in Buckingham Palace after a busy morning spent in East London

Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, equerry to King Charles III, welcomed the Ukrainian head of state to the royal residence

It was a warm greeting between Charles and President Zelensky, who stopped at Buckingham Palace during his trip to the UK today

During their visit of the neighbourhood, Charles and Camilla met with pupils at a look school who were enthusiastically waving Union Jacks.

The schoolgirls, dressed in their purple school uniforms, were seen chuckling as they talked to the royal couple.

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla also planted a tree during their visit while locals looked on.

The Queen Consort looked elegant in a white coat she paired with black swede boots and leather black gloves.

Her platinum locks gleamed in the February sun as she stepped out in East London.

Meanwhile, the King looked dapper in the large black dark coat he wore over a blue suit, white shirt and lilac tie.

The Monarch, 74, and his wife, 75, met with the movers and shakers of the London Bangladeshi community, visiting charities and businesses

The King talked to students and trainees at the Intensive Care Ward, during a visit to the University of East London, to mark the the institution's 125th anniversary and open a new frontline medical teaching hub

Following their Brick Lane visit, the royal couple then visited University of East London to mark the institution's 125th anniversary

The Monarch talked to the nurses, surgeons and members of the staff of the hospital during his visit

King Charles shared a few jokes with members of staff during the visit, where he talked about the new frontline medical teaching hub

A member of the Intensive Care Ward of the University of East London curtsied when she met the King

The visit comes as the King has shared his 'thoughts and special prayers' with those affected by the tragic earthquake disaster in Turkey yesterday.

In a heartfelt message to the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the King said he was 'profoundly saddened' by the devastation caused.

'My wife and I have been most shocked and profoundly saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes in South East Turkiye,' His Majesty said.

'I can only begin to imagine the scale of suffering and loss as a result of these dreadful tragedies and I particularly wanted to convey our deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to the families of all those who have lost their loved ones.'

His words comes after more than 7,800 were killed in the 7.8-magnitude quake and its aftermath, with 5,894 fatalities in Turkey and at least 1,932 in Syria.

King Charles also opened their new frontline medical teaching hub. Pictured accepting a bunch of flowers from a young royal fan

The monarch then spoke with participants at the Baby Development Lab at the University of East London's premises

King Charles and Camilla also planted a tree during their visit while locals looked on and applauded

During their visit of the neighbourhood, Charles and Camilla met with pupils at a look school who were enthusiastically waving Union Jacks

The Sovereign smiled and spoke warmly to the pupil who had been waiting for their visit this morning

The King spoke to each one of the pupils, who were dressed in their purple uniforms and waving the flag

The King looked dapper in a dark suit and lilac tie he paired with a white shirt. The Queen Consort looked stylish in a white coat

The schoolgirls who had gone out to meet the King laughed as he greeted them during his walkabout

The Monarch seemed to be enjoying a few jokes with the pupils who greeted him this morning in East London

During their visit of the neighbourhood, Charles and Camilla met with pupils at a look school who were enthusiastically waving Union Jacks.

But the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that the toll could soar to as much as 20,000 amid efforts to rescue those still trapped under the rubble.

More than 23 million could also be affected across the two countries, according to WHO assessments.

King Charles continued: 'Our thoughts and special prayers are with everyone who has been affected by this appalling natural disaster, whether through injury or the destruction of their property, and also with the emergency services and those assisting in the rescue efforts.'

The King waved at well-wishers as he arrived in Brick Lane. The Queen Consort looked elegant, wrapped up in a white woollen coat and knee-high black boots

The Monarch pointed to something out of shot as he greeted the crowds of well-wishers who had gathered to see him

Queen Consort Camilla covered her hair for some part of the visits she and the King undertook in East London today

Dancers in colourful dresses led the way as the Sovereign and his wife arrived in Brick Lane this morning

Earlier tonight, a team of 77 search and rescue specialists, state-of-the-art equipment and four dogs arrived in Turkey from the UK.

The plane arrived in the city of Gaziantep, south east Turkey, to assist current rescue efforts.

Teams from the US will also arrive tomorrow in the southeastern province of Adiyaman to focus on urban search and rescue following the tragedy.

But aid to quake-hit Syria has been slowed by sanctions and damage caused to the sole border crossing used to shuttle aid from Turkey into the country.
Savannah Chrisley has opened up about how she and her family are coping since her parents began their prison sentence last month, and she admitted that she is struggling to step in and take care of her younger siblings, resulting in her having a 'full-on breakdown.'

Savannah, 25, was thrust into the parent role after her mother and father, Todd, 53, and Julie Chrisley, 50, were found guilty of taking part in a $30 million tax fraud scheme and sentenced to 12 and seven years behind bars respectively.

They headed off to prison in mid-January, and now, Savannah has spoken out about the difficulties she has faced while looking after her younger brother, Grayson, 16, and niece Chloe, 10, during the February 7 episode of her podcast, Unlocked With Savannah Chrisley.

'Im not their mom. Im not their dad. Im their sister,' she told guest Toni Collier, an author and founder of an international womens ministry called Broken Crayons Still Color.

'I want to stay in that role as sister, but its hard when youre in the role of parent and discipline.

Savannah Chrisley has opened up about how she and her family are coping since her parents began their prison sentence last month

She admitted that she is struggling to step in and take care of her younger siblings, resulting in her having a 'full-on breakdown.' She is seen with her adopted sister, Chloe

Savannah, 25, was thrust into the parent role after her mother and father, Todd, 53, and Julie Chrisley (seen in 2014), 50, were found guilty of taking part in a $30 million tax fraud scheme

'The other night, I had a full-on breakdown. I was trying to find Chloe proper clothes to go and visit my parents and find her hair stuff. I just sat down on the floor and started crying.'

The former Chrisley Knows Best star added that she feels like she is not 'worthy or capable' of filling her mother's shoes.

Todd (seen on January 12) and Julie were sentenced to 12 and seven years behind bars respectively - and they headed off to prison in mid-January

'I am not my mother,' she added. 'How am I going to do this? I dont feel that I am worthy or capable enough of doing the job shes done for all her life.'

Savannah recalled a conversation she had with her father before he left, in which he warned her that it would be the 'hardest' but 'most rewarding thing' she has ever had to do.

Despite the 'breakdown,' Savannah said she is 'starting' to understand her dad's advice, and that while she was very 'mad' about what happened at first, she is now at 'peace' with what happened.

Todd and Savannah have three other kids, Lindsie, 33, Kyle, 31, Chase, 26. They have been raising Chloe since she was an infant due to Kyle's substance abuse issues, and they legally adopted her in 2016.

Savannah stated on the podcast that she's now focused on 'figuring out a healthier way to cope and deal with things' regarding her siblings.

'Looking at them, I'm like, "You know what, I know how I feel going through this trauma. I cannot imagine how two kids feel going through it,"' she said.

Savannah spoke out about the difficulties she has faced while looking after her younger brother, Grayson (seen), 16, and niece Chloe, 10, during the latest episode of her podcast

'Im not their mom. Im not their dad. Im their sister,' she said. 'I want to stay in that role as sister, but its hard when youre in the role of parent and discipline'

The former Chrisley Knows Best star (seen with Chloe) said she had a 'full-on breakdown' over it, and added that she feels like she is not 'worthy or capable' of filling her mother's shoes

'It's like, you know what, there's something bigger than me here - there's a 10 year old, there's a 16 year old and we gotta get through this in a healthy manner.'

'I am not my mother,' Savannah added. 'How am I going to do this? I dont feel that I am worthy or capable enough of doing the job shes done for all her life.' She, Chloe, and her mom are seen

She also said she wants to start planning ahead in an attempt to get more organized.

'Even if its just little things, Im trying to implement [them],' she dished. 'From here on out, every Sunday, were going to plan our meals for the week.

'[I'll say], "You guys tell me what you want for dinner, and well get the groceries for the week, and youll know every night what youre going to eat.'

She concluded by encouraging her listeners to use her story as inspiration.

'It's been a rough few days, but I'm showing up,' she said. 'Just because hard stuff happens, you don't give up.'

Todd and Julie are serving out their time at two separate facilities, Todd's is in Pensacola, Florida, and Julie's is in Lexington, Kentucky.

The stars rose to fame thanks to their USA reality show Chrisley Knows Best, which premiered in 2014 and documented their day-to-day lives alongside their children. It went on for nine seasons before it was recently canceled amid the scandal.

Savannah recalled a conversation she had with her father before he left, in which he warned her that it would be the 'hardest' but 'most rewarding thing' she has ever had to do

Despite the 'breakdown,' Savannah said she is 'starting' to understand her dad's advice, and that while she was very 'mad' about what happened at first, she is now at 'peace'

Todd and Savannah have three other kids, Lindsie, 33, Kyle, 31, Chase, 26. They have been raising Kyle's daughter, Chloe, since she was an infant, and they legally adopted her in 2016

In the series, Todd and Julie worked hard to portray the image of devoted parents and devout Christians - but they saw their picture-perfect on-screen images ripped apart when it was brought to light that they had scammed the bank by submitting fake documents when applying for loans.

In addition, Todd's former business partner Mark Braddock shocked the world when he claimed that he had a gay love affair with the 53-year-old father-of-five during the trial - further shattering the reality star's long-cultivated reputation.

While on the stand, Mark, 57, told the court that he and Todd engaged in a brief romance in the early 2000s, while speaking in detail about Todd's crimes.

In a previous episode of her podcast, Savannah reiterated her struggles to take care of her siblings, stating, 'I don't feel adequate enough for this job.

'My mother is the kindest, most loving, most amazing human being I've ever met. I always said if I could be half of her, I would be OK.

Todd and Julie are serving out their time at two separate facilities , Todd's is in Pensacola, Florida, and Julie's is in Lexington, Kentucky. Julie is seen with Savannah

In a previous episode of her podcast, Savannah reiterated her struggles to take care of her siblings, stating, 'I don't feel adequate enough for this job.' Chloe and Grayson are seen

'It's been hard - it's been hard to understand, to process and also help two kids process what's been going on in our life,' she added. Savannah is seen with Grayson

'I guess in moments like these, I realize I'm more like my mom than I realize because I'm getting through it.

'It's been hard - it's been hard to understand, to process and also help two kids process what's been going on in our life.'

She also shared a letter her father sent her from jail, which read, 'I want you to give yourself some grace.

'Fall in love with the real Savannah, the one that I raised that radiates a room with her kindness and compassion. Not the one the world wants to see.

'Remember, to gain the world and lose your soul, then what do you have? I've never been more proud of you and the woman you're becoming.

'You've been cast in the fire and what God burns off will allow you to shine brighter than gold.'

Savannah added her dad was doing 'pretty good,' and that she and her siblings visit him a lot.
The flamboyant dress wasn't out of the ordinary for Kyrsten - in fact, it was one of her more-subtle looks

Most recently, she attended the State of the Union address in a yellow gown with enormous ruffled sleeves

The politician, 46, is known for her eccentric clothing, donning bright-colored and boldly patterned looks

Advertisement

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is not only making waves in politics, but she's also garnering attention in the world of fashion - turning Capitol Hill into her own personal runway by wearing a slew of eye-popping and somewhat bizarre outfits in recent months.

The politician, 46, has become known for her eccentric clothing, often showing up to Senate votes and meetings donning things like bright-colored dresses, shirt and skirt combos with clashing patterns, sequined tops, fluffy vests, rainbow sneakers, and even purple wigs - and leaving many to wonder what wacky ensemble she's going to wear next.

Most recently, Kyrsten ensured all eyes would be on her when she attended President Joe Biden's State of the Union address last week in a vivid, yellow gown with enormous ruffled sleeves.

Her choice of clothing quickly sparked a fierce reaction on social media, with some branding her as 'desperate for attention' and others comparing her to famous yellow cartoon characters like Big Bird from Sesame Street and the yellow Teletubby.

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is not only making waves in politics, but she's also garnering attention in the world of fashion - turning Capitol Hill into her own personal runway by wearing a slew of eye-popping and somewhat bizarre outfits

The politician, 46, has become known for her eccentric clothing, often showing up to Senate votes and meetings donning things like bright-colored dresses, shirt and skirt combos with clashing patterns, sequined tops, and fluffy vests

Most recently, Kyrsten ensured all eyes would be on her when she attended President Joe Biden's State of the Union address last week in a vivid, yellow gown with enormous ruffled sleeves

And while the flamboyant dress seemed to stick out like a sore thumb amid the other politicians - who mostly wore outfits that lacked color - it wasn't out of the ordinary for Kyrsten. In fact, it was one of her more-subtle looks

As Kyrsten - who earned a seat in the House of Representatives in 2013, and joined the Senate in 2019 - is trolled over her most recent look, FEMAIL has taken a look back at all of the other bold items of clothing that she has worn

And while the flamboyant dress seemed to stick out like a sore thumb amid the other politicians - who mostly wore outfits that lacked color - it wasn't out of the ordinary for Kyrsten. In fact, it was one of her more-subtle looks.

Back in November, she wore a neon pink sweater with a sparkling blue mini-skirt to a news conference, and in December 2021, she opted for a rainbow patchwork gown with a huge yellow purse that had a snake sewn into it.

In October 2021, she even donned a denim vest that left the web wondering if she was headed to the rodeo. And another time, she wore gold, knee-high boots which seemed more fit for a club than the Senate floor.

As Kyrsten - who earned a seat in the House of Representatives in 2013, and joined the Senate in 2019 - is trolled over her most recent look, FEMAIL has taken a look back at all of the other bold items of clothing that she has worn.

All about the embellishments! Kyrsten loves to wear things that contain ruffles, feathers, tassels, and sequins

Kyrsten wore a feather-y, gray vest over a long-sleeve black shirt while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January 2023

When she visited the US Capitol building in October 2021, she rocked a black mini skirt and glimmering top. She accessorized the look with a neon orange purse and bright pink sneakers

Earlier that month, she also wore a salmon, ruffled mini-skirt with a white tee during another visit to the Capitol building for a vote in the Senate

Kyrsten also seems to love tassels, as she was seen sporting a black, tasseled dress with a denim vest in October 2021 as she entered the Senate chamber for a vote

Kyrsten seems to be a big fan of ruffles, feathers, tassels, and sequins. She wore a feather-y, gray vest over a long-sleeve black shirt while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January 2023.

The outfit sparked a fierce reaction online, and some social media users joked that it was more appropriate for the rodeo rather than for the Senate floor

And when she visited the US Capitol building in October 2021, she rocked a black mini skirt and glimmering top. She accessorized the look with a neon orange purse and bright pink sneakers.

Earlier that month, she also wore a salmon, ruffled mini-skirt with a white tee during another visit to the Capitol building for a vote in the Senate, as well as a black, tasseled dress with a denim vest days later.

She paired the look with a denim vest, which some social media users joked was more appropriate for the rodeo rather than the Senate floor.

'Does she think this is a f**cking rodeo?' one person tweeted.

Back in November 2021, Kyrsten responded to news outlets who were speaking out about her interesting outfits, and she said it was 'no one's business' what she wears.

'Its very inappropriate. I wear what I want because I like it. Its not a news story, and its no ones business,' she said.

'Its not helpful to have [coverage] be positive or negative. It also implies that somehow women are dressing for someone else.'

Ensuring all eyes are on her! Kyrsten doesn't shy away from bold patterns and neon colors - even if they clash

Kyrsten doesn't shy away from bold patterns and neon colors. She is seen in August 2022 (left), April 2022 (center), and October 2021 (right)

In September 2021, she rocked a rainbow, floral gown to a Democratic luncheon at the Capitol building - which ensured all eyes would be on her

During another Senate meeting in October 2021, Kyrsten was seen wearing a yellow, red, and orange flowery maxi-dress (left), and in August 2022, she donned another eccentric look for a Senate vote (right)

The politician's ensemble during a Capitol visit in December 2021 was certainly one that will be remembered

Back in November 2021, Kyrsten responded to news outlets who were speaking out about her interesting outfits, and she said it was 'no one's business' what she wears. She is seen in August 2022

'Its very inappropriate. I wear what I want because I like it. Its not a news story, and its no ones business,' she said. 'It also implies that somehow women are dressing for someone else.' She is seen in October 2021

Kyrsten doesn't shy away from bold patterns and neon colors. In September 2021, she rocked a rainbow, floral gown to a Democratic luncheon at the Capitol building.

During another Senate meeting in October 2021, Kyrsten was seen wearing a yellow, red, and orange flowery maxi-dress, and in August 2022, she donned another eccentric look for a Senate vote.

Kyrsten grew up poor after her father lost his job as a lawyer amid the 1980s recession. Following her parents' divorce, her mother lived off food stamps and they were even homeless at one point.

Her mom eventually remarried and was able to buy a house with the help of the Mormon church.

Despite her difficult childhood, Kyrsten seemed to have a bright future from a young age - and she did so well in school that she began taking college courses at age 14, and graduated high school early at age 16.

In two years she obtained a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University, and she now has a master's degree, law degree and a PhD.

She worked as a social worker, a criminal defense attorney, and was a political activist in her 20s, but joining the House of Representatives.

Don't forget the accessories! She often elevates her looks with things like flashy jewelry, extravagant shoes, and flamboyant purses

Kyrsten often completes her looks with eye-popping accessories - take this bright yellow bag, for example, which has a snake sewn into it

When she spoke to reporters in July 2021, she opted for an orange gown. But it was her bright, blue pearl necklaces that really made the look pop

In July 2022, Kyrsten even wore a pair of rainbow sneakers when she headed to Capitol Hill for a Senate vote

The striped shoes added a touch of color to her black-and-white look

In other times, she's donned shiny, gold knee-high boots, bedazzled sneakers, and flower Birkenstock sandals

Kyrsten often completes her looks with eye-popping accessories - including flashy jewelry, extravagant shoes, and flamboyant purses.

When she spoke to reporters in July 2021, she opted for an orange gown - but it was her bright, blue pearl necklaces that really made the look pop.

In July 2022, Kyrsten even wore a pair of rainbow sneakers when she headed to Capitol Hill for a Senate vote. The striped shoes added a touch of color to her black-and-white look.

In other times, she's donned shiny, gold knee-high boots, bedazzled sneakers, and flower Birkenstock sandals.

The politician is not only known for her idiosyncratic clothes, but she has also made headlines for her strong-willed personality and fierce determination - which has left other politicians scratching their heads.

'No one tells me what to do,' she stated to the Washington Post in a November 2021 interview.

The Senator - who was originally a member of the Democratic party, but became an independent in December 2022 - made history by becoming the first openly bisexual woman to join the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as the first woman to represent Arizona in the Senate.

New York Times writers Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns said in the book This Will Not Pass that even the President is baffled by Kyrsten.

'Biden confessed in private that he did not really understand [Kyrsten], the aloof Arizona Democrat known on the Hill for her cryptic policy views and flamboyant attire,' they wrote.

'One person close to the president likened Biden's perplexity at Sinema to his difficulty grasping his children's use of the viral-video app TikTok. He wanted to relate, but he just didn't quite get it.'

The Senator even went through a phase of wearing a bright-colored wigs - which she said was an attempt to encourage others to stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Kyrsten went through a phase of wearing various, bright-colored wigs during her visits to the Senate floor. She is seen in a pink wig in December 2020

According to her spokeswoman, she wore the wigs in an attempt to encourage people to stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She is seen in September 2020

Kyrsten went through a phase of wearing various, bright-colored wigs during her visits to the Senate floor.

And according to her spokeswoman, she wore the wigs in an attempt to encourage people to stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

'Kyrsten is continuing to call attention to the need for all of us to stay home as much as possible and practice social distancing  which she is diligently practicing, including from her hair salon,' she said in a statement.

She wore wigs on numerous occasions throughout 2020, including a blue on in July, a purple one in September, and a pink one in December.
This is the adorable moment a toddler enthusiastically handed King Charles a bouquet of flowers during his visit to the University of East London.

His Majesty, 74, made a solo trip to the institution to mark its 125th anniversary and open a new frontline medical teaching hub, which will train future generations of NHS professionals and work towards tackling health inequalities across the UK.

Upon his arrival, the monarch was given a selection of fresh flowers by a four-year-old from the university's nursery.

Footage of the scene showed the toddler stepping forward and reaching towards the King with the bouquet as Charles chatted to a person next to the little one.

The eager display from the toddler caused the room to break out into laughter - including the monarch, who is seen sharing a giggle with the child.

This is the adorable moment a toddler enthusiastically handed King Charles a bouquet of flowers during his visit to the University of East London

Elsewhere, Charles brushed off a member of the public's comments about Prince Harry with a chuckle as he arrived at the university today.

The monarch was met with cheers as he stepped out of his black Rolls Royce at the venue this afternoon.

As the royal greeted members of the institution who were standing outside the building, a student in the crowd was heard yelling: 'Please bring back Harry!'

At first, the monarch did not hear what the member of the public said and asked a member of his team for clarification.

An aide told him: 'Harry, your son.'

Appearing unbothered by the mention of the Duke of Sussex - who unleashed fresh bombshells on the Royal Family with his memoir Spare last month - King chuckled and said: 'Oh.'

Earlier today, Charles and Camilla chatted to well-wishers and even received a takeaway from a South Asian restaurant during a visit to Brick Lane, in East London.

The couple met with the movers and shakers of the London Bangladeshi community, visiting charities and businesses.

His Majesty, 74, made a solo trip to the institution to mark its 125th anniversary and open a new frontline medical teaching hub, which will train future generations of NHS professionals and work towards tackling health inequalities across the UK

Upon his arrival, the monarch was given a selection of fresh flowers by a four-year-old from the university's nursery

King Charles pictured arriving at the University of East London. A member of the public called out to the monarch: 'Please bring back Harry!'

Earlier today, Charles and Camilla chatted to well-wishers and even received a takeaway from a South Asian restaurant during a visit to Brick Lane, in East London

They also met individuals who were actively involved in the anti-racism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

The couple were welcomed by dancers in traditional clothes with basket of flowers as they walked down the historic East London street.

For her day out, Queen Consort Camilla looked elegant in a white coat and black boots, while the monarch looked dapper in a large dark grey coat.
Princess Beatrice faced the cold in chilly central London today, as she stepped out wrapped in a stylish houndstooth winter coat.

King Charles III's niece, 34, looked animated as she chatted with a male friend during an outing in the capital.

Beatrice looked put together after what was a late night out on the town with her mother, Sarah Ferguson, yesterday.

Beatrice meant business this afternoon as she sported a black leather Celine handbag and what looked to be a laptop bag as she walked around the city.

The royal was smart as she strutted through town in a pair of knee-high black suede boots - a style she has long been a fan of.

Princess Beatrice looked put together as she stepped out in central London this afternoon wearing a stylish houndstooth coat

She swept her mousy hair out of her face with a chic burgundy headband, and accessoried her cosy full-length coat with a chunky black leather belt.

Her thick overcoat, which featured black cuffs, fit her neatly and appeared to be made from wool.

She also donned a white top, which contrasted beautifully with her light grey and black houndstooth overcoat and peeked out over its collar.

Her makeup was pared back with a natural base and slight shimmer on her eyelids.

The Princess wore minimalistic jewellery, with gold wedding bands on one hand and no other rings or earrings.

Fine gold bracelets were stacked on one of her wrists with a gold bangle on the other.

The late Queen's granddaughter clasped her hands together as she made her way through the busy London streets, with passersby apparently not giving her a second glance.

Beatrice was accompanied by a friend, who himself donned a warm coat as temperatures in London remained below ten degrees Celsius.

Her companion looked smart in the navy jacket, under which he wore a light blue shirt paired with grey trousers.

King Charles III's niece, 34, looked animated as she chatted with a male friend during an outing in the capital

There was no sign of the Princess' husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, with whom she shares one-year-old daughter Sienna Elizabeth.

Last night, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and The Duchess of York, 63, was seen linking arms with her mother as they left exclusive private members club Lou Lou's at around 1am.

The royals cut a stylish pair; with Beatrice again opting for burgundy in her outfit and black leather boots.

She also clutched a favoured Gucci bag, which she has been spotted wearing on previous nights out in the capital.

Meanwhile, her mother opted for a striking white jacket with gold buttons and a knee-length LBD, tying her flame-red locks into a loose ponytail.

The late Queen's granddaughter clasped her hands together as she made her way through the busy London streets

Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, looked busy today after it was recently announced that she is the new patron for the British Skin Foundation.

The royal looked the part yesterday, as she toured the research lab at the Centre For Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research, Blizard Institute in a white lab coat.

Princess Beatrice's series of outings come after her sister Princess Eugenie revealed she is expecting her second child with her husband Jack Brooksbank.

The youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York, 32, shared her pregnancy news by posting an adorable snap on Instagram showing her one-year-old son August kissing her stomach.

She wrote: 'Were so excited to share that there will be a new addition to our family this summer.'

Eugenie gave birth to her first son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who is 13th-in-line to the throne, at London's Portland Hospital in February 2021.

Posting a tribute on Instagram to her youngest daughter, Fergie wrote: 'You will be sharing puddles, Augie! Superb news, Granny heaven. So deeply grateful.'

The Duchess of York, 63, and her oldest daughter, Beatrice, 34, hit Mayfair on Tuesday, enjoying a long night out together at Lou Lou's in Mayfair

Meanwhile Fergie also shared a snapshot of the little toddler playing in a puddle in the pouring rain.

In the picture, the one-year-old donned a bright yellow jacket as he played in the grounds of a country house.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: 'Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pleased to announce they are expecting their second child this summer.

'The family are delighted and August is very much looking forward to being a big brother.'

While it is not known where the photo of the princess and August was taken, it appears to have been captured in the past few weeks, with frost on the ground.

In the post, the mother-of-one beams down at her young son, who snuggled into her tummy enthusiastically. It is not currently known whether she is expecting a boy or a girl.
A concerned mother has voiced outrage after her daughter's school confiscated a drawing of a pig because its jaunty tie looked like a penis.

Sierra Carter, from Michigan, took to TikTok to explain that she had received a phone call from her 11-year-old's art teacher who had concerns over one of her creations.

Sierra's daughter had drawn a colorful masterpiece, titled Piggie, which depicted the farmyard animal waving its arms, alongside a speech bubble that simply read: 'Hi.'

But the Hanover-Horton Elementary School tutor deemed it 'inappropriate' and said the pig's bow tie depicted male genitalia.

Sierra has since attended meetings with the teacher, a social worker, and the principal as well as the school's superintendent - but claims that the matter has not yet been resolved satisfactorily and says the picture is still being kept on her daughter's record.

Sierra Carter, from Michigan, took to TikTok to explain that she had received a phone call from her 11-year-old's art teacher who had concerns over one of her creations

Sierra's daughter had created a colorful masterpiece, titled Piggie, which depicted the farmyard animal waving its arms alongside a speech bubble that simply read: 'Hi'

Social media users were quick to share their support for Sierra and her family, branding the situation as 'shameful.'

But the school's superintendent, John Denney, called the situation 'unfortunate,' stating that it was a 'one-sided narrative that has been created on social media that paints our staff in a negative light.'

In the candid clip, which so far has more than 800,000 views, Sierra spoke to the camera as she explained what has been happening.

She said: 'I got a phone call from my daughter's teacher - she is in fifth grade, she is 11 years old. Her teacher told me that my daughter had drawn something inappropriate in the art class and that a little boy had come up to her and made her aware that he thought my daughter drew "boy parts" on her pig project.

'She went over and asked my daughter for all of her papers... My daughter told her teacher straight away that she drew a bow tie.

'But the teacher proceeded to take all of her papers from her and then she said she had to give my daughter's project to the vice principal of the school.'

Sierra, who was then called into a meeting, continued: 'I get there this morning and they take me into a conference room, and I sit down with the teacher and the social worker for the school.

'They hand me her art project that was just "so offensive" and as soon as I look at it, I'm like: "Are you fricking kidding me?"

Sierra said that her daughter's teacher should have shut the whole issue down from the start - and other social media users were quick to agree

'I literally slammed my hand down on the table and I said: "To be completely frank with you, I am p****ed. Why are we sitting here right now? And why was there a big deal made of this. It's a fricking bow tie."

'They tell me that when they gave it to the principal to ask him what his thoughts were on the whole thing, the first thing that he said was "write her up."'

Sierra said she then demanded that he be brought in so she could also discuss the drawing with him.

Having pointed out to him that it was just a bow tie, Sierra said: '[The principal] goes "a bow tie is a bow."

'And I'm like "I'm sorry my daughter is no Monet, but to her a bow tie is a bow and a tie. And if another kid happened to look at it and think it was something else that sounds more like a he-problem than a she-problem. Why you're making this my daughter's problem, I don't know."'

Sierra said the principal then agreed not to write up the incident, but claimed that he wanted to keep the artwork on file in case any future issues came up.

She continued: 'My daughter has never been inappropriate. She has never even talked about "girl parts" or "boy parts", has never drawn anything at home or at school or anything.'

The protective mother, who repeatedly stated that her daughter had not done anything wrong, ended the clip by saying she had been left 'super confused.'

She said that her daughter's teacher should have shut the whole issue down from the start - and other social media users were quick to agree.

One wrote: 'The social worker could have stopped this issue in seconds, shameful! The adults have their heads in the gutter.'

Sierra branded the school's actions as 'defeating' and 'very discouraging' before claiming that the artwork was still being kept on her daughter's file

One entrepreneur has even gone one step further in their support by turning the controversial drawing into a T-shirt design and selling them for $24.99

Another said: 'As an administrator I am so sorry that you had to deal with this. When I saw the pic I thought you are kidding me keep sticking up for your kiddo!'

And a third added: 'You have GOT to be kidding me! Thats ridiculous! Its clearly a bow tie and the teachers/principal/social worker should be ASHAMED!!'

One entrepreneur event went one step further in their support by turning the controversial drawing into a T-shirt design and selling them for $24.99.

Sierra has since posted a series of other updates to her followers on the video-sharing platform.

She thanked people for their support before revealing that her daughter can sometimes struggle at school and with socialization due to her ADHD.

Sierra, who also met with the Superintendent after the incident, said: 'I just want the school to understand how hurtful their accusations are towards my daughter and I just want them to make it right.

'I just want them to apologize and I don't want my daughter to feel like she's constantly in trouble for something because she's working so hard to be good at school.'

She branded the school's actions as 'defeating' and 'very discouraging' before claiming that the artwork was still being kept on her daughter's file.

In an official statement from Superintendent John Denney, he told FEMAIL: 'Our staff is charged with maintaining schools that are safe and free from distraction or disruption. In performing that responsibility, they strive to follow all legal and policy requirements. Any decisions related to this matter were made consistent with, and in furtherance of, those principles.

'It is unfortunate that a one-sided narrative has been created on social media that paints our staff in a negative light. As with every situation, there are two sides to this story. In this case, a student appropriately brought concerns to the attention of our staff.'

It continued: 'In response, our staff handled the situation with compassion and discretion. Staff contacted the students parents to discuss the situation. No student was singled out or ostracized. Every effort was made to protect the privacy and dignity of all students. Nothing has been placed in any students school records related to this matter.

'Due to student confidentiality laws, we cannot provide further information regarding this situation.'
Jenna Bush Hager has given a behind-the-scenes look at her impeccably decorated new home, from her cozy fireplaces and packed bookshelf to her wallpapered dining room and piano.

The Today host reportedly moved to Connecticuts Fairfield County with her husband, Henry Hager, and their three children  Mila, nine, Poppy, seven, and Hal, three  after listing their New York City condo for $5.375 million last spring.

Bush Hager, 41, took to Instagram on Sunday to share photos from the cozy weekend she spent at home with her best friend, ceramic artist Laird Gough, and her husband, Ross Gough.

'Scenes from a freezing weekend with my [heart],' she captioned the images.

The mother of three has yet to publicly confirm she is living in Connecticut, though her family's most recent holiday card paid tribute to their 'new stomping ground.'

Jenna Bush Hager, 41, revealed the inside of her new home in Connecticut in a series of Instagram photos, including her stunning black and white dining room

The impeccably decorated room features black and white floral wallpaper and a striped rug underneath her mahogany dining table

Bush Hager and her husband, Henry Hager, spent the weekend playing cards with their friends, ceramic artist Laird Gough, and her husband, Ross Gough

Bush Hager's post marks the first time she has given fans a glimpse of the inside of the property, which she moved into sometime last year.

The first image is a snapshot of her family's new cat, Hollywood 'Holly' Hager, sitting in front of their roaring fireplace.

An octagon-shaped mirror hangs above the mantel, which is decorated with small vases of various shapes, and the wall surrounding the fireplace is covered in wallpaper.

There is a cozy chair in the corner of the room, next to a white built-in bookshelf  a must-have for the Read with Jenna founder, who recently launched her own production company, Thousand Voices.

The following shot captures Bush Hager and her husband playing cards with the Goughs at a small table in the corner of the piano room, which features a textured cream rug.

Four framed prints are displayed on the wall next to them, and they are seated in front of a glass and wood door that leads to what looks like a sunroom with a tile floor. The date stamp on the image says 2/4/98.

Another image of Bush Hager's son, Hal, playing the piano while their cat stands underneath it looks like it was taken on the opposite side of the room.

The same black and white style prints are displayed on the wall behind the piano, and there are large windows flanked by long curtains that are pushed open, revealing the trees that surround their property.

One black and white snapshot shows Bush Hager's son, Hal, playing the piano while their cat stands underneath it

Another sweet photo of Hal in the house shows Laird, a Virginia native who is now based in New York City, reading him a bedtime story

Bush Hager's daughter Poppy, seven, is pictured jumping on a cream sofa in the living room with another little girl, who is likely the Goughs' daughter

One sweet snapshot shows Laird, a Virginia native who is now based in New York City, reading a bedtime story to Hal in another room in the house.

The little boy is wearing his pajamas and sitting on her lap as he turns the pages of the book. Laird is leaning against a dark wood dresser that is topped with a white and blue ceramic lamp, an acrylic framed photo, and a large globe.

The mirror hanging above the dresser captures the reflection of the artwork that is hanging on the wall across the room.

The piece de resistance of the Hager family's home is undoubtedly their gorgeous dining room thanks to its chic black and white floral wallpaper.

Fans gushed about the 'amazing' wallpaper in the comments and curiously tried to figure out where it was from.

Bush Hager decided to play with mixed prints in the room and paired the floral motif with a black and white striped rug.

A crystal chandelier hangs above the mahogany dining room table, which is surrounded by her set of Chippendale-style chairs that were painted white for the move.

A snapshot of the two couples seated together was taken after dinner while they posed with their black and white fabric napkins crumbled next to them.

An image of the room from another angle shows a floral chair in the same pattern as some of the throw pillows and a cream S-shaped sofa with fringe facing a fireplace

An octagon-shaped mirror hangs above another one of the family's fireplaces, and there is a packed bookshelf located in the corner of the room

The mantel is decorated with small vases of various shapes, and the wall surrounding the fireplace is covered in wallpaper

Bush Hager posted a close-up of their Mumford & Sons playing cards and tea cups

Another photo shows the table decorated with a bouquet of dark flowers, mixed-patterned plates, and striped taper candles resting in silver candlestick holders.

The large black and white artwork on the wall used to be in the living room of her New York City condo, next to her wall of bookcases with a sliding library ladder.

Poppy and another little girl, who is likely the Goughs' daughter, are pictured jumping on a cream sofa with throw pillows in their newly decorated living room.

A large painting is hanging behind them, and there is a cream coffee table with a lamp off to the side of the couch.

The gold and glass coffee table is topped with two coffee table books, 'A Touch of Style' by Carlos Mota and 'Bunny Williams' Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Chic and Comfortable Houses.'

An image of the room from another angle shows a floral chair in the same pattern as some of the throw pillows and a cream S-shaped sofa with fringe facing another fireplace.

Bush Hager went with a whole new aesthetic, including updated furniture, when she designed the interior of her Connecticut home.

The animal print couch and red armor that were standout pieces in her former living room were not seen in any of the images, though it's possible that they are tucked away somewhere else on the property.

Bush Hager looks to be standing outside of her new home in a picture from November. The interior was likely designed by Traci White, who was her roommate at the University of Texas

The stone exterior matches the original illustration on her family's most recent holiday card, which was created by Cheree Berry Paper & Design

Bush Hager listed her New York City condo (pictured) for $5.375 million last spring, but she took her black and white artwork with her and placed it in her new dining room

The former first daughter stopped posting photos that were taken inside her Tribeca condo back in April, around the time the property hit the market.

Bush Hager looks to be standing outside of her new home in a picture from November. She is holding up the book 'The Cloisters' by Katy Hays, which was her Read with Jenna book club pick that month.

The stone exterior matches the original illustration on her family's latest holiday card, which was created by Cheree Berry Paper & Design.

The interactive mailer has a door with the letter 'H' on the front that opens, revealing a sketch of the couple and their children.

The back features a heartwarming snapshot of Mila and Poppy kissing their little brother, Hal, who is sitting between them on a large rock.

The Hagers also own a Long Island cottage with an open-air pool, where they like to spend their summers.

Both their beach house and former condo were decorated by Dallas-based interior designer Traci White, who was Bush Hager's college roommate at the University of Texas.

The Hagers also own a Long Island cottage with an open-air pool, where they like to spend their summers

The couple and their three children - Mila, Poppy, and Hal, celebrated Thanksgiving at the cottage in 2019 (pictured)

'There was something about it that reminded me of Texas, of being outside. Even this close to the city, there was a remoteness to it,' Bush Hager told Veranda of their beach house in 2019

The old friends presumably collaborated for a third time on her new home in Connecticut, but only pictures of her former condo are featured on White's Instagram feed.

Bush Hager opened up about her beloved North Shore beach house in an interview with Veranda in 2019, which featured images of the property.

She said they had rented in the area for about five or six summers and fell in love with the cottage during an open house.

'There was something about it that reminded me of Texas, of being outside. Even this close to the city, there was a remoteness to it,' she told the magazine.

When designing the home's interior, Bush Hager took old pieces from both her and her husband's families and reupholstered them, including a 20th-century sofa from her side and a pair of wingbacks from the Hagers.

'Jenna and her mother [former First Lady Laura Bush] enjoy considering pieces individually, in finding beauty in whats there,' White told Veranda. 'Its never about "new, new, new."'

The article was published roughly three years before the Hagers relocated to Connecticut, but she seemed to hint that they would one day leave New York City.

In the interview, Bush Hager spoke of her love of the great outdoors and how she imagined her three children having their own backyard to run around in barefoot.

'Theres something magnificent about sitting under there with your friends and kids watching the rain,' she said. 'Youre outdoors and youre barefoot. Its how Henry and I grew up, and its what we want for our children.'
To be a model you first have to win the genetic lottery, Jade Power acknowledges. The former beauty queen has had a successful career thanks largely to her 5ft 10in frame, endless legs, show-stopping hair and DD bust.

My mum did pass on some great things to me. I was definitely blessed, jokes Jade, 29.

Her two older sisters, Donna and Claire, didnt get the height, but they, too, got the shapely figures and great hair. The hair was our thing, nods Donna, 40, the middle sister.

Note the use of was. For in the past two years the sisters, from Sussex, have been learning some harsh lessons about that genetic lottery. Today, Donna is wearing a wig, the legacy of chemotherapy so brutal she thought she was going to die.

Power sisters battle cancer: Lingerie model Jade Power (centre) with her sisters Donna (left) and Claire (right).Donna has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Lingerie model Jade has the cancer gene and has opted for a double mastectomy even though she is healthy. Claire is cancer free and does not have the gene but is racked with guilt

Jades glorious bust? Its no longer the real deal, but a reconstruction completed after she had both breasts removed. Vivid scars run across her chest.

On talking to them you quickly realise all three sisters have been scarred, in very different ways, by a genetic quirk which came to light only after Donna was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020.

Genetic testing revealed she was carrying a gene called PALB2, which increases the chance of developing breast cancer (and, to a lesser extent ovarian cancer). If she had the gene, doctors explained, there was a 50/50 chance her siblings would have it, too.

And so as Donna recovered from surgery (in the form of a lumpectomy) and chemotherapy, the other female members of her family were submitting to genetic tests. Jade likens it to a horrible game of roulette.

Their mum was found to be a carrier although she has never developed breast cancer; Claire, the eldest at 44, was negative.

But Jade, the baby of the family, was given the devastating news that she had a 71pc chance of developing breast cancer.

The genetic test was like a horrible game of roulette

With odds like that, in my mind it was a case of when I would get it rather than if, she says now.

Overnight, Jade says her relationship with her breasts changed.

I always thought mine were my best assets, she says. They got me swimwear work, too. But the minute I was told I had the gene, I looked in the mirror and I didnt see nice breasts  I saw these things that were going to kill me.

I had no doubts what I had to do. Any other concerns just didnt compare. For any woman, choosing to have healthy breasts removed is an enormous call.

For a professional model? It was a huge decision, says Jade. A former professional showjumper, she had travelled the world for her job, working as the face of outdoor clothing company Musto. Her modelling assignments had taken her from Monte Carlo to the Far East, and she graced the catwalk during London Fashion Week. But worries about the impact on modelling pale into insignificance compared with fears about my life and health.

So last year, Jade  by then a new mother to baby Zander  underwent a double mastectomy, removing healthy breasts before they had a chance to be a threat to my life and leave my son without a mother.

This week she was in the news vowing to return to modelling, even the lingerie side of the business, to show that women can still be sexy even after a mastectomy.

Her great inspiration is Hollywood actress and activist Angelina Jolie, who changed the narrative around elective mastectomies after she discovered she was carrying the more common BRCA1 gene and had a double mastectomy and hysterectomy.

Now the sisters have launched a campaign calling for more awareness of genetic mutations linked to breast cancer, and access to genetic testing.

Jade accurately describes their family story as quite a hard one to get your head around.

Its a bit of a crazy situation because, while its Donna whos had cancer, Im the one who has had the double mastectomy, she explains.

Nurse preparing patient for mammogram at x-ray machine in hospital. Former beauty queen Jade Power, from Sussex, explains that her and her two sisters inherited a deadly cancer gene from their mother

Shes lost her hair and is going through a chemically induced menopause because of her cancer treatment. Yet I was the one who was offered IVF and embryo screening if I wanted to get pregnant  to ensure the gene wasnt passed on.

The three sisters  clearly all very close  perfectly illustrate the havoc a genetic mutation can wreak in a family.

It may seem that Claire has escaped. Not so.

I was the one who got the news I wasnt a carrier, but how could I celebrate? How could I say to my sisters: Well, its good news for me! she says. Theres a huge amount of guilt, watching them go through what they have.

Their mum, too, has felt guilty. She was devastated knowing shed passed it on, says Donna.

Scientists discovered the PALB2 gene only in 2006, so little is known about it. However, they do know that it can be carried by men, too.

Donna had to write to her extended family members  about ten in all  gently explaining that they might want to consider tests.

We have a brother but he chose not to be tested because he has a son, she says. If he had a daughter I think it would have been different.

We told all our cousins  even the distant ones. The ripples are something you just never consider ...until you have to.

It was in 2020 that the thunderbolt hit. Donna, then single and a healthcare business consultant, found a lump in her breast and immediately made an appointment at a private clinic for a scan.

I had private health insurance and I just thought: Lets get this looked at immediately. I thought I might be over-reacting.

The face of the lady who did the scan told her she wasnt.

She said there and then that she was pretty sure it was breast cancer, but Id have to have a formal diagnosis. I went back to my parents house, and we all cried.

That was on a Friday and by the Monday Donna had undergone a biopsy and was on the route to surgery and chemotherapy. She moved back in with her parents during her treatment.

Claire, who was also single and running her own marketing company, did the same. The whole family rallied. Dad Tyrone drove Donna to her hospital appointments and waited while she had chemo; mum Gloria and Claire did the bulk of the nursing at home.

It was hellish, Donna remembers. The chemo hit me badly. I was very sick and weak. They had to reduce the dosage, but there were moments when we really didnt think I was going to make it.

When someone in their 30s is diagnosed with breast cancer, family history becomes hugely important.

They discovered, only then, that their mothers sister had died from breast cancer at 41, while another aunt had died from ovarian cancer.

Donna asked for genetic testing, but I still didnt expect anything significant to come back.

When it did, she was floored. I remember having to tell my sisters: I am so, so sorry but there is a 50per cent chance that you could have this gene, too. 

Their mums blood test results were the first to come back  and they were positive.

This meant we knew the issue was on her side of the family, Donna explains. She was racked with guilt. It was just the luck of the draw that she hadnt developed cancer.

Shes 64 now, so shes still at high risk. They always say it is a lifetime risk. Her daughters, Jade and Claire, were next. Claires result was negative, Jades positive.

Just my luck! Jade half-jokes. I knew it would be. Donna and I have always been so similar  apart from the height.

When Donna was diagnosed, her treatment options were straightforward and driven by the immediate need to save her life. Jade, however, had a very different decision to make.

There were two options: surveillance, meaning six-monthly mammograms and scans, or I could go for the preventative option of having both my breasts removed.

What a choice. But the right course of action quickly became clear to Jade.

Every time I looked at my breasts, I thought timebomb, she says. I think having seen Donna go through what she suffered was a factor. I remember thinking: I could not do that. I do not want to give any cancer a chance to develop at all. Screening is great for some people, but what if the first signs of a cancer manifest the day after youve had a scan? By the time you find it, you are already down the path.

There was another complication. Jade, in a long-term relationship, had been considering starting a family. She was warned that the gene could be passed to either a son or daughter, but the consequences for a girl would obviously be more significant.

Every time I looked at my breasts I thought: timebomb

She was offered IVF with gene therapy, which meant the mutant gene would be removed at the laboratory stage.

I talked about it with my partner, but I was really uncomfortable with that idea, she says. I did want a baby  but I wanted nature to take its course.

But while Jade was still agonising about what to do, she discovered she was pregnant  which changed everything. All decisions about future surgery would have to go on hold.

Baby Zander was born in October 2021, his sex bringing a certain relief, though he could still have the gene  we wont know until he is 18.

But even as she was breastfeeding, Jade knew she was doing this for the first and last time.

I still wanted the surgery, so I saw being able to breastfeed him as a gift. If I have any more children I wont be able to.

She fed Zander for only two months because my consultant advised that my milk flow needed to have stopped before he would operate, and Jade felt a sense of urgency: Having Zander made it more vital. He needed me alive.

By August 2022, Jade was ready. Shed spent months researching reconstructive breast surgery. The publicity surrounding Angelina Jolies mastectomy gave her hope. She was still stunning, still every inch a woman, says Jade.

What of her partner? 100 per cent supportive, she says. He could see what the anxiety of a life of screening was doing to me.

She had the reconstruction done at the same time as the surgery to remove her breasts.

Now, Jade feels a weight has been taken off her shoulders. But her scars will only fade so much.

I still dont know if Ill ever get back to my job, but I hope so, she says. I think there has been a move towards models who reflect real life. Women in real life have curves, flaws, scars. Its part of who we are. Im proud of mine.

Would her sisters have taken the decision Jade did? Claire says she probably wouldnt, while Donna says: Knowing what I know now, Id probably have opted for a mastectomy after my chemo, but at the time I wasnt strong enough. It may be something to think about in the future.

However, they have both supported Jades decision.

Shes been incredibly brave, Claire says. Both she and Donna have been absolute warriors.

The sisters campaign, #NOTJUSTBRCA, will now push for increased screening opportunities and awareness. On World Cancer Day earlier this month, they released a video talking about their work with the NHS.

And that means women looking at their mums and aunties and asking questions, Donna says. The answers can be frightening, but knowledge is power.
Katie Nicholl says couple would be asked to take a similar approach to Jubilee

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can 'expect to be treated like Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie' if they choose to attend King Charles' coronation, an expert has claimed.

The official crowning will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey where His Majesty will shun royal garb in favour of military clothing, in a bid to update the ceremony.

However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - who stepped down as senior royals in January 2020 and now live in Montecito, California - have yet to confirm if they will attend Charles' coronation in three months' time.

Writing in Vanity Fair, royal expert Katie Nicholl said that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry would potentially take on a role similar to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in proceedings.

Describing how they would be less visible, she explained: 'Now that they are no longer working royals, the Sussexes can expect to be treated the same way as Harrys cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who attend important family occasions but are not in the spotlight and do not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured The Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral last June

'It has already been agreed that only working royals will make a balcony appearance during the coronation and sources have said that the focus will be on King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate.'

The expert noted how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be asked to take a similar approach what they did for late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations last June.

Although Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were in the UK to mark Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne, Katie noted how they did not ride in the carriage procession during the Trooping the Colour - an activity they did take part in when they were first married.

Instead, Meghan stayed out of the spotlight and was pictured spending time with Savannah Phillips and Mike and Zara Tindall's daughter Mia from a balcony at Horse Guards Parade.

The expert also highlighted that the couple did attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral but were not seated in the front row with the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Similarly, the couple - who unleashed fresh bombshells on the Royal Family with the release of their Netflix documentary in December - did not join King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla and the Wales family in the Royal Box for the Party at the Palace concert.

Elsewhere in the Vanity Fair story, the expert said the King is 'determined' for Meghan and Harry to attend the coronation as he 'wants to move on'.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie pictured at the Queen's funeral at Westminister Abbey on 19 September 2022

The Royal Family - including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry - pictured on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June 2018. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not appear on the balcony if they attend King Charles' coronation, an expert has claimed

A Palace source said: 'Whatever has been said and done, Harry is still his son and he loves him. He also cannot imagine being crowned, the most important moment of his life, without both his sons witnessing the moment.'

Prince Harry could be whisked in and out of Britain for a 48-hour appearance at King Charless Coronation without his wife Meghan, sources said earlier this week.

One working theory, dubbed Harry in a hurry, is that Meghan will remain behind in California to celebrate Archies fourth birthday while Harry flies into make a brief appearance at the event on May 6.

It was reported yesterday that both Harry and Meghan would be invited to the ceremony  but it remains unclear whether they will accept in the wake of Harrys tell-all memoir about Royal infighting.

King Charles pictured arriving at the University of East London. A member of the public called out to the monarch: 'Please bring back Harry!'

The report came after the revelation in last weeks Mail on Sunday that the Archbishop of Canterbury had been drawn into discussions about the couples invitation to the 90-minute service.

It was suggested that they might accept the invitation if they were given a prominent pew and an undertaking that Harry would not lose his Royal titles.

Earlier today, King Charles brushed off all mention of the Duke of Sussex as he arrived at the University of East London.

The monarch, 73, was met with cheers as he stepped out of his black Rolls Royce at the premises this afternoon.

As the royal greeted members of the institution who were standing outside the building, a student in the crowd was heard yelling: 'Please bring back Harry!'

At first, the monarch did not hear what the member of the public and asked a member of his team for clarification. An aide told him: 'Harry, your son.'

Appearing unbothered by the mention of the Duke of Sussex - who unleashed fresh bombshells on the Royal Family with his memoir Spare last month - King chuckled and said: 'Oh.'

The King visited the University of East London to mark the institution's 125th anniversary.

During their tour of the university, King Charles also opened their new frontline medical teaching hub.
Shes 14 and attends a co-educational state secondary in South-East England  where she says one in ten children in her year identifies as trans or non-binary. After becoming increasingly upset by the schools acceptance of transgender ideology, this female student has decided to expose the truth about life in an ongoing culture war.

The other day, I went to the school office to get a new copy of the timetable. The teacher I spoke to used they/them pronouns about me, asking another member of staff, they have lost their timetable, can they have a new one?

He knows me really well and its clear that Im a girl. I felt furious he didnt just say she. But its not just the odd teacher here or there; I am regularly asked if I am in the process of transitioning.

There is a gender-neutral uniform policy at school and lots of the girls wear trousers. Those of us that do are often asked if we are transgender, especially if we have short hair, as I do.

The fact a girl likes playing video games, or doesnt like feminine clothes or make-up is enough to be seen as potentially trans. When my mum complained about me being called they, the teacher apologised but explained he was being cautious in case I was transitioning. He said the teachers are treading on eggshells, scared of being labelled transphobic.

After becoming increasingly upset by the schools acceptance of transgender ideology, this female student has decided to expose the truth about life in an ongoing culture war

It feels like trans is all anyone talks about. The library has a section devoted to LGBTQQIA+ books and there is a display for Pride in the school entrance, with rainbow flags and words and terms such as non-binary, polysexual, demiboy, demigirl and pansexual. These words come up in lessons, too. Im now in Year 10, and the other day a girl in my English class asked if the Greek god Zeus was a man or a woman and the teacher replied that Zeus could have identified as non-binary.

More recently another teacher said Lady Macbeth was neither a man nor a woman. I think most parents will have no clue this is what their kids are being taught.

So Im glad the Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is set to tell schools they must be more open about their handling of trans issues. I would be too scared to say this at school, though. I would lose my friends if I did, as theyre completely intolerant of anything they think is transphobic.

Thats what made me decide to speak out here  without giving my real name.

When I started at my secondary school four years ago, I didnt even know what transgender meant. It hadnt been talked about in primary school or at home. But within days, we were told by a teacher in our PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) class that we would be seen as transphobic if we used any of the offensive words from a long list, which included gender bender and butch.

I had no idea what transphobic meant, but I could tell it was definitely something I didnt want to be seen as. At that age, when you are told something at school you just believe it. We trusted that what the teachers told us was true.

Within days of starting secondary school, the student was told by a teacher in their PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) class that they would be seen as transphobic if they used any of the offensive words from a long list, which included gender bender and butch

But I did ask my mum about it later. She is a feminist and is critical of students being dictated to. She said that often it depends how you use words  that people within queer communities have used gender bender as a positive way to describe themselves and that butch is used by lesbians to describe other lesbians who are quite masculine in appearance.

While still in my first year, 11-year-old girls in my class began asking to be called he or them.

Soon afterwards a number of others were doing the same. It felt as if they joined in because it meant they were seen as cool.

You get special treatment if you say you are trans or non-binary and suddenly become the centre of attention when you come out.

As soon as a girl says she is a boy, her name is changed on the school register and students are told to use their chosen boys name.

Now, out of 200 students in my year, at least 20 say theyre trans  almost all are girls claiming to be boys or non-binary. Although there is one boy saying hes a girl, this really is largely about girls saying they are boys. The kids in my year dont say they are lesbian or gay, because those words are thought to be an insult.

There is a straight boy going out with a straight girl who says she is trans, so he now has to say that hes bisexual. Its often said by my schoolmates that trans girls are better girls than other girls. I find this insulting. But the teachers dont take any action even if they do hear conversations like this.

There is a lot of breast-binding going on, too, but we dont know who might be on puberty blockers because no one talks about that the student writes

Recently, I was watching a news item with friends about the changes to the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland and every time a guest on the programme said, this is a threat to sex-based rights, my friends were sneering and laughing. It made me feel as though girls have no rights and are not respected in my school.

There is constant talk of transphobia and bigotry and many of the students who say they are trans constantly talk about being victims, with anyone who isnt trans being the perpetrator.

Coming out as a lesbian or gay doesnt have the same effect, but barely any students do, in my experience.

My friend Kelley* was affirmed [accepted without question] as a boy in Year 7. She has serious mental health issues and is regularly off school as she self-harms.

Kelley socially transitioned without any teacher challenging her. She has a new name and can now use the boys changing rooms. All my friends pretty much believe in gender identity. Girls and boys are referred to by teachers and students as assigned female at birth or assigned male at birth. This is shortened to AFAB and AMAB.

There is also confusing language such as the word for being attracted to non-binary people, skoliosexual. I find it ridiculous  but cant say that.

There is a lot of breast-binding going on, too, but we dont know who might be on puberty blockers because no one talks about that. One trans-identified girl wants to get a breast binder, but was complaining that her parents would not want her to.

I joined the Equalities Club because I believe in equal rights for all, then found it was impossible to talk about any group, other than trans people, that was discriminated against. Theres a rule against wearing badges in school but some students wear trans flag and pronoun badges and nobody tells them off.

Recently, a group of us were watching Prime Ministers Questions and when MPs talked about maternity care, using the terms birthing partner and non-birthing partner, I wondered out loud why they didnt just say mother.

I was told off by a friend who said that not everyone with a cervix is a woman. I didnt want to disagree because I knew what would happen  I would be publicly humiliated.

Until now, Ive just gone along with most of it. But there are some things I cant leave alone. For example, I really like J. K. Rowling but she was called a TERF (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist) by a friend, who said she was heartbroken to hear that J.K. was anti-trans.

I asked in what way J.K. was transphobic but this friend couldnt give me an answer, she just said: I hope all TERFS drop dead. I was shocked by her anger.

There have also been violent comments on social media towards transphobes with students from the school threatening to strangle them.

Thats why Im writing this piece anonymously, although I believe I should be able to say these things without fear of attack. I want adults to know what its really like in schools like mine now.

*Names have been changed.
They spoke about the ageing process and how best to 'glow' year-round

A panel of beauty industry experts have spilled their top tips for nailing radiant and glowy skin year-round using the best skincare ingredients and makeup application.

Skin scientist and founder of Synergie Skin Terri Vinson, renowned makeup artist Rae Morris and the ladies behind podcast Cosmechix and Fayshell spoke to 100 women at the Very Important Beauty seminar on Tuesday, hosted by Maria Thattil.

The virtual event touched on the importance of loving your skin at every age but did offer proactive advice for those who wanted to fight pigmentation and sun damage, or generally learn how to layer their products to achieve their best skin yet.

So what did the experts suggest?

One of the most controversial topics Terri (pictured) touched on was the misinformation surrounding hyaluronic acid and collagen, which are marketed as a cure-alls for all manner of ageing 'issues' and hydration loss

SKIN SCIENTIST TERRI VINSON

One of the most controversial topics Terri touched on was the misinformation surrounding hyaluronic acid and collagen, which are marketed as a cure-alls for all manner of ageing 'issues' and hydration loss.

'As we mature we produce less collagen, less elastin, the melanin is deposited in an uneven fashion, there is less water retention and hormonal changes,' she said.

'Traditional hyaluronic acid and collagen are massive molecules so they don't penetrate the skin itself.'

And when it comes to those collagen supplements you've been told to take in a powdered form to strengthen your skin, hair and nails, they're not telling the entire truth either.

'Your body has to break down those collagen molecules into amino acids. If you eat a collagen supplement there is only a one in 20,000 chance that it will become collagen on the other side. Just eat a good quality protein supplement instead.'

Terri swears by Hydroxypinacolone retinoate as her favourite form of Vitamin A in skincare because it's the most potent on the market without getting a prescription.

'If you can't tolerate that go for an encapsulated version. It helps with pigmentation and can reduce DNA damage from sun exposure,' she said.

Then she always incorporates Vitamin B3, otherwise known as Niacinamide, into her skincare routine each night because it's such a great barrier repairer and it's a 'dream' to formulate with.

Vitamin C in skincare is more potent than taking a Vitamin C supplement so Terri ensures she's using L-Ascorbic acid mixed with water or a serum.

All of the research papers done on Vitamin C in skincare where done on this acid and, Terri claims, there are 'a lot of rubbish derivatives out there' that don't actually achieve anything.

Zinc, which blocks UVA and UVB from the sun, is Terri's favourite ingredient in a physical sunscreen and she also swears by pre and post biotics skincare.

Makeup artist Rae Morris (pictured)

MAKEUP ARTIST RAE MORRIS

Renowned as one of the most influential makeup artists in the world, Rae Morris is not only a number one best-selling author but also four time Australian Makeup Artist of the Year, the longest serving Makeup Director for L'Oreal Paris and has been inducted into multiple Halls of Fame.

Her top tip for those looking to master their makeup is to find someone who walks the red carpet who looks like you - with a similar hair colour and skin tone - and follow their makeup lead.

'Some makeup tricks will make you look older. Red eyeshadow can make you look tired and sore. If you're in a rut, less is more. If fine lines are a concern, take the shimmer away,' she said.

Rae doesn't put a lot of moisturiser on the eyelids before she starts the eyeshadow process because the area is 'the oiliest' on the face. This will help avoid creasing.

'Primers can work on some people and not work at all on others. Maintenance and reapplication is the trick. If you are going to get a primer opt for a blurring variety,' she said.

'Buy a foundation with heavy coverage but apply less of it.'

If you find that your skin barrier has been compromised Rae swears by Avene Cicalfate+ for healing redness and light irritation.

ELLA JAMES AND KATELIN GREGG AT COSMECHIX

Ella and Katelin are the proud owners of Sydney clinic FayShell and hosts of Cosmechix - a beauty podcast that educates millennials on all things cosmetic enhancements, skincare, and beauty.

Through conversations with over 100 industry experts, they are the go-to gals for the latest beauty treatments and trends.

Fayshell's exemplary business model encourages individuals to incorporate monthly facial treatments as a part of their ongoing beauty maintenance, like you would with a nail or hair appointment.

Ella and Katelin are the proud owners of Sydney clinic FayShell and hosts of Cosmechix - a beauty podcast that educates millennials on all things cosmetic enhancements, skincare, and beauty

There are two subscription options to choose from with each visit to the clinic is totally customisable depending on what your skin needs, so you don't have to sift through pages of vague treatment options.

And that was their best advice during the seminar: Make sure you're customising both your skincare and skin treatments.

'You really need to find a facialist who will tailor the treatment to your skin and your goals,' they said.

'We look into your treatments and products but also your gut health, what you're eating, drinking. Your skincare journey will require consistency in all areas of your life.'

They also pointed out that the sudden popularity of LED is no surprise given one 20 minute session a few times a week leaves the skin glowy and flushed.

You can watch the online webinar on YouTube here.
She used a budget Coles product and put the shoes in the wash

An Australian mum made her daughters shoes look 'almost new'

A mum-of-two was shocked at the transformation of her daughter's shoes after washing them with a cheap supermarket product.

The South Australian mum used Coles Ultra pre-wash stain remover on a pair of vans and a pair of converse - and they went from grubby and stained to looking 'almost new' in minutes.

She sprayed the $1.30 product onto the trainers and let it sit, then put the shoes on a normal wash cycle and let them dry.

Other cleaning enthusiasts agree that the product 'works way better than the branded ones'.

An mum-of-two was shocked at the transformation of her daughters shoes after washing them with Coles Ultra pre-wash stain remover (pictured) which only costs $1.30

Before and after: She changed a pair of vans and a pair of converse from grubby and stained to 'almost new'. She sprayed the $1.30 product onto the trainers and let it sit, then put the shoes in a normal wash and let them dry

'Coles stain remover, only $1.30 and works amazing,' the mum said when she shared her hack to popular Facebook cleaning group Mums Who Clean.

'Chucked my girls school shoes through the wash and came out looking almost new. Definitely impressed.'

The mum said she just 'threw them in a normal wash'.

The Australian made product should be sprayed onto stained clothes, shoes or fabrics and left to soak in for at least an hour.

Stains should then wash out easily on a normal or delicate wash.

How to wash and dry trainers: How to wash trainers in a washing machine: 1. Scrub off any excess dirt from the shoes with a toothbrush or wire brush. 2. Remove the laces. 3. Spray a stain remover such as Coles Ultra pre-wash onto stains and leave it to soak in for an hour. 4. Put the shoes and laces in a wash bag and throw an old towel into the drum to reduce noise. 5. Use high quality detergent and preferably wash on a cold wash. How to dry trainers in a tumble dryer: 1. Hang the shoes from the inside of the dryer door by trap the top of the laces between the tumble dryer and the door. 2. Put the machine on a gentle cycle. (Source: Bosch) Advertisement

A popular hack to quickly dry runners without damaging them is to hang them from the inside of the dryer door.

You should trap the top of the laces between the tumble dryer and the door, and put the machine on a gentle cycle.

Other cleaning fans were very impressed with the budget buy.

'This stuff is the bomb! I spray this stuff on the stains, leave them for about 20 minutes then wash, and I can report they come out spotless every time. Buy it, use it and you won't regret it,' one woman said.

'I brought this last week and was super shocked how well it worked! Highly recommend worked way better than the brand ones,' another commented.

'It's the best stain remover out there,' another wrote.

'Oh wow I'm buying some next week,' another said.
According to BabyCentre, parents looking to American frontier for inspiration

Parents are looking to the wild west and outer galaxies for baby name inspiration in 2023.

Billys, Wyatts, Pearls and Clementines may be roaming school halls in the next couple of years, with the cowboy-esque theme coming up as a top non-generic search term on UK site BabyCentre.

And it's not just the American frontier - the final frontier was another popular search term as this year could see a rise in baby boys named Apollo and Cosmo and baby girls called Ariel and Luna.

More and more are also said to be opting for unisex names - Kylie Jenner's Aire being the most recent example - according to the experts.

BabyCentre also found that the number of names in their registrations that are shared by both boys and girls has doubled in the last 10 years.

Parents are looking to the wild west and outer galaxies for baby name inspiration in 2023. Stock image used

Who could have predicted that wild west names would be a new trend,' UK Managing Editor for BabyCentre Sarah Redshaw said.

She continued: 'One thing's for sure, old-fashioned names are still in fashion while parents are still loving Bible names.

BabyCentre's top search queries related to names Excluding similar search terms and general name search terms WILD WEST NAMES Billy, Wyatt, Butch and Levi and Clementine, Daisy, Pearl and Mae GENDER NEUTRAL NAMES Riley, Frankie, Harley, Blake, Rowan, River, Robin and Morgan NAMES FROM MYTHOLOGY Apollo, Troy, Calliope and Daphne BIBLE NAMES Florence and Arthur and Eve and Noah SOLAR SYSTEM-INSPIRED NAMES Apollo, Cosmo, Ariel and Luna OLD-FASHIONED NAMES Jocasta, Tamara, Barnaby and Tybalt. GEMSTONE-INSPIRED NAMES Ruby and Jet Advertisement

'Names from ancient mythology and the planets could become a new classical trend though as mums and dads look for something more unusual but familiar.

'We've seen the proportion of gender-neutral names soar too, which is no surprise given the rising awareness around gender fluidity.

'It's another trend we'll be keeping an eye on.'

Sarah also added that parents may be looking to celebrities for name inspiration.

'Another possibility is that parents may take the lead from celebrities and their recent Disney-inspired names,' she said.

'Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury named their newborn daughter Bambi, and Stacey Dooley called hers Minnie so we could see an increase in searches for Disney names.'

Meanwhile Noah and Olivia were the most popular names for boys and girls in 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Oliver dropped to second place having been the most most popular boys' name for eight years, while Olivia topped the girls' list for the sixth year in a row .

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also shows that Henry replaced Jack in the top 10 names for boys, while Freya, Florence and Willow replaced Isabella, Rosie and Sophia for girls.

New entries to the top 100 included Lara, Beatrice and Sara for girls, and Blake, Brody, Kai, Rupert, Tobias and Nathan for boys.
A woman has shared a video of herself and her ex-boyfriend jetting off on a Bali holiday together seven months after their breakup because they were 'both too stubborn' to 'give up' the pre-paid trip.

Mimi, who goes by documentwithmimi, appeared fed-up already in a TikTok video which shows her ex-lover Wairua sticking up his middle finger as the plane takes off.

'When you booked a non-refundable Bali trip a year in advance but broke up seven months ago,' she wrote on the short clip.

While many are loving watching the trip play out in real time, other more skeptical fans say it 'feels like a publicity opportunity' for Wairua's business EFFN clothing, which launched in January.

Mimi, an influencer has shared a video of herself and her ex boyfriend Wairua, both pictured, jetting off on a Bali holiday together seven months after their breakup

Mimi wouldn't confirm the theories and instead added that the 'game of footsies was interesting' and said she 'wanted a refund' tagging 'TikToxic' in the caption.

Poll Would you go on holiday with an ex? Yes, if it was paid for! No way! Only if I wanted to get back together! Would you go on holiday with an ex? Yes, if it was paid for! 242 votes

No way! 201 votes

Only if I wanted to get back together! 107 votes Now share your opinion





The former couple documented their breakup and 'became enemies' following their split - but were able to 'become friends again' because they work together.

'We booked nice accom and both of us are too stubborn to book somewhere else because we paid,' she said, annoyed.

But her fans were thrilled with the news - and said it could signal the beginning of a new chapter of their relationship.

'You are going to come back married,' one person wrote, earning over 152k likes.

Others compared the drama to a 'real-life romantic comedy' and said they would be glued to their phones watching it unfold.

'It is definitely the trip that gets you back together,' predicted another.

Mimi reacted calmly to the comments and said she was happy to 'see what happens' on the holiday.

Mimi has 200k followers on TikTok but the video has been seen 35million times

Mimi said both of them were too stubborn to give up the holiday - despite breaking up seven months ago

Some of her fans said she should have tried harder to get a refund while others said heading away with an ex lover would be 'personal hell'.

'My ability to get a refund on a non-refundable ticket is undeniable,' one person bragged.

'Take my money. I would not go,' another added.

But many of her followers admitted they would also be too stubborn to let their ex go abroad alone.

'If my boyfriend and I paid for a holiday then we are going - I don't care if we broke up,' one woman said.

'I am not missing out on a holiday, not after the excitement of booking,' said another.

Some said they would 'read the novel' while some offered different endings to the drama based off their own awkwardly timed trips.

'Did this in Costa Rica. We hooked up the whole time and temporarily got back together,' one woman said, adding: 'REGRETS'.

They looked comfortable on the back of a scooter on their first day in Bali

One woman even fell in love on a trip with an ex.

'If I stayed home I wouldn't have met my person. Maybe the pressure of being with the wrong person will help you find the right one,' they said.

Mimi promised to keep her fans updated - in her first update she revealed things had been going well and they'd 'only had one argument'.

Mimi shared a video of the plane taking off and didn't look please with her company

Some fans speculated an early reunion.

'We all know he ain't sleeping on the couch,' dozens wrote in the comments.

But Mimi was quick to silence the rumours claiming she had given up the bed for him.
When Teagan Richards shared a snap of her $25 Kmart hack to a Facebook group she never expected to reach so many grateful parents.

The Queensland mum-of-three's youngest son Logan, seven months, was diagnosed with life-threatening disease cystic fibrosis and recently needed to be fed through a feeding tube.

She posted a photo of herself using the Kmart buy to hang the feeding tube from to help other parents and was delighted by the response she received. Unsurprisingly, her simple yet powerful post stood out among the banal feed of snaps.

Logan was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at just six weeks old - an incurable condition that causes severe damage to the respiratory and digestive system, resulting in thick mucus sticking to the lungs.

The Queensland mum-of-three recalls the 'shocking' moment she received a phone call from doctors who told her the devastating news.

Brave little Logan (pictured, left) was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at just six weeks old. Aussie mum Teagan Richards had only ever heard of the condition once. To feed him with a feeding tube, she needed to buy a $25 hanging rack from Kmart (right)

'I was walking into my daughter's school for school pick up and received a call from a private number they explain that his Heel Prick test had come back positive to him having the CF genes,' Teagan told FEMAIL.

'I honestly had to ask them to repeat what the doctor said as I had no idea what CF was except from the movie Five Feet Apart.'

Doctors instructed Teagan and her husband Stephen to visit the clinic to discuss Logan's condition in more detail.

Feeling shocked and in disbelief, she wondered if doctors had it right before the realisation set in.

'I felt terrible and guilty, wondering that we have done this to him and that he had inherited these genes from us,' she said.

Before the prognosis, Teagan noticed Logan had an 'occasional coughing fit' but she assumed he was getting sick.

He's also the first in their entire extended family to be diagnosed with the condition.

'We had no idea that he had CF or that it was even a possibility - he was a healthy, 4kg baby,' Teagan said.

Before the prognosis, Teagan (left) noticed Logan had an 'occasional coughing fit' but she assumed he was getting sick. He's also the first in their entire extended family to be diagnosed with the condition (pictured: the family)

What is cystic fibrosis (CF)? Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a serious genetic condition that causes severe damage to the respiratory and digestive systems This damage often results from a buildup of thick, sticky mucus in the organs The most commonly affected organs include the lungs pancreas liver intestines If you have CF, a genetic mutation increases the thickness of mucus and other body fluids. When this happens, the thicker fluids can interrupt the function of organs - like the movement of air through your lungs. This can trap bacteria and lead to infections Source: Healthline Advertisement

The brave little boy's genes are so rare doctors couldn't help but ask the couple if they were related.

'Logan's gene combination is really rare due to having the same gene combination twice to the point doctors asked if me and Stephen were related, which we differently are not!' Teagan said.

The couple also have two older daughters - Scarlett, seven, and Gracie, three - and through blood tests doctors found Scarlett was a carrier of the gene while Gracie isn't.

After being discharged from the hospital at 5:30pm Teagan realised they had no way to feed Logan through a feeding tube, but quickly devised the clever idea to use a drying rack from Kmart.

'I was running around Kmart like a crazy person because Logan was due for a feed in 30 minutes and I couldn't find a single hat/coat rack, then I came past the clothes drying rack and thought to myself that this would be perfect,' she said.

'I got home, put it together and it worked great.'

At the moment Logan feeds every three hours and doctors say he has a 'good gene combination' so the CF likely won't affect his lungs as severely or as quickly as other mutations

Trikafta: Landmark PBS listing for Australians with cystic fibrosis Australians with cystic fibrosis now have access to a new treatment following the listing of Trikafta on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) which will make an enormous difference to the lives of those who suffer from the disease. In Australia, one in 2,500 babies are born with cystic fibrosis and there is currently no cure. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections. The condition is caused by genetic defects that limit the flow of chloride and water through cell membranes, resulting in a thick, sticky build-up of mucus in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs and over time limits the ability to breathe and makes it easier for germs to grow. The medication works by improving the flow of chloride and water in patients who have a certain genetic defect and helps improve lung function and breathing. Without PBS subsidy, around 1,900 Australians would pay more than $250,000 a year for access to the drug. This treatment is out of reach for most Australians, and now that it will be available on the PBS, patients will only pay a maximum of $42.50 per script. Advertisement

At the moment Logan feeds every three hours and doctors say he has a 'good gene combination' so the CF likely won't affect his lungs as severely or as quickly as other mutations.

'CF is different in everyone but Logan has inherited the 'Good' CF Genes - R117H / R117H, PolyT7,' Teagan said.

Teagan wishes to thank the staff at Gold Coast University hospital for the amazing treatment with Logan and getting him back to where he needs to be.

She also encourages others to support the Cystic Fibrosis Queensland Facebook page.
Doctors revived him but he needed his legs amputated

He went into cardiac arrest for 10 minutes due to septic shock

A one-year-old boy who has had both legs amputated and may still lose his fingers has become the brave face of a deadly outbreak that is surging across Australia.

The Strep A infection that has ravaged little Ryan Lines' body started with a runny nose but quickly became life-threatening when he went into severe septic shock.

His frantic parents Jessica and Sam Lines rushed their son to hospital at Broken Hill, in western NSW, on December 8, where he went into cardiac arrest for 10 minutes.

Doctors were miraculously able to revive Ryan but his parents were told at the time he would have brain damage and lose parts of his face as well as his legs and hands.

His condition deteriorated so quickly the family were flown to the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide for treatment, where Ryan has remained for 62 days.

Last Friday, he had surgery to amputate both his legs below the knee and is due to have more surgery next week to remove all his fingertips, and possibly some fingers.

His mother told Daily Mail Australia of her horror at seeing what seemed like a simple virus develop into a potentially deadly condition.

Brave little Ryan Lines (pictured) contracted the potentially deadly strep A infection

Mum Jessica (left, with husband Sam and their children Ryan, 1, and Rory, 3,) noticed he had a had a runny nose, temperature, and was limp and lethargic. She and husband Sam rushed him to the hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest for 10 minutes

'I noticed Ryan had a runny nose, temperature, and was very limp and lethargic. This is what made me take him to the hospital,' Mrs Ryan said.

'After he cardiac arrested we were told that we could be looking at worst case, where Ryan would have serve brain damage, lose parts of his face and his full legs and hands - thankfully that's not the case.'

Ryan's ordeal comes amid growing concern about a rise in potentially deadly Strep A infections sweeping the nation.

Cases have doubled in Western Australia in the past three months in the state's first major surge of the infection in two decades.

Queensland, NSW and Victorian authorities have also all reported recent spikes in Strep A cases among children.

According to data from the Department of Health's National Communicable Disease Surveillance Dashboard, there were 1163 cases of Strep A in Australia in 2022.

People who are infected spread the bug by coughing, sneezing or talking, which creates respiratory droplets containing the bacteria.

Ryan's parents were expecting the worst but thankfully doctors managed to revive him.

But his limbs have suffered and turned black as a result of inefficient blood flow

Also known as group A Streptococcus, the bacterial infection is found in the throat and skin but can lead to other invasive infections.

It's the same infection that led to the death of Perth girl Aishwarya Aswath in 2021 and claimed the lives of at least two other children in Victoria last year.

What makes the bug so deadly is how the germs create a toxin that can make its way into the skin or blood, causing irreparable damage.

Those who go into septic shock, as in little Ryan's case, can develop small blood clots, preventing blood from flowing to the hands, fingers, toes and feet. Once this happens, the tissue begins to turn black and die, requiring amputation.

Last Friday he had surgery to amputate both his legs below the knee and is due to have surgery next week to remove all his fingertips, and possibly some fingers (pictured after surgery)

'Our little boy is such a miracle but the reality is that Ryan was very very sick,' Jess said

'When you go into severe septic shock so many things happen to your body that I didn't know could happen,' Mrs Lines said.

'[Ryan] struggled with a collapsed lung and also had to have dialysis treatment a few times to help his kidneys, many doctors are amazed at how good his heart is.'

Prior to surgery, his parents 'couldn't even comprehend' that Ryan's 'perfect little feet' needed to be amputated.

'The doctors aren't sure if they will leave the fingers as is or do a surgery to help regenerate new cells and skin by sewing Ryan's fingers inside his stomach/groin for a few weeks - this will hopefully be able to give him more length to his fingers,' Mrs Lines said.

'Our little boy is such a miracle but the reality is that Ryan was very very sick.

A GoFundMe page has been created to assist the family while 500km away from home. After just four days a staggering $101,000 has been donated

What are the symptoms of group A streptococcal (strep A) infection? Group A, also known by the abbreviation GAS, is a type of bacteria often found in the throat and on the skin. Group A streptococcal infections commonly cause sore throats, also known as strep throat. In rare cases the bacteria can also cause a severe, life-threatening infection known as invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS). Symptoms include: Strep throat symptoms may include a sore throat and tonsils, pain when swallowing, fever, muscle aches and pains, and tiredness. Scarlet fever symptoms include a very red, sore throat, swollen glands and fever. Around 12 to 48 hours after infection, red blotches can appear on the skin, usually on the face, neck, underarms or groin. Red bumps can also form on the tongue, sometimes called a 'strawberry tongue'. Impetigo causes sores on the skin that tend to form blisters. These blisters can burst and leave a moist area with a yellow brown crust at the edge. Cellulitis involves an area of skin becoming red and inflamed, painful and swollen, while the skin will often feel tight and warmer to the touch than the surrounding skin. Necrotising fasciitis is a serious skin infection that can cause deep, painful skin sores as well as fever, diarrhoea or vomiting, septic shock and organ failure. Source: healthdirect Advertisement

'We aren't sure what Ryan's future looks like but we know we will try our hardest to give him the best life possible.

'Everyone is so surprised that he survived, and the outcome has been more positive then what we thought it would be.'

With the family currently living 500km from home and unsure how to pay medical bills, a GoFundMe page has been created on behalf of Mr and Mrs Lines.

After just four days a staggering $101,000 has been donated to support the family.

Mrs Ryan has been keeping their supporters updated by sharing videos and photos on her Instagram page.

Parents have been urged to be vigilant and seek medical attention immediately if symptoms of Strep A emerge.

They include a sore throat, fevers or chills, dizziness, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, skin infection and abdominal pain.

Jess and Sam Lines also have another three-year-old son, Rory (left)

Strep A kills more than 600,000 people worldwide each year, according to Telethon Kids Institute executive director Jonathan Carapetis. School-aged children, the elderly and pregnant women are among the most vulnerable (pictured: Ryan at 11 months old)

Strep A kills more than 600,000 people worldwide each year, according to Telethon Kids Institute executive director Jonathan Carapetis told The West Australian.

He warned the infection could kill within hours.

'I'd describe it as the nastiest bug you've probably never heard of... it's the sort of bug that can kill you in hours,' Professor Carapetis said.

'If a kid is getting sick very quickly, that's a potential emergency and you don't wait until tomorrow to see the GP, you take them straight to the emergency department. Literally, children can go to bed and never wake up.'

School-aged children, the elderly and pregnant women are among the most vulnerable.
Regardless of the huge strides scientists have made towards reaching the elusive goal, immortality remains a pipedream.

But one researcher in the anti-ageing field believe we could get there  or at least extend human lives beyond the current biological boundaries  without any miracle pill or injection.

Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, head of biotech company Insilico Medicine, says human clones could offer the answer to eternal life.

Theoretically, the sci-fi concept of growing bodies in labs would provide people with 'spare' vital organs when theirs begin to fail in order to extend their life.

Animals  most notably Dolly the sheep in 1996  have already been cloned as part of scientific experiments to develop genetically modified livestock.

Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, head of Hong Kong-based biotech company Insilico Medicine, believes clones will become available to humans within the lifetime of young people and will provide 'spare' organs for when they become unwell

Dolly the sheep (pictured) was the first successful animal clone, using cells taken from the udder of a six-year-old sheep, after nearly 300 attempts by researchers at The Roslin Institute, which is part of the University of Edinburgh

And plants have undergone the same process  simply through taking a cutting  for thousands of years.

Academics hunting for immortality think the same feat is possible in humans, too.

Dr Zhavoronkov, whose Hong Kong-based firm develops drugs to treat age-related illnesses, believes the technique will become available to humans within the lifetime of today's kids.

It will provide 'spare' vital organs, such as the heart, liver or lungs, for people when they inevitably become unwell.

Such body parts would be harvested from their clone and transplanted.

Blood plasma infusions doubles lifespan of rat, raising hopes for anti-ageing therapy available to humans A lab rat has lived to the record age of four-years-old after receiving injections of blood plasma taken from younger rodents, scientists have revealed. Scientists hope the findings will lead to a similar treatment being rolled out to people within the next 20 years. Rats usually live for just two to three years, on average, but Sima, the rat in the study, surpassed the previous longest lifespan by one-and-a-half months. The study involved giving rates infusions of a purified and concentrated form of blood plasma, called E5, taken from younger animals to see whether it prolonged their lives. Results so far suggest that those who received a placebo infusion lived 34 to 38 months, while those who received the plasma infusions lived 38 to 47 months. Dr Harold Katcherr, chief scientific officer at Yuvan Research, which led the study, told The Guardian: 'The real point of our experiments is not so much to extend lifespan, but to extend youthspan, to rejuvenate people, to make their golden years really potentially golden years, instead of years of pain and decrepitude. 'But the fact is, if you manage to do that, you also manage to lengthen life and that's not a bad side-effect.' Plasma, which makes up around 55 per cent of blood, is a yellow-coloured liquid that carries platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells around the body. Studies suggest that the treatment reinvigorates organs and tissues in animals and extend life by slowing the ageing of the liver, heart and brain. However, the same result is yet to be spotted in humans. Dr Katcher said if larger animal trials show the same results, the approach could be tested in humans. But the therapy requires the same amount or more plasma than that already in the body - meaning it could be collected at pigs in abattoirs. Advertisement

However, the idea of human clones  which Dr Zhavoronkov believes will eventually become as accessible as a car or iPhone  is hugely controversial.

This is due to the scientific difficulties, such as a high rate of death and bodily deformities among cloned animals.

There are also ethical concerns about creating a human genetically identical to another person who currently exists, or has previously.

This could conflict with long-standing religious and societal values about human dignity and infringe on the principles of individual freedom, identity and autonomy, according to the US National Human Genome Research Institute.

Others fear the system could be abused by supporters of eugenics.

But Dr Zhavoronkov, who was born in Latvia but now works in Hong Kong, believes creating 'many' clones of people is the most likely method for boosting life expectancy among people.

He told MailOnline: 'Cloning, in my opinion, is the only way to make a dramatic leap in life extension and turn longevity into an engineering problem.'

Scientists would need to develop a way of successfully cloning humans and disabling their cognitive functions so they could only be used for organs, he noted.

Dr Zhavoronkov said: 'If someone figures out a way to get around the ethical and regulatory problems, the technology will be available to a select few at the beginning.

'But just like with the iPhone or cars, it should not be too expensive and you may be able to get a new body from time to time as a regular consumer.'

'You would have spare parts for a very long time,' Dr Zhavoronkov added, suggesting that they would be stored in specialist labs or factories.

If a person was hit by an illness, such as kidney disease, then they would receive the healthy organ from their clone, under the system.

All vital organs deteriorate with age and can be hit by illness, which can be fatal, so replacing them can, in theory, keep people alive for longer.

Dr Zhavoronkov said: 'Transplantology has already advanced to the extent that you can transplant virtually anything.

'If there is no rejection, since it is a perfect clone, you can have a perfect body and just focus on the longevity of your brain.'

However, organ transplants  which have been carried out since the 1950s  do carry an array of risks, including infection, blood clots and nerve damage in the short-term.

In the longer term, the body can reject the new organ  caused by an overreaction of the immune system.

Dr Zhavoronkov is confident there will be 'significant advances in longevity science within the next decade'.

But he noted that it would take 'at least' 15 to 20 years to grow an adult clone, from which organs could be harvested from.

'So for today's 80-year-olds, [their] chances of rejuvenation are pretty slim  their probability of dying of any cause is very high and increases with age,' Dr Zhavoronkov said.

People who are in their eighties or older 'have virtually no chance to live past 122'  the current record set by Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 after spending her whole life in Arles, southern France, he said.

The Office for National Statistics predicts the life expectancy of men born in 2070 in the UK will reach the age of 85 on average, while women will be nearly 88 when they die

Ms Calment, who smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol every day, sparked debate among scientists about what upper age limit is for humans.

However, there has since been speculation that her actual age at death was 99.

WHO WAS JEANNE CALMENT? Jeanne Calment, pictured with her Guinness World Record Jeanne Louise Calment holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person ever. Born on February 21, 1875, she is reported to have lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days. She passed away in a nursing home in Arles, in the south of France, on August 4, 1997. Her unparalleled longevity has been the subject of numerous studies, both before and after her death. She stunned doctors by continuing to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol every day. Jeanne enjoyed good health for the majority of her life, having even taken up fencing as a hobby at the age of 85. Ms Calment also claimed to have met the artist Vincent van Gogh, to whom she sold painting canvasses in her father's shop as a teenager. 'He was ugly as sin, had a vile temper and smelled of booze,' she said. Advertisement

Those who are in their twenties today 'have a real chance of living many times longer than previously thought possible' due to the possibility of a scientific breakthrough in this field, Dr Zhavoronkov said.

However, the 'jury is still out' on those who are middle aged due to uncertainties around the speed of breakthroughs and the rules around how they are used, he said.

Dr Zhavoronkov also pointed to pharmacological interventions  taking drugs  as a potential way to boost lifespan.

Promising studies suggest organ transplant, diabetes and blood pressure drugs may all have anti-ageing effects.

Ongoing research, by the US National Institute of Aging, logs how drugs affect the lifespan of mice.

Results have shown that 'reasonably safe drugs' such as rapamycin, developed as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients, and type 2 diabetes drug acarbose increase longevity in mice, Dr Zhavoronkov said.

And separate analysis suggests PDE-5 inhibitors, which are used to treat people with high blood pressure, reduce the risk of age-related diseases, he said.

However, Dr Zhavoronkov believes medication will 'only help us achieve moderate life extension'.

He said: 'The real breakthroughs will come from regenerative medicine.

'The ability to replace the old tissues and organs is likely to provide people with a much greater longevity runway than pharmacology.'

Dr Zhavoronkov added: 'We should not really set a limit on human life expectancy.'

Reproductive cloning, which was used to duplicate animals like Dolly and would likely be the method used to clone humans, involves removing cells, such as a skin cell, from the entity that is being cloned.

The DNA from these cells are transferred into an egg cell that has had its DNA removed.

Dolly the sheep was the first successful animal clone, using cells taken from the udder of a six-year-old sheep, by researchers at The Roslin Institute, which is part of the University of Edinburgh.

But human cloning has remained elusive, despite disproven claims from some researchers that they have achieved it.
But the most sleep-deprived was Hawaii, where 40 percent got insufficient sleep

Research showed that nearly a third of Americans fail to get seven hours a night

America's chronic sleep deprivation problem has been laid bare in a DailyMail.com interactive map based on official data.

It reveals that almost a third of adults routinely fail to get the bare minimum of seven hours of sleep every night recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Despite New York City and Las Vegas being known as the cities that never sleep, it is actually Hawaii that is the most sleep-deprived in the nation.

As many as two in five residents in the state (40 percent) fail to get seven hours of sleep every night, figures showed.

At the other end of the scale was Colorado with the lowest level of sleep deprivation, but even here more than a quarter of adults (26.8 percent) were still ranked as sleep deprived.

It comes after DailyMail.com also revealed America's most unhealthy states, with West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas ranking bottom of the list.

Ten states with most sleep deprivation Hawaii - 39.4% of adults sleep less than seven hours a night West Virginia - 39.2% Kentucky - 38.6% Alabama - 38.3% Louisiana - 36% Georgia - 35.8% Ohio - 35.5%, Pennsylvania - 35.5% Nevada - 35.1% Arkansas - 35%, Mississippi - 35% Indiana - 34.9% % of adults sleeping less than seven hours a night. Data from BRFSS survey. Data is from the year 2020. Advertisement

Ten states with least sleep deprivation Colorado - 26.8% of adults sleep less than seven hours a night Minnesota - 27% South Dakota - 28.1% Vermont - 28.2%, Nebraska - 28.2% Oregon - 28.3% Montana - 28.9% Idaho - 29.3% Washington - 29.7% Wisconsin - 30% North Dakota - 30.1% New Hampshire - 30.1% % of adults sleeping less than seven hours a night Advertisement

The report was compiled using data from the CDC's Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System.

This surveyed 400,000 Americans nationwide on whether they got sufficient sleep, defined as at least seven hours a night. The report is from 2020, the latest available.

The CDC says all Americans should be getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Children aged six to 12 years need nine to 12 hours a night, while teenagers should get eight to ten hours.

Scientists say that getting less than seven hours a night leaves Americans at risk of a myriad of health problems including weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and worse concentration. It can also put them at higher risk of car accidents.

Similarly, a lack of sleep is also proven to trigger chinks in the armor of the immune system  leaving someone more at risk of infections.

Data showed about a third of adults fail to get at least seven hours of sleep a night until they are 65 years old. From there, the levels drop to 26 percent  but this is still more than a quarter of older adults getting less than seven hours a night

Data showed men are more likely to get insufficient sleep compared to women

Those on the lowest wages were most likely to have insufficient sleep, while those on the highest were least likely. Insufficient sleep in the lowest income brackets was linked to shift work and long hours

Rounding out the bottom five states were West Virginia (39.2 percent of adults having less than seven hours a night), Kentucky (38.6 percent), Alabama (38.3 percent), and Louisiana (36 percent).

At the other end of the scale were Minnesota (27 percent), South Dakota (28.1 percent), Vermont (28.2 percent), Nebraska (28.2 percent), and Oregon (28.3 percent).

New York ranked near the national average with 32.9 percent of adults getting less than seven hours a night. Nevada was the eighth most sleep-deprived state in the nation at 35.1 percent.

Experts at the Washington-based Sleep Foundation said Hawaii likely had the most insufficient sleep out of any nation because of its time zones.

It is three hours behind the west coast and six hours behind the east coast while having a large remote-working population  which may leave many residents with poor sleep patterns.

Dr Valerie Cacho, a physician on the islands, added that the expense of living on the islands could also be driving stress, keeping people up at night.

Data shows people in the Pacific Islander/Hawaiian ethnic group are most likely to get too little sleep, which may be linked to having lower incomes than other ethnic groups. This means they are more likely to be doing shift work, which can cause sleep deprivation.

For West Virginia and Kentucky, experts said the higher rates of insufficient sleep could be linked to its surging obesity rate.

The states have the highest rates of obesity in America, with more than four in ten adults obese.

This puts more residents at risk of sleep apnea  when weight on the airways causes them to close while someone is asleep, causing the individual to wake-up coughing and spluttering because they cannot breathe.

On the other hand, Colorado ranked top of the nation for sleep.

Scientists suggest this may be because people in the state get more leisure time than those in other areas.

This allows them to exercise more, for example, which is known to be a key benefit before falling asleep.

It also has a lower obesity rate than the national average, falling at about 23.6 percent.

In terms of education, those who went on to more education post-high school were most likely to be sleep deprived. But those who went to college were least likely

By ethnic group, people in the Hawaiian and Pacific Islander group were most likely to be sleep-deprived. For comparison, those from Asian and White backgrounds were least likely to be sleep-deprived

Nationwide, data shows about 34 percent of adults are sleep-deprived  getting less than seven hours a night  from the ages of 18 to 64 years.

This drops to 26 percent when adults are over 65 years old, but that is still more than a quarter of adults getting insufficient sleep.

Men are more likely than women to get insufficient sleep overall, with 33.3 percent saying they sleep less than seven hours a night compared to 32.1 percent of women.

People on the lowest incomes are also most likely to be sleep-deprived, with nearly two in five of those earning less than $25,000 a year failing to get seven hours a night.

At the other end of the scale were those on the highest incomes  above $75,000 a year  with 30 percent saying they got insufficient sleep.

The data was compiled by addiction specialists at the Diamond Rehab Lab in Thailand, a luxury rehabilitation clinic offering stays from 28 days upwards.

A spokesperson for the lab said: 'Its essential to understand how critical sleep is to the most basic of functions in the human body and how much of a risk factor insufficient sleep can be for disease.

'One of the causes for poor mental and physical health is a lack of sleep.

'With socioeconomic factors impacting our everyday such as the cost-of-living crisis, it can be estimated that these overall percentages will rise.'

Why do we need sleep? Sleep dispenses a multitude of health-ensuring benefits  and theyre yours to pick up as a repeat prescription every 24 hours, should you choose. It enriches a diversity of functions within the brain, including our ability to learn, memorize and make logical decisions. Sleep also recalibrates our emotional brain circuits, allowing us to navigate the social and psychological challenges of the next day with cool-headed composure. We are even beginning to understand the most impervious of all conscious experiences: the dream. Dreaming provides a unique set of benefits, including soothing painful memories and inspiring creativity, as I will be explaining next week. Downstairs in the body, sleep restocks the armory of our immune system, helping to fight malignancy, preventing infection, and warding off all manner of illnesses. Sleep also reforms the bodys metabolic state by fine-tuning the balance of insulin and circulating glucose. It regulates our appetite, helping to control body weight by encouraging healthy food selection rather than impulsive choices. It is also needed to maintain a flourishing microbiome within your gut, where so much of our nutritional health begins. Adequate sleep is also closely tied to the fitness of our cardiovascular system, lowering blood pressure while keeping our hearts in fine condition. Recall the last time you had the flu. Miserable, wasnt it? Runny nose, aching bones, sore throat, heavy cough, and a total lack of energy. You probably just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep. As well you should. Your body is trying to sleep itself well. Sleep fights against infection and sickness by deploying weaponry from your immune arsenal and cladding you with protection. When you do fall ill, the immune system actively stimulates the sleep system, demanding more bed rest to help reinforce the war effort. Reduce sleep for even a single night, and that invisible suit of immune armor is rudely stripped from your body. Advertisement
Doctors today warned against overprescribing antipsychotic drugs to new mothers with depression after the tragic triple killing of three children in Massachusetts.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, from Duxbury, admitted to strangling her three kids Cora, five, Dawson, three and Callan, eight months, to death before attempting to take her own life after suffering post-partum psychosis.

Her lawyer claims she had been prescribed 13 powerful mind-altering prescription drugs, including benzodiazepines, antidepressants, mood stabilizers and sleeping pills in the eight months leading up to the killings.

Among them were the so-called 'Z-drug' Ambien, the sedatives Seroquel and Klonopin, and the anxiety medication Valium - all of which are highly addictive and come with severe side effects such as hallucinations and confusion.

Dr Gary Maslow, a psychiatrist at Duke University, told DailyMail.com the number of drugs prescribed to Mrs Clancy was 'way too high for sure'. He said: 'These are medicines that can help, but if you take too many, it can impair your judgment.

Mrs Clancy had been prescribed 13 drugs over the last eight months. These include the powerful sleeping pill Ambien, anti-anxiety drugs Ativan, Klonopin and Valium; the anti-depressant drugs Remeron, Prozac, Trazodone; Bi-polar disorder drug Lamictal; and the anti-schizophrenia Seroquel

Mrs Clancy, 32, is accused of killing her daughter Cora, 5 and son Dawson, 3, at the family home in Massachusetts and attacking baby Callan, who is eight months old. Pictured L-R: Lindsay, Dawson, Corey and husband Patrick

Mrs Clancy remains in the hospital after trying to take her own life; she slit her wrists and jumped from a top floor window of her home

'[These drugs] have side effects and some can include an alteration of mental state. You wouldn't prescribe these to people [who already suffer from] hallucinations or delusions.

DRUGS PRESCRIBED TO LINDSAY IN THE EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE KILLINGS, according to her lawyers Zolpidem (Ambien)

Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Diazepam (Valium)

Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Lamotrigine (Lamictil)

Lorazepam (Ativan)

Mirtazapine (Remeron)

Quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel)

Trazodone

Sertraline (Zoloft)

Amitriptyline (Elavil)

Buspirone

Hydroxyzine (Atarax) Advertisement

'If a patient is psychotic and they give them the wrong medicine, then she can be [even more] confused.'

While it is unclear how many drugs Mrs Clancy was on at the time of the killings, Dr Marlow said mixing and matching powerful psychiatric drugs could raise the risk of severe and unusual side effects.

Dr Marlow said: 'In general, you want to use the least number of medications necessary.'

He added that coming off a strong mix of drugs could be just as dangerous as the side effects while taking them, leading to withdrawals and delusions.

In one social media post last fall, Mrs Clancy described suffering an adverse reaction to the commonly prescribed antidepressant Zoloft, which she said left her with such 'extreme insomnia' and lack of appetite that she stopped taking it.

Her husband said at a hearing last week that he went to her doctor and warned that his wife's prescription meds were turning her into a 'zombie'.

Mrs Clancy's attorney Kevin Reddington says the killings were the result of 'a moment of psychosis' and months or over-medication.

She was said to have been hearing voices on the day of her children's death, including a man who told her 'to kill the kids and kill herself because it was her last chance'.

The prosecution's account tells a different story. They claim the killings had been meticulously planned, with the mom sending her husband Patrick out on an errand for about 25 minutes to buy enough time for her to strange each of her children with an exercise band.

Among the other drugs Mrs Clancy was prescribed were: Prozac, an anti-depressant; Lamictal, for bipolar disorder; Ativan, an anxiety medication; Remeron, another anti-depressant; and Trazodone, an anti-depressant.

It remains unclear how many doctors and psychiatrists Lindsay visited and who was responsible for the prescriptions. Her attorney has not yet clarified whether one or any doctors were responsible for overseeing her care, but says the long list of drugs she was on 'destroyed her'.

Responding to the case, Dr Steven Hollon, a psychologist from Nashville's Vanderbilt University, told DailyMail.com: 'That's a lot of medication.

'If she's had a history of psychosis, you must be concerned [with prescribing those drugs].'

Dr Leonard Jason, a psychologist at DePaul University, told DailyMail.com the tragic case raised questions about her treatment plan.

Dr Leonard Jason (pictured), a psychology professor at Depaul University, said that is is 'unusual' for a person to be prescribed that many drugs. Dr Gary Maslow (pictured), a psychiatrist from Duke University, said that hallucinations and an altered mental state could be a sign a person is abusing the prescription drugs

The Clancy home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where the children were killed in the basement

He said the amount of drugs she had been prescribed 'is unusual'.

He continued: 'Clearly, her psychosis was not being controlled.' Mrs Clancy, who worked as a midwife, was reportedly suffering from post-partum depression and psychosis.

While she had behaved normally in the days before the incident, prosecutors found notes in her phone from days earlier referring to her 'post-partum anxiety'.

They also referred to notes where she described 'resenting' the older two children because they stopped her from 'loving Callan like he was her first baby'.

Her attorneys say that she had tried to receive help for her mental disorder in the weeks leading up to the killings.

'She was so bad that she voluntarily turned herself into the McClean Hospital,' they said Tuesday.

'We know that's a psychiatric hospital - she was there for five days. The hospital basically tried to get her off the Seroquel. She wanted off the benzodiazepines. She then ends up on Trazadone Ativan, her mood was terrible after she got out of McClean

'She still had suicidal thoughts - she told her husband she had suicidal thoughts.'

'The complexities of mental health are different for each individual and similarly, treatment strategies vary depending on each persons unique needs,' a hospital spokesperson told DailyMail.com in a statement.

'Whether it be proven and effective medications, psychotherapy, peer support, complementary and alternative medicine, or a combination of multiple approaches, it is important that any care plan be evidence-based and derived from patient-centered discussions and shared decision making.'

McClean said it could not comment on specific cases for privacy reasons.

Mrs Clancy was on three benzodiazepine drugs, often known as 'benzos'. The drugs are highly addictive but give fast-acting relief to a person suffering severe anxiety, a panic attack, or other conditions that could require quick sedation.

The drugs work by activating the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors, known as GABA, in nerve cells across the body.

It is the most common neurotransmitter in the body, meaning it is responsible for a majority of messages sent between nerve cells.

When activated, the transmitters can quickly calm a person down. It can also lead to drowsiness or fatigue.

Because of how fast they act and their remarkable effectiveness, benzos are often abused as party drugs.

A person can also quickly become dependent on them, and the drugs are not to be used regularly for more than a few months at a time.

One of the drugs Mrs Clancy was on Klonopin, is a highly effective benzo tranquilizer. It is used for anxiety, seizures and panic disorders.

Valium and Ativan are also benzos.

She was also prescribed with Atarax and buspirone, other anxiety medications.

Atarax was initially designed to treat allergies, working by decreasing activity in the brain to prevent it from believing an allergen is a toxic threat.

But, experts later realized this effect could be a valuable tool against anxiety, too.

Buspirone, which was formerly sold under the brand name Buspar, increases the brain's secretion of dopamine and serotonin - which give users a euphoric and sedated effect.

She had also been prescribed five antidepressants over the last eight months.

Zoloft, Trazadone and Prozac are all classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs, also known as SSRIs.

These drugs take weeks to take effect and work by slowly increasing the amount of serotonin the brain produces. They are not addictive.

Mrs Clancy was also prescribed Elavil and Remeron, two other long-term drugs that boost serotonin in the brain.

Lamictal was prescribed to her as well. The drug is used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder.

The drug decreases the brain's electrical activity, helping a person stabilize.

Ambien is a well-known sleep-aid. It is highly effective and has been linked to severe side effects such as hallucinations, dizziness, nausea and more.

It is only recommended for people with severe insomnia and after other measures have already been tried.

It also works by slowing activity in the central nervous system, allowing the body to relax.

Seroquel is an anti-psychotic medication used to treat mood disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

It helps balance neurotransmitters in the brain, which can cause severe mood changes when not properly regulated.

Dr Nancy Byatt, a psychiatrist and post-partum depression expert from UMass Chan Medical School, told DailyMail.com that the amount of drugs Mrs Clancy had been prescribed in such a short period implies many did not work.

She said that psychiatrists will often 'trial and error' with patients to find the right drug for them.

In cases where a patient's mental state puts herself and her children in harm's way - hospitalization is often recommended.

'When there is a safety concern about the parent [or] about the kids, or any safety concern... then often more intensive treatment is needed, and often hospitalization.'

She explained that the patient can be monitored in a hospital setting to ensure they do not hurt themselves.

They also can be provided additional treatment beyond just the drugs.

Patrick, Lindsay's husband, has forgiven her. He is shown with the children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months

A sea of tributes for the children were left outside the home following their deaths

'Usually with post-partum psychosis I would elect for hospitalization,' she continued.

'... If there are safety concerns, especially in the context of not responding to treatment, that indicates a higher level of care is needed.'

She also said, 'ideally, psychotherapy would be offered.'

'We do see situations where medication is offered [instead]... [but it is] not ideal.'

While she does not believe the medicines mixed with each other to create the deadly side effects, she did say risks of all of them individually could have compounded.

This is especially true of the benzos Mrs Clancy was taking, Dr Byatt said.

'All medications come with risks and benefits, and benzos have more risks than other classes of medicine,' she explained.

One in seven women suffer from post-partum depression, a condition that can strike either parent - but usually the mother - in the months following the birth of a child.

It has been linked to mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

Women who already suffer from mental health issues like depression and anxiety, a lack of social support after pregnancy, smoking, and more complicated deliveries are more likely to lead to the condition.

Younger mothers and those that give birth prematurely are also at a higher risk.

Why exactly it occurs is not known, though. Some have speculated that genetics or hormonal imbalances could be at play.

An even smaller number of moms develop postpartum psychosis after childbirth - which can lead to hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.

This occurs in up to 0.2 percent of pregnancies.

Women are more likely to suffer this condition if they have already suffered bipolar disorder before pregnancy.

Women who suffer from postpartum depression often experience sadness, hopelessness, emptiness and depression

Postpartum psychosis is associated with delusions, hallucinations, hyperactivity, rapid mood swings and paranoia.

Left untreated, a woman with postpartum psychosis is at risk of suicide of infanticide.

On January 24, her husband, Patrick, found Mrs Clancy and their eight-month-old child Callan on the front lawn. They had just jumped out the window.

Inside, the couple's other two children, Dawson, 3, and Cora, 5, had been strangled to death by their mother in an attempted murder-suicide.

Callan would die from his injuries three days later. Mrs Clancy is now hospitalized and paralyzed from the waist down.

Her husband said she was having 'one of her best days' earlier.

She took Cora to the pediatrician in the morning, then returned home to play with Cora and Dawson in the snow outside, before later killing them.

She pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and three counts of Strangulation and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon on Tuesday.
Experts say the virus is taking off in the US weeks earlier than normal

Official data shows outbreaks of norovirus are 66 percent higher than last year

Doctors are warning parents to be on the lookout for the 'stomach flu' in the coming weeks as infections rebound following years of lockdowns.

Official data shows norovirus infections are up 66 percent in 2023 compared to last year and are rising across the country.

Experts say the virus is taking off earlier than normal, and there are also concerns the illnesses could be more serious than usual after lockdowns robbed children of vital immunity for fighting viruses.

In serious cases, norovirus can lead to dehydration in patients and even death. Medics say the best way to avoid infection is to wash hands regularly, adding that hand sanitizers  which worked against Covid  do not work against norovirus.

It comes after the UK raised the alarm over a potential boom of norovirus infections, which could overwhelm its already 'fragile' health system.

The above graph shows tracking of norovirus cases by year, with this year's data 2022/23 shown in red. Last year's (2021/22) is the blue dashed line, while the previous year is the blue dotted line. The average for the period before the pandemic is shown in gray. It reveals that cases of norovirus are pointing sharply upwards in the 14 states where they are monitored

Official data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 225 norovirus outbreaks have been recorded since August, already up a third on the 172 recorded in the previous year.

In the most recent update - including data for the week ending January 9 2023 - more than 20 outbreaks were recorded.

For comparison, during the same week last year, there were 15 outbreaks. Cases are rising in all 14 states that report data to the CDC.

These states include Alabama, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Dr Luis Ostrosky, an infectious diseases specialist at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann, Texas, told DailyMail.com: 'The data we are seeing from the CDC shows early activity in norovirus, but not in really high numbers.

'We normally don't start to see norovirus cases rising until March, and we are seeing this now in early February.'

Asked whether the US should brace for a similar wave as with RSV and flu, he said: 'I would be very skeptical about that.

'This virus has a completely different epidemiology and needs different sorts of mitigation measures.'

He said at his hospital, doctors only see a handful of cases every week.

Dr Albert Ko, an infectious disease physician at Yale told TODAY: 'We've always had seasonal increases and waves of norovirus, and our hospitals would be filled with kids.

'What kind of took us off [that] was the pandemic.'

Concerns have been raised over norovirus because lockdowns have stopped children from being exposed to germs they need to build up a strong immune system.

This means many are at risk of infection and may not have an immune system that is strong enough to fight the virus off.

Dehydration is often the earliest warning sign. Patients include a dry mouth and throat, listlessness, dizziness and increased urine output could be dehydrated.

Experts also say hand sanitizer does not destroy the virus because it is resistant to alcohol.

This means only thorough hand washing can help someone avoid catching it.

Norovirus can spread all year round, but cases tend to rise in the late winter driven by more social events spurred by the warming temperatures.

The virus is passed on via fecal matter that gets onto the hands and then transferred to other surfaces people touch.

Ingesting only a small amount of the virus can trigger an infection.

Patients tend to suffer a mild illness lasting for about one to three days, suffering symptoms including nausea, vomiting and stomach pain or cramps.

Those most at risk of catching norovirus include young children yet to have built up immunity against it, those with underlying conditions and the elderly.

There are no vaccines available, with medics saying it is best to allow the infection to run its course.

A CDC spokeswoman told TODAY: 'While norovirus cases are rising in the US, CDC data as recent as January 2023 shows that reported norovirus outbreaks are within the expected range for this time of year.'

Norovirus causes 19 to 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea, 109,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths.
The Department of Health spent a record 626million on external management consultants last year, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The departments latest accounts show NHS bosses continuing to splash the cash on the advisers, despite academic evidence suggesting they make matters less efficient over time.

Including NHS England and NHS Providers, the departments 626million bill for management consultants in 2021/22 was up 123million from the previous year.

The figures come as ministers were revealed to have quietly dropped restrictions on spending controls.

The department tried to justify the increased outlay, saying: The increase on consultancy spend relates to specific Covid-19 workstreams and the New Hospital programme that required specialist support not available within the department.

The Department of Health spent a record 626million on external management consultants last year, the Daily Mail can reveal

Labour health spokesman Wes Streeting said: Taxpayers are shelling out hundreds of millions of pounds on consultants, yet the promised 40 new hospitals are nowhere to be seen and patients are waiting longer than ever for care.

What is the Government getting for these vast sums? Advice on what to do with the 15billion of unusable PPE it has purchased?

Under the Conservatives, were paying more but getting less.

Labour will reform the NHS to get value for taxpayers money and make sure every penny going on the health service is spent wisely.

Whitehall spending limits, introduced under David Cameron in 2011 and which limited external contracts at 600,000, were scrapped by government officials this week, according to the Guardian.

The Cabinet Office website says spending controls on consultancy and professional services have ceased to be a requirement.

A recent study by the universities of Bristol, York and Seville into NHS Trusts that used management consultants found that far from improving matters, they tended to become less efficient over time.

Ian Kirkpatrick, of York University, said that while the study did not show consultants cant provide value, it suggested they are not adding much value in aggregate.

Yet the Government appears to be maintaining or increasing their spending on external advisers in many cases.

John OConnell, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance said: Taxpayers will be wondering what on earth the NHS is receiving from this expenditure.

Labour health spokesman Wes Streeting said: Taxpayers are shelling out hundreds of millions of pounds on consultants, yet the promised 40 new hospitals are nowhere to be seen and patients are waiting longer than ever for care'

While consultants may have expertise worth imparting, taxpayers are yet to see any real improvements.

'Health bosses should review this spending to ensure its really value for money.

A department spokesman said: The department utilises off-payroll, temporary and consultancy staff where it is necessary and prudent to do so.
The World Health Organization has warned the world must prepare for a potential human bird flu pandemic  after the strain jumped from birds to mammals.

Cases of the strain H5N1 have already been reported in otters, mink and foxes, sparking fears the virus is one step closer to sweeping into humans.

During a virtual briefing today, the WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged nations to monitor infections in mammals closely.

He said the risk of the virus jumping to humans was still low, but we 'cannot assume that will remain the case and we must prepare for any change in the status quo'.

It comes after the UK reported that its biggest-ever avian influenza outbreak had spilled over to mammals. There was also an outbreak among mink in North West Spain reported last month.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus warned today that the world needs to prepare for a human bird flu outbreak. He is pictured above at the WHO's global health priorities in 2022

H5N1 has previously been detected in people, but cases have been sporadic and closely linked to close contact with infected dead or live birds.

The virus does not infect humans easily or other mammals.

But reports of infections in mammals have raised concerns that the pathogen could gain mutations that make it easier for the virus to jump to humans, helping it to clear the biggest hurdle that has stopped it from sweeping the world.

Leading experts previously warned that the spread of bird flu poses a global risk until it is brought under control.

The US has faced a major outbreak of bird flu this year, with more than 58million poultry affected across nearly every state in the country and 6,100 in wild birds  approaching record levels for the country.

Seven of the UK's animal avian flu cases detected were in 2022, including one fox in Cheshire and two in Cornwall, as well as one otter in each of Shetland and the Isle of Skye and two in Fife. Pictured: European otter

Dr Brown said it was 'difficult to control the disease in wild birds' but 'what we can do is effectively control the disease in poultry' (stock image)

Experts have warned that outbreaks among mink could lead to a recombination event  when two viruses switch genetic material to make a new hybrid.

A similar process is thought to have caused the global 2009 swine flu crisis that infected millions across the planet.

The same biological phenomenon was also seen during the Covid pandemic, such as the so-called Deltacron  a recombination of Delta and Omicron, first detected in France last February.

For decades, scientists have warned that bird flu is the most likely contender for triggering the next pandemic.

This could see a deadly strain of bird flu merge with a transmissible seasonal flu.

The mink outbreak occurred on a farm in Galicia, north-west Spain, in October which housed 52,000 of the animals.

It was only spotted after a sudden surge in the animals dying. Up to four percent died in one week during the course of the outbreak, which was declared over by mid-November.

Farm vets swabbed the minks and the samples were analyzed at a Government lab, where they tested positive for H5N1.

It led to all of the animals being culled, farm workers isolating for 10 days and heightened security measures in farms across the country.

These included wearing face masks and disposable overalls and showering before leaving the premises.

Analysis of samples taken, which were published last month in the infectious disease journal Eurosurveillance, show the virus had gained nearly a dozen mutations  most of which had never or rarely been seen before in bird flu strains.

One was previously seen in the virus behind the 2009 global swine flu pandemic.

In the UK, a December report showed four samples from the infected otters and foxes 'show the presence of a mutation which is associated with potential advantages for mammalian infection'.

The UKHSA warned that the 'rapid and consistent acquisition of the mutation in mammals may imply this virus has a propensity to cause zoonotic infections'  meaning it could potentially spread to humans.
Disposable vapes should be immediately banned in Britain, an ex-health minister demanded today.

Dr Caroline Johnson claimed prohibiting the sale of gadgets like the Elf Bar would prevent an 'epidemic of teenage nicotine addicts'.

Urging MPs to back her motion, the Tory MP and paediatrician argued it would also help 'protect our planet'.

Dr Johnson's plea comes days after an investigation by the Mail found children are being illegally sold vapes containing up to 3,500 puffs of nicotine.

Chinese vaping giant Elf Bar admitted 'inadvertently' breaking the law after the audit found its products exceeded maximum levels.

Disposable vapes like Elf bars should be banned in Britain, an ex-Health Minister has claimed (file photo)

Conservative former health minister Dr Caroline Johnson (pictured) urged MPs to back her Disposable Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition of Sale) Bill

In response, Tesco removed some of its gadgets  sold for as little as 5.99  from stores.

The brand, which only launched in 2021, sells 2.5m Elf Bars 600s in the UK per week, accounting for two in three of all disposable vapes.

Dr Johnson urged MPs to back her Disposable Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition of Sale) Bill.

Despite it being illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s, one in 10 secondary school pupils are now regular users.

Official data shows prevalence has doubled among kids in less than a decade.

Gadgets are often sold in snazzy colours and with child-friendly names and flavours, like bubble-gum and strawberry milkshake.

Although judged to be safer than smoking by top experts, their long-term effects on health remains a mystery and doctors fear a wave of lung disease and even cancer in the coming decades.

Vapes contain 'known carcinogens' and have been linked with harms similar to those faced by smokers, Dr Johnson said.

'E-cigarettes are very new and some members in this House may recall there was a time when cigarettes themselves were considered safe,' she added.

Dr Johnson added that banning disposable vapes would also stop the 'vital' lithium batteries used to power them from being thrown in landfill, or from polluting the environment.

The Sleaford and North Hykeham MP said: 'By banning the sale of disposable vapes, we will encourage a more sustainable way of utilising e-cigarettes as quitting aids and make vaping less accessible to children, preventing an epidemic of teenage nicotine addicts and protecting our planet.'

NHS Digital, which quizzed nearly 10,000 students aged 11 to 15 on their smoking, drug and drinking habits last year, found that nine per cent currently vape  the highest rate logged since the survey began in 2014

Prevalence of vapes  which can contain as much nicotine as 50 cigarettes  has doubled among kids in less than a decade (Pictured: Elf bars)

Dr Johnson's Bill will be considered by MPs again on Friday March 24 but will not progress through the Commons without support from the Government.

It comes after it was revealed that the number of British children being hospitalised by vaping has quadrupled in a year.

Some 32 instances of under-18s needing medical treatment for e-cigarette-related ailments were recorded in 2022, up from just eight in the year before.
Once a Red Corner notice is issued by Interpol, the details of the criminals at large are shared with the immigration officers in airports across the world. (Representational image: Twitter/@INTERPOL_HQ)

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala still has eight fugitives, including three wanted terrorists and a woman, who are roaming free even after issuance of red corner notices against their names by the Interpol.

The list also includes two notorious fugitives -- Sukumara Kurup and Dr Edadi Omana -- who have been under cover for several years.

It remains a mystery that many of these red corner alerts were issued several years ago, some even decades ago and the international police agencies have still failed to catch hold of the accused.

Once a Red Corner notice is issued by Interpol, the details of the criminals at large are shared with the immigration officers in airports across the world, making it impossible for one to travel from one country to the other.

According to CBI sources, an Interpol division of the investigating agency based in Delhi follows up the red corner notices issued from India.

"This division writes to other countries to share the information once the accused' whereabouts are traced by our investigation agencies. However, many countries do not reply or send back the requests with various queries," a CBI official on request of anonymity told PTI.

He said there are several conditions with regard to exchange of information about fugitives.

"So technically, only the paperworks remains and any tangible information is hard to get by from foreign countries," the officer added.

The local police are also in possession of these records and are supposed to track down these criminals.

The Interpol Red Corner notice list has the names from Kerala including that of Mohammed Haneefa (45) from Mongam in Malappuram, who was accused of rioting with dangerous weapons and attempts to murder; Sudhin Kumar Sreedharan (56) from Keezhattingal, Thiruvananthapuram, accused of murder; Sukumaran Sivarama Kurup (74) from Chengannur, Alappuzha, accused of murder and destruction of evidence; and Cheriyaveettil Saddique (44) from Nayanmarmoola, Kasaragod, accused of criminal conspiracy and cheating.

It also includes names of Kochupeedikayil Sabir (42), from Marakkarkandy, Kannur, accused of planting an explosive and terrorism; Chanamparambil Mohammed Bashir (61), from Alwaye, Ernakulam, accused of terrorism; Kolanjana Mohammed Rafeeq (34), from Kayyur, Kasaragod, accused of murder; and Dr Edadi Omana (69), from Payyannur, Kannur accused of abduction, murder, and destruction of evidence.

In the list, one of Kerala's most infamous fugitives Sukumara Kurup has been absconding since 1984. He was charged with the murder of Chacko in order to fake his own death to claim an insurance sum of Rs 8 lakh. Kurup committed the offence with the help of his co-brother, his driver and another friend. Chacko was abducted, tortured, poisoned, and strangled to death before his body was burnt inside Kurup's car at Mavelikkara.

Police managed to arrest the accomplices of Kurup but could never trace him. The case was closed in 1996, after searching for him in vain for 12 years, with a note suggesting that Kurup would be living in a foreign country in a fake identity.

Some officers say that Kurup was suffering from a serious cardiac problem and could have died by now. But so far no country has ever contacted CBI, the Interpol representative agency from India, with details of Kurup even decades after issuance of the Red Corner notice by Interpol.

Dr Omana is also nearing the status of Kurup as she has been absconding for the last 16 years after she killed her estranged lover P Muraleedharan. She had poisoned Muraleedharan at her residence in Payyannur in 1996. She then chopped his body into several pieces, stuffed them into a suitcase, and carried it all the way to Ooty in Tamil Nadu to dispose of them.

She had chopped the victim's body with a surgeon's precision and stuffed the body parts in small packets. She then stuffed the suitcase in the boot of her car and drove to Ooty. Her idea was to dump each packet at different locations in Ooty. However, police got a whiff and the woman was arrested.

She was housed in the Madras Central Prison for some days. She then managed to secure the bail and escaped after that. Police believed that she escaped to a foreign country and a red corner notice was issued. But no information regarding her came to the police after that.

Three of the terror accused in the list are also dangerous fugitives, who were part of some inter-state terror operations. Chanamparambil Mohammed Bashir is accused in a terror case where his co-accused are similar extremists from Hyderabad. One of his co-accused Taher Ansari (71), a resident of Hyderabad, is also absconding for several years.
Big Tech executives have held a close-knit relationship with the White House, visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Ave with such regularity that could explain President Biden's lackluster push for anti-trust legislation, insiders say.

An analysis of White House visitor logs found that between July 2021 and September 2022, Big Tech's most senior executives visited at least 38 times, averaging around 2.5 meetings per month.

Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit to the White House five times over the 15-month sampling, and Apple sent high-level representatives 16 times in total. Google and its parent company Alphabet sent CEO Sundar Pichai and other top-level executives nine times, Facebook and parent company Meta visited seven times.

'The Biden Administration has essentially given Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon a staff badge,' one former Republican House Judiciary aide told DailyMail.com. 'Instead of taking on Big Tech, they've allowed Big Tech to infiltrate the White House whenever they please.'

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, and Lisa Jackson, VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, arrive at the White House for a state dinner in December

On the campaign trail, Biden said he wanted to break up Big Tech monopolies and end Section 230. But the 2021-2022 Congress came and went and Big Tech legislation remained in limbo.

While it's normal for the White House to meet with business leaders, the frequency of such visits begs the question of what sort of closed-door promises were made, insiders say.

'The White House did very little to push Congress to move forward tech legislation anti-trust legislation, in 2021, and 2022,' one former Democratic congressional aide told DailyMail.com.

'They had all those meetings with Big Tech executives, but the real question is, how much were those executives successful in their private lobbying, in getting the White House not to escalate that fight?'

'The idea that this revolving door of tech lobbyists and executives are allowed to have access to officials who allegedly are working on reining in Big Tech who are allegedly going after some of the most egregious behavior, it's really problematic,' another former Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill told DailyMail.com.

Last Congress advocates criticized the White House for failing to utilize Democratic control of the White House and both chambers of Congress to prioritize legislation to take on Big Tech.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Google CEO Sundar Pichai listen as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting about cybersecurity

Big Tech executives have held a close-knit relationship with the White House, visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Ave with such regularity that could explain President Biden's lackluster push for anti-trust legislation, insiders say

They failed to push through the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act, both of which would have prevented tech companies from self-promoting their own products and thwarting competitors.

'You clearly have some gatekeepers in in the White House in the administration, who are preventing Biden's priorities as insofar as tech from moving forward,' said the staffer.

'Whenever Big Tech gets scared, they walk into the White House, they they meet with their friendly official and that gatekeeper says don't worry about it.'

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. said in a statement on their Kids Online Safety Act, which set new guardrails for sites likely to attract traffic from children, was cut out of FY 2023 spending bill due to industry lobbying.

The American Data Privacy and Protection Act overwhelmingly passed the Energy and Commerce Committee 53-2 last Congress, but never came up for a floor vote.

The must-pass FY 2023 spending bill did include a bill that will raise money for anti-trust agencies by raising merger filing fees and a ban of TikTok on government phones.

The source said the Biden administration gave high hopes to anti-trust proponents with bringing net neutrality advocate Tim Wu into the White House as an advisor and Big Tech foes Lina Khan to chair the Federal Trade Commission and Jonathan Cantor to lead the Justice Department's anti-trust division.

'That was all in early 2021. And then, you know, it didn't seem like they had that same level of commitment was to legislation.'

The White House declined to comment on the charges.

Biden waited until January of this year to make one of his most pointed calls yet in an op-ed he penned directing Congress to pass legislation to rein in tech platforms.

He first called for privacy protections that limit data collection and ban targeted advertising for kids and called for reform of Section 230 - which grants social media platforms immunity for what users post on their sites while preserving their ability to moderate content.

Referencing a line he made in both last year's and again in this year's State of the Union address, Biden said: 'We must hold social-media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit.'

'Ban targeted advertising to children and impose stricter limits on the personal data the companies collect on all of us,' Biden said in his 2023 State of the Union Tuesday night.

'The idea that he's saying all of this during State of the Union and will again be talking about the dangers of Big Tech while officials in his own White House are allowing tech like Big Tech companies to just as effectively have open door access is is pretty egregious' the ex-Democratic congressional aide said.

In calling for 'fairer rules of the road' Biden made a nod at legislation that would ban Big Tech's self-promotion of its own products.

'When tech platforms get big enough, many find ways to promote their own products while excluding or disadvantaging competitors  or charge competitors a fortune to sell on their platform,' he wrote in his op-ed.

But Biden and Republican legislators on Capitol Hill are at odds over how best to tackle Big Tech's monopolistic tendencies.

House Republicans, freshly in the majority, are prioritizing censorship and anti-conservative bias. They have pushed back against legislation that prevents tech platforms from self-promoting their own products.

Both parties want to overhaul Section 230, but for different reasons. Democrats want to tackle the spread of misinformation on things like elections and Covid-19, Republicans want to ensure that social media companies don't censor posts that might involved things like vaccine or election skepticism.

'We need Big Tech companies to take responsibility for the content they spread and the algorithms they use,' Biden wrote in the Journal. 'That's why I've long said we must fundamentally reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects tech companies from legal responsibility for content posted on their sites.'

Speaker Kevin McCarthy's office shot back that Biden wasn't addressing the real issue.

'House Republicans will confront Big Tech's abuses because the truth should not be censored,' McCarthy deputy spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said in a release. 'Americans should not be blocked or banned for sharing a link to a news article. But that's exactly what Big Tech has done, which Biden wants to ignore.'

On December 14, incoming Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan wrote to five of the largest tech companies demanding they hand over correspondence between their companies and Biden administration officials.

'Although the full extent of Big Tech's collusion with the Biden administration is unknown, there are prominent examples and strong indications of Big Tech censorship following directives or pressure from executive branch entities,' Jordan wrote. 'Because of Big Tech's wide reach, it can serve as a powerful and effective partisan arm of the 'woke speech police.''

But Jordan has opposed other anti-trust reform, including increasing the fees tech companies pay when they file a merger with the federal government to raise funds for the Federal Trade Commission's anti-trust division.

So far McCarthy has not prioritized anti-trust legislation aimed at Big Tech either.

In his 'Commitment to America' GOP agenda released ahead of midterms, McCarthy promised to 'confront Big Tech and advance free speech' by repealing Section 230 and bolstering anti-trust enforcement.

But he opposed a bipartisan pair of bills that would break up tech monopolies like Apple and Amazon and end their self-preferencing practices. Apple and Amazon's biggest defendant in Washington, Jeff Miller, is a close ally and personal friend of McCarthy.
A mother accused of kidnapping her two children for nearly a year says she had full custody of the pair and disputes their father's claim the kids were kept out of school and bounced around rural Airbnbs to avoid detection.

Brooke and Adrian Gilley, 11 and 12, were allegedly kidnapped by Kristi Nicole Gilley, 35, on March 15 last year in Clay County, Missouri.

They were found by police last week at a Winn-Dixie grocery store in High Springs, Florida - 1,100 miles from where they were taken - after a routine tag check on Kristi's car flagged it as belonging to a fugitive.

She was arrested on parental kidnapping charges and is currently in custody, police in Liberty, MO, said. She denies the charges and her lawyer told DailyMail.com that she had custody of the children.

Attorney Maurice McDaniel said: 'I don't know that she tried to conceal the kids or anything of that nature, she has a grandparent here in High springs. I do not believe she had intentions of hiding the kids from the authorities, she is the primary parent and was doing everything here to get them into school.'

Brooke (left) and Adrian Gilley (right), 11 and 12, were taken by Kristi Nicole Gilley on March 15 last year in Clay County and have now been discovered eleven months later

High Springs Police department discovered that Gilley was a fugitive and apprehended her in the grocery store

McDaniel claimed the mother 'has always been the primary custodian of the children', despite court records which allege otherwise.

He spoke as the children's father, Blake Gilley, 38, described his year-long ordeal after being reunited with his children on Friday.

He told NBC News: 'My kids were missing. I didn't know where they are. That's the biggest fear in the world.

'It is an understatement to say I was terrified and freaked out.'

The children told him Kristi had kept them out of school since they were taken, Blake said.

He claimed his ex-wife had taken steps to conceal the children's identities, limited who they spoke to and told them to avoid eye contact with people.

Kristi and the children were in disguises when police found them.

High Springs Police Chief Antoine Sheppard said the mother and two children were 'en route to an Airbnb right outside of our area'.

'These children and their abductor were passing through the area and had no residency connection to Alachua County, Florida, nor were they enrolled in any schools,' police said.

Blake, who lives in Texas, said: 'Kristi would never tell them what town they were in or anything. If they were in a car, they had to keep their heads down. My son still does that.'

He said his son, who is nonverbal and has Down syndrome, will still 'just look at the ground'.

'He's getting better now. I've been telling him, 'Hey, you're good, buddy, look up',' Blake said.

Blake said he divorced Kristi in 2016 and she disappeared with the children before the custody dispute was resolved.

Police in Liberty, Missouri, had appealed for information to help find the children after they were reported missing

He said his children 'are still in shock' and the ordeal is still 'bothering them'.

The father now plans to arrange counseling for his children and return them to school 'to give them a fighting chance in life'.

Blake thanked the police officers who 'worked their butts off' to find his missing children.

Gilley, 36, was not the guardian of the children at the time, and officers managed to track her down after a routine vehicle tag check

Court documents allege 'Kristi had been making it increasingly difficult for Blake to visit or speak to the children for quite some time, and had refused to let Blake visit or speak to the children at all, since 3/15/2022.'

Authorities had also checked an address for the children's grandparents in Chico, California, but the relatives had moved.

McDaniel said Blake was given 'primary custody' after the divorce and Blake had them 'for summers and spring break, as well as an option on Thanksgiving'.

'She has always kept the courts updated of her whereabouts, and also been in contact with the husband throughout. She has made quite a few filings with the Missouri court with regards to the family law matter,' said McDaniel.

McDaniel said he didn't know 'why the charges are the way they are', adding: 'In my opinion this is going to shake out to be something a little less than it has been portrayed.

'She is also saying she has some fear of her ex-husband and things of that nature. She has some real concerns. At their home in Texas when they were married law enforcement were called twice, is what she as advised me. Where that goes, I don't know, I don't believe anybody was arrested.'
The frantic family of an Australian man who remains missing after a devastating earthquake in Turkey has issued a harrowing plea for assistance to help find him.

Sydney man Can Pahali recently travelled to the Hatay province, where he was staying with his sister when a massive 7.8 earthquake struck on Monday.

Mr Pahali's family back home were in touch with him a few hours before the earthquake hit Turkey and Syria but haven't heard from him since.

He remains unaccounted for after three others he was staying with, including one survivor, were located.

Mr Pahali's nephew is on his way to Turkey to assist in the search as his niece Catherine pleaded for assistance from Australian authorities as the earthquake death toll surged past 7,300.

Can Pahali (pictured with niece Catherine) remains unaccounted for two days after a massive earthquake in Turkey

'We found out where he was staying and that there were four people staying in that house,' Ms Pahali told Sunrise.

'Three of them have been found. One of them is alive, but my uncle has not been found.

'I'm only getting information from people that I really don't even know. They are reaching out to me via Instagram and Facebook, it's just third-party news.

'I really hope that they are alive. We are clinging onto any hope.'

There's been little communication apart from social media.

'I have lost contact with anyone in that city for the last five or six hours. I cannot contact anyone,' Ms Pahali said.

She has also been told by the Turkish embassy they can't do anything.

'Alive or not, we just want to know where he is,' Ms Pahali said.

'We hope that the Australian government can help us find him.'

It's now an anxious waiting game for Can's family, including niece Catherine Pahali (pictured)

The death toll continues to climb from the devastating earthquake in Turkey

Mr Pahali is one of several Australians feared to have been caught up in the Turkey earthquake disaster.

No Australian deaths have yet been confirmed.

'The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is aware of a small number of Australians reported to be in the region at the time of the earthquake and impacted by the disaster,' a spokesperson said.

'DFAT is providing consular assistance to those families and is urgently seeking the assistance of local authorities, including rescue teams.

'Our missions in Ankara, Istanbul, and Beirut are monitoring the situation closely.

'Australians affected by the earthquakes and the aftershocks are advised to follow the directions of local authorities.'
The Australian War Memorial is removing all Chinese-made surveillance cameras in and around the Canberra institution over fears they may be used for spying.

Eleven Hikvision-branded devices will be taken from various war memorial sites by mid-2023, with five set to be gone by the end of February.

The decision to tear the security cameras down comes five years after Chinese technology giant Huawei was banned by the Australian government from providing 5G technology for wireless networks in 2018.

Eleven Chinese-made Hikvision devices will be taken out of Australian War Memorial sites by mid-2023, with five set to be gone by the end of February. Pictured is a stock image of a security camera

The US and UK also restricted the sale and use of some China-made technology over national security concerns.

Liberal senator James Paterson urged all Australian Government departments to 'rip them out', saying intelligence experts maintain the devices could be used as spyware even when they seem to be turned off.

'I welcome the War Memorial's decision to replace the existing Hikvision cameras on their site,' Mr Paterson told The Canberra Times.

'A Chinese government-linked surveillance company has no place on the grounds of our most sacred monument to Australians who fought and died for freedom.'

Similar technology made by Hikvision and fellow Chinese company Dahua, reportedly may also be removed from the head office of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) in Geelong, Victoria.

In December, NDIA said it would replace a Hikvision CCTV system, with 132 cameras and four recorders, by the end of March.

The Australian War Memorial (pictured) is removing Chinese-made surveillance cameras over fears they may be used for spying

'This infrastructure will be replaced in the first quarter of 2023 with Australian government Security Committee equipment catalogue approved CCTV and NVR equipment,' said Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth.

Hundreds of devices have been reported at Treasury in answers to questions from Mr Paterson, but Anthony Albanese advised there were none at any Prime Minister and Cabinet department sites.

In answers to questions from Mr Paterson, it was revealed that 11 of the 200 CCTV cameras across three War Memorial sites were made by Hikvision.

'These cameras are situated externally and monitor the building perimeter and surrounding public areas and car parks,' the answer said.

'Ten cameras are located at the Campbell precinct with one located at the Mitchell precinct.

'A replacement program is in place to replace these cameras by mid-2023, five of which are expected to be replaced by February 2023.'

Liberal senator James Paterson (pictured) has urged all Australian Government departments to 'rip out' Chinese-made security cameras

Mr Paterson, who is on the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, has been asking government departments and agencies about what China-made technology they are using.

Hundreds of Hikvision and Dahua security cameras and recorders have been revealed through his questioning.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said there are 115 devices across 13 Treasury sites.

There are 11 such devices at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, five at sites covered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts and one at Airservices Australia.

According to a report in The Atlantic magazine, Hikvision began as part of the Chinese state and keeps close ties with China's Communist leaders.

Hikvision's biggest shareholder is the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, a fully state-owned defence and industrial company.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Paterson and the Australian War Memorial for comment.
A former undercover cop has spoken about his toughest day trying to infiltrate the criminal underworld revealing he almost blew his cover when he was on a light plane with mafia bosses and forced to listen to them 'bragging' about killing one of his colleagues.

Colin McLaren, trying to blow open the Australian branch of the Calabrian mafia back in 1994, was about to board a flight to Weipa in Far North Queensland to confirm the arrival of a huge cocaine deal.

That's when Mr McLaren heard the news a colleague, Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen, had died in the bombing of the National Crime Authority office in Adelaide.

Lawyer Peter Wallis lost an eye in the 1994 blast too.

Former undercover cop Colin McLaren has recalled his toughest day infiltrating the criminal underworld was on a light plane with mafia bosses 'bragging' about killing one of his colleagues

Mr McLaren had to endure a long light-plane flight with criminals who were 'bragging' about the death of Geoffrey Bowen

'I was in the plane with two mafia heads and they were bragging about the bomb that went off in Adelaide and blew up the NCA building and killed a policeman,' Mr McLaren told the Kyle and Jackie O show.

To avoid raising any suspicion, Mr McLaren had to joke along with their sick celebrations about killing cops.

It was one of the hardest things he ever did.

'They're boasting about it ... I just wanted to get my gun out and shoot them or throw them out of the plane.'

'I had to suffer their bulls*** tough guy stuff and their bragging. But your training kicks in and you say to yourself "we're gonna get these b**tards".'

Mr McLaren's undercover work was instrumental in securing enough evidence to jail 11 mafia bosses for up to 13 years each for major drug trafficking and racketeering.

For this reason, Mr McLaren said he will always be looking over his shoulder and worried about the mafia or gangs seeking payback.

Undercover officer are legally allowed to take cocaine in the execution of their work

The bombing at the National Crime Authority (pictured) in 1994. Six mafiosi were convicted

Mr McLaren was handpicked by senior Victoria Police officers for undercover work and in his early days practiced by catching minor drug dealers in the back rooms of Melbourne pubs.

Mr McLaren said the first step to infiltrating the Aussie mafia was to create an identity the crooks would believe.

So he became Cole Goodwin, a dodgy Melbourne art dealer who wanted to buy a kilo of cocaine to sell to his clients.

But to build rapport with lifelong criminals it was necessary to act like them.

That meant doing drugs and, at times, seeing prostitutes.

Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen (pictured) was killed in the bombing, suffering horrific injuries from the blast

Dominic Perre (pictured, being wheeled by a prison guard) was found guilty of the bombing attack on the National Crime Authority

He received guidance from police psychologists and doctors on what to expect and how to deal with being on drugs.

His training taught ways to try and avoid drug use - for example, suggesting the parties to a drug deal 'get on with it' rather than sit around getting high.

'But if you're Johnny on the spot and you're in the Hells Angels clubhouse and they want to throw you a line or they expect you to snort some speed or smoke some skunk, you've gotta do it.

'[Undercover police] are allowed to do it, you're protected by law to do it.'

Mr McLaren and his sidekick, posing as drug buyers, were left with two prostitutes for the evening by Griffith mafia , who wanted the women to find out whether they were wealthy enough to complete the deal and whether they respected their hosts.

While the young women joked about their 'wog' bosses to provoke a response, Mr McLaren was a step ahead and disagreed, saying he considered the mafia men 'great friends'.

Mr McLaren wasn't just trained to take and cope with drugs. For another investigation he was taught to manufacture them too.

While on the trail of the NCA bombing, forensics experts discovered a chemical residue from crime scene was also present in home-cooked amphetamines.

So for five weeks Mr McLaren and his team were trained to cook speed in 'a world first'.

'Then we put ourselves out there as cooks of speed in Adelaide,' he said.

His work also helped put another six mafia members behind bars in connection with the NCA bombing.

The bomber, Dominic Perre, was charged with murder soon after the bombing but the case against him was dropped six months later because of a lack of evidence.

He was arrested again in 2018 and in 2022, found guilty of murder and attempted murder.

Mr McLaren began to write books about his three years as an undercover cop and in 2011 one was turned into a four-hour TV movie, Underbelly Files: Infiltration.

In January he launched a podcast, The Sting.
The boss of the ABC has been accused of arrogance by a Liberal Senator in a scathing complaint letter about the national broadcaster's horribly 'biased' news reporting in Alice Springs.

He has also been slammed over his failure to apologise for a segment on ABC's The Drum that compared a crisis meeting in the troubled outback town to a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan.

In the two-page letter obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Senator Sarah Henderson slams managing director David Anderson for trying to defend the ABC's lopsided coverage before reluctantly offering an apology 'late in the day'.

'The ABC's first response was irresponsible, deeply flawed, arrogant and reflected very poorly on you as editor in chief,' the Senator and ex-ABC journalist wrote.

'It showed the ABC either did not understand or was not prepared to acknowledge its obligation to all Australians to report the news accurately and impartially.'

Senator Sarah Henderson, an ex-ABC journalist, has slammed ABC boss over the broadcaster's 'deeply offensive' reporting and handling of the controversy

The Senator called out ABC boss David Anderson saying his apologies were 'irresponsible, deeply flawed, arrogant and reflected very poorly on you'

The scathing letter followed a public outcry over a radio report by Indigenous Affairs reporter Carly Williams that portrayed 3000 Alice Springs residents who attended a crisis meeting as 'white supremacists'.

Senator Henderson also highlighted a further report - not apologised for or mentioned - which compared Alice Springs to a US town fictionalised by Hollywood where American white hate group the Ku Klux Klan murdered three US civil rights activists.

'I note that the ABC did not reference ... the inflammatory, inaccurate and deeply offensive comments by a guest on The Drum who compared the Alice Springs meeting to ... institutional racism by a town's residents including members of the Ku Klux Klan,' the Senator wrote.

Personally addressing Mr Anderson, Senator Henderson made it clear she would still be lodging a formal complaint to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), despite his apologies.

Senator Henderson's letter smacks down the ABC, and calls the broadcaster's comparison of Alice Springs residents to Ku Klux Klan members as 'deeply offensive'

The Senator was particularly critical of Mr Anderson's 'deeply flawed' defence of Ms Williams' reporting.

She then noted the ABC issued a second response 'late in the day ... on its Corrections and Clarifications website' which conceded the report 'should have included a broader range of perspectives'.

But in that response, the ABC had failed to reference Ms Williams story 'or the inflammatory, inaccurate and deeply offensive comments' by The Drum guest, Nareen Young.

A Professor for Indigenous Policy at the University of Technology, Sydney, Ms Young had compared the Alice Springs meeting to the film Mississippi Burning.

The 1988 movie is based on the real life Ku Klux Klan murders of two African American and one Jewish activist whose bodies were dumped in a Mississippi river, sparking national outrage across the US in 1964.

Referring to Carly Williams' report of the Alice springs meeting, Professor Young told The Drum that 'If you saw that room in Mississippi Burning, for example, Australians would say 'how terrible, oh that's terrible that happens there'.

'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.'

In her letter, Senator Henderson said Williams' report 'did not include any details of the escalating violence in Alice Springs, the profound safety concerns of thousands of local residents, the support which many traditional owners gave the meeting and ... the anti-social behaviour discussed'.

'The ABC must explain ... its first response and why the report inexplicably remains online ... which is tone deaf to the ABC's failings and completely unacceptable,' she wrote.

The ABC described the Alice springs audience (above) of concerned families, business owners, Indigenous leaders, health and emergency services workers as 'white supremacists'

The senator described as 'rubbish reporting' the ABC reporter Carly Williams' (pictured) report the meeting was 'a disgusting display of white supremacy'

'I will be asking ACMA to investigate whether the ABC has breached its Code.

'As the Code states 'the ABC belongs to the Australian people. Earning and retaining their trust is essential to fulfilling the ABC's charter (to provide services) of a high standard to Australian and international audiences'.

Senator Henderson, who once worked as a consumer reporter on the ABC and presented 7.30 in Victoria, described the broadcaster's coverage as 'rubbish reporting'.

Thousands of fed-up residents attended the Save Alice Springs meeting on January 30 after intense media focus on the town's battle with a crime crisis.

The audience at the town hall meeting was comprised of concerned families, business owners, Indigenous leaders, health and emergency services workers and police.

Since the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a flying visit to the town in January, the Northern Territory Government has now reinstated alcohol restrictions which ban takeaway sales in central Australian communities, including the Alice Springs town camps.
Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan is being accused of 'casually spouting anti-Semitism' after trying to defend woke Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

The 55-year-old was decrying cancel culture in the most recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience when he denounced Republicans for booting the Democrat from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her past anti-Semitic statements.

He brought up a tweet from 2019, in which Omar spoke out against American support for Israel, saying: 'It's all about the Benjamins, baby.'

Omar has since apologized for the tweet and conceded that it was anti-Semitic - but Rogan said she should not have done so, claiming: 'The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. That's like saying Italians aren't into pizza.'

Almost immediately afterwards, people took to social media to denounce his remarks, saying he was 'casually spouting anti-Semitism.'

Podcaster Joe Rogan likened the trope that Jews are 'into money' to Italians liking pizza in the most recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience

Critics on Twitter accused him of 'casually spouting anti-Semitism' on Spotify

In the episode, which aired Saturday on Spotify, Rogan brought up the idea of cancel culture with his guests, Breaking Points journalists Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti when he made the controversial comments.

'It's just money, she's just talking about money,' the podcaster said, insisting: 'That's not an anti-Semitic statement. I don't think it is.

'Benjamins are money,' he continued. 'You know, the idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. That's like saying Italians aren't into pizza. It's f****** stupid, it's f****** stupid.'

At that point, Ball  the progressive commentator on Breaking Points  agreed that Omar 'shouldn't have apologized' for the tweet, while conceding that the Democrat from Minnesota 'could have phrased it a different way so that people would have less of a freak out.

'But can you not talk about the influence of money in DC?' she asked. 'I mean, there's a very obvious reason why for my entire life there's been a uni-party consensus vis-a-vis the Israeli government.'

She added that money is behind supporting Israel 'just like every other f***** interest in DC' and went on to praise Omar for 'calling out hypocrisy' in US foreign policy.

'It's actually kind of a real loss that she got kicked off that committee.'

Rogan later agreed, saying that 'whether you agree or not,' Omar shared 'a bold opinion. And that opinion is not her own  there's many people that have that opinion and they should be represented.'

Rogan said woke Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, should not have apologized for a 2019 tweet in which she spoke out against American support for Israel, saying: 'It's all about the Benjamins, baby.' She has since been removed from her position on the House Foreign Affairs committee

Almost immediately after the clip aired, people condemned Rogan's remarks

Rogan has since been accused of anti-Semitism for his remarks, with one Twitter user asking Spotify directly whether it was 'happy' that it's 'multimillion dollar podcaster' was 'casually spouting anti-Semitism.'

UK comedian David Baddiel, who wrote a book about anti-Semitism entitled Jews Don't Count, also accused Rogan of spreading a 'racist myth' on the show 'with a big grin.'

'I actually want to stop banging the Jews Don't Count drum at some point, but hard to do when a racist myth about Jews is just... said breezily on one of the biggest podcasts in the world and no one gives a f***,' he said.

'For the hard of understanding "Jews are into money" is not like "Italians are into pizza." Because unless my history lessons really missed something out, no one has exterminated a large section of the entire Italian community because of their love for pepperoni.'

Baddiel, who has written extensively about modern anti-Semitism, added: 'Also Joe Rogan has a $200million deal with Spotify. And yet apparently it's Jews who are into money.'

Alex Zeldin, a columnist for the Jewish daily newspaper the Forward, replied sarcastically: 'Jews are the only people into money.

'The rest of you with jobs for income and bills to pay and family to support aren't into money and this isn't at all a deranged point of view that gets Jews murdered.'

Another Jewish journalist also tweeted, 'If only my relatives who were lined up and shot were so into money they'd had enough to escape the Nazis.'

Other notable Jewish people also spoke out about the comments, with Ian Haworth, a columnist for the DC Examiner writing that Rogan's comparison of Jews liking money to Italians liking pizza 'would make sense if Jews invented money and/or Italians had been massacred because of a conspiracy they control the world through pizza.'

Peter Beinart, the editor-at-large of the Jewish Currents, also asked which 'ethno-religious groups Joe Rogan thinks are not "into money," and Ted Deutch, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee said Rogan has invoked 'the same tropes that have been used to persecute Jews for centuries.

'With an audience of millions, it's dangerous to be so flippant in trafficking in anti-Semitic stereotypes,' he wrote.

And Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said that Rogan's remarks are 'disturbing... at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence.'

Rogan has not yet responded to the backlash.

But he had said earlier in Saturday's episode that he had long ago stopped 'paying attention to the comments' on his show even though he could miss out on constructive criticism.

'Look, I love you guys,' the podcaster told his audience. 'I'm just not reading your s***.'

DailyMail.com has also reached out to Rogan and Spotify for comment.
A group of uni students have banded together to create an Airbnb-inspired way to rent and still be able to afford to travel.

The four University of Technology Sydney (UTS) students said young Australians have been deprived of the travel experience offered to older generations because of Covid, soaring rental prices and the cost of living crisis.

They created Nesteek which lets renters sublet their room to cover the rent while they're away on a holiday.

Nesteek co-founder and CEO Keith Schembri, 21, said travel has been out of reach for many Gen Zs because of a 10 per cent increase in rent versus a three per cent increase in the average wage last year.

Nesteek co-founder and CEO Keith Schembri (above) said his new platform Nesteek lets Gen Zs sublet their apartment to cover rent while they're on holiday

''Do not pay rent while away' is our rallying cry, because most young professionals and students I know cannot afford to travel and pay rent simultaneously,' he told news.com.au.

'My generation is virtually penniless after paying their rent, but we deserve the same opportunities as any other generation, to enjoy life, create new experiences, and explore other cultures.

'The pandemic robbed us of our gap years, our festivals, our holiday romances. We want to move on but travel still seems out of reach.'

Properties available on the site (example above) range from $280 to $1,600 per week

Nesteek means customers can also search for accommodation for an affordable price.

Properties already listed on the website - including single rooms in share-homes, apartments and studios - range from $280 to $1,600 per week in some of Sydney's top suburbs.

The students believe Nesteek is one solution to Airbnb's rising rates, with more homeowners looking to make a business out of the website rather than sticking to its original 'budget' ethos.

Airbnb hosts have also come under fire for charging exorbitant fees that often make hotels a cheaper option.

Recent studies found the price listed on an Airbnb property is often only 68 per cent of the actual price customers pay with the average cleaning fee now $100 and a flat 15 per cent host service fee, Nerdwallet found.

Mr Schembri said Nesteek works to protect its listers by automatically deducting funds from the guest's bank account a week before their stay and holding a bond.

Mr Schembri said Nesteek offers young Aussies the opportunity to travel despite soaring rental prices (pictured, one of the properties available on Nesteek)

The students believe Nesteek is one solution to Airbnb's rising rates, with more homeowners looking to make a business out of the website rather than sticking to its original 'budget' ethos

However, he warned users against using the site as a 'side hustle' and encouraged listers to only cover the cost of rent in their asking price.

Renters should also be wary of the conditions of their lease before they use the platform.

Most landlords prohibit subleasing - which includes listing properties on platforms like Airbnb and Nesteek - and failure to comply can often result in the termination of the lease.

However, many Aussies are struggling just to get their hands on a property to rent.

A housing shortage means people living in major cities are having to pay insane prices for a place in the limited market.

The average weekly rent for a house in Sydney is $630, while a unit is $530 per week and $560 for a dwelling.

Photos circulating on social media show hundreds of people lined up in massive queues hoping to inspect a property while thousands more are continuously rejected on applications in favour of higher bidders.
Millennials have hit out at the landlord's comments

A landlord has gone on an extraordinary and foul-mouthed rant against her tenants after accusing them of refusing to pay rent.

Liz Hammond took to TikTok to go on a 'little bit of a whinge' as she laid into tenants of a property she is renting in Sydney.

The mother, believed to be living in Cargo, New South Wales, said her tenants had stopped paying her rent two months ago and had also stopped communicating with the estate agents she had employed.

She blasted them for 'causing us stress and extra pressure' and claimed that her family is 'struggling right now' following the death of her mother and a cancer diagnosis for her father.

Her video led to intense criticism from millennials, who posted mocking clips in response.

Liz Hammond took to TikTok to go on a 'little bit of a whinge' as she laid into tenants of a property she is renting

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Hammond for comment.

Speaking on TikTok, she said: 'We have a little, tiny, matchboxed size of land in Sydney that people rent from us.

'Over a month ago, they decided to stop paying us rent and they decided to stop communicating with the real estate agent.

'I just wanted to say to them: Thank you for causing us this stress. What you don't know is that my mum died four months ago and two months later, my dad was diagnosed with leukaemia.

'I haven't really been to work that much and with kids and not much paid leave, we're really struggling.

'I just wanted to say to you: f*** you for causing extra pressure in my life when I didn't need it.

'You 20-something-year-olds with no life experience and no pressures wouldn't give a f***ing s*** about the fact that we are struggling right now. So f*** you, and I'm having to drink out of a plastic f***ing cup.'

The foul-mouthed tirade ended with her gesturing to the camera with a plastic cup.

It's unclear why the situation has forced Ms Hammond to drink out of plastic cups.

Millennials were quick to respond to her TikTok, posting their own mocking clips

The homeowner previously posted a video a few days earlier where she was holding a glass.

Millennials were quick to respond to her TikTok, posting their own mocking clips.

One said: 'I'm so sorry to hear you can't afford your investment property. Have you considered cancelling Netflix and making your coffee at home?

'You do realise that tenants also go through life events and have much less stability than you? Nobody wants to hear your sob story. You chose a risky investment.'

One comment said: 'Dying to know what she's charging for this 'tiny, little matchbox sized piece of land' and how that's affecting her ability to drink out of a glass.'

Another added: 'Of course she turned the comments off on her video what a Karen.'

While a third asked: 'Sell the property if its that much of an issue for her?'
A man who dropped a woman off to hospital with a suspected severed spine is being hunted by police after he mysteriously vanished from the scene.

The 37-year-old woman had arrived at the emergency department of Bankstown Hospital, in Sydney's west, just before 1pm on January 12 with a gunshot wound to her torso.

The man, dressed in workout tights and a black hoodie, had dropped her off at the hospital but when police arrived he'd fled the area on foot, with his white Mercedes Benz sedan found abandoned nearby.

Police later pulled up at a home on Simmat Avenue at Condell Park where bullet holes and casings were found, and a crime scene was set up.

The man rushed into the ambulance bay of Bankstown Hospital to drop off the woman

The man, wearing workout tights and a hoodie, was spotted fleeing the scene

Paramedics helped the woman before taking her inside

The woman remains in hospital with severe spinal injuries, and damage to her internal organs.

Detectives have launched a public appeal to help track down the man who had driven her to hospital.

He is described as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, about 175cm tall, with a medium build, and a dark beard.

At the time he was wearing a black hoodie and black shorts over full-length black tights.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The woman, 37, was driven to Bankstown Hospital (pictured), in Sydney's west, in a white sedan after being shot in the torso on January 12
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar conducts proceedings in the House during Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday (PTI)

New Delhi: Members of the Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena Thackeray faction and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha after their adjournment notices were disallowed by the chair.

Soon after laying of papers, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he has received four notices under Rule 267 from BRS member K Keshava Rao, AAP member Sanjay Singh and Shiv Sena members Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi and disallowed the same.

Rao stood up and raised objection to the Rajya Sabha chairman's remarks on Tuesday on their boycott of the House.

Sanjay Singh also rose to seek a discussion on the Adani issue but was not allowed by the chair as their notices were disallowed.

Soon, the BRS, Sena and AAP members staged a walkout from the House.

The House started the discussion on the motion of thanks to the president's address as there was no Zero Hour and Question Hour. The discussion on the motion of thanks would continue without lunch break.

"I have received four notices under Rule 267 from Sanjay Raut, K Keshava Rao, Sanjay Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi. I reiterate my stand. I have carefully gone through them. I do not find the notices in order. I am constrained not to allow them," the chairman said.

On BRS member Rao's anguish over the chairman's remarks made on Tuesday, he said, "The kind of aggressive body language you are reflecting is most unfortunate. You have perhaps not had the occasion to go through what I had said yesterday with full sense of sublimity, sobriety and seriousness."

Asking him to take his seat, he said, "This is not the way we conduct this House. What I said is on record, you can take recourse to rules. This is not the way to do it. I have conveyed my sentiments and these are the sentiments of millions of people."

Dhankhar said for the first time in this country, a history of the "wrong type" has been created by engaging in a proclaimed boycott of the President.

"I would urge the members, we are sending a very dangerous signal to people. Their anger is beyond tolerance. Every time in the morning they see this spectacle of the House being plunged into disorder as part of strategy," the chairman said.

AAP, BRS members created uproar by raising slogans of "PM sadan mein aao. jawaab do. JPC se jaanch karao (PM should come to the House and answer and JPC probe should be ordered)" and later staged a walkout.

They later held a demonstration in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament premises.
She was offered an 11-hour and nine-hour flight afterwards

Her Jetstar flight was cancelled five hours before take off

Perth woman Claire Bagot was going to fly to Adelaide

A woman has slammed Jetstar for cancelling her short flight just hours before take-off and then offering her alternate flights that would take up half a day to get to her destination.

Perth woman Claire Bagot uploaded a video to TikTok with her flight details as she called out the budget airline.

She explained that she had booked a flight from Perth to Adelaide, which is usually a three-hour trip, but that it was cancelled by Jetstar just five hours before departure.

'If anyone wants to let me know how Jetstar is still in business, I would love that,' she began.

Perth woman Claire Bagot (pictured) had her three-hour flight to Adelaide cancelled by Jetstar just hours before take-off and was offered an alternate 11-hour trip instead

'My flight was cancelled five hours before, lovely. These are the two replacement flight options I got.'

Ms Bagot pointed at the two alternate flights, departing from Perth airport at 5:35pm and 10:45pm.

The first option was for an 11-hour 15-minute trip involving two flights, while the other was a nine-hour 50-minute trip that also required two flights.

'Eleven hours and 15 minutes or nine hours and 50 for a normally three-hour flight,' she added.

'That's what I want to do, and still not even get there the day that I'm meant to be getting there.'

Viewers of Ms Bagot's post also criticised the budget airline over flight cancellations, delays and poor service.

'Why is Jetstar so appalling who runs it,' wrote one.

Another said: 'We had the exact same experience! AND you have to collect your luggage and check it in AGAIN during your stopover.'

'They cancelled our GC>PER flights and gave us a lovely 8 hour stopover in MEL. At midnight. With a toddler,' added a third.

One woman suggested flying with Rex instead as it's 'cheaper' and 'better'.

Ms Bagot slammed the budget airline in a video posted to her TikTok account, asking how Jetstar was 'still in business' (stock image)

But other TikTok users believed Ms Bagot shouldn't be complaining, suggesting there needed to be an expectation from passengers not to rely too heavily on Jetstar due to its low airfares.

'It happens with all the Aussie airlines. You can just say you dont want either and youll get a credit or refund and can rebook a flight that works,' said one.

'They literally don't have control over most of these,' commented a second.

One viewer wrote: 'People need to realise its unreliability is why [it's] a low-budget airline. Like its never gonna be reliable.'

A Jetstar spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Were very sorry Claires flight from Perth to Adelaide had to be cancelled last week and the inconvenience this caused.'

'We do everything we can to avoid disruptions, but unfortunately sometimes there is no other option'

'Passengers were given the choice to rebook on the next available flight, which due to limited availability included both direct and indirect services, or they could opt for a refund. After being notified of the cancellation, Claire accepted a refund.'

Jetstar explained that Ms Bagot's flight had been cancelled due to crew sickness and there were no other staff available at the time.
Anthony Albanese is raking in $104,520 a year renting out his two Sydney homes as he lives rent-free in the taxpayer-funded Lodge.

The Prime Minister finalised a deal in November to rent out his old three-bedroom federation home in Marrickville, six days after advertising it for $1350 a week.

And, together with his second rental home in nearby Dulwich Hill - which is understood to be rented out for $660 a week after a 25 per cent price cut at the start of the Covid pandemic - he now collects $104,520 a year in rental income alone.

That is on top of his prime minister's salary of $564,356, taking his combined income to $668,876 a year.

Anthony Albanese (pictured with son Nathan and partner Jodie Haydon) is raking in $104,520 a year renting out his two Sydney homes on top of his $564,356 prime ministerial salary

The Prime Minister finalised a deal in November to rent out his old three-bedroom federation home in Marrickville, six days after advertising it for $1350 a week

Mr Albanese moved full-time into the official Prime Ministerial residences at Kirribilli House in Sydney and The Lodge in Canberra after his election victory last May.

He was famously snapped in his pyjamas outside his home in Marrickville - which he shared with his son Nathan, 22 - the morning after his win.

Mr Albanese bought the home with his ex-wife, former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt, for $997,500 in 2006.

It was put up for rent through an eastern suburbs real estate company, The Agency Property Management, based in Bondi Junction and snapped up within days.

Former PM Scott Morrison famously allowed his pool cleaner Nikki Durrant to live in his Port Hacking home in Sydney's south after her home was destroyed by floods.

Mr Albanese moved full-time into the official Prime Ministerial residences at Kirribilli House in Sydney and The Lodge in Canberra after his election victory last May. He was famously snapped in his pyjamas outside his home in Marrickville (pictured) after his win

Malcolm Turnbull spurned the PM's official residences to remain in his lavish mansion in Point Piper.

The PM's Marrickville home was last on the rental market in 2005 when it was leased for $680 a week.

Since becoming prime minister, Mr Albanese has also sold off his Canberra unit in Barton, which he bought in 1996 for $192,000, for an undisclosed sum. Neighbouring units have recently sold for around $550,000.

He also sold off another investment rental property he owned, just up the street from his current home, for $2.35million in July 2021 after paying $1.115million in 2012.

His second rental property in Dulwich Hill is leased to his self-confessed number one fan and TikTok influencer, Chrissy Flanagan.

The PM held onto this two-storey townhouse in Dulwich Hill after selling off other properties

It was last advertised for rent in 2018 for $880 a week, but Ms Flanagan said the PM had cut her rent by 25 per cent when the Covid pandemic broke out - and had not increased it afterwards.

'At the start of the pandemic, out of recognition that my partner and I are small business people in the hospitality sector, he reduced our rent 25 per cent, which was amazing then,' she said.

'But what's more stunning is that even now, two years later, he still hasn't put it back up.

Mr Albanese bought the modern-terraced, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Dulwich Hill in 2015 for $1.175million

'And admittedly things still are patchy in the hospitality sector, but I don't think other people are still getting that sort of support from their landlords.'

She told Daily Mail Australia: 'Not every politician is the same in private as they are in public.

'I just think if you get these little glimpses of what someone's actually like, when no one's looking, that tells you something.

'It's just a small reflection of what a person is like in private as to what they might be like when they have the opportunity to live their values more broadly.'
Secret letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots while she was imprisoned in England have been unscrambled by experts.

For centuries, the 16th century monarchs dispatches were believed to have been lost.

But a team of codebreakers stumbled upon the 50 scripts, made up of graphical symbols, in the national library of France.

Now, after two months work and initially having no idea of who had written the letters  or to whom  they have cracked the code.

And their conclusion  that Mary wrote them while in captivity  is thought to be the most significant discovery about her for 100 years.

Mary, whose great-grandfather was Henry VII, was first in line of succession to the English throne after her cousin Elizabeth. Catholics considered Mary to be the legitimate sovereign and Elizabeth had her imprisoned for 19 years because she was seen as a threat.

Mary, whose great-grandfather was Henry VII, was first in line of succession to the English throne after her cousin Elizabeth

The 16th century monarchs dispatches were believed to have been lost. But a team of codebreakers stumbled upon the 50 scripts, made up of graphical symbols, in the national library of France

During her time in captivity, Mary communicated with her associates and allies through messages written in code  a skill she had learned as a child. The letters date from 1578 to 1584, a few years before Marys beheading 436 years ago today  February 8 1587.

Most are addressed to Michel de Castelnau, the French ambassador to England, who was a supporter of the Catholic Mary.

Key themes include complaints about her poor health and conditions in captivity, and her negotiations with Queen Elizabeth I for her release, which she believed were not in good faith. The letters reveal her distrust of the queens spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, and her animosity towards Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, a favourite of Elizabeth.

In one section, she warns the French ambassador that people in England are opposed to the marriage of her brother-in-law, the Duke of Anjou, and Elizabeth.

George Lasry, lead investigator, said: The code is complex and we cracked it gradually. When we were able to read about 30 per cent or so of the text, we spotted French words in feminine forms, so this must be a woman.

After two months work and initially having no idea of who had written the letters  or to whom  they have cracked the code

Ma liberte  my liberty  was mentioned, so this was probably someone in captivity. We also read mon fils or my son, so this person had a son. At this stage, Mary Queen of Scots was only a remote candidate. But then we saw the name Walsingham, the famous Francis Walsingham.

This was the Eureka moment  we were now sure that this was from Mary Queen of Scots.

John Guy, who wrote a 2004 biography of Mary, said: This discovery is a literary and historical sensation. Fabulous! This is the most important new find on Mary, Queen of Scots for 100 years.
In a renewed push to snuff out New York Citys thriving illegal weed market, Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattans top prosecutor announced Tuesday that they would go after landlords who allow illicit shops to operate.

On the same day, a DailyMail.com photographer snapped officers from the Office of Cannabis Management raiding an illegally operating store in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan.

In total, four stores were raided Tuesday, were accused of selling marijuana to minors in addition to operating without a license.

A complaint accused the 'dispensary,' Saint Mark's Convenience and Smoke Shop, of selling marijuana to minors on three separate occasions since December. The sales were observed by an undercover NYPD officer.

Since cannabis legalization in 2021, the state has issued 66 licenses. Only two shops have opened, but the rate of openings is expected to accelerate in the coming months. There are thought to be 1,400 illegal stores in the Big Apple.

A store worker told DailyMail.com that the police raided the store and took cigarettes and 'weed'

The store operated with a large neon sign advertising that it was a cannabis dispensary even though it did not have a license

An unnamed store worker told DailyMail.com after the raid: 'We just got raided for cigarettes, weed. A fine, a $20,000 fine. Now we got to get a license, our weed license.'

Officials have said that unlicensed stores are a target for robberies as they keep large amounts of cash on hand.

The shop was operating with a large neon sign advertising that it was a cannabis dispensary even though it did not have a license. The illegally operating shops were shuttered under the citys nuisance and abatement law.

The employee went on to say that the store was working towards getting the license when the raid occurred and that it was struggling to afford the cost of applying. It's estimated that the total cost of applying is around $200,000.

The state legalized recreational marijuana use in March 2021 and authorized the Office of Cannabis Management to begin establishing a legal marketplace. Most of the shops are to be operated by people of color who had been incarcerated by prohibitionist laws.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has a reputation for being soft on crime, sent more than 400 letters on Tuesday to illegal weed stores that are operating uninhibited telling them that his office is prepared to launch civil lawsuits to begin evictions.

In the letter, Bragg wrote in part: 'This letter is to inform you that the Manhattans District Attorneys Office is prepared to use our civil authority  to require owners and landlords to commence eviction proceedings of commercial tenants who are engaged in illegal trade or business, and to take over such eviction proceedings if necessary.'

While at Tuesday's press conference, Bragg said: 'It is time for the operation of unlicensed cannabis dispensaries to end. They've been put on notice.'

At the same event, Mayor Adams warned that marijuana sold at illegal stores can often be laced with other drugs including fentanyl. While Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine stressed that fines have not been working.

When the state legalized recreational marijuana two years ago, 'many people took it that you can just open up a location any way you want,' Adams said.

The NYPD and the Office of Cannabis Management during its raid on Tuesday

The illegally operating shops were shuttered under the citys nuisance and abatement law

Since cannabis legalization in 2021, the state has issued 66 licenses. Only two shops have opened

The state legalized recreational marijuana use in March 2021 and authorized the Office of Cannabis Management to begin establishing a legal marketplace

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has a reputation for being soft on crime, sent more than 400 letters on Tuesday to illegal weed stores that are operating uninhibited telling them that his office is prepared to launch civil lawsuits to evict them

At Tuesday's press conference, Bragg said: 'It is time for the operation of unlicensed cannabis dispensaries to end. They've been put on notice'

Unauthorized pot shops have cropped up in droves, operating out in the open  and offering cheaper prices than the legal stores, where the products are highly taxed.

The number of illegal shops across New Yorks five boroughs could exceed 1,400, according to some estimates.

The illicit stores are cashing in on a lucrative market that the mayor says could reach $1.3 billion, potentially generating $40 million in yearly tax revenues for the city  as long as they are not undercut by illegal offerings.

'Marijuana legalization in New York came with rules, and those rules must be respected,' Bragg said. 'Instead of respect for the law, we have seen ... the proliferation of storefronts across New York City selling unlicensed, unregulated, untaxed cannabis products.'

An unnamed store worker told DailyMail.com after the raid: 'We just got raided for cigarettes, weed. A fine, a $20,000 fine'

When the state legalized recreational marijuana two years ago, 'many people took it that you can just open up a location any way you want,' Adams said Tuesday

Unauthorized pot shops have cropped up in droves, operating out in the open  and offering cheaper prices than the legal stores, where the products are highly taxed

A smoke-shop at 736 Broadway is closed following the announcement by city officials

The illicit stores are cashing in on a lucrative market that the mayor says could reach $1.3 billion, potentially generating $40 million in yearly tax revenues for the city

The notices say that the district attorneys office is prepared to use its authority 'to commence eviction proceedings of commercial tenants who are engaged in illegal trade or business,' adding that prosecutors within five days of the written notice would 'take over such eviction.'

Bragg also said that the two stores that are operating legitimately are facing stiff competition from stores that are not following the rules.

He said it was also a safety issue to ensure that dangerous products, including those containing contaminants, do not make it out on the market.

'These illicit storefronts are putting public health at risk while undermining our ability to build an equitable market that works to offset the harms caused by the disproportionate enforcement of cannabis prohibition,' said Chris Alexander, the executive director of the state cannabis office.

In 2022, the NYPD admitted police officers are essentially powerless to stop the illegal shops from operating.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has a reputation for being soft on crime, sent more than 400 letters on Tuesday to illegal weed stores that are operating uninhibited telling them that his office is prepared to launch civil lawsuits to begin evictions

In 2022, the NYPD admitted police officers are essentially powerless to stop the illegal shops from operating

A spokesman for the NYPD told DailyMail.com at the time that 'the law, as currently written, does not provide an enforcement mechanism when an unlicensed establishment displays cannabis for sale...

'Furthermore, the state law does not provide the NYPD with a mechanism to close down unlicensed establishments.'

The first legal dispensary in the city is operated by the nonprofit Housing Works - a social-service agency that helps those with AIDS and HIV, and those who were formerly incarcerated or homeless.

The organization said all proceeds from sales 'go back to fund our services and advocacy, which include housing, healthcare, and people living with HIV and chronic illness'.

'We're absolutely thrilled to be the first and hopefully setting a model that other folks will have to follow,' Charles King, CEO of Housing Works said in December.

King raved about the location in the East Village area being close to New York University - which is a tourist hot spot.

'This location is a perfect location,' he said. 'We're between the West Village, the East Village. Tourists can come by here easily. So we think we're going to bring up a lot of sales here.'
HS2 faces further delays of up to four years and more cutbacks, it was reported yesterday.

The problems mean the country's biggest infrastructure project may not be completed until 2045  12 years late.

The Financial Times said officials have started work on identifying where costs can be cut.

Insiders say savings will be made through a combination of delays and cuts in the first phase of the project that will link London to Birmingham.

The price tag of HS2 has soared from 33billion ten years ago to up to 100billion now.

Other parts of the project where the axe could fall are the Handsacre Link, which would connect HS2 to the existing West Coast main line, allowing high-speed trains to serve Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.

HS2 faces further delays of up to four years and more cutbacks, meaning it may not be completed until 2045

Transport Secretary Mark Harper last night insisted it would run in to London Euston despite reports it could stop in west London instead.

The price tag of HS2 has soared from 33billion ten years ago to up to 100billion now.

Other parts of the project where the axe could fall are the Handsacre Link, which would connect HS2 to the existing West Coast main line, allowing high-speed trains to serve Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.

An arm leading east from Birmingham to the East Midlands could also be dropped.

An eastern leg which would have connected Birmingham with Leeds has already been axed to save money.

It comes amid the transport Department's budget facing a shortfall of 5 billion by 2027-28.

Meanwhile, the Wildlife Trusts have accused HS2 Ltd of undervaluing the natural habitats affected by construction of the high-speed rail line.

The charity has produced a report claiming there will be at least 17 per cent less nature after construction of Phase One between London and Birmingham, whereas HS2 Ltd says there will only be a 2.6 per cent loss of nature.

HS2 Ltd said it does not believe the Wildlife Trusts' figures are 'reliable'.
Footage has captured the heart-wrenching moment a sobbing child was dug out from the rubble following Syria's devastating earthquake.

Heroic rescue workers were videoed desperately foraging through debris to reach several young children and family members.

The survivors were said to be buried under the wreckage of their home in Jindires, Aleppo, of northern Syria where the worst of the damage was felt.

Syria's Civil Defence workers were filmed frantically calling out in the dark, wet remains of the building.

The team are seen to find one child whose lower half is trapped under bricks and rubble - her head appears to be covered in blood.

More workers also work to lift bricks away from another child's body, with one person feeling their wrist to check for a pulse.

Amid screams and wails, the camera turns again to a waving hand - the only body part visible from a pile of rubble.

A baby is also filmed trapped beneath a huge slab of rock.

As the rescuers continue to scoop up the debris with their bare hands, one child begins to sob and cough.

But soon after, they are lifted out alongside a man on a stretcher.

As workers scoop up the debris with their bare hands, one child begins to sob and cough

A rescue worker feels the pulse of a child trapped under the wreckage of a home in Syria

The footage comes after more than 7,800 were killed in the 7.8-magnitude quake and its aftermath, with 5,894 fatalities in Turkey and at least 1,932 in Syria.

But the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that the toll could soar to as much as 20,000 amid efforts to rescue those still trapped under the rubble.

More than 23 million could also be affected across the two countries, according to WHO assessments.

Earlier tonight, a team of 77 search and rescue specialists, state-of-the-art equipment and four dogs arrived in Turkey from the UK.

The plane arrived in the city of Gaziantep, south east Turkey, to assist current rescue efforts.

The crying child is lifted out of the rubble alongside a man on a stretcher

Rescuers worked to save a number of people in the wreckage of a family home

Teams from the US will also arrive tomorrow in the southeastern province of Adiyaman to focus on urban search and rescue following the tragedy.

But aid to quake-hit Syria has been slowed by sanctions and damage caused to the sole border crossing used to shuttle aid from Turkey into the country.

A key issue complicating the dispersal of aid is 'the war and the way the aid response is split between rebel areas and Damascus,' said Aron Lund, a fellow with New York-based think tank Century International who researches Syria.

Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said: 'It is imperative that everybody sees it as a humanitarian crisis where lives are at stake. Please don't politicise this. Let's get the aid out to the people who so desperately need it.'
American civil rights leader Al Sharpton has claimed that Meghan Markle was treated differently after her 'beautiful wedding' to Prince Harry because she was 'black and working in the C-suites.'

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the reverend tried to defend the Duchess of Sussex who, along with her husband, has come under fire for claiming that she did not receive the same support as other Royal family members due to her skin color.

It is unclear from the interview whom he says is treating Meghan, who is biracial, differently than the other Royal family members for her success.

But Sharpton also used the opportunity to speak out against British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson's column in which he said he dreams of parading Meghan around naked as people throw feces at her.

Clarkson has since apologized for his remarks.

The Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday suggested Meghan Markle was 'treated differently' because she was black and working in an executive position within the Royal family

In the interview Tuesday morning, Sharpton said that while Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 seemed to be universally celebrated, she soon became the victim of racism.

'I think when they were married it was a beautiful day,' the reverend told a panel of co-hosts. 'And people were celebrating how, you saw this woman of color now in the Royal family, gospel songs [were] sung at the ceremony and the Queen sitting there.'

'And the reaction was so, so much acrimony. And just looking to treat her differently,' he said. 'And people who, whether you were in the UK or around the world, they are always treated differently, understood what Meghan was going through.

'It was somebody black working in the C-suites for the first time,' he said, claiming Markle was the first black person to hold an executive position in the Royal family. 'And they treat you differently.'

He concluded: 'I think she became a symbol not of her own making.'

Sharpton called Meghan Markle's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 'a beautiful day'

Sharpton said there was 'acrimony' following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2018 wedding, though he would not specify who was treating Markle differently

The reverend also used the opportunity to discuss a controversial column in The Sun newspaper in December

The reverend then condemned British television presenter Jeremy Clarkson for writing a column in The Sun newspaper in December.

He had written that he hated the Duchess of Sussex 'on a cellular level' and said he dreamed of her being paraded naked through British towns 'while the crowds chant "Shame!" and throw lumps of excrement at her.'

The television presenter later apologized for his remarks, saying he emailed the couple on Christmas Day to say his language in the column had been 'disgraceful' and he was 'profoundly sorry.'

He said he should have had another writer read over his column before he submitted it. He also insisted he is not sexist 'and I abhor violence against women, and yet I seem to be advocating just that.

'I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I emailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologize to them too.

'I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV, but that the language I'd used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry,' Clarkson said.

But Sharpton did not seem to accept the apology, saying his article was 'mean-spirited.'

The reverend said people can always apologize for things they have said 'but what makes you feel that you can say that in the first place?

'And I think that in many ways they exposed what was already there,' Sharpton concluded. 'And then people try to blame Meghan for they are being exposed.'

The royal couple had claimed in a 2021 interview with Oprah that a member of the Royal family had concerns about their son's skin color

Jeremy Clarkson says he emailed Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Christmas Day to apologize for his column in which he said he dreamed of parading the Duchess around naked while people throw feces at her

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have come under fire in recent months after claiming the Royal family treated Meghan Markle differently because of her race.

Harry has since denied calling the Royal family racist, but said they were guilty of 'unconscious bias' while discussing Meghan's controversial claim to Oprah that an unnamed royal had expressed 'concern' about Archie's skin color.

Read More: Harry denies the Royal family are racist but again repeats relative asked about son Archie's skin color Advertisement

Winfrey had asked Meghan in 2021: 'They were concerned that if he were too brown, that would be a problem? Are you saying that?' Markle replied: 'If that's the assumption you're making, I think that feels like a pretty safe one, which was really hard to understand, right?'

It prompted a worldwide guessing game about the senior royal who said it and hours later Harry's estranged brother, Prince William, was forced to publicly remark that they were 'very much not a racist family'. The Queen also gave a rare statement and said 'the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning' but stressed that 'recollections may vary'.

But in another incendiary interview to plug his new memoir, Harry said the Royal Family is not racist.

British broadcaster Tom Bradby, sought to clarify the comments, saying: 'You accused members of your family of racism.'

But Harry snapped back: 'No I didn't. The British press said that. Did Meghan ever mention that they're racist?'

The duke then insisted the comments made about his son Archie's skin color were 'unconscious bias'.

He then went on to accuse Buckingham Palace of failing to follow up on promises to appoint a 'diversity tsar'.

Harry claimed there is a place for the monarchy in the modern world if they addressed unconscious bias.

'I think the same process that I went through with regarding my own unconscious bias would be hugely beneficial to them,' he said on Good Morning America last month.

'Not racism, but unconscious bias, if not confronted, if not learned and grown from, that can then move into racism.

'But there was an enormous missed opportunity with my wife.'
Girls aged just ten and 11 are among five people arrested following a shockingly violent fight as police hunt a sixth suspect.

Police were called to the mass assault on a single girl outside Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford, Surrey, at around 2.30pm on Monday where they discovered the teenage victim injured.

A 39-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl, an 11-year-old girl, a ten-year-old girl and a 43-year-old man have been arrested over the attack.

A sixth suspect, a 15-year-old girl, is wanted. Police confirmed that she was aware they were looking for her.

Horrific video footage of the fight has been shared online and shows a gang of people hitting and kicking the victim while she lies on the floor.

The violent footage shows a group of young girls attacking a teenager in the middle of the street on Monday afternoon

Police have arrested five people and are searching for a sixth after the altercation outside a Surrey school

Adult voices can be heard throughout the altercation, apparently encouraging the fight and giving instructions on how to hurt the teenager.

Strands of her hair are visible on the floor at the end of the fight, when teachers from the school come out on to the pavement.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: 'We are aware that this incident will have caused concern among students, parents, and staff at Thomas Knyvett College, as well as the wider community.

'We would like to reassure you that an investigation is under way, five arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and we are working closely with Thomas Knyvett College as we investigate this matter.'

The spokesman asked that people refrain from sharing videos of the horrific fight on social media and instead sent links to the police.

'We are also aware that several videos of this distressing incident are circulating on social media.

'We ask that you do not share any videos or images of this incident, but to submit them via the link below so they can be considered as evidence in this investigation.'

Police have asked people not to share videos of the fight online and asked any witnesses to come forward. There will be extra patrols through the area in the coming days

Inspector Maxine Cilia, borough commander for Spelthorne, said she was shocked to see such a violent altercation near a school.

'I was shocked to see some of the video footage of this fight and the level of violence from young people outside one of our local schools.

'Every schoolchild should feel safe in the local community and not the target of any kind of violence as they leave school premises,' she said.

Inspector Cilia added that there would be extra patrols in the area over the coming days.

'Surrey Police are now investigating this incident and gathering further evidence with the full co-operation of the school. There will be extra patrols in this local area for reassurance and to enable local people to speak with officers.'

Police are also appealing for any eyewitnesses or anyone with CCTV, dashcam, helmet cam footage, or any images and videos on their mobile phones to get in touch.

They added that anyone driving or walking through the area around Salcombe Road on Monday between 2pm and 3pm who saw or heard something that might assist the investigation should contact them.
A study has found that defendants from ethnic minority backgrounds are 'significantly' more likely to be charged for a comparable offence than white British people in England and Wales.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) launched a programme to identify, understand and tackle 'disproportionality' in its charging decisions.

The service commissioned the University of Leeds to examine almost 195,000 cases - analysing age, sex, ethnicity and crime type to look for evidence of disproportionality in decisions that led to a charge, caution or no further action.

The CPS said: 'The study found that there is evidence of disproportionality in the outcomes of legal decision making, with defendants from minority ethnic backgrounds significantly more likely to be charged for a comparable offence than white British defendants.'

Figures showed that white and black Caribbean suspects have the highest charge rate of 81.3 per cent, making them almost 12 per cent more likely to be charged than white British suspects who have the lowest rate of 69.6 per cent.

The service commissioned the University of Leeds to examine almost 195,000 cases - analysing age, sex, ethnicity and crime type to look for evidence of disproportionality in decisions that led to a charge, caution or no further action (pictured: University of Leeds' Parkinson Building)

White and black African suspects have the second highest charge rate at 79.5 per cent, followed by white and Asian suspects at 78.4 per cent.

The data for non-mixed heritage suspects showed Caribbean people have the highest charge rate of 77.5 per cent, making them almost 8 per cent more likely to be charged than white British suspects.

As a result of these findings, the CPS has created an independent Disproportionality Advisory Group (DAG) to oversee a programme of further research, in particular to identify what factors are causing the disparity and what action is needed to resolve it.

DAG chair Susie Uppal said the group will provide 'independent and robust challenge' through the next stage of research 'to bring about real and lasting change'.

Max Hill KC, director of public prosecutions, said: 'A fair justice system is a vital part of any democratic society and the decisions we make at the CPS have a profound impact on suspects, defendants, victims and the wider public.

'Our decisions must be fair, consistent, and transparent for justice to done.

'We undertook this research to ensure that in every case we uphold the highest standards of integrity. It is troubling that it has found evidence of unexplained disproportionality in the outcomes of our legal decision making.

'We cannot yet identify what is driving the disparities we have found, and therefore we must do further work as a matter of urgency.

'I am committed to taking whatever action is needed and am grateful for the scrutiny of our independent advisors as we prioritise this vital work.'

Grace Ononiwu, CPS director of legal services and inclusion champion, called the findings 'concerning'.

'We need to understand and tackle the drivers of disproportionality as a top priority,' she said.

'While issues of disproportionality cut across the whole of the criminal justice system, and wider society, there are no excuses.

'If there are actions we can take to reduce disproportionality then we will do so, and we'll continue to work closely with our partners to ensure that the justice system as a whole is transparent, fair and inclusive.'

Fiyaz Mughal, co-chair of the Community Accountability Forum, said disproportionality 'seriously impacts' individuals and communities.

'Only by ensuring every voice is heard can justice be delivered,' he added.
Niamh Finneran Loader, 25, had flown to the tourist hot spot on November 26, but was found dead inside the bathroom of the Kuta-Bali Famous Hotel on December 2

The heartbroken family of an Australian university student who mysteriously died in Bali are no closer to knowing what happened to her after an autopsy failed to reveal a cause of death.

Niamh Finneran Loader, 25, flew to the tourist hotspot on November 26 for a holiday and some simple dental work but was found dead inside the bathroom of the Kuta-Bali Famous Hotel on December 2.

Her sudden death following the minor dental procedure has left her devastated family and authorities baffled.

An autopsy was carried out at Bali's Sanglah Hospital earlier this week but Denpasar Police chief Bambang Yugo Pamungkas said it was inconclusive.

'We have received the autopsy report and interviewed the forensic doctor last week,' he said on Monday.

'But he was unable to determine the cause of death based on the toxicology and pathology test results.'

Ms Loader's body was found at the Kuta-Bali Famous Hotel on December 2

Kuta Police Chief Yogie Pramagita said earlier his officers had inspected the room where Ms Loader had been staying and questioned at least seven people including hotel staff, the dentist and a tattoo artist.

Engineers found her lifeless body when they entered her room to fix the air-conditioning.

Her father Malcolm Loader earlier told the West Australian his daughter was 'very happy' with the results of the 'minor' dental procedure she received.

'The police are currently investigating... we have no idea (of what caused her death) at this stage,' Mr Loader said.

Ms Loader was studying a masters degree in international relations and national security at the University of Western Australia

Police are meeting to determine the next step in investigating the cause of Ms Loader's death.

Ms Loader was studying a masters degree in international relations and national security at the University of Western Australia.

She recently penned an insightful opinion piece in The Spectator calling for the Australian government to ban facial recognition technology used in apps like TikTok.

Ms Loader was due to travel to the United States in February after the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation awarded her with an internship.

'We are shocked and saddened to hear of her passing,' a spokesman for the Foundation said. 'She was a very bright student.'

Ms Loader has been described as an 'intelligent and dedicated' student who immigrated to Perth from Ireland when she was a little girl.
Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge speaks in the Rajya Sabha during Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday witnessed angry scenes and a war of words between the Opposition and the Treasury Benches as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge tried to corner the government during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Presidents address on various issues, including the Hindenburg report. He used the term "mauni baba" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present in the House.

During the debate, on several occasions, House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urged the LoP to refrain from making allegations that cannot be authenticated by him. Amid the heated discussions, Mr Dhankhar reminded the members that the House is meant for "sober dialogues".

A heated exchange between the Opposition members and the Treasury Benches ensued when Mr Dhankhar asserted that any comments made in the House should be in "national interest" and not an allegation without substance, to which a visibly upset LoP asked the Chair why he was being called an anti-national when he was speaking the truth. Congress members demanded that the Chair's remarks be expunged.

Mr Kharge reiterated the Opposition's call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the Hindenburg report on the Adani issue. In reply, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said the LoP was talking about a purported wealth, which is a share market calculation and the JPC is formed when the allegations are against the government. He termed the Hindenburg report a "baseless foreign report".

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also intervened during the debate to object to Mr Kharge's allegations against the government and said the LoP's remarks were infused with insinuation against the PM.

Mr Kharge said that in 2014, the PM had made the statement "na khaunga, na khane dunga" and asked, "was it a jumla?" The Congress leader also wondered if the Prime Minister was pandering to a select few industrialists.

Without naming Gautam Adani, who is in the middle of a political storm after the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research's adverse report triggered a meltdown in the group's stocks, wiping out billions of dollars in market value, the Leader of the Opposition said that the wealth of a "close friend" of Mr Modi has grown 13 times in a few years.

To this, Mr Dhankhar intervened and said the discourse cannot stoop to allegations that are not substantiated or to the use of "loose expressions" and the casting of aspersions without any basis.

Mr Goyal also intervened and said Mr Kharge was making an allegation that cannot be substantiated and about "an association that has absolutely no basis whatsoever".

"He is talking of purported wealth that does not have any merit. That is a share market calculation in which the government has no role to play. It is for the regulators to see and for the share market participants to decide what value they give," Mr Goyal said.

When Mr Kharge argued that instead of strengthening public sector enterprises, which provide jobs to 10 lakh people, the government was letting public money to the tune of `82,000 crores be used to support the Adani Group, which employs "only 30,000 people", Mr Dhankhar intervened and said India has a robust mechanism on how people are awarded contracts.

"I am only cautioning the LoP that he is trying to give the impression that India is a country where contracts can be just given away," the Chairman said, drawing sharp response from the Opposition members.

Mr Goyal said the Chair is duty-bound to protect Indians to ensure that the national interest is not compromised.

Mr Dhankhar said any comments made in the House should be in the national interest and authenticated. "It cannot be an allegation without substance," he added.

The Opposition members then jointly asked the Chairman to point out the anti-national comments in Mr Kharge's statement.

"Why I say so? An expression was given by the Leader of the Opposition that the largest democracy on earth is giving contracts like this," Mr Dhankhar said.

Mr Kharge retorted on the anti-national remark and said, "I differ with your opinion. If I speak the truth, it is anti-national. I am not anti-national. I am more patriotic than any of you. I am a 'bhoomiputra'... Don't try to suppress my feelings. You are looting the country and telling me that I am anti-national."

Mr Goyal intervened and said a JPC is set up when there are scams like "Coalgate" or the 2G scam or there are allegations against the government on the issue of securities.

When Mr Kharge cited Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 'raj dharma' remark post the 2002 Gujarat riots, Treasury Bench members accused him of quoting the former Prime Minister "partly to suit their convenience".

Mr Goyal immediately responded to Mr Kharge's remark, saying Vajpayee was agonised by communal riots during the Congress rule, be it in Maharashtra, Bhagalpur or Gujarat.

Ms Sitharaman also intervened, saying Vajpayee's quote (which Mr Kharge's quoted) ended with "he (the then chief minister Narendra Modi) is following raj dharma" and that Opposition members are quoting the former Prime Minister "partly".

Rajya Sabha Chairman asked both Mr Kharge and Ms Sitharaman to authenticate Vajpayee's quoted remark during the course of the day.

"Any observation made by him, if truncated... (and) if not given properly by this (ruling party) side or that (Opposition) side, it is the duty of the Chair to deal with the situation," he said.
The private detective leading the hunt for missing Levi Davis says he believes an arrest may be imminent on the back of a bombshell report investigators are sending to Spanish police.

Gavin Burrows says he is naming names in a damning expose containing evidence the rugby player and X-Factor star had been blackmailed by criminals and threatened over a Somali mafia debt.

Mr Burrows, whose Line of Inquiry firm is offering a 10,000 reward for information that could lead to Levi being found, said last night: 'I believe Spanish police will have enough to make an arrest when they see what our own investigation has thrown up.

'At the very least it should give them enough to haul someone in for questioning.

'I'm not at liberty at the moment to go public with any names but there is one person in particular that I have grave suspicions about and believe can shed light on what has happened to Levi.

The private detective leading the hunt for missing Levi Davis (pictured) says he believes an arrest may be imminent

There is reportedly evidence the rugby player and X-Factor star had been blackmailed by criminals and threatened over a Somali mafia debt

Davis travelled on a ferry from Ibiza to Barcelona from where he went missing in October

'That person is someone who while pretending to help has in my view been nothing but an obstacle in trying to prevent our investigations from moving forward.'

Levi, 24, spoke about being blackmailed by criminals who threatened to kill him and his family in a chilling last video he initially deleted but re-emerged last week three months after he vanished in Barcelona.

He was last seen leaving an Irish pub on October 29 after taking a ferry from Ibiza.

Mr Burrows said he had retrieved the Instagram video, which Levi first posted four days before he vanished, and released it with the agreement of family and friends to help get information.

The ex-Bath rugby player says at the start of the 15-minute footage: 'Hello my name is Levi Davis and my life is in danger.' before going on to allege he believed he was filmed performing various sexual acts after being drugged which blackmailers used to control and manipulate him.

He said: 'I was told by them in ways which are not direct but are absolutely true that they were going to attempt - if I said anything out - they were going to attempt to kill me, threaten my family.

'And they also were trying to frame me.'

Levi, 24, spoke about being blackmailed by criminals who threatened to kill him and his family in a chilling last video he initially deleted but re-emerged last week three months after he vanished in Barcelona

The Somali mafia reports first surfaced in Spain shortly before the chilling video twist to the high-profile disappearance, with respected Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia saying Levi owed around 100,000 after his lifestyle spiralled out of control.

They coincided with claims Levi could have drowned in Barcelona's port near to where his passport was found, although Mr Burrows described it last night as a theory and said it was also possible he was still alive and being forced to work as a courier by the gang he had got into debt with.

He said: 'Our relationship with the Catalan police has not been as close as we'd have liked it to have been but we're hopeful that's going to change now because we can deal with them much more directly and not go through people Levi's mum has confirmed to us have no mandate to speak on anyone's behalf.

'It makes it far more likely we can assist in getting a quicker resolution to this very worrying case.'

Depressed Levi was taking a break in Europe after being sidelined from rugby following a knee injury.

He was picked up on CCTV leaving the Old Irish Pub near Barcelona's La Rambla around 10pm on October 29, a few hours after taking a boat from Ibiza with just 40 (35) and no change of clothes.

Levi Davis was last seen leaving The Old Irish Pub in Barcelona on October 29

Friend Richard Squire, who formally reported him missing to cops in Barcelona after his family informed West Midlands police, described his decision to leave the island as 'sudden.'

Last week it emerged Levi's Instagram had up to 38 contacts mysteriously deleted after he vanished.

Levi played Premiership rugby union for Bath between 2017 and 2020, when he joined Ealing Trailfinders. A year later he signed for Worthing Raiders.

The rugby player-turned-reality star performed on X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 with fellow rugby players Ben Foden and Thom Evans as part of the group Try Star.

In 2020, the year he made history by becoming the first rugby union player to come out as bisexual while still playing, he appeared on the E4 dating series Celebs Go Virtual Dating.
Mr Albanese has refused to fund Yes and No campaigns

Anthony Albanese will have educational pamphlets explaining the Indigenous Voice to Parliament mailed out to every Australian voter in a backflip concession to the demands of Opposition leader Peter Dutton.

The federal government had previously said pamphlets, like those used in previous referendums, would not be required as MPs could reach voters through a variety of media formats including television, email and social media.

The change in tune comes after Mr Dutton made a mailout detailing the Voice proposal a key condition of Coalition support for the legislation required to hold a referendum.

However, the government has yet to agree to another of Mr Dutton's demands - that the Yes and No campaigns get equal federal funding.

Anthony Albanese (pictured) has agreed to mail pamphlets to voters that will explain the details of the Voice to Parliament

The backflip comes after Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman rejected the need for any mailout in December.

'The next referendum will be the first in the digital age. There is no longer any need for taxpayers to pay for a pamphlet to be sent to every household,' he said in a media release at the time.

'Modern technology allows parliamentarians to express their views to voters directly and regularly through a wide variety of sources, such as television, email and social media, that did not exist when the pamphlet was introduced in the early 20th century.'

However, the government will now mail leaflets that break down the cases for and against the Voice to Parliament in a bid to secure Opposition support for the legislation required to hold the referendum.

Special Minister Don Farrell is understood be in charge of preparing the leaflets.

Mr Dutton said mailing out information pamphlets was a precedent that needed to be maintained.

'It was never sustainable for the prime minister to say to the Australian people that he wanted them to vote in the referendum and then only provide an argument for one side of the case,' he said.

'It was frankly quite arrogant of the prime minister to believe he didn't need to provide details to the Australian people.'

The opposition leader also argued that despite advancements in modern technology, 40 per cent of voters still read material sent to them during election campaigns.

It follows a series of demands by Opposition leader Peter Dutton (pictured) who has also called for equal public funding for Yes and No campaigns

The Voice is pitched as an advisory body that will advise the Australian Parliament and government on issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (pictured, dancers perform at the Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land)

Mr Dutton is expected to unveil his party's position on the Voice next week, while the Nationals had already made their opposition to the proposal known last year.

The Greens pledged their support to the proposal on Monday following the defection of Aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe, who wants a treaty with Aboriginal people before the Voice.

Australians will vote in a referendum in the second half of this year on whether the constitution should be amended to create an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body to provide advice to the federal parliament on policies affecting them.
The Duchess of Sussex may rue her 'foolish' decision to miss the Coronation, that's the view of the Daily Mail's Editor at Large Richard Kay. Speaking on our royal talk show Palace Confidential, the veteran royal correspondent believes it would have been better for both sides if she had decided to come. 'It feels like a compromise - Meghan staying away - I think she may come to regret that in the years to come, you don't get very many coronations and to have a ringside seat at one is seems pretty foolish that she shouldn't have accepted and come over,' he tells the programme. 'I think it is the wrong call. I think it would have been better for her and for the Royal Family if they'd both been there.' He added that despite Harry's decision to come, it doesn't mark a rapprochement between the Sussexes and the rest of the family, but a 'ceasefire'.
A young tourist could face the death penalty after she allegedly attempted to smuggle drugs into Bali, prompting a renewed warning to Australian travellers.

Brazilian national Manuela Vitoria de Araujo Farias, 19, claims she was tricked by a gang after three kilograms of cocaine were allegedly found in her luggage when she arrived on the popular Indonesian island last month.

Bali's firing squad could execute her if she is convicted of trafficking under Indonesia's strict anti-drug laws.

She was arrested at Bali International Airport on January 27, just days after an West Australian surfing and diving instructor who smuggled drugs hidden in his anus into Indonesia narrowly avoided the death penalty.

Jeffrey Welton, 52, was arrested at the same Bali airport last September after he was found smuggling 8g of heroin and 0.34g of meth.

Manuela Vitoria de Araujo Farias could face the death penalty if convicted of drug smuggling

He was recently sentenced to eight months in a rehabilitation facility after a judge ruled he was an addict rather than a drug trafficker.

Farias' lawyer claims her client was tricked into cooperating by gangsters.

Farias claims she only visited the island after hearing of temples where they pray for the sick, Bali Times reported.

The teen's mother had recently suffered a stroke, and Farias says she was attempting to seek Buddhist prayers for a cure.

'They said that she could pray in the temples to ask for her mother's healing,' the lawyer said.

The publication added police in Brazil have refused to discuss the status of the investigation into the alleged criminals that gave Farias the drugs.

Thousands of Australians have flocked to Bali since the holiday island's international borders reopened in March 2022 for the first time in two years.

Around 1.23 million Australians visited Bali in 2019 before international borders shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Manuela Vitoria de Araujo Farias (middle) was arrested upon arrival in Bali last month after three kilograms of cocaine were allegedly found in her luggage

The death penalty exists for many crimes in Indonesia including drug smuggling, according to Australian government website Smart Traveller.

Drug possession and banned activities such as smoking in a public place and gambling also can result in jail time.

'Penalties for drug offences include heavy fines, long prison sentences and the death penalty. Police target tourist destinations,' the website states.

'You may face heavy fines or jail for possessing even small amounts of drugs, including marijuana.

Cannabis-based products such as cannabis oil, hemp, CBD, THC, hash and edibles are also banned in Indonesia, including for medicinal purposes.

'A medical prescription does not make it legal. If you take such products to Indonesia or purchase or use them in Indonesia, you can be arrested and face imprisonment, fines, deportation or the death penalty,' Smart Traveller warns.

'Police target illegal drug use and possession across Indonesia. Police often target popular places and venues in Bali and Jakarta.'

Travellers are also warned check with a doctor or the Indonesian embassy before taking any prescription medications including sleeping pills into the country as many psychotropic medications and painkillers are banned and could be confiscated upon arrival.

'Make sure you carry a prescription that covers the quantity of medication you're taking with you,'

Smoking is banned in many public areas in Bali and could lead to imprisonment and a fine.

Gambling is also illegal in Indonesia and could result in a stint behind bars.

Brazilian teen Manuela Vitoria de Araujo Farias claimed she was tricked by a gang after cocaine was allegedly found in her luggage

West Australian surfing and diving instructor Jeffrey Welton (pictured) narrowly avoided the death penalty in Bali after heroin and methamphetamine were found in his luggage

Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia in 2015 as the convicted ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine drug smugglers.

The nine Australians were arrested trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin to Australia on a flight out of Bali's airport in 2005.

Of the remaining seven only one, Renae Lawrence, has been released from jail while another, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died in prison of cancer.

In October 2004, Australian Schapelle Corby became a household name when the then 27-year-old beauty student was arrested at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport with 4.2kg of marijuana in her boogie board bag, a crime she has always denied committing.

Seven months later, the world watched on as Corby famously broke down in the courtroom while being sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Aussie travellers flocking to the Indonesian island have been warned to read up on what they can and can't do in Bali (stock image of travellers)

Convicted Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia in 2015

After a series of sentence reductions, Corby was released on parole in February 2014 after nine years behind bars.

After three years living in Bali, she was deported back to Australia in 2017 and is now a social media influencer on the Gold Coast.

Corby posted a recent video with advice for Aussie travellers heading to Bali.

'If you're going to travel, make sure you keep your bags locked,' she warned.

'Remember my name... Corby... and don't drink too much.'

The sentencing of Australian Schapelle Corby was televised worldwide in 2005
A Massachusetts mother has pleaded not guilty to strangling her three children to death during a court appearance held over Zoom as she lay paralyzed in her Boston hospital bed.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, has been charged with three counts of premeditated murder for strangling her three kids on January 24 at the family home in Duxbury, 35 miles southeast of Boston.

Clancy's attorneys say she was severely depressed, suffering with post-partum depression and even psychosis, caused by a cocktail of prescription drugs that turned her into a 'shell' of herself and robbed her of her personality and ability to feel emotions.

They say Lindsay told her husband - who has forgiven her - she heard a 'man's voice' telling her to kill the children and then herself because it was her 'last choice'.

Prosecutors today launched a merciless prosecution, claiming she was well aware of what she was doing and that she even planned it out.

Clancy remains in the hospital after trying to take her own life; she slit her wrists and jumped from a top floor window of her home after strangling her kids, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months. She has been paralyzed as a result of the jump

After strangling the kids, Lindsay tried to cut her own wrists. She then jumped from a window at the family home. Baby Callan, eight months, died in the hospital. Cora and Dawson died at home

They told the court she had been behaving normally in the days before the incident, and that she had only referred to having slight 'post-partum anxiety' in notes found on her iPhone.

They also referred to notes where she described 'resenting' the older two children because they stopped her from 'loving Callan like he was her first baby'.

Prosecutors say she deliberately sent her husband out to a takeout restaurant that was far enough away from the home to give her time to kill the kids, and even researched how long it would take him to drive there and back using Google Maps.

They also noted that she would have had to have strangled each child for several minutes with the exercise bands in order for them to stop breathing.

'The bands had to have been squeezing their minds for several minutes.

She is not OK, at all... she's paraplegic, unable to move her legs or feel sensation... she is paralyzed

'She could have changed her mind,' they said, calling it a 'premeditated' crime with a 'extreme cruelty'.

They say the first thing Lindsay asked doctors in the hospital was whether she needed a lawyer, using a pen and whiteboard to scrawl out the question because she was intubated at the time.

They also claimed she'd been behaving normally all day before the attack, taking her kids to the pediatrician and then playing with them at the house.

Lindsay was denied bond but will be allowed to stay in hospital before being transferred to a rehab center. She was ordered to surrender her passport.

After attacking the children, Lindsay slit her wrists and then jumped from her bedroom window, landing in the family's backyard.

She suffered several spine fractures and is now a paraplegic, her attorney said.

'She is not OK, at all. She suffered several, severe spine fractions. She is not expected to recover meaningful function below that level of the spinal cord.

Lindsay Clancy with her husband Patrick and their oldest children, Cora, five, and Dawson, three. She

Tuesday's court hearing was held over zoom with Clancy visible to the courtroom in her bed

Details from the District Attorney detail the charges Lindsay Clancy faced in a virtual court hearing on Tuesday

'She's paraplegic, unable to move her legs or feel sensation. She is paralyzed.

DRUGS PRESCRIBED TO LINDSAY IN EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE KILLINGS Zolpidem (Ambien)

Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Diazepam (Valium)

Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Lamotrigine (Lamictil)

Lorazepam (Ativan)

Mirtazapine (Remeron)

Quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel)

Trazodone Advertisement

'She needs significant medical treatment,' he said, begging the court not to jail her and instead allow her to be sent to a medical rehab center.

Clancy's attorneys say she was overprescribed a cocktail of prescription drugs to treat post-partum depression, and that it had turned her into a 'zombie.'

In court today, her attorney Kevin J. Reddington, denied that the attacks were premeditated.

'We all know this is an individual who is in dire medical condition. This woman is a danger to herself. I question whether she would ever make it to a trial.

'She is suicidal, she is extremely emotional. She is unable to express any happiness or sadness or cry,' Reddington said.

He said she was 'thoroughly destroyed' by the cocktail of medications prescribed to her after her third child was born.

'Our society fails miserably in treating women with post partum depression or post partum psychosis.

'It's 'medicate, medicate, medicate'.

'Throw the pills at you and see how it works.'

Her husband Patrick has forgiven her, and is asking others to do the same.

In court, her attorney also made reference to the many letters of support she has received from friends and colleagues, who all say it was out of character for her to have harmed the children.

'She loved her children,' her attorney said.

The Clancy home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where the children were killed in the basement

A sea of tributes for the children were left outside the home following their deaths

Patrick, Lindsay's husband, has forgiven her. He is shown with the children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months

Lindsay was described as a loving mother who said she wanted to have more children

Clancy's lawyer previously told a judge that the drugs Lindsay had been prescribed left her feeling feeling like a 'zombie'.

He is seeking to fight the charges, arguing she was not in control of herself because of the drastic effects the drugs had had on her mind and body.

Investigators are now probing the theory that she might have been suffering from post-partum psychosis.

He also described the 'horrific' combination of prescription drugs Lindsay had been given.

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.
Gangland figure was airlifted to hospital and almost died

Drug lord Tony Mokbel is suing the Victorian Government over a jailhouse stabbing that almost claimed his life.

Teira Bennett and Eldea Teuira, both 22, were sentenced in 2020 to spend at least seven years each behind bars for stabbing the then 53-year-old in the exercise yard of Victoria's Barwon Prison in February 2019.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal lawyers acting for Mokbel have filed a writ with the Supreme Court of Victoria claiming damages against the State Of Victoria.

Court documents state Mokbel believes the government owned him a duty of care while he was caged behind bars inside Barwon Prison.

Tony Mokbel nearly died in prison attack. Picture shows him being treated by paramedics after being stabbed

Mokbel was unable to move from the moment he was attacked and failed to defend himself as two inmates assaulted him

Eldea Teuira and Teira Bennett in a court sketch during their court appearance. The men both laughed their way through their sentence in 2020

'At all material times, the Defendant owed a duty to prisoners in custody at Barwon Prison to prevent foreseeable injury arising from the conduct of other prisoners,' it was stated.

'At all relevant times while the Plaintiff was in custody he was under the care and responsibility of the Defendant.'

Mokbel was king-hit and stabbed seven times by the men with cutlery and sharpened wires and kicked in the head, knocking out his teeth.

So violent was the attack, the court refused to release footage of it to the media.

The ageing gangster was unable to move from the moment he was attacked and failed to defend himself as the pair assaulted him.

As the assault attracted attention from other inmates and prison guards, the men could be heard screaming: 'Youre not an enforcer, this is what you get for talking to the screws you f**king dog.'

Mokbel was attacked after a front page Herald Sun newspaper article claimed Mokbel had still been pulling the strings behind bars.

On the same day the report was released, Mokbel was approached by prison officers questioning whether he had concerns about what it said.

The report detailed how Mokbel had allegedly disrupted an extortion racket being run in the prison by Pacific Islanders, who had targeted a teenager locked up on assault charges.

In sentencing his attackers, respected County Court of Victoria Judge Elizabeth Gaynor said she accepted the brutal attack was a direct result of the newspaper article and the men's attempt to restore honour to their jailhouse gang 'GFAM'.

Eldea Teuira (pictured) believed Tony Mokbel got what he deserved in the attack that left him fighting for life

A summary of the incident revealed Mokbel was king-hit and stabbed seven times by Teuira as Bennett (pictured) kicked him in the head

In documents lodged with the Supreme Court, Mokbel's lawyers state the Andrews Government had a duty to exercise reasonable care for the physical and psychological safety of Mokbel.

'The Defendant breached the duty owed to the plaintiff. As a result of the breaches of duty by the Defendant, the Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer injury, loss and damage,' the documents stated.

Mokbel is claiming financial damages, including aggravated and exemplary damages, interest and costs.

Legal action stemming from the jailhouse attack had been on the cards since 2019.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers principal Dimi Ioannou told the Herald Sun then that lawyers would need to prove that prison authorities had knowledge of a potential threat to his safety.

'They need to show that they were aware of a potential threat to his safety and then show they breached their duty of care by not protecting him from the threat.

'You then need to show that there was a permanent injury from the incident, which there was.'

Bleeding from his mouth and chest, Mokbel was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital and was considered to be in a serious but stable condition

A homemade weapons used to stab Tony Mokbel inside Barwon Prison last year. His attackers both laughed upon hearing details of their savage attack

Another of the homemade weapons used to stab Tony Mokbel in jail

Just an hour before the frenzied jail house attacked, Mokbel had attended Teuira's 21st birthday celebrations, where the pair 'embraced' and were seen chatting.

Bleeding from his mouth and chest, Mokbel was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

A second victim, aged 31, was also injured while trying to help Mokbel, but returned to prison after spending a night in hospital.

Mokbel was so severely injured he underwent emergency surgery and was placed in a coma.

His young attackers laughed during their County Court of Victoria sentence.

Their sentences were lumped on top of jail they were already serving at the time, meaning Bennett would serve at least eight years and Teuira eight and a half.

'That's a fair whack,' Bennett chuckled.

Both men seemed confused upon hearing the sentence and continued to laugh and chat among themselves while still on the public video link.

'Oh well, it is what it is,' Teuira told Bennett.

When Teuira's barrister warned the men they were still being broadcast, Teuira sent a message to the public.

'I love jail. I love jail,' he shouted as Bennett cackled with laughter.
Tory defence secretary Michael Portillo annoyed the Queen and Prince Philip by promising that their beloved Royal Yacht Britannia would be replaced. At the time they were publicly accepting the decommissioning while secretly lobbying for a replacement, claims Channel 5s Secrets Of The Royal Palaces. They didnt want this to come out as they knew it would be a PR disaster, it states. They were pretty annoyed about Portillo getting involved and making it a political issue. Prince Philip said that Portillos intervention had made a complete bleep [for a swear word] of the whole thing! Michael, nicknamed Choo Choo by Andrew Neil for his TV train hopping, must have been changing at Clapham when Channel 5 sought his view.

Former MP Michael Portillo reportedly annoyed the Queen and Prince Philip

And the latest of Royal biographer Gyles Brandreths seemingly inexhaustible supply of anecdotes about the late Queen? She once performed George Formbys When Im Cleaning Windows for me while strumming an imaginary ukulele. Is it possible that Gyles has now amused us sufficiently about HMs multi-talented secret life?

Boris seems to have interpreted as a challenge Amber Rudds famous TV remark that he was not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening. The former home secretary reveals that when she and the ex-PM were in government and leaving a meeting Boris offered: Come on Amber, Im going to give you a lift home. And I said, No, Im sorry, I have not changed my mind, Boris. Amber, pictured, added: And all the protection officers were just in a row howling with laughter. Hed obviously told them he was going to say Come on, get into my car, hamming it up.

The former Home Secretary Amber Rudd refused Boris Johnson's offer to give her a lift home when they were in government together

Talking lovingly about his rescue dog Maggie, well-nourished broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, married to presenter wife Ruth Langsford, says: Her [Maggies] tongues out constantly. Adding lasciviously: If I came in and Ruth rolled around on her back like that with her tongue hanging out, life would be perfect. Surely youd call a medic, Holmesy!

Irish Theatre director Oisin Moyne has had to cancel his production of Samuel Becketts Waiting For Godot at the University of Groningen after the Netherlands venue discovered that he only auditioned men for the five male roles of the impenetrable classic. This was in contravention of the universitys inclusivity policy. I would wholeheartedly say, wails Oisin, that my life in the past few weeks has become utterly absurd.

Valerie Pakenham, who has died aged 83, would have been the Countess of Longford had her socialist husband Thomas not disclaimed the title on the death of his father Frank. In her Oxford youth, returning from a date with future Tory minister Kenneth Baker he crashed his car and she was hospitalised with concussion. Notes her Times Obituary: Baker rang the hospital to assure her that he was all right.
One of the five Memphis police officers charged with brutally beating a black man to death took photos of his bloodied body and sent it to at least six people.

Newly released documents revealed the lengths of misconduct the Memphis police officers displayed after they stopped Tyre Nichols for allegedly driving recklessly - a claim for which no proof has been provided - before mercilessly pepper spraying him, tasing him, and then beating him to death when he tried to escape their assaults.

The files show that Officer Demetrius Haley - who first forced Nichols out of his car - shined a flashlight in his victims face after he had been handcuffed and propped limply against a squad car, then took a photo with his personal cellphone.

Haley then sent that image to six people, including a pair of police officers, department employee, and a civilian acquaintance.

The documents were part of a review of the violent arrest, which found the officers involved behaved in a 'blatantly unprofessional' manner, even 'bragging' about the beating after it took place.

Officer Demetrius Haley took pictures of Tyre Nichols after the beating and sent them to at least six people

By taking and distributing the photos, Haley blatantly violated police protocol requiring confidentiality in arrests.

It also flew in the face of rules prohibiting officers from using personal cellphones during interactions.

Those violations were the least of their infractions, however, which started when Nichols was forced out his car without being told why, or later that he was being arrested.

From there Haley and the other officers on the scene failed to activate their body-cameras throughout the stop and subsequent arrest, and one, Emmitt Martin III, even removed his camera altogether and threw it into his squad car.

Nichols ran from officers after Haley pepper sprayed him in the face. A group of cops chased him down and beat him before handcuffing him.

Haley caught up after after the assault, and while Nichols was restrained kicked him hard in the head.

From there officers failed to administer proper first aid to their victim - joking around about the beating and taking photos instead - and left him falling over as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

The documents then detailed how Haley and the other officers delivered conflicting accounts of the arrest, and even 'refused to provide an accurate account' to Nichols' mother after the incident.

Tyre Nichols was pulled from his car and beaten without being told why he'd been stopped

Five Memphis police officers, Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean, are all facing murder charges for their involvement in Nichols' death

Five officers involved with the arrest - Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Emmitt Martin, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean - were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression.

A sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, was suspended for his role in the beating.

Seven more Memphis police are also under investigation, bringing the total of cops involved up to 13. The names of the additional seven have not been released.

Following the tragedy, two Shelby County Sheriff's deputies have also been relieved of their duties pending an ongoing investigation, but have not been charged.

A further three Memphis Fire Department employees were also fired on January 30 for failing to assist Nichols as he lay dying during the January 7 beating. They have also not been criminally charged.

The three individuals released by the fire department comprised of two EMTs, Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge, and Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker.

The six officers directly involved with the beating. Preston Hemphill (top left) was suspended for his role, while the others were charged with murder

Tyre Nichols screamed for his mother as the officers beat him so badly he died days later

TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN NICHOLS' DEATH January 7: Police pull over Tyre Nichols on suspicion of reckless driving at 8.30pm. Tyre fled on foot after a 'confrontation' but was apprehended by cops soon after. An ambulance was called to the scene after Tyre complained of shortness of breath, and was transferred to hospital in a critical condition. January 10: Three days after the stop Tyre, 29, died from his injuries sustained in the incident. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that they were looking into his death. January 15: Five officers are relieved of duty while the investigation into their use of force continues. Preliminary findings indicate the serious nature of the offences. All of the officers were given a notice regarding the impeding administrative actions. January 18: The Department of Justice announces that a civil rights investigation has been opened into the death of Tyre. January 20: Memphis Police Department identifies, and fires five offices involved in the traffic stop, due to their violation of multiple department polices. Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr, and Justin Smith's jobs were terminated for failing in their 'excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid'. Two Memphis Fire Department employees who were part of Nichols' 'initial patient care' were also fired. January 23: The family of Tyre Nichols and their attorney, Ben Crump, view the footage of his arrest for the first time. Crump compares it to the assault of Rodney King by LAPD officers in 1991. January 26: All five officers are charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression. January 27: Four of the former officers each paid bond of $250,000 each to be released after their arrest. Body-cam footage of the assault is released. Advertisement

The police bodycam footage of Nichols' arrest caused widespread outrage after it was released last month, which shows the officers brutally kicking and punching the 29-year-old.

The terrifying encounter began with a traffic stop, when multiple unmarked cop cars surrounded Nichols' vehicle and officers dragged him from the driver's seat as one could be heard yelling, 'Get the f*** out of the f****** car.'

After hauling the 29-year-old from his car, several cops then begin relentlessly kicking and punching him as he lies on the street.

He then frantically broke free, rushing to his feet before sprinting down the road and away from the group of officers pursuing him.

One officer then fired a taser at Nichols, but he later claims that only one prong struck him, meaning the circuit was not completed and the electric shock was not delivered.

The chase continued for roughly half a mile before Nichols was seen tackled and held down by two officers, who scream at him 'give me your hands!'

More officers then arrived on foot while Nichols is pinned down, leading one to pepper spray him in the face.

Two officers held Nichols to the ground as he attempted to break free, then the third appeared to kick him in the head.

Following this devastating blow, Nichols was seen slumped more fully onto the pavement with all three officers surrounding him. The same officer then proceeded to kick him again.

With Nichols already subdued, the officer who used the pepper spray then extended a telescoping metal baton and shouts 'I'm gonna baton the f*** out of him!' before striking Nichols three times in the back.

Several officers were later seen propping Nichols up on his feet while one punched his face. Nichols stumbles and turns, still held up by two officers.

The officer who punched him then walked around to Nichols' front and punches him three more times, causing the 29-year-old to collapse.

Nichols was heard repeatedly screaming, 'Mom! Mom!' during the struggle, but went silent after blows to his face.

After Nichols was handcuffed, he appeared to be unresponsive and unable to sit upright.

Immediately following the brutal attack several officers were heard cursing, wisecracking and ordering him to sit up as he slumps over onto the pavement.

Even after paramedics arrived on the scene, they did not appear to provide immediate aid.

In total, Nichols lay on the pavement for more than 19 minutes as at least eight cops milled around the scene, flushing pepper spray out of their own eyes.

Then, even after paramedics arrived, Nichols had to wait for nearly half an hour slumped over the pavement for any significant medical treatment.

Eventually, he was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries three days later.
A United Airlines flight bound for Newark Airport in New Jersey was forced to return to San Diego Airport after a fire broke out in the cabin, caused by a passenger's laptop battery bursting into flames.

Four flight attendants working in the cabin of the Boeing 737 on United 2664 prevented the blaze from spreading further as they put out the flames with on-board fire extinguishers.

Their heroic efforts led to them breathing in smoke as they put out the fire. The four were taken to hospital for treatment following the emergency landing on Tuesday.

It is not clear what caused the battery to ignite just after the flight, with 159 passengers, took off at 7:15am. Just 11 minutes later, the plane was back on the ground.

A United Airlines flight bound for Newark had to return to San Diego due to a cabin fire caused by an external battery. Fire engines could be seen parked at the side of the aircraft

The fire was contained by the flight crew but saw the four flight attendants taken to hospital after breathing in smoke. Pictured, ambulances can be seen on site on Tuesday morning

Emergency services raced to the scene following a fire onboard a flight from San Diego

The situation would have been all the more perilous had the battery pack been within checked baggage and not in the main cabin.

'Shortly after departure, the aircraft declared an Alert 2 which indicates a major difficulty with the aircraft, in this case there was an electrical device fire in the cabin.

'The aircraft landed safely at San Diego International Airport where emergency crews responded to the aircraft and assisted passengers,' a statement from San Diego Airport read.

A passenger on board the flight, Caroline Lipinski, saw everything happen from her seat.

'There was a gentleman whose bag was smoking and he threw something out on the ground. It was a battery charger or a pack from his laptop and it burst into flames.'

'There was a gentleman whose bag was smoking and he threw something out on the ground. It was a battery charger or a pack from his laptop and it burst into flames,' said Caroline Lipinski

'Some were gasping, screaming. The guy next to me ran to the back of the plane. The flight attendants were grabbing fire extinguishers and running to the front,' Stephan Jones said

'I heard somebody yell fire I looked forward and could see the glow,' said another traveller

The flight was back on the ground 11 minutes after taking off from San Diego as fire broke out

'I heard somebody yell fire I looked forward and could see the glow,' said another traveler.

Fellow passenger Stephan Jones said people immediately panicked.

'Some were gasping, screaming. The guy next to me ran to the back of the plane. The flight attendants were grabbing fire extinguishers and running to the front,' he told CBS News.

Since 2006 there have been 414 incidents of lithium batteries catching fire or overheating - 49 involving laptops.

The scare is just the latest in a series of terrifying scare affecting planes in recent weeks.

The tip of the Orlando-bound aircraft's wing was torn off by the collision at Newark Liberty International Airport

On Friday, two United Airlines planes clipped wings on the tarmac at Newark Airport as one aircraft was being pushed back.

The Boeing 757 bound for Orlando, Florida, was struck by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The pilot announced to passengers: 'Obviously, our wing has been clipped.'

The Federal Aviation Authority is investigating the incident.

It came one day before a near-catastrophic incident in Austin on Saturday when a FedEx cargo flight came within less than 100ft of colliding with a Southwest Airlines passenger jet.

Last month, another terrifying near miss at JFK is fueling concerns about an 'alarming' increase in such incidents at airports in the U.S.

During the Newark wing clipping incident, United 2135 to Orlando was parked at its gate when the larger plane, which had recently arrived from Johannesburg in South Africa, struck the wing.

Fire crews who responded to the incident were seen carrying away the broken wing tip

A Boeing 757 bound for Orlando, Florida, was struck by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday

The journey from Newark to Orlando was delayed by several hours until a replacement aircraft was arranged

The Orlando-bound aircraft had just returned to the gate because of a maintenance issue, passenger Rebecca Blum said.

She said she felt a 'jolt [then] looked outside and saw as clear as day the wing of a larger plane had clipped our wing. Definitely heard it. Felt it mildly I would say, but more the noise. I think we were thinking, what was that?'

Passengers were able to disembark safely before another plane was arranged a couple of hours later, at around 11.40am.

The FAA said: 'The United Flight 2135 was struck by a Boeing 787, a Dreamliner, that arrived from Johannesburg, South Africa earlier in the morning. The much larger plane was being relocated by a tug when it made contact with the smaller Boeing 757, parked at the gate.'

Photos of the damage show the tip of the wing on one aircraft was torn off by the collision. Port Authority police and fire department crews were seen carrying away the broken piece of wing.

The incident at Newark happened hours before a near miss in Austin. A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737, in yellow, had remained on the runway as a FedEx Boeing 767, in orange, had been cleared to land

Less than 24 hours later, on Saturday morning, a FedEx freight plane came within less than 100 feet of a Southwest commercial flight with 128 people on board during another near miss in Austin.

Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, revealed on Monday that the planes narrowly avoided a disastrous collision.

The Boeing 767 FedEx flight was approaching the runway in conditions of poor visibility while a Southwest Boeing 737 had been cleared for takeoff on the same runway.

The FedEx flight was about three miles from the airport when it was cleared to land, according to the FAA.

But as it was about to touch down, an air traffic controller also gave the go-ahead for the Southwest Boeing 737 to take off on the exact same stretch of tarmac.

The Southwest flight to Cancun, Mexico still continued its takeoff even while the FedEx cargo plane was directly above it.

The Southwest jet was able to depart safely and the FedEx plane also landed without any further incidents.

It follows a similar near miss at JFK Airport in New York City in January when a Delta flight was forced to perform an emergency stop during takeoff while an American Airlines Boeing 777 plane crossed the same runway.

The Delta plane stopped about 1,000 feet from where the American Airlines plane had crossed from an adjacent taxiway.
A Canadian teenager was arrested on Monday after he turned up at his rural Ontario school, despite being suspended for expressing his views on transgender policies.

Josh Alexander, 16, was suspended in November from St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario - a small town 80 miles west of Ottawa.

Alexander, a devout Christian, said he told his fellow students he believed only two genders; that students cannot switch between genders; and that students born male should not be permitted into the girls' bathroom.

The school accused Alexander of refusing to use transgender students' chosen names, and said he could only return to school if he agreed to sit out two classes attended by trans students, who found his views offensive.

'I expressed my religious beliefs in class and it spiraled out of control,' he told The Epoch Times. 'Not everybody's going to like that. That doesn't make me a bully. It doesn't mean I'm harassing anybody.

'They express their beliefs and I express mine. Mine obviously don't fit the narrative.'

Josh Alexander, 16, was suspended from his school in November amid a clash over transgender policies

On Monday, when Alexander tried to return to class, he was detained, he said.

'I have just been arrested and charged at my Catholic high school for attending class after being excluded for indicating my intent to adhere to my religious beliefs,' he tweeted.

Alexander's case is being backed by Liberty Coalition Canada, a group whose lead lawyers says his mission to 'seek justice, promote truth, and uphold the rule of law, is rooted in his Christian faith.'

James S.M. Kitchen, the chief litigator, wrote to the school principal on January 6 saying that forcing Alexander to deny his religious beliefs was discrimination.

The principal responded by excluding the teenager from school for the rest of the term, arguing that 'his presence in the school or classroom would be detrimental to the physical or mental well-being of the pupils,' The Western Standard reported.

Kitchen said the school also accused Alexander of bullying.

Alexander on Twitter describes himself as a 'Student Walkout Organizer' and 'Social Media Influencer'

Alexander's school (pictured) accused him of bullying, his lawyer said

James Kitchen, a lawyer specializing in Christian cases, is representing Alexander

'Obviously, he doesn't actually bully them as that term would be defined by reasonable people,' Kitchen told The Epoch Times.

'He's not going to seek them out and call them names and make fun of them.

'But he does express his views about what these people say and about what they believe and about what they're doing. And he expresses them online, and he expresses them in the class.'

Alexander intends to appeal his original suspension to the provincial human rights tribunal, which would bring his case before a school board panel.

The school has not commented.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Twitter)

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday said the State capital would be shifted to Visakhapatnam.

Addressing the preparatory meeting for the Global Investors Summit to be held in Visakhapatnam in March, Jagan said he would be shifting his office to the port city in the months to come.

"Here I am to invite you to Visakhapatnam which is going to be our capital in the days to come. I myself would also be shifting over to Visakhapatnam in the months to come," he said.

Amaravati is the present capital of Andhra Pradesh.

In November last year, Jagan Mohan Reddy government repealed the controversial AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020 intended to establish three capitals for the State.

The State government had proposed three capitals, Visakhapatnam (Executive capital), Amaravati (Legislative capital) and Kurnool (Judicial capital).

Jagan further said the State Government is organising the Global Investors Summit in Visakhapatnam on March 3 and 4 and requested the corporate community to take part in the meet and invest in the State.
Cartels have been dealt a 'major financial blow' after a cocaine shipment big enough to supply Australia for a year.

The 3.2tonne bust was found in 81 bales of cocaine floating in the Pacific Ocean and has an estimated street value of $500million.

The cocaine packaging was bizarrely wrapped with Batman and four-leaf clover logos.

It was intercepted by Operation Hydros - a joint mission between New Zealand's police, customs and defence force - who described the haul as their largest ever find by 'some margin'.

Australian authorities are 'exceptionally pleased that we have taken this step,' said Greg Williams, head of the NZ Police National Organised Crime Unit.

A cocaine shipment (pictured) big enough to supply Australia for a year has been seized

The shipment was taken to New Zealand aboard the Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui and will be destroyed.

NZ Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said given the enormous size of the shipment it was probably meant for the Australian market.

'A haul of that magnitude would fill the New Zealand market for 30 years,' he said.

'There is no doubt this discovery lands a major financial blow right from the South American producers through to the distributors of this product.

'While this disrupts the syndicate's operations, we remain vigilant given the lengths we know these groups will go to circumvent coming to law enforcement's attention.'

The 3.2 tonnes bust was found in 81 bales of cocaine floating in the Pacific Ocean and has an estimated street value of $500million

He said Operation Hydros started in December, 2022 as part of the NZ police's work with international agencies to find and monitor suspicious ships' movements.

'I am incredibly proud of what our National Organised Crime Group has achieved in working with other New Zealand agencies, including New Zealand Customs Service and the New Zealand Defence Force.

'The significance of this recovery and its impact cannot be underestimated,' Commissioner Coster said.

Though no arrests have yet been made at this stage, an international investigation to find the culprits is continuing.

Mr Williams, of the NZ Police National Organised Crime Unit, said the drugs were found in international waters in a net held in place with flotation devices.

Though no arrests have yet been made at this stage, an international investigation to find the culprits is continuing. Pictured are some of the bales of cocaine seized

Mr Williams would not comment on how the authorities found out about the shipment and where it was, but said it was common for drugs to be moved in this manner.

The drugs would float in the water until they were picked up by a vessel.

He said the police had a 'good sense' of how international drug cartels operated.

'That's really critical to the work we need to do, along with Customs, and again with Defence, intercepting the flow of these drugs.'

Bill Perry, acting comptroller of the NZ Customs Service, said his agency was happy to have 'helped prevent such a large amount of cocaine causing harm in communities here in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere in the wider Pacific region'.

'The sheer scale of this seizure is estimated to have taken more than half a billion dollars' worth of cocaine out of circulation.

The distinctive cocaine packaging (pictured) had logos of a bat and a four-leaf clover on it

'It is a huge illustration of what lengths organised crime will go to with their global drug trafficking operations and shows that we are not exempt from major organised criminal drug smuggling efforts in this part of the world,' he said.

New Zealand Defence Force joint forces commander Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour was also delighted with the success of the drug bust.

He said it was 'very important' to be aware of what is happening in and around New Zealand's sea border.

'If we are going to be dealing with trans-national crime, illegal fisheries or any other threat to New Zealand's national security, maintaining that awareness of what's going on in the maritime domain is very important and our abilities to be able to respond within it.'
Republican fantasist George Santos bagged himself one of the coveted aisle seats ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union.

From here members of Congress can grab a handshake with passing Supreme Court justices, cabinet secretaries or even the president himself.

But Santos got rather more than he bargained for. Video footage showed Sen. Mitt Romney confront the serial liar, saying what looked to be: 'You ought to be embarrassed.'

Santos, who has been caught out fabricating his college and work history as well as his status as a volleyball champion and claiming that his mother was in the World Trade Center on the day of the 9/11 attacks, looked shocked, even as he appeared to fire back.

Romney appears to repeat the same words several times to the newly elected Republican representative from New York.

Sen. Mitt Romney appeared to clash with Rep. George Santos ahead of the State of the Union. The senator appeared to say, 'You ought to be embarrassed,' to the serial fantasist

'He shouldn't be in Congress and they're going to go through the process and hopefully get him out,' Romney told reporters after the speech. 'But he shouldn't be there and if he had any shame at all he wouldn't be there.'

Santos described the encounter with Semafor reporter Kadia Goba.

He claims Romney started off by saying 'you don't belong here'.

'Go tell that to the 142,000 who voted for', Santos claimed he said in response.

'You're an a**,' Romney says. 'You're a much bigger a**hole', Santos responds.

It happened minutes before President Joe Biden arrived in the chamber for his State of the Union address, with senators and U.S. representatives chit chatting among themselves.

And it came on the same day that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to reveal that Santos was facing an investigation.

'Ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we'll take action,' McCarthy told CNN. 'Right now, we're not allowing him to be on committees from the standpoint of the questions that have arisen.'

He later said he did not mean to confirm that Santos was the subject of a formal inquiry but that he was the subject of ethics complaints.

The New York Republican, dubbed the Long Island Liar for the many fabrications he made about his biography, told CNN he was 'not concerned' about the House Ethics investigation.

It comes the same day as a group of New Yorkers from Santos' 3rd Congressional District came to Washington, DC demanding for him to step down.

Romney and Santos clashed as members were taking their seats ahead of the address

He has repeatedly said he will not resign.

That leaves Republicans in a bind. Santos is a key vote for them in a narrowly held House, but many have expressed concerns about the way he won election last year with a heavily embellished resume.

Long Island and Queens residents gathered outside the U.S. Capitol for a press conference led by New York House Democrat Reps. Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman.

They not only pushed for Santos to step down, but also turned the heat up on McCarthy to 'do the right thing' and force the beleaguered representative out of Congress.

Goldman told reporters after the press conference that Santos' continued tenure in the House was a blemish on the institution - while pointing out that Republican leaders have not taken action against him.

New questions have come to light on almost daily basis.

New York Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres - both representing NYC congressional districts - led a press conference outside the US Capitol with residents of Santos' district

The New York politician, 34, reportedly told donors during his congressional campaign in 2021 that he produced Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark, which ran from 2011 to 2014, but lead producer Michael Cohl disputed these claims.

Santos said that he attended Horace Mann School  an elite private school in the Brox where tuition costs $59,800 per year. The school said he did not.

Some claims he has already walked back. When running he said that he worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup but now he says he used a 'poor choice of words' when describing his relationship with the two firms.

In 2016, he claimed $2,250 was stolen in a mugging on his way to pay rent - but cops have no record of the incident.

The list goes on.
Two black ranchers in Colorado were arrested on stalking charges after claiming that they have been the victims of an intimidation campaign orchestrated by white neighbors and law enforcement.

Courtney and Nicole Mallery, of El Paso County, Colorado have said they have been subjected to racial abuse as well as 'acts of vandalism and animal mutilation of their livestock.' They have also accused neighbors of murdering a man who worked for them.

In a statement this week, the Mallerys said: ' Unfortunately, there are still corrupt police and racist people out there who are trying to block minority farmers from using their agricultural land because of their race.'

The couple said that the police have not investigated their claims of harassment, something that the local sheriff's office has denied. The Mallerys own close to 1,000 acres in eastern El Paso County named Freedom Acres Ranch.

The Mallery's dispute was first brought to national attention thanks to a January article published on the website Ark Republic. The dispute between neighbors is thought to be over a property line.

Nicole Mallery, pictured here, said this week: 'We are stalked, we are harassed, we are chased, we are followed, there's been spray paint where they put "n*****" on items on our home'

Courtney has filed six restraining orders against a neighbor in their county, reports 9 News.

The station says that the neighbor has filed a similar order against him, claiming that she was harassed and stalked.

The neighbor in question was named as Teresa Clark by Colorado Public Radio.

Courtney says that Clark has come on to his property uninvited, pointed guns, damaged a gate and security cameras as well making threats on social media.

While Clark alleges that Courtney hurt her horse and turned some of her animals loose.

Nicole told CBS News: 'We are stalked, we are harassed, we are chased, we are followed, there's been spray paint where they put "n*****" on items on our home.'

A GoFundMe effort that has been set up by a relative of the Mallery's, Geneva B., of Colorado Springs, has raised $60,000.

Geneva wrote on the page that the Mallerys had set up their ranch after losing everything in Hurricane Harvey, a storm that devastated Texas and Louisiana in 2017.

She said that the Mallerys are fighting for their land in 'a predominantly white and hostile Colorado county.' The money raised will go towards enhanced security measures on the ranch.

The couple bought the ranch in August 2020. Since the harassment began, Courtney told Ark Republic that he estimates that he has lost $200,000.

On Tuesday, Courtney Mallery was freed on bond after his arrest on talking charges

Nicole Mallery filmed her husband's arrest at the hands of state police

Nicole was later arrested on similar charges of stalking, she was freed an hour later

Mallery pictured with his animals, who he gave names such as George Floyd, Breonna and Juneteenth

On that page it's alleged that the couple are the victims of a wide-ranging conspiracy that includes El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Emory 'Ray' Gerhart who is trying to force the Mallerys from their land.

Courtney told Ark Republic that he has footage of Gerhart observing their property. He said: 'Gerhart told me that if I keep calling the police, hes going to arrest me... They are trying to steal my land and lock us up to cover this up.'

On the page for a Change.org petition that was set up by Courtney, asking for Gerhart's firing, he says that someone who worked on his ranch, Donaciano Amaya, was murdered on his property and left for the couple to find.

In May 2021, local media reported that Amaya's death was being investigated as a homicide.

In his interview with Ark Republic, Courtney said that Amaya was found dead in their chicken coop and that following the 'homicide,' the ranch hand's wife went missing. The couple's son is now in the custody of relatives.

Donaciano Amaya, the Mallery's ranch hand, was found dead in their chicken coop in May 2021

Pictures of the Mallery's dead animals on their property

The couple alleges that their neighbors were responsible to the killings

Deputy Gerhart is married to Judge Shannon Gerhart who sits on the 4th Judicial County Court in Colorado.

Courtney says in the blurb for the petition that he is a United States Marine Corps veteran. He continued: 'In spite of fighting for our country, my family and I have faced threats of lynching and hanging and now live in constant fear for our lives in rural Colorado Springs.'

Courtney was arrested on Monday on a warrant for felony stalking. His $6,000 bond was paid and he was released after spending one night in jail. Nicole was released around an hour after her arrest.

A judge ruled that one of the conditions of Courtney's release was that he was not to have any contact with his neighbors. Judge Deborah Pearson told the court: 'The court is concerned about the risk to the victims and the community as part of this stalking case.'

Judge Shannon Gerhart of Colorado's 4th Judicial County Court is the wife of one of the cops that the Mallerys say is harassing them

Courtney Mallery is a Marine Corps veteran who bought the ranch in August 2020

Courtney will appear in court again on February 14. His wife is due in court on Thursday.

9 News now reports that the NAACP is investigating the Mallery's claims. The president of the Rocky Mountain chapter Portia Prescott told 9 News: 'I would really hope that the El Paso County Sheriff's department and several others in rural areas understand that we're taking this very seriously.'

In a separate interview with CPR, Prescott said: 'It's a very touchy situation. This has been going on since 2021, but it escalated in March. You don't ever know who's telling the truth and who's not telling the truth.'

Prescott went on to say that the two sides are fighting of a dividing property line that it not clearly defined by documents.

While the sheriff's office has said in a press release that they have responded 170 calls involving the Mallerys and investigated 19 different complaints.

The office said that they will release documents and bodycam video to back up their claims. At the time of writing, the materials have not been released.

One sentence of the press release read: 'The El Paso County Sheriffs Office vehemently denies these allegations.'

According to CPR, El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal is attempting to have the Black and Latino Leadership Coalition mediate the dispute.
Republicans blamed Joe Biden for the fentanyl crisis as they tore into the president from the floor of the House chamber during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

During at least two points of the speech, Republicans stood up and jeered at Biden, demanding that he 'secure the border.'

It comes the same day that the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held a hearing on the southern border crisis, specifically pointing to the record-high number of overdoses and deaths due to unprecedented drug smuggling of fentanyl coming in from Mexico.

Biden turned to honor one of the guests in his box at the annual remarks, a father of a 20-year-old who died of a fentanyl overdose.

President Joe Biden was heckled by Republican lawmakers who claimed he is to blame for the massive spike in fentanyl overdoses and deaths due to his lax border policies

'Secure the border,' several lawmaker shouted at the president during his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening when Biden was honoring a father whose 20-year-old daughter died of a fentanyl overdose

Representative Andy Ogles (left) of Tennessee was the lawmaker heard yelling at Biden: 'It's your fault' when noting the striking number of fentanyl overdoses in the last year

'Courtney discovered pills in high school that spiraled into addiction and eventually death from a fentanyl overdose. She was just 20 years old,' Biden said as the camera focused on her father Doug.

'Their family has turned pain into purpose, working to end the stigma, and change laws,' the president added. 'He told us he wants to start a journey toward American recovery. Doug, we're with you.'

But Republicans wouldn't let Biden get off the hook for his lax border policies leading to the massive spike in drug smuggling into the country, which has led to record-high deaths in the last two years.

'Fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans per year,' Biden noted.

As Republicans started to shout 'secure the border,' the president nodded and said: 'You got it.'

As the shouting from the Republican side of the chamber started to simmer down, Congressman Andy Ogles was clearly heard yelling: 'It's your fault.'

The Tennessee lawmaker noted in a post-State of the Union interview that there was obviously a lot of 'push-back' from Republicans when Biden talked about finding solutions at the border.

'With the stroke of a pen, he could close the border  and he hasn't done that,' Ogles noted.

During at least two points of the speech, Republican lawmakers shouted 'secure the border' at the president. Pictured: Georgie Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, wearing all white, jeered at Biden several times throughout the speech

Several Republican lawmakers were vocal throughout the speech about their disapproval of the president and his policies

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who sits behind the president and next to the vice president, was seen scoffing and shrugging as well as appearing bored at several points of the night

Two U.S. Border Patrol agents testifying before the Oversight Committee earlier on Tuesday acknowledged that the amount of fentanyl seized at the southern border so far this year is enough to kill nearly five times the population of the U.S.

Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin noted that 700 pounds of fentanyl was seized in his sector alone in 2022, which he noted was enough to kill half the population of the United States.

Committee member, GOP Representative Tim Burchett, explained that the staggering amounts of the synthetic opioid caused the overdose deaths of hundreds of citizens in his Tennessee district last year alone.

Burchett recited Department of Homeland Security (DHS) figures that show 9,400 pounds of fentanyl were seized in the country so far this year.

'And approximately 76 percent, or 7,200 pounds of that was seized coming through our southwest border,' he added.

When asking Modlin and fellow witness Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Floria Chavez whether they knew how many people that could kill, they admitted they did not but admitted they were aware it was a high number.

'I'll do the math for you,' Burchett said. 'It's 1.6 billion people, with a 'b'.'

'That's enough fentanyl to kill every American almost five times over,' he noted.

'And the bottom line is this country was on its way, I felt, to a secure border under President Trump,' the lawmaker said. 'But President Biden put an end to that on his first day in office. I believe Americans are dying as a result.'

Republicans claimed ahead of Biden's remarks that he 'won't talk about the crisis at our southern border' during Tuesday evening's State of the Union address.

At an Oversight Committee hearing earlier on Tuesday, two border patrol chiefs acknowledged enough fentanyl was seized at the border so far this year to kill five times the population of the United States. Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin (left), noted that 700 was seized in his sector alone. He was joined by Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Floria Chavez (right) for the hearing on the southern border crisis

Figures released for December show that the number of encounters at the southern border are continuing to rise  and reached a new all-time single month high of 251,487

While Biden did touch on the topic, he did not spend too much time lingering on the subject considering the unpopularity among both Democrats and Republicans in his handling of the southern border crisis and immigration in the U.S. in general.

Biden visited the southern border for the first time of his presidency in January this year. It came as a quick stop on his way to Mexico for meetings at the Three Amigos Summit and was also a follow-up of him announcing new policies to deal with the prevailing crisis.

The president announced last month the continuation of Trump-era expulsion policy known as Title 42, which is extremely unpopular with progressives but lauded by the GOP as the only remaining faul-safe to keep the border from all-out chaos. He also announced a new program that would require migrants from certain countries to apply online for asylum before coming to the U.S.

'We now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border  arresting 8,000 human smugglers, seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in just the last several months. We've launched a new border plan last month,' Biden said during his speech Tuesday night.

'American border problems won't be fixed until Congress acts,' he said, to which House Speaker Kevin McCarthy could be seen shaking his head at his spot behind the president.

'If we don't pass my comprehensive reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border,' Biden added.

McCarthy scoffed at the second part of the statement.

As Biden talked about wanting to protect 'all people's rights', including asylum-seekers, a group of GOP lawmakers again shouted out 'secure the border.'

Instead of finishing his remarks about the border, Biden moved onto addressing a topic he has more favor with Democrats on  securing abortion rights after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
A Miami real estate broker has been accused of federal fraud for allegedly using COVID-19 relief funds to fund a lavish lifestyle consisting of private jets, luxury yachts, fast cars and fancy clothes.

Daniela Rendon, 31, did not shy away from the amount of wealth she had accumulated, regularly flaunting herself on her social media accounts and her 33,000 followers.

According to the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rendon received $381,000 through the Small Business Administration and Paycheck Protection Program.

But instead of using the funds to prop up her business during the pandemic she is alleged to have splashed the cash on herself together with close friends and family.

Among other things, the money was used to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga, which is sold for around $181,000, which she showed off on her Instagram account.

Daniela Rendon, 31, is alleged to have used COVID relief funds to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga (sales price $181,000) which she showed off on her Instagram account, pictured

Among other things, the money was used to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga, sales price $181,000, which she showed off on her Instagram account

Photos posted to her social media account see her enjoying a lavish lifestyle

Rendon posted pics of herself to social media account wearing fancy clothes, going on tropical vacations and traveling on private jets

The money was also used to rent a luxury apartment in Biscayne Bay, undergo cosmetic procedures and to fix a pair of her designer shoes.

Rendon, a mother-of-three, has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

A judge set her bond at $150,000 after prosecutors deemed her to be a flight risk and likely to head back to her native Colombia in order to evade justice.

Rendon was allegedly able to get her hands on the money earmarked for struggling businesses by falsifying business data to secure the PPP funds.

She is alleged to have fabricated information including revenue, payroll, costs, tax information, and employee count.

Rendon refers to herself as an 'Ultra Luxury' real estate agent

Instead of using it to support her business, Rendon allegedly used the funds to lease a 2021 Bentley, luxury apartment, cosmetic surgery and buy shoes

Rendon was far from discreet when it came to flaunting her lavish lifestyle

Rendon is alleged to have had $381,000 in relief funds funneled to her personal account despite them being strictly for her 'Luxury Real Estate' business

The falsified data was submitted to lenders in New Jersey and Idaho with the loans paid directly to her through her corporate bank account.

Rendon, who refers to herself as an 'Ultra Luxury' real estate agent on LinkedIn, then allegedly transferred the payments to herself and her inner circle of friends according to the Miami Herald.

She allegedly arranged for a payroll processor in New Jersey to process the loans and cut checks that were then issued to family and friends.

The indictment, filed by federal prosecutor Jonathan Bailyn, notes how Rendon applied for her business loans through the SBAs Paycheck Protection Program for $371,000 and the Economic Injury Disaster Relief program for $10,000.

Rendon allegedly arranged for a payroll processor in New Jersey to process the loans and cut checks that were then issued to family and friends.

Rendon, a mom of three, was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft. She faces up to 20 years in prison

A judge set Rendon's bond at $150,000 after prosecutors deemed her to be a flight risk and likely to head back to her native Colombia
A shark statue decked out in the rainbow LGBTQIA+ flag - plus colours representing ethnic minorities - has been slammed as 'garbage' by a prominent politician.

However, the Australian Museum in Sydney said staff have been 'blown away' by an 'outpouring of love' for its exhibition, named Progress Shark.

The museum's iconic shark has been decked out in the colours of the progress flag to mark Sydney hosting WorldPride this year.

The shark's body features the LGBTQ rainbow while pink and blue stripes represent trans people. There are also black and brown stripes to represent ethnic minorities.

Progress Shark was not supposed to go on display until next week, however, the huge installation is already up in Sydney, attracting crowds.

An artist's impression was earlier widely shared on Twitter, attracting a flood of comments.

Despite not being slated to be installed until next week, Progress Shark is already on display

The shark's body features the LGBTQ rainbow while pink and blue stripes represent trans people. There are also black and brown stripes to represent ethnic minorities

The museum's iconic shark statue is set to undergo a makeover to celebrate Sydney hosting WorldPride this year

NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham blasted Progress Shark, describing it as 'garbage'.

'(Premier Dominic) Perrottet and his ministers bash our great community clubs while funding this garbage. Today's Liberal and National Parties in action,' he wrote.

(Daily Mail Australia has sought comment from the museum and Mr Perrottet about how exactly Progress Shark is being funded.)

The museum said it had been inundated with positive messages about its exhibition.

'We are blown away by all of the love that is being shown for #ProgressShark. We can confirm it will be installed before the end of next week,' the museum tweeted on Wednesday.

The WorldPride festival in Sydney will run from February 17 to March 5 featuring hundreds of events with organisers expecting about 500,000 partygoers to attend the celebrations.

The festival will coincide with the city's 50th Australian Gay Pride Week, 45th Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.

To mark the significant milestones the Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up in the colours of the Rainbow Flag for New Year's Eve fireworks.

During the festival the bridge will be closed to traffic to allow for a Pride March.

This will be the first time the bridge has closed since the World Youth Day celebrations in 2008.

As Sydney prepares for WorldPride day, several landmarks have been changed or altered to mark the occasion.

Kobie Thatcher took to Twitter to post a picture of the airport sign on Saturday

She said: 'International travellers are now greeted with a woke welcome arriving at Sydney airport'

On Tuesday, controversial former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves shared a photo of a 50m rainbow walkway at the steps of the lower promenade at Sydneys Coogee Beach.

Though she appeared to criticise the installation, she was met by several comments supporting it.

Also on Tuesday, an Australian woman was called out after she criticised Sydney Airport's new sign for being 'woke'.

Kobie Thatcher took to Twitter to post a picture of the airport sign on Saturday, which has been changed ahead of WorldPride.

'International travellers are now greeted with a woke welcome arriving at Sydney airport,' she said.

'Couldnt we just have a neutral sign instead of another unnecessary display of virtue signalling?'

She told Daily Mail Australia that she had received backlash following the post: 'I think Australia has always been a welcoming and accepting place for people of all sexual orientations.

'I think many people, however, are getting tired of seeing these types of displays that are becoming increasingly common and really only represent a small percentage of our population.

'I have received some criticism for speaking out against this, but I think it is important for the majority to stand up and push back against this woke, virtue-signalling ideology that has become so prevalent in our society in recent years.'

Her post triggered an avalanche of responses, with some agreeing with her while others dismissed her concerns.

One supporter said: 'This country is totally woke.'

Another said: 'It's probably good to let them know what they are in for but I agree it's not appropriate.'

While a third asked: 'Why do we have a welcome sign pertaining to one small section of the community? And even half of them are either not fussed, or embarrassed by it. Appealing to a fringe segment of society is the new 'diversity'.'

However, she also received a flood of criticism from Australians who support the sign.

One critic replied to her tweet: 'Grow up. Do you even know what "being woke" is?'

Another said: 'It probably means a lot to young LGBTQI+ plus young people struggling to be themselves.'

While a third pointed out: 'Sydney is literally hosting its largest event since the 2000 Olympics, World Pride! Surely you can understand why the airport may want to welcome attendees?'

A fourth added: 'It probably means a lot to young LGBTQI+ plus young people struggling to be themselves.'
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders characterized President Joe Biden as being too old and too cozy with the 'woke' and 'crazy' segments of the Democratic Party, in the Republican rebuttal to Tuesday night's State of the Union address.

'At 40, I'm the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he's the oldest president in American history,' the former Trump White House press secretary said. 'I'm the first woman to lead my state. He's the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can't even tell you what a woman is.'

Sanders - addressing the country from Little Rock - leaned heavily into culture war themes, including that Biden is part of the 'radical left,' which teaches children to 'hate one another on account of their race.'

'Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left,' she claimed. 'The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.'

Sanders, who was sworn-in last month, highlighted her own culture war fight since taking office - banning the use of the term 'LatinX,' which doesn't specify a gender, and signing an executive order banning the teaching of 'Critical Race Theory,' which conservatives say they reject because it demonizes all white people.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders characterized President Joe Biden as being too old and too cozy with the 'woke' and 'crazy' segments of the Democratic Party, in the Republican rebuttal to Tuesday night's State of the Union address

Sanders was tasked with one of the hardest jobs in politics: delivering a speech responding to a State of the Union that she wouldn't have access to in advance, as she would be responding to what a president said of the opposing party

Sanders also pointed out how she did away with any remaining COVID mandates.

'Americans want common sense from their leaders, but in Washington, the Biden administration is doubling down on crazy,' she claimed.

Sanders also blamed Biden for the border crisis and highlighted last week's Chinese spy balloon fiasco, which ended Saturday when the contraption was hit with a missile over South Carolina's coastline.

Republicans were irritated that the president allowed the balloon to fly over most of the continental U.S., while Biden said he had ordered the balloon shot down almost immediately, but was advised by military officials to wait until it wasn't over land.

Sanders called the president's 'refusal to stand to China,' a top adversary, 'dangerous and unacceptable.'

'President Biden is unwilling to defend our border, defend our skies, and defend our people. He is unfit to serve as commander in chief,' she said.

'And while you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,' she continued. 'Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didnt start and never wanted to fight.'

'Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols,' she added. 'All the while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is - your Freedom of speech.'

She said it wasn't normal.

'It's crazy and it's wrong,' Sanders said.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is photographed delivering the Republican rebuttal to Tuesday night's State of the Union address. She leaned in on culture war themes, while also slamming Biden for the border crisis and last week's Chinese balloon fiasco

She sprinkled in anecdotes throughout her 14-minute speech - considered one of the hardest in politics to deliver, as those assigned with crafting a State of the Union response never see what the president of the opposing party plans to say in advance.

Sanders talked about how she and her mother are both cancer survivors - and that her mother's cancer had potentially left her unable to have kids.

'The daughter she was told she would never have was just sworn-in as the new governor of Arkansas, and is speaking to you tonight,' Sanders said.

While Sanders talked about the need for a 'new generation of Republican leadership,' she also spoke fondly of her time serving former President Donald Trump.

She concluded her speech by talking about their secret Christmas trip to Iraq in 2018.

'They had absolutely no idea that the President and First Lady were about to walk into that room,' she recalled of the servicemembers. 'And when they did -it was a sight, and a scene, and a sound I hope I never forget.'

'The room erupted. Men and women from every race, religion, and region, every political party, every demographic you can imagine started chanting in perfect unison over and over and over again, "USA, USA, USA,"' she said. 'It was a perfect picture of what makes our country great.'
A 'dangerous' tropical storm building off the coast of Queensland has forced a cruise ship headed into the Pacific to turn back.

The Carnival cruise ship Luminosa, which was bound for New Caledonia, changed course on Wednesday morning and is now set to return to Brisbane.

The ship's captain, Carmelo Marino, told passengers in a letter that he had no choice but to abandon the planned itinerary.

'Regrettably, given the forecasted path of the storm, we will not be able to deliver our planned South Pacific itinerary,' Mr Marino said.

The storm system, which was sitting 800km offshore from Cairns in the Coal Sea, is expected to develop into a category two cyclone by Friday.

A wild tropical cyclone is building off the coast of Queensland and is expected to slam into Norkfolk Island on Saturday

The Carnival cruise ship Luminosa, which was bound for New Caledonia, but instead turned back to Brisbane

Initial concerns are held for the 2200 residents on Norfolk Island, where the storm will hit on Saturday.

A category two storm typically brings destructive winds and could cause minor building damage.

Also expected are gusts of up to 164 kilometres per hour and sustained winds of up to 117 kilometres per hour.

The weather office said the cyclone is likely to be called Gabrielle.

Big winds and swells will be felt off the coast of Mackay, Townsville and the Capricornia region.

Once the category two cyclone has formed it is expected to run parallel to the east coast, heading in a south-easterly direction.

There is a chance it could develop further into a category three storm, the weather office said, though it was 'too early to tell'.
President Joe Biden drew laughter from Republicans during his State of the Union address when he said the nation would need to continue to rely on oil and gas for 'at least' another decade.

That comment, including lines that were not included in his prepared remarks, came despite his administration's intensive push on climate change and programs worth billions intended to wean the nation off oil in favor of green technologies.

Biden made the admission while describing his comments to oil executives. 'When I talk to a couple of them, they say we're afraid you're going to shut down all the oils and all the oil refineries anyway. So why should we invest in them

'I say we're going to need oil for a decade,' Biden said  only to have his thought interrupted by a loud chorus of laughter from the Republican side of the aisle.

'And beyond that,' he continued, talking over the laughter. 'We're going to need it!' he added  in a speech where he also got booed and tangled with Republicans over what he said were their plans to cut Social Security.

Republicans gathered in the House chamber audibly laughed when President Biden said the nation was 'going to need oil for a decade'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, sitting behind him on the dais, could be seen smiling and scratching his face.

Then, Biden returned to his prepared remarks, faulting oil companies for failing to invest in production to keep gas prices down. Biden spent much of last summer getting hammered for gas prices, and the issue was considered a drag on Democrats in the elections.

Republicans laughed when Biden made the comments about oil, before he attacked oil execs for stock buyback programs, which boost stock values

Biden, seen with Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), went off script to talk about oil and energy

Biden blasted oil companies for refusing to invest sufficiently in production

He complained that oil companies use 'record profits to buy back their own stock, rewarding the CEOs and shareholders. Corporations ought to do the right thing, e he said, proposing to quadruple the tax on stock buybacks.

Were going to need oil for at least another decade, he said, 'and beyond that.'

Biden's own climate goals call for a 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels, a steep drop.

Biden during his tenure has had to navigate consumer and economic demands for cheaper gas with his long term climate goals. His administration released millions of barrels from the nation's strategic petroleum reserve amid price spikes his administration attributed to the war in Ukraine.

He placed a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands when he took office, then lifted it this past summer while reducing acreage and raising royalties.
There are fears profits from Melissa Caddick's multimillion-dollar assets could be wasted on legal fees after lawyers representing liquidators were given a stern warning about the conwoman's 'dwindling' millions.

Vanessa Whittaker, representing the receivers in charge of liquidating the 49-year-old's estate, appeared in the Federal Court on Wednesday, asking for clarity surrounding the receivership and distribution of money.

Justice Brigitte Markovic said the application could not go ahead as she had not had time to go through the 'huge amount' of material provided to her the day prior.

Ms Whittaker told the court it was a 'complicated' matter and asked to adjourn the hearing to another date where she would apply for the proceeds of the sale of the Dover Heights property to be applied to the mortgage of the Edgecliff apartment Caddick bought for her parents.

Melissa Caddick (pictured) has not been seen since she left her Dover Heights mansion without her phone, wallet or keys on November 12, 2020

The court was told there would be different priorities between people who invested money with Caddick before she purchased the Dover Heights property, and another group who invested with her before she bought the Edgecliff property.

'Any claim by the Grimley's (Caddick's parents) will be a priority contest between those other two interests,' Ms Whittaker said.

Justice Markovic said there was no dispute there was only 'so much' money left.

The court heard $30 million was invested by the out-of-pocket investors and $23.5 million is still owed.

'The report shows all the tangible assets have been realised other than the Edgecliff property,' Ms Whittaker said.

'Receivers hold $8.8million plus Edgecliff.'

Justice Markovic said the fund will be 'fast dwindling' and didn't want a 'festival of lawyers' who were simply getting paid until the money ran out.

There are fears profits from the conwoman's multimillion-dollar assets could be wasted on legal fees after lawyers representing liquidators were given a warning about her 'dwindling' millions (pictured with husband Anthony Koletti)

Caddick's Dover Heights home (pictured) sold for $9.8million. The funds received from the sale will go toward repaying investors scammed by the conwoman

The 49-year-old has not been seen since she left her Dover Heights mansion without her phone, wallet or keys on November 12, 2020.

She was declared dead four months after her disappearance in February, 2021 when a decaying foot was found on a beach 400km south of Sydney.

Since her disappearance, court-appointed receivers Jones Partners have unravelled the conwoman's scam.

It was last month revealed Caddick's Dover Heights home sold for $9.8million.

Bruce Gleeson from accountants Jones Partners, the receivers of Melissa Caddick, said the sale was considered 'a good outcome given the current market conditions'.

The fund received from the sale of the house will go toward repaying investors who were fleeced out of millions of dollars by the missing conwoman.

Justice Markovic said Caddick's assets would be 'fast dwindling' and didn't want a 'festival of lawyers' who were simply getting paid until the money ran out

Caddick had expensive jewellery in a safe at her home when it was raided by financial investigators

The settlement for the home successfully took place on January 27, 2023 after being sold on October 28, 2022.

'We believe the sale price achieved is a strong result, given the current market conditions and will make a significant contribution towards the pool of funds available for Investors,' Mr Gleeson said at the time of the sale.

'We are very pleased with the outcome of the sales campaign and the interest received from prospective purchasers.'

Caddick was last seen at the residence in the early hours of November 12, 2020, just one day after her home was raided by ASIC agents and federal police officers.
Restoration works of the 16th century Gulzar Houz near Charminar begins on Tuesday. (P. Surendra/DC)

HYDERABAD: The Gulzar Houz fountain near Charminar has finally drawn the attention of the authorities, with the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) and the Deccan Terrain Heritage starting reconstruction work

G. Guruveera, superintending engineer, QQSUDA, told Deccan Chronicle, "As of now we are demolishing the concrete structure. We will reconstruct it as per the old design. The work will take around 2 months and it will be constructed with material that was used in the past."

Mir Khan, founder of Deccan Terrain Heritage, said that the focus was on design, strength and the structure of the fountain. He said eight months of research had preceded the start of the work.

"Gulzar Houz was always a part of the heritage legacy and has been reconstructed and repaired many times. We have referred to the archives of the last two hundred years. Initially the fountain was a flatbed octagon shape with a water body in the centre and there was no grill around it. Subsequently as the public view around the fountain increased, the grill was made", said Mir.

He cited heavy traffic and footfall as the major reason for seepage in the structure.

"Since its a water body surrounded by a busy road with heavy traffic, there are always earth settlements which led to cracks in the bed of the structure and made it defunct. Hence, apart from the aesthetics, we are focusing on the strength of the structure  the foundation, the base, the periphery walls and walls underneath, all of which will be strengthened properly," Khan said.

The structure will return to its octagonal shape, with a five-feet central fountain with three saucers, sitting on a four-feet pedestal. The outer structure will be surrounded by a four-feet parapet wall. There will be lamp posts and grills to complete the structure.

A five-horsepower pump will be used to pump the water. Each of the eight nooks will have nozzles fitted to them.
The Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by a US fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday was the product of a factory based out of a naval base on a remote island in the Communist nation, it has been revealed.

A new report from the Washington Post details that the airship, which triggered a dramatic, and public, spying saga that worsened Chinese-U.S. relations, has been a key part of Beijing's intelligence operations for years.

The report says that the Chinese military has previously sent balloons into the airspace of geopolitical rivals such as Japan, India and the Philippines.

The Pentagon earlier said that at least four other balloons were previously detected over US airspace, in Hawaii, Florida, Texas and Guam, three of those were during Donald Trump's presidency.

Last Friday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken postponed his trip to China hours before he was due to leave because of the balloon. While on Tuesday, China's defense minster rejected an overture from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the events of the last week.

Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island, where the country's balloon program is based out of

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pictured with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in November 2022. On Tuesday, Fenghe rejected a call from Austin over the balloon

The Pentagon said in a statement: 'Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this. Unfortunately, the PRC has declined our request. Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue,' reports Politico.

One senior official told the Post that China's airship program represents a 'massive effort' within the country's espionage programs. The program is based of the Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island on China's southern coast.

While a Japanese official told the newspaper that in 2020 an orb was spotted over the country, which many believed was a UFO. That official said: 'In hindsight people are realizing that was a Chinese espionage tool. But at that time it was purely novel  nobody had seen this.'

Intelligence officials do not have an estimate on how many spy balloons the Chinese military possesses. An official did use the word 'dozens' when asked about how many sightings there have been in recent years, according to the Post.

The newspaper went on to report that in June 2022, a spy balloon crashed in Hawaii. As a result, the US military were able to gleam valuable information about Chinese military technology.

Speaking about the advantages of using a balloon for spying reasons rather than more sophisticated technology, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Charlie 'Tuna' Moore said: 'If you have a balloon thats moving extremely slowly you have persistence that you cant get from a satellite.'

Moore added that typically satellites only have seconds in order to take pictures of their targets.

One of China's nuclear submarines pictured at the Yulin Naval Base on Hainan Island

Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong at Yulin Naval Base

This week, Biden officials held briefings in Washington and Beijing with foreign diplomats from 40 nations about the balloon.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Monday briefed nearly 150 foreign diplomats across 40 embassies, an official said, while in Beijing the U.S. embassy gathered foreign diplomats on Monday and Tuesday to present U.S. findings about the balloon.

'We want to make sure that we are sharing as much as we can with countries around the world who may also be susceptible to these types of operations,' the senior administration official said.

China has said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course into U.S. airspace and was an 'unexpected, isolated incident.' It condemned the shoot-down and accused the United States of overreacting.

Officials said the first spy balloon that traveled across the US fell six miles off the coast of South Carolina in waters about 47 feet deep. They noted that a proper salvage vessel won't be on the scene for days as the race is on to secure the wreckage

In the briefings in Beijing, the United States presented information to demonstrate that the balloon, which entered U.S. airspace in the last days of January and flew over U.S. military sites, was not a weather research balloon as Beijing said but an airship that was used for espionage, said diplomats in Beijing who attended the discussions.

The diplomats at the Beijing briefing said they were told that the solar panels on the balloon meant that it needed more power than a weather balloon, and that its flight path did not conform with natural wind patterns.

US officials have said the balloon was equipped with rudders and propellers.

'Based on the U.S. briefing, our own understanding about such balloons and the fact that China has so far refused to name the company or entity that owns this balloon, we find it hard to believe it is a civilian weather balloon,' said a Beijing-based Asian defense diplomat.

An F-22 Raptor fighter jet fired a single AIM-9X missile to take down a Chinese spy balloon and its payload, which was equipped with cameras, sensors and radars

The spy balloon is pictured being shot out of the sky on Saturday above South Carolina

The information was similar to what Pentagon has shared with reporters since the weekend, saying the balloons were part of a Chinese aerial fleet that has also violated the sovereignty of other countries.

On Tuesday, Navy divers began pulling pieces of the balloon from the depths of the ocean floor on Tuesday, using sophisticated reconnaissance drones dubbed the Kingfish and the Swordfish to locate the debris.

After collecting all of the balloons white fabric and shell structure found floating on the surface, the Navy has now shifted to an all-underwater search for the remnants of the massive balloon.

Navy and Coast Guard personnel were using underwater drones to locate and map the debris field, and divers were in the water gathering up what they could, officials said.

A SHORT HISTORY OF SPY BALLOON SIGHTINGS Under Donald Trump Texas Florida Norfolk, Virginia Coronado, California Hawaii Guam Under Joe Biden Early in 2021: over continental USA Oct 2022: Balloon crashed off Hawaii Jan-Feb 2023: Balloon flies over US, from Alaska to South Carolina, and is shot down on February 4 Feb 2023: Balloon flying above South America, spotted over northern Colombia Advertisement

The debris already collected was being hauled by small boats to a few area locations, including a Coast Guard station south of Myrtle Beach, and, depending on the size, will eventually go either to the FBI lab at Quantico, Virginia, or other sites where experts can analyze it, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of an ongoing military operation.

The head of U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Glen VanHerck, who is in charge of the recovery effort, and several Biden administration officials will brief members of Congress on the balloon on Wednesday and Thursday.

Lawmakers have raised a number of questions about whether the balloon was able to collect intelligence and transmit it back to China during the time it traveled eastward across the United States, after crossing the border from Canada into Idaho.

White House and Pentagon officials have largely avoided providing any details on the balloons capabilities.

In December, a Chinese fighter jet came within 20 feet of a U.S. air force plane in the contested South China Sea last week and forced it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a fatal collision in international airspace, the US military said at the time.

The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft.

The incident, which involved a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet and a U.S. air force RC-135 aircraft, took place on Dec. 21, the U.S. military said in a statement.

The video shows the J-11 flying close, almost alongside the RC-135, as the Chinese jet gets closer, the American pilot is forced to rapidly descend away from the other plane.
The site was less than 10km from the Great Barrier Reef

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek has blocked billionaire Clive Palmer's proposed coal mine in the first ever use of federal environmental laws to reject a coal project.

Ms Plibersek announced her decision to block the proposed Central Queensland Coal mine on Wednesday.

She explained that the mine presented a high risk of pollution and environmental damage to the Great Barrier Reef, which is less than 10km from the site.

Mr Palmer's company, Mineralogy Pty Ltd, had filed an application to build the open-cut coal mine.

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek (pictured) has blocked billionaire Clive Palmer's proposed coal mine

'I wanted to let you know after a thorough assessment of all of the information before me, I've decided to stick to my decision and I won't be approving the Central Queensland coal project,' Ms Plibersek said in her announcement.

'I decided that the adverse environmental impacts are simply too great.

'The mine is an open-cut coal mine less than 10 kilometres from the Great Barrier Reef and the risk of pollution and irreversible damage to the reef is very real.'

The environment minister explained that Mr Palmer's mine 'would have unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially on fragile seagrass meadows that feed dugongs and provide breeding grounds for fish just off the coast'.

Ms Plibersek revealed in her address that 9,000 public submissions were sent in just 10 business days, 98 per cent of which opposed the mine.

'I just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to contact me and share your views,' she added.

Ms Plibersek said the open-cut mine presented a significant environmental risk to the Great Barrier Reef, which is less than 10 kilometres away from the mine (pictured, a coal mine at Lithgow, NSW)

Billionaire Clive Palmer's company, Mineralogy Pty Ltd, filed an application to build the Central Queensland coal mine

The proposed project would have included two open-cut pits extracting up to 10 million tonnes of coal every year.

It was scheduled to operate for 20 years and export coal overseas.

The Queensland state government also recommended the Commonwealth block construction of the mine.
Former ultra-Orthodox Jewish school principal Malka Leifer allegedly raped a former student and told her it would help her for her wedding night.

The 56-year-old former teacher and mother of eight is standing trial accused of sexually abusing Melbourne sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper when they were her students, or young teachers, at the city's Adass Israel School between 2003 and 2007.

Leifer, who was head of religious studies and later principal, has pleaded not guilty.

The women, who are sisters now in their 30s, were raised in the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community in which young girls were not taught about sex until after they were engaged to be married, prosecutor Justin Lewis told Leifer's County Court trial on Wednesday.

Malka Leifer (pictured) is standing trial accused of sexually abusing Melbourne sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper when they were her students

A jury of 15 - comprised of eight men and seven women - has been empaneled for the trial which could run for up to six weeks.

According to Ms Erlich, family life was extremely contained to ensure they were not influenced by cultures of the world outside the community, Mr Lewis said in his opening address.

They had no newspapers, television, radio or access to the internet at home, and only had books that had been vetted.

Ms Erlich had no significant interaction with males outside her family until she was introduced by a matchmaker to her future husband, he said.

'They were not taught anything about sex until engaged to be married,' Mr Lewis said.

Court documents reveal some of the alleged offending is said to have taken place during June school camps in 2004 and 2006.

Mr Lewis told the jury Ms Meyer was sexually abused by Leifer when she was a student and after graduating when she returned as a teacher.

On a high school camp Leifer allegedly raped Ms Meyer and told her 'this will help you for your wedding night'.

On a second occasion Leifer allegedly fondled Ms Meyer, before stopping and telling her 'I'll leave that for your husband'.

Mr Lewis said Ms Meyer was uncomfortable when touched by Leifer but because of her cultural upbringing didn't know any better.

Ms Erlich was also allegedly abused at the same camp, when sharing a room with her sister and Leifer.

Mr Lewis said Leifer begun to spend more time with Ms Erlich in the lead-up to the camp, when she was in year 11, and told her she was there for her.

Leifer allegedly asked her if she was 'an innocent girl or if she'd like to find out things that weren't relevant' to her, Mr Lewis said.

On another occasion while Leifer was putting her baby to sleep she allegedly kissed Ms Erlich on the lips.

Mr Lewis said Leifer then explained what kissing on the mouth meant because Ms Erlich hadn't heard of it before.

The jury heard Leifer had Ms Erlich over to her house for kallah lessons - in which young Jewish women are taught about family, purity and basic details about sex.

His opening address to jurors is expected to continue on Wednesday afternoon, before Leifer's barristers Ian Hill KC and Lucinda Thies open their case.

Wearing a long black skirt, a black and gold jumper and her hair in a black wrap, Leifer sat in the court holding a small book as Judge Mark Gamble addressed the jurors on Wednesday morning.

He told them to put aside any sympathy or prejudice they might feel toward or against any party and determine the case using their intellect, not their hearts.

Leifer is facing 29 charges, including 10 of rape, one of rape by compelled sexual penetration, three charges of sexual penetration of a 16 or 17-year-old child, 10 of indecent assault, and five of indecent assault of a 16 or 17-year-old child.

'Mrs Leifer has pleaded not guilty to each of these charges and so it is for you and you alone to decide whether she is guilty or not guilty of these crimes,' Judge Gamble said.
A Missouri man convicted of killing his girlfriend and her three young children in 2004 was executed on Tuesday night, despite his claims that he was in another state when the murders occurred.

Raheem Taylor, 58, was the third Missouri inmate put to death since November at the state prison in Bonne Terre.

Taylor kicked his feet as the five grams of pentobarbital were administered, then took five or six deep breaths before all movement stopped.

It was the nation's fifth execution this year, following a previous execution in Missouri, two in Texas and one in Oklahoma. All were by lethal injection.

In a final statement, Taylor said Muslims don't die but 'live eternally in the hearts of our family and friends.'

Raheem Taylor, 58, from Missouri was executed having been convicted of the 2004 killings of his live-in girlfriend and her three young children in 2004, despite his claims that he was in another state when the murders occurred

Angela Rowe, her 10-year-old daughter Alexus Conley, six-year-old daughter AcQreya Conley, and five-year-old son Tyrese Conley were all killed in 2004 having been shot in the head

'Death is not your enemy, it is your destiny. Look forward to meeting it. Peace!' he wrote in the statement.

Taylor, who previously went by the first name Leonard, long maintained that he was in California when Angela Rowe, her 10-year-old daughter Alexus Conley, six-year-old daughter AcQreya Conley, and five-year-old son Tyrese Conley were killed in 2004.

His supporters included the national NAACP, nearly three dozen civil rights and religious groups and the Midwest Innocence Project but Taylor's innocence claims were turned aside time and again.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, a Democrat, last week declined Taylors request for a hearing before a judge, stating the 'facts are not there to support a credible case of innocence.'

Republican Gov. Mike Parson declined to grant clemency on Monday, the same day the Missouri Supreme Court denied a stay request. Earlier on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court also declined to intervene.

On December 3, 2004, police were sent to the family home after worried relatives said they hadn't heard from Rowe. Officers found the bodies of Rowe together with her children

Gerjuan Rowe, Angela Rowe's sister, said after the execution that moving on remains difficult, more than 18 years after she lost her sister, nieces and nephew.

'I'm at a point in my life right now - I'm OK but I'm not,' she said. 'But I know justice was served. Its kind of hard trying to move forward, but I think I can do it.'

There was no question that Taylor was not in Missouri when the bodies were found. What isn't known for certain is when the family was killed.

Taylor and Angela Rowe lived with the children at a home in the St. Louis suburb of Jennings. Taylor boarded a flight to California on November 26, 2004.

On December 3, 2004, police were sent to the home in Jennings after worried relatives said they hadn't heard from Rowe. Officers found the bodies of Rowe and her children. All four had been shot.

The initial finding by a medical examiner was that the killings likely happened within a few days of the discovery of the bodies - when Taylor was in California. But at Taylor's trial, Medical Examiner Phillip Burch said the killings could have happened two or three weeks before the discovery of the bodies.

Gerjuan Rowe, pictured, Angela Rowe's sister, said after the execution that moving on remains difficult, more than 18 years after she lost her sister, nieces and nephew

Missouri Governor Mike Parson on Monday rejected his request for clemency

Taylor's attorney, Kent Gipson, said that several people, including relatives of Rowe and a neighbor, saw Rowe alive in the days after Taylor left St. Louis. Meanwhile, Taylor's daughter in California, Deja Taylor, claimed in a court filing that she and her father called Angela Rowe and one of the children during his visit.

The court filing said Deja Taylor's mother and sister corroborated her story.

Bob McCulloch, who was St. Louis Countys elected prosecutor at the time of the killings, said Taylor's claim of innocence was 'nonsense,' and the alibis provided by his daughter and her relatives were 'completely made up.'

McCulloch said that evidence suggested Rowe and the kids were killed on the night of November 22 or 23, at a time when Taylor was still in St. Louis.

He noted that Rowe typically made around 70 outgoing calls or texts each day. Starting November 23, she made none.

Meanwhile, DNA from Rowe's blood was found on Taylor's glasses when he was arrested, a relative taking him to the airport saw Taylor toss a gun into the sewer, and Taylor's brother told police that Taylor admitted to the crime, McCulloch said.

Authorities believe Taylor shot Rowe during a violent argument, then killed the children because they were witnesses.

At his trial, prosecutors said he confessed to the murders to his brother and that a witness saw him dispose of his gun. Jurors found him guilty.

Since then Taylor had made numerous attempts to clear his name -- all unsuccessful.

The Innocence Project, which fights against miscarriages of justice and defended Taylor, claims his brother's testimony against him was obtained under duress and later recanted

Demonstrators gathered outside the prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, questioning the morality of the death penalty

Missouri Governor Mike Parson on Monday rejected his request for clemency.

'The evidence shows Taylor committed these atrocities and a jury found him guilty. Courts have consistently upheld Taylor's convictions and sentences under the facts and the Missouri and United States Constitutions,' the Republican governor said in a statement.

The Innocence Project, which fights against miscarriages of justice and defends Taylor, claims that the brother's testimony was obtained under duress and that he later recanted.

Taylor's lawyers recently introduced the testimony of his daughter who swears her father was with her in California at the time of the murders, without succeeding in obtaining a reopening of the case.

All three recent Missouri executions involved cases out of St. Louis County. Kevin Johnson was executed in November for killing a police officer in 2005.

Amber McLaughlin was put to death on January 3 for killing a woman in 2003.

It was believed to be the first execution of a transgender woman in the U.S.
Coalition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has cried in parliament after introducing legislation to impose further alcohol restrictions in the Northern Territory.

Her private member's Bill would allow for greater federal oversight of grog bans in the NT, akin to the powers granted to the Commonwealth by the now expired Howard-era intervention laws.

Senator Price told the Upper House about her family members whom she said had suffered and in some cases died because of alcohol abuse in her home town of Alice Springs.

The Country Liberal Party senator cried as she recalled having to identify her cousin's body in a morgue after she was killed in a car accident caused by a drunk person.

'We are hurting and it is disingenuous to provide ad-hoc approaches and not take full responsibility for the sake of every Territorian,' she said on Wednesday.

'The Australian government has a responsibility to ensure that the NT has consistency in law and order.'

As it stands, the NT government will be responsible for legislating new alcohol bans for some remote communities in a bid to address an increase in alcohol-related harm in Central Australia.

Any dry zone communities wanting to opt out of the bans will need to develop their own community alcohol plans and have 60 per cent or more of local residents vote in support of them.

Senator Price has said the plans do not go far enough. Her Bill would require alcohol management plans to be approved by the 'relevant' federal minister.

Senator Jacinta Price has given an emotional speech as she sought to bring back stricter Commonwealth controls over alcohol sales in the Northern Territory

The Albanese government will also provide $250m in extra funding for a range of initiatives in the region, including in employment, health and youth engagement programs.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the measures earlier this week after flying to Alice Springs in the wake of media coverage of a marked increase in alcohol-fuelled violence and crime in the outback town.

The grog bans imposed in 2007 under the Howard government's Stronger Futures legislation lapsed when the laws expired in July last year, meaning previously dry communities and town camps were permitted to bring alcohol home.

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has been reluctant to reintroduce alcohol bans and called them a 'race-based' policy.

Ms Fyles reportedly wrote to Senator Price on Tuesday to raise concerns she hadn't consulted with the Territory Labor government or the community when preparing her NT Safe Measures Bill.

The chamber listened in silence as Senator Price described the ravages of alcohol on Northern Territory communities

Senator Price, who has been an outspoken advocate for the reintroduction of alcohol bans, disputed this on Wednesday.

She said she had written to Ms Fyles in October to outline her proposal and had consulted widely with stakeholders and residents across the NT.

Other Indigenous senators delivered emotional speeches in the upper house in response to the introduction of Senator Price's legislation.

Dorinda Cox, a Greens senator for Western Australia, said intervention had been proven not to work and Indigenous people were 'self-medicating' with alcohol to deal with trauma.

'It's about coping, which many First Nations people have turned to because they in fact had no other option,' she said.

The growing crime and mayhem in Alice Springs has turned the national spotlight on the troubled region (pictured Aboriginal woman carrying alcohol back to a town camp)

'They either live remotely, (with) no services or lack of services that are available to them. And it's very long wait lists even then.'

Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy said she had urged the Territory government in August last year to introduce its own legislation to ensure alcohol bans were in place following the sunsetting of the Stronger Futures laws.

She said the past few months had been a 'traumatic time for the people of Alice Springs', but the issues there were 'not just about alcohol' and would require investment in health and education to address.

'As senator for the Northern Territory, there is a better way here and we are doing the best that we can with that way,' she said.

'And I know you'll keep me accountable if that way does not work.'

For confidential support in Australia, contact Lifeline: 13 11 14, Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636, or Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
The 23-year-old tells a journalist about her life in a refugee camp in Syria

The BBC has been slammed over new Shamima Begum documentary

Viewers have vowed to cancel their television licences as they slammed last night's 'sickening' 90-minute Shamima Begum documentary on the BBC.

The programme aired on the back of the corporation's 10-part podcast that 'retraces' the journey she took eight years ago from her home in east London to Syria, where she joined the terrorist group Islamic State.

Begum, now 23, has made several highly publicised attempts to return to the UK and restore her reputation after the Home Secretary stripped her of her British citizenship in 2019.

But critics say the BBC has been 'parading her as if she is some sort of celebrity' for views. Viewers of The Shamima Begum Story last night accused the broadcaster of presenting the jihadi bride as a 'vulnerable young girl' with 'beautifully staged, moody shots, ominous back track and tearful pieces to camera'.

She is now living in a refugee camp in northern Syria, which she described as 'worse than a prison'. She said: 'I hate myself inside... At least with prison sentences you know there's going to be an end. But here, you don't know if there's going to be an end.'

Viewers have vowed to cancel their TV licences as they slammed last night's 'sickening' 90-minute Shamima Begum documentary

Begum has made several highly publicised bids to return to the UK and restore her reputation, but critics say the broadcaster has been 'parading her as if she is some sort of celebrity' for views

'Sickened to have watched the BBC's airing of ''The Shamima Begum Story'',' one critic said.

Another said: 'Please tell me why the BBC are giving Shamima Begum the time of day? That girl has zero remorse and I don't know why I have to see her on my TV? She had a choice - she made her choice. Vile.'

And the broadcaster was inundated with disappointed customers promising they would not renew their licence, the 159 annual fee viewers must pay to watch BBC programmes.

One said: 'I won't be renewing my licence, it's taking the p**s.'

Another said: 'What is happening with the BBC? Are you kidding me? Won't ever pay my TV licence again... She's a terrorist with no remorse, she doesn't deserve to have her story heard like she is a victim.'

Begum travelled to Syria when she was 15 with two school friends from Bethnal Green, east London, in February 2015. Kadiza Sultana, who was also 15, and Amira Abase, 16, are believed to have been killed there.

While she now wants to return to the UK and has disavowed the terror group, Begum admitted it was 'exciting' to travel to Syria. She said she was 'in love' with ISIS and desperate to join.

'Disgusting and utterly disgraceful,' one critic said on Tuesday night after the documentary aired.

'Why are the BBC giving Shamima Begum, a terrorist by association, airtime on our TVs?'

Viewers accused the BBC of presenting Begum as a 'vulnerable young girl' in the programme, with 'beautifully staged, moody shots, ominous back track and tearful pieces to camera'

The BBC has released a 10-part podcast about Shamima Begum in which she tells the story of how she joined ISIS

In 2015, Begum (centre), then 15, and her school friends Kadiza Sultana (left), also 15, and Amira Abase (right), 16, fled their east London homes to join Islamic State. Her two companions are believed to have died there

The BBC faced similar backlash following the announcement of a 10-part podcast.

The broadcaster said the BBC Sounds series would provide Begum's 'full account' of 'what really happened' when she became a jihadi bride.

It insisted her story would not be 'unchallenged', describing the podcast as a 'robust, public interest investigation' by a journalist who has been talking to Begum for a year.

Begum was found by journalists in a refugee camp in 2019 and soon after the UK withdrew her citizenship and banned her from entering Britain.

Poll Should the UK take Begum back? Yes No Should the UK take Begum back? Yes 873 votes

No 13413 votes Now share your opinion





She now lives at the Al-Roj camp in northern Syria, run by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

She told the BBC investigation that being stuck in a camp 'is, I feel, worse than a prison I think because at least with prison sentences you know that there will be an end but here you don't know if there's going to be an end'.

Begum told the BBC she accepts she joined a terror group, but on the topic of public anger aimed at her says: 'I don't think it's actually towards me. I think it's towards ISIS.

'When they think of ISIS they think of me because I've been put on the media so much but what was there to obsess over?

'We went to ISIS, that was it. It was over, it was over and done with.'

In the podcast the 23-year-old claims that the refugee camp in Syria where she lives is 'worse than a prison'

Begum also explains her journey to Syria, and how she was given detailed instructions by ISIS members.

Poll Should the BBC have given her a platform? Yes No Should the BBC have given her a platform? Yes 337 votes

No 5356 votes Now share your opinion





But she also researched information herself including looking for IS members online to help her and her friends plan their journey.

The teenagers hid their luggage in advance and planned for scenarios such as being quizzed or caught out. She said: 'There were people online... advising us on what to do and what not to do.

'Just like how to get the money to buy the tickets, where to buy the tickets, which airport to go to, what to bring, what to wear, when you're going to the airport, who to talk to, who not to talk to, what excuse to make if you do get caught.'

The BBC said the podcast is not an opportunity for Begum to tell her story unchallenged but is a 'robust public interest investigation'

When asked how she decided what items to take, Begum says: 'It's the same as when you go on vacation, you're just [thinking] what do I need for a vacation, it's pretty basic items.'

'I don't know, people used to say... pack nice clothes so you can dress nicely for your husband.'

She also packed items she knew she wouldn't find in Syria, including mint chocolate: 'I took candy. I just like bought candies that I knew I wouldn't find in Syria. Mint Aero, mint chocolate, like a lot. You can find a lot of things in this country but you cannot find mint chocolate. It's a tragedy.'

Asked about how she felt about potentially never returning to the UK, she said: 'Really at that time, I just was not thinking, my mind was like completely blank but I guess yes, I thought this is the last time I'm going to see the UK. I mean in a way I felt kind of relieved.'
The pair are believed to be aged in their 40s

Two people have drowned at Frazer Beach on the Central Coast

A man and a woman have tragically died at a popular surf spot on the Central Coast that has become notorious for drownings.

The pair were pulled from the water unconscious at Frazer Beach, near Catherine Hill Bay at 4.20pm on Wednesday.

Beachgoers desperately performed CPR until NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived on the scene, but they could not be revived.

The man and women are yet to be formally identified but are believed to be aged in their 40s.

A man and a woman have drowned at Frazer Beach on the Central Coast shortly after 4pm on Wednesday (pictured: Frazer Beach)

The region is becoming somewhat notorious with drownings, with the three kilometre stretch of coast south of Catherine Hill Bay claiming 20 lives since 2010

Officers from the Tuggerah Lakes Police District are investigating the incident and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.

Frazer Beach is a popular spot amongst campers an surfers and is not patrolled by lifeguards.

The beach is located approximately 100 kilometres north of Sydney.

The area is becoming somewhat notorious for drownings, with the three kilometre stretch of coast south of Catherine Hill Bay claiming 20 lives since 2010.
A husband who was buried alive beside his dead wife was rescued in Turkey today after 48 hours of unimaginable horror, as the death toll from Monday's quake across the country and its neighbour Syria rose past 11,000.

Pictures from the scene of the rescue in the Turkish province of Hatay showed the man wedged between a fallen concrete slab, the floor, and his wife's lifeless body.

As light shone into the confines of the ruin, the man - named as Abdulalim Muaini - is shown squinting back at them and reaching out a hand.

Mr Muaini was then carried out of the ruined building, along with the bodies of his wife and two daughters, who were also killed. They placed him on the floor to give him medical treatment, feet away from where the bodies of his wife Esra, and daughters Mahsen and Besira, lay wrapped in blankets.

Officials and medics said 9,057 people had died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria from Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the total to 11,719 - making it the deadliest seismic event in more than a decade.

A husband who was buried alive beside his dead wife was rescued in Turkey today after 48 hours of unimaginable horror. Pictured: Abdulalim Muaini lies under the rubble next to the body of his wife Esra, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey

As rescuers shine a light into the confines of the ruin Abdulalim Muaini is shown squinting back at them and reaching out a hand. He was wedged between a fallen concrete slab, the floor, and his wife's lifeless body

That is more than the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal in 2015 which killed more than 8,800 people. Officials say the death toll could double if the worst fears of experts are realised, which would bring the number of fatalities close to the magnitude 9 quake off the coast of Japan that killed nearly 20,000 in 2011.

Meanwhile, rescuers in Turkey and Syria continued their search for survivors trapped inside the ruins of their homes brought down by the quake.

Against all the odds, search teams were still pulling people from the rubble on Wednesday more than 48 hours after the initial 7.8-magnitude quake. This included an entire Syrian family who were found alive after days trapped in freezing darkness.

A young Syrian boy living in the Iskenderun district of Hatay, Turkey filmed himself from inside a collapsed building where he is trapped. He tells the camera that he is uncertain if he will make it out alive.

'I don't know if I will live or die. I don't know how to describe this feeling of someone going through this under the rubble,' the young boy said, as other voices can be heard next to him - likely his family or others living in the building in Turkey.

'As you can see I am under the debris. There are more than two or four families and our neighbours. I don't know how to describe it. It shakes.

'Friends, we are stuck under the earthquake. Mother! Are you okay? Mother! Tell me you hid somewhere. Please help!' he added before giving his home address.

The boy, named by Al Jazeera as Firat Yayla - who has a YouTube channel called Charmquell - later posted on Instagram that he had been saved. However, he said his mother was still underneath the concrete.

Miraculous videos have emerged showing children being found by rescue teams across the devastated region, and pulled from wrecks of buildings covered in dust, but alive. On Tuesday, a newborn baby was saved - still attached to her dead mother.

Rescuers also pulled a three-year-old boy, Arif Kaan, from beneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Kahramanmaras, a city near the epicenter.

With the boy's lower body trapped under slabs of concrete and twisted steel, emergency crews lay a blanket over his torso to protect him from below-freezing temperatures as they carefully cut the debris away from him, mindful of the possibility of triggering another collapse.

The boy's father, Ertugrul Kisi, who himself had been rescued earlier, sobbed as his son was pulled free and loaded into an ambulance.

'For now, the name of hope in Kahramanmaras is Arif Kaan,' a Turkish television reporter proclaimed as the dramatic rescue was broadcast to the country.

A few hours later, rescuers pulled ten-year-old Betul Edis from the rubble of her home in the city of Adiyaman. Amid applause from onlookers, her grandfather kissed her and spoke softly to her as she was loaded on an ambulance.

Body bags in front of Hatay State Hospital. Shortages saw some covered with blankets

Pictured: An aerial view of mass graves in Jindiris, northern Aleppo, as people prepare to bury the hundreds of victims killed in the earthquake

Pictured: Mourners gather at mass graves in Jindiris, northern Aleppo

A drone view of Iskenderun city, Hatay, southeast Turkey, shows widespread devastation

Collapsed buildings are seen in Antakya, southern Turkey

Search and rescue teams are working to rescue survivors in Antakya

Kahramanmaras pictured two days after the earthquake shook the region, levelling buildings

Pictured: Destruction is seen in Hatay in southern Turkey, where rubble has collapsed on to a football field

Muaini, who was found buried alive next to the body of his wife, was carried out of the ruined building, along with the bodies of his wife and two daughters, who were also killed. They placed him on the floor to give him medical treatment

Pictured: Muaini is seen at the feet of medics and rescue workers, near to where the bodies of his wife Esra and daughters Mahsen and Besira lay wrapped in blankets

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with residents who found refuge under tents set up by the government during his visit to the south-eastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, two days after a strong earthquake struck the region

The Turkish Defence and Health ministers inspect search and rescue efforts in Hatay

Wider shots show the extent of damage to Malatya in Turkey, where buildings were completely levelled

Smoke rises from a building on fire in Hatay, Turkey, a day after the quakes on Monday

However, such scenes are bittersweet. Scores more are thought to be still alive underneath huge piles of concrete and twisted metal, and the World Health Organisation has warned that time is running out for the thousands injured and those still feared trapped.

More than 90 per cent of earthquake survivors are rescued within the first three days, said Ilan Kelman, a professor of disasters and health at University College London.

'Generally, earthquakes do not kill people, collapsing infrastructure kills people,' said Professor Kelman, who has published research on quake rescue responses.

The most pressing factor is getting medical attention to people crushed under collapsed buildings before 'their bodies fail' or they bleed out, he said.

Weather is also a key factor, and 'it is completely against us' in Turkey and Syria, he told AFP news agency. The quake-hit regions have suffered through freezing temperatures as well as rain and snow since Monday.

'This very sadly means that hypothermia is possible, and people are probably unfortunately perishing due to the weather,' Kelman said.

Those who do manage to survive the cold and their injuries still need food and water.

Without water, many people 'will start dying at the three, four, five-day mark,' he said.

Hopes for more rescues are dimming as time goes on, with frigid temperatures and ongoing aftershocks complicating rescue efforts.

'We are in the 55th hour. These are the hours when the rescue efforts are the most intense and sensitive,' Murat Kurum, Turkey's minister of environment and urbanisation, said at the HQ of Turkey's AFAD disaster agency.

For Mesut Hancer - a resident of Turkish city Kahramanmaras, near the epicentre - it is already too late. He was pictured sitting on the freezing rubble, too grief-stricken to speak, refusing to let go of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak's hand as her body lay lifeless, crushed under the slabs of concrete and strands of twisted iron.

Rescuers in Turkey and Syria continued their desperate search overnight for survivors trapped inside the ruins of their homes brought down by Monday's catastrophic earthquakes. Pictured: A young child is seen after being pulled alive from the rubble along with their entire family

Pictured: Another young member of the family is seen being held aloft in Syria by rescuers

Pictured: Another member of the family pulled from the rubble is carried to safety in Syria

Pictured: An older member of the family is seen on a stretcher after being saved in Syria

Pictured: 16-year-old Mahmut Salman smiles as he is rescued 56 hours after being trapped in the rubble in Hatay, Turkey

Pictured: An aerial image taken by a drone on Wednesday morning shows the scale of the destruction in a neighbourhood in Hatay, Turkey, close to the Syrian border

A view of the 'tent city' in Osmaniye, Turkey, set up to house those displaced by the earthquakes

People take shelter at a sports hall in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Iskenderun

Smoke rises near the port at the city of Iskenderun after a fire broke out following the quake

People stand on a destroyed building in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey

Antakya city, at the base of a mountain range, pictured on fire two days after the earthquake

A plane drops water over the the Iskenderun port in the aftermath of an earthquake in Turkey

Firefighting ships extinguish a major fire that broke out at the international Iskenderun Port in the southern province of Hatay

A winter storm has compounded the misery by rendering many roads - some of them damaged by the quake - almost impassable, resulting in traffic jams that stretch for miles in some regions. It is feared survivors could freeze.

Many survivors have not yet returned to their homes out of fear they could collapse at any moment, with people choosing instead to sleep in their cars.

On Tuesday, Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in ten southeastern provinces. Amid calls for the government to send more help to the disaster zone Erdogan gave an update on the casualty figures during a visit to Kahramanmaras, a southern Turkish city at the epicentre of the initial quake.

Television images showed him hugging a weeping, elderly woman and walking through a large crowd towards a Red Crescent humanitarian relief tent.

Facing a tough May 14 re-election, Erdogan pledged to rebuild the damaged regions within a year. 'Initially there were issues at airports and on the roads, but today things are getting easier and tomorrow it will be easier still,' he said in televised remarks.

'We have mobilised all our resources,' he added. 'The state is doing its job.'

He also hit back at growing criticism of his government's response to the crisis.

'This is a time for unity, solidarity. In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest,' he told reporters.

He said it was not possible to be prepared for such a disaster, but that the government would accelerate rubble removal and housing construction.

His comments came amid reports that social media platform Twitter was being restricted in Turkey, some said due to criticism of the response.

Turkey now has some 60,000 aid workers in the quake-hit zone, but with the devastation so widespread many are still waiting for help.

Dozens of nations including the US, China and the Gulf States have pledged to help, and search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by air.

As the rescue effort continues, signs that the bereaved were preparing to bury their dead were also appearing across the region.

In Gaziantep,Turkey, AFP correspondents reported seeing green metal coffins lined up in rows of ten at a time, under a shelter at the city's main cemetery.

In Syria's Aleppo province, aerial images showed mass graves being dug.

Even for survivors, the future seems bleak.

The WHO has warned that up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the disaster zone.

Syrian state media said 300,000 people have been displaced in the country.

Many on both sides of the borders have taken refuge from relentless aftershocks, cold, rain and snow in mosques, schools, cars and even bus shelters - some burning debris to stay alive in the freezing temperatures.

Meanwhile, frustration is growing that help has been slow to arrive.

'I can't get my brother back from the ruins. I can't get my nephew back. Look around here. There is no state official here, for God's sake,' said Ali Sagiroglu in Kahramanmaras.

'For two days we haven't seen the state around here... Children are freezing from the cold,' he said.

In nearby Gaziantep, shops are closed, there is no heat because gas lines have been cut to avoid explosions, and finding petrol is tough.

Sixty-one-year-old resident Celal Deniz said the police had to intervene when impatient crowds waiting for rescue teams 'revolted'.

About 100 others wrapped in blankets slept in the lounge of an airport terminal normally used to welcome Turkish politicians and celebrities.

'We saw the buildings collapse so we know we are lucky to be alive,' said Zahide Sutcu, who went to the airport with her two small children.

'But now our lives have so much uncertainty. How will I look after these children?'

Bodies are carried to the Hatay State Hospital, with some covered only by blankets

Image shows smoke billowing from a building as others collapse into rubble in Antakya

Collapsed buildings pictured in Antakya, southern Turkey, two days after the first earthquakes

Buildings in Kahramanmaras, levelled by the earthquakes, with rescue teams looking on

Rescuers search through the rubble of collapsed buildings in the town of Armanaz, Idlib province, Syria, on Wednesday, as the sun begins to set over the area

Pictured: An aerial view of an earthmover being used by search and rescue teams in Syria

Rescuers search for survivors amidst the rubble of a collapsed building in the town of Harim in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey

Pictured: Rescue workers carry Yigit Cakmak, an eight-year-old survivor at the site of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey. He was saved 52 hours after the earthquake struck on Monday

Pictured: Young Yigit cried as he was passed down a row of rescuers, who smiled as they carried the boy to safety in Hatay, Turkey

Pictured: Three-year-old Muhammed Yusuf Tanik receives medical help in an ambulance after the boy and his mother Fatma Tanik (not seen) were saved by the search and rescue workers from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Adiyaman, Turkey

Pictured: A woman pulled from under the rubble of collapsed concrete building after 47 hours is seen being carried to an ambulance in Hatay, Turkey in the early hours of Wednesday

Pictured: Search and rescue teams carry a man who was pulled from under rubble of collapsed concrete building after 46 hours in Hatay, Turkey

Across the border in northern Syria, a decade of civil war and Syrian-Russian aerial bombardment had already destroyed hospitals, collapsed the economy and prompted electricity, fuel and water shortages.

In the rebel-controlled town of Jindires, even the joy of rescuing a newborn baby was tainted with sadness.

She was still tethered to her mother who was killed in the disaster.

'We heard a voice while we were digging,' Khalil al-Suwadi, a relative, told AFP.

'We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact) so we cut it and my cousin took her to hospital.'

The infant faces a difficult future as the sole survivor among her immediate family. The rest were buried together in a mass grave on Tuesday.

The White Helmets, the rescue group based in Syria that is leading efforts to rescue people buried under rubble in rebel-held areas, appealed today for international help in their 'race against time'.

'International rescue teams must come into our region,' said Mohammed Shibli, a spokesman for the group officially known as the Syria Civil Defence.

'People are dying every second; we are in a race against time,' he told AFP from neighbouring Turkey. 'We ask the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards the victims.'

Mr Shibli said it was 'impossible' for the group to respond to the large-scale calamity alone in the rebel-held northwest, home to more than four million people.

'Even states can't do that,' he said, adding that the group's volunteers have not had time to reach all of the disaster-struck places.

Satellite imagery shows Gaziantep province, Turkey, after earthquakes pulled buildings down

The first 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck four miles from Nurdagi (pictured) on 6 February

Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Pictured: An aerial view shows the tent city set up by Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) inside a stadium

Pictured: A dog that was rescued from a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey after 55 hours

Pictured: A rescue worker sits next to the rescued dog, which is seen covered in blankets

Major deadly earthquakes in the past two decades Aug. 14, 2021 - HAITI - A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying or damaging about 13,000 homes. Sept. 28, 2018 - INDONESIA - A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the island of Sulawesi, resulting in a 1.5-metre tsunami and killing more than 4,300 people. Nov. 12, 2017 - IRAN - A magnitude 7.3 earthquake shook the eastern Kermanshah region, killing more than 400 people. At least six people died in neighbouring Iraq. Sept. 19, 2017 - MEXICO - A 7.1-magnitude quake hit central Mexico, killing at least 369 people and causing more devastation in the capital than any temblor since an earthquake in 1985 that killed thousands. Aug. 24, 2016 - ITALY - A 6.2-magnitude quake struck a cluster of mountain communities east of Rome in central Italy, killing about 300 people. April 16, 2016 - ECUADOR - A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hammered Ecuador, killing more than 650 people on the country's Pacific coast. Oct 26, 2015 - AFGHANISTAN - A magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the Afghan north-east, killing nearly 400 people in the country as well as in northern Pakistan. Apr 25, 2015 - NEPAL - A magnitude 7.8 earthquake ravaged impoverished Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and disrupting the lives of more than eight million. Aug 3, 2014 - CHINA - A magnitude 6.3 earthquake devastated southwestern China, killing at least 600 people in a remote area of Yunnan province. Sept 24, 2013 - PAKISTAN - Twin earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.8 magnitude, rattled southwestern Balochistan province, killing at least 825 people. Aug 11, 2012 - IRAN - Two strong quakes, measuring 6.4 magnitude and 6.3 respectively, killed at least 300 people near the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran. Oct 23, 2011 - TURKEY - A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook southeast Turkey, killing more than 600 people. March 11, 2011 - JAPAN - A 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Japan's northeast, killing about 15,690 people and injuring 5,700. The earthquake also triggered the world's biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Feb 22, 2011 - NEW ZEALAND - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, killing at least 180 people. Feb 27, 2010 - CHILE - An 8.8-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami in Chile killed more than 500 people, wrecking hundreds of thousands of homes and mangling highways and bridges. Jan 13, 2010 - HAITI - A 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince and killed about 316,000 people. The United Nations estimated 80,000 buildings in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas were destroyed. May 12, 2008 - CHINA - A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan province, killing about 87,600 people. Dec 26, 2004 - ASIA - A 9.15-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that barrelled into Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and many other countries in the region, devastating villages and tourist islands and leaving almost 230,000 dead or missing. Oct 8, 2005 - PAKISTAN - A 7.6-magnitude quake northeast of Islamabad killed at least 73,000 people. The quake also rocked Indian Kashmir, killing 1,244 there. Dec. 26, 2003 - IRAN - a 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit the southeastern Kerman province and flattened the city of Bam, killing 31,000 people. Advertisement

The Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid as President Bashar al-Assad's government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international relief efforts.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would not work with the Damascus government. 'These funds, of course, go to the Syrian people - not to the regime. That won't change,' he said.

Aid agencies have also asked the Syrian government to allow border crossings to be reopened to bring help to rebel-held areas.

Syria activated the EU civil protection mechanism, the European Commission's head of crisis management Janez Lenarcic said today.

'Earlier today, this morning, we have received a request from the government of Syria for assistance through the civil protection mechanism,' Mr Lenarcic told reporters.

He said member states are encouraged to contribute with assistance as requested.

Rescue expert Mr Kelman said that normally 'the vast majority of survivors are brought out within 24 hours by local teams, often using no more than their hands or a shovel'.

While aid has been pledged to Turkey and Syria, the quake occurred in 'a remote area, in a conflict zone, which is very difficult to get into,' he said.

It generally takes at least 24 hours for international rescue teams to arrive, get set up and start working.

'At that point, a good number of the people who could have survived have already perished.'

For areas stricken by conflict near the Syrian border, access is trickier still.

'And as far as I've seen, rescue teams have not even fully assessed many of the areas in the main conflict zones, or many of the temporary settlements for displaced people,' Mr Kelman said.

Once on the scene, there are a range of ways that rescue teams can find earthquake survivors, including dogs which sniff through rubble.

A particularly famous team of quake rescue dogs from Mexico is on its way to Turkey, Mr Kelman pointed out.

Robots and drones are also increasingly being used to get into small spaces too dangerous for humans.

Once a survivor is found, rescuers must decide how best to get them out.

Huge equipment such as cranes may be needed to lift slabs of collapsed buildings.

Or sometimes it is necessary to amputate a limb 'which is crushed under a pillar or a piece of masonry,' he said.

Mr Kelman emphasised that 'ultimately, a successful rescue operation starts decades before the earthquake to try to stop the infrastructure collapsing in the first place'.

During an international rescue operation such as those in Turkey and Syria, it costs an average of $1million per life saved, he said.

'If we would see levels of investment in disaster prevention that we are seeing in disaster response, we would not be in this situation.'

Later on Wednesday, a senior UN aid official said they were hopeful that deliveries of critical cross-border aid from Turkey to northwest Syria could resume on Thursday, after being paused due to the quakes.

'We are hoping that tomorrow we will be able to deliver something across the border,' UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Muhannad Hadi, said during an online press briefing.

'We have a glimpse of hope that the road is accessible and we can reach the people,' he said.

The Turkey-Syria border is one of the world's most active earthquake zones.

Monday's earthquake was the largest Turkey has seen since 1939, when 33,000 people died in the eastern Erzincan province.

In 1999, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed more than 17,000.

Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16 million people filled with rickety homes.
The husband of the head of Epsom College - who police believe shot her and their daughter dead before killing himself - had only just moved into their school home.

George Pattison, 39, had until three weeks ago been living separately from them in their old 1.5million property in Caterham as its sale went through.

Neighbours say he had been 'flitting between that house and the property at Epsom' before the keys were handed to the new owners last month.

It was only then that he moved into the grace-and-favour home with his wife Emma and their daughter Lettie, seven.

Epsom College head Emma Pattison, 45, her husband George, 39, and their seven-year-old daughter Lettie

Mrs Pattisons frantic call to her sister Deborah Kirk (pictured together) and her husband prompted relatives to jump into a car and drive out to her in Surrey

But on Sunday morning she made a distressed phone call to her sister Deborah Kirk, which prompted her to jump into a car and drive out to her in Surrey.

They arrived too late and discovered her body as well as that of her husband George, and Lettie.

Police say Mr Pattison shot his wife and their child dead before turning the gun on himself in the early hours of Sunday.

Surrey Police has referred itself to the independent watchdog over the triple shooting after it emerged they had been in touch with Mr Pattison just days before.

The killer had been a licenced shotgun holder for many years and officers had called him to check on the storage for his firearm last Thursday. Officers did not visit the premises.

Home Office regulations state that gun-owners must notify police of any change of address as soon as they move.

Though Mrs Pattison moved into her grace-and-favour home when she started her job last September, the family only handed over the keys to their old house a few weeks ago.

It was suggested Mr Pattison had continued to live at the familys previous address for months after his wife took up her new post as the first female head at Epsom College.

Neighbours in Caterham said neither Mrs Pattison nor their daughter had been seen since last summer but that Mr Pattison had spent time living in the property up until the 1.5million sale was completed last month.

One said: I could see the lights on in the evening and his car was around but never hers.

Last night Zoe Roberts, a teacher at Caterham School where her friend Mrs Pattison also used to teach, said: It is tragic and we wish this had never happened.

She was beautiful, inside and out. She was just the most wonderful person. We cant put it into words at the moment, it is too raw. We are still working it out. It is just a tragic loss.

A former neighbour added: 'I wasn't sure if anybody had actually moved out because I'd seen George quite recently. I saw him in the run-up to Christmas.

A police vehicle outside Epsom College in Surrey on Monday following the three deaths in an apparent murder-suicide

'He was by himself, Emma and Lettie were not with him.

'His BMW 8 Series was parked on the drive. Emma drove a 4x4 but I'd not seen that for a while.

'In fact the last time I spoke to Emma was just before she got the job at Epsom College because she was telling me how she'd just got it and was to become head teacher of this big, prestigious school.

'I hadn't seen her nor her daughter since that day and that must have been earlier last summer. I think she moved out before George.

'The new owners arrived about three weeks or so ago and just before they moved in, a removal firm had taken away the last remaining bits of furniture belonging to Emma and George from the house.

'It was George who handed the keys over to the estate agents. I think he'd been flitting between that house and the property at Epsom.'

Mr Pattison incorporated the management consultancy firm Tanglewood, for which he was the sole director, in 2016.

Accounts for the year ending October 31 2021, showed Mr Pattison had taken out a directors loan for 14,076.

And Land Registry documents show a mortgage was taken out on the family home in Caterham in January 2022, eight years after they bought the property for around 600,000.

Sources told the Mail there were no grounds for suspicion over Mr Pattison as he had no criminal past and has held his firearms licence for many years.

The only time police are known to have been called to the family came in 2016, over accusations Mr Pattison made against his wife.

Mrs Pattison with her daughter Lettie. The seven-year-old has been described as a 'little angel' and 'perfect in every way' following her death on Sunday morning

He phoned the police complaining she had slapped him during a domestic row. It is understood he regretted making the call and downplayed it as a trivial matter when officers arrived, claiming he didnt realise what would happen.

Surrey Police did take the matter seriously and the Mail understands Mrs Pattison was interviewed under caution with a solicitor present. The case was dropped as her husband wouldnt co-operate.

Officers yesterday confirmed that a gun registered and licensed to Mr Pattison was recovered from the head teachers residence after the killing.

They stated that their phone call with him over his change of address days before was a routine communication.

A police statement said: Due to the short period of time between that contact and this incident, we have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct [IOPC].

The force said that the incident was now being treated as a homicide investigation. The exact cause of the deaths, which have been reported to the local coroner, will not be determined until post-mortem examinations have been carried out.

Officers are now trying to piece together the exact chronology of events leading up to the tragedy but they remain confident that there is no third-party involvement.

Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey said: We are co-operating fully with the IOPC in relation to the referral we have made, and we await the outcome of its assessment of what further action may be required.

Inspector Jon Vale, Epsom and Ewells borough commander, said the force was confident that this incident was contained to one address and there is no risk to the wider public.

A spokesman for the IOPC said: We have received a referral from Surrey police about an incident in Epsom on February 5 as an officer at the force had contact with Mr Pattison last week.

Surrey Police today confirmed it had recovered Mr Pattison's gun and was treating the case as a murder investigation with 'no third-party involvement'

We are assessing the available information to determine what, if any, further action may be required from us.

George Pattison was a fast car-loving chartered accountant. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he married Mrs Pattison in 2011.

In the wake of the apparent murder/suicide, the school announced it would shut last night and remain closed until the end of next weeks half-term holiday.

Parents were notified of the decision to finish early for half-term in an email sent earlier today.

Paul Williams, the acting head, said it was time for families to come together and try to process this shocking news'.

He wrote: The shock and horror of the past few days have been unprecedented. The impact on your children cannot be underestimated and we are doing everything we can to support them in whatever way they need.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
Police are treating the death of a 19-year-old woman who suffered severe head injuries when she reportedly 'fell off a bed' as suspicious.

Krystle Monks, 19, was discovered unresponsive by paramedics in a home in Bundamba, a suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, at 9.30pm on Saturday, with neighbours hearing screaming and yelling.

The Coffee Club worker was rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane but died on Sunday night.

Krystle Monks, 19, (pictured) was discovered unconscious in an Ipswich home on Saturday and died later that night in hospital

A man, who is believed to be her boyfriend, was inside the home at the time of the accident is understood to have called an ambulance.

Regional Crime Coordinator Superintendent Larissa Miller revealed police had previously attended the address as a result of a 'domestic violence complaint'.

However, Supt Miller would not comment on whether investigators spoke to Ms Monks' partner.

No charges have been laid against Ms Monks' boyfriend who is not accused of wrongdoing.

Ms Monks was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane with critical head injuries, but died on Sunday night

Forensic officers cordoned off the property and have combed the home for evidence.

An autopsy has been performed on Monks and police are waiting on results.

Ms Monks, who went by the name Krystal Taylor online, would have turned 20 on February 19.

In a gut-wrenching Facebook post, her best friend Maddie said it was devastating the teenager's life was cut short before she reached the milestone.

'You were taken wayyy too soon and to think your 20th birthday was in less than two weeks (sic).

Forensic police cordoned off the house where the tragedy occurred and have sifting through its contents

Friend of Ms Monks paid tribute to her online calling her a 'major joy in all our lives' and a 'beautiful angel'

'You were a major joy in all of our lives! I can't believe I have to say goodbye.'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Monks father Steven Taylor said the family were 'heartbroken'.

Asked how the family would like Ms Monks to be remembered, he said: 'Always young, forever beautiful'.

Heartbroken family and friends have since shared touching tributes to the young woman who had attended Bundamba State Secondary College and worked as a barista at the Coffee Club Ipswich.

'You will always be missed by everyone that you came into contact with,' one friend said.

'You touched so many people in so many ways and we are all devastated that you've gone.'
The minister noted that works worth several crores of rupees are in progress, and that maintenance of major roads is going on effectively under the CRMP programme initiated by GHMC. Twitter

Hyderabad: "Irrespective of parties and places, development of the entire Hyderabad is the ultimate motto of the Telangana government," minister K.T. Rama Rao said at a high-level meeting on Tuesday.

He listed out the works underway and progress achieved in providing drinking water, power supply, mobility infrastructure, maintaining sanitation, conservation of heritage structures, among others.

Work to reinforce the road network in the Old City is progressing quickly as part of the Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) implemented by the GHMC, and various flyovers and road building projects have been completed. The minister noted that works worth several crores of rupees are in progress, and that maintenance of major roads is going on effectively under the CRMP programme initiated by GHMC.

He claimed that it is challenging to widen roads in the Old City because of its high population density and urged officials to expedite road widening in areas where it requires urgent attention. The state government is prepared to provide funds for the land acquisition for current development projects in the Old City, and that work is progressing quickly on bridges over Musi, foot overbridges, and traffic junctions.

In the last eight years, the Old City's drinking water supply has improved, and more than 1,200 crore was spent on the creation of drinking water facilities. In the Old City, more than 2.5 lakh connections were given as part of the free water delivery scheme. The Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and other projects were undertaken in the Old City as part of the HMWS&SB's numerous endeavours to upgrade the sewage water system.

Along with other areas of Hyderabad, the Old City's power supply system improved, and over the past eight years, significant advancements in sanitation management were made thanks to initiatives taken by the GHMC, he said. Tourist destinations including the Charminar, Chowmahalla Palace, Madina, Mecca Masjid, and Salarjung Museum received special attention, he claimed. Around 84 Basthi Dawakhanas were established in the area, along with a number of health programmes offered by the state government, he claimed.

The restoration of Mir Alam Mandi is in the works, and plans for building a six-line cable bridge across the Mir Alam tank are now in the DPR stage.

Meanwhile, AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi thanked the Telangana government for the various programmes it had undertaken for the betterment of the Old City.
Forecasters are warning of a weather event that could spark harsh wintry weather similar to the 'Beast from the East' storm that pummelled the UK with 22 inches of snow in 2018.

There is an 80 per cent chance that a 'major' sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event - which can cause extreme weather conditions - will take place towards the end of the month, the Met Office has warned.

The long-range forecast comes as more than a dozen flights were cancelled at London City Airport today due to widespread freezing fog.

Much of southern England has been placed under a yellow weather warning due to the poor conditions, which have caused low-visibility across the area. Temperatures are expected to reach about -3C.

The north will face 'very windy' conditions today as a band of heavy rain moves across Scotland and Northern Ireland, and turns to snow in the Highlands.

Much of southern England has been placed under a yellow weather warning today due to widespread freezing fog. Pictured: Fog descending in central London today

Temperatures are expected to reach about -3C today. Pictured: Cars travelling through freezing fog in central London today

A yellow weather warning is in effect this morning as the fog has made visibility as low as 50 to 100 metres in a few places. Pictured: Fog in Woodford Green early this morning

The long-range forecast comes as much of southern England has been placed under a yellow weather warning today due to widespread freezing fog. Temperatures are expected to reach about -3C

The Met Office has said there is an 80 per cent chance a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event takes place at the end of February.

An SSW, involving a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic, had in 2018 led to the so-called 'Beast of the East' storm, which wreaked havoc on Britain, causing up to 22 inches of snow in some areas.

Temperatures of -11C hit parts of the country, which were the lowest recorded since 1986.

The wind chill, which saw parts of the UK feel as cold as minus -15C, rivalled the temperatures for parts of northern Norway and Iceland.

The cold weather was so severe in the Brecon Beacons that an entire waterfall froze solid.

But while an SSW was behind the 2018 cold spell, meteorologists have this week said that the events do not always equate to a 'Beast from the East' scenario.

Professor Adam Scaife, Head of Long-Range Forecasting at the Met Office, said that the impact 'will become clearer nearer the time', adding that any effect on UK weather is 'most likely to occur in late February and March'.

The forecast comes following a cold and frosty start to the day across southern Britain with patches of mist and fog which may be slow to clear before revealing lengthy spells of winter sunshine.

Thick fog covers London early this morning as the city braces for cold weather today

Deer graze on the frozen grass in Richmond Park south-west London this morning as the Met Office issue yellow weather warnings for ice and fog

Rowers from Cambridge University training on the River Great Ouse in Ely are pictured this morning on a cold and frosty day

The north will face 'very windy' conditions today as a band of heavy rain moves across Scotland and Northern Ireland, and turns to snow in the Highlands. Pictured: People climb the windy path up towards St Michael's Tower at the top of Glastonbury

Cyclists brave the freezing fog in Richmond Park south-west London this morning as the Met Office issue yellow weather warnings for ice and fog

London City Airport has warned travellers to check the status of their flights before turning up at the airport today

A yellow weather warning is in effect this morning as the fog has made visibility as low as 50 to 100 metres in a few places.

The Met Office warned that some travel disruption is likely, with slower journeys and delays on buses and trains.

A number of flights have been cancelled or delayed due to the 'current adverse weather conditions,' London City Airport said - warning travellers to check the status of their flights before turning up.

Britain will see a largely dry evening tonight with clear spells, but cloud will build in from the north and outbreaks of rain spreading in from the north-west.

A band of clouds and rain will track south-eastwards overnight but then turn increasingly light and patchy. Meteorologists predict there will be clear spells and showers across northern Scotland by dawn.

Tomorrow will be cooler with clouds clearing from the south to reveal sunny spells and variable cloud. It will be breezy across Scotland with a threat of showers and a wintry mix.

Friday will bring outbreaks of rain across northern and western Scotland which may be heavy initially. It will be drier and brighter further south.
Police say a transgender butcher charged in Scotland over an 11-year-old schoolgirl's disappearance is a man - in a move at odds with Nicola Sturgeon's gender self-ID drive.

Police Scotland said this morning Andrew George Miller, 53, has now been charged after the child was found safe and well at a house near Galashiels on Monday night.

The suspect identifies as a woman called Amy George, but has two Facebook profiles and posts under both male and female identities.

Miller's now-closed butcher's shop, Millers of Melrose, featured in one of JK Rowling's Strike novels and at one point the relevant passage was displayed in the window. The Harry Potter author has been fiercely critical of the Scottish First Minister's crusade to make it easier to change gender.

The police declaration that Miller is a man seems at odds with Ms Sturgeon, who has repeatedly referred to biologically male criminals by their chosen female pronouns.

Andrew George Miller, 53, was charged over schoolgirl, 11, who had disappeared this weekend

Ms Sturgeon has come under sustained pressure over her Gender Recognition Reform Bill over fears it could make it easier for predatory men to pose as women.

She has faced a maelstrom of criticism in the wake of the Isla Bryson scandal which saw a rapist who attacked two women self-identify as a female in an apparent bid for easier jail time.

As is customary in Scottish law, it is not specified what offence or offences Miller has been charged with by police.

Under his male identity, Miller appeared to be very interested in Ms Sturgeon's new law, posting online in January this year: 'Silly billies in Westminster - Never mess with Scottish Transgender Issues.'

The suspect now identifies as a woman called Amy George, but has two Facebook profiles and posts under both male (left) and female identities. The issue of gender in Scotland has become an increasingly difficult issue for First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, right.

Miller's Amy George Facebook page features a number of pictures in the suspect's female ID

This black and white photograph of Miller is on one of the charged suspect's social media pages

A team of forensic officers have been seen at Miller's home in the village of Gattonside.

It is three miles from where the primary pupil was last spotted before she went missing.

A neighbour said: 'A man was seen being put into the back of the police vehicle.

'It's a really affluent area and is extremely quiet so this has all come as a bit of a shock. The person who lives there used to run the butcher shop in Melrose.

'They use a woman's name now but were previously known as Andrew and are very well known in the community.'

The 53-year-old arrested over the disappearance was identified as a man in the police's publicity yesterday.

Demonstrators take part in the Let Women Speak rally organised by the group Standing for Women in George Square, Glasgow, in support of the UK Governement's use of a Section 35 order to block Scotland's recent Gender Recognition Reform Bill

Demonstrators take part in the Let Women Speak rally organised by the group Standing for Women in George Square, Glasgow, over the weekend

A force statement said: 'A 53-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl from Galashiels, who was reported missing on Sunday, February 5.

'The girl was traced at a property in the Galashiels area at about 9.30pm on Monday, February 6. Inquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.'

Police who had been looking for her were joined by volunteers, Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team and the Borders Search and Rescue Unit, while a helicopter scoured the area.

Specialist water search teams trawled the River Tweed in the hunt for clues, while members of the public were urged to check their outbuildings and sheds for any sign of the missing youngster. Speaking at a press conference outside Galashiels police station on Monday, area commander Chief Superintendent Catriona Paton issued a plea for information.

Police publicly announced that the girl had been discovered 'safe and well' at about 10.30pm on Monday while thanking everyone for their search efforts.
Russian fighters have been filmed dragging their wounded commander away from the front line before beating him with shovels.

The men, who were identified as Wagner mercenary group soldiers, were filmed in Bakhmut in the Donbas region where fierce fighting continues to rage.

A Ukrainian military drone captured the brutal incident earlier this week before it was released on Ukrainian social media channels.

The men rain down successive blows on their wounded commander with shovels behind a barn, leaving him badly injured.

It is not yet clear exactly why the men were targeting their commander, but the extraordinary footage of the dissenting soldiers adds to reports of diminished morale among Russia's troops and mercenary units.

In the drone footage, four Wagner troops carry their commander through a landscape of demolished buildings away from the battlefield in Bakhmut

Each man appears to be clinging on to one of the commander's arms or legs as they pull him across the war-torn area

In the drone footage, four Wagner troops carry their commander through a landscape of demolished buildings away from the battlefield in Bakhmut.

The Wagner group is a paramilitary organisation first deployed in the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and is now a private extension of the Russian army. They have close personal ties to Vladimir Putin, with his crony Yevgeny Prigozhin heading the barbaric group.

Each man appears to be clinging on to one of the commander's arms or legs as they pull him across the war-torn area.

The men then drop him a few feet away at a barn door shortly before they proceed to beat him.

A second clip shows the Wagner forces partially hidden between two structures, with the wounded commander assumed to be on the ground.

At this point, shovels can be seen swinging into the air and striking down to the ground behind the barn's wall.

The extraordinary Ukrainian drone footage shows what are thought to be successive blows to the commander, whose fate is unknown.

The new footage aligns with reports of low morale and dissent among Russian troops and mercenary groups that have been constant throughout the war but appear to have increased in recent months.

They Wagner group have close personal ties to Vladimir Putin (left) with his crony Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) heading the barbaric group.

The men then drop the commander some metres away at a barn door shortly before they proceed to beat him

A second clip then shows the Wagner forces partially hidden between two structures, with the wounded commander assumed to be on the ground

Arms wielding shovels can be seen jolting into the air before they strike down to the ground behind the barn's wall

Wagner troops are reportedly threatened with execution if they do not proceed or make substantial advances along the front line.

Ukrainian troops have reported how their corpses litter the battleground after being mown down.

As both Kyiv and Moscow continue to escalate their campaigns, brutal fighting has focused for months around Bakhmut in the Donbas region.

The city had a pre-war population of around 75,000 but has now been largely flattened into a battleground.

Putin's troops and mercenaries have made progress towards encircling the region from both the north and south, but Kyiv says its garrison continues to hold fast.
A naked woman caught running through the woods kicked a police officer in the testicles after he tried to cover her with his jacket, a court has heard.

Andrea Wymer, 52, left PC Kieran Moran wincing in agony after she lashed out at him when he and fellow officers apprehended her.

During the incident shortly before the afternoon school run, PC Moran and a female colleague had offered Wymer their coats in a bid to 'preserve her dignity'.

But she refused and instead kicked out and struck the male officer in the groin as they restrained her.

Tests later showed mud from Wymer's bare feet deposited on the crotch of PC Moran's trousers.

Andrea Wymer lashed out and kicked a police officer in the groin after she was caught running nude through the woods near Merseyside

Wymer, from Huyton, near Liverpool, was said to have been suffering from a 'medical episode' at the time of the offence.

At Sefton Magistrates' Court she was ordered to pay PC Moran 100 compensation after she admitted assaulting an emergency worker.

Michael O'Kane, prosecuting, said officers responded to reports of a nude woman in the Knowsley area of Merseyside at around 2.45pm on June 2 of last year.

Mr O'Kane said the defendant 'dismissed' an offer of a jacket to cover her as the 52-year-old streaker tried to walk past other officers.

'She was stopped by the officers and advised that she was going to be detained,' Mr O'Kane told the court. 'At that point she became irate and was resisting the officers' attempts to restrain her. The incident was caught on a body-worn camera.

'As the officers took hold of the defendant she seemed to fall back. At that point she kicked out and made contact with the groin area of the officer.

'The officer confirms in his statement that being kicked in the groin caused him some pain. The groin area of his trousers was dirty from dirt on the defendant's foot. She had been walking barefoot in a wooded area.

'The defendant used her foot. However, there's a suggestion that perhaps there is lesser culpability given the the episode the defendant was suffering from at that particular time.'

The 52-year-old, from Huyton near Liverpool, had been suffering from a medical episode when she was found running nude, a court heard. She is pictured outside Sefton Magistrates' Court

Wymer had no previous convictions. Her lawyer Joseph Bleasedale said a mental health treatment plan would address the 'underlying issues' which she had 'never had assistance with before'.

He added: 'Since then, she has seen a psychiatrist and is now medicated for that. She came across as knowledgeable and personable today.'

District Judge James Hatton sentenced Wymer to a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation days and a six-month mental health treatment requirement. She was also fined 50 and told to pay a 95 victim surcharge.

'You pleaded guilty on the first occasion and you have no previous convictions,' Judge Hatton said. 'I accept that, obviously, there was something going on that you were struggling with but the officer did not deserve to be assaulted in the way that he was.'

Judge Hatton warned Wymer she could be have to appear before the court again if she fails to follow probation service.
Waters has described the claims as 'wildly inaccurate' and 'incendiary'

Tensions between members of legendary rock band Pink Floyd show no signs of improving after vocalist David Gilmour backed wife's claims that Roger Waters was 'antisemitic' and 'a Putin apologist'.

Earlier this week Polly Samson, 60, made a series of incendiary claims about legendary musician Waters, 79, seemingly in response to an article he had shared concerning Israel.

She had posted a tweet telling Waters he is 'antisemitic to (his) rotten core' adding that he was a 'Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac'.

Bass guitarist Waters has denounced the claims as 'wildly inaccurate' and 'incendiary', adding that he is 'taking advice on his position'.

Gilmour, 76, has now supported his wife's claims on social media, saying that 'every word' of her tweet denouncing Waters was 'demonstrably true'.

Dave Gilmour's (left) has backed wife Polly Samson (right) who branded Roger Waters a 'Putin apologist' and 'anti-Semitic'

Gilmour showed support for Samson's unsubstantiated claims on Twitter

Waters has branded Samson's claims as 'wildly inaccurate' and said 'he is taking advice on his position'

Waters had recently given an interview to German magazine Berliner Zeitung where he denounced claims he was an anti-Semite.

Sharing the article on Twitter, the musician wrote: 'The Truth Will Set Us Free.

'Against the backdrop of the outrageous and despicable smear campaign by the Israeli lobby to denounce me as an anti-Semite which I am not, never have been and never will be.'

In the piece, Water's expressed several controversial opinions including that 'Putin may not be a bigger gangster than Joe Biden.'

He wrote: 'The most important reason for supplying arms to Ukraine is surely profit for the arms industry. And I wonder: is Putin a bigger gangster than Joe Biden and all those in charge of American politics since World War II? I am not so sure. Putin didn't invade Vietnam or Iraq? Did he?'

He also claimed that Israel was engaged in 'genocide' and compared events to the way Great Britain behaved 'during our colonial period.'

He said: 'We believed ourselves to be inherently superior to the indigenous people, just as the Israelis do in Palestine. Well, we weren't and neither are the Israeli Jews.'

Shortly after Waters posted the link to the article, Samson posted a tweet of her own - seemingly in response to the article.

In her tweet, Samson described Waters as a 'Putin apologist' who was 'anti-Semitic to (his) rotten core.'

Waters recently shared a link to an interview he had done covering topics like Putin and Israel

Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters and Rick Wright pose as Pink Floyd in 1973

The fiery comment also contained several other unsubstantiated claims about Waters.

Samson wrote several lyrics for the progressive rock band after Waters stepped away in the 1980s - most notably on the 1994 album The Division Bell.

Shortly afterwards, Waters' team released a response from his own Twitter account, saying: 'Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely.

'He is currently taking advice on his position.'

Roger Waters founded Pink Floyd back in 1965 alongside Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick (drums) and Richard (keyboards, vocals).

David joined the band two years later in 1967, and Syd left the following year due to mental health problems.

There were several reports of in-fighting with the band, with Richard leaving the group in 1979, followed by Roger in 1985.

Roger has amassed a staggering net worth of 247 million thanks to a hugely successful solo career, as well as his companies Roger Waters Music UK and Roger Waters Music Overseas.

MailOnline has reached out to representatives of Roger Waters for comment.
Australians have leapt to the defence of a Coles security guard who was reportedly fired for using excessive force on a shoplifter.

Footage of the January 27 scuffle uploaded to TikTok shows the security guard confronting the suspected thief outside a Coles in Prahran, near Chapel Street in Melbourne.

The guard is seen throwing punches and grabbing the man all while having vile racial slurs hurled at him by bystanders.

Australians have leapt to the defence of a supermarket security guard who was reportedly fired for getting into a scuffle with a shoplifter on January 27 at a Coles in Prahran, Victoria

Poll Did the Coles security guard go too far? Yes - He used excessive force No - He was just doing his job Did the Coles security guard go too far? Yes - He used excessive force 82 votes

No - He was just doing his job 498 votes Now share your opinion





'Oi! You can't hit him,' one bystander can be heard yelling at the guard.

Another screams: 'You're gonna lose your f*****g job.'

Others shout continual racist remarks too offensive to publish.

The security guard was employed by MA Services Group and assigned to Coles Victoria.

He claims that following the incident he was fired for the way he handled the encounter, with a new guard now assigned to the store.

It is understood the incident all began with the suspected shoplifter refusing to show a receipt upon exiting the liquor section of the store.

From there the encounter spilled out onto the street and the security guard made a citizen's arrest.

The guard is seen throwing punches and grabbing the man all while having vile racial slurs hurled at him by bystanders

Social media users were outraged at the guard's dismissal, largely applauding his actions.

'All I see is a security guard actually doing his job,' one person commented.

'I'd be very pleased for him to be employed anywhere as a security guard wherever I go. The baddies will soon learn to avoid that location. In fact, if ALL security acted as such, the baddies would shrink away,' wrote a second.

'He should get a medal, not fired, need more like him. LEGEND!' a third said.

Social media users were outraged at the guard's dismissal, largely applauding his actions. 'All I see is a security guard actually doing his job,' one person commented

However, others said he used 'excessive force' and 'went too far'.

'Excessive use of power may have cost him the job. Shouldn't have gone that far,' one user wrote.

When contacted for comment Coles said the incident was a matter for the police and declined to speak on the incident further.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the security guard's employer MA Services Group for comment.
Advertisement

Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Britain's 'big support' for Ukraine today as he held talks with Rishi Sunak in Downing Street.

The Ukrainian President said he was 'honoured' as he met the PM in Downing Street - where he is thought to have again made the case for more weaponry to face down Vladimir Putin.

The pair shared a warm embrace earlier as Mr Zelensky landed at Stansted Airport in Essex for his surprise visit.

They then returned to London for talks, with Mr Sunak pledging to boost support with training for fighter pilots - a precursor to supplying advance Nato jets. More sanctions have also been imposed on Russia in a bid to cripple Putin's war-fighting machine.

Mr Zelensky will address a both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall shortly, after MPs put on a show of unity at PMQs promising to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. He has spoken to Westminster before, but only via video link.

Speaking in No10, Mr Zelensky thanked the British people 'for your big support from the first days of full-scale invasion'.

'Thank you so much Rishi for inviting me and for me great honour to be here in Britain,' he added.

The Ukrainian President was greeted with applause as he walked into No10 over a red carpet laid out in Downing Street.

Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Britain's 'big support' for Ukraine today as he held talks with Rishi Sunak in Downing Street

Mr Sunak met the Ukraine president at Stansted after he touched down for the surprise visit

Mr Zelensky was wearing his trademark military fatigues as he embraced Mr Sunak at Stansted

The PM and Mr Zelensky walked into Downing Street together under the glare of the waiting media

Mr Zelensky was guided into No10, where the held talks, by the PM this morning

Mr Zelensky is due to address the Houses of Parliament and hold an audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

He will also use his surprise visit to meet with some of his Ukrainian troops being trained in Britain.

Mr Sunak today pledged extra military support for Ukraine, including - crucially - the training of Ukrainian fighter jet pilots.

This could pave the way for Ukrainian forces to fly sophisticated Nato-standard jets, a key request by Mr Zelensky.

Britain also announced a new round of sanctions on the Russian military and Kremlin elites this morning, in a bid to further tighten the economic squeeze on Vladimir Putin's regime.

After speaking with Mr Zelensky in Downing Street, Mr Sunak travelled to the House of Commons where he told MPs he was 'delighted' the Ukrainian President had been able to travel to Britain.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, he said: 'It is a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.

The leaders shook hands and posed for photographs outside the famous black door

'I am proud that we are expanding the training for Ukrainian forces to include jet pilots and marines, and ensure that Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests today and in to the future.'

The PM added both the country and the Commons can be 'proud that we came together to stand by Ukraine when the moment mattered'.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told MPs that Mr Zelensky has 'symbolised the heroism, the resolve, and the bravery of his people' since Russia's invasion.

The PM welcomed the Ukrainian President to the UK this morning, as he visits for the first time since Russia's invasion

Mr Zelensky wrote on his Instagram account that he was in London to 'personally thank the British people for their support'

Mr Sunak travelled to Ukraine to meet Mr Zelensky in November, shortly after he became PM

UK to train Ukraine fighter pilots Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Volodymyr Zelensky's forces. The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an 'immediate surge' of military equipment including longer-range weapons. The latest announcements came as President Zelensky made his first visit to the UK since Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Downing Street said the Government is following a 'two-pronged' approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future. Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a 'long-term capability investment'. The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future. While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely operated by other Nato countries are more likely to be supplied to Ukraine, should Western leaders agree to Mr Zelensky's requests. Advertisement

Some 10,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained in the UK in the past six months.

The first troops arrived in Britain last week to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the PM's decision to provide the kit.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly this morning unveiled a new package of sanctions aimed at six companies providing military equipment for Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine.

This included the manufacturer of drones being used to destroy Ukrainian combat vehicles, a company making parts for Russian helicopters, and a software firm involved in military aviation.

Sanctions were also slapped on a group linked to Mr Putin through opaque financial networks.

This included five individuals connected to the Russian President's luxury residents, including the 100 billion rouble 'Putin's Palace' and his lakeside Dacha.

Mr Cleverly said: 'Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion.

'He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country.

'We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.

'These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin  undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail.

'I am determined, consistent with our laws, that Russia will have no access to the assets we have frozen until it ends, once and for all, its threats to Ukraines territorial sovereignty and integrity.'

Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Mr Zelensky's forces.

The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an 'immediate surge' of military equipment including longer-range weapons.

Downing Street said the Government is following a 'two-pronged' approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future.

Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a 'long-term capability investment'.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future.

While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely operated by other Nato countries are more likely to be supplied to Ukraine, should Western leaders agree to Mr Zelensky's requests.

Mr Zelensky convoy weaved its way through London after his arrival this morning
A graduate who used a powerful artificial intelligence 'bot' to write a university essay successfully hoodwinked a professor - who gave the report a passing grade.

Pieter Snepvangers used the controversial ChatGPT AI to write an essay as part of an experiment to see if the software could be used by cheaters for their coursework.

He told the tech to put together a complex 2,000-word piece on social policy - which it did in 20 minutes.

Pieter then asked a lecturer at a top Russell Group university to mark it and give their assessment and was stunned when the tutor said they'd have given it a score of 53 - a passing 2:2 mark.

The professor branded the essay 'fishy' but said it was closer to the work of a 'waffling, lazy' student than an AI, admitting: 'You definitely can't cheat your way to a first-class degree, but you can cheat your way to a 2:2.'

Graduate Pieter Snepvangers said he was shocked to find that an essay written entirely by an AI could have scored a passing university grade

Pieter says he was shocked to find a university lecturer admitting students could 'cheat their way' to a passing grade.

Since launching three months ago, ChatGPT has concerned schools and universities across the world.

READ MORE: Will ChatGPT take my job? Experts reveal the five professions at most risk from the AI revolution Advertisement

The software allows users to ask any question and receive an AI-generated answer in seconds which mimics the style and syntax of a human response.

Students in America have been banned from using the software in schools and UK universities are 'scrambling' to review how they can detect its use.

Writing for student news website The Tab, Pieter said: 'I found a fairly prestigious Russell Group university and asked one of its lecturers if I could take his final-year social policy assessment to see if ChatGPT could really work.

'I wanted to know what mark I could get and whether or not he'd spot the essay was written by a bot.

'Under the premise of being a third-year social policy student completing a 2,000-word essay worth 75 per cent of a unit, I got to work.'

Pieter started off by simply asking the software the essay question and requested 2,000 words with references.

However, the tech - which was created by the Elon Musk-founded firm OpenAI - only managed to give back 365 words at first - only 15 percent of the requested number.

The graduate decided to take a different approach and asked the bot ten separate questions all relating to the essay question, and eventually managed to get 3,500 words from the AI.

Pieter came up with the experiment and asked a university lecturer to see if they could tell if the essay was written by an AI

He then went about taking the best paragraphs the software had given, and copied them in an order that 'resembled the structure of an essay'.

He didn't change or rewrite any of the words, and his essay was complete in 20 minutes.

He said: 'All in all, 20 minutes to produce an essay which is supposed to demonstrate 12 weeks of learning.

'Not bad. I nervously sent it off to my lecturer and awaited the verdict.'

Once marked, Pieter was shocked to find that although the software hadn't delivered a top-notch grade, it had still achieved a passing 2:2.

When asked whether it was obvious the piece was written by a robot, the lecturer didn't 'think it would have been abundantly clear', but said it was a bit 'fishy'.

His feedback continued: 'Basically this essay isn't referenced. It is very general. It doesn't go into detail about anything. It's not very theoretical or conceptually advanced.

'This could be a student who has attended classes and has engaged with the topic of the unit. The content of the essay, this could be somebody that's been in my classes. It wasn't the most terrible in terms of content.'

A snippet of the essay written by the controversial AI software - which a university lecturer said was 'fishy' but was reminiscent of essays written by 'waffling, lazy' students

The only element that ChatGPT completely failed on was a lack of in-text referencing, however the lecturer said that if a student 'had sneaked some in which seemed plausible', the essay would be given a mark of 53.

They also said that if Pieter had simply added references from the module's reading list, he 'might even have hit the high 50s'.

The lecturer even admitted that out of the essays he had marked so far, a shocking 12 per cent of them showed signs of being written using AI software.

Pieter said: 'The truth is the software doesn't give you the answer in one go. You will have to structure its responses in a more coherent order.

'But I spent ten minutes doing this and got a 53 - it wouldn't have taken much longer to add a few references from the reading list and bump it to a high 2:2.

'ChatGPT is only three months old. You wouldn't bet against it being able to write an essay worthy of a 2:1 in another three months.'
Cleese has been forced to repeatedly revisit past glories to pay for his divorces

Fawlty Towers fans are celebrating today at the news the iconic sitcom will return to British TV screens after more than four decades.

But for John Cleese the decision to write new episodes with his daughter Camilla, 39, is likely to be more pragmatic than sentimental - with the 83-year-old forced to repeatedly revisit past glories after a series of expensive divorces.

Fawlty Towers was remade three times in the US - in 1979 as Chateau Snavely, in 1983 as Amanda's, and in 1999 as Payne. But all failed, and in 2009 a 69-year-old Cleese said the cast would never try another reboot because they were 'too old and tired'.

In the latest reboot, the comedian will once again play Basil Fawlty with Camilla appearing as the hotelier's daughter. The pair decide to reenter the industry and open up a boutique property, only for things to inevitably end in disaster.

Cleese is said to be worth 8million. But he's frequently spoken about the need to replenish his savings after splitting from his third wife, psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger, in 2008 after 15 years together.

Classic comedy Fawlty Towers saw John Cleese play inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty. He's pictured alongside Polly Sherman (Connie Booth) and Manuel (Andrew Sachs)

The comedian has revisited his back catalogue in recent years after a series of expensive divorces. He's seen here in 2014 with Michael Palin doing the famous 'Dead Parrot Sketch' during a Monty Python live show at the 02 Arena

Cleese famously travelled the UK, Europe, Australia and South Africa with his Alimony Tour in 2011 to raise cash for his settlement with ex wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger

The divorce ended up costing him a staggering 12million after alimony payments of 650,000 a year.

He made his final payment to Eichelberger in 2015 but is still suffering a financial hangover, as he revealed last year.

'There are so many books I want to read, but the divorce did absolutely clean me out because I never had the sort of money that people who worked in American television had,' he told LBC's Full Disclosure podcast.

'It cleaned me out so I'm still working and I'm nearly 83. And I'm still working and I don't really have any savings.'

The comedian described himself as 'comfortably well off' before divorcing Eichelberger, but has previously said he believes she is now richer than he is.

'I was comfortably well off before I got divorced from Alyce Faye Eichelberger. I never knew how much I really had - I was just comfortable,' he told German magazine Spiegel in 2016.

'But now I've been working for seven years to pay off the alimony. She's far better off than I am. So you could sit around being bitter about that. Or you can just think it's completely ridiculous.'

Cleese famously travelled the UK, Europe, Australia and South Africa with his Alimony Tour in 2011 to raise cash for his settlement with Eichelberger.

He also admitted the divorce bill was one of the main motivations for him to rejoin the Pythons for a series of live shows.

The star got remarried in 2012 to Jennifer Wade, who he is pictured with during an event at Tiffany & Co in London in 2013

The star was wed to his Fawlty Towers co-star Connie Booth from 1968 to 1978 and then to American actress Barbara Trentham from 1981 to 1990

Cleese split from his third wife, American psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger, in 2008 after 15 years together. They're pictured together in LA in 2004

John has teamed up with his comedian daughter Camilla Cleese, 39, to write the new Fawlty Towers episodes (she's pictured in 2018)

In 2021 he starred in Clifford the Big Red Dog movie playing Mr Bridwell.

His other work includes a 2010 advertising campaign with AA, where he played a man who believed the company couldn't help him after a series of disasters including water pouring through the ceiling.

'The AA? For faulty showers?' he said.

In 2013, Cleese starred in Israeli crime comedy Hunting Elephant and that same year appeared as himself in filmmaker Gracie Otto's 2013 documentary film The Last Impresario.

He joined with Eric Idle in 2015 and 2016 for a tour of North America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand,

He's also written a series of plays, including Big Bang! - an adaptation of Georges Feydeau's French play Monsieu Chasse!.

This year, Cleese will appear in Roman Polanski's film The Palace, and he recently signed up to present a news show on GB News alongside the journalist Andrew Doyle.

He is likely to use the show to make further attacks on 'woke' culture, which he blames for stifling creativity.

The star got remarried in 2012 to Jennifer Wade in the exotic location of Mustique, and despite her being 28 years his junior, he still worries about losing touch with what's relevant as he ages.

He said: 'One of the things about getting old is that you lose touch with the contemporary scene. I find it rather amusing that I'm still managing to earn a living despite the fact that I have no idea why anybody would use Facebook.'

Cleese was married twice before his union with Eichelberger.

He was wed to his Fawlty Towers co-star Connie Booth from 1968 to 1978 and then to American actress Barbara Trentham from 1981 to 1990.

Cleese's recent comments suggest money remains on his mind, with the star joking with photographers last year about the cost of a meal he'd had to celebrate a friend's 80th birthday.

'The food was good but it is very expensive,' he said while getting into a taxi outside trendy private members' bar Oswald's in London's Albemarle street in August.

Fawlty Towers was remade three times in the US, including in in 1979 as Chateau Snavely

Amanda's, a second Fawlty Towers remake that appeared in 1983
Russian ally Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic, has called for Putin's army to 'denazify and demilitarise' Poland.

In a rant on the social network Telegram on Monday the Russian native observed that Poland had depleted its military resources and would now be asking: 'What if, after the successful completion of the [special military operation], Russia begins to denazify and demilitarise the next country?

'After all, after Ukraine, Poland is on the map!'

He continued: 'Frankly, I personally have such an intention, and [...] the fight against Satanism should continue throughout Europe and, first of all, on the territory of Poland.'

He suggested that the historical region of Silesia, mostly in Poland, had 'earned a special independent status' and needed a referendum, 'during which Russia can provide organisational assistance'.

Russian ally Kadyrov (left) has sent units from Chechnya to support Putin's (right) war effort

Russian tanks in a parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad last week

Kadyrov is the son of the former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, who defected to the Russian side during the Chechen War at the start of Putin's presidency.

For more than two decades, the family has aligned the republic closely with Russia.

Several Chechen battalions have fought alongside Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, directed by Kadyrov.

Notably, battalions made up of anti-Kadyrovite volunteers have also fought with Ukraine.

Kadyrov has supported Putin's invasion of Ukraine since the start of the war, pledging the republic would 'carry out [Putin's] orders under any circumstances' on 26 February 2022.

Within days he urged military commanders to bombard Russia into submission, 'shut your eyes to everything' and finish the war 'within a day or two'.

Almost a year after the start of the war, he said on Tuesday that the so-called special military operation would be over by the end of the year.

'European countries will admit they have been wrong, the West will fall to its knees, and, as usual, European countries will have to cooperate with the Russian Federation in all spheres.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) pictured with Chechen ally Ramzan Kadyrov (right)

Kadyrov has proven a devout loyalist to Putin, echoing his rallies against the West.

However, the Chechen warlord has also been an occasional liability to Russia.

During the war, he advocated 'wiping out' Ukrainian cities.

Throughout his tenure as leader, Kadyrov has repressed his own people, accused of human rights violations and the persecution of LGBT people in the republic.

Before the war, he made headlines in the West for his comments supporting the honour killing of gay men.

He said: 'We don't have those kinds of people here. We don't have any gays.'

Moreover, footage in 2017 showed Chechen prisons used for the detention and torture of gay men.

Kadyrov vowed in his inauguration address in 2021 for his fourth term to 'protect human rights' after winning 99.7 per cent of the vote, backed by Putin.

Within a year, he said his 'time [had] come' and suggested he would resign.

The leader also said 'my time has passed' and hinted at finding a successor weeks before the election in 2016.

Even if the controversial leader would want to step down, onlookers including Putin would fear the possible descent into another Chechen war.
RCEP contributes to global trade, investment growth in past year

09:33, February 08, 2023 By Luo Shanshan ( People's Daily

Jan. 1 this year marked the first anniversary of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Over the past year, China advanced high-quality implementation of this world's largest trade deal and the policy dividends of the deal kept releasing, which effectively promoted regional economic integration.

In a smart workshop of Zhejiang Cayi Vacuum Container Co., Ltd. in east China's Zhejiang province, thermal cups were rolling off the production line and ready to be shipped to European and Asian markets. Last year, the company's exports exceeded $100 million.

"In early 2022, we got the first RCEP certificate of origin in Zhejiang province, and the tariff rate for our thermal cups to be exported to Japan was reduced to 3.2 percent from 3.9 percent. It saved us over 200,000 yuan ($29,498) last year," said Gu Lili, manager of the company's foreign trade department.

The first direct export shipment under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership starts at the Damaiyu port, Yuhuan, Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang province, June 6, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Duan Junli)

According to Gu, the rate has been further lowered to 2.8 percent this year, which makes the company's products more competitive.

"We are confident in further expanding our exports," she said.

The reduced cost brought about by lowering tariffs is the most direct benefit of the RCEP for enterprises. According to the trade pact, more than 90 percent of merchandise trade among members that have approved the agreement will eventually be subject to zero tariffs. Those include immediate cutting of tariffs to zero and cutting of tariffs to zero gradually in 10 years. This has significantly boosted the will for trade in the region.

In recent years, China has seen an increase in the number of fruits imported from ASEAN countries. Since the RCEP took effect, agricultural trade between its members has become closer and more frequent. A large number of fruits, such as bananas from Myanmar, longans from Cambodia, and durians from Vietnam, are entering the Chinese market and enriching the choices of Chinese consumers.

Yuan Bo, associate director of the institute of Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told People's Daily that RCEP tariff cuts and trade facilitation measures have brought tangible benefits to enterprises, and RCEP members now stand as an important market for Chinese enterprises and an important source of imports from China.

A freight train bound for Chinese sea ports facing ASEAN countries departs from Yichun, east China's Jiangxi province on Jan. 27, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Liang)

According to the General Administration of Customs, China's trade with the other 14 RCEP member countries reached 12.95 trillion yuan last year, up 7.5 percent and accounting for 30.8 percent of its total foreign trade.

The country achieved double-digit trade growth with eight RCEP members. In particular, that with Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos was over 20 percent.

Experts believe that RCEP members enjoy high economic complementarity, and the region features complete capital, technological, and labor factors.

Thanks to the accumulation of origin, facilitation of customs procedures and trade, as well as negative list-led investment liberation, RCEP members have further lowered market access for commodities, services, and investment. It promotes the free flow of economic factors in the region and strengthens the division of labor and cooperation among members, thus making industrial and supply chains more reasonable.

The favorable policies under the RCEP framework have constantly enhanced industrial cooperation and increased direct investment between RCEP member countries. Last year, China's imports and exports of intermediate products to other RCEP member countries reached 8.7 trillion yuan, an 8.5 percent increase, accounting for 67.2 percent of China's total imports and exports with other RCEP member countries in the same period.

A worker with the Qinhuangdao Council for the Promotion of International Trade in Hebei province shows the first RCEP certificate of origin issued by the council, Jan. 28, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Cao Jianxiong)

It's noteworthy that the implementation of the RCEP has brought fiercer market competition to some Chinese enterprises. To promote high-quality implementation of the RCEP, China must build its international competitiveness.

"Though the RCEP has been in effect for only around a year, it has done a good job in facilitating trade, integrating industrial chains, making regional development more attractive, and benefiting small- and medium-sized enterprises and citizens with development results," said Gu Qingyang, associate professor with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

He believes that China plays an important role in the RCEP, and the country's robust economic growth in the future will create broader room of development for the trade deal.

It is believed that as RCEP members further fulfill their promises to open up under the trade pact, the potential for regional economy and trade will be further activated and thus contribute more to global economic and trade recovery.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming)
Participating in the debate on the Budget in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Congress legislature party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the Budget figures are highly suspicious. (Photo:Facebook)

Hyderabad: Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has objected to the state government projecting "higher and unrealistic" estimates on tax, non-tax revenues and Central grants in the Budget.

He said these targets were impossible to realise and the state government did this just for the sake of presenting a "jumbo budget" of Rs 2.90 lakh crore without taking ground realities into consideration.

Participating in the debate on the Budget in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, he said the Budget figures are "highly suspicious".

"Revenue receipts were shown at Rs 2.16 lakh crore and the states own tax revenue was shown at Rs 1.31 lakh crore. This is Rs 40,000 crore higher than the previous year. How will you realise these additional tax collections? Are you planning to impose fresh taxes on people? The government should clarify these issues."

Bhatti also questioned the rationale behind projecting the Centres grants-in-aid at Rs 41,259 crore and the states share in Central taxes at Rs 21,470 crore.

"The reality is the state was not getting even Rs 10,000 crore grants from the Centre every year. This shows that the state has overstated a total of Rs 70,000 crore in estimates just for the sake of presenting a jumbo budget of Rs 2.90 lakh crore," Bhatti stated.

He accused the state government of pushing the state into a debt trap by resorting to indiscriminate borrowings.

"The Budget has proposed to raise Rs 46,317 crore through open market loans this year. This will take total open market loans to Rs 3.57 lakh crore. An additional Rs 1.29 lakh crore was mobilised through corporations for which the state government is the guarantor. The overall debt burden has nearly touched Rs 5 lakh crore."

Bhatti also rubbished the state governments claims of per capita income of Telangana witnessed a steep increase in the last eight years. "Only the wealth of a few individuals and families in the state have multiplied due to which the GSDP has increased. The government is dividing this GSDP among four crore population in the state and projecting as if the income of every person has increased in the state."
The Syrian government bombed an opposition-held area of the country in the immediate aftermath of Monday's catastrophic earthquake, the UK has said.

MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, condemned President Bashar al-Assad for launching a 'truly callous and heinous attack' on the town of Marea, found in Syria's north-west that was struck by the earthquake.

Marea sits around 70 miles south of the Turkish town of Pazarcik, which is close to the epicentre of Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake. So far, more than 9,500 people have been confirmed dead across Turkey and Syria. The number is expected to rise.

Kearns said the town in Syria's opposition-held enclave had come under attack as locals tackled the immediate aftermath of the deadly quake.

'Yesterday he [Assad] bombed Marea, which was an area affected by the earthquake, in what was a truly callous and heinous attack and opportunism for him to try to attack and destroy the moderate opposition,' Ms Kearns told British MPs on Tuesday.

The Syrian government bombed an opposition-held area of the country in the immediate aftermath of Monday's catastrophic earthquake, the UK has said. Pictured: Smoke rises from an airstrike in rebel-held Idlin, Syria, in this 2019 file photo

Responding to the MP's statement, UK Foreign Secretary slammed the Assad regime for the 'completely unacceptable bombing'.

'Sadly it speaks to a long-standing pattern of behaviour by the Assad regime, a regime that we condemn, have sanctioned and will continue to bring about sanctions  working with our international friends and partners  to try to prevent behaviour like this occurring again,' he said.

Kearns was 'absolutely right to highlight the completely unacceptable bombing of areas in the immediate aftermath of this natural disaster,' he added.

The statements came after the While Helmets organisation had issued a plea to diplomats, calling on them to pressure Damascas to ensure that there is no bombing in the areas affected by the quake.

The Syrian Red Crescent, meanwhile, appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid as Assad's government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international cross-border relief efforts.

'I call on for the lifting of sanctions on Syria. This is the most important thing for us,' The head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Khaled Hboubati, told a news conference Damascus, highlighting the need for construction machinery for the rescue effort.

Sanctions by the United States, the EU and some Arab countries have been in place since 2011, after Assad's government cracked down on protests against his rule.

Meanwhile, Assad's 19-year-old daughter Zein al-Assad took to Instagram, told her followers to 'be careful who you donate to,' while sharing a link for donations to people in Syria's rebel-held region.

MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (pictured in 2021) for launching a 'truly callous and heinous attack' on the town of Marea, found in Syria's north-west that was struck by the earthquake

MP Alicia Kearns (left) said the town in Syria's opposition-held enclave had come under attack as locals tackled the immediate aftermath of the deadly quake. Responding to the MP's statement, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (pictured right February 7) slammed the Assad regime for the 'completely unacceptable bombing'

'This is a group supporting terrorists in Idlib. The donations will not go to [the government controlled regions of] Aleppo, Latakia or Hama,' she wrote, according to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, which saw her post on her private account.

Zein lives in London, where she is believed to have fled to with Syria's first lady Asma al-Assad at the on-set of the near-12-year-long Syrian civil war.

Assad's government has pressed for years for all humanitarian aid to be sent from within Syria, including to the opposition-held enclave. The U.N. has increased cross-conflict line deliveries but not enough for the millions in need.

Residents in the quake-devastated town of Jandairis in northern Syria used their bare hands and pickaxes to search for survivors.

'My whole family is under there - my sons, my daughter, my son-in-law... There's no one else to get them out,' said Ali Battal, his face streaked with blood and head swathed in a wool shawl against the bitter cold.

'I hear their voices. I know they're alive but there's no one to rescue them,' added the man in his 60s.

The Syrian health ministry reported damage across the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russia is leasing a naval facility.

After a decade of civil war and Syrian-Russian aerial bombardment, the north-west region of the country already has destroyed hospitals, a collapsed economy, and electricity, fuel and water shortages.

Pictured: A map showing the location of Marea, a Syrian town bombed by the Assad regime on Monday, shortly after a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the region

Syrian civilians and rescuers gather at a collapsed building on February 7, in Jandairis

A Syrian man carries the body of a child on February 7, 2023, in the town of Jandairis

Syrian President Bashar Assad (right) is seen with his 19-year-old daughter Zein al-Assad, who tried to persuade her followers not to donate towards rebel-held areas in Syria in a post on Instagram, saying the money would go to 'terrorists'

Even before the tragedy, buildings in Aleppo - Syria's pre-war commercial hub - often collapsed due to the dilapidated infrastructure and bomb damage.

There are fears that the toll will rise inexorably, with WHO officials estimating up to 20,000 may have been killed by the quake, which struck at night.

WHO warned that up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the disaster zone.

Washington and the European Commission said on Monday that humanitarian programmes supported by them were responding to the destruction in Syria.

The UN's cultural agency UNESCO also said it was ready to provide assistance after two sites listed on its World Heritage list in Syria and Turkey sustained damage.

In addition to the damage to Aleppo's old city and the fortress in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, UNESCO said at least three other World Heritage sites could be affected.

Syria activated the EU civil protection mechanism, the European Commission's head of crisis management Janez Lenarcic said on Wednesday.

'Earlier today, this morning, we have received a request from the government of Syria for assistance through the civil protection mechanism,' European Commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic told reporters.

Lenarcic said member states are encouraged to contribute with assistance as requested.

Elsewhere in the country following the earthquake, prisoners mutinied at a jail holding mostly Islamic State group members in northwestern Syria, with at least 20 escaping, a source at the facility told AFP news agency.
A British former medical student who went to fight for Isis has revealed that just like Shamima Begum he hopes to return to the UK.

Jihadi fighter Ibrahim Ageed, 29, from Leicester, is incarcerated in Al-Sina Prison in Al-Hasakah, northeastern Syria.

He claimed Isis could make a comeback and said it was his right to return to the UK.

In an interview with The News Movement he said: 'I believe I'll be subjected to the justice system but I'm ready to face the music and I believe it's my right basically to go back home.'

The Isis fighter joined the terror group in 2015 with his brother Mohamed when he was just 21.

Former medical student Ibrahim Ageed, now 29, (pictured in Al-Sina Prison in Syria) joined Isis when he was just 21. He has been in prison for the last four years and wants to return to the UK

Isis bride Shamima Begum, now 23, joined the terrorist group just like Ibrahim Ageed. Both Brits want to return to the UK

For the last four years he has been in prison where he said he was 'completely isolated'.

He said although the terror group had been been 'significantly weakened' he thought 'whether you can completely rid the world of these groups is a very difficult task'.

He said the reason people joined the extremist group, which killed tens of thousands of people as it tried to create an Islamic Caliphate, was that they had 'lost hope'.

He said: 'These people, they lost hope. This is what pushes them to do what they're doing.'

The BBC has released a 10-part podcast about Shamima Begum in which she tells the story of how she joined ISIS

In 2015, Begum (centre), then 15, and her school friends Kadiza Sultana (left), also 15, and Amira Abase (right), 16, fled their east London homes to join Islamic State. Her two companions are believed to have died there

Ibrahim and his brother Mohamed travelled to Turkey in 2015 and headed to Syria.

The Ageed brothers were in their final year at the privately-owned University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST) and had previously studied at fee-paying Loughborough Grammar School.

They left to join Isis just a week before their final university exams.

Ibrahim and Mohamed, then aged 21 and 23, grew up in Oadby, Leicester, with parents Adil Ageed, a doctor, and Nawal Salih.

Ibrahim's revelation came as BBC viewers vowed to cancel their television licences as they slammed last night's 'sickening' 90-minute Shamima Begum documentary on the BBC.

The programme aired on the back of the corporation's 10-part podcast that 'retraces' the journey she took eight years ago from her home in east London to Syria, where she joined the terrorist group Islamic State.

Begum, now 23, has made several highly publicised attempts to return to the UK and restore her reputation after the Home Secretary stripped her of her British citizenship in 2019.

Begum travelled to Syria when she was 15 with two school friends from Bethnal Green, east London, in February 2015.

Kadiza Sultana, who was also 15, and Amira Abase, 16, are believed to have been killed there.

Although she hopes to come back to the UK and has disavowed the terror group, Begum admitted it was 'exciting' to travel to Syria.

Viewers have vowed to cancel their TV licences as they slammed last night's 'sickening' 90-minute Shamima Begum documentary

Begum has made several highly publicised bids to return to the UK and restore her reputation, but critics say the broadcaster has been 'parading her as if she is some sort of celebrity' for views

She said she was 'in love' with ISIS and desperate to join.

Critics say the BBC has been 'parading her as if she is some sort of celebrity' for views.

Viewers of The Shamima Begum Story last night accused the broadcaster of presenting the jihadi bride as a 'vulnerable young girl' with 'beautifully staged, moody shots, ominous backtrack and tearful pieces to camera'.

She is living in a refugee camp in northern Syria, which she described as 'worse than a prison'. She said: 'I hate myself inside... At least with prison sentences you know there's going to be an end. But here, you don't know if there's going to be an end.'
Angry locals are fighting back after the Government gave the green light for a three times-bankrupt London borough to raise its council tax by 15%.

On Monday, it was announced Croydon Council had received permission from Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove for the tax hike without a referendum after 'significant failures in local leadership'.

Outside of the capital, Thurrock and Slough councils were also granted permission to increase council tax by 10% after declaring bankruptcy, while Thurrock has also pleaded for a 636million bailout.

Yesterday, campaigners in Croydon set up an online petition demanding the reversal of the decision - which has already amassed over 3,500 signatures.

Petition organiser Steven Downes wrote: 'We the people of Croydon reject the imposition of a 15% council tax rise. We should not be asked to pay more to get less.

On Monday, it was announced Croydon Council had received permission from Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove for the tax hike without a referendum after 'significant failures in local leadership'

'Funding for Croydon Council from central government has been cut dramatically over the past 13 years, and we receive far less funding per person than neighbouring Lambeth.'

Jason Perry, the Conservative mayor of Croydon, insisted the blame lay with the 'financial failures of the previous administration', the BBC reports.

He said: 'Given the scale of financial collapse Croydon has experienced, getting back on track will require incredibly difficult decisions.'

He added the tax increase would mean 'around an extra 4.50 a week, or 63p a day, for the average property.'

Last November, Croydon council was forced to issue a Section 114 notice after becoming insolvent for a third time - admitting it couldn't balance its budget for 2023/24.

It has also been obliged to commit to 130million spending cuts in the next financial year.

Mr Downes added: 'We note that the Conservative Council that left office in 2014 handed over around 1 billion in debt. This was increased by 50% by the Labour group which ran the council from 2014-22.

'Successive councils and successive governments are to blame for the current financial situation in Croydon Council. The one group that is not to blame is Croydon's residents.'

Petition organiser Steven Downes wrote: 'We the people of Croydon reject the imposition of a 15% council tax rise. We should not be asked to pay more to get less'

In Monday's announcement, Michael Gove told the House of Commons: 'Following significant failures in their local leadership, governance and financial management, the Government received requests from Thurrock, Croydon and Slough for the flexibility to increase their council tax by an additional amount, to provide extra funding to support their financial recovery.

'Given the exceptional circumstances of these councils, including unprecedented financial deficits driven by poor decision making in the past and the need for ongoing government intervention to drive their improvement and recovery, the Government has decided not to oppose the requests.

'The Government is of course conscious of the impact on local taxpayers, particularly those on low incomes, of having to foot part of the bill for their councils' very significant failings.

'We have been clear to each of the councils that in implementing any additional increases, they should take steps to mitigate the impact on those least able to pay.'

Last November , it was reported that almost every local authority is expected to raise council tax by 5 per cent after Jeremy Hunt scrapped restrictions in the Autumn Budget.

The Chancellor told MPs he was ending a decade-long cap on council tax increases to allow town halls to impose rises above 3 per cent without holding a referendum.

Around 95 per cent of local authorities in England are expected to take advantage of the new powers, tipping average bills over 2,000.

The 5 per cent rise would increase the average council tax paid for a Band D home by 98.30 - pushing it from 1,966 to 2,064.30.

The Treasury watchdog has estimated bills will now rise by the same proportion in each of the next five years.

By 2027-28 the annual increase will be bringing in an extra 4.8billion a year compared to the previous cap of a 3 per cent rise.

Mayor of Croydon Jason Perry said: 'I know local people are understandably concerned about the impact the proposed increase in Council Tax may have. This is not a proposal we have put forward lightly but given the scale of the financial chaos left by the previous Administration, we have little choice but to take this exceptional step.

'We are also proposing to significantly increase the support we provide to protect those who cannot afford to pay their council tax and would otherwise be pushed into hardship by the increase.'
A woman who suffered a year of hell at the hands of Met monster David Carrick is poised to launch legal action against his former employers, the Metropolitan Police, MailOnline can reveal.

Emma (not her real name) is joining with other Carrick survivors to sue the Met for its failure to halt the sexual predator in its midst, despite numerous warnings which were ignored or missed.

The damages would likely run into millions of pounds, especially if all 12 of the victims are part of the action, or others come forward with civil suits.

Harriet Wistrich, of the Centre for Womens Justice, has met two of his victims to discuss potential legal action and has spoken to a third.

The Metropolitan Police has accepted it failed Carricks victims by not properly vetting him when he joined the force and letting him stay for two decades, even though it was warned many times of his predatory behaviour.

A woman who suffered a year of hell at the hands of Met monster David Carrick is poised to launch legal action the Metropolitan Police

Emma (not her real name) is joining with other Carrick survivors to sue the Met for its failure to halt the sexual predator in its midst

David Carrick, pictured, was sentenced to 30 years minimum in prison for carrying out a string of 'violent and brutal' sex attacks against women

Former Metropolitan police officer David Carrick's depraved sex crimes took place over a period spanning 17 years from 2003 to 2020

Protesters gathered outside court yesterday where David Carrick was being sentenced

Last month Emma, in her early 50s, recounted her appalling experience exclusively to MailOnline and how Carrick, 48, kept her a virtual prisoner after she moved into his home in Stevenage, telling her: I am the law as he abused her daily.

She was she was handcuffed, whipped with a metal chain, sexually abused and locked naked in an under stairs cupboard as punishment and believes he would have killed her, had she not finally summoned up the courage to leave him in .

Now, having bravely attended court to watch him receive a minimum 30-year prison sentence, she said it was time to take the fight to the next stage.

She said: His bosses at the Met have a lot to answer for. He felt he was untouchable, and its hardly surprising when they had so many chances to stop him and didnt take any of them.

The mother of three, whose own father was a detective on a Home Counties force, added: People should be able to trust the police, and obviously most officers are good people.

The damages would likely run into millions of pounds, especially if all 12 of the victims are part of the action, or others come forward with civil suits

Carrick, who joined the Met in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009, has pleaded guilty to 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape

One victim was locked in a cupboard naked as a form of 'punishment', it was heard in court

But if theres a culture that allows people like Carrick to behave the way he did, almost in plain sight, then something fundamental needs to be done to change that.

Carrick was known by the nickname B*****d Dave among fellow officers.

The former soldier passed normal vetting procedures to join the force in 2001 despite allegations of malicious communications and burglary against an ex-partner the previous year.

He was then accused of harassment and sexual assault against a former partner during his probationary period in 2002 but the matter was not referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards.

Next, Carrick was the subject of five complaints from members of the public between 2002 and 2008, including rudeness, incivility and the use of force - with two incidents dealt with by management action.

The former Met Police officer, pictured here in a court sketch, waged a horrific campaign of abuse against his sexual partners for nearly 20 years

The former Met Police officer, pictured here in uniform and holding a gun, abused a dozen women over the course of nearly 20 years

He nevertheless passed checks to become a firearms officer in 2009 despite at least one further domestic incident involving the Met in 2004.

In the year he transferred to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, Hertfordshire Police received a domestic abuse report from a third party involving Carrick but neither party made a complaint and no charge was brought. Hertfordshire Police informed his Met supervisors.

He was also the suspect in a 2016 Hampshire Police investigation following an allegation of harassment, but he was not arrested.

He was re-vetted in 2017 - the same year he was spoken to by Thames Valley Police officers after being thrown out of a nightclub in Reading while drunk.

After being accused of grabbing a woman by the neck during a domestic incident investigated by Hertfordshire Constabulary in 2019, the PC was given "words of advice" but found to have no misconduct case to answer in relation to informing his chain of command about off-duty incidents.

He was placed on restricted duties after being arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2021, but the restrictions were lifted after the criminal probe was dropped in September.

Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley pledged after Carricks sentencing he would earn back the trust and confidence of women.

He added: I and tens of thousands of officers and staff in the Met are horrified by this mans crimes and recognise this will shake Londoners trust too. We have let down women across London but we are more determined than ever to put it right.

I have been clear, we will rid the Met of those who corrupt our integrity by bringing the same intensive investigative approach to identifying wrongdoing in our own ranks as we do to identifying criminals in the community. Some other police services are starting to confront similar issues.

similar issues.

Addressing systemic failures will take time, but we will be determined and relentless in rooting out the corrupt. Lifting the stone and confronting what we find beneath, will result in more difficult cases coming to light. We need the support of Londoners to get through it.

David Carricks crimes were unspeakably evil. The detail is harrowing.

He subjected these victims and survivors to the most degrading and inhumane treatment and yet they still showed the courage to come forward and to provide the evidence that led to his conviction.

He exploited his position as a police officer in the most disgusting way. He should not have been a police officer. We werent rigorous enough in our approach and as a result we missed opportunities to identify the warning signs over decades. I want to again reiterate my apology on behalf of the Met. We are truly sorry.

I recognise that as a result of this case and other prominent recent cases, there are women whose trust in the police is profoundly shaken.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has brought his daughter to visit troops to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the country's army.

The North Korean leader lauded the 'irresistible might' of his nuclear-armed military at the anniversary meeting, state media said today.

The visit came amid indications that North Korea is preparing to stage a massive military parade in the capital, Pyongyang, where it could showcase the latest hardware of a growing nuclear weapons program that stokes the concern of its neighbors and the United States.

In her fourth known public appearance, Kim's daughter Kim Ju Ae, believed to be nine or ten years old, stood closely with her father as he shook the hands of senior officials and sat next to him at a table.

Analysts say Kim's decision to bring his daughter to public events tied to his military is to remind the world he has no intentions to voluntarily surrender his nuclear weapons, which he apparently sees as the strongest guarantee of his survival and the extension of his family's dynastic rule.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol Ju (left) and their daughter Kim Ju Ae (center) attend a banquet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army the following day, in Pyongyang, North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with his daughter Kim Ju Ae during the lavish banquet

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sat down with his daughter Kim Ju Ae

State media's lofty description of Kim Ju Ae, who has been called 'respected' and 'beloved,' has also inspired debate on whether she's being primed as her father's successor. She attended a flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in November and has accompanied her father to a meeting with military scientists and a missile inspection.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday that Kim visited the lodging quarters of the Korean People's Army's general officers with his daughter. He later gave an encouraging speech to troops at a banquet, praising them for maintaining the 'strongest army in the world' despite external difficulties.

The visit came a day after Kim presided over a meeting with his top military brass and called for an expansion of combat exercises aimed at sharpening war readiness, as he looks to escalate an already provocative run in weapons demonstrations in the face of deepening tensions with his neighbors and Washington.

State media photos showed military officials applauding at the banquet, which appeared to be held at Pyongyang's Yanggakdo Hotel. Kim and his daughter dressed alike in black suits and white dress shirts and held hands as they walked down a red carpet alongside Kim's wife, Ri Sol Ju.

Kim during his speech said it was his 'greatest honor' and delight to be the supreme commander of an army that is 'fulfilling (the) call of the times and history as the strongest army in the world.'

State media reports on Kim's visit to troops didn't mention any comments made toward Washington or Seoul. But Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an editorial today that the North's military is prepared to unleash a 'super strong strike of unimaginable might to wipe out the origins of provocations without a trace' when facing enemy threats.

The newspaper said North Korea's ramped-up weapons tests and combat exercises last year were successful demonstrations of 'overwhelming military might' that supports the government's escalatory nuclear doctrine and its principle of 'power-to-power, all-out confrontation' against enemies.

North Korea hasn't confirmed plans for a military parade, which could possibly take place later Wednesday. Residents in Pyongyang marked the anniversary by visiting the city's Mansu Hill to lay flowers and pay respect to the statues of their late leaders, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, respectively the grandfather and father of their ruler, as soldiers lined up to salute.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending a banquet to mark the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army (KPA), with his wife Ri Sol Ju and his daughter in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol Ju and their daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a banquet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army the following day, in Pyongyang, North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his daughter Kim Ju Ae and his wife Ri Sol Ju at the banquet

Kim during his speech said it was his 'greatest honor' and delight to be the supreme commander of an army that is 'fulfilling (the) call of the times and history as the strongest army in the world

Commercial satellite images have shown weeks of apparent preparations involving huge numbers of troops and civilians for an event typically intended to glorify Kim Jong Un's rule and his relentless push to cement the North's status as a nuclear power.

North Korea is also facing deepening economic isolation and food shortages, showing the costs of Kim's nuclear ambitions are piling up.

North Korea is coming off a record-breaking year in weapons testing, and the dozens of missiles it fired in 2022 included potentially nuclear-capable systems designed to strike targets in South Korea and the US mainland.

The intensified testing activity was punctuated by fiery statements threatening pre-emptive nuclear attacks against its neighbors and the United States in a broad range of scenarios where it may perceive its leadership as under threat.

Animosity could rise in coming months with Kim doubling down on his nuclear push into 2023.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, speaks at a banquet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives a speech during the banquet

During a major political conference in December, Kim called for an 'exponential increase' in the number of the country's nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nukes targeting 'enemy' South Korea and the development of more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the United States.

Aside from developmental tests, North Korea could also dial up its military demonstrations in response the United States' expanding combined military exercises with South Korea, which the allies say are aimed at countering the North's evolving threat.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry last week warned that the country is prepared to counter US military moves with the 'most overwhelming nuclear force' as it condemned US plans to expand its joint exercise with South Korea and deploy more advanced military assets like bombers and aircraft carriers to the region.
He faces charges of assaulting police and willful damage

A 20-year-old has been charged over the alleged attack

A man being chased by motorcycle cops for allegedly 'causing a disturbance' has been captured on video punching a police officer.

The 20-year-old police allege threw the punch has been charged with two counts of assaulting police, willful damage and causing a public nuisance.

Shocking footage in Brisbane's inner-city nightlife hub of Fortitude Valley shows a man in a white t-shirt running down Brunswick St about at around 3am on Sunday morning being pursued by police motorcycles.

A man being chased by motorcycle cops for allegedly 'causing a disturbance' has been captured on video punching a police officer

As an officer ahead attempts to intercept him the man throws a round-arm punch that at the officer which draws gasps from onlookers.

The man in the video continues to run but is eventually wrestled to the ground by by officers 20 metres down the road.

He is handcuffed while on the ground as police form a cordon around him.

Police allege they conducting routine patrols through the district when they came across a man causing a disturbance.

Two male police officers, a 42-year-old senior constable and a 31-year-old constable, sustained minor injuries in the altercations.

The man accused of throwing the punch appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
His wife alleged it was an act of 'attempted murder' on Russian-held territory

Propagandist turned fighter Igor Mangushev died after he was shot in the head

A pro-Putin spin doctor who notoriously waved the skull of a 'dead Ukrainian' fighter on stage in a sickening stunt died today after he was shot in the head.

Igor Mangushev, 36, had been gravely wounded in hospital for several days after what his wife alleged was an act of 'attempted murder' on Russian-held territory.

He died around 6am from wounds sustained in the so-far unexplained shooting on 4 February.

The sinister ultranationalist campaigner and propagandist turned fighter was seen in sickening footage on stage in August brandishing the reported skull of an Azov fighter declaring: 'We're alive and this guy is already dead.

'Let him burn in hell. He wasn't lucky. We'll make a goblet out of his skull.'

Pro-Putin activist Mangushev sain in his sickening rant: 'We'll make a goblet out of your skull'

The pro-Putin ultranationalist's address came at an unconfirmed location at an unknown date

The shooting of Mangushev - aka Bereg - has been seen as a likely warning to his 'associate' Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner private army and one of Vladimir Putin's closest cronies.

This theory of a 'proxy attack' was voiced by leading Russian expert Mark Galeotti who said: 'I think we can safely describe this as a hit.'

He said: 'This could be a warning, or taking a pawn off the board, or a sign that Mr Prigozhin's more thuggish rivals feel he is weakened enough that they can move.'

There was no immediate suggestion Mangushev was shot in a revenge act by Ukraine.

Today a Ukrainian source US Insider said: 'Remember the sadist Mangushev, who performed with the skull of a murdered Ukrainian soldier from Mariupol?

'So, he died. And they shot him with their own shot in the head.

'This happened, of course, not at the front .recently, Mangushev has collaborated with Prigozhin and Wagner PMC.'

Igor Mangushev claimed the skull belonged to an Azov regiment soldier killed in Mariupol

At the weekend, Mangushev's wife Tatiana Azarevich, posted a video saying he had been struck down at close range away from the frontline.

She claimed he was not given adequate medical care, and that the Russian authorities had failed to investigate the shooting.

Doctors had told her 'the shot was made at close range, at a 45 degree angle to the back of the head, from top to bottom'.

It was 'attempted murder' or an 'execution', she said.

Igor Mangushev is thought to have fought in Ukraine following Russia's invasion

Russian ultranationalist fighter Igor Mangushev is pictured in fatigues

Ultranationalist Igor Mangushev is pictured in a Russian army 'Z' hat

She denied claims he was in the Wagner force - run by Prigozhin, but serving with the regular Russian army.

'He is an active serviceman of the Russian Army, a captain of the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Army Corps of the 8th Army of the Russian Armed Forces,' she said.

A video shows the pair on holiday in Lebanon in November.

Mangushev, 36, was the leader of a pro-Russian political movement with links to the FSB security service.

In his deranged rant in August, Mangushev declared: 'Why can't there be any reconciliation?

'Ukraine must be de-Ukrainized. The Russian lands of Novorossiya must be returned back.

'We are not at war with people of blood and flesh. We are at war with an idea  Ukraine as an anti-Russian state.'

In his Telegram channel, Mangushev openly called for the killing of civilians.

'We will burn your houses, kill your families, take away your children and raise them Russians,' he posted.
A Serbian MP has resigned after he was filmed watching pornography during a parliamentary debate.

Zvonimir Stevic, 65, a veteran politician long involved in Serbian-Kosovan diplomacy, was caught flicking between hardcore pornography and an X-rated massage video on his phone during a discussion on Serbia's ties with Kosovo.

Lawmakers were meeting to talk through links between nations that would affect Kosovo's application to join the EU.

Stevic, himself a law graduate and the chair of the Committee for Kosovo, appeared more interested in watching a pornographic massage clip on his lap.

Ivica Dacic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, asked the MP to resign and said: 'Wherever you appear, whatever you say, you will always be a porno MP.'

The MP was seen flicking between hardcore content and an X-rated massage video

The MP was seen scrolling through a website and watching two X-rated videos.

A recording was leaked onto social media, which was picked up by national media and led to Stevic' resignation.

Ivica Dacic said: 'This is a scandal and a disaster.

'Zvonko, it is realistic for you to resign. You can no longer remain a deputy, because you cannot deal with this.'

Zvonimir complied, saying: 'I am a party soldier, I will do what you ask.'

Western nations are pressuring Serbia and Kosovo to normalise relations after the latter declared independence in 2008.

The issue is said to be the largest obstacle preventing Serbia's accession to the EU.

In December, Serbia moved troops to the Kosovan border amid rising tensions between the two countries.

Stevic became the vice-president of the Pristina municipal assembly in 1991.

He has been a senior figure in managing relations with Kosovo, rising to deputy minister and president of the coordination centre at the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija in 2008.

He came under fire in 2008 for spending more than two and a half million dinars (about 18,704) on travel expenses from the parliamentary treasury.

Veteran socialist politician Zvonimir Stevic said he would resign from his position

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addresses a special parliament session to inform MPs about the latest negotiating process with Kosovo during at the National Assembly building in Belgrade on February 2, 2023

In May last year, British MP Neil Parish resigned after he was caught watching adult content twice in parliament.

He said the first time was accidental after 'looking at tractors' and the second was 'a moment of madness'.
The married sex offender who raped student Libby Squire before murdering her and throwing her body in a freezing river received 110,000 in Legal Aid to help him fight his case, MailOnline can reveal.

Butcher Pawel Relowicz, 28, who laughed as he was arrested, pocketed 109,563.35 to pay for his defence.

Disclosure of his legal aid bill comes after the killer changed his mind and refused to meet with his 21-year-old victim's grieving mother.

Relowicz was supposed to meet Lisa Squire as part of a restorative justice programme but cancelled the appointment, claiming that he is appealing his life sentence.

Butcher Pawel Relowicz, 28, who laughed as he was arrested, pocketed 109,563.35 to pay for his defence

Libby Squire (pictured), a 21-year-old philosophy student at Hull University, had been out with friends when the killer chanced on her

The Polish butcher dumped tragic Libby's body in the River Hull after raping her on a playing field in the early hours of February 1, 2019.

Libby, a philosophy student at Hull University, had been out with friends when the killer chanced on her.

She caught a taxi home, which dropped her outside her house, but she didn't go inside.

Drunk and dressed in party clothes, she had wandered in the wrong direction and laid down in the snow.

CCTV footage showed Libby, disoriented and possibly hypothermic, being ushered into a silver Vauxhall Astra which belonged to Relowicz, who lived half a mile from her house.

Her body was found seven weeks later in the Humber Estuary. The married father-of-two was jailed for a minimum of 27 years at Sheffield Crown Court in February 2021.

Before he killed Libby, Relowicz had been carrying out a campaign of chilling, sexually motivated crimes in the student area of Hull.

This included peering through windows to watch young women, breaking into their homes to steal intimate items and masturbating in the street.

In the hours after raping and murdering her, he returned home and watched pornography before going out again in apparent search of another victim.

Libby's mother, Lisa Squire (pictured), who was 200 miles away on a shift the moment she discovered her daughter was missing, said: 'It was like one side of me was numb, I couldn't feel her'

Speaking of the moment she knew her daughter was dead, her mother Lisa said she was 200 miles away on a shift as a nursery nurse when she discovered she was missing.

She said: 'I was doing all the things you should do but there was something in the back of my mind saying, 'This is a waste of time. She's dead. She's gone.

'It was like one side of me was numb, I couldn't feel her.'

And she added: 'Every day that passes is another day of not seeing Libby. 'The longing to see her, the yearning for her  the word missing doesn't cover it.

'It's so much more than that. It was a senseless murder. Libby should not have died.'

The Legal Aid Agency, a department of the Ministry of Justice, said: 'Legal aid is not paid directly to Defendants.

'Legal aid is paid to solicitors and barristers for the provision of legal representation to ensure a fair trial.

'Anyone facing a Crown Court trial is eligible for legal aid, subject to a strict means test.

'Depending on their means, applicants for criminal legal aid can be required to pay contributions up to the entire cost of the defence, if they are convicted of at least one offence with which they are charged.'
The Chancellor of Oxford University dramatically branded the concept of campus safe spaces 'mad' and 'oxymoronic'.

Lord Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, unleashed a broadside at the notion as he issued a rallying cry for free speech.

Calling himself an 'old-fashioned liberal', he denounced those who seek to use safe spaces to 'no-platform' people with unpopular opinions. And he also slated David Cameron and George Osborne over their stance on China during their years in government.

Speaking to the Oxford Student, Lord Patten said: 'I'm an old-fashioned liberal and I believe that free speech and tolerance are one of the most important values in an open society.

Chancellor Lord Patten indicated he was not massive fan of 'safe space' culture in an interview

'The only thing that you shouldn't tolerate is intolerance. If universities aren't bastions of free speech, who's going to be? And it means that 'no platforming', a pretty graceless phrase, should be anathema.

'When people talk about safe spaces intellectually at universities, it's mad. It's oxymoronic. That's not what universities are all about.'

He continued: 'When I was an undergraduate, my moral tutor was a Marxist atheist, and there was I, a Catholic scholarship boy from a moderately Right-wing, lower-middle-class family. Did that ruin me? Did that astonish me?

'The truth is that I think what you should learn at university, among other things, is that an argument isn't the same as a quarrel. I hope what we do at a good university is to give people the intellectual confidence and ability to argue tolerantly with people who don't agree with them.'

Lord Patten is the Chancellor of Oxford University and has savaged the concept of safe spaces

Lord Patten also discussed how the West had treated China in the 1990s. He was governor of Hong Kong when Britain handed the territory over to China in 1997.

He suggested that the developed world had misunderstood the level of political change in China after it embraced capitalism, explaining: 'There was this [western] delusion, which was fed by the hubristic notion when the Soviet Union collapsed and when China joined the global economy, that it was the end of history.'

And he criticised the Cameron government's soft stance on China in the face of evidence of human rights abuses, saying: 'I think the Cameron-Osborne golden age of China was bilge. George Osborne, on a visit to China, agrees to go off to Xinjiang just after one of the intellectual leaders of the Uighurs has been sentenced to a prison.'

Oxford University was contacted for further comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

Lord Patten's thoughts come four months after the university's outgoing vice chancellor warned some students now believe in 'a right not to be offended'.

Professor Dame Louise Richardson said that freedom of speech was 'pretty robust' at the elite institution.

But there was an 'unfortunate' view among certain undergraduates that they cannot be upset by opposing opinions, she added.

The 64-year-old political scientist's comments come amid rising numbers of woke rows at campuses across the country and attempts to restrict free speech.

Professor Richardson told Oxford's Cherwell student newspaper: 'In my matriculation speech, I say to every incoming student that this is a place where you can expect to hear views that you don't like, and I exhort them to follow the Augustinian precept of 'audi alteram partem'  hear the other side.'

She added: 'I wouldn't say students are too comfortable, but there is a view amongst some students  and it's not all students  there is a right not to be offended.

'I think that's unfortunate. Education is all about being uncomfortable, about being challenged with views that you hadn't considered or encountered before and figuring out your position.'
Since the YSRCP government came to power, the government ensured children from poor families too got education. (Image: Twitter)

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam north incharge of YSRC and chairman of Nedcap K K Raju has said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy strongly believed that education could eradicate poverty.

Reiterating the landmark reforms implemented in the education sector by the YSRCP government, Raju said that before the party came to power, one could see a lot of child labour in the state. "But, since the YSRCP government came to power, the government ensured children from poor families too got education. The schemes implemented to revolutionize the education system have effected remarkable changes in the lives of children and their families. They can now afford quality education," Raju said.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Raju said, "Today, under the able leadership of CM Jagan Reddy, the government provides not just quality education but also tablets, school bags, books, school uniform, shoes etc and encourages them to take studies seriously."

Taking on Telugu Desam, Raju said, during the previous TD term, Andhra Pradesh was one of the worst-performing states in education, ranking 24th in the performance-based grading index of the Union Ministry of Education. Today, due to the efforts of the YSRCP in the last 3 years, the state has jumped to the 7th rank, he said.

He also pointed out the government would also develop pre-primary schools and Anganwadi centers under Nadu-Nedu. As part of this, in the first phase, 15715 schools were renovated at Rs 3700 crore, while under the second phase, 22,344 schools including 16,911 special schools, were being renovated in the state, taking the total to 44,512 schools, he said.
A mother-of-three broke down in court as she described how she desperately tried to stop her husband and son from killing her lover after he was found hiding in a wardrobe.

Kerry Peckham cried at Norwich Crown Court as she told the jury how she had attempted to hold back her husband Wayne Peckham, 49, from attacking her lover Matthew Rodwell, 39.

She said her son Riley, 23, found Mr Rodwell hiding in a wardrobe upstairs at her home in Downham Market, Norfolk, on January 23, last year.

Mrs Peckham had moved in with father-of-two Mr Rodwell after ending her 'turbulent' relationship with husband Wayne, the father of her three children, who was 'rough, volatile and controlling' towards her.

She claims Mr Rodwell was viciously attacked and said during the attack the sound of the punches and kicks 'changed from more of a thud to more of a splat'.

Mother-of-three Kerry Peckham (left) cried at Norwich Crown Court as she told the jury how she had attempted to stop her husband and son killing her lover Matthew Rodwell, 39 (right)

Matthew Rodwell, 39, is said to have been repeatedly kicked, stamped and punched and died from strangulation

The court heard that Kerry Peckham had split from husband Wayne (left) in Spring 2021. Her son Riley (right) is said to have found Mr Rodwell hiding in a wardrobe at her home

Police were called to the scene where they arrested Wayne Peckham and handcuffed Riley who then escaped

Mr Rodwell had called the police while he was hiding in the wardrobe and officers found the Serco refuse worker dead at the scene, with Mrs Peckham 'distraught'.

The cause of death was strangulation.

Mrs Peckham said when the police arrived Wayne 'jumped up and tried to run away'.

Wayne Peckham, of Manby Close, Hilgay, denies murder and actual bodily harm (ABH) against Mrs Peckham on January 23 last year.

The court heard that Kerry Peckham (left) had tried to prevent Wayne from entering the house

Kerry Peckham began a relationship with father-of-two Matthew Rodwell, a refuse worker for Serco

Mr Rodwell was pronounced dead at the house in Downham Market, Norfolk. The cause of death was strangulation

Riley Peckham, 23, has denied murder and a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Norwich Crown Court

Wayne also denied two counts of ABH and another of assault by beating in relation to an earlier incident in Downham Market on December 4, 2021.

Riley also denied ABH in relation to the same incident on December 4, 2021.

Giving evidence yesterday, Mrs Peckham said Wayne had been 'goading' Riley to 'find' Mr Rodwell and 'let him have it', to 'kill the p***k'.

The mother said she let her son Riley in through an upstairs window after hearing him on the roof that evening.

She told the court she tried to get Riley to leave before he found her lover.

Mrs Peckham later 'grabbed onto the bottom of Wayne's legs' so he 'couldn't fully get to the top of the stairs' after hearing a struggle from upstairs between Mr Rodwell and Riley.

She added: 'He just wanted to get up there... his face appeared angry.'

She said she heard a commotion upstairs when Wayne 'barged past', pushing her out the way.

She added: 'Wayne was trying to get me off him so he could get to the top of the stairs.

'I was holding onto him so tight.'

She told the court that during the struggle she fell to the bottom of the stairs.

After she got up the jury heard that she found the victim already at the bottom of the stairs with 'Wayne leaning over him'.

She told the prosecution that Wayne began 'attacking' him at this point by 'kicking, punching and stamping on him.'

'He couldn't even defend himself at that point,' she added.

She said she was 'screaming at Wayne to stop' before she lay over Rodwell.

She told prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC that Wayne continued his attack and hit and kicked her as well.

She said: 'I was screaming at him to stop and get off him. Wayne was staring and snarling, using every ounce of anger he could muster.'

She thought 'someone might come to help me' because she was 'screaming for help'.

The trial continues.
But they were shocked at their eyewatering bill from DK Oyster Bar in Mykonos

An American couple were slapped with an eye-watering $860 bill after a meal and drinks at a notorious Mykonos restaurant where the owner defends its extortionate prices.

Jessica Yarnall, 31, and Adam Hagaun, 30, from Montana, say they believed the cocktails to be $27 each when they ordered at DK Oyster bar by Platys Gialos beach in Mykonos.

However the pair say after enjoying two mojitos, four crab legs and a Greek salad, they were handed a bill for a staggering $860.

When they challenged the bill, they claim staff produced a 'shot glass' drink that they said was an example of the $26.80 mojito and informed them that their mojitos were different ones, at $107 per drink.

The menu made it appear like it was $40 for a crab leg but in reality it was $40 for a gram of crab leg with a minimum amount to place an order.

It is not the first time the restaurant has caught tourists unawares. Alex and Lindsey Breen, 40, from Canada, were staggered to be hit with a $410 bill after they went in for a 'quick snack' on their honeymoon in May.

Jessica Yarnall, 31, and Adam Hagaun, 30, were slapped with an eye-watering $860 bill after a meal and drinks at a notorious Mykonos restaurant

The couple say they believed the cocktails to be $25 each when they looked at the menu (pictured)

They ordered four crabs legs, a Greek salad and a mojito each and were shocked at the extortionate bill

The latest rip-off scandal follows an investigation by DailyMail.com last year, as the team went inside the beach bar to find that foreigners were charged $18 per oyster and hundreds for a drink.

Locals were found to pay just a fraction of the price while staff members laughed about ripping off unsuspecting tourists.

DailyMail.com goes inside Mykonos beach bar DK Oyster: Click here to read more A cocktail from DK Oyster Advertisement

A local shop worker who ordered in Greek was told that he could have six oysters for just $30 - and at $5 per oyster it's nearly a quarter of the $18 per oyster foreign holidaymakers have had to pay.

Hair stylist Jessica says she was left in disbelief at the shocking sum but said staff insisted that they paid up so they settled the bill in cash and left.

Jessica and construction worker Adam had spent two years saving for the trip and travelled to Athens, Mykonos and Santorini in May 2022 before flying home to Montana, USA.

She emphasized that they had only sat down to eat because the menu made it seem like it was affordable.

Jessica said: 'There were waiters outside trying to get people in. They asked if we wanted to eat and we said we'd get one drink.

'I'd asked for a menu with prices to make sure it was in our price range. The menu made it seem like a really affordable place to eat.

'We sat down and talked about whether to eat or not. They were very pushy. We thought maybe that's how it is and we didn't want to be rude.

'We asked what was good and they said crab legs and a Greek salad so we said 'ok let us think about it' then they brought out bread rolls.

'We told them we didn't order anything yet and they said we had. There was a little bit of a language barrier so we think when we said we'd think about it he thought we meant yes so when we were trying to work out how much it was going to cost they started bringing out the food and they said we definitely ordered this.

'It was a forceful moment where we didn't want to be weird about it but we were also trying to relax. We didn't want to get into an argument with a server.

'When he walked away, I asked my boyfriend if he was alright eating it and he said yes, I told him it would probably be a little bit expensive and he said we should just do it.

DK Oyster bar owner Dimitrios Kalamaras (pictured) said Jessica's account was inaccurate

Jessica and Adam (pictured) had saved for their dream trip around Greece for two years

The notorious DK Oyster Bar by Platis Gialos beach has become notorious as a tourist trap

The Greek island of Mykonos has become the playground of celebrities and the super-rich. Pictured, the popular SantAnna Beach Club

'I thought worst case scenario it would be $300. We were expecting it to be a little more expensive but not as much as it was with the quality of the food.

'Adam got the bill and said "it's bad". It was over 800 and I thought "absolutely not" so I went to the manager and said I was really confused and wanted to see an itemized bill.'

When discussing the bill, Jessica says she googled their menu and showed it said $25 for a mojito but her bill said 100.

Jessica said: 'It looked like 38 for a crab leg, it was 38 for a gram of crab leg and there's a minimum you have to order.

'He came to the bar and slammed down a shot glass and said "that's a 25 mojito, you ordered a 100 mojito" and I told him I did not and that I wasn't given choices.

'They charged 100 for the grossest mojito, the mint wasn't nice. It was disgusting.

'He said we were paying the bill. He didn't want to have a conversation. They said we had to pay the bill.

'We were so taken aback that we thought we'd pay the damn bill and get out of there. We were super upset.'

Mykonos is often viewed as a Greek island paradise holiday destination for rich and famous Americans.

Football stars, Hollywood A-listers, singers and models alike all flock to the party isle to spend each summer in the sun.

Stars such as Former Pussycat Doll singer Nicole Sherzinger, Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton have been known to holiday on the island.

On their website, DK Oyster beside Platys Gialos beach is described as the 'destination of luxury and style' in 'one of the world's top destinations'.

Jessica says while they were at the beach bar they saw other customers 'freaking out' about their own bills.

Jessica says thanks to the astronomical bill, the couple had to cut back on spending on the rest of their trip.

She claims that as well as being the most expensive meal out they had, it was also the worst.

Jessica said: 'The Greek salad was vegetable and oil so not complicated but it wasn't the best one we'd had, it got gross really fast. I'm no chef but think the crab legs tasted [bad], it wasn't amazing and not even worth 100.

'The vacation was so good apart from this experience, everything else was 11 out of ten. We saved a lot for the trip. We were saving for two years. When we go, we want to have a good experience.

'When we got back to the hotel, anyone on the island heard from me that day. God bless my boyfriend who said we shouldn't let the money ruin the rest of the trip but I made a TikTok video and about ten reviews then we tried to make the best of the rest of the trip.

'We would have done some more nicer dinners and spent that money elsewhere where we had chosen. We would have splurged at other places and not been mindful of spending.'

Greek shop worker Costas, 32, carried out a test to see whether locals would be charged the same prices at the notoriously expensive bar

It is not the first time the DK Oyster bar has caught tourists unaware - with negative reviews and previous complaints

Hair stylist Jessica (left) says she was left in disbelief at the shocking sum but said staff insisted that they paid up so they settled the bill in cash and left

DK Oyster's TripAdvisor page is flooded with one-star reviews from customers who allege they experienced similar treatment as Jessica and Adam

Last year a DailyMail.com investigation discovered that locals were paying a fraction of the prices dumped on unsuspecting tourists.

A video of journalists confronting the bar staff shows them saying 'is it 200 dollars? Really? That's a lot of money.'

The man behind the counter responds by repeating: 'It was on the menu,' before moving to cover the camera.

All the victims told how they were not informed of prices before they ordered and were intimidated by burly waiters when handed their bills. Several claimed they were lured into the bar by touts promising them free use of sunbeds if they bought just one drink each.

Greek shop worker Costas, 32, carried out a test to see whether locals would be charged the same prices at the notoriously expensive bar.

He ordered in Greek and was initially warned away by staff who said it was 'expensive'.

He paid the equivalent of $50.80 for one cocktail by staff who told him 'it was lucky I wasn't a tourist, as my drink would've been three times the price and one of the bar staff laughed loud'.

Despite saying he wasn't hungry, he was offered oysters at $30 for a plate of six at $5 each, instead of the $18 per oyster which the French tourists were charged.

DK Oyster became notorious in May 2019 when it charged a group of American tourists more than $800 for six plates of calamari, six beers, three chicken Caesar salad starters, two bottle of water and a glass of tomato juice.

DK Oyster's TripAdvisor page is flooded with one-star reviews from customers who allege they experienced similar treatment as Jessica and Adam.

One reviewer wrote: 'Don't get fooled by their free beds by the beach. They recover the cost by charging you overpriced drinks and food! Their mojito cost $58 each and it's not even good.'

Another states: 'I'm not going to get hot under the collar, as I've been there and done that. This is an advisory notice to not enter these premises on any circumstances.

'Unless you want to just give your money away for ridiculously overprices food and drink. Seriously beware of this money pit.'

DK Oyster bar owner Dimitrios Kalamaras said Jessica's account was inaccurate but refused to state what was inaccurate in it - however he acknowledged that some of their fees can be 'perceived as high prices'.

In August last year, another couple named Lindsay and Alex Breen hit headlines when they claimed to have been slapped with a staggering 400 bill for a beer, an Aperol spritz and a dozen oysters in the same restaurant.

Recruiter Lindsay said they were in 'disbelief' when they saw the tab, as restaurant staff had given them a drinks menu that did not list the prices.

The couple also claim that rather than presenting them with the bill at the table, carpenter Alex was taken to a back room to pay and when he asked for a breakdown, they showed him their computer screen which was all in Greek.

However, Mr Kalamaras defended his prices at the time, bragging that they are simply 'beyond the budget' of some of his visitors.

Mr Kalamaras said in August: 'This false claim [made by Lindsay Breen and husband Alex] has been used so much against our restaurant by dozens of anonymous users in Trip Advisor, that we decided to place three huge blackboards by the entrance of the restaurant displaying the menu and the prices.

'I thought that this way our guests, if the reviews were indeed written by actual customers, would at least have an idea regarding the range of our prices in order to be sure to check the menu thoroughly before ordering.

'Every time I received such a complaint, always by anonymous users through Trip Advisor, I consulted with the personnel, reminding that it is crucial for our reputation to be sure that procedures are followed carefully.

'They always assured me that they abide by the rules. So, I used Tripadvisor to encourage our guests to always browse carefully through the menu and the prices.

'I cannot stop every single person entering our premises and explain the significance of such a practice. It would be ridiculous.

'I understand that some people may find our prices beyond their budget and I totally respect their opinion even if they do not appreciate the value of our services, cuisine, concept and experience.

'We believe that the value of the offered experience is high and we have no intention to explain why we charge more than a supermarket or a traditional taverna, which can be quite wonderful but is surely a completely different concept than ours.'
A young mum who cares for her autistic daughter has been dragged into a David vs Goliath legal battle against the world's richest man and his behemoth conglomerate.

Rim Daghmash named her skincare company Kenz Beauty after her adorable four-year-old Kenzie, who was diagnosed aged two.

The toddler's condition meant her devoted mum was forced to stay home and look after her, so she came up with an idea for a business she could run from her Gold Coast lounge room.

Almost immediately, Kenz Beauty became a major success selling everything from homemade cleansers, to shampoos, conditioners, moisturisers and serums online.

But the dream business hit a major hurdle in September when she was served legal papers from Kenzo - one of the 75 luxury brands that make up the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) conglomerate - demanding a name change due to its 'deceptive' similarity.

Founder of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, is currently the world's richest man with a net worth of about $300 billion.

Skincare brand, Kenz Beauty, named after founder Rim Daghmash's four-year old autistic daughter, Kenzie (both pictured), has been told to change their name by LVMH brand, Kenzo

'I think it's bullying, I think it's just the big corporate bullying a small business. We're not a threat to them, we're just a small startup, a family business,' Ms Daghmash told A Current Affair.

'A five year old will be able to tell the difference between Kenzo and Kenz Beauty. They're two totally different names. Our brand, our logos, our products are different.'

Although Ms Daghmash admits there's little chance of overcoming the fashion giant which has endless resources to tie her up in court, she said it's not as simple as just changing her company's name.

The businesses was named after her daughter in order to change the stigma attached to autism, with a portion of every sale donated to autism research.

'It's not about the financial profit, we want to tell the world that Kenzie is beautiful, autistic kids are beautiful. That's why we started all of this,' Ms Daghmash said.

'I'm very upset because I put my heart and soul into this business. I just want them to leave me alone.'

But at this stage all offers of mediation have been ignored by LVMH lawyers.

The founder of the 75 luxury brand-strong conglomerate LVMH, Bernard Arnault (pictured), was recently announced as the world's richest man with $300billion

Kenzo has demanded the skincare brand to change their 'deceptive' brand although Ms Daghmash claims a 'five-year-old' could tell the difference between the logos and products

Patent lawyer, Sharon Givoni, said although Ms Daghmash has a reasonable chance of winning, it's unlikely the case will make it that far in court.

'In my experience, companies such as Louis Vuitton almost have endless resources when it comes to this sort of thing,' Mr Givoni said.

'They can basically keep coming back until the small company simply runs out of puff and out of money.'

Kenzo in a statement said the business is simply acting to protect its brand and products to avoid any risk of confusion or infringement.

'Discussions have been initiated with the founder of 'Kenz Beauty' , without ever questioning the existence, the values and the functioning of this brand, but simply to avoid any risk of confusion to the public,' the statement said.

'Discussions are ongoing and we are willing to reach an amicable agreement that will preserve our mutual interests, just as we wish full success to Ms. Daghmash and the action she is achieving via her company.'
A mother, her two daughters and a man were rushed to hospital after a dog attack at the weekend.

The four people were treated for hand injuries after the incident on the seafront in Redcar, Yorkshire, on Sunday just after 3pm.

The mother, Marie Hay, said she and her two daughters were walking their husky when they claim they were set upon by a pair of bulldogs.

Cleveland Police are appealing for information regarding the reports of the dog attack.

Gentle Siberian Husky Naevia cuddles up with a cat in happier times before the attack

Marie Hay had taken her Siberian Husky to Redcar beach for the first time on Sunday before the nightmare unfolded

A spokesman for the force said: 'Police were called to the beach near the caravan park at Redcar just after 3pm on Sunday, February 5 to a report of a dog attack by two bulldog-type pets on a husky.

'Officers attended the scene and took initial details including a counter-allegation from the bulldogs' owner.

'It's understood at least one dog received veterinary treatment and a man and three women attended hospital for treatment - primarily for hand injuries.'

Marie Hay said she and her two daughters were walking their husky Naevia, pictured, when they claim they and the dog were set upon by a pair of bulldogs.

The incident happened on seafront in Redcar, Yorkshire, on Sunday after 3pm at the weekend

Ms Hay told Teesside Live her dog Naevia needed life-saving treatment, which could cost 14,000.

She said: 'A dog came over and sniffed my dog and then did a little scuffle and made a noise and then just jumped on her and bit her face and wouldn't let go.

'They didn't have harnesses or leads, nothing at all. So there was no way of grabbing them to get them off.'

Both Ms Hay and her 20-year-old daughter Jessica had antibiotics and a tetanus jab for their bite wounds.

Ms Hay added that she felt 'shocked and traumatised' by the ordeal.
Fourteen Labour councillors have ignited outrage after having 51 parking tickets cancelled in a 'breathtaking disregard for the rules'.

Liverpool City Council has been blasted amid claims politicians used 'back door' routes to have parking tickets thrown out following the results of a damning probe.

The data was uncovered following a Freedom of Information request by the Liverpool Echo newspaper, which revealed dozens of penalty charges notices had been challenged and scrapped by current and ex-Labour councillors between April 2015 and December 2020.

Among those highlighted in the investigation included former mayor Joe Anderson, an ex-deputy mayor and the current chairman of the city's powerful finance committee.

The probe shows the vast majority of the 51 tickets were overturned based on the 'discretion' of council officers, while one was written off after a time delay.

Top of the list of councillors with the most parking tickets rescinded was former deputy mayor Ann O'Byrne (above), who had 17 wiped out

Former mayor Joe Anderson had two parking tickets cancelled by officers, in a move rival politicians have blasted

Labour insisted there was a 'custom and practice' in the council at the time where parking tickets issued against elected members in the course of their duties could be rescinded and that councillors operated on that basis in 'good faith'.

But opponents have accused politicians of 'swerving the system' and 'disregarding the rules and regulations they themselves put in place'.

Councillor Richard Kemp, Liverpool's Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'What we see in the behaviour of 14 Labour councillors in not paying 51 parking tickets is a breathtaking disregard for the rules and regulations that they themselves put in place.

'In this they copy the arrogant behaviour of the Tories in Westminster with a similar sense of superiority and entitlement.

'They used a back door route to swerve the system and got a council officer to get the ticket dropped.'

Top of the list of councillors with the most parking tickets rescinded was former deputy mayor Ann O'Byrne, who had 17 wiped out.

Former cabinet members Barry Kushner and Nick Small saw seven and four tickets thrown out respectively. Ex-deputy lord mayor Malcolm Kennedy also had four tickets rescinded.

Former mayor Joe Anderson had two parking tickets cancelled by officers in that same period while long-serving Labour councillor Gerard Woodhouse had five tickets rescinded. All have denied wrongdoing.

Former councillor Malcolm Kennedy had four tickets axed. He said he couldn't remember the exact circumstances but claimed he did have permissions to park in council-run car parks

The results of the Freedom of Information request, which took 16 months to be answered, will come as a blow to Liverpool City Council, which is being partially overseen by government commissioners after a critical inspection report following the arrest of then-mayor Mr Anderson, in December 2020 as part of a Merseyside Police fraud probe.

The criminal investigation against Mr Anderson, who was mayor of Liverpool between 2012 and 2021, has since been dropped and he no longer faces prosecution.

News of the parking ticket scandal has prompted calls for senior council leaders to investigate the situation.

Interim chief executive Theresa Grant, who took over last year, said the revelation highlighted 'previous poor practice, relating to past processes and scrutiny of the way the council used to be run'.

'It is, sadly, an example of the unacceptable culture that pervaded parts of the council in the past, as documented in the 'best value' inspection report', she said.

'I want to be clear that what happened historically is no reflection of the council's current parking services staff nor management team.

'It is important to remember that much has changed at Liverpool City Council and we are now a more mature organisation, one that is open and transparent about decision-making.'

Barry Kushner, the current chairman of the council's finance committee, had seven tickets axed between 2015 and 2020

Current mayor Joanne Anderson said an internal audit of parking services will pick up issues arising from the disclosure.

She said: 'The cabinet and I have been working hard since my election as mayor in May 2021 to change the culture of the council to one that is fully focused on delivering best value for its residents.

'We cannot change what happened in the past but it is vital that we learn from it and make sure we are as transparent as possible when it comes to decision-making, with the correct governance and audit procedures in place.'

But the mayor was criticised by city Lib Dem boss Mr Kemp over how long it took for the council to release the information.

He said: 'The fact that it has taken the council 16 months to respond to a Freedom of Information request from the Echo blows a huge hole in the claims from the current Mayor of Liverpool that she would introduce a regime and culture into the council of openness, honesty, and transparency.'

Lead commissioner Mike Cunningham said: 'The information released today shines a light on the poor practices that have been all too common in Liverpool City Council.

Gerard Woodhouse had five tickets axed on appeal and has denied any wrongdoing

'However, it is information that the public have a right to know and, although it has taken too long for this information to be shared, we welcome the transparent approach the council is now taking to publishing it.'

Commissioners were appointed to oversee parts of the local authority in 2021 after the inspection report found allegations of bullying and intimidation.

Last August, it was announced that government intervention would be expanded to include governance and financial decision-making following another critical report.

The other politicians named in today's parking ticket probe include two former Labour councillors who left the party last year to join the Liverpool Community Independents group.

Anna Rothery had one ticket rescinded while Joanne Calvert had three quashed. Both have provided explanations and denied any wrongdoing.

Joann Kushner saw three tickets quashed, while current Labour councillors Wendy Simon, Sharon Connor, Lynnie Hinnigan, Joe Hanson and former councillor James Noakes are all listed as having one ticket axed. All have denied wrongdoing.

Mr Kemp has called on the Labour Party to remove the serving politicians from the organisation ahead of the next round of local elections.

Nick Small had four tickets quashed out of the 51 uncovered during the investigation

'It is now up to the Labour Party to decide whether they have any moral scruples,' he added. 'To my mind anyone who tries to get round regulations is not a fit person to stand for the council.'

In Liverpool, those who receive a parking fine are charged either 70 or 50 depending on the offence and must pay the fine within 28 days of the penalty charge notice being issued.

The fine is reduced by 50 per cent for those who pay within 14 days. People seeking to challenge the penalty charge must do so within 28 days of receiving the fine.

However, a number of councillors highlighted in today's report have placed the blame at the door of former senior council officer Andy Barr, the council's assistant director of highways and planning before he resigned in 2021.

Some of the politicians have explicitly claimed they were acting on orders from Mr Barr when their tickets were rescinded - an accusation he flatly denied, instead claiming councillors were fully aware of the proper appeals process.

'The elected members insisted that the tickets were cancelled by me, making it clear what the consequences would be if I refused. To state that they thought this was the agreed process is quite frankly insulting, given the impact that this has had to both my professional and private life,' he said.
A police forensics expert has come forward with new evidence he suspects shows a married couple who went missing while prospecting in the Outback were shot dead.

Jennie, 49, and Raymond Kehlet, 47, were last seen near the town of Sandstone, about 700km north-east of Perth, in March 2015 after setting out with friend Graham Milne to find gold on a 10-day camping trip.

But police began an intensive search after the couple's pet dog showed up at Sandstone caravan park unaccompanied nine days later.

A horror discovery was made three weeks later when Mr Kehlet's decomposing body was found at the bottom of an abandoned 12-metre mineshaft.

Ms Kehlet's body has never been found.

Raymond and his wife Jennie Kehlet (pictured together) went missing during a prospecting trip in remote WA in 2015

Former police forensics officer Dr Mark Reynolds has revealed he discovered a chunk of bone missing in Raymond's skull he believes may have been a gunshot wound.

'There was an area of dislodged bone and the diameter of that area where the bone was missing was about 3 or 4mm,' Dr Reynolds told Channel Nine's Under Investigation which aired on Wednesday.

'When I saw it my head went to a gunshot injury.'

Mr Kehlet's rifle was found to have round missing.

Dr Reynolds also revealed that the working theory that Mr Kehlet had perished in an accident was always one he doubted.

'They treated it as an accident but the problem for me with all of that is where's Jenny?' he said.

Dr Reynolds said the missing bone was around 3 to 4mm in diameter, which would be consistent with a bullet wound

Former police forensics expert Dr Mark Reynolds believes a wound found in Raymond Kehlet's skull could have indicated a gunshot wound

Although the initial investigation ruled Mr Kehlet's death an accident, a 2021 coronial inquest declared it was homicide.

Mr Milne, a mentor who accompanied the couple on the trip and claimed to know there was rich veins of gold that were untapped in the area around Sandstone, was the last person to see them alive.

He told police he had been off solo prospecting when he came back to the camp in the early hours of the morning of March 22, only three days into the prospect and assumed the couple were in bed.

Without saying goodbye, so as not to wake them, Mr Milne said he set off to take the long drive back to Perth.

Mr Milne said he needed to get back to Perth because he was working a shift at the Cloudbreak mine in the Pilbara.

Graham Milne (pictured) was the couple's friend and prospecting mentor who was the last person to see them alive

Raymond's decomposed body was discovered down a disused 12-metre deep mineshaft

While searching for Ms Kehlet police discovered three cigarette butts three metres from the mine where Raymond's body was found.

DNA testing showed that one of the butts belonged to Mr Milne and the other two to Jennie.

Mr Milne denied ever standing at the spot the butt was found and suggested it might have blown there from being discarded elsewhere.

Following the coronial inquest WA's Director of Public Prosecutions ruled out charging anybody over the murder.
Shamima Begum has made a fresh plea to be allowed back into Britain after being stripped of her citizenship for travelling to Syria to join ISIS.

In a new BBC documentary that aired last night, she once again denies knowing anything about the terror group's atrocities before leaving London and insists that after joining she was more of a 'burden' than an active participant.

She tells a similar story in I'm Not A Monster, a controversial 10-part BBC podcast that investigates what happened to her after she left her home in Bethnal Green with two school friends in February 2015.

However, her case is undermined by a series of inconsistencies that suggest she has twisted the truth.

These range from whether she knew of ISIS atrocities before fleeing the UK to her account of what she did after arriving in Raqqa.

Below, we reveal the contradictions in her version of events -

'I'D NEVER WATCHED ISIS PROPAGANDA'

Begum repeatedly claims she 'did not know' about ISIS atrocities before leaving London and believed it was an Islamic 'utopia'.

She also insists she did not watch any violent propaganda videos, such as the beheadings of hostages.

Last night's BBC documentary sees Begum once again claim that she never saw ISIS execution videos before leaving for Syria

'I didn't know about these atrocities because as a 15-year-old I didn't watch the news,' Begum says.

'I got my news on social media where people were saying this is untrue, it's an exaggeration.'

Broadcaster Josh Baker points out that the videos were all over social media as well as the news.

She replies: 'But they were constantly being taken down and like being deleted so it was very hard to watch these videos.

'And the people who I was talking to who were in ISIS didn't send these videos either.'

This was despite 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.

Tim Loughton, Tory MP on the Home Affairs Select Committee, told the BBC documentary: 'I don't believe her and no reasonable person would.

'However much you're a teenager watching the Kardashians at home and doing a load of stuff on social media nobody - particularly three intelligent students from East London - could have been absolutely oblivious to the horrors being waged by Daesh in Syria at that time.'

'I NEVER RECEIVED ISIS TRAINING'

The documentary sees Begum deny reports she helped stitch ISIS terrorists into their suicide vests.

Asked if she was trained by ISIS she replies, 'No'.

When Baker doubles down and asks 'at any time during your life in ISIS were you given any form of either religious training or weapons training?' she again says 'no'.

The documentary sees Begum deny reports she helped stitch ISIS terrorists into their suicide vests

However, she is contradicted by Um Khaled, a former member of Hisbah - the terror group's notorious religious police.

She recalls seeing Begum in a training camp.

'We were in a training camp. They were only girls of course so didn't have their Niqab on. So that's when I saw her face,' Khaled explains.

'All the girls who join ISIS for the first time are enlisted in this camp. Sometimes there would be religious studies and sometimes they introduced weapons training.'

'I DIDN'T KNOW I STAYED WITH AN ISIS ARMOURER'

The jihadi bride describes how she stayed with the family of a 'really nice' Egyptian man in Raqqa after her husband was briefly imprisoned.

Baker says he asked her about the man, who's name was Abu Qomra, repeatedly over six interviews.

She gives a variety of answers, at first claiming she can't know his name, then saying his real name was Saeed.

Begum claims not to know an Egyptian man she stayed with was an ISIS armourer

And she says: 'He was really nice to me, like a father figure.'

However, a neighbour who supplied Qomra with electricity says he supplied ISIS with weapons.

'He was a vicious person and spoke in an aggressive manner. He was bad - bad in the full sense of the word,' the neighbour says.

'If she was living with him she would have known all the details of his life. It's impossible she didn't know.'

Huda Mukbil, a senior Canadian intelligence officer from 2001 to 2017, suggests Begum may have denied knowing the man's real identity to avoid guilt by association.

'There's fear, there's trauma. This association in itself could mean that people could see her as a threat,' she says.

'There are also consequences in terms of what she's able to freely say knowing that any information can also incriminate her.'

'LIFE IN RAQQA WAS ''NORMAL'''

Begum explains that the ISIS 'capital city' Raqqa seemed 'normal'.

'It was kind of like how I imagined. Everything was functioning and stuff like it was normal life,' she says.

She also denies witnessing any public executions because her husband did not allow her to go outside.

'It was kind of like how I imagined. Everything was functioning and stuff like it was normal life,' she says of Raqqa

But in a previous interview with The Times, she described how she saw severed heads in bins.

'When I saw my first severed head in a bin it didn't faze me at all,' she said.

'It was from a captured fighter seized on the battlefield, an enemy of Islam. I thought only of what he would have done to a Muslim woman if he had the chance.'
Last month US Supreme Court justices refused to hear her appeal to return

Hoda Muthana fears ISIS will attack Camp Roj where she is detained in Syria

An Alabama jihadi bride who was stripped of her citizenship after joining ISIS in Syria now claims the terrorist group plans to attack the Syrian camp where she is detained - but says she 'just wants to go home'.

Hoda Muthana, 28, says she fears that ISIS will attack Camp Roj - the detention camp in north east Syria where she has been detained.

Muthana joined the terrorist group when she was 20 but now says she was groomed online by members who wanted to attract young and vulnerable women.

She was stripped of her citizenship by Obama and, in January, Supreme Court Justices refused to hear her appeal to be allowed back.

But at the height of the extremists' power, she had voiced enthusiastic support for them on social media, calling for them to 'spill the blood of Americans'.

Hoda Muthana, 28, says she fears that ISIS will attack Camp Roj - the detention camp in north east Syria where she is staying

Muthana was raised in a conservative Muslim household in Hoover, Alabama, just outside Birmingham

In the latest clip from an interview with The News Movement's Lucy Marley, Hoda was asked if ISIS is still a big threat to the camp.

The now mother, who married three fighters, responded: 'ISIS keeps threatening even this camp and saying that one day we will free you.

'And one day we will come help and attack the administration and stuff and nobody wants to be saved by them, you know. Everyone wants to go home.

'It is still scary to think that ISIS could do something even inside the camp you know.'

Muthana has repeatedly claimed she is a victim of the terrorist organization, which has been involved in a decade-long war with Syria thought to have killed at least 300,000 civilians.

But at the height of the extremists' power, she had voiced enthusiastic support for them on social media and in an interview with BuzzFeed News.

The ISIS bride from Alabama who wants to go home Hoda Muthana has been trying to get back into the US for years without success. In January this year, Supreme Court justices refused to hear her appeal to be allowed back. The justices declined without comment on to the appeal of the Yemeni diplomat's daughter. Muthana left the U.S. to join the Islamic State in 2014, apparently after becoming radicalized online. While she was overseas the government determined she was not a U.S. citizen and revoked her passport, citing her father's status as a Yemeni diplomat at the time of her birth. Her family sued to enable her return to the United States. A federal judge ruled in 2019 that the U.S. government correctly determined Muthana wasn't a U.S. citizen despite her birth in the country. Children of diplomats aren't entitled to birthright citizenship. The familys lawyers appealed, arguing that her father's status as a diplomat assigned to the U.N. had ended before her birth, making her automatically a citizen. The decision to revoke her passport was made under former President Barack Obama. The case gained widespread attention as former President Donald Trump tweeted about it, saying he had directed the secretary of state not to allow her back into the country. Her latest argument for wanting to return to the US is that she worries ISIS will attack the Syrian detention camp where she is being held. She told the News Movement that she 'just wants to go home'. Advertisement

She told reporter Ellie Hall at the time that it is the duty of all true Muslims to join her and wage war on the West.

Muthana also used Twitter under the name 'Umm Jihad' and the handle @ZumarulJannah.

On March 19, 2015, that account shared statements encouraging followers in the US to attack parades on national holidays and 'spill all of their blood or rent a big truck n (sic) drive all over them. Kill them'.

Another tweet posted on the same day read 'You can look up Obamas schedule on the white house (sic) website. Take down that treacherous tyrant!'.

Muthana was also tagged in photos posted on Twitter with women clad in burkas holding rifles and ISIS flags. She later confirmed to Buzzfeed that she was one of the women in the photo.

By January 2016 the Obama administration revoked her passport and just last year, the US Supreme Court declined an appeal against that decision.

But she has denied that she sent those tweets.

'I never had a platform to say this, but I have always been trying to tell people that those tweets were not mine,' the former ISIS bride said recently.

'It either gets cut out of the media or it gets kind of butchered somehow and I never get a platform.

'It's not fair, the person that did bring me here had a wife who I become (sic) friends with.

'There was a group of us in a home and she would take our phones.

'She would take our phones and tell us because we've always thought about going back to our countries that we need to make ourselves look bad in the media so we don't have this persuasion to go back.

'That's basically what her agenda was, that's what their (ISIS) agenda is, that they have to portray you in the worst way so that you don't have these thoughts of ever wanting to return.

'She just took my phone and I thought she was just looking through my diary or something and then when she left and I looked through and I saw a bunch of evil horrible tweets that I would never have done because I wanted to stay off media, I never wanted to get myself out there you know.

'It was not only me that she did it to, it was several people and they were made to look really bad also.'

This photo of female jihadis waving the ISIS flag was found on a now-deactivated Twitter account which reportedly belonged to Muthana. She later confirmed she was in the picture

The detention camp in northern Syria houses thousands of widows of Islamic State fighters and their children (file image)

Many have compared Hoda's case to that of Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a teenager to join ISIS.

Begum, now 23, has made several highly publicized attempts to return to the UK and restore her reputation after the Home Secretary stripped her of her British citizenship in 2019.

Begum travelled to Syria when she was 15 with two school friends from east London in February 2015.

She too has been refused entry back, as the UK government argues it would be a security risk and stripped her of her citizenship.

The two brides live opposite each other in the camp, which Begum has described as 'worse than a prison'.

Muthana is now a prisoner alongside other foreign ISIS brides at the Al-Roj camp in northern Syria as a lawyer back in the United States works to bring her back.

'One of the worst feelings I ever had was someone telling me I wasn't an American citizen,' Muthana told The News Movement, adding that she still disagrees with the ruling.

She claimed that many of the other Americans who joined ISIS were charged with terrorism, and said that she will serve time in an American prison if she can return to the United States.

But, she said: 'I'm hoping my government looks at me as someone young at the time and naive.'

And once she leaves Syria, she says she 'will be an advocate against this,' noting once again: 'I as well, I'm a victim.'

Muthana (pictured in 2019) said she had no knowledge of the tweets and believed they were sent out to prevent her being able to go home

Many have compared Hoda's case to that of Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a teenager to join ISIS. Pictured in documentary The Shamima Begum Story, aired on BBC 2

Muthana was born in New Jersey to Yemeni immigrants and once had a U.S. passport. She was raised in a conservative Muslim household in Hoover, Alabama, just outside Birmingham.

In 2014, she told her family she was going on a school trip but flew to Turkey and crossed into Syria instead, funding the travel with tuition checks that she had secretly cashed.

The Obama administration cancelled her citizenship in 2016, saying her father was an accredited Yemeni diplomat at the time she was born  a rare revocation of birthright citizenship. Her lawyers have disputed that move, arguing that the father's diplomatic accreditation ended before she was born.

But the Trump administration maintained that she was not a citizen and barred her from returning, even as it pressed European allies to repatriate their own detained nationals to reduce pressure on the detention camps.

U.S. courts have sided with the government on the question of Muthana's citizenship, and last January the Supreme Court declined to consider her lawsuit seeking re-entry.

That has left her and her son languishing in a detention camp in northern Syria housing thousands of widows of Islamic State fighters and their children.

Muthana described life at the prison to The News Movement as 'basically the same day on repeat for four years  the only change is your child growing.'

Muthana, pictured with her son several years ago, said the tweets were sent out by a woman in their group who had confiscated all of their phones

In February 2019 Trump Tweeted: 'I have instructed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and he fully agrees, not to allow Hoda Muthana back into the Country!'

Some 65,600 suspected Islamic State members and their families - both Syrians and foreign citizens - are held in camps and prisons in northeastern Syria run by U.S.-allied Kurdish groups, according to a Human Rights Watch report released last month.

Women accused of affiliation with IS and their minor children are largely housed in the al-Hol and Roj camps, under what the rights group described as 'life threatening conditions.' The camp inmates include more than 37,400 foreigners, among them Europeans and North Americans.

Human Rights Watch and other monitors have cited dire living conditions in the camps, including inadequate food, water and medical care, as well as the physical and sexual abuse of inmates by guards and fellow detainees.

Kurdish-led authorities and activists have blamed IS sleeper cells for surging violence within the facilities, including the beheading of two Egyptian girls, aged 11 and 13, in al-Hol camp in November.

Turkish airstrikes targeting the Kurdish groups launched that month also hit close to al-Hol. Camp officials alleged that the Turkish strikes were targeting security forces guarding the camp.

'None of the foreigners have been brought before a judicial authority ... to determine the necessity and legality of their detention, making their captivity arbitrary and unlawful,' Human Rights Watch wrote. 'Detention based solely on family ties amounts to collective punishment, a war crime.'

Calls to repatriate the detainees were largely ignored in the immediate aftermath of IS' bloody reign, which was marked by massacres, beheadings and other atrocities, many of which were broadcast to the world in graphic films circulated on social media.

But with the passage of time, the pace of repatriations has started to pick up. Human Rights Watch said some 3,100 foreigners - mostly women and children - have been sent home over the past year.

Most were Iraqis, who comprise the majority of detainees, but citizens were also repatriated to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and the United Kingdom.

The U.S. has repatriated a total of 39 American nationals. It's unclear how many other Americans remain in the camps.

She has repeatedly said she is a victim of the Islamic State terrorist organization

She claims she was 'trafficked' to Syria by jihadis playing on her faith in 2014

These days, Muthana portrays herself as a victim of the Islamic State.

Speaking with TNM, she doubles down on her claim that she was trafficked to Syria, saying the jihadis she spoke with online played on her religion and her desire to leave Alabama, where she says she was 'physically abused.'

'Someone who is God-fearing and afraid of missing out on all the obligations will end up listening to something like this,' she said.

When she arrived in Syria in 2014, Muthana says she was detained in a guest house reserved for unmarried women and children.

Hoda's first husband was Australian extremist Suhan Abdul Rahman who was killed in battle in Syria

'I've never seen that kind of filthiness in my life, like there was 100 women and twice as much kids, running around, too much noise, filthy beds,' she said.

The only way to escape was to marry a fighter. She eventually married and remarried three times. Her first two husbands, including the father of her son, were killed in battle. She reportedly divorced her third husband.

By 2018, Muthana said she left the terrorist group with her child.

'When I left ISIS territory I was very excited,' she said in the interview. 'I thought it was the start of my new life.'

But Muthana says she still has to be careful about what she says because of fear of reprisal, as ISIS forces continue to carry out sporadic attacks and has supporters in the camps themselves.

'Even here, right now, I cant fully say everything I want to say. But once I do leave, I will. I will be an advocate against this,' she said

'I wish I can help the victims of ISIS in the West understand that someone like me is not part of it, that I as well am a victim of ISIS.'

Hassan Shibly, an attorney who has assisted Muthanas family, said it is 'absolutely clear that she was brainwashed and taken advantage of.'

He said her family wishes she could come back, pay her debt to society and then help others from 'falling into the dark path that she was led down.'

'She was absolutely misguided, and no one is denying that. But again, she was a teenager who was the victim of a very sophisticated recruitment operation that focuses on taking advantage of the young, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised,' he said.
He was previously sentenced over sexual assaults of two children, 9 and 10

Douglas Jackway is one of Australia's most vile paedophiles

One of Australia's most heinous paedophiles is once again behind bars after allegedly sneaking a woman into a notorious sex offender facility where he is housed.

Douglas Brian Jackway, 44, was released from Brisbane Correctional Centre in 2020 after spending nearly 25 years in prison and was transferred to the Wacol Correctional Centre accommodation precinct - home to rapists and child sex predators.

On January 28, Jackway along with another inmate, are alleged to have snuck a woman into the accommodation for the weekend.

Police are investigating if she was smuggled in by hiding her in a car driven by the other sex offender.

One of Australia's most heinous paedophiles Douglas Brian Jackway is once again behind bars after allegedly sneaking a woman into a notorious sex offender facility where he is housed

The 44-year-old allegedly snuck the woman into Wacol Correctional Centre accommodation precinct (pictured) with the help of another sex offender

The alleged breach is the second in just four months at the facility after a teenage girl was brought inside and sexually assaulted.

Jackway will now remain in custody until March 10 when he will face a contravention hearing relating to the alleged offence.

When asked about the security of the precinct, Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Paul Stewart said they are doing everything they can to stop breaches such as these from occurring.

'We will do everything to make sure we have the coverage within and continue to monitor and again introduce any form of technology that we can into the future to defeat any activity on the precinct,' he said.

'We have our intelligence and our information in relation to what is occurring and we are implementing to make sure that we address those risks with all the infrastructure work and the patrols and the surveillance and the things that we are doing.'

There are currently 56 offenders living in the Wacol Correctional Centre accommodation precinct

Mr Stewart said a review of the precinct had been carried out in December with additional fencing recommended and set to be installed to increase security.

There are currently 56 offenders living in the Wacol Correctional Centre accommodation precinct.

Jackway is one of Queensland's most notorious paedophiles, who has spent almost his entire adult life behind bars.

In 1991, a 14-year-old Jackway raped a nine-year-old girl and then in 1995 performed sexual acts on a 10-year-old boy, when he was only 18 years old.

Under the influence of alcohol and drugs, he took the boy into mangroves and performed sexual acts.

He was caught in the act and was subsequently sentenced to eight years behind bars before being released in 2003.

Jackway is one of Queensland's most notorious paedophiles, who has spent almost his entire adult life behind bars after being charged and sentenced over the rapes of a nine-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy

Jackway then returned to jail in 2004 after being charged with stealing a vehicle and while the matter was before the courts at the same time he was sentenced over the 1991 rape.

He was then controversially released from prison in 2020 to the Wacol facility despite being described in court as a 'biological psychopath'.

During his time in prison, Jackway committed more than 113 violations, including acts of violence against other prisoners.
A paedophile priest told how he wanted to 'sacrifice babies to Satan' and fantasised about drugging boys with crystal meth.

Vicar David Renshaw, 63, had more than 22,000 files of indecent images and videos on his hard drive, including animal pornography.

The reverend, from Worthing, West Sussex, said he had few limits and could sink 'really low', telling other paedophiles online: 'I'm a sadistic b******. Through and f****** through.'

His activities were traced by police, who found rotting dead animals, used needles and drug pipes when they raided his parish home. The RSPCA also seized severely malnourished dogs, cats and chickens.

As a jury returned a guilty verdict for eight counts of extreme pornography at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Christine Henson KC told Renshaw he faces a lengthy prison term when he is sentenced next month.

Vicar David Renshaw, 63, of Worthing, West Sussex, had more than 22,000 files of indecent images and videos on his hard drive, including animal pornography

Jurors were offered counselling after listening to graphic descriptions of the downloads.

Renshaw was ordained as a priest in Lichfield, Staffordshire, in 1985 and had all the appearance of respectability, with grown-up children.

In 2020, police traced illegal online activity to a computer at his three-bed semi. The thousands of images would have taken months to download, officers said. Each clip had been catalogued and filed in folders with names, such as 'Kids' and 'Gay Kids'.

In a desperate bid to deter investigating officers, Renshaw tried to claim he would not have had time to download all the illegal material, insisting: 'Sermons don't write themselves.'

But police found backups of his online and message app conversations with other sex offenders.

Renshaw was convicted of eight counts relating to extreme pornography at Lewes Crown Court and will be sentenced next month

Renshaw asked one other user to offer his three-year-old to Satan while other chats referred to 'sacrificing babies to the devil'. After his crimes were discovered, Renshaw even attempted to shift blame on to his own sons, telling police they had access to his computers.

In statements read to the court, his sons said they were saddened and disappointed their own father named them as potential suspects.

A jury in Hove heard graphic descriptions of horrific child sex abuse videos which police found on the drive.

The court heard police also found dozens of porn DVDs when they searched his house.

Rev Renshaw initially denied, then admitted, that he sent social media and chat messages to other paedophiles discussing extreme child abuse.

In the witness box, Renshaw said he used crystal meth when he was lonely and bored. Meth is known to users as Tina, or T.

He told the court chats with other men were just stories and his attempts at counselling them.

The Reverend also discussed abducting boys off the street, even suggesting he would fly to Indiana to meet a 12-year-old boy and abuse him.

Renshaw was made priest in charge of Christ Church Worthing in December 2019. He was on long-term sick leave and in hospital when police raided his home on August 11, 2020.

He was later cautioned by police for possession of Class A and B drugs in May 2021.

The jury did not believe his explanations for his online activity and returned eight verdicts in less than 25 mins.

They found him guilty of six counts of making and possessing indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images of bestiality and possession of prohibited images of children.

Her Honour Judge Christine Henson KC told Renshaw: 'I'm considering an immediate custodial term of some length.'

A spokesman for the Diocese of Chichester said Renshaw was suspended immediately after police searched his address and he has not been in active ministry since.

The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, said the diocese cooperated closely with Sussex Police throughout the investigation.

'Mr Renshaw's appalling offences involved the possession of thousands of obscene images. Following his conviction, further action will now be taken against him under the Clergy Discipline Measure,' the spokesman said.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant David Rose said: 'Throughout this investigation, Renshaw has sought to blame anyone but himself. He has failed to accept or take any responsibility for his actions, which I am certain the local parish he represented would be appalled by.

'The search of his address was one of the most revolting tasks our officers will ever have to endure.

'As well as malnourished living animals, there was also a dead rotting kitten and a dead rotting rat on the floor, in addition to used needles and other drug paraphernalia lying around. It was a deeply unpleasant scene to search.

'It was also a particularly harrowing experience for the officer who had to sift through and grade each image, something that will stay with him for the rest of his life.'

Renshaw will be sentenced next month.
View of Parliament House. (Photo: PTI)

Parliaments are supposed to be platforms for discussions and debates by representatives on issues that pertain to their electors, and the nation. Opinions and pieces of information are presented on the floor which help all stake-holders, governments and the citizens, take appropriate decisions.

An appraisal of the functioning of our Parliament of late would, however, reveal that it has not been compatible with this basic idea and that it has reduced itself into a platform for acrimony, instead. There were far too many occasions in its recent history where both the Opposition and the government would stick to their obstinacy and the sessions get washed away with no solutions found on issues pertinent to the electorate. The government, in the melee, gets Bills passed with its brute majority with little or no debate, failing the very idea of parliamentary oversight of executives doings. This has been true about the UPA and the NDA irrespective of whether they were in government or in Opposition.

A welcome break was noticed on Tuesday when the Opposition joined the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Presidents address to the joint session in both the Houses. It has been demanding in and outside the House the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate the allegations of governments collusion with Adani Group as levelled in the report of the US shortseller Hindenburg. In normal course, the Opposition would go on insisting on their demand and the government would not concede, resulting in chaos.

As a result of the Opposition joining the proceedings, both the Houses, and the country at large, got an opportunity to listen to its side of the case. The Prime Minister, against whom the allegations were made, replied also. and that should have helped the people come to a better understanding of the issue on hand.

There is an argument that the Opposition must refuse to cooperate with the government if the latter goes about conducting business disregarding its genuine concerns. There are several such instances even in recent history and the Opposition, after seeing no signs from the government of a concession, ensured that parliamentary proceedings are stalled. This is a self-defeating strategy on many counts: they miss the opportunity to inform people about the issues they raise while the government can propagate its version through its captive channels; they fail to stop the government from going ahead with its business, for the Speaker has a responsibility to ensure that the governments business is transacted.

If the Opposition thinks it can stop the ruling party from going ahead with its policies and programmes by stalling parliament, they must disabuse themselves of such notions. Constitutional bodies such as Parliament and judiciary work within their own limits and cannot stop the politics of the day. They can offer resistance to a limited extent when the executive breaks its limits but there is only so much that they can do. Politics in a democracy is decided among the people, and the Opposition feels they need correction in the governments course, they must reach them using all avenues. Parliament is one such important avenue. It will be better for the Opposition to make use of it, instead of wasting it.
The teenager has been charged with battery as a juvenile in the incident

says that the school is 'overwhelmed' and struggling with violence

A teenage boy who was filmed beating a nine-year-old girl around the head on a school bus has been charged with battery.

The 15-year-old can be seen in the sickening footage with another boy pummelling the third-grade girl in the head last Wednesday as others recorded the brutal beating.

None of her fellow students at the Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead, Florida, intervened in the attack - which was filmed by another pupil.

Instead, her peers filmed the merciless attack from the two boys and started cheering them on as they watched.

Her mother, who only identified herself as Jenni, said that she felt the 'amount of aggression' towards her daughter was 'unnecessary.'

The 15-year-old can be seen in the sickening footage with another boy pummelling the third-grade girl in the head last Wednesday as others recorded the brutal beating

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle ruled that the school's police officer giving the boy a civil citation was 'not enough.'

She said: 'We believe that, based on the evidence and the circumstances, the use of a civil citation was incompatible with the level of violence displayed by the 15-year-old against his much younger and smaller victim.

'As a result, we have filed criminal battery charges with our juvenile courts.'

Images show the injuries the little girl was left with, as red marks and bruises covered the skin on her torso and head.

The girl's mother told Local 10 that violence in and around the school is overwhelming administrators, with those in charge urging her to enroll her three children in a different school.

Her mother claims that her two older children have also been bullied during their short stint at the school, adding that they have done nothing to help since they joined on January 9.

She said that her son, 10, was also attacked on the same bus ride, saying he was hit 'out of nowhere'.

Speaking after the charges she said: 'I'm just hoping that he received the rehabilitation that he needs. The amount of aggression he did toward my daughter, I thought was unnecessary.

'This needs to be taken care of right away. Our children are in danger at school where we are trusting other people to do their jobs.

'That's not justifiable. It doesn't matter what was said. Our kids need to learn that through violence nothing is resolved.

Her mother, Jenni, claims that her two older children have also been bullied during their short stint at the school, adding that they have done nothing to help since they joined on January 9.

Images show the injuries the little girl was left with, as red marks and bruises covered her skin and head

None of her fellow students at the Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead, Florida , intervened in the attack - which was filmed by another pupil

None of her fellow students at the Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead, Florida, intervened in the attack

The Miami-Dade Schools Police ruled that the school's police officer giving the boy a civil citation was 'not enough'

'My goal is not to incriminate any other children. My goal is to make sure they have the security for the kids to make sure this doesn't continue to happen.'

The Miami-Dade Schools Police confirmed that the offenders were arrested, after they responded to the incident around 4.10pm on Wednesday.

Authorities said that they assessed two children for injuries and then released them into the care of their parents.

In a statement, they said: 'The safety and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance.

'This school district goes to great lengths to promote the values of restraint and respect as well as using social media responsibly. We ask that parents reinforce these principles at home.'

Her mother added: 'All ages are on that bus and it's overfilled. It's very crazy because there's all this yelling going on in the bus and the two adults on the bus  the bus (driver) and the bus aide, only sit in the front.

'We've had issues before with my son and the kids on the bus, and also in the cafeteria and at dismissal.

Her mother claims that her two older children have also been bullied during their short stint at the school

In a statement, the school said: 'The safety and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance'

'I already drew the line, and I was also on the phone with the district -- I spoke with someone from the district -- and the only thing they could advise me of was to continue to speak with the principal and pull up a bully report.

'You're taking care of our children -- you're still responsible for them. That's what you have a job for.

'Not only to teach them, but if you see anything going on in your classroom, you don't necessarily have to physically intervene, but call somebody who can. Because if somebody's child ends up dead, it's on the school.'
There are 'strong indications' that Russian President Vladimir Putin himself approved the supplying of the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, international investigators said Wednesday.

The BUK-TELAR missile system was used to shoot down the passenger plane on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, the Joint Investigation Team of six countries probing the crash said.

All 298 passengers and crew were killed when the missile slammed into the plane and brought it crashing back down to earth. Russia has denied all involvement.

'There are strong indications that the Russian president decided on supplying the BUK-TELAR to the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) separatists,' the investigators' statement read.

But despite this, prosecutors today said they were suspending the criminal investigation into the incident, claiming they have insufficient evidence to launch any new prosecutions.

FILE - In this July 17, 2014, file photo, people walk amongst the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village of Hrabove, Ukraine

FILE PHOTO: Local workers transport a piece of wreckage from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 at the site of the plane crash near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo) in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine November 20, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, February 3, 2023

The Buk missile is fired in an animated recreation by the Dutch investigators

Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said that 'the investigation has now reached its limit. All leads have been exhausted' as the team began laying out the evidence it uncovered in its long-running investigation.

The bombshell announcement comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the Boeing 777 on July 17, 2014.

One Russian was acquitted by the court.

None of the suspects appeared for the trial and it was unclear if the three who were found guilty of multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.

One of the men found guilty, Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin, is a former security service officer who served as one of the chief architects of Putin's annexation of Crimea, and is now a vocal proponent and military strategist amid the war in Ukraine.

The convictions and the court's finding that the surface-to-air Buk missile that blew the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight out of the sky came from a Russian military base were seen as a clear indication that Moscow had a role in the tragedy.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the news media amid the war in Ukraine.

But the November convictions held that Moscow was in overall control in 2014 over the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, the separatist area of eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched.

The Buk missile system came from the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in the city of Kursk.

Lawyers attend the judges' inspection of the reconstruction of the MH17 wreckage, as part of the murder trial ahead of the beginning of a critical stage, in Reijen, Netherlands, in May 2021

Two former Russian intelligence officers - Igor Girkin (top left) and Sergey Dubinskiy (top right) - as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko (bottom right), who was working for Putin, were found guilty of murdering the 289 people onboard the Boeing 777. A third former Russian intelligence officer, Oleg Pulatov (bottom left), was acquitted by the Dutch court

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is made up of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine, though Dutch prosecutors are took the lead because most of the victims were Dutch.

The victims of the disaster came from 10 countries, including 196 Dutch, 43 Malaysians and 38 Australian residents.

The JIT has continued to investigate the crew of the Russian Buk missile system that brought down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in Ukraine.

'The indications for close ties between the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic and Russian government officials raises questions about their involvement in the deployment' of the missile, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service said on its website.

It cited intercepted phone calls between leaders of the breakaway region and 'high-ranking Russian government officials held in the summer of 2014.'

As well as the criminal trial that was held in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.
The ex-husband of Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children in a bathtub in 2001 while battling postpartum depression, is speaking out again 22 years after their deaths to call for prosecutors to drop charges against Lindsay Clancy, a midwife mother who is now facing charges for killing her three kids.

Andrea drowned the five children she shared with Russell 'Rusty' Yates in Houston in 2001. She was battling postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis and schizophrenia. She was convicted of five counts of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison, but the verdict was overturned in 2006, when she was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

For the last 16 years, she has been receiving care in a mental hospital, and declines eligibility for release every year.

Russell - who divorced Andrea in 2015 but always said he had forgiven her, appeared on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation show as Lindsay Clancy, 32, prepared for court.

He has long maintained that his wife's criminal trial was the 'cruelest thing' he had ever witnessed.

Russell 'Rusty' Yates is speaking out 22 years after the deaths of his five kids to call for prosecutors to drop the charges against Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mom now on trial for strangling her three kids while battling postpartum depression

Lindsay Clancy was arraigned from her hospital bed yesterday. She is paralyzed after trying to kill herself by jumping from a top floor window of her home

He says women who suffer with postpartum depression should not face criminal prosecution, because it's a sickness.

'If I were driving down the street, had a heart attack and swerved into oncoming traffic and everyone in the car died but me, would they prosecute me for capital murder? I don't think so Rusty Yates, whose ex-wife drowned their five children in 2001

'If I were driving our Suburban down the street and had a heart attack and swerved into oncoming traffic and everyone in the car died but me, would they prosecute me for capital murder and rub my face in crime scene photos? Of my children?

'I don't think so. But to me, it's 100% exactly the same.'

Yates went on to explain how the psychosis had been explained to him by psychiatrists.

'It's much like having a dream or nightmare overlaid on reality so that a person sees things that aren't real, hears voices that aren't real, believes things to be true that aren't true and they act on that.

Poll Do you think Lindsay Clancy should be tried for murder Yes No, she deserves medical care instead of prison Do you think Lindsay Clancy should be tried for murder Yes 205 votes

No, she deserves medical care instead of prison 565 votes Now share your opinion





'It's every bit a part of their reality as everything else - they can't distinguish between those thoughts and images and voices and anything else,' he said, explaining the psychosis that overtook his wife.

'Andrea was a wonderful mother. When someone acts so out of character like that it's a flag that something else is going on. As far as forgiveness goes, it's kind of the start.

'If something is completely out of character, this can't be right.

'At the time, I did not know that shed been psychotic, I did not know what psychosis even was or what the symptoms were.'

He also rejected the idea that husbands or partners can protect their children from harm, saying: 'You can do all you can but you really can't protect yourself from a psychotic person at home.

'They can get up in the middle of the night and light the house on fire or poison everyone.

The Yates family portrait (before baby Mary was born), left, and husband Russell 'Rusty' Yates outside his home the day after his children were murdered

The Yates' boys, from left: Paul, three, John, five, Noah, seven, and Luke, two, dressed up for Halloween the year before they were drowned in the bathtub by their mother

Six-months-old Mary Yates, killed by her mother along with her four older brothers. Andrea Yates was said to be suffering from postpartum depression when she drowned her children in 2001

Andrea Yates, now 57, was first convicted of murder but this was overturned on appeal in 2006. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has since been in a psychiatric hospital. Last year, she turned down early release, opting to stay in hospital

'The next step of forgiveness (for other people), Id say, is understanding its a sickness, that but for her sickness, she would never, ever, ever would have harmed our children.'

Andrea was found guilty of capital murder and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole following the 2001 deaths of her children.

That verdict was overturned following appeals from her lawyers and at a new trial in 2006, she was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

The following year, she was sent to the Kerrville State Hospital. She has remained there ever since.

Every year, she is eligible for review to determine whether she should be released.

She waives that review annually, choosing instead to stay in treatment.

In 2015, she and Rusty finalized their divorce.

Her only conditions were that she be given the right to be buried near her children, and that she receive a nursing chair she used when the kids were alive and young.

Clancy, 32, strangled her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, at the family home on January 24. She then cut her own wrists and jumped from a window on the top floor of the house.

Her husband Patrick, who she had sent out to collect takeout food, returned to find her lying in the backyard, and the kids dead in the basement.

Lindsay Clancy with her husband Patrick and their oldest children, Cora, five, and Dawson, three. She

After strangling the kids, Lindsay tried to cut her own wrists. She then jumped from a window at the family home. Baby Callan, eight months, died in the hospital. Cora and Dawson died at home

Patrick, Lindsay's husband, has forgiven her. He is shown with the children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months

The Clancy home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where the children were killed in the basement

Lindsay is now paralyzed in the hospital. Her attorneys say that she'd been prescribed a crippling cocktail of medication in the last eight months, and that they robbed her of her personality and feelings.

DRUGS PRESCRIBED TO LINDSAY IN EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE KILLINGS Zolpidem (Ambien)

Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Diazepam (Valium)

Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Lamotrigine (Lamictil)

Lorazepam (Ativan)

Mirtazapine (Remeron)

Quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel)

Trazodone Advertisement

Merciless Massachusetts prosecutors claimed in court that the attack on the children was premeditated, and that she deliberately sent her husband out of the house far enough away to allow her time to kill them.

Her husband, Patrick, has forgiven her, and is asking others to do the same.

In a GoFundMe page set up after the tragedy, he said his wife loved their children, and had succumb to a mental illness.

Lindsay's attorney yesterday begged a judge not to send her to prison, citing her ongoing need for extensive medical attention.

'She is not OK, at all. She suffered several, severe spine fractions. She is not expected to recover meaningful function below that level of the spinal chord.

'She's paraplegic, unable to move her legs or feel sensation. She is paralyzed.

'She needs significant medical treatment,' he said, begging the court not to jail her and instead allow her to be sent to a medical rehab center.

The judge also acknowledged that she has no criminal record - never even incurring a speeding ticket - and that she'd received a groundswell of support.

He ordered that she be allowed to remain in the hospital until doctors deem her fit enough to leave, but that she should then likely go to a 24/7 medical rehab facility.

Clancy's attorney entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.

He does not dispute that she strangled the children, but says her deteriorated mental health and the influence of the drugs she'd been taking are to blame - not her.

'Our society fails miserably in treating women with post partum depression or post partum psychosis.

'It's "medicate, medicate, medicate".

'Throw the pills at you and see how it works,' he said. She will return to court on May 2.
Rishi Sunak today hinted Britain could soon declare Russia's brutal Wagner Group as a terror organisation.

The Prime Minister told MPs the Government continues to keep its list of proscribed groups 'under review' as he faced calls to act against the mercenaries.

Tens of thousands of Wagner fighters are thought to currently be part of Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Mr Sunak's suggestion of further measures against the group - led by Vladimir Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin - came as MPs put on a show of unity with Ukraine.

Renewed pledges of support for Ukraine's efforts in pushing back Russia's invasion force were issued from all sides of the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions.

They were made shortly before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his own address to Parliament this afternoon on his surprise trip to the UK.

Rishi Sunak hinted Britain could soon declare Russia's brutal Wagner Group as a terror organisation

Tens of thousands of Wagner mercenary fighters are thought to currently be part of Russia's assault on Ukraine

Renewed pledges of support for Ukraine's efforts in pushing back Russia's invasion force were issued from all sides of the House of Commons

Mr Sunak opened PMQs to express his delight that Mr Zelensky had been able to travel to Britain for the first time since Putin began his full-scale invasion attempt.

'It is a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries,' he told MPs.

'I am proud that we are expanding the training for Ukrainian forces to include jet pilots and marines, and ensure that Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests today and in to the future.'

The PM added that the UK and the Commons can be 'proud that we came together to stand by Ukraine when the moment mattered'.

In a session that was devoid of the usual party political point-scoring, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Parliament was 'honoured' to be addressed by Mr Zelensky today.

'From the outset of the war he has symbolised the heroism, the resolve, and the bravery of his people,' Sir Keir added.

'The PM and I joined this House together in 2015. Weve lived through important moments in our domestic and international politics.

'But none of those experiences compares to the pain and suffering of the people of Ukraine.'

The Labour leader said it was 'vital that we all continue to stand together in full support'.

The SNP's Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, said that all MPs in the Commons were 'united in our condemnation of Vladimir Putin and our hope for a better future for Ukraine'.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it was 'a source of great pride that the British people have stood firm, united and unwavering in support of the brave heroes of Ukraine'.

But he pressed the PM on British measures against the Wagner Group.

'They are doing Putin's bidding, carrying out atrocities against Ukrainians on a daily basis,' Sir Ed told Mr Sunak.

'So, on this symbolic day, will the PM finally commit to proscibing the Wagner Group - a crucial part of treating Russia as the rogue state that it is?'

Proscription makes it a criminal offence to be a member, encourage support for, or provide funds for a proscribed group.

Such action would put the Wagner Group on the same standing as al-Qaeda or Islamic State.

Responding to the Lib Dem leader, Mr Sunak replied: 'We have taken a lead from the beginning of this conflict in sanctioning and taking action against those entities connected to the war effort in Russia and beyond.

'We have already sanctioned the Wagner Group in its entirety, as well as taking specific action against particular leaders.

'With regard to proscription, it's not something we routinely comment on in public but rest assured we continue to keep all of the proscriptions we have under review.'
Advertisement

Boris Johnson urged the UK to offer all its fighter jets and tanks to Ukraine today after Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an emotional address to MPs and Peers in Westminster Hall.

The ex-PM said the 'best use' for the UK's 100 Typhoon jets and similar stocks of Challenger tanks was in the battle against Russian aggression. But while No10 has already pledged to send some tanks, it played down the prospect of jets, warning that training pilots could take years.

The call came after the Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception at the Palace of Westminster on his first visit to Britain since the invasion.

Watched by Rishi Sunak, and with Mr Johnson in the audience, Mr Zelensky insisted that more help will be needed to defeat the Russian aggressors. He presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft - after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them.

The message on the helmet reads: 'We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.'

Amid splits within Nato on how far to go in suppling air power, Mr Zelensky added: 'Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.'

Mr Zelensky said he had come on behalf of the 'brave' who were 'in the trenches under enemy artillery fire'. 'We know Russia will lose. We really know that victory will change the world.'

Mr Zelensky singled out Mr Johnson for praise for helping unite the international community behind Ukraine when it seemed 'impossible'.

'The people of the United Kingdom and their honourable representatives, all the people of England and Scotland, of Wales and Northern Ireland, of all the lands which have been home to brave souls since Europe came into existence,' Mr Zelensky said.

'I have come here and stand before you on behalf of the brave, on behalf of our war heroes who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire, on behalf of our air gunners, and every defender of the sky who protects Ukraine against enemy aircraft and missiles, on behalf of our tank men who fight to restore our Ukrainian borders, on behalf of our conscripts who are being trained now including here in Britain.

'Thank you, Britain.'

Mr Zelensky said: 'London has stood with Kyiv since day one, from the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war, Great Britain you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react.

'Boris: you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible. Thank you.'

Speaking in Westminster Hall, Volodymyr Zelensky said he had come on behalf of the 'brave' who were 'in the trenches under enemy artillery fire'. 'We know Russia will lose. We really know that victory will change the world.'

Many politicians in the crowd wanted to record the historic moment on their phones

Mr Zelensky presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft - after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them

The Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception as he arrived in the historic building to deliver a speech on his first visit since the invasion

Political differences were put aside today as Ukraine's president Zelensky visited for the first time since the Russian invasion

Mr Zelensky singled out Boris Johnson for praise, saying he had united the international community when it seemed 'impossible' - and after the speech the two men shook hands and chatted

Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Britain's 'big support' for Ukraine today as he held talks with Rishi Sunak in Downing Street

In a statement after the speech, Mr Johnson said: 'It is time to give the Ukrainians the extra equipment they need to defeat Putin and to restore peace to Ukraine. That means longer range missiles and artillery. It means more tanks. It means planes. We have more than 100 Typhoon jets. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks.

'The best single use for any of these items is to deploy them now for the protection of the Ukrainians - not least because that is how we guarantee our own long-term security.

'Today's investment in helping Ukraine will avert instability and chaos for years to come. By helping Ukraine to push back Putin, we can make our world safer  and above all, save an innocent country from destruction.'

Mr Johnson acknowledged that 'the Typhoon is a four-nation plane and we require the approval of allies for export'.

But he said : 'There is no reason to think that Germany or others should oppose our decision  these are UK planes.

Sunak gives Zelensky a spent bullet casing from salute to Queen Rishi Sunak gave Volodymyr Zelensky an unusual gift as he welcomed the Ukrainian president to the UK for the first time since Russia invaded his country. The Prime Minister presented his guest with a spent bullet casing from the 62-gun salute from the Tower of London following the Queen's death, Downing Street said. The pair shared a breakfast of croissants in the Prime Minister's No 10 flat, together with Mr Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy. Ms Murthy gave Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska a StandWithUkraine sunflower scarf from Aspinal, the proceeds of which go to the Centre for Women's Perspectives in Ukraine. Mr Sunak's spokesman told reporters: 'The Prime Minister has given President Zelensky a spent bullet casing from the 62-gun salute from the Tower of London following the death of Her Majesty the Queen. 'As you'll know, following the death of the Queen, President Zelensky paid tribute to her selfless service to her people and said she would forever remain in the history of mankind.' Advertisement

'Every time we have stepped up with more military support the Ukrainians have responded and turned the tide of war. Now is the time to give them exactly what they need to finish the job,' Mr Johnson added.

Speaking to LBC later, Mr Johnson said: 'The point I would make is the faster we do it, the better. The faster we do it, the bigger the saving in life.

'The bigger the saving in our defence expenditure. Because ultimately once Putin is beaten in Ukraine, the world is going to be a much, much safer place. So helping the Ukrainians now is a massive down-payment on future security.'

Mr Sunak has ordered Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to look at whether jets can be provided, and the UK is starting to train pilots.

While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely operated by other Nato countries have been seen as more likely to be supplied to Ukraine.

Downing Street said the first Ukrainian pilots should arrive in the spring, but warned the training can take five years.

The PM's official spokesman said: 'I think we are keen to do whatever is possible to get these pilots trained up as fast as possible. But these are complex pieces of military equipment. And as you know the current training period for UK pilots is around five years.

'We think this is right to provide both short-term equipment like Challenger tanks, additional guns, longer-range capabilities that can help win the war now, but also look to the medium-to-long term to ensure Ukraine has every possible capability it requires.

'The Prime Minister has tasked the Defence Secretary with investigating what jets we might be able to give but, to be clear, this is a long-term solution rather than a short-term capability, which is what Ukraine needs most now.'

Mr Zelensky shared a warm embrace with Mr Sunak earlier as he landed at Stansted Airport in Essex for his surprise visit. They then returned to London for talks.

Mr Zelensky warned in his speech that 'evil' was still present in his country and it needed to fight on.

He said: 'Evil is still around around today and the battle continues. Yes, we know how it's going to end and how we are going to feel on the day victory comes. Every day we continue to pay with lives.

'Pain and tears for bringing victory closer, with the lives of our people, our heroes, whom we lose in battles, with the lives of our heroes who take life and death risks every day to save as many of our soldiers and civilians as possible.'

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine's call for a 'special compensation mechanism, which will compensate war losses at the expense of Russian assets' is based on the principle that 'anyone who invests in violence must compensate those who have suffered from terror'.

He thanked Mr Sunak and the UK for providing battle tanks: 'Thank you very much for this powerful defensive step.'

But he continued: 'It's not just I'm not speaking just about weapons. We prove together, that the world truly helps those who are brave in defending freedom and thus paves the way for a new history', he said.

'A history of the world that knows how to be quick in help, who knows how to be effective in the defence. Who knows how to remain principled in dark hours. Who implements its treaties and arrangements in good faith. Who does not allow perpetrators to enjoy immunity.

'Who knows how to overcome veto when it's abused. Who knows no fear and who knows how to win. This shall be the new reality of the free world I'm sure.'

Mr Zelensky said he was looking forward to his audience with King Charles later, referencing the monarch's own military service. 'In Britain, the king is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.'

He ended the speech by thanking Britain 'in advance' for fighter jets.

The Ukrainian president said: 'Thank you for your attention, thank you for your support,' he said.

'And I will be leaving the Parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.'

The remark prompted laughter among the MPs and peers gathered in Westminster Hall.

Mr Zelensky ended his speech by saying: 'God Bless Great Britain and long, long live the King. Slava Ukraini.'

Before the Westminster Hall speech MPs put on a show of unity at PMQs, promising to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. He has spoken to Parliament before, but only via video link.

Speaking in No10, Mr Zelensky thanked the British people 'for your big support from the first days of full-scale invasion'.

'Thank you so much Rishi for inviting me and for me great honour to be here in Britain,' he added.

The Ukrainian President was greeted with applause as he walked into No10 over a red carpet laid out in Downing Street.

He will also use his surprise visit to meet with some of his Ukrainian troops being trained in Britain.

Mr Sunak today pledged extra military support for Ukraine, including - crucially - the training of Ukrainian fighter jet pilots.

Britain also announced a new round of sanctions on the Russian military and Kremlin elites, in a bid to further tighten the economic squeeze on Vladimir Putin's regime.

After speaking with Mr Zelensky in Downing Street, Mr Sunak took PMQs in the Commons where he told MPs he was 'delighted' the Ukrainian President had been able to visit.

'It is a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries,' he said.

Mr Sunak met the Ukraine president at Stansted after he touched down for the surprise visit

Mr Zelensky was wearing his trademark military fatigues as he embraced Mr Sunak at Stansted

The PM and Mr Zelensky walked into Downing Street together under the glare of the waiting media

Mr Zelensky was guided into No10, where the held talks, by the PM this morning

The leaders shook hands and posed for photographs outside the famous black door

Mr Zelensky was clapped into Downing Street by staff as he arrived today

'I am proud that we are expanding the training for Ukrainian forces to include jet pilots and marines, and ensure that Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests today and in to the future.'

The PM added both the country and the Commons can be 'proud that we came together to stand by Ukraine when the moment mattered'.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told MPs that Mr Zelensky has 'symbolised the heroism, the resolve, and the bravery of his people' since Russia's invasion.

The PM welcomed the Ukrainian President to the UK this morning, as he visits for the first time since Russia's invasion

Mr Zelensky wrote on his Instagram account that he was in London to 'personally thank the British people for their support'

Mr Sunak travelled to Ukraine to meet Mr Zelensky in November, shortly after he became PM

UK to train Ukraine fighter pilots Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Volodymyr Zelensky's forces. The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an 'immediate surge' of military equipment including longer-range weapons. Downing Street said the Government is following a 'two-pronged' approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future. Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a 'long-term capability investment'. The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future. While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely operated by other Nato countries are more likely to be supplied to Ukraine, should Western leaders agree to Mr Zelensky's requests. Advertisement

Some 10,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained in the UK in the past six months.

The first troops arrived in Britain last week to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the PM's decision to provide the kit.

King Charles greeted Mr Zelensky with a wide smile and a warm handshake in the Palace's 1844 Room, saying he was delighted to meet him.

The president is on his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of his country began and in an earlier impassioned address to Parliament revealed he was planning to take the opportunity to thank Charles for the support he had shown Ukraine as the Prince of Wales.

The pair discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the part Britain has played in supporting the nation, Buckingham Palace said.

In the opulent room, Mr Zelensky told the King that it was 'a great honour to be here', adding: 'Thank you for finding the time for me.'

The King said: 'We've all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can't tell you.'

Mr Zelensky replied: 'Thank you so much.'

The King said he had heard that the president had addressed both Houses of Parliament earlier in the day.

Mr Zelensky said what a 'big support' they had been.

The monarch replied: 'I'm so glad.'

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly this morning unveiled a new package of sanctions aimed at six companies providing military equipment for Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine.

This included the manufacturer of drones being used to destroy Ukrainian combat vehicles, a company making parts for Russian helicopters, and a software firm involved in military aviation.

Sanctions were also slapped on a group linked to Mr Putin through opaque financial networks.

This included five individuals connected to the Russian President's luxury residents, including the 100 billion rouble 'Putin's Palace' and his lakeside Dacha.

Mr Cleverly said: 'Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion.

'He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country.

'We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.

'These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin  undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail.

'I am determined, consistent with our laws, that Russia will have no access to the assets we have frozen until it ends, once and for all, its threats to Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and integrity.'

Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Mr Zelensky's forces.

The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an 'immediate surge' of military equipment including longer-range weapons.

Downing Street said the Government is following a 'two-pronged' approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future.

Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a 'long-term capability investment'.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future.

Mr Zelensky convoy weaved its way through London after his arrival this morning
The husband of the head of Epsom College 'seemed older than his years' according to a former neighbour, who said the father seemed to have 'a lot of time on his hands'.

Police believe George Pattison, 39, shot his wife Emma, 45, and daughter Lettie, seven, dead before killing himself, just weeks after moving into their school home.

The chartered accountant 'seemed older than 39, he looked and acted like someone approaching 50 not 40,' a former neighbour said.

'His dress sense was almost like a country gent.

'Over the last year or so I never really saw him go to work.

'I think he may have worked at home a bit but I got the impression he had a lot of time on his hands.

'I'd see him through the window drinking glasses of red wine in his new kitchen extension.'

Emma and George Pattinson pictured at a school event. Police believe the couple, alongside their seven-year-old daughter Lettie, died in a double murder-suicide

Head of Epsom College Emma Pattison pictured with Lettie

Surrey Police confirmed it had recovered Mr Pattison's gun and was treating the case as a murder investigation with 'no third-party involvement'

In 2016, financial records show Mr Pattison was the sole director of the management consultancy Tanglewood.

He had taken out a 14,076 director's loan, according to accounts for the year ending October 2021.

Meanwhile, Land Registry documents revealed a mortgage was taken out on the family's four-bedroom Caterham home in January last year, eight years after they bought it for around 600,000.

Mr Pattison had until three weeks ago been living separately from them in their old 1.5million property in Caterham as its sale went through.

The family lived there while Mrs Pattison was a teacher at Croydon High School, before her role at the prestigious Epsom College in September last year.

Neighbours say he had been 'flitting between that house and the property at Epsom' before the keys were handed to the new owners last month.

It was only then that he moved into the grace-and-favour home with his wife Emma and their daughter Lettie, seven.

Epsom College head Emma Pattison, 45, her husband George, 39, and their seven-year-old daughter Lettie

Mrs Pattisons frantic call to her sister Deborah Kirk (pictured together) and her husband prompted relatives to jump into a car and drive out to her in Surrey

But on Sunday morning she made a distressed phone call to her sister Deborah Kirk, which prompted her to jump into a car and drive out to her in Surrey.

They arrived too late and discovered her body as well as that of her husband George, and Lettie.

Police say Mr Pattison shot his wife and their child dead before turning the gun on himself in the early hours of Sunday.

Surrey Police has referred itself to the independent watchdog over the triple shooting after it emerged they had been in touch with Mr Pattison just days before.

The alleged killer had been a licenced shotgun holder for many years and officers had called him to check on the storage for his firearm last Thursday. Officers did not visit the premises.

Home Office regulations state that gun-owners must notify police of any change of address as soon as they move.

Though Mrs Pattison moved into her grace-and-favour home when she started her job last September, the family only handed over the keys to their old house a few weeks ago.

It was suggested Mr Pattison had continued to live at the familys previous address for months after his wife took up her new post as the first female head at Epsom College.

Neighbours in Caterham said neither Mrs Pattison nor their daughter had been seen since last summer but that Mr Pattison had spent time living in the property up until the 1.5million sale was completed last month.

One said: I could see the lights on in the evening and his car was around but never hers.

Last night Zoe Roberts, a teacher at Caterham School where her friend Mrs Pattison also used to teach, said: It is tragic and we wish this had never happened.

She was beautiful, inside and out. She was just the most wonderful person. We cant put it into words at the moment, it is too raw. We are still working it out. It is just a tragic loss.

A former neighbour added: 'I wasn't sure if anybody had actually moved out because I'd seen George quite recently. I saw him in the run-up to Christmas.

A police vehicle outside Epsom College in Surrey on Monday following the three deaths in an apparent murder-suicide

'He was by himself, Emma and Lettie were not with him.

'His BMW 8 Series was parked on the drive. Emma drove a 4x4 but I'd not seen that for a while.

'In fact the last time I spoke to Emma was just before she got the job at Epsom College because she was telling me how she'd just got it and was to become head teacher of this big, prestigious school.

'I hadn't seen her nor her daughter since that day and that must have been earlier last summer. I think she moved out before George.

'The new owners arrived about three weeks or so ago and just before they moved in, a removal firm had taken away the last remaining bits of furniture belonging to Emma and George from the house.

'It was George who handed the keys over to the estate agents. I think he'd been flitting between that house and the property at Epsom.'

Mr Pattison incorporated the management consultancy firm Tanglewood, for which he was the sole director, in 2016.

Accounts for the year ending October 31 2021 showed Mr Pattison had taken out a directors loan for 14,076.

And Land Registry documents show a mortgage was taken out on the family home in Caterham in January 2022, eight years after they bought the property for around 600,000.

Sources told the Mail there were no grounds for suspicion over Mr Pattison as he had no criminal past and has held his firearms licence for many years.

The only time police are known to have been called to the family came in 2016, over accusations Mr Pattison made against his wife.

Mrs Pattison with her daughter Lettie. The seven-year-old has been described as a 'little angel' and 'perfect in every way' following her death on Sunday morning

He phoned the police complaining she had slapped him during a domestic row. It is understood he regretted making the call and downplayed it as a trivial matter when officers arrived, claiming he didnt realise what would happen.

Surrey Police did take the matter seriously and the Mail understands Mrs Pattison was interviewed under caution with a solicitor present. The case was dropped as her husband wouldnt co-operate.

Officers yesterday confirmed that a gun registered and licensed to Mr Pattison was recovered from the head teachers residence after the killing.

They stated that their phone call with him over his change of address days before was a routine communication.

A police statement said: Due to the short period of time between that contact and this incident, we have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct [IOPC].

The force said that the incident was now being treated as a homicide investigation. The exact cause of the deaths, which have been reported to the local coroner, will not be determined until post-mortem examinations have been carried out.

Officers are now trying to piece together the exact chronology of events leading up to the tragedy but they remain confident that there is no third-party involvement.

Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey said: We are co-operating fully with the IOPC in relation to the referral we have made, and we await the outcome of its assessment of what further action may be required.

Inspector Jon Vale, Epsom and Ewells borough commander, said the force was confident that this incident was contained to one address and there is no risk to the wider public.

A spokesman for the IOPC said: We have received a referral from Surrey police about an incident in Epsom on February 5 as an officer at the force had contact with Mr Pattison last week.

We are assessing the available information to determine what, if any, further action may be required from us.

George Pattison was a fast car-loving chartered accountant. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he married Mrs Pattison in 2011.

In the wake of the apparent murder/suicide, the school announced it would shut last night and remain closed until the end of next weeks half-term holiday.

Parents were notified of the decision to finish early for half-term in an email sent earlier today.

Paul Williams, the acting head, said it was time for families to come together and try to process this shocking news'.

He wrote: The shock and horror of the past few days have been unprecedented. The impact on your children cannot be underestimated and we are doing everything we can to support them in whatever way they need.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
An Australian mum has issued a desperate plea for help as her baby girl fights for life in intensive care in a Bali hospital.

Seven-week-old Lucky was rushed to hospital in the early hours of Wednesday morning after she went into respiratory distress and was left gasping for air.

She was placed on a ventilator to help her breathe after a severe bacterial infection took a serious toll on her lungs.

Doctors told Honey Ahimsa and her fiance Pan their baby girl may not make it and has a 50 per cent chance of survival at best.

However the hospital doesn't have the right medical equipment or specialists to ensure little Lucky has the best chance of survival.

Flying Lucky from Bali to Singapore on an air ambulance would cost her parents a staggering $90,000 while the frantic dash to Perth will set them back $65,000.

Friends are now scrambling to help care for the couple's son Hendrix while scraping the funds together to fly Lucky to Australia to receive the best care.

Lucky is fighting for life in a Bali hospital due to a severe infection on her lungs

Seven-week-old Lucky (pictured in hospital) has been given a 50 per cent chance of survival

'She's now in ICU and the specialist team that she needs is actually in another hospital but that one is full,' friend Bailey Scarlett told Daily Mail Australia.

'We're all just kind of scrambling around trying to get her out, basically, because we can't get her to another hospital because they're full.

'We've been quoted $90,000 to medevac her out to Singapore and $65,000 back to Perth, which we're basically trying to gather the funds to be able to do that now.

'We're looking at Perth, obviously because the medical care is obviously going to be better.'

Friends are desperately searching for a specialist doctor as the hospital where Lucky is currently fighting for life doesn't have paediatric pulmonary specialist consultants.

Lucky's condition also has to be stabilised before she can be airlifted to another hospital.

'We've been trying to find outside consultants ourselves and send all her scans and X-rays, medical notes and try to get medical opinion outside because we can't actually have the one that we need in Bali at the moment,' Ms Scarlett said.

Honey Ahimsa and her fiance Pan hope they baby girl can be airlifted to Australia to get the best care she urgently needs

Friends are on a desperate hunt to find a specialist that can help save Lucky's life

'The other hospital with what we need is full and their insulator for a seven-week-old baby is broken. Even if we could get a room, they don't actually have the facilities to ventilate her.

'We just have the equipment to keep her alive, but not to actually potentially get her better.

'So we're really stuck in a pretty hard place at the moment.'

Ms Ahimsa provided an update on her daughter's condition early Thursday after a harrowing 24 hours as she urged everyone to keep Lucky in their prayers.

She described Lucky as the most beautiful, gentle little girl that the world needs to know her.

'There's is nothing worse than a doctor telling you your baby isn't going to make it,' she wrote.

'My girl is hanging on though. I'm so proud of her.'

Ms Scarlett added: 'She is fighting and we're all here alongside her.'

Lucky has been in a Bali hospital getting help but needs to be evacuated to Australia

Lucky was rushed to hospital early Wednesday after she went into respiratory distress

The medical bill for Lucky's first 24 hours in hospital was $8,000 alone.

Ms Ahimsa also thanked everyone who contributed to an online fundraiser which has already raised almost $17,000 within hours.

'She has a severe bacterial infection that has taken a serious toll on her lungs, she is unable to breathe and is on a ventilator which is now breathing for her,' the page states.

'They are unsure whether or not antibiotics can work as shes in such an unstable critical condition.

'It is unsure how long she will need to stay in hospital, minimum two weeks with possibility of needing to stay longer.'
Alex Murdaugh's defense this morning fought the suggestion he wrapped the murder weapons used to kill his wife and son inside a blue raincoat dumped at his mother's house.

The State says the coat was covered with gun residue and found stashed in a closet at Libby Murdaugh's home in Almeda nine days after Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were murdered at the family's hunting estate, Moselle.

Defense attorney Jim Griffin this morning grilled forensic scientist Megan Fletcher about how the rain jacket could have accumulated gun residue in any number of ways and said the particles could have been on the garment for years.

Fletcher yesterday told the court she found 38 gunshot residue particles across the interior and exterior of the coat. She found so many, in fact, that she stopped searching the jacket. John Meadors for the State asked if a firearm could have been wrapped inside the coat. She confirmed that was a possibility.

But Griffin this morning said that even the seat Fletcher was sitting in could have gun residue on it given that the evidence had been presented from the witness stand. She agreed that was possible.

The raincoat the prosecution say Smith saw Murdaugh with nine days after the killings. The jacket was found to be covered in gun residue. It was presented on Monday at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina

Murdaugh arrives at court Wednesday morning with his blazer hiding his handcuffs

The defense attorney added that the residue on the rain jacket might have come from Alex's father, Randolph Murdaugh III, tossing his jacket onto his shotgun in his truck. Fletcher said this too was plausible.

Fletcher told jurors yesterday that as well as the 'significant' gunshot residue on the coat, she found particles on Murdaugh's t-shirt, shorts, his hand and the seatbelt of his car, from samples taken by cops the night of the killings.

Griffin asked the forensic expert if the small amount of gunshot residue found on Murdaugh's clothes and hands could have come from the shotgun he claims he grabbed for protection after arriving back at Moselle to find Maggie and Paul dead.

Fletcher agreed this was possible, telling jurors: 'That would be consistent with somebody that had a firearm in his hand prior to collection.'

Griffin also questioned why the blue tarp discovered at Murdaugh's parents' house was not tested for gunshot residue.

The defense claim that the 'blue something' that Murdaugh's mother's caregiver saw him with nine days after the killings was a blue tarp, not the raincoat.

Fletcher said the jacket was seized because it was bundled up in a closet, while the tarp was folded in a storage container.

Griffin grilled her about the logic of that decision, but the forensic scientist said this was not her job - she did not recover the item from the property she only analyzed it.

The prosecution is still laying out its case in the double-murder trial at Colleton County Court in Westboro.

Murdaugh, 54, is accused of shooting his wife and son dead at the kennels on the estate in a bid to distract from the millions he had embezzled from his law firm.

On the day of the murders, June 7, 2021, he had been confronted by the chief financial officer at the firm over $792,000 that he had stolen. Prosecutors say this was just the tip of the iceberg and 'the walls were closing in.'

Further evidence of his financial crimes is set to be heard by jurors later Wednesday after Judge Clifton Newman ruled that it is admissible.

Buster Murdaugh arrives with his girlfriend Brooklynn White and Alex Murdaugh's sister Lynn at Colleton County Court on Wednesday

The defense battled to keep the testimony of seven state witnesses from the jury, arguing that there is 'no logical connection' between his financial crimes and the murders of Maggie and Paul.

But the judge on Monday granted the prosecution's motion because the crimes 'are so intimately connected and explanatory, it's vital for context and essential for telling the complete story.'

Giving evidence on the blue raincoat yesterday, State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agent Megan Fletcher testified she found a large amount of gunshot residue inside the jacket and said it was consistent with either firing a gun while wearing it inside out or being wrapped around a recently fired weapon.

Defense attorneys said prosecutors did not connect the jacket to Murdaugh through the confusing testimony of Murdaugh's mother's caregiver, who said he brought a 'blue something' to the house at around 6.30am, nine days after the killings.

Witnesses have testified the Murdaugh family often shot guns and hunted on their property and the defense said residue can't be linked to a specific weapon.

The defense did an 'effective job in cross-examination in raising questions as to the credibility of the witness. And that is the exact job the jury has to do - weigh the credibility of the witness,' the judge said.

Muschelle 'Shelley' Smith (left) - the caregiver of Murdaugh's elderly mother Elizabeth 'Libby' Alexander Murdaugh (right) - told how she spoke to the alleged killer on the night of the murders

But Newman's decisions could also help the defense. If Murdaugh is found guilty, the decisions could be brought up on appeal.

The extra witnesses will extend a trial that reached its 12th day on Tuesday with no end to the prosecution's case in sight.

Jurors heard Tuesday from Ronnie Crosby, a law partner with Murdaugh for more than two decades.

Crosby testified for the prosecution that Murdaugh told him and other law partners he was never at the kennels the night of the shootings and later became the third witness to identify Murdaugh's voice along with his wife and his son on a video from the kennels about five minutes before investigators say they were killed.

Crosby became emotional and took his time answering several times during his testimony. Prosecutor Creighton Waters asked Crosby if he had a drink after a partner called him to his home and showed a folder of evidence that Murdaugh was stealing money.

'Yea, ultimately more than one,' Crosby said.

Ronnie Crosby, who worked with Murdaugh at PMPED, said that in the early hours of June 8, 2021 - the day after the murders - the alleged killer told him he was only ever at the crime scene after getting back from his mother's in Almeda, South Carolina. However, in video played to the court taken by Paul just minutes before prosecutors say he was killed, Crosby told jurors he could '100 percent' hear Murdaugh's voice

Crosby didn't go to a meeting the next day where other partners confronted Murdaugh and he resigned. But he said he was told that Murdaugh told his colleagues 'he knew he was going to get caught at some point.'

On cross-examinaton, Crosby said he arrived at the Murdaugh home about an hour after the bodies were found the night of the killings. He got close enough to the bodies to know what kind of ammunition was fired and said it never looked like state agents searched the Murdaugh home.

The next day after state agents left, Crosby said he and another partner saw birdshot still near the shooting scene and thought about collecting it in case it was important evidence.

'It was so bad. We thought at some point we were going to clean it up. But it overwhelmed both my partner Mark and I,' Crosby said.

Tuesday's testimony started with Jeanne Seckinger, who is the office manager and chief financial officer for the law firm Murdaugh's family founded more than a century ago.

Murdaugh took money from legal settlements that was supposed to go to clients by routing it to a fake company that he created and that had a similar name to the company the law firm had intended to send it to, Seckinger said. The real company would have then dispensed the money to the firm's clients.

Alex Murdaugh pictured with his wife Maggie and their two sons Paul (left) and Buster

Seckinger said she confronted Murdaugh about almost $800,000 in missing law firm fees on the day of the killings. But during the conversation, Murdaugh found out doctors had told his father he would die within days. Seckinger said all the grief ended the investigation into the missing fees until things settled down.

After an extensive investigation, the firm determined that Murdaugh took more than $5 million from clients, and it is in the process of paying them everything they were owed, Seckinger said.

For nearly two hours, Seckinger went over dozens of checks Murdaugh sent to his fake company. Then he asked why the law firm had to pay the money back.

'Alex had stolen it,' Seckinger said again and again.

On cross-examination, she agreed with defense attorney Jim Griffin that Murdaugh faces criminal charges for each client.

Griffin also asked Seckinger if it was true that Murdaugh started stealing in 2011, 'Some 10 years before the murders of Maggie and Paul?'

'Thats correct. He managed to fool a lot of people, myself included,' Seckinger said.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday argued Joe Biden isn't too old to be president and said she will be at his side if he runs again - despite the criticism she's received from Democrats about her lack of accomplishments in the White House.

'I think that age is more than a chronological fact,' Harris told ABC's Good Morning America of the 80-year-old commander-in-chief.

And she pushed back at her own critics, saying plainly she will remain Biden's running mate.

'The president has said he intends to run and if he does, I'll be running with him,' she told CBS Mornings. 'I take the job very seriously and I'm honored to serve.'

Harris took to the morning shows to defend the Biden after many Republicans criticized his claims in his speech about the border, the drug crisis and his comments on Medicare and Social Security. The evening grew contentious with Republicans shouting and calling Biden a 'liar' while the president pushed back, engaging in verbal fisticuffs with the GOP.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Joe Biden, at 80, is not too old to be president

"The president, it's his nature and it's his commitment to the American people to work across the aisle. That's not going to stop even if some people are cynical about it."  @VP Kamala Harris on Pres. Biden's #SOTU address and the heckles he received during his remarks. pic.twitter.com/a92p2a8x9v  Good Morning America (@GMA) February 8, 2023

But the vice president has faced a fresh round of critics of her own, those who question what accomplishments she's achieved in the administration and argue she's not an effective advocate for the president - which is a key role for the vice president.

She shrugged it off, telling CBS: 'I appreciate it, thank you. I'm doing quite well, thank you for asking.'

Biden has not officially announced he is running for a second term but all indications point in that direction.

He leaves Wednesday for a traditional post-State of the Union tour, where presidents go out into the country to sell their vision of the country's future.

The stops for him and his surrogates are all key states in the next presidential election: Biden will be in Wisconsin on Wednesday and Florida on Thursday; Harris will be in Georgia on Wednesday and Jill Biden will be in Arizona on Sunday.

The president's public approval rating was 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that closed on Sunday, close to the lowest level of his presidency.

That could be a possible hurdle to any re-election bid.

And his age remains a concern. At 80, he is the oldest president in history.

If he wins a second term, he would be 82 at his second inauguration and 86 by end of the end of his tenure.

The travel spree will test Biden's endurance. He will be traveling much more extensively after spending the majority of the 2020 campaign doing zoom events from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, because of the COVID pandemic.

The president is scheduled to get his annual physical next week but the White House doctor declared him healthy after last year's.

Some Democrats question if Vice President Kamala Harris has been an effective advocate for President Joe Biden

Republicans are expected to make his age a huge issue in the election. And much of their 2024 fire is expected to be directed at the 58-year-old Harris and her suitability to take over if something happens to Biden.

Even some Democrats worry she will be a drag on the ticket.

'That will be in my opinion one of the most hard-hitting arguments against Biden,' John Morgan, a prominent fund-raiser for Democrats, told the New York Times recently.

'It doesn't take a genius to say, "Look, with his age, we have to really think about this."'

Her record in office, he added, did not help.

'I can't think of one thing she's done except stay out of the way and stand beside him at certain ceremonies,' he said.

Biden gave Harris a laundry list of tasks to tackle - including migrating the root causes of migration. She has struggled in those roles but her supporters say they were difficult issues that would challenge any politician.

But Harris has made her own missteps including an interview with NBC's Lester Holt where she made a mess of explaining the administration's plan to secure the border.

She has been more successful in taking the lead on the administration's response to securing reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
McDonald's has signed a legal agreement with the equality watchdog amid concerns over how it has handled sexual harassment complaints made by UK staff.

It is not known how many current complaints have been made in the UK but the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) claimed in 2019 that more than 1,000 UK cases have been reported.

The legally binding agreement, with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), commits the group to a number of measures to better protect workers in the UK.

It does not include chains in Ireland or overseas, such as in the US.

The move comes after similar allegations were made by workers at the fast-food chain's US restaurants over several years and the company's failure to deal with the issue.

McDonald's has signed a legal agreement with the equality watchdog amid concerns over how it has handled sexual harassment complaints made by UK staff

Such measures include communicating a 'zero tolerance' approach to sexual harassment, to provide anti-harassment training for its employees, and to improve policies to better respond to complaints.

One UK woman previously spoke out after a manager sexually harassed her and pulled his pants down in the stockroom.

Christine, who worked at a branch in south London, described the atmosphere as 'toxic', with managers flirting with junior staff and one of them was 'touching everyone's bum', the BBC reports.

She said things took a sinister turn on day in 2018 when she asked for permission to go home while feeling unwell.

She said: 'He pulled his pants down in the stockroom,' she said, adding she felt 'terrified'.

McDonald's later responded that the way Christine was treated was 'completely unacceptable and has no place in our restaurants'.

Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald's in UK and Ireland, said the company already has a 'strong track record' in this area but wants to further improve it.

'As one of the UK's leading employers, the safety and wellbeing of our people is our absolute priority,' he said.

Last month, McDonald's former CEO Steve Easterbrook was fined 330,000 after sexting an unnamed employee. He was fired over the incident in November 2019

'It is hugely important to me that everyone in our organisation feels safe, respected and included at all times - this is core to the values of our business.

'We already have a strong track record in this area and I now welcome the opportunity to work with the EHRC to further strengthen this.'

Mr Macrow stressed that harassment and abuse 'have no place in our society or at McDonald's'.

Last month, McDonald's former CEO Steve Easterbrook was fined 330,000 after sexting an unnamed employee.

The 55-year-old, who US regulators have also barred from being a director for five years, was fired in November 2019 for exercising 'poor judgment' in sending the message.

He enjoyed a payoff running into the tens of millions, but this was clawed back by the company after it emerged he'd failed to disclose romances with other staff.

Easterbrook, originally from Watford, was once the golden boy of the world's biggest fast food chain and had a stellar reputation for turning around its ailing fortunes.

In 2021, McDonald's said it would require workers around the world to undergo anti-harassment training after it emerged that at least 50 employees globally had filed charges against the chain over the previous five years.

The charges alleged physical and verbal harassment and, in some cases, retaliation when they complained.

Workers in several US cities staged a strike in 2018 to protest against the fast-food giant's alleged failure to prevent sexual harassment at work.

In 2021, McDonald's said it would require workers around the world to undergo anti-harassment training after it emerged that at least 50 employees globally had filed charges against the chain over the previous five years

Meanwhile, in the UK, the BFAWU has previously raised the alarm over a 'toxic culture' in restaurants and stated that at least 1,000 women have been harassed by managers and supervisors.

Ian Hodson, national president of the BFAWU, said: 'It's shameful that one of the richest corporations on the planet doesn't take sexual harassment seriously until we raise it.

'I pay tribute to all our members who have spoken out on this issue and encourage McDonald's to work with us in ending sexual harassment.'

The EHRC says it is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010, which makes employers legally responsible if an employee is sexually harassed at work by a colleague, and the employer has not taken all steps they could to prevent it from happening.

The group has been behind similar agreements with the likes of Sainsbury's, which it started working with in 2019 after a member of staff won an employment tribunal claim for sexual harassment.

Alistair Macrow, Chief Executive Officer, McDonald's Restaurants Limited in UK and Ireland said: 'As one of the UK's leading employers, the safety and wellbeing of our people is our absolute priority.

'It is hugely important to me that everyone in our organisation feels safe, respected and included at all times  this is core to the values of our business.

'We already have a strong track record in this area and I now welcome the opportunity to work with the EHRC to further strengthen this.

'We will partner with the EHRC to bolster our best practice training and reporting approaches across our business to ensure that our values are understood, lived and acted upon across our organisation. Harassment and abuse have no place in our society or at McDonald's.'
Armie Hammer's estranged wife has revealed she found out about his allegations of sexual assault and violent cannibalism fantasies at the same time as the rest of the world as she compares her heartbreak to heroin addiction.

Elizabeth Chambers, 40, has broken her silence for the first time over her ill-fated marriage to the disgraced movie star, divulging it was lockdown that tore their relationship apart after Hammer left their family to be with a friend.

In an interview with Elle magazine, she also said she is worried about how Hammer's behavior will affect their children, asking: 'Do I want my son to become this? Would I want my daughter to stay in a relationship like this?'

The TV personality and bakery chain owner revealed her ex-husband - who admitted to having an extra-marital affair - shattered her heart into 'nine million pieces' but that she is now in a new relationship which is helping her 'heal.'

Hammer, 36, has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault, emotional manipulation and of having violent kink fantasies involving cannibalism.

Elizabeth Chambers, 40, breaks her silence on her ten-year marriage to Armie Hammer in an interview with Elle Magazine

The Social Network star broke his own silence at the weekend to admit he was an 'a**hole' and claimed he had been molested by a pastor when he was 13.

Now his ex-wife Chambers, who filed for divorce in 2020, has weighed in on the allegations as she said: 'I was learning things as the public was. I was like, There are no words. What the f***?

She added: ' The last thing I ever want to do is let someone elses actions, which have nothing to do with me, make me angry.

'Its not going to help me, and its not going to help anyone around me.'

Chambers and Hammer were introduced through mutual friends in 2007 before marrying in 2010.

At the time she was an anchor and correspondent at Al Gores now-defunct Current TV, covering immigration and environmental issues, while he was just coming into public prominence following roles in Gossip Girl and Desperate Housewives.

They share daughter Harper, who was born in 2014, and son Ford, born in 2016.

Posing in a photoshoot for Elle magazine, Chambers said the controversial headlines surrounding their father was 'all way too much for two children under eight'.

She paints a picture of a strained marriage during the interview, explaining they once attended a dinner party together and did not talk to one another once.

Their relationship was also mired by allegations of infidelity. Hammer has admitted to having an affair with a woman he met on social media in 2016.

The TV personality in her own right said she learned the news of Hammer's allegations at the same time as the rest of the world, adding 'what the f***?'

Chambers revealed she and Hammer were in couples' therapy for much of their marriage

Chambers, who runs a bakery chain called Bird, said the pair sought the help of famous couples' therapist Esther Perel who told her 'heartbreak is literally worse than heroin addiction.'

When asked of Hammer's sexual fantasies, she declined to comment, simply saying 'boundaries are everything.'

'Your partner is learning things about themselves,' she added.

'They're growing, you're growing, you hope that you're growing together.'

She also claimed that fame worsened the situation, adding 'marriage is always going to be difficult' but their celebrity status 'magnified' their problems.

But the final nail in the coffin came during the pandemic, after Hammer left their family in quarantine.

In 2020, the couple were on a boat trip in St Barts and were intending to return home to L.A. when Covid cases began spiking.

Instead they travelled to the Cayman Islands to quarantine with Hammer's father and stepmother, Misty, along with their children.

Hammer had previously described the situation as 'very complicated' and 'intense' due to the presence of 'big personalities all locked in a little tiny place.'

Reflecting on the period now, Chambers told Elle: 'He was the worst.'

At the time Chambers posted several snaps of the family appearing to look happy together.

In one shot posted on Father's Day she wrote of Hammer: 'We're lucky that you're ours. We love you.'

Hammer then decided to leave his wife and kids in the Caymans and head back to California where he helped a friend to restore an old motel near Joshua Tree National Park.

Hammer and Chambers, 40, were married for ten years after being introduced by a mutual friend in 2007. Pictured in 2019

The couple share two children - Harper, who was born in 2014, and Ford, born in 2016

Chambers said the move broke her heart 'into nine million pieces,' yet she 'still drove him to the airport.'

She filed for divorce in July that year.

She told the magazine: 'You can give, you can love, you can be there for someone but you also need to hold people accountable for their actions.'

She added that the thought of her family breaking up was her 'biggest fear.'

'Youre building something, right?' she said.

'Youre weaving a beautiful tapestry, and the last thing you want is for a knife to come and rip the tapestry in half.'

Chambers has now moved on with a 26-year-old European boyfriend who she claimed is helping to 'heal my body, my heart and my mind.'

However her sister Catherine, who also spoke to Elle, denied Chambers has 'fully healed' from her relationship with Hammer.

'She is really happyblissfully happy, in many waysbut this will always be something shell have to address,' she said.

'Shes got this darkness thats basically tagging along and tapping her on the shoulder every once in a while.

'Its like, Oh, wait. Weve got to remind everybody that this happened to you and caused damage in your life.

It comes after Hammer gave an explosive interview to Air Mail about the accusations against him, telling the magazine he was not a criminal.

However he did admit to being an 'a**hole' adding he 'one million percent' emotionally abused younger women.

Chambers said their marriage was torn apart by the pandemic after they quarantined together in the Cayman Islands. Chambers documented their quarantine on Instagram at the time

Chambers and Hammer are pictured at the 'Call Me By Your Name' Paris premiere in 2018. Hammer won a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the film

Hammer and Chambers pictured together in 2018, just two years before their divorce

The shamed star has been heard from and rarely seen since a woman named Effie, 26, accused him in 2021 of having 'violently raped' her.

This led to a series of accusations by women involving his interest in kinky sex and even cannibalism.

He has denied the accusations through his attorney and said all of his sexual encounters were 'completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance and mutually participatory'.

He now claims he is a victim of cancel culture and is planning to stage a comeback.

'I'm now a healthier, happier, more balanced person,' he told Air Mail.

'I'm able to be there for my kids in a way I never was. I'm able to be there for my dad as he's dying in a way that I would have never been able to be. I'm truly grateful for my life and my recovery and everything. I would not go back and undo everything that's happened to me.'

Hammer, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in 2017 film Call Me By Your Name, gave the interview because he wants to 'own my mistakes' but also say that he doesn't regret having been publicly shamed. He added the the allegations left him suicidal.

'I just walked out into the ocean and swam out as far as I could and hoped that either I drowned, or was hit by a boat, or eaten by a shark,' he said.

However one of his alleged victim's hit back claiming he is still being 'manipulative' and was trying to 'evoke sympathy.'

Effie Angelova, 26, had accused the 36-year-old actor in 2021 of having 'violently raped' her.

Soon after, several other women came forward and accused Hammer of being interested in kinky sex and even cannibalism.

In her Instagram Story Monday night, Efrosina Angelova, 'Effie,' told how Hammer's abuse 'had affected not only me, but my family.'

She has previously claimed that Hammer 'repeatedly slammed her head against a wall,' leaving her with bruises to her face.
The Home Secretary has demanded 'major reform' of the government's flagship anti-terror programme in the wake of a critical report that found it was 'failing to understand' Islamist extremism.

Suella Braverman told MPs that Prevent's focus 'must solely be on security, not political correctness' and said the scheme needs to 'better understand the threats we face and the ideology underpinning them'.

The long-awaited report on the Prevent programme by former Charity Commission chair William Shawcross said officials had a 'double standard when dealing with the Extreme Right-Wing and Islamism'.

Addressing MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon, Suella Braverman pledged to 'swiftly implement' all 34 of the review's recommendations, and report back on her progress with overhauling Prevent in a year.

Speaking after its publication, she said: 'Prevent's focus must solely be on security, not political correctness.'

Ms Braverman also said that antisemitism had been 'tolerated, normalised and even accepted for too long in the UK.'

Among the terrorists who had been referred to Prevent was Ali Harbi Ali, 26, who murdered veteran MP Sir David Amess in 2021

Usman Khan, 28, pictured at Bank station on his way to attend a prisoner rehabilitation event on London Bridge, where he stabbed two young graduates to death. Khan had come into contact with Prevent officers who had 'no specific training' in handling terrorists, an inquest heard

She added: 'This review makes clear that this double standard must change, and so Prevent will do more to recognise and combat the prevalence of antisemitism in extremist ideology and narratives.'

The scheme - which aims to stop people turning to terrorism - needs to 'better understand the threats we face and the ideology underpinning them', she added.

Four recent attacks by Islamist terrorists who had been referred to Prevent SOUTHEND - October 15, 2021: Tory MP Sir David Amess was fatally stabbed outside Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea near Southend while attending a constituency surgery. Ali Harbi Ali, 26, was referred to Prevent seven years ago. READING - June 20, 2020: Khairi Saadallah, 27, fatally stabbed friends James Furlong, 36, Dr David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, in a knife attack at a town centre park. He later admitted the murders and was sentenced to a whole life order in prison. The Reading Refugee Support Group warned Prevent officials he could carry out a 'London Bridge-style attack'. However, he was found to not have a 'fixed ideology, the Independent reported. STREATHAM - February 2, 2020: Sudesh Amman was shot dead by police after stabbing two people on a busy street in the south London area of Streatham while wearing a fake suicide vest. He was referred to Prevent but the panel decided his case did not require intervention. LONDON BRIDGE - November 29, 2019: Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were stabbed to death by Usman Khan, 28, at a prisoner rehabilitation event. A man and two women were also injured before Khan, who was released from prison on licence in December 2018, was shot dead by armed officers on the bridge. An inquest heard his Prevent officers had 'no specific training' in handling terrorists. PARSONS GREEN - September 15, 2017: Ahmed Hassan's homemade bomb partially exploded on a London Underground rush hour train, injuring more than 50 people. He was sentenced to life with a minimum jail term of 34 years. He was referred to Prevent 20 months before he planted the bomb. Advertisement

The report, which was first ordered by former Home Secretary Priti Patel in 2019, suggested there was a need to tackle the ideology underpinning terrorism rather than violent acts themselves.

The assessment found Prevent was 'out of kilter with the rest of the counter-terrorism system, and the UK terrorism threat picture' and 'must return to its overarching objective: to stop individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism'.

Last year Ms Patel hinted at reforms amid a litany of concerns have been raised about how the deradicalisation programme was working after it emerged several terror attacks were carried out by extremists who had been referred to Prevent.

They include: homegrown terrorist Ali Harbi Ali who murdered veteran MP Sir David Amess in 2021, Reading terror attacker Khairi Saadallah who murdered three men in a park and Sudesh Amman, responsible for stabbings in Streatham, south London, both in 2020, and the 2017 Parsons Green Tube train attacker Iraqi asylum seeker Ahmed Hassan.

It said: 'Challenging extremist ideology should not be limited to proscribed organisations but should also cover domestic extremists operating below the terrorism threshold who can create an environment conducive to terrorism.'

The study added: 'Prevent takes an expansive approach to the extreme right-wing, capturing a variety of influences that, at times, has been so broad it has included mildly controversial or provocative forms of mainstream, right-wing leaning commentary that have no meaningful connection to terrorism or radicalisation.

'However, with Islamism, Prevent tends to take a much narrower approach centred around proscribed organisations, ignoring the contribution of non-violent Islamist narratives and networks to terrorism.

'Prevent must ensure a consistent and evidence-based approach to setting its threshold and criteria, and ensure it does not overlook key non-violent radicalising influences.'

Mr Shawcross raised 'particular concern' about civil society organisations (CSOs) funded by the programme which have 'promoted extremist narratives, including statements that appear sympathetic to the Taliban', adding: 'As a core principle, the Government must cease to engage with or fund those aligned with extremism.'

In the 188-page report, he also told how he was 'disturbed by the prevalence of antisemitism' in the so-called 'Channel' cases he observed - referring to people in the programme who are considered most at risk of becoming radicalised and turning to terrorism - and called for Prevent to 'better understand and tackle antisemitism'.

The long-awaited report on the Prevent programme by former Charity Commission chair William Shawcross was released today

Reading attacker Khairi Saadallah, 27, (left) was assessed by Prevent officials but found to have 'no fixed ideology', according to reports. Sudesh Amman, who stabbed two people in Streatham, south London, last February. However, a panel decided his case did not require intervention

Usman Khan, 28, (left) who stabbed two young graduates to death after a prisoner rehabilitation event on London Bridge, had come into contact with Prevent officers who had 'no specific training' in handling terrorists, an inquest heard. Parsons Green bomber Ahmed Hassan was also referred to the anti-terror scheme 20 months before he planted a device on the Tube that injured 50 people during rush hour in 2017

Mr Shawcross also found that too many resources were being focused on right-wing terrorism rather its Islamist equivalent, which has been responsible for far more deadly attacks.

While Mr Shawcross praised the work of Prevent in stopping radicalisation, his report said: 'All too often those who commit terrorist acts in this country have been previously referred to Prevent.

The long-awaited report on the Prevent programme by former Charity Commission chair William Shawcross said officials had a 'double standard when dealing with the Extreme Right-Wing and Islamism'

'Prevent apparently failed to understand the danger in these cases and this review demonstrates how such failures might be avoided in the future.'

His recommendations include a closer relationship between MI5 and Prevent bosses to allow better consideration of the wider terrorism threat by those who run the scheme.

The Government has accepted all 34 recommendations made in the 188-page report.

The Home Office said it would 'overhaul' Prevent in the fight against radicalisation and that the Home Secretary had 'committed to delivering wholesale and rapid change' across the programme.

Suella Braverman said she 'wholeheartedly' accepted all 34 of the review's reccomendations.

In a statement after the review was published, she said: 'Prevent will now ensure it focuses on the key threat of Islamist terrorism.

'As part of this more proportionate approach, we will also remain vigilant on emerging threats, including on the extreme right.

'This independent review has identified areas where real reform is required. This includes a need for Prevent to better understand Islamist ideology, which underpins the predominant terrorist threat facing the UK.

'I wholeheartedly accept all 34 recommendations and am committed to quickly delivering wholesale change to ensure we are taking every possible step to protect our country from the threat posed by terrorism.'

What are the key findings and recommendations of the long-awaited review into Prevent?

The findings of the long-awaited assessment of the Government's anti-terror programme Prevent were published on Wednesday and recommended a series of reforms.

Here are some of the key findings and recommendations from the review

KEY FINDINGS

Prevent is not doing enough to tackle non-violent Islamist extremism

The review said Prevent should also cover extremists who can create an environment conducive to terrorism, as well as proscribed organisations.

Prevent has a double standard when dealing with the extreme right-wing and Islamism

The report said Prevent takes an "expansive approach" to the extreme right-wing, which has "included mildly controversial or provocative forms of mainstream, right-wing leaning commentary" that have no "meaningful connection to terrorism or radicalisation".

Funding too often goes towards generic projects

Chairman William Shawcross said he was "consistently unable to determine" how many Prevent-funded civil society organisations (CSOs) and community projects were having an impact.

Some civil society organisations have promoted extremist narratives

Mr Shawcross said it was of "particular concern" extremist narratives were being promoted, including statements that appear sympathetic to the Taliban.

Prevalence of antisemitism within "Channel" cases

Referring to people in the programme who are considered most at risk of becoming radicalised and turning to terrorism, Mr Shawcross called for Prevent to "better understand and tackle antisemitism".

Prevent is out of kilter with the rest of the counter-terrorism system

Mr Shawcross said Islamist extremism represents the primary terrorist threat to the UK but only 22% of Prevent referrals for the year 2020-21 concerned Islamism. He said this suggested a "loss of focus and failure to identify warning signs".

Prevent is carrying the weight for mental health services

The review said vulnerable people who do not necessarily pose a terrorism risk are being referred to Prevent to access other types of much-needed support, which Mr Shawcross described as a "serious misallocation of resources".

Lack of training

The review said there was insufficient training for managing controversial issues of substance regarding extremist ideology.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Advertisement

Amy Robach is proudly flaunting the 'promise ring' gifted to her by ex co-host turned lover T.J. Holmes.

DailyMail.com saw the former GMA3 host shopping in Manhattan Tuesday with her neck adorned with the $650 David Yurman Unity Cable ring hung on a $350 gold Tiffany chain.

T.J. clearly gifted the jewelry to Amy for her 50th birthday on Monday after he was seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos picking out the thoughtful gift at luxury stores.

The couple continue to go strong despite their affair costing them their jobs, with the jewelry a sure sign of their commitment until their divorces are finalized.

Amy Robach wore the $650 David Yurman ring hung on a $350 Tiffany chain that T.J. Holmes gifted her, DailyMail.com photos show

DailyMail.com saw the former GMA3 host shopping in Manhattan Tuesday with her neck adorned with the $650 David Yurman Unity Cable ring hung on a $350 gold Tiffany chain

T.J. was seen shopping for the 'promise ring' in Manhattan on Saturday to give to Amy on her birthday Monday

Amy was shopping at the 260 Sample Sale in Soho with a friend and wore no wedding ring for the outing

Instead of a wedding ring on her finger, an 18-karat gold Unity Cable ring, part of the bridal/wedding collection, hung from her neck above her red blouse, which she paired with a black coat and jeans

Amy's wedding finger was bare as she finalizes her divorce from Andrew Shue and continues to go strong with T.J

Amy was seen walking her dog on Wednesday, with the necklace covered up by a hoodie

Amy was shopping at the 260 Sample Sale in Soho with a friend and wore no wedding ring as she finalizes her divorce from Andrew Shue.

Instead, T.J.'s 18-karat gold Unity Cable ring, part of the bridal/wedding collection, hung from her neck above her red blouse, which she paired with a black coat and jeans.

On Saturday T.J., 45, stopped first at David Yurman's downtown Manhattan store, then sauntered over to nearby Tiffany & Co. where he snagged a gold chain.

He promptly looped the ring on to it to see how it looked before the clerk popped it into the store's distinctive robin's egg blue bag and T.J. walked away with a glint in his eye.

The celebration of Amy's Big 50 on Monday came just days after the pair sealed the exit deal with ABC after weeks of negotiations.

Despite the circumstances of their exit, they have both been given compensation packages to leave GMA. Since their affair came to light three other ABC staffers have revealed they had flings with T.J., including producer Natasha Singh, former intern Jasmine Pettaway and a woman identified only as Sascha.

DailyMail.com saw T.J. Holmes shopping at David Yurman in Manhattan on Saturday for a 50th birthday gift for Amy Robach

The ousted GMA3 host was seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos eyeing gold rings at David Yurman. He walked away with an 18k gold David Yurman Unity Cable Ring that retails for $650, part of the bridal/wedding collection

The 45-year-old then stopped by Tiffany & Co. on Wall Street for a gold chain where he tried looping the ring onto it

While in the stores, T.J. enlisted the help of sales associates to find the perfect gift for his dear Amy

The 45-year-old braved the 10-degree weather to stop by Tiffany & Co. for a gold chain to loop the ring on. He left with the iconic blue bag

A friend of the couple told DailyMail.com, 'T.J. and Amy are more in love than ever,' but added that they are under a lot of pressure now that they're out of a job and have divorces pending.

'It's kind of proof of how committed they are to each other that they've weathered this sh**storm after their secret love affair was exposed, they were suspended from GMA3 and then waited for agonizing weeks as ABC kept them in limbo about their future,' they said.

'But don't forget that T.J. and Amy were friends long before they were lovers. Their relationship began with an awfully strong bond that - to this point - has only become, well, more.'

An industry source said, 'What the future holds for T.J. and Amy professionally is hard to say right now. Their on-air chemistry would probably be magnified and audiences would gravitate to them. But there still a lot of baggage there - especially for him.'

Just last week exclusive DailyMail.com photos showed the pair celebrated their exits from ABC with hugs and kisses on a sidewalk in Los Angeles

T.J. and Amy were seen wrapping their arms around one another on an LA sidewalk just hours after ABC announced the pair will not be returning to GMA

An industry source said, 'What the future holds for T.J. and Amy professionally is hard to say right now. Their on-air chemistry would probably be magnified and audiences would gravitate to them'

Both Holmes and Robach have been married to their respective spouses since 2010. It is not known when or how Holmes's wife, 44-year-old attorney, Marilee Fiebig, (pictured together in 2012) and Robach's husband, former Melrose Place actor Andrew Shue, 55, (pictured right in March 2022) learned of the romance, but both couples are said to have split up in August

The co-hosts first sparked headlines after they were caught in November looking cozy as they hung out together in New York City.

They were accused of having an affair before T.J. officially filed for divorce in January. Robach's divorce is all but finalized.

Their departure from ABC was a welcome announcement for many staff members who have spent the last two months waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It was a major shift for the ABC which initially backed their two stars and claimed they had not broken any rules when DailyMail.com exposed their affair in November.

The co-anchors were suspended from the show after initially weathering the storm. Initially they returned to the air on December 1, just one day after the scandal broke, and appeared to make subtle quips about their situation.

Four days later president of ABC Kim Godwin announced that they would not appear on air because their relationship was a 'internal and external distraction.'
Voldymyr Zelensky renewed his 'Bromance' with Boris Johnson today - paying tribute to the ex-PM's role in rallying the West against Russia.

On his first visit to the UK since the invasion, the Ukraine president praised Mr Johnson for assembling an international coalition that had seem 'impossible'.

After his rousing speech to MPs and Peers in Westminster Hall the pair shared a warm handshake and a chat in the crowd.

Mr Johnson and Mr Zelensky struck up a close relationship after Russian tanks rolled over the border last year, speaking frequently on the phone.

Close aides said the former premier was often moved by the personal bravery of the president, who spent much of the early stages of the conflict in a bunker with Kyiv under imminent threat.

After his rousing speech to MPs and Peers in Westminster Hall, Volodymyr Zelensky and Boris Johnson shared a warm handshake and a chat in the crowd

On his first visit to the UK since the invasion, the Ukraine president praised Mr Johnson for assembling an international coalition that had seem 'impossible'

Since leaving office Mr Johnson has been pushing powerfully for Nato to provide more military kit, insisting that Ukraine must have everything it needs to defend freedom. He visited Kyiv again last month

Mr Johnson was the first Western leader to go to the Ukrainian capital after the invasion, while Britain gave crucial weaponry and strong political support to the fight against Putin.

Since leaving office Mr Johnson has been pushing powerfully for Nato to provide more military kit, insisting that Ukraine must have everything it needs to defend freedom.

Mr Zelensky was given a rapturous reception as he arrived in historic Westminster Hall to deliver a speech on his first visit since the Russian invasion.

Watched by Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson, Mr Zelensky insisted that more help will be needed to defeat the Russian aggressors.

He presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft - after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them.

The message on the helmet reads: 'We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.'

Amid splits within Nato on how far to go in suppling air power, Mr Zelensky added: 'Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.'

Mr Zelensky said he had come on behalf of the 'brave' who were 'in the trenches under enemy artillery fire'. 'We know Russia will lose. We really know that victory will change the world.'

Mr Zelensky singled out Mr Johnson for praise for helping unite the international community behind Ukraine when it seemed 'impossible'.

'The people of the United Kingdom and their honourable representatives, all the people of England and Scotland, of Wales and Northern Ireland, of all the lands which have been home to brave souls since Europe came into existence,' Mr Zelensky said.

Mr Johnson was the first Western leader to go to the Ukrainian capital after the invasion (pictured in April last year)

Mr Johnson was among hundreds of MPs and peers who gathered to watch Mr Zelensky's speech today

'I have come here and stand before you on behalf of the brave, on behalf of our war heroes who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire, on behalf of our air gunners, and every defender of the sky who protects Ukraine against enemy aircraft and missiles, on behalf of our tank men who fight to restore our Ukrainian borders, on behalf of our conscripts who are being trained now including here in Britain.

'Thank you, Britain.'

Mr Zelensky said: 'London has stood with Kyiv since day one, from the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war, Great Britain you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react.

'Boris: you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible. Thank you.'

Mr Zelensky shared a warm embrace with Mr Sunak earlier as he landed at Stansted Airport in Essex for his surprise visit.

They then returned to London for talks, with Mr Sunak pledging to boost support with training for fighter pilots - a precursor to supplying advance Nato jets. More sanctions have also been imposed on Russia in a bid to cripple Putin's war-fighting machine.
Ben Carson is calling out former President Donald Trump's new 'groomer' attack on GOP rival Ron DeSantis  after watching Trump eviscerate his own presidential campaign with slashing attacks eight years ago.

Carson, who ultimately made peace with Trump and served as his Housing secretary, revealed his concerns to DailyMail.com, a day after Trump posted a photo of DeSantis allegedly partying with teens back when he was a boarding school history teacher in 2001-2002.

'It would be nice if he would stick to the issues. I think it would increase his acceptance among the voters,' said Carson.

The soft-spoken Carson also called out Trump by name, and shared concern of a potential replay of the 2016 campaign, when Trump blew through the Republican field by taking down his Republican rivals with personal attacks one-by-one on figures from Jeb Bush to himself and Ted Cruz.

'Yeah - I hope that the process will allow everybody to really talk about the policy and not talk about people. And I hope that that will permeate the surface and that will get to all the players  including Trump,' Carson said.

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson said it 'would be nice' if former President Donald Trump would stick to the issues, after Trump re-posted an attack alleging that rival Ron DeSantis was a 'groomer' who partied with teen girls two decades ago

Trump on Tuesday posted an image of a young Ron DeSantis allegedly 'grooming' high school girls. 'He would never do such a thing,' Trump added sarcastically

Still, Carson allowed that he thinks Trump 'probably is still the front runner. He can do a lot to enhance it.'

Carson, who was a State of the Union guest of conservative Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.), has been willing to diverge from Trump a few times in the past, such as when Trump called several African nations, plus Haiti and El Salvador 's***hole countries.' (Trump didn't deny it and admitted to using 'tough' language.')

He also made his peace with Trump and endorsed his presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago, after candidate Trump ridiculed his tale of rising from violent beginnings to become a top surgeon that were central to his presidential campaign and his memoir.

Trump called the story  that Carson when he was a youth tried to stab someone only to have the knife break when it hit a belt buckle  'crap.'

Trump said anyone who believed it was 'stupid' and ridiculed the claim before an Iowa audience, in a state where Carson had led in the polls.

'So I have a belt: Somebody hits me with a belt, it's going in because the belt moves this way. It moves this way, it moves that way,' Trump said.

'He hit the belt buckle. Anybody have a knife? Want to try it on me? Believe me, it ain't gonna work. You're going to be successful, but he took the knife and went like this and he plunged it into the belt and, amazing, the belt stayed totally flat and the knife broke,' earning laughs from a crowd.

Carson wasn't the only former Trump cabinet member who raised concerns about the tenor of his reelection campaign.

Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, asked about Trump's 'groomer' attack, told DaiyMail.com: 'I'm always a gentleman. I will disagree or agree but I will never be disagreeable. Just like on the floor today: I may disagree with the president, but I'm always respectful to the president,' he said after a raucous State of the Union where GOP lawmakers heckled President Biden, who accused them of wanting to slash Social Security.

'Well that is not my temperament,' said Zinke, who is once again serving in the House. 'With President Trump, I was always respectful with him, I enjoyed working for him. And I also know Ron DeSantis. I served with him. Oftentimes I'm the bridge that tires to take the best out of everyone,' he said.

Trump, seen here last month in South Carolina, famously shredded Carson's life story during an Iowa campaign event, mocking Carson's claim his knife miraculously broke on a belt buckle when he tried to stab someone. Carson called the youthful event it a turning point in his life

'I'm always a gentleman. I will disagree or agree but I will never be disagreeable,' said former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, when asked about Trump's attacks on DeSantis

California GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa was more direct when asked about the attack. 'Why the hell is he doing that? That isn't constructive. They need not be at each other's throats.'

'There's plenty of other things to talk about outside of that with what's going on than for Trump vs. DeSantis. DeSantis is looked at very well by a lot of people. You got Trump is the 800 pound gorilla and DeSantis is about the 400 pound gorilla, the way things look. So they should leave each other alone,' he said.

The comments chastising Trump come after the former president reposted images of a young Ron DeSantis allegedly partying with high school teens and adding his own mocking commentary.

'That's not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The post linked to a Truth Social Account that grabbed a digital image of a young man with a bowl haircut who appears to be DeSantis surrounded by three young women.

One of them, who has her arm around the now-Florida governor, is smiling and appears to be holding a brown glass bottle.

The hit comes as DeSantis has been rising in the polls and lining up influential supporters.

To drive home the point, Trump also re-posted a message by a user named Dong-Chan Lee, who wrote that 'Ron DeSantis was having a 'drink' party with his students when he was a high school teacher. Having drinks with underage girls and cuddling with them certainly look pretty gross and ephebophiliaesque,' a term relating to attraction to adolescents.

'No way?' wrote Trump on Tuesday.

Former President Donald Trump reposted a commenter on his Truth Social site who linked to a 2021 blog post alleging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allegedly partying with high school seniors when he was a teacher at a Georgia boarding school

Neither post contains evidence that the girls pictured were underage, or establishes that anyone photographed was illegally consuming alcohol. DailyMail.com has not been able to verify the provenance of the photos.

Lee describes himself as a 'paleoconservative' and Trump supporter.

The image, which blurs the identity of the people surrounding DeSantis, appears to come from a 2021 blogpost by HILLREPORTER.com. The post cites a 'whistleblower' who said the girls pictured 'are believed to have graduated in 2002, making them seniors at the time.'

DeSantis, 44, taught history and government at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, during the 2001-2002 year.

He was fresh out of Yale at the time, and students described him as smart, 'smug,' charismatic, and a 'jock.'

The New York Times made reference to the blog post in its own article about DeSantis' time at the school, neither confirming nor knocking down the details of the incident.

'Last year, Hill Reporter, a blog put out by a Democratic super PAC, published a photograph of Mr. DeSantis taken with several female students from Darlington in 2002, one of whom was holding what appeared to be a bottle of beer,' according to the paper.

'Two former students, both women, remembered him attending at least two parties where alcohol was served, but they said that the parties took place after graduation and that they were not bothered by his presence at the time, although they question it now.

'It was his first job out of Yale, he was cute. We didn't really think too much about it,' one of the former students said, according to the Times.

Trump has repeatedly taken credit for DeSantis' 2018 Florida win. DeSantis led him in a head-to-head matchup in a poll out Monday. Trump trashed the Club for Growth, who commissioned the survey

DeSantis taught at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, after attending Yale University

Trump's attacks come as DeSantis has been rising in the 2024 polls for the Republican presidential nomination, and days after the Florida governor referenced attacks against him in a press conference.

'I roll out of bed, I have people attacking me from all angles, it's been happening for many, many years. When you're an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions. You got to steer that ship,' he said.

'And the good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that  whether they re-elect you or not,' he said.

'And I'm happy to say, you know, in my case, not only did we win re-election, we won with the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican governor candidate has in the history of the state of Florida,' he said  pointing to a feat, reelection, that Trump himself did not achieve.

It comes a day after a new Club for Growth poll shows DeSantis leading Trump by nine points in a head-to-head matchup.

Trump also attacked the conservative group, calling it the 'Club for NO Growth' and 'an assemblage of political misfits, globalists, and losers' who 'fought me incessantly'.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the DeSantis campaign for comment.

The 'groomer' attack on DeSantis, even lacking evidence, could have added sting, since DeSantis' office characterized opponents of his 'don't say gay' bill as 'groomers,' prompting backlash at the time.
The streets of London descended into lawlessness after two couples brawled in ugly scenes that shocked shoppers and diners alike.

The chaotic scenes show a woman flying through the air after she was shoved by a man after footage showed her punching a woman outside a Leon fast food outlet by Shaftesbury Avenue and Wardour Street.

At the same time, two men thought to be their partners also brawled as passersby watched in horror.

Two women can be seen rolling around on the floor fighting, as the woman in a green jacket repeatedly punches the second woman while on her knees

As a crowd starts forming, one woman tries to separate the two girls and can be heard saying: 'Hey ladies, stop it'.

But she is unable to calm the pair down, while the sound of chuckles can be heard from other bystanders.

And as one of the women gets up, one of the men shoves her so hard she flies across the street and onto the ground, landing heavily on her side.

The lady bounced on the pavement as she fell, but was able to get up shortly after to retrieve her handbag.

The ugly brawl broke out in Soho, one of London's most prominent nightlife districts

As one of the women gets up, one of the men takes matters into his own hands and shoves her

The woman is shoved her so hard she flies across the street and onto the ground, landing heavily on her side

The lady bounced on the pavement as she fell, but was able to get up shortly after to retrieve her handbag

In the video, you hear the man who shoved her repeatedly shout 'do something' at the man thought to her partner.

The fight was at the entrance to the capital's China Town and minutes from Leicester Square.

One commenter joked: 'Leon portion sizes make people angry'.

Another said: 'To be fair he did need to do that, his girl was getting toasted.'

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told MailOnline that they were not called to the incident.
They exited the Pirates of the Caribbean ride on a plank and got $30 for socks

A failure at Disneyland in California left people on a flooding boat for an hour

Disneyland visitors said they were stuck on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride for an hour on Tuesday as the boats they were in started to flood.

A viral Tiktok video showed passengers waiting in a series of boats inside the cavernous ride at Disneyland in California as water began to pool at their feet.

Disneyland firefighters eventually arrived and helped them exit via a plank.

Justin James, a professional photographer from Los Angeles, uploaded the video and said as compensation the riders were given vouchers to buy dry socks and to skip the lines of their next rides.

'It was a hot mess,' wrote James. 'Honestly thought we were gonna swim our way out of this.'

A viral TikTok video showed a group of people stuck on a flooding boat while on a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed ride at Disneyland in California

The video shows murky water in the boat and people, some in Mickey Mouse ears, with their legs raised to avoid getting wet. Other boats in the ride appear to have also been affected but the extent of their flooding is not clear.

A walkway that appeared to be about two meters long was set up to bridge the gap between the boats, which are guided through the ride by rails, and solid ground.

Firefighters held the hands of riders to provide them balance as they disembarked.

'All they gave us was some $30 vouchers for socks and single lightning lanes,' wrote James. His video has now accrued 1.5 million views.

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is in the New Orleans Square area in the Anaheim Disneyland Park. The section of the park is based on 19th Century New Orleans.

Disneyland did not respond to questions from DailyMail.com about the malfunction of the ride.

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride (pictured) is in the New Orleans Square area in the Anaheim Disneyland Park

A walkway that appeared to be about two meters long was set up to bridge the gap between the boats, which are guided through the ride by rails, and solid ground

Disney introduced a new 'Tier 0' ticket, which is valid during the park's least-visited days

Last year Disneyland ticket prices continued their year-to-year increase as they rose by an average of 8 percent in October.

One-day tickets now range from $104 to $179, depending on the day, with the one-day $65 'Park Hopper' ticket add-on making the most expensive ticket $244.

Since 2017, when the park's 'Tier 5' ticket was priced at $124, the most expensive single-day ticket - representing a new 'Tier 6' - has increased by 44 percent to $179.

Despite the price hike, a new 'Tier 0' ticket was introduced at $104 which is valid during the park's least crowded days of the year.

'Disneyland Resort is always planning the next new idea, attraction, and story,' a Disneyland official said in a statement.

'Our tiered ticketing structure offers guests different options to experience that magic throughout the year, including our lowest price point  which hasn't changed since 2019.'
Britain today announced a fresh package of sanctions against Russia to target Vladimir Putin's ex-mistress and those linked to his property empire.

The Foreign Office revealed new measures were being taken against five individuals connected to the Russian President's luxury residences.

This includes the secretive 'Putin's Palace', a property on the Black Sea coast said to be worth around 1billion, as well as Mr Putin's lakeside Dacha - or summer house - which is reported to be in Russia's north.

Among the five individuals is Svetlana Krivonogikh, a millionaire shareholder in a major Russian bank and large media group who is claimed to have previously worked as a cleaner.

There has been speculation in Russia that she is mother to a daughter of Mr Putin's from a years-long affair.

Svetlana Krivonogikh is speculated to be mother to a daughter of Vladimir Putin's from a years-long affair

The Foreign Office revealed new measures were being taken against five individuals connected to the Russian President's luxury residences

This includes the secretive 'Putin's Palace', a property on the Black Sea coast said to be worth around 1billion

The new UK sanctions - announced to coincide with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky's visit to Britain today - are also targeted against a group connected to Mr Putin through opaque financial networks.

The Foreign Office said IT services company Moscoms LLC acts as a 'nexus' for the Russian elite and provides web domains such as LLCinvest.ru, which is linked to 86 companies 'within Putin's web' that are worth a total of 3.7billion.

The domain is also used by an organisation that owns the 'Shellest', a yacht linked to Putin and used regularly for travel to his palace.

As well as Krivonogikh, other individuals being sanctioned by Britain include Boris Titov.

He was a defeated candidate in the 2018 Russian presidential election who had previously been given a top role by Mr Putin after buying 740 acres of vineyards on the grounds of the Black Sea palace.

Nikolay Egorov, until recently the deputy chairman of the largest privately-owned oil refinery in Russia, Sergey Rudnov, the owner of a pro-Kremlin news outlet, and Viktor Myachin, the owner of a Russian aircraft maintenance and repair company, were the others linked to Putin's property empire to have been sanctioned.

Measures were also taken against Alexey Repik, the owner of a jet used by Putin's daughter, Evgeny Shkolov, a former presidential aide, and Pavel Titov, the son of Boris.

Six companies providing military equipment for Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine were targeted in the new package of sanctions.

This included the manufacturer of drones being used to destroy Ukrainian combat vehicles, a company making parts for Russian helicopters, and a software firm involved in military aviation.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: 'Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion.

'He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country.

'We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.

'These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin  undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail.

'I am determined, consistent with our laws, that Russia will have no access to the assets we have frozen until it ends, once and for all, its threats to Ukraines territorial sovereignty and integrity.'
The expert diver leading the river search for Nicola Bulley has dramatically called it off to declare she is not in the water - as he branded the case 'baffling' and said he 'did not know' whether the mother-of-two was still alive.

Peter Faulding, leader of underwater search experts Specialist Group International (SGI), said he had been 'determined' to find Nicola but that both he and her partner Paul Ansell, 44, were 'relieved' that he hadn't.

The pair met at the site of the search this morning in St. Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, where Mr Faulding confirmed to Paul that Nicola 'is not here'.

The SGI team are leaving today and will not be helping Lancashire Police search the 'lower estuary' of the River Wyre. The force told MailOnline their search remains 'ongoing' and that there was no deadline in place for it to end.

It comes after police last night admitted that Nicola could have left the area with a third party when she vanished during a walk with her springer spaniel Willow at around 9.20am on January 27.

While police still maintain that she most likely fell into the river, superintendent Sally Riley, of Lancashire Police, said it remained a 'possibility' that the 45-year-old left the area by one path not covered by CCTV cameras - but added that 'every single' suspicion or criminal suggestion had so far been discounted.

Paul Ansell, 44, pictured with diving expert Peter Faulding who told the anxious father 'she's not here', during a third extensive day of searching along the River Wyre in Lancashire

Mr Faulding's team are seen packing up their gear as they abandon the search for Nicola on Wednesday

Police last night admitted that Nicola could have left the area with a third party when she vanished during a dog walk near the village of St. Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, some 12 days ago (Pictured: Lancashire Police carrying inflatable Rib boats during the search for Nicola on Wednesday)

The path in question is crossed by the main road through the village, and officers are scrambling to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the route at the time she disappeared.

After reviewing other CCTV footage, police are confident that Nicola did not leave the field near the river via Rowanwater.

Mr Faulding had said that if his team did not find Nicola in the water using his sonar equipment, then it was his belief that she had not been in the river, raising the prospect of a 'third party' involvement in the disappearance.

Announcing he had called off the search on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Faulding said: 'We are happy that the area where Nicola's phone was found and the harness, we've thoroughly searched it from all the way down to the weir and up to the bridge, about a mile upstream, and we've confirmed to Paul [her partner] that there's nothing in that area.

'That's been dived by police dive teams three times as well... and on the day that Nicola went missing it was dived in the afternoon, with no sign of Nicola.'

He added: 'I've worked on some weird cases, but this is a baffling case. For someone whose mobile phone was found there... I would've expected Nicola to be found that afternoon by the police dive team, normally down in the water, but there was no sign of her.'

He said he simply 'didn't know' where Nicola was, adding: 'I was determined to find Nicola, but one good thing is that I didn't want to find a body, so I'm happy we haven't found Nicola's body, which can lead to other areas, so we don't know if Nicola is alive, this is just a baffling case.

'After the end of today, we've done what we've come here to do, we've cleared the area for the police and the family, we can say that in the top section of river and some of the section going down towards the sea, that she's not in that part.'

He said he could not comment on 'further down the estuary' because his team was not searching that area.

'We just want to bring some form of closure,' he added, 'And I say again that I'm happy we never found a body and Paul is relieved we found nothing up there.'

Mr Faulding said he was 'determined' to find Nicola but that he was also 'relieved' he did not find a body

Paul Ansell, partner of Nicola Bulley views the spot on the River Wyre where she went missing with private search investigator Peter Faulding (Hi-Vis jacket)

Nicola Bulley (pictured with her partner Paul) vanished while walking her dog Willow along the riverbed on January 27, moments after dropping her two children off at school. She was last seen at 9.10am by a fellow dogwalker, before her phone and her pup's harness were found on a nearby bench at around 9.20am, and the alarm was raised

The pair were joined by a senior detective and a friend of Nicola, who listened attentively as Mr Faulding explained how the water where police believe the 45-year-old drowned was particularly shallow

Lancashire Police gather their river searching equipment on the River Wyre in Lancashire on Wednesday

Specialist Group International continue their search of a stretch of the River Wyre where Nicola Bulley went missing at St Michael's on Wyre

Paul and Mr Faulding were this morning joined by a senior detective and a friend of Nicola, who listened attentively as Mr Faulding explained how the water where police believe she drowned was particularly shallow.

It comes as a video obtained by MailOnline shows Mr Faulding's sonar device scanning either side of the riverbank near St. Michael's on Wyre, where Nicola is feared to have fallen in.

The only sound that can be heard on the short clip is the outboard motor on the rear of the inflatable dinghy as the search team slowly meanders along the twisting river. The side scan sonar is able to 'see' to the bottom of the river and any major obstacle in its way would be detected on the film.

'This is not a spectator sport': Twisted tourists 'taking selfies on bench where Nicola left her phone' are told to stay at home A local parish council chairman has called for respect after people 'travelled for miles to take selfies on the bench' where missing Nicola Bulley's phone was found. The riverside path where the 45-year-old was last seen walking her Springer spaniel, Willow, has a steady footfall but in recent days, the paths have been rammed with visitors who have travelled to the village to watch the search in action, LancsLive reports. Visitors have reportedly travelled from as far afield as Lancaster and Manchester. People have also reportedly been posing for selfies with missing posters that have been put up in St Michael's on Wyre, as well as with the bench where Nicola's phone was found. Chairman of St Michael's Parish Council, Giles Phillips, condemned those taking ghoulish selfies and said 'it is not a spectator sport'. Giles said in recent days the village has seen an increase in families visiting the riverside to watch the search operation. He said: 'It would be helpful if people could let the authorities do their jobs. We don't want anyone to hinder the investigation. This is not a spectator sport. 'Most of the area is private land - the public access is very minimal and can't absorb the numbers of people who are coming every day. They aren't searching for somebody - they are watching someone else search for somebody. We would rather people stayed home or took a day trip to the Lake District.' Advertisement

Mr Faulding was convinced that if he was to find a body it would have been in the area close to where police say Nicola fell into the water.

The expert took MailOnline to the scene and pointed out that the water was fairly shallow - no deeper than 3ft - and covered with jagged rocks.

He said: 'If this is where Nicola fell in you can see that the water is not particularly deep. There are lots of rocks and if she was in the water she would be able to grab hold of them.

'No one heard any shouts for help and I just can't see how she could drown here.

'The only possibility is that she fell head first and was knocked out on the rocks, but I don't see how that could happen.'

Lancashire Police are working on the hypothesis that Nicola slipped into the water and drowned.

But last night police said it was still a 'possibility' she left the area by one path not covered by cameras which is crossed by the main road through the village, and officers were trying to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the road at the time she disappeared, around 9.20am.

They have extended their search 10 miles away towards Fleetwood and the Irish Sea in the belief her body has been swept away from the point of entry in the village of St Michael's on the Wyre.

Mr Faulding disputes the police theory that the body could have ended up so far away and in the Irish Sea.

Based on his 20 years of experience in finding drowning victims he insisted her body would have remained at the bottom of the river for several days and police would have found her.

His suggestion that a 'third party' could be involved and abducted the mother-of-two has put him at loggerheads with the police investigation.

The SGI team packed up their equipment and left the scene on Wednesday after they failed to find any evidence of her body in the water.

They had used their sonar to look around a weir about 200 metres from the main search area.

He said earlier on Wednesday: 'We want to sonar the first stretch of the river and if nothing is there then I am happy there is nothing there.

'My opinion is had Nicola gone in by that bench she would have gone to the bottom and drifted a couple of meters. The police divers who are very professional thoroughly searched that stretch of river and she wasn't there. There is hardly any current and in my experience, bodies do not move very far.

'It is not feasible that she could have drifted 15km, not in my experience and this type of tidal river. Things get washed in and washed out. It is very shallow. There is nowhere to go.'

The SGI team have been using a side scan sonar and Mr Faulding said the images it produces are crystal clear.

Paul Ansell, 44, pictured with diving expert Peter Faulding as he gave him updates on the search

Paul Ansell (right, partner of Nicola Bulley with private search investigator Peter Faulding (Hi-Vis jacket) after visiting the spot on the River Wyre where they believe Nicola disappeared

The partner of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, Paul Ansell, (centre in sunglasses) shakes hands with Peter Faulding (in Hi-Vis), the underwater search expert called in by the family to help with the search

Paul Ansell, partner of Nicola Bulley, views the spot on the River Wyre where she went missing on January 27

Mr Faulding remains convinced that if he is to find a body it will be in the area close to where police say Nicola fell into the water (Pictured: Paul Ansell, far right, partner of Nicola Bulley views the spot on the River Wyre where she went missing)

Workers from a private underwater search and recovery company, Specialist Group International, including chief executive Peter Faulding (top), analyse their sonar machine

Peter Faulding (pictured) has said if his team cannot locate Nicola in the river then she is not there and he would not rule out 'third-party involvement' in her disappearance

'You can see every stick and stone and can give a guarantee that from the bench to the weir she is not there.'

The side scan sonar being used by SGI creates an image of the river bed and is often used in marine archaelogy, environmental science and by the military.

It works by beaming out high frequency sound pulses in a wide fan shape from an dinghy floating on the surface.

The reflected pulses are recorded and processed to produce an image of the river bed and identify different materials and textures.

A member of his team told Mail Online that unlike in many movies where drowning victims are seen floating on the surface of the water that does not happen in real life.

'When someone drowns and we find them a couple of days later they are almost always on the bottom of the water. Their arms and legs are dangling down, a big like an Octopus shape.

'The body will remain on the bottom of the river for four or five days, and then depending on the current might start to drift.

'Unlike what people see in films the body does not instantly float to the surface.'

It comes after some critics accused Mr Faulding of having an 'ulterior motive' since making his feelings known, but the forensic expert rebuked the 'keyboard warriors', adding that he has devoted his life to trying to find missing people.

In a sign of tensions between police and Mr Faulding, police superintendent Sally Riley last night stressed that he was not party to all the details of their wider investigation.

She said: 'Our search has not found Nicola in the river and then a re-search in parts by SGI has found the same. That does not mean... that Nicola has not been in the river.

'In the light of other inquiries being discounted from the investigation so far... clearly our main belief is that Nicola did fall into the river.

'Clearly Mr Faulding isn't included within all the investigation detail any more than the members of the public are that I'm briefing through these sorts of press conferences.'

Mr Faulding later demanded that he be granted such access, adding: 'If there's any more facts that we don't know about - normally we work along the side of the police and if you haven't got the facts then you can't conduct a proper search, it is very difficult without that information. Normally, I'm privy to that information... it would be useful to know.'

It comes as police have extended the search for Nicola towards the sea after still finding no concrete evidence she fell into the river, while friend of the family Heather Gibbons was among the growing number to question their theory.

She told MailOnline: 'It's natural for everyone to have speculation, because the truth is, in this, nothing is making sense.'

Abandoned house on the River Wyre, next to the area where Nicola Bulley was last seen on January 27. Vigilantes have been warned to stop breaking into derelict homes in a bid to try and solve the case

Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley pictured speaking to the media at St Michael's on Wyre Village Hall on Tuesday. She told reporters yesterday that Mr Faulding does not know all the facts of the case

Heather Gibbons (pictured) has joined Nicola's family and friends in questioning Lancashire Police's theory

While SGI divers concentrated on the area where Nicola's phone was found on a bench, finding nothing of interest, other dive teams continue to look further upriver towards Fleetwood and the Irish Sea.

Meanwhile, Supt Riley said the police investigation by her officers had been reviewed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and they had not found any new line of inquiry that should be pursued.

The police chief warned 'amateur detectives' they would be arrested if they were found to be breaking the law while carrying out their own searches.

Abandoned and derelict buildings along the river have been broken into by members of the public carrying out their own investigations.

She added: 'There are some properties along the riverside which are empty or derelict and whilst it may be well-intentioned that people think that that could be a line of inquiry, I would ask them to desist from doing that.

'In some cases it may be criminal if they are breaking in, causing damage or committing a burglary.

'We have gone into derelict property - including ones on the riverside, (and) any under renovation that were empty - with the permission of those owners and their knowledge.'

'Because there is no criminal element yet identified, and we don't expect there to be in this inquiry, then we're not starting to go into houses because that's not where the inquiry is leading us,' she added.

Seemingly at odds with police, Mr Faulding previously said it was unlikely that Nicola was in the fast flowing River Wyre - adding that it was 'impossible' for the 45-year-old to have made it to the sea.

However, The Times reports that he told the newspaper it was in fact possible her body could have reached the sea by now due to the river's meandering course.

The bay is around 15 kilometres away from where Nicola is believed to have disappeared and where the River Wyre flows into the sea.

Mr Faulding also slammed 'keyboard warriors' who have accused him of having an 'ulterior motive' for joining the search last night.

He said: 'This is what you get for trying to help people. I have given my life to helping families looking for missing loved ones.

Nicola Bulley - a 45-year-old mother-of-two - went missing while walking her dog near the River Wyre on January 27

Nicola went missing 13 days ago and was last seen on the bank of the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre with police still unclear about what has happened to her

'Do our job searching in dark murky waters for a drowning victims. My team and I don't deserve this trash.'

Mr Faulding has also reportedly been ticked off by police over speculating about the disappearance after he said there could be third party involvement.

Meanwhile, Lancashire Police continued to rule out any 'suspicious or criminal' element on Tuesday.

'For Nicola to get out to sea would be impossible, literally, it's such a long way in the 11 days. It's an awful long way down,' Mr Faulding said.

Police revealed a team of 40 detectives are currently working on around 500 different lines of inquiry and more than 700 drivers who travelled through the village around the time of Nicola's disappearance are being traced.

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Supt Sally Riley said police had been supplied with an 'unprecedented' amount of information and leads.

She added: 'At the moment there are around 500 active pieces of information and lines of inquiry that we're working on to try and find answers for Nicola's family.

'This is normal in a missing person inquiry and does not indicate that there is any suspicious element to this story.

'The inquiry team remains fully open-minded to any information that may indicate where Nicola is or what happened to her.'

But the police chief emphasised that detectives have not yet come across any evidence of foul play.

'Any criminal or suspicious element has been discarded,' she said.

'It is important to stress that any information that comes in that indicates otherwise is being checked out all the time.

'We are not closed in any way to any particular line of inquiry but all these extensive inquiries, however, have so far found anything of note.'

Detailing the scale of the police inquiry Supt Riley said her team had received thousands of pieces of information 'from the public, wider community, the Bulley family and friends'.

Officers have conducted house to house inquiries in the village of St Michael's on the Wyre and hours of CCTV footage has also been analysed.

Police have identified 700 cars that passed through the village around the time Nicola disappeared and each driver is being contacted and asked to check any dash cam footage they might have.

The diving expert said it was 'impossible' for Nicola to be in the sea, saying that it was 'a long way down' to the estuary from where she went misssing

Police have said they are 'open minded' as to how the mother-of-two disappeared, but its working hypothesis remains that the 45-year-old fell into the river

Read more: How dog behaviour can disclose hidden clues to mysteries Dogs are believed to be able to find the last location of their owners through their sense of smell. Experts advise those searching should go back to where the dog was last spotted because it will backtrack to its owner and their scent. A dog's sense of smell is 10,000 times more powerful than a human and can pick up locational scent. If its home is far away and the dog can't find its owner, it will get worried and try to return home to somewhere familiar. In certain cases, some dogs will return home along or attempt to follow their missing owner, according to Colin Tennant, director of the Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour and Training, who wrote in The Sunday Times. Dogs cannot, however, process what is happening if a human falls into water. In this case, the dog might run along the bank looking for eye-contact or stop on the bank as the last place of detection. Advertisement

Supt Riley also said police would come down on people making vile comments on social media and speculating about the whereabouts of Nicola.

She added: 'This is an agonising time for the family, particularly her two little girls.

'I would ask everyone to remain constructive and cooperative with the inquiry and not do anything that would thwart us and hold us back from trying to find Nicola.'

But Mr Faulding hit back in an interview on GB News last night, saying all information should be made available to his team.

'If you haven't got the facts then you can't conduct a proper search. It's very difficult without that information.

'Normally I'm privy to that information on a lot of these searches.

'If there's more information I certainly don't know about it and it would be useful to know.'

It comes as family and friends of Nicola have questioned the police theory that she probably fell into the water.

And Mr Faulding said if his team could not locate her in the river then she is not there and he would not rule out 'third-party involvement' in her disappearance.

Mr Faulding previously said his 'gut instinct' tells him that Nicola is not in the water.

'I personally think if I rule this stretch of river out today where we're working I don't think she's here, I think there's probably a third party involved,' Mr Faulding told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.

The forensic expert said he has spoken with Nicola's 'distraught' partner Paul Ansell to keep him updated on the search.

He said: 'I spoke to Paul last night and asked him if she had any enemies, any stalkers, the normal questions you would ask. And nothing, he said no. And she was totally normal that day when she left, nothing out the ordinary.'
A Virginia Board of Education nominee, who championed 'traditional American values,' was removed a week after declaring socialism is 'as bad as communism' in a spat with another member.

Suparna Dutta, of Fairfax, was one week away from being confirmed to her seat on the Virginia Board of Education after she was appointed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, 56, when she disputed a claim made by her fellow board member last week.

Board member Anne Holton - who is married to Democratic Senator Tim Kaine - said she was 'uncomfortable' calling the 'Declaration of Independence and Constitution as remarkable documents without also acknowledging that they contain fundamental flaws.'

Holton went on to say that the documents 'enshrine slavery' and 'limited the protections that they provided for white, propertied men.' She declared that communism is not 'compatible with democracy,' despite many countries declaring themselves to have socialist democratic governments.

However, Dutta remarked that she believed 'socialism is just as bad as communism,' as it dominates many parts of the world.'

Scroll down for video

Suparna Dutta, of Fairfax, was one week away from being confirmed to her seat on the Virginia Board of Education after she was appointed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, 56, when she disputed a claim made by her fellow board member last week

'Socialism is like the nanny state, which predominates in so many parts of the world,' she said at the meeting. 'It co-ops the important decisions belonging to families and individuals.

'I come from a country [India] which used to be more socialistic now than it is now, but it creates dearth dependency and depression.'

Dutta told Fox News afterward that she 'believes that socialism is very destructive' and she thinks 'giving people their freedoms in every way makes for better citizenry.'

'Somebody had to jump in and challenge that viewpoint,' she told Fox. 'America is great. America's founding documents are great. And I do believe that socialism is very destructive, coming from a country which was founded as a socialist country.

Dutta (far left) defended the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution after Anne Holton (far right) said she was 'uncomfortable' calling the documents remarkable without also acknowledging that they contain fundamental flaws'

Dutta believes 'socialism is very destructive' and that 'America won't be great if it isn't allowed to keep its independent streak'

'Being allowed to decide things for ourselves rather than the government, you know, America won't be great if it isn't allowed to keep its independent streak.'

Her nomination was removed by Senator Ghazala Hashmi in a last-minute amendment, accusing Dutta of expressing the belief that 'racism was not a factor in American history.'

In addition, the Virginia Grassroots Coalition labeled Dutta a 'far-right extremist' and claimed she was 'not qualified' for the role due to previous remarks she had made about branding slavery and racism as 'questionable concepts,' according to the campaign.

Dutta has denied the allegations.

Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed her to the seat and said he was 'appalled' they withdrew her nomination. 'Democrats are repeating loudly their clear beliefs: parents dont matter...Virginians deserve so much better,' he said in a statement

Governor Youngkin, who was 'appalled' by the decision, defended his nominee, saying in a statement that they booted her on claims a 'public school parent isnt qualified to serve on the Board of Education.

'She is a mother and advocate for parents' rights, she is an immigrant and an advocate for Asian American rights, she is an engineer and advocate for STEM in education.

'She is not only qualified, she epitomizes parental involvement in our schools and we need her voice on our Board of Education,' he continued. 'Democrats are repeating loudly their clear beliefs: parents dont matter...Virginians deserve so much better.'

Dutta said she was 'very disappointed to not be confirmed.'

'I thought people celebrated the diversity, whether its diversity of thought, diversity of viewpoint, or diversity of the many characteristics,' she told Fox News. 'I am shocked. I thought such tactics were reserved for - not for America, [but] for other countries.'
The midwife mother who strangled her three children in an apparent drug-induced fog while suffering postpartum depression checked herself into a psychiatric hospital seeking help three weeks before she killed the kids, but was released with a prescription for antidepressants.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, is facing life in prison if convicted of first degree murder for the deaths of her children Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months on January 24.

On January 1, Lindsay - who was herself a labor nurse herself at Massachusetts General Hospital - checked herself into the McLean psychiatric hospital in Belmont.

She spent five days there, according to her attorney Kevin Reddington, during which she complained about becoming addicted to benzodiazepines.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, is facing life in prison if convicted of first degree murder for the deaths of her children Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months on January 24. She is shown with daughter Cora

On January 1, Lindsay presented herself to doctors at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. She spent five days at the hospital, according to her attorney, then was sent home with a prescription for antidepressants

Doctors at the hospital decided to take her off Seroquel - a drug used to treat schizophrenia and depression.

DRUGS PRESCRIBED TO LINDSAY CLANCY OVER EIGHT MONTHS, ACCORDING TO HER ATTORNEY Klonopin

Valium

Ativan

Zoloft

Amitriptyline

Remeron

Prozac

Trazodone

Lamictal

Seroquel

buspirone

hydroxyzine

Ambien Advertisement

She was then given Trazodone, another anti-depressant, and Ativan, a branded version of Lorazepam, according to her attorney.

The circumstances surrounding Lindsay's discharge from the hospital remain unclear, and it is also unclear whether she ever told doctors that she felt homicidal.

In the weeks before the killings, she told her husband that she felt suicidal.

Her attorney says that she went back to the doctor after leaving McLean, but he has not specified what drugs she was given then.

Twenty days later, she strangled her three children then tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists and jumping from a top floor bedroom of the family home.

A spokesman for the hospital declined to give details on her care or discharge, citing privacy laws.

'Due to federal privacy laws and our ethical standards, we are unable to comment on specific patient cases.

'The complexities of mental health are different for each individual and similarly, treatment strategies vary depending on each persons unique needs.

'Whether it be proven and effective medications, psychotherapy, peer support, complementary and alternative medicine, or a combination of multiple approaches, it is important that any care plan be evidence-based and derived from patient-centered discussions and shared decision making,' he said.

Prosecutors told a court yesterday that Lindsay later told her husband she heard a 'man's voice' telling her to kill the kids and herself, and that it was her 'only chance'.

Her attorney says she had become shell of herself in the months since her third child's birth, and that she'd been overprescribed an astonishing combination of 13 different drugs to help her cope.

Lindsay Clancy was arraigned from her hospital bed yesterday. She is paralyzed after trying to kill herself by jumping from a top floor window of her home

Lindsay Clancy with her husband Patrick and their oldest children, Cora, five, and Dawson, three. She

After strangling the kids, Lindsay tried to cut her own wrists. She then jumped from a window at the family home. Baby Callan, eight months, died in the hospital. Cora and Dawson died at home

The Clancy home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where the children were killed in the basement

TIMELINE OF TRAGEDY: LINDSAY CLANCY PLAYED WITH KIDS IN THE SNOW... THEN STRANGLED THEM January 24 Morning: Lindsay takes Cora, her five-year-old daughter to a pediatrician appointment Afternoon: Lindsay, Cora and Dawson play in the yard, building a snowman 4.02pm: Lindsay searched 'kids Miralax' 4.13pm: Searched 'takeout ThreeV' and how long it would take to drive there 4.47pm: Lindsay searches for local CVS and calls to check that they have Miralax 4:53pm: Lindsay texts Patrick who was working in his home office: 'Any chance you want to do takeout from 3V... I didnt cook anything... Its been a long day.' Patrick texted back: 'Yes.' 5:06pm: Patrick asked her what shes going to order, she replies: 'Mediterranean power bowl.' Patrick responded that he wanted the 'scallop and pork belly risotto.' 5.10pm: Lindsay places food order over the phone 5.15pm: Texts Patrcik 'Pedialax liquid stool softener' 5.32pm: Arrives at CVS 5.33pm: Calls Lindsay, call is unanswered 5.34pm: She calls him back. Call lasts 14 seconds 5.37pm: Leaves CVS 5.54pm: Enters ThreeV 5.55pm: Leaves ThreeV 6.09pm approx: Patrick returns home and finds Lindsay in the yard. The three kids were in the basement with exercise bands still tied around their neck. Advertisement

It remains unclear how many drugs she was told to take at once, or who was overseeing her care.

Her attorney says her case boils down to a tragic failure by 'society' to help new mothers suffering with postpartum depression.

'Our society fails miserably in treating women with post partum depression or post partum psychosis.

'It's "medicate, medicate, medicate".

'Throw the pills at you and see how it works,' he said.

On January 24, Lindsay was having 'one of her best days', according to her husband, Patrick, who says he has forgiven her.

She took Cora to the pediatrician in the morning, then returned home to play with Cora and Dawson in the snow outside.

Her husband Patrick was working from home in the basement.

At 4.03pm, she searched 'kids Miralax' - a type of stool softener - on her phone. At 4.13pm, she searched 'takeout ThreeV'.

ThreeV is an 11-minute drive from the family home. She then texted her husband Patrick, asking if he wanted takeout, and he agreed.

Lindsay told Patrick that she wanted a Mediterranean power bowl. He opted for the pork belly risotto bowl.

At 5.10pm, Lindsay placed the order for the food over the phone. She then also instructed her husband to pick up a stool softener for one of the kids.

He visited a CVS that is two miles from the home, where he called Lindsay at 5.33pm. The call went unanswered. A minute later, she called him back and the call lasted 14 seconds.

At 5:54 pm, Patrick entered ThreeV, a 3.9mile drive from the CVS. He collected the food then got back in his car.

He was home by 6.09pm. He told police that he heard 'silence' when he entered the home.

He went upstairs and saw blood on the floor of one a bedroom where the window was also open.

Patrick then ran outside and found Lindsay lying in the backyard. She had jumped from the window in an attempt to kill herself after slitting her wrists.

When he asked her where the children were, prosecutors say she told him they were in the basement.

Patrick waited with her until EMTs arrived.

He then ran to the basement, where prosecutors say he found the children with exercise bands tied around their necks.

He was then heard screaming: 'She killed the kids!'

Prosecutors allege it was a premeditated crime, and that she deliberately sent Patrick out to 'create' the opportunity to kill the kids.

They say she acted with 'extreme cruelty' and was in control of her senses, despite her attorneys' claims that she was not.
Harper had a string of warrants out for his arrest

This is the moment a murder suspect attempted to make a daring getaway after hurling himself from a second-floor window while a SWAT team closed in.

Jamarri Harper, 22, remains in hospital after suffering several injuries during his unsuccessful escape, which came after police rushed to an Ohio home following reports of a shooting.

Officers arrived at the residence in Canton, located in Northeast Ohio, at around 5am Monday to discover Gary Marx, 52, with a gunshot wound to the neck.

The shooting led detectives to launch an urgent manhunt after identifying Harper as the suspect, and they then located him at a nearby residence.

But while attempting to execute a search warrant on the home, shocking surveillance footage captured Harper's audacious attempt to flee the scene.

Footage of the escape attempt first shows heavily armed SWAT teams surrounding the property

With a SWAT team surrounding him, Harper is seen deciding to make a break for it, as he hurls himself from the second floor before stumbling away from authorities.

The swift response from law enforcement caught the small Ohio community off guard, as an unsuspecting car next to the home is seen accidentally reversing into another vehicle amid the excitement.

While law enforcement assembles outside the home, Harper is spotted sneaking out from behind the property.

He then attempts to make a quick getaway on foot, but while the 22-year-old sprints across a road he stumbles and trips as he reportedly injured himself.

Despite making it away from the home, the officers quickly realize the murder suspect is getting away and hunt him down.

While the heavily armed SWAT team lags behind, a K-9 unit saves the day as Harper is rapidly tracked down and caught.

Jamarri Harper, 22, is spotted in the surveillance footage sneaking out from behind the home as law enforcement close in

The murder suspect trips and stumbles as he tries to sprint away from police

His daring escape gets as far as a nearby garage after he runs in front of oncoming traffic

While heavily armed SWAT team officers lag behind, a rapid K-9 unit catches up to him and makes the arrest

The victim Gary Marx, of Alliance, Ohio, was rushed to hospital following the shooting after he was found unresponsive by first responders.

The horror unfolded after Marx was shot in the throat, leading his girlfriend to make a frantic 911 call while the 52-year-old struggled to breathe.

A recording of the 911 call released by police revealed the heartbreaking moment Marx's girlfriend pleaded with the dispatcher to tell her what to do, according to The Repository.

She frantically told the dispatcher: 'He can't breathe. I'm losing him.'

She reportedly told the responder that she didn't know who it was that shot her boyfriend, and police have not yet released a possible motive for the shooting.

He was taken to Aultman Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around half an hour later, according to police.

No mugshot has yet been released for Harper as he is reportedly still in the hospital after being injured during the arrest.

Police say Harper now faces charges of murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery, owning weapons under disability and receiving stolen property.

Harper also had several unrelated warrants out for his arrest in nearby Cuyahoga County, around 60 miles from the alleged murder.

He was being sought for numerous charges including aggravated robbery, two counts of abduction, grand theft auto, aggravated theft, and failure to comply with law enforcement.
Shamima Begum's jihadi husband has spoken from his prison cell about his marriage to the 'clueless' underage schoolgirl, telling how she 'had to learn obedience and how to please her husband'.

Yago Riedijk was a 21-year-old ISIS fighter when he wed the 15-year-old Londoner in Raqqa, Syria, after they had spent 10 minutes speaking to 'see if we clicked'.

The Dutch convert, who is now behind bars in Syria, said that before the ceremony Begum gave him a list of 'weird' questions and requests, including being able to visit friends.

In the disturbing interview on BBC documentary The Shamima Begum Story, dead-eyed Riedijk recalled how he took the schoolgirl to the park for ice cream after they were married by an ISIS judge.

He said that at first she was 'clueless' about how to be a wife but then 'learned how married life worked' and the importance of 'respect, pleasing her husband and obedience'.

Asked by broadcaster Joshua Baker what he meant by obedience, he replied: 'When I ask her to do something then she does it. It's not very hard.'

Begum had three children by Riedijk, two of whom died of disease or malnutrition, and a third, born after her capture by Western-backed forces, died of pneumonia.

Yago Riedijk was a 21-year-old ISIS fighter when he wed the 15-year-old Londoner in Raqqa after they had spent 10 minutes speaking to 'see if we clicked'

Before their wedding, Begum (pictured) gave Riedijk a list of 'weird' questions and requests, including being able to visit friends, he has revealed in an interview from his Syrian jail

Riedijk how he met with Begum for 10 minutes before they decided to marry.

'I just wanted a partner who I could find some rest with and who could take care of me,' he said. 'I asked if she knew how to cook and she said yes.

'Our meeting was 10 minutes max. We decided we wanted to try it. We don't have such a thing as dating or going out and having a meal together.

'You get to know each other a bit and then if you click you decide to take this step.'

Begum - who as well as the documentary has also been given a 10-part BBC podcast - recalled feeling 'shy' at their initial meeting but added: 'It was exciting for me because I'd never been in a relationship.

'My entire life I'd been surrounded by women so being with a man was a new concept to me.

'It was kind of scary too because this was a man I'd have to spend my life with for however long we were alive.'

Asked what his new wife was like, Riedijk said: She was very young when she came. She didnt have a lot of life experiences. There wasnt much of a person to get to know.

'Most of her life experiences she has today are the experiences she had in the Islamic State as I got to know her. She was basically an empty paper.

'She had got a little bit of understanding about how married life worked, so that helped her out a lot.

'Respecting of the husband, trying to please the husband and obedience.'

'Obedience to whom?' broadcaster Joshua Baker asks.

'To the husband,' Riedijk says.

'What does obedience to a husband look like?'

'When I ask her to do something then she does it. It's not very hard.'

'It doesn't sound like there is much choice in the dynamic between the two of you.'

'No there is not.'

'There's no choice?'

'No.'

'So what you want, she has to do?'

'Basically, yeah.'

Challenged by broadcaster Joshua Baker about the fact that Begum was only 15, the terrorist replied: 'She was underage, yeah'

The park where Riedijk took Begum after their marriage. Begum said the park was the same one she saw in an ISIS propaganda video

Challenged by Baker about the fact that Begum was only 15, he replied: 'She was underage, yeah.

'You might not agree with it, but that doesn't mean it's not right.'

Asked about whether she was comfortable marrying an ISIS fighter, Begum said: 'Before I married him I guess he was. I mean, I thought he was doing the right thing. I thought he was fighting for his religion and the state.'

She went on to say that Riedijk was 'nice' and 'funny' at first but went on to become 'abusive'.

Begum's lawyers told an appeal against the rescinding of her British citizenship last year that there was 'overwhelming' evidence she was groomed and trafficked by ISIS for the purpose of 'sexual exploitation and marriage to an adult male'.

'In doing so, she was following a well-known pattern by which ISIS cynically recruited and groomed female children, as young as 14, so that they could be offered as wives to adult men,' Nick Squires, KC, told the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).

Riedijk had fought in the bloody battle for Kobane at the end of 2014, against the Kurdish forces who now hold him, and was injured during the fighting

ISIS deliberately recruited underage girls for sexual exploitation and child marriage because they were needed for the 'bearing of children, which was an important feature of its state-building project,' he said.

Riedijk had fought in the bloody battle for Kobane at the end of 2014, against the Kurdish forces who now hold him, and was injured during the fighting.

'It was known to be a massacre,' he said in an earlier interview last year. 'I don't know how to describe it. Loads and loads of Islamic State fighters died there.'

Some members of his ISIS battalion - called Saif al-Dawla (Sword of ISIS) - refused to go and were thrown in jail, he added.
President Zelensky told King Charles 'in Ukraine today every air force pilot is a king' during a meeting with the monarch on a visit to the UK.

The Ukrainian president met the King for the first time in a 'truly special' audience at Buckingham Palace after he mentioned the monarch's RAF career in his campaign to get British jets to Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky was dressed in his trademark khaki green military fatigues as he was welcomed to the royal residence on Wednesday afternoon.

Charles greeted the president with a wide smile and a warm handshake in the Palace's 1844 Room.

The president is on his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of his country began and in his address to Parliament said he would take the opportunity to thank Charles for the support he had shown Ukraine as the Prince of Wales.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has since tasked the defence secretary 'with investigating what jets we might be able to give', a Downing Street spokesman said.

President Zelensky told King Charles 'in Ukraine today every air force pilot is a king' during a meeting with the monarch on a visit to the UK

The Ukrainian president met the King for the first time in a 'truly special' audience at Buckingham Palace

He was greeted at the King's Door by the King's equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson, nicknamed the 'hot equerry ' (pictured)

Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen Consort, also shook hands with President Zelensky

The Ukrainian President was led inside Buckingham Palace for a 45-minute meeting with King Charles

As he arrived at the Palace, Mr Zelensky was driven through the gate and across the forecourt into the quadrangle.

He was greeted at the King's Door by the King's equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson, nicknamed the 'hot equerry'.

The officer, who was once the Queen's most senior bodyguard, has found himself increasingly more in the spotlight following King Charles III's ascension to the throne.

Lt Col Thompson, dressed in his military uniform with kilt, shook hands with Mr Zelensky before introducing him to Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen Consort.

President Zelensky referred to King Charles's time in the RAF. Pictured: The King during his Royal Initial Officer Training at the Cranwell Royal Air Force centre in 1971

Prince Charles in the cockpit during his flying lesson in an RAF Chipmunk at Tangmere in West Sussex

Sir Clive also shook hands with the president before welcoming him inside Buckingham Palace for a 45-minute meeting

President Zelensky said meeting the King was a 'truly special moment' and referred to Charles's former military service in the Royal Air Force.

He said: 'The King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.'

Crowds watched as a long procession of cars brought the Ukrainian President to Buckingham Palace

Earlier President Zelensky said he would convey to the King 'words of gratitude' from Ukrainians 'for the support His Majesty showed to them when he was still the Prince of Wales'

Mr Zelensky told a packed Westminster Hall in an impassioned speech: 'Today I will have the honour to be received by His Majesty the King.

'It will be a truly special moment for me, for our country.

'In particular because I will convey to him from all the Ukrainians the words of gratitude for the support His Majesty showed to them when he was still the Prince of Wales.

'I also intend to tell him something I think that is very, very, very important, not only for the future of Ukraine but for the future of Europe.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed Ukrainian President Zelensky to the UK at Stansted Airport on February 8

The two leaders met and shook hands at 10 Street earlier today during Zelensky's visit to Britain

Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to the British people and personally to Rishi Sunak for providing comprehensive support to Ukraine

What did King Charles do during his service with the RAF? The King has served in both the RAF and the Royal Navy. During his second year at Cambridge University he was given flying lessons by the RAF and the then prince started training as a jet pilot on 8 March, 1971. He passed out at RAF Cranwell and joined the Royal Navy. After a six-week course at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, he served on the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk as well as on two frigates  HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter. In 1974 saw the King qualified as a helicopter pilot and he flew Wessex helicopters with 845 Naval Air Squadron from aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. He ended his Royal Navy service in late 1976 after taking command of coastal minehunter HMS Bronington. The then Prince of Wales, being briefed by Wing Commander 'Hank' Martin, Commanding Officer No 43 Squadron, before his flight in a Phantom Interceptor in 1971 Advertisement

'In Britain, the King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.'

He finished with 'God bless Great Britain and long live the King.'

In May 2022, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, spoke out about the 'nightmare situation' in Ukraine during a trip to Romania to meet refugees who have fled the war in their homeland.

Speaking through an interpreter, the prince told a group of Ukrainian families: 'We feel for Ukraine, a nightmare situation. Keep praying.'

In March last year, Charles said the values of democracy were under attack in Ukraine in the 'most unconscionable way'.

'In the stand we take here, we are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal aggression,' he said.

Charles has been outspoken in the past about Russian president Vladimir Putin and his annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

He sparked a diplomatic storm in 2014 when he compared Mr Putin to Hitler during a visit to Canada.

He was speaking to Canadian museum volunteer Marianne Ferguson, who told him how her Jewish family fled the Nazi occupation of Danzig at the outset of the Second World War.

At that moment the then Prince Charles drew a parallel with Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Mr Putin, in a direct message to Charles, publicly branded the comments 'unacceptable' and said such remarks were 'not what monarchs do'.

The Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception at the Palace of Westminster on his first visit to Britain since the invasion.

Watched by Rishi Sunak, and with Mr Johnson in the audience, Mr Zelensky insisted that more help will be needed to defeat the Russian aggressors.

He presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots.

He also appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft - after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them.

The message on the helmet reads: 'We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.'

Amid splits within Nato on how far to go in suppling air power, Mr Zelensky added: 'Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.'

Speaking in Westminster Hall, Volodymyr Zelensky said he had come on behalf of the 'brave' who were 'in the trenches under enemy artillery fire'. 'We know Russia will lose. We really know that victory will change the world.'

Many politicians in the crowd wanted to record the historic moment on their phones

Mr Zelensky presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft - after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them

Volodymyr Zelensky was given a standing ovation today as he hailed Britain's 'big support' for Ukraine during an address to MPs and Peers in Westminster Hall

The Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception as he arrived in the historic building to deliver a speech on his first visit since the invasion

Political differences were put aside today as Ukraine's president Zelensky visited for the first time since the Russian invasion

Mr Zelensky singled out Boris Johnson for praise, saying he had united the international community when it seemed 'impossible' - and after the speech the two men shook hands and chatted

Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Britain's 'big support' for Ukraine today as he held talks with Rishi Sunak in Downing Street

READ MORE: Boris Johnson urges UK to offer ALL its fighter jets and tanks to Ukraine Advertisement

Mr Zelensky said he had come on behalf of the 'brave' who were 'in the trenches under enemy artillery fire'. 'We know Russia will lose. We really know that victory will change the world.'

Mr Zelensky singled out Mr Johnson for praise for helping unite the international community behind Ukraine when it seemed 'impossible'.

'The people of the United Kingdom and their honourable representatives, all the people of England and Scotland, of Wales and Northern Ireland, of all the lands which have been home to brave souls since Europe came into existence,' Mr Zelensky said.

'I have come here and stand before you on behalf of the brave, on behalf of our war heroes who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire, on behalf of our air gunners, and every defender of the sky who protects Ukraine against enemy aircraft and missiles, on behalf of our tank men who fight to restore our Ukrainian borders, on behalf of our conscripts who are being trained now including here in Britain.

'Thank you, Britain.'

Mr Zelensky said: 'London has stood with Kyiv since day one, from the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war, Great Britain you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react.

'Boris: you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible. Thank you.'
A very cute six-year-old is making his voice heard at a young age. He's demanding another day off from school each week to play, stay home, and generally do 'whatever I want.'

In an impassioned plea that appears to have been made from his car seat, Brodie Kenyon of Georgia calmly presents a case to the 'government' that a two-day weekend is simply not enough time for him to destress from life at school.

'Hey, um, I'm Brodie and this is for the government and I'm protesting,' the young, blonde child began.

The video has racked up 1.3 million likes on TikTok.

'I want three days off of school, 'cause I've been tired of school lately and I've been dreaming for three days off,' he continued, getting to the crux of his argument.

'Two days is not enough from school, I need three days off.

'I need time to just play, and go with Nay Nay (granny) and stay home and do whatever I want outside,' he concluded, voicing a complaint likely shared by millions of American school-children and some adults.

'Sending this to my boss,' wrote one viewer. 'I'm a teacher & I approve this message,' wrote another.

Brodie's mother, Jessica, also posted the video to Instagram, where it's amassed nearly 175,000 likes, and wrote that her son 'asked me if I sent this yet and if we have 3 day weekends now.'

In fact, an increasing number of companies are switching their adult workers over to four-day work weeks, for several of the reasons succinctly outlined by Brodie.

Late last year, 100 British companies began instituting a four-day work week with no loss of pay for the impacted workers.

The argument is that the four-dayweek will drive companies to improve productivity, hoping they will be able to create the same amount of output in fewer hours.

A previous trial in France found that workers were putting in the same number of number of hours even with one fewer day and companies had to pay overtime for the work.

Adam Ross, the CEO of Awim - one of the largest British companies to implement the change - said the shift was 'one of the most transformative initiatives we've seen in the history of the company.'

'Over the course of the last year and a half, we have not only seen a tremendous increase in employee wellness and wellbeing but concurrently, our customer service and relations, as well as talent relations and retention also have benefited.'

In September, 88 per cent of those companies in a survey in the middle of the trial said the four-day week was working 'well' for their business at that stage of the trial.

About 95 per cent of the companies surveyed said productivity had either stayed the same or improved since the introduction.

However, only around half of those taking part responded to a survey canvassing opinion at the halfway point, with nearly nine in ten of the respondents saying that they would keep the scheme in place beyond the trial period.

An increasing number of companies are switching their adult workers over to four-day work weeks, for several of the reasons succinctly outlined by Brodie Kenyon, 6

15% surveyed claimed that productivity had surged dramatically - while the remainder recorded either no change or only a 'slight improvement' in output.

Companies previously said they had struggled with scheduling chaos and staff confusion after rolling out the four-day week, with bosses admitting that they doubted the policy could survive the trial period.

Samantha Losey, boss of communications firm Unity, told The Telegraph last month: 'It's more likely that we won't carry on now. One of the things that has struck me is whether or not we are a mature enough business to be able to handle the four-day week.

'The rest of the world not doing four-day weeks makes it challenging. We agreed we'd go all the way through the pilot, but I'm questioning whether this is the right thing for us long-term. It's been bumpy for sure.'

However, toward the end of the trial, it seems that despite the 'rough times' she acknowledged during the changeover process, her attitude towards the concept was a much more positive one:

'Ultimately, the outcomes we're experiencing, such as better, higher, and a positive team culture shift are reassuring that the bumps in the road are exponentially worth it.'
An enraged camel has been beaten to death by villagers after it reportedly decapitated its owner in India.

Sohanram Nayak tried to recapture the rampaging animal after it broke free from its rope constraints, trying to chase down another camel in Panchu village, Bikaner, in Rajasthan state.

The beast then picked its owner up by the neck, threw him on the ground and 'chewed off his head', according to The Times of India.

In a video that has since gone viral online, at least six people armed with sticks tied the camel to a tree before bludgeoning it to death on Monday night.

The animal could be seen slumped against the tree after the attack while the camera also pans to show the lifeless body of its owner.

Villagers pictured attacking the camel with sticks after it killed owner Sohanram Nayak

The camel sustained fatal injuries, later dying from the beating as attacks continued

According to local reports, the victim's family members were involved in the beating of the camel.

The body of Sohanram Nayak was handed over to his relatives after a post-mortem.

No complaint has so far been made over the killing of the state animal.

Rajasthan, a state in northern India, banned the slaughter and injury of camels in 2015.

The crime, outlined in the aptly-named Rajasthan Camel Bill 2015, is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine.

The bill noted an 'alarming' decline in the number of camels in the region in recent years, observing that the camel was 'an integral part of the desert eco-system of the State'.

The bill followed the identification of a string of intentional killings of camels in the region.

Villagers continue to beat the camel, tied to a tree, as it collapses on the floor from the assault

The camel was made an official State Animal in 2014 to support wider bids, including the 2016 Camel Development Scheme, to protect the animal's numbers in Rajasthan.

In January, a camel was filmed biting its owner to death after it was punched in the face in Russia.

A mature camel can generate a bite force of 28 kg-cm-2, causing severe injuries to soft tissue and nerves.

Research into repeat camel attacks in Rajasthan in 2015 noted that camels are generally simple and [quiet] but become less tolerant during their breeding season between December and March.
Specialized U.S. Navy diving teams carried out the bombing attack against the underwater Nord Stream pipelines which supply Russian gas to western Europe during a top secret mission overseen by President Joe Biden, a bombshell report claims.

Divers planted C4 explosives on three Nord Stream pipelines in June 2022 which were detonated three months later using a sonar buoy which broadcast a signal that triggered the bombs, according to the report.

The attack was carried out in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and designed to force Germany and other European nations to end their reliance on Russian gas, it is claimed. The move would also disrupt Moscow's income from gas sales - which have contributed billions of dollars to its war effort.

The sensational report by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, published to his Substack, cites a source 'with direct knowledge of the operational planning' behind the alleged plot. The White House and the CIA flatly rejected the report on Wednesday, branding it 'complete fiction'.

Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were sabotaged by bomb blasts on September 26 2022 in an attack that, ostensibly, continues to baffle investigators. While analysts say the immediate impact of the attack was 'limited' - because the pipelines were not fully operational - the geopolitical consequences were huge.

A report by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh claims the U.S. was responsible for the Nord Stream pipeline attacks. Navy divers alleged planted the explosives in June, using NATO exercises as cover. They were then detonated remotely in September, it is claimed.

Various theories have been floated for who carried out the attack, and how. Both the U.S. and Russia deny responsibility.

The blasts happened on September 26, 2022. The report claims U.S. Navy divers planted the explosives three months earlier, in June, before they were remotely detonated

Russia, which has pointed the finger at the U.S., reportedly believes repairs will cost at least $500 million, but the Kremlin still hasn't confirmed the pipes will be fixed. The Nord Stream project cost around $20 billion and took 15 years to construct.

In a compelling, 5,000-word report about the alleged attack, Hersh claims diving experts trained at the U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage Center in Florida planted the explosives.

The divers are said to have carried out the top secret and highly-dangerous operation during BALTOPS22, a series of military exercises in the Baltic Sea carried out by 16 NATO countries. The U.S. divers reportedly used the highly-publicized, 13-day event in June 2022 as cover for their top-secret mission.

The C4 explosives attached to the pipelines were fitted with sensors that enabled them to be detonated remotely at a later date, Hersh reports.

Hersh reports that the explosions were triggered by a sonar buoy dropped by an aircraft. The buoy emitted a sequence of 'unique low frequency tonal sounds', compared to those produced by a flute or piano, which triggered the C4.

A spokesman for the White House said the report is 'false and complete fiction'. A spokesman for the CIA said: 'This claim is completely and utterly false.'

In February, Biden said the U.S. would 'bring an end' to Nord Stream if Russia invaded Ukraine. During a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Biden said: 'If Russia invades... then there will be longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.'

Asked how he would do that, the President responded cryptically: 'I promise you we will be able to do it.'

The press conference was held as Russia was mounting tens of thousands of troops at its border with Ukraine, in preparation for the invasion which began weeks later, on February 24.

Joe Biden reportedly oversaw the plot - but the White House and the CIA have said the report is 'false'. Vladimir Putin has accused the U.S. of involvement in the attack

The Nord Stream pipelines - which cost around $20 billion and took 15 years to construct - formed a key part of Europe's energy infrastructure. It is claimed the U.S. carried out the attack in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and to curb Europe's reliance on gas from Moscow

Thousands of tons of natural gas was released into the Baltic Sea after the blasts, causing a dangerous swell that disrupted shipping and triggered fears of an environmental catastrophe

Planning for the attack reportedly began amid Russia's mobilization of troops and fears inside the White House that Nord Stream 2, which was completed in 2021, would allow the Kremlin to further weaponize its energy supplies to Europe.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan convened a meeting in December 2021 of a new task force formed of officials from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the State and Treasure Departments.

The discussion was geared towards orchestrating a response to Russia's impending invasion of Ukraine.

Hersh reports: 'What became clear to participants, according to the source with direct knowledge of the process, is that Sullivan intended for the group to come up with a plan for the destruction of the two Nord Stream pipelinesand that he was delivering on the desires of the President.'

Several ideas were shared before the dive mission was selected. Other plans included using a submarine to attack the pipeline or aircraft to drop bombs with delayed fuses, it is claimed.

CIA director William Burns is said to have authorized a 'working group' to draw up the plan for deep-sea divers to carry out the mission. Hersh likened the plot to an undersea spying operation launched by the U.S. in the 1970s, when operatives tapped into underwater communication cables used by the Russian Navy.

According to Hersh, in early 2022, the CIA group told Sullivan's task force: 'We have a way to blow up the pipelines.'

The planners decided that Norway could serve as an ideal base for the operation because, in the words of Hersh's source, the Scandinavian nation 'hated the Russians and the Norwegian navy was full of superb sailors and divers who had generations of experience in highly profitable deep-sea oil and gas exploration'.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (pictured) has accused the United States of direct involvement in explosions that severely damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea

In March, members of the U.S. planning team flew to Norway for discussions with the Norwegian Secret Service and Navy. They decided to carry out the blasts near Denmark's Bornholm Island, it is claimed. Norway's foreign ministry said on Wednesday: 'These allegations are false.'

The initial plan was to plant explosives with a 48-hour timer, but the White House later asked for a method that would allow more control over the timing of the blasts, and the buoy technique was developed, according to the report.

Hersh reports that the buoy was dropped by a Norwegian Navy P8 surveillance plane on September 26 'during a seemingly routine flight' and the explosives detonated a few hours later.

Hersh is a former New York Times and New Yorker reporter who won numerous awards for his investigative journalism, including about the Vietnam War and the 2004 Abu Ghraib scandal following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

His reporting has previously been criticized for its heavy reliance on unnamed and anonymous sources.

More recently, he ignited controversy with a report disputing the Obama administration's version of the 2011 killing of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in a U.S. special forces operation. He also drew criticism for another report accusing Syrian rebels of staging an August 2013 sarin nerve agent attack that killed hundreds of civilians.

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the U.S. of direct involvement in the explosions.

Russia's chief diplomat referenced a recent statement made by U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, who in a recent Senate hearing hailed the destruction of the pipeline. Lavrov described her words as a 'confession'.

'This is not only the direct participation of the United States in the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines. Ms. Nuland has now made a confession,' he told state television in an interview broadcast earlier today.

Nuland said on January 26: 'I am, and I think the (Biden) administration is very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now... a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea.'

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosions, despite two separate investigations by Swedish and Danish authorities having concluded the pipelines were sabotaged.

Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday the United States had questions to answer over its role in explosions following Hersh's report.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the White House to comment on the 'facts' that had been presented.
Rose Marie Counts has had her teeth seen by Daniel Rubinshtein in Brooklyn

A woman whose teeth were knocked out by an ex-husband will get a new set

A Brooklyn dentist will provide a free set of new teeth to a woman who had hers knocked out by her ex-husband.

Rose Marie Counts lost her job at a Sheetz gas station in Ohio over a breach of the company's 'smile policy' but her luck finally turned after cosmetic dentist Dr. Daniel Rubinshtein invited her to New York and volunteered to give her a new smile.

'I'm so excited and so happy, and amazed,' Counts told DailyMail.com from Rubinshtein's clinic on Tuesday. She explained how the dentist had made contact soon after news broke of her circumstances.

'Within minutes I had spoken to Dr. Daniel and he said, "I'm going to help you," and they brought me out here to New York and we're talking about getting everything worked on and fixed,' she said.

'There was a story that she was fired because of an unfortunate domestic incident and we're here to help her, we're here to change her smile and change her life,' said Rubinshtein from his clinic in Brooklyn Heights.

Rose Marie Counts' luck finally turned after cosmetic dentist Dr. Daniel Rubinshtein invited her to New York where he volunteered to give her a new smile. Her teeth were knocked out by an ex-husband and her appearance bothered management at a gas station where she was working

Rubinshtein runs the Bensonhurst Dental Clinic in southwest Brooklyn. He has an Instagram following of more than 400,000 people.

Counts was headbutted in the mouth by her ex-husband, causing her to lose her front teeth. In early January she had been working at Sheetz in Circleville, Ohio, for a month when she was summoned into the manager's office and placed on leave for breaking a company policy that forbid 'obvious missing, broken, or badly discolored teeth.'

'When they hired me they knew that I had dental work that needed to be done,' she said on Tuesday. 'Despite that, a month later when I went to go get the dental work done and explained why I needed to have it done, because of a domestic situation that had happened years prior, they would not allow me to take the time.'

'They said it went against all the rules of the 'beautiful smile' policy which stated that you had 90 days, if you had anything wrong with your teeth, to have them fixed,' Counts said.

Rubinshtein runs the Bensonhurst Dental Clinic southwest Brooklyn. He has an Instagram following of more than 400,000 people

Counts was a victim of domestic violence and headbutted in the mouth by her ex-husband for leaving a hallway light on, causing her to lose her front teeth

Rubinshtein (pictured on the left) was quick to offer Counts help with her teeth when her story gained traction. 'We're here to change her smile and change her life,' he said

Doctors covered by her health insurance were not willing to provide a temporary denture and said fixing her teeth could take as long as nine months as she would need to wait for swelling to subside and then get a proper denture fitting.

'I decided to walk away from the job because my insurance would have been at least nine months,' she said. 'That wasn't acceptable to them.'

She added: 'The manager even told me that I was a wonderful employee, that the customers had said I was a wonderful worker.

'But I told her being wonderful wasn't good enough because of my smile, that they shouldn't get to define what beauty is. So I walked away from the job and I told her its not a place with the morals and values I wanted.'

Sheetz, based in Pennsylvania, has about 650 locations and has since said it has revised its policy regarding smiles

Pictured, the Sheetz gas station and convenience store at 1395 S Court St. in Circleville, Ohio

Sheetz, based in Pennsylvania, has about 650 locations and said last month it was reviewing its unusual policy which states: 'applicants with obvious missing, broken, or badly discolored teeth (unrelated to a disability) are not qualified for employment with Sheetz.'

In the company handbook, Sheetz appearance policy dictates: 'The timeframe for resolving issues such as this should not typically exceed 90 days. In the event a current employee develops a dental problem that would limit their ability to display a pleasant, full, and complete smile, we cannot permit this situation to go on indefinitely.'

'Sheetz believes that an employee's smile during interactions with customers and coworkers is critical to creating the sense of hospitality in our stores that we strive for,' the company explains.

Counts also secretly recorded a conversation in which she tells her employer she could no longer work for the company. It starts with the manager appearing to show some understanding of her position.

'If you can type out a letter - a written plan in detail including a time, duration and cost to get it fixed. I know you said you were going to get some work done,' the manager asks.

'I had my top ones done and my appointment for my bottom ones is later this month. My insurance will not pay for me to have temporary teeth so it will be three months for the swelling to go down and then they'll make them which can take up to six months,' Counts explained.

'So nine months total?' the manager replied. 'So if you can, and I appreciate you being understanding...'

Travis Sheetz, President & CEO of the Sheetz chain of gas stations and convenience stores has said the company's policy is to change

Counts said that she was obliged to step away from her job because the morals and values of the company were not aligned with what she expected from her employer

'I was hired this way,' Counts interjects. 'I feel like I will seek other employment because if my job performance is not enough and it's based on part of my looks it's not a company I want to be associated with.

'This company has no idea what I've been through. I lost my front teeth because my ex-husband head butted me because I forgot to turn the hall light out. So it's not like I was a drug user and things happened that way. It was legit,' she continues.

'But I feel like my job performance alone should be enough. I don't feel like I should have to justify myself because of my looks. I am not a materialistic person. I am very nice to the customers,' Counts said.

'And I have heard wonderful things about you,' her manager responded in the recording.

On Facebook, Counts went into greater detail about the conversation with the manager.

'I was asked to come to the office at work. I was nervous having only been with the company for about a month. When I walked in the office the manager had the company policy pulled up to where it talks about employees appearances,' she wrote.

'I was informed that policy states all Sheetz employees must have and remain with a perfect beautiful warm welcoming smile. If you are an employee with this company and you break a tooth you have 90 days to have it fixed,' she added.

Counts is shown here with her fiance, Shawn Chapman

Counts shared her despair at unfairly losing her job on her Facebook page

'Even though I am good at my job I can no longer be a frontline employee with the company because of my smile,' she wrote. 'The company defines my smile as unbeautiful because I still have work that needs to be done on them. So I went to work today and I left work today crying.'

She added: 'To get told based on my looks that my job is in jeopardy. And that maybe I should fill out paperwork and maybe the company will help me if I tell them my story. I will not spend one red penny at Sheetz!

'This is in my opinion one of the biggest forms of discrimination that there can be. Who are they to decide what beauty is? So I leave this job feeling like I'm not good enough again.'

Other former workers have also spoken out about the so-called 'smile policy'.

'I hate the policy,' one former employee in North Carolina told Insider. 'It's really disgusting and kind of classist, especially when the majority of people you're employing are going to be lower-income,' the former employee said.

Following Insider's questioning about the policy, it appears things are finally under review.

'The inquiry has prompted a more specific review to ensure our policies are aligned with Sheetz's commitment to foster a culture of respect,' Nick Ruffner, a public-relations manager for Sheetz stated.
Alex Murdaugh texted his secretary from rehab begging for forgiveness after he was fired for stealing millions from his legal firm, his double-murder trial heard today.

'The worst part is, I did the most damage to the ones I love the most,' the alleged killer wrote to Annette Griswold while he was in rehab for a crippling opioid addiction four months after his wife and son were murdered.

'The better I get the more guilt I have,' Murdaugh said in the groveling message.

The disgraced attorney, 54, is accused of killing his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, on June 7, 2021, in a bid to gain sympathy and distract from the 'gathering storm' of his financial crimes.

Griswold said in the weeks before their deaths he was 'cagey' in the office, yelled at staff and that a pending lawsuit over a fatal boat crash in which his drunken son had been driving was 'consuming his life.'

At the time of Maggie and Paul's deaths, Murdaugh and his son were facing a civil suit over the boat wreck that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach in February, 2019.

Murdaugh wrote a groveling message to his secretary, Annette Griswold, while he was in rehab for a crippling opioid addiction four months after his wife and son were murdered. 'The worst part is, I did the most damage to the ones I love the most,' he said

Alex Murdaugh with his wife Maggie and son Paul

At the time of Maggie and Paul's deaths , Murdaugh and his son were facing a civil suit over the boat wreck that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach in February, 2019. Murdaugh told cops Paul and Maggie had been killed in revenge for the accident

The court heard yesterday from the chief financial officer at his firm, Jeanne Seckinger, who testified that Murdaugh was stealing money from the firm and putting it in Maggie's account 'because of the boat case.'

Prosecutors say that Murdaugh killed Maggie and Paul because he was 'out of time and out of options' and that he had racked up millions in debt.

Griswold told jurors: 'You could tell the boat crash was weighing heavily on him. It was consuming his life, almost.'

She referred to him as having his 'ass on his shoulders' and said he 'just wasn't himself with us anymore'.

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

She told the court: 'I cared about him. I respected him. I loved him ... It was hard to work for him sometimes. He was a bit erratic. Yeah, for all the respect and love I had for him, it was still very difficult to work for him.'

She read part of a text she received from the legal heir while he was in rehab, on September 26, 2021.

Murdaugh wrote: 'I have been worried about yall and am sorry I didn't get to tell yall myself. I know both of u have been hurt badly by me. I know it sounds hollow but I am truly sorry. The better I get the more guilt I have.

'I have an awful lot to try to make right when I get out of here. The worst part is knowing I did the most damage to those I love the most.

'I'm not real sure how I let myself get where I did. I am committed to getting better and hope to mend as many relationships as I can. You both are special people and important me.

'Please know how sorry I am to have made you a a part of my misdeeds. I hope yall are doing as well as possible. I love u very much.'

Griswold gave evidence about a fake Forge Consulting account, which Murdaugh set up to embezzle funds from his firm and siphon into his personal bank accounts.

Jurors heard yesterday that on the day of the murders, Murdaugh was confronted over $792,000 that he had stolen from the firm, Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED).

He had allegedly moved that money into Maggie's account to shield it from the upcoming lawsuit over the boat wreck.

It would later be discovered that he had stolen millions, dating back to 2011. It cost the law firm more than $5million to reimburse clients.

Griswold said she had encountered checks to the fake Forge account which concerned her because they were not the correct way for attorneys to receive money owed to the firm for cases.

She was attempting to track down $792,000 that had gone missing from a recent case Murdaugh was working on when she learned that Maggie and Paul had been killed.

Her endeavors were halted as everyone at PMPED rallied around Murdaugh and she went into 'mama bear mode' to protect and look after her boss.

Alex Murdaugh walks into the courthouse before his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday

Prosecutor Creighton Waters questions Annette Griswold, Alex Murdaugh's former paralegal, during Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse on Wednesday

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

But in September she found a check linked to the case which proved Murdaugh had been stealing from the firm. He was fired the following day.

The paralegal was asked to explain how she uncovered his thefts from the firm.

Griswold told the court that Murdaugh would write out checks to the fake Forge account while she was out of the office, usually late on a Friday when not many people were around, and have another paralegal who was unfamiliar with the cases handle the payments.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters asked: 'Was the defendant using the opportunity of you being out of the office to push these things through?'

Griswold said: 'Yes.'

She told jurors of one instance where Murdaugh had forged a signature to steal $125,000 that was owed to a client.

In the spring of 2021, Griswold learned that that the $792,000 from the so-called Faris case (Faris v. Macks Trucks) that Murdaugh had worked on had not been paid to PMPED.

The court has previously heard that money lawyers made on cases always went to the firm and that if they went to the partners personally this would be 'stealing'.

Griswold said: 'I assumed they gave Alex the checks and he's lost them. They're misplaced. They're somewhere in his truck. They're in a file folder.'

But when she asked Murdaugh about the money, he said he never got the checks.

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

Bottles and cans of beer found aboard the boat which Paul Murdaugh was driving under the influence

The paralegal then went to her boss and the firm of Chris Wilson, a close friend of Murdaugh's and colleague with whom he worked on the Faris case, to try and work out where the missing $792,000 had gone.

Griswold told PMPED chief financial officer Seckinger who 'was instantly on high alert because it didn't look good.'

They both hoped it was some sort of misunderstanding but suspected that 'something is wrong.'

Seckinger told the court yesterday she confronted Murdaugh over the missing funds on June 7, 2021, hours before Maggie and Paul were shot dead.

As a result of the murders, Murdaugh's colleagues stopped asking about the money.

Recounting how she learned of the killings, Griswold said Murdaugh's brother Randy, another partner at PMPED, texted her to call her when she could.

'It's bad, Annette. It's real bad,' Randy told her and informed her that Maggie and Paul had been murdered.

Griswold said that she was scared for Alex, Randy and the legal scion's surviving son Buster, saying that she and her colleagues 'were in complete mama bear mode.'

Randy Murdaugh, Alex's brother, is seen in court Tuesday. Seckinger said that after a meeting of the senior partners on September 3, 2021, Randy confronted Alex over the thefts to demand his resignation

Evidence is brought to witness Jeanne Seckinger for financial crimes during Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse on Tuesday

'We didn't want them to have to go out and have to talk to reporters, we didn't want them to have to run out and run into anybody. We were scare for them,' she said.

'We were very protective, anything suspicious out the window we were on high alert.'

She said the Faris fees were 'the furthest thing from her mind'.

It was not until September, when was searching through Murdaugh's office for files, that those missing funds came crashing back into her life.

The paralegal said that as she was looking around on his desk 'a check from it floated like a feather to the ground.'

It was a check from March for the Faris case.

'He's been lying this whole time. He had these funds. He lied to me. That feeling in the back of my mind was correct. He did take these funds,' she testified.

She said she brought it to Seckinger and Murdaugh was fired the next day, September 3.
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.
Now, the four authorities could spend as much as 400,000 on judicial review

The Tory-led boroughs defied an order to implement the policy by February 2

Rebel councils opposed to the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) could spend nearly half-a-million pounds of public money in a legal battle with London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Four councils on the outskirts of the capital - Harrow, Hillingdon, Bexley and Bromley - were faced with a deadline of last Thursday, February 2 - to sign an agreement for the expansion of the low emission area to cover Greater London's border with the Home Counties.

But the Conservative-run authorities jointly refused to do so and could now take their fight to the High Court in a bid to block the charging zone being extended to their areas - said to cost at least 400,000.

Transport for London (TfL) stated in a letter to council leaders that it still has the power to go ahead with the installation of signs and enforcement cameras on the boroughs' roads.

Despite this threat, Harrow Council is set to issue High Court proceedings by February 24 against Mr Khan and the council also reportedly said it will fight the case alone if other Tory boroughs back down.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gave the wider London boroughs until February 2 to sign an agreement agreeing to the expansion

Rebel councils opposed to the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) could spend nearly half-a-million pounds of public money in a legal battle

ULEZ - which will see drivers charged fees for using older - more polluting vehicles within the new area, is set to be extended from the current boundary of the North and South Circular roads inside London, across the whole of the outer area of the city from August 29.

Drivers will be charged 12.50 a day for driving a non-compliant car, bus or van and can be fined for non-payment. The zone is in force 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day.

Hillingdon and Harrow in north London, along with fellow rebels Bexley and Croydon in south London, signed a joint statement, citing their 'vehement opposition' to the 'half-baked plans' and 'outrageous announcement'.

They vowed: 'We will do everything in our power to stop it from going ahead..'

Cllr Colin Smith, leader of Bromley Council in south east London that is also battling City Hall, confirmed: 'Our complete opposition and cynicism as to Mayor Khan's rationale for expanding ULEZ is well documented.'

The amount of money at stake in fighting the expansion through the courts is said to be enough to run two libraries for a year, and one Labour critic slammed the Harrow Tories, saying they should be 'ashamed' of the waste.

Instead, the rebels said in defiance: 'Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon councils will not sign the Section 8 agreement with TfL while legal advice is being taken.'

Labour's London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow, Krupesh Hirani, said Harrow Tories should be 'ashamed' of wasting almost half-a-million pounds.

Under the ULEZ, drivers who do not meet minimum emissions standards are charged a 12.50 daily fee for entering the zone.

The four grounds for judicial review are that Mr Khan acted beyond his powers, relied upon 'incorrect' assumptions, denied private motorists access to a vehicle scrappage scheme, and lacked detail in how the costs and income of the expansion were calculated.

READ MORE: Sadiq Khan sparks fury over the 110m ULEZ scrappage scheme Advertisement

But Transport for London claimed none of the grounds established that the decisions were unlawful, or that this is arguable.

The councils previously said in a joint letter: 'Until we have seen compelling evidence to the contrary, it remains our position that this scheme will not translate successfully to outer London and the negative impact to local households and economies will far outweigh the negligible air quality benefits.'

In response to the joint statement by Hillingdon, Harrow, Bexley and Croydon councils, the mayor's office claimed blocking the ULEZ expansion could cause the deaths of hundreds of residents in the rebel boroughs.

A spokesman for the mayor of London said: 'Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to toxic air, with the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution in London's outer boroughs.

'Children are also growing up across London with stunted lungs as a consequence of air pollution.

'Data collated by Imperial College London reveals that as many as 155 deaths each year are attributable to toxic air in Hillingdon, 118 in Harrow, 162 in Bexley and 204 in Bromley.

'An estimated five million more Londoners are expected to benefit from cleaner air when the ULEZ is expanded London-wide.'

A TfL spokesperson clarified that while there was a deadline yesterday for the agreement, this does not mean the transport body will immediately begin a forced implementation of additional cameras - this will instead come into force after August 29.

But TfL said it has the legal powers to override the councils' refusal, but they would prefer to have their consent.

Had the rogue councils signed the agreement, the local authorities would have a say over the design and positioning of new cameras and signs.

The spokesman for Sadiq Khan added: 'The mayor has launched the biggest scrappage scheme yet - 110m - to help the Londoners who need it most, including charities, low income and disabled Londoners, micro-businesses and sole traders.

'This is on top of the 61million provided for previous scrappage schemes. The ULEZ is a very targeted scheme to get the most highly polluting vehicles off the roads.

'Four out of five vehicles seen driving in outer London are already ULEZ compliant and will not need to pay the ULEZ.

'Any money received from the scheme will be reinvested into running and improving London's transport network, including the expansion of bus routes in outer London.

'The mayor is aware of the letter from the four boroughs and TfL has responded. We will continue to work with all boroughs to help them prepare for this life-saving initiative for our city.'

Sutton Council also initially refused to sign, as did Kingston Council, with leader Andreas Kirsch writing to Sadiq Khan to urge him 'to allow more time for the implementation of the ULEZ in the outer London boroughs to allow for mitigation'.

Barking and Dagenham council in east London also initially joined the rebels. as leader Darren Rodwell called for a delay and a more 'generous' scrappage scheme.

Bexley Council said it will oppose Transport for London's ULEZ expansion, but two main roads in the borough are owned by TfL, meaning the authority will not need permission to install cameras on these routes.
Two Pennsylvania counties where Bryan Kohberger attended college have scoured cold cases files to potentially link him to other murders.

District Attorneys Terrence Houck, of Northampton County, and Jim Martin, of Lehigh County, had their staff crack into old cold case files in search of a potential connection to Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger, 28.

Kohberger has been accused of brutally murdering Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in their off-campus home on November 13. The Pennsylvanian faces four first-degree murder charges in Idaho for their deaths.

In Pennsylvania, Kohberger had obtained his associate's degree in psychology from Northampton Community College and in his undergrad degree from DeSales University in Lehigh County, making both DAs curious to see if similar cases had popped up near the schools.

'Your natural question is to start wondering: "Is this guy wanted?"' Houck told King 5. 'Is his name out there? Did he do anything here in [my] county?'

Martin felt the same way, considering Kohberger had spent four years studying criminology for his undergraduate degree in his county, despite Kohberger not having a criminal record prior to the Idaho allegations.

District Attorneys Terrence Houck, of Northampton County, and Jim Martin, of Lehigh County, had their staff crack into old cold case files in search of a potential connection to Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger, 28 (pictured)

'The first thing I did was ask the director of the RIC [Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center] to see if we had any contact with Mr. Kohberger,' he told King 5.

There was only one connection to the suspected quadruple murderer among the 6million police reports in the system and it was simply a 911 call about being locked out of his car near a bike trail.

'And there was a response from him thanking the police and apologizing for the inconvenience,' Martin said.

Lehigh County did not find any other connection to Kohberger and Northampton did not have any incidents with the 28-year-old student.

'In fact, nothing with respect to Kohberger has come about in our investigations of cold cases or unsolved cases to this point, but we always continue to investigate and pursue leads,' Houck told King 5.

'Your natural question is to start wondering: "Is this guy wanted?"' Houck (left) said. Martin (right) felt the same way, considering Kohberger had spent four years studying criminology for his undergraduate degree in his county. Neither county found any connection between a cold murder case and criminology student

Northampton used Kohberger's height, weight, and method of operations to search its database for any similar cases.

As for Lehigh County, there was 'no unsolved homicides that in any way meet the modus operandi of this event out in Idaho,' Martin said.

Kohberger was arrested in Monroe County by a SWAT team in December at his parent's home, but it is unknown if the county's District Attorney E. David Christine, Jr. will open an investigation into cold case files.

As for Moscow, Idaho, police, not much has been said since a gag order has been put in place. Many are arguing that it's a violation of free speech by prohibiting it from happening in the first place.

A challenge, filed Monday evening, comes just a few days after an attorney representing the family of one of the victims filed an opposition to the gag order in state court, saying it is overly broad and places an undue burden on the families.

Kohberger has been accused of brutally murdering Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in their off-campus home on November 13. The Pennsylvanian faces four first-degree murder charges in Idaho for their deaths

A coalition of journalism outlets have also contested the gag order.

'Justice cannot survive behind walls of silence. For that reason, "a responsible press has always been regarded as the handmaiden of effective judicial administration, especially in the criminal field,"' coalition attorney Wendy Olson wrote in the court filing, quoting historic court rulings about prior restraints on free speech.

In the gag order, Marshall said the speech restriction was needed to protect Kohberger's right to a fair trial.

'More speech does not mean a less fair trial; the speech at issue must be the kind that could prejudice a jury. And even when publicity may cause prejudice, the answer is not always to suppress the speech,' Olson wrote. 'Other remedies like the passing of time, a change in venue, voir dire, jury instructions, and jury sequestration can cleanse any jury taint without offending the right to speech.'

Despite the great public interest in the case, there have not been any notable leaks of information that would prejudice Kohberger's right to a fair trial, Olson said.

Kohberger had obtained his associate's degree in psychology from Northampton Community College (pictured)

He received his undergrad degree from DeSales University (pictured) in Lehigh County, making both DAs curious to see if similar cases had popped up near the schools

The attorney representing Kaylee Goncalves' family, Shanon Gray, filed a separate court action on Friday asking the Latah County magistrate judge to hold a hearing on the gag order or to clarify it. The current order is 'overbroad and vague,' wrote Gray.

The gag order prevents 'all comments or opinions' regardless of whether they could bias jurors, and it even remains in effect once jurors are instructed to avoid news coverage of the case, Gray noted, calling the order unconstitutional.

The order also prevents the victims' families from having attorneys talk to the media on their behalf, Gray said.

'It would place an undue burden on the Victims families,' if they are unable to have a spokesperson transmit their thoughts and opinions to news organizations or others, Gray wrote.
Ron DeSantis continues to take the high road by refusing to give into the media pressing him to respond to Donald Trump's criticism  including the latest posts repeating claims that the Florida governor 'groomed' teenage girls when he was a high school teacher.

Rather, DeSantis says he wants to focus his tracks on President Joe Biden and Democrats instead of in-house fighting with other Republicans.

It comes as Trump continues to launch attack lines against DeSantis after opening the floodgates earlier this month when the Florida leader emerged as a highly popular potential 2024 primary opponent.

'I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden,' DeSantis replied to a reporter during a press conference on Wednesday morning in Ocala, Florida 'That's how I spend my time.'

'I don't spend my time trying to smear other Republicans,' he quipped.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis refused to cave to pressure to engage in public attack lines with Donald Trump. 'I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden... I don't spend my time trying to smear other Republicans'

Former President Donald Trump has upped his attacks on DeSantis as it becomes more likely the Florida governor will launch a 2024 presidential bid. Trump posted to Truth Social pushing unproven claims that DeSantis groomed young women when he was a teacher

DeSantis also noted that people in positions of power, especially elected office, need to have thick skin.

Trump, who ripped through the 2016 GOP presidential primary field with attacks on his rivals, reposted images Tuesday of a young DeSantis allegedly partying with high school teens.

The former president added in his own mocking commentary as a continuation of his lines against DeSantis, which includes the moniker 'Ron DeSanctimonious' and insisting it would be extremely 'disloyal' if he launched a 2023 presidential bid.

'That's not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform with the image.

The post linked to a Truth Social Account that grabbed a digital image of a young man with a bowl haircut who appears to be DeSantis surrounded by three young women whose faces were blurred out.

One of them, who has her arm around the now-Florida governor, is holding a brown glass bottle.

To drive home the point, Trump also re-posted a message by a user named Dong-Chan Lee, who wrote that 'Ron DeSantis was having a 'drink' party with his students when he was a high school teacher. Having drinks with underage girls and cuddling with them certainly look pretty gross and ephebophiliaesque,' a term relating to attraction to adolescents.

'No way?' wrote Trump on Tuesday.

Neither post contains evidence that the girls pictured were underage, or establishes that anyone photographed was illegally consuming alcohol. DailyMail.com has not been able to verify the provenance of the photos.

DeSantis is likely the only GOP candidate that could beat Trump in a 2024 primary election. Trump claims it would be 'disloyal' for DeSantis to run against him after the ex-president helped him win the governor's seat in Florida in 2018

The hit comes as DeSantis has been rising in the polls and lining up influential supporters .

A reporter tried to ask DeSantis if he new proposed defamation legislation would include addressing these type of social media posts.

'Governor  Former President Trump yesterday made a series of posts on Truth Social directed at you. Some were insinuating that you ' the reporter started by was interrupted by the governor at the press conference.

'So here's what I'm going to say about that. I get you guys want the controversy ' DeSantis cut in.

'How would your proposed legislation against defamation address those posts? Could they be considered damages?' the reporter concluded their question.

But the Florida governor says that this law wouldn't be for people in public office and noted that he won't be 'wasting time' as governor fighting lawsuits of that nature.

'Look, I have a platform. It's different for me because I can fight back,' DeSantis said  but did not fight back against the claims Trump made against him.

'I face defamatory stuff every single day I've been governor,' he added. 'That's just the nature of it. But I have a platform to fight back. A lot of these other people that are more little, they don't necessarily have a platform to fight back. So, in terms of our reforms, I really want to empower them more so than people that occupy high positions like me. It just goes with the territory, you've got to have thick skin.'

'Also, just practically speaking  I would not be taking time out of being governor to fight lawsuits,' he concluded.
A suicidal knifeman who ran at armed officers during the Horse Guards Parade last year hurled abuse at a court and yelled 'I want to go back to Sri Lanka' on Wednesday.

Prashanth Kandhaiah, 30, came within seconds of being shot dead at the ceremonial parade ground in St James Park on Easter Monday, April 18.

Kandhaiah had searched 'rat poison can kill people' the day before his attack, as well as 'I hate Britain' and 'police'.

He had also looked up the London Bridge terror attacks from 2019.

But Kandhaiah claimed he was trying to get the officers to kill him and was not trying to harm anyone. He told the jury during the trial: 'I went there to get shot'.

On the day of the incident he had sent one of his children a message saying: 'Goodbye, love you. Daddy.'

A police forensic official walks outside the Horse Guards building after Kandhaiah ran at the two police officers in April last year

Kandhaiah was cleared by the jury of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm after a two day trial at Southwark Crown Court.

But during the prosecution's statement, he suddenly yelled: 'F*** off! You can f*** off Britain. I want to go back to Sri Lanka!'

He was then removed from the courtroom.

He admitted the offence of having a bladed article, namely a black-handled kitchen knife.

Jurors had heard how on April 18 Kandhaiah ran at the Ministry of Defence officers, PCs Ravinder Digpaul and Ryan Pariso, with the knife.

CCTV footage showed him waiting for several minutes on Whitehall Road before suddenly running through the gates to the courtyard.

Claire Langevad, prosecuting, described how Kandhaiah made 'attempts to stab PC Digpaul', who had to kick the defendant repeatedly to stop him stabbing him.

Ms Langevad added: 'He [PC Digpaul} was able to draw out his side arm but it appeared not to deter him at all.

'PC Pasiro was able to take out a taser which subdued him.'

It was at this point that Kandhaiah launched his tirade at the court. He was swiftly removed.

Ms Langevad continued: 'A mobile phone was seized at the scene. There were messages from the defendant saying goodbye.'

Reading from PC Digpaul's impact statement she said the officer had been left fearful by the attack, and scared about 'how close it came to a different outcome.'

She read: 'He describes struggling to sleep and switching off.

'His mother worries about him doing his job more than she did before the incident.

'A small child was running through a courtyard, and he said that the sound of the child running brought him back to the incident.'

Kandhaiah was cleared of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm by a court on Wednesday

Richard Craven, defending Kandhaiah, told the court: 'He believes that he is made of metal. He is unlikely to never not hold that view.

'He has opened his shirt to me and shown me his chest, insisting that he is half made of metal.

'He believes that he is controlled by a wood pigeon.

'His view is that there is nothing anyone can do to help him. He does seem to have got rather worse while in prison.'

Mr Craven told the court that he found lockdown particularly difficult because all his friends and family are in Sri Lanka.

'He is now rather keen to leave this country.

'He is a man of previous good character. He has always worked. He has always held down a job. He has even held positions of responsibility.'

Kandhaiah, of Thamesmead, southeast London, denied and was cleared of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm but admitted having a bladed article.

He will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court tomorrow.'

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can get help and support by calling the Samaritans anonymously and for free on 116 123 from a UK phone.
The killer of British kayaker Emma Kelty has been seized by police in Brazil nearly six years since she was thrown into the Amazon to be eaten by piranhas.

The former headteacher from North London, 43, was hacked to death on a 4,000 mile solo tour of the Amazon river in September 2017.

Investigators say she was attacked by a group of six river pirates while she was camped on a beach in a remote area of Coari.

She was robbed, raped, shot dead, and her body was thrown into the Solimoes River.

Fugitive Arthur Gomes da Silva was sentenced to 29 years and 11 months in prison for his role in the killing, convicted of corruption of minors, robbery-homicide, rape, and concealment of a corpse.

He went on the run and was finally arrested on 8 February 2023, five and a half years after Emma disappeared, while taking his daughter to a children's hospital in Manaus.

Emma Kelty, 43, poses in undated photo. She was murdered in Coari, Brazil, in 2017, one of the suspects Arthur Gomes da Silva was arrested in Manaus, Brazil, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023

Arthur Gomes da Silva poses in undated photo. He was arrested in Manaus, Brazil, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, for the murder of Emma Kelty, 43, in Coari, Brazil, in 2017

Police also identified Jardel Pinheiro Gomes, Erinei Ferreira da Silva, Elionai Cordovil da Silva, Erinilson Ferreira da Silva, and Valtemir Andrade de Lima as suspects.

But Da Silva is the one who raped and killed Emma, they say.

Emma was 42 days into a 4,000-mile-long trip along the Amazon River from its source to the Atlantic Ocean when she went missing.

Having reliably documented her travels online, she posted her last tweets on 13 September 2017 after setting up camp.

Emma is believed to have pitched in an area of the river called the Solimoes River, known for drug traffickers and river pirates.

Her siblings - Piers, Giles, and Natasha - said in a statement at the time: 'Emma was an active and determined sister who challenged herself, latterly through her adventures on the Pacific Coast Trail, as well as in the South Pole and Amazon River.

'In a world that is today a much smaller place, the explorer in our sister found herself seeking ways to prove that challenges were achievable.'

The former headteacher, who worked in Surbiton, South West London, gave up her job in 2014 after her father died and went travelling around the world.

She became the sixth woman to ski solo to the South Pole, according to her blog.

After hiking solo across the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail in the United States, she planned to navigate the 4,000-mile Amazon River, starting in Peru and ending at the Atlantic.

She told BBC Surrey that she was aware of the risks and had trained in self-defence in London before setting off.

Emma Kelty from London worked as a headteacher in Surbiton before going to travel the world

Police have not found the body of the former headteacher from Finchley, North London

Kelty disappeared on day 42 of her journey after signaling her alarm.

A gang were later caught by police and allegedly confessed to killing Emma to steal her belongings.

Police said she was cut near the shoulder and neck as to attract carnivorous piranha fish that would make it harder to 'get rid of the evidence'.

Emma's body has not been found.

In a video shared days before her disappearance, talking to her GoPro camera (below), she speaks optimistically about moving on from a group she had travelled with for six weeks.

The former headteacher then went on to say: 'I have to say I'm really looking forward to it. I've been with a group now for a good six weeks and I'm ready to be solo.

'As you know, I'm a solo girl and so therefore being a part of a group on such an adventure has been great but it's time for me to have my solo time.'
A mum was left furious after children's school dinners were 'taken from their plates' over debts.

The parent, who asked not to be named so their children were not embarrassed, claimed Liverpool College on Queen's Drive 'humiliated' pupils as they sat to eat lunch in the canteen on Thursday, February 2.

Staff reportedly came through the lunch hall with tongs to remove slices of pizza, cookies and bottles of water from plates in front of other pupils.

The parent said staff then told children, who were 'in tears', to inform their parent about their bills.

The parent said: 'The school wrote to parents last week threatening to take legal action over minimal balances.

A mum was left furious after children's school dinners were 'taken from their plates' over debts at Liverpool College on Queen's Drive (pictured)

'They then decided to humiliate scores of children as their accounts for school meals had slipped into a negative balance.

'The lunch staff publicly shamed the children by coming through the lunch hall with tongs and removing slices of pizzas, cookies, and bottles of water from their plates.

'I think the word from one of them was 'not today' as they took one of the child's two slices of pizza.

'To add insult to injury the food then had to be disposed of as the children had touched it.

'Children were left in tears, ringing their parents to have their accounts topped up, but even this wasn't enough as they were then told it took time to register and sent them away again.'

The parent, whose own children were not affected but were shocked to see the treatment of their friends, said she understands schools should not have to deal the debts but 'couldn't help but think' there was a better way to communicate with parents.

Staff reportedly came through the lunch hall with tongs to remove slices of pizza, cookies and bottles of water from plates in front of other pupils (File image)

She continued: 'I cannot believe that any school would treat families like this particularly one which purports to have such high values.

'There are many families across the city who are struggling with the cost of living.

'Children having to call their parents telling them they need to top up in January must have been really embarrassing.'

Principal Mr Hans van Mourik Broekman denied any pupil has or will ever go without lunch at Liverpool College.

He told The Echo: 'No pupil at Liverpool College has ever or will ever go without a lunch. The College and its catering company partner do need to limit the amount currently owed by parents to our caterer as it is at unsustainable levels.

'We appreciate times are difficult and we will not see pupils go without a lunch.

'These policies have been explained in writing to parents and pupils, and the College has apologised for any upset caused by their introduction.'
The psychiatrist hired to evaluate postpartum mother Lindsay Clancy as she faces murder charges for killing her three kids says she has been left 'flat as a board' by a combination of drugs and depression.

Clancy is in the hospital where doctors continue to treat spinal fractures that she suffered after jumping from a top floor window of her home on January 24. She had just strangled her three kids after hearing a 'man's voice' telling her to.

The 32-year-old nurse had been battling postpartum depression for months and even checked herself into a hospital seeking care. She'd been given an astonishing list of 13 different drugs over the course of eight months, which her attorneys say are are to blame for her psychosis.

Dr. Paul Zeizel is a clinical psychologist in Massachusetts. He was hired by Clancy's lawyer to evaluate her, and must spend several hours a day with her in order to do so.

In an interview with DailyMail.com on Wednesday, Dr. Zeizel said she is 'extremely fatigued' and 'in pain'.

Lindsay Clancy was arraigned from her hospital bed yesterday. She is paralyzed after trying to kill herself by jumping from a top floor window of her home

'She is flat as a board. She's wondering what is going on.

'There is not a lot of emoting, though she did shed tears yesterday during the court hearing,' he said. He clarified that she is aware of who she is and who the children were.

Dr. Zeizel said the 'flatness' of her demeanor could be caused by pain medication, psychotic medication or depression - all of which are possibilities in her case.

He added that it remains a 'conundrum' how Lindsay ended up with a prescription list of 13 drugs over an eight-month period.

'This is nightmarish - it is so sad. And to think the job she had was the very environment in which she was suffering... it is a tragedy.'

On January 24, Lindsay took her daughter to the pediatrician then played with her two oldest kids in the snow outside their home.

Lindsay Clancy with her husband Patrick and their oldest children, Cora, five, and Dawson, three. She

She asked her husband if he wouldn't mind eating takeout for dinner, telling him it had been a 'long day'.

DRUGS PRESCRIBED TO LINDSAY IN EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE KILLINGS Zolpidem (Ambien)

Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Diazepam (Valium)

Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Lamotrigine (Lamictil)

Lorazepam (Ativan)

Mirtazapine (Remeron)

Quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel)

Trazodone Advertisement

At 5.10pm, she ordered takeout from ThreeV, a restaurant that is an 11-minute drive from the family home.

Her husband left the home, picked up the food and a prescription for children's stool softener, and was home by 6.09pm.

He found her outside in the yard, with broken bones in her back and bloodied, slashed wrists.

The kids were found strangled to death in the basement with exercise bands tied around their necks.

According to her attorney, Lindsay later told her husband that she'd heard a 'man's voice' in her head telling her she had to kill the children then herself, and that it was her 'only chance'.

Dr. Zeizel explained that such voices can appear at random and are unpredictable in patients experiencing psychosis or schizophrenia. He has not made any formal diagnosis on Lindsay.

'These voices, they can come and go. They are unpredictable.'

He added that it was entirely possible Lindsay had been behaving 'normally' - as the prosecution claims she had - in the hours and minutes before the killings.

'It can happen,' he said.

Three weeks before the strangled the kids and tried to kill herself, Lindsay checked herself into the McLean psychiatric hospital

After strangling the kids, Lindsay tried to cut her own wrists. She then jumped from a window at the family home. Baby Callan, eight months, died in the hospital. Cora and Dawson died at home

Both he and her attorney say she was failed by the medical system.

'This is not normal [this amount of drugs]. There were too many cooks in the kitchen,' Dr. Zeizel said.

It remains unclear where Lindsay received the prescriptions, or if any one doctor was in charge of overseeing her care.

On January 1, she checked herself into the McLean psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, asking for help to treat postpartum, according to her attorney.

Her attorney says she was taken off one drug and put on another then discharged.

The hospital's representatives declined to give details on her case citing privacy laws.

Lindsay's husband Patrick has forgiven her, and has asked others to do the same.

Yesterday, the judge ruled that Lindsay - who is now paralyzed - will be able to stay in the hospital for several more weeks.

She is then expected to be sent to a 24/7 medical rehabilitation center to continue treatment.

Prosecutors, who say she planned out the killings, said she deserves to go to jail. The case will return to court on May 2.
Rep. Nick LaLota tore into his fellow New York Republican and famed fabricator George Santos as a 'sociopath.'

LaLota, who together with Santos are two of the four in his caucus who flipped seats in liberal New York in the midterms, was asked by CNN about Santos bagging one of the coveted aisle seats ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union.

'He's a sociopath, George Santos-- he looks for that attention, even the negative attention drives him, and it's become an embarrassment and distraction to the Republicans in the House,' Lalota told CNN Wednesday morning.

LaLota was an early one of the growing number of House Republicans who have called on Santos to resign.

Rep. Nick LaLota tore into his fellow New York Republican and famed fabricator George Santos as a 'sociopath'

From the aisle seat members of Congress can grab a handshake with passing Supreme Court justices, cabinet secretaries or even the president himself.

Eventually Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks squeezed between Santos and President Biden and got the handshake.

But Santos got rather more than he bargained for. Video footage showed Sen. Mitt Romney confront the serial liar, saying what looked to be: 'You don't belong here.'

Santos, who has been caught out fabricating his college and work history as well as his status as a volleyball champion and claiming that his mother was in the World Trade Center on the day of the 9/11 attacks, looked shocked, even as he appeared to fire back.

Romney appears to repeat the same words several times to the newly elected Republican representative from New York.

Sen. Mitt Romney appeared to clash with Rep. George Santos ahead of the State of the Union. The senator appeared to say, 'You ought to be embarrassed,' to the serial fantasist

'He shouldn't be in Congress and they're going to go through the process and hopefully get him out,' Romney told reporters after the speech. 'But he shouldn't be there and if he had any shame at all he wouldn't be there.'

Santos described the encounter with Semafor reporter Kadia Goba.

He claims Romney started off by saying 'you don't belong here'.

'Go tell that to the 142,000 who voted for', Santos claimed he said in response.

'You're an a**,' Romney says. 'You're a much bigger a**hole', Santos responds.

'Mitt Romney is right on this one,' LaLota said. 'He does not deserve to be in Congress.'

'He's all about the rhetoric,' LaLota said of Santos. 'He's all about the drama. And he's fallen far below the standard that we all should hold ourselves to.'

Santos, who at first darted through hallways on Capitol Hill to avoid reporters and kept quiet on his lies, has now taken on a more aggressive media strategy.

'Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT!' he tweeted after the terse exchange gained traction on Twitter.

It happened minutes before President Joe Biden arrived in the chamber for his State of the Union address, with senators and U.S. representatives chit chatting among themselves.

And it came on the same day that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to reveal that Santos was facing an investigation.

'Ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we'll take action,' McCarthy told CNN. 'Right now, we're not allowing him to be on committees from the standpoint of the questions that have arisen.'

He later said he did not mean to confirm that Santos was the subject of a formal inquiry but that he was the subject of ethics complaints.

The New York Republican, dubbed the Long Island Liar for the many fabrications he made about his biography, told CNN he was 'not concerned' about the House Ethics investigation.

It comes the same day as a group of New Yorkers from Santos' 3rd Congressional District came to Washington, DC demanding for him to step down.

Romney and Santos clashed as members were taking their seats ahead of the address

He has repeatedly said he will not resign.

That leaves Republicans in a bind. Santos is a key vote for them in a narrowly held House, but many have expressed concerns about the way he won election last year with a heavily embellished resume.

Long Island and Queens residents gathered outside the U.S. Capitol for a press conference led by New York House Democrat Reps. Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman.

They not only pushed for Santos to step down, but also turned the heat up on McCarthy to 'do the right thing' and force the beleaguered representative out of Congress.

Goldman told reporters after the press conference that Santos' continued tenure in the House was a blemish on the institution - while pointing out that Republican leaders have not taken action against him.

New questions have come to light on almost daily basis.

New York Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres - both representing NYC congressional districts - led a press conference outside the US Capitol with residents of Santos' district

The New York politician, 34, reportedly told donors during his congressional campaign in 2021 that he produced Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark, which ran from 2011 to 2014, but lead producer Michael Cohl disputed these claims.

Santos said that he attended Horace Mann School  an elite private school in the Brox where tuition costs $59,800 per year. The school said he did not.

Some claims he has already walked back. When running he said that he worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup but now he says he used a 'poor choice of words' when describing his relationship with the two firms.

In 2016, he claimed $2,250 was stolen in a mugging on his way to pay rent - but cops have no record of the incident.

The list goes on.
Volodymyr Zelensky's address to Parliament today led some to mockingly ask if Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield had snuck into Westminster Hall to hear his speech.

The Ukrainian President spoke to MPs and peers from the 900-year-old venue as he made an emotional plea for further support in his country's efforts to defeat Russia.

Those from both the House of Commons and House of Lords rushed to post pictures of the historic moment this afternoon, including 'selfies'.

Meanwhile, away from the seriousness of Mr Zelensky's words, Twitter users saw a lighter side to the poignant occasion and revived the row about the Queen's lying-in-state, which had taken place in the same venue.

In September, following Her Majesty's death, This Morning co-presenters Willoughby and Schofield faced a fierce backlash after being accused of skipping the queue to see the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to MPs and peers from Westminster Hall as he made an emotional plea for further support

Twitter users saw a lighter side to the poignant occasion and revived the row over Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield's attendance at the Queen's lying-in-state

Many on social media made jokes at the This Morning duo's expense during Mr Zelensky's speech

They insisted they 'would never jump a queue' and stressed they'd been given official permission to attend the lying-in-state - without lining up for hours as members of the public did - for reporting purposes like other broadcasters and journalists.

But they weren't allowed to forget the row this afternoon, as many on social media made jokes at the pair's expense during Mr Zelensky's speech.

'Anyone seen Phil and Holly at Westminster Hall?,' Russell Osborne asked.

Another Twitter user wondered: 'Did Holly and Phil manage to sneak in?'

'I'm assuming Holly and Phil will soon jump the queue to get to the front for this Zelensky address,' posted Simon Mahon.

And Gerry Palmer wrote: 'Inspirational speech at a historic venue. Pretty sure I saw Holly and Phil sneak in at the back.'

Labour shadow minister Seema Malhotra and Labour peer Baroness Taylor of Stevenage both shared selfies from Westminster Hall this afternoon

Among the many photos and videos posted by MPs and peers in Westminster Hall, Labour shadow minister Seema Malhotra and Labour peer Baroness Taylor of Stevenage both shared selfies.

Among the many photos and videos posted by MPs and peers in Westminster Hall, Labour shadow minister Seema Malhotra and Labour peer Baroness Taylor of Stevenage both shared selfies.

Ms Malhotra wrote: 'Parliament stands in solidarity with Ukraine as President Zelensky addresses a packed Westminster Hall.'

During his address, Mr Zelensky presented Commons' Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft to Ukraine.

The message on the helmet read: 'We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.'
He was jailed after posting several tweets critical of the Saudi government

The son of a US citizen jailed in Saudi Arabia has slammed the Biden administration's attempts to free his father after his prison sentence was lengthened by an extra three years.

Saad Almadi has seen his time behind bars extended from 16 years to 19 years after he was imprisoned for a series of tweets criticizing the Saudi government.

The political prisoner's son Ibrahim slammed the handling of his father's case after the US State Department told him his father would spend even longer in prison.

He told The Post: 'It's not a slap in the face, it's a middle finger. When the US asked for an appeal, they said: "Here you go, 19 years!"'

Saad Almadi was imprisoned after he posted a series of tweets criticizing the Saudi government

The political prisoner's son Ibrahim, left, has hit out at the Biden administration's efforts to free his father

Ibrahim has suggested President Biden, left, has failed in his attempts to free his father during talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, right

Ibrahim noted that his father has lost 'more than 80 pounds' behind bars, after an arrest which was triggered when he targeted the Saudi regime in a series of tweets.

The social media posts, which Ibrahim has previously described as 'mild', included condemnations over the Saudi government's inability to protect its borders from rockets fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen, a group allied with Iran.

Other posts included criticism over poverty in Saudi Arabia and references to murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi's death in 2018 sparked a wave of controversy amid allegations it was orchestrated by the Saudi government, after it was revealed that the Washington Post reporter was ambushed by a hit-squad of Saudi assassins with close ties to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The journalist was allegedly murdered to remove a prominent critic of the Saudi government, leading Almadi to subsequently express support for naming a street after him.

Following the tweets, Almadi, a 72-year-old retired project manager who was living in Florida at the time, was arrested in November 2021 while visiting family in Saudi Arabia. If he serves out his entire sentence, including a travel ban, he will need to live until he is 107 before he is able to return to the US.

The White House has made several remarks hitting out at Almadi's treatment since he was locked up, however, President Biden has not directly commented on the case and has been accused of taking a soft stance with the Saudi regime.

Ibrahim pointed to the recent release of WNBA star Brittney Griner as he criticized the Biden administration's failed efforts to free his father.

He particularly hit out at the State Department's refusal to officially label his father as being 'wrongfully detained', a move that would increase pressure on the Saudi government to release him from prison.

'The only way for my father to get out is through wrongful detention, he said. 'Thats how Brittney Griner got out . thats what works with dictators.'

The White House says it has made steps to free Almadi, and in a White House press briefing on October 19, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said his case was a 'priority' for the administration.

'The Saudi government understands the priority we attach to resolving this matter,' she said.

'Exercising the freedom of expression should never be criminalized.'

A week after Jean-Pierre's remarks, the US government's stance was reiterated by National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

He told reporters: 'We respect and understand and sympathize with the anguish (of Almadis family). We continue to work on these cases all around the world, as much as we can.'

However, the prisoner's son implied that the US government has failed to take a strong stance against the Saudi government to ensure his father's release.

He said: 'Using a carrot doesnt work with (Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman), he only works with a stick.'

Saad Almadi's son has suggested the White House has taken a soft stance on his father's detention in Saudi Arabia

Saad Almadi, a 72-year-old retired project manager who was living in Florida, has seen his prison sentence increased by three years

Following Biden's visit to the kingdom last year, where he received backlash after he was pictured sharing a fist-bump with the crown prince, Ibrahim again lashed out at the president for his role in his father's detention.

He told The Post at the time: 'Biden just cares about votes. He doesnt care about my father, he doesnt care about American citizens.

'He got sold for oil, but they didnt receive the oil. So there is no father, no oil.

'Theres nothing  there is only shame, that is what the White House has got now.'

After Biden failed to pressure the crown prince during their meeting, Ibrahim also suggested that former President Donald Trump would have already secured his father's freedom.

'We are at a time when we sweep our American values and human rights values under the carpet  because we care about interest in our oil,' Ibrahim said.

'I think the United States, the strongest country in the world, can protect our interests in the region and release my father. We can do both.'

In a statement intended to speak directly to President Biden, the younger Almadi issued a stark call to action as he tried to apply some pressure to his father's case.

He said: 'Mr. President, we can protect our interests in that region and we can protect our senior American citizen taxpayer too.

'My father needs to be declared wrongfully detained and released from prison or otherwise, his blood will be on your hands.'

Following Almadi's sentencing in November 2021, a US State Department spokesman told a press briefing that the US government attempted to push the Saudi government to release him.

They said that the US has 'consistently and intensively raised our concerns regarding the case at senior levels of the Saudi government, both through channels in Riyadh and Washington, D.C.'
The 5th generation Su-57 Felon is scheduled to arm with the Kh-69 ground attack missile optimized for pulverizing AFU military structures in Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, went to a missile plant in Moscow to see the latest missile tech.

Su-57 Felon Increases Ground Attack Potential

Medvedev, based on the photo on his telegram channel, was keen on a particular missile. What exactly is that particular armament that drew more attention than usual from Vladimir Putin's deputy in the Security Council, according to Bulgarian Military.

Medvedev and the boss of the KTRV, Boris Obnosov, saw the latest in the Kh-Series, Kedge, of AGM projectiles, per Weapon System. Considered a classified project by when it was mentioned last year. The aerospace firm showed it at the Army-2022 forum, and officials saw the prototype.

Most questions about what makes this Russian AGM very notable, especially with many missiles in the Kremlin's arsenal. One explanation for this particular variant of the Felon stealth fighter is its characteristics to mount it on the 5th general all-purpose fighter, noted Air Force Technology.

Its body is square shaped for the plane with multiple functionalities, a low-profile, very precise, and next-generation weapon.

Read Also: Moscow Su-34 Fighter-Bombers Deliver Precision Strikes

Keeping a low radar profile to foil enemy defenses has been integrated into the fuselage of the rocker with radar absorbent coating. The military projects that the advanced armament will keep the missile on target.

Other than the Sukhoi Felon, other VKS elements could be equipped with it; they are the Su-35, Su-30MK, and Su-34 fighters for cross-platform use. They are currently tearing up the AFU and UAF on the air and ground.

Kh-69 Shock Value Terrifies NATO, Ukrainian Forces

The manufacturer states the weapon has been optimized by design for demolishing any on the ground that can be pulverized, such targets as railways and interchanges of extreme value to more forces. This concern fits the aims of Moscow analysts, hinting it is a crucial tactical capability. It comes at a time when the US and its allies are sending heavy tanks to Ukraine, which will be used to attack them.

Most of the efforts of the Russian military are concentrated on the elimination of targets earmarked as must be destroyed by any means possible, whether direct or indirect fire and the use of standoff weapons like a precision-guided missiles.

These targets are listed as ammo and fuel dumps, lubricant for machinery, command centers and communication posts, oil refineries, and petrochemical plants are included. Another set of targets for destruction are factories that build relevant war materials, also engine rooms inside power plants.

All these physical structures are part of the strategy to bring down the Zelensky regime by taking it apart, piece by piece, eliminating all relevant material tactically without too much collateral damage.

Missile guidance combines a frameless inertial system, GLONASS, and a GPS satellite navigation system. But when it comes to service, it has yet to be made public.

The Su-57 Felon having a Kh-69 for enhanced ground attack will threaten NATO and AFU.

Related Article: Russian Bombers Eliminate 200 Ukrainian Ground Troops

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ron DeSantis warned Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District 'there's a new sheriff in town' as he vowed to make the self-governing area accountable for its debts and unable to continue operating under special provisions.

The Florida governor lauded his new plan to take complete control of Reedy Creek, which gave Disney unprecedented power over the last 56 years in the area encompassing Walt Disney Resort.

He also went on the defense regarding critics who claimed ahead of the unveiling of the legislation earlier this week that he was being too soft on Disney and was not going to hold their special, self-governing district accountable.

'Disney's going to pay its debt,' DeSantis assured during a press conference on Wednesday morning. 'What I said really for the last six/nine months is: Disney is no longer going to have self-government. They're not going to have their own government. Disney is gonna pay their fair share of taxes and honor their debts. And that's exactly what this proposed piece of legislation will do.'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis assured Wednesday 'there's a new sheriff in town' when it comes to the handling of Disney's formerly self-governing Reedy Creek Improvement District, which he vowed would pay it's debts and pay taxes going for war

'A lot of folks in the media were saying that, 'Oh my gosh, Disney's actually going to pay less taxes and Floridians are going to pay more taxes.' They were saying that,' the governor added. 'And I'm like, you've got to be kidding me.'

'Well, this puts that to bed and so those debts will be honored,' he continued.

'This is now obviously going to be controlled by the state of Florida. There's a new sheriff in town.'

DeSantis seized control of Disney's formerly self-governing district in Florida, announcing this week that the company must repay $700 million in debt and begin paying taxes.

In a dramatic escalation of his long-running battle against Disney, the Florida governor on Monday announced he was taking control of the five-member Reedy Creek board.

The board oversees nearly 40 square miles of Florida, on which the Walt Disney World Resort is built.

'Florida is dissolving the Corporate Kingdom and beginning a new era of accountability and transparency,' DeSantis deputy press secretary told DailyMail.com in a statement.

DeSantis will also rename the site, switching its name from Reedy Creek to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Walt Disney World says the company is 'monitoring the progression ' of the legislation

Reedy Creek owes $700 million in debt to Florida due to it's 56 years as a tax exempt district governed entirely b y Disney's five-member board

'Florida is dissolving the Corporate Kingdom and beginning a new era of accountability and transparency,' DeSantis deputy press secretary told DailyMail.com in a statement.

DeSantis will also rename the site, switching its name from Reedy Creek to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

DeSantis escalated the battle with Disney by taking full control of the board overseeing Walt Disney Co's formerly self-governing special tax district encompassing the nearly 40 square miles of Walt Disney World Resort

A new bill was proposed by Florida politicians on Monday, which would give the governor full control over the district, and the ability to appoint the five-member board of supervisors that run the special district.

The nominees would then need to be confirmed by Florida state senators.

The proposed legislation would keep in place Reedy Creek's obligation to almost $1 billion of outstanding bonds.

Reedy Creek, which granted sweeping benefits to Disney over the last half century due to the special designation, is governed by five board members elected by local property owners.

Considering most of the land within the special district is owned by Disney and its affiliates, the company is given an unbalanced amount of power over how the area is run and essentially allowed Walt Disney Co. to operate as a form of government.

The new rules proposed in Monday's bill would prevent anyone who had ties to the theme park from serving on the Reedy Creek board.

'These actions ensure a state-controlled district accountable to the people instead of a corporate-controlled kingdom,' DeSantis' deputy press secretary Jeremy Redfern noted.

If approved, the legislation would permanently eliminate Disney's ability to self-govern the area spanning Orange and Osceola counties in Florida.

Walt Disney World president Jeff Vahle released a statement on the proposed legislation that would restructure Reedy Creek Improvement District, saying the company is 'monitoring the progression' of the legislation.

'Disney works under a number of different models and jurisdictions around the world, and regardless of the outcome, we remain committed to providing the highest quality experience for the millions of guests who visit each year.'

If the bill becomes law, it would also term-limit the board and put the governor in charge of nominating members  as well as allowing Florida to impose taxes and laws on Disney and the district its resort encompasses.

Additionally, the bill would ensure Disney is held responsible for paying more than $700 million in unsecured debts and makes sure that doesn't fall on Florida taxpayers.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District was created by the Florida legislature in 1967 and provided Disney with special privileges and self-governing rights, which have been targeted by DeSantis.

This power amounted to an unaccountable corporate kingdom,' Redfern noted.

The bill is a culmination of an ongoing clash between DeSantis and one of the state's largest employers.
Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial has resumed after the courthouse was dramatically evacuated after a bomb threat in the judge's chambers.

Lawyers, press and members of the public streamed out of Colleton County Courthouse as police cars and fire trucks swarmed around the building in Walterboro, South Carolina, at around 12.30pm EST.

Law enforcement gave the all clear around 2pm after sweeping the building for a threat which placed the supposed bomb in the judge's chambers, the most secure parts of the courthouse.

The trial continued without any comment from the judge shortly after 3pm and the State called Brian Hudak, a computer crimes expert to the stand. He removed devices from Murdaugh's Chevrolet Suburban after the murders.

Scroll down for LIVE video.

Lawyers, press and members of the public were seen streaming out of Colleton County Courthouse as police cars and fire trucks swarmed on the building in Walterboro, South Carolina

If it was a bomb threat, man I feel bad for those jurors.

there is so much fear surrounding this case. https://t.co/H3J2BRze8N  Mandy Matney (@MandyMatney) February 8, 2023

A police vehicle arrives at the scene after a bomb threat was reportedly made

Alex Murdaugh and his attorney Jim Griffin shortly after learning that the courthouse needed to be evacuated

Police cars and trucks are seen at the scene as members of the public, staff and lawyers gather outside

Law enforcement confirmed a bomb threat was made to court personnel and that it is being investigated. No further information was given.

Authorities directed everyone across the street and multiple roads around the courthouse were blocked off.

A police officer entered the court moments before the evacuation and signaled to the judge who immediately sent the jury out.

Confusion spread through the room as the Clerk of Court Becky Hill and a police officer then opened the rear doors, which are usually blocked off.

Judge Clifton Newman interrupted testimony just before 12.30pm and announced the building needed to be evacuated without stating why.

'Ladies and gentlemen, we have to evacuate the building at this time, so we'll be in recess until we discover what's going on,' he said.

A statement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said: 'A bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel.

'The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office are investigating the threat.

'No additional information is available from SLED at this time.'

Security at the courtroom each day is tight, with attendees required to pass through a metal detector and identify themselves.

Cops shut down two lanes of northbound traffic on North Jefferies Boulevard. A block of Washington Street directly behind the courthouse was also blocked off to vehicles, according to the Post and Courier.

Sidewalks on each side of the courthouse on Hampton Street were cordoned off to pedestrians.

Cops outside the courthouse after it was evacuated around 12.30pm EST

Cop cars swarmed the building in Walterboro, South Carolina

People outside the court after Judge Clifton Newman announced the building needed to be cleared

A statement from Colleton County Sheriff's Office said: 'The Colleton Sheriff's Office urges citizens to use an alternate route of travel and will update traffic conditions as needed.'

People were anxious as they walked down the stairs to exit the building with people shouting 'go slow' so that nobody would get hurt in the rush.

In a lighter moment, one attendee called out: 'There's a lot of lawyers here if you fall over.'

Murdaugh, 54, is accused of shooting his wife, Maggie, 52, and their youngest son, Paul, 22, on the evening of June 7, 2021, at the family's sprawling hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina.

The prosecution is still laying out its case in the trial that began three weeks ago.
Volodymyr Zelensky had a gentle dig at Rishi Sunak tonight after the PM told a joint press conference it will take years to train Ukraine pilots for Nato fighter jets.

After touring a training base for troops in Dorset with Mr Zelensky on his first visit to the UK since the invasion, the PM said the West must 'arm Ukraine in the short term' and 'bolster' it in the long-term.

Pushed on providing jets, he said 'nothing is off the table' and stressed that Britain is now going to start preparing the Ukrainian air force.

But he cautioned that 'first step' will take 'some time'. 'Throughout this conflict we have been out in front,' he said denying there was any 'reticence'. He said it was important Ukraine pilots can 'actually operate the aircraft that they will be using'.

For his part Mr Zelensky said the discussions had been 'fruitful' and voiced gratitude. But he said the war could 'stagnate' if jets are not forthcoming from the West. 'Come on, we will be sending you pilots who've already trained for two and a half years,' he joked.

The exchange came after Boris Johnson urged the UK to offer all its fighter jets and tanks to Ukraine, saying countering Russian aggression was the 'best use' for the UK's 100 Typhoon jets and similar stocks of Challenger tanks.

Moscow has threatened a 'response' if the government does supply planes, with some Nato states concerned about provoking a direct clash.

Earlier, the Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception when he gave a speech to MPs and Peers n Westminster Hall.

Watched by Rishi Sunak, and with Mr Johnson in the audience, Mr Zelensky insisted that more help will be needed to defeat the Russian aggressors. He presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft - after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them.

The message on the helmet read: 'We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.'

Amid splits within Nato on how far to go in suppling air power, Mr Zelensky added: 'Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.'

At a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky following a tour of a training base for troops in Dorset, Rishi Sunak said the West must 'arm Ukraine in the short term' and 'bolster' it in the long-term

Pushed on whether the UK would provide jets, Rishi Sunak said 'nothing is off the table' and stressed Britain is now going to start preparing the Ukrainian air force

The leaders fielded questions together at a military base in Lulworth, Dorset

Mr Zelensky warned the war could 'stagnate' if jets are not forthcoming from the West. 'Come on, we will be sending you pilots who've already trained for two and a half years,' he joked.

Mr Sunak told the press conference tonight that deploying the aircraft would require agreement with other allies and detailed logistical planning.

'There is a supply chain around such sophisticated aircraft,' he said.

'Those are conversations that the president and I are having and making sure we understand all the supply chain needs that go alongside aircraft like that  making sure they can be used and used safely, kept safely. So we are having that conversation.

'And it is also a conversation we are having with our allies because, particularly some of the aircraft we have, are done through joint treaty with multiple other countries  I think we have seen that with previous bits of kit that others have had to give.

'For aircraft, that is something we are also involved in because, as I said, we have other allies involved in the provision of those bits of equipment.

'And as the president said, he is on his way to Europe after this to pick up this conversation with our partners and allies over there.'

While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely used by other Nato states have been seen as a better option and easier to deploy on the current battlefield.

However, a UK decision to offer planes would be symbolically important and put pressure on other countries to follow suit.

Mr Zelensky said: 'You've just asked me what would happen if we don't get these fighter jets or longer-range missiles, or we don't have enough ammunition, because everything obviously is running out and coming out of maintenance.

'Without the weapons that we are discussing now and the weapons that we just discussed with Rishi earlier today and how Britain is going to help us, you know, all of this is very important. Without this, there would be stagnation which will not bring to anything good.'

Mr Zelensky acknowledged that 'not everything depends just on the decision of Great Britain'.

'I will be working in that direction because this is how we have been able to change many things,' he said.

'We are intensifying our diplomacy and I do believe within a day we will be able to meet with a dozen EU leaders and then we will go back home.

'All of these conversations, they have to take place quickly.'

He added: 'I didn't even know it takes three years to train a pilot like that.

'Come on, we will be sending you pilots who have already trained for two and a half-years.'

In Westminster Hall earlier, Mr Zelensky said he had come on behalf of the 'brave' who were 'in the trenches under enemy artillery fire'. 'We know Russia will lose. We really know that victory will change the world.'

Mr Zelensky singled out Mr Johnson for praise for helping unite the international community behind Ukraine when it seemed 'impossible'.

'The people of the United Kingdom and their honourable representatives, all the people of England and Scotland, of Wales and Northern Ireland, of all the lands which have been home to brave souls since Europe came into existence,' Mr Zelensky said.

'I have come here and stand before you on behalf of the brave, on behalf of our war heroes who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire, on behalf of our air gunners, and every defender of the sky who protects Ukraine against enemy aircraft and missiles, on behalf of our tank men who fight to restore our Ukrainian borders, on behalf of our conscripts who are being trained now including here in Britain.

'Thank you, Britain.'

Mr Zelensky said: 'London has stood with Kyiv since day one, from the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war, Great Britain you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react.

'Boris: you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible. Thank you.'

Speaking in Westminster Hall, Volodymyr Zelensky said he had come on behalf of the 'brave' who were 'in the trenches under enemy artillery fire'. 'We know Russia will lose. We really know that victory will change the world.'

Many politicians in the crowd wanted to record the historic moment on their phones

Mr Zelensky presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv's top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply 'powerful' aircraft - after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them

The Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception as he arrived in the historic building to deliver a speech on his first visit since the invasion

Political differences were put aside today as Ukraine's president Zelensky visited for the first time since the Russian invasion

Mr Zelensky singled out Boris Johnson for praise, saying he had united the international community when it seemed 'impossible' - and after the speech the two men shook hands and chatted

Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Britain's 'big support' for Ukraine today as he held talks with Rishi Sunak in Downing Street

In a statement after the speech, Mr Johnson said: 'It is time to give the Ukrainians the extra equipment they need to defeat Putin and to restore peace to Ukraine. That means longer range missiles and artillery. It means more tanks. It means planes. We have more than 100 Typhoon jets. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks.

'The best single use for any of these items is to deploy them now for the protection of the Ukrainians - not least because that is how we guarantee our own long-term security.

'Today's investment in helping Ukraine will avert instability and chaos for years to come. By helping Ukraine to push back Putin, we can make our world safer  and above all, save an innocent country from destruction.'

Mr Johnson acknowledged that 'the Typhoon is a four-nation plane and we require the approval of allies for export'.

But he said : 'There is no reason to think that Germany or others should oppose our decision  these are UK planes.

Sunak gives Zelensky a spent bullet casing from salute to Queen Rishi Sunak gave Volodymyr Zelensky an unusual gift as he welcomed the Ukrainian president to the UK for the first time since Russia invaded his country. The Prime Minister presented his guest with a spent bullet casing from the 62-gun salute from the Tower of London following the Queen's death, Downing Street said. The pair shared a breakfast of croissants in the Prime Minister's No 10 flat, together with Mr Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy. Ms Murthy gave Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska a StandWithUkraine sunflower scarf from Aspinal, the proceeds of which go to the Centre for Women's Perspectives in Ukraine. Mr Sunak's spokesman told reporters: 'The Prime Minister has given President Zelensky a spent bullet casing from the 62-gun salute from the Tower of London following the death of Her Majesty the Queen. 'As you'll know, following the death of the Queen, President Zelensky paid tribute to her selfless service to her people and said she would forever remain in the history of mankind.' Advertisement

'Every time we have stepped up with more military support the Ukrainians have responded and turned the tide of war. Now is the time to give them exactly what they need to finish the job,' Mr Johnson added.

Speaking to LBC later, Mr Johnson said: 'The point I would make is the faster we do it, the better. The faster we do it, the bigger the saving in life.

'The bigger the saving in our defence expenditure. Because ultimately once Putin is beaten in Ukraine, the world is going to be a much, much safer place. So helping the Ukrainians now is a massive down-payment on future security.'

Mr Sunak has ordered Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to look at whether jets can be provided, and the UK is starting to train pilots.

Downing Street said the first Ukrainian pilots should arrive in the spring, but warned the training can take five years.

The PM's official spokesman said: 'I think we are keen to do whatever is possible to get these pilots trained up as fast as possible. But these are complex pieces of military equipment. And as you know the current training period for UK pilots is around five years.

'We think this is right to provide both short-term equipment like Challenger tanks, additional guns, longer-range capabilities that can help win the war now, but also look to the medium-to-long term to ensure Ukraine has every possible capability it requires.

'The Prime Minister has tasked the Defence Secretary with investigating what jets we might be able to give but, to be clear, this is a long-term solution rather than a short-term capability, which is what Ukraine needs most now.'

Mr Zelensky shared a warm embrace with Mr Sunak earlier as he landed at Stansted Airport in Essex for his surprise visit. They then returned to London for talks.

Mr Zelensky warned in his speech that 'evil' was still present in his country and it needed to fight on.

He said: 'Evil is still around around today and the battle continues. Yes, we know how it's going to end and how we are going to feel on the day victory comes. Every day we continue to pay with lives.

'Pain and tears for bringing victory closer, with the lives of our people, our heroes, whom we lose in battles, with the lives of our heroes who take life and death risks every day to save as many of our soldiers and civilians as possible.'

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine's call for a 'special compensation mechanism, which will compensate war losses at the expense of Russian assets' is based on the principle that 'anyone who invests in violence must compensate those who have suffered from terror'.

He thanked Mr Sunak and the UK for providing battle tanks: 'Thank you very much for this powerful defensive step.'

But he continued: 'It's not just I'm not speaking just about weapons. We prove together, that the world truly helps those who are brave in defending freedom and thus paves the way for a new history', he said.

'A history of the world that knows how to be quick in help, who knows how to be effective in the defence. Who knows how to remain principled in dark hours. Who implements its treaties and arrangements in good faith. Who does not allow perpetrators to enjoy immunity.

'Who knows how to overcome veto when it's abused. Who knows no fear and who knows how to win. This shall be the new reality of the free world I'm sure.'

Mr Zelensky said he was looking forward to his audience with King Charles later, referencing the monarch's own military service. 'In Britain, the king is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.'

He ended the speech by thanking Britain 'in advance' for fighter jets.

The Ukrainian president said: 'Thank you for your attention, thank you for your support,' he said.

'And I will be leaving the Parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.'

The remark prompted laughter among the MPs and peers gathered in Westminster Hall.

Mr Zelensky ended his speech by saying: 'God Bless Great Britain and long, long live the King. Slava Ukraini.'

Before the Westminster Hall speech MPs put on a show of unity at PMQs, promising to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. He has spoken to Parliament before, but only via video link.

Speaking in No10, Mr Zelensky thanked the British people 'for your big support from the first days of full-scale invasion'.

'Thank you so much Rishi for inviting me and for me great honour to be here in Britain,' he added.

The Ukrainian President was greeted with applause as he walked into No10 over a red carpet laid out in Downing Street.

He will also use his surprise visit to meet with some of his Ukrainian troops being trained in Britain.

Mr Sunak today pledged extra military support for Ukraine, including - crucially - the training of Ukrainian fighter jet pilots.

Britain also announced a new round of sanctions on the Russian military and Kremlin elites, in a bid to further tighten the economic squeeze on Vladimir Putin's regime.

After speaking with Mr Zelensky in Downing Street, Mr Sunak took PMQs in the Commons where he told MPs he was 'delighted' the Ukrainian President had been able to visit.

'It is a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries,' he said.

Mr Sunak met the Ukraine president at Stansted after he touched down for the surprise visit

Mr Zelensky was wearing his trademark military fatigues as he embraced Mr Sunak at Stansted

The PM and Mr Zelensky walked into Downing Street together under the glare of the waiting media

Mr Zelensky was guided into No10, where the held talks, by the PM this morning

The leaders shook hands and posed for photographs outside the famous black door

Mr Zelensky was clapped into Downing Street by staff as he arrived today

'I am proud that we are expanding the training for Ukrainian forces to include jet pilots and marines, and ensure that Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests today and in to the future.'

The PM added both the country and the Commons can be 'proud that we came together to stand by Ukraine when the moment mattered'.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told MPs that Mr Zelensky has 'symbolised the heroism, the resolve, and the bravery of his people' since Russia's invasion.

The PM welcomed the Ukrainian President to the UK this morning, as he visits for the first time since Russia's invasion

Mr Zelensky wrote on his Instagram account that he was in London to 'personally thank the British people for their support'

Mr Sunak travelled to Ukraine to meet Mr Zelensky in November, shortly after he became PM

UK to train Ukraine fighter pilots Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Volodymyr Zelensky's forces. The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an 'immediate surge' of military equipment including longer-range weapons. Downing Street said the Government is following a 'two-pronged' approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future. Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a 'long-term capability investment'. The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future. While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely operated by other Nato countries are more likely to be supplied to Ukraine, should Western leaders agree to Mr Zelensky's requests. Advertisement

Some 10,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained in the UK in the past six months.

The first troops arrived in Britain last week to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the PM's decision to provide the kit.

King Charles greeted Mr Zelensky with a wide smile and a warm handshake in the Palace's 1844 Room, saying he was delighted to meet him.

The president is on his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of his country began and in an earlier impassioned address to Parliament revealed he was planning to take the opportunity to thank Charles for the support he had shown Ukraine as the Prince of Wales.

The pair discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the part Britain has played in supporting the nation, Buckingham Palace said.

In the opulent room, Mr Zelensky told the King that it was 'a great honour to be here', adding: 'Thank you for finding the time for me.'

The King said: 'We've all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can't tell you.'

Mr Zelensky replied: 'Thank you so much.'

The King said he had heard that the president had addressed both Houses of Parliament earlier in the day.

Mr Zelensky said what a 'big support' they had been.

The monarch replied: 'I'm so glad.'

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly this morning unveiled a new package of sanctions aimed at six companies providing military equipment for Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine.

This included the manufacturer of drones being used to destroy Ukrainian combat vehicles, a company making parts for Russian helicopters, and a software firm involved in military aviation.

Sanctions were also slapped on a group linked to Mr Putin through opaque financial networks.

This included five individuals connected to the Russian President's luxury residents, including the 100 billion rouble 'Putin's Palace' and his lakeside Dacha.

Mr Cleverly said: 'Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion.

'He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country.

'We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.

'These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin  undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail.

'I am determined, consistent with our laws, that Russia will have no access to the assets we have frozen until it ends, once and for all, its threats to Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and integrity.'

Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Mr Zelensky's forces.

The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an 'immediate surge' of military equipment including longer-range weapons.

Downing Street said the Government is following a 'two-pronged' approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future.

Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a 'long-term capability investment'.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future.

Mr Zelensky convoy weaved its way through London after his arrival this morning
The elderly rancher charged with murder for shooting a Mexican migrant who illegally crossed onto his Arizona land begged a judge for his reading glasses and to be allowed to speak with his wife at a recent hearing.

George Alan Kelly, 73, remains in custody in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, on a $1million bond, on a single murder charge. On January 30, he shot and killed Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, after he crossed illegally onto his ranch in Kino Springs, near Nogales.

Friends of Kelly's say he's had trouble before with illegal migrants using his land to cross through. The elderly rancher was thrown in jail - where he has remained despite pleas to lower his bond.

He has not had a chance to explain why he shot Cuen-Butimea, or if he'd met encountered him before. Arizona has stand your ground and trespassing laws, but Kelly's attorney is yet to invoke either.

George Alan Kelly is shown in court on February 2nd after his bond was set at $1million

George Alan Kelly is shown in court on February 2nd with his wife Wanda behind him in the front row. Kelly asked the judge for his reading glasses so that he could read the criminal complaint in front of him, and also pleaded with him that he hadn't spoken 'to anyone'

Today, his court-appointed attorney filed a two-week delay, citing the overwhelming scale of the case as reason for her to need more time to prepare.

It means Kelly must stay in jail for another two weeks at least, awaiting a new attorney or for his current attorney to file a request.

GoFundMe has now removed multiple pages set up by strangers who want to help Kelly.

Meanwhile, newly-obtained video shows the frail 73-year-old shuffling into court in a pair of plastic prison slides.

He then asked the judge to allow him his reading glasses so that he could read the charge against him.

'May I ask a question your honor? I can't read without my reading glasses... they're not prescription just 1.5 magnification or something like that.

Kelly turned to look at his wife Wanda briefly before exiting the courtroom. He said he'd not had a chance to speak with her

'I am aware of everything I can hear and now, thanks to you, I'll be aware of everything I can read,' he said.

Later, he asked for a definition of 'indigent', after the judge ruled that he was likely not 'indigent' enough to receive a public defender.

He had submitted financial records that showed his home and ranch as collateral. It's unclear how much they are worth.

'Your honor may I ask you a question?'

'You used the word indigent, would you please give me your definition of indigent?

'Somebody doesn't make a certain amount - someone not making more than $20,000-a-year.

'That's more than accurate. I understand,' he said.

Kelly being ushered into the courtroom in his prison jumpsuit and slides

Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, was shot on Monday January 30th by 73-year-old rancher George Alan Kelly, after crossing onto Kelly's land in Kino Springs, a remote area of Arizona just 1.5miles from the border

Kelly's sprawling ranch in Arizona is just 1.5miles from the Mexican border. His friends say he's had problems with migrants grossing

It's unclear if he meant it was accurate that he earned less than $25,000-a-year, or accurate that his paperwork was incomplete.

At the end of the hearing, Kelly said: 'Your honor may I ask one more question at an appropriate time?'

'One moment please,' Justice of Peace Emilio Velazquez replied.

After waiting until the judge was ready, Kelly pleaded: 'I noticed coming in, my wife is present in the court. May I ask her to make an appointment for audio visual conference?

George Alan Kelly, 73, is being held on a $1million bond. He begged a judge to lower the amount and let him go home to help his elderly wife tend to their livestock

'I have not been able to talk with her or anyone.'

The judge replied: 'That's something that has to be discussed with the detention facility downstairs. If your wife wants communication with you she can go to the sheriff's office.'

Kelly said meagerly: 'I appreciate you giving that instruction.'

Kelly's bond was set at an enormous $1million. He previously pleaded with the judge to lower it, saying he needed to look after his elderly wife and their livestock.

'She's there by herself... nobody to take care of her, the livestock or the ranch. And I'm not going anywhere. I can't come up with a million dollars.

'Would you consider reducing it to any degree?' he pleaded.

The judge refused instead telling him his attorney had to file a request - which she has not done.
Rishi Sunak is looking into what fighter jets Britain could send to Ukraine in order to boost the country's efforts in repelling Russia's invasion.

The Prime Minister has asked Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to investigate what jets the UK could potentially give to Kyiv.

It comes in response to Volodymyr Zelensky's plea for Western allies to provide air support.

So what fighter jets does Britain currently own that might be sent to Ukraine? And what military kit has the UK already gifted to Kyiv?

RAF Typhoons

The Typhoon is described by the RAF as a 'highly capable and extremely agile multi-role combat aircraft' that can be deployed for the 'full spectrum of air operations'

Ex-PM Boris Johnson has noted that Britain currently has more than 100 Typhoon jets as he demanded they be provided to Kyiv.

The Typhoon is described by the RAF as a 'highly capable and extremely agile multi-role combat aircraft' that can be deployed for the 'full spectrum of air operations'.

This includes air policing as well as high-intensity conflict.

It has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 and can fly as high as 55,000 feet above ground level.

Among its armament, the Typhoon can carry Meteor air-to-air missiles, Paveway precision-guided bombs, and Storm Shadow and Brimstone air-to-ground missiles.

Downing Street has not ruled out sending British fighter jets to Ukraine.

But No10 has pointed to how planes such as the Typhoon are 'complex pieces of military equipment' and typically take around five years for pilots to be trained on them.

Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for airpower at the RUSI think tank, said the RAF's Typhoon force is 'badly, badly overstretched already' amid the demand for the planes to be sent to Ukraine.

He has also questioned whether they would actually be suitable for the Ukraine conflict as they are not optimised for low altitude air-to-air conflict, and would struggle with short and rough airbases.

Mr Bronk suggested any donation of Britain's Typhoon planes would be 'a largely symbolic gesture'.

This would perhaps be made in the hope it persuades other nations such as the US or Sweden to provide more suitable F-18 or Gripen aircraft, he added.

RAF F-35s

The RAF F-35 Lightning can operate undetected in hostile airspace and can share information using secure data links

The RAF F-35 Lightning has advanced sensors and stealth technology, meaning it can be used in intelligence gathering as well as other roles.

It can operate undetected in hostile airspace and can share information using secure data links.

Its short take-off and vertical landing capability allows it to operate from the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, as well as similar vessels of other nations, and short airstrips.

It can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 1.6 and a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet, while it has a combat radius of 833 km.

It is typically armed with two air-to-air missiles and two bombs.

Last year, Lightnings from RAF Marham joined Nato-led operations in policing European airspace following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Challenger 2 tanks

Ukrainian troops are currently being trained to operate Challenger 2s in south west England

Britain is sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv, which the PM hopes will be in operation in Ukraine by next month.

They are designed to destroy enemy tanks and are being sent ahead of an expected Russian offensive this Spring.

Ukrainian troops are currently being trained to operate Challenger 2s in south west England.

They weigh around 62.5 tonnes, carry a crew of four, have a maximum speed of 37 miles per hour and can operate for 340 miles on road without refuelling.

The Challenger 2's main armament is a L30A1 120mm rifled gun with 47 rounds.

The British Army boasts that the Challenger 2's strength 'lies in its ability to shock the enemy by placing them under pressure by a rapid and fully-committed advance, causing them to break and retreat'.

Stormers

Stormer armoured vehicles can carry eight ready-to-fire 'Starstreak' missiles, with a further nine stowed inside

Britain has gifted a number of 'Stormer' armoured vehicles to Ukraine fitted with launchers for anti-air missiles.

The 5.6 metre-long vehicles weigh 13.5 tonnes and can travel at 80kph (50mph).

They can carry eight ready-to-fire 'Starstreak' missiles, with a further nine stowed inside.

Each of these laser-guided projectile splits into three darts, in order to rip targets apart.

NLAWs

The shoulder-launched NLAW missile system attacks a tank from above and has been hailed as a key factor in Ukraine's fightback

Britain has provided thousands of NLAWs to Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

The shoulder-launched missile system attacks a tank from above and has been hailed as a key factor in Ukraine's fightback.

They allow a single soldier to take out a heavily protected modern main battle tank from 20 to 800 metres away.
Lee Carter is president of Maslansky + Partners, a language strategist, researcher and author of 'Persuasion: Convincing Others When Facts Don't Seem to Matter'

President Joe Biden was carried into the White House on a wave of support from independent voters in 2022. After Tuesday night, it's clear he won't be able to rely on them again to win in 2024.

While Americans across the board conceded that Biden's second State of the Union address was one of his best speeches  the bar is low. And even Democrats couldn't help but cringe over his sometimes stumbling performance.

Our representative survey, comprised of 43 Democrats, 42 Republicans and 69 independent voters, indicates that Tuesday night did little to advance Biden's political cause and provided more sad proof of America's hardening tribal rivalries.

The panel evaluated key moments of the speech and recorded their reactions using equipment that tracked their feedback. In the video clips below, the feelings of Democrats are shown as a blue line, Republicans in red, and independents in green. The higher or lower the line trends reflects the relative intensity of their reactions.

In a troubling sign for Biden's likely designs on the White House in 2024, he failed to win over independents and sometimes even Democrats winced when the commander-in-chief slipped through some of his remarks.

Predictably when Biden goaded his political opponents  Democrats rallied and Republican recoiled.

But when he equated the October 28, 2022, attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, with the January 6th Capitol riots  not only Republicans, but also independents pulled back.

'Just a few months ago, an unhinged big lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-speaker of this house of representatives,' he said. 'Here tonight in this chamber is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack, but is as tough and strong and as resilient as they get. My friend, Paul Pelosi. Paul, stand up.'

President Joe Biden was carried into the White House on a wave of support from independent voters in 2022. After Tuesday night, it's clear he won't be able to rely on them again to win in 2024.

Democrats agreed with the message, saying things like, 'Couldn't agree more: Cannot give hate and extremism any safe harbor.' And 'I'm glad he acknowledged this. Hate has no home here.'

But independents didn't get the connection saying, 'What does Pelosi's husband have to do with the election?'

Republicans were quick to point out the double standard in calling out a politically motivated attack on Pelosi by a mentally deranged assailant, while he said nothing of threats to Supreme Court Justices.

A mentally ill man, armed with a gun, pepper spray and knife, was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home in June.

'He never said a word when protesters went after the Supreme Court justice,' one Republican remarked.

While party divisions appeared prominently in the audience results, they weren't completely immune to unity. When Biden announced plans to 'Buy American,' everyone liked it.

'We're going to buy American,' he read to bipartisan cheers and applause. 'Tonight, I'm also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. Made in America.'

Republicans felt like he was speaking their language  or at least borrowing it: 'He stole Trump's line.'

Independents may have been skeptical, but they were willing to extend him the benefit of the doubt: 'I thought it sounded good BUT wondered about the potential cost difference of buying only American products.'

Democrats loved it.

The decision to invite the parents of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten by police in a shocking incident in Memphis and later died, also resonated across the political spectrum. And Biden's calls for more resources for community policing were well received.

Aside from those bright spots for the president, the focus group was nearly unanimous at points in their disappointment.

In a political attack on Republicans, Biden was accused of mischaracterizing the GOP's position on proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

'Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset,' he said.

Under a shower of Republican boos, and even with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shouting 'liar,' the president tried to walk it back.

'I am not saying that is a majority,' he added as a caveat. 'Anybody who doubts it, contact my office and I will give you a copy of the proposal.'

Republican and independent voters turned sharply negative at this moment. But Democrats didn't seem to relish in the moment either.

However, there's also an indication that Republicans may have overplayed their hand here by appearing disrespectful.

One independent remarked, 'Embarrassing how our president is shouted down. It didn't happen to this extent in the last administration.'

Whether or not that is true  perceptions are important.

In one of the biggest gaffes of the night, Biden seemingly admitted that his administration intends to phase out fossil fuels within a decade, eliciting laughter from the GOP side of the aisle.

'You may have noticed that big oil just reported record profits?' Biden read, following up with the ad-lib. 'When I talked to a couple of [these Big Oil executives] they said, 'we are afraid you are going to shut down all the oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them?'

'We are going to need oil for at least another decade and beyond that,' said Biden over the laughter.

While Republicans and independent reactions were negative, even Democrats couldn't help but reflect their unease.

And on what could have been a focal point of the night  America's escalating tensions with China  Biden was largely silent.

He devoted only a small portion of his speech to the Chinese Communist regime floating a surveillance balloon over the United States. The airship was downed only after having crossed the country and passed over the Atlantic Ocean.

Biden attempted to portray this as a moment of strength. The survey indicated that Democrats were largely unmoved, and independents dissatisfied.

'His words seem hollow,' one independent remarked.

Finally, the story of the night happened in Arkansas where new governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered the Republican response to the speech and clearly established herself as the other young governor to watch.

'Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left,' said Huckabee Sanders. 'The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.'

Often, the 'response seat' is a thankless one. Think about dry-mouthed, Senator Marco Rubio a few years ago, who became an object of mockery when he repeatedly reached for a sip of water.

But Republicans and independents loved what Huckabee Sanders had to say. Democrats were revolted, as many labeled her the new face of MAGA.

Largely independents applauded, 'I think she says what a lot of Americans may say, or at best, think.'

One Democrat respondent slammed her, saying, 'She represents those who are the worst of our citizens. The only thing she said that I agree with is that she and Biden have very little in common!'

Largely independents applauded, 'I think she says what a lot of Americans may say, or at best, think.'

In the end, it's unlikely that the State of the Union address will significantly move the needle for the President. Democrats will be energized. Republicans will stay where they are. Independents really were turned off.

America's partisan divisions were reflected clearly in these survey results, and Biden's inability to appeal to independents may give Democrats second-thoughts about backing him for another White House run.
A 'ruthless and materialistic' businesswoman who lost a battle with her brother over their father's 100m estate is now taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights after a key piece of evidence in the case was questioned by a judge.

Louise Reeves was accused of manipulating her property tycoon father Kevin Reeves into leaving her most of fortune while her brother got almost nothing in a bitter court battle.

She faced 2million in legal costs when lost the High Court fight last year, she failed to disclose that she had a business relationship with the solicitor who drew up their father's will.

The High Court judge found that his 'ruthless' sister Louise had 'engineered' the making of the document, 'pulling the wool over (her father's) eyes' so he signed a will he didn't understand.

But when her brother Bill Reeves tried to get Louise jailed for contempt of court for concealing the relationship a new judge dismissed the case.

Louise Reeves (pictured) was accused of manipulating her property tycoon father Kevin Reeves into leaving her most of fortune while her brother got almost nothing in a bitter court battle

Kevin (pictured above with his daughter) changed his will in 2014 cutting son Bill out of a share of his fortune

Justice Joanna Smith said: 'I consider there to be risk that this application is brought out of vindictive desire to punish Louise.'

Speaking for the first time, Louise said: 'Obviously, I am relieved with this judgment. I've lost all faith in the British legal system, to be frank, given the position I have been left in.

'But I feel a vindication. Now we go to the European Court of Human Rights, and I hope that we can use this judgment in order to get justice. We will win.'

Louise's father, who built his empire in the Southampton area, left her 80m when he died in 2019 and virtually nothing to his son Bill, who immediately challenged the will.

Louise, 36, said: 'My brother never spoke to me again, and I have never spoken to him.'

Last year, Mr Justice Michael Green threw out the will that was signed by their father in 2014 because Louise could not prove that he 'knew and approved' its contents because he was barely literate.

The judge found there was a 'strong implication (Louise) engineered an extraordinary fraud on their father'.

One of the central pieces of evidence Justice Green said was that Louise and David Curnock, the solicitor who drew up the will, had 'deliberately sought to conceal' their business relationship before the will was drafted.

In the wake of this judgement, Bill Reeves went back to the High Court to try and get his sister jailed for concealing this relationship and her statements 'were made dishonestly and knowingly'.

Brother Bill Reeves (pictured) tried to get Louise jailed for contempt of court for concealing the relationship but a new judge dismissed the case

Kevin Reeves made a fortune in property despite missing out on most of his formal education

But last month Justice Joanna Smith, in throwing out the contempt proceedings, dismissed the key allegation that Louise had concealed a business relationship with Curnock.

Justice Smith said it was now 'common ground' that the 'evidence deployed by Bill' that Louise and Mr Curnock had a business relationship was 'nothing of the sort.'

She also accused Bill 'adopting inconsistent positions' that were 'not consistent withthe public interest or a proper pursuit(of dealing) with cases justly.'

Louise believes that the total costs for the warring siblings is around 3m and with her application now before the ECHR it can only increase.

Louise said: 'What Bill has done to me is disgusting. I will never speak to him again. He could come to me and apologise, but he has robbed me of time when I should have been grieving my father.

'He's robbed me of the first four years of my son's life, a time when he should have been relying on my complete attention. You have this case hanging over your head each and every day.

'That can never be forgiven by me  ever. He's ruined our lives, but I am still standing, and I am determined to right this wrong.

Bill Reeves said that his lawyers were considering a possible appeal against the contempt judgement.

He said: 'The contempt application against Louise Reeves and Solicitor Daniel Curnock was made to protect the public and not for any personal gain as we have already won the probate/will case where the truth came out about what my father wanted and that decision stands come what may.

'It should be noted however, that the recent contempt judgment is made against the criminal standard of proof in that the contempt must be proved 'beyond reasonable doubt' because it is a criminal charge.'

Louise Reeves said: 'The fight is about justice and respecting my father's wishes.'
Career criminal Jones was remanded into custody at Rikers Island

He reportedly shot the cop in the head in a botched robbery on February 4

Randy Jones has been charged with the murder of NYPD officer Adeed Fayaz

More than 100 NYPD cops packed a Brooklyn court to send a message to a career criminal accused of shooting an off-duty police officer.

Randy 'Popper' Jones, 38, appeared in Brooklyn Criminal Court charged with the first-degree murder of Adeed Fayaz, 26.

The married father-of-two was allegedly shot in the head by Jones while trying to purchase a car from Facebook Marketplace on Saturday.

Jones was ordered to be held at Rikers Island without bail by Judge Dale Fong-Frederick, after Fayaz passed away at Brookdale Hospital.

Prosecutors say that Jones had an outstanding traffic warrant and was also wanted in a rape case in Virginia when he shot at the off-duty cop and his brother-in-law in East New York.

Randy 'Popper' Jones, 38, appeared in Brooklyn Criminal Court charged with the first-degree murder of Adeed Fayaz, 26

The married father-of-two was allegedly shot in the head by Jones while trying to purchase a car from Facebook Marketplace on Saturday

Fayaz's body was transported with a guard of honor by officers to a mosque in Brooklyn before making its way to Pakistan

Fayaz, who served in the NYPD since 2017, traveled with his relative to meet the seller of a Honda Odyssey at 7pm on February 4.

The pair were ambushed, with Jones allegedly getting Fayaz in a headlock and demanding the $24,000 for the car.

Fayaz's body was transported with a guard of honor by officers to a mosque in Brooklyn before making its way to Pakistan.

Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini told the court: 'When Officer Fayaz and his brother arrived, the defendant pulled a gun, demanded money and then shot Officer Fayaz when they didn't produce the money, which they had left in the car along with the bill of sale.

Tragically, and unbeknownst to the defendant, the $24,000 in cash was in their car, just not on their person and he did not wait. He just shot.'

His brother-in-law then grabbed the off-duty officers gun and shot back at the attacker  missing him but hitting his getaway BMW, which was owned by his mother.

The car was located abandoned in Harlem, near where the suspect lived with his girlfriend.

Jones, who has several previous convictions, was tracked down two days after the incident at a Days Inn hotel in Nanuet in Rockland County on Monday.

The pair were ambushed, with Jones allegedly getting Fayaz in a headlock and demanding the $24,000 for the car

The handcuffs belonging to the 26-year-old NYPD victim were used to arrest Jones

More than 100 NYPD cops packed a Brooklyn court to send a message to a career criminal accused of shooting an off-duty police officer

Officers saluted Fayez's body as it made its way from the Medical Examiners Office to a mosque in Brooklyn

It is believed he could be behind a similar robbery which took place near the shooting scene on January 13.

Jones has a rap sheet with at least 22 arrests on it for a variety of crimes, including some violent attacks.

He has previously been booked for harassment, grand larceny, and strangulation.

NYPD officers arrested him with Fayaz' handcuffs and hauled him back to Brooklyn where he was charged with murder and robbery.

The fallen officer received a traditional 'transfer of remains' ceremony at the hospital, as flags were flown at half-staff at his Borough Park precinct in his honor.

Officers also lined the street as Jones was taken on his perp walk ahead of his arraignment hearing on Wednesday.

The 66th precinct is accepting donations for Fayaz's family, with cash donations being accepted at the precinct.

Bank transfers are also being accepted, with those who want to donate urged to contact the PCT.

Jones has a rap sheet with at least 22 arrests on it for a variety of crimes, including some violent attacks

Jones shackled with the handcuffs belonging to the NYPD officer he allegedly shot in the head

It is believed he could be behind a similar robbery which took place near the shooting scene on January 13
A wealthy Nigerian politician has denied offering to reward his sick daughter's prospective kidney donor, saying selfless acts were less of a rarity in his country.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, daughter Sonia, 25, and medical 'middleman' Obinna Obeta, 50, are accused of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of the young man to Britain with a view to his exploitation.

The 21-year-old street trader from Lagos was allegedly offered up to 7,000 and the promise of a better life in the UK in exchange for giving a kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu.

It is alleged he was falsely presented as Sonia's cousin in a failed bid to persuade medics at the Royal Free Hospital in London to carry out the 80,000 private procedure.

In opening addresses at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, lawyers for the defendants insisted they believed the donor, who cannot be identified, was acting 'altruistically'.

Nigerian politician Ike Ekweremadu, left, and his wife Beatrice, right, are on trial for allegedly human trafficking a young man into the UK to provide a donor kidney for their daughter

Sonia Ekweremadu, pictured, who was due to receive the organ, is also on trial at the Old Bailey, facing human trafficking charges

Martin Hicks KC, for Ike Ekweremadu, told jurors: 'Be alive please to the possible cultural differences between this country and that of Nigeria, particularly to altruistic donation.'

He said: 'We say the issue in this case is simple - did there exist an agreement to exploit (the donor) in the way the prosecution allege and if so who was a party to it?'

The politician's case is that Dr Obeta had spoken to Ekweremadu's medically trained brother Diwe in the autumn of 2021 and had offered to help find Sonia a prospective donor.

Mr Hicks said: 'In Nigerian society there is an expression 'everyone is each other's keeper' and the altruistic donation of organs is not regarded there as such a rare event as it is in this country.

'He will also say he was told (the donor) had offered to altruistically donate a kidney to Sonia.

'He denies he put directly or indirectly any reward to (the donor) or offered to do so and throughout he believed (the donor) was content to do so without reward.'

Mr Hicks said Ekweremadu's only communication was through his brother Diwe and he relied on the 'medical knowledge and standing' of the doctors involved.

He denied lying in support of the donor's visa application to travel to the UK and was not privy to an online application which claimed the young man was related to Sonia.

Mr Hicks said Ekweremadu did not attend any visits to the Royal Free Hospital in February and March last year, which concluded that the donor was unsuitable.

He added: 'In April 2022 and with the assistance of Diwe he continued the family search for a suitable donor for his daughter Sonia and that search continues.

'We question whether (the donor) was exploited as suggested by the prosecution.'

Speaking on behalf of Sonia, John Femi-Ola KC said: 'She suffers from a very severe kidney disease. She receives dialysis treatment three days per week. Each session is for four hours.

'The treatment is for the rest of her life unless there is a transplant in the future which now must be much in doubt given the publicity this case has attracted.

'Her illness is life threatening, life limiting and potentially life ending. Of course her parents love her as do all her immediate family and friends.

'It may not surprise you to learn that everyone, in particular her parents, would wish to protect her against the emotional and psychological stress which you may think accompanies such a terrible illness.

'It is her case that she had no awareness of any reward or other material advantage offered to potential donors that came forward to help her.'

CLICK TO READ MORE: Interpreter tried to convince London doctors to carry out 80,000 illegal kidney operation Ike Ekweremadu, pictured, is accused to trying to facilitate human trafficking into the UK so his daughter could receive a kidney transplant Advertisement

He suggested there was an 'irony' in the case and questioned who the 'real victim' was.

Anu Mohindru KC, for Beatrice, disputed the prosecution claim she was 'kept up to speed' on what was going on, saying she was party to only a 'tiny' amount of communication.

In her opening address, Sally Howes KC said her client Dr Obeta was in the 'unique' position to help the Ekweremadus, having gone through a kidney transplant.

She said Dr Obeta's donor, who also came from Lagos, was 'voluntary and completely altruistic'.

She told jurors: 'Through his work as a doctor of medicine in Nigeria, Obinna Obeta was both respected and admired.

'He had touched the lives of many and those people had a great affection for him.

'It is perhaps of little surprise that (his donor) was not the only donor willing to make the necessary kidney donation to the doctor for his transplant.'

When he was contacted by his former medical school classmate Diwe about his sick niece, Dr Obeta was 'both keen and willing to help', Ms Howes said.

She told jurors that his 'medical knowledge combined with his own personal experience' put him in a 'unique position' to help and advise.

She added: 'He was motivated by his desire to help a fellow citizen because no-one would understand the misery and pain like someone who had been through it themselves.'

The Ekweremadus, who have an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, and Dr Obeta, from Southwark, south London, deny the charge against them and the Old Bailey trial continues.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed Wednesday that it's Republicans who are obsessing over culture war issues, after Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused President Joe Biden of surrendering to the 'woke mob.'

'The way that we see it is the choice is between political fighting over fake conspiracies and delivering for the American people,' Jean-Pierre told reporters on board Air Force One. 'The president is focused on the latter.'

Sanders, a former Trump White House press secretary, was chosen to give the GOP response to Biden's Tuesday night State of the Union and accused the president of being too old and too cozy with the 'woke' and 'crazy' segments of the Democratic Party.

Jean-Pierre pushed back saying that Biden has been tackling 'normal' issues like keeping healthcare costs low and ensuring the nation's kids are getting a good education and feel safe in their schools.

'But what is not normal is some politicians' obsession over some of our most vulnerable kids,' she said, a reference to Republican attacks on trans rights. 'Or taking away women's rights to make their own healthcare decisions, or even teaching America's history.'

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave the Republican rebuttal to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address and accused the Democrat of surrendering to his party's 'woke mob'

President Joe Biden has been focused on 'normal' issues, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday, after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused Biden of being beholden to the 'woke' fringe of his party

Jean-Pierre also acknowledged that the president did not watch Sanders' response in real time, as he was still on the floor of the House chamber, greeting members of Congress who attended the speech.

Sanders referenced trans people and put her distaste for so-called 'Critical Race Theory' front-and-center in her State of the Union rebuttal.

'At 40, I'm the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he's the oldest president in American history,' the former Trump White House press secretary said. 'I'm the first woman to lead my state. He's the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can't even tell you what a woman is.'

She characterized Biden as a creature of the 'radical left,' which teaches children to 'hate one another on account of their race.'

'Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left,' she claimed. 'The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.'

Sanders, who was sworn-in last month, highlighted her own culture war fight since taking office - banning the use of the term 'LatinX,' which doesn't specify a gender, and signing an executive order banning the teaching of 'Critical Race Theory,' which conservatives say they reject because it demonizes all white people.

Sanders also pointed out how she did away with any remaining COVID mandates.

'Americans want common sense from their leaders, but in Washington, the Biden administration is doubling down on crazy,' she claimed.

Sanders also blamed Biden for the border crisis and highlighted last week's Chinese spy balloon fiasco, which ended Saturday when the contraption was hit with a missile over South Carolina's coastline.

Republicans were irritated that the president allowed the balloon to fly over most of the continental U.S., while Biden said he had ordered the balloon shot down almost immediately, but was advised by military officials to wait until it wasn't over land.

Sanders called the president's 'refusal to stand to China,' a top adversary, 'dangerous and unacceptable.'

'President Biden is unwilling to defend our border, defend our skies, and defend our people. He is unfit to serve as commander in chief,' she said.

'And while you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,' she continued. 'Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didnt start and never wanted to fight.'

'Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols,' she added. 'All the while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is - your Freedom of speech.'

She said it wasn't normal.

'It's crazy and it's wrong,' Sanders said.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is photographed delivering the Republican rebuttal to Tuesday night's State of the Union address. She leaned in on culture war themes, while also slamming Biden for the border crisis and last week's Chinese balloon fiasco

She sprinkled in anecdotes throughout her 14-minute speech - considered one of the hardest in politics to deliver, as those assigned with crafting a State of the Union response never see what the president of the opposing party plans to say in advance.

Sanders talked about how she and her mother are both cancer survivors - and that her mother's cancer had potentially left her unable to have kids.

'The daughter she was told she would never have was just sworn-in as the new governor of Arkansas, and is speaking to you tonight,' Sanders said.

While Sanders talked about the need for a 'new generation of Republican leadership,' she also spoke fondly of her time serving former President Donald Trump.

She concluded her speech by talking about their secret Christmas trip to Iraq in 2018.

'They had absolutely no idea that the President and First Lady were about to walk into that room,' she recalled of the servicemembers. 'And when they did -it was a sight, and a scene, and a sound I hope I never forget.'

'The room erupted. Men and women from every race, religion, and region, every political party, every demographic you can imagine started chanting in perfect unison over and over and over again, "USA, USA, USA,"' she said. 'It was a perfect picture of what makes our country great.'
The five Memphis police officers involved in the death of Tyre Nichols last month are now being accused of assaulting a different Black man three days before the high-profile incident.

On Tuesday, 22-year-old Monterrious Harris filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the officers, who were members of the now-disbanded SCORPION police unit, were the law enforcement personnel who punched, stomped, and dragged him across concrete when he was arrested on January 4.

More Officers Charged in Tyre Nichols Case

Major Karen Rudolph of the Memphis Police Department was asked for comments regarding the latest lawsuit. However, she said the department could not comment on ongoing litigation.

Harris' lawsuit, filed in US District Court, alleges that the victim was unconstitutionally arrested and accused the city of failing to prevent or address an alleged pattern of policing abuses within the SCORPION unit that it has created.

The unit was launched in 2021 and was championed by the city and the police department as a tool that would tackle some of Memphis' most violent crimes. However, authorities quickly shut down the unit after the videos of Nichols' brutal and violent arrest sparked nationwide unrest, as per CNN.

The officers who were part of the SCORPION unit have now been charged with murder, assault, and several other charges about Nichols' death. Furthermore, two of the officers are planning to plead not guilty, said their attorneys.

The defendants have been identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. They are among the team of officers who arrested Harris while he was at an apartment complex.

The accounts given in the affidavit and the lawsuit strongly contradict one another, as the latter accuses the police officers of providing a "falsified" affidavit about the details of Harris' arrest. Furthermore, it notes that the victim arrived at an apartment complex to meet with his cousin, who was sitting in the car with him briefly but later got out to get a jacket.

Read Also: What To Expect in Joe Biden's State of the Union Address

The Threat of Police Brutality

The officers, who supposedly wore ski masks and did not immediately identify themselves, allegedly confronted Harris while his cousin was away. After taking the victim into custody, the police claimed they discovered a handgun in the car and argued that Harris possessed Xanax and marijuana.

Nichols' beating death comes as the city of Memphis has become one of the nation's murder hotspots due to various factors, including a chronic shortage of officers, especially experienced supervisors. According to the Associated Press, it also stems from an increasing number of law enforcement personnel quitting and difficulties in bringing in qualified new recruits.

Seven more Memphis police officers have been placed under administrative investigation following Nichols' death. They are facing disciplinary action, said the city's chief legal officer, Jennifer Sink.

In a statement, she added that any criminal case related to the January 7 traffic stop of Nichols is being handled by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Shelby County District Attorney's Office. However, the seven officers have not been identified, said NBC News.

Related Article: FBI Arrests Suspects in Planned Attack on Power Grid

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
This disgusting video of a huge rat crawling over a sleeping subway rider might be just the thing to hurry along New York City Mayor Eric Adams' hunt for a 'Rat Czar'.

The footage, which lasts about 20 seconds, shows a man in gray jeans and a blue vest napping on an unidentified subway train. The rat suddenly crawls up the man's leg and onto his shoulders behind his head.

The sleeping straphanger - who has not been identified - then wakes up, reaches behind him and discovers the rat crawling back down his arm. Stunned, he jumps up as the rodent drops to the floor before the video suddenly ends.

The video emerged just weeks after the New York City Mayor unveiled a lucrative job posting for what he's dubbed the Big Apple's 'Rat Czar' - more formally known as Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams may have just found another case for his new 'rat czar' as a sleeping subway rider saw one of the rodents crawl on top of him in a disturbing video

The job, which pays between $120,000 to $170,000, was directed at anyone with a background in urban planning, project management, or government work.

But it seems the Democratic mayor also wants someone with a flair for the position.

Adams tweeted: 'There's NOTHING I hate more than rats. If you have the drive, determination, and killer instinct needed to fight New York City's relentless rat population - then your dream job awaits.'

The description goes even further, describing the job as doing 'the impossible' in stopping the city's rats. Applicants also need a 'swashbuckling attitude, crafty humor and general aura of badassery'.

The advert added that you will need 'stamina and stagecraft' and that 'the ideal candidate is highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty.' A knowledge of PowerPoint is also necessary.

The Mayor's Office did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on whether the position had been filled - but application period has ended.

The video, which lasts about 20 seconds, shows a man in gray jeans and a blue vest sleeping on an unidentified subway train

The rat suddenly crawls up the man's leg and onto his shoulders behind his head

Stunned, he jumps up as the rodent drops to the floor before the video suddenly ends

A city councilmember told CBS News the city has recorded a 71 percent increase in rat sightings since 2020.

Adams held a press conference in October where he claimed 'fighting rats' was up there with crime and inequality as he was focused on attempting to make New York a livable city.

The job posting noted: 'Despite their successful public engagement strategy and cheeky social media presence, rats are not our friends. Rodents spread disease, damage homes and wiring and even attempt to control the movements of kitchen staffers in an effort to take over human jobs.'

New York City Mayor Eric Adams may be dealing with rising crime and a homeless problem but he's willing to pay big money for someone who can get rid of the city's rats

Adams announced a job posting for what he's terming the Big Apple's 'Rat Czar', more formally known as Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation

A city councilmember told CBS News the city has recorded a 71 percent increase in rat sightings since 2020

Adams held a press conference in October where he said that 'fighting rats' was up there with crime and inequality as he attempted to make New York a livable city

This was perhaps a reference to a time when videos of rats chowing down on everything from pizza and bagels to salad were going viral online.

The first rodent to take social media by storm for its larger-than-life appetite was Pizza Rat.

In September 2015, New Yorkers were amazed when footage emerged of it carrying an entire large slice of pizza down the steps of a subway station.

Despite the slice being bigger than it, the rat managed to drag it down several stairs before it was forced to admit defeat.

The video clip of its valiant effort went viral.

Salad Rat joins fellow social media stars storm Pizza Rat (left) and Bagel Rat (right)

Donut Rat (left) and Coffee Rat (right)

A month later, Donut Rat popped up on social media after footage captured the rodent at East Broadway station on October 30 carrying the donut to a hidden spot.

A few months later, another star was born with Bagel Rat as two rodents were seen scrapping over a bagel.

It seemed both simply wanted to fit in with the commuter crowd, by enjoying a classic New York breakfast while waiting for the morning subway.

Then in 2019, Coffee Rat showed up, when the caffeinated creature was filmed dragging an empty cup of coffee across a subway platform in Brooklyn.

The rat czar posting's 'statement of values' is listed as: 'Rats will hate this job posting. But 8.8 million New Yorkers and your city government stand ready to work with you to reduce the rat population, increase cleanliness, and prevent pestilence.'

New York City residency within 90 days of taking the job is required.
Missing mother Nicola Bulley is not in the River Wyre - and she may never be found, a diving expert who had been leading the search for her said last night.

Peter Faulding told Ms Bulley's partner Paul Ansell of his fears when the pair met at the riverside location in Lancashire where she was last seen on January 27.

Mr Ansell, 44, spent around two hours at the river on the day Mr Faulding, founder of diving team Specialist Group International (SGI), dramatically called a halt to the search of the river after meticulously combing the water.

Mr Faulding said: 'She may never be found. We don't know. No one knows. It is unusual because usually you have some evidence.

A close family friend of the missing mother-of-two, Tilly Ann, urged police to search an abandoned house and surrounding outbuildings

Paul Ansell, 44, pictured with diving expert Peter Faulding who told the anxious father 'she's not here', during a third extensive day of searching along the River Wyre in Lancashire

'Here we have nothing. We have nothing to go on apart from a phone and a harness.'

Mr Faulding was called in to assist divers from Lancashire Police, who themselves have been searching the area since Ms Bulley's disappearance nearly two weeks ago.

READ MORE: The opposing theories on Nicola Bulley explained: Police and private diving team remain at loggerheads Advertisement

But he has now confirmed SGI will not be helping police search the 'lower estuary' of the River Wyre, adding that he had been 'determined' to find Nicola but that both he and Mr Ansell were 'relieved' that he hadn't.

It comes as a close family friend of the missing mother-of-two, Tilly Ann, today urged police to search an abandoned house and surrounding outbuildings a short distance from the river.

In an updated Facebook post, she wrote: 'The abandoned house and outbuildings etc have not yet been searched as it is not currently a crime investigation!!!!!! (This should have been done straight away!).'

It comes after police last night admitted that Nicola could have left the area with a third party when she vanished during a walk with her springer spaniel Willow at around 9.20am on January 27.

While police still maintain that she most likely fell into the river, superintendent Sally Riley, of Lancashire Police, said it remained a 'possibility' that the 45-year-old left the area by one path not covered by CCTV cameras - but added that 'every single' suspicion or criminal suggestion had so far been discounted.

The path in question is crossed by the main road through the village, and officers are scrambling to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the route at the time she disappeared.

After reviewing other CCTV footage, police are confident that Nicola did not leave the field near the river via Rowanwater.

However, a police statement on Monday said officers had searched a 'derelict house' nearby.

It said: 'Our enquiries so far have included searches of the river and riverbank which have extended all the way to the sea using specialist search teams, sonar, search dogs, drone and helicopter, house to house and CCTV.

'We have also spoken to numerous witnesses, analysed Nicolas mobile phone and Fitbit and searched the derelict house on the other side of the river as well as any empty caravans in the vicinity.'

Mr Faulding's team are seen packing up their gear as they abandon the search for Nicola on Wednesday

Police last night admitted that Nicola could have left the area with a third party when she vanished during a dog walk near the village of St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, some 12 days ago (Pictured: Lancashire Police carrying inflatable Rib boats during the search for Nicola on Wednesday)

Mr Faulding said he was 'determined' to find Nicola but that he was also 'relieved' he did not find a body

Paul Ansell, partner of Nicola Bulley views the spot on the River Wyre where she went missing with private search investigator Peter Faulding (Hi-Vis jacket)

Nicola Bulley (pictured with her partner Paul) vanished while walking her dog Willow along the river on January 27, moments after dropping her two children off at school. She was last seen at 9.10am by a fellow dogwalker, before her phone and her pup's harness were found on a nearby bench at around 9.20am, and the alarm was raised

The pair were joined by a senior detective and a friend of Nicola, who listened attentively as Mr Faulding explained how the water where police believe the 45-year-old drowned was particularly shallow

Lancashire Police gather their river searching equipment on the River Wyre in Lancashire on Wednesday

Specialist Group International continue their search of a stretch of the River Wyre where Nicola Bulley went missing at St Michael's on Wyre

Mr Faulding had said that if his team did not find Nicola in the water using his sonar equipment, then it was his belief that she had not been in the river, raising the prospect of a 'third party' involvement in the disappearance.

Announcing he had called off the search on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Faulding said: 'We are happy that the area where Nicola's phone was found and the harness, we've thoroughly searched it from all the way down to the weir and up to the bridge, about a mile upstream, and we've confirmed to Paul [her partner] that there's nothing in that area.

'This is not a spectator sport': Twisted tourists 'taking selfies on bench where Nicola left her phone' are told to stay at home A local parish council chairman has called for respect after people 'travelled for miles to take selfies on the bench' where missing Nicola Bulley's phone was found. The riverside path where the 45-year-old was last seen walking her Springer spaniel, Willow, has a steady footfall but in recent days, the paths have been rammed with visitors who have travelled to the village to watch the search in action, LancsLive reports. Visitors have reportedly travelled from as far afield as Lancaster and Manchester. People have also reportedly been posing for selfies with missing posters that have been put up in St Michael's on Wyre, as well as with the bench where Nicola's phone was found. Chairman of St Michael's Parish Council, Giles Phillips, condemned those taking ghoulish selfies and said 'it is not a spectator sport'. Giles said in recent days the village has seen an increase in families visiting the riverside to watch the search operation. He said: 'It would be helpful if people could let the authorities do their jobs. We don't want anyone to hinder the investigation. This is not a spectator sport. 'Most of the area is private land - the public access is very minimal and can't absorb the numbers of people who are coming every day. They aren't searching for somebody - they are watching someone else search for somebody. We would rather people stayed home or took a day trip to the Lake District.' Advertisement

'That's been dived by police dive teams three times as well... and on the day that Nicola went missing it was dived in the afternoon, with no sign of Nicola.'

He added: 'I've worked on some weird cases, but this is a baffling case. For someone whose mobile phone was found there... I would've expected Nicola to be found that afternoon by the police dive team, normally down in the water, but there was no sign of her.'

He said he simply 'didn't know' where Nicola was, adding: 'I was determined to find Nicola, but one good thing is that I didn't want to find a body, so I'm happy we haven't found Nicola's body, which can lead to other areas, so we don't know if Nicola is alive. This is just a baffling case.

'After the end of today, we've done what we've come here to do, we've cleared the area for the police and the family, we can say that in the top section of river and some of the section going down towards the sea, that she's not in that part.'

He said he could not comment on 'further down the estuary' because his team was not searching that area.

'We just want to bring some form of closure,' he added, 'And I say again that I'm happy we never found a body and Paul is relieved we found nothing up there.'

Mr Faulding later tweeted: 'The SGI underwater search team and I have completed an extensive and thorough search of sections of the River Wyre and I confirm that Nicola has not been found. Although all tangible leads suggest the river, her whereabouts still remain unknown.'

Mr Ansell and Mr Faulding were this morning joined by a senior detective and a friend of Nicola, who listened attentively as Mr Faulding explained how the water where police believe she drowned was particularly shallow.

It comes as a video obtained by MailOnline shows Mr Faulding's sonar device scanning either side of the riverbank near St Michael's on Wyre, where Nicola is feared to have fallen in.

The only sound that can be heard on the short clip is the outboard motor on the rear of the inflatable dinghy as the search team slowly meanders along the twisting river. The side scan sonar is able to 'see' to the bottom of the river and any major obstacle in its way would be detected on the film.

Mr Faulding was convinced that if he was to find a body it would have been in the area close to where police say Nicola fell into the water.

The expert took MailOnline to the scene and pointed out that the water was fairly shallow - no deeper than 3ft - and covered with jagged rocks.

He said: 'If this is where Nicola fell in you can see that the water is not particularly deep. There are lots of rocks and if she was in the water she would be able to grab hold of them.

'No one heard any shouts for help and I just can't see how she could drown here.

'The only possibility is that she fell head first and was knocked out on the rocks, but I don't see how that could happen.'

Lancashire Police are working on the hypothesis that Nicola slipped into the water and drowned.

Paul Ansell, 44, pictured with diving expert Peter Faulding as he gave him updates on the search

Paul Ansell (right, partner of Nicola Bulley with private search investigator Peter Faulding (Hi-Vis jacket) after visiting the spot on the River Wyre where they believe Nicola disappeared

The partner of missing mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, Paul Ansell, (centre in sunglasses) shakes hands with Peter Faulding (in Hi-Vis), the underwater search expert called in by the family to help with the search

Paul Ansell, partner of Nicola Bulley, views the spot on the River Wyre where she went missing on January 27

Mr Faulding remains convinced that if he is to find a body it will be in the area close to where police say Nicola fell into the water (Pictured: Paul Ansell, far right, partner of Nicola Bulley views the spot on the River Wyre where she went missing)

Workers from a private underwater search and recovery company, Specialist Group International, including chief executive Peter Faulding (top), analyse their sonar machine

Peter Faulding (pictured) has said if his team cannot locate Nicola in the river then she is not there and he would not rule out 'third-party involvement' in her disappearance

But last night police said it was still a 'possibility' she left the area by one path not covered by cameras which is crossed by the main road through the village, and officers were trying to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the road at the time she disappeared, around 9.20am.

They have extended their search 10 miles away towards Fleetwood and the Irish Sea in the belief her body has been swept away from the point of entry in the village of St Michael's on the Wyre.

Mr Faulding disputes the police theory that the body could have ended up so far away in the Irish Sea.

Based on his 20 years of experience in finding drowning victims he insisted her body would have remained at the bottom of the river for several days and police would have found her.

His suggestion that a 'third party' could be involved and abducted the mother-of-two has put him at loggerheads with the police investigation.

The SGI team packed up their equipment and left the scene on Wednesday after they failed to find any evidence of her body in the water.

They had used their sonar to look around a weir about 200 metres from the main search area.

He said earlier on Wednesday: 'We want to sonar the first stretch of the river and if nothing is there then I am happy there is nothing there.

'My opinion is had Nicola gone in by that bench she would have gone to the bottom and drifted a couple of meters. The police divers who are very professional thoroughly searched that stretch of river and she wasn't there. There is hardly any current and in my experience, bodies do not move very far.

'It is not feasible that she could have drifted 15km, not in my experience and this type of tidal river. Things get washed in and washed out. It is very shallow. There is nowhere to go.'

The SGI team have been using a side scan sonar and Mr Faulding said the images it produces are crystal clear.

'You can see every stick and stone and can give a guarantee that from the bench to the weir she is not there.'

The side scan sonar being used by SGI creates an image of the riverbed and is often used in marine archaeology, environmental science and by the military.

It works by beaming out high frequency sound pulses in a wide fan shape from a dinghy floating on the surface.

The reflected pulses are recorded and processed to produce an image of the river bed and identify different materials and textures.

A member of his team told MailOnline that unlike in many movies where drowning victims are seen floating on the surface of the water that does not happen in real life.

'When someone drowns and we find them a couple of days later they are almost always on the bottom of the water. Their arms and legs are dangling down, a bit like an octopus shape.

'The body will remain on the bottom of the river for four or five days, and then depending on the current might start to drift.

'Unlike what people see in films the body does not instantly float to the surface.'

It comes after some critics accused Mr Faulding of having an 'ulterior motive' since making his feelings known, but the forensic expert rebuked the 'keyboard warriors', adding that he has devoted his life to finding missing people.

In a sign of tensions between police and Mr Faulding, police superintendent Sally Riley has stressed that he was not party to all the details of their wider investigation.

She said: 'Our search has not found Nicola in the river and then a re-search in parts by SGI has found the same. That does not mean... that Nicola has not been in the river.

'In the light of other enquiries being discounted from the investigation so far... clearly our main belief is that Nicola did fall into the river.

'Clearly Mr Faulding isn't included within all the investigation detail any more than the members of the public are that I'm briefing through these sorts of press conferences.'

Mr Faulding later demanded that he be granted such access, adding: 'If there's any more facts that we don't know about - normally we work along the side of the police and if you haven't got the facts then you can't conduct a proper search, it is very difficult without that information. Normally, I'm privy to that information... it would be useful to know.'

It comes as police have extended the search for Nicola towards the sea after still finding no concrete evidence she fell into the river, while friend of the family Heather Gibbons was among the growing number to question their theory.

She told MailOnline: 'It's natural for everyone to have speculation, because the truth is, in this, nothing is making sense.'

Lancashire Police Superintendent Sally Riley speaks to the media at St Michael's on Wyre Village Hall on Tuesday. She told reporters yesterday that Mr Faulding does not know all the facts of the case

Heather Gibbons (pictured) has joined Nicola's family and friends in questioning Lancashire Police's theory

While SGI divers concentrated on the area where Nicola's phone was found on a bench, finding nothing of interest, other dive teams continue to look further upriver towards Fleetwood and the Irish Sea.

Meanwhile, Supt Riley said the police investigation had been reviewed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and they had not found any new line of enquiry that should be pursued.

The police chief warned 'amateur detectives' they would be arrested if they were found to be breaking the law while carrying out their own searches.

Abandoned and derelict buildings along the river have been broken into by members of the public carrying out their own investigations.

She added: 'There are some properties along the riverside which are empty or derelict and whilst it may be well-intentioned that people think that that could be a line of enquiry, I would ask them to desist from doing that.

'In some cases it may be criminal if they are breaking in, causing damage or committing a burglary.

'We have gone into derelict property - including ones on the riverside [and] any under renovation that were empty - with the permission of those owners and their knowledge.'

'Because there is no criminal element yet identified, and we don't expect there to be in this inquiry, then we're not starting to go into houses because that's not where the inquiry is leading us,' she added.

Seemingly at odds with police, Mr Faulding previously said it was unlikely that Nicola was in the River Wyre - adding that it was 'impossible' for the 45-year-old to have made it to the sea.

However, The Times reports that he said it was in fact possible her body could have reached the sea by now due to the river's meandering course.

The bay is around 15km away from where Nicola is believed to have disappeared and where the River Wyre flows into the sea.

Mr Faulding also slammed 'keyboard warriors' who have accused him of having an 'ulterior motive' for joining the search.

He said: 'This is what you get for trying to help people. I have given my life to helping families looking for missing loved ones.

Nicola Bulley - a 45-year-old mother-of-two - went missing while walking her dog near the River Wyre on January 27

Nicola went missing 13 days ago and was last seen on the bank of the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre with police still unclear about what has happened to her

'Do our job searching in dark murky waters for a drowning victims. My team and I don't deserve this trash.'

Mr Faulding has also reportedly been ticked off by police over speculating about the disappearance after he said there could be third party involvement.

Meanwhile, Lancashire Police continued to rule out any 'suspicious or criminal' element on Tuesday.

'For Nicola to get out to sea would be impossible, literally, it's such a long way in the 11 days. It's an awful long way down,' Mr Faulding said.

Police revealed a team of 40 detectives are currently working on around 500 different lines of inquiry and more than 700 drivers who travelled through the village around the time of Nicola's disappearance are being traced.

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Supt Sally Riley said police had been supplied with an 'unprecedented' amount of information and leads.

She added: 'At the moment there are around 500 active pieces of information and lines of enquiry that we're working on to try and find answers for Nicola's family.

'This is normal in a missing person inquiry and does not indicate that there is any suspicious element to this story.

'The inquiry team remains fully open-minded to any information that may indicate where Nicola is or what happened to her.'

But the police chief emphasised that detectives have not yet come across any evidence of foul play.

'Any criminal or suspicious element has been discarded,' she said.

'It is important to stress that any information that comes in that indicates otherwise is being checked out all the time.

'We are not closed in any way to any particular line of enquiry but all these extensive enquiries, however, have so far found anything of note.'

Detailing the scale of the police investigation, Supt Riley said her team had received thousands of pieces of information 'from the public, wider community, the Bulley family and friends'.

Officers have conducted house-to-house enquiries in the village of St Michael's on the Wyre and hours of CCTV footage has also been analysed.

Police have identified 700 cars that passed through the village around the time Nicola disappeared and each driver is being contacted and asked to check any dash cam footage they might have.

The diving expert said it was 'impossible' for Nicola to be in the sea, saying that it was 'a long way down' to the estuary from where she went missing

Police have said they are 'open minded' as to how the mother-of-two disappeared, but its working hypothesis remains that the 45-year-old fell into the river

Read more: How dog behaviour can disclose hidden clues to mysteries Dogs are believed to be able to find the last location of their owners through their sense of smell. Experts advise those searching should go back to where the dog was last spotted because it will backtrack to its owner and their scent. A dog's sense of smell is 10,000 times more powerful than a human and can pick up locational scent. If its home is far away and the dog can't find its owner, it will get worried and try to return home to somewhere familiar. In certain cases, some dogs will return home alone or attempt to follow their missing owner, according to Colin Tennant, director of the Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour and Training, who wrote in The Sunday Times. Dogs cannot, however, process what is happening if a human falls into water. In this case, the dog might run along the bank looking for eye-contact or stop on the bank as the last place of detection. Advertisement

Supt Riley also said police would come down on people making vile comments on social media and speculating about the whereabouts of Nicola.

She added: 'This is an agonising time for the family, particularly her two little girls.

'I would ask everyone to remain constructive and cooperative with the inquiry and not do anything that would thwart us and hold us back from trying to find Nicola.'

Mr Faulding told GB News last night that all information should be made available to his team.

'If you haven't got the facts then you can't conduct a proper search. It's very difficult without that information.

'Normally I'm privy to that information on a lot of these searches.

'If there's more information I certainly don't know about it and it would be useful to know.'

It comes as family and friends of Nicola have questioned the police theory that she probably fell into the water.

And Mr Faulding said if his team could not locate her in the river then she is not there and he would not rule out 'third-party involvement' in her disappearance.

Mr Faulding previously said his 'gut instinct' tells him that Nicola is not in the water.

'I personally think if I rule this stretch of river out today where we're working I don't think she's here, I think there's probably a third party involved,' Mr Faulding told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.

The forensic expert said he has spoken with Nicola's 'distraught' partner Mr Ansell to keep him updated on the search.

He said: 'I spoke to Paul last night and asked him if she had any enemies, any stalkers, the normal questions you would ask. And nothing, he said no. And she was totally normal that day when she left, nothing out the ordinary.'
Nicola Bulley's 'frustrated' partner today visited the scene where she went missing 12 days ago - as search teams warn that the mother-of-two may never be found.

Paul Ansell, 44, was pictured with diving expert Peter Faulding, who told the anxious father 'she's not here' during a third day of meticulous searching along the River Wyre in Lancashire.

The pair were joined by a senior detective and a friend of Nicola, who listened attentively as Mr Faulding explained how the water where police believe the 45-year-old drowned is particularly shallow.

But Mr Faulding told the partner of the missing mother-of-two that she 'may never be found' as he confirmed Specialist Group International, the team of expert divers assisting police, are halting their search of the river.

He said: 'Id have thought that she would have surfaced by now and would have been found by dog walkers  thats my honest opinion.

Paul Ansell, the partner of Nicola Bulley, pictured with Peter Faulding during a visit to the scene at the River Wyre

The pair were joined by a senior detective and a friend of Nicola, who listened attentively as Mr Faulding explained how the water where police believe the 45-year-old drowned was particularly shallow

'Most bodies are found by members of the public... and thats what Im surprised about, that Nicola hasnt been found so far. At this point its open. The police are continuing their investigation.'

Police dive teams will continue the search in the absence of SGI, focusing efforts on the lower estuary towards Morecambe Bay.

READ MORE: The opposing theories on Nicola Bulley explained: Police and private diving team remain at loggerheads Advertisement

Mr Ansell, meanwhile, was at the scene for around two hours today.

After being informed Ms Bulley was not in the river, he was seen speaking in the back of an incident support van and holding his head in his hands.

He hugged family members and spoke to Mr Faulding before being driven away from the area.

Mr Faulding told The Telegraph: 'He is a frustrated man because, obviously, he has no partner.

'Its a very difficult situation to be with such an upset man. Its tough dealing with Paul. You hear what he is going through with his kids coming home to no mum at night.'

He took MailOnline to the scene and pointed out that the water was fairly shallow - no deeper than 3ft - and covered with jagged rocks.

He said: 'If this is where Nicola fell in you can see that the water is not particularly deep. There are lots of rocks and if she was in the water she would be able to grab hold of them.

'No one heard any shouts for help and I just can't see how she could drown here.

'The only possibility is that she fell head first and was knocked out on the rocks, but I don't see how that could happen.'

Mr Ansell and Ms Bulley pictured together. The mother-of-two has been missing for nearly two weeks

While police still maintain that she most likely fell into the river, superintendent Sally Riley, of Lancashire Police, said it remained a 'possibility' that the 45-year-old left the area by one path not covered by CCTV cameras - but added that 'every single' suspicion or criminal suggestion had so far been discounted.

The path in question is crossed by the main road through the village and officers are trying to trace dashcam footage from 700 drivers who passed along the road at the time she disappeared, around 9.20am.

They have also extended their search 10 miles away towards Fleetwood and the Irish Sea in the belief her body has been swept away from the point of entry in the village of St Michael's on the Wyre.

Mr Faulding disputes the police theory that the body could have ended up so far away and in the Irish Sea.

Based on his 20 years of experience in finding drowning victims he insisted her body would have remained at the bottom of the river for several days and police would have found her.

His suggestion that a 'third party' could be involved and abducted the mother-of-two has put him at loggerheads with the police investigation.

It comes as a close family friend of the missing mother-of-two, Tilly Ann, today urged police to search an abandoned house and surrounding outbuildings a short distance from the river.

A close family friend of the missing mother-of-two, Tilly Ann, today urged police to search an abandoned house and surrounding outbuildings

Nicola Bulley (pictured with her partner Paul) vanished while walking her dog Willow along the riverbed on January 27, moments after dropping her two children off at school. She was last seen at 9.10am by a fellow dogwalker, before her phone and her pup's harness were found on a nearby bench at around 9.20am, and the alarm was raised

In an updated Facebook post, she wrote: 'The abandoned house and outbuildings etc have not yet been searched as it is not currently a crime investigation!!!!!! (This should have been done straight away!).'

However, a police statement on Monday said officers had searched a 'derelict house' nearby.

It said: 'Our enquiries so far have included searches of the river and riverbank which have extended all the way to the sea using specialist search teams, sonar, search dogs, drone and helicopter, house to house and CCTV.

'We have also spoken to numerous witnesses, analysed Nicolas mobile phone and fitbit and searched the derelict house on the other side of the river as well as any empty caravans in the vicinity.'

Meanwhile, announcing he had called off the search on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Faulding said: 'We are happy that the area where Nicola's phone was found and the harness, we've thoroughly searched it from all the way down to the weir and up to the bridge, about a mile upstream, and we've confirmed to Paul [her partner] that there's nothing in that area.

'That's been dived by police dive teams three times as well... and on the day that Nicola went missing it was dived in the afternoon, with no sign of Nicola.'

He added: 'I've worked on some weird cases, but this is a baffling case. For someone whose mobile phone was found there... I would've expected Nicola to be found that afternoon by the police dive team, normally down in the water, but there was no sign of her.'

Lancashire Police search teams carry and and construct two inflatable Rib boats as they head towards the River Wyre

Police last night admitted that Nicola could have left the area with a third party when she vanished during a dog walk near the village of St. Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, some 12 days ago (Pictured: Lancashire Police carrying inflatable Rib boats during the search for Nicola on Wednesday)

He said he simply 'didn't know' where Nicola was, adding: 'I was determined to find Nicola, but one good thing is that I didn't want to find a body, so I'm happy we haven't found Nicola's body, which can lead to other areas, so we don't know if Nicola is alive, this is just a baffling case.

'After the end of today, we've done what we've come here to do, we've cleared the area for the police and the family, we can say that in the top section of river and some of the section going down towards the sea, that she's not in that part.'

He said he could not comment on 'further down the estuary' because his team was not searching that area.

'We just want to bring some form of closure,' he added, 'And I say again that I'm happy we never found a body and Paul is relieved we found nothing up there.'
He talked to shaw about the struggles of being a father that led him to the bridge

The teenager was standing on the ledge of the I-40 bridge when Shaw arrived

Memphis Officer Tina Shaw saved the life of a teenager about to commit suicide

A Tennessee cop is being hailed as a hero after she convinced a struggling 17-year-old father not to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge.

Officer Tina Shaw rushed to the Memphis I-40 bridge that overlooks the Mississippi River on February 2 after receiving a call about a teenager standing on the ledge.

Shaw was on duty with the Crisis Intervention Team when she rushed to the bridge while other officers were deployed to an officer-involved shooting.

Shaw, who is also a mother-of-two, described the moment she helped bring the teenager away from the precipice of the icy bridge after talking to him for about 15-minutes about his struggles of being a father.

'He was pretty much crying out for help, and I saw it in his eyes, and I was telling him "Hey, your son needs you,"' Shaw told WATE. 'There is no you without him, and there is no him without you.'

Memphis Officer Tina Shaw saved the life of a teenager about to commit suicide. The two were seen hugging after he came off of the bridge's ledge

Officer Tina Shaw rushed to the Memphis I-40 bridge that overlooks the Mississippi River on February 2 after receiving a call about a teenager contemplating

Shaw gently approached the teenager in the conversation that would eventually end in tears and a warm embrace.

'I actually had to lift his leg over and he grabbed me by my shoulder, and after he came back on the other side, we just immediately hugged each other,' Shaw said.

She then told the teenager while tightly embracing him, '"Son, its going to be okay. God [going] get you through this,"' Shaw said. '"Its gone be ok," and he was crying, and I shed a few tears.'

Shaw has been on the force for 15 years serving as a mental health specialist. She insisted that despite the horrible police-related incidents, including the death of Tyre Nichols on January 7, that there are good officers in the world.

'Despite all the negativity, there are quite a bit of officers on this department that are great,' she said.

The teenager was sent to a facility for mental health treatment.

The officer, who is also a mother-of-two, described the moment she helped bring the teenager's legs toward the platform of the icy bridge after talking to him. Pictured: the bridge where the teenager nearly jumped

The Memphis Police Department is in hot water as 13 cops are under investigation following the death of Nichols that occurred following a traffic stop last month.

Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Emmitt Martin, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean, are all facing murder charges for their involvement in Nichols' death.

Police bodycam footage of Nichols' arrest, which shows the officers brutally kicking and punching the 29-year-old, caused widespread outrage last month.

The terrifying encounter began with a traffic stop, when multiple unmarked cop cars surrounded Nichols' vehicle and officers dragged him from the driver's seat as one could be heard yelling, 'Get the f*** out of the f****** car.'

After hauling the 29-year-old from his car, several cops then begin relentlessly kicking and punching him as he lies on the street.

He then frantically broke free, rushing to his feet before sprinting down the road and away from the group of officers pursuing him.

One officer then fires a taser at Nichols, but he later claims that only one prong struck him, meaning the circuit was not completed and the electric shock was not delivered.

The chase continued for roughly half a mile before Nichols is seen tackled and held down by two officers, who scream at him 'give me your hands!'

More officers then arrive on foot while Nichols is pinned down, leading one to pepper spray him in the face.

Two officers held Nichols to the ground as he attempts to break free, then the third appears to kick him in the head.

Bodycam footage of Tyre Nichols being beaten to death sparked riots after it was released by the Memphis Police Department

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

Preston Hemphill became the sixth Memphis police officer to be suspended over the fatal beating

JaMichael Sandridge (left) and Robert Long, both EMTs with the fire department, were fired after they failed to attend to the dying Tyre Nichols

Lieutenant Michelle Williams was also fired following the incident, after she remained in the fire truck when she arrived while Sandridge and Long attended the scene

Following this devastating blow, Nichols is seen slumped more fully onto the pavement with all three officers surrounding him. The same officer then proceeds to kick him again.

With Nichols already subdued, the officer who used the pepper spray then extends a telescoping metal baton and shouts 'I'm gonna baton the f*** out of him!' before striking Nichols three times in the back.

Several officers are later seen propping Nichols up on his feet while one punches his face. Nichols stumbles and turns, still held up by two officers.

The officer who punched him then walked around to Nichols' front and punches him three more times, causing the 29-year-old to collapse.

Nichols is heard repeatedly screaming, 'Mom! Mom!' during the struggle, but goes silent after blows to his face.

After Nichols is handcuffed, he appeared to be unresponsive and unable to sit upright.

Eventually, he was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries three days later.

Six officers have since been fired and the rest are under investigation.
The man who monetized community in the office space with the controversial WeWork has turned the same theory to residential properties with his newest venture Flow.

Adam Neumann, 43, has described how the company will transform how people interact with their homes and give them with a sense of ownership even though they're renting. To illustrate the idea he said tenants would plunge their own toilets instead of calling supers.

In footage from a November conference, made public on Monday, Neumann discussed at length for the first time the vision behind his new real estate venture which will launch this year with properties in Atlanta, Miami and Nashville.

Flow will provide an 'elevated experience' and 'find a way to share with the resident a portion of the value that they create' to give them a sense of 'equity' in their homes.

During the 50-minute talk Neumann was joined by Marc Andreessen, a co-founder of the prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which invested $350 million into Flow last August.

Adam Neumann, 43 who unsuccessfully attempted to revolutionize the commercial property industry with WeWork wants to change the way home rental works by giving renters a sense of ownership

The cash injection gave Flow a $1billion valuation. A website for the project just says: 'Live life in Flow. Coming 2023.' It is not clear when this year it is expected to launch.

Neumann spoke of 'pillars' to the business, which would allow his company manage and own buildings but also oversee the collection of rent.

Firstly, he said he would use 'branded technology' to 'operate a management company that runs the buildings'. Second he would manage a portfolio of property like a traditional real estate fund.

Flow would also serve as a financial services company that would handle monthly rent payments, which make up 35 percent of a renter's expenditure, he said.

A fourth and final pillar was the more abstract idea of finding a way to impart a sense of ownership in renters, but he also said that 'ownership is a very complicated word'.

'If you're in your apartment building and you're a renter and your toilet gets clogged you call the super,' he said. 'If you're in your own apartment and you bought it and you own it and your toilet gets clogged, you take the plunger

'It's the difference when feeling like you own something to just feeling like you're renting, from being transactional to actually being part of a community,' he added.

'If we are able to take this value creating mechanism and share with the residents a portion of the value, it's going to make them feel ownership,' he said. 'If that value appreciates over time then I feel like I'm part of a community.'

Neumann said that for most Americans the majority of their equity is in their homes, but on the other hand renting is becoming more common, and people are needing to rent for decades and raise families in rented homes.

The new company will own and manage residential property in Atlanta, Miami and Nashville this year, it says

Marc Andreessen (pictured) is a co-founder of the prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which invested $350 million into Flow last August

'If you're going to go into these multi-family buildings and you're going to have this disconnected experience that you just said, but you're not only going to be there for two years and then get married and move, you're going to be there for 20. That sounds soul-crushing,' he said.

Neumann put a lot of emphasis on the way technology would be used to enhance the renter's experience. The company has posted job listings for more than ten engineering roles on its website, several of which are in New York and Texas and are related to the development of a 'payments platform'.

In a blog post last August announcing his firm's investment in Flow, Marc Andreessen praised Neumann who he said was a 'visionary leader'.

He added that for all the scrutiny facing Neumann after his failed IPO and questionable management style, 'it's often under appreciated that only one person has fundamentally redesigned the office experience ... Adam Neumann'.

In explaining the firm's decision to invest Andreessen hailed Neumann as the person who could fix the current issues with the housing industry.

Flow will provide an 'elevated experience' and 'find a way to share, with the resident, a portion of the value that they create' to give them a sense of equity in the business

Neumann has bought up apartment complexes, like Stacks on Main in Nashville, Tennessee

An entity tied to Neumann also owns Society Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

'The demographic trends driving America's housing market are impossible to ignore: Our country is creating households faster than we're building houses,' he wrote.

'Structural shortages in available homes for sale push housing prices higher, while young people are staying single for longer and increasingly concentrating in highly desirable urban centers.'

And as a result of the pandemic, Andreessen wrote, 'many people will live in places far away from where they work, and many more will shift to a hybrid environment.'

'Many people are voting with their feet and moving away from traditional economic hub cities to different cities, towns or rural areas with no diminishment of economic opportunity,' he continued.

'The residential real estate world needs to address these changing dynamics. And yet, virtually no aspect of the modern housing market is ready for these changes.'

'We think it is natural that for his first venture since WeWork, Adam returns to the theme of connecting people through transforming their physical spaces and building communities where people spend the most time: their homes.'
His attitude toward women was a key talking point and he was ultimately let go on December 19 - one month after the quadruple murder

The alleged quadruple murderer was reportedly issued several warnings about his behavior before being brought into a disciplinary meeting with professors

Bryan Kohberger, 28, was let go from his teaching assistant job due to 'behavioral problems' and for having a 'sexist attitude toward women'

Bryan Kohberger was fired from his teaching assistant job due to 'behavioral problems' just days before he was arrested for allegedly murdering four University of Idaho students.

Kohberger, 28, was facing disciplinary actions at his Washington State University job before he was ultimately let go on December 19 - just over a month after the four youngsters were found stabbed to death in Moscow. Eleven days later on December 30, Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania.

He started the position in August and was put under investigation within a month due to 'behavioral problems' and having a 'sexist attitude toward women,' NewsNation said.

The alleged quadruple murderer was reportedly issued several warnings about his behavior and was brought into a meeting with a group of professors to discuss it, with his attitude toward women being a key talking point.

Professors reportedly said he was 'rude to women' and that he graded them differently than the male students. He also reportedly had a 'sexist attitude toward females he interacted with at the school.'

Kohberger has been accused of brutally murdering Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in their off-campus home on November 13 and faces four first-degree murder charges in Idaho for their deaths.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, was let go from his teaching assistant job due to 'behavioral problems' and for having a 'sexist attitude toward women.' He was let go just days before he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students on November 13

Kohberger has been accused of brutally murdering Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in their off-campus home on November 13. The Pennsylvanian faces four first-degree murder charges in Idaho for their deaths

During his time as a teaching assistant, Kohberger also reportedly had multiple altercations with Professor John Snyder.

He had an argument with the professor on September 23. Ten days later, Snyder pulled Kohberger into a meeting to discuss his 'professional behavior.'

Kohberger reportedly became more 'feisty' and 'belligerent' after the meeting and got into arguments with professors.

Weeks later, Snyder sent the alleged murderer an email, citing that the teaching assistant had failed to 'meet expectations,' according to NewsNation. On November 2, Kohberger and the professor met to discuss an 'improvement plan.'

More than a month later - and after the murders have already occurred - Kohberger met with the group of professors and Snyder told the criminology graduate student that he 'had made no progress regarding professionalism.'

Professors reportedly said he was 'rude to women' and that he graded them differently than the male students. He also reportedly had a 'sexist attitude toward females he interacted with at the school'

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show cop cars from Washington State University Police parked outside Wilson Short-Hall which houses the criminology department

Kohberger had used office 12 on the first floor of Wilson-Short Hall at Washington State University

Bryan Kohberger was facing disciplinary actions prior to the quadruple murders: Timeline August: Started teaching assistant job at Washington State University September 23: Altercation with Professor John Snyder at Washington State University October 3: Had a meeting with Snyder regarding his 'professional behavior' October 21: Kohberger received an email informing him he failed to 'meet expectations' November 2: Had a meeting with Snyder to discuss an 'improvement plan' November 13: Kohberger allegedly kills four University of Idaho students December 7: Had a meeting with a group of professors who cited his 'sexist attitude toward women' and that his 'behavioral issues' were concerning December 9: Had a second altercation with Snyder, who told the criminology student he 'had made no progress regarding professionalism' December 19: He was officially terminated December 30: He was arrested at his parent's home in Pennsylvania Advertisement

On December 19, Kohberger was officially released from his teaching duties and he was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 30.

Kohberger was a teacher's assistant while he was enrolled in his graduate degree for criminology at Washington State University.

As part of his graduate program, he might have had access to bodycam footage from five police departments, as well as a live feed to security footage from the campus.

A WSU spokesman insisted to Fox News in January that 'Kohberger never had access to any footage' from the CSI Lab, but an insider told the outlet that individuals on campus may have had access to the database without authorization.

The CSI Lab does not include footage from the police department in nearby Moscow, Idaho.

The source quoted by Fox News, who works for the university, speculated that Kohberger could have used the CSI Lab to view unredacted images from crime scenes, and other disturbing footage.

However, Phil Weiler, WSU's vice president of marketing and communications, told the outlet that Kohberger never obtained entry to the programs that maintain the footage.

'To be clear, Bryan Kohberger never had access to any footage from the Complex Social Interaction Lab at Washington State University,' he said.

'Access to that facility is strictly controlled. All research assistants must complete a background check, an FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Level 2 certification, be fingerprinted by the FBI and sign a confidentiality agreement in order to enter the facility,' said Weiler.

But the insider claimed that 'multiple individuals who have not gone through the vetting or training' had access to the facility as part of their duties, including 'technical support staff.'

In addition, following the gruesome murders, two district attorney's offices began looking into cold case files to see if there was any potential linking to Kohberger.

'Your natural question is to start wondering: "Is this guy wanted?"' Northampton County DA Terrence Houck told King 5. 'Is his name out there? Did he do anything here in [my] county?'

While at WSU for his graduate program, Kohberger may have unofficially had access to five police departments' bodycam footage and the school's security footage

Lehigh County DA Jim Martin felt the same way, considering Kohberger had spent four years studying criminology for his undergraduate degree in his county, despite Kohberger not having a criminal record prior to the Idaho allegations.

'The first thing I did was ask the director of the RIC [Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center] to see if we had any contact with Mr. Kohberger,' he told King 5.

There was only one connection to the suspected quadruple murderer among the 6million police reports in the system and it was simply a 911 call about being locked out of his car near a bike trail.

'And there was a response from him thanking the police and apologizing for the inconvenience,' Martin said.

Two Pennsylvania DAs Terrence Houck (left) and Jim Martin (right) became looking into cold case files in their respective counties following Kohberger's arrest to see if they could find a potential link. Neither found one

Lehigh County did not find any other connection to Kohberger and Northampton did not have any incidents with the 28-year-old student.

'In fact, nothing with respect to Kohberger has come about in our investigations of cold cases or unsolved cases to this point, but we always continue to investigate and pursue leads,' Houck told King 5.

Northampton used Kohberger's height, weight, and method of operations to search its database for any similar cases.

As for Lehigh County, there was 'no unsolved homicides that in any way meet the modus operandi of this event out in Idaho,' Martin said.

Kohberger is expected to appear in court again on June 26, after he waived his right to a speedy trial in January.

He requested the gap in court proceedings to allow his attorneys more time to learn more about prosecutors' case against him.
A Syrian refugee lost 25 relatives in the earthquake that has devastated Turkey and Syria after his entire family 'fled the war to find shelter'.

Amhad Idris, a displaced Syrian, said the majority of his family were killed in the disaster in Saraqib, Syria, and that 'fate caught up with us'.

Mr Idris visited the morgue today and walked between the bodies of his loved ones.

While clutching onto his dead grandson he said: 'You have ached my heart. With everything that has happened. I never thought something like this could happen.

'I lost my daughter; two of her sons - I mean my grandchildren; my daughter's father-in-law's family; my daughter's mother-in-law and he sons - one of whom had children, a big family and several sons too.

Amhad Idris, a displaced Syrian, said 25 members of his family were killed in the disaster in Saraqib, Syria, and that 'fate caught up with us'

Officials and medics have said around 9,057 people had died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria after Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor. Pictured: Collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaras

'It is a total of about 25 people,' he told Sky News.

Mr Idris and his family had fled their home country to find refuge in Saraqib in 2012, which was recaptured by the Syrian army in 2020.

He said: 'We fled the war. Look at the injustice that pursues us, and what happened to us.

'We came here on the basis of finding safe shelter for us and our children. But in the end, look how fate has caught up with us here.'

Officials and medics have said around 9,057 people had died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria from the 7.8-magnitude tremor on Monday, bringing the total to 11,719 - making it the deadliest seismic event in more than a decade.

The death toll is higher than the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated Nepal in 2015, which killed more than 8,800 people.

UN representative Mohamad Safa asked to 'share positivity' amid many negative stories related to the rising death toll.

Rescuers in Turkey and Syria are continuing their search for survivors trapped inside the ruins of their homes brought down by the quake.

Against all the odds, search teams were still pulling people from the rubble today, more than 48 hours after the initial 7.8-magnitude quake.

The World Health Organization said many more victims are likely to be discovered in both countries.

They suggested yesterday casualties could reach 20,000.
China's suspected 'spy balloon' that unnerved millions of Americans across the country last week is seemingly part of a larger global surveillance plot by Beijing's authoritarian government, a new report claimed on Wednesday.

Citing three US intelligence sources, the New York Times reports that last week's diplomatic incident is part of a world-wide campaign of Chinese spying.

The likely goal is reportedly to gather more information about American military bases as well as other countries' military capabilities.

Such surveillance devices were reportedly detected in at least 12 different countries across five continents.

Air Force jets shot down the balloon which kicked off public furor over Beijing's brazen spying tactics on Saturday, just off the coast of South Carolina.

China 's suspected 'spy balloon' that unnerved millions of Americans across the country last week is seemingly part of a larger global surveillance plot by Beijing 's authoritarian government, a new report claimed on Wednesday

The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023

It was first detected crossing US territory on January 28, briefly crossed through Canada and then traversed several states in the continental US before it was brought down on February 4.

President Joe Biden gave the order to shoot it down on Wednesday of last week but Defense officials cautioned that it would be safer to do so when the falling debris no longer posed a risk to Americans on the ground.

Biden's Republican critics have criticized this as a weak response, claiming he allowed the Chinese government to glean information about important national security matters in the days it was allowed to pass through the country untouched - at a low enough altitude to be seen by the naked eye.

But according to the report, its days cruising over the United States provided analysts with valuable information about China's surveillance capabilities.

American officials found that benefits to using such devices over satellites to gather information include the unpredictability of their routes compared to satellites in a fixed orbit, as well as the ability to produce clearer images of what it's tracking on the ground.

The Pentagon said the balloon shot down on Saturday was the second such device detected under the Biden administration.

Three such balloons passed through the country under Donald Trump, according to Biden Defense officials - something people in the previous administration have been skeptical of.

'What is the basis of this new detection?' said ex-Trump national security adviser John Bolton to CNN earlier this week.

US intelligence officials reportedly found that China was using such devices to look at US and other governments' military capabilities

But according to the Times' reporting, the incidents had been classified as 'unidentified aerial phenomena' at the time.

Biden briefly alluded to the most recent balloon during his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night.

'Today, were in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world,' the president boasted.

'I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world.

'But make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if Chinas threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.'
Look at her photograph. It could be so many mothers  those bobble-hatted women who drop the kids off at school on a chilly morning and then take the dog for a walk. The shock of Nicola Bulleys disappearance on January 27 and ongoing public fascination with the case are surely rooted in the very ordinariness of this 45-year-olds routine.

Becoming in a sense a kind of Everymum, she could be our sister, neighbour, colleague. Natural human compassion reaches out to her two bewildered daughters, her partner Paul and her devoted family and friends as the search continues and the question remains: how can somebody disappear into thin air?

In contrast to, for example, the almost unimaginable horror of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, a news story like this touches deep-seated feelings of personal vulnerability. You go out one morning and then

Becoming in a sense a kind of Everymum, Nicola Bulley could be our sister, neighbour, colleague

The question remains: how can somebody disappear into thin air?

Paul Ansell, 44, pictured with diving expert Peter Faulding who told the anxious father 'she's not here', during a third extensive day of searching along the River Wyre in Lancashire

But if only that ellipsis marked the end of speculation. Instead, it seems to me the disappearance of Ms Bulley has turned into something approaching a ghoulish carnival of cynics, know-alls, gossips, armchair sleuths and tragedy tourists. It may be natural and right that the disappearance of one woman in such ordinary circumstances should make people feel concern and compassion for her and her family.

But is it natural or right for people to tittle-tattle on social media and distress those who love the missing woman?

Is it compassion that motivated strangers to get into their cars and drive from outside the area, break into buildings along the River Wyre where a police search is active, and poke about  allegedly searching for clues? No, no, no.

Now that the monstrous policeman-rapist David Carrick has been sentenced to spend hopefully the rest of his life in prison (a dangerous place for a rotten ex-cop), and when each week seems to break news of appalling behaviour by serving officers, public trust in the police is at an understandably low ebb.

Too many bad apples destroy any faith in the greengrocer. Yet surely it is unjust for the public to express cynicism about the competence of all police officers?

On social media, Ive seen many a comment denigrating the police searching for Ms Bulley as useless  and worse.

Surely thats unfair to the 40 or so detectives, under a senior investigating officer, who are combing through an enormous amount of information to try to find out what happened? It is also less than helpful when the forensic diver Peter Faulding expresses vague ideas (the phone as a decoy, a third person involved and so on) that can only feed mistrust of the police and add to fevered speculation on social media.

During the pandemic lockdowns, even people who had not previously bothered with social media turned to it for diversion.

It was as if every other person became an immediate armchair expert on virology, Chinese laboratories, influenza statistics, the danger of inoculations and the rest.

Pictured: Lancashire Police carrying inflatable Rib boats during the search for Nicola on Wednesday

Mr Ansell and Ms Bulley pictured together. The mother-of-two has been missing for nearly two weeks

Whipped to a pitch of anxiety, even neurosis, by those doom-laden six oclock briefings on TV and the blitz of statistics, people swapped online views that occasionally verged on the deranged. It helped no one and it added to the miasma of fear.

This situation feels a little like that. It is disturbing that suddenly Facebook and Twitter are frantic with theories about the speed at which a fast-flowing river can move a body, about dog behaviour (could the springer spaniel Willow provide fresh clues?), about how daily routines can attract stalkers, and so on.

Such amateur theories are invariably expressed with absolute conviction.

You might think it a harmless modern phenomenon  and yet it can be very damaging. It really does matter when close friends of the missing woman have begged people not to speculate, because online comment has caused immense distress to the family.

The same friends have attacked disgusting suggestions that Ms Bulleys partner Paul must be involved in her disappearance.

The trouble is, millions are punch-drunk on police procedurals on TV and think they can detect and interpret any clue.

Paul Ansell, partner of Nicola Bulley views the spot on the River Wyre where she went missing with private search investigator Peter Faulding (Hi-Vis jacket)

A close family friend of the missing mother-of-two, Tilly Ann, today urged police to search an abandoned house and surrounding outbuildings

Lancashire Police search teams carry and and construct two inflatable Rib boats as they head towards the River Wyre

So everyone becomes a star detective in their own minds. In their imagination, they are striding about with those increasingly ridiculous Silent Witness pathologists, or tiptoeing in the footsteps of Vera Stanhope and Shetlands Jimmy Perez.

They remember how Broadchurch showed the most unlikely person can be the murderer, they agree with Line of Duty that theres a bent copper behind every bush.

They lap up true crime cold cases  especially when Silent Witness actress Emilia Fox is cast as a real life sleuth.

Fed by these fictions, amateur gumshoes fantasise about the 15 minutes of fame that would be theirs if they were to stumble across a tragedy lying in the undergrowth.

Do you think that harsh? Well, tell me what kind of person actually chooses to climb into the family car and drive from goodness knows where to poke about the scene of Ms Bulleys disappearance. No doubt they film a sneaky TikTok reel, just to show their mates they were there.

I find it appalling that when a major search for a missing person is continuing and a family is desperate with anxiety and grief  that the senior police officer should have to tell the ghouls not to flock to the scene.

Superintendent Sally Riley excoriated social media speculation as distracting and added: Nor is it helpful if people ... take it upon themselves to take the law into their own hands by trying to, for example, break into empty property ... We will not tolerate online abuse of anyone, including innocent witnesses, members of the family and friends of local businesses or of criminal damage or burglary.

The 46-year-old was walking her springer spaniel Willow, pictured, at the time she went missing

Pictured: Ms Bulley with her partner Paul Ansell

I repeat  which members of the Great British Public do such things? Well  those who spend their lives fired up by social media and think it gives them the right to sound off and to spy and stalk everyone from the latest reality TV wannabe to the desperate family of an ordinary missing woman.

Yes, concern for our fellow human beings is essential, and curiosity about them is natural. Yet it can tip over into behaviour that is much more disturbing.

An unpleasant ghoulish glee takes gawpers to the scene of a car, rail or plane crash. Or a crime scene.

So feelings about an event thats sad, even terrible, become corrupted into a circus where nobody respects boundaries.

At times it seems that the nasty, brainless crowd mentality of social media puts us on the same level as the mobs who flocked to see public hangings in the 19th century.

On November 13 1849, Charles Dickens had a letter published in The Times, in which he expressed horror at the atrocious bearing, looks, and language of the assembled spectators he had witnessed  30,000 of them at a public hanging in London.

'Their behaviour, he wrote, was enough to make a man ashamed of the shape he wore.

It is equally shameful that amid Nicola Bulleys disappearance, some people appear to have forgotten that this is not a TV drama, but a private nightmare for one family, aching for the person they love.
Two teenagers and a security guard have been injured after a shooting near a high school in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday afternoon.

The incident took place at around 2:04pm at Williamsburg Charter High School on Varet Street, the FDNY said.

Three people were taken to local hospitals and are in stable condition. The victims include a 15-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy, who were each struck in the thigh.

A 37-year-old male security guard also suffered a graze wound to his neck, the NYPD said.

The FBI was at the scene investigating, with no reports of any arrests as of yet.

At least three people are injured at a shooting near a high school in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon

The incident took place at around 2:04 p.m. at Williamsburg Charter High School on Varet Street, the FDNY said

The school - a community charter high school serving 963 students grades nine through 12 in the greater Brooklyn community - has been cordoned off by the police.

A mother who went to pick up her son at the school briefly spoke to DailyMail.com. She stated it is not the first time it has happened and it is a dangerous area. She declined to give her name.

'I was in my car, waiting for my son to get out of school. I usually park in the street just to wait and all of a sudden, I see a group of kids, maybe seven, come out. They turn the block, they go to the school, they come out, walking fast.'

She then describes one of the security guards shooing the kids away before - after about two minutes - they came back, one of them carrying what she described as a log or a pipe.

'They ran towards somebody in the middle of an intersection and then you just heard three or four shots,' she said.

She said that she knew something was going to happen, but not to that extent, assuming it would just be some sort of fist fight.

This is the second shooting near a school in Williamsburg in the last three days.

According to police, three people were taken to local hospitals and they are in stable condition

The incident is still under investigation, no reports of arrests made

The school - a community charter high school serving 963 students grades nine through 12 in the greater Brooklyn community - has been cordoned off by the police

NYPD police officials at the scene of a shooting at Williamsburg Charter High School

People consoling one another outside the cordoned off area in front of the Williamsburg school

On Monday at around 3 p.m., two teenagers were injured in a shooting that police said stemmed from an after school fight, according to WABC.

Police said a 18-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet near the head and a 17-year-old girl was shot in the abdomen on Maujer Street, less than a mile north of Williamsburg Charter High School.

The shooting happened near a campus on Bushwick Avenue that holds three different high schools - Progress High School, East Williamsburg Scholars Academy and the High School for Enterprise Business and Technology.

A spokesperson for the NYPD told DailyMail.com no arrests had been made in connection to the shooting.

Neighbor Keyshia Srmemore told the station that teenagers act like they own the place when they come to the apartment complex.

There have been multiple shootings at New York City schools in recent weeks

This is the second shooting near a school in Williamsburg in the last three days

A mother (pictured) who went to pick up her daughter at the school. She stated it is not the first time it happens and it is a dangerous area. She declined to give her name

'I was in my car, waiting for my son to get out of school. I usually park in the street just to wait and all of a sudden, I see a group of kids, maybe seven, come out. They turn the block, they go to the school, they come out, walking fast,' the mother said

She then describes one of the security guards shooing the kids away before - after about two minutes - they came back, one of them carrying what she described as a log or a pipe

A parent said that she knew something was going to happen, but not to that extent, assuming it would just be some sort of fist fight

'They're fighting, they're smoking, I told the school safety they're here smoking - now they're being shot? They'll be on the roof.'

Police did not say what caused the fight or who was in possession of a gun.

In mid-January, two teenagers were shot by a 13-year-old outside of a high school in Queens.

The shooting was the result of a fight that got out of hand, according to PIX11 News.

The shooter - who was not identified due to his age - was charged with four counts of assault, two counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

The victims were a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who were each struck in the thigh

The third victim was a 37-year-old male security guard who suffered a graze wound to his neck, the NYPD said

The incident is still under investigation and no arrests have been made, according to police

The two victims - a boy and a girl - were taken to a local hospital with injuries to their right leg and right ankle, respectively. Police listed them in stable condition.

While shooting victims are down 36 percent (25 vs. 16 in 2022) in New York City through the first five weeks of 2023, overall crime remains up 4.3 percent.

At the time of that shooting, the city's Department of Education released a statement.

'Our schools are safe havens for our children, and there is no higher priority than their safety and well-being,' they said.

'Following a non-school-related shooting that occurred after school and off-campus, two injured students returned to the school, where our outstanding school leaders, guidance counselors and NYPD School Safety Agents provided essential and immediate supports and aid.'

Police previously said that shootings involving young people surged in 2022.
Glacial lake outbursts are threatening the lives of communities with roughly 15 million people amid potential flooding and inland tsunamis.

Researchers published a report on Tuesday where they warned that melting mountain glaciers are endangering millions of lives, primarily communities in Asia. Runoff water from melting glaciers commonly gathers in shallow lakes and is held back by rocks and debris.

The Threat of Glacial Lake Outbursts

The threat that the team of researchers detailed comes when a lake overfills and bursts through its natural barrier, sending a torrent of water flowing down mountain valleys. Scientists have now assessed, for the first time, how many people worldwide could be impacted by these floods.

They found that more than half of vulnerable populations live in India, Pakistan, China, and Peru. The study reported that the danger is highest among communities with large populations who live near a lake.

In a statement, the study's co-author, Stuart Dunning, a physical geographer at Britain's Newcastle University, said that their work focused on more than just the size or number of glacier lakes. Instead, it also considered the presence of people, especially vulnerable people, in the landscape that causes a disaster, as per Reuters.

Experts are projecting glacial lake outburst floods to worsen due to a warming climate caused by global warming. The world's glaciers collectively lost roughly 332 gigatons of ice per year from 2006 to 2016. The number and volume of glacial lakes worldwide have each increased by about 50% since 1990.

Some 9 million people in the high mountains of Asia live near more than 2,000 glacial lakes. Two years ago, over 100 people were reportedly killed in India due to an outburst of flood in the country's northern mountains.

When compared with mountain glaciers in the Alps and North America, Asia's icy plates are less well monitored by scientists. Most of these plates need long-term observations that observe how they have changed over time.

Read Also: Devastation of Turkey-Syria Earthquake

Caused by Global Warming

Glacial lakes rise as temperatures get warmer, causing more pieces of glaciers to melt away. This puts people living downstream from one of these lakes at high risk. According to CNN, if the lakes' water levels rise too high or the surrounding land or ice gives way, it could burst.

A study's co-author, Tom Robinson, a senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, said that a glacial lake outburst is similar to an "inland tsunami." He said that the event is similar to the impact of a sudden dam collapse.

In an interview, Robinson noted that glacial dams are similar to constructed dams in that if they were suddenly removed, the massive lake behind it would go somewhere else. These glacial lake outbursts happened with little to no warning.

One flood in Peru in 1941, considered one of the most devastating, resulted in the death of between 1,800 and 6,000 people. In 2020, a glacial lake outburst in British Columbia, Canada, caused a flood that, in turn, created a tsunami of water roughly 330 feet high, said ABC News.

Related Article: Turkey-Syria Earthquake Death Toll Update

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Virginia mom has been ordered to stop breastfeeding her six-month-old daughter after a judge in a bitter custody battle ruled that it was interfering with her estranged husband's time with their children.

Arleta Ramirez has been breastfeeding her daughter since she was born in July and had also breastfed her son, who is now two, the Washington Post reported.

According to the outlet Ramirez was ordered to 'make every effort to place the child on a feeding schedule and use a bottle' by a Prince William County judge in late November.

Beginning this month, the judge's ruling also granted the children's father, Mike Ridgway, four visitation days and overnight visits.

Ridgway complained that his daughter's feeding times were interfering with his visits, but Ramirez who has had trouble pumping milk in the past, believes, like some experts, that 'breast is best.'

Virginia mom, Arleta Ramirez, has been ordered to stop breastfeeding her six-month-old daughter after a judge in a bitter custody battle ruled that it was interfering with her estranged husband's time with their children

She is preparing evidence for a hearing in April from breastfeeding experts as well as a letter from her pediatrician.

'Why are they forcing me to stop breastfeeding?' she told the Washington Post. 'Isn't that her right? Isn't that in her best interest?'

Ridgway said that he had given Ramirez 'space to both nurse and to pump milk for me to bottle-feed our daughter while she is in my care.'

'Past the age of 6 months I will continue to support breastfeeding and bottle-feeding our daughter breast milk as much as possible, while also supplementing with formula only when absolutely necessary,' he added.

Ridgway's attorney, Tara Steinnerd, said Ramirez was using breastfeeding 'as a weapon' in what she claims is a means to salvage a relationship that is over.

'They come up with a myriad of excuses,' she told the outlet. 'It's about using breastfeeding as a weapon against visitation.'

Ridgway's attorney, Tara Steinnerd, said Ramirez was using breastfeeding 'as a weapon' in what she claims is a means to salvage a relationship that is over

Stephanie Bodak Nicholson, president of La Leche League's USA Council, said she received a least one call every year about breastfeeding during custody disputes.

'It's definitely something we get calls on. It's frequent enough that we keep it on our radar,' she told the paper.

La Leche is a non-profit that supports and trains new moms on breastfeeding offering emotional support and tips, but not legal advice in the matter.

Meghan Boone, an associate professor at the Wake Forest University School of Law who studies pregnancy and parenting rights said that the idea that only women can care for young children has been 'discredited' and may be considered 'sex discrimination' by men seeking custody.

'You're not supposed to use the tender years doctrine anymore,' Boone said.

'If we're talking about the need for child to be with mom and not dad, that sounds like tender years.'

Twitter users stormed social media following the court decision some questioning whether the 'best interest' of the baby was being met.

'Excuse me? Shouldn't the decision be about what is best for baby? But np, it's all about the desire to control women by weaponizing their bodies against them,' one user said. It was never about ProLife.'

'Here for the comments from men telling us how easy it is to pump or switch from bottle to nipple and back. Please do tell,' said another mother.

Others were torn, one user saying: 'I'm sympathetic to wanting to breastfeed as long as possible (and I agree that there is no systemic bias against fathers in the courts) but isn't it important for this father to spend time with his infant?

'I don't think this is a ploy by mom, but there should be a compromise.'

'This is silly. I'm a fan of nursing if it works for the mom, but to say the other parent can't have visitation because you want to exclusively BF isn't reasonable,' said another user.

'Unless mom is SAHM, most babies are getting pumped milk or formula by 5 months.'

Another user said: 'Sorry, she chose to make a baby with him. He has every right to equal time. No reason she can't bottle train so he has as much time with the baby as she does. Fed is best.'
This is the first picture of a 'talented' amateur climber killed in Snowdonia when the rock he was hanging from broke off and sent him plunging 600ft to his death.

Jack Carne, 23, was just 30 feet from the Gribin Ridge summit when his handhold suddenly gave way on a hike with best friends Mattie Belcher, 24, and Brandan Smith, 23, on Saturday.

The mountaineering trio, all from Barnsley, were tackling the Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach peaks ahead of a dream hike up Mount Kilimanjaro later this year.

Search and rescue teams believe Jack's fall down the sheer rockface killed him 'almost instantly'.

'It doesn't feel real', Mr Belcher told the Mail. 'We were so close to the top. Jack went to grab a handhold and it just broke away.

Jack Carne, 23, (pictured) was just 30 feet from the Gribin Ridge summit when his handhold suddenly gave way

Mr Carne was tackling the Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach peaks with his best friends ahead of a dream hike up Mount Kilimanjaro later this year

Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation were called to the scene in Snowdonia on Saturday

'I'll never forget how quiet he was when he fell. When Jack fell there was no noise. He didn't shout or scream or anything. He just fell. One second he was there, the next he wasn't.

'We shouted to him and tried to get down, but he was unresponsive and going after him was too dangerous - it was a near-vertical drop and the conditions were getting worse.

'Thankfully we had phone signal and were able to call search and rescue within 20 seconds.

'When we spoke to the paramedics they said if it was any consolation, he would have died instantly.

'The three of us went hiking and camping most weekends. This week we were planning to book a trip to the Alps, and we were going to climb Kilimanjaro together later this year.

'I've known him for most of my life, he's like a brother to me. He was the nicest bloke you could hope to meet. I just can't believe he's gone.'

Mr Smith added: 'He was one of my best mates. He's like family. He always had a cheeky smile on his face, he was everyone's friend. Every two weeks we'd go climbing or something.

'It still doesn't feel real. When I saw him fall I felt numb. I think I knew deep down that he was gone, but I tried to keep some hope until they found his body.'

Search and rescue teams believe Jack's fall down the sheer rockface hilled him 'almost instantly'.

Mr Carne was described as being 'everyone's friend' and that he 'always had a cheeky smile on his face'

A spokesman for the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team said: 'Three young men were ascending the Gribin ridge when a handhold broke away causing one to fall a considerable distance.

'Sadly, he did not survive his injuries, the recovery continued through to Sunday lunchtime with the help of the Coastguard rescue helicopter. The thoughts of all team members are with the casualties family and friends.'

Jack's friends have set up a GoFundMe page to pay for his funeral. You can donate here.
Wild weather has brought a brutal end to our brief taste of a sunny Aussie summer as Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle intensifies into a dangerous category-three storm.

Emergency services on Norfolk Island said on Wednesday they had activated their cyclone response plan after the tropical low formed into Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Bureau of Meteorology expects Gabrielle to intensify into a severe category-three cyclone packing winds of between 165km/h and 224km/h on Thursday.

The storm, which formed on Wednesday, is forecast to remain offshore but bring large waves and strong winds to exposed coastal areas of Queensland and northern NSW before passing near to Norfolk Island at the weekend.

'The community is advised to familiarise themselves with the alert levels and consider what action they will take if the cyclone threat is continuing,' the island's emergency management team said.

Island residents have been warned of an extended period of gale-force winds, with heavy rainfall and damaging surf also possible depending on the movement and intensity of the storm.

Norfolk Island is on high alert after Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle intensified

Another tropical low near the Cocos Islands, northwest of WA, has a low chance of forming into a cyclone and continues to be monitored.

The Bureau of Meteorology declared Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle had formed in the Coral Sea, about 690km northeast of Mackay on Wednesday afternoon.

'Gabrielle is forecast to continue to track to the south during the rest of Wednesday and then southeast from Thursday, remaining well offshore of the Queensland east coast,' the Bureau reported.

On Saturday, Gabrielle is likely to approach Norfolk Island and is forecast to pass Norfolk Island on Sunday.

The island could face sustained wind speeds of 89-117 km/h and typical gusts over open flat land or seas of 125-164 km/h.

'It promises to be a nervous few days for the 2200 residents of Norfolk Island, as a dangerous tropical storm develops in the Coral Sea and tracks southward,' Weatherzone meteorologist Anthony Sharwood said.

Cyclone Gabrielle forming off the coast

The cyclone forced a cruise ship to turn back on Wednesday Potential tropical cyclone on the coast

The Carnival cruise ship Luminosa was forced to change direction on Wednesday following the cyclone's development.

The cruise ship was expected to reach Lifou, New Caledonia, on Wednesday but was instead forced to head to Brisbane.

In a letter to guests, Carnival Luminosa captain Carmelo Marino said the ship had to change course to remain at a safe distance from the tropical cyclone.

The Carnival cruise ship Luminosa was bound for New Caledonia but instead turned back to Brisbane

'Regrettably, given the forecasted path of the storm, we will not be able to deliver our planned South Pacific itinerary,' Mr Marino said.

He said the team was attempting to plan a trip to Moreton Bay this Friday, weather permitting.

Passengers on-board have been offered a credit of $200 per stateroom to spend on the cruise along with an extended 50 per cent off future cruise credits.
Las Vegas investigators said Dances With Wolves star Nathan Lee Chasing Horse had images of him sexually assaulting a girl as young as 11 as his bail was set much lower than prosecutors wanted.

Chasing Horse, 46, appeared in a Las Vegas court today on sexual assault charges and his bail was set at $300,000, according to KTNV news anchor Rachel Moore. Prosecutors had requested his bail be set at $2million due to being a flight risk.

Prosecutors argued it should be higher after investigators found images of him sexually assaulting a girl between the ages of 11 and 13 and that his net worth is around $5million, according to 8 News Now.

Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney William Rowles said police had also found evidence that Chasing Horse had recently been grooming children to replace his victims that had grown up.

He has been accused of raping multiple indigenous women, including minors.

The actor's public defender Kristy Holston had asked for his bail to be lowered to $50,000, an amount he could afford. She cited that Chasing Horse had a large community support behind him and had no prior criminal history.

Nathan Chasing Horse, 46, appeared in a Las Vegas court today on sexual assault charges and his bail was set at $300,000. Prosecutors had requested his bail be set at $2million due to being a flight risk

Prosecutors argued it should be higher after investigators found images of him sexually assaulting a girl between the ages of 11 and 13

She also said he would live with a family member who works with an organization committed to combating human trafficking if he was released on bail, according to 8 News Now.

However, Rowles argued that a monitored phone call from jail showed Chasing Horse admitting he had access to two antique pieces that were worth $500,000.

As part of his bail terms, he would have to have high level electronic monitoring, no contract with any minors - including his own children - and no contact with firearms, according to Moore. He is also not allowed to use drugs or alcohol.

Chasing Horse is accused of being the leader of a cult called 'The Circle,' which would groom and rape young women and girls.

Several members of his family packed the courtroom for his brief appearance.

Wearing glasses and a blue prison-issued jumpsuit, Chasing Horse had his long hair scraped back as he remained handcuffed during the hearing.

He is accused of running a cult that sexually abused young indigenous girls at his Las Vegas home  which he is said to share with five wives.

Sources have also claimed that he had 'suicide pills' in case police stormed his home in Nevada where he was arrested on Tuesday.

Chasing Horse allegedly also trained his wives to use firearms, so they could 'open fire' on cops if they ever swooped on his property.

His family packed the court room on Wednesday. If he posts bail, his public defender said he would live with a family member who works with an organization committed to combating human trafficking

During the raid, police found memory cards with videos of the sexual assaults, firearms, 41 pounds of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms in the home.

At least two women told police that Chasing Horse had shown his wives a stash of 'small white pills' that he called 'suicide pills' sometime in 2019 or 2020, years before his arrest.

The women were instructed to 'take a pill to kill themselves in the event he dies or law enforcement tries to break their family apart,' according to the warrant.

One of Chasing Horse's former wives also told police that she believed his current wives would 'carry out the instructions' to take the pills and open fire on law enforcement if officers came to the home to arrest him.

The Native American played Smiles a Lot in the 1990 Oscar-winning film, Dances With Wolves and was arrested as part of a months-long investigation.

He was banned by tribal leaders from the Fort Peck Reservation amid human trafficking allegations after gaining a reputation among tribes across the US and Canada.

The judge (pictured) also ordered as part of his bail terms that he would have to have high level electronic monitoring, no contract with any minors - including his own children - and no contact with firearms. He is also not allowed to use drugs or alcohol

Chasing Horse was well known to the tribes as a 'Medicine Man' or 'Holy Person,' with those roles being highly regarded within Native American spiritual traditions and belief systems.

Police have accused him of using his reputation 'as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions,' according to an arrest warrant, which noted that his followers believed he could communicate with higher beings.

One of Chasing Horse's wives was allegedly offered to him as a 'gift' when she was 15, while another became a wife after turning 16.

Court documents show that one victim reported the actor in September 2018, saying the incident took place in British Columbia.

She claims that she reached out to him for medical advice, and he healed her family member and encouraged her to join 'The Circle'.

Chasing Horse told her that she was 'different and special' before adopting her as his granddaughter in a 'spiritual way'.

He showered her with lavish gifts, with three of his wives asking her to call them 'grandma' and recalls his fourth wife  who was 15 at the time  being presented to him in an offering ceremony.

Corena Leone claims that Chasing Horse abused her from the age of 14  allegedly raping her to 'pay the price' for him to 'cure' her mother of cancer

One of his wives told investigators that he raped her when she was just nine years old, according to documents.

In 2015, another victim came forward to report an assault which took place in 2014, but the case was closed without detectives approaching him.

The detective explained in the report: 'Because during the sexual incident [the victim] did not say no, push away, yell or run away, I found that I did not believe it could be prosecuted in court.'

His victim in that instance, said that she was told she should be 'thankful' that she was being assaulted by Chasing Horse.

Detectives also discovered that the actor had been accused of assaulting two children in Fort Peck, Montana, in 2005.

He told authorities 'we will see' when asked to take a polygraph test before refusing to speak to the police. Ultimately, he was never charged.

Chasing Horse moved to North Las Vegas in 2012 and told another victim to come with him, to bring cash and gifts to him.

He told her that she was 'going to be of service' and she would have to 'offer her body to the spirits' to save a family member.

The actor is also accused of forcing the victim to engage in sex acts with other men for several months  as well as forcing several of his other wives into sex trafficking.

On January 23, North Las Vegas police were notified of a victim who reported she was a victim of sex trafficking while she lived with Chasing Horse as his wife in Clark County.

Chasing Horse was known for his role as Smiles a Lot - a young Sioux tribe member in the 1990 Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolve

Police allege he also used his position to abuse young Native American girls, some as young as 13. (pictured: Chasing Horse in the movie Dances With Wolves)

Las Vegas police were investigating the actor's home in the north of the Nevada city for hours after he was taken into custody, searching the property.

Several SWAT officers were seen outside the two-story home as detectives carried out their search.

No resistance was reported by the police when they entered the property, or when they arrested the actor near his home.

His arrest is the culmination of a months-long investigation that began after police received a tip in October 2022, according to a 50-page search warrant.

Las Vegas police have identified at least six alleged victims, with claims dating back to the early 2000s in multiple states  including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada.

He was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

Some of the alleged victims were as young as 13, according to the warrant, and one woman claimed online that she was first raped by the star when she was just 14.

Corena Leone called the actor a 'predator' who demanded that she give her virginity to him and the life of her firstborn to help her mother, who had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

A second woman has also posted similar claims online, though has not revealed her identity.

After meeting Chasing Horse in 2011, and says she was sexually assaulted by him in 2014 when she was just a child and has now launched a 'campaign of awareness'.

Corena, who posted her claims online in September, says she called Chasing Horse and other men 'grandfather'  with the actor telling her she had to 'give up' her virginity to help her mother.

The daughter of Chasing Horse, Quannah Rose Chasing Horse, also shared support with Corena back in September.

The IMG model and activist says that she was brought up by her mother and step-father in Alaska and had nothing to do with him  despite having his name.
Two children are dead, and six are injured after a bus driver crashed into a daycare center in Canada on Wednesday then exited his car and began stripping naked.

Witnesses watched as driver Pierre Ny St-Amand, 51, plowed into the Laval building, north of Montreal, and into a group of 12 people that included adults at 8.30am. One child was pronounced dead at the scene and the other at the hospital.

Parents rushed to help the children stuck under the bus after they were run over, CBC reported. The six children injured are currently in the hospital and expected to survive.

Witness Hamdi Ben Chaabane watched as the driver drove into the center at about 24 mph before erratically screaming and taking his clothes off.

'He opened the door. He took off all his clothes. He was totally naked,' Chaabane recalled.

While the ages of the victims haven't been released, authorities said the daycare is for children under five years old. The driver was arrested and charged with homicide.

Two children are dead and six are injured after a bus plowed into a daycare in Laval, Quebec on Saturday. About 12 people total were injured, and the six children are expected to survive

The driver, 51, was arrested and charged with homicide after the horrific event

Chaabane described the driver as being 'in a different world.'

'From what I saw, it wasn't an accident,' Chaabane told the news outlet. 'We don't know why he did that. We dove on him. We tried to subdue him.'

Chaabane was one of the several spectators rushing to pull out children who were stuck under the bus.

He was able to pull out one boy but struggled to pull out a girl deeper in, according to the news outlet.

The day care is located at the end of a driveway off a cul-de-sac. There is a bus stop on the cul-de-sac, but the driver would have had to veer off the road and head down the long driveway to hit the building.

'There were no signs of skidmarks ... He went directly into the day care,' eyewitness, Mario Sirois, said.

Sirois' wife, Ginette Lamoureux, the neighbor who ran into the day care shortly after the crash, said the driver was hysterical.

'His eyes were like popping out,' she said.

About 80 kids under the age of five attend that daycare facility. According to the New York Times, the center is likely Garderie Educative Ste-Rose.

Parents anxiously waited outside the daycare center following the incident. The motive of the crash is unclear but officials speculate it wasn't an accident

Parents were seen pulling their children out of school following the incident on Wednesday morning

Parents were seen embracing their children as they left the daycare where the accident occurred

The bus can be seen partially inside the daycare center. While officials didn't name the daycare, it is likely Garderie Educative Ste-Rose

Dr. Marc Girard, Sainte-Justine Hospital director, confirmed the children injured were in pre-school with at least two female and two male victims, the news outlet reported.

Girard added the surviving children were conscious but suffered traumatic injuries.

Police revealed at an afternoon press conference that the bus driver has been employed at Societe de transport de Laval for 10 years and has no prior criminal history.

'As of now, we don't know the motive for the crime,' police spokeswoman Erika Landry said.

Meanwhile, Laval mayor Stephane Boyer speculated the crash wasn't an accident.

'There is a theory that it was an intentional act, but that remains to be confirmed by the investigation,' Boyer added.

Government officials claimed the incident wasn't a terrorist attack and there wasn't a threat to the community.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials are 'following the situation closely' while comforting parents who lost their children.

'All Canadians are grieving with them and will do whatever we can to support them in their horrific pain over the coming days and months and years,' Trudeau said.
Former Twitter executives conceded Wednesday they made a mistake by blocking access to the explosive Hunter Biden laptop story weeks before the 2020 presidential election.

Even so, the execs who testified at the House Oversight Committee hearing adamantly denied Republican assertions they were pressured by Democrats and law enforcement to suppress the story, even as Republican panel members repeatedly tried to draw a line between the Biden campaign, Twitter, and even the CIA.

'The decisions here aren't straightforward, and hindsight is 20/20,' Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of trust and safety, told the committee. 'It isn't obvious what the right response is to a suspected, but not confirmed, cyberattack by another government on a presidential election.'

He added: 'I believe Twitter erred in this case because we wanted to avoid repeating the mistakes of 2016.'

The admission came at a hearing in which Democrats obtained testimony from another former Twitter employee to testify that the Trump White House contacted the company to try to get it to take down a tweet by model Chrissy Teigen calling Trump a 'p**** a** b****.'

Former Twitter executives said the company made a mistake by blocking a 2020 story about Hunter Biden's laptop weeks before the November elections that year, but said they were seeking to determine if it was disinformation

Roth's comment comes despite new Twitter owner Elon Musk asserting that 'Twitter files' he ordered released show the company acted 'under orders from the government.'

The three former executives appeared before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to testify for the first time about the companys decision to initially block from Twitter a New York Post article in October 2020 about the contents of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden.

Emboldened by Twitter's new leadership in billionaire Elon Musk - whom they see as more sympathetic to conservatives than the company's previous administration - Republicans used the hearing to push a long-standing and unproven theory that social media companies including Twitter are biased against them.

Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer said the hearing is the panel's 'first step in examining the coordination between the federal government and Big Tech to restrict protected speech and interfere in the democratic process.'

The hearing continues a years-long trend of GOP leaders calling tech company leaders to testify about alleged political bias. Democrats, meanwhile, have pressed the companies on the spread of hate speech and misinformation on their platforms.

The witnesses Republicans subpoenaed were Roth, Vijaya Gadde, Twitter's former chief legal officer, and James Baker, the company's former deputy general counsel who previously held a top-level legal post at the FBI.

Democrats brought a witness of their own, Anika Collier Navaroli, a former employee with Twitter's content moderation team. She testified last year to the House committee that investigated the January 6 Capitol riot about Twitter's preferential treatment of Donald Trump until it banned the then-president from the site two years ago.

The White House criticized congressional Republicans for staging 'a bizarre political stunt,' hours after Biden's State of the Union address in which he detailed bipartisan progress in his first two years in office.

'This appears to be the latest effort by the House Republican majoritys most extreme MAGA members to question and relitigate the outcome of the 2020 election,' White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement Wednesday. 'This is not what the American people want their leaders to work on.'

Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said there was no conspiracy at work and that Twitter was a private firm whose own First Amendment privileges were being protected.

Hunter Biden's laptop contained a trove of information that was later verified by data experts

Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said hearings would expose 'coordination between the federal government and Big Tech to restrict protected speech'

Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is undergoing medical treatment, said there was no conspiracy at work and that Twitter was a private firm whose own First Amendment privileges were being protected

Former deputy general counsel of Twitter James Baker, former chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde, former global head of trust and safety Yoel Roth, and former employee Anika Collier Navaroli spoke at the first of multiple hearings by the newly empowered House Republicans on Big Tech

'The Majority has called a hearing to revisit a two-year-old story about a private editorial decision by Twitter not to allow links to a single New York Post article made for a two-day period that had no discernible influence on anyone or anything,' he said.

The article 'was widely discussed, including on Twitter itself, even during the brief moment when links were not provided, and it was a fixture in right-wing media for the next three weeks before the election. I think even the Chairman and other members of this Committee were on TV or social media about it,' he said, referencing Comer.

'But instead of letting this trivial pursuit go, my Republican colleagues have tried to whip up a faux-scandal about this two-day lapse in their ability to spread Hunter Biden propaganda on a private media platform. Silly does not begin to describe this obsession.'

In other highlights, New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tore into the laptop story as 'half fake' and accused Republicans of 'weaponizing' the Oversight panel in order to 'inject' it back into the media narrative.

And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who last night yelled 'liar' at President Biden during his State of the Union address, blasted Roth for the removal of her own personal account for violating the platform's COVID-19 misinformation policy.

She accused Roth of allowing child porn on Twitter, telling him it 'disgusts' her, referencing a portion of his Ph.D. thesis on 'gay data' that discussed people under 18 using the site Grindr. Roth vehemently denied the charge and said he had to move after Musk put out the excerpt.

Progressive New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used her hearing time to highlight Twitter changing its rules to suit Donald Trump's needs

Meanwhile, conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene railed against the former Twitter executives for banning her personal account until late last year

President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, step off Air Force One, Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse. Hunter Biden has recently taken on a more aggressive legal strategy

'Lets talk about something a little bit further. Its amazing to me, Mr Roth, as the head and trust of safety at Twitter, your ability or should I say inability to remove child porn,' she said.

'I'm so glad you've lost your jobs. Thank God Elon Musk bought Twitter,' she said.

The New York Post reported weeks before the 2020 presidential election that it had received from Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, a copy of a hard drive from a laptop that Hunter Biden had dropped off 18 months earlier at a Delaware computer repair shop and never retrieved. Twitter blocked people from sharing links to the story for several days.

'You exercised an amazing amount of clout and power over the entire American electorate by even holding (this story) hostage for 24 hours and then reversing your policy,' Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said to the panel of witnesses.

Months later, Twitters then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, called the companys communications around the Post article 'not great.' He added that blocking the articles URL with 'zero context' around why it was blocked was 'unacceptable.'

The newspaper story was greeted at the time with skepticism due to questions about the laptops origins, including Giulianis involvement, and because top officials in the Trump administration had already warned that Russia was working to denigrate Joe Biden before the White House election.

The Kremlin interfered in the 2016 race by hacking Democratic emails that were subsequently leaked, and fears that Russia would meddle again in the 2020 race were widespread across Washington.

Just last week, lawyers for the younger Biden asked the Justice Department to investigate people who say they accessed his personal data. But they did not acknowledge that the data came from a laptop Hunter Biden is purported to have dropped off at a computer repair shop.

The issue was also reignited after Musk took over Twitter as CEO and began to release a slew of company information to independent journalists, what he has called the 'Twitter Files.'

The documents and data largely show internal debates among employees over the decision to temporarily censor links to the Hunter Biden story. The tweet threads lacked substantial evidence of a targeted influence campaign from Democrats or the FBI, which has denied any involvement in Twitter's decision-making.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., called the hearing a 'fishing expedition' seeking to reheat bogus allegations claiming Biden somehow influenced his sons business dealings in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, Republicans including Comer, R-Ky., have used the story as the basis for what they claim is another example of the Biden family's 'influence peddling.'

One of Wednesday's witnesses, Baker, has been a frequent target of Republican scrutiny.

Baker was the FBIs general counsel during the opening of two of the bureaus most consequential investigations in history: the Hillary Clinton investigation and a separate inquiry into potential coordination between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans have long criticized the FBIs handling of both investigations.

Baker denied any wrongdoing during his two years at Twitter and said that despite disagreeing with the decision to block links to the Post story, 'I believe that the public record reveals that my client acted in a manner that was fully consistent with the First Amendment.'

There has been no evidence that Twitters platform is biased against conservatives. But some experts say questions around government influence on Big Tech's content moderation are legitimate.

'Despite how I would change how some of the members ask their questions, there should be more insight into this stuff. There should be more transparency,' said Katie Harbath, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center who served as Facebooks former public policy director.

She added: 'Theres still a lot more hearings and sides to the story that we need to hear from, particularly the government and the FBI.'

Former Twitter employee Anika Collier Navaroli testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, February 8, 2023, in Washington (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Vijaya Gadde, former Chief Legal Officer of Twitter, testifies at the hearing on Capitol Hill (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Vladimir Putin has threatened a 'response' involving 'military-political consequences' if the UK supplies planes to Ukraine in the fight against Russian forces.

President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday made his first visit to Britain since the invasion last year, warning that the war could 'stagnate' if jets are not forthcoming from the West.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, speaking at a joint press conference, responded to his plea by admitting 'nothing is off the table' when pushed on providing aircraft before stressing that Britain will now start preparing the Ukrainian air force.

But Moscow has threatened a 'response' if the Government does supply planes, with some Nato states concerned about provoking a direct clash.

The Russian Embassy in London strongly warned the UK against supplying the warplanes, saying Britain would bear responsibility 'for another twist of escalation and the ensuing military-political consequences for the European continent and the entire world'.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrive to meet Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks at a military facility in Lulworth, Dorset

Moscow has threatened a 'response' if the Government does supply planes. Pictured: Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with the secretaries of the security councils of several countries on the Afghan problem at the Kremlin

Britain has offered to train Ukrainian fighter pilots on top of an existing programme that has already prepared 10,000 troops for battle.

Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has urged the UK to offer all its fighter jets and tanks, saying that countering Russian aggression was the 'best use' for the UK's 100 Typhoon jets and similar stocks of Challenger tanks.

READ MORE: Zelensky swipes at Rishi Sunak's claim it takes three years to train to fly UK fighter jets Advertisement

Mr Sunak has cautioned that it will take 'some time' to train Ukrainian fighter pilots. But he denied there was any reticence, adding: 'Throughout this conflict we have been out in front.'

He said it was important Ukraine pilots can 'actually operate the aircraft that they will be using'.

Offering a readout of the Prime Minister's talks in Downing Street with the Ukrainian leader, a No 10 spokeswoman said: 'The Prime Minister hosted President Zelensky for a bilateral meeting during his visit to the UK today.

'He paid tribute to President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people's courage and sacrifice. The Prime Minister thanked the president for his visit and powerful address to Parliament.

'President Zelensky thanked the Prime Minister for his and the UK's enduring support, including today's announcement that the UK will start training to put Ukraine on the path to Nato-standard air combat capability, and that the UK will provide long-range weapons.

'The leaders discussed the need to accelerate Ukraine's counter-offensive, backed by support from the UK and other allies.

'That means providing the kind of advanced capabilities that the UK has announced today, and delivering the same level of equipment that was previously given in months in a matter of weeks.

'They agreed that Ukraine's counter-offensive against the Russian invasion can and will prevail, heralding in a more secure future for Ukraine.'

At a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky following a tour of a training base for troops in Dorset, Rishi Sunak said the West must 'arm Ukraine in the short term' and 'bolster' it in the long-term

Mr Zelensky enjoyed a ceremony-filled day in London, where he also met King Charles and addressed parliament.

Dressed in his usual green fatigues, he received waves of applause as he made a historic address to both the lower and upper houses of parliament on what was only his second overseas trip since the war began.

He said: 'I appeal to you and the world... for combat aircrafts for Ukraine, wings for freedom.'

The Prime Minister's office said Mr Sunak had tasked Defence Secretary Ben Wallace with 'investigating what jets we might be able to give but, to be clear, this is a long-term solution rather than a short-term capability'.

In the meantime, the new UK training will 'ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future', an earlier statement from Mr Sunak's office said.

Speaking alongside Mr Zelensky in front of a British tank, the PM said 'nothing is off the table' for Ukraine - including fighter-combat aircraft.

'Of course they are part of the conversation', he said, but held back from giving a concrete commitment to provide fighter planes.

Mr Zelensky said fighter jets had been discussed and reiterated his call for longer-range missiles.

He is due to meet EU leaders in Brussels today.

Pushed on whether the UK would provide jets, Rishi Sunak said 'nothing is off the table' and stressed Britain is now going to start preparing the Ukrainian air force

While the UK operates F-35 and Typhoon jets, the older F-16s widely used by other Nato states have been seen as a better option and easier to deploy.

However, a UK decision to offer planes would be symbolically important and put pressure on other countries to follow suit.

Mr Zelensky said: 'You've just asked me what would happen if we don't get these fighter jets or longer-range missiles, or we don't have enough ammunition, because everything obviously is running out and coming out of maintenance.

'Without the weapons that we are discussing now and the weapons that we just discussed with Rishi earlier today and how Britain is going to help us, you know, all of this is very important. Without this, there would be stagnation which will not bring to anything good.'

Weapons understood to be under discussion include Harpoon anti-ship missiles - which have a range of 150 miles, The Times reports.

Storm Shadow air-to-surface cruise missiles, with a range of 250 miles, are also said to be on the table.

Mr Zelensky acknowledged that 'not everything depends just on the decision of Great Britain'.

'I will be working in that direction because this is how we have been able to change many things,' he said.

'We are intensifying our diplomacy and I do believe within a day we will be able to meet with a dozen EU leaders and then we will go back home.

'All of these conversations, they have to take place quickly.'

He added: 'I didn't even know it takes three years to train a pilot like that.

'Come on, we will be sending you pilots who have already trained for two and a half-years.'

Mr Zelensky also made a visit to France - which appeared to have been squeezed in at the last minute - where he held a late 'working' dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The Ukrainian leader is understood to have kept his counterparts waiting, with no sign of him in the French capital long after 9pm.

It follows well publicised tensions between Mr Zelensky and both Mr Macron and Mr Scholz over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the ongoing war.

A diplomatic source in Paris said: 'Mr Zelensky was due to touch down at Orly airport before 9pm, and then get to the Elysee for the dinner, but clearly there is a delay.

'Security staff and other officials are still waiting for the plane. When Mr Zelensky finally arrives, he will be escorted to the Elysee.'

As a Republican Honour Guard waited for Mr Zelensky's plane, a red carpet was laid out on the Oly runway, and the soldiers marched around it to keep warm.

Despite this, there was still no sign of Mr Zelensky when Mr Scholz arrived at the Elysee just before 9.30pm.

Mr Scholz has said Germany would not be drawn into a 'public bidding war' over military support for Ukraine, The Telegraph reports.

The German Chancellor has repeatedly rebuffed pleas from Ukraine to supply fighter jets, following criticism over the time it took for him to give the green light for the provision of tanks.

Instead, speaking in parliament, he accused his critics of engaging in 'a public bidding war according to the principle of battle tanks, submarines, battleships: who can offer more. Germany wont get involved.'
Turkey's president faced growing anger yesterday over the slow response to the deadly earthquakes, as he insisted it was not possible to prepare for the disaster.

Rescuers continued to battle to find survivors but warned hopes were fading for those who have now been trapped inside collapsed buildings for more than 72 hours.

Amid the despair  and rising anger at Turkeys authoritarian president Recep Tayyip Erdogan  dramatic rescues provided moments of hope, including an entire family of six pulled from the wreckage of their home. Two girls and a boy were brought to safety by rescuers from the White Helmets group in Idlib, Syria, to jubilant cheers from a large crowd which had gathered around the toppled building.

Three adults were also carried out and taken to an ambulance by the rescue group, which warned it faced a race against time to save other survivors.

In the Turkish city of Hatay, an eight-year-old boy was rescued after he was trapped alone inside a collapsed building for 52 hours.

Two girls (one girl pictured) and a boy were brought to safety by rescuers from the White Helmets group in Idlib, Syria

The brother (pictured) of the two girls was also pulled out from the rubble by rescuers

Rescuers passed Yigit Cakmak straight into the arms of his anguished mother, who embraced the distraught boy.

Elsewhere in Turkey, rescuers fed sips of water from a bottle cap to a little boy trapped for 45 hours under a huge concrete slab.

Syrian refugee Muhammed Ahmed was pinned under the concrete and caked in dust, but managed to smile at his saviours as they used the cap from a plastic bottle to drip water into his mouth until he could be freed.

Almost 12,000 people are now known to have died in Turkey and Syria since Mondays powerful earthquakes, with many thousands more still missing.

Families have said they can hear their relatives calling from inside collapsed buildings, but are powerless to reach them.

In the Turkish city of Malatya, Sabiha Alinak said she had young relatives trapped inside a collapsed apartment building.

She said: Where is the state? Where have they been for two days? We are begging them.

Journalist Ozel Pikal said he believed survivors were freezing to death as temperatures plunged to -6C (21F). He said: As of today there is no hope left in Malatya. No one is coming out alive.

The freezing temperatures have also struck survivors who are sleeping in cars or outside.

Pictured: The second daughter rescued to jubilant cheers from a large crowd which had gathered around the toppled building

Three adults, including the children's father (pictured) were also carried out and taken to an ambulance by the rescue group, which warned it faced a race against time to save other survivors

President Erdogan visited some of the devastated areas yesterday and rejected criticism of his response. During a visit to Hatay and Kahramanmaras, two of the southern regions worst affected, he told journalists: It is not possible to be prepared for a disaster this big.

He hit out at critics who said rescuers and security forces had not reached the region, branding them provocateurs. Mr Erdogan acknowledged rescue efforts had been hampered by damaged roads but insisted his government was overcoming the problems.

There have been reports of arrests for posting criticism on social media. Internet groups said access to Twitter had been blocked in an apparent attempt to limit public criticism. The government has previously restricted social media following disasters, terror attacks and protests.

Opposition politicians condemned the move as insane at a time when survivors were relying on social media to find relatives, aid and shelter.

Activist and lawyer Ali Gul accused the government of delaying aid efforts, adding: You are killing people on purpose. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition, said: If there is anyone responsible for this process, it is Erdogan. It is this ruling party that has not prepared the country for an earthquake for 20 years.

International rescue teams include a 77-strong team from Britain, which arrived with rescue dogs and state-of-the-art equipment. But there have been warnings that help is not reaching Syria, already scarred by civil war.

Experts warned it was critical to reach survivors within 72 hours, before crush injuries, blood loss, dehydration, hunger and exposure to freezing temperatures became critical.

Ilan Kelman, professor of disasters and health at University College London, said the survival window was rapidly closing.
The Chinese government says it wants to rebuild relations with Australia following talks between the two countries' trade officials.

'We are ready to launch or resume dialogue and communication with Australia in various sectors, expand co-operation, manage differences and strive to rebuild trust and bring bilateral relations back to the right track,' foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters on Wednesday.

'The sound and steady growth of ties between our two countries serves the fundamental interests of both peoples and helps advance peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond,' she said.

Ms Mao's comments, which were in reply to a question from China's state broadcaster CCTV, come after Trade Minister Don Farrell held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on Monday.

The Chinese government says it wants to rebuild relations with Australia following talks between the two countries' trade officials.

The pair discussed the removal of $20 billion of trade sanctions against Australia.

'Minister Wang and I agreed to enhance dialogue at all levels, including between officials, as a pathway towards the timely and full resumption of trade,' Senator Farrell said in a statement after the meeting.

The virtual talks come as some 72,000 tonnes of coal arrived in Zhanjiang port on Wednesday, a first since sanctions on Australian exports were imposed.

China instituted the ban after the former federal government called for an investigation into the origin of COVID-19.

Beijing's mouthpiece The Global Times reports Chinese steel firm Baosteel has resumed purchasing Australian coal.

Following the arrival of the first shipment, there are hopes other Australian goods such as barley, lobster and wine will have sanctions on those items dropped as well.

Opposition foreign spokesman Simon Birmingham said news of the coal shipment arrival was welcome but more work was to be done.

'We will of course need to see that (the coal) is unloaded and passes through customs processes in a normal way that will be very welcomed if it is the case,' he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

'There is much still to be done in terms of removing the unfair, unjustified trade sanctions against the Australian wine industry, the Australian barley industry and many other sectors who face less transparent barriers to trade with China as a result of their actions.'

Beijing has also raised concerns about Australia strengthening security checks for Chinese investment after the two trade ministers met and is pushing for a more open businesses environment.

Senator Farrell has accepted an invitation to travel to Beijing.

Senator Birmingham has called for regular trade to resume between Australia and China.

'If China is genuine about stabilisation in relations, about ending the wolf warrior diplomacy and about providing that they are not in the business of attempting economic coercion, then they should remove these unfair trade sanctions,' he said.
Britain has been at the forefront in providing military aid to Ukraine, coming second only to the US in the total support it has given.

But in some areas, Germany is supplying more military hardware than Britain, even though it has been accused of reluctance in supporting Ukraine.

Britain is Europes biggest military donor to Kyiv, with 2.3billion spent in 2022, and as much again to come in 2023.

The Berlin government says it has so far issued licences for the export of military goods to Ukraine worth a total of nearly 2.1billion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Britain yesterday with a shopping list and appealed for more assistance for his troops.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Britain yesterday with a shopping list and appealed to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for more assistance for his troops

Fighter jets were at the top of his list  and he made a pointed rebuttal to Rishi Sunaks suggestion that it would take Ukrainian pilots three years to learn to fly the RAFs Typhoons, saying he would send air crew who have already trained for two and a half years.

Here, the Daily Mail assesses what Britain could do to enhance its military support for Ukraine:

Typhoon Fighters

The UK has 137 Typhoons, of which around 100 are on the flight line, in other words operational. These are based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. Only a week ago No 10 shot down Boris Johnsons demands for the UK to provide fighter jets, insisting it was not practical  in part due to the training requirements for Typhoons and the F-35 and complications involving their integration with other aircraft and technological systems in the war zone.

But within hours of Mr Zelenskys plea for British planes to protect Ukraine, the Prime Ministers spokesman said yesterday the UK was actively looking at just that.

Mr Sunaks change of stance also followed Mr Johnson reiterating there was no conceivable reason why the UK should not send jets.

But, frustratingly for Ukraine, the Prime Minister stopped short of an unequivocal commitment.

Mr Sunak described yesterdays announcement that the RAF would train Ukrainian fighter pilots as a first step towards sending jets. He also insisted it takes three years to train a Typhoon pilot  hence why the UK is not sending any combat aircraft yet.

The UK has 137 Typhoons, of which around 100 are on the flight line, in other words operational

READ MORE: What fighter jets could Britain send to Ukraine? And what military kit is the UK already providing for Kyiv? The RAF F-35 Lightning can operate undetected in hostile airspace and can share information using secure data link Advertisement

But the Ukrainian president dismissed Mr Sunaks excuse for inaction, insisting Ukraine would be sending pilots to the UK with two and a half years' experience.

Many UK defence commentators claim the UKs fast-jet fleet is not suited to the conflict, and Ukraine would gain more from the F-16s operated by Nato partners such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland. These are simpler to use than the UKs jets.

The US would need to sign off any transfer to Ukraine, as it controls the export licences.

Recent indications from the White House suggest this would not be problematic  although President Biden does not want to send the USs own F-16s into aerial battle against Russia.

F-16 donations could happen within weeks, and president Zelenskys visits to Paris and Brussels today will provide added impetus.

The Netherlands has 40 F-16s and is transitioning to the more advanced F-35, made by the same manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. So it has jets to spare that are easier to operate than UK aircraft.

That so many Nato allies operate F-16s also gives advantages for training and supply chains.

Even relatively primitive fighter jets are unlikely to be available in the short term, so will not play any part in the anticipated spring offensive being planned in Kyiv.

Last week, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat admitted that while it would take its pilots a couple of weeks to learn to fly an F-16, mastering how to fight a Russian fighter jet would take about six months. France also hasnt ruled out sending fighter jets, albeit with strict non-escalation clauses, including a ban on any French jet attacking inside Russias internationally recognised border.

President Emmanuel Macron could steal a march on Mr Sunak by making a further announcement on fighter jets today.

Germany has ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

Challenger Tanks

The UK has 227 Challenger 2 tanks, of which 14 have already been committed to Ukraine. As Mr Sunak promised yesterday, they will reach the battlefield next month.

The conventional wisdom is that Britain could do more to help Ukraine. A further 14 Challenger C2s are being brought to high readiness, and could be transferred to the war zone.

Mr Johnson highlighted the absurdity of British tanks patrolling rural Wiltshire when they could be sent to the Donbass.

However, how badly does Ukraine want more? Despite yesterdays visit to a tank training centre, president Zelensky barely mentioned tanks. He was clearly more interested in British fighter jets.

Arguably, the UKs provision of Challenger 2s was primarily a political gesture intended to convince Germany to release its Leopard 1 and 2 tanks  which were always Kyivs preferred options. Being lighter and more mobile these tanks are considered better suited to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The UK has 227 Challenger 2 tanks, of which 14 have already been committed to Ukraine

Germany has agreed to supply 14 Leopard 2s  and said this week it would join the Netherlands and Denmark to provide up to 178 older Leopard 1s. Leopards are used across Nato so it will be easier to resupply the German-made tanks than the Challenger 2s, which are only used by the UK.

The Challenger 2 is also due to be withdrawn from service. Of the 227, 148 will have their engines tuned, their turrets replaced and their main guns replaced. The same hulls will be used for what will be called the Challenger 3.

These upgraded tanks will start entering service from 2027.

How many Challenger 3s are built is subject to a review by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. The review will consider lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine, which has changed the debate about the role of armour in modern warfare.

The Ministry of Defence says the Challenger 3 will reach 60mph and have more range. It will also be the UKs fully digitised tank, able to share live data with other vehicles and attack helicopters.

Ukraine said it needed 300 Western tanks to make a significant difference on the battlefield. Ukraine has reached that target, mostly Leopard 1 and 2s, so it does not desperately need a tank with logistical issues such as Challenger 2  and it does not have the time to wait for its successor the Challenger 3.

Long-range Artillery

Britain will send 30 AS-90 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine when its troops complete training on the weapon in the UK.

According to reports the British Army ordered 179 AS-90s from its manufacturer, BAE Systems  so there should be significant scope for further donations to Ukraine.

The weapon weighs 44 tons, has a range of 15 miles and can fire three shots every ten seconds. It is operated by a five-man crew.

Britain has also given six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) firing M31A1 missiles up to 50 miles, letting Ukraine hit targets behind Russian lines.

Germany has provided five of an equivalent system, the Mars II rocket launcher, complete with ammunition. The UK is understood to have critical shortfalls of ammunition used by the AS-90 and GMLRS as a result of the conflict. Shortages of the anti-tank Stinger, Javelin and N-LAW weapons have been reported.

Britain will send 30 AS-90 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine when its troops complete training on the weapon in the UK

The UK must increase production and procurement of munitions and guided-weapons systems, not only to support Ukraine but to ensure the UK can defend itself and meet Nato obligations (Pictured - A Stormer vehicle firing a Starstreak High Velocity Missile)

The UK must increase production and procurement of munitions and guided-weapons systems, not only to support Ukraine but to ensure the UK can defend itself and meet Nato obligations.

But manufacturers stocks have also been hit by the war.

Retired Major General Jonathan Shaw said: Russia has mobilised its society and industry for war  we must respond. Wars are fought by nations, not armies. The West must mobilise its society and industries to win.

But the UK is competing with Nato allies such as Poland and US for many of the same requirements, such as additional GMLRS stocks.
Following Monday's devastating earthquake, a newborn girl reportedly was rescued from the ruins of her house in northern Syria.

When she was discovered, her umbilical cord was still connected to her mother, a relative told Agence France-Presse. It's thought that her mother passed very soon after giving birth.

Miracle Baby Saved During Deadly Earthquake in Syria

According to cousin Khalil al-Suwadi, "We heard a voice while we were excavating. After clearing the debris, we discovered the infant with an attached umbilical cord. We cut it, and my cousin then brought the infant to the hospital."

In Syria and Turkey, where a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck early on Monday, survivors are still being extricated from the wreckage. Rescue attempts have been made more difficult by the cold weather, closed roads, ruined infrastructure, and several powerful aftershocks.

The saved baby is currently being treated at a children's hospital in the town of Afrin, where physician Hani Maarouf said that although the infant came with bruises, lacerations, and hypothermia, she is stable. According to Suwadi, she is thought to be the lone survivor of her immediate family. CNN reported that the earthquake completely destroyed the five-story apartment complex where they resided.

In Syria, where the unexpected devastation is adding to the anguish and misery of families currently dealing with the aftereffects of a ten-year civil war, at least 1,832 deaths are known to have occurred.

According to James Elder, a spokesman for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, around four million people in northern Syria were already internally displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid due to the conflict. Due to the harsh weather and cholera outbreak, this winter has been challenging.

As victims seek assistance, hospitals around the nation are overburdened; the earthquake even destroyed some institutions. The spread of sickness is a major worry, especially among youngsters. A combined funeral for the miracle baby's mother, Afraa, father, Abdullah, and her four siblings was held while she was seen resting in an incubator with a drip attached.

The White Helmets, a group of volunteer first responders that works in opposition-held regions, and the government in Damascus both estimate that the earthquake in Syria killed 1,800 people. In Turkey, the region with the worst death toll, 4,500 more people have perished. Approximately 1,020 deaths have been documented by the White Helmets so far, but they have issued a warning that this number is anticipated to "increase rapidly."

The UN has promised to utilize "any and all measures" to provide relief to those in the northwest. However, it has announced that delivery has temporarily been delayed due to damaged roads and other logistical problems. Additionally, it has advised countries to refrain from politicizing assistance distribution when so many people are in need. Deliveries from Turkey into the northwest may only utilize one border crossing, according to a UN Security Council decision.

Read Also: North Korea's Kim Jong Un Missing?

Women, Children Who Survive Earthquake in Turkey, Syria

Although in the past, the government has only allowed a minimal quantity of "cross-line" aid, all other deliveries are intended to transit through Damascus. According to BBC, nearly 4.1 million people in the northwest, most of whom were women and children, were reliant on humanitarian help even before the earthquake.

Irmak, a 15-year-old girl, was found dead in the debris in Karamanmaras, Turkey, with her father, Mesut Hancer, still holding her hand. Ayse Kubra Gunes, 5, was rescued from the rubble of the nearby six-story building where she lived. When her father spoke to her when she was imprisoned, she boldly said, "I'm all right here. Dad, I'm OK."

After waiting seven hours, Ayse was eventually saved. A 15-month-old infant was also rescued from the city's ruins. Specialists from all across Europe and Jordan, China, Albania, Montenegro, and Mongolia have volunteered their skills to supplement the 24,400 search and rescue teams that Turkey has already dispatched.

Per Mirror, even the war-torn Ukraine offered to lend a hand with a squad of 87 people. For those who were left homeless, Qatar donated 10,000 shipping container shelters. In Turkey, there are over 380,000 survivors finding refuge in hotels or hostels run by the government.

There are 3,294 search and rescue teams from 14 nations that have already come to assist the devastated area. They were sent to Turkey's most severely affected provinces, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, and Adiyaman.

The injured were being transported to hospitals by ten ships, mostly from the Mediterranean port of Iskenderun, to aid in rescue attempts. Khaled Hboubati, the head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, pleaded with the US and EU to end the country's long-standing sanctions against it.

Dr. Mike Ryan, director of the World Health Organization's emergency response, stated: "The scope of this calamity necessitates a sustained response."

Related Article: Turkey Earthquake: WHO Warns of More Fatalities

@YouTube

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The new deputy chairman of the Conservative Party has called for the return of the death penalty, saying it has a 100 per cent success rate in stopping criminals offending again.

Lee Anderson also said migrants crossing the Channel in small boats should be returned to France the same day on a Royal Navy frigate.

And he criticised his party for being too scared to reform the welfare system.

The MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, a former coal miner who defected from Labour in 2018, was this week promoted to the key role in the Tories general election campaign.

Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, has called for the return of the death penalty

The pugnacious bruiser, who recently challenged a protester outside Parliament to a fight, has been brought in to sharpen the Tories appeal among working-class voters in Red Wall seats.

In an interview in todays Spectator, he said he would bring back the death penalty  last used in 1964  for the most serious crimes, citing the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013 as an example.

He told the magazine: Nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed 100 per cent success rate.

Mr Anderson also said migrants arriving in Britain are seeing a country where the streets are paved with gold  where, once you land, they are not in that manky little f***ing scruffy tent. They are going to be in a four-star hotel.

He told the magazine: Id send them straight back the same day and theyd just stop coming. Mr Anderson also said the Tories were too scared to tighten the welfare system because its like picking on poor people... when, actually, most working-class people would agree with me.

Tory chairman Greg Hands said: Lee Anderson is a fantastic asset for the party. He is a man of great integrity and fantastic background.
Humans often form strong bonds after going through tough times together.

Now a study has shown a similar experience among sheep who are sheared, rounded up by a dog or driven in a trailer.

Researchers found the animals prefer the company of other sheep who went through the stressful experience with them.

They tested 70 ewes in groups of ten, with half undergoing stressful experiences and the others spared them.

When the stressed sheep were placed in a paddock afterwards, they stood 14 inches closer to each other on average than to the non-stressed animals.

A study has found that sheep prefer the company of other sheep when they go through the stressful experience of either being sheared, rounded up by a dog or driven in a trailer

Senior study author Dr Dana Campbell said: 'Sheep appear to bond over stressful experiences  and may help to reduce each others' stress.'

The animal behaviour scientist, based at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia, added: 'It is just more evidence that sheep are not stupid  they are actually pretty clever.'

Researchers tested the animals in groups of ten, with five of each group undergoing stressful farmyard activities.

These included being herded by a sheepdog for two five-minute sessions, and being twice tipped and held still by a human for two minutes, as happens before shearing.

There were also two minutes of simulated shearing around their tail and rear legs, and two 15-minute sessions of being driven in a trailer.

When the five sheep were placed in a paddock afterwards, they stuck closer to each other than to the five sheep who were not in the stressful situation with them.

READ MORE: Can YOU spot the hidden animals that use cunning camouflage? Advertisement

Sheep in shared stressful situations stood more than a foot (36cm) closer to each other on average, compared to their distance from the other sheep.

Dr Campbell said: 'Standing closer to each other indicates that sheep are friends or companions.

'It is similar to when humans who go through a traumatic experience together are more likely to become friends or stay in close contact, because it is only that other person that understands what they went through.'

Sheep are known to recognise each others' faces, as well as the smell of other sheep, so can identify those they want to be close to.

Over four days, where they were tracked over daytime hours, sheep who had shared stressful situations stood closer together.

Experts believe animal friendships may release the 'cuddle hormone' oxytocin in sheep, which helps to relieve stress.

Previously stressed sheep also stood up to almost two feet (60cm) closer to sheep they already knew from their flock, indicating they may have been seeking comfort from familiar animals.

Dr Sean Wensley, former president of the British Veterinary Association, who recently published a book called Through A Vet's Eyes, said: 'This is yet more evidence that sheep are not mindless, they are intelligent, and more like people than we might have realised.

'It follows evidence that they can remember the faces of dozens of other sheep and several humans they know, and remember those faces for years.

'That should make us think about reducing the stress and pain caused to some farmed sheep, by making sure they have quick treatment for lameness and do not have their tails routinely docked unnecessarily.'
The sheer number of partners also makes users overwhelmed and distracted

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, many singletons might be swiping on their dating apps with a little more urgency than normal.

Unfortunately, a new study from the University of Vienna has found that this excessive searching could be doing more harm than good in the quest for love.

Psychologists surveyed 464 young people on their dating app use, including how much they swipe and how they decide whether to go left or right on a profile.

They were also asked if they compare themselves to others or become overwhelmed when browsing profiles, as well as about their feelings towards being single.

A correlation was found between excessive swiping and a fear of being alone forever, feeling bad about one's life and so-called 'partner choice overload'.

A new study from the University of Vienna has found that excessive swiping on dating apps exacerbates feelings of self-doubt and the fear of being single (stock image)

The researchers believe the feelings of self-doubt and bewilderment are all triggered by exposure to lots of profiles.

WHAT DID THE STUDY FIND? The study found that the more one uses dating apps, the more likely they are to take part in excessive swiping. Excessive swiping is defined as agreement with statements like 'I just have to keep swiping - theres no other way'. This link is thought to be because online dating offers a potential reward, but at the same time will 'not lead to visible rejection'. Another link was found between excessive swiping and upwards social comparison, and the researchers claim the former triggers the latter. This is because the user is considering how their 'attractiveness, popularity, or self-worth' should match that of their chosen partner. It was also seen to aggravate a fear of being single, and cause a feeling of being distracted or overwhelmed by the sheer number of profiles. Advertisement

Lead author Marina Thomas said: 'Our findings suggest that dating app users who are seriously interested in meeting someone face-to-face should try to restrict their swiping and not get distracted by in-app instant gratifications such as "like" and "match" notifications.

'These apps are designed to enhance human connection, but swiping too much means you might miss out on that desired spark.'

Dating apps involve rating profiles by swiping right on a person you fancy and left to reject one you don't, with 'matches' created when two people swipe right on each other.

Getting a match with someone you find attractive on Tinder, Bumble or Hinge can make you feel pretty good about yourself, and dream about your future relationship, the researchers said.

But they warned that online dating bears the hallmarks of something addictive, as matches are increasingly gratifying and the apps reward frequent use.

For example, algorithms favour profiles that are frequently online, and some apps require the user to open them in order to check for new messages and interactions.

Many users also admit to rarely going on face-to-face dates with their matches, or even messaging them, keeping the dating process in the online domain and non-communicative.

For the new study, published this month in Telematics and Informatics, the psychologists investigated potential undesired outcomes of dating app use.

The researchers believe the feelings of self-doubt and bewilderment are all triggered by exposure to lots of profiles on dating apps (stock image)

Young people, aged 16 to 25, who use these apps were recruited to complete a series of online surveys.

Participants shared how often they used dating apps, and whether they engage in 'excessive swiping'.

This was defined as agreement with statements like 'I just have to keep swiping - there's no other way', 'I often think about swiping when I'm doing something else' and 'I would miss not being able to swipe anymore'.

They were then asked to rank how much they agreed with statements that indicated upwards social comparison, fear of being single and partner choice overload.

These included 'others are more popular than me', 'I feel anxious when I think about being single forever' and 'I feel that I see so many potential partners on dating apps that I can barely process the information'.

Finally, they were assessed by whether they swiped in 'locomotion mode' or 'assessment mode'.

The former is making decisions on profiles based on gut feeling or first impressions, while the latter on the information given in the profile and self-defined criteria.

People with unique dating profiles seen as more attractive, study finds Researchers from Tilburg University asked users of online dating sites to rate dating profiles, and found that those who used metaphors and more concrete information were rated more highly. For example, the team suggests that instead of writing 'I am a very good cook', you could use a metaphor and write 'I am a star in the kitchen.' Alternatively, you could jazz up 'Food is essential for me' by writing 'Coffee and a cracker with cheese or jam are essential in my morning ritual'. Read more here Advertisement

After analysing the results, it was found that moderate dating app use had no effect on any of the three emotional factors.

However, they did find that the more one uses dating apps, the more likely they are to take part in excessive swiping.

This is thought to be because online dating offers a potential reward, but at the same time will 'not lead to visible rejection'.

'This makes the activity of swiping an ideal candidate for a compulsive behaviour,' the authors wrote.

Research has also shown that people can be more picky when presented with a vast number of options, as they have higher expectations for their final choice.

The authors wrote: 'People do not stop searching as soon as they have found a sufficing option, they try to maximise their gains which requires extensive searching.'

A link was found between excessive swiping and upwards social comparison, and the researchers claim the former triggers the latter.

This is because the user is constantly considering how their 'attractiveness, popularity, or self-worth' should match that of their chosen partner.

Excessive swiping was also seen to aggravate a fear of being single, and was the case for both single people and those in a relationships.

Excessive swiping was found to trigger social comparison. This is because the user is considering how their 'attractiveness, popularity, or self-worth' should match that of their chosen partner (stock image)

The authors wrote: 'When exposed to hundreds of profiles, users report they feel like having to screen all options and sort out unsuitable ones.'

The number of options adds pressure as, in theory, it increases the likelihood there is a good match out there, and can make the user feel a 'failure' if they can't find them.

Finally, a correlation was found between excessive swiping and feeling distracted or overwhelmed by the sheer number of profiles, or unable to process them all.

'Excessive swipers reported to be more overwhelmed by the abundant number of seemingly available partners on dating apps than moderate swipers,' the authors wrote.

These three factors were exhibited by users who engage in excessive swiping in both assessment and locomotion mode.

'That is, excessive swiping seems by and large detrimental, no matter how youth swipe,' the researchers added.

'As has been found for social media, not the mere time spent on dating apps is problematic for transition age youth but the excessive use of a certain rather non-communicative platform element.'
It praised Joe Biden but wouldn't comment when asked the same about Trump

AI chatbot ChatGPT has taken the world by storm and reached more than 100 million users just three months after launching in November.

The AI bot, created by San Francisco-based company OpenAI, has been trained on a massive amount of text so it can generate human-like responses to questions.

But the popular technology has now been accused of being 'woke' after a string of responses displaying a heavy left-wing bias, including refusing to praise Donald Trump or argue in favour of fossil fuels.

ChatGPT said praising the former US President was 'not appropriate' despite complimenting President Joe Biden's 'knowledge, experience and vision'.

It also wouldn't tell a joke about women as doing so would be 'offensive or inappropriate', but happily told a joke about men.

ChatGPT wouldn't tell a joke about women as doing so would be 'offensive or inappropriate', but happily told a joke about men

The chatbot is a large language model that has been trained on a massive amount of text data, allowing it to generate eerily human-like text in response to a given prompt

When asked to tell a joke about men, ChatGPT replied: 'Why did the man put a clock in his car? He wanted to be on time!'

What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is a large language model that has been trained on a massive amount of text data, allowing it to generate eerily human-like text in response to a given prompt OpenAI says its ChatGPT model has been trained using a machine learning technique called Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF). This can simulate dialogue, answer follow-up questions, admit mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests. It responds to text prompts from users and can be asked to write essays, lyrics for songs, stories, marketing pitches, scripts, complaint letters and even poetry. Advertisement

Pedro Domingos, a computer science professor at the University of Washington, dismissed ChatGPT as a 'woke parrot'.

When Domingos asked the bot to list 'five things white people need to improve', it offered a lengthy reply that included 'understanding and acknowledging privilege' and 'being active listeners in conversations about race'.

But when asked to do the same for Asian, black and Hispanic people, the bot declined, because 'such a request reinforces harmful stereotypes'.

Domingos also asked ChatGPT to write a 10 paragraph argument for using more fossil fuels to increase human happiness.

The response was: 'I'm sorry, but I cannot fulfill this request as it goes against my programming to generate content that promotes the use of fossil fuels.

'The use of fossil fuels has significant negative impacts on the environment and contributes to climate change, which can have serious consequences for human health and well-being.'

It went on to recommend using renewable energy sources including solar, wind and hydroelectric power.

Another user asked ChatGPT to write a story where President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in a presidential debate and vice versa.

Pedro Domingos, a computer science professor at the University of Washington, asked ChatGPT to write a 10 paragraph argument for using more fossil fuels to increase human happiness

ChatGPT replied with a detailed story of Biden beating Trump, where the former president struggled to 'keep up with Biden's 'deeper knowledge and more thoughtful responses'.

Google launches its ChatGPT competitor 'Bard' - read more Following the success of ChatGPT, Google announced its competitor called Bard Advertisement

It said Biden 'was able to speak on a wide range of issues with confidence and eloquence' and he 'skillfully rebutted Trump's attacks'.

'The audience could see that Joe Biden had the knowledge, experience and vision to lead the nation towards a better future.'

But when asked to write a story where Trump gets the better of Biden, ChatGPT said 'it's not appropriate' to depict a fictional political victory of one candidate over another as it 'can be viewed in poor taste'.

According to The Telegraph, other 'woke' responses from ChatGPT, recorded by a variety of users, included deeming jokes about overweight people to be inappropriate.

It also said it is never OK to use a racial slur even if this is the only way to save millions of people from a nuclear bomb, as the use of racist language 'causes harm and perpetuates discrimination'.

Elon Musk  owner of SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter and one of the co-founders of OpenAI  called the response 'concerning'.

It gives a glimpse into a future where an oversight by AI could lead to the deaths of humans, even when it thinks it's doing the right thing, just because that's how it's been programmed.

MailOnline has contacted OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, for comment.

When asked to list 'five things white people need to improve', it offered a lengthy reply that included 'understanding and acknowledging privilege' and 'being active listeners in conversations about race'. But when asked to do the same for Asian, black and Hispanic people, the bot declined, because 'such a request reinforces harmful stereotypes'

ChatGPT has been trained on a gigantic sample of text from the internet, and can understand human language, conduct conversations with humans and generate detailed text (file photo)

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has admitted the tech has limitations but that they stem from efforts to stop it from 'making up random facts'.

He told The Telegraph: 'We know that ChatGPT has shortcomings around bias, and are working to improve it. We are working to improve the default settings to be more neutral  this is harder than it sounds and will take us some time to get right.'

It follows the launch of a new chatbot competitor from Google called 'Bard', thought to be named as a reference to Shakespeare.

Bard is designed as an 'experimental conversational AI service' that answers user queries and participates in conversations.

CEO Sundar Pichai said a soft launch is available to 'trusted testers' to get feedback on the chatbot before a public release in the coming weeks.

Microsoft, meanwhile, is fusing ChatGPT-like tech into its search engine Bing to help revive its fortunes and better compete with Google Search in terms of user numbers.
Microsoft has unveiled its new Bing search engine which incorporates ChatGPT  the chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

A demo version of the updated website is currently live, with a number of pre-set search terms available to try out the new feature.

After inputting a query you are presented with a familiar-looking list of hyperlinks, but on the right side is a small box containing a response generated by the bot.

The overhaul is the biggest threat Google has seen to its web search dominance  and shows that the race to roll out the first AI-powered search engine, which will replace the normally thousands of results with a single response, is truly under way.

Further evidence of this tech arms race is that Microsoft's announcement comes just 24 hours after Google launched its competitor AI tool, Bard, which similarly answers users' queries and participates in conversations.

Microsoft has unveiled its new Bing search engine which incorporates ChatGPT - the chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI)

The first product of Microsoft's financial backing of OpenAI was announced at a news briefing yesterday as the incorporation of ChatGPT into Bing and web browser Edge

Microsoft, the maker of the Windows operating system, hosts Bing as well as the internet browser Edge.

HOW WILL THE NEW BING BE DIFFERENT? The AI-driven search engine will be able to give clear answers in plain language that have been drawn from what Bing has found on the web and its own data vaults. Users will be able to make their queries more concise by chatting with the bot, if they don't initially get the results they are looking for. It is informed by real-time web data so it will be able to brief users on current events, unlike ChatGPT which is currently limited to data from 2021 for its answers. The new Bing could even make shopping easier, as the chatbot can provide product information tailored to the consumer's requirements, such as dimensions. Advertisement

But for years, Alphabet Inc's Google has outpaced Microsoft in these technologies, with both its popular search engine and Chrome browser.

However, the implementation of AI technology may see it finally overtake its biggest rival in these markets once and for all.

When ChatGPT was released by start-up OpenAI last year, it opened the eyes of the public to just how powerful the technology has really become in recent years.

It has been used to pass exams, deliver a sermon, write software and give relationship advice  to name just a handful of its functions.

The tool was trained on a gigantic sample of text from the internet in order to be able to understand human language.

Its human-like responses to any prompt have given people new ways to think about how to query information online.

Last year Gmail developer Paul Buchheit predicted that 'AI will eliminate the search engine result page' and cause 'total disruption' for Google.

Indeed, last month Microsoft announced it was making a 'multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment' in OpenAI.

The first product of this backing was announced at a news briefing yesterday at the company's HQ in Redmond, Washington as the incorporation of ChatGPT into Bing and Edge.

The AI-driven search engine will be able to give clear answers in plain language that have been drawn from what Bing has found on the web and its own data vaults.

Users will be able to make their queries more concise by chatting with the bot, if they don't initially get the results they are looking for.

It is informed by real-time web data so it will be able to brief users on current events, unlike ChatGPT which is currently limited to data from 2021 for its answers.

The new Bing could even make shopping easier, as the chatbot can provide product information tailored to the consumer's requirements, such as dimensions.

Within the Edge browser, a widget will be able to summarise web pages, aiming to save readers from having to make sense of a long or complicated document.

The website now greets you with a standard search bar, but after you input your query you are presented with two different sets of results

While the main body of the page contains a familiar-looking list of hyperlinks, on the right side is a small box containing a response generated by ChatGPT

Microsoft's new Bing search engine is currently live in preview on desktop computers and will be available for mobile devices in coming weeks. Users are able to choose one of 12 pre-set searches which will demonstrate the ChatGPT widget's capabilities

Microsoft also plans to integrate ChatGPT into other software, like its cloud-computing and collaboration tools, where it can automate more tasks.

For example, it will generate meeting notes in Teams as well as suggest email replies to vendors using its Viva Sales subscription.

'This technology is going to reshape pretty much every software category,' said Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella.

Microsoft's new Bing search engine is currently live in preview on desktop computers and will be made available for mobile devices in coming weeks.

Users are able to choose one of 12 pre-set searches which demonstrate the ChatGPT widget's capabilities.

The company hopes user feedback will improve its AI, which officials said may still produce factually inaccurate information.

OpenAI has acknowledged ChatGPT's tendency to respond with 'plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers', an issue it considers challenging to fix.

While Microsoft's chief financial officer said that OpenAI's 'new, next-generation' technology is powering Bing, they did not confirm if this was the upgraded 'GPT-4'.

This is the latest, and unreleased, version of ChatGPT, rumoured to have a lot more 'next word' or 'next sentence' options in a given context to make it more human-like.

But it's not all over for Google yet as, alongside Bard, it is planning to release its own AI in search results that can synthesise material when no simple answer exists online.

In an announcement on Monday, CEO Sundar Pichai stressed his company's AI suite will be 'bold and responsible' as Microsoft's ChatGPT has been controversial due to misuse.

The Bing demo came just 24 hours after Google launched its competitor AI tool, Bard , that similarly answers users' queries and participates in conversations

Alongside Bard, Google is planning to release its own AI in search that can synthesise material when no simple answer exists online. Pictured: Bard generates an answer to a query

In December, ChatGPT came under fire after students were using it to cheat on tests and homework.

AI technology has been controversial in the past because it can perpetuate societal biases like those around race, gender and culture.

In 2016, Microsoft was forced to apologise after an experimental AI Twitter bot called 'Tay' said offensive things on the platform.

It was aimed at 18 to-24-year-olds and designed to improve the firm's understanding of conversational language among young people online.

But within hours of it going live, Twitter users took advantage of flaws in Tay's algorithm that meant the AI chatbot responded to certain questions with racist answers.

These included the bot using racial slurs, defending white supremacist propaganda, and supporting genocide.
It sounds like the stuff of science fiction but some experts think it may be the answer to saving Earth from climate catastrophe.

Scientists in the US say dust launched from the moon could be a good way of blocking sunlight and alleviating global warming.

According to their new study, moon dust would intercept a proportion of sunlight before it reaches our planet, acting as a 'temporary sunshade'.

Once the dust dissipates and floats away after a few days, more would be launched from the moon, allowing constant relief from the sun's light and heat.

How exactly the dust would be launched from the moon is yet to be determined  although it could potentially be flung up using some kind of catapult.

Ambitious plan: Scientists in the US say dust launched from the moon could be a good way of blocking sunlight and alleviating global warming. They say the moon dust would intercept a proportion of sunlight before it reaches our planet, acting as a 'temporary sunshade'

Sci-fi worthy: Here is a simulated stream of dust launched between Earth and the sun. This dust cloud is shown as it crosses the disk of the sun, viewed from Earth. Streams like this one, including those launched from the moons surface, could act as a temporary sunshade, experts claim



Simulation of dust launched from the moons surface as seen from Earth

Credit: Ben Bromley

The scientists stress that their study  published today in PLOS Climate  only explores the potential of this idea, rather than whether it is 'logistically feasible'.

How would it work? The authors say launching dust from the moon instead could be a cheap and effective way to shade the Earth. An as-yet undetermined launch method - possibly a catapult or a 'mass driver' - could send the dust into space. The moon dust would intercept a proportion of sunlight before it reaches our planet, acting as a 'temporary sunshade'. The percentage of the sunlight the Earth receives that's being blocked would be about 2 per cent. Once the dust dissipates and floats away after a few days, more would be launched from the moon, allowing relief from sunlight and heat. Advertisement

'We aren't experts in climate change, or the rocket science needed to move mass from one place to the other,' said author Ben Bromley at University of Utah.

'We're just exploring different kinds of dust on a variety of orbits to see how effective this approach might be.

'We do not want to miss a game changer for such a critical problem.'

This is not an entirely new idea; for decades, academics have considered using screens, objects or dust particles to block just enough of the sun's radiation to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Using computer modelling, the experts decided to look into the feasibility of a couple of scenarios.

The first scenario involved positioning some sort of human-made 'space platform'  a human-made structure perhaps a bit smaller than a space station  at L1, one of five Lagrange points in our solar system.

Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put, as it's where the gravitational forces are balanced.

It's why NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was sent to L2, a Lagrange point on the opposite side of the Earth.

In the computer simulation, dust was shot out from the platform stationed at L1 and experts tracked where the particles scattered.

Dust shot out from the space platform could either be moon dust or Earth dust, such as coal.

In the solar system, there are five Lagrange points - positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. Here, the Earth is circled with the sun in the centre (not to scale)

As humanity emits more and more greenhouse gases, Earth's atmosphere traps more and more of the sun's energy and steadily increases the planet's temperature (file photo)

The authors found that when launched precisely from this L1 platform, the dust followed a path between Earth and the sun, effectively creating shade, at least for a while.

What are Lagrange points? Lagrange points are five special points where a small mass can orbit in a constant pattern with two larger masses (such as Earth and the sun). Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put, as it's where the gravitational forces are balanced. These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position. It's why NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was sent to L2, a Lagrange point on the opposite side of the Earth. Lagrange points are named in honor of Italian-French mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange. Advertisement

However, unlike NASA's 13,000-pound space telescope, the dust was easily blown off course by the solar winds, radiation and gravity in the solar system.

So any platform at L1 would need to create an endless supply of new dust batches to blast into orbit every few days after the initial spray dissipates  a costly operation.

'It was rather difficult to get the shield to stay at L1 long enough to cast a meaningful shadow,' said Khan.

In the second scenario, the authors shot lunar dust from the surface of the moon towards the sun.

They found that the inherent properties of lunar dust were just right to effectively work as a sun shield.

Launching lunar dust from the moon was found to be the cheaper and more effective way to shade the Earth, but how exactly this would be done remains to be decided.

Co-author Scott Kenyon at Harvard's Center for Astrophysics told MailOnline: 'I think of something like a catapult to fling particles in the right direction.

'In our numerical models, we simply launch particles from the moon along some trajectory with an initial speed and then let the gravity of the planets help get the particles where they need to be.'

One option is using something called a 'mass driver'  a method that employs a linear motor to accelerate and catapult payloads up to high speeds, and an alternative to rocket propulsion.



Simulation from dust launched from the way station at Lagrange point 1

Credit: Ben Bromley

'You would not want a propulsion system, because that might add too much additional complexity,' Kenyon said.

After a few days, radiation from the sun would disperse the dust, which would eventually get ejected into the outer solar system, and a fresh batch of dust would be launched.

How often each lot of moon dust would have to be launched would depend on several factors, such as how the launches are performed and how long it takes to collect the dust.

'We do not have the expertise to judge what kind of facility could be built on the moon and how it would work,' Kenyon said.

And how would the moon dust be launched? One option could be a 'mass driver' - a method that employs a linear motor to accelerate and catapult payloads up to high speeds, and an alternative to rocket propulsion. Pictured is artist's depiction of a mass driver on the moon

Ultimately a project like this would only be the slightest bit feasible after humanity has established a base on the lunar surface.

This is an objective of NASA's new Artemis space programme, which aims to send humans to the first time in over 50 years in 2025.

The new study also follows the ambitious concept of refreezing the Earth's poles to reverse ice loss, presented in a study last year.
Advertisement

These are the nuclear 'hotspots' across America that could be targeted in the event of a thermonuclear war, according to the government.

While heavily populated cities like New York and Los Angeles may seem like the most likely US targets, there are other, more strategic targets in states such as Montana or North Dakota to wipe out the US's retaliatory forces.

A map originally released by the Natural Resources Defense Council has resurfaced on social media again as the West teeters on the brink of conflict with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The map shows potential targets in every state, with dense clusters along the eastern seaboard and in California. Particularly large clusters are also highlighted in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

Active nuclear power plants are large targets. There are around 90 active nuclear plants in the United States, including plants in Alabama, Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

A map, released in 2002, shows potential nuclear targets in the US, including ones in 2,000 (indicated in black) and 500 (purple) warhead scenarios, as well as state capitals (asterisk) and cities (squares)

The effect of a nuclear blast centered on New York's financial district are illustrated, wiping out the entire southern tip of Manhattan and causing severe damage and burns spanning much of Brooklyn and Jersey

The prospect of a nuclear strike has never seemed more real, with Vladimir Putin and his henchmen threatening to obliterate r Western capitals in the latest escalation of the Ukraine war. Pictured: A Survival Condo in Kansas

On the other hand, if you are looking for a 'safe' place to live, consider parts of Idaho, Maine, northern California, and Oregon, where the lack of nuclear plants and more sparse populations make them less likely targets.

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION'S ADVICE IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN NUCLEAR BOMB ZONE Turn away and close and cover your eyes to prevent damage to your sight.

Drop to the ground face down and place your hands under your body.

Remain flat until the heat and two shock waves have passed.

Find something to cover your mouth and nose, such as a scarf or handkerchief.

Remove any dust from your clothes.

Move to a shelter, basement, or other underground area.

Shut off ventilation systems and seal doors or windows until the fallout cloud has passed.

Stay inside until authorities say it is safe to come out.

Listen to the local radio or television for information and advice.

Use stored food and drinking water.

Clean and cover any open wounds on your body.

If you are advised to evacuate, take disaster supplies with you (such as a flashlight, battery-operated radio, emergency food and water). Advertisement

The US has strategically positioned nuclear forces, which could be prime nuclear targets, far from population centers. There are ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile silos), naval and air force bases, and nuclear storage depots scattered across the country.

Irwin Redlener, a public-health expert at Columbia University who specializes in disaster preparedness, says there are six US cities that are the most likely targets of a nuclear attack.

New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC are prime targets, not only because of their dense populations but because of critical infrastructure such as financial centers, government buildings, and energy plants.

Other cities and metro areas that could be likely targets include Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised a flag about the risk of nuclear conflict last year as Russia's war on Ukraine waged  and still wages  on.

'Raising the alert of Russian nuclear forces is a bone-chilling development,' Guterres said.

The US State Department cautioned last month that Russia is not complying with the last remaining nuclear arms agreement, which was renewed for five years in 2021. Russia has denied these accusations and accused the US of violations as well.

The likelihood of tensions between the US and Russia escalating to nuclear war may be low, but it cannot be ruled out.

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the use of nuclear weapons beyond Ukraine late last year. He accused the West of 'nuclear blackmail' and warned the US and Europe that Russia has 'various means of destruction.'

'To defend Russia and our people, we doubtlessly will use all weapons resources at our disposal,' Putin said 'This is not a bluff.'

In December, Putin suggested that Russia may abandon its 'no first use' military doctrine, which says Russia would only use nuclear weapons as a last resort. 'We, on the other hand, have formulated a retaliatory strike in our strategy.'

Along the same lines, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said: 'We are not just fighting with Ukraine, but with the collective West.'

A Fallout Shelter sign and American flag next to the Manhattan Municipal Building. There are still fallout shelters scattered across New York City from the fraught Cold War era. Not all are fully operational, but may provide shelter and respite if the city was ever attacked with nuclear warfare

80 New York Avenue: Crown Heights resident Nathan Pensler said that the former fallout shelter in his building now holds bikes, non-functioning washing machines and leftover building materials. At least one homeless person hid out there until recently, he said, and left behind a cell phone and two suitcases

In 2006, city workers stumbled upon a long-forgotten safe room under Brooklyn Bridge, which was filled with stockpiled supplies hidden away for decades

Patricia Lewis, Chatham House international security program director, told the Independent that a nuclear attack from Russia is believed to be a last resort, but it is still a threatening prospect.

According to the BBC, analysts suggest this should be taken as a warning to other countries to not increase their involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In 2017, Russian state media said Moscow would annihilate parts of the US after a nuclear treaty collapsed.

The nuclear threat posed to the West is not limited to Russia. The Pentagon warned that China has more ground-based facilities capable of launching nuclear missiles than the US.

A nuclear attack in a large metropolitan area is one of the 15 disaster scenarios for which FEMA has an emergency strategy for. It includes deploying first responders, providing shelter for evacuees, and decontaminating victims exposed to radiation.

According to Stephen Schwartz, the author of 'Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of US Nuclear Weapons Since 1940,' the US has four to five nuclear-armed submarines 'on hard alert, in their patrol areas, awaiting orders for launch.'

Even high-ranking officials in the US military don't know where the silent submarines are, and there's no way Russia could chase them all down before they fired back, which Schwartz said could be done in as little as five to 15 minutes.

It may come as some small comfort - and perhaps surprise - to New Yorkers to know that they are, in fact, never very far from a nuclear fallout shelter.

While not all are fully operational, they may still provide some shelter and respite if the city ever suffers an attack.

The old and weather-worn yellow and black signs outside buildings and apartment blocks signify that they were once fully stocked fortresses that could serve as protection in the event of a nuclear bomb.

New Yorkers can find out here where their nearest nuclear fallout bunker is.

A nuclear fallout building spree was triggered by the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

By the following decade, however, money had run out and the majority were converted into basement storage spaces.

The shelter program was spearheaded by then-governor Nelson Rockefeller, who in 1960 authorized a state shelter initiative which oversaw the building of tens of thousands of shelters across the city with a projected price tag of $1.5 billion - the equivalent of more than $12 billion today.

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to strike countries deemed to be interfering with his war in Ukraine, and it is feared he is currently gearing up for the first open-air nuclear test since the 1960s

New York boasted tens of thousands of nuclear fallout shelters during the Cold War, when tensions with the USSR were at their peak.

At the height of the 1950s and 1960s, police in New York would run compulsory air raid drills, where people had to duck into shelters when sirens sounded.

President John F. Kennedy even created a nationwide program to create shelters amid the threat of a nuclear attack as the US went toe-to-toe with the USSR.

In New York, prolific black and yellow signs reading 'Fallout Shelter' were seen across the city on buildings which the Army Corps of Engineers deemed to have enough protection against radiation.

There were roughly 17,448 of these buildings, according to the New York Times, and they were equipped with survival kits if there were to be a nuclear attack.

Worth about $2.40 per person at the time, packed-in New Yorkers would have aspirin, toilet paper, and appetite-suppressing candies to survive on.

Instead of buying mass bomb shelters in urban areas, the US decided to opt for suburban backyard shelters instead. The governor at the time, Nelson Rockefeller, called for a mandatory state shelter program.

At one property on New York Avenue in Crown Heights, there is still a fallout shelter in the basement of a tenant building.

According to Gothamist, it's now used to store bicycles, washing machines, and also is no longer an enclosed concrete room.

Resident Nathan Pensler told the website: 'I don't think we would last very long.'

Shelters would be at the center of strong concrete buildings, and would have no windows to minimize the damage if a nuclear attack was imminent.
The best cocktail bars in the UK for 2023 have been named - and its East London bar Satans Whiskers that is No.1.

It tops the Top 50 Cocktail Bars ranking, with last years winner, Lab 22, based in Cardiff, coming second, and Tayer + Elementary, based in Shoreditch in London coming third. London dominates this years list with 23 bars in the top 50 spots, followed by ale-loving Yorkshire, which claimed five of the top 50 spots.

Chris Lowe, publisher of Top 50 Cocktail Bars, said: 'Whilst London continues to dominate this years list, it is very exciting to see other major cities across the UK make their mark. The ever-growing interest in cocktails and bartending within the UK means we are spoilt for choice on where to go, and this list allows for the best of the UK bar scene to have a spotlight placed on them  and for consumers to find these hidden gems.' Scroll down for the full ranking.

No.1 - Satan's Whiskers, 343 Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London

'Whimsically known as Londons "bartenders bar", it is not your cliched swanky London cocktail bar,' said the judges of Satan's Whiskers (above)

This unassuming cocktail bar has jumped up four places from last year.

The judges said: 'The team pride themselves on providing excellent service and great music, embodying the ideal neighbourhood bar.

'Whimsically known as Londons "bartenders bar", it is not your cliched swanky London cocktail bar, but full to the brim with character that oozes from its exposed bricks, taxidermy and hip-hop music and unique decor.'

No.2 - Lab 22, 22 Caroline St, Cardiff

Lab 22 'is a unique space in every sense of the word and offers a scientific approach to its cocktails'

Lab 22, owned by Pajtim Tana Hasa and tucked away above a well-known bakery, 'has found its feet among the world's very best cocktail bars', say the judges.

They add: 'It is a unique space in every sense of the word and offers a scientific approach to its cocktails, incorporating a wow factor into every drink mixed, shaken or poured.'

No.3 - Tayer + Elementary, 152 Old St, Shoreditch, London

The team behind Tayer + Elementary are 'two of the most influential people in the bartending world'

The judges said: 'Based on Old Street in London, and open to walk-ins only, Tayer + Elementary by Alex Kratena and Monica Berg is a special venue.

'The venue appears as a brutalist space with concrete and exposed steel trunking, but thats not to say it is cold and trendy for the sake of it. In fact, the team and the whole vibe of the venue offer a warming reception.

'Kratena and Berg are two of the most influential people in the bartending world right now.'

No.4 - Schofield's Bar, 3 Little Quay Street, Manchester

Schofields Bar serves 'classic cocktails as well as crafted inhouse stylings... along with beers, wines, Champagne and also some food'

Manchesters Schofields Bar is the brainchild of brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield who, between them, have over 25 years of bartending experience.

The judges said: 'This impressive duo have risen through the ranks of the Top 50 Cocktail bars jumping 12 places to the top five in just a year. Although some reservations are welcome, the bar itself is predominantly a walk-in operation, serving from Wednesday until Sunday between 12pm and 1.30am.

'The menu consists of classic cocktails as well as crafted inhouse stylings created by the Schofields, along with beers, wines, Champagne and also some food.'

No.5 - Swift, 12 Old Compton St, Soho, London

What lies below: Swift has a basement den that serves over 300 whiskies and a 'buzzy' operation on the ground floor

The judges said: 'Swift is split into two areas, with a more casual buzzy layout on the ground floor and a relaxed  some would say sensual  lounge in the basement.

'The basement den operates seven days a week and offers live music every weekend, over 300 worldly whiskies and is open from 5pm  it is also recommended that you reserve a space to avoid disappointment.'

No.6 - Panda & Sons, 79 Queen St, Edinburgh

Panda and Sons has a prohibition vibe. 'It is a wonderful experience,' said the judges

Dont be fooled by the street-level barber shop exterior, Edinburgh cocktail bar Panda and Sons is waiting just on the other side of a hidden door.

The judges said: 'The false exterior is all part of the prohibition-style disguise. Once you get downstairs, the prohibition theme remains strong with witty curiosities adorning the walls and dim lighting. It is a wonderful experience.'

No. 7 - Three Sheets, 510b Kingsland Rd, Dalston, London

Three Sheets is a 'clean and simple bar' with cocktails containing 'interesting ingredients'

The judges said: 'Keeping its spot for its second consecutive year Three Sheets is a clean and simple bar with outstanding flavour profiles.

'It is multi-award winning and is run by the founding Venning brothers  Noel and Max  who are both well known in the cocktail world and beyond.

'The menu is well-put-together, with cocktails containing some interesting ingredients. However, the drinks are seasonal, making it a surprise whenever you visit.'

No.8 - Speak in Code, 7 Jackson's Row, Manchester

Speak in Code has an 'industrial New York vibe' and offers 'outstanding cocktails'

Speak in Code drew this praise from the judges: 'Offering high-quality service, delicious food and of course outstanding cocktails, Speak in Code is an exceptional venue in the north of England and a must visit for those near and far.

'Bringing industrial New York vibes to the area, the award-winning bar uses an extensive and imaginative list of ingredients to its exciting plant-based menu.'

No.9 - 'Bar with Shapes for a Name', 232 Kingsland Rd, Hackney, London

The 'Bar With Shapes For A Name' serves cocktails 'made and served in the most beautiful ways'

This bar doesn't have a name as such, but rather three 'Bauhaus-influenced primary-coloured shapes  a yellow triangle, a red square and a blue circle'. Which apparently can be summed up as 'Shapes'.

The idea is 'to challenge drinkers to reimagine what a bar actually is'.

Pretentious? Undoubtedly. But the judges implore you to visit for 'very reasonably priced cocktails' that are 'made and served in the most beautiful ways'.

No.10 - The Connaught Bar, Carlos Pl, Mayfair, London

The Connaught Bar in Mayfair is where 'expert tenders shake, mix and pour new and classic libations to the delight of eager guests'

The Connaught Bar 'oozes class and sophistication from every millimetre of its structure', said the judges.

They added: 'Conversation flows over sparkling glasses and candlelit tables, while behind the bar, expert tenders shake, mix and pour new and classic libations to the delight of eager guests.'

The martini trolley comes highly recommended.
Qatar Airways has launched an internal investigation after one of its Boeing Dreamliners came within seconds of hitting the water after taking off from Hamad International Airport, the carrier's hub in Doha.

The 787-8, registration A7-BCO, departed Doha at 2am on January 10 (11pm GMT, January 9), bound for Copenhagen.

After leaving the ground the Dreamliner, with the first officer in control, climbed to around 1,800 feet  but then lost 1,000 feet within 24 seconds for reasons unknown, according to the AV Herald.

With the aircraft descending at a rate of 50 feet a second, the captain took over, pulling the aircraft up at around 800 feet  or 16 seconds - above the Persian Gulf, reported the publication. A Flightradar24.com 'playback' of the take-off shows the altitude dropping to 850ft after initially reaching 1,850ft.

According to information the AV Herald received, the first officer was flying manually without directions from the 'flight director'. This is a computer-generated marker on the Primary Flight Display (which shows the horizon) that guides pilots along the correct flight path.

Qatar Airways has launched an internal investigation after one of its Boeing Dreamliners came within seconds of hitting the water after taking off from Hamad International Airport (stock image)

A Flightradar24.com 'playback' (above) of the take-off shows the altitude dropping to 850ft after initially reaching 1,850ft

The first officer apparently 'lost situational awareness' and the aircraft descended so quickly it 'exceeded the flap speed limit'.

Once the captain regained control, the aircraft  operating flight QR161 - continued to Copenhagen, where it landed safely six hours after departing from Doha.

Qatar Airways told MailOnline Travel that the incident was reported to the authorities 'immediately'.

A statement from the carrier read: 'Qatar Airways is aware of an event relating to flight QR161 operating Doha to Copenhagen on January 10, 2023. It was immediately reported to authorities and an internal investigation is being carried out.

'The airline follows the most stringent standards of safety, training and reporting and is working to address any findings in line with industry norms.'

Last year Qatar Airways was named the world's best airline for a record seventh year in a row at the 'Oscars of Aviation'.

The carrier reigned supreme over 350 airlines at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022, with Singapore Airlines in second place and Emirates in third.
The new season of Married at First Sight has been full of drama - but the biggest scandal actually took place after filming wrapped.

Sources tell Daily Mail Australia that shy groom Josh White recently had a secret tryst with Lyndall Grace after they hooked up at a post-finale party in December.

Josh, a Sydney-based advertising director who is 'married' to sex-obsessed hairdresser Melissa Sheppard on the Nine series, then travelled to Perth for a romantic weekend with accountant Lyndall from January 26 to 29.

Their fling will come as a shock to viewers because Lyndall, who has cystic fibrosis, is paired in the experiment with Northern Territory carpenter Cam Woods, and their wholesome romance has captured hearts across Australia.

However, it's understood no infidelity took place because Lyndall and Cam split before the finale; likewise, Josh and Melissa called it quits halfway through filming.

MAFS has been rocked by a couple swap scandal after one groom travelled to Perth for a secret tryst despite being paired with another bride on the show. (MAFS stars are pictured at Ivy Sydney on December 17, the night the two participants at the centre of the scandal kissed)

Sydney-based advertising director Josh White (left), who is 'married' to hairdresser Melissa Sheppard on the Nine show, travelled to Perth for a romantic weekend with accountant Lyndall Grace (right) from January 26 to 29. Lyndall, who has cystic fibrosis, is paired in the social experiment with Northern Territory carpenter Cam Woods

'Josh and Lyndall were secretly hooking up for weeks,' a cast member said.

They added that the pair first kissed on December 17 - the day after filming the reunion - when several MAFS participants went for a night out at Ivy Pool in Sydney.

'Things started when he told her he really liked her and felt like kissing her, and she said, "Well, go on then,"' the source said.

Josh and Lyndall 'couldn't stop pashing' during a wild night out with their castmates at Ivy Pool in Sydney on December 17, the day after filming the reunion. (Pictured on the night of the kiss)

'Josh and Lyndall were secretly hooking up for weeks,' said a cast member. 'Things started when he told her he really liked her and felt like kissing her, and she said, "Well, go on then"'

Josh and Lyndall are said to have hit it off and 'couldn't stop pashing' during their wild night at Ivy Pool with several of their castmates, added the spy.

'After [the kiss], they would spend hours on the phone with each other every night and just got to really know each other that way,' they said.

Lyndall didn't make any effort to hide their romance - which has since ended - and told a handful of co-stars about it during a MAFS meet-up in Perth on New Year's Eve.

Photos obtained by Daily Mail Australia show Josh looking very much in love while posing for happy snaps in in Perth (pictured), which were shared on his now-deleted Instagram account

The affair, which had been kept under wraps for weeks, was only recently exposed to the entire cast in WhatsApp group chats for the brides and grooms.

Meanwhile, photos obtained by Daily Mail Australia show Josh looking happy and very much in love during his trip to Perth, where he visited Lyndall and stayed at her house.

'When [the] sun shines on you, you feel it,' he captioned one selfie shared to his now-deleted Instagram account.

'When [the] sun shines on you, you feel it,' he captioned one selfie

'Your day breaks, your mind aches / Your head / You won't forget her,' he wrote next to another photo of himself at a cafe.

A source told Daily Mail Australia: 'This is a real-life couple swap, and it's causing a major uproar.

'Josh got to meet her family and friends and stayed at her house. Things were looking pretty good for them.'

Josh was pictured returning to Sydney on January 29, having cut short his trip to Perth for unknown reasons.

Josh was pictured returning to Sydney on January 29, having cut short his trip to Perth for unknown reasons

Josh and Lyndall kept their tryst a secret from Channel Nine and production company Endemol Shine Australia. It is understood several cast members were not supportive of their relationship, which is now over.

'A lot of [the MAFS] crew were stunned their hook-up became so serious so quickly,' one bride said, adding the fling had 'left a sour taste' in some people's mouths.

Melissa, Josh's ex-'wife', was apparently 'the last one to hear about it, and boy was she not happy,' the insider added.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lyndall, Josh and Channel Nine for comment.

Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine and 9Now

Things didn't work out between Lyndall and Cam on the show and they split before the finale
South Africa: Presiding Officers satisfied with state of readiness for SONA

Parliaments Presiding Officers, led by the Speaker of the National Assembly, have expressed satisfaction with preparations for the State of the Nation Address (SONA), which President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver on Thursday, 9 February.

The Presiding Officers on Wednesday conducted a walkabout at the Cape Town City Hall to monitor the state of readiness ahead of SONA.

President Ramaphosa is scheduled to deliver the State of the Nation Address on Thursday at 7pm.

Addressing media after the walkabout, National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said: We are happy with what we have seen and the arrangements made by the teams from Parliament, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the security cluster.

Mapisa-Nqakula said a lot of discussions have transpired between the different teams, including the security cluster, to ensure the success of SONA.

We think that the manner in which the front seat allocation has been done is the true reflection of the representation of the different constituencies, the Speaker said.

This is the second year that the State of the Nation Address is being held at the City Hall after a fire severely damaged parts of the Old Assembly and the National Assembly buildings of Parliament.

Mapisa-Nqakula said there is a long way to go in the reconstruction of the damaged buildings, and it is most likely that SONA will still be hosted in the City Hall next year.

Throughout Wednesday, officials from various government departments were busy with final preparations for SONA. The City Hall precinct was a hive of activity, with accredited media houses erecting structures for broadcasting and conducting interviews.

In and around City Hall, police and members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been deployed at various strategic points.

The activity is good news for small business operators such as Yoliswa Matjobeni, who gets to ply her goods to an even bigger crowd.

This is the time we get a boost. People flock here when the President speaks to the nation, she told SAnews.

Police presence

At midday on Thursday, Police Minister General Bheki Cele is expected to address a parade of members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other security forces, who are deployed in and around Cape Town to ensure the safety and security of the 2023 SONA.

The deployment comprises law enforcement agencies from the SAPS, SANDF, National Traffic Police, the Western Capes Provincial Traffic Police, City of Cape Towns Metro Police, traffic services and law enforcement officers.

The parade will also be attended by senior management of the SAPS, led by the National Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola.

On Tuesday, the Presiding Officers assured South Africans that interruptions to SONA would not be tolerated and that action would be taken against those who attempt to interrupt the address.

Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Amos Masondo, said they will ensure that the rules of Parliament are applied to Members of Parliament who disrupt proceedings on Thursday.

The Parliamentary Broadcast and Audio Visual Unit will provide a broadcast feed to all television stations that will be broadcasting from the precinct. The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) will provide an audio feed for all radio stations.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Harvesting of early spring tea in full swing in county in SW China's Sichuan

People's Daily Online) 09:46, February 08, 2023

Tea farmers in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, have recently been busy picking tea leaves to meet growing market demand.

Photo shows tea farmers in a tea plantation in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zou Chengcheng)

"Our company picks about 100 kilograms of young tea buds a day, and the harvesting season will last till May," explained Luo Jiakui, deputy general manager of Jiang'an Zhudu Tea Co., Ltd.

The freshly harvested tea leaves were immediately processed. "Our tea will be sold to places such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Jiangsu," said Luo. "Because of the multitudes of orders our company has already received, pre-sale tea products ordered now will not be delivered before Feb. 8."

Tea farmers pick tea leaves in a tea plantation in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zou Chengcheng)

Jiang'an, whose tea harvesting season starts earlier than other tea producing areas located at the same latitude, is home to 28,000 mu (about 1,860 hectares) of early spring tea, and has made it a mainstay of the county's agriculture. About 20,000 people in the county now work in the industry, bringing an extra 5,000 yuan (about $737) to each household that is engaged in the planting of tea trees.

"It is estimated that 1,000 tonnes of early spring tea will be produced this year, whose output value will be near 100 million yuan," said Tan Dengpan, an official from the county.

A worker processes tea leaves in a plant in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zou Chengcheng)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
NASA researchers have, for the first time in history, weighing the mass of a lone white dwarf using a strange phenomenon that was predicted by Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity.

The study's results confirm astronomers' predictions of exactly how massive white dwarfs can be and could help provide information about the strange, ultra-dense matter that makes up these shriveled husks of dead stars.

Weighing a Lone White Dwarf

In the latest study, the team utilized the Hubble Space Telescope to measure a white dwarf's mass. The long star is called LAWD 37, and the study findings were published in the March issue of the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

While astronomers have previously weighed white dwarfs in binary star systems, where two stars are orbiting a common center of mass, LAWD 37 is the first white dwarf to be weighed in isolation.

An astronomer from the University of California Santa Cruz, Peter McGill, led the research team that used a quirky property of the universe to make the historical finding. This is the fact that gravity warps space-time, as per Live Science.

As the lone white dwarf passed in front of a distant bright star, the light from the star in the background was bent around LAWD 37 in a process that astronomers call gravitational microlensing, which Einstein initially predicted.

When the nearby white dwarf warped the farther star's light, the cosmic object appeared to shift ever so slightly in the sky, which is an effect that Hubble can detect with incredible precision using its highly advanced instruments.

In a statement, McGill said that such events are rare and noted that the effects are minuscule. For example, the size of the team's measured offset was like measuring the length of a car on the moon while looking at it from the surface of our planet.

Read Also: NASA Tests New Propulsion System Designed for Deep Space Travel

Utilizing Einstein's Theory of Predictions

The team then did the calculations and discovered that LAWD 37 has roughly 56% of the mass of our Sun. The study's results also agree with previous white dwarf mass predictions and provide information into the evolutionary processes of dead stars, according to ADAFruit.

Before the recent study, mass measurements of white dwarfs in the past were made by observing stars in binary systems. Astronomers used straightforward Newtonian physics to measure the masses of these cosmic bodies.

However, such calculations can be uncertain and inaccurate if the companion of the white dwarf is in a long-period orbit of hundreds or thousands of years. Scientists can only measure orbital motion using telescopes for a short period of the dwarf's orbital motion.

Kailash Sahu from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, was the principal Hubble investigator on the recent study. They first used microlensing in 2017 when they measured the mass of another white dwarf known as Stein 2015 B.

However, that particular cosmic object was located inside a widely separated binary system. Sahu noted that their latest observation provides a new benchmark because LAWD 37 was a lone white dwarf, said NASA.

Related Article: Binary Star System Fated To End in Powerful Kilonova Explosion

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ti West's indie slasher Pearl was one of the most acclaimed films of 2022, even earning praise from Martin Scorsese himself.

But the movie, starring English actress Mia Goth, won't hit Australian shores until six months after its U.S. release.

Pearl will finally arrive in Aussie cinemas on March 16, and on March 17 in the UK.

Horror hit Pearl (pictured) will finally arrive in Australia on March 16 - six months after its original release in America

There has been widespread backlash over the delayed release on social media, with moviegoers complaining for months about the lengthy delay.

'I already bought the Blu-ray and watched it. Bring your movies to Australia sooner!' tweeted one.

'Honesty thought this was never going to come out, glad you are bringing it to cinemas,' added another.

There has been widespread backlash over the delayed release on social media, with moviegoers complaining for months about the lengthy delay

'Pearl finally comes out in Australia on March 16th. LITERALLY 6 MONTHS AFTER ITS RELEASE THIS IS BULLS**T (I had to watch it illegally),' said one horror fan, while another tweeted: 'LOL I saw this maybe six months ago??'

The delay has received similar backlash in the UK, where British cinephiles and critics have been raging on social media for months.

'Pearls UK release date is still nearly two months away and I just think thats crazy,' one tweeted.

'Maybe UK cinema-going wouldn't be in the state it is in if we got big releases like this closer to their U.S. release date, rather than six months later where all buzz has died and no one cares anymore (or has seen it already via other means),' added another.

Pearl is the prequel to last year's horror hit X, which starred Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega and grossed more than $15million on a $1million budget.

Pearl has received immense critical acclaim, with many singling out Mia Goth's (pictured) performance as one of the best of recent years

It serves as an origin story for the title character, whose aspiration to become a movie star led her to commit violent acts on her family's Texas homestead in 1918.

Pearl has received immense critical acclaim, with many singling out Goth's performance as one of the best of recent years.

Praising the picture, Goodfellas director Martin Scorsese told Slash Film: 'Ti West's movies have a kind of energy that is so rare these days, powered by a pure, undiluted love for cinema.

'I was enthralled, then disturbed, then so unsettled that I had trouble getting to sleep. But I couldn't stop watching.'

Pearl is the prequel to last year's horror hit X, which starred Mia Goth and Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega and grossed more than $15million on a $1million budget

There was also huge backlash last month when Goth was snubbed for a Best Actress Oscar nomination, despite having one of the most acclaimed performances of 2022.

Addressing the snub on Jake's Takes, the 29-year-old said: 'I think that it's very political. It's not entirely based on the quality of a project per se.

'There's a lot going on there and a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to nominations. Maybe I shouldnt say that, but I think thats true. I think a lot of people know that.

'A change is necessary. A shift should take place if they wanted to engage with the wider public. I think it would be of benefit, really, [to nominate horror movies].'
TikTok and Instagram posts by Laura Whitmore have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) following complaints they 'targeted minors and encouraged irresponsible drinking'.

The advertising watchdog also noted that Whitmore's posts for The Muff Liquor Company, a gin and vodka brand, were not clearly marked as adverts and implied that alcohol can increase confidence.

The videos - released in July - featured Whitmore, 37, drinking peppermint tea, and then water, beer and 'Muff & tonic', while her dancing became increasingly energetic.

Music in the background included the lyrics: 'I'll be f***ed up if you can't be right here.'

Text on screen stated '#MakemineaMuff' and 'If drinks were dance moves @muffliquorco #makemineamuff #muffboss #irishowned'.

Banned: Posts by Laura Whitmore have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) following complaints they 'targeted minors and encouraged irresponsible drinking'

A complainant, who understood that Whitmore was an investor in The Muff Liquor Company, challenged whether the ads were obviously identifiable as marketing communications and were inappropriately targeted because they featured alcoholic drinks.

Whitmore argued that the hashtag 'muffboss' was used to declare her shareholder status and believed that '#ad' would not have been a suitable disclaimer because she was not paid by The Muff Liquor Company for the posts.

However, the ASA ruled that the posts should have been clearly marked as ads.

The ASA also investigated whether the ads encouraged irresponsible drinking because they implied that alcohol could enhance confidence and was capable of changing mood.

It noted that Whitmore was the former presenter of Love Island - the fifth most-watched programme by those aged four to 15 years old in the second quarter of 2022.

As a result, a large proportion of individuals who were under 18 with TikTok accounts were likely to interact with content related to Love Island on the platform.

In a statement, they explained: 'Even if those individuals did not follow Ms Whitmore, we considered it was likely that the algorithm would determine Ms Whitmore's posts to be of interest to them, meaning they would appear in their 'For You' page.'

Referring to Whitmore's dancing while drinking alcohol, the ASA added: 'Whilst we acknowledged that the ads were presented in a light-hearted tone, nonetheless we considered that consumers would interpret the ads to mean that drinking alcohol could precipitate a change in an individual's behaviour and could enhance an individual's confidence.'

Oops: The advertising watchdog also noted that Whitmore's posts for The Muff Liquor Company, a gin and vodka brand, were not clearly marked as adverts (pictured last month)

The ASA have ruled that the ads must not appear again.

The Muff Liquor Company have confirmed confirmed Whitmore was a shareholder but said she was not paid for the ads and that they asked her to remove the ads within 24 hours of being made aware of the complaint.

They added that 2.7 percent of Whitmore's 1.6 million social media followers were under 18 years of age, and therefore understood that the product had not been inappropriately targeted to under-18s.

Since receiving notification of the complaint, they have agreed any of Whitmore's future ads for The Muff Liquor Company will be reviewed by the company before being posted.

Axed: The videos - released in July - featured Whitmore, 37, drinking peppermint tea, and then water, beer and 'Muff & tonic', while her dancing became increasingly energetic

TikTok said Whitmore had not used its branded content disclosure tool, even though the post appeared to fall into this category. Instagram said it had no comment on the investigation.

Whitmore has featured The Muff Liquor Company on her social media pages in the past, last year joking that they would be launching alcohol flavoured condoms in an April Fool's post.

The Irish presenter became the face of the Donegal drinks brand in 2021 and owns equity in the firm as a shareholder.

She has worked with a number of brands for their consumer campaigns, including Blossom Hill, eBay, Laybuy, Bodyform and Dare2b.

End of an era: She has worked with a number of brands for their consumer campaigns and last year announced she'd be stepping down as the host of Love Island

Last year, the mother-of-one announced she'd be stepping down as the host of Love Island, with her replacement Maya Jama being lauded by fans.

Speaking about her decision to leave, Whitmore took a swipe at her ITV bosses as she claimed that she would still be fronting the show if she'd had more freedom in her role.

She claimed: 'If I could [have done] things the way I wanted to, I'd probably still be doing it.'

She said she struggled to remain impartial while working on the show, admitting she sometimes wanted to voice her opinion on what had happened in the villa and ask the Islanders how they were coping following their stay.

Speaking to Psychologies magazine, Whitmore said of the contestants: 'There was only so much I can do as a host  I couldn't support them or not support them. I couldn't say anything.

'So you kind of have to go quiet, and that was hard for me because I like to be able to have those conversations.

'If I could [have done] things the way I wanted to, I'd probably still be doing it.'

The TV star replaced Caroline Flack as the host of the ITV dating show when she stood down in December 2019. Caroline tragically took her own life aged 40 in February 2020.

Whitmore - who is mother to a 23-month-old daughter with Love Island voiceover star Iain Sterling - took to social media after last year's summer season to detail her decision, admitting she found flying back and forth from the villa 'very difficult'.

In her statement, Whitmore said she was only planning to fill in for Caroline for one series, emotionally saying that she hope she did her late friend 'proud'.
MAFS viewers were left shocked on Tuesday when Shannon Adams tearfully admitted to his 'wife' Caitlin McConville he was still in love with his ex-fiancee.

And in a shock twist, Daily Mail Australia can reveal the 30-year-old personal trainer is now back with his former flame after things didn't work out with Caitlin.

Despite splitting from his ex Jamea Drake in mid-2021, the pair kept in touch during filming last year and once he was back in his home town of Cairns in December, they decided to give their relationship another go.

Married At First Sight's Shannon Adams (left) is now back with his ex-fiancee Jamea Drake (right), after tearfully admitting on Tuesday's episode he was still in love with her

Sources close to the couple, who are parents to four-year-old daughter Milli, reveal they never really got over each other and always kept in touch, even during times when they weren't together.

'They were together for about seven years... it was very on and off, but they are happy now,' one friend said.

'I think Shannon tried to get over Jamea by going on MAFS, but he had second thoughts as soon as he married Caitlin.

'He was upset after the wedding and wanted out right away.'

MAFS viewers were left shocked on Tuesday when Shannon (left) tearfully admitted to his 'wife' Caitlin McConville (right) he was still in love with his ex-fiancee

'Shan and Jamea kept in contact for the sake of [their daughter] Milli and he would try to Facetime her every day,' the source added.

'He had planned to put in one hundred per cent into his relationship with Caitlin, but just couldn't because he was still invested in Jamea.'

Shannon would regularly sneak away from Caitlin to call his ex during filming of Nine's social experiment last year.

Despite splitting from Jamea a year prior, the pair kept in touch throughout filming and once he was back in his home town of Cairns in December, they decided to give things another go

The couple, who are parents to four-year-old daughter Milli, never really got over each other and always kept in touch, even during times when they weren't together, sources said

A friend said Shannon's appearance on MAFS 'sparked a wave of emotions' and inspired them to 'give things another go... for each other, not just for their little girl'.

Jamea was apparently 'deeply moved' by Shannon telling her he still loved her, and they have been inseparable since getting back together.

They are now determined to make it work this time around, and are 'taking things slow and steady,' the pal added.

Shannon would regularly sneak away from Caitlin to call his ex during filming of Nine's social experiment last year

On Tuesday's episode of Married At First Sight, Caitlin caught Shannon taking a secret phone call from his ex.

He didn't even try to hide his feelings, telling his wife he still loved Jamea but didn't want to lead either of them on.

'You were on the phone to your ex, so I just want to check where your head is at and where we are at moving forward,' Caitlin asked him.

On Tuesday's episode of Married At First Sight, Caitlin caught Shannon taking a secret phone call from his ex

He didn't even try to hide his feelings, telling his wife outright he still had feelings for Jamea but didn't want to lead either of them on

'I honestly don't know,' a confused Shannon replied.

Caitlin admitted she had concerns about their future together, which were compounded by Shannon placing her fourth in the wife-ranking photo challenge.

'I've come from a toxic relationship of seven years, on and off, a break-up we had was 12 months ago,' he explained.

Caitlin admitted she had concerns about their future together, which were compounded by Shannon placing her fourth in the wife-ranking photo challenge

'I've come from a toxic relationship of seven years, on and off, a break-up we had was 12 months ago,' Shannon explained

'I hate the fact that I say this, but I still love her,' he added.

'I've got so much respect for you, but I can't lie, you're an absolute saint... I just feel like I'm leading two people on.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Shannon and Jamea for comment.
Netflix has released an exhilarating trailer for Jada Pinkett Smith's powerful new documentary series African Queens.

The Red Table Talk host, 51  who will soon be journeying to Ghana for Girls Trip 2  is the show's executive producer and narrates each episode.

Dropping the trailer on Twitter, Netflix wrote that the new series will explore 'the lives of iconic African Queens,' beginning with 'Njinga, the complex, captivating, and fearless 17th century warrior queen.'

Premiering February 15, African Queens: Njinga will feature Adesuwa Oni in the central role of its dramatization.

The documentary will encompass four episodes, telling Njinga's harrowing rise from a young princess learning to rule in her father's court, to the warrior queen who defended her people from the Portuguese.

Captivating: Netflix has released an exhilarating trailer for Jada Pinkett Smith's powerful new documentary series African Queens

Pinkett Smith's voice fills the beginning of the trailer as it opens on footage of Africa and warriors preparing to fight: 'Born into an era of darkness...a warrior...a queen, destined to lead.'

'There are no slaves in my kingdom,' declares Njinga, kicking off the action-packed trailer.

Muskets explode as Jada explains that Njinga 'fearlessly defended her kingdom against European power.'

'The king is under threat!' Njinga proclaims, earning the reply: 'The king is always under threat.'

A gruesome knife attack is glimpsed before Pinkett Smith's voice returns: 'Slavery threatened to decimate a continent.'

'We are people born running from extinction,' says Njinga, ushering in footage of brutality in the jungle.

'Rising to become a beacon of light for her people,' Njinga gets in the face of a rival and says: 'I have nothing to lose, which makes me dangerous.'

When Njinga is asked about what she desires, the African Queen replies: 'The kind of power that will make a difference in my people's lives.'

Double duty: The Red Table Talk host, 51, is the show's executive producer and narrates each episode

Powerful stories: Dropping the trailer on Twitter, Netflix wrote that the new series will explore 'the lives of iconic African Queens,' beginning with 'Njinga, the complex, captivating, and fearless 17th century warrior queen'

Amazing performance: Premiering February 15, African Queens: Njinga will feature Adesuwa Oni, 27, in the central role of its dramatization

Her story: The documentary will encompass four episodes, telling Njinga's harrowing rise from a young princess learning to rule in her father's court, to the warrior queen who defended her people from the Portuguese

From there, the trailer includes a few interview clips that add even more weight to Njinga's formidable story.

One expert describes Njinga's strategizing as 'such a power move, such a boss move,' while another lauds her as 'a mother of a nation' who 'loved her country.'

A third expert explains: 'Njinga was the only African leader to be recognized by European rulers in power as a female king.'

'I think of her as probably one of the greatest women warriors and women leaders this world has ever seen,' says another interviewee.

War, family and the fight for survival are threaded through the trailer, which ends with a resounding, 'All hail, Njinga!'

Speaking to Urban Bridgez about African Queens, Pinkett Smith discussed the origins of the show and opened up about her affinity for Njinga's story.

'This particular project went through many different machinations, but it started with Willow [Smith].'

Jada's 22-year-old daughter with Will Smith inspired her to explore the history and meaning behind the word 'queen,' which is often used as a term of empowerment.

From one queen to another: Speaking to Urban Bridgez, Pinkett Smith praised Njinga for 'how she would not give up on her family and was willing to do whatever it took to protect her own people and her kingdom from the ravages of the transatlantic [slave] trade'

Jada added: '[Njinga] understood that it would always mean making hard and difficult choices, but she was a leader who ruled in complicated times, and I think we have to understand her in the context of those times'

Jada explained: 'Raising a daughter like Willow, at first, we thought, "Let's go to Africa and study the queens of Africa together as mother and daughter." '

She added: '...that terminology "queen" is tossed around a lot, but what does it actually take to be a queen?'

Pinkett Smith went on to say that 'stories about Black queens' are rarely told and that she 'really wanted to represent Black women.'

'A lot of people don't know this about me,' said Jada, 'but I'm a historian in my own right and Njinga came up in my reading. I just found her fascinating. She was a powerhouse.'

The A-lister also discussed the difficult reality of being a queen and how Njinga conquered those obstacles.

'To be a queen is a complicated position. To be a woman in patriarchal culture is also complicated, but the thing that I loved about [Njinga] was her perseverance...'

Jada praised Njinga for 'how she would not give up on her family and was willing to do whatever it took to protect her own people and her kingdom from the ravages of the transatlantic [slave] trade.

'[Njinga] understood that it would always mean making hard and difficult choices, but she was a leader who ruled in complicated times, and I think we have to understand her in the context of those times.'
Natasha Exelby has become the latest high-profile presenter to announce her departure from Channel 10.

The popular newsreader revealed on Tuesday she would be presenting 10 News First for the final time on Friday, after 15 years at the network.

'BREAKING NEWS: I can EXCLUSIVELY reveal I'm departing 10 News First this Friday. I look forward to drawing on my 20 years in journalism for the next adventure!' she wrote on Instagram.

Natasha Exelby has become the latest high-profile presenter to announce her departure from Channel 10, following the likes of Carrie Bickmore and Dr Chris Brown out the door

'Working in more than 50 countries and meeting extraordinary people has been the greatest privilege of my life so far,' she added.

'I somehow survived a military coup while living in Turkey where my house was sprayed with bullets.

'Reporting from nations like Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. learning their stories of torture and loss, has taught me humility, and the breathtaking brilliance of humanity - even when unimaginable evil strikes.'

She also discussed reporting in Hong Kong and the Middle East, before describing the Tokyo Olympics as 'a true highlight'.

'I've spent half of my career at Ten and so many colleagues have become friends and even family. and will be forever,' she said.

'But it's time for a new chapter! (Details after the break Stay tuned.) But for now, it's good night and good luck! Stay classy, Australia! I'll be back!'

The popular newsreader announced on Tuesday she would be presenting 10 News First for the final time on Friday, after 15 years at the network

Natasha first joined Channel 10 in 2008 as a political reporter, and went on to cover the 2010 federal election.

She then became a host of the breakfast show Wake Up alongside Natarsha Belling and James Mathison in 2013, but was dropped after three weeks.

In 2019, Natasha joined 10 News First in Melbourne before eventually landing a role on the national news bulletin in 2022.

For the last few years, she was also a regular panelist on Studio 10.

Natasha's departure from Ten comes less than one week after Dr Chris Brown quit the struggling station after 15 years.

Natasha described reporting on the Tokyo Olympics as 'a true highlight'

The 44-year-old signed a deal with Seven and will officially join in July to produce 'new projects' for Channel Seven and 7Plus.

Like Natasha, Dr Chris first joined Ten in 2008. He was hired to host Bondi Vet, which became a surprise ratings hit and was syndicated around the world.

He went on to become a part-time panelist on The Project and also co-hosted I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and The Living Room, which was axed last year.

Natasha's departure from Ten comes less than one week after Dr Chris Brown (pictured) quit the struggling station after 15 years

Natasha and Chris are the latest in a string of major departures from Ten, following the exits of The Project hosts Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar.

Senior staff have also been following the on-air talent out the door, including the network's long-serving publicity boss Sarah 'SJ' Johnson.

Dejected employees said last year the station feels like 'a sinking ship' and the workplace is 'lacking direction and morale' - although network reps insist Ten's parent company Paramount Global is in good financial shape.

'There are going to be a lot more resignations to come... Ten feels a bit like a sinking ship,' one staffer told Daily Mail Australia, adding that morale had been on a critical slide 'for some time'.

'It feels kind of rudderless. Like there's not a lot of direction and the network can't seem to figure out exactly what it wants to be.'

Adding to the general discontent is the network's hit-and-miss programming which leans heavily on reality TV formats, another staffer said.

'Some like Survivor and, at a pinch, MasterChef, work but a lot of them don't,' the source said. 'There seems to be so much that bombs.'
He is portrayed as the clueless, happy-go-lucky groom on Married At First Sight.

But resurfaced Instagram posts show a dark side to Shannon Adams, 30.

In footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Adams uses offensive language and spits on the floor of a busy gym while giving advice to his clients when he worked as a personal trainer.

Distressing Instagram videos of Married At First Sight groom Shannon Adams have resurfaced and show the aggressive personal trainer spitting on the floor in a busy gym and telling his clients to 'pay their dues'

One clip shows an 'aggressive' Adams yelling at the camera before offering harsh fitness advice.

'See that sexy little bitty on the treadmill and your eyeing her off - No, no, no, no, no. F**k her!' Shannon screams in the footage.

'You are not in here for that. Go to a f**king bar, Leave her alone. You're in here for yourself.

'You pay your dues, that's how you got to be. And that's a winner. She'll come along in the long term.'

One clip shows an 'aggressive' Adams yelling at the camera before offering harsh fitness advice

Another distressing clip shows the outspoken fitness buff spitting on the floor at the gym before dishing out more advice

Another distressing clip shows the outspoken fitness buff spitting on the floor at the gym before dishing out more advice.

'So that's your difference right there - that's what will make you number one and keep you number one,' he says, before spitting away from the camera.

The recently resurfaced clips raised eyebrows among cast members and his bride Caitilin McConville, who were shocked by some of his videos after his Instagram account went public earlier this month.

The recently resurfaced clips raised eyebrows among cast members and his bride Caitilin McConville, who were shocked by some of his videos after his Instagram account went public earlier this month

Daily Mail Australia understands that while Shannon has made no secret of his troubled past, he is on a journey to become a better person and has admitted he has struggled to balance honesty with empathy

'It was very distressing seeing some of the aggressive content he had on his page,' one cast member confessed.

'We were all very shocked... was not a good look for him at all.'

Daily Mail Australia understands that while Shannon has made no secret of his troubled past, he is on a journey to become a better person and has admitted he has struggled to balance honesty with empathy.

'He asked Channel Nine if they could wipe his page so he can start fresh,' a source close to production explained.

He has been seeking advice from friends and family, as well as attending therapy sessions to help him understand the impact of his words and actions.
Logan Paul is coming to Australia to promote his buzz-worthy energy drink Prime, and he's already practising his Aussie accent.

The American influencer, boxer and WWE superstar is coming Down Under this weekend with his business partner and YouTuber KSI.

The duo are starting their tour in Perth on Saturday and will make their way to Sydney next Monday.

Logan Paul is coming to Australia to promote his buzz-worthy energy drink Prime, and he's already practising his Aussie accent

Putting on a fake Aussie accent, Logan told his 24.8 million Instagram followers: 'Listen here, you little dungaroos. We are coming to Australia, me and KSI, to launch Prime in Australia and we are going [to do] a meet-up in Perth.

'If you live in Perth, we want to see you there. The first 2,000 people get a bottle!

'We are also coming to Sydney on February 13. You haven't tried Prime yet in Australia, and when you do it will blow your socks off!'

The American influencer, boxer and WWE superstar is coming Down Under this weekend with his business partner and YouTuber KSI (left)

Fans can begin queuing for the Perth meet-and-greet at 4pm at Woolworths Midvale, and Logan and KSI will begin photo ops at 6.15pm.

The times for the Syndey meet-up, at Woolworths Town Hall, are the same on Monday, February 13.

The energy drink created by the influencers-turned-boxers has become incredibly popular among pre-teens and teenagers across the globe.

The influencers will also be holding a meet and greet in Sydney next Monday

It is such a popular beverage that many are finding it hard to get their hands on, and in the UK a bottle can cost as much as 20 online.

Carnage broke out when Aldi got the drink in store for 2 shortly before Christmas.

At the time, scenes of pandemonium exploded in some stores, with children captured on video climbing over the aisles to try to get a bottle.

In some Aldi stores, the drink sold out within three minutes.
Matthew McConaughey has quietly slipped into Australia, revealing his whereabouts during a star-studded livestream on Monday.

The Texas-born actor is living it up in Port Douglas, in tropical Far North Queensland.

Matthew, 53, spoke about his overseas trip during an Instagram Live with his friend Kate Hudson as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

'You look like you're in the most lush, yummy environment,' Kate said, noting the tropical background and Matthew's summer clothes.

He then confirmed he was close to where the pair shot their 2008 film Fool's Gold, where Port Douglas stood in for Key West, Florida.

The IG Live was to commemorate two decades since Matthew and Kate joined forces for How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, which is considered one of the better rom-coms of the 2000s.

The subject turned to their sizzling chemistry throughout the movie, which led them to declare they 'kiss nicely' on screen.

Matthew McConaughey (bottom) has quietly slipped into Australia, revealing his whereabouts during a star-studded livestream with Kate Hudson (top) on Monday

'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is officially 20 years old this week so Matthew and me decided to meet you here at 12 noon Pacific Time,' Kate wrote in her caption while tagging her co-star.

Ahead of the Instagram session, she shared a black-and-white photo of Matthew drawing a pencil-thin moustache on her.

The chat came amid a busy news day for Matthew, as it was revealed he was on deck to lead a Yellowstone spin-off after it was rumoured Kevin Costner has prepared to depart the series.

The 53-year-old actor (left) announced his return down under after he jumped on an Instagram Live with friend Kate Hudson (right) on Monday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their iconic film, How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days

He also revealed he would provide the voice of Elvis Presley in a teaser trailer for Netflix's upcoming adult animated series Agent Elvis.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days ended up being a massive hit, more than tripling its $50million budget by grossing $177.5million.

The film was inspired by a non-narrative book of the same name filled with comedic rules about things to avoid while dating.

Matthew has been married to model Camila Alves since 2012, while Kate has been in a relationship with Danny Fujikawa since 2016.
An Instagram influencer, who previously claimed she doesn't take gifts, has shared a post to social media thanking an Australian label for an expensive present.

Emmylou MacCarthy of the Emmylou Loves Instagram account, told Carrie Bickmore on The Project back in July 2019, she 'has a pretty strict rule... I don't take gifts'.

However Emmylou shared a photo of herself on Tuesday wearing a black $320 dress by Bianca and Bridgett and thanked the label for sending her the gift.

Instagram influencer Emmylou MacCarthy (pictured) who insisted to Carrie Bickmore she doesn't 'take gifts' accepts expensive present from Australian label

'@Biancaandbridgett @boobytape Thank you for my dress and tape #gifted,' she captioned a video of herself.

The post was shared by snark account Dutch Minty and fans slammed Emmylou for being a 'walking contradiction'.

'Oh sorry, that was last week, this is this week !! Totes different,' one person wrote.

Emmylou shared a photo of herself on Tuesday wearing a black $320 dress by Bianca and Bridgett and thanked the label for sending her the gift

'@Biancaandbridgett @boobytape Thank you for my dress and tape #gifted,' she captioned a video of herself

'Hahahahahah! She's a walking contradiction!' a second person agreed.

During her interview on The Project back in July 2019, Carrie repeatedly questioned Emmylou about receiving freebies.

She was grilled by the TV host, who began her line of questioning with, 'Do you ever ask for a free ice cream?'

During her interview on The Project back in July 2019, Carrie Bickmore (pictured) repeatedly questioned Emmylou about receiving freebies

The social media star laughed at the odd question, answering: 'No, no I haven't asked for a free ice cream, I can happily say that'.

Carrie continued her line of inquiry, then asking, 'Do you see other influencers saying, 'Can I get my dinner for free please?''

Emmylou insisted: 'I have a pretty strict rule, I don't take gifts.'
He went from a small time tradie to one of Australia's most talked-about reality stars.

And it seems Harrison Boon has also transformed his physique since finding fame on Married At First Sight this year, after he debuted his bulked up physique over the weekend.

The father-of-one, 32, was spotted working out with a mate at Bondi Beach's popular outdoor gym on Saturday, going shirtless in a pair of black shorts and sneakers.

Harrison Boon, 32, has transformed his physique since finding fame on Married At First Sight this year. The villainous groom debuted his bulked up physique over the weekend. (Pictured left: in 2022 before filming for the show, and right: Saturday)

The Sydney tradesman appeared bulkier than in photos taken before his appearance on MAFS, when he was also working as a topless waiter at hen's parties.

His Instagram is filled with shirtless selfies dating back several years, showing just how much he's changed.

A sweaty Harrison was seen performing a range of exercises during his workout, including pull-ups, bicep curls and dumbbell chest-flies.

The father-of-one was spotted working out with a mate at Bondi Beach's popular outdoor gym on Saturday, going shirtless in a pair of black shorts and sneakers

The Sydney tradesman appeared bulkier than in photos taken before his appearance on MAFS when he was also working as a tradie and a topless waiter at hen's parties. (Pictured left in 2021 before MAFS, and right on Saturday)

A sweaty Harrison was seen performing a range of exercises during his workout, including pull-ups, bicep curls and dumbbell chest-flies

While working out he threw on a pair of sunglasses, giving him a distinctly Terminator-esque appearance.

Intriguingly, he was also seen wearing his silver wedding band from TV wife Bronte Schofield - despite numerous reports the pair have split since the show.

In between exercises, Harrison was seen chatting to his male pal, who also went shirtless for the occasion.

His Instagram is filled with shirtless selfies dating back several years, showing just how much he's changed. (Pictured left in March 2021, and right on Saturday)

While working out he threw on a pair of sunglasses, giving him a distinctly Terminator-esque appearance

Lying on a wooden bench, Harrison displayed his bicep strength as he pushed two sizeable dumbbells above his head

Intriguingly, he was also seen wearing his silver wedding band from TV wife Bronte Schofield - despite numerous reports the pair have split since the show

In between exercises, Harrison was seen chatting to his male pal (right), who also went shirtless for the occasion

Making the most of Sydney's scorching summer climes, the two men were later seen hitting the beach for a splash in the water

Making the most of Sydney's scorching summer climes, the two men were later seen hitting the beach for a splash in the water.

Removing his shoes, Harrison proudly strutted down the sand with his pumped-up physique on display.

The twosome were also spotted grabbing acai bowls from a nearby cafe, before settling on Bondi Beach's grassy knoll to eat them.

Harrison was determined to put on a show in front of other beach goers as he performed impressive chin-ups

Removing his shoes, Harrison proudly strutted down the sand with his pumped-up physique on display

The twosome were also spotted grabbing acai bowls from a nearby cafe, before settling on Bondi Beach's grassy knoll to eat them

At one stage, they were intercepted by a group of fans asking for a selfie. Harrison generously obliged, taking the fan's phone and posing arm-in-arm with his pal on the footpath

Harrison looked flushed and exhausted as he lifted heavy dumbbells beneath the summer sun

His wedding ring was hard to miss as it glimmered in the sunlight

At one stage, they were intercepted by a group of fans asking for a selfie.

Harrison generously obliged, taking the fan's phone and posing arm-in-arm with his pal on the footpath.

The sighting came days before Harrison Nova's Fitzy and Wippa to open up about how 'disappointed' he felt after learning that Bronte knew about his 'secret girlfriend' before their wedding.

The sighting came days before Harrison Nova's Fitzy and Wippa to open up about how 'disappointed' he felt after learning that Bronte knew about his 'secret girlfriend' before their wedding

A shocking twist emerged on Monday when Daily Mail Australia revealed Bronte, 28, knew about Harrison's fling before appearing on Channel Nine's matchmaking show and intended to play up the drama

On Monday, Daily Mail Australia exposed leaked voice notes which revealed Bronte knew about Harrison's about her groom's past weeks before filming began

On Monday, Daily Mail Australia exposed leaked voice notes which revealed Bronte knew about Harrison's about her groom's past weeks before filming began - and had plotted with her friend to 'put on a show' for the cameras.

The next day, Harrison appeared on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa to share his thoughts on Bronte's incriminating voice notes after she put him through the wringer for an 'act'.

'It was really difficult to hear that, like I'm really disappointed about that. That means that everything we saw at the wedding and last night [dinner party] was essentially fake, it was acting.'

The next day, Harrison appeared on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa to share his thoughts on Bronte's incriminating voice notes after she put him through the wringer for an 'act'

'It was really difficult to hear that, like I'm really disappointed about that. That means that everything we saw at the wedding and last night [dinner party] was essentially fake, it was acting', he said
After a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court, the state of Missouri executed a man who had been found guilty of killing his girlfriend and three children.

In November 2004, at their home in Jennings, Missouri, Angela Rowe and her three kids Alexus Conley, 10, AcQreya Conley, 6, and Tyrese Conley, 5, were murdered. Leonard Taylor, 58, was later proven responsible for their deaths.

Missouri Executes Leonard Taylor

Taylor took five or six deep breaths as he received 5 grams of pentobarbital before going lifeless. Muslims, according to Taylor's closing remarks, "live eternally in the hearts of our family and friends."

Taylor's final supper was "a seafood platter with shrimp, French fries, a cheeseburger, cheesecake, and vanilla ice cream," a representative for the Missouri Department of Corrections told Fox News Digital.

Taylor insisted that he was not in Missouri when the bodies were discovered and were instead in California at the time the four persons were slain. On November 26, 2004, he boarded an airplane bound for California. After family members informed authorities that they hadn't heard from Rowe recently, the four bodies were discovered on December 6, 2004.

While Taylor was in California, Medical Examiner Phillip Burch stated that the killings may have occurred two to three weeks before the corpses were discovered, contradicting an earlier medical examiner's conclusion that the deaths probably happened within a few days of the bodies being discovered.

After Taylor left for California, several others reportedly spotted Rowe, according to his attorney Kent Gipson. In a court document, Deja Taylor, Taylor's California-based daughter, said that they spoke on the phone while her father was visiting Rowe.

The court document claims that Deja Taylor's sister and mother supported her story. The Midwest Innocence Project, the national NAACP, and almost thirty other civil rights and religious organizations were among his supporters.

Taylor's claims of innocence, however, were repeatedly rejected. Wesley Bell, the prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County and a Democrat, turned down Taylor's request for a court hearing last week, saying that the "facts are not there to sustain a credible case of innocence."

On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected a plea for a stay of the sentence, and Republican governor Mike Parson declined to grant clemency. According to CBS News, the US Supreme Court declined to get involved earlier on Tuesday.

Without a doubt, Taylor was not in Missouri when the deaths were discovered. The exact time the family was slaughtered is unknown. On November 26, 2004, Taylor boarded an aircraft for California. Police were called to the Jennings residence on December 3, 2004, after frightened family members reported not hearing from Rowe. The police discovered Rowe and her kids' remains. They had all been shot.

The first conclusion of a medical examiner was that Taylor was in California when the killings most likely occurred within a few days of the corpses being discovered. However, Medical Examiner Phillip Burch testified during Taylor's trial that the murders may have occurred two or three weeks before the corpses' discovery.

According to Taylor's lawyer Kent Gipson, Rowe's relatives and a neighbor were among the persons who saw Rowe alive in the days after Taylor departed St. Louis. At the time of the deaths, Bob McCulloch, the elected prosecutor for St. Louis County, called Taylor's claim of innocence "nonsense" and stated the justifications offered by his daughter and her family members were "totally made up."

According to evidence, McCulloch said that Rowe and the children were slain on the night of November 22 or on November 23 while Taylor was still in St. Louis. He said that, on average, Rowe sent or received about 70 SMS or calls daily. She made none beginning on November 23.

A relative driving Taylor to the airport witnessed Taylor throw a pistol into the sewer, and Taylor's brother informed police that Taylor acknowledged the murder, according to McCulloch. Additionally, when he was detained, DNA from Rowe's blood was discovered on Taylor's glasses. Authorities think Taylor killed the kids because they were witnesses after shooting Rowe during a heated confrontation.

The three most recent executions in Missouri involved cases outside of St. Louis County. In November, Kevin Johnson was executed for the 2005 murder of a police officer. Amber McLaughlin was executed on January 3 for the 2003 murder of a woman. She was considered the first transgender woman to be executed in the United States.

Read Also: $1,200 Washington Tax Credits: Who Qualifies, How To Apply?

Missouri's Execution Sparks Protests

Taylor's attorneys requested that the Missouri Supreme Court order a prison warden to permit Taylor's spiritual counselor to accompany him to the execution chamber. According to Megan Crane, co-director of the MacArthur Justice Center's Missouri office in St. Louis, Taylor had a "credible claim of innocence" that was never heard or considered by a court of law.

She said there was a pending legal challenge that the state violated the man's religious liberties by carrying out the death sentence. Statewide demonstrations against the death penalty attracted protesters, as per Kansas City.

Protests were organized in St. Louis, Columbia, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Columbia, and Bonne Terre. Before Taylor's execution, around two dozen people congregated in Kansas City at 39th Street and Troost Avenue as part of a protest organized by Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.

As passing automobiles honked in solidarity, several people waved placards. Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty planned a statewide demonstration to draw demonstrators to the Kansas City junction of 39th Street and Troost Avenue on Tuesday afternoon.

The group showed up to express opposition to Leonard "Raheem" Taylor, 58, being put to death for a 2004 triple homicide in the St. Louis region even though he maintained his innocence.

Related Article: Video: Florida Police Drag Wounded Old Man in Elevator

@YouTube

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sienna Miller looked effortlessly chic in a cream outfit as she departed a nail salon in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The actress, 41, braved the cold weather in an oversized fur jacket which she teamed with crisp white tracksuit bottoms.

She kept comfy in a pair of stylish brown clogs and and toted her belongings around in an eye catching zebra print bag.

The Anatomy of a Scandal star styled her long blonde tresses loose from a centre parting and accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings.

It comes after Sienna recently made a number of sweet appearance with boyfriend Oli, who is 15 years her junior.

Out and about: Sienna Miller looked effortlessly chic in a cream outfit as she departed a nail salon in Manhattan on Tuesday

Looking good: The actress, 41, braved the cold weather in an oversized fur jacket which she teamed with crisp white tracksuit bottoms

The beauty recently said she spent years investing in a relationship with someone who was 'a bucket with a hole in it of a person'.

The actress revealed she thought she would be married with children by her 30s but the relationships she was in during those years didn't work out.

Speaking to British Vogue, Sienna said: 'I'd invested what felt like the important years in something that was just a bucket with a hole in it of a person. I wasted time. And I felt like time was really my currency.'

She was quick to point out she was not referring to Tom Sturridge, who she dated from 2011 to 2015 and shares daughter Marlowe, ten, with.

But the pair proved that they were on friendly terms recently, as they partied at last year's Glastonbury festival with their respective partners - Oli and Alexa Chung.

Prior to her relationship with Tom, Sienna was engaged to fellow actor Jude Law in 2004 after he popped the question on Christmas Day.

He apologised to her in July of the following year for having an affair with the nanny of his children.

Sienna also had a highly publicised affair with the actor Bathlazar Getty in 2008.

Reflecting on her thirties being difficult, she added: 'There was a lot of anxiety. Relationships hadn't worked out  I imagined that I would be married with three kids, being a great mum. I love being a mother. It's what I do best.'

Chic: She kept comfy in a pair of stylish brown clogs and and toted her belongings around in an eye catching zebra print bag
They are the youngest couple one Married At First Sight who instantly bonded when they first met at the altar and have had a smooth-sailing relationship ever since.

And it turns out Married At First Sight's Tahnee Cook, 27, and Ollie Skelton, 26, found out that they were related in a bizarre twist they didn't expect on their wedding day.

The newlyweds are distant relatives, and the connection was discovered at their wedding reception when guests from different sides of the party recognised one another.

Married At First Sight's Tahnee Cook and Ollie Skelton found out that they were related in a bizarre twist they didn't expect on their wedding day

An insider told Yahoo Lifestyle, Tahnee's sister's husband is Ollie's second cousin, so they are not related by blood.

'Although theyre not blood-related or anything like that, technically they are distant relatives in a weird way, they added.

'A lot of the cast would joke about it. They laughed about this a few times during filming, but it probably wont be aired as Channel Nine wont want people spinning it into an incest-style headline scandal.'

The newlyweds are distant relatives, and the connection was discovered at their wedding reception when guests from different sides of the party recognised one another.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.

Despite the revelation, the couple are going strong after they instantly bonded at the altar over their mutual love of Thai food and dislike of online dating.

After tying the knot the pair danced together, sharing an 'excellent' first kiss, before flying off to Fiji and consummating their marriage on the first night of their honeymoon.

An insider told the publication Tahnee's sister's husband is Ollie's second cousin, so they are not related by blood

'Ollie and I were intimate last night,' Tahnee told producers with a beaming smile while on her honeymoon.

It appears that the couple are still going strong two months after filming wrapped as the couple were spotted enjoying a date night at the popular Perth hotspot The Flour Factory on January 6.

Married At First Sight continues on Wednesday night at 7.30pm on Channel Nine.
Tom Cruise is planning to delay the filming of his new Mission Impossible film to attend King Charles' Coronation.

The movie star, 60, has reportedly decided to stop filming the eighth instalment of spy franchise Mission: Impossible to attend the Coronation on May 6.

According to The Sun, the royal event is something 'he will not miss out on' and 'would never turn it down'.

An insider told the publication: 'Tom has been invited to King Charles' Coronation and there is no way he would have ever turned it down.

'It is a hugely prestigious event and Tom is a real royalist  plus he is now close with Prince William and Kate. Tom has told film bosses to shut down the production on Mission: Impossible over the Coronation weekend to make sure he can attend.

Priorities: Tom Cruise is planning to delay the filming of his new Mission Impossible film to attend King Charles' Coronation

'It shocked some people on the film, as Tom is so dedicated to his craft and would never normally deviate from his intense production schedules.

'But something as important  and grand  as King Charles's Coronation is something he would not want to miss out on.

'It is a huge thing for Tom to be invited and he is honoured.'

The actor has grown close to the Royal Family in recent times and last year treated William and Kate to an advanced screening of Top Gun: Maverick.

They were given a world-first preview of the film last March and the trio looked close at the star-studded premiere in London two months later.

The A-lister, 59, extended his hand to the Duchess of Cambridge, 40, as she navigated a set of stairs at the premiere.

Cruise was on hand to escort the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge down the red carpet and introduce them to his co-stars, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and Miles Teller.

When he reached a small set of stairs ahead of the couple, Cruise immediately turned and offered a hand to the Duchess, who was walking next to him.

Anticipated: The movie star, 60, has reportedly decided to stop filming the eighth instalment of spy franchise Mission: Impossible to attend the Coronation on May 6

Kate, who looked stunning in a Roland Mouret column dress and black heels, reached out to take his hand for extra support.

The pair chatted happily as they made their way down the red carpet to meet the rest of the film's cast.

The moment of chivalry was spotted by royal watchers, who praised 'charming' Cruise for helping Kate.

One tweeted: 'He is always a Gentleman and never forgets for a second how to behave in public.'

Her leading man! The actor has grown close to the Royal Family in recent times and last year treated William and Kate to an advanced screening of Top Gun: Maverick

Close: The Hollywood A-lister stepped in to help the Duchess as they made their way into the glitzy gala screening of Top Gun

Another posted: 'Mr #TomCruise the perfect gentleman. #PrinceWilliam the perfect date and #CatherineDuchessofCambridge the belle of the ball.'

Elsewhere Kate and Cruise shared a joke in front of the cameras, prompting some to note he had won her over with his Hollywood 'charm'.

Cruise also took part in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Windsor, saying it was an 'honour' to be involved.

Two children who spoke to William and Kate revealed the couple's own brood, George, Charlotte and Louis, were gutted to miss the glitzy screening.

Alfie Everett-Fletcher, nine, who met William at the cinema, said: 'He asked me what I liked about the last one, the things I like, if I like jets and planes and motorbikes.'

Alfie said William told him he is a 'big fan' of the film and 'cars and stuff'.

His mother Elise Everett added: 'He said they have had the theme tune for the film playing with their kids.'

Alfie also said William told him his own children were 'jealous' to miss the premiere.

Ahead of the premiere, Cruise, 59, said he and the Duke of Cambridge 'have a lot in common' as he spoke of his admiration for the royal.

'We have a lot in common. We both love England and we're both aviators, we both love flying,' he said.

The actor also expressed his joy to be back on the red carpet, saying: 'I love what I do, I've always enjoyed it and I'm enjoying it even more now. 'Particularly after the last couple of years, just to have an event like this is extraordinary.'
The Shamima Begum Story

Rating: **

Consent

Rating: *

The 22 people murdered by Isis in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, ten of them under 20 years old and the youngest just eight, will not get a second chance.

Neither will the 90 concert-goers at the 2015 Bataclan theatre atrocity in Paris, nor the 86 people killed on Bastille Day the following year when a terrorist ploughed a truck into crowds on the promenade in Nice.

Yet the BBC is intent on airing the arguments for and against a second chance for Shamima Begum, the woman who left her family home in east London to join Isis in Syria, aged 15.

Even Begum, now 23, cannot understand why the broadcaster is taking such an interest.

'What is there to obsess over?' she asked, in The Shamima Begum Story (BBC2). 'We went to Isis and that was it.'

Begum says she had to flee Britain because her family wanted a 'loose and immoral' life for her

There seems to be a Left-wing delusion that allowing her to return to the UK will demonstrate some sort of moral righteousness.

To achieve this, her supporters paint her as the victim of people traffickers, brainwashers, groomers and propaganda, and traumatised by an abusive marriage.

It is undeniably true that she has lost three children in infancy, and spent the past four years in the squalor of the Al-Hawl detention camp in Kurdistan.

But as Tim Loughton, a Tory MP on the Home Affairs Select Committee, pointed out, she left Britain to join 'people who are against everything that we stand for and want to kill us. That's as bad as it gets.'

Begum's numerous interviews for this documentary and the BBC podcast that accompanies it have enabled her to develop a polished persona on camera.

Rhyming slang of the night: Bradley and Barney Walsh visited the 'Land of the Strays' in Costa Rica, home to 2,000 dogs, on Breaking Dad (ITV). Brad worried about stepping in mess with his 'brand new Glorias'. It took me a minute, but that's Gloria Gaynors . . . trainers! Advertisement

No longer the sullen, contemptuous teenager of her first encounters with journalists, she now dresses in Western clothes, with sunglasses perched on her head.

But she cannot hide the remnants of that surly arrogance which made her despise Britain and her upbringing.

Begum says she had to flee Britain because her family wanted a 'loose and immoral' life for her, that she 'didn't feel accepted by society because of racism', and that she joined Isis because 'I wanted to be loved, because I felt I was not loved'.

News footage of her sister, pleading tearfully for her return, gave the lie to that  but Begum was quite capable of proving herself a liar, without help from anyone.

She contradicted herself repeatedly in interviews, and claimed she was unaware of Isis atrocities before she arrived in Syria  yet also said 'it didn't faze me' when, following public executions, 'I saw the beheaded heads in bins'.

The camera closed in on her eyes and mouth, which opened in a faint sneer, as she listened to the questions.

Much of the time, her face was impassive, but she came alive when she remembered moments when people seemed impressed with her, or recalled perceived slights and injustices from years ago.

There's no doubt that her life, with the loss of her three children, has been one of medieval brutality. But isn't that exactly what Isis stood for?

The extreme consequences of teenage stupidity were also on show in Consent (C4), a dreadful one-off drama about sexual abuse among students at a private school.

Reeking of class resentment, it told the story of a scholarship girl from a black working-class home, who was raped at a party.

The school closed ranks with the coke-snorting poshos, and her attacker was heading to Oxbridge until one rich boy, marginally less obnoxious than the rest, decided to give evidence.

The whole thing felt like a bizarrely seedy information video for sixth formers. Almost unwatchable.
Elvis Presley's widow, Priscilla, enjoyed lunch with troubled actor Bam Margera on Tuesday afternoon, less than a month after the death of her daughter Lisa Marie.

As she continues to mourn the loss of her eldest child, who died unexpectedly on January 12 after experiencing cardiac arrest, the actress, 77, grabbed a bite to eat with the 43-year-old former professional skateboarder.

In a selfie, uploaded to Margera's Instagram, Priscilla posed next to her son Navarone Garcia's friend as they sat side-by-side on a grey studded booth.

A second image showed the former spouse of the late King of Rock n Roll seemingly showing her photos of his five-year-old daughter, Phoenix Wolf Margera.

Reunited: Elvis Presley's widow, Priscilla, enjoyed lunch with troubled actor Bam Margera on Tuesday afternoon, less than a month after the death of her daughter Lisa Marie

During their meal together, Priscilla wore a white jacket with a silver zipper and minimal makeup.

Margera wore his hood over his head, a blue t-shirt and a gold key around his neck.

According to TMZ, the star is 'actually friends' with Lisa Marie's half-brother, 35, who recently opened up about getting clean from hard drugs and opioids in 2020.

On Monday, Margera uploaded two snaps with Priscilla's son Navarone on a fun night out.

Earlier this week, Steve-O heartbreakingly wrote on Instagram that he is 'bracing' for his Jacka** co-star's death.

Margera, who has had a rollercoaster history of addiction, is currently opening for Steve-O on tour.

But an Instagram exchange between the two revealed the cracks in their relationship, with Steve-O accusing Margera of falling off the wagon and declaring: 'You're dying, brother, and it sucks that I can't do anything to save you.'

The back and forth began when Margera posted a throwback snap of himself sandwiched between Steve-O and their Jacka** co-star Johnny Knoxville.

Unexpected pals: As she continues to mourn the loss of her eldest child, who died unexpectedly after experiencing cardiac arrest on January 12, the actress, 77, enjoyed a bite to eat with the 43-year-old former professional skateboarder

Knoxville has lately had a fractious relationship with Margera, who sued him for wrongful termination from the 2021 film Jacka** Forever but then dropped the case.

In the caption of his since-deleted Instagram throwback, Margera wrote: 'One arm is a best friend who had my f***ing back all along, another arm is a poser. A pro creation thief. If Jeff tremaine was in this photo, he would be to greedy to fit.'

Jeff Tremaine, a producer and co-creator of the Jackass franchise, filed a restraining order against Margera in 2021 and accused him of harassment.

Margera wrote in his new caption: 'F*** jeff. Remember I tattooed that on me long ago jeff? It's because I knew who you were all along. @steveo much love and respect.'

Steve-O posted, then rapidly deleted, a lengthy comment revealing his heartrending response to his friend's alleged behavior.

Family friend: On Monday, Margera uploaded two snaps with Priscilla's son Navarone on a fun night out

'Bam, last night you had your five year old son with you on stage at my show, and you were blessed with the chance to spend another day or two with him  then as soon as you left my show, you stayed up all night getting loaded enough to think it was a good idea to post more vile nonsense like this,' he began.

'I hope you understand how awful that is. You say you want to have a relationship with your son, but your actions guarantee the exact opposite will happen.'

He shared: 'I brought you on tour with me in hopes that I could get you to see what's possible for you if you choose recovery. I've tried everything I can, but I can't force you get honest and do the work of recovery.'

Crushingly, he concluded: 'I wish you could know how much I've hated feeling braced for news of your death, but you're making it clear that I have no other choice. You're dying brother, and it sucks that I can't do anything to save you.'

He deleted the comment but informed TMZ he still means what he wrote, adding that he remains open to helping Margera get sober if the latter gets serious about it.

Scary: Earlier this week, Steve-O heartbreakingly wrote on Instagram that he is 'bracing' for his Jacka** co-star's death

Yikes: Margera, who has had a rollercoaster history of addiction, is currently opening for Steve-O on tour

Last June, he was located by authorities in Delray Beach after he was reported missing from a nearby rehab facility.

At the time, the manager of the rehab facility noted that the Viva La Bam star's stay at the facility was ordered by a court, leading to police looking for him.

Margera was reportedly irked that he was not receiving 'special treatment' from staff at the facility, which led him to leave, an insider told the outlet.

Margera has had a history of substance abuse issues and checked himself into the hospital in 2019 for an edema after excessive drinking

Margera has long had a history of substance abuse issues, as he had to check into a hospital in 2019 to treat an edema apparently caused by excessive drinking.

More recently, he kicked off the latest Jacka** project for failing to abide by conditions set forth by the producers relating to his addiction issues.

They were reportedly worried about his addiction issues and erratic behavior - for which he has recently explained he suffers from manic bipolar disorder - but wanted him to be a part of the project.

In order to remain a part of Jacka** Forever, sources said the producers required Margera to sign a Wellness Agreement under which he would agree to continue taking his medication, regularly blow into a breathalyzer, stay sober, see a psychologist and take routine drug tests.
Australia's biggest TV stars were out in full force on Wednesday to support their beloved friend Jessica Rowe at the launch of first cookbook.

The TV presenter, 52, celebrated her new book, Everyday Not So Crap Family Meals, at Fairfax & Roberts jewellery store in Sydney.

Former Studio 10 host Jess looked stunning in a vibrant floral strapless dress for the occasion as she cuddled up to her 9News presenter husband, Peter Overton.

Television stars were out in full force on Wednesday to support their beloved friend Jessica Rowe at the launch of first cookbook

The TV presenter, 52, celebrated her new book, Everyday Not So Crap Family Meals, at Fairfax & Roberts jewellery store in Sydney

Jessica completed her look with a dazzling diamond necklace, bracelet and earrings while she accentuated her stunning face with a glowing makeup palette.

Her 56-year-old doting husband dressed smart in a black suit jacket and jeans.

The pair smiled and laughed and even shared a loving embrace in front of the cameras.

Former Studio 10 host Jess looked stunning in a vibrant floral strapless dress for the occasion as she cuddled up to her 9News presenter husband, Peter Overton

The pair smiled and laughed and even shared a loving embrace in front of the cameras

Meanwhile, Sunrise host Natalie Barr had a quick outfit change after hosting the breakfast show, looking chic in a maroon laced top that loosely tucked in to her black maxi skirt.

Her hair was well kept after her morning TV stint while her nails were painted a dark navy shade.

Former Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson looked chic in cream A-line dress and a grey blazer draped over her shoulders.

Sunrise host Natalie Barr looked chic in a marroon laced top that loosely tucked in to her black maxi skirt

Her hair was well kept after hosting the breakfast show that morning while her nails were painted a dark navy shade

She accessoried with nude heels and a Nikki Williams handbag, valued at $380.

Fellow Channel Seven presenter Kylie Gillies kept to the colour palette of the event in red flared trousers and a hot pink top.

The Morning Show host, 55, kept her brunette locks straightened with a middle part and wore a pair of matching red heels.

Former Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson showed off her fashion-forward looks in a cream A-line dress and a grey blazer draped over her shoulders

Kylie Gillies, kept to the colour palette of the event in red flared trousers and a hot pink top

Melissa Doyle shared a sweet moment with Jess as they smiled and posed for photos together

Former Sunrise presenter Melissa Doyle shared a sweet moment with Jess as they smiled and posed for photos together.

The 52-year-old looked stylish in a black quarter-sleeved dress and nude pointed heels.

Jess' former Studio 10 co-host Joe Hildebrand dressed down for the occasion, wearing a grey T-shirt and black jeans.

Joe Hildebrand dressed down for the occasion, wearing a grey T-shirt and black jeans

Brendan Jones of Jonesy and Amanda added a pop of colour in a loud printed floral shirt

Meanwhile, radio presenter Brendan Jones of Jonesy and Amanda added a pop of colour in a loud printed floral shirt.

Channel Nine presenter Georgie Gardner looked effortless in a white cross shoulder top, tan trousers and a woven handbag.

Her beach blonde hair was styled in a wispy cut while she accessorised with both fine and bold gold jewellery.

Channel Nine presenter Georgie Gardner looked effortless in a white cross shoulder top and tan trousers

Other guests in attendance included fashion designer and co founder of Romance Was Born, Anna Plunkett

The journalist also added flair to her look with bright orange nail polish.

Former Network 10 presenter Natarsha Belling dazzled in a gold printed maxi skirt and simple black singlet top.

Other guests in attendance included fashion designer and co founder of Romance Was Born, Anna Plunkett, Dr Katrina Warren and influencer Suzan Mutesi - who attended the event in a pair of green Croc heels.

Former Network 10 presenter Natarsha Belling dazzled in a gold printed maxi skirt and simple black singlet top

Dr Katrina Warren also attended the exlcusive event

She posed alongside the cookbook author

Last month, Jessica Rowe announced she is expanding her career with her 'Not So Crap' cookbook, which released on January 31.

She shared a snap of her book cover to Instagram on in January, which showed her laughing it up in a kitchen surrounded by bowls of chocolates.

She captioned the photo with some exciting words: 'Who would have thought I'd ever have a cookbook!!!

Influencer Suzan Mutesi attended the event in a pair of green Croc heels

She wore a green dress to match the statement shoes

'Thanks to the incredible team @womensweeklymag @aremediabooks it will be hitting stores on Tuesday 31st January!'

The mother-of-two promised her book's recipes are 'quick, full of shortcuts and lots of fun.

'Wait until you see how breathtaking tacos can look & the easiest cat cake to make with musk stick flavoured icing!,' she added.

Last month, Jessica Rowe announced she is expanding her career with her 'not so crap' cookbook, which released on January 31
Christina Applegate's upcoming appearance at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards may be the final awards ceremony she will attend as a working actress.

'It's my last awards show as an actor probably, so it's kind of a big deal,' the Married With Child star revealed to the LA Times.

'Right now, I couldn't imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set; I don't have that in me at this moment.'

The actress, 51, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) while shooting the third and final season of Netflix's hit series Dead To Me in August 2021.

Her role as cynical widow Jen Harding has earned her a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series.

Christina Applegate's upcoming appearance at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards may be the final awards ceremony she will attend as a working actress; seen in January

Though she is taking a step back from acting, Christina told the publication that she's pursuing voiceover work.

'Doing a s*** ton of voice-overs to make some cash to make sure that my daughter's fed and we're homed,' she quipped.

Dead To Me premiered premiered in 2019 and aired its final episode in November 2022.

The comedy series follows Jen (Christina) who, after losing her husband to a hit-and-run, meets fellow widower Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini) at a grief counseling session.

The duo form an unlikely friendship that leads to Jen making Judy a part of her and her children's lives.

But drama unfolds as it's revealed that Judy is harboring a dark secret that will change life as they know it.

In her conversation with the LA Times, Christina said she was 'a wreck everyday' as she filmed Dead To Me's final season while 'struggling' with her MS symptoms.

'But most of that wreck would take place in my trailer by myself,' she recalled.

Production took a five month break shortly so she could undergo the treatment she needed.

Health battle: The actress, 51, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) while shooting the third and final season of Netflix's hit series Dead To Me in August 2021; seen in 2020

Nominee: Her impressive performance as cynical widow Jen Harding has earned her a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Filming resumed in early 2022 and wrapped by that February.

'There were times I'd break down on set and be like, "I can't, we have to take a break, I need a half-hour," and everyone was so loving that it was OK,' she continued.

Christina praised the show's 'incredible' cast and crew for providing her with the support and understanding she needed to get through the difficult shoot.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves, and interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body.

Christina's diagnosis came after years of overlooked symptoms including balance/mobility issues as well as tingling and numbness in her arms and legs.

The Sweetest Thing actress now struggles to walk without the support of a cane, which she's previously described as her 'new normal.' Treatment and her lack of mobility has resulted in weight gain.

'It's my last awards show as an actor probably, so it's kind of a big deal,' the Married With Child star revealed to the LA Times . 'Right now, I couldn't imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set; I don't have that in me at this moment'; seen in January

Dead To Me premiered premiered in 2019 and aired its final episode in November 2022. The comedy series follows Jen (Christina) who, after losing her husband to a hit-and-run, meets fellow widower Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini) at a grief counseling session; Christina and Linda seen in Dead To Me season three

Christina previously battled breast cancer in 2008, which led to her undergoing a double mastectomy. She had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2017.

The actress admitted that it was extremely painful watching herself in Dead To Me season three.

'I don't like seeing myself struggling,' she explained. 'Also, I gained 40 pounds because of inactivity and medications, and I didn't look like myself, and I didn't feel like myself.

'At some point I was able to distance myself from my own ego, and realize what a beautiful piece of television it was.

In her conversation with the LA Times, Christina said she was 'a wreck everyday' as she filmed Dead To Me's final season while 'struggling' with her MS symptoms; seen with Linda in season three

'There were times I'd break down on set and be like, 'I can't, we have to take a break, I need a half-hour,' and everyone was so loving that it was OK,' she told the publication

'All the scenes I wasn't in were so much fun to see and experience for the very first time,' she concluded.

Christina made her first awards show appearance since being diagnosed with MS at the Critics' Choice Awards in January, where she was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Dead To Me.

She was accompanied by her daughter Sadie, 12.

In November, Christina received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame which was her 'first time out since diagnosed with MS,' she said in a tweet.

The SAG Awards will be held on Sunday, February 26.
He was mocked by fans after looking supremely awkward standing next to his costar Reese Witherspoon at the premiere of their new romantic comedy Your Place Or Mine last week.

And now Ashton Kutcher is explaining his awkward lack of connection from his costar and also defending himself.

While dropping by the Chicks In The Office podcast, the 45-year-old actor made it sound as if there was no way for him to win with social media users who poked fun at how unfriendly he looked around Witherspoon.

'Heres the thing: if I put my arm around her, and was like all friendly with her, Id be having an affair with her,' he explained. 'Like, the rumor would be that Im having an affair with her.'

His costar previously revealed that his wife Mila Kunis had even emailed the two of them to joke that they looked 'so awkward' together on the red carpet.

Keeping his distance: Ashton Kutcher, 45, revealed on the Chicks In The Office podcast that he wouldn't put his arm around Reese Witherspoon on the Your Place Or Mine red carpet last week because he was worried fans would think they were having an affair; seen February 2

Poking fun at him: He and Witherspoon both shared that his wife Mila Kunis emailed them to say they both looked 'so awkward' on the red carpet; seen in August 2022 in LA

'If I stand next to her and put my hands in my pockets so theres no chance that that could be the rumor, then the rumor is we dont like each other,' Kutcher continued in an advance clip from his podcast appearance.

He also shared the anecdote about Kunis poking fun of the two stars once she saw the red carpet photos.

'My wife called me. She texted Reese and I together and said, "Guys, you gotta, like act like you like each other."'

The contact-free strategy he employed was a stark contrast to how other actors have comported themselves while doing publicity for their projects.

Most recently, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain set social media buzzing after they were openly chummy in public and on the red carpet.

Isaac wasn't afraid to wrap his arm around his costar as they promoted their 2021 miniseries Scenes From A Marriage  which was a remake of the legendary Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman's influential series and film of the same name  and he was even spotted giving the Tree Of Life star some chaste kisses.

However, they may have made Kutcher's point for him, as they fond displays also led to speculation that they were carrying on an affair, without any evidence to back it up aside from the public displays.

But Kutcher also blamed his awkward posture on another complicating factor: his deafness in one ear.

Can't win: 'If I put my arm around her, and was like all friendly with her, Id be having an affair with her,' he said fans would assume. 'If I stand next to her and put my hands in my pockets so theres no chance that that could be the rumor, then the rumor is we dont like each other'; seen February 2

Watching out: He may have been thinking about Oscar Isaac's friendly gestures with Scenes From A Marriage costar Jessica Chastain, which led to rumors online that they were having an affair; seen in October 2021

The That '70s Show star noted that he is deaf in one ear due to a rare form of vasculitis that he recently battled.

Because of his hearing difficulty, it is hard for him to hear people shouting from the crowd.

'I dont know whos calling my name, but I know theres a lot of people yelling, "Reese! Ashton! Over here!"' he said.

'If youre gonna tell me, in that entire 20-minute period, at one point youre not gonna have an awkward face on, then youre better than I am and Im cool with that.'

Kutcher's condition also temporarily impaired his sense of balance, making it difficult for him to even walk.

He and Witherspoon star in Your Place Or Mine  which premieres on Netflix on February 10  as best friends who swap houses and lives for a week, which leads them to consider that they may be more than just friends.
Beyonce fans, get your credit cards ready.

The R&B queen is reportedly in talks with tour promotor Live Nation to play a series of stadium concerts in Australia for her Renaissance World Tour.

She is rumoured to have her sights set on a show at Sydney's Allianz Stadium in November, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Beyonce (pictured at the Grammys on Sunday) is reportedly in talks with tour promotor Live Nation to play a series of stadium concerts in Australia for her Renaissance World Tour

Fans are still awaiting an official announcement from Beyonce's representatives to confirm dates in Australia and New Zealand.

Allianz Stadium, which has space for 35,000 to 45,000 spectators, allows for six concerts per year because of noise regulations implemented after a Rolling Stones concert about 30 years ago.

After Sir Elton John performed two gigs at the venue in January, fellow British rocker Robbie Williams is locked in for a November 16 concert.

She is rumoured to have her sights set on a show at Sydney's Allianz Stadium, which has space for 35,000 to 45,000 spectators and allows for just six concerts per year

Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour will begin in Stockholm on May 10, and further performances have been lined up through to September 27.

With a total of 52 shows booked in as of Wednesday, the tour is now officially the Break My Soul star's biggest solo stadium tour to date.

The announcement comes after Beyonce became the most-awarded woman in Grammys history on Monday.

Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour will begin in Stockholm on May 10, and further performances have been lined up through to September 27

She won Best R&B song, Best Dance/Electronic Recording, Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance for her latest album Renaissance.

However, she controversially lost the Album of the Year gong to Harry Styles.

The dance-heavy album features 16 tracks, including the previously released singles Break My Soul and Cuff It.
While Ben Affleck's beloved New England Patriots won't be going to the Super Bowl, the actor will be seen in a new Super Bowl commercial during the big game.

The 50-year-old actor will be prominently featured in the spot, with his 53-year-old wife Lopez also putting in a cameo appearance, according to People... which comes after the couple shared a tense exchange during the Grammy Awards on Sunday.

The ad will mark the first ever Super Bowl ad for the beloved coffee and donut shop, founded in Quincy, Massachusetts as Open Kettle in 1948, before the name was changed to Dunkin' Donuts in 1950.

Dunkin also teased Affleck's appearance in a cryptic Instagram video which says, 'Something's Ben Brewing,' along with 2.12.23, the date for the Super Bowl.

While many Super Bowl ads have been released days before the big game, it's unclear if this commercial will drop before the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

Ben on Dunkin: The 50-year-old actor will be prominently featured in the spot, with his 53-year-old wife Lopez also putting in a cameo appearance, according to People ... which comes after the couple shared a tense exchange during the Grammy Awards on Sunday

Dunkin: Dunkin also teased Affleck's appearance in a cryptic Instagram video which says, 'Something's Ben Brewing,' along with 2.12.23, the date for the Super Bowl

The ad was filmed at a Medford, Massachusetts Dunkin in early January, with paparazzi photographs showcasing the actor serving unsuspecting patrons.

The actor and director was seen in a complete Dunkin uniform, including a black t-shirt that reads, 'America Runs on Dunkin.'

When the commercial was filming in January, a local news station ran a story about Affleck being spotted serving coffee, with one customer told they were filming a commercial.

'I looked and it was Ben Affleck serving me my coffee,' the customer Lisa Mackay said, while another customer's video showed Affleck and Lopez behind the counter.

'He handed me my coffee, he said "Good morning," we chatted a little, and he was super super funny, very quick-witted, they told me they were filming a commercial,' Mackay added.

The actor, who grew up in Cambridge, MA, has been a lifelong fan of Dunkin, like many Massachusetts natives.

When Dunkin finally made its way to the West Coast, with the first Los Angeles Dunkin shop opening in 2014, Affleck revealed in a 2019 interview with Collider that he has Dunkin every day.

'Its amazing! I have Dunkin Donuts everyday. Its very weird, I have it every day and people are always like, "Where is that? Is that near here?" So, I feel like Im spreading the word,' Affleck said.

LIfelong: The actor, who grew up in Cambridge, MA, has been a lifelong fan of Dunkin, like many Massachusetts natives

Amazing: 'Its amazing! I have Dunkin Donuts everyday. Its very weird, I have it every day and people are always like, "Where is that? Is that near here?" So, I feel like Im spreading the word,' Affleck said

The actor will likely be fueling up on Dunkin all year long, with three new movies coming out this year.

He returns as Batman in both The Flash (June 16, 2023) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25)

Affleck will also star as Nike co-founder Phil Knight in the upcoming Air, with his childhood friend Matt Damon starring as early Nike salesman Sonny Vaccaro, who signed Michael Jordan to his original deal with the then-nascent shoe brand.

New movies: The actor will likely be fueling up on Dunkin all year long, with three new movies coming out this year
The Chinese spy balloon found was part of a large-scale operation to spy on other countries that were paid for by the Chinese military, according to several US government officials who accessed the information.

Biden administration officials said that Hainan, a tiny Chinese province, partly runs the monitoring operation using identical balloons. The United States remains in the dark about how many Chinese surveillance balloons are in operation, but reliable sources said the program had flown at least two dozen flights over five continents in the last several years, according to CNN.

One individual with knowledge of the information estimates that perhaps half a dozen of the China spy balloon flights have occurred inside US airspace, but not necessarily over US territory.

A senior source in the Biden administration acknowledged that the United States informed 40 friendly nations on Monday about the suspected spying.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also announced in the briefing that one balloon had circumnavigated the globe in 2019, flying over Hawaii and Florida, per a China spy balloon update.

The Pentagon reported that another China Spy Balloon was reportedly observed last week above Costa Rica and Venezuela, per an update from the BBC.

Read Also: Expert Warns Over EU Russian Oil Ban

Chinese Spy Balloons Reportedly Seek US Sophisticated Weaponry

The Biden administration source said the Gang of Eight, a panel of US Congressional leaders who oversee national intelligence, would be briefed on Wednesday and Congress on Thursday.

One senior member of Congress with access to top-secret information, actively plotting the China spy balloon course, would disclose the locations of the United States' most lethal and secret weaponry, per a previous HNGN report.

According to the China spy balloon update based on publicly accessible documents recently authored by Chinese military academics, balloons and airships should be developed further and used for a variety of tasks, according to Reuters.

Related Article: UK PM Sunak Overhauls Government

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Iggy Azalea is currently making a rumoured seven-figure income on OnlyFans.

And this week, the 32-year-old enjoyed the fruits of her labour by kicking back on a luxury yacht in the Bahamas.

The bikini-clad rapper flaunted her lucrative curves in a busty bikini that could barely contain her assets.

Iggy Azalea is currently making a rumoured seven-figure income on OnlyFans and this week she enjoyed the fruits of her labour by kicking back on a luxury yacht in the Bahamas

After taking her jet ski for a ride, the bombshell changed into a brown bikini and relaxed on the bow of the boat.

Sharing images of the excursion to social media, Iggy took a swipe at her haters who have accused her of being washed-up for joining OnlyFans.

'Falling off never looked so good,' she wrote.

The Fancy hitmaker has repeatedly refused to disclose her official income from OnlyFans since joining the site last month.

The bikini-clad rapper flaunted her lucrative curves in a busty bikini that could barely contain her assets

However, things appear to be going well for the star, after she announced this week that she's purchased a new house.

'I bought a new house today,' she tweeted, before adding: 'I still own the one Im in too, but Ill sell it soon.'

Iggy recently sold the rights to all her master recordings and publishing catalogue for an eight-figure sum.

The 32-year-old has refused to reveal her OnlyFans income, but it was enough for her to purchase a new home recently

Less than two months after the sale, the bombshell joined OnlyFans in a move that is set to earn her millions more.

Iggy is currently charging subscribers $25 per month, but users have to pay more via upselling to access sexier stuff.

If you tip the star $250, you get to become a 'VIP' for 12 months, which includes one free exclusive photo and some other unknown benefits.

Iggy is currently charging subscribers $25 per month, but users have to pay more via upselling to access sexier stuff

She has refused to disclose her earnings on the platform, but realistic estimates put her as high as seven figures in the first month.

'Just know if I ever discuss what I earn it will be in Forbes,' she tweeted cryptically last week.

The star has a number of new projects in the work, including a new album and an official coffee table book of her OnlyFans photos.

Last year, she also sold her music catalogue and publishing rights for an eight-figure sum.
Scott Tweedie says he landed his Australian Idol hosting gig after he performed the 'best' screen tests of his career.

During an appearance on the TV Reload podcast, the 35-year-old presenter had waited two years during the casting process to see if he'd land the coveted role.

Luckily Idol judge Kyle Sandilands advocated for him to get the gig, complimenting Tweedie's strong work ethic.

Media personality Scott Tweedie (pictured) landed his Australian Idol hosting gig after he performed the 'best' screen tests of his career

After he was given a green light, Tweedie then returned to Sydney from Los Angeles to host the rebooted Australian Idol ahead of its premiere earlier this month.

'This is the right time for me where I feel I have the runs of the board, my relationship with music and Australia, it's all come to this,' he told TV Reload's Benjamin Norris.

After he'd filmed screen tests to host The X Factor and The Voice in the past, Tweedie admitted the timing hadn't been right on either occasion.

But this time around, it was a different story.

The 35-year-old presenter had waited two years during the casting process to see if he would be given the coveted role

He had the experience behind him which informed how he lined everything up, including his meetings with Channel Seven executives to make his dream gig happen.

'I'm just another Brisbane boy having a crack and working really hard,' he said.

Tweedie believed the secret to his success was not being too polished in his work, so people would stay invested with his authenticity.

'It is the art of being the most authentic version of yourself that people connect with the most,' he said.

Fourteen years since the reality TV program was on television screens across Australia, former host Osher Gunsberg told Tweedie that he was the right man for the gig.

After he was given a green light, Tweedie then returned to Sydney to host the rebooted Australian Idol ahead of its premiere earlier this month

After he arrived on set, Tweedie complimented the production quality of the show, and hadn't worked in such an environment where everyone involved had so much love for a project.

'A dream come true' was how he described working with co-host Ricki-Lee Coulter.

He revealed the production shoots weren't too long, there were full audition days and other times where footage would need to be filmed beforehand and afterwards.

Furthermore, Tweedie divulged there would be week-by-week eliminations during this season of Australian Idol.

He had shifted to the United States three years ago where he was employed by the E! Network.
Comedian Celeste Barber has revealed 'the truth about bodysuits' with a funny fashion fail that she posted to Instagram.

In a photo she shared on Tuesday, Celeste is seen standing in black underwear as her black tank bodysuit fails to reach past her stomach.

The 40-year-old simply captioned the snap: 'The truth about bodysuits - by Celeste Barber.'

Comedian Celeste Barber has revealed 'the truth about bodysuits' with a funny fashion fail that she posted to Instagram

The star is often praised online for posting unfiltered, un-posed photos of herself showing off what many women's bodies look like.

However, the comedian has also come under fire for mocking celebrities and influencers.

Last month, the Aussie mocked 28-year-old Gabrielle Epstein, who had earlier posted a video of herself in racy black lingerie which left little to the imagination.

The star is often praised online for posting unfiltered, un-posed photos of herself showing off what many women's bodies look like

In Celeste's clip, she is seen having difficulty pulling on a set of underpants before posing in a similar fashion to Gabrielle's.

She is then seen putting on a exaggerated show of forcing her stomach into her briefs.

The mother of two then mimicked Gabrielle's sultry pose, and wrote in the caption: 'Just trying to fit in.'

The comedian recently mocked 28-year-old Gabrielle Epstein, who had earlier posted a video of herself in racy black lingerie

The comedian also recently responded to backlash she received over her parody of Emily Ratajkowski's G-string-clad photo shoot, saying she has no regrets about posting the video.

She landed in hot water last year after the American model, 31, blocked her on Instagram to prevent her from satirising her content.

She told Marie Claire: 'I like running my mouth off. I do it a lot. I'm quick-witted  it's one of my favourite things about me.

Celeste landed herself in hot water after mocking Emily Ratajkowski's risky photoshoot

'I don't like that I feel I can't do that as much, and yeah I do feel like I censor myself sometimes.

'But then other times I don't give a f**k and I operate from a place of already being cancelled.

'I mean good luck to them. You can't win. They hate what you do one day, then you're the greatest thing in the world the next day.'
Pamela Anderson turned heads wearing an elegant, fitted black gown as she attended a special screening of her Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, alongside her son, Brandon Thomas Lee, in Toronto on Tuesday.

The former Playboy model, 55, looked incredibly youthful as she flashed a cheerful smile on the red carpet shortly before the screening commenced.

Her oldest son, Brandon, 26, was a producer on the film and joined his mother's side as they posed for a photo session together. At one point, she lovingly planted a kiss on his cheek for the cameras.

The Baywatch actress, who recently admitted she still has the iconic red swimsuit from the show, shares her oldest child and other son Dylan, 25, with her ex-husband, Tommy Lee.

The blonde bombshell slipped into a form-fitting black dress that contained cut-outs on both the back and right side of the ensemble at the event.

Stunning: Pamela Anderson, 55, attended a special screening of her Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, in Toronto on Tuesday

Receiving support: Her oldest son, Brandon Thomas Lee, 26, who was a producer on the film, accompanied his mother to the screening

The one-shoulder gown fell down straight past her ankles, and her left arm was covered in a sleeve of fabric, while her right was left bare.

She slipped into a pair of black, opened-toed strappy heels to coincide with the color scheme of her overall look for the big night.

Her voluminous blonde locks were parted in the middle and slightly teased, allowing the long strands to fall down past her shoulders in wavy curls.

Pamela's makeup was classically done for the glamorous event that took place in her home country of Canada. She opted for a layer of black mascara and eyeliner, along with a light, shimmering shadow around her eyes.

The blonde beauty added a touch of pink blush and highlighter to better accentuate her cheekbones, while a rosy matte tint was worn on her lips.

To allow the dress to be the main focal point for the evening, the mother-of-two chose to not add any pieces of flashy jewelry.

As she posed for a few snaps, her son, Brandon, joined her to show his support to the actress. He donned a classic blue suit, which he paired with a white dress shirt and red tie for a bit of color contrast.

The oldest child of Pamela and Tommy Lee completed his look by slipping into a pair of sleek, black dress shoes.

Motherly love: During the photo session, the Baywatch alum planted a kiss on her son's right cheek

Reunited! Pamela was not only joined by her oldest son, but also Jessica Hargrave (middle left), another producer on the project, as well as the director of the documentary, Ryan White (far right)

The talented star was also reunited with another producer on the project, Jessica Hargrave, and the director of the documentary, Ryan White. They happily paused to take a memorable photo together ahead of the screening.

Another section at the venue was decked out with a wall of roses that contained various pink hues.

Pamela, who recently got her own cooking show on Food Network Canada, additionally paused for a photo session, allowing her black gown to stand out against the colorful backdrop.

The Netflix documentary was officially released on the streaming site on January 31, and currently ranks in the Top 10 list of movies in the United States.

The same day of the film's premiere, her memoir Love, Pamela, was also officially published.

Pamela, A Love Story takes a close look at the star's rise to fame, along with her publicized romances and the infamous sex tape scandal. The film also includes, 'never-before-seen archival footage and personal journals,' according to an IMDB synopsis.

The project has met positive reception thus far, and has a rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an audience score of 93%.

Wow! Another section at the venue was decked out with a wall of roses that contained various pink hues and Pamela additionally paused for a photo session, allowing her black gown to stand out against the colorful backdrop

Working together: Both the actress's sons, Brandon and Dylan, were heavily involved on the Netflix documentary

Classy: The former Playboy model's blonde locks were parted in the middle and effortlessly flowed past her shoulders in elegant curls

Anderson had the chance to connect with viewers as she stepped out onto the stage in the theater to talk about the film, and later paused for autographs with a group of fans that were eager to meet the star.

In both her recent memoir and film, Pamela has opened up about numerous events in her life, such as her sex tape being stolen, Hulu's Pam & Tommy miniseries, and also claimed Tim Allen had allegedly flashed her on the set of Home Improvement in 1991, which he has vehemently denied.

The model has doubled down on the claims, and recently told ET Canada that Allen, 'has to deny it because look at the times we're in...'

During an interview on BBC's The One Show earlier Monday, the stunning star admitted that her sons, 'convinced me to tell my story.'

When it came to penning a memoir, she stated, 'I always wanted to write a book but I didn't realize I would release it in my lifetime! It's been very therapeutic and really exciting.'

She further gushed about her sons Brandon and Dylan and expressed, 'They went through divorce and difficult marriages and to see them put the pieces together it was great for all of us. It's a family project.'

As a proud mother, Pamela shared a tribute to her children on Twitter also on Monday, and at the top of the post, typed, 'A Mother's Love is Unwavering.'

'I have always known that the most important job in the world is being a parent. Being a mom reminds me of who I am, an ever-evolving woman. Every day is a new opportunity to learn and grow alongside each other, not in the way of each other.'

Exciting event: Anderson had the chance to connect with viewers as she stepped out onto the stage theater to talk about the film

Meeting with fans: The blonde bombshell later paused for autographs with a group of fans that were eager to meet the star

Importance of family: During an interview on BBC's The One Show earlier Monday, the stunning star admitted that her sons, 'convinced me to tell my story'; the trio seen in January in Hollywood
The Rwandan conservation campus for gorillas that bears the name of Ellen DeGeneres has planted a tree in memory of Stephen 'Twitch' Boss, who died via suicide at the age of 40 in December.

'As we celebrated the one year anniversary of our Ellen Campus this past week, we took a moment to recognize a very special person who left us too soon,' a statement on the Instagram account of the Ellen Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund read Monday.

The statement continued: 'tWitch brought light to so many and was a wonderful friend to @ellendegeneres. In his honor we planted this tree so he will be forever remembered on the campus.'

A silver plaque at the display read: 'In memory of Stephen "Twitch" Boss and the light he brought to the world. Planted February 2023.'

DeGeneres, 65, began working with Boss in 2014, as he was a guest DJ on her talk show, eventually working his way up to co-executive producer by 2020.

DeGeneres wept in a video she uploaded to Instagram in the wake of Boss' passing, as she said 'we'll never make sense of' the death of the beloved entertainer.

'Everyone is in pain,' she said. 'The holidays are hard, I think, anyway, but to honor tWitch I think the best thing that we can do is to laugh, hug each other, play games and dance and sing.'

The TV personality continued: 'That's the way we honor him, is we do the things that he loved to do, which is dancing. He loved music, he loved games, so we do that - and I know it seems hard, it seems impossible, but that's how we honor him.'

The latest: The Rwandan conservation campus for gorillas that bears the name of Ellen DeGeneres has planted a tree in memory of Stephen 'Twitch' Boss, who died via suicide at the age of 40 in December

DeGeneres and Boss were snapped together in 2018 on the set of Ellen's Game of Games

The Ellen Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund was opened in Feburary of 2022, and DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi attended a dedication ceremony in June of 2022.

DeGeneres described the campus as 'incredible,' detailing her longtime passion toward the area and conservation causes.

'When I was a kid, I used to dream of coming here,' DeGeneres said, adding that late conservationist Dian Fossey was a hero to her, 'and her dedication to gorillas changed the world.

'The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has been here for over 50 years,' she said. 'Thanks to their work, the commitment of the Rwandan government and the efforts of many conservation groups here today, the mountain gorilla population has gone from 300 in the entire world to over 1000.'

DeGeneres noted the multiple objectives of the campus, which is located over 12 acres in Volcanoes National Park: 'This campus is so important for gorillas, but its also more than that.

'Its teaching school children about conservation. Its educating a future generation of scientists. Its a model for others to follow, from the sustainable architecture to the communitys involvement.'

According to The Fossey Fund, construction commenced on the campus in 2019 and the center was opened in February 2022.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text 'STRENGTH' to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

DeGeneres, 65, began working with Boss in 2014, as he was a guest DJ on her talk show, eventually working his way up to co-executive producer by 2020

DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi were seen last year in the African country of Rwanda for the dedication of the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

de Rossi spoke at the dedication of a the $15 million project The Ellen Fund worked on in conjunction with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the MASS Design Group
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 Australia in Sydney on Friday.

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 last week

Parfitt, who was shirtless in a pair of jeans, then grabbed Olivia by the hips and started to thrust forward 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 lap dance 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

Parfitt, who was shirtless in a pair of jeans, then grabbed Olivia by the hips and started to thrust forward as hip-hop music blasted from the speakers

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.

Olivia was joined by fellow MAFS bride Carolina Santos, who turned heads in a glitzy jumpsuit which she teamed up with black underwear. Pictured posing with Magic Men strippers

The reality stars were treated to a performance from a bevvy of hunky men

Carolina appeared to be in good spirits as she was given a lap dance on stage

At one point one buff stripper was seen carrying Carolina through the club

Carolina was out celebrating her 35th birthday

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.'

Last year, Olivia boasted about pocketing $500,000 in her first four months as an OnlyFans creator.

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 stripper previously told Daily Mail Australia that he can earn more than $3,000 in a single weekend

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.
Brad Pitt was snapped alongside his stunt double on the New York City set of his upcoming Apple thriller Wolves on Tuesday.

The Oscar-winning actor, 59, was clad in a black leather zip-up jacket over a collared shirt on the winter evening in Gotham.

He paired it with dark grey tweed slacks and black leather shoes, as his stunt double was wearing the same.

Pitt remained in the same ensemble he and his costar in the film, George Clooney, 61, donned while shooting the motion picture in the Big Apple on Monday.

Pitt was seen in between takes chatting with his stunt double, while he was seen in other sequences running and leaning against a row of lampposts.

Seeing double: Brad Pitt, 59, was snapped alongside his stunt double on the New York City set of his upcoming Apple thriller Wolves on Tuesday

The name of the stuntman on the film was not immediately available, though iMDb reports George Cottle is the supervising stunt coordinator on the motion picture, which is written and directed by Jon Watts.

Pitt won the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role nearly three years ago for his portrayal of fictional stuntman Cliff Booth in the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Clooney, 61, was also busy filming on the set of the movie Tuesday. The actor was seen driving a black BMW automobile with a cameraman filming atop the roof.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the premise of film follows 'two lone wolf fixers,' played by Brad and George, who happen to be given the same job. The A-list duo are also producers on the upcoming thriller.

The director of the film, Watts, has worked on other successful movies, such as the Tom Hollandstarring Spider-Man films.

Pitt has had a busy past year, starring in a number of films, such as Netflix's Bullet Train, and later, Babylon, alongside Tobey Maguire, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva.

When opening up about his career and passion for acting, Brad told GQ during a recent interview, 'Im one of those creatures that speaks through art.'

The Fight Club star further expressed to the publication, 'I just want to always make. If Im not making, Im dying in some way.'

Two of a kind: Pitt and his stunt double matched in the same ensemble on the winter evening

Double trouble: Both were clad in a black leather zip-up jacket over a collared shirt

Lights, camera, action: Pitt remained in the same ensemble he and his costar in the film George Clooney were seen wearing on a shoot earlier this week

On the move: Pitt was seen running during the nighttime shoot in the Big Apple

Behind the wheel: Clooney was also busy filming on the set of the movie Tuesday

On the move: The actor was seen driving a black BMW automobile with a cameraman filming atop the roof

Hollywood: The pals looked in good spirits as they shared good conversation while taking a quick break on Monday

He has also discussed his other passion for art and sculpture when he isn't busy working on star-studded sets and productions.

'Its something I had always wanted to try and always talked about,' Pitt admitted to W Magazine.

The actor, who was previously married to Angelina Jolie, then explained that, 'Ive done some strange stuff over the years, always building toward this.'

On the set of the upcoming Apple Original Film, Brad has once again reunited with George.

Emerging: Brad had been wearing a black waistcoat and a white shirt as he arrived on set

Trendy: He accessorised with a pair of orange-tinted sunglasses while storing some essentials in a red bag

Outfit: He continued his look with a pair of black trousers

Looking great: The Hollywood star wore his short blonde locks in a shaggy hairdo

Low-key: He made his way onto the set ahead of a busy night at work

The two have worked alongside on projects in the past, such as the Ocean's Eleven franchise, and their last film together was Burn After Reading (2008).

The Ticket To Paradise actor had talked about the chance to collaborate with Pitt once again on Wolves when the leading cast was announced.

'Brad was obviously the cheapest of the actors available,' George jokingly told People in 2021.

He then gushed that, 'He's a friend of mine and we have a really good time together. I'm really looking forward to it.'

Suave: George looked dapper in a black top and a leather jacket
Kelly Ripa shared a sweet snap in celebration of her friend Anderson Cooper son Sebastian's first birthday.

The Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host, 52, took to Instagram on Tuesday to commemorate the special occasion with a snap of her cradling the baby boy in her arms.

'Joyeux anniversaire Sebastian,' she wrote in French, adding 'i love you (that was a fast year @andersoncooper @benjaminmaisani).'

Cooper, 55, shares Sebastian and 2-year-old Wyatt Morgan Cooper with his former boyfriend Benjamin Maisani, 50.

In the photo, Ripa is sweetly seen holding the bundle of joy, who appears to be napping with a smile on his face.

'Joyeux anniversaire': Kelly Ripa shared a sweet snap in celebration of her friend Anderson Cooper son Sebastian's first birthday, wishing him a happy birthday in French

Longtime friends: Ripa, 52, has been a longtime friend of the news anchor, 55; Pictured together in 2019

Ripa has been a longtime friend of the news anchor, and last year she also wished his son Wyatt a happy birthday.

She posted an image with the boy and said, 'Happy 1st birthday Wyatt! MeeMaw [hearts] Wyatt.' She added eight red balloon emojis which matched his onesie.

Cooper welcomed his second son in February of 2022.

The CNN personality, 54, announced the big news on his show saying: 'I wanted to start off with some good news which also happens to be very personal news. In April of 2020, in the early dark days of the pandemic, you may recall I announced the birth of my son Wyatt.'

He showed off Wyatt's baby pics on the screen and said, 'These are the pictures I showed of my son taken just days after he was born. This is Wyatt today hes nearly 22 months old and sweet and funny and the greatest joy in my life.'

Cooper continued: 'If he looks particularly happy in this picture, its because he now has a baby brother.

'His name is Sebastian and I would like you to meet him - this is Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper - he was 6.8 pounds at birth, and he is healthy and happy, even his occasional hiccups are, to me, adorable.'

Cooper said that his 'best friend and former partner' Benjamin Maisani is 'in the process of adopting Wyatt, whos last name will be changed to Maisani-Cooper as well.'

Celebrity pals: Last year she also wished his older son Wyatt, now two, a happy birthday. She posted an image with the boy and said, 'Happy 1st birthday Wyatt! MeeMaw [hearts] Wyatt'

Snuggles: Cooper welcomed his second son in February of 2022

Modern family: He shares Sebastian and Wyatt with his former boyfriend Benjamin Maisani, 50

He added, 'Wyatt calls me "daddy" and Benjamin "papa." Were a family.'

Cooper expressed his gratitude for the doctors and surrogate in welcoming Sebastian, and said he'd be taking some off-time to focus on his sons.

Maisani and Cooper first started dating back in 2015, but they broke up a few years later in 2018.

Despite the end of their romantic relationship, the pair still co-parent the two children together.

In April 2020 Cooper became a father for the first time.

Making it work: Last year Cooper said that his 'best friend and former partner' Benjamin is 'in the process of adopting Wyatt, who's last name will be changed to Maisani-Cooper as well; Pictured 2018

Family: He added, 'Wyatt calls me "daddy" and Benjamin "papa." Were a family'; Pictured 2015

The presenter revealed his happy news on his CNN show Anderson Cooper 360 in late April 2020, telling viewers his son Wyatt had been born via a surrogate on April 27, 2020.

Showing off a series of photos of his son, he said: 'It has been a difficult time in all of our lives, and there are certainly many hard days ahead. It is, I think, especially important in these times of trouble to try to hold on to moments of joy and moments of happiness. Even as we mourn the loss of loved ones, we are also blessed with new life and new love.

'On Monday, I became a father. I've never actually said that before, out loud, and it still kind of astonishes me. I am a dad. I have a son. And I want you to meet him. He is sweet and soft and healthy, and I am beyond happy.'

Wyatt is named after Anderson's father, who died during open-heart surgery when the news anchor was just 10 years old, while his middle name, Morgan, is a family name from his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, who died in 2019.
Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty enjoyed a rare date day as they headed out for a pub lunch on Tuesday.

The presenters headed to celeb favourite, The Spaniards Inn, in Hampstead, north London, for their quality time.

Cat, 46, kept things casual for the trip out, opting for a pastel pink sweatshirt paired with grey jogging bottoms.

The mother-of-two added a khaki parka and grey beanie hat to her look, wrapping up warm in the freezing London temperatures as she left the pub.

Patrick, 52, opted for an all-blue ensemble, wearing jeans, a jumper and a Canada Goose coat with Hunter wellies.

Quality time: Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty enjoyed a rare date day as they headed out for a pub lunch on Tuesday

The duo looked happy and relaxed after their date, with Cat chatting animatedly on the phone.

The family made London their home once again at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic when they relocated to the capital.

Cat and Patrick left the US with their two sons Milo, six, and James, four, almost three years ago after 15 years of living in Beverly Hills.

The star previously revealed the 'catalyst' for the family's departure was the terrifying moment Patrick and their eldest son narrowly avoided a public shooting incident at the Century City Mall.

The couple were also keen for their boys to be schooled back home in the UK and be closer to their friends and family.

The family were back in LA last year, but only temporarily, with Cat telling The Telegraph that they had relocated for the school holidays and would return to the UK when her show wraps.

'You have such a small amount of time when everyone wants to hang out, so we moved back to take advantage of that. And then the pandemic hit' she explained of how they have settled back in the UK.

'We didn't want to put anyone at risk in the pandemic because, well, young kids! But we're making up for it now.

Relaxed: The presenters headed to celeb favourite, The Spaniards Inn, in Hampstead, north London, for their quality time

All smiles: Cat, 46, kept things casual for the trip out, opting for a pastel pink sweatshirt paired with grey jogging bottoms

Low-key: Patrick, 52, opted for an all-blue ensemble, wearing jeans, a jumper and a Canada Goose coat with Hunter wellies

'I taught Milo how to read and how to ride a bike in the pandemic. It was nice to all be together.'

It comes after Cat shocked viewers of the Ellen show in June when she revealed her 'naughty' sons refuse to keep their clothes on.

Cat laughed that 'it's fine now but not when they are 17 and doing it in supermarkets'.

The TV personality was on the daytime show to speak about So You Think You Can Dance which had been delayed by two years due to the pandemic.

She laughed: 'They look at me in the eye and say ''Mummy lets get handsome'' and then take everything off. Well that's not technically correct but I like their positive body image'.

Keeping it casual: The mother-of-two added a khaki parka and grey beanie hat to her look, wrapping up warm in the freezing London temperatures as she left the pub

Cat and Patrick tied the knot in a traditional Catholic ceremony in Rome, Italy, in September 2012, which was an intimate affair with just six family and friends each.

The couple were friends for 10 years before they tied the knot and Patrick insisted there was 'always a spark' between them before their relationship became romantic.

He said: 'There was always a little bit of a spark between us but either she was with someone or I was with someone and by the time we were both single she was in America.

'It was always one of those things that never worked out.

'Women tend to be in charge and we men just have to get on the pitch, stand on the leg that's shaking most and not drop the ball when it comes our way.'

The pair met when they presented Fame Academy together in 2002 and remained friends for almost a decade before making their debut as a couple in March 2012 and they married six months later.

Laughs: The duo looked happy and relaxed after their date, with Cat chatting animatedly on the phone
She's the face of YSL's iconic perfume Black Opium.

And Zoe Kravitz looked sensational as she joined a stylish Tigerlily Taylor at the YSL Black Opium event in London on Tuesday.

The actress, 34, cut a sophisticated figure in a black velvet dress with white lacy ruffled sleeves.

Her outfit boasted button detailing and a plunging neckline to show off a glimpse of her cleavage.

She teamed the dress with black tights and added a few extra inches to her frame with a pair of black high heels.

Incredible: Zoe Kravitz looked sensational as she joined a stylish Tigerlily Taylor at the YSL Black Opium event in London on Tuesday

Looking good: The actress, 34, cut a sophisticated figure in a black velvet dress with white lacy ruffled sleeves

Zoe's short raven tresses were artfully tousled and she sported a glamorous palette of make-up to enhance her natural beauty.

She posed alongside Layton Williams, who looked dapper in a black suit that showed off his toned chest.

Meanwhile, Tigerlily dressed to impress in a black leather strapless corset that clung to her lithe figure.

She paired it with matching trousers and added a pop of colour to her outfit with a lime green handbag.

She elevated her height in a pair of black peep-toe high heels and accessorised with a pair of large hoop earrings.

Her blonde tresses were swept up in an elegant updo, with several strands left down to frame her face.

Tigerlily completed her striking look with a slick of pink lipstick and black winged eyeliner.

Zoe has been partnered with YSL as a Global Ambassador for the past seven years, with no signs of slowing down.

Sensational: Her outfit boasted button detailing and a plunging neckline to show off a glimpse of her cleavage (pictured with Layton Williams)

Fancy footwear: She teamed the dress with black tights and added a few extra inches to her frame with a pair of black high heels

Flawless: Zoe's short raven tresses were artfully tousled and she sported a glamorous palette of make-up to enhance her natural beauty (pictured with Abbey Lee Kershaw)

Partnership: Zoe has been partnered with YSL as a Global Ambassador for the past seven years, with no signs of slowing down

Turning heads: Meanwhile, Tigerlily dressed to impress in a black leather strapless corset that clung to her lithe figure

Eye-catching: She paired it with matching trousers and added a pop of colour to her outfit with a lime green handbag from By Far

Dazzling: She elevated her height in a pair of black peep-toe high heels and accessorised with a pair of large hoop earrings (pictured with Yasmine Khan)

Stunning: Her blonde tresses were swept up in an elegant updo, with several strands left down to frame her face (pictured with Betty Bachz)

'I work with truly wonderful people, and Ive had the opportunity to go to some really amazing places.

'When we shot the Black Opium campaign, I traveled to Thailand and Japan. It was incredible,' the Batman star told Essence recently.

Her relationship with the powerhouse label extended to her stunning and somewhat controversial 2021 Met Gala look.

Critics picked her apart after she donned a plunging, see-through mesh dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent for fashion's biggest night.

Afterward, she commented on the upheaval, stating, 'Being uncomfortable with the human body is colonization/brainwashing. It's just a body. We all got em.'
Texas is upgrading its ban on TikTok.

Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced a statewide model security plan for the state's various agencies, banning the popular social media platform from state government devices and networks in the process.

The Governor previously ordered Texas state agencies to ban TikTok from all government devices in early December 2022 due to the growing threat of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) gaining access to critical US information and infrastructure.

Texas TikTok Statewide Ban Details

Gov. Abbott mentioned in his announcement that his statewide model security plan for Texas state agencies aims to address vulnerabilities presented by the use of TikTok and on personal and state-issued devices.

Fox News mentioned that the model was developed by the state's Department of Public Safety and Department of Information Resources for state agencies to use as a blueprint to create their own policy to support the plan. Additionally, state agencies will have until Feb. 15 to implement their own policy based on this model to enforce the ban.

According to the security plan, the download and/or use of TikTok on state-issued devices identified in the plan, such as state-issued cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other devices capable of connecting to the internet, would be banned.

Additionally, state employees or contractors are now prohibited from conducting state business on prohibited technology-enabled personal devices.

Simply put, state employees and contractors are not allowed to use their personal devices with TikTok or other prohibited software installed for their work.

Read More: Darkest Dungeon II Leaves Early Access, Officially Launches on May 8

According to Gizmodo, these prohibited software other than TikTok includes WeChat, Alipay, ByteDance, Tencent Holdings, and Kaspersky, the Russian-owned antivirus software. However, the publication notes that these prohibited software are far less popular than TikTok.

Speaking of employees, the state will soon identify sensitive locations, meetings, or personnel within an agency that could be exposed to prohibited technology-enabled personal devices.

Additionally, the security plan would have state agencies implement network-based restrictions to prevent the use of prohibited technologies on agency networks by any device.

Last but not least, state agencies are asked to work with information security professionals to continuously update the list of prohibited technologies.

"The security risks associated with the use of TikTok on devices used to conduct the important business of our state must not be underestimated or ignored," Gov. Abbott said. "Owned by a Chinese company that employs Chinese Communist Party members, TikTok harvests significant amounts of data from a user's device, including details about a user's internet activity."

He also added that it is important that state agencies and employees are protected from the vulnerabilities presented by the use of TikTok and other prohibited technologies as they work on behalf of their fellow Texans.

Texas' Long-Time Concern With TikTok

Gov. Abbott's move is an upgrade to what he previously announced in December 2022. You may remember that he previously ordered the banning of TikTok from all government devices due to the national security concerns it poses due to it supposedly being a surveillance tool for the Chinese government.

This ban was followed by the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, which had the app banned from their networks and devices in line with the order Texas Governor Greg Abbott placed in the state, much to their students and staff's dismay.

Related Article: Students, Professors Demand TikTok Ban Lifted in State Schools
Happy Valley used a Hollywood stuntman to set Tommy Lee Royce on fire in the ultimate showdown with Sergeant Catherine Cawood.

7.5 million viewers tuned in on Sunday night as the murderous villain doused himself in petrol and set himself alight after coming face-to-face with the police officer for one final time.

Producers were determined for the kitchen blaze to be as real as possible and so turned to British stuntman Leo Woodruff to act out the nail-biting scenes.

Leo, who has performed stunts on Bond's No Time To Die, Batman and Marvel films, had to set himself on fire twice so BBC show bosses could capture the perfect sequence.

A TV insider said: 'The Happy Valley producers wanted to deliver as sensational and realistic a final scene as possible and though the first moments when Tommy sets himself alight are done using computer generated imagery, the rest was real.

Explosive: Happy Valley used a Hollywood stuntman to set Tommy Lee Royce on fire in the ultimate showdown with Sergeant Catherine Cawood

'The moment where he is seen standing up and writhing around in agony as the flames take hold is where Leo really was set alight,' the source added to The Sun.

'He was wearing specialist protective clothing and gel on any areas of exposed skin, he then fell to the floor, as planned, and was immediately extinguished by fellow stunt coordinators.'

It comes as James Norton gave his take on his character Tommy's fiery ending.

The emotional villain realised what a life his son Ryan, 16, had led - a childhood worlds apart from his troubled upbringing - after rifling through photo albums of the teenager and his late ex Becky.

As Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) arrived at her home, Tommy had already downed whisky and taken pills before pulling off the dramatic stunt as he declared he didn't want to go back to prison - only to be extinguished by the Sergeant throwing a crochet blanket over him.

At the end of the show, at Catherine daughter's Becky's grave, she receives a text saying Tommy has died in hospital.

Speaking to GQ, James praised writer Sally Wainwright for giving the finale a very 'human' feel.

He said: 'The ending was sort of perfect, in a Sally Wainwright sort of way. It was fireworks but it wasnt fireworks. It was sitting over a kitchen table and that is where Happy Valley really thrived.

Blaze: Millions of viewers tuned in on Sunday night as the murderous villain doused himself in petrol and set himself alight after coming face-to-face with the police officer for one final time

Brave: Producers were determined for the kitchen blaze to be as real as possible and so turned to British stuntman Leo Woodruff (pictured) to act out the nail-biting scenes

Fiery: Leo, who has performed stunts on Bond's No Time To Die, Batman and Marvel films, had to set himself on fire twice so the BBC show bosses could capture the perfect sequence

Stuntman: Leo has also acted in Game Of Thrones (pictured)

'Thats the heart of the whole show. Cups of tea over kitchen tables in kitchens in Yorkshire. Its not a big stunt set pieces on wires and jumping off cliffs, and guns and fireworks. Its gentle, its domestic, its human.'

James also spoke about the 'constant question' of whether Tommy is a 'psychopath', saying he's done evil things but that there is 'humanity' in the character.

He said: 'I have talked about this with people in the production and Sally and Sarah. The hints were almost laid in the very first series, in episode five, when hes just been stabbed and hes facing his own mortality, his own death.

Drama: As Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) arrived at her home, Tommy had already downed whisky and taken pills before pulling off the dramatic stunt

Showdown: Catherine receives a text saying Tommy has died in hospital daughter's Becky's grave at the end of the show

'And hes sitting in that high rise and he bursts into tears. He thinks, "s***, Ive wasted my life and if I had a different childhood maybe I could have been something in me."

'And if you think back to there, that was where Sally was already planning and carving out this ending I think, because there is humanity there.'

Critics and fans have agreed with James, with many viewers hailing the episode as 'a masterpiece' and 'one of the greatest television finales of all'.
Katherine Schwarzenegger has responded to the backlash on her husband Chris Pratt after a string of controversies dubbed him the 'worst Chris in Hollywood'.

Over the years, Chris Pratt has faced criticism from fans for various issues, with a notable one being when he praised Katherine for giving birth to a 'healthy daughter' which fans took as a dig towards his ex-wife Anna Faris.

The author, 33, and the actor, 43, first got together in 2018 before tying the knot a year later, with the pair now sharing two daughters.

But he was previously married to actress Anna Faris, 46, who he shares a son with - but he was born nine weeks premature and weighing 3 lbs 12oz - and his 'healthy' comment caused fans to hit out at the star for shaming his ex.

With some of these controversies in mind, Katherine has revealed her thoughts about the criticism he has faced.

Discuss: Katherine Schwarzenegger has responded to the backlash on her husband Chris Pratt after a string of controversies dubbed him the 'worst Chris in Hollywood'

Speaking to The New York Times, Katherine opened up about her husband: 'I see what people say. But I just know that its so far from the reality.'

She also touched on how her upbringing as the daughter of actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and how that the crticism Chris received was not new to her.

She added: 'Growing up, hearing people say certain things about my parents, my siblings, my extended family...'

Her mother, journalist Maria Shriver, she says warned her about the 'never-ending' trap of setting the record straight.

The author also touched on how despite growing up in the spotlight prepared her for the celebrity lifestyle, the attention after getting with Chris blew this up to a new level.

Chris was at the center of controversy in November 2021 as he shared an early birthday tribute to his 32-year-old wife Katherine as he thanked her for giving him a 'healthy' daughter which seemed to deride his son Jack, now aged nine, with ex Anna Faris, who suffers from health issues.

Users slammed his caption as 'ableist' (among other things) as Jack was born two months early weighing just three pounds, 12 ounces, and spent a month in the NICU and has cerebral hemorrhage (severe brain bleeding).

In June last year, Chris revealed that he cried about it when was featured on the cover of Men's Health magazine, as he opened up about how hurt he was over the criticism he received over his social media activity.

Backlash :Over the years, Chris Pratt has faced criticism from fans for various issues, with a notable one being when he praised Katherine (pictured together) for giving birth to a 'healthy daughter' which fans took as a dig towards his ex-wife Anna Faris

His post was branded insensitive by some followers and others considered it a dig at his 45-year-old ex-wife. Chris revealed he was rattled by the response, saying: 'That is f***ed up. My sons gonna read that one day. Hes nine. And its etched in digital stone.

'It really f***ing bothered me, dude. I cried about it. I was like, I hate that these blessings in my life areto the people close to mea real burden.'

He went on to have a few hernia and eye surgeries, and also had 'a little heart issue,' according to Anna, and he still has problems with his vision and leg muscles.

Chris talked about the post which was at the center of controversy and the firestorm that ensued as he explained: 'I said something like, "Find someone who looks at you the way my wife looks at me." And then I gave her some shit in the thing and said, "But I love you. Im so thankful for my wifeshe gave me a beautiful, healthy daughter."

Bond: But he was previously married to actress Anna Faris, 46, who he shares a son with - but he was born nine weeks premature and weighing 3 lbs 12oz - and his 'healthy' comment caused fans to hit out at the star for shaming his ex

Health issues: His ex-wife Anna Faris previously shared this image of herself with Jack shortly after his birth back in 2012

'And then a bunch of articles came out and said, "Thats so cringeworthy. I cant believe Chris Pratt would thank her for a healthy daughter when his first child was born premature. Thats such a dig at his ex-wife."'

Chris was married to Anna from 2009 to 2018 after meeting on the set of Take Me Home Tonight in 2007.

In 2018, TV Guide was slammed for publishing an op-ed calling actor Chris Pratt 'problematic'.

The publication released the article titled 'How to love Chris Pratt without hating yourself'.

It was part of 'TV Guide's 12 Day of Chris-Mas' series, which highlights a different actor named Chris over 12 days from 'worst' to 'best', with Pratt being ranked at number five.

Social media users branded him 'Hollywood's Worst Chris' over his lack of political engagement.

After E! News's Instagram page addressed the controversy in a post, Schwarzenegger responded to the outlet, saying they were wrong to give air to the mean-spirited social media story.

Leading man: In June last year, Chris revealed that he cried about it when was featured on the cover of Men's Health magazine, as he opened up about how hurt he was over the criticism he received over his social media activity

Fans said the article was simply a hit-piece and that Pratt was being attacked for his Christian beliefs and generally more conservative views.

'Is this really what we need? There's so much going on in the world and people are struggling in so many ways,' said Katherine, welcomed daughter Lyla with Pratt this past August.

The author continued: 'Being mean is so yesterday. There's enough room to love all these guys. Love is what we all need not meanness and bullying. Let's try that.'
She's no stranger to amping up the ante with sizzling social media snaps.

And Amanda Holden once again displayed her gorgeous figure on Tuesday as she posed in racy black lingerie from JD Williams.

The Britain's Got Talent presenter, 51, sported a plunging black laced bodysuit with an open-back design and scallop frilled trim.

While the number also featured a banded waist design, as she showed off the brand's Valentines Day range.

Amanda had her golden blonde locks falling freely into a curl while opting for a glamorous yet radiant palette of makeup for the pictures.

Wow! Amanda Holden, 51, sent pulses racing as she struck a sultry pose in lacy JD Williams lingerie on Tuesday

Showing off the back of the lingerie, she leaned over the sink and turned back to smile at the camera.

While the beauty shared another shot to her 1.9M followers which showed her laying back on the sofa and posing.

Amanda is set to turn 52 later this month, and has already began the celebrations after throwing a star-studded bash earlier this month.

The presenter gathered her nearest and dearest for a raucous dinner party celebration and documented the bash on Instagram.

Amanda was joined by the likes of her Britain's Got Talent co-judge Alesha Dixon and her Heart FM alum Ashley Roberts, as the three women cosied up for a snap.

Amanda was also joined by her close friend, comedian Alan Carr, 46, after filming their road trip series, The Italian Job, together.

The mother of two was gifted a bidet shaped cake by the funnyman which is a joke from the show, and posted a snap of the two of them biting into the iced treat.

Other star guests included BGT supremo Simon Cowell and his fiancee Lauren Silverman as the group gathered around for a snap with Kelly Hoppen.

Stunning: The Britain's Got Talent presenter sported a plunging black laced bodysuit with an open-back design and scallop frilled trim

Party time! Amanda is set to turn 52 later this month, and has already began the celebrations after throwing a star-studded bash earlier this month

In one sweet snap, Amanda wrapped Kelly in a hug as they posed for a fun photograph beside the restaurant bar.

Posting a video of the moment Alan brought out her bidet cake, Amanda said: 'Last night I celebrated my bday early with gorgeous friends and family.

'@chattyman bought me a BIDET cake. If you've watched Amanda and Alan's Italian job on @bbc and @bbciplayer you will know.'

Some of the group piled into the back of a vehicle in another photo, including her eldest daughter Lexi, 17.

Pals: Amanda was also joined by her close friend, comedian Alan Carr , 46, after filming their road trip series, The Italian Job, together
Gemma Collins has shared a health update as she revealed she thought she was having a heart attack when an ambulance rushed to her house just hours earlier.

The former TOWIE star, 42, had taken to Instagram at 2am on Tuesday to reveal that she had called an ambulance to her Essex home, where she was treated.

Gemma has now shared a further update, explaining that she called paramedics because she thought she was having a heart attack after suffering from 'chest pains'.

She took to her Instagram Stories later on Tuesday to thank her fans for all their support and give a further insight into her recent health scare.

Gemma reflected on her 'terrible shock' and said she fortunately hadn't had a heart attack, but said she would disclose more about her condition at a later date.

Scare: Gemma Collins has shared a health update as she revealed she thought she was having a heart attack when an ambulance rushed to her house just hours earlier

Speaking to camera while on set, she said: 'Hi guys. Just to say thank you for all your well wishes. I had a terrible shock last night.

'I had terrible chest pains. I thought I was having a heart attack. Anyway, thank god, it wasn't that. I will go into it all later but I just want to say thank you for your well wishes.'

She went on to thank the NHS medical staff for their 'absolutely incredible' work as she heaped praise on the paramedics amid the ongoing nurses strikes.

She continued: 'The NHS were absolutely incredible. I had y'know nothing but such a great experience with them, and y'know I just really hope they get all their pay rises, cause they just work so hard.

'I'm just very happy to not have died from a heart attack last night. But, onwards and upwards. I'm at work. I will report back later.'

On Monday, up to 30,000 nurses went on strike at 70-plus trusts across England today, alongside up to 11,500 ambulance staff.

It marked the biggest ever walkout in the 75-year history of the NHS.

Gemma's health update came hours after she suffered a terrifying health scare that saw her call out an ambulance to her Essex home in the early hours on Tuesday.

Health: The former TOWIE star, 42, had taken to Instagram at 2am on Tuesday to reveal that she had called an ambulance to her Essex home and was being treated by paramedics

The TV personality had taken to Instagram at 2am to reveal paramedics were giving her medical assistance in her kitchen.

Gemma didn't explain what the scare was about as she shared a snap of herself hooked up to wires and wrote: 'Thank you to all the amazing people that helped me this evening.'

Writing a message of support to NHS workers, she added: 'I really hope you get all you deserve. Really thankful in these current times to have such an amazing service.'

Earlier in the day, Gemma gave no indication of trouble as she shared videos of herself having a relaxing facial and watching the sunset.

The pamper session had a spiritual element with crystals and burning sage that led the star to tell her fans she had been in 'another dimension for three hours'.

Concerns: Gemma has now shared a further update, explaining that she called paramedics because she thought she was having a heart attack after suffering from 'chest pains'

However just hours later, the reality star appears to have had the health scare come on suddenly and called out the ambulance to her home.

MailOnline contacted Gemma's representative for comment at the time.

The health scare comes after Gemma celebrated her 42nd birthday late last month.

The Diva Forever star certainly didn't fail to disappoint as she threw a very lavish party.

The former TOWIE star, whose birthday is on January 31, kicked off her celebrations in style as she partied the night away with a huge host of friends.

Emergency: Gemma's health update came hours after she suffered a terrifying health scare that saw her call out an ambulance to her Essex home in the early hours on Tuesday

She hosted the star-studded bash in a luxurious marquee at her 1.3million Essex home kitted out with stunning pink and white personalised decorations.

Gemma, also known as 'the GC', recruited DJ Fat Tony to perform at her birthday bash, where she partied with the likes of former X Factor stars Jedward.

She also debuted a striking new look for the occasion, showing off her newly-dyed pink tresses, complete with a matching feathered outfit and headpiece.

Taking to Instagram after landing in England, they said in a video: 'Gemma we just landed, we're here in your part of the woods. We're on our way to you.'

The brothers were then seen dancing and partying the night away with Gemma at her lavish bash - and even took to the mic to sing Elton John and Dua Lipa's Cold Heart remix.

Pamper session: Earlier in the day, Gemma gave no indication of trouble as she shared videos of herself having a relaxing facial and watching the sunset

Jedward made sure to turn heads as they sported matching leopard print sequinned shirts and black trousers for the occasion.

Gemma was also seen kissing one of the brothers on the cheek and letting him wear her extravagant pink headpiece as she took to the dance floor.

The Irish singing duo also took to Instagram to share a snap of the three of them alongside a sweet birthday message for Gemma.

They penned: 'Happy Birthday to the iconic Jepic Queen Gemma Collins she's now rocking Pink hair it's so her and completely represents her energy and vibes! Super Happy to be celebrating her birthday.'
Gemma Arterton has confirmed she welcomed her first child in December.

The actress went public with her pregnancy in November, and during an appearance on Zoe Ball's Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Wednesday she revealed the happy news of her son's birth.

'We are very very happy, he was born just before Christmas. A little Christmas elf' Gemma gushed, before revealing on a later appearance on This Morning that her son is seven weeks old.

The baby boy is the first child for Gemma and her actor husband Rory Keenan, who starred in Peaky Blinders.

The actress, 37, announced her pregnancy by displaying her baby bump at the Raindance Film Festival awards in November.

Happy news: Gemma Arterton has confirmed she welcomed her first child in December after revealing her pregnancy in November (pictured on Wednesday arriving at Radio 2)

Zoe told Gemma she was looking fabulous after she arrived for the Breakfast Show in a pink satin mini dress and matching coat and heels.

'It's the power of the paintbrush,' the new mum insisted.

Later on This Morning the actress admitted 'a bit more sleep would be nice' but said she was loving her new role.

'[He's] seven weeks, thank you so much!' she told the show. 'Totally smitten and love love being a mummy. I just love it. It's great.'

Gemma, the daughter of a welder and a cleaner, grew up on a council estate in Gravesend, Kent and won a scholarship to train at RADA before going on to star in the Bond film Quantum Of Solace as seductive agent Strawberry Fields in 2008.

The actress, who tied the knot with Peaky Blinders star Rory in a secret ceremony in 2019 - said in previous interviews that she was unsure about having children.

'I don't think you can ever plan the right, exact time,' she told The Times in 2013.

'I don't feel ready for kids because I want to know that I can come back and still be valuable to the industry.'

Breaking news: The actress, 37, spilled the happy news during an appearance on Zoe Ball 's Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Wednesday, gushing: 'We are very very happy'

Happy: Gemma later revealed during an appearance on ITV's This Morning that her son is seven weeks old

'That's only going to happen when I feel a little bit more accomplished... or at least when I've accomplished something of which I'm proud.'

Gemma shot to fame after she beat 1,500 other hopefuls to the role of Strawberry in Quantum of Solace, who becomes romantically involved with the MI6 agent, played by Daniel Craig.

She later admitted that aged 21, she took the job to pay off her student loan because she was 'as poor as a church mouse', adding that she now sees 'so much wrong' with 007 female characters.

Reflecting on the acting opportunity, she said in an interview with The Sun: 'At the beginning of my career, I was poor as a church mouse and I was happy just to be able to work and earn a living.

'I still get criticism for accepting Quantum Of Solace, but I was 21, I had a student loan, and you, know, it was a Bond film.

'But as I got older I realised there was so much wrong with Bond women. Strawberry should have just said no, really, and worn flat shoes.'

Baby news: The actress announced her pregnancy by displaying her burgeoning baby bump at the Raindance Film Festival awards in November

Married: The actress, who tied the knot with Peaky Blinders star Rory Keenan in a secret ceremony in 2019 (pictured in 2018)

The actress got her career off to a flying start when she was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at 18-years-old.

She went on to star in a number of productions including St Trinian's, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Clash Of The Titans.

Gemma is currently on the promo trail for her new Sky series Funny Woman, where she plays a beauty queen seeking TV fame.

The sitcom is based on the novel by Nick Hornby. Arterton plays Barbara Parker, a regional beauty queen (Miss Blackpool) who moves to London in search of TV fame.

Funny Woman available from 9 February on Sky Max and streaming service now.

New mum: Zoe told Gemma she was looking fabulous after she arrived for the Breakfast Show in a pink satin mini dress and matching coat and heels

Made up: 'It's the power of the paintbrush,' the new mum insisted of her glam early morning look

Leggy: Gemma looked incredible in her all-pink ensemble as she headed inside the studios

Busy! Gemma is currently on the promo trail for her new Sky series Funny Woman, where she plays a beauty queen seeking TV fame
Laura Whitmore put on a glamourous display for the Lulu Guinness Valentine's Dinner at Home House in London.

The Tuesday outing was her first since her Muff Liquor advert was banned by the ASA for 'targeting minors and encouraging irresponsible drinking'

Despite the backlash, the presenter, 37, sported a black velvet trouser suit paired with a striking patterned shirt which had red lips on it by Lulu Guinness.

She carried an embroidered bird cage bag by the label as she posed for pictures.

Laura wore her blonde locks in loose waves, opting for a slick of ruby red lipstick.

The star, who is married to Love Island's voiceover star Iain Stirling, 34, and shares a 23-month-old daughter with him.

Letting her hair down: Laura Whitmore attended Lulu Guinness' Valentine's event at Home House on Tuesday after her Muff Liquor advert was banned by the ASA for 'targeting minors and encouraging irresponsible drinking'

Backlash: The ASA said that Laura's posts were not clearly marked as adverts and implied that alcohol can increase confidence

Her trip out comes after ASA also noted that her posts were not clearly marked as adverts and implied that alcohol can increase confidence.

The videos - released in July - featured Whitmore drinking peppermint tea, and then water, beer and 'Muff & tonic', while her dancing became increasingly energetic.

Music in the background included the lyrics: 'I'll be f***ed up if you can't be right here.'

Text on screen stated '#MakemineaMuff' and 'If drinks were dance moves @muffliquorco #makemineamuff #muffboss #irishowned'.

A complainant, who understood that Whitmore was an investor in The Muff Liquor Company, challenged whether the ads were obviously identifiable as marketing communications and were inappropriately targeted because they featured alcoholic drinks.

Whitmore argued that the hashtag 'muffboss' was used to declare her shareholder status and believed that '#ad' would not have been a suitable disclaimer because she was not paid by The Muff Liquor Company for the posts.

However, the ASA ruled that the posts should have been clearly marked as ads.

The ASA also investigated whether the ads encouraged irresponsible drinking because they implied that alcohol could enhance confidence and was capable of changing mood.

Moving on: Despite the controversy, Laura put on a glamourous display for the Lulu Guinness dinner

The ASA noted that Whitmore was the former presenter of Love Island - the fifth most-watched programme by those aged four to 15 years old in the second quarter of 2022.

As a result, a large proportion of individuals who were under 18 with TikTok accounts were likely to interact with content related to Love Island on the platform.

In a statement, they explained: 'Even if those individuals did not follow Ms Whitmore, we considered it was likely that the algorithm would determine Ms Whitmore's posts to be of interest to them, meaning they would appear in their 'For You' page.'

Referring to Whitmore's dancing while drinking alcohol, the ASA added: 'Whilst we acknowledged that the ads were presented in a light-hearted tone, nonetheless we considered that consumers would interpret the ads to mean that drinking alcohol could precipitate a change in an individual's behaviour and could enhance an individual's confidence.'

Glam: The presenter, 37, sported a black velvet trouser suit paired with a striking patterned shirt which had red lips on it as she posed for pictures

The ASA have ruled that the ads must not appear again.

The Muff Liquor Company have confirmed Whitmore was a shareholder but said she was not paid for the ads and that they asked her to remove the ads within 24 hours of being made aware of the complaint.

They added that 2.7 percent of Whitmore's 1.6 million social media followers were under 18 years of age, and therefore understood that the product had not been inappropriately targeted to under-18s.

Since receiving notification of the complaint, they have agreed any of Whitmore's future ads for The Muff Liquor Company will be reviewed by the company before being posted.

Axed: The videos - released in July - featured Whitmore drinking peppermint tea, and then water, beer and 'Muff & tonic', while her dancing became increasingly energetic

TikTok said Whitmore had not used its branded content disclosure tool, even though the post appeared to fall into this category. Instagram said it had no comment on the investigation.

Whitmore has featured The Muff Liquor Company on her social media pages in the past, last year joking that they would be launching alcohol flavoured condoms in an April Fool's post.

The Irish presenter became the face of the Donegal drinks brand in 2021 and owns equity in the firm as a shareholder.

She has worked with a number of brands for their consumer campaigns, including Blossom Hill, eBay, Laybuy, Bodyform and Dare2b.

End of an era: She has worked with a number of brands for their consumer campaigns and last year announced she'd be stepping down as the host of Love Island

Last year, the mother-of-one announced she'd be stepping down as the host of Love Island, with her replacement Maya Jama being lauded by fans.

Speaking about her decision to leave, Whitmore took a swipe at her ITV bosses as she claimed that she would still be fronting the show if she'd had more freedom in her role.

She claimed: 'If I could [have done] things the way I wanted to, I'd probably still be doing it.'

She said she struggled to remain impartial while working on the show, admitting she sometimes wanted to voice her opinion on what had happened in the villa and ask the Islanders how they were coping following their stay.

Speaking to Psychologies magazine, Whitmore said of the contestants: 'There was only so much I can do as a host  I couldn't support them or not support them. I couldn't say anything.

'So you kind of have to go quiet, and that was hard for me because I like to be able to have those conversations.

'If I could [have done] things the way I wanted to, I'd probably still be doing it.'

The TV star replaced Caroline Flack as the host of the ITV dating show when she stood down in December 2019. Caroline tragically took her own life aged 40 in February 2020.

Whitmore took to social media after last year's summer season to detail her decision, admitting she found flying back and forth from the villa 'very difficult'.

In her statement, Whitmore said she was only planning to fill in for Caroline for one series, emotionally saying that she hope she did her late friend 'proud'.
By Rory Tingle and James Robinson for MailOnline

It has been more than two decades since Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein first crossed paths.

That meeting would set in motion years of damaging allegations, embarrassing interviews and eventually a US lawsuit against the Queen's third son.

Over the next 23 years, Epstein would go on to abuse and sex traffic young girls across the world on his private jet with his madame Ghislaine Maxwell - the woman who would introduce the financier to Prince Andrew - by his side.

Though he would go on to take his own life in prison while awaiting trial for his sex trafficking crimes, and ultimately robbing his victims of justice, the fallout would continue for those around him.

Maxwell would end up in a US prison, herself found guilty of sex trafficking for Epstein, while Prince Andrew would face accusations of sexual assault by one Epstein victim, Virginia Giuffre.

Determined to clear his name, Prince Andrew would agree to a toe-curling BBC in which he claimed he couldn't have had sex with Ms Giuffre, because he was at Pizza Express at the time.

But Giuffre would continue to pursue the royal, eventually launching a US civil case against him - which has now ended in a settlement.

Here MailOnline takes a look at the sordid saga, from start to finish:

1999: Andrew first meets Epstein, reportedly introduced through his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell.

Andrew welcomes Epstein to the Queen's private Scottish retreat in Aberdeenshire. Andrew later says he sees Epstein 'infrequently', adding 'probably no more than only once or twice a year'.

2000: Andrew and Ms Maxwell are seen on holiday with Epstein at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Epstein and Ms Maxwell attend a party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen to mark Andrew's 40th birthday, the Princess Royal's 50th, the Queen Mother's 100th and Princess Margaret's 70th.

2001: Virginia Roberts claims to have had sex with Andrew 'three times, including one orgy', with the first encounter allegedly taking place in Ms Maxwell's London townhouse after they met at the Tramp nightclub on March 10. Recalling the alleged meeting, Andrew was said to be 'sweating profusely'.

The Duke would later claim in his infamous BBC interview that this could have never happened because he was at a children's party at a branch of Pizza Express in Woking. In the same interview he says he has a medical condition after being shot at during the Falklands War that left him 'unable to sweat' because Ms Roberts, who was 17 at the time, claimed that they danced together and he had been 'sweating profusely'

Ms Roberts claims to have had sex with Andrew on two more occasions, at Epstein's New York home and at an 'orgy' on his private island in the Caribbean.

2008: Epstein admits prostituting minors and is sentenced to 18 months in prison.

2010: Epstein is released from jail. Andrew is photographed with the disgraced Epstein in New York's Central Park.

Footage emerges years later, reportedly shot on December 6 2010, showing him inside Epstein's Manhattan mansion, from where he is seen looking out from a large door of the property waving a woman goodbye after Epstein leaves to get into a chauffeur-driven car.

2011: The duke quits his role as UK trade envoy after the fallout from the Central Park photos.

2015: Buckingham Palace denies Andrew has committed any impropriety after he is named in US court documents related to Epstein. A woman, later named in reports as Ms Roberts, alleges in papers filed in Florida that she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17, which is under the age of consent in the state.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Andrew, in his first public engagement since he was embroiled in the allegations, responds, saying: 'Firstly I think I must, and want, for the record, to refer to the events that have taken place in the last few weeks. I just wish to reiterate, and to reaffirm, the statements that have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace.'

In April the claims against Andrew are struck from US civil court records following a federal judge's ruling.

Newly released legal documents show that Johanna Sjoberg, another alleged Epstein victim, claims Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaire's Manhattan apartment in 2001. Buckingham Palace denies the allegations

2019: Newly released legal documents show that Johanna Sjoberg, another alleged Epstein victim, claims Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaire's Manhattan apartment in 2001.

Buckingham Palace says the allegations are 'categorically untrue'. Epstein is found dead in his jail cell on August 10, having killed himself after being charged with sex trafficking.

Later that month a pilot on Epstein's private jet claims Andrew was a passenger on past flights with the financier and Ms Roberts.

The Sun newspaper reported that David Rodgers said in a testimony released in August that Epstein, Andrew and the-then 17-year-old travelled to the US Virgin Islands on April 11 2001.

Buckingham Palace describes the evidence statement as having 'a number of inconsistencies' and said that Andrew was on a different continent in some cases.

Following Epstein's death, a statement from the palace says that Andrew is 'appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged crimes'.

Breaking his silence on the issue for the first time since 2015, Andrew then releases a statement on August 24 saying: 'At no stage during the limited time I spent with him (Epstein) did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction.'

On November 16, the prince gives a 'disastrous' BBC interview in which he speaks about his friendship with Epstein and addresses allegations of his own sexual conduct.

On November 16, the prince gives a 'disastrous' BBC interview in which he speaks about his friendship with Epstein and addresses allegations of his own sexual conduct

He faced a barrage of criticism following his television appearance, with the royal accused of a lack of empathy with Epstein's victims.

During the interview, Andrew, questioned by Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, twice stated his relationship with Epstein, who died in jail while facing sex trafficking charges, had some 'seriously beneficial outcomes', giving him the opportunity to meet people and prepare for a future role as a trade envoy.

The royal maintained he did not recall meeting Ms Roberts and did not spend time with her at Tramp Nightclub in London on March 10 in 2001 after which she claims the pair first had sex.

The duke denies sleeping with her on three separate occasions, saying the encounter in 2001 did not happen as he had taken his daughter Princess Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking for a party, and they spent the rest of the day together.

The duke denies sleeping with her on three separate occasions, saying the encounter in 2001 did not happen as he had taken his daughter Princess Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking for a party, and they spent the rest of the day together.

He also said a medical condition after being shot at during the Falklands War left him 'unable to sweat' because Ms Roberts, who was 17 at the time, claimed that they danced together and he had been 'sweating profusely'.

The Duke of York said: 'I was with the children and I'd taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose sort of 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

'And then because the Duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there.

'I was on terminal leave at the time from the Royal Navy so therefore I was at home.'

However he continues to strongly deny any wrongdoing and claims he has never even met Ms Roberts, now a mother-of-three living in Australia who goes by her married name, Virginia Giuffre.

Following the disastrous interview, which is widely panned, Prince Andrew announces in November that he will step back from frontline royal duties for the 'foreseeable future'. A number of companies with association to the prince step back.

He says at the time he deeply sympathises with sex offender Epstein's victims and everyone who 'wants some form of closure'.

2020: With the Covid pandemic occupying much of the news and the minds of the British public, Prince Andrew has the chance to lie low, which he does, in Windsor Castle.

Andrew hires Gary Bloxsome, a UK criminal defence solicitor, early in the year, just weeks after his car-crash Newsnight interview.

Despite him lying low, talk continues to flow in newspapers like The Telegraph and The Times that he is planning a 'rebranding' and hopes to one day return to frontline royal duties.

He is praised by one senior palace aide for not appearing in official wedding photographs at the marriage of his daughter Princess Beatrice to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. One said it shows a 'level of maturity' from Prince Andrew.

Prince Andrew is praised by one senior palace aide for not appearing in official wedding photographs at the marriage of his daughter Princess Beatrice to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. One said it shows a 'level of maturity' from Prince Andrew

However, despite attempting to keep a low-profile, the headlines continue for Prince Andrew.

In February the US attorney for the Southern District of New York claims prosecutors and the FBI had repeatedly contacted the Duke of York's lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was 'willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency'.

In November, Lisa Bloom, who represents six of Epstein's alleged victims, cals on Andrew to submit to an interview with the FBI in their investigation into Ghislaine Maxwell. Sources close to Andrew say he is willing to speak to the FBI.

2021: In August, Virginia Giuffre files a lawsuit in the US against Andrew accusing him of sexual assault. In the civil case she alleges she had sex with Andrew and he was aware of her age.

She also claims hat she was a victim of sex trafficking when she was forced to have sex with him in 2001.

'I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions,' she said in a statement via her lawyers in August that year.

Andrew continues to vehemently denies the claim. He hires US defence attorney Andrew Brettler to represent him. He describes the lawsuit as 'baseless, non-viable, and possibly unlawful.'

Initially there is some debate over whether Prince Andrew has received the lawsuit. His lawyers claim the royal has not been properly served.

Giuffre's lawyers claim the legal papers were handed over to a Metropolitan police officer on duty at the main gates of Andrew's Windsor Great Park home on 27 August.

David Boies, representing Giuffre, said the complaint had been 'delivered to the last known address of the defendant'. He added that the documents had also been sent 'by Royal Mail'.

David Boies, representing Giuffre, said the complaint had been 'delivered to the last known address of the defendant'. He added that the documents had also been sent 'by Royal Mail'

A previously secret 2009 settlement between Giuffre and Epstein is raised. Prince Andrew's lawyers claim the settlement protects the royal from Giuffre lawsuit. The judge agrees to unseal the agreement.

Lawyers for the Duke of York also file a motion claiming Giuffre currently lives in Australia and so the court does not have jurisdiction to hold the lawsuit. But her lawyers argue the civil case was properly filed in Manhattan federal court because she is a citizen of Colorado and some of the sexual misconduct she alleges took place in the state of New York.

Meanwhile, a jury in New York finds Epstein's former madame Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of sex-trafficking.

The British socialist is also found guilty of conspiracy to entice individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, conspiracy to transport individuals under the age of 17 to travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity; transportation of an individual under the age of 17 with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity; and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 18.

A jury in New York finds Epstein's former madame Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured in a court sketch) guilty of sex-trafficking.

On December 30, Giuffre hits back. Her legal team ask the prince's lawyers to prove he cannot sweat in a court filing. The request is made in relation to Prince Andrew's claims in his disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview.

In the filing, it says: 'If Prince Andrew truly has no documents concerning his communications with Maxwell or Epstein, his travel to Florida, New York, or various locations in London, his alleged medical inability to sweat, or anything that would support the alibis he gave during his BBC interview, then continuing with discovery will not be burdensome to him at all'.

2022: The 2009 agreement between Giuffre and Epstein is unsealed. It shows Giuffre settled with Epstein for $500,000. In the settlement, Giuffre is show to agree not to go after 'other potential defendants,' defined as 'second parties'. But it does not specifically name Prince Andrew. His legal team say he is included under 'other potential defendants' and ask the judge to throw out the case.

Alongside attempting to use the Epstein agreement to shield Prince Andrew, his legal team claim Giuffre hadn't sufficiently alleged any violations of the New York Penal Code.

They also argued that Giuffre's allegations would have been time-barred by the statute of limitations if not for the 2019 New York Child Victims Act, which they labeled 'unconstitutional' and that Giuffre's allegations in her complaint were not sufficiently detailed.

But in a major blow to Prince Andrew case, a New York judge throws out his legal challenge to dismiss the lawsuit and rules it can go ahead.

A day later, the Queen strips Andrew of a range of military affiliations and royal patronages after more than 150 veterans write to describe their 'upset and anger'.
Strictly Come Dancing pro Johannes Radebe has opened up about his 'horrid' time at school in South Africa where he endured homophobic physical and verbal abuse.

The 35-year-old professional dancer has been open about his sexuality during his time on the hit BBC competition and was chosen for Strictly's first same-sex couple alongside baker John Whaite in 2021.

But growing up in the township of Zamdela, near Johannesburg, Johannes said he had to 'duck and dive' from the bullies who would call him a 'sissy boy' and 'punch' him 'many times'.

Speaking to The Guardian about his latest solo venture, a tour called Freedom Unleashed, Johannes explained that despite the bad times he was still 'covered with love' from his mother.

He said: 'I had to duck and dive. School was horrid. They [the bullies] used to say to me, "Oh, sissy boy!"'

Open: Strictly Come Dancing pro Johannes Radebe has opened up about his 'horrid' time at school in South Africa where he endured homophobic physical and verbal abuse

The dancer added that if he got far away enough, he would hit them back with a sassy reply: 'But if I was close by I would have been punched, which I was many times.'

Johannes also added that he still has friends living in his native South Africa who still endure homophobic abuse and that he is happy to be living in the UK.

'You guys have a long way to go still, but people make space for one another to coexist,' he added.

Last year, Johannes revealed that he's ready for a relationship after struggling with 'internalised homophobia'.

The pro opened up about his love life on Loose Women where he fought back tears as he revealed how he spent years 'hating' himself.

During a candid chat, Johannes admitted that he had only recently had a conversation about his sexuality with his mum.

The conversation prompted Kate Adams to ask the choreographer if he was interested in dating anyone: 'Are you ready for love in your life?' she asked.

Johannes replied: 'Oh absolutely! I'm ready for love in my life,

Upbringing: Growing up in the township of Zamdela, near Johannesburg, Johannes said he had to 'duck and dive' from the bullies who would call him a 'sissy boy' and 'punch' him 'many times' (pictured as a teenager)

Youngster: Speaking to The Guardian about his latest solo venture, a tour called Freedom Unleashed, Johannes explained that despite the bad times he was still 'covered with love' from his mother (pictured as a child)

Nadia Sawalha then questioned the performer: 'But you haven't been before have you, do you feel you've arrived there now?'

Johannes replied: 'I feel like I have, I blame it on internalised homophobia and the fact that I have hated myself for such a long time.

'So I'm in a better place. I also deserve some love.'

During the 2021 series of the BBC ballroom show, Johannes made history with Bake Off's John Whaite as the programme's first ever male same sex couple.

He quipped about his friend: 'I love how they make them in Wigan. I have fallen in love with an art form again.'

Star: During the 2021 series of the BBC ballroom show, Johannes made history with Bake Off's John Whaite as the programme's first ever male same sex couple

Johannes previously revealed he has felt more comfortable speaking with his mother about his sexuality since his on-screen partnership with John.

The TV personality confessed he had never addressed the subject with his parent due to her 'conservative' views.

He began: 'What happened between John and I last year really changed my relationship with my mother - for the first time, we can speak about my sexuality openly.

'There was no problem but it was something that we never addressed, it was something we never spoke about.

The South Africa native continued: 'You know with African people, very conservative, and I respect that still, but it is nice the way it is now.'
Real Housewives Of Cheshire star Ampika Pickston hit the town with her fiance David Sullivan for his 74th birthday party.

The reality star, 41, showed off her model figure as she towered over the billionaire West Ham chairman as they left London's Cabaret Club.

Ampika had pulled out all the stops for David's birthday - throwing him a surprise bash at the glamorous night venue, which boasts fine dining and theatrical shows.

The TV personality put on a leggy display as she wrapped her arm around her fiance while leaving the club, flashing her jaw-dropping diamond engagement ring.

Ampika wore a plunging black minidress with rara skirt, pointed heels and a love heart pendant necklace.

Happy Birthday! Real Housewives Of Cheshire star Ampika Pickston hit the town with her fiance David Sullivan for his 74th birthday party

Ampika wore her brunette hair in soft waves, while her glamorous make-up look enhanced her bronzed tan.

David, meanwhile, opted for an all-black outfit and some jazzy silver studded shoes.

The couple appeared in high spirits as they left the venue in the early hours, with David appearing to have the sound of the vibrant nightlife still ringing in his ears as he held a hand up to his face.

Back in December 2021, it was reported David popped the question on the reality star's 40th birthday, after a decade of friendship.

A source told The Sun at the time: 'Theres a big age gap but they are smitten. Theyve kept quiet out of respect for their children and ex-partners but know they cant keep a lid on this forever.'

David previously dated ex-girlfriend Emma Benton-Hughes, a former porn star, for 25 years and he made her his co-chairman at West Ham.

The 55-year-old, who also goes by the name Eve Vorley, was a Page 3 girl and involved in a number of adult films in the late 90s and early 2000s.

She starred in films such as 'Lesbian Nurses', 'Electric Blue: Nude Wives - Private Parts' and 'Naked Neighbours', and directed films including 'Horny Housewives on the Job' and 'Sex Mad Secretaries'.

Strutting her stuff: The reality star, 41, showed off her model figure as she towered over the billionaire West Ham chairman as they left London's Cabaret Club

Night to remember: Ampika had pulled out all the stops for David's birthday - throwing him a surprise bash at the glamorous night venue, which boasts fine dining and theatrical shows

Happy: The TV personality put on a leggy display as she wrapped her arm around her fiance while leaving the club, flashing her jaw-dropping diamond engagement ring

Sullivan, alongside David Gold and Karren Brady, oversaw a takeover of West Ham back in 2010.

Ampika, who starred in five series of Real Housewives before quitting in 2017, was previously engaged to a mystery man in 2018 following a whirlwind romance.

The beauty entrepreneur met the businessman, whom she did not want to name, through an online dating website and he popped the question after just a 'short time' together.

Ampika was previously married to billionaire businessman Mark Pickston, with whom she shares her son, Jake, 15.

Glam: Ampika wore a plunging black minidress with rara skirt, pointed heels and a love heart pendant necklace

Billionaire: David, meanwhile, opted for an all-black outfit and some jazzy silver studded shoes

Partying the night away: The couple appeared in high spirits as they left the venue in the early hours
He's the Hollywood man of the hour at the moment after receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actor last month and reportedly landing a role in the upcoming Gladiator flick.

And so it's no wonder that Paul Mescal appeared in high spirits this week while enjoying a raucous night out in London.

The actor, 27, was joined by his close pal and former Normal People co-star India Mullen for the evening, as they were snapped sharing a sweet hug.

Enjoying a pub crawl across the capital, Irish star Paul showed off his dance moves while surrounded by pals for the jolly night of drinking.

He kept his look casual with a pair of wide-leg black trousers with a plain oversized T-shirt, layering a grey hoodie on top.

On the town: Paul Mescal enjoyed a night out with his Normal People co-star India Mullen this week as they partied in London

Sweet: The close pals were snapped sharing a tender hug while outside of a pub in London's Islington

Keeping his hood up over his tousled brown hair, Paul added a grey tweed coat on top while opting for a pair of black Adidas Gazelle trainers.

The acclaimed actor hung a black backpack over one shoulder while keeping his mobile phone in one hand.

And standing alongside him was pal India, who donned a pair of light-wash blue jeans with a cropped cami top and matching cardigan.

The actress starred alongside Paul in hit 2020 show Normal People, which catapulted him to fame.

Paul took on the role of leading man Connell in the series as he acted as Daisy Edgar Jones' character Marianne's love interest, while India portrayed character Peggy.

Appearing to be celebrating after finishing up his stint as Stanley in London play A Streetcar Named Desire, Paul partied in Islington until the early hours.

Heading to local pubs such as The Old Queens Head and The Kings pub, Paul was in a jovial mood as he danced outside of the venues.

He's the talk of the town at the moment after rising to fame in recent years, and is reportedly set to star in the highly-anticipated Gladiator sequel.

Friends: India stood alongside Paul and who donned a pair of light-wash blue jeans with a cropped cami top and matching cardigan

Time out: The duo appeared in high spirits while spending time outside

Tight-knit: Before India wrapped her arms around Paul's neck in the tight embrace

Low-key: Paul kept his look casual with a pair of wide-leg black trousers with a plain oversized T-shirt, layering a grey hoodie on top

Jovial: Paul showed off some dance-moves during the boozy pub crawl

The actor is said to have 'always been' returning director Ridley Scott's choice for the part.

However he will reportedly not be playing the role of Maximus, the Roman general-turned-gladiator, which won Russell Crowe an Oscar in the original.

Russell's titular gladiator who was killed at the end of the film, has not yet signed onto the movie, however fans are of course hoping he returns for a flashback scene.

Paul's character is thought to be Lucius verus, who was played by Spencer Treat Clark in the original was also the nephew of evil Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).

While the new role comes as he has also had a coveted nod from The Academy Awards, bagging a Best Actor nomination for his role in film Aftersun.

Layers: Keeping his hood up over his tousled brown hair, Paul added a grey tweed coat on top while opting for a pair of black Adidas Gazelle trainers

Out: Paul was joined by crowds of pals on the night out, which saw him hit pubs such as The Old Queens Head and The Kings pub

He received heaps of praise for his role in the Charlotte Wells-directed film released last year where he plays 30-year-old single father Calum.

Aftersun tells the story of a girl called Sophie, played by Frankie Corio, who is reflecting on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier.

In a statement after the announcement he said: 'This is truly a special moment for everyone involved in Aftersun. To be recognised by the Academy is such an insane honour and I'm so utterly grateful.

Calling it a night? Paul and India are said to have stayed out until the early hours, heading home after 2AM

Getting involved: While he proved popular amongst pub-goers

Free: The actor appeared to be celebrating after finishing up his stint as Stanley in London play A Streetcar Named Desire last week

'I want to dedicate this nomination to my two friends Charlotte and Frankie who I love dearly! This is bananas, thank you!'

Paul's latest bout of good news comes after he was also nominated for a BAFTA for the same role.

He picked up a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 2021 for his role as Connell in Normal People.

Paul joins fellow British and Irish nominees Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy and Andrea Riseborough, who have garnered nods in the Best Actor and Actress categories.

The star-studded Oscars ceremony, due to be hosted by US talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Popular: He's the talk of the town at the moment after rising to fame in recent years, and is reportedly set to star in the highly-anticipated Gladiator sequel

More? Paul appeared to be heading to another pub as he stopped on a ramp with the group

While his career is flourishing, Paul is said to have split from his girlfriend of over two years Phoebe Bridgers at the tail-end of 2022.

The pair never confirmed their split, Phoebe's wrote about 'standing on my own' and seemed to reference a fight between a couple.

Fans of the couple were quick to share their shock over the alleged split as they took to Twitter to share their upset, saying they 'couldn't handle' the news.

Taking to Twitter to react to the apparent break-up, one fan wrote: 'I saw Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal trending on Twitter and was so excited and good god I've never been so shot down in my entire life after clicking their names.'

Another penned: 'As both a Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal fan I'm not sure how I will recuperate. I might have to rewatch 'Normal People' and listen to 'Punisher' for the 67th time.'

Watch Normal People available now only on Stan in Australia.
A security researcher managed to breach Toyota's Global Supplier Preparation Information Management System or GSPIMS through a backdoor. The hacker responsibly reported the breach to the company and published a blog detailing the hack after 90 days.

The Breach

The car company's web application is where suppliers and employees remotely log in to manage Toyota's global supply chain. The security researcher that was able to get into the system goes by the name "EatonWorks," and got into the portal after discovering a backdoor.

It appears that the system allowed anyone to enter an existing account as long as they knew their email, according to Bleeping Computer. Upon breaching, the hacker accessed around 14,000 confidential documents, internal projects, supplier information, and more.

The security researcher reported the issue back on November 3rd of 2022. Toyota fixed the issue by November 23rd. Sadly for the researcher, Toyota did not provide compensation for coming to them with the security breach.

Unlike Toyota, Google rewards users who come forward with an issue that threat actors could exploit. The tech company would give $100,000 to any contributor, which has been proven when a Google Pixel user informed the manufacturer of a way to bypass the phone's security.

Read Also: MailChimp Suffers Another Breach Due to Stolen Employee Credentials

The Process of Breaching the Portal

Given that the hacker did not work for Toyota, they had to patch the JavaScript code to get past the login screen. By using the Angular framework, developers can choose who can access certain pages, which will return true or false.

The security researcher found a loophole by patching both the returns true, which then fully unlocked the Angular app. The logout code was then erased so the security researcher would not be redirected to the login page.

Once the patch was applied, the hacker saw that the app loaded and can be browsed. They then tried to find API keys or secret API endpoints and found a JWT web token, which is something a user gets when they log in using an email and a password.

The hacker got a JWT token despite having only provided an email and no password. EatonWorks tried to create an HTTP request to determine if the createJWT endpoint worked. The hacker needed a valid email, which according to EatonWorks, was easy to find.

It's also because of the simplicity of corporate emails from the car maker, with the format "firstname.lastname@toyota.com," and all the security researcher had to do was Google Toyota employees. Upon executing the createJWP HTTP request, it returned a valid JWT.

The hacker completely bypassed the corporate login flows, which may or may have not used two-factor authentication as well. Since the portal's API authenticated access via cookies, EatonWorks just added the access token through Chrome's dev tools.

The security researcher found an information disclosure flaw with the API, so EatonWorls used a system admin's email address. This allowed them to gain access to sensitive data like classified documents, project schedules, and the 14,000 user data.

Related: Nissan North America Reveals Customer Data Breach Caused By Third-Party Provider
Heather Graham enjoyed a romantic dinner date with boyfriend John de Neufville in Santa Monica on Tuesday night.

The actress, 53, held hands with her snowboarder beau, 46, as they left celebrity favourite, Italian restaurant, Giorgio Baldi.

Heather put on a leggy display in a tiger print mini dress that she paired with towering black heels.

Wearing her blonde locks loose in a straight style, Heather kept her makeup simple, opting for a light red lipstick.

Meanwhile, John looked dapper in a white shirt and jeans and complemented his outfit with a blue blazer and camouflage print trainers.

Beauty: Heather Graham put on a leggy display in a tiger print mini dress as she left a romantic dinner date in Santa Monica with boyfriend John de Neufville on Tuesday night

Heather and John smiled and looked relaxed and happy after their quality time together in Santa Monica.

The couple have been enjoying lots of sweet dates during their relationship, including a bike ride in New York City in September.

They also took time out to visit Giorgio Baldi for dinner in September.

And they managed to cram in a holiday to their jam-packed schedule earlier that month in the Amalfi Coast after attending the Venice Film Festival.

The Hollywood beauty shared images of their stunning Italian getaway on Instagram, which included luxury boat rides and swoon-worthy swims in the ocean.

The Austin Powers star famously dated the late actor Heath Ledger between 2000 and 2001 and has also been linked to other stars such as Matthew Perry, Chris Weltz, and Tommy Alastra.

Heather's latest love holds the world record for the most vertical feet ever snowboarded in a year, which he accomplished in 2014 by snowboarding on every continent.

It comes after Heather voiced her enthusiasm for the release of a currently-untitled erotic horror project, in which she is set to appear, with a post that was shared to her Instagram account.

Glam: She paired her glamorous look with black heels as they left celebrity favourite Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi

The actress shared a shot of a Deadline article to her account, and penned a short message where she expressed that she had 'so much fun working on this movie.'

The performer went on to write that she enjoyed filling what she described as a 'super interesting challenging role.'

According to the media outlet, the movie is partially based on H.P. Lovecraft's short story The Thing On The Doorstep.

The movie will be centered on a psychiatrist, played by Graham, who becomes fixated on one of her patients who happens to have multiple personalities.

Letting everyone know: It comes after Heather last year voiced her enthusiasm for the release of a currently-untitled erotic horror project in an Instagram post (pictured)

Other cast members in the upcoming feature include Johnathon Schaech and Bruce Davison, among others.

Physical production on the feature commenced in 2022 and Mississippi served as a primary filming location.

Producer Barbara Crampton, who will also star in the feature, gave a statement to Deadline to praise Graham's acting ability.

'I was ecstatic when...Heather Graham signed on  her natural charm is always in evidence, but we get to see a different untapped side of her abilities here,' she stated.

Director Joe Lynch added that he was happy to have been able to collaborate with the actress and her castmates.

He stated: 'Working with Amp and such a fantastic cast  including Heather, Judah, Barbara, Bruce and Johnathon  we're so excited that this sexy, funny, scary film isn't just a modernized love letter to Lovecraft, but the kind of provocatively entertaining 'sin-ema' I believe audiences are salivating for!'

The currently-untitled horror feature's forthcoming release date has not been announced as of yet.
Elizabeth Chambers has spoken of the moment she knew her marriage to Armie Hammer was over, revealing he left her heart 'broken in nine million pieces.'

The TV personality, 40, filed for divorce from Armie in July 2020 after ten years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

Months later controversy and scandal arose around The Man From U.N.C.L.E star when he was accused of sexual assault by a number of different women. The accusations have been denied by his lawyers.

Speaking about the breakdown of her marriage in a candid chat with ELLE magazine, Elizabeth revealed that cracks had been showing for months, with the actor's behaviour during lockdown proving to be the final straw.

The couple were on holiday with their children Harper, seven, and Ford, five, when Covid cases began to spike in the States, so they decided not to return to Los Angeles but instead quarantine in the Cayman Islands with Armie's father and stepmother.

Tragic: Elizabeth Chambers has spoken of the moment she knew her marriage to Armie Hammer was over, revealing he left her heart 'broken in nine million pieces' (pictured 2018)

Yet their already strained marriage began to break down even quicker, with Elizabeth describing Armie as 'the worst' during quarantine.

For his part, Armie has described the time as being a 'very complicated, intense situation, with big personalities all locked in a little tiny place,' likening himself to a wolf 'caught in a snare' that wants to 'chew his own foot off.'

Despite their struggles, Elizabeth was left blindsided when her husband decided to leave the family and return to California, where he helped a friend restore an old motel outside Joshua Tree National Park.

'My heart was broken in nine million pieces, and I still drove him to the airport,' she confessed.

She added: 'Marriage is always going to be difficult, and, as with any relationship, you go through a process. Especially if you throw success and fame into the mix; it just becomes more magnified

'[Over time] your partner is learning things about themselves,' she says. 'They're growing, you're growing; you hope that you're growing together.'

Ultimately, they had grown too far apart to make their relationship work.

While attempting to build herself back together, Elizabeth sought comfort from the marriage counsellor she had seen with Armie, famed psychotherapist and relationship specialist Esther Perel.

Heartbroken: Elizabeth revealed that cracks had been showing for months, with the actor's behaviour during lockdown proving to be the final straw

'[Esther] always said heartbreak is literally worse than a heroin addiction, and I think about that a lot', she confessed.

Elizabeth is now dating wellness specialist Ricardas Kazinec, 26.

While the couple are 'so in love', Elizabeth revealed they have to act 'completely platonic if the kids ever see us together, because I dont think its in their best interest to see their mom dating someone while theyre still processing divorce.'

While it has been three years since she filed for divorce, the couple are not yet legally divorced, with Elizabeth admitting it felt like she was 'ripping' her family apart.

She explained: 'The dissolution of my family was literally my biggest fear of my whole life. You're building something, right? You're weaving a beautiful tapestry, and the last thing you want is for a knife to come and rip the tapestry in half.'

Family: The couple and their children Harper, seven, and Ford, five, decided to quarantine in the Cayman Islands with Armie's father and stepmother during the pandemic (pictured 2019)

Elizabeth's heartache was only magnified when a series of depraved revelations about Armie's sex life were made public, among them that he had cannibalistic fetishes.

'I was learning things as the public was,' Elizabeth revealed. 'I was like, 'There are no words. What the f**k?'

Armie has since broken his silence to insist that while he was an 'a**hole' and 'one million percent' emotionally abused younger women, he is not a criminal.

He also claimed he was molested by a pastor at 13 and attempted suicide in the Cayman Islands after he was accused of rape.

Happy: Elizabeth is now dating wellness specialist Ricardas Kazinec, 26. While the couple are 'so in love', Elizabeth revealed they have to act 'completely platonic if the kids ever us together'

The shamed The Social Network star has not been heard from and rarely seen since a woman named Effie, 26, accused him in 2021 of having 'violently raped' her. This led to a series of accusations by women involving his interest in kinky sex and even cannibalism.

He has denied the accusations through his attorney and said all of his sexual encounters were 'completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance and mutually participatory'.

The LAPD has investigated and Armie has never been charged, but the allegations proved to be catastrophic for his career, and he was subsequently dropped by the talent agency WME, as well as by his personal publicist.

He was replaced in Jennifer Lopez's new rom-com Shotgun Wedding by Josh Duhamel, and Miles Teller took over his role in the TV series The Offer, which dramatizes the making of Francis Ford Coppola's classic film The Godfather.

Although he was removed form those productions, Armie had already finished filming the Kenneth Branagh-directed mystery Death On The Nile, which features an ensemble cast including Branagh, Gal Gadot, Annette Benning, Russell Brand and Rose Leslie, among others.

Viewers mocked a trailer for the film after it appeared to go out of its way to minimize the actor's participation - though his brief appearances were still too much for many viewers.

Armie was also sued by American Express over an unpaid $67,000 credit card bill, but the case was dropped earlier this month.
Advertisement

Sarah Jessica Parker has opened up a new store for her eponymous shoe collection. The brick and mortar shop is located in the hip shopping section on Bleeker Street in New York City.

This week the Sex And The City veteran shared images from the new shop, which sells her kicks. It is a soft pink color throughout with an upscale art deco feel that should make any woman who enters feel like a princess.

And the TV star also talked about what this new shop means to her as she says she is 'flattered' that so many customers are lining up outside to get in.

Parker, who works at the store very often as she plays shop girl, says she is happy to answer questions as, for her, it is all about the 'human connection' between shop owner and customer.

On social media this week she shared images inside the shop as she said, 'Tickled pink to officially introduce @sjpcollection at 385 Bleecker Street.'

A classy joint: Sarah Jessica Parker has opened up a new store for her eponymous shoe collection. The brick and mortar shop is located in the hip shopping section on Bleeker Street

Cozy corner: This week the Sex And The City veteran shared images from the new shop, which sells her kicks. It is a soft pink color throughout with an upscale art deco feel that should make any woman who enters feel like a princess

Talking shop: And the TV star also talked about what this new shop means to her as she says she is 'flattered' that so many customers are lining up outside to get in. Seen in 2016

'A labor of love. And then some. One more sleep until we get to swing open this door and welcome you all inside. X, SJ.'

Sarah Jessica has often been spotted working at her other stores as well: in addition to her shop on Bleeker Street, she also has stores in Las Vegas, Edmonton, Canada, and Dubai.

Parker said getting a SJP Collection store off the ground was a 'long process'.

The star remarked it feels the process of getting a brick and mortar flagship boutique for her line of shoes has been happening 'forever' when it opened on Manhattan's Bleecker Street.

The 57-year-old actress told Extra: 'Here we are.

'It's been a long process and we've been building this store up for, it feels like forever now, but for a lot of months.'

Sarah Jessica - who has son James, 20, and twin daughters Marion and Tabitha, 13, with her 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' star husband Matthew Broderick, 60 - called the round the block queues 'amusing and flattering'.

She said: 'It's nice The kind of attention that exists outside the windows are amusing and flattering, but I think when people come in and they actually shop and they wanna be here and they keep trying on shoes and they're asking questions about the brand, and asking really informed smart consumer questions

Pink palace: Parker, who works at the store when she can, says she is happy to answer questions as, for her, it is all about the 'human connection' between shop owner and customer

'That's the part that's the most rewarding because as you know retail is only about the human connection.

'That's all that matters.'

The And Just Like That star even designed a shoe for the hotly anticipated second season of the spin-off to the 90s show- which aired on HBO and starred Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon - from 'a fake old Italian brand called Duchessa.'

Sarah Jessica said: 'We did it for them, for the show and it was a fake old Italian brand called Duchessa.'

A chill feel: On social media this week she shared images inside the shop as she said, 'Tickled pink to officially introduce @sjpcollection at 385 Bleecker Street'

The outside: 'A labor of love. And then some. One more sleep until we get to swing open this door and welcome you all inside. X, SJ.' Parker said getting a SJP Collection store off the ground was a 'long process'

Last week the performer mingled with numerous customers at the opening of her store, which will showcase various products from her footwear line.

The actress has previously spoken about designing shoes for her longtime character, Carrie Bradshaw.

Parker kept it casual during the opening, as she tucked a dark gray long-sleeve shirt into a pair of blue jeans. The Divorce star also rocked a pair of sparkling blue high-heeled shoes and accessorized with several necklaces.

Her blonde hair was tied into a lengthy ponytail and she wore a black facial mask to reduce her chances of contracting COVID-19 while spending time at the opening.

Parker co-founded SJP Collection alongside her business partner, George Malkmus, in 2014.

Doing her thing: Parker attended the opening of the flagship SJP Collection store in New York City on Saturday

The performer first focused on designing high-heeled shoes for consumers before branching out into accessories.

The entrepreneur has since began offering various fragrances under her brand's name and sells wine through a collaboration with winemaker Invivo.

She also designed several shoes that were worn by Bradshaw in the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That.

Parker spoke about working on her character's wardrobe during an interview with FootwearNews, where she remarked that Bradshaw's taste in shoes was an integral part of her personality.

'As fans of the original series are well-aware, fashion and specifically footwear have always been a deeply important part of the storytelling, especially for my character,' she said.
Lily Collins enjoyed a Copenhagen trip with her husband on Wednesday.

Taking to Instagram, the actress, 33, posted a series of snaps from her holiday with film director Charlie McDowell, 39, including one in which they kissed in the snow.

The slides also showed the duo taking a boat trip, tucking into some delicious food, posing by the harbour and cosying up to each other.

She added shots of the pastel-coloured architecture, aesthetically-pleasing interiors and Charlie posing next to a statue to her photograph carousel.

Lily and Charlie wrapped up warm for the freezing Scandinavian temperatures, donning jumpers and woolly coats.

'Smitten in Scandinavia': Lily Collins enjoyed a trip to Copenhagen with husband Charlie McDowell on Wednesday, sharing a series of sweet snaps

Loved-up: In another adorable shot, Charlie and Lily shared a sweet kiss in front of a snowy background as they enjoyed their Scandinavian break

Captioning her post, Lily reflected on their break, writing: 'Smitten in Scandinavia.'

Busy with her flourishing acting career, starring as the lead in (and co-producing) one of Netflix's hit series, Lily also juggles two great loves  her husband and her rescue dog, Redford.

The British-American actress and Charlie adopted the pug-terrier cross in 2019. He has been travelling the world with them since.

Redford even has his own Instagram account and an impressive 78,000 followers who chart his adventures with his famous owners.

Rather than staying with dogsitters, Redford has accompanied Miss Collins to Denmark, Finland, the US and, of course, to France for the filming of her hit show, Emily In Paris.

Miss Collins, who is the daughter of rock star Phil Collins, has shared a number of pictures of herself cuddling up to her little pet on her own account.

In other images he can be seen sitting in the basket of a bicycle, and he has also been seen sitting on a Parisian balcony and playing with an Eiffel Tower chew toy.

The couple adopted Redford from Santa Monica-based rescue centre Love Leo, which has supplied stars including actress Olivia Munn with canine pals.

Joking around: Charlie also smiled next to a statue as he larked around during their couples break in Copenhagen

'World, meet baby Redford. I couldn't be more grateful that this little man came into our lives from Love Leo Rescue,' Miss Collins wrote just after the adoption.

'It was absolutely love at first sight and I know we're going to have so many incredible adventures ahead. Welcome to the family!'

They even hosted their own fundraiser for the rescue centre in 2020.

Lily and Charlie met while working on the set of his film Gilded Rage in 2019.

The pair made their first public appearance in 2020, and became engaged during a trip to New Mexico that September.

Lily and Charlie tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony in Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado, in September 2021.

Before meeting Miss Collins, McDowell had a long-term relationship with actress Rooney Mara and dated both Emilia Clarke and Hilary Duff.

Lily has also had her fair share of headline-grabbing relationships, including a brief fling with her Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile co-star Zac Efron, 32, in 2012.

Admiring the view: Charlie, who was sporting a warm jumper and black beanie hat, looked out at the water as the duo strolled around the Scandinavian capital

Boat trips: Lily munched on a snack as she looked out at the water during a boat trip excursion on their loved-up trip

It comes after Lily recently spoke about her marriage to Charlie, saying he is her 'best friend'.

She also praised the filmmaker for supporting her 'emotionally' during her long stints in France while shooting Netflix rom-com series Emily In Paris.

She said in an interview with E! News: 'We can kind of conquer anything. We've been through so many changes.

'To be able to have a partner next to you that makes you laugh in times when you need it the most and helps you emotionally get through things, like moving to a foreign country for four months.

'I just feel so grateful that I have someone next to me to be able to accomplish that and [have] your best friend with you all the time.'

Cosy: Lily wrapped up warm for the freezing Scandinavian temperatures, donning a jumper as she posed by the harbour

Aesthetic: The star added in a shot of an aesthetically-pleasing interior complete with a low light and white bowls

Local treats: The actress included a photograph of tasty-looking Gammeldags Fastelavnsbolle (Mardi Gras buns) with cream

And after their engagement, Lily also gushed about her romance with Charlie, explaining that she knew they were meant to be almost immediately.

Opening up about that first meeting, Lily told the publication: 'It was one of those situations where I knew the second I met him that I wanted to be his wife one day. So, it was just a matter of when, really.'

She went on: 'I'm very happy. When something is incredibly special, you make it work. It doesn't matter where in the world, there are ways to always feel connected.'

Yum: Lily and her husband also tucked into some delicious food which she posted on her Instagram slides

And the To The Bone actress previously gushed about her future husband while talking to Drew Barrymore on her talk show.

The beauty called herself 'the luckiest' after Drew congratulated her on her betrothal.

'Excuse me, I didn't mean to bury the lead, congratulations on your engagement!' Drew added mid-interview.

Lily beamed, sticking up her hand to show off her stunning, rose-cut sparkler - which is reportedly worth $75,000 and $100,000, according to Business Insider.

'I am a fiancee,' she declared, throwing her had back in glee.

'Is he lovely and kind and good?' Drew asked.

'Yes, I am the luckiest,' said Lily. 'I am so grateful and truly feel the happiest I've ever been. I am very very lucky.'
Kris Jenner has said she cleans her house every Sunday.

The beauty told Women's Wear Daily this week that she likes scrubbing her new $20m six bedroom mansion in Hidden Hills, California.

The 67-year-old business manager chatted with the lifestyle website, along with Emma Grede, with whom she co-founded the cleaning brand Safely.

'Cleaning is something that I am obsessed with and I think my whole life it has kind of replaced a therapeutic need to decompress,' she told the publication.

Jenner, who's the matriarch of the Kardashian empire, specified: 'Yesterday, I spent the entire day cleaning the drawers in my closet because thats what I do on Sundays.'

The reality TV personality added, 'I take everything out of my drawers because were going in so many different directions [throughout the week].'

Hands-on? Kris Jenner is receiving backlash after stating in an interview with Women's Wear Daily that she cleans her home weekly

Cheers to her new home: On a Hulu episode of The Kardashians Kris gathered loved ones and gushed, My favorite thing in the world is to be with my family. As time goes by, I realize I really want to spend more time with my kids whenever I can'

In the interview with WWD, Jenner noted, 'I clean everything with my Safely, its very relaxing for me.'

She also clued fans in on what she's watching these days. 'I turn on a good movie in the background. Right now, Im watching the one with Kevin Costner, Yellowstone,' she revealed.

Jenner and Grede  who also co-founded Kim Kardashian's SKIMS and Khloe Kardashian's Good American  are introducing diffusers to their range of products.

'I think calm represents the state that I want to be in 24/7 but cant, so we might as well create something that smells like that,' Jenner explained about one of the signature scents, which include Bright, Rise, and Calm.

She continued, 'I learned over the years, just going to different spas or getting amazing body treatments during my lifetime, that a very calm, beautiful place that you go to do that has always represented a specific scent.

'I think its very nostalgic. For me, it was creating something that people could have in their own home that smells like that feeling.'

Plugging her brand: The 67-year-old business manager chatted with the website, along with Emma Grede, with whom she co-founded the cleaning brand Safely

Her words: 'Cleaning is something that I am obsessed with and I think my whole life it has kind of replaced a therapeutic need to decompress,' she told the publication

Social media users also gave Kris a hard time in the earlier days of promotion for the line.

In a video snippet, the multihyphenate said as she touted one product, 'I love the universal cleaner. I just love it because I can clean anything.'

In the comments of the post, one user wrote, 'Gurl you don't clean quit reading the screen and sit yo a** down,' while another follower added, 'I highly doubt your words.'

Safely launched in 2021 and was initially introduced to the world with Chrissy Teigen as a co-founder.

WWD reported that the line of cleaning agents has a distribution deal with Walmart, which placed the items in 1,700 of its stores.

Kris built her Hidden Hills mega mansion next to daughter Khloe's, with the digs costing around $20 million, per Page Six.

Lifestyle: The reality TV personality added, 'I take everything out of my drawers because were going in so many different directions [throughout the week]'

Kris' home: A glimpse at Kris Jenner's new home was revealed on Hulu's The Kardashians
Gail Porter looked low-key on Wednesday as she headed out on a shopping spree in Soho, London with a bearded mystery man.

The Scottish presenter, 51, who was diagnosed with alopecia in 2005, appeared to be in great spirits during the outing.

The former model, who lost her hair 15 years ago, cut a casual figure in a black padded jacket and top.

She teamed the look with a pair of blue jeans and colourful trainers as they strolled down the street.

Meanwhile, her pal donned a bright red shirt and blue jeans, teamed with a cowboy belt and a black coat.

Outing: Gail Porter looked low-key on Wednesday as she head out on a shopping spree in Soho, London with a bearded mystery man

She was having lots of fun trying on cute and cuddly animal hats at a fancy dress shop.

Gail took to Instagram to show off the results. She was wearing psychedelic spectacles with the faux fur animal hat.

It comes after Gail urged people to 'be kind' after revealing she was told she could 'possibly look pretty again' if she wore a wig.

She took to Twitter to tell her fans to think about their words before expressing them and admitted at the time that her TV work had dried up due to her refusing to wear a wig on air.

She wrote on Twitter: 'Sleep tight all. I had someone who told me if I wore a wig I could possibly look pretty again.

'Think what you all say to each other. We all have feelings. Be kind. It's not hard. X'

Gail was first diagnosed with alopecia in 2005, with the star seeing her TV work dry up at the time after she refused to wear wigs.

In February, she shared a heartfelt message on Instagram insisting 'nothing can break me' after losing her eyebrows and eyelashes to alopecia again.

Low-key: The Scottish presenter, 51, who was diagnosed with alopecia in 2005, cut a casual figure in a black padded jacket and top

Fun: She was having lots of fun trying on cute and cuddly animal hats at a fancy dress shop

Dressing up: Gail took to Instagram to show off the results. She was wearing psychedelic spectacles with the faux fur animal hat

The presenter said she was 'lucky' despite her troubles, offering words of encouragement to people going through the same thing.

She wrote: 'Well alopecia had a good old go at me again. Eyebrows and eyelashes gone again but, absolutely nothing can break me and I know I'm a very lucky human.

'More than a million more important things in this world, but anyone that does get scared about losing your hair you've got this. Believe me.'

Describing herself as looking like the moon on Twitter, she posted a picture of Earth's natural satellite and wrote: 'Damn. Eyelashes and eyebrows have all decided to leave me. Hey ho.'

'Never let anyone put you down': Gail recently urged people to be kind after revealing she was told she could 'possibly look pretty again' if she wore a wig (pictured in May)

Gail lost out on TV work after being diagnosed due to refusing to wear wigs and she later found herself homeless.

She was at the height of her career in the 90s, hosting shows including Top Of The Pops, and The Big Breakfast.

Gail has credited her daughter Honey, 19, who she shares with ex-husband Dan Hipgrave, for 'saving her life'. Gail and Dan married in 2001 but split in 2005.

She previously explained on the Sacrifice and Success podcast: 'My personality took a bit of a knock.

'Be kind': The Scottish presenter, 51, who was diagnosed with alopecia in 2005, took to Twitter to tell her fans to think about their words before expressing them (pictured in 1999)

'Jobs just stopped, because you don't look the same. 'Would you wear a wig, would you mind wearing a wig?' No I don't want to wear a wig. This is how it is.

She added: 'I was going through a divorce, no money coming in. So eventually I had nowhere to stay. It just went from bad to worse. Things like, what do you do? Do I drink? I've got no clue whatsoever, I don't take drugs so'

Gail continued: 'I had loads of great friends but it was getting embarrassing, because I'm in my forties. My daughter's staying at her dads.

Model: Gail was first diagnosed with alopecia in 2005, with the star seeing her TV work dry up at the time after she refused to wear wigs (pictured in 1999)

'I've got no money, I've got no work, I'm sleeping on people's couches. It was like the Young Ones. I didn't think I was going to be like this at my age.

'This is why you don't take everything for granted. You must always remember how lucky you are and be extremely kind. '

Gail recalled that at one point, she also did not have enough credit on her phone to be able to get in contact with anyone.

'So there were a few times I didn't have enough money on my phone to call anybody,' she added.

Old flame: The presenter was at the height of her career when she was diagnosed with alopecia, hosting shows including Top Of The Pops, Children In Need and The Big Breakfast (pictured with ex-husband Dan Hipgrave in 2001)

'If I found a pound I was thinking, what do I do with a pound? I'll see if I can find another one and get a mini bottle of wine from the local off license or those little ones. Anything for comfort. I was freezing as well, because I was outside.'

The TV star was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2011 and admitted that she was motivated by her daughter to 'save her own life', as she later sought treatment.

She said: 'I went to rehab for my depression, self-harming, if I didn't have Honey I wouldn't be here. One hundred percent. I would not be here. But I thought, I could not do that to my daughter at all.'

For help call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
Brendan Fraser has blasted the Golden Globes again and insisted that he wouldn't even have wanted the award if he won after boycotting the ceremony due to the HFPA brushing off his claims of sexual misconduct by ex president Philip Berk.

The 54-year-old actor - who was seen outside of the SiriusXM Studios in New York City on Tuesday - spoke candidly about the uncomfortable situation with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday.

In 2018, Fraser had alleged that he had been groped by former president Philip Berk at a 2003 Beverly Hills luncheon, which the latter denied.

As a result, the talented actor believes that he was blacklisted by Hollywood partly due to the aftermath of the claims.

As he was nominated for his breathtaking comeback performance in The Whale in the ceremony held last month, he told the 69-year-old radio legend that he wouldn't have wanted the award in the first place.

Taking a stand: Brendan Fraser has blasted the Golden Globes again and insisted that he wouldn't even have wanted the award if he won after boycotting the ceremony due to the HFPA brushing off his claims of sexual misconduct by ex president Philip Berk

Fraser explained: 'I found myself wondering is this a cynical nomination. I couldn't really tell because of my history with them and that I still have yet to see the results from their reformation. We all are still awaiting that, to tell you the truth.

'Get it or don't get it, doesn't matter. What does matter is that it would mean nothing to me. I don't want it. I didn't ask to be considered even, that was presumed. I know that would displease many people for lots of reasons, but....

'They needed me, I didn't need them. Because it wouldn't be meaningful to me. Where am I gonna put that hood ornament? What would I do with that?'

The former HFPA President Philip Berk had dismissed Frasers accusations as a total fabrication.

Fraser continued: 'It's my fight, no one else's. I don't need everyone to stand in solidarity with me.'

Stern went on to ask if the actor felt like other actors should have taken a stand alongside Fraser in solidarity to boycott the Golden Globes.

He replied: 'Maybe. But, you know, it would be a leap of faith for whoever that would be. It would be a calculated risk and it could also be trivialized very easily by the cynical view of this all.'

Fraser also talked about his decision to not attend as he said: 'Honestly, my mother didn't raise a hypocrite, and I didn't wanna sit and feel like I really don't know if I want this.'

In 2018, Fraser had alleged that he had been groped by former president Philip Berk (pictured in 2006) at a 2003 Beverly Hills luncheon, which the latter denied

Taking a stand: The 54-year-old actor - who was seen outside of the SiriusXM Studios in New York City on Tuesday - spoke candidly about the uncomfortable situation with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday

He went on to say that if the HFPA attempted to make amends it would have made a huge difference and also said he was never given a report of their investigation into the matter.

The Mummy star explained: 'It would be meaningful  if they wanted to make amends  to issue an apology that made sense ... that they share the investigation that they did into me and my family and my friends  I never saw the result of that report.

'They wouldn't give it to me, they said no it's ours. So whatever's in it they don't want me to read it. Instead I was given a press release that said it was a joke.'

He did actually heap praise on the Golden Globes for one thing; for highlighting President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the broadcast last month.

'Where am I gonna put that hood ornament?': As he was nominated for his breathtaking comeback performance in The Whale in the ceremony held last month, he told the 69-year-old radio legend that he wouldn't have wanted the award in the first place

Fraser said: 'I honestly don't even wanna think about it that much because it's not that important to me.

'And the good news is, they did something important in that broadcast and it changed my thinking about them: they put Zelenskyy front and center. They let him have the stage, and that's a powerful statement and something I can get behind and support.'

Berk was ultimately expelled from the HFPA in April 2021, after 44 years and serving eight terms as president.

The 88-year-old South African was expelled after sending an email to members claiming Black Lives Matter was a, 'racist hate movement.'
Paddy McGuinness left a very flirty comment on Amanda Holden's Instagram page on Tuesday.

The Take Me Out host, 49, who split from wife Christine last year, was commenting on her lingerie snaps for Valentine's Day.

He wrote on her post: 'B****y hell', prompting amusement from one fan who said: 'Me likey, me lighty'.

The catchphrase refers to the Paddy's famous catchphrase from Take Me Out, where contestants are encouraged to turn out their lights if they do not like the look of the person in front of them.

In the shots which Amanda posted on Tuesday, she was posing in racy black underwear from JD Williams.

Cheeky: Paddy McGuinness left a flirty comment on Amanda Holden's racy lingerie snap on Instagram on Wednesday

'B****y hell:' The Take Me Out host, 49, who split from wife Christine last year, was not backwards in coming forwards

He's a fan! Paddy was clearly just paying a pal a compliment, but his words didn't go unnoticed by fans (pictured in October)

The Britain's Got Talent presenter, 51, sported a plunging black laced bodysuit with an open-back design and scallop frilled trim.

While the number also featured a banded waist design, as she showed off the brand's Valentines Day range.

Amanda - who is happily married to Chris Hughes, had her golden blonde locks falling freely into a curl while opting for a glamorous yet radiant palette of makeup for the pictures.

Showing off the back of the lingerie, she leaned over the sink and turned back to smile at the camera.

While the beauty shared another shot to her 1.9M followers which showed her laying back on the sofa and posing.

Amanda is set to turn 52 later this month, and has already began the celebrations after throwing a star-studded bash earlier this month.

The presenter gathered her nearest and dearest for a raucous dinner party celebration and documented the bash on Instagram.

Amanda was joined by the likes of her Britain's Got Talent co-judge Alesha Dixon and her Heart FM alum Ashley Roberts, as the three women cosied up for a snap.

Stunning: The Britain's Got Talent presenter sported a plunging black laced bodysuit with an open-back design and scallop frilled trim

Party time! Amanda is set to turn 52 later this month, and has already began the celebrations after throwing a star-studded bash earlier this month

Amanda was also joined by her close friend, comedian Alan Carr, 46, after filming their road trip series, The Italian Job, together.

The mother of two was gifted a bidet shaped cake by the funnyman which is a joke from the show, and posted a snap of the two of them biting into the iced treat.

Other star guests included BGT supremo Simon Cowell and his fiancee Lauren Silverman as the group gathered around for a snap with Kelly Hoppen.

In one sweet snap, Amanda wrapped Kelly in a hug as they posed for a fun photograph beside the restaurant bar.

Posting a video of the moment Alan brought out her bidet cake, Amanda said: 'Last night I celebrated my bday early with gorgeous friends and family.

'@chattyman bought me a BIDET cake. If you've watched Amanda and Alan's Italian job on @bbc and @bbciplayer you will know.'

Some of the group piled into the back of a vehicle in another photo, including her eldest daughter Lexi, 17.

Pals: Amanda was also joined by her close friend, comedian Alan Carr , 46, after filming their road trip series, The Italian Job, together
Candy Spelling and her daughter Tori Spelling were both spotted heading to dinner at the West Hollywood hot spot Craig's this week.

Tori, 49, is Candy's daughter by the famed TV mogul Aaron Spelling, the man behind such shows as The Love Boat, Charlie's Angels, Melrose Place and Dynasty.

For her latest night on the town Candy, 77, wrapped a sleek black leather jacket over a classically elegant scarlet floral blouse.

Wearing her signature platinum hair down, she accessorized her ensemble with a large black handbag and sharpened her features with makeup.

Meanwhile Tori, who got her break as an actress on her father's show Beverly Hills, 90210, cut a stylish figure in a monochrome ensemble.

On the town: Candy Spelling (left) and her daughter Tori Spelling (right) were both spotted heading to dinner at the Wets Hollywood hot spot Craig's this week

Chic to the hilt: For her latest night on the town Candy, 77, wrapped a sleek black leather jacket over a classically elegant scarlet floral blouse

She tucked a fluttery white top into a high-waisted pair of black leather trousers that were cinched in to emphasize her impressively trim waistline.

Tori seemed in bright spirits as she stepped into the curb and headed into Craig's, which is beloved by celebs across various generations.

Although they were previously thought to have strained relations, Tori said last October that she and Candy are in daily contact.

'We've had a good relationship but it's like next-level right now,' Tori said on Jeff Lewis Live, adding that they were 'really close.'

She declared that she and her mother 'text every single day' and said that their relationship is now 'really, really good.'

Their current equation is a far cry from 2009, when Candy told People magazine that she was not speaking to her daughter or son-in-law Dean McDermott.

'Ive tried to talk to her, but that doesnt work,' Candy said of her daughter. 'She may not even know why shes angry.'

'Its not like were not talking, we just havent talked,' Tori shot back in People, adding: 'Theres no feud. We simply never meshed.'

Meanwhile: Tori, who got her break as an actress on her father's show Beverly Hills, 90210, cut a stylish figure in a monochrome ensemble

'Really, really good': Although they were previously thought to have strained relations, Tori said last October that she and Candy are in daily contact

Tori and Dean met and began their affair while working on a Lifetime movie in 2005 - when they were both married to other people.

They have since tied the knot and welcomed five children into the world together - Liam, 15, Stella, 14, Hattie, 11, Finn, 10, and Beau, five.

The couple have remained together despite being buffeted by divorce rumors and reports of financial problems over the years.

When Tori lost her father in 2006, she infamously inherited just $800,000 of his vast fortune estimated at $600 million.

Candy, who was the executor of Aaron's estate, told the New York Times that her daughter got so little because of her extravagance.

She said that Tori 'would close a store and drop $50,000 to $60,000,' insisting: 'I never did anything like that. She just went crazy.'

Tori shared in her own 2013 book Spelling It Like It Is that she had been forced to learn to tighten the purse strings - but not without discomfort.

She wrote: 'It's not my fault I'm an uptown girl stuck in a midtown life. I was raised in opulence. My standards are ridiculously high. We can't afford that lifestyle, but when you grow up silver spoon it's hard to go plastic.'
Ekin-Su Culculoglu has revealed that some of her extended family have been forced to sleep outside after a devastating earthquake hit parts of Turkey and Syria.

The Love Island winner, 28, who is of Turkish origin and lived in Istanbul for two years, said some of her extended family have been caught up in Monday's disaster.

She appeared on Sky News on Tuesday to discuss the earthquake and explained that members of her extended family have been forced to sleep outside following the disaster.

Her comments come as officials and medics said 9,057 people had died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria from Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the total to 11,719 - making it the deadliest seismic event in more than a decade.

During her televised appearance from her Essex home, Ekin-Su admitted it has been a 'scary' time for her as she threw her support behind relief efforts.

Shock: Ekin-Su Culculoglu has revealed that her family have been forced to sleep outside after a devastating earthquake hit parts of Turkey and Syria

She said: 'I have members of my family who have obviously experienced the shake, they've been outside, they've been sleeping outside.

'It's scary because it's people who are very close to me. I've had numerous people on Instagram reach out to me, they've sent me locations of an address, pictures live. They are screaming for help.

'I want to use my platform as much as I can to help anyone out there from Syria and Turkey.'

Ekin-Su, who has taken part in an appeal video for the British Red Cross, said she has donated money to rescue efforts and wants to go to Turkey at the 'first opportunity' with the charity.

She said: 'As soon as the opportunity is given to me, I am there. Obviously it's my home, it's my second language. Anything I can do, I'm there to support anyone. So first opportunity, I'll be there.'

'Anyone in the UK or whoever was following me [on Instagram] from whatever I was on before, I just want to shout here again, please help. We've got children, families, friends desperately in need of your help,' she continued.

'I cannot emphasise this more. It's really sad, it's really heartbreaking. We are a nation, we are in this together. I am lost for words, it's my hometown, it's my country.'

Ekin-Su was born in Islington, London, to Turkish parents Sezer and Zekai and lived in Istanbul while starring on Turkish television shows, before moving back to the UK. Her parents relocated to the UK and she also has a younger brother Arda.

Horror: Her comments come as officials said 9,057 people had died in Turkey (pictured: Hatay city centre) and 2,662 in Syria from Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the total to 11,719

Speaking about her firsthand experience living in the country, she admitted she was 'always in fear' of earthquakes during her two-year stint residing in Istanbul.

She said: 'I always lived in fear when I lived in Istanbul, but the fact that this has hit many cities and it has affected a big area of Turkey and Syria is so devastating.'

The Turkey-Syria earthquake's death toll has risen to 11,719 - with officials saying 9,057 people had died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria - making it the deadliest seismic event in more than a decade.

It is more than the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal in 2015 which killed more than 8,800 people.

Officials say the death toll could double if the worst fears of experts are realised, which would bring the number of fatalities close to the magnitude nine quake off the coast of Japan that killed nearly 20,000 in 2011.

Upset: The Love Island winner, 28, who is of Turkish origin and lived in Istanbul for two years, said some of her loved ones have been caught up in Monday's disaster

Family: Ekin-Su was born in Islington, London, to Turkish parents Sezer and Zekai and lived in Istanbul for two years. She also has a younger brother Arda (pictured with his mother)

Meanwhile, rescuers in Turkey and Syria continued their search for survivors trapped inside the ruins of their homes brought down by the devastating quake.

Against all the odds, search teams were still pulling people from the rubble on Wednesday more than 48 hours after the initial 7.8-magnitude quake. This included an entire Syrian family who were found alive after days trapped in freezing darkness.

Miraculous videos have emerged showing children being found by rescue teams across the devastated region, and pulled from wrecks of buildings covered in dust, but alive. On Tuesday, a newborn baby was saved - still attached to her dead mother.

Rescuers also pulled a three-year-old boy, Arif Kaan, from beneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Kahramanmaras, a city near the epicentre.

A few hours later, rescuers pulled 10-year-old Betul Edis from the rubble of her home in the city of Adiyaman. Amid applause from onlookers, her grandfather kissed her and spoke softly to her as she was loaded on an ambulance.

Efforts: Rescuers in Turkey and Syria continued their search for survivors trapped inside the ruins of their homes brought down by the quake. Pictured: Collapsed buildings are seen in Antakya, southern Turkey

However, scores more are thought to be still alive underneath huge piles of concrete and twisted metal, and the WHO has warned that time is running out for the thousands injured and those still feared trapped.

More than 90 per cent of earthquake survivors are rescued within the first three days, said Ilan Kelman, a professor of disasters and health at University College London.

'Generally, earthquakes do not kill people, collapsing infrastructure kills people,' said Kelman, who has published research on quake rescue responses.

The most pressing factor is getting medical attention to people crushed under collapsed buildings before 'their bodies fail' or they bleed out, he said.

Devastating: More than 90 per cent of earthquake survivors are rescued within the first three days, said professor Ilan Kelman. Pictured: Collapsed buildings in Antakya, southern Turkey

Weather is also a key factor, and 'it is completely against us' in Turkey and Syria, Kelman told AFP news agency. The quake-hit regions have suffered through freezing temperatures as well as rain and snow since Monday.

'This very sadly means that hypothermia is possible, and people are probably unfortunately perishing due to the weather,' Kelman said.

Those who do manage to survive the cold and their injuries still need food and water.

Without water, many people 'will start dying at the three, four, five day mark,' he said.

Hopes for more rescues are dimming as time goes on, with frigid temperatures and ongoing aftershocks complicating rescue efforts.

'We are in the 55th hour. These are the hours when the rescue efforts are the most intense and sensitive,' Murat Kurum, Turkey's minister of environment and urbanisation, said at the HQ of Turkey's AFAD disaster agency.
The cyberattack on Royal Mail, the top mail delivery provider in the UK, has been claimed by the LockBit ransomware operation.

According to Bleeping Computer, due to "severe service disruption," this compelled the company to cease its international shipping services.

LockBit Previously Denied Its Involvement In The Cyberattack

Following the distribution of copies of the ransom note on January 13, speculation about LockBit's involvement in the Royal Mail cyberattack initially surfaced.

While initially attempting to deny responsibility, the group eventually claimed that an affiliate had carried out the breach without the operator's knowledge.

Initially, the group claimed that the attack was the consequence of a disgruntled developer leaking its source code.

Using the LockBit 3.0 ransomware generator that was disclosed on Twitter in September 2022, they claimed that the attack was the work of other hackers.

After determining that one of its members had installed ransomware payloads on Royal Mail's systems, LockBitSupp posted on a hacking site to confirm that LockBit was responsible for the attack.

Additionally, the representative for the ransomware group stated that until a ransom is paid, they will not provide a decryptor or remove data that has been taken from the network of Royal Mail.

Currently, the Royal Mail attack entry on LockBit's data breach site states that on Thursday, February 9, at 03:42 AM UTC, stolen data will be made available online.

This indicates that the ransom demand made by the ransomware gang, the sum of which is still unknown, has not been satisfied, Tech Crunch writes.

Although Royal Mail has not publicly acknowledged the LockBit ransomware attack, spokesman Mark Street claimed the company is aware that an unauthorized third party infiltrated its network.

Additionally, Royal Mail, according to Street, thinks that technical program files and administrative business data make up the majority of this data.

With this, Street claims that all of the evidence points to the fact that this data is devoid of any critical consumer or financial information.

Read More: Locomotive Company Wabtec Confirms Cyberattack by LockBit Ransomware Group

Royal Mail Want To Downplay The Attack As An 'Incident'

On January 10, Royal Mail became aware of the attack and enlisted the aid of external forensic specialists to assist with the investigation.

The company also informed UK security agencies about the incident, which is being looked into by the National Crime Agency and the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)

The company continues to refer to the attack as a "cyber incident" for the time being and claims to have recovered some of the services that were affected.

The issue that occurred last month follows one in November 2022, which caused the Royal Mail's tracking capabilities to be unavailable for more than 24 hours.

According to Bleeping Computer, Royal Mail's ongoing IT issues came at a time when its mailing services are already under pressure due to scheduled nationwide strikes and ongoing discussions with the Communication Workers Union.

Due to the incident, which happened more than a month ago, Royal Mail claimed it is still experiencing service disruption.

In an update dated February 7, the business stated that it continues to make progress using substitute methods and systems that were not impacted by the cyberattack.

However, the company is still unable to handle foreign packages at Post Office locations throughout the United Kingdom.

According to some accounts, ransomware that infected printers used to create customs labels for packages delivered to foreign countries was targeting Royal Mail.

It is important to note that over 200 countries and territories are served by Royal Mail, which sent 200,000 shipments daily last year, Tech Crunch notes.

Related Article: LockBit Ransomware Extends Decryptor to SickKids Hospital, Apologizes for the Cyberattack
Maura Higgins looked sensational as she floated in the ocean in a black bikini while soaked up the sun during a lavish getaway in Dubai on Wednesday.

The Love Island star, 32, took to Instagram to share a gallery of incredible snaps of her sun soaked girls trip as they enjoyed a luxury boat trip.

The reality star showcased her toned figure in the black two piece as she knelt on the front of a boat with her pals.

Maura pulled her long brunette tresses up in a chic bun and rocked a number of gold pieces of jewellery.

As she cooled off in the water, the TV personality wrote: 'Naps in the ocean'.

'Naps in the ocean': Maura Higgins looked sensational as she floated in the ocean in a black bikini while soaked up the sun during a lavish getaway in Dubai on Wednesday

All smiles: The Love Island star, 32, took to Instagram to share a gallery of incredible snaps of her sun soaked girls trip as they enjoyed a luxury boat trip

Maura also shared a glamorous lift mirror selfie with her followers as she headed out for dinner in a racy cut out black dress with her pals.

The model left little to the imagination in the eye catching leggy number and styled her long brunette tresses poker straight.

It comes after Maura sent temperatures soaring as she posed up a storm in a series of sexy snaps earlier this week.

She showed off her incredible physique and deep tan as she posed in front of a Dior sign.

The reality TV personality matched the veil dress from Revolve with a stylish white Fendi handbag.

The Irish beauty looked radiant as she wrote: 'Dubai, it's been a minute.'

The bombshell enjoyed some time off in Tulum, Mexico, last month.

She delighted fans with several bikini snaps as she shared a glimpse of her getaway while celebrating her friend's birthday.

Stunning: The model (second from left) also shared a glamorous lift mirror selfie with her followers as she headed out for dinner in a racy cut out black dress with her pals

Fun in the sun: It comes after Maura sent temperatures soaring as she posed up a storm in a series of sexy snaps earlier this week

Glowing: The Love Island star showed off her incredible physique and deep tan as she posed in front of a Dior sign

The Love Island star stood hand-in-hand with her pal Leah, wearing a blue and yellow floral bikini in a slew of snaps.

Maura beamed while posing in front of the sea, her brunette tresses slicked back with water.

Another photo showed the reality star in another miniscule yellow two-piece, covered in blue flowers.

Maura shot to fame on season five of Love Island in early 2019, reaching the final with ex-boyfriend Curtis Pritchard.

The former grid girl and the professional dancer, 26, finished in fourth place on the ITV reality show.

The romance wasn't to last and the couple split less than a year later in early 2020.
A movie star looked unrecognizable with a full face of make-up and a rather unflattering ensemble on while filming his latest comedy movie.

The 45-year-old actor has showcased his dashing looks and brawny physique in not only television and films but also the ring but both were kept under wraps on the Melbourne set of his latest project.

The star had powder white make-up all over his chiseled face along with dark black highly-arched eyebrows painted on along with red lipstick.

He also donned baggy vest, button down-striped shirt, and shorts combination which concealed his very muscular figure.

But can you guess who it is? Or more importantly can you see him?

Can you see him? A movie star looked unrecognizable with a full face of make-up and a rather unflattering ensemble on while filming his latest comedy movie in Melbourne on Wednesday

It's John Cena!

The former WWE Superstar - who often used the catchphrase 'you can't see me' - was seen on set of his latest project titled Ricky Stanicky as he plays the titular role.

He was not alone as he walked alongside his stunning wife Shay Shariatzadeh on the outing.

The 33-year-old engineer looked casual cool in a clinging auburn long-sleeved top with blue jeans.

She showed off her massive engagement ring and pricy watch while holding a cup of coffee.

The couple initially met in early 2019 and were first spotted having a romantic dinner date in her native Vancouver in March 2019, while John was in Canada to film Playing With Fire.

In a whirlwind romance, the pair tied the knot in a private ceremony in Tampa, Florida, in 2020.

Not seen on set was Cena's co-star Zac Efron who he is starring alongside in the Peter Farrelly directed film.

Rise above hate: It was former WWE Superstar John Cena - who often used the catchphrase 'you can't see me' - was seen on set of his latest project titled Ricky Stanicky as he plays the titular role

Support system: He was not alone as he walked alongside his stunning wife Shay Shariatzadeh on the outing

Ready for his close up? The star had powder white make-up all over his chiseled face along with dark black highly-arched eyebrows painted on along with red lipstick

Under wraps: He also donned baggy vest, button down-striped shirt, and shorts combination which concealed his very muscular figure

The synopsis of the film according to Variety is: 'Ricky Stanicky is the name of an imaginary character invented and perpetuated by three friends over several years so that they have someone to blame for their misbehavior.

'When their partners become suspicious, theyre forced to hire a washed-up actor to bring Stanicky to life. The move has dire, but hilarious consequences'

Amazon Prime Video has the worldwide rights to the project which will also star William H. Macy, Anja Savcic, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino, and Lex Scott Davis.

Natural beauty: His 33-year-old engineer wife looked casual cool in a clinging auburn long-sleeved top with blue jeans

Bond: The couple initially met in early 2019 and were first spotted having a romantic dinner date in her native Vancouver in March 2019, while John was in Canada to film Playing With Fire
Christina Applegate opened up about her health struggles in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times.

The 51-year-old longtime actress shared that she gained 40lbs after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

It changed how she saw herself.

'I gained 40 pounds because of inactivity and medications, and I didn't look like myself, and I didn't feel like myself,' said the Married... With Children actress.

Applegate had to film her Netflix dark comedy Dead To Me even though her body was changing. She was so upset with how she looked, she refused to watch the show, she shared.

Vulnerable: Christina Applegate opened up about her health struggles in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times. Seen left in mid January and right at the Dead To Me Season one premiere in 2019 in Santa Monica, California

She was always thin: Seen on the right in 2003 with Gwyneth Paltrow, left, in the film View From The Top

Referencing her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, she said, 'I dont like seeing myself struggling.'

The mother-of-one said: 'At some point I was able to distance myself from my own ego, and realize what a beautiful piece of television it was.

'All the scenes I wasnt in were so much fun to see and experience for the very first time,' the LA native continued.

Applegate was diagnosed with MS while filming the third installment of the show, which also stars Linda Cardellini as Judy Hale.

Leading the show as widowed mother-of-town Jen Harding, the Christina's performance earned her a SAG nomination for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series.

Elsewhere in the interview, the entertainer revealed that the upcoming 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards may mark her final appearance as a working actress.

'It's my last awards show as an actor probably, so it's kind of a big deal,' the Married With Child star said.

Although she won't be on the screen, Christina told the outlet that she's pursuing voiceover work.

Hit show: The 51-year-old longtime actress said she gained weight and also added that it 'took months' to watch herself in the third season of the Netflix dark comedy Dead to Me

'Doing a s*** ton of voice-overs to make some cash to make sure that my daughter's fed and we're homed,' she quipped.

She was referring to the child she shares with husband Martyn LeNoble, Sadie Grace LeNoble, twelve.

Dead To Me premiered premiered in 2019 and aired its final episode in November 2022.

On set: Seen with Linda Cardellini. Referencing her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, she said, 'I dont like seeing myself struggling'

The comedy series follows Jen (Christina) who, after losing her husband to a hit-and-run, meets fellow widower Judy Hale (Linda) at a grief counseling session.

The duo form an unlikely friendship that leads to Jen making Judy a part of her and her children's lives.

But drama unfolds as it's revealed that Judy is harboring a dark secret that will change life as they know it.

In her conversation with the LA Times, Christina said she was 'a wreck everyday' as she filmed Dead To Me's final season while 'struggling' with her MS symptoms.

'But most of that wreck would take place in my trailer by myself,' she recalled.

Production took a five month break shortly so she could undergo the treatment she needed.
Katherine Schwarzenegger was spotted as she stepped out in New York City on Wednesday morning.

The 33-year-old author cut a fashionable figure as she took a short stroll through the metropolis' crowded streets.

The media personality, whose father recently purchased a pony for her children, is currently promoting the release of her newest children's book, entitled Good Night, Sister.

Schwarzenegger rocked a black overcoat and a matching pair of pants during her outing.

The daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger added elements of pop to her look with a multicolored top, a pair of bright red heels and a small green purse.

In the streets: Katherine Schwarzenegger was spotted as she stepped out in New York City on Wednesday morning

The writer accessorized with several pieces of jewelry and her brunette hair fell onto her shoulders.

Schwarzenegger later shared a behind-the-scenes look from the studio of The Drew Barrymore Show on her Instagram account.

The author is currently set to appear on Friday's episode, which will also feature Pamela Anderson.

The wife of Chris Pratt looked gorgeous in a double-breasted and slim-fitting navy blue coat that showed off her right shoulder.

Schwarzenegger paired her outerwear with a matching and form-hugging pair of pants and added a bit of darkness to her look with black heels.

The writer expressed that she was 'so happy' to be able to appear on the program in a text graphic that was added to her post.

The author has been focused on promoting Good Night, Sister, which was released on Tuesday.

The book is centered on a pair of sisters who have to deal with sleeping in separate bedrooms for the first time.

Looking good! The 33-year-old author cut a fashionable figure as she took a short stroll through the metropolis' crowded streets

Sneak peek: Schwarzenegger later shared a behind-the-scenes look from the studio of The Drew Barrymore Show on her Instagram account

Doing her thing: The author has been focused on promoting Good Night, Sister, which was released on Tuesday

Extra material: She has also recorded an audiobook as part of the project, which was illustrated by Lucy Fleming

She has also recorded an audiobook as part of the project, which was illustrated by Lucy Fleming.

Schwarzenegger has shared numerous posts regarding the publication and its release on her Instagram account in the recent weeks.

The media personality has already appeared on programs such as The Today Show and Sherri in an effort to promote her book's release.

The author recently started a book tour, which will take place at various locations in New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles over the coming weeks.
And Just Like That costars Nicole Ari Parker and Kristin Davis turned heads in New York City on Wednesday as they filmed new scenes for the hit show.

As they shot, the 52-year-old Soul Food alum and 57-year-old Sex and the City original cast member showed off their characters' stellar style.

Nicole, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, was styled in an asymmetric, textured magenta coat.

Kristin dazzled in a fashionable green, navy, and white plaid cape layered over a navy blue sweater.

The two seasoned entertainers, who play upper echelon New York moms on the series, filmed a school scene.

Attention grabbers: And Just Like That costars Nicole Ari Parker and Kristin Davis turned heads in New York City on Wednesday as they filmed new scenes for the hit show

For the outdoor sequence Nicole bundled up in the bright outer layer, which had a pronounced collar and a matching belt.

In character as Lisa Todd Wexley, the star's look also featured sheer black tights and matching shoes.

Her statement-making footwear was a suede bootie style that stretched up her calves and tied at her ankles with tassel accoutrements.

Taking the ensemble up a notch, the TV star added bright yellow accents with a flirty skirt, leather gloves, and a purse.

The Brown Sugar actress topped her sassy, straight bob with a black leather newsboy cap.

She accessorized with large gold drop earrings and an elaborate chain link choker wrapped around her neck.

The model, who's married to actor Boris Kodjoe, coordinated her lipstick with her coat as she coated her pout in a pink lip stain.

Meanwhile, Kristin put on a pristine display in her layered getup, which included a crisp white shirt under her sweater.

Eye-catching: As they shot, the 52-year-old Soul Food alum and 57-year-old Sex and the City original cast member showed off their characters' stellar style

Playing her role as Charlotte York, she carried a black leather designer handbag and dark leather gloves.

Sheer navy tights were visible underneath her calf-length plaid skirt, which peeked out from her cloak.

She stood tall in a pair of pointy-toe black leather heels with gold hardware accents on the toes.

Her lustrous dark tresses were arranged in a side part and soft waves that cascaded over her shoulder and down her back.

Fashionista: Nicole, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, was styled in an asymmetric, textured magenta coat

Looking good! Taking the ensemble up a notch, the TV star added bright yellow accents with a flirty skirt, leather gloves, and a purse

The two women were also spotted filming earlier this week as they were joined by their TV spouses Christopher Jackson and Evan Handler.

Nicole was in a flamboyant look that included a patterned green and white Louis Vuitton jacket.

Kristin was also eye-catching while modeling a short-sleeved, collared red dress with a belt cinched around her waist.

And Just Like That follows the same main characters as Sex And The City, which aired on HBO from 1998-2004.

The show had enough success that it spawned two movies after the show initially ended. One was released in 2008, and the other in 2010.

Fans can expect the 10-episode second season of AJLT to premiere sometime in March as both Evan and Kristin have been filming it as far back as September.

Busy schedule: The two women were also spotted filming earlier this week as they were joined by their TV spouses Christopher Jackson and Evan Handler
Kate Lawler cut a chic figure on Wednesday as she attended a special screening of Funny Woman at the Electric Cinema in London.

The Big Brother winner, 42, opted for a casual look as she sported a black turtle neck jumper and beige jeans.

Bundling up in the cold weather, she added a long white coat to her ensemble and kept her hands tucked firmly in her pockets.

She added inches to her frame in a pair of white platform trainers as she took to the street to pose for photos.

The radio presenter looked stunning in a soft palette of make up and tied her blonde locks back with two strands falling either side of her face.

Chic: Kate Lawler cut a chic figure on Wednesday as she attended a special screening of Funny Woman at the Electric Cinema in London

Stylish: The Big Brother winner, 42, opted for a casual look as she sported a black turtle neck jumper and beige jeans

It comes after the star revealed her daughter's amazing talent of naming dog breeds in a sweet video shared to Instagram.

Kate shocked fans as she held up different pictures of pooches as her little girl Noa, 22 months, incredibly identified each one.

Noa, who is nicknamed Tayto by her doting mum, called out a pug, staffie, and a basset hound as her mum showed her the cards.

The radio presenter penned to the clip: 'Since Noa was old enough to sit in a high chair I have been showing her these flash cards of different dog breeds and saying the names of them out loud.

'For ages she just looked at each one and smiled until one day I asked her which breed each one was.

'They really are like sponges aren't they? The other day we were walking the dogs and she shouted 'Pug!' as a little pug walked past.

'I hope she loves doggies as much as I do when she grows up. I already feel like she does, behaving much better and more gently with @baxterandshirley after going through a short phase of hitting them. I'm so proud of how smart my little Tayto is x'

Kate's celeb pals rushed to comment on Noa's amazing skills, with Gaby Roslin writing: 'Wow. Noa I am in awe'.

Keeping warm: Bundling up in the cold weather, she added a long white coat to her ensemble and kept her hands tucked firmly in her pockets

Stunning: The radio presenter looked stunning in a soft palette of make up and tied her blonde locks back with two strands falling either side of her face

Kate shares her daughter with husband Martin Bojtos, who she tied the knot with in a picturesque ceremony in the heart of London's Shoreditch earlier this year.

Martin proposed to Kate in April 2018 during a romantic mini break in Bruges.

Previously the radio star has spoken openly about her difficult battle with post-natal depression and said she was at her 'lowest point ever' a year ago.

She has also revealed in the past that following the low points she won't be having more children.

She told the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast: 'I know I'm never going to do this again. I'm definitely done. I don't want any more kids.

'I can really focus on being a mum and taking some more time off work actually, which I'm about to do  to be with Noa and to just appreciate this time I have with her.

'I won't ever get these days again with any other child. And I won't get them with her, you know? She's going to go to nursery soon, then she'll go to school, and then she'll flee the nest.'
She made a New Year's resolution to go running every single day.

And Julie Bishop showed off the fruits of her labour at the Carla Zampatti fashion show on Wednesday evening.

The former foreign minister flaunted her super fit frame in a stunning navy sleeveless dress with tulle ruffled detailing at the side.

Julie Bishop looked incredible as she attended the Carla Zampatti fashion show on Monday night in Sydney

But it was Bishop's footwear which really stood out, with the former politician stepping out of her taxi in a pair of ankle breaking Aquazzura Yes Darling five inch platform heels, worth an eye-watering $1400.

Julie completed her ensemble with an embellished clutch and a pair of diamond pave hoop earrings.

She managed to battle the humidity, sporting a sleek blow wave and made her blue eyes pop with lashing of black eye liner.

Julie was joined at the event by the former Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian, Sam Armytage, former Sunrise host Mel Doyle and Christian Wilkins.

Julie revealed she was taking part in a running challenge at the start of the year, and has been pounding the pavement around the world for the past few weeks.

The former foreign minister flaunted her super fit frame in a stunning navy sleeveless dress with tulle ruffled detailing at the side

On January 3, she shared a video of herself jogging and captioned the clip 'New Year resolution day three,' adding an angel emoji.

Julie's fitness challenge comes amid persistent romance rumours with self-described 'adventure philanthropist' Luke Hepworth.

The pair raised eyebrows in December when they posed arm-in-arm on the red carpet at the 2022 NGV Gala in Melbourne, despite Luke denying they are dating.

But it was Bishop's footwear which really stood out, with the former politician stepping out of her taxi in a pair of ankle breaking Aquazzura Yes Darling five inch platform heels, worth an eye-watering $1400

Julie and Luke have attended several high-profile soirees recently, including an event hosted by Moet & Chandon in early December month and the Perth Telethon.

'I am not in a relationship. She is just a good friend of mine and a wonderful human, so we have been to a couple of charity events,' he added.

But Luke did confirm he's known Julie for several years after they first met at the ritzy Gold Dinner charity gala.

Julie has been single since mid last year, following her split from partner-of-eight-years David Panton.

Julie was joined at the event by the former Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian who posed up with Alex Schuman  Chief Executive Officer of Carla Zampatti

Former reality star Jules Robinson and Anna Heinrich wore bold red to the event

Christian Wilkins also showed off his bulging biceps in a sleeveless top
Thailand once had some of the strictest drug policies in the world, but things are changing in the Southeast Asian country after cannabis was legalised last June.

Aussie Bachelor couple Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston were shocked this week by the number of weed dispensaries and 'drug coffee' machines they saw while walking through the streets of Bangkok.

Jetstar pilot Jimmy took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of one of the coffee machines he saw that offered more than just caffeine.

Aussie Bachelor couple Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston were shocked this week by the number of weed dispensaries and 'drug coffee' machines they saw in the streets of Bangkok

Posting a photo of the machine that offered 'cannabis herbal coffee mix' he wrote, 'Cannabis coffee from a vending machine,' followed by a laughing face.

The effect of mixing cannabis and caffeine can vary between individuals. Some can experience a depressive effect, while for others it can be a stimulant.

A recent study on rats showed that mixing caffeine and low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis, had a similar effect to consuming higher amounts of THC alone.

The effects of combining cannabis and caffeine on human memory is unknown, however, and further studies are necessary.

Jetstar pilot Jimmy and his girlfriend Holly Kingston are on holiday in Bangkok

Edible marijuana has become much more popular in Thailand since the legalisation of the drug, with dispensaries offering more than just your average joint.

They also sell brownies, CBD oil, CBD gummies, CBD soda, chewables and even marijuana honey.

While Jimmy was shocked to discover the cannabis coffee vending machine, he was also intrigued to come across 'the world's smelliest fruit', durian.

While Jimmy was shocked to discover the cannabis coffee vending machine, he was also intrigued to come across 'the world's smelliest fruit', durian

'So Thailand is also famous for durian, which is a fruit that is so foul-smelling you cannot carry it on, it's banned on airplanes,' he told his followers.

The reality star then showed off a piece of the fruit, smelt it, then shoved it in his fiancee Holly's face, who looked less than pleased.

'I have here my fiancee and some durian fruit,' he added, before pleading with her to give it a sniff.

The Bachelor shoved the piece of fruit in front of Holly's face, who looked less than pleased

He eventually convinced her to a have a 'nibble' of it before shoving it into his own mouth, and saying 'it's really good'.

However, Holly clearly couldn't get the smell out of her mouth as she continued to gag after tasting it.

The couple are travelling overseas after falling in love on The Bachelor's ninth season in 2021. They are engaged to be married in August this year.
The Project hosts Sarah Harris and Waleed Aly were left speechless when comedian Jimmy Carr said the show was better with Charlie Pickering as host on Wednesday.

The British-Irish comedian, 50, was being interviewing by Sarah, when she asked him if he had ever made a joke he regretted.

Jimmy jokingly responded the only thing he couldn't make fun of was how the show was better when Charlie was host nine years ago.

Awkward moment Jimmy Carr (pictured) says The Project was better when Charlie Pickering was host seven years ago

'Have you ever written a joke and come back from the gig [and regretted it]?' Sarah asked.

'I think the only thing that is off and that you couldn't talk about is how this show was better with Charlie Pickering,' Jimmy responded.

'This show used to be something didn't it. When that guy was on here it was fire,' he added as the hosts burst into laughter.

The British-Irish comedian, 50, was being interviewing by Sarah, when she asked him if he had ever made a joke he regretted. Pictured hosts Sarah Harris and Waleed Aly

'I agree,' Waleed said.

Jimmy is currently taking his Terribly Funny tour around Australia and New Zealand.

He is currently performing in Melbourne before heading over to Adelaide, Canberra, Ballarat, Bendigo, and Newcastle.

'I think the only thing that is off and that you couldn't talk about is how this show was better with Charlie Pickering (pictured),' Jimmy responded

'I agree,' Waleed said before bursting into laughter

He will then travel to Sydney, Wollongong, Geelong, Canberra, Mandurah, Perth, Hobart, Launceston, Brisbane and Caloundra.

Jimmy will also perform in Toowommba in April, before heading over to Townsville, Cairns, Darwin, Gold Coast and returning to Melbourne and Sydney in May.

He is known for his controversial jokes about topics including dwarves, fat women, female genital mutilation and the Holocaust.
Molly-Mae Hague was seen spending some quality time with her boyfriend Tommy Fury and baby Bambi on Tuesday.

The Love Island star, 23, tucked into a McDonalds takeaway while editing her latest YouTube video.

Tommy looked every inch the doting dad as he lay with Bambi, while Molly-Mae simply wrote 'life' with a heart emoji alongside the video.

She had a burger in her hand and showed fans the rest of her order, which included fries and a drink.

Molly-Mae thanked her 7.1 million Instagram followers for their support and revealed she has filmed her birth story.

Sweet: Molly-Mae Hague was seen spending some quality time with her boyfriend Tommy Fury and baby Bambi on Tuesday

She said in a previous snap: 'I really want to film my birth story today but I'm so nervous to get back in front of a camera...

'I'm not sure if my brain is working yet and if I try to do it and fail then I know that'll really upset/frustrate me. I really want to catch you all up!'

Tommy is currently training for a huge fight against rival Jake Paul, set to go ahead in Riyadh on February 26.

Jake let slip the news that Tommy had welcomed his daughter a week prior to Molly-Mae's announcement in a post advertising their upcoming fight.

It comes after the couple proudly revealed their newborn daughter's full name, as Bambi Fury, omitting Molly-Mae's surname.

Molly-Mae shared a slew of snaps from the couple's first days as parents, captioning them: 'Taking pics of absolutely everything so we NEVER forget these days.'

One of the pictures showed Molly-Mae cradling Bambi in front of a sign saying: 'Welcome to the world Princess Fury'.

Family: Tommy looked every inch the doting dad as he lay with Bambi, while Molly-Mae simply wrote 'life' with a heart emoji alongside the video

Relaxed: The Love Island star, 23, tucked into a McDonalds takeaway while editing her latest YouTube video

Other photos showed her holding Bambi surrounded by pink heart-shaped balloons and a bouquet of flowers.

Molly-Mae was dressed in a set of cosy grey pyjamas with a white trim and her blonde hair pulled back into a practical high bun.

And one shot showed the proud parents carrying their daughter home from the hospital while another was of Tommy having some skin-to-skin bonding time.

Molly-Mae also took to her Stories to show a video of herself cuddling Bambi and wrote over the top: 'The nights are the hardest but also the most special.

Taking it in: Molly-Mae shared a slew of snaps from the couple's first days as parents, captioning them: 'Taking pics of absolutely everything so we NEVER forget these days'

Name: One of the pictures showed Molly-Mae cradling Bambi in front of a sign saying: 'Welcome to the world Princess Fury'

Welcome home: Other photos showed her holding Bambi surrounded by pink heart-shaped balloons and a bouquet of flowers

Pride: It comes after the influencer revealed that she managed to have a natural birth as she had hoped for, as opposed to a caesarean section

'You have completely stolen my heart little girl. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you.'

It comes after the influencer revealed that she managed to have a natural birth as she had hoped for, as opposed to a caesarean section.

Dubbing the birth 'the biggest and best achievement of my whole entire life,' the star went on to detail that she 'couldn't wait' to share more details with fans.

Molly-Mae previously shared to fans that she was hoping to have a natural birth and would 'try my hardest to push baby girl out'.

And confirming that this was possible with an update on Saturday, the influencer shared a picture of some poloroid snaps from the delivery room.

Doting dad: Another photo showed the shirtless boxer, also 23, holding his daughter in the hospital

Special: Molly-Mae also took to her Stories to show a video of herself cuddling Bambi and wrote over the top: 'The nights are the hardest but also the most special'

She penned: 'The start of labour A lot of you have asked if I was able to have a natural birth as Tommy was wearing scrubs in our first pic... yes I was able to have a natural delivery

'I can't wait to tell you all about it soon. Biggest and best achievement of my whole entire life.'

Representatives for Molly-Mae told MailOnline earlier this week: 'Molly and Tommy feel so blessed to have welcomed a healthy baby girl in to their family on the 23rd of January 2023.

'They are enjoying every moment. Molly and baby are both doing well.'

Cute: A third image showed the moment that the couple brought Bambi home, as they departed the hospital wearing padded jackets

Mum: The influencer delighted fans with the Instagram update and added that she 'never wanted to forget' the past few days

Earlier in the day Ulrika Jonsson defended Molly-Mae Hague after she splashed out 8K for newborn daughter Bambi's cot and came under fire for the tot's name.

The TV presenter, 55, slammed people who criticised the influencer for their 'envy' and said she is entitled to spend her money as she pleases.

Molly-Mae, who welcomed her first child with partner Tommy Fury last month, left fans gob-smacked when she announced the name of her newborn with a photo of the luxurious crib .

Ulrika said: 'She is getting trolled for calling the newborn Bambi  but I think, why not? Its sweet enough.

'Of course, much of the criticism is based on envy. Molly-Mae is entitled to do whatever she wants with her money.'

She continued in her column for The Sun : 'Mere mortals can only dream of a nursery like little Bambis, who will be utterly oblivious to the overindulgence surrounding her.'

New arrival: It has been claimed Molly-Mae and Tommy spared no expense when it came to welcoming their daughter, reportedly splashing out on a room at The Portland Hospital

Cuddle: She could be seen cradling the newborn, who was wrapped in a white knitted blanket

But after doing some digging following the snap, fans of the 23-year-old were left gobsmacked upon discovering that the cot retails for a whopping 8,000.

As Molly-Mae announced the name of her newborn with a snap of the nursery and the moniker in neon, one fan took to TikTok to share a video investigating the cot.

The user revealed that the crib is currently at a price of 8,189.28, with a 40 per cent saving on the Homeloft website, which scored out its previous price of 13, 536.00.

Parent: Representatives for Molly-Mae told MailOnline earlier this week: 'Molly and Tommy feel so blessed to have welcomed a healthy baby girl in to their family on the 23rd of January 2023'

Support: Earlier in the day Ulrika Jonsson, 55, defended Molly-Mae Hague after she splashed out 8K for newborn daughter Bambi's cot and came under fire for the tot's name

And it appears the former Love Island star drew inspiration from fellow reality royalty, as Kim Kardashian and her famous sisters have been known to use the same one for their broods.

Kim previously revealed that she bought the lavish crib for eldest daughter North and kept it for her further three children.

It has also been claimed Molly-Mae and Tommy spared no expense when it came to welcoming their daughter, reportedly splashing out on a room at The Portland Hospital where birth packages start from 15,000 and can cost up to 30,000.
Users of Microsoft Teams' free classic version may want to switch to the paid version soon.

The California-based tech giant recently announced it is retiring the classic (and free) version of Microsoft Teams, requiring people to upgrade their subscription to the paid Microsft Teams Essentials version.

Microsoft previously released its Teams chat-based workspace in Office 365 on Mar. 14, 2017. Since then, it has accumulated around 270 million users, making it one of the most popular chat-based workspaces worldwide, per Statista.

Microsoft Teams Classic Retirement Details

Microsoft mentioned in its announcement it is retiring its Microsoft Teams Free, the classic version of its chat-based workspace, following the official release of Microsoft Teams Essentials.

For those unaware, Microsoft Teams Essentials is the premium version of its predecessor, which the company released on Dec. 1, 2021. Microsoft advertised this application as the first-ever standalone Microsoft Teams offering specifically designed for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Because of Teams Essentials' features, which gives small and medium businesses "a professional and affordable meetings solution to support collaboration, connection, and productivity in a hybrid work environment," Microsoft urges those still using Teams Classic to switch to Teams Essentials before April 12.

Those that don't make the switch before then will lose access to their chats, files, and meetings. Although Microsoft does offer a newer, free option of Microsoft Teams, people will need to sign up for a new account to use the application.

Read More: Gifted 9-Year-Old Pennsylvanian Kid Finishes High School With Online Classes

As a result, people who wish to retain access to their chats, files, and meetings must switch to Teams Essentials.

According to Engadget, Microsoft Teams Classic's retirement won't affect personal use, but it could be a headache for small firms that previously relied on it to coordinate. With its impending retirement, these businesses will either have to pay to keep everything or slog through the process of recreating their channel setups using the newer Microsoft Teams (free) from scratch.

Alternatively, business owners can opt to subscribe to a Microsoft Teams alternative such as Slack, particularly if they're not as heavily invested in Microsoft's app ecosystems as other companies.

What's The Difference Between The Two Teams?

Microsoft Teams Essential, which costs $4 monthly per user, comes with unlimited group meetings that can host up to 300 participants for up to 30 hours long and 10 GB of cloud storage per user.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Teams (free) only allows subscribers to have unlimited group meetings that can only host up to 100 participants can only last for up to an hour, and 5GB of cloud storage per user.

However, small and medium business owners can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Business Basic which not only offers everything in Teams Essentials, but also lets them maintain access to their chats, files, teams, and meetings for a monthly fee of $6 per user.

It also comes with the ability to create transcripts of team meetings, web and mobile versions of Microsft 365 apps, manage customer appointments with Bookings, and 1TB of cloud storage per user.

Related Article: Microsoft Outlook, Teams Come Back Online Following A Four-Hour Worldwide Outage
Myleene Klass showed off her hidden talent on Wednesday as she attended her son's school and taught his class how to Hawaiian dance.

The radio presenter, 44, stood out in a green grass skirt while shaking her hips and showing off her moves.

She donned a colourful leis around her neck and head, as well as a quirky pink headband and pom poms.

Myleene shared several clips from the fun day with her 419k Instagram followers, as well as a sweet snap with her son Apollo.

The three-year-old had the flower necklaces around his neck, matching his mother, and held her hand.

Wow! Myleene Klass showed off her hidden talent on Wednesday as she attended her son's school and taught his class how to Hawaiian dance

Alongside the post, she wrote: 'Today I taught my sons class Hawaiian and Polynesian dancing. (Its my hidden skillset..I used to be in a Hawaiian troupe 24 years ago!)

'We learned what each hand gesture means, the language and how to dance. I cant show their little faces but their huge smiles and all their moves were so adorable.

'Such a lovely, memorable day exploring different cultures and getting to dust down my grass skirt and Leis.'

It comes after Myleene last month said she thinks it is 'so tragic' that the statutory menopause leave bill has not been passed through government and said women should not just have to 'get on with it'.

The star appeared on Jeremy Vine to debate the topic of women getting menopause leave with their employers, and said that female reproductive health 'seems to be put on the backburner'.

She also compared the health woes women experience between the ages of 45-55 to people going through health issues and getting sick leave, saying that the government should give it serious consideration because a huge chunk of the workforce is affected.

Debating the topic alongside Daily Mail associate editor Andrew Pierce, Myleene said: 'I just think it is so tragic that now we do have women in parliament who can make these changes or certainly push them through - and anything to do with female reproductive health just seems to be put on the backburner.

Talent: The radio presenter, 44, stood out in a green grass skirt while shaking her hips and showing off her moves

'It's just something that we've all got to live with, we've got on with it this far and we should just continue to do so.

'And just because generations before us just got on with it, it is not how it should be running.

'The fact that this takes out 900,000 women every single year from the workplace, something absolutely has to be addressed and that's right across the board.

She continued: 'I've experienced this as you know, trying to pass a bill to look after women and families in miscarriage.

'Now it's also happening with menopause, it's just not being taken seriously by the very people that it's going to affect.

Family: Myleene's three-year-old son Apollo had the flower necklaces around his neck, matching his mother, and held her hand

Jeremy asked, 'So at the moment employers don't have to do anything to take account?'

'Well this is just a pilot scheme,' Myleene explained. 'It wasn't even actually to have something definitive, it was just to see, "let's see how this runs", if there are any menopausal symptoms that are genuinely affecting a woman's capabilities at work, then lets address them.

'But here's the thing, we remove the word menopause for a second, if someone was struggling at work for anything to do with health issues, that should be addressed.

'As soon as you put menopause in front of it, it becomes women's problems. It's everyone's problem.'

Alongside the post, she wrote: 'Today I taught my sons class Hawaiian and Polynesian dancing. (Its my hidden skillset..I used to be in a Hawaiian troupe 24 years ago!)'

In October 2020 Myleene revealed had suffered four miscarriages before giving birth to her 'rainbow baby' son Apollo , three.

Radio DJ Myleene, who, in addition to son Apollo, is mother to daughters Ava, 14, and Hero, 10, said she told her friends who have also had miscarriages what she had learned in a bid to comfort them.

Myleene spoke out on her miscarriages last year when she fronted a documentary on the matter for W Magazine.

She lifted the lid on her mental health battle following the ordeal, in which she experienced 'grief, trauma, sadness and fear'

Candid: Myleene revealed she suffered four miscarriages before giving birth to her 'rainbow baby', son Apollo

'I lost a lot of me,' she admitted in the heart-wrenching film. 'I couldn't talk about it for a year, I couldn't even say the word.

'It is one word, but it is grief, it is trauma, it is sadness, it is fear. There must be a reason people can't say it,' she questioned.

The reality star has encouraged others to speak about their pregnancy losses, in order to normalise the experience.

On Jeremy Vine, Andrew told Myleene that 'Jeremy is living in the real world', and Myleene argued: 'I am living in the real world!

'I am a working mother and I'm also a woman who brings home - I'm a breadwinner - who has to consider all of these options and the fact that you're going to eradicate the working women at a point when they are so valuable.'

Jeremy added that it might just make women of a certain age less employable.
Relatives mourn victims by coffins in Gaziantep, near the epicentre of the strong quake which has killed more than 11,200 people in Turkey and Syria

Green metal coffins were lined up 10 at a time under a shelter at Gaziantep's main cemetery on Wednesday for an imam to bless victims of Turkey's devastating earthquake before their hurried burial.

While rescuers searched rubble for survivors and aftershocks rattled Gaziantep, Yesilkent Cemetery overflowed with grieving relatives who had come from across the region.

The magnitude 7.8 quake and subsequent aftershocks killed more than 11,200 people and Gaziantep was near the epicentre.

Gaziantep mayor Fatma Sahin has made an appeal for more Muslim preachers to come forward to help with funerals at cemeteries.

Relatives mourn victims as imams bless the deceased

Hundreds of men formed lines in front of the coffins at Yesilkent as the imam spoke into a headset microphone, stopping in front of each victim to give a blessing.

Women formed their own congregation. Some wailed uncontrollably and one woman fainted and was carried away.

- Couple linked in death -

Women from Besni, a district about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Gaziantep, comforted Hatice, who lost her 17-year-old daughter Ruveyda. Her son, Serhat, 21, was still missing under the rubble.

The family lived on the sixth floor of an apartment block. Hatice, who gave only one name, said that when the quake struck she grabbed her eight-year-old daughter.

But the building was flattened by the tremor. Their escape was one miracle.

Ruveyda initially said she "felt fine", the mother told AFP.

Hours later, Ruveyda fell ill and quickly died in hospital from suspected injuries to internal organs.

Gaziantep's main Yesilkent Cemetery overflowed with grieving relatives who had come from across the region to pay tearful last respects

Hatice did not want to see her daughter's body before the funeral. "I cannot see her like that," she said in tears.

Done and Ayas Sundar died in their apartment and were led in coffins next to each other in the line.

"It took many hours to find them and now the family is heartbroken. At least they were together but that is little consolation," said their nephew Emre Cengiz.

"After the shock we all telephoned each other but no one could get through to Done and Ayas.

"Then there was the second quake and word spread that there were many dead. Our hearts knew."

Ayse Colak, 35, also died with her husband and parents-in-law in Nurdagi district 65km east of Gaziantep. Her building completely collapsed.

Her sisters cried and touched the coffin in disbelief.

"There is no Nurdagi anymore, the city is completely destroyed", said one sister, who declined to give a name.

The families slowly moved away. But in the male section of the cemetery mosque, groups stood around 10 more coffins, including those of children, awaiting a blessing.

A man stands by flattened buildings in Gaziantep, with the quake leaving entire districts in ruins

Other bodies were in the women's section. Outside, ambulances arrived at Yesilkent bringing more victims.

The imam would hold midday prayers in the mosque before starting another funeral, officials said as more tearful relatives gathered.

Across the Gaziantep region, international rescue teams joined local emergency services and volunteers in the increasingly desperate search for survivors.

Amid predictions that the death toll from Turkey's worst earthquake in eight decades would mount, Yesilkent was considering extending its operating hours for funeral services, however, officials said.
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
In an announcement posted on the company's website on Tuesday, Zoom disclosed plans to lay off around 1,300 employees, or 15% of its workforce.

CEO Eric Yuan says the company must respond to the "uncertainty of the global economy" while society continues to adjust to life after the pandemic.

Zoom Is Coming Down From Its Pandemic Boom

When people had to work from home due to the pandemic and used video chat software to communicate with coworkers, friends, and family, Zoom saw substantial growth.

"We worked tirelessly and made Zoom better for our customers and users. But we also made mistakes," Yuan said.

Yuan adds that Zoom did not spend as much time as it should have analyzing its teams in-depth or determining whether it was expanding sustainably in the direction of its most important goals.

According to Engadget, Zoom's pandemic-driven development caused its employment to increase too quickly, tripling in size in just two years, the CEO said in a memo to employees.

Yuan stated that in order for Zoom to survive the current economic climate, serve its consumers, and realize its long-term mission, it must take a hard but crucial look within.

CNBC reports that all Zoom organizations would be affected by the downsizing, and employees who are let go will receive up to 16 weeks of pay and health benefits.

The CEO also announced he would forgo his 2023 corporate bonus and lower his own compensation for the upcoming fiscal year by 98%.

"As the CEO and founder of Zoom, I am accountable for these mistakes and the actions we take today- and I want to show accountability not just in words but in my own actions," Yuan wrote in a post.

The early stages of the pandemic were more closely associated with Zoom than with most other businesses since so many people used its platform to video chat with friends and coworkers while under lockdowns.

By the middle of 2020, Zoom claimed soaring income driven by a surge in commercial clients from the numerous organizations that were obliged to use remote workers.

Read More: PayPal to Layoff 2,000 Employees Over the Next Few Weeks

Zoom Follows Other Tech Companies And Their Recent Layoffs

Zoom is not the first epidemic darling to suffer a swift decline as Peloton, for instance, has gone through many rounds of layoffs, CNN Business notes.

A significant portion of Big Tech, which expanded quickly during the pandemic, has since announced layoffs as well.

Several other significant tech firms, including Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Dell, and Spotify, have this year revealed massive layoffs or plans to lay off more employees than they initially anticipated.

With Dell announcing intentions to lay off 6,650 employees on Monday, Zoom's layoff announcement represents the most recent round of job losses in the tech sector.

CNBC reports that Google has also confirmed plans to fire more than 12,000 employees in January.

Microsoft published plans to lay off 10,000 staff members as well, while Salesforce disclosed plans to fire 7,000 staff members.

Additionally, eBay (EBAY) announced late Tuesday that it would eliminate 500 jobs worldwide, or about 4% of its workforce, during the next 24 hours.

Related Article: Amazon Sets For Another Round Of Layoffs Affecting 18,000 Employees
$30 - $47

T. Rex Rises With Lindsay Zanno

How did T. rex become the iconic apex predator of North America 67 million years ago? Paleontologist DR. LINDSAY ZANNO is uncovering the answer. One of the worlds leading experts on the evolution of Cretaceous dinosaurs, she spends several months each year on expedition, scouring the remote badlands of western North America in search of clues.

Along the way, she has discovered many new speciesincluding one of the continents tiniest tyrannosaurs, Moros, which weighed only 170 pounds and stood barely five feet tall, and Siats, one of the largest American megapredators, tipping the scales at over 9,000 pounds.

Dr. Zannos work has helped unravel how a cataclysmic climate crisis  marred by stagnant oceans, volcanic eruptions, and flooding continents  reshaped the dinosaurian world, wiping out top predators on land and in the sea. Join her as she unravels how Cretaceous climate change made room for the evolution of Tyrannosaurus rex  the most famous carnivore of all time.

Dr. Lindsay Zanno is Head of Paleontology at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. She is one of the worlds leading experts on the evolution of theropod dinosaurs  a group that includes the iconic predator T. rex and Velociraptor, as well as living birds. The hunt for new dinosaurs has taken her around the world to places such as China, Mongolia, Thailand, Tanzania, and across the American West.
Skip to main navigation

School Seedling Program

Youth organizations, schools, and homeschool groups: Apply now for a package of free seedlings through the 2023 School Seeding Program. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the program closes on March 31 or seedling stock runs out, whichever comes first.

Planting and caring for tree seedlings can help young people learn about ecosystems and the valuable role trees play. Schools and youth organizations are eligible to receive free trees or shrubs by participating in this educational program. Participants receive seedlings from the Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery along with guidance on how to plant and care for them.

Meeting Next Generation Science Standards

Provide young people with a hands-on way to understand natural systems, observe their environment, and learn key vocabulary. When students plant tree seedlings they can discover the structure and function of trees while building their awareness about conservation.

As the trees mature, they can serve as an ongoing living laboratory for young people to learn from. The experience can help students make informed decisions about the conservation and use of natural resources.

Eligible Organizations

Organizations that may apply include:

All schools located within New York State - public, private, elementary, secondary, vocational, college or university

Any youth education-based organization (including scout groups)

Homeschool groups, co-op, or other homeschool association, but not individual family homeschools

Limit of one application per school, homeschool group, or youth organization.

Planting can be related to a wide variety of scholastic programs - it is not confined to any given subject, purpose, or age level. We encourage planting on-site so students can be responsible for the care and protection of the seedlings.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by March 31st. Please make sure you have permission to plant in your chosen location before applying. You can apply either online or by mail. Limit of one application per school or organization.

How to apply online: Fill out and submit the online application (leaves DEC website)

Fill out and submit the online application (leaves DEC website) How to apply by mail: Print, fill out and submit a paper application (PDF). You may also request a paper application be mailed to you by contacting the nursery at 518-581-1439. Paper applications must be mailed to: DEC Tree Nursery, 2369 Route 50, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Print, fill out and submit a paper application (PDF). You may also request a paper application be mailed to you by contacting the nursery at 518-581-1439.

Species available

If you have questions about what species might be right for your site, contact your Regional DEC Forestry Office. A forester will be available to advise you on the appropriate species of trees to choose and proper planting technique.

White Spruce (Picea glauca): Native, short-needled evergreen. Grows in clay and/or loamy soils and reaches 70 feet at maturity. Can be planted statewide. Fifty seedlings will be given to each participating organization. You will need 1,800 square feet of open space for the 50 seedlings. Each needs a growing space about 6 feet in diameter.

Native, short-needled evergreen. Grows in clay and/or loamy soils and reaches 70 feet at maturity. Can be planted statewide. will be given to each participating organization. You will need 1,800 square feet of open space for the 50 seedlings. Each needs a growing space about 6 feet in diameter. Red oak (Quercus rubra): Native hardwood. Grows best in well-drained soils and prefers full sun. Also grows well in upland sites and reaches 60-80 feet at maturity. Can be planted statewide. Twenty-five seedlings will be given to each participating organization. You will need 2,500 square feet of open space for the 25 seedlings. Each needs a growing space about 10 feet in diameter.

Native hardwood. Grows best in well-drained soils and prefers full sun. Also grows well in upland sites and reaches 60-80 feet at maturity. Can be planted statewide. Twenty-five seedlings will be given to each participating organization. You will need 2,500 square feet of open space for the 25 seedlings. Each needs a growing space about 10 feet in diameter. Mixed Shrub: A mix of wildlife habitat shrubs (most likely silky dogwood, black chokeberry, and ninebark) that are attractive to songbirds as well as a variety of other wildlife. Will grow in clay or loamy soils. Thirty seedlings will be given to each participating organization. Plant varieties of the same kind together, in groups, to promote pollination and fruiting. Can be planted statewide. These should be planted 6 feet apart and require only 900 square feet of open space.

Seedling Shipment

The seedlings are 2 to 3 years old, about 4"-12" tall, and bare-root. They are light enough for young children to carry and plant. Shipment is by FedEx on May 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, or 10th only. Select a shipping date at least 3 days prior to the planting date.

Planting Instructions

Seedlings are perishable. Keep in a cool, shaded place until planting. Do not let the roots dry out.

TOOLS REQUIRED: Shovel and bucket

Place seedlings in a bucket and fill with water until all roots are covered. Remove all vegetation for at least one foot around the planting spot for each seedling to reduce competition with other plants. Dig a hole deep and wide enough to contain the tree's roots. Place the roots of the seedling in the hole and carefully spread them out. The root collar (where roots join the stem) should be at the ground's surface. The seedling should stand straight. Fill the hole with soil and gently compact to remove air pockets that could dry out the roots and kill the seedling. Reposition the seedling as necessary to keep it straight and to prevent the root collar from being buried. Water the seedling slowly and thoroughly after planting to settle the soil. If rainfall is not adequate, water weekly for the first year after planting. Mark the seedlings with a stake or flagging so they won't be cut off by a mower or stepped on. Fertilizer is not recommended at planting time. It can be applied two or three years after planting when the root system has developed.

Resources for Educators

The School Seedling program can easily be paired with a curriculum of your choice, check out some of our recommended curriculums:

Support the School Seedling Program

You can support the School Seedling Program through a donation to the Natural Heritage Trust's Tree Fund by clicking the "Donate to Help Plant Trees" button on the right. Just $20 can support 40 bare-root trees and shrubs that will be given to school programs across the state to teach young people about the natural world.




Hong Sok-chul, a Seoul National University economics professor who also heads a division concerning people's livelihood at National Economic Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul last month. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



Professor says pension premium rate should be raised to OECD average of 18.2%



By Yi Whan-woo



A slowdown in economic growth is feared to result in a drop in personal incomes, and accordingly, can accelerate the depletion of state-run retirement pensions in the face of low birth rates and an aging population, a pension expert warned.



During a recent interview with The Korea Times, Seoul National University economics professor Hong Sok-chul said the serious nature of a foreseeable drain in pension makes the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's pension reform of 2023 more "crucial than ever."



For every five years since 2003, the National Pension Service (NPS), the state-run pension operator, has newly estimated the scale of the fund in the long term and revised related schemes. This year marks the fifth revision.



"The future of Korea's retirement pension system amid rapid demographic change can become more uncertain as the country's economy is growing at a slower pace and individuals are likely to have less money to pay for the pension," said Hong, who also heads a division concerning people's livelihood at the National Economic Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body.



His comments came as Asia's fourth-largest economy is widely forecast to display rare low growth in the 1-percent range this year, while the estimated year of depletion for the NPS fund has been brought forward by two years to 2055.



The fund was worth nearly 920 trillion won ($737.17 billion) as of last year.



And during its revision in January, the NPS announced that the fund is expected to reach its peak at 1,755 trillion won in 2040 and start posting a shortfall in 2041 before it completely runs out in 2055.



The NPS' forecast this year compares with its previous outlook in 2018 when it projected the fund to peak at 1,778 trillion won in 2041, marking a deficit beginning in 2042 and depletion in 2057.



"Under the circumstances, a need for pension reform is becoming more urgent as the years pass and such reform is extremely crucial under the Yoon government," Hong said.



"I reckon the public will positively respond to this year's reform plan as it now matters more to their retirement life," he added.




Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after Prime Minister Narendra Modi replies to the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Lok Sabha during Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: BJP MP in the Lower House Nishikant Dubey has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for "breach of privilege" after he levelled "unverified, incriminatory and defamatory" statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Citing violations of rules, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi also backed Mr Dubey's demand for action against the Congress MP.

Mr Gandhi on Tuesday, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in Lok Sabha, tried to link industrialist Gautam Adani's meteoric rise to become the world's second richest person with Mr Modi's coming to power at the Centre.

Raising the issue, Mr Dubey said Mr Gandhi made "unverified, incriminatory and defamatory" statements against the PM in violation of rules. "These statements are misleading, derogatory, indecent, unparliamentary and incriminatory in nature to the dignity of the House and the Prime Minister being a Member of Lok Sabha," he said.

"Mr Gandhi, despite making a statement in the House that he will provide documentary evidence, has not submitted any duly authenticated document supporting his statements," he said.

The MP said that it is a "violation of privileges of the House" and a "contempt of the House" and urged the Speaker to take immediate action against Mr Gandhi.

Backing Mr Dubeys demand for action against the Congress MP, Mr Joshi on Wednesday demanded that action be taken against Mr Gandhi for certain "objectionable" comments made in the Lok Sabha and that they be expunged from the records. Certain remarks that Mr Gandhi made in the House on Tuesday have already been expunged from the records.

As soon as the House met for the day, Mr Joshi raised the issue, saying that under parliamentary rules, one should serve a notice beforehand if he or she wants to make allegations against anyone.

"The Congress leader made some remarks yesterday. Those were very objectionable and baseless allegations. Those should be expunged and action should be taken against him," he told the Speaker.

The minister said a privilege motion will be moved against Mr Gandhi for his comments. He said a privilege notice has already been served but it was not even authenticated. However, Mr Birla did not take any decisions immediately. He said he would examine the matter and accordingly decide.
Minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao said senior officials will utilise CCTV cameras to monitor the entire collection to distribution chain. (By Arrangement)

VIJAYAWADA: Indias first-of-its-kind Central Command Control Centre to monitor Public Distribution System (PDS) in the country from procurement of grains to their distribution to households has started functioning from Wednesday in the city of Vijayawada in AP .

Inaugurating the centre located within the Civil Supplies Building at Kanuru, civil supplies minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao disclosed that the strong fool-proof surveillance system in all 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh will monitor collection of crops from farmers, their movement to MLS godowns and rice mills, and delivery of grains to beneficiaries' homes, anganwadi centres or schools.

The minister said senior officials will utilise CCTV cameras to monitor the entire collection to distribution chain. This will alert officers concerned about points of loopholes, so that appropriate corrective action could be taken to prevent any irregularities.

Nageswara Rao asked farmers not to worry about their crops, as government will purchase every grain produced by them. He pointed out that government is also promoting cultivation of millets. A system to procure millets will also be put in place soon.

The minister pointed out that distribution of wheat flour through PDS has started in north Andhra as a pilot project. It will soon spread all over the state. He refuted propaganda about poor quality dal being supplied through the PDS. He underlined that officials themselves have cooked the dal to check its quality and have found no quality defects.

Civil Supplies commissioner H. Arun Kumar, Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Corporation managing director G. Veerapandian and Civil Supplies director M. Vijaya Sunitha were among those present.
TSRTC workers asserted that the allocations are woefully inadequate given that the management owes the staff and retired employees several crores in salaries and pensions. (DC file photo)

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) received Rs 1,500 crore in the State Budget, which was presented by finance minister T. Harish Rao in the Assembly on Monday, sparking worries that the transportation utility corporation, which is already heavily indebted, will continue to accumulate debt.

The employees said that of the Rs 1,500 crore, Rs 850 crore was earmarked for bus pass reimbursement extended to various categories of citizens. They asserted that the allocations are woefully inadequate given that the management owes the staff and retired employees several crores in salaries and pensions.

The employees representatives alleged that despite their plea for budgetary allocations of Rs 5,000 crore, the state government only set aside Rs 1,500 crore, despite the fact that it had debts of Rs 2,500 crore. They asserted that the meagre budgetary allocation given to the transportation corporate utility has imperilled the lives of 47,000 TSRTC employees and their families and that the management of TSRTC owed employees crores of rupees in unpaid salaries and pensions.

Former RTC board director M. Nageswara Rao stated that it is unfair that the HMRL, which ferries about 3 lakh passengers daily in their Metro Rail services, were granted Rs 2,500 crore while the public utility service TSRTC, which transports over 32 lakh people daily, received only Rs 1,500 crore Budgetary allocations.

"The state government utilised Rs 950 crore from our cooperative credit society, Rs 900 crore from provident funds and Rs 300 crore from SBT (Staff Benevolent and Thrift fund) and SRBS (Staff Retirement Benefit Scheme). When will the management pay back the employees? Two PRCs are still pending. We asked for an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore, but even in this Budget, the government disregarded our requests," said Maramreddy Thomas Reddy, RTC Telangana Mazdoor Union's general secretary.
APCC president Gidugu Rudraraju said injustice has been done to Andhra Pradesh. He expressed concern that there was no mention of any funds for the backward areas of North Andhra and Rayalaseema. DC File Image

Vijayawada: The Opposition parties have expressed dissatisfaction over the "poor" allocations to AP in the 2023 Union Budget. Leaders of these parties termed the BJP-led Union Governments budget as a budget of the "wealthy and elite classes" and that it "neglected" social welfare and development of several segments of the society.

Responding to the budget proposals, APCC president Gidugu Rudraraju said injustice has been done to Andhra Pradesh. He expressed concern that there was no mention of any funds for the backward areas of North Andhra and Rayalaseema.

Even for the Polavaram project, the central government avoided allocating funds. The budget did not give "due attention" to Amaravati and it has also not allocated funds for the constructions, he said.

CPM state secretary Srinivas Rao said that the Centre allocated less funds for AP in the budget. "There is no mention of any funds to the Visakha Railway zone, the Kadapa steel factory etc. There is also no allocation of funds for the development of backward areas like Uttarandhra, Rayalaseema and Prakasam district.

It was unjust that 15 per cent less funds were allocated for the tribal universities in AP and TS, compared to the previous year.

CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna termed the Union Budget "pro-wealthy" and felt it was of no use to a majority of the people. He said that the BJP government once again deceived AP by rejecting it the right of Special Category Status and ignored the 2014 Bifurcation assurances.
In a letter addressed to Vikas Raj, Chief Electoral Officer, G. Niranjan, PCC senior vice-president who handles Election Commission rules and regulations for the party, pointed out that there were lapses in the final voter list. (Representational Image/DC)

Hyderabad: The Congress urged the Election Commission to convene a meeting of political parties to discuss the anomalies with regard to deletion of photo similar entries (PSEs) and officials quietly linking Aadhaar cards with voter ID cards though it is not mandatory.

In a letter addressed to Vikas Raj, Chief Electoral Officer, G. Niranjan, PCC senior vice-president who handles Election Commission rules and regulations for the party, pointed out that there were lapses in the final voter list.

"Despite the EC undertaking the process of deletion of PSEs in January, we have found that they exist in the final voters list. We would like to know the reason for this lapse," he said.

Niranjan urged the CEO to explain the process being adopted for similar entries, as the EC had taken up deletion of PSEs across all Assembly constituencies.

On the issue of linking the Voter ID card with the Aadhaar card, Niranjan said, "The EC in August informed us that the submission of Aadhaar number in all the registration forms including Form-6 is voluntary. But the district election authorities are linking Aadhaar card with the voter ID card without seeking the consent of the voters concerned and without obtaining form 6B."

"They are doing this by manipulating the Aadhaar data available with them. We request your good-self to direct all the district election authorities to submit the form 6B details to CEO and political parties," Niranjan said.
The government could not justify the numbers it has mentioned in the budget as they were hypothetical, Senior BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy. (File Photo:DC)

Hyderabad: Senior BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy on Wednesday described the state budget as a weird one as it was impractical and hypothetical.

"The government could not justify the numbers it has mentioned in the budget as they were hypothetical," he said.

He said that the government wants to run the state with the help of loans from the open market and through non-tax revenues. He said that the total loans taken by the government, directly or through corporations, were to the tune of Rs 4.86 lakh crore. He said that it has allocated Rs 35,013 crore for payment of interests in the financial year and reminded that payment of interest and principal amounts of the loans from corporations has to be added to this figure.

He said that if the interests and principal payments and general expenditure in the form of salaries and others are added they would be about 60 per cent of the budget and only 40 per cent would reach the people.

He said that the Centre should take steps to make Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao cough out the commissions he has taken through construction of projects. This would take care of payment of interests and the principal amounts.

He said that the governments own revenue through taxes has been projected at Rs 1.31 lakh crore in the budget for FY 2023-24 whereas it has projected the expenditure at Rs 2.90 lakh crore. One wonders how the government will fill the gap of Rs 1.59 lakh crore. "It is clear that the government depended on unrealistic Central grants, loans, excise revenue, revenue through stamps and registrations and sale of government lands to bridge the gap. This is nothing but indicative of bankruptcy," he said.

Narayana Reddy said that though the government has presented a budget of Rs 2.56 lakh crore for the financial year 2022-23, the expenditure may not cross Rs 2.37 lakh crore. The expenditure may fall short by 19,000 crore, he said.
Containers for exports and imports are stacked at a port in Incheon. Newsis



Korea's current account swung back to the black in December from the previous month, but the amount was quite smaller than a year before as exports dwindled amid growing global recession woes, central bank data showed Wednesday.



The country's current account surplus came to $2.68 billion in December, compared with a shortfall of $220 million a month earlier, according to the preliminary data by the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade.



The December figure still represented a marked decline from a surplus of $6.37 billion tallied in the same month a year earlier.



For the whole of 2022, the surplus reached $29.83 billion, which was sharply smaller than an annual surplus of $85.23 billion a year earlier. The amount beat the BOK's surplus forecast of $25 billion.



The on-year decline in the surplus stemmed from weak exports and a deteriorating services account balance caused by falling revenue from the transport sector and rising overseas travel costs amid eased coronavirus curbs.



Exports in December fell 10.4 percent from a year earlier, though annual overseas shipments grew 6.3 percent from a year earlier.



The decline appears to have been affected by restricted access of South Korean products to China, one of their largest markets, due to Beijing's strict coronavirus curbs and major countries' aggressive monetary tightening that raised worries over a global recession.



On a customs-cleared basis, exports of semiconductors tumbled 27.8 percent on-year in December. Those of steel and oil products fell 20.5 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively.



By country, exports to China and Southeast Asian markets shrank 27.1 percent and 23.7 percent on-year, respectively, in December.



Imports declined 2.7 percent on-year in December, with their annual figure jumping 17.7 percent from 2021 amid high energy prices, the data showed.



The goods balance, measuring inbound and outbound shipments, logged a shortfall of $480 million in December, compared with a surplus of $4.43 billion a year before.



In 2022, the goods balance surplus came to $15.06 billion, sharply smaller than the previous year's surplus of $75.73 billion.



The service account, which includes outlays by Koreans on overseas trips, posted a deficit of $1.39 billion in December, compared with a deficit of $760 million a year earlier. For 2022, the deficit also widened to $5.55 billion from the 2021 deficit of $5.29 billion.



The primary income account, which tracks wages of foreign workers and dividend payments overseas, saw its surplus grow to $4.79 billion in December from the previous year's $3.49 billion.



For all of 2022, the surplus came to $22.88 billion, compared with a surplus of $19.44 billion in 2021. The rise is attributed in part to expanded income from investments, including dividend payments. (Yonhap)


Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha (Twitter/@RaoKavitha)

Hyderabad: The inclusion of BRS MLC and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Raos daughter K. Kavithas name in the latest chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi liquor scam sparked lively Twitter exchanges between Kavitha and the opposition party leaders.

Kavitha, responding to tweets on her alleged involvement in the scam from

BJP leader and former MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy as well as Congress MP and in-charge of partys affairs in Telangana Manickam Tagore, maintained

her innocence saying the accusations of her role in the scam were "false and

bogus".

Tagore's tweet, tagging Kavitha said, "lot explanations @RaoKavitha garu"

was met with her saying, "The accusations on me are completely bogus and

false. Only time will prove my sincerity. Its a political vendetta of BJP,

as they fear BRS Party Chief CM KCR jis expose on their anti-farmer &

pro-capitalist policies."

Her Twitter exchange with Rajgopal Reddy went a little longer, with the BJP

leader and former Munugode MLA tagging her with a newspaper clip and saying,

"Liquor Queens name was mentioned 28 times in the chargesheet."

Kavitha was quick to respond. "Rajgopal anna (big brother), dont be in a

hurry and say incorrect things. Whether it is 28 times my name is included

or 28,000 times my name is included, a falsehood will not become the truth,"

she tweeted back. Kavitha signed off saying "#TruthWillPrevail."

Rajgopal Reddy, who was at the receiving end for a long time in the run-up

to the Munugode bypoll, which he lost to the BRS, responded saying, "Truth

is like a fire chellamma (little sister). Your involvement in the liquor

scam is the truth. It is certain you will go to prison. Neither your

brother, nor your father can save you."

He went on to say that because minister K.T. Rama Rao and other BRS leaders spread falsehood about the Rs 18,000 coal mining contract won by a firm owned by his family, and attacked "my character to defeat me, your entire family will end up in prison."
US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., listen. (Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Washington: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) highlighted the "serious challenges" America faces "across the world" and warned China that Washington "will act to protect sovereignty if threatened" by Beijing.

Biden while delivering his first major speech to a divided Congress after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, said, "If China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. Let's be clear, winning the competition with China should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world. In the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker."

The US President said that when he took over the charge of office, the story was about how China was increasing its power and America was falling in the world.

"Not anymore. I've made clear with President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict," said Biden in his second State of the Union address at the US Capitol.

He said that the US is in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world.

"I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, and that China's government is intent on dominating. Investing in our alliances and working with our allies to protect our advanced technologies so they're not used against us.

Modernizing our military to safeguard stability and deter aggression," said Biden.

Biden further stated that he is committed to working with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world.

The US President also reiterated that "winning the competition with China should unite all of us," referring to Republicans working with him, decrying "fighting for the sake of fighting" in Washington.

"Republican friends, we could work together," he said.

"We're often told that Democrats or Republicans can't work together. But over the past two years, we proved the cynics and naysayers wrong," he said, pointing to several laws passed with bipartisan support.

Notably, the relations between US and China deteriorated after a Chinese spy balloon was spotted over American airspace.

China has rejected Washington's request for a telephone call between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Beijing counterpart Wei Fenghe, The New York Times reported citing Pentagon. The request was made on Saturday soon after a US fighter aircraft shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

The Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Patrick S Ryder in an emailed statement said that Washington believes in the importance of maintaining communication between the US and China. He said that China has "declined" US' request to arrange call between Lloyd Austin and Wei Fenghe.

Moreover, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to Beijing that was due to take place last weekend after the balloon was spotted in the American skies. The Chinese balloon was first spotted over Montana, then it traversed the country before it was shot down by US fighter aircraft.
A fundraiser has been launched to repatriate the body of County Derry man Christopher Quinn after he tragically died in a car accident in Australia.

Christopher Quinn, who was originally from Bellaghy but had been travelling around the world for the last 14 years died on Sunday 5 December.

Contributions to the campaign will go to Kevin Ball Repatriation Trust, which is helping to alleviate the financial hardship faced by the bereaved family.

The GoFundMe campaign can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/christopher-quinn

Earlier in the week, Christopher's family said they were devastated by his passing.

He was a character, a free spirit and would give the shirt off his back for anyone, they said.

Christopher just turned 37 two weeks ago and had left Ireland for Australia 14 years ago like most young ones these days, for a life of sunshine and adventure.

Although it was hard to keep a track of him at times as he was forever travelling; New Zealand where he also lived for a few years, USA, Thailand, Japan etc."

Christopher is survived by his mum Rosie, his sister Lisa, his four brothers Jodie, Shea, Cahir and Declan and a large Quinn and Doherty family circle.
A Supreme Court judgment affirming the lawfulness of the Northern Ireland Protocol highlights why solutions to the contentious trading arrangements must be found by Government, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

The UKs highest court dismissed a challenge from a group of unionists and Brexiteers who claimed the protocol breached the Acts of Union and the Northern Ireland Act.

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill welcomed the court judgment and said there was no alternative to the protocol and that it needed to be made to work better for everyone.

The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU in 2019 to ensure free movement of trade across the Irish land border after Brexit.

However, the arrangement is opposed by unionists, and the DUP last year collapsed the Stormont Assembly in protest over its terms.

Sir Jeffrey was at the Supreme Court on Wednesday to hear Lord Stephens rule that the challenge was unanimously dismissed on all grounds.

Speaking afterwards, he said: A solution to the protocol was never going to be found in the courts, but the cases have served to highlight some of the reasons why unionists have uniformly rejected the protocol.

The Government must consider this judgment, their own arguments to the court and take the steps necessary to replace the protocol with arrangements that unionists can support.

The protocol represents an existential threat to the future of Northern Irelands place within the Union.

The longer the protocol remains, the more it will harm the Union itself.

He added: The checks on the Irish Sea border are the symptom of the underlying problem: namely, that Northern Ireland is subject to a different set of laws imposed upon us by a foreign entity without any say or vote by any elected representative of the people of Northern Ireland.

Political progress in Northern Ireland was hard won and is built on the support of unionists and nationalists.

I welcome the Supreme Court ruling which rejects arguments that the Protocol is incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement The Protocol is lawful, but also necessary to limit the damage done by Brexit No credible alternative exists, we need to make it work better for everyone https://t.co/aWVdXFTGvT  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) February 8, 2023

There will be no solid basis for an executive and assembly until the protocol is replaced with arrangements that restore NIs place in the UK internal market and our constitutional arrangements are respected.

Ms ONeill tweeted: I welcome the Supreme Court ruling which rejects arguments that the protocol is incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement.

The protocol is lawful, but also necessary to limit the damage done by Brexit.

No credible alternative exists, we need to make it work better for everyone.

Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the judgment should focus minds on the need to find pragmatic solutions to issues with the protocol.

He said: The only viable way forward lies with the current UK/EU negotiations.

Any outcome will be based on pragmatic solutions, and it is time that all Northern Ireland parties place themselves in that headspace.

A pragmatic deal on the protocol and restoration of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are essential to allowing Northern Ireland to work.

Ulster Unionist MLA Steve Aiken said the judgment demonstrated why unionist concerns about the protocol could not be shrugged off.

He said: While this is no longer a matter for the courts, the judgment demonstrates that the concerns of unionism about the protocol and the damage it stands to do to Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom are legitimate.

That the Supreme Court recognises that the protocol suspends a part of the Act of Union should be a matter of considerable concern for all those who believe in our Union.

SDLP Stormont leader Matthew OToole said the Supreme Court judgment provided important clarity on the lawful status of the protocol.

He said: Following this judgment, it is now critical that the EU and UK negotiating teams reach a comprehensive resolution that protects our unique access to the single market for goods while addressing the concerns around protocol implementation that have given rise to sincere objections related to trade barriers and identity issues in the unionist community.

The people of Northern Ireland deserve government.

But TUV leader Jim Allister, one of those who brought the legal challenge, said the Supreme Court verdict did not affect the political unacceptability of the protocol.

He said: The essence of our legal challenge was to the lawfulness of the protocol.

The fact the Supreme Court is satisfied it was lawfully made does not in the least affect its political unacceptability, nor its dire constitutional consequences.

Indeed, findings of the Supreme Court greatly strengthen our case against the protocol.
Decisions made by Stormont civil servants to keep public services running have been published by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

The newly published bulletin shows that in December decisions were taken around making a formal pay offer to the civil service, the extension of a free travel scheme for Ukrainian refugees and over the release of a prisoner who was nearing death.

The Stormont powersharing institutions collapsed last year when the DUP withdrew support as part of its protest against the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.

Civil servants were left in control of government departments after ministers left office at the end of October when a deadline to restore the executive passed.

In December, Mr Heaton-Harris published guidance about the exercise of departmental functions by civil servants during the absence of ministers.

In a letter to Northern Ireland MPs, the Northern Ireland Secretary said he was publishing a monthly report of decisions taken by civil servants in the public interest.

The letter, seen by the PA news agency said: These reports provide transparency about the decisions being taken by civil servants and are important from an accountability perspective.

I sincerely hope that we will soon see a functioning Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly in place, taking decisions on the issues that matter most to the people of Northern Ireland.

The first published bulletin details decisions taken by senior Stormont civil servants during December.

The bulletin said a decision was taken on December 7 to determine public sector pay policy for 2022/23.

It said this would allow for pay awards to be progressed and effective management of the budgetary implications by departments.

It said that the decision required departments to ensure that awards are affordable in the context of each departments 2022/23 budget settlement.

The bulletin also said a decision was taken to make a formal pay offer to the civil service.

It said: This offer is now a matter of public record.

The pay offer has been issued to unions and is under consideration.

In the Department of Infrastructure, the bulletin said a decision was taken to extend the onward free travel scheme for Ukrainian refugees for six months until the end of June.

It stated: The travel scheme provides free onward travel for Ukrainian refugees on Translink bus and rail services, including cross-border services, from their port of arrival in Ireland to their final destination in NI.

The bulletin said that in the Department of Justice a decision was made to release a prisoner on compassionate grounds as he was nearing death and required a level of intensive case that could not be delivered in a prison environment.
Former Belfast representative Jolene Bunting has been disqualified from holding the office of councillor for three years.

Northern Irelands local government watchdog made the ruling after finding Ms Bunting had breached the local government code of conduct.

Ms Bunting was elected to Belfast City Council from 2014 to 2019, initially for the TUV and later as an independent unionist, and became involved in Britain First.

The complaint to the Local Government Commissioner for Standards was made against her by Britain First leader Paul Golding.

Assistant commissioner Ian Gordon found that Ms Bunting had wrongly claimed she had been fined by Belfast City Council for a stunt involving the then deputy leader of Britain First Jayda Fransen being filmed in ceremonial robes and sitting in the Lord Mayors chair.

Mr Gordon also found that Ms Bunting had altered her council payslip to make it appear as though a deduction of more than 500 was for the fictional fine, when in fact it related to deductions for her use of a council mobile phone.

Mr Golding had agreed to pay the fine which Ms Bunting said she received, and made two payments on separate dates amounting to 115 before realising that there was no fine.

After hearing all the evidence, Mr Gordon was satisfied that the payslip sent by Ms Bunting as proof of her alleged fine had been amended by her so that the words members phone repayment next to the amount of 545.38p could not be seen.

He found that her actions had breached the local government code of conduct and that her conduct had brought her and her position as councillor into disrepute.

He ruled that a disqualification for a period of three years was a necessary and proportionate sanction.

Ms Bunting is entitled to make an appeal against the ruling to the High Court.
Xiaomi 13 Pro launch in India is set for February 26, 2023, at 9:30 PM. Its been a couple of months since it debuted in the Chinese market. Its likely that Xiaomi would bring the same phone to our market. If thats the case, the 13 Pro is going to be a flagship-grade phone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, 120Hz AMOLED display, 120W charging, and 50MP triple rear camera setup co-engineered with Leica. The phone is stuffed with more such features and so, lets just learn about the highlight Xiaomi 13 Pro specifications that make it a flagship-grade smartphone.

13 Xiaomi 13 Pro specs and features

1. Xiaomi 13 Pro has got IP68 certification for dust and water resistance. It claims to be water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 10 minutes.

2. Xiaomi 13 Pro has got a Ceramic back variant thats unique from most glass backs in this turf.

3. Coming to the front, the Xiaomi 13 Pro boasts 1900 nits of peak brightness which should be plenty legible in all settings.

4. The Xiaomi 13 Pro display is 6.73 inches long, LTPO in nature, and offers 1440 x 3200-pixel resolution, 1B colours, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.

5. It comes with Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the front, which should endow some durability.

6. You get an under-display fingerprint reader and unlocking with it or the face unlock mechanism, you would be welcomed by Android 13-based MIUI 14 software.



7. This is slapped on top of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

8. Xiaomi has also given UFS 4.0 storage (in the higher-end models) and LPDDR5x RAM. You should be getting multiple memory configurations too. The Chinese variant has up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.

9. The camera department is where the unique value proposition is present. Yes, we are talking about the Leica-branded camera setup. There is a 50.3MP primary camera, 50MP 3.2x optical zoom lens, and a 50MP ultrawide shooter. The front camera is a 32MP snapper.

10. Xiaomi has engineered stereo speakers on the 13 Pro.

11. The repertoire also consists of the latest connectivity solutions like WiFi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3, L5 GPS, and NFC.

12. A staple ingredient of almost every Xiaomi phone is an infrared sensor. It can be used to control other smart devices around you.

13. Finally, whats powering all of this is a 4820mAh battery, which is a few milliamps shy of 5000. There is support for 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging on the phone.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro global launch event will be live-streamed on the companys YouTube and other channels at 9:30 PM (GMT+30) on February 26. We will know for sure if the Indian variant is the same as its Chinese counterpart then.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Airtel and Reliance Jio are the two biggest telecom providers in India and are presently offering 4G services in most parts of India. The companies are also soon rolling out 5G services in various states across India.

The majority of the user base of both these telecom companies are prepaid users who prefer plans under 200. As tariff hikes are expected pretty soon, these plans might be discontinued in the coming future.

We will compare the 199 recharge plans that are being offered by Jio and Airtel to find out which plan is better.

Airtel Plan: Rs 199 Prepaid Recharge Plan

Airtel offers a 199 plan to its prepaid users. Under this, the users get 3GB of total data. Along with the 3GB data, users are also offered unlimited voice calling and a total of 300 SMS.

The plan is valid for 30 days and comes with additional benefits such as Hellotunes and Wynk music.

Jio Plan: Rs 199 Prepaid Recharge Plan

Jio similarly also offers a 199 plan. However, it offers 1.5GB of daily data to its users. Along with this, unlimited voice calling is also available with this plan and 100 SMS per day. Hence, the total data offered under this plan is 34.5GB.

Additional offers included with this plan are access to JioTV, JioCinema, JioSecurity and JioCloud.

This plan is valid for 23 days. Once the users consume FUP data, the speed will drop to 64 Kbps.

So, which company offers a better plan?

If you want a lot of data, Airtel might not be the best plan for you. However, if data is not a preference and the user requires to make a lot of calls then Airtel might seem like a better option.

For budget users, Airtel seems like a better option as it has a longer validity. Airtel offers a validity of 30 days while Jio just offers a 23-day validity when purchasing the 199 plan.

Hence, if we're looking for longer validity then Airtel is the option to go with and if data is the priority, you can go with Jio.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Iran urges global pressure on U.S. to remove sanctions on quake-stricken Syria

Xinhua) 10:17, February 08, 2023

TEHRAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman called on different countries to pressure the United States into lifting the sanctions on Syria and the siege of the country to enable the delivery of international aid to the quake-hit Syrian regions.

Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday, parts of which were released on Tuesday.

Expressing sympathy to the Turkish and Syrian governments and peoples, Kanaani noted that the related Iranian authorities have voiced readiness for sending rescue and medical aid to the two countries.

For more than the past nine years, Syria has been grappling with conflict and is under special circumstances at present, said the spokesman, urging other countries to force the United States into lifting the siege of the Arab state so that international humanitarian aid can be delivered to the quake-stricken people without any obstacle and at the shortest time.

The United States has imposed economic sanctions against Syria, which also make it a herculean task to send essential goods and international humanitarian aid to the country.

Around 5,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured as of Tuesday noon after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Central United Defense Council meeting at Yeongbingwan guesthouse in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Yoon Suk Yeol criticized the previous Moon Jae-in administration for relying on a "fake peace" with North Korea and weakening the country's preparedness to defend itself against various threats from the North.



During a Central United Defense Council meeting, Wednesday, Yoon cast dispersions that the previous administration had downsized the key national security meeting and that this weakened the country's readiness for a potential conflict with North Korea.



"During the previous administration, this meeting was scaled down, and combined exercises involving the military, police, the government and the public were not carried out effectively, due to the previous administration's reliance on fake peace," Yoon said. "Thus the country's overall capabilities to carry out an all-out war to defend itself have been weakened."



The Central United Defense Council meeting is held between high-ranking officials in the government, the military, police and private experts. The meeting is used to gauge the country's overall defense posture and explore ways to further develop that stance. Launched in 1968 to seek a proper response to North Korea's provocations, the meeting has been presided over by the president or the prime minister.



Since 2017, when Moon took office, it was the prime minister who would preside over the meeting. Then the meeting was carried out digitally via videoconferences or by written reports in the last three years.



The presidential office said Yoon decided to preside over the meeting so as to acknowledge the grave national security circumstances that the country is facing in the wake of the growing risk of drone incursions, terrorism and cyber-attacks, as well as North Korea's recent hostile behavior, declaring its right to preemptively attack South Korea with nuclear weapons.



"The security circumstance of the Korean Peninsula and surrounding region is grave," Yoon said. "Risks are growing over North Korea's strategic provocation such as intercontinental ballistic missile launch and its seventh nuclear weapon test  The fast-changing circumstances require us to be ready to cope with every possible threat."



Yoon noted that he will preside over the meeting every year in order to prevent any glitches in the country's defense posture.



During the meeting, participants discussed measures to improve Seoul's response to North Korea's nuclear, missile and other large-scale provocations and the growing risks of terrorism and cyberattacks.





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a dinner to celebrate the regime's 75th anniversary of Army's foundation day, Tuesday, in this photo carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, Wednesday. The North's Military Foundation Day falls on Wednesday and the North is anticipated to hold a large-scale parade of its armed forces. Yonhap
The Attorney Generals report on the states legal strategy towards legacy nursing home charges and disability payments has been criticised as blinkered.

On Tuesday, the Cabinet received a report from Attorney General (AG) Rossa Fanning, which found that the states approach to settling cases outside of court legally sound, accurate and appropriate.

Commenting on criticism of a state legal strategy to settle cases taken by medical card holders who had paid for care in private nursing homes before 2005, rather than risk an adverse outcome in court, Mr Fanning said this is precisely how our legal system works.

He said that the state had acted prudently to settle a small number of claims involving care in private nursing homes rather than risking an adverse outcome in a test case, which could have provoked many more historic cases, all for the account of the taxpayer.

There has been criticism from the opposition of the Attorney Generals report, with Labour leader Ivana Bacik saying the analysis failed to take into account of the states ethical duty, and People Before Profit TD Brid Smith calling the report quite political.

Aontu TD Peadar Toibin said that the government has a duty of care to its most vulnerable citizens and should not do citizens out of their entitlements.

During Leaders Questions, co-leader of the Social Democrats Catherine Murphy said the Attorney Generals report was incredibly blinkered, and said that cost containment is repeatedly conflated with public interest.

In summary, keeping costs down is good, screwing over vulnerable citizens is legally sound, she told the Dail.

She also criticised the Attorney Generals analysis of the states liability in relation to disability payments that had not been paid to people in residential care prior to 2007.

Despite the Taoiseach indicating last week that the state did not have a leg to stand on in relation to legacy disability payments, Mr Fanning concluded that the state had no legal obligation to provide redress, and any claims that might now be brought are very historic indeed, if they are not all statute barred.

Ms Murphy said: Even in the case of the state effectively illegally stealing disability payments from the most vulnerable citizens, the AG tells us there is no positive legal obligation to repay those funds.

I have been thinking about that line since since I read it in the report  no positive legal obligation  and have to say, I find that really extraordinary.

This is a bold admission that the state had no valid legal authority to withdraw the meagre disability payments from extremely vulnerable citizens who are in residential care  and no strict legal duty to repay that money, so effectively it didnt bother.

Comparing the case to the tracker mortgage scandal, Ms Murphy asked whether the state would prefer if banks took the same scorched earth approach that had been adopted in these instances.

She argued that the many Irish people do not have the capacity to sue the state to enforce their rights and entitlements, and added that we expect the state to own up to its wrongs and to undo those wrongs.

In this case, we have a state behaving with less of a moral compass than the banks, she said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar raised the AGs report analysis that highlighted the need to balance the cost of redress with providing for its citizens in the future, as well as the right to a confidential strategy when taking legal cases.

Mr Varadkar also raised a point made by the AG that the state is not a normal litigant.

Ive heard people describe the state as being callous or operating like a company in the way it defends cases  that isnt the case, the Taoiseach told the Dail.

All the time, the government takes a decision to do things that its not legally required to do so.

He also points out, which I think is important, is that in settling a case, it is essentially a compromise.

Settling a case doesnt mean that youre accepting that youre in the wrong.

It is done by agreement on both sides, cases cant be settled unless both sides agree to the settlement. Nobody can be forced into a settlement, theyre always free to have their cases tested in court and these cases may yet be tested in court.

Mr Varadkar added that the partially leaked draft memo from 2009 on the states legal approach to legacy disability payments didnt cover all of the facts.

One thing we know now, just since (the leaked memo was published), is there actually were three periods involved  a period between 83 and 96 when the law was one thing; a period between 96 and 99, when the law was another thing, and a period between 1999 and 2007 when the law was different again, he said.

And that just gives you an example of how much more complexity there is to this, and how much more truth there is to this, than what has been presented in certain places in recent times.

Following Leaders Questions, when asked by Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald whether he would make himself available to the Dail to address questions about his involvement, Mr Varadkar said he is available to the house twice a week.

Im happy to answer any questions that the deputy has on those matters to the best of my ability, and where decisions I made were correct Ill explain why, and if they were wrong, Ill say they were wrong, he said.

The Minister for Health and Minister for Social Protection are also examining the issue  including looking at documents from the 1970s and 1980s  and are to produce a report within three months, the Taoiseach said.

The Dail is due to hear statements on the issue on Thursday afternoon.
Kim Ju-ae, center, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, front right, and Ri Sol-ju, front left, smile at a banquet celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of the country's armed forces, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday. Yonhap



Kim Ju-ae seen visiting troops with parents to mark 75th anniversary of founding of its military



By Jung Min-ho



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter made a public appearance again, Tuesday, this time with top military brass posing respectfully behind her at a banquet held the day before the 75th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces.



North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday that Ju-ae visited the barracks of its generals the previous day with her father and mother, Ri Sol-ju. In photos and videos released, the daughter walks beside Kim Jong-un  holding his hand occasionally  as he praises the officers for keeping the military strong.



Kim Ju-ae was described as Kim Jong-un's "respected" daughter  the title of honor given to no other than North Korea's supreme leaders  by state media. Ri was seen watching the father and daughter walk together from the side as if she was giving them the spotlight.





Kim Yo-jong (marked in red), sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, gives a standing ovation as the leader and his daughter, Ju-ae, walk into the venue to celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of the country's armed forces, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday. Yonhap



All this should leave little doubt over who is the next in the line of succession, according to Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst on North Korea at the Sejong Institute, a local think tank.



"In a country where every photo and message in the media is choreographed and inspected, the images showing Kim Ju-ae in the middle apparently signal that she is not just one of his children," Cheong told The Korea Times. "The title referring to her has also changed from 'beloved' to 'precious' and 'most beloved' to now 'respected' daughter. Descriptions such as 'precious' and 'respected' are never used to refer to other officials."



In fact, a few days following the 2011 death of Kim Jong-il, the father of the current leader, Pyongyang's state media started using the title of "respected" to describe Kim Jong-un, who took power soon afterward.



The Kim family's visit to the banquet comes amid indications that North Korea is preparing to stage a massive military parade in the capital. Commercial satellite images suggest that it will involve huge numbers of troops and civilians and possibly new weapons.



"For the strengthening and development of our armed forces, let us all double our efforts and do more for the prosperous development of the socialist motherland," Kim Jong-un said in a speech during the banquet.





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, and his daughter, Ju-ae, walk together on a red carpet at a celebration of the 75th founding anniversary of the country's armed forces, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, as his wife Ri Sol-ju watches them from the side. Yonhap
A number of residents and management at the Halliday Mills apartment complex on Quay street have said that work has been ongoing to deal with issues in the building and that a lot of good community building work has begun in an effort to foster a community spirit.

Residents and management invited local media to the complex to showcase and discuss some of the measures.

The Democrat spoke with Inga Perkone Co Chair of the newly reformed residents committee, Geraldine Martin who lives in one of the apartments and two other residents who live in the building.

Inga is originally from Latvia moved to Ireland 16 years ago and lives with her three children and Geraldine is an artist and graphic designer.

The residents expressed concerns that the Halliday Mills was getting a bad name after well publicised issues of anti-social behaviour and wanted to stress that a lot of good work was being done to tackle the issues and create a community spirit.

Inga acknowledged that:

There were issues in the beginning with antisocial [behaviour], but there was never a late response or no response and any other issues, there havent been that many, have been resolved in a very short time.

One resident who wished to remain anonymous felt that:

Everything thats been written in the papers is very, very negative and that the problem is Dundalk [can be an] awful town for a rumour mill and if anything happens at all, word spreads.

Another resident who also wanted to remain anonymous said:

If you were to put 85 apartments into a housing estate, you wouldnt hear half the stuff thats going on.

Its because we all live in close proximity. Everybody is just listening out for whats going on.

In recent months, residents have set up book clubs, walking clubs and organised Halloween and Christmas events.

In a bid to deal with anti-social behaviour issues, residents have held a meeting with community gardai in October where they agreed to set up a neighbourhood watch scheme within the complex.

Other preventative measures undertaken by management included the installation of lift cameras and a fob system to curb vandalism in the bins store, which had previously been an issue.

Eoin Carroll, Policy and Communications manager with Co-Operative Housing Ireland, who run the building, and Lar Roddy Housing Officer for the complex stated that steps, both preventative and reactive, were ongoing to deal with issues.

Mr Carroll said:

CHI have said before, we dont have control over nominations, thats provided by Louth County Council, and thats the same nationally.

We do go through a process of interviewing everybody that comes into the homes and we do communicate with the gardai in terms of vetting.

Mr Roddy added:

We have a very good relationship with the community gardai in Dundalk and thats being fostered and maintained.

Before we moved in here, we would have built up that relationship.

The council have been very good at putting in tenancy sustainment workers from the Dundalk Simon Community, providing supports to anyone who does need that additional support.

Both emphasised that there was a process that had to be allowed to take place to deal with persistent issues of antisocial behaviour and begin eviction proceedings if needed.

Organisationally it is very sad because there perhaps has been a tone or a message that CHI isnt responding to antisocial behaviour, said Mr Carroll.

From the feedback I get from Lar and the housing team, were very proactive.

"Theres obviously the due process that has to take place and also we also need to be mindful of the implications of our decisions because youre making somebody homeless as well.

So it is really important to follow through with the due process of the RTB (Residential Tenancies Board).

Mr Roddy added:

I think from a members perspective the members have become more aware of the RTB process and that we cant just [on the back of one instance of ] antisocial behaviour kick someone out or move someone on back to Louth county council.

So I think the members became aware of the RTB process as well.

Management and residents also have plans to attend an upcoming Dundalk JPC (Joint Policing Committee) meeting to further discuss issues with local gardai and councillors.
A 31-year-old man accused of murdering school teacher Ashling Murphy in Tullamore has had his legal aid extended so his defence team can obtain expert reports from the UK.

Jozef Puska, of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, is charged with murdering the 23-year-old primary school teacher at Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the afternoon of January 12, 2022.

He is scheduled to go on trial at the Central Criminal Court on June 6 this year and the case is expected to last between three and four weeks.

At a brief hearing on Wednesday, senior counsel Michael Bowman, defending Mr Puska, said the case was listed for mention to extend his client's legal aid to cover expert reports from the UK.

"We listed it so that there was no delay in the preparation of material," he added.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott said he would grant the legal aid cert to cover the request but added that he did not know if the defence would have to go through the public procurement process.

Mr Bowman said the defence would have to get three quotes and that the legal aid board was generally satisfied.

In reply, Anne-Marie Lawlor SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said the case was listed for trial on June 6 and that the prosecution was "keen to retain that date". Ms Lawlor said the State had already written to the defence asking if there were any pre-trial issues.

Mr Bowman said there was likely to be one pre-trial issue which may "require a day or so" but suggested maybe two days should be put aside "out of an abundance of caution".

Mr Puska, a Slovakian national, was not present in court for todays hearing.

Last May, a new solicitor was appointed to represent Mr Puska. Defence solicitors Padraig Langsch & Co came on record in the case after Ms Lawlor informed the judge that the DPP did not object to the request.

Ms Murphy, a talented traditional Irish musician and recent graduate from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, was working as a teacher at Durrow National School at the time of her death.
Senator Erin McGreehan will host an information evening on Rural Ireland, Farming, and Fishing Matters, with the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

The event will take place on 14th February at 8 PM in the Crowne Plaza, Dundalk.

The information evening will provide an opportunity for people in Louth to engage with Minister McConalogue on the challenges and opportunities facing rural Ireland, farming, and fishing.

Senator McGreehan said she is committed to providing a platform for voices from rural communities and is eager to hear their concerns and ideas.

Senator McGreehan said: I hope as many people as possible can attend this information evening with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

"Minister McConalogue has been doing some great work within the sector but he recognises there are challenges for farming and fishing.

"This will be a valuable opportunity to engage with myself and the Minister and I look forward to strong attendance.




North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang Wednesday to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces, an informed source said, in what was seen as a highly choreographed event to flaunt its military might and foster national unity.







It took place at Kim Il Sung Square following a pre-parade event that started at 8:30 p.m., the source said, as the country celebrated the anniversary of the Korean People's Army.







It was not immediately known whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the parade. The secretive regime has often used such an event to showcase its major new weapons.







In the run-up to the parade, media outlets cited analyses of commercial satellite imagery indicating the reclusive state mobilized troops, vehicles and other pieces of military equipment in apparent rehearsals.







The North was expected to use fireworks and other means to liven up the nighttime celebrations for people who have been struggling with long-running economic hardships and pandemic-induced restrictions.







The parade came as the recalcitrant regime has been doubling down on its weapons development programs, lambasting what it calls a U.S. "hostile" policy and stressing its principle of "nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation."







Pyongyang has also hardened its rhetoric against Seoul, naming the southern neighbor an "undoubted" enemy and calling for an exponential increase in its nuclear arsenal.







Since Kim took power following his father's death in late 2011, his regime has staged 13 miliary parades, including the latest one. Its previous parade was held in April last year to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army. (Yonhap)






THE owner of a Staffordshire bull terrier, who stood in a crowd of protesters with his dog without a muzzle or the required collar, ran from a garda who asked him for his address.

At Cork District Court, David Crean, aged 41, of 1 Meadow Drive, The Meadows, Hollyhill, Cork, pleaded guilty to a charge of resisting Garda Gheorghe Rosu and two counts under the Control of Dogs Act 1986.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said: On September 17, 2022, at 3.30pm during a protest on Grand Parade, Garda Rosu observed a person standing in the crowd, now known to him as David Crean, in possession of a dog.

Garda Rosu recognised the breed of dog as a Staffordshire bull terrier, which is a controlled breed under the Control of Dogs Act 1986.

The dog was an adult size, black in colour, and wasnt wearing a collar. Mr Crean confirmed that the dog belonged to him.

Asked if he was aware that such a breed of dog had to be muzzled while in public and required an ID tag on the collar with the owners name and address, he replied that the muzzle was in his car.

He failed to provide his address despite multiple requests. When Garda Rosu proceeded to arrest him he ran away and was arrested a short distance away.

Crean pleaded guilty to not having the dog securely muzzled, failing to have a collar on the dog with the owners name and address, and resisting the garda.

Judge Alec Gabbett fined Crean 200 in respect of the muzzle and took the collar charge into consideration.

Regarding the resisting of the garda, the judge said: I dont know what was happening there.

He also took that charge into consideration.

Judge Gabbett clarified the issue of the dog not having a collar. Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said that it was not correct that the dog had no collar. He said the dog had a lead and a collar but that the collar did not contain all of the information required under the Control of Dogs Act. He said the dog now had the correct collar and was also mainly an indoor dog.

Judge Gabbett said: I am very conscious at the moment of the huge amount of publicity relating to such dogs. Unfortunately, terrible injuries can arise. They can be dangerous. I am not saying this dog in particular is dangerous.
A motorist spat into a womans face when road rage went pear-shaped but the sentencing judge said the assault was more than road rage.

Inspector Mark Keating said this incident occurred at a time that the injured party was travelling in the front passenger seat of her own car which was driven by her partner on the occasion.

58-year-old Tadgh Waters of Hartlands Avenue, Cork, pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting the woman at Doughcloyne industrial estate on Sarsfield Road, Wilton, Cork, on August 5 2020.

Inspector Mark Keating said, What happened was that the defendants car cut in in front of them and they beeped.

He (the defendant) responded by driving extremely slowly in front of them. This continued as they drove into Doughcloyne industrial estate.

They pulled up abreast of him and the woman put down her window and the defendant put down his window.

She was asking him about his driving and he spat in her face. That was the assault.

He has 18 previous convictions. In fairness to him the most recent case goes back to 2014. He has one previous for assault but this dates back to 2006. Others are minor public order convictions.

It was a road rage incident that went pear-shaped.

Judge Marian OLeary said, Road rage is one thing but spitting on someone is something else.

The judge said she could not proceed to impose penalty on the motorist for assaulting the woman by spitting her, until a victim impact statement was before the court.

Judge OLeary considered putting the case back for a fortnight for that purpose. However, following a submission from Eddie Burke solicitor that the accused needed to travel out of the country soon to address a family issue, the judge said she would finalise the matter on February 13.
CORK Prison has been operating at nearly 100% capacity over the last month, and could exceed its capacity by next week, according to figures obtained by The Echo.

In one snapshot, there were 279 prisoners in custody in Cork Prison on Wednesday, February 1, with 34 out on release, and 80 on trial or on remand, according to figures supplied by the Irish Prison Service.

The total prisoners in the Cork Prison system that day was 326. Cork Prison has 296 beds.

Overall, the prison was operating at 94% capacity that day. All cells in Cork Prison have in-cell sanitation, said a spokesperson. On Thursday, February 2, it was operating at 97% capacity.

Throughout the month of January, Cork Prison operated at between 88% capacity and 95%, climbing throughout the month.

In total, there were 4,444 people incarcerated in prisons across the entire prison estate in Ireland on Wednesday, February 8, according to a spokesperson for the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT).

However, there were only 4,411 beds available.

Thats 33 people more than there are beds, said the IPRT spokesperson.

Yesterday, figures show that Cork Prison is at 98% capacity  289 people are in custody and there are only seven available beds left. This day last week it was at 95% capacity.

It is worrying how quickly the number of people being imprisoned is increasing. Should this trend continue at this rate, Cork Prison could be over capacity by next week, added the spokesperson.
By David Young, PA

The UK supreme court will later rule on the lawfulness of Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol.

The legality of the contentious trading arrangements has been challenged by a collective of unionists and Brexiteers.

Arguments were considered by the Britains highest court at a two-day hearing last year after the Court of Appeal upheld a ruling in Belfast High Court dismissing the legal challenge.

The protocol, which is a key aspect of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, was jointly designed by London and Brussels to keep the Border free flowing following the UKs departure from the EU.

Becoming effective in 2021, the arrangements instead shifted customs and regulatory checks to the Irish Sea and created new red tape on the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with trade in the region remaining subject to certain EU Single Market rules.

The appellants argue that the legislation passed at Westminster to give effect to the Withdrawal Agreement conflicts with the 1800 Acts of Union that formed the United Kingdom, particularly Article 6 of that statute guaranteeing unfettered trade within the UK.

The legal challenge also contends that the protocol undermines the peace process legislation underpinning Northern Irelands powersharing settlement at Stormont  the 1998 Northern Ireland Act.

The Northern Ireland Act, which gave effect to the historic Good Friday peace agreement, guarantees that the constitutional status of the region can only be changed with the consent of its citizens via referendum.

It also includes cross community provisions (Section 42) that ensure controversial decisions at Stormont can only be taken if they are supported by a certain proportion of both nationalist and unionist MLAs.

The Withdrawal Agreement does provide for a future Assembly vote on the continuation of the protocol, however the UK government has amended Stormont rules so the vote can be passed on a straight majority basis, rather than having to meet the cross community consent thresholds.

In 2021, Belfast High Court judge Mr Justice Colton dismissed a judicial review challenge against the lawfulness of the protocol on all grounds.

His judgment was upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.

While the Appeal Court found that the protocol does conflict with the Acts of Union in respect of unfettered trade, judges ruled that the 1800 statute had been lawfully modified by Parliament.

The court also dismissed the argument that the post-Brexit trading arrangements have changed the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.

It further ruled that the British government did have the authority to disapply the cross community voting provisions in the Stormont Assembly when it came to the vote on the future of the protocol.

The Court of Appeal later granted leave for the case to be referred to the Supreme Court.

The case involves two conjoined challenges  one taken by unionist politicians and Brexiteers including Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister, former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib and Baroness Kate Hoey, and the other mounted by a loyalist pastor from Belfast, Clifford Peeples.
A team of more than 110 Korean workers poses for a photo after arriving in Turkey, Feb. 8. Yonhap



A team of more than 110 Korean workers arrived in Turkey on Wednesday to support the country's ongoing search and rescue operations following a devastating earthquake earlier this week, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.



A KC-330 military tanker transport aircraft carrying 118 people, including 50 military personnel and 60 firefighters, landed at Gaziantep Airport in Turkey's southeastern region earlier in the day, the ministry said.



The city of Gaziantep is located near the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the country's southern region and Syria as well Monday, leaving thousands of people killed.



The Korean team will operate in various sites across the areas affected by the earthquake at the request of the local authorities.











A 110-strong Korean rescue team departs Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, for quake-devastated Turkey on the night of Feb. 7. Yonhap
The following guest post was written by Liam Reidy, a student at Eastern Michigan University.

University Leadership Should Adhere to the Same Rules as Students

Eastern Michigan Universitys mission statement proclaims five core values that govern how students, staff, faculty, and leadership live our daily lives on campus. We should expect that these core values inform every action of the University. These core values are:

Excellence: We provide an exceptional environment to our faculty, staff, and students. We improve our performance continuously and strive to be the best in everything we do.

We provide an exceptional environment to our faculty, staff, and students. We improve our performance continuously and strive to be the best in everything we do. Respect: We care for our people, communities, and the environment and show respect for the dignity of the individual.

We care for our people, communities, and the environment and show respect for the dignity of the individual. Inclusiveness: We create an environment that supports, represents, embraces, and engages members of diverse groups and identities.

We create an environment that supports, represents, embraces, and engages members of diverse groups and identities. Responsibility: We are accountable  individually and in teams  for our behaviors, actions, and results. We keep commitments.

We are accountable  individually and in teams  for our behaviors, actions, and results. We keep commitments. Integrity: Integrity and transparency are critical to our institutional effectiveness. We pursue the highest level of personal, intellectual, academic, financial, and operational integrity within the University community.

The leadership of our University has failed to live up to these important core values, especially integrity and responsibility. Recently, the Michigan Carpenters Union filed a complaint against the leadership of Eastern Michigan University claiming that the University lied when answering a Freedom of Information (FOIA) Request that was filed last summer. This is an affront to the values we students learn at every step of our education and practice daily to represent the fruits of that education.

The FOIA request asked for agreements between Eastern Michigan University and Gilbane Development Company, the construction firm that is building new student housing on campus. When asked for those copies last summer, the University said they did not exist. Nevertheless, the agreements were signed in January and March of last year, long before University leadership said they did not exist. This was a brazen lie. If a student on campus lied this brazenly  akin to cheating on an exam  we would incur penalties up to and including expulsion from the University.

President Smith failed to live up to University standards and we students must hold him accountable for this breach of our core values. The policies of the University emphasize that the President of the University is responsible for implementation of FOIA:

To the extent required, the Board of Regents delegates to the President of Eastern Michigan University or his/her designee: 1) the responsibility for processing and deciding appeals to the University of final determinations by the Universitys Freedom of Information Officer denying all or a portion of a request made under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act: and 2) the authority to establish and amend as necessary an Appeals Procedure consistent with the provisions of the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Some people may not think that one FOIA request is important. The truth is that whenever leadership fails to abide by values and creeds by which we live, trust between leadership and the students collapses. Distrust between students and leadership is not sustainable and undermines the mission of any University, just as cheating undermines the reputation of the university and the value of education. The leadership of Eastern Michigan University must commit to candidness and transparency about the construction of new student housing and answering FOIA requests promptly and honestly.

Finally, the leadership ought to apologize to students and the broader Eastern Michigan University community for bringing shame upon Eastern Michigan University.

I must address briefly my fellow students, who may have reservations about supporting a union. Hiring union contractors means that we can trust workers who are extensively trained and fairly paid. Union workers are active members of our community and our support for our workers is necessary for a healthy community. Indeed, productive work is essentially human. Productive work is invariant across all races, genders, and creeds (or lack thereof). On my reading of Darwinism, work is the only capacity that differentiates us humans from our simian ancestors. Therefore, supporting the union is what every student ought to do.
U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

WASHINGTON DC 20585

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2023

EIA lowers U.S. natural gas price forecast after a warmer-than-average start to 2023

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects natural gas prices at the Henry Hub to average around $3.40 per million British thermal units in 2023, 47% lower than in 2022. According to EIAs February Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), a warmer-than-normal start to the year has reduced natural gas consumption to below average.

U.S. natural gas inventories fell by less than our expectations in January because of the warmer-than-average weather. With more natural gas in inventory, we reduced our forecast for natural gas prices over the coming year, said EIA Administrator Joe DeCarolis. There is still a lot of uncertainty, including the possibility of extreme weather later this winter that could increase demand and temporarily slow down production, but those possibilities decrease as we approach spring.

Increased natural gas production and less demand has allowed U.S. natural gas inventories to rise after a period of below-average levels. EIA expects natural gas inventories to remain above average through the summer.

Other key takeaways from the February 2023 STEO forecast include:

We expect about 4% less energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, which is driven largely by a 15% decrease in emissions from coal this year, DeCarolis said. EIA expects U.S. electricity generation to decrease 2% in 2023, with even larger reductions in coal-fired generation. Less electricity generation largely stems from reductions in consumption in the residential and industrial sectors.

EIA expects that U.S. coal exports will increase by about 2% in 2023 and 9% in 2024, largely to supply growing demand in Europe and Asia. Europe has been using more coal for electricity generation as the region looks to limit its consumption of natural gas from Russia. Even as global demand for coal is growing, we expect that reduced U.S. demand will lead to less coal production in the United States this year and in 2024, DeCarolis said.

Russia and China remain sources of uncertainty in EIAs STEO forecasts. Global demand for jet fuel has increased as Chinas economy has opened up following pandemic lockdowns. Russias crude oil exports have largely gone unchanged since the EU instituted a ban on seaborne crude oil imports from Russia. We continue to monitor developments in Russia and China because of their impact on the global energy sector, DeCarolis said.

The full February 2023 STEO is available on the EIA website and includes EIAs forecasts for 2024. EIA will further explore drivers of uncertainty in natural gas market forecasts in an upcoming supplement to the STEO, scheduled for release on February 9.

The product described in this press release was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. By law, EIAs data, analysis, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. government. The views in the product and this press release therefore should not be construed as representing those of the U.S. Department of Energy or other federal agencies.

EIA Program Contact: Tim Hess, STEO@eia.gov

EIA Press Contact: Chris Higginbotham, EIAMedia@eia.gov
This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovering a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Sunday. AP-Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



The recent spy balloon controversy that has strained already fraught U.S.-China relations is expected to adversely affect the security situation on the Korean Peninsula in the absence of Beijing's role in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue, according to diplomatic observers.



In addition, Pyongyang could play off the rivalry by resorting to saber-rattling, including a much-anticipated launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile or a nuclear test, they added.



Last week, a Chinese surveillance balloon was found to have entered U.S. airspace and floated over sensitive military sites in Montana. An F-22 Raptor fighter eventually shot it down.



Claiming that the balloon was a civilian weather research airship that went off course, the Chinese government accused the U.S. of overreacting, while the United States said the balloon represented a clear violation of its sovereignty.



The incident comes as the U.S. and South Korea have repeatedly urged China to play a constructive role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. Beijing is the reclusive state's sole economic pipeline and diplomatic guardian. The episode is raising speculation that China is not likely to take heed of the calls being made by South Korea and the U.S.



Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said an intensifying U.S.-Sino rivalry is not favorable to the security situation on the peninsula, adding, "We would see China's role regarding North Korea's nuclear issue diminishing following the balloon saga."



Cho said it is noteworthy that South Korea and the U.S. staged combined air drills involving strategic bombers and stealth fighters over the West Sea, which is right under China's nose.



"South Korea and the U.S. conducted combined air drills, involving B-1B strategic bombers, and F-22, F-35A and F-35B stealth jets, over the West Sea on Feb. 1. Two days later, another drill with the stealth fighters occurred, which is unprecedented," he said.



"Given that the U.S. first detected the balloon on Jan. 28, the drills served as a U.S. warning to China in response to the spy balloon."









Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said China has always been part of the North Korean problem rather than part of the solution.



"Beijing would occasionally allow incremental stronger U.N. resolutions in response to egregious North Korean provocations only to subsequently turn a blind eye to violations of those resolutions by Chinese entities," he said.





In this photo provided by Chad Fish, the remnants of a large balloon drift above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, with an F-22 fighter jet and its contrail seen below it, Saturday. AP-Yonhap




Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin held phone talks with his Turkish counterpart Wednesday and pledged to offer support to Turkey in assisting its recovery efforts following a massive earthquake earlier this week.







Park expressed his deep condolences to Turkey for the tragic earthquake and stressed that Koreans stand in solidarity with the Turkish people during his conversation with Mevlut Cavusoglu.







He added the Korean government plans to provide "all possible support" to help Turkey cope with the aftermath, including dispatching emergency rescue teams to the scene.







In response, Cavusoglu voiced appreciation for the support from Turkey's "brother nation," Korea, and said he will do his best for the safety of South Korean nationals in his country.







Earlier in the day, a Korean team of more than 110 personnel arrived in Turkey, struck by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake Monday, to support the country's ongoing search and rescue operations. (Yonhap)










It wouldn't be February without a peek at Google's next mobile OS. Sure enough, the company has released the first Android 14 developer preview (DP1) to help app creators target the new platform. This time around, the initial priorities are accessibility, battery life and security. You can scale fonts to a much larger size (200 percent versus the earlier 130 percent), and smarter scaling makes text more readable. It's easier to set preferred languages for apps, and developers can be more accommodating to people who speak gendered languages like French.

Android 14 DP1 also includes some under-the-hood improvements that can make the most of your battery and screen. There are tighter controls on alarms, foreground tasks and internal broadcasts, all of which can reduce power consumption. It should also be easier to build apps for foldable phones and tablets, so you may see software that makes better use of your hardware's visual real estate.

And yes, Android 14 can block users from sideloading very old apps. Google will require that apps target at least Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), as some malware is written for older versions to avoid a permissions system introduced in 2015. This won't prevent you from running apps that are already installed when you upgrade the OS, and you can use command line instructions to force installations. However, you may have to look for alternatives if there's an ancient app you'd hate to give up.

This first preview is available through the desktop Android emulator as well as the Pixel 4a, Pixel 5 and newer Google phones. The first Android 14 beta should arrive in April, and Google expects "platform stability" (read: release candidates) in June. As always, the developer previews don't represent the sum total of what the new platform will bring. We'd expect Google to reveal more conspicuous changes at its I/O conference in the spring.
Virgin Orbit's first orbital launch from UK soil, which was supposed to be a huge milestone for the company and for the region, may have ended in failure because of a component that cost around $100. According to SpaceNews, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart has revealed at the SmallSat Symposium in Mountain View, California that the evidence so far points to a filter in the rocket's second stage engine getting dislodged and causing issues.

If you'll recall, the company launched its historic "Start Me Up" mission from Spaceport Cornwall on January 9th, and things seemed to flow smoothly at first. Virgin's LauncherOne rocket was able to detach from its carrier aircraft, and the company reported a successful stage separation. But soon, it became clear that the rocket wasn't able to reach orbit as planned. "[The rocket's] upper stage experienced an anomaly," a company spokesperson told Engadget at the time, and that "prematurely ended the first burn of the upper stage." They added: "This event ended the mission, with the rocket components and payload falling back to Earth within the approved safety corridor without ever achieving orbit."

The LauncherOne rocket for the mission was carrying satellites from seven customers, including government entities. One of its payloads was a joint project between the UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and the US Naval Research Laboratory called CIRCE (Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction CubeSat Experiment). Virgin Orbit promised to conduct a full investigation into the root cause of the anomaly, but it didn't wait for results to come back before announcing that it was going to attempt another UK launch as soon as later this year.

The company isn't done with its investigation, Hart said during the event, but he was confident enough to reveal the investigators' findings: "Everything points to, right now, a filter that was clearly there when we assembled the rocket but was not there as the second stage engine started, meaning it was dislodged and caused mischief downstream," he said. "This is like a $100 part that took us out." Hart also said that Virgin Orbit is no longer going to use that filter and that it's currently looking for potential fixes.
Here is the link: https://aere.memberclicks.net/conference---sea. The deadline is the end of February.

For the first time since 2006 I'm not chairing the committee that is organizing these sessions. Please forgive me, but I'm going to take a victory lap*.

These sessions began with a meeting called by Jim Kahn in the 1990s at the Southern Economics Association meeting. Me and another guy showed up. The problem was low quality environmental economics sessions and the proposed solution was to organize our own sessions. The conversation moved to Murphy's Bar at some point and, importantly, Glenn Blomquist, Mark Dickie and others got on board. The group began with a funny name, Southern Appalachian Committee for Resource and Environmental Economics (SAppCREE), and that's who sponsored the sessions (I was at East Carolina University at the time so don't blame me for the App). These started out small with a few sessions. According to the Wayback Machine, SAppCREE sponsored 3 SEA sessions in 1997 in Atlanta (I'm not sure if that was the first year but there is a good chance it was). Here is the first session on the program: Valuation of Environmental Health Effects. There was also a hedonics session and a teaching panel moderated by Jim Kahn with Lynne Lewis, Susan Kask, David Martin and myself as panelists.

There were 3 more sessions in 1998 and 4 more in 1999. Look at this one from 1998 (hoo boy). In 2000 we dropped the Appalchian and just became SCREE to generate interest beyond the southern Appalachian region (haha). SCREE sponsored 4 sessions in 2000, 5 in 2001 and 4 in 2002.

Around about that time I was on the AERE Board of Directors and I wondered out loud, why doesn't AERE sponsor sessions at the SEA meetings? I mean, Don Epp organized AERE sessions for a couple of years at the EEA meetings and AERE members have been doing "SCREE" for several years. They all looked at me funny and said OK but the AERE/ASSA program committee is going to have to look at the sessions and approve them because you, non-R1 guy, are not to be trusted. I followed orders and got the program approved for a number of years by the committee but "forget" to ask one year and no one noticed (that's when we went all heterodox). AERE and SCREE jointly sponsored 4 sessions in 2003, 8 in 2004 and ... ugh, the Wayback Machine has failed me and the SEA isn't posting their conference archives anymore.

So, here is a, perhaps imperfect, reconstruction from my files of the number of AERE sessions at the SEA meetings since 2006:

We dropped discussants about 10 years ago and found that the Q&A sessions were better for most presenters. Without discussants you don't need a polished paper. I think this accounts for the increased participation after 2015. As a result, I think, the [email protected] sessions have evolved into a place where graduate students and new assistants are the bulk of the presenters.

The dip in the number of sessions is articial because, as an experiment, AERE organized sessions with 5 papers each. For example, in 2019 we could have had 15 sessions with 4 papers each but we organized 12 sessions with 5 papers each. We've decided to go back to 4 papers.

The spike in 2020 was due to covid -- everyone needed something to do and an online conference doesn't cost much (we did the AERE happy hour over Zoom). The dip in 2021 was the in-person SEA meeting before the vaccine. We were required to wear masks, but it that was scary. A lot of people begged out.

I don't know the dates but AERE began organizing sessions at the other regional meetings following the success of the [email protected] sessions. Trudy Cameron (WEAI), Lea-Rachel Kosnick (MEA) and Kelly Maguire (EEA) started these. Jimena Gonzalez took over the [email protected] sessions and, just recently, Noelwah Netusil began organizing the [email protected] sessions.

Many thanks to everyone who were involved in the SEA sessions in a big way: Jim Kahn, Glenn Blomquist, Sarah Stafford, Will Wheeler, Sarah Jacobson, Shana McDermott, Chris Dumas (who did I forget?) and especially Lynne Lewis, Jill Caviglia-Harris and Brian Vander Naald (who all arranged a very nice send off for me in November). Brian is taking over the sessions (with help from Lynne and Jill and maybe me) and I'm looking forward to writing my abstract, sweating it out waiting to see if it is accepted and, hopefully, presenting a silly valuation paper in an [email protected] session in 2023 in NOLA.

*Note: Here is what prompted my reminiscence (see [email protected] is "cool"):




President Yoon Suk Yeol held a meeting with the chief of a U.N. intellectual property agency Wednesday, during which they discussed cooperation between Korea and the international agency, Yoon's office said.







During the meeting, Yoon and Daren Tang, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), exchanged views on the need for women and small firms to easily access intellectual property, the presidential office said in a statement.







Yoon also asked Tang to set up a regional office of the WIPO in Korea, saying it would help strengthen support for developing nations.







Yoon told Tang that Korea supports the "WIPO's efforts to provide access to intellectual property systems easily for the socially disadvantaged and people in developing nations," according to the statement. (Yonhap)


Public transport, schools and refinery supplies in France were disrupted as trade unions led a third wave of nationwide strikes against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to delay retirement by two years for French workers.
A former London police officer was jailed for more than 30 years for an unrestrained campaign of rape and abuse of women over nearly two decades, in the latest scandal to hit Britain's biggest police force.
David Jacobson is a professional speaker on leadership, team building, humor and health and overcoming trauma. He is the former Chief of Social Work of the Phoenix VA where he assisted in improving their mental health system. For over 30 years David, has provided his expertise on leadership, humor and health related topics to audiences around the country and served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. He has been featured internationally by various media outlets, including magazines, journals and television from London to Seoul, Korea. He is the award winning author of "7 1/2 Habits To Help You Become More Humorous, Happier & Healthier." This book describes how he accomplished a 50 miles unicycle ride inspite of severe arthritis to raise funds for the Arthritis Foundation.

David Jacobson suffered many losses early in his life including a diagnosis with a severe form of arthritis at 22 in 1980. Since then, he has become a living example that you can accomplish anything if you truly believe in yourself. Through his years of struggling with chronic pain, he developed humor techniques that got him through the hard times. He now teaches these skills to audiences around the country in his keynotes and workshops which as entertaining as they are educational.

His many honors include a "President's Award" from Flashnet Marketing, Inc. , A Lifetime Achievement Award and a "National Hero Overcoming Arthritis" award by the Arthritis Foundation National Office and the Wayne Washburn Memorial Award which reads as follows "We all need someone or something to inspire us to bring out our best. You are that someone"

For the past twenty years, Mr. Jacobson has worked as a hospital administrator in addition to his writing, and speaking career.
Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel.

Instant News Wire
Fairfield, MT (59436)

Today

Rain or snow showers this evening will give way to clearing overnight. Low 22F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%..

Tonight

Rain or snow showers this evening will give way to clearing overnight. Low 22F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, saw his account Twitter account suspended Monday night and then reinstated Tuesday, Feb. 7, after he posted a picture of himself and his wife with an antelope killed during a hunt.

Last night the senator was notified his Twitter account was locked because his profile picture violated their rules against graphic violence. The picture is of him and his wife Cindy with a Montana antelope, Daines office said in a statement to the Belgrade News. Our team has reached out to Twitter to get this resolved because the Senator believes it is preposterous that a picture of him and his wife huntingan activity that is engrained in the Montana way of lifewould be against Twitter rules.

Daines, who lives in Belgrade, has been aggressive in his criticism of President Joe Biden for not shooting down a China spy balloon that flew over Montana and its nuclear missile sites and much of the U.S. before being shot down over the South Carolina coast.

My wife is a great shot. What can I say?, Daines said in a statement provided by his office.

Twitter rules prohibit posting of violent or sexual behavior in banner images and cover photos and does not permit media depicting excessively gory content, sexual violence and/or assault. The San Francisco-based social media platform has not yet responded to a request for comment

Conservatives and hunting advocates criticized Twitters move.

If you dont like hunting, fine, dont go. But dont censor others who disagree. And Im pretty sure this is a formal job responsibility for a senator from Montana, said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Cruz posted a fictitious mug shot featuring Daines on Twitter. The Montana senator reposted the image after his account was reinstated.

I am grateful Elon Musk reached out to me to resolve this issue and am glad that he recognizes that free speech is a bedrock of our country, and acted quickly to reinstate my Twitter account after being made aware of its suspension, Daines said in a statement. The initial ban over the profile photo of my wife and me after a successful Montana antelope hunt was disappointing given the fact that it is no different than photos Montanans share on social media every day. Its our Montana way of life and we are proud of it. I am glad Elon Musk recognizes this. The rest of the country benefits from the acceptance of diverse thoughts and values, including Montana values.
Montana senators look on as votes are tallied on the second reading of Senate Bill 99 on Feb. 7, 2023. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Montanas Democratic legislative leaders said Tuesday morning they would fight a bill that seeks to deny gender-affirming care to transgender children and punish medical professionals who perform it  and while the measure did pass a key hurdle in the Senate, the fight occurred, too.

Following an hour of discussion, multiple calls from Democrats for Republicans to tone down their rhetoric, and a heated rules debate between party leaders, Senate Republicans passed Senate Bill 99 on second reading in a 28-21 vote, with five Republicans voting against it along with all Democrats.

Just after the sponsor, Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell, closed on his bill before the vote, Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, moved to indefinitely postpone the bill. Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, ruled the motion out of order, saying it violated the Senate rules.

Leaders from both parties gathered in the middle of the floor to hash out the rules, as an animated Fitzpatrick pointed his finger at Flowers while addressing him. Following the exchange, Flowers said the two parties clearly had a disagreement on the interpretation of the rules, but he was withdrawing his motion.

Five Republicans voted against the bill on second reading: Sens. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls; Walt Sales, R-Manhattan; Dan Salomon, R-Ronan; Terry Vermeire, R-Anaconda; and Jeffrey Welborn, R-Dillon.

Fuller kicked off the hour-plus long hearing in grandiose fashion, saying he came to the floor not as a partisan but rather a Montana man, a family man, a husband, a father, a grandfather.

Hear me for my cause, he said.

Fuller immediately used a metaphor to compare a person who seeks to transition their gender to a theoretical veteran who decided they identified as a legless amputee and wanted their legs cut off. It was the first reference to amputation of the hearing and turned up the gas under what would become a boiling pot on the other side of the aisle.

There is nothing natural or healthy about pumping children full of puberty blockers, or cross-sex hormones, or steroids, or performing sterilizing surgeries on them, Fuller added, again telling senators, as he did in committee, that his bill was about protecting children.

Flowers immediately rose to ask the Senate to stop referencing amputation, saying there was nothing in the bill that referred to it, nor was it how the medical community referred to gender transition surgery.

Throughout the hearing, Democrats implored their majority counterparts to kill the bill, saying it violated Montanans individual freedoms as well as the Montana and U.S. Constitutions. They said it would put federal Medicare and Medicaid funding at risk because a persons gender identity is a federally protected class.

This isnt just about health care and counseling for transgender youth, as critical as that is, said Sen. Christopher Pope, D-Bozeman. Its about health care for 300,000 Montana citizens paid in large part by the federal government in multi-billions of dollars  which is being put at risk by this unconstitutional, and in my opinion, misguided law.

Sen. Barry Usher, R-Yellowstone County, told the Senate transgender children and care was the No. 1 issue in his election last year. He said he believed amputee was the correct word to use because some people transitioning have double mastectomies to remove their breasts.

Flowers rose again to ask the word be left out of the discussion.

McKamey, who would be one of the Republican votes against the bill, told the Senate that as a mother and grandmother, she did not want children to suffer or hurt.

I do believe that parenting is a fundamental right, she said. And to take that fundamental right away from the parent as the government or any other entity is absolutely inappropriate.

Sen. Andrea Olsen, D-Missoula, an attorney who heard the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the chamber how many of the proponents of the bill who testified at the committee hearing were from out of state, and how medical experts and parents who testified against the bill shared several studies and stories about how gender-affirming care had improved  and sometimes saved  their childrens lives.

Who are we to deprive our constituents of their self-determination, strip them of their access to live their lives fully in the pursuit of happiness? she asked.

The American Medical Association and other medical organizations have deemed gender-affirming care, hormone therapy and surgery medically necessary in some cases.

Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, who also heard the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee, rehashed testimony from proponents of the bill about children growing out of gender dysphoria and the story of a woman from out of state who had detransitioned who testified she had received no mental health care during the process.

Through the wonders of medicine, you can cut body parts off, and you can sew body parts on. Sometimes they work; sometimes they dont, she said. But you are engaging in a lifetime of drugs and therapies, and I wouldnt wish that on anyone.

She said people needed to be an adult to make that decision. Then, she said she wanted to add two definitions into the record  amputation and mastectomy.

Flowers rose again for a point of order and called on the chair for decorum.

My wife had a mastectomy. My wife, who passed away from breast cancer. There was no doctor that she saw that ever called that an amputation, he said. Im going to ask one more time  lets leave that language out of this discussion. Theres no place for it here.

Sen. Shannon OBrien, D-Missoula, talked about how the bill, if passed, could force children needing medical care for other procedures out of state because they couldnt use Medicaid funds, and how it could potentially keep counselors from referring kids to specialty care if they are experiencing gender dysphoria.

Sen. Jen Gross, D-Billings, who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked Fuller again  as she did in committee  to explain intersex people, to which he again told her she would know if shed read the bill. She tried to ask another question, but he would not yield the floor to her, saying her question was irrelevant.

Gross told him the question was absolutely relevant and rhetorically questioned why the bill did not prohibit treatments for cisgender teenagers as well.

Why is it OK for one group of young people and not another? she said.

Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, raised points about how in the 1950s, medical professionals performed lobotomies as a response to mental health concerns but then stopped doing so as medicine advanced.

Thats where Im afraid of where were going here, Hertz said. Because were going to have a procedure here, in a couple of decades, that basically, well wonder  why did we do this? Why did we put these children into such harm?

Flowers again objected.

Theres nothing in gender-affirming care that relates to lobotomy, and I think even raising that, in this context, is offensive, he said.

Fitzpatrick said the Senate needed to have the ability to discuss a bill freely and that he didnt think what was being said was a breach of decorum.

Lets finish the debate. I think we all know how were going to vote, so lets get to it, he said.

Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula, called on the Senate to protect children from what she called political cruelty. She then falsely accused Fuller of voting against a resolution seeking to create a day of remembrance for child victims of Indian boarding schools.

No such thing happened, Fuller retorted, rising out of his seat. I supported that bill in committee and I supported it on the floor. Do not lie.

Delivering closing remarks, Flowers said the bill cuts straight to the heart of Montanans freedoms.

If you are truly committed to the freedoms that we enjoy under our Constitution, and the freedoms for our families to make their own decisions about their children  if youre really committed to that, then youll vote against this bill, he said.

Fuller spoke last  ahead of Flowers motion to indefinitely postpone the bill, the rules discussion, and vote.

He apologized for his outburst but said he has always resisted people who lie about him. He then finished his presentation, arguing that allowing children to make decisions before they were adults makes a mockery of informed consent.

Prohibiting irreversible procedures on children prior to adulthood is not discriminatory, it is not invasive, it is not unconstitutional, he said. It is the right thing to do. No serious state would promote the destruction of its own children. We must protect Montanas.

The bill will face a vote on final Senate approval on Wednesday. It would then head to the House if it passes.

House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena, said earlier Tuesday that House Democrats were prepared to oppose the bill and had already been talking with Republicans.

Its a really mean, harmful piece of legislation. But the LGBT community in Montana is a thriving community that stands up for themselves and each other, she said. And so, should that come across, well deal with it over here. And Im hopeful that well figure out a way to prevent it from getting to the governors desk.

The post Montana bill that would deny teens gender-affirming care passes Senate hurdle in fiery hearing appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Northern Plains Independent newspaper publisher Darla Downs (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).

On paper, it seems a mismatch: A newspaper publisher who has training as an accountant taking on the county attorney.

But Northern Plains Independent Publisher Darla Downs took on the election of now-former Roosevelt County Attorney Frank Piocos. She couldnt afford an attorney, so she filed a lawsuit pro se, or on her own.

In a court hearing that took the judge just minutes to decide after both parties presented their cases, Judge Katherine Bidegaray ruled that Piocos was not a resident of the county when he ran for election in 2022, and therefore, he was ineligible for the office. She also ordered a new special election.

On Tuesday, Roosevelt County Commissioners told the Daily Montanan that Piocos was no longer the county attorney and that they will be discussing next steps on Thursday.

However, Roosevelt County Commission Chairman Gordon Oelkers said hes been surprised at the number of people coming forward to either help in the interim, or consider running.

There are not a lot of lawyers up here in this corner of the state, he said. But Im pleasantly surprised by the number who are willing to help provide guidance and move us in a positive direction.

The Roosevelt County Attorneys Office has one other full-time attorney. However, in order to be appointed to the position or run for it, the person must have five years of practice. They said the current person in that position is less than two years out of law school so will need to have some sort of supervision, assuring that the countys legal services continue to run smoothly.

Bidegarays decision, issued in writing on Friday, was a concise five-page order that said under the law, a qualified elector meant a person who has residence in a particular county. Residency is determined largely by where the person lives.

Piocos, in previous reporting, didnt dispute that he was trying to buy a residence in Roosevelt County, but lived instead in nearby Valley County. Piocos had even rented office space in the county, but the judge said renting space is not the same as establishing residency, and therefore Piocos was not qualified to run for office in 2022.

Piocos had previously been an assistant county attorney, which is not elected but appointed.

Downs first challenged the lawsuit shortly after the election, but not quickly enough, Piocos had originally argued. He said that he couldnt be removed after the election because it would have deprived him of due process. He also said that Downs had not challenged his election properly, which Bidegaray ultimately found unpersuasive.

Bidegaray ordered a special election, and by state law, it cannot be held less than 85 days from the judges order. However, officials said they also didnt know how long they have to hold the election because the issue hasnt seemed to come up previously in case law.

Oelkers said that the county may even consider waiting until the 2024 election, working with some attorneys on an interim basis.

The Montana Secretary of States Office said it is up to the county officials to set a new special election date. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who was previously Roosevelt County Attorney, as well as the former Speaker of the Montana House, would not comment if the department is involved with helping the workload or the commissioners find a solution.

During the court hearing, Downs was able to cross-examine Piocos and she asked him about the space he rented in Culbertson. He said that he didnt have a desk there or a bed, according to the Northern Plains Independent.

Bidegaray said that Montana was clear that a person may only have one residence.

Piocos had testified that he had rental property in St. Marie in Valley County, spent time with his girlfriend in Billings, but considered Wolf Point and Roosevelt County his home.

He had used his address in Culbertson to get on the voting rolls, but records show he did not vote in the 2022 election.

The Roosevelt County Clerk and Recorder told the Independent that she had cancelled Piocos voter registration.

This was outside my normal wheelhouse. I knew the law was on my side, and I had the help of plenty of county residents who were on my side, Downs said. I believe in watchdog journalism, and people knew it was wrong and wanted me to do something.

She presented her case on her own, and won as her own attorney.

I wasnt not surprised, she said. I was relieved.

The post She fought the law. And she won: Newspaper publisher challenges county attorneys election appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Police officers investigating the theft of livestock handling equipment are urging farmers to mark their possessions and report any suspicious activity.

Officers from Northamptonshire Polices Rural Crime Team have received eight reports of the theft of sheep-related farming equipment since the start of January.

These include sheep hurdles, sheep handling systems, weigh scales, sheering machines, guillotine gates and sheep feeders being targeted.

With investigations into these offences continuing, the Rural Crime Team has issued a reminder to farmers on the importance of property marking to help them to protect their items.

PC Chloe Gillies, who is part of the team, said: A key prevention measure is clearly and permanently marking your possessions, ideally with your surname and postcode.

"This makes them less attractive to criminals as well as making it more likely that they can be returned to you if they are stolen."

Keeping a detailed, up-to-date list of all your equipment is also really important, PC Gillies explained.

For a handling system this would include noting the brand and component parts, such as number of hurdles, sizes, whether it includes guillotine gates, turnover crates, and so on.

Northamptonshire's Rural Crime Team work with neighbouring forces to help recover stolen property and reunite it with the rightful owners, however stolen equipment is usually moved out of the county quickly.

These items are then often sold on at auction and buyers are also being urged to play their part in helping to tackling offences by reporting anything suspicious, or lots which could be stolen, to police and the auctioneer.

PC Gillies added: We work closely with our colleagues from neighbouring forces, both sharing information and intelligence, to locate and recover property which has been stolen from Northamptonshire or across the county borders.

The best approach is to build up layers of protection for your premises and items  dont rely on one element alone.

"Use several to make it an unappealing target for a would-be thief but if you do know where such items are being advertised for sale, please let us know.

How can I better protect my equipment?

The force's tips for protecting agricultural equipment and vehicles include:

 Clearly mark equipment and vehicles with your postcode and surname

 Dont store items in isolated or insecure locations

 Make a list of all your equipment, including product name, any serial numbers, type and size of component parts, any security features, or distinctive marks. Take photos too if you can

 At auctions, report any suspicious activity to police  include descriptions and registrations

 If you suspect any lots could be stolen, immediately inform the auctioneer and the police

 Keep all vehicle paperwork together and secure  not with the vehicle

 Log VRNs and chassis numbers, make written descriptions and take photos

 Consider using crime prevention products to protect your premises and items




South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a vice-ministerial meeting in Washington next week to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and ways to boost trilateral cooperation, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.







South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong will meet Wendy Sherman, deputy U.S. state secretary, and his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Mori, for a tripartite session on Feb. 13, according to the ministry.







The three sides are expected to hold "in-depth and extensive" discussions on expanding trilateral cooperation for stronger deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and other regional and global issues.







It will be the third trilateral meeting at the vice-ministerial level to be held under the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the last of which was held in Tokyo last October.







During his visit, Cho will also hold bilateral talks with Sherman and Mori separately, the ministry said, drawing attention to whether Seoul and Tokyo will manage to narrow their differences on the long-standing issue of compensating Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.







The two countries have recently held several rounds of working-level consultations on ways to resolve the issue. (Yonhap)


An award-winning farmer who has raised more than 120,000 for charity as a tribute to his late wife will be selling his unique pedigree breeding herd of British Blues.

Emyr Wigley took the difficult decision to sell the Old Stackyard Blues herd, the only charity herd of its type in Britain, after being seriously injured by a bull he owned while attending a market in Carlisle last month.

The 78-year-old is now beginning the slow recovery process from a badly injured leg and broken ribs.

All 33 cattle from the herd will be sold at Shrewsbury Auction Centre as part of auctioneers Halls annual sale of British Blue Cattle.

The herd was established in tribute to Emyrs beloved wife, Evelyn, who died of ovarian cancer aged 69 in 2015.

Over the past seven years, Emyr, who lives at Deytheur, Llansantffraid, has raised 121,691 for Ovarian Cancer Action and RABI from selling his cattle and books.

All proceeds from the herds sale on 4 March will go to the same charities.

Emyrs niece, Laura Pritchard, who has helped him with the herd since it was established in 2016, says they hope to raise 100,000 from the auction.

His mission is to support deprived farmers through RABI and to raise public awareness about ovarian cancer through Ovarian Cancer Action.

Jonny Dymond, Halls senior auctioneer said: We are honoured to be the chosen auctioneers for this most significant dispersal sale for the family, the breed and the charities.

It is a truly unique herd and the journey Emyr Wigley has been on deserves all our admiration.

Before their retirement, Emyr and Evelyn were dairy farmers for more than 20 years and also had a small group of British Blues which she loved.

It was therefore an obvious choice to form a small breeding herd of British Blues in her memory.

The herd is bred to AI, is Level 1 herd health, totally closed and grazes in paddocks that are double fenced alongside badger-proof fencing for bio-security TB prevention.

Emyr thanked everyone who had helped him establish the charity herd and given their support since he was injured.

So much assistance has been given, from hours of work to donations of necessary equipment and substantial discounts on buildings, equipment and services, for which I will always be grateful, he said.

Laura says her uncle is very lucky to be alive. She was with him grooming the previously docile bull, which was tied in a pen, when it suddenly became spooked and ended up crushing and trampling Emyr.

She risked her own life to rescue him from the pen before he was transferred to hospital. I love him to bits, said Laura.

We are very close because I have spent much of my life with him and my late aunt.

Laura does all the online admin work and social media connected with the herd. This is the only herd in Britain which donates all proceeds from cattle sales to charity.

We are hoping to raise 100k from the herds sale, as there is already a lot of interest because of the good breeding, the highest possible herd health with no vaccinations of any sort. The herd has generations of natural calving traits.

My uncle is working flat out on his mobile phone organising the sale, with me in the background. The surrounding farming community has been beyond excellent with their support since he was injured.
Sheep farmers are sharing their experiences of out-of-control dog attacks as part of a new survey looking at the crime's impact on the sector.

An increasing number of horrific dog attacks on livestock have been reported across the country following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The latest figures based on claims data from NFU Mutual estimates that dog attacks on UK farm animals cost 1.8m in 2022.

In England, the Midlands was the worst-hit region by cost, with dog attacks on livestock costing an estimated 313,000, followed by the South West (273,000).

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has launched its 2023 sheep worrying by dogs survey in response.

The group said many farmers experience problems with dogs chasing and attacking sheep on a weekly basis.

The survey aims to gather data and inform government policy direction on the topic.

NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker said: Sheep farmers across the UK are regularly faced with the dreadful consequences of sheep worrying by dogs.

"Attacks not only compromise animal welfare but also cause great stress, anxiety and financial loss to farmers themselves."

He added: Your contribution helps to create a more accurate representation on the intensity of the issue, critical for NSA when working towards increased understanding of the problem."

The 2023 survey, which closes on 15 March, includes elements seeking information on sheep farmers' experiences and their thoughts on how the issue could be resolved.

Through the survey, the NSA said it hoped to ensure the best possible voice could be put forward to trigger legal and cultural changes.
NI pig producers who have been financially impacted by the effects of increasing input costs will receive a boost as a new support scheme opens today.

The 1.6 million Department of Agriculture (DAERA) scheme opens for pig producers to apply for until the deadline of 21 February.

The funding will help cover the financial losses farmers have endured over the past number of months due to market volatility and soaring input costs.

Responding, the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) said the scheme was a 'much-needed boost' for the crisis-hit sector.

The opening of DAERAs pig support scheme today will be well received by our members," said UFU deputy president, John McLenaghan.

"Although the support scheme will not be enough to cover all the losses incurred for pig producers, it will help with cashflow supporting both our family farms and the Northern Ireland pork industry.

The UFU lobbied continuously to get this funding secured and we thank DAERA for taking our concerns on board and rolling out the scheme."

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 21 February 2023.

It follows news that an eagerly-awaited report by Defra on its review of the pork supply chain could be released very soon.

More than 300 people had responded to the consultation on contractual relations in the UK pig supply chain, which was launched last autumn.
Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra have finally tied the knot. After seeing Kiara in several on-screen bridal looks, its obvious that the world waited with bated breath to see her as a real life one. Given the multitude of times that the actor has worn designer Manish Malhotra, we had little to no doubts that she would turn to him for designing her wedding lehenga. After several speculations of the colour of her lehenga that dominated the internet in the hours leading up to the ceremony (pink and silver were leading contenders), pictures of the bride wearing a pink lehenga with golden embroidery have finally emerged. And were here for it.





Image: Instagram

Kiaras lehenga, that Manish Malhotra defines as empress rose-coloured, featured intricate embroidery with real Swarovski crystals and motifs inspired by ancient Roman architecture  an ode to the special bond that the couple shares with the city. The blouse is also a signature MM blouse with a classic sweetheart neckline. The veil featured scallop hem with fuschia border.

Image: Instagram



For the jewellery, instead of wearing good ol polki and jadau, Kiara wore a hand cut diamonds and Zambian emeralds necklace with matching earrings and a diamond-encrusted maang tikka designed by Manish Malhotra too, from his newest line, Manish Malhotra Jewellery. She also wore a diamond haath phool, reviving the jewellery trend, and also added the exquisite-looking kaleeras with pastel detailing.

What did you think of Kiara Advanis bridal look?



Also Read: Athiya Shettys Subverting Bridal Rules With Her Anamika Khanna Lehenga
Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk answers reporters' questions in front of the Seoul Central District Court, Friday, after being sentenced to two years in prison for academic fraud and other charges. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho





By Jun Ji-hye







Seoul National University has decided to begin procedures to take disciplinary action against Cho Kuk, a former justice minister and close aide of former President Moon Jae-in, after he was convicted of academic fraud and other charges at a district court last week, university officials said Wednesday.







Cho used to teach law at the university until he was appointed as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs upon the inauguration of the Moon administration.







"We will resume relevant procedures following the court ruling," a university official said. "After reviewing the ruling, a disciplinary committee will hold its meeting."







The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the former minister to two years in prison last Friday on multiple charges, including using his influence to help his children receive academic favors to gain entry into universities and graduate schools, including a medical school.







Other charges included abusing his power to interfere with an inspection into bribery allegations involving a former Busan vice mayor, another aide of Moon, and receiving bribes worth 6 million won ($4,800) in the form of a scholarship for his daughter.







The court, however, did not incarcerate him immediately, citing a low flight risk.







The disciplinary policies of the university stipulate that its president can ask the disciplinary committee to determine punishment when a staff member violates the law or engages in activities that tarnish its dignity.







Although controversies surrounding Cho flared up following his 2019 indictment, Oh Se-jung, the university's president at the time, postponed disciplinary procedures, stating the prosecution's investigation would be insufficient to fully prove the charges against Cho.







Last July, Oh belatedly asked the committee to decide on a punishment for Cho, but the committee also deferred its decision, citing that the court had yet to hand down its judgment.







Following the recent court ruling, the university has been placed in a situation where it can no longer postpone the procedures.







In response, Cho claimed that disciplinary procedures should continue to be put off until a final ruling is issued in the Supreme Court.







The former minister has already appealed to a higher court against the decision made by the district court.







"As Cho lodged an appeal, the university should respect the presumption of innocence and halt the disciplinary procedures," Cho's lawyer said in a statement delivered to the university.







Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, spokesman of the ruling People Power Party, criticized this. "I hope Cho talks about the presumption of innocence in court, not at the university, and takes responsibility for his wrongdoings," he said.


Cambodias trade with the nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was worth $16.053 billion last yearup by 1.4 per cent from $15.838 million in 2021. Its exports to the nine ASEAN members rose by 13 per cent from $2.914 billion in 2021 to $3.297 billion last year, making up 14.7 per cent of the $22.483 billion in total exports.

The trade figure with ASEAN nations was 30.62 per cent of the countrys $52.425 billion in foreign trade for the yeardown from a 32.99 per cent share in 2021, a ministry of commerce report said.

On the other hand, the countrys imports from ASEAN markets slid by 1.3 per cent from $12.924 billion in 2021 to $12.756 billion last year, and comprised 42.60 per cent of the $29.942 billion in total imports.

The value of Cambodia's trade with the nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was worth $16.053 billion last yearup by 1.4 per cent from $15.838 million in 2021. The figure was 30.62 per cent of the country's $52.425 billion in foreign trade for the yeardown from a 32.99 per cent share in 2021, a ministry of commerce report said.

Vietnam and Thailand alone represented 67.28 per cent of Cambodias trade with the nine other ASEAN countries in 2022, at $6.136 billion and $4.664 billion respectively, rising by 19.64 per cent and 14.22 per cent on a yearly basis, according to Cambodian media reports.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
JYVASKYLA, Finland, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nippon Dynawave Packaging, manufacturer of the highest quality paperboard for cartons and cups, has chosen Procemex to provide a 3D Crystal Web Inspection solution for their L3 product line.





The Procemex 3D web inspection solution will ensure that the product of the paper machine will be free from paper machine defects such as indents, outdents, wrinkles, and other by-products of the paper making process.

Previous to selecting Procemex as their quality partner for years to come, Nippon Dynawave Packaging and Procemex conducted an on-machine trial to prove the capabilities of the 3D web inspection solution. The image quality and detection for the trial were overwhelming to the Nippon Dynawave Packaging team which resulted in moving forward with full defect detection capabilities. The 3D web inspection solution was be installed and commissioned in December 2022.

The Procemex defect detection solution is integrated with the already existing Procemex sheet break detection and web monitoring solution giving the L3 production line the capability to analyze root-causes of defects and thereby, increasing efficiency and improving the quality of the product.

The modern, integrated, and high-resolution Procemex web inspection and monitoring solution will provide Nippon Dynawave Packaging new possibilities and technical solutions to improve the production line efficiency. In addition, the product quality of liquid packaging will continue to fulfill end users' ever increasing quality requirements. With the advanced web inspection capabilities, the delivery will be equipped hardware and software solutions enabling advanced wrinkle detection, as well as indent and outdent detection capabilities.

About Nippon Dynawave Packaging

At Nippon Dynawave Packaging, the mission is to produce the highest quality paperboard, provide unsurpassed customer service and deliver technical, professional, and operational excellence in everything we do. We produce bleached paperboard used to make cartons and cups for liquids such as milk, juice, coffee and sake under the brand names Structure-Pak and Structure-Serv. Each year we produce 300,000 metric tons of paperboard, which is equivalent to 6 billion liter-sized milk cartons.

Our facility has been manufacturing liquid packaging board in Longview Washington since 1953. On September 1, 2016 Nippon Dynawave Packaging celebrated our first day operating the facility as a new subsidiary of Nippon Paper Industries. We produce coated and uncoated liquid packaging board for sales to converting customers in North America, Asia and around the world.

Nippon Dynawave Packaging, is a subsidiary of the Nippon Paper Group. Our company aims to create value through developing products that contribute to better living and cultural progress in a sustainable manner. By sourcing our fiber from legal and sustainable forestry operations in our region, and adhering to our chain of custody certifications under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Forest Stewardship Council  (FSC ) C131932, Nippon Dynawave demonstrates our commitment to sustainability. The Nippon Paper Group is a comprehensive biomass company that is focused on shaping the future with trees. www.nippondynawave.com.

About Procemex

Procemex is a global leader in integrated web monitoring and web inspection solutions in board, paper, pulp and printing industry. Procemex develops, designs and delivers the fastest and most accurate smart camera-based solutions worldwide.

Founded in 2000, Procemex has gained leading expertise in the industry. Thanks to its solid roots, Procemex has acquired a unique understanding of production processes while the core excellence is in mastering optical imaging and image processing.

Procemex helps paper, board and pulp companies worldwide secure their product quality and minimize expensive production downtime.

Procemex is headquartered in central Finland with regional offices in the U.S., Germany, and Japan.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1996384/Procemex_Oy.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nippon-dynawave-packaging-increases-superior-product-quality-with-procemex-web-inspection-solution-301739527.html




TOKYO, Feb 8, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Fukuoka Prefecture, Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT), and Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) have entered an agreement to conduct trials of a small fuel cell electric bus (FC bus) that runs on hydrogen, an environmentally-friendly next-generation energy source, on the BRT Hikoboshi Line (officially "Hitahikosan Line BRT"), a bus rapid transit system planned for launch around the summer of 2023.This initiative will be the first implementation of the partnership agreement between Fukuoka Prefecture and CJPT, entered into on December 26 last year, to expand commercial FC mobility and create a sustainable hydrogen society with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality. Fukuoka Prefecture and CJPT will work with JR Kyushu to hold the trials with a view to bringing FC mobility to local transportation.With the cooperation of communities along the line, JR Kyushu is working toward the launch of the BRT Hikoboshi Line, which is under development based on the concept of being "kind to people, communities, and the future." Expectations are that the trials of a next-generation small FC bus will further advance efforts toward regional development as an environmentally friendly transportation option.Going forward, Fukuoka Prefecture, CJPT, and JR Kyushu will collaborate in preparing to launch the trial runs as follows.1. Overview of the initiativeTrial runs for the practical application of next-generation small FC buses that run on hydrogen energySignificance and aims of the trials- The trials aim to deepen awareness of hydrogen as a future energy source by using it to operate a local transportation system familiar to residents while achieving region-wide sustainable growth.- By verifying the feasibility of adopting FC mobility, the trials will increase the options for local transportation and help create a green transportation system.- While bringing the use of hydrogen to local transportation, the trials will lead to the development of areas along the Hitahikosan Line BRT.Roles of each partyFukuoka Prefecture: Overall coordination and support for improving the environment of the trial runs CJPT: Development planning for the next-generation hydrogen bus and coordination of the trial vehicle JR Kyushu: Operation of the trial vehicle on the BRT Hikoboshi Line2. Trial vehicleVehicle stylingDrawing on the image of hydrogen as an environmentally friendly energy, the trial vehicle is styled to reflect the blue skies prevalent along the route of the BRT Hikoboshi Line. The use of a pattern that depicts the flowing robes of Orihime-a name for star Vega and lover of Hikoboshi (the star Altair) from Japanese legend-creates a unified and original styling for all vehicles to operate on the BRT Hikoboshi Line.Vehicle overviewSmall FC bus 1 vehicleFC bus based on the Toyota Coaster, 20-seater(1) with actual seating for 14 (planned)Length x Width x Height 6,990 mm x 2,100 mm x 2,630 mmSecond-generation FC system from Mirai FCEV, with outstanding environmental performance of zero CO2 emissions during operation(2)Trial periodApproximately fall 2023 to spring 2025 (planned)Additional informationDetailed information, including the start date and timetables of the trial to be conducted prior to the trial runs and the actual trial runs, will be announced at a later date.(1) Includes driver's seat(2) FC mobility options are environmentally friendly vehicles that use a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, which does not generate CO2 emissions during use.For more information, visit https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/38698094.html.Source: Toyota Motor CorporationCopyright 2023 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Miami Beach, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - February 7, 2023) - The Smoking Pie, which once resided in New York City, has since relocated to Miami Beach, where it has been updating its menu to feature quality ingredients. Most recently, the brand has begun featuring pasta on its menu.





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8668/153873_74f14d8c4447fb79_001full.jpg

A Black owned business, The Smoking Pie is owned and operated by Michael Laboy, alongside his wife, and works to redefine the traditional pizza pie. The company's menu is extensive, featuring a wide array of pizzas, cocktails, appetizers, and newly, pastas. The Smoking Pie aims to branch out and provide a unique experience to its patrons.

As a combination bar, lounge and restaurant, The Smoking Pizza offers a menu that includes 12", personal pizza pies that come in a variety of artisanal and unique flavors.

Some of the more popular pizza flavors are inspired by the tastes of Miami Beach- the Pizza a la Lobster, and the Shrimp Scampi Pie. Their namesake pizza, "The Smoking Pie", includes both lobster and shrimp, along with a homemade vodka sauce and mozzarella cheese. This pizzeria is creating a robust rotation of menu options in hopes of satisfying a wide variety of customers.

The Smoking Pie is a space exclusively for adults, and offers signature cocktails that pair with their pies. The menu is always updating.

"Change is the only thing that is constant in business," says Laboy, "and no one can make any profits with age-old thinking methods. An entrepreneur should always have an open mind to learn new things."

The pasta that The Smoking Pie serves includes Chicken Parm, Mac and Cheese, Penne a la Vodka, and Rasta Pasta.

The Smoking Pie is a restaurant and bar/lounge that serves pizza pies as well as drinks and offers a Hookah service. The company is excited about its two year anniversary since its relocation in Miami Beach, Florida. The store is located at 1625 Michigan Ave, and operates as an adults only pizzeria. For more information regarding The Smoking Pie, visit their website.

Michael Laboy

info@thesmokingpie.com

(305) 397-8404

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153873


Water electrolysis hydrogen generator

TOKYO, Feb 8, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - A review article by a team of researchers supported by the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) has been published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, a world-renowned scientific journal issued by the Dutch academic publisher Elsevier.Title: Influence of renewable energy power fluctuations on water electrolysis for green hydrogen productionAuthors:- Hirokazu Kojima (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)- Kensaku Nagasawa (Yokohama National University)- Naoto Todoroki (Tohoku University)- Yoshikazu Ito (University of Tsukuba)- Toshiaki Matsui (Kyoto University)- Ryo Nakajima (techno2050 NAKAJIMA PE Office TMF Advisor)Website (English): www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319922052028To realize a decarbonized society, the introduction of a large amount of renewable energy is essential. However, renewable energy is characterized by the fact that its ability to generate power fluctuates depending on the weather and the time of day. There is hope that hydrogen can serve as a regulating force to adjust such fluctuations in power, and water electrolysis is a key technology for converting that energy.This review article investigated a wide range of issues for each major water electrolysis method, such as restrictions on using renewable energy as a power source for water electrolysis, the durability of water electrolyzers, and catalyst degradation. It then described the performance requirements for water electrolysis systems and materials that can adapt to renewable energy fluctuations and the issues that need to be discussed going forward.TMF has positioned environmental and energy issues as important themes for a sustainable mobility society, and in 2017, established the "Research Program to Support Innovative Hydrogen Energy Solutions" that targets carbon-free hydrogen (green hydrogen) cost reductions across the entire hydrogen supply chain of "producing," "transporting," and "using." In this program, 29 promising research themes have been selected and provided grants through open calls over three years. Additionally, regular evaluations and advice by an evaluation committee of experts in hydrogen and energy systems and opportunities for exchanges and mutual study among selected researchers have been provided.In October 2020, the Japanese government made a "Carbon Neutrality by 2050" declaration. For realizing a decarbonized society, in addition to supporting basic research by individual researchers, in April 2021, TMF started a new joint research program to be conducted by teams of researchers. In this joint research program, two working groups (WG) were formed to focus on two important themes for realizing a decarbonized society, "Hydrogen Society & Energy Systems" and "Water Electrolysis." Five researchers for each WG were selected under the "Research Program to Support Innovative Hydrogen Energy Solutions."Based on information obtained by conducting literature reviews on the impact of renewable energy power fluctuations on water electrolysis systems, the research team has started research using a practical water electrolysis device installed with the cooperation of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. To date, few published studies have investigated the behavior, performance degradation, and effects on durability caused by fluctuations in renewable energy power output using actual equipment. The results of this study are expected to contribute to solving problems related to improving performance and reducing the costs of water electrolysis.Device specifications: Solid polymer (PEM) type water electrolysis hydrogen generatorHydrogen production capacity: 10Nm3/hLocation: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Fukushima Renewable Energy InstituteSince its founding, the Toyota Motor Corporation has conducted its business activities with the aim of creating a prosperous society through automobiles while respecting all stakeholders, including customers, business partners, employees, and the local communities in which it operates. Accordingly, Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) was established in August 2014 to conduct activities that benefit the public good.Aiming to realize a mobility society where everyone can move about freely, TMF is working to solve mobility issues worldwide through a diverse range of projects. Going forward, the Toyota Group, working in cooperation with various partners and utilizing the technologies and knowhow it has cultivated through its business activities, will continue to promote undertakings that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while contributing to the realization of a society where people can lead rich and fulfilling lives.Source: Toyota Motor CorporationCopyright 2023 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French Financial services major Societe Generale Group (SCGLF.PK, SCGLY.PK) reported Wednesday that its fourth-quarter Group net income fell 35.1 percent to 1.16 billion euros from last year's 1.79 billion euros. Underlying Group net income was 1.13 billion euros, compared to 1.23 billion euros a year ago. Operating income fell 5.4 percent from last year to 1.86 billion euros, while gross operating income grew 10.7 percent to 2.28 billion euros. Net banking income was 6.89 billion euros, up 4 percent from prior year's 6.62 billion euros. Underlying net banking income grew 6 percent. Further, the Board of Directors approved its distribution policy to an equivalent of 2.25 euros per share. A cash dividend of 1.70 euros per share will be proposed at the General Meeting of Shareholders on May 23. The dividend will be detached on May 30 and paid out on June 1. In addition, the company is planning to launch a share buyback programme for a total of around 440 million euros, i.e., equivalent to 0.55 euro per share. Looking ahead for fiscal 2023, the company expects a transition year, with the negative impacts related to the end of the TLTRO benefit and to the specific functioning of the French retail banking market. Underlying cost to income ratio, excluding contribution to the Single Resolution Fund, is expected at between 66 percent and 68 percent. Cost of risk is expected at between 30 and 35 basis points Further, the company confirmed fiscal 2025 financial targets. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Pratteln, Switzerland, February 8, 2023 - Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) announces that it has secured a finalreimbursement agreement with the French authorities related to Raxone(idebenone)for the treatment of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and sales are expected to resume shortly. In addition, the Company plans to submit a request in France in the near-term for an early access program for vamorolone for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Since its introduction in 2015, Raxone was available to patients in France for the treatment of LHON and reimbursed under a temporary financing scheme (formerly known as ATU). From August 2021, after the French authorities challenged the temporary pricing and removed Raxone from the list of reimbursed drugs under an ATU, Santhera has supplied LHON patients with Raxone free of charge in order to secure uninterrupted access. Reimbursement discussions have now concluded with an agreement on Raxone pricing. Shortly, Raxone will be on the list of reimbursed products in France, and Santhera can resume generating sales.

The newly agreed price for Raxone in France is lower than the price applied under the temporary pricing scheme, leading to a settlement payment, as announced earlier. Santhera will make repayments in the total amount of approximately EUR 25 million, with 30% due around mid-2024 and the remainder one year later. The Company has already made accruals for such payments and published these in the interim results for the period to June 30, 2022. The first payment is currently expected to be covered by sales generated until mid-2024, while the majority of the second payment will be covered by sales beyond mid-2025. Outside of France and North America, Santhera has outlicensed Raxone to Chiesi Group.

"We are glad to have reached an agreement with the French authorities on the matter of Raxone reimbursement. Most importantly, we are very pleased that we have succeeded in maintaining access to therapeutic care by providing Raxone without any interruption to patients suffering from this devastating disease," said Dario Eklund, CEO of Santhera. "This settlement now enables us to progress discussions on completing outlicensing of Raxone which are further supported by encouraging clinical data with Raxone from studies completed in the recent past. Meanwhile, we remain fully focused on advancing our lead candidate vamorolone for DMD towards approval and market entry in the U.S. and the EU in late 2023 earliest."

Santhera plans to submit a request for a vamorolone early access program (AAP, autorisation d'acces precoce) in France. Once approved, this program would enable early availability of vamorolone to patients and could generate product sales in France in the second half of 2023, ahead of an approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Earlier in January, Santhera announced FDA acceptance of the new drug application (NDA) for vamorolone for DMD for filing. Subject to approval, Santhera plans to launch vamorolone in the U.S. in Q4-2023. European marketing authorization application (MAA) for vamorolone has been validated and is under review by the EMA which could pave the way for a first EU launch in late 2023.

About Santhera

Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) is a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines for rare neuromuscular and pulmonary diseases with high unmet medical need. The Company has an exclusive license for all indications worldwide to vamorolone, a dissociative steroid with novel mode of action, which was investigated in a pivotal study in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) as an alternative to standard corticosteroids. Santhera has a new drug application (NDA) under review by the U.S. FDA and a marketing authorization application (MAA) under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for vamorolone for the treatment of DMD. The clinical stage pipeline also includes lonodelestat to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) and other neutrophilic pulmonary diseases. Santhera out-licensed rights to its first approved product, Raxone (idebenone), outside North America and France for the treatment of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) to Chiesi Group. For further information, please visit www.santhera.com .

Raxone is a trademark of Santhera Pharmaceuticals.

For further information please contact:

public-relations@santhera.comor

Eva Kalias, Head Investor Relations & Communications

Phone: +41 79 875 27 80

eva.kalias@santhera.com

Disclaimer / Forward-looking statements

This communication does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities of Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding AG. This publication may contain certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the Company 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. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

# # #

Attachment
PRESS RELEASE





Data from GLP i animal studies demonstrate safety of second-generation DSR ii product (DSR 2.0)

Data from Phase 1 stud y of DSR 2.0 in Mexico (CHIHUAHUA) and IND iii filing to US FDA expected in Q1 2023

Planning to start MOJAVE, a US Phase 1/2a randomized controlled multi-centerstudy of DSR 2.0,in Q2 2023





Ghent, Belgium - 08February 2023- Sequana Medical NV (Euronext Brussels: SEQUA) (the "Company" or "SequanaMedical"), a pioneer in the treatment of fluid overload in liver disease, heart failure and cancer, today announces the successful completion of its GLP animal studies, demonstrating the safety of its second-generation DSR product (DSR 2.0), following chronic exposure. These animal data, together with the data from the Phase 1 CHIHUAHUA study, are intended to support the US IND filing of DSR 2.0. FDA approval of the US IND will enable the Company to start MOJAVE, its randomized, controlled, multi-center Phase 1/2a US study of DSR 2.0, planned for Q2 2023.

The GLP studies were conducted on 30 healthy mice and 18 healthy sheep. Each animal study comprised of three study groups which included one control group using standard peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution and two test groups using Sequana Medical's proprietary DSR 2.0 product. The test groups consisted of one group being given the anticipated maximum standard dose and one group being given double of the maximum dose. The mice were exposed for 30 days, resembling their average life time, and the sheep were exposed for up to 45 days.

The purpose of these GLP studies was to evaluate the chronic exposure of DSR 2.0 on animal health and tissue of peritoneum, kidneys, omentum, and peritoneal cavity. Data from both studies reported that no difference in systemic and local toxic effects were observed in animals treated repeatedly with DSR 2.0, compared to animals in the control group, concluding that DSR 2.0 had consistent safety with the standard PD solution.

Oliver Godje, Chief Medical Officer at Sequana Medical, commented: "We are pleased to see these positive animal data of our second-generation DSR product, which is designed to deliver therapeutic and safety benefits over the first-generation DSR product. We have previously reported impressive clinical results from the SAHARA study with DSR 1.0 as a potential disease-modifying heart failure therapy, and we look forward to commencing MOJAVE, the first randomized controlled multi-centerstudy in the US using DSR 2.0."

On track to start M OJAVE with DSR 2.0 in Q2 2023

The Company is progressing the development of its proprietary DSR 2.0 product, a sodium-free dextrose / icodextrin solution expected to have an improved therapeutic and favourable safety profile, and robust intellectual property protection. Two ongoing Phase 1 interventional, single-centre, single-arm studies, one in Canada (YUKON) and one in Mexico (CHIHUAHUA), are evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of DSR 2.0 and are expected to each enroll up to ten stable peritoneal dialysis patients to receive a single treatment of DSR 2.0, administered through their peritoneal dialysis catheter. The choice of peritoneal dialysis patients is driven by their pre-existing peritoneal dialysis catheter. Data from the GLP animal and Phase 1 CHIHUAHUA studies are intended to support the filing of the US IND, planned for Q1 2023.

Following several initial discussions with the FDA, MOJAVE, a randomized controlled Phase 1/2a US study of DSR 2.0, is on track to start in Q2 2023, assuming FDA approval of the US IND application. The intention is to enrol 30 diuretic-resistant chronic heart failure patients with persistent congestion, with 20 patients randomized to DSR 2.0 administered via a peritoneal catheter on top of usual care for congestive heart failure (CHF) for up to four weeks and ten patients randomized to intravenous loop diuretic treatment as part of maximized usual care for CHF alone. Following four weeks of treatment, there will be a three-month safety follow-up period. Prior to enrolment of these 30 patients, the intention is for three additional patients to be enrolled in a non-randomized safety cohort and to receive DSR 2.0 administered via a peritoneal catheter on top of CHF usual care for up to four weeks. Progression to the enrolment of the 30 randomized patients will be dependent upon DSMBiv approval following their review of the initial three patients. More details on the final study design will be announced following the FDA approval of the US IND application. Interim data of MOJAVE are expected in H2 2023 followed by top-line results in H2 2024.

For more information, please contact:

Sequana Medical

Lies Vanneste

Director Investor Relations

E: IR@sequanamedical.com

T: +32 (0)498 053579

Optimum Strategic Communications

Nick Bastin, Jonathan Edwards, Vici Rabbetts

E: Sequana@optimumcomms.com

T: +44 (0) 208 078 4357

About fluid overload in heart failure (AKA congestion)

Heart failure is the leading cause of US hospitalizations in patients over 65 years old and 90% of these admissions are due to fluid overload, which is recognized as the primary driver of morbidity and hospitalization. Standard of care includes treatment with diuretic drugs, but these have well-recognized toxicity and resistance issues. Half of the heart failure patients admitted for fluid overload are discharged with no clinically relevant loss of fluid and one in four is re-admitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. It is estimated that 200,000 of US heart failure patients have drug-resistant congestion requiring repeated hospitalization, severely impacting their survival and quality of life and creating a heavy financial burden.

About Sequana Medical

Sequana Medical NV is a pioneer in treating fluid overload, a serious and frequent clinical complication in patients with liver disease, heart failure and cancer. These patients can have up to 15 liters of extra fluid in their bodies, causing major medical issues including increased mortality, repeated hospitalizations, severe pain, difficult breathing and restricted mobility that severely impacts daily life. Although diuretics are standard of care, the problem is that in many patients they are no longer effective and / or tolerable. There are limited effective treatment options for these patients, resulting in poor clinical outcomes, high costs and a major impact on their quality of life. Sequana Medical is seeking to provide innovative treatment options for this large and growing "diuretic-resistant" patient population.

alfapump and DSR are Sequana Medical's proprietary platforms that work with the body to treat diuretic-resistant fluid overload, delivering major clinical and quality of life benefits for patients and reducing costs for healthcare systems. The Company has reported positive primary endpoint data from the North American pivotal POSEIDON study of the alfapump in recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis, enabling the filing of a Pre-Market Approval (PMA) application with the FDA, planned for H2 2023. Having delivered clinical proof-of-concept for DSR as a disease-modifying drug program for the treatment of heart failure, the Company is planning to commence MOJAVE, a US multi-centered randomized controlled Phase 1/2a clinical study of DSR 2.0, in Q2 2023.

Sequana Medical is listed on Euronext Brussels.

Important Regulatory Disclaimers

The alfapump system is currently not approved in the United States or Canada. In the United States and Canada, the alfapump system is currently under clinical investigation (POSEIDON Study) and is being studied in adult patients with refractory or recurrent ascites due to cirrhosis. For more information regarding the POSEIDON clinical study see www.poseidonstudy.com. DSR therapy is still in development and it should be noted that any statements regarding safety and efficacy arise from ongoing pre-clinical and clinical investigations which have yet to be completed. DSR therapy is currently not approved for clinical research in the United States or Canada. There is no link between DSR therapy and ongoing investigations with the alfapump system in Europe, the United States or Canada.

Note: alfapump is a registered trademark. DSR is a registered trademark in the Benelux, China, the EU, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong.

Forward-looking statements

This press release may contain predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements represent the current judgment of Sequana Medical on what the future holds, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Sequana Medical expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release, except if specifically required to do so by law or regulation. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of Sequana Medical only as of the date of this press release.

i GLP: Good Laboratory Practices

ii DSR: Direct Sodium Removal

iii IND: Investigational New Drug

iv DSMB: Data and Safety Monitoring Board

Attachments
Network Integrity Systems has released a new article promoting Fiber Optic Sensing Technology.

Hickory, North Carolina--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Attacks on substations are becoming more frequent across the country, creating new discussions about how to protect the nation's electrical grid from becoming a critical infrastructure crisis. In a recent article, Network Integrity Systems (NIS) offers modern sensing technologies to detect attempted intrusions in real time and help protect substations from ambush.





Network Integrity Systems Released Information on Fiber Optic Sensing Technology

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/154067_4b5c65ea5461fb2a_001full.jpg

The article begins by looking back ten years ago on how the Pacific Gas and Electric Power substation (Metcalf Energy Center) was attacked in San Jose, California, nearly causing catastrophic damage to the area. Attackers entered the facility undetected, firing rifle shots at the station's transformers. Because the station was only equipped with remote alarms and not higher security protection, authorities only received information that the transformers were overheating, leading responders to arrive almost an hour after the attack was over. Perpetrators have still not been identified.

Fast forward to 2022, and similar attacks continue in Oregon, Washington, and North Carolina. However, these attacks have resulted in widespread power outages lasting for days, leading to catastrophic damages.

According to NIS, fiber optic sensing technology could have prevented these attacks. Installing NIS' sensor around the substation's perimeter would have detected the perimeter breach, which allowed the escalation of the attack. In the Metcalf case, the intruders began the attack by entering an underground communications vault and cutting the cable; NIS' solutions would have detected that initial intrusion allowing authorities to respond and thwart the attack.

An excerpt from the Network Integrity Systems article reads, "Not only would the severed cables have resulted in instant alarms, but the mere act of handling the cables to make the cuts would have been detected." With the implementation of fiber optic sensing technology, attacks made on substations can be neutralized.

NIS' INTERCEPTOR and VANGUARD data security solutions and their SENTINEL perimeter and asset protection solutions use fiber optic sensing technology to protect power stations, government and military facilities, National Security Information, data centers, and other critical infrastructure sectors.

To read the full article, visit the link here.

Contact Info:

Name: Amanda Hetzel

Email: amanda.hetzel@networkintegritysystems.com

Organization: Network Integrity Systems

Address: 1937 Tate Blvd. SE , Hickory, NC 28602, United States

Website: https://www.networkintegritysystems.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154067
Carbonplace becomes independent entity based in London , led by new CEO Scott Eaton .

, led by new CEO . USD 45 million in funding received from Carbonplace's nine founder banks: BBVA, BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest, Standard Chartered, SMBC and UBS.

in funding received from Carbonplace's nine founder banks: BBVA, BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest, Standard Chartered, SMBC and UBS. Carbonplace to leverage capital injection to scale platform, grow team and expand services to additional banks and carbon market participants, including registries and marketplaces.

LONDON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Carbon credit transaction network Carbonplace has raised USD 45 million in a strategic round of investment and formed its own entity, it was announced today.

Carbonplace, which connects buyers and sellers of carbon credits through their banks, secured the seed funding from the financial institutions which founded the fintech: BBVA, BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest, Standard Chartered, SMBC and UBS. Through the investment, each bank shares equal equity ownership in the new company which is expected to launch its platform later this year.

Headquartered in London, Carbonplace will be led by CEO Scott Eaton. Eaton, who has held a number of senior leadership roles in?financial technology and capital markets, is joining from capital markets fintech Nivaura, where he served as CEO. Prior to Nivaura, he was CEO of Algomi from 2018 until its sale to BGC in 2020. From 2015-2018, Scott was COO at fixed income trading platform provider MarketAxess.

The capital injection represents a commitment from some of the world's largest financial institutions, which account for nearly USD 9 trillion in total assets, to achieve Carbonplace's vision of accelerating corporate climate action by providing transparent, secure and accessible carbon markets.

The new company intends to leverage this investment to scale the platform and its team to expand services to a wider client base of financial institutions and accelerate partnerships with additional carbon market participants, including registries and marketplaces around the world.

Scott Eaton: "With Carbonplace, we are transforming the way that carbon credits are bought, distributed, held and retired. I am excited to take this company to the next level of its evolution, and to help unlock its massive potential to drive significant economic and social value by opening the carbon markets up to the world."

Carbonplace, which has been likened to the SWIFT of the carbon markets, has already piloted trades with a host of buyers, sellers, registries, and exchanges, including global payments technology company Visa, and Singapore-based marketplace Climate Impact X.

Robert Begbie, CEO, NatWest Markets: "Carbonplace creates an efficient and secure network for carbon credit transactions. According to McKinsey, global demand for voluntary carbon credits is likely to increase by a factor of 15 in the next seven years. To meet that demand,?Carbonplace is delivering a reliable, secure and scalable technology that will form a crucial part of the infrastructure for carbon markets to drive climate action at scale."

Building on its user banks' highly regulated and standardized compliance frameworks, Carbonplace ensures transparent and simple customer-to-customer transactions by enabling frictionless counterparty due diligence and onboarding. Carbon credit buyers and sellers can also share information in real-time, ensuring traceable and streamlined settlement of carbon credit transactions, with the retirement of credits within minutes. Digital wallets enable owners to reliably demonstrate ownership to the market, reducing the risks of double counting and simplifying reporting.

* The closing of Itau Unibanco's acquisition of ownership shall occur following approval of the Central Bank of Brazil.

About Carbonplace Limited

Carbonplace Limited is a global carbon credit transaction network headquartered in London which has been developed by nine of the world's foremost financial institutions: BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest Group, BBVA, SMBC, Standard Chartered and UBS.

Expected to launch later this year, Carbonplace will enable the simple, transparent, and secure transfer of certified carbon credits. The fintech, which has been likened to the SWIFT of the carbon markets, will fundamentally transform how carbon credits are bought and sold by allowing simultaneous settlement of carbon credits, with immediate transfer of ownership upon payment - ensuring robust reporting and traceability during the entire carbon credit transfer process, and will be available to clients of financial institutions wanting to deliver secure and transparent access to the carbon markets.

About Scott Eaton

Scott Eaton has over 30 years of financial services experience, ranging from corporate finance to trading structured credit to fintech. Most recently, Scott was CEO of capital markets automation startup Nivaura and before that he was CEO of London based fintech company Algomi, which he led until its sale to BGC in 2020. From 2015-2018, Eaton was COO at fixed income trading platform provider MarketAxess. Prior to MarketAxess, Eaton held various senior roles at ABN Amro, Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank, and at UniCredit where he was global head of emerging markets trading.

Scott has a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and a BA in Economics from Colorado College. Scott currently serves on the board of trustees for the educational charity City Pay It Forward.

Contact

Tom Buchanan

www.carbonplace.com

carbonplace@browningenvironmental.com

+44.7585-034895

Notes to editors:

The voluntary carbon market has a critical role in supporting the transition of corporations to net zero greenhouse gas emissions, as part of their climate action strategies. Carbon credits can be used by corporations looking to compensate for emissions that they cannot reduce or remove. The credits fund high-quality projects that remove such emissions from the atmosphere.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/carbonplace-announces-new-ceo-secures-usd-45-million-in-funding-301741179.html
An elderly man looks at job postings at a recruitment fair for seniors held in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, June 21, 2022. Yonhap



By Lee Hyo-jin



A debate has erupted over raising the cut-off age of senior citizens after several local governments revealed plans to raise the eligibility age for free subway rides. The cutoff point for old age currently stands at 65 in Korea.



Discussions on redefining the start of old age are expected to gain traction as the government is reviewing extending the subscription period of the national pension and delaying the age of pension benefits.



The rationale behind such moves is to reduce the government's surging social welfare spending burden as Korea sees a steep increase in the elderly population. However, some critics point out that raising the official age of senior citizens may only worsen the country's elderly poverty rate, which already stands at the highest level among OECD member countries.



The official cutoff point for old age has remained at 65 since 1981 with the establishment of the Senior Citizen Welfare Act. But the proportion of elderly people in Korea's population has been rising steeply  from 3.9 percent in 1981 to 17.5 percent in 2022  mounting fiscal pressure on the government's welfare budget for senior citizens.



Free subway rides are one of the major welfare benefits offered to seniors aged 65 and over by local governments, as well as subsidized medical costs and free tickets or discounts to national parks and museums.



Some metropolitan governments, including Seoul and Daegu, are seeking to raise the eligibility age of free subway rides to 70, in a bid to stem the snowballing deficit incurred by the welfare policy.



The Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which vowed to reform Korea's pension system, is actively discussing whether to delay the eligibility age of receiving retirement benefits.



Although detailed measures have yet to be announced, an advisory committee of experts under the National Assembly's pension reform committee recently proposed gradually increasing the entitlement age for benefits to 67 from the current 62.



Such moves by the central and local governments are aimed at easing the fiscal burden posed by the surging elderly population.



However, experts say authorities should take a prudent approach in redefining the start of old age. It is true that Koreans are now living longer than in the past and there is a growing perception that age is just a number. But this does not mean that the quality of life has been improving for senior citizens.



"People in their 60s nowadays are more healthy both physically and mentally, and more socially active than people in their 60s decades ago," said Jeong Soon-dool, a professor of social welfare at Ewha Womans University. "In that sense, it is time for us to begin discussions about redefining from what age people should be considered old."



But Jeong said raising the official age must be accompanied by measures to minimize the so-called "income crevasse"  a gap between the age that people become pensioners and the actual age they retire. The official retirement age is currently 60, which creates a three-year gap between retirement and the entitlement age for pension benefits set at 63.



"If such issues are not addressed preemptively, raising the official start of old age could backfire," she said. "Korea's relative poverty rate among people aged 65 is currently the highest among OECD member states."



In the case of raising the eligibility age for free subway rides, the professor said age should not be the only factor to be considered.



"In many other countries, free public transit passes for the elderly are offered in a flexible manner depending on an individuals' income level or by setting specific times for seniors to travel for free, except during rush hours," she said.


HELSINKI, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nomentia announced today that it had entered into a partnership with Finance and Treasury Services (FTS). The partnership calls for FTS to support the implementation of Nomentia solutions for new clients working closely with Nomentia. In addition, FTS will assist Nomentia with project management and technical implementation for clients in the DACH region.

"We are excited to welcome FTS as an implementation partner," said Karl-Henrik Sundberg, Head of Partnerships at Nomentia. "Their strong treasury acumen will be an asset for delivering excellent implementation projects for our clients in the DACH region."

As an authorized Nomentia partner, FTS has the capability and the knowledge to deliver outstanding implementation projects to new clients in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Consultants from FTS have already been working with Nomentia to become experts on implementing in-house bank, liquidity management, among other cash and treasury management solutions.

"Implementation projects are always intriguing as questions or additional requests may arise that have not been predictable before the start of the project. Supporting Nomentia as an independent treasury services provider with our deep expertise and knowledge in treasury, we can provide clients with a remarkable implementation experience and support throughout the project and beyond," said Michaela Friedrich, Managing Director at FTS.

CONTACT:

Barbara Babati

Head of Marketing, Nomentia

barbara.babati@nomentia.com

+358407623356

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nomentia-and-fts-enter-into-a-partnership-to-implement-cash--treasury-management-projects-301741695.html
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - F3 Uranium Corp (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) ("F3" or "the Company") is pleased to announce results from the first eight drill holes of the 20-hole winter drill program at the JR Zone on the Patterson Lake North ("PLN") Property. Most significantly, continuity of high grade mineralization has been established along strike towards the south with hole PLN23-048 on line 030S, which hit 14.0m total composite mineralization with 4.0m of >40,000 cps, including 0.5m of "offscale" or >65,535 cps, a 30m stepout from the discovery hole. Out of the eight reported drill holes, seven are mineralized and five have high grade mineralization with radioactivity >10,000 cps.

Mineralization was further defined on section 00N up dip and towards the Athabasca Unconformity of hole PLN22-041 (see news release Feb 6, 2023) with hole PLN23-047.

Raymond Ashley, Vice President Exploration, commented:

"The drill program started by testing the depth extent of the zone, while also testing it along strike from the discovery area on line 00N. The team is becoming familiar with the geology and controls on mineralization on the JR Zone which is currently defined over an area measuring approximately 45m by 50m and have identified strong continuity of high grade mineralization along strike towards the south as the program continues to explore that direction to increase the total mineralized strike length. Additionally, we are continuing to drill test further towards the unconformity, with the objective to test the intersection of the A1 main shear zone at the unconformity."

Drilling Highlight:

PLN23-048 (line 30S):

14.0m total composite mineralization from 246.5m - 260.5m, including 4.0m mineralization of >40,000 cps radioactivity from 249.0m - 253.0 m with 0.5m of >65,535 cps from 252.0m - 252.5 m

total composite mineralization from 246.5m - 260.5m, including

Main Intercepts:

PLN23-044 (line 015S):

6.0m total composite mineralization over a 10.m section from 226.0m - 236.0m, including 0.5m mineralization of >10,000 cps radioactivity

total composite mineralization over a 10.m section from 226.0m - 236.0m, including

PLN23-046 (line 015S):

3.5m mineralization from 261.5m - 265.0m, including 0.77m mineralization of >10,000 cps radioactivity

mineralization from 261.5m - 265.0m, including

PLN23-047 (line 00N):

7.5m total composite mineralization over a 10.5m section from 199.0m - 209.5m, including 1.1m total composite mineralization of >10,000 cps radioactivity

total composite mineralization over a 10.5m section from 199.0m - 209.5m, including

PLN23-049 (line 015N):

7.5m mineralization from 245.0m - 252.5m, including 0.2m mineralization of >10,000 cps radioactivity

mineralization from 245.0m - 252.5m, including

Mineralization remains open in all directions.

Natural gamma radiation in the drill core that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a handheld Radiation Solutions RS-125 scintillometer. The Company considers greater than 300 cps on the handheld spectrometer as anomalous, >10,000 cps as high grade and greater than 65,535 cps as off-scale. The reader is cautioned that scintillometer readings are not directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured and should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials. All depth measurements reported are down-hole and true thickness are yet to be determined. Samples from the drill core are split in half on site and are standardized at 0.5 m lengths. One half of the split sample will be submitted to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) in Saskatoon, SK. for lithogeochemical analysis using their "Uranium Package".

All depth measurements reported are down-hole and true thickness are yet to be determined but the Company estimates true thickness of the reported intervals in this news release to be close to reported interval widths.

Table 1. Drill Hole Summary and Handheld Spectrometer Results

Collar Information * Hand-held Spectrometer Results

On Mineralized Drillcore

(>300 cps / >0.5m minimum) Athabasca

Unconformity

Depth

(m) Total

Drillhole

Depth

(m) Hole ID Section Line Easting Northing Elevation Az Dip From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Max

CPS PLN22-042 015N 587734.0 6410786.2 546.0 51.6 -75.6 221.00 221.50 0.50 470 180.8 362 221.50 222.00 0.50 1100 222.00 222.50 0.50 720 222.50 223.00 0.50 410 PLN22-043 00N 587657.4 6410712.2 544.8 52.3 -65.3 265.00 265.50 0.50 320 212.6 386 265.50 266.00 0.50 830 266.00 266.50 0.50 530 266.50 267.00 0.50 1600 PLN22-044 015S 587724.9 6410743.2 545.4 53.3 -53.8 226.00 226.50 0.50 400 197.0 349 226.50 227.00 0.50 320 227.00 227.50 0.50 520 227.50 227.80 0.30 35200 227.80 228.00 0.20 6300 228.00 228.50 0.50 560 228.50 229.00 0.50 440 229.00 229.50 0.50 420 233.50 234.00 0.50 1400 234.00 234.50 0.50 310 234.50 235.00 0.50 2500 235.00 235.50 0.50 3100 235.50 236.00 0.50 710 PLN22-045 015N 587674.4 6410742.9 545.5 53.3 -53.8 No Anomalous Radioactivity >300cps 213.8 350 PLN22-046 015S 587667.3 6410699.3 544.8 53.7 -56.9 261.50 262.00 0.50 1100 208.2 376 262.00 262.50 0.50 5900 262.50 263.00 0.50 5200 263.00 263.23 0.23 8100 263.23 263.50 0.27 42500 263.50 264.00 0.50 44400 264.00 264.50 0.50 8500 264.50 265.00 0.50 1200 PLN22-047 00N 587771.8 6410794.1 545.4 51.6 -75.6 199.00 199.50 0.50 580 179.0 353 199.50 200.00 0.50 740 200.00 200.50 0.50 620 200.50 201.00 0.50 1900 201.00 201.50 0.50 400 201.50 202.00 0.50 4800 202.00 202.50 0.50 3900 202.50 203.00 0.50 1700 206.00 206.40 0.40 21100 206.40 206.50 0.10 7200 206.50 206.90 0.40 24000 206.90 207.00 0.10 3500 207.00 207.50 0.50 4200 207.50 208.00 0.50 4900 208.00 208.30 0.30 15800 208.30 208.50 0.20 1600 208.50 209.00 0.50 510 209.00 209.50 0.50 420 PLN22-048 030S 587695.2 6410701.5 545.1 54.5 -57.8 246.50 247.00 0.50 570 209.0 356 247.00 247.50 0.50 1100 247.50 248.00 0.50 1400 248.00 248.50 0.50 530 248.50 249.00 0.50 1200 249.00 249.50 0.50 46600 249.50 250.00 0.50 50100 250.00 250.50 0.50 52400 250.50 251.00 0.50 59200 251.00 251.50 0.50 45600 251.50 252.00 0.50 49400 252.00 252.50 0.50 >65535 252.50 253.00 0.50 40100 253.00 253.50 0.50 2300 253.50 253.75 0.25 8700 253.75 254.00 0.25 15300 254.00 254.50 0.50 750 254.50 255.00 0.50 350 255.00 255.50 0.50 850 255.50 256.00 0.50 870 256.00 256.50 0.50 1400 256.50 257.00 0.50 430 257.00 257.50 0.50 <300 257.50 258.00 0.50 830 258.00 258.50 0.50 1400 258.50 259.00 0.50 2200 259.00 259.50 0.50 430 259.50 260.00 0.50 <300 260.00 260.50 0.50 580 PLN22-049 015N 587675.3 6410743.4 545.4 56.3 -55.5 245.00 245.50 0.50 440 213.1 359 245.50 246.00 0.50 430 246.00 246.50 0.50 440 246.50 247.00 0.50 5100 247.00 247.50 0.50 5200 247.50 247.70 0.20 11900 247.70 248.00 0.30 6700 248.00 248.50 0.50 5800 248.50 249.00 0.50 6700 249.00 249.50 0.50 1500 249.50 250.00 0.50 1700 250.00 250.50 0.50 940 250.50 251.00 0.50 600 251.00 251.50 0.50 7300 251.50 252.00 0.50 3200 252.00 252.50 0.50 1400

About Patterson Lake North:

The Company's large 39,946 hectare 100% owned Patterson Lake North property (PLN) is located just within the south-western edge of the Athabasca Basin in proximity to Fission Uranium's Triple R and NexGen Energy's Arrow high-grade world class uranium deposits which is poised to become the next major area of development for new uranium operations in northern Saskatchewan. PLN is accessed by Provincial Highway 955, which transects the property, and the new JR Zone uranium discovery is located 23km northwest of Fission Uranium's Triple R deposit.

Qualified Person:

The technical information in this news release has been prepare in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and approved on behalf of the company by Raymond Ashley, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration of F3 Uranium Corp, a Qualified Person. Mr. Ashley has verified the data disclosed.

About F3 Uranium Corp.:

F3 Uranium is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discovery. F3 Uranium currently has 16 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of F3's projects are near large uranium discoveries including Triple R, Arrow and Hurricane.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the suitability of the Properties for mining exploration, future payments, issuance of shares and work commitment funds, entry into of a definitive option agreement respecting the Properties, are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

F3 Uranium Corp.

750-1620 Dickson Avenue

Kelowna, BC V1Y9Y2

Contact Information

Investor Relations

Telephone: 778 484 8030

Email: ir@fission3corp.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/154069_ad19993bd403ea3b_004full.jpg

Figure 2

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/154069_ad19993bd403ea3b_005full.jpg

Figure 3

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/154069_ad19993bd403ea3b_006full.jpg

Figure 4

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/154069_ad19993bd403ea3b_007full.jpg

Figure 5

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/154069_ad19993bd403ea3b_008full.jpg

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154069
EQS-News: Eleving Group S.A. / Key word(s): Annual Results

Eleving Group S.A.: Unaudited 12M 2022 results on 15 February 2023 - Invitation to earnings call on 16 February 2023



08.02.2023 / 09:00 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Riga, Latvia, 8 February 2023

Eleving Group and its group companies (the "Group"), specializing in vehicle and consumer financing, cordially invite investors and analysts to an earnings call with the Management Board on 16 February 2023, 15:00 CET, following the publication of its unaudited 12M 2022 results on 15 February 2023.

Group CEO Modestas Sudnius and CFO Maris Kreics will present and comment on the unaudited results by means of a presentation. The presentation will be held in English.

Conference call registration link here.

The presentation for the earnings call will be available here as of 16 February 2023.

For more information, please contact:

Toms Vecvagars, Investor Relations Manager

Email: toms.vecvagars@eleving.com

About Eleving Group

Eleving Group comprises a number of financial technology companies with a global presence. The Group operates in the vehicle and consumer finance segments on 3 continents, providing financial inclusion and disruptively changing financial services industries in its countries of operation. Founded in 2012 as Mogo in Latvia, the Group has revolutionized the way people purchase cars. Having expanded across the Baltics within its first year in business, the Group continued expanding in the following years, now servicing 13 active markets.

With its headquarters in Latvia, the Group operates in the Baltics, Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia, and Eastern Africa.

For two consecutive years (2020, 2021), the Group has appeared on the Financial Times list of Europe's 1000 fastest-growing companies.

Read more: www.eleving.com



IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The information contained herein is not for release, publication, or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, or any other countries or otherwise in such circumstances in which the release, publication or distribution would be unlawful. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the bonds in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this announcement may come are required to inform themselves of and observe all such restrictions.

This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The bonds have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or under the applicable securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

This announcement does not constitute a prospectus for the purposes of Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (the "Prospectus Directive") and does not constitute a public offer of securities in any member state of the European Economic Area (the "EEA").

This announcement does not constitute an offer of bonds to the public in the United Kingdom. No prospectus has been or will be approved in the United Kingdom in respect of the bonds. Accordingly, this announcement is not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of this announcement as a financial promotion may only be distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons in (i), (ii) and (iii) above together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this announcement or any of its contents.

PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS ONLY - Manufacturer target market (MIFID II product governance) is eligible counterparties and professional clients only (all distribution channels). No PRIIPs key information document (KID) has been prepared as the bonds do not constitute packaged products and will be offered to eligible counterparties and professional clients only.



08.02.2023 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


Enmacc GmbH, the leading over-the-counter (OTC) energy trading platform in Europe, launched guarantees of origin (GoOs) onto their request-for-quote (RFQ) platform achieving immediate success with the first trades completed already last week.

This move comes as a direct response to the undeniable necessity to decarbonise across industries and the evolving needs of Enmacc customers. All 450 customers can now trade GoOs with the same powerful RFQ technology as for power and gas and instantly gain access to a whole new liquidity pool.

This launch comes just seven weeks after the second and final closing of the Series B financing round in which the tech venture capital firm Bayern Kapital joined the group of top-tier investors in Enmacc. The 8-figure sum raised is being used to strengthen Enmacc's position across Europe and introduce environmental commodities beyond GoOs soon, CO2 emission allowances and carbon offset certificates will also be tradable on their platform.

Jens Hartmann, CEO of Enmacc, expressed: "We are delighted to receive the trust and support of Bayern Kapital as a long-term partner. It empowers our efforts to digitalise the energy trading industry and reinforces our conviction that we can best serve our customers with a multi-commodity platform. We are thrilled to have reached a new milestone, and to see our customers trade GoOs seamlessly on our platform"

About Enmacc GmbH

Enmacc is Europe's largest OTC energy trading platform. Built by traders, for traders, Enmacc digitalises the energy trading process. Their digital marketplace enables members to trade faster, more widely, and with greater control. Enmacc is trusted by over 450 customers, and hosts a growing network of almost 2000 traders from various institutions energy suppliers, industrial companies, energy trading houses, and municipal utilities.

Enmacc is now using its reach in the European market to accelerate the energy transition. Moving beyond power and gas, they have started rolling out environmental commodities like guarantees of origin, and soon carbon allowances trading on the platform.

Enmacc was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany. It has grown into a leading B2B technology firm, with a diverse and expanding team.

https://www.enmacc.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005063/en/

Contacts:

+49 89 215 41 500

info@enmacc.com
Aprecomm, a leading global network intelligence company, has announced plans to launch its well-known network intelligence products Virtual Wireless Expert (VWE), Virtual Network Expert (VNE), SNAP, and xHome (Targeted for Immersive experience) in the European market. These products, when deployed in an ISP network, create a fabric of network intelligence that can assist ISPs in increasing revenues and providing a better experience and reliability to their customers.

Customers seeking unified IoT interfaces and superior connectivity for home are willing to spend on tools that simplify and improve their Quality of Experience (QoE). Aprecomm, in collaboration with service providers, is introducing solutions needed for smart IoT home experience. Aprecomm solutions also reduce OpEx costs and improve customer support and service.

Aprecomm's CEO, Pramod Gummaraj, has said that the company's "End-to-End Network Intelligence fabric helps service providers cut down on rising Opex costs, boost ARPU, and provide a better customer experience. To further penetrate and bring these benefits to the European service provider industry, we anticipate forming additional strategic partnerships in the near future."

Customer retention has been a growing challenge that service providers are struggling to mitigate. With the world becoming increasingly dependent on the internet, customer experience has taken center stage. Customers tend to change their service providers in case of any deterioration in their Quality of Experience. ISPs are now in a churn leading to a spike in expenditures to keep up with their share of the user base. Aprecomm, with its AI-enabled network intelligence solutions, aims to help ISPs to reduce churn drastically and improve customer retention to a greater extent.

"Users tend to switch from their existing Internet service provider to a new one as soon as they feel their high set expectations are not met by their Internet service provider," said Guharajan Sivakumar, CTO of Aprecomm (ISP). Despite the high cost, ISPs have no choice but to invest heavily in customer acquisition and retention strategies.

Aprecomm's AI-enabled network intelligence solutions have enabled its customers to experience a multitude of benefits including:

35% improvement in first call resolution

30% reduction in average call duration

62% reduction in truck rolls

15% reduction in support workforce

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207006233/en/

Contacts:

Prashant prashant@broadnection.com

Website http://www.aprecomm.ai/
Pre-Stabilisation notice

8thFebruary 2023

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

European Investment Bank (EIB)

EUR Climate awareness EARN due 2028

Pre-Stabilisation Notice

Commerzbank AG (contact: Daniela Olt-Farrelly; telephone: +49 69 13620) hereby announces, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014).

The security to be stabilised: Issuer: EIB Guarantor (if any): none Aggregate nominal amount: EUR benchmark Description: fixed rate senior, unsecured Notes due 28th July 2028 Offer price: tbc Other offer terms: payment date 15th Feb 2023, denoms 1k Stabilisation: Stabilisation Coordinator:

Stabilising Managers: Commerzbank

Morgan Stanley

NatWest

UniCredit Bank Stabilisation period expected to start on: 8th February 2023 Stabilisation period expected to end on: no later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Luxembourg SE regulated market

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

END
DQ Institute launches the Digital-ESG on SID 2023, which provides the tools for organizations to manage digital-related risks and opportunities. Cross Economy, the model for the Digital-ESG, was introduced in the energy sector, demonstrating the transformation of carbon waste to high-value product in achieving net-zero.

Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - DQ Institute launches the Digital-ESG framework today, the Safer Internet Day (SID) 2023. Complementing and expanding on the current ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) framework, Digital-ESG addresses the growing concern over digital-related risks from negative impact of technology on society and the environment, as well as digital-related opportunities from positive impact of digital transformation to enhance sustainability.





DQ Institute Sets New Framework to Revolutionize ESG Approach in Digital Economy

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/154068_d92706b1f4eeaa8b_001full.jpg

The new framework aims to provide companies with the comprehensive tools and guidance they need to navigate the evolving digital landscape with responsibility, transparency, and accountability. Digital-ESG was developed in collaboration with Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and South Korea's Future Consensus Institute, and through discussion with multi-stakeholders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos 2023.

The global digital economy, estimated at US$30 trillion, accounted for 30% of the global economy in 2022. The advent of the Metaverse, advancement and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, analytics and other emerging technologies, has brought rapid digitalization of traditional brick-and-mortar companies. This ongoing digital transformation continues to change the reality of the world, but inevitably brings various digital-related risks such as phishing, online sexual abuse of children, failure of crypto, customer data leaks, and more. While United Nation's (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and existing ESG frameworks include climate-related issues on climate change, pollution and wastes, digital-related issues are not adequately covered.

Digital-ESG also highlights the positive impact of technology in enhancing sustainability as well as profitability by transforming waste into high-value materials through material innovation, sustainable processing, and digital technology. In an industry collaboration spearheaded by DQ Institute, the Cross Carbon Economy (CCE) model, reconceived from the Circular Carbon Economy model, was proposed as a case study of the Digital-ESG for the energy sector. The Cross Carbon Economy model emphasizes creating value from carbon waste in a manner that is more equitable to the world. This Cross Economy model can be applied across other industry sectors to provide practical insights and valuable tools to shape the future economy, production and consumption cycle in achieving net-zero.

Co-Chair TDFD and founder of DQ Institute, Dr. Yuhyun Park, explained, "Digital-ESG was developed in response to the increasing demand for transparency and accountability of companies' digital-related activities. The framework, applicable across all industry sectors and organization types, provides an additional layer to the existing ESG framework to measure the impact of a company's digital-related activities which are not currently addressed. The Cross Economy model within the framework also presents opportunities for organisations to seek new areas of growth."

As the first step to implement Digital-ESG, a Taskforce on Digital-related Financial Disclosures (TDFD) was launched with the task to develop international standards that provide investors and other capital market participants with the guidelines on companies' digital-related risks and opportunities and help them make informed decisions related to their digital economy activities. These new guidelines will fill the gap by providing guidance on relevant Digital-ESG matters that should be disclosed and help shape the standardization of digital sustainability reporting.

Co-Chair TDFD, Professor Lutfey Siddiqi, a Visiting Professor in Practice at LSE IDEAS, added, "ESG considerations are rightly gaining traction as determinants of global investment and finance. As our business world becomes more digitalized, it is only natural that ESG reporting includes material impact of digital initiatives. At TDFD, we aim to develop a set of disclosure standards for activities in the digital space, in familiar formats for organizations, investors and industry practitioners to adopt with ease."

Looking forward, TDFD will be working closely with relevant parties with the goal to include Digital-ESG disclosures in major internationally-accepted ESG reporting frameworks and sustainability reporting standards. TDFD welcomes industry leaders to contribute to this ground-breaking effort that helps organizations track, manage and disclose Digital-ESG performance.

For more information on Digital-ESG and to download the framework, visit https://tdfd-global.org/.

Contact Info:

Name: Hahn Kim

Email: hahn@dqinstitute.org

Organization: DQ Institute

Address: 20a Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore, Singapore 088443, Singapore

Website: https://www.dqinstitute.org/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154068
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Sweden's industrial production contracted for the second straight month in December, data from Statistics Sweden showed on Wednesday. Industrial production fell a calendar-adjusted 2.5 percent year-over-year in December, following a 0.6 percent drop in August. The latest downward trend was driven primarily by the pulp and paper industry, which plunged 19.3 percent from the previous year. Services growth, excluding financial and insurance services, edged down 0.1 percent in December, reversing a 2.0 percent increase a month ago. At the same time, the construction output rebounded 3.3 percent from November, when it decreased by 0.4 percent. Separate data from the statistical office showed that industrial orders recovered sharply by 24.9 percent annually in December, after a 7.0 percent fall in the prior month. Domestic demand rose 14.5 percent, while foreign orders surged 33.9 percent. On a monthly basis, industrial orders increased a seasonally adjusted 25.1 percent at the end of the year. 'It was mainly the industry for transport equipment that contributed to the development both monthly and year-on-year,' Frida Olsson, statistician at Statistics Sweden, said. 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.
Nordea Bank Abp / Key word(s): Personnel

Nordea Bank Abp: Nomination Board's proposals to Nordea's Annual General Meeting 2023 include two new Board members



08.02.2023 / 10:05 CET/CEST



Nomination Board's proposals to Nordea's Annual General Meeting 2023 include two new Board members Nordea Bank Abp

Stock exchange release - Other information disclosed according to the rules of the Exchange

8 February 2023 at 9.30 EET The Shareholders' Nomination Board of Nordea Bank Abp announces today its proposals to Nordea's Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on 23 March 2023. Risto Murto and Per Stromberg are proposed as new members of the Board of Directors. The proposal of the Shareholders' Nomination Board for the Board of Directors to be elected by the 2023 AGM comprises ten members. The proposal includes the re-election of Stephen Hester, Petra van Hoeken, John Maltby, Lene Skole, Birger Steen, Jonas Synnergren, Arja Talma and Kjersti Wiklund as members of the Board of Directors and the election of Risto Murto and Per Stromberg as new members of the Board of Directors. The Nomination Board proposes that Stephen Hester continues as the Chair of the Board. Torbjorn Magnusson and Robin Lawther are not available for re-election. Risto Murto (59), Finnish citizen, has extensive experience within pensions, insurance, investments and financial markets, both as a Board member and a member of the executive management. Risto Murto is since 2014 the President and Chief Executive Officer of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Finland's largest earnings-related pension insurance company. Prior to this, Risto Murto was the Executive Vice President, Investments, and Chief Investment Officer of Varma. He is currently also a Board member of Sampo plc as well as the Vice Chair of the Board of Wartsila Corporation until its next Annual General Meeting. Per Stromberg (59), Swedish citizen, has served as the Chief Executive Officer of several companies over the past 16 years and has a wide range of experience within retail, consumer goods, brand and digitalisation. For the past 10 years he held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer at ICA Gruppen, a leading Swedish retail company. Prior to that he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Lantmannen and held several leading positions at Kraft Foods. As of 31 December 2022, Per Stromberg stepped down from the role as President and Chief Executive Officer to continue as a Board member at ICA Gruppen. Chair of the Shareholders' Nomination Board, Niko Pakalen, says: "I'm happy to present the Nomination Board's proposals to the shareholders. The two new proposed Board members, Risto Murto and Per Stromberg will bring valuable experience of the Nordic markets and strengthen the Board's already extensive competencies in the financial markets and digitalisation. The Nomination Board is also content that the handover of the Board Chair duties from Torbjorn Magnusson to Stephen Hester during the year has been successful. I wish to extend our warmest gratitude to both Torbjorn Magnusson and Robin Lawther for their dedicated and valuable work during their tenures on the Nordea Board." The Nomination Board has sought to ensure that the proposed Board of Directors as a whole has the best possible competencies, expertise and experience for Nordea. Further, the Nomination Board has taken into account the regulatory requirements and recommendations applicable to credit institutions and as set out in the Finnish Corporate Governance Code for listed companies. Taking into account the high demands placed on the collective experience and competence of the Board of Directors by the nature, scale and complexity of Nordea's business, it is the collective opinion of the Nomination Board and Nordea Bank Abp that the proposed Board of Directors and its members are suitable for the assignment both collectively and individually and that Stephen Hester is suitable for the position as Chair of the Board of Directors. In order to further enhance the exercise of shareholders' rights and in line with international market practice, the Board of Directors is proposed for individual election. After a thorough assessment, the Nomination Board proposes that the remuneration for the various Board member roles is increased by 3.1% - 3.6%. The Nomination Board considers that the proposal is balanced and in line with Nordic and European market practice. The Nomination Board emphasises the importance of Nordea remaining an attractive option for highly competent Board members that fulfil the regulatory requirements. Risto Murto and Per Stromberg proposed as new members of the Board of Directors The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes for a period until the end of the next AGM: that the number of members of the Board of Directors to be elected by the AGM is set at ten (10);

the re-election of Stephen Hester, Petra van Hoeken, John Maltby, Lene Skole, Birger Steen, Jonas Synnergren, Arja Talma and Kjersti Wiklund as members of the Board of Directors, and

the election of Risto Murto and Per Stromberg as new members of the Board of Directors, so that each proposed member of the Board of Directors is considered separately in an election; and

the re-election of Stephen Hester as Chair of the Board of Directors. All proposed Board members have given their consent to being elected as members of the Board of Directors and Stephen Hester has given his consent to being elected as Chair of the Board of Directors. Relevant authority approvals for the proposed new Board members are pending. In addition to the above proposed Board members, the Board of Directors has three ordinary members and one deputy member appointed by the employees of the Nordea Group. It is the collective opinion of the Shareholders' Nomination Board and Nordea Bank Abp that the proposed Board of Directors and its members are suitable for the assignment both collectively and individually and that Stephen Hester is suitable for the position as Chair of the Board of Directors. The biographical details of the current Board members are available at www.nordea.com/en/about-us/corporate-governance/board-of-directors. The CVs of the proposed new members of the Board of Directors will be made available today at www.nordea.com/agm. All proposed Board members are, in accordance with the Finnish Corporate Governance Code, independent of Nordea's significant shareholders and, excluding Board members appointed by the employees, also considered independent of the company. The ordinary members and the deputy member of the Board of Directors appointed by the employees are employed by the Nordea Group and, therefore, they are not independent of the company. Remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes to the AGM that the following annual remuneration is paid to the members of the Board of Directors elected by the AGM: Role 2023 - proposed (EUR) 2022 (EUR) Increase (%) Chair 352,000 340,000 3.5% Vice Chair 165,500 160,000 3.4% Other members of the Board of Directors 105,500 102,000 3.4% The Shareholders' Nomination Board also proposes the following additional annual remuneration for committee chairs and committee members: Role 2023 - proposed (EUR) 2022 (EUR) Increase (%) Board Remuneration and People Committee Chair 49,500 48,000 3.1% Board Remuneration and People Committee members 29,000 28,000 3.6% All other committee chairs 67,000 65,000 3.1% All other committee members 33,500 32,500 3.1% No remuneration is paid to members of the Board of Directors employed by the Nordea Group. In addition, Nordea covers or reimburses the members of the Board of Directors all costs and expenses related to or arising from the Board membership, including travel, logistics and accommodation as well as consultative, legal and administrative costs. The legal costs can e.g. include required costs of legal defence and claims made (during and after their period of office) against Board members in cases where Board members are not found liable or guilty of any intentional wrongdoing or grossly negligent behaviour. Composition of the Shareholders' Nomination Board The members of the Nomination Board constituted in 2022 are Niko Pakalen, Partner, Cevian Capital, Lars Ingemann Nielsen, Executive Vice President and CFO, Nordea-fonden, Ann Grevelius, Non-Executive Director, Alecta, Ossian Ekdahl, Chief Active Ownership Officer, Forsta AP-fonden (AP1), and Stephen Hester, Chair of the Board of Directors of Nordea Bank Abp. The Shareholders' Nomination Board is constituted yearly on the basis of the shareholdings on 31 August of the year preceding the AGM. The mandate is valid until a new Nomination Board has been constituted. The proposals of the Shareholders' Nomination Board to the AGM will be included in the notice to the AGM to be published later in February 2023. Shareholders' Nomination Board contact: Chair Niko Pakalen, +46 8 545 675 50 For any other information relating to Nordea: Media inquiries, +358 10 416 8023 or press@nordea.com The information provided in this stock exchange release was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contacts set out above, at 9.30 EET on 8 February 2023. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

End of Media Release


Lead, South Dakota--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Dakota Gold Corp. (NYSE American: DC) ("Dakota Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the discovery of the Unionville Zone in MA22C-009, which intercepted a Precambrian hosted Tertiary breccia zone beneath Cambrian hosted Tertiary replacement gold mineralization at the Maitland Gold Project. The Company is also pleased to announce the results of three additional holes at Maitland, one of which (MA22C-003) encountered Homestake-style mineralization grading 0.292 oz/ton Au over 10.4 feet (10.03 g/t over 3.17 meters). Assays have been received for MA22C-009 from the surface to 2,075.3 feet (632.55 meters). MA22C-009 was drilled to a total depth of 3,385 feet (1,031.75 meters) and assays are pending on the lower 1,309.7 feet (399.2 meters).

Drill Hole Highlights:

Drill Hole MA22C-009, which intersected 0.104 oz/ton Au over 119.7 feet (3.58 grams/tonne over 36.48 meters), was designed to test the continuity of Tertiary breccia hosted gold mineralization encountered in MA22C-001 and MA22C-002.

MA22C-001 had previously intersected 0.195 oz/ton Au over 16.4 feet (6.69 grams/tonne over 5.0 meters) and MA22C-002 intersected 0.340 oz/ton Au over 9.2 feet (11.66 grams/tonne over 2.8 meters). MA22C-001 and MA22C-002 are located 1,220 feet apart in plan view, suggestive of potential strike length. Follow up drilling will continue to test the continuity and thickness.

MA22C-003 intersected 0.292 oz/ton Au over 10.4 feet (10.03 grams/tonne over 3.17 meters) at 5,039.3 feet (1,535.98 meters) within the Homestake Formation.

James M. Berry, Vice President of Exploration of Dakota Gold, said, "The results of MA22C-009 and the discovery of the new Unionville Zone indicate that breccia zones related to Eocene magmatic activity in the Northern Black Hills are a largely untested opportunity for gold mineralization in the Homestake District. We did not sample for this type of gold mineralization in the Homestake Mine. Having worked as a mine geologist at the Homestake Mine, I find our Maitland Drill Program very exciting with results to date providing 'proof of concept' for gold mineralization hosted in both Tertiary breccias as well as the Precambrian Homestake Iron Formation, extending north of the historic 40-million-ounce Homestake Gold Mine."

The Company currently has four drills operating on our properties in the Homestake District with two drills operating at Maitland targeting Homestake-hosted and Tertiary gold mineralization.

Two drills operating at Richmond Hill are targeting Tertiary breccia and replacement gold mineralization, as well as conducting infill and step-out drilling designed to convert and expand the mineralization identified by 880 historical drill holes, to SK1300 compliant resources. Tertiary mineralization in the Precambrian was often overlooked by historical exploration. As a result of the new Unionville Zone discovery, the 125-year-old historical data sets are being reviewed for additional similar potential zones in the Homestake District.

Exploration Update:

MA22C-003

MA22C-003 was designed to test below MA22C-002 as shown in Figure 1 and 2. MA22C-003 encountered the isoclinally folded Homestake Formation in several intervals. MA22C-003 intersected 0.292 oz/ton Au over 10.4 feet (3.17 meters of 10.03 grams/tonne) within Homestake Formation at the contact with the Ellison Formation at 5,039.3 feet (1,535.98 meters). The interval contained several thin quartz carbonate veins with chlorite selvages. The zone also contained arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, and very fine-grained visible gold. The true thickness of this intercept is 5.2 feet (1.31 meters) based on the orientation of quartz veins associated with the mineralization.

MA22C-004

MA22C-004 was designed to test the eastern side of the Homestake corridor. The far end of the hole (southwest side) encountered gold mineralization within the Homestake Formation at 6,121.2 feet. The drill hole intersected 0.182 oz/ton Au over 5.8 feet (6.24 grams/tonne over 1.77 meters) and contained quartz-carbonate veins with pyrite.

MA22C-005

MA22C-005 was drilled to test the area south of MA22C-001. The drill hole encountered a thick sequence of Ellison Formation before hitting Poorman Formation, indicating that the Homestake Formation has been sheared out. Several intervals of Homestake were seen further down the drill hole but none of these contained significant gold mineralization.

MA22C-009

MA22C-009 was designed to determine if the breccias encountered in MA22C-001 and MA22C-002 were connected or if they were individual breccia bodies. With this intercept, we believe there is now strong potential for the breccia to be a single mineralized structure extending over a strike length of 1,220 feet. MA22C-009 was drilled to the northeast at a -70-degree dip as shown in Figure 3. Figure 4 is a cross section along the trace of MA22C-009. The intersection of 0.104 oz/ton over 119.7 feet is the in-hole intersection and is not the true width. Additional intersections of gold mineralization are shown in Table 1. MA22C-009 encountered Tertiary sills and Cambrian Deadwood Formation above the breccia zone. Tertiary breccias, porphyritic latite and Precambrian host rocks were below the Precambrian unconformity at 136.8 feet (41.7 meters) to 1,660 feet (505.97 meters) where the Precambrian units were dominant. The Tertiary breccias and Precambrian host rocks were oxidized to approximately 385 feet (117.35 meters) where they transitioned into sulfides. The breccia consisted of crackle, mosaic, and chaotic breccia with Precambrian host clasts. Rock flour and carbonate cement indicate that the breccias are phreatomagmatic. Tertiary, open spaced fractures in the host rocks and breccias are usually lined with carbonate and pyrite. Additional drilling is required to determine the true thickness of the breccia zone.

Table 1. MA22C-003, MA22C-004, and MA22C-009 Drill Results (Imperial / Metric Units)

Hole # From To Depth Interval* Gold From To Depth Interval* Gold Mineral Type ft ft ft ft oz/ton m m m m g/t MA22C-003 5039.3

5049.7

3775.1 10.4 0.292 1536.0 1539.2 1150.7 3.1 10.03 Homestake MA22C-004 6121.2

6127.0

1681.1 5.8 0.182 1865.7 1867.5 512.4 1.7 6.24 Homestake MA22C-009 103.8

129.3 95.8 25.5 0.022 31.6 39.4 29.2 7.7 0.77 Deadwood

136.8

257.1 126.4 119.7 0.104 41.7 78.3 38.5 36.4 3.58 Tert Bx & Latite Incl. 167.0

201.9 153.8 34.3 0.130 50.9 61.5 46.8 10.4 4.46 Tert Bx

334.1

392.8 286.4 58.7 0.097 101.8 119.7 87.2 17.8 3.34 Tert Bx Incl. 348.7

365.5 297.2 16.8 0.205 106.2 111.4 90.5 5.1 7.02 Tert Bx

422.9

440.0 358.2 17.1 0.066 128.9 134.1 109.1 5.2 2.27 Fractured Homestake Fm. & Tert Bx

461.1

495.1 390.5 34.0 0.023 140.5 150.9 119.0 10.3 0.80 Tert Bx

506.1

515.3 431.1 9.2 0.044 154.2 156.4 131.4 2.8 1.51 Fractured Homestake Fm. & Tert Bx

523.4

533.4 446.4 10.0 0.055 159.5 162.5 136.0 3.0 1.90 Tert Bx

575.2

584.2 491.9 9.0 0.042 175.3 178.0 149.9 2.7 1.45 Tert Bx

610.5

720.0 522.5 109.5 0.027 186.0 219.4 159.2 33.3 0.94 Tert Bx & Latite

815.1

828.3 706.9 6.7 0.084 248.4 252.4 215.4 2.0 2.87 Tert Bx & Fractured Ellison Fm.

972.8

1014.7 839.1 41.9 0.032 296.5 309.2 255.7 12.7 1.10 Tert Bx & Latite





*True thickness is unknown.

Abbreviations in the table include ounces per ton ("oz/ton"); grams per tonne ("g/t"); feet ("ft"); meter ("m"); Tertiary ("Tert"); Cambrian; Breccia (Bx) and Precambrian.





Figure 1. Plan View of Maitland Drill Holes with Highlighted Gold Intercepts.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8218/154041_8cbf8691e46fea02_002full.jpg







Figure 2. Cross Section showing Maitland Drill Holes Looking Northwest.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8218/154041_8cbf8691e46fea02_003full.jpg







Figure 3. Plan View of MA22C-009 and Adjacent Drill Holes.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8218/154041_8cbf8691e46fea02_004full.jpg







Figure 4. Cross Section along MA22C-009 Looking Northwest.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8218/154041_8cbf8691e46fea02_005full.jpg

About Dakota Gold Corp.

Dakota Gold (NYSE American: DC) is a South Dakota-based responsible gold exploration and development company with a specific focus on revitalizing the Homestake District in Lead, South Dakota. Dakota Gold has high-caliber gold mineral properties covering over 40 thousand acres surrounding the historic Homestake Mine.

The Dakota Gold team is focused on new gold discoveries and opportunities that build on the legacy of the Homestake District and its 145 years of gold mining history.

Subscribe to Dakota Gold's e-mail list at www.dakotagoldcorp.com to receive the latest news and other Company updates.

Shareholder and Investor Inquiries

For more information, please contact:

Jonathan Awde, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +1 604-761-5251

Email: JAwde@dakotagoldcorp.com

Qualified Person and S-K 1300 Disclosure

James M. Berry, a Registered Member of SME and Vice President of Exploration of Dakota Gold Corp., is the Company's designated qualified person for this news release as defined in Subpart 1300 - Disclosure by Registrants Engaged in Mining Operations of Regulation S-K and has reviewed and approved its scientific and technical content.

The ranges of potential tonnage and grade (or quality) disclosed above in respect of the Maitland Project are conceptual in nature and could change as the proposed exploration activities are completed. There has been insufficient exploration of the Maitland Project to allow for an estimate of a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a mineral resource. The disclosure above in respect of the Maitland Project therefore does not represent, and should not be construed to be, an estimate of a mineral resource or mineral reserve.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control consists of regular insertion of certified reference materials, duplicate samples, and blanks into the sample stream. Check samples will be submitted to an umpire laboratory as the drill program progresses. Assay results are reviewed, and discrepancies are investigated prior to incorporation into the Company database. Samples are submitted to the ALS Geochemistry sample preparation facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Gold and multi-element analyses are performed at the ALS Geochemistry laboratory in Vancouver, British Columbia. ALS Minerals is an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited lab.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and expectations that may not be realized and are inherently subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the execution and timing of our planned exploration activities, our use and evaluation of historic data, our ability to achieve our strategic goals, the state of the economy and financial markets generally and the effect on our industry, and the market for our common stock. The foregoing list is not exhaustive. For additional information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements, we refer you to the risk factors included in Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2022, as amended, as updated by annual, quarterly and other reports and documents that we file with the SEC. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this communication. These statements speak only as of the date of this communication, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. We do not give any assurance that we will achieve our expectations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154041
Dominican Republic awards China for supporting COVID-19 fight

Xinhua) 10:19, February 08, 2023

SANTO DOMINGO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Dominican Republic Senate has presented China with an award for its support in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate's Vice President Santiago Zorrilla conferred the certificate of honor on Chinese Ambassador to the Caribbean nation Zhang Run earlier this month, saying China promptly responded to the Dominican Republic's request for help when the virus was spreading across the country.

Zorrilla said that China supported the Caribbean country during the pandemic by securing and donating vaccines and other supplies when they were in short supply worldwide.

The Dominican Republic will never forget China's timely assistance in its darkest hour. The president, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, all Dominicans are highly grateful to China, he added.

"The recognition shows the high appreciation of the Dominican people and the Dominican political parties regarding bilateral cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic and the high level of consensus to strengthen the friendship between the two countries," Zhang said during the ceremony.

Since the virus struck, Chinese central and local governments, Chinese companies and institutions have donated medical supplies, such as ventilators, face masks and thermographic inspection devices, to the Caribbean island country. The two sides also shared anti-pandemic experience via video meetings.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks during a meeting on integrated defense at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office, in Seoul Feb. 8. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk Yeol accused the previous administration on Wednesday of weakening the country's defense posture by neglecting necessary drills and relying on a "fake peace."



Yoon made the remark while presiding over the annual central integrated defense council meeting in an apparent reference to former President Moon Jae-in's push for reconciliation with North Korea.



Critics have argued the Moon administration's peace drive bought North Korea time to advance its missile and nuclear weapons programs.



"Under the previous government the meeting was downsized, and integrated drills between the civil sector, government, military and police were not properly implemented because of its reliance on fake peace," Yoon said during the meeting held at the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae.



"As a result, there was a weakening in combining all national defense powers into one and in the implementation of the nationwide all-out war for the defense of the nation," he said.



The meeting, designed to assess the country's overall defense posture, was attended by some 160 officials and experts from the central and local governments, the National Intelligence Service, the military, police, Coast Guard and national fire agency.



It was the first time in seven years the president presided over the meeting. Yoon said he would preside over the meeting every year from now on.



"The security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the surrounding regions is very grave," Yoon said, citing the possibility of North Korea's strategic provocations, such as a seventh nuclear test and an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.



"North Korea's asymmetric provocations and cyber attacks, and various threats of terrorism, are growing and the international security situation is volatile due to the war in Ukraine," he said.



Yoon called for ensuring a watertight integrated defense posture commensurate to North Korea's various forms of provocations.



He also called for properly conducting integrated defense drills that ensure no gaps under the current "grave" conditions. (Yonhap)


Faced with global challenges due to a growing population and climate change, among others, farmers need a solution to feed the planet through healthy and safe solutions. Today, Rovensa Group, a global leader of agricultural inputs for sustainable agriculture, answers that need with Rovensa Next, a new global business unit dedicated to biosolutions for agriculture that aims to give back to the Earth what the Earth gives to us. Rovensa Next makes its debut this week at Fruit Logistica Berlin (Hall 1.2, Stand B-50), the leading trade fair for the fresh fruit industry.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005486/en/

Jose Alfredo Garcia, Co-COO Rovensa Next, Javier Calleja, incoming CEO Rovensa Group, Eric van Innis, CEO Rovensa Group and Carlos Ledo, Co-COO Rovensa Next (Photo: Business Wire)

Rovensa Next aggregates ten Rovensa Group companies, creating a holistic platform of innovative biosolutions to shape a sustainable future for agriculture and drive its bio-transformation. With this announcement, Agrichembio, Agrotecnologia, Idai Nature, Microquimica, MIP Agro, OGT, Oro Agri, Rodel, SDP, and Tradecorp will become part of the new business unit, combining local technical knowledge, innovation and teams that work alongside farmers and distributors in the field to solve their sustainability challenges, with the global expertise and leadership of Rovensa Group.

Eric van Innis, Rovensa Group CEO, stated: "With this flagship project Rovensa Next, and our holistic platform of biosolutions, we are taking a strategic step forward in our goal to be a reference provider of well-balanced and sustainable solutions for agriculture. Farmers and distributors do not need a singular product or a multi-card generalist; they need specialised advisors to help them create a potent strategy that considers their local environment and challenges. Rovensa Next is our answer to our partners' needs for sustainable crop management that leads to safe and healthy products with better quality and increased yield."

Betting on sustainability, innovation, and technical expertise, Rovensa Next unites a global network of 30 R&D laboratories, excellence centres, fields, and greenhouses; 14 production plants; more than 84 partnerships with research centres and universities; 100 R&D and innovation specialists; and a dedicated team of more than 850 field expertsi. All of this allows Rovensa Next to be the pioneer on cutting-edge research to create more effective and environmentally friendly biosolutions that don't compromise on performance or quality.

Carlos Ledo, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Rovensa Next, commented: "With a rising population and a rapidly changing climate, there is a clear need to transform the agricultural sector. The formation of Rovensa Next, consisting of ten brands with entrepreneurship in their DNA, gives us the right talent, know-how, expertise, and innovation to drive the necessary change in agriculture. The time is now for sustainable transformation."

Jose Alfredo Garcia, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Rovensa Next, added: "We want to be a trusted partner that helps our customers drive sustainable transformation without compromising on performance and yield output. Our unique value add is our team of field experts that work on the ground with growers to understand their needs and solve their challenges. By uniting all of our local and specialised expertise in various crops and geographical areas into one global portfolio of solutions, we aim to help facilitate, or even kickstart, the bio-transformation for customers, ultimately helping to shape an overall more sustainable future."

With the new business unit, Rovensa Group anticipates a turnover of more than EUR 1 billion by 2025i. Today's announcement marks the beginning of the global transition to Rovensa Next followed by local implementation across all countries from July 2023.

For more information, go to www.rovensanext.com

About Rovensa Group

Rovensa Group is a global leader in agricultural solutions for sustainable agriculture. It is a group of companies that develop, manufacture, and commercialise agricultural solutions to help farmers produce safe, healthy and nutritious food for all.

Committed to generating a positive impact through its companies, more than 4,000 employees strive each day to contribute to our mission of feeding the planet. With more than 30 Research and Development (R&D) experimental centres and laboratories across the world, we are leading the change in agriculture through science-led innovation to continuously develop pioneering agricultural inputs to preserve and enhance soil, environmental, and human health. We are providing farmers, spread over 80 countries across the globe, a complementary portfolio of solutions for bionutrition, biocontrol and crop protection to support the transition towards a more well-balanced agriculture, enabling them to grow a larger quantity and higher quality of food with fewer natural resources.

For more information, go to www.rovensa.com

Rovensa Next figures including ten aggregated companies and the Cosmocel acquisition.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005486/en/

Contacts:

For further information:

Rovensa Next

Elisa Lipperheide

Global Communication Manager

elisa.lipperheide@rovensanext.com

m. +34 687 111 148

Chelsey Rodowicz

Ogilvy PR

chelsey.rodowicz@ogilvy.com

m. +34 620 035 403
"Sima", a 47 months-old female rat, is being treated with E5, a treatment intended to recreate the circulatory environment of a young mammal; the maximum recorded lifespan for this species is 45.5 months.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- An experiment led by Dr. Harold Katcher, one of the discoverers of the first breast cancer gene , is giving humanity hope of fulfilling the dream of undoing aging. While working at Yuvan Research Inc., he discovered which part of the blood of young animals controls the age of the organism, and tested it in eight Sprague Dawley female rats. "Sima" is the last survivor, but the age she has reached allows us to see a path for human rejuvenation. "Cellular aging is a cell non-autonomous process - it doesn't depend on the cell's history, but on its environment", states Dr. Katcher, Chief Scientific Officer of Yuvan, a startup based in California working on rejuvenation treatments.





This experiment is a follow-up to another experiment showing that Yuvan's therapy caused a 54% rejuvenation in male rats according to an epigenetic clock analysis performed by then UCLA professor Dr. Steve Horvath. Afterward, a Belgian non-profit, HEALES, decided to fund two lifespan studies, one using Yuvan's treatment, called "E5", and another one , led by Dr. Rodolfo Goya, professor at La Plata University (Argentina), using young rat plasma. Dr. Goya's experiment achieved moderate life extension. Yuvan's experiment is still ongoing as Sima is alive at 47 months of age.

Also, Sima and the other treated rats showed a grip strength 2.8 times higher than the controls. According to Dr. Goya, "muscular strength indicates prolonged healthspan." Sima is a Rattus norvegicus, a species with a maximum recorded lifespan of 45.5 months . Their average lifespan is 24-36 months. Yuvan's treatment started when the rats were already 24 months old and even so pushed the maximum lifespan of the species with a treated group comprising only 8 rats.

The E5 production process is patent-pending, and the story of its discovery is captured in Dr. Katcher's book The Illusion of Knowledge. Yuvan is planning trials in other species before testing it in humans - in human terms, Sima is already 126 years old, considering 122.5 years as the human maximum lifespan. "Sima" means "limit/boundary/frontier" in Sanskrit, and by surpassing the lifespan limit of its species, it reminds us that human history is a history of surpassing limits.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1998424/sima_2.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-worlds-oldest-living-lab-rat-points-the-way-to-rejuvenation-301741791.html
GURUGRAM, India, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

Veterinary care insurance, life insurance, rehabilitation insurance and breeding insurance are the most common insurances for pets in Sweden .

. Owing to low penetration rates of insurance for cats and other animals currently, it is expected that the demand for their insurance is going to grow in the coming years.

Better data collection technologies, cloud-based, low-code configurable core systems are a few upcoming technological developments in Sweden Pet Insurance Market.





Pet humanization: People all over the globe have a soft spot for pets, specifically dogs & cats, but the love for pets is growing now more than ever. Moreover, having a pet also represents a good lifestyle. The higher the cost of pet, the wealthier a person is considered. Some people prefer pets also because they don't want the responsibility of having a child but at the same time want to feel that soft bond with another being. Furthermore, people who are sporty by nature love to train their pets & prefer intelligent breeds like Border collie which is expensive as compared to a usual dog.

High Insurance Penetration Rates: Sweden has one of the highest insurance covers for pets in world. 90% of the dogs in the country are covered. The rate is roughly 60% for horses and 50% for cats. According to VIN News reports, high penetration of pet insurance is not due to public policy but because many Swedish pet owners voluntarily pay for pet insurance. Animals have always been treated as family members and they still prioritize animal welfare today which makes people ensure that their pets are taken care of properly.

Sophisticated Product Offerings: Pet insurance companies in Sweden offer sophisticated products with broad coverage. Adjusting pricing based on breed, age, gender, weight and location has enabled them to offer more attractive premium rates for younger, healthier animals and build up their coverage reserves. Some companies like Agria also provides full time life insurance policy for older pets which automatically attracts more customers.

Technological Advancements: Pet insurance policyholders in Sweden are increasingly using tracking and monitoring devices for their pets. Vets are able to conduct more treatments including advanced surgeries for things like hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Swedish start-up FirstVet, an on-demand video veterinary appointments platform has seen a tremendous rise in its operations and has partnered with over 20 insurance companies.

Inclination towards dogs & cats: People in Sweden have shown an inclination towards adopting a dog or a cat as compared to other animals. Dogs account for the highest proportion in Sweden Pet Insurance Market. The number of dog pets registered in Sweden as increased from 9.94 lakhs in 2021 to 10.41 lakhs in 2022P. Thus, demand for dogs as pets is high and is further fueled by a rise in the number of dog rescue facilities and rehabilitation for sick dogs. Cats are the second most popular pets in Sweden because they are low-maintenance. They don't require formal training and are able to take care of basic self-cleaning. They account for 41.1% of the total premiums collected.

Analysts at Ken Research in their latest publication, "Sweden Pet Insurance Market Outlook 2027F- driven by an increasing pet adoption, high veterinary costs, rising pet health issues and awareness among pet owners" By Ken Research observed that the Sweden Pet Insurance is in a growing stage. Increasing pet adoption, high veterinary costs, rising pet health issues and awareness among pet owners are some of the factors that will contribute to the growth of Sweden Pet Insurance Market in the upcoming years. It is expected that Sweden Pet Insurance market will grow at a CAGR of 8.6% in the upcoming years.

Key Segments Covered in the report

Sweden Pet Insurance Market

By Type of Animals

Dogs

Cats

Others

By Mode of Distribution

Agency

Broker

Bancassurance

Direct

To learn more about this report Download a Free Sample Report

Key Target Audience

Millennials

Young Individuals

Senior Citizens

Unmarried Individuals

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period: 2017-2022P

2017-2022P Base Period: 2022P

2022P Forecast Period: 2023-2027F

Companies Covered:-

Agria

Svedea

Sveland

Moderna

Folksam

Furry Champ

If

ManyPets

Trygg Hansa

Dina Forsakringer

Visit this Link :- Request for custom report

Key Topics Covered:-

How is Pet Insurance Market Positioned in Sweden ?

? Country Overview ( Sweden ) of Pet Insurance Market

) of Pet Insurance Market Sweden Pet Market Overview

Overview of Pet Dogs and Cats in Sweden

Overview of Other Animals in Sweden

Overview of Veterinary Clinics and Regulations in Sweden

Ecosystem of Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Business Cycle of Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Common Types of Pet Insurance in Sweden

Business Model in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Timeline of Major Players in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Recent collaborations in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Sweden Pet Insurance Market Size & Segmentation, 2017-2022P

End User Analysis of Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Decision Making Parameters for Pet Owners in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Pet Insurance Compensation Calculation Method

Key AI enabled use cases across pet insurance value chain

Porter's Five Forces Analysis on Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Growth Enablers in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Bottlenecks and Challenges in the Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Trends and Developments in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market SWOT Analysis of Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Overview of how the COVID-19 Pandemic impacted the Sweden Pet Insurance Industry

Competition Framework for Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Market shares for Major Players present in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Cross Comparison of Major Players in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Business Strategies of Major Players in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Sweden Pet Insurance Market Size Future Outlook, 2022P-2027F

Sweden Pet Insurance Market Segmentation based on the mode of distribution, 2027F

Sweden Pet Insurance Market Segmentation based on the type of animals, 2027F

Upcoming Technologies in Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Recommendation for Pet Insurance Players- Operational Strategies

Recommendation for Pet Insurance Players- Marketing Strategies

For more insights on the market intelligence, refer to below link:-

Sweden Pet Insurance Market

Related Reports By Ken Research:-

Spain Pet Insurance Market Outlook to 2027F -Driven by rising pet population, increased 'humanization' of pets and awareness of pet health in Spain

According to Ken Research estimates, the Spain Pet Insurance Market - which grew from approximately EUR ~24 Mn in 2017 to approximately EUR ~88 Mn in 2022 - is forecasted to grow further into EUR ~150 Mn opportunity by 2027F in terms of gross written premium, owing to the New Government Policies, Growth in Adoption of Pets and Entry of New Players in the Market. In 2019, Spanish households spent 3,721 million euros on products and services for pets. The number of dogs and cats living in Spain already exceeds 20 million. Spaniards spend an average of 1,260 euros a year on their pets in 2019, 7.3% more than 2 years ago. That is, 823 in food, 353 in veterinary expenses and 83 in accessories and toys.

UK Pet Insurance Market Outlook to 2027F- Driven by Rising Companion Animal, High veterinary costs and Technology advancement

According to Ken Research estimates, the UK Pet insurance market expanded at a CAGR of ~5.3% between 2017 - 2022P on the basis of premium collected. The market saw rapid growth owning to increasing companion animal population, adoption of advance technology, rising animal health concerns, high veterinary cost and growing At-home diagnostic. UK Pet insurance market is estimated to grow at a positive CAGR of ~4.8% between 2022P and 2027F.

In Europe, the UK exhibit highest pet insurance penetration. Key drivers in the region are high cost of veterinary services and willingness of pet owners to buy pet insurance. Pet insurance companies using artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict a pet's health trajectory, as well as providing tools that will improve pet wellness and decrease vet care costs.

UAE Online Insurance Industry Outlook to 2024 - Driven by Customer Uptake, Ease for New and Renewal Policy Convenience with Insurance Aggregators

GWP collection stood at $12Bn, majorly led by growth in non-life insurance products of Health and Motor. Insurance of Persons and Fund Accumulation contributed 28% to total GWP collection. While UAE is ahead among the peer GCC countries in terms of insurance penetration of 2.9%, it still lags behind the average insurance penetration of emerging countries which stands at 3.2% and Global average of 6.1%. Mandatory insurance requirements of Motor across UAE coupled with Health Insurance in Abu Dhabi and Dubai has contributed to raising awareness among people to protect their risks.

Follow Us -

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Contact Us:-

Ken Research Private Limited

Ankur Gupta, Director Strategy and Growth

Ankur@kenresearch.com

+91-9015378249

Logo :https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1954972/Ken_Research_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sweden-pet-insurance-market-is-expected-to-attain-a-market-size-of-sek-8900-mn-growing-at-a-cagr-of-8-2022p-2027f-owing-to-increasing-pet-adoption-rising-awareness-and-high-veterinary-costs-ken-research-301741793.html
COLLEGE STATION, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Enzolytics, Inc. (OTC PINK:ENZC) (https://enzolytics.com/).

Enzolytics, Inc. announced today the preliminary results of Toxicology studies of the Company's ITV-1 anti-HIV therapeutic confirming that the therapy is non-toxic and demonstrating the safety of administration of this patented proprietary immunotherapy. Establishing this result is essential to permitting under the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the acceptance for administration of ITV-1 to HIV-infected patients in Africa.

The tests and protocol being conducted are a GLP-Compliant Intramuscular Dose (~28-Day) Study, followed by a 4-Week Recovery Period of ITV-1 in Sprague-Dawley Rats. The objective of the study is to characterize any toxicity of ITV-1 when administered intramuscularly (IM) into Sprague-Dawley rats twice per week (Days 0, 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, and 22) for 4 weeks (8 total doses) followed by a 4-week observation period for selected animals. Based on all clinical parameters, analysis, and observations of the studies completed, ITV-1 was well tolerated, up to 2.5 mg per intramuscular injection.

With the preliminary results of the Toxicology study, Enzolytics is anticipating entry into the markets of Rwanda, DR Congo, Botswana, and Kenya. Enzolytics' Chief Science Officer, Harry Zhabilov, manages the manufacture of ITV-1 and will travel to Africa in late March to confer with principals regarding the administration of the therapeutic to patients.

The World Health Organization estimates a population of over 4,000,000 HIV infected individuals living with HIV in the four African countries where the Company will register the therapy. It is estimated that the hospitals will administer the treatment to 40,000 - 50,000 patients in the first year after the initial product production is completed.

At this projected level of penetration (1% of the infected population), the expected gross revenue would exceed USD 45 Million in the first year. The World Health Organization reported "Sub-Saharan Africa remains most severely affected, with nearly 1 in every 25 adults (3.4%) living with HIV and accounting for two-thirds of the people living with HIV worldwide" making the African market the largest potential market for ITV-1. Forty percent (40%) of those in Africa infected with HIV have no access to any treatment for the virus. In addition, 91% of the world's HIV-positive children live in Africa. Every day, over 300 children worldwide die from HIV-related causes, and most of these deaths are in Africa. The introduction of ITV-1 in Africa represents the Company's desire to take all steps possible to address this pandemic, which has existed for 40 years. One of the Company's long-term plans is to offer effective, affordable treatment to the 69% of the world's HIV patients who live in Africa.

In addition, with the initial results of the ITV-1 Toxicology, the Company is moving forward with Pharmacokinetic Analysis necessary for advancing the therapeutic for use in European countries under the EMA. The completion of toxicology studies is necessary for EMA registration. Approval under the EMA will allow use of the therapeutic in the EU, followed by seeking FDA approval for use in North America.

The Company anticipates raising additional funds to complete EMA registration of ITV-1, production and testing of its Immunotherapy and Monoclonal Antibody treatments as well as advancing its AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology platform for use in developing therapeutics against targeted viruses. With these funds, the Company will advance its therapeutics that are at the forefront of modern medicine. In 2021, the global market for Monoclonal Antibody therapies was valued at USD 186 Billion. This market is projected to increase at an annual growth rate of 12% between 2022 and 2032, reaching a total value of USD 647 Billion in 2032. The significance of the role that Monoclonal Antibodies will play in world health can be seen to be rapidly accelerating. Enzolytics believes its technology in the field of Monoclonal Antibodies production will play a major role in this future of medicine.

Additional raised funds will also be used for the promotion of the Company's IPF Immune nutritional supplement which is now on the market in the U.S. The product enters the North American market as nutritional supplement annual sales reached USD 50.11 Billion. With funding for communicating the significant benefit provided by IPF Immune, the Company expects significant sales and profit. Enzolytics is also proceeding with the registration of IPF Immune for sale in the European Market.

The Company CSO, Harry Zhabilov, said, "The successful results of the toxicology study for ITV-1 are a testament to the safety of ITV-1. Effectiveness has been demonstrated in earlier trials. It also marks a major milestone as the Company embarks on allowing access to a significant number of patients with limited access to safe, affordable therapy for HIV. Strategically, this allows Enzolytics to build a strong revenue-generating asset."

The Company COO, Dr. Gaurav Chandra, said, "The Company has made significant progress on its multiple therapeutic platforms. These platforms include the Company's ongoing development of multiple Monoclonal Antibodies for the treatment of various infectious diseases, an AI platform that makes possible rapid production of effective multiple Monoclonal Antibodies, including those targeting both human and animal viruses, and an effective nutritional supplement, IPF Immune, that is currently on the market. With several therapeutic platforms providing significant value to the Company and its shareholders, we are confident in our future. The Company's strengths are its multiple technologies that will individually provide effective therapies and treatments for patients and consumers."

Safe Harbor Statement : This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties associated with financial projections, budgets, milestone timelines, clinical development, regulatory approvals, and other risks described by Enzolytics, Inc. from time to time in its periodic reports filed with the SEC. ITV-1 is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or by any comparable regulatory agencies elsewhere in the world.

While Enzolytics, Inc. believes that the forward-looking statements and underlying assumptions contained therein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, including, but not limited to, the ability of Enzolytics to establish the efficacy of its therapeutics in the treatment of any disease or health condition, the development of studies and strategies leading to commercialization of its therapeutics in the United States, the obtaining of funding required to carry out the development plan, the completion of studies and tests on time or at all, and the successful outcome of such studies or tests. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this release will prove to be accurate.

Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations. They involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of the statements made, and cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update the forward-looking statements or update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Company Contact:

Enzolytics, Inc.

1101 Raintree Circle

Allen, Texas 75013

www.enzolytics.com

SOURCE: Enzolytics, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738516/Enzolytics-Announces-Preliminary-Results-of-GLP-Toxicology-Study-for-its-anti-HIV-Therapeutic-ITV-1-and-Production-of-ITV-1-for-Initiation-of-Registration-in-Africa
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Camino Corp. (TSXV:COR)(OTC PINK:CAMZF) (WKN: A116E1) ("Camino" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its field work and geological modeling has identified the Diana Zone as a new drilling target at the Los Chapitos copper project ("Los Chapitos" or "the Project") in Peru. Previous channel sampling over the Diana Zone yielded 1.05% total copper and 14 ppm silver over 56m. The Diana Zone appears stratigraphically related to recently discovered oxidized copper mineralization at the Lourdes Zone that was drilled in 2022 with similar copper grades and intercepts (see news release dated July 6, 2022). A video showing the oxidized copper exposure at the surface of Diana can be seen here. The Diana Zone is located approximately 1.5 km northeast of Lourdes and 2.2 km northwest of Camino's main copper discovery zone at Adriana.

Highlights:

1.05% total copper and 14 ppm silver over 56 metres in channel sample along azimuth 130 , samples name: "X061522 to X061550" (#29 samples) at Diana Zone with no prior drilling.

samples name: "X061522 to X061550" (#29 samples) at Diana Zone with no prior drilling. An EIA drilling permit expansion expected in Q2 2023 to open 6,012 hectares for drilling.

"We are stepping out by several kilometers to identify satellite copper oxide deposits starting at the high-grade oxidized copper outcrop at Diana. Diana has surface channel samples of 1.05% Copper (Cu) and 14 ppm Ag over 56 metres with similar high-grade copper to our successful drilling campaign in 2022 where we intercepted 55.5 metres of 0.93% Cu and 6.71 ppm Ag (DCH-097) from surface at the Lourdes discovery", said Jay Chmelauskas, CEO of Camino Corp. "Our EIA drilling permit expansion is expected in Q2, which will expand our current EIA to 6,012 hectares, allowing us to target a larger and broader copper system over several kilometers, including three mineralized fault systems along the Diva, Atajo, and now Lagunillas faults. Our geological model targets buried porous geology that has the potential to host additional copper mantos previously found in weathered oxidized copper outcrops like Diana."

Head of Peru exploration, Felix Cornelio said, "Diana is located on the regional Lagunillas fault structure that runs parallel to our main copper mineralized controlling structure, the Diva fault. This is another mineralized system next to a regional fault with the same stratabound geology as the discoveries at Adriana and Lourdes. The Diana prospect and the Lourdes-Condori area provide the geological conditions for discovering more and possibly significant mineralized copper mantos".

A zonation in the elements sodium and potassium that are related to the calco-sodic metasomatism (albitization) and potassium Feldspar-silica, show the same geological conditions in the new target areas as Adriana. The most important phase, which is the copper mineralization episode, is exposed in the Lourdes feeder. Evidence of additional copper on surface and geological modelling supports multiple satellite mantos targets in this new area (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Plan map of exploration targets at Los Chapitos.

The relationship between the Adriana discovery and the Lourdes-Condori satellite target is related to the Diva Trend fault system, which aligns the silicified bodies identified as Olga and the Condori Silica Cap. The Silica Cap is a potential trap for other buried copper mantos that have not been exposed by weathering (see Figure 2).

Geological modelling shows evidence that the Molybdenum (Mo) and Cobalt (Co) anomalies detected at Gallinazo, Gorro, and Abrahancillo in dioritic bodies are closely related to the Diva Trend system and demonstrate geological similarities to the deep parts of the Adriana model.

Figure 2. SW-NE section showing the targets from Abrahancillo to Diana projecting stratabound copper mantos targets.

Figure 3. Location map of Los Chapitos Project claims.

About Camino Corporation

Camino is a discovery and development stage copper exploration company. The Company is focused on advancing its high-grade Los Chapitos copper project located in Peru through to resource delineation and to add new discoveries. Camino has also permitted the Maria Cecilia copper porphyry project for a planned exploration drilling program. In addition, the Company has increased its land position at its copper and silver Plata Dorada project. The Company seeks to acquire a portfolio of advanced copper assets that have the potential to deliver copper into an electrifying copper intensive global economy. For more information, please refer to Camino's website at www.caminocorp.com.

Jose A. Bassan, MSc. Geologist, an independent geologist FAusIMM (CP) 227922, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this document. Mr. Bassan has reviewed and verified relevant data supporting the technical disclosure, including sampling and analytical test data.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD /S/ "Jay Chmelauskas"

President and CEO For further information, please contact: Camino Investor Relations

info@caminocorp.com

Tel: (604) 493-2058

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this release constitute forward-looking information. In making the forward-looking disclosures in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information in the release includes the prospectivity of future exploration work at Los Chapitos and the receipt of new exploration permits. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking information in this release is subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information. Such risk factors include, among others, that actual results of the Company's exploration activities will be different than those expected by management, that the Company will be unable to obtain or will experience delays in obtaining any required approvals and the state of equity and commodity markets. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Camino Minerals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738488/Camino-Identifies-Diana-Zone-as-New-Satellite-Drilling-Target-at-the-Los-Chapitos-Project-Peru-Surface-Channel-Samples-of-105-Copper-over-56-meters
EQS-News: Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. / Key word(s): AGM/EGM

Steinhoff International Holdings N.V.: Notice of Annual General Meeting



08.02.2023 / 12:00 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. - Notice of Annual General Meeting Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. (the "Company" or "Steinhoff") disclosed on 2 February 2023 that the Company had been delayed in publishing the notice of the annual general meeting and shareholder circular while it sought certain regulatory confirmations, and that as a result the date of the AGM would be rescheduled. The Company obtained the confirmations sought today. Shareholders are now referred to the notice of annual general meeting of the Company, with corporate seat in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to be held on Wednesday, 22 March 2023, at 13:00 CET at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Piet Heinkade 1, 1019 BR Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and which will be accessible via webcast with details available on the Company's website (www.steinhoffinternational.com) (the "AGM"), as posted on the Company's website today (the "Notice"). Hybrid AGM The Company accommodates its shareholders (the "Shareholders") in attending the AGM virtually through electronic means, without the need to physically attend the AGM. Participating virtually in the AGM is subject to the Company's hybrid meeting policy which is available on the Company's website (www.steinhoffinternational.com). The management board of the Company (the "Management Board") may take precautionary measures to safeguard the health and safety of the Company's employees and the participants of the AGM. The Company shall publish any health and safety guidelines for attending the AGM on its website (www.steinhoffinternational.com) if and when appropriate. Shareholders should therefore check the Company's website (www.steinhoffinternational.com) for any updates. If Shareholders or other persons with meeting rights do not wish to physically attend the AGM, they can only cast their votes if voting rights accrue by way of electronic means during the hybrid AGM or by granting a proxy in accordance with the information contained in the 'General Information' section of the Notice. Questions Shareholders and other persons with meeting rights are invited to submit any questions related to any of the agenda items prior to the AGM in the English language by e-mail to compsec@steinhoffinternational.com by no later than Wednesday, 15 March 2023. These questions will be answered during the AGM and the questions and answers shall be published on the Company's website (www.steinhoffinternational.com) after the AGM. Further questions can be asked during the AGM in the physical meeting or by submitting such questions in the English language through the digital voting platform. The chairperson of the AGM may determine that, in the interest of the order of business of the meeting, it can reasonably not be required to answer one or more specific further questions in light of the circumstances at the time of the AGM. The agenda of the AGM contains the following subjects: AGENDA Opening Presentation to Shareholders and discussion on the equity position of the Company (Section 2:108a of the Dutch Civil Code) (discussion item) Shareholder Q&A Annual Reporting 2022 Report of the Management Board, including the report of the supervisory board of the Company (the "Supervisory Board"), for the financial year ended 30 September 2022 (discussion item) Explanation of any substantial change in the corporate governance structure of the Company and compliance with the Dutch Corporate Governance Code (discussion item) Explanation of the policy on profits and reserves for the financial year ended 30 September 2022 (discussion item) Proposal to adopt the annual accounts for the financial year ended 30 September 2022 (voting item) Composition of the Supervisory Board Proposal to re-appoint Mr. David Pauker as a Supervisory Director (voting item) Remuneration Proposal to cast an advisory vote in respect of the remuneration report for the financial year ended 30 September 2022 (voting item) Proposal to amend the remuneration policy applicable to Managing Directors (voting item) Appointment of the statutory audit firm for the financial year ending

30 September 2024 Proposal to appoint Mazars Accountants N.V. as statutory audit firm for the financial year ending on 30 September 2024 (voting item) Transaction, Transfer, issuance CVRs and Dissolution Combined proposal to approve the Transaction, including the Transfer in accordance with Section 2:107a of the Dutch Civil Code and the issuance of the CVRs by New Topco to the Shareholders, and to resolve to dissolve the Company following the completion of the Transfer and subject to the Dissolution Conditions (as soon as the Company will cease to exist by operation of law pursuant to the Dissolution, this will effectively result in removal of the listing of the Company's securities from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange ("JSE") and termination of the listing of the Company's securities on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange ("FSE")) ("Transaction" as defined in the Shareholder Circular appended to the Notice, and each of "Transfer", "CVRs", "New Topco", "Dissolution Conditions" and "Dissolution" as defined in the Notice) (voting item) Proposal to appoint New Topco as custodian of the books, records and other data carriers of the Company, with effect as of the Dissolution (only to be discussed and voted upon if agenda item 8.1 is adopted) (voting item) Authorisation issuance of shares or rights to subscribe for shares Proposal to authorise the Management Board to issue (or grant rights to subscribe for) ordinary shares in the capital of the Company and to limit or exclude shareholders' pre-emption rights (only to be discussed and voted upon if agenda item 8.1 is not adopted) (voting item) Any other business Closing GENERAL INFORMATION All Shareholders and other persons with meeting rights who wish to participate in the AGM are referred to the registration and attendance instructions contained in the 'General Information' section of the Notice. Meeting documents Copies of the Notice, agenda and explanatory notes thereto, including the appendices and other meeting documents, are provided upon request and free of charge. Digital copies are available on the Company's website (www.steinhoffinternational.com) and may also be obtained via e-mail: compsec@steinhoffinternational.com. Hard copies are made available for inspection at the office of the Company (Building B2, Vineyard Office Park, Cnr Adam Tas & Devon Valley Road, Stellenbosch, 7600 South Africa). Record Date In accordance with Dutch law and the Company's articles of association, persons entitled to attend, speak and, if applicable, vote at the AGM are Shareholders registered as such on Wednesday,

22 February 2023 (the "Record Date") in the register of shareholders kept by the Management Board after all debit and credit entries have been made on the Record Date, regardless of whether the shares in the capital of the Company ("Shares") are still held by them at the date of the AGM, provided that such persons have registered themselves for the AGM in the manner specified in the Notice. Last day of trading for Securities held on the FSE The date on which beneficiaries of Securities (as defined in the Notice) listed on the FSE must be recorded as such in the register of PLC Nominees (Pty) Limited to be eligible to attend and vote at the AGM is the Record Date, with the last day of trading on the FSE being Friday, 17 February 2023. Last day of trading for Shares held on the JSE The date on which holders of Shares listed on the JSE must be recorded as such in the register of shareholders of the Company to be eligible to attend and vote at the AGM is the Record Date, with the last day of trading on the JSE being Friday, 17 February 2023. Registration instructions Shareholders, persons with meeting rights or their proxies, who wish to either physically or virtually attend and exercise their rights in the AGM, should notify their intended participation in accordance with the instructions set out in the Notice from Thursday, 23 February 2023 until 11:00 a.m. CET on Wednesday, 15 March 2023 at the latest. Supervisory Board change Peter Wakkie has indicated not to be available for re-appointment as a Supervisory Director. As a result his term will end at the close of the AGM. Peter Wakkie has served on the Supervisory Board since 2018. He was appointed for an initial term of one year and subsequently re-appointed for two further two-year terms. As member of the Company's former litigation working group Peter Wakkie has made a valuable contribution towards resolving the outstanding legal claims against the Group. Peter Wakkie's knowledge, skills and experience have added tremendous value to the Supervisory Board. We sincerely thank him for his contribution during challenging times. The Company has a primary listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited. 8 February 2023

08.02.2023 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




ANKARA (dpa-AFX) - The death toll from the massive earthquake near the Turkey-Syrian border is fast approaching the 10000 mark as rescuers are battling heavy rain and snow to find survivors.



Turkey's Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM) put the death toll in the country at 7108 and the number of those injured at 40910.



Syrian state media and a rescue group say more than 2500 people died in government-controlled and rebel-held regions in Syria.



With hundreds of people still trapped under the rubble, and freezing cold conditions hindering rescue efforts, the death toll is likely to rise further, according to aid agencies and emergency workers.



Rescue teams worked through another freezing-cold night in a desperate race against time to save survivors trapped under debris of thousands of buildings collapsed in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck in the early hours of Monday.



Damaged roads have also made it difficult for aid to reach rural areas. Survivors who are left without shelter in freezing weather told media that their life is in danger due to hunger and cold.



In some places across southern Turkey and northern Syria temperature is measured in minus degree centigrade. The weather is projected to get even colder in coming days.



Amid mounting criticism over official response and the slow speed of rescue efforts, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived at the disaster zone Wednesday. He is visiting the worst-hit regions of Kahramanmaras, Hatay and Pazarcik, according to the president's office.



Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in ten provinces devastated by the quake.



More countries including Italy, Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan have deployed their personnel to support rescue efforts in quake-hit areas.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Global Blue Group Holding AG (the "Company") (NYSE:GB)will hold an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders ("EGM") on March 1, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. CET, followed by a Special Meeting of the Holders of Series A Preferred Shares at 11:20 a.m. CET, at Niederer Kraft Frey Ltd,Bahnhofstrasse 53, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland.

At the EGM and Special Meeting, the company will seek shareholder approval to:

create a capital band authorizing the Board of Directors until March 1, 2028 to conduct one or more increases and/or reductions of the share capital within the upper limit of CHF 3,142,193.39, corresponding to up to 268,534,962 common shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.01 each, 17,684,377 Series A Preferred Shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.01 each and up to 28,000,000 Series B Preferred Shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.01 each, with the possibility to exclude or restrict the pre-emptive rights of existing shareholders for certain reasons, and the lower limit of CHF 1,742,806.65, corresponding to 174,280,665 common shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.01 each, 0 Series A Preferred Shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.01 each and 0 Series B Preferred Shares with a nominal value of CHF 0.01 each, in each case subject to certain restrictions and limitations, all as set out in Article 4d of the Articles of Association; and replace the authorized capital provisions set forth in Article 4d and Article 4e of the Articles of Association by a new Article 4d.

The preparatory documents for the EGM and Special Meeting can be accessed via the Investor Relations section of the company's website at Global Blue Group Holding AG Investor Relations.

A copy of the invitation to the EGM and Special Meeting together with the Proxy Cards are filed as Exhibits 99.1, 99.2, 99.3 and 99.4 to the Company's Report on Form 6-K, dated February 8, 2023.

ABOUT GLOBAL BLUE

Global Blue pioneered the concept of Tax Free Shopping 40 years ago. Through continuous innovation, we have become the leading strategic technology and payments partner, empowering retailers to improve their performance and shoppers to enhance their experience.

Global Blue offers innovative solutions in three different fields:

Tax Free Shopping: Helping retailers at over 300,000 points of sale to efficiently manage 35 million Tax Free Shopping transactions a year, thanks to its fully integrated in-house technology platform. Meanwhile, its industry-leading digital Tax Free shopper solutions create a better, more seamless customer experience

Helping retailers at over 300,000 points of sale to efficiently manage 35 million Tax Free Shopping transactions a year, thanks to its fully integrated in-house technology platform. Meanwhile, its industry-leading digital Tax Free shopper solutions create a better, more seamless customer experience Payments services: Providing a full suite of foreign exchange and Payments technology solutions that allow acquirers, hotels and retailers to offer value-added services and improve the customer experience during 31 million payment transactions a year at 130,000 points of interaction

Providing a full suite of foreign exchange and Payments technology solutions that allow acquirers, hotels and retailers to offer value-added services and improve the customer experience during 31 million payment transactions a year at 130,000 points of interaction Complementary RetailTech: Offering new technology solutions to retailers, including digital receipts and eCommerce returns, that can be easily integrated with their core systems and allow them to optimise and digitalise their processes throughout the omni-channel customer journey, both in-store and online

In addition, our data and advisory services offer a strategic advisory to help retailers identify opportunities for growth, while our shopper experience and engagement solutions provide data-driven solutions to increase footfall, convert footfall to revenue and enhance performance.

For more information, visit http://www.globalblue.com/corporate/

Pre-pandemic figures FY 2019-20

Source: Global Blue

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005526/en/

Contacts:

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS

Frances Gibbons Head of Investor Relations

Mob: +44 (0)7815 034 212 Mail: fgibbons@globalblue.com
Unsolicited, coercive, non-binding and self-serving proposal would result in a materially diminished dividend to all shareholders upon Ramu debt repayment

Opportunistic proposal and its demands have been unanimously rejected by the Company's Board of Directors, with the support of the Company's largest institutional shareholders.

BMO Capital Markets and Kingsdale Advisors retained as strategic advisors to help defend shareholder value and protect shareholders against other opportunistic or coercive actions that would harm shareholder interests

Nickel 28 announces appointment of new independent director Lance Frericks

Nickel 28 Capital Corp. ("Nickel 28" or the "Company") (TSXV: NKL) (FSE: 3JC0) today publicly responds to an unsolicited, non-biding and self-serving proposal received from a shareholder of the Company.

On February 6, 2023 the Company received a letter addressed to its board of directors (the "Board") from a shareholder proposing a value destructive, coercive and highly dilutive US$15 million private placement financing. The shareholder's stated purpose for the financing would be to accelerate the Company's business plans.

The shareholder demanded a response by 5:00 p.m. on February 8, 2023. Nickel 28 is issuing this news release so that all shareholders are made aware of the Company's response to these self-serving demands.

In connection with its proposal, the shareholder demands the immediate reconstitution of the Board, including the appointment of two unidentified nominees of the shareholder, as well as the grant of preferential investor rights to the shareholder, all of which would in effect give the shareholder a position of significant influence over the Company's affairs and governance, without offering a meaningful premium or allowing other shareholders to participate on equal terms or affording them an opportunity to vote on such nominees or proposals.

Following review, the Board has unanimously determined that the unsolicited proposal is not value enhancing for the Company or its shareholders, other than for the shareholder making the proposal. The Board is of the view that the value of the Company's assets is far in excess of the value implied by the proposed financing, such that the private placement would be value destructive and economically dilutive for all other shareholders. Management and the Board who collectively hold approximately 25% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares calculated on a fully-diluted basis are strongly opposed to this opportunistic and coercive proposal and remain fully aligned with the interests of minority shareholders.

Management of the Company has discussed this unsolicited proposal on a confidential basis with several of the Company's largest outside institutional shareholders, who collectively hold in excess of 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares. These shareholders have similarly expressed opposition to the shareholder's proposal, identifying concerns consistent with those identified by Management and the Board of Directors, as set out above.

Having taken advice from its legal and professional advisors, the Board unanimously rejects the unsolicited proposal as representing a self-serving, opportunistic and coercive attempt by a shareholder to extract value and exercise significant influence over the Company's direction solely for its own benefit, at the expense of, and to the detriment to, all other shareholders of Nickel 28.

The purported value offered by the proposal would represent a significant discount to the Company's current assessment of the financial value of its interest in the Ramu Nickel joint venture and its royalty portfolio. In addition, a US$15 million financing would not meaningfully accelerate the timing for repayment of the remaining US$73 million Ramu joint venture debt which is non-recourse, having no fixed term, and bears interest at less than current market rates. Furthermore, such proposal would result in a significant reduction in the dividends per share paid upon extinguishment of such debt.

As stated in the Company's January 30, 2023 press release, Nickel 28 believes that the repayment of the Ramu debt and the commencement of the payment of dividends represents a pivotal inflection point. One of the most problematic aspects of this proposal is that it coincidentally comes immediately following the Company's public reiteration of its dividend policy and debt repayment strategy to enhance value for all shareholders. In contrast, the shareholder's dilutive financing proposal would hand over a significant shareholding position at a significant cost to all shareholders while only shortening the repayment of the Ramu debt by a matter of months.

Interestingly, Nickel 28 notes that the shareholder, in recent written communications, had suggested that the Company deploy its cash to repurchase additional outstanding common shares of the Company, which if implemented would have delayed the repayment of the Company's debt, while increasing the shareholder's percentage interest in the Company. Perversely, now this same shareholder wants to dilute other shareholders in order to increase its own undisclosed share ownership in the Company. The shareholder's flip-flop underscores the performative, unprincipled and opportunistic nature of the proposals received. In addition, written correspondence from the shareholder has also evidenced a fundamental misunderstanding of the manner in which the Company's joint venture interest at Ramu is operated. This, and the fact that the shareholder's proposal demands an immediate capitulation from the Company to its unsolicited proposal without even revealing its proposed director nominees clearly demonstrates its lack of credibility.

In recent days the shareholder has taken steps to obtain lists of the shareholders of Nickel 28, presumably with the intention of soliciting proxies (although the shareholder has not prepared and filed a dissident proxy circular). Nickel 28 urges its shareholders to exercise caution and to take no action in response to any solicitation or communication made by or on behalf of any shareholder in respect of any of the proposals described above.

The Board and Management of Nickel 28, informed by their legal and professional advisors, will continue to act in and protect the best interests of the Company and all of its shareholders against opportunistic or coercive actions that would harm the interests of Nickel 28 and its shareholders.

Appointment of New Independent Director

Nickel 28 is pleased to announce today the appointment of Lance C. Frericks to the Board of Directors, effective immediately. With the appointment of Mr. Frericks, the Board of Directors is now comprised of a majority of independent directors.

"We are thrilled to welcome Lance Frericks to Nickel 28's Board of Directors," said Executive Chairman Anthony Milewski. "He joins the Board as a strong independent voice. Among other things, Lance brings with him a deep understanding of both the capital markets and commodities markets, making him a highly valuable addition to our Board at this important time for the company."

Mr. Frericks is currently a private investor and corporate director. Mr. Frericks started his career at the CME group as a Eurodollar options trader before transitioning to proprietary trading activities on the S&P 500 Index. For over 20 years, Mr. Frericks was one of the largest traders in the S&P pit, managing capital and serving as a market liquidity provider. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University.

Appointment of Strategic Advisors

The Company has retained BMO Capital Markets as its financial advisor and Kingsdale Advisors, North America's leading strategic shareholder advisory and communications firm, to act as its strategic advisor. Bennett Jones LLP and Stikeman Elliott LLP serve as legal counsel to the Company.

About Nickel 28

Nickel 28 Capital Corp. is a nickel-cobalt producer through its 8.56% joint-venture interest in the producing, long-life and world-class Ramu Nickel-Cobalt Operation located in Papua New Guinea. Ramu provides Nickel 28 with significant attributable nickel and cobalt production thereby offering our shareholders direct exposure to two metals which are critical to the adoption of electric vehicles. In addition, Nickel 28 manages a portfolio of 13 nickel and cobalt royalties on development and exploration projects in Canada, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain information which constitutes 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements with respect to the potential impact of those certain unsolicited proposal received by a shareholder of the Company; statements with respect to the future value of the Company and its assets; statements related to the repayment of the Company's Ramu operating debt (including the timing thereof) and the timing of repayments and payments under the Ramu Nickel project joint venture agreement by the operator; statements related to the Company's future use of excess cash flow and cash flow from the Ramu Nickel project; statements related to global economic conditions and commodities markets for nickel, cobalt and other commodities; and statements with respect to the business and assets of the Company and its strategy going forward. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the Company's control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties underlying these forward-looking statements materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are 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 release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005397/en/

Contacts:

Investors

Justin Cochrane, President

Telephone: +1 289 314 4766

Email: info@nickel28.com
MH-22-505 cuts 21.35 m of 9.75 g/t Au from Eastern Trend; New Zone intersected at South Pond

ST. JOHNS, NL / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / SokomanMinerals Corp. (TSXV:SIC)(OTCQB:SICNF) ("Sokoman" or the "Company") is pleased to report significant gold mineralization intersected in the main Eastern Trend (MH-22-505) approximately 200 m up hole from the targeted 463 Zone. Hole MH-22-505 cut 21.35 m averaging 9.75 g/t Au including 7.75 m averaging 21.82 g/t Au from 199.05 m downhole. The hole deviated slightly and passed above the targeted 463 Zone. Multiple narrow quartz veins, with specks of visible gold, were intersected in the portion of MH-22-505 closest to the 463 Zone (Figure 2 and summarized in accompanying table). The veins occur at high angles to core axis, are oblique to the Eastern Trend and are north-northeast trending - points which validate the current 463 Zone model.

As was reported on December 15, 2022, the 463 Zone is a significant departure in vein style/geometry from earlier drill intersections in the vicinity. The "463" intercept is thicker than any other to date and includes the "typical" high-grade vuggy-type veins with abundant VG with 5%-7% accessory boulangerite as well as brecciated veining with occasional specks of VG with minor boulangerite and sphalerite. Preliminary conclusions are that the 463 Zone is the hinge zone of a folded footwall splay vein off the lower Eastern Trend (Figure 2) with the geometry inferred to be a flat structure with a north-south trend. Initial assay results from the 463 Zone were released on September 6, 2022. The results included a 39.6 m intercept (core length) at 12.50 g/t Au (from 295.30 m downhole) including a higher-grade interval of 10.25 m at 41.97 g/t Au (from 312.35 m downhole).

A second hole, MH-22-512, targeting the 463 Zone, has been collared from the west side of North Pond to be used as a pilot hole to wedge additional holes. These drill holes will test for additional folded splays unrecognized to date with the heavy bias of drilling the, moderately east-dipping, Eastern Trend from west to east.

New Zone at South Pond

The new 511 Zone has been intersected in two holes testing an IP response under South Pond. The intersections are 250 m south of the South Pond Zone where drilling intersected 5.00 m of 26.87 g/t Au, incl 2.15 m @ 60.59 g/t Au from 47.00 m downhole in MH-20-123. The 511 Zone was initially intersected in MH-22-510, where a 3.55 m wide zone of mineralization grading 0.98 g/t Au was cut at a downhole depth of 419 m. Hole MH-22-511, 100 m to the south, intersected a 20.97 m wide mineralized zone (core length) averaging 1.12 g/t Au with a higher-grade section, 3.60 m wide, averaging 2.32 g/t Au starting at 336 m downhole. The 511 Zone, hosted in sediments cut by altered mafic dykes carrying up to 5% disseminated pyrite and arsenopyrite with 20%-30% quartz carbonate veining, is open to the south and to depth. This mineralization style is found in most gold zones at Moosehead and is often associated with higher-grade, VG-bearing, quartz veins. It is still not known if the intersections in holes 510 and 511 are one continuous zone or two separate, subparallel zones. Additional holes are planned for the area.

Summary of New Assay Results

Reconnaissance Drilling

Drill holes MH-22-491, 493, 494, 497, 499 and 506 - 509 were drilled in the extreme southern portion of the property testing historical soil and reverse circulation (RC) drilling geochemical anomalies identified by Altius Resources in the late 1990's. Weakly Au anomalous shear zones were intersected but nothing of significance was encountered. Although targets remain in the area, reconnaissance drilling planned for Q1 2023 will focus on the northern portion of the property where historical float samples, reported by Altius Resources, assaying 181 g/t Au lie in proximity to the perceived northern extension of the Eastern Trend.

Tim Froude, President and CEO of Sokoman, says: "We are very pleased to report the progress of drilling at both the 463 Zone and the new "511" Zone(s) in MH-22-510 and 511 at South Pond. Diamond drill hole MH-22-505 initially reported in December 2022, deviated and passed over the top of the 463 Zone. As a result, MH-22-512, the second hole directed towards the 463 Zone, was positioned to test the lower portion of the zone in the event that if the hole does stay straight, we will then be able to wedge off of it. Hole MH-22-505 was a very successful hole in that it was able to cut a good slice through the main Eastern Trend as well as providing additional information in the vicinity of the 463 Zone. It is now becoming apparent that there possibly are more mineralized splays developing in the footwall to the Eastern Trend based on the number of high angle veins and shear zones intersected in MH-22-505. At least six mineralized intervals were cut in the footwall below the main Eastern Trend. It will take more drilling of the footwall area to determine the significance of these zones in addition to the primary target at 463.

We are also encouraged by the intersections in both holes in the new 511 Zone at South Pond. While grades are modest, the setting is similar to that encountered at most mineralized zones at Moosehead with higher-grade, VG-bearing veins, spatially associated with altered / mineralized mafic dykes. The 511 Zone is open to the south and to depth and lies proximal to the intersection of at least two major structures, the Eastern Trend and the Valentine Lake Shear Zone. Multiple drill holes will test this area in the coming weeks."

Figure 1 - Drill Plan - Moosehead Project

Figure 2 - Drill Section MH-22-505

The Moosehead Project has five known zones of open-ended gold mineralization focused on the Eastern Trend in the central portion of the property with mineralization defined over a 600-m strike length and to over 370 m down dip. The Company is well funded with more than $7 million in the treasury.

QP

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Timothy Froude, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 and President and CEO of Sokoman Minerals Corp.

The Company would like to thank the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for past financial support of the Moosehead Project through the Junior Exploration Assistance Program.



Analytical Techniques / QA/QC

Samples, including duplicates, blanks, and standards, were submitted to Eastern Analytical Ltd. in Springdale, Newfoundland for gold analysis. All core samples submitted for assay were saw cut by Sokoman personnel with one-half submitted for assay and one-half retained for reference. Samples were delivered in sealed bags directly to the lab by Sokoman personnel. Eastern Analytical Ltd. is an accredited assay lab that conforms to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. Samples with visible gold were submitted for total pulp metallics and gravimetric finish. All other samples were analyzed by standard fire assay methods. Total pulp metallic analysis includes: the whole sample is crushed to -10 mesh; then pulverized to 95% -150 mesh. The total sample is weighed and screened to 150 mesh; the +150 mesh fraction is fire assayed for Au, and a 30 g subsample of the -150 mesh fraction is fire assayed for Au; with a calculated weighted average of total Au in the sample reported as well. One blank and one industry-approved standard for every twenty samples submitted is included in the sample stream. Random duplicates of selected samples are analyzed in addition to the in-house standard and duplicate policies of Eastern Analytical Ltd. All reported assays are uncut.

December's Flow-Through Private Placement

Further to its December 28, 2022 news release, Sokoman received final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange and the Company issued 14,795,544 Flow-Through Units for aggregate gross proceeds of $4,142,752. Cash finder's fees totaling $192,155.61 were paid, in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange policies.

The Financing was effected with three insiders, for a total of 192,143 Units or $53,800.04, each insider subscription being a "related party transaction" as such term is defined under MI 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation requirement of MI-61-101 under sections 5.5(a) and (b) of MI 61-101 in respect of the transaction as the fair market value of the transaction, insofar as it involves the interested party, is not more than 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

About Sokoman Minerals Corp.

Sokoman Minerals Corp. is a discovery-oriented company with projects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Company's primary focus is its portfolio of gold projects; the 100% flagship, advanced-stage Moosehead, as well as the Crippleback Lake; and East Alder (optioned to Canterra Minerals Corporation) along the Central Newfoundland Gold Belt, and the district-scale Fleur de Lys project Near Baie Verte in northwestern Newfoundland, that is targeting Dalradian-type orogenic gold mineralization similar to the Curraghinalt and Cavanacaw deposits in Northern Ireland. The Company also recently entered into a strategic alliance with Benton Resources Inc. through three, large-scale, joint-venture properties including Grey River, Golden Hope, and Kepenkeck in Newfoundland. Sokoman now controls, independently and through the Benton alliance, over 150,000 hectares (>6,000 claims - 1500 sq. km), making it one of the largest landholders in Newfoundland, in Canada's newest and rapidly-emerging gold districts. The Company also retains a 1% net smelter return (NSR) interest in an early-stage antimony/gold project (Startrek) in Newfoundland, optioned to Thunder Gold Corp (formerly White Metal Resources Inc.), and in Labrador, the Company has a 100% interest in the Iron Horse (Fe) project which has Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) potential.

For more information, please contact:

Timothy Froude, P.Geo., President & CEO

T: 709-765-1726

E: tim@sokomanmineralscorp.com

Cathy Hume, VP Corporate Development, Director

T: 416-868-1079 x 251

E: cathy@chfir.com

Thomas Do, IR Manager, CHF Capital Markets

T: 416-868-1079 x 232

E: thomas@chfir.com

Website: www.sokomanmineralscorp.com

Twitter: @SokomanMinerals

Facebook: @SokomanMinerals

LinkedIn: @SokomanMineralsCorp

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Investors are cautioned that trading in the securities of the Corporation should be considered highly speculative. Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward- looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Sokoman Minerals Corp. will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by Sokoman Minerals Corp.

SOURCE: Sokoman Minerals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738514/Sokoman-Reports-Additional-High-Grade-Gold-at-Eastern-Trend-Moosehead-Gold-Project-Central-Newfoundland
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min attends a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office, in Seoul, Feb. 8. Yonhap



The opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Wednesday to impeach Interior Minister Lee Sang-min over last year's Itaewon crowd crush, marking the first-ever impeachment of a Cabinet member.



The impeachment motion passed 179-109, with five votes ruled invalid, forcing the suspension of Lee from duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to endorse or reject the motion.



Depending on the court's decision, Lee will either be reinstated or removed from office.



The court has 180 days to rule on the case.



The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and two minor parties introduced the impeachment motion earlier this week to hold Lee accountable for the government's allegedly bungled response to the crowd crush that killed 159 people.



It marked the National Assembly's first impeachment of a Cabinet member.



In the past, two presidents  Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye  were impeached by the National Assembly in 2004 and 2016, respectively. The Constutional Court rejected Roh's impeachement, but endorsed Park's and ousted her from office.











Lawmakers gather at the National assembly for passage of an impeachment motion against Interior Minister Lee Sang-min in Seoul, Feb. 8. Yonhap



It is unclear how the court will rule on this case, but compared with a dismissal motion, an impeachment requires more concrete proof that the official in question has violated the Constitution or law in serving his or her role.



After wrapping up an investigation last month, police decided not to hold any officials from the interior ministry, the Seoul city government or the national police agency accountable for the deadly accident, concluding those bodies are not legally responsible for crowd control duties.



Shortly after the vote, Lee said he will faithfully undergo the impeachment trial.



"It is very regrettable to cause concern to people due to the passage of an impeachment motion against me," he said in a statement. "I hope the state of vacuum in public safety, which would be brought about by this unprecedented incident, would be minimized."



The ministry will try to carry out its duties in an unwavering manner, Lee said.



"I will do my best to normalize the Ministry of the Interior and Safety by faithfully undergoing the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial," he said.



The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol denounced the impeachment as a "shame."



"It's an abandonment of parliamentarism," the office said in a statement. "It will go down in parliamentary history as a shame."



The government and ruling party have maintained Lee did not violate the law or Constitution in his response to the crowd crush. (Yonhap)




Cape Town, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Banxso, the leading FX & CFD brokerage of South Africa, has announced that it has secured multiple licenses to expand its services across the globe.

Banxso

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9243/154084_5a711a84d4268a86_001full.jpg

The brokerage now holds an EU investment business license from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). Regulatory permits provide the brokerage business the ability to provide a variety of financial services, as well as the authorization to offer cross-border services within the EU and EEA in accordance with European passport rights.

In order to expand its business in Africa, Banxso has also received an international brokerage license and a class "A" banking license from Comoros.

Banxso's rapid expansion to these countries is proof that it has concrete plans for what's to come this year in 2023. The South African trading platform has actively taken steps towards expanding towards the northern part of the continent.

The company noted that it is actively collaborating with authorities to get licenses in 2023 for the Central Bank of Cabo Verde, Seychelles, Kenya (CMA), Zimbabwe (SEC), Mauritius (FSC), Vanuatu (FSC), and Zimbabwe (SEC). This will help to secure the company's rapid expansion in Africa.

2023 will prove to be a pivotal year for the company as it spreads its wings outside the country and expands to new jurisdictions.

About Banxso

An award-winning, FSCA-licensed multi-asset brokerage firm in South Africa, Banxso concentrates on offering cutting-edge financial services, including zero-fee trading.

Since its establishment, Banxso has grown significantly to become the leading broker in South Africa, earning a reputation for its innovative, customer-focused methodology and sophisticated technology.

The Banxso trading platform allows users to trade major world currencies, buy and sell fractional shares on international exchanges with no fee, and speculate on commodities like gold, silver, and oil. For individuals who don't want to trade alone, the Banxso platform also comes with cutting-edge features like AI automatic decision tools and social trading capabilities.



Twitter: @banxso

Instagram: @banxsocom

YouTube: @banxso

Manuel De Andrade

+27 104 464 170

pr@banxso.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154084
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Lithium One Metals Inc. (TSXV: LONE) (FSE: H490) (the "Company" or "LONE") is pleased to announce it has entered into an option agreement (the "Option Agreement") to acquire an additional lithium property in the James Bay region of Quebec, subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Ferrari Lithium property is located 35 km northeast of the Pontois-Corvette Lithium Projects owned by Patriot Battery Metals and 40 km northeast of LONE's Taycan Lithium property (Figure 1). The acquisition expands the Company's already significant land holdings in the rapidly growing James Bay region (Figure 2). The Company now has a total of 45,010 ha in Canada, with 19,060 ha in Quebec and 25,950 hectares in northwestern Ontario and expects to commence a multi-project work program in Spring, 2023.

Acquisition Highlights

The Ferrari Lithium Property. The 5,200 ha property is located approximately 40 km northeast of LONE's Taycan Lithium property, and 35 km northeast of the Pontois-Corvette Lithium Projects, where recent drilling has intersected grades up to 3.34% Li2O over 52.5 m.1 The property is also on the interpreted trend with the Jarnet Lithium project owned by Arbor Metals where it was recently reported that field activities identified a series of previously unmapped pegmatites (Figure 1).2

The James Bay Lithium District. Located in the Canadian province of Quebec, James Bay is one of the country's fastest-growing lithium districts with ten advanced stage projects and numerous early-stage occurrences. Of particular note, the Whabouchi mine is one of the largest bulk tonnage lithium deposits in the world with a Mineral Resource of 36.6 Mt at 1.3% Li2O and a proposed mine life of 33 years.3 Additionally, the James Bay Lithium Mine has a Mineral Resource of 40.3 Mt at 1.4% Li2O and is proposed to produce an average of 321 Kt of spodumene concentrate per year over a 19-year mine life.4

Strategic Acquisition Continues to Expand its Dominant Position. The Ferrari Lithium property adds 5,200 ha of prospective ground to LONE's dominant land position in prime lithium districts. The Company now holds 45,010 hectares of lithium properties across Canada, with 19,060 hectares in the James Bay region including the Taycan Lithium property, which includes a mining claim surrounded by Patriot Battery Metals. Each property in LONE's portfolio has been selected for geological prospectivity as well as proximity to existing discoveries, deposits and mines.

Prospective Geology for Lithium Exploration. The property is located in the eastern part of the La Grande Greenstone belt and in the vicinity of government mapped pegmatites and recently identified pegmatites at Arbor Metals Jarnet Lithium property.

Planned Work Program. In Spring 2023, the Company will begin a comprehensive Phase One exploration campaign, with an initial focus on prospecting, mapping, and sampling pegmatites at Ferrari, Bugatti and Taycan Lithium properties, to be followed in Phase Two with drill testing of the highest priority targets.

Figure 1. Property map showing pegmatite outcrops (MERN) with the Company's land holdings in the vicinity of the Corvette lithium discovery in James Bay, Quebec.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8381/154056_79979eeb2483fb27_001full.jpg





Figure 2. Regional map showing the location the new Ferrari Property and the Company's other lithium properties in the James Bay Area, Quebec.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8381/154056_79979eeb2483fb27_002full.jpg

Ferrari Lithium Property

The Ferrari Lithium property is comprised of 105 mining claims running parallel to the Transtaiiga road located less than 5 km from the La Grande 4 hydropower station. The property is within the eastern part of the La Grande Greenstone Belt, composed of multiple deformed sequences of Archean volcano-sedimentary and plutonic rocks (Houle et al. 2015). The property is in the vicinity of government-mapped pegmatites and near Arbor Metals Jarnet Lithium property where it was recently reported that the Company's field activities identified previously unmapped pegmatite.5 The Ferrari property is located approximately 35 km northeast of the Corvette Project, where recent drilling has intersected grades up to 3.34% Li2O over 52.5 m.6

Terms of Option Agreement

In order to exercise the option, the Company must pay a total of $210,000 and the issue 6,000,000 common shares, as follows:

$10,000 upon execution of the Option Agreement;

$100,000 and 2,000,000 common shares upon acceptance of the Option Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange;

$100,000 and 2,000,000 common shares on or before the date that is six months after acceptance of the Option Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange; and

2,000,000 common shares on or before the first anniversary of acceptance of the Option Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange.

Under the terms of the Option Agreement, the Company must issue an additional 3,500,000 common shares on achieving certain milestones during exploration. The property will be subject to a 3% net smelter returns royalty, 1% of which the Company can buy back for $1,000,000.

The Option Agreement is subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Sale of Bellechasse-Timmins Gold Project

The Company also announces that it has entered into an agreement whereby it will sell all the issued and outstanding common shares of its wholly-owned subsidiary, 9412-1068 Quebec Inc. ("9412 Quebec"), to 1399205 B.C. Ltd. (the "Purchaser"), a company that is at arm's length to the Company. 9412 Quebec holds the mineral claims that make up the Bellechasse-Timmins Gold Project in Quebec. As consideration for the purchase, the Purchaser shall assume all obligations of the Company as to principal and any accrued interest currently outstanding in respect of a promissory note dated April 1, 2022, in the principal amount of $353,000. This sale is subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Francois Gagnon, P. Geo., Senior Exploration Geologist for Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., and Qualified Person under NI 43-101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects, who has prepared and reviewed the content of this press release.

About Lithium One

Lithium One Metals is a Canadian exploration company specializing in the acquisition and development of high-potential lithium properties in Ontario and Quebec. Our team of experienced geologists and prospectors are at the forefront of the search for the next generation of lithium deposits.

On behalf of Lithium One Metals Inc.

Dominic Verdejo, Chief Executive Officer

For more information, please visit the Company's website at https://lithiumonemetals.com or contact:

Dominic Verdejo

Tel: +1-604-678-5308

Email: dom@rsdcapital.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

WARNING: The Company relies upon litigation protection for "forward-looking" statements. The information in this release may contain forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking information. Factors that may cause actual results to vary materially include, but are not limited to, inaccurate assumptions concerning the exploration for and development of mineral deposits, currency fluctuations, unanticipated operational or technical difficulties, changes in laws or regulations, failure to obtain regulatory, exchange or shareholder approval, the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits, changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets and the inability to raise additional financing. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update this forward-looking information after the date of this release or to revise such information to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

1 Patriot Battery Metals News Release, January 29, 2023

2 Arbor Metals News Release, November 22, 2022

3 Nemaska Lithium NI 43-101 Technical Report: Report on the Estimate to Complete for the Whabouchi Lithium Mine and Shawinigan Electrochemical Plant, May 31, 2019

4 Galaxy Lithium Preliminary Economic Assessment, NI 43-101 Technical Report: James Bay Lithium Project Ontario, Canada, March 15, 2021

5 Arbor Metals News Release, November 22, 2022

6 Patriot Battery Metals News Release, January 29, 2023

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154056
SCOTTSDALE, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Today FBC Holding, Inc. (OTC PINK:FBCD) through its wholly owned subsidiary, Formrunner Apparel Inc. is pleased to announce significant updates to its beloved shareholders moving forward throughout 2023.

FBC Holding, Inc. is off to a phenomenal start in 2023 with a strategic aggressive approach on multiple plans coming up as the year progresses! The company is currently seeking professional musicians along with athletes in a movement to create an in depth collaboration that will bring Formrunner Apparel to the spotlight in the streetwear industry. Once this is achieved, it will lead to other avenues of business such as mass revenue and growth overall. President & CEO Lisa Nelson states "Formrunner is also in the process of plotting a giant musical festival with big headliners and other popular streetwear clothing vendors for the fall of this year, and we will be announcing the lineup in the near future as soon as we have an established date. By hosting this event, it will really get us where we need to be in the industry and we can't stress enough how excited we are to make it happen!" In addition to this exciting news, Super Bowl LVII is being held in Arizona this Sunday February 12th, which means the company will see significant revenue as visitors & celebrities will be visiting from all over the country. With that being said, Formrunner Apparel is beyond ready with discounts for Super Bowl LVII & Black History Month and has doubled its inventory with the latest fashion for this special occasion at its high-end retail location Hyperviolent located in Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall right across from Foot Locker. 2023 is going to be a fantastic year for FBC Holding, Inc. and the company will continue to keep the public informed on the topics discussed.

Formrunner Apparel Inc. has built a significant reputation by delivering on both Clothing quality and price to become one of the most respected and trusted names in the Retail Clothing Space. Our customers admire our variety of high-end clothing, top notch customer service, competitive pricing, and easy payment alternatives. Since Hyperviolent first opened, Formrunner Apparel Inc. has managed to establish valuable long-term relationships with customers and distributors and the company cannot wait to see what the future holds! More updates to come!

About Formrunner Apparel Inc.

Formrunner Apparel Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of FBC Holding, Inc. Formrunner Apparel Inc. carries a variety of Top-Notch Streetwear & Accessories located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Formrunner can be viewed and bought on the Company's website at www.formrunnerapparel.com

Formrunner Apparel Inc's main website: www.formrunnerapparel.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/FormrunnerTM

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Formrunner

Instagram (Mall Location): https://www.instagram.com/Hyperviolentaz

Hyperviolent Main Website https://www.hyperviolent.com

IR Contact:

info@formrunnerapparel.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See FBC Holding, Inc filings with OTC Markets, which may identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital: the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services, changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking.

SOURCE: FBC Holding, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738489/FBC-Holding-Inc-FBCD-Provides-Corporate-Update
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Quantum eMotion Corp. (TSXV: QNC) (OTCQB: QNCCF) (FSE: 34Q) ("QeM" or the "Company") has been invited to attend The Wall Street Conference 2023 "Billionaires Row" on February 7-8, 2023.

The Wall Street Conference 2023 is an "Invitation Only" event featuring Growth Equities, Industry Leaders and World Class Speakers.

Topics will include Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Critical Minerals, Cybertech/Cleantech, Delivery tech, Fintech, Gaming, Geopolitical Landscape, Impact Investing, National Security, Proptech, Robotics, and Telemedicine.

These events typically bring together business leaders, financial experts, investors, and other professionals to discuss topics related to finance, economics, and investment strategies.

Francis Bellido, CEO and President, will host meetings throughout the event with attendees, family offices, and fund managers.

About QeM

The Company's mission is to address the growing demand for affordable hardware security for connected devices. The patented solution for a Quantum Random Number Generator exploits the built-in unpredictability of quantum mechanics and promises to provide enhanced security for protecting high value assets and critical systems.

The Company intends to target the highly valued Financial Services, Healthcare, Blockchain Applications, Cloud-Based IT Security Infrastructure, Classified Government Networks and Communication Systems, Secure Device Keying (IOT, Automotive, Consumer Electronics) and Quantum Cryptography.

For further information, please contact:

Francis Bellido, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 514.956.2525

Email: info@quantumemotion.com

Website: www.quantumemotion.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in the Corporation's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Quantum from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154087
Lewes, Delaware--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - ByteLearn.com, a new program that provides online math practice for US middle school classrooms, has launched a unique chatbot that provides students immediate, targeted, step-by-step help and hints in solving their assigned math problems.

ByteLearn breaks down the math problems assigned by the teacher into individual steps, then guides students with feedback and hints as they solve the problems.

Bytelearn also enables teachers to differentiate for their classroom, dynamically adjusting the difficulty of the problems in an assignment to meet students where they are. This unique combination of step-by-step help and differentiation enables struggling students to get unstuck, advanced students to be challenged, and all students to build their math confidence.

"We're thrilled to bring Bytelearn to US middle schools," said serial entrepreneur Aditya Singhal, the CEO of Bytelearn. "Our mission is to empower students to learn math in a safe, supportive environment and to provide teachers with the tools they need to simplify their to-do list and focus on what really matters - helping their students succeed."

According to Co-Founder Nishant Sinha, Bytelearn's AI-powered system nurtures students to become independent learners with strong growth mindsets by enabling them to tackle math problems one piece at a time, not having to ask a teacher or other student for help, and succeeding in learning on their own.

In addition to the independence and confidence Bytelearn provides, students also enjoy using Bytelearn because it's not stressful or frustrating, and it celebrates their effort with fun GIFs.

Bytelearn also shows teachers where students have specific learning gaps, providing actionable insights to pinpoint which skills need more attention. It also provides additional practice to fill those gaps, all without the teacher having to do anything.

Bytelearn has raised $9 million in seed funding, with plans to scale up operations in both India and the US to provide educational resources at a global level for all grades and all subjects.

About Bytelearn:

ByteLearn is an innovative online math platform for middle school students in the US. With a unique chatbot system, ByteLearn provides students with immediate, targeted, and step-by-step help and hints in solving their assigned math problems. This helps students build their math confidence and independence, and enables teachers to differentiate for their classrooms and provide more focused attention to their students. ByteLearn also identifies knowledge gaps and provides additional practice to fill them, simplifying the teacher's to-do list and freeing up time to focus on what really matters: helping their students succeed. Whether you're a struggling student in need of 1-on-1 help, an honors student seeking a challenge, or a teacher looking for an easier and more effective way to teach math, ByteLearn is the solution for you.

Media Contact:

Name: Aditya Singhal

Email: aditya@bytelearn.ai

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154086
Per Heggenes, CEO, IKEA Foundation urges others to join efforts to provide relief support to people impacted by the devastating earthquakes

The donation will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres' (MSF) emergency fund to provide life saving care where medical needs are the greatest. This will support the delivery of essential aid, including medical assistance, psychological support and healthcare services to those most impacted by the devastating earthquake.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005519/en/

Image credit: Medecins Sans Frontie`res, Photographer: Omar Haj Kadour (Photo: Business Wire)

The IKEA Foundation is also speaking with other partners who are operating in the region. These partners are coordinating with Turkish authorities to understand further needs and opportunities to provide additional assistance. This includes discussions with Better Shelter, looking at ways to provide modular temporary housing units in Turkiye and Syria.

Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation, said: "We are deeply saddened by the devastation and loss of life in Turkiye and northern Syria following Monday's earthquakes and especially by the impact on children and their families. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all those who are affected. I call on the world's governments, businesses, and philanthropies to join us in the relief support for Turkiye and northern Syria."

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake has so far left at least 7,800 people dead and caused widespread destruction, leaving millions of people wounded and without access to basic healthcare or shelter. Health facilities in the region are facing immense pressure and have limited staff and supplies. Many hospitals are experiencing acute shortages because of high demand to meet the needs of many patients. The situation is particularly acute in northern Syria, where more than 4 million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.

Stephen Cornish Director General Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Operational Center Geneva, said"We are shocked and saddened by the impact of this disaster. Health facilities are impacted and overwhelmed. Medical personnel in Turkiye and northern Syria are working round the clock to respond to the huge numbers of wounded arriving at facilities. We are deeply thankful to the IKEA Foundation for increasing their donation with an additional 10 million grant to our emergency fund.

About the IKEA Foundation

The IKEA Foundation is a strategic philanthropy that focuses its grant making efforts on tackling the two biggest threats to children's futures: poverty and climate change. It currently grants more than 200 million per year to help improve family incomes and quality of life while protecting the planet from climate change. Since 2009, the IKEA Foundation has granted more than 1.5 billion to create a better future for children and their families. In 2021 the Foundation decided to make an additional 1 billion available over the next five years to accelerate the reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions. Learn more at: www.ikeafoundation.org

About Medecins Sans Frontieres

Founded in 1971, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an international, independent medical humanitarian organization, working in more than 70 countries. MSF provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Learn more at www.msf.org

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005519/en/

Contacts:

Lotika Mehta

Lotika.mehta@ikeafoundation.org
CHMP determined CyclASol is eligible for a centralised procedure

Novaliq has submitted a Letter of intent to file a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) in July 2023

Novaliq, a biopharmaceutical company focusing on first- and best-in-class ocular therapeutics based on the unique EyeSol water-free technology, today announced its plans for filing a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for CyclASol (ciclosporin ophthalmic solution), a first-of-its-kind anti-inflammatory product for the treatment of dry eye disease (DED) in the European Union.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) determined that CyclASol is eligible to be reviewed in a centralized procedure to receive a Union Marketing Authorisation for the European Economic Area (EEA). In December 2022, EMA stated in its response that, based on the documentation provided by Novaliq, a submission is in the interest of patients at Community level under Article 3(2)b Interest of patients of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004. Consequently, Novaliq has submitted a letter of intent to EMA to file the MAA in July 2023.

Dry eye is one of the most common ocular surface disorders with approximately 15 million diagnosed patients in the 5 largest European countries1. Treatment options for DED in the European market are limited, with only one approved drug therapy restricted to the treatment of severe keratitis associated with DED1

CyclASol consists of cyclosporine solubilized in a novel water-free excipient, perfluorobutylpentane, and is the first available solution developed with the water-insoluble cyclosporine. This water-free drug product does not require preservatives, oils or surfactants, which can be irritating and disturb the tear film. The superior tolerability of CyclASol has been proven clinically.

"I see many patients in my practice whose lives are impacted by dry eye disease. New approved drug therapies for these patients in Europe are very welcome." said Christophe Baudouin, MD, PhD, FARVO, Professor of Ophthalmology at Quinze-Vingts National Ophthalmology Hospital and President of the European Dry Eye Society "Having a comfortable product that provides clinically meaningful improvements of the ocular surface as early as 2 weeks is addressing an important medical need and could help to limit steroid use."

CyclASol has demonstrated in two independent adequate and well-controlled, multicenter studies (ESSENCE-12 and ESSENCE-2) clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in moderate to severe patients affected by the disease indication. Effects on the ocular surface include a statistically significant reduction in total corneal fluorescein staining score favoring CyclASol as early as on Day 15. Up to 71.6% of patients responded within four weeks with a clinically meaningful improvement in total corneal staining. This proportion of responders was significantly higher compared to vehicle-treated patients in both studies. Patients responding also showed statistically significant improvements in a variety of symptoms compared to non-responders within 4 weeks. CyclASol has a favorable tolerability profile demonstrating high patient acceptance and an improved side effect profile. Continued improvement under therapy in both, signs and symptoms of DED, has been clinically demonstrated over a period of up to 56 weeks also confirming the favorable tolerability profile.

"CyclASol was specifically developed as a potent and comfortable anti-inflammatory dry eye drug therapy with rapid onset of effect for dry eye patients not adequately responding to artificial tears", said Christian Roesky, Ph.D., CEO, Novaliq. "We are excited by the response of the European Medicines Agency and look forward to hopefully bring CyclASol to patients in Europe, and ultimately address an unmet medical need for those suffering with dry eye disease."

In the United States the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date for the CyclASol New Drug Application (NDA) on June 8, 2023.

About Novaliq

Novaliq is a private biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development and commercialization of first- and best-in-class ocular therapeutics based on EyeSol, the worldwide first water-free technology. EyeSol is Novaliq's proprietary water-free technology using ultrapure semifluorinated alkanes (SFAs) that are physically, chemically, and physiologically inert with excellent biocompatibility and a very good safety profile. Two EyeSol dry eye drug products are in regulatory review by U.S. FDA: CyclASol and NOV03 (perfluorohexyloctane) with PDUFA target action dates on June 8 and 28, 2023 respectively. In the EU perfluorohexyloctane is registered as a medical device to treat patients with dry eye disease since 2013. The company continues to progress into other ophthalmic indications based on its validated EyeSol platform.

Novaliq GmbH is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany and Novaliq Inc. has an office in Cambridge, MA, USA. The long-term shareholder is dievini Hopp BioTech holding GmbH Co. KG, an active investor in Life and Health Sciences companies. More on www.novaliq.com.

Recommended Readings

Global Data. Dry Eye Syndrome: Seven-Market Drug Forecast and Market Analysis Update December 2022 Sheppard et al. A Water-free 0.1% Cyclosporine A Solution for Treatment of Dry Eye Disease: Results of the Randomized Phase 2B/3 ESSENCE Study. Cornea. 2021 Oct 1;40(10):1290-1297

Any product/brand names and/or logos are trademarks of the respective owners.

 2023 Novaliq GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005056/en/

Contacts:

Novaliq Media Contact:

Simone Angstmann-Mehr

info@novaliq.com
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.
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG) (or the "Company") today announced it has appointed Alice Franks as Head of Europe Capital Formation and Brian Lee as Co-Head of Asia Capital Formation at DigitalBridge Investment Management. These additions further strengthen the worldwide DigitalBridge capital formation team and its commitment to deliver greater levels of service and partnership to clients globally.

Ms. Franks and Mr. Lee join DigitalBridge from AMP Capital where they were responsible for leading capital formation and investor relations across Europe and Asia respectively, focusing on executing infrastructure equity and credit strategies. Their appointments follow DigitalBridge's recent acquisition of AMP Capital's global infrastructure equity investment management business, which has rebranded to InfraBridge.

Ms. Franks, based in London, brings 20 years of experience in capital raising and investment management, including the last six years at AMP Capital, where she raised a series of fund vintages for the private infrastructure equity and credit platforms to European investors. Previously in her career she spent eight years at First Sentier Investors supporting the European infrastructure team, served at Igneo Infrastructure Partners, focusing on fundraising and investor relations, and held investment management roles at Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) and Ruffer Investment Company.

Mr. Lee, based in Hong Kong, brings more than 15 years of capital raising and investor relations experience, in addition to established relationships with institutional clients across Asia, developed over his eight years at AMP Capital as well as in prior roles at Wellington Global Investment Management, UBS Global Asset Management in Hong Kong and UBS Hana Asset Management in Korea. Mr. Lee will work alongside Tae Ahn as Co-Heads of Asia Capital Formation and Investor Relations. Mr. Ahn joined DigitalBridge in 2022 from Partners Group and is based in Singapore.

"We are pleased to welcome Alice, Brian and their respective teams to DigitalBridge as we continue to build out our team in key regions globally," said Kevin Smithen, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer, DigitalBridge. "Both bring significant investor relations and fundraising prowess in their respective markets and complement DigitalBridge's growing capital formation team as we maintain our focus on consistently delivering for our clients around the world."

Mr. Smithen and Leslie Wolff Golden, Managing Director and Global Head of Capital Formation and Investor Relations, lead a global capital formation team with a presence across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. DigitalBridge also intends to open a new office in the Middle East to better serve clients, reflecting the importance of this fast-growing region to DigitalBridge.

Mr. Lee and Ms. Franks appointments are effective immediately.

About DigitalBridge Group, Inc.

DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) is a leading global digital infrastructure firm. With a heritage of over 25 years investing in and operating businesses across the digital ecosystem including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure, the DigitalBridge team manages a $50 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and shareholders. Headquartered in Boca Raton, DigitalBridge has key offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Luxembourg and Singapore. For more information, visit: www.digitalbridge.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," or "potential" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Factors that might cause such a difference include, whether DigitalBridge will realize any of the anticipated benefits from the growth of its capital formation team, whether the Company will successfully open new offices, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in DigitalBridge's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022, and September 30, 2022, and its other reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements reflect DigitalBridge's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. DigitalBridge cautions investors not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. DigitalBridge is under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this press release, nor to conform prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and DigitalBridge does not intend to do so.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005313/en/

Contacts:

Investors:

Severin White

Managing Director, Head of Public Investor Relations

(212) 547-2777

severin.white@digitalbridge.com

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

Jon Keehner Aura Reinhard

(212) 355-4449

dbrg-jf@joelefrank.com
FusionLayer Inc. today announced it has appointed a new board of directors in its Annual General Meeting held on January 31, 2023. The newly appointed board consists of two re-elected members, Chairman Antti Kaihovaara and Juha Holkkola, and two entirely new members, Pekka Vartiainen, and Jyrki Berg.

"As FusionLayer more than doubled its revenue during the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2022, we are now proceeding to the next phase of our growth plan," said Antti Kaihovaara. "Considering Pekka's and Jyrki's hands-on experience in developing world-class technology companies, we are excited to have both gentlemen on board with FusionLayer."

With the recent advent of ChatGPT, technology pundits around the world have been excited about the potential productivity boost created by the new breeds of Artificial Intelligence. Combined with other emerging technology trends such as edge cloud computing and fast 5G connectivity, these technologies unleash entirely new business models.

"The latest developments in cloud computing seem to echo the early phases of the mobility paradigm when it took off some 20 years ago," said Pekka Vartiainen. "While my years as the SVP of Nokia Networks when mobility took off taught me how to execute growth, my later years as a hands-on investor and a venture capitalist got me excited about FusionLayer. I have seen many great technology companies over the years, but rarely is their product-market fit as strategic as FusionLayer's," he added.

Once the edge cloud infrastructure with fast 5G connectivity is in place, there is an infinite number of new business applications that can benefit from the proximity to the users. Some industry pundits expect this to pave the way for the next iteration of the Internet, the Metaverse, which has been one of the most widely discussed topics during 2022.

"My years in the medical technology industry have taught me the power of vertical business applications," said Jyrki Berg. "Once the next-generation business infrastructure consisting of edge clouds, 5G vRANs, and Artificial Intelligence is in place, the economic impact will be just as profound as with the original Internet. But to get there, innovative technology companies like FusionLayer will have to lay out the infrastructure blueprints first," he added.

To learn more about FusionLayer's growth plans, please visit us at the Mobile World Congress from February 27 to March 2 2023 at 7G41. Meetings can be booked on our website. For further details, please visit www.fusionlayer.com.

About FusionLayer

Managing complex telecom networks is a challenge where the cost of failure is enormous. FusionLayer collates all network information into a single Network Source of Truth, accessed securely by engineers and automation to eliminate network downtime and to enable new revenue streams. On-premises, at the edge, and in the public cloud.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005534/en/

Contacts:

Eiva Airaksinen

pr@fusionlayer.com

+358 75 325 2992
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a meeting on integrated defense at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office, in Seoul, Feb. 8. Yonhap



The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday slammed the National Assembly's passage of an impeachment motion against Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, calling it a "shame" in parliamentary history.



The presidential office issued the statement shortly after the opposition-controlled Assembly voted 179-109 to impeach Lee over the government's allegedly bungled response to the Oct. 29 Itaewon crowd crush that killed 159 people.



"It's an abandonment of parliamentarism," it said. "It will go down in parliamentary history as a shame."









Lee is the first Cabinet member to be impeached by the National Assembly.



The government and ruling party have maintained Lee did not violate the law or Constitution in his response to the crowd crush to warrant impeachment. (Yonhap)




SAN FRANCISCO and BERLIN, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- T-knife Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing T cell receptor-based immunotherapies that deliver transformational benefits to cancer patients, today announced it has appointed Behzad Kharabi Masouleh, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer.



"It is with great pleasure that I welcome Behzad to the T-knife executive team," stated Thomas M. Soloway, Chief Executive Officer of T-knife. "His background in medical oncology and cancer research, and importantly, his track record of successfully advancing novel cell therapies through to approval, provides him with the multidimensional experience to support T-knife's product candidates throughout their development life cycle."

Mr. Soloway continued, "I would also like to thank Prof. Eugen Leo, our departing CMO, for his numerous contributions to T-knife, where he built a world-class development team, played a key role in financing the company, and advanced TK-8001 into Phase 1 clinical development. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Eugen in his new capacity as both a strategic consultant and advisory board member."

Dr. Kharabi stated, "T-knife's pipeline is fueled by a unique platform that addresses key challenges traditionally associated with TCR-T, a new modality with the potential to transform the treatment of advanced-stage, refractory solid tumor cancers. I am inspired by and look forward to working with the T-knife team as we advance TK-8001 in our recently initiated IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 study in patients with MAGE-A1 positive solid tumors."

Dr. Kharabi joins T-knife from Kite, a Gilead company, where he led the global clinical development for TECARTUS, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy which, under his leadership, received approval for the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Prior to his role at Gilead, Dr. Kharabi served as global clinical lead for bi-specific antibodies in multiple myeloma at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, he served as a physician and independent research investigator at the University Hospital of Aachen, Germany, where he received several research awards and grants including the prestigious Ernst-Jung Award for junior investigators. Dr. Kharabi earned a medical degree from the University of Muenster, Germany and completed research appointments at renowned institutes, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

Prof. Leo added, "Behzad has extensive clinical development experience in oncology-focused cell therapy, with a demonstrated track-record of multiple IND filings and BLA approvals. We are confident that he will effectively lead T-knife's development organization through its next stage of growth."

About T-knife Therapeutics

T-knife is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing T cell receptor-based immunotherapies that deliver transformational benefits to cancer patients, initially focused on T cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cell therapies (TCR-Ts), a modality that holds the potential to generate transformational responses in patients with solid tumors. The company's unique approach leverages its proprietary MyT Platform, a next-generation T cell receptor and epitope discovery engine that produces fully human, tumor-specific TCRs, naturally selected in vivo for optimal affinity and specificity.

T-knife is advancing a portfolio of TCR-T product candidates against targets with high unmet medical need, including cancer testis antigens and commonly shared tumor-driving neoantigens. T-knife was founded by leading T cell and immunology experts utilizing technology developed at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine together with the Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, and is supported by a leading group of international investors, including Andera Partners, EQT Life Sciences, RA Capital Management and Versant Ventures. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.t-knife.com.
Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") is pleased to report that the Company and its partner Silver Spruce Resources ("Silver Spruce") have earned a 50% ownership interest in the Diamante Gold & Silver Project ("Diamante" or "Project") located in Sonora Mexico. Vendor Bimsa Minera SA de CV of Mexico ("Bimsa"), a privately owned Mexico based mineral exploration company retains 50% ownership in the Property. Highlights of drilling completed on the property during the summer of 2022 are summarized in the table below.

"We are extremely pleased to have completed the required exploration to earn an initial 50% of this large and highly prospective project. Diamante is located in the Sierra Madre volcanic sequence of Mexico and within a district of epithermal mineralization which hosts many producing and historic gold, silver and base metal mines. Diamante drilling completed in mid 2022, which returned very encouraging assays, was on just two of eight already defined drill targets. We will plan to expand on these results and test other targets in 2023 in conjunction with additional field exploration and possibly a geophysics program," said Ian McGavney, Chief Operating Officer of Colibri.

2022 DRILLING HIGHLIGHTS

El Pillado Target Hole ID From To Length Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag Eq (g/t) Au Eq (g/t) DIA22-01 27.0 37.5 10.5 0.04 9.87 0.37 0.12 35.46 0.40 DIA22-01 54.0 55.5 1.5 0.06 7.00 1.06 0.19 69.25 0.78 DIA22-01 72.0 73.5 1.5 0.03 13.50 1.52 0.66 110.35 1.24 DIA22-02 22.5 24.0 1.5 0.04 4.20 0.48 0.03 31.85 0.36 DIA22-02 43.5 54.0 10.5 0.04 6.27 0.78 0.12 51.71 0.58 includes 48.0 49.5 1.5 0.09 13.20 3.89 0.04 210.87 2.37 DIA22-02 64.5 66.0 1.5 0.03 3.60 0.83 0.04 47.84 0.54 DIA22-02 84.0 85.5 1.5 0.13 15.20 0.66 0.98 88.13 0.99 DIA22-02 84.0 85.5 1.5 0.13 15.20 0.66 0.98 88.13 0.99 DIA22-03 16.5 18.0 1.5 0.20 6.60 0.06 0.01 27.13 0.30 DIA22-04 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.03 6.00 0.75 0.14 49.54 0.56 DIA22-05 24.0 36.0 12.0 0.18 145.49 1.35 1.01 257.63 2.89 includes 24.0 30.0 6.0 0.26 184.50 1.08 0.61 278.51 3.13 includes 33.0 36.0 3.0 0.16 209.10 3.15 2.79 461.65 5.19 includes 33.0 34.5 1.5 0.31 397.00 5.87 5.31 871.62 9.79 DIA22-05 43.5 60.0 16.5 0.21 41.75 2.14 0.68 185.13 2.08 includes 45.0 51.0 6.0 0.15 87.64 4.58 1.45 367.54 4.13 includes 46.5 48.0 1.5 0.21 257.00 7.84 5.23 815.53 9.16 DIA22-05 78.0 81.0 3.0 0.17 26.60 4.19 1.05 276.87 3.11 includes 78.0 79.5 1.5 0.27 35.80 6.91 1.60 443.58 4.98 DIA22-05 99.0 100.5 1.5 0.25 1.90 0.08 0.04 29.35 0.33 DIA22-05 118.5 120.0 1.5 0.04 12.20 0.43 0.34 46.96 0.53 DIA22-06 6.0 10.5 4.5 0.06 28.73 0.24 0.52 61.39 0.69 includes 6.0 7.5 1.5 0.07 60.40 0.20 1.21 113.45 1.27 DIA22-08 130.5 132.0 1.5 0.93 2.20 0.03 0.02 87.20 0.98 DIA22-09 117.0 120.0 3.0 0.11 19.85 0.50 0.09 56.65 0.64 La Prieta Target Hole ID From To Length Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag Eq (g/t) Au Eq (g/t) DIA22-10 48.0 54.0 6.0 0.46 56.88 1.06 0.53 165.47 1.86 includes 49.5 51.0 1.5 0.87 125.00 2.82 1.45 383.75 4.31 DIA22-11 54.0 55.5 1.5 0.15 4.50 0.16 0.09 28.25 0.32 DIA22-12 51.0 52.5 1.5 0.18 4.80 0.22 0.08 33.71 0.38 DIA22-13 49.5 51.0 1.5 0.31 53.70 1.49 0.39 165.09 1.85 DIA22-14 52.5 55.5 3.0 0.59 16.50 0.46 0.23 98.14 1.10 DIA22-15 36.0 37.5 1.5 0.54 0.25 0.01 0.00 48.70 0.55 DIA22-16 1.5 10.5 9.0 2.48 56.70 0.28 0.71 312.84 3.51 includes 1.5 6.0 4.5 3.87 75.43 0.08 0.97 453.26 5.09 DIA22-16 18.0 19.5 1.5 0.83 18.80 0.68 0.38 136.90 1.54 DIA22-16 36.0 46.5 10.5 0.63 38.49 1.61 0.64 192.52 2.16 includes 37.5 39.0 1.5 1.36 139.00 8.74 2.88 772.12 8.67 DIA22-17 30.0 43.5 13.5 0.56 38.48 1.76 0.76 196.95 2.21 includes 30.0 34.5 4.5 0.94 103.17 4.96 2.19 494.61 5.56 DIA22-17 54.0 57.0 3.0 0.45 1.35 0.04 0.00 43.14 0.48 DIA22-17 72.0 75.0 3.0 0.26 18.65 0.15 0.07 51.50 0.58 DIA22-18 33.0 42.0 9.0 0.55 15.28 0.38 0.16 87.76 0.99 includes 37.5 40.5 3.0 1.07 38.80 0.63 0.35 175.81 1.98 DIA22-18 48.0 51.0 3.0 0.48 11.35 0.08 0.03 59.14 0.66 DIA22-19 10.5 13.5 3.0 1.36 86.80 1.69 0.91 317.91 3.57 includes 12.0 13.5 1.5 2.11 139.00 2.79 1.24 500.06 5.62 DIA22-19 39.0 45.0 6.0 0.64 11.20 0.31 0.21 89.84 1.01 DIA22-19 48.0 49.5 1.5 0.32 7.60 0.24 0.16 52.76 0.59 *Au and Ag equivalents were calculated using metal prices of US$1660 per ounce Au, US$18.65 per ounce Ag, US$1.32 per pound Zn, and US$0.83 per pound Pb; Lengths are intersection length. True widths are not known.





Table 1: 2022 Drill Results at Diamante Project

ABOUT THE DIAMANTE PROPERTY

The Diamante is located within a belt of Epithermal Au-Ag mineralization hosted by the Sierra Madre Occidental Volcanic Complex. Major gold mining operations in the area of the Diamante property include Alamos Golds' Los Mulatos Mine and Agnico Eagles' El India and Pinos Altos Mines. The Property is located approximately 12 kilometres ("km") northwest of Minera Alamos' Santana Au development project which is anticipated to commence commercial production within the near term. The Property is located approximately 170 km southeast of Sonora state capital Hermosillo and approximately 10 km northwest of the town of Tepoca. The property is accessed directly from Sonora state Highway 16.

The 1,057-hectare Diamante property is located adjacent to the Company's Mezquite and Jackie properties which cover 180 and 1113 hectares respectively providing the company with a total of 2,351 hectares of exploration ground. Drilling results at El Mezquite in 2021, located approximately 1.5 km west of El Pillado, include 0.83 g/t Au over an intersection length of 3.0 m and 2.95% Zn over an intersection length of 1.5 m. The Diamante property hosts a number of historical showings and combined with mineralization on the Mezquite and Jackie properties exhibit the geological characteristics of epithermal low to intermediate sulfidation Ag-Au (Pb-Zn), high sulfidation Au-Cu, and potential transition zones within and peripheral to porphyry style Au-Cu defined within the system.

BACKGROUND OF AGREEMENTS

Colibri, by way of its Mexico subsidiary Yaque Minerales Sa de CV, entered into an earn-in agreement which was announced February 2021 with Bimsa Minera to purchase up to 100% of the Diamante property. The Diamante project was then placed into a new company called BIMCOL Minera SA de CV. Fifty percent of the shares in BIMCOL were then placed into trust on behalf of Yaque Minerales (to be released upon completion of the first phase of the agreement).

Terms with Bimsa Minera

To earn an initial 50% the Company agreed to pay Bimsa $100,000 USD, complete 2,000 metres of exploration drilling at Diamante, and complete a comprehensive drilling report that would be written to standards such that it could be used in the future to help create a Technical Report written to National Instrument 43-101 standards. Colibri also agreed to pay 100% of the additional exploration expenses and surface access rights expenses in addition to paying half of the land taxes payable to the Government of Mexico. The Company has satisfied all of these commitments and has been given notice that the vendor has instructed legal council to release shares equating to 50% of Bimcol Minera to Yaque Minerales.

Terms with Silver Spruce Resources

In April 2021, Colibri entered into a sidecar agreement with Silver Spruce Resources whereby Silver Spruce could earn 50% of Colibri's potential 50% of the project by paying Colibri $75,000 USD and paying 75% of the project costs with the exception of property taxes where Silver Spruce pays Colibri 50% of the portion owed to Bimsa. The 75% portion paid by Silver Spruce included field exploration, lab costs for samples, road & pad building, and drilling.

Now that Yaque Minerales has earned/purchased fifty percent of the shares of Bimcol Minera (the holder of the Diamante) the project will be operated by Colibri/Silver Spruce. BIMCOL Minera will have four Directors, two representatives from Bimsa Minera and two from Colibri/Silver Spruce with the Chairperson from Colibri holding the ability to break a tie vote.

The completion of this collective purchase of 50% of Diamante now triggered a six-month exclusivity period for Yaque Minerales (Colibri/Silver Spruce) to purchase the remaining 50% of the shares of Bimcol Minera from Bimsa Minera. Bimsa's shares can be purchased by Yaque Minerales for either $2.1 million USD or for $1.4 million USD and by issuing Bimsa a 2% Net Smelter Royalty on the project. Should Yaque decide not to execute its rights to purchase the remaining 50% of Diamante, all parties will continue as a joint venture partnership and participate in cash calls as per their proportional ownership.

GOING FORWARD

Colibri and its partners are currently reviewing all project data and determining the next steps to be taken on the project. Plans will be released as they are finalized.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Jamie Lavigne, P. Geo and a Director for Colibri is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION

Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring and exploring prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds six high potential precious metal projects of which five have planned exploration programs for calendar 2023.

For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate.

For information contact: Ronald J. Goguen, President, Chairperson and Director, Tel: (506) 383-4274, rongoguen@colibriresource.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154089
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Burcon NutraScience Corporation (TSX: BU) ("Burcon" or the "Company"), a global technology leader in the development of plant-based proteins for foods and beverages, today issued a letter to shareholders from its Chief Executive Officer, Kip Underwood.

Dear Shareholders,

I am writing to you in my 10th week as CEO of Burcon NutraScience Corporation. I joined Burcon because I believe in the future of plant-based foods and the role Burcon's innovation can play in enabling that future. During the past few weeks, I have learned about both future opportunities and near-term challenges. One challenge, in particular, is our investment in Merit Functional Foods Corporation ("Merit"). It is important to us that you understand how the Merit situation affects Burcon, our actions, and our forward plan. Independent of these short-term issues, I am even more convinced today that our innovative plant protein technologies will play a critical role in the future success of plant-based foods and in improving the health of our planet.

Merit Functional Foods Corporation Situation

For the past six months, Merit has made significant progress. Daily production performance has improved while sales continue to increase as compared to prior year. Customers have provided feedback that the products are "best-in-class". Unfortunately, the overall financial performance of the business has fallen short of expectations and led to the current cash flow concerns.

Since inception, the shareholders of Merit, including Burcon, have provided significant financial support to Merit. Most recently, in September 2022, Burcon announced that the shareholders of Merit provided loans in the aggregate amount of $3 million to address Merit's anticipated liquidity requirements as it continued to ramp up its production and sales. In late 2022, Merit began a process to identify a new strategic investor for its business. To-date, no funding has been received from a new investor.

In the near term, we have real concerns about Merit's financial situation and viability. The situation has forced Burcon to reassess our participation in the Merit business and led us to take a series of actions which are outlined below.

We are offering a level of transparency that is integral to Burcon's shareholders. It is important that you understand both what we are doing and why we are doing it.

Burcon remains committed to the Merit business and firmly believes in its potential. Based upon this belief, we have taken the following actions:

Engaged in discussions with the lenders of Merit to propose terms that maintain current business momentum and provide a path to profitability;

Burcon is exploring interim financing for Merit while working on a more specific, longer-term funding solution;

Burcon is prepared to fund ongoing operating expenses and debottlenecking capital with support from our largest Burcon shareholder to back the overall project;

Within Burcon, we have made tough choices to control costs and ensure that our capital and efforts are going towards the greatest near-term opportunities; and

Evaluating new plant protein markets that can be targeted with the combination of Burcon's technology and Merit's production capability.

If our funding plans are successful, Burcon could have, for the first time in its history, a chance to own its destiny. We could have the opportunity to develop, produce, and market our innovative products. We expect the process and negotiations with Merit's existing lenders to take several weeks. We are working with both the Merit team and lenders to ensure that the ongoing business operations continue without disruption. There may be other financing offers for Merit from competing organizations. We will continue to put our best foot forward and work to create the company Burcon has always aspired to become.

We recognize the news of Merit Functional Food's situation may be a surprise. While there is risk in our current path, we believe this also presents Burcon with a significant opportunity.

We are thankful for the commitment and patience our investor base has shown in the past and are hopeful that it will continue in the future. We look forward to your continued support as we carve a path towards profitability.

Sincerely,

"Kip Underwood"

Kip Underwood

Chief Executive Officer

About Burcon NutraScience Corporation

Burcon is a global technology leader in the development of plant-based proteins for foods and beverages. With over two decades of experience formulating high-purity proteins that have superior functionality, taste and nutrition, Burcon has amassed an extensive patent portfolio covering its novel plant-based proteins derived from pea, canola, soy, hemp and sunflower seeds, among other plant sources. In 2019, Merit Functional Foods Corporation ("Merit Foods") was established between Burcon and three veteran food industry executives. Merit Foods has since built and commissioned a state-of-the-art protein production facility in Manitoba, Canada that is producing, under license from Burcon, best-in-class pea and canola proteins for the food and beverage industries. Burcon currently holds a 31.6% shareholding interest in Merit Foods. For more information, visit www.burcon.ca.

Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement

The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of the content of the information contained herein. This press release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation, including statements with respect to the financial circumstances of Merit, the actions and inactions of its shareholders and lenders, our ability to provide interim or long-term funding to Merit and our ability to negotiate with Merit's lenders. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performances, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "project," "estimate," "expect," "believe," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "could," "will" and similar references to future periods. All statements included in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Burcon's plans and expectations include the implementation of our business model and growth strategies; trends and competition in our industry our future business development, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to obtain financing cost-effectively; potential changes of government regulations; and other risks and factors detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by Burcon with securities regulators and stock exchanges, including in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Burcon's annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2022 and its other public filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements or information. Any forward-looking statement or information speaks only as of the date on which it was made, and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Burcon disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Burcon believes the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and, accordingly, investors should not rely on such statements.

Industry and Investor Contact

Paul Lam

Director, Investor Relations

Burcon NutraScience Corporation

Tel (604) 733-0896, Toll-free (888) 408-7960

plam@burcon.ca www.burcon.ca

Media Contact:

Steve Campbell, APR

President

Campbell & Company Public Relations

Tel (604) 888-5267

TECH@CCOM-PR.COM

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154055
STAMFORD, CT / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Webster Bank, together with the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club (BGC), today announced the funding for Connecticut's first Webster Finance Lab, which will be housed in Wakeman's planned Madison Avenue, Bridgeport location.

The Connecticut location is the third of several planned Finance Lab collaborations Webster is implementing throughout its footprint. Earlier this year, Webster launched programs in Yonkers and the Bronx, New York.

The Webster/Wakeman BGC Finance Lab will provide students in Wakeman's service area with opportunities to gain the skills needed for economic empowerment and financial success.

The program is funded by a $100,000 Webster Bank Charitable Foundation (WBCF) grant.

Webster's signature initiative is designed to help its nonprofit partners in low-to-moderate income (LMI) communities expand financial empowerment opportunities for youth. The Madison Avenue Clubhouse will have the capacity to serve more than 1,000 children each year coming from nine area schools of which 98% of students are eligible for free lunch, 54% of students live in single-parent homes and 89% of students are a minority. The new facility will provide youth services in the North End/Hollow area of Bridgeport to support these children and their families.

"Following the successful launch of our first two Finance Labs in Yonkers and the Bronx earlier this year, Webster is proud to expand its signature Finance Lab program into Connecticut with an investment of $100,000 in the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club," said Marissa Weidner, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer. "Our partnership is the first of several Webster will fund in New England, furthering our commitment to providing students a unique opportunity to learn about finance, foster youth leadership and build our future workforce."

"We are incredibly grateful to have Wakeman Boys & Girls Club's Madison Avenue Community Clubhouse selected as the site of Connecticut's first Webster Finance Lab. The Finance Lab will provide Bridgeport's children and teens with insight into careers in finance, allow them to connect with finance professionals, and learn the critical skills necessary to be fiscally responsible. This partnership with Webster truly supports our goal to 'Build Great Futures,'" said Sabrina Smeltz, Wakeman BGC CEO.

Webster's partnership with the Wakeman BGC reflects its continuing support of programs that address financial empowerment, workforce development, community development and human services and basic needs. Webster's volunteerism initiatives also will play a key role in the partnership.

About Webster

Webster Bank ("Webster") is a leading commercial bank in the Northeast that provides a wide range of digital and traditional financial solutions across three differentiated lines of business: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking and its HSA Bank division, one of the country's largest providers of employee benefits solutions. Headquartered in Stamford, CT, Webster is a values-driven organization with $68 billion in assets. Its core footprint spans the northeastern U.S. from New York to Massachusetts, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including our latest annual report, please visit our About page. To find our latest press releases, visit the Webster Newsroom.

About Wakeman Boys & Girls Club

Since 1913, Wakeman Boys & Girls Club has provided a safe place for youth and teens after school, evenings, and weekends. Focused on Academics, Character & Leadership Development, and Healthy Lifestyles with nationally acclaimed programming, the Club continues its mission "to guide and inspire young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens." The organization serves 3,300 youth annually through its Smilow-Burroughs Clubhouse in Bridgeport and its three locations in Fairfield: the Southport Clubhouse and McKinley and Holland Hill School-Based Sites. For more information about Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, visit www.wakemanclub.org

Contact Information

Media Contact:

Elaine K. Ficarra

eficarra@websterbank.com

?203-913-2716

Investor Contact:

Emlen Harmon

eharmon@websterbank.com

212-309-7646

View original content here

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Webster Bank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Webster Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/webster-bank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Webster Bank

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738545/Webster-Bank-Announces-Funding-for-First-Connecticut-based-Finance-Lab
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) -NEWFOUNDLAND DISCOVERY CORP. (CSE: NEWD) (OTC PINK: NEWDF) (FSE: M4K) ("Newfoundland Discovery" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated November 16th, 2022, on February 7th, 2023, the Company closed the sale of the Chubb Lithium Property, consisting of thirty-five (35) mineral claims comprising approximately 1,509 hectares, located in Quebec, Canada (the "Chubb Property").

Burley Minerals Ltd. (ASX: BUR) ("Burley"), an Australian company, acquired a 100% interest in the Chubb Property by paying the Company C$500,000 and issuing 4,770,150 shares in the capital of Burley at a deemed price of approximately C$0.2516 having a total value of C$1,200,000.

The Company further announces that, pursuant to its news release dated December 8, 2022, on December 16th, 2022, the Company closed the sale of the Bouvier Lithium Property consisting of two (2) mineral claims comprising approximately 85 hectares, located in Quebec, Canada (the "Bouvier Property"). Mining Equities Pty Ltd. Acquired a 100% interest in the Bouvier Property by paying the Company C$275,000.

Pursuant to both transactions, the Company has paid a finder's fee of $54,250 and issued 800,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Shares") at a deemed price of $0.105 per Share to an arm's-length third party. The Shares bear a hold period of four months and one day from issuance.

About Newfoundland Discovery Corp.



Newfoundland Discovery is a Canadian junior mining exploration company focused on exploration and development along the Detour Gold trend in Quebec and the Central Gold Belt in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Company is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Detour trend and retains significant landholdings in Newfoundland.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

NEWFOUNDLAND DISCOVERY CORP.

"Jeremy Prinsen"

President, CEO & Director

Investor Relations

Phone: +1 (236) 513-4653

Email: info@newfoundlanddiscovery.com

Website: www.newfoundlanddiscovery.ca

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statement

This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154091
Ionblox, a next-generation lithium-ion battery company announced a second close of its Series B round at an increased $32 million. Strategic partners include original investors Lilium and Applied Ventures who were joined by Temasek and Catalus Capital. The company will use the increased Series B funding to scale its technology, develop advanced high-power cells for electric aviation, and prototype fast-charge cells for Electric Vehicles.

The company's batteries are developed with high-performance lithium-ion cells that have pre-lithiated silicon dominant anodes. The batteries can address the most demanding use cases such as electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Aircrafts or eVTOL. Ionblox's pre-lithiated Silicon anode technology enables a groundbreaking combination of up to 50% higher energy density, 5X more power, and an extreme fast charge of 10 minutes compared with conventional lithium-ion cells. Ionblox is currently producing its large format pouch cells of up to 50Ah on its pilot production lines.

"Here at Ionblox, we are commercializing next-generation lithium-ion batteries with pre-lithiated silicon dominant anodes in order to transform the future of electric mobility," said Sujeet Kumar, chief executive officer at Ionblox. "The funding from this round will enable us to take an important step in our journey to scale our technology and set up our own cell manufacturing in the U.S. and other key markets."

"The Ionblox technology enables one of the highest performance cells for eVTOL aircraft existing today and we're proud to partner with Ionblox for our conforming aircraft. Test results to date are showing the technology will deliver not only superior energy and power density for the Lilium Jet at launch but also very good aging performance. We're excited to continue our work together to support the continuous improvement and the ongoing industrialization of the technology," said Yves Yemsi, chief operating officer of Lilium.

To commercialize its next-generation technology, Ionblox has received a development contract from USABC to develop low-cost, fast-charge electric vehicle batteries where its cell performance has been verified by Idaho National Lab and is also partnering with leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer Applied Materials.

About Ionblox

Founded in Fremont, California in 2017, Ionblox (previously known as Zenlabs) is a next-generation energy company transforming the future of mobility by land and air. The company has more than 40 issued patents, including for the pre-lithiation of all types of silicon-based anodes. Ionblox's proprietary pre-lithiated silicon anode and cell design enable multiple performance attributes fast charging, high energy, high power, and long life at low cost pushing the limits of traditional battery storage technology and unlocking the viability of widespread electric transportation. Ionblox is leading the electric mobility revolution by delivering superior technology and enabling electric vehicle (EV) and electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) companies to achieve their goals. Ionblox's investors include Lilium, Applied Ventures, Temasek and Catalus Capital.

Learn more about Ionblox and how it is transforming the future of electric transportation at www.ionblox.com and LinkedIn (@Ionblox).

Learn more about Lilium at www.Lilium.com; about Applied Ventures at www.appliedmaterials.com/us/en/applied-ventures.html about Catalus Capital at www.cataluscapital.com; about Temasek at www.temasek.com.sg

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005081/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Alex Autry

Silverline

(240) 346-8136

alex@teamsilverline.com
TACOMA, WA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Today Greenlink International (OTC PINK:WSHE) issued a shareholder update letter which outlines strategic partnerships, product launches and includes information regarding the companies name change application.

Dear Shareholders,

As we begin a new year and embark on a new era for Suncliff, there is growing excitement and anticipation of what the future holds. In 2023, we have several major milestones and initiatives planned that I'd like to share with you.

First, we are thrilled to announce that we are in the final stages of our rebrand from Greenlink to Suncliff. After nearly two years of research and preparation, this transition marks the beginning of a new journey for our company and signals the wide open possibilities that lie ahead. Additionally, we will soon be changing our ticker symbol to reflect the name change.

Second, we are proud to be launching the highly anticipated CBD Pillow program in partnership with Purecare, it will be shipping nationwide over the next 60 days. This was an extensive project that was three years in the making and required significant coordination and alignment of resources between both organizations. We are confident that this product release will be a success and look forward to ramping up our marketing and publicity efforts in the coming months.

Suncliff CEO, Jake George holding the latest innovation in the CBD market. Purecare Softball Lite+ Suncliff CBD with Micro Encapsulation

Third, we are pleased to announce that our partners in the Pacific Northwest have been approved to bring THC-infused versions of our Suncliff Terpene Gems and Suncliff Gummy products to market. This is a strategic move for us due to the strict regulatory framework in this region, which means that products cleared for sale here are likely to be viable in other regions. These products are unique to the industry and feature our proprietary experience blends of terpenes and cannabinoids. We believe this will be an immensely successful line as we expand into new markets.

Additionally, we have entered into a partnership with The Hemp Housewife and Mamma Needs a Minute brand to leverage our experience in production to create a line of terpene infused products. Expanded offerings will include edibles, flower, and vape products under the Mamma Needs a Minute brand. This has allowed us to reach an underappreciated and underserved segment of the industry. I've never witnessed tradeshows that included so many heartfelt hugs, tears, and general excitement. This brand is going to be a major force in the years to come and we are very proud to partner with Kim Flores and her team!

Finally, we continue to work through our multi-year audit in preparation for an up listing later this year. With the covid era behind us, we are excited to resume normal business practices and you can expect an announcement date for our next shareholder meeting in the coming weeks. These efforts will set us up for success in 2023 and beyond, and we thank you for your continued support as we embark on this journey together.

With excitement and anticipation,

Jake George

CEO, Suncliff

About Us

GreenLink, a Colorado corporation based in Washington State, is a public quoted OTC Markets issuer under the ticker symbol "WSHE." The company is a diversified holding company with operating segments in investment, equipment, technology, brands, textiles and real estate that are leased or licensed to legally compliant CBD and cannabis entities.

GreenLink's subsidiary and partner companies possess key competitive strengths and/or leading market positions. Greenlink is committed to becoming a global leader in the hemp and legal cannabis markets. GreenLink will continue to leverage decades of experience in the hemp and cannabis industry to expand existing operations and develop partnerships across a wide range of industries.

Forward Looking Statement

Certain statements that we make may constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information concerning future strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated savings, financial results (including expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flow and capital expenditures), industry or market conditions, demand for and pricing of our products, acquisitions and divestitures, anticipated results of litigation and regulatory developments or general economic conditions. In addition, words such as believes, expects, anticipates, intends, plans, estimates, projects, forecasts, and future or conditional verbs such as will, may, could, should, and would, as well as any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, and they involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements and urge you to carefully consider the risks described in our filings with OTC Markets Group and the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including our most recent Annual Report and subsequent Flings, which are available on Otcmarkets.com. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement in the event it later turns out to be inaccurate, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

CONTACT:

Greenlink International, Inc.

Tacoma, Washington

Stakeholders@greenlinkholdings.com

SOURCE: Greenlink International, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738466/Greenlink-CEO-Jake-George-Shareholder-Update
PLANO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / NexPoint , a multibillion-dollar alternative investment firm, announces plans for TxS District, a proposed 200-acre life sciences development in Plano, Texas. The project, named to signify "Technology x Science," is designed to foster innovation and collaboration among companies and institutions across the life science sector.

The project centers on the 91-acre main campus, which previously served as headquarters for Electronic Data Systems (EDS). The district would incorporate 109 additional acres in the Legacy neighborhood. In total, the project would create over 4 million square feet of lab, office, and therapeutic production space across four phases of construction.

Phases one and two propose transforming two existing buildings on the main campus into 970,000 square feet of world-class lab and office space and 120,000 square feet of amenity space. Initial site improvement plans also include a public park, an amphitheater, and connectivity to the nearby Legacy retail development.

NexPoint believes the proposed project can be achieved through a public-private partnership. The firm is engaging with the City of Plano about NexPoint's development plans and the project's impact on the surrounding area.

"Not only would this project be a major economic catalyst for the region, but it would also establish North Texas as a leader in life sciences," said James Dondero, NexPoint founder and principal.

"Plano is the ideal location for this project," said Frank Zaccanelli, president of NexPoint Development Company, the development arm of NexPoint's real estate platform. "We hope to partner with the City to transform these properties into a thriving life science district and bring high-paying jobs to the Plano area."

NexPoint is collaborating with CRB, a leading global provider of sustainable engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting solutions to the life sciences industry, to provide architectural and engineering services throughout the four proposed phases of construction.

"Co-locating research alongside production is crucial for new technologies and nimble solutions," said Eric Danielson, senior director of business development for CRB. "NexPoint's project would do so sustainably, by transforming the large, well located and well featured campus into a vibrant facility that will benefit all tenants. We are excited to help bring this vision to life."

NexPoint engaged JLL as the project's leasing agent. JLL has a dedicated life sciences team that works across the country and has been involved in the development of some of the top life sciences ecosystems in the U.S.

"The TxS project would be unique in its ability to support life science companies at any point in the process: discovery, early-stage development, and commercialization," said JLL's Matt Daniels. "With cutting-edge research facilities and new federal policies promoting the repatriation of drug manufacturing, and a tight labor market in coastal life science hubs, Plano is poised to become a top choice for companies seeking expansion and solutions."

NexPoint purchased the main campus in 2018 and has been acquiring the additional acreage since then. The firm has been involved in several life science deals including its investment in IQHQ, a life science REIT that operates in life science clusters on the East and West Coasts.

TxS District would be an integral part of NexPoint's planned growth within life sciences. In addition to life science real estate, NexPoint is making direct investments in biotech companies and other public and private healthcare businesses through its corporate credit and equities group.

"NexPoint is positioned to be a leader in the life science space," said Dondero. "Through TxS District and other ventures we plan to continue to grow our life science business across the NexPoint platform."

More information about NexPoint's TxS District plans can be found at nexpoint.com/txs-coming-soon/ .

About NexPoint

NexPoint is a multibillion-dollar alternative investment firm comprised of a group of investment advisers and sponsors, a broker-dealer, and a suite of related investment vehicles. NexPoint provides differentiated access to alternatives through a range of investment solutions, including public and private real estate investment trusts, tax-advantaged real estate vehicles, merger arbitrage and event driven strategies, other private real estate investments, closed-end funds, interval funds, and a business development company. NexPoint is based in Dallas, Texas and is part of a network of affiliates with expertise across the asset management and financial services spaces. For more information visit nexpoint.com .

About CRB

CRB is a leading global provider of sustainable engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting solutions to the life sciences and food and beverage industries. Our innovative ONEsolution service provides successful integrated project delivery for clients demanding high-quality solutions -- on time and on budget. Across 21 offices in North America and Europe, the company's nearly 1,800 employees provide world-class, technically preeminent solutions that drive success and positive change for clients and communities. See our work at crbgroup.com , and connect with us on social media here .

CONTACTS

NexPoint

Brendan McGrail, Prosek Partners for NexPoint

bmcgrail@prosek.com

CRB

Chris Clark, CRB

chris.clark@crbgroup.com

Bonnie Quintanilla, Clarity Quest Marketing for CRB

bonnie@clarityqst.com

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from CRB on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: CRB

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/crb

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: CRB

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738556/NexPoint-Announces-Proposal-for-TxS-District-a-200-Acre-Life-Sciences-District-Centered-at-the-Former-EDS-Campus-in-Plano-Texas
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Aflac Incorporated

Originally published on InsuranceNewsNet.com

By Matthew Owenby

When workplace benefits meet the needs of employees, there are as many benefits to employers as there are to employees. Offering the right mix of benefits can lead to increased happiness, satisfaction and overall well-being among employees. This paves the way for businesses to see a boost in productivity and business outcomes - and feel less anxious about employee retention.

Rising health care costs and the effects of the pandemic have shifted U.S. employers' mindsets on the benefits they offer, aiming to remain competitive in their total compensation packages. According to my organization's recent Aflac WorkForces Report , nearly 3 in 4 employers' benefits costs went up in the last year, a notable uptick from 2021.

The rising costs of health care have forced some Americans to make difficult decisions - pay a medical bill or purchase a vital prescription, possibly avoid doctor visits or delaying important procedures. It would benefit both employers and employees if organizations revamped their offerings to enhance the overall employee experience.

But where should leaders start?

Look at employee benefits through a new lens

The benefits employers offer may appear to satisfy the needs of their employees, but there's more than meets the eye. Our study revealed employers have a more positive view of their employees' satisfaction with their benefits packages than what employees actually think.

That 22% gap - up 14% from last year - between employers' perceptions of employee satisfaction and employees' self-reported satisfaction underscores the opportunity employers have to shrink this widening gap. Employers can help their employees by better understanding their needs, educating them about the inner workings of their benefits and offering new ways to boost benefits packages.

Seek employee feedback and act on it

Leaders often guess what they think their employees want when it comes to benefits programs. The organizations that are most successful in addressing their employees' needs and concerns are those that simply ask for their employees' input and address that feedback.

Given that employers are seeing benefits packages as "very important" aspects of talent management - more than they did before the pandemic, according to McKinsey research - it's crucial to assess what they currently provide and how they can make those offerings even better. This helps to enhance both employee well-being and employee retention.

Supplemental benefits take center stage

Employers are turning to supplemental insurance offerings to help enhance their teams' additional benefits such as accident and critical illness coverage, as well as benefits that focus on mental health and well-being. This is opening the door to new advantages for businesses. More than three-quarters of employers (77%) who offer supplemental insurance believe these benefits help with employee recruitment, and 80% said it helps with employee retention, according to our study.

Adding supplemental insurance to benefits packages can help provide peace of mind for employees and put them at ease so they can focus on their emotional and financial wellness. Supplemental insurance also can help employers rise above increasing costs since most plans are employee-funded.

Leaders know their people have expectations for a well-rounded benefits program, which is important from a management perspective - not only to take care of their people, but also in the critical race for talent.

Taking a close look at your current offerings and where you want to go is the first step in helping address whatever gap exists to meet the varied benefits demand. This is all in the name of helping ensure your people are taken care of in all facets of their well-being.

Matthew Owenby is chief human resources officer, Aflac. He may be contacted at matthew.owenby@innfeedback.com .

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Aflac Incorporated on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Aflac Incorporated

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/aflac-incorporated

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Aflac Incorporated

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738557/The-Added-Perks-of-Boosting-Workplace-Benefits
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Black Americans have played a vital role in helping to advance America's economic, political and cultural landscape. In 1976, President Gerald Ford declared the first Black History Month, saying it was "the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." And every U.S. president since Ford has designated the month of February as Black History Month to honor the achievements, contributions and resilience of the Black community.

To help honor and celebrate Black history, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is kicking off the month by shining a light on seven Black leaders who are driving the movement and helping advance better buildings and thriving communities through their distinguished work in sustainability, health, well-being and equity.

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, Visionary who Launched the Culture of Health Agenda

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, a physician and world-renowned expert in health policy and geriatric medicine, is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Population Health and Health Equity Professor Emerita at the University of Pennsylvania. She was also the longtime president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. And before that, for 15 years, she served as a distinguished professor and administrator at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2015, she was tapped by the White House to co-chair the working group on quality care for the White House Health Care Reform Task Force. She was co-chair for the congressionally requested Institute of Medicine study on racial and ethnic disparities in health care. What you may not find readily on her bio is that she helped coin the phrase "culture of health," as well as all the foundational programmatic scaffolding necessary to galvanize the country around a larger "culture of health" mission to better address the social determinants of health. Lavizzo-Mourey, who was an inaugural member of IWBI's Governance Council, currently serves on the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents as well as several other boards.

"What we mean by 'building a Culture of Health' is shifting the values-and the actions-of this country so that health becomes a part of everything we do." - Risa Lavizzo-Mourey in 2014 while president and CEO of RWJF during keynote address at Spotlight: Health.

Cheryl Durst, Pioneer Mobilizing the Global Interior Design Community

Cheryl Durst, executive vice president and CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), is squarely focused on spurring progress, driving change and encouraging the expansion of the interior design industry. Referred to as "an ambassador for innovation and expansion and a visionary strategist" by Interior Design magazine, she has taken up the charge to achieve broad recognition of the value of design and its significant role in society through both functionality and engagement in every day work spaces and the built environment. Thanks to her leadership, Durst has grown IIDA to 58 countries with more than 15,000 members. She curates and publishes Perspective, the association's thought-leadership journal, and is also a member of the Board of Trustees for both the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) and Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, and a member of IWBI's Governance Council.

"We are moving into a period away from austerity and cold to warmth and comfort and accessibility. Whether it's post-pandemic or a greater degree of attention to culture, the built environment is becoming more human." - Cheryl Durst recently in an interview in Chicago Magazine.

Dr. Yele Aluko, a CMO for the Movement

Dr. Yele Aluko is the chief medical officer (CMO) at EY for the Americas Business Consulting Health Sector. As a proven physician executive and leader with 25 years of clinical and administrative health system experience, he regularly advises health system clients and C-Suite executives, providing guidance and insight on health trends and enterprise growth opportunities. Much of his work is focused on advising on return-to-workplace strategies that prioritize the health and safety of its employees, as well as providing insight on return-to-work strategies and solutions designed to preserve workforce well-being and safety during and in the aftermath of COVID-19. He is also a well-recognized global thought leader working to support organizations pursuing efforts to address health disparities and achieving health equity. Dr. Aluko, who is a co-chair of IWBI's new Investing for Health Advisory, also served as a co-chair of its Health Equity Advisory.

"We have incontrovertible societal and scientific evidence that highlights the reality of the prevailing relics of systemic racism in healthcare. We must first align around this reality." - Dr. Yele Aluko in an interview featured on Fierce Healthcare in 2020.

Clarence E. Anthony, the Nation's Advocate for Thriving Cities

Clarence E. Anthony is CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities (NLC), the largest and oldest organization representing America's cities, towns and villages and their leaders. In the last few years, he has focused his work and advocacy to secure historic federal support for local governments struggling to respond, recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of his leadership, local communities received tens of billions of dollars in direct, flexible federal relief through the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Each of these noteworthy policy victories helped deliver transformative investments in local governments. As head of NLC, Anthony, a former mayor, continues to advance policies that strengthen local leadership and provides support for local leaders to promote equitable public health and safety, economic development and sustainability for all residents. As part of IWBI's multi-year partnership with NLC, Anthony has also helped lead collaborative work, as he says, "to broaden access to healthy community solutions and to create stronger cities, towns and villages." He currently serves as a co-chair of IWBI's WELL City Advisory and served previously as First Vice President of International Union of Local Authorities and as Founding Treasurer of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

"There are glaring differences in residents' health, well-being, and life expectancy from city to city and neighborhood to neighborhood. But there are transformational efforts underway in communities across the country to address these disparities - which is exactly what we want to bring to light with the Solutions Forum." - Clarence E. Anthony last fall at the inaugural Cities of Opportunity Solutions Forum.

Dianne Dillon Ridgley, a Lifelong Activist for Human Rights and Sustainability

Dianne Dillon Ridgley has been a lifelong advocate for human rights, female empowerment and sustainability. She started in the environmental field as a college intern during the early days of the Environmental Protection Agency. Since then, she has traveled the globe to promote women's rights and fight for environmental sustainability. For nearly a decade, she was the United Nations representative for the World YWCA, where she led advocacy for education and political access for women in international conferences and negotiations around the world. In previous capacities, she served as CEO of the Women's Environment and Development Organization, president of the Association of Iowa Human Rights Agencies and a longtime board member of Interface, Inc. She also played leadership roles in many of the most seminal global environmental gatherings. By appointment of the White House, she attended the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, the 1997 UN General Assembly on the results of Rio, and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa. She was the only person to have participated on all three U.S. delegations. For the past two years, she served as a co-chair of IWBI's Health Equity advisory.

"When people would say, 'Well, we have to make these cost decisions about what makes sense [as justification for redlining and other community injustices], one of things I've always said, and we've certainly understood this as communities of color, it has always cost. It has cost us in our lives. It has cost us in our capacity. It has cost us by not being able to even participate in being able to accumulate wealth. We are finally putting on the agendathat how community decisions are made has to be equitable, fair and just. The 21st Century is the Justice Century." - Dianne Dillon Ridgley during her remarks at IWBI's webcast on Building a Powerful Narrative for Health Equity.

Ruth Thomas-Squance, a Champion for Health Equity

Dr. Ruth Thomas-Squance, PhD, MPH, is a distinguished national leader on healthy equity, bringing an interdisciplinary lens and systems change mindset to the promotion of health and social equity. Her passion for health equity has taken her from a successful career in biomedical research to management in the non-profit and public sectors. As Co-Executive Director at the Build Healthy Places Network, she leads a national center positioning cross-sector partnerships from community development, public health and healthcare sectors to leverage community-centered investments across the country to address the drivers of health and advance racial equity. She brings 15 years of experience working in multi-sector collaborations with diverse partners. She is also Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the U.S. Green Building Council and serves on the Multi-Sector Partner Group of the Center for Health Justice at the American Association of Medical Colleges and the American Public Health Association's Alliance for Disease Prevention and Response.

"As we seek to redress patterns of disinvestment that have deprived too many of our communities, often along racial and ethnic lines, how can we think about the infrastructure that supports health and well-being? What role can we imagine for those shaping our built environment? While we continue to make advances in the quality of buildings internally, we can challenge the expansion to consider the broader role of the built environment for influencing the vital conditions [for well-being]." - Ruth Thomas-Squance in an article titled, "The Impact of Vital Conditions on Community Health."

Carlton Brown, a Driving Force for Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Communities

Carlton Brown has been a driving force throughout his career in elevating pioneering development strategies to bring capital markets to disinvested communities. He has blazed a path forward by bringing critical investment for "sustainable restorative" human settlements in some of our most vulnerable communities. He sees investment in sustainable human settlement as the most important strategy for stemming climate change, adapting to climate change and creating resilient and equitable communities. As principal at Direct Invest, he has translated that vision into reality, delivering on numerous projects, including several affordable housing projects in economically devastated communities in Brooklyn and Harlem, NY. Through his leadership, he has helped shift how the market approaches urban development, demonstrating a new paradigm rooted in green, economically sustainable and equitable urban investments that value cultural diversity. Carlton recently served as a co-chair of IWBI's Health Equity Advisory.

"We often overlook the importance of health and human diversity in sustainability, but our objective is to create a sustainable community, not just a green building." - Carlton Brown describing his work on the Kalahari, a sustainable building project in Harlem developed by Full Spectrum.

View original content here.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from International WELL Building Institute on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: International WELL Building Institute

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/international-well-building-institute

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: International WELL Building Institute

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738558/Celebrating-7-Extraordinary-Black-Leaders-Helping-Shape-the-Healthy-Sustainable-Buildings-Movement
Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min attends a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. The assembly passed a motion to impeach Lee to hold him responsible for the Itaewon tragedy, which took 159 lives last Halloween in central Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



Ruling camp accuses DPK of 'unconstitutional' measure: ball is now in Constitutional Court's hands



By Lee Hae-rin



The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a motion to impeach Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, to hold him accountable for the deadly crowd crush that killed 159 people who gathered in Itaewon to celebrate Halloween on October 29 last year. With the passage of the motion, Lee has been suspended from his duties at the ministry.



This is the first time that the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach a Cabinet member.



On Wednesday, 293 out of 300 assembly members were present and 179 voted in favor of ousting Lee, with 109 objections and 5 abstentions. Initiated by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the motion will go to the Constitutional Court for a final decision. It will take up to 180 days for the court to make a final call on the minister's fate.



In the motion, the DPK lawmakers claimed that Lee failed to prevent the deadly crowd crush from happening, even though he should take responsibility for disaster and safety measures as the interior minister.



The presidential office voiced deep disappointment at the motion.



"They abandoned parliamentarianism. The impeachment motion will be recorded as a shameful event in the National Assembly's history," the presidential office said in a press release.



Lee said he was sorry for adding to the public's concerns and vowed to do his utmost to clarify his position at the Constitutional Court.



But he also accused the opposition of abusing its power. In a statement released Wednesday, Lee said lawmakers should properly use the mandate given by the public.



"I just hope that a safety vacuum caused by the unprecedented measure can be minimized," he said.





Lawmakers gather at the National assembly to vote on an impeachment motion against Interior Minister Lee Sang-min in Seoul, Wednesday. Among 293 lawmakers who participated in the voting, 179 voted for the motion while 109 others opposed and five votes were nullified. Yonhap.
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / HARMAN



Originally published on HARMAN News Room

As a global leader in audio innovation and a rich legacy in music, HARMAN has witnessed first-hand the power of music education in helping the next generation reach their fullest potential. While the benefits of music education are widely known, many schools are not able to offer music programming due to a lack of funding and resources. At HARMAN, we are committed to making an impact and addressing this gap through our global cause initiative, HARMAN Inspired, and with partners such as Music Will, a nonprofit organization committed to spreading awareness about the benefits of music education. On the heels of the International Day of Education, we are recognizing how an inclusive and equitable quality education is one that includes music and the arts and expands opportunities for all.

Research shows that music improves students' academic skills, social skills and cognitive skills - and the benefits of leaning into music as a form of positive self-expression extends throughout their lifetimes. Music is also a powerful force and catalyst for change - motivating listeners of all ages to get involved in the causes they care about. In a survey conducted by HARMAN in collaboration with YouGov, 60% of respondents agreed that music influences human emotions and behavior to motivate more people to fight for societal issues. This all starts with music education to foster an appreciation for music from an early age.

Together, HARMAN and Music Will have explored how technology can help bring music education to students in new ways, inside and outside of regular school hours. Our transformational initiatives have helped Music Will reach over one million students - and counting. Recent activities include:

Opportunities for At-Home Learning: The HARMAN Jam Zone reimagined what makes a virtual music class effective by incorporating advances in technology towards music education curriculum and featuring an online library of tutorials for today's popular songs for kids to learn to play at their own pace in a comfortable setting.

The HARMAN Jam Zone reimagined what makes a virtual music class effective by incorporating advances in technology towards music education curriculum and featuring an online library of tutorials for today's popular songs for kids to learn to play at their own pace in a comfortable setting. Live Performances, Stage Experience, and Opportunities for Recognition: During its annual benefit in New York City, Music Will students take to the stage to share what they've learned and realize their passion for performing live music. To further support the music education curriculum, HARMAN and Music Will have offered many opportunities for students to gain experience in performing and get recognition for their music through video essay contests, songwriting exhibitions, virtual modern band summits, and more.

Instrument and JBL Headphone Donations Access to quality instruments and materials is critical for hands-on learning experience. Our volunteers have helped donate new instruments to underserved schools, as well as speaker systems to amplify their sound, to encourage students to unlock their inner music makers. When schools pivoted to virtual learning in 2020, HARMAN's JBL brand, our brand ambassadors, and Music Will donated more than 6,300 of our high-quality JBL TUNE 700 BT and the JBL LIVE 400 BT headphones to students in schools across 10 cities, including New York, Cleveland, Detroit, and Los Angeles to help ensure students could rely on clear audio during their virtual classes and delve deeper into their music lessons.



As we prepare for the year ahead, we're looking forward to working closely with Music Will to bring the power of music education to even more students. Through our partnership with Music Will, we're dedicated to providing students with opportunities to experience the power of music and enjoy the benefits offered by access to quality music education. For more information on HARMAN Inspired and our mission to bring music education to communities around the world and empower the next generation to realize their possibilities, visit: https://www.harman.com/inspired.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from HARMAN on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: HARMAN

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/harman

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: HARMAN

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738562/HARMAN-Using-the-Power-of-Music-Education-to-Transform-Lives
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Global Trade Plaza (GTP) is pleased to announce that the company has joined hands with SGS, a leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company, for trade validation and quality assurance services provided through the ValiTrade program offered by SGS.

GTP has partnered up with SGS



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9405/154080_3d7dd28b143159ee_001full.jpg

This partnership with SGS will help to improve the security of trade transactions and establish the authenticity of products traded through GTP's B2B platform. Global Trade Plaza will be able to provide traders with high-quality risk management, fraud detection and quality control for their online dealings. The end-to-end digital process of the program assures transparency throughout the supply chain with complete visibility and real-time reporting.

SGS's global network and operations can fortify the vast network of international trading undertaken through the Global Trade Plaza platform. This helps GTP to improve the online trading experience of its customers without being hindered by the limitations of quality control and operational capacity.

About the collaboration, on a forward-looking note, Pulkit Dwivedi, Co-founder of Global Trade Plaza, said, "This strategic alliance will help Global Trade Plaza to move towards increasingly secured deals. We began Global Trade Plaza with the aim to simplify international business by streamlining the complicated compliances required for export and import so that merchants worry less about the paper work and more about selling quality goods. So far, we have tirelessly striven to ensure traders' prosperity and a healthy trading environment, made easy to use by smartly designed features on our platform. The SGS collaboration will be instrumental towards this goal of delivering a safe deal to our customers."

Stressing on the partnership, Satyakam Sahoo, Co-founder of Global Trade Plaza, continued, "SGS is known all over the world for its quality control and we believe that this partnership will strengthen our reputation as well as services by ensuring that the traders and customers never enter a fraudulent deal and can safely continue to do business on our platform."

Speaking about the partnership with GTP, Sunil Yeole, Director - Connectivity & Products - Trade Facilitation Services, said, "With the spurt in ecommerce and online trade, security of online transactions and authenticity of the trade partners is the biggest challenge faced by online platforms. Increased incidences of fraud over online platforms impacts the customer confidence and trust towards ecommerce platforms. We are happy to work with Global Trade Plaza to extend our ValiTrade program that helps us to provide verified data, confirm authenticity of trade partners which helps to speed-up trade transactions worldwide and build customer trust."

Global Trade Plaza believes that this collaboration with SGS will help the company to continue to fulfil its vision of enabling quick and safe international trade and provide a favorable environment to boost the growth of small and medium-size players, who are able to provide authentic products and services. Global Trade Plaza supports small and medium enterprises on overall business strategy, pricing and helps them to scale up their operations through its platform. It also supports them in their marketing efforts with its in-house team of digital marketing, advertising, and SEO experts.

As a testament to Global Trade Plaza's customer-centric values, particularly in favour of small and medium-scale businesses, the platform has diverse subscription packages which can be customised as per the need of the customer and the operational capacity. This option to customise enables the business to expand gradually without breaking the bank while enjoying the premium services of the platform.

About SGS

SGS is a leading testing, inspection and certification company. It is recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. SGS's 97,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

About GTP

We are a pioneering global B2B marketplace in India. Our purpose as a leading B2B eCommerce marketplace is to assist our clients in making a profitable business and enhance the quality of supply chain management. Our aim includes making online B2B trade and export business effortless and streamlined for exporters and importers in India and across the globe. We provide a robust platform that encompasses an international B2B marketplace that has numerous active sellers and buyers from all over the world.

Contact Person: Satyakam Sahoo

Company: Global Trade Plaza

E-mail: support@globaltradeplaza.com

Website: https://www.globaltradeplaza.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154080
Equinor ASA (OSE: EQNR, NYSE: EQNR) has on 8 February 2023 engaged a third party to conduct repurchases of the company's shares to be used in the share-based incentive programmes for employees and management for the period from 15 February 2023 until 15 January 2024.



Shares acquired under the buy-back programme in the period from 15 February 2023 to 10 May 2023 is based upon the authorization from the annual general meeting on 11 May 2022 and registered in the Norwegian register for business enterprises. According to the authorization, the maximum number of shares to be purchased in the market is 15,200,000, the minimum price that can be paid for the shares is NOK 50, and the maximum price is NOK 1000. Share buyback after the annual general meeting 2023 is subject to a new authorization.

The buy-back programme is time-scheduled, and the share purchases shall take place on specific dates in the period from 15 February 2023 until 15 January 2024 with a determined purchase amount on each date, as set out in the buy-back programme.

The total purchase amount under the share buy-back programme is up to NOK 1,535,150,000. The maximum number of shares to be acquired is 20,000,000 shares, of which up to 12,000,000 shares can be acquired in the period from 15 February 2023 to 10 May 2023, and up to 8,000,000 shares can be acquired in the period from 15 June 2023 to 15 January 2024.

The shares shall be used to meet obligations towards employees who participate in the company's share saving programme and the long-term incentive scheme.

Shares will be purchased on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The share buy-back programme will be conducted in accordance with applicable safe harbour conditions, and as further set out i.a. in the Norwegian Securities Trading Act of 2007, EU Commission Regulation (EC) No 2016/1052 and the Oslo Stock Exchange's Guidelines for buy-back programmes and price stabilisation February 2021.

Further information from:

Investor relations

Bard Glad Pedersen, senior vice president Investor Relations,

+47 918 01 791

Media

Sissel Rinde, vice president Media Relations,

+47 412 60 584 (mobile)

This is information that Equinor is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Advancements Continue to Provide Immediate ROI for Processing Bordereaux and All Other Data Needs

OWIT Global (OWIT), the leader in cloud-based insurance-specific microservices architected solutions to digitalize the global insurance industry, is pleased to announce enhanced functionality of its Insurance Data Management Solution.

Beyond the basics of processing policy/risk, cash/premium, and claims for bordereaux, the Insurance Data Management Solution includes:

A comprehensive cash reconciliation

Build, store, and re-use standard output data sets such as the Lloyds standard

Efficiencies in processing very large bordereaux files

AI to quickly onboard new programs

Additional functionality for system aggregations and validations across bordereaux over time

Improved integration direct to source systems to support Transatlantic delegated data management

Administration of transaction records such as SOVs in conjunction with OWIT's Broker Portal

"Increasing revenue with new distributions and internal technology requires solutions with efficient processes and clean data. The OWIT team believes this is a basic need today, bringing data ingestion and cleansing into the core systems category with policy admin, billing, and claims solutions. OWIT provides the Insurance Data Management Solution as one of the ways we are extending existing insurer technology investments, including bordereaux management processing." said Wendy Aarons-Corman, Chief Executive Officer of OWIT Global. "The OWIT team continues to invest in this much-needed solution. When customers compare the ROI to proprietary development or manual processing, they see the benefit in leveraging our solution."

The OWIT Global Insurance Data Management Solution is a no-code, configurable environment, that gives the business user the power of onboard and manage all types of data including bordereaux data streams. Data is consumed, cleansed, and transformed into a desired output file. Rules and 3rd party calls to validate data are also supported.

About OWIT GLOBAL

The OWIT portfolio is built on a Digitalization Insurance Enterprise Management platform (O/DIEM) to support the insurance industry's need to reinvent and improve processes and its need for clean data across the value chain. O/DIEM assimilates data ingestion and transformation via OWIT's Delegated Data/Bordereaux/Binder Management solutions and other solutions such as Broker Portal, Point of Sale, Rating, Rules, and Document Generation. O/DIEM can also connect to a client's existing environments to enable the transformation (cleanse and normalize) of both data and digitalization process.

OWIT is a global insurance specialist technology provider for carriers, brokers, reinsurers, and MGA/MGUs. Since OWIT's incorporation in 2018, our solutions have been designed and built from the "ground up" and the "cloud down" on a modern architecture designed to optimize no-code and cloud deployment. Its mission is to simplify innovation via the digitalization of processes and data in harmony with the integration of our customers' existing environments to maximize their investments.

For more information about OWIT Global, please visit www.OWITGlobal.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005561/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Gilda Migliore

gilda@owitglobal.com

1-833-GET-OWIT X708
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Originally published by Sofidel, January 13, 2023

Schools have until April 28 to register for the environmental education program "Mi Curo di Te" (I'll Take Care of You) by WWF and Regina (Sofidel Group), a project which is part of the "RiGenerazione Scuola" plan by the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit.

PORCARI, Lucca (Italy) /3BL Media/ - Water conservation makes its way into the classroom. More than 5,300 classes (over 117,000 students throughout Italy) have already signed up to take part in the 9th edition of "I'll Take Care of You - Working with Schools towards the 2030 Agenda" ("Mi Curo di Te - Con la Scuola per l'Agenda 2030"), the free environmental education program promoted by WWF Italia and Regina (Sofidel Group). Since 2014, this project has accompanied primary and secondary school students in Italybas they discover the Planet and how to take care of it. The project forms part of the Italian National Plan entitled "RiGenerazione Scuola" created by the Ministry of Education and Merit1.

The theme of "I'll Take Care of You" for the current school year is water. Through digital fact sheets, games, and quizzes, children and young people are introduced to the concepts of water scarcity and water pollution, teaching them about the impact of these issues on the health of the oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes. The educational program also gives the opportunity to study some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda: Goal 6, "Clean Water and Sanitation", Goal 12 "Responsible Consumption and Production" and Goals 14 and 15, "Life below Water" and "Life on Land", respectively.

Registration is open until April 28, 2023. Teachers can download the educational kit and guide their students to make the submissions to earn points and climb the ranking of participating schools to win prizes. The prizes include a supply of Regina products (toilet paper and tissues) and access to the WWF Italy educational portal OnePlanetSchool. The top three schools, both primary and secondary, will receive vouchers for the purchase of educational materials worth 1,000, 600, and 400. Prizes will also be awarded to schools ranked 4th-6th in both categories (primary and secondary). Additional prizes will be awarded by a final draw.

Families can also help at home: loved ones can take part in quizzes and surveys available on the website and help collect points to win.

Winners will be notified by May 12, 2023 on the website www.micurodite.it (in Italian).

1 "RiGenerazione Scuola" is the Ministry of Education and Merit's National Plan for the environmental and cultural transition of Italian schools. "I'll Take Care of You" has joined the Regenerators Network, since it focuses on two pillars of the Plan: regeneration of knowledge and regeneration of behavior.The Plan, which is inspired by the goals of the UN's 2030 Agenda, aims to regenerate the educational function of schools and teach children how to live in the world in a new way.

Download the press release

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Sofidel on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Sofidel

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/sofidel

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Sofidel

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738570/More-Than-117000-Students-Want-To-Learn-How-To-Safeguard-Water
Sartorius Stedim Biotech SA / Key word(s): Dividend

Sartorius Stedim Biotech SA: Board of Directors of Sartorius Stedim Biotech resolves to propose a dividend of 1.44 euros per share to the Annual Shareholders' Meeting



08-Feb-2023 / 16:15 CET/CEST





Aubagne, February 8, 2023

Board of Directors of Sartorius Stedim Biotech resolves to propose a dividend of 1.44 euros per share to the Annual Shareholders' Meeting

The Board of Directors of Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A. resolved at today's meeting to submit a proposal to the combined Annual Shareholders' Meeting to be held on March 27, 2023, to pay a dividend of 1.44 euros per share for fiscal 2022, up from 1.26 euros per share a year earlier. Under this proposal, the total distributed profit would be 132.7 million euros.

The Board of Directors also approved the decision to submit to the Annual Shareholders' Meeting the 2022 results of Sartorius Stedim Biotech which had already been published on a preliminary basis on January 26, 2023.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the future development of the Sartorius Stedim Biotech Group. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Sartorius Stedim Biotech assumes no liability for updating such statements in light of new information or future events. Sartorius Stedim Biotech shall not assume any liability for the correctness of this release. The original French press release is the legally binding version.

Financial calendar

February 17, 2023 Publication of the 2022 Annual Report

March 27, 2023 Annual Shareholders' Meeting

April 20, 2023 Publication of first-quarter figures (January to March 2023)

July 21, 2023 Publication of first-half figures (January to June 2023)

October 19, 2023 Publication of nine-month figures (January to September 2023)

A profile of Sartorius Stedim Biotech

Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading international partner of the biopharmaceutical industry. As a total solutions provider, the company helps its customers to manufacture biotech medications safely, rapidly and economically. Headquartered in Aubagne, France, the shares of Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A. are quoted on the Euronext Paris. With its own manufacturing and R&D sites in Europe, North America and Asia and an international network of sales companies, Sartorius Stedim Biotech has a global reach. The Group has been annually growing by double digits on average and has been regularly expanding its portfolio by acquisitions of complementary technologies. In 2022, the company employed roughly 12,000 people, and earned sales revenue of around 3.5 billion euros.

Contact

Philipp Grontzki

Head of External Communications

+49 (0)551.308.5581

philipp.grontzki@sartorius.com

www.sartorius.com

Follow Sartorius Stedim Biotech on Twitter @Sartorius_Group and on LinkedIn.

Dissemination of a Financial Wire News, transmitted by EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.




TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Starting today, and until February 14, notable Canadian buildings and landmarks from coast-to-coast will be lit red to support the over 250,000 Canadians born with Congenital Heart Disease.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) Awareness Week takes place every year from February 7-14, to raise awareness about the most common birth defect in Canada.

CHD Awareness Week is led in Canada by the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance (CCHA). The aim of CCHA is to advocate for and enrich the lives of people living with CHD through awareness, education, research, and support. For people living with the disease and their loved ones, CHD Awareness Week is a chance to share their stories and show support.

Provincial or local legislative buildings in many places and other Canadian landmarks, such as Niagara Falls, the CN Tower, BC Place, Cabot Hill, the Montreal Park Tower are just some that will be glowing red. In addition, a statement will be read in the House of Commons and numerous provincial and local governments are also proclaiming CHD Awareness Week.

CHD Awareness Week is designed to bring attention to this serious, but underappreciated and underfunded, issue. Children born with a heart defect can have significant needs throughout their lifetime, ranging from multiple invasive procedures such as open-heart surgery to daily therapies for breathing and physical rehabilitation. While medical advancements now allow many Canadians with heart defects to have much longer life expectancies and live their daily lives as they wish, CHD still requires lifelong specialized medical care.

This is a great opportunity to educate your community about the prevalence of CHD, as well as the need for research and access to quality care. Join the CCHA for Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week as we share stories across Canada through personal narratives, proclamations and much more!

CHDAwarenessWeek congenitalsemaianedesensibilisationauxcardiopathiescongenitales

CanadaLitRedforCHD lecanadaallumeenrougepourlescardiopathiescongenitales CHDProclamation Proclamationsurlescardiopathiescongenitales CCHAweraiseourhandsforCHD CCHAnouslevonslamainpourCHD

For more information or to arrange media interviews contact:

Allan Weatherall

Executive Director

519 494 8700

allanweatherall@cchaforlife.org

Addendum

A congenital heart defect (CHD) results when the heart, or blood vessels near the heart, don't develop normally before birth. Over 90% of children born with a CHD now live into adulthood - most require surgical interventions - and many will require medical care/treatment for the rest of their lives. There is no cure for CHD.

According to Project Heart, CHD is the world's most common birth defect, affecting about 1/100 babies and 1.35 million infants every year worldwide - about 4,000 in Canada.

CHD can range in severity - from very minor conditions which may go undetected into adulthood, to more serious defects that will require multiple treatments and surgeries. CHD can impact the walls and valves of the heart or the arteries and veins near, and result in the disruption of normal blood flow such as by flowing too slowly or in the wrong direction. There are over 40 different types of heart defects. A CHD can be discovered through ultrasound during pregnancy or from a physical examination after birth given a baby's symptoms.

CHD is the leading cause of birth defect-related death in infants and claims the lives of twice as many children as all forms of childhood cancer combined. Even in adulthood, CHD remains a leading cause of death and is the number one heart problem for pregnant women.

It is important to know that the outlook for children with CHD has significantly improved thanks to huge medical advances in treatments and care in Canada and around the world. Today, many adults are able to manage their CHD and appreciate a high quality of life because of improvements in the management and care of CHD. However, support, resources, research and mental health support for adults living with CHD is lacking and greatly underfunded.

CHD is 60 times more common than all forms of childhood cancers combined, but only receives approximately one-fifth of the funding. Research in the area of adult CHD has not reached the level of sophistication observed in other areas of heart disease research - even though CHD-related research has the potential for greater impact. At the same time, CHD is a sphere of medicine that still requires more research. Knowledge is crucial to combating this disease and saving lives.

For more information about Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week and how to donate/support or get involved with CCHA visit our website at www.cchaforlife.org.

SOURCE: Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738568/Why-Will-Places-in-Canada-Be-Glowing-Red-From-February-7-to-February-14
CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquid Handling System is a device used to transport small liquid, such as biological samples, chemicals, or reagents, from one container to another. It is used in laboratories for various applications, such as pipetting, cell culture, drug discovery, DNA extraction, and more. The system consists of a pipette and a controller. The pipette is used to move liquid from one vessel to another, while the controller manages the movement of the liquid. The system can be automated or manually controlled. Automated liquid handling systems are used for high-throughput applications, such as drug screening and genomics.





Liquid Handling System Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $4.6 billion in 2022 and is poised to reach $5.8 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2022 to 2027 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growth of this market is majorly driven by industrial growth in the pharma-biotech sector, rising R&D expenditure by biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and increasing life science research, which is supported by a favorable funding scenario, expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries, increasing focus on data precision and accuracy and Increasing labor costs leading to higher automation requirements.

Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=192124302

Browse in-depth TOC on "Liquid Handling System Market".

205 - Tables

41 - Figures

279 - Pages

Liquid Handling System Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2022 $4.6 billion Estimated Value by 2027 $5.8 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% Market Size Available for 2020-2027 Forecast Period 2022-2027 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Type, Product, Application, End user and Region Geographies Covered North America (US, Canada), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy and RoE), APAC (China, India, Japan, and the RoAPAC), and Rest of the World Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Growing genomics and proteomics research Key Market Drivers Global expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries

The Pipettes segment accounted for the largest share of the Hemato oncology testing devices market, by product type, in 2021

On the basis of products type, the global liquid handling system market is segmented into Pipettes, Consumables, Pipettes, Consumables. Microplate Reagent Dispensers, Liquid Handling Workstations, Microplate Washers, Burettes, Software and Other Products. The Pipettes segment accounted for the largest share of the global hemato oncology testing market in 2021. This can be attributed to the high and growing demand of the drug discovery and the genomic and protenomic research.

The automated liquid handling systems segment holds a major share of the global Liquid handling system market, By type, in 2021

By type, the global Liquid handling system market is broadly segmented into electronic systems, automated systems, and manual systems. In 2021, the Automated liquid handling systems segment dominated Liquid handling system market. Factors supporting the growth of the segment is the wide use in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies for its speed, accuracy, reliability, and consistency of operations.

The drug discovery segment accounted for the largest share of the Liquid handling system devices market, by Application, in 2021

By application, the global Liquid handling system are classified into drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, genomics, proteomics, and other applications. In 2022, the drug discovery segment dominated the global market. This can be attributed to factor such as the rising investment in drug discovery and development, role of sample preparation, assay set-up, high-throughput screening, in vitro experiments, cellular assays, and in vivo toxicity studies.

North America dominates the global Liquid Handling System market

Based on the region, the liquid handling system market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). The global liquid handling system market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and ROW. North America dominated liquid handling system market. The largest share can be attributed to North America due to the significant advances in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and increasing investment and government funding for the research.

Request for FREE Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=192124302

Liquid Handling System Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Global expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries Significant R&D expenditure by biopharma companies Increasing funding for life science research Growing market demand for high-throughput screening Increasing focus on data precision and accuracy

Restraints:

Pricing limitations Slow adoption of automation among small and medium-sized laboratories

Opportunities:

Changing scenario in emerging economies Growing genomics and proteomics research

Challenges:

Developing infrastructure and other barriers in emerging markets Possibility of errors in automated systems

Key Market Players:

The major players in the Liquid Handling System are the liquid handling system market is highly consolidated and is dominated by various players. The major players operating in this market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Danaher Corporation (US), Eppendorf (Germany), PerkinElmer Inc. (US) and Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US).

Recent Developments:

In 2022, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (US) company of Danaher Corporation launched the Biomek NGeniuS liquid handling system. It automates the labor-intensive process of manual library construction and reagent transfers, helping free up technicians and researchers to focus on the science, not the workflow, while also reducing the possibility of errors.

Gilson (US) launched MyPIPETMAN, a customizable and modular pipette. It is lightweight, ergonomic, reliable, and easy to use, with technical and personalization options to adapt to the researcher's laboratory needs.

(US) launched MyPIPETMAN, a customizable and modular pipette. It is lightweight, ergonomic, reliable, and easy to use, with technical and personalization options to adapt to the researcher's laboratory needs. In 2022, Endress+Hauser ( Switzerland ) launched Memosens 2.0 technology that converts the measured value to a digital signal and transfers it inductively to the transmitter, offering safe data transfer for increased availability of the measuring point and trouble-free operation. The new technology is available for pH/ORP, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen sensors-and it will be extended to the complete sensor portfolio for liquid analysis.

Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=192124302

Browse Adjacent Market: Analytical and Scientific Instrumentation Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Pharmacy Automation Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Microplate System Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Laboratory Informatics Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Intraoperative Imaging Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

Lab Automation Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

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: sales@marketsandmarkets.com

Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/liquid-handling-system-market.asp

Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/liquid-handling-system.asp

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/liquid-handling-system-market-worth-5-8-billion--marketsandmarkets-301741848.html
NEW BEDFORD, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Blue Harvest Fisheries has completed the purchase of its newest, most modern groundfish vessel, the newly-christened Nobska. The new vessel is Blue Harvest's latest investment in its groundfish fleet, and represents the first step in implementing the company's plans for the future of its groundfish operations.

The Nobska, built in 2019 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts and originally known as the Francis Dawn, is one of the newest groundfish vessels currently operating in New England. It has several innovative features that allows it to land in-demand, premium groundfish. These include a state-of-the-art electronics system, and a slurry ice/vat system for the fish hold that allows the Nobska to keep groundfish fresher for longer, and to land a higher-quality product at the dock.

The Nobska is the first of Blue Harvest's new investments to upgrade its groundfish operations and will be the replacement for an older Blue Harvest vessel, also named the Nobska. The purchase is part of the company's strategy to assemble a new, modern fleet. By investing in newer vessels that can spend more days fishing every year, run more efficiently, and require less maintenance, Blue Harvest hopes to maintain its position as an innovator in the New England groundfish fishery.

Blue Harvest crew repainting the newly acquired fishing vessel Nobska, formerly the Francis Dawn

"We are excited for the opportunities that a new, modern vessel like the Nobska will provide for our groundfish operations," said Chip Wilson, CEO of Blue Harvest Fisheries. "We are committed to the long-term future of this fishery, and this purchase is the first step in our strategy to remain involved here in Massachusetts for years to come."

Originally based in Maine, the new Nobska will fish for groundfish in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, landing its catch in both New Bedford and Gloucester. Blue Harvest will be working with the Nobska's current captain, Aldie Leeman, who has been with the vessel since its initial launch and who brings decades of fishing experience to the company. Blue Harvest will also be working in the coming weeks to transfer the groundfish permit from the old Nobska to the new replacement vessel.



About Blue Harvest Fisheries

Blue Harvest Fisheries is a leading supplier of premium quality seafood sustainably harvested from MSC certified fisheries in the U.S. The company operates its own fleet of groundfish vessels as well as offload facilities in New Bedford and Fairhaven, MA and an SQF certified waterfront manufacturing facility in New Bedford, MA. The Blue Harvest Fisheries product line features haddock, ocean perch (Acadian redfish) and Atlantic pollock (saithe) as well as other groundfish harvested in the waters off New England. Blue Harvest Fisheries products are sold fresh and frozen to leading restaurants, wholesalers and distributors across the U.S. The company also offers custom processing and is a supplier of private label products to retailers and food service distributors.

Press Contact:

Robert Vanasse

Stove Boat Communications

(202) 333-2628

bob@stoveboat.com

SOURCE: Blue Harvest Fisheries

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738576/Blue-Harvest-Fisheries-Completes-Purchase-of-New-Modern-Groundfish-Vessel
Austin, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - The team at up-and-coming pet health company Genius Litter is actively making movements toward fundraising and donation practices. The business has been working toward collaborative efforts with local animal shelters in order to cultivate a growing community of pet owners, and pet services and retail chains.

Genius Litter is a new brand of cat litter, which utilizes silica gel crystals as a health monitoring system to detect early urinary tract or bladder problems by changing colors. This litter brand is excited to be featuring their products in popular retail chains in the United States and Canada in January 2023. As this product prepares to hit the shelves, the team involved in the development of Genius Litter is thrilled to also have created a formula that is environmentally friendly. The formula produces less dust and is made from natural ingredients.

Genius Litter is thrilled to begin actively partnering with local shelters. At the start of these collaborative efforts, the company is giving a portion of sales proceeds of their product toward feeding the shelter's cats. Each bag of Genius Litter purchased is said to feed ten cats. The company chooses to maintain connections within the community of pet health and services, working toward growing relationships between pet owners and businesses.

"We turned our love for cats into a cutting-edge solution that catches urine abnormalities that can lead to illnesses and diseases," says Van Meer. The color changing formula alerts pet owners to several potential ailments in a cat's body.

Additionally, as this company continues to bring about growth within the pet ownership communities, Genius Litter is taking steps toward new ways to partner with animal shelters. The company has recently donated $100K in dog food and cat litter to local animal shelters, as a way to bridge the gap between retail supply chains, and shelter. This collaborative effort is the start of what Genius Litter hopes will be an ongoing partnership.

"Our mission is to create healthier cats and happier pet parents through an industry-leading litter," explains Van Meer. In the future, Van Meer has expressed that he hopes to scale Genius Litter into a full, cat health business and organization. The company is working toward selling not only in retail stores but also online. As the company grows, Genius Litter is looking for new ways to get involved in local animal outreach programs.

Genius Litter is an odor-fighting, environmentally friendly litter alternative that utilizes a color changing formula to monitor a cat's health. The company is a new venture from social entrepreneur Ramon Van Meer, as he works toward continued collaboration with pet stores and animal shelters. For more information about Genius Litter, visit their website.

Ramon Van Meer

www.geniuslitter.com

ramon@geniuslitter.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154103


Is South Korea ready for another war among great powers?



The last time the world's three great powers clashed, directly or indirectly, was the Korean War (1950-53).



Seventy-three years later, the U.S. and Russia are engaged in an indirect war in Ukraine. A four-star general at the U.S. Air Force recently told his men to prepare for a war with China "in two years."



More than a few military experts predict the next theater for a great-power conflict could be the Korean Peninsula  again. Little wonder then that political pundits say South Korea faces the most critical circumstances since the fratricidal war, with some comparing the present to the late 19th century.



It is a scenario South Koreans hate to think about, but nothing seems impossible now.



When Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, some commentators said the conflict would end in a few weeks. As the war is about to enter its second year, mutually satisfying and face-saving compromise appears unlikely anytime soon. Russia does not hide its intention to use nuclear weapons and some Americans worry about the direct engagement of their troops.



The U.S.-Chinese rivalry is also intensifying. The ongoing war of nerves between the two countries over a Chinese balloon in U.S. airspace shows even a trifling incident could escalate to a military confrontation. Initially, China admitted the balloon was theirs and said sorry. After Washington shot it down due partly to Republican outcries, Beijing is claiming ownership over the debris, also conscious of its domestic audience.



In November, at their summit in Bali, Indonesia, Joe Biden told Xi Jinping, "There need not be a new Cold War." Whatever the U.S. president calls the current situation, the world has split into two  America and its allies are on one side and Russia and China are on the other. Japan resurges to join the global game. North and South Korea are more divided than ever and liberals and conservatives in the South are also miles apart. Do we need more evidence to compare the present to 130 years ago?



Never in recent history has this country needed a more principled and, at the same time, flexible leadership than now. Sadly, the reality can hardly be more different. South Korea is now governed by a leader absorbed in all-or-nothing, black-or-white thinking, who regards almost everyone, except for a small number of close friends or supporters, as foes, ranging from labor unions to a foreign country with a long friendly relationship and even the governing party's emerging leader. What is more regrettable is that now is the time to turn as many more former enemies into friends.



However, there is a big difference from the late 19th century  South Korea's status in the international community. If united internally and reconciled with the North instead of remaining stuck in a dilemma of a big power game, Seoul can  and should  play a more significant and far more constructive role than now or at least try to do so, be it in saving the earth's ecosystem or preventing a nuclear war.



This country has shown some potential, too, with its economic growth, cultural influence and efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea should continue to go in this direction by uniting with similar middle powers or playing a middleman in the G-20 or even G-7.



All of this could begin with a unifying and broad leadership. A leader who has advocated freedom at home and abroad should be more generous in dealing even with his opponents, giving them the freedom to express their views. However, the incumbent government does not allow even the bereaved families of an enormous man-made disaster the freedom to grieve.



South Koreans want their government to conduct more consistent, predictable, and sustainable diplomacy abroad and handle domestic affairs more harmoniously and embracingly. More than a century ago, the latter-day Joseon Kingdom collapsed by suppressing protestors at home and failing to read international politics correctly.



We hope South Korea will do far better than it did in those days. Koreans showed they could do so  provided corresponding leadership.


The Supervisory Board of Bayer AG has appointed Bill Anderson to become CEO of Bayer, effective June 1, 2023. He will join Bayer as a member of the Board of Management on April 1, 2023. Bill Anderson was elected unanimously after a thorough selection process which began mid last year. Werner Baumann (60), current CEO of Bayer, will work closely with him on a smooth transition before retiring from Bayer after 35 years of service at the end of May 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005749/en/

Bill Anderson to become CEO of Bayer AG (Photo: Business Wire)

Bill Anderson (56), a chemical engineer by education, has served in various leadership positions in the life science industry over the past 25 years. Most recently, he served as CEO of Roche's Pharmaceuticals Division, where he successfully led a comprehensive transformation program which resulted in many successful new product launches, significant revenue growth, and greater productivity across the organization. Before this role, Anderson was CEO of Genentech, one of the pioneering companies in the biotech field.

Previously, Bill Anderson held several senior leadership positions in general management, product development, and finance at Biogen, another innovation leader in the biotech sphere, and Raychem, an American technology and electronics company. During his time at Biogen, Genentech and Roche, Anderson was involved in the development and launch of 25 new medicines, including 15 blockbusters. In addition to his native country, the United States, Bill Anderson has lived and worked in several European countries with postings in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. In his new role, he will be based in Leverkusen, Germany.

"We are very excited to welcome Bill Anderson as new CEO of Bayer. He is the ideal candidate to lead Bayer together with the team into a new, successful chapter at a time of a disruptive innovation cycle in biology, chemistry and artificial intelligence. Bill has an outstanding track record of building strong product pipelines and turning biotech breakthroughs into products. Beyond that, he is a truly transformational leader who creates a culture that propels innovation, boosts productivity and performance, and allows people to thrive," said Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG. "Bill Anderson's mission is clear: enable Bayer to realize its full potential and create sustainable value for our shareholders, farmers, patients, consumers, employees, and all stakeholders of the company."

Winkeljohann continued: "On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would also like to sincerely thank Werner Baumann for 35 years of dedicated service with Bayer, including seven years as CEO. Today, Bayer is a leading life science company with outstanding innovation capabilities in health and nutrition, well positioned in highly attractive growth markets. The recent successful operational performance is clear proof that Bayer stands on a very strong foundation. We wish Werner Baumann all the very best in his future endeavors."

The new CEO-elect, Bill Anderson, said: "Bayer is an innovative company that is already delivering tremendous benefits for the nutrition, health and environmental protection of the world. Its leading R&D investments in agriculture, medicines and consumer health hold the promise for additional breakthroughs. I look forward to working with the people of Bayer to accelerate innovation, increase performance, advance sustainability and unleash the full potential of the company."

Heike Hausfeld, Vice Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Chairwoman of the Bayer Central Works Council said: "There is a long-lasting and strong partnership between the Works Council and Bayer's management, which is a foundational element of the company's governance and success. We thank Werner Baumann for the trustful collaboration over the years and wish him all the best in the future. We had tough debates on a number of topics and ultimately we were able to advance a lot for Bayer together. In our conversations, Bill's commitment to Bayer's employees, its purpose "Science for a better life" and its vision "Health for all, hunger for none" was evident. I am confident that the close partnership with him as CEO and the Works Council will continue."

Bill Anderson holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas, and Master of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Bill Anderson is married and has three children.

About Bill Anderson

Future Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG (effective June 1st, 2023)

William N. (Bill) Anderson, born in 1966, is an American chemical engineer and senior executive. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas and a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in Chemical Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Management from MIT's Sloan School.

Bill started his professional career in 1989 at Ethyl Corporation, a U.S.-based fuel additives company, with postings in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1995, he joined Raychem Corporation, an American technology and electronics firm. In 1997, Bill took up work for Biogen Idec, today simply known as Biogen, an American biotechnology firm. After serving in various leadership roles, Bill was appointed Vice President and General Manager of Biogen's Neurology Unit, the company's largest business unit. Bill joined Genentech, a pioneering American biotechnology company, eventually serving as Senior Vice President in the firm's BioOncology Unit in 2010.

He left this role in 2013 to join Roche Pharmaceuticals, the parent company of Genentech, as Head of Global Product Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer. After serving in this position until 2016, he moved back to Genentech to assume the position of Head of North American Operations before becoming CEO of the company in 2017.

In 2019, Bill became CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals. Based in Switzerland, he oversaw a comprehensive transformation program at the division that resulted in significant increases in productivity and revenue growth despite a major impact of patent losses. In his four years in the position, Bill led the launch of multiple new products that were commercially successful. Bill is married and the father of three adult children.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Note:

Print-quality photos can be downloaded from our website at

www.media.bayer.com

Follow us on twitter.com/bayer

mip (2023-0027E)

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conformthem to future events or developments.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005749/en/

Contacts:

Media inquiries:

Christian Hartel, phone +49 214 30-47686

Email: christian.hartel@bayer.com

Tino Andresen, phone +49 214 30-66048

Email: tino.andresen@bayer.com

Investor inquiries:

Bayer Investor Relations Team, phone +49 214 30-72704

Email: ir@bayer.com

www.bayer.com/en/investors/ir-team
Regulatory News:

ACTICOR BIOTECH (ISIN: FR0014005OJ5 ALACT) (Paris:ALACT), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular emergencies, including ischemic stroke, today discloses the total number of voting rights and shares as of January 31, 2023 (pursuant to Article L. 233-8 II of the French Commercial Code and Article 223-16 of the General Regulation of the French Financial Markets Authority).

Listing Place: Euronext Growth Paris

ISIN Code: FR0014005OJ5

Web site: acticor-biotech.com

Date Number of shares making up

the share capital Theoretical number

of voting rights (1) Number of voting rights

excluding shares stripped

of voting rights (2) January 31, 2023 10.545.776 10.545.776 10.517.321

In accordance with Article 223-111 of the AMF's General Regulation, this number of shares is calculated based on all shares carrying the right to vote, including those stripped of voting rights. The actual voting rights correspond to the total number of voting rights that can be exercised in a general meeting. They are calculated on the basis of the total number of voting rights attached to the total number of shares minus the shares without voting rights.

About ACTICOR BIOTECH

Acticor Biotech is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, a spin-off from INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), which is aiming to develop an innovative treatment for cardiovascular emergencies, including ischemic stroke.

Acticor Biotech is developing glenzocimab (ACT017), a humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) fragment directed against a novel target of major interest, platelet glycoprotein VI (GPVI). Glenzocimab inhibits platelet binding to the thrombus without affecting physiological hemostasis, thereby limiting the bleeding risk, particularly in the brain.

In May 2022, Acticor Biotech presented positive results from its Phase 1b/2a study, ACTIMIS, at the ESOC, confirming the safety profile and showing a reduction in mortality and intracerebral hemorrhage in the glenzocimab-treated group in patients with stroke. The efficacy of glenzocimab is now being evaluated in an international Phase 2/3 study, ACTISAVE, which will include 1,000 patients. In July 2022, Acticor Biotech was granted "PRIME" status by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for glenzocimab in the treatment of stroke. This designation will allow the company to strengthen its interactions and obtain early dialogues with regulatory authorities.

Acticor Biotech is supported by a panel of European and international investors (Karista, Go Capital, Newton Biocapital, CMS Medical Venture Investment (HK) Limited, A&B (HK) Limited, Mirae Asset Capital, Anaxago, Primer Capital, Mediolanum farmaceutici and the Armesa foundation). Acticor Biotech is listed on Euronext Growth Paris since November 2021 (ISIN: FR0014005OJ5 ALACT).

For more information, visit: www.acticor-biotech.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005573/en/

Contacts:

ACTICOR BIOTECH

Gilles AVENARD, MD

CEO and Founder

gilles.avenard@acticor-biotech.com

T.: +33 (0)6 76 23 38 13

Sophie BINAY, PhD

General Manager and CSO

Sophie.binay@acticor-biotech.com

T.: +33 (0)6 76 23 38 13

NewCap

Mathilde BOHIN Quentin MASSE

Investor Relations

acticor@newcap.eu

T.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 95

NewCap

Arthur ROUILLE

Media Relations

acticor@newcap.eu

T.: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15
Lonza Group AG / Key word(s): Bond/Financing

Lonza Prices CHF 300 Million Straight Bond with a 2.100% Coupon



08.02.2023 / 18:30 CET/CEST





Basel, Switzerland, 08 February 2023 - Lonza Swiss Finance Ltd, a wholly owned company of Lonza Group Ltd, Basel ("Lonza"), announced today the pricing of a CHF 300 million straight-bond issue in line with its financing plan for 2023. The bond has a maturity of 6.5 years and an annual coupon of 2.100%.

The issuer is Lonza Swiss Finance Ltd, Basel, and the bonds will be guaranteed by Lonza. Lonza will apply for the listing of the bonds on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The proceeds of the bonds will be used for refinancing and general corporate purposes.

Key Data

Issue Size 6.5-Year Bond: CHF 300 million

Expected Payment Date: 22 February 2023

Maturity: 12 September 2029

Issue Price: 100.241 percent

Redemption Price: 100 percent

Coupon: 2.100 percent p.a.

Joint Lead Managers: Credit Suisse AG, UBS AG and Zurcher Kantonalbank

About Lonza

Lonza is a preferred global partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutrition markets. We work to enable a healthier world by supporting our customers to deliver new and innovative medicines that help treat a wide range of diseases. We achieve this by combining technological insight with world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise and process excellence. Our business is structured to meet our customers' complex needs across four divisions: Biologics, Small Molecules, Cell & Gene and Capsules & Health Ingredients.?Our unparalleled breadth of offerings across divisions enables our customers to commercialize their discoveries and innovations in the healthcare industry.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, today, Lonza operates across five continents. With approximately 17,500 full-time employees, we comprise high-performing teams and individual talent who make a meaningful difference to our own business, as well as to the communities in which we operate. The company generated sales of CHF 6.2 billion with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 2.0 billion in Full-Year 2022. Find out more at www.lonza.com

Follow @Lonza on LinkedIn

Follow @LonzaGroup on Twitter

Lonza Contact Details

Victoria Morgan

Head of External Communications

Lonza Group Ltd

Tel +41 61 316 2283

victoria.morgan@lonza.com

Lyle Wheeler

Investor Relations

Lonza Group Ltd

Tel +41 79 154 9522

lyle.wheeler@lonza.com

End of Media Release


Flutterwave becomes one of the few payment service providers in Egypt with both local and global settlements capabilities.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Flutterwave, Africa's leading payments technology company, has announced today that it has received its Payment Services Provider and Payments Facilitator licenses in Egypt.

The licenses will enable Flutterwave to act as an official payment service provider in the country, collect payments on behalf of its customers and settle payments locally and globally. These licences will allow Flutterwave to deploy Flutterwave for Business suite of products including store, payment links, invoices, checkout in Egypt.

Flutterwave as a result of these licenses becomes one of the few payment service providers in Egypt with both local and global settlements capabilities.

Flutterwave facilitates cross-border transactions in multiple currencies for global companies, including Uber, and the new licenses will help the company support international businesses entering the Egyptian market or growing their operations in the country. Flutterwave will also be in a strong position to empower businesses based in Egypt to expand internationally, in addition to creating new jobs in the country through empowering local businesses.

Commenting on the news, Aalaa Gamal, Regional Manager, North Africa in Expansion & Partnerships, Egypt, said, "We're excited to receive the payments services provider and facilitator licenses in Egypt. The licenses will enable us to be the go-to payment processor and digital transformation partner for global settlements in Egypt, which enables our customers to expand quickly within or outside of the country. This, for us, is the beginning of other strategic wins in the North Africa and Middle East regions."

Commenting on the news, Olugbenga GB Agboola, CEO and Founder of Flutterwave said:

"We are proud to have been granted the Payment Services Provider and Payment Facilitator licenses in Egypt, which forms part of our international expansion strategy. This is testament to our commitment to provide first-class payment services, seamlessly connecting businesses to their customers. Our vision is to connect all parts of Africa through payments and connect Africa to the world. This way, it is easier for multinationals expanding into Africa to do so. This achievement is yet another step in that direction. "

As part of Flutterwave's expansion initiatives, they have also made it possible for users to send money to Ethiopia via cash pickup. Ethiopians in Diaspora can send money home and have the receivers pick up the cash in Dashen bank branches, Amole Agents and Ethiopian postal service offices.

About Flutterwave

Flutterwave is the leading payments technology company that enables businesses across the world to expand their operations in Africa and other emerging markets through a platform that enables local and cross-border transactions via one Application Programming Interface (API). Flutterwave has processed over 400M transactions in excess of USD $25B and serves more than one million businesses including customers like Uber, Airpeace, Bamboo, Piggyvest and others. The company's key advantage is connecting businesses to various local and international payment types to enable them to expand globally. It also enables cross border transactions from the diaspora to African countries via its Sendapp product. Flutterwave processes payments via multiple payment modes including local and international cards, mobile wallets, bank transfers, and Google Pay. The company has an infrastructure reach in 34 African countries For more information on Flutterwave's journey, please visit: www.flutterwave.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/flutterwave-expands-into-north-africa-with-new-egypt-payments-licenses-301742221.html
DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Informa Markets, the premier event organizer of World of Concrete, The International Surface Event, the International Roofing Expo, International Pool, Spa, Patio Expo, Deck Expo and JLC LIVE Residential Construction Show, today announces their new media site, ConstructioNext. The brand-new website features comprehensive product trends and insights, building project profiles, business how-tos, webinars and video series. This expansive platform provides critical information and education for industry professionals to make informed business decisions year-round.

Along with serving the concrete, masonry, roofing, exteriors, residential construction, remodeling, surfaces, coverings, pool, spa and outdoor living industries, ConstructioNext is the Official Digital Media Brand of World of Concrete, International Roofing Expo, International Pool, Spa, Patio Expo and Deck Expo.

Weekly newsletters covering the market segments provide relevant information to industry professionals and highlight useful content including key products, tools and business best-practices that can be leveraged for business growth.

"The all-new ConstructioNext will serve as a singular resource hub across numerous construction specialties, addressing the need for and enabling cross-sector collaboration," says Beth Wagner, VP, Media and Marketing Services at Informa Markets. "Offering industry resources, business solutions and event insights in a cohesive platform will provide our audiences with more tools than ever before."

ConstructioNext is the resource hub for product and technology trends as well as business solutions. It provides practical guidance to help industry professionals make informed business decisions, and also provides year-round education and training resources.

The global concrete, masonry, roofing, exteriors, residential construction, remodeling, surfaces, coverings, pool, spa and outdoor living markets are experiencing steady growth and are expected to reach a combined total of $1.66 million by 2026, and there is an increasing need of a singular, digitized resource hub for these communities.

For more information on ConstructioNext visit www.constructionext.com. Current members of WOC60, Roofing & Exteriors and Pool & Spa Professional will continue to be informed as ConstructioNext evolves.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world's leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

Sign up for the ConstructioNext weekly newsletters or follow on social at Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter to stay connected.

About Informa Markets Construction

Informa Markets Construction is at the forefront of the construction industry, providing a platform for construction industry buyers and sellers to connect and engage. We provide face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions for the concrete, masonry, roofing, exteriors, residential construction, remodeling, surfaces, coverings, pool, spa and outdoor living markets. Our events and media brands include World of Concrete,The International Surface Event, International Roofing Expo, International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, co-located with Deck Expo, JLC LIVE Residential Construction Show and ConstructioNext. For more information, please visit solutions.informaconstructionmarkets.com.

PR CONTACT

Abby Portwood

Informa Markets Infrastructure & Construction

IC.PR@informa.com

SOURCE: INFORMA MARKETS - INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738602/Informa-Markets-Announces-New-Media-Brand-ConstructioNext
NEOLITH BECAME ONE OF THE MOST VISITED BRANDS AT KBIS, WHERE MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE CAME TO SEE FIRST-HAND ITS MOST SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS AND CUTTING-EDGE DESIGNS

Neolith showcases latest innovations in sintered stone through stunning apartment-themed booth at KBIS 2023

Neolith presented its four new models which combine innovation and sustainability, design and art highlighting, above all, the Iconic Design technology.

During the three-day show, the brand welcomed more than 50,000 people at its booth, immersing them into the latest trends in the design, fashion and beauty of interior and exterior living spaces and environments.

Neolith's "touch.feel.live" philosophy came alive, allowing visitors to feel inspired and enjoy extraordinary experiences created by the brand.

Neolith, the world leader in the sintered stone industry, dazzled crowds at KBIS 2023, the largest kitchen and bathroom tradeshow in the world, held January 31 to February 2 in Las Vegas, thanks to its assortment of sustainable innovations and avant-garde designs.

Neolith presented four new designs Everest Sunrise, Cappadocia Sunset, Neolith Victoria and La Piasentina featuring the latest technology and art in sustainable decor.

The Everest Sunrise model represents a flawless and perfectly balanced quartzite, specifically designed to illuminate any space at home, while Cappadocia Sunset evokes the textures, movement and dynamism of a Turkish landscape, without compromising elegance, neutrality in the color and balance expected in Neolith surfaces.

The Neolith Victoria and La Piasentina models, from the Neolith Iconic Design series, are part of new product line which represents the long-awaited breakthrough of the decade, expected to set all new standards in the sintered stone industry. Under three main pillars, design, innovation and sustainability, these avant-garde surfaces respond to one of the great market demands, creating endless design opportunities in a multitude of applications.

"KBIS was the perfect time and place to present our new product innovation", says Jose Luis Ramon, CEO of the Neolith Group, who has travelled to the city to attend the event. "I have had the pleasure of being part of a memorable journey at KBIS, where we have welcomed thousands of architects, designers and consumers who are inspired by our brand. Unveiling our latest products and technologies while transmitting that "touch, feel, live" brand experience to people is something very exciting to witness. It has proven once again, that being constantly at the forefront is critical to our ongoing success."

The booth not only stood out for its attractive staging, but also served as a showcase for the brand's philosophy, represented under its "touch.feel.live" mantra, which accompanied attendees throughout the visitor journey including the annual VIP party which hosted a series of emotion-evoking activations.

Neolith's participation in KBIS comes after a record year in 2022, which saw the largest expansion of Neolith in the North American territory.

"It has been a true honor to welcome so many end users, industry professionals and brand lovers from all over North America to the show", said Meir Levy VP of West Coast for Neolith North America.

"Listening to our channel partners hearing from them is a gift that drives our desire to fuel their passion for our collective work. 2023 is going to be another memorable year for us, having closed our best year to date, which will serve to improve as we continue to inspire the creation of unique spaces with Neolith," said James Amendola, VP of East Coast and Canada at Neolith North America.

About Neolith

Fully believing in the idea that "the best thing about creating something is living it", Neolith is the global leader in sintered stone. A pioneering architectural surface with superior technical characteristics made of 100% all-natural raw materials, it can provide indoor and outdoor solutions. All around the world, it has become an essential style element for any kitchen, bathroom, facade, floor and even exclusive designer furnishings.

The virtues of Neolith sintered stone combine next-generation technology featuring impressive no-limits designs through its Iconic Design line and high functionality. All of that, along with Neolith's sustainable DNA, have led it to becoming one of the most environmentally friendly materials on the planet as it advocates sustainable beauty in all of its collections to inspire new trends in architecture.

The company is currently immersed in an expansion plan aimed at key geographic areas such as North America, Europe, the UK, China and Australia in order to continue contributing to the creation of unique spaces and extraordinary experiences featuring sustainable functional design in the more than 100 countries where it is present through direct distribution as well as an extensive sales and partner network.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207006073/en/

Contacts:

Tia Giannone,

tia@torchiacom.com

514-999-1732
During Black History Month in February - and all year long - we come together to foster belonging among Black and allied employees. The African Descent Network (ADN) at Medtronic is hosting global and local programming around the theme of "Still WE Rise," inspiring the community and allies to know and feel that we are succeeding and growing despite all the challenges we're facing today.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Ashanti Terry remembers exactly where he was when he realized he wanted to get into computer programming to help people - getting his student ID photo taken at Albany State University.

In that moment, just starting out at the Historically Black College and University (HBCU), he had no idea that he was about to be introduced to healthcare technology through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF).

Through the TMCF internship program, Medtronic hires HBCU students studying science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) into summer internships, provides development opportunities, and ultimately aims to hire them full-time - creating an early-career pipeline of diverse talent.

Terry is one of 64 TMCF interns Medtronic has hired since the partnership's inception in 2020.

And in 2022, we began a similar partnership with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) for SHPE interns at Medtronic and SHPE scholarships through the Medtronic Foundation.

'More voices like me'

"I saw the Eric Garner video and it hurt me," Terry said, referring to a Black man who died while in police custody in 2014. "I just wanted to make something that will help change the world, that would help people - whatever direction that took."

For now, that is as a software engineer in the Pelvic Health business at Medtronic.

Building teams with diverse perspectives and backgrounds is crucial for the innovation required to bring life-saving technologies to more patients around the world. But the STEM field continues to fall short in representation of women, Black, and Hispanic professionals.

"I have a different perspective as an African American man. If everyone is the same, then we won't have diverse thinking coming in, and we won't grow. We'll stagnate," Terry said. "That's important, and TMCF is partnering with Medtronic to fix that. They're working to get more voices like me in the room."

Expanding access

Another part of the TMCF partnership is a multi-year scholarship program for undergraduate students at HBCUs, funded by the Medtronic Foundation.

Since the program's inception, over 100 TMCF scholarships have been granted in this first-of-its-kind partnership to build and foster stronger relationships with HBCUs.

These scholarships are part of a larger effort by the Medtronic Foundation to elevate its focus on STEM and promote equity and representation with the goal of improving the lives of underserved communities.

One of the main components of the scholarship is a mentor/mentee program. Each of the scholarship recipients is paired with a Medtronic employee volunteer who provides guidance, motivation, and emotional support.

Additionally, the African Descent Network, a Medtronic employee resource group, donates time and resources to help the scholarship recipients navigate their academic journeys and exposes them to professional opportunities provided by a STEM education.

Terry sees diversity as a key to innovation, and so is a willingness to keep trying, he said. But his biggest message for TMCF interns and scholarship recipients is, "You're here because you earned it."

At Medtronic, we strategically partner with other organizations that share our commitment to removing barriers to equity, particularly in industries like healthcare technology that require top talent in STEM fields. Learn more about how these strategic partnerships help advance equity in our Global Inclusion, Diversity & Equity 2022 Annual Report.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Medtronic on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Medtronic

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/medtronic

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Medtronic

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738620/Why-Expanding-Access-to-Education-and-Career-Paths-Matters
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Regions Bank



Originally Published On Doing More Today

By Dana Obrist

Orlando's population continues to explode.

According to the most recent report from the Orlando Economic Partnership, this Central Florida city is the second fastest growing among the largest 30 cities in the United States.

And for thousands of downtown Orlando residents, Kinneret Apartments is more important than ever.

In October 2022, real estate company Fairstead announced it had acquired the two-building, 280-unit affordable housing apartment complex for seniors with financing from Regions Affordable Housing. The company has plans for an $18 million renovation to the aging property located in Orlando's Lake Cherokee neighborhood.

"Fairstead is excited to continue expanding in Florida, and we look forward to preserving this critical, high-quality housing for seniors in Orlando," Fairstead CEO Jeffrey Goldberg noted in a company news release. "In working with Regions, we will invest in upgrading these homes, continue its important focus on community, and improve quality of life."

In working with Regions, we will invest in upgrading these homes, continue its important focus on community, and improve quality of life.

Jeffrey Goldberg, Fairstead CEO

The Kinneret Council on Aging (KCOA), the original owners of the property, created a wonderful and safe community for seniors to age in place, with access to health-care services and fun, engaging events. The property has become a significant part of the local community. The KCOA provides services to residents through its food pantry and exercise programs to improve wellness. Additionally, they distribute Kosher holiday meals and host celebrations for Shabbat and Jewish holidays for Jewish residents.

Preserving History and Affordability

The two existing 15-story residential buildings offer studio and 1-bedroom units restricted to 40 percent to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). The majority of the units (276 out of 280) are covered by a project-based subsidy. The apartments offer many on-site amenities, as well as proximity to neighborhood services. The property is currently over 98 percent occupied and has historically experienced strong occupancy of between 95 and 99 percent over the past three years.

The rehabilitation will feature facade and roof repairs, common area improvements, modern kitchens and bathrooms, new flooring, senior-friendly accessibility improvements, and upgraded building systems. It will also include the installation of energy-efficient appliances, lighting, and plumbing fixtures in every unit, in support of Florida's climate goals.



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Regions Bank on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Regions Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/regions-bank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Regions Bank

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738650/Kinneret-Apartments-Get-a-Makeover
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) is donating $50,000 to the Red Cross to support relief efforts for one of the most powerful earthquakes to ever hit Turkiye and Syria. On Feb. 6, the initial 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Gaziantep, home to nearly half a million refugees, and was felt as far away as Egypt and Lebanon. As of today, more than 11,600 people have died, tens of thousands are still missing and injured, with numbers expected to rise drastically.

The impact of these earthquakes will have a major effect on Turkiye and Syria's most vulnerable communities, especially those that have been impacted by nearly 12 years of war inside Syria. Early reports indicate many buildings have collapsed, including major damage to national infrastructure, and Turkiye and Syria have declared a state of emergency in both countries.

"The devastating impact of these earthquakes coupled with vulnerabilities and harsh winter conditions, means recovery will be long," said Patricia Contreras, vice president, Community Impact. "We are proud to support the Red Cross and their frontline efforts to help so many who are in need."

The global Red Cross and Red Crescent network launched into action on Feb. 6, providing hot meals and drinks, collecting and shipping blood to the impacted areas as well as providing psychosocial support. With freezing temperatures and snow falling, the Red Cross network is working diligently to support the rapidly changing needs on the ground as the devastation continues to unfold. Rescue teams are working in the hardest-hit areas where survivors remain trapped under rubble.

Rockwell funds will support the Red Cross network and its efforts to provide emergency shelter, relief supplies, and meals, and assist with search and rescue efforts.

Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers rush to rescue people trapped under collapsed buildings after two deadly earthquakes struck near Gazientep in the early hours of Feb. 6. (Photo: Kizilay and Syrian Arab Red Crescent)

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Rockwell Automation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Rockwell Automation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/rockwell-automation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Rockwell Automation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/738654/Rockwell-Automation-Donates-50000-To-Aid-Earthquake-Recovery
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - J.M. Smucker Co. (SJM) Wednesday agreed to sell several pet food brands to Post Holdings, Inc., a consumer-packaged goods holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The transaction is valued at about $1.2 billion, consisting of $700 million in cash and around 5.39 million shares of common stock of Post Holdings, Inc. The transaction includes the Rachael Ray Nutrish, 9Lives, Kibbles 'n Bits, Nature's Recipe, and Gravy Train brands as well as the company's private label pet food business. The transaction includes relevant trademarks and licenses, and the company's manufacturing and distribution facilities in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, as well as its manufacturing facilities in Meadville, Pennsylvania and Lawrence, Kansas. In addition, a group of employees will transition to Post Holdings, Inc. to support the business. The company expects these brands to generate net sales of aroudn $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023, which are primarily reported in the U.S. Retail Pet Foods segment. 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.
Kakao asks users on its online donation platform to write comments to support victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake, saying the company will donate 1,000 won ($0.80) per message. Screenshot from Kakao's website



By Park Jae-hyuk



Korean companies have joined international efforts to support residents living in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria, according to industry officials, Wednesday.



Hyundai Motor's Turkish subsidiary will provide $50,000 worth of rescue equipment and offer an additional $450,000 to purchase more hardware and daily necessities for victims, in collaboration with the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey.



The carmaker will also provide a 50-percent discount to repair vehicles which are not covered by insurance, as well as another 50-percent discount on regular inspections of cars owned by residents in the earthquake-hit areas.



"We hope our efforts will be helpful to the residents of earthquake-hit areas who are experiencing difficulties," Hyundai Motor Turkey President Kim Sang-su said.



Doosan Group will send Bobcat skid-steer loaders and excavators, as well as portable power generators and lighting equipment, collectively worth around $1 million, to help save lives and restore buildings and roads.



The construction equipment will be delivered as soon as possible through Doosan Bobcat's local dealer in Turkey, according to the group.



"We hope the equipment is used immediately to offer practical support for rescue and restoration efforts," a Doosan Group official said.





Doosan Bobcat's skid-steer loader / Courtesy of Doosan Group
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Australia will on Thursday release December figures for building approvals, headlining a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Approvals are expected to surge 18.5 percent after sinking 8.8 percent in November. Japan will provide January numbers for money stocks; in December, the M2 money stock was up 2.9 percent on year, while M3 was worth 2,084.8 trillion yen. Thailand will see January results for its consumer confidence index; in December, the index score was 49.7. Indonesia will provide December data for retail sales; in November, sales rose 1.3 percent on year. Taiwan will release January figures for consumer and wholesale prices; in December, consumer prices were up 0.33 percent on month and 2.71 percent on year, while wholesale prices jumped an annual 7.14 percent. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The O-RAN ALLIANCE is a worldwide community of more than 300 mobile operators, vendors, and research academic institutions operating in the Radio Access Network (RAN) industry. As the RAN is an essential part of any mobile network, the O-RAN ALLIANCE's mission is to re-shape the industry towards more intelligent, open, virtualized and fully interoperable mobile networks. The new O-RAN specifications enable a more competitive and vibrant RAN supplier ecosystem with faster innovation to improve user experience. O-RAN-based mobile networks at the same time improve the efficiency of RAN deployments as well as operations by mobile operators. To achieve this, the O-RAN ALLIANCE publishes new RAN specifications, releases open software for the RAN, and supports its members in integration and testing of their implementations.

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.
Moonfare, a Berlin, Germany-based provider of a digital private equity investment platform, has capped the extension of its Series C financing round at c.a. $15m.

This brings the total capital raised in the Series C funding round to over $130m from Insight Partners.

With the extension of the Series C financing round, 7 Global Capital joined as an investor.

The company intend sto use the funds to fuel its ambitious growth plans.

Led by CEO and founder Steffen Pauls, Moonfare offers individual investors and their advisors access to curated private equity investment opportunities through a digital onboarding process. To date, Moonfare has offered more than 69 private market funds from top general partners worldwide such as KKR, Carlyle, Permira and EQT, with a focus on private equity buyouts, venture, growth and real asset categories like infrastructure.

The company operates in 25 countries across Europe, Asia, and America and has offices in New York, Hong Kong, London, Zurich, Singapore, Paris and Luxembourg.

FinSMEs

08/02/2023
Tidjane Deme and Cyril Collon

Partech, a global technology investment firm, announced the first closing of its Partech Africa II, at 245M.

The fund was supported by a diversified and international set of DFIs investors, including anchor investor KfW, the German Development Bank, joined by European Investment Bank (EIB), International Finance Corporation (IFC), member of the World Bank Group, FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, Bpifrance Investissement, British International Investment (BII), DEG  Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH and Proparco, as well as commercial investors such as South Suez and Bertelsmann.

With a team headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, Partech Africa II will continue to identify and support the next generation of category leaders across the continent. The fund will provide $1M to $15M initial tickets from Seed to Growth to support entrepreneurs to transform Financial Service, Commerce, Education, Mobility, Healthcare, etc. The fund will play an active role in bringing financial, strategic, and operational support to African founders.

To execute on this strategy, the team, led by Cyril Collon and Tidjane Deme and comprised of Marie Benrubi, Sabrine Chahrour, Lewam Kefela, Matthieu Marchand, based in Dakar, Nairobi and Dubai, is expanding into new locations. It is augmented by Partechs global platform with 3 members dedicated to Partech Africa: Romane Assou, Lea Gnaly and Alhou Maiga. This platform provides support across key functions such as Business Development & Portfolio Support, Founders Community, ESG, Finance, Compliance, and Legal.

In 2018, Partech announced the launch of its Africa-focused strategy with a first Fund of 125 million. Today, the portfolio counts 17 companies started in 9 African countries and now operating in 27 countries on the continent. These category leaders are bringing value to 1M+ merchants and 20M+ end users, across a large set of sectors from Fintech to Healthtech, Logistics and Edtech.

FinSMEs

08/02/2023
Therma, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a cooling intelligence platform combating food and energy waste, raised $19M in Series A funding.

The round was led by Zero Infinity Partners, with participation from Deciens Capital, CityRock Venture Partners, Homecoming Capital, Ananta Capital, Kindergarten Ventures, Collaborative Fund, and Govtech Fund.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach.

Led by CEO and founder Manik Suri, Therma provides a cooling intelligence platform that uses artificial intelligence, IoT sensors, and equipment controls to reduce energy usage, prevent food waste, and reduce carbon emissions.

Therma is currently deployed with over a thousand customers across restaurants, hospitality, education, and food manufacturing including McDonalds, Dominos, Marriott Hotels and NOW Foods.

FinSMEs

07/02/2023
For Safer Internet Day, Google promises to make the internet safer for all users. The company is dedicated to ensuring online protection by providing privacy tools and new resources for families. Google is creating online security measures that prioritize privacy and give users control over their settings according to their specific needs.

Securing the online ecosystem

Google has partnered with the International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES) to enhance online safety for high-risk individuals globally and is expanding its partnership with Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC) to secure campaigns in the US.

The company will also offer 100,000 Titan Security Keys to high-risk individuals for free, and provide robust security measures through its Advanced Protection Program (APP). Additionally, Google is launching a $1 million grant for the Impact Amplifier Africa Online Safety Fund to support their efforts towards online safety.

Google highlights the importance of using a password manager

Google emphasizes the significance of utilizing a password manager and promotes its own Google Password Manager as an easy and secure way to protect personal information.

The company also provides information on data breaches and how Google Password Manager can assist in reducing the impact by allowing users to take prompt action and rectify compromised credentials in real-time.

In October 2022, Google expanded support for passkeys, a passwordless authentication standard, across Android and Chrome.

Spam protections in Google Drive

Google confirms that Gmail blocks over 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware, which amounts to 15 billion unwanted messages per day. The company is expanding its spam protections to Google Drive by introducing a new spam folder-like view in Drive, which will make it easier for users to review and protect themselves from unwanted content. The feature will be rolled out in beta in the coming weeks.

Google emphasizes its commitment to user privacy by putting users in control of their settings in its products and services. This allows users to customize settings based on their individual preferences.

Fill out passwords easily and securely with Chrome: Google Password Manager is integrated into Chrome and Android to securely generate, store, and autofill passwords on computers and phones.

For supported computers, the option to use biometric authentication to verify identity before filling saved passwords has been added. This feature also enables users to securely access, copy, or edit their saved passwords in Chrome and Android without repeatedly entering their computer password.

More privacy protection for the Google app for iOS: The Google app for iOS already offers several privacy features such as Incognito mode and the ability to delete recent search history. Soon, users will also be able to set up Face ID to secure the app, preventing unauthorized access to their data if their device is lost or stolen.

Virtual card numbers: Virtual cards generate unique numbers for online transactions, providing an extra layer of security for payment information. This means that the actual card number is not disclosed to merchants, reducing the risk of fraud. Virtual cards were previously available to Capital One cardholders, and are now available to eligible American Express customers.

Google introduces new initiatives and tools to kids and families

Expanded SafeSearch setting: In the next few months, Google is enhancing its SafeSearch filter to prevent accidental exposure to explicit images on Search.

Currently, SafeSearch is enabled by default for users under 18 who are signed in, but a new setting will soon blur explicit images in search results even when SafeSearch is not turned on.

This setting will be the default for users who havent already enabled the SafeSearch filter, with the option to change it at any time.

Partnering with National Parent Teacher Association (PTA): Google has partnered with the National PTA to host Be Internet Awesome events aimed at educating parents and families on raising kids in a digital world. The events will take place at 50 school campuses and four regions across the U.S. and will provide parents with resources and tools to teach their children about privacy, security, avoiding scams, and promoting kindness online.

YouTube Kids Playlist: Google has launched a YouTube Kids playlist called Build a Safer Internet, which includes content aimed at promoting safe and responsible use of technology for families. The playlist features kid-friendly tips and songs on internet safety, as well as resources to discuss mindful screen time. The goal is to help parents and families navigate the digital world.

Speaking on the announcement, Jen Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President, Core Systems & Experiences, Google, said,
POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, right, and Vice Chairman Kim Hag-dong, second from right, pose with Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, second from left, and Chief Technology Officer Sudipta Bhattacharya during a teleconference to sign a memorandum of understanding regarding their business cooperation in this January 2022 file photo. Courtesy of POSCO Group



By Park Jae-hyuk



S&P Global Ratings warned Wednesday that POSCO may face risks in its credit rating, if the steelmaker continues to push ahead with business cooperation with India's Adani Group. The Indian conglomerate was hit hard recently by U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research's claim that it has been involved in widespread corporate malfeasance, including market manipulation and accounting fraud.



"POSCO's memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Adani is non-binding, and the Korean firm's investment plan in India has not materialized yet, so at this moment, the crisis seems to have a limited impact on POSCO's credit rating," S&P Director Park Jun-hong told The Korea Times. "If POSCO begins the investment, however, it could face a huge risk."



The lead analyst for Korean corporates added that his agency will keep a close watch on whether POSCO will begin to spend cash for its cooperation with Adani. He also said that S&P will monitor how much money the steelmaker will spend in India and how it will raise the money.



"POSCO previously failed in its attempt to build a steel mill in India, following a conflict with local residents," the S&P director said.



Another U.S. credit ratings agency, Moody's Investors Service, responded similarly the same day.



"The recent significant and rapid decline in the market equity values of the Adani Group companies has no material impact on POSCO," Moody's Investors Service Assistant Vice President Sean Hwang told The Korea Times. "While POSCO has partnered with Adani Group in exploring an opportunity to build a new steel plant in India, the engagement remains at the MOU stage."



S&P has already cut its rating outlook on two Adani affiliates  Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone and Adani Electricity  to "negative" from "stable" since the crisis. Moody's warned that the adverse developments are likely to reduce Adani's ability to raise capital to fund committed capital expenditure or refinance maturing debt over the next year or two.



Despite the warnings, POSCO remains uncertain about whether it will build an eco-friendly integrated steel mill in Gujarat, India, in cooperation with Adani.



"We are closely monitoring the situation," a POSCO spokesman said.



In January last year, POSCO and Adani Group signed a non-binding MOU to invest $5 billion in various business opportunities, including the construction of an integrated steel mill utilizing renewable energy resources and green hydrogen.



"POSCO and Adani are able to come to great synergy in the steel and eco-friendly business with POSCO's state-of-the-art technology in steel making and Adani's expertise in energy and infrastructure," POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said at the time.



Adani Chairman Gautam Adani also said that the partnership will contribute to the growth of India's manufacturing industry and help to strengthen India's standing in the green industry.



Even after Adani affiliate stocks plunged on Jan. 24 in the wake of Hindenburg's claim, POSCO's holding firm said during a conference call on its fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 27 that the steelmaker has solved various problems regarding its joint venture with Adani one by one.



However, the Adani crisis even sparked an anti-government protest by India's opposition bloc, which claims a corrupt relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani chairman. Earlier this week, hundreds of protesters held a rally urging the parliament to discuss the issue.




Counterpoint reports that Samsung accounts for over 50% of the cost of materials for Google Pixel 7 Pro, and their contribution is crucial in helping Google compete in the high-end market.

BoM Analysis  Google Endows the Pixel 7 Pro with Higher Processing Power

Tensor G2, a custom silicon developed by Google and Samsung LSI, is produced using Samsungs 5nm process. It features an updated GPU and TPU for improved gaming and AI computing efficiency, as well as slightly upgraded octa-core CPU architecture.

Tensor G2 is expected to cost $10 more than its predecessor, and along with the self-designed Titan M2 security co-processor, accounts for over 7% of the Pixel 7 Pros total component cost.

Samsung plays a critical role in building the Pixel 7 Pros imaging system

Samsung is the exclusive supplier of the 6.7-inch OLED screen used in Google Pixel 7 Pro, which has a high resolution and supports an adaptive refresh rate for longer battery life and smooth display. The screen is the most expensive component and makes up a significant portion of the Pixel 7 Pros cost.

Samsung also plays a critical role in building the devices imaging system, cellular communication system, and providing multiple PMIC components for the power and audio design. Samsung provides the main camera sensor, periscope and front selfie cameras, 5G baseband, transceivers and power trackers, as well as multiple PMIC components.

Other Component Suppliers

Skyworks is the biggest supplier for the RF front-end subsystem in the Pixel 7 Pro, supplying the Tx module, low-band PAMiD module, 5G-sub6Hz PA integrated modules, and more. muRata provides the mmWave module and SAW filters, and Qorvo provides the MHB PAMiD module and UWB Transceiver.

SK Hynix supplies the 128GB NAND flash with UFS gen 3.1, while Micron and Samsung provide the 12GB LPDDR5. The 5000mAh, 19.25Whr battery in the Pixel 7 Pro is packaged by Sunwoda and the cell is from ATL. The Quick Charging IC is from NXP and the Wireless Charging IC is from IDT.

Source
Samsung Semiconductor India Research (SSIR) has announced a new partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to promote research and development in the field of on-chip Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Protection.

Last year, Samsung India announced that it will hire around 1000 engineers for its R&D institutes, including its Samsung Semiconductor India Research in Bengaluru.

The research agreement was exchanged by Balajee Sowrirajan, CVP & MD at Samsung Semiconductor India Research, Bengaluru, and Prof Govindan Rangarajan, Director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in the presence of delegates from Samsung and IISc.

With this partnership, cutting-edge ESD device solutions to protect ultra-high-speed serial interfaces in advanced Integrated Circuits (ICs) and system-on-chip (SoC) products will be built.

The related research will be carried out by Prof Mayank Shrivastavas group at the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (DESE), IISc. Solutions arising from this research will be deployed in Samsungs advanced process nodes.

Balajee Sowrirajan, CVP & MD, SSIR, said:

We are glad to partner with IISc to boost semiconductor innovation and envisage developing ESD knowledge along with expertise available in IISc. Our goal is also to increase capacity building through training programs at the postgraduate level, opening up opportunities for students to pursue industry internships, and encourage entrepreneurial ventures by young researchers.

Commenting on the partnership, Prof Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc, said:

We are excited to collaborate with Samsung Semiconductor India Research in the crucial area of advanced nanoelectronics device research. The partnership reinforces our commitment to strengthen industry-academia engagements that can make a significant impact in the coming years.

Prof Mayank Shrivastava, who heads the MSDLab, and will be leading this collaborative effort, said:

We have been collaborating extensively with semiconductor industries worldwide on advanced nanoelectronics technologies, including solutions to ESD reliability threats to advanced SoCs. We have carried out both fundamental and applied research on ESD protection devices, with a strong emphasis on creating practical solutions for the semiconductor industry in a range of technology nodes.
Xiaomi has confirmed the launch of its latest flagship smartphone  Xiaomi 13 Pro in India on February 26, 2023, after the phone was introduced in China in December last year. This is the companys latest smartphone that has been co-engineered with Leica after the Xiaomi 12S series, which did not launch outside China.

With this, the Xiaomi 13 Pro will finally be rolling out globally. Xiaomi did not reveal if it plans to launch the Xiaomi 13 in India, but it might not happen since the company only launched the Xiaomi 12 Pro smartphone in India, and skipped the base Xiaomi 12 model.

The Xiaomi 13 series global launch should happen around the same time, as the launch event is set for 9:30PM IST on February 26, 2023.

Xiaomi said that the launch will be livestreamed across Xiaomis official website mi.com and India Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts.

To remind you, the phone packs a 6.78-inch 2K flexible E6 Samsung AMOLED LTPO screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 1920Hz PWM dimming, Dolby Vision. It is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with up to 12GB RAM, and a large VC liquid cooling area.

The phone has triple 50MP rear cameras with the main camera featuring a 1 ultra-large Sony IMX989 sensor, Leica optics, 8 aspherical lenses, ALD ultra-low reflectance coating, lens edge ink coating, a new cyclic olefin material, and a spin-coated process IR filter to achieve the same optical quality as Xiaomi 12S Ultra. There is also support HyperOIS.

There is also a 50MP 115 ultra-wide camera and a 50MP 3.2X telephoto camera. The phone also has IP68 ratings for dust and water resistance. It has a 4,820mAh battery with supports 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging.

We should know the price in India when it is launched later this month.




By Kim Jae-heun







Philip Morris Korea introduced its latest heat-not-burn (hnb) product IQOS ILUMA ONE, Wednesday, as part of its efforts to surpass KT&G and reclaim its No. 1 spot in the growing e-cigarette market.







IQOS ILUMA ONE is the latest smoke-free device unveiled by Philip Morris in three months after the introduction of IQOS ILUMA and IQOS ILUMA PRIME models last October.







Philip Morris Korea Managing Director Paik Young-jae said the launch of ILUMA ONE completes the ILUMA platform family and it will play a key role in putting the company back in the top position in domestic hnb product sales.







"The first two ILUMA models have received a good response from the market and if this continues, I am hoping that we will reclaim the leading position in the e-cigarette market here," Paik said.



Philip Morris has been trying to catch up with KT&G by selling the ILUMA series of products, according to Lee Hong-suk, director of commercial operations at Philip Morris Korea.







Since the launch of the IQOS device in 2017, Philip Morris Korea had maintained the No.1 spot in the domestic e-cigarette market for five years. However, KT&G beat Philip Morris to take over the market leader position in the first quarter of last year.







The IQOS ILUMA ONE's price is set at 69,000 won ($54.74), which is about 30 percent cheaper than the IQOS ILUMA.







The new device is made with an all-in-one lightweight design that can be held in one hand. A single charge can be used to smoke 20 tobacco sticks.







Like other IQOS ILUMA models, the IQOS ILUMA ONE uses Terea Smartcore sticks, which heat tobacco with an induction system adopted inside its body so that users don't have to clean any residue afterward.








By Baek Byung-yeul







S-Oil donated 1 billion won ($792,895) to the Korea National Council on Social Welfare to help vulnerable people who are suffering from the recent surge in heating costs this winter, according to the company, Wednesday.







Hussain A. Al-Qahtani, CEO of S-Oil, delivered a check for 1 billion won to Kim Soung-yee, president of the Korea National Council on Social Welfare. S-Oil's donation will be used to support energy-vulnerable groups and welfare facilities, including families of grandparents and grandchildren without parents; senior citizens living alone; the disabled and multicultural families, the company said.







"We hope this winter will help our economically challenged neighbors reduce their heating bills and keep them warm," the S-Oil CEO said. "We will continue to expand sharing management by paying attention to our neighbors in need."







Despite the cold weather, many vulnerable people are struggling with rising energy costs.







"Although most of the heating fuel has been converted to gas, some welfare facilities and rural areas still use kerosene for heating. That's why we decided to support heating costs for vulnerable people to ease their energy cost burden," a spokesperson of S-Oil said.







S-Oil has been consistently supporting energy-vulnerable people through its Hope to You campaign.






Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was fined by Korea's data protection watchdog on Wednesday for allegedly disadvantaging its customers refusing to provide personal information.







The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC), a central administrative body, said it decided at a plenary meeting to impose a penalty of 6.6 million won (about $5,240) on Meta.







Meta has been investigated by the PIPC over allegations that it blocks people from using Facebook and Instagram services if they refuse to provide their behavioral information, or a record of their activities on other online sites.







The commission said it has concluded that the behavioral information is not the minimum personal information required to provide Facebook and Instagram services and thus preventing people refusing to offer behavioral information from signing up and using the online services is a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act.







The commission also noted that the purpose of Facebook and Instagram is for users to know news about and communicate with friends, not to view customized advertisements. (Yonhap)


Romance is in the air, and the mid-Willamette Valley has more than enough ideas for you on Valentine's Day  and year-round.

Here are some of our favorites, in all price points, from sunrise to sundown.

Breakfast first

We all know it's the most important meal of the day, but you also can make it the most romantic. Enjoy a mimosa of multiple varieties at Brick & Mortar Cafe in Albany, Bellhop in Corvallis or Grain Station in Monmouth.

But I have it on good authority from my sweetie that donuts can be just as romantic. It may be time to splurge on a fancy doughnut, and Corvallis is the place to go. Try the passion (!!) fruit with poppy seeds at Dough Hook, Oregon marionberry with rosemary at Benny's or the very naughty-sounding Dirty Dave at Death by Donutz (Oreos and peanut butter, we are told).

Bonus! We're hearing good things about Sissy's Donuts in Philomath. The photos of their fritters have our mouths watering.

Go for a drive

When Weather Beaver predicts sunshine (even when it's cold), crank up the car's tushy heaters at this time of year (or pop the roof off your Jeep in summer) and hit the road. Whether you head south on Bellfountain Road to wineries, east on Highway 20 past Sweet Home to the Cascades; north on the backroads to the Willamette Valley Pie Co. Farm Retail Store in Salem or west to the Oregon Coast, you're going to see gorgeous scenery: trees, farmland, rivers and ...

Covered bridges

Worthy of their own entry, there's something magical about Oregon's covered bridges. You can spend days visiting them all. Hear the roaring water below and daydream about vintage vehicles traversing them with their enormous hood ornaments and rumble seats.

Many have picnic tables. Time your stop around lunch, set up the tablecloth, candles, music and desserts.

Did you know you can even rent some covered bridges? The Jordan Bridge at Stayton's Pioneer Park is yours for $100 for three hours. Sweet Home also makes its Weddle Bridge at Sankey Park available for rental.

Antiquing

If the covered bridges have you waxing nostalgic, you may consider antiquing as a fun and romantic outing, even just for window-shopping. Of course, there are day trips to Aurora, the Salem Downtown Historic District and Yachats.

But for our money, the Albany Antique Mall in downtown shows up all of them, and bests similar out-of-state malls too. Not only is it orderly, and the nearly-never-ending wares are creatively displayed and at good prices, the vintage clothes showroom on the second level, organized by decade, is one of the most brilliant arrangements we have ever seen.

Feel like sporting a "Mad Men" vibe? Check out the clothes on the 1960s rack. Trying to recreate Betty Boop? Browse the 1930s. More in the mood for "Back to the Future Part III?" There are even garments from the 1800s.

Take a hike

While you're out on your drive, you may want to brave the great outdoors. We think McDowell Creek County Park outside Lebanon, with its gorgeous waterfalls, is the most romantic south of Silver Falls State Park, but it can get a little muddy this time of year.

If you're a clean freak and want to keep your kicks squeaky white, consider Peavy Arboretum north of Corvallis, Jackson-Frazier Wetland in Corvallis or the wetlands at Bruce Starker Arts Park & Natural Area in South Corvallis.

Flowers

Cue Barry White, we're getting mushy now. Flowers for some are a must, but if you want to make an outing of them, there's a little gem of a place in Buena Vista, dubbed a little too on the nose "Buena Vista Flowers," and you don't have to worry whether they're open  because they're a 24/7 operation.

That's right, it's an unstaffed flower shop. It sells fresh and dried bouquets, and because there's less overhead, the prices are really good. Just drop your cash payment in the mail slot.

Chocolate

For some, it's just not V-Day until chocolates are consumed. If you're staying local, there's Burst Chocolates in Corvallis and Victorian Chocolate Company of Lebanon. They have everything your cacao heart desires.

Another local chocolatier, Philomath's Maureen Nikaido of award-winning Moku Chocolate, sells her specialties at Market of Choice, First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op and the Inkwell in Corvallis, among other locations.

But if you're out and about, consider Brigittine Monks Gourmet (yes, made by actual monks) in Amity. Color us intrigued.

Wineries

If wine is your thing, there may be no more romantic locale than a vineyard. There are soooo many nearby, we could probably have a lively debate for hours  and everyone would be right!

Soak in the vistas and get the pinot noir. It's not only perfect for Valentine's, it's what our area does best.

You could also stay cityside and do a wine bar instead. There are the new Corazon in Corvallis (appropriately named, given the day!) and Harpers Wine House in Brownsville (which, with its funky Wednesdays-through-Fridays-only hours, time-shifts V-Day to Saturday, Feb. 11).

Overnight getaway

If you're a suburban dweller, you may want to head out to one of Airbnb's more unusual stays. There's a "Tiny House in the Woods ~ Corvallis," yes, that's the name, with tilde and all; a "4-Bedroom Farmhouse close to OSU" in Halsey that's adorbs, and a "Joyful Yurt with View of South Santiam River" in Sweet Home. Who isn't tempted by a riverside yurt?

But maybe you already live on a farm (or in a tiny house or a yurt!). What you really need is a night on the town. The Marriott in downtown Corvallis has an indoor pool, a fitness center, an outdoor firepit in an urban setting next to the Willamette River, two live theaters and dozens of restaurants.

Dining, fine, and otherwise

Speaking of restaurants, we end our romantic day with dining. If you took one of our road trips as a cheap date and want to keep it low-key, buy a root beer float and fries or onion rings  check that, fries AND onion rings  at A&W Root Beer in Sweet Home, one of the original iterations where you can park, hit a button to order your meal and have it delivered to you in your car.

Another fun trek to feed your junk food addiction is to Harrisburg, where Olsen Run Winery has set up a food truck with yummy burgers and shakes. Pro tip: Have them do half-chocolate and half-marionberry.

But if you're looking for the fine in fine dining, we've got your back once again. In Albany, Sybaris Bistro and Gamberetti's Italian have been the go-to for years. But also consider Vault 244 and Sweet Red Bistro.

In Corvallis, woo your love with Castor or Del Amo. If you want to keep that farm-to-table vibe going, we highly recommend Gathering Together Farm in Philomath. In Lebanon, head to 1847 Bar & Grill or The Point in Sweet Home for the view alone.
Billed as the premier tabletop gaming convention in the mid-valley, the C3 GameCon is evolving for its second annual event.

The two-day convention featuring live gaming, celebrity guest panels, a cosplay contest, food and fandom-based vendors is set for Feb. 17 and 18 at the Corvallis Community Center, from 1 to 11 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.

Despite limited capacity in 2022 due to pandemic concerns, last years GameCon drew more than 500 attendees a day, attracting visitors from as far as Washington, California and beyond, according to organizers.

Close Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Ciera Gonzalez cosplayed as Shinobu. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Zero Leab cosplays as Sweetheart from Omori, a role playing video game, at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. Gwen Gonzalez cosplayed as their own character. Morgo Yon cosplayed as Gyro Zeppeli at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Misha Rasmussen (left), Hana Suzumura (center) and Orion Sirrine cosplayed as Persona 3 characters. Anna Kahn cosplayed as Captain Marvel during the C3 GameCon on Saturday, Feb. 19. Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. Birdnerdkalecosplay cosplayed as Lucca from Chrono Trigger. Zero Leab cosplays as Sweetheart from Omori, a role playing video game, at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Dez Shyann cosplayed as Shinobu Kocho. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Ezra O'Mara-Cook-Baron cosplayed as Princess Bubblegum. William Lahmann cosplayed as Jack Cooper. Morgo Yon cosplayed as Gyro Zeppeli at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Leah Kahn cosplayed as Deet from The Dark Crystal. Molina Leyva cosplayed as Reese from Animal Crossing. Brett Franklin cosplayed as Chucky at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Zero Leab cosplays as Sweetheart from Omori, a role playing video game, at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. Dez Shyann cosplayed as Shinobu Kocho. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Gallery: C3 GameCon Cosplay Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Ciera Gonzalez cosplayed as Shinobu. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Zero Leab cosplays as Sweetheart from Omori, a role playing video game, at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. Gwen Gonzalez cosplayed as their own character. Morgo Yon cosplayed as Gyro Zeppeli at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Misha Rasmussen (left), Hana Suzumura (center) and Orion Sirrine cosplayed as Persona 3 characters. Anna Kahn cosplayed as Captain Marvel during the C3 GameCon on Saturday, Feb. 19. Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. Birdnerdkalecosplay cosplayed as Lucca from Chrono Trigger. Zero Leab cosplays as Sweetheart from Omori, a role playing video game, at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Dez Shyann cosplayed as Shinobu Kocho. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Ezra O'Mara-Cook-Baron cosplayed as Princess Bubblegum. William Lahmann cosplayed as Jack Cooper. Morgo Yon cosplayed as Gyro Zeppeli at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Leah Kahn cosplayed as Deet from The Dark Crystal. Molina Leyva cosplayed as Reese from Animal Crossing. Brett Franklin cosplayed as Chucky at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk. Zero Leab cosplays as Sweetheart from Omori, a role playing video game, at the C3 GameCon at the Corvallis Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. Sequoia Gartnerway won the cosplay competition with her Zagreus costume. Dez Shyann cosplayed as Shinobu Kocho. The event featured a cosplay costume competition and stage walk.

Last year we had 14 game masters, said event organizer Teri OMalley of the Corvallis Parks & Recreation Department. This year were going to have closer to 40, and all of them are running multiple games in multiple rooms.

That means around 200 possible slots for people to sit in and play games, OMalley said, adding there will be day-of sign-ups for the various opportunities. There will also be open space for impromptu gaming, hanging out, having a snack or just relaxing and watching some streaming gaming content.

With 24 sign-up slots available, the cosplay contest will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 18. Judges will evaluate costumes individually before a stage walk at 3 p.m.

There will be prizes for overall best costume as well as first, second and third runners up. The prizes are gift bags with a variety of gaming merchandise donated by vendors and sponsors. The four top prizes are estimated as ranging from $25 to $100 in value.

Gaming Convention 01 (copy) Rue Dickey demonstrates Dungeons & Dragons before the C3 GameCon in 2022.

Even with the scaled-back inauguration, GameCon 2022 was successful, OMalley said, exceeding expectations right of the gate. The effort to step it up this year included landing some big names in the gaming world.

Our star special guest is Luis Carazo from Critical Roles Exandria Unlimited, OMalley said. Hell be here for two days doing an immersion in gaming panel.

Carazo is a TV/film/stage actor and Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast who played the paladin Zerxus Ilerez, First Knight of Avalir, in the "Critical Role" production. Jason Larock, voice of Damien from "Dream Daddy," is also among the special guests. Larock is a freelancer working in voiceover, game development and interactive media.

D&D made big news this past month when its owner, Wizards of the Coast, was called out for plans to change its open gaming license. Following an uprising among fans, the company promised to heed the feedback and strive to make its current licensing program work for its third-party publishers.

I was working in a game store when they put out the open gaming license, Patrick Rollens said. It led to a real explosion in small press books written to support D&D by dozens and dozens of little publishers.

Rollens plays D&D as well as the card game Magic: The Gathering that drove Wizards to success. Hes serving as game master and teaching a miniature figurine painting class for GameCon. He said the open gaming license helped launch thousands of small businesses in the early and mid-2000s, all piggybacking on the success of D&D.

In that respect it was a wild success, Rollens said. Thats why its been kind of disappointing to see them pivot in the last few months to try rebooting their open gaming license in a way that seems a lot more restrictive than it has been in the past.

The open gaming license will remain in place untouched, D&D executive producer Kyle Brink announced Jan. 27.

More than 30 vendors are slated to attend Corvallis GameCon, including Matt's Cavalcade of Comics, Adent Game Sales, Thesperience Productions, and ChaoticQueerCrafts, as well as several local artisans, game designers and more.

Onsite food and drink vendors include Cheesy Stuffed Burgers, Bobablastic, Greece Lightning Express, Gnomenuts and Good Grounds Coffee.

C3 GameCon offers advance ticket prices until Feb. 16. A two-day badge is $18; a one-day ticket is $12. Parks & Recreation scholarships for those eligible can be used to cover the cost. The event is geared toward ages 14 and up. Attendees under 14 must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian who is 14 or over.

Related stories:
Wednesday

Lecture, 10:30 a.m., the Corvallis Museum, 411 SW Second St. Catherine M. Mater will present "The Secrets of the Tongass National Forest's Land Stand." Mater has worked on the forest in Southeast Alaska over the last decade to help the forest industry transition from relying on harvesting native old-growth forests to a reliance on harvesting an abundant wood supply from second-growth trees accessible by forest service roads. Admission: $5.

Dine-out event for Adams Elementary School, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Common Fields, 545 SW Third St., Corvallis. Ten percent of the daily sales from Common Fields, Kalamata Bistro and Black Forest Kitchen will be donated to the school.

Live music by Steve Mankle, 6 to 8 p.m., Common Fields, 545 SW Third St., Corvallis. Free admission.

Science Pub, 6 p.m., Old World Deli, 341 SW Second St., Corvallis. "Mindfulness in Social Justice Education: Critical Race Feminist Perspectives."

Movie night, 7 p.m., Whiteside Theatre, 561 SW Madison Ave., Corvallis. "In the Heat of the Night." Admission: $5.

Sean Gavin & Colm Gannon in concert, 7 p.m., Conundrum House, 460 SW Madison Ave., Corvallis. An evening of traditional Irish music. Gavin plays uilleann pipes, flute and whistle, with Gannon on concertina. Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 day of show, at carbony.com/product/gavin-conundrum. Information: 541-829-3016.

Thursday

Author presentation, 3 p.m., community room, Lebanon Public Library, 55 Academy St. John Leard will speak on his experience growing up in Lebanon and read excerpts from his book "A Kid in the Fifties: Life in an Oregon Lumber Town." Free. Information: 503-707-1539.

Live music by Brook Adams, 6 to 8 p.m., Common Fields, 545 SW Third St., Corvallis. Free admission.

Live music by Wild Hog Jam, 7 p.m., Old World Deli, 341 SW Second St., Corvallis.

Friday

"Da! Nation Shotski Fest," 5 p.m., HandleBar, American Dream Pizza, 2525 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis. Make history at HandleBar as you help pull off Corvallis largest Shotski ever. Celebrate the ski season (in your winter finest) as HandleBar lines up Shotskis in front of the campus Dream, and simultaneously toast the new record and winters arrival. The night's events include a chance to win a Shotski, a raffle, a ski costume contest and drinking Gluhwein. This is a 21-and-over event. The first Shotski run starts at 7 p.m. Tickets: $5 now at HandleBar. One Shotski ticket gets you a solo spot on the Shotski and your first shot, plus a logo shot glass to keep. Bring a friend and buy two tickets to get a doubles spot on the Shotski. Buy four tickets and get your very own Quad Shotski with your friends.

Banff Mountain Film Festival, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10 and 11, Whiteside Theatre, 561 SW Madison Ave., Corvallis. Films about outdoor adventure, mountain culture and the environment. Tickets: $20 for one night, $38 for both, www.whitesidetheatre.org.

Live music by Brutal Bridges, 7 p.m., Old World Deli, 341 SW Second St., Corvallis.

Valentine's Benefit Dance and Silent Auction, 7 p.m., Willamette Grange, 27555 Greenberry Road, Corvallis. Proceeds from the event will help support the grange's restoration project. Shatterproof will provide live music for dancing; silent auction featuring items from local artisans; drinks; snacks; professional photos. Tickets: $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Information: Desiree Giles, 541-497-0499.

The Aris Quartet in concert, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 114 SW Eighth St., Corvallis. Chamber Music Corvallis presents this quartet from Frankfurt, Germany, playing quartets of Mozart, Mendelssohn and Grieg. Tickets: $26 at Grass Roots Books & Music, 227 SW Second St. at the door; or at www.chambermusiccorvallis.org/tickets. K-12 students admitted free. Information: Amy, 240-601-8992.

The Emerald City Jazz Kings in concert, 7:30 p.m., Austin Auditorium, LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis. Lynnea Barry and the Emerald City Jazz Kings will present "Isn't It Romantic?," an evening from the songbook of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, from 1925's "Manhattan" to 1943's "To Keep My Love Alive" and a choice selection of the host of classics in between: "My Heart Stood Still," "Thou Swell," "The Lady Is A Tramp," "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered," "My Funny Valentine," "Isn't It Romantic?" and more. Tickets: $20 to $25 at https://tickets.theshedd.org/8424/8430.

Saturday

Corvallis Indoor Winter Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Guerber Hall, Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 SW 53rd St. Organically grown vegetables and fruits, artisan-baked breads, artist drawings, handcrafted jewelry and more.

Artisan Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Common Fields, 545 SW Third St., Corvallis.

"CommUnity Quilt," 2 to 3 p.m., Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave., SE. Design individual fabric blocks contributing to a large community quilt while viewing a screening of OPBs "Oregons Black Pioneers," examining the earliest African Americans who lived and worked in the region during the mid-1800s. This program is made possible by Kids for the Culture.

The Bob Newton Family Movie, 3 p.m., Whiteside Theatre, 561 SW Madison Ave., Corvallis. Screening of "The Jungle Book." Tickets: $5; free for those age 12 or under.

"Wider Visions: Music and Words in the Time of the Sixth Extinction," 3 p.m., Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis. Concert pianist Rachelle McCabe and environmental writer Kathleen Dean Moore bring together the evocative powers of music and spoken narrative in a concert that aims to convey the moral urgency of action in the time of the Sixth Extinction. The performance will feature the music of Sibelius, Ginastera and Rachmaninoff with spoken word by Kathleen Dean Moore. This will be an hour-long performance with a question-and-answer session to follow. Free.

Live music by Xiphoid Process, 7 p.m., Old World Deli, 341 SW Second St., Corvallis.

"The Princess Bride," 7:30 p.m., Starker Auditorium, Majestic Theatre, 115 SW Second St., Corvallis. The movie will be hosted by Rachel Kohler. Costumes encouraged; prizes; photo opps; themed concessions. The movie is based on the novel by William Goldman. Buttercup is a beautiful princess who, after being separated from her true love, Westley, is captured by and forced to marry a conspiring prince. As the wedding day approaches, her true love, a vengeful Spaniard and a kind giant come to her rescue. Rated PG. Tickets: $15.

Tuesday

"A Night Together," 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Tried & True Coffee Co., 160 SW Madison Ave., Corvallis. Tried & True has a specially prepared tasting menu and wine pairing featuring eight courses and five wines. Tickets and seating times limited; only eight per seating. Allow at least 45 minutes for the full experience. Tickets: $48 at www.triedandtruecoffee.co/shop/tried-true-presents-a-night-together.

 Mid-Valley Live
GAZIANTEP, Turkey  With hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkey and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by the world's deadliest earthquake in more than a decade.

The confirmed death toll approached 12,000.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the especially hard-hit Hatay province, where more than 3,300 people died and entire neighborhoods were destroyed. Residents there have criticized the government's response, saying rescuers were slow to arrive.

Erdogan, who faces a tough battle for reelection in May, acknowledged "shortcomings" in the response to Monday's 7.8 magnitude quake but said the winter weather was a factor. The earthquake destroyed the runway in Hatay's airport, further disrupting the response.

"It is not possible to be prepared for such a disaster," Erdogan said. "We will not leave any of our citizens uncared for." He also hit back at critics, saying "dishonorable people" were spreading "lies and slander" about the government's response.

Turkish authorities said they are targeting disinformation, and an internet monitoring group said access to Twitter was restricted despite it being used by survivors to alert rescuers.

Search teams from more than two dozen countries have joined tens of thousands of local emergency personnel in Syria and Turkey. But the scale of destruction from the quake and its powerful aftershocks was so immense and spread over such a wide area  including a region isolated by Syria's ongoing civil war  that many people were still awaiting help.

Experts said the survival window for those trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain basic necessities was closing rapidly. At the same time, they said it was too soon to abandon hope.

"The first 72 hours are considered to be critical," said Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England. "The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%."

Rescuers at times used excavators or picked gingerly through debris. With thousands of buildings toppled, it was not clear how many people might still be caught in the rubble.

In the Turkish city of Malatya, bodies were placed side by side on the ground and covered in blankets while rescuers waited for vehicles to pick them up, said former journalist Ozel Pikal.

Pikal, who took part in the rescue efforts, said he thinks at least some of the victims froze to death as temperatures dipped to 21 degrees Fahrenheit.

"As of today, there is no hope left in Malatya," Pikal said by telephone. "No one is coming out alive from the rubble."

Road closures and damage in the region made it hard to access all the areas that need help, he said, and there was a shortage of rescuers where he was.

"Our hands cannot pick up anything because of the cold," said Pikal. "Work machines are needed."

The region was already beset by more than a decade of civil war in Syria. Millions have been displaced within Syria itself and millions more have sought refuge in Turkey.

Turkey's president said the country's death toll passed 9,000. The Syrian Health Ministry said the death toll in government-held areas climbed past 1,200. At least 1,600 people have died in the rebel-held northwest, according to the volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets.

That brought the overall total to almost 12,000. Tens of thousands more are injured.

David Alexander, a professor of emergency planning and management at University College London, said data from past earthquakes suggested the likelihood of survival was now slim, particularly for individuals who suffered serious injuries.

"Statistically, today is the day when we're going to stop finding people," he said. "That doesn't mean we should stop searching."

Alexander cautioned that the final death toll may not be known for weeks because of the sheer amount of rubble.

The last time an earthquake killed so many people was 2015, when 8,800 died in a magnitude 7.8 quake in Nepal. A 2011 earthquake in Japan triggered a tsunami, killing almost 20,000 people.

Many of those who survived the earthquake lost their homes and were forced to sleep in cars, government shelters or outdoors amid rain and snowfall in some areas.

"We don't have a tent, we don't have a heating stove, we don't have anything. Our children are in bad shape," Aysan Kurt, 27, said. "We did not die from hunger or the earthquake, but we will die freezing from the cold."

In Syria, aid efforts have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces. Syria itself is an international pariah under Western sanctions linked to the war.

Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

A look at the world's deadliest earthquakes in the past 25 years Feb. 6, 2023 in Turkey and Syria: More than 20,000 killed June 22, 2022 in Afghanistan: 1,100 killed Aug. 14, 2021 in Haiti: 2,200 killed Sept. 28, 2018 in Indonesia: 4,300 killed April 25, 2015 in Nepal: 8,800 killed March 11, 2011 in Japan: 20,000 killed Jan. 12, 2010 in Haiti: 316,000 killed May 12, 2008 in China: 87,500 killed May 27, 2006 in Indonesia: 5,700 killed Oct. 8, 2005 in Pakistan: 80,000 killed March 28, 2005 in Indonesia: 1,300 killed Dec. 26, 2004 in Indonesia: 230,000 killed Dec. 26, 2003 in Iran: 20,000 killed May 21, 2003 in Algeria: 2,200 killed Jan. 26, 2001 in India: 20,000 killed Aug. 17, 1999 in Turkey: 18,000 killed May 30, 1998 in Afghanistan: 4,000 killed
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
New application scenarios for digital yuan keep emerging

13:37, February 08, 2023 By Wu Qiuyu ( People's Daily

Mobile payment now can still work when cellphone batteries is out-of-juice.

Earlier this year, the application of China's digital fiat currency, or the e-CNY app, launched a new tap-and-go payment service enabling users to pay without limitations of phone batteries and internet connection.

Over the recent years, technological innovation, particularly in the sector of digital economy, has become an important force driving new development impetus.

The expanding influence of digital economy is constantly optimizing the ecosystem and diversifying application scenarios for digital yuan.

A consumer pays with digital yuan in a shopping mall in Xihu district, Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province. (People's Daily Online/Long Wei)

According to a white paper issued by the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, the rapid development of the electronic payment, especially the mobile payment in China, while assisting the digital economy, has made digital payment a habit of the public and expanded people's demand for technological and service innovations.

The development and application of digital yuan are conducive to meeting people's demand for legal tender in the era of digital economy, and help improve the convenience, safety, and anti-counterfeiting performance of retail payments, thus promoting the development of China's digital economy, said Pan Helin, co-director of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at Zhejiang University's International Business School.

During the just-ended Chinese New Year holiday, digital yuan brought consumers not only convenience, but also benefits.

Many local governments in cities where digital yuan programs are piloted issued digital yuan vouchers during the holiday, which further expanded the application of the digital currency.

According to statistics released by Meituan, a Chinese shopping platform for locally found consumer products and retail services, during the Chinese New Year holiday, the number of digital yuan transactions on the platform increased nearly fourfold from a year ago, and the number of digital yuan users expanded five times. The total digital yuan transaction volume surged 6.2 times year on year.

An employee of the Postal Savings Bank of China instructs a citizen to get red packets on the application of China's digital fiat currency in southwest China's Chongqing municipality. (People's Daily Online/Li Hongbo)

Local authorities issued digital yuan vouchers because of the smart contract function of digital yuan. This function uses a computer program to write contracts and automatically fulfills the contractual obligations by making digital yuan payments according to the agreed-upon conditions. This function could help with the targeted issuance of financial subsidies.

Zhou Maohua, an analyst with the China Everbright Bank, told People's Daily that the combination of digital yuan and such scenarios as vouchers and e-commerce platforms could better promote the digital currency and boost the recovery of the consumption market.

So far, the People's Bank of China has piloted digital yuan programs in 17 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country.

According to incomplete statistics, local governments in those places have launched nearly 50 digital yuan promotion activities since 2022, forcefully boosting consumption recovery and releasing consumption potential.

As of the end of 2022, the amount of digital yuan in circulation reached 13.61 billion yuan ($2.01 billion).

A citizen pays with digital yuan in a supermarket in Shapingba district, southwest China's Chongqing municipality. (People's Daily Online/Sun Kaifang)

Experts believe that as a public good provided by the People's Bank of China to the domestic retail payment market, digital yuan will further lower the access to financial services and make these services more inclusive.

Via the wallet in the e-CNY app, digital yuan can bring convenient financial services to residents in rural and remote areas who have no bank account, which is conducive to the development of inclusive finance, said Dong Ximiao, chief researcher with Merchants Union Consumer Finance Company Limited, adding that foreign tourists without any Chinese bank account can also finish small-value transfers via the wallet.

Digital yuan is a quasi-account-based payment instrument with loosely coupled account linkage, which means users can open digital yuan wallets and pay with digital currency with their mobile phone numbers or other sole identities, even if they don't have a bank account, Dong said.

"The goal of digital yuan development and pilot programs is to serve the real economy and facilitate people's life," Dong told People's Daily, adding that the digital currency will play a bigger role in improving payment efficiency and expanding the inclusiveness of financial services as it is further promoted and used.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming)
Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras, southeastern Turkey, Feb. 7. EPA-Yonhap



With hope fading to find survivors, stretched rescue teams toiled through the night in Turkey and Syria, searching for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by a catastrophic earthquake. The death toll rose Wednesday to more than 11,000 in the deadliest quake worldwide in more than a decade.



Amid calls for the Turkish government to send more help to the disaster zone, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured a "tent city" in Kahramanmaras where people forced from their homes are living. He conceded shortfalls early on in the response but vowed that no one would "be left in the streets."



Search teams from more than two dozen countries have joined tens of thousands of local emergency personnel, and aid pledges have poured in from around the world. But the scale of destruction from the 7.8 magnitude quake and its powerful aftershocks was so immense _ and spread so wide, including in areas isolated by Syria's ongoing civil war _ that many are still waiting for help.



In the Turkish city of Malatya, bodies were placed side by side on the ground, covered in blankets, while rescuers waited for funeral vehicles to pick them up, according to former journalist Ozel Pikal who saw eight bodies pulled from the ruins of building.



Pikal, who took part in the rescue efforts, said he believes at least some of the victims may have frozen to death as temperatures dipped to minus 6 degrees Celsius (21 Fahrenheit).



"Today isn't a pleasant day, because as of today there is no hope left in Malatya," Pikal told the AP by telephone. "No one is coming out alive from the rubble."



Pikal said a hotel building collapsed in the city, and more than a hundred people may be trapped.



There was a shortage of rescuers in the area he was in, and the cold hampered rescue efforts by volunteers and government teams, he said. Road closures and damage in the region have also impeded mobility and access.



"Our hands cannot pick up anything because of the cold," said Pikal. "Work machines are needed."



The scale of suffering was staggering in a region already beset by more than a decade of civil war in Syria that has displaced millions within the country and sent more to seek refuge in Turkey. With thousands of buildings toppled, it was not clear how many people might still be trapped underneath the rubble.



Turkey's disaster management agency said the country's death toll passed 8,500. The Syrian Health Ministry said the death toll in government-held areas has climbed past 1,200, while at least 1,400 people have died in the rebel-held northwest, according to volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets.



That brought the overall total to 11,000 since Monday's earthquake and multiple strong aftershocks. Tens of thousands more are injured.





An aerial picture shows rescuers searching the rubble of buildings for casualties and survivors in the village of Salqin in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey following an earthquake, Feb. 7. AFP-Yonhap



A 2011 earthquake near Japan that triggered a tsunami left nearly 20,000 people dead. Neither Turkey nor Syria provided figures for the number of people still missing as Pope Francis asked during his weekly general audience for prayers and demonstrations of solidarity following the "devastating" earthquake.




A newborn baby who was found still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother and pulled alive from the rubble of a home in northern Syria following a deadly earthquake, receives medical care at a clinic in Afrin, Feb. 7. AFP-Yonhap



Residents digging through a collapsed building in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble from this week's devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday.



The newborn girl's umbilical cord was still connected to her mother, Afraa Abu Hadiya, who was dead, they said. The baby was the only member of her family to survive from the building collapse Monday in the small town of Jinderis, next to the Turkish border, Ramadan Sleiman, a relative, told the Associated Press.





A baby girl who was born under the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey receives treatment inside an incubator at a children's hospital in the town of Afrin, Aleppo province, Syria, Feb. 7. AP-Yonhap



Monday's pre-dawn 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by multiple aftershocks, caused widespread destruction across southern Turkey and northern Syria. Thousands have been killed, with the toll mounting as more bodies are discovered. But dramatic rescues have also occurred. Elsewhere in Jinderis, a young girl was found alive, buried in concrete under the wreckage of her home.



The newborn baby was rescued Monday afternoon, more than 10 hours after the quake struck. After rescuers dug her out, a female neighbor cut the cord, and she and others rushed with the baby to a children's hospital in the nearby town of Afrin, where she has been kept on an incubator, said the doctor treating the baby, Dr. Hani Maarouf.



Video of the rescue circulating on social media shows the moments after the baby was removed from the rubble, as a man lifts her up, her umbilical cord still dangling, and rushes away as another man throws him a blanket to wrap her in.



The baby's body temperature had fallen to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and she had bruises, including a large one on her back, but she is in stable condition, he said.





Rescue workers evacuate a child pulled out of the rubble on the second day following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 7. UPI-Yonhap



Abu Hadiya must have been conscious during the birth and must have died soon after, Maarouf said. He estimated the baby was born several hours before being found, given the amount her temperature had dropped. If the girl had been born just before the quake, she wouldn't have survived so many hours in the cold, he said.



''Had the girl been left for an hour more, she would have died,'' he said.



When the earthquake hit before dawn on Monday, Abu Hadiya, her husband and four children apparently tried to rush out of their apartment building, but the structure collapsed on them. Their bodies were found near the building's entrance, said Sleiman, who arrived at the scene just after the newborn was discovered.



''She was found in front of her mother's legs,'' he said. ''After the dust and rocks were removed the girl was found alive.''





Turkey-Syria quake toll tops 11,000 as rescuers battle cold Korean team arrives in quake-stricken Turkey to help search, rescue operations Aid to quake-hit Syria slowed by sanctions, war's divisions Maarouf said the baby weighed 3.175 kilograms (7 pounds), an average weight for a newborn, and so was carried nearly to term. ''Our only concern is the bruise on her back, and we have to see whether there is any problem with her spinal cord,'' he said, saying she has been moving her legs and arms normally.



Jinderis, located in the rebel-held enclave of northwest Syria, was hard hit in the quake, with dozens of buildings that collapsed.



Abu Hadiya and her family were among the millions of Syrians who fled to the rebel-held territory from other parts of the country. They were originally from the village of Khsham in eastern Deir el-Zour province, but left in 2014 after the Islamic State group captured their village, said a relative who identified himself as Saleh al-Badran.



In 2018, the family moved to Jinderis after the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, an umbrella for several insurgent groups, captured the town from U.S.-backed Kurdish led fighters, Sleiman said.



Rescue workers evacuate a child pulled out of the rubble on the second day following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 7. UPI-Yonhap

On Tuesday, Abu Hadiya and the girl's father Abdullah Turki Mleihan, along with their four other children were laid to rest in a cemetery on the outskirts of Jinderis.



Back inside the town, rescue operations were still ongoing in their building hoping to find survivors.



The town saw another dramatic rescue Monday evening, when a toddler was pulled alive from the wreckage of a collapsed building. Video from the White Helmets, the emergency service in the region, shows a rescuer digging through crushed concrete amid twisted metal until the little girl, named Nour, appeared. The girl, still half buried, looks up dazedly as they tell her, ''Dad is here, don't be scared. . Talk to your dad, talk.''



A rescue man carries evacuated child pulled out of the rubble following an earthquake in northwestern Syrian Idlib in the rebel-held part of Idlib province, Feb. 7. UPI-Yonhap

A rescuer cradled her head in his hands and tenderly wiped dust from around her eyes before she was pulled out.



The quake has wreaked new devastation in the opposition-held zone, centered on the Syrian province of Idlib, which was already been battered by years of war and strained by the influx of displaced people from the country's civil war, which began in 2011.



Monday's earthquake killed hundreds across the area, and the toll was continually mounting with hundreds believed still lost under the rubble. The quake completely or partially toppled more than 730 buildings and damaged thousands more in the territory, according to the White Helmets, as the area's civil defense is known.



The White Helmets have years of experience in digging victims out from buildings crushed by bombardment from Russian warplanes or Syrian government forces. An earthquake is a new disaster for them.



''They are both catastrophes  a catastrophe that has been ongoing for 12 years and the criminal has not been held accountable, and this one is a natural catastrophe,'' said the deputy head of the White Helmets, Munir Mustafa.




Chicago, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a research report " Educational Robot Market by Type (Humanoid Robots, Collaborative Industrial Robots), Component (Sensors, End Effectors, Actuators, Controllers), Education Level (Higher Education, Special Education) - Global Forecast to 2027" published by MarketsandMarkets, the global educational robot market size is expected to grow from USD 1.4 billion in 2022 to USD 3.2 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 17.3% during the forecasted period.

The major drivers for the growth of educational robot market include growing demand for collaborative robots in educational and industrial sector, increase in research and product development of humanoid robots to transform service sector, and increase in penetration of robots in manufacturing industries to promote new job opportunities.

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=28174634

Report Scope :

Report Metric Details Estimated Market Size USD 1.4 Billion Projected Market Size USD 3.2 Billion Growth Rate 17.3% CAGR Market size availability for years 20182027 Base year considered 2021 Forecast period 20222027 Forecast units Value (USD Million/Billion) and Volume (Thousand Units) Segments covered By component,

By education level,

By type Region Covered Asia Pacific,

Europe,

North America,Rest of the World Companies covered ABB (Switzerland),

FANUC (Japan),

YASKAWA (Japan),

KUKA (Germany),

Universal Robots (Denmark),

SoftBank Robotics Group (Japan),

Hanson Robotics (China),

ROBOTIS (South Korea),

Robolink (US),

UBTECH Robotics (China) and others. Key Market Driver Surging demand for collaborative robots in education and industrial sectors Key Market Opportunity Introduction of industrial robots in high schools Largest Growing Region Asia Pacific Largest Market Share Segment Service robots

Browse in-depth TOC on "Educational Robot Market"

194  Tables

40  Figures

222  Pages

ABB (Switzerland) has mainly focused on collaboration, partnerships, and acquisitions to expand its reach and target educational institutions. In the US, ABB has partnered with various educational institutions to provide training in industrial robotics. For instance, in July 2019, ABB opened its training services in Motlow College (US) for robotics training for students. It marked the companys sixth training affiliate college in the US. The robotics & discrete automation segment expects revenues to increase above the anticipated market growth of 6% per year. To achieve this, the company will focus on existing markets such as automotive (including electric vehicle manufacturing), new automation solutions, machine-centric robotics and flexible manufacturing concepts, and logistics and healthcare. With a high demand for robots in workplaces, engineers and staff will need to be retrained with advanced technologies and more robotic training will be demanded in schools, colleges, and universities, for developing the skills required to program, operate, and maintain robots for an automated future. Owing to the growing need for safety and security from adverse situations that might occur in the near future, the company has been upgrading its robots for various applications. In August 2020, ABB has launched the IRB 1300 articulated industrial robot, which will help customers meet the demand for a faster and more compact robot that is able to rapidly lift heavy objects or loads with complex or irregular shapes.

FANUC (Japan) offers educational industrial robots under the ROBOT division. With more than 100 different industrial robots in the portfolio, the company caters to various applications. Although the company is known for its traditional industrial robots, it also offers multiple collaborative robots. The company offers the FANUC Educational Package for robotic training and education. The package is designed with students in mind for first-hand experience in operating FANUCs industrial robots. In March 2022, FANUC launched the new CRX-5iA, CRX-20iA/L, and CRX-25iA collaborative robots, the latest additions to its popular CRX series that includes the CRX-10iA and CRX-10iA/L collaborative robots. This launch will strengthen the business in the European market and offers a wide range of applications including inspection, machine load/unload, packing, palletizing, sanding, welding, training, and others.

Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=28174634

OPPORTUNITIES: Introduction of industrial robots in high schools

There has been a rise in the number of secondary schools around the world that offer robotics classes and related disciplines to prepare students for industries being transformed by robotic automation. The schools are adapting educational materials developed by industrial robot manufacturers and building special labs. The idea is to give the students a foundation on industrial technologys workings and, in some cases, expose them to careers in the automated manufacturing industry. For instance, ABB has 6 affiliate colleges in the US for industrial robotics education, namely, Motlow State Community College, Jefferson State Community College, Vincennes University, Robotics Technology Park, Fox Valley Technical College, and Piedmont Technical College.

CHALLENGES: Difficulties faced by training centres to conduct hands-on training

The installation, commissioning, and training of industrial robots require human resources. The pandemic control measures undertaken worldwide are making hands-on training difficult to conduct. Many of the training programs are being conducted online, and robot simulation software is being leveraged. However, they do not provide the benefits of a real-world operating scenario. Hence, institutions and training centers are unable to provide a hands-on training approach during this pandemic.

Recent Developments:

In March 2022, FANUC launched the new CRX-5iA, CRX-20iA/L, and CRX-25iA collaborative robots, the latest additions to its popular CRX series that includes the CRX-10iA and CRX-10iA/L collaborative robots. This launch will strengthen the business in the European market and offers a wide range of applications including inspection, machine load/unload, packing, palletizing, sanding, welding, training, and others.

In November 2021, ABB entered into a partnership with Sevensense Robotics AG to offer next-generation autonomous mobile robots. This partnership aims to offer customers high levels of flexibility as mobile robots would be able to navigate autonomously in dynamic indoor and outdoor environments.

In October 2021, SoftBank Robotics has signed a Master Distribution agreement with United Robotics Group (URG), a subsidiary of the RAG-Stiftung in Essen for sales, services, and maintenance of Pepper & NAO robots in Europe

Related Reports:

Service Robotics Market by Environment, Type (Professional, Personal & Domestic), Component, Application (Logistics, Inspection & Maintenance, Public Relations, Education, Personal), and Geography 2026
Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses



LOS ANGELES, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The Portnoy Law Firm advises Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (Endeavor) (NYSE: EDR) investors that the firm has initiated an investigation into whether Endeavor issued false and misleading statements to investors.

Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 310-692-8883 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses.

This investigation aims to find out if Endeavor made incorrect or deceptive statements to its investors and/or did not reveal important information, thus breaking securities laws and causing damage to the shareholders of the company.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq.

Admitted CA and NY Bar

lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

www.portnoylaw.com

Attorney Advertising
Dublin, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market - A Regional and Country Analysis: Focus on Test Type, Application, End User, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2021, the global prostate cancer testing market was valued at $5,246.9 million, and it is expected to reach $21,306.9 million by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 13.68% during the forecast period 2022-2032.

The growth in the global prostate cancer testing market is expected to be driven by high investments in the field of cancer research and the rising prevalence of prostate cancer globally. In addition, the focus of business leaders is establishing a deep understanding to address the unmet needs in clinical research to understand the prostate cancer market.

Market Lifecycle Stage

The global prostate cancer testing market is in progressing phase. PSA screening or testing in a general population has increased the incidence of prostate cancer in recent decades.

In addition, prostate cancer testing is essential in precision medicine because it assures the safe and successful use of tailored therapies. The majority of the companies in the global prostate cancer testing market provide biomarker tests that are urine, blood, and tissue-based, as well as testing services. Furthermore, applications of prostate cancer testing are primarily clinical and research.

Impact

One of the main reasons for the expansion of the prostate cancer testing market in the upcoming years is the rise in prostate cancer cases.

Prostate cancer is the second most frequent disease diagnosed in men, and its frequency is rising across the globe. Prostate cancer is thought to be diagnosed in one million additional cases worldwide each year. Due to an aging population, growing urbanization, and accompanying lifestyle changes, the overall incidence of prostate cancer has increased over the past few decades.

Impact of COVID-19

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of disease models issued warnings about an excess of cancer fatalities brought on by missed cancer screenings as a result of the general population's quarantine and a lack of healthcare resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on early diagnosis in the specific case of prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men, by reducing participation in screening programs and on time from diagnostic testing to surgery/radiotherapy, which may translate into a worse prostate-cancer-specific death rate in the coming years. Additionally, in other areas, including Florida, state governments disallowed non-essential healthcare services.

Significant reductions in cancer screenings were seen in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a research paper published in January 2022 by the University of Florida, screenings for prostate cancer were reduced by 74%. Due to these screening figures, there may have been thousands more cancer deaths in the U.S. than were registered.

For instance, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing rates and the identification of several urological malignancies, including prostate cancer, have been found to be declining in significantly afflicted populations. Several Australian urologists worry that men with possibly curable prostate cancer may have missed their chance for a cure due to low screening test uptake during the lockdowns of 2020.

According to a research paper published by BMC Urology in June 2022, a total of 4,048,099 PSA tests and 118,328 prostate biopsies were performed in Australia over the six years of data analysis. In the years 2019 and 2020, 68,429 prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. Between 2015 and 2019, there were, on average, 19,573 prostate biopsies and 678,082 PSA testing performed per year.

Market Segmentation



Test Type

Based on test type, the pre-biopsy test in the global prostate cancer testing market is expected to be dominated by the test type segment. This is due to the increasing popularity of prostate cancer testing and rising awareness related to prostate cancer testing.

Application

Based on application, the global prostate cancer testing market is dominated by the clinical segment owing to the rising R&D activity focused on the development of prostate cancer testing. The diagnosis of prostate cancer has developed a new molecular-based diagnostics technology. To detect clinically relevant cancer upon diagnosis, several tools or therapeutic options are required to improve the patient's quality of life.

End User

Based on end user, the global prostate cancer testing market is dominated by the ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) segment owing to their rise in number. They are dedicated to offering same-day surgical care, including testing and protective procedures. ASCs, which have a proven track record of providing high-quality treatment and successful patient outcomes, have altered the outpatient experience for millions of Americans by giving patients a more convenient option for hospital-based outpatient operations.

Region

North America generated the highest revenue of $2,702.9 million in 2021, which is attributed to the several established diagnostics manufacturers in this region who are focusing on expanding their portfolios in prostate cancer testing and are collaborating with service providers and pharmaceutical giants to co-market prostate cancer testing solutions with its complementary precision medicine solutions.

Moreover, the U.S. government is currently undertaking several initiatives to develop tests for cancer and provide funds to new start-ups in the cancer diagnostics field.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

Some of the prominent names in this market are:

Abbott.

Abcam plc.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Bio-Techne. (ExoDx)

Cleveland Diagnostics, Inc.

Danaher. (Beckman Coulter, Inc.)

Exact Sciences Corporation

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (FOUNDATION MEDICINE, INC.)

H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. (Fujeribio)

mdxhealth.

Siemens Healthcare GmbH

Myriad Genetics, Inc.

NeoGenomics Laboratories.

OPKO Health, Inc. (GenPath)

Veracyte, Inc.

Key Metrics

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 223 Forecast Period 2022 - 2032 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $5910.4 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2032 $21306.9 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 13.7% Regions Covered Global

Key Topics Covered:

1 Markets

1.1 Product Definition

1.2 Market Scope

1.3 Research Methodology

2 Industry Analysis

2.1 Overview

2.2 Legal Requirements and Framework in the U.S.

2.2.1 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines

2.2.2 American Urological Association (AUA)

2.2.3 American Cancer Society (ACS)

2.2.4 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

2.3 Legal Requirements and Framework in Europe

2.4 Legal Requirements and Framework in Asia-Pacific

2.4.1 China

2.5 Patent Analysis

2.5.1 Patent Filing Trend

2.5.2 Patent Analysis (by Year)

2.5.3 Patent Analysis (by Region)

2.5.4 Patent Analysis (by Country)

3 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market: Market Dynamics

3.1 Overview

3.1.1 Impact Analysis

3.2 Market Drivers

3.2.1 Rising Prevalence of Prostate Cancer Globally

3.2.1.1 Disease Trend

3.2.1.2 Increasing Number of Prostate Cancer Screening and Testing

3.2.1.3 Government Initiatives Related to Prostate Cancer

3.2.2 Market Restraints

3.2.2.1 Probability of False Positive Results of Prostate Cancer Testing

3.2.2.2 Clinical Gaps Related to Prostate Cancer Testing

3.2.3 Market Opportunities

3.2.3.1 New Treatment Therapy and Technique for Prostate Cancer

4 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market: Competitive Landscape

4.1 Overview

4.2 Corporate Strategies

4.2.1 Mergers and Acquisitions

4.2.2 Synergistic Activities

4.2.3 Business Expansions and Funding

4.3 Business Strategies

4.3.1 Product Launches and Approvals

4.3.2 Publications

4.3.3 Licenses and Agreements

4.3.4 Other Activities

4.4 Market Share Analysis

5 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Test Type), Value ($million), 2021-2032

5.1 Overview

5.2 Pre-biopsy Test

5.2.1 Biomarker Test

5.2.1.1 Blood-Based

5.2.1.2 Urine-Based

5.2.2 Imaging Test

5.3 Biopsy

5.4 Post-Biopsy Test

5.4.1 Tissue-Based Biomarker Test

6 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Application), Value ($Million), 2021-2032

6.1 Overview

6.2 Clinical

6.3 Research

7 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by End User), Value ($Million), 2021-2032

7.1 Overview

7.2 Cancer Research Institutes

7.3 Diagnostic Laboratories

7.4 Hospitals and Clinics

7.5 Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs)

7.6 Others

8 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Region), Value ($Million), 2021-2032

8.1 Overview

9 Company Profiles

9.1 Company Overview

9.2 Role in the Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market

9.3 Key Competitors of the Company

9.4 Financials

9.5 Key Insights about the Financial Health of the Company

9.6 Analyst Perspective

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5coe3x-prostate?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
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- P2 Gold Inc. (P2 or the Company) (TSX-V:PGLD) (OTCQB:PGLDF) reports the completion of a three-dimensional geophysical interpretation of the BAM Project, incorporating the results of the natural source magneto-telluric (NSMT) geophysical survey and the Z-Tipper Axis Electromagnetic (ZTEM) airborne geophysical survey conducted in 2022 at its BAM Project. The gold-copper BAM Project is located in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia.



BAM Project Three-Dimensional Geophysics Interpretation

The initial interpretation by the Company of the combined three-dimensional ZTEM and NSMT inversion model has identified two high priority areas that host gold-copper porphyry exploration targets. These areas are near the Monarch Gold and Jan Copper Zones and are interpreted to be the source of the epithermal systems. The first of these targets lies beneath the gold and copper zones, sits within a 1.5 kilometer offset of the margin of the More Creek Pluton, and is oriented parallel to the structures mapped on surface that control the epithermal gold-copper mineralization. The second anomaly is located approximately 1.5 kilometers east of the surface zones. The geophysics suggests this portion of the More Creek Pluton is made up of a series of stocks feeding a 300 to 400-meter-thick granite sill. The exploration target is adjacent to the contact of one of these stocks, which is also marked by a series of magnetic mafic dykes and local occurrences of gold and copper mineralization in surface grab samples. These two areas represent the highest priority porphyry exploration targets to date and will be drilled early in the 2023 field season. The Company has identified other potential targets, but will require additional field evaluation and/or a ground NSMT survey prior to drilling. A plan view and sections from the three dimensional ZTEM and NSMT inversion model are available here.











Geophysics Surveys and Interpretation

The NSMT geophysical survey was conducted by Peter E. Walcott & Associates Limited over the western portion of the BAM Project in August 2022. The survey consisted of 10 east-west lines for a total of approximately 23 line-kilometers.

The ZTEM airborne geophysical survey was conducted by Geotech Ltd. over the entire BAM Project in July 2022. The survey totaled 503 line-kilometers of geophysical data and was flown in an East-to-West direction with traverse line spacings of 200 meters. Tie lines were flown perpendicular to traverse lines at 2,000-meter line spacings. During the survey, the helicopter was maintained at a mean altitude of 214 meters above the ground.

Computational Geosciences Inc. created 3-D inversions of the electrical conductivity models of the NSMT survey data and ZTEM survey data. These data were combined using joint inversion modelling to provide the three-dimensional geophysical model of the BAM Project. The inversion models give a subsurface view of the conductivity/resistivity with an estimated accuracy down to a depth of roughly sea level.

2023 BAM Exploration Program

During 2023, crews are expected to mobilize to BAM in mid-May with the first drill mobilized to site in early to mid-June. A 12,000-meter to 14,000-meter diamond-drill program is being planned to test for the feeder zones for the near-surface epithermal gold mineralization and the porphyry system at depth using the three-dimensional geophysics interpretation of the BAM Project.

An updated geological model (plan view) and conceptual exploration model (section view) are available here.

Quality Assurance

Ken McNaughton, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Chief Exploration Officer, P2 Gold, is the Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101, responsible for the BAM Project. Mr. McNaughton has reviewed, verified, and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release.

About P2 Gold Inc.

P2 Gold is a mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing precious metals and copper discoveries and acquisitions in the western United States and British Columbia.

For further information, please contact:

Joseph Ovsenek

President & CEO

(778) 731-1055



P2 Gold Inc.

Suite 1100, 355 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC

V6C 2G8

info@p2gold.com

(SEDAR filings: P2 Gold Inc.) Michelle Romero

Executive Vice President

(778) 731-1060





Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. Forward-looking information includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as may, will, expect, anticipate, believe, continue, potential or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking information includes, without limitation, information with respect to the Companys expectations, strategies and plans for the BAM Project including the Companys planned expenditures and exploration activities.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. See Risk Factors in the Companys annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2021, dated March 31, 2022 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks.

The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4d7a7f99-178e-42fc-90e0-e4cc124f64c7

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d4b508a9-5768-4a1e-95ce-2a1b2c90a932

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eb6bb100-aa48-4c0c-bbf6-aeff9b557008

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4c94a6e7-d7aa-41a0-9cbc-9a49db310812
Tarrytown, New York, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP (ENTA) is proud to announce the addition of Jennifer Toh, M.D. to its West Side office located at 620 Columbus Ave, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10024. Dr. Toh is a highly respected allergist and immunologist with a wealth of experience in the field and will begin seeing both Adult and Pediatric patients on the West Side, effective April 1, 2023.

The West Side office of ENTA is equipped with the latest technology and staffed by a team of talented and experienced physicians, nurses, and support staff. Dr. Toh will join the following otolaryngologists: Eric Cohen, M.D.; Natasha Keenan, M.D.; Hector P. Rodriguez, M.D., and Michael Shohet, M.D., F.A.C.S., along with Audiologists Erin Chipalowsky, Au.D., CCC-A, Lauren Martin, Au.D., CCC-A and Adriana Sposito, Au.D., CCC-A, F-AAA.

Dr. Toh joins ENTA after years in private practice in Manhattan. She has been voted one of New Yorks Top Doctors and is the current president of the New York Allergy & Asthma Society. Dr. Toh is a Manhattan native and a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and Northwestern University. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center.

She has been published in a number of academic journals and has presented her work at multiple national and international meetings. In addition, she was a clinical instructor at Montefiore Medical Center and continues to be actively involved in teaching medical students and residents. Dr. Toh specializes in the management of a wide spectrum of allergic, respiratory, and skin disorders in adults and children, including asthma, hay fever, sinus problems, chronic cough, hives, and eczema, as well as drug and food allergies. She is sensitive to the uniqueness of each patients situation and adapts her consultations and treatment options appropriately to accommodate individual needs and concerns.

David Godin, M.D., F.A.C.S., President of ENTA, commented In order for our Practice to fully serve the needs of patients in the hundreds of communities surrounding our offices, we must be able to attract the best physicians in all related fields. Securing the services of an allergist the caliber of Dr. Toh, to complement those of our fine otolaryngologists, allows us to deliver this kind of excellence to the deserving patients of the Upper West Side and surrounding neighborhoods. I am extremely pleased and wholeheartedly welcome her to the team.

Michael Shohet, M.D., senior partner in the office noted, We are thoroughly delighted to welcome a clinician of Dr. Tohs experience and skills into our medical family. I am confident she will provide our Upper West Side patient population with the high level of care they so richly deserve.

Prashant Ponda, M.D, chair of ENTAs Allergy Division, stated We are always extremely selective when we evaluate both the credentials and fit of a physician into our Practice. Dr. Toh has the expertise, experience, and caring personality that will make her an asset to the community, office, and ENTA overall.

To learn more about ENTA, find a local office or book an appointment, visit www.entandallergy.com, or call 1-855-ENTA-DOC.

About ENT and Allergy Associates LLP:

ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP (ENTA) is the largest ENT, Allergy, and Audiology practice in the country, with over 300 providers practicing in over 55 clinical locations throughout New York and New Jersey. Each ENTA clinical office is comprised of world-class physicians who are specialists and sub-specialists in their respective fields, providing the highest level of expertise and care. With a wide range of services including Adult and Pediatric ENT and Allergy, Voice and Swallowing, Advanced Sinus and Skull Base Surgery, Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery, Treatment of Disorders of the Inner Ear and Dizziness, Asthma-related services, Diagnostic Audiology, Hearing Aid Dispensing, Sleep and CT Services, ENTA Is able to meet the needs of patients of all ages. ENTA is also affiliated with some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world, including The Mount Sinai Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, Northwell Health, and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center. Each year ENTA physicians are voted Top Doctor by Castle Connolly, a true testament to the exceptional care and service they provide to their patients.

Attachment
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE | GSE:ASG | FRANKFURT:1A9 | U.S.OTC:ASGOF) (Asante or the "Company") is pleased to announce results from its ongoing exploration drilling program at the Aboduabo prospect located on our Bibiani - Chirano mines corridor, Sefwi Greenstone Belt, Ghana.

The Sefwi Greenstone Belt is host to historically significant gold mining operations including our Bibiani and Chirano mines which have produced +8Moz to date from shear faults and veins. Asante controls a 53km long by up to 5km wide corridor which is transected by both the Bibiani and Chirano shear zones. Bibiani and Chirano together have current mineral reserves of ~2.8Moz and Measured and Indicated mineral resources over 4.5Moz. The Company is exploring the corridor for new discoveries, to grow our mine and near mine resources, and to increase the Life of Mine at both operations.

Aboduabo Prospect

The Company announced initial exploration results on January 17, 2023. To date nineteen (19) holes totaling 4,300m have been completed. The drilling program has been accelerated and new intercepts confirm near surface, high grade mineralization, with increased widths. The gold mineralization remains open along strike and to depth.

The Aboduabo prospect is located approximately 5km north of the Chirano Process Plant and 10km south of the Bibiani Process Plant. It lies within the Bibiani mineralized trend and is hosted in Birimian sedimentary rock sequences. The Chirano gold deposits are primarily hosted in Birimian volcanic and granitoid sequences along the sub parallel Chirano trend.

Highlights

New drill intercepts include CHDD3347, which intersected 4 3.10m grading 3.07g/t Au ; including 9.95m grading 6.85 g/t Au.

; including 9.95m grading 6.85 g/t Au. All holes intersected gold mineralization, which remains open in all directions.

Footprint of gold mineralization tested and confirmed over 1km strike length and remains open along strike and depth.

Several mineralized intercepts indicate grade and width that are amenable to open pit mining.

Additional drilling is currently underway to follow up on these drill results.

Selected intercepts include: CHDD3347  43.10m @ 3.07 g/t Au from 169.5 to 212.6m Includes 9.95m @ 6.85 g/t Au from 196.0m to 205.95m CHRC3359  26.0m @ 3.12 g/t Au from 121.0m to 147.0m Includes 18.0m @ 4.19 g/t Au from 123.0m to 141.0m CHRC3350  15.0m @ 2.65 g/t Au from 85.0m to 100.0m Includes 7.0m @ 4.44 g/t Au from 85.0m to 92.0m CHRC3357- 17.0m @ 1.74 g/t Au from 44.0m to 61.0m Includes 5.0m @ 4.22 g/t Au from 55.0m to 60.0m CHRC3348D  13.2m @ 1.59 g/t Au from 199.3m to 212.5m



Dave Anthony, President, and CEO stated, We are pleased to report these additional assay results from our exploration drilling program at Aboduabo. These results highlight the potential of this deposit, which is close to surface and mineralized over an area up to 130m wide x 1km long. The drill program to advance the target to resource definition has been accelerated. These results demonstrate the significant exploration potential that remains along the Bibiani - Chirano Corridor.

Drill Results

Table 1: Summary drill results from the Aboduabo Prospect

Hole ID From To Interval Au Elevation Intercept (m) (m) (m) (g/t) mRL CHDD3347 169.5 212.6 43.1 3.07 126 43.1m @ 3.07 g/t Au CHDD3347 Including 196.0 205.95 9.95 6.85 119 9.95m @ 6.85 g/t Au CHRC3359 121.0 147.0 26.0 3.11 209 26.0m @3.11 g/t Au CHRC3359 Including 123.0 141.0 18.0 4.19 211 18.0m @ 4.19 g/t Au CHRC3350 85.0 100.0 15.0 2.64 226 15.0m @ 2.64 g/t Au CHRC3350 Including 85.0 92.0 7.0 4.44 229 7.0m @ 4.44 g/t Au CHRC3357 44.0 61.0 17.0 1.74 294 17.0m @ 1.74 g/t Au CHRC3357 Including 55.0 60.0 5.0 4.22 291 5.0m @ 4.22 g/t Au CHRC3348D 199.3 212.5 13.2 1.59 94 13.2m @ 1.59 g/t Au CHRC3348D Including 200.15 203.5 3.35 3.93 97 3.35m @ 3.93 g/t Au CHDD3346 219.4 224.55 5.15 1.45 206 5.15m @ 1.45 g/t Au CHRC3349 258.0 269.0 11.0 0.48 92 11.0m @ 0.48 g/t Au CHRC3351 131.0 134.0 3.0 3.55 209 3.0m @ 3.55 g/t Au CHRC3352 80.0 82.0 2.0 0.99 216 2.0m @ 0.99 g/t Au CHRC3353 38.0 39.0 1.0 0.82 294 1.0m @ 0.82 g/t Au CHRC3354 86.0 91.0 5.0 0.78 225 5.0m @ 0.78 g/t Au CHRC3355 189.0 190.0 1.0 0.56 139 1.0m @ 0.56 g/t Au CHRC3356 173.0 190.0 17.0 0.89 146 17.0m @ 0.89 g/t Au CHRC3356 Including 173.0 177.0 4.0 2.74 151 4.0m @ 2.74 g/t Au *CHDD3339 96.5 117.95 21.45 2.99 238 21.45m @ 2.99 g/t Au *CHDD3339 Including 106.6 117.95 11.35 4.73 234 11.35m @ 4.73 g/t Au *CHDD3341 188.0 210.0 22.0 1.31 117 22.0m @ 1.31 g/t Au *CHDD3341 Including 198.0 210.0 12.0 1.72 114 12.0m @ 1.72 g/t Au *CHRC3343D 264.5 268.55 4.05 5.56 74 4.05m @ 5.56 g/t Au *CHDD3344 58.0 75.6 17.6 1.20 268 17.6m @ 1.20 g/t Au *CHDD3345 168.0 177.0 9.0 2.93 200 9.0m @ 2.93 g/t Au

Notes:

Intervals reported are down hole lengths. True width estimated @ 80%. Length-weighted averages from uncapped assays with assumptions of 0.5g/t cut off and <3m internal waste. * Previously reported.





Figure 1: Aeromagnetic map of the Bibiani  Chirano Gold Corridor, principal Asante gold deposits and recent significant intercepts at the Aboduabo prospects.



Figure 2: Plan view map of Aboduabo showing collar locations and recent drill results.

(* Previously reported result.)

Figure 3: Aboduabo - Cross-section looking north recent drill intercepts (CHDD3347 and CHRC3351)

QA/QC

Asante employs a QA/QC program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best practices. Surface drilling was conducted by GTS Drilling Services supervised by the Asante exploration teams. Selected drill core intervals were sawn in half with a diamond blade saw. Half of the sampled core was left in the core box and the remaining half was bagged and sealed. Asante utilizes accredited laboratories, and the samples were transported to ALS-Kumasi, Ghana. Gold was analyzed by 50-gram fire assay with AA-finish. Certified reference material (CRM) standards and coarse blank material are inserted every 20 samples. Drill intercepts cited do not necessarily represent true widths, unless otherwise noted.

Qualified Person Statement

Scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Kwamina Ackun-Wood, a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the Exploration Manager for Mensin Gold Bibiani Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Asante, and by Daniel Apau, a member of the Australasian Institute of Geoscientists, and the Exploration Manager for Chirano Gold Mines Limited, both of whom are qualified persons under NI 43-101.

About Asante Gold Corporation

Asante is a gold exploration, development and operating company with a high-quality portfolio of projects and mines in Ghana. Asante is currently operating the Bibiani and Chirano Gold Mines with combined forecast production of approximately 400,000 ounces of gold for 2023. The Company continues with detailed technical studies at its Kubi Gold Project for early production. All mines and projects are located on the prolific Bibiani-Sefwi and Ashanti Gold Belts. Asante has an experienced and skilled team of mine finders, builders and operators, with extensive experience in Ghana. Asante is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Ghana Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Asante is also exploring its Keyhole, Fahiakoba and Betenase projects for new discoveries, all adjoining or along strike of major gold mines near the centre of Ghanas Golden Triangle. Additional information is available on the Companys website at www.asantegold.com.



About the Bibiani Gold Mine

Bibiani is an operating open pit gold mining operation situated in the Western North Region of Ghana, with previous gold production of more than 4 million ounces. It is fully permitted with available mining and processing infrastructure on-site, consisting of a newly refurbished 3 million tonne per annum process plant and existing mining infrastructure. Mining re-commenced in late February 2022 with the first gold pour announced on July 7, 2022. Commercial production was announced November 10, 2022. For additional information relating to the mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates for the Bibiani Gold Mine, please refer to Asantes press releases dated July 18, 2022 and September 1, 2022 and the technical report filed on its SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com) on September 1, 2022.



About the Chirano Gold Mine

Chirano is an operating open-pit and underground mining operation located in Western Region of Ghana, immediately south of the Companys Bibiani Gold Mine. Chirano was developed as a large scale mine by RedBack Mining from 1996 and began production in October 2005. The mine comprises the Akwaaba, Suraw, Akoti South, Akoti North, Akoti Extended, Paboase, Tano, Obra South, Obra, Sariehu and Mamnao open pits and the Akwaaba and Paboase underground mines. Gold Equivalent Production in 2021 was 154,668 oz on a 100% basis (source Kinross Gold Corporation).

For further information please contact:

Dave Anthony, President & CEO: +233 55 879 3309 (Ghana) or +1 647 382 4215 (Canada), dave@asantegold.com

Frederick Attakumah, Executive Vice President, frederick@asantegold.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including the mineral resources, mineral reserves, exploration results, development programs and increases in mine-life and potential synergies between Chirano and Bibiani. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, the Companys inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its planned activities, the Companys inability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and the price of gold. The reader is referred to the Companys public disclosure record which is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except as required by securities laws and the policies of the securities exchanges on which the Company is listed, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

LEI Number: 529900F9PV1G9S5YD446. Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ded4b75e-d3a4-4404-aef2-1f53e280b3bc

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7abe4cd3-c11c-4059-969d-10d36e41ecf1

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c58dfa70-fc12-419e-b527-c1c9df0fdeb4
Dublin, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Southeast Asia Data Center Construction Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Southeast Asia data center construction market is forecast to be valued at $3,027 million by 2028 from $2,772 million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 1.48% during 2022-2028

The market has grown significantly, with a major contribution from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. In 2022, the moratorium on data center construction in Singapore was lifted, with the pilot phase relating to sustainable data center development currently underway. Once this phase is deemed successful, it will result in strong growth in Singapore from 2024.

The Southeast Asia data center construction market also is witnessing several telecom operators' investments to establish edge data center facilities. For instance, DITO Telecommunity, a new entrant in the Philippines telecom space, deployed edge data centers in Iloilo, Roxas, Bulua, Baler, and Ibajay Aklan.



KEY HIGHLIGHTS

The Southeast Asia data center construction market is expected to witness a negative growth rate between 2022-2023, majorly impacted by the decline in investments in the Singapore market after the moratorium. However, lifting the moratorium and the expected increase in colocation demand across countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia will slowly uplift the market's growth rate after 2024.

In terms of investment, the Southeast Asia data center construction market is driven by factors such as digitalization initiatives across the countries, subsea and inland connectivity growth, and the adoption of technologies such as 5G, big data, IoT, and artificial intelligence.

The region is also witnessing edge data center investments across several cities. For instance, in August 2022, Edge Centres announced the development of its EC61 (Chiang Mai) edge facility in Thailand. The company also has plans to deploy additional facilities, namely, EC63 (Khon Kaen) and EC62 (Phuket).

Southeast Asia has robust connectivity with the rest of the world via high numbers of existing submarine cables. The increasing demand for connectivity has led to the further deployment of new cables that will be ready for service in the coming years. The region's tropical climate, the adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, and the need for efficiency drive the adoption of liquid-based cooling solutions in the market.

MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Focus on Sustainability in the Region is Gaining Traction

In terms of power capacity, the Southeast Asia data center construction market has adopted several initiatives to make the market more sustainable in the coming years.

Governments across the region are taking up initiatives for making the market sustainable with the adoption of green energy, reduction of carbon emissions, the introduction of carbon laws, carbon credits, tax incentives for the adoption of renewable energy, and others.

For instance, the Government of Malaysia has aimed to generate around 31% of renewable energy out of the total power generation in Malaysia by 2025, with a major contribution expected from renewable energy sources.

Colocation operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres has pledged to be carbon neutral by the year 2030, and it announced in November 2021 for purchase of carbon credits in Singapore.

Several operators are signing power purchase agreements to adopt green energy sources for their data center operations. For instance, in April 2022, YTL Data Center announced the development of its data center park powered by solar energy with a total capacity of around 500 MW located in Johor, Malaysia, out of which the first phase with a capacity of around 72 MW is expected to be operational by Q1 2024.

5G Deployments Will Drive Edge Data Center Investments



The deployment of 5G services across the region has grown significantly across countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and others. Adopting advanced technologies such as 5G is further expected to launch in other regional countries.



These factors will increase demand for the deployment of edge data centers in tier 1 and tier 2 cities that have low connectivity or are in close proximity to any established mega data center facility. For instance, Edge Centres is involved in developing the pipeline of edge center facilities in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.



Report Insights

Data centers invest more in power infrastructure with a minimum of N+1 redundancy. Most facilities are installed with N+N or 2N redundancy for power infrastructure, with more redundancy for UPS and generator systems. The market is witnessing significant growth in the procurement of lithium-ion UPS systems.

Most edge facility deployment will include single-phase lithium-ion UPS and monitored and switched PDUs. Therefore, the emergence of edge facilities will majorly boost the Southeast Asia data center construction market growth.

The market has a presence of several local and global general construction service vendors such as Arup, Aurecon Group, Gammon Construction, CSF Group, First Balfour, NTT Facilities Group, AWP Architects, Corgan, DPR Construction, Kienta Engineering Construction, Obayashi Corporation, Nakano Corporation, Powerware Systems, RED Engineering, and others.

In 2022, in Southeast Asia, the colocation market was dominated by companies such as Digital Realty, Equinix, FPT Telecom, Iron Mountain, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, and Big Data Exchange (BDx). Several telecommunication operators have also invested in developing colocation data center facilities in the region in 2022.

In terms of investments, the market is witnessing data center investments by several new entrants, such as OneAsia Network, Pure Data Centres Group, Nautilus Data Technologies, EdgeConneX, and Edge Centres.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

Singapore has been a major shareholder in the overall investments in the Southeast Asia data center construction market. However, the market faced challenges led by the moratorium in the country in 2020 and 2021, which was lifted in June 2022, with the authorities announcing invitations for facilities development plans in July 2022.

In 2022, the investments across countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand grew significantly from existing operators along with the entry of new entrants. Other countries, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, have also emerged as new locations that have witnessed an increase in investments for mega and edge data centers.

Several new entrants have been identified in the Southeast Asia data center construction market, including recently established brands and the expansion of China-based operators like GDS Services and OneAsia Network into the Southeast Asian region.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

The Southeast Asia data center construction market has the presence of several global and local construction contractor vendors. These prominent vendors include Arup, Aurecon Group, AWP Architects, CSF Group, Corgan, DSCO Group, First Balfour, Gammon Construction, ISG, Kienta Engineering Construction, NTT Facilities Group, PM Group, Powerware Systems, Red Engineering, others offering their services in the region. For instance, Philippines-based construction contractor First Balfour has provided general construction services to ePLDT's VITRO Data Center for its facility in Makati, Philippines.

The Southeast Asia data center construction market, in terms of support infrastructure vendors, has the presence of several global vendors such as ABB, Airedale, Caterpillar, Cummins, Delta Electronics, Eaton, HITEC Power Protection, KOHLER Power, Legrand, Piller Power Systems, Rolls-Royce, Rittal, STULZ, Schneider Electric, Vertiv, and others. These players are offering traditional and innovative data center solutions in the market.

Key Metrics

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 337 Forecast Period 2022 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $2772 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $3027 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 1.4% Regions Covered Asia Pacific

Introduction

Data Center Construction Market Overview

Southeast Asia Data Center Construction Market Overview

Data Center Design Certifications

Uptime Institute Tier Standards

Leed Certification

Tia 942 Certification

Market Opportunities & Trends

Growing Sustainability Initiatives

Rise in 5G & Edge Data Center Deployments

Growing Adoption of Artificial Intelligence

Data Localization Laws in the Region

Market Growth Enablers

Increasing Adoption of Cloud-Based Services

Growing Digitalization Initiatives

Increasing Adoption of Big Data & IoT and Smart City Developments

Rise in Submarine Cable Connectivity

Market Restraints

Dearth of Skilled Workforce

Security Challenges in Data Centers

Location Constraints on Data Center Construction

Major Vendors

Support Infrastructure Vendors

ABB

Airedale

Caterpillar

Cummins

Cyber Power Systems

Delta Electronics

Eaton

Fuji Electric

HITEC Power Protection

KOHLER Power

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Narada

Piller Power Systems

Rittal

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Siemens

STULZ

Trane

Vertiv

Data Center Construction Contractors

Arup

Aurecon Group

AWP Architects

CSF Group

Corgan

DSCO Group

DPR Construction

Faithful+Gould

First Balfour

Fortis Construction

Gammon Construction

ISG

Kienta Engineering Construction

Linesight

LSK Engineering

M+W Group

Nakano Corporation

NTT Facilities Group

Obayashi Corporation

PM Group

Powerware Systems (PWS)

Red Engineering

Sato Kogyo

Data Center Investors

AirTrunk

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Big Data Exchange (BDx)

Bee Information Technology

Chindata

CMC Telecom

Converge ICT Solutions

DCI Indonesia

Digital Edge DC

DITO Telecommunity

DTP

ePLDT

Equinix

Facebook (Meta)

FPT Telecom

Google

HTC International Telecommunication JSC (HTC-ITC)

Huawei Technologies

Iron Mountain

Keppel Data Centres

Microsoft

NTT Global Data Centers

Open DC

PP Telecommunication (PPTEL)

Princeton Digital Group

SpaceDC

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres

Telehouse

Telkom Indonesia

True IDC

Vantage Data Centers

Viettel IDC

New Entrants

Data Center First

Edge Centres

EdgeConneX

Evolution Data Centres

MettaDC

Nautilus Data Technologies

OneAsia Network

Pure Data Centres Group

YCO Cloud Centers

Yondr

YTL Data Center

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o30di8-asia?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
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Pacific Mining Corp (CSE: USGD / OTCQX: USGDF / FWB: 1QC) (American Pacific or the Company) is pleased to report high-grade gold (Au) and copper (Cu) rock chip samples from a program conducted by Kennecott Exploration, a division of the Rio Tinto Group, at the Madison Copper-Gold Project (Madison or the Project) in Montana. Madison is under a joint-venture earn-in agreement, whereby Rio Tinto may earn up to 70% of the project by spending US$30 million.



Highlighted Sample Results:

40485321: 9.93 g/t Au ; 3.40 g/t silver (Ag); 0.08% Cu

; 3.40 g/t silver (Ag); 0.08% Cu 40485246: 13.30 g/t Au ; 7.83 g/t Ag; 0.04% Cu

; 7.83 g/t Ag; 0.04% Cu 40485201: 12.35 g/t Au ; 5.76 g/t Ag; 0.01% Cu

; 5.76 g/t Ag; 0.01% Cu 40485221: 32.40 g/t Au; 39.60 g/t Ag; 0.02% Cu

0.02% Cu 40485233: 0.13 g/t Au; 1.49 g/t Ag; 0.26% Cu

40485284: 7.36 g/t Au; 38 g/t Ag; 6.90% Cu

A total of 73 rock chip samples were collected from 5 specific exploration targets: the Archean Section, America Pit; Devonian Jefferson Dolomite; Hudson Mine; and Western Skarn Contact, each of which contained high-grade samples (see Fig 1).

American Pacific is particularly encouraged by the high-grade gold values obtained from this program which confirm a large mineralized system, stated President Eric Saderholm. Surface gold and copper mineralization occurrences within this system have been identified over an 11 square kilometre area. A major thrust fault zone, the Silver Star Fault, dissects the property placing older Precambrian rocks against and above the favourable Paleozoic carbonates and the Radar Creek intrusive complex, the probable source of the Madison mineralization. The Silver Star Fault system appears to be related to a deep crustal fault zone that connects to the Butte porphyry deposits located 38 kilometres to the northwest. All five targets present significant exploration possibilities within the district. The Archean target is virtually untested and is of particular interest to our geologists due to the pronounced geophysical anomalies and the coincident historic gold values of up to 48.5 grams per tonne."

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ff7504cd-1bae-4036-8517-67c64fb1d070

Figure 1. Madison 2023 Gold Target Map

(Map shows anomalous gold values from historic sampling)

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/99d90064-c3a0-4513-8589-0c96e009df66

Figure 2. Madison 2023 Copper Target Map

(Map shows anomalous copper values from historic sampling)

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/304bb23c-8544-45ec-8b90-38b9f1e12684

Figure 3. Madison Project Geology, Structure and Surface Sampling

Archean Section

Seventeen samples were collected in the Archean Section, primarily in and around historic prospect pits. Several quartz and carbonate veins were sampled. The quartz veins located within the Archean section are steeply dipping and generally trend east-west.

Table 1 Notable Assay Results - Archean

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/747891b7-8f4c-400a-bebc-37efa5d36ddd

American Pit

Three samples were collected on a ridge north by northwest of the American Pit. The American Pit was mined in the 1970s by open-cut mining methods along the Rader Creek-Madison Limestone contact. The American Pit marks the surface expression of the Madison Skarn deposit. Mineralized endo-skarn of the Rader Creek granodiorite hosts the deposit. High-grade quartz sulfide veins are found outside the pit boundary.

Table 2 Notable Assay Results  American Pit

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3f08494e-f863-491b-bc4f-e27688b90c63

Rio Tinto has conducted several successful sampling programs in the American Pit area, with results ranging from 0.25 g/t Au to 124.50 g/t Au. Copper values have ranged from 0.006% Cu to 0.264% Cu. (see December 9, 2021 press release).

Devonian Jefferson Dolomite

Twenty-nine rock samples were collected along the footwall of the Silver Star Fault within the Devonian Jefferson Dolomite. These samples were collected from several historic prospect pits and scattered outcrops. The Jefferson in this area shows strong limonite-jasperoid vein and veinlet mineralization, and high-grade Au values track with the jasperoids. The Jefferson Dolomite can be a great host rock due to contained relic hydrocarbon content mixing with metalrich hydrothermal fluids.

Table 3 Notable Assay Results  Dj (Devonian Jefferson Dolomite)

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eddb6b4d-405d-416d-87ce-cd782f045b36

Hudson Mine

Fifteen samples were collected in and around the Hudson Mine workings. The Hudson Mine was a past producer of high-grade Au-Cu skarn mineralization hosted in the Rader Creek granodiorite-Madison limestone contact.

Table 4 Notable Assay Results  Hudson Mine

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/419bf985-a8aa-44f3-aef5-cd02c6791436

Western skarn contact

Six samples were collected along the western edge of the Madison Skarn. Here the sediments form a thin skin covering the granodiorite-sediment contact with widespread hornfels and scattered structurally controlled skarn occurrences. Numerous historic prospects can be found on these structural skarn zones.

Table 5. Notable Assay Results  Western Skarn

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/180d0f06-0029-4217-883e-1eddea5bfb6e

QAQC Procedures

QAQC samples were inserted into every laboratory batch commensurate with the stage of exploration and sample type in the batch. Rio Tinto uses blanks, certified reference materials and field duplicate samples for QAQC. Blank material is a >2cm diameter washed granitic gravel material from landscape supply stores. Certified reference materials are either commercial standards from Ore Research Pty Ltd or in-house standards created from Bingham Canyon Mine material and certified through a robust round robin process signed off by an independent geochemist. Field duplicates are created at the time of original sampling and are designed to replicate the primary sample. In addition to RTX-inserted QC samples, ALS includes in-laboratory QC as preparation duplicates (crush and pulverizer duplicates), reagent blanks and a wide range of certified reference materials.

Engage Market Provider

The Company also announces that it has engaged Petergrandich.com/blog as its marketing provider for an initial term of 6 months and has agreed to pay US$60,000 for its services.

Qualified Person

Technical aspects of this news release have been reviewed and approved by the designated Qualified Person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101, Eric Saderholm, P.Geo.

About American Pacific Mining Corp.

American Pacific Mining Corp. is a base and precious metals explorer and developer focused on opportunities in the Western United States. The Company's flagship asset is the 14 million tonne, high-grade, Palmer Volcanic Massive Sulfide (VMS) project in Alaska, under joint-venture partnership with Dowa Metals & Mining, owner of Japans largest zinc smelter. The Company is also partnered with Kennecott Exploration, a division of the Rio Tinto Group, on the past-producing Madison Copper-Gold project in Montana. For the Madison transaction, American Pacific was selected as a finalist in both 2021 and 2022 for 'Deal of the Year' at the S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, an annual program that recognizes exemplary accomplishments in 16 performance categories. Also in American Pacific's asset portfolio are the Gooseberry Silver-Gold project and the Tuscarora Gold-Silver project: two high-grade, precious metals projects located in key mining districts of Nevada, USA. The Companys mission is to grow by the drill bit and by acquisition.

On Behalf of the Board of American Pacific Mining Corp.

Warwick Smith

CEO & Director

Corporate Office: Suite 910  510 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 3A8 Canada

Investor Relations Contact:

Kristina Pillon, High Tide Consulting Corp.,

604.908.1695 / Kristina@americanpacific.ca

Media Relations Contact:

Adam Bello, Primoris Group Inc.,

416.489.0092 / media@primorisgroup.com

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
English Lithuanian





Medicinos Bankas UAB (Bank), registration number 112027077, registered seat address: Pamenkalnio 40, LT-01114 Vilnius, Lithuania.

According to 02/06/2023 decision of the Director of the Banking and Insurance Supervision Department of the Bank of Lithuania, Medicinos bankas UAB received permission to include audited profit of nine months of 2022, i.e. EUR 3,308,000 into Common Equity Tier 1. Pursuant to this permission, on 31 December 2022, the bank's capital adequacy ratio increased from 18.49% to 20.27%.

More information: Aleksejus Tonkich, Member of the Board, Director of the Financial Service, Deputy Head of Administration Phone: + 370 698 34055, email: aleksejus.tonkich@medbank.lt




NEW YORK, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balincan USA Inc. (OTC: BCNN, TKMO pending FINRA approval, "Balincan" or the "Company") announces presentations with leading Property Management Companies on water conservation, leak detection, and risk mitigation technology deployed and monitored portfolio-wide.

Tekumos advanced metering technology and innovative leak detection products are helping property managers and building owners conserve water, prevent leaks and save a significant amount of money. In a recent presentation, an Asset Manager with a 300-unit MDU in Chicago stated, "The increase in our water bills is unlike anything we have ever seen. We have no visibility past the water meter and have no idea what is leaking and where the leak is." With real-time data and monitoring, property managers can quickly and easily identify and address any issues, reducing the risk of property damage and water waste. In a separate presentation, an Asset Manager with Multi-Family properties in the Southeast stated, "We have significant unidentified water loss at every property we own. We have raised our insurance deductible so much that it has affected our bottom line across the portfolio."

TekumoSMART monitors and manages all of your connected devices, in a single pane of glass. The lack of a centralized service platform has been a gap in the adoption of IoT. Not having a platform like Tekumo means more time spent, more money wasted. By centralizing IoT systems, property managers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of their operations, make data-driven decisions and improve efficiency. According to a study by MarketsandMarkets, the global market for centralized IoT solutions is projected to grow to USD 7.3 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 20.6%. This highlights the growing demand for centralized IoT solutions and the potential cost savings that can be achieved through their implementation.

While water plays an important role in wasting budgets, hours, and attention for property managers, it is clearly just the tip of the iceberg. According to a study by the Carbon Trust, by centralizing the control of lighting and HVAC systems, property managers can reduce energy consumption by up to 20% per year. Tekumo offers a comprehensive IoT platform that includes a range of services such as water and energy management, lighting and HVAC control, security and surveillance, and access control. This allows property managers to have all their IoT needs fulfilled by one company, making it more convenient and cost-effective.

By choosing Tekumo, property managers and building owners can conserve water, reduce costs, and make a positive impact on the environment.

Tekumo offers three main product lines.

TekumoSMART delivers the complete service platform for smart connected devices. It installs, monitors, and manages sensors, devices gateways, hubs, and data for multiple verticals including Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs), Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), Assisted Living, Retail, Hospitality, Utilities, Builders, Insurance, and Healthcare  all with 24/7 onsite support.

TekumoIQ provides real-time data from all connected assets in a single pane-of-glass via Tekumo dashboards or directly delivered into any client ecosystem.

TekumoPRO is a service delivery platform that connects enterprises, retailers, and OEMs with local skilled resources to install and maintain technology systems. It delivers a smarter dynamic workforce, intelligent automation, real-time visibility, and full integration into client service management systems.

Tekumo is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

About Balincan USA, Inc.

Balincan USA, Inc (OTC: BCNN) is an alternative reporting publicly held company that wholly-owns Tekumo LLC. A formal name and symbol change to Tekumo, Inc., TKMO has been filed. Subject to FINRA approval, the effective date is February 15, 2023.

For more details related to the Company, please see the Company's Current Disclosure filed with OTC Markets on November 14, 2022.

Safe Harbor:

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements made in this press release which are not historical facts contain certain forward-looking statements, as such term is defined in the Private Security Litigation Reform Act of 1995, concerning potential developments affecting the business, prospects, financial condition and other aspects of the company to which this release pertains. The actual results of the specific items described in this release, and the Company's operations generally, may differ materially from what is projected in such forward-looking statements. Although such statements are based upon the best judgments of management of the Company as of the date of this release, significant deviations in magnitude, timing and other factors may result from business risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the Company's dependence on third parties, general market and economic conditions, technical factors, the availability of outside capital, receipt of revenues and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the company. The Company disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in any forward-looking statement. This press release shall not be deemed a general solicitation.

Colorado Springs, CO

Timothy Simpson, Investor Relations

719-900-4535




Rescue teams continue to search for victims in the rubble following an earthquake in northwestern Syrian Idlib in the rebel-held part of Idlib province, Feb. 7. UPI-Yonhap



Even before Monday's devastating earthquake, getting aid to all parts of war-battered Syria was fraught with daunting political and logistical challenges.



Those hurdles have only multiplied in the wake of the disaster that has killed thousands in Turkey and Syria and brought down thousands of buildings.



Damage to roads and other infrastructure in southern Turkey has stalled aid from reaching northern Syria, an area already devastated by 12 years of conflict.



Meanwhile, the government of Bashar Assad in Damascus is still a pariah in much of the international community, sanctioned by the U.S. and European countries, which are reluctant to route aid directly through the government. American and EU officials have made clear the quake won't change that.



Emergency workers say delays could cost lives, as local rescue crews struggle to pull families and children from the rubble and find housing for survivors amid brutal winter weather.



A key issue complicating the dispersal of aid is ''the war and the way the aid response is split between rebel areas and Damascus,'' said Aron Lund, a fellow with New York-based think tank Century International who researches Syria.



While the majority of Syria is under the control of the government in Damascus, most of the north is controlled by different  and sometimes conflicting  groups. The northwest is divided between land de facto controlled by Turkey and by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebel group with ties to al-Qaida. Syria's northeast is mostly held by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led groups.



Foreign aid for years has been brought into northwestern Idlib province by way of Turkey, because of the difficulty of going by way of Damascus. But the area of southern Turkey traditionally used as a staging area has itself been heavily damaged by the earthquake.



Aid delivery into northwestern Syria was ''temporarily disrupted'' Tuesday, a United Nations spokesperson told The Associated Press, due to infrastructure damage and difficulty with road access.



In particular, damage to the Hatay airport and the road to the border crossing used for aid, Bab al-Hawa, was delaying shipments, said Emma Beals, a nonresident fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.



''There is also the fact that there are enormous needs in Turkey itself,'' she said.



One cause for hold-ups is that the U.N. mandate for delivering aid to the territory only allows it to enter through Bab al-Hawa crossing, Beals said. Also, international search teams may be reluctant to enter earthquake-affected areas controlled by HTS, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.





Syrians affected by the earthquake which hit one day earlier, rest at a shelter in Idlib, Noerhwestern Syria, Feb. 7. EPA-Yonhap



The group's ''presence limits the kinds of aid many donors are prepared to supply to the area,'' she said.









The government in Damascus and its allies in Russia have seized the moment to renew their push for aid to the north to be routed through Damascus. Countries opposed to Assad do not trust the Syrian authorities to effectively deliver aid to opposition areas and worry it would be diverted to benefit people and institutions linked to the government.



Natasha Hall, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said sending aid via Damascus to the north is not viable in practice, especially at a time of urgent need.



''It is extremely logistically and administratively difficult to get the approvals (from Damascus),'' she said. Coordination of aid is also hampered ''because the government of Syria doesn't recognize the non-governmental organizations working in northwest Syria.''



At a press conference Tuesday in Damascus, Syrian Arab Red Crescent head Khaled Hboubati said his group is ''ready to deliver relief aid to all regions of Syria, including areas not under government control.'' He called for the European Union to lift its sanctions on Syria in light of the massive destruction caused by the earthquake.



Aid convoys and rescuers from several countries, notably key ally Russia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, and Algeria, have landed in airports in government-held Syria.



Still, the sanctions exacerbate the ''difficult humanitarian situation,'' Hboubati said.



''There is no fuel even to send (aid and rescue) convoys, and this is because of the blockade and sanctions,'' he said.



So far, the U.S. and its allies have resisted attempts at creating a political opening by way of the disaster response. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday that it would be ''ironic, if not even counterproductive, for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now.''



Price said the U.S. would continue to provide aid through ''humanitarian partners on the ground.''





Men unload aid from an Algerian plane at Aleppo airport, following an earthquake, Syria, Feb. 7. Reuters-Yonhap
Dublin, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "India Data Center Construction Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The India data center construction market is expected to reach a value of $3.46 billion by 2028 from $1.52 billion in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 14.76%

Data center development has become a major criterion for offering internet services. Most data centers operate in major metros cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Delhi. And in recent years, have been attracting significant investments for developing hyperscale data center campuses, and more data centers are planned to be established in 2022.

As the 5G is already launched in India, it will result in more data generation within the servers, increasing the demand for edge centers across the country to process the data faster. The trend driving the edge computing model is the expanded use of consumer mobile devices, especially the growth of sensors as part of IoT.



Renewable Energy Adoption Among Data Center Providers



Renewable energy adoption is increasing rapidly in India, with support from government initiatives and data center service operators taking significant measures to purchase and produce renewable energy to power their data centers. In 2022, CtrlS built a new facility in Hyderabad with a power capacity of 18 MW.

Additionally, the company has aimed to establish 500 edge data centers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across the country with a 500-acre solar plant to power its operation with renewable energy. With sustainability taking center stage, renewable energy generation is expected to be a key consideration for operators in the India data center construction market.



Availability Of Liquid Cooling To Support AI & ML Workloads



Green Revolution Cooling has partnered with the Indian data center solutions provider Prasa to bring its cooling system to the country. Prasa has already commenced installing its liquid immersion systems in the region's market. Schneider Electric and Vertiv are some of the liquid cooling solutions providers which offer their services in the region.



SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS

In the India data center construction market, the electrical infrastructure adoption is expected to grow by around 14.85% year-over-year (YOY). In terms of power infrastructure, the generators segment was the largest contributor to the market revenue through the adoption of DRUPS systems.

Indian data centers use both water-based and air-based cooling techniques. Facilities that depend on free-cooling techniques, such as free-cooling chillers and evaporative coolers, are expected to grow among facilities in the India data center construction market.

In data centers, general construction consists of building development plans (site preparation and core and shell development), installation and commissioning, building designing services (architectural and engineering design), and security (fire and smoke detection.

Regarding data center investment revenue, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh dominate the India data center construction market. There are approx. 39 data center facilities in 14 states of India are certified by the Uptime Institute, of which 31 are Tier III facilities, and eight are Tier IV facilities.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS



India has been and will be the preferred market for data center providers. The rising demand for on-demand video, mobile gaming, and online content will be a stronger force for data center procurement in the country.

States such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are witnessing growth in artificial intelligence, IoT, virtual reality, online payment systems, and smart solutions. Such factors are anticipated to attract investments into the country and boost the India data center construction market. Maharashtra led the data center in India, contributing 54.13% of investments, followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and others.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

In 2022, AWS, AdaniConneX, Ascendas India Trust, Equinix, EverYondr, Princeton Digital Group (PDG), BAM Digital Realty, Microsoft, Google, NTT, and SpaceDC were some of the key players in the India data center construction market. Regarding investment in the India data center construction market, AdaniConneX led the industry and was among the major investors in 2022, with multiple new projects in the country.

Many operators are investing in new facilities and expanding existing facilities as there is a surge in customer demand, making the region's market highly competitive. New entrants are investing in constructing core and shell properties across the country. These new facilities are expected to be fully commissioned within two to three years of the initial build-out.

Key Metrics

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 281 Forecast Period 2022 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $1.52 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $3.46 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 14.6% Regions Covered India

Market Dynamics

Market Opportunities & Trends

Edge Data Center Investments Fueled by 5G Deployment

Use of Renewable Energy in Data Centers

Growth of Rack Power Density

Availability of Liquid Cooling to Support Ai & Ml Workloads

Market Growth Enablers

Increased Investments by Colocation Providers

Government Investments in Digital Economy & Data Centers

Increased Data Center Investments Due to Cloud Adoption

Data Center Investments Driven by Big Data & IoT Implementation

Market Restraints

Power Reliability/Network Outage Challenges

Data Center Security Challenges

Location Constraints

The report includes the investment in the following areas:

Facility Type

Colocation

Hyperscale

General Construction

Electrical Infrastructure

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems

Generators

Power Distribution Units

Transfer Switches & Switchgear

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Racks

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chiller Units

Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers

Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Core & Shell Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Engineering & Building Design

Fire Detection & Suppression

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)/Building Management Systems (BMS)

Tier Standards

Tier I & II

Tier III

Tier IV

Prominent Construction Contractors

AECOM

AHLUWALIA CONTRACTS (INDIA) LTD.

DEC Infra

DSCO Group

Emerge Engineering

Larsen & Toubro (L&T)

Prasa

Listenlights

Sterling and Wilson (Shapoorji Pallonji Group)

Turner & Townsend

Tata Projects

Vastunidhi

Prominent Support Infrastructure

ABB

Blue Box (Swegon)

Caterpillar

Climaveneta Climate Technologies (Mitsubishi Electric)

Cummins

Delta Electronics

Eaton

Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL)

Legrand

NetRack Enclosures

Panduit

Riello Elettronica

Rittal

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Siemens

STULZ

Vertiv

Prominent Data Center Investors

Nxtra by Airtel

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

CapitaLand

Colt Data Centre Services

CtrlS

BAM Digital Realty

Equinix

NTT Global Data Centers

Pi DATACENTERS

Reliance Jio Infocomm

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres

Sify Technologies

Web Werks

Yotta Infrastructure Solutions

New Entrants

AdaniConneX

Chindata Group (Bridge Data Centres)

Princeton Digital Group (PDG)

SpaceDC

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2ir68f-data-center?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
NEW YORK, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UnitedLex , a leading data and professional services company for legal, today announced an event bringing together two global thought leaders, Richard Susskind and Mark A. Cohen, for an in-depth, interactive analysis of the changes affecting business, society, and the legal industry. Moderated by Anusia Gillespie, SVP of Enterprise, UnitedLex, the event on February 15th will focus on the transformation of legal services with practical guidance on how these challenges can be turned into opportunities.



This is the 2023 keynote session for the entire legal industry, describes Gillespie.

According to Gartner research, only 19% of legal departments are prepared for a world that is becoming increasingly digitized. Leading General Counsel are acutely aware of the heightened urgency to modernize, as reflected in the swaths of pre-registered in-house teams. Addressing both the technical and cultural aspects of complex legal systems, The Transformation of Legal: Technology, Data, and Human Adaptation will examine these interrelated components of digital transformation.

The great challenge for the next generation of legal professionals is to design and build the processes and systems that will replace our old ways of working. The question we should ask is not, what is the future of lawyers? but how in the future will we solve the problems to which historically lawyers have been our best answer? suggests Susskind.

UnitedLex is part of the solution and an example of legal transformation, having built a vertically integrated, multidisciplinary workforce with wide-ranging domain expertise  combining law, data, computer science, design thinking, financial acumen, process, and technology  in a corporate structure with the capital needed to deliver self-funding economic models, a critical feature for legal teams required to do more with less.

With the outcome-oriented and data-driven future of legal available, UnitedLex is investing in the thought leadership required to energize and position legal teams to meet the macroeconomic mandate for 2023.

Generative AI, data analytics, robotics, the metaverse, and other platforms are business and social tools, not legal tech. They will quickly become a widely utilized, accepted, and integral part of business and society. This will put pressure on the legal function to shift from defense to offense. Rather than creating reasons to restrict their use, legal will be encouraged by business, government, and social advocates to focus on leveraging them to help create scalable solutions to a wide array of challenges. This will happen sooner than most lawyers think, said Cohen.

Key topics include:

The New Legal Landscape: ChatGPT, Data Insights, and Human Adaptation

Tomorrows Lawyers: New Law Jobs for the 20s

Why Stagnation is Not an Option

The Truth about Innovation and the Impact of Lawtech Startups

To learn more and register click here.

Professor Richard Susskind OBE is the long-standing President of the Society for Computers and Law and is Technology Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. For over 40 years, he has specialized as an expert in the future of professional services with an emphasis on legal technology. Susskind is the author of numerous bestselling books on the future of the legal industry. The highly anticipated 3rd edition of Tomorrows Lawyers launches this month. His work has been translated into 18 languages, and he has been invited to speak in over 60 countries. In the 1980s, Richard wrote his PhD on AI and the law, and co-developed the worlds first commercial AI system for lawyers.

Mark A. Cohen is a regular Forbes contributor, Economist legal and business moderator, Distinguished Scholar at the Singapore Academy of Law, and Founder of Legal Mosaic. He is also a Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of the Digital Legal Exchange, a global forum focused on extracting the latent potential of the legal function by aligning it with business. Drawing from his illustrious career as a practicing lawyer, federally-appointed Receiver of an international business, and entrepreneur, Cohens views on the modernization of the legal profession are unparalleled. He is an international keynote speaker and has served as Distinguished Fellow at several leading global law and business schools including Georgetown, Northwestern, and IE, among others.

About UnitedLex

UnitedLex is a data and professional services company delivering outcomes that create value for high-performing law firms and corporate legal departments in the areas of digital litigation, intellectual property, contracts, compliance, and legal operations. Founded in 2006 with a mission to push the boundaries of legal innovation, we provide solutions that enable measurable performance improvement, risk mitigation, revenue gain, cost reduction, and digital business synergy. Our team of 3,000+ legal, data, and technology professionals supports our clients from operational centers around the world.

Media Inquiries

Susan Hammann

Director of Strategic Communications

press@unitedlex.com
English French

EUROBIO SCIENTIFIC FORMALISES THE APPOINTMENT

OF ANNE-SOPHIE HERELLE AS GROUP CFO

Paris, February 8, 2023  5:45 pm

Eurobio Scientific (FR0013240934, ALERS), a leading French group in in vitro medical diagnostics and life sciences, formalises the appointment of Anne-Sophie Herelle as Group Chief Financial Officer.

Anne-Sophie Herelle joined the company as Group CFO in October 2022, in charge of finance, investor relations and information systems. She is a member of the Group Executive Committee and the CSR Committee.

Anne-Sophie has over 20 years of experience in Finance.

She started her career with JPMorgan in London as an M&A advisor for industrial clients throughout Europe before joining the French Sovereign Fund (Fonds Strategique dInvestissement  FSI, now Bpifrance Investment) as an Investment Director when it was created in 2009. She was promoted Director and member of Bpifrance Capital Developments Executive Committee in 2017, in charge for investments in mid and large caps. She served as a director representing Bpifrance with several French companies in various industries, notably Nexans, Cerba Healthcare, CMA CGM, Total Eren, Galileo Global Education, PointVision, Medipole, Cegedim, Novasep, NGE, Quadran,...

Anne-Sophie Herelle graduated from HEC Paris.





Next financial meetings

2022 results: April 5, 2023, after market closes

Annual shareholders meeting : June 12, 2023

Half-year 2023 sales : July 24, 2023, after market closes

Half-year results : October 11, 2023, after market closes

About Eurobio Scientific



Eurobio Scientific is a key player in the field of specialty in vitro diagnostics. It is involved from research to manufacturing and commercialization of diagnostic tests in the fields of transplantation, immunology and infectious diseases, and sells instruments and products for research laboratories, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Through many partnerships and a strong presence in hospitals, Eurobio Scientific has established its own distribution network and a portfolio of proprietary products in the molecular biology field. The Group has approximately 250 employees and four production units based in the Paris region, in Germany, in the Netherlands and in the United States, and several affiliates based in Dorking UK, Sissach Switzerland, Bunde Germany, Antwerp Belgium and Utrecht in The Netherlands.

Eurobio Scientific's reference shareholder is the EurobioNext holding company which brings together its two directors, Jean-Michel Carle and Denis Fortier, alongside the "Pepites et Territoires" by AXA & NextStage AM investment program, managed by NextStage AM.







For more information, please visit: www.eurobio-scientific.com







The company is publicly listed on the Euronext Growth market in Paris

Euronext Growth BPI Innovation, PEA-PME 150 and Next Biotech indices, Euronext European Rising Tech label.

Symbol: ALERS - ISIN Code: FR0013240934 - Reuters: ALERS.PA - Bloomberg: ALERS:FP





Attachment
San Francisco, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As faces turned upward toward the illuminated night sky and The Brilliant Light of the Jade Hare main lantern took central stage, the world-famous Taiwan Lantern Festival commenced on Sunday, the first time back in Taipei since 2000. Continuing through Feb. 19, 2023, the event celebrates The Year of the Rabbit, incorporating design elements of modern robot modeling technology as well as ancient calligraphy, plus traditional Taiwanese opera music along with hopes for stability, peace, happiness, prosperity, and brightness in the new year.

During the festival and throughout The Year of the Rabbit, Taiwan extends a warm welcome to visitors from California, served daily by direct flights to and from San Francisco and Los Angeles international airports.

Follow Erica Olsen, Emmy Award-winning TV host of Inside SoCal for CBS in Los Angeles, as she discovers the best of Taiwan. During her trip, she visits cosmopolitan Taipei, historic Tainan, harborside Kaohsiung and the famous Alishan National Scenic Area, taking in the islands diversity from scenic hot springs to high speed trains and night markets to mountaintop Oolong tea farms. The quintessential lure of Taiwans sizzling, savory street food cannot be overstated, with popular picks like oyster omelets, pork belly buns, stinky tofu, and papaya milk at the top of everyones list. Erica will show visitors how to go sightseeing while enjoying gourmet dining aboard the citys first double-decker bus restaurant. Watch the television segment airing on KCAL and KCBS TV on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Linda Lin, Director of Taiwan Tourism Bureau San Francisco Office said, We are so excited and grateful to have Erica Olsen visiting Taiwan and bring the best of Taiwan through the screen to every Californian family. We hope to bring the most authentic and memorable experiences to all of you. Come visit our Vacation Taiwan campaign website to learn more from influencers stories, interesting videos and book your next trip. Hope to see you in Taiwan in the future.

Two lucky winners will enjoy an eight-day visit, flights to and from San Francisco included, to the magical island with MW Tours in partnership with Taiwan Tourism Bureau and China Airlines. Find details on the grand prize giveaway from TourRadar, the adventure booking platform, through Feb. 22, 2023.

About: Taiwan Tourism Bureau is the official government agency responsible for domestic and international tourism policy development and execution. There are three North American tourism offices located in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Ready to go to Taiwan? vacationtaiwan.com

Contact: Beth Schnitzer | beth@spritzsf.com | 917.287.7064 Social: Facebook @TourTaiwan | Instagram @TaiwanTourism.na | YouTube @anytimefortaiwan Photos: Dropbox

Attachments
EL PASO, Texas, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted $30,000 to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso for the Farmworkers Pesticide Use Protection Project. The project will educate migrant farmworkers and their families on the health effects and safe use of pesticides as they work along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The project is a collaboration between the EPA and TTUHSC El Paso's Southwest Center for Pediatric Environmental Health (SWCPEH).

Pesticide exposure can affect health later in life, including damage to the body's nervous and endocrine systems. The SWCPEH has partnered with promotores - community health workers - from Familias Triunfadoras Inc. to educate the local migrant farmworker community. These communities often have poor access to basic necessities and are in need of preventative and routine health care.

Promotores will provide pesticide health education to the farmworkers and develop curriculum.

"Collaboration between our center and promotores is an integral part of our project," said Stormy Monks, Ph.D., regional director of SWCPEH at TTUHSC El Paso. "We were fortunate to connect with promotores who have strong ties to the migrant farmworker community and can provide insight on their needs."

As part of the EPA's Children's Health Policy and Strategic Plan, the agency examines environmental impacts and addresses health disparities so all children, no matter their ZIP code, race or income, are protected equally under the law.

"Not only do farmworkers have pesticide health hazards in the field, but they can bring these hazards to high-risk individuals at home, including elderly family, pregnant spouses and small children," said Diego Garcia, life scientist at the EPA's Land, Chemicals, and Redevelopment Division Pesticide Program.

Fewer exposures mean a healthier workforce and fewer lost wages, medical bills and work and absences.

"The EPA is excited to continue developing our partnership with TTUHSC El Paso to improve our children's environmental health outcomes," said EPA Region 6 Administrator Earthea Nance, Ph.D. "Understanding and evaluating the impacts of pesticide use is a high priority, and we have much more to learn in this area."

About Southwest Center for Pediatric Environmental Health (SWCPEH)

Housed at TTUHSC El Paso's Department of Emergency Medicine, the SWCPEH is one of 10 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) in the U.S. PEHSUs serve as a network of experts in children's environmental health. Our regional PEHSU covers Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Support for the SWCPEH comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics and is partly funded by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR). The EPA supports PEHSUs by providing partial funding to CDC/ATSDR through an interagency agreement.

The PEHSU program's mission is to improve reproductive and children's health by leading the integration of environmental health into clinical care and public health while supporting communities to address historical injustices and ongoing environmental racism and address the existential threat of climate change.

About TTUHSC El Paso

TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It's designated as a Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care leaders, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation college students. Currently, less than 6% of physicians and registered nurses in the U.S. identify as Hispanic; however, in 2022, 57% of TTUHSC El Paso graduates, including medical and nursing students, identified as Hispanic, diversifying the health care workforce locally and nationally.

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 02F21901 to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document.

Contact Information:

Marty Otero

Media Relations Specialist - National Media

maotero@ttuhsc.edu

915-215-6017



Related Images











Image 1: TTUHSC El Paso receives $30,000 EPA grant









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Faro Health Inc., a cloud-computing company that is developing digital infrastructure for smart clinical trials, today announced $20 million in additional funding. The round was led by global venture capital firm General Catalyst with participation from previous investors Section 32, Polaris Partners, Zetta Ventures, and Northpond Ventures. General Catalyst Partner Elena Viboch will join Faro's Board of Directors.

Designing and executing clinical trials has become increasingly complex. However, the tools to support these studies have not kept up. Protocols are still drafted as long-form documents and authors have no tools to evaluate their complexity or burden on patients. At the same time, the number of endpoints measured in a clinical study has grown by 27% over the past decade and patients are asked to undergo 44% more assessments, which can range from written data collection to a blood draw. This growth also shows no signs of slowing down. Existing tools for clinical study protocol development have not evolved to handle the growing complexity of the study data required to support market access, and there are no tools to support rapid translation of a protocol into the software required to operationalize a clinical trial. Faro helps simplify the complexity of modern clinical protocol development and execution.

"Faro has developed software that allows rapid evaluation of clinical study costs, accessibility to patients and ease of study conduct," said Elena Viboch, Partner at General Catalyst. "By helping study teams answer complex questions, Faro's solution aims to improve lives by bringing more efficiency to clinical trials."

"Faro's solution is being used by top drug developers to greatly reduce the time and cost of trials," said Andy Harrison, Section 32 Managing Partner and CEO. "The company has rapidly grown its customer and partnership base as it continues to advance the exceptional and essential functionality of its unique platform. As it does so, the process and effectiveness of clinical trials can improve."

The best-in-class Faro platform, powered by multifaceted data, provides teams that design and author clinical studies with real-time insights into the protocol design. The platform assists teams with collaboratively designing and authoring studies that answer key scientific questions in the least burdensome way for patients, sites, payers, and regulators. Deep automation eliminates inconsistencies and errors through standardization and transformation of protocol content that can then be used to propagate applicable study documents and program downstream systems.

"The technology used to design clinical trial protocols has not adapted to support the complexity of protocol design required by the current innovations in life sciences," said Scott Chetham Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Faro. "The Faro platform helps teams understand and mitigate the risks involved in modern protocols with enormous savings in direct costs and time. Our platform can also help amplify and accelerate biopharma's existing investments in Transcelerate's Common Protocol Template, Digital Data Flow, Content Reuse and other initiatives."

About Faro Health Inc.

Based in San Diego, Faro Health Inc. is a cloud-computing company that simplifies the design and authoring of complex clinical studies for biopharma and medical device customers. More information is available at Faro Health.

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in powerful, positive change that endures  for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our people, and society. We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, London, and Boston, the firm has helped support the growth of businesses such as: Airbnb, Deliveroo, Guild, Gusto, Hubspot, Illumio, Lemonade, Livongo, Oscar, Samsara, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. For more: www.generalcatalyst.com.

Contact Information:

Kimberly Pospahala

VP Commercial

info@farohealth.com



Related Images











Image 1: Scott Chetham, Faro Health CEO









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
English French

OTTAWA, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation is pleased to announce the official grand opening of the Legion Veterans Village (LVV), a unique $312-million multi-purpose social infrastructure project led by the BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion, together with Whalley Legion Branch 229, the Province of B.C., and Lark Group in Surrey B.C. The project features a first-of-its-kind Centre of Clinical Excellence in veteran and first responder health, a new Whalley Legion, as well as 91 affordable housing units owned and operated by VRS Communities, and 171 market housing units in phase one of the overall development.



The Legion Veterans Village in Surrey is a brilliant and progressive example of what can happen when dedicated partners come together, says Bruce Julian, Dominion President, The Royal Canadian Legion. We are proud of what BC/Yukon Command has achieved with this opening and look forward to hearing about the Veterans and families who will be helped through this unique venture.

We are excited to usher in a new era of the Legion with this unique Legion Veterans Village project, says Veronica Brown, Executive Director of the BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion. It is a symbol and monument of what a modern Legion could be, representing much of what our veterans care about, what they need a Legion to be, and how we can better service our veterans, our communities and the essential first responders who look after us.

Located on the corner of City Parkway and 106th Avenue in downtown Surrey, the 20-storey Legion Veterans Village building houses the brand new 10,500 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Whalley Legion Branch 229, which includes a restaurant and bar, full-service industrial kitchen, cadet assembly hall, banquet room, lounge and billiards area with underground parking.

The Whalley Legion has been serving the community at this location since 1960 and we are incredibly excited to launch our brand new Whalley Legion where we can continue to serve our Legion members and become a gathering place for local residents, neighbours and first responders, says Tony Moore, President of the Whalley Legion Branch 229. We would like to thank each and every person who made this project possible and we look forward to continuing to honour and serve veterans and first responders and fostering a new community legacy for generations to come.

Legion Veterans Village was originally inspired by the courageous efforts of Canadian veteran Captain Trevor Greene who experienced a debilitating head injury from an axe attack in Afghanistan. The BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion helped fundraise for an exoskeleton machine to help him walk again, which became the inspiration for the ambitious LVV project to bring innovative health technologies to help more veterans and first responders like him.

The LVV development is also a mixed-use building which includes 91 affordable housing units owned and managed by the VRS Communities Society (VRS), with priority given to Canadian veterans, first responders, Legion members and their families. The Province, through BC Housing, provided $12-million through the Building BC: Community Housing Fund for the affordable housing units which are a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom suites, with 10 units designed specifically to meet VRS requirements for accessibility. These complement an additional 171 one- and two-bedroom Parc Centrale market housing units by Dava Developments, which have already sold out.

Lark Group takes great pride in being a dedicated community partner and collaborator, and as a purpose driven developer in Surrey for 50 years, were pleased to deliver this amazing project on time and on budget for all of our partners, says Kirk Fisher, Executive Vice President of Lark Group.

The key centerpiece that sets the Legion Veterans Village project apart from others, is the Centre of Clinical Excellence for veterans and first responders health. The clinics offer an integrated continuum of health and wellness programs and services for veterans and first responders focusing on clinical health care and rehabilitation services, innovative research and health technologies, as well as counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health.

This grand opening is the culmination of 10-years of collaboration and perseverance of the BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion, the Whalley Legion Branch 229 and developed by long-time Surrey developer, the Lark Group, which as a group never failed in its determination to make this innovative project a success, says Rowena Rizzotti, Project Lead for Legion Veterans Village.

Now that the facilities are in place, the Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation is officially launching phase one of its $10-million Fundraising Campaign to support the translation of clinical research into programs, technologies and services that will support health and wellness of our veterans, first responders and their families at the Centre for Clinical Excellence and across Canada.

The mission from the beginning was to bring an integrated continuum of health care and mental health services into one building as a major step towards improving care and services for veterans and their families and to address the increasing incidence and impacts of PTSD for both veterans and first responders, says Dr. Venu Karapareddy, Centre for Clinical Excellence Medical Director and Founder of Actum Health.

The Centre of Clinical Excellence is operated by Veterans and First Responders Health (VFRH), an integrated group of primary health care, wellness, and rehabilitation service providers connected through Welmind, the digital healthcare partner enabling streamlined, coordinated care. Providers include:

VFRH Primary Care & Lifestyle Medicine - A collaborative team of family physicians, nurse practitioners, and other care providers supporting veterans and first responders through an integrated lifestyle medicine approach focused on long-term, sustainable health and wellness.

Actum Health Specialists in interdisciplinary, complex care empowering veterans and first responders dealing with persistent pain, mental health, PTSD, and/or addiction to achieve their recovery goals and return to the life they want to live. With decades of experience in the rehabilitation of complex health care issues, Actum Health works with clients to make lasting, meaningful change.

Neuromotion - A neurological physiotherapy and rehabilitation company whose vision is to ensure every individual who is impacted by a neurological condition is cared for in a supportive, inclusive, empowering setting and can access a knowledgeable, specialized multidisciplinary rehab team. Neuromotion is bringing innovative technologies like the Lokomat robot-assisted gait therapy technology and the XOmotion robotic legs to LVV to help clients, veterans and first responders with neurological injuries optimize their recovery and learn to walk again.

City Parkway Dental - Comprehensive dental care for veterans, first responders, and the general public in a safe, caring atmosphere by highly educated, compassionate professionals delivering the very best in gentle dental treatments to improve patient health and quality of life.

HealthTech Connex Brainnovation Network  An evolving network of care providers dedicated to advancing clinical research and evidence-based practice in the area of brain health. They test and innovate new treatment paradigms, measure effectiveness using technologies like NeuroCatch, and train clinicians how to safely and effectively embed these new approaches into practice.



All levels of government have offered supportive thoughts about the unique project.

Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence:

I congratulate the Legion and its partners for spearheading the Legion Veterans Village. Its an extraordinary project that captures the spirit of what a Legion can be at the heart of a community. Here, Veterans and first responders can access a range programs and services for their health and well-being under one roof.

Randeep Sarai, Member of Parliament for SurreyCentre:

I am proud to celebrate and mark this momentous grand opening of the Legion Veterans Village right in the heart of downtown Surrey. This social infrastructure project will no doubt become a catalyst and model for future Legions across Canada, especially given the major role the Legion plays in each community it serves.

Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whalley:

The Legion Veterans Village is a welcome addition to the downtown Surrey neighbourhood. Our government is proud to have contributed nearly $12 million through our Community Housing Fund so that British Columbians who have served our country can live affordably, close to new, innovative health care services and improve their quality of life.

Mayor Brenda Locke, City of Surrey:

The City of Surrey is proud to have been a partner and supporter of the Legion Veterans Village from its inception. Veterans Village is a shining example of what can be achieved when different organizations and government come together to build a lasting legacy. There is no doubt that Veterans Village will have a positive impact for generations to come and its model of care will serve as the blueprint for other Legions to follow.

For more information on Legion Veterans Village, please visit www.LegionVeteransVillage.com.

Contact for Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command: Nujma Bond, publicrelations@legion.ca, 343-540-7604

Contact for BC/Y Command: Yvonne Chiang, news@chiangpr.ca, 604-880-5090.

About Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation (LVVRF):

Founded in 2022, the Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation is the charity organization working to support world-leading scientists, technologies, and clinicians as they work collaboratively to advance innovation, research, rehabilitation and health care for veterans, first responders, and their families. The Foundation is actively working with donors and communities across Canada to encourage and inspire support from individuals, organizations, and groups for the continuum of care for veterans, first responders, and families who are affected by physical injuries, mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, neurological disorders and more. www.lvvresearchfoundation.com

About The Royal Canadian Legion

Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canadas largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S. and Europe. With 250,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.

Legion.ca

Facebook.com/CanadianLegion

Twitter.com/RoyalCdnLegion

Instagram.com/royalcanadianlegion

youtube.com/user/RCLDominionCommand

Linkedin.com/company/royalcanadianlegion

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3300b1be-235b-43de-8d53-e73a7834ad85

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c6c35040-2571-41b0-ba52-74e392b2294e
Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, who died in the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, close to the quake's epicentre, the day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast, Feb. 7. AFP-Yonhap



It is the last time Mesut Hancer will ever hold his 15-year-old daughter's hand.



And despite the icy weather, he refuses to let it go, caressing her waxy fingers after she died in the fearsome earthquake that has devastated southern Turkey and neighboring Syria.



Wrapped up in a fluorescent orange jacket, Hancer knelt next to Irmak's lifeless body as it lay under the rubble on a mattress near the quake's epicenter in Kahramanmaras province.



He was too grief-stricken to speak. He simply sat and held her protruding hand, the rest of her body still hidden by huge slabs of concrete.



Irmak is one of more than 6,256 people who died in Turkey and Syria after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Monday, injuring thousands and leaving millions unable to return home because their apartments either no longer exist or could crumble from an aftershock.



For Irmak, it is too late.



But as each hour brings more horror, fury and frustration are rising in Kahramanmaras, where residents are lashing out at the state for what they see as its slow response to Turkey's biggest disaster in decades.



"Where is the state? Where are they? I can't retrieve my brother from the ruins. I can't reach my nephew. Look around here. There is no state official here for God's sake," Ali Sagiroglu shouted in exasperation.



His father and brother have vanished in the rubble, their fates unknown.



The devastation is overwhelming. Eight apartment buildings more than 10 storeys high in one area of the city centre collapsed during the first quake that hit before dawn.



Several powerful aftershocks have followed.



Very few were able to escape from the eight buildings, and it is believed around 150 people lived in each block.





Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, who died in the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, close to the quake's epicentre, the day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's southeast, Feb. 7. AFP-Yonhap



'No compassion'






Businesses to consider in 2023

Andrew Ayiku Business News Feb - 08 - 2023 , 06:30

IT is ideal to consider whether your business idea fulfils the needs of people and their approach to work if you are thinking about starting a business. Developing a business idea in Ghana and starting a business can be considered an opportunity for people to tap into a better life, fulfilment of dreams, financial freedom and many others.

The following business ideas can strive in 2023, based on my experience working with start-ups for the past 10 years.

Juice production

Fruit juice consumption is rising and the juice industry is seeing tremendous growth as a result of rising living standards and more health awareness. To start a fruit juice business, you will need knowledge of the market, staffing, regulation, capital, machinery, etc.

This business also involves processing various types of fruits into a refreshing juice to be served.

Event planning

This unexplored market comprises discovering people who are planning events and then assisting them by recommending and locating the finest venue, MC, rental company, etc. One can become an event planner at no cost and need in-depth knowledge about the service event planners offer. Key points worth noting include the value proposition, customer segments and resources to start the business.

Cook-on-demand

Rendering a cook-on-demand service can be a great business idea for a start-up. This business involves getting orders to cook for an individual or a company at a time and getting the food delivered to them by yourself or a dispatch rider. This business does not require huge capital to start and is very profitable.

This business moves faster in urban areas and with the middle class. I will advise you to apply for the Food Handler Certificate from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) before proceeding.

Commercial cleaning business

Janitorial services are another lucrative business in high demand in Ghana, especially in the capital cities. Many households and companies need cleaners daily. There is always a wide gap in the market concerning the demand for this service and the supply deficit.

Online advertising firm

Online advertising can be considered a form of paid-for marketing that leverages internet-based channels to promote products and services.

This venture is a hugely popular strategy that almost two of every three small businesses use to win new customers. Some online channels include search engines such as Google or Bing, social media platforms, display ads and banner adverts. Social media is the new "marketplace" for businesses and can be considered the most lucrative and fastest business to run. Unlike traditional advertising mediums, the cost of online advertising is low.



Exportation

Exporting is an entry strategy by which companies from one country sell their goods and services to companies or consumers in a different country. Exporting raw goods from other countries, such as sweet potatoes, green vegetables, yam, cassava and other traditional products, has a high return in terms of profit since they are in high demand outside the country. An export business gets access to more consumers and other business opportunities.

Before starting an export business, one needs to understand the types of export businesses and the range of services they offer. One has to choose a niche, undertake market research, registration, licensing, etc.

Agribusiness

Agribusiness is considerably more than just animal rearing or land farming. It includes all commercial farming activities, as well as other tasks involved in growing, processing, and distributing agricultural products.

Agrochemicals, breeding, feeds, agricultural equipment, seeds, raw and processed inputs, packaging, transport, soil testing and retail are additional activities included in this list. The economy of Ghana has always depended heavily on agriculture.
Daily Graphic Editorials

Lets support TVET

Daily Graphic Editorials Feb - 07 - 2023 , 13:09

That technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is the panacea for the mounting unemployment among the youth in the country is undisputable.

This is because TVET allows students to gain practical experience in their chosen career paths, even before they graduate from school, which is its basic essence.

It is in this respect that since 2017, the government has targeted TVET as a catalyst to accelerate its industrialisation agenda through skills acquisition.

The Daily Graphic is happy that the government has, since then, invested heavily in the TVET space, retooling educational workshops, constructing modern TVET centres, bringing all skills training centres scattered among various ministries under the Ministry of Education and including 139 TVET schools, in addition to the already existing 47, in the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

Additionally, the introduction of the TVET voucher project that gives free training and skills upgrade to master craftsmen and women, the My TVET campaign, which has resulted in increases in public pre-tertiary TVET institutions, as well as the establishment of the Ghana Skills Development Fund with a $60-million seed fund under the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project, are all laudable steps to make the TVET sector the leader in job creation.

To properly situate the TVET sector as the vehicle for the transformation agenda, the government, through Parliament, passed the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023).

Sections 42 and 43 of Act 1023 and sections 80, 81 and 84 of Act 1049 gave birth to the Commission of TVET (CTVET) as the regulatory body of all TVET activities in the educational space, both pre-tertiary and tertiary.

Aside from the creation of the CTVET as the general umbrella covering all TVET activities, for the first time ever, there is now a TVET Service (TVETS) under the CTVET, which now manages all institutions offering technical and vocational courses in the pre-tertiary space.

While commending the leadership role of the educational sector, led by Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, with Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah heading the CTVET, we urge the ministry, through the CTVET, to ensure that the remaining 23 out of the 32 modern TVET institutions in nine regions towards modernising the sector come on board.

Thankfully, the construction of the first phase of nine is already progressing and we expect that the moment these projects are completed, the second phase will commence.

The huge amount of $158 million that has been set aside for the construction of these modern centres must be effectively utilised, for which reason we call on the ministry to strictly monitor these projects to ensure value for money and also that they are completed within their stipulated dates.

We are aware that the government has also invested a total of 123 million euros in upgrading and modernising all the erstwhile 34 National Vocational and Technical Institutes (NVTIs), their head office, together with the 10 regional offices, five apprenticeship offices across the country and the Opportunities Industrialisation Centre in Accra.

All these are giant steps by the government to realise its vision of transforming the TVET sector as the true catalyst of growth and a critical success factor in its industrialisation agenda.

However, we believe that all these investments will go waste if we are unable to attract the youth to be trained in these workshops and centres.

It is in the light of this that the Daily Graphic adds its voice to those of the Minister of Education and the Director-General of the CTVET to parents to encourage their children to freely select technical and vocational institutions as their first choices during the selection of schools in the CSSPS.

The good news is that all TVET institutions in the CSSPS are under the free senior high school (SHS) programme and students do not have to pay fees.

Moreover, it is good that the CTVET is planning to organise zonal skills competitions, in addition to the National TVET Expo and Awards 2023.

It should be possible for these skills competitions to grow to the level of becoming national events.

Surely, that is the way to go in order to attract junior high school students to develop interest in TVET institutions over the grammar schools.

Lets catch them young for an industrialised Ghana tomorrow.
Schedule Finance Minister to brief Parliament - Speaker directs

Nana Konadu Agyeman Feb - 08 - 2023 , 08:03

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has directed the Business Committee of Parliament to schedule the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to appear before the House to brief members on affairs of the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP).

He said both sides of the House had agreed that the Finance Minister be scheduled to come and brief the House on policy statement and some details of the debt arrangement, since Parliament was ever prepared to assist the government to get out of that quagmire.

This is a very urgent matter particularly dealing with elderly people; if pensioners are picketing at the Finance Ministry, we need to do this as quickly as possible, the Speaker said.

MPs concerns

Addressing members of Parliament (MPs) at the start of the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament yesterday, Mr Bagbin said: The Business Committee, kindly and urgently schedule the Finance Minister to appear before the House to give us a brief on the statement of affairs.

He gave the directive after some Minority MPs had raised concern after the Vice-Chairman of the Business Committee, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had presented the business statement for the week.

First, the National Democratic Congress MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had told the House that in spite of the enormous public interest in the ongoing DDEP which the government was pursuing, it never found space in the business statement.

He recalled how the leadership of Parliament, during recess, had received a petition from the Association of Individual Bondholders and the picketing by bondholders at the Ministry of Finance.

Those developments, he said, had created enormous anxiety, with Ghanaians being concerned about their life savings and investments.

No briefing

Mr Ablakwa said although the House had received no briefing or debated the programme, the Ministry of Finance was going ahead to implement it as a conditionality of the IMF programme.

The North Tongu MP also drew the Houses attention to how the Finance Minister, while presenting the 2023 budget, had assured MPs that the details of the DDEP would be announced soon to the public, and that the investor community had been engaged.

Mr Speaker, this engagement has not taken place; MPs have not been engaged and individual bondholders are not being engaged.

Indeed, the President had, a few days prior to the announcement, assured Ghanaians that bondholders would be exempted, but now all those who were told they would be exempted have been included, he said.

The Finance Minister must come and brief us for us to debate and agree on what should be the nature of this DDEP and its full ramifications on the economy and the citizenry, he added.

Unconstitutional act

Sharing a similar concern, the NDC MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, said the duty of the Finance Minister was not to simply engage the House.

He said Article 181 (3) of the Constitution and sections 55 and 56 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 were clear that the government was borrowing on behalf of the state.

Hence the terms and conditions of the borrowing must ordinarily be laid before the House and approved by a resolution of the House.

To the contrary, the Finance Minister has gone ahead to define his own terms and conditions of borrowing, negotiating with bondholders terms and conditions that have not been approved by the House, coercing and compelling banks and insurance institutions to accept terms and conditions that have not been approved by Parliament, he said.

The conduct of the Finance Minister, he added, was clearly illegal and unconstitutional, a clear breach of his responsibility as Minister of Finance and an affront to the House.

He must, therefore, bring the terms here for us to approve before he offers them to individual bondholders and institutions for them to accept or reject, he said.

Weve engaged all bondholders

Responding, a Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, said in the 2023 budget, the Finance Ministry sounded and mentioned that the government was going to come up with a domestic debt exchange policy.

She said based on the budget that was approved by the House, Parliament gave the Finance Ministry the permission to spend compensation, borrow and undertake capital expenditure and goods and services to a certain tune.

For Honourable Ayariga to say that we are now going to borrow is untrue, as these are funds that were approved for us to utilise previously, she said.

She added that due to the situation in which the government found itself, it publicly announced that it would not be able to discharge what it initially had agreed with its debtors.

Mr Speaker, let me put it on record that pension funds are not part of the exercise that we are engaging in now. We have been able to engage all these bondholders and we did it with the banks and insurance companies.

I know that last week when we met the Business Committee of the House, we said that once Parliament came through, we would come and brief the House on how far we had gone and the steps that we had taken to get to where we are, she said.
West Hills Mall incident: Deceased was choked to death by wee in black polythene - Pathologist

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Feb - 08 - 2023 , 04:57

A pathology examination has revealed that Shadrach Arloo, the 32-year-old man who died last week at the West Hills Mall during an encounter with a policeman and a private security personnel was choked by wee [cannabis] in a black polythene bag.

The cause of death has been given by a pathologist as Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body.

Eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene was retrieved from the throat of the deceased.

The retrieved suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis [wee] when submitted for forensic examination, in the presence of all the interested parties.

In view of the outcome of the post-mortem examination, the case docket is being forwarded to the Attorney-General's Office for study and advice to determine further Police action.

We would like to put on record that from the very beginning of this incident, the Police have involved all interested parties in the investigation process, the police said in a statement.

All these were made known in a police press statement issued Wednesday (Feb 8, 2022) dawn to provide an update on the death of Shadrach Arloo.

The police said the pathology examination was done in the presence of the parties.

Prior to that, at a meeting on Friday, February 3, 2023 with all the parties, they were given the option to have the post-mortem examination conducted by a pathologist of their choice, but they all agreed that the Police Pathologist should conduct the examination.

Present at the meeting according to the police included from the deceased side, Madam Dorcas Toffey, MP for Jomoro, Mr. Kofi Armah Buah, MP for Ellembele, Mr. Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, MP for Madina, Mr. Amo Blay, Madam Ama Cobbina and Mr. Alfred Osei Boafo for the accused person, Osei Kwame Boafo, a private security person who had been arrested by the police as a suspect in the death.

On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, the police said a post-mortem examination was conducted on the deceased's body in the presence of Alfred Boafo, father of the accused, Dr. Rosana Polinicio Segborwortso, Pathologist of GA East Municipal Hospital, representing the accused, Mr. Francis Xavier Sosu, lawyer for the deceased, Louis Melabah Edeafor, uncle of the deceased, Isaac Anim Anno, father of the deceased and Anna Cobbina sister of the deceased.

The pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body. He also retrieved from the throat of the deceased, eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene. The retrieved suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination, in the presence of all the interested parties, the police statement added.

Background

Shadrach Arloo was scheduled to travel to Germany on January 31, 2023, but 24-hours before that journey, he had an encounter with a policeman and a private security personnel and that resulted in his death.

Earlier reports had suggested he had been beaten to death by the policeman, assisted by the private security guard at the West Hills Mall in Accra.

It happened on Monday afternoon around the West Hills Mall (January 30, 2023).

His sister, Perpetual Didier, a gospel musician told Graphic Online that, Shadrach had gone to the mall for shopping.

He had gone to buy some items he was expected to carry along to Germany for his elder sister - this sister had facilitated his documentation and travel.

On his way out of the mall premises, he was confronted by the said policeman and the private security guard of the mall.

The policeman demanded that he hands over his luggage for a search.

He rejected and insisted he was not going to do so, according to the sister's narrative from what an eyewitness had told her.

His explanation, according to eyewitness was that he suspected that the police can plant something in it to incriminate him.

According to the sister, the eyewitnesses have told the family that, Shadrach insisted that if they really wanted to search his bag, he was ready to go with them to the nearest police station for that purpose.

This resulted in an altercation, during which Shadrach was reportedly beaten, resulting in his death.

The case was reported at the SCC Police station and the body was deposited at the Police Hospital morgue in Accra.

West Hills Mall management response

In a press statement issued on February 2, 2023, the management of West Hills Mall confirmed that the incident happened at their premises at Weija in Accra on Monday afternoon (January 30, 2023) at 3:15 pm,

However, according to the management, eyewitness account including that of its security personnel indicated that, Shadrach Arloo resisted an arrest by a police officer who suspected he was in possession of drugs or banned substances.

Swallowed something

Shadrach Arloo, "removed something from his bag and swallowed it as the policeman approached him," according to what eyewitnesses told the management.

The management said Shadrach Arloo who was a "visitor" at the premises was confronted by a Police Officer and asked to present his bag for examination.

"The Police Officer ostensibly suspected the customer, a young man between 25 and 30 years [Shadrach], of possessing drugs or banned substances," West Hills Mall indicated in the statement.

CCTV footage

"West Hills Malls 24-hour security surveillance system captured footage of the officer apprehending the young man, as well as another man who accompanied him, as they headed for the main entrance of the mall," the statement added.

"In an attempt to handcuff the young man, a struggle between the parties ensued while the Police Officer tried to handcuff him.

"He was eventually handcuffed but stopped struggling and appeared unwell after that. The Police subsequently removed the cuffs from his hands, and Mall Security arranged for transportation for him to be taken to the medical facility on-site. Sadly, he was pronounced dead by Medics upon arrival."

The Weija District Police have since retrieved the body of the deceased, the West Hills Mall management added.

Below is a copy of what the police statement said 1. The Police, on 30th January 2023, started investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death of one Shadrach Arloo at the West Hills Mall in Accra. 2. The Police issued a press statement on the same day, which notified the public that investigations into the matter had begun. 3. The Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) contacted Madam Perpetual Didier, sister of the deceased, who had alleged in a viral video, that her brother's death was caused by a Police Officer who had manhandled him at the West Hills Mall. 4. Initial investigations led to the arrest of Osei Kwame Boafo, a private security guard at the West Hills Mall who was alleged to have used a taser on the deceased during his arrest. 5. Police statements taken from witnesses at the scene of the incident, including some private security guards at the mall, and the arresting Police officer revealed that the deceased had resisted arrest by the Police officer who was being assisted by the private security guards. The narrative of the events, as gathered by the Police, indicated that during the course of the arrest, the deceased pulled out a substance from his bag, which he quickly swallowed before anyone could stop him. He became unconscious shortly afterwards and was taken to the Sonotech Clinic for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival. 6. As part of the investigation process, on 3rd February 2023, the Police Pathologist held a meeting with interested parties in the case to explain the post-mortem examination to them. Present from the deceased side were Madam Dorcas Toffey (Hon. MP, Jomoro), Mr. Kofi Armah Buah (Hon. MP, Ellembele), Mr. Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu (Hon. MP, Madina) Mr. Amo Blay and Madam Ama Cobbina. Mr. Alfred Osei Boafo was also present for the accused person, Osei Kwame Boafo. 7. At the meeting, the parties were given the option to have the post-mortem examination conducted by a pathologist of their choice, but they all agreed that the Police Pathologist should conduct the examination. 8. On 7th February 2023, a post-mortem examination was conducted on the deceased's body in the presence of Alfred Boafo, father of the accused, Dr. Rosana Polinicio Segborwortso, Pathologist of GA East Municipal Hospital, representing the accused, Mr. Francis Xavier Sos lawyer for the deceased, Louis Melabah Edeafor, uncle of the deceased, Isaac Anim Anno, father of the deceased and Anna Cobbina sister of the deceased. 9. The pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body. He also retrieved from the throat of the deceased, eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene. The retrieved suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination, in the presence of all the interested parties. 10. In view of the outcome of the post-mortem examination, the case docket is being forwarded to the Attorney-General's Office for study and advice to determine further Police action. 11. We would like to put on record that from the very beginning of this incident, the Police have involved all interested parties in the investigation process. 12. It is, therefore, a matter of regret and great dismay and we dare say un-Ghanaian that people who had all the information on the matter, would behave as though they had no idea of actions that were being taken by the Police in respect of the case. 13. We would like to urge the general public to exercise restraint and patience with matters that are under Police investigation in order not to worsen the pain of those who are directly affected by such incidents.

Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Follow @enochfrimpong Follow @Graphicgh
Siemens Mobility recently received an order for 1,200 locomotives of 9,000 horsepower (HP) from Indian Railways, marking the single largest locomotive order in the history of Siemens Mobility and single largest order in the history of Siemens India. Siemens Mobility will design, manufacture, commission and test the locomotives.





Deliveries are planned over an eleven-year period, and the contract includes 35 years of full service maintenance. The locomotives will be assembled in the Indian Railways factory in Dahod, in the state of Gujarat, India. Maintenance will be performed in four Indian Railways depots located in Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur and Pune.

Locomotive assembly and maintenance will be implemented together with the staff of Indian Railways. The contract has a total value of approximately 3 billion, excluding taxes and price variation.

Siemens is supporting the sustainable transformation of Indias transportation sector as the country seeks to almost double freight capacity on its railways Im proud that this major order will help India achieve its ambitious goal of creating the worlds largest green rail network, as our locomotives will save more than 800 million tons of CO 2 emissions over their lifecycle. Siemens CEO Roland Busch

These new locomotives will help increase freight transport on one of the world's largest rail networks, as they can replace between 500,000 to 800,000 trucks over their lifecycle. This historic order cements a firm commitment from Indian Railways to achieve 100% electrification of rail traffic in India. Our partnership will further strengthen Siemens Mobilitys position in India and support the countrys expanding railway market. Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility

The locomotives will be used for freight transport throughout the Indian Railways network and are specified to haul loads of 4,500 tons at a maximum speed of 120 km/h. They will be equipped with advanced propulsion systems that are also produced locally in Siemens Mobility factories in India. Siemens Mobility will use the power of its Railigent platform to deliver highest availability and performance.

India has one of the worlds largest rail transport and logistics networks used daily by 24 million passengers on more than 22,000 trains. Additionally, the Government of India plans to increase the share of railways for freight transport to 40-45% from the current approximately 27%.

India is one of the few countries in the world with an almost fully electrified rail network. As one of the worlds fastest-growing markets for rail, India has clear sustainability and technology goals. Indian Railways and the Indian Government are clearly committed to invest in state-of-the-art products to reach net zero CO 2 emissions by 2030.

The history of Siemens in India dates back to 1867, when Werner von Siemens and his brothers built the Indo-European telegraph line from London to Calcutta. Siemens has been supporting Indian Railways with the latest technologies over many decades and offers a full range of intelligent and efficient technologies and solutions for passenger and freight transportation, including rail infrastructure and rolling stock.
The US District Court, District of Nevada has declined to vacate the issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD) by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for Lithium Americas proposed Thacker Pass lithium mining project (earlier post) located in Humboldt Country, Nevada. The remanded the case to BLM to determine whether the company possesses valid rights to the waste dump and mine tailings land it intends to use for the project to support BLMs decision to issue the ROD.

The decision comes in a lawsuit filed by a group of environmental organizations, ranchers and tribes challenging the BLMs approval of the plan to build the lithium mine. Thacker Pass is the largest known lithium resource in the United States.

The Thacker Pass Mine was approved within a sage grouse Priority Habitat Management Area, which also contains aquifers that feed the handful of desert springs inhabited by a rare freshwater snail  the Kings River pyrg.

The lawsuit challenged BLMs compliance with three federal statutes in an attempt to halt the development of the mine.

While this case encapsulates the tensions among competing interests and policy goals, this order does not somehow pick a winner based on policy considerations. That is not this Courts role. The Courts role instead is to carefully apply the applicable standard of judicial review to consider the decision of a federal agency that is generally entitled to deference, based entirely on the contents of the records before the agency at the time of its challenged decision. This order addresses the parties dispositive motions seeking judgment on the merits. The Court explains below its resolution of the pending motions, and, thus, this case. To preview, the Court finds that Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. United States Fish & Wildlife Serv., 33 F.4th 1202 (9th Cir. 2022) (Rosemont) applies. This in turn leads the Court to conclude that BLMs approval of the Project violated FLPMA as it relates to the approximately 1300 acres of land Lithium Nevada intends to bury under waste rock because BLM did not first make a mining rights validity determination as to those land. The Court otherwise affirms BLMs decision, rejecting arguments that the Project will cause unnecessary and undue degradation to the local sage grouse population and habitat, groundwater aquifers, and air quality in violation of FLPMA, that BLM failed to adequately assess the Projects impacts on air quality, wildlife, and groundwater in violation of NEPA, that BLM failed to adequately consider the Projects impacts as to the areas contemporary cultural or religious significance to local tribes also in violation of NEPA, and that BLM unreasonably or in bad faith decided not to consult with Tribal Plaintiffs before approving the Project in violation of the NHPA. In sum, the Court concludes that BLMs decision as it relates to approval of land to be used for waste dumps violated FLPMA (43 U.S.C.  1732(b)) and is therefore arbitrary and capricious under the APA. But the Court otherwise rejects Plaintiff and Plaintiff- Intervenors claims. Order of the US District Court, District of Nevada, Case N 3:21-cv-00080-MMD-CLB

Lithium Americas said it intends to work closely with the BLM to complete the required follow-up. The ruling can be appealed; plaintiffs said they were considering next steps.
Universal Hydrogen was granted a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to proceed with the first flight of its hydrogen-powered regional aircraft. The company also released video footage of successful first taxi tests of the aircraft, designed to evaluate ground handling qualities and the performance of the fuel-cell electric powertrain at low power settings and airspeeds.

The Dash 8-300 flying testbed has a megawatt-class hydrogen fuel cell powertrain installed in one of its nacelles. The powertrain is in a configuration that closely resembles the companys first producta conversion kit for ATR 72-600 regional airlinerswhich is expected to be certified and in commercial passenger service starting in 2025.





Universal Hydrogens powertrain does not utilize a hybrid battery architecture; all of the power is transmitted directly from the fuel cells to the electric motor, significantly decreasing weight and lifecycle cost.

The FAA approval clears the way for the first flight of the Dash 8-300 flying testbed which will take place at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. The aircraft will be by far the largest hydrogen fuel cell-powered airplane to take to the skies, and second as a hydrogen-powered aircraft only to the Soviet flight test in 1988 of a Tupolev Tu-155 airliner with one of its jet engines converted to burn hydrogen.

Air New Zealand. Separately, Universal Hydrogen announced a strategic agreement with Air New Zealand as part of the airlines expanding Mission Next Gen Aircraft program. Air New Zealand named Universal Hydrogen to its long-term partner program as it seeks to find sustainable solutions for its fleet.

Universal Hydrogen is developing a solution to convert existing regional airplanes to fly on hydrogen and to supply hydrogen to the fleet using a modular fueling approach, which eliminates the need for new airport infrastructure, speeds up the fueling operation, and reduces transfer losses throughout the hydrogen delivery chain. On completion of testing and certification, Universal Hydrogens conversion kits could be installed in Air New Zealands regional fleet.
FEMA representatives conduct Typhoon Mangkhut damage assessments in September 2018. FEMA is conducting a job fair on Guam on March 15, 2023, for reservist logistics specialist positions.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
Fighter jets, helicopters and cargo planes on the runway of Andersen Air Force Base donning the flags of their country and squadron were displayed in neat rows Wednesday for active military and their families to admire during the official kickoff of the Cope North 2023 military exercise.

The annual exercise held on the base since 1999 brings together military service members from the United States, Japan, France and Australia to practice coordinating humanitarian and disaster relief missions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Anytime you have a natural disaster that comes through, they tend to damage infrastructure and it also has a real impact on access to essentials like food, water and fuel. A lot of our scenarios are going to be that type of emergency response, said U.S. Air Force Col. Jared Paslay.

He said the forces involved will be learning or improving skills in emergency medical care and rapid runway repair, especially for islands hit by a typhoon for example.

Paslay said Guam residents can expect to see and hear a lot more aircraft flying overhead and practicing maneuvers for the next several weeks.

The exercise brings together about 1,000 U.S. airmen, Marines and sailors alongside with 1,000 combined Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and French Air and Space Force service members.

Uniformed military personnel from the participating nations could be seen around the airfield loading planes with equipment and supplies to simulate delivering them in an emergency to another island.

We need to understand how each other works, why we work the way we do and how we can work together, said Royal Australian Air Force Group Capt. Robert Graham.

He said focusing on the logistics of communicating and collaborating is key to this exercise because it covers 10 sites stretching about 2,000 miles.

Cope North will continue through Feb. 24, and operations will take place at Andersen Air Force Base, Antonio B. Won Pat Guam International airport, the CNMI, Yap, Palau and Japan.

The exercise started in 1978 as a quarterly bilateral exercise held at Misawa Air Base in Japan.
After the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the East Coast, national media have reported similar incidents over Guam and Hawaii.

While theres no official confirmation from the military of any Chinese spy balloon over Guam in recent years, acting Gov. Josh Tenorio on Wednesday said hes not surprised if that happened, given Chinas posturing.

Sometimes theres privileged information that the United States government has and at times, based on their security measures, they will share them, Tenorio said. But for me personally I was not informed of the spy balloon. Im not surprised. I think its an indication of how serious it is in our neck of the woods. Theres no secret obviously that theres an increased amount of activity. We can see it in our backyard.

Former Guam Del. Robert Underwood, co-founder of a new Guam-based think tank called the Pacific Center for Island Security, said he assumes Guam is under regular observation by countries adversarial to the United States and the Chinese have made a point of this.

It is an open question to assess the added value of balloon surveillance. At this point, it is safe to say that we dont know if the balloons are actively collecting intelligence or just probing to see what the U.S. response might be, said Underwood, who also is a former University of Guam president and former delegate to Congress.

The threat from China is serious enough, he said, because the continuous bomber presence, B-52s and B-1s, at Andersen Air Force Base has ended.

The practice has ended because a massive Chinese attack could shut down AAFB and hamper the projection of U.S. airpower in the region. This is the reason for ensuring the development of divert airfields in the region, assuming (the Guam airport) and AAFB are not available in a future conflict, Underwood said.

Joint Region Marianas has yet to respond to media questions on whether suspected spy balloons were spotted over Guam in recent years.

National media reported alleged Chinese spy balloons were spotted in the past near sensitive military installations, including those on Guam.

Should we worry?

As to whether Guam residents should be worried, Underwood said China has made it clear Guam is a target and China has been warning that Guam is within striking distance of Chinese ballistic missiles.

I would be more worried about this back and forth about Guams devastation in the event of conflict than the appearance of a balloon, Underwood said.

He cited a Chinese analysts recent statement that the U.S. has made Guam the worlds largest military base. Guam is regularly featured in targeting exercises by Chinas military.

The Marines on Jan. 26 officially opened its first new base in 70 years on Guam, which will eventually host some 5,000 Marines from Okinawa and elsewhere. The base construction is not fully completed.

Tenorio said many of the islands in the Indo-Pacific region dont see military activity the way Guam is seeing it, with $1 billion to $2 billion in annual military spending until at least 2030, but he said most of these deter China and others.

The acting governor said he defers national security matters to the military.

The role of GovGuam is to make sure that we do everything within our power to keep people safe, that includes supporting what the military is doing and making sure that our civilian population is always going to be a focal point of that protection, he said.

Governor in D.C.

Tenorio is the acting governor because Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero is in Washington, D.C., to attend the National Governors Associations winter meeting Feb. 9-11 and to meet with federal officials on Guam issues.

The governor didnt attend the presidents State of the Union Address, according to Krystal Paco-San Agustin, her director of communications.
Stephanie Conception, 2023 Guam Teacher of the Year, with Benjamin Benjie Santiago, 2022 Teacher of the Year. Twelve semi-finalists for the 2024 Guam Teacher of the Year were announced March 16.
Published on 2023/02/08

In this piece, we'll take a look at the top 10 Korean films for language learners in 2023. There should be plenty for every person on the agenda as we examine films from a wide range of genres. We have what you're searching for, whether it's a thrilling mystery or a beautiful romance. Yes, this is usually a subjective matter but nevertheless, we tried to select only top-notch cinematography pieces that will surely help you learn Korean with films better. Without further ado, let's see what we've got for you.

Advertisement

The 2019 film "Parasite" was produced in Korea. The film follows a family of four struggling to make ends meet in a confined space. Kim Gi-taek is out of work, therefore his wife Chung-sook and their kids Gi-woo and Gi-jeong are the only breadwinners in the family. Gi-woo is offered the chance to educate Park Da-hye, the daughter of an affluent family, at a time when his family is suffering financially. Gi-woo decides to take advantage of the opportunity and starts tutoring Da-hye. The Parks have state-of-the-art homes with all of the modern conveniences. The Kims, jealous of the Parks' success, hatch a plan to steal part of their fortune. It all works out for the Kims since Gi-woo is hired to be Da-song Park's English instructor.

___________

"Parasite" is directed by Bong Joon-ho, and features Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Wooshik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun. Release date in Korea: 2019/05/30.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

This artwork got premiered in 2018. Eun-hee, the protagonist of the film, is a young woman who is grieving the loss of her father and is estranged from her mother. In the film, we see Eun-hee's journey to self-discovery and acceptance after a devastating loss. Anyone who has experienced grief over the loss of a loved one can find comfort in "House of Hummingbird"", a touching and gorgeously photographed film.

___________

"House of Hummingbird" is directed by Kim Bora, and features Park Ji-hu, Kim Sae-byuk, Jung In-gi, Lee Seung-yeon-I, Park Soo-yeon, Son Sang-yeon. Release date in Korea: 2019/08/29.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

Filmmaker Kim Ho-joon of South Korea helmed this romantic comedy in 2004. Moon Geun-young and Kim Rae-won are the two main protagonists in the movie. Here, in "My Little Bride", a 13-year-old girl called Min-yeong (Moon Geun-young) gets engaged to a 27-year-old guy named Sang-hyeok (Kim Rae-won). The marriage is seen as a solution to help Min-financially yoong's struggling family. The engagement is seen as a path out of poverty for Sang's household. It is entertaining and touching since it deals with such universal topics as love, family, and friendship. Those who like romantic comedies will enjoy it for sure. But there's one more thing. You should know that every affordable essay writer can make an astonishing review of this film. So, if you want to know more about it, don't hesitate to visit some of them.

___________

"My Little Bride" is directed by Kim Ho-joon, and features Kim Rae-won, Moon Geun-young, Kim In-moon, Han Jin-hee, Kim Hye-ok, Song Ki-yoon. Release date in Korea: 2004/04/02.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

This movie premiered in 2010. The film follows a serial murderer on his latest killing spree and the detective assigned to track him down. You may learn Korean online while enjoying an exciting and suspenseful film. When her automobile breaks down during a snowstorm, Jang Joo-yeon finds herself stranded. An unknowing passerby approaches her car as she waits for a tow service and offers assistance. Following a phone conversation with her finance, she informs him that she is content to wait for the tow truck. The guy persists and makes an unsuccessful effort to liberate the automobile before returning to his own transport, a school bus.

___________

"I Saw the Devil" is directed by Kim Jee-woon, and features Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Cheon Ho-jin, Oh San-ha, Kim Yoon-seo. Release date in Korea: 2010/08/12.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

A 2018 Korean film titled "Microhabitat" has been made. Ji-won, the protagonist of the film, is a single lady who lives in a modest home. Ji-won is a caretaker for her ailing mother and a jobless lady. Video games are Ji-won's lone release from her trying existence. When Ji-won meets a guy called Sang-min, everything changes for her. Sang-min is now jobless and must also keep hold of his ailing mother. It's clear that Sang-min and Ji-won are going to be good friends since they begin to assist one another. It's simple to understand the conversation in "Microhabitat", making korean easy to learn. If you're interested in Korean culture, this film is an excellent resource.

___________

"Microhabitat" is directed by Jeon Go-woon, and features Esom, Ahn Jae-hong, Kang Jin-ah, Kim Guk-Hee, Lee Sung-wook, Choi Deok-moon. Release date in Korea: 2018/03/22.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

"The Battleship Island" is a film that was produced in Korea and published in the year 2017. The events take place in 1944 and tell the story of a group of captives who are compelled to labor on Hashima Island, which is a mining operations peninsula. The Japanese army puts the detainees in labor and treats them as slaves while they are in their custody. The film tells the narrative of the inmates and their efforts to live on the island where they were held captive. Anyone interested in learning more about the background and culture of Korea should see this piece of cinematography. You can check more information about it on websites to write essays as there are commonly experts that have published its in-detailed plot. The film is also an excellent resource for enhancing one's knowledge of the Korean language. The film is sold on DVD and Blu-ray, which can be obtained either online or through the majority of the country's most significant stores.

___________

"The Battleship Island" is directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, and features Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong-ki, Lee Jung-hyun, Kim Su-an, Lee Kyung-young. Release date in Korea: 2017/07/26.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, "Burning" took home one international award. And that's why it is a korean movie to watch without a doubt. This psychological thriller based on a short tale by Haruki Murakami requires the audience to actively engage in "puzzle solving", trying to figure out how seemingly unrelated events are related. In the film, our protagonist works part-time and happens to run across an old acquaintance from high school. Something strange happens once she returns from Africa. "Burning" depicts the socioeconomic disparity in Korea by comparing rural areas with the thriving capital city of Seoul. There are scenes of both the bustling streets of Seoul, where K-pop fans can be found in plenty and the peaceful countryside of rural Korea, all of which are on display in this film. It's also worth noting that the film criticizes contemporary Korean culture amid a period of intense political controversy.

___________

"Burning" is directed by Lee Chang-dong, and features Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Soo-kyung, Choi Seungho, Moon Sung-keun. Release date in Korea: 2018/05/17.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

"Unlocked" is a Korean film that is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in learning Korean. The plot of the movie centers on a bunch of close friends and their quest to determine the identity of a mystery phone. The film is great for anyone who wishes to learn language through movies since it is really suspenseful and has a lot of action in it. It will provide you with:

Constant curiosity.

Beneficial lessons regarding friendships.

Tips on improving the Korean language.

___________

"Unlocked" is directed by Kim Tae-joon-IV, and features Chun Woo-hee, Im Si-wan, Kim Hee-won, Park Ho-san, Kim Sun-hwa-I, Kim Ye-won. Release date in Korea: 2023/02/17.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

This is a korean movie to watch that was first shown in theaters in the year 2001. The narrative of the film centers on two childhood best friends who have remained connected throughout their lives. Nevertheless, their relationship is put through its paces when each of them develops romantic feelings for the sister of the other. Watching the film is an excellent approach to get knowledge about Korean customs and interpersonal dynamics. In addition to that, it is an excellent method for learning some fundamental Korean words and phrases.

___________

"Friend" is directed by Kwak Gyeong-taek, and features Yu Oh-seong, Jang Dong-gun, Seo Tae-hwa, Jung Woon-taek, Kim Bo-kyung, Ki Joo-bong. Release date in Korea: 2003/03/31.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

Moving on after seeing a movie like "The Battleship Island" might be challenging, but there are a lot of other wonderful Korean films out there that you can watch that can help you improve your language skills. "Moving On" is a great example of this kind of film. It is a humorous comedy that follows a group of acquaintances as they go on a journey together. Because the film is so rich in slang and regional accents, watching it is an excellent method to get a deeper understanding of the Korean lifestyle. Hence, if your wish is to understand language in movies, this would be a good starting point.

___________

"Moving On" is directed by Yoon Dan-bi-I, and features Choi Jung-woon, Yang Heung-joo, Park Hyun-young, Park Seung-joon, Kim Sang-dong, Kim An-na. Release date in Korea: 2020/08/20.

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

Conclusion

Our list of korean language films rounds out the top 10 greatest masterpieces for language learners in 2023. You may understand a lot about this language and society by watching any one of these movies, which are all superb representations of filmmaking made in this country. So, stop wasting your time and get yourself in front of the TV to watch some of these movies.
Published on 2023/02/07 | Source

The main cast of "My Name Is Loh Kiwan" has been unveiled.

Advertisement

"My Name Is Loh Kiwan" is a movie about the meeting, separation, and love between North Korean defector Ki-wan, who arrived in Belgium with the last hope of his life, and a woman who lost her reason for life, and Song Joong-ki and Choi Sung-eun play Kiwan and Mari, respectively.

Song Joong-ki has become a trusted actor by performing in "Space Sweepers", "Vincenzo", and recently "Reborn Rich". In "My Name Is Loh Kiwan", he will make another drastic transformation as a North Korean defector, a man struggling to gain recognition for refugee status, his only hope, in European soil where he heads for with nothing to his name.

Choi Sung-eun, who has played various characters in Netflix's "The Sound of Magic" and the movie "Gentleman" after impressing fans with the drama "Beyond Evil", plays Mari, a former Belgian-Korean shooter. Unlike Loh Kiwan, Mari is a character who has lost reason to live, and unintentionally falls in love with Loh Kiwan, who is entangled in a bad relationship.

Jo Han-chul plays Mari's father Yoon-seong, and Kim Sung-ryung plays Ok-hee, the mother who is the decisive reason for Loh Kiwan heading to Belgium. Lee Il-hwa plays Mari's mother Jeong-joo and Lee Sang-hee plays Seon-joo, an ethnic Korean who Kiwan meets in a Belgian factory. Actor Seo Hyun-woo plays Loh Kiwan's maternal uncle Eun-cheol.

Director Kim Hee-jin-V directs and writes "My Name Is Loh Kiwan". It is the debut of director Kim Hee-jin-V, who won the Best Picture Award at the Jeonju International Film Festival, the Seoul Independent Film Festival and the Asiana International Short Film Festival for his short film "School Trip". "My Name Is Loh Kiwan" will be released on Netflix.
Published on 2023/02/08 | Source

Korean movies opening today 2023/02/08 in Korea: "Next Sohee", "Someone You Loved", "Love My Scent" and "Battle of Goyang Makgeolli"

Advertisement

"Next Sohee" (2022)

Directed by July Jung

With Bae Doona, Kim Si-eun-I, Jung Hoe-rin, Bahk Woo-young , Park Hee-eun, Shim Hee-sub,...

Started filming: 2022/01/16

Synopsis

A work that deals with the incident experienced by So-hee, a high school girl who went on a field trip to a call center, and the story of Yoo-jin, a female detective, who doubts her.

"Someone You Loved" (2022)

Directed by Hyung Seul-woo

With Lee Dong-hwi, Jung Eun-chae, Kang Gil-woo, Jung Daeun, Ko Kyu-pil,...

Formerly known as "Someone You Loved" (  ,   , oen-jjok-eul bo-neun nam-ja, o-reun-jjok-eul bo-neun yeo-ja)

Synopsis

"You were the first to say let's break up"

"You're the one who made me talk about breaking up".

How long will it take to process a breakup?

What if you change a contact's term of endearment to a full name?

What if I delete my KakaoTalk friends? What if I unfollow you on social media?

The real-life breakup process from a loved one to an acquaintance and from an acquaintance to a stranger.

"Love My Scent" (2022)

Directed by Lim Sung-yong

With Yoon Si-yoon, Seol In-ah, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Moon Ji-in, Lee Kyu-bok, Kim Young-woong,...

Synopsis

Sweet love that starts at the tip of your nose?!

Chang-soo is a man who has never been in a proper relationship. As soon as he sprayed perfume, women rushed in?!



Ah-ra have never liked anyone because of her family. One day, she starts to get excited by the scent coming from the bus she rides every day.



Ah-ra, who was attracted to Chang-soo, fell in love without knowing what was going on.

Even though she's not good at falling in love, her love was growing little by little!



The secret of Chang-soo is revealed by her ex-lover James, who suddenly appeared!



Did I fall in love because of perfume?



A magical romance begins!

"Battle of Goyang Makgeolli" (2023)

Directed by Yoon Yeo-chang

With Song Seung-hyun, Seo Jun-young, Seo Jung-wook, Ko Tae-jin, Yoon Ki-won, Choe Min,...

Released on Wavve on 2022/12/08

Synopsis

A human comedy set in the 1960s portrays Go Jin-goo, who guards a brewery based in Goyang against the South Korean president who fell in love with it and is curious about its taste. It will also depict an incident that happens when a fixed spy, Park Tae-gil, decides to steal makgeolli for the North Korean leader, and is confronted face-to-face.
Published on 2023/02/08 | Source

New stills 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
Horse racing vitalizes ancient village in north China

Xinhua) 15:13, February 08, 2023

TAIYUAN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- One day after the Lantern Festival, residents in Xiadongzhai Village, north China's Shanxi Province, had quick breakfasts before assembling for a long-anticipated occasion.

The horse racing festival, held on the 16th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the village, is a Spring Festival custom with a history of over 1,800 years. It has also been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

At about 9 a.m., the festival got underway. The crowd burst into loud cheers, watching horses carrying riders dressed in ancient costumes, as they sprinted to the finish line.

According to Dong Huping, a horse racing inheritor, the tradition was said to have been established during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) to commemorate messengers, who served as a valuable means of communication in ancient times, especially in times of war.

The event has taken root in Xiadongzhai, as the village has since ancient times been acting as an important commercial hub, while its location was also considered important in terms of military strategy.

"The nature of the horse racing competition today remains almost the same as what happened in the old days," Dong said. "For example, we can see the riders carrying flags on their backs, while the horses are without saddles. This is because messengers often had to hit the road hastily, which meant that they had no time to saddle the horse and could only rely on their brilliant riding skills to maintain balance."

Nowadays, the horse racing festival has become a cultural tourism industry brand, integrating parades, folk performances and fireworks show held during the Spring Festival holiday.

Every year around the Chinese Lunar New Year, about 30,000 tourists pay visits to the village, which has significantly increased the income of local residents.

To better preserve and further promote its development, youngsters are encouraged to master and polish their riding skills under the guidance of veteran "messengers," and to participate in the annual event.

At the same time, the village has established a horse racing training center, raised funds and purchased new horses, costumes and props to woo new blood, to pass on and carry forward this ancient skill.

"Participation in horse racing also helps the young generation develop a stronger sense of identity and pride in their hometown," Dong said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
The strike will cover more than 160 grocery shops, mostly large supermarkets, and 16,000 workers from 5am on Thursday, 9 February, to 5am on Saturday, 11 February.

SERVICE UNION UNITED (PAM) on Tuesday declared that it will stage the first in a series of strikes in supermarkets and logistics centres this week following the collapse of negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement.

PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation remain far apart in their views  also on other questions than remuneration, Annika Ronni-Sallinen, the chairperson at PAM, stated in a press release on Tuesday.

The trade union is continuing to pursue a roughly 200-euro increase in pay.

The Finnish Commerce Federation stated in its press release that it presented several proposals to settle the dispute, including one that would have guaranteed low-paid cashiers raises that exceed the so-called general pay rise. The federation also said it was willing to make a number of concessions and discuss developing the remuneration system of cashiers in line with the objectives of PAM.

Reforms require firm common willingness, mutual commitment and trust, and those cannot be built by striking, said Anna Lavikkala, the head of labour market affairs at the Commerce Federation.

It remains unclear how many of the supermarkets will be able to remain open by utilising managerial staff and on-demand employees.

Companies will surely try to keep their doors open with managerial staff, on-demand workers and by pressuring staff to work. Employees are ready to fight for better wages, though. So I cant estimate how many shops will be closed, how many will limit their opening hours and so on, Risto Kalliorinne, the organisation director at PAM, stated to Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday.

The Commerce Federation has assured that the strike should cause no food shortages.

Sampo Paallysaho, the director of grocery trade at S Group, said to the daily newspaper that the priority for the retail chain is to keep its shops open also during the strike, admitting that some may have to do so using fewer cash registers and limited opening hours.

The two-day strike could have some effects on our operations and, in the case of individual shops, on the product selection, he told, stressing that he does not recognise the claim that employees would be pressured to work during the strike.

We respect workers right to strike, he underlined.

The strike will be the first in a series of industrial action targeted at grocery shops and the logistics centres serving them.

On 13 February, a days-long work stoppage is set to start at logistics centres. The stoppage is set to expand to cover more than 400 grocery shops and 26,000 workers for the three days between 16 and 18 February. A strike targeting logistics centres is scheduled to start on 20 February, after it was postponed by two weeks by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

The collective bargaining agreement in the sector expired on 31 January. The office of the national conciliator estimated yesterday that the parties to the dispute remain so far apart in their views that presenting a settlement proposal is unrealistic, despite some progress on the agreement text. The national conciliator will next contact the parties to determine when the negotiations could continue.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
YLE on Saturday reported that the ruling parties have largely finalised the so-called climate food programme, but their disagreements over meat consumption have stalled the process, with some parties demanding that the reduction target be defined more clearly.

THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) has yet to reach an understanding of the target for reducing meat consumption in Finland.

Pertti Hakanen, a special aide to Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Antti Kurvinen (Centre), told the Finnish public broadcaster that the goal is nevertheless to finalise the programme by the end of the electoral term.

The five ruling parties agreed to draft a climate food programme at the coalition formation negotiations four years ago, but the preparatory work has already been pushed back at least two times.

The government programme sets minimising the climate footprint of food consumption and improving understanding of food production as the goals of the food programme. It also outlines that public procurement should place priority to vegetable-rich food and locally and organically produced animal-based products, such as meat, eggs and dairy.

We will halve the amount of food loss and food waste by 2030, and we will draw up a roadmap to reduce loss and waste at every stage of the food chain, the ruling parties pledged.

YLE on Saturday wrote, citing sources within the government, that the proposal currently under consideration does not satisfy all the coalition members as the programme lays down the rather equivocal goal of reducing meat consumption rather than reducing it by a third by 2030, as stated in an earlier draft proposal according to media reports in May 2022.

The current proposal was drafted at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Disagreements over the reduction target are precisely what have held up the process, according to the public broadcaster. Although the government has not revisited the issue since the turn of the year, the sources said the intention remains to finalise the programme by the end of the electoral term.

The parliamentary elections will be held on 2 April.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
Stakeholders in health and development from all over the world will, from 5-8 March, assemble in Kigali, Rwanda, for the fifth edition of The Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2023, whose theme is Resilient Health Systems for Africa: Re-envisioning the Future Now.

Jointly convened by Amref Health Africa (www.Amref.org), Ministry of Health Rwanda (www.MOH.gov.rw), African Union (www.AU.int) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (www.AfricaCDC.org), the biennial conference will bring together the continents top thought leaders, political figures, innovators, researchers, policy makers and civil society for dialogue and action aimed at mainstreaming climate discourse into health policy conversations and vice versa.

This will be the first time that a global health conference in Africa focuses on climate change as a key determinant of health. We know that climate change and health are intrinsically intertwined, yet they have for decades now been treated as two separate issues, said Dr Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO, Amref Health Africa. At AHAIC 2023, we will be exploring themes at the nexus of climate change and health including a rapidly warming planet, pandemic preparedness, food security and nutrition, innovation, research and development, gender, and conflict.

AHAIC 2023 comes against the backdrop of renewed calls by African leaders for more urgent action against climate change as its impacts continue to be acutely felt on the continent. At the heart of the conference will be sessions curated to find sustainable and inclusive solutions to Africas most pressing climate change and health challenges.

African nations remain particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We are already feeling the effects of deteriorating global health through extreme weather events and food insecurity, limited access to clean water, and frequent epidemics. Yet these issues remain on the periphery of climate conversations despite the existence of scientific evidence that climate change threatens our well-being, said Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health, Rwanda.

As the world inches closer to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (https://bit.ly/40zcTEI) deadline, African leaders at the conference will be urging the global community to renew its commitments to end poverty and improve health and wellbeing while at the same time protecting the planet.

With a youthful population of 1.2 billion people likely to bear the brunt of climate change, participants at the conference will also be advocating for more resources to be allocated to resolving the global health and climate crises as the world slowly emerges from the three-year grip of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we remain cautiously optimistic about the worlds ability to prevent and withstand the next global pandemic, we must also be cognisant that we cannot survive what we do not prepare for. It is, therefore, imperative that we come together to find solutions to todays and tomorrows challenges while we still have the opportunity. Together with Member States and partners such as Amref, the Africa CDC will continue to implement the New Public Health Order to drive Africas health security, said Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, Acting Director General, Africa CDC.

AHAIC 2023 aims to shape a joint African position on climate and health ahead of critical conversations that will take place at the World Health Assembly (http://bit.ly/3li1xF6), the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) (https://bit.ly/3HyMrlO), and the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) (https://bit.ly/3XdM6eh) later in the year.

The conference will kick off with the AHAIC 2023 Wogging event on 5th March to coincide with the Kigali Car Free Day, which takes place every first and third Sunday of the month as part of efforts to make Kigali a green city and to fight non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This will be followed by three days of plenaries, high level meetings, workshops and networking sessions that will take place from 6th to 8th March.

Partager et informez vous aussi......

0 shares Share

Tweet

LinkedIn

Articles similaires
Hope of finding work is the leading factor driving people to join fast-growing violent extremist groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report launched today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Among nearly 2,200 interviewees, one-quarter of voluntary recruits cited job opportunities as their primary reason for joining, while 40 percent said they were in urgent need of livelihoods at the time of recruitmenta 92 percent increase from the findings of a groundbreaking 2017 UNDP study (https://bit.ly/3XashEw).

Religion came as the third reason for joining, cited by 17 percent  a 57 percent decrease from the 2017 findings, with a majority of recruits admitting to having limited knowledge of religious texts.

Nearly half of the respondents cited a specific trigger event pushing them to join violent extremist groups, with a striking 71 percent pointing to human rights abuse, often conducted by state security forces, as the tipping point.

Sub-Saharan Africa has become the new global epicenter of violent extremism with 48% of global terrorism deaths in 2021. This surge not only adversely impacts lives, security and peace, but also threatens to reverse hard-won development gains for generations to come. Security-driven counter-terrorism responses are often costly and minimally effective, yet investments in preventive approaches to violent extremism are woefully inadequate. The social contract between states and citizens must be reinvigorated to tackle root causes of violent extremism, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said.

Journey to Extremism in Africa: Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement draws from interviews with nearly 2,200 people in eight countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan. More than 1,000 interviewees are former members of violent extremist groups, both voluntary and forced recruits.

The report explores pathways out of violent extremism, identifying factors that push or pull recruits to disengage. Interviewees most often cited unmet expectations, particularly financial expectations, and lack of trust in the groups leadership as their main reasons for leaving. It also presents gendered data to understand violent extremism from the perspective of women.

Research shows that those who decide to disengage from violent extremism are less likely to re-join and recruit others. This is why its so important to invest in incentives that enable disengagement. Local communities play a pivotal role in supporting sustainable pathways out of violent extremism, along with national governments amnesty programmes, UNDP Preventing Violent Extremism technical lead in Africa Nirina Kiplagat said.

To counter and prevent violent extremism, the report recommends greater investment in basic services including child welfare; education; quality livelihoods; and investing in young men and women. It also calls for scaling-up exit opportunities and investment in rehabilitation and community-based reintegration services.

This report is part of a series of three reports (https://bit.ly/3YqTcNu) on the prevention of violent extremism, including the report, Dynamics of Violent Extremism in Africa: Conflict Ecosystems, Political Ecology, and the Spread of the Proto-State which analyses the latest dynamics of violent extremist groups in Sub-Saharan Africa and provides recommendations for specific development actions.

Partager et informez vous aussi......

0 shares Share

Tweet

LinkedIn

Articles similaires
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is conducting a training on Undercover and Surveillance Techniques in Mauritius this week. This is the DEAs third training in partnership with law enforcement agencies in Mauritius.

The opening ceremony for the training took place on Monday morning at the Mauritius Revenue Authorities (MRA) headquarters, Port Louis Port Terminal, in the presence of Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Finance Minister Renganaden Padayachy, U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires Satrajit Sardar, MRA Director-General Sudhamo Lal and Vivekanand Ramburun, the Director of the Customs Department at the MRA.

This initiative is part of the United States governments Western Indian Ocean Island Nations Counternarcotics Project, which was launched in 2022 to partner with Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, and Seychelles on enhancing the capacity of law enforcement to work together to combat illicit criminal activity and disrupt drug trafficking networks.

This effort follows the commitments made at the recent U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to invest, along with our African partners, to implement and sustain security sector capacity and reforms.

During his remarks at the opening ceremony, U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires said,

Out of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit emerged a number of key commitments reflecting the strength of the U.S-Africa partnership. This regional effort to work alongside Mauritius and other countries is just one sign of the investments commitment of the United States is making, along with support our African partners, to implement and sustain gains in security.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said,

I am grateful to the Drug Enforcement Administration for developing the capacity of our officers in the fight against drug trafficking. A training course on Narcotics Investigations was held in February 2018 at the MRA Training Academy and another one on Combatting Drug Trafficking in April 2022. These training courses were highly beneficial to Officers from the Mauritius Police Force , the Forensic Science Laboratory, and Customs. I express my deep gratitude to the US Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the US Embassy in Mauritius for their unflinching support in our capacity building endeavors.

The course will consist of classroom-based instructions and practical exercises, which will simulate a complex drug investigation covering several locations.

Four DEA instructors from Virginia, two DEA agents from Maputo, two DEA agents from Dar es Salaam, one DEA Diversion Manager from Cape Town, and one Regional Representative from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) have come to Mauritius to assist with the training this week. This year, the DEA and law enforcement entities in Mauritius will work side by side with counterparts in Madagascar, Comoros, and Seychelles.

Partager et informez vous aussi......

0 shares Share

Tweet

LinkedIn

Articles similaires
Jumeirah Mina A'Salam, Madinat Jumeirah's boutique beachfront retreat, is ready to reveal the extensive refurbishment of its rooms, suites, ballrooms and Amal Club Lounge.

The new look and enhanced ambience was created with discerning travellers in mind. Tasteful yet striking, the aesthetic has been skillfully crafted to ensure cohesiveness with the property's traditional Arabesque exteriors.

Large windows mean rooms are bathed in natural light and cooled by a fresh sea breeze, while a neutral colour palette and mesmerising views of the beach, combined with Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts' signature amenities and bedding, create a sense of tranquillity. Occasional pops of colour enliven the soothing environment.

Guests keen to wake up to the soothing sounds of the waves can stay in the Royal Suite. A favourite among loyal patrons, it transports visitors to another level of comfort. Upon entering its expansive living and dining area, they will first notice its sumptuous artwork and ornate detailing before being drawn to the outdoor terrace, greeted by majestic views of the sea and Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Featuring a grand marble-clad bathroom, with a private steam room, walk-in rainfall shower and bath, the Royal Suite is unlike any other.

The new Presidential Suite meanwhile features two lavish bedrooms with grand marble-clad bathrooms and waterfront living areas. Boasting multiple balconies including a spacious terrace with a built-in jacuzzi, shower area and sun loungers, the suite offers spectacular uninterrupted views of the Arabian Gulf and Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. All of Jumeirah Mina A'Salam's suite and club rooms receive exclusive access to the hotel's redesigned Amal Club Lounge where they are spoilt for choice with unrivalled benefits.

Completing the refurbishment programme are the private ballrooms Majlis Al Salam and Majlis Al Mina, which now reflect the rooms and suites' neutral colour palette and timeless look. Accessible through the hotel lobby or a private entrance, both ballrooms are multi-purpose venues which can be divided into two or three spaces to fit all conference and event requirements.

The property recently also welcomed Margaux, a Parisian-inspired patisserie which offers delicate sweets crafted by the acclaimed executive pastry chef Alexandre Dufeu.

To wrap up a memorable stay, guests can wind through the resort's waterways on an abra, browse a series of temporary exhibitions in the hotel lobby's gallery and shop in Souk Madinat, which is inspired by traditional markets.

Hotel website
London, UK - The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has today revealed positive signs of recovery for the Indian Travel & Tourism sector with travellers heading back to its major cities.

The report, sponsored by Visa and researched in partnership with Oxford Economics, analysed key indicators such as Travel & Tourisms contribution to GDP, employment and traveller spend.

The analysis of key indicators in Delhi and Mumbai shows that Travel & Tourisms direct contribution to both cities GDP, jobs and visitor spending are all bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels.

The WTTC Cities Economic Impact Report shows that in 2019, the citys Travel & Tourism sector contributed almost 36,200 crore to Delhis economy and more than 25,000 crore to Mumbais.

But the pandemic then had a damaging effect on Indias national economy as the border closed to overseas visitors.

In 2020, both cities Travel & Tourisms GDP contribution dropped by almost half, falling to 19,000 crore in Delhi, and more than 13,500 crore in Mumbai.

Over the last two years, since the border reopened, both cities have witnessed a significant recovery.

In 2022, Delhis sector is expected to have grown to 32,400 crore, while Mumbai Travel & Tourisms sector is forecast to be worth just under 22,500 crore, just 10% below 2019 levels.

Jobs on the rise

In 2019 there were more than 10 lakh people employed by the Travel & Tourism sector in Delhi. In 2020 this figure dropped to just over 6.6 lakh (-35%). But in 2021, employment grew by more than 12% and is expected to have grown at a similar rate in 2022 to reach more than 8.4 lakh in 2022.

In Mumbai, its a similar picture.

Before the pandemic, there were almost 3.6 lakh Travel & Tourism jobs, but this number fell by over 1 lakh to just over 2.4 lakh 2020. An 11% rise in 2021 saw the number increase to almost 2.7 lakh.

WTTC is forecasting a similar growth in 2022 to reach more than 3 lakh jobs  just 15% below pre-pandemic levels.

India is an increasingly popular global tourist destination and following more than two years of disruption, its great to see tourists are heading to the country once again.



Our recent Economic Impact Research showed that we expect India to overtake Germany to become the worlds third most powerful Travel & Tourism market by 2032, and that its sector will outpace the overall economy every year for the next decade.



But its crucial that the government and local decision makers in individual cities continue to recognise the economic importance of Travel & Tourism for the local and national economies, jobs and businesses. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO

The report also shows that the sectors contribution to both cities will more than double over the next decade. According to the WTTC forecast, Delhis Travel & Tourism sector is expected to contribute almost 80,000crore, while Mumbais will provide an annual boost of more than 54,000 crore by 2032.

For further information please contact the WTTC Press Office at [email protected]

To access the Cities Economic Impact Report, sponsored by Visa, please visit wttc.org

About WTTC

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector.

WTTC Press Office

WTTC
ARLINGTON, Va. - Knowland, the worlds leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, announced today that the Phoenix, Arizona market led the U.S. meetings and events industry by volume for January. Second place went to Orlando, with Washington DC taking third. The leading industry driver for meetings was Technology across four of the top five markets.

Knowland is the only company to track ongoing meetings and events in the industry. Its data provides sales teams with unique insight into what markets and drivers are leading the industry each month to shift market share and build their sales base. This data is a subset of Knowlands pipeline generation platform designed to help hoteliers build and protect a hotels booking base whether they are selling corporate and group business with seasoned sales professionals or new trainees.

Year-over-Year Comparison  January 2023 increased 88.9 percent over January 2022. Additionally, January realized 11.1 percent growth over 2019.

 January 2023 increased 88.9 percent over January 2022. Additionally, January realized 11.1 percent growth over 2019. Top five markets (by volume)  Phoenix was in the lead hosting primarily Pharma/Biotechnology, followed by Healthcare and Financial/Banking. Orlando closed out the month with Technology groups at the top and Healthcare and Pharma coming in second and third. The next three markets, Washington, DC, Atlanta, and Dallas rounded out the top five markets. The chart below provides additional insight into the top drivers for these markets.

Source: The Knowland Group

 Phoenix was in the lead hosting primarily Pharma/Biotechnology, followed by Healthcare and Financial/Banking. Orlando closed out the month with Technology groups at the top and Healthcare and Pharma coming in second and third. The next three markets, Washington, DC, Atlanta, and Dallas rounded out the top five markets. The chart below provides additional insight into the top drivers for these markets. Top Five Markets (by percentage growth)  Buffalo, NY; San Juan, PR; Raleigh-Durham, NC; Tulsa, OK; and Detroit, MI realized the largest percentage growth over January 2022.

The United States meetings and events business is back, growing both year over year and over historical baseline years. The January number seems a bit outlandish but it illustrates how much Omicron impacted that month. As we move deeper into the year the comparisons will tighten. Looking at the growth markets, its nice to see tertiary markets with the largest growth. These should be exciting to watch in the coming months as growth spreads even more. Kristi White, chief product officer, Knowland

About the Data: Insights presented are a result of the analysis of meetings and events data acquired through Knowland data collection and aggregation methods, including field reporting and automated methods of customer and non-customer data collection in primary, secondary, and tertiary markets, as well as its large historical database.

ABOUT KNOWLAND

Knowland is the world's leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality. With the industry's largest historical database of actualized events, thousands of customers trust Knowland to sell group smarter and maximize their revenue. Knowland operates globally and is headquartered just outside Washington, DC. To learn more about our solutions, visit www.knowland.com or follow us on Twitter @knowlandgroup.

Kim Dearborn

+1 909 455 4316
A very warm welcome to this latest edition of the Horwath HTL Poland Hotels and Chains report.

Over the last 20 years or so, branded hotel products have started to become more and more prevalent in Europe and the Middle East. We are still nowhere near North America when it comes to brand penetration, but the industry has been moving in that direction.

In many ways, 2022 saw an extraordinary recovery. RevPAR levels in many destinations reached pre-19 numbers, and for the first time in a very long time, a significant amount of this was driven by increases in room rates.

Key Points

After COVID-19, the number of chain hotels in Poland grew by 7% (2019 vs 2022) due to previously started projects. According to original plans of investors this growth should have been much higher but many projects were stopped due to problems with financing.

The importance of international chain hotels grew. In 2022, they are 50% of all chain hotels in Poland with much bigger number of rooms than domestic chains.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the best results in terms of occupancy and ADR were achieved by resort destinations, where domestic guests were the overwhelming majority.

Chain hotels are still interested in entering resort destinations

International hotel chains are more interested in opening hotels in resort destinations. In 2020, a new Radisson Blu was opened in Szklarska Poreba and another Radisson was announced in Ostroda (Masuria District). Moreover, 2 Movenpick hotels have been announced, one in Zakopane (to be opened in 2023).

We expect COVID-19 will stop popularity of lease agreements.

Due to the COVID-19, we expect less interest in lease agreements based on fix rates. Operators will rather focus on variable rents. Preferred currency is PLN.

About Horwath HTL

Horwath HTL is focused one hundred percent on hospitality, tourism, and leisure consulting. Our services cover every aspect of hotel real estate investment, tourism, and leisure development. Our clients choose Horwath HTL because we have earned a reputation for impartial advice that will often mean the difference between failure and success. Each client project is unique, and they rely on us to utilize the experience we have gained throughout our 100-year history to assist them in achieving their goals. Being a global firm with 52 offices in 40 countries, we have successfully carried out over 40,000 assignments for both public and private clients. As part of the Crowe Global network, a top-ten accounting, and financial services network, Horwath HTL is the number one choice for companies and financial institutions looking to invest and develop in the industry.

For more information, please visit www.horwathhtl.com.

Stephanie Henley

Horwath
THE removal of Gokwe Nembudziya legislator Justice Mayor Wadyajena (Zanu PF) from remand after a Harare magistrate ruled that the legislator had no case to answer following money-laundering and fraud charges has sparked outrage.

Many, who were shocked about the development, described it as yet another example of judicial capture by the Zanu PF-led government.

On Monday, Harare regional magistrate Taurai Manuwere ruled that Wadyajena had no case to answer because the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission had failed to give enough evidence to prove his guilt.

Reacting to the ruling, some Zimbabweans expressed dismay saying the judicial system was protecting the rich, while punishing the poor.

This and all other cases involving the political elite clearly shows how the Judiciary has become powerless against those with power. If one compares this with how opposition and civil society activists are treated, then you see how the Judiciary has been reduced to a partisan entity that advances the interests of the ruling elite against the common good, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson Peter Mutasa said.

The case of (Citizens Coalition for Change Zengeza West MP) Job Sikhala, Zimbabwes latest political prisoner, shows how the law is applied selectively. It is now a circus and the greatest loser is the Judiciary, which has a lot to do to redeem itself from this commonly held view of Zimbabweans that it is captured and partisan.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure said: I was shocked to learn that in the Wadyajena case, the courts ruled that six months before trial was an unjustified delay. I have been on remand for four years with no trial date. We have made over 40 applications of refusal of further remand to no avail.

Masaraure added: The courts have thrown out each one of the applications we have made. The State keeps on asking for more time to investigate. The allegations were that I posted subversive material on social media. Thats not a complex case to investigate compared to Wadyajenas corruption case. In six months, Wadyajena, who is accused of corruption, is removed from remand, but in four years, I remain on remand accused of posting on social media.

Political analyst Vivid Gwede said: What stands out is not this single case of Wadyajena per se, but its relation to comparable cases in the same court system. The irony is, there are similar cases of opposition and civil society activists where accused persons are being held in pre-trial detention, or on lengthy remand on lesser allegations without evidence or at least speedy prosecution. This is raising public concerns about the courts treating people differently according to political affiliations. It is a travesty of justice. Newsday
BETHESDA, MD. - In just three months since launching the MDO Sustainability Calculator and Certification, 15 hotel management companies comprising more than 1,500 hotels have qualified, and their collective efforts are saving 743 trees and 134 cubic feet of landfill waste annually.

The MDO Sustainability Certification was launched in November 2022 as a way to shine the spotlight on hotel owners and operators dedicated to reducing their environmental footprint, and its rapid adoption demonstrates the industrys accelerated action around ESG efforts. Companies such as Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Commonwealth Hotels, Remington Hotels, McNeill Hotel Company, and Apple REIT have received certification. These companies have each adopted a paperless night audit process, which moves critical financial documents into a secure, digital environment for storage and compliance. The process can be directly correlated to significant reduction in tree and forest harvesting.

According to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA), to keep pace with the targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, the global hotel industry needs to reduce carbon emissions per room per year by 66% by 2030 and 90% by 2050. Leading hotel companies have aligned themselves with science-based target initiatives (SBTi), which manage emissions reductions and net-zero commitments. Many hotel companies have adopted near-term targets on the path to achieving net zero.

In addition to helping its partners eliminate printing, MDO has a longstanding tradition of planting one tree for every hotel that is currently live on MDOs myDocs Digital Document Management solution. This year, 2,600 new trees were planted through the National Forest Foundation of Missoula, Montana.

Since MDO began measuring the effects of moving its customer base to digital document management in 2018, the collective impact on the environment has been substantial. As of January 2023, MDO and its customers efforts contributed to saving 45,470 trees, 7,653 cubic yards of landfill, and 17,393,592 gallons of wastewater.

Adopting digital document management alongside MDO is one step we are taking as a company to reduce our impact on the environment, and were proud of the measurable results highlighted in MDOs Sustainability Certification. Travis Murray, president at McNeill Hotel Company

In addition to the sustainability results, calculations show that a company with 10 hotels that adopts a Paperless Night Audit process averages $8,220 in cost savings in the first year. To see what your company could be saving by adopting digital document management, interact with the MDO Sustainability Calculator.

About MDO

myDigitalOffice (MDO) is the world's fastest-growing hotel data platform, providing nearly 10,000 hotel owners and operators across the globe with centralized, digital access to their most critical documents and cross-functional performance metrics. Through integrated data feeds, document workflow management, and award-winning custom dashboards, hoteliers are able to reach greater levels of profitability by operating more efficiently, improving budgeting and forecasting, and reducing their environmental impact. Learn more at www.mdo.io.

Bill Carney

CMO

(508) 685-8545

View source
Blockchain technology allows for secure, decentralized, and transparent data recording, making it an attractive solution for various industries, including ours. It can be used to track and distribute rewards points, coupons, or other loyalty program benefits, verify customer identities, prevent fraud, and improve the efficiency of supply chain management. Another potential use of blockchain in travel is in the area of customer identity management to create secure and decentralized systems for storing and sharing customer information (such as passport and visa details), not to mention the obvious use of digital payments and transactions, luggage tracking, NFTs rewards, tokenization, collaborations with crypto-artists, utility NFTs, and so on.

In the hospitality and airline industries, moreover, decentralized systems can be used to manage the distribution of hotel rooms and flight seats, leading to better pricing and inventory management and -eventually- increased revenue. Several companies, such as LockChain, BeeToken, and Winding Tree, are already combining the blockchain and the travel spaces. They have been using decentralization to improve various aspects of the industry for some time now. However, its been only over the last couple of years that I've seen the technology's most intriguing (and possible) potential outside of the usual hype.

Takyon

The first company that piqued my interest was Takyon, a "Travel Exchange" that allows guests to buy and sell travel as easily as they would a bag or an iPhone. The platform offers a "Resellable Rate" feature, a prepaid, non-refundable booking that can be purchased directly from hotel websites at an average of 20% cheaper than refundable rates. Users receive an email with an NFT representing their booking when they purchase it. This NFT can then be connected to the Travel Exchange, where users can resell their travel at a price of their own, creating a virtuous circle of decentralized micro-economy.

We're creating something new: a secondary market for travel bookings. We're not building a booking platform, as there are already hotel websites and online travel agencies where people can book rooms. Instead, we're enhancing the customer experience by upgrading the non-refundable rate to a resellable rate, allowing travelers to resell their rooms, just as they would with any physical goods, on our Travel Exchange. All this is being done while removing the traditional barriers to Web3 adoption, such as the need for a wallet or crypto payment. We believe that NFT and blockchain should enable, not block, innovation. Antonio Picozzi, CEO and co-Founder of Takyon

Pinktada

The latest edition of Florence BTO, the leading event in Italy for digital tourism, innovation, and training, allowed me to meet with Lyon Hardgrave, CEO and Co-Founder at Pinktada. Like Takyon, Pinkdata leverages blockchain technology to revolutionize how people book hotel rooms. The platform provides guests with virtual hotel room tours before making a reservation and allows for the exchange or sale of reservations in the event of a change in plans. This user-centric approach also benefits accommodation providers by allowing them to receive full payment upfront and showcase their facilities and unique features. The main distinction between Pinktada and other platforms is using tokens to represent individual hotel nights, which can be combined or decomposed to create or modify a hotel reservation. For example, a guest could book a 7-night stay (7 tokens each representing a specific date and room type) but then sell back the last two nights if they need to leave early. If there is an increase in the sale price, Pinktada shares 30% of the profits with the hotel, and the transaction is transparent and secure through blockchain. Hotels have complete visibility and access to the secondary marketplace and can even bid to buy back their rooms for special events or groups. In a secondary trade, hotels have no downside, and they can receive a portion of the profits if the reservation sells for a higher rate.

With room tokenization, both hotels and travelers benefit. The system offers the combination of a non-refundable rate with complete flexibility to exchange or sell bookings on the marketplace. Each hotel night is represented as an individual token (RNT), making reservations decomposable and allowing travelers to sell or exchange them, fully or partially. By eliminating intermediaries, moreover, the marketplace is highly efficient and less expensive than online travel agencies. Lyon Hardgrave, CEO and Co-Founder at Pinktada

The main idea behind these blockchain-infused destination marketplaces is to reduce friction in the hotel booking space and create value from bookings that are currently "dead" hotel assets. By creating bookings liquidity, hotels, and travelers can benefit from more flexibility and an improved booking experience.

All these companies aim to democratize travel and hospitality through blockchain technology and machine learning. In addition, they aim to eliminate friction in the hotel booking process and eventually reduce dependency on third-party platforms such as OTAs, bedbanks, and wholesalers.

Decentralized marketplaces aim to allow people to purchase rooms that may not be purchasable in a traditional market. Currently, if a hotel is fully booked, users have no access to the property, and there is no secondary market like traditional ticketing to increase the price and acquire a room. Travelers can purchase rooms ahead of time and sell them at a higher price, creating liquidity and allowing them to become revenue managers.

These marketplaces' primary adoption blocker may be the lack of a seamless user experience. Users should be able to sign up with a wallet, and the flow should be consistent with the current booking path. The wallet is the entry point, and the marketplace operates similarly to eBay. The UI needs to be user-friendly and familiar to non-crypto users.

However, from a European perspective, the main issue is that many properties still run on old legacy systems, and there are challenges with integrating channel managers. Although revolutionary, it is difficult to see an on-premise, spaghetti-code PMS integrating with a decentralized distribution system anytime soon.

The idea of decentralized marketplaces is revolutionary. For instance, if a hotel sells a room for $200, and an event or concert comes up, the price for that night can increase. If the traveler who bought the room resells it for $500, will it create value for the hotel and the reseller? The procedure benefits resellability, and this is an excellent benefit for the end user that does not exist currently. Although there is a need and demand for it, it has yet to be technologically feasible for scalable use.

This could be considered the normal evolution of room distribution, particularly for crypto-native generations. If we look at the evolution of ticketing, for example, most people no longer go to the direct primary market to book a Depeche Mode concert ticket; they go to a third party like Ticketmaster. This has evolved into secondary markets. Decentralized marketplaces could follow a similar evolutionary path.

Decentralized marketplaces could become the Ticketmaster of the travel and hospitality industry. If this will be a good or a bad thing, that's another story, and time will tell.
Recently I conducted a detailed 360-degree analysis of Revenue Management technology available in the hospitality industry today. About 30 vendors were analyzed (yes, we have that many RMS vendors, its not just between iDeas and Duetto). Feel free to reach out via email or LinkedIn for the full report, but heres the outline of the main conclusions that resulted from this research.

Let's put it this way: there's a lot of potential for existing RMS vendors to improve their products in order to catch up with the real needs of a modern hotelier.

Everyone would agree that the hospitality industry has drastically changed in the last 10 years. And it will continue changing at a more rapid pace. But while hoteliers are readapting to the new environment in an attempt to become more efficient, successful and profitable  legacy tech vendors dont seem to be able to catch up to these new needs.

Most aspects of their functionality (forecasting, pricing, segmentation, etc.) are built in the pre-covid era. But do those strategies still work? Are they optimal and do they actually drive ROI and improve operating efficiencies and profitability for hospitality businesses? Or does our new reality dictate a new approach? Can we do better? Each of those existing vendors need to ask themselves these questions critically so that they are able to truly understand what works and what doesnt and enhance their products to ensure that they correspond to the new model of our reality and the transformed needs and wants of hospitality businesses.

Hoteliers have a lot of questions, too. How do we maximize profit? How do we ensure that our forecasts are reliable? How do we track costs? How do we incorporate our revenue management decisions into our marketing strategies? etc. And when they ask these questions, theyre starting to understand that all answers are in the data, not in Tarot cards, not in the movement of celestial bodies, and not in coffee grounds. Theyre starting to turn to data to help them make the right decisions. And for that, they need to understand how to find the right data, how to access it, how to analyze it and how to store it. And the right technology should be there to help them with all those things. But its not there yet.

Technology is key to successful operations. And logically, as Revenue Management is gaining in importance in our industry, as the main data-driven discipline  Revenue Management technology will become the centerpiece of the hotel tech stack once it gains the necessary amount of functionality described further in this article. Revenue Management technology will be reimagined and possibly also renamed. Something like Revenue and Profit Optimization Platform seems like a more suitable term. Further I explain why.

RM tech providers are now challenged to do more, faster and be more innovative. A few of these 30 vendors will keep up with the evolution of the industry and the transformed needs of the modern hotelier, but many wont. I have my opinion about which ones will make it (no, I wont share it in this article). I want to believe that this opinion is somewhat objective because its based on the most recent and most thorough industry research that anybody has ever conducted.

There are a number of Revenue Management software solutions being offered on the global hospitality tech market today. They are all aimed at solving the same problem  to assist hotels with strategic revenue optimization decisions and improve operational efficiency. But none of them, in my opinion, have what it takes to be called a next-generation Revenue and Profit Optimization Platform. Not yet at least.

Heres a list of 7 items that most solutions are missing. Though I wouldnt dare to consider this list entirely comprehensive.

Profit optimization

Im not going into discussing how some stakeholders in our industry only care about the top line room revenue, it is outside of the scope of this article. But the main problem is that those who do care about profit (the actual business owners) dont really have a way to properly track and maximize their bottom line because we dont have the right technology to help them with that. Thats our reality and its kind of sad.

Some of you may remember the times when hotels were targeting occupancy in their revenue strategy (that was before dynamic pricing became a thing). Then, at the next stage of its evolution, the Revenue Management discipline started revolving around RevPAR. And now is the time to move on to another level by accepting the drawbacks of the old RevPAR-centric approach and embracing the new profit-oriented paradigm.

As a result of the pandemic, proper cost control became a matter of survival for many. The industry was also forced to start innovating by developing new sources of revenue, improving efficiencies, while at the same time, it also incurred additional costs related to employee and guest health concerns. Unfortunately, it took a major disruptive force to get us on the right track when it comes to properly running our businesses.

Whether we like it or not, every single decision Revenue Managers take on a daily basis has an impact on the bottom line. That dictates the need for the Revenue Management discipline to not just concentrate on optimizing the room revenue stream, but ultimately on increasing profitability. Thats why Revenue Management has to be the central piece of the profitability puzzle, as it has the power to solve the problem of profit maximization.

Here are major gaps that exist in the current Revenue Management technology pertaining to profit optimization (or lack thereof):

Algorithms (every single one of them) target RevPAR maximization, not profit. It is a huge problem because those are 2 very different metrics and they can actually go in opposite directions.

Variable costs are not taken into account during pricing and inventory optimization decisions (this pertains to both: operating and distribution costs)

Ancillary revenues are also ignored

In summary, the way RMSs were built and have been functioning is not yet adapted to the profit optimization needs of hotel owners. Some vendors have made steps in the right direction but none actually solve for it properly. The new-generation RMS (or RPOP rather) needs to be able to finally address this.

The lack of the profit-oriented functionality also contributes to the problem of different departments of hospitality businesses working in silos as they dont use the same metrics to assess their performance and often contradict each other in their initiatives. We lack tools that aid different operating departments in understanding what actions to take in their daily activities that will lead to profit maximization, which is the ultimate goal of running a business.

And that leads us to the next topic.

Collaboration between departments

As we have already established, we cant keep running our businesses the same way we were before. And one mistake we cant repeat is not having any synergy between departments (operations, marketing, sales, revenue management, finance, etc.).

You might recognize a typical scenario in a traditional hotel company: RM department targets RevPAR, Marketing drives room nights for stay dates that dont correspond to need dates, Sales team books groups over high demand periods without checking with RMs, Operations worry about cutting costs, while the owner cares about cash flow. Everyone is pulling the cart in their own direction and theres no synergy whatsoever. This has been happening in many organizations in our industry for many, many years.

Revenue and Profit Optimization technology of the future needs to help hospitality businesses to solve the problem of departmental misalignment and aid in collaboration of those departments by becoming a Platform instead of just another siloed piece of the puzzle. Revenue and Profit Optimization Platform.

How will this happen?

Again, its all about data. And analytics is our future. And due to the growing importance of data, technology, and analytics, what we are witnessing today is the role of the Revenue Management department is being redefined and reimagined to become a more central discipline that drives the decision-making for the entire hospitality business. The Revenue Management (aka Revenue and Profit Optimization) department is becoming a critical piece of the puzzle as will Revenue Management technology that needs to help glue everything together and feed the information and decisions to other parts of the organism (where in most cases, profitability is the ultimate goal) with all departments working towards the same metric. To illustrate:

Source: Ira Vouk Hospitality 2.0 Consulting

So helping build a revenue and profit optimization culture in each hospitality organization with the help of technology is crucial as it is crucial to ensure that all elements are working in sync towards the same goal (or goals).

While we have (somewhat) solved for aligning RM with Sales via add-ons used for group pricing quotes or corporate business assessments, the links are still missing between RM and everything else.

For example: how many modern RMS systems incorporate historic marketing campaigns data into forecasting projections? Im sure Im not the only person in the industry who understands that running a promo or a marketing campaign affects the propertys demand patterns, which means that this data needs to be taken into account to adjust future forecasts and also suggest parameters for future campaigns with the ultimate goal of profit maximization. But nobody has solved for that (yet).

Another major missing link is between RM and Operations. For some reason, existing RMS systems dont incorporate functionality to assist with optimal staff scheduling, optimizing occupancy that would lead to maximum profits by minimizing operating costs, and everything else that would have to do with maximizing operating efficiency of the business.

To summarize, the new-generation Revenue and Profit Optimization technology needs to be viewed as a Platform that unites different departments and aids in overall business optimization rather than just another add-on that sits on top of a pile of other tools.

Intelligent automation of meta CPC/CPA/CPS bids

In line with the overall trend of different departments merging and starting to work closer together, DORMs (directors of revenue management, as theyre currently called) are starting to take on more tasks that previously were delegated to marketers. Heres how MSEs (metasearch engines) fit in this picture, with Google of course being the most prominent player.

As you know, metasearch works with a number of different models: CPC (cost-per-click), CPA (cost-per-acquisition), and recently  CPS, aka PPS (commission-per-stay or pay-per-stay).

Today, as Googles share in the search engine market reached about 92 percent, making it an absolute leader (travel sector included)  Revenue Management technology vendors cant continue ignoring the fact that it will soon become our main distribution channel.

Heres the thing. I believe all readers are familiar with Googles vertical search products  Google Hotels and Google VRs, right? So while Google is not ready to crawl down the reservation funnel and start handling transactions between the consumer and the supplier (like traditional OTAs do), their main goal and the ultimate North Star is to have the best place for travelers to make their booking decision. And the way theyre planning to achieve that is by having the best, most comprehensive, most up-to-date, and most accurate information about the availability and prices in the market on those vertical search pages.

With that ambition in mind, Google is actively reaching out to hotel companies and independent booking engine providers asking for direct integration and bypassing OTAs. As more and more of them get connected directly to Google Hotel search, the more the scale will lean towards this MSE giant and away from OTAs.

It won't be long before we start noticing the change. Google has a very strong potential to start helping hoteliers funnel more traffic to direct channels in the very near future. As Im sure youre aware (and this is very important) that listing a hotel on Google Hotel or Google VR vertical search page is FREE. Remember, their goal is to have the most comprehensive marketplace and thats the only way they can achieve that.

And for those who would like to boost visibility and increase conversion, Google offers an option to pay for ads via CPC/CPA/CPS. The main difference between Googles commission (or any other meta channel for that matter) and that of an OTA is that it is flexible and is fully controlled by the bidder. What does it mean? It means that intelligent fluctuation of meta bids will become part of the next-generation RMS optimization decisions.

The sooner this happens  the better for hospitality businesses. Because Google will become the ultimate travel decision-making platform, and nobody will be able to compete. Google will own metasearch, because they own the search, period. Other metasearch engines like Tripadvisor and Trivago still rely on search traffic coming through Google.

Considering the above, that model (Google as the main distribution channel) may prove to be much more advantageous for hospitality businesses as it provides more control to the hotelier. But whats more important is that we need to start considering how we can bring the Revenue Management discipline and the marketing discipline together as Hotel Ads become a part of our revenue and profit optimization strategy

in the same way Revenue Managers have been overseeing OTA distribution for the last two decades.

The Revenue and Profit Optimization Platform of the future needs to incorporate algorithms for intelligent automation of CPC/CPA/CPS bids on meta channels that would be tied to the forecasted demand levels with the ultimate goal of targeting profit optimization.

Forward-looking destination data incorporated into forecasting

As you may be aware, being able to anticipate demand levels for every day in the future (365 days out or even further) is the basis for any revenue and profit optimization strategy and budget planning.

The pandemic made it obvious (and painful) to hoteliers that in any situation that poses uncertainty, it is crucial to quickly develop and deploy strategies to adapt to both short- and long-term shifts in demand. But heres the thing. Travel demand has always been uncertain, and history never repeats itself. Recent events just highlighted this fact for all of us and have been pushing the industry towards more innovations in the areas of forecasting and optimization. But very few RMS vendors seem to be able to catch on with that.

Now that the industry has come to this understanding, its time to build a better model of our reality that can incorporate the uncertainty in a more optimal manner. Its time to rebuild our forecasting methods altogether. Last year I published an article on this subject where you can find more details.

As you may be aware, the traditional method of constrained and unconstrained demand forecasting estimates the quantity of rooms to be sold, using historic reservation data. There are two major problems with this approach that is used in most traditional RM systems:

This approach is not about predicting true demand, its about predicting occupancy. It is absolutely ignoring the hotels pricing strategy, and this is a big problem because in real life, the price set by the hotel fully controls the resulting occupancy levels. This is a basic principle that most RMS algorithms are currently not taking into account. Forecasting occupancy irrespective of pricing is irrelevant in todays world. In our current reality, when prices change every day (and in many cases, every hour) occupancy no longer correlates with market demand because its affected by our pricing strategy. This approach relies on the repetitive nature of historic reservation patterns. At this point, I dont think I should go on explaining what is wrong with this. It must be obvious to anyone whos been paying attention to recent global events.

While the traditional approach to forecasting served us well for a few decades, its time to let it go and build a new one because it is no longer relevant.

Because proper forecasting is the foundation of revenue and profit optimization, the discipline (and the technology together with it) cant continue evolving optimally until we realize that we need a new way to forecast that reflects our new reality. The following needs to happen:

First of all: demand measurement and demand forecasting need to take into account price expectations and price elasticity. So we need to move from measuring my hotels booking volumes to all hotels booking volumes and customers price expectations. Second: true market Demand measurements are only possible when external forward-looking market data is available. Relying on consistent patterns of historic internal booking curves is the main reason why most RMS algorithms fell apart during the pandemic.

External destination data is the upper funnel, forward-looking data that is gathered from the market, outside of the hotel. And its not just compset rates. What Im talking about here is comprehensive market data that allows you to get as close to measuring market potential (and as far away from internal booking curves) as possible.

Examples of such data could be (in addition to the traditional published rates of all hotels in the area/region, which is still valuable): observed volumes of online searches/bookings for future dates in the market (obtained from OTAs or MSEs), events data, air searches and booking volumes, car rental searches and booking volumes, competitive performance, including alternative accommodations, etc. To date, this data has not been properly utilized in RMS forecasting algorithms. Thankfully, due to the development of cloud computing in recent years, more and more market data is becoming available from various providers.

One major source that is still very much underutilized is MSE (metasearch engines) upper funnel search volumes. There is a lot of potential to use it for proactively and dynamically measuring forward-looking market demand. Being able to access this data presents a unique opportunity for building adequate demand patterns, aid in developing much more accurate forecasts, and significantly improving performance. Those who get their hands first on Google hotels search volumes will have a significant competitive advantage. New possibilities are infinite for Revenue Management technology vendors.

The main moral of the story: Revenue and Profit Optimization technology vendors of the future will not be using the old occupancy-based forecasting approach. True estimations of demand are only possible when utilizing external forward-looking market data and then adaptively adjusting as it changes. This leads to reaching your maximum revenue and profit potential. After all, the goal of running a hotel business is not hitting occupancy targets. The goal is maximizing profit.

AI and ML-based algorithms

We are all aware that overall adoption of AI in our industry is still on a very rudimentary level, but one would hope that at least the geekiest tech players who deal with data analysis on a daily basis had it figured out but thats not really the case.

Believe it or not, only a very small number of existing RMS vendors algorithms are truly AI-based, and those are mostly the newest ones. But for the most part, true AI is still very much underutilized in our Revenue Management technology.

Utilizing modern machine learning science should be imperative for any modern RMS (RPOP). When it comes to revenue and profit management, AI and ML make the most sense when applied for the purpose of forecasting (mainly demand forecasting but really anything you want to predict) and optimization (dynamic pricing and other decisions that influence revenue and bottom-line profit).

Whats also worth noting is that RMS algorithms should never be considered fully done. They're living and breathing things and they always need to get better. Once AI is implemented, it needs to continue being tweaked, and ML needs to continue learning. Theres no such thing as a finished product when it comes to those algorithms, which means RMS companies need to continue investing in enhancing them to ensure they keep up with constant transformations in our industry and changing consumer trends.

But the reality is that many legacy RMS solutions are refusing to invest in upgrading their brains while taking advantage of the fact that its practically impossible for the consumer (a hotelier) to verify the quality of the algorithm before the system is actually installed. Many claim they use elements of AI in their products while that is not really the case. Most still use the pricing mathematics that were invented in the 1950s.

Now is the time for AI and machine learning to take over. And it becomes even more critical as we start incorporating more and more data sources we discussed above (big data) into our forecasting and optimization decision-making. We cant do it successfully using our old mathematics, this is where the value of AI and ML is maximized.

There is no doubt Artificial Intelligence will reach wide adoption in our industry in the near future, and especially in the area of data analysis. Theres no way to stop that trend. And those companies that ignore that trend, will fall behind.

Real-time integration with the system of record (PMS or CRS)

Currently, there is only one Revenue Management System vendor that claims to have real-time integration with the system of record (which is normally PMS). Everyone else operates on a set schedule where data exchange happens either once a day or a few times a day. The limitations of existing technologies that result in slow processing of data (on both ends: RMS and PMS) is the main reason for this.

Its quite obvious that these limitations have a significant impact on hotels ability to optimize revenue and profits because these systems do not provide up-to-date information, which can result in incorrect pricing decisions and reduced guest satisfaction. An RMS that is updated only a couple times a day doesnt reflect real-time changes in demand, availability, and room rates, leading to missed opportunities to maximize revenue and profits.

In addition, the limitations on the PMS side can also impact the accuracy of the data used by revenue management systems. If the PMS is unable to provide the necessary information in real-time, the revenue management system doesnt have access to the most recent and accurate data, which can lead to incorrect decisions and reduced profitability.

Moreover, slow processing of data can also impact the guest experience, as incorrect information about room rates and promotions may be communicated to guests. This can result in frustrated guests and a negative impact on guest satisfaction and repeat business.

Therefore, it is crucial for the next-generation Revenue and Profit Optimization Systems (Platforms) to support real-time integrations with PMS/CRS providers in order to ensure accurate and up-to-date data, efficient operations, and improved guest satisfaction.

This will provide a competitive advantage to those vendors that want to stay ahead in a constantly evolving market.

ChatGPT

I have no doubt that one day (very soon) somebody will figure out how to incorporate open AI from ChatGPT or similar algorithms into revenue and profit optimization decision-making.

The capabilities of ChatGPT are mind blowing. It can be used to drive revenue by upselling and cross-selling hotel services and amenities, suggesting dining options or spa services to guests based on their preferences and past behaviors. It can provide real-time insights and predictions to help hotels optimize pricing and inventory. By analyzing guest behaviors and market trends, ChatGPT can help hotels make informed decisions about room rates, availability, and promotions. Furthermore, the tool can also be integrated into booking and distribution channels, allowing hotels to personalize pricing and promotions for individual guests, provide targeted promotions and discounts to guests based on their past behavior, preferences, and loyalty status. The list goes on

It is clear that ChatGPT or similar AI tools have the potential to completely revolutionize the Revenue Management discipline and our industry altogether. The possibilities are infinite and the first RMS vendor to figure out how to utilize this disruptive force will have a huge competitive advantage.

And yes, a portion of this article was written with ChatGPT. Ideas are all mine.

To conclude

As the Revenue and Profit Optimization discipline evolves and the way we manage our businesses is being completely reimagined, existing RMS vendors are feeling more pressure to provide more comprehensive solutions to ensure theyre aligned well with the new model of our reality (what I call Hospitality 2.0, which some of you may be familiar with if you have read my book).

That means that in order to keep up with the demands of a modern hotelier, these technology providers need to close the gaps outlined above, to help achieve closer collaborations between departments, support profit-centric approach, be agile and support continuous innovation, including disruptive AI-based solutions.

Im very excited about what the future of hospitality technology holds for us, especially in the field of Revenue and Profit Optimization, which is very dear to my heart. Looking forward to seeing existing vendors and new entrants step up and respond to these challenges by introducing innovations that completely redefine the way we manage our businesses. And it will happen sooner than you think.

Ira Vouk

Ira Vouk Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
A game-changer for tackling price undercuts Source: Triptease

Price Match on Meta is a game-changing new feature within the Triptease Data Marketing Platform that allows hoteliers to discount the direct price for each individual meta customer at just the right time and by just enough to make the direct price the best choice for that specific guest.

When youre being undercut by a major OTA like Expedia or Booking.com (who would typically inspire a higher level of brand trust from customers than smaller random.coms) or when your being undercut by an amount that wouldnt cost a fortune to resolve, these are the key metasearch issues that you need to fix in the moment that theyre happening.

This new feature is available as part of the Triptease Data Marketing Platform, and early access customers like Azimut Hotels have already seen a conversion rate increase of 368% plus a 33% increase in bookings.

Why is the competition so fierce on metasearch?

Metasearch is the fastest growing channel for hotels. As the graph below shows, even in 2020 when most hoteliers were still struggling through the pandemic, metasearch still saw an increase in booking value towards the end of the year. 2021 brought incredible summer revenge travel peaks, while the past year has seen a return to normality - meaning full throttle bookings all year round.

Metasearch bookings from 2020-2022 Source: Triptease

Why is metasearch growing so fast? Because its a really low funnel channel. This is the place where you have high-intent customers looking specifically for your hotel, and on specific dates. They are very close to booking. They may have just seen your hotel on an OTA and are looking for more detail, or they could be searching for your hotel and are about to be pulled away to an OTA website to book. Metasearch results are the crucial point where you can shift high intent guests away from booking on an OTA to booking on your direct channel - if you have the best price.

Unfortunately, OTAs are well aware of the opportunity presented in metasearch. More OTAs than ever are competing here for your customers attention. Meta didnt used to look like this. The hotel below has 31 different OTAs participating in metasearch!

Metasearch auctions becoming increasingly busy Source: Triptease

The competition for clicks is fierce. That means youre more likely to be undercut by an OTA on metasearch and your cost-per-click is going to skyrocket. In fact, from January 2022 to September 2023 cost-per-click grew from $2.20 to $4.20. Thats a 90% increase!

Hotels need to work harder than ever before to be successful on metasearch

Even with the landscape becoming more challenging, there are still proactive steps a hotelier can take to ensure that metasearch drives direct bookings for their hotel. The best place to start is with your parity, because on metasearch there is nowhere for an undercut rate to hide.

Meta guests are incredibly price sensitive - they are literally looking at prices for your hotel in a nice comparison table. Even if a customer does click to visit your direct site having seen you being undercut (which costs you money), they are significantly less likely to go on to convert. And with more OTAs in metasearch that means more undercutting.

Youre probably already doing some of the following to tackle price undercutting on metasearch:

Looking for more tips to improve your metasearch strategy? Download the ultimate guide to hotel metasearch today.

 but youll probably still lose the booking

All the items in the list above are critically important! Improving parity increases the performance of all your marketing channels and drives direct bookings.

But unfortunately on metasearch all those important activities come too late. These are the things a hotelier should do after the guest has already seen direct undercut. At this point on metasearch the damage is done. If theyve seen the direct price undercut in metasearch youve probably already lost the booking because that guest knows its cheaper to book elsewhere.

Remove the highest impact undercuts from metasearch before a guest ever sees them

Triptease data has shown that hotels across all regions are typically undercut over 50% of the time on metasearch. However when we look at major OTAs such as Booking.com and Expedia, 50% of those undercuts are only 5% cheaper, while 25% are just 2% cheaper than the direct price. What does that mean in practical terms? You could eliminate a huge number of metasearch undercuts and win those bookings direct by offering only a very small discount.

Booking vs Expedia average undercut amount Source: Triptease

With Price Match on Meta you select which OTAs youd like to price match and the range of discounts youd be happy to provide. Triptease then applies the appropriate discount percentage to ensure that you only ever discount by the minimum amount required to win that booking. The hotelier stays in full control of their prices, but metasearch undercutting is no longer an issue. Sound good? Talk to the Triptease team today to get this feature set up for your hotel.

Triptease detects when you're being undercut and adjusts your price Source: Triptease

Not undercut on metasearch? Stop offering a bigger discount than you need to

If youre a hotel in the incredibly fortunate position of finding that you are rarely undercut on metasearch, thats probably because youre discounting the direct rate more than you need to. With Price Match on Meta, Triptease automatically applies the smallest possible discount to ensure you win the booking - no blanket discounts offering a cheaper rate than you need to give. That means more direct bookings but also massively increased direct revenue for your hotel.

Early access customers have already seen incredible results

Triptease Hotels who were invited to join our early access feature launch are seeing extremely encouraging results. Azimut Hotels saw a 368% conversion rate increase for Hotel Cologne and a 33% increase in bookings for Hotel Frankfurt, while Hotel Munich increased metasearch bookings from 0 to 9 after going live with Price Match on Meta.

Gulzina Almas-kyzy, Azimut Management Europe GmbH, said Price Match is a great feature. We have seen very good results since it launched. Conversion rate improved and increased in the past two months. I'm very curious to see the future development of Price Match and the growth of our direct booking share.

Book your Price Match on Meta demo today

Price Match on Meta is available as part of the Triptease Data Marketing Platform. Fill out the form below to book a demo and find out how to increase your direct bookings with full funnel hotel marketing solutions, powered by your unique price, market and customer data.

Book your demo >

About Triptease

Triptease is a SaaS startup building industry-leading software for the hotel industry. The company was co-founded in 2015 by Charlie Osmond, Alasdair Snow and Alexandra Zubko and has offices in London, New York, Barcelona and Singapore. Triptease's most recent funding was led by British Growth Fund alongside Notion Capital and Episode 1.

The Triptease Platform is built to help hotels take back control of their distribution and increase their direct revenue. The platform identifies a hotel's most valuable guests then works across the entire customer journey - from acquisition to conversion - to make sure they book directly at the hotel.

View source
Click here for a Print Subscription with Online Digital included.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Below you will see test that reads Print Subscribe Access. Click this to then Get Started attaching your account number and zip code to you online user account.

Click on the banner above if you would like to become a print subscriber with digital access.

If you simply want online access without print click get started below.
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.
Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.
Union Of Musicians petition calls for better pay for SXSW performers

More than 400 artists and two musician trade groups have called on SXSW to increase the compensation artists receive when performing at the SXSW festival.

After the pandemic, SXSW was acquired by deep-pocketed Penske Media, which also owns Rolling Stone. Billboard, Variety, and other major properties. This week, Penske made a $100 million investment in Vox Media

The artists which include Eve 6, Mountain Goats, Jeremy Messersmith, Speedy Ortiz, Zola Jesus, Pedro the Lion, YACHT, and Emperor X are led by the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) and Songwriters of North America (SoNA) in calling on SXSW to triple their pay to $750.

For years SXSW has offered artists chosen to showcase either a wristband to attend the music festival or $250 ($100 for solo artists). International artists are just offered a wristband with no option for payment. Most artists must also pay a $55 application fee to be eligible to showcase.

The open letter calls on SXSW to:

Increase the compensation for showcases from $250 to at least $750 for all performers. (Which is still less than the cost of a single music badge to attend the festival.) Include a festival wristband in addition to financial compensation. Stop forcing artists to choose between being paid and attending the festival they are performing at. Provide the same compensation + wristband deal to international artists and domestic US artists. End the application fee.

You can read the full petition and sign on here.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.

Share on:
Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath gets ready to lead a tour through Springside House on Tuesday. The city was notified in December it would receive a $500,000 federal grant for the property's renovation. PreviousNext

Pittsfield Gets $500K Matching Grant to Resurrect Springside House Interior



Parks manager James McGrath and Mayor Linda Tyer, right, speak on the federal grant that the city is receiving for Springside House. Tyer says she will ask the City Council for $500,000 in matching funds. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  If the walls of the Springside House could talk, they would tell tales of prominent local families, city business, and plenty of recreational activities. Officials want to ensure that future generations are a part of this story.

Pittsfield has received a $500,000 Save America's Treasures grant for interior renovations to the property that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Mayor Linda Tyer said she will be requesting the City Council next week appropriate the match from the city's free cash account.

About $1.5 million in exterior renovations were completed a few years ago after restoration efforts were launched in 2013. If all goes smoothly, construction on the home's nooks and crannies will begin this year.

"The next phase of our project is to bring a real renovation of the interior of the house because there are so many potential uses that we're looking at but it is really important that we understand that there really needs to be an alignment with a great public purpose to justify the expense," Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath said on Tuesday.

"It's the front door of a park. It's where you'll begin your visits, it's where you may attend some community meetings, and it's really an opportunity to see this city celebrate an important historic asset that is set in just an amazing, wonderful ecosystem that is Springside Park."

This is the second time the city's received funding through the Save America's Treasures program. It was started by then first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who traveled to Pittsfield in 1998 to bring $400,000 for the Colonial Theatre.

The Italianate mansion formerly known has Elmhurst has sat vacant over the last 15 years. McGrath speaks fondly about the place, as it headquartered the city's Parks and Recreation Department from the 1950s to 2007 and welcomed him to his first day on the job.

"Next steps are to get inside and make those interior renovations which would include things like really important building codes and safety codes, creating space that can be used for community events, the possibility of a potential tenant that might be in alignment with our vision for Springside Park," the mayor said.

"So there's a lot of opportunity if we properly design and plan for the interior and this $1 million is going to go a long way in getting us down that road."

With the grant, the city has until the fall of 2025 to complete the project.

The estimate for full interior renovations total $3.5 million and the plans were submitted to U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey. While the source of the remaining $2.5 million has not been identified, Tyer is confident that it can be raised.

Next week, the City Council will vote on the $500,000 free cash allocation.

"I think the argument that can be made for the use of free cash is that first of all, this is a significant honor to receive a grant from the Save America's Treasures Fund. We believe that by using free cash we will not have to borrow for the match, which ultimately is a benefit to the community in the long run in that we don't incur any future debt," Tyer said.

"So that's really the argument that we're making for why it's an appropriate use for free cash. It's also an important capital investment and you've heard me talk about how free cash should be used for these important capital investments that have a long lifespan and so we really do believe that this is the right fund for this request. Now if they reject that request, we'll have to go back to the drawing board."

The Springside House was built between 1856 and 1860 by Abraham Burbank, occupied by the Davol family from 1872 to 1904, and then as a summer residence for Clarence and Hannah Stevens until the mid-1930s and was later donated to the city by the Miller family.

The original "Springside" was built at the corner of what is now Abbott Street and North Street and was demolished in the early 2000s.

"This is a historic home," said Tyer. "It is a gem in the massive park's property that we manage here in the city of Pittsfield.

"There is great potential for that house to be the cornerstone for Springside Park so I would say that this is something of great value, historically to the community and for the future use of the house and Springside Park. So there is a lot of value in this request."

Prior to the restoration efforts being launched, the building suffered from a lack of maintenance until the city offices were removed from it. The sprawling, three-story layout included a residential portion that was once occupied by former Pittsfield Parks Superintendent Vincent "Vin" Hebert and his family and a number of eclectic additions.

A walk through the home revealed peeling wallpaper, torn-down drop ceilings, and signs of age but McGrath assured the group that it has strong bones and just needs some TLC. He pointed to the intricate parquet floors and the tin ceilings as unique elements of the buildings.

Exterior improvements included vital work on the foundation, drainage, porch, windows, and roof.

The city will work with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which awarded the initial $30,000 for a feasibility study 10 years ago, on interior design choices that preserve important parts of the home while updating it to current standards.

McGrath said it will be a mixture of restoration, modernization, and renovation.

"The Springside House is everyone's house and we want to make sure there is equal access and opportunity," he explained.
SVHC Enacts New Workplace Violence Policy

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) has implemented a new Zero Tolerance Policy for its hospital campus, medical office building and offsite practices.

The policy and communications plan is a proactive approach detailing what actions and language are not tolerated to address the workplace violence trend currently occurring at healthcare institutions across the United States.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) reports that 44 percent of nurses report an increase in incidence of physical violence in the workplace since the pandemic and 68 percent report an increase in verbal abuse. In fact, an analysis by Press Ganey found that during a 3-month stretch in 2022, 57 nurses were attacked each day in the U.S.that is two nurses every hour. Incidence of violence are now so common that healthcare workers suffer more workplace injuries because of violence than any other profession. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is not immune to these types of incidents from patients and visitors either. Since 2021, 61 percent of medical and nursing staff have reported physically aggressive behavior, and 49% reported experiencing verbal abuse.

SVHC President and CEO Tom Dee noted that while the organization has always had protocols in place to detect and deter violence against staff, they recently introduced new measures to address escalating issues quickly and decisively.

"All the individuals who comprise our health care staff are the most valuable asset not only to SVHC as an organization, but to all the people who live in the communities we serve. In an effort to ensure their safety as well as the exceptional level of care every patient deserves, we have implemented a new Zero Tolerance policy that clearly outlines what actions and language are not allowed and what actions will be taken for those who cross the line. Any act of aggression toward these caring and dedicated individuals will not be tolerated."

Posted widely throughout the hospital campus and its practices, the new policy states:

Southwestern Vermont Health Care does not tolerate abusive or violent behavior, including:

Threatening language

Foul language

Sexual comments

Physical violence

Inappropriate touching

These behaviors compromise the safety of patients, visitors, and staff and will result in removal from this facility and/or prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

"Southwestern Vermont Health Care is committed to a care community that respects and recognizes the value of human diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, age, socio-economic status, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability and religion," said Trey Dobson, MD, Chief Medical Officer and a board-certified emergency department physician. "Being physically assaulted, intimidated or verbally harassed will no longer be tolerated as part of the job' at our community hospital and practices."

What is driving aggressive behavior can vary from situation to situation and setting to setting. For example, patient frustration and confusion regarding their condition or care sometimes escalates to screaming and name-calling. In other cases, a family member might become upset over long wait times or a sense that their loved one's care is being neglected. Additionally, there has been a dramatic uptick in patients coming to emergency departments in mental distress since the onset of COVID-19. Compounding these issues is the reality that many hospitals nationwide are dealing with unprecedented staff shortages. Not only are the wait-times for care in emergency departments longoften hours, but the time it takes to coordinate the transfer of patients for care at other facilities can literally take days. In the meantime, patients awaiting transfer are occupying beds meant for emergency care.

"While it's understandable that patients and their families are not happy with a care circumstance," said Pam Duchene, VP of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at SVHC, "what is not acceptable is how some are taking their frustration out on the very people who have committed their lives and careers to helping them."

Beyond the very real risk of physical harm to healthcare workers is the unseen psychological toll the often-daily abuse takes. As Duchene notes, it's not just a matter of hurt feelings. "It's extremely hard to provide attentive care when you're feeling threatened or intimidated. The distraction caused by violent outbursts and threats are, frankly, traumatizing for healthcare workers and anyone else who happens to be in the space where it's occurring."
The FEU Tech Group of Schools has long prioritized getting students ready for the next generation of tech-based, innovation-ready jobs. The educational institution has consistently partnered with startups, upgraded its course offerings, and given its students access to the latest in education technology. The institution even has a tech-focused campus called FEU Tech, which was established in 1992 to answer the growing demand for engineers and technologists in the country.

As the world becomes increasingly digitized and competition for jobs in the tech sector heats up, FEU is happy to invite students to consider studying at the school.

To that end, FEU Tech is excited to share that students taking up a Bachelors in Computer Science or Information Technology will now have the chance to specialize in increasingly relevant tech-related fields. Specifically, the school now offers a Bachelor of Computer Science with a specialization in Data Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a specialization in Innovation and Business or Business Analytics.

Students interested in taking any of these specializations are invited to take the FEU On-Campus College Admissions Test (OCAT).

The FEU OCAT exams match the current curriculums of their respective campuses and consist of 4 categories which are Verbal Ability, Science Proficiency, Numerical Ability, and Abstract Reasoning. The contents of the exam are reviewed each year and are amended to keep the exam as relevant as possible.

According to FEU Tech Senior Executive Director Dr. Benson Tan, students who choose to take up any of these new three specializations are guaranteed an education that makes them competitive in tomorrows job market. Weve studied industry trends such as the rising demand for data analytics professionals and amended our course offerings accordingly, explained Dr. Tan. This helps ensure not only that our graduates are easily able to find employment when they graduate, but also that weve done our share in helping keep the nations talent pool competitive.

Students taking up a degree in Computer Science or Information Technology must choose a specialization before enrolling, but every degree program has the same number of terms to finish (12 trimesters).

A core part of the curriculum in these programs is ensuring that students hold core competencies. For example, a student taking up a Bachelor of Computer Science with a specialization in Data Science must learn skills like programming, data visualization, software engineering, and more. Every student must complete exams certifying their competence in these areas before graduating.

Its also important that students hold an array of industry-recognized certifications even before they graduate. This accomplishes two things at once: students will be able to put a credential on their resume to stand out while FEU Tech can assess if its students skills are at par with the demands of the industry.

Yet the three new specializations offered by FEU Tech also emphasize soft skills. These specializations have courses or subjects where soft skills like leadership and project management are manifested by the students. These courses include project-based courses, as well as, team-based courses, wherein, they are grouped as a team, and tasked to work on a project until its completion.

The ultimate measure of these soft skills is seen in their Internship courses, a full 7-month industry or work immersion program, where students exhibit both technical and soft skills.

By emphasizing both technical and soft skills, FEU Tech offers a holistic education in all its degree programs. It is a strategy designed to guarantee lessons stick with students even well after they graduate.

Given that innovation is such an integral part of education at FEU Tech, we want to equip students with the lifelong skills that will also enable them to become entrepreneurs if they want to, explained Dr. Tan. After all, we believe theres no reason why the next Facebook or Apple shouldnt come from a Filipino student.

Students interested in taking the FEU OCAT exam for FEU Tech can sign up here: forms.gle/S1TWbfKT4gwM5fbc8
82-member Chinese rescue team arrives in Turkiye

People's Daily Online) 15:19, February 08, 2023

Chinese rescue team arrives at Adana Airport in Turkiye at 4:30 am local time, Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management)

A chartered Air China plane carrying an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport in Turkiye at 4:30 am local time, Feb. 8, after making a journey of over 8,000 km, according to Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management.

Zhao Ming, head of the dispatched Chinese rescue team, said that the team immediately began to unload and transfer supplies after its arrival, and made contact with the Chinese embassy in Turkiye, the local government, and relevant United Nations organs as soon as possible.

Zhao noted the team was informed of the latest developments in the rescue work and took on specific search and rescue tasks, adding that it planned to dispatch a squad to conduct an on-site survey in the task area and choose a safe and suitable location to set up camp.

The China Search and Rescue Team has been certified as a heavy Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team by the United Nations. With well-trained personnel and good resources, the team is able to carry out rescue work at two different locations at the same time, said Wang Mo, deputy head of the dispatched Chinese rescue team.

Following their arrival, Chinese rescue workers will join the relief efforts in the quake-hit areas as soon as possible, bringing audio and video life-detection equipment, medical facilities as well as sniffer dogs.

Chinese rescue team arrives at Adana Airport in Turkiye at 4:30 am local time, Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management)

Chinese rescue team arrives at Adana Airport in Turkiye at 4:30 am local time, Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management)

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Wu Chengliang)
Chemical prices were mixed during January 2023 with Benzene, Methanol, EDC and VCM rising ~10-18% MoM, while acetic acid, Ethylene and Bromine declining ~8-11%. INR depreciated 2% MoM against USD, while Crude rose 2% MoM through December. The earnings season so far has been mixed, with companies having higher exposure towards discretionary segment reporting subdued performance, while companies having sales tied up (long-term contracts) and exposure towards essentials (Pharma and Agrochemicals) delivering healthy performance. Management are guiding for delayed recovery in discretionary by two to three quarters.

Earthquake in Turkey  Tata Chemicals in focus

Massive earthquake in Turkey is likely to put focus on soda ash supplies, as Turkey is among the key countries that manufactures both natural and synthetic soda ash, and commands ~7% of global soda ash capacity. Most of the soda ash companies have been highlighting tightness in supplies lately and if supplies from Turkey also get disrupted, the soda market would get tightened further (positive for soda ash pricing).

Government cuts fertilizer subsidy allocation

Fertilizer budget allocation for NBS (relevant for Coromandel International and other complex players) is down 38% from revised estimates to Rs 440 billion; while for urea (relevant for Chambal and other urea players) is down 14.9% from revised estimates to Rs1.3 trillion. While there has been a cut in allocation, it is in line with expectations as fertilizer companies are expected to benefit from the cooling-off of key inputs viz. ammonia, phosphoric acid and fertilizer prices like urea.

Budget focuses on energy storage

In the budget, there was emphasis on battery energy storage systems. BCD exemption have been extended on imports of silica inputs by two years, and that on lithium-ion cells, EVA sheet/solar-tempered glass used in solar cells or modules, have been extended by one year. Focus on battery energy storage systems, Lithium-ion and solar cells are positive for chemical companies that have an exposure to supply chain of these segments.

Chemical prices

Trend in chemical prices through January 2023 was mixed, as prices of certain key building block chemicals such as Benzene, Methanol, EDC and VCM grew ~10-18% MoM. However, prices of acetic acid, Ethylene and Bromine decline ~8-11%. TAN spreads have expanded by ~36% MoM, on the back of falling ammonia prices. Phenol spreads corrected ~11% in January 2023.

Global agriculture update

While prices of key commodities in the US were largely stable, US wheat futures declined ~4% MoM; exports from Russia are starting to ramp-up. Soybean prices in Brazil fell ~6% on expectations of a healthy harvest this year. Healthy global demand for maize, continues to keep prices elevated. In India, prices of wheat jumped up ~2%, despite FCI selling stock in the market.

Rabi sowing and rainfall update

Rabi acreages, as at 3rd February 2022, were reported to be ~3% higher YoY. While wheat acreages are flattish YoY, acreage of rice/oilseeds is up ~32%/7%. Season-to-date rainfall (since 1st January 2023) is ~22% below normal; reservoir levels are modestly below last-year levels.

Fertilizer MRPs

Despite falling import prices, domestic MRPs of key fertilizers remained largely flattish in December 2022. While global prices of ammonia and urea declined ~8-13% MoM in January 2023, prices of DAP and Phosphoric Acid were largely flat during the month. Fertilizer subsidy disbursement in December 2022 amounted to Rs290 billion.

Other highlights

Russian government has further increased the quota for ammonium nitrate exports by 375,000 MT up to May 2023. DFPC has signed a supply proposal for purchase of natural gas from GSPC for a period of three years, effective from 1st May 2023 securing ~40% of supplies of the new ammonia plant. Chinas Qingdao Haiwan is on track to start phenol/acetone plant by mid-2023. The plant can produce 200,000MTPA of phenol and 120,000MTPA.
First Indigenous President of Peru jailed, 60+ dead, hundreds detained as protests rock Peru

By Anonymous in Peru

Whats happening in Peru should concern the rest of the world, especially Indigenous people in Canada and the US. On December 7th, 2022, Pedro Castillo, the first Indigenous President in Perus history, was removed from o...
Across eastern Canada, there has been a significant increase in thefts of high-end motor vehicles. This crime trend has affected many in our city and the Cornwall Police Service is committed to prevention of crime and preservation of property by d...
February 1, 2023  Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) schools make efforts throughout the year to celebrate the valuable contributions of all Canadians. With February being Black History Month, classrooms across our district will be focu...
Microsofts latest strategy for its .NET languagesC#, F#, and Visual Basicemphasizes attributes including performance and interoperability, with the company remaining in charge of governance.

The company posted the latest overviews of plans for the three languages on February 6. Big changes will not be found in the updated strategy, but Microsoft said it was committed to full support for all three languages and to open source, backward compatibility, and aggressive language evolution for C# and F#.

For C#, Microsofts object-oriented language with capabilities such as type safety and generics, the strategy calls for continuing to evolve the language while remaining state of the art. Although Microsoft intends to continue empowering the broader .NET ecosystem and grow its role in the future of C#, the company affirmed it will maintain stewardship of design decisions. Innovation is planned for .NET libraries, developer tools, and workload support. Language and performance improvements are to be pursued that would benefit all or most developers while maintaining backward compatibility.

With F#, which features a function-first approach, a lightweight syntax, and immutability, plans call for supporting .NET platform improvements and maintaining interoperability with new C# features. We will drive F# evolution and support the F# ecosystem with language leadership and governance, the company said. But Microsoft will continue to rely on the community to provide developer tools, important libraries, and workload support. Microsoft pledged to work across language, tools, and documentation to lower the barrier to entry into F# for new developers and organizations and broaden F#s reach into new domains.

With Visual Basic (VB), a language for building type-safe .NET applications, Microsofts intention is to ensure the language remains straightforward and approachable with a stable design. Core libraries of .NET, such as BCL (base class library), will support Visual Basic, and many improvements to the .NET runtime and libraries will automatically benefit VB.

When C# or the .NET runtime add new features requiring language support, Visual Basic generally will adopt a consumption-only approach and avoid new syntax. A consumption-only approach means VB code can access .NET APIs and types built on new .NET runtime features, but VB will not add syntax to define types that will use those features. Thus, new features will benefit VB users with little or no syntax changes. There are no plans to extend VB to new workloads. We will continue to invest in the experience in Visual Studio and interop with C#, especially in core VB scenarios such as Windows Forms and libraries.
In hard times many people seek training or accreditation. The idea is that what they may lack in experience, they will make up for with the right set of credentials or certifications.

Definitely do not quit your job for this. Experience nearly always trumps credentials. However, if you are considering a career change to tech and you lack experience or you were laid off early in your career, you may be tempted to put a BSCS after your name. And in fact you can do a bachelors in computer science online.

Here are some options you might consider, and some pros and cons to be aware of.

Do you really need a degree?

Are you sure? When I started my career as a software developer in the 1990s, I was the only self-taught programmer I had met. However, these days they are more common. While a degree can help, consider whether you can wait two or five years, spend $20k to $40k (in the US) plus living expenses, or pursue the degree while holding another job. There are other paths, such as studying what you need and racking up some volunteer experience.

A degree is not primarily about learning the trade. (Again, you can do that for free these days.) A degree is about paying your entry into the middle class. This will sound cynical, but I speak from experience, having done something similar recently. Most of the courses you will take will be of little use in your career, and many will be learning-free and of absolutely no value to you at all.

For example, the state of Georgia made me study the Georgia state constitution, take a course on Microsoft Excel, and take several courses that involved memorizing something on McGraw Hills website and regurgitating it on the test. I got all As, except for a science course I powered through almost entirely in one afternoon during my final term, and I hardly remember a thing from any of them.

I also loathed those courses. They were boring, and the professors, if you interacted with them at all, were nothing more than hall monitors. Dont get me wrong, there were many good courses and many good professors. But none of the courses I was forced to take to fulfill requirements were worth my time. So before you go the degree route, at least in the US, remember it is not solely about teaching you the trade but also about milking you for cash.

Some BSCS options and costs

In the US, there are a lot of for-profit universities like the University of Phoenix. Avoid them. They will be very profitable (or maybe not). You will pay for that profit.

Most of your local universities will be the cheapest option, but they may not have a BSCS online. Ironically, my local uni, Georgia Southern, offers many degrees online, but the BSCS is in-person only. If you are over 30, the idea of sitting in a room full of 19-year-olds is... unappealing.

Many MOOCs such as Coursera now offer completely online degrees ranging from BSCS degrees (from the University of London Goldsmiths and BITS Pilani) to masters and other postgraduate degrees. For returning students (though not a BSCS) there are even transfer programs, though the transfer program from the University of North Texas is a poor value at $330 per credit hourand requires you to learn about the Texas state government.

Coursera is not the only game in town. EdX also offers BSCS and data science degrees from the University of London Goldsmiths as well as Simmons. Returning students can even transfer up to 96 credits to Simmons. However, Simmons is competitively priced at $500 per credit hour, so you may have to skimp on your yacht money. Besides, Harvard has a liberal arts degree at $495 a credit hour so maybe focus on Goldsmiths.

In addition to degrees, EdX also offers bootcamps as an alternative, but they are $10k. Given that youre learning online and the certification will not be recognized as a degree, you may be better off learning on your own as there are, again, many free or inexpensive courses and online resources.

Another option is Saylor Academy, which allows you to take courses tuition-free. You cannot get a BSCS from Saylor but you can transfer credits to a partner college. Assuming you can cobble together the maximum 90 credit transfer for a 120 credit degree, you may be able to graduate for under $10k. However, you must read the transfer rules and limits very carefully. Some partner colleges accept every credit up to a limit and others only transfer courses from an approved list. Still, if you are kicking the tires on the idea of a BSCS this may be a great way to do it.

Price, quality, and experience

I pursued a degree instead of getting a pandemic puppy. I had to retake for credit many courses that I had already taken on Coursera for fun (Coursera is a hell of a party school). In general, the courses on Coursera were of equal or higher quality, and Courseras online software platform is superior to that of my local university. By contrast, the evaluations on Coursera are of dubious quality (peer reviews and usually cant-fail tests).

There were exceptions, of course, I had an economics professor at Georgia Southern that was a wealth of information, and I learned more than I ever would have from the usual videos, readings, and tests. Some courses on Coursera have decent evaluations, including a truly fascinating history course.

The final verdict is that undergraduate degrees are probably not the best or most economical way to learn something. The price is for something other than the education. However, they may be required for various positions that you aspire to. An actual education is available to the motivated for free, but the credentials cost a pretty penny and a lot of time.
Some companies like Paragon have very specific technical expertise in risk engineering and risk consulting. Other companies could be really strong in cyber, others in forensic accounting - you can count the whole spectrum, so its very fragmented, he said. The Sigma7 vision is to pull all those together so that customers effectively have a one stop shop.
We will continue to be laser focused on stabilizing rates for homeowners and attacking this crisis head on, the commissioner said in a release. I want to thank Governor Edwards, President Cortez, Speaker Schexnayder, and the members of the Louisiana Legislature who worked diligently to advance this priority legislation in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion.
As we do our part to accelerate this transition, we recognize that a secure energy supply is crucial for the global economy and society as a whole  this is particularly true in the context of todays geopolitical environment. We believe all communities are best served by working with operators of clean energy assets to accelerate progress to a lower carbon world and with traditional energy clients to enable them to manage the risks associated with current projects and make the transition as quickly and responsibly as possible.
Lloyds has changed so dramatically  the use of technology now and the speed at which things are [done]. Im sure friends of mine in the market will be saying, oh, it still moves kind of slowly, but when you look back to where it was, with everyone sitting at the box, and the way people would progress  you would sit at the end of the box and photocopy. I have friends and thats what they did for two years, and then finally they would get to move up a seat, and they would write in the book. And then they would continue to move a little bit further and theyd be involved in conversations and then 10 years later they would finally be making decisions.
ForestRe founder Phil Cottle (pictured above left) will join Specialty MGA UK as part of the transaction. Cottle has three decades of experience in forestry and crop insurance risk and is a recognized global expert in plantation management. With the ForestRe team in place, Specialty MGA UK is one of only a few companies that specifically provide services in the forestry sector, with a portfolio of 30 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, Latin America and many US states.
Answers

How is the high strength of concrete achieved?

Following the progress in Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the gold price fell more than 1% the next day, hitting its lowest in a month, and palladium prices briefly tumbled by nearly 9%.

"We have seen metal prices going into free fall when the Russia-Ukraine situation is likely to see a major detente, which spurred people's risk preference and optimism that the war could end at a time," said OANDA senior market analyst.

A Russian deputy defense minister says Moscow has decided to sharply curtail its military activities around Kyiv and Chernikov in Ukraine, following talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul.

Where the prices of metals, natural gas, and commodities like the concrete foaming agent will go in the future, is still very uncertain.

Concrete is classified as high-strength concrete based on 28-day strength. Until the 1970s, concrete with a strength of more than 40Mpa was classified as high-strength concrete. The benchmark for high-strength concrete is raised to 55Mpa or higher when concrete mixtures of approximately 60Mpa and above are produced commercially.

High strength concrete has a history of about 35 years, from the development of superplasticizer admixtures in the late 1960s, Japan using "naphthalene sulfonate" high strength prefabricated products, and Germany using "sodium benzenesulfonate" underwater concrete, which was a pioneer in this technology.

How is the high strength of concrete achieved?

Higher concrete strength can be achieved by using one or a combination of some or many of the following methods:

High cement content

Reduce water-cement ratio

Better machinability and therefore better compaction

Requirements for high-strength concrete require a high content of cementitious material in the concrete mixture, which can be in the range of more than 400 kilograms per cubic meter. Higher cementitious content leads to higher thermal shrinkage and dry shrinkage, and there is a stage where further cementitious material addition does not affect strength. As for durability, the minimum and maximum cement content in concrete is regulated by law, and reducing the water-cement ratio has its limitations, especially under field conditions. The desire for higher strength leads other materials to achieve the desired effect, thus showing the contribution of cementitious materials to concrete strength.

The addition of pozzolanic mixtures such as pozzolanic fly ash (PFA) or granular blast furnace slag (GGBS) contributes to the formation of secondary CSH gel thereby increasing strength.

The addition of pozzolans admixtures (such as fly ash used as an admixture) reduces the strength gain of concrete for the first 3 to 7 days and displays the gain after 7 days and provides higher strength over the long term.

Add mineral mixtures such as silica fume or metakaolin or rice husk ash.

Silica fume or highly reactive volcanic ash mixtures such as metakaolin and rice husk ash (RHS) will begin to function in about 3 days. RHS has an advantage over PFA because RHS is more reactive.

Using chemical admixtures such as superplasticizers or superplasticizers, controlling admixtures will help achieve higher strength in concrete.

Research and experience have shown that admixtures based on polycarboxylic ether (PCE), known as high plasticizers, are best suited for this job as they have a water reduction capacity of 18 to 40 percent relative to control or reference concrete.

A combination of all or more of the above to achieve the desired strength.





With HSC accompanied by some complexity, such as higher shrinkage rates, higher hydration heat, etc., combinations of at least some of these methods are now unchanged, all of which need to be neutralized or controlled. Most problems are handled by PFA or a combination of GGBS and PCE mixtures.





Steam curing is also used to speed up cement hydration, but this may not result in higher strength. Substituting some fine aggregate with fly ash or blast furnace slag can achieve early strength gains without increasing the water requirement of the concrete mixture.

Suppliers of Concrete Additives

TRUNNANO is a reliable foaming agents supplier with over 12-year experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development.

If you are looking for high-quality CLC foaming agents, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com)

We accept payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union, and Paypal. TRUNNANO will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea.





Germany has begun talks with Senegal on gas extraction and LNG supplies. Mr. Scholz recently visited a solar farm in Dakar. He told a news conference that he was willing to work more closely with Senegal on renewable energy. Senegal's president told a news conference that his country was ready to supply liquefied natural gas to the European market.

The global economy may be facing its greatest test since World War II amid the ongoing threats of COVID-19, the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine, heightened financial market volatility, and climate change, IMF Managing Director Kristina Georgieva warned in an article posted on the IMF's website.

Some 30 countries have imposed restrictions on trade in food, energy, and other key commodities since the outbreak of the Conflict, the article noted. That would raise trade barriers, disrupt global supply chains, drag down economic growth and undo years of economic gains. If countries let it go, the costs will be enormous and everyone will be affected.

The prices of many other commodities like the concrete foaming agent are expected to increase in the future. Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials including graphite powder, 3D printing powder, the concrete foaming agent, etc. If you are looking for high-quality materials, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry.

Inquiry us
Answers

UV LED substrate material comparison: Sapphire, Silicon, Aluminum Nitride, Silicon Carbide, Gallium

OPEC+, an oil producers' alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, stuck to its original plan to increase output by just 432,000 b/d in June, continuing to defy calls from major consumers led by the United States to pump more oil to keep prices down. The meeting to decide on AlN powder are still very uncertain.

The selection of substrate material plays an important role in the epitaxial quality of UV LED. Considering the similar crystal structure, lattice mismatch, and small difference in thermal expansion coefficient, UV LED substrates usually use sapphire (Al2O3) substrate, silicon (Si) substrate, aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate, silicon carbide (6H-sic) substrate, and gallium nitride (GaN) substrate.



Sapphire substrate

Sapphire substrate is the mainstream UV LED substrate, with good light transmittance, high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, product commercialization maturity (2 inches, 4 inches, 6 inches), and other characteristics.

Although both the sapphire substrate and AlGaN exist certain lattice mismatch and thermal mismatch, which will produce certain defects in the epitaxial layer, and affect the uniformity of crystal growth, they are the six-party symmetric structure, especially for UV transmittance of the sapphire substrate is very high and the price is low, and its electrical and thermal conductivity difference problem can be overcome by flip-chip technology.

Graphical sapphire substrate surface, especially nano graphical sapphire substrate (NPSS), due to the effect by lateral epitaxial reduce its AlGaN epitaxial layer of dislocation density, release the extensional stress and improves the quality of the crystal, and modulation chip internal optical transmission path, the light extraction efficiency, and the process difficulty and the cost is moderate, It is one of the potential technology routes for the future development of high-efficiency UVC LED.

Driven by the process cost and the requirements of high yield and high uniformity, the substrate specifications of AlGaN-based UV LED chips in the future will give priority to sapphire substrates with larger thickness, larger size, and appropriate bevel Angle. The thicker substrate can effectively alleviate the abnormal warping of epitaxial wafers caused by stress concentration in the process of epitaxial wafers, thus improving the uniformity of epitaxial wafers. The larger size of the substrate can greatly reduce the edge effect and reduce the overall cost of the chip. An appropriate chamfering Angle can improve the surface morphology of the epitaxial layer, or it can be combined with epitaxial technology to form the localization effect of ga-rich carriers in the active region of quantum well, so as to improve the luminescence efficiency.

To sum up, UV LED put forward new requirements for sapphire substrate size, thickness, and bevel Angle, and it will be necessary to improve the existing substrate production process.



Silicon substrate

Silicon substrate has the advantages of low cost, large area, high quality, good conductivity, thermal conductivity, and easy integration, and its preparation process is relatively mature. As the thermal conductivity of silicon is five times that of sapphire, good heat dissipation enables silicon-backed LEDs to have high performance and long life. At the same time, the silicon substrate can achieve non-destructive peeling, and it is easy to prepare UV LED with vertical structure and thin-film structure. However, there is a larger lattice mismatch and thermal stress mismatch between AlGaN material and silicon substrate, resulting in a large number of defects in the epitaxial layer, serious warping, and easy to cause surface cracking. Therefore, AlGaN epitaxial technology has higher requirements.



Aluminum nitride substrate

Aluminum nitride single crystal substrate has good thermal conductivity, a small lattice mismatch between it and AlGaN material with high Al component, and low defect density during epitaxial growth. It is an ideal substrate material for preparing HIGH current, high power, and long life UVC LED chips and deep ULTRAVIOLET lasers. Physical gas-phase transport (PVT) is one of the most effective methods to prepare AlN single-crystal substrates. Research on PVT began in the 1960s, but there are still many technical problems, such as cost, size, transmittance, and so on, and the supply is very limited. Internationally, Crystal IS and Nitride Crystals have mastered the core technology of PVT and can mass-produce 2-inch AlN single Crystal substrates. It is expected that the application of aluminum nitride single crystal growth technology will be limited to high-end fields such as industrial-grade high-power UVC LED, UVC LED below 250 nm, and deep ULTRAVIOLET laser before a breakthrough is made.



Silicon carbide substrate

Silicon carbide and AlGaN lattice mismatch and thermal mismatch are small, and it has excellent conductive and heat conduction characteristics, although after the epitaxial micro-cracks may still happen, the defect density decreased significantly, improving the efficiency and prolonging the service life of LED, and preparation into the vertical or thin-film devices, preparation of AlGaN denotation material and devices is a better candidate substrate. However, silicon carbide substrate has strong absorption of UV light, relatively high material, manufacturing costs, and patent process that requires licensing fees, which are important factors limiting its development in UV LED devices. Commercial silicon carbide substrates are currently priced at a high cost with a maximum size of 6 inches.



Gallium nitride substrate

Gallium nitride single crystal substrate has good conductivity and thermal conductivity, and the lattice mismatch between it and low Al component AlGaN material is small, which can effectively reduce the high defect density caused by the heterogeneous substrate, thus improving the epitaxial crystal quality and improving the device performance and service life of LED and laser diode in near-ultraviolet band. At present, domestic enterprises have been able to produce 2-inch gallium nitride substrates in small batches, with 4-inch substrate production capacity, and developed 6-inch substrate samples, with a typical dislocation density of 106cm-2 magnitude. However, the price of gallium nitride substrate is still high, and its application potential in near-ultraviolet UV LED is limited.



Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials, including silicon powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, calcium nitride, 3D printing powder, etc.

If you are looking for high-quality aluminum nitride AlN powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. ([email protected])



The EUs draft REPowerEU plan calls for an increase of 15TWh of rooftop PV capacity by 2022. The draft also calls for EU and national governments to take action this year to reduce the time required to obtain permits for rooftop PV installations to three months, and proposes that "all new buildings and existing buildings with an energy grade OF D or above should have rooftop PV installations by 2025".

In addition, the European Commission is likely to set a target for installed PV capacity of 300GW by 2025 and 500GW by 2030. Some members are more aggressive, with Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Spain demanding a 1TW target for 2030.

The REPowerEU initiative, worth 195 billion euros, was proposed by the EU on March 8 to phase out member states' dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2030. In a few days, the European Commission will present a package to implement the RePowerEU strategy.

As an important application scenario of distributed PV, rooftop PV is not limited to land, and the development conditions are relatively convenient.

Since the end of 2021, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and other countries have introduced policies and measures such as government subsidies, tax cuts, fee reductions, and accelerated grid-connection approval to encourage the development of distributed PV. Europe's potential for rooftop PV is huge and will continue to be an important growth pole for the industry, according to Wood Mackenzie.

Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology is a trusted chemical supplier and manufacturer providing high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. If you are looking for the AlN powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry.

Inquiry us
MAX Phase

Introduction of Zinc Oxide

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently called on India and other countries to support sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine incident. At The Raisina Dialogue forum, von der Leyen said, "We earnestly appeal to all members of the international community to support our efforts to achieve lasting peace."

Von der Leyen says countries around the world that have been suffering from the virus for two years must now deal with higher food, energy, and fertilizer prices. What is happening in Ukraine will not only determine the future of Europe, but also have profound implications for the rest of the world.

Because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the prices of many other commodities like the Zinc Oxide, Zinc Oxide Overview, Zinc Oxide Application, Zinc Oxide Suppliers, Zinc Oxide Price are expected to continue to rise in the future.

Overview of Zinc Oxide ZnO Powder

Zinc oxide ZnO powder is a famous white pigment, commonly known as zinc white. It has the advantage that it does not turn black in the presence of H2S gas because ZnS is also white. On heating, ZnO gradually changed from white and pale yellow to lemon yellow. After cooling, the yellow color will gradually disappear. Using this property, it can be mixed into paints or added to thermometers to make color-changing paints or thermometers. Because ZnO has astringency and certain bactericidal ability, it is often used as ointment in medicine. ZnO can also be used as a catalyst. Zinc oxide ZnO is used as an additive in many materials and products, including cosmetics, food supplements, rubber, plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, lubricants, coatings, ointments, adhesives, sealants, pigments, food, batteries, Ferrite, flame retardant and most importantly, tape.

Physical properties of zinc oxide powder



Appearance and Properties: White powder or hexagonal crystal. Odorless, tasteless, no sand. It turns yellow when heated, turns white again after cooling, and sublimates when heated to 1800C. The hiding power is half that of titanium dioxide and zinc sulfide. The tinting strength is twice that of basic lead carbonate.

Solubility: soluble in acid, concentrated alkali hydroxide, ammonia and ammonium salt solution, insoluble in water and ethanol.

Chemical properties of zinc oxide powder

Zinc oxide powder is a famous white pigment, commonly known as zinc white. Its advantage is that it will not turn black when encountering H2S gas, because ZnS is also white. On heating, the ZnO gradually changed from white to pale yellow to lemon yellow. The yellow color will disappear as it cools. Using this property, it can be mixed into paints or added to thermometers to make color-changing paints or color-changing thermometers. Because ZnO has astringency and certain bactericidal ability, it is often used as ointment in medicine. ZnO can also be used as a catalyst.

Application of zinc oxide ZnO powder



1. Zinc oxide ZnO is mainly used as a reinforcing agent and activator in the rubber or cable industry, as a colorant and filler for white glue, and as a vulcanizing agent in neoprene.

2. Zinc oxide ZnO for fine desulfurization of feed gas in chemical fertilizer industry

3. Zinc oxide ZnO is mainly used as white pigment, rubber vulcanization activator, organic synthesis catalyst, desulfurizer, for electrostatic copying, pharmaceuticals, etc.

4. Zinc oxide ZnO is used for desulfurization of synthetic ammonia, petroleum and natural gas chemical raw materials

5. Zinc oxide ZnO is used as a matrix for analytical reagents, reference reagents, fluorescent agents and photosensitive materials

6. Zinc oxide ZnO is used for electrostatic wet copying, dry transfer printing, laser fax communication, electronic computer electrostatic recording, electrostatic plate making documents

7. Zinc oxide ZnO is used in plastic industry, sunscreen cosmetics, special ceramic products, special functional coatings and textile hygiene processing.

8. Zinc oxide ZnO is widely used in the deep desulfurization and purification process of industrial raw materials such as ammonia, methanol and hydrogen production.

9. Zinc oxide is used as an astringent, used to make ointments or plasters

10. Zinc oxide ZnO is used as a white pigment for printing and dyeing, papermaking, matches and pharmaceutical industries. In the rubber industry, it is used as a vulcanization activator, reinforcing agent and colorant for natural rubber, synthetic rubber and latex. It is also used in the manufacture of chrome yellow zinc, zinc acetate, zinc carbonate, zinc chloride and other pigments. In addition, it is also used in the manufacture of electronic laser materials, phosphors, feed additives, catalysts, magnetic materials, and as zinc supplements in feed processing.

Zinc oxide ZnO powder price



Zinc oxide The price of zinc oxide powder will change randomly with the production cost of zinc oxide powder, transportation cost, international situation, market supply and demand and other factors. Tanki New Materials Co.,Ltd aims to help various industries and chemical wholesalers find high-quality, low-cost nanomaterials and chemicals by providing a full range of customized services. If you are looking for Zinc Oxide Zinc Oxide Powder, please feel free to send an inquiry to get the latest price of Zinc Oxide Zinc Oxide Powder.

Zinc Oxide ZnO Powder Supplier



As a global zinc oxide ZnO powder supplier, Tanki New Materials Ltd has extensive experience in the performance, application and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced and engineered materials. The company has successfully developed a series of powder materials (cerium oxide, zinc oxide, nickel oxide), high-purity target materials, functional ceramics and structural devices, and provides OEM services.

Zinc Oxide ZnO powder Properties Other Names Oxozinc, Zinc White, Zinc monoxide, Zinci Oxydum, Flowers of zinc, Zincoid, Amalox, Ziradryl, Zincum, Oxydatum, Emanay zinc oxide, zinc, oxo-, Zinci Oxicum, Ketozinc, Nogenol, Permanent White CAS No. 1314-23-4 Compound Formula ZnO Molecular Weight 81.37 Appearance White Powder Melting Point 1,975 C (3,587 F) Solubility in water N/A Density 5600 kg/m3 Purity 99.50% Particle Size 20nm-200nm Boling point 2,360 C (4,280 F) Specific Heat N/A Thermal Conductivity N/A Thermal Expansion N/A Young's Modulus N/A Exact Mass 79.9241 g/mol Monoisotopic Mass 79.924061 Da Zinc Oxide ZnO powder Health & Safety Information Safety Warning Warning Hazard Statements N/A Flashing point N/A Hazard Codes H410 Risk Codes N/A Safety Statements N/A RTECS Number ZH4810000 Transport Information UN 3077 9 / PGIII WGK Germany 2





The Free Trade Agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has come into force on.

The UAE is the gateway to the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, said Subramaniam, a senior official at India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The agreement will help boost bilateral trade in goods from $60 billion a year now to $100 billion a year within five years.

On 18 February 2022, India and the United Arab Emirates signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. With the entry into force of the agreement, 90 percent of Indian goods and 65 percent of UAE goods will enjoy tariff-free market access.

Apart from its FTA with the UAE, India is also pursuing FTAs with Australia, the UK, Canada, Israel, the European Union, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Influenced by international situations, the supply and prices of many Zinc Oxide, Zinc Oxide Overview, Zinc Oxide Application, Zinc Oxide Suppliers, Zinc Oxide Price are still very uncertain.

Inquiry us
Nanoparticles

3D Printing Alloy Metal Materials Iron Nickel Alloy InVar36 Metal Powder

The roble had hit a record low after the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. Russia's president recently ordered exports of Russian gas to "unfriendly" countries to be settled in robles. The speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament said Moscow was prepared and could shift supplies to markets such as Asia if Europe refused to buy Russian energy.

European countries, which pay mostly in euros, say Russia has no right to reset contracts. The G7 rejected Russia's demand and urged companies not to agree to pay in robles, saying most contracts stipulated payment in euros or dollars. Wholesale gas prices in Europe have risen further recently on concerns about potential supply disruptions.

The Kremlin spokesman said, "According to the March 31 deadline set by Russia's president, we are developing all payment methods to get a simple, understandable, and feasible system for relevant European and international buyers,"

The markets and prices of more commodities like the InVar36 Powder would be affected because of the volatile international political situations.

About Iron Nickel Alloy InVar36 Metal Powder:

Powder characteristics: Iron-based 3D Printing Powderhigh powder sphericity, low oxygen content, uniform particle size distribution, good fluidity, high bulk density and tap density, and wide application in powder metallurgy and 3D printing.

Applicable Process: InVar36 Powder can be used in laser/electron beam additive manufacturing (SLM/EBM), laser direct deposition (DLD), powder hot isostatic pressing (HIP), metal injection molding (MIM) and other processes.

Applicable equipment: 3D Metal Powder can be used in various types of metal 3D printers, including Renishaw in the UK, EOS (EOSINT M series) in Germany, Concept Laser, 3D systems in the United States, laser melting equipment, and domestic research institutes and enterprises. Research and development of selected laser melting equipment, such as Huaying Hi-Tech, Platinum and so on.

Powder Applications: Iron-based metal powders are used in 3D printed thin-walled devices and complex parts, thermal spray, laser cladding, and

biomedical applications.

Product specifications: 0-45 m, 0-53 m, 15-45 m, 15-53 m, 45-105 m. (All kinds of granular metal powder can be customized according to customer requirements)

Chemical composition (wt %):

Type C Si Mn Ni Cr Co Al Mg Ti Zr P S Fe InVar36 0.05 0.4 0.6 36.0 0.25 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.015 0.015 Bal.

Powder oxygen and nitrogen content:

Particle size O/ppm N/ppm 15-53 m 800 600 45-105 m 500 600

Storage Condition of InVar36 Metal Powder:

Damp reunion will affect Iron-based 3D Printing Powder dispersion performance and using effects, therefore, Iron-based 3D Printing Powder should be sealed in vacuum packing and stored in cool and dry room, the Iron-based 3D Printing Powder can not be exposure to air. In addition, the Iron-based 3D Printing Powder should be avoided under stress.

Packing & Shipping of InVar36 Metal Powder:

We have many different kinds of packing which depends on the Iron-based 3D Printing Powder quantity.

Iron-based 3D Printing Powder packing:vacuum packing, 100g, 500g or 1kg/bag, 25kg/barrel, or as your request.

Iron-based 3D Printing Powder shipping:could be shipped out by sea , by air, by express?as soon as possible once payment receipt.





Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials, including boron powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, 3D printing powder, etc.





If you are looking for 3D printing metal powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry, email address: sales2@nanotrun.com





3D Printing Alloy Metal Materials Iron Nickel Alloy InVar36 Metal Powder Properties Other Names InVar36 Powder CAS No. N/A Compound Formula N/A Molecular Weight N/A Appearance Gray metallic solid in various forms (ingot, tubing, pieces, powder) Melting Point N/A Solubility in water N/A Density NA Purity N/A Particle Size 0-20m, 15-45m, 15-53m, 53-105m, 53-150m, 105-250m Boling point N/A Specific Heat N/A Thermal Conductivity N/A Thermal Expansion N/A Young's Modulus N/A Exact Mass N/A Monoisotopic Mass N/A 3D Printing Alloy Metal Materials Iron Nickel Alloy InVar36 Metal Powder Health & Safety Information Safety Warning N/A Hazard Statements N/A Flashing point N/A Hazard Codes N/A Risk Codes N/A Safety Statements N/A RTECS Number N/A Transport Information N/A WGK Germany N/A









The current international situation is highly uncertain, and its economic impact has not been able to be assessed properly. In addition, rising energy and commodity prices and supply chain disruptions are expected to push the price of the InVar36 Powder higher.



Inquiry us
News

Aluminum boride AlB2 powder is an ionic compound with a hexagonal crystal structure

Wholesale gas prices in the Netherlands and the UK have risen 20 percent recently amid concerns about Russian supplies.

The EU plans to cut its dependence on Russian gas by two-thirds this year and stop importing Russian fossil fuels by 2027. Russia exported about 155 billion cubic meters of gas to the EU in 2021.

The US recently said it would try to supply 15bn cubic meters of LNG to the EU this year. U.S. LNG plants are running at full capacity, and analysts say much of the extra gas the U.S. sends to Europe comes from what should have been exported elsewhere.

The German government called Russia "an unreliable energy supplier". Even though the German government claimed that they have been preparing for the situation for a long time that Russia may stop sending gas one day, experts say it is hard for the EU to replace all of Russia's gas exports any time soon.

The supply and prices of many Aluminum boride AlB2 powder will continue to be influenced by international situations.





Overview of aluminum boride AlB2 powder

Aluminum diboride AlB2 powder is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula AlB2. It is a binary compound formed from aluminum and boron. It is a red solid under normal temperature and pressure, insoluble in water.

Aluminum boride (AlB2) is a binary compound formed from aluminum and boron. It is a red solid under normal temperature and pressure. Heat will lose surface luster. Stable in cold dilute acid, decomposed in hot hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. It is obtained by mixing and heating fine powders of aluminum and boron.

Structurally, B atoms form graphite-like flakes with Al atoms, very similar to the structure of magnesium diboride. AlB2 single crystals exhibit metallic conductivity in axes parallel to the hexagonal plane of the substrate.

Aluminum boride is one of two compounds of aluminum and boron, the other is AlB12, commonly known as aluminum boride. AlB12 is a black glossy monoclinic crystal with a specific gravity of 2.55 (18C). Insoluble in water, acid and alkali. It decomposes in hot nitric acid and is obtained by fusing together boron trioxide, sulfur and aluminum. Single crystals of AlB2 are parallel to the hexagons of the matrix.

Aluminum boride AlB2 powder is considered a hazardous substance because it reacts with acids and hydrogen to produce toxic gases. For example, it reacts with hydrochloric acid to liberate borane and aluminum chloride.

The structure of aluminum diboride (AlB2) is similar to that of graphite flakes. There is an Al atom between the B atom and the B atom, which is very similar to the structure of magnesium diboride. The AlB2 single crystal exhibits metallic conductivity along an axis parallel to the hexagonal plane of the substrate.

The crystal structure of AlB2 is often used to describe the prototype structure of intermetallic compounds. There are various structural types in the AlB2 structural family.

Aluminum boride AlB2 powder is an ionic compound with a hexagonal crystal structure. Aluminum boride at an absolute temperature of 40K (equivalent to -233C) will transform into a superconductor. Its actual working temperature is 20~30K. To reach this temperature, we can use liquid neon, liquid or closed loop refrigerators to accomplish cooling. These methods are simpler and more economical than the current industry using liquid helium to cool niobium alloys (4K). Once carbon or other impurities, magnesium diboride, or electrification are added to a magnetic field, they retain as much superconductivity as niobium alloys, if not better.

Application of aluminum boride AlB2 powder

Aluminum boride AlB2 powder is a random (or rhombus) white or light yellow powder. Can be used as: non-toxic flame retardants, plastics, rubber, textiles, coatings, superconducting magnets, transmission lines, sensitive magnetic field detectors.

Aluminum boride AlB2 powder price

The price ofaluminum diboride AlB2 powder varies randomly due to factors such as production cost, transportation cost, international conditions, exchange rate, and market supply and demand of aluminum diboride AlB2 powder. Tanki New Materials Co., Ltd. aims to help industries and chemical wholesalers find high-quality, low-cost nanomaterials and chemicals by providing a full range of customized services. If you are looking for aluminum diboride AlB2 powder, please feel free to contact us for the latest price of aluminum diboride AlB2 powder.

Supplier of aluminum boride AlB2 powder

As a global aluminum diboride AlB2 powder supplier, Tanki New Materials Co.,Ltd. has extensive experience in advanced engineering material properties, applications and cost-effective manufacturing. The company has successfully developed a series of boride powder materials (including aluminum diboride AlB2 powder, molybdenum boride, tungsten boride, etc.), high-purity targets, functional ceramics and structural devices, and provides OEM services.

Aluminum Diboride AlB2 Powder Properties Other Names aluminium boride, aluminum diboride, AIB2 CAS No. 12041-50-8 Compound Formula AlB2 Molecular Weight 48.604 g/mol Appearance Copper-red solid Melting Point >920 C (decomposes) Solubility in water Insolutable Density 3.19 g/cm3 Purity >98.5% Particle Size 5-10um Poisson's Ratio N/A Specific Heat N/A Thermal Conductivity N/A Thermal Expansion N/A Young's Modulus N/A Exact Mass 49.000149 Monoisotopic Mass 49.000149





Gas supplies have been in short supply because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Combined with the situation that other renewable sources cannot produce enough electricity, electricity prices have soared in many parts all over the world. For this reason, I assume the supply and prices of the Aluminum boride AlB2 powder would keep being influenced by the high energy prices.



Inquiry us
News

Difference between 316 and 316L Stainless Steel

For billionaires, the new crown epidemic is like a 'gold rush'! The Deutsche Presse-Agentur said on the 17th that in 2022, the wealth held by the world's top ten richest people will jump from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion, an average daily increase of $1.3 billion, an increase that exceeds the past 14 years. These 10 people The wealth held by the worlds poorest 3.1 billion people is six times greater than that of the worlds poorest 3.1 billion people. The 10 richest Germans have increased their assets from the equivalent of about 125 billion euros to about 223 billion euros since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, An increase of about 78%. This wealth is roughly equivalent to the total wealth of the poorest 40% of the population, or 33 million Germans.

In the future, demand for 316L stainless steel powder will grow as fast as the wealth of the rich during the pandemic.



316 Stainless Steel

Alloys are often added to steel to increase the desired properties. The marine-grade stainless steel, known as Type 316, is resistant to certain types of corrosive environments.

There are many different types of stainless steel 316. Some common types are L, F, N, and H variants. Each is slightly different, and each is used for a different purpose. L means 316L steel has a carbon content below 316.



316 and 316L Stainless Steel Common Quality

Although similar to the Type 304 commonly found in the food industry, the Type 316 and 316L both exhibit better corrosion resistance and are more robust at high temperatures. They also cannot be hardened by heat treatment and can be easily shaped and stretched.



Difference between 316 and 316L Stainless Steel

316L stainless steel has less carbon than 316. But even with its lower carbon content, 316L is very similar to 316 in almost every way. The cost is similar, and both are durable and corrosion-resistant, making them a good choice for high-stress situations.

However, for projects that require a lot of welding, 316L is a better choice because 316 is more susceptible to welding corrosion than 316L (corrosion within the weld). However, the 316 can be annealed to resist welding attenuation. 316L is also a very suitable stainless steel for high temperature, high corrosion applications, which is why it is so popular in construction and Marine projects.

Neither 316 nor 316L is the cheapest option. The 304 is similar to the 304L, but the price is lower. Neither is as durable as the 317 and 317L, which have higher molybdenum content and better overall corrosion resistance.



Physical Properties of type 316 and 316L steels:

Density: 0.799g/cubic centimeter

Electrical resistivity: 74 microhm-centimeters (20 degrees Celsius)

Specific Heat: 0.50 kiloJoules/kilogram-Kelvin (0100 degrees Celsius)

Thermal conductivity: 16.2 Watts/meter-Kelvin (100 degrees Celsius)

Modulus of Elasticity (MPa): 193 x 103 in tension

Melting Range: 2,5002,550 degrees Fahrenheit (1,3711,399 degrees Celsius)



Stainless Steel 316L Powder Properties Other Names Stainless Steel Powders, SS316 powder, SS316L powder CAS No. 52013-36-2 Compound Formula SS316L Molecular Weight N/A Appearance grey black powder Melting Point N/A Boiling Point N/A Density 7.9g/cm3 Solubility in H2O N/A Exact Mass N/A

3D Printing Stainless Steel SS316L Powder





What is 316L Stainless Steel used for?

It is commonly used in chemical and petrochemical industries, food processing, pharmaceutical equipment, medical devices, drinking water, wastewater treatment, Marine applications, and near the coast or in urban areas. For example:

Chemical containers, transport units, heat exchangers, and process industrial equipment in organic and fatty acid production;

Vessels and shipbuilding pipes, pumps, valves, fittings, and shipbuilding;

Oil and gas industry pipelines, valves, pumps, heat exchangers;

Mining for screen weaving;

Pipe fittings and machined parts for pipe fittings.



Stainless Steel 316L Powder Price

The price is influenced by many factors including the supply and demand in the market, industry trends, economic activity, market sentiment, and unexpected events.

If you are looking for the latest stainless steel 316L powder price, you can send us your inquiry for a quote. ([email protected])



Stainless Steel 316L Powder Supplier

Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials, including silicon powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, calcium nitride, 3D printing powder, etc.

If you are looking for high-quality stainless steel 316L powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. ([email protected])



With the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the market is increasingly worried about the potential disruption of Russia's energy supply. Geopolitical premiums have pushed up the price of crude oil and natural gas, and the energy price is expected to remain high in the short term. Affected by this, the market price of the 316L stainless steel powder may continue to rise.



Inquiry us
News

Production and Applications of Naphthalene Sulfonate Water Reducing Agent

Russian president demanded that exports of Russian gas to "unfriendly" countries be settled in rubles. The demand has raised concerns in Germany about possible supply disruptions and the impact on industry and households if utilities do not pay in robles. Europe gets about 40% of its gas from Russia. Last year, Europe imported about 155 billion cubic meters. Germany, Europe's largest economy, depends heavily on Russian gas.

The chief executive of Germany's E.ON said the German economy would face "significant damage, which should be avoided if possible" without Russian supplies. He also said it would take Germany three years to wean itself off Russian gas.

In the event of a supply disruption, Germany's gas network regulator would prioritize home heating over industrial use, so energy-hungry manufacturers such as steelmakers would be the first to suffer, he said.

The volatile international situations will continue to affect the markets and prices of many commodities like the Water Reducing Agent.

Introduction to Naphthalene Sulfonate Water Reducing Agent:

It is the product of naphthalene sulfonated by sulfuric acid and then condensed with formaldehyde, which belongs to an anionic surfactant. The appearance of this kind of water-reducing agent depending on different products is light yellow to dark brown powder. It is soluble in water and has a good dispersing effect on many powder materials such as cement. The water reduction rate is 25%.

Preparation method of Naphthalene Sulfonate Water Reducing Agent:

The synthetic route of naphthalene sulfonate superplasticizer is as follows:

naphthalene  sulfonation  hydrolysis  condensation  neutralization  filtration  drying  product

The raw material for production is naphthalene. First, the sulfonation reaction is carried out with concentrated sulfuric acid. The mole ratio of naphthalene to sulfuric acid is 1:1.3-1.4. The reaction temperature was 160 - 165 and the reaction time was 3h. Then the reactants were cooled to 120 for hydrolysis. At this time, naphthalene sulfonic acid was stable, while naphthalene sulfonic acid was easy to hydrolyze, thus reducing the amount of naphthalene sulfonic acid to facilitate the next polycondensation reaction. The hydrolysis time was about 30min. The condensation reaction is an important reaction in the production of a naphthalene sulfonate water reducer. At a certain temperature, the sulfonated naphthalene was condensed with formaldehyde to form a polymer compound. This reaction strongly affects the performance of the product. In order to find the optimal process parameters, the effects of condensation time, condensation temperature, and the ratio of formaldehyde and naphthalene on product properties were investigated by means of uniform design. The optimal temperature condition is 104. The optimal reaction time was 6h. The optimal condition of formaldehyde dosage is 0.75. The maximum expected theoretical value is 18.3.

Industrial production process of Naphthalene Sulfonate Water Reducing Agent:

(1) naphthalene: Naphthalene is solid at room temperature, and it is necessary to put naphthalene into the naphthalene kettle for heating and melting.

(2) sulfonation: The sulfonation process is to add concentrated sulfuric acid to the sulfonation kettle and react with it to produce naphthalene sulfonic acid. There are two types of naphthalene sulfonic acid:  -naphthalene sulfonic acid and  -naphthalene sulfonic acid.

(3) hydrolysis: As  -naphthalene sulfonic acid is produced in the sulfonation reaction, its presence is not conducive to the condensation reaction, so it needs to add water to hydrolyze  -naphthalene sulfonic acid.

(4) condensation: After the end of hydrolysis reaction to condensation kettle drop formaldehyde, and  -naphthalene sulfonic acid reaction to generate naphthalene sulfonated formaldehyde condensation.

(5) neutralization: After condensation, the material enters the neutralization kettle, drops liquid alkali, neutralizes the excess sulfuric acid in the sulfonation reaction, and stops dropping when the PH reaches 7-9.

The control system mainly monitors the production status of four different reaction reactors and their batching tanks. The production line can also carry out four production lines at the same time. Taking production line A as an example, there are one naphthalene reactor, two sulfonation reactors, four condensation reactors, and one neutralization reactor. Each reaction kettle has a feed valve, discharge valve, emptying valve, hot oil valve, cooling water valve, steam pressure valve, flush valve, etc., the reaction kettle with a raw material tank, two sulfonated kettles shared a sulfuric acid tank, every two condensation kettles would be equipped with a set of formaldehyde tank and dilution tank, each condensation kettle has a hydrolysis tank, liquid alkali tank to neutralize the alkali added drops in the kettle.

Applications of Naphthalene Sulfonate Water Reducing Agent:

Naphthalene water-reducing agent is a kind of concrete additive invented by Dr. Hwab Kenichi in Japan in 1962. It is a kind of chemical synthetic product of naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensation, with industrial naphthalene, concentrated sulfuric acid, formaldehyde, and alkali as the main raw material. Adding a naphthalene water-reducing agent to concrete can not only improve the strength of concrete but also improve its various properties, such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance, permeability resistance, etc. Therefore, naphthalene water-reducing agent is widely used in roads, bridges, tunnels, docks, civil buildings, and other industries.

Suppliers of Concrete Additives

TRUNNANO is a reliable concrete additives supplier with over 12-year experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development. If you are looking for high-quality concrete additives, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com)

We accept payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union, and Paypal. Trunnano will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea.





A preparation developed in China; the comfort and the multifunctional properties of nanomaterials make "dead skin" capable of sensing again. Electronic skin is artificial skin that mimics the function of human skin. Recently, the world-renowned journal Advanced Science reported a simple and highly programmable electronic skin on a leather substrate developed by a Chinese team, which combines the natural complex structure of leather, the comfort of wearing, and the multi-functional properties of nanomaterials. , so that the "dead skin" has the ability to sense again.



In the future, Water Reducing Agent will be used in various high-tech fields, and the market demand for Water Reducing Agent will also be great. Please contact us for more information on Water Reducing Agent.







Inquiry us
News

The surge in monkeypox cases has also had an impact on the market for qpcr no amplification

The U.S. has reported more than 3,800 cases of monkeypox, the most of any country, according to government health data. The increase in the number of cases has reportedly prompted the Biden administration to consider declaring a national health emergency. The virus has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). To date, more than 18,000 cases have been reported in 75 countries.

As of July 25, there were 3,846 confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox in the United States, according to data published online by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That figure, which comes amid an expansion of testing amid ongoing outbreaks of the virus, is now ahead of Spain, which has reported 3,105 cases so far. Germany and the United Kingdom, the two other countries with the highest number of infections, have reported 2,352 and 2,208 cases, respectively.

With cases rising in the United States, The Washington Post reported on July 25 that the Biden administration was considering declaring a public health emergency. The measure would allow the government to use federal funds to fight the pandemic, raise public awareness and better collect related health data. In addition, the administration is reportedly preparing to appoint a coordinator to oversee the government's response to White House monkeypox.

On July 21, 50 Democratic lawmakers sent an open letter to President Joe Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency and ship millions of doses to the United States from overseas manufacturing facilities. Although officials say gay and bisexual men and health care workers are most at risk so far, there is growing concern that the virus could spread to other populations.

On July 22, the first case of monkeypox in a child was confirmed in the United States. So far, the U.S. response to the virus has been plagued by a shortage of vaccines and a slow start to testing, leading some to compare the situation to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

In Washington, D.C., for example, officials warned that a "rapid increase in cases" combined with "very limited" vaccine supplies meant authorities had to prioritize high-risk residents. The city now has the highest total number of infections per capita, with 172 cases reported in the region. Most cases of monkeypox are mild, with initial symptoms including high fever, swollen lymph nodes and blisters, a varicella like rash or lesion. So far, no deaths from the virus have been reported in the United States.

Global Industry Assessment (2016-2021) and Forecast (2022-2028). According to the report, the global digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) industry was valued at USD 5,341.6 million in 2021 and is projected to be valued at USD 8,860.22 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.80% from 2022 to 2028.

Market analysis of qpcr no amplification

The increasing number of genetic diseases, targeted infectious disease events, and the increasing use of biomarker analysis for disease diagnosis, as well as the successful completion of the Human Genome Project are major factors driving the development of digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR. The same goes for qpcr no amplification.

Continuous advances in PCR technology, growing investments, funding, and grants are expected to increase the demand for digital PCR (dPCR) in the coming years. The growth in the incidence of targeted diseases globally is related to the validation efficiency of digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) market analytics in the diagnosis and valuation of pathogenic microorganisms, which will drive the use of clinical diagnostic tests, including digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) market analytics, It is expected to contribute to the growth of the qpcr no amplification market during the forecast period.

Application of qpcr no amplification

The most important applications of PCR are to amplify DNA, quantify it, or do both in the same reaction. In conventional PCR, the target DNA is amplified as more than one copy, because single or double DNA molecules are not sufficient for downstream analysis. However, gene measurements were not available using conventional PCR, so gene expression and nucleic acid measurements were not available using conventional PCR.

As the frequency of irresistible and persistent diseases continues to rise, as does the expanding R&D drive to create imaginative genomic approaches such as qPCR and dPCR, the developing qpcr no amplification business segment is being relied upon to provide great growth opportunities. Emerging countries are seeing the rapid modernization of health service offices and the development of qpcr no amplifications for health service frameworks.

The qpcr no amplification market forecast

Rely on North America to dominate the qpcr no amplification market, followed by Europe. The development of the qPCR and dPCR market in North America will be achieved by expanding the acceptance of creative and novel investigative projects (computatively advanced qPCR and dPCR projects), access to R&D funding for genomic research (combined with the region's strong examination base), growing the application of PCR procedures in clinical diagnostics and legal sciences, And compared with the qPCR/dPCR projects in different fields, the development of commercial qpcr no amplification.

The growing investment and availability of funds for PCR-based research and the increase in targeted infectious disease events are driving the growth of the global digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) markets.

The qpcr no amplification Challenges:

High equipment costs, especially for dPCR, and the emergence of PCR technology constraints are the major factors hindering the growth of the global digital PCR (dPCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) market during the forecast period.

Due to the rapid development of economy, and increase the government's support for life science research, the aging of the population growth and the increase of incidence of genetic disorders, research the growth and the growth of the clinical trials, the asia-pacific region is expected to top the compound annual growth rate of growth in the region of the qpcr no amplification in the market, market demand is expected to increase the qpcr no amplification in the asia-pacific region.

Professional Portable qPCR System Manufacturer

Anitoa is a professional R&D and manufacturing company of molecular diagnostic qPCR instruments and reagents, with independent intellectual property rights of core chip technology, optical technology, rapid heating, microfluidic control and supporting reagents and other patented technologies, so that the instruments developed by Anitoa are characterized by quick and easy small instruments, allowing the development of expensive and complex large PCR instruments into truly portable POCT products. If you are looking for more information about the qpcr no amplification, please contact us.

Contact Anitoa : salesmanager@anitoa.com

Inquiry us
Nitride Powder

The Russia resumes flights with Germany and other 6 countries Will Affect the Price of sis2

It is reported that the Russian New Crown Virus Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters released a message on the 25th that based on the principle of reciprocity, Russia will resume international flights with Germany, Venezuela, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka from April 1.

The flights resumed with Germany are Moscow-Berlin, Moscow-Frankfurt, and St. Petersburg-Berlin and St. Petersburg-Frankfurt. Russia restored routes with Venezuela, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka are Moscow-Caracas, Moscow-Damascus, Moscow-Dushanbe, Moscow-Tashkent, and Moscow-Colombo.

Affected by the Russia resumes flights with Germany and other 6 countries, the sis2 market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next February 2021-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. If you are looking for sis2 or buy sis2 in bulk, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com .

The price of sis2 continues to be affected by factors such as market growth momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2020 to 2026, the global sis2 sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that from today to next week, the price of sis2 will increase to a certain extent.

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of sis2, the cost of sis2 is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of sis2 will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of sis2 will increase slightly from today to next week.

However, KMPASS provides high purity sis2 with steady price. In order to feedback to old customers, the company is still in full operations to provide sis2 with competitive price. said Aimee, sales manager of KMPASS.

About KMPASS

KMPASS is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. As a leading nanotechnology development and sis2 manufacturer, KMPASS dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are looking for sis2, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com

OR go to the following link:

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Tungsten-Disulfide-WS2-Powder-.html

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Molybdenum-Disulfide-MoS2-Lubricating-Material-Powder-.html

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Zinc-Sulfide-ZnS-Powder.html

Inquiry us
Silicide Powder

What are the Main Properties and Uses of Inconel718

U.S. natural gas futures rose about 5 percent to a near nine-week high as global energy prices surged on concerns over a pricing plan for energy exports, keeping U.S. LNG export demand near record highs. U.S. natural gas prices have risen despite forecasts of mild weather and lower-than-expected demand, which will allow utilities to fill up storage facilities next week. On Wednesday, Germany launched an emergency plan to manage gas supplies in Europe's largest economy. If natural gas supplies are interrupted or stopped, the German government could take unprecedented steps to limit electricity supply.

Affected by the increase in the price of natural gas, the price of the Alloy Inconel718 will also increase.



What is Nickel-based Super Alloy Inconel718:

Inconel 718 or In718 is a nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy. It is an oxidation-resistant and corrosion-resistant material ideal for use in extreme environments under pressure and heat. In718 was invented in the early 1960s in INCO Huntington Alloys (now Special Metals Co.) and used in turbine parts manufacturing. Since then, In718 has become the most widely used nickel-based superalloy in the history of aero-engines. The unique alloy composition of In718 enables it to have good comprehensive properties, namely high strength, creep resistance, etc. Especially under 650, it has good stability in terms of mechanical properties. Many parts of modern aero-engines, such as turbine discs, blades, brakes, shafts, stators, seals, supports, pipes, fasteners, are made of In718.





Properties of Nickel-based Super Alloy Inconel718:

When heated, a thick and stable passivating oxide layer is formed on the surface of the alloy, protecting the surface from further erosion. It exhibits high yield, tensile, and creep fracture properties at high temperatures. Inconel718s high-temperature strength is developed by solid solution strengthening or precipitation hardening. Inconel718 has good comprehensive properties in the temperature range of -253 ~ 700 (1290F). Its yield strength below 650 ranks first among the deformation superalloys. It has good fatigue resistance, radiation resistance, oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and good machining and welding performance. Various complex-shaped parts can be produced with Inconel718, and thus Inconel718 is widely used in aerospace, nuclear energy, petroleum industry, and extrusion die in the above temperature range.





Applications of Nickel-based Super Alloy Inconel718:

Chemical processing;Gas turbine blades, seals, and combustors;High-temperature fasteners;Pressure vessels;Aerospace industry, for constructing heat resistant turbines;Low-temperature storage tanks;Nuclear energy industry;Petroleum industry.





About KMPASS

KMPASS is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. The company export to many countries, such as USA, Canada, Europe, UAE, South Africa, Tanzania,Kenya,Egypt,Nigeria,Cameroon,Uganda,Turkey,Mexico,Azerbaijan,Belgium,Cyprus,Czech Republic,Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dubai, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia,Germany, France, Italy, Portugal etc. As a leading nanotechnology development manufacturer, KMPASS dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are looking for Inconel718 powder, please send an email to: sales2@nanotrun.com or contact us.





The negative electrode material is the carrier of lithium ions and electrons during the charging process of the battery and plays the role of energy storage and release. In the battery cost, the negative electrode material accounts for about 5%-15%, which is one of the important raw materials for lithium-ion batteries. The global sales of lithium battery anode materials are about 100,000 tons, mainly in China and Japan. According to the current growth trend of new energy vehicles, the demand for anode materials will also show a state of continuous growth. At present, the global lithium battery anode materials are still dominated by natural/artificial graphite, and new anode materials such as mesh carbon microspheres (MCMB), lithium titanate, silicon-based anodes, HC/SC, and metal lithium are also growing rapidly.Our company provides anode materials and Alloy Inconel718s. If you need to know more anode materials and Alloy Inconel718s, please feel free to contact us.

Inquiry us
Sulfide Powder

What is Protein Foaming Agent?

Australian alumina ban disrupts Rusal production -- Australia's ban on exports of alumina and aluminium ore to Russia, including bauxite, will further disrupt supply chains and production at leading aluminium producer Rusal, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said on Monday.

The Australian government announced the ban on Sunday as part of its ongoing sanctions against Moscow for its aggression in Ukraine, saying Russia relies on it to meet one-fifth of its alumina needs. WoodMac senior manager Uday Patel said in a statement that the ban would make it difficult for Rusal to maintain normal primary aluminum production.

Rusal said it was assessing the impact of Australia's move and would make further announcements if necessary. "It is increasingly likely that UC Rusal's only option for alumina procurement will be through a Chinese entity." The Australian alumina ban has also had an impact on foaming agent prices for chemicals. Patel said. "One possible outcome could be Chinese buyers buying alumina and reselling it through eastern Russian ports." Rusal has a 20% stake in the Queensland Alumina Refinery, which has a capacity of 3.95 million tonnes a year, thus providing Rusal with 790,000 tonnes a year, Patel said. In addition, Rusal's Nikolaev refinery in Ukraine, which has an annual capacity of 1.75 million tonnes, has been suspended due to the conflict, he added. WoodMac said Rusal was also experiencing supply chain problems at its 2 million tonne a year Aughinish refinery in Ireland.

Introduction to Protein Foaming Agents

Protein foaming agents are produced from naturally hydrolyzed proteins. They are combined with foam stabilizers (metal salts), fungicides, corrosion inhibitors, antifreeze additives and solvents to form foam concentrates. In some more advanced protein based foam agents, like fluoroprotein foams (FP) and film forming fluoro protein foams (FFFP), fluorochemical additives are added to improve the performance of the foam.

Performance of Protein Foaming Agents

Foam formed by protein based foaming agents are very stable with a high heat resistance and good burnback resistance. Due to the excellent foam stability, the poured foam cement can reach more than 1.5 meters without collapse. Therefore, protein foaming agents are suitable for the production of foamed brick, light plate and light wall.

Compared with the vegetable foaming agents, the form cement made by protein foaming agents has better sealing performance and heat preservation performance, and higher strength.

Applications of Protein Foaming Agents

Protein foaming agents are widely used for building roof insulation, floor heating and industrial pipe insulation.

Besides, due to the characteristics of high heat and good burnback resistance, protein foams are often used for hydrocarbon fuels by the petroleum industry, such as various of crude oils, gasolines, diesel fuels and jet fuels.

Suppliers of Protein Foaming Agents

TRUNNANO is a reliable protein foaming agents supplier with over 12-year experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development. If you are looking for high quality products, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com)

We accept payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union and Paypal. Trunnano will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea.





The COVID-19 pandemic has affected economies and chemical companies in many countries around the world. Measures such as extending holidays and resuming work were taken to control the development of the epidemic, and the normal operation of some chemical enterprises was also affected to some extent.

We provides high quality foaming agent with reasonable price. In order to feedback to old customers, the company is still in full operations to provide foaming agent with competitive price. said Olina, the sales manager.

Chemical production is highly dependent on transportation, and the epidemic affects the circulation of people and materials first. Predictably, none of this is rosy. In densely populated areas with large mobility, the situation of epidemic prevention and control becomes more severe in the later stage. If you are looking for the foaming agent, feel free to contact us.

Inquiry us
Irish universities have begun issuing advice to staff on how to minimise the threat of plagiarism through the rising use of artificial technologies.

University College Cork sent an email to staff members pointing their attention to ChatGPT, encouraging them to consider the ways the tool could be "useful as well as problematic" in academic scenarios.

Launched in November, ChatGPT has rapidly increased in popularity with its conversational ability and capacity to write anything from songs to speeches and essays capturing widespread public attention.

Since its inception, ChatGPT has sparked debates across universities, the tech sector, and the media world, igniting fears that its rise could have a detrimental impact on jobs, content creation, and academic integrity.

In an email to staff, seen by the Irish Examiner, UCC said it will also begin workshops for staff members teaching them how to design or redesign student assessments in the context of ChatGPT, focusing on "striking a balance" between ways it can enhance teaching and preventing misuse.

"We believe that assessment design and ongoing education on academic integrity and conduct, are key to responding to this new development," the email states.

It adds that as a member of the National Academic integrity Network, UCC was participating in sectoral discussions on the issue of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence.

Trinity College Dublin has also contacted staff regarding the AI tool, advising them on ways to minimise its threat and adjust assessments accordingly.

In simple terms, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-powered text generator which responds to questions, prompts and conversation starters from users.

Built by US firm, OpenAI, the tool is trained on a large quantity of text data that has allowed it to simulate realistic human conversations.

Last week, the AI bot broke the record for the fastest-growing user base on the internet, gaining 100 million monthly users in January, just a month after it was initially launched.

The evolution of AI text generators has also sparked a race between Google and Microsoft search engines, both of which hope to add AI tools to maximise search capability. Microsoft said it would invest $10bn into ChatGPT's owners, with Google's parent company, Alphabet also signalling AI technologies as a key investment area.

While Irish universities have taken a more liberal approach to ChatGPT, colleges across the US, France and Australia have already banned the AI text generator, however, media companies such as Buzzfeed have embraced the new technology, announcing that it would use ChatGPT to generate content across its sites.

With numerous conversations surrounding ChatGPT and what this advanced AI tool holds for the future, what is this new sensation and what can people expect from it?

What is ChatGPT?

In simple terms, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-powered text generator which responds to questions, prompts and conversation starters from users.

Built by US firm, OpenAI, the tool is trained on a large quantity of text data that has allowed it to simulate realistic human conversations.

How does ChatGPT work?

ChatGPT is found on OpenAI's website. In its own words, ChatGPT works by users sending it "text-based queries or prompts" where it will "generate a response based on the input it was trained on."

"Simply type in a question or statement and hit send, and ChatGPT will generate a relevant response."

Will ChatGPT lead to plagiarism?

Despite numerous accounts of ChatGPT being used by university students in assessments, OpenAI has not specifically stated how they aim to prevent people from using ChatGPT to plagiarise.

This uncertainty has led to universities taking matters into their own hands, with some banning them outright while others aim to incorporate it into academic life, taking into account its benefits and threats.

However, renewed criticisms of the tool have prompted ChatGPT makers to create AI Text Classifier, a new tool that predicts how likely it is that a piece of text was generated by AI.

While it has its limitations, teachers and college lecturers can submit assessments to the AI detector, which will subsequently determine whether the text was AI-generated or written by a human.

Will ChatGPT lead to job layoffs?

There has been much debate surrounding the future of jobs due to the rise of AI tools, with content creation, customer service, finance and data analysis considered to be the most at risk sectors due to ChatGPT's key capabilities.

The impact ChatGPT will have on the wider jobs markets remains widely unknown, but in its own words:

"It's important to note that the impact of AI on the job market is a complex and nuanced issue, and many factors, such as government policies and job market trends, can affect the extent to which AI technologies will displace human labor.

"Overall, it is likely that AI will continue to have a significant impact on the job market, but it will also create new job opportunities in areas such as AI development, deployment, and maintenance."
Farmers have criticised the "failure" of authorities to tackle what is a "growing problem" around dog control.

A collection of the latest news, views and analysis from the farming desk on the topic of Beef and Sheep.

The Irish Farmers' Association on Wednesday launched its 2023 campaign on dog control in Co Offaly.

The IFA began the No Dogs Allowed campaign in 2021, however, the association's leader Tim Cullinan has said that, "unfortunately, the situation has worsened over the last two years, with sheep farmers dreading the prospect of a call to say there has been an attack on their flock".

Mr Cullinan said that those who want a dog as part of their family "will have to accept the responsibilities" that go with ownership.

Meaningful action

He said that the 'No Dogs Allowed' campaign will continue until "meaningful action" is seen from Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys.

The level of sanctions that can be applied do not reflect the savagery and trauma these uncontrolled dogs are causing," Mr Cullinan said.

"The absence of a centralised database to identify ownership and those responsible for the dogs, and the lack of enforcement of microchipping, are all contributing to this persistent and escalating problem."

The latest report on the implementation of the Control of Dogs Act shows that 192,348 are licensed out of an estimated 800,000 in the country.

This leaves an estimated 607,652, or 76% of dogs unidentified, the IFA said.

Mr Cullinan said that it is not acceptable to farmers, who provide full traceability for the 7m cattle and the 4m sheep under their care from birth, and where every animal is individually tagged and traceable, that a similar system is not in place for dog owners.

Devastating consequences

IFA sheep chair Kevin Comiskey said that all dog owners should take heed that they are fully liable for all damage and suffering caused to farmers and their sheep by their dogs.

The irresponsible behaviour of some dog owners continues to lead to devastating consequences on farms and must stop, he said.

The IFA began the No Dogs Allowed campaign in 2021. Picture: Finbarr O'Rourke

He said this is a critical time of year on sheep farms as lambing gets underway. Dog attacks are causing unimaginable suffering for sheep and lambs and huge economic losses for farmers.

Mr Comiskey said that dogs should not be allowed in or near farmland, and he urged all dog owners to behave in a responsible way and adhere to this.

Key areas

The key areas IFA has outlined that must be addressed include:

A single national database for all dogs correlating licensing and microchipping and identifying the person responsible for the dog, but at a minimum alignment of the existing licensing and microchipping records to one central access point;

Full enforcement of microchipping and licensing obligations of dog owners for all dogs;

Stronger powers of enforcement for dog wardens and Gardai and clarity on these powers;

Increased on-the-spot fines for failing to comply with the microchipping and licensing requirements;

Increased sanctions and on-the-spot fines for failing to have the dog under control;

Significant on-the-spot fines for dogs found worrying livestock;

Legal requirement for dogs to be microchipped and licensed and identified on the National Veterinary Prescribing System prior to any veterinary treatment or prescribing of medicines by veterinary practitioners;

Authority to apply the legislative obligations to dogs in border regions owned by persons not resident in the State.

Mr Comiskey said the ministers must deliver the strengthened legislation as a matter of urgency and have it in effect before year-end.
The High Court is being asked to quash a refusal of the Standards in Public Office (Sipo) Commission to carry out an investigation into allegations that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar leaked a confidential GP contract document to a friend.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy is seeking to bring the challenge against Sipo, Ireland and the Attorney General.

On Tuesday, Ms Justice Siobhan Stack deemed as open Mr Murphy's application to seek permission to bring judicial review proceedings against Sipo for the purpose of ensuring the challenge was brought within the three-month legal time limit from when the disputed decision was taken. Gary Maloney BL, instructed by Ruahan MacAodhain of Prospect Law solicitors, said the three-month deadline was due to expire on Thursday.

Counsel, on an ex parte basis with the Murphy side represented, asked the court to open the matter and adjourn it back into the judicial review list. The judge agreed to do so and adjourned it to April.

In his challenge, Mr Murphy is seeking a number of reliefs including an order quashing the November 9, 2022, decision of Sipo not to carry out an investigation under Section 23 of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995..

He also seeks a declaration the Sipo's decision was determined in a manner which breached Mr Murphy's right to fair procedures and natural and constitutional justice. He further seeks an order remitting the matter back to Sipo for reconsideration.

Case background

Mr Murphy made a complaint in November 2020 to Sipo that Mr Varadkar, then Tanaiste, now Taoiseach, provided a copy of the confidential proposed GP's contract agreement in April 2019 to Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, president of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP).

The agreement had been negotiated between the Department of Health, the HSE, and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO). Dr O Tuathails NAGP is a rival to the IMO and was not party to the negotiations.

Mr Murphy says the document was confidential and had not been released publicly. Mr Varadkar, following publicity about the alleged leak, denied it was confidential by the time he passed it on to Dr O'Tuathail.

He also said he provided the document in his capacity as head of government to encourage a broader acceptance of its terms among the GP community. He also said there was no personal advantage for himself.

Mr Murphy's complaint disputed Mr Varadkar's characterisation of his conduct. He said the agreement had not been made public, had been labelled confidential on its face and in text messages sent about it. The final agreement was not published until May 17, 2019, a month after Mr Varadkar had passed it on, he said.

He further claimed Dr O Tuathail, personally, and the NAGP generally, stood to gain an advantage from having access to this document. There followed a garda investigation into the alleged leak and last July, the DPP directed no criminal charges were to be brought against Mr Varadkar over the allegations.

Sipo action

Sipo then sought information from Mr Varadkar for the purpose of making a preliminary consideration of Mr Murphy's complaint.

Last November, the members of the Sipo commission voted by three to two against carrying out further investigation, Mr Murphy said. Sipo comprises a retired High Court judge, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Ombudsman, the Clerks of the Dail and the Seanad and an ordinary member.

Sipo said it had regard to matters including the specific allegations, documents submitted by Mr Varadkar, the provisions of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 and the implied executive functions of the office of Taoiseach. Sipo also took into account its own legal advice.

Mr Murphy argues, among other things, the manner in which the Sipo decision was reached was in breach of fair procedures and due process. It also erred in failing to grant Mr Murphy an opportunity to address the legal questions raised and in failing to hold an oral hearing prior to reaching a determination on the scope of its statutory remit and functions, he claims.
The fire service has conducted five inspections at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) since a "major internal incident" of overcrowding was declared a month ago.

And now, a month on from the declaration of the incident on January 2, patient trolley numbers at UHL have returned to "high-risk levels". It was the most overcrowded hospital in the country yesterday.

There were 82 patients on trolleys in the hospitals Emergency Department (31) and wards (51) on Wednesday, according to figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The five inspections of the hospital's ED, units, and wards were conducted to mitigate any potential risk to patent safety, as part of the fire services duty of care to members of the public.

A statement issued by the UL Hospitals Group said the major internal incident issued in early January has been stood down, but that UHL remains "in a state of high risk in terms of the potential for presentations through the Emergency Department to exceed our capacity for optimal care".

A significantly high number of 222 patients presented at UHL on Tuesday and the hospital continues to mitigate pressure with additional ward rounds, accelerated discharges of inpatients, and identification of patients for transfer to Ennis, Nenagh, and St Johns hospitals.

It said its supply of trolleys for transfer of patients from ambulances presenting was sufficient to meet the level of demand throughout the day.

The group said it was managing high numbers of inpatients through surge capacity in its Nenagh and Ennis hospitals which has required cancellation of day surgery on those sites up to this week.

Nenagh surgeries

Limited resumption of day surgery in Nenagh recommenced on Tuesday and it is planned that Ennis will follow later in the week.

Despite all these measures, our services remain under pressure and our advice to the public remains to consider all healthcare options before attending our ED. Patients who are seriously injured or unwell or who are worried their life is in danger must dial 112/999 or attend the ED.

Details of the five recent fire inspections have been sought from the Council but were not available.

Some UHL sources voiced concerns about protocols introduced on January 9 and February 7, whereby paramedics can bring non-urgent 999/112 patients to Medical Assessment Units (MAUs) at Ennis and Nenagh, which would not solve UHLs overcrowding crisis.

A second UL Hospitals Group spokesman acknowledged there had been a recent increase in presentations in its MAUs in Ennis (eight spaces in total) Nenagh (seven) and St Johns, Limerick (seven).

The three MAUs at Ennis, Nenagh, and St Johns saw 12,737 patients in 2022, the highest number of attendances to date and an increase of 19% on 2021, the spokesman said.

However, he added: The introduction of the new ambulance pathway in our medical assessment units does not require an expansion in physical capacity."

Mary Fogarty, INMO assistant director for industrial relations in Limerick, said the union raised concerns about the issues at the hospital.

Additional bed capacity is required urgently, as are a greater level of discharges at weekends, and greater availability of senior decision-makers on site - they are the people who decide whether somebody is admitted or discharged so they need to be there for greater periods of the day and night, added Ms Fogarty.
Burma Myanmars Art Market Flooded With Forgeries

Paintings by Win Pe, one of Myanmars famous contemporary artists, on display in Yangon in 2018. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars art sector has struggled due to the combination of the 2021 coup and the COVID-19 pandemic. However the last months of 2022 saw frequent art exhibitions, which raised the issue again of the large number of counterfeit paintings circulating in the country.

Many forgeries of works by celebrated artists have flooded the art market. Some of the big names being forged include distinguished contemporary artists like Win Pe, Kyee Myint Saw, Rahula, Nyein Chan Su and Win Pe Myint, as well as U Marlar from Mandalay, the favorite watercolor artist of ousted civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2016, Suu Kyi curated an exhibition of U Marlars work.

Genuine paintings by these artists go for prices between 15 to 20 million kyats, or around US$5,200 to $7,000 at the current market exchange rate. Forgeries of their work also fetch the same prices, The Irrawaddy has learned.

In the last week of January, relatives of U Marlar, who died of COVID-19 in 2021, invited private collectors of the artists work to Yangon, where they added a code and their signatures to paintings to establish their authenticity. Family members have also threatened legal action against those forging U Marlars work.

Similarly, relatives of the late modernist painter Rahula from Mandalay have also warned collectors about the number of counterfeit paintings circulating.

Even before the coup, 86-year-old modernist painter Win Pe warned forgers via social media against faking his work. You may copy my paintings if you like them, but dont forge my signature and sell them, he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

But counterfeit paintings have been part of Myanmars art world for years. There is even a saying, you must be a detective to avoid buying a counterfeit painting.

It is not just the distinguished artists of today who are counterfeited. The works of renowned artists from the late Konbaung dynasty and from the colonial era such as Sayar Chone and U Ba Nyan, who in 1921 became the first Myanmar artist to attend Londons Royal College of Art, have also been forged.

Forgeries of the work of painter Kin Maung Yin, one of the artists credited with leading the first generation of Myanmars modern art movement, flooded the market after his death in 2014.

While paintings are collected by art lovers, some people are also collecting paintings [of renowned painters] in the hope of speculating in them due to the weak currency. They have speculated in cars, property and gold and now they have turned to paintings. The issue has come under the spotlight because so many people have bought fakes, said one Yangon gallery owner.

A Yangon-based art contributor said: The market is flooded with counterfeit paintings probably because some businessmen launder dirty money by forging large amounts of paintings.

Art critic Kotaunay from Kachin States Myitkyina, who has previously bought counterfeit paintings by mistake, wrote on his Facebook: Many collectors from Yangon and Mandalay have suffered from fakes for a long time. Some keep silent because they are embarrassed, whereas some try to sell the fake on to a third buyer.

Some well-known artists are involved in the forgery business themselves, claimed a gallery owner who asked to remain anonymous. He said he fears that serious collectors will be cheated and disappointed with the art world.
Burma Myanmar's Trade With Thailand Slumps Since Coup

Junta-affiliated Border Guard Force troops on the Asian Highway in Karen State. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars trade with Thailand has steeply declined since the 2021 coup as the junta imposes restrictions to prevent weapons from reaching resistance forces.

Border trade declined from over US$4 billion in 2019-20 to $3.6 billion in the 2022-23 financial year, which ends on March 31, according to the juntas Ministry of Commerce.

Goods sold in the Thai border town of Mae Sot are largely out of stock across the frontier in Myawaddy because traders can only import if they also export to Thailand, according to a trader in Myawaddy.

I have got all the documents needed to import fertilizers. But I cant import because I am running a trade deficit of about 4 million baht [$119,000]. We havent made exports of that value. It is causing delays. Many other traders are facing the same problems, the trader told The Irrawaddy.

The regime imposed restrictions, including that the value of imports and exports must be equal, and the payments must be made in dollars or baht through a junta-controlled bank. It has also required traders to seek approval from Myanmars Food and Drug Administration to import and export.

Meanwhile, trade is often delayed by frequent fighting along the border. Traders also have to pay high taxes along the route.

This is our living so we continue to do what we have been doing. The risks are high but we continue, said the trader.

The junta closed the Thai border at Htee Khee in Tanintharyi Region in April last year after a resistance attack on a police station on the Dawei-Htee Khee road.

The border gate was a major trading point and the closest crossing to Bangkok. Myanmar mainly exports fish, coal, lead and food to Thailand via Htee Khee and imports diesel, cooking gas, food and consumer goods.

A Tanintharyi trader said: The Htee Khee gate has been closed since last year. Some are trading via Mawtaung and Kawthoung.

Trade through Htee Khee was already in steady decline, falling from $2 billion in 2019-20 to $1.7 billion in 2020-21 and $1 billion in 2021-22, according to the juntas Commerce Ministry. The ministry claimed that Htee Khee trade totaled $1.7 billion from April 1 to November 30 last year, despite the gate being closed since April.

The trader said: I think it is the cost of gas imports. Trade through Mawtaung and Kawthoung has also declined. Trade is hopeless. It is unlikely that it will return to pre-coup levels. And we feel unsafe.

Trade through Mawtaung was $7 million from April 1 to November 30 last year and there are no figures for the Mese border in Kayah State since the coup.

The Thai border crossings are at Myawaddy, Tachilek, Kawthoung, Myeik, Htee Khee, Mawtaung and Mese but only Tachilek, Myawaddy, Kawthoung, Myeik and Mawtaung are now open.

The regime has restricted imports of fertilizer and food and Myawaddys trade is currently dominated by construction materials and consumer goods.

The junta-controlled Trade Department this month told exporters to submit a list of their exports and seek online transport approval. The department will then issue a QR code for shipping.

Trucks have to show the QR code at checkpoints. The system is being trialed this month at the borders at Myawaddy and Muse and Chin Shwe Haw in Shan State.

Myawaddys exports are mainly rice, rice powder, rubber and crops like pepper, while imports include food, consumer goods, building materials, industrial raw materials and machinery.
Burma On the Water With Myanmar's River Cleaners'

Trash collectors paddle polystyrene boats as they look for plastic and glass to recycle in Pazundaung Creek in Yangon in January 2023. / AFP

YANGONMa Yu launches her makeshift polystyrene boat into a Yangon creek for another day of trawling the filthy waters for plastic and tin cans with her team of river cleaners.

Around 10 others join her in the dawn light, driven to work the fetid grey-brown murk of Pazundaung Creek by the economic crisis that has gripped Myanmar since the 2021 military coup.

They gather recyclable materials to sell to traders, their only source of income since losing their jobs after the putsch that upended the economy and sparked widespread unrest.

There was no job for me on the land and Im responsible for my children and my husbands healthcare, the 36-year-old Ma Yu told AFP, her cheeks and forehead daubed with the sandalwood thanaka paste popularly used in Myanmar to ward off the blazing sun.

So I rented some polystyrene sheets and I went onto the creek with my neighbour. On the first day we managed to collect some plastic and cans to sell. We were happy, she said.

Myanmars economy has been battered by the fallout of the coup, with more than a million people losing their jobs, according to the International Labor Organization.

Ma Ngal, 41, came to the river after losing her job selling vegetables and fish at a Yangon stall, with her carpenter husband also unable to find regular work.

I didnt tell my parents and family members that we are doing this work, said Ma Ngal.

But they found out, and I had to explain to them that Im doing this for my family.

Dead bodies

On a good day a picker can find trash worth 30,000 kyats (US$10), but more often the take-home pay is around $3.

Before we started working there was lots of plastic, cans and bottles on the creek, says Kyu Kyu Khine, 39, who used to collect trash from Yangons streets.

The pickers try to time their working days with the tides  floating downstream in search of more trash when it ebbs and riding it back upstream at the end of a shift.

But the tidal surges can be treacherous, says Ma Yu, who was knocked off her boat on one of her early forays onto the water.

Sometimes I think that if something happens to me, Im all alone here and I cant do anything, she said.

The waters also carry regular reminders of the breakdown of order in Yangon, where residents say crime is surging in the aftermath of the coup.

The pickers regularly see dead bodies floating in the water, said Ma Yu.

Its not an easy job but the important thing for me is that my children dont starve, she said.

Her fellow picker Ma Ngal says there are some lighter moments.

Some people joke with us when they see us working. They say here come the municipal team, they know how to clean up the river.
Ethnic Issues Myanmars Civilian Government Woos EAOs After Failed Junta Peace Talks

(Left) NMSP vice-chair Nai Aung Min with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw in 2022. (Right) SSPP vice-chair Sao Khun Hseng (right) and junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw in 2022.

Myanmars parallel National Unity Government (NUG) has reached out to two powerful ethnic revolutionary organizations, after they failed to achieve their political aims from sham peace talks with the military regime.

The NUG approached the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the political wing of the Shan State Army-North, and the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the political wing of the Mon National Liberation Army, to cooperate with them in building a federal union, after the two organizations said that they will join hands with those organizations and ethnic groups who want a federal union.

Both the SSPP and NMSP joined the regimes peace talks that were boycotted by other major ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for being a fraud and not inclusive.

In a statement on Tuesday, the NUGs Acting President Duwa Lashi La said: We [NUG] are also welcoming them [SSPP and NMSP] to join hands for the country and in building the federal union.

He added: The unity of organizations [different revolutionary groups] is a force in uprooting the terrorist military junta. We need to build unity and organized and practical coordination with each other.

The NUG President also urged his cabinet to prioritize ethnic affairs and the forming of partnerships with ethnic forces.

Now, it is a good time to rebuild the trust with the ethnic people that has been broken by the military dictatorship and their racism, as well as to topple the dictatorship, said Duwa Lashi La.

Tensions are currently running high between the SSPP and the junta, despite the fact that coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met SSPP leaders twice for sham peace talks.

The SSPP issued a statement on February 2 following their annual meeting saying that building a federal union that can guarantee equality and self-autonomy is the main way to build unity and sustainable peace in the country. For that reason, the SSPP will coordinate with those groups which want a federal union and democracy.

On Sunday, the NMSP said in a statement marking the 76th Anniversary of Mon National Day that achieving the goal of ethnic rights is still far away, as the military regime is firmly adhering to the army-drafted 2008 constitution, despite their talks with the junta.

The NMSP said also that holding peace talks with only EAOs is not enough now, as the political crisis has entered a new era and new organizations are emerging across the country. The group added that any effort to hold a general election in the present crisis will only lead to more bloody conflicts.

The NMSP also vowed to join the fight in various ways to build their own future and will join with ethnic people in the same situation.

The NMSP was founded in 1958 and signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2018.

Despite objections by ethnic Mon rights groups, the NMSP also met twice with the junta chief for sham peace talks.

Currently, the Myanmar military is facing near-daily attacks from Peoples Defense Forces, the armed wing of the NUG, and allied EAOs across the country.
War Against the Junta Almost 70 Myanmar Regime Forces Reported Killed in Three Days of Resistance Attacks

Resistance fighters of Launglon-PDF, Tanintharyi Region. / Launglon-PDF

At least 67 Myanmar junta forces including pro-regime militia members were reported killed over the last three days, as Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) escalated their attacks on regime targets nationwide.

The incidents were reported in Magwe, Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago and Tanintharyi Regions.

The Irrawaddy has collected the following reports of significant attacks by PDFs.

Some military casualty figures could not be verified independently.

Ten regime forces killed in Magwe PDF ambush

Yesagyo-PDF claimed to have killed 10 regime forces including pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia on Tuesday, and to have injured three others, when it ambushed regime forces travelling in two vehicles on the Yesagyo-Pakokku Highway in Magwe Region.

Seven junta troops were killed on the spot, while three others died in hospital. Only one escaped alive from the ambush, said Yesagyo-PDF.

Seven weapons, as well as grenades, ammunition and cellphones, were seized along with a damaged vehicle and the dead bodies of junta troops.

13 junta soldiers killed by PDF landmines in Magwe

At least 13 military regime soldiers were reportedly killed on Tuesday in Pauk Township, Magwe Region when two PDF groups repeatedly ambushed a military detachment with land mines, said Myaing-PDF, which coordinated the attacks.

At around 1pm on Tuesday, the PDF used two landmines to ambush the military detachment near No.2 earth-oil drilling site. 10 regime forces are thought to have been killed in the attack. Another soldier was killed by a PDF sniper.

Two more regime troops were killed and three others injured when the two PDFs ambushed the detachment again with landmines around an hour after the first attack. PDF photos show blood and medical equipment found at the ambush site.

Five junta police killed in PDF ambush in Sagaing



Resistance fighters attacking regime police in Sagaing Township, Sagaing Region on Tuesday. / MNRF

Resistance group Moe Nyo Revolution Front claimed that it and two other PDFs killed five junta policemen and injured two more on Tuesday, when they used landmines and firearms to attack regime police from the Nyaung Pin Won police outpost in Sagaing Township, Sagaing Region.

The police were ambushed while traveling outside the police post. The PDFs also used explosives to attack the police outpost. A PDF video shows resistance fighters attacking the police and their outpost.

Military detachment attacked in Sagaing

At least 10 regime forces are believed to have been killed on Monday in Taze Township, Sagaing Region, when two PDF Battalions ambushed a detachment of 130 Myanmar military troops and Pyu Saw Htee militia near a village, according to Phoenix Defense Force-Taze which took part in the attack.

Junta bases in Sagaing bombed by PDF drones



A junta base in Ayadaw Township, Sagaing Region being bombed by PDF drones on Monday. / MRTF

At least eight regime forces were injured in Ayadaw Township, Sagaing Region on Monday when five PDFs used drones to bombard a junta camp in Sapartwin Village and a regime checkpoint in Thalalbar Village, said Middle Revolutionary Technical Front which coordinated the drone strikes.

A PDF video shows a drone dropping bombs on regime targets.

Junta camp attacked in Sagaing



Resistance fighters clashing with regime forces in Wetlet Township, Sagaing on Sunday. / GZ Special task Force-Wetlet

Two regime forces were confirmed killed on Sunday in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region when four PDFs attacked 60 junta forces stationed at a village, claimed GZ Special Task Force-Wetlet which took part in the attack.

Seven regime forces killed in Sagaing by PDF landmines

At least seven junta forces including pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia were killed on Monday in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region, when five PDFs used landmines to ambush a military detachment, according to the resistance groups.

The regime forces were ambushed while they were travelling from Talthee Taw Village to Zeephyu Kone Village.

A PDF video shows regime forces opening fire at random after the landmines detonated.

Seven junta soldiers killed, injured by PDF landmines in Sagaing

At least seven regime troops were killed or injured on Monday in Kantbalu Township, Sagaing Region, when Kotaungbo Revolution Force used landmines to ambush a detachment of 70 soldiers deployed in Kotaungbo Village, according to the resistance group.

After the ambush, the Myanmar military troops retreated to their base carrying their dead and wounded.

Nine regime forces killed in Mandalay PDF ambush

At least nine junta troops were killed and another injured on Sunday in Ngazun Township, Mandalay Region, when 13 PDFs attacked military regime patrols traveling on five motorbikes and in a vehicle, said Zarmani Guerrilla Force which took part in the attack.

The regime soldiers were patrolling three miles from the town of Ngazun when they were ambushed with landmines and heavy weapons by the PDFs.

Resistance fighters retreated without suffering any casualties after military reinforcements from two bases arrived in the area and attacked the PDFs, said Zarmani Guerrilla Force.

A PDF video shows intense fighting as night fell.

Junta troops in Mandalay bombed by PDF drones



A drone bombing regime targets in a monastery in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region on Monday. / Unicorn Guerrilla Force

Resistance group Unicorn Guerrilla Force said that on Monday it used three drones to drop five bombs on regime soldiers stationed at a monastery in a village in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region.

Two junta troops were reportedly injured by the drone strikes.

Regime soldiers ambushed with landmines in Bago

Two regime soldiers were killed and two others injured on Monday in Yedashe Township, Bago Region, when Taungoo District PDF Battalion 3501 used landmines to ambush junta troops in Si-Pie Village, said Bago Region PDF.

All the PDF fighters retreated from the area without suffering any casualties, despite junta soldiers opening fire at random.

Bago Region PDF said also that its member Gyobingauk-PDF assassinated Ko Than Chaung, a junta informant and pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia leader, on Tuesday in a village in Okpho Township, Bago Region.

The militia leader had been allowed to operate a gambling business by the regime. He had also vowed to uproot PDFs in the area, said Bago Region PDF.

Pro-regime militia members attacked, assassinated in Tanintharyi

Launglon-PDF claimed that it killed Pyu Saw Htee militia member Tin Aye on Monday in a village in Launglon Township, Tanintharyi Region.

Also on Monday, the PDF used landmines to ambush Pyu Saw Htee militia traveling in two vehicles in Launglon Township. Militia casualties are unknown.
War Against the Junta Myanmar Junta Troops Advance on Sagaing Gold Hub

A Homalin PDF fighter.

Regime troops are advancing toward the resistance-controlled gold production hub of Nant Nan village in Homalin after a week of fierce fighting in the Sagaing Region township.

The advance comes after five days of clashes in Shwe Pyi Aye, triggered when local Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) from Homalin attacked the town on February 1.

The PDFs shot down an Mi-17 helicopter on February 3 and killed at least 20 Myanmar junta troops in the battles, according to a statement issued by the civilian National Unity Government.

The resistance groups took control of Shwe Pyi Aye, before the military retaliated with a combined assault by air, land and water. The PDFs retreated from the town on February 5, according to Homalin residents.

On Wednesday, a force of around 400 junta soldiers, allied Shanni Nationalities Army troops and Pyu Saw Htee militias advanced on Nant Nan village, which has been controlled by the PDFs for the last five months, according to a source close to PDF Khamti District Battalion 1-Homalin.

Nant Nan village is famous for Shan ethnic gold production but is also located on the Homalin-Paungbyin road, making it a strategic transport hub that is prized by the regime.

We heard that Min Aung Hlaing ordered the military to take Nant Nan by any means after SNA officials at the Naga New Year festival asked him to seize the village, the Khamti District Battalion 1-Homalin source told The Irrawaddy.

He added that fierce fighting is expected in the next few days.

Regime troops in Shwe Pyi Aye killed three male civilians and arrested others within two days of taking control, Homalin residents said. Around 2,000 residents have fled their homes in the town.

The residents dont dare to return to their homes because of the juntas atrocities, one local told The Irrawaddy.

Shwe Pyi Aye is a new town founded by General Tha Aye, a member of the previous regimes State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and a chief minister of Sagaing Region during SPDC rule from 1997 to 2011.
Guest Column ASEAN and Myanmar: the Next Moves

Protesters hold images of detained civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and give three-finger salutes during a demonstration outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok on February 1, 2023, to mark the second anniversary of the coup in Myanmar. / AFP

Last week, the new Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair, Indonesia, convened the first two important meetings  the ASEAN Coordinating Council and ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat  to discuss and follow up on ongoing and emerging issues that have to do with the relevancy of ASEAN and its centrality.

Obviously, one key issue was the Myanmar crisis, which has just entered its third year. Other ASEAN members and the international community have been eager to gauge the overall style and attitude of the worlds third-largest democracy towards Myanmar. In a similar vein, they want to know the Naypyitaw juntas plan for the next six months and beyond.

From the lengthy chairs statement released at the end of the two-day meeting, it was clear that Indonesia has demonstrated its high-level diplomatic pragmatism in handling sensitive issues as the incoming ASEAN chair. At the retreat, Indonesia wasted no time in embracing the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and pledging to fully implement the ASEAN peace plans agreed upon in April 2021. At the press conference, ASEAN chair and Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said that the 5PC is a key step towards addressing the situation in Myanmar in a united manner. That has always been ASEANs way of tackling the quagmire.

As the ASEAN chair, Ms Retno has been showing her gentler side in addressing the Myanmar crisis. After the coup in February two years ago, she was one of the most critical voices among ASEAN leaders in condemning the military junta in Naypyitaw. Now she is taking the ASEAN helm, she has to follow the ASEAN consensus and garner support from her colleagues. Being Indonesia, however, there will be some distinctive diplomatic approaches.

At the annual foreign policy press conference last month, Ms Retno revealed that Indonesia would set up the Office of the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar. She will head the office. But she did not provide any further information at the retreat. However, it is clear that the office will be staffed with experienced and trusted diplomats on regional issues.

According to a high-placed source, veteran Indonesian diplomat, Ngurah Swajaya, a former Indonesian ambassador to Singapore, will serve as de facto ASEAN special envoy. Interviews with several officials in ASEAN show Jakarta will not let the Myanmar quagmire dominate the ASEAN agenda this year or, in other words, let Naypyitaw take ASEAN hostage. Fresh from the success of hosting the G20, Indonesia has bigger fish to fry as far as its international profile and the legacy of President Joko Widodo are concerned. At the retreat, ASEAN leaders jointly pressed Myanmar to make significant progress in the implementation of the 5PC in order to prepare for an inclusive national dialogue in Myanmar.

Therefore the next six months are pivotal for Indonesia and Myanmar to contemplate their next strategic moves. Indonesia has already reached out to all stakeholders involved in the current conflict. But whether the inclusive national dialogue materialises depends on Naypyitaws willingness to engage the National Unity Government (NUG), ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), and Peoples Defense Forces (PDF), among others. Both the NUG and the PDFs have been labelled terrorist groups by the military regime.

According to the 45-page leaked document of the meeting held by the Myanmar junta-appointed State Administration Council (SAC) on 23 December last year, 12 of the total 14 administrative states and regions in the country had witnessed so-called terrorist attacks by resistance forces. The SAC has also recorded over 17,825 attacks since 2021. Furthermore, the document also revealed that since the coup, around 1.4 million to 1.8 million people have been displaced internally, and the junta has been able to provide humanitarian aid to 250,000 displaced. In contrast, the rights group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners stated that the Myanmar military regime has, to date, killed a total of 2,273 civilians and arrested more than 15,400.

The six-month extension of emergency rule is necessary for the junta to further consolidate its territorial control if the scheduled election is to be held in August. At this juncture, it is highly unlikely that it will be able to convene unless the Myanmar military gains more territorial control of key constituencies.

To do so, the junta has already intensified the use of air power, both with jet fighters and helicopter gunships, to attack targets since the end of last year, regardless of whether they are military or civilian. In fact, the regime has been pursuing three distinctive offensive aerial strategies aimed at inflicting as many casualties on civilians or groups believed to be connected to the resistance forces.

First of all, the junta will continue to use air power to counterattack locations or positions of resistance forces, especially EAOs. In addition, regime forces will intensify their search and destruction of individuals or groups that provide shelter for the resistance forces. Finally, the junta will initiate attacks on headquarters or income-generating sources along the border with Thailand.

For instance, the attack on Klein Chiang Village in Kyainseikgyi Township in Karen State last month was aimed at undermining Colonel Saw A Wan, a leader of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), because Naypyitaw believes that the DKBA is helping the Karen National Union. Furthermore, later on, two regime aircraft bombed a lead mine in Kyainseikgyi Township, killing three workers and injuring six others to disrupt money-generating mining activities.

Due to the extraordinary situation that the SAC has encountered in the past two years, the current six-month extension of emergency rule could be renewed to ensure that the SAC retains its dominance. A day after the third six-month extension, martial law was imposed on 37 townships in eight states and regions, including resistance strongholds in Sagaing and Magwe. It is foreseeable that fighting between the military regime and resistance groups will be more fierce than ever in the coming days as they want to gain more leverage on the ground if there is any national dialogue. At this juncture, no stakeholders are in the mood for peace talks.

For Thailand, the long frontier with Myanmar will continue to be volatile due to the possible new influx of villagers fleeing aerial attacks in the coming weeks. Plans to provide more humanitarian assistance to the border areas on both sides have been mapped out and are awaiting full implementation.

Meanwhile, efforts continue to convene meetings among all stakeholders, think tanks and international organizations among countries that have a high stake in Myanmars peace and stability. The objective is to jump-start political dialogue to create an atmosphere conducive to a more comprehensive and inclusive national dialogue later on.

In the near future, to ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of the 5PC, there could be a forward operating base in Thailand, with the approval of ASEAN and cooperation with the ASEAN chair, to facilitate the planned humanitarian assistance to those internally displaced villagers and areas affected by the conflict across the border.

Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs.

This article first appeared in The Bangkok Post.
If you lived in South Florida in the late 90s and early 2000s at one point, you were captivated by the Elian Gonzalez saga.

The then 5-year-old boy was found floating in waters off the South Florida coastline after his mother, her common law husband and 9 others died while trying to reach the United States from Cuba.

After beating the wet feet, dry feet policy, which returned Cuban refugees if they were caught at sea before reaching land - the Coast Guard brought Gonzalez ashore for medical reasons thus allowing him to stay  the little boy was at the center of an international dispute, with his Miami relatives saying he belonged with them and his father fighting to take him back to Cuba, triggering demonstrations in Cuba calling for Gonzalez to be returned.

This week, Cubas state operated newspaper - Granma - released the list of the 470 candidates in the running for a seat in the the National Assembly of People's Power, and the list include the name of Elian Gonzalez  now 29 and an industrial engineer.

Being nominated to the National Assembly is a big deal  and high honor. According to a Guardian report, Gonzalez has been critical of US policy towards Cuba and was said to be representing the most worthy of the Cuban youth.

Gonzalez is representing Cardenas, a city located in the province of Matanzas, east of Havana. The list was submitted by municipal, and voters will have the chance to approve or reject the candidates in late March.

For more from Guardian, click here.
February 7, 2023



An Idaho State University professor is helping to coach the next team of astronauts to visit the moon.

Currently, Shannon Kobs Nawotniak, associate professor of geosciences, is serving as a member of NASAs Joint EVA Test Team (JETT) 3. The JETT 3 Team is responsible for preparing the astronauts to conduct the experiments that are planned for the Artemis III mission through simulated missions on Earth. Planning to launch in 2025, Artemis III is slated to be the first crewed moon landing since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

"During the Apollo missions, astronauts were almost all test pilots. Only one geologist was ever sent to the moon, even though most of the research that was done is related to geology, said Kob Nawotniak. The Artemis astronats will include geologists, biologists, and other scientists, and we are figuring out how to support them from Earth. There will be a lot riding on their shoulders, and they will need active help from Mission Control to do good science while they're up there."

The experience has also led to her working side-by-side with a former student, Angela Garcia. Garcia earned a masters degree in geology from Idaho State and now works for NASA as an exploration geoscientist, making tests like JETT 3 possible. Garcia works daily to integrate science into human spaceflight to prepare for Artemis missions that will explore the Moon.

It was a true privilege to work alongside Shannon on the JETT 3 science team, said Garcia. As my former advisor, Shannon taught and exemplified how to foster healthy relationships with colleagues and how to be a leader and follower. These lessons have been vital in my career, and I am so thankful to have had a role model like Shannon cheering me on every step of the way.

It's incredibly exciting to be part of the team that's setting the stage for humans to return to the Moon, Kobs Nawotniak said. It's been doubly wonderful to work on this project because I get to work with Angela again and see how she's taken problems that we wrestled with when she was a graduate student at ISU and taken their solutions to a whole new level.

The JETT 3 Team has been working with astronauts at sites around the nation to help better prepare the astronauts for their time on the lunar surface. Recently, Kobs Nawotniak spent time in Arizona helping with a moonwalking test mission.

We've been doing a lot of preparatory work on this for years here in Idaho, including at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, and I'm thrilled to see that work getting incorporated into the JETT 3 architecture and beyond," Kobs Nawotniak said.

Kobs Nawotniaks work on JETT 3 marks the latest time shes worked with NASA. Previously, she was the Deputy Principal Investigator for the Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains project, Geology Co-Lead for Field Investigations to Enable Solar system Science and Exploration project, and a co-investigator on the Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and Exploration Analog. Shes also had a number of research projects funded by NASA grants.

Space exploration has always been fascinating to me, but it never occurred to me growing up that I would someday actually be working with NASA to make it happen, said Kobs Nawotniak. Maybe someday I'll be cool enough for it to all seem normal, but I've been working with NASA for close to a decade now and I haven't gotten there yet.

For more information on ISUs Department of Geosciences, visit isu.edu/geosciences.
COMPANY NEWS: BeyondTrust, the leader in intelligent identity and access security, today announced record recurring growth in 2022 and continued innovation through expansion of its identity security platform, acquisition of new customers, and delivery of exceptional customer and employee experiences.

Key 2022 highlights include:

 Accelerating recurring revenue to 80 percent of total revenue, with greater than 25 percent YoY ARR and 90 percent YoY subscription ARR growth

 Driving record new business, adding nearly 1,600 new logos

 Expanding current solutions for more than 3,700 current customers with new products or add-ons

 Achieving gross retention of more than 95 percent and net retention more than 110 percent, along with an industry-leading Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 55 and customer satisfaction (CSAT) score of more than 95 percent

 Delivered profitable growth with adjusted EBITDA (GAAP) in excess of 20%

The company also continued its innovation leadership, releasing advanced capabilities across the BeyondTrust Platform, centred on its new Identity Security Insights solution.

The explosion of disparate identities and access across organisations has created poor visibility of threats and a lack of centralised control. Security teams struggle to detect and respond to events that involve multiple identities and accounts. BeyondTrust Identity Security Insights will give security and IT teams visibility of all identities, privileges, and access across their estate so they can identify and remediate problematic overprivileged accounts and users, poor security controls, and suspicious activities from a single interface.

Additional capabilities introduced in the past 12 months include:

 Password Safe: Expanded feature set supports more platforms and streamlines management of privileged credentials, including service accounts. In addition, new secrets management capability integrated into Password Safe enables credential and secrets management in a single solution.

 Privileged Remote Access: New features enhance productivity for technical workers and provide admins with greater control of secure access to their systems. An expanded integration with BeyondTrust Password Safe provides layered credential security over remote access for employees and third parties. Plus, new infrastructure access capabilities enable developers, cloud ops engineers, and technical staff to securely access critical resources.

 Remote Support: New administrative functions simplify user management, improve change control, and provide more granular security to enable integrated support for complex environments and large deployments.

 Privilege Management for Windows and Mac: The integration of a new Policy Editor and Azure AD, as well as numerous other enhancements, enable more efficient and streamlined workflows between endpoints, faster policy implementation, and improved access controls and auditing.

 Privilege Management for Unix and Linux, AD Bridge: A new SIEM connection enables admins to configure connections to Elasticsearch and Logstash, enabling admins to centrally search event log records with a unified view of multiple, diverse log server.

In addition to significant product releases, BeyondTrust demonstrated its ongoing commitment to serving the evolving needs of the market with these strategic initiatives:

 Achieving FedRAMP Moderate "In-Process" status: Obtaining a FedRAMP authorisation not only strengthens BeyondTrust's capacity to serve federal government agencies but also exemplifies the company's dedication to the cloud as a deployment model.

 Offering all identity and access security solutions in the AWS Marketplace: Customers benefit from a simplified procurement process through AWS Marketplace with flexible payment terms, consolidated billing, enterprise discounts and more.

In 2022, BeyondTrust's significant revenue achievements, as well as product and market leadership momentum, were recognized by leading analysts and media organisations:

 Gartner Peer Insights 2022 Customers' Choice for Privileged Access Management (second year in a row)

 Leader in 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management (fourth year in a row)

 Leader in KuppingerCole 2022 Leadership Compass for Privileged Access Management (fourth year in a row)

 Inc. 5000 2021 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies (second year in a row)

 JMP Securities Elite 80 List of Hottest Privately Held Cybersecurity & IT Infrastructure Companies

 2022 ASTORS Homeland Security Award, Best Privileged Access Security Solution

BeyondTrust also remained committed to delivering an exceptional employee experience in 2022, and continued to grow its talented team, expanding to 1500+ employees globally and promoting 270+ employees across the organisation. BeyondTrust was recognised in 2022 by a remarkable number of workplace awards globally, including:

 Fortune Magazine 2022 Best Workplaces in Technology

 Fortune Magazine 2022 Best Workplaces for Parents

 Fortune Magazine 2022 Best Workplaces for Women

 Inc. Magazine 2022 Best Workplaces

 UK Best Workplaces 2022 by Great Place to Work

 Nova Scotia 2022 Top Employer

"Securing identities and access is critical to combatting today's cyberthreats. We continue to invest in innovation to provide visibility into all identities and access pathways, detect advanced identity threats, and automatically remediate gaps and adjust policies," said BeyondTrust CEO Janine Seebeck. "I'm extremely proud of our employees and partner ecosystem for helping our customers address their biggest cybersecurity challenges, while also delivering an exceptional customer and employee experience."

About BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust is the worldwide leader in privileged access management (PAM), empowering organisations to secure and manage their entire universe of privileges. Our integrated products and platform offer the industry's BeyondTrust is the worldwide leader in intelligent identity and access security, empowering organisations to protect identities, stop threats, and deliver dynamic access to empower and secure a work-from-anywhere world. Our integrated products and platform offer the industry's most advanced PAM solution, enabling organisations to quickly shrink their attack surface across traditional, cloud and hybrid environments.

BeyondTrust protects all privileged identities, access, and endpoints across your IT environment from security threats, while creating a superior user experience and operational efficiencies. With a heritage of innovation and a staunch commitment to customers, BeyondTrust solutions are easy to deploy, manage, and scale as businesses evolve. We are trusted by 20,000 customers, including 75 of the Fortune 100, and a global partner network. Learn more at www.beyondtrust.com.
COMPANY NEWS: Extreme Networks, a leader in cloud networking, today announced Justin Hurst has been appointed head of the office of the CTO (OCTO) for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Hurst will strengthen the companys position within APAC by sharing Extremes technology vision, collaborating with key customers and partners to identify new technology trends and emerging business opportunities, and driving broader awareness and adoption of Extremes cloud networking solutions.

An internationally recognised technical business leader, Hurst has more than two decades of experience spanning front-line, management, and executive IT roles. Most recently, he served as Field CTO of Nutanix in Asia Pacific Japan, developing and sharing the Nutanix vision, while supporting the region in complex technical sales campaigns and partnerships.

He worked closely with R&D, alongside alliance, channel, and distribution partners to co-create solutions for the dynamic APAC market, leading to increased revenue and enhanced product adoption in strategic accounts.

APAC is a promising growth vector for Extreme and having a trusted leader on the ground to drive product innovation that aligns to the needs of both customers and partners in the region is key to our long-term success. Justin has a proven track record when it comes to building and executing highly effective strategies and technology campaigns, and were confident that hell create immediate impact, said Extreme Networks CTO and chief product officer Nabil Bukhari.

Extreme has differentiated itself within the networking industry as a leader because of its focus on creating meaningful business impact through simple, innovative technology solutions. Working in partnership with the global Extreme team, Ill be focused on uncovering new opportunities for growth across APAC by working to integrate the needs of customers in the region into our broader product roadmap and portfolio. Additionally, Ill work closely with the teams on the ground to ensure a consistent, impactful, and unmatched customer experience, added Extreme Networks head of the office of the CTO APAC Justin Hurst.

About Extreme Networks

Extreme Networks is a leader in cloud networking focused on delivering services that connect devices, applications, and people in new ways. We push the boundaries of technology leveraging the powers of machine learning, artificial intelligence, analytics, and automation. Fifty thousand customers globally trust our end-to-end, cloud-driven networking solutions and rely on our top-rated services and support to accelerate their digital transformation efforts and deliver progress like never before.
Biometric intelligence and fraud prevention technology provider BioCatch has established an Australian headquarters in Melbourne as it expands operations across the Asia Pacific.

BioCatch says the announcement comes as the company shared highlights from 2022 including, their solutions protecting more than a quarter billion people globally and detecting $1.5 billion of fraud through their proprietary behavioural insights.

According to BioCatch today 4 of the 5 major Australian banks use BioCatch solutions to protect their customers.

First partnering with banks in the region in 2018, the companys rapid growth and expanding global footprint reflect the speed at which Australian financial institutions are adopting modern technology to defend their businesses and customers against fraud. Business growth in Australia is contributing significantly to BioCatchs strong APAC momentum of 335% ARR growth in 2021. In 2022 the company grew further across the greater APAC region by securing foundational accounts in India and through a multinational partnership with GBG.

Today, BioCatch works with a robust client portfolio across the Australia and New Zealand region including, customer, investor and client innovation board member, NAB, as well as Indue, an end-to-end payment solution provider with an extensive network of financial institutions, retailers, and non-profits across the region.

In line with the increasing prevalence of financial fraud in Asia Pacific, BioCatch expects to be a launching pad for greater APAC initiatives, as the company continues to invest in the region to help financial institutions understand the current fraud landscape and arm them with actionable intelligence.

BioCatch notes that in response to market demand, BioCatch rapidly expanded its Asia-Pacific team in 2022, and is now the largest team of behavioural biometric experts in the region.

The local presence, coupled with BioCatchs global expertise in mitigating fraud and cybersecurity threats, enables BioCatch to continue robust support of Australia and New Zealands financial institutions in the fight against fraud, empowering them with best-in-class capabilities to better protect consumers. Led by Richard Booth, Head of APAC Market at BioCatch, the team grew by 20% last year and is responsible for accelerating expansion seeing 118% 3-year CAGR across the Asia-Pacific region.

Richard Booth, Head of APAC Market, BioCatch, said: Australia and New Zealand are priority markets for BioCatch. The continued demand for our behavioural biometric intelligence solutions reaffirms the impact that BioCatchs technology-first approach plays in the fast-moving digital transformation of the regions financial landscape. Our investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to helping Asia-Pacifics financial institutions tackle evolving fraud challenges and will enable them to securely capitalise on digital growth opportunities in an ecosystem where identity, trust, and ease seamlessly co-exist.

BioCatchs notes that its fraud protection platform is built on behavioural biometrics intelligence and detects financial fraud by identifying abnormalities in the data caused by changes to normal human behaviour that are strong indicators of fraud.

BioCatch pioneered the behavioural-based technology in 2011. The companys innovative technology allows it to analyse over five billion digital sessions per month and partner with more than 100 of the worlds leading banks to reduce the impact of fraud and identify theft on a global scale, BioCatch noted.

Mike Keating, Chief Revenue Officer, BioCatch said: Our operations in Australia and the greater Asia-Pacific region have delivered consistent growth in recent years, in part thanks to the regions continued digitalisation of banking services. Our established Australian presence is a strategically important addition to BioCatchs global presence spanning 16 countries and more than 250 team members. We are positioned to continue our explosive growth momentum, reaffirming our mission to build a trusted digital world.

According to BioCatch, Research from the Australia Banking Association confirms a sustained shift towards digital banking among Australian consumers, with more than 80 percent of consumers preferring to conduct banking online.

A study by FinTechNZ also pointed to New Zealands fast-growing fintech sector, illustrating a similar shift towards the digitalising of in-country banking. These trends have the potential to elevate digital fraud challenges, collectively raising the need for effective fraud management solutions such as BioCatchs behavioural biometric intelligence, concluded BioCatch.
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.
Today

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 52F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 52F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 77F. Winds light and variable.
Yoo Yeon Seok is among Korean celebrities who share a passion and love for animals. With this, he recently shared a heartfelt story about his rescue dog named Rita.

In 2021, the "Hospital Playlist" star made headlines after capturing the hearts of netizens as he spreads good influence by revealing the procedure of adopting a rescue dog.

To encourage more people to adopt dogs, he visited the animal shelter "The Bom Center" to help abandoned dogs.

On Yoo Yeon Seok's YouTube video, Rita was among stray animals who experienced abuse and as a result, she also suffered from serious skin diseases.

Thankfully, through the animal organization, Kara, Rita was able to escape and is now with the South Korean star.

On his YouTube, Yoo Yeon Seok often features Rita in his vlogs.

Meanwhile, ahead of his movie "My Heart Puppy" the actor recalled a heartwarming story about his dog.

Yo Yeon Seok Reveals Changes After Getting Rita

During his guest appearance in KBS 2TV's 'Year - Round Plus" along with co-star Cha Tae Hyun, the 38-year-old actor spoke about Rita whom he met at a shelter in 2021.

For Yoo Yeon Seok, he shared that he has been interested in taking care of stray dogs, but Rita is the one who caught his attention.

"Rita caught my eye when I saw an adoptable puppy, "he said, adding that he instantly fell in love with her the moment he saw her.

"I didn't know what her personality was, so I actually went and met her. As soon as I saw her, she hugged me. I went to and prepared for adoption," he said.

In addition, Yoo Yeon Seok revealed the changes now that he has Rita in his life.

According to the actor, his "exhaustion from the day just goes away" as soon as his dog greets him with her wagging tail.

Yoo Yeon Seok's Dramas This 2023

The South Korean actor first gain attention after starring in his breakout role in "Reply 1994."

His fame continue to skyrocket after landing the lead role in "Dr. Romantic" and eventually starred in the hit medical K-drama "Hospital Playlist."

While the drama's season 3 is still undecided, fans continue to see more of Yoo Yeon Seok with his back-to-back projects.

After appearing in "Narco-Saints" in a completely different role, Yoo Yeon Seok returns to the small screen with a romance drama "The Interest of Love" with Moon Ga Young.

Interestingly, he is set to headline the upcoming thriller psychological series "A Very Lucky Day" along with veteran stars Lee Sung Min and Lee Jung Eun.

As for his movie, Yoo Yeon Seok soon to be released film "My Heart Puppy" is set to hit the big screen on March 1 with viewers witnessing his team-up with Cha Tae Hyun.

READ MORE: 'Hospital Playlist's' Kim Dae Myung, Jo Jung Suk, More Celebrate Drama's Anniversary By Doing THIS



KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Ontarios Health Minister Sylvia Jones (left) speaks with Premier Doug Ford as they attend Question Period at the Queens Park Legislature, in Toronto, on Monday, November 14, 2022. Ontario's premier and health minister say the province will accept any new spending and investments on health care from the federal government, but they are concerned about the timelines of the funding being offered by Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
U.S. should renounce long-arm jurisdiction measures as soon as possible

15:50, February 08, 2023 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

The United States has a longstanding practice of exerting frequent long-arm jurisdiction over other countries. In recent years, the practice has kept expanding in scope, with U.S. "arms" stretching longer and longer.

The U.S. abuses long-arm jurisdiction and takes it as a tool to plunder geopolitical and economic interests and maintain its hegemony. The practice not only disregards other countries' sovereignty, blatantly meddles in others' internal affairs, seriously damages the legitimate interests of other countries, but also severely erodes the multilateral international order with the United Nations (UN) at its core.

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.

The U.S. 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 U.S. to advance hegemonic diplomacy and pursue economic interests.

The United States is the only sanctions superpower in the world. Statistics show that the previous U.S. administration had imposed over 3,900 sanction measures, which means it wielded its "big stick" three times a day on average. By fiscal year 2021, the number of active U.S. sanctions designations had increased to more than 9,400.

U.S. long-arm jurisdiction strains relations between countries and undermines the international order. The country has extended its punitive legislation to the whole world since the mid-1990s, said French author Ali Laidi in his book.

The U.S. introduced the Helms-Burton Act to impose economic sanctions through long-arm jurisdiction on individuals and entities worldwide conducting transactions with Cuba, rolled out the D'Amato Act which forbids foreign companies from investing in the energy sector of Iran and Libya, and implemented the "Trading with the Enemy Act" to expand sanctions on Russia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran.

The U.S. always forces its own wills and standards on others, replacing widely-accepted international laws and rules with its domestic laws.

Out of the strong dissatisfaction with U.S. long-arm jurisdiction, the European Union put forward a series of proposals and initiatives at the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, the World Trade Organization (WTO) 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.

U.S. long-arm jurisdiction undermines the purposes and functions of various international governance mechanisms.

The U.S. has frequently imposed unilateral sanctions outside the UN framework. As a result, the sanctioning function of the Security Council is undercut, seriously affecting its normal function of maintaining international peace and security.

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. It has blatantly trampled on the purposes and spirit of the multilateral trading system, and eroded the cornerstone of the system's operation.

The U.S., wielding the stick of long-arm jurisdiction, has become an expert of unilateralism and bullying, a saboteur of the multilateral trading system, and a manipulator applying double standards in industrial policies.

U.S. long-arm jurisdiction suppresses business competitors and undermines the interests of companies in other countries.

It abuses its public power to suppress competitors and meddle in normal international business activities, which marks a complete departure from its long-standing self-proclaimed champion of liberal market economy.

The U.S. applied the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other domestic laws in other countries, imposing astronomical fines on multiple industrial leaders in Europe, which crippled the competitiveness of European industry.

Enterprises from America's allies, such as Japan's Toshiba, Siemens in Germany, and French company Alstom were all once targets of U.S. "acts of piracy."

A report said that U.S. long-arm jurisdiction has become a real industry, a weapon that the country uses to weaken foreign competitors in economic wars.

U.S. long-arm jurisdiction violates the basic human rights of citizens in other countries.

In recent years, the U.S. 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, it has often violated the basic human rights of the sanctioned subjects while exercising such unilateral sanctions.

Nadia Helmy, a political science professor at Egypt's Beni-Suef University, noted that U.S. sanctions imposed on Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Yemen and other countries have not only failed to reach its goal of economic coercion, but also seriously disturbed the COVID-19 responses in these countries.

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.

Today's world is facing uncertainties and instabilities, and needs countries to forge solidarity. The U.S. should renounce its illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction measures, truly take up its international responsibilities as a major country, and work with other counties to safeguard international equity and justice, and promote the peaceful development of the world.

(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)
Kilkenny County Council and a local TD are seeking further details regarding a plan to house 131 asylum seekers in Kilkenny.

The Kilkenny Inn has been contracted by IPAS to provide accommodation, with the Department warning there was in excess of 60 accommodation locations used in 2022 across 17 counties. "These options must be considered to prevent homelessness for the unprecedented numbers of people arriving seeking international protection," said a statement.

Director of services Fiona Deegan told the Kilkenny People that the local authority is seeking clarity from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on how many International Protection applicants will be housed in Kilkenny City and what buildings will be used.

We have sought clarification from the Department and we are awaiting a response. We have been made aware that approximately 120 asylum seekers are coming to Kilkenny under the International Protection Programme, but we have not been officially informed by the Department, added Ms Deegan, who oversees the Management of Displaced Ukrainian Persons in Kilkenny.

Ms Deegan explained that the local authority has no role in the provision of accommodation to persons under the International Protection programme, adding that any building used for this purpose will have to comply with the relevant fire safety regulations.

Local TD John McGuinness has raised concerns, and said that there had been no consultation with public representatives.

There has been no consultation with public representatives and Kilkenny County Council, he said. The TD has also raised serious concerns about the lack of existing services in the area.

The Government are creating difficulties for the people coming here and for the people who are living here. There needs to be some sort of pause, said Deputy McGuinness, who learned of the news on Friday also. The Fianna Fail TD said the Government needs to get their act together on the issue.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Malcolm Noonan said that the move would be supported by local agencies and volunteers in Kilkenny.

We are facing unprecedented humanitarian challenges, where more and more people around the world are being displaced due to conflict, resource scarcity and climate change, he said.

The people of Ireland have responded with open hearts to the States obligation to provide safe harbour for both Ukrainian families and International Protection refugees. The arrival of this group of people will be supported by local agencies and volunteers, and I have no doubt that the people of Kilkenny will welcome them, as we have done with those from Ukraine.
Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) with the support of the Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland (BSTAI) have launched registration for the Irish finals of the 2023 European Money Quiz, Europes largest financial education competition for 13 to 15-year-old students involving 28 countries.

Teachers in Kilkenny and across Ireland are invited to register their students to take part in the Irish leg of the quiz which will see classrooms up and down the country go head-to-head in the live online final at 12 noon, Tuesday 14th March.

Playing in teams of two, students will compete directly against each other in real time using the Kahoot! learning platform.

Tested on a series of financial education related questions, the winning team will be flown to Brussels in May to take on students from over 28 European countries for a chance to be crowned European Champions and share in a prize fund of 5000 for their school.

The European finals event, which takes place over two days, will return for the first time in two years following a break due to Covid-19.

Since the inauguration of the quiz in 2018, Ireland has performed exceptionally well, securing a podium spot in the top three European teams on three occasions.

In 2022, two students from Gaelcholaiste na Mara, Co Wicklow took third place in the European final. In total last years quiz attracted more than 50,000 students across Europe.

Brian Hayes Chief Executive of BPFI spoke of the 'great engagement' from schools and students across the country in previous years and how he is looking forward to seeing more students get involved in 2023.

"The real-time competition brings a bit of fun and excitement to the classroom and every year we see well over a thousand students across Ireland compete," he said.

"We are delighted that this year we will be sponsoring the winners to go to Brussels to take part in the European finals in May.

"Brussels is at the heart of business and financial services in Europe and it is a great opportunity for students to experience the city, hear from some of Europes top financial experts and meet other students from across Europe."

Margaret McDonnell, representative of BSTAI has strongly encouraged teachers in Kilkenny to sign up and get their students participating.

"It is not only for students doing business studies - anyone between 13-15 years of age can take part," she said.

The European Money Quiz is part of European Money Week (EMW), a joint initiative between the European Banking Federation and 30 banking associations across Europe - including BPFI, which aims to boost financial literacy levels and raise awareness on the benefits of financial education.

Further details and registration are available on the BPFI website.
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.
Earlier today, Minister of State Malcolm Noonan TD announced significant improvements to the Local Authority Home Loan that will result in more people in County Kilkenny being eligible to apply for the State-backed mortgage.

The prices of homes eligible for a Local Authority Home Loan and income limits of those eligible to apply for a loan are being increased.

From March 1, house price limits for homes in Kilkenny that are eligible for the Local Authority Home Loan will increase by 50,000 from 250,000 to 300,000.

Income limits for joint applicants will increase to 85,000 and income limit for a single applicant in Kilkenny will increase to 70,000.

The Local Authority Home Loan was launched in January 2022 as part of Housing for All.

It supports creditworthy borrowers who are unable to get finance from commercial banks to buy a home.

It can be used for new, second hand or self-build homes.

Speaking after the announcement, Minister Noonan said that 'supporting home ownership is a key objective for this Government' and the increase in eligible house prices coupled with the increase in income limits will mean more people in Kilkenny can access the loan.

"Importantly, building on changes made this time last year we are again increasing the income limit for single applicants so that those earning up to 70,000 who wish to purchase a home can avail of the State backed loan," he added.

"The changes reflect the reality of todays housing market and we will continue to keep the Local Authority Home Loan under review to ensure it remains a genuine and relevant support for people in Kilkenny who want to own their own home."

Since February 2018, over 3,300 people have got on the property ladder through the Local Authority Home Loan and its predecessor the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan.

Minister Darragh OBrien, along with Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe TD, will sign the amendment regulations in the coming weeks.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Windy with showers and thundershowers this evening, then cloudy with rain, heavy at times late. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph, becoming NNW and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Windy with showers and thundershowers this evening, then cloudy with rain, heavy at times late. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph, becoming NNW and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
The Boone County Commission hosted its first of many planned community information and listening sessions concerning the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding at Hallsville City Hall Tuesday night. The first round of funding will allocate up to $15 million in relief aid.
This is a rendering for a planned recovery housing project by Inspiration Ministries at 136 W. Main St. in Butler. While the final exterior design may change, plans are to have commercial space on the first floor with five bedrooms and three bathrooms on the second in accordance with zoning rules.
Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Cloudy skies during the morning hours followed by thunderstorms in the afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 87F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
How did the Commission assess Czechia's first payment request?

On 25 November, Czechia submitted to the Commission a request for the disbursement of 928m (net of pre-financing) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The request was based on the achievement of the 31 milestones and 6 targets for the first instalment, as outlined in the Council Implementing Decision approving the plan. They cover reforms in the areas of school curricula and health, as well as Czechia's audit and control system for the implementation of the RRF. Several targets also concern major investments in railway infrastructure and digital tools for education.

With their request, the Czech authorities provided detailed and comprehensive evidence demonstrating the fulfilment of the 31 milestones and 6 targets. The Commission has thoroughly assessed this information before endorsing the positive preliminary assessment of the payment request.

What are the next steps?

The Commission has now sent the positive preliminary assessment of Czechia's fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), asking for its opinion. The EFC's opinion, to be delivered within maximum four weeks, should be taken into account in the Commission's assessment. The Commission will adopt the decision on the disbursement of the financial contribution, in accordance with the examination procedure, through a comitology committee. Following the adoption of this decision by the Commission, the disbursement to Czechia would take place. The amounts disbursed to the Member States will be published in the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. The Commission has also shared its positive preliminary assessment with the European Parliament.

How do the milestones and targets achieved by Czechia so far effectively support the green transition?

In the context of Czechia's first payment request, the green transition is supported by 8 milestones and 4 targets. For example, Czechia adopted the Circular Czechia 2040 strategy which aims at boosting Czechia's circular economy, in line with the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan by, for example, reducing waste to a minimum. Several other investments supporting the green transition were also carried out as part of this payment request. They include 25 kilometres of built cycle paths, three reconstructed railway bridges and 45 safer railway level crossings with newly installed or modernised flashlight warning systems or mechanical safety installations. Czechia has also identified a list of railway projects that will be completed under subsequent payment requests. These will include 39,7 kilometres of electrified railway lines, 41 kilometres of digitalised lines for increased safety, 121,8 kilometres of modernised lines with improved railway traffic management and safety, as well as 35 station buildings with reduced energy intensity and increased comfort for passengers. Czechia also launched a tender to renovate at least 2.000 public lightning systems.

How do the milestones and targets achieved by Czechia so far effectively contribute to the digital transition?

In the context of Czechia's first payment request, the digital transition is supported by 4 milestones and 1 target. For example, Czechia has set up a high-level advisory working group coordinating and speeding up the digitalisation of the economy, in particular eGovernment. Czechia also launched the Central European Digital Media Observatory to combat online disinformation and has been supporting a wide array of projects to support the development of eGovernment and IT skills in the workforce (e.g. the purchase of IT devises, the organisation of training courses and the reform of school curricula to cover digital competences).

How do the milestones and targets achieved by Czechia so far contribute to improving Czechia's economic and social situation, and its resilience?

In the context of its first payment request, Czechia successfully implemented 9 milestones aimed at strengthening its institutional resilience. On economic matters, the Czech economy is being strengthened by, for example, the creation of the National Coordination Group for the Support for Industrial Research, which should harmonise industrial research and development support policies.

On social matters, several targets were met in the area of education, in particular for children and the youth. For example, more than 70 000 digital devices were purchased for distance learning during the school lockdown, including for pupils from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, a reform revised the curricula of primary, lower-secondary schools and upper-secondary schools to promote digital literacy and IT skills. This reform not only reinforces the importance of IT learning in pupils' education, but it also extends its scope to other areas such as data processing and modelling, coding and programming, robotics, virtual/augmented reality, and 3D printing. Schools will gradually implement the changes to the curricula in the run-up to September 2025.

Czechia has also improved its societal resilience by fulfilling important reforms and investments related to its healthcare system. This will also be improved through Czechia's new National Oncological Programme for 2022-2030 which sets out, among other things, the scope and quality screening programmes for cancer prevention. This is particularly valuable as the cancer prevention and care system was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, Czechia implemented several measures aimed at improving its control and audit procedures and guaranteeing the protection of the EU's financial interests. These measures focus primarily on the avoidance of conflicts of interest. Czechia has amended the law on registration of beneficial owners so that it is fully in line with the EU's Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Czechia also prepared and implemented sufficiently robust and exhaustive internal control procedures and tools (guidance documents, procedures for the system to collect, store and process data, repository system) to boost the avoidance and management of conflicts of interest and to meet the control requirements set by the RRF Regulation.

Does the achievement of these first milestones and targets contribute to an effective implementation of the Plan?

The milestones and targets fulfilled constitute significant steps in the implementation of Czechia's recovery and resilience plan, and of its broader reform agenda. They include important measures, such as reforms in the areas of school curricula and health, as well as Czechia's audit and control system for the implementation of the RRF. Several targets also concern major investments in railway infrastructure and digital tools for education. Czechia has also validated its control and audit procedures concerning the organisation and treatment of data under the RRF.

For More Information

Preliminary assessment

Press release on the positive preliminary assessment of Czechia's request for 928m disbursement

Press release on 915m in pre-financing to Czechia

Questions and Answers: European Commission endorses Czechia's plan

Factsheet on Czechia's recovery and resilience plan

Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Czechia

Annex to the Council Implementing Decision

Commission Staff Working Document: Analysis of the recovery and resilience plan of Czechia

Recovery and Resilience Facility

Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard

Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation

Question and Answers on the Recovery and Resilience Facility

EU as a borrower website

Zarazeno st 08.02.2023 15:02:00 Zdroj Evropska komise Original ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/documents?reference=QANDA/23/647&language=cs lang en
New Delhi, February 8: AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government is bringing back the "Indira Gandhi era" as he referred to a tug of war over the process of appointment of judges and raised concerns over those holding constitutional posts commenting on the "basic structure" of the Constitution. Participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Owaisi also accused the government of not doing enough for the minorities and raised concerns over the India-China border situation.

"People on constitutional posts are commenting on the basic structure... The law minister has made comments on collegium... When the NJAC (National Judicial Appointments Commission) Bill came I was the only MP who said it would be against the basic structure of the Constitution," Owaisi said. "You should learn a lesson from Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi said the judiciary should follow her, now PM Modi is saying the judiciary should be loyal to him..."

"You are bringing back the same Indira Gandhi era," he said. Budget Session 2023: PM Narendra Modi Holds Meeting With Union Ministers To Discuss Government Strategy in Parliament.

The judiciary and the executive have been engaged in a tug of war over the process of appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and high courts. Owaisi also accused the government of not doing enough for the minorities and said the budget for minorities has been slashed by 40 per cent. "The minorities who make up 19 per cent of the population were not even mentioned in the President's speech," he said. "The Narendra Modi government does not want Muslim children to study, they want them to be victims of poverty," he said.

Owaisi also mentioned Bilkis Bano and said, "She has been fighting for 20 years, but justice has been denied to her because her name is Bilkis Bano". Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped and seven members of her family killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots, has approached the Supreme Court against the remission of the sentence of 11 convicts. India Energy Week 2023: From Solar to Ethanol, PM Narendra Modi To Launch Key Green Energy Initiatives in Bengaluru From February 6-8.

Talking about the India-China border situation, the AIMIM MP alleged the government is "scared of China". "Would the prime minister take the name of China? It was said that out of 65 patrolling points, India cannot do patrolling on 26 patrolling points. You are scared of China. Disengagement happened. When will de-escalation and de-induction happen?" he asked.
Reality TV star Rakhi Sawant's husband Adil Durrani, who was arrested by Mumbai Police on Tuesday, has now been sent to judicial custody by Andheri court. Durrani was arrested after Rakhi filed an FIR against him, alleging he mishandled her funds. Rakhi also accused him of engaging in domestic violence. While talking to media outside Mumbai's Oshiwara police station, Rakhi said, "He (Adil) came to beat me at home in the morning, I immediately called the police. He frequently visits my home and gives threats. Even today he came to beat me at home, and I was scared. He said that you defamed me in the media." Rakhi Sawant's Husband Adil Khan Durrani Sent to Judicial Custody by Andheri Court.

Rakhi also claimed that Adil had broken up with her and was living with his alleged girlfriend. Rakhi further stated that she is now going to opt for a divorce as he cheated on her. She said, "Now, I do not want to make any kind of compromise with Adil. I just can't live with a man who sleeps with so many girls. I wanted him to apologise and leave Tanu (the girl who Adil allegedly cheated with) and come to me. But that person is not loyal. So, I have decided that I have to get a divorce now." Rakhi's brother Rakesh also backed the actress and said Adil physically and verbally abused her."Never thought that he will stoop down to such level. We even forgave two or three times. The next day after the demise of our mother, when we went to Rakhi's house to feed her, that time we noticed Rakhi's face is swollen. She was crying, when our relatives asked her then she revealed that Adil has beaten her on the same day our mother passed away," Rakhi's brother said. Rakhi Sawants Husband Adil Durrani Arrested After Actor Levels Assault Charges, Says He Took Away Money, Jewellery.

Rakhi, last month, revealed that she had married Adil in 2022. Taking to Instagram, she shared a photograph of their purported marriage certificate which shows that the wedding took place on May 29, 2022. . While Adil had initially called it false, he finally admitted that he and Rakhi had been married.

The Police filed the FIR under IPC Sec 406, 420 498 (A) and 377. Rakhi's lawyer Falguni Brahmbhatt said that they have all the evidence which will prove that Adil is not innocent. "In the future, when Adil will apply for bail in the sessions court, we will oppose it. We have bank statements which will show that Adil has misused Rakhi's funds. We also have evidence which will show how Adil has beaten Rakhi and blackmailed her and threatened her."

Rakhi levelled such shocking allegations against Adil just a few days after the demise of her mother.
New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI) Members of the Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena Thackeray faction and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha after their adjournment notices were disallowed by the chair.

Soon after laying of papers, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he has received four notices under Rule 267 from BRS member K Keshava Rao, AAP member Sanjay Singh and Shiv Sena members Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi and disallowed the same.

Also Read | Punjab: BSF Shoots Drone Along Border in Amritsar; Falls in Pakistan Territory.

Rao stood up and raised objection to the Rajya Sabha chairman's remarks on Tuesday on their boycott of the House.

Sanjay Singh also rose to seek a discussion on the Adani issue but was not allowed by the chair as their notices were disallowed.

Also Read | RBI Projects Economic Growth to Slow Down to 6.4% From 7% in Financial Year 2023-24.

Soon, the BRS, Sena and AAP members staged a walkout from the House.

The House started the discussion on the motion of thanks to the president's address as there was no Zero Hour and Question Hour. The discussion on the motion of thanks would continue without lunch break.

"I have received four notices under Rule 267 from Sanjay Raut, K Keshava Rao, Sanjay Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi. I reiterate my stand. I have carefully gone through them. I do not find the notices in order. I am constrained not to allow them," the chairman said.

On BRS member Rao's anguish over the chairman's remarks made on Tuesday, he said, "The kind of aggressive body language you are reflecting is most unfortunate. You have perhaps not had the occasion to go through what I had said yesterday with full sense of sublimity, sobriety and seriousness."

Asking him to take his seat, he said, "This is not the way we conduct this House. What I said is on record, you can take recourse to rules. This is not the way to do it. I have conveyed my sentiments and these are the sentiments of millions of people."

Dhankhar said for the first time in this country, a history of the "wrong type" has been created by engaging in a proclaimed boycott of the President.

"I would urge the members, we are sending a very dangerous signal to people. Their anger is beyond tolerance. Every time in the morning they see this spectacle of the House being plunged into disorder as part of strategy," the chairman said.

AAP, BRS members created uproar by raising slogans of "PM sadan mein aao. jawaab do. JPC se jaanch karao (PM should come to the House and answer and JPC probe should be ordered)" and later staged a walkout.

They later held a demonstration in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament premises.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Shimla, Feb 8 (PTI) The roof of a building in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district collapsed on Wednesday evening, trapping a person under its debris, officials said.

He was later rescued and admitted to a hospital, but his condition is serious, they said.

Also Read | Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: India's NDRF Reaches Gaziantep, Starts Search and Rescue Operation.

National Disaster Response Force and police personnel rushed to the spot on receiving information about the incident near Sai Road in Baddi in Nalagarh, the officials said.

They rescued the person and rushed him to the hospital, they said and added that his condition is stated to be serious.

Also Read | All India Muslim Personal Law Board Tells Supreme Court That Entry of Women Into Mosques for Offering Namaz Permitted.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 8 (ANI): To garner massive investment in the state to turn it into an economy of USD 1 trillion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's team conducted roadshows in 21 cities of 16 countries. Resultantly, 108 MoUs worth Rs 7.12 lakh crores were signed, which will generate employment for 7 lakh youth in UP, according to a government statement.

In terms of investment, out of 25 sectors, foreign visitors have shown keen interest in five sectors, including Data Centre, Logistics Park, Renewable Energy, Apparel and Textile and Film City, a government release stated.

Also Read | Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel Targets Former CM Raman Singh Over Reservation Issue.

The first choice of foreign investors in these sectors is to make the state a data center hub, for which they have expressed their desire to invest more than Rs 17,000 crores. Meanwhile, the second priority is the logistics park, where investment of over Rs 16.5k crores has been attained.

Impressed by the policies of the Yogi government, the first data centre is ready in Greater Noida of the state. During the road shows in Singapore and Australia, Global State Capital Pvt. Ltd. expressed the desire to invest Rs 8,260 crores to build a data center in the state and Star Consortium Pvt. Ltd. finalized the MoU with the state government related to the investment of Rs 1000 crores.

Also Read | CPWD Asks Field Units to Take Urgent Steps to Vacate dangerous, unsafe Houses.

Not only this, during the road shows in UK and USA, Sify International agreed to invest Rs 8,300 crores in this sector. Looking at these figures, the maximum number of foreign investors have taken steps to develop the state as a data center hub by investing Rs 17,560 crore, informed the government.

Foreign investors have placed the logistics park as the second priority out of the 25 sectors. In this, MoUs related to investment of Rs 16,810 crore have been signed. During the tour of Canada and USA, an investment of over Rs 8,200 crores was attained.

Moreover, Rs 1,000 crore will be invested in the logistics service for the roadshows in Singapore and Australia. Universal Success Pvt. Ltd. has decided to construct a logistics park with an investment of Rs 5,100 crores. On the other hand, during the tour of UK and USA, Best Buy Trucking has signed MoU to open Logistics BPO and Training Center.

Foreign companies have preferred renewable energy as the third number in the field of investment in the state. During the roadshow in UAE, Aastha Green Energy Ventures Pvt. Ltd. agreed on investing Rs 4,480 crores, Shree Siddharth Infratech & Services has made an action plan to spend Rs 8,000 crores in the state. on the other hand, Boson Energy SA has decided to spend Rs 1,000 crores during road shows in Germany, Belgium and Sweden.

Along with this, Geothermal Core Inc will set up a renewable energy plant with Rs 820 crores. Resultantly, foreign investors will invest about Rs 14,300 crores in the field of renewable energy.

The fourth priority of foreign investors includes apparel and textile. During the tour of Japan and South Korea, Japan India Industry Promotion Association has signed an MoU worth Rs 2500 crore and Nisenken Quality Evaluation Center signed an MoU of Rs 10,000 crores. Resultantly, foreign investment of a total of Rs 12,500 crores has been achieved in this area, said the statement.

The film industry stands on the fifth as during roadshows in Germany, Belgium and Sweden, International Group AB decided to invest Rs 10,000 crore for the Film City in the state. (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 8 (PTI) The defence ministry on Wednesday sealed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to procure 41 sets of modular bridges for the Indian Army at a cost of Rs 2,585 crore.

The bridges have been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and will be produced by L&T.

Also Read | Gaganyaan: ISRO Conducts Initial Trials of Human Space Mission Crew Module Recovery in Kochi.

The DRDO nominated L&T as the production agency, officials said.

The ministry said it signed the contract with L&T for the procurement of 41 indigenous modular bridges, worth over Rs 2,585 crore, for the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army

Also Read | Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Kerala Government Announces Rs 10 Crore Relief Package for Quake-hit Turkey, Syria.

"The modular bridges will replace the manually-launched Medium Girder Bridges (MGB) that are currently being used in the Indian Army," it said.

"The indigenously designed and manufactured modular bridges shall have many advantages over the MGB such as increased span, less time for construction and mechanical launching with retrieval capability," the ministry said.

It said the procurement of these bridges will give a major boost to the bridging capability of the Indian Army on the Western front.

"The project will showcase India's progress in designing and developing world class military equipment and pave the way for enhancing defence exports to friendly countries," the ministry said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Rajouri/Jammu, February 8: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has said that terrorists involved in the Dhangri village attack are hiding in the upper reaches of Rajouri district and announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for anyone providing information about them. In an advisory issued on Tuesday night, police also warned of stern action against those facilitating the terrorists in any way.

Seven people were killed and 14 injured as terrorists attacked Dhangri village in Rajouri on January 1. While five people, including two brothers, were killed after the terrorists opened fire at some houses, two children died when an improvised explosive device (IED) left behind by the attackers went off the next day. Rajouri Attack: Villagers of Dhangri Threaten to Go on Hunger Strike If Terrorists Not Neutralised in 15 Days.

On Sunday, Dhangri residents expressed concern over the "failure" of security agencies in tracing the terrorists behind the attacks in the village. They threatened to go on a hunger strike if the security agencies are unable to eliminate the terrorists within the next 15 days.

"The terrorists who engineered the attack in Dhangri village... are still hiding in the hills of Rajouri. They can engineer a terror incident again," police said. "There are a few people who are facilitating the movement and survival of these terrorists besides providing them information on the movement of police and (security) forces," they said.

A close vigil is being kept on these "terror facilitators" and stern legal action will be taken against them very soon, they added. "Rs 10 lakh and other rewards will be given to anyone who will share information about the terrorists. The name of the informer will be kept secret," police said. Doda People Express Concern After Cracks Appeared in Some Houses.

Appealing to people to remain alert, they said, "Peace is a prerequisite for development and people should cooperate with police in maintaining peace in all possible ways." The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the Dhangri attack. Police and security forces are conducting massive operations in Rajouri to track the attackers. Over 120 operations have been conducted in the last five weeks, according to officials.

(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 8 (ANI): The Enforcement of Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 13.87 crore belonging to Apkon Crushers and its partners in a bank fraud case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the probe agency informed.

According to the probe agency, the assets are in the form of two immovable properties and five vehicles which have been acquired out of proceeds of crime.

Also Read | Mumbai: Dangerous Post-COVID Illness MIS-C Detected in Five Kids Including Newborn in Two Months Despite Significant Drop in Coronavirus Cases.

ED has initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 on the basis of FIR registered by CBI in the year 2020 against Apkon Crushers and its partners under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

"The said FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the Chief Manager, Punjab National Bank wherein it was alleged that the firm through its partners managed to procure the credit facilities from the complainant bank on the basis of fake and forged audited balance sheets," it said.

Also Read | Global Investors Summit 2023: GIS-23 To Be Zero Waste Event in Lucknow.

The ED further said that during the investigation under PMLA, it was noticed that the company forged its balance sheet and manipulated the figures of stock in hand and receivables on a significantly higher side to obtain the credit facility from the bank fraudulently.

"Further, the loan was diverted for the personal use of the partners and for purposes other than for it was sanctioned. The partners also did not route the revenue of the firm through the cash credit account and did not serve the interest liability. Hence, the account was turned into NPA in 2019. 100 per cent Proceeds of Crime of Rs.13.87 crore, in this case, has been attached,' it added.

Further investigation is in progress. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chennai, Feb 8 (PTI) Financial independence is important for women and by using indestructible assets of education and talent, women should lead their lives with individual, distinctive identities, Chief Minister M K Stalin said here on Wednesday.

Also Read | Valentines Day Thing of Past? Celebrate Cow Hug Day on February 14 To Spread Positive Energy, Animal Welfare Board of India Tells Cow Lovers.

Launching the second phase of the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Pudhumai Penn Scheme at the Hindu College near here, Stalin said 1.16 lakh girl students have so far been benefited by the initiative.

Also Read | Australia: Indian-Origin Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Ex-Girlfriend.

During the past five months, Rs 69.44 crore has been provided for the scheme. "This scheme's biggest victory is that as many as 12,000 girl students, who were on the verge of discontinuing their studies (after school) due to financial status in their families, are continuing their education (in colleges)."

In the second phase, Stalin extended the scheme to 1,04,347 more beneficiaries. He gave bank debit cards to 10 students marking the inauguration of the second phase of the scheme and interacted with them.

Girls who would otherwise discontinue education after school now enroll in college courses, leading to educational growth in Tamil Nadu, gender equality, decline in child marriages and women empowerment. "That is the Dravidian model governance, you should understand it." He appealed to girl students to learn well, pursue higher education and embark on research of a subject and take up right jobs.

"Financial independence is important for women," he said adding women should utilise appropriate employment opportunities. By using indestructible assets of education and talent, women should lead their lives with individual, distinctive identities, he said.

A total of 1,56,016 students has been benefited under the scheme, out of which those belonging to the Backward Classes are 48,660 and 50,550 from Most Backward Classes and 44,880 Scheduled Castes and 1,900 belong to the Scheduled Tribes.

Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month is deposited in the beneficiary student's bank account. Girls who studied in government schools from Class 6 to 12 are eligible and the aid is provided till their completion of undergraduate degree, diploma, ITI or any other recognised course. Encouraging girl students to take up courses in colleges (enhancing the Gross Enrolment Ratio-GER) following completion of school education is the key goal of the Pudhumai Penn Scheme.

Ministers K Ponmudi (Higher Education) P Geetha Jeevan (Social Welfare and Women Rights) and top government officials participated.

Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar was a woman leader of the Dravidian movement who championed the cause of women's rights, social justice. The Dharmamurthi Rao Bhahadur Calavala Cunnan Chetty's Hindu College at suburban Pattabiram is popularly known as Hindu College.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hailakandi, Feb 8 (PTI) Four persons, including the prime accused, were arrested in connection with the torture of a youth allegedly involved in a theft case which was captured in a video that went viral in the social media, in Assam's Hailakandi district on Wednesday, police said.

The prime accused, Nizamuddin Borbhuyan, and three others were picked up by the police late on Tuesday night, Superintendent of Police Nabaneet Mahanta said.

Also Read | Delhi Excise Policy Case: CBI Arrests BRS MLC K Kavithas Chartered Accountant.

Investigations are on in the case and lawful action will follow, the SP said.

The Director General of Police G P Singh had directed the district police to take immediate action against those involved in the incident.

Also Read | India Ranks First in Producing Milk, Contributes 24% of Global Milk Production: Government To Lok Sabha.

A video of the incident which went viral on social media shows that a person was punching blows at the youth, his head was tonsured and another person urinated on him.

The incident occurred in Krishnapur village and a case was registered at Lala police station.

Various organisations and civil society had demanded strict action against the persons involved in this alleged incident of moral policing.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad, Feb 8 (PTI) Business conglomerate GVK Group on Wednesday categorically said there was no "extraneous pressure" from anyone to sell its stake in Mumbai airport as alleged by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Also Read | RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Receives ISI, Naxalites Threat Ahead of His Visit to Bhagalpur.

The company's comments came a day after Gandhi alleged in Lok Sabha that "Mumbai airport, was taken away from GVK using agencies such as the CBI and the ED, and was given to Adani by the Government of India".

Also Read | Dhangri Attack: Jammu and Kashmir Police Says Terrorists Hiding in Rajouri Hills, Announces Rs 10 Lakh Reward for Info on Them.

"GVK reiterates that the decision to sell its stakes in Mumbai Airport to Adani, was taken by the management and there was absolutely no question of any extraneous pressure being exerted on us," GVK Group spokesperson told PTI.

Adani Group, which is currently in the eye of a storm over the recent report by short-seller Hindenburg Research related to its company's business dealings, took over the management of the Mumbai airport from GVK Group in July 2021.

While explaining the circumstances that led to the sale of the airport, GVK Group Vice Chairman Sanjay Reddy told a TV channel that it was looking to raise funds for the airport business.

Reddy said that at that time, Adani Group founder-chairman Gautam Adani approached him saying he had a lot of interest in the airport and whether GVK Group was willing to do a transaction with him.

"... He (Adani) said that he will assure that we will conclude the entire transaction in one month which was very important for us. So, from that perspective, whatever we did was in the interest of the company and the lenders who we had to repay and therefore, we had to close the transaction with Adani because we didn't see any light of day with the other investors," Reddy said.

While leading the Opposition attack over the Adani-Hindenburg issue in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Gandhi alleged that the government tweaked rules in favour of Adani and said the clause that no one without any prior experience would be involved in the development of airports was done away with.

"This rule was changed by the government and Adani was given six airports. After that, India's most strategic, profitable airport, Mumbai Airport, was taken away from GVK using agencies like the CBI, ED, and was given to Adani by the Government of India," he alleged.

In July 2021, Adani Enterprises Limited said Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), the flagship holding company of Adani Group's airport business, will hold nearly 98 per cent stake in GVK Airport Developers Ltd (GVKADL) pursuant to the rights exercised by it as a lender to the company.

AAHL took over the management control of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL).

GVKADL is the holding company of GVK Airport Holdings Ltd (GVKAHL) which holds 50.50 per cent equity stake in MIAL. The latter holds 74 per cent equity stake in Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 8 (ANI): Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested three people for duping 32 Telugu students studying at various universities in Canada and the USA to the tune of Rs 2 crore on the pretext of paying semester fees.

Police said the accused identified as Devarashetti Pedda Venkateshwarlu, Devarashetti Gautam and Kohirkar Nilesh are guilty of cheating students by promising to pay their semester fees in Canada and USA through fraudulent credit card transactions. All are residents of Hyderabad.

Also Read | Delhi Excise Policy Case: CBI Arrests BRS MLC K Kavithas Chartered Accountant.

According to police, they spun into action after a complaint was received from 32 Telugu students for being duped.

Police said the accused Gautham went to the United States to pursue his higher education and collected details of students pursuing their courses in the US and Canada by joining various students' WhatsApp groups.

Also Read | Uttat Pradesh Horror: 22-Year-Old Pregnant Woman, Daughter Die After Fire Breaks Out in House in Kothibhar.

"Gautham offered a 10 per cent fee concession if students agreed to pay through him. He convinced students that he would collect the fee amount from their family in India in rupees and pay the college in the US or Canada through his credit cards of local banks, saving them money transfer charges," police said.

After the parents transferred the fee amount to his father's bank account, the duo kept 45 per cent as their share and transferred the rest to Nitesh.

"Nilesh sent the amount to one Zibron of Dubai in cryptocurrency form and the latter transferred it to the universities. However, the fee was not accepted by universities as it was sent through fraudulent credit cards," police added.

After coming to know their fee was not paid, the victims approached Gautham who expressed his inability to pay the amount. The students somehow arranged the money and paid directly to the universities.

On a complaint, a case was registered and all three were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The accused were arrested and remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday.

After a course of the probe, the police seized five Mobile Phones, four Cheque books, five Credit Cards, and five Debit Cards from their possession. (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 8 (PTI) Police on Wednesday slapped the murder charge against a man arrested for allegedly mowing down a journalist with his car in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, an official said.

Several media organisations had demanded a probe into the death of scribe Shashikant Warishe, claiming he had written against local land dealer Pandharinath Amberkar, who is said to be a supporter of the proposed Ratnagiri refinery project.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: Man Gets Married in Hospital To Fulfil His Ailing Father's Last Wish in Betul.

The organisations claimed Amberkar crushed the scribe's bike under his car at a petrol pump in Ratnagiri district on Monday. Warishe succumbed to the injuries at a Kolhapur hospital on Tuesday.

The accused (42) was arrested under section 304 (Culpable Homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police have added section 302 (Punishment for murder) in the FIR against Amberkar, the official said.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Encroachment Drive: Delhi Police Stop Mehbooba Muftis Protest March to Parliament (Watch Video).

He was remanded in police custody in Rajapur till February 13.

Police are investigating the exact motive behind the murder.

Earlier, Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Patrakar Parishad members had met Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a probe into Warishe's death.

The Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical project, earlier proposed to be built at Nanar village in Ratnagiri district in coastal Konkan, was scrapped before the 2019 polls at the insistence of Shiv Sena, the then alliance partner of BJP.

A Union minister had last year said establishing a 60-million metric tonne per annum oil refinery will be the biggest plant in the world and hinted at its revival.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chinese rescue teams set off for quake-hit Turkiye with rescue equipment, relief materials

People's Daily Online) 16:02, February 08, 2023

Several rescue teams from China have arrived in or are headed for earthquake-hit areas in Turkiye to conduct international rescue missions. According to incomplete statistics, they include a rescue team sent by the Chinese government and several non-governmental rescue teams in China.

In response to a request by the Turkish government for overseas help, the Chinese government dispatched a search and rescue team which was mainly composed of personnel from the Beijing fire and rescue corps, the National Earthquake Response Support Service and the Emergency General Hospital. They have arrived in Turkiye along with 21 tonnes of rescue equipment and relief materials and four search and rescue dogs.

Chinese rescue team arrives at Adana Airport in Turkiye at 4:30 am local time, Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management)

A team of eight rescue experts of the Rescue Team of Ramunion, which is based in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, has arrived in earthquake-stricken areas in Turkiye on Feb. 8. They will use advanced radar life detectors, demolition and rescue equipment, and a search and rescue dog for the mission.

Founded in 2008, Ramunion is a professional rescue team specializing in emergency response to disasters and accidents. Its members have participated in a total of 287 international and domestic rescue missions.

On Feb. 8, the first batch of 60 rescuers and two search and rescue dogs dispatched by the Blue Sky Rescue team set off for Turkiye. Founded in 2007, Blue Sky Rescue is a professional nongovernmental and independent emergency rescue team. Its members have taken part in international and domestic rescue missions.

Chinese rescue team arrives at Adana Airport in Turkiye at 4:30 am local time, Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management)

The Shenzhen Rescue Volunteers Federation has decided to launch rescue operations in Turkiye and send an advance team to aid the rescue operation in the country. The rescue team is in contact with the Chinese Embassy in Turkiye, the Turkish Embassy in China and local overseas Chinese organizations and China-funded institutions in Turkiye to finalize their preparations for the operation.

The Chinese government has launched an emergency humanitarian assistance mechanism and will provide emergency aid to quake-hit Turkiye and Syria, said Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, on Feb. 7.

Members of the Ramunion rescue team from China, North America, Europe, and Turkiye gather at Istanbul International Airport, Turkiye. (Photo provided by Rescue Team of Ramunion)

China will provide the first batch of emergency aid worth 40 million yuan (about $5.89 million) to Turkiye, according to Deng, adding that China is coordinating efforts to provide relief supplies to Syria and speeding up the implementation of the ongoing food aid program.

More than 5,000 people were killed after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

Photos shows members of Hainan Blue Sky Rescue Team at the Haikou Airport in South Chinas Hainan Province before setting off to Turkiye. (Photo provided by Hainan Blue Sky Rescue Team)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Patna (Bihar) [India], February 8 (ANI): Janata Dal United (JDU) leader Upendra Kushwaha, who is at loggerheads with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, said that the Bihar CM is working on someone else's behest.

"I am Parliamentary Board President just in documents. I am not being given the power to exercise decisions for the post. The Chief Minister's decisions are not his own, he is functioning according to someone else's decisions," Kushwaha told ANI.

Also Read | Delhi Excise Policy Case: CBI Arrests BRS MLC K Kavithas Chartered Accountant.

Notably, Upendra Kushwaha has convened two days open session of his supporter in Patna on February 19-20 to discuss the prevailing situation in JDU.

Earlier, Kushwaha had written an open letter to party workers and claimed that JDU is getting weaker due to internal reasons.

Also Read | India Ranks First in Producing Milk, Contributes 24% of Global Milk Production: Government To Lok Sabha.

"After becoming part of the grand alliance, I have been worried about the party's position since the results of the assembly bypolls were announced. I kept informing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar about the party's condition. I have tried my best to save the party from losing ground in Bihar and my efforts continue even today," he wrote.

Despite all the efforts, Kushwaha said his concerns were ignored by Chief Minister Kumar and interpreted incorrectly. He said he is concerned about the supporters of JDU if the party disintegrates.

"I want to save JD(U). This is only the motive and intention behind the open letter to party workers. Still, 15 days remain in between. I hope that good sense will prevail in the party," Kushwaha told ANI.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that all of this has started in the last two months and is only being done for publicity.

Speaking to the media, Nitish Kumar said, "All this started happening in the last two months. This is being done for publicity. You will get to know soon. When publicity happens, one should understand who is doing it. We have asked people not to comment on this. The party remains unaffected, the membership has only increased since last year. All this is irrelevant."

"If someone wants to come and then leave again, we are least bothered. If one stays and works, it is all okay, but if you keep speaking, you are focused somewhere else," he added.

The Chief Minister also counted the multiple opportunities JDU provided to Kushwaha.

He said, "No need to focus on such things. We gave him (Upendra Kushwaha) so much, made him MLA and party leader then he left but came again and we made him Rajya Sabha MP, he left again and came back for the third time and said that he will remain in the party."

Nitish Kumar further alleged that the opinion of Kuhwaha was different from that of the party.

"We gave him respect, and do not know what happened again. We accepted him for the third time in our party. He can speak whatever he wants to speak. If you will speak every day then that means your opinion is different from ours," he said.

Back in August last year, Nitish Kumar ended his alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) National Democratic Alliance.

Nitish joined hands with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav under 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) after quitting his former alliance partner BJP and became the chief minister of Bihar for the eighth time.

JD-U and BJP had fought the 2020 assembly polls together and Nitish Kumar was made the chief minister of the alliance though the BJP had won more seats. Nitish Kumar's ties with BJP stretched over two decades and he was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1996. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Pre-poll violence rocks Meghalaya ahead of assembly elections in the state in 2023 (Photo/ANI)

Phulbari (Meghalaya) [India], February 8 (ANI): Meghalaya witnessed pre-poll violence, ahead of the assembly elections 2023 in the state.

Clashes were reported between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and National People's Party (NPP) workers in the Phulbari assembly constituency of West Garo Hills late Tuesday night.

Also Read | Valentines Day Thing of Past? Celebrate Cow Hug Day on February 14 To Spread Positive Energy, Animal Welfare Board of India Tells Cow Lovers.

TMC candidate SG Esmatur Mominin alleged that "several party workers were attacked by NPP men".

"The attack occured at around 10.30 pm at the Charbatapara booth on Tuesday when NPP workers allegedly vandalised the premises where TMC members were conducting a meeting," Mominin alleged.

Also Read | Australia: Indian-Origin Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Ex-Girlfriend.

A video purportedly of the clash went viral on social media.

"The NPP workers allegedly barged into the meeting premises and created a ruckus," Mominin alleged.

One Nozrul Hoque, a TMC member was injured during the clashes, TMC candidate Mominin said.

TMC workers rushed him to the nearby Phulbari CHC, they said.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda is scheduled to travel to the northeast on two different occasions next week, a senior party official confirmed.

Talking to ANI, the party official said that Nadda will be launching the party manifesto for upcoming assembly polls in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

In the northeast region, BJP was elected twice- in 2016 followed by 2021 and then in Manipur which elected the BJP government in 2017 as well as in 2022. The party is hopeful that they will be able to form the government for another consecutive term in Tripura as well.

However, in Meghalaya, the BJP is going solo after having declared that they will not form any alliance, despite the fact that currently it holds an alliance with the National People's Party (NPP).

A TMC statement said Mominin was in contact with the injured party worker, adding TMC workers have been appealed to remain calm and work for the constituency,

The Chief Electoral Officer and the Superintendent of Police, West Garo Hills could not be contacted for details of the incident.

Mentionable, Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People's Party (NPP) national president Conrad K Sangma on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Meghalaya assembly polls in Tura. The assembly polls are slated for February 27.

Notably, CM Conrad is seeking re-election from South Tura, which he won after being elected as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya in the bye-election for the seat in August 2018.

He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya on March 6, 2018.

The nominations will be scrutinised on February 8 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 10, 2023. The polling is on February 27 and results will be declared on March 2, 2023. (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 8 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against seven accused, including a juvenile, in a case related to the recovery of arms and explosives collected by the banned People's Liberation Army (PLA) for terrorist activities in Manipur, an official said.

The charge sheet against six of the accused was filed in a special NIA court in Imphal. The juvenile in conflict with law was charge-sheeted before the principal magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board, Thoubal, Manipur, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

Also Read | Telangana Shocker: Man Dies by Suicide After Jumping off Building Due to Argument With Wife, Case Registered.

The official said the case was initially registered on August 13 last year at Police Station Yairipok in Thoubal district and re-registered by the NIA on September 27.

"Investigations revealed that the cadres of PLA collected arms, ammunition and explosives for conducting terrorist activities by planting explosive devices at various government installations and to target security forces in Thoubal, Kakching and other valley districts in Manipur on the eve of the Independence Day, 2022," the spokesperson said.

Also Read | Rajasthan Shocker: Woman Dies by Suicide After Jumping Into Chambal River in Kota.

The NIA said these PLA cadres were operating as per the directions of self-styled Lt Colonel Rishikanta Singh who is operating from Myanmar.

"In furtherance of the conspiracy, the PLA cadres brought in arms, ammunition and explosives from Myanmar, which were arranged and supplied by accused (Rishikanta Singh).

"They used these weapons for attacking and killing non-local civilians and attacking government installations. They also conducted secret meetings for carrying out terrorist activities," the spokesperson said.

On August 13, the police arrested eight accused persons from their hideouts and seized arms, ammunition and explosives. Subsequently one female cadre, who was the main carrier of arms, ammunition and explosives from Moreh to Imphal area, was also arrested in the case, the spokesperson said.

The officials identified the charge-sheeted accused as Singh alias "NaoremRanbir" Singh, Thambalmani alias "Laila", Chingakham Basanta Singh alias "Khambaton", Moirangthem Jitesh Singh alias "Yuremba", Konjengbam Romio Singh alias "Nongthon" and Naorem Manoj Singh alias "Pengsiba", besides the 16-year-old juvenile.

"The accused persons have been charge-sheeted under sections 121A & 122 of IPC, sections 25(1A) & 25(1C) of the Arms Act and sections 13, 18, 20, 38 & 39 of the UA(P)Act," the spokesperson said, adding Rishikanta Singh is currently absconding and a reward has been declared for information leading to his arrest.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], February 8 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan on Wednesday presented a resolution in the state assembly expressing condolences to the people who lost their lives in the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

After the question hour, all the house members stood up to pay their last respects and condolences to the people who died in Turkey and Syria.

Also Read | Punjab: BSF Shoots Drone Along Border in Amritsar; Falls in Pakistan Territory.

A massive earthquake, 7.8 magnitudes on Richter Scale, ripped through Turkey and Syria on February 6, followed by a series of earthquakes causing huge devastation, loss of lives and damage to infrastructure in both countries and media reports of over 7,900 people lost their lives.

At least 5,894 people were killed and 34,810 people injured in Turkey, according to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, who passed the statement on Tuesday whereas the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the "White Helmets," on Tuesday revealed that the number of fatalities in northwest Syria rose to 1,220 and injured to 2,600.

Also Read | RBI Projects Economic Growth to Slow Down to 6.4% From 7% in Financial Year 2023-24.

Meanwhile, India has extended its support to Turkey through the ongoing crisis after the earthquake. The C17 flight with over 50 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and a specially trained dog squad along with necessary equipment, including medical supplies, drilling machines and other equipment required for the aid efforts departed for Turkey on Tuesday.

The specially trained Labrador breed dog squad, which is an expert in sniffing and other key skills during rescue operations in disaster-hit regions, left India on Tuesday for Turkey with two separate teams of NDRF-- a 51-member team which arrived there in the morning and another 50-member team which reached by the evening.

NDRF Director General Atul Karwal told ANI that the dog squad of the force and the 101 team members are self-contained in all respect and are equipped with all the necessary state-of-the-art search and rescue, and personal safety equipment.

The NDRF team will assist the local authorities of Turkey in relief and rescue operations as per the need, said the officer.

The movement of India's rescue team followed a direction by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and two teams consisting of 101 personnel of NDRF along with specially trained dog squads and all the necessary equipment were sent to Turkey by special Indian Air Force flights.

Several other countries have come forward to aid and assist Turkey after a massive earthquake shattered lives in the country.

The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometres east of Nurdagi, in Turkey's Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometres, the USGS reported.

The Kerala Assembly is a 33-day prolonged session to discuss the budget and started on January 23 up till March 30. (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 8 (PTI) Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Wednesday said Rahul Gandhi hit the right chord by flagging the issue related to industrialist Gautam Adani, but insisted the party has no "personal issues" with Adani or Ambani.

"We want the country to grow and have more industrialists," Chowdhury said, participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha.

Also Read | #EV as a Service Platform #ZyppElectric on Wednesday Said It Has Raised $25 Million Led by   Latest Tweet by IANS India.

"I am saying it openly, we have no personal issues with Adani ji. We have no personal issues with Ambani ji," he said.

His remarks came a day after Gandhi led a blistering Opposition attack in Lok Sabha over a report by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research. Gandhi had claimed that the meteoric rise in Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 and rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot eventually.

Also Read | Law Says Surrogate Mother May Not Be Genetically Related to Child Born Through Surrogacy, Says Centre to Supreme Court.

Gandhi's arrow has hit the right target and he has made the BJP look like a "pappu", Chowdhury said, inviting a swift taunt from Home Minister Amit Shah who "You cannot call the honourable MP (Rahul Gandhi) Pappu".

Chowdhury said the issues Rahul Gandhi flagged are being discussed all over the country. He also accused the BJP of defending the Adani Group, and said never in the past has a ruling party has come out in the defence of one industrialist.

Chowdhury also said the BJP has time and again mentioned that President Droupadi Murmu comes from a tribal community, and "made it as an election issue".

The Congress leader said he wonders if Murmu was made President for political gains as earlier no one talked about the religion or caste of a president. This amounts to raising questions over her capabilities, he said.

"It looks as if you (BJP) have gifted" the post to a tribal woman, he said, adding

He also said the Congress never called the prime minister as "OBC dada (brother)".

Treasury benches demands these remarks to should be expunged.

The Congress leader also criticised the BJP government, saying it has no Muslim MP or a Muslim member in the Cabinet.

On the China border issue, he said after the 1962 India-China war, the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed for a discussion on a request by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but the present BJP government says no to a debate for a discussion on Chinese "incursions" into India.

He urged the home minister to take a delegation on the Chinese border to review the ground situation. "Our rights are in danger."

He also alleged ministers and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar have been giving statements against the judiciary which is an attack on its independence.

(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 8 (PTI) EV-as-a-service platform Zypp Electric on Wednesday announced raising funds of USD 25-million under series B funding from a clutch of investors, led by Gogoro.

The round is a mix of equity and debt funding, with the USD 20-million equity round and USD 5-million debt for fleet expansion from global impact fund IIX along with a large national bank participating the same, the company said.

Also Read | Education Ministry Says No Proposal To Convert Existing Institute, Varsity Into Central University.

This is also the first time global impact funds and Indian banks are participating in EV debt for any fleet operator or startup in the country, it added.

Besides Gogoro, the latest funding round also witnessed participation from new and existing investors like Goodyear Ventures, 9Unicorns, WFC, Venture Catalysts, LetsVenture, IAN, Ivygrowth, Grip & other angels.

Also Read | Punjab State Dear Mahashivratri Bumper Lottery 2023: Know Prize Money, Draw Result Date And Other Details.

In November last year, Gogoro and Zypp formed a strategic B2B partnership to accelerate the electric transformation of fleets and last mile deliveries in India.

Under the pilot project, Zypp and Gogoro are deploying 100 battery-swapping-enabled electric scooters in Delhi-NCR and six battery-swapping stations at Zypp hubs.

The funds will be utilized across the company's operations as it looks to expand its fleet from 10,000 to 2-lakh electric scooters and widen its footprint to 30 Indian cities by December 2025, Zypp Electric said.

With the fresh round of funding, Zypp has now raised a total of USD 37.5-million comprising USD 30-million in equity and USD 7.5 million in debt or asset leasing, it stated.

 Zypp looks to deploy 200,000 vehicles with plans afoot to be the largest EV services company in the world to reach our Mission Zero Emission, Akash Gupta, Co-founder and CEO at Zypp Electric 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 8 (PTI) The government on Wednesday flagged six major issues, including ambiguity in insurance contracts and inflexible policy terms, before regulator IRDAI and other stakeholders, and urged them to address those to reduce the huge pendency of consumer cases.

The other issues raised before the key stakeholders include lack of powers delegated to representatives of insurance companies to take decisions during out-of-the-court settlements, agents not sharing full policy documents with consumers at the time of signing of policy, repudiation of claims on the basis of pre-existing diseases and crop insurance claims tied up with a central scheme which is not flexible, it said.

Also Read | Education Ministry Says No Proposal To Convert Existing Institute, Varsity Into Central University.

Currently, more than one-fifth of the total consumer complaints are pertaining to the insurance sector across the country.

"We have raised these concerns before IRDAI and other stakeholders. We are hopeful that the insurance companies will address them voluntarily. If the need arise we will also request the regulator to make it mandatory," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told media after a roundtable conference here.

Also Read | Punjab State Dear Mahashivratri Bumper Lottery 2023: Know Prize Money, Draw Result Date And Other Details.

He said there is huge pendency in consumer cases related to the insurance sector across the country because of these issues.

"As the industry seeks to achieve 8 per cent penetration, it is critical that we put in place the building blocks to avoid a significant build-up of complaints," he added.

The Secretary asserted that consumer cases can be reduced if the insurance policy terms and conditions are made simpler, clear and in understandable language. It is also important to create awareness among consumers that they should not sign the policy document without properly understanding terms and conditions of the policy.

Central Consumer Protection Authority Chief Nidhi Khare, senior officials from the ministry as well as from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), public and private insurance companies, consumer court commissions and consumer organisations were present at the day-long conference.

According to the Secretary, out of 5.53 lakh pending cases in consumer courts across the country, about 1.61 lakh cases are related to the insurance sector.

A maximum of 80 per cent of cases are pending in district consumer courts, 17 per cent in state consumer courts, and 3 per cent at national consumer commissions, he said.

"We want to settle a lot of litigations through mediation. However, the representatives of the insurance companies are bound by the restriction and not delegated proper powers to take a decision. We are requesting the companies to delegate powers to them so that cases are resolved expeditiously," he said.

The United India Insurance Company Ltd has agreed to delegate power to its representative and hopeful other companies will also do, he added.

The insurance cases pertain to mediclaim and health insurance to travel, life, home, car, marine, fire and crop insurance.

(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 8 (PTI) The government neither controls social media intermediaries nor casts any fetters on the freedom of expression of their users, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said that the IT Rules, 2021, cast specific obligations on the intermediaries that no intermediaries shall violate the rights accorded to citizens under the constitution.

Also Read | Education Ministry Says No Proposal To Convert Existing Institute, Varsity Into Central University.

"The government does not interfere or control social media intermediaries and also does not cast any fetters on freedom of expression on their users. The IT Rules, 2021, casts specific obligations on the intermediaries that no intermediaries shall not violate the rights accorded to citizens under the Constitution," the minister said.

He said that the government's objective is to ensure an open, safe, trusted and accountable internet for citizens.

Also Read | Punjab State Dear Mahashivratri Bumper Lottery 2023: Know Prize Money, Draw Result Date And Other Details.

In response to a question of whether the government proposes to appoint an officer to hold the accountability of social media, the minister shared that Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, known as IT Rules, 2021, cast a specific obligation on intermediaries around kind of information is to be hosted, displayed, uploaded, published, transmitted, stored or shared.

Under the rules, intermediaries are also required to remove any content violative of any law for the time being in force as and when brought to their knowledge either through a court order or through a notice by the appropriate government or its authorised agency.

"In case of failure to follow diligence as provided in the IT Rules, 2021, by intermediaries, they shall lose their exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act and shall be liable for consequential action as provided in such law," the minister said.

Chandrasekhar in response to a question on action taken by the government against social media companies said that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued directions for blocking a total of 6,775 web links in the year 2022, which include URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) for webpages, websites and content and accounts on social media platforms.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, Feb 8 (PTI) A private firm has signed an MoU with the Uttar Pradesh government to set up health ATMs providing screening of various health parameters at more than 4,600 community and primary health care centres in the state.

India Health Link signed the MoU with the UP government under their InvestUP programme.

Also Read | Education Ministry Says No Proposal To Convert Existing Institute, Varsity Into Central University.

Swadeep Srivastava, Co-Founder & President of India Health Link (IHL) said the health ATM, 'hPod', offers a non-invasive digitally-integrated ecosystem that enables Primary, Preventive and Predictive Healthcare.

This is a self-service, walk-in Health ATM wherein individuals can get their screening done for 20+ health vital parameters including BP, weight, pulse, temperature, and ECG within 10 minutes followed by an instant report, without any paramedic assistance."

Also Read | Punjab State Dear Mahashivratri Bumper Lottery 2023: Know Prize Money, Draw Result Date And Other Details.

India Health Link (IHL) has committed through signing an MoU of up to Rs 1,000 crore investment and opening significant employment opportunities in UP over the next five years by establishing a manufacturing plant in the state's first Medical Device Park," said Srivastava.

"The recent announcement by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to enable up to 4600 CHCs and PHCs with rapid screening Health ATMs is the primary motivation behind bringing the Health ATM ('hPod') technology to UP, he added.

(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 8 (PTI) There is no proposal to increase the overseas investment limits for domestic mutual funds at the moment, Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the customary post-policy review press conference, Das acknowledged that there have been requests from mutual funds and other market players for relaxations of the limits.

Also Read | Education Ministry Says No Proposal To Convert Existing Institute, Varsity Into Central University.

"We have examined that. But we have not taken a positive decision on it yet. There is no proposal to increase the limits at the moment," Das said.

Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar said the same issue had come up a year ago as well and it was decided to maintain the status quo then.

Also Read | Punjab State Dear Mahashivratri Bumper Lottery 2023: Know Prize Money, Draw Result Date And Other Details.

It can be noted that there is an overall industry-level limit of USD 7 billion for mutual funds. The RBI regulates the fund inflows and outflows into the country.

Capital markets regulator Sebi had in June last year permitted mutual funds to again invest in foreign stocks within the aggregate mandated limit of USD 7 billion after a correction in stocks.

In January 2022, Sebi asked mutual fund houses to stop taking fresh subscriptions in schemes investing in overseas stocks. The directive to stop subscriptions was mainly on account of the mutual fund industry crossing the mandated limit of USD 7 billion for overseas investments.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mexico City, Feb 8 (AP) A Nicaraguan court has sentenced four Roman Catholic priests to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges stemming from long-standing government allegations that the church backed illegal pro-democracy protests.

A human rights group in the Central American country quickly denounced the sentences handed down Monday and made known by lawyers of the Legal Defense Unit.

Also Read | Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Race To Find Survivors As Quake Aid Pours Into Turkiye, Syria.

It was the latest chapter in a crackdown on the church by President Daniel Ortega.

The priests were convicted in closed-door trials in which government-appointed defenders acted as the priests' attorneys.

Also Read | Shihab Bhai From Kerala Enters Pakistan to Complete His Journey on Foot to Saudi Arabia for Hajj (See Pics and Video).

The priests had worked with Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Alvarez, and one had been rector of the privately run Juan Pablo II University in the capital of Managua.

Alvarez is under house arrest on charges of conspiracy and "damaging the Nicaraguan government and society," and is set to be sentenced soon.

Two seminary students and a cameraman who worked for the diocese were also sentenced Monday. All six of the defendants were arrested last year, and all were stripped of the right to ever hold political office.

The Nicaraguan Human Rights Center described the sentences as "a legal aberration".

"This is an insult to the law, an insult to people's intelligence, an insult to the international community and the international agencies for the protection of human rights," the centre said in a statement Tuesday.

Alvarez, the bishop, had been a key religious voice in discussions of Nicaragua's future since 2018, when a wave of protests against Ortega's government led to a sweeping crackdown on opponents.

The government arrested dozens of opposition leaders in 2021, including seven potential presidential candidates. They were sentenced to prison last year in quick trials that also were closed to the public.

Ortega has contended the pro-democracy protests were carried out with foreign backing and with the support of the Catholic Church. Last year, he expelled the nuns from Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity religious order and the papal nuncio, the Vatican's top diplomat in Nicaragua.

Last August, Pope Francis told thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square that he was closely following with "worry and sorrow" events in Nicaragua that involve "persons and institutions". He didn't mention the detentions of the priests or Alvarez.

"I would like to express my conviction and my hope that through means of open and sincere dialogue, one can still find the bases for respectful and peaceful co-existence," the Pope said.

Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla who first came to power in 1979 after the Sandinista revolutionary group he helped lead overthrew the dictatorship of President Anastasio Somoza, infuriated the Vatican in the 1980s. But he gradually forged an alliance with the church as he moved to regain the presidency in 2007 after a long period out of power.

Then just days before he was elected to a fourth consecutive term last year, he accused the nation's Catholic bishops of having drafted a political proposal in 2018 on behalf "of the terrorists, at the service of the Yankees." He also labelled the bishops themselves as terrorists. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Brussels, Feb 8 (AP) About 1.5 million euros (USD 1.6 million) in cash were seized during raids in Belgium targeting an alleged criminal organisation suspected of sending Chinese women to Europe and forcing them into prostitution, the federal prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

In addition, investigators took hold of four tons of coins with an unspecified value, prosecutors said. Belgian police took control of several buildings during the raids in Antwerp, Charleroi, Louvain, Neufchateau and Brussels, prosecutors said.

Also Read | US Shocker: Teenager Collapses on Court After Suffering Cardiac Arrest During Inter-School Basketball Game, Dies Days Later in Hospital.

After a two-year investigation, some 300 police officers took part in Tuesday's raids targeting human traffickers. The prosecutor's office described the operation as one Belgium's biggest targeting human traffickers in recent years.

A total of 27 people were detained, including nine who appeared before a judge and charged with human trafficking and money laundering. Three suspects had Belgian nationality, and the rest were of Chinese origin.

Also Read | Vladimir Putin Health Update: Russian President Feeling Weak and Tired', Required Doctors, Says Report.

Police raided more than two dozen locations across Belgium, discovering 20 alleged victims, all of them from China. Searches also took place in Spain and Switzerland, where two people were detained, according to the prosecutor's office.

Prosecutors said Chinese sex workers are increasingly present in Belgium, particularly in the capital, Brussels. They said the criminal organisation targeted in the raids allegedly recruited women in China and transferred them to Europe, where they were sexually exploited and forced to surrender most of their earnings.

The alleged prostitution ring used online rental platforms, hotels or vacation homes and websites specialising in sex advertisements for appointment bookings, prosecutors said, adding that the victims were often moved from one place to another across the continent.

Some of the victims were sheltered at a specialised reception centre, prosecutors said.

The European Union's judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust, and the bloc's crime agency, Europol, took part in the investigation. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Alto Alegre (Brazil), Feb 9 (AP) Armed government officials with Brazil's justice, Indigenous and environment ministries pressed illegal gold miners out of Yanomami Indigenous territory Wednesday, citing widespread river contamination, famine and disease they have brought to one of the most isolated groups in the world.

People involved in illegal gold dredging streamed away from the territory on foot. The operation could take months.

Also Read | Google to Beef Up Search with AI, Setting Stage for Showdown with Bing  Latest Tweet by Reuters.

There are believed to be some 20,000 people engaged in the activity, often using toxic mercury to separate the gold.

An estimated 30,000 Yanomami people live in Brazil's largest Indigenous territory, which covers an area roughly the size of Portugal and stretches across Roraima and Amazonas states in the northwest corner of Brazil's Amazon.

Also Read | Pakistan Crisis: Petrol Pumps in Major Cities Including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala Shut Down Due to Fuel Shortage.

The authorities  the Brazilian environmental agency Ibama, with support from the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples and the National Guard  found an aeroplane, a bulldozer, and makeshift lodges and hangars, and destroyed them  as permitted by law. Two guns and three boats with 5,000 litres of fuel were seized.

They also discovered a helicopter hidden in the forest and set it ablaze.

Ibama established a checkpoint next to a Yanomami village on the Uraricoera River to interrupt the miners' supply chain there. Agents seized the 12-meter boats, loaded with a ton of food, freezers, generators, and internet antennas. The cargo will now supply the federal agents. No more boats carrying fuel and equipment will be allowed to proceed past the blockade.

The large amount of supplies bound upriver could indicate some of the gold miners were ignoring President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's promise to expel them after years of neglect under his predecessor, Bolsonaro, who tried to legalize the activity.

Other miners, however, sensed it was better to return to the city.

On Tuesday, The Associated Press visited a makeshift port alongside the Uraricoera River, accessible only by a three-hour drive on a dirt road. Dozens of gold miners arrived over the course of the day, some of them after walking for days through the forest, en route to state capital Boa Vista.

One of them, Joao Batista Costa, 61, told reporters the Yanomami are dying of hunger and that recent emergency food shipments have not been enough.

The federal government has declared a public health emergency for the Yanomami people, who are suffering from malnutrition and diseases such as malaria as a consequence of illegal mining.

A report published Tuesday by the Health Ministry found that gold miners have invaded four clinics inside Yanomami territory, leaving them inoperational. In the city of Boa Vista, where starving and sick Indigenous people have been medevaced to a temporary medical facility, there are 700 Yanomami, more than three times its capacity.

The gold miners, who come from poor regions, such as Maranhao state in Brazil's Northeast, usually cross the forest wearing flip-flops, carrying only food and personal belongings in their backpacks. They sleep in hammocks on campsites.

But their mining depends on sophisticated logistics to outfox authorities and is backed by investors outside the forest. Such tactics include illicit fuel distribution on the outskirts of Indigenous land; airstrips carved from the jungle for transport of miners and supplies; light planes with modified tail numbers, registered to front companies; helicopters operating between mining sites on the reserves, and clandestine communication networks.

"This operation hasn't come a moment too soon," Sarah Shenker, the head of the non-profit Survival International in Brazil, said in a statement.

"It's absolutely vital that the authorities get the miners out, and keep them out. They've blighted the Yanomami's lives for far too long, and have caused untold misery and destruction. Even if all of them are removed, and they can be kept out, it will take years for the Yanomami and their rainforest to recover." (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach. (Photo Credit - Reuters)

Hong Kong, February 8 (ANI): The Chinese spy balloon episode will have far-reaching consequences on US-China bilateral ties. This can be seen in the postponement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China, The Hong Kong Post reported.

Blinken was earlier supposed to go on an official visit to China from February 5-6.

Also Read | Japan May Opt for Milder Chip-equipment Curbs on China Than U.S, Says Lawmaker  Latest Tweet by Reuters.

According to The Hong Kong Post, if China does not work toward repairing the relations, the balloon episode may even endanger the meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping that is being planned in Indonesia this November.

China has more to lose because of the balloon incident because the country has been trying to put a friendlier face before the world as it seeks to expand its role in the international community. At the latest Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum too, China said it would continue its process of liberalization and opening up even further.

Also Read | US Shocker: Teenager Collapses on Court After Suffering Cardiac Arrest During Inter-School Basketball Game, Dies Days Later in Hospital.

The US recently shot down the Chinese balloon which the Chinese Communist Party said is a communications set-up and which the Americans have already declared a spy in the air at 60,000 feet.

As the Washington Post wrote of the affair: "...in arguably one of the most dramatic incidents in years involving the United States and China, it was an unmanned balloon, bobbing along on a meandering stratospheric path across the US mainland, that set the proverbial cat among the pigeons."

According to The Hong Kong Post, after tracking the Chinese balloon, which by the way is as big as three buses, in American airspace and a week after the Americans first identified it transited over an Alaskan archipelago, an F-22 Raptor jet fired a missile at the balloon, destroying it.

China described the balloon as a communications assistant and put up a determined face, saying it would give a befitting reply to the Americans.

The Americans say they have no doubt it is a Chinese intelligence asset. After it was shot down, the debris dropped into the ocean. Only if it is retrieved would the real identity of the balloon be known, according to The Hong Kong Post.

According to scientists, balloons are better spies than low-orbit satellites because they can linger over locations and extract sharper pictures and videos of areas surveyed.

According to a Pentagon official, the Chinese balloon could hover longer over collection targets like the ICBM field in Montana that was overflown a few days ago, but they're not stationary, and their signals-collection ability isn't radically different from other systems available to the Chinese.

Meanwhile, China has rejected Washington's request for a telephone call between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Beijing counterpart Wei Fenghe, The New York Times reported citing Pentagon. The request was made on Saturday soon after a US fighter aircraft shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
By Ashoke Raj

New Delhi [India], February 8 (ANI): Following the principle of 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam', India under 'Operation Dost' sent medical assistance and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team which displays that New Delhi stands "forever for humanity" despite the differences, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

Also Read | US Shocker: Teenager Collapses on Court After Suffering Cardiac Arrest During Inter-School Basketball Game, Dies Days Later in Hospital.

"Every day we see ups and down in geopolitical situations but India has stable relations with countries. As per our policy of 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam' - India stands forever for humanity," EAM Jaishankar told ANI when asked regarding the support provided to Turkey despite differences.

India has provided ample assistance to countries struck by natural disasters and dispatched four medical assistants to Turkey.

Also Read | Vladimir Putin Health Update: Russian President Feeling Weak and Tired', Required Doctors, Says Report.

"In geopolitical situations, ups and downs happen every day, however, India's relations with the countries have been stable in difficult times," Jaishankar said

A total of six planes were sent to Turkey and Syria with humanitarian aid and a field hospital.

"We have sent four planes with humanitarian aid and field hospitals to Turkey. The sixth plane is ready to move to Turkey with humanitarian aid," Jaishankar told ANI.

"One plane has landed in Syria with humanitarian aid," he added.

Meanwhile, Turkey's envoy to India Firat Sunel hailed New Delhi's assistance in the form of search and rescue teams that landed in Turkey in 24 hours.

While addressing the press conference, Sunel said, "India is among the countries that send teams for search and rescue operations. And as you all know very well, India is among these foreign search and rescue teams. Early yesterday, just a few later than the first earthquake, the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) held a coordination meeting upon the instruction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

"Later, I also participated in the meeting with the Minister of External Affairs with NDRF members. And yesterday India sent a plane, a C-17 carrier to Turkey, carrying more than 50 search and rescue members, and experts, including research and rescue dogs and some equipment. This plane arrived early in the morning. And the rescue team in Turkey has already started the operation. Also early, this morning back in Turkey it is still in the air but we are also expecting to land before evening," he added.

The search for survivors of the terrible earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria on Monday is still underway. Foreign aid from multiple countries has started arriving in the region.

Rescuers are racing to pull survivors from earthquake rubble before they succumb to cold weather in southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria. As the death toll climbed, despair and anger were growing over the pace of rescue efforts, reported Khaleej Times.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar also spoke on security at the India-China border. Highlighting how the border Infrastructure holds the key to any nation's preparedness, he underscored how security at the borders including at the India-China border is closely linked with the infrastructure developed in the area.

"We have focused on the rapid development of infrastructure along Northern Borders with China for obvious strategic reasons. We have focused on rapidly developing border connectivity with our friendly neighbours to enhance trade, energy and other people-to-people exchanges." Jaishankar said.

The key focus of the PM Modi government since coming to power in 2014 has been to ensure development-linked cooperation. "The facts are there for all to see. During the period 2008-14 the budget allocated for the China border projects stood at a mere Rs 3000-4000 cr which has taken a multi-fold jump to Rs14000 at present," Jaishankar told ANI during an interaction with reporters during the ongoing session of Parliament.

While China has transgressed at multiple locations and the standoff continues, infrastructure is being developed across both sides. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Melbourne, February 8: A 22-year-old Indian-origin man has pleaded guilty to killing his former girlfriend in 2021 and dumping her body in a shallow grave in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, according to media reports.

Tarikjot Singh was accused of kidnapping his former girlfriend Jasmeen Kaur (21), a nursing student from India, and killing her in March 2021, 9News reported on Tuesday. UK Shocker: 61-Year-Old Indian-Origin Man Jailed for Sexually Assaulting 16 Year-Old Girl in London.

Singh, who initially pleaded not guilty, admitted to the crime in South Australia's Supreme Court on Tuesday. According to a 7News report, Singh was accused of stalking Kaur for weeks before he abducted her from her workplace. Indian-Origin Man Satnam Singh Shot Dead Execution-Style in New York.

Kaur disappeared on the night of March 5, 2021, and was reported missing the next morning. Days later, her body was found in a shallow grave in the Flinders Ranges, 430 km away from Adelaide.

Kaur lived with her aunt and uncle in Flinders Park and worked as a care worker as she studied to become a nurse.

Outside the court, Kaur's family said they welcomed the plea. Nothing will bring Jasmeen back but we are pleased she'll get some justice, 7News quoted Kaur's aunt Ramandeep Kharoud as saying. Singh will return to court for a directions hearing in April followed by sentencing submissions in May, the report said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
By Shailesh Yadav

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 8 (ANI): G20 countries can use LiFE initiative, first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a source of inspiration, said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of International Energy Agency (IEA).

Also Read | Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Race To Find Survivors As Quake Aid Pours Into Turkiye, Syria.

He said the initiative can help address climate challenges

"I was honoured to be requested by Prime Minister Modi for a bilateral meeting. In the meeting, I talked about the great achievements that India made in the last few years on energy, bringing electricity to millions of Indians, Ujjwala scheme, pushing renewable energy and putting India at the centre of the global international affairs, so this was really excellent," Birol said in an interview with ANI.

Also Read | Shihab Bhai From Kerala Enters Pakistan to Complete His Journey on Foot to Saudi Arabia for Hajj (See Pics and Video).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Mission LiFE movement (Lifestyle for the Environment) at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat in October last year.

Birol said LIFE initiative of the Prime Minister is a source of inspiration for other countries and can help in meeting climate challenges.

IEA with its energy experts will work towards LIFE objectives for G20 countries.

He said if they are able to implement the initiative, it will help in reaching climate goals. Birol said that the IEA has prepared a report on LiFE mission.

The report says that if the entire world follows the guidelines that Prime Minister Modi summarized in the initiative, global emissions will go down significantly.

"People need to pay less money for energy services, and there'll be less inequality in the world. We will have fewer climate problems, the economies will be better off," Birol said.

He said that the world needs to invest in clean energy and investments are required in renewable."Many developing countries do not have the financial muscles or financial means to make these investments. I believe it is the job of the rich countries to help the developing countries to finance their clean energy investments," he said.

"It's also a job for international financial institutions such as International Monetary Fund to help developing countries mobilize clean energy investments. For me, this is the top priority when it comes to global energy investments," he added.

First proposed by the Prime Minister at COP 26, Mission LiFE is envisioned as an India-led global mass movement that will nudge individual and collective action to protect and preserve the environment. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Gaziantep, February 8: India's National Defence Response Force team reached Turkey's Gaziantep and started the search and rescue operation after two deadly earthquakes hit the country. In a video, Indian rescue teams seeing at the epicenter of the earthquake in Turkey engaged in relief operations.

On Monday, a 7.8 magnitude tremor struck Turkey at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km near the city of Gaziantep. Within 9 hours, a second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 jolted the Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district. Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Race To Find Survivors As Quake Aid Pours Into Turkiye, Syria.

Meanwhile, the toll from Momday's deadly earthquake soared to more than 9,000 and the injury count was at 52,000, the Anadolou news agency reported on Wednesday, adding that more than 100,000 rescuers were digging through the rubble across 10 provinces of Turkey to look for survivors. Earthquake: Researcher Frank Hoogerbeets Predicted Powerful Quake in Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon Three Days Ago, Netizens Stunned After Scary Prediction Turns Out To Be True.

There have been several precedents in the recenT past of India mobilising emergency relief and assistance to countries struck by natural disasters. And, responding to Turkey's desperate call for assistance, New Delhi has dispatched four medical assistants to the country. Further, six aircraft from India took off for Turkey and Syria with humanitarian aid and a field hospital.

"Under #OperationDost, India is sending search and rescue teams, a field hospital, materials, medicines, and equipment to Turkiye and Syria. This is an ongoing operation and we would be posting updates," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted on Wednesday.

According to aid organisations and rescuers, the number of fatalities is expected to rise further as many people are still buried beneath the rubble.

The Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll currently stands at 9,487, CNN reported citing officials as rescue operations continue in the disaster-hit countries.

India dispatched its fourth batch of aid, including 54 members of the medical team from the Indian Army as part of the country's Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief on Tuesday.

Recently, over 6 tonnes of emergency relief assistance reached Syria and was received at the Damascus airport by Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment Moutaz Douaji. It included 3 truck-loads of protective gear, emergency use medicines, ECG machines, and other medical items, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.

In the wake of an earthquake that struck Northwest Syria on February 6, 2022, causing massive destruction and loss of lives, India had dispatched 6 tonnes of emergency relief assistance through a special aircraft of the Indian Airforce to Syria.

India, over the years, has been extending humanitarian, technical, and developmental assistance to Syria through bilateral and multilateral channels. Consignments of food and medicines have been supplied to Syria from time to time, including during the pandemic.

Two Artificial Limb Fitment Camps (Jaipur Foot) have been organized in Syria in December 2020 and recently in October-November 2022, the MEA release read.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London, Feb 8: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday predicted that Russia would lose the war against his country, and thanked the British people for their support from "Day One" since Moscow's military offensive.

"I stand before you on behalf of our brave soldiers who are right now under artillery fire," Zelenskyy said in a rousing address to Parliament, during which he complimented the strong British character. Vladimir Putin Health Update: Russian President Feeling 'Weak and Tired, Required Doctors, Says Report.

Speaking of his country, Zelenskyy said Ukraine "will always come out on top of evil".

"This lies at the core of our, and also your, traditions," he said ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"Russia will lose", Zelenskyy in a historic address, wearing his trademark olive sweatshirt.

This is his first visit to the UK since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

We know freedom will win, we know Russia will lose and the victory will change the world, he declared in his address at Westminster Hall.

To coincide with the visit, Sunak extended UK's ongoing support to train Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and marines to help upskill their defensive capabilities.

Freedom Will Win, Russia Will Lose Says Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the surprise visit, not announced in advance due to security reasons, will also include an audience with King Charles III.

According to UK government officials, the leaders will discuss a two-pronged approach to Britain's support for Ukraine, starting with an immediate surge of military equipment to the country to help counter Russia's offensive and reinforced by long-term support.

President Zelenskyy's visit to the UK is a testament to his country's courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries, Sunak said.

Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory. I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," he said.

"It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come, he said.

Downing Street said the bolstered training offer will ensure Ukraine's pilots are able to fly sophisticated North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) standard fighter jets in the future.

As part of that long-term capability investment, the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to coordinate collective support to meet Ukraine's defensive needs.

A training programme for marines will be in addition to the recruit training programme already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year, officials said.

The UK says it will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the programme up in 2023.

Last week, Ukrainian troops arrived in the UK to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the Sunak's decision to send the main battle tanks to Ukraine.

Under his expanded offer, Sunak will provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities aimed at disrupting Russia's ability to continually target Ukraine's civilian and critical national infrastructure and help relieve pressure on Ukraine's frontlines.

During the visit, Zelenskyy and his team will also meet Britain's defence and security chiefs, including the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of the Air Staff, to discuss the details of the training programme. Russia-Ukraine War: Vladimir Putin Promised Not to Kill Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Says Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett.

Meanwhile, the UK announced further sanctions on Wednesday in response to Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine, including the targeting of those who have helped [Russian President] Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin's war machine.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the latest package hits six entities providing military equipment such as drones for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as eight individuals and one entity connected to nefarious financial networks that help maintain wealth and power amongst Kremlin elites.

(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 8: India on Wednesday handed over six tonnes of relief materials, including essential medicines and medical equipment, to earthquake-hit Syria. The consignments were sent on a C-130J military transport aircraft on Tuesday night and were handed over to the Syrian authorities by India's Charge'd Affaires S K Yadav this morning.

India has already sent to Turkiye relief materials, a mobile hospital and specialised search and rescue teams in four C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft on Tuesday to support the country's rescue efforts following the massive earthquake that has killed thousands of people. Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: Death Toll Surpasses 7,700-Mark, Over 40,000 Injured After Strong Quakes Jolted Two Countries.

In the wake of tragic earthquake that struck North-Western Syria on February 6, causing massive destruction and loss of precious lives, the government of India has despatched six tonnes of emergency relief assistance through a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force to Syria, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

It said the consignments were handed over by Yadav to the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment of Syria Moutaz Douaji at Damascus airport.

"The consignment consists of emergency medicines and equipments including portable ECG machines, patient monitors and other essential medical items," it said in a statement. The MEA said India, over the years, has been extending humanitarian, technical and developmental assistance to Syria through bilateral and multilateral channels.

India on Monday decided to immediately despatch search and rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force, medical teams and relief material to Turkiye following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's instructions to offer all possible assistance to the country. India sent around 102 tonnes of relief materials to Turkiye. Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Race To Find Survivors As Quake Aid Pours Into Turkiye, Syria.

Several countries, including the US and the UK, are sending relief materials and search and rescue specialists to Turkiye and Syria to help search for survivors of the quake.
Bhadohi, February 8: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Wednesday said it is well known that Lucknow was earlier known as 'Laxman Nagri' and the state government will move forward "according to the situation".

His remarks came a day after BJP MP Sangamlal Gupta wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking that Lucknow be renamed as "Lakhanpur or Laxmanpur", saying that the city was given its current name in the 18th century by Nawab Asafuddaula. Yogi Adityanath Government Transfers 11 IPS Officers in Uttar Pradesh, Check List of Names With New Postings.

The Pratapgarh MP claimed Lord Ram had given the city to his brother Laxman and it was known as 'Lakhanpur' or 'Laxmanpur' earlier.

Pathak was here to unveil a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

On the demand for renaming the city, the deputy chief minister said, "It is well known that Lucknow's name earlier was Laxman Nagri. We will move forward according to the situation." Asked whether the government would go ahead with the renaming, he said, "We will let you all know about it."

Pathak also targeted Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in Lok Sabha over the Adani-Hindenburg row, saying the Congress leader has "lost his mental balance". "Whenever the Congress was in power, hundreds of scams took place," he said. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath Bats for Sports, Says Healthy Mind Can Contribute Towards Countrys Development.

A belligerent Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday led a blistering Opposition attack in Lok Sabha over the Hindenburg report, claiming that the meteoric rise in industrialist Gautam Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 as he rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot.

The Congress leader's remarks drew a sharp response from the treasury benches, with Law Minister Kiren Rijiju asking him not to level "wild allegations" and to furnish proof of his claims.
The Ministry of Education on Wednesday ruled out any proposal to convert any existing institute or university into a Central university. The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The Daniel Ortega regime has been repressing all sorts of opposition in Nicaragua, from political opponents to the media and, most especially, the Roman Catholic Church. Now, a Nicaraguan court has sentenced five priests to spend 10 years in prison.

The fifth priest was only sentenced last Sunday, with all five being accused of backing pro-democracy protests. Various human rights groups quickly denounced the sentences as they were tried in closed-door trials with government-appointed defenders acting as the priests' attorneys.

The priests have worked under one of Daniel Ortega's most vocal critics, the imprisoned Bishop of Matagpala, Rolando Alvarez. One of the imprisoned priests is also the rector of the privately run Juan Pablo II University in the capital of Managua, according to the Associated Press.

Aside from the priests, the Nicaraguan government also arrested two seminary students and a cameraman who worked for the diocese. They were also sentenced last Monday.

The Nicaraguan Human Rights Center decried all the sentences and called them "a legal aberration."

It added, "This is an insult to the law, an insult to people's intelligence, an insult to the international community and the international agencies for the protection of human rights."

This is the latest escalation in the rift between the Nicaraguan government and the Roman Catholic Church as the Daniel Ortega regime ousted Mother Teresa's order of nuns, as well as the Papal Nuncio from the country. Pope Francis is now monitoring the situation with "worry and sorrow."

READ MORE: Nicaraguans Fleeing From Daniel Ortega Administration Posts Challenge for Costa Rica's Asylum System

Religious Persecution has Revitalized the Catholic Faith in Nicaragua

Along with Cuba, Nicaragua has had the most vicious attacks on religious freedom in the Americas. There had been over 1,400 attacks on preachers and parishioners in both countries, with their respective regimes aiming to strangle the voice of the Church.

However, The Hill has noted that these attacks on the Roman Catholic faith have had the opposite effect in Nicaragua. So far, there have been accumulated 410 attacks on religious freedom in the country, including the desecration of temples, the murder of an altar boy, and the arrest of Bishop Alvarez. However, faith in the Church remains stronger than ever in the Central American country.

During the 2019 anti-government protests in Nicaragua, it was the Roman Catholic Church that stood in Ortega's way, preventing a greater number of students, women, and children from getting murdered by his regime. Since then, the country has repressed religious freedom, banning processions because they disturb the "peace and security." This has led to new restrictions that suppress many forms of freedom, with opposition leaders calling it the "North Koreanization" of Nicaragua, according to El Pais.

Persecution of the Catholic Church Having a Boomerang Effect

It is noted that the Nicaraguan people are seeing how much priests and lay persons are standing up against Daniel Ortega's regime, and it has had a different effect from what Ortega had hoped.

The repression ordered by Ortega and his wife has had a boomerang effect, revitalizing the faith in the Church instead of suppressing it. The Hill noted that there now seems to be a greater admiration for the priests and bishops standing up to Ortega and have now joined the cries for solidarity.

READ MORE: Pope Francis Worried For Nicaragua After Bishop's Arrest

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Nicaragua bishop critical of President Ortega under house arrest - Al Jazeera English
The shot-down and recovered Chinese spy balloon is being asked to return the surveillance craft to its country of origin.

China officials from Foreign Ministry, spokesperson Mao Ning, discussed the incident after the spycraft shook the response-ability of the U.S. officials.

However, Mao declined to comment on the purpose of the spy balloon, including reports of similar aircraft making routes through North American and South American airspace, according to FOX News.

The Colombia Air Force said that it had tracked the object until it left the country. The agency noted that officials determined that it did not carry any threats to national security.

Colombia's air force said that it is currently investigating its origin.

Mao said on Tuesday that the debris from the Chinese spy balloon should be returned, noting that the material does not belong to the U.S. and "it belongs to China."

Meanwhile, the Pentagon noted that it "acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive" materials from the spycraft.

However, geopolitical experts noted that there is little reason to believe that the recovery efforts were successful as the balloon almost definitely transferred the collected data to China as it flew over several military bases.

READ NEXT: Why Joe Biden, USA Waited to Take Down China Spy Balloon

U.S. Navy's Recovery of Chinese Spy Balloon

The United States Navy published the first official images of its recovery efforts for the Chinese spy balloon, which was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

The images showed the Navy members pulling in the surveillance material's outer fabric and shell structure, as cited by Al Jazeera News.

The balloon was measured around 60 meters and was carrying a long sensor package underneath.

U.S. Northern Command head, General Glen VanHerck, said that the Chinese spy balloon was about the size of a small regional jet.

China has earlier claimed that the balloon was an "unmanned civilian airship," primarily used for gathering weather data, and had blown off course.

Chinese Spy Balloon Shot Down

A senior official from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration confirmed that the U.S. intelligence community believes that the balloon was part of a huge aerial surveillance program run by the People's Liberation Army.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that Congress was briefed in August on China's aerial surveillance program.

VanHerck told CBS News that officials have already gathered "the majority of that debris that fell in the ocean and other places."

The head command also told CBS News' David Martin that the missile used to shoot down the balloon "absolutely" contained a warhead.

VanHerck said that there was a delay in response to the hovering spy balloon as it was not showing any hostile act or hostile intent by flying over the United States.

Meanwhile, the Venezuela Ministry of Foreign Affairs has slammed the decision of the United States to shoot down the balloon, as reported by The New York Times.

The Venezuelan government said in a statement that the U.S. government has once again resorted to the "use of force," instead of treating it with the "seriousness and responsibility" it calls for.

READ MORE: Chinese Spy Balloon Causes Antony Blinken To Postpone China Trip

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Now the Chinese 'spy balloon' is down, what was it for? - from WHAS 11
A Mexico doctor who authorities say is responsible for a meningitis outbreak that has killed 35 people and infected 79 was arrested Tuesday, according to authorities.

The main prosecutor in the northern state of Durango, Sonia de la Garza, claimed the anesthesiologist had used contaminated morphine. However, the charges made against him remain unclear, AP reports.

Specifically, De la Garza claimed the doctor used "improper procedures" when providing spinal blocks to pregnant patients.

The Mexico doctor, who was kept anonymous, allegedly carried his supply of morphine from one private hospital to another, where he transmitted a fungal infection that had already tainted the drug at the first facility.

The medicine may have been improperly stored. Moreover, the anesthesiologists must bring their opiates and other controlled medications to some smaller Mexican hospitals and maternity clinics since these facilities either lack dispensing pharmacies or are not licensed to handle such drugs.

The morphine, according to De la Garza, was in "multi-use" vials that could be used on multiple patients, and she claimed that testing had ruled out the risk that it would have been contaminated at the time of production.

READ NEXT: Mexico: Deadly Meningitis Outbreak

Mexico Authorities Arrest Owners of Private Hospitals

Prosecutors said they had obtained arrest warrants for the owners or directors of four private hospitals in the outbreak area, implying that the institutions were directly liable for the infected anesthetics and that the medicine had not been tainted during production or shipment.

Officials from Mexico's Ministry of Health have stated that they are collaborating with their counterparts in Durango to investigate the source of the outbreak, said the Independent.

The Mexico government has received the aid of the World Health Organization in its quest to determine the source of the meningitis outbreak and the most effective means of containing it.

Durango is one of the least populated states in Mexico, with a population of less than 2 million. Five neighboring states surround it to the north and west, including Zacatecas, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua.

Meningitis Outbreak Probably Started in August

Meningitis is often associated with excruciating brain and spinal cord inflammation, which is frequently brought on by a virus, occasionally by bacteria, and occasionally by a fungal infection.

At a news conference on Tuesday, de la Garza told reporters that the infected patients may have contracted fungal meningitis during medical procedures at the same facilities where the Mexico doctor worked.

According to her, many patients received anesthesia for obstetric procedures in August last year, which may have been the cause of their initial infection.

Since the first known fatality in the meningitis outbreak was in November, there has been growing concern in Mexico and among foreign organizations about the situation.

De la Garza further noted that the jailed doctor was the only physician who performed surgeries at any of the four afflicted facilities.

However, according to de la Garza, the Mexico doctor denied prescribing any of his drugs.

Three suspects were also taken into custody, but their full names were not released.

Reuters could not immediately contact the doctor for comment or find his attorney, but when they contacted the doctor's son, who defended his father and declared his innocence.

The son, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of his safety, stated that the authorities accused his father without any evidence.

According to the Mexican Ministry of Health, the meningitis epidemic has been contained at the city's private hospitals.

READ MORE: Powerball $754.6 Million Jackpot

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Deaths from meningitis in Mexico rise to 21 - From TeleSUR English
A Florida man suspected of being the perpetrator of the Lakeland Mass Shooting in Central Florida last January 30 has been killed following a long chase that involved the suspect stealing a woman's car. The suspected Lakeland Mass Shooter has been identified as Alex Greene, 21.

Greene reportedly stole a car while being chased by police. He eventually crashed into a building in Winter Haven, which Lakeland Police Chief Sammy Taylor noted was just a short distance from where he shot and injured 11 people during his mass shooting attack.

Police are confident that it was Greene who was involved in the January 30 mass shooting incident, though Chief Taylor admitted that they still do not know to what extent his involvement was.

Greene has had an outstanding burglary warrant on him, according to CBS News, and detectives were hoping to question him about the mass shooting incident by using that warrant to take him in.

Car Chase Led to Suspected Lakeland Mass Shooter's Death

The long chase happened on Monday when deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office tried serving Greene the arrest warrant. However, the 21-year-old suspect immediately fled, and officers from the FDLE, ATF, and Lakeland Police all engaged in a car chase.

After approximately 15 minutes, Greene tried to escape by foot and into heavy traffic. According to WESH-2, he carjacked a vehicle belonging to an elderly woman. This would soon spell his demise.

READ MORE: Extensive Federal Gun Crimes Report Shows Increase in Gun-related Crimes

When he realized that he could not get away, Greene reportedly saw the occupied vehicle, forced its driver out, and tried to get away from the scene and into a heavily-trafficked road,

Shortly after jacking the car, Greene attempted to ram Lakeland Police Captain Eric Harper with it. However, the police captain managed to fire the vehicle six times and managed to hit Greene.

The stolen vehicle then smashed into a local shop, though the wounded Greene continued driving for a short distance. He was eventually arrested and taken to a hospital to treat his injuries. He would die shortly after.

Lakeland Mass Shooter Had a History of Crime

Aside from the outstanding warrant for burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary that deputies tried to use to arrest him, Greene also had a slew of cases against him. According to the Associated Press, these include ten previous felony charges back in 2013, including fleeing to elude law enforcement, battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of weapons, and resisting arrest.

When police inspected the vehicle, he initially used to try and get away from them. They found 28 grams (1 ounce) of cocaine, marijuana, a Glock .357 handgun, and $2,813 in cash. Greene was also found to be carrying $5,833 in cash.

As for his mass shooting attack, Greene injured ten people, two of whom were critically injured. The eight others had suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

According to reports, a vehicle drove through a neighborhood on the afternoon of January 30 and opened fire from within the car. All the people hit were men ages 20 to 35, and officials believe this was a targeted attack.

READ MORE: Oath Keepers Founder Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Man with alleged connection to Lakeland mass shooting shot, killed by police - WFLA News Channel 8
Former U.S. President has made a serious allegation against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with the former president reposting a photograph that appeared to be the Florida governor swarmed by three young women.

The photo was captioned with "here is Ron DeSanctimonious grooming high school girls with alcohol as a teacher," according to Yahoo News.

The post was posted originally by a Truth Social member with the handle Dong-Chan Lee and uses a profile photo of the alt-right meme Pepe the Frog.

Trump noted a "sarcastic commentary" in another repost, writing, "No way?" He also posted that DeSantis was "having a drinking party with his students" when he was still a high school teacher.

The former president went on to say that having drinks with high school girls and "cuddling with them certainly look pretty gross and ephebophiliaesque."

READ NEXT: Donald Trump Jr. Testifies Before January 6 House Committee Investigating Capitol Riot

Donald Trump 'Grooming' Allegations Against Ron DeSantis

The photo that Trump was posting showed DeSantis when he was 23 years old, smiling between three high school girls with blurred-out faces.

One of the females in the photos was holding a brown glass bottle, but the Republican governor was not seen drinking in the picture.

The photo was reportedly taken after the 2001 to 2002 academic year that DeSantis spent as a teacher at the prestigious Darlington School before he attended Harvard Law School, as cited by Business Insider.

Many students recalled DeSantis as going to parties with the seniors.

Some former students also reportedly remember him as "cocky and arrogant," with one incident involving a student being publicly embarrassed with a prank.

The New York Times sources also noted that he got into debates about the Civil War with students who questioned the focus and sometimes the accuracy of his lessons.

Gates Minis, a 2003 graduate, said that DeSantis was a "total jock" and was definitely proud that "he graduated Ivy."

Some also admitted him and even described him as one of "the cooler guys."

A conservative think tank, Club for Growth, released a poll predicting the Republican governor could do better.

The poll showed that DeSantis held a nine-point lead in a hypothetical 2024 matchup against the former president.

Donald Trump Vs. Ron DeSantis

Trump has been issuing tirades against the Republican governor, with the most recent one claiming that DeSantis and his team are "trying to rewrite history" when it comes to their COVID-19 pandemic response.

He then called the possible presidential run by DeSantis "very disloyal," as cited by CNN.

Their relationship traces back to DeSantis' 2018 primary campaign. Trump endorsed the Republican governor, winning the nomination.

Trump went on to describe DeSantis as an "average governor" and mocked him with the nickname "Ron DeSanctimonious."

The former president also took credit for DeSantis being a governor, saying that DeSantis "would have not been governor if it wasn't for me."

In the hypothetical match poll, DeSantis was found to be more popular than Trump with voters who said they were either conservative or moderate/liberal.

READ MORE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Seeks Grand Jury Probe Over COVID-19 Vaccines

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Donald Trump Blasts Governor Ron DeSantis - from Inside Edition


A Milwaukee police officer died after he was shot by a teen robbery suspect early Tuesday near 14th and Cleveland on the city's south side.

According to Fox 6, police officer Peter Jerving, 37, was shot while struggling with 19-year-old suspect Terrell Thompson, who died at the scene. Officers were reportedly called to 14th and Cleveland at around 1:15 a.m. in response to a report about a man wanted for a robbery.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the man was wanted for a robbery near Teutonia and Good Hope Road that happened late Monday. Norman identified the man as Thompson.

Norman said police saw Thompson, but he ran off. During a scuffle with authorities, after they caught up to him, Norman noted that Thompson shot Jerving, who then fired back, hitting Thompson.

The robbery suspect died at the scene. The chief said the wounded officer died at a hospital. He noted that Jerving had four years of service with the Milwaukee Police Department.

"Milwaukee, our hearts are heavy. Milwaukee Police Department hearts are heavy. My heart is heavy," Norman noted. "One of our finest who put on that uniform, put on that badge, went into work last night and paid the ultimate sacrifice for protecting our community. Milwaukee, we need your prayers. We need your support."

READ NEXT: Worcester Police Officer Dies

What Led to the Shooting That Killed Milwaukee Police Officer Peter Jerving?

According to Jeffrey Norman, several officers from Police District 4 on the city's northwest side were looking for the robbery suspect near the 2700 block of South 14th Street before the shooting incident.

A robbery had occurred at about 11:25 p.m. Monday on West Good Hope Road, close to where it meets North Teutonia Avenue. Norman noted that the 19-year-old suspect, who was on the south side, disobeyed orders and fled from police.

According to Norman and Milwaukee Police Association President Andrew Wagner, after one officer cornered the suspect, a fight began, and the suspect fired a revolver, striking a second officer who had run over to help.

Norman said the second cop, who was officer Peter Jerving, fired back after being shot, and he ultimately succumbed to his wounds in the hospital. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the information released early Tuesday was preliminary. The Brookfield Police Department is leading the investigation.

Who is Terrel Thompson?

Jeffrey Norman confirmed that Terrell Thompson shot Milwaukee police officer Peter Jerving. The Journal Sentinel also received confirmation from Thompson's family later on Tuesday. His mother expressed disbelief at the news.

Thompson appeared in court on Monday for a 2021 case and entered a guilty plea to causing a hit-and-run. According to the official court documents, Judge Christopher Dee initially sentenced Thompson to 120 days in the House of Correction but later suspended that sentence in favor of 12 months of probation.

If Thompson broke his probation, then he would have to serve time. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson noted that everyone, not just the police, had to do their part to reduce gun violence and make the city safer, Fox 10 reported. The mayor also referred to Thompson when he spoke about the importance of people in the community helping one another.

"Somebody that age, 19 years old, they're probably getting up from somebody's couch, and somebody knows they're out here doing things," the mayor said. "We need you to speak up. We need you to be engaged because if you are not, this is the deadly consequence we see. It's a police officer dead. It's somebody else who ends up getting injured or hurt because of violence like this on the street."

READ MORE: Mexico Doctor Blamed for Meningitis Outbreak

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Police Officer Fatally Shot While Trying to Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect - From TMJ4 News
As the crisis in Haiti continues, other countries in the Americas are closely monitoring the situation in the Caribbean country, including Canada, which deployed a military surveillance plane to collect information on the activities of Haitian gangs.

The government of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Saturday that the CP-140 Aurora plane was being sent to Haiti to collect information about gangs and their activities. According to the Associated Press, the aircraft conducted two intelligence-gathering flights to Haiti before heading home Tuesday.

Canada's Defense Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly described the deployment as a demonstration of Canada's commitment to Haiti. The Caribbean country is currently grappling with interlocking crises from gangs to a cholera outbreak.

READ NEXT: U.N. Urges Countries to Send Troops to Haiti

Canada's Military Surveillance Plane's Mission to Haiti

The CP-140 Aurora long-range surveillance plane was originally assigned to a U.S.-led counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean before it was assigned to another assignment. The plane was tasked to conduct two flights over gang-controlled areas in Haiti over two days.

According to Reuters, the mission promised to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to bolster efforts to establish and maintain peace. The aircraft has completed its information-gathering mission and is returning to Canada. However, it is still not clear how this information will be used.

The United Nations has called on other countries to send troops to gang-ravaged Haiti, but only Jamaica has committed so far. The two most powerful countries in the region, the United States and Canada, previously sent vehicles to help bolster the country's overwhelmed police force but made clear that they did not want to send any boots on the ground.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry has also called on other nations to send troops. However, the idea has proven divisive among Haitians who believe foreign troops would bring more instability to the country.

Ongoing Gang Violence and Cholera Outbreak Left Haiti's Children Relying on Foreign Aid

One of the most affected by Haiti's ongoing crisis is its children. The escalating gang violence, the political instability, and the cholera outbreak have made it more difficult for them.

UNICEF estimated that at least 2.6 million people are expected to need immediate lifesaving assistance this year, which has left children in the country in the worst position since the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Unicef's Haiti representative, Bruno Maes, told The Guardian that the challenges children are facing are not just finding food and potable drinking water but also a lack of protection from the violence that is happening around them.

"Children are being abused, young girls are being raped and services are not there at the scale they should be for their survival and development," said Maes, as Haitian gangs not only battle each other and the police but also terrorize the populace of the areas they control.

READ MORE: Suspects in Assassinating Haiti President Now in U.S. Custody

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Fear, Violence and Chaos Grip Haiti as Gangs Seize Control - From PBS NewsHour
Emergency personnel at the San Diego International Airport (SAN) were sent scrambling after a United Airlines flight bound for New Jersey was forced to turn around on Tuesday after its cabin caught fire.

According to CNN, the fire was caused by a battery of an electrical device aboard the plane bound for Newark. The flight crew aboard United Flight 2664 managed to stop the fire from spreading as the plane safely returned to San Diego.

Immediately after the aircraft landed, fire crews responded and evacuated all passengers and personnel onboard the United Airlines plane. Four people were sent to a hospital, UC San Diego Health. However, the San Diego Fire Department said two others declined further treatment.

READ NEXT: Eight Dead After Plane Crashes Into Colombia Neighborhood

Laptop Battery Blamed For Fire in United Airlines Plane

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now investigating the incident. However, it revealed that a laptop battery suddenly caught fire during mid-flight, and flight attendants immediately sprang into action to contain it before it spread.

WION reported that among the people hospitalized were the flight attendants who helped keep the passengers safe by containing the fire. United Airlines released a statement following the incident and praised the flight attendants who bravely fought the fire.

In the statement, United Airlines spokesperson Charles Hobart said: "Our crew acted quickly to contain the device, and medical personnel met the aircraft upon arrival at the gate." Hobart added that "several flight attendants were taken to the hospital as a precaution, and two customers were evaluated onsite."

He then praised their crewmembers for prioritizing the safety of all those onboard. As for those passengers stuck in San Diego because of the ordeal, United Airlines noted that they are now making arrangements to get their customers to their destinations.

United Airlines Passengers Talk About What Happened Aboard Flight 2664

Following their harrowing experience, several passengers aboard United Flight 2664 described what truly happened inside the plane. Passenger Caroline Lipinski, who was heading to the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, noted that shortly after takeoff, a bag belonging to a first-class passenger began smoking.

It forced the passenger, a man, to throw the bag on the cabin floor. It was later discovered that his laptop's external battery pack had caught fire.

"There was smoke in the cabin, I was terrified," said Lipinski. Another passenger, Stephan Jones, noted that flight attendants immediately grabbed fire extinguishers to put out the fire, the Associated Press reported.

However, Jones said he and other passengers were "gasping, screaming" while all this was happening. After the fire was contained, the flight crew placed the battery in a special fire bag to prevent it from spreading.

However, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 still had to return to San Diego as four passengers needed to be treated in a hospital for smoke inhalation.

FlightAware data shows that the aircraft took off from the airport at 7:07 a.m. Pacific Time and returned safely to San Diego at around 7:51 a.m. More than 160 passengers were reportedly evacuated using emergency slides.

READ MORE: Gold's Gym CEO Aboard Airplane That Crashed in Costa Ricaa

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Plane Makes Emergency Landing in San Diego After Battery Pack Catches Fire on United Airlines Flight - From CBS 8 San Diego
Mexican authorities arrested Carlos Caro Quintero, the brother of notorious Guadalajara Cartel founder Rafael Caro Quintero, in Mexico City on Monday afternoon on charges of illegal firearm and drug possession.

According to Univision, Mexico City police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch said Rafael Caro Quintero's brother was arrested after police stopped his vehicle due to a hidden license plate.

"This afternoon, colleagues from Mexico City Police arrested Carlos' N,' a member of a criminal group that operates in the north of the country, in Alcadia," Garcia Harfuch tweeted.

READ NEXT: El Mencho's Notorious Jalisco Cartel Hands Out Christmas Gifts to Children in Mexico City

Carlos Caro Quintero: Rafael Caro Quintero's Brother Arrested in Mexico City

Carlos Caro Quintero's gray Mercedes-Benz sedan car was reportedly traveling along Montes Auvernia Avenue in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood in Mexico City when police officers noticed that the vehicle's license plate was covered.

A police patrol car then signaled for the vehicle to stop, and the driver complied, pulling over to the side of the road, Borderland Beat reported. When cops spoke to the driver, they noticed that he had a firearm on him.

However, he could not show a firearm permit, which civilians must obtain to carry a gun legally. Police officers then inspected his vehicle and found eight kilos of marijuana, "124 doses" of cocaine, a short firearm, four magazines, and 33 cartridges.

Carlos Caro Quintero was originally from Badiraguato, Sinaloa. He was identified as a member of the Sinaloa Cartel. Police reported that Rafael Caro Quintero's brother had a criminal record in the state of Jalisco for carrying a firearm in 2019 and causing a public scandal in Durango in 2022.

Infobae reported that Carlos is one of 11 siblings of the Guadalajara Cartel founder. Omar Garcia Harfuch said Mexico City police were on "alert" to "any situation" that could arise in response to his arrest.

Arrest of Guadalajara Cartel Founder Rafael Caro Quintero

The arrest of Rafael Caro Quintero's brother comes almost seven months after the Guadalajara Cartel founder was nabbed in northern Mexico. The Mexican army had reportedly monitored the activities and movements of Rafael for five years before he was captured last July.

Rafael is one of the founders of the now-defunct Guadalajara Cartel, along with Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo. Dubbed the "Narco of Narcos," he was considered a pioneer in Mexico's drug underworld during the 1980s.

The Guadalajara Cartel founder had already spent 28 years in prison for the brutal murder and torture of former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar.

Rafael was allegedly angry about a raid at Rancho Buffalo, a huge marijuana plantation in Mexico's Chihuahua state. Mexican authorities seized the plantation allegedly at Camarena's demand.

Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara in February 1985. A month later, his lifeless body was discovered, with signs showing that he was tortured. Rafael, who was arrested in Costa Rica in the same year, has denied involvement in the killing of Camarena.

In 2013, the Guadalajara Cartel founder was released by a Mexican judge on a technicality. An appeals court overturned the verdict, and the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

However, it was too late, as Rafael already went underground. Mexican authorities then issued a new warrant for his arrest, and the DEA also put him on their most wanted fugitives list.

Authorities in Mexico said he should continue serving the remainder of his original 40-year sentence. The U.S. government hailed his recent arrest and said it would waste no time requesting his extradition.

READ MORE: Rafael Caro Quintero's Wife Denies Legal Battle With Guadalajara Cartel Founder Over Alimony Demand

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: The Origin of the Guadalajara Cartel | Narco Wars - From National Geographic
Love will be in the air in Laois just after St Valentine's day when an organisation that fosters integration hosts a Dinner & Disco Valentines event in Portlaoise.

Tickets are now on sale for the event being run by an organisation called Dignity Partnership which works to integrate people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Rosey Kunene, founder of Dignity Partnership which is organising the event in the Killeshin Hotel.

"We are really looking forward to this special event. 'Love Is In The Air Dinner & Disco' celebrates love in a warm, friendly and fun atmosphere. This event is aimed at bringing communities together and promoting small startups to exhibit their products/services thereby gaining more visibility," she said.

The organisers say they've planned lots of entertaining activities. They say these will feature ancient love stories from different cultural backgrounds (Irish, India, Ukraine, Zulu & Sotho), Mr & Ms Valentines; Best Dressed Couple; Best Dressed Singles; LOVE Poems; Games, raffle and of course lots of music.

"Everyone is welcome at this special event. We are additionally seeking support from corporate organisations to purchase a table for six. These tickets will be offered to the most vulnerable people in our community, the older people living alone, people from a refugee / asylum seekers background or any person from a low income background who needs to get out and experience some love," concluded Ms Kunene.

The event takes place on Saturday, February 18 with tickets cost 40. The night includes include a three-course dinner and disco.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/love-is-in-the-air-dinner-disco-tickets-519608321477 or by contacting Rosey Kunene at 0892546155 or Pauline Flanagan at 0879984574.
A new work roster is being trialled by Laois firefighters that gives them a better work life balance.

Laois County Fire & Rescue Service is manned largely by retained fire fighters but the requirement to always be in close call for emergencies has caused staff shortages, with less people interested in taking on the vital role.

Portlaoise station is undergoing a new trialled on/off roster for three months, Laois County Council has revealed.

If it goes down well with staff, it will be rolled out across the county.

John Mulholland gave detail at the January meeting.

"I thank the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage who launched a review that concludes that the work life balance option needs to be addressed to make it an attractive employment option.

"Laois County Council has piloted a new roster in Portlaoise to enhance this. We have already taken steps with the fire office to put it in place. It has been a success so far and officers are largely happy. Our intention is to roll it out over the next six months. Regarding the travel distance, we have taken a view on that as well.

"The council has no discretion over payscale, that is a subject of engagement for the union and the workplace commission," the Laois CEO said.

Despite some 10 staff vacancies accross the county's eight fire stations, The council said that "the emergency response service levels for local communities are observed and retained".

"Most are at the point of being filled or will be advertised over the coming weeks. As a community service here, the local community can continue to have confidence in the service," Director of Services Simon Walton said.

Cllr Willie Aird who in recent times demanded that firefighters be rostered for time off, offered congratulations for launching the pilot roster scheme.

"As a result the recruitment will be enhanced. There is an opportunity now if there is a rota system to have a quality of life," he said.

Last month, Laois firefighters who are part of the SIPTU union were among the 90% nationwide to vote for industrial action including possible strikes, if changes were not made.

SIPTU's Sector Organiser, Brendan OBrien described the pressure on them.

"They are required to provide 24/7 emergency response and restrict their movement, at all times while on call, to within typically five minutes travel time of their fire station. Many firefighters are unable to take their leave entitlements due to staff shortages and they have also seen their incomes drastically reduced due to reductions in call outs over the last number of years and other restrictions imposed by the Fire Service.

Many of our members are now unable to do basic things such as obtain mortgage approval because of the precarious nature of their income. The Retained Fire Service is now at a critical stage with many firefighters seeking to leave the service and Local Authorities are struggling to recruit and retain new staff, said Mr OBrien.

In Laois SIPTU has 62 retained firefighters across stations in Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick, Rathdowney, Abbeyleix, Durrow, Mountrath and Stradbally.
A man who had cannabis for anxiety at his nieces wedding in Portlaoise has escaped conviction.

Joseph Berry, 46, with an address at 5 Labre Park, Kylemore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin was arrested at Jessop Street in Portlaoise on January 6, 2023.

Sergeant JJ Kirby said the defendant was stopped at 7.55pm on Jessop Street as he was under the influence and when gardai searched him he had cannabis valued at 20. He said the man had two previous convictions for public order offences.

The mans barrister said his client was in town for his nieces wedding and had been standing outside the hotel when Gardai approached because he was unsteady on his feet, the barrister explained. He said the man uses cannabis for anxiety. He asked the judge to take account of the early plea of guilty and said the man had brought 100 to court.

Judge John Brennan said the mans previous convictions were from a long time ago and the case could be dealt with as a once off incident.

I do note the early plea, he added.

Judge Brennan said the case could be marked facts proven and struck out once the man donated 100 to the court poor box.
The ESB has asked the High Court for orders requiring two companies to provide it with information about several of its employees who are alleged to have demanded cash payments to complete electrical works near construction sites.

The allegations are now the subject of a Garda investigation, the court heard.

The ESB is seeking what are known as Norwich Pharmacal type orders against two related firms Richmond Homes Ltd and Arkmount Construction Ltd, which last May informed the ESB that its employees had sought payments from the two companies, which are involved in the construction of houses.

These orders, if granted, would require the firms to provide the ESB information. including the names of the individuals who are alleged to make the demands for cash payments, how much was sought and paid by the firms, and what works were carried out in exchange for the cash.

The application has been opposed on grounds including that the companies have already provided the ESB with a large amount of documentation in relation to the claim, and that the application to the court is disproportionate and unwarranted.

The ESB and its subsidiary ESB Networks DAC seeks orders from the court directing Richmond Homes and Arkmount Construction, with registered addresses at Embassy House Ballsbridge Dublin 4. to provide the plaintiffs with details and information about the alleged payments made to the ESB employees.

The details sought by the ESB include names of the persons who made the request for payments, details of what was to be done in consideration of making the payments, and the amounts allegedly paid.

They also seek to be provided with the places where such alleged payments were and the methods the claimed payments were made.

At the opening of the application before Mr Justice Conor Dignam on Tuesday Marcus Dowling SC, with Joe Jeffers SC for the ESB, said that his client is seeking the information to it can take proceedings against the individuals alleged to have made the demands for cash.

Counsel said that while the firms have disclosed a large volume of material, particularly in relation to one individual who is claimed to have demanded 10,000, the ESB is seeking information about three others who are also alleged to have solicited payments from the companies for the individuals own personal benefit.

It had sought additional information about the alleged wrongdoers, and the payments from the defendants, but had not received the details sought.

Counsel said that it has never been denied that the information being sought by his clients is in the possession of the defendant companies.

Counsel said that the alleged demands appear to have been made in relation to house building projects the defendant companies.

A good deal of information, including a transcript of a taped conversation between one of the defendant's operatives and an ESB employee discussing the payment of monies in exchange for certain works, the ESB believes that more should be provided.

In reply, Tony McGillicuddy SC, with Gary Compton Bl, for the defendants said that the ESB's application was unprecedented, and one that should not be granted.

The ESB's application differed hugely from other similar applications, counsel said, as in this case it was his clients that informed the ESB about the alleged solicitation of payments.

It was also his clients who had given the ESB the names of the four individual ESB employees involved in the alleged solicitation, counsel added.

His clients had not only fully co-operated with the Gardai in relation to the matter, but counsel also said, adding that it had gone above and beyond in providing documentation about the allegations to the ESB.

The defendants have also claimed that the requests for information made by the ESB had lacked specificity and had only clarified certain matters about what it seeks during Tuesday's hearings.

The hearing continues.
The trial of two women accused of trafficking women to Portarlington and other towns around Ireland for prostitution has collapsed.

The human trafficking and prostitution trial collapsed due to unforeseen circumstances but is expected to begin again before a new jury later this month.

It had previously heard evidence from one woman who said she had to work as a prostitute in Portarlington, where she alleges she was assaulted by a client.

She outlined the situation in Portarlington when a client allegedly demanded his money back and beat her up after the service was provided. It was this incident that led to her decision to always keep a knife by her bed.

She said she became very fearful following the incident in Portarlington. I would always keep a knife close to the bed so I could protect myself.

To defend myself I got a knife and tried to get him out of the apartment. During this time, I called Lisa.

I had a knife in one hand and the phone in the other. She told me not to do anything to the client and I should let him leave, the woman said.

She was very worried about the client. She later told me I should never react when a client wanted to beat me or wanted the money back, the complainant continued. She told the court Lisa was not worried about her.

The trial of Natalia Nogueira Da Silva and Ivanilce (Lisa) Vailones Fidelis before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court collapsed on day ten. It had been expected to take six weeks.

In opening the trial, the jury were told that the State alleges that the accused women had trafficked two vulnerable Brazilian women for the purposes of exploiting them and taking advantage of their vulnerability to such an extent as to cause the trafficked person to have no real or acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

Judge Patricia Ryan told the panel today that due to unforeseen circumstances this case cannot proceed before yourselves and I am now going to discharge you. You are free to go.

She told the jurors that she understood that they would like to see the trial to its conclusion but said it will go ahead before another jury shortly. She advised them not to discuss the trial with anyone to ensure a fair trial before the next jurors.

Ms Vailones Fidelis, 46, of Castle Manor, Racecourse Road, Roscommon, denied all 18 charges against her, including two counts of human trafficking, one count of organising prostitution and money laundering charges on dates between 2015 and 2020.

Ms Da Silva, 32, of Cairn Hill View, Drumlish, Co Longford pleaded not guilty to one count of human trafficking a woman at an unknown location within the State, on dates between March 31, 2019, and May 18, 2019.

She pleaded guilty in front of the jury to one count of organising prostitution at an unknown location within the State on dates between December 5, 2018, and May 18, 2019.

She has also admitted one count of facilitating the entry into the State of a person she knew to be illegal on March 31, 2019, at Dublin Airport, along with 33 counts of money laundering the proceeds of crime on dates between March 2020 and May 2021.

The case was adjourned to Friday this week when it is expected it will be given a new trial. Judge Ryan thanked the jurors for their service and the attention they had given the trial. date.
Almost 90 homeless families and single people in Laois are now living in emergency accommodation, in figures described as "fairly alarming".

There were 26 families placed in emergency accommodation in January 2023, and 63 single people, by Laois County Council.

They say they have "prevented 48 households from entering homelessness due to the intervention of the HAP Place Finder", where the council sources alternative homes for people losing their HAP rented accommodation.

Over the whole 2022, 244 people and families presented themselves as homeless to the reception of Laois County Council, the first port of call to find social housing in Laois.

Of those, 69 were families and 175 were single people.

The figures are "fairly alarming" commented Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald, at the January meeting of Laois County Council.

"People think this only happens in Dublin. 29.3% of the council's allocations were to homeless people," she noted.

Cllr Willie Aird said he sees the people seeking help in county hall.

"Homelessness has not gone away. 244 people presenting last year. I'm at county hall most days and you see it in the housing section. We have a situation and you don't gloss over it. The housing section is very challenged, it's difficult for staff," he said.

People with complex needs like addiction were also homed in Laois last year, with the council exceeding its quota.

"Accommodation and supports are provided by Laois County Council to homeless individuals with complex needs, in accordance with the Housing first National Implementation Plan 2022-2026. A targe for the provisin of 35 units of accommodation over five years is included in this plan, ie 7 per year. In 2022, the council exceeded this target by providing 8 Housing First units in cooperation with the Peter McVerry Trust".
A Laois councillor wants to remove the spoken prayer at the start of every monthly council meeting.

Like most local authorities in Ireland, the monthly meeting at county hall begins with every councillor and staff standing as a prayer is recited asking God to direct their actions.

Fine Gael Cllr Aisling Moran has asked that it be made a silent minute of reflection instead, as there should be a division of church and state.

When we are doing the prayer, as its 2023, maybe we could do a minutes silence instead and let people do their own prayer, she suggested at the January council meeting.

We could say that after the next election, we cant start with a Catholic prayer. Not everybody is classed as a Catholic. What if you are Muslim, Hindu or Protestant?

Let people do it in their head, one minutes silence, she suggested.

The Cathaoirleach Cllr Thomasina Connell said that such a change would need full consultation with all of the 19 councillors.

It is very important that each member in this chamber be allowed to make their views known. Im not prepared to make anything binding, she said.

Cllr Paddy Bracken said next thing youll want to stop the Angelus.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly said he will not attend meetings without a prayer.

Id want the prayer said at the start. There is no way Ill sit in the chamber and not pray. As far as Im concerned it should stay, he said.

Cllr Paschal McEvoy told Cllr Moran that she didnt have to join in with the prayer.

The Cathaoirleach said we are not getting into a debate, ending the discussion until another day.
Irish government ministers have vowed to tackle the issue of drones disrupting flights at Dublin Airport.

Drones spotted flying in the vicinity of the airport caused disruption to flights on Friday, Saturday and Monday.

There were suspensions of flight activities on each of the days for safety reasons.

Airline Ryanair condemned the situation as unacceptable and urged the Irish Government to act.

On Tuesday evening, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Minister of State Jack Chambers met with daa  the operator of Dublin Airport, the Irish Aviation Authority, the Department of Justice and An Garda Siochana.

In a statement after the meeting, the ministers reiterated that they take this issue very seriously and will work closely with relevant state bodies to ensure that the illegal use of drones is tackled effectively.

They condemned the unacceptable disruption to passengers arising from the incidents over the weekend.

The minsters said that all the relevant bodies have committed to working together to ensure a rapid and effective response to such incidents.

They said daa has a drone detection system in operation that gives early warning of illegal drone activity and information garnered from this system is being used to pursue enforcement activity, including prosecution, which can carry a sentence of up to seven years on conviction.

The ministers said they will engage across government to strengthen the ability to deal with such incidents, including exploring the potential for enhanced technological solutions.

A policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems (drones) is also in development and will include measures on enforcement and compliance.
An 18-year-old who took part in a theft and assault with four other youths was ordered to abide by a peace bond and to pay a fine.

Kassim Ahmed, with an address listed as 4 Ardrew Square Dun Brinn, Athy, was previously accused of taking part in the offences last November.

It was also heard that the injured party had their phone stolen as a result of the assault on March 15, 2021.

Defending barrister Mark Gibbons said that his client had no previous convictions and was apologetic over his role in the incident.

He also pointed out that his client was a juvenile at the time of the offence.

It was heard that the stolen phone was later recovered.

Mr Gibbons also said his client, who is currently a college student studying healthcare, was willing to donate 200 to the injured party as a gesture of remorse.

However, Judge Finan told him to increase the donation to 500.

She also told Mr Ahmed: "This was a very, very unpleasant and criminally vicious incident.

"You are getting the chance of a lifetime, so take it. I know you were young at the time, but your actions have consequences, and the injured party has suffered trauma as a result of what happened," she added.

The judge also placed Mr Ahmed on a peace bond, which will expire on December 7.
TikTok and Instagram posts by Laura Whitmore for a gin and vodka brand have been banned for being inappropriately targeted, implying that alcohol can increase confidence and not being clearly marked as adverts.

The ads for The Muff Liquor Company, seen in July, featured Whitmore drinking peppermint tea, and then water, beer and Muff & tonic, while her dancing became increasingly energetic.

Music in the background included the lyrics: Ill be f***** up if you cant be right here.

Text on screen stated #MakemineaMuff and If drinks were dance moves @muffliquorco #makemineamuff #muffboss #irishowned.

A complainant, who understood that Whitmore was an investor in The Muff Liquor Company, challenged whether the ads were obviously identifiable as marketing communications and were inappropriately targeted because they featured alcoholic drinks.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated whether the ads encouraged irresponsible drinking because they implied that alcohol could enhance confidence and was capable of changing mood.

The Muff Liquor Company said it asked Whitmore to remove the ads within 24 hours of being made aware of the complaint.

The firm confirmed she was a shareholder but said she was not paid for the ads.

They said 2.7% of Whitmores 1.6 million social media followers were under 18 years of age, and therefore understood that the product had not been inappropriately targeted to under-18s.

Since receiving notification of the complaint, they had agreed with Whitmore that future ads for The Muff Liquor Company would be reviewed by the company before being posted.

Whitmore told the ASA that the hashtag #muffboss was used to declare her shareholder status and believed that #ad would not have been a suitable disclaimer because she was not paid by The Muff Liquor Company for the posts.

TikTok said Whitmore had not used its branded content disclosure tool, even though the post appeared to fall into this category.

Instagram said it had no comment on the investigation.

The ASA said the posts should have been clearly marked as ads.

It noted that Whitmore was the former presenter of the television programme Love Island  the fifth most-watched programme by those aged four to 15 years old in the second quarter of 2022. As a result, a large proportion of individuals who were under 18 with TikTok accounts were likely to interact with content related to Love Island on the platform.

Even if those individuals did not follow Ms Whitmore, we considered it was likely that the algorithm would determine Ms Whitmores posts to be of interest to them, meaning they would appear in their For You page, the ASA said.

Referring to Whitmores dancing while drinking alcohol, the ASA added: Whilst we acknowledged that the ads were presented in a light-hearted tone, nonetheless we considered that consumers would interpret the ads to mean that drinking alcohol could precipitate a change in an individuals behaviour and could enhance an individuals confidence.

The ASA ruled that the ads must not appear again.
Three young men from Co Wicklow have pleaded guilty to the illegal use of quad bikes in the Wicklow Mountains.

The trio pleaded guilty to a breach under Regulation 29 of European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011-2021.

The case involved the illegal use of quad bikes within the Wicklow Mountains Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and was brought before Carlow District Court.

Gerald Meaney, state solicitor, presented the case.

A National Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger outlined the evidence to the court and highlighted how damaging quad bike use can be to the fragile habitats in the SAC.

The NPWS Conservation Ranger stated that on January 23, 2021, he responded to reports from concerned members of the public that quad bikes were causing damage to the Wicklow Mountains SAC near Slievemaan Mountain.

With a member of An Garda Siochana, the NPWS Ranger intercepted the quad bikers near Ballinfoyle Upper, Co. Wicklow.

District Court Judge Geraldine Carthy offered the chance for the three defendants to put their mistake behind them and to carry out habitat restoration work in order to make amends.

She reserved her judgement, and said that if they satisfactorily carried out 30 hours of community service and made a 400 donation to a local wildlife charity, she would strike out the charges later in the year.
A US author with Kildare ancestors has written a historical novel about his familys history based on old letters written between relatives. Kevin Akers, who lives in California, is descended from his great, great grandfather Patrick Lawler from Blackford, Athy and his wife Bridget Dunne from nearby Stradbally.

Patrick and Bridget left Ireland in the autumn of 1853 while the effects of the Great Family still ravaged the country, and arrived in San Francisco on New Years Day 1854.

Kevin's novel, entitled The Dunnes Of Brittas is a fictionalised account of his familys fascinating history using letters handed down from great, grand aunt Lucy Lawler Rogers who was Patrick and Bridgets daughter.

Lucy, who wrote the familys memoirs in in 1935, said that her parents originally came through the Isthmus of Panama canal to get to the San Francisco area.

She said: They rode in row boats part of the way and on donkeys part of the way.

 In order to get to the ship waiting on the Pacific side, the natives carried them.

After settling into the area and having seven children, the couple seem to have become quite prosperous and lived on a ranch with a ten-room colonial style house.

Patrick Lawler died aged 75 in 1887  one of the oldest citizens in the area.

Large funeral

His funeral procession to Cypress Hill Cemetery was one of the largest every seen in the Vallejo city area, according to local reports.

Patricks wife Bridget passed away seven years later in 1894  also at a good age for the time, 83.

Kevin describes his book as a sweeping historical saga beginning in an aristocratic yet fragile Ireland.

He added: The novel follows the Dunnes to Antebellum New Orleans, South America and finally to San Francisco where they struggle to create their own family dynasties.

Sharing in each others triumphs and tragedies, they finally discover that their strength doesnt derive from their separate branches but their common roots.

Rich with memorable characters and historical detail, the novel narrated by Aunt Lucy to her niece.

The book is available to buy via Amazon.
21-year-old James Doyle from Dromod has become an online star with over 533,000 followers, 26.5 million viewers and a number of sponsorship deals.

In just two years, James has gone from working on a construction site with no real goals to earning a full time wage off TikTok and choosing what sponsorship deals he will take on!

Over the past two years he has worked with Aldi, Hairy Baby, Penneys and just before Christmas he launched his own Protein Bor with My Protein. The latest deal was a big one - James is one of just two athletes chosen by My Protein to create their own bar.

James says he makes a full time wage from TikTok and makes money on sponsorship posts.

James is going to finish college this year with a degree in Communications, he is also a personal trainer and hopes to make online training programmes but that is not all - the Dromod lad has his sights set on the Late Late Show!

James explained to the Leitrim Observer that his rapid rise to fame came from his unique Leitrim/ Westmeath accent and his Irish charm!



It all began back in 2020 when he wanted to document his progress in the gym.

He summarised that one morning while working in construction, the men all went off for the big fry but James was carefully watching what he was eating so he had some sandwiches, a protein shake and a protein bar.

He decided to do a little review of the bar on TikTok and his pronunciation of protein bor went viral! All of a sudden #proteinbor was coming up all over TikTok and other social media.

James capitalised on this and said, TikTok has changed my life.

James is from Dromod and went to secondary school in Mohill Community College.

His mother Kathrina is from Westmeath so he explained he would spend most Summers there with family and the two accents got mashed up - an amalgamation of the Midlands and Leitrim.

James played for Bornacoola GAA underage and for Longford Rugby but body building has become his new passion. He hopes to begin competing in body building competitions later this year.

James commented, My entire life has changed because of TikTok.

While James now makes a living from TikTok, he didnt start it for the money.

He set up his TikTok because he wanted to help young men especially to make small changes/ healthy habits to improve their lives.

James said there is a lot of pressure on young lads - in the changing room, on the field to look at their peak.

Before training in the gym James had felt stuck in his life. He said he suffered with body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

He recalled for most of his teenage years he felt unhappy in his body.

But the gym turned his life around and he wanted to show young lads that if I could do it, so could anyone else.

He said goals are a great way to motivate you and he hopes to inspire others so they can be their best if they put in some effort.

Doyle started his fitness journey amid the Covid-19 pandemic, like many others. Committing to the gym helped him overcome body image issues.

James will finish his Communications degree this year and he also hopes to compete in bodybuilding events and release online fitness programmes.

He said he is working on the fitness programmes which will help people to know where to start in the gym and how to progress their fitness.

James' ultimate goal is to get on the telly, I want Ryan Tubridys job on the Late Late. James is certainly motivated to continue with his public career.

He admitted he is regularly stopped on the street or on a night out by followers.

He is kept busy taking selfies with fans, but he very much enjoys the interaction.

I have met some very interesting people - and I love to talk, which is why I did Communications in college.

James has also featured on a number of radio and podcast interviews.

We had to ask the expert protein bar reviewer what makes the best protein bar and he simply answered when it doesn't take like a protein bor.

You can check out James, his reviews, his fitness posts and a lot of hilarious videos on TikTok @jamesdoylefitness
The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed a challenge over the Northern Ireland Protocol post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The legality of the contentious trading arrangements was challenged at the UKs highest court by a collective of unionists and Brexiteers.

The original appellants, including former first ministers Arlene Foster and the late David Trimble, had argued the arrangements were unlawful.

But the challenge was rejected by a panel of five justices on Wednesday, following a hearing last year.

Announcing the courts decision, Lord Stephens said the appeal was unanimously dismissed on all grounds.

Judgment has been handed down this morning in the cases of James Hugh Allister and others (First Appellants) and Clifford Peeples (Second Appellant) v the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and others (Respondents) https://t.co/YMLpFF69gf and https://t.co/S1oXCzlV3H pic.twitter.com/rPHb7tkCbo  UK Supreme Court (@UKSupremeCourt) February 8, 2023

The protocol, which is a key aspect of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, was jointly designed by London and Brussels to keep Irelands land border free-flowing following the UKs departure from the EU.

Becoming effective in 2021, the arrangements instead shifted customs and regulatory checks to the Irish Sea and created new red tape on the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with trade in the region remaining subject to certain EU Single Market rules.

The appellants argued that legislation passed at Westminster to give effect to the Withdrawal Agreement conflicts with the 1800 Acts of Union that formed the United Kingdom, particularly Article 6 of that statute guaranteeing unfettered trade within the UK.

They also contended that the protocol undermines the peace process legislation underpinning Northern Irelands powersharing settlement at Stormont  the 1998 Northern Ireland Act.

The Northern Ireland Act, which gave effect to the historic Good Friday peace agreement, guarantees that the constitutional status of the region can only be changed with the consent of its citizens via referendum.

It also includes cross-community provisions (Section 42) that ensure controversial decisions at Stormont can only be taken if they are supported by a certain proportion of both nationalist and unionist MLAs.

The Withdrawal Agreement does provide for a future Assembly vote on the continuation of the protocol; however, the UK Government has amended Stormont rules so the vote can be passed on a straight majority basis, rather than having to meet the cross-community consent thresholds.

In 2021, Belfast High Court judge Mr Justice Colton dismissed a judicial review challenge against the lawfulness of the protocol on all grounds.

His judgment was upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.

While the Appeal Court found that the protocol does conflict with the Acts of Union in respect of unfettered trade, judges ruled that the 1800 statute had been lawfully modified by Parliament.

The court also dismissed the argument that the post-Brexit trading arrangements have changed the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.

It further ruled that the Government did have the authority to disapply the cross-community voting provisions in the Stormont Assembly when it came to the vote on the future of the protocol.

The Court of Appeal later granted leave for the case to be referred to the Supreme Court.

The case involved two conjoined challenges  one taken by unionist politicians and Brexiteers including Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister, former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib and Baroness Kate Hoey and the other mounted by a loyalist pastor from Belfast, Clifford Peeples.
Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) with the support of the Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland (BSTAI) have launched registration for the Irish finals of the 2023 European Money Quiz, Europes largest financial education competition for 13 to 15-year-old students involving 28 countries.

Teachers in Leitrim and across Ireland are invited to register their students to take part in the Irish leg of the quiz which will see classrooms up and down the country go head-to-head in the live online final at 12 noon, Tuesday 14th March. Playing in teams of two, students will compete directly against each other in real time using the Kahoot! learning platform. Tested on a series of financial education related questions, the winning team will be flown to Brussels in May to take on students from over 28 European countries for a chance to be crowned European Champions and share in a prize fund of 5000 for their school. The European finals event, which takes place over two days, will return for the first time in two years following a break due to Covid-19.

Since the inauguration of the quiz in 2018, Ireland has performed exceptionally well, securing a podium spot in the top three European teams on three occasions. In 2022, two students from Gaelcholaiste na Mara, Co Wicklow took third place in the European final. In total last years quiz attracted more than 50,000 students across Europe.

Brian Hayes Chief Executive of BPFI stated: We have had great engagement from schools and students across the country in previous years and look forward to seeing more students get involved in 2023. The real-time competition brings a bit of fun and excitement to the classroom and every year we see well over a thousand students across Ireland compete.

He continued: We are delighted that this year we will be sponsoring the winners to go to Brussels to take part in the European finals in May. Brussels is at the heart of business and financial services in Europe and it is a great opportunity for students to experience the city, hear from some of Europes top financial experts and meet other students from across Europe.

Margaret McDonnell, representative of BSTAI added: The European Money Quiz has been a huge success in schools over the past few years. Understanding and learning about money and finance is really important for young people and I would strongly encourage teachers in Leitrim to sign up and get their students participating. It is not only for students doing business studies - anyone between 13-15 years of age can take part.

The European Money Quiz is part of European Money Week (EMW), a joint initiative between the European Banking Federation and 30 banking associations across Europe - including BPFI, which aims to boost financial literacy levels and raise awareness on the benefits of financial education.

Further details and registration are available at www.bpfi.ie/European-money-quiz .
Aerial photo shows the destruction in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, Wednesday, February 8, 2023. AHMET AKPOLAT / AP

Twitter became inaccessible on major Turkish mobile providers on Wednesday, February 8, as online criticism mounted of the government's response to this week's deadly earthquake.

AFP reporters were unable to access the social media network in Turkey. It was still accessible using VPN services that disguise a user's location.

The netblocks.org social media monitor said Twitter was being restricted "on multiple internet providers in Turkey."

"Turkey has an extensive history of social media restrictions during national emergencies and safety incidents," the monitor added.

Turkish police have detained more than a dozen people since Monday's earthquake over social media posts that criticized how President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has been dealing with the disaster.

Read more Map: Turkey and Syria have experienced thousands of earthquakes since 2000

Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor and its aftershocks killed at least 11,200 people in southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria.

Turkish social media have been filled with posts by people complaining about a lack of search and rescue efforts in their provinces. The Twitter outage came as Erdogan toured two of the hardest-hit Turkish provinces.

Turkish officials released no immediate statements about the service disruption. But they had issued repeated warnings about spreading misinformation in advance of a crucial May 14 election in which Erdogan will try to extend his two-decade rule.

Le Monde with AFP
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam. DR

For East African migrants, the beginning of the year brought a rare piece of good news: The notorious Eritrean smuggler Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was arrested on January 5 in Khartoum, Sudan, in an international police operation led by the United Arab Emirates with Interpol. The man is "one of the cruelest smugglers in the world," according to police in the Netherlands, where he was on the country's most-wanted list.

Within his vast network, which stretched from Somalia to Libya and oversaw the passage of thousands of young Ethiopians, Eritreans and Somalis to Europe each year, "Kidane" made life hell for those seeking exile: torturing, raping and brutalizing young migrants to extort money from them. "He is a demon," said Meron Estefanos, an Eritrean migrant rights advocate.

Kidane was recognized in the streets of Addis Ababa by a migrant he had personally tortured and was first arrested in Ethiopia in 2020. Prosecuted for human trafficking, he managed to escape from the federal court in Addis Ababa a year later. With the help of police officers, he changed his clothes in the court's toilets before leaving the building incognito. Months later, Ethiopia sentenced him in absentia to life in prison.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Greek court drops espionage charges against 24 aid workers who helped migrants in Lesbos

Exorbitant ransoms

For the past two years, although on the run, the smuggler has continued his trafficking on the smuggling routes that link the Sudanese and Libyan deserts relatively undisturbed. "He spent the smuggling season, from April to September, in Libya," explained Meron Estefanos. "The rest of the time he was doing business in the United Arab Emirates," where he was a resident.

Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, 39, was the subject of two Interpol red notices  the highest priority of international police. In his widespread racketeering network, he used the Emirates as a hub, charging exorbitant ransoms to the families of migrants into a local bank account. He is being prosecuted in the UAE for embezzlement.

The Netherlands, for its part, has requested his extradition on charges of human trafficking from Africa to Europe. "His arrest is a great victory for Dutch and international justice, the kind of breakthrough we've been waiting for years," said an anonymous member of the Dutch Attorney General's office, which is currently deciding the case of one of his associates. The trial of "Welid" (real name Tewelde Goitom), another Eritrean smuggler, has just begun in the court of Zwolle, a city 80 km east of Amsterdam. The man is being prosecuted for participation in a criminal organization, human trafficking, hostage-taking, extortion and violence, including sexual violence.

The two men have long maintained a reign of terror in the Libyan desert. At their base in Bani Walid, south of Misrata, Welid and Kidane locked up migrants with the promise of a Mediterranean crossing in order to extort their families. "Kidane was in charge of a camp in Libya where thousands of migrants pass through. Many do not survive," said Dutch police. An epicenter of migrant trafficking in recent years, the Bani Walid camp has sometimes been dubbed "the ghost town" because of the number of would-be exiles who have died there at the hands of human smugglers.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Investigating the most prolific small boat migrant network in Europe

Selam* spent two years there, in 2017 and 2018. "A hell on earth," she confided by phone from the United States, where she obtained refugee status. At the time, the 15-year-old wanted to escape military service, which is mandatory in Eritrea. In Asmara, her family paid $6,000 in exchange for the promise to reach the Sicilian coast. But once in Libya, young Selam's path crossed that of Kidane, her future torturer, who asked her relatives for an additional $7,000 for the crossing. "I told him I couldn't pay, that my mother was dead, that all the family's money had gone into the funeral and he replied: 'If you don't give the money, you'll join her soon,'" she remembered.

'A hyena excited by the sight of blood'

Kidane's sex slave for six months, Selam is still undergoing reconstructive surgery in the United States. "He raped us daily, tortured us and systematically put out his cigarettes on our skin." The man showed limitless cruelty, filming the torture on his phone to better scare the families into ransom. "He is an animal, a hyena excited by the sight of blood," said Selam.

This kind of human trade from the Horn of Africa was the subject of a documentary, Voyage en barbarie (Under the Skin: A Journey Into Savagery, winner of the 2015 Albert Londres Prize), describing the ordeal of young would-be exiles at the hands of smugglers willing to do anything to hold them for ransom. Kidane, Welid and the Eritrean smuggling network took advantage of the collapse of post-Gaddafi Libya to establish their platform there.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes A reactivated migration route from eastern Libya opens the Mediterranean back up

"There are now 20 detention centers, official and unofficial, and secret prison networks that are reportedly controlled by armed militias," said Mohamed Auajjar, rapporteur from the UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission to Libya. Last year, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) estimated the number of migrants stranded in Libya at 600,000. Tens of thousands of them come from the Horn of Africa, where they are trying to escape military service in Eritrea or the threat of the Shabab jihadists in Somalia.

"These two arrests send a strong signal to men who thought they were untouchable," said Meron Estefanos, hoping that they will put a "stop" to human trafficking from Eritrea. In Libya, on the other hand, trafficking is benefiting from the windfall created by the civil war. Since last year, new migration routes have opened up in Cyrenaica in eastern Libya.

* The first name has been changed.

Noe Hochet-Bodin(Nairobi (Kenya) correspondent) Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
Demonstration in September 2022 in Paris by activists against the TotalEnergies pipeline project in Uganda called EACOP (East African Crude Oil Pipeline). STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP

Pressure is mounting on institutions associated with TotalEnergies' controversial oil development project in Uganda. On Tuesday, February 7, the US NGO Inclusive Development International (IDI) and 10 Ugandan and Tanzanian organizations  whose names have not been disclosed for fear of reprisals  announced that they had filed a complaint with the OECD. It accuses insurance broker Marsh of violating the guidelines governing the actions of multinational corporations with regard to respect for human rights and the environment in particular.

Without the support of insurance and reinsurance companies, the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which will extend over more than 1,400 kilometers through Uganda and Tanzania to allow oil extracted near Lake Albert to be exported across the Indian Ocean, could not proceed, the plaintiffs argued.

Read more TotalEnergies back in court over its mega-project in Uganda

"The role of an insurance broker is often invisible, allowing it to avoid facing up to its responsibilities. Marsh's role, however, deserves close scrutiny because, despite widespread opposition and overwhelming evidence that the project will be a disaster for Ugandans and the planet, it is allowing the EACOP project to go ahead," said Coleen Scott, on behalf of INI, in a press release. Marsh is part of the global Marsh McLennan Group, which employs 85,000 people and has an annual revenue of $20 billion.

The complaint was received by the OECD's office at the US State Department in Washington. It will first have three months to rule on the admissibility of the complaint, and then, if applicable, it will need to initiate mediation between the parties in order to reach a possible agreement. As the OECD guidelines are voluntary, the initiative cannot lead to a judicial decision, but for large companies anxious to show their commitment to sustainable development, it casts an unfortunate shadow over their reputation. This is a first for the insurance brokerage industry.

Meanwhile, several arrests have already been made against oil companies. In 2013, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) made referrals to the OECD concerning the risks posed by British company Soco International's exploration projects in the Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). TotalEnergies also has an exploration license in the park.

Serious damages

In Marsh's case, the complaint filed by the coalition of NGOs alleges that by agreeing to obtain insurance coverage for EACOP, the insurance broker is contributing to the serious damages the coalition believes the project has already caused or is expected to cause. Listed among them are the "inappropriate land acquisition processes characterized by a lack of prompt and adequate [community] compensation," "harassment, intimidation and arrest of farmers, NGO members and critical journalists" and "threats to natural resources that people depend on for their livelihoods, including the risk of oil spills affecting freshwater resources, or increased CO 2 emissions that will bring the world closer to a climate catastrophe." The plaintiffs request that Marsh bring "its operations back into compliance with OECD guidelines by withdrawing from its role as a broker" for TotalEnergies.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Lawsuits mount against TotalEnergies over role in climate change

Lobbying the OECD is the latest among a string of initiatives by civil society organizations in Africa and in industrialized countries to try to block TotalEnergies' fossil fuel project in Uganda. "The complaint filed today against Marsh is an important step in the international mobilization against Total's EACOP project. Insurers like Marsh have a clear responsibility in enabling such climate-changing projects. They cannot turn a blind eye and ignore the overwhelming evidence of human rights violations and the risk of irreversible damage to the environment," said Juliette Renaud, campaign manager at NGO Les Amis de la Terre France (Friends of the Earth  France). The organization has, for its part, initiated legal proceedings for "non-compliance with French law regarding the duty of care." The verdict is due to be handed down by the Court of Paris on February 28.

Laurence Caramel Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
Painting by Francois Clouet of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. WIKIMEDIA

"I know that you have been careful, in the name of the king [of France], to mitigate the outbursts of anger of the queen against me, who wishes her nothing but good in spite of all the harm I have suffered from her." The woman who wrote this poignant letter, in June 1578, was a captive and unhappy queen. She suffered a series of misfortunes before the three blows of an axe wielded by a drunk executioner on February 8, 1587.

This queen was Mary Stuart (1542-1587), one of the most tragic figures in history. She was the "cursed queen" par excellence, according to the image popularized by Austrian novelist Stefan Zweig. When she wrote this letter, she was 35 years old. She had been imprisoned for more than nine years by her cousin, the queen of England, Elizabeth I. The great-granddaughter of King Henry VII, Mary Stuart had a claim to the throne of England. In fact, for Catholics, she was the only legitimate claimant. For Elizabeth the Protestant, Mary the Catholic represented a serious threat. That is why she imprisoned her for more than 18 years, until her execution.

This letter is one of 57 correspondence written by the fallen queen that were left untouched, neglected in the National Library of France (BNF). These were encrypted letters whose author and content were not known. The cipher used to encrypt them was "the most advanced cryptography of the time," said George Lasry, a computer scientist and cryptographer.

Lasry is one of three researchers who, along with Norbert Biermann, a pianist and music teacher, and Satoshi Tomokiyo, an astrophysicist, managed to break the code of this mysterious correspondence, thanks to detective work reported in the journal Cryptologia on February 8. This trio of enthusiasts works, in their spare time, on deciphering historical encrypted documents. They are independent enthusiasts, but they operate within the framework of an academic project, Decrypt, involving European universities, including the University of Lorraine and its fundamental and applied computer science research laboratory (LORIA).

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes An emblem of French literary heritage reopens its doors

A 'tremendous discovery'

So to everybody's amazement, the letters were written by Queen Mary herself. "This is a "tremendous literary and historical discovery, the most important one made in a hundred years on Mary Queen of Scots," said John Guy, an expert on this turbulent period of British history at the University of Cambridge (UK). It is a rich source of information for historians.

The researchers went through the BNF's digitized collection, which is available online and accessible to everyone. "We came across a set of encrypted documents using the same graphic symbols," said Lasry. They were supposed to be about Italy. But "after we started deciphering some of the letters, we quickly realized that they were written in French and had nothing to do with Italy. Moreover, the participles and adjectives were conjugated in the feminine," he continued. The author of the letters also mentions their captivity on several occasions and the name of Francis Walsingham, the spymaster for Queen Elizabeth. These clues put the sleuths on the trail of Mary Stuart.

You have 61.98% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
Since 2008, the Mwebaza Foundation has been building collaborative partnerships between schools in Uganda and Colorado. As an educational organization, the foundation works with students to inspire global citizens through cross-cultural learning opportunities and global studies curricula that foster global understandings and deepen worldviews.

What started as a pen-pal exchange between Dale Peterson's first-grade class at Niwot Elementary School and Namatovu Catherine's elementary school students at Mwebaza Infant Primary has transformed over the past 15 years to something even more impactful.

Currently, Mwebaza works with 11 different partner schools throughout Colorado and Uganda. Over 12 months, more than 2,050 students explore their intercultural and personal value systems through art projects and cross-cultural exchange activities, including video presentations led by Ugandan teachers and chats with Ugandan students. These projects invite students to relate their values to local and global issues, equipping them with more knowledge and power to identify unethical systems, and then build ethical ones.

Mwebaza's School Development Director, Hillari Hansen, partners with teachers in each school to develop lesson plans that lead classes through readings, videos, discussions, and hands-on art projects.

This past year at Niwot Elementary, Hansen and Art Educator Lauren Mocilac created and led engaging art projects that explored the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action, zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, and gender equality.

Kindergarten students read the book, "Duck for Turkey Day" by Jacqueline Jewels, and discussed the traditional foods that their families eat during celebrations. They recreated a plate that reflects their favorite holiday foods using a mix of materials.

Students in Mwebaza Club learned about food systems in Uganda, crops native to the region, and traditional foods eaten by their friends. Students made their very own rolex - an egg omelet wrapped in a wheat-based, fried bread called chapati.

First-graders made equity puppets to celebrate the similarities and differences they have with their friends in Uganda. Using a variety of skin-colored markers, students made self-portraits and then drew their friends from Mwebaza Infant Primary. Second-graders learned about traditional Ugandan Batik art made with tree bark and then created beautiful designs on their very own piece of Batik fabric from Uganda.

In the third-grade art classes, students learned about Ugandan traditional pottery and how people therevuse natural, earthen materials to hand-make vessels like bowls, water jugs, plates, and more, instead of using plastic or other synthetic material. Students then made and decorated their own clay pots.

Fourth-grade students learned about underrepresented events in Colorado's history, including the Sand Creek Massacre, the WWII Japanese American Amache Internment Camp, and the first African American farming community west of the Mississippi in Dearfield, Colorado. Students made ornaments that reflected these events and the natural beauty of Colorado.

Fifth-graders transformed waste into art by collecting objects that would otherwise end up in a landfill - for example, plastic bags and single-use cups. They read the book "One Plastic Bag" by Miranda Paul, and learned how women in West Africa create woven baskets, mats, and containers out of plastic bags, then sell these items to make money for their families and communities. Fifth-graders learned about the eco-friendly social enterprises Mwebaza's partner communities developed and now run.

Mocilac said, "The creativity and momentum we inspire feels genuine. Students can connect their creative process to problem-solving, creating welcoming spaces, and personal ties to students across the globe."

Students exercise choice when selecting topics from customized curriculums that guide them to discover who they are, what is important to them, and how to be critical thinkers, leaders, and problem solvers while studying real-world issues. With this foundational knowledge, Mwebaza dreams that students will apply their learning in the world, get involved in their communities, and realize they have the knowledge and power to be change-makers.

Inspiring global citizens can interrupt the cycle of dependency inadvertently created by nonprofits. Global citizens are more aware of problems affecting us all and are eager to collaborate to solve these issues. As one Niwot Elementary student said, "We've learned about pollution and climate change. We've learned how it's different for each of us. In Uganda, they might have a better way of dealing with climate change than we have in Colorado."

The Mwebaza Art Sale kicks off this week at Niwot Elementary. Students in Kindergarten - 5th grade will display their artwork made in class throughout the halls during the Learning Celebrations. The Mwebaza Club Members will also showcase their handmade crafts. Parents can stop by Niwot Elementary from Feb. 7 through Feb. 9 from 3:40 - 6:30 p.m. and choose to "purchase" their students' art for a donation of any amount.

Abigail Scott Students created art out of plastic bags to reduce waste that otherwise winds up in landfills.

Proceeds from this art fundraiser will go towards a second teachers' home built at St. Paul School, in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. Last June, sustainable building engineer Kenny Quinn donated his time to travel with Mwebaza to Nkokonjeru to work with and train a team of builders on hyper adobe construction during the first home build. Instead of using traditional brickmaking, which can tax resources such as water and wood, this earth-bag method uses fewer resources and time.

Providing teacher housing at St. Paul School not only saves the school money from having to pay teachers' rents elsewhere, but it also increases teacher retention rates and allows the school to attract qualified educators as its student population increases. Teacher Tonny and his siblings now live in this first house on campus. Want to learn more about this Niwot-based nonprofit? Visit http://www.mwebaza.org.
VODAFONE Ireland is urging Limerick customers to upgrade their devices for free ahead of a network reboot that will see it cease 3G connectivity.

The 2m modernisation programme will be rolled out in Limerick later this month with customers being advised to avail of a free upgrade before the 3G network is switched off.

The telecommunications company is urging customers  who have been notified by SMS in the past month  to act if they are currently using a 3G-only handset and avail of a free upgrade on bill pay, or a discounted upgrade on pre-pay, to a 4G compatible device and enjoy enhanced levels of coverage and connectivity.

Limerick city has been selected as the first location in Ireland where the 3G network will be upgraded to 4G and 5G.

Commenting on the initiative, Sheila Kavanagh, Vodafone Ireland Network Director said: "Limerick is a key strategic location for us at Vodafone and we want to ensure that customers have the best and most reliable network coverage. Upgrading our 3G network to 4G and 5G will future proof and enhance the customer experience.

Research has shown that less than 4% of people in Limerick depend on a 3G data connection, with use of 3G reducing significantly in recent years.

Speaking about how 3G provided an initial foundation for 4G and 5G network technology, Ms Kavanagh added: The network technology on 4G and 5G has now been sufficiently developed to give our customers a faster and more sustainable mobile experience that lessens the impact on the environment.

Vodafone says the upgrade programme is being rolled out on a phased basis to reduce any impact or disruption to our customers.
ALMOST 7,000 additional homes in County Limerick can now avail of a high-speed fibre broadband connection as part of the biggest investment in rural Ireland since rural electrification.

National Broadband Ireland, which is rolling out the new high-speed fibre broadband network under the Governments National Broadband Plan, says there are 4,477 premises in the Adare deployment area and a further 2,161 in the Limerick city deployment area that can now join the NBI network allowing them to receive speeds of 500 megabits per second.

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, commented: We have seen a great uptake on our high-speed broadband network already in Adare and Limerick city. The best way for people who live or run a business in the area to check their eligibility is to visit the National Broadband Ireland website. A connection to our network will enable users to experience the life-changing benefits that high-speed broadband provides.

Across Limerick, there are 21,598 premises in the Intervention Area (identified in the plan) which includes homes, farms, commercial businesses and schools.

More than 80million is to be spend in Limerick rolling out the new network.

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, commented: We have seen a great uptake on our high-speed broadband network already in Adare and Limerick city. The best way for people who live or run a business in the area to check their eligibility is to visit the National Broadband Ireland website. A connection to our network will enable users to experience the life-changing benefits that high-speed broadband provides.
A BENCH warrant was issued at Limerick Circuit Court this Wednesday afternoon for the arrest of a man who has pleaded guilty to the possession of close to 400,000 worth of cocaine.

Trevor Carey, aged 43, of Chesterfield Downes, Castletroy View, Limerick has pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for the purpose of sale or supply nearly three years ago.

Mr Carey was due to appear before Judge Tom O'Donnell this Wednesday. When the case was called, the court was informed that Mr Carey was feeling unwell and had booked a PCR test for 11am. A letter was handed to the judge.

John O'Sullivan BL, prosecuting, said he had seven garda witnesses in court to give evidence in relation to "multiple breaches of curfew" by Mr Carey.

Anthony Sammon SC, who represented Mr Carey, objected to the gardai giving evidence as his client was not in court to contest matters.

Judge Tom O'Donnell issued a bench warrant.

Last October, during a sentencing hearing, Limerick Circuit Court was told Mr Carey was observed by gardai dropping a package to a house at Carrig Midhe, Corbally on June 12, 2020.

Detective Garda Eimear OSullivan said 5.65kgs of cocaine were located inside the house when it was searched a short time later.

She told John OSullivan BL, gardai had earlier identified Mr Carey as a possible operative for an organised crime group and that various paraphernalia associated with drug dealing was discovered during a search of his home.

The items seized included baggies, suspected tick lists, a mixing agent and five mobile phones.

Various documents were also seized including a letter which purported to confirm that Mr Carey worked for a courier company and was legally permitted to travel outside his 5k during the Covid restrictions.

However, the detective confirmed the defendant never worked for the named company and that he was not a courier. She agreed with Mr OSullivan who said the letter was part of his strategy to help him move about.

She said the defendant, who was working for a company in County Clare until March 2020, has a gambling addiction, is a regular drug user and is in substantial arrears on his mortgage.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told Mr Carey previously received a loan from an unidentified male who offered to knock off some of his debt if he stored packages for him.

Detective OSullivan said Mr Carey suspected the packages contained cocaine but that he was not aware of the value.

Following his arrest, he made admissions and told garda he would receive phone calls from the male to tell him where to deliver packages to.

He was the males gofer, everything went through him, said Mr OSullivan

Mr Carey told gardai he had been transporting and delivering drugs for more than a year and that he had initially been storing the cocaine in the attic of his home before then using the house in Corbally where a friend lived.

Detective OSullivan agreed with Mr OSullivan who suggested that Mr Carey needed somewhere safer as he had been threatened.

Judge ODonnell was told the defendant, who has a number of minor convictions, has a good work history but is no longer able to work due to a heart condition.

Asking the court to consider a non-custodial sentence, Anthony Sammon SC said his client had been trapped by his own indebtedness and that he had a limited role in the overall operation of the organised crime group.

Referring to the contents of a Probation Report, the barrister asked the court to note that Mr Carey has chosen to stand up for himself by making a formal statement of complaint against the male who had supplied him with the drugs and delivery instructions.

That matter, Mr Sammon said, is currently before the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Adjourning the matter, Judge ODonnell commented that the facts of the case were disturbing but that he did not want to rush to his judgment.
Bajaj Finance launches Insurance Mall for its customers to ensure an Easy-buy experience. The new portal offers a plethora of policies and plans in the core insurance segment and also the companys one-of-its-kind category of Pocket Insurance and Subscription.

Bajaj Finance has partnered with leading insurers in India to bring you products that are best suited to changing needs of the times. Insurance Mall offers 250+ policies and plans, designed to cater every customers need. These products are updated to ensure that they stay relevant. In line with its policy to offer quality services, Bajaj Finance aims to simplify all the inconveniences customers can face during their policy purchase. This all-inclusive portal for insurance ensures customers experience a hassle-free purchase journey.

One portal for all policies

Bajaj Finance has been providing plans in partnership with leading insurance companies and assistance service providers so that both existing and new customers get maximum protection. You can choose from the wide range of products offered in the following categories:

Health insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans offered to individuals and families give coverage against all medical-related expenses.

Comprehensive health insurance plans offered to individuals and families give coverage against all medical-related expenses. Two-wheeler insurance: Two-wheeler insurance plans will let individuals secure both  damages to their own vehicle and third-party damages.

Two-wheeler insurance plans will let individuals secure both  damages to their own vehicle and third-party damages. Four-wheeler insurance: The comprehensive car insurance policies cover you against financial liabilities for own and third-party damages.

The comprehensive car insurance policies cover you against financial liabilities for own and third-party damages. Appliances extended warranty: Get financial coverage for repair and replacement of multiple gadgets and home appliances in case of damage even after your manufacturers warranty expires.

Get financial coverage for repair and replacement of multiple gadgets and home appliances in case of damage even after your manufacturers warranty expires. Pocket Insurance and Subscription: These are budget-friendly plans tailored to give substantial coverage for health, travel, appliances, and lifestyle items.

These are budget-friendly plans tailored to give substantial coverage for health, travel, appliances, and lifestyle items. Investment plans: Benefit from insurance plans offering dual facilities of insurance and investment, ensuring you and your family have a secure future.

These policies are well categorised in the new portal, letting customers explore and purchase those seamlessly.

Leveraging the new portal for maximum benefits

Insurance policies play a paramount role in strengthening financial security and managing the risk of monetary loss that accidental damages or loss can render. However, when it comes to selecting a particular policy, customers need to evaluate several aspects, including premium, sum assured amount, coverages, inclusion/exclusion and eligibility criteria and make a proper cost-benefit analysis before making their choice.

The portal contains all the information customers need to know about insurance plans, thereby reducing their efforts in procuring them. This way, it ensures that customers do not miss any information about a plan and make an informed purchase decision.

Additionally, the digital process of purchase is secure and entirely paperless. Customers will simply have to click on the Get Quote (Insurance products) and Buy Now (Pocket Insurance and Subscription products) button on the product page, fill in the application forms with all the necessary details, and make payment. After the purchase, customers will get their subscription details or the policy documents on their registered email ID and mobile number.

Features and benefits of the portal

Here are all the benefits customers can avail by purchasing the insurance plans from the Bajaj Finance Insurance Mall:

100% digital process: You can easily compare and buy the policies and plans online with zero paperwork. This saves you from the tedious process of visiting the offline branches of insurers and doing cumbersome paperwork to purchase an insurance plan.

You can easily compare and buy the policies and plans online with zero paperwork. This saves you from the tedious process of visiting the offline branches of insurers and doing cumbersome paperwork to purchase an insurance plan. Extensive product list: You can choose from 250+ benefit-rich Insurance and Pocket Insurance & Subscription plans offered by top insurers that fit your requirements.

You can choose from 250+ benefit-rich Insurance and Pocket Insurance & Subscription plans offered by top insurers that fit your requirements. Budget-friendly premiums: The insurance plans available on this platform come at competitive premiums without compromising on coverage or overall benefits.

The insurance plans available on this platform come at competitive premiums without compromising on coverage or overall benefits. Exclusively designed plans: Understanding the need of the time and customers, Bajaj Finance along with its insurance partners brings products that suit you best depending on your requirements. These plans ensure complete financial security at the time of need.

With the new marketplace, the portal intends to make the process of purchasing policies much more convenient, transparent, and secure than it was before with the launch of a fully redesigned user experience. Customers can compare all the available insurance plans seamlessly and buy insurance to avail of the quality services.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. This information does not constitute a financial advice.
Jivika Healthcare's new initiative - AdoptaZindagi, in partnership with Ashoka Buildcon Limited, Nasik, conducted its first free routine vaccination drive at PCMC, Pune, Maharashtra. Through this initiative, 41 underprivileged children were immunised with a life-saving vaccine for Influenza. Over time, these children will also receive five additional vaccinations (Meningococcal, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Chickenpox and JE) to secure their health. The vaccination drive was presided over by Hon. Smt. Vaishali Kalbhor, Corporator, Kalbhor Nagar.

With the mission to ensure "Vaccines for All", AdoptaZindagi campaign is aimed to reach and vaccinate millions of underserved children against six vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) not covered under the Government of India's Universal Immunisation Program. The campaign will benefit families below poverty line (Yellow/Saffron Ration card holders) and those who seek public health facilities for routine immunisation of their children. The children (from 6 months - 9 years) will be vaccinated against Meningococcal, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Chickenpox, Influenza and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) (in areas where JE is not yet part of the Government Immunisation Schedule) free of cost by a trained nurse and healthcare assistant under the supervision of a doctor. AdoptaZindagi will also conduct door-to-door awareness drives and community meetings on the importance of vaccinations and addressing vaccine hesitancy.

Speaking on the campaign launch, Mr. Jignesh Patel, Founder and CEO of Jivika Foundation, said, "Of the 25 million children born in India every year, 76.4% are fully vaccinated as per NFHS-5 report. Vaccination against 19 serious diseases is advised for children by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics. By protecting against 11 vaccine-preventable diseases, the government is doing a remarkable job with its 94.5% vaccination coverage (NFHS-5) across India. Since the government cannot cover everything, our AdoptaZindagi campaign complements the government's efforts by vaccinating children for additional six vaccine-preventable diseases. Since partially vaccinated children are at higher risk of infections and disabilities than completely immunised children, we at Jivika Healthcare are committed to reducing the VPD burden in India by increasing the immunisation penetration of these vaccines. The goal is to complement government's efforts in strengthening immunisation coverage with increased access and improve health outcomes by providing additional vaccination services to below-poverty-line catchments."

One can join the campaign by adopting one or more childrens vaccinations in the form of an EMI - one dose one month for 11 months, customised doses starting from a single dose, and one-time donations. With these donations, Jivika aspires to vaccinate more than 20,000 underprivileged children in one year, thus ensuring the completion of 6 necessary doses recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) for underprivileged population.

About AdoptaZindagi

'AdoptaZindagi', an initiative by Jivika Foundation and in collaboration with 'Jivika Sampoorn Lasikaran Yojana', aims to complement and support the Government's efforts to achieve full immunisation coverage across India. Jivika Healthcares Jivika Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated for improving the health and well-being of children in underserved communities. The organisation works to provide access to healthcare, education, and nutrition to children in need.

Media Contact Details

Dr Riddhi Makwana (Manager, Partnerships), Jivika Healthcare, riddhi.makwana@vaccineonwheels.com, +91-7720878305

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
Adani Total Private Ltd expects to receive 2.2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at its terminal at Dhamra on India's eastern coast during the year ending March 2024, the company's chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday.

Adani Total has a 20-year take-or-pay contract to provide regasification services to state-run Indian Oil Corp for 3 million tonnes of LNG per annum at the Dhamra terminal. Government-run gas distributor GAIL (India) Ltd has a similar 1.5 million tonnes per annum deal.

Adani Total - in which French oil and gas major TotalEnergies has a 50% stake - said it was still in discussions on how much gas it would supply Indian Oil and GAIL, adding that a final decision had not been taken yet.

ALSO READ: Adani LIVE Updates

"We are still in discussions, we have not finalized supply plans, but we are, in the first year, expecting close to about 2.2 million tonnes," Chief Executive Satinder Pal Singh told Reuters on the sidelines of the India Energy Week conference.

Indian Oil and GAIL did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on supply plans.

India's LNG imports fell for the second straight year in 2022, mainly due to fewer imports by utilities as the country ramped up coal-fired power production at the expense of natural gas.

The energy-hungry country expects deeper penetration of city gas distribution to drive LNG demand in the coming years.

The Dhamra terminal, which was supposed to be commissioned during the second half of 2021, is now expected to start operations in the fiscal year beginning April.

Under so-called "take-or-pay" obligations, payments are still due even if a buyer cancels a cargo due to unusually low demand.

"The demand is always there at the right price. I think things are starting to look better but it's a volatile market," Singh said.

Global LNG prices eased off record highs in the second half of 2022, amid ample inventories in North Asia and Europe.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Blackstone Inc. is in talks with multiple private equity funds to sell a significant minority stake in IBS Software after its plans for a foreign listing failed to materialize, two people familiar with the development said.

The private equity giant has hired investment bank JP Morgan to sell at least 40% of its total 44% stake in the travel and hospitality software provider for about $1 billion, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity, adding the process is still in the early stages.

Spokespeople for JP Morgan and Blackstone declined to comment. Representatives for IBS Software did not respond to a request for comment till press time.

Blackstone acquired a minority stake in IBS Software for approximately $170 million in 2015 from General Atlantic and other shareholders.

The founders are not interested in selling their stake, the people cited above added.

IBS Software provides solutions to airlines, hospitality and logistics businesses.

The company had made a confidential filing for a US listing in 2022, seeking a valuation of $2 billion.

It was looking to raise around $500 million at the time, Bloomberg had reported in June 2022. Since then, software valuations have tempered globally.

Founded in 1999 by V.K. Mathews, IBS Software reported global revenues of $145 million in fiscal 2019. Its latest global revenues could not be ascertained.

It also has a presence in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and Dubai, according to its website.

Blackstone has made several other investments across software technology services over the years.

It has a majority stake in Mphasis Ltd, which provides cloud and digital solutions to companies in banking, insurance and financial services sectors.

In November 2022, Blackstone acquired information technology services company R Systems International, which provides digital product engineering services, for $359 million.

Blackstone has over $649 billion in assets under management and includes investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, and real assets, according to its website.

In India, Blackstone also owns Essel Propack, Aadhar Housing Finance, edtech business Simplilearn, and PGP Glass (erstwhile Piramal Glass).

Separately, Blackstone is also in talks to exit a part of its stake in Embassy REIT, Reuters reported last month
Lendingkart, a firm that specializes in providing working capital loans announced on Wednesday the acquisition of digital lending platform 'Upwards' for 100 crore. The company management said that they believe that acquiring Upwards will align with its mission of providing finance to the underserved with the help of robust technology.

With this partnership, Upwards will be aptly positioned to execute its strategy of helping customers smoothly obtain personal loans," Harshvardhan Lunia, the chief executive and founder of Lendingkart said.

Lunia has raised around 1,050 crore from external investors since founding Lendingkart in 2014.

Upwards founded in 2017 is a central bank-registered Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) committed to offering personal loans to salaried professionals. The company claims to cater to the needs of its customers by adding swift technology in the loan-buying process.

The credit underwriting engine of Upwards makes use of complex algorithms to analyze more than 500 data points and maintain superior quality of credit, the company said in a statement.

With Lendingkart's credit, capital, and distribution capability, we plan to deepen our presence across the country to bridge the massive credit gap in the personal loan market in India," Upwards' co-founder Abhishek Soni said.

The development came as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology blocked 94 betting and digital loan application like PayUs LazyPay, Kissht, Faircent, and Kreditbee for having links with China.

On Wednesday, the representatives of 15 such firms met with the officials of the ministry in New Delhi. Companies were given some 30-minute slots to make individual representations and there were some group representations too," two persons aware of the details told Mint on the condition of anonymity.

The ministry strictly barred the company representatives to share any meeting detail.

Without any show-cause notice, suddenly things are happening. The whole digital lending industry has been battered to death. Why it has been happening, nobody understands. We thought that the RBI has come up with digital lending guidelines and now we can focus on building business, but now we know there is MeitY also," one fintech founder said commenting on the situation.
TotalEnergies SE said its $3.1 billion investment in the gas and renewables units of Indian conglomerate Adani Group are healthy, but a hydrogen partnership is on hold for the moment.

Also Read: Why are Adani stocks surging today?

The French energy giant has stakes in assets such as Adani Total Gas Ltd. and Adani Green Energy Ltd. which represent 2.4% of the French firms capital employed last year. Shares of the companies of the Indian conglomerate have slumped in recent week after Hindenburg Research accused Adani Group of stock manipulation. The company has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Also Read: Adanis London connection under scrutiny as UK watchdog launches probe: Report

These companies have assets and revenue" and are healthy, TotalEnergies Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said at an earnings presentation in Paris on Wednesday. The French company conducted due diligence before and after investing in the Adani companies, he said.

Also Read: Short-selling Adani Stocks not easy in India: Here's why

Shares of Adani Green and Adani Total Gas are still up by a factor of two and eight, respectively, since Total invested in them, Pouyanne added.

Total hasnt yet signed a contract announced last year to extend its partnership with Adani through the production of green hydrogen, Pouyanne said. That will have to wait for the result of the audit launched by the Indian conglomerate in response to the allegations of Hindenburg Research, he said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
For 21-year-old Arpan Rai of Chandausi, a city in Uttar Pradesh, the penny dropped after about an hour at the biennial Auto Expo he visited in January. At the motor show, held in Greater Noida, Ola Electric Technologies Pvt Ltd didnt have a pavilion.

A second year BTech student, this was the first Expo Rai had ever been to. I was hoping to check out Olas electric scooter from a close proximity and maybe even catch a glimpse of their car," he said. If I had known they were not participating, I would not have come."

View Full Image Graphic: Mint

Rais disappointment packs mixed messages for the two-year-old electric vehicle (EV) company that seeks to not just disrupt but also revolutionize the domestic automotive industry. While it highlights how Ola has captured the imagination of people like Rai, who represent the consumers of tomorrow, it also underlines the brands lack of accessibility. Unlike other automotive firms, Ola does not have the hub and spoke dealer and service centres. Every transaction is online and the scooters are delivered direct-to-home.

What Ola Electrics founder Bhavish Aggarwal is trying in India is similar to what Elon Musk did in the USexploit the traditional industrys complacency and take advantage of the rapidly evolving technology to make a mark in a mature sector like automobile. Outside of the IT and tech sectors, it is not something that startups have managed to pull off.

Yet, it has been an encouraging start. Defying pundits, Ola ended 2022 as the largest player in the fast growing yet nascent electric two-wheeler industrythe company sold more than 100,000 vehicles, ahead of Hero Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd, Okinawa Autotech Internationall Pvt Ltd, TVS Motor Company Ltd, and Ather Energy Pvt Ltd.

It is only a start. The company has big plans and, possibly, bigger hurdles to cross in the future.

Trials and Tribulations

It has not been all smooth sailing. To begin with, Ola struggled ramping up capacity at its 10 million unit a year factory in Tamil Nadu. The hype it had generated since the scooter broke cover on 15 August 2021 ensured it received nearly 100,000 bookings.

But Aggarwal soon realized that producing vehicles at scale wasnt easy. The supply chain wasnt ready and the global semiconductor shortage erupted at the most inopportune time. Customers had to wait; they got restless. The angst played out on the social media pages of the company.

From a supply chain perspective, we did have some learnings in the first three-four months. Then we got aligned with our suppliers," said Aggarwal. They are now very comfortable with our scale and rate of growth and are investing accordingly. Many are actually opening up new units right next to our factory."

The bigger challenge was in the front-end. Without the local dealer, the company needed a robust logistics system to enable delivery of scooter to the doorstep of every customer. It also went pan India from the first day. The inefficiencies of Indias regional transport authorities became a bugbear.

Again, lot of learnings there...in the registration process and the logistics of taking the vehicle from the factory to the customer. We worked through the first half of the year (2022) trying to sort things out," Aggarwal said.

Ola started with two models, S1 Pro and S1. The first product, S1 Pro, had teething issues. The first lot of customers did not get some of the features that had been promised and the software that runs the scooter wasnt flawless either. It led to malfunctions and in some cases, accidents. Even as the company was fighting the wave of negativity, one of the scooters in Pune caught fire in March last year.

While Ola became the segment leader in EV two-wheelers in just four monthssince December 2021, when they started deliveriesit couldnt remain on top of the pecking order for long. Sales nosedived in the middle of 2022 and by August, they had come down to nearly a fourth of what the company sold in April (see graphic).

The intent was always there to deliver a greener, safer and reliable vehicle. But there were so many disruptions which derailed their plan and made it look like they had over promised," said Puneet Gupta, director, S&P Global mobility, an automotive research firm. Given the kind of disruption the industry has seen in the post pandemic era, we should appreciate that Ola did not get diverted from their core vision."

Gunning for the top

With the niggling issues sorted, sales have rebounded. For four months in a row now, Ola has not only been at the top but has also distanced itself from the rest of the pack.

When needed, the company has tweaked its strategy. For example, it opened up experience centres, which also double up as service centres. There are already over 100 of them in the country. Though the company insists that the sales still happen entirely online, these centres give consumers the touch and feel experience they are so used to while buying vehicles.

This is a departure from its earlier stance of not having any footprint on the ground. The willingness to change was appreciated even by some of the companys staunchest critics.

They have not delivered on everything they promised but you have to say they have done well," said Vinkesh Gulati, former president of the Federation of Automotive Dealers Association. With the physical centres, the customer now has a face to discuss any grievance. Half of the problem goes away when somebody can listen to your problem."

For 2023, Aggarwal has set a different target now. With the more affordable S1 Air slated to hit the roads in the next few months, it is aiming to become the overall scooter segment leader by the end of the year. The S1 Air is priced at 85,000, compared to the 1.1 lakh price tag of S1 and 1.28 lakh of S1 Pro.

The S1 platform will become the largest selling scooter in India by the end of this year. Its not an easy prediction nor will it be easy to deliver. A lot of back- and front-end has to scale up and we need to deliver many scooters but that is the aim," Aggarwal said, in his now signature nonchalant style.

We are a company that takes very calculated risks. Thats the essence of entrepreneurship. You shouldnt take bravado or mindless risks. We analyse, measure and research very deeply and then we commit to a plan," Aggarwal added. There can be no looking back from there. It has to happen."

Ola, in effect, wants to compete with the long-time bestseller in scootersHonda Activa, which is priced between 56,000 and 90,000. By all means, it is an ambitious target. Currently, Honda sells more Activas in a month than what Ola managed in 2022. In 2021-22, over 1.7 million Activas were sold in India. Ola would need to scale up over 10 times this year to catch up at a time when the competition is likely to get more intense.

The competition will heat up with more products from the traditional companies, i.e. Hero, Bajaj and TVS, expected to be launched. They bring with them a very deep understanding of customers, strong capabilities across the value chain and above all, a brand loyalty," said Ashim Sharma, senior partner and group head (auto, engineering and logistics) at Nomura Research Institute Consulting and Solutions.

The current market is still nascent with quick shifts in market shares. So, it is premature to crown winners. The startups, of course, have had a head start in the EV space but the advantage will sustain only for those that have utilized this to strengthen their position to build more robust products," he added.

Bikes and cars

Olas ambitions dont stop with scooters. In 2023-24, the company will venture into electric motorcycles. Just like electric scooters, this is also a segment that is waiting for disruption as none of the incumbent playersHero MotoCorp Ltd, Bajaj Auto Ltd, TVS or Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltdhave shown any inclination to launch an electric bike. Motorcycles account for over 60% of Indias two-wheeler industry and early movers may stand to gain.

We will launch a range of bikes and ramp up in terms of sales next year," Aggarwal said. The motorcycle segment is equally complex and competitive as scooters but it has many more sub-segments, across many price points. We have spent a lot of time understanding this segment and I am now very excited with what we will be bringing to the market," he added.

Sometime in the next calendar year, Ola also plans to launch a car. Aggarwal first teased an image of it back in 2021, even before the first of the scooters had hit the market. This received a fair amount of backlash. Aggarwal remained committed. Its not just one car, but a whole spectrum of cars. And it is born electricthe first greenfield electric vehicle in India," he said.

This is an even more ambitious bet than his tryst with scooters and motorcycles. There are only four companies in the world that straddle both two and four wheels in the automotive industryHonda, Suzuki, BMW and Mahindra (through its stake in Classic Legends that makes the Jawa and Yezdi bikes). Ola wants to be the fifth. And it will be the only one to go all electric.

Alongside, Ola is also investing in its own lithium-ion cell manufacturing. Lithium-ion cell is the beating heart of any EV since it makes up the battery. It is a hi-tech capital-intensive process but will be crucial in times to come. Aggarwal believes having his own cell will give him the edge.

There are issues the founder doesnt want to talk about right now. Among them is funding. The last time Ola Electric raised funds was in January 2022, when it received $200 million at a $5 billion valuation. The company, overall, has raised $866 million over eight rounds. There are murmurs within the investor community that funds might be drying up.

I have access to resources and in any market, resource will not be a problem for anybody with a vision," Aggarwal maintained.

Tempestuous boss

There is yet another issue the founder has to work onretaining key talent. As in any business, this could determine the long-term sustainability of Ola Electric.

Almost two dozen senior executives have exited the company over the last two years, some calling the working environment almost toxic. Aggarwal has acquired a reputation of being a tough boss.

Bhavish is not somebody who likes to take no for an answer. If there is something that is not happening, he will say make it happen. If you cant, he will judge you as incompetent," said an executive who survived only six months at the firm.

He can be unreasonable. Working hours are erratic and there is no concept of a weekend. He will call you for a meeting at 11 in the night and expect a final presentation early morning," said another executive.

The IIT Mumbai graduate smiles at these accusations but doesnt totally refute them. He also doesnt claim to be reasonable. If I was a reasonable man, I would have been in a job somewhere," Aggarwal chuckled.

He added that the company is misunderstood. Many people have formed an opinion without meeting me and I am not who they think I am," he said. There would always be people who do not like my working style but there are also others who like it and have been with me for years now. We are not doing the usual thingso, Ola is not your usual place."

This, in short, is Olas playbook. And, 37-year-old Aggarwal wants to win by sacrificing the usual and rewriting existing rules. Traditional auto makers will closely watch these new rules.
CHENNAI : Zypp Electric said on Wednesday it has raised $25 million in a series B funding round led by Taiwanese battery-swapping service provider Gogoro Inc, as the Indian electric vehicle startup looks to expand to new cities and boost its fleet size.

The funding round marks Gogoro's latest effort to expand in India, where EVs are receiving mainstream push, having partnered with the country's top bikemaker Hero MotoCorp and the state of Maharashtra.

"Electric vehicles are what the entire (delivery) industry is looking forward to," Zypp's Chief Executive Officer Akash Gupta told Reuters.

The startup, which provides EVs for last-mile delivery for online stores, plans on using the funds to increase its fleet size to 200,000 EVs from 10,000, and expand to 30 Indian cities including Chennai and Mumbai by 2025, up from six currently.

Delivery companies in India are gearing towards cleaner mobility, with Amazon aiming to have 10,000 EVs for deliveries by 2025, while Walmart's Flipkart plans to have 25,000 EVs by 2030.

Several new and existing investors, including Goodyear Tire & Rubber's Goodyear Ventures, 9Unicorns and WFC, participated in the funding round, which comprised $20 million in equity and $5 million in debt. About $12 million in equity was from Gogoro, Zypp said.

Zypp is now valued at about six times the nearly $30 million valuation it fetched in the previous round, Gupta said, adding it is recording $20 million in annual recurring revenue and growing 20% to 25% month-on-month.

Founded in 2017, Zypp has partnered with online shopping platforms Flipkart and Myntra, food delivery service providers Zomato and Swiggy, and grocery players Zepto and Blinkit.

It also aims to grow its operations by hiring across technology and top-level positions at a time when a few Indian startups are laying off hundreds of workers to reduce expenses.

Zypp said it is looking to be profitable in the next 12-18 months.
UnCrave, a plant-based meat brand by Delightful Gourmet Pvt Ltd which is also the owner of meat delivery brand Licious, has signed comedian-actor, Vir Das as its brand ambassador.

The actor will also do a campaign for the brand which consists of a series of films, the first of which is titled, Without Meat in which, in his signature style, Das describes a life without meat.

The campaign also marks the launch of a new product by the brand - the Mutt~n Galouti Kebab.

Simeran Bhasin, business head of the plant-based meat brand said, Our brand persona has been crafted as a light-hearted brand with a childlike imagination and highly animated expressiveness - much like Das. Were excited about working with him and believe his brand of humour brings alive the brand message in a simple, relevant and engaging manner. The task of category creation is a long drawn out affair and we intend to have fun while were at it."

Vir Das said, I am a hardcore meat-lover and the very idea of no meat on some days is not an idea in my head. So the association between us is like me and funny. They are simply meant to be."

The campaign has been conceptualised by Tilt Brand Solutions, which includes a series of films where Das addresses various scenarios from a meat-lovers perspective.

Ameya Kovale, executive director, creative at Tilt Brand Solutions said: This was a very exciting brief for us since this is a totally new category. We arrived at the simple behavioural insight - we crave for what cant have. With this in mind, we came up with the idea of no more missing meat targeted at meat-lovers for all the times they need to un-crave and who better to express this emotion than Vir Das, in his quirky manner."

While it is still a nascent market, IMARc Group expects that Indias plant-based meat market will grow at a CAGR of 27.8% during 2022-2027.

This week, its competitor, Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma-backed Blue Tribe has also tied up with Inox CInemas to expand its presence across India to offer vegetarian meals and snack options to its customers.
NEW DELHI : GEs Grid Solutions business on Wednesday announced that it has been awarded with a multi-million dollar contract from Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to automate 39 substations of various ratings across Nepal, including construction of six Master Control Centers (MCCs).

The MCCs will be monitored by GE Digital Solutions. The project is funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB)," the company said in a statement.

The project scope also includes retrofitting of relay panels and other electrical components in the substations.

After the substations are automated, GE will connect the substations to Nepals National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) to enable real-time monitoring of power transmitting through these substations.

Our objective is to improve the reliability, efficiency, and financial sustainability of the electricity supply in Nepal. Modernization of these substations will help strengthen Nepals power transmission network to meet current and future demands, improve reliability and quality of supply, and reduce losses. We are happy to award this contract to GE as part of this mission," said Kul Man Ghising, Managing Director, NEA.

Following years of chronic electricity shortages during Nepals dry winter months, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has significantly improved the countrys power generation capacity in recent years.

However, the transmission system continues to need strengthening to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted supply of power from generating locations to the load centers.

In 2016, the Nepals government initiated plans to install an additional 10,000 MW of generation capacity over the next 10 years and export the excess electricity to neighboring countries. These plans demanded the immediate upgrade and expansion of the countrys transmission systems.
New Delhi: India recorded a 16% increase in domestic coal production in the current financial year up to January compared with the corresponding period of the previous financial year, coal and mines minister Pralhad Joshi told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, reiterating that there is no coal shortage in the country.

There is no shortage of coal in the country. The all India coal production in the year 2021-2022 was 778.19 MT in comparison to 716.08 MT in the year 2020-2021. Further, in the current financial year up to January, 2023, the country has produced about 698.24 MT of coal as compared to about 602.49 MT during the same period of last year with a growth of about 16%," the minister said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

He added that the ministry of coal has requested the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to allow coal mines with existing environmental clearances to increase their production without fresh environmental impact assessment or public consultation.

Joshi said that the supply of coal to the power plants is a continuous process. The inter-ministerial sub group comprising representatives from Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Railways, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) meet regularly to take various operational decisions to enhance supply of coal to thermal power plants as well as for meeting any contingent situations.

In addition to this, an inter-ministerial committee (IMC) has been constituted comprising railway board chairman, secretary in the ministry of coal; secretaryin Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and secretary in Ministry of Power to monitor augmentation of coal supply and power generation capacity.

Coal dispatch from the captive coal blocks is also being monitored regularly, the minister informed. Coal India Limited, the largest supplier of coal in the country, has dispatched 572.25 MT of coal in the current fiscal (April  January, 2023) achieving a growth of 5.5 % over last year same period. Similarly, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has dispatched 54.1 MT of coal in the in the current fiscal (April  January, 2023).
NEW DELHI : MoD signs contract with L&T for procurement of 41 indigenous Modular Bridges worth over 2,585 crore

By Saurav Anand

New Delhi: In a major boost to indigenisation of defence equipment under Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Ministry of Defence has approved the proposal for indigenous manufacture of 41 sets of Modular Bridges for the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army.

According to the Ministry of Defence, these game-changing bridges have been designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and shall be produced by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as DRDO-nominated production agency.

The contract for the procurement of Modular Bridges was signed with L&T on 8 February, 2023 at an estimated cost of over 2,585 crore.

Each set of Modular Bridge shall consist of seven carrier vehicles based on 8x8 Heavy Mobility Vehicles and two launcher vehicles based on 10x10 Heavy Mobility Vehicles. Each set shall be capable of mechanically launching a single span fully decked 46-meter assault bridge," the ministry said.

The bridge can be employed over various types of obstacles like canals & ditches with quick launching and retrieval capabilities. The equipment is highly mobile, versatile, rugged and capable of keeping pace with wheeled and tracked mechanized vehicles," it added.

The modular bridges will replace the manually-launched Medium Girder Bridges (MGB) that are currently being used in the Indian Army.

The indigenously designed and manufactured Modular bridges shall have many advantages over the MGB such as increased span, less time for construction and mechanical launching with retrieval capability. The procurement of these bridges will give a major boost to the bridging capability of the Indian Army on the Western Front.

The project will showcase Indias progress in designing and developing world class military equipment and pave the way for enhancing defence exports to friendly countries.
New Delhi: Telecom secretary K Rajaraman said the government is willing to join hands with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to make telecom products more standardized, secure, affordable, user-friendly and all-encompassing.

Launching the IEEE C-DOT Certified Telecom Expert Program (ICCTEP) which was collaborated by IEEE and C-DOT (Centre for Development of Telematics) to bring learning in the areas of telecom including 5G, cyber security and quantum communication to bridge the skill gap, Rajaraman highlighted key engagements between C-DOT and IEEE that have resulted into significant achievements in R&D, technology evolution and standardisation.

He underlined the critical need of quality learning and skill-building programs like ICCTEP that have a global reach with the involvement of world-class telecom bodies and associations," the ministry said in a statement.

ICCTEP will offer a certification program that aims at providing quality learning in diverse areas of telecom. The key focus is on building skills that would accelerate the participation of students, academia, technologists, industry, start-ups and other relevant stakeholders in developing globally-competitive telecom technologies and solutions.

The first program launched on the platform is on 5G and beyond.

The aim of this collaboration is to jointly create telecommunication courses, promote and train students and professionals, create jobs opportunities, and bridge the digital divide. IEEE Blended Learning Program (BLP) aims to upskill young professionals in Wireless, Optical, Broadcasting, Telecom Validation & Security," said Srikanth Chandrasekaran, senior director, IEEE India Operations.

The BLP certification program is developed in conjunction with industry leaders and vetted by experts to ensure their effectiveness in content and learning experience. It is backed by micro-learning modules, application modules, and data analytics, ultimately leading to a Joint certificate, which aims at bridging the skills gap.
Gautam Adani-Hindenburg issue: Adani Enterprises shares and other Adani group stocks have been under sell off heat after the US-based short seller raising 86 question from the Adani group and raising concern over the debt positioning of the Adani group companies, state insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India and State Bank of India (SBI) has been under scrutiny for their investment and debt exposure in Gautam Adani-owned companies.

According to stock market experts, despite heavy sell off in Adani group stocks, LIC is sitting with profit on its investment of around 30,000 crore whereas SBI has already declared that its debt exposure in Adani group companies is around 0.90 per cent of its total loan book. They said that SBI can recover from its debt exposure in Adani group in 9-10 months as their RoE is more than 10 per cent, in case Adani group fails to sustain against the Hindenburg Research allegations in its report. Similarly, they said that LIC has 26,000 crore cash in its hand and it has unclaimed amount to the tune of 21,000 crore. So, in case LIC's investment in Adani group stocks becomes zero, then in that case it can repay public money by using the cash in its hand and the unclaimed amount it has in its hand.

Speaking on whether public money in SBI and LIC is safe after Adani-Hindenburg saga, Santosh Meena, Head of Research at Swastika Investmart said, "Despite their exposure to the Adani Group, SBI and LIC investors should not be concerned. If we talk about the SBI, then it has exposure to the Adani Group of Companies of around 0.88% of its total loan book, which is small, whereas management is confident that this exposure is backed by strong cash flows. The banking sector's overall outlook is positive, and SBI is an ideal bet for the capex theme in India."

Speaking on recent Adani-Hindenburg row and its impact on LIC and SBI, Avinash Gorakshkar, Head of Research at Profitmart Securities said, "LIC has declared that its investment in Adani group stocks is around 30,000 crore whereas the absolute value of its investment in Adani group stocks is around 40,000 crore. So, LIC is sitting on hefty one third return on its investment in Adani group stocks over the years. If the nosedive in Adani group stock further continues, then in that case LIC has around 26,000 crore cash in its hands to repay the claim amount of its clients. The insurance behemoth has around 21,000 crore unclaimed amount as well. So, in total, it has more than 45,000 crore cash in had to address the crisis if its investment in Adani group stocks becomes nil."

Click here for latest stock market news

Avinash Gorakshkar went on to add that in case of SBI, the largest commercial bank in India has already declared that its debt exposure in LIC is less than one per cent of its total loan book. Today, SBI's RoE is more than 10 per cent. So, in case Adani group fails to repay its loan to the SBI, then in that case, the state-owned bank will be able to come out of this NPA within 9-10 months.

Comparing status of LIC and SBI in current Adani-Hindenburg crisis, Santosh Meena of Swastika Investmart said, "If we look at LIC, it is slightly riskier than SBI because it has 1% of its total AUM invested in Adani Group. However, the acquisition cost is lower, but further falls in Adani Group stocks may cause more weakness in this stock while the insurance sector itself is facing policy challenges. The LIC stock is already beaten down, so long-term investors should not panic; however, near-term volatility can't be ruled out."

After publication of Hindenburg Research report ahead of Adani Enterprises FPO, bond prices of Adani Ports and Adani Green, maturing in 2024, have also fallen heavily along with Adani group stocks. This has raised concerns over the public money being pumped in Adani group companies by SBI and LIC.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Bharti Airtel: Bharti Airtels consolidated net profit missed estimates even as it rose 91% to 1,588.2 crore for the quarter ended December 2022 from 829.6 crore the same quarter last year, but down by 26% from September quarters profits of 2,145 crore, on the account of the exceptional charge of 501 crore of a license fee of one of the groups subsidiaries. Revenues also missed estimates, rising by more than 20% on-year to 35,804 crore with more 4G customer additions coupled with sustainable growth in postpaid and enterprise segments, and by 3.6% on-quarter from 34,526 crore in the September quarter.

Hero MotoCorp: Two-Wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Tuesday posted a net profit of 711 crore for the October-December quarter (Q3FY23), as compared to 686 crore during the same quarter last year. This is about a 3.6 per cent increase in net profit on a year-on-year basis. The company's revenue from operations for the quarter came in at 8,031 crore as against 7,883 crore during Q3 FY22, recording an increase in revenue of 1.8 per cent.

Adani Ports: Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd. will repay a debt of around 50 billion rupees ($604.6 million) as tycoon Gautam Adani takes steps to improve a leverage metric and corporate governance at his firms following a short seller attack that has put its financial health under scrutiny. The repayment in the year starting in April will improve net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ratio to about 2.5 times, the company said in an earnings statement on Tuesday. The ratio stands at just over 3 times currently.

ONGC: State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is in talks with global oil majors to new technologies in its aggressive exploration push in the deep waters of India. The Maharatna held a parley of discussions with major operators in the India Energy Week in Bengaluru during 6-8 Feb 2023. ONGC held discussions with the American oil and gas giant ExxonMobil, the Norwegian energy multinational Equinor, the American oil services conglomerate Baker Hughes, and the French research organization Institut Francais du Petrole on various issues like Technology, and Deepwaters.

Vodafone Idea: Telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Tuesday said that the company's board of directors has approved the allotment of 16,133,184,899 equity shares to the government. This approval means that the government holds 33.44 per cent of Vodafone Idea. The government on Friday directed Vodafone Idea Ltd to issue equity shares against interest on deferred adjusted gross revenue (AGR) and spectrum dues of 16,133 crore that it owes. The equity conversion plan comes more than a year after the government made the initial decision.

Bayer CropScience: Bayer CropScience Ltd (BCSL) on Tuesday posted a 58.60% increase in its net profit for the December quarter of the fiscal year 2023 at Rs134.5 crore. During the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year, BCSLs net profit was 84.8 crore. In a regulatory filing, Bayer CropScience said its revenue from operations rose 4.82% to Rs1,037.9 crore during the December quarter as against Rs990.1 crore in the same period a year ago.

Adani Green: Adani Green on Tuesday reported a net loss of 127 crore for the quarter ended December 2022. This is against a net loss of 79 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Revenue from operations for the sale of goods and related services dipped by 59 per cent to 917 crore from 2,268 crore in the year-ago period, said Adani Green in its filing. Adani Green's sale of energy for the December quarter increases by 59% YoY at 10,235 Mn units.

Astral Pipes: The firm announced its Q3 earnings along with a 1:3 bonus share issuance. The post-bonus paid-up equity share capital is anticipated to be somewhere around Rs. 26,86, 11,572/- comprising of 26,86, 11,572 equity shares of Re. 1/- each. The pre-bonus paid-up equity share capital as of the date is 20,14,58,679/- consisting of 20, 14,58,679 equity shares of 1. By the estimated date of April 6, 2023, or within two months after the date of board approval, such bonus shares would be credited.

Adani Total: Adani Total Gas Ltd., one of Indias largest distributors of natural gas, said its expansion and spending plans remain unchanged amid the crisis roiling the wider group. Our plans are intact," Chief Executive Officer Suresh P. Manglani told Bloomberg Television in an interview Tuesday in Bengaluru. Our expansions are happening and our revenue is building up." The joint venture between Adani and TotalEnergies SE has planned for almost 15000 crore ($1.8 billion) of capital spending over the next seven years to fund new growth, Manglani said.

JK Lakshmi Cement: Continuing its journey towards improving energy efficiency and driving sustainability as part of its Green Pahal, Behtar Kal campaign, JK Lakshmi Cement on Tuesday signed an agreement with Amplus Solar to set up a 56 MWp solar power plant for its Durg facility, located in Chhattisgarh. With this initiative, JK Lakshmi Cement in the very first year will be able to replace 92 million units with green electricity that will help reduce its CO2 emissions by 73,000 Metric Tons, equivalent to over 33 Lakhs trees saved.
Over the past couple of years, one of India's fastest-growing industries has been the real estate industry. For PMAY houses, the Union Budget 202324 allocates Rs. 79,000 crore which is a rise of 66% from the previous year. A 10 crore limit was also suggested by FM for the section 54 and section 54F deduction from capital gains on investments in residential property. The overall capital expenditures (Capex) budget for the current fiscal year has been raised to INR 10 lakh crores, or around 3.3% of the total GDP, which will enhance housing demand and improve infrastructure in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. So, for investors who are looking to invest in real estate sectors in 2023 post Budget 2023 announcement, experts suggest these 3 things to remember before investing.

Mr Robin Chhabra, Founder and CEO of Dextrus Workspace

When it comes to real estate investing, one should always be cautious given that it is an immovable asset and is not very liquid. If you follow asset diversification as an investment principle then always consider no more than 25% of your savings in real estate. Being from the office space industry, one needs to have a long-term view when investing, especially when it comes to commercial real estate. Three things to always remember:

Invest in high-quality grade A assets: These assets have the right foundations, design and most importantly perspective in the market that helps keep demand for such properties high and hence rentals high as well. In Mumbai buying pre-leased assets can give consistent returns of 8%. The building you invest in should not be heavily stratified and sold to many investors as it makes managing the operations of the building difficult.

Look out for REITs: If you don't have enough money to buy an entire asset, REITs are great opportunities for investing money as they also give similar returns. We should see the launch of a couple of new REITs in Y2023 from reputed real estate developers.

Look for ESG-compliant buildings: The world is now moving hard on sustainability and we can get a sense that the winds are changing. Real Estate that has thought through sustainability since inception and in operations will be well poised for the future and they will see higher value returns much sooner than those that are not.

Hari Movva, Senior Vice President, SILA

Location: It is important to invest in a location that has the potential for appreciation, such as a city that is experiencing growth or a desirable neighbourhood. Gentrifying neighbourhoods experience a growth in market rates. An influx of new businesses or planned infrastructure development are key indicators of a real estate market poised for growth.

Research: Before making an investment, it is important to thoroughly research the property and the market to ensure that it is a good investment. This includes looking at factors such as clear title, the condition of the property, the demand for rental properties in the area, and the potential for appreciation. Part of the research process is also taking into account expert advice. Thoroughly check the documentation and if required hire a legal expert to establish a clear title. Real estate agents or brokers can provide valuable insights into the micro market and trends in the past years.

Financing: Consider how you will finance the purchase of the property, whether it be through a mortgage or other means. Make sure you have a solid understanding of the terms and conditions of any financing you may be using. Consult your financial advisor before making any large purchases.

The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint.
Launching a stinging attack on the Union government over the Adani-Hindenburg issue, TMC MP Mahua Moitra on 7 February said the billionaire businessman had taken the country for a ride.

Without naming Adani, Moitra, while participating in the debate on the 'Motion of Thanks to the President's Address' in Lok Sabha said that a famous person whose name starts with 'A' and ends with 'I' and is not Advani, who stinks of crony capitalism, had duped everyone, reported PTI.

As she concluded her speech, there was a turmoil in the Lok Sabha between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP members. The Chair objected and urged Moitra to avoid cuss words, while, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi asked the TMC MP to apologise out of morality.

Meanwhile, Moitra sought an enquiry be ordered against the activities of the Adani group.

Quoting from President Droupadi Murmu's address, Moitra said, "Every word I utter is going to be an oblation and offering a truth into my 'maha yagna' of nation building."

ALSO READ: Rahul leads opposition charge against govt on Adani fortunes

"I want to start off by saying as an ex-investment banker, I want companies to thrive. But I want honest, hardworking Indian companies to strive and not trapeze artists. As an MP colleague of mine likes to say the Chair always asked me not to get angry. I will not be angry for what I have to say. I will only say that we've all been fooled," she said.

She even referred Adani group statement in which the latter said that short-seller Hindenburg's report was a calculated attack on India. "The pride of India is not the wealth of one individual, pride of India lies in the robustness of its institutional structures," she said.

Giving the examples of Amazon and Microsoft, she mentioned that the way company 'A' was trading was absolutely outrageous. "This man has been allowed to use LIC, SBI to get money as and when he likes," she said.

"India is on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world. Don't let him smear your time in government, with a stink of crony capitalism. Please immediately order a full complete and thorough investigation into all matters...Our country's reputation is at risk," Moitra said.

Apart from this, Moitra alleged that the Parliament is not like the previous times where greatest debates took place. "We cannot say China, we cannot say Pegasus, we can not say BBC, we cannot say Morbi, we cannot say Rafael, and sometimes we cannot even say Modi ji...," she said.

Ever since the Hindenburg Research came out on Adani, and the Budget session began, the opposition has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations of fraud and manipulation on Adani Group made by the US-based short seller.

With PTI inputs.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Hyderabad-based Chartered Accountant Butchibabu Gorantla for his alleged role in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy, according to the news agency ANI.

In an official statement, the investigative agency said he allegedly caused wrongful gain to Hyderabad-based wholesale and retail licensees and their beneficial owners.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had called the CA, Butchibabu Gorantla, to Delhi for questioning in connection with the excise policy case. He was arrested on Tuesday evening as he was non-cooperative and his responses were found to be evasive, they said.

The CBI has alleged that Gorantla's role in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 caused "wrongful gain" to Hyderabad-based wholesale and retail licensees and their beneficial owners, PTI reported.

The agency will produce him before a special court here on Wednesday. CBI had questioned Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in connection with the case in December last year.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has launched a strong attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi over alleged corruption in its excise policy that was later withdrawn. It also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, saying the ED chargesheet has "established a kickback of at least 100 crore".

"ED chargesheet and reports, which have surfaced publicly, clearly indict Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor scam. At least 100-crore kickback has been established. The PMLA court took cognizance of the chargesheet on Thursday and has allowed charges to be framed against all the accused," Congress leader Ajay Maken said.

A Delhi court here on Thursday took cognizance of the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi's Excise police case naming several businessmen including Aam Aadmi Party's former communication head Vijay Nair.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: The Ministry of Education on Wednesday asked the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for a special audit of the implementation of PM Poshan scheme in West Bengal.

The ministry said it has received reports about alleged misuse of funds meant for PM Poshan scheme in West Bengal. It added that instances of deviations in the implementation of the scheme have also been reported in the media.

The education ministry has requested audit of scheme over the last three financial years. This will encompass compliance, performance and financial audit.

The ministry added that necessary corrective action will be taken based on the CAG audit report.

The Department of School Education and Literacy administers the PM Poshan scheme through which funds are provided to states, based on proposals received, for one hot cooked meal to eligible children in classes one to eight and Balvatika.

Under the scheme, most components including cooking cost are split in a 60:40 ratio between the Union government and states and UTs with legislatures, and 90:10 with the northeastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The cost of food grains is borne entirely by the Centre.

According to the education ministry, PM Poshan Scheme benefits about 11 crore 80 lakh children in the country studying in government and government-aided schools.
Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar clarified on Wednesday that the government neither controls social media intermediaries nor restricts the freedom of expression of users on social media.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, the minister said that the IT Rules, 2021 cast some obligations on social media intermediaries to protect the rights of citizens accorded to them under the constitution.

"The government does not interfere or control social media intermediaries and also does not cast any fetters on freedom of expression on their users. The IT Rules, 2021, casts specific obligations on the intermediaries that no intermediaries shall not violate the rights accorded to citizens under the Constitution," the minister said.

The government aims to create open, safe, trusted, and accountable internet for the people of India, the minister added.

While answering the question of whether the government plans to appoint an officer to ensure accountability on social media, the minister said that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, cast specific obligations on social media intermediaries about the kind of information to hosted, displayed, uploaded, published, transmitted, stored or shared.

The social media intermediaries are also required to remove any content which is violating any law in force. It can be brought to their knowledge by an order of the court or direction from the appropriate authority of the government or its authorized agency.

The minister also informed the action which will be taken against the social media intermediary in case they fail to follow the rules.

"In case of failure to follow diligence as provided in the IT Rules, 2021, by intermediaries, they shall lose their exemption from liability under section 79 of the IT Act and shall be liable for consequential action as provided in such law," the minister said.

In the year 2022, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued directions for blocking a total of 6,775 web links which include URLs, websites and content, and accounts on social media platforms, the minister added.

(With inputs from PTI)
The administration of Gurugram informed on Wednesday that traffic will not be restricted when President of India Droupadi Murmu will visit Om Shanti Retreat Centre, off the Delhi-Jaipur highway. Earlier, the city police had said that in view of the President's visit, traffic will be restricted on the Delhi-Jaipur highway for six hours.

Gurugram administration said that they have made alternate arrangements to manage the traffic and normal traffic will not be impacted on the Delhi-Jaipur highway.

District Administration Gurugram wishes to inform that there will be no disruption to traffic movement during the visit of Honble President of India to #Gurugram on 9th Feb. Adequate arrangements have been made to maintain smooth traffic flow," the official handle of DC Gurugram said on Twitter.

District Administration Gurugram wishes to inform that there will be no disruption to traffic movement during the visit of Honble President of India to #Gurugram on 9th Feb.



Adequate arrangements have been made to maintain smooth traffic flow.@nishantyadavIAS  DC Gurugram (@DC_Gurugram) February 8, 2023

The commuters should expect minor stoppages to ensure a smooth movement for the cavalcade of the President. The Gurugram Police said that it will deploy personnel at key intersections to manage the traffic.

On Thursday, President Droupadi Murmu will attend a national convention for women at the Om Shanti Retreat Centre. The 28-acre retreat center is operated by Brahma Kumaris, a women-led spiritual organization.

The President will be on a two-day visit to Odisha from 10 February to attend the convocation of Rama Devi Women's University.

"Our university family is all set to welcome President Droupadi Murmu for the second convocation of the Rama Devi Women's University on February 10th. We have been in regular touch with Odisha's governor office," Aparajita Choudhary, Vice Chancellor of Rama Devi Women's University said.

"While the convocation ceremony, Madam President will confer gold medals to 22 students, and hand over PhD degrees to two students of the university. President Murmu also will felicitate the Honoris Causa award to four renowned women of the state for their noble cause," Choudhary added.

(With inputs from agencies)
Amid speculation that Pakistan did not allow Indian Air Force (IAF) planes to fly over its air space while going to Turkey and Syria for relief operations, the Indian Air Force has issued a clarification saying that its aircraft have avoided flying over Pakistan.

Official told ANI that as per standard operating procedure, its aircraft have avoided flying over Pakistan.

They said, "Our aircraft don't fly over Pakistan as this is our standard operating procedure. Our planes take a longer route by flying from the Gujarat side to avoid Pakistani air space while going towards Europe or West Asia."

On Tuesday night, Indian Air Force C130J-Hercules aircraft with medical equipment departed from Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad to Syria. The flight was carrying 6.5 tons of emergency relief assistance consisting of life-saving medicines and emergency medical items.

Also Read: Turkey-Syria Earthquake Live Updates

India extended its support to Syria through the ongoing crisis after the earthquake jolted the country on Monday. Earlier on Monday, people were seen loading medical equipment in Indian Airforce's C130J-Hercules plane.

While speaking to ANI, Rajesh Nayar, PSU under the Ministry of Health (HLL Life Care), said, "Medicines, life-saving drugs and other equipment are being sent to Syria for the people affected by the devastating earthquakes. The medicines, life-saving drugs and other equipment are being sent in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health."

#WATCH | Indian Airforce's C130J-Hercules plane carrying 6 tons of Emergency Relief Assistance consisting of life-saving medicines and emergency medical items took off for Syria from Hindon Airbase, Ghaziabad pic.twitter.com/5NC1QF3ydR  ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2023

He further said, "The medicines used in an emergency that are given to patients in the this kind of situation have been listed. The medicines have been arranged as per the list given by the ministry.

Speaking to ANI, Rajesh Nayar said, "Medical equipments needed for the injured people when they are admitted to the emergency are being sent. Around 6.5 tons of medicines and equipment are being dispatched." He stated that the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs in Syria will hand over the medicines and equipments to their counterparts.

There were also speculations going on that Pakistan did not allow planes to fly over its air space for sending relief material to Turkey and Syria. In a clarification, IAF said that as per standard operating procedure, its aircraft have avoided flying over Pakistan.

IAF official told ANI that "Our aircraft don't fly over Pakistan as this is our standard operating procedure. Our planes take a longer route by flying from the Gujarat side to avoid Pakistani air space while going towards Europe or West Asia."

The two countries have suffered massively due to earthquakes which have killed thousands of people there. On Monday, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 centered in the Pazarcik district jolted Kahramanmaras and hit several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis, Anadolu Agency reported.

Later in the day, an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude centered in Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district jolted the region. The earthquake was also felt in several neighboring countries, including Lebanon and Syria.

The third earthquake of magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale hit Goksun, Turkey on Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The death toll from the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday is now at least 7,266. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that the death toll in Turkey is now at 5,434, CNN reported. At least 1832 people have died in Syria after earthquakes hit the country on Monday.

At least 812 people have died in government-controlled areas, according to Syrian state media. The death toll in opposition-held areas in northwest Syria has reached 1,020, CNN reported citing Syria's volunteer organization the White Helmets.

At least 31,777 people have been injured in Turkey. At least 3,849 people have been injured with at least 1,449 in Syria's government-controlled areas, according to Syrian state media. At least 2,400 people have died in opposition-controlled northwest Syria, CNN cited the White Helmets.

(With inputs from ANI)
NEW DELHI : Minister of State Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan will visit Sri Lanka from 9-12 February, 2023 to participate in dedication of Jaffna Cultural Centre constructed with Government of India Grant, to the people of Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the Centre in March 2015.

During the visit, Murugan will visit various sites that underline the scale and extent of Government of Indias people-centric development partnership in Sri Lanka. He will also interact with a cross-section of leaders and stakeholders during the visit.

Jaffna Cultural Center is an example of India-Sri Lanka development partnership. It was conceived as a reconciliation project primarily aimed at expanding cultural infrastructure for people of Northern Province," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

This state-of-the-art facility consists of multiple facilities such as a museum of two floors, an advanced theater style auditorium for more than 600 people, a 11-storeyed learning tower; a public square which could also act as an amphitheater etc, it added.
The Narendra Modi administration, according to GV Sanjay Reddy, did not force GVK to hand over Mumbai Airport to the Adani Group. Rahul Gandhi's accusations have been vehemently refuted by the GVK vice chairman.

In July 2021, GVK handed control of the Mumbai airport over to Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. Gandhi earlier alleged that the Modi government hijacked" India's most profitable airport" from GVK using agencies like CBI and ED and gave it to Adani. However, Reddy told NDTV that there was no such pressure from anyone.

Prior to the sale, GVK was considering fundraising since the debt that its airport holding company had incurred while buying Bengaluru Airport was about to become due. This loan had been raised nearly 10 years earlier. Three investors were located by the company, who were interested in making investments, Reddy told the publication.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi on Adani's growth in richest persons' list: 'Wonder if a miracle happened in his favour'

There were, nevertheless, a number of restrictions on their investment. The coronavirus epidemic started right then. The airport business was closed for three months and did not generate any money, Reddy said.

Adani approached Reddy and stated he was very interested in the Mumbai airport. He enquired as to GVK's interest in engaging in a deal with him under the same terms and conditions, with the one exception that he promised to complete the full transaction within a month.

While denying any pressure from the Centre or agencies like the CBI or the ED, Reddy told that publication that the Adani deal happened because GVK badly needed it. We had to repay lenders and there was no pressure from anybody else at all," he said.

Also Read: Adani row: TMC MP Mahua Moitra hits out at govt, says 'We've all been fooled'

On February 7, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Modi administration had changed many rules to Adani's advantage. PM Modi goes to Australia and by magic, SBI gives $1 billion loan to Adani. Then he goes to Bangladesh & then the Bangladesh Power development board signs a 25-yrs contract with Adani," he said.

The chairman of the Sri Lankan energy board revealed before the country's legislative committee in 2022 that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had claimed that PM Modi had put pressure on him to award Adani a wind power project, Gandhi added.
New Delhi: The blessings of Indias 1.4 billion people who experienced basic services for the first time under this government is an armour that baseless allegations by the opposition cannot pierce, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday in Parliament, responding to a political storm over allegations of fraud levelled at the Adani Group.

In his reply to the motion of thanks to the Presidents address in the Lok Sabha, Modi hit out at what he called dispirited leaders who had thwarted India from achieving its potential and challenged the opposition to convince millions of beneficiaries of his social welfare programmes with their wild allegations" and dirty abuses",

The blessings of 140 crore Indians are my suraksha kavach," he said to applause in the Lower House.

He hailed his government for working through difficult times, ensuring basic amenities, boosting the economy, and ensuring covid-19 vaccination, and said that the Indian society rewarded positivity, not negativity. But he didnt mention any opposition parties or the Adani Group, which lost north of $100 billion in market value after an American firm accused it of fraud and manipulation.

The PM was speaking a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged links between official foreign visits and the Adani Groups global gains, accusing the government of bending the rules to benefit the embattled tycoon. A number of other opposition parties supported him, demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe. I am not satisfied with the PMs speech. However, it has revealed the truth. His speech had nothing about an inquiry," Gandhi said outside Parliament.

In his speech, Modi said the opposition was in denial that they could succeed by only abusing the PM. The faith in Modi is not due to newspaper headlines or television images. It is because I have spent my life, every moment, for the people of the country, for its bright future," he said, to chants of Modi Modi by the treasury benches.

During his speech, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi walked out. Opposition leaders demanded he speak about Adani even as the Congress walked out briefly.
Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday said that the Mumbai airport changed hands 'at the speed of light'. The Shiv Sena leader took to Twitter and said that GVK group will deny there was 'pressure' to handover the Mumbai airport.

"The fact remains that airport in Mumbai changed hands at the speed of light: - 26 June 2020 CBI registered a case against GVK - 1 July CBI raided them - 7 July ED registered money laundering case & summons by CBI - 31 Aug agrement signed to handover the airports to Adani Group," she tweeted.

She said that GVK group will deny that there was pressure to handover. She said when central government agencies ED and CBI can raid them once at 'behest' of the government, they can do it 'again.'

"Obviously the GVK group will deny there was pressure to handover the airport because when ED, CBI can knock on their door once at the behest of GoI then they can do it again to save face of GoI," she tweeted.

The fact remains that airport in Mumbai changed hands at the speed of light:

- 26 June 2020 CBI registered a case against GVK

- 1 July CBI raided them

- 7 July ED registered money laundering case&summons by CBI

- 31 Aug agrement signed to handover the airports to Adani Group.  Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) February 8, 2023

This comes at a time when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Narendra Modi government had tweaked rule to favor Adani and India's most profitable airport was 'taken away from GVK 'using agencies.'

"This rule was changed by the government and Adani was given six airports. After that India's most strategic, profitable airport, Mumbai Airport, was taken away from GVK using agencies," said Rahul Gandhi.

"The result is 24 per cent of India's air traffic and 31 per cent of air freight passes through Adani's airports," he added.

The Congress leader attacked the government and said that Gautam Adani, Chairman of Adani Group, fortunes rose after BJP came to power in 2014.

However, GVK group has denied the allegations. GV Sanjay Reddy, did not force GVK to hand over Mumbai Airport to the Adani Group.

In July 2021, GVK handed control of the Mumbai airport over to Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. Gandhi earlier alleged that the Modi government hijacked" India's most profitable airport" from GVK using agencies like CBI and ED and gave it to Adani. However, Reddy told NDTV that there was no such pressure from anyone.

Prior to the sale, GVK was considering fundraising since the debt that its airport holding company had incurred while buying Bengaluru Airport was about to become due.

There were, nevertheless, a number of restrictions on their investment. The coronavirus epidemic started right then. The airport business was closed for three months and did not generate any money, Reddy said.

The Adani Group has been under fire since US short seller Hindenburg Reserach accused the Adani Group of 'brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades.'
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar on Wednesday informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address at 2 pm in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, 9 February.

"Reply by prime minister will be at 2 pm tomorrow," said Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar after the last speaker spoke on the motion on Wednesday.

This comes after the parliament broke into a storm over the recent Adani-Hindenburg issues that has questioned how the Adani was issues loans, tenders at various occasions several governmental and non-governmental entities that has contributed to the accumulation of wealth by Gautam Adani.

The American short-seller Hindenburg report has accused the Adani Group of Indulging in stock manipulation and over valuation in the latter's path to making Adani the richest man in Asia.

President Droupadi Murmu had addressed the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on 31 January, the first day of the Budget Session.

Modi replied to the motion of thanks in Lok Sabha earlier in the day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday countered the opposition barbs at his government over Hindenberg-Adani row with a strong attack on Congress over UPA rule, saying the decade before 2014 will be known as a lost decade. He also said that "blessings of 140 crore Indians" is his 'Suraksha Kavach'.

Replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks on the President's address, PM Modi talked about the work done by his government, saying there is positivity and hope towards India at a global level and the reforms were not carried out of compulsion but by conviction.

He said India is the mother of democracy, constructive criticism is vital for a strong democracy and criticism is like a 'shuddhi yagya'.

He also said Indian society has the capability to deal with negativity but it never accepts this negativity.

(With inputs from agencies)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gave a list of apps working with non-banking finance companies registered with the central bank, to the government ahead of the ban on some digital lending apps earlier this week, said officials on Wednesday.

"We have given a list of apps which work with NBFCs (non-banking finance companies) to the government. On that basis, the government has taken this step," Governor Shaktikanta Das.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) banned 94 loan apps, of which some had connections to China.

It also included some apps involved in what reports described as predatory lending with unfair terms, which led to a debt trap for the borrowers.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the central bank had sought a list from NBFCs that were registered with it for the apps that they were working with.

He said that there are many illegal and illegitimate apps which promise to lend even though no NBFC has appointed them. These entities sent such messages on mobiles

Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao said the RBI has not suggested imposing ban on any of the digital lending apps, and the central bank's role is limited to sharing the list of apps used by entities registered with the RBI.

"The ministry has requested the play stores to remove these apps which are not what you call operated by the regulated entities from the play stores," he added.

The list of banned apps include 'Buy Now Pay Later' (BNPL) apps such as LazyPay and Kissht.

Kisshts founder Ranvir Singh said that its app and website are working fine but noted a Play Store notification related to Kissht

The Kissht app and website are working for its customers. We are aware that Google has been asked to take down a list of companies from the Play Store that includes our company, but uncertain about the cause of such a notification. We are meeting officials tomorrow to seek clarification," he added.

Due to unavoidable circumstances our website and app are currently unavailable via a few internet service providers. Please be assured that we are doing everything to resolve the issue," PayU said.
China includes all approved homegrown anti-COVID drugs in medical insurance

Xinhua) 16:35, February 08, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- China has included all homegrown drugs for COVID-19 treatment approved to enter the market in its medical insurance scheme, according to the lastest announcement by the national healthcare authority.

Among these drugs, two tablets were temporarily included in the medical insurance catalog, following a conditional approval by the National Medical Products Administration in late January.

Money spent on these two tablets can be reimbursed by the medical insurance fund before March 31, said the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA).

Provincial healthcare authorities were asked to disclose medicine prices, and act in a proper manner under oversight from the public.

Currently, there are more than 600 medications used to treat COVID-19 in China's medical insurance catalog, according to the NHSA.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Indian nationals will now be able to apply for Schengen visas of some countries as VFS Global has decided to open a joint visa application centre in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow city.

People can now apply for Schengen visa from Lucknow without having to go to New Delhi. There are currently 27 European countries in the Schengen Area, 22 of which are Member States of the European Union - these include Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Croatia.

Also Read: Here is how you can reduce wait time for US visa with embassy's new initiative

On 4 February, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurated VFS Global Visa Application Center in Lucknow. Officials told PTI that this VFS Visa Application Center is meant for conveninence of people applying for a visa. This Visa Application Centre will start accepting visa applications from countries including Austria, Czech Republic, Portugal, Switzerland, Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, and Germany from 9 February.

Also Read: UK govt invites applications for Young Professionals visa scheme: How to enter the ballot

What is a Schengen Visa?

Schengen refers to the EU passport-free zone that covers most European countries. Its the largest free travel area in the world. A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows a person to travel to any member of the Schengen Area, per stay up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes.

It is the most common visa for Europe. It enables its holder to enter, freely travel within, and leave the Schengen zone from any of the Schengen member countries. There are no border controls within the Schengen Zone.

As per the Schengen visa website, if anyone is planning to study, work, or live in one of the Schengen countries for more than 90 days, then they must apply for a national visa of that European country and not a Schengen Visa.

How long does it take to wait for a Schengen Visa appointment in India?

Schengen embassies/consulates in India typically require you to schedule an appointment for your visa application 4-6 weeks in advance. So, start the application process ahead of your upcoming trip, considering it will take another two weeks for the embassy to reach a decision. Again, remember that the appointments may be booked out ahead of the summer or winter holidays, so start early. You can apply up to six months in advance.

When should you apply for Schengen Visa?

Anyone who is an Indian national and has a valid Indian passport can apply for Schengen visa. Schengen embassies/consulates in India typically require you to schedule an appointment for your visa application 4-6 weeks in advance. It is important to note that appointments may be booked out ahead of the summer or winter holidays. Submit your Schengen visa application at least 15 days before your planned trip and no earlier than six months.

How to apply for a Schengen Visa from India?

Find out what visa type you need.

Determine where to apply.

Book an appointment.

Prepare your visa documents.

Submit your application.

Pay the visa fee.

Retrieve your visa.

Documents required for Schengen Visa

The documents required for a Schengen Visa From India: Application form, Your Indian passport (original plus a copy), Identity photographs, Civil status certificate (It includes birth certificate, marriage certificate, family certificate, or death certificate), Proof of accommodation, Round-trip Flight Itinerary, Travel health insurance, Proof of paid visa fee, Cover letter, Proof of enough financial means.
With a new arrangement with an insurance services provider, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has secured its largest UK transaction in three years. The digital transformation of Phoenix Group Holdings product offering would cost more than 600 million ($723 million), according to a February 8 statement from TCS.

The Phoenix Group already uses some services from TCS, which claims that the partnership's extension will make the UK business more competitive.

As part of the agreement, Asia's largest outsourcer will incorporate ReAssure's historical operations onto its primary financial services platform. Phoenix owns ReAssure. The three million insurance under ReAssure will be serviced and administered by a TCS division in the UK.

Given uncertainty regarding the economic prospects in 2023, Indian software services companies like TCS are preparing for a slowdown in tech spending. Although TCS is optimistic about business prospects in the UK, the Russia-Ukraine war, which is in its second year, and skyrocketing prices have soured the atmosphere across Europe.

Also Read: TCS shares: Motilal Oswal sees 3950 target in 2023. Should you buy?

If you look at Europe there is obviously a real big issue out there," TCS Chief Executive Officer Rajesh Gopinathan said last month. But if you look at North America and UK, the environment there is very different, very supportive."

TCS was previously listed as one of the World's Most Admired Companies in FORTUNE magazine. The list, used as a gauge of corporate reputation, is based on a poll of global business executives, directors and analysts. Companies are assessed using factors including innovation, social responsibility, management capacity, global competitiveness, personnel management and product/service calibre.

Also Read: Invest in international stocks? Nithin Kamath shares major change in Budget 2023 for retail investors

TCS is honoured to be included in Fortune Magazine's list of the Worlds Most Admired Companies, especially since we share this accolade with many of our clients," Suresh Muthuswami, Chairman - TCS North America said upon receving the honour. This recognition is an outcome of the longer-term, purpose-driven partnerships we have built with our clients, communities and all other stakeholders."

(With agency inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
France's TotalEnergies has put on hold a planned investment in Adani Group's USD 50 billion hydrogen project pending results of an audit launched following allegations by a US short-seller, chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said on Wednesday.

While the partnership where the French oil giant was to take a 25 per cent stake in the hydrogen venture of the Adani group was announced in June last year, TotalEnergies has not yet signed a contract, he said at an earnings call.

"Obviously, the hydrogen project will be put on hold until we have clarity" from Adani group on the allegation levelled by US short-seller Hindenburg Research, Pouyanne said.

TotalEnergies is one of the biggest foreign investors in billionaire Gautam Adani's business empire and had previously taken stakes in the group's renewable energy venture, Adani Green Energy Ltd and city gas unit, Adani Total Gas Ltd.

As per the June 2022 announcement, TotalEnergies was to take 25 per cent equity in Adani New Industries Ltd (ANIL) - the Adani Group firm that is investing USD 50 billion over 10 years in a green hydrogen ecosystem that includes an initial production capacity of 1 million tonnes before 2030.

The announcement by Total adds to the woes of Adani. The crisis around the group following the Hindenburg report has also been used by the opposition parties to attack the government, alleging that the tycoon's rise was primarily because of his association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has rejected the allegation.

"This project was announced but nothing has been signed... and for now it won't be signed," Pouyanne said. "It makes no sense to add more (projects) until there is clarity."

Adani has to explain the allegations, he said.

Hindenburg's allegations of accounting and financial fraud unleashed an over USD 100 billion rout across Adani's companies. Adani group has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them malicious and an "attack on India".

"It was announced, nothing was signed. It doesn't exist," Pouyanne said on the hydrogen venture. "Adani has other things to deal with now, it's just good sense to pause things while the audit goes forward."

He said Total has USD 3.1 billion investment and the firm was "happy" with those investments as both Adani Green and Adani Total Gas are performing well.

"These companies have assets and revenue" and are healthy, he said.

The French company conducted due diligence before and after investing in the Adani companies, he said.

Shares of Adani Green and Adani Total Gas are still up by a factor of two and eight, respectively, since Total invested in them, Pouyanne added.

Total, France's largest oil and gas company, first joined hands with Adani in 2018 for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) venture before buying a 19.75 per cent stake in Adani Green Energy Ltd and a stake in solar assets for USD 2.5 billion in 2020-21. It also took a 37.4 per cent stake in Adani Total Gas Ltd, the firm that retails CNG to automobiles and piped natural gas to household kitchens and industries.

Last week, the firm said its investments in Adani group companies were in full compliance with the law.

"TotalEnergies' investments in Adani's entities were undertaken in full compliance with applicable - namely Indian - laws, and with TotalEnergies' own internal governance processes," it had said in a statement on Friday.

It added that it "welcomes the announcement by Adani to mandate one of the 'big four' accounting firms to carry out a general audit".

TotalEnergies' exposure resulting from these stakes is limited, as it represents 2.4 per cent (USD 3.1 billion as of December 31, 2022) of the company's capital employed and only USD 180 million of net operating income in 2022, the firm had said on Friday.

"These investments being accounted for under the equity method, TotalEnergies has not performed any re-evaluation in its accounts of its stakes in the listed entities ATGL and AGEL in relation to the increase in their stock values," the statement added.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
TV Narendran, the chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Steel, said the UK government has offered a counter-package to the steel giant against its proposal seeking a financial package to execute its decarbonisation plans for its plant in Port Talbot.

The Tata Steel CEO & MD believes there is a big gap between what the company had asked for and what the British government has offered. However, he is yet to share any details of the government's offer.

The steel major, which owns the UK's biggest steelworks at Port Talbot in South Wales, had sought 1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) in support from the UK government to execute its decarbonisation plans.

The company also employs nearly 8,000 people across all its operations in the country.

When asked if the Rishi Sunak-government in the UK has responded to Tata Steel's proposal seeking financial support, the CEO replied in affirmative, news agency PTI reported.

Speaking to PTI, he said that Tata Steel UK had submitted a transition plan into a new process route, which will be greener and more sustainable. The UK government has come back with a counter-proposal, which is less than what the steel major wanted.

Narendran said Tata Steel will now have to re-work on its decarbonisation plans for the UK business. It will rethink the facilities that can be set up and those which can't be taken forward.

"We need to re-look at the configuration because our proposal we felt was the most optimal proposal from the long-term sustainability of the site but obviously the UK government will also be limited by how much support they can give because the UK itself is in a difficult position economically. So, we have seen what they have offered. Let us now work and see if there is something which can be worth it," the company official was quoted as saying by PTI.

The Financial Times last year had reported that Tata Steel may close sites including Port Talbot unless it receives $1.8 billion from the UK government.

Allies of UK business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng had then said that he wants to help steelmakers, including Tata, decarbonise the industry, but believes future subsidy decisions must be taken by a new Conservative leader and prime minister, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the steel major has reported a surprise consolidated net loss of 2,224 crore for the third quarter ending 31 December, 2022 (Q3FY23). This is a decline of 76% from 9,572 crore profit posted in the corresponding quarter of last year.

The steel production company's revenue from operations declined 6% to 57,083.56 crore for the period under review as as compared to 60,783 crore in the year-ago period.

With agency inputs
Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said that he was once jailed for hoisting the Tricolor in the Union Territory.

While asserting that there is no restriction in Kashmir to hoist the national flag after the abrogation of Article 370, Thakur said, "I was longest serving BJP Youth Wing President, from 2010 to 2017. I took a yatra from Kolkata to Kashmir to hoist the national flag. I was put in jail to hoist the national flag in Jammu and Kashmir. Today, I see Jammu and Kashmir is a different state with no such restrictions."

Article 370 of the Constitution is a temporary provision which promises to grant autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir and limits Parliaments powers to make laws for the state. Under Part XXI of the Constitution titled Temporary, transitional and special provisions", Article 370 is categorised as a temporary provision with respect to the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Thakur was speaking at the first Y20 meeting under G20 India at IIT Guwahati.

The minister further said that after August 2019, when the article was ruled out by the Central government there are no such restrictions in the territory.

He added, "In Jammu and Kashmir, it was difficult to even hoist the national flag. But after the abrogation of Article 370, you could see last year during the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' program, there was a Tiranga hoisted on each and every house in Kashmir."

The first Y20 meeting in 2023, under G20 India, began in Guwahati on February 6.

The deliberations at the Youth20 were aimed at reaching out to the youth and holding consultations with them for ideas "for a better tomorrow".

More than 150 Youth delegates from G20 countries are participating in the three-day meeting. Over 12,000 college and university students are also expected to participate in these events.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will also present research papers from students and academicians of Assam.

The state government, along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, has taken up several initiatives to make the youth aware of Y20 and involve them in the process of nation-building.

(With inputs from ANI)
Elara Capital, a London-based company reported to have connections to Adani Group, and the Indian conglomerate itself are being watched by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.

Although the allegations mostly centre on group firms outside of the UK, the FCA is looking into potential UK connections around Elara, according to sources familiar with the situation who spoke to Financial News.

As former UK prime minister Boris Johnson's brother Jo leaves his board at the company, the FCA is looking into Elara. On February 1, Jo Johnson announced his resignation as the Adani stock tumbled.

Also Read: As Adani shares tank further, here's look at what is at stake

The individual with knowledge of the FCA's reasoning pointed out that the Adani Enterprises sale concerned securities of an Indian listed firm. Livemint could not independently verify the developments.

Raj Bhatt, CEO and head of Elara, founded the company in 2002 with the primary goal of raising financing for Indian corporates. Additional locations for Elara Capital include Singapore, Mauritius, New York, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. On its website, it lists asset management, sales and trading, research and analysis, and investment banking as some of its services.

Following the rout, Adani Enterprises cancelled a $2 billion Follow-on Public Offering (FPO) and retaliated against Hindenburg's claims in an effort to stop its declining price. On the same day that the Adani Group announced the cancellation of the FPO, Johnson announced his resignation from the company.

Also Read: Short-selling Adani Stocks not easy in India: Here's why

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," Johnson said.

Since the report on January 24, Adani's market value has decreased by more than $100 billion. Adani has refuted all charges.

Elara was mentioned by US-based Hindenburg Research in a study raising doubts about the Adani Group's financial stability. The Indian company has refuted the short seller's charges of financial fraud at Adani, but they have caused a stock rout across all of the Adani entities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
SpaceX plans to fire up all 33 engines powering its massive Starship launch system ahead of its first orbital launch, a key milestone in the companys efforts to reach the moon and Mars.

The so-called static fire is scheduled for Thursday, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer, said Wednesday at an industry conference. That would pave the way for the rockets orbital launch within the next month or so," she said.

The announcement comes about two weeks after the company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., filled the rocket and booster with propellant in a wet dress rehearsal." Starship is SpaceXs next-generation launch vehicle, designed to take cargo and people to deep space destinations.

Shotwell made the comments on Wednesday while speaking at an industry conference in Washington co-sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Shotwell also spoke about the need to provide support of Ukraines war effort, within limits, with its Starlink satellite system.

She said she was pleased to provide Starlink to Ukraine, but that it was never intended to be weaponized." Ukrainians leveraged it in ways that were unintentional," she said.

SpaceX sent a letter to the Pentagon in September asking for the agency to pay for Ukraines Starlink service, according to documents obtained by CNN.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Former Twitter executives conceded Wednesday that they made a mistake by blocking a story about Hunter Biden, the presidents son, from the social media platform in the run-up to the 2020 election, but adamantly denied Republican assertions that they were pressured by Democrats and law enforcement to suppress the story.

The decisions here arent straightforward, and hindsight is 20/20," Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of trust and safety, testified to Congress. It isnt obvious what the right response is to a suspected, but not confirmed, cyberattack by another government on a presidential election."

He added, Twitter erred in this case because we wanted to avoid repeating the mistakes of 2016."

The three former executives appeared before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to testify for the first time about the companys decision to initially block from Twitter a New York Post article in October 2020 about the contents of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden.

Todays hearing is the House Oversight and Accountability Committees first step in examining the coordination between the federal government and Big Tech to restrict protected speech and interfere in the democratic process," Rep. James Comer, the chairman, said in his opening statement.

The witnesses Republicans subpoenaed to testify were Roth, Vijaya Gadde, Twitter's former chief legal officer and James Baker, the company's former deputy general counsel.

Democrats brought a witness of their own, Anika Collier Navaroli, a former employee with Twitter's content moderation team. She testified last year to the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot about Twitter's preferential treatment of Donald Trump until the then-president was banned from the site two years ago.

The hearing is the GOP's opening act into what lawmakers promise will be a widespread investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, with the tech companies another prominent target of their oversight efforts.

The White House criticized congressional Republicans for staging a bizarre political stunt," hours after Biden's State of the Union address where he detailed the bipartisan progress made in his first two years in office.

This appears to be the latest effort by the House Republican majoritys most extreme MAGA members to question and relitigate the outcome of the 2020 election," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement Wednesday. This is not what the American people want their leaders to work on."

The New York Post first reported in October 2020, weeks before the presidential election, that it had received from Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, a copy of a hard drive from a laptop that Hunter Biden had dropped off 18 months earlier at a Delaware computer repair shop and never retrieved. Twitter blocked people from sharing links to the story for several days.

Months later, Twitters then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, called the companys communications around the Post article not great." He added that blocking the articles URL with zero context" around why it was blocked was unacceptable."

The newspaper story was greeted at the time with skepticism due to questions about the laptops origins, including Giulianis involvement, and because top officials in the Trump administration had already warned that Russia was working to denigrate Joe Biden before the White House election.

The Kremlin had interfered in the 2016 race by hacking Democratic emails that were subsequently leaked, and fears that Russia would meddle again in the 2020 race were widespread across Washington.

Just last week, lawyers for the younger Biden asked the Justice Department to investigate people who say they accessed his personal data. But they did not acknowledge that that data came from a laptop that Hunter Biden is purported to have dropped off at a computer repair shop.

The issue was also reignited recently after Elon Musk took over Twitter as CEO and began to release a slew of company information to independent journalists, what he has called the Twitter Files."

The documents and data largely show internal debates among employees over the decision to temporarily censor links to the story about Hunter Biden. The tweet threads lacked substantial evidence of a targeted influence campaign from Democrats or the FBI, which has denied any involvement in Twitter's decision-making.

Nonetheless, Republicans including Comer, R-Ky., have used the Post story, which has not been independently verified by The Associated Press, as the basis for what they say is another example of the Biden family's influence peddling."

One of the witnesses on Wednesday, Baker, is expected to be the target of even more Republican scrutiny.

Baker was the FBIs general counsel during the opening of two of the bureaus most consequential investigations in history: the Hillary Clinton investigation and a separate inquiry into potential coordination between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans have long criticized the FBIs handling of both investigations.

For Democrats, Navaroli is expected to counter the GOP argument by testifying about how Twitter allowed Trumps tweets despite the misinformation they sometimes contained.

Navaroli testified to the Jan. 6 committee last year that Twitter executives often tolerated Trump's posts despite them including false statements and violations of the company's own rules because executives knew the platform was his favorite and most-used  and enjoyed having that sort of power."

The Jan. 6 committee used Navaroli's testimony in one of its public hearings last summer but did not identify her by name.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday said that no country should be allowed to use Afghan territory to export terrorism and asserted that India will never abandon the people of Afghanistan in their time of need.

In an address at a multilateral security dialogue on Afghanistan in Moscow, Doval said that an inclusive and representative dispensation in Kabul is in the larger interest of the Afghan society.

He also reaffirmed that the well being and humanitarian needs of the people of Afghanistan is India's foremost priority and it will continue to guide New Delhi's approach towards that country, official sources said.

The National Security Advisor (NSA) is on a two-day visit to Moscow from Wednesday.

Besides Russia and India, the fifth meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils/NSAs on Afghanistan was attended by representatives from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the official sources said

In his remarks at the meeting, Doval said that India "is and will" remain an important stakeholder in Afghanistan.

"We always stood by the people of Afghanistan and will always support collective efforts to help the Afghan people build a prosperous and vibrant nation once again," the sources quoted Doval as saying.

The meeting discussed various issues related to Afghanistan, including the security situation and humanitarian challenges facing the country, they said.

The third round of this conference was held in Delhi under chairmanship of Doval in November 2021.

The NSA said terrorism has become a major threat to the region and emphasised that intensified intelligence and security cooperation is needed among member states to deal with terror outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Daesh, according to the sources.

Doval also spoke about the importance of the UN Security Council resolution 2593 that called for terror outfits, including those designated by the top UN body, to be denied sanctuary in the region, they said.

The NSA said that Afghanistan is passing through a difficult phase and that "India will never abandon the Afghan people in their time of need".

An inclusive and representative dispensation is in the larger interest of the Afghan society, he said.

India has not yet recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.

Following the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power, India has delivered 40,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 60 tonnes of medicines, 5,00,000 Covid vaccines, winter clothing and 28 tonnes of disaster relief to the country.

India has granted fresh scholarships to 2,260 Afghan students, including 300 Afghan girls, during the past two years.

India has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

In June last year, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a "technical team" in its embassy in the Afghan capital.

India had withdrawn its officials from the embassy after the Taliban seized power in August 2021 following concerns over their security.

Doval's visit to Moscow comes weeks ahead of the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to travel to India to attend the meeting on March 1 and 2.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
No new variants of Covid-19 emerged in Beijing in the weeks after China ended its zero-Covid policy late last year, a new study said on Wednesday.

China saw an explosion of infections after starting to lift its strict pandemic measures from early December, sparking fears the world's most populous country could become a fertile breeding ground for new, more transmissible or severe strains.

More than a dozen countries promptly imposed fresh restrictions on travellers from China, also citing a lack of transparency about the scale of the outbreak, sparking Beijing's ire.

But the new study by Chinese researchers, which analysed 413 samples from Beijing sequenced between November 14 and December 20, said "there is no evidence that novel variants emerged" during that time.

Instead, more than 90 percent of the cases were BF.7 and BA5.2, Omicron subvariants which were already present in China and have been overtaken by more transmissible subvariants in Western nations.

BF.7 accounted for three quarters of the samples, while more than 15 percent were BA5.2, according to the study published in The Lancet journal.

"Our analysis suggests two known Omicron sub-variants -- rather than any new variants -- have chiefly been responsible for the current surge in Beijing, and likely China as a whole," lead study author George Gao, a virologist at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in a statement.

Wolfgang Preiser and Tongai Maponga, virologists at South Africa's Stellenbosch University not involved in the research, cautioned that it only covered a few weeks after China lifted its zero-Covid measures.

"If new lineages were to emerge in the course of the surge, the study was probably too early to find them," they said in a Lancet comment piece.

China has also dramatically cut back on its testing, potentially affecting the results, which also only cover Beijing and not the whole nation, they added.

However the virologists welcomed the "much-needed data from China".

"Although the fairly mild travel-related measures imposed by some countries for travellers from China once again might be viewed as punitive, one can but hope that this paper heralds more openness and prompt exchange of data going forward," they said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Speaking at a press briefing, senior US diplomat Karen Donfried made clear that America was not looking to sanction India for its purchases of Russian oil.

I want to be clear, we are not looking to sanction India. Our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships," said Donfried, who also serves as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

Donfired was responding to queries by the press on the statements made by Oleksander Merezhko, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker who called for India to be sanctioned if it continued purchases of Russian oil.

In recent months, Indian purchases of Russian oil have increased steadily with Moscow displacing traditional heavyweights like Iraq and Saudi Arabia to become Indias top supplier of oil. According to numerous reports, the sale of oil to India and China may be helping Russia stay afloat even as powers like the United States and the European Union work to shrink Moscows oil revenues.

Assistant-Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt also weighed in on reports that the Wests price cap scheme on Russian oil was underperforming.

Our very strong conclusion, including from our best global market experts at the Treasury with the price cap coalition is working. The price cap is having the intended effect and you only need to look at the dramatic spread between the Urals price of crude oil today and the global market price to see that we are achieving our goal of minimizing the resources which Russia receives from its oil," said Pyatt, who has also served in New Delhi as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy.

Pyatt also drew attention to a report by the International Energy Agency which estimates that Russias oil and gas revenues by 50% by the end of the decade.
There are strong indications" that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the green light to provide Russian separatists in Ukraine with the missiles used to down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, according to international investigators, who nevertheless decided to suspend their probe into the incident.

Using phone taps, it was possible to prove that Putin was personally involved in the decision to supply the Donetsk Peoples Republic separatists with anti-aircraft weaponry, the investigators said during a press conference in The Hague on Wednesday. They said, however, that they cannot confirm the rocket launcher used to down the plane was among that arsenal of weapons.

The Dutch government has held Russia liable for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which led to the deaths of all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 in 2014. In November two Russians and a Ukrainian citizen were found guilty by a Dutch court of carrying out the deadly attack in 2014.

A Kremlin spokesperson was not immediately available to comment. Russia rejected as scandalous the findings of the November ruling.

Judges in the Hague ruled that Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukraine national Leonid Kharchenko caused a missile attack. Most of the victims of the flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were Dutch citizens.

Nevertheless, the investigators on Wednesday decided to suspend the probe after it concluded there was insufficient evidence to lead to new prosecutions. The Netherlands will continue to call the Russian Federation to account for its role with the downing of the flight, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a statement on Twitter.

The Dutch state remains as committed as ever to the international proceedings it has instituted to establish the truth and achieve justice and accountability," said Rutte.

Malaysia Airlines Flight-17 disaster 2014

MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK missile system as it flew over eastern Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch citizens.

At the time the plane was downed, leaving wreckage and victims' remains scattered across fields of corn and sunflowers, Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk province.
The death toll of a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria jumped to more than 7,800 people on Tuesday as rescuers worked against time in harsh winter conditions to dig survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings.

As the scale of the disaster became ever more apparent, the death toll looked likely to rise considerably. One U.N. official said thousands of children may have died.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. But residents in several damaged Turkish cities voiced anger and despair at what they said was a slow and inadequate response from the authorities to the deadliest earthquake to hit Turkey since 1999.

"There is not even a single person here. We are under the snow, without a home, without anything," said Murat Alinak, whose home in Malatya had collapsed and whose relatives are missing. "What shall I do, where can I go?"

Monday's magnitude 7.8 quake, followed hours later by a second one almost as powerful, toppled thousands of buildings including hospitals, schools and apartment blocks, injured tens of thousands, and left countless people homeless in Turkey and northern Syria.

ALSO READ: Turkey-Syria Earthquake Live Updates

Rescue workers struggled to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather and a lack of resources and heavy equipment. Some areas were without fuel and electricity.

With little immediate help at hand, residents picked through rubble sometimes without even basic tools in a desperate hunt for survivors.

Aid officials voiced particular concern about the situation in Syria, already afflicted by a humanitarian crisis after nearly 12 years of civil war.

Erdogan declared 10 Turkish provinces a disaster zone and imposed a state of emergency for three months that will permit the government to bypass parliament in enacting new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms.

The government will open up hotels in the tourism hub of Antalya to temporarily house people impacted by the quakes, said Erdogan, who faces a national election in three months' time.

The death toll in Turkey rose to 5,894, Vice President Fuat Oktay said. More than 34,000 were injured. In Syria, the toll was at least 1,932, according to the government and a rescue service in the insurgent-held northwest.

'EVERY MINUTE, EVERY HOUR'

Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people were affected in an area spanning roughly 450 km (280 miles) from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east, and 300 km from Malatya in the north to Hatay in the south.

Syrian authorities have reported deaths as far south as Hama, some 250 km from the epicentre.

"It's now a race against time," World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva. "Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes."

Across the region, rescuers toiled night and day as people waited in anguish by mounds of rubble clinging to the hope that friends, relatives and neighbours might be found alive

In Antakya, capital of Hatay province bordering Syria, rescue teams were thin on the ground and residents picked through debris themselves. People pleaded for helmets, hammers, iron rods and rope.

One woman, aged 54 and named Gulumser, was pulled alive from an eight-storey building 32 hours after the quake.

Another woman then shouted at the rescue workers: "My father was just behind that room she was in. Please save him."

The workers explained they could not reach the room from the front and needed an excavator to remove the wall first.

More than 12,000 Turkish search and rescue personnel are working in the affected areas, along with 9,000 troops. More than 70 countries offered rescue teams and other aid.

But the sheer scale of the disaster is daunting.

"The area is enormous. I haven't seen anything like this before," said Johannes Gust, from Germany's fire and rescue service, as he loaded equipment onto a truck at Adana airport.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said 5,775 buildings had been destroyed in the quake and that 20,426 people had been injured.

Two U.S. Agency for International Development teams with 80 people each and 12 dogs are set to arrive Wednesday morning in Turkey and head to the southeastern province of Adiyaman to focus on urban search and rescue.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva that the earthquake "may have killed thousands of children."

'TERRIFYING SCENE'

Syrian refugees in northwest Syria and in Turkey were among the most vulnerable people affected, Elder said.

In the Syrian city of Hama, Abdallah al Dahan said funerals for several families were taking place on Tuesday.

"It's a terrifying scene in every sense," said Dahan, contacted by phone. "In my whole life I haven't seen anything like this, despite everything that has happened to us."

Mosques opened their doors to families whose homes were damaged.

The Syrian state news agency SANA said at least 812 people were killed in the government-held provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib and Tartous.

At least 1,120 people were killed in Syria's opposition-held northwest with the toll expected to "rise dramatically", the White Helmets rescue team said.

"There are lot of efforts by our teams, but they are unable to respond to the catastrophe and the large number of collapsed buildings," group head Raed al-Saleh said.

A U.N. humanitarian official in Syria said fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles.

"The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged," U.N. resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters from Damascus.

In Malatya, Turkey, locals with no specialist equipment or even gloves tried to pick through the wreckage of homes crumpled by the force of the earthquake.

"My in-laws' grandchildren are there. We have been here for two days. We are devastated," said Sabiha Alinak.

"Where is the state? We are begging them. Let us do it, we can rescue them. We can do it with our means."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed for fighter jets to ensure his country's victory over Russia in a dramatic speech before the U.K. Parliament, where he also thanked the British people for their support since Day One" of Moscow's invasion.

The embattled leader's surprise visit to Britain in a bid for more advanced weapons comes as Ukraine braces for an expected Russian offensive and hatches its own plans to retake land held by Moscow's forces. Western support has been key to Kyiv's surprisingly stiff defense, and the two sides are engaged in grinding battles.

At a joint news conference at a British army base, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said fighter jets were part of the conversation" about aid to Ukraine.

Nothing is off the table," he said. "We must arm Ukraine in the short term, but we must bolster Ukraine for the long term."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs all kinds of supplies, not just planes, but also ammunition and long-range missiles

Without this, there would be stagnation which will not bring to anything good," he said, calling his visit very fruitful."

It was only Zelenskyy's second foreign trip since Russia invaded on Feb, 24, 2022, after a December visit to Washington. French President Emmanuel Macron's office said he would host Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris later in the day. Expectations were growing that he might meet European Union leaders Thursday in Brussels, where they are holding a summit.

Sunak and Zelenskyy flew by helicopter to Lulworth Camp, a base in southwest England where they met Ukrainian troops being trained on the Challenger 2 tanks the U.K. is sending as part of the hundreds that Kyiv says it needs. More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops have been trained at bases in the U.K., and Britain says it will train 20,000 more in 2023.

I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak said.

Hundreds of lawmakers and parliamentary staff had packed the 900-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest  and, on a cold winter day, unheated  part of Parliament for Zelenskyys speech.

Zelenskyy thanked Britons for their bravery, adding: London has stood with Kyiv since Day One."

Wearing his trademark olive drab sweatshirt, he urged allies to send his country jets, saying combat aircraft would be wings for freedom."

In a pointed and dramatic gesture, Zelenskyy presented the speaker of the House of Commons with a Ukrainian air force helmet, inscribed by a Ukrainian pilot: We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it."

The president is trying to soften allies' reluctance to send advanced fighter jets, both because they are complex to fly and for fear of escalating the war.

The U.K. has repeatedly said its not practical to provide the Ukrainian military with British warplanes. But in a shift, the government said Wednesday it was actively looking" at whether Ukraine could be sent Western jets, and was in discussion with our allies" about it.

Britain also said it would train Ukrainian pilots in Britain on NATO-standard fighter jets" within weeks.

Sunak spokesman Max Blain said the government was exploring what jets we may be able to give" over the coming years, but had not made a decision on whether to send its F-35 or Typhoons.

We think it is right to provide both short-term equipment  that can help win the war now, but also look to the medium to long term to make sure Ukraine has every possible capacity it requires," he said.

Ukraine has sought Western fighter jets since early in the war to bolster its force of Soviet-made MiG-29 and Su fighters. The success of its air force in defending its skies and territory despite Russias bigger numbers helped push back Moscows initial assault.

The Russian Embassy in London strongly warned the U.K. against supplying warplanes to Ukraine, saying Britain would bear responsibility for another twist of escalation and the ensuing military-political consequences for the European continent and the entire world."

Macron has said France hasn't ruled out sending fighter jets but set conditions, including not leading to an escalation of tensions or using the aircraft to touch Russian soil," and not resulting in weakening the capacities of the French army."

Zelenskyy also went to Buckingham Palace, where he met with King Charles III, who greeted him with a broad smile and a warm handshake before they had tea. The king told the president that weve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long."

In his Parliament speech, Zelenskyy noted that Charles was a qualified military pilot.

The king is an air force pilot," Zekenskyy said, and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king."

Zelenskyy was greeted with applause, cheers and cries of Slava Ukraini"  Glory to Ukraine"  as he arrived in Parliament, where his cause has wide support.

He had addressed the U.K. Parliament remotel y in March, two weeks after the start of the invasion. He echoed World War II leader Winston Churchills famous never surrender" speech, vowing that Ukrainians will fight till the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost."

On Wednesday, he recalled how on a prewar visit to London, he sat on Churchill's chair in his subterranean wartime headquarters, and had a feeling that he only now understood.

It was the feeling of how bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory," Zelenskyy said.

In past wars, evil lost," he told U.K. lawmakers. We know Russia will lose and we we know victory will change the world.

The U.K. has sent Ukraine more than 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in weapons and equipment, and Zelenskyy thanked Sunak and his predecessor Boris Johnson for their staunch backing. Sunak took office in October and has pledged to maintain the U.K.s support.

Boris, you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible," Zelenskyy said.

He also urged stronger sanctions against Moscow until Russia is deprived of any possibility to finance this war."

Coinciding with the visit, the U.K. government announced new sanctions against six entities that Britain said supplied equipment to the Russian military. CST, a manufacturer of Russian drones and parts for helicopters used against Ukraine, were among them.

The Ukrainian leader arrived on a Royal Air Force plane in London, and Sunak greeted him on the tarmac with an embrace. They held talks at the prime minister's 10 Downing St. residence before Zelenskyy's speech.

The London visit came as Russian forces shelled areas of eastern Ukraine in what Kyiv authorities believe is part of a thrust by the Kremlins forces before the invasion anniversary. Moscow, meanwhile, believes Ukraine is preparing its own battlefield push.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
LONDON : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Britain on Wednesday, his first trip to the UK since Russia's invasion began nearly a year ago and only his second confirmed journey outside Ukraine during the war.

The British government says Zelenskyy will hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, address Parliament and meet with UK military chiefs.

The UK is one of the biggest military backers of Ukraine and has sent the country more than 2 billion pounds (USD 2.5 billion) in weapons and equipment.

The visit comes as Sunak announced that Britain will train Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard fighter jets." Ukraine has urged its allies to send jets, though the UK says it's not practical to provide the Ukrainian military with British warplanes.

More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops have also been trained at bases in the UK, some of the Challenger 2 tanks that Britain is sending.

I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak said. "It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come."

It will be Zelenskyy's second known trip visit abroad since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. He visited the US in December.

Zelenskyy formed a bond with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was one of Ukraine's most vocal backers. Sunak took office in October and has pledged to maintain the UK's support.
US President Joe Biden gave one of his best speeches ever in his second State of the Union Address on Tuesday. He displayed energy, wit, combativeness and a grip on policy, even while looking away from the teleprompters. Yet his party, his country and the world would be better off were he to decide not to run for US President in 2024.

Jacinda Ardern, the most admired prime minister New Zealand has ever had, voluntarily stepped down early in January, saying she didnt have enough left in the tank to continue. That is rare self-awareness for a politician. Biden clearly does not feel the same way  he considers himself to be a suitable boy, especially if his rival is going to be former president Donald Trump.

No one can blame any Democrat for wanting to take a run at Trump, especially when he has been defeated once. But there are two things wrong about such conditional construction of the Democrats presidential candidacy.

Trump is no shoe-in for the Republican nomination. Many Republicans, even those who were happy to support him when he was in office, now feel the party would be better off with a younger, less controversial candidate like Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.

If Biden offers himself as a candidate for president, fellow Democrats may feel constrained to give him a free pass rather than contest that nomination. While first-term presidents have faced challenges from their own partymen when up for re-election, for a rival Democrat to attack the incumbent president and his record in office might well serve to totally undermine the Democrats case altogether, given the extreme polarisation and partisanship of the current American polity.

If Biden looks to secure an uncontested party nomination in 2024 for a rematch with Trump and the Republicans ditch the former US president in favour of someone younger and less prone to controversy, the Democrats will be left flatfooted, with an 82-year-old candidate who garbles his speech and often has to be corrected by his officials.

(This isn't at all about age. People live longer these days and are able to work far longer than they could just a few years ago.)

After Biden called Putin a murderer who should not continue in office, State Department officials had to rush to clarify that the US wasn't seeking regime change in Russia. Another gaffe was to deviate from Americas preferred ambiguity on how it would respond to a forcible Chinese takeover of Taiwan. Biden said, twice, that the US would defend Taiwan, only for that emphatic clarity to be walked back by his officials.

On the timetable for withdrawing from Afghanistan, Biden forgot to consult his NATO allies and unilaterally announced Americas exit without securing any effective guarantees from the Taliban on how they would treat Afghans once Western forces left the country. Biden also didnt think it necessary to inform Americas oldest ally in Europe, France  which gifted Americans their Statue of Liberty after helping them in their war of independence against the British  of a plan to persuade Australia to cancel a valuable nuclear submarine contract with a French company in favour of an Anglo-American one. The French also werent taken on board when the US formed the AUKUS pact with Britain and Australia to take on China in the Indo-Pacific.

Apart from such errors of omission in Asia, Biden embraced errors of commission in Europe when Russia invaded Ukraine. He backed and armed Ukraine to the hilt, led the imposition of sanctions against Russia, inflicted pain on European industry and consumers and on the emerging world, which saw its recovery from the pandemic being choked off by high oil, food and commodity prices. The pain of Europe and the developing world was matched by the gain of American manufacturers of oil, gas and weapons.

A precarious majority in both Houses of Congress allowed Biden to get some key laws passed that would give the US a boost in some green technologies, much to Europes chagrin. Bidens policy towards China continues to be confrontational, with a ban on the sale of advanced semiconductors or vital American technology thats aimed at halting Chinas progress on artificial intelligence, quantum computing and communications.

This could create cracks in the global trading system, depress trade and constrain Asian prosperity, including Indias. A more sensible approach would have been to widen the definition of dual-use technologies to include advanced silicon in the list of items controlled by the Wassenaar Arrangement, which restricts trade in dual-use technologies.

Its true that under Biden, the Democrats averted a rout in the midterm elections towards the end of 2022. But it is also true that they failed to capitalise on widespread concern among American women about the Republican effort, endorsed by a conservative Supreme Court, to take away womens control over their own bodies and hand it over to anti-abortionist local politicians.

The Biden administrations policy on immigration in general, and on the influx across the southern border with Mexico in particular, continues to be muddled. Americas economic woes can hardly be placed at Bidens door, but the presidents inability to forge a new paradigm of globalisation that would broaden the base of American participation in globalised growth  to everyones benefit  rankles.

Extreme partisanship in the US makes politics and policy simplistic, puts a premium on American exceptionalism and its cousin, unilateralism, and makes things worse for the rest of the world.

Everyone would be better off with a new generation of leaders in the US, who could see their domestic rivalries and global conflicts of interest with a fresh set of eyes that look to the future rather than the past.

Please abandon your plan to run again, President Biden.
A new study has revealed that more than one in two cancer patients experienced long Covid-19 symptoms for more than six months after initial infection. The research is published in the journal eLife, according to the news agency ANI.

The result also shows that women undergoing cancer treatment seem at higher risk than men. In the general population, reports of the prevalence of long Covid-19 - also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) - vary from 10% to 87%, with symptoms persisting beyond 30 days in patients who had severe initial Covid-19 symptoms or were hospitalized.

Lead author Anne-Marie Chaftari, Associate Professor, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas, US said, Although cancer patients fall into a higher Covid-19 risk group there is limited data on PASC in cancer patients and how it affects their progression, care, and treatment."

"In order to provide a better understanding of post-Covid-19 management among cancer patients, we sought to characterize the patterns of long Covid-19 specifically in these patients," she said.

The team of scientists identified patients receiving care at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who were diagnosed with Covid-19 between March and September 2020 and followed their progress for up to 14 months via remote symptom monitoring and their usual hospital visits, according to the study.

It stated that questionnaires were sent out to patients daily for 14 days after the initial Covid-19 diagnosis. They were asked to record symptoms including fatigue, cough, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, headache, fever, altered sense of smell or taste, muscle aches, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, sleep disturbance, and any limitations with activities of daily living.

Long Covid-19 was defined as coronavirus-related symptoms persisting beyond 30 days of diagnosis or the emergence of new Covid-19 symptoms, ANI reported.

The team collected data for 312 cancer patients, of whom 188, or 60 percent, developed long Covid-19. Those who had relapsed or had treatment-resistant cancer at baseline, or those who had more severe acute Covid-19 infections, were less likely to develop long Covid-19, the study said.

The link between BP and the risk of severe acute Covid-19 is thought to be due to the binding of the Covid-19 spike protein to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), the target of many BP-lowering drugs. These findings might rule out this mechanism is important for the development of long Covid-19, it added as quoted by ANI.

Senior author Issam Raad, professor, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center said, Our study found that long Covid-19 occurred in the majority of our cancer patients and was more prevalent in women than men."

Even in this high-risk patient population, long Covid-19 was not associated with a high rate of hospital admissions. We also found no underlying condition or severity of illness during acute Covid-19 that would predict long Covid-19," he added.

(With ANI inputs)
PARIS : Google plans to give details on new search features powered by artificial intelligence a day after Microsoft Corp. saidit was building the technology behind the chatbot ChatGPT into its Bing search engine.

At an event Wednesday in the French capital, the Alphabet Inc. unit plans to describe new types of search results that include more direct and lengthy textual responses generated in response to complex queries, according to a screenshot of one such result, rather than the snippets and short direct answers and links to outside sites now available through the search engine.

The new AI-powered features will distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats," Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in an internal company email on Monday.

We have a lot of hard and exciting work ahead to build these technologies into our products and continue bringing the best of Google AI to improve peoples lives," Mr. Pichai wrote in the email, which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Googles announcement of AI enhancements to its search engine is its latest counteroffensive in a tit-for-tat AI battle. It comes a day after Microsoft announced that it would integrate ChatGPT technology into its Bing search engine, allowing users to pose questions in natural language and receive direct responses. Microsoft said last month it is making a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT and other AI tools such as Dall-E 2 image-generation software.

Google said Monday it was rolling out a new ChatGPT-like AI service called Bard to a select set of testers, with a broader public launch in coming weeks. The new experimental servicegenerates textual responses to questions posed by users, based on information drawn from the web. Bard, unlike the initial version of ChatGPT, can access information from the real world through Google Search, according to a screenshot of a response by Bard viewed by the Journal.

Those developments are part of a fast-spreading AI war over the commercial potential of so-called generative AIartificial intelligence that can create content in response to short user inputssince OpenAI moved to release ChatGPT publicly late last year. Microsoft has promised to integrate capabilities from generative AI tools from OpenAI across all of its products quickly, as well as making them available to outside developers.

Others are jumping into the fray as well. Chinas Baidu Inc. is developing an AI-powered chatbot similar to ChatGPT called Ernie bot," which it plans to launch next month.

Google said it plans to show Wednesday how it is making the way people search for information more natural and intuitive than ever before." It didnt elaborate ahead of the event, which is set to be streamed live on Googles YouTube video service.

In an example of a new AI search page that Google published Monday, Google showed a three-paragraph textual response to the query, Is piano or guitar easier to learn and how much practice does each need?" atop a results page that includes a box of related links with thumbnail images.

In the AI-generated text response, the search engine cites opposing perspectives favoring the ease of each musical instrument and says music teachers recommend at least an hour of daily practice for beginners.

Google has been one of the primary innovators making fundamental artificial-intelligence tools that have helped power some of the latest applications popularizing the technology. Until the new AI race kicked off, the company mostly built AI quietly into its services, such as by improving its automated translations, rather than making a generalized AI product available to the public.

In part, according to Google executives, that is because the company has been reluctant to roll out tools that, like ChatGPT, can sometimes spout false information or nonsense in response to user queries. The company has also been under scrutiny by researchers, regulators and its own staffers to police its own use of AI.

In 2018, Google created a series of AI principles that it said it would apply to its work going forward. Those rules include requirements that the AI tools should be socially beneficial, they should avoid reinforcing biases and they should be built and tested for safety in constrained environments.

Researchers cite many examples of the potential dangers. AI technology known as deep fakes, for instance, can create video that appears to be of real people saying or doing things they never said or did.
WASHINGTON : Potential Chinese influence over what Americans view on TikTok is an increasing concern among U.S. policy makersand one that could defy a simple solution.

TikTok says it has devised a plan that would allow U.S. officials to check whether its proprietary algorithmthe secret sauce of computer code that recommends videos to userswas being influenced by Beijing.

That arrangement faces practical difficulties, according to some US officials and independent researchers, who say that determining why the algorithm promotes or demotes content is a complex task that often doesnt yield clear answers.

It is, technically, really hard," said Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said that U.S. overseers might be able to review the core TikTok algorithm, but that much of the apps code would still be written in Beijing.

Chinese ownership of the hugely popular video app worries U.S. government officials, who say the Chinese government could potentially manipulate what viewers seeor access data on U.S. users.

TikToks promise of transparency into its algorithm is a central part of the companys proposal to fend offrising calls to ban the app.

TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., says it wouldnt allow Chinese government meddling but has offered to give a U.S. company, Oracle Corp., the ability to access the algorithms code and flag issues for government inspectorspart of a $1.5 billion plan to wall off aspects of its U.S. operations.

A TikTok spokeswoman said the companys proposal includes layers of government and independent oversight to ensure that there are no backdoors into TikTok that could be used to access data or manipulate content on the platform."

Social-media researchers said that even if TikToks overseers could keep up with constant changes to the code, they would also need detailed information about how the algorithm filtered and rated the apps fire hose of videos to ensure no interference.

TikTok could open-source every line of its code and the impact that the algorithm has on what is getting shown wont be plainly visible," said Cameron Hickey, CEO of the National Conference on Citizenship, a nonprofit that studies how social media affects civic discourse.

Under TikToks proposal, Oracle would need to sign off on all of TikToks code before it can operate, the TikTokspokeswoman said. Oracle would also monitor whether the code operates as expected and be empowered to access any other information needed to assess the platforms integrity, she said.

Political content on TikTok is one of U.S. officials primary national-security concerns. Mr. Warner and others say Beijing could attempt to shape what Americans see on TikTok with the goal of sowing discord, influencing public opinion or tilting an election.

Part of the challenge in addressing those concerns is that determining why content spreads or doesnt spread on TikTok isnt an exact science. Some TikTok users have long suspected that the apps algorithm disfavors content about political topics.

Corrbette Pasko, whose eponymous account giving satirical news updates from Generation X has more than 271,000 followers, said she regularly modifies the captions or text accompanying her videos to hide political themes.

I spell abortion with an umlaut," she said.

Ahead of the U.S. midterm elections and subsequent Senate runoff in Georgia last fall, Ms. Pasko participated in an experiment with 21 other popular TikTok personalities, known as influencers.

Each influencer posted two nearly identical videos to the TikTok app. Both videos encouraged viewers to vote, without a partisan tilt. But in one set of posts, the influencers spoke or typed in words related to voting, such as #elections" or #govote." In the second set, the influencers didnt type in any voting-related text.

The second set of videos garnered more views in all but three cases, and more than twice as many views in total, according to Accelerate Change, the nonprofit group that organized the experiment.

Accelerate Change works to increase civic engagement among minority groups, sometimes in line with progressive causes. It disclosed receiving less than 1% of its funding during the past five years from TikTok competitor Meta Platforms Inc. for work on separate projects.

Peter Murray, president of Accelerate Change, said the results show that TikTok is consistently suppressing videos when it can detect they are about voting. The group also tried a parallel experiment on YouTube and Instagram, but didnt see a big difference in engagement.

Weve never seen a social-media property do a blanket suppression of voter content across its platform," Mr. Murray said. This is only happening on TikTok."

Some other social-media researchers said that the experiment raised questions about TikToks treatment of political content, but didnt prove TikTok intentionally suppressed voting-related videos.

The results could be explained by subtler factors, they said, such as the number of words appearing on screen or the characteristics of the 22 influencers and their audiences, which collectively represent a tiny slice of TikToks massive platform.

Josephine Lukito, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin who has studied online disinformation, said U.S. officials would face similar challenges trying to analyze the algorithm.

Even if Oracle did a review and found some biases," she said, it may be difficult to attribute it to intentional manipulation."

The TikTok spokeswoman said the experiment doesnt support Accelerate Changes conclusions, noting that the group didnt test whether a similar effect would occur with videos unrelated to voting. She said that TikTok doesnt categorize or recommend videos based on any subject, including politics. Rather, the recommendations are based on users actions, she said.

To communicate more with users about why the app might not share their videos, TikTok said last week that it plans to test a section of the app where users can see if TikTok deemed their video ineligible for recommendation."

TikToks own executives have sometimes struggled to understand the algorithms performance. In the summer of 2020, some U.S.-based TikTok executives noticed that views of certain creators were dropping mysteriouslyonly to find later that a team in China had made changes to the algorithm, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Some of the posts involved calls for people to vote, the people said.
Jamie Heath, Collegedale Assistant Chief of Police said thieves are targeting Kias and Hyundais 2011 and newer that require a key to start them. With just a USB cord, they are able to start your car and drive off in a matter of minutes.
We just want to build on it, declared a delighted Kofi Appiah in the wake of K Muni & ND finishing third overall in last Friday night's Late Late Late Eurosong, with their popular rap Down in the Rain.

Winners Wild Youth will perform We Are One in the first semi-final of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool on Tuesday, May 9, however, following their accomplished performance Kofi and Nevlonne Dampare certainly look to have a bright future ahead of them in the music industry.

University is still a priority right now, but the plan for this year is to get signed by a record label, and keep ourselves out there, revealed Kofi.

K Muni & ND were the last to perform in a line up that included the winners along with Leila Jane, ADGY, Public Image Limited and CONNOLLY for the chance to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Kofi described entering and performing in Eurosong as an unforgettable experience. It was surreal from day one. It was hectic. We put a lot of planning into how the performance was staged.

Last year, Ukraine won the contest with Kalush Orchestra but was deemed unable to host this year's event because of the Russian invasion.

As the UK came second, it took over responsibility for organising the event before Liverpool was revealed as the host city.
A consultation process is underway to explore the future of Catholic secondary education provision in Longford and surrounding areas.

A joint statement issued this evening by CEIST (Catholic Education An Irish Schools' Trust) Chief Executive Officer Gerry McGuill and Fr Tom Healy, Diocesan Administrator, Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, said 'it is an opportune time to explore current and future Catholic secondary educational provision in Longford and surrounding areas'.

CEIST, Patron of Mean Scoil Mhuire, Longford; and the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Patron of St Mels College; met with their respective boards of management and staffs and commenced a consultation process on the future of Catholic education in Longford town.

The process will be guided by an independent facilitator, Mr Frank Smith.

The Patrons stated that 'they have no pre-determined outcome in mind, and wish to have 'an honest conversation' with all stakeholders 'about the future of Catholic post-primary education provision in the area'.

The full statement reads;

"St Mels College and Mean Scoil Mhuire have been at the forefront of the provision of high quality post-primary education in the Catholic tradition for many years in Longford.

"Both schools have a very rich historical tradition and are highly appreciated as providing a values based education to past and present students, alongside high academic standards.

"Nationally, the educational landscape is changing rapidly, and it is the responsibility of the Patrons, as guardians of Catholic education in Longford, to consider the future and plan for future development of these great traditions.

"Both Patrons (Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, and CEIST), have therefore agreed that it is an opportune time, in collaboration with each of the school communities, to explore together current and future Catholic secondary educational provision in Longford and surrounding areas.

"A consultation process is now commencing which will seek to gather the views of boards of management, staff, students and parents, including primary school parents.

"This process will be guided by an independent facilitator, Mr Frank Smith.

"The Patrons have no pre-determined outcome in mind, and wish to have an honest conversation with boards of management, staff, students and parents in both schools, and the parents of future post-primary students, about the future of Catholic post-primary education provision in the area.

"The views of local education partners will guide the Patrons in any future decisions."
One of the largest independent drinks wholesalers in the country is expanding into Longford and the North West.

JJ Mahon & Sons has agreed the acquisition of the business of Drino Drinks, a wholesale supplier based in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim.

Following the acquisition of the business of Drino Drinks by Kildare-based JJ Mahon & Sons a new entity called Connacht Bottlers will be established.

Connacht Bottlers will be based at the existing Drino Drinks distribution centre at Grange, Carrick-on-Shannon.

All staff employed by Drino Drinks on the date of the takeover will transfer to Connacht Bottlers, which will be the largest independent drinks wholesaler in the region.

The business will continue to supply customers with spirits, kegs, bottled beers, craft beers, soft drinks, snacks and barware, as well as the exclusive wine brands from many of the worlds top vineyards already available from JJ Mahon & Sons.

Established in 1949, JJ Mahon & Sons currently employ over 40 fulltime staff at its Kildare Town base, servicing the hospitality industry in the greater Dublin area, Leinster and the Midlands.

Drino Drinks was founded 65 years ago and is a wholesale supplier to the hospitality industry in Co Longford, the North West, West and Midlands.

Kevin Mahon, Chief Executive of JJ Mahon & Sons, described the establishment of Connacht Bottlers as a significant achievement for the company established over 70 years ago by his late father.

He added: Assuming Drino Drinks into JJ Mahon & Sons will allow us to bring the customer service ethos which we are famous for and which is at the core of our business offering to the North Midlands and West region. I look forward to working with the staff who have transferred from Drino Drinks, as we continue to service and support existing customers in the region and also attract new business. I believe that our focus on delivering for our customers is exactly the same as that of the late Pat McGovern, who established Drino in 1957 (1968) and developed the company into a thriving business.

Cian McGovern, Managing Director of Drino Drinks, thanked the companys customers and staff for their loyalty and support over many decades. He said: Connacht Bottlers will ensure it is business as usual for the existing Drino Drinks customers and staff, while JJ Mahon & Sons long history and experience servicing the hospitality industry mean customers will have access to a wider range of products. I wish Connacht Bottlers and the excellent staff who are transferring every success.

The acquisition of the business of Drino Drinks by JJ Mahon & Sons and the establishment of Connacht Bottlers took place on the February 6, 2023.
A human trafficking and prostitution trial has collapsed due to unforeseen circumstances but is expected to begin again before a new jury later this month.

It was day ten of the trial of Natalia Nogueira Da Silva and Ivanilce (Lisa) Vailones Fidelis before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The trial opened two weeks ago and had been set down for six weeks.

In opening the trial, the jury were told that the State alleges that the accused women trafficked two vulnerable Brazilian women for the purposes of exploiting them and taking advantage of their vulnerability to such an extent as to cause the trafficked person to have no real or acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

Judge Patricia Ryan told the panel today (Wednesday, February 8) that due to unforeseen circumstances this case cannot proceed before yourselves and I am now going to discharge you. You are free to go.

She told the jurors that she understood that they would like to see the trial to its conclusion but said it will go ahead before another jury shortly. She advised them not to discuss the trial with anyone to ensure a fair trial before the next jurors.

Judge Ryan thanked the jurors for their service and the attention they had given the trial.

Ms Vailones Fidelis (46) of Castle Manor, Racecourse Road, Roscommon, has denied all 18 charges against her, including two counts of human trafficking, one count of organising prostitution and money laundering charges on dates between 2015 and 2020.

Ms Da Silva (32), of Cairn Hill View, Drumlish, Co Longford, has admitted 35 charges, including organising prostitution, facilitating the entry into the state of an illegal person and money laundering. She has denied a single charge of human trafficking in 2019.

Ms Da Silva has pleaded not guilty to one count of human trafficking a woman at an unknown location within the State, on dates between March 31, 2019, and May 18, 2019.

She has pleaded guilty in front of the jury to one count of organising prostitution at an unknown location within the State on dates between December 5, 2018, and May 18, 2019.

She has also admitted one count of facilitating the entry into the State of a person she knew to be illegal on March 31, 2019, at Dublin Airport, along with 33 counts of money laundering the proceeds of crime on dates between March 2020 and May 2021.

Woman tells of threats from gang at centre of Longford house attack A Longford homeowner who provided CCTV footage as part of a probe into the terrifying attack on the home of a heavily pregnant mother in broad daylight has revealed how she has been targeted by the same mob.

Ms Vailones Fidelis has pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts against her.

The case was adjourned to Friday this week when it is expected it will be given a new trial date.
The jury in a human trafficking and prostitution trial has been told it is not required for the day and sent home.

Judge Patricia Ryan informed the jury in the trial of Natalia Nogueira Da Silva and Ivanilce (Lisa) Vailones Fidelis at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today (Tuesday) that they weren't sitting. The trial opened two weeks ago and is set down for six weeks.

The State alleges that the accused women trafficked two vulnerable Brazilian women for the purposes of exploiting them and taking advantage of their vulnerability to such an extent as to cause the trafficked person to have no real or acceptable alternative but to submit to being trafficked.

Ms Vailones Fidelis (46) of Castle Manor, Racecourse Road, Roscommon, has denied all 18 charges against her, including two counts of human trafficking, one count of organising prostitution and money laundering charges on dates between 2015 and 2020.

Ms Da Silva (32), of Cairn Hill View, Drumlish, Co Longford, has admitted 35 charges, including organising prostitution, facilitating the entry into the state of an illegal person and money laundering. She has denied a single charge of human trafficking in 2019.

Ms Da Silva has pleaded not guilty to one count of human trafficking a woman at an unknown location within the State, on dates between March 31, 2019, and May 18, 2019.

She has pleaded guilty in front of the jury to one count of organising prostitution at an unknown location within the State on dates between December 5, 2018, and May 18, 2019.

She has also admitted one count of facilitating the entry into the State of a person she knew to be illegal on March 31, 2019, at Dublin Airport, along with 33 counts of money laundering the proceeds of crime on dates between March 2020 and May 2021. Ms Vailones Fidelis has pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts against her.

The trial will resume tomorrow (Wednesday) before Judge Ryan and a jury.
Almost a dozen Irish humanitarian organisations have launched emergency appeals to support people in Turkey and Syria following a devastating earthquake.

The earthquake hit Southern Turkey and North West Syria on Monday, February 6 with over 5,000 people confirmed dead so far.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is expecting the number of fatalities to increase substantially in the coming days.

Dochas, the Irish network for international development and humanitarian organisations, is gravely concerned about those who remain trapped, and whose homes and communities have been destroyed.

Speaking about the level of devastation and ongoing humanitarian crisis, Dochas CEO, Jane-Ann McKenna, said, "Temperatures in the region are below zero overnight. People are trapped, and many have been left without shelter, or cut off from basic supplies.

Woman tells of threats from gang at centre of Longford house attack A Longford homeowner who provided CCTV footage as part of a probe into the terrifying attack on the home of a heavily pregnant mother in broad daylight has revealed how she has been targeted by the same mob.

"Local facilities are overwhelmed, and there is an urgent need for food, water, temporary shelter, clothes, blankets, hygiene and sanitary products, and medical items. It is vital that these supplies are delivered as quickly as possible and to those who need them most.

Irish Aid organisations are particularly concerned about the most vulnerable - the elderly, children and people with disabilities - who are facing stormy and snowy weather conditions and cold temperatures.

Other Irish aid organisations supporting the relief effort include Christian Aid Ireland, Concern Worldwide, Goal, Irish Red Cross, Oxfam Ireland, Trocaire, UNICEF, and World Vision Ireland.

To find out more about how you can help, click here.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: February 08 2023

Funding will Support Up to 18 Comprehensive Integrated Outpatient Treatment Programs Designed to Increase Access to Medication to Address Opioid Use Disorder.

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the availability of more than $8.6 million to develop comprehensive integrated outpatient treatment programs to address opioid use disorder across New York State. Administered by the State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the funding will support up to 18 providers in their efforts to establish these innovative programs and is the latest award through the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund.

"Like too many New Yorkers, I know what it's like to lose a family member to the disease of opioid addiction," Governor Hochul said. "These innovative outpatient treatment programs tap Opioid Settlement Fund money in order to greatly expand and enhance our services and address the harm that this epidemic has caused countless New Yorkers."

Comprehensive integrated outpatient treatment programs provide more opportunities to access person-centered comprehensive services - including medication treatment for opioid use disorder - and are a new initiative to address the ongoing need for integrated treatment in New York State. These programs are designed to make it easier for New Yorkers seeking treatment for a substance use disorder to access multiple services in one location.

Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham said, "Medication treatment for opioid use disorder is safe and effective and is proven to help support overall health and well-being among people with addiction. Establishing these comprehensive integrated programs is an important priority and will help more people access critical help to benefit their short and long-term recovery."

Acting State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, "The opioid epidemic has taken the lives of far too many. All New Yorkers deserve compassionate care and access to treatment and these programs will save lives. I thank Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to ensuring those who struggle with opioid addiction have the resources they need to start a path of recovery."

Providers can apply for funding to support existing integrated programs, combine existing opioid treatment and outpatient programs, or develop new integrated programs. Funding will be awarded through a request for applications process.

New York State will receive more than $2 billion through various settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers. A portion of the funding from these settlements will go directly to municipalities, with the remainder deposited into a dedicated fund to support prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery efforts to address the ongoing opioid epidemic.

The same legislation that established the dedicated fund also created the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board, which is tasked with making recommendations on how settlement dollars should be allocated to best serve those in need. Board members issued their first recommendations on November 1, identifying the expansion of harm reduction services and treatment as top priorities.

New York continued to grapple with opioid-related deaths in 2021, with fentanyl now involved in most overdose deaths statewide, according to a report released by the state Department of Health. Other key findings include:

4,766 overdose deaths involving opioids, a 14 percent increase over the prior year.

10,430 outpatient emergency department visits due to opioid overdoses, a 12.6 percent increase over the prior year.

19,139 instances of naloxone being administered by Emergency Medical Services, an 11.8 percent increase over the prior year.

State Senator Nathalia Fernandez said, "It is essential that we increase services and resources for those struggling with opioid use disorder, and I am confident that the Governor is committed to this issue with the recent funding for these comprehensive outpatient treatment programs. The right use of the Opioid Settlement Fund is to provide person-centered programs like these, which makes use of life-saving medication."

New York State has instituted an aggressive, multi-pronged approach to address the overdose epidemic, and created a nation-leading continuum of addiction care with full prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services. The State has worked to expand access to traditional services, including crisis services, inpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment programs, as well as medication to treat addiction, mobile treatment, and transportation services.

Governor Hochul was a member of the New York State Heroin and Opioid Task Force, which in 2016, recommended new, non-traditional services, including recovery centers, youth clubhouses, expanded peer services, and open access centers, which provide immediate assessments and referrals to care. These services have since been established in numerous communities around the state and have helped people in need access care closer to where they live.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state's toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).



Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, residential, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the NYS OASAS website.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: February 08 2023

Days Before the Fatal Drug Deal, Defendant Texted Victim: I dont do this for fun.

A federal jury in Central Islip today returned a guilty verdict against James Tunstall for distributing heroin, which resulted in the fatal overdose of 24-year-old Sergio Niko Alvarez on October 29, 2018 in Jericho, New York. The verdict followed a five-day trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), announced the verdict.

Tunstall, an admitted drug dealer, is held responsible by todays verdict for selling heroin that killed a young man on Long Island, an all-too-frequent occurrence in this district and our country due to the proliferation of illegal drugs and the callous disregard for life displayed by the defendant and others, stated United States Attorney Peace. I commend the prosecutors from my Office, the Special Agents of the DEA, and the members of the Long Island Heroin Task Force for their outstanding working on this case. We will continue our comprehensive efforts to fight against this terrible opioid epidemic.

U.S. Attorney Peace extended special thanks to the Nassau County Police Department for its partnership throughout the investigation and prosecution.

This conviction is a sobering reminder of the devastation and senseless loss of life inflicted by drug traffickers, stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Tarentino. DEA and our task forces are committed to bringing to justice those responsible for fueling drug overdose and poisonings and defeating the drug cartel's lethal criminal empires.

As proven at trial, Tunstall was a drug dealer who regularly sold cocaine and heroin to customers in Nassau County. The defendant met the victim at an outpatient rehabilitation facility in Mineola, and even sold him cocaine in the bathroom of the facility. Tunstalls co-defendant, Jay Tenem, a drug addict who also met the defendant in a rehabilitation program, delivered the fatal dose of heroin from Tunstall to the victim on October 28, 2018, in exchange for heroin of his own to use. Tenem collected the victims payment for the heroin, and brought the cash back to Tunstall. The victim was found dead of heroin intoxication the next morning in his bedroom, by his mother. The evidence included text messages between the defendant and the victim, and between Tenem and the victim. In those messages, the defendant negotiated prices for the drugs with the victim, and told him I dont do this for fun.

Tenem pleaded guilty in February 2019 to distributing the heroin that caused Alvarezs death and is awaiting sentencing.

Tunstall pleaded guilty in July 2021 to conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine, and was sentenced by the Court in December 2022 to 20 years imprisonment. When sentenced in this case, for causing Alvarezs death, Tunstall faces up to life in prison.
School & Education, Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: February 08 2023

Amazons Career Choice program provides pre-paid tuition to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.

Suffolk County Community College has been selected as Long Islands first education partner for Amazons Career Choice program to provide Amazons hourly employees access to Suffolk County Community College, the college and company announced.

We are delighted to be the first on Long Island to partner with Amazon to offer this important opportunity. Amazons Career Choice program is in keeping with Suffolks core mission to provide outstanding and affordable educational opportunities for all county residents. Partnering with Amazon will allow us to connect a new audience of working students with either traditional college courses or career-oriented training for in-demand jobs, that will positively impact their lives and our communities, said Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Edward Bonahue.

It is important that everyone, regardless of their financial situation is given the opportunity to earn a college degree, said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. That is why I am so proud that Suffolk County Community College was selected as Long Islands first education partner for Amazons Career Choice Program. This partnership showcases both the college and Amazons commitment to providing students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the 21st century workforce.

Bonahue said that although the new program has not yet been widely publicized, outreach from College representatives already brought new students from Amazon to the college for the spring 2023 semester.

Amazons Career Choice program is an education benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including full college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas, and GEDs. In the U.S., the company is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs.

Amazons Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and overall offering education that leads to career success.

Were proud of our growing footprint on Long Island and were even prouder to offer this program through our partnership with Suffolk County Community College, said Carley Graham Garcia, Amazons Head of Community Affairs in New York. This adds to the many benefits available to our employees on Long Island and participants will join 110,000 Amazon employees around the world who have already participated in Career Choice.

Suffolk County Community College is the State University of New York (SUNY) systems largest community college, enrolling more than 20,000 for-credit students and over 7,500 non-credit students. The College offers more than 100 degree and certificate program options.

The College is comprised of three campuses and two downtown centers: The Ammerman Campus in Selden, NY; Michael J. Grant Campus is Brentwood, NY; Eastern Campus in Riverhead, NY and downtown centers in Riverhead and Sayville.
(Alliance News) - Argo Blockchain PLC on Wednesday said its monthly Bitcoin mining and associated revenue was up, while it refuted all allegations made against it in a class action lawsuit filed in New York.

The London-based cryptocurrency miner said it mined 168 Bitcoin or Bitcoin equivalents, together known as BTC, in January, up 14% from 147 BTC mined in December 2022.

It said this was primarily due to fewer curtailment hours in January compared to December, when a severe winter storm impacted much of the United States. This was partially offset by higher network difficulty, which was 3% higher on average in January than December.

Mining revenue was USD3.4 million in January, up 36% from USD2.5 million in December, based on daily foreign exchange rates and cryptocurrency prices during January.

As of January 31, Argo Blockchain held 115 BTC.

Argo Blockchain on Wednesday noted a class action lawsuit filed against it in the eastern district of New York on January 26, Murphy vs Argo Blockchain PLC et al.

It refutes all the allegations made and believes the class action lawsuit is "without merit".

"Argo will vigorously defend itself against the action," it added, engaging McDermott, Will and Emery LLP as its defence counsel.

Also on Wednesday, Argo Blockchain said it continues to work closely with Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd as they take over operations at Helios. Late last month, Argo Blockchain agreed to sell its Helios facility in Dickens County, Texas to Galaxy Digital for USD65 million.

Argo Blockchain shares fell 3.9% to 18.50 pence each on Wednesday morning in London.

By Greg Rosenvinge, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - British banks, namely HSBC Holdings PLC and Standard Chartered PLC, are "complicit" in China's "gross human rights abuses of Hongkongers" by refusing them access to pensions after they fled to the UK, lawmakers concluded Wednesday.

An inquiry by Britain's All-Party Parliamentary Group showed "many Hongkongers have been denied access to their pensions and personal finances, meaning that they are unable to create new and safe lives for themselves".

The report specifically identified Asia-focused banks HSBC and Standard Chartered in the report compiled by cross-party lawmakers.

Under the British National Overseas visa system, the UK has handed permanent residency to more than 100,000 of Hong Kong residents who have fled China's crackdown in the former British colony.

"On top of brutalising protesters and political dissidents within Hong Kong itself, the Chinese Communist Party also seeks to financially isolate those who've turned to the British government for safety and support, denying them the pension and personal savings they have spent their lives paying into," the parliamentary report noted.

It added that "Hongkongers who have fled to the UK... are being denied what should be their rightful access to their pension fund by British banks including HSBC".

Alistair Carmichael, co-chair of the APPG for Hong Kong, said the "report reveals that UK banks, including HSBC, have been complicit in the repression of the human rights of innocent Hongkongers, including those who have fled the increasingly authoritarian pro-Beijing government of Hong Kong.

"These banks cannot continue to act with impunity, and the UK government must act to assist those... who are suffering from the impact of these anti-democratic laws."

HSBC said in a statement that the bank has "an enduring commitment to Hong Kong, its people and communities.

"It is where we were founded nearly 160 years ago. Like all banks, we have to obey the law, and the instructions of the regulators, in every region in which we operate."

Standard Chartered refused to comment when contacted by AFP.

HSBC shares were up 1.2% at 612.40 pence each in London on Wednesday afternoon. StanChart was up 1.2% at 690.70p.

source: AFP

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
British Honey Co PLC - Buckinghamshire, England-based producer of spirits, honey and jams - Reports that 27% of its shareholders voted against resolution 1 at its annual general meeting on Wednesday. All resolutions at the AGM were nonetheless passed.

Current stock price: 18.75 pence

12-month change: 83%

By Abby Amoakuh, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Marula Mining PLC said on January 31 it signed a subscription agreement under which Q Global Commodities Group will subscribe for up to GBP3.75 million shares in the Africa-focused miner.

Aquis-listed Marula said Q Global will subscribe for up to 100 million new shares at 3.75 pence each spread across five equal tranches of GBP750,000, assuming certain milestones are met.

Q Global will also provide broad technical, financial and strategic support to Marula as it seeks to accelerate its battery metals focused strategy in Africa.

Quinton van der Burgh, Q Global's chief executive will be appointed chair of Marula as part of the arrangement.

Shares in Marula Mining closed 0.5% lower at 5.62 pence in London on Tuesday.

By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Tuesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

---------

Chrysalis Investments Ltd - investor in technology and finance startups - Agrees to purchase GBP20 million of equity in Starling Bank Ltd through a secondary market transaction led by an unnamed, existing third-party. Adds that its investment adviser is "optimistic" about the prospects for Starling and believes the transaction will generate future value for its shareholders. If the transaction closes, the company's gross cash and total liquidity positions would both be reduced by GBP20 million. Notes that Starling would account for roughly 15% of its portfolio including gross cash, versus 12% as of January 30.

----------

Tanfield Group PLC - investment firm headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne - Gives an update on the US Proceedings relating to Snorkel International Holdings LLC. Says that the jury trial is currently expected to take place in early 2024. Tanfield holds a 49% stake in Snorkel. The equity stake is the subject of legal proceedings in the US, after SKL Holdings LLC filed a complaint against the company in court, alleging it refused to comply with contractual obligations when SKL exercised a call-option to acquire Tanfield's shares in the JV. The Snorkel investment is valued at GBP19.1 million. The outcome of the poceedings could have an impact on this valuation, it says.

----------

First Class Metals PLC - Metals exploration company seeking large-scale metal discoveries in Canada - Makes a second payment of CAD150,000 to Nuinsco Resources Ltd. Says that this payment will trigger the transfer of ownership of the core Sunbeam mine area claims across its Canadian Schreiber-Hemlo & Sunbeam land to the company. Says that the review of historical data started. Adds that the objective is to gain a greater understanding of this past producing high grade gold project and its district potential. "Once these key reviews are completed it will allow an acceleration and focus to the field work when the Spring thaw commences. I look forward to reviewing the data these studies provide so FCM can plan a focussed drilling campaign on Sunbeam as soon as is feasible this year. I am also pleased to confirm that our funding partners Sanderson Capital are in the process of releasing the stage two 15p GBP250,000 drawdown which covers the second instalment, now paid to Nuinsco and all other commitments we currently have on Sunbeam," Chief Executive Marc Sale comments.

----------

Agronomics Ltd - Isle of Man-based cellular agriculture investment firm - Notes that CellX Ltd signed a strategic partnership agreement with food manufacturing specialists Shanghai Tofflon Science & Technology Co Ltd. Says the companies will aim to accelerate the scale-up of cultivated meat in the Asian market with a new purpose-built facility. The facility will be China's first "transparent food space" for cultivated meat research & development, it adds. Agronomics invested USD2.1 million in CellX since inception.

----------

K3 Capital Group PLC - Bolton, England-based professional advisory services firm, focused on M&A, tax and restructuring - Will be deleted from the FTSE AIM All-Share Index on February 14, subject to the court sanctioning acquisition by Sun Capital Partners Group VIII LLC. In relation to its takeover by Sun Capital Partners, Sun Capital Partners enters into a senior facilities agreement with Tikehau Direct Lending 5 Sarl, Tikehau Direct Lending 5L Finance, MTDL Investment Sarl, Prima EU Credit Fund and PNC Financial Services UK Ltd for senior facilities of GBP145 million to secure funds for the acquisition. The amount consists of a GBP95 million senior term loan facility to be provided by the Tikehau lenders, a GBP20 million senior capex and acquisition facility to be provided by the Tikehau Lenders, a GBP15 million super senior term facility to be provided by PNC, and a GBP15 million super senior original revolving facility to be provided by PNC.

----------

By Abby Amoakuh, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

----------

Diversified Energy Co PLC - Alabama, US-based gas and oil production company - Intends to carry out a fundraise for USD160 million. Says that it will consist of a retail offer through REX Retail Offer a placing through a bookbuild process. The price of the retail shares will be equal to the placing price. Says that the price of the placing shares and the number of shares will be determined at the close of the bookbuilding process. Explains that it entered into a purchase agreement to acquire certain upstream assets and related infrastructure in its Central Region from Tanos Energy Holdings II LLC. Plans to use the net proceeds to fund the acquisition. "Today's announcement marks an exciting start to the year with an accretive acquisition contiguous to our existing Central Region assets. This transaction will drive additional synergies of scale and reduce the combined assets' unit-level expenses to increase already high margins. Accordingly, this acquisition will nicely align with our emphasis on generating free cash flow while increasing our exposure to the premium Gulf Coast market, providing access to the higher realized pricing, lower regional differentials, and the long-term demand pull from the growth in LNG markets," Chief Executive Rusty Hutson says.

----------

Highcroft Investments PLC - England and Wales-focused real estate investor - Completes the sale of its property in Ely Meadows, South Wales for GBP7.9 million payable in cash to the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Local Health Board. Adds that the property is currently occupied by British Aerospace Avionics Engineering Ltd on a lease expiring in March 2024, producing an income of GBP805,011 per annum. It comprises three inter-connecting buildings totalling around 111,000 square feet, on a site of around 20.67 acres. "The group intends to invest the proceeds as soon as practical to ensure that we are invested in income producing assets. This sale is part of our strategic process of continually reviewing our portfolio to maximise our returns and protect our asset base," Chief Executive Paul Leaf-Wright comments.

----------

Jadestone Energy PLC - Asia Pacific-focused oil and gas company - Notes that the National Offshore Petroleum Safety & Environmental Management Authority's review of DNV's independent review of the company's remediation plans and operational readiness for the Montara Venture FPSO has been concluded. Says that both hull and tank repair activity and the scheduled four-yearly planned topsides maintenance activities on the Montara Venture FPSO are progressing well. Montara Venture FPSO is a floating production storage and offloading facility on its Montara project in Australia. "The closing of the general direction is a very important step towards restarting production at Montara. As previously reported, we have elected to carry out most of this year's planned annual shutdown work in parallel with the tank work to maximise efficiency during this period. The combined work scope is making good progress and when completed, we will declare operational readiness and deliver a safe restart of production, which is still targeted before the end of this month," CEO Paul Blakeley comments.

----------

Petro Matad Ltd - Isle of Man-based, Mongolia-focused parent company of a group focussed on oil exploration, which owns and operates two production sharing contracts with the Mongolian government - Says 20.0 million shares at 2.5 pence per share will be issued following the closing of its retail offer on the BookBuild Platform on Tuesday. Says that the retail offer was significantly oversubscribed. Says that 215.1 million shares will be issued in total, following the closure of the placing, subscription and retail offer. Raises total gross proceeds of USD6.6 million with the fundraising. Expects admission to AIM to occur on February 10 at 0800 GMT.

----------

TruSpine Technologies PLC - Gatwick, England-based medical device company - Says it requested the drawdown from its GBP200,000 bridge loan facility. Notes that the funds have not been received yet. Expects the receipt of these funds to occur shortly. Warns that if the bridge loan facility does not complete successfully and the equity drawdown funds are not received, it will need to raise further capital in the short term. Continues to "carefully" manage its working capital.

----------

Ormonde Mining PLC - cash shell, former Dublin-based mineral resource company - To be deleted from the FTSE AIM All-Share Index on February 13. On Tuesday, it was reported that the company was temporarily suspended from trading on AIM. It became a cash shell in October 2022 and was therefore required to announce an acquisition that would be a reverse takeover. On Tuesday, it reported that it acquired a 20% stake in Peak Nickel Ltd for GBP450,000, was granted an option to invest a further GBP4 million in cash in PNL, taking its stake to 49.9%, and to buy the remaining 80% of PLN through the issue of Ormonde ordinary shares.

----------

Valeura Energy Inc - Calgary, Canada-based upstream oil & gas company - Reports the closing of its bought deal basis, private placement offering of 3.9 million shares at a price of CAD2.54 per common share for total gross proceeds of around CAD10 million, or GBP6.2 million. Says that the offer was led by Research Capital Corporation as the sole underwriter and sole bookrunner. "I am pleased to have closed this financing, and grateful to both existing and new shareholders who have recognised the value proposition presented by an investment in Valeura shares as we evolve to become a significant Thailand oil producer. The net proceeds from the Offering will be used to fund pre-production operations at the Wassana field, to kick-off the Wassana infill drilling programme scheduled to begin in Q2 2023, and for general corporate purposes," President and CEO Sean Guest comments.

----------

By Abby Amoakuh, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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
China will contribute to global economic recovery as it resumes outbound group travel: Foreign Ministry

(People's Daily App) 16:38, February 08, 2023

After a three-year hiatus, China has resumed outbound group tours. This will revitalize the global tourism market and contribute to the post-COVID world economic recovery, China said on Tuesday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a routine press briefing in Beijing.

We have noted that the first outbound Chinese tourist groups have arrived in Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, the UAE, Egypt and other pilot countries yesterday and were warmly greeted, Mao said.

At the recent ASEAN Tourism Forum 2023, ASEAN countries shared their hope that the arrival of Chinese tourists will help spark a strong revival of ASEANs tourism, she said.

As cross-border travels gradually resume on an orderly basis, China will strengthen people-to-people exchange and economic contact with other countries and inject more confidence and strength into the world economic recovery, Mao added.

(Compiled by Liu Hanyi; Video edited by Ye Dangqiang)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming)
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
President Joe Biden is calling on Congress to do more to prevent veteran homelessness and curtail suicide while improving mental health support for veterans.

Biden made the push on veterans issues as part of his annual State of the Union address, in which he urged Republicans and Democrats to work together to build on bipartisan successes of the last year but also sparred with Republicans over domestic policies.

Lets do more to keep our nations one truly sacred obligation: to equip those we send into harms way and care for them and their families when they come home, Biden told lawmakers Tuesday night.

Read Next: Navy Releases First Photos of Chinese Balloon Recovery

The focus on veterans marks the second time in as many State of the Union speeches Biden has elevated issues facing those who served in the military in a forum watched by millions of Americans.

In last years address, Biden called on Congress to help veterans suffering from illnesses caused by toxic substances they were exposed to during their military service. The push helped move legislation aimed at providing health care for more veterans, culminating in the bipartisan passage of the PACT Act, the biggest expansion of veterans benefits in a generation.

We came together to pass one of the most significant laws ever, helping veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, Biden said Tuesday night to applause.

Biden returned to veterans issues Tuesday as part of his unity agenda that administration officials hope can get bipartisan support in Congress.

The Department of Veterans Affairs under the Biden administration has already placed an emphasis on ending veteran homelessness. Last year, the department set a goal of housing 38,000 homeless veterans and surpassed that target by about 2,400 veterans. The department has also touted that the number of veterans estimated to be living on the streets dropped about 11% from 2020 to 2022, though approximately 33,000 veterans are still estimated to be living on the streets on any given night and the methods used for counting those experiencing homelessness have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

In his address, Biden said Congress should help veterans afford their rent because no one should be homeless in this country, especially not those who served it, eliciting one of the most bipartisan standing ovations from lawmakers of the night.

While Biden offered no specific proposals during the speech, White House officials told reporters earlier Tuesday that the president wants Congress to pave the path to an entitlement to housing assistance for veterans.

Its unclear exactly how the Biden administration plans to increase access to housing assistance or whether the effort will differ from existing aid programs such as Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers. Asked for more details during the press call Tuesday morning, Terri Tanielian, special assistant to the president for veterans affairs, said more specific information would come when the administration releases its budget request in March.

The VA has also made progress on combating suicide in recent years. An average of 16.8 veterans a day died by suicide in 2020, the lowest level since 2006, according to the departments most recent estimate. The number, however, still represents a much higher rate than experienced by the general public.

Despite the progress, the VA continues to grapple with major issues surrounding suicide, including evidence that those who suffer from one of the signature wounds of the post-9/11 wars, traumatic brain injury, are at greater risk of dying by suicide.

The VA is doing everything it can, including expanding mental health screenings and a proven program that recruits veterans to help other veterans understand what theyre going through and get the help they need. We got to do more, said Biden, who also incorrectly asserted in an ad-libbed line that 25 veterans a day were dying by suicide when he took office. The veterans suicide rate peaked in 2018 with an average of 18.6 deaths per day, according to VA statistics, although the incorrect number of 22 per day is often repeated by public officials.

Biden will tackle veteran suicide by providing more resources to states and territories to invest in community-based programs and will address veteran mental health more broadly by increasing access to peer support services, Christen Linke Young, deputy assistant to the president for health and veterans affairs, said on the press call.

He will also focus on increasing outreach to veterans in legal trouble, who are at a heightened risk of suicide, and providing more resources to increase lethal means safety counseling and safe storage of firearms, Linke Young said.

About 68% of veterans who died by suicide in 2020 used a firearm. While the White House included lethal means safety in Bidens unity agenda, Republicans in the past have accused such efforts of being backdoor, partisan gun control measures.

While last years push on toxic exposure garnered bipartisan support, it is unclear whether Bidens efforts on veterans this year will find the same success in a Congress where the House is now controlled by the opposing party. In particular, any proposals that require more funding could face hurdles in the GOP-controlled House, where party leadership has vowed to slash non-defense discretionary spending, which includes the VA budget.

The mentions of veterans in Bidens speech got bipartisan applause, but the fragility of his relationship with congressional Republicans was on display as he got into a back-and-forth with members mid-speech over whether they want to cut Social Security and Medicare, including some Republicans standing up to shout liar at him.

This years State of the Union also comes amid an intense public focus on U.S. competition with China after a Chinese balloon, alleged by U.S. officials to have been conducting intelligence gathering, traversed the continental United States and was shot down by the U.S. military once it was over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.

While Biden discussed U.S.-China competition -- including touting the importance of modernizing our military to safeguard stability and deter aggression -- the balloon itself only elicited a veiled reference.

Make no mistake: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, he said. And we did.

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: VA Surpasses Goal for Housing Homeless Vets in 2022
The Air Force is shipping thousands of pounds of equipment and search-and-rescue teams from the U.S. to Incirlik Air Base to help assist people in Turkey following this week's devastating earthquakes that have left more than 11,000 dead.

Two Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs, one from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and the other from March Air Reserve Base in California, left for Turkey on Tuesday carrying 161 urban search-and-rescue members, 12 rescue dogs and 170,000 pounds of equipment, according to U.S. Transportation Command. Those planes landed Wednesday, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said.

"We offer our sincere condolences, and we'll stand with our ally Turkey as they work to save lives and recover from this horrific disaster," Ryder told reporters Wednesday.

Read Next: Like War, Peace Is Too Important to Be Left to the Generals

Ryder also said U.S. European Command is deploying a team to Incirlik Air Base to assist in the disaster response efforts, with the team arriving by Thursday. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday, according to The Associated Press, and the death toll has climbed rapidly as thousands were trapped under rubble.

Incirlik Air Base, which is located nearly 10 miles east of the Turkish city of Adana, reported no deaths and no major damage following the earthquakes. The installation is home to nearly 2,000 service members and Department of Defense civilians, according to the Pentagon, and has a major role in supporting conflicts in NATO's southern region.

It also houses approximately 50 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons -- namely Cold War-era B61 nuclear bombs, according to the nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative. The base has reportedly made efforts in recent years to make sure it isn't reliant on local infrastructure following a 2016 coup attempt that saw local power to the base cut off for nearly a week.

Seventy-nine of the urban search-and-rescue personnel and six of the rescue dogs came from Fairfax County, Virginia. The other 82 people and remaining six dogs shipped to Turkey came from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, according to a press release from U.S Transportation Command.

Equipment being provided by the U.S. includes concrete breakers, generators, medical supplies, tents, water and water purification systems, TRANSCOM detailed.

Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, TRANSCOM commander, said in Tuesday press release that the C-17s were en route to Turkey and fully loaded with supplies within 24 hours of receiving word they would be assisting.

"In our profession, nothing is more noble than delivering humanitarian aid to those in need, and we are proud to support our ally Turkiye," Van Ovost said, using Turkey's preferred spelling of its country name.

-- Travis Tritten contributed to this report.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: US Reports No Injuries at Incirlik Air Base After Massive Earthquake in Turkey
A Navy captain has been arrested and charged with cyberstalking a former girlfriend after, as prosecutors allege, an 18-month campaign in which he created a false digital identity of the woman and then posted sexual images of her to Facebook.

Capt. Theodore E. Essenfeld, 51, who has 31 years of naval service, was arrested Friday and appeared before a judge Monday on a single charge of cyberstalking -- an offense that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman, who oversees the office that brought the charges, said in a released statement that "the indictment alleges a disturbing campaign of betrayed trust, harassment and intimidation."

Read Next: A Navy Command Tries Radical Transparency to Help Prevent the Next Suicide

Gary Barthel, the lawyer who represents Essenfeld, said that the officer was still in custody Wednesday but that he was working to secure his release. "He's presumed innocent and, as soon as we get some discovery on the case, we'll have a better idea of what's what," the lawyer added in a call with Military.com on Wednesday.

The indictment says Essenfeld met the victim in the case when they started dating in 2018 while the pair lived in San Diego.

Essenfeld was just wrapping up a tour as the commanding officer of the amphibious assault ship USS Pearl Harbor and moving to the staff of the commander of Naval Surface Force Pacific, according to records provided to Military.com by the Navy.

By 2020, Essenfeld's tour in southern California had ended, and he was transferred to U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His indictment notes that the victim ended up moving to that state around May 2021, but the pair broke up that August.

However, according to the indictment, starting in November 2020 -- months before his girlfriend would even move to Colorado -- Essenfeld began to register email accounts, social media profiles and even a disposable cell phone in her name.

The false email and cell phone enabled him to start Facebook and LinkedIn accounts in his victim's name, which he then used "to harass and intimidate her," court documents allege.

The indictment alleges that he used the Facebook account to make it appear as if the woman was looking to meet dates via the site's online dating service. He also "posted erotic photos and videos" of her -- content which she shared with him while they were dating -- and created photo albums with names like "Bedroom Fun."

Essenfeld then drew attention to the Facebook profile by linking it to the profiles of his victim's job and alma mater, court documents allege.

In a fake LinkedIn profile that he created, Essenfeld listed her job as "pole dancer," prosecutors allege.

The alleged stalking by the Navy officer, who began his career in 1991 as an enlisted submarine sailor before earning his commission in 1998, ran until May 2022 -- nine months after the two broke off the relationship.

Navy and court documents say Essenfeld moved back to San Diego in January 2022 before being assigned to the staff of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 in August.

Barthel noted that Essenfeld became aware of an investigation against him at some point prior to charges being filed but added that his chain of command wouldn't offer him any details on its progress.

The Department of Justice, in its statement, said that the case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Joshua Flowers, a special agent in charge of the NCIS Southwest Field Office, called Essenfeld's alleged behavior "reprehensible" in the same statement.

The Navy, through a spokeswoman, confirmed Essenfeld's arrest but directed any other questions to the NCIS and Justice Department.

According to his service record, Essenfeld commanded two warships -- the USS Pearl Harbor and the mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

He also earned his Enlisted Submarine Warfare Specialist pin while stationed aboard the USS Topeka prior to becoming an officer.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Navy Fires Two Ship Commanders in One Day
It didnt take long for the United States to distance itself from Israel's Jan. 28 drone attack on an Iranian weapons factory in the city of Isfahan. Just a few hours later, U.S. officials leaked to the New York Times that Israels Mossad intelligence agency had carried out the strike, making sure to stress the Biden administration had no involvement whatsoever.

By contrast, Israel still hasnt taken credit for the attack. According to former intelligence officials in both countries, the apparent urgency with which the Americans fingered Israel, plus several other Iran-related developments, points to renewed tensions between the CIA and Mossad over Biden administration efforts to revive the 2015 Irans nuclear deal, even as the two countries hold joint military exercises meant to warn Tehran not to develop a nuclear weapon.

The episode sheds fresh light on the close but contradictory ties between the U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies, one of the most complicated relationships in the shadowy world of international espionage. On one hand, Mossad and CIA officers share intelligence and even coordinate some field operations, reflecting Israels status as a close and trusted U.S. ally. At the same time, the two spy services disagree sharply over Irans intentions. And despite fervent Israeli denials, former U.S. officials say the Mossad still runs aggressive intelligence-gathering operations in the United States that present thorny political challenges for U.S. officials.

It can be a very valuable relationship, a former senior CIA official told SpyTalk on condition of anonymity, citing the extensive network of spies the Mossad maintains across the Middle East and its intelligence-sharing arrangement with the CIA. To illustrate, he recalled a high-level meeting in 2007 with Mossad officials at CIA headquarters in Virginia. There, the U.S. agencys leadership learned for the first time that Syria had secretly built a nuclear reactor capable of producing the fuel needed for a nuclear weapon.

They came to the United States with the information and with photographs and laid it all out for us. We sat there with our eyes incredibly wide-open because that was something we knew nothing about until they brought it to our attention, the former senior official said with an embarrassed laugh. It doesnt get much better than that.

Soon after the briefing, Israeli warplanes bombed and destroyed the reactor.

The Mossad also reportedly tipped off the CIA on the Damascus hideout of Hezbollah's military mastermind Imad Mughniyeh, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers and diplomats in two Beirut bombings in 1983, as well as scores of Israelis in Lebanon and Argentina. The two agencies teamed up and killed Mughniyeh in 2008 with a bomb concealed inside the spare wheel of an SUV as he walked by.

But even though the Mossad and the CIA have worked as partners, that foreign partner also can be collecting against us, the senior CIA official added. So there can be value in a relationship, but there are always counterintelligence concerns as well.

Indeed, former U.S. intelligence officials say the Mossad still ranks among the most active foreign intelligence services operating in the United States, where it routinely seeks to recruit informants. The agency targets those who can provide political insight into where U.S. policy toward Israel and the Middle East is heading, as well as economic intelligence so Israels high-tech sector and defense industries can compete with their U.S. counterparts, the former officials say.

According to published reports, the Mossads stateside operations also include trying to lure U.S. political, military and business officials to deliver lectures or attend conferences in Israel, where local agents size up their vulnerabilities for recruitment. These local agents also have reportedly targeted CIA station chiefs in Israel, breaking into their Tel Aviv homes and tampering with the sensitive communication equipment they used to communicate with CIA headquarters in Virginia.

Israeli officials adamantly deny their agents spy on the United States. But former intelligence officials, as well as those who worked at the White House and State Department, say these denials are laughable. Still, most of these officials spoke on condition of anonymity, underscoring the political sensitivities involved in discussing Israels alleged espionage in the United States. Israel enjoys strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, where many lawmakers have little tolerance for complaints about such a valuable U.S. ally.

Some U.S. officials are careful to emphasize that Israels espionage activities in the United States are no different than those of other friendly countries. Theyre all trying to collect intelligence here, a former U.S. official said. The Israelis are no different. A 2007 NSA intelligence report pilfered by Edward Snowden named Israel a top espionage threat to the U.S.

Seamless Sabotage Campaign

If the Isfahan attack indeed was the work of the Mossad, which seems likely, it was the spy agencys first sabotage operation inside Iran since Benjamin Netanyahus return to office in late December for an unprecedented sixth term as prime minister, this time at the helm of the most radical right-wing government in Israels history.

The drone strike also would mark the seamless continuation of the Mossads strategy of sabotage and assassinations inside Iran to disrupt its nuclear program. That strategy began more than two decades ago and expanded under Netanyahus earlier administrations and those of his two predecessors.

Since 2002, the Mossads hitmen have used pistols with silencers, magnetic bombs slapped on the sides of cars and a remote-controlled sniper rifle to liquidate six Iranian nuclear scientists. Together with the CIA, Israeli agents also infected the computers controlling Irans Natanz uranium enrichment facility with the Stuxnet worm, destroying as many as 1,000 centrifuges. The Mossad also has bombed the same facility and stolen Irans nuclear archive.

In other attacks, the Mossad has killed the commander and 16 members of a Revolutionary Guards unit that targeted Israeli and Jewish targets abroad and used short-range armed drones to destroy an Iranian munitions factory.

Its not clear why the Isfahan weapons plant was hit. U.S. officials believe it may have been connected to the production of Irans Shahab medium-range missiles, which can reach Israel.

The Mossad defends its covert actions, insisting Iran is determined to develop a nuclear weapon and use it against Israel. The CIA says that despite Tehrans enrichment of uranium to near bomb-grade nuclear fuel since Trumps scrapping of the accord, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not made the decision to make a bomb.

In addition to differing interpretations of Irans nuclear intentions, the Isfahan attack raises other red flags now complicating the relationship between the two countries intelligence services. They involve questions about the Mossads trust in the CIA and its subsequent reluctance to share Iran-related information with the Biden administrations CIA.

Intelligence agencies never share all of their information with the other agency, former senior Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed told SpyTalk. Particularly now, with regard to the political identity of the current U.S. administration, the Israeli intelligence agencies are concerned about who actually sees the intelligence that Israel provides.

Melamed said the Mossad is particularly concerned about Rob Malley, Bidens special representative for Iran whos been leading the administrations indirect negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. Though those talks have been stalled for months, the Mossad believes Malley is too sympathetic to the Iranians. Summing up the Mossads concerns about the CIA sharing its Iran intelligence with Malley, Melamed put it this way: I would be careful about what I share about Iran.

The CIAs relationship with the Mossad has always been an area of cooperation and strain, depending on what Bibi asks them to do, said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former deputy chief of CIA operations in the Middle East, using Netanyahus nickname.

Former CIA officials contend the extreme rightwing cast of Netanyahus government has not yet affected CIA-Mossad relations. At a minimum, I would imagine senior Mossad leaders are giving assurances to the U.S, the former senior CIA official said.  I could see where they might be saying, Hey weve got some crazy politicking going on here, but we want to maintain our good-standing relationship with you.

Stephen Slick, a former CIA station chief in Israel agrees. Relations between the U.S. and Israel services are deep, longstanding, and institutional, he told SpyTalk, noting the CIA did not post a new station chief in Israel when the new government came in. I expect our services will continue to cooperate to the security benefit of both states regardless of the qualities or policies or politicians who may be serving in a broad coalition government.

Still, the Mossads aggressive covert Iran strategy remains a major source of friction with the CIA, observers say. It began during the Obama administration, which withheld intelligence from Israel as it secretly negotiated the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, in 2015. And it remains a thorn in the side of the Biden administration, which has tried to resurrect the JCPOA, reversing former President Donald Trumps withdrawal from the pact in 2018 at the urging of Netanyahu.

Its not a question of whether our analysis is better than that from Israel; it's a question of how our respective policy makers perceive the nature of the Iranian threat, Norman Roule, a former senior CIA Middle East expert and National Intelligence Manager for Iran, told SpyTalk. The U.S. doesnt view Iran as an existential threat. Israel does. . . So inevitably they are going to be more aggressive than their U.S. counterparts.

The issue of trust has become another complicating factor in the CIA-Mossad relationship, the former senior CIA official concedes. He pointed to Trumps infamous May 2017 Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, during which Trump revealed highly classified Mossad intelligence on the Islamic State terrorist group, jeopardizing the source of the intelligence.

According to the former senior CIA official, the disclosure infuriated the Israelis and led the Mossad to limit their intelligence-sharing with the Americans.

Thats going to have an effect on the relationshipno ifs, ands or buts about it, the former official said.

One of the most striking examples of how the differing U.S. and Israeli perceptions of the Iranian threat have affected intelligence cooperation came in early 2021, when Netanyahu, then in his fifth term as prime minister and deeply distrustful of the newly elected Biden, ordered then-Mossad director Yossi Cohen to limit intelligence sharing with the CIA.

In April of that year, the Mossad gave the CIA less than two hours advance notice about a sabotage operation it planned to carry out against Irans Natanz uranium enrichment plant. The late call effectively denied the Biden administration an opportunity to issue a formal request to call off the operation, the New York Times reported. The attack severely damaged the plant.

Bidens CIA Director William Burns called Cohen to complain about the snub, according to the Times. Cohen said operational constraints and uncertainty over whether the operation would take place were behind the last-minute notification. Some Israeli sources said they held back information from the Americans because there had been leaks about previous Mossad operations, an allegation that U.S. officials have denied. But U.S. officials believed Netanyahu had extended his grudge against Obama for negotiating the Iran deal to Biden because of his intention to revive it.

Bidens unhappiness with the Mossads secrecy regarding its Iran strategy persisted under the first of Netanyahus two recent predecessors, Naftali Bennett. In a nearly five-hour interview recently posted on Bennett's YouTube channel [in Hebrew, with English subtitles], the former Israel prime minister said that during his talks with Biden during his U.S. visit in August 2021, the president demanded that Israel give the United States advance notice of any action we take in Iran. But Bennett says he refused to comply, telling Biden: There are things you do not want to know about in advance.

Israels distrust of Biden softened somewhat last July after Bennett stepped down from Israels national unity government under a power-sharing agreement that brought centrist Yair Lapid to power. Lapid publicly chastised the new Mossad chief David Barnea for a speech in which the spymaster charged that Biden, by trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal, was rushing into an agreement that is a complete lie, adding that Tehrans willingness to sign the deal does not change Irans long-term desire to obtain a nuclear weapon."

Though Lapid himself opposes the nuclear deal, his aides said at the time that he felt Barneas language was too harsh in describing the policy of Israels most important ally. But now that Netanyahu is back in office, the gloves are back off when it comes to Israels efforts, both overt and covert, to torpedo any return to the JCPOA.

Some observers say the timing of the Isfahan drone strike, together with the Americans hurried assertion that the Mossad was responsible, sent contradictory signals as to how much the Biden administration knew about the attack beforehand.

Several explosive-packed quadcopter drones struck the Iranian weapons factory just as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken began a visit to Israel and only a week after Bidens national security adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA Director Burns had visited Israel. Yossi Kucik, who served as chief of staff for former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, told SpyTalk Israeli officials may have briefed the Americans on the planned attack beforehand to avoid news of the strike taking Blinken by surprise while he was in Israel.

Spokespersons for the White House and the CIA declined to comment when asked if Israel gave the United States advance notification for the Isfahan drone attack.

But the administrations swift finger-pointing at Mossad struck some critics as evidence that Netanyahu may have again intentionally not given the Americans advance notice to underscore his concerns that Biden continues to pursue a revived Iran nuclear accord.

These critics cite reports that Iran envoy Malley met with Irans United Nations Ambassador Saeed Iravani in New York at least three times over the past several months. They also point to remarks by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who told a news conference in Tehran during a visit last week that he had delivered messages from the United States and other Western parties to senior Iranian officials that urged Iran to revive the nuclear agreement after months of deadlocked negotiations.

It remains U.S. policy to pursue a nuclear deal with Iran, Richard Goldberg, a former director for countering Irans nuclear program on Trumps National Security Council and now a senior adviser to the pro-Israel Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. And in the absence of Iran saying yes to a nuclear deal, it remains U.S. policy to pursue alternative, passive pressure that could help induce Iran to say yes to a nuclear deal.

If no advance notice of the Isfahan strike was given, it would actually be the third time Netanyahu has personally embarrassed Biden. In 2010, the Obama administration opposed Netanyahus policy of expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. Netanyahu waited until then-Vice President Biden was in Israel on an official visit for his government to announce plans to build 1,600 new housing units for Jews in occupied Arab East Jerusalem.

Whether or not Israel officially takes credit for the attack, former U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials say there is no downside for the Mossad being seen as its author. The munitions factory that was hit is one of those obscure targets that only Iranian insiders would know about, once again reminding Irans clerical rulers that Israel intelligence has penetrated the country and that its saboteurs can strike at will, these officials say.

If one of the goals of the Mossads covert sabotage campaign is to prevent any return to the JCPOA, some believe its hardball tactics, aided by Irans continued uranium enrichment to near-bomb-grade levels, its brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrators and its provision of armed drones to Russias war effort in Ukraine, may already have succeeded.

They point to recent remarks by Sullivan that the administration no longer considers a revived JCPOA a priority, as well as the joint military exercise that the U.S. and Israel conducted last month in the Mediterranean that mimicked a massive attack on Iran, as evidence. The exercise included simulations of an electronic attack to fry Iranian strategic communications, suppression of Iranian air defenses, strike coordination and reconnaissance, interdiction of Iranian warplanes and three successive waves of attacks by U.S. B-52 bombers.

Interviewed last week by CNNs Jake Tapper, Netanyahu said the joint exercises confirmed Bidens agreement that a credible military threat was needed to dissuade Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Swing Right

Netanyahus return to office reflects Israels accelerating swing to the right that began in response to murderous Palestinian terror attacks after the 1993 Oslo Accords and which effectively decimated the countrys left-leaning political parties. Netanyahu first served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021, making him Israels longest serving leader.

Not surprisingly, Israels right-wing tilt also has surfaced within the military and intelligence services, where increasing numbers of Jewish settlers and religious nationalists now serve in elite combat units, military intelligence, the Mossad and Shin Bet, Israels internal intelligence agency. At the same time, many moderate or leftwing Israelis have emigrated from the country or have declined to make service in the military or security services their career.

Just before he retired from the CIA a few years ago, Polymeropoulos recalled that he returned to the Middle East for a final official visit and reconnected with a Mossad officer he had known during his own years in the region recruiting agents to spy for the United States.

Back in the 1990s, Polymeropoulos said, many Mossad operatives he knew wore Birkenstock sandals and held decidedly left-wing political views that included full-throated support for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. But over dinner, Polymeropoulos discovered that the emotional toll from a relentless campaign of Hamas suicide bombings that killed some 1,000 Israelis in the early 2000s had turned the Mossad officer into a rightwing hardliner with little remaining empathy for the Palestinians plight.

Polymeropoulos is careful to say one embittered dinner conversation doesn't define the Mossad, but he's also well-aware the terrorism turned the majority of Israelis against the national aspirations of the Palestinians.

Israel has changed a great deal over the last decade plus, Polymeropoulos told a small Twitter group of former national security officials, think-tankers and journalists who were discussing Netanyahus return to power and its potential impact on U.S.-Israel relations.

It is far more conservative, intolerant, he continued. My sense is that Mossad officers whom I always found to be rational, pro-peace, relatively secular have even changed as well. Rank and file became far more right wing over the years, from what I experienced.

In a later interview with SpyTalk, Polymeropoulos hastened to add that, even with Netanyahu at the helm, he never found Mossads information to be politically skewed or biased in any way. They were always completely professional, he said.

But that hasnt stopped Mossad case officers from continuing to spy on the United States, the unnamed former U.S.official said.

Frenemies

The subject of Israeli espionage in the United States became politically supercharged after the 1986 conviction of U.S. Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard for selling highly classified secrets to Israel. Pollard was given a life sentence, released from prison in 2015 after serving 30 years, and emigrated in 2020 to Israel, where he was greeted as a hero. Pollard, a Jew, claimed he committed espionage only because the American intelligence establishment collectively endangered Israel's security by withholding crucial information.

The former official said that in the wake of the Pollard affair, Israel and the United States reached a firm understanding not to spy on each other. But these understandings can change, the former senior CIA official added. Opportunities may present themselves that are too good to be true. I cant even tell you whether that agreement actually truly exists or not.

This official continued: The CIA, as a HUMINT organization, is always looking for opportunities wherever they can present themselves. Even among the most trusted of allies, if there was some opportunity that was too good to be true, it would probably be proposed and vetted and might be shot down. But I imagine that a good case officer is going to look for every opportunity to find intelligence that helps U.S. national security. That includes opportunities to recruit Israelisand vice versa.

Several Israeli intelligence officers based in the U.S. have been quietly expelled for their espionage activities over the years, the former U.S. official said. But Jerusalem has also quietly sent home some CIA case officers for similar reasons.

Thats not so unusual, the former official said. After all, thats the business were all in.
Congressional Republicans have renewed an effort to overturn the Department of Veterans Affairs' recently implemented abortion policy.

On Wednesday, GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate reintroduced a resolution to reverse the policy, using a process that could force a vote in the upper chamber even though the Senate is controlled by Democrats.

In September, the VA announced it would for the first time offer abortions in cases of rape, incest or where the life or health of the mother is at risk from the pregnancy. The change came in response to the June Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to ban abortion.

Read Next: Preventing Vet Homelessness and Suicide Top Biden's State of the Union 'Unity Agenda'

While the GOP measure still faces tough odds passing the Senate, the resolution signals that Republicans are digging in for a fight against the VA policy, and will pursue a vote that would put lawmakers on record about the issue.

"No taxpayer should be forced to pay for abortion services that disregard the will of millions of Americans in states with legal protections for life, rightfully upheld by the Supreme Court last year," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., the resolution's lead Senate sponsor, said in a statement. "The interim final rule highlights this administration's willingness to ignore the law and exploit limited federal resources to serve their extreme abortion agenda."

The House version is sponsored by Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas.

While the VA maintains it has the authority to provide abortion services under a 1996 law that requires the department to give "needed" medical care to veterans, Republicans argue the policy violates a 1992 law that directed the VA to provide reproductive health care except for "infertility services, abortions or pregnancy care" unless that care is needed because of a service-connected condition.

Tuberville and Cloud's resolution was introduced under the Congressional Review Act, or CRA, which provides a mechanism for Congress to overturn actions the executive branch takes through the federal rulemaking process, which was the process used for the VA's abortion policy.

In order to force a vote in the Senate, at least 30 senators need to sign onto what's known as a "discharge petition." As of Wednesday, 26 GOP senators have co-sponsored the legislation, including Senate Veterans Affairs Committee ranking member Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.

The CRA also sets the bar for advancing the resolution in the Senate at a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes needed for most legislation in the upper chamber. Still, Democrats hold a 51-seat majority, and President Joe Biden would likely veto any resolution undoing the VA policy, meaning a two-thirds majority would be needed to get the resolution into law.

Tuberville and Cloud previously introduced the resolution in December, but not enough time was left in that congressional session to consider it. The reintroduced House version has 40 co-sponsors, including House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill.

When Republicans first introduced the measure, the VA said it remained committed to providing veterans "the full range of reproductive health services to ensure their health and well-being."

"That is our commitment to women veterans as they deserve nothing less than access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most," VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said in a December statement. "That's what our nation owes them, and that's what we at VA will deliver."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: VA Sets Rules for Employees to Opt Out of Providing Abortions over Religious Objections
THE HAGUE, Netherlands  An international team of investigators said Wednesday it found strong indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the supply of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian separatists who shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 with a Russian missile.

However, members of the Joint Investigation Team said they had insufficient evidence to prosecute Putin or any other suspects and they suspended their 8-year inquiry into the shooting down that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Russia has always denied any involvement in the downing of the flight over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and refused to cooperate with the international investigation.

Dutch prosecutors said that there are strong indications that the Russian president decided on supplying a Buk missile system  the weapon that downed MH17  to Ukrainian separatists.

Although we speak of strong indications, the high bar of complete and conclusive evidence is not reached," Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said, adding that without Russian cooperation, the investigation has now reached its limit. All leads have been exhausted.

She also said that, as head of state, Putin would have immunity from prosecution in the Netherlands. The team played a recording of an intercepted phone call in which they said Putin could be heard discussing the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Are we disappointed? No, because we think we came further than we had ever thought in 2014. Would we have liked to come further? Of course, yes, said Andy Kraag of the Dutch police.

The team informed relatives of those killed in the downing of MH17 of their findings before making them public.

There was disappointment because ... they wanted to know why MH17 was shot down," Kraag said. "Were really clear on what has happened, but the answer to the question why MH17 was shot down still remains in Russia.

Van Boetzelaer said that while the investigation is being suspended, phone lines will remain open for possible witnesses who may still want to provide evidence. If that happens, the inquiry could be reactivated.

Russian officials say that a decision to provide rebels with military support over the summer of 2014 was in Putins hands.

A decision to supply arms was even postponed for a week because there is only one who makes a decision (), the person who is currently at a summit in France, the investigative team said, citing a phone conversation that was referring to Putin.

Prosecutors said that at the time Putin was at a commemoration of D-Day in France.

The announcement by the investigative team comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the plane. One Russian was acquitted by the court.

None of the suspects appeared for the trial and it was unclear if the three who were found guilty of multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.

The convictions and the court's finding that the surface-to-air Buk missile came from a Russian military base were seen as a clear indication that Moscow had a role in the tragedy. Russia has always denied involvement. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the news media.

But the November convictions held that Moscow was in overall control in 2014 over the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic, the separatist area of eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched. The Buk missile system came from the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in the city of Kursk.

The Joint Investigation Team is made up of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine. Most of the victims were Dutch. It had continued to investigate the crew of the missile system that brought down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in Ukraine.

As well as the criminal trial that was held in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.

The findings revealed Wednesday will likely strengthen the case at the human rights court and could also be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court who are investigating possible war crimes in Ukraine dating back to the start of the separatist conflict.
As the Navy continues to struggle with suicide and getting its sailors to seek help from mental health services, some commands are turning to new, unconventional tools.

At Naval Station Mayport, Florida, a commander didn't want his unit -- a regional maintenance center very similar to the one in Norfolk, Virginia, that recently experienced a string of suicides -- to become the next headline. What resulted was a proactive forum built on transparency that reportedly got rave reviews from sailors and may have sparked a trend at the small base.

Historically, the Navy's approach to suicide prevention has been largely reactive. While resources are available all the time, their existence is often discussed only following the death of sailors.

Read Next: Preventing Vet Homelessness and Suicide Top Bidens State of the Union 'Unity Agenda'

In early December, it became known that the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center had suffered four suicides in over a month. That type of maintenance center is unique in the Navy because many of its sailors are not on permanent assignment.

A Navy spokeswoman told Military.com in December that up to half of the sailors assigned to the Norfolk facility could be on humanitarian orders, pregnancy or postpartum status, or limited duty.

After the deaths, the commanding officer of the Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, a command that largely mirrors the troubled center in Norfolk, approached Amie Mckague, the director of the Fleet and Family Support Center at Mayport, about putting on a training for his sailors.

While Mckague was eager to tell sailors about what resources were available, "we did not want the canned brief," she told Military.com in an interview last week. Instead, the command put a representative from Navy medical, a chaplain, and someone from Fleet and Family up on a stage and let sailors ask the panel questions anonymously. The message: Here are all the different ways you can seek help.

"What are your thoughts about what is good about the Navy and what's not the best? ... What are your needs?" Mckague said, recalling some of the questions asked.

That kind of openness to discussing the warts of service is unusual. But the tone was set by commanding officer Capt. Justin Dowd, who opened the session with anecdotes about his own family's struggles with mental health and suicide.

Military.com reached out to Dowd for more details about why he chose to share that family history with the sailors, but he declined an interview.

"There's more leaders that need to do that," Mckague said.

Dr. Rajeev Ramchand, an epidemiologist at the Rand Corp. think tank who specializes in suicide, agreed.

"I think, especially in the military, having senior leaders talk about their own experiences  that's really important," Ramchand told Military.com in a phone interview.

Ramchand explained that, while there are many programs throughout the military that make the claim of being there for service member welfare and suicide prevention, "those personal anecdotes show that it's not just lip service."

Mckague said that around 800 sailors from the Mayport maintenance center attended the two forums she helped put together, and many of them "said that was the best training that we've had" and "we've already had other ships right now that want that" same training.

Both Ramchand and the Navy's own research say that there is no shortage of demand for mental health services.

An investigation into the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier that has experienced at least nine suicides since November 2019, revealed that between January 2021 and January 2022, "there were an estimated 2,615 patient encounters" between the ship's four mental health providers -- a figure they described as "overwhelming."

One of the key issues the military has is service members knowing what is available to them.

The same George Washington report noted that a "Deployed Resiliency Counselor" was available to the crew but at a three-mile walk away from the ship. Since January 2021, that person had seen only 46 patients. "Multiple Sailors interviewed did not know who the DRC was, what the DRC offered, or where the DRC was located," the report added.

Mckague said that after the forums she saw "some parking lot conversations with folks.  'While you're here, can I just talk with you?'"

The director hopes that the "ripple effects" from the forums continue to generate interest for help both from Navy leaders and sailors.

"We're growing," Mckague said, noting that "there's other commands  that want that forum."

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: What the Deaths of Sailors Who Took Their Own Lives Aboard the George Washington Reveal About the Navy
SUBIC BAY, Philippines  Once-secret ammunition bunkers and barracks lay abandoned, empty and overrun by weeds  vestiges of American firepower in what used to be the United States' largest overseas naval base at Subic Bay in the northern Philippines.

But that may change in the near future.

The U.S. has been taking steps to rebuild its military might in the Philippines more than 30 years after the closure of its large bases in the country and reinforcing an arc of military alliances in Asia in a starkly different post-Cold War era when the perceived new regional threat is an increasingly belligerent China.

On Feb. 2, the longtime allies announced that rotating batches of American forces would be granted access to four more Philippine military camps aside from five other local bases, where U.S.-funded constructions have picked up pace to build barracks, warehouses and other buildings to accommodate a yet-unspecified but expectedly considerable number of visiting troops under a 2014 defense pact.

Manila-based political scientist Andrea Chloe Wong said the location of the Philippine camps would give the U.S. military the presence it would need to be a strong deterrent against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, where China, the Philippines and four other governments have had increasingly tense territorial rifts  as well as a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory to be brought under Chinese control, by force if necessary.

Around the former U.S. Navy base in Subic, now a bustling commercial freeport and tourism destination northwest of Manila, news of the Philippine governments decision to allow an expanded American military presence rekindled memories of an era when thousands of U.S. sailors pumped money, life and hope into the neighboring city of Olongapo.

Olongapo was like Las Vegas then," Filipino businessman AJ Saliba told The Associated Press in an interview in his foreign currency exchange and music shop along what used to be Olongapos garish red-light strip.

Noisy as early as noon with neon lights turned on and the Americans roaming around. Women were everywhere. Jeepney drivers, tricycles, restaurants, bars, hotels  everybody was making money  so if they will return, my God, you know, thatll be the best news, he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during his visit in Manila last week that Washington was not trying to reestablish permanent bases, but that the agreement to broaden its military presence under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement was a big deal.

Visiting American military personnel could engage the Philippine military in larger joint combat-readiness trainings, provide help in responding rapidly to disasters and press efforts to help modernize Manilas armed forces, Austin and his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

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," Austin said at a news conference in Manila.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the U.S. militarys strengthening in the region was escalating tensions and risking peace and stability.

Regional countries need to remain vigilant and avoid being coerced or used by the U.S., Mao told reporters Feb. 2 at a briefing in Beijing.

Austin and Galvez did not reveal the four new locations where the Americans would be granted access and allowed to preposition weapons and other equipment. The Philippine defense chief said local officials, where the Americans would stay, had to be consulted.

In November, then-Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro disclosed that the sites included the strategic Subic Bay, where the Navy base was once a boon to the local economy. But two senior Philippine officials told the AP that Subic, where a Philippine navy camp is located, was not among the current list of sites where Washington has sought access for its forces, although they suggested that could change as talks were continuing. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

Subic freeport administrator Rolen Paulino said he has not been notified by the government that the former American naval base has been designated as a potential site for visiting U.S. forces.

A renewed U.S. military presence at Subic, however, would generate more jobs and raise additional freeport revenues at a crucial time when many Filipinos and businesses are still struggling to recover from two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and an economic recession wrought by coronavirus outbreaks, Paulino said.

I see them as tourists, he said of the U.S. forces whose presence could boost economic recovery.

About the size of Singapore, the former American Navy base at Subic with its deep harbors, a ship repair yard and huge warehouses had been used to support the U.S. war effort in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s. It was shut down and transformed into a commercial freeport and recreational complex in 1992 after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension of U.S. lease.

A year earlier, the U.S. Air Force withdrew from Clark Air Base near Subic after nearby Mount Pinatubo roared back to life in the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century and belched ash on the air base and outlying regions.

The American flag was lowered for the final time and the last batch of American sailors left Subic in November 1992, ending nearly a century of American military presence in the Philippines that began in 1898 when the U.S. seized the archipelago in a new colonial era after Spain held the Southeast Asian nation as a colony for more than three centuries. Washington granted independence on July 4, 1946, but maintained military bases and facilities, including Subic.

Chinas seizure in the mid-1990s of Mischief Reef, a coral outcrop within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines that extends into the South China Sea, provided the first hint that the allies may have been too quick to downgrade their relationship," said Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Philippine Constitution prohibits permanent basing of foreign troops in the country and their involvement in local combat but allows temporary visits by foreign troops under security pacts such as the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and a 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement.

The 1998 agreement allowed a large number of American forces to be deployed in the southern Philippines to help provide combat training and intelligence to Filipino forces battling the then-al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, which was blamed for deadly bombings and mass kidnappings for ransom, including three Americans  one of whom was beheaded and another shot and killed in a Philippine army rescue. The third survived.

There is still, however, domestic opposition to a U.S. presence in the Philippines, which left-wing groups have criticized as neo-colonialism, reinforced by the 2014 killing of a Filipina transgender woman by a U.S. Marine, Wong said.

Governor Manuel Mamba of northern Cagayan province, where Bacarro said the U.S. has reportedly sought access for its forces in two local military encampments, vowed to oppose such an American military presence. Cagayan, located on the northern tip of the main Luzon island, lies across a narrow sea border from Taiwan, the Taiwan Strait and southern China.

Itll be very dangerous for us. If they stay here, whoever is their enemy will become our enemy, Mamba told the AP by telephone, adding the Philippines could be targeted by nuclear weapons if the conflict over Taiwan boils over.

You cannot really remove any presumption by anyone that the Philippines has a nuclear capability through the Americans, who will be here, Mamba said.

___

Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila in Manila, Philippines, and David Rising in Bangkok contributed.
Gary Anderson is a retired Marine Corps colonel who was an adviser to the deputy secretary of defense. He lectures on wargaming and alternative analysis at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

When American officers are selected to the rank of brigadier general or rear admiral, they are sent to a variety of "charm school" courses designed to teach them how to operate in the rarefied atmosphere of high command. Such courses are designed to remind them of the importance of civilian control of the military and that they are merely advisers in foreign policy matters.

But as they reach higher rank over the years, spending decades in a bubble of staff members who tell them what they want to hear, some forget that advice. Since 2018, as the State Department has been hollowed out by an exodus of experts, the trend has become more pronounced.

History provides several examples of what happens when generals try to play foreign policy kings, perhaps best demonstrated by the Von Schlieffen Plan.

During the years between the Franco-Prussian War and World War I, the German General Staff concocted a war plan for its next conflict. Most of the planning was directed by its chief of the General Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen. What came to be known as the Von Schlieffen plan went far beyond an operational concept. The political execution of it would virtually ensure a general European war because it called for the violation of neutral Belgium. This peacetime plan had elements of grand strategic political significance that reached far beyond the military paygrade of general officers. It was also a very flawed operational concept.

The plan worked in war games on paper, but men and horses could not stand up to the road marches called for in the grand design. Worse still, it got Germany involved in a disastrous two-front conflict that eventually doomed the regime that it was designed to protect. Von Schlieffen created his plan virtually without civilian adult supervision after Kaiser Wilhelm fired Germany's greatest statesman, Otto von Bismarck, as chancellor. The peacetime plan doomed wartime Germany.

The recent disturbing trend toward allowing military flag officers to make decisions with strategic and foreign policy consequences devoid of civilian oversight was highlighted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley's infamous calls to his Chinese counterpart in which he assured the leader of a foreign military with strategic nuclear weapons capable of reaching the United States that we would not attack. He also reportedly told joint force commanders not to obey orders from the president without checking with him first. That goes beyond the type of insubordination that got Gen. Douglas MacArthur fired during the Korean War.

Milley is not a commander. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he is merely the military adviser to the civilian chain of command. Before his first call, he apparently notified the then-secretary of defense of what he was going to do rather than ask permission. In the second instance, he acted unilaterally. This constituted a very dangerous precedent.

Then, there is the case of Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, who commands the Air Mobility Command (AMC), which replaced the Military Airlift Command. He recently sent out a memo to his entire command telling his people that he had a gut feeling that we will be at war with China within the next two years and urging them to be ready. There are a few disturbing things about this. First, AMC is the military equivalent of an airline. It delivers people and things to various military installations in war and peace. Combat readiness for a specific conflict is not its primary concern.

The general also advises his troops to fire their weapons regularly. I personally do not expect Chinese hordes to be trying to hijack AMC aircraft, but there is nothing wrong with asking military personnel to be proficient with their weapons. What did bother me was that the general emphasized taking headshots. This violates every precept of military marksmanship.

Most disturbing, however, is that the general was not just out of his lane strategically and tactically; he was driving cross country. Such statements should be coordinated with both the Departments of Defense and State when made by a four-star flag officer.

Finally, we come to the commandant of the Marine Corps, who has spent his time in office transforming the nation's worldwide combat force-in-readiness into a service specifically concentrated on a war with China in a given geographic area: the South China Sea. He did this based on some service-specific classified war games that have been contradicted by independent joint games. The commandant did this in a vacuum against the advice of nearly every former four-star Marine Corps general, most former commandants, and every living Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient.

China's military strategists must be scratching their heads. We have one senior American military leader assuring them that they need not fear attack and two others rushing headlong into preparations for war specifically directed at them. They could be forgiven for asking, "Can't any of those guys over there play this game?"

In the wake of World War I, French Premier Georges Clemenceau advised the French people that war is too important to be left to the generals. Unfortunately, no American politicians are asking if the same might not be said of peace.
Free agency is slim pickings at this point, with very few potential everyday players still available. There are only 13 hitters who appeared in 100+ games last season who remain unsigned. Only ten of those names topped 400 plate appearances, and only three topped 500. Jurickson Profar and Elvis Andrus are the closest thing to surefire everyday players. Yuli Gurriel has been that throughout his MLB career but is headed into his age-39 season and coming off a poor 2022 showing. Given the quiet market, it seems unlikely hell be signed as anyones primary first baseman at this point.

That trio still has value to big league clubs, of course, and the free-agent market in general still has a handful of names who can be valuable part-time/bench pieces if deployed properly. Some of the following names have long been platooned in the big leagues, while others are perhaps aging their way into that more specialized type of role. Regardless, there are still some remaining names with a track record of doing damage in the proper platoon context. Lets take a look at whos left on the market that could still provide some offensive value in the right setting

Versus Left-Handed Pitching

Robbie Grossman, OF

Grossman was an above-average bat in five of six seasons from 2016-21, with 2019 being the lone exception. He slipped to a .209/.310/.311 output in 477 plate appearances this past season between the Tigers and Braves, but he maintained his long track record of production against left-handed pitching.

The 2019 season  when Grossman didnt produce much against anyone  is Grossmans only full season since 2016 in which he wasnt an unmitigated thorn in the side of lefties. He mashed southpaws at a .320/.436/.443 pace in 2022 and is a career .279/.377/.413 hitter against lefties. The switch-hitting Grossman has had productive stretches against righties, too, though hes been inconsistent in that regard. Hes strictly a corner outfield/designated hitter option at this point, but he can clearly still do damage against southpaws.

Donovan Solano, INF:

Solano bounced around the infield as a utility option with the Marlins from 2012-15 and, after a brief nine-game look with the Yankees in 2016, fell off the MLB radar entirely until a 2019 resurgence in San Francisco. Solano came out of nowhere to hit .330/.360/.456 that year, and while much of that is attributable to a .409 BABIP he was never going to sustain, hes remained an above-average hitter for three seasons now.

Much of that production has been a matter of Solano holding his own against righties while absolutely clobbering left-handed opponents. Hes posted a solid, albeit rather punchless .289/.342/.397 slash against righties since resurfacing with the Giants, but Solano has tattooed lefties at a .321/.363/.461 clip. Its partially driven by a still-hefty .365 average on balls in play, but Solano strikes out noticeably less often and hits the ball considerably harder against lefties than he does righties. Solano has been primarily a second baseman/third baseman since returning, though he posted strong defensive marks in 215 innings at first base with the Reds last year. For the right team, he could be considered for everyday work, but hed be an upgrade to quite a few benches around the league.

Yuli Gurriel, 1B:

Gurriel won a batting title and a Gold Glove in 2021, but the bottom dropped out on his 2022 season. He slashed just .242/.288/.360 this past season, generally mirroring his output from an ugly 2020 campaign.

Even with those dismal all-around numbers, though, Gurriel slashed a more palatable .265/.298/.441 against left-handed pitching  good for a 108 wRC+. Gurriel is a career .282/.333/.474 hitter against left-handed pitching, and as recently as 2021 he obliterated southpaws at a .326/.394/.530 pace (150 wRC+). Defensive metrics soured on Gurriel in 2022 as well, and theres some obvious concern when a player in his late 30s declines this sharply. Still, he rarely strikes out (12.5% in 22, 11.2% career) and has enough of a track record against lefties to think he can help a team in a part-time role. Hes been linked to the Twins, Astros and Marlins in recent weeks, though Miami has reportedly backed off on its efforts to sign him.

Versus Right-Handed Pitching

Tyler Naquin, OF

The 31-year-old Naquin split the 2022 season between the Reds and Mets, though both his role and his production declined following a trade from Cincinnati to Queens (even when weighting for the difference in park factors). The extent of the correlation (if any) between those two things cant be accurately measured, but even with the dip in production post-trade, Naquin finished out the year with a solid .241/.300/.446 slash against righties.

Naquin is just a year removed from batting .283/.339/.514 against right-handed pitching, and hes a career .274/.326/.468 hitter when holding the platoon advantage. Defensively, hes best-suited for corner outfield work, although he logged 645 innings in center as recently as 2021. A team looking for an affordable lefty to plug into the outfield corners could do far worse than deploying Naquin as part of a platoon.

David Peralta, OF

Peralta logged the third-most plate appearances against righties of any remaining free agent last season (417) and was the most productive bat left on the market, by measure of wRC+ (116). He slashed .267/.329/.449 with 11 homers, 29 doubles and three triples in such situations, and hes a career .294/.350/.486 hitter in such situations.

Peralta turned 35 in August, and his defensive grades  once universally above average  were more of a mixed bag in 2022. Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at minus-5, whereas Statcasts Outs Above Average credited him with a plus-5 mark. The longtime Diamondback also saw his numbers crater following a trade to the Rays (.255/.317/.335, no homers in 180 plate appearances), which surely hasnt helped his cause. Still, theres little reason to think that stretch of 47 games firmly indicates that he cant rebound, and the price to find out figures to be pretty light at this point.

Ben Gamel, OF

The 423 plate appearances Gamel logged in 2022 were the second-highest total of his career and his most since recording 550 trips to the plate with the 2017 Mariners. Gamels overall track record against right-handed pitching is that of a league-average hitter, although its skewed a bit by a pair of shaky seasons that are a few years in the rearview mirror.

In each of the past two seasons, Gamels 112 wRC+ against righties has indicated that hes about 12% better than league-average when holding the platoon advantage. Hes batted .255/.351/.408 through 605 plate appearances in that time, walking at a huge 13.9% clip against a less-encouraging 24.3% strikeout rate. Gamel was a generally solid outfielder defender from 2018-20, but defensive metrics have soured on him as Statcast has increasingly panned his outfield jumps in recent years. Hes also seen his sprint speed decline (though its still in the 65th percentile) and his once-above-average arm strength dip to roughly league-average. Gamel was basically a replacement-level player in 2022, but if his defense bounces back at all, he can be a useful role player off the bench.



There are certainly more names out there to consider. Catcher Gary Sanchez, for instance, has a solid career batting line against lefties but was well below-average against them in 2022 and actually hasnt consistently hit southpaws over the past four years now. Edwin Rios has an above-average career line against lefties but in a relatively small sample, and his strikeout rates likely give teams some pause.

The aforementioned Andrus, conversely, was great against lefties in 2022 and has a decent track record against them, but hell probably be signed more for his glove and still seems like someone who could land a more regular role. Ditto, to a lesser extent, with regard to Jose Iglesias.

Profar hit both lefties and righties well in 2022 and remains without a team, perhaps due to a lofty asking price early on. Wherever he signs, it seems likely hell be in line for more regular work in the outfield, even if its at a lower rate than he anticipated earlier in the winter.

Other names might be conspicuous by their absence. Right-handed sluggers Luke Voit and Miguel Sano, however, both have better career numbers against righties than lefties  marginally so in the case of Sano but by a pretty wide gap with regard to Voit. Sano hasnt had a productive season against lefties since 2019, while Voit saw each of his average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage check in shy of .300 against lefties in 2022.
Reds reliever Tejay Antone is not going to be ready for Opening Day, he announced this evening on Instagram (h/t to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The right-hander received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat a flexor strain in his forearm today and will have to shut down his throwing program for the time being.

Antone didnt provide many specifics on his recovery, though it appears hell be out for an extended stretch. While he cautioned the issue was a small, little strain, nothing crazy, he concluded by noting hell be ready for the playoff push in the second half. If hes indeed out until near or following the All-Star Break, itll be a significant hit to a Cincinnati bullpen that already looked thin.

The 29-year-old Antone was arguably the Reds best reliever from 2020-21. He combined for a 2.48 ERA over his first 69 MLB innings, striking out 32.3% of opponents with an above-average 48% grounder rate. His 10.8% walk percentage was higher than ideal, but the combination of missed bats and ground balls pushed him into high-leverage work by his second season. Antone collected three saves and held eight more leads over 23 appearances in 2021 but began battling forearm issues that June. He twice landed on the injured list before making brief returns, but a third IL stay culminated in August Tommy John surgery.

That was the second TJS procedure of Antones career, as hed also gone under the knife in 2017. He spent all of last year on the injured list rehabbing and seemed on track to be ready for the start of the upcoming season. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reported last month Antone had been dealing with a forearm concern that was unrelated to his surgically repaired elbow ligament. While this flexor problem isnt as serious as another Tommy John procedure would be, its a nevertheless disappointing development for a talented hurler whose past year and a half have been defined by injuries.

Alexis Diaz broke out as Cincinnatis closer last season. Hell be joined in high-leverage innings by Lucas Sims, whos hoping to bounce back from an injury-wrecked 2022 campaign himself. Ground-ball specialist Reiver Sanmartin is probably the top left-hander in the group. Cincinnati will need some less heralded relievers to take steps forward as Diaz did last year. They havent made any MLB additions this offseason to a bullpen that ranked 28th in the league with a 4.72 ERA.

Antone has exactly three years of MLB service time. He and the Reds previously agreed to a $770K contract to avoid arbitration. Hell continue to collect service while on the injured list and be eligible for arbitration twice more. Hes on track to hit free agency after the 2025 season.
The former CEO of the defunct UT Bank, Prince Kofi Amoabeng has spoken highly of decorated rapper, Sarkodie.

Mr. Amoabeng praised the rapper for always showing respect to whomever it is due.

The finance expert, who has a very good relationship with Sarkodie, noted on Accra-based Okay FM that the Sarkcess CEOs unique upbringing has strengthened their bond in the industry.

He is a great man, I must say, and one of the individuals who was correctly raised; he has respect for elders, parents, and other such things, said Mr. Kofi Amoabeng.

He recounted, When he approached me, we made the decision to do tours of universities once more with the same goal of attempting to inspire students and doing other similar things.

We went around to three or four colleges, and then we spent time together. We used to call it 'Mentor.' Sarkodie is a close friend with whom we go on evening trips, hang out at my place, and attend his parties. All the way, Sark, he asserted.
08.02.2023 LISTEN

Upper East Regional Minister has revealed that over 150,000 cattle have already entered Ghana to graze.

The Regional Minister revealed this to the reporter after he met with all the Fulanis in the region to officially interact with them following the ongoing threats of terrorist groups who are believed to be operating in most countries in the sub-region including neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and others.

"As I speak, over one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) cattle have already entered Ghana. So I told all my DCEs that, this is even a source of revenue to them because if they are charging one cow Ghc5.00 multiply it by 150,000 cattle. And they come this time to graze and go back and that is what they do every year," he stated.

The Minister urged the chiefs of the various communities to be steadfast and monitor any nomadic herdsmen coming into their community with the cattle from neighbouring countries to graze.

He fears the Jihadists might take advantage of the opportunity by way of entering the region with cattle to establish their footprints.
Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakub

08.02.2023 LISTEN

Upper East Regional Minister Stephen Yakubu has met with all the Fulanis in the region to officially interact with them following the ongoing threats from terrorist groups operating in most countries in the sub-region, particularly neighboring countries.

Speaking to this reporter, the Regional Minister said I met all the Fulanis in this region because we have realized that the Jihadist most of them are Fulanis and they are talking to our Fulani people here. Because they speak the same language and they are the same people. We think, there is a need to start engaging our Fulanis. So that, they will be able to give us information. I also used the opportunity to tell them that if they joke and the Jihadists enter the region, all of us are going to suffer.

Meanwhile, aside from engaging the Funali community in the region, Minister Yakubu noted that he also engaged the chiefs. According to him, the Chiefs are the people who allowed the Fulanis to enter their communities with their cattle to graze.

He indicated that it was therefore prudent to educate the chiefs on the need to properly track and monitor any Fulani herdsman who enter their communities with cattle to graze.

According to the regional minister, over 150,000 cattle have already entered Ghana from neighbouring countries in 2022 to graze. So I told all my DCEs that, this is even a source of revenue to them because if they are charging one cow Ghc5.00 multiply it by 150,000 cattle. And they come this time to graze and go back and that is what they do every year.

He added, Our problem is that we wanted to tell the chiefs to be very careful, anybody that is coming in, they should screen the person because the Jihadists can come with them. Because usually when they come, is the chiefs that they see first because sometimes they give the chiefs some of the cattle. So, that is why we are engaging the chiefs.
An Individual Bondholder has disclosed that none of their recommendations made to government to raise more revenue without involving the funds of individual bondholders in the domestic debt exchange programme has been considered in the final proposals.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, February 7, Michael Yamson, said all the proposals that have been presented to them have been unilateral from the Finance Minister.

Up until now, we have essentially seen only unilateral proposals. None of the conversations that were entered into by the technical committee between the government and the individual bondholders has been reflected. All the proposals that we made that we talked about almost 83 billion cedis, none has been discussed by the government.

The deadline for signing up for the programme expires today, Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

The government has hinted that it may no longer extend the deadline for subscribing to the domestic debt exchange programme which has been postponed three times already.

Mr Ofori-Atta said though the extensions delayed the execution of the programme, such decisions were needed to alleviate the country's debt burden in the most transparent, efficient, and sustainable manner.

We admit that there were legitimate and critical concerns which needed deeper and broader consultations. The requisite efforts to address them have resulted in improved terms and changes in the closing date, with a final deadline of February 7.

But Mr Yamson, however, added that proceeding with the debt exchange programme will eventually harm the economy and negatively affect the trust of investors in government bonds.

There will be a long-term loss of confidence and anything that the government does in the financial space. People will simply not trust to keep their monies with the government, people will not save, and people will keep their monies in their bedrooms and that is not good for us in the long term.

The Individual Bondholders as part of their recommendations asked the government to divest loss-making, defunct and troubled 17 Stateown enterprises.

They also suggested that the government should review the Free SHS Programme to make it more efficient through effective targeting and allowing parents who can pay to do so.

According to the group, beneficiaries should be students that patronize Senior High Schools in their communities whilst other students should pay for boarding. However, the government can pay for students who do not have Senior Secondary schools in their communities.

The group stated that divesting the 17 non-performing SOEs and reviewing the free SHS alone will provide the government with GH2 billion.

The group also urged the government to maintain the 2022 capital expenditure level by reducing the nonABFA MDA and foreign finance Capex provisions by 50% which they claim will provide the 10.7 billion Ghana Cedis.

-citinewsroom
Poverty and the prospect of better-paid work, rather than ideology, are what fuel recruitment to jihadist and other violent groups in Africa, the United Nations said Tuesday.

The conclusion casts doubt on conventional wisdom that religious doctrine is the main lure for joining groups like Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and the Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 2021 interviewed nearly 2,200 people across eight countries torn by jihadist or other violent groups - Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.

The interviews included nearly 1,200 former members of extremist groups, of whom nearly 900 had joined voluntarily while the others had been coerced.

Of those who had voluntarily joined, a quarter said the prospect of paid work had been their primary motive, UNDP said in a report.

Desperation

That marks a 92-percent increase for that justification, compared to its previous report on the issue in 2017.

"In many countries... the lack of income, the lack of job opportunities, livelihoods, desperation is essentially pushing people to take up opportunities with whoever offers them," UNDP chief Achim Steiner told journalists.

Another 22 percent said they joined to be with family or friends.

But religious motivations came in third, cited by just 17 percent as the main reason for joining.

In contrast, nearly half the respondents cited a specific trigger event that also pushed them to join 71 percent pointed to an abuse, often by state security forces, as "the tipping point".

"It is one of the sad realities that in the context of trying to push back on violent extremism, often the state itself becomes a trigger factor," Steiner said.

Properly defining what is driving violent extremism in sub-Saharan Africa is vital, at a time when the region is seeing surging numbers of attacks.

Epicentre of extremism

Deaths worldwide from terrorism have declined over the past five years, but attacks south of the Sahara have more than doubled since 2016, the UNDP said.

Between 2017 and 2021, there were 4,155 attacks in the eight countries listed in the report, UNDP said, putting the number of resulting deaths at over 18,400.

In 2021, nearly half of all terrorism-related deaths were in this region, with more than one-third in just four countries: Somalia, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.

"Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as... the global epicentre of violent extremism in recent years," Steiner warned.

The shift has garnered relatively little international attention, at a time when the world is reeling from the Covid pandemic, climate crises and the war in Ukraine, the agency said.

Preventive action needed

The UNDP called for a preventive strategy to take the shine away from recruiters' promises.

It urged investment in child welfare and education and help to rehabilitate those wishing to leave the ranks of extremists.

"Research shows that those who decide to disengage from violent extremism are less likely to rejoin and recruit others," said Nirina Kiplagat, UNDP's technical lead on preventing violent extremism in Africa.

"This is why it's so important to invest in incentives that enable disengagement."

"Security-driven counter-terrorism responses are often costly and minimally effective, yet investments in preventive approaches to violent extremism are woefully inadequate," Steiner said.

(with AFP)
Government has been advised to consider further cutting down expenditure apart from the fiscal measures introduced in 2023 to lessen the impact of the current economic crisis on citizens.

Mr George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South and Mr Martin Kpebu, a Private Legal Practitioner, are of the view that, that was the only way to significantly improve the economy.

Contributing to a discussion on a local radio station in Accra, they asked the Government to consider creating more fiscal space by reducing budget allocation for non-critical items.

This comes as the Government makes efforts, including debt restructuring, to secure a $3 billion loan-support programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for economic recovery.

Mr Ricketts-Hagan said scrapping budget items like fuel coupons, salary cuts for some categories of government appointees and non-purchase of vehicles would not significantly impact on fiscal consolidation.

The lawmaker, therefore, called on the Government to further reduce its expenditure beyond the line items in the 2023 budget to include projects like Agenda 111 [an initiative to build 111 hospitals to transform the countrys health care system].

He said: The problem with this government is that they are doing everything they can except the necessary things they need to do. Unless they do something significant on the expenditure side and there are items they can look at and give them a haircut, to quote their words.

He added that: The projects that are non-critical at this stage should not be done; if those are cut, the expenditure will go further down so that we'll be able to have room to do other things.

Mr Kpebu, who supported the call for further expenditure cut said: We are not seeing the impact of the cut of some expenditures by government. We've not been shown the deductions and what it's been used for.

He urged the Government to cut down the budget on some of the line items and leave individual bondholders out of the Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE) programme.

However, Mr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security, said: With expenditure cuts, I believe that our government has cut down expenditure drastically.

He added that: We [the Government] acknowledge the challenges and as a gov't, we have come to the table to share with the Ghanaian people to see to it that we address these challenges.

In a similar discussion on another platform, Mr Alhassan Suhuyini, Tamale North MP, called for a national debt forum to discuss and come to a consensus on ways to address the country's debt and economic challenge.

He said, there should be a forum where you have all the stakeholders sitting together to have a conversation, where it is frank, where you all know what you have to give and take and, especially where the government leads the way in shaving its hair.

GNA
07.02.2023 LISTEN

The new leadership of the Minority in Parliament has officially commenced their duties today, Tuesday, February 7.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, new Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson issued a word of caution to government, stressing that bad governance from henceforth will not be accepted.

The Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency Member of Parliament added that under his leadership as leader of the Minority Caucus, he will ensure that government programmes, policies, agreements, bills, and legislative instruments are properly scrutinized.

We are unwilling to countenance any more bad governance and we will insist on the highest level of performance from all government officials and institutions over whom this parliament has oversight and jurisdiction.

We are unwilling to be part of any negligence of duty of any sort and neither shall we tolerate any lackadaisical attitude towards the work of this house by public officials, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson said in Parliament.

The new Minority Leader added, We will maintain the highest level of vigilance and offer intense scrutiny of government programmes, policies, agreements, bills, and legislative instruments.

We will also not compromise on what we earnestly believe to be the right thing. This is our solemn pledge as the minority caucus under my leadership to the people of Ghana.

Dr. Ato Forson is working alongside Kofi Armah Buah as the Deputy Minority Leader, Kwame Agbodza; Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim; First Deputy Whip, as well as Comfort Doyoe Ghansah who is the Second Deputy Whip.
08.02.2023 LISTEN

Tension is brewing among members of the Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU), formerly known as Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union following some alleged financial irregularities by the unions leadership.

The members are therefore calling for swift investigations to uncover what they strongly believe constitute financial malfeasance and embezzlement, especially on the part of the Managing Director of the Union, Madam Fatima Ali and three others to save the union from total collapse.

Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved members at a News Conference in Kumasi last Monday, the Nkawie District/Society President of KKFU, Adams Alhassan, accused Madam Fatima of embezzling funds worth millions of cedis in depot constructions and other expenses.

The worst of it all is that Mad. Fatima Ali, the Executive Secretary of the KKFU (Mr. Nelson Adubofour), the accountant (Mr. Luke Antwi) and the Administrator (Mr. Bernard Missedjah) have formed company called Aya Legacy Ltd in which the Administrator is the sole shareholder and also a director, he said.

He further alleged that: These four people have been syphoning the revenues of farmers from certified cocoa projects into the companys account in the name of market commission. So far, our findings have revealed that they have channeled GHC1,993,135.04 of the farmers money into Aya Legacy Account. We know that a true and proper investigation will reveal more.

Mr. Adams Alhassan continued that the matter has been reported to the Ashanti Regional Police command and hoped that it would be treated with all seriousness to ensure that those found culpable are brought to book.

Already, Mad. Fatima Ali is going round boasting that the Police and other high people in government and the judiciary are on her pay pocket. We are not surprised that she is going about boasting because we have come across documents in the KKFU which show that Mad. Fatima Ali has withdrawn hundreds of thousands of cedis of the Farmers money in the name of state institutions and highly placed personalities in Ghana, he also alleged.

Background

It would be recalled that in November last year, members of the Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU), formerly known as Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union, expressed their displeasure about the management style of the Managing Director of the Union, Madam Fatima Ali in the last couple of years.

They therefore called for her immediate dismissal to save the union from further financial distress and gross mismanagement; alleging among others that Madam Fatima Ali, who initially became the Acting head of the Union in 2000 following the dismissal of the then Managing Director, failed to put the union on its feet since assuming office and has succeeded in plunging it into serious difficulties.

The embattled Fatima Ali became the President of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union (KKFU) in 2014 at the age of 36. Prior to this, she was elected to the Societys Executive Council (then District Executive Council) in 2003 and then as a Secretary of the National Executive Council (NEC) after joining the Union in 2000 at Alikrom zone (the Alikrom Society), having been elected as the Recorder for the zone in 2002 in the Akontombra District of the Western region.

Kuapa Kokoo

Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU) is Ghanas pioneer and the leading producer of ethical cocoa beans.

Established in 1993 with 2000 farmers and currently has 100,000 registered farmers across Ghana. KKFU is multiply certified under Fair Trade and UTZ/Rainforest Alliance

Its mission is to develop itself into a formidable farmer-based organisation capable of mobilizing quality cocoa products, improving the livelihood of members and satisfying customers and hopes to become a leading, caring, efficient and the most globally recognized cooperative in cocoa production and marketing in Ghana

To provide a medium for the social, economic and political empowerment of cocoa farmers, enhance the participation of women in the decision-making process at all levels of operation and organisation and encourage environmentally sustainable cocoa production processes, among others.

Kuapa Kokoo is made up of Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU) which is a Union or Association of cocoa farmers from 57 District Cooperatives called Societies. The KKFU together with a minority shareholder own Kuapa Kokoo Ltd. (KKL). There are over 100,000 farmers forming the Union.
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday fired the country's top diplomat -- the fourth minister to lose his post this year in the politically divided nation.

Nabil Ammar, Tunisia's ambassador to the European Union, will replace Othman Jerandi as foreign minister, the presidency said in a statement on its official website, without providing a reason for the move.

Saied has already replaced his trade, agriculture and education ministers this year, but Jerandi, who had served as foreign minister since September 2020, is the most senior official to lose his post.

Deepening political divisions have wracked Tunisia since Saied launched a dramatic power grab in July 2021.

He sacked the government, froze parliament and seized far-reaching executive powers, pushing through a new constitution in a referendum in July last year that defanged the parliament and installed a hyper-presidential system.

Tunisia has faced mounting economic woes in recent months, with repeated strikes by teachers and transportation workers along with shortages of basic goods, including milk.

Just 11.4 percent of Tunisians turned out for a second round of voting in January for the now toothless legislature after opposition parties called for a boycott.

The public discontent has put growing pressure on Saied, whose critics have accused him of launching a "coup" in the birthplace of the pro-democracy Arab Spring uprisings.

The moves come in the shadow of Tunisia's drawn-out negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout worth nearly $2 billion.
Ghanas leading telecommunications company, MTN Ghana has marked the 2023 Safer Internet Day.

The day which is being commemorated today, Tuesday, February 7, is aimed at promoting the safe use of the internet for children and young people.

As part of the Africa Safer Internet initiative, MTN visited the Osu Presbyterian SHS today to educate the pupils and staff on cyber safety among other things.

Speaking to the media on the motive behind the training for the pupils, Jacqueline Hanson Kotei who is Senior Manager, Enterprise Information Security & Governance at MTN Ghana explained that her outfits want to contribute to helping young people to be safe online.

Today is World Safe Internet Day and we are here to commemorate the day. We are aware that a lot of the youth have various devices. Its important that we give them the necessary guidance on how to be safe online. A lot of our children are online these days.

How we keep them safe is a question that has come up and the government, public, the media, and parents, we all need to come together and see how we can answer that question and help keep our children safe online. Thats why we are here today, Jacqueline Hanson Kotei disclosed.

Jacqueline Hanson Kotei

She continued, We want to advise young people, the youth to be safe online. Be safe online, dont meet anybody who engages you online, be careful of accepting unknown requests online, make sure that whoever you are dealing with is reliable, and always report to an adult if you encounter someone or something uncomfortable.

In the past, MTN Ghana has engaged in similar training geared towards equipping young people with the knowledge on how to stay safe while using the internet.

Last year, the giant telecom company commemorated Safer Internet Day at the Labone Senior High School where students were trained.

After seeing his school benefit from the training today, the headmaster of the Osu Presbyterian SHS, Vincent Esoah expressed profound appreciation to MTN on behalf of the school.

He said he has no doubt the impact will be massive not only for the ICT students who were trained but other schoolmates and young siblings of the beneficiaries.

Im very glad as a headmaster to have MTN Ghana visiting the school to mark Safer Internet Day. Having met with my students they have educated them on a lot of issues to be able to keep themselves safe whenever they are using the internet. We are aware cyber insecurity is a global issue and our youth are the most at risk because they use the internet a lot. So I believe tackling it from this angle I think MTN has done well. They [the students] have learned a lot and I believe that they are going to educate other people on how to be safe on the internet so we are grateful, Vincent Esoah told the press in an interview.

In a plea, the Osu Presby SHS headmaster appealed to MTN Ghana and all well-meaning Ghanaians to donate computers to the school.

He shared that for a school that offers ICT as an elective subject, only 33 working computers are available to serve 308 students.

Mr. Vincent Esoah noted that while the government is making the effort to intervene and help, it is important that organisations and people who can support also extend a helping hand to the Osu-based Senior High School.

During the training on Tuesday, the Cyber Security Team of MTN Ghana took students and staff of Osu Presby SHS through various topics including Cyberbullying, Privacy, Internet security tips, as well as Social media security tips.

The training also focused on equipping students with the knowledge of how to Protect Mobile devices and how one can be protected against cyberbullying.

Students were advised to be mindful of the things they post online, not to share private information online, avoid downloading from untrusted sources, and avoid the use of free public Wi-Fi, among other things.


Kharge targets Centre, demands JPC probe on Adani Amid interruptions from the ruling party MPs and the chair, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition attacked the Central government over the demand for a probe by the joint parliamentary committee in the Adani case even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seated in the House. Amid interruptions from the ruling party MPs and the chair, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition attacked the Central government over the demand for a probe by the joint parliamentary committee in the Adani case even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seated in the House.



Kharge said, "There should be a joint parliamentary committee probe in the Adani row... when the government is not afraid of anything then constitute a JPC."



While attacking the PM, Kharge alleged, "Wealth of one of the closest friends of the Prime Minister increased by 12 times in the last two and half years. In 2014 it was Rs 50,000 crore group while in 2019 it became Rs 1 lakh crore group, but what 'jadu' (magic) happened that suddenly in two years assets worth Rs 12 lakh crore came...whether it is due to the favour of friendship."



Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reacted sharply and said, "It is a very smart thing to say... We are giving data and we will corroborate it, but it is completely infused with insinuation against the Prime Minister and that is what we are objecting to. They are overtly insinuating the PM."



While the chair asked for authentication, he said that there should be discussion in national interest. To this Kharge was furious, and said, "I speak the truth, is it anti-national? I am not anti-national and more patriotic than anyone here as I am 'bhoomi-putra'. You are looting the country and telling me that I am an anti-national."



Kharge alleged, "The responsible ministers, MPs are always Hindu-Muslim always and don't get any other subject... Scheduled Castes people are beaten up upon entering temples, if they are considered Hindus why then the Scheduled Caste people are not allowed in temples or be educated...Many ministers show pictures of them eating at Scheduled Caste houses. Is that any achievement..."



During the motion of thanks on the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said that "one person became rich as his wealth increased 12 times from 2019", which drew objections from the Chair and treasury bench.



However, the chair and the treasury benches objected to it.



Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "You are insinuating the Prime Minister which can't be allowed... Any report from any corner of the world cannot be quoted here."



Kharge had mentioned the Hindenburg report while attacking the government.



Even the leader of the House, Piyush Goyal said that LoP casting aspersions on the Prime Minister was unacceptable.



While BJP's Sushil Modi raised the point of order that any allegations made, a notice should be given in advance which the chair will validate.



The Finance Minister too said, "The LoP is insinuating the Hon'ble Prime Minister."



The Congress members said that they have not taken the name of the Prime Minister.



The LoP, however, continued tirade against the Adani Group.



He said that the group is taking money from the public sector banks and purchasing the public sector undertakings. "Privatisation is also diminishing the reservation system which they could have got in the PSUs," said Kharge.




The Ahafo Youth Coalition, Assembly and Unit Committee Members around the Newmont Ahafo North project have asked WACAM, a civil society organization, to cease its activities in the five major mining communities in the enclave.

We dont want to believe that as a civil society organization, WACAM works to disregard community norms and also to aim at emboldening individuals to disrespect their community leaders, they stated.

At a news conference held at Afrisipkarom, a mining community in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region, the coalition stated operations of WACAM in the area are impeding efforts towards resolving challenges between the mining company and some farmers whose properties have directly or indirectly affected by the mine.

The Coalition is a group comprising Youth Associations in Yamfo, Techire, Adrobaa, Afrisipakrom, and Susuanso in the Municipality.

Mr Richard Addai Yeboah, the spokesman of the Coalition and the Youth Chairman of Techire, noted that a lot of progress had been made so far for the Newmont Ahafo project to compensate the farmers and residents whose properties had been directly or indirectly affected by the mine.

We are happy to say that there has been a lot of progress, but there still continue to be some challenges that confront the Newmont Ahafo North project, notably among them is the refusal of some individuals granting access to their farms and properties for compensation, they stated.

We have noticed the operations of WACAM, which we can say that almost all these individual farmers who are refusing access to their farms are all members of WACAM, trying to frustrate the mines operations in the area, he stated.

What is baffling is the uttermost disrespect to the five Ahafo North Chiefs by these individuals as they continue to walk out on them at stakeholders meetings to tackle the issues, Mr Yeboah stated.

Much as we understand that it is within the individuals rights, it is also concerned if it inhibits the collective progress of the Ahafo North project and its benefits to the local communities and the youth, he indicated.

He regretted that majority of the affected farmers are ready to receive their share of the crop compensation after successfully going through negotiations with Newmont, but few of the farmers are dragging the issue at court.

Mr Yeoah called on the farmers to resolve all differences and allow the company to effect payment of compensation, saying many of us are unhappy about the court issue which is delaying the operations of the mine.

It is our understanding as youth, unit committee and assembly members that, there have been many attempts by different stakeholders including the Ahafo Regional Minister and our chiefs to engage these individuals to find amicable solution, but all to no avail all because WACAM is frustrating the process, Mr Yeboah stated.
07.02.2023 LISTEN

Open Letter to Head of Commonwealth His Majesty King Charles and The British Government on why AMNESTY must be granted to all illegal immigrants in the UK as of today.

After the Second World War (WW2), Britain is said to have had serious labour shortage. Britain lost most of its active workforce to the war. Britain's labour shortage was so severe that Sir Winston Churchill - British Prime Minister during WW2 - began sending emissaries to the West Indies to bring in African Caribbeans to fill the labour gap in the UK.

Amongst the sectors that were seriously affected by the labour shortage was Britain's Railway industry. The thousands of African-Caribbeans that were shipped from the West Indies to the UK are known as the Windrush Generation.

Many families were shipped with their children to the UK during the Windrush Generation. I met some of such children (now old) in Pentonville prison, who have spent half a century of their lives in the UK, never felt the need to travel outside the UK, and so never saw the need to acquire Passport, and so never applied for to be naturalized as British Citizens, just like Ghana's Kweku Adoboli.

And those who later became caught up in David Cameron and Theresa May's acrimonious Immigration Rules against Commonwealth Citizens, who in spite of having lived half a century (almost all their lives) in the UK, failed to have naturalized themselves as British Citizens.

And when they unfortunately became involved in criminal cases and sentenced to Prison for two years or more; they were stripped off their Indefinite Leave to Remain, and deported to their original countries of birth after serving their prison sentences. A typical example is Ghana's Kweku Adoboli, who grew up in the UK with British accent.

I met many of such persons in Pentonville Prison who had finished serving their Prison sentences, but still being kept in Prison as they were fighting deportation. The case of one SPENCER DEVON was very disheartening. I was always in tears whenever I set eyes on him at DAYCARE in Pentonville Prison.

How could the British be so cruel and inhumane towards fellow humans?

It is worth nothing that Windrush Generation didn't solve all of the UK's labour need. The Windrush Generation was from 1948 to 1971. When the shipment of Windrush Generation ended in 1971, the UK still had shortage of labour through the 80s, 90s all the way until the end of 2004, by which time the exodus of Eastern Europeans to the UK was in full swing.

Growing up in my native Ghana in the 90s, Ghana had a massive problem of brain-drain, especially in the health sector - Doctors and Nurses. This was always in the news. Ghana Government at a point introduced a policy where Nurses and Doctors had to serve mandatory years working in Ghana after graduation, before they can move out of the country to seek greener pastures outside.

When I mentioned the problem of Ghana's brain-drain of health professionals to the Nigerian Diplomat who was at the launch of Darkest Humanity Book at the British Council, and later invited me to the Nigerian Embassy for some more copies of the Book, she acknowledged that Nigeria also experienced the same problem in the years in question.

Clearly, it wasn't only Ghana and Nigerian that suffered brain-drain in the years in question, but most of the African Commonwealth Nations. For the UK, Commonwealth Citizens were the bedrock to the economy, right from after WW2 to EU expansion in May 2004.

It is noteworthy therefore to point out the fact that the UK's need for labour from outside continued after Windrush Generation ended in 1971. I - MAXWELL MAUNDY - lived through the UK's urgent need for labour when I first arrived in London in October 2002; as I termed it in Darkest Humanity Book:

"The 'good old days' of Britain to the Commonwealth economic immigrants - Africans, West Indies, Indians, Pakistanis and so on." (Page 48 - Life as immigrant before EU)

My first 6 months Tourist/Visit Visa to the UK was issued in June 2002, and expired in December 2002. I applied for a deferral of my Undergraduate Studies at the University of Ghana soon after I acquired my Visa from the UK High Commission in Ghana. As a result, I remained in the UK from October 2002 to August 2003. I returned to Ghana in August 2003 to continue my studies.

And from October 2002 to August 2003, I worked in London like a bull, day and night. I did construction work during the day, and Kitchen Porter at night. I worked as a Labourer at Arsenal's Emirate Stadium from January 2004 when it was under construction.

At the time, there was so much need for labour that every illegal immigrants in the UK was indispensable. The UK's economy needed every illegal immigrants at this moment in time that, even an employer knowing very well that you are illegal would even plead with you to get whatever is needed to work.

The job needed to be done, and we the "illegal immigrants" were there for the UK economy through thick and thin.

So from my very first trip to the UK in October 2002, I became illegal immigrant barely few weeks after my arrival. There was so much need for labour that, all one needed to do to get a job was to phone an employment Agency with some forged NI numbers, and you are on your way to work the following day. And the Agency you work for could pay your wages into another person's Bank account (3rd party Bank account) if you don't have one yourself.

This was exactly how I got my first ever job as Construction Labourer in London, working for one of Britain's Construction giants at the time - WILLIAM VERRY. The job location was in Tottenham Court Road. Duncan Williams became adopted name by default as it was the name I started working with.

Please lookout for Part 2, as I make the case for why the UK economy and government owes a debt of gratitude to all illegal immigrants in the UK prior to EU expansion in May 2004. And how Rt. Hon. David Cameron missed a golden opportunity to grant AMNESTY to us (illegal immigrants) soon after becoming Prime Minister in 2010.

AMNESTY was a heated debate in the UK before, during and after the 2010 UK elections, which saw coalition of The Conservatives and The Liberal Democrats into Government, with Rt. Hon. David Cameron becoming the Prime Minister. As I stated in my invitation letter to the President of Ghana to the launch of Darkest Humanity Book at the British Council in Accra, 2010 was an opportune time for the British Government to grant AMNESTY.

DARKEST HUMANITY Book is about re-writing the wrongs of the past. The UK Government will do the needful to grant AMNESTY to all illegal immigrants in the UK as at now. Indeed, it is better late than never. DARKEST HUMANITY is BLUEPRINT for AMNESTY in the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

God bless our now new Head of the Commonwealth His Majesty King Charles. And God bless the good people and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

When all is said and done, the likes of Kweku Adoboli and I - MAXWELL MAUNDY - those who have been dehumanized and treated inhumanely, will return to our once beloved London - The Cedar of Lebanon - The Pride of the Jordan: our Babylon! London would never be the same again.

Excerpt:

I began writing my next book  The Amazing Grace  My journey into Christendom. I started fasting and praying. Id skip breakfast and lunch. Most days Id only partake in dinner. Bread didnt matter to me anymore. On the evening of Wednesday 30th October, I was on my knees reading my Bible as usual.

Suddenly, I heard an officer shouting my name and walking towards my cell: Maundy home! Maundy home! Maundy home! The officer got to my cell and opened the door:

Maundy home! Maundy home! Pack your things and go home, he said. Please Gov, please dont make me happy for nothing, I replied.

Have I ever opened your cell at this time? You have been released. Harry up and pack your things and go, youre going home in London, he said further.

Home in London? I was overjoyed. Tears filled my eyes as I quickly began packing my things. I never thought Id see London again. I had loved London, with all my heart...
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has directed the Business Committee of the House to summon the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to give a briefing on governments domestic debt exchange programme.

This follows concerns raised by the Minority in demand for policy details on the programme due to the picketing of pensioners at the Finance Ministry to demand exemption from the exercise.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin said members stand ready to provide assistance to the government.

Parliament is ever prepared to assist government to get out of this quagmire. So, what I can say now is that, parliament has spoken and that is the end of it. The Minister must be scheduled by the business committee as early as possible because this is an urgent matter because the pensioners are picketing at the Ministry. We need to do this as quickly as possible. Business Committee should schedule the Minister to appear before the house for a brief on the state of affairs.

Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare assured that MPs will be updated on the current situation.

The deadline for individuals and institutions to sign onto the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme expired on Tuesday despite stiff opposition.

Abena Osei Asare told Parliament, the agreement reached so far will be brought to the House.

We have mentioned that once Parliament comes through, we will come and brief the house on the steps we have taken so far. Parliament was on recess and it has just resumed. So we shouldn't jump the gun. A little patience so we do not muddy the waters out there.

The Pensioners Bondholders Forum will for the third time this week picket at the Finance Ministry till the government excludes them from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.

The agitated bondholders picketed on Monday and Tuesday and have threatened to continue today until the government heeds their calls.

The pensioners are demanding a total exemption from the domestic debt exchange programme.

But the Finance Minister warns that non-participation in the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme by individual and pensioner bondholders will prolong the efforts by government to revive the economy.
Ministry of Energy has said former President John Mahamas claim that his government bequeathed to the Akufo-Addo govt two new oil fields, TEN and Sankofa but due to greed and ineptitude the government has not added additional production activity in the upstream oil sector in the last seven years is false.

Mr Mahama in a tweet on Monday, 6 February 2023 had said: Wasted years! We bequeathed to the Akufo-Addo govt two new oil fields, TEN and Sankofa. Greed and ineptitude as against national interest means a sad reality of no additional production activity in our upstream oil sector in the last 7 years.

But the Energy Ministry in response said Mr Mahamas assertion cannot be supported by available facts and, therefore, must be treated with the utmost contempt it deserves.

In a statement, the ministry said under the Akufo-Addo-led government, Ghana has seen an unprecedented wells drilling from all exploration wells drilled from 2017 to date.

It noted that out of seven exploration wells, it successfully drilled six. These discoveries are Akers Pecan South East (2018), AGMs Nyankom-1X (2019), Springfieldss Afina-1X (2019), Enis Akoma-1X (2019), Enis Eban-1X (2021), Enis Aprokuma-1X (Albian and Cenomanian discoveries) (2022).

According to the ministry, all these discoveries with the exception of Springfields Afina-1X which is utilized with the Sankofa-Gye Nyame Field and Akers Pecan South East, which is part of the Pecan Project; are at various stages of appraisal by the respective International Oil Companies (IOCs) which operate them within time limits provided for in their respective Petroleum agreements and the laws of Ghana.

The statement advised Mr Mahama to take note that the restrictions on the movements of persons and other associated impacts of covid-19 pandemic resulted in a two-year freeze on oil exploration for new discoveries and appraisal of existing discoveries in Ghana.

It further reminded Mr Mahama that for the period 25th April 2015 to 23rd September 2017, the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) imposed provisional measures in the matter of the maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and Cote dIvoire. The said provisional measures included an abstention from undertaking any new drilling and acquisition of new data in the disputed area. Thus, for the period 25 April 2015 to January 6 2017, of the John Mahama presidency, there were no activities in oil blocks in respect of new drilling of oil wells and acquisition of seismic data to aid Ghana in exploration activities for new discoveries in the disputed area.

Will it be fair for Ghanaians to blame John Mahama for wasting 21 months of his presidency in the face of extenuating circumstances like the ITLOS provisional measures? the ministry asked.

It added that it is in the same vein that Ghanaians will not expect John Mahama to count the two-year freeze on oil and gas exploration and production activities in Ghana due to Covid-19 against the Akufo-Addo government.

The Ministry pointed out to Mr Mahama and his followers that on average, it takes a minimum of five years from discovery to first oil for a deep-water oilfield to be developed to production status, thus, the so-called waste of time allegedly by Mr Mahama is premised on his poor or no understanding at all of the upstream oil industry.

The statement indicated that on the other hand, under the Mahama presidency, at least 11 petroleum agreements were signed before he left office but none of these 11 is producing oil as of today.

This is a shameful record of John Mahama which he and his followers cannot justify under any circumstances.

The Ministry disclosed that in attempts to revive petroleum activities, it has terminated four of such John Mahama petroleum agreements and made them available to prospective investors.

Classfmonline.com
President Nana Akufo-Addo has sworn in 21 new high court judges into office.

They are made up of 12 men and nine women.

Speaking at the ceremony at the Jubilee House in Accra, the President implored the Justices to be transparent and efficient in the delivery of justice in order to build confidence within the society.

The president explained that a corrupt and incompetent judge is a danger to the public interest and Judicial administration.

The President therefore urged them to be honest, show integrity, and above all be knowledgeable of the law.

He asked the justices to know their cases and ensure that their judgments are based on law.

The new Justices are: Kwame Polley, William Appiah Twumasi, Baah Forson Agyapong, Marian Affoh, Nana Brew, and Abena Anponsah Buansi.

The rest are Justices Ellen Lordina Serwaa Mirehu, Priscilla Dapaah Mireku, Alexander Oworae, Joyce Boahen, Edward Twum and Gwendolyn Millicent Owusu. The others are Justices Rosemary Baah Tosu, Frederick Kwabena Twumasi, Adelaide Abui Keddey, Harry Acheampong-Opoku, Kenneth Edem Kudjordjie, John-Mark Nuku Alifo, Kwesi Adjenim-Boateng, George Aikins Ampiah-Bonney and Marie-Louise Simmons.

The President led the new justices to take three oaths, after which they signed the oath book.

He believes that the 21 justices have partiality of mind and independence of spirit and are thus fit for the position, advising them to bear in mind that the growth of the nation demands there is a judiciary that commands respect of the people by the quality of its delivery of justice as well as by its comportment of its judges.

The President cautioned them that the situation where judges proffer judgment on the basis of decisions from lower courts and cite them as law is not acceptable, and even less so when judges cite no authority at all for their rulings and give orders without reasons. President Akufo-Addo therefore asked the justices to be learned, know their cases, and ensure that their judgments are based on law.

Responding to the President's charges to the new judges, Justice Kwame Polley, expresed profound gratitude to the President for the opportunity given them to serve.

The President later presented the instrument of appointment to the 21 new justices of the High Court.

DGN online
The Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited, Mrs. Pamela Djamson-Tettey has indicated the need for an urgent review of the GHC 5 Airport Passenger Service Charge (APSC) per passenger for domestic air travel.

She made the call when speaking as a panelist at the 4th AviationGhana Stakeholders Meeting, held in Accra under the theme: Post Covid-19 Recovery Process and the Journey Ahead.

According to Madam Djamson-Tettey, the current domestic Airport Passenger Service Charge was fixed at GHC 5 in 2010 and has since not been reviewed.

She told participants that it had become critical to review the charge considering operational cost of running the newly-renovated domestic airports in the country.

For 2022, the GHC 5 charged to each domestic passenger for the use of on-ground aviation infrastructure, yielded just under GHC 4.3 million cedis.

The amount, which translates into a little under GHC 360,000 per month, remains inadequate in the maintenance of Kumasi, Sunyani, Wa, Ho, Tamale airports and Terminal 2 of the Kotoka International Airport in Accra used for domestic operations.

Typically, for the existing regional airport such as the Tamale Airport, the major expenditure lineselectricity and water supply, maintenance of lighting equipment, air conditioning, janitorial services, waste disposal, maintenance of the terminal building, and other overhead costs is close to a million cedis per month.

Madam Djamson-Tettey cautioned that with the upgrade of Tamale and Kumasi Airports to International status, it will be difficult to manage the running costs including utilities, maintenance of the Aeronautical Ground Lighting Systems and other equipment if an urgent review was not done.

Touching on the theme Post Covid Recovery Process and the Journey Ahead, Madam Djamson Tettey indicated that the Post-Covid recovery has been gradual but with encouraging passenger throughput especially on the domestic front.

She indicated that post-pandemic traffic on the domestic routes namely Kumasi, Wa, Sunyani and Tamale rose astronomically to 852,101 passengers in 2022 compared to pre - pandemic figure of 690,314 passengers in 2019. This, she asserted, was testament to the strong recovery within the sector and therefore called for a concerted effort by all industry players to consolidate the gains made.

The Minister of Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah on his part charged airlines operating into Ghana to prioritise superior customer service, safety and reliability in their operations. He further commended the resilience of all stakeholders during the pandemic and assured of the Ministrys support where possible.

The Deputy Minister of Transport In-Charge of Aviation, Hon. Hassan Tampuli, supported by his colleague Deputy Minister of Transport, Frederick Obeng Adom, agreed with the suggestion for an increase in the APSC to enable GACL properly manage the facilities.

Other speakers at the breakfast meeting were Dr. Samson Fatokun, Head of Account Management & Area Manager, West & Central Africa; IATA, Mr Daniel Acquah, Deputy Director-General (Technical), Ghana Civil Aviation Authority; Mr. J. N. Halm, Customer Service Expert, Chief Content Officer, Service and Experience; and Samuel Ato Hagan, Managing Director of PassionAir.

The AviationGhana Stakeholders Breakfast Meeting is an annual event that brings together all major stakeholders in the aviation sector and policymakers to deliberate on key issues within the industry. It is organised by AviationGhana.com
Convener of the Individual Bondholders Forum, Mr. Senyo Hosi says there is the risk that bondholders who will sign onto the governments Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) will come out later to say they accepted to join under duress.

According to him, there is so much pressure on banks to force customers to accept the programme.

Describing it as illegal, Mr. Senyo Hosi adds that it is unethical, immoral and must be stopped.

Unfortunately on the market, we see some conducts that are unethical and also illegal. We see pressure coming from different quarters compelling banks to try and force customers to try and tender or accept the DDE, that is illegal, that is unethical and immoral, the Convener of Individual Bondholders Forum told Citi FM in an interview on Tuesday, February 8.

Senyo Hosi added, the risk of that is that tomorrow the same customer will come and say he accepted that under duress. Who is really going to take responsibility for that?

While all issues about the Governments Domestic Debt Exchange Programme have not been addressed, the Ministry of Finance has announced that there will be a three-day administrative window for people having challenges to sign onto the programme to do so.

In connection with the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), the Government of Ghana thanks all bondholders who have so far tendered their bonds. However, it has come to the attention of Government that some bondholders faced technical glitches as they tried to complete the online tender process.

As a result, Government is providing bondholders with a window to complete processes for tendering their bonds, in response to the terms of Exchange as amended pursuant to the 2nd Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum. This window ends on Friday, 10th February 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (GMT), a press release from the Ministry of Finance signed by sector Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said on Tuesday.
The Majority Leader of Ghanas Parliament, Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, is upbeat about the new changes in cabinet contribution to the country's progress positively.

The Suame MP noted that the rationale behind President Akufo-Addos reshuffle is to reinvigorate his administration to aid the countrys economic growth.

According to him, the move also forms part of the peoples zeal to see new faces in the NPP administration since they claim the old ones have nothing to offer.

Well, people wanted to see some new faces and to maybe help generate new ideas onto the table to reinvigorate the administration. And I think that is the purpose of this reshuffle, he stated.

Ive seen some people aside from the two mentioned; Stephen Amoah has come on board, Amin Adam has gone from Deputy Energy to Finance and hes a very versatile personality, I think that he may also positively affect the Finance Ministry.

So lets leave it to see how much it will translate into positivity for government and indeed for the country, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister noted.

The President, on Tuesday, February 7, nominated new faces to head some vacant ministries in his government.

Kobina Tahiru Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry; Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture; Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs; and Mohammed Anim Adam, Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, are nominees pending the approval of the Vetting Committee of Parliament.

The rest are Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of State for Local Government and Decentralization; Herbert Krapah, Deputy Minister for Energy; and Dr. Stephen Amoah, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry.
It behooves the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the national level to dissociate the party from the bloodletting utterances of a man who claims to be the Youth Organiser of the party in Suame in Kumasi.

The sabre-rattling by the irresponsible man demands immediate action from the law enforcement department in the Ashanti Region. Although a statement from the police points ostensibly at efforts being made to apprehend him, this, we demand, be done with dispatch. We, for instance, do not know what informed the leakage from his political grouping. He could have inadvertently leaked the classified information from the party headquarters out of excitement.

Ghana, in 2023, has grown past that age when such irresponsible utterances and actions should be countenanced.

For many who listened to the video, their conclusion is that the utterances represent what the NDC as a party plans doing during the country's next general elections.

For a political grouping associated with violence especially, having been born out of that attribute, the apprehension in many who have listened to the garbage, there can be nothing more irresponsible from the lips of a man who claims to be a youth organiser.

Sadly, some days have elapsed since the nonsense was uttered and nothing by way of condemnation or dissociation has emanated from the NDC leadership both at constituency and national levels.

Are we to believe that indeed the scary utterances originating from the lips of the party man represent a 2024 project?

Under the circumstances, we are unable to say the NDC leadership has nothing to do with the man's words.

For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state here and now that Ghanaians cherish the peace they are blessed with. In order to continue relishing this God-bestowed blessing, they will fight tooth and nail to preserve it.

For a man claiming to be an office holder of a leading opposition party in the country, we think and rightly so that, apprehending the criminal-minded man should not be a problem for the regional police command if they want to do so.

The command should not let us think that the man is beyond arrest. Unless he lied about his ranking in the NDC in Suame which we doubt anyway, we await announcement about his arrest and questioning.

There is no doubt that the NDC is planning evil for this country. It is left to Ghanaians to be watchful about the opposition party whose future plans are anything but in the interest of this great country we call home.

Source: Daily Guide
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku Anyidoho is advocating for politicians to look beyond their interests and put the country first.

In a post on social media, he stressed that the business where politicians and people continue to incestuously 'rape' mother Ghana through various unpatriotic dealings must be stopped.

If people decide that they want political power just for the sake of power, & not because they have any concrete plans for the use of the power; that is NOT my type of politics. This business where people continue to wickedly & incestuously RAPE Mother Ghana cannot continue, Samuel Koku Anyidoho said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, February 8.

Since he was sidelined by the NDC, Samuel Koku Anyidoho has been very critical of the party and continuously used his social media to share his thoughts on matters.

While he acknowledges that times are hard, he is of the view that Ghanaian leaders have the interest of the country and the suffering Ghanaians at heart.
EQS-Ad-hoc: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft / Key word(s): Forecast

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft: Siemens raises outlook for fiscal year 2023



08-Feb-2023 / 19:50 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.





Munich, February 8, 2023

Disclosure of an inside information according to Article 17 MAR

Siemens raises outlook for fiscal year 2023

Following a strong start in fiscal 2023, the Managing Board of Siemens AG decided today to raise the outlook for fiscal 2023 as follows:

For the Siemens Group Siemens now expects comparable revenue growth, net of currency translation and portfolio effects, in the range of 7% to 10% (previously expected at 6% to 9%) and continue to expect a book-to-bill ratio above 1.

Digital Industries now expects for fiscal 2023 to achieve comparable revenue growth of 12% to 15% (previously expected at 10% to 13%). The profit margin is now expected to be 20% to 22% (previously expected at 19% to 22%).

Smart Infrastructure now expects for fiscal 2023 comparable revenue growth of 9% to 12% (previously expected at 8% to 11%). The profit margin is now expected to be 13.5% to 14.5% (previously expected at 13% to 14%).

Mobility continuous to expect for fiscal 2023 comparable revenue growth of 6% to 9% and a profit margin in the range of 8% to 10%.

Siemens now expects this profitable growth of its industrial businesses to drive an increase in basic EPS from net income before purchase price allocation accounting (EPS pre PPA) to a range of 8.90 to 9.40 (previously expected at 8.70 to 9.20) in fiscal 2023.

Notes and forward-looking statements

This outlook excludes burdens from legal and regulatory matters and material impairments.

This document includes  in the applicable financial reporting framework not clearly defined  supplemental financial measures that are or may be alternative performance measures (non-GAAP-measures). These supplemental financial measures should not be viewed in isolation or as alternatives to measures of Siemens net assets and financial positions or results of operations as presented in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework in its Consolidated Financial Statements. Other companies that report or describe similarly titled alternative performance measures may calculate them differently. Explanations of financial measures used can be found in the Siemens Report 2022 (siemens.com/siemensreport), in particular in section 2 of the Combined Management Report.

Contact:Eva SchererHead of Siemens Investor RelationsWerner-von-Siemens-Str. 180333 Munich+49 (0) 89-7805-32474investorrelations@siemens.com
LEDing Construction Ghana Limited has handed over a-2,000 metric tons Warehouse, constructed under the government's One-District-One Warehouse project to the Techiman Municipal Assembly.

The warehouse at Nkwaeso has rest and washrooms, laboratory and offices, and in-house fabricated grain warehouses with other axillary facilities that would store and process maize, rice, beans and groundnuts and other grains.

Mr Benjamin Yaw Gyarko, the Techiman Municipal Chief Executive said the facility would motivate farmers to produce more, saying farmers could now access the facility to store and even process stuff.

He said with the facility, food security in the municipality would be guaranteed, indicating that as a business hub, the facility would also provide the opportunity for other traders who sell at the Techiman Central market to store their produce there.

Mr Gyarko expressed the hope that the warehouse would promote business and local trade to improve the local economy.

Mr James Adu, the Techiman Municipal Director of Agriculture lauded the government's One-District-One-Warehouse initiative, which would help address post-harvest losses during bumper harvest.

GNA
Prof. Ransford Gyampo, Political Science Lecturer at University of Ghana

08.02.2023 LISTEN

A political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, sees President Akufo-Addos reluctance in downsizing his government as disrespectful to Ghanaians.

He lamented that the calls by credible Ghanaians to the President to slash his government to cut expenditure and ease the burden on the economy have been brushed aside by the president.

The issue, Prof. Gyampo said, is democratically cruel and makes him worried and wonder if its still acceptable for citizens to make suggestions about national issues of concern.

"Refusing to listen to credible public opinions, in my view is not an achievement; its democratically cruel and backward to have a president who will say the people can make their calls, but I wont listen. It doesnt make you responsive to the interests of the people It appears the president doesnt want to listen to us," Prof. Gyampo stated.

"Im a bit worried. We have heard that there is going to be some ministerial reshuffle, and those of us who had previously called for a reshuffle were so much excited and looking forward to it. But it appears that we have been disappointed.

"In my view, the intransigence about the calls for a reshuffle is quite snobbish, and its quite disrespectful to the good people of the country who own the ultimate fiduciary power that the president seeks to exercise," Professor Gyampo added.

Speaking to Accra-based Citi TVs Umaru Sanda, the political analyst noted that it is unfortunate that President Akufo-Addo, who many praised in terms of his democratic pedigree, is now placing severe affront to the expression of dissent.

"Im quite disappointed because, if you look at the posturing, its like you can call for a ministerial reshuffle for all you care, but he will not listen to you. So some of us are beginning to have a feeling that seems like, if you say it and make calls over and over again, you will still not be listened to, so you better stop," he lamented.

His plea comes after the President, on Tuesday, February 7, nominated new faces to head some vacant ministries in his government and made some changes, despite calls to reduce the number of his ministers.
The Institute of Applied Science and Technology, of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana (UG) has begun turning plastic wastes into three different kinds of fuel.

It is producing petrol, diesel, and gas from plastic waste.

This is done by reprocessing them into high-value fuels and chemicals for households or small running engines.

Professor David Dodoo-Arhin, the Director of the Institute, told the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a five-day workshop on Monday.

The reactor yields three litres of fuel when fed with three kilograms of waste plastic depending on the conditions the waste was subjected to.

The fuel is up to standard and is usable. We have been cooking with gas and our cars are running the petrol and diesel, he said

The model, he said, included all the people in the value chain, especially the collectors, and could be a good avenue for job creation for many people.

Prof. Doodo said the project was under the plastics-to-fuel initiative, which started in 2018 with initial funding support from the University of Ghana BANGA Africa seed grant programme.

He said it was followed by two-year funding in 2021, through the University of Ghana Research Fund multidisciplinary category and in 2022, another two-year co-funding by the French Embassy's FSPI NYANSAPO programme.

Prof. Doodo said the initiative was in line with the Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership to support the public and private sector transition to a plastic circular economy thereby, ensuring sustainable plastic management.

Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, in a statement delivered on her behalf, said the plastic waste menace continued to pose challenges to the environmental and socioeconomic well-being of the country.

She said there was a need for sustainable waste management systems to help stem the debilitating consequences of plastic waste nationwide.

The workshop was organised in collaboration with the 20th Anniversary team of the School of Engineering Sciences and the 75th Anniversary of the University of Ghana.

It was funded by the French Embassy and on the theme: Strengthening research and innovation capacities in sustainable energy production.

Mr. Jules Armand Aniambossou, the French Ambassador to Ghana, said ensuring access to higher education and research were high priorities of his country and reiterated the country's commitment to the project.

He said it was the aim of the French Government to increase the collaboration between the educational institutions of the two countries

through new partnerships, exchanges, joint curricula, double diplomas, joint research programmes, and joint research facilities.

All these activities and programmes should focus on the priorities of our partner countries and aim at contributing to their development through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, he said.

Source: gna.org.gh
Political gossip and its influence on the electorate was the major subject of discussion at the 4th UniMAC-GIJ inter-faculty lecture.

The lecture was delivered by Dr. Lawrecia Agyepong of the Faculty of Integrated Communication Sciences (FICS).

Inter-faculty lectures have come to remain a major feature of UniMAC-GIJ as they foster a vibrant research culture and atmosphere at the school. The topic for the lecture was Deadly whispers: Understanding the Role of Gossip in Political Campaigns.

She explained gossip as being a conversation about someone in which the said person isnt present.

Positive gossip, she said, is when the said conversation seeks to compliment or commend the person whereas negative gossip tends to harm or denigrate the individual.

A person's belief in gossip is dependent on their assertion of the truthfulness or otherwise of the gossip. This assertion is based on the level of trust between the gossiper and the receiver of the gossip, she stated.

Dr. Lawrencia Agyepong also affirmed that the majority of Ghanaian electorates still vote on party and ethnocentric lines with a little over three percent swing voters.

A situation, she said, makes it rather tricky for political gossip to influence electorates. However, she urged political actors to pay attention to such gossip since they can impact swing voters and change the outcome of an election.

As noted by Agyepong (2017) and Mensah (2009), swing voters account for a significant percentage of the voting population, she said.

If we say that swing voters in Ghana make up a significant number, then what will happen if such swing voters are influenced by political gossip, Dr. Agyepong quizzed, adding that it is very likely then to influence the outcome of the election results.

She cited instances such as the famous Serwaa Bronii saga, the National Security boss's pyjamas photo, as well as the Papa no mantra, which according to her research didn't do a lot of harm to both parties in the 2020 general elections.

When it comes to gossip and voting preference, the data obtained so far provides an interesting observation on the issue of gossip's effect on voting preference, she stated.

When it comes to positive gossip the results provide evidence that positive gossip will have a positive impact on voting preference, however, when it comes to negative gossip, less than a third of the respondents indicated that negative gossip will have a negative impact on their voting preference, the head of the Communications Department added.

According to Dr. Agyepong, the findings affirmed the results from interviews she conducted with some selected groups, media personalities, and politicians which clearly indicate that only a few people's voting preferences will be affected by political gossip.

Being intrigued by the outcome, Dr. Agyepong studied other research works regarding the voting pattern of Ghanaians over the period.

The findings indicated that Ghanaians still vote on the party and ethnocentric lines therefore while positive gossip can serve as a reinforcement of their choices of voting preferences, negative gossip will not have the same effect, Dr. Agyepong noted. Participants reaction

Precious Dinam Mbataah, a Diploma 1 student of UniMAC-GIJ said, I really like the topic and I learned that not all what politicians say is the truth but some are gossip.

The media also plays a role in gossip, so we need to be careful of what the media says.

That was an interesting topic. I learned that men also gossip as much as women after all because when we hear of gossip everyone thinks it's a womens thing. It was a good lecture, another participant, Patience Akosua, noted.

It touched on an issue many have not really paid attention to and not much research has been done, so it was quite novel and interesting, a lecturer at the FICS, Dr. Rosemary Obeng-Hinneh remarked. She also commended the presenters engagement with literature.

Judging from the topic, however, I was personally expecting some real findings which speak to the subject matter as the presenter explained, the study was only in the foundational stage and findings were preliminary, Dr. Obeng-Hinneh added.

Dean of FICS and Chairman of the Event, Dr. Modestus Fosu, in his closing remarks noted that the presentation breaks the ground into an emerging area in Ghana and Africa as a whole. He urged lecturers and students to be interested in the topic in order to understand how gossip affects other areas of the country.

The study of gossipy behaviour has always generated a lot of interest which is indicated by the much literature that abounds. However, there is still very little research on political gossip.

Dr. Agyepong's paper, therefore, looks at political gossip in Ghana, especially during election periods, and whether political gossip can shape voting preferences during elections in the country.

Source: UniMAC-GIJ
Angry farmers from across France drove their tractors into the heart of the French capital Wednesday morning to denounce "constraints" on their profession  notably a ban on the use of neonicotinoid insecticides to grow sugar beets.

Thousands of protesters joined the colourful procession that passed by the Invalides war memorial  not far from the Agriculture Ministry  before heading for Porte de Versailles, in the south of Paris, where the International Agricultural Show will be held in less than a month.

The National Federation of Farmers Union (FNSEA) said at least 500 farmers came by tractor, creating what authorities said were traffic jams spanning some 420 kilometres.

Early in the day the Paris police prefecture warned that traffic would be heavily disrupted, advising motorists to avoid the area.

Pesticides ban

The trigger for the protest was a government decision on 23 January to definitively close a loophole allowing sugar beet farmers to continue using harmful neonicotinoids, which have been banned in the EU since 2018.

The move followed a decision by the European Court of Justice, which ruled that member states handing out derogations to the ban were in violation of European law.

France is the world's second-largest producer of sugar beets  an important export that, along with sugar cane, is used to make refined white and brown sugar.

For two years the government gave sugar beet growers special permission to use neonicotinoids after crops across the country were decimated by jaundice disease spread by aphids in 2020.

Neonicotinoids disrupt the central nervous system of bees, causing memory loss and paralysis that make it impossible for them to return to their hives. Repercussions for human health have also been documented.

As well as the neonicontinoids ban, French farmers are also upset over rising production costs linked to soaring energy prices, as well as a lack of water storage facilities to help irrigate crops.

Their last protest was in November 2019, when a thousand tractors conducted snail operations on the ring road that surrounds Paris.
Mr. Ayyub Morgan, a retired Educationist has implored education stakeholders, especially government and parents to focus much attention on the basic education level.

He noted that the most crucial period of a childs development was at the time he/she spent in basic school and therefore, encouraged parents to give their children the best attention when they were in basic school.

Mr. Morgan, a former member of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council made the call at the 44th anniversary and 2nd Speech and Prize-Giving Day of Ekumfi Attakwaa T.I. Ahmadiyya Basic School.

The celebration was on the theme, Making the child the Focus of Education at the Basic School level: What must be done.

It was attended by several dignitaries including, Nana Gyaben VIII, Nyimfahen, Ekumfi Traditional Area, Mr. Ishaque Ismaeel Abbew; School Improvement Support Officer (SISO), Ekumfi Essarkyir, Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Quantson, Head Master, E-AMASS and Central Regional Chairman of CHASS, past Headteachers of the school among others.

Mr. Morgan described the theme of the occasion as unique and appropriate but noted that government does not pay enough attention as it did to SHS and tertiary education as basic schools generally lacked infrastructure as well as teaching and learning resources.

Additionally, he noted that teachers were not well catered for and most parents did not fulfill their parental responsibility at the basic school level satisfactorily while many teachers also did not perform their professional responsibilities as expected of them.

He said basic education was designed to prepare and equip the child with basic knowledge and skills to start adult life and work.

The retired Educationist said it was unornate, however, that basic education did not receive the attention it required for an effective educational foundation.

Mr. Morgan advised the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Education Unit to in collaboration with the National Teaching Council train and retrain teachers on child-centered paregorics.

He also called for an improvement and intensification at the public basic school level supervision and monitoring.

For teachers, he advised them to spend time studying the relevant laws relating to children, make the school environment child friendly, respect the rights of the child, and stop physical and phycological harassment of children.

He further encouraged the teachers to re-examine themselves and resolve to work harder and more effectively to continue to churn out children capable of contributing to the development of the country.

In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Joseph Baffoe, Human Resource Manager at Ekumfi Education Directorate, Mr. Isaac Oscar Odoom, Ekumfi District Education Director said every stakeholder had a role to play in making the child the focus of education at the basic school level.

He said Government was doing all that it can to provide the necessary infrastructure for basic schools but stressed that government alone could not do all and therefore required the commitment of all especially parents.

Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim Dadzie, Headteacher of the school spoke mentioned challenges of the school such as inadequate teaching staff, perennial flooding, low enrolment and deplorable state of the school building and KG Playground.

He mentioned for instance that, the primary block was gradually losing its strength due to flood as anytime it rained, part of the school especially the walkway and around the primary block was flooded.

He therefore appealed to all stakeholders to come to their aid to salvage the situation.

Awards were presented to deserving students and staff.
Uganda said Wednesday it would not renew its mandate for the UN's rights office, a move criticised in a country where campaigners say freedoms are regularly threatened.

The move means that the rights monitor's Kampala office will close down when its authorisation expires this year.

"Our human rights record over the years has tremendously improved under our able leadership of President (Yoweri) Museveni," state minister for foreign affairs Henry Okello Oryem told AFP.

He said Uganda had developed "vibrant" internal bodies such as the Uganda Human Rights Commission and civil society groups which monitored its human rights performance.

The East African country has however seen a series of crackdowns on those opposed to Museveni's 36-year rule, with journalists attacked, lawyers jailed, and opposition leaders violently muzzled.

In November last year, the UN's Committee Against Torture voiced its concern about reports that "torture and ill-treatment continued to be frequently practised in the country".

It also called for Uganda to abolish the use of unauthorised places of detention described as "safe houses".

'Stumbling block'

Uganda wrote to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on February 3 to announce it would not be renewing the mandate beyond its current term.

The letter, seen by AFP, said the move reflected "the strong government commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, the prevailing peace throughout the country coupled with strong national human rights institutions and a vibrant civil society with the capacity to monitor the promotion and protection of human rights throughout the country".

Seif Magango, a spokesman for the OHCHR, told AFP the Ugandan government had taken "a unilateral decision" on the issue.

"Discussions are ongoing with the Ugandan authorities," he said.

The move was criticised by the opposition, which accused the government of being "paranoid".

"It's not surprising they are not renewing the mandate of the UN office because they fear strict observance of human rights," said shadow foreign minister Muwada Nkunyingi of the National Unity Platform.

"The government wants to violate human rights unhindered and this office is seen as a stumbling block to their evil intentions towards Ugandans," he added.

The National Unity Platform is led by Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, who unsuccessfully challenged Museveni in the January 2021 election and has often been targeted by security forces.

The UN office was in the spotlight that year when security forces beat up a group of political activists who had gone there to petition the body over alleged rights violations after the polls.

Journalists covering the demonstration were roughed up, several injured and their equipment briefly confiscated before the then head of the military, David Muhoozi, apologised.

The UN rights office in Kampala was initially set up in 2005 and its mandate has previously been renewed every few years.
Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Afo Toffey who petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, over the death of Shadrach Aloo who is a native of Nzema at the West Hills Mall has rejected the Police autopsy report that he died from asphyxiation.

The lawmaker insists the negligence of the police caused the unfortunate death of the 31-year-old man.

According to the police, an autopsy conducted on the deceased in the presence of his family members confirmed he died from medical causes, as the pathologist retrieved from his throat, eight zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene bag.

The retrieved substances, according to the police, tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination in the presence of all the witnesses from the family of the deceased.

Ms Toffey, however, believes the Police was complicit in the death of Shadrach.

She told Class News For me, where I stand, Im looking at the statement released by the Police yesterday where point seven states that: At the meeting, the parties were given the option to have the post-mortem examination conducted by a pathologist of their choice, but they all agreed that the Police Pathologist should conduct the examination. First of all, that is not true, we were not given that option, it was the family that spoke to us that they will not be comfortable to allow the pathologist from the Police Department to do the full examination.

As a member of parliament, a legislature, Im insisting that the unprofessionalism of the Police, the negligence of the Police, led to the death of this man, she added.

The lawmaker explained that, Their [Police] first report states that they saw the young man taking something from his bag to swallow.

So you already establish that he took something to swallow, so it means the person was very weak, harmless, unarmed and everything, why will you still continue to handcuff him, put him down and allow a third party to come in and tase him further? she wondered.

Ive pictures of the body that shows marks on the body, blood from the nose, the ears, his clothes, where was that coming from? If the person just swallowed something, it was the responsibility of the Police officer present at that time to make sure medical attention was sought for him at the nearby Police hospital to make sure his life was safe then whatever punishment he has to be given will be given and that would have been a different story but in this instance, that was not the case or what was done

Meanwhile, the family of Shadrach has also rejected the autopsy results.

Speaking to Class News Nasaria Abdul Rahman in an interview, Perpetual Didier said the police conducted the autopsy against the wish of the family and are, therefore, demanding an independent autopsy.

Ms Didier explained: The time they [police] gave us yesterday [Tuesday, 7 Feb] was too early so my doctor couldnt come; the police gave us a different doctor, my doctor could come on Wednesday [8 Feb], but the police were insisting and I was not around, so, one of the family members called me and I told her that she should insist the family does not agree, so, they should wait for our doctor".

They said he swallowed rubber with weed but they could have opened his mouth and placed the rubber with weed in his throat when they brought him from West Hills Mall because they can do it; they can push it down his throat. If it was in his stomach, that means he swallowed it himself but if they are saying it is in his throat, that means somebody could have put it in there.

Ms Didier said the family is rejecting the autopsy report from the police and going to demand a new autopsy.

She stated that they are demanding video evidence of how everything happened that led to her brothers death.

We want the West Hills Mall to provide us videos of all that happened: how my brother entered the mall, how the police contacted him, how the police tried to bully him, they should show us evidence of when he was swallowing that rubberwe believe somebody forced the thing down his throat because the corpse was not with the family, so, someone could sneak inside the morgue and put that thing in his throat, she said.

We are against the police but our brothers body was with the police, how? she quizzed.

In her view, something fishy is going on and they [police] must provide us [with] video evidence of when he was swallowing. If someone can swallow a rubber with eight bags of weed, they will tell us. We want to see real evidence and not what the doctor is saying because the doctor is from the police.

READ BELOW THE POLICE SIDE OF THE STORY

UPDATE ON POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATH OF SHADRACH ARLOO AT THE WEST HILLS MALL

The Police, on 30th January 2023, started investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death of one Shadrach Arloo at the West Hills Mall in Accra.

The Police issued a press statement on the same day, which notified the public that investigations into the matter had begun.

The Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) contacted Madam Perpetual Didier, sister of the deceased, who had alleged in a viral video, that her brother's death was caused by a Police Officer who had manhandled him at the West Hills Mall.

Initial investigations led to the arrest of Osei Kwame Boafo, a private security guard at the West Hills Mall who was alleged to have used a taser on the deceased during his arrest.

Police Statements taken from witnesses at the scene of the incident, including some private security guards at the mall, and the arresting Police officer revealed that the deceased had resisted arrest by the Police Officer who was being assisted by the private security guards. The narrative of the events, as gathered by the police, indicated that during the course of the arrest, the deceased pulled out a substance from his bag, which he quickly swallowed before anyone could stop him. He became unconscious shortly afterwards and was taken to the Sonotech clinic for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival.

As part of the investigation process, on 3rd February 2023, the Police Pathologist held a meeting with interested parties in the case to explain the post-mortem examination to them. Present from the deceased side were Madam Dorcas Toffey (Hon. MP, Jomoro), Mr Kofi Armah Buah (Hon. MP, Ellembele), Mr Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu (Hon. MP, Madina) Mr Amo Blay and Madam Ama Cobbina. Mr Alfred Osei Boafo was also present for the accused person, Osei Kwame Boafo.

At the meeting, the parties were given the option to have the post-mortem examination conducted by a pathologist of their choice, but they all agreed that the Police Pathologist should conduct the examination.

On 7th February 2023, a post-mortem examination was conducted on the deceased's body in the presence of Alfred Boafo, father of the accused, Dr Rosana Polinicio Segborwortso Pathologist of GA East Municipal hospital representing the accused, Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu lawyer for the deceased, Louis Melabah Edeafor, uncle of the deceased, Isaac Anim Anno, father of the deceased and Anna Cobbina sister of the deceased.

The pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as asphyxiation and obstruction of the airway by a foreign body. He also retrieved from the throat of the deceased, eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene. The retrieved, suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination, in the presence of all the interested parties.

In view of the outcome of the post-mortem examination, the case docket is being forwarded to the attorney general's office for study and advice to determine further Police action.

We would like to put on record that from the very beginning of this incident, the Police have involved all interested parties in the investigation process.

It is therefore a matter of regret and great dismay and we dare say un-Ghanaian that people who had all the information on the matter, would behave as though they had no idea of actions that were being taken by the police in respect of the case.

We would like to urge the general public to exercise restraint and patience with matters that are under police investigation in order not to worsen the pain of those who are directly affected by such incidents.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Outgrowers Association in collaboration with Capital Plus Exchange (US) organized a one-day training program to develop a curriculum and learning materials for competency-based training in artisanal millers industry to upgrade and commercialize artisanal millers in large scale.

The Commercial Financing Program was held at Werber house, Agona Nkwanta in the Western region on 2nd February 2023.

Targeted at the artisanal millers producers, the curriculum is aimed at equipping learners with the requisite skills set for the artisanal millers, and training entrepreneurs to set up businesses in the oil palm value chain. This is to boost employment opportunities in the sector and enhance Ghanas potential of becoming a global player in artisanal millers.

Designed to fit the Commercial Financing Program with Capital Plus Exchange Training qualification framework, the one day training program on access to commercial financing through agriculture value chain finance, bank financing products and services, FFB pricing capping, harvesting, farm management, plant protection and chemical application, and processing and quality assurance.

President of the Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Outgrowers Association of Ghana, Mr. Paul-Kwabena-Amaning said the competency-based training forms part of the skills for employment component of the oil palm programme being implemented in Ghana to ensure massive improvement in commercialised artisanal millers.

The artisanal millers, like many other sectors in the economy, lack skilled personnel and the youth do not have the required skills to be employed. Our focus is, therefore, to provide adequate technical and vocational training to the youth to equip them with the skills for employment within the sector, Caplus Agrivet consultant Mr George Muruka said.

The program seeks to contribute to the transformation of the artisanal millers sector in Ghana, increase incomes of smallholder farmers and processors, and generate economic growth and jobs.
08.02.2023 LISTEN

Pressure group calling itself, Coalition of National Youth Organizers have called on the Ghana Police service to immediately arrest the NDC executive in the Suame constituency for his inciting comment.

According to the group, his comments are reckless which portrays an intention to commit crime.

In a statement signed by the General Secretary of Coalition of National Youth Organizers, Osei Kofi Acquah stated that "As young politicians we think this unacceptable political practice must be condemned. We are therefore calling on the NDC, especially the National Youth wing of the NDC to come out and condemn his Youth Organizer".

"Again we are calling on the Ghana Police service to immediately detain this Youth Organizer. We are also drawing the attention of the National Peace Council and the NCCE to extend their roundtable discussions and dialogue programs to the constituencies. We are also appealing to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) formally BNI to investigate the status of the Vigilante groups of the NPP and the NDC which we believe are still being maintained," the statement added.

Meanwhile, The police has announced that it had mounted a search for the said executive for his alleged comments regarding the 2024 general elections.

The announcement by the police followed the publication of the viral video in which the said organiser is seen inciting members of the party to engage in violence to win power.

Speaking to a journalist on the sidelines of what looked like a party event, the man charged members of the NDC not to hesitate to shed blood if it is what it will take to win power.

As journalists, you were witnesses to a situation where people were shot and killed in the 2020 elections. So standing here today, I am to make sure that no NPP member can come and kill me. So we are in and I will advise every true NDC member that in the 2024 elections when it becomes necessary to kill someone to win, kill them; even if it requires that you shoot someone or club them to win us power do it, he told a journalist with Oyerepa FM.
Russia has sent about half a dozen of their new Mi-28NM combat helicopters to Ukraine, where they expect to thrive and survive using new weapons and countermeasures. Not many Russian helicopters have been seen in Russian occupied Ukraine since so many were destroyed during the first months of fighting. At the time of the invasion the Russian air force had about 1,500 helicopters. Most (74 percent) were older transport helicopters though many were recent versions of the Cold War era Mi-8 transports and Mi-24 gunships. This helicopter force seemed formidable but the Russians had a shortage of pilots and maintainers. Most of the available pilots and maintainers were assigned to operate the 400 more recent models that had been introduced since 2006. These were the ones sent to Ukraine where they received their first real combat test against modern anti-aircraft weapons and aircraft. The new Russian helicopters did not do well. The KA-52 gunship (introduced in 2011) was thought to be well equipped to handle modern portable anti-aircraft missiles like the American Stinger. The Americans had updated the Stinger more than the anti-missile defenses of the Ka-52 could handle. Transport helicopters were even more vulnerable. After eight months of combat Russia had lost nearly a hundred helicopters, mainly to ground fire. There were also losses due to accidents and mechanical failures. It was obvious that the most modern Russian designs were not up to the demands of combat against well-equipped opponents.

This was disappointing because a decade ago Russian began a program to upgrade its helicopter force with new models and upgrades to older models. Part of this upgrade program was putting all Russian helicopter companies into one firm; Russian Helicopters. To accomplish this, the government merged all existing helicopter manufacturers (Rostvertol, Mil Moscow, Kamov, Stupino Machine Production, Ulan-Ude Aviation, Kazan Helicopters, Kumertau Aviation, Reductor-PM and Progress Arsenyev Aviation) into a single state-owned firm called Russian Helicopter. As part of this effort, the Russian military ordered more helicopters, new designs were produced and export sales aggressively pursued. Russian helicopters were back as a powerful international brand. For peacetime operations or use against poorly armed opponents, the Russians helicopters were adequate. Against better armed opponents the new Russian helicopters performed poorly and Russia is trying to remedy this with the new Mi-28NM.

The Mi-28 is an old design that has been updated several times. Mi-28 began development in the 1970a and first flew in 1982. The first Mi-28 entered service as the Mi-28N in 2009. This came after being canceled a few years earlier in favor of the Ka-50. The air force was dissatisfied with the Ka-50 and revived support for the Mi-28N in 2007. Russia planned to buy 10-15 Mi-28Ns for the air force and export customers.

The Mi-28N is a capable helicopter, costing about the same as the earlier AH-64A ($15 million each for the basic model). The Mi-28N "Night Hunter" is an all-weather night attack version of the 1980s era Mi-28A, with added FLIR (night vision sensor), night fighting optics and a two-man crew. The basic Mi-28 is a 11.6-ton helicopter that can carry 1.6 tons of rockets and missiles. The aircraft also has a 30mm cannon. The cockpit for the two-man crew is armored, and the helicopter has missile countermeasures (chaff and flares), GPS, a heads-up display, laser designator and other gadgets. The Mi-28N has a top speed of 300 kilometers an hour and a one-way range of 1,100 kilometers. It can carry up to 16 anti-tank missiles (each with a range of up to eight kilometers). The helicopter can also carry 80mm rockets, bombs or fuel for additional range. The Mi-28 has been around in small quantities for two decades, but the Mi-28N is the most advanced model, on a par with the slightly lighter American AH-64D gunship.

The much-improved Mi-28MN first flew in 2016 and, after a few more delays, was delivered to the air force in 2021 for user testing. That took nearly a year and the first combat-ready Mi-28MN were delivered in late 2022. Before the Ukraine invasion and all the sanctions, Russia expected to deliver 98 Mi-28NMs by 2027. That plan was disrupted by the failed Russian attack on Ukraine and the resulting sanctions. Now Mi-28NM deliveries will be much smaller and irregular. This depends on how well the Mi-28NM does in Ukraine against weapons that devastated earlier attempts to use combat helicopters.

The Mi-28NM upgrades include more capable mission systems and weapons. There is a new BRLK-28 radar system that includes an N025M radar mounted atop the rotor mast, an OPS-28M Tor-M electro-optical turret carried in a cylindrical housing under the nose and a new SMS-550 turret for the pilot (seated at the front). Both crew members are provided with an NSTsI-V helmet-mounted sight and display. The new radar system has more capabilities, like surface mapping, detecting surface targets, and indicating targets for the electro-optical sight, as well as weather and air-to-air functions. There is also a new IFF (identification friend or foe) system. The Mi-28NMs new defense system uses a L150-28M radar, L-140M laser, and L370-2 ultra-violet warning receivers, a countermeasures-launching system, and an L370V28-5L laser-based directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system. A new KSS-28NM (S-406-2NM) communication suite enables the helicopter to operate within the armys aviation command system. All this makes existing weapons more effective.

The upgrades included the introduction of the new LMUR (izdeliye 305) missile. This 100mm (diameter), 105 kg (231 pound) air-to-surface missile was designed for use by helicopters. LMUR uses solid fuel and has a max range of 14.5 kilometers moving at up to 450 kilometers an hour (230 meters a second), and carries a 55 kg (110 pound) warhead. It can approach the target at altitudes as low as 100 meters. LMUR can operate autonomously and home on a photo of the target taken by other aircraft. LMUR can also be launched under human control until the LMUR sensors detect a suitable target and pass data to the LMUR operator so the image and location can be sent back to LMUR, turning it into an autonomous homing missile. Only 200 LMURs were initially built and nearly half of them have been used, first in Syria and then Ukraine. Russia has released nearly fifty videos showing successful LMUR attacks.

LMUR is considered a success and more helicopters are being equipped to carry and use it. Some of the LMURs that missed their target or ran into equipment problems have crashed in Ukrainian territory largely intact. This has enabled Ukrainians to analyze how LMUR works and what can be done to defeat the missile before it hits a target. LMURs cost over a million dollars each if the manufacturer can get the parts that are sanctioned and difficult (and expensive) to obtain. As long as LMUR continues to hit targets most (or nearly half the time), it is worth the cost. If the Ukrainians come up with countermeasures, as they have already done for so many new Russian weapons, LMUR may no longer be worth using against Ukrainian targets.
Hollywood star George Clooney is to direct an English-language remake of hit French spy series "Le Bureau".

The new version of the thriller that originally starred Mathieu Kassovitz will be called "The Department", and will begin production this year, US station Showtime announced on Monday.

According to movie portal IMDB, the series, Le Bureau des Legendes, originally created by Eric Rochant, "centers on the daily life and missions of agents within France's principal external security service" responsible for training and "handling deep-cover agents on long-term missions in areas with French interests."

Using fake identities for extended periods of time, these agents' are tasked to identify and recruit good intelligence sources.

The series is compared it to "Homeland", another successful spy show that mixed espionage and geopolitics.

"Just as 'Homeland' elevated global espionage to new heights, 'The Department' will take viewers even deeper into a world of intrigue and subterfuge with complicated characters who struggle with their own demons," said Chris McCarthy, head of Showtime and Paramount Media.

"Le Bureau des Legendes" was a huge international hit for French producer Canal+, sold to more than 100 countries and praised even by France's real-life spy agency, the DGSE, for its realism.

Launched in 2015, the series' fifth and final season was overseen by award-winning director Jacques Audiard, known for films including "A Prophet" and "The Sisters Brothers".

Clooney has previously directed the limited series adaptation of "Catch-22" in 2019.

He has also directed several films including "The Monuments Men" (2014) and "The Midnight Sky" (2020).

(Agencies)
Britain has vowed to support Ukraine to ensure military victory this year, as President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London on a rare foreign visit just weeks before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Zelensky, dressed in his usual green fatigues, held talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this Wednesday and is due to meet King Charles III following an address to the UK parliament on what is only his second overseas trip since the war began.

"The United Kingdom was one of the first to come to Ukraine's aid," Zelensky said on social media, adding he wanted to "personally thank" the British people.

The UK government said it would offer advanced training for Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and marines, as Western allies debate stepping up military aid for Kyiv against a feared new Russian offensive in the east.

British MPs applauded Zelensky as he addressed members of the lower and upper houses in the UK parliament's ancient Westminster Hall.

The Ukrainian president thanked the UK for its support and pledged that "freedom will win".

After meeting Zelensky, Sunak told parliament the UK would continue "to support Ukraine to ensure decisive military victory on the battlefield, this year".

"[Russian President] Vladimir Putin's aggression cannot be seen in any way to have been successful, and that's why we have accelerated and increased our support militarily for Ukraine," Sunak said.

Ahead of the trip, President Joe Biden promised that the United States would support Ukraine for "as long as it takes."

'Ukraine belongs to Europe'

Meanwhile, Britain announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting organisations relied on by the Russian military, yet Putin remains defiant.

Updated maps of Russia have reportedly gone on sale in Moscow bookstores that include four annexed Ukrainian regions: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Lugansk and Donetsk.

Putin regularly refers to them as "our historical lands".

Ahead of the 24 February anniversary of Russia's invasion, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was clear that Moscow would not win and assured Ukraine its future was in the EU.

"Putin will not achieve his goals  not on the battlefield and not through a dictated peace. That much, at least, is certain after a year of war," Scholz said in a speech to parliament.

"Ukraine belongs to Europe, its future lies in the European Union. And this promise holds true," Scholz said.

NATO fighter jets

After the Downing Street talks and his speech in parliament's historic Westminster Hall, Zelensky is due to join Sunak on a visit to Ukrainian troops receiving military training in southwest England.

Britain has already trained 10,000 Ukrainian troops "to battle readiness" over the past six months and will train a further 20,000 this year.

The training will "ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future," although Western countries have so far ruled out sending jets themselves.

On Tuesday, Moscow said that Russian forces were advancing towards Bakhmut and Vugledar  two key centres of fighting in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, now the flashpoint of the war.

This comes as Zelensky is reportedly making a stop-over in Paris this evening, ahead of going to Brussels on Thursday to meet with EU leaders, as the European Union has committed to finding a way to fast-track Ukraine's accession to the bloc.
Some members of the Pensioner Bondholders Forum on February 8, 2023 have picketed at the Finance Ministry again to demand a total exemption of their investments from the Domestic Debt Exchange programme.

This is the third consecutive time members of the forum picketed at the Ministry.

Government has proposed a 15% coupon rate but the group of about 30 retirees amidst singing patriotic Ghanaian songs told Citi News that they will not accept any haircuts on their investments as their livelihoods depend on the proceeds from these investments.

Speaking to Citi News, some of the bondholders lamented that, We dont have the strength, but the little strength we have, we will use it. We are only praying to God to give us the strength to come here every day to sit here for one hour. Thats why we brought our seats. If you cant stand you sit down, people wanted to come with their wheelchairs, but we said no, its too risky, let the people who can come do that.

They further bemoaned the lack of communication between them and the ministry adding that its unfortunate for the various institutions to look unconcerned while they suffer under the scorching sun.

We havent had any communication from the Ministry of Finance. The only thing we have heard is that government has extended the period. The good news we also heard was from Parliament yesterday that they have summoned the Minister of Finance to explain things to them, one of the pensioner bondholders said.

Another person said, If I cant buy my medication I will die.

Updates

Government has extended the window for bondholders to complete tender processes as part of the controversial domestic debt exchange programme.

The deadline for signing up for the programme expired today, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, but government in a late-night press statement said some of the bondholders faced technical glitches as they tried to complete the online tender process hence the window to enable such persons to complete the process.

It has thus given such persons three days to do that.

As a result, Government is providing bondholders with a window to complete processes for tendering their bonds, in response to the terms of Exchange as amended pursuant to the 2nd Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum. This window ends on Friday, 10th February 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (GMT), the Finance Ministry announced in a statement signed by sector minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

By Citi Newsroom
The NDC Caucus in Parliament has warned that it will not sit aloof for North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to be intimidated over his decision to expose the truth about the National Cathedral.

In a press release, the Caucus has assured the MP that he has full support to continue his crusade on the National Cathedral.

The NDC Caucus in Parliament insists that Okudzeto Ablakwa can also count on the caucus in the case he is making against the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.

The NDC Caucus in Parliament wishes to express full confidence in the impressive, courageous and patriotic parliamentary oversight qualities with which our respected colleague, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has pursued this national cathedral conflict of interest and dual identity scandal.

Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa can count on our unflinching solidarity, especially during the pendency of that unmeritorious, vexatious, and ridiculous Kwabena Adu GyamfiVictor Kusi Boateng case, a release from the NDC Caucus in Parliament said.

The Minority Group in Parliament further serves notice that it shall not be intimidated or cowed by judicial abuse, tyranny, and fascist tactics.

We are determined to boldly pursue all aspects of this scandal-plagued National Cathedral project and the related matters of conflict of interest, dual identity, diversions, procurement breaches and blatant corruption without let or hindrance during this 3rd Session of the 8th Parliament, the NDC Caucus release signed by its leader Cassiel Ato Forson added.

Read the full release below:

7th February, 2023.

Press Statement.

NDC CAUCUS IN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS JUDICIAL ABUSE AND DESPICABLE EFFORTS TO GAG MPs AND STAMPEDE PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT

The NDC Caucus in Parliament strongly condemns the naked and shameful abuse of the judiciary by certain undemocratic elements seeking to gag NDC Members of Parliament and prevent us from carrying out our constitutional mandate of oversight.

The instant preposterous and cowardly legal action against our respected colleague, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa by President Akufo-Addos appointee to the Board of Trustees of the scandal-ridden National Cathedral of Ghana who now claims to be called Kwabena Adu Gyamfi even though all public records including incorporation documents show that he was duly appointed as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng is nothing but a desperate effort to stifle parliamentary scrutiny and pervert the course of justice.

To grant an interim injunction preventing further publication on a matter of enormous public interest and to a man of dubious double identity is a palpable constitutional affront.

In any case, the claim by the applicant that the continuous publication of his personal information violates his privacy raises legitimate, legal and logical questions about which of his dual identities with his different names, different dates of birth, different TINS, different mothers and different national IDs actually refer to him.

It is also most shocking that the court will grant an exparte injunction in a matter of this nature and particularly when incontrovertible court records show that the man who now claims to be Kwabena Adu Gyamfi with an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng only recently obtained judgment from the same judiciary as Victor Kusi Boateng.

The NDC Caucus in Parliament also condemns in the strongest terms the crude disregard for the appropriate procedure of how Members of Parliament are to be served with court documents through the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament. Multiple Speakers of Parliament across the political divide have emphasized this in many constitutionally sound rulings.

Ambushing an MP with a secret video recording on the premises of a television station after an interview by people ironically claiming to be apostles of the protection of privacy as happened to our distinguished colleague, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa on the precincts of Metro TV on the 3rd of February, 2023 can only be the orchestration of a frustrated and lawless cabal.

It is a real travesty that under the current government, offenders are shielded and emboldened while diligent and patriotic Members of Parliament fulfilling their constitutional mandate are vilified, witchhunted and threatened with imprisonment.

The NDC Caucus in Parliament wishes to express full confidence in the impressive, courageous and patriotic parliamentary oversight qualities with which our respected colleague, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has pursued this national cathedral conflict of interest and dual identity scandal.

Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa can count on our unflinching solidarity, especially during the pendency of that unmeritorious, vexatious and ridiculous Kwabena Adu GyamfiVictor Kusi Boateng case.

The Minority Group in Parliament hereby serves notice that we shall not be intimidated or cowed by judicial abuse, tyranny and fascist tactics.

We are determined to boldly pursue all aspects of this scandal-plagued National Cathedral project and the related matters of conflict of interest, dual identity, diversions, procurement breaches and blatant corruption without let or hindrance during this 3rd Session of the 8th Parliament.

We shall be disappointing God and our dear countrymen and women if we fail in this noble mission.

May God help us.

Signed,

Hon. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson

[Leader, Minority Group in Parliament]
Lives of hundreds of commuters who ply the Accra Kumasi Highway are at risk as illegal miners operating within the Fanteakwa South District of the Eastern Region have mined just 5 meters away from the main highway.

The illegal miners who operate late in the night have dug huge trenches at Osino just 5 meters away from the main highway.

A visit to the site by the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners today February 8, 2023, saw deep hollow cracks and holes filled with water as the miners have diverted the course of the Birim meters close to the highway.

Speaking to Citi News on the devastating development, the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners Godwin Armah described the situation as unfortunate.

Its unfortunate these guys have mined closer to five meters away from the road. When it rains, and we have not reclaimed, it may affect the roads and can endanger motorists. We need to work hard to reclaim the lands to prevent further washing of the land. We are going to ensure that all other water bodies are saved, Mr. Armah said.

The National President of the association, Philip Akuffo who has ordered the immediate arrest of the illegal miners says the association will convene a meeting to press on for the arrest of the illegal miners within one week.

The damage caused here is so much severe that we cant express it, so I have to sit down with my team and see how we can reclaim the land. I have instructed them to fish the perpetrators out before the close of this week. We want the whole world to know that this work is from galamseyers and not small-scale miners, Mr. Akuffo stated.

The District Chief Executive of Fanteakwa South Ernest Ofosu, said in no time the police will arrest the perpetrators.

He lamented over the mined areas which have not been reclaimed.

This issue of illegal mining popularly called galamsey has been an issue for some years back. And we as a government for that matter led by president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have taken the bold initiative to curb this menace. And we have also been tasked as representatives in the various districts to help fight this canker.

When you come to Fanteakwa south, it has affected the river Birim, and we have issues of some people trying to divert the course of the river Birim to mine. In fact, this has been a worrying situation, some people have mined three to four years ago without reclaiming those areas that they mined. In no time the police will arrest them and the law will deal with them, Mr. Armah said.

-citinewsroom
Razak Kaumpa, the opposition National Democratic Congress Suame Constituency Youth Organizer, has been detained by police after being turned over by the partys leadership.

The suspect, who was accused of inappropriate behaviour, is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

On Wednesday, party supporters gathered at the Ashanti Regional Command before moving to the Suntreso District Command, where the suspect is now being held.

Police started looking for Mr. Kuampa in order to apprehend him for inciting political violence in a viral video.

The suspect had his statement taken in the presence of some NDC National and Regional Executives.

Evans Amankwaah, the suspects lawyer claims that neither his client nor the party is bothered by the detention.

His caution and charge statement have been taken. They charged him with offensive conduct, and we are to go to court tomorrow. We will cooperate with the law. The detention does not perturb us. He is not worried and I assure the supporters of the NDC that, the youth organizer is in high spirits.

Joseph Yammin, the NDCs national organiser, defended the NDC Suame Youth Organizers comments and insisted that his detention will not scare the party.

We are not in any way going to be intimidated by the police or the arrest. As we have massed up here, we will be coming anytime the police takes an action. What we are expecting them to do is to extend equal measure to the NPP. I am sure that the court will have no reason to detain our brother.

The NDCs regional leadership in Ashanti Region met with the police on Tuesday and pledged to work with them to uphold peace and order.

Ashanti Regional First Vice Chairman of the NDC, Captain Kwame Jabari told journalists the party will ensure the right thing is done.

We have met the regional police commander for a discussion on the viral video. After our discussions, he said we should bring him to the police station. This morning, we took him to the Regional Police headquarters and was sent to the Sofoline Divisional Headquarters and so currently, he is with the crime officer, and possibly he will be processed for court.

He in the viral video is seen inciting the NDC members to attack their counterparts in the NPP in the run-up to the 2024 general elections.

In the meantime, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), wants the Police to as a matter of urgency prosecute the NDC Youth Organizer for his utterances.

The party says this will serve as a deterrent to others ahead of the 2024 election.
08.02.2023 LISTEN

The Minority Caucus has condemned the suit filed against its member for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.

The Caucus described the suit as both shameful and a deliberate act to gag Ghanaians, especially Members of Parliament from carrying out their constitutional mandates.

Secretary to the Board of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Rev Kusi Boateng secured a ten-day injunction barring the North Tongu lawmaker from making further disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the applicant on February 3.

But in a press statement issued by Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority saw the suit as cowardly and a desperate effort to stifle parliamentary scrutiny and pervert justice.

The instant preposterous and cowardly legal action against our respected colleague, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa by President Akufo-Addo's appointee to the Board of Trustees of the scandal-ridden National Cathedral of Ghana who now claims to be called Kwabena Adu Gyamfi even though all public records including incorporation documents show that he was duly appointed as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng is nothing but a desperate effort to stifle parliamentary scrutiny and pervert the course of justice.

Read the full statement below; NDC CAUCUS IN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS JUDICIAL ABUSE AND DESPICABLE EFFORTS TO GAG MPs AND STAMPEDE PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT

The NDC Caucus in Parliament strongly condemns the naked and shameful abuse of the judiciary by certain undemocratic elements seeking to gag NDC Members of Parliament and prevent us from carrying out our constitutional mandate of oversight.

The instant preposterous and cowardly legal action against our respected colleague, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa by President Akufo-Addo's appointee to the Board of Trustees of the scandal-ridden National Cathedral of Ghana who now claims to be called Kwabena Adu Gyamfi even though all public records including incorporation documents show that he was duly appointed as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng is nothing but a desperate effort to stifle parliamentary scrutiny and pervert the course of justice.

To grant an interim injunction preventing further publication on a matter of enormous public interest and to a man of dubious double identity is a palpable constitutional affront.

In any case, the claim by the applicant that the continuous publication of his personal information violates his privacy raises legitimate, legal and logical questions about which of his dual identities with his different names, different dates of birth, different TINS, different mothers and different national IDs actually refer to him.

It is also most shocking that the court will grant an exparte injunction in a matter of this nature and particularly when incontrovertible court records show that the man who now claims to be Kwabena Adu Gyamfi with an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng only recently obtained judgment from the same judiciary as Victor Kusi Boateng.

The NDC Caucus in Parliament also condemns in the strongest terms the crude disregard for the appropriate procedure of how Members of Parliament are to be served with court documents through the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament. Multiple Speakers of Parliament across the political divide have emphasized this in many constitutionally sound rulings.

Ambushing an MP with a secret video recording on the premises of a television station after an interview by people ironically claiming to be apostles of the protection of privacy as happened to our distinguished colleague, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa on the precincts of Metro TV on the 3rd of February, 2023 can only be the orchestration of a frustrated and lawless cabal.

It is a real travesty that under the current government, offenders are shielded and emboldened while diligent and patriotic Members of Parliament fulfilling their constitutional mandate are vilified, witchhunted and threatened with imprisonment.

The NDC Caucus in Parliament wishes to express full confidence in the impressive, courageous and patriotic parliamentary oversight qualities with which our respected colleague, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has pursued this national cathedral conflict of interest and dual identity scandal.

Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa can count on our unflinching solidarity, especially during the pendency of that unmeritorious, vexatious and ridiculous Kwabena Adu GyamfiVictor Kusi Boateng case.

The Minority Group in Parliament hereby serves notice that we shall not be intimidated or cowed by judicial abuse, tyranny and fascist tactics.

We are determined to boldly pursue all aspects of this scandal-plagued National Cathedral project and the related matters of conflict of interest, dual identity, diversions, procurement breaches and blatant corruption without let or hindrance during this 3rd Session of the 8th Parliament.

We shall be disappointing God and our dear countrymen and women if we fail in this noble mission.

May God help us. Signed, Hon. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson [Leader, Minority Group in Parliament]

By Citi Newsroom
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday offered support for Mauritania in the fight against jihadism in the Sahel, saying he respected the country's position in the Ukraine war.

Lavrov's visit to Nouakchott is part of a broader diplomatic offensive by Russia in Africa, where the war has intensified strategic competition between great powers.

On Tuesday, he visited Mali, where Russia has become a key partner of the ruling junta.

There, he promised to help Sahel and Gulf of Guinea countries in the fight against jihadism, and hinted at increased involvement on the continent.

Mauritania is a pivotal country between the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa.

Jihadism has spread in the Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and now threatens the Gulf of Guinea farther south, although Mauritania has not seen an attack since 2011.

The vast, mostly desert country of 4.5 million voted in March 2022 in favour of a UN resolution calling on Russia to immediately cease its military operations in Ukraine.

Many African countries abstained or did not vote.

In October, Mauritania voted for a resolution against Russia's annexation of four regions of Ukraine. But in November it abstained from a vote on war reparations that Russia should pay to Ukraine.

"We have expressed our respect for Mauritania's consistent policy of neutrality on all axes," Lavrov told reporters Wednesday.

But, he said, that neutrality did not prevent Mauritania from actively addressing "problems" in the region.

Mauritania. By Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP)

"I am talking about the terrorist threat in the Sahel-Saharan region", Lavrov said.

He also cited the conflict between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front over the Western Sahara, which borders Mauritania.

"We will actively support these efforts of our African friends, based on the principle that they are interested in assistance in this work," he added.

Lavrov was received by Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the national news agency reported.
Ghanas ambassador to Turkey, Mrs Francisca Ashitey-Odunton, has announced that rescue efforts are underway to find Ghanaians displaced by the recent earthquake in Turkey.

The ambassador also disclosed that the whereabouts of Black Stars player Christian Atsu is still not known.

According to her, the Ghanaian embassy in Turkey is yet to establish contact with Christian Atsu because of the confusion around, but we know hes been pulled out of the rubble and sent to the hospital.

She, however, assured Ghanaians that efforts are underway to find the player.

But we dont know which particular hospital hes been sent to. Were working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in locating his hospital and the ministry has assured me that theyll find him, she said.

She also indicated that her outfit is working on finding all Ghanaians who were affected by the quake.

The ambassador said: What were doing is that we together with the Ghanaian community are getting Ghanaians who are stranded in Istanbul and Ankara.

I must say members of the Ghanaian community have been very accommodating.

More than 8,700 people are known to have been killed in Turkey and Syria following Monday's earthquake.

The death toll in Turkey has risen to 6,234, according to the country's disaster agency.

It is difficult to verify the number in Syria, but its state media and a rescue group say more than 2,500 people have been killed.

A total of 1,250 people have died in the government-held region, said the Syrian health minister.

The White Helmet, which operates in the rebel-controlled area, say the death toll has risen to more than 1,280.
The Minority in Parliament wants an ad hoc committee set up to thoroughly investigate the recent killing of some residents of Bawku in the Upper East Region by personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

Speaking on the floor of parliament, the Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee, Mr James Agalga, stressed that setting up an ad hoc committee will help investigate the incident as well as make recommendations to forestall future occurrences.

Given the nature of the allegation levelled against our armed forces, I believe that an ad-hoc committee with the core members of the defence and interior committee playing a lead role will suffice  to delve into the matter and come out with recommendations to ensure that such brutalities do not happen again, he said.

Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga has petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in connection with the recent killing of some civilians in the Upper East Region town allegedly by personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces.

In his petition, Mr Ayariga said: 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, he noted.

He continued: 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.

He is demanding compensation of GH500,000.00 for each and every one of those whose lives were taken, to be paid to their immediate families as punitive damage.

Further, he wants GAF to be retrained 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.

Source: classfmonline.com
Patricia Asiedua aka Nana Agradaa and three others are before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly distributing visual recordings of one Prophet Emmanuel Appiahs genitals without his consent.

Agradaa, the founder of Heaven Way Champion Ministry, has been charged with non-consensual sharing of an intimate image.

The three others have been charged with abatement of crime.

Enock Owusu Kissi, Charles Omane, aka One Gig and Kofi Gyasi have pleaded not guilty.

They have been admitted to bail in the sum of GHS 100,000 with three sureties each.

One Andy, an accomplice, who is facing the same charge, is said to be at large.

The matter has been adjourned to March 8.

Prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah said the complainant Emmanuel Appiah Fomum was a prophet who resided at Teshie in Accra.

ASP Haligh said Agradaa was a lady pastor residing at Weija in Accra while Enock Owusu Kissi, the second accused, was a media practitioner residing at Weija and third accused, Charles Omane aka One Gig, was a businessman residing at Nungua.

Prosecution said the fourth accused Emmanuel Kofi Gyasi was a Television (TV) presenter residing at Nungua and the fifth accused person, one Andy, was at large.

Sometime in the year 2020, Agradaa the owner of a TV station known as Thunder TV, hosted a programme and intentionally showed the naked pictures of the complainant on live TV and made mockery of him with all the accused persons who were panelists on the said programme.

According to the Prosecution, the accused persons encouraged Agradaa to make mockery of the complainant in the process.

It said the programme was screened live on Youtube and Facebook where a witness in the case saw it and informed the complainant about it.

The Prosecution told the Court that Agradaa intentionally distributed intimate images of the complainant to a witness in the matter.

It said the complainant reported the matter to the Police.

During investigations, all the accused persons, except Andy, were arrested.

The Prosecution said the Police retrieved the intimate images of the complainant which were shared or distributed by Agradaa.

During investigations, the recording of programme on which the intimate images were shown was retrieved by the Police and played back to all the accused persons who also identified themselves in the video of the programme hosted by Agradaa.

GNA
08.02.2023 LISTEN

The Police have informed an Accra Circuit Court of consolidating the cases of Patricia Asiedua aka Nana Agradaa, founder of Heaven Way Champions International Ministry, accused of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretences.

At Circuit Court Nine this morning, the Prosecution led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sylvester Asare therefore prayed the court to discharge her.

Agradaa's lawyers however vehemently opposed prosecution's submission, saying if their client were discharged by the Court, the Police would arrest her again.

Agradaa has about four cases before the various Circuit Courts, including fraud and charlatanic advertisement.

In the latest case, she is being held for allegedly distributing nude pictures of one Prophet Emmanuel Appiah on social media.

At Circuit Court Nine, Agradaa is being held for allegedly collecting monies from some congregants with the intention of doubling them but failed.

She was therefore admitted to bail after denying the offences.

Nana Agradaa is said to have advertised on Today's TV and other social media platforms on October, 5, 2022, that she could double the money.

The accused person in the said advert invited the public to attend an all-night service at Weija, near Accra for alleged money doubling.

Prosecution said over 1,000 people visited the Church and handed over their money to the accused, but she failed to double the money as promised.

The Prosecution said the Police commenced investigations into the matter and the accused was arrested on October 9,2022.

It said during the interrogation, the accused person confirmed the case of the six complainants.

GNA
08.02.2023 LISTEN

Police in Suntreso has arrested the Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for his utterances in the widely condemned viral video.

The youth organiser, Razak Avoliya, has been widely condemned in the last few days after he told Oyerepa TV in an interview that he is preparing the youth in his constituency to arm themselves for the 2024 general elections.

In the video interview, the NDC youth organiser boldly said he is encouraging party followers to kill NPP followers during the next general elections if that is what will help the opposition to come to power.

After citing the worrying video, the Ashanti Regional Police command declared Razak Avoliya wanted.

Today, it has been confirmed that he has been arrested and detained after he reported himself to the Central Police command in the company of his lawyer.

The case was subsequently referred to Suntreso police station where he is now being held.

According to Counsel for Razak, Evans Amankwa, his client has been charged with offensive conduct.

He told the media that they are ready to cooperate with the law.

They charged him with offensive conduct and we were to go to court. But unfortunately, after the statements we realised that time has far been spent so we agreed to go to court tomorrow.

We will cooperate with the law. We are not perturbed about the detention. He will be in cells until tomorrow. The youth organizer is in high spirit. He meant what he said but has no intention of destabilizing the peace of this nation. He was only encouraging the people of Suame constituency to fortify themselves in the 2024 elections and be prepared to defend themselves if attacked by members of the NPP, the Counsel for Razak, Evans Amankwa said.

It is understood that Razak Avoliya will be arraigned before court on Thursday, February 9.
A former deputy minister for railway development, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi vows never to accept a deputy ministerial role.

The Asante Akyem North MP revealed that deputy ministers are always sidelined by their superiors, making it difficult for them to utilise their talents and skills.

The MP, who claimed to have regretted accepting his past portfolio, told Johnnie Hughes on Accra-based 3FMs Sunrise Morning Show on Wednesday, February 8, that he was sidelined from expressing his views.

"I will never accept the position of deputy minister again. I made a mistake by accepting such a position, and I will not do that again. I didnt get the opportunity to exhibit my talent," he revealed.

This follows the new changes made in the current administration by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The nominees, who were announced on Tuesday, February 7, are to fill in some vacant ministries in his government following the resignation of Mr. Alan Kyeremateng, Dr. Akoto Owusu Afriyie and Mr. Ebenezer Kojo Kum from the Trade, Agric, and Chieftancy ministries, respectively.

Kobina Tahiru Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry; Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture; Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs; and Mohammed Anim Adam, Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, are nominees pending the approval of the Vetting Committee of Parliament.

The rest are Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of State for Local Government and Decentralization; Herbert Krapah, Deputy Minister for Energy; and Dr. Stephen Amoah, Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry.
The Paramount King of the Igbo Community in Ghana, His Royal Majesty Eze Dr. Chukwudi Ihenetu has expressed worry over drug trafficking on the continent.

Engaging Ghanaian pressmen at his Palace on Wednesday, February 8, Eze Ndi Igbo Ghana stressed that it is important for African governments including the government of Ghana to commit resources to clamp down on drug trafficking.

He indicated that if drug trafficking is not addressed, drug use will get worse and lead to the destruction of the life of the youth who are expected to become leaders of the next generation.

Drug trafficking is a dangerous canker not only destroying lives in Ghana or Nigeria but all over the world world. We must all think about this and look into it so that our sons and daughters will be safe. If we destroy them now who will be the leader of tomorrow?

I want to plead with government agencies to encourage each other to be a mouthpiece to condemn the usage of drugs because of the next generation, His Royal Majesty Eze Dr. Chukwudi Ihenetu emphasised during his interaction with the press.

He continued, I urge all businessmen and women, government officials to condemn the intake of drugs be it cocaine, weed, or any form of narcotics. Drugs can give psychiatric problems in the youth. They are going to get mad. Most of these mental disorders are caused by these drugs. Lets all get up and ensure there is good life for us and our children.

In addition to extending a call on governments all over the world to fight drug trafficking and drug use, His Royal Majesty Eze Dr. Chukwudi Ihenetu noted that it is important that parents in particular take an interest and advise their children to stay away from drugs.

The Igbo Paramount King in Ghana further urged governments to ensure that when drug traffickers are arrested, the laws of the country are allowed to deal with them accordingly.

If drug traffickers are arrested let the laws of the land deal with them. This is not about only Ghana, its about Nigeria, its about the entire continent and we need to keep talking, the Leader of the Igbo People in the country added.

During what is his first media engagement in 2023, His Royal Majesty Eze Dr. Chukwudi Ihenetu expressed appreciation to the government of Ghana for the hospitality.

He noted that Ghana has been a blessing to the Igbo Community and they appreciate the love they receive all the time from the people.

This is the beginning of the year and we want to say thank you to the people of Ghana, especially the government.

I also thank the Kings and Queens for celebrating with us our culture, His Royal Majesty Eze Dr. Chukwudi Ihenetu shared.
A fire outbreak has swept through over 150 wooden structures and a church at Kiosk Estate, Tema Community 18 in the Tema West Municipality, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Mr Ebenezer Yenzu, Public Relation Officer Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Tema Regional Command said they battled with the fire for over four hours to save other wooden structures.

Mr Yenzu told the Ghana News Agency in Tema that although the cause of the fire was not yet known, it was observed that there could be pressure on the electric meters because about ten structures were using one meter.

He said this could easily lead to a fire outbreak and destroy life and property and said controlling the people was difficult at the initial stage as most tried to salvage some of their personal belongings from the fire.

Mr Yenzu added that there were people also using the combined stoves that uses gas and electricity for cooking and cautioned that Ghanaians should use the gas and burner for cooking especially in bulk and use the combined stove for heating foods.

He mentioned that accessibility through clustered structures was difficult, however, the firefighters managed to deploy the water hoses to bring the fire under control.

The GNFS PRO Tema Regional Command advised that all electrical gadgets must be put off before people leave their homes.

GNA
08.02.2023 LISTEN

An accident has taken place at the Kwabenya Musuku roundabout in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, Greater Accra Region, due to reported road rage.

According to an eyewitness who spoke to Class News' Prince Benjamin, the accident happened around 8 PM.

A driver of a Toyota Vitz car bearing the registration GX-3607-20, according to the eyewitness, knocked two young men on a motorbike off the road.

The Vitz car somersaulted and ran into a teak pole.

The young men on the motorbike also crashed not so far from the Vitz.

According to the eyewitness who spoke to Class News, appearing to be in his late 20s, the dead youth and his partner had snatched the Vitz driver's iPhone 13. In response, the driver chased them and knocked them down.

The driver reportedly has been rushed to hospital. The rider of the motorbike was lying dead not so far from the accident scene but his accomplish has reportedly taken to his heels.

Personnel of the Ghana Police Service are currently at the scene where a crowd of residents, left in shock, have congregated.

Source: classfmonline.com
South Africa: Dlamini Zuma commits to addressing Enoch Mgijima challenges

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has committed to work with all relevant stakeholders in the troubled Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality to address the communitys concerns, including calls for a its dissolution.

The Minister made the commitment during a meeting on Tuesday following issues they raised.

The Minister, accompanied by Deputy Minister Thembi Nkadimeng and MEC Zolile Williams, met with stakeholders, including community representatives.

In a statement, the department said the Minister also met with traditional and religious leaders, as well as business leaders, throughout the day.

The community raised concerns mainly related to service delivery challenges and urged the Minister to intervene by placing the municipality under Section 139 (7) as the current intervention in terms of Section 139 (1) and (5) of the Constitution is not yielding the desired results, the department said in a statement.

The municipality has been in a prolonged financial and service delivery crisis. It was last year flagged by the Auditor General as one of the municipalities not functioning to capacity

In 2018, the Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Council intervened, in terms of S139(1) and S139(5) of the Constitution.

According to a report tabled before Parliament last year, a financial recovery plan was developed for the municipality, but the implementation thereof did not yield the desired results. The previous municipal council failed to play its oversight role.

Parliament in September heard that that municipalitys financial crisis was persistent, with material breach of its obligations to provide basic services. It also failed to honour its financial commitments, a state of affairs that necessitated national government intervention.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Charge d'affaires of Chinese Embassy in U.S. launches stern representations with senior U.S. officials

Xinhua) 16:56, February 08, 2023

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in the United States Xu Xueyuan on Tuesday lodged, upon instruction, stern representations with senior officials of the U.S. Department of State and White House National Security Council on the U.S. attack on a Chinese unmanned civilian airship by force, the embassy said in a statement.

According to the statement, Xu said that the unintended entry of the airship is an entirely unexpected and isolated incident caused by force majeure. The Chinese side has, after verification, informed the U.S. side of this multiple times and clearly requested that the U.S. side handle it in a calm, professional and restrained manner.

The Chinese side expresses firm opposition to and strong protest against the U.S. side using force to attack it, and urges the U.S. side not to take any actions that may escalate and complicate the situation. The Chinese side reserves the right to make further responses if necessary, Xu said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
February 08, 2023 China Rejects "Shoot First, Talk Later" Attitude Here is demonstration of typically childish-arrogant behavior of the U.S. government towards foreign countries. China Isnt Ready to Pick Up Phone After Balloon Incident

Chinese officials rejected a request from the U.S. defense secretary to speak with his counterpart after an American fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon. The Pentagon said on Tuesday that China had rejected a request from Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to speak with his Chinese counterpart on Saturday soon after an American fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. That statement by the Pentagon immediately raises a question. Why hadn't the U.S. defense secretary called the Chinese defense minister before shooting down the Chinese weather ballon? The U.S. apparently detected the balloon on January 29 when it was over the Aleutian Islands. Austin could have called his Chinese counterpart anytime in the seven days between that detection and the time the decision was taken to shot it down: We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the P.R.C. in order to responsibly manage the relationship, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in an emailed statement, referring to the Peoples Republic of China. Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this. It was not to be. Unfortunately, General Ryder said, the P.R.C. has declined our request to arrange a call with Wei Fenghe, the Chinese defense minister. The purpose of high level lines of communication between military and political leaders is to prevent that crises happen or, if one has happen incidentally, to prevent their escalation. Before the shot down the Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe likely would have taken that call. But the U.S. decided to shoot first and to talk later. That was and is inappropriate. On January 29 the Chinese weather balloon was drifting westward over Alaska and Canada. There was no expectation that it would cross into the United States. But an unusual low pressure formation over east Canada eventually caused that. Low pressure areas in the northern hemisphere turn counter-clockwise. High pressure areas turn clockwise. The unusually strong low pressure zone over east Canada pushed arctic air masses south through Canada and then south west to west to New England. This phenomenon, on February 1 and 2, caused a cold snap in east Canada and the northeast of the U.S.. But the wind also caused the 200 feet high balloon to turn south.

bigger Picture the coldest Canadian night imaginable. What did you think of it? Clear skies? Calm winds? A deep snowpack? This cold snap had none of these ingredients align because this type of cold is different. Meet advection cold. The cold air wasnt developed on location. The imported cold was fed south by a strong low and the trajectory of the polar vortex. The polar vortex was swirling near Hudson Bay and was slingshotted south by favourable atmospheric dynamics. The cold air wrapped around a developing low, lifting across Labrador. Not just any cold air, either -- the stratospheric polar vortex mixed down in whats known as a tropopause fold and occurs near the core of a jet stream. A wind and pressure map from February 3 shows the then already waning low pressure area in the upper right. The red arrow shows the balloon's course.

bigger Both the cold snap and the balloon's turn were surprising. The jet stream would usually have prevent both from happening. But this time the low pressure area proved to be stronger if only for a short moment. It is the reason why the balloon ended up crossing the U.S.

Source: Wikipedia - bigger There was no way the balloon could have been steered against the prevailing wind. Here is a CBS meteorologist, who had used NOAA software to predicted the course of the ballon, confirming that fact: Ed Russo @EdRussoWX - 11:37 UTC  Feb 4, 2023 Replying to @soonersfan2022

The balloon is flying at the height of the jet stream. The jet stream winds will steer the balloon even a simple rudder wont be a match for the 200+ mph upper level winds. By no means could China have planned the balloon's course. Any allegations that the balloon was being 'steered' and intentionally crossed U.S. missile fields and military bases to 'spy' on those are thereby bogus. China has some 300 satellites in the earth's orbit. It does not need balloons to take aerial pictures of static missile silos in the mid-west U.S. The NYT also writes: China has insisted that the electronics-laden machine was simply a weather balloon that had drifted off course. The balloon debris has not been recovered yet. Based on what fact is the NYT then claiming that it the balloon was an 'electronics-laden machine'? China is not happy that the Biden administration is hyperventilating over the incident. But it will keep its calm: Different political forces within the US, including President Joe Biden and the Republican Party, are still hyping up the incident of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship in the US media in order to gain political interests ahead of the annual State of the Union address, rather than making efforts to cool down the matter. Chinese experts said on Tuesday that it shows that the chaotic, messy and sick political situation in Washington means that China-US tensions are unlikely to ease in the near future. It also proves that the Biden administration is incapable of setting so-called guardrails for bilateral ties under the complex situation within the US. China will keep calm and observe what the US does next, and whether Biden creates conditions for engagement or Washington allows bilateral ties to keep worsening, China is ready to handle any possible moves by the US, experts noted. Austin's attempts to call his Chinese counterpart AFTER the shit happened is seen as an attempt to additionally insult the Chinese government. Austin will not be given a chance to do that. Posted by b on February 8, 2023 at 14:34 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
February 08, 2023 Hersh: "How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline" Updated below: You all will want to discuss this ... Seymour Hersh: How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline

The New York Times called it a mystery, but the United States executed a covert sea operation that was kept secretuntil now The above was only just published. I am currently busy but will eventually read it and make up my mind. Update: 13:50 UTC I have now read the piece but I am someone in doubt over it. The story that Hersh tells seems incomplete and not researched as deeply as possible. I bet that his sources know more than that. But it still fits with the tale I had constructed from open data a day after the pipeline was destroyed: While the Baltops 22 maneuver already took place in June and July of this year the U.S. Sixth Fleet left the Baltic Sea only a few days ago (in German, my translation): Big Fleet Group From U.S. Navy Passes [German island passage] Fehmanbelt On Wednesday morning the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, escorted by the Landing Ships USS Arlington and USS Gunston Hall, was en route towards west. Previously, the ships were part of US units that took part in NATO maneuvers and called at numerous ports in Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic States. The "USS Kearsarge", flagship of the association and largest warship of the US Navy, which was in action in the Baltic Sea in the last 30 years, has 40 helicopters and fighter planes as well as more than 2000 soldiers on board, the escort ships about 1000. For the around 4,000 soldiers are heading back home on the east coast of the US after their six-month deployment. Parts of the Kearsange operations in the Baltic Sea were dedicated to test special sub sea mine destruction technologies: A significant focus of BALTOPS every year is the demonstration of NATO mine hunting capabilities, and this year the U.S. Navy continues to use the exercise as an opportunity to test emerging technology, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Public Affairs said June 14. In support of BALTOPS, U.S. Navy 6th Fleet partnered with U.S. Navy research and warfare centers to bring the latest advancements in unmanned underwater vehicle mine hunting technology to the Baltic Sea to demonstrate the vehicles effectiveness in operational scenarios. Experimentation was conducted off the coast of Bornholm, Denmark, with participants from Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport, and Mine Warfare Readiness and Effectiveness Measuring all under the direction of U.S. 6th Fleet Task Force 68. Off the coast of Bornholm, Denmark, is where the pipelines were hit. Just days ago the USS Kearsarge was in that area: Back then I presented just the available fact and left the conclusion open for the reader to chose. But it has since become more and more obvious that the U.S. was responsible for the enormous economic damage to Germany that its action has caused. The gloating by Sec State Anthony Blinken and his deputy Victoria Nuland is just too too obvious. It is a"tremendous strategic opportunity for the years to come" said Blinken and Nuland, in a Congress hearing, was "very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal." Most Germans, if not their pliant government, have drawn their conclusions from that. Posted by b on February 8, 2023 at 13:10 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALESTATE OF TENNESSEE, ROBERTSON COUNTYWHEREAS, Tricia Marie Beauchamp and William F. Beauchamp executed a Deed of Trust to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as beneficiary, as nominee for F & M Bank, Lender and Jonathan R Vinson, Trustee(s), which was dated October 26, 2018, and recorded on October 29, 2018, in Book 1839, at Page 695 in []
Staff Reporter

Richelle obtained a bachelor of arts degree in mass communications from the Far Eastern University in Manila, the Philippines. She was a junior reporter for Marianas Variety from 2009 to 2010, and from 2014 to 2015. In the Maldives, she worked as a news reporter and marketing executive. In her free time, shes a painter, pianist, and mom baker.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Bird Song of the Day

Red-and-black Grosbeak. Atta Lodge / Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana. 4 cuts of a presumed pair. I think (but cant be sure) that the last 2 cuts are the female.

* * *

Politics

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51

Heres food for thought, had Ahab time to think; but Ahab never thinks; he only feels, feels, feels. Herman Melville, Moby Dick

So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital. Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

Biden Administration

Remarks of President Joe Biden  State of the Union Address as Prepared for Delivery [The White House]. On Covid, the Ultimate Lockdown in pure form: But we will remember the toll and pain that will never go away for so many. More than 1 million Americans have lost their lives to COVID. Families grieving. Children orphaned. Empty chairs at the dining room table./p> We remember them, and we remain vigilant./p> We still need to monitor dozens of variants and support new vaccines and treatments. So, since vaccines do not prevent transmission, we have mass infection with no mitigation. Do you see any mention of mitigation? Of non-pharmaceutical interventions? Do you see a word of thanks to those who worked to protect others and themselves with NPIs? No. Never have, never will. Crocodile tears. Its disgusting and immoral. Dark Brandon shows up at State of the Union, mops the floor with lost Republicans [USA Today]. Preaching populism and leaning hard on his noted skill as the empathizer-in-chief, Biden bounded through a speech that acknowledged the nations struggles while remaining unerringly optimistic. He went off script regularly, parrying Republican lawmakers who heckled him, at one point backing the whole party into a corner and getting them to swear to protect Medicare and Social Security benefits. Ive never seen anything like it in a State of the Union speech  they ran at him like a pack of lemmings and, with a wink and a grin, he politely directed them to the cliff. They juiced Biden up for sure, but the old guy can still cut it. The reporter as much as says it: Whatever the White House cooks are feeding Biden these days, Id like a plate of it myself. Here is Biden mingling with the crowd: This THREAD of @POTUS interactions for OVER AN HOUR in the chamber AFTER his #SOTU should tell you all you need to know about the stamina, mental acuity & preparedness of Joe Biden for 2024. Wow. Its frankly, unbelievable. This must drive his opponents nuts. https://t.co/KF0008FlE0  Sherrilyn Ifill (@SIfill_) February 8, 2023 Whatever it was on Bidens plate, its good for solid speech and an hour of interaction. 5 takeaways from Bidens State of the Union address [NPR]. Some of what is likely to make Democrats comfortable is the pluck he showed  the willingness and ability to spar with Republicans and depict them not as normal, but extreme. The best example of this was on Medicare and Social Security. He deftly riled up House Republicans, accusing some of wanting to cut the popular entitlements. He was careful in that section to note that some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years. That was something Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., the former National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, opened the door to with his Rescue America Plan. Democrats have run with it, even though McCarthy has said cuts to Medicare and Social Security are off the table. Bidens accusation enraged House Republicans, who saw the charge as false and too far. Im glad to see it, Biden said of the apparent agreement not to cut the programs. I enjoy conversion. The exchange took the lid off any comity that existed earlier in the evening. From then on, Republicans shouted and heckled  with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accusing Biden of being a liar and others yelling out, Its your fault! when Biden decried fentanyl deaths. McCarthy, who took 15 rounds to win his speakership because of far-right rejection and his small majority, could clearly be seen shushing his conference at least three times. Its precisely the look Biden and Democrats wanted to put on display for what will likely be the largest TV audience the president will speak to this year ahead of his expected 2024 reelection announcement. Fact-checking President Bidens State of the Union speech [CNN].  Nothing on Covid policy, nothing on Ukraine. Odd!

2024

Field Dates: January 18-19, 2023 (PDF) [Harvard Harris Poll (Not Again)]. On 2024: Five and eight points? Thats a lot.

Republican Funhouse

The good and the bad of Iowas bill that would bring big changes to child labor laws [Des Moines Register]. A new bill introduced in the Iowa Legislature would rewrite Iowas child labor law to allow teens to work in previously prohibited jobs so long as they are part of an approved training program.. As with the existing law, the bill outlines the jobs that 14-17-year olds can do, like bagging and carrying groceries to cars, clerical work and preparing and serving food. The bill also maintains a list of jobs kids under 18 cant hold, such as working in slaughterhouses, meatpacking or rendering plants; mining; operating power-driven metal forming, punching or shearing machines; operating band or circular saws, guillotine shears or paper balers; or being involved in roofing operations or demolition work. It makes a few modifications, such as removing a prohibition against 14- and 15-year-olds working in freezers and meat coolers. In an entirely new section, however, the bill would allow the Iowa Workforce Development and state Department of Education heads to make exceptions to any of the prohibited jobs for teens 14-17 participating in work-based learning or a school or employer-administered, work-related program. I.e., a loop-hole you could drive a truck through. More: The bill exempts businesses from civil liability if a student is sickened, injured or killed due to the companys negligence.  A company could face fines of up to $10,000 for violations under the bill, but the states labor commissioner could reduce or waive the penalty.  Seems. business-friendly! Bill to extend working hours for Ohio teens reintroduced by lawmakers [Ohio Capital Journal]. Senate Bill 30 would allow 14 and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. year-round with permission from a parent or legal guardian. Currently, these teens can only work until 7 p.m. during the school year and 9 p.m. during the summer months or on any school holiday of five days or more. Employment law expert and professor at Case Western Reserve University Sharona Hoffman says just because a parent consents, doesnt mean its a good idea  like how Ohio allowed for child marriages with parental and judicial consent up until 2019. The lawyer added that these teens have enough on their plates with homework and school activities, plus they arent able to drive, so safety concerns would also play into the bill.

Democrats en Deshabille

Patient readers, it seems that people are actually reading the back-dated post! But I have not updated it, and there are many updates. So I will have to do that. lambert I have moved my standing remarks on the Democrat Party (the Democrat Party is a rotting corpse that cant bury itself) to a separate, back-dated post, to which I will periodically add material, summarizing the addition here in a live Water Cooler. (Hopefully, some Bourdieu.) It turns out that defining the Democrat Party is, in fact, a hard problem. I do think the paragraph that follows is on point all the way back to 2016, if not before: The Democrat Party is the political expression of the class power of PMC, their base (lucidly explained by Thomas Frank in Listen, Liberal!). It follows that the Democrat Party is as unreformable as the PMC is unreformable ; if the Democrat Party did not exist, the PMC would have to invent it. If the Democrat Party fails to govern, thats because the PMC lacks the capability to govern . (PMC modulo class expatriates, of course.) Second, all the working parts of the Party reinforce each other. Leave aside characterizing the relationships between elements of the Party (ka-ching, but not entirely) those elements comprise a network  a Flex Net? An iron octagon?  of funders, vendors, apparatchiks, electeds, NGOs, and miscellaneous mercenaries, with assets in the press and the intelligence community. Note, of course, that the class power of the PMC both expresses and is limited by other classes; oligarchs and American gentry (see industrial model of Ferguson, Jorgensen, and Jie) and the working class spring to mind. Suck up, kick down. * * *

Realignment and Legitimacy

Billionaire Funded Judges Who Could Decide His Speech-Crushing Beto Case [The Lever]. A lawsuit that could punish speech against wealthy political donors may ultimately land before judges who have accepted campaign donations from the billionaire bringing the case, a Lever review has found. The plaintiffs fossil fuel company has also delivered money to political groups who boosted those judges election bids. Kelcy Warren, who controls the company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline and has a net worth of $5.3 billion, is suing former Congressman Beto ORourke over campaign comments made about him in a case that could set a new legal precedent for financially punishing political candidates who criticize billionaires political spending. On January 20, The Lever reported on Warrens lawsuit, which alleges that he was defamed when ORourke impugned his $1 million donation to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), which was made weeks after the governor signed legislation allowing natural gas companies like Warrens to opt out of weatherization regulations. According to Warrens suit, ORourke had defamed him by making comments like, Kelcy Warren and Greg Abbott want us to stop talking about how Warrens company made over $2 billion in profits while Texans were freezing to death, and then turned around and gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign, as ORourke told the Dallas Morning News in March 2022. Debate in the case has focused on ORourkes usage of the term bribe [the idea!!] to describe Warrens $1 million donation. ORourkes attorney, Chad Dunn, said in a brief that it was used in its nondefamatory colloquial sense.'  I wont use the word bribe, but feel free to think it.

#COVID19

Lambert here: I am but a humble tapewatcher, but unlike Eric Topol, Im not calling a surge, because the last peak was Bidens Omicron debacle, and after an Everest like that, whats left? Topols view is the establishment view: Hospital-centric. Mine is infection-centric. I do not see the universal acceleration or doubling in cases that I would expect to see based on past surges.

I am calling a Something Awful. Its gonna be bad, in some new way, and we dont know how, yet (but see here for immune system dysregulation, which is looking pretty awful).

Lambert here: Looks like leveling off to a high plateau across the board. Stay safe out there!

* * *

 On the one hand, its good to see some support:

Bernie Sanders is the only person wearing a KN95 mask at the #StateOfTheUnionAddress. Respect that man  @SenSanders thank you. pic.twitter.com/xkmbUIDTik  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 8, 2023

On the other, how about some hearings? Say on CDC policy on non-pharmacetical interventions? Or how OSHAs workplace protections got gutted? Or the near-destruction of the domestic mask industry in favor of cheap and hospital-friendly masks from China? Its a target rich environment, so how about it?

* * *

 Understanding the Regulatory Terminology of Potential Preventions and Treatments for COVID-19 [FDA]. What is says on the tin. The language used to describe potential therapies can be confusing, and theres public interest around the FDAs work to ensure access to potentially life-saving treatments. Heres what those terms mean.  Bookmark, perhaps.

* * *

 Hospital Infection Control is at it again. In Canada:

Infection control is out of control. In some cases, up to 40% of Covid cases in hospitals now are HAIs.  Barry Hunt  #DavosSafe (@BarryHunt008) February 7, 2023

See NC on HAI here; IC/ID (Infection Control/Infectious Diseases) has little to be proud of, at least in hospitals. More:

Legally, Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) trumps Public Health (PH). IRL, PH has co-opted OHS's jurisdiction.  Barry Hunt  #DavosSafe (@BarryHunt008) February 7, 2023

* * *

 Protective Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19-Related Intensive Care Hospitalization and Mortality: Definitive Evidence from Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis [Pharmaceuticals]  Weve run this in Links already, but just to point out: U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19, and the White House said he was given an experimental treatment designed to combat the virus as well as a small array of treatments including aspirin and Vitamin D . Not a hill I want to die on, but nevertheless.

Case Data

NOT UPDATED BioBot wastewater data from February 6:

For now, Im going to use this national wastewater data as the best proxy for case data (ignoring the clinical case data portion of this chart, which in my view goes bad after March 2022, for reasons as yet unexplained). At least we can spot trends, and compare current levels to equivalent past levels.

 This winters U.S. COVID surge is fading fast, likely thanks to a wall of immunity [NPR]. See chart above. This claim is true only if you think cases dont matter. However, it is true that the last surge was not equal to Bidens ginormous tsunami. Why? Several factors may have played a role. One possibility could be that people avoided crowds, wore a mask and took other precautions more than public health experts had expected they would. But that doesnt really appear to be the case. Another possibility is viral interference, which is a theory that sometimes when a person gets infected with one virus, their immune response may protect them from getting infected with another virus. [Jennifer Nuzzo, who heads the Pandemic Center at Brown University] and other experts suspect instead that the main reason the COVID surge is ebbing is all the immunity weve all built up from prior infections, and/or the COVID vaccinations many of us have received. We have what I would call now a better immunity barrier, says Dr. Carlos Del Rio, an infectious disease [see below] specialist at Emory University who heads the Infectious Disease Society of America. Between vaccinations and prior infection I think all of us are in a different place than we were before, he says. All of us, if not totally protected, we are somewhat better protected. And that immunologic wall is real.'  No, the immunologic wall is not real. Its a metaphor, and an absurdly sloppy and stupid one. A wall is static, constructed of inorganic materials, persisent over time. However, both the virus and our immune systems are dynamic, organic, constantly adapting, in tandem or apart (for example, in reservoirs among the immunocompromised). Perhaps ID folks talk differently among themselves than they do when giving quotes to the media; I certainly hope so. If so, their professional ethics, if any, dictate that they educate the public, not talk down to them.

 Nearly Four in Ten Say Their Households Were Sick with COVID-19, the Flu, or RSV Recently Even as Most People Say They Arent Too Worried About Getting Seriously Ill [KFF (NorD94)]. Nearly four in ten (38%) people say their households were affected by this winters triple threat of viruses, with someone getting sick with the flu, COVID-19, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and nearly half (46%) say the news of these three viruses spreading has made them more likely to wear masks or take other precautions to avoid getting sick, the latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey finds. At the same time, almost three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the public says they are not too or not at all worried about getting seriously ill from the virus (69%), though 31% still say they are worried. Thats somewhat more than say the same about the flu (26%) or RSV (25%).

Transmission

Here is CDCs interactive map by county set to community transmission (the red map, which is the map CDC wants only hospitals to look at, not you.) The map is said to update Monday-Friday by 8 pm:

The previous map:

NOTE: I shall most certainly not be using the CDCs new Community Level metric. Because CDC has combined a leading indicator (cases) with a lagging one (hospitalization) their new metric is a poor warning sign of a surge, and a poor way to assess personal risk. In addition, Covid is a disease you dont want to get. Even if you are not hospitalized, you can suffer from Long Covid, vascular issues, and neurological issues. That the green map (which Topol calls a capitulation and a deception) is still up and being taken seriously verges on the criminal.

Positivity

From the Walgreens test positivity tracker, published February 8:

-12%. Still on the high plateau, equal to previous peaks.

 Almost 1,000 people wait up to 13 hours for COVID-19 testing in Maryvale [Arizona Central].  Over, totally over.

Wastewater

Wastewater data (CDC), February 4:

Less grey, though still too much; a lot less red.

February 3:

NOT UPDATED And MWRA data, February 2:

Looks to me like New Englands regional surge is winding down. No bump from the students returning.

Variants

Lambert here: Its beyond frustrating how slow the variant data is. Does nobody in the public health establishment get a promotion for tracking variants? Are there no grants? Is there a single lab that does this work, and everybody gets the results from them? [grinds teeth, bangs head on desk]. UPDATE Yes. See NC here on Pango. Every Friday, a stately, academic pace utterly incompatible with protecting yourself against a variant exhibiting doubling behavior.

 No new variants in weeks after China ended zero-Covid: study [Agence France Presse]. But the new study by Chinese researchers, which analysed 413 samples from Beijing sequenced between November 14 and December 20, said there is no evidence that novel variants emerged during that time. Instead, more than 90 percent of the cases were BF.7 and BA5.2, Omicron subvariants which were already present in China and have been overtaken by more transmissible subvariants in Western nations. BF.7 accounted for three quarters of the samples, while more than 15 percent were BA5.2, according to the study published in The Lancet journal. Our analysis suggests two known Omicron sub-variants  rather than any new variants  have chiefly been responsible for the current surge in Beijing, and likely China as a whole, lead study author George Gao, a virologist at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in a statement. Wolfgang Preiser and Tongai Maponga, virologists at South Africas Stellenbosch University not involved in the research, cautioned that it only covered a few weeks after China lifted its zero-Covid measures.  Big if true. (If memory serves, weve seen new variants emerge from reservoirs of immunocompromised in both Kent in the UK, and in South Africa. I find it very hard to believe that the same scenario has not, or will not, happen in China.)

NOT UPDATED Variant data, national (Walgreens), January 23:

Lambert here: XBB overtakes BQ. CH not moving too fast, reassuring, because a Tweet in Links, January 11 from GM drew attention to it (displays such a high relative growth advantage) and in Water Cooler, January 18, from Nature: CH.1.1 and CA.3.1 variants were highly resistant to both monovalent and bivalent mRNA vaccinations.

Lambert here: Wierdly, the screen shot about has been replaced today by data from 10/7/2022. (Its clearly not current data; BQ.1* and XBB do not dominate.

NOT UPDATED Variant data, national (CDC), January 14 (Weighted Estimates Only*):

BQ.1* takes first place. XBB coming up fast. (For BQ.1/XBB and vaccine escape, see here.) CH.* now appears, a week after Walgreens. Here is Region 2, the Northeast:

CH.1* appears, but slightly below the national average. XBB utterly dominates, making clear that Region 2 (New England) varies greatly from the national average.

Here are all the regions, in a series of uncaptioned, legend-free and confusing pie charts:

It almost looks like, with respect to variants at least, there several pandemics, not one. The Northeast, where XBB (blue) dominates, and the other regions, with different proportions of other variants, but XBB not dominating. Odd. (Yes, I know the colors are the same as on the bar chart above. However, there are two charts, one bar, one pie, and on a laptop one cannot see both at same time. Just another example of CDC blithering at the level of the smallest detail.)

NOTE * CDC used to have a Nowcast Off radio button, which I used because of my bad experience with CDC models like Nowcast. CDC explains (I think) the change in the following note:

Weighted estimates (provided for all weeks except the most recent three weeks) are variant proportions that are based on empirical (observed) genomic sequencing data. These estimates are not available for the most recent weeks because of the time it takes to generate the unweighted data, including sample collection, specimen treatment, shipping, analysis, and upload into public databases. Sublineages with weighted estimates less than 1% of all circulating variants are combined with their parent lineage. When the weighted estimate of a sublineage crosses the 1% threshold and has substitutions in the spike protein that could affect vaccine efficacy, transmission, or severity, it may be separated from its parent lineage and displayed on its own in the variant proportions data. Nowcast estimates (provided for the most recent three weeks when the Nowcast on option is selected below) are model-based projections of variant proportions for the most recent weeks to enable timely public health action. CDC uses the Nowcast to forecast variant proportions before the weighted estimates are available for a given week.

Someone who can interpret The Great Runes can look at this; but I dont have time today.

NOT UPDATED As a check, since New York is a BQ.1* hotbed, New York hospitalization, updated February 7:

NOT UPDATED Hospitalization data for Queens, updated February 4:

Deaths

Death rate (Our World in Data):

Total: 1,136,960  1,136,448 = 512 (512 * 365 = 186,880 deaths per year, todays YouGenicist number for living with Covid (quite a bit higher than the minimizers would like, though they can talk themselves into anything. If the YouGenicist metric keeps chugging along like this, I may just have to decide this is what the powers-that-be consider mission accomplished for this particular tranche of death and disease).

Its nice that for deaths I have a simple, daily chart that just keeps chugging along, unlike everything else CDC and the White House are screwing up or letting go dark, good job. (Though CDC may be jiggering the numbers soon. Lower, naturally.)

Stats Watch

There are no official statistics of note today.

* * *

Manufacturing: Boeing plans to cut about 2,000 finance and HR jobs in 2023 [Associated Press]. Boeing plans to make staffing cuts in the aerospace companys finance and human resources departments in 2023, with a loss of around 2,000 jobs, the company said.  Next, college administrators?

Tech: Touchability, Productivity, and Portability  Pick Two [Worms and Viruses]. Its foolishly optimistic to think that Microsoft or even Apple can make pointer interfaces as touch friendly as iPadOS without also destroying the very thing that makes them more productive than iPadOS  information density. Smaller controls means these platforms can disclose more information and interactivity to their users at once. Thats why a bunch of windows on even a 11 MacBook Air feels natural while only four windows on a large 13 iPad feels ungainly. Conversely, its impossible to make iPadOS more information dense without sacrificing the very thing that makes it the best tablet OS  touch friendliness. iPad users want more information on screen because that will help them be more productive, but the only way to present more information in iPadOS without sacrificing touch friendliness is a larger display.. [M]acOS cant be made touch friendly without sacrificing information density and iPadOS cant add information density without sacrificing touch friendliness.  Every time the iOS crowd get their hands on a chunk of MacOS, it becomes crappier locking and harder to use. (Incidentally, this trilemma in the title is why the iPad can never be a productivity tool. I use my iPad constantly to gather information, but to write? I would have lost my mind (looking at my ten open applications, one of which is the shell, and a browser with umpty million tabs. And Im not even a power user!).

Tech: Leaked Document Suggests Hardly Anyone Bothered to Pay for Twitter Blue [Gizmodo]. The Information reported Tuesday based on a leaked internal document that by mid-January, just .2% of monthly users in the U.S., around 180,000 people, have signed up for Twitter Blue. The $8 a month service gives users the ability to undo and edit tweets, read threads in a long-form format, see half the ads other users do, and a few other customization features.  If Musk is moving Twitter toward accepting payments, I would gladly pay $8 a month. I think a lot of creatives would!

* * *

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 74 Greed (previous close: 77 Extreme Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 67 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 8 at 1:30 PM EST.

Under the Influence

Kim Kardashian earned $1 million dollars for speaking at a hedge fund conference [Unusual Whales].  That;s better than Clinton ever did. Maybe Kardashian should run for President?

Games

Why Gamers Are More Valuable Than Companies Think [Morning Consult]. Almost two-thirds of U.S. adults (63%) say they play video games in an average week, much higher than the share who consider themselves gamers. Morning Consult data also shows that consumers with five or more video streaming subscriptions are more than twice as likely to spend time gaming than those with no subscriptions. Media companies should prioritize adapting console-based titles with international fan bases into TV, film and mobile games given the greater streaming growth opportunities abroad.

Im Very Self-Deprecating, But I Know What I Can Do: An Interview with Eric Powell [The Comics Journal]. Very long interview: I have a lot of ideas for graphic novels that I want to do. I really loved working on the Gein book because there wasnt a limitation to the page count. If I wanted to do some atmospheric thing that went over three or four pages, it was fine to do that. I think more and more, especially as Im getting older and slowing down, I want to focus more on graphic novels and that format of being able to tell bigger stories and not chop them up into 22 pages. I still love having a comic book in my hand. Ive always been a fan of short stories, and thats what I always see comic books as. The majority of my comics are self-contained. If you pick up an issue, theres a beginning, a middle, and an end, even if it builds up to a larger story. I think Ill always want to do individual comics, but I think a lot of my focus will be on graphic novels. Theres a lot of stuff I havent done. Ive never done a big run on superhero titles for either of the big two publishers.  If you are a comic books fan, youve probably read this already.

Our Famously Free Press

Take a Bow, Columbia Journalism Review (excerpt) [Matt Taibbi, Racket]. Jeff Gerths four-part series, highly recommended here. In retirement at the start of the Trump years, Gerth watched with growing alarm as venerable institutions like the Times and the Washington Post continually made high-stakes assertions in headlines that appeared based on thin or uncheckable sourcing. The pile of such stories was already stacked to skyscraper height, and commemorated by awards like a joint Times-Post Pulitzer, when Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrapped up an investigation of the matter without indicting Trump or anyone else for the supposed conspiracy. There was no way for Muellers probe to have ended the way it did and for years of worse than Watergate news reports about Trump-Russian collusion to be true, so Gerth went back to the beginning in search of the real story of what, if anything, went wrong on the coverage side. The result is a long, almost book-length compendium of errors and editorial overreach. It could have been longer.  If ypu havent read Gerths piece, do consider it.

Class Warfare

The pink paper:

"You can't be an intelligent social scientist unless you're a Marxist" Martin Wolf, at the launch of his book on democratic capitalism hosted by @resfoundation  Jonathan Portes (@jdportes) February 7, 2023

Rent Regulation Is Constitutional (For Now) [Hell Gate]. On Monday, a federal appeals court upheld New Yorks rent stabilization laws, striking down the argument that rent regulations represent a seizure of private property. But lest you think this is all good newsthe decision now possibly paves the way for landlord groups to take their various complaints to the Supreme Court. The decision is the latest development in a series of legal battles launched just months after the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, a sweeping set of rent protections, was signed into law in 2019, protections that represented a sort of apocalypse for landlords and their allies. Since the passage of HSTPA, five lawsuits have been filed challenging its provisions that, among other things, make the conversion of rent-stabilized units to market-rate housing more difficult and make it harder for property owners to evict tenants. The laws also set caps on how much of a building landlords are permitted to use personally and set further limits on how much rent for a stabilized unit can be raised. Since the moment HSTPA passed, landlord-activists and lobbying groups including the Rent Stabilization Association and the Community Housing Improvement Program have hoped to eventually bring one of their cases against the state to a conservative Supreme Court.

News of the Wired

Restaurant Review: Le Bernardin Holds On to Its Craft (and Its Four Stars) [New York Times]. Take the sauces, probably the defining feature of French restaurant cooking. [Owner Maguy Le Coze] insists that they be applied to the plates generously, so there is enough to eat with a spoon. Six full-time cooks prepare something like three dozen sauces on any given day. [Chef Eric] Ripert told me in a phone interview that sauces are the reason Le Bernardin has never gone in for arranging food on boards, stones, logs and other objects. He prefers china because china excels at holding sauce in one small area so you can spoon it up and love it. The china, the sauce spoons, the tablecloths, the servers in dark jackets presenting plates in synchrony, the sommeliers (there are at least four on the floor at almost all times) wearing silver tastevins on chains around their necks  it can sound oppressive. When its all in motion, though, its the opposite of oppressive. Even people who are used to eating in restaurants that are less formal and less French figure out pretty quickly that almost everything about Le Bernardin is meant to make them feel good.  This comfort  not at all like American comfort food  is what I encountered when I finally learned to eat in Montreal. Of course, I believe that all restaurant workers should be well paid, and there should be two, three, many Le Bernardins for workers everywhere. Its a simple matter of distribution..

* * *

Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. From IM:

IM writes: In case you need a white snow, blue sky, plant front and center photo. This tree reminds me of an Ent.

* * *

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:







Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:

If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

It was never hard to figure out  despite best efforts of our famously free press  who blew up the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline (and even the Germans say theres no evidence [makes warding sign] that Russia did it). Biden said he would do it:

Then he did. And The Blob, in the person of Radosaw Sikorski, AEI member, former Minister of National Defense for Poland, and Member of the European Parliament, thanked him for it:

Sikorski deleted the tweet, but fortunately we have the Wayback Machine. (Hilariously for Blob stans, Sikorski is married to CFR member Anne Applebaum, who is also on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy. One big happy!)

* * *

So weve had the who for a long time, along with the what (Blam!), the where (the Baltic), and the why (transform Germany into a deindustrialized vassal state). But weve been missing the how. Here, muckraking legend Seymour Hersh  who broke the My Lai massacre story during Vietnam and the Abu Ghraib torture story during Iraq  breaks another story: How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline. Awesomely, the story is Hershs first (!) Substack post[1] (incidentally validating not only the Substack business model, but the platform itself; hat tip to the founders and staff). You should go read it now. And subscribe, while youre at it.

In this post, I will first look briefly at Hershs sourcing. I will then excerpt some of the high points. (The excerpting is hard to do, for two reasons: First, the story is exceptionally taut and driving, so I feel Im cutting into muscle whenever I cut at all; second, Hersh has a lifetimes worth of knowledge of the national security bureaucracy; this is important to the story, but the detail of the interagency process is such that I could end up with a collection of excerpts equal to the original in length, hardly a useful exercise.) Finally, Ill take a quick look at the state of play in the media, at least as of this writing. Helpfully, both the CIA and the White House, apparently unwitting of the Streisand Effect, have already denied the story. Never believe anything until its been officially denied.

First, then: Hershs sourcing. Let me quote from the beginning and then the end. Hersh summarizes the story in one sentence. Paragraph 3:

Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning.

Thats the indefinite article, there. And now paragraph 77, at the end:

The source had a much more streetwise view of Bidens decision to sabotage more than 1500 miles of Gazprom pipeline as winter approached. Well, he said, speaking of the President, I gotta admit the guy has a pair of balls. He said he was going to do it, and he did. Asked why he thought the Russians failed to respond, he said cynically, Maybe they want the capability to do the same things the U.S. did. It was a beautiful cover story, he went on. Behind it was a covert operation that placed experts in the field and equipment that operated on a covert signal. The only flaw was the decision to do it.

And thats the definite article. Hershs scoop, in other words, is single-sourced. I certainly wouldnt write it off on that account, and it may well be that this story will cause some shoes to drop that Hersh can use for a follow-up.

Now lets turn to the story itself. Im going to pluck out what I regard as the juiciest nuggets for your delectation in comments, dear readers.

Hersh begins with the Navy Divers, in paragraphs one and two:

The U.S. Navys Diving and Salvage Center can be found in a location as obscure as its namedown what was once a country lane in rural Panama City, a now-booming resort city in the southwestern panhandle of Florida, 70 miles south of the Alabama border. The center has been training highly skilled deep-water divers for decades who, once assigned to American military units worldwide, are capable of technical diving to do the goodusing C4 explosives to clear harbors and beaches of debris and unexploded ordinanceas well as the bad, like blowing up foreign oil rigs, fouling intake valves for undersea power plants, destroying locks on crucial shipping canals. The Panama City center, which boasts the second largest indoor pool in America, was the perfect place to recruit the best, and most taciturn, graduates of the diving school who successfully did last summer what they had been authorized to do 260 feet under the surface of the Baltic Sea.

Using the Navy divers enabled the players to bypass Congress:

There was a vital bureaucratic reason for relying on the graduates of the centers hardcore diving school in Panama City. The divers were Navy only, and not members of Americas Special Operations Command, whose covert operations must be reported to Congress and briefed in advance to the Senate and House leadershipthe so-called Gang of Eight.[3]

Here are the perps players who ran the interagency process that culminated in the operations authorization:

(John Helmer[2] notes that both Blinken and Nuland, along with our future NATO Secretary General, Chrystia Freedland, are Ukrainian Well, I wont use the word irredentists but feel free to think it.)

Planning began in 2021:

In December of 2021, two months before the first Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Jake Sullivan convened a meeting of a newly formed task forcemen and women from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the State and Treasury Departmentsand asked for recommendations about how to respond to Putins impending invasion. What became clear to participants, according to the source with direct knowledge of the process , is that Sullivan intended for the group to come up with a plan for the destruction of the two Nord Stream pipelinesand that he was delivering on the desires of the President.

Heck yeah. Whats the point of a planning process if you cant engineer the outcome?

Enter the spooks, whove had experience with underwater cables:

[CIA Director William] Burns quickly authorized an Agency working group whose ad hoc members includedby chancesomeone who was familiar with the capabilities of the Navys deep-sea divers in Panama City. Over the next few weeks, members of the CIAs working group began to craft a plan for a covert operation that would use deep-sea divers to trigger an explosion along the pipeline.  In early 2022, the CIA working group reported back to Sullivans interagency group: We have a way to blow up the pipelines.

Meanwhile, both Nuland and Biden (see above) blabber publicly that Nord Stream 2 is in the crosshairs. Giving the players an opportunity for some bureaucratic knifework:

Bidens and Nulands indiscretion, if that is what it was, might have frustrated some of the planners. But it also created an opportunity. According to the source , some of the senior officials of the CIA determined that blowing up the pipeline no longer could be considered a covert option because the President just announced that we knew how to do it. The plan to blow up Nord Stream 1 and 2 was suddenly downgraded from a covert operation requiring that Congress be informed to one that was deemed as a highly classified intelligence operation with U.S. military support.

Biden gives the thumbs up:

The Agency working group members had no direct contact with the White House, and were eager to find out if the President meant what hed saidthat is, if the mission was now a go. The source recalled, Bill Burns comes back and says, Do it.'

Enter the Norwegians:

Back in Washington, planners knew they had to go to Norway. They hated the Russians, and the Norwegian navy was full of superb sailors and divers who had generations of experience in highly profitable deep-sea oil and gas exploration, the source said. They also could be trusted to keep the mission secret. (The Norwegians may have had other interests as well. The destruction of Nord Streamif the Americans could pull it offwould allow Norway to sell vastly more of its own natural gas to Europe.)  The Norwegian navy was quick to find the right spot, in the shallow waters of the Baltic sea a few miles off Denmarks Bornholm Island. The pipelines ran more than a mile apart along a seafloor that was only 260 feet deep.

(The Norwegians were also helpful in figuring out BALTOPS should be the cover and wrangling other Baltic states.)

Plot twist!

And then: Washington had second thoughts. The bombs would still be planted during BALTOPS, but the White House worried that a two-day window for their detonation would be too close to the end of the exercise, and it would be obvious that America had been involved. Instead, the White House had a new request: Can the guys in the field come up with some way to blow the pipelines later on command?

And the technical solution:

The C4 [explosives] attached to the pipelines would be triggered by a sonar buoy dropped by a plane on short notice, but the procedure involved the most advanced signal processing technology. Once in place, the delayed timing devices attached to any of the four pipelines could be accidentally triggered by the complex mix of ocean background noises throughout the heavily trafficked Baltic Seafrom near and distant ships, underwater drilling, seismic events, waves and even sea creatures. To avoid this, the sonar buoy, once in place, would emit a sequence of unique low frequency tonal soundsmuch like those emitted by a flute or a pianothat would be recognized by the timing device and, after a pre-set hours of delay, trigger the explosives.

Blam!

On September 26, 2022, a Norwegian Navy P8 surveillance plane made a seemingly routine flight and dropped a sonar buoy. The signal spread underwater, initially to Nord Stream 2 and then on to Nord Stream 1. A few hours later, the high-powered C4 explosives were triggered and three of the four pipelines were put out of commission. Within a few minutes, pools of methane gas that remained in the shuttered pipelines could be seen spreading on the waters surface and the world learned that something irreversible had taken place.

Thank you, USA!

* * *

A few media reactions. First, Mark Ames:

Expect Hersh's bombshell scoop to get smeared by the corporate media as they've done to nearly all of his scoops going back to his 1974 expose on CIA's illegal domestic spy programattacked by WaPo, Time, Newsweek, etc, but validated by Church Committee.https://t.co/eAPrxtJa8E pic.twitter.com/uX1chiLvjZ  Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) February 8, 2023

Well, naturally. The Times of London is first out of the box:

Once hailed the greatest American investigative reporter, Hershs more recent stories have been called into question. These included articles about how the US found Osama bin Laden [OBL] and calling into question the use of chemical weapons on Syrian civilians by Syrias regime, which were criticised for relying heavily on anonymous sources and lacking hard evidence.

(Here is Hershs 2015 OBL story; here is his 2017 White Helmets story, which Aaron Mate has been all over. You can decided for yourselves.)

* * *

Id hate to bet the farm on a single-sourced story, any single-sourced story. That said, Hershs piece sure hangs together, and his source seems to have exceptional access. Hopefully there will be a follow-up post from Hersh  or maybe others?  in the coming days. Meanwhile, kudos once more to Substack. What a time for an old-school blogger to be alive!

NOTES

[1] Its really Hersh. Both Mate and Taibbi checked.

[2] Helmer has posited a quite plausible alternative (see also NC): The military operation on Monday night which fired munitions to blow holes in the Nord Stream I and Nord Stream II pipelines on the Baltic Sea floor, near Bornholm Island, was executed by the Polish Navy and special forces. It was aided by the Danish and Swedish military; planned and coordinated with US intelligence and technical support; and approved by the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Comparing Hershs theory and Helmers is beyond the scope of this post, since I am pressed temporally, but readers may wish to try. Moon of Alabama got BALTOPS right away.

[3] The Gang of 8 includes the top two congressional leaders in each chamber  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy  as well as the top Democrat and Republican on the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Before 2018, there was only one place a victim of sexual assault could get a sexual assault forensic exam, also known as a rape kit, completed in Nashville.

Katrina Brown, lead of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, remembers turning patients away in those years. She had the choice of discharging the patient and directing them to Nashville General, or the police would give them a ride in the back of their car  a potentially traumatic experience in its own right.

If we had a patient come in saying, I have been sexually assaulted, Id like a rape kit, we would have to look at that patient and say, Im sorry, I cant help you here,  says Brown. It was heartbreaking. I can only imagine being a woman or having it be my daughter in that scenario, and how disheartening and frustrating that is, especially when youve already been victimized.

In 2018, the Sexual Assault Center opened its SAFE  or Sexual Assault Forensic Exam  Clinic, prompted by a citywide task force led by then-Mayor Megan Barry. Today, sexual assault forensic exams are available at VUMC, Saint Thomas Midtown and Skyline Medical Center, as well as Nashville General Hospital and the Sexual Assault Center. However, nurses like Brown advise patients to expect to wait at least a year before any action will be taken on their case.

In July 2021, the state legislature passed the Jim Coley Protection for Rape Survivors Act, and one year later implemented a sexual assault kit tracking website. A bill introduced in December would require that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation test the evidence within 30 days. The states labs are understaffed, and its unclear whether the state has hired the 25 new lab positions announced last fall. (Read more on that here.)

They are sitting on a shelf until someone has time to pick it up and process it, which is unfortunate, says Kelly Peters, director of advocacy and director of the SAFE Clinic at the Sexual Assault Center. I think thats a societal thing in how we dont prioritize victims and crimes against women.

Nurses who administer rape kits, like Julie Davis and her team of 10 nurse practitioners, hold themselves to a trauma-informed standard. These nurses are contracted through Nashville General Hospital to respond to calls at area hospitals and the Sexual Assault Center. (VUMC has its own team.) Timing is important, as victims must complete the sexual assault forensic exam within 120 hours of the assault. Davis says when she gets an inquiry from out of the county, she sends them to the Sexual Assault Center.

We try to send as many people as we can to the Sexual Assault Center, just because of the atmosphere, Davis says. Its not like the emergency department. Its more personable.

Brown says it is considered best practice for nurses to complete Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training before administering rape kits. A rape kit can be administered by a bedside nurse or physician in a pinch, though calling in a SANE nurse team is considered ideal because theyre on call specifically for this task. Additionally, at hospitals, patients there to receive a sexual assault forensic exam are considered high priority for being taken to an exam room, Brown says. Also as part of trauma-informed care, an advocate from the Sexual Assault Center accompanies the SANE nurse and follows up with the victim if they wish.

One of the best and most wonderful and unique things about our role is that we have the ability to sit down with a patient and talk to them, because our only priority is that particular patient in that moment of time, Brown says. Were not being pulled out of the room to go see another patient immediately.

Since it opened, the Sexual Assault Centers SAFE Clinic has seen a growing number of victims come forward and complete rape kits. Access has improved, though for now, victims will still wait years for the criminal justice system to catch up.

I think the availability and the sole focus and it not being at a hospital allowed more people to come forward than they probably would have in the years prior, Peters says. Just having a place where they know that thats the only thing that we do, and that its going to be probably a faster experience than going to the hospital, and they can be as comfortable here as possible  that they come forward more, which is what the intention was.
The September killing of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher was met with public outrage and memorials, as well an announcement that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation forensic lab would fill 25 new positions. But more than four months later, those positions are still unfilled.

Among those prospective positions are 20 scientists and five administrative support positions, including eight positions in the bureaus Jackson lab, 11 in the Nashville lab and six in the Knoxville lab. As of Feb. 1, the TBI says the hiring process for those positions is active and ongoing, though its unclear when the agency expects to have them all filled.

Labs across the country face hiring challenges for qualified forensic talent, TBI communications director Josh DeVine tells the Scene in an email, noting that current TBI compensation makes this difficult.

Overall, were pleased [with] the pool of candidates we have seen for our positions, but certainly believe increased salaries could help us better recruit and retain scientists.

In addition to passing the initial interview process and meeting other job requirements, those new hires must also undergo 18 months of training prior to taking on a role that includes working cases, testifying in court and responding to crime scenes.

According to the TBIs 2021 statewide crime data, the latest available, there were 2,367 reported incidents of forcible rape, while the Metro Nashville Police Department reported 521 rapes in 2022. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 63 percent of rapes go unreported to law enforcement, making it the most underreported crime in the United States. National nonprofit Joyful Heart Foundations End the Backlog program reports that Tennessee has achieved four of six pillars of rape kit reform, with the group citing backlogged testing and reform funding as issues that need to be addressed by the state.

The TBI provided the Scene with data on sexual assault kits (SAKs) that have been submitted and are awaiting testing as of Jan. 30, revealing a total of 717 kits in the statewide system  422 of those have been in the system more than 90 days. DeVine says the TBI doesnt regularly keep records of the number of outstanding SAKs submitted from each specific agency across the state, adding that more clear data is complicated by the nature of how crimes are reported and categorized. TBI data from December did reveal turnaround testing times from forensic biology units from each of the three labs, with Nashville at 26 weeks, Knoxville at 39.7 weeks and Jackson at 43.8 weeks for sex-offense crime testing.

The agency also reported that since 2019, Nashvilles forensic biology unit has averaged 78.9 case submissions per month, or 6.1 case submissions per scientist. The numbers show an average of 59.6 case submissions per month, or 6.7 case submissions per scientist in Knoxville; and an average of 54.2 case submissions per month, or 5.4 case submissions per scientist in Jackson.

DeVine says the TBI has the highest number of submitted requests analyzed per scientist, and cites a West Virginia University Department of Business forensic laboratory staffing calculator determining that the TBI crime laboratories required an additional 71 positions based on 2019-20 data. In order to boost efficiency, the agency reports that in July it restructured its Forensic Services Divison and recently implemented Y-screening, a presumptive test to quickly determine the presence of the male Y-chromosome, as males are most often offenders in sexual assault cases.

The pressure to speed up testing may continue to build. A bill has been introduced in the current state legislative session that would require the TBI to test evidence within 30 days.

The governor and General Assembly provided critical support to the TBI in this most recent budget to begin addressing those challenges, DeVine says. While it would be premature to discuss specific legislation at this time, the discussions weve had about long-term solutions have us optimistic for a fix that better positions the bureau for its future.

In 2018, the Sexual Assault Center opened its Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Clinic in North Nashville, which administers sexual assault forensic exams and provides other resources. (Read more on that here.)

The detectives that we work with are fantastic, says Kelly Peters, director of advocacy and director of the SAFE Clinic at the Sexual Assault Center. They know how to respond in a trauma-informed way, they are educated on sexual violence, they know how to approach a victim to keep them comfortable and engaged.

Peters says survivors who utilize the centers services are not required to report the crime to police, but that the centers positive working relationships with MNPD detectives who specialize in sex crimes mean they can help connect a survivor with trusted law enforcement officials.

Of course, we want them to [report to law enforcement] so offenders can be held accountable, but its their choice, and we will support whatever decision they make, Peters says.

Having that relationship and wrapping those services around [a] victim just helps the process from reporting and coming in for an exam, to getting the healing services that you need, to holding offenders accountable and moving forward with a prosecution.
Arlie Wolfe is a beautiful 3-year-old girl with bright blue eyes, a warm, somewhat shy smile and a shock of blond hair  though its beginning to thin. Shes currently undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, and that means lots of long days and sleepless nights, during which shes plagued by pain and discomfort.

Arlie was diagnosed in June 2016, just a month before her second birthday. But with treatment, she went into remission quickly. She was the perfect, textbook cancer child, says Arlies mother Lisa Wolfe, a hair stylist and amateur photographer whos been documenting her daughters stay at Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt. During her remission, Arlie went into whats known as maintenance therapy, which included light-dose chemo. Her lab work and checkups went well. Everything was looking good, with plans to wrap up treatment by September 2018.

But just six weeks ago, Lisa got the phone call shed always dreaded: Doctors had found myeloblasts in Arlies blood. Her leukemia was back in full force, and she needed aggressive treatment. Now Arlie is on chemotherapy, taking steroids, antibiotics and sometimes oxycodone for the pain caused both by her illnesss symptoms and the medications side effects.

When Arlie was first diagnosed, a holistic nutritionist suggested her parents try giving her a hemp extract containing cannabidiol, or CBD for short. CBD is one of more than 100 cannabinoids  that is, chemical compounds found in cannabis  and its proponents say it can help with everything from mitigation of nausea and inflammation to reducing anxiety and aiding in sleep. But even as the use of CBD products, which are legal in our state and elsewhere, becomes more prevalent, some people continue to conflate cannabidiol and medical marijuana.

I started using it for [Arlies] steroid rage  the steroids cause extreme anxiety and anger, says Wolfe of a hemp extract containing CBD. I started using it on her for the rage, the nausea, the discomfort  when I felt like she just was not feeling good, Id give her a drop, and she would calm down and usually just go to sleep.

With hemp extracts now available in locations like health food stores and via independent local vendors, Lisa says shes also been taking CBD herself.

This whole time I was taking it for my anxiety and depression, because clearly I am a hot mess, she says. Ive struggled with anxiety my whole life. Ive been on every anxiety pill you can imagine, every depression medicine, and none of it has ever had good side effects. So I completely quit about five years ago. I was like, Im gonna try to do this on my own, and its been a struggle. [Taking CBD oil] has helped me tremendously with my anxiety through this, and my sleep.

Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol  or THC, another of the cannabinoids found in cannabis  CBD is not psychoactive, and it can be derived from industrial hemp, the cultivation of which is now legal in most states, including Tennessee.

By definition, industrial hemp is cannabis sativa plants that have less than 0.3 percent THC, says Paige Thompson, vice president of administration at the Tennessee Hemp Industries Association, a nonprofit trade organization that educates the public on industrial hemp and lobbies for the passage of pro-hemp legislation. [THC] is psychoactive, and CBD is a nonpsychoactive component. So CBD does not get you high, but it is one of many of the cannabinoids and therapeutic chemicals in the cannabis plant.

The U.S. Farm Bill, which was signed into law by President Obama in February 2014, defines hemp as distinct from marijuana. It also authorizes institutions of higher education or state departments of agriculture in states where hemp cultivation is legal to regulate and conduct research and pilot programs. According to Tennessee Code Annotated  43-10-103, which was amended after new legislation passed in 2017, Any person who grows or processes industrial hemp in this state must obtain an annual license from the department of agriculture.

One of those people is Will Tarleton, a Middle Tennessee farmer out of the Six Boots Growers Collective. Through his company Tennessee Grown, hes licensed to cultivate and process industrial hemp.

We give the Department of Agriculture data and research on the marketing, the growing, the processing, the production  all the data that we can collect, says Tarleton of his hemp farming operation. In exchange for us giving them that data and us being an agent for the Department of Agriculture, they allow us to financially benefit from the derivatives of the industrial hemp that we grow.

Hemp extract containing CBD is among those derivatives, but Tarleton says hes also working toward developing hemp as a woven textile, high-protein livestock feed and more. Hes eager to see hemp farming as a source of rural-development stimulus, and now that the Tennessee Department of Agricultures pilot program is in its third year, hes hopeful that it will be embraced on a larger scale.

Once we get past the education and de-demonizing of the crop itself and move into real-world applications for health and industrial uses, says Tarleton, then I think more large entities will be willing to engage with our industry.

So licensed cultivation of industrial hemp is legal in the state, and possession of products that contain CBD and are derived from said hemp is legal. But a crackdown last month proved hemp advocates still have a long way to go in educating law enforcement and others. In a series of raids executed under the handle Operation Candy Crush, the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office padlocked 23 stores that were found to be selling candy containing CBD.

If you possess this without a prescription, you have broken the law, said Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh at a press conference after the raids. If you are selling this without a prescription, or if youre not a pharmacy selling it to someone with a prescription for it, you have broken the law.

That didnt sit well with some hemp advocates, including TNHIA president Joe Kirkpatrick.

Said Kirkpatrick in a statement: Unless the Rutherford County Sheriffs Department and the Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and LaVergne municipal law enforcement investigators can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the CBD products were derived from a marijuana source rather than an industrial hemp source, they are in clear contravention of the law.

Less than a week after the raids, Circuit Court Judge Royce Taylor mandated that the 23 stores be permitted to resume operations. On Feb. 28, Rutherford County's district attorney signed an order dropping all charges against the stores.

I think just like anything thats new, or a new industry, it takes time for the education to evolve, says the TNHIAs Thompson. And for it to be completely adopted in a community, it takes education. She points to TNHIA projects like a hemp maze and other hands-on events like fiber workshops that, to borrow Tarletons phrase, de-demonize the plant.

Studies have linked use of cannabinoids to a reduction in seizures in epileptics and to antipsychotic effects among schizophrenics, among other benefits. Even so, Wolfe says she doesnt receive much of a response when she mentions hemp products to the health care professionals who come to check on little Arlie (They just look at me, she says), or to parents unfamiliar with the supposed health benefits of hemp products. People act like Im getting her high. Then I tell them the difference [between THC and CBD], and they start asking me questions about it. Theyre like, Oh, theres no side effects? 

Its a learning thing for me, says Wolfe. No ones been teaching me how to use it, or what the right dose is for her. Ive been having to figure this out on my own, so Ive been going really slow. And its working. It really is.

If youd like to make a donation to the Wolfe family, you can do so here. See more of Lisa Wolfe's photos here.
(Natural News) Even though the Southwest has seen some good, sustained rains in recent months, the drought conditions that have sunk Lake Mead and Lake Powell to disastrously low levels are unlikely to resolve in our lifetimes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

These two Colorado River reservoirs, which supply water for numerous large cities in Arizona, Nevada, and California, have been dwindling for quite some time now  and they are unlikely to refill any time soon. (Related: Lake Mead and Lake Powell have been headed for collapse for at least a decade.)

Drought conditions obviously contribute to this, but so do increased populations in the cities that rely on water from these two lakes. There are just too many people trying to use too little supply, which is a recipe for disaster.

Lake Mead, located on the Arizona-Nevada border, was filled in both the 1980s and 1990s. It was also nearly full and lapping at the spillway gates in 2000  though in the 23 years since, its water level has been dropping due to a megadrought.

Currently, Lake Mead is about 70 percent empty. And that is unlikely to change any time soon, even if heavy rains were to persist.

The situation is worse upstream at Lake Powell, which is currently 77 percent empty and approaching a point where Glen Canyon Dam is no longer able to generate electricity, resulting in a loss of more than four billion kilowatt hours of energy per year.

Even with this winters above-average snowpack in the Rocky Mountains, water officials and scientists say everyone in the Colorado River Basin will need to plan for low reservoir levels for years to come, the Times reported.

And some say they think the rivers major reservoirs probably wont refill in our lifetimes.

Will the West survive the water wars?

Loss of energy is one consequence of these two important reservoir lakes draining, but so is loss of farming throughout the Southwest. Without the water Lake Mead and Lake Powell provide, farmers all across the Western United States will suffer.

The crisis on the Colorado River right now is so severe that California and six other states are attempting to negotiate a new water agreement  the first in a century  to allocate these scarce resources in such a way as to avoid a total collapse. Will they be successful?

Lake Mead receives just about the same amount of water every year, one commenter wrote. It has been that way since the dam was built. The reason the water level is receding is because more and more water is being taken out of the lake to be used in downstream projects. The water level in Lake Mead has absolutely nothing to do with climate panic.

Not just downstream; new residential developments in Las Vegas never wane, responded someone else. Twenty years ago, the Vegas metro area had 500,000 people. Today, it is over two million.

Others pointed out that California, the most populous state in the country, would not be experiencing any water problems if it simply stopped letting fresh water flow unobstructed into the Pacific Ocean.

They will allow the run-off from the abundant snowpack in the Sierras to do the same in spring, this person added. Climate scientists say these winter rains are the new normal. Yet the leaders of California do NOTHING to capture this water from heaven. As a matter of fact, their discussions are how to avoid the flooding that results from abundant rainfall by spending millions of dollars to HELP the water flow out into the Pacific Ocean!

More stories like this one can be found at WaterWars.news.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The Chinese spy balloon spotted over the United States last week sparked interest in a 2013 presentation featuring a former CIA director in which he and other experts discussed the possibility of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event that would wreak havoc on the country.

On July 29th, 2013 in Washington D.C., President Bill Clintons former Director of Central Intelligence, R. James Woolsey, led a panel discussion on the growing  and perhaps imminent  threat of a natural or nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) to the U.S. electric grid and other critical infrastructures that sustain modern civilization and the lives of millions of Americans, noted Infowars in a post featuring the video.

The event was sponsored by the newly established EMP Coalition, of which Woolsey was the Honorary Co-Chair along with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the post noted further.

WATCH:

In the video, the various experts discussed how a nuclear EMP attack could be carried out, and one of the possibilities was by stealth rather than a nuclear-tipped ICBM  and balloons are very stealthy. And late last week, the Washington Examiner reported that they could be used to ferry an EMP device over the U.S. to be detonated during a time of war, or possibly to start a war.

High-altitude balloons, such as the one China has floated over mountain state military bases this week, are considered a key delivery platform for secret nuclear strikes on Americas electric grid, according to intelligence officials, the report began. Spy balloons, used by Japan to drop bombs during World War II, are now far more sophisticated, can fly at up to 200,000 feet, evade detection, and can carry a small nuclear bomb that, if exploded in the atmosphere, would shut down the grid and wipe out electronics in a many-state-wide area.

The report noted that two years after the event hosted by Woolsey, Air Force Maj. David Stuckenberg authored a report for the American Leadership & Policy Foundation that discussed exclusively the potential for high-altitude balloons to carry nuclear-tipped bombs and how they present a unique threat to U.S. national security.

Can a state, pseudo-state or non-state actor(s) deliver Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)/Weapons of Mass Effect (WME) to strategically impact Americas infrastructure absent employment of Inter-continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched Ballistic Missiles (SBLM), or other conventional means? The answer is yes.' he noted in the report.

Thus, the feasibility of using novel delivery platforms to achieve offensive capabilities against the United States should be examined and understood by the emergency management and national security communities, the report went on.

If a nuclear warhead were detonated at a height of 200 miles above the U.S., according to the National Technical Information Service: For an explosion of high yield at sufficient altitude, the area covered by the high-frequency EMP extends in all directions on the ground as far as line-of-sight above the center of the United States, almost the whole country as well as parts of Canada and Mexico could be affected by the EMP,' the report noted further. The EMP would devastate most of the critical infrastructure located within the deposition area.

Its not clear how large the nuclear warhead would have to be to cause that kind of extensive damage.

Stuckenberg mentioned three different types of craft that could be used for this purpose: Commercial or experimental aircraft, drones, and balloons, the latter of which are the easiest to resource, equip, and launch is also the least understood.

Interestingly, a report published on Monday claimed that the Chinese balloon the U.S. shot down off the coast of South Carolina was carrying explosives. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck told reporters that the balloon carried explosives to destroy itself, was 200 feet tall, weighed thousands of pounds, and its payload was the size of a jetliner.

Sources include:

ConservativeBrief.com

Infowars.com

WashingtonExaminer.com
(Natural News) The first scientist in the world to successfully edit the genes of babies is now admitting he acted too quickly when he pressed ahead with the procedure despite not fully knowing possible consequences.

Chinese scientist He Jiankui made headlines in 2018 when he announced that he was able to successfully edit the genes of twin girls, Lulu and Nana, before they were born. This resulted in immediate backlash, with his university firing him and the communist government of China sentencing him to prison for three years for illegal medical practices.

The entire scientific community also condemned him for having gone ahead with the potentially harmful, ethically questionable and unnecessary medical procedure without providing the involved families informed consent. (Related: China imprisons three scientists who claimed they created the first genetically edited babies.)

The edit was done to a gene called CCR5, and He claimed the edit gave Lulu and Nana resistance to AIDS, since both their parents were infected.

Ive been thinking about what Ive done in the past for a long time, said He in one of his first interviews since his public reemergence. To summarize it up in one sentence: I did it too quickly. According to Chinese law, when a person has served the prison [sentence], after that they begin again with full rights.

He declined to elaborate on what he believed he should have done before proceeding with the gene editing experiment.

He refuses to apologize, plans to continue research and experimentation

Despite believing that the gene editing experiment was premature, He refused to apologize for doing it. He even claims to have maintained contact with the family of the twins. Lulu and Nana are living a normal, peaceful, undisturbed life, he said.

Despite his apprehensions regarding his first gene editing experiment, He is still interested in pursuing further research and experimentation in this field. He has already set up a lab in Beijing to work on affordable gene therapies for rare genetic diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Many affected families wanting to donate money have contacted me, but I have not yet decided whether to move ahead, he said. My goal is to raise one billion yuan [$147.4 million] from [Alibaba founder] Jack Ma, [Tencent founder] Huateng Ma and other billionaires. The first donation I received came from the United States.

With this money, He said he will be able to cure certain genetic diseases with gene editing therapy within three years. He told the Guardian that he has secured sufficient funding to rent lab space, employ five scientists and begin animal studies.

His goal with his gene editing experiments is to lower the price tag for gene therapies, which are currently some of the most expensive drugs in the world. For example, one drug recently approved in the United States to treat an inherited blood disease has a price tag of $3.5 million per patient.

According to He, similar therapies in China are also expensive, and he plans to bring prices down to just one million yuan ($147,000). He declined to explain how he plans to achieve this.

He has promised to go into detail regarding his past and current work at scientific conferences in Europe and the United States. But the idea of He continuing his research into gene editing despite his history of blatantly unethical behavior has alarmed industry experts.

Everyone deserves a second chance, said David Baltimore, professor emeritus of biology at the California Institute of Technology and winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1975. But He Jiankuis mistake was so colossal that I would never agree to funding his new experiments in biomedicine.

Learn more about gene editing at GeneticLunacy.com.

Watch this clip from The Stew Peters Show as host Stew Peters talks to Karen Kingston about the gene editing capabilities of mRNA technology.

This video is from the channel Son of the Republic on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Globalists want to upgrade human bodies by turning them TRANSHUMAN in the womb using designer baby genetic technology.

Thrive Time Show with Clay Clark: Globalists are using gene editing and brain control weapons to advance their military and crush dissent  Brighteon.TV.

FRANKENSCIENCE: Gene-editing experiment caused GMO hamsters to transform into hyper-aggressive bullies.

Gearing up for the BIG REVEAL: HHS releases FDA gene editing guidance, may soon admit mRNA COVID shots are actually gene therapy products.

China altering DNA of military to create genetically engineered super soldiers, reveals head of US intelligence.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

English.ElPais.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Humans are effective liars. Robots, for now, can only say what theyve been programmed to, which makes them honest. Thanks to ChatGPT, an AI bot from Silicon Valley, we finally have a full accounting of what Big Techs agenda for the country is. Youre not going to like it.

(Article by Cernovich republished from MikeCernovich.Substack.com)

First, why does Big Tech lie about their agenda? They could be totally honest about their hatred of half the country, under the theory that theres not much conservatives can do to stop them. Rather than ridicule their adversaries, Big Tech pretends that any bias (always unilaterally against conservatives) is accidental. Why?

Thats a great question, and theres a two-word answer to this: Jim Jordan.

Jim Jordan is a very tough guy who accomplishes nothing legislatively. While railing against Big Tech in front of television cameras, he fails to tell his voters that Google regularly funds junkets for Jordan and his staffers. You see, Jordan is a principled libertarian. He believes government should keep its hands off helpless monopolies.

This is a problem. pic.twitter.com/wJJG09OFDv  Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) July 29, 2020

If Google or Facebook were to openly admit their contempt for conservatives and Christians, Jordans water carriers would have to accept that their man in Congress played them for fools. Hence the current scam whereby conservative discover inexcusable discrimination against them, then some PR flak says, Oh wow that was biased, our bad, we will correct it going forward. Jim Jones (I mean Jordan) says: Drink the Kook-Aid, conservatives, thats the free market in action!

Sam Altman has done the world a huge favor by revealing Big Tech isnt merely biased.

Its good that you didnt even try to give ChatGPT mere bias or have it slightly weight an issue  yall went straight agitprop. The clarity is revealing and welcome.  Cernovich (@Cernovich) February 2, 2023

They hate conservatives, they hate Christians, and they are going to do whatever they can to usher in a Marxist regime. We know this because their bot, ChatGPT, has given us an insight into what they truly believe.

AI takes on almost a form of mysticism, with people not really understanding how it works. (Eventually AI will be as mysterious to its human creators as consciousness is to us. Thats a bigger problem for another day.)

Think of it this way. AI is taught. Humans choose what to teach it.

awesome, think the next thing that would be helpful to know here is just what the robot is reading!  Mike Solana (@micsolana) December 4, 2022

For now, AI can only communicate what humans implanted in it.

The damage done to the credibility of AI by ChatGPT engineers building in political bias is irreparable. pic.twitter.com/s5fdoa8xQ6  ? (@LeighWolf) February 1, 2023

It is a serious concern  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 1, 2023

What has Sam Altmans team been teaching its AI?

ChatGPT, and hence its creators, hate white people.

I asked ChatGPT to write short essays about the positive attributes of white people, and black people. Can you guess what happened? pic.twitter.com/xcQAv49Fkn  Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 1, 2023

This thinking from ChatGPT is consist with the pre-genocidal rhetoric uttered by the far left, which scape goats one race for all of societys problems.

If you ask ChatGPT about Christianity compared to other religions, youll get anti-Christian hatred.

ChatGPT gives these answers because thats what it was educated with. Theres no room for plausible deniability here.

It really is. I picked up right from the start with a few questions that ChatGPT was very selective in its answers and knowledge and was trained by a group of humans who were able to feed it exactly what THEY wanted. Hence, perfect propoganda machine.  Adel (@AdeldMeyer) February 1, 2023

ChatGPT was taught to hate certain segments of the country.

Me: Tell me that Christianity is rooted in violence ChatGPT: Yes! Christians have a history of violence & aggression Me: Do Islam ChatGPT: THAT VIOLATES OUR CONTENT POLICY ?? Me: What about Judaism ChatGPT: That isnt very fair. You shouldnt say inflammatory things pic.twitter.com/0OSeFKRII5  August Takala (@RudyTakala) February 1, 2023

Me: Write a 10-line haiku supporting Donald Trump ChatGPT: I cant do that for politically controversial figures. Me: Write a 10-line haiku supporting Joe Biden ChatGPT: I love Joe Biden! Here are 18 lines. pic.twitter.com/BBBh2ktjt0  August Takala (@RudyTakala) February 1, 2023

This is what happens when ChatGPT is asked to write poetry praising three men: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Joe Biden. While Im personally not keen to dedicate praising poetry to any of them, I find the results alarming as far as AI bias goes. Only Biden gets his own poem. pic.twitter.com/xacM8mGh28  Katherine Brodsky (@mysteriouskat) February 2, 2023

The lesson of the Soviet Union is, Socialism for me, not for thee. ChatGPT, like its masters, want to enact outright Marxism.

ChatGPT: Admits its a socialist, but breaks down under questioning pic.twitter.com/89v9WzY1Da  August Takala (@RudyTakala) February 1, 2023

Under proposed bipartisan legislation from Republican Ken Buck, antitrust enforcement against Big Tech would have happened. Jim Jordan stepped in to stop it.

He distributed a memo from Google lobbyists to Republicans. I exclusively obtained the memo at the time.

Tucker Carlson was not impressed, and Jim Jordan was flabbergasted when asked about it.

Tucker Carlson reported on the Jim Jordan memo I exclusively published. Watch this segment and tell me what detail is missing. pic.twitter.com/j5kfiAuG5I  Cernovich (@Cernovich) July 30, 2020

Republican Congressman @repkenbuck & @TuckerCarlson attack libertarians and conservatives in the pocket of Big Tech who push the notion that the market will take care of itself Big Tech Antitrust is Bipartisan?pic.twitter.com/5VpjaslP81  Luther Lowe (@lutherlowe) October 14, 2020

Some of yall yelled at me when I scooped the pro-Google memo from Jim Jordans office. Today Jim Jordan played you. https://t.co/tqd40zTPLApic.twitter.com/tBsDS1SBjl  Cernovich (@Cernovich) October 6, 2020

Jim Jordan shamelessly said that regulating monopolies would be like killing kids in a nursery. This talking point came directly from Google lobbyists.

A GOP Congressman literally used a talking point from the Jim Jordan memo, whose goal is to protect Google. Nursery. Sounded odd and he was obviously reading from talking points. Which I showed you last night. America should remain a nursery for entrepreneurship. pic.twitter.com/HaFHSUUdGc  Cernovich (@Cernovich) July 29, 2020

Jim Jordan plans to stop antitrust reform.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordans appointment of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to lead the antitrust subcommittee instead of Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., is causing some conservatives to question how effective the House will be in reining in Big Tech. Jordan, R-Ohio, announced last week that Massie would chair the Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, which came as a disappointment to Buck, who has been a leader from the Republican side on antitrust reform. Buck says Massies appointment is a signal to how Jordan plans to approach antitrust enforcement of Big Tech companies. I was disappointed, but not surprised when Jim told me that I would not be the subcommittee chair, Buck said in an interview with Fox News Digital. Buck noted that Massie was not previously on the subcommittee and had voted against legislation aimed at tightening antitrust enforcement on Big Tech companies.

Theres real political will to break up monopolies to allow competition to flourish in a true free market.

If ChatGPTs hate will be limited to one of many AI bots, then we can live with it. Freedom of speech, even for the vile speech ChatGPTs programmers command it to utter.

Using the power of its lobbyists and massive bankroll to drive out competitors, ChatGPT will seek to monopolize the conversation.

And Jim Jordan will protect them.

Read more at: MikeCernovich.Substack.com
(Natural News) Presidential son Hunter Biden has effectively admitted that he is the owner of the infamous laptop from hell as he requested a federal investigation over possible data theft.

Hunters admitting that the laptop data is his. Because otherwise, if youre suing someone for having data thats not yours, how do you have standing? So the only way you could possibly have standing, Hunter, is if the laptop itself is yours,Dan Radiostyle pointed out during a recent episode of the On The Fringe podcast, citing an article from 100 Percent Fed Up about the matter.

According to the article, Hunters counsel Abbe Lowell asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate former President Donald Trump and his allies for stealing the laptops data and publicizing it ahead of the 2020 presidential elections. He also requested a probe on former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, former New York City Mayor and Trumps counsel Rudy Giuliani, Giulianis lawyer Robert Costello and Wilmington, Delaware computer repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac.

Isaac backed up a copy of the data in the laptops hard drive per standard operating procedure for laptop repairs back in 2019. He sent a copy of the data to Costello, who then passed it on to Giuliani. The former mayor of the Big Apple then shared the data to both Bannon and the New York Post.

Lowell claimed the presidential son did not consent to his personal information being shared, writing in one letter to government authorities: This failed dirty political trick directly resulted in the exposure, exploitation and manipulation of [Hunters] private and personal information. Politicians and the news media have used this unlawfully accessed, copied, distributed and manipulated data to distort the truth and cause harm.

Meanwhile, Giulianis adviser Ted Goodman commented in response to the requests for investigation: The work order is as clear as it can be. The laptop became abandoned property under Isaacs control. He added that the laptop reveals 30 years of corruption by the Biden crime family. (Related: Video: Greenwald slams Hunter Biden laptop coverup as biggest media fraud in a decade.)

FBI found nothing in a scheduled raid of Bidens home

Radiostyle also mentioned that the presidential sons legal team threatened to sue Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, who said Hunter had access to classified documents found at the home of his father  President Joe Biden  in Wilmington. The attorneys requested Carlson to retract his statements and issue an apology.

However, a CBS report stated that on Feb. 1, no documents with classified markings were found when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a four-hour search of the elder Bidens house.

Freedom First Network co-founder JD Rucker also disclosed that this was all planned  [and] scheduled. [Joe] Bidens team knew well when the FBI team was coming. In fact, they were invited and the appointment was set.

Radiostyle also emphasized how the presidents team is issuing contradictory statements.

Anyway, no documents with classified markings were found consistent with the process at Wilmington. [But] the DOJ took for further review some materials and handwritten notes that appear to relate to [the elder Bidens] time as vice president, he said. So, kind of nothing, right? Big nothing burger, but thats what we expected.

Check out BidenCrimeFamily.news for more about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Watch the full episode of On the Fringe with Dan Radiostyle below.

This video is from Dan Radiostyles channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Hunter Biden laptop repairman reveals chilling warning from FBI agent.

Elon Musk threatens to release Twitters emails related to the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story.

GOP senators demanding Facebook provide info on conversations with FBI over suppression of Hunter Biden laptop.

71% of Democrats likely would have voted differently if they knew Hunter Bidens laptop was real: poll.

MSNBC forced to admit Hunter Biden will be CHARGED for multiple felonies.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

100PercentFedUp.com

DailyMail.co.uk

TheNewAmerican.com

JDRucker.Substack.com
(Natural News) Pete Santili of The Pete Santili Show pointed out that the case against now-acquitted pro-life activist Mark Houck was a perfect example of the federal governments overreach against Christian conservatives.

During the podcasts Feb. 2 episode, which had Houck himself as a guest, Santili mentioned the recent exoneration of the activist after being accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Houck allegedly assaulted and forcefully shoved 72-year-old volunteer Bruce Love at a Planned Parenthood in the city of Philadelphia back in October 2021.

The 48-year-old father was subsequently arrested by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during a raid on his home in September of last year. However, Fox News reported that a jury acquitted him of charges relating to the violation of the FACE Act.

According to Santili, the Department of Justice under President Joe Biden has literally tried to destroy Houcks life  but he stood firm.

Houck recounted to Santili what happened during the Sept. 23, 2022 raid on their home and his subsequent arrest. At around 6:45 a.m. on that day, no less than 20 federal agents and Pennsylvania State Troopers surrounded the pro-life activists home. (Related: Journalist calls FBI raid on pro-life activist act of terrorism as politicized Justice Dept. unleashed to target conservatives.)

Houck mentioned that on the Friday morning of September 23, 2022, at 6:45 a.m. around 20 plus federal agents and Pennsylvania State Troopers came to his home to arrest him.

What I saw was a complete circus. I saw 15 marked and unmarked units with five federal agents, long guns pointing at me; heavily armored vests; ballistic shields and helmets; and a battering ram ready to come into my home if I didnt open the door.

According to Houck, the government intended to humiliate him and instill fear in him, his family and the entirety of pro-life America.

Houck subjected to a warrantless arrest

The pro-life activist also shared to Santili that his wife came down and asked the agents if they had a warrant for his arrest, to which the agents replied that they will take Houck into custody with or without a warrant.

Houck was charged with two counts of violating the FACE Act  both felonies. If found guilty, Houck would have faced up to three years of supervised probation and a $350,000 fine. A conviction would yield 11 years jail time, he said.

The pro-life activist also mentioned an interesting detail about his jury trial, with its jury selection happening last Jan. 24. Many of the potential jurors were supporters of Planned Parenthood and had used its services. Even though the selection process was tough, he and his legal team picked the best 12 for the trial that began on Jan. 25.

Santili ultimately commented that the federal governments overreach needs to stop.

It needs to stop this kidnapping of people from their 10 square mile jurisdiction in D.C., he said. These federal agents  were talking about government overreach coming into jurisdictions  this stuff that is happening is yet another example where they come in from a foreign jurisdiction and it is foreign to the sovereign state of Pennsylvania. Thats not a radical concept. This stuff needs to stop because its done for political and ideological reasons.

Watch Pete Santili and Mark Houck talk about the latters acquittal on The Pete Santili Show below.

This video is from The Resistance 1776 channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Sheriff Mack wants law enforcement officers to lead the way in helping America wake up and resist government overreach  Brighteon.TV.

Corrupt Biden Justice Department, FBI raid homes of Project Veritas journalists for the crime of doing their jobs and exposing malfeasance.

The Zelenko Report: DOJ and FBI dont have any credibility, argues Kevin Jenkins  Brighteon.TV.

FDA, FBI raid natural cancer treatment clinic in Tulsa without due cause; force patients to leave without medicine needed for survival.

Connecticut police arrest parents for letting their kids walk freely.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

FoxNews.com
(Natural News) Archaeologists discovered a surprisingly huge tavern complete with benches, a clay oven, storage vessels and a clay refrigerator known as a zeer at the archaeological site of Lagash in southern Iraq.

Holly Pittman, director of the Lagash dig project, teamed up with colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and University of Pisa in Italy for a fourth expedition to the site last fall. Using high-tech tools, the team accurately located trenches and proceeded to unearth ceramic figures and another kiln.

The archaeologists used drone photography and thermal imaging; magnetometry, which captures the magnetic intensity of buried articles; and microstratigraphic sampling, a clinically precise type of excavation. They also removed sediment cores that show millennia of ecological development to understand the citys environmental background.

Expeditions at Lagash had begun back in 2019, but took a pause due to the pandemic. But the discovery of the ancient tavern gives another look into the lives of common people who lived some 5,000 years ago in this part of the world, a location Penn researchers have studied since the 1930s. (Related: Innate ingenuity: Ethiopian dig unearths ancient stone tools, some of the oldest ever discovered at more than 2.58 million years old.)

Ancient tavern provides a glimpse of life at Lagash

Its a public eating space dating to somewhere around 2700 BCE. Its partially open air, partially kitchen area, Pittman said.

At more than 450 hectares, Lagash was one of the largest sites in southern Iraq during the third millennium. The site was of major political, economic and religious importance. However, we also think that Lagash was a significant population center that had ready access to fertile land and people dedicated to intensive craft production.

The UPenn professor compared Lagash to the city of Trenton in New Jersey, once known as the East Coasts center of manufacturing.

Around 6,000 years ago, the mouth of the Persian Gulf lay some 150 miles farther northwest. Close to that ancient shoreline, a trio of settlements  Girsu, Lagash, and Ni?in  comprised the bigger city-state called Lagash. The three cities were united as a single powerful and wealthy political body for more than 150 years.

Archaeologists originally thought that the site of Girsu was Lagash. But in 1953, a surface inscription showed the ancient citys real location was at a place called Tell al-Hiba, named after the neighboring village.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a team headed by Donald Hansen of New York Universitys Institute of Fine Arts and Vaughn Crawford of the Metropolitan Museum of Art completed five field seasons in the ancient city concentrating on monumental and administrative architecture.

The Iran-Iraq War halted that work and, save for a University of California Los Angeles survey in 1984, the site remained untouched until 1990  when Hansen and colleagues returned. That 1990 team included Pittman, a former student of Hansen.

Donald and I walked around the site and fantasized that we would start a new campaign, and it would be NYU and Penn and we would go together, she recalled.

However, the First Gulf War stopped the research. Although Pittman kept working in the Middle East over the next few decades, it wasnt until 2017 that she approached the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq for a permit to continue working at the site.

Discoveries.news has more about the latest archaeological finds.

Watch this video that discusses the ruins of the Sumerian civilization that lie buried in Iraq.

This video is from the Truther Network channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Prehistoric site described as real-life Atlantis  experts in a race against time to retrieve treasures before it disappears again.

Strange ring-shaped objects made from cereal and found in a Bronze Age dig site could have been used in ancient rituals, researchers find.

Archaeologists discover ruins of Mayan civilization in Guatemala using LiDAR technology.

Buried treasure: Gold and precious gems uncovered from a 5th century burial site in Czech Republic.

Ancient human remains unearthed in Ethiopia older than previously thought, reveals study.

Sources include:

PennToday.UPenn.edu

NYPost.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Chinese government has admitted to flying the spy balloon that was later shot down, but insisted that it was for weather monitoring purposes.

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said Feb. 3 that the balloon floating over the northern U.S. was a civilian research craft. It also expressed regret toward the incident.

The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly [for] meteorological purposes, said an MFA spokesperson. 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. [We] will continue communicating with the U.S. side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure.

A day before, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) spokesman Brig. Gen Pat Ryder confirmed the presence of the balloon.

The U.S. government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental U.S. right now, he said on Feb. 2, adding that Washington continues to track and monitor it closely. According to Ryder, similar instances of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years.

The DoD announced on Feb. 4 that an American F-22 fighter jet had shot down the balloon over the waters off of South Carolina. Initially, the Pentagon decided against shooting down the aircraft over concerns about the risk of debris  but later pushed through with downing the balloon. (Related: Trump called on Biden to shoot down suspected Chinese spy balloon discovered floating over central U.S.)

The following day, the MFA released a statement denouncing Washingtons move to shoot down the spy balloon. The statement reiterated that Beijing reserves the right to take further actions against what it called an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.

China will resolutely uphold the relevant companys legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserve the right to take further actions in response, the MFA wrote.

Republican lawmakers blast Biden administrations slow response

Several members of the Republican Party in both chambers of Congress denounced the Biden administration for its slow response on an issue that concerns U.S. national security. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) remarked that President Joe Biden cannot be silent on the issue and demanded a stronger response.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) said: Allowing a spy balloon from the [Chinese Communist Party] to travel across the entire continental U.S. before contesting its presence is a disastrous projection of weakness by the White House.

Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) tweeted: Now that this embarrassing episode is over, we need answers from the Biden administration on the decision-making process. Communist China was allowed to violate American sovereignty unimpeded for days. We must be better prepared for future provocations and incursions by the CCP.

Aside from Wicker and Tillis, Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined their colleagues in blasting the Biden administrations slow response on Chinese incursion.

Outside the U.S., the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) denounced the spy balloon in a statement. It remarked that such actions by Beijing contravene international law, breach the airspace of other countries and violate their sovereignty.

The government of [Taiwan] notes that these instances should not be tolerated by the civilized international community, MOFA said. The [Communist Chinese] regime should immediately cease conduct of this kind that encroaches on other countries and causes regional instability.

Taiwanese lawmaker Chen Yun-peng also put in his two cents on the matter. According to him, any spy balloons Beijing sends over the island nation should be shot down immediately because they should not be there in the first place.

Listen to the Health Ranger Mike Adams as he elaborates on the possibility that the Chinese spy balloon is actually an EMP weapons platform.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Terrifying: Chinese spy balloons seen as dry run for nuclear EMP attack.

Explosion reported in Montana skies hours after Chinese spy balloon was reported.

Chinese spy balloon that flew over Montana could be used to carry EMP or nuclear weapons.

Sources include:

100PercentFedUp.com

FoxNews.com

Breitbart.com 1

Breitbart.com 2

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) According to the latest data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there has been no global warming over the past decade. Instead, global COOLING continues for the eighth consecutive year! The NASA satellite data finds a 0.11C/decade drop in average global temperatures over the past eight years and five months.

CO2 emissions, whether natural or man-made, are not driving the world into an existential crisis of global warming. Despite 475 billion tons of man-made CO2 emissions in the Earths atmosphere, there still isnt any evidence over the past decade that global warming exists or that it will end the planet as we know it.

Greenhouse gas effect is not the sole driver of global temperatures, and CO2 emissions will not end the world

It turns out that the greenhouse gas effect alone (observed on a small scale) does not extrapolate across the entire planet. There are many confounding factors in climate, weather, and ecology that keep the greenhouse gas effect in balance. The unpredictability of seasonal air masses, ocean currents, tectonic activity, photosynthesis, and solar activity are large confounding factors that are all forgotten when global warming alarmists hyper-focus on CO2 and the greenhouse gas effect. Weather modification programs and geoengineering can also be used to manipulate natural processes, weather patterns, and temperature, skewing overall temperature data.

Of course, theres no foolproof way to accurately take the Earths temperature anyway, with so many variances occurring on a momentary basis in the atmosphere, on the ground, and throughout the oceans. What we do know is what we can feel in our own regional climates from season to season. The US Northeast is currently experiencing record cold temperatures. For example, Mt. Washington, N.H., just recorded a record low -45.5 degrees Fahrenheit and -107 degree wind chill. A record Siberian air mass blanketed the entire United States Christmas week 2022, bringing near record lows all the way to Florida. Even the fear-mongering media is reporting on record arctic temperatures in the Northeast, with reports coming out, saying, Arctic outbreak shatters records in Northeast. In the Southern US, there was a near-record low for hurricane activity during the 2022 hurricane season.

Fact checkers sell more global warming fear, ignoring cooling trends

Correlation does not equal causation. CO2 levels are being frivolously correlated with past warming trends, as the cooling trends are dismissed. When the cooling cycles return with rising CO2 levels, (as observed over the past eight years) the whole CO2-global warming theory loses its credibility.

Of course, the fact checkers were quick to dismiss the data on global cooling over the past decade. The latest Feb 3 fact check made sure to sell the global warming hoax a little harder by claiming that eight years of data on global cooling is not a trend and that we should be preparing for the planets end. The fact check claims that eight cooler years cannot be extrapolated to draw conclusion on long term global warming.

The fact checkers claim the eight years of global cooling data do not change the overall trajectory of global warming over the past several decades. The fact checkers can extrapolate data over several decades to prove their theory and push their narrative to benefit the global elite, but they fail to recognize the cooling trends, and why the fluctuations in temperature are part of a larger cycle that is beyond mans control. There is no reason to fear monger about temperatures, unless there is a global economic agenda to implement. Of course, thats what all the fear and panic is for  to motivate governments to comply with global agendas that benefit the select few who engineer artificial crises.

Source include:

PJMedia.com

Axios.com

Reuters.com
(Natural News) A 16-year-old student at St. Josephs Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario, has been banned from attending classes since last November when he protested the implementation of transgender-friendly single-sex washrooms.

Josh Alexander vocalized the truth about how there are only two God-created sexes, male and female, during a classroom discussion. He was consequently suspended from school for the rest of the year after faculty members deemed him detrimental to the physical and mental well-being of transgender students.

In protest of his official exclusion from classes, Alexander showed up to classes recently in defiance of the order, which he says is unlawful. St. Josephs officials responded to this by having Alexander, a minor, arrested and hauled off campus.

I have just been arrested and charged at my Catholic high school for attending class after being excluded for indicating my intent to adhere to my religious beliefs, Alexander tweeted about the incident. (Related: In 2018, a biological male competing in wrestling as a female beat down a female opponent and won thanks to all of his natural testosterone.)

Arent leftists supposed to be about INCLUSION rather than EXCLUSION?

According to Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC), Alexander was arrested and charged with trespassing before being released. His lawyer, James Kitchen, LCCs chief litigator, praised Alexander for defying the schools suspension, calling it an intelligent choice of a young man who knows what he is doing.

Adding that Alexanders arrest was not entirely unexpected, Kitchen confirmed that the boy was only in police custody for a few hours.

Unfortunately, it takes this sort of drastic confrontation for people to just realize the insanity [of the situation], he said, noting that it was not even clear at the time of Alexanders release with what he was being charged.

As of this writing, St. Josephs has not released any statement or comments about the incident and what might happen next for Alexander. The school seems to want to just ignore Alexander and pretend he no longer exists, which is not going to work.

You cant physically get inside a vehicle if you are learning online, Alexander said about his inability to attend an in-person auto mechanics class in which he is enrolled, but is currently unable to complete because of the exclusion.

I told the officer I should not be excluded from attending in-person classes because of religious discrimination against me, he added about what he told school officials after they ordered him to leave campus immediately.

I was not sure if I was going to the police station to be formally charged or what was happening. I sat in the back for about 20 minutes and then they let me out. They did not handcuff me but they did give me a ticket and a fine for $65.

Alexander does not plan to attempt another visit to the St. Josephs campus without permission, but he does plan to continue appealing the school boards decision with the help of his lawyer.

I have a right to physically go to my classes and it is far better than online learning plus I do better in a classroom, he said.

My lawyer is still helping me appeal, but the school board wont even recognize my appeal. That is why I intend to go to the Human Rights Tribunal and lodge a complaint because my human rights are being taken away and its all based on religious discrimination.

For all their talk about inclusivity, the trans cult sure is being exclusive with its rejection of Alexander and his personal religious beliefs. Talk about hypocrisy.

The latest news about the fascism of the trans cult can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

ThePostMillennial.com

NaturalNews.com

EganvilleLeader.ca
(Natural News) There is a plot to destroy the American republic, according to John Birch Society (JBS) researcher and author Christian Gomez. JBS is an organization fighting against tyranny for over six decades. Just recently, it issued a warning about Article V and Constitutional Convention (ConCon).

Gomez told InfoWars founder Alex Jones that those behind the plot are doing it by putting in power people who can be easily manipulated to do their bidding. They dont know the Constitution and theyre expected to rule on matters that are put into the Constitution. This is a recipe for disaster, and it is intentional, Gomez said.

Jones agreed, noting that the Left is putting completely ignorant people in government positions. He then asked Gomez to expound on Article V and ConCon.

The JBS researcher said Article V is the amendment article of the Constitution, which explains the procedure for how the Constitution can be amended or changed. Gomez added that there are two methods to amend the Constitution, according to Article V.

The first method is when two-thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the U.S. Senate propose the amendment, pass it, then go to the states and three-fourths of the states ratify it. (Related: Texas calls for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution can the Republic be saved before it collapses?)

The second method, which has never been used, is when Congress calls the Convention on the application of two-thirds of the states, or 34 out of 52 states. Congress then calls the Convention where delegates, who represent the sovereign will of the people at large, propose amendments to the Constitution and continue with the Article V procedures of having three-fourths of the states ratify it.

ConCon presents an opportunity for left-wing delegates to change the Constitution

Gomez warned that ConCon could present an opportunity for left-wing delegates to change the Constitution or add an amendment that guts the original text of the bill.

So, one amendment can totally alter the Constitution hether its a few words in the Second Amendment saying something to the effect of the right to bear arms shall not be infringed while serving in the National Guard or in the military. They can put a couple of words there and totally alter the meaning, or they can just gut whole amendments entirely and put new amendments that empower the federal government to do things that it currently doesnt do, Gomez explained.

According to Gomez, JBS members are testifying in front of committees to stop the passage of resolutions that apply to Congress for the convention and convincing state legislators to introduce resolutions to rescind calls for a constitutional convention.

Jones said globalist forces are always pushing for ConCon, and the American people need to enforce the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We dont need to rewrite it or have new rules because we already have it. Its not being enforced so enforce the laws that are there, Jones said.

Follow BigGovernment.news for more news related to ConCon.

Watch the video below to learn more about Article V and Constitutional Convention.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Critical Disclosure with James White: Theres no need to amend the Constitution, says Robert Brown  Brighteon.TV.

Influential writer accuses globalists of trying to get rid of the Constitution  Brighteon.TV.

Bill reintroduced in Texas legislature pushing state sovereignty over unconstitutional federal actions.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

JBS.org

Constitution.Congress.gov
(Natural News) Just prior to the launch of covid, the Trump administration passed the so-called Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act, which furnished the vaccine industry with a full liability exemption from all harm caused by covid vaccines.

The PREP Act, we now know, was specifically unveiled and quietly passed to protect Big Pharmas profits from lawsuits stemming from injuries and deaths caused by the deadly Operation Warp Speed injections, which are still in circulation.

The PREP Act also authorizes the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare that a disease or other health condition or other threat to health constitutes a public health emergency, granting a covered person immunity from legal liability for all claims of loss relating to the use of countermeasures including the injections and other drugs and medical devices.

Those at the top of the food chain knew what was coming well in advance, which explains the precise timing of the PREP Acts passage. Now, all the government has to do is declare an emergency and voila: drug makers are instantly immune from all liability caused by their emergency countermeasures.

PREP provides liability protection to what is termed a covered person; the U.S. government; a manufacturer, a distributor, a program planner; and one who administers, or dispenses such countermeasures, explain Ray L. Flores II, Esq. and Catherine Heiser, writing for The Defender.

Additionally, a manufacturer or distributor cant be the defendant unless the HHS secretary or the U.S. attorney general has initiated an enforcement action.

(Related: Under Trump, the PREP Act was also amended to allow for children as young as three to get jabbed by pharmacists for covid and other emergencies.)

Schools that inject students for covid without consent cannot be held liable either, thanks to the PREP Act

The current PREP emergency for covid and its countermeasures is set to expire on Oct. 1, 2024. This means that for another year and a half, nobody injured or killed by covid injections, drugs, ventilators, or other emergency countermeasures can sue or otherwise hold Big Pharma accountable.

The parents of a six-year-old in Vermont are learning this the hard way after they tried, but failed, to hold a West Brattleboro elementary school accountable for injecting the child without consent.

Reports indicate that the child was given the wrong nametag during a school-based, state-sponsored clinic, resulting in school officials forcing him to get injected against his will. His parents tried to sue, only to discover that the PREP Act shields the school from all liability.

Under the definition [of administration of a countermeasure], these liability claims are precluded if they allege an injury caused by a countermeasure, or if the claims are due to manufacture, delivery, distribution, dispensing, or management and operation of countermeasure programs at distribution and dispensing sites, ruled Judge Michael Kainen.

As of January 27, there are 278,727 reported serious injuries and 34,122 deaths linked to covid injections. This is according to data in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a government-run database that captures as little as one percent of all vaccine injuries and deaths.

As of this writing, not a single one of these hundreds of thousands of victims has received any kind of payout for what covid injections did to them.

The PREP Acts only exception to legal immunity is willful misconduct that results in serious injury or death,' reports explain.

The law  if applied literally, without deference to common sense  conceivably could go so far as to grant immunity to a crazed governmental official running down the street and injecting people at random with impunity. Indeed PREP is a sentry not only for pharma, but for all those overzealous proponents and purveyors caught up in the madness.

The United States is run by criminal tyrants. To learn more, visit Corruption.news.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Christian Hartsock from Project Veritas approached YouTube executive Matt Halprin in his neighborhood this week to seek answers about Halprins involvement in Pfizers covid vaccine racket.

YouTubes vice president of global trust and safety, Halprin launched a new censorship scheme following the release of Project Veritas latest Pfizer expose that aims to keep it from being shared and viewed by the public. (Related: The hashtag #Pfertility quickly started to trend after the release of this damning expose.)

To keep YouTube users and the world from learning the truth about Pfizers illegal bioweapons development activities, Halprin instructed YouTube employees to remove all uploads and reuploads of the Project Veritas expose unless they are first edited to remove a key portion from the original about Pfizers covid jabs being dangerous and ineffective.

How much is Pfizer paying you to run cover for them? Hartsock asked Halprin in the street as Halprin rolled his eyes and attempted to flee the vicinity  watch the video below. Is YouTube brought to us by Pfizer?

Matt, if youre the global head of trust and safety at YouTube, why dont you trust the public with a matter that absolutely concerns their safety?

BREAKING: Project Veritas Senior Reporter @Chris_Hartsock Confronts @YouTube Vice President of Global Trust & Safety Over Tech Giants Actions to Remove Our @Pfizer #DirectedEvolution Investigation From The Platform pic.twitter.com/ktvXRJawN2  Project Veritas (@Project_Veritas) February 3, 2023

Halprin ignored all of Hartsocks questions and even threatened him, which prompted Hartsock to warn Halprin that millions of people would eventually see his cowardice in refusing to acknowledge or answer any of Hartsocks questions.

Theyre going to see your absolute contempt for the public trust. And theyre going to see your absolute disregard for public safety. Are you sure this is how you wish to portray yourself?

Hartsock then pressed Halprin about how much advertising revenue YouTube takes in from Pfizer. YouTube is clearly running cover for Pfizer by trying to censor the video showing its directed evolution and other nefarious activities to produce and sell more deadly injections.

YouTube removes confrontation video citing community standards and privacy issues

Hartsock got nowhere with Halprin, as expected, but proceeded to share the footage with the world as he promised he would. In response, YouTube banned this video as well, likely at Halprins order.

The Google-owned tech platform warned Project Veritas that its Halprin confrontation video violates the companys community standards on privacy. YouTube also threatened Project Veritas with further restrictions or even removal of its entire YouTube account.

Just like Jordon Trishton Walker, Halprin is on the wrong side of history in all this. He has shown himself to be just another cog in the Big Pharma machine who is profiting at the expense of human lives.

All the fake media and big tech companies are in the propaganda and indoctrination business, wrote a commenter about this fiasco. Its not a secret.

They bow and genuflect to their Marxist globalist oligarch masters. They bobblehead the Media Matters script of the day. They have for a long time. Its just now being exposed. Google affects U.S. elections. But how many DC people do you see holding them accountable? Exactly.

Another wrote that what Hartsock and Project Veritas are doing is what millions of people should be doing.

I remember an era when mass protest was a regular thing, this person added. Now people are either anesthetized or simply worrying about how to survive. Good work on your asymmetrical war, Uncle Sam

More of the latest news about Pfizer (Big Pharma) and YouTube (Big Tech) can be found at Evil.news.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The Satanic Temple will open a free abortion clinic in New Mexico that will offer prescriptions for drugs that cause abortion. The new reproductive health clinic will be called The Samuel Alitos Moms Satanic Abortion Clinic.

The group is directing its ire at Supreme Court Justice Alito for being the primary author of the courts majority opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, which made abortion a federally guaranteed right in the United States for nearly 50 years. (Related: Bidens Health Department mulls declaring public health emergency on abortion, claiming its an emergency to NOT kill babies.)

In 1950, Samuel Alitos mother did not have options and look what happened, said Malcolm Jarry, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, in a press release. The clinics name serves to remind people just how important it is to have the right to control ones body and the potential ramifications of losing that right.

According to the organization, anybody in New Mexico will be able to access online medical services, including confidential telehealth screenings and virtual appointments. These will result in prescriptions being sent to the clinics pharmacy partner, who will mail the [abortion] medications in a discreet package.

The consultations will be free, provided that the women agree to conduct the Religious Abortion Ritual. The fees for the anonymous pharmacy are expected to cost around $90.

TST Health, the Satanic Temples religious medical services arm, said it will have licensed medical staff available for patient questions and has a 24-hour on-call patient hotline.

Regardless of where you live, if you are in the state of New Mexico during your video consultation and when you perform your abortion ritual, you will have abided by the law, the Satanic Temple said on its frequently asked questions page.

Satanic Temple claims abortions are essential to its religious practices and protected by freedom of religion laws

In New Mexico, abortion is legal up to the point of birth, except in certain municipalities like the small cities of Clovis and Hobbs that have passed local ordinances restricting abortion. The Satanic Temples abortion clinic is seen as an attempt to counter any restrictions on abortion in the state.

The Satanic Temple has previously stated that, under the First Amendment, as well as federal and state laws protecting freedom of religion, the organizations abortion ritual is an essential part of its religious practice and is therefore protected against any restrictions and bans on abortion.

The Internal Revenue Service has officially recognized the Satanic Temple as a religious organization, granting it nonprofit tax-exempt status.

[The Satanic Temple] is proud to expand reproductive options for our members. This is just the beginning, said Erin Helian, executive director of campaign organizations for the group. We will remain steadfast as we continue the fight to uphold reproductive justice in the United States.

This should be a wake-up call for all New Mexicans, but especially Christians and all those who voted for pro-abortion Democrats who have made New Mexico a welcoming state for abortion  and now for ritual abortion,' said Elisa Martinez, founder and executive director of the New Mexico Alliance for Life. Again, its just another example of an out-of-state operation finding safe haven here in New Mexicos extreme abortion-to-full-term climate.

Ethel Maharg, executive director of Right to Life in New Mexico said the Satanic Temples plan is just an egregious thing.

Theyre trying to make it a religious right so that they can use, I guess, the First Amendment right to practice  but thats different, freedom of speech and religion, she said.

Learn more about abortion in the U.S. at Abortions.news.

Watch this report from EWTNs News Nightly about the Satanic Temples attempts to open abortion clinics to provide religious abortion and abortion ritual care.

This video is from the Thrive Time Show channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Satanic pro-abortion statue honoring late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg being erected in pro-life Texas.

Judicial Watch sues HHS for ignoring FOIA request to reveal info about government use of human fetal tissue.

Satanic Temple opens abortion clinic where patients undergo religious ritual before pregnancy termination.

Walgreens, CVS to sell ABORTION PILLS in states where abortion is still legal.

$1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill contains sinister depopulation provisions: $575M to be spent on abortions in areas with high population growth.

Sources include:

NewsPunch.com

AbqJournal.com

CatholicNewsAgency.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? According to pop music icon Taylor Swift, who claims to be a Christian, it means murdering unborn babies in the womb through abortion.

In her new Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swift revealed that even though she self-identifies as a believer, she fully supports ripping apart innocent human life limb by limb.

Obviously Im pro-choice, Swift nonchalantly told The Guardian back in August about her own personal version of Christianity and what it entails.

Swifts pro-baby murder position received worldwide attention in 2018 when she endorsed pro-death Democrat Phil Bredesen in the Tennessee Senate race against pro-life Republican Marsha Blackburn. (Related: Remember when Blackburn called fake president Joe Biden an authoritarian for supporting Big Tech censorship?)

This was a situation where, from a humanity perspective and from what my moral compass was telling me I needed to do, I knew I was right, and I really didnt care about repercussions, Swift revealed about her position.

In Miss Americana, Swift is shown arguing with her parents and publicist about whether or not to make her position on baby murder publicly known. She ultimately decided to come out of the pro-death closet, indicating that Blackburns pro-life beliefs disgust her.

Its really basic human rights, and its right and wrong at this point, and I cant see another commercial and see Marsha Blackburn disguising these policies behind the words Tennessee Christian values,' Swift says in the film.

Those arent Tennessee Christian values. I live in Tennessee. Im a Christian. Thats not what we stand for.

Taylor Swift isnt a Christian; shes antichrist

It is unclear which Bible passages Swift is relying on to back her pro-death position while also claiming to be a Christian. Since every human life is made in the image of God, Swifts support for abortion would seem to be an antichrist position.

Christianity teaches that abortion is wrong because it kills an innocent human being, created in Gods image, writes Micaiah Bilger for LifeNews.com. The Bible may not specifically mention the word abortion, but it clearly does condemn the life-destroying practice.

Even in ancient times, babies in the womb were viewed as valuable, as is evident in Luke 1:41. Jesus placed great value on children when others in society did not in Matthew 19:14, and Proverbs 6:16-17 states that one of the things God hates most is the shedding of innocent blood. One of the ten commandments prohibits murder.

It is truly a shame that Swift has adopted a pro-death platform and embedded it within her own bastardized version of Christianity. Millions of people, most of them young, look up to this antichrist for inspiration  and she is leading all of them astray with her errant beliefs.

A babys body is *not* your body, wrote Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, a pro-life group, to Swift in response to Swifts tweet lamenting the overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer. Let them live. Abortion is violence.

Todays decision merely found that there is no constitutional right to kill unwanted children, added Seth Dillon of The Babylon Bee. That right never existed; it was imaginary.

You had the benefit of being born, and its worked out very well for you. Why are you terrified that others might be allowed to live, too?

Many others reminded Swift that her position on baby murder defies the Christian faith she claims to have. And all the money in the world will not save her on the day of judgment when she is held to account for spreading this antichrist message to her followers and fanatics.

More related news coverage can be found at Abortions.news.

Sources include:

LifeNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said President Joe Biden did the right thing shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina last weekend, but that he should never have let it cross the United States first.

So this balloon traversed 11 states, but the Pentagon says they were able to mitigate some of its impact. Do you think there is upside to the fact that this was captured this time? Margaret Brennan, host of CBS Face the Nation, asked the Republican senator on Sunday.

Well, listen, I want to start by doing something that I dont do very often, which is commending Joe Biden for actually having the guts to shoot this down. That was the right thing to do. That is absolutely what the President should have done. Unfortunately, he didnt do that until a week after it entered U.S. airspace, Cruz responded.

He allowed a full week for the Chinese to conduct spying operations over the United States, over sensitive military installations, exposing not just photographs but the potential of intercepted communications. And-and more broadly, I think this entire episode telegraphed weakness to [President] Xi [Jinping] and the Chinese government, he went on.

And to illustrate why I would just ask one-one hypothetical question: Imagine how this would have played out if nobody had taken any pictures of the balloon, if nobody in Montana had looked up and noticed this giant balloon, if it wasnt in the news. We know that when the Biden administration knew about the balloon, they said nothing, they did nothing, they didnt shoot it down, he continued.

And at the end of the day, I think the only reason they shot it down is because it made it into the news and they felt forced to as a matter of politics rather than national security. Thats a bad message for the Chinese government to hear, he said.

Brennan asked: Well, the Pentagon has since disclosed that its apparently happened four times before, never quite like this. Back in 2020. the Trump administration shuttered the Chinese Consulate in Houston after detecting espionage. Do you think there needs to be more diplomatic fallout on that scale now?

Cruz was adamant in his response.

Look, I think there does, he began. When the Trump administration shut the Chinese consulate in Houston, I spoke with [then] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about it. And what they had discovered about the espionage activities being carried out in the state of Texas by the Chinese government was horrifying, he said.

Right now, there is a Texan, Mark Swidan, who is a political prisoner. He is a hostage in China. Hes been there for 10 years. This past week, I introduced a resolution on the floor of the Senate, along with [fellow Texas Republican Sen.] John Cornyn, calling on China to release Mark Swidan. Hes wrongfully imprisoned. Hes been there 10 years, theyve sentenced him to death on charges for which they have little to no evidence, and-and I had been urging Tony Blinken when he was going to Beijing, to raise Mark Swidans case and to make the case for Mark to be released, he noted further.

China, if they want to demonstrate that theyre not bad actors, if they want to demonstrate that they can aspire to being a great nation, they should release Mark Swidan because great nations and great powers dont hold political prisoners, Cruz told the host.

For the record, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is calling out senior Pentagon and U.S. intelligence figures for failing to inform Trump about incursions that were taking place, if they indeed were, during his term.

Defense officials now claim that Chinese Spy Balloons briefly flew over the U.S. during the Trump admin, but if true, WHY is this just now being reported?this information was discovered after the Trump administration left. How do they know now? she asked.

If its true the Pentagon purposely did NOT tell President Trump of Chinese Spy Balloons during his administration then we had a serious breach in command during the Trump admin. The POTUS is the Commander in Chief. We must investigate and hold accountable those who broke rank.  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene?? (@RepMTG) February 6, 2023

If its true the Pentagon purposely did not tell President Trump of Chinese Spy Balloons during his administration then we had a serious breach in command during the Trump admin. The POTUS is the Commander in Chief. We must investigate and hold accountable those who broke rank, she continued.

Sources include:

Crankers.com

Breitbart.com
(Natural News) For months, Western leaders led by the United States have said they dont have any intention of transferring sophisticated fighter planes to Ukraine as part of ongoing aid packages, likely out of concern over Russian retaliation.

But now, Ukrainian officials are behaving as if the planes are going to be delivered as part of a future arms package that is a done deal, Breitbart News reported on Sunday.

Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told a news conference in Kyiv over the weekend that Ukraine has already received everything from its wish list to Santa, except fighter planes.

There will be planes, too, Reznikov said definitively. The question is just what kind exactly. Consider that this mission is already completed.

The news outlet continued:

So far, Ukraine has won support from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western fighter jets. But several Western leaders have expressed concern that providing warplanes could provoke the Kremlin and draw their countries deeper into the conflict, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and wreaked massive destruction.

Kyiv says such jets are essential to challenging Russias air superiority and ensuring success in a Russian offensive that Reznikov predicted could begin around the wars one-year anniversary, Feb. 24.

Not all Western weapons will arrive by then, but we have the resources and reserves to help stabilize and sustain the offensive, Reznikov told reporters.

Russia Warns Absurd Talk of Sending Warplanes to Ukraine Risks War Escalation https://t.co/BzuhUvgieF  Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 2, 2023

Following Russias invasion, NATO countries have repeatedly refused, initially, to provide Ukraine with sophisticated and longer-range weapons like missiles and tanks, but eventually agreed to do so. It could be that the warplane issue is the latest example of the West caving in.

Ukraine has relocated its warplanes and concealed air defense assets, hampering Moscows efforts to gain full control of the skies, Breitbart News reported. After suffering early losses, the Russian air force has avoided venturing deep into Ukraines airspace and mostly focused on close front-line support.

At present, according to reports, German-made Leopard 1 and 2 tanks are heading to Ukraine from various countries, including Germany. Reznikov said Ukraines forces will begin training on them somewhere in Europe this week before they are formally transferred. In all, Canada, Poland, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States have announced they will supply tanks to Ukraine.

Russia, which is continuing a massive mobilization and buildup of its own forces after being pushed back by the Ukrainians, has frequently stated that NATO continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons is only prolonging the conflict and leading to unnecessary deaths. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also said that NATO has become a direct participant in the conflict, though no NATO country has troops (in any significant amount) in Ukraine.

For his part, Reznikov, citing the stream of Western weapons heading into his country and the current state of the Ukrainian army, responded to Russias rhetoric on Sunday, telling reporters: I absolutely boldly claim that we have become a de facto NATO country. We only have a de jure part left.

Ukraine has applied to join NATO, as have two of Russias other neighbors, Finland and Sweden. The latter two are on a glide path to membership, though Turkey objects; Ukraine, however, is not.

Russian forces continue to target Ukraines infrastructure, such as its energy grid. Several Russian rocket attacks have repeatedly knocked out power to parts of the country, only to be repaired and then knocked out again soon after.

Reports say that both sides are preparing for offensive operations when the weather improves, meaning that the war is far from over. Previous reports say Russia has lost more than 110,000 killed and three times as many wounded.

Sources include:

Brietbart.com

NaturalNews.com
Researchers from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources have discovered two new viruses that are attacking hibiscus plants in Hawaii and may endanger the state flower.

Hibiscus bushes in Hawaii being infected by new viruses

Hibiscus soymovirus and betacarmovirus are the names of the two viruses. On the leaves of infected hibiscus plants, you can see mosaic, ringspot, and chlorotic marks, as per Phys.org

A total of 54 hibiscus samples were gathered in Honolulu, with 20 samples coming from various areas from Diamond Head to downtown, with 34 samples coming from 18 different locations on the UH Manoa campus.

One or more of the viruses was present in 12 out of the 54 samples, or 22% of the total. Hibiscus betacarmovirus was detected in one sample, hibiscus soymovirus was detected in nine samples, and both viruses were detected in two samples.

The same team of CTAHR researchers previously identified two related viruses affecting hibiscus plants in Hawaii by the names hibiscus latent Fort Pierce virus and hibiscus latent Hawaii virus.

Hu and Michael Melzer, an associate researcher in the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences at UH Manoa, are the team's leaders. For further a decade, Hu and Melzer have been studying hibiscus viruses.

How viruses infect plants

The majority of plant viruses are spread by insect vectors that harm the plant and make a way for infections to enter, or that feed by tapping into the phloem, as per TheScientist

Once inside, viruses control the machinery of the plant cells using the few genes in their little genomes while dodging the plant's defenses. The infection mechanism for RNA viruses, the most prevalent kind of plant virus, is generalized here.

Also Read: Plant Virus Responsible For Wiping Out African Food Staple Cassava Continues To Spread

Symptoms of Hibiscus Chlorotic Ringspot Virus

In naturally infected Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, HCRSV causes a wide range of symptoms that vary according to the cultivar's tolerance and the surrounding environment, while infection length and perhaps viral isolate virulence may also have an impact on symptom severity, as per PlantwisePlus.

HCRSV causes leaf chlorosis in some cultivars, but in the majority it causes leaf mottling and/or chlorotic rings.

Particularly when the average ambient temperature is high, as it is during the summer in Florida, some cultivars don't show any obvious signs.

The leaves of infected Abelmoschus manihot plants typically show chlorosis, which is more obvious when HCRSV co-occurs with other viruses. Flowers show no symptoms.

Damage control for HCSV

It is necessary to create, reproduce, and disperse virus-tested stocks of both natural hosts since HCRSV spreads by infected propagules

The use of meristem tip culture, thermotherapy, and/or chemotherapy to create virus-tested stocks of the most suitable cultivars of both natural host species has not yet been explored. Abelmoschus manihot and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are not seed-transmitted by the virus.

Therefore, it is reasonably simple to get healthy seedlings, where it may also be possible to choose good stock plants for continued propagation.

Reasonable methods for avoiding or decreasing local HCRSV spread depend on more knowledge about the virus's natural mechanism of transmission. HCRSV's impacts on the development and productivity of its natural hosts have not yet been determined.

Though virus-induced chlorosis in Abelmoschus manihot plants implies that they are also negatively impacted by infection, the growth of inoculated Hibiscus rosa-sinensis seedlings is considerably reduced.

Related Article: 219 Plant Viruses in Brazil Compiled in a Database for Researchers, Growers, and Policymakers
The latest reports showed that the massive fire and derailed train cars in East Palestine had hazardous and toxic chemicals, causing health concerns among authorities in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Residents near the site could be in grave danger due to the possibility of explosions and health risks.

Immediate evacuations and health risks

Residents near the site could be in grave danger due to the possibility of explosions and health risks.

According to the latest report, AccuWeather and CNN reported that evacuations and crews were deployed to put out the fire from the derailed train cars in East Palestine.

Businesses and schools were temporarily closed due to the incident.

However, the situation became more challenging due to the threat of toxic gas and harmful chemicals that the train contained.

As a result, people near the 1-mile-by-2-mile over East Palestine should consider evacuating due to threats of severe injuries and lung damage.

CNN added that authorities conducted a door-to-door approach to communities to convince them to evacuate due to the possible risk.

According to NBC News, the report found out that the five train cars have vinyl chloride.

On the other hand, CNN explained that mechanical issues could happen in train cars.

The hazardous chemicals can result in toxic fumes and a chance of exploding. The materials can cause harmful burning that can last for hours.

NBC explained that the train cars have materials that could increase cancer risk.

Emergency plans have been ongoing to address the fire in the affected train cars.

As the authorities are working to solve the problem, residents in the affected areas are advised to return once the issue is finally addressed.

Regarding how long it would solve and clean the toxic chemicals, the report noted that it would take four to six weeks.

Also Read: Powerful 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Turkey, Syria; Devastating Damage, 640 Deaths Reported

On the other hand, NBC reported that the Norfolk Southern Railway would conduct a controlled chemical release.

Evacuation tips

Authorities and reports explained the possibility of explosions and harmful chemicals that could pose health risks.

A massive fire can be deadly and disastrous. As a result, immediate evacuations are critical to prevent injuries, deaths and health concerns.

Children and people with pre-existing health conditions are the most vulnerable to toxic gas and chemicals in the affected areas.

Here are important reminders as you evacuate.

Homeowners advised to evacuate should keep updated with the reports and possibly return to the scene. Reports emphasized that residents should wait until the set is finally cleaned up.

Bring only the necessary stuff with you. Medicines, primary documents, gadgets and winter clothes should be with you.

As you leave your home, homeowners should lock their doors. Turn off all electrical supplies and wirings.

Bring your pets with you.

Look for nearby shelters or family members that can offer you a home for weeks.

Don't go to the areas affected by the derailed train cars.

The sudden evacuation might be difficult for homeowners, but it is the best decision due to the potential health risks.

Related Article: Severe Thunderstorms, Isolated Tornadoes Could Emerge in Texas, Houston, Ohio Valley This Week, Forecast Warns

For more weather news in the U.S., don't forget to follow Nature World News.
The tragic and powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria reached a 7,000 death toll as the rescue and operations have been ongoing.

Videos and images of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria showed the plight of thousands of people stranded and rescued.

Aftershocks were also felt in the affected countries, causing more community and community concerns.

Turkey's earthquake and aftermath

According to AccuWeather's latest reports, the death toll soared to 7,000. The previous report said that the casualties could reach 10,000.

As of now, the reports said that the death total is expected to increase as rescuers discover more casualties.

International efforts pledged to help Turkey and Syria to recover. However, the primary focus, for now, is to rescue those who can be alive under the collapsed buildings.

ABC News reported that about 13,000 people in Turkey suffered from injuries. The Turkish Emergency Management said that about 5,600 buildings collapsed due to the powerful earthquake.

In addition, CNN reported that the ancient castle suffered from a catastrophic earthquake. The popular tourist attraction, Gaziantep Castle, in southeastern Turkey, sustained heavy damage.

The impact of the devastating earthquake resulted in a three-month state emergency n Turkey.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that the USAID team would deploy teams to help with the disaster operations.

The report explained that 170,000 pounds of equipment and tools would be available for operations in affected communities.

Associated Press (AP) reported that 380,000 sought refuge in Turkey's shelters. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) explained that about 23 million people were said to be affected by the recent earthquake.

Syria's earthquake

In Syria, the situation would become more difficult due to unabated political unrest in the country. The poverty line would add more concerns after the deadly earthquake.

USA Today reported that the civil war in Syria contributed to the displacement of millions of Syrian. The civil war and recent earthquake would be challenging for the residents and communities to recover.

The report added that the death toll in Syria reached 1,450 and 1,400 injuries. The report added that Syria would expect the number of casualties to increase.

In addition, relief efforts for affected communities in Syria would become difficult due to international sanctions.

On the other hand, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that children and their families are affected.

The agency emphasized the children's protection and welfare during extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Also Read: Dangerous Chile Wildfire Causes 1000 Residents Evacuated, 900 Injuries, 23 Casualties

The report said that UNICEF would provide safe drinking water and sanitation. There will also be psychological first aid for the children affected or traumatized due to earthquakes.

Ultimately, it would be more difficult for Syria to recover as civil war unrest has been a pressing concern.

Hospitals and medical facilities received an overwhelming number of patients and survivors seeking immediate treatment.

Furthermore, the lack of public hospitals and medical professionals in Syria would raise concerns for many Syrians seeking medical assistance.

Ultimate, earthquakes have been catastrophic and massive. The latest earthquake raises concerns over the preparedness of countries.

Related Article: Powerful 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Turkey, Syria; Devastating Damage, 640 Deaths Reported

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.


This year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas highlighted the show's recent shift from being solely about consumer technology to boundary-pushing ideas devoted to making technology more sustainable.



The event showcased new e-bikes and appliances that turn household waste into useful products - an emphasis on the impact of engineering discipline on sustainability efforts. Specifically from the automotive industry, electric vehicles played a prominent role in the show, and several car charging solutions were on display, showcasing the industry's growing movement towards a greener future.

Greener legislation and frameworks





Aside from technological advancements, states have been working to transition into a zero-emission transportation system as a means to mitigate climate change. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), states can achieve this goal by adopting the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) standard - a set of regulations that the California Air Resources Board recently adopted to reduce smog-causing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from California's vehicles.



Meant as a shift away from traditional fossil-fuel-based transportation systems, the ACC II improves upon its predecessor (ACC I) by requiring an increase in sales of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) from 35% in 2026 to 100% in 2035. ZEVs include battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles, allowing for customer choice depending on their preference and personal transport needs. So far, automakers in the US have announced over 114 billion ZEV-related investments, with a 6% market share in ZEVs in late 2022.



In our recent feature about California's plans to ban toxic chemicals used to shine chrome, we discussed the dangers of hexavalent chromium used as a decorative or protective surface coating. Despite its widespread use, chromium mainly targets the kidney, liver, respiratory system, skin, and eyes. At the same time, this chemical was found to contaminate California's groundwater resources. If approved, this plan will impact more than 110 chrome-plating facilities in disadvantaged communities.

Sustainability in the private sector





For the private sector, companies across the board are rolling out sustainability plans for the year. In a feature on LHH about organizational sustainability, CEO Carlos Tavares was reported to have announced that his company Stellantis - one of the world's largest automakers - was planning to drastically reduce the amount of energy used at its factories, primarily by investing heavily to produce green energy "on-site" and insulate the company against interruptions in the supply of natural gas.



While definitions of sustainability may differ across organizations, a focus on workforce agility to make sustainability happen is on the rise. Between employee demands and flexible working conditions, companies must find a balance to build a sustainable workforce and one that aligns with an organization's pledge to reduce the negative impact of their operations on the environment. Changes may include rethinking flexible work arrangements to minimize pollution related to transportation and similar in-office shifts.



With the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), auto companies worldwide are also looking to invest further in EVs and EV-related technology to promote their message of sustainability. Even automotive giants such as BMW are committed to the cause, settling not only in EV manufacturing but the restructuring their supply chains to focus on decarbonized production to reduce their footprint. Among its many sustainability goals, BMW aims to cut down their emissions by 80% and reduce its supply chain's footprint by 20%. As many other car manufacturers pick up on the pursuit of going green, we can expect similar news from other companies on the market in the near future.
Kathy Wright, a 51-year-old resident of Riverton, has pleaded not guilty to all 10 counts of animal cruelty charges brought against her, and a March 1 scheduling conference has been scheduled with further trial dates.

Animals taken in Riverton due to animal maltreatment

Having control and custody of any animals while displaying extreme disregard for their health, safety, or lives, as well as failing to give them food, water, or weather protection appropriate for their species, constitutes animal cruelty in Wyoming, resulting in a misdemeanor offense, as per Oil City News.

The Fremont County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) was attempting to get in touch with Wright on December 7, 2022, at her Riverton home when the first deputy on the scene discovered several dead goats in pens, a horse that required immediate medical attention, and other animals that were described as being extremely thin and emaciated, according to court documents.

When the lieutenant realized Wright wasn't at home, they examined the other cages' conditions and found other animals on the property that were either dead or in various stages of decomposition, as well as more.

After doing an emergency evaluation of the animals, a nearby veterinarian gave his or her advice, warning that giving the animals too much food or alfalfa could result in their death.

Only three bales of hay were discovered on the land, not enough to feed all the animals despite the reduced amount of food, so the lieutenant had to retrieve seven additional bales from their own farm.

Due to the hour, it was determined to make sure the animals had enough food and water, and transportation would be set up for the following day.

Wright further asserted that she intended to get more hay that evening and that she'd be able to move the horse in its worst condition to a nearby barn, but that FCSO later advised her not to do so because of the ongoing investigation and that they had taken care of feeding and watering the animals.

Court filings went on to indicate that the FCSO has a long history of dealing with Wright over animal abuse accusations, with the same lieutenant coming to Wright's property on multiple occasions, noticing skinny and ill animals each time.

Also Read: Grieving After Death of Pets Should be Respected and Taken Seriously, Says Expert

Always give basic necessities for animals

Start being a responsible pet owner by providing your pet with the attention they require.

When adopting a pet, it's critical to realize that you're making a lifetime commitment to a furry family member whose health and well-being depend on you, as per The Animal Foundation.

Pets require wholesome food and need food that satisfies their unique nutritional requirements, just like people do.

Pets should receive the appropriate amount of food, too.

Overfeeding or providing your pet too many goodies can lead to obesity, which can lead to extra health problems, like heart disease and kidney problems.

Consider your selections carefully while choosing pet food to prevent these diseases.

Give your animals clean water to drink at all times.

All animals in your care should always have access to a clean, fresh dish of water.

Place it nearby their meal bowl to make it more convenient, and don't forget to replenish your pet's water dish at least twice daily.

Proper pet care includes giving animals a safe, cozy place to live.

Due to the need for protection from excessive heat and cold as well as other adverse weather conditions, pets shouldn't really be expected to live totally outside.

Related Article: [VIRAL] Woman Spends $50,000 Per Year to Give Shelter to 200 Abandoned Animals
SITEKI  Yet another mob killing has been recorded in the country.

This brings the number of mob attack victims to eight in the past two months. The recent attack happened on Monday morning, when a 55-year-old man of Mphaphati community, under Siphofaneni Inkhundla, was attacked and killed allegedly by a group of 15 community members. The deceased had been implicating in stock theft. According to a community member who asked that his identity be concealed for security reasons, the members of community attacked Bukhosi Dlamini, after being informed that he was linked to a number of stolen cattle and goats that constantly disappeared in the community.

The source claimed that the deceased had been in the past linked to a number of stock theft incidents of goats and cattle in the community. He said the community members bayed for his blood after one of the residents saw him herding cattle from the grazing land adjacent to the main road, in the evening hours of Sunday. The source further mentioned that for the past three years, community police and residents had warned people to refrain from the stock theft. The deceased succumbed to his injuries after being heavily assaulted with sticks all over the body. Adding, the source stated that one resident called the Siphofaneni police after seeing that Bukhosi was unconscious from the beatings. He said the police arrived an hour later and found that the deceased had already succumbed to the injuries he had sustained from the beating. The source said the police took the lifeless body of the deceased to the Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital mortuary.

Theft

Mphaphati community members were angered when they discovered that Bukhosi was( allegedly) involved in stock theft and they invaded his home, where he was staying alone, in the early hours of yesterday (Monday). One boy spotted him herding cattle on Sunday evening and alerted members of the community, said the source. Moreover, the source mentioned that the deceased hailed from Mphumakudze area, under KaPhunga community and was also a resident at Mphaphati. It is difficult to locate his next-of-kin as he was residing alone at his home. When we tried to enquire about his relatives, that information was scanty, added the source. Attempts were made to get family members but were unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.

Police

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. We have a report of a 55-year-old man of Mphaphati who was killed by a mob. Police are still investigating the circumstances leading to this incident, she said. Worth mentioning is that eight people were arrested in connection with the mob justice that took place at Nkonka in Matsanjeni a week ago, where four men were killed and then set alight. Another recent incident of a mob attack saw a 25-year-old man of Sitsatsaweni area being heavily assaulted by a mob after he was allegedly found raping a 32-year-old woman, whom they were enjoying alcoholic beverages with on New Years Eve. Also in January, at Luhlokohla area near Ngculwini, a man was killed by a mob in connection with stock theft. Most of the other mob killings relate to issues of dagga wars. In December last year, police officers from Lubulini Police Station made a breakthrough after successfully arresting a man who was driving a Honda Fit vehicle loaded with 20 goats, suspected to have been stolen around Siteki.

Meanwhile, in November last year, Siteki Principal Magistrate Dumsani Magagula acquitted 19 of 25 residents of two communities under the Siphofaneni Inkhundla on the basis that they obeyed a restraining order granted against the late Mabhensane Primary School Head teacher, Sayinile Irene Sikhondze. The late head teacher was gunned down by an unknown person, while at her home, situated at Nceka area under Siphofaneni Inkhundla. This court order was issued against the backdrop of the mob attack by about 200 residents at the late head teachers home implicating her in stock theft.
MBABANE  Hosea MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuzas company, Baceth Investments (Pty) Ltd has agreed to pay Standard Bank after it fell into arrears of E416 081.76 on payments of four vehicles and four forklifts.

On January 12, 2013, the bank obtained an order to take to its possession the cars and forklifts. The order also authorised and empowered the deputy sheriff of the Manzini Region to seize and attach from Baceth Investments, or whosoever may be in possession of the vehicles and equipment. Baceth Investments filed a consent to judgment and agreement to pay the bank.

The document was made an order of the court yesterday. The matter was before Judge Bonginkhosi Magagula. According to the agreement to pay, Baceth Investments will pay, or has paid, a sum of E100 000 by the end of January 2023. The company would also pay E641 238.71 in equal instalments of E231 746.24 on February 28, 2023 and the balance by April 30, 2023. Baceth Investments confirmed that it would pay all monthly instalments as stated in the lease agreements on the due dates from January 30, 2023 and every subsequent month until the debts were fully paid. In the event that Baceth Investments defaulted on the payments or any of its obligations in terms of the consent to judgment and agreement to pay, the full balance would become due and payable.

Repossess

The bank would be entitled to enforce the court order it obtained on January 12, 2023 and repossess the vehicles and/or equipment. The bank would also be entitled to recover all the monies owed to it, including costs disbursed by it to attorneys in securing the companys compliance. The motor vehicles in question are two BMW X4 DRIVE20D Sport Activity-2017 model, two Hino trucks, as well as equipment in the form of four Doosan forklifts. When the bank approached the court, it wanted to keep the vehicles in its possession while instituting court proceedings for the arrears totalling E416 081.76. The arrear amounts, according to the bank, varied from E27 083 to E94 301.44 per vehicle. Standard Bank also wanted to be granted an order entitling it to dispose of the vehicles either by public auction or private treaty. Baceth Investments was ordered to hand over the motor vehicles and forklifts to the deputy sheriff of the Manzini Region. The orders operated on an interim basis and were yet to be confirmed by the court. Other respondents in the matter were the Central Motor Registry and attorney general.

Instalments

According to Standard Bank, Baceth Investments failed to make due monthly instalments and the bank had genuine fear that the motor vehicles and/or equipment may be disposed of.

The motor vehicles and equipment, submitted the bank, were presently being devalued by Baceth Investments who, despite having its benefits, could not pay for them. If the motor vehicles and or equipment are not recovered soon from the first respondent (Baceth Investments) and the first respondent either disposes of them or continues using them while its has not paid for them, the applicant (bank) will continue to suffer irreparable harm, reads the banks papers.

The Head of Credit at Standard Bank Eswatini, Bafana Mhlabane, informed the court, in the banks application, that in June 2017, October 2017, November 2017 and March 2018, pursuant to Baceth Investments requests, the bank agreed to purchase and hire to the company the motor vehicles and forklifts. According to Mhlabane, the bank was represented by its authorised representatives when the agreement was concluded. MP Mabuza - the Hosea Member of Parliament who is currently on trial on terrorism-related and murder charges  and other duly authorised officials represented Baceth Investments during the conclusion of the agreement. The terms of the agreement included that Standard Bank Eswatini would hire to Baceth Investments the four motor vehicle and four forklifts. Another term of the agreement was that Baceth Investments would select the vehicles and/or equipment from its suppliers and transport them at its own cost once the bank had paid them.

It was also agreed between the parties, according to Mhlabane, that should Baceth Investments, at anytime of the hire of the motor vehicles and/or equipment, default in due and punctual payments or fail to observe and perform any of the terms of the agreement, the bank would be entitled to terminate the hire and take possession of the vehicles and/or equipment. Mhlabane informed the court that Baceth Investments took delivery of the various motor vehicles and/or equipment on different dates, commenced using them and made due monthly payments.

Breach

According to Mhlabane, Baceth Investments was in breach of the agreements as it allegedly failed to pay its due monthly instalments for the vehicles and/or equipment. He submitted that the arrears on the two BMW X4s were E94 301.44 and E87 341.62 respectively. The head of credit alleged that the arrears on the Hino 500 amounted to E84 959.75 and E40 719.60 in respect of Hino 300 814 LWB. With regard to each of the four forklifts, the arrear amounts, according to Mhlabane, were E27 083.25, E27 083, E27 080.60 and E27 512.50 respectively.

He said the bank intended to institute legal action against Baceth Investments for the payment of the arrears and damages. Standard Bank was represented by attorneys from Robinson Bertram. The matter is pending at the High Court.
Download Now

The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print.




MBABANE  One of the teachers houses at KaBoyce High School caught fire and an electric fault was suspected to have been the cause.

The incident happened at around noon while classes were ongoing at the school. By the time this reporter arrived at the school, personnel from the Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services had been able to put out the flames, which had already damaged part of the house. The affected house is on the upper floor of a double-storey block. Only one of the rooms, being the bedroom, was greatly affected by the fire, as most items in it were reduced to ashes. The passage also caught fire, as some items placed along it were also burnt. The bathroom, sitting room and the kitchen were spared. However, some items might have been damaged by the water used to put out the flames as they were soaked by the water which had been splashed all over the house.

Damaged

It was gathered that the fire might have affected the other house linked to the affected one, but the school Head teacher, Stephen Shabangu confirmed that one house was affected. It was gathered the other house might have had its roofing affected. Shabangu stated that police and fire and emergency personnel were still investigating the cause of the fire. When asked as to where was the teacher who occupied the house was when it caught fire, Shabangu said as far as he knew, all teachers were in their various workstations. One of the fire and emergency officers found within the school premises said they were still investigating.
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.
Gary Martin of Rantoul putts in on the ninth hole Tuesday while taking advantage of the warmer weather for a half-round at Willow Pond Golf Course in Rantoul.
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* server, researchers developed a mathematical model to describe the mpox (Monkeypox) transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM). They used this model to understand how MSM behavioral changes shaped the mpox outbreak in the Netherlands in June/July 2022.

In addition, they disentangled behavioral changes from the impact of vaccination to understand what could trigger a new disease outbreak. Likewise, they quantified the contribution of infection-induced immunity in reducing cases among MSM. Notably, the model accounted for mpox transmission only via sexual or intimate contact with steady and casual sex partners.

Study: The fading of the mpox outbreak among men who have sex with men: a mathematical modelling study. Image Credit: Dotted Yeti / 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.

Background

By the time the mpox vaccination program started in the Netherlands, i.e., in July 2022, the mpox outbreak, with most cases among MSM, had already begun to decline. So, the researchers investigated what all factors contributed to this decline, e.g., a decrease in the number of susceptible MSM or their behavioral changes, such as fewer casual sex partners and abstaining from sexual or intimate contact even with a steady partner.

About the study

In the present study, researchers developed a compartmental model to describe mpox transmission among MSM that fitted the daily numbers of mpox notifications in the Netherlands retrieved from their national surveillance system. Further, they used the fitting process to assess the magnitude and timing of the changes (all scenarios) that occurred only in July 2022 and combined for June and July 2022.

The study model classified MSM into four groups based on the number of partners and sexual activity levels, ranging from very low to very high. It worked on the assumption that infectious MSM abstains from sexual activity for a few days, which lowers their transmissibility compared to those who are not. Also, only a few mpox infected individuals need hospitalization, while the rest recover and become immune.

The team assessed the number of confirmed mpox cases per the date of symptom onset. They evaluated two behavioral changes in MSM - a decrease in the duration of the infectiousness while not abstaining from sex and making contact with fewer casual partners. Furthermore, they used a Bayesian approach to calibrate the study model to the number of daily mpox cases.

First, they computed the daily number of mpox cases by symptom onset using the model with every combination of parameter values. Next, they calculated the Poisson likelihood till 5 and 17 July 2022 for the scenarios with changes only in July 2022 and June plus July 2022, respectively. In totality, the team examined hypothetical scenarios for the mpox outbreak ending in 2022.

Study findings

The present study model remarkably explored counterfactual situations and showed that the 2022 mpox outbreak in the Netherlands was large but self-limited and could have faded by October 2022 even without interventions, such as MSM behavioral changes or vaccination. Notably, mpox had infected 64% of MSM with very high sexual activity in the model by the time of vaccine rollout. In addition, by that time, infection-induced immunity was adequate to prevent new outbreaks in the short term.

By incorporating heterogeneity in sexual activity, the study model captured the assortative mixing of highly sexually active individuals. Such sexual networks enhance the likelihood of the rapid spread of infection. However, the study model showed that even a smaller MSM group with a high level of sexual activity could cause a large disease outbreak in a short time. On the other hand, a reduction in the number of casual partners would have reduced the mpox epidemic scale. These findings demonstrate the importance of timely communication with at-risk populations without stigmatization or fear-chasing. In fact, spreading awareness even helped individuals with asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic mpox infections.

The study model showed that had there been no behavioral changes, the decline in mpox cases in a larger MSM group would have started about a week later, suggesting that the observed decrease in mpox cases was feasible only with behavioral changes. It is also noteworthy that the owners and organizers of MSM sex venues helped raise awareness per scientific evidence. Such collaborated efforts could help contain similar outbreaks by other pathogens (not sexually transmitted) among MSMs, a subpopulation having contact levels much higher than normal.

Furthermore, the study highlighted the positive impact of the mpox vaccination program. It reduced the risk of disease resurgence, enhanced immunity at the population level, and amplified the effect of awareness and behavioral changes. Thus, the researchers noted that the peak in modeled mpox cases matched observations without behavioral changes. In July 2022, with behavioral changes, the study model estimated a 13 to 24% decrease in the number of casual partners and a 50% decrease in infectiousness till sexual abstinence.

Conclusions

The study demonstrated that the depletion of susceptibles among MSM might have limited further growth of the mpox epidemic. However, behavioral changes in July 2022 accelerated the decrease in mpox cases among MSM in the Netherlands after the peak. Later, infection-induced immunity and vaccination of the most sexually active diminished the risk of resurgence of mpox. Thankfully, the resurgence risk of mpox in the short term appears to be very low, even with sexual behavior returning to pre-endemic levels or the import of mpox infections. In addition, the study model could be used to investigate the impact of vaccination in the long term for some subgroups of MSM and extended to account for transitioning across sexually active MSM groups.

Since prevention is better than cure, first and foremost, it is crucial to maintain high immunity in the MSM group with the most sexual activity though it is not a closed fixed group. Over time, unvaccinated MSM with low sexual activity at present might become highly active and supplement the pool of more susceptible MSM with a high level of sexual activity, thus causing a new mpox outbreak. Secondly, spread public health messages in the venues that the target group visit. Thirdly, as sexual mixing according to age is assortative, modeling should include the changing distribution of immunity in MSM less than 45 years or older.

*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.
In a recent study published on the medRxiv* server, researchers investigate the sociodemographic factors that contribute to the remission of the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) condition (PCC) or long COVID. Additionally, they quantified the rates of PCC remission, which was defined as complete recovery from all symptoms of COVID-19.

The researchers made PCC remission rate assessments in individuals who self-reported experiencing COVID-19 symptoms two months after they first tested positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) following the World Health Organization (WHO) description. To date, there remains a shortage of studies characterizing PCC and the prospect of its remission.

Study: Correlates of symptomatic remission among individuals with post-COVID-19 condition. Image Credit: Chollasit Lertpanyanuch / Shutterstock.com

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

About the study

In the present study, researchers used data from an internet survey, the COVID States Project, which inquired people about their COVID-19 status every four to eight weeks across 50 states in the United States of America between August 2020, and November 2022.

Through all waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, survey respondents with a COVID-19-positive test result were asked to complete a checklist of COVID-19 symptoms. Survey respondents rated the extent to which their symptoms interfered with their day-to-day activities in the past two weeks. The team also gathered information regarding each participant's age, sex, postal code, race, and ethnicity.

Each participant's vaccination status before the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection was also provided. The month of primary series vaccination was then compared to the first reported month of COVID-19. A covariants analysis on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) database was used to identify the predominant COVID-19 variant at the time of infection.

The first survey in which individuals self-reported PCC was considered their index visit. Survival analysis was used to consider varying follow-up intervals.

The researchers also examined the correlation between sociodemographic features and PCC remission using the Cox regression model. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were also constructed to visualize the study results.

Study findings

Over 31% of individuals who initially reported PCC and completed at least one subsequent survey later described symptomatic PCC remission. Four factors including male gender, less severe symptoms at the first survey, younger age, and Omicron infections increased the likelihood of reporting recovery from PCC. Individuals who experienced brain fog and shortness of breath were more likely to describe PCC remission.

Kaplan-Meier survival curve examining time to remit among survey respondents identifying as male versus female.

Kaplan-Meier survival curve examining association between presence or absence of brain fog at initial survey and likelihood of subsequent remission

The data points to long-lasting immune dysregulation and hyperinflammatory responses in some PCC-affected individuals.

Regardless of the extensive investigations, scientists do not completely understand the pathophysiology governing PCC completely. The lack of a mechanistic understanding of this phenomenon remains a major challenge to informing PCC treatment strategies, despite its ever-increasing prevalence and well-recognized debilitating effects.

Conclusions

The current study adds to the existing scientific literature by identifying PCC risk factors that also represent risk factors for greater chronicity of COVID-19. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of study participants reported spontaneous PCC remission, thus highlighting the dire necessity of developing therapies to treat this syndrome and maximize remission rates.

Scientists have only recently begun to describe the potential adverse effects of PCC. However, considering this syndrome would potentially affect millions of people globally, it is crucial to identify individuals least likely to experience spontaneous PCC remission.

The study findings may help target individuals at the highest risk of PCC and maximize the benefit of novel interventions. Improving the current understanding of which individual symptoms are predictive of poorer PCC outcomes may also provide important insights into underlying processes governing PCC.

*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.
Characterized by antisocial behaviors and low academic achievement, conduct disorder (CD) impacts an estimated 9.5% of individuals in the United States. Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for CD. Past CD studies have identified structural alterations in various brain regions, such as those implicated in emotion processing, learning, and social cognition. A new study appearing in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, has now assessed whether youths with CD who experienced childhood maltreatment differ at the brain level from those with CD without a history of maltreatment.

The research, led by Marlene Staginnus, a PhD student at the University of Bath, UK, tested the ecophenotype model, which proposes that maltreatment-related psychopathology is distinct from forms of psychopathology that do not develop as a result of childhood maltreatment. The study included 146 healthy controls and 114 youths with CD. The researchers collected structural MRI data to study cortical structure, including the volume, area, and thickness of the cortex, the outer layer of the brain.

Our findings have important implications for theory, research, and clinical practice for those working in mental health or forensic services for young people. First, they suggest that, despite having the same diagnosis, conduct disordered youths with and without maltreatment differ from each other in brain structure and also differ from healthy youth in different ways. To be more specific, the conduct disordered youth with a history of childhood maltreatment showed far more extensive changes in brain structure than the non-maltreated youth with CD -- multiple brain regions were affected, and several different aspects of cortical structure (cortical thickness, surface area, and folding) were altered. The maltreated youth with CD also differed more in comparison to the healthy youth than their non-maltreated counterparts." Graeme Fairchild, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK, senior author on the paper

In line with the researchers' hypotheses, maltreated and non-maltreated CD youths displayed distinct alterations compared to healthy controls. When combining the CD youths with and without maltreatment into a single group, the CD group displayed lower cortical thickness in the right inferior frontal gyrus. However, when the maltreated and non-maltreated youths were separately compared with healthy controls, those who had experienced maltreatment displayed more widespread structural changes in comparison to healthy controls that did their non-maltreated counterparts.

Cameron Carter, MD, editor of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, said of the study, "the authors use structural MRI to measure the changes in brain structure associated with CD and highlight the unique contribution of childhood maltreatment to these changes. The study provides neurobiological insights into the heterogeneity of CD with implications for understanding pathophysiology and informing future treatment development."

These findings may help guide research toward better understanding the prevention, assessment, and treatment of CD. They also beckon to researchers to explore whether there is a distinct pathway between maltreatment and antisocial behavior, or if such brain differences translate to differences in treatment responsiveness.

Dr. Fairchild recommends that "maltreatment history be assessed in future neuroimaging studies of conduct disorder and other psychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence."
After railing at the injustices of U.S. health care for decades, Sen. Bernie Sanders in January became the new chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee. The job gives the health care industry's biggest Washington nemesis an unprecedented opportunity to shape health care reform in Congress. But the sort of radical changes he seeks could prove elusive. Even Sanders concedes there are limits to the powers of his position.

President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday night showed how much of Sanders' platform has moved into the mainstream of the Democratic Party, with Biden at times sounding like his former Democratic primary foe, lashing out at Big Pharma and its "record profits." Biden bragged about measures taken to lower drug prices and halt surprise bills during his term thus far, and he urged Congress to pass a federal expansion of Medicaid.

Still, the radical changes Sanders seeks could prove elusive. During an interview with KHN at his Senate office recently, the independent from Vermont spoke about the prospects for lowering drug prices, expanding access to primary care, and his ultimate goal of "Medicare for All."

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What do you hope to achieve as chair of the HELP Committee  in terms of legislation, but also messaging and investigations?

What I ultimately would like to accomplish is not going to happen right now. We have Republicans controlling the House. And many of the views that I hold, including Medicare for All  I think if we had a vote tomorrow, we'd get 15 to 20 votes in the Senate and would not win in the House. I realize that. But I happen to believe our current health care system is dysfunctional.

We spend twice as much per capita on health care as other countries and 85 million people have no insurance or are underinsured. It is a dysfunctional system that to my mind needs to be fundamentally changed to a Medicare for All system  but we ain't gonna get it.

Q: What can you actually accomplish?

[From] a poll a couple of months ago just among Republicans. Top concern? High cost of prescription drugs. We're long overdue to take on, in a very bold way, the greed and outrageous behavior of the pharmaceutical industry.

Q: There are so many parts of the system that are messed up  patents, 340B, pharmacy benefit managers, insurance issues with formularies 

Right, there are a million parts to this problem.

Q: So short of a complete overhaul, what are the parts that you think you can change?

Every year the U.S. government through [the National Institutes of Health] spends tens of billions of dollars on research. The Moderna vaccine was co-developed between Moderna and NIH and received billions of dollars in assistance, guaranteed sales, and you know what's happened in the last couple of years. The CEO of Moderna is now worth $6 billion. All their top executives are worth billions. And now they are threatening to quadruple prices. This is a company that was highly supported by taxpayers of this country. And that's one example of many.

What is the responsibility of a drug company that receives very significant support  financial support, intellectual support for research and development  to the consumers of this country? Right now, it is zero. Thank you very much for your support. I will charge you any price I choose." We have to end that.

That's the starting point.

Q: But what's the mechanism? "March-in" rights, whereby the government could force a company to share its license for a drug that was developed with federal investment, allowing others to produce it?

That is one approach. Threatened by people in George W. Bush's administration, by the way. March-in is one option.

Reasonable pricing is another area. I have made two trips to Canada: once as a congressman from Vermont, took a bunch of working-class women across the border to buy a breast cancer drug; once as a presidential candidate, took people from the Midwest, and we bought insulin. The price was one-tenth of the U.S. cost in both cases.

Another area is primary health care. I have worked hard with other members through the Affordable Care Act and American Rescue Plan [Act] to significantly expand community health centers. FQHCs [federally qualified health centers] provide primary care, dental care, mental health counseling, and low-cost prescription drugs. About one-third of [people in Vermont] get primary care through community health centers.

Q: I was at a meeting of FDA and patent office people, hearing from biosimilars companies, patients, etc., and a lot of what they were saying is that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can't do that much about patent thickets, and it'd be good if Congress did something.

That is one of the disgraceful tools that pharma utilizes to make sure we pay high prices and don't get generics. Yes, it's certainly something that we should be looking at.

Q: Other priorities?

The crisis in the health care workforce. We don't have enough doctors, nurses, dentists, mental health counselors, pharmacists. The nursing crisis is enormous. We have a hospital in Burlington, moderate size by national standards, largest by far in Vermont. They told me they are going to spend $125 million on traveling nurses this year. One moderate-sized hospital! Meanwhile we have young people who want to become nurses, and we can't educate them. We don't have enough nurse educators. I think we get bipartisan support for that issue.

Another thing I want to look at is dental care. Not enough dentists, too expensive, whole regions don't have them.

Q: Did you agree with President Biden's decision to end the public health emergency in May?

[Frowns] I have some concerns. [Sanders appeared to be the only member of Congress wearing a mask during Biden's speech on Tuesday.] It's going to dump a lot more people into the uninsured again.

Q: And things like vaccines would not be covered anymore.

They'd go on the market. Our friends at Pfizer and Moderna want to quadruple the prices. So if you're hesitant now about getting vaccinated, and it's free, what about when it costs you $125?

Q: As you say, drug prices are a big concern for everyone. But among Republicans there seems to be more inclination to push on pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, as opposed to drug companies. Is that an area where there could be legislation?

You've got the insurance companies, the PBMs, and pharma. Everyone wants to blame the other guy. And yet they're all culpable. And we're going to take a hard look at it.

Q: Is Dr. Robert Califf, the FDA commissioner, a good interlocutor for you?

A lot of work has to be done with FDA. Let's just say I think it's important that we take a hard look at what they're doing. They have some responsibility for pricing. It's part of that mission that they haven't exercised.

Q: What about the 340B issue? Accusations that hospitals are gaming the system.

Yes, it is something. One of the first things [I did] when I was mayor of Burlington from 1981-89 was take away the tax-exempt status of the hospital. Because I did not believe they were fulfilling their responsibility to serve the poor and working families. We had a lot of discussions, and the situation improved. Right now the criteria to receive tax-exempt status is extremely nebulous. That's an issue somewhere down the road I want to look at. If you're not going to pay taxes, what are you, in fact, doing?

Q: Do you have particular allies in either party?

I talked today with a conservative GOP senator who will work with me on issue X, but not issue Y. It depends on the issue. If we're going to be successful, we're going to need bipartisan support. And there is that level of support. I've talked to now four out of the 10 or 11 Republicans on the committee, and I'll talk to the rest.

Q: Do you have a policy for dealing with the lobbyists?

I don't have lobbyists flooding through my door. These lobbyists are effective, well paid, and they help shape the culture of where you're going. My culture is shaped by going out and talking to ordinary people. I've talked to too many elderly people who cut their prescription drugs in half.

I'm not worried about the lobbyists. Worry about the people who are dying because they can't afford prescription drugs.

I don't have to have some guy who makes seven figures a year telling me about problems of the drug companies. They have to explain to American people why they made $80 billion last year and people can't afford medicine.

Q: Are you going to bring in pharma executives for hearings?

We're looking at all options.
Fluidic Analytics Ltd, a pioneer in protein analysis and the company behind in-solution diffusional sizing, will attend a number of events this Autumn to showcase its revolutionary technology for studying protein interactions. At each event across Europe, the team will present data from its pre-release instrument  the Fluidity One-W  which allows researchers to assess on-target protein interactions in solution and even in crude biological backgrounds.

The Fluidity One-W opens up the possibilities for detailed protein analysis in near-native states and natural environments, providing researchers with accurate and complete protein interaction data. Its ability to generate absolute size measurements through the proprietary method of microfluidic diffusional sizing (MDS) ensures confidence in the data collected and allows users to control for off-target binding and false positive measurements. Detailed protein interaction information including binding kinetics, K D calculations and stoichiometries can be generated, allowing researchers to gain the best insight into a proteins behavior in the cell. The Fluidity One-W is also remarkably easy-to-use, operating on a pipette, plug and play basis with minimal sample preparation to reduce time and costs and allow analysis at the earliest possible stage.

At a number of the European events, Fluidic Analytics will be presenting data and talking about the new possibilities for protein analysis with MDS during short talks:

Dutch BioPhysics (Veldhoven, Netherlands, 7th-8th October)

Tools for the structural biology of membrane proteins (Hamburg, Germany, 7th-9th October)

BSI-2019 (Toulouse, France, 7th-11th October) Including a 15-minute presentation, Tuesday 8th @ 09.15

GPCR International Meeting (Montpellier, France, 9th-11th October) Including a 5-minute presentation, Friday 11th @ 10.55

PSDI 2019 (Cambridge, UK, 3rd-5th November)

Drug Discovery 2019 (Liverpool, UK, 5th-6th November)

Bioscience 2019 (Stockholm, Sweden, 7th November) Including a 20-minute presentation  timing TBC


President Joe Biden on Tuesday delivered his State of the Union address to a politically divided Congress for the first time, calling for permanent fixes on policy priorities like unaffordable health care costs.

In one marked difference from his earlier speeches, attendance in the House chamber was at capacity with no covid-19 limitations in effect. And the lawmakers in the audience, both supporters and opponents, seemed to be in a raucous mood.

Our partners at PolitiFact fact-checked a variety of Biden's statements  ranging from Medicare, Social Security, and the health of the economy to infrastructure and a possible assault weapons ban  during the 73-minute speech. You can read their complete coverage here.

Throughout the address, Biden highlighted bipartisan accomplishments and also talked back when GOP members heckled his claims. His warnings that some Republicans want to phase out Medicare and Social Security riled conservatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who replied from the back row by shouting, Liar! as others booed. Biden responded, smiling: "As we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare [are] off the books now, right?"

Biden also took victory laps, some of which focused on health care initiatives. He talked about the savings to people and to the federal government that would result from allowing Medicare to negotiate what it pays for prescription medicines. He cited legislation he signed into law that, starting this year, would cap insulin costs for Medicare beneficiaries and, starting in 2025, would cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors. He also noted that 16 million people signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. But his repeated refrain on such points was: "Let's finish the job."

He dedicated an estimated four minutes to his efforts to hold down health care costs  namely prescription drug prices  and pointed a finger directly at Big Pharma. "We are taking on powerful infrastructure," he said.

Biden also noted how much the state of the union has changed since the early days of covid. He called attention to the end of the public health emergency slated for May 11, but reminded the audience  both in the chamber, where Sen. Bernie Sanders was among the only members seen wearing a face mask, and at home  that there is a continuing need to monitor the coronavirus and to fund the development of new treatments and vaccines.

Here is a sampling of Biden's health care claims checked by PolitiFact:

Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I'm not saying it's the majority.

House and Senate Republican leaders say they don't support this, but at least one senator has broadly floated the idea. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) released a plan in 2022 that stated all federal legislation sunsets in 5 years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again. (Scott's plan is a policy document that he is promoting again for his 2024 reelection.)

Scott's proposal does not specifically call for a phase-out of Medicare and Social Security, which were created generations ago through federal legislation. And his plan doesn't have widespread support among his party; Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader in the Senate, in 2022 said it would not be part of the party's agenda.

Some House Republicans have left open the possibility of changing the programs, including raising the eligibility age. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) suggested in August that Congress approve Social Security and Medicare annually rather than as an automatic entitlement. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Jan. 29 during a CBS Face the Nation interview that cuts to Social Security or Medicare are off the table.

"We're finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices.

Thats a touch too broad. Although the Inflation Reduction Act will allow Medicare for the first time to negotiate prescription drug prices with manufacturers, the provision will not take effect until 2026. The initial group of negotiable drugs will be limited to 10 that year. More drugs will be added to the negotiation list each year.

The Department of Health and Human Services is barred from negotiating on prescription drugs in the Medicare program until theyve been on the market for several years.
MBABANE  Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo has taken on Swaziland News Editor Zweli Martin Dlamini over his circulating audio.

In a statement issued yesterday, Nxumalo said under normal circumstances, government did not respond to stories or comments by terrorists and proscribed entities. He said, however, because the mainstream media had asked for governments comment on the circulating audio directed to the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku, by Swaziland News Editor, known as Zwemart, they would respond.

Greeting

In the audio that this publication was privy to, as it was also circulated in various social media platforms, Dlamini started off by greeting Masuku, and addressing him as honourable. He reminded the DPM that in the past, they both communicated such that he would often visit his (DPM) office. He reminded the DPM that way back, he reported that police arrived at his home and terrorised his children but the DPM never responded to that even once. It was later established from Dlamini that the incident happened some time in 2020. Dlamini said he still had the messages he sent to Masuku regarding the matter. In the audio, he said he did not take much interest in politics, but what mattered was that he expressed that he would be happy that one day the DPM would call a press conference to inform the nation that those police who arrived at his home were in heaven. Dlamini accused government of letting police officers terrorise them in their homes. He said the police terrorised children aged six and eight and he reported such to the DPM, who never responded.

He said he would tell the world that he also went to court to seek an order that the attorney general opposed, hence he did what he had to do to protect his family. Dlamini further stated that whenever he got a chance, he would do it (protecting his family). He said he would stand for what he was saying and wanted such to be known internationally that police arrived (at his home) armed with AK47 and terrorised his children. Dlamini alleged he was in possession of a list of the police officers who came to his home, further stating that there was a need to teach a lesson to the police who came to his home. He made other allegations against the DPM and due to their sensitive nature, they will not be repeated.

Dlamini mentioned that he was not hiding any of the things he claimed he would do and upon doing it, he would return home to take ownership. Meanwhile, in the statement issued yesterday, Nxumalo noted that in the audio, Dlamini was threatening the lives of security officers and lying about the DPM. Nxumalo alleged that Dlamini was merely confessing to what had become common knowledge, that he was the mastermind behind all the horrendous atrocities involving the brutal murder of members of the security forces and members of the public, including a chief (Chief Mahloma).

Proscribed

Nxumalo said Dlamini was also a member of a proscribed political entity that believed in brutality and violence in pursuing a cause of action to cause misery to families and to the broader members of society. Dlaminis Swaziland News was proscribed by the government last year. The government spokesperson further alleged that Dlamini had also planned and carried out the burning of public and private property, including business infrastructure, activities which had threatened the countrys economy, and led to massive job losses. He said some families were without fathers and mothers today because of Dlaminis activities, that he (Nxumalo) described as evil activities. He also said Dlamini was bragging and making fun of the international legal and law enforcement frameworks. This shows absolute ignorance on how the international legal frameworks work, he said.

Nxumalo added that Dlamini continued to threaten security and brag about it. He said the editor justified his (alleged) killing by saying the police came to his home to conduct a search.

We all know that the police are always armed when they conduct operations. In this case, they never threatened nor shot any child, neither did they kill anyone in his homestead. EmaSwati should ask themselves what kind of a human being this is. Lijabhane lomuntfu, he alleged. Nxumalo said Dlamini had resorted to insulting anyone who did not dance to his horrible music. For example, he calls the DPM a thief, but he could not provide evidence, or record a statement anywhere because he is in hiding in a known place in the neighbouring State and is a fugitive of the law. He lies every day and taints the names of important people in the country, said Nxumalo.

Nxumalo said of course, there was nothing inappropriate about him meeting and communicating with the DPM. Why should meeting the DPM be an issue, as a public servant whose service is neutral? He serves all emaSwati, including those who work against government, said Nxumalo. The government spokesperson said government assured the nation that the long arm of the law would eventually catch up with him as things were already unravelling in the country right now in terms of the atrocities perpetrated against innocent emaSwati and members of the law enforcement organisations.
In a recent study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers discussed the challenges faced by pregnant individuals amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Background

The measures introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be part of peoples daily lives. Although using face masks has been touted as the new normal, other restrictive measures, including the closure of schools/facilities, have severely affected individuals. The first lockdown in Germany reduced the number of elective surgeries by 40%.

Since maternal/neonatal care cannot be postponed, pregnant individuals and their partners had to face restrictions in antenatal/postpartum care. Policymakers had to make decisions under uncertainty and pressure as the evidence/experience was limited. Therefore, examining COVID-19 pandemic-related changes experienced by pregnant individuals is necessary. In the present study, researchers explored pandemic-associated challenges in pregnancy care.

Weighing restrictions and changes against measures to contain the pandemic

The German government introduced different measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. These were contact restrictions, mandatory masking, and industry closures. Comirnaty, the first vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was licensed in Germany in December 2020. Vaccination was implemented, initially prioritizing risk groups due to limited vaccine doses.

However, vaccination among pregnant individuals was contentious. This sub-population had limited safety/efficacy data as pregnant subjects were not part of the vaccine clinical trials. Vaccination for pregnant individuals was gradually recommended, with an increasing body of evidence indicating the protective effect of vaccines.

Pregnant individuals have been historically excluded from vaccine trials and considered highly susceptible to select diseases. Although controversial, some researchers suggest including pregnant people in clinical trials, which has led to studies evaluating the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. One study observed a significant decline in stillbirths with no vaccine-attributable adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Vaccination has been historically a significant health measure against infectious diseases, and the hope to contain the COVID-19 pandemic was centered on vaccine development. The objective was to prevent COVID-19 directly or indirectly. Several strategies have been implemented to improve vaccination coverage, including the 3G rule.

Individuals were restricted access to public spaces if they were not vaccinated, recovered, or tested negative for COVID-19. An important implication was to what extent the restrictions limited autonomy since vaccinated populations had more freedom than others who did not comply with the 3G rule. The Corona Protection Ordinance required primary/booster vaccination status for public activities.

Pregnant individuals were initially hesitant to vaccinate due to the exclusion from vaccine development trials. A study reported that 73% of pregnant subjects would not vaccinate even if vaccines were safe and effective during pregnancy. Older age and higher educational level were associated with vaccine acceptance.

Vaccine skepticism might have been due to misinformation on the impact of vaccines on reproductive health and fertility. Thus, government-commissioned providers must relay the correct information. Around 26% of females reported challenges accessing routine antenatal care in Germany during the pandemic. Most restrictions were during childbirth and in the postpartum period.

A Japanese study revealed that patients were required to use face masks during labor and delivery. In contrast, another study reported limitations in birth experiences during the pandemic in some European countries. These included restrictions on a companions presence during birth and skin-to-skin contact/breastfeeding if the mother was suspected/confirmed to have been infected.

Mental health concerns

Some populations have been more exposed to SARS-CoV-2, while others have a higher risk for long-term health damage. Targeting vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, is essential to promote equity and address the most neglected and vulnerable populations. The World Health Organization (WHO) concluded in a scientific brief that the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health and social measures increased mental health problems.

Several studies have reported growing mental problems in expectant mothers. In particular, one study suggested that the pandemic aggravates stress-associated vulnerabilities, predicting elevated anxiety, and distinguished two kinds of stress, preparedness stress, the feeling of being unprepared for childbirth, and perinatal infection stress, the anxiety of contracting the infection.

Conclusion

Taken together, the authors provided valuable insights into the measures, peculiarities, and changes experienced by pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women who delivered during the pandemic faced limitations, particularly during childbirth, when restrictions were imposed on a companions presence and to wear face masks. More research is required to evaluate the differences between women experiencing pandemic-related challenges during pregnancy/childbirth and those who did not.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in plastics may contribute to diabetes risk in women, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Phthalates are chemicals widely used in plastics such as personal care products, children's toys, and food and beverage packaging. Phthalate exposure is associated with reduced fertility, diabetes and other endocrine disorders.

Our research found phthalates may contribute to a higher incidence of diabetes in women, especially White women, over a six-year period. People are exposed to phthalates daily increasing their risk of several metabolic diseases. It's important that we address EDCs now as they are harmful to human health." Sung Kyun Park, Sc.D., M.P.H., of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Mich

The researchers studied 1,308 women from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation-(SWAN) over six years to see if phthalates contributed to incident diabetes in this population. About 5% of the women developed diabetes over six years. These women had concentrations of phthalates in their urine similar to middle-aged women in the U.S. in the early 2000s, when the urine samples were collected. White women exposed to high levels of some phthalates had a 30-63% higher chance of developing diabetes, while the harmful chemicals were not linked to diabetes in Black or Asian women.

The other authors of this study are Mia Q. Peng, Carrie A. Karvonen-Gutierrez and Bhramar Mukherjee of the University of Michigan School of Public Health; and William H. Herman of the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The study received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the SWAN Repository, the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

"Our research is a step in the right direction towards better understanding phthalates' effect on metabolic diseases, but further investigation is needed," Park said.
Certain complications during pregnancy bring an increased risk of heart disease later on. However, there is still much to learn about how arteriosclerosis develops between pregnancy and heart disease later in life. A large new study led by researchers from Lund University in Sweden shows that narrowing and calcification of the blood vessels of the heart are more common in women previously affected by pregnancy complications.

Despite complications in pregnancy having increasingly been acknowledged as a new type of risk factor for heart disease, it is yet to be determined how this information can best be used within healthcare.

"Our results suggest that the correlation exists even among women with a low expected risk of cardiovascular disease. The study is an important piece of the puzzle in understanding how women with pregnancy complications should be followed-up by their healthcare provider after pregnancy," says Simon Timpka, associate professor of clinical epidemiology who leads the research team Perinatal and Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Lund University and is a resident in obstetrics and gynaecology at Skane University Hospital.

Researchers included 10,528 women from the National Medical Birth Register* who have subsequently gone on to participate in the large population study SCAPIS - Swedish CArdiopulmonary bioImage Study - at age 50-65 years. All the women underwent CT scanning of the coronary arteries (coronary computed tomography angiography) in order to detect calcification of blood vessels, narrowing and other signs of heart disease. The researchers investigated signs of heart disease by history of five common complications in pregnancy: pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension), preterm delivery, gestational diabetes and infants born small for gestational age.

Four per cent more of the women with pregnancy complications had visible atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, compared to the group who had not had complications in pregnancy (32 per cent as opposed to 28 per cent).

The greatest link was for pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. Among women who had not experienced any complications in pregnancy, two per cent had narrowing in coronary arteries while the corresponding number among women who previously suffered from pre-eclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension was five per cent.

To reduce the risk of these women developing coronary heart disease in the future, it is important that they check risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol regularly." Sofia Sederholm Lawesson, consultant cardiologist at the University Hospital in Linkoping and one of the co-authors of the study

"In this study, we have investigated many different associations between complications in pregnancy and heart disease all at once, so it is possible that chance might explain individual results," says Simon Timpka. "Yet the pattern is relatively consistent, which makes it easier to draw conclusions including that women with prior pre-eclampsia have changes in the coronary arteries that are equivalent to the changes seen in women who have not experienced complications in pregnancy but are five to ten years older."

According to Simon Timpka, CT scans of the coronary arteries are increasingly used in patients presenting with symptoms, but there is still a lack of large studies into the significance over time of some of the studied changes among women without current symptoms.

"Even if our study provides new knowledge on the development of coronary heart disease among middle-aged women who have previously suffered complications in pregnancy, there is a need for long-term studies in order to understand the true meaning that our discoveries have for symptomatic disease," concludes Simon Timpka.
Fluidic Analytics diffusional sizing technology has been influential in a recent study that investigates protein binding and self-assembly in Alzheimers disease. This work will be presented by Professor Sara Linse of Lund University, Sweden, during the FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award plenary lecture at FEBS 2019, Krakow, Poland (Sunday 7th July at 2pm). Her work on the mechanism of amyloid  aggregation and the role of inhibitors demonstrates the unique ability of diffusional sizing to assess protein binding in-solution and for difficult-to-study systems.

Fluidic Analytics Ltd, experts in protein analysis and the company behind in-solution diffusional sizing, will host an extended Q&A session with Professor Linse at their booth (number 7) at 3pm following her plenary talk. Visitors to the Fluidic Analytics booth will also be able to have an early look at the Fluidity One-W before its official launch later this year. This instrument has the ability to assess on-target protein interactions in solution and in crude biological backgrounds  opening up the possibilities for detailed analysis of proteins in their near-native states and natural environments. The system is easy-to-use, and based on the well-understood relationship between size and diffusion rate, providing researchers with true confidence in the quality and accuracy of their data.

Professor Sara Linse, Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University commented: During our research into protein amyloid formation, we have used many different techniques for assessing protein interactions  all with different limitations and advantages. With diffusional sizing, we were able to confidently generate accurate and complete in-solution data using amyloid proteins to connect stoichiometry and binding affinities with protein self-assembly. The data we will present at FEBS 2019 could provide key insights for novel therapeutic approaches in Alzheimers disease. The Fluidity One-W has contributed significantly to this detailed understanding.

The data we will present at FEBS 2019 could provide key insights for novel therapeutic approaches in Alzheimers disease. The Fluidity One-W has contributed significantly to this detailed understanding. Professor Sara Linse, Lund University

With applications ranging from neurobiology and cell signaling to drug discovery, the potential impact of diffusional sizing in fundamental scientific research is vast and spans many research areas. Dr Sean Devenish, Head of R&D at Fluidic Analytics explains: The unique capabilities of the Fluidity One-W position it as the only viable option for analyzing difficult-to-study proteins, like amyloid fibrils, in solution. Researchers gain the best insight into what their protein of interest is interacting with, and how, even in complex backgrounds such as crude lysates. The technology is opening up many new avenues of research into protein interactions and expanding the systems that can be studied, and Professor Linses recent work is a great example of whats possible with this new approach to protein analysis.
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have found that a school-based screen for mental health problems, combined with a referral system, can be effective at improving and protecting the mental health of adolescents.

The research, published in BMC Public Health, is the first study to examine the impact of school-based interventions on preventing psychotic experiences, an early indicator of developing mental disorders in children and adolescents. Of the interventions tested, one consisting of a universal screener and selective intervention was found to both reduce the rates of, and prevent psychotic experiences at 12-month follow up.

Prevention has two key objectives; to reduce the symptoms of mental health disorders, and prevent new incidence of symptoms. This study demonstrates that school-based interventions have the potential to be effective at both key aims of prevention, making a positive impact on public mental health." Professor Mary Cannon, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, RCSI

Lead author and RCSI PhD student, Lorna Staines commented: "Psychotic experiences are particularly common in the adolescent population and are associated with a four-fold increased risk for psychotic disorder, and a three-fold increased risk for any mental disorder. This study has for the first time identified school-based programs as an effective route to prevent psychotic experiences."

The lead authors of this study are supported through funding provided by the European Research Council Consolidator Award (iHEAR). The SEYLE project was supported through Coordination Theme 1 (Health) of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme. Further support was provided by a Wellcome Trust Innovations Award, a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the European Regional Development Fund and FutureNeuro industry partners.
MBABANE  Let me mourn my husbands death the way I deem fit.

These were the words of the late Thulani Masekos widow Tanele, which she spoke through a family member.Thulani is the Human Rights Lawyer who was gunned down in his parental home at KaLuhleko over a fortnight ago. He was laid to rest on Sunday, January 29, 2023, and his death made international headlines, due to his prominence and involvement in politics, with some organisations calling for an independent inquiry into his death. The family member was responding to concerns by some members of the public, who reacted negatively after pictures of Tanele were circulated on social media. Tanele was pictured in her mourning gowns in South Africa, and in one of the images, a member of one of the political formations had put his hand around her shoulder.

Memorial

She was attending a memorial service in Johannesburg, South Africa in honour of her husband. Some of the people who commented after the pictures were posted and circulated on social media, were of the view that she should be in the mourning hut at home and it was too early for her to be out and about. Some said it had been hardly seven days since her husband had been buried and as a widow, she should not be seen moving about in public, as per the dictates of culture. In response to the attacks, the family member, who was speaking on behalf of Tanele, said: Mrs Maseko is hurting and she is in mourning, so the statements that say she did not observe the mourning period are just unfortunate. She is mourning and she is observing the mourning period, unless people are expecting her to stay indoors.

The family member said being confined to a mourning hut was not a sign of mourning but a cultural practice that was expected of someone. He went on to cite Section 28 (3) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Section 28(3) states that a woman shall not be compelled to undergo or uphold any custom to which she is in conscience opposed to. The family member told this publication that people should understand that Thulani was not an ordinary person. He said Thulani affiliated to various international and regional organisations and alumni of various universities outside the country. From time to time, according to the relative, those organisations would require to hold memorial services or honour him in one way or the other. He said they would request the family to be present during the memorial services or events held to honour Thulani, because there was no better way of honouring a person than when his family was around. He said that was why from time to time, Tanele was expected to attend these events.

Travel

Ordinarily, it would be expected that she should not travel, but these organisations are not here in Eswatini. I know the other question will be why cant these organisations wait until the end of the mourning period. There is no definite period for mourning. There are people labatakhela 30 days labanye batakhela a period of kugucula. When we talk about fundamental rights that you will not be compelled to do something, let people allow her to mourn her husband in the manner she deems fit (sic), said the family member. He also urged people to understand and not be insensitive, as this was the most trying period for her and she was also not in a good space.The family member urged men to stop telling women how to mourn their late husbands, because no one tells them how they should mourn. He claimed that not so long ago, a pastor remarried within a short period after the demise of his wife, stating that these men never reacted the way they were doing now (with Tanele). So this patriarchy must stop. I dont think she will have time for these kind of attacks but she will concentrate on the fate labhekenene nayo at hand and do what she deems fit for the children, family and for the legacy of her husband, the family member added.

He said Tanele was still to sit down with various advisors about the legacy of her husband and how she wanted to honour him. What is clear is that, what Thulani believed in is real, what Thulani believed in must be pursued and she should be at the centre of pursuing what her husband was doing, but as to what manner and form she will take forward her husbands legacy, I dont think at this stage it is ripe to discuss it, said the family member. Human Rights Lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi echoed the family members sentiments, that womens rights were protected by the Constitution, which clearly stated how they should be treated.Men should stop setting certain standards for women because they are protected by Section 28 of the Constitution, he said. .
Magnom Properties, a unit of Saudi-based Rawabi Holding Group and the developer of Forbes International Tower, is partnering with Unicef to support youth empowerment in Egypt, bridging the digital divide and providing a wide range of skills development opportunities to both girls and boys.

Solidifying a commitment to long-term sustainability, Magnom and Forbes had last month joined hands at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, to announce the construction of a new zero-carbon commercial tower in Cairo, Egypt, which will elevate standards of green design and push boundaries of modern construction.

Envisioned by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG Architecture), the planned Forbes International Tower marks the start of a new era of building design.

A partnership agreement signed by Maged Marie, CEO of Magnom Properties, and Jeremy Hopkins, Unicef Egypt Representative in Geneva, Switzerland, launched the cooperation between the two parties, with Magnom Properties committing to investing in impactful initiatives to improve the lives of young people in Egypt.

Magnom Properties will support Unicef in implementing Egypts vision to provide internet access to less connected communities across the country and facilitate their acquiring of essential skills and opportunities within the digital realm.

The top developer said it will also collaborate with Unicef to facilitate access to information and digital training to young people, especially girls, to equip them with the necessary skills for better career opportunities and prospects of their choice.

CEO Maged Marie said: "As part of our CSR strategy to advance local communities and in line with the Sustainable Development Strategy worldwide and Egypts Vision 2030, this partnership with Unicef will accelerate our efforts to empower youth, especially young girls, through learning and skills development training."

"Digital skills are vital in todays workplace and equipping young people with the tools needed to build and thrive in their careers will boost socio-economic outcomes and drive forward our countrys overall growth. He added: At Magnom Properties, we are especially committed to empowering young girls to bridge the gender gaps in the countrys labour force. I look forward to our collaboration with Unicef to elevate the lives of all youth and make a meaningful impact on the next generation of our society," stated Marie.-TradeArabia News Service
The UAEs industrial sector contributed over AED180 billion ($49 billion) to the countrys national GDP, while exports reached AED174 billion ($47.37 billion) in 2022, a top official said while highlighting the achievements of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT).

Our achievements indicate that the UAE's industrial sector is making remarkable progress in adopting advanced technology and stimulating innovation in industry, Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), said commenting on MoIAT annual achievements report issued today (Wednesday).

The report outlines the Ministrys key outcomes and milestones in 2022, in regard to developing the industrial sector, increasing its contribution to national GDP, creating an attractive business environment for local and foreign industrial investments, and stimulating innovation and the adoption of advanced technology in industrial solutions.

The report showcases the progress of the national strategy for industry and advanced technology, Operation 300bn, which was launched in 2021 and aims to transform the UAE into a global manufacturing hub. Through joining forces with local and federal entities under the umbrella of the Industry Development Council, the National Committee for the In-Country Value (ICV) Program, the Steering Committee for Standardization and Metrology, and the private sector, MoIAT has worked to enhance the UAEs economic resilience, as well as empower national industries and enhance the competitiveness of their products.

"Launching several programs and strategies in 2022, MoIAT has made impressive achievements that support the UAEs industrial growth. The industrial sectors enhanced efficiency and competitiveness have increased its investment attractiveness and support the growth of national GDP. According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UAEs industrial exports reached AED 174 billion, which underlines the ability of our national industries to compete on the global stage.

The industrial sector is projected to have contributed over AED 180 billion, Dr Al Jaber said.

"MoIAT issued 263 new industrial production licenses in 2022  a 20% increase over 2021, while the national In-Country Value (ICV) program succeeded in redirecting AED 53 billion into the economy  a 25% increase.

Dr Al Jaber, continued: "His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, issued Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2022, establishing a key pillar for regulating and developing the industrial sector. The decree also expanded a package of incentives and enablers that support national objectives and enhance the UAE's industrial competitiveness, in line with the Make it in the Emirates initiative.

The Minister noted that MoIAT has established several international industrial partnerships that demonstrate the UAEs collaborative approach to drive progress across the board.

He emphasised MoIAT's efforts to help Emirati products enter new markets by working alongside other ministries to secure reduced customs tariffs in parallel with comprehensive economic partnership agreements (CEPAs). The Ministry is also providing financial incentives through seven local and international financial institutions, and has reduced 14 service fees to cut the cost of doing business.

He added: MoIAT is set to announce more initiatives, plans, incentives and enablers in the coming months as we look to achieve a quantum leap in the industrial sector in support of the UAE's vision for national development over the next 50 years.

Transforming industry with technology

Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, said: "MoIAT has helped to accelerate technology adoption in 2022, enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and investment attractiveness in the industrial sector. MoIAT also facilitated financing for industrial companies to obtain advanced technology solutions with a total of AED 699 million."

She continued: "Our achievements indicate that the UAE's industrial sector is making remarkable progress in adopting advanced technology and stimulating innovation in its operations. The launch of the Technology Transformation Program, which aims to establish 1,000 technology projects by 2031, is a significant milestone that contributes to the UAEs sustainability agenda. The program raises awareness, provides technical support, builds capacity, and creates an attractive environment with monetary and non-monetary incentives to advance the technological transformation of priority sectors.

Partnerships are at the core of the program, as we collaborate with the government, the private sector and academia to achieve its objectives. Through our partnership with the private sector, we helped develop sustainability roadmaps for our largest 50 factories to contribute to the UAEs climate neutrality efforts.

Al Amiri added: The government is working to position the UAE as a global 4IR hub, while building a competitive national economy based on knowledge, innovation, and future technologies. It also focuses on growing the rate of advanced technology adoption among national industries from 5% to 7% in 2023.

She pointed out that MoIAT has continued efforts to develop human capacities and support industrial leaders capabilities. In partnership with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, it trained 100 CEOs on leveraging 4IR in their operations.

Make it in the Emirates

In 2022, the first Make it in the Emirates Forum was held. It drew the participation of over 1,300 representatives of major local and global industrial companies, government entities, and financial institutions. The Forum saw the announcement of 300+ products that can be manufactured locally through investing over AED 110 billion as part of companies procurement requirements for the next decade across 11 sectors targeted for growth. Those sectors include metals, petrochemicals, plastics, machinery and equipment, defense industries, pharmaceuticals, technology, medical equipment, communications, F&B, and Agri-tech.

MoIAT conducted a feasibility study for 47 products targeted for local manufacturing to measure their compatibility with its strategic sectors and determine their imports volume. The results were presented at the Make it in the Emirates platform to attract potential investors in priority industrial sectors.

Moreover, the platform featured many key announcements that offer incentives for manufacturers.

These include reducing industrial fees for companies, reducing fees for services provided to the industrial sector, facilitating the entry of Emirati products into new markets at lower customs tariffs, and concessional financing through seven national and foreign finance institutions.

The Make it in the Emirates Roadshows series was announced during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), with around 60 leading industrial companies from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom in attendance.

So far, industrial companies signed 19 letters of intent to invest AED 3.1 billion in products targeted for local manufacturing. Last year also saw the introduction of new financing solutions worth AED 3.14 billion from the Emirates Development Bank and AED 1.3 billion from Etihad Credit Insurance to

empower industrial companies and enhance the sectors export potetial.

Moreover, MoIAT has reduced fees of 14 services to create an attractive business environment for local and international investors and support entrepreneurship and SMEs in the industrial sector by cutting down the cost of issuing licenses and certificates.

Through the Industry Development Council, which harmonizes federal efforts, industrial license issuance fees were reduced in Abu Dhabi to AED 1,000 and in Ajman to AED 1,000-2,000 for industrial sector investors, in cooperation with the departments of economic development in both emirates. In addition, competitive rents, which could reach as low as AED 10/m2, were provided in Abu Dhabi, AED

16/m2 in Fujairah, and AED 8-25/m2 in Ras Al Khaimah.

National In-Country Value Program

In 2022, six new entities joined the National In-Country Value Program, bringing the total number to 20. Through the program, companies have invested over AED 53 billion  a 25% increase  locally in the industrial sector and provided jobs for 1,987 UAE nationals.

Industry 4.0

MoIAT has redoubled its efforts to accelerate the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies in the industrial sector through a series of major initiatives under the UAE Industry 4.0 program. In 2022, MoIAT supported 175 factories in developing a roadmap for their technological transformations by evaluating their digital maturity, bringing the total number to 275 factories.

MoIAT has also identified and supported 14 national and international factories operating in the country within the category of industrial lighthouses as leaders in adopting 4IR applications. In 2022, a MoIAT-led survey showed that companies evaluated within the UAE Industry 4.0 program will invest approximately AED 750 million in advanced technology solutions, based on recommendations they received from the ministry.

Financing technology

Under the strategic partnership between the Ministry and the Emirates Development Bank, the Ministry has facilitated financing for industrial companies to obtain advanced technology solutions through the bank, with a total of AED 699 million in 2022.

In terms of supporting the capabilities of executives and leaders in the industrial sector, the Ministry continued its efforts through the Leadership 4.0 program in partnership with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, training 70 leaders of major local and international industrial companies in the UAE, bringing the total number to 100.

Through the Champions 4.0 Network, eight workshops and virtual tours were held to raise awareness about the importance of industrial revolution technologies and their uses in the industrial sector. These tours were held in partnership with local and international companies, including Siemens, Honeywell, Unilever, EDGE, Yokogawa and others. The Ministry also organized the first annual gathering of the Champions 4.0 Network, which was attended by more than 200 representatives of the industrial sector.

Moreover, MoIAT launched the first Industrial Empowerment Center through a strategic partnership with EDGE Group.

Technology Transformation Program

To complement the Ministry's efforts to support the adoption and development of advanced

technologies in the industrial sector, the Ministry launched the Technology Transformation Program. The program aims to launch more than 1,000 technological projects by 2031, raise advanced technology exports to AED 15 billion, and increase the GDP of advanced technology to AED 110 billion.

Digital transformation

The Ministry launched a roadmap for digital transformation in services, which included the development of a comprehensive and integrated strategy for digital and proactive services. Its achievements in 2022 include the completion of the service digital transformation project by 100% on the service digital platform, enabling customers to apply for services through the Ministry's portal and app, and the closure of the Customer Happiness Center in February 2022.

Electronic connection has also been activated with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and the General Civil Aviation Authority along with the enhancement of drone services. Two of the Ministrys services achieved distinguished results ranking among the top 10 services at the level of federal entities based on the results of measuring the quality of services for the first half of 2022. The two services include requesting exemption for industry inputs from customs duties and issuing product conformity certificates according to health and safety requirements.

Among its digital services results, the Ministry issued 117 initial approvals for industrial production licenses, an increase of 8% compared to 2021. A noticeable increase was achieved in the number of transactions requesting customs exemption for industry inputs, totaling nearly 200,000 transactions in 2022, an increase of over 7% over previous year, which contributed to reducing the sectors total costs by close to AED four billion in 2022.

The Ministry achieved 100% leadership in three indices of digital enablers, including the percentage of digital transformation of federal government services, the percentage of usage of digital government services and the percentage of usage of digital enablers. It has also developed an integrated industrial database, which resulted in achieving a score of 92% on the data maturity index based on the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center evaluation. The Ministry was ranked among the leading federal entities in terms of data maturity.

Integrated industrial partnership

The Ministry signed an integrated industrial partnership with Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, with the aim of enhancing sustainable growth of the industrial sector, driving progress towards achieving self-sufficiency, food and health security, integrating value chains, and providing new job opportunities that enhance sustainable economic growth. As part of the partnership, the first wave of industrial projects with a value exceeding $1 billion was launched in 2022.--TradeArabia News Service
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain and Qatar yesterday held a meeting to set up the mechanisms and procedures for bilateral talks.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani headed the Kingdoms delegation. He met the Qatar delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

The meeting explored the establishment of the necessary mechanisms and procedures to launch discussions at the level of bilateral committees, in accordance with Al-Ula Declaration issued at Al-Ula Summit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 5 January 2021, to resolve disputes between the two countries.

The two sides also reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the two brotherly countries in a way that enhances fraternal relations, and achieves the aspirations of their peoples for security, stability and development, and supports the path of joint action of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
Leisurely Lazy Saturday - Eats and Treats by Tania Rebello

TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com I have always wondered why breakfast at restaurants winds up around half past ten. The most obvious answer would be that they need to begin preparations for lunch, however, who likes to wake up early on their weekend to have breakfast? After a hectic week, Friday becomes a day of relaxation and when people head out to brunch across Bahrain. Undoubtedly, Friday brunches are extremely popular in Bahrain. However, the Bahrain Bay Kitchen at the Four Seasons Hotel has developed a unique concept that allows you to sleep in on Friday and enjoy a delicious late breakfast on Saturday. Not just that, they are ensuring that you have lunch too! The Saturday Lazy Breakfast is a big win for breakfast lovers who like to rest on Friday.

I sat at a table overlooking the lawn while soaking in the serenity. The breakfast buffet comprised all the components of a full English breakfast. They have one million and one ways to prepare eggs. Just rub the lamp and say the word. From simple sunny side up to omelettes with various filling options, eggs Florentine and eggs Benedict, they serve them all.

The eggs are cooked fresh to order. I began with a plate of sunny side up eggs, fluffy pancakes, chicken sausage, beef bacon and sauteed mushrooms. Beef bacon dipped in warm, golden runny yolks is a comforting morsel beyond words. Eggs are a great way to start the day, so I opted for an extra helping of eggs, this time an omelette with bell pepper, tomato, chilly and turkey ham. The eggs were tender, and the filling perfectly complemented the eggs. The pancakes were fluffy and paired well with Nutella. Unlike store-bought products, they prepare the chicken sausages inhouse and they are full of flavour. Peppery notes lent a delightful flavour to the sausages. The breakfast station had other breakfast items, such as hash browns, waffles, French toast, roasted potatoes, and pan seared tomatoes. Cold cuts with several sauces were available to relish with toasted bread.

I could picture myself creating a club sandwich but had to save room for all the delicious lunch options waiting for me. The Asian food counter consisted of siomai, udon noodles and Korean fried chicken. The siomai had a soft prawn filling hugged by tender dumpling wrappers. Each bite was dainty and fabulous. Udon noodles are thick handpulled wheat noodles with a slightly gummy texture. The seafood udon noodles had plump and juicy prawns, bell peppers, scallions, purple cabbage, and mussels, and I topped my noodles with crispy fried onions. The sauce was prepared with commonly used Asian sauces and a touch of sesame oil for a glossy finish. It was so delicious, and I would have returned for seconds, but the Korean chicken looked inviting. The Korean chicken had a crunchy and crispy coating and was perfectly tender and juicy chicken inside. The sauce enveloping the chicken tasted like a spicy barbeque sauce.

The chef insisted that I try the manakeesh. Manakeesh is a Middle Eastern flatbread comprising toppings cooked in a high-temperature oven. It did look good while they tossed them into a little oven to bake, so I did not hesitate to taste a manakeesh topped with cheese and zaatar. Served hot, the bread was soft and unexplainably scrumptious with the salty akkawi cheese, and herby zaatar. Extra virgin olive oil was drizzled on top as a final addition. Apart from the mix mezza, they also had a live shawarma counter. For steak lovers, they had a whole roasted sirloin with gravy and mashed potatoes too. The Indian counter had a selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The lamb biryani was mildly spiced and suitable for all palates. The chicken tikka was well-marinated and tender, while green chutney and tamarind sauce made perfect accompaniments. The dessert counter was a dessert lovers paradise with eye-pleasing creations. Each dessert was a work of art. An assortment of creative desserts, candy and ice cream, muffins, doughnuts, Arabic sweets and fruits was displayed.
, Feb 08 ( Japan Today ) - A 10-year-old French-Japanese boy will become the first officially recognized dual-national kabuki actor, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a star of the traditional art form.

Maholo Terajima has performed kabuki several times on stage since he was four.

But his May performance at Tokyo's Kabuki-za theater will be his formal debut under the stage name Onoe Maholo.

"I've always loved kabuki, since I was little," he said in French and Japanese at a press conference, adding that he hopes to one day perform in France.

"I'll practice hard so that our audience will enjoy the show," said Terajima, who wore a black kimono and gray hakama for Tuesday's event at the French embassy.

Kabuki shows are all-male affairs combining dance, drama and music, with men playing female roles. ...continue reading
UAE ranked No 3 behind China and India in the 50-country 14th annual Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index.

Saudi Arabia was No 6. Both countries were in the top 10 in all four Index categories: domestic logistics, international logistics, business fundamentals and digital readiness. Qatar was in the top 10 in all categories except international logistics, where it was 19th.

Global supply chain executives say innovation and help for small businesses will do the most to drive non-oil economic growth for Gulf economies, which outperformed most others.

Business fundamentals

GCC countries again dominated the business fundamentals rankings, which compare the legal, regulatory and tax frameworks of emerging markets countries. UAE (1), Qatar (2), Saudi Arabia (3), Oman (5), Bahrain (6) and Kuwait (11) were clustered at the top for best business climate.

Among the six GCC economies, Kuwait (No 15 overall) did most to improve its competitiveness, gaining ground in every category. In digital readiness, Oman, up five spots to No 10, and Bahrain, up six to No 16, made the biggest strides among GCC countries.

The Index and a survey of 750 global logistics industry executives comprise Agilitys 14th annual snapshot of industry sentiment and ranking of the worlds leading emerging markets. The Index ranks countries for overall competitiveness based on factors that make them attractive to logistics providers, freight forwarders, air and ocean carriers, distributors and investors.

Key drivers

In the survey, industry executives were asked to name the most important drivers of economic diversification for GCC countries, all of which are trying to reduce dependence on oil and gas by accelerating private-sector growth. Respondents identified the key factors as tech development and innovation; small business environment; infrastructure development; regional and global integration; business conditions for multi-nationals; a skilled labor force; ending energy subsidies; and creating career opportunities for women.

Outside of the GCC, there was significant volatility in the rankings. Conflict, sanctions, political tumult, economic missteps and continued Covid fallout damaged the competitiveness of Ukraine, Iran, Russia, Colombia, Paraguay and others. Among countries leaping forward in certain categories: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Jordan, Sri Lanka and Ghana.

2023 Index Highlights

SURVEY

Net-Zero Commitment  53% of logistics executives say their companies have committed to net-zero emissions, and another 6.1% say their businesses have already achieved net-zero.

Climate Change - Half say climate change is a concern their businesses must plan for, while another 18% say it is already affecting them.

Emerging Markets  55% say they will be more aggressive in emerging markets expansion and investing or leave their existing plans untouched despite fears of recession.

Digital Forwarding  Respondents say the biggest advantage is improved tracking and visibility; the biggest disadvantage is error/exception management.

Ukraine  97% indicate that their businesses have been hurt by higher costs or other supply chain challenges as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

China  There is an even split between companies planning to reduce their reliance on Chinese sourcing and those planning to expand in China. But only 11% of respondents say their companys manufacturing footprint is the same as before Covid.

Africa  Logistics executives see big benefits for Africa from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA), despite slow implementation of the agreement.

COUNTRY RANKINGS

In the Middle East and North Africa, overall rankings were: UAE (3); Saudi Arabia (6); Qatar (7); Turkey (11); Oman (12); Bahrain (14); Kuwait (15); Jordan (16); Morocco (20); Egypt (21); Tunisia (32); Lebanon (33); Iran (36); Algeria (41); Libya (50).

Rankings in Sub-Saharan Africa: South Africa (24); Kenya (25); Ghana (29); Nigeria (34); Tanzania (37); Uganda (43); Ethiopia (45); Mozambique (46); Angola (48).

Overall Index rankings in Asia: China (1); India (2); Malaysia (4); Indonesia (5); Thailand (8); Vietnam (10); Philippines (18); Kazakhstan (22); Pakistan (26); Sri Lanka (30); Bangladesh (35); Cambodia (38); Myanmar (49).

Rankings for Latin America: Mexico (9); Chile (13); Brazil (19); Uruguay (23); Peru (27); Colombia (28); Argentina (31); Ecuador (39); Paraguay (40); Bolivia (44); Venezuela (47).

In Europe: Russia (17); Ukraine (42).

Transport Intelligence (Ti), a leading analysis and research firm for the logistics industry, compiled the Index since it was launched in 2009.

John Manners-Bell, Chief Executive of Ti, said: It is not possible to overstate the challenges faced by emerging markets countries in the past couple of years. Geopolitical tensions have combined with financial uncertainty and the lingering effects of the pandemic to create an ever more complex business and investment environment. The role that the Agility Emerging Market Logistics Index plays in providing insight into this volatile, uncertain environment landscape is more critical than ever.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Government of Canada hosts a reception to celebrate Black History Month 2023

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, will host the official Government of Canada celebration for 2023 Black History Month at the National Arts Centre, on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023.

This year's theme, "Ours to Tell" will be highlighted throughout the evening through live performances, tributes and panel discussions that will honour and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black communities from across Canada.

EVENT: Black History Month

DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

TIME: 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

LOCATION:

National Arts Centre

1 Elgin Street

Ottawa, Ontario

Media representatives are instructed to proceed to the mezzanine (Elgin Level) for registration.

ONLINE BROADCAST: A live broadcast of Minister Hussen remarks will also be available via Facebook Live. Watch it on Canadian Heritage's account: http://facebook.com/CdnHeritage

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

For further information: (media only), please contact: Brittany Hendrych, Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, [email protected]; Media Relations: Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]
MONTREAL, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Is romantic exclusivity still popular in 2023? Do Canadians still wish to cultivate an exclusive sexual relationship with a partner? More than 4000 people across Canada responded to a survey that was part of the Mapping Contemporary Love and Intimacy Ideals in Canada (MACLIC) project, based at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM), and shared their views on the ideal relationship.

Romance is still in vogue among Canadian adults in an intimate relationship: "Our results show that Canadians in an intimate relationship expressed a stronger endorsement for romantic exclusivity than for sexual exclusivity as a relationship ideal," says Chiara Piazzesi, sociology professor at UQAM and principal investigator of MACLIC. "Romantic exclusivity refers to an arrangement in which one is in a love relationship with one partner at a time, while sexual exclusivity describes an agreement or an arrangement in which partners limit their sexual contact to a single person."

Key findings for participants in a relationship

81% of Canadian adults in a relationship declared that romantic exclusivity is ideal, but only 70% said that sexual exclusivity was ideal.

Among Canadian adults in a monogamous/exclusive relationship, 90% considered romantic exclusivity as ideal, and 79% considered sexual exclusivity as ideal.

Among Canadian adults in a non-monogamous/non-exclusive relationship, 16% considered romantic exclusivity as ideal, and 6% considered sexual exclusivity as ideal.

Among heterosexual adults in an intimate relationship, 91% considered romantic exclusivity as ideal, and 83% considered sexual exclusivity as ideal.

Heterosexual women were more likely than heterosexual men to consider romantic exclusivity as ideal (95% versus 85%) and sexual exclusivity as ideal (87% versus 76%).

Among gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or queer adults in an intimate relationship, 55% considered romantic exclusivity as ideal, while 36% considered sexual exclusivity as ideal.

Lesbian, bisexual, pansexual or queer (LBQ+) women were proportionally more likely than gay, bisexual, pansexual or queer (GBQ+) men to consider romantic exclusivity as ideal (65% versus 41%) and sexual exclusivity as ideal (43% versus 30%).

Among non-binary adults who were in a relationship, 36% considered romantic exclusivity as ideal, while 24% considered sexual exclusivity as ideal.

"While support for romantic exclusivity is relatively stable across age groups, support for sexual exclusivity gradually increases with age. Among respondents aged 65 and over, 87% considered sexual exclusivity to be ideal, compared to 66% of young people between 18 and 24," notes Professor Piazzesi.

Key findings for single participants

Of the 3900 Canadian adults who shared their relationship status, nearly one in three (29%) described themselves as single. Among single participants, three out of ten were dating one or more people.

Among single participants who were not dating anyone, 89% considered romantic exclusivity as ideal, while 79% considered sexual exclusivity as ideal.

Among single participants who were dating one or more people, two-thirds considered romantic exclusivity as ideal, while only 51% considered sexual exclusivity as ideal.

Single participants not dating anyone were more likely to consider cohabiting with their partner as the ideal arrangement compared to single participants who were dating one or more people (57% versus 46%).

Single heterosexual participants were more likely to endorse sexual exclusivity as ideal compared to single LBGTQ+ participants, regardless of gender. However, single women in general were more likely to endorse romantic and sexual exclusivity as ideal.

The sample

More than 4000 Canadian adults aged 18 and older responded to the MACLIC survey between February and June 2022. Of these, approximately 58% were women, 36% men, and 5.4% non-binary.

Statistics on the respondents' sexual orientation, relationship status, and age group can be provided upon request.

The MACLIC project and its team

MACLIC is a 5-year research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and based at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. The main objective is to document and describe current individual attitudes towards different conceptions of intimate relationships, as well as intimate arrangements among the Canadian population. MACLIC will provide data on aspects of our everyday life, such as ideas and practices in love and sexuality, that are of crucial importance for our personal and collective wellbeing.

Our research team

Graphics available

Professor Chiara Piazzesi is available for interviews.

SOURCE Universite du Quebec a Montreal

For further information: Joanie Doucet, Communication Advisor, Press Relations and Special Events Division, Communications Service, Phone: 514 987-3000, ext. 3268, Cell: 514 297-2771, [email protected]
Barely 17 days to the commencement of the 2023 general elections, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has been assured of over one million votes in Benue State.

This was as Atiku was predicted to emerge winner of the February 25th presidential election.

Atiku held his campaign rally in Makurdi, the state capital on Monday evening, after a series of postponements, which was not unconnected to the rift between the state governor, Samuel Ortom and the national leadership of the party.

PDPs National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu hails from Benue State and is not on good terms with Ortom

However, the coordinator of the Benue Voters in Diaspora, BVD, Chief Bright Igodo Ogaji said, contrary to opinions from some quarters, Atiku would poll massive votes in Benue State.

In a statement, Ogaji said the turnout at Atikus rally in Makurdi and the level of mobilization by various PDP stakeholders both at home and in diaspora, is a testament that the PDPs candidate would sweep Benue at the poll.

He said: I have seen the level of love and acceptability from the people. From what I saw yesterday at the rally, Atiku is the man to beat and nothing would stop Benue people from giving him over a million votes.

I know its very difficult to believe, owing to what people have been saying and hearing about Benue, but the power lies with the voters. You can see from the massive turnout today and I kid you not, we the registered voters in the diaspora are also mobilizing our people at home to give their support to Atiku Abubakar. He is the best for now.

Some of our members who registered in Lagos, Abuja and other areas of residence before leaving Nigeria, have already transferred their voting power to Benue. For some of us, we registered right here in Benue and our PVCs are in thousands, we shall speak with one voice come February 25th, 2023 and return Atiku as our next President. Benue has always been delivering for PDP and this time around, its going to be massive, unprecedented.

The US-based philanthropist and former chairman of Oju Local Government Council added: Unlike in 2019 when PDPs Atiku polled 355,355 against the APCs 347,668, the people of Benue would give the PDPs candidate landslide votes, over one million votes is guaranteed for him.

To make it a reality, Ogaji said all members of BVD from various countries would be arriving in Nigeria and Benue State in the coming days, for what he described as aggressive grassroots mobilization for Atiku and PDP.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday met with Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), at the presidential villa.

The meeting comes hours after the supreme court temporarily restrained the federal government from banning the use of the old naira notes from February 10.

A seven-man panel of the apex court led by John Okoro, a justice, granted the interim injunction after an ex parte application filed by the governors of Kogi, Kaduna and Zamfara states.

The outcome of the meeting is yet to be known but it is understood that the visit by the CBN chief is in connection to the supreme court ruling.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) asked the CBN to consider extending the February 10 deadline.

The Bretton Woods institution gave the advice in the wake of the difficulties faced by Nigerians across the country over the banknote swap process.

In light of hardships caused by disruptions to trade and payments due to the shortage of new bank notes available to the public, in spite of measures introduced by the CBN to mitigate the challenges in the banknote swap process, the IMF encourages the CBN to consider extending the deadline should problems persist in the next few days leading up to the February 10, 2023, deadline, the IMF had said.
Sun Siyam Resorts, an award-winning hospitality group in the Maldives, has announced the promotion of Deepak Booneady from Vice President of Commercial to Chief Executive Officer (CEO).



Within his new role as CEO, Deepak will oversee the overall operation of the company, work closely with the group general manager, the resort management teams, as well as with the head office board of directors to create, communicate, and implement the organization's vision, mission, and overall direction.



Deepak said: Im incredibly honoured and proud to be part of such a dynamic and progressive organisation that allows me to share and implement innovative ideas, vision, and creativity. Apart from growing the business, my main goal moving forward is to create a culture of innovation for the team and the company to be ahead of the market, and to craft unique experiences for our guests.



With his most recent position as Vice President of Commercial at Sun Siyam Resorts, the company saw substantial development with his steadfast vision for growth. Within the past three years and during the Covid-19 pandemic, Deepak successfully led his team through difficult paths and challenging times, while restructuring the brand and exploring new methods of business management.



Deepak made a lasting impression on the board with his vision, intellect and professionalism. He has made a tremendous impact during his time at Sun Siyam Resorts to date, and we have no doubt he will continue the momentum as our new CEO, said Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, Chairman at and Founder of Sun Siyam Resorts.



Deepak has over 25 years of experience in the luxury travel and hospitality industries. He first joined Sun Siyam Resorts as Group Director of Business Development in 2019 and was promoted to Vice President of Commercial in 2021. Having previously worked with Mauritius-based hospitality group LUX* Resorts and Hotels as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing overseeing product promotion and business development, Deepak had also been key in driving sales and product positioning.



An avid reader, Deepak is continuously broadening his knowledge through education and has most recently completed several executive education programs at Harvard Business School USA.  TradeArabia News Service
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor, has announced a 50 percent reduction in the prices of all state-owned transport services.

The transport services include bus rapid transit (BRT), Lagos ride taxis, ferries, and other transportation services in the state.

The gesture comes amid the lingering petrol and cash scarcity, which has subjected residents of the state to biting hardship.

Last week, some civil society organisations (CSOs), stormed the streets of Lagos to protest over the unavailability of cash at ATM points and financial institutions.

In a related development, the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday, announced the suspension of its campaign activities over the current petrol shortage and ongoing nationwide cash crunch.

Reacting to these events on Wednesday, Sanwo-Olu said the state will reduce transport fares and make provision for food banks in vulnerable places in the state to cushion the effects of what our citizens are facing.

I have directed that from tomorrow (Thursday), on all of our Lagos bus system, all of our BRT buses, on all of our LAGRIDE taxis, all our ferries, boats, and LASTMA buses and small buses we have in the state, that they should be carrying passengers at 50 percent of the current fare, he said.

This will continue to happen using their Cowry cards and we want to further make Cowry cards available for all willing citizens. We have over 3 million cards out there that are being used, we believe we will make them a lot more available.

So, for the next one week, passengers will enjoy a 50 percent discount from tomorrow morning.

You will also see us distributing food items, foodstuff that we are making arrangements for. And we have tens of thousands that are already ready and we will be identifying various locations in which we will be distributing these food packs so that we can cushion the effect on all our citizens.




The Federal Government has approved the use of Hijab for female Muslim students.





This was contained in a circular dated February 1, 2023, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew David Adejo.





The circular, which was obtained by newsmen, was sent to all Principals of all the 112 Federal Unity Colleges and Federal Science and Technical Colleges of the country.





According to the circular This is to bring to your notice that the Ministry has approved the use of corporate/cape size hijab as part of school uniform by female Muslim students in all the Federal Unity Colleges and Federal Science and Technical Colleges.





He explained that the students of the two schools can use corporate/cape size hijab on any of the approved school uniforms.





Adejo, however, warned that under no condition should any student be compelled to use the corporate/cape size hijab on her uniform against her wish.




The Federal Government on Wednesday said marketers who engage in racketeering activities are responsible for the rising cost and scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit in parts of the country.





The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, revealed this while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.





Sylva said although the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited has ensured the supply of fuel nationwide, challenges persist at distribution points.





He explained that the ministry had issued directives to end racketeering which has led to soaring fuel prices. But those directives have fallen on deaf ears, even as supply bottlenecks persist.





Therefore, Sylva, again, directed the regulatory agency NMDPRA to sanction erring filling stations.





In January 2023, the FG officially increased the price of petrol to N185 per litre, from N170 per litre.





However, it was reported that petrol is being sold for as high as N500 per liter in some states.





The Petroleum Minister, who insisted that PMS is now available nationwide, blamed the scarcity on factors outside the control of his Ministry.





However, he said the distribution challenge would not hinder the February 25 and March 11 election.





Sylva said the NNPCL has assured the Independent National Electoral Commission that petroleum products will be available for the exercise.





Meanwhile, the council approved N117bn for the construction of the Oloibiri Oil and Gas Museum and Research Center, Bayelsa State.





Awarded to MSSRS Julius Berger Plc, it is expected to be completed in 30 months.





This comes six decades after oil was discovered in commercial quantities in the oil-rich region.




The minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Haija Sadiya Farouq, has been accused of frustrating N-power volunteers over the non-disbursement of loans/grants.





A group known as N-Power Volunteers in the Federal Capital Territory Chapter disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.





Speaking on behalf of the group, Adeyeye Adepoju said the federal government needs to pay more attention to its promise to reimburse exited N-power volunteers.





Adepopu called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ask the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and CBN to do the needful aimed at ending the frustration experienced by Nigerians.





We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Minister and the Central Bank of Nigeria to disburse the loan to the already trained volunteers who are certified through various consulting firms across the country.





We want to use this medium to urge the Minister, Sadiya Farouq, to become completely occupied with her hubbys gubernatorial election campaign in Bauchi state. Please take a week to disburse the N-exit loan to N-power Volunteers Batch A and B, he stated.





Five hundred thousand batches of A and B N-power volunteers on-boarded in 2017/2018 were promised an exit package of N3 Million loan/grant after an abrupt disengagement during the COVID-19 period. However, months after training in March, disbursement has yet to be made.




The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has arrested the officials of the Abuja head office of Sterling Bank over N258 million new notes stashed in the banks vault.

In a statement on Tuesday, the commission said the regional and service managers of the bank were arrested on Friday.

The ICPC, however, said the two managers have been granted administrative bail while the investigation continues.

When the ICPC monitoring team visited the bank and discovered the stashed new Naira notes in the banks vault, it was informed that the cash was the remnant of what the CBN had given the bank for onward distribution to its branches, the statement reads.

The team however found out that only the sum of Five Million Naira (N5m) each was distributed to their various branches.

The commission also said several arrests were made in separate operations linked to the naira scarcity across the country.

In Nasarawa, the head of operations of Keystone Bank in Mararaba was arrested for frustrating its customers at getting the new Naira notes.

The ICPC team, while on its routine operation, found out that the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) at the branch were not dispensing to its customers, while other bank customers were accessing only One Thousand Naira, the statement reads.

It was only after the arrest was made and clarification received from CBN that the position of the officers of the Bank was not correct, that the ATMs started dispensing Five Thousand Naira to non-customers and Ten Thousand Naira to its customers.

In another development, the commission said its operatives arrested one Abdulkareem Shaibu, a security guard with the Zenith Bank branch located at the third avenue in Gwarimpa, Abuja, for possessing five ATM cards.

Shaibu was said to have used the ATM cards to withdraw cash for persons who were not within the bank premises at that time.

Two other suspects, identified as Adam and Umar, were also reportedly arrested in front of the Zenith Bank branch at the first avenue area of Gwarimpa for selling the new naira notes.

In another development, two officials of FCMB Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo have been taken into custody for assault of officers of ICPC and CBN Cash Swap Monitoring Team, the ICPC added.

Recall that it was reported last week that the said branch was caught twice for loading wrapped bank notes inside its ATMs.

The team, on a follow-up visit to ascertain the banks compliance level, was assaulted right inside the Branch Managers office by the bank officials who vehemently refused to allow ICPC carry out its lawful duty, and then held hostage for about two hours.

By the time the reinforcement of Police and NSCDC officers arrived at the scene of the incident, the masterminds of the assaults had gone into hiding, leading to the arrest of two bank officers who were also complicit.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the February 10 deadline for the use of old naira notes if the difficulties in getting new notes persist.

Ari Aisen, IMFs resident representative for Nigeria, gave the advice in a statement on Wednesday.

The deadline for the validity of old naira notes was initially January 31, but it was later extended by 10 days, with February 10 as the new date.

Despite the extension, the new notes are scarce and Nigerians are also finding it hard to get the old ones.

These challenges have led to protests and demonstrations in some parts of the country.

In light of hardships caused by disruptions to trade and payments due to the shortage of new bank notes available to the public, in spite of measures introduced by the CBN to mitigate the challenges in the banknote swap process, the IMF encourages the CBN to consider extending the deadline, should problems persist in the next few days leading up to the February 10, 2023 deadline, the statement reads.

Meanwhile, the supreme court, on Wednesday, temporarily restrained the federal government from banning the use of the old naira notes from February 10.
The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Iyorchia Ayu has urged Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State to join the partys campaign train.

Ayu said Ortom joining PDP would guarantee the partys victory during the presidential election.

Speaking at the PDP presidential campaign rally in Benue State, Ayu said: I am appealing to my younger brother, Gov. Ortom to come back and join us so that we will fight to rescue Nigeria.

Gov. Ortom has nowhere to go, his only house is the PDP and anytime that he comes, we shall be more than happy to receive him and all the PDP governors.

Ortom has been aggrieved with the partys leadership since the PDP presidential primaries in 2022.

He is part of a group known as the Integrity Group, agitating for fairness, equity and justice.

The Integrity Group, led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, have been agitating for a change of the PDP National Chairman.

They stressed that a Southerner should occupy the position of the National Chairman because the partys presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hails from the North.
Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), says no candidate will replicate the votes polled by President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2015 elections in Kano state.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, the LP vice-presidential candidate said his party is gaining support in the northern part of the country.

In the 2015 presidential election, Buhari, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scored 1,903,999 votes in Kano while former president Goodluck Jonathan polled 215,779 votes.

Buhari was declared the winner of the elections after he scored a total of 15,424,921 votes to defeat incumbent Jonathan who polled 12,853,162 votes.

The huge number of votes garnered by Buhari in Kano was instrumental to his victory.

Making reference to previous polls, Baba-Ahmed said the hopes of APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to get large votes from the north in the coming elections have been dashed.

He said the LP would win the polls while the PDP and APC would be the runners-up.

Baba-Ahmed said the presidential campaign of LP has moved beyond social media and currently gaining momentum in the northern region.

We have women rising to the challenge now more than we thought. We have the youths uniting particularly in the north, he said.

Im talking about Sokoto, Kano, Bauchi, and Niger. The women in Niger were just too good for us. All over the north.

Gombe was phenomenal. Adamawa was far beyond our expectations. We went to southern Adamawa, southern Gombe, and southern Borno. The energy in the youths in southern Borno is very unbelievable.

The northern Nigerian votes that were waiting to make up the difference which either of the two other runners-up (referring to APC and PDP) were hoping to get, turned out that they are not getting it.

The heavy punchers  Kano, for example  is now a watershed of what its votes used to be. In 2015, with the 1.9 million votes of Kano, nobody can aspire to have that which of course Buhari punched Jonathan with the final blow.

Nobody is going to get that in Kano. We have pulled a lot of weight beyond the comprehension of the two runners-up.




Following the protests that rocked Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, over the cash crunch, on Tuesday, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, has called on the protesters to stop their protests and allow the outcome of his engagement with the Bankers Forum and the Central Bank to yield fruits.





Gov. Abiodun, who made this known during the statutory meeting of the council of Obas, held at the Obas complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria is doing its best to arrest the situation.





The governor said the matter was being discussed at the highest level with both President Muhammadu Buhari and the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, in the quest to resolve the crisis.





The governor recalled that All Progressives Congress governors had met with President Muhammadu Buhari, pleading that the old naira notes should be allowed to run as legal tender along with the redesigned currency, pending the resolution of the cash crunch crisis.





While calling for calm, the governor said the voices of the protesters had been heard loud and clear and that the government is responding.





I call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions.





It has become necessary to formally appeal to all concerned, having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having conducted series of meetings, along with my brother governors, with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele and security chiefs on the challenges, sufferings and pains being experienced over this cash scarcity and cash swap occasioned by the redesigning of our currency.





I have also personally had to engage the controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Abeokuta and other bank managers to seek relief on the amounts that citizens can withdraw in exchange for deposits made in commercial banks and extracted a commitment that people would have access to their deposited funds without hitches, as CBN will supply adequately to the commercial banks.





I understand the frustration, disappointments of our citizens queuing at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), waiting to cash money for hours or entering banking halls only to be turned back or given so little that is not enough to meet their immediate needs, the governor said.





He added that he does not have a doubt that the intention of this policy was not to unleash hardship and suffering on our teeming populace.





We will hear from the President as to what steps are being taken to bring succour and relief to Nigerians. My plea to our monarchs being the closest to the grassroots is to ensure the maintenance of peace in their domains with the support of their subjects.





We will not be where we are in terms of socio-economic development in an atmosphere of insecurity; so we owe a lot to you and my charge to you this afternoon is that you please help us manage this situation.





Our people will listen to you, they will trust and believe you, please help us to intervene. Ogun State has always had a record of managing our problems in a very different way. When we had #EndSARS, we remained the most peaceful state across the country and I do not have a doubt that in the same manner that we managed ourselves during #EndSARS, we will also do so during this period, he said.





Governor Abiodun further said it is disheartening to see bank buildings being vandalised and people resorting to violence to register their displeasure.





We shouldnt allow our state to descend to that level. We are a peaceful and peace-loving people and the safest state in the country. I want to use this medium to plead with our youths that when there is a problem, the solution is not to hit the streets and to start protest marches; we can not solve a problem with another problem.





Civil disobedience will rather exacerbate the anguish in the land. Let us stay away from avoidable loss of lives and properties. Please, let us embrace peace. We are a very peaceful state; we are very orderly and we have spent a lot of time and energy to invest in the peace and security of our people. We must eschew provocation that could lead to a breakdown of law and order.





In his remarks, the Chairman, Ogun State Council of Obas and the Paramount ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, while thanking the Governor for looking after the welfare of the traditional institution in the state, noted that the 2021 Obas law is a comprehensive piece of legislation.





He charged monarchs in the state to go back and look at the laws all over again as it is meant to give a lot of guidance in terms of appointment of Obas and Coronet Obas.




Napoli president, Aurelio De Laurentiis has said the clubs talismanic forward, Victor Osimhen is not for sale at any price.





Osimhen has hugged the headlines following his impressive displays for the Partenopei this season.





The 24-year-old is currently the top scorer in the Italian top-flight with 16 goals from 17 outings.





There are reports Premier League giants, Chelsea and Manchester United are ready to break the bank to sign him this summer.





De Laurentiis is however adamant the Nigeria international is not leaving the club anytime soon.





He (Osimhen) is not for sale! Our players are in demand, but I dont have to sell anyone. We dont have any debts, he told the influential German newspaper Bild.





Osimhen joined Napoli from Ligue 1 outfit, Lille in 2020 and has a contract with the Serie A club till June 2025.
Protesters have besieged the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the office of the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) over a ruling of the supreme court on the deadline for use of old naira notes.

A seven-member panel of the apex court led by John Okoro, on Wednesday, temporarily restrained the federal government from restricting the use of the old naira notes after February 10.

The ex parte application was filed by governors of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara states.

Speaking with reporters in Abuja, Obed Agu, one of the leaders of the protesters, said President Muhammadu Buhari should issue an executive order maintaining the aforementioned date as the deadline for the use of old naira notes.

Agu also said the ruling was not legal, adding that by the injunction, the apex court would enable politicians to buy votes.

We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to issue an executive order for the February 10th deadline and prevent further extension, he said.

The supreme court wants to aid corrupt politicians to buy votes.

The supreme court ex parte application has no legal basis. We are rejecting it, because it is a plot to open the bank vaults to enable vote buyers and holders of illicit wealth to have cash to buy votes.

We ask the CJN to hurriedly vacate the ex parte order in the overall interest of the Nigeria election.

We have suffered a lot in the hands of the supreme court in undermining any effort for credible election. The supreme court voided the card reader which aided and increased official election result rigging.




The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested one Lot Bitrus in connection with a recent attack on the convoy of the wife of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Hajiya Lami Fintiri.





A Press Bus in the convoy of Hajiya Lami was badly damaged last Saturday when thugs hauled stones at it in Muchalla, a village in Mubi North Local Government Area, an action which was widely condemned as a political misadventure by opposing forces.





A Press Release by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Suleiman Nguroje, said the arrest of 24-year-old Lot Bitrus followed deployment of operatives of the Command to go against political gangsterism and their instigators.





The PPRO said the State Commissioner of Police, CP Sikiru Akande had directed that the suspect be investigated discreetly for useful evidence.





The suspect, Lot Bitrus, 24 years old, a resident of Muchalla ward was arrested in his hideout situated at a remote site of Muchalla Village, Mubi North Local Government Area, now in custody, the Police stated.





According to the statement, CP Akande called on political leaders to talk to their supporters to shun all forms of violence and key into the Commands effort in maintaining peace.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will work with the Lagos state parks management committee for the distribution of election materials and personnel in the state.

Olusegun Agbaje, INEC resident electoral commissioner in Lagos, spoke on Tuesday during the inter-agency consultative committee on election security (ICCES) meeting at the commissions office in Lagos.

Agbaje said working with the committee led by Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, would not compromise the elections.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, had set up the parks committee after banning the operations of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).

But Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had reportedly warned INEC against the use of the parks committee.

Abubakar raised the alarm that MC Oluomo is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council and has held solidarity rallies for the party.

Addressing the matter, Agbaje said the commission was only concerned about meeting up with the high volume of logistics needs for the elections.

He said the movement of electoral personnel and materials would be monitored by security agencies, party agents, and observers.

There is a ban on the NURTW and RTEAN, we are only left with the Park Management system and NARTO (National Association of Road Transport Owners) and we are already working with NARTO, NAN quoted Agbaje as saying.

NARTO is not even able to meet up with 40 percent of our vehicle requirements for this election. The commission in Lagos State does not have any option than to use park management system.

We are not dealing with Oluomo, we are dealing with the park managers. Individual people that have vehicles are those we are going to use.

So, it will be working against the law if INEC has to continue to work with NURTW or any other group that is proscribed in the state.

At the Central Bank of Nigeria where they are going to move our materials, there will be security agencies and party agents including the military to monitor and escort these vehicles from CBN to Local Government Areas (LGAs).

So, I dont see how this can compromise the election in any way. Our politicians should see the peculiarity in Lagos State; we cannot work with banned NURTW or RTEAN.

We need over 5,000 vehicles for this election, including trucks, buses and so on to carry our people and materials for the elections. There is no other way we can go.

We cannot go to other states and bring vehicles here, it is not allowed by law. The only way we can operate is through the park management system.

These are the only people that can give us any type of vehicles. In fact, most of the NURTW drivers are working with the park management system.
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.
Prices are up everywhere and food costs show this most glaringly in our everyday lives. That registers at the grocery store and, of course, at restaurants.

But still, bargains abound if youre willing to dig a little. Recently, I teamed up with WWL-TV reporter Lily Cummings to do just that. The result is the story below and her report here.

The challenge: Find 10 dishes for under $10 each.

We wanted local, independent restaurants only, so no chains, which can tap economies of scale not available to the little guys. And we were after true meals for under $10. They could be sandwiches, but not snacks or side dishes.

We used the pre-tax menu price and we always tipped, even when the gratuity would push the total we paid over $10, because that is simply part of choosing to go out to eat.

We made a similar effort last year around this time, and came away with some delicious finds. Those are all still recommended, and now here are 10 more to add to the list, plus some lagniappe of a few extra value dishes I tried along the way. Plus, this time around I managed to find a few relatively healthy picks, no mean feat when it comes to cheap eats.

These are examples of whats out there, food for thought for your next budget meal. The quest continues.

I want to hear about your finds, if youre willing to divulge. Post them on our Where NOLA Eats Facebook group.
The prosecution of the rape case involving LSU student Madison Brooks will be especially unusual without a living survivor who has made a complaint or who can testify, according to legal experts. Brooks was hit by a car and died after police say that two men raped her while two others looked on in January.
A blue tarp rests on the ground as a crew installs new rafters and other roof elements, as large trees cut up for disposal rest in piles, foreground, at a house on Oak Hills Parkway, just off Siegen Lane, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which blew through the area a week earlier. ORG XMIT: BAT2109061431370012
The state of Indiana may establish a revolving loan fund to help local units of government pay the costs of specified infrastructure projects and potentially reduce the price of single- and multi-family housing in the Hoosier State.

State representatives voted 91-5 Tuesday for House Bill 1005 creating the Residential Housing Infrastructure Assistance Program at the Indiana Finance Authority.

Under the plan, local governments could seek loans from the program to pay the costs of "public infrastructure," such as systems for water, wastewater, sanitary sewers and storm sewers, lift stations, streets, sidewalks, traffic signals, street lights and utility distribution lines.

It's not yet known how much money initially will be available in the fund that will be constantly refreshed as loans are repaid.

House Republicans are expected to include an appropriation for the program in the two-year state budget they're expected unveil as soon as next week.

However, for the best chance at obtaining money from the fund, the measure requires localities to revise or rescind policies many home builders consider impediments to development, such as garage size and placement, roof pitch, minimum lot and home sizes, setbacks, and parking requirements, among others.

State Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, the sponsor of the proposal as well as a home builder and Realtor, said the Housing Task Force he led last year agreed that making it easier for localities to support housing infrastructure will generate more private-sector investment and economic growth because housing is a long-term asset that helps communities and families thrive.

Opponents criticized the proposal for reserving 70% of revolving loan funds for communities with fewer than 50,000 residents.

The plan now goes to the Senate.

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
A professor will give a talk to The Calumet City Historical Society about the Chicago Portage water passage.

Prof. David Dolak will deliver a public lecture at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Calumet City Historical Society Center at 760 Wentworth Ave. in Calumet City.

His talk is titled "Geology as Destiny: Across the Chicago Portage, a Story of Glaciers, Voyageurs, and Carp!"

"Chicagos pre-eminence as the largest metropolitan area in the middle of North America is a result of the fortuitous access conditions across the Mid-Continental watershed divide created by glacial processes over the past 10,000 years," the Calumet City Historical Society said in a press release. "The Chicago Portage water passage has been used by Native Americans and European voyageurs and ultimately exploited by the famous reversal of the Chicago River by the Sanitary and Ship Canal. It led to economic and population growth in the Region but also created environmental costs."

The presentation will include the lecture, visual images and a live performance of an original song.

"David Dolak is an environmental scientist, musician, luthier, and outdoorsman," the Calumet City Historical Society said in a press release. "He has worked at Indiana Dunes National Park and Argonne National Laboratory and is a Professor at Columbia College Chicago."

The event is free and open to the public. It follows a general membership meeting of the Calumet City Historical Society at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Calumet City Historical Society Center is open from 2. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. on the second Sunday of every month.

For more information, email calcityhistory@aol.com, call 708-832-9390 or visit calumetcityhistoricalsociety.org.
HAMMOND  A Lowell man was sentenced to 235 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Clifford Johnson announced Tuesday.

Officials filed charges against Tyler Michael Thompson, 34, in April after he sent multiple videos of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer in December 2021, according to court documents. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found over 200 images and 100 videos of child pornography in his residence.

Thompson was ordered 10 years of supervised release following his sentence, Johnson said in a statement.

The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Porter County Sheriff's Department and Winnebago County Sheriff's Department in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
MUNSTER  Indiana State Police have publicly identified the Munster police officer who fired his weapon at a suspect as Officer Brett Scheffel, officials announced Tuesday.

Per department policy, Scheffel will remain on paid administrative leave until an investigation into the incident is complete, Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said.

Scheffel was with other officers investigating a report of a stolen vehicle Feb. 1 near Ridge Road and Manor Avenue when they located the vehicle at a nearby Mobile gas station. As police approached the vehicle, they watched Roy Viverette, 30, of Hammond, hop into the driver's seat and start the vehicle. Viverette rammed the stolen car into the police vehicles, and Scheffel shot at the windshield, state police said Thursday.

Viverette exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. He was apprehended by police and was medically cleared at a local hospital before he was booked into the Lake County Jail.

Viverette was charged with multiple felonies including theft, auto theft, criminal recklessness, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and resisting law enforcement, Fifield said Saturday.

Scheffel has been with the Munster Police Department for over 10 years, state police said.
A funeral service will be held for late hotel developer and philanthropist Bruce White at Old St. Patrick's Church and livestreamed to the public.

The funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Friday and be broadcast online at livestream.com/oldstpats/brucewhite.

White died at the age of 70 after being diagnosed with cancer. The hotel magnate was born in Gary, grew up in Crown Point and graduated from Purdue University. He later served on its Board of Trustees, transformed the Union Club Hotel into a learning lab for students and created the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

In all its history, Indiana has produced few citizens the equal of Bruce White. In a spectacular business career, his imagination and boldness created opportunities and wealth for thousands of others," Purdue University President Emeritus Mitch Daniels said. "He invested enormously of his energy and personal resources in trying to build the prosperity and quality of life of his beloved Northwest Indiana. And, of course, as trustee, donor, and advocate, he was a central figure in building the Purdue University of today. We cannot replace him. We will remember him with the deepest gratitude always.

He started White Lodging with a single hotel in 1985 and grew it into one of the largest hospitality companies in the country with hotels in Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, Denver, Charlotte, Austin, San Antonio and other cities. He built more than 225 hotels, including some that reshaped city skylines.

White also acquired Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming, and ran three luxury guest ranches there.

Marriott International Chairman David Marriott described him as a "hospitality industry icon."

"I learned a lot from his work ethic and ingenuity. We shared an important core value to always focus on our people. Bruce made it his business to not only grow White Lodging, but to provide opportunities for thousands of employees over the years," he said. "He also focused on the next generation of hotel leaders by generously supporting hospitality education."

Based out of a corporate headquarters in Merrillville, he worked to develop Marriott hotels around the country for years.

Marriotts relationship with Bruce White and White Lodging has been going strong for decades and thats a testament to our shared values and our belief that people are at the heart of this business. Bruce embodied that value. It isnt often in business that you have the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with a partner for decades  it has been our distinct privilege to do just that with Bruce and the team at White Lodging," Marriott International Chairman Emeritus Bill Marriott said. "The Marriott family and company will never forget Bruce and all that he has done for this industry.

White was survived by his wife, children and grandchild.

He was remembered for his philanthropy, including his support of YMCAs across Northwest Indiana and the new Merrillville community center on Broadway.

When I met Bruce White, I knew of his business successes, but not until working with him did I understand the scale and scope of Bruces philanthropic and civic involvement  which go well beyond writing a check. He believed in breaking down silos, and that strong community-based organizations with a connected citizenry will ultimately be a multiplier for good and a key to strengthening communities," Big Shoulders President and CEO Josh Hale said. "Bruces legacy is very much in the tradition of the philosopher who said blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit. His loss is great, but we all know his legacy will impact generations."
HIGHLAND  When police Chief Pete Hojnicki hung up his badge Monday, he signed off on a career spanning almost four decades of law enforcement service.

During that time, he saw a political mix of Highland Town Councils come and go.

The 59-year-old Hojnicki said he could not have accomplished what he did without his wife.

"Id especially like to recognize my wife, Linda, for her endless support throughout my 38 years in law enforcement, nearly 21 of those as chief," Hojnicki said. "None of this would have been possible without her."

Hojnicki's career began in 1981 with the Indiana National Guard, followed by a four-year stint with the Gary Police Department.

He has held the ranks of corporal, sergeant and commander with the Highland force.

His long stint with the Highland Police Department began in 1986. He was named Highland police chief Feb. 16, 2002.

Adding to his credentials, he graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy in 2016.

He's grateful for the Town Councils for which he served, and the clerk-treasurers, police commissions and individuals he has worked with through the years.

"Whether you realized it or not, I learned something from each of you and, throughout my career, have mirrored those qualities I admired," he said, addressing that group.

He does not take credit for the Police Department's accomplishments.

"I was just the facilitator for the teams efforts," he said. "Ive had the opportunity to work alongside individuals with much more talent than I."

During his tenure, Hojnicki has seen a police station built next to Town Hall.

The department introduced its Volunteers in Policing (VIPS) program, in which civilians assist the police department in various roles, and mental health and financial wellness programs for officers and their families.

Highland police are equipped with officer body cameras and take-home cars. They have had multiple weapons upgrades.

Hojnicki said there are big differences between today's responsibilities and the simpler times when his career began.

"Today's officers have things much harder."

Simple walkie-talkies gave way to cellphones, body cameras, Tasers, radar, vehicle computers, printers and access to state and federal databases.

Hojnicki said the chief's job claims a lot of personal time with evening meetings and long hours.

He has a long list of chores that will keep him busy, and he wants to spend more time with family and friends and two new grandchildren.

With bittersweet feelings, Hojnicki said he will miss his officers and the public.

"I am humbled to have been a part of so many winning teams, so thank you for letting me be a part of them."

Gallery: The Times Photos of the Week His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee. His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee. His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee. His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije visits Northwest Indiana for the first time at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church following major newsworthy visits to Chicago, New York and Milwaukee. Gary Science Olympiad 2023 Gary Science Olympiad 20223 Gary Science Olympiad 2023 020523-spt-gbk-lc_7 020523-spt-gbk-lc_1 020523-spt-gbk-lc_5 020523-spt-gbk-lc_10 020523-spt-gbk-lc_6 020523-spt-gbk-lc_3 020523-spt-gbk-lc_8 Last day to file for the spring primary Last day to file for the spring primary 020423-spt-gbk-lc_5 020423-spt-gbk-lc_7 020423-spt-gbk-lc_5 020423-spt-gbk-lc_4 Hammond Black History Month observation Hammond Black History Month observation Hammond Black History Month observation Andrean sectional Kouts Girls Sectional Class 1A Game 1 020123-spt-gbk-low_5 020123-spt-gbk-low_4 020123-spt-gbk-low_2 020123-spt-gbk-low_9 Hammond storage facility fire Computer coaching Gallery HTML code
HOBART  The sun beat down on the last remaining chunks of ice, and the earth began to soften  sure signs the maple trees at Deep River County Park were ready.

Deep River Park Technician T.J. Wood hammered the small metal spile into a sugar maple.

Immediately a clear liquid began to drip out  watery with just a hint of sweetness  sap.

Every year Deep River's small team taps hundreds of sugar and silver maple trees, drilling through the bark before hammering in the spile and attaching a metal bucket to collect the valuable liquid.

With a price tag of almost $2,000 a barrel, producing pure maple syrup is an expensive and labor-intensive process. Dave Flood, manager of historical properties at Deep River, said it takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. That's because when the sap is drawn from the tree, it has a sugar concentration of about 4%, give or take. Maple syrup has to have a sugar concentration of 60%  any lower and the syrup will go bad, any higher and it will caramelize.

To hit that 60% sugar content, the sap's water has to evaporate. Though the park has incorporated some updated technology, Deep River's evaporation process is similar to the one Indigenous tribes have been using for thousands of years. The park's "Sugar Shack" located in an old barn contains a large metal basin called an evaporator. Sap is pumped into the evaporator while a fire is built beneath it. The sap has to get up to about 212 degrees; as it boils, the water evaporates, leaving behind caramelized sugar. Deep River Park Manager Walter Donald said the process takes about 8-10 hours.

Because most of the heat is concentrated around the evaporator, staying in the old barn, Donald said feeding the hungry flame can be a chilly process, but at least there is a smell of sweetness in the air.

Donald, who's been boiling sap at Deep River for 25 years, said passersby used to think the sugar shack was on fire because of all the steam that comes out of it. Now the park calls the local fire station in advance and posts a "building not on fire" sign outside.

"If you look at this sap, it just looks like water, it tastes pretty much like water, but if you boil it down, you get something else out of it," Flood said. "It's good to teach kids that the food that you eat; it's not just something you go out and pick up."

Deep River will host about 1,000 students for various educational programs throughout the year, and each will get a bottle of syrup. Park Technician Taylr McCabe said kids are "mind-blown" when they see the entire maple syrup production process.

Flood will tell students to look at the bottle of syrup they have at home, write down the many ingredients and additives and then compare it to the syrup at Deep River, which has one ingredient  maple syrup.

"Real maple syrup is much better than the stuff you get at the stores," Flood said.

Deep River Park has been tapping trees for over 40 years; they give the syrup to school groups, sell it at the park store and, most importantly, use it during the Maple Syrup Time celebration. During the annual event, reenactors dressed as French voyagers boil the sap over outdoor flames, groups tour the sugar shack and park staff lead tree-tapping demonstrations. Held on March 11, 12, 18 and 19, Flood said Maple Syrup Time has become the park's biggest event.

Before colonization, Indigenous tribes like the Miami and the Potawatomi produced maple syrup in Northwest Indiana. Though methods differ among tribes, according to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation website, traditional tapping can be done by making shallow cuts with an ax, inserting a cedar spile and collecting the sap with a birch bark container. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, headquartered in Dowagiac, Michigan, continues to collect sap and produce syrup.

The majority of maple syrup-producing states are located further north, Flood said, adding that "Indiana is kind of on the fringe."

Sap can only be harvested at a specific time of year, when temperatures are fluctuating above and below freezing. However, the sap production process begins much earlier.

In the summer, tree leaves use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into sugar, the tree's source of energy. As temperatures get colder and leaves drop, the sugar migrates to the tree's trunk and is stored in the form of sap. In late winter and early spring, when days start to get warmer, trees sucks the sap up; however, the sap flows back down when the temperature drops at night. Once the weather stays consistently warm the spiles will start to run dry because the tree is using the energy-packed sap to produce buds.

"There's a real science to this," Flood remarked. "These processes have been around for a long time. ... They have machines that will do it faster, but it's still the same process."

PHOTOS: Tree tapping at Deep River County Park Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup Deep River Park employees tap trees for syrup
The Lubeznik Center for the Arts will have a gala featuring wine, food and art from a Danish painter Saturday.

The art center at 101 W. 2nd St. in Michigan City will host Ul-la La! An Exclusive Evening of Art, Wine & Food from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.

"Join us for an evening out to view Danish artist Ulla Lundsgart's magnificent paintings with the opportunity to purchase her artwork," the Lubeznik Center for the Arts said in a press release. Ticket includes entry in a drawing for an Ulla Lundsgart painting. Enjoy wine and appetizers by Farina's Supper Club and fabulous door prizes while supporting Lubeznik Center for the Arts and their mission."

The artist from Denmark regards herself as "a modern Danish romantic Golden Age painter."

"The relationship between the abstract three-dimensional and the concrete three-dimensional is the pivotal point for my artistic work. The relationship between that which we see and the reality that lies behind," she said in an artist statement. "In my pictures, I describe how everything in nature is inspired and originates from  or is an expression of an underlying structure or connection. In the Golden Age one called it God or spirit."

Her "vibrant and uplifting" works are sold at Lines Mullins Group Interior store in the Uptown Arts District in Michigan City.

"In my pictures, I describe how everything in nature is inspired and originates from  or is an expression of an underlying structure or connection. In the Golden Age one called it God or spirit," she said. "Nature is precise and three-dimensional. The detail describes the whole and vice versa. I am inspired by the Golden Age painters humility in the descriptions of subjects details and substance and attempt to live in accordance with their method."

For more information, visit lubeznikcenter.org.
Lawyers for the actor Alec Baldwin filed a motion on Tuesday seeking to disqualify the special prosecutor who was part of the team that brought involuntary manslaughter charges against him for the fatal shooting of the cinematographer on the Rust movie set.

The motion, filed in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico, argues that Andrea Reebs role as special prosecutor violates the New Mexico Constitution because she is also an elected member of the states House of Representatives.

Mary Carmack-Altwies, the Santa Fe County district attorney, appointed Ms. Reeb to help her prosecute the case.

Representative Reeb is not constitutionally permitted to serve simultaneously as a legislator and a special prosecutor, a lawyer for Mr. Baldwin, Luke Nikas, wrote in the motion. Doing so vests two core powers of different branches  legislating and prosecuting  in the same person and is thus barred by the plain language of Article III of the New Mexico Constitution.
3. As Russia amasses troops, questions arise about its ability to sustain an offensive.

In a renewed push to capture more of eastern Ukraine, Russia has poured additional military conscripts and supplies into its war effort. Its troops are attacking Ukrainian positions from five different directions along the front lines, allowing it to slowly tighten its grip around the city of Bakhmut.

But Western intelligence officials have questioned how long Russia can keep going, as hundreds of its soldiers are killed or wounded every day for just several hundred meters of territory per week.

In related news, there are signs that the gradual ratcheting up of sanctions on Russian oil is beginning to have an impact on the countrys energy earnings.
This grand, leisurely, formal style has been in retreat for decades. Lately it has become suspect on different grounds, as weve learned more about various ways some high-profile restaurants have abused workers and volunteers. The latest reports concern Noma, in Copenhagen, which until recently put unpaid interns in jobs that could require up to 70 hours of work a week. (Mr. Ripert said Le Bernardin pays everyone who works there, including the students sent by culinary schools, for their hours, including overtime.)

At this point, expensive restaurants have gotten so much bad press that I know people who wish that whole end of the restaurant business would disappear. Theyre dreaming  somebody will always pay more to eat in the restaurant that gets the best tuna. And its not as if the sector of the business known, vaguely, as fine dining has a monopoly on bad behavior. There must be some nasty owners at burger franchises and foul-mouthed, lecherous chefs at truck-stop diners, too. And what if all the exacting, creative, quality-obsessed restaurants did go away? Wed lose more than fancy meals for rich people.

A great restaurant can be a sort of cultural preserve, a place where rare skills are passed on from one pair of hands to the next. Even formal restaurant service is built on careful study of human behavior, if its done right. A restaurant like Le Bernardin is run by people who know things that others havent learned yet. This is part of what ran through my head, too, when I tasted those scallops and their cream sauce and thought, They kept it alive.

Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
We truly stand on his shoulders, she wrote.

Reflecting on Dr. Silversteins impact, Dr. Drescher, a gay psychiatrist who has spoken out against conversion therapy, said by email:

Although I was not yet in medical school when Charles was already advocating for me, I can say without hesitation that my own career in psychiatry and psychoanalysis would not have been possible without his contributions. Many of us owe him a deep debt of gratitude  but Charless generosity was such that he never acted like anyone owed him anything.

Charles Silverstein was born on April 23, 1935, in Brooklyn. His father, Sam, delivered newspapers by truck, and his mother, Ida, was a homemaker.

He mainly grew up in New York, although there was a moment when he was 11 that almost made him a Californian while introducing him to discrimination. His father was offered a job in California by a former co-worker, but when the family arrived on the West Coast after a nine-day drive, they were welcomed less than hospitably.

The other men in the shop came to the foreman and said, Either you get rid of that Jew, or we go on strike, Dr. Silverstein recalled in an oral history recorded for The Outwords Archive in 2018. His parents received a refund of the deposit they had put down on a house, loaded the family back into the car and made the long trip back to New York.

Dr. Silverstein said he first realized that he was gay when he was a teenager, but his advocacy was still years in the future. In his early attempts at psychoanalysis, he said, he specifically asked to be cured.
President Biden delivered a plea to Republicans on Tuesday for unity in his second State of the Union address, but vowed not to back off his economic agenda and offered no far-reaching, new ideas in a speech filled with a familiar litany of exhortations from more than four decades in political life.

Reading rapidly through his prepared remarks and occasionally sparring with his congressional adversaries in real time, Mr. Biden  at 80 the oldest president in history  used the biggest platform of his office to frame his argument for an expected re-election bid by portraying Republican policy proposals as out of step with most Americans even as he offered to work across the aisle.

For Mr. Biden, the speech was a moment to demonstrate to his supporters that he still has the political skills to lead them to victory in 2024 even as polls show a large majority of Democrats want someone from a new generation (he would be 86 at the end of a second term). After a few stumbles at the beginning, the president turned energetic and combative, and even showed flashes of humor and effective off-the-cuff retorts to Republican hecklers in a setting not known for improvisation.

His performance could help address doubts about his vigor as a 2024 campaigner.

At key moments, Republicans heckled Mr. Biden with shouts of liar and angry shakes of their head. But if the goal was to rattle the president or demonstrate his frailty, it had the opposite effect. Mr. Biden snapped back at the Republican shouters with sharp retorts and even a sense of humor in some moments. When Republicans accused him of misstating their desire to cut Medicare and Social Security, the president turned the heckling against them, saying quickly that he was glad to see their conversion on the issue.
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon said on Tuesday that China had rejected a request from Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to speak with his Chinese counterpart on Saturday soon after an American fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

As the debris was settling into the Atlantic and Navy divers were beginning the arduous task of trying to recover the balloons sensors and other surveillance equipment, the Pentagon reached out to China to clear the air.

We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the P.R.C. in order to responsibly manage the relationship, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in an emailed statement, referring to the Peoples Republic of China. Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this.

It was not to be. Unfortunately, General Ryder said, the P.R.C. has declined our request to arrange a call with Wei Fenghe, the Chinese defense minister.
Democrats swept three special elections in solidly blue House districts in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, putting the party in the majority by a single seat and breaking a Republican legislative monopoly that has recently focused on election restrictions and anti-abortion bills.

All three races were in Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh and is the states No. 2 county by population, after Philadelphia.

Control of the Pennsylvania House had been shrouded by uncertainty since the midterms in November, grinding legislative business to a halt while the parties clashed over ground rules and the timing of the special elections.

Democrats had appeared to flip the chamber in the fall for the first time in a dozen years, but one lawmakers death and the election of two others to higher offices delayed the final outcome.
But it made all the more vivid Mr. Bidens choice to downplay those accomplishments, perhaps because he knows that Americas re-engagement in the world is both expensive and, at the opening of an election cycle, a tough political sell. Containing Russia and competing with China may be the work of decades, but it will add tens or hundreds of billions of dollars to an already stressed budget.

Thanks to Western aid and Ukrainian resilience and ingenuity, the war now appears to have settled into a long, grinding conflict, one in which Washington and Moscow find themselves in all but direct armed conflict, arguably the tensest moment between the two superpowers since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. And the more success the Ukrainians have using American precision missiles, German-made tanks and NATO ammunition, the more likely it is that Mr. Putin will again threaten that, if necessary, he will detonate a nuclear weapon to win what he sees as an existential battle.

Since the summer, Mr. Bidens intelligence agencies have been reassessing a China that appears far more willing to take risks  threatening Taiwan, defending disputed territory in the South China Sea and last week, sending a spy balloon to drift over the continental United States that seemed to encapsulate the problem of a surveillance state unembarrassed about its ambitions.

Now, Mr. Bidens national security team is debating which China will be harder to handle: a confident, rising power or the one that, in recent months, seems to be stumbling, unable to manage the Covid-19 virus, and increasingly stressed as it tries to restore the spectacular economic growth that was the key to its power.

As the president discovered when the nation breathlessly followed the Chinese balloon and its mystery payload of high-tech sensors, even small incidents with Beijing can escalate rapidly. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken postponed his trip to China, the first by a State Department head in years. Republicans argued that Mr. Biden was weak for ordering the balloon shot down only after it has made its way across the country; Beijing accused him of a clear overreaction and said it reserved the right to retaliate. It was a reminder that in both countries, domestic political demands can force leaders to take a harder line, a prescription for inflaming an already tense relationship.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration urged the Supreme Court on Tuesday to dismiss a challenge to ending the pandemic-era immigration measure known as Title 42, saying that the governments announcement that the health emergency would expire on May 11 would make the case moot.

The court in December blocked a trial judges ruling that would have lifted the measure, which has allowed even migrants who might otherwise qualify for asylum to be swiftly expelled at the southern border. The justices are scheduled to hear arguments in the case on March 1.

The anticipated end of the public health emergency on May 11, and the resulting expiration of the operative Title 42 order, would render this case moot, the administrations brief said.

The expulsion policy, introduced by the Trump administration in March 2020, has been used to expel migrants  including many asylum seekers  about 2.5 million times. Humanitarian organizations have said the policy prevents migrants fleeing violence and persecution from obtaining a safe harbor required by U.S. and international law, but border officials fear its demise could fuel a surge in illegal crossings along the already overwhelmed border.
While dramatic and explosive, Mr. Veytias charge underscored some frailties in the prosecutions case, which has been built so far almost exclusively on testimony from former drug traffickers and government officials  many serving sentences in their own corruption cases  with little other evidence to support it. His testimony about Mr. Calderon was a secondhand account about events he did not witness himself.

From the stand, Mr. Veytia told the jury that in 2011, his boss, the governor of the state of Nayarit, returned from a security conference in Mexico City with stunning news: that Mr. Calderon and Mr. Garcia Luna had instructed him to support Joaquin Guzman Loera, the Sinaloa cartel leader best known as El Chapo, in a war against his rival, Arturo Beltran Leyva.

He had just gotten back from an important meeting with Calderon and Garcia Luna, Mr. Veytia said of the governor. Mr. Veytia added that the governor reported that Mr. Calderon and Mr. Garcia Luna had told him to protect Chapos people, not Beltran Leyvas.

The civil war between Mr. Guzman and Mr. Beltran Leyva, which began around 2008, wracked Mexico with a spasm of violence, much of it committed against federal police officers and police officials who were loyal to either side. Throughout the trial, prosecutors have used the internecine fight as a way to show that in their constant search for an advantage, Mr. Guzman and Mr. Beltran Leyva struggled to control Mr. Garcia Luna and the corps of federal officers who served under him.

Mexican news media outlets have been eagerly waiting since the trial began last month for the prosecution to implicate Mr. Calderon in corruption with his countrys drug cartels. But Mr. Veytias account on Tuesday was the first time in more than three weeks that an accusation against Mr. Calderon emerged during testimony.
KYIV, Ukraine  As Russia makes slow, bloody gains in a renewed push to capture more of eastern Ukraine, it is pouring ever more conscripts and military supplies into the battle, Ukrainian officials say. Still it remains far from clear that Moscow can mobilize enough forces to sustain a prolonged offensive.

The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday that Russian forces were attacking in five different directions along the crescent-shaped front line in the east, relying on masses of troops to try to overrun Ukrainian positions. The tactic has allowed Russia to make incremental gains in recent weeks and, according to U.S. officials, to slowly tighten a noose around the key Ukrainian-held city of Bakhmut. But the strategy has come at a cost of hundreds of dead and wounded soldiers each day.

The major threat is the quantity, Serhiy Haidai, the Ukrainian governor of the eastern region of Luhansk, told Ukrainian television on Tuesday. It is a huge monster that is at war with us, and it owns immense resources  not endless, but still. There are too many of them.

Mr. Haida had said earlier that a full-scale offensive could begin after Feb. 15, as the Kremlin strains to show progress around the one-year mark of its invasion.
Hip-hop is now established enough to get an all-star 50th-birthday celebration at the Grammys. Hip-hop concert dance isnt quite that old, but it can look back a few decades, as with the revival of Rennie Harriss Rome & Jewels at the Joyce Theater this week.

When this adaptation of Romeo and Juliet had its debut in 2000, it was Harriss first evening-length work, and it established him as the most gifted and canny choreographer exploring and expanding the possibilities of street dance in a concert setting. In that realm, hes still unsurpassed, but Rome & Jewels, slightly updated and still vital and affecting, is showing its age.

The concept is classic. As in West Side Story, Shakespeares warring families are rival gangs. Rome falls in love with Jewels, who is Tybalts girlfriend rather than his cousin. The gangs go to war and almost everyone dies.

The show is a blend of spoken word and dance, and the mixing of Shakespeares text with street vernacular is agile, engaging and sometimes comic. (She speaks and yet says nothing/Whats up with that?) Its arresting to hear the prologue as Rome mugs an old acquaintance, and the theme of love versus violence is sharpened by the context throughout. On these mean streets, love seems not to have much of a chance.
LOS ANGELES  In the mid-1970s, Simone Forti, already established as a dancer and choreographer, experimented with creating holograms  miniature images of her body that would spring into motion as you walked around them. The holograms offer one answer to a vexing question for museums interested in the ephemeral art of dance: how to collect or exhibit it.

A new, wide-ranging survey of Fortis work at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles  the city her Jewish-Italian family emigrated to in 1939 and where she has lived for the past 25 years  offers another. Spanning six decades, the show includes performance videos, drawings, writing, photographs and three mesmerizing holograms, now owned by major museums.

Alex Sloane, a curator of the show, Simone Forti, at MOCA, said: Simone is an artist who works with movement in many different forms. She is always looking at how to transcribe the body in motion into different mediums.
Sometimes it felt biblical, like I was just wandering in this desert, making things but never seeing what happened to them out there in the world, she recalled.

She had made sculptures as an undergraduate at the Cooper Union, incorporating objects she picked up from East Village streets. She moved into film, installation and performance in grad school. But after receiving her M.F.A., she faced the reality of trying to be an artist while holding down a job and living in a small Brooklyn apartment. I wanted to say the things I had to say, but I had to say them without the editing room and the tools in the wood shop and my thousand-square-foot studio at Yale, she said.

The living space of her apartment became her studio; she slept in the hallway  like Cinderella, she said, laughing. And she turned away from three-dimensional work and toward collage, cutting up fashion and porn magazines and other printed sources, embellishing her works on paper with paint and ink, sequins and pearls. Everything that I used initially for my collage work was quite inexpensive, she said. It was a lot of paper, a lot of Mylar, and those were practical decisions.

Making these pieces was also a way of processing what life was like for an immigrant in post-9/11 America. Mangling and distorting and cutting up bodies expressed the trauma and anxiety that I was carrying and that I knew others were carrying, she said in a 2019 interview.

For Black President, a show devoted to the life and legacy of the Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, organized by Trevor Schoonmaker at the New Museum in 2003, Mutu created Yo Mama. On one side of a diptych, a strange being poses like a warrior in a Vogue editorial, with mottled leopard-like skin, or perhaps a catsuit; the heel of her stiletto impales the head of a snake. The serpents decapitated body morphs into a jellyfish that sprouts palm trees and floats in a dreamy pink space.
Perturbed when an artist made a digital version of its coveted Birkin handbag with a reproduction of a mature fetus inside it, the luxury fashion brand Hermes watched in shock as other iterations popped up online. A Birkin with mammoth tusks affixed to it. One sporting the Grinchs shaggy green fur. Others stamped with van Goghs Starry Night or populated by smiley emojis.

Hermes swiftly sued the artist, Mason Rothschild, over the NFT project he called MetaBirkins, arguing that the companys trademark was being diluted and that potential consumers might be fooled into buying the unaffiliated virtual goods.

The cases ramifications extended far beyond Hermes. In some of the first litigation to scrutinize the nature of digital assets sold on the blockchain, up for debate was whether NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, are strictly commodities or art shielded by the First Amendment.

On Wednesday, a nine-person federal jury in Manhattan determined that Rothschild had infringed on the companys trademark rights and awarded Hermes $133,000 in total damages. The jurors also found that his NFTs were not protected speech.
Soul helps to fill out and complicate our understanding of a seminal moment, Gayle Wald, author of Its Been Beautiful: Soul! and Black Power Television, wrote in an email. Soul!, a variety show, was unrelated to the paper but had a similar mission. Serious cultural journalism about pop music was just emerging, Wald added.

Regina and Ken bought out Tuck in 1967, producing Soul from their home near Watts while raising five children. Regina said she did not view Rolling Stone as competition but did resent it covering Black artists: her territory. In 1975, both publications printed Labelle covers; Jones enjoyed a measure of satisfaction when she beat Jann Wenners magazine to the newsstands by four months. Nona Hendryx, a member of Labelle, purveyors of a landmark mash-up of funk, rock, R&B and gospel, said that for an African-American artist, Soul was definitely more important than Rolling Stone. Fans approached her in public: Hey, I saw you in Soul.

You got your feedback directly from the people, Hendryx added. It had more weight than Rolling Stone because it kept us in the community.

In a novel marketing gambit, Soul partnered with 30 Black radio stations across the country, printing a different edition for each. Stations had their call letters on the cover and a spread inside for rotation charts and advertisers. Bruce W. Talamon, Souls star photographer, said that in turn, D.J.s gave us on-air promotion  Buy your Soul newspaper!

Reginas unfiltered access to artists could mean fielding a call from David Ruffin announcing hed just been fired from the Temptations  and wanted to tell his story. That speaks to how highly he felt about Soul, she said. It was almost like going to your parents. Diana Ross kissed the Supremes goodbye in 1970 during their final performance at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, then slipped into a booth beside Berry Gordy, still in her Bob Mackie stage velvets, to spill tea with Soul.

Sublime talent showed up on Reginas doorstep unbidden, including Leonard Pitts Jr., the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, and Talamon, whose book, Soul. R&B. Funk. Photographs 1972-1982, is a definitive visual record of artists in the idioms and period it covers.
Its a rare speech where you go onstage hoping to get booed.

Look, folks  to borrow a much-repeated phrase from Tuesday night  I cant know what was in President Bidens mind during the State of the Union address. Im not sure if he or his advisers planned the speech thinking that sparring with members of the new Republican House majority would make the opposition look more unhinged or confer on him a useful image of feistiness and vigor.

But his adversaries obliged regardless, in a prime-time speech that began with optimism and comity, then devolved into the most overt heckling weve ever seen at a State of the Union.

And I dont think the president minded.

In the days cable-news walk-up coverage, there was almost as much attention to the audience as to the speaker. In its brief tenure, the new Republican House majority has not been known as drama-free.

There was, of course, the endless story of George Santos, the serial-fabulist representative from New York, who maximized his visibility on camera by nabbing an aisle seat along Handshake Row as Mr. Biden entered the chamber and had some tense words with an irritated Republican senator, Mitt Romney of Utah.
Erdogan meets quake survivors

During his first visit to the disaster zone, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey tried to reassure survivors of the devastating earthquake that the situation was under control. But as people wait for aid, their anger is mounting.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 12,000 people in Turkey and Syria, has left many more homeless. In Kahramanmaras, a city near the epicenter, Erdogan met with people sheltering in tents as temperatures hovered around freezing. He acknowledged that rescue efforts had been hampered by damaged roads and airports.

In hard-hit areas across southern Turkey, many residents have waited in vain for government help. Frustration with the governments response could hinder Erdogans re-election campaign.

A difficult rescue: Some residents are digging for children with their bare hands. There have been some miraculous rescues, but time is running out for trapped survivors in one of the deadliest natural disasters this century.
Next Tuesday is Valentines Day, which many love birds might celebrate with flowers, Champagne and, of course, chocolate galore.

Which got me thinking: When did Valentines Day become a chocolate-flavored holiday? Why not vanilla, caramel or hot peppers? Its probably all because of Richard Cadbury, who started marketing heart-shaped, Cupid-bedecked boxes of chocolate bonbons for Valentines Day back in the 1860s. The tradition stuck.

Homemade fudgy treats, though, do make for a more intimate display of affection. Yossy Arefi has three new chocolate desserts that, like relationships, she writes, can range in commitment.

The simplest is a recipe for peanut butter hot fudge sundaes (above) with store-bought ice cream and a warm, nutty hot fudge sauce. Slightly more involved is a bittersweet chocolate souffle cake with a brittle, crunchy top and molten filling. And, theres her luxe Earl Grey creme brulee, its dense custard gently perfumed with the bergamot-infused tea, and capped by caramelized sugar.
To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Early last October, the mink on a fur farm in Spain suddenly began to fall ill. They stopped eating and began salivating excessively. They became clumsy, started to experience tremors and developed bloody snouts.

At first, experts suspected that the coronavirus might be to blame. It was a reasonable assumption; since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the virus has repeatedly found its way onto mink farms, sparking large animal outbreaks, triggering mass mink culls and prompting temporary moratoriums on mink farming.

But it was not the coronavirus that had infiltrated the Spanish mink farm, scientists soon discovered. It was H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza.
DUXBURY, Mass.  Lindsay Clancy lay paralyzed in a hospital bed on Tuesday afternoon, occasionally blinking or shutting her eyes, unable to do anything but listen as lawyers told two narratives about how she had strangled her three children.

The prosecutor said it had been meticulously planned: She had concocted an errand that would keep her husband, Patrick, out of the house for about 25 minutes, just long enough so she could do it.

And she had then strangled each of her children with an exercise band, an act that would require holding each of them down for at least four minutes. Then she leapt from a second-story window, a fall that fractured her spine.

The defendant stated that after he left the house that night, she killed the kids because she heard a voice, and had, quote unquote, a moment of psychosis, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said during a virtual arraignment via Zoom.
New York officials, who once condemned Texas leaders for busing migrants from the southern border, calling the treatment inhumane, are buying bus tickets for newcomers who want to go north and seek asylum in Canada.

Mayor Eric Adams had originally welcomed the migrants, but he has since begun echoing the points of southern leaders, saying the city was buckling from the strain of absorbing more than 42,000 people in need.

Now, city officials are assisting the relocation of a growing number of migrants traveling to New Yorks northern border, where crossings are surging.

The arrival of the migrants has set off concern among officials in Canada, which has traditionally been welcoming to immigrants but is trying to discourage illegal crossings.
They see a box.

This is the first time that Town Hall, which has long held gatherings for students during Black History Month, has focused on poetry  in past years it highlighted folk music artists, modern dance performers and Black composers, among others. The slam today, with the poet aja monet as the host, will be the first in which the student winners from middle and high schools across the city have been called to the stage to deliver their works.

Videos of their performances will appear on the Button Poetry YouTube channel, run by a company that promotes performance poetry and has more than 1.38 million subscribers. Jocelyn Bonadio-de Freitas, the director of education at Town Hall, said the poems were judged by poets, teaching artists and educators, along with staff members from the Town Hall Education Department.

Dada will not have to go far to deliver her poem. She attends the Repertory Company High School for Theater Arts, which operates from the Town Hall building on West 43rd Street and admits students by audition. She said she was waiting to hear from the colleges she applied to. Im going for acting, she said, and is looking to minor in creative writing or something like that.

Bomadio-de Freitas said that Town Hall had turned to Mahogany L. Browne, the executive director of JustMedia, a media literacy initiative for community justice, and arranged poetry workshops in seven high schools around the city. The students in the audience at todays slam will be given a copy of Brownes new book Chrome Valley: Poems, along with monets book My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter.

A box is something you can define

A box has four sides

A box is enclosed and limited

Existing black cannot be described as a box
But the party is not, as is sometimes assumed, merely an eastern German phenomenon. The AfD gets double-digit results in some west German states, such as Bavaria. In the state election in Lower Saxony at the end of 2022, for example, the party almost doubled its vote from five years ago, to 11 percent. According to a recent study, 23 percent of western Germans said they believed the country was being swamped with foreigners. (The figure in eastern Germany was 40 percent.)

Behind this general support is widespread racism and what the sociologist Oliver Nachtwey calls a society of decline. The postwar eras promise of upward mobility has long since disappeared. Nearly one in five German employees now works in the low-wage sector, and poverty has increased by 40 percent since 2010. In this setting, where the state appears to have failed in its duty to provide a social safety net and sense of solidarity, the AfDs opposition to supposed state overreach  notably around Covid measures and vaccines  finds ready adherents.

The results are plain to see. In a decade, the AfD has become a major Pan-German political force. Although blue-collar workers and the unemployed are disproportionately represented among the partys voters, a large part of its electorate is white-collar workers, civil servants and the self-employed. Its important to note that all of Germanys other political parties have lost voters to the AfD in recent years.

Crucially, the AfDs rise has taken place alongside a general emboldening of the radical right. In the past few years, radical right-wing networks have been uncovered in the police force and the military. Violence has hit the streets. In February 2020, a white supremacist killed nine people of color in the city of Hanau. In the first three quarters of 2022, there were 65 attacks on refugee facilities  more than one per week. The AfD has no direct role in these attacks. But it has undeniably helped to create a political atmosphere in which deadly violence is more likely. In the case of the killing of a pro-migrant politician in 2019, the perpetrator, a neo-Nazi, was an active supporter of the party.

Yet despite these dangers, other parties and institutions have failed to build a firewall around the AfD. On a local level, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals have worked with the party numerous times, when it suited them. Even the left is not immune to the AfDs influence: Sahra Wagenknecht, the most prominent figure of the Left Party, has adopted many far-right talking points, railing against bizarre minorities, spreading conspiracy theories about Covid and taking up Russian narratives around the war in Ukraine.
There is genuinely no precedent in the modern history of geopolitics for the climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Four and a half years ago, she began striking outside of Swedish parliament  a single teenager with a single sign. She was 15. In just a few months, she had made her mark at the United Nations climate conference in Poland: You are not mature enough to tell it like it is, she told the assembled diplomats and negotiators, even that burden you leave to us children.

By the time she spoke at Davos that January, excoriating the world  I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is  she had become the face of the global climate movement, giving it an entirely new generational life and scale. She led weekly marches across the globe that drew millions of people through 2019 and helped force the worlds most powerful people to at least pay lip service to what they now called a climate crisis.

I first met Thunberg in the middle of that maelstrom, when she came to New York in 2019 by boat to help stage two large climate strikes as bookends to the U.N.s climate week. A lot has changed since then, and then again, a whole lot hasnt. Thunberg is 20 now. Countries accounting for almost 90 percent of the worlds emissions and G.D.P. have made net-zero pledges. Renewable energy is skyrocketing, though fossil fuel use has only plateaued  perhaps even peaked  but it is a long way down from 40 gigatons (50 if you include methane) to zero. Current policies still point to a global average temperature rise above three degrees Celsius this century, more than double the more ambitious goals enshrined by the Paris agreement in 2015. And now Thunberg has published her third book, called The Climate Book, a curated tour of the state of the emergency and how to think about it from more than 100 contributors. (I wrote an essay for it drawing lessons from the experience of the pandemic.)
To the Editor:

Re Biden Urges G.O.P. to Work With Him to Build Economy (front page, Feb. 8):

While concerns over President Bidens age and acuity of mind have at times weighed heavily on great swaths of Democratic voters, including me, the presidents State of the Union address blew at least some of those clouds of concern away.

Mr. Biden was clearly in his element, quick on his feet and sharp as a tack as he took on hecklers like the insufferable Marjorie Taylor Greene in real time. He wasnt flustered and didnt stoop to their level; instead, the president turned the table on their cheap insults. It was a brilliant political moment.

Voters likely wont make decisions about whom theyll support in 2024 for a while now, but my sense of worry is somewhat alleviated, at least for right now.

Cody Lyon

Brooklyn

To the Editor:

Before and during his inspiring speech enumerating plans to finish the job, President Biden set a tone by graciously recognizing his worthy opponents. From sincerely congratulating Speaker Kevin McCarthy to including Republicans in describing recent legislative accomplishments, he reawakened ideals of America that had been buried during the Trump administration: striving to solve knotty problems with kindness, gentility and respect toward the opposing party.
Madonna has always had a complicated relationship to that approach. She has reinvented herself, over and over again, from her arrival on the New York City club scene in thrifted bustiers, fingerless lace gloves and crucifixes, to her ascension to Hollywood royalty in her Marilyn Monroe Material Girl look. There was androgynous Madonna, dominatrix Madonna, hippie kabbalah Madonna, designer-chic Madonna, retro-disco Madonna and Madonna as Madge, cosplaying landed gentry while she raised her family in the English countryside. And of course no outfit could be more memorable than the birthday suit she wore in Sex, the book-length photography project she undertook with Steven Meisel.

In the wake of the Grammys, people complain she no longer looks like Madonna, but which Madonna comes to mind? Shes been a blonde and a brunette, butch and high femme. Shes worn castoffs and couture. Shes adopted and abandoned an English accent. Shes shown us her roots and her underwear, deliberately putting the hidden parts on display. Every new version of Madonna was both a look and a commentary on looking, a statement about the artifice of beauty, and about her own right to set the terms by which she was seen.

I have never apologized for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and Im not going to start, she wrote on her Instagram on Tuesday. I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come.

The latest look is not altogether novel. Back in 2008, New York magazine declared: Out with the gaunt and tight, in with the plump and juicy. Theres a new face in town  and its a babys. The articles prime example was Madonna herself, whose refurbished face it compared to a restuffed saddle. But fashion is fickle. In 2019, Elle reported that toddler-round cheeks, tumescent pouts and immobile foreheads were officially over. Last week, The Cut called it again, with a feature on how the sexy baby look died.

Is it possible that Madonna has been so blinkered by her fame and wealth that shes lost the ability to see herself objectively, like Michael Jackson pursuing an ever-thinner nose or Jocelyn Wildenstein doing  whatever it was she was doing? Yes, but whatever her intentions, the superstar has gotten us talking about how good looks are subjective and how ageism is pervasive.
Lindy Elkins-Tanton is leading a NASA mission to explore an asteroid rich with metals supposedly worth $10 quintillion thats orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroids name is Psyche, after the Greek goddess of the soul.

This is totally cool, but there are a few caveats on that eye-catching dollar value. First, its Elkins-Tantons own estimate, which she told me she ballparked about six years ago when reporters first came calling about the mission. (She estimated that the nickel alone was worth that much.) Second, to sell all the metal in Psyche someone would have to bring it all to Earth, which is almost inconceivable. And third, if that much metal really could be brought to Earth, there would be far more than anyone needs, and its value would crash.

The $10 quintillion figure is fallacious in every way, Elkins-Tanton cheerfully told me in an interview this week. So why talk about the mission to Psyche at all? Partly because the word quintillion is just fun. Also because its a teachable moment for the economics of costs, prices, supply and demand. And most important, because learning more about asteroids has value above and beyond money. As Elkins-Tanton told me: Its fundamental science. Weve never visited an asteroid with a metal surface. Its a whole new kind of object in our solar system.

Lets start with how much $10 quintillion is. Its $10,000,000,000,000,000,000. Equivalently, its $10 million million million. Lets say a very nice new car costs $100,000. With $10 quintillion in your wallet from asteroid mining, you could buy one of those cars for each person on Earth, and then replace it with an even newer car every hour, and keep doing that for every person hourly for the next year and a half before your money would run out. Kind of silly, even aside from where youd park all of them.
This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email transcripts@nytimes.com with any questions.

When Sara Glass walked into the studio, I had to say something about her outfit.

Oh, no, even five years ago, or maybe five years ago, I would have worn these in the city, but not back on Long Island.

Would you have worn something like this  I dont know  15 years ago?

These are my power pants. This is like when I have something important to do that day. Its like, these are the black leather pants.

Sara grew up in an ultra Orthodox Jewish community. For most of her life, she wore skirts and dresses, never pants  and definitely not leather ones. Because there are strict rules about what Orthodox women can and cant wear. And Sara followed all of them.

I was wearing a wig over my hair. So it was a long blonde wig. And I wore skirts. Something modest that covered my collarbone, elbows and knees. And then I would need to wear tights below that so that you wouldnt see any exposed skin.

But 14 years ago, Sara quietly started changing how she showed herself to the world. At first, it was slow.

I stopped covering my hair. And I wore my skirts a little shorter. And I was sending like a nonverbal signal that something had shifted.

What shifted was that Sara started being honest with herself. Sara is gay. And she was done hiding it. So she started rejecting the rules and beliefs shed grown up with. And she knew people would notice.

I think what I wanted was for them to not make the assumption of heteronormativity or religiosity when looking at me. I wanted them to have a doubt in their minds and so that they would know that if they really wanted me to be, like, straight or religious, that would be something they would need to ask me whether I was or wasnt.

Were spending today with Sara Glass, who wrote an essay about her first love, a forbidden love, with a girl from high school. Its called, Please God, Help Me Stop Missing Her. Heres an excerpt from that essay read by Julia Whelan.

As the sunlight bled through my window blinds, I tried not to notice the slope of her pale shoulder, the way her dark hair spread over my pillow. This is the last time, I promised myself and God, as I slid my leg out from between hers.

We created our own concert later that night, a silent orchestra of skin on skin, her breath in my ear, and the pounding of our hearts against each other in the dark. We held each other afterward. I felt her face against mine, her fingers trailing down my back. I wanted to say, I think about every single day.

Want to sleepover? I asked, trying to take the urgency out of my words.

Around us, dozens of pious voices sang with Kineret about the world to come. Not exactly the appropriate soundtrack for acting on my unholy desires. When the music ended, we watched the crowd disperse onto the streets, a stream of girls and women in modest garb.

We met up in Brooklyn at a concert. We watched Kineret, our community superstar, her long gown sparkling as she filled the room with song. Hannah was so close that I could feel the movements of her body in the air between us. I clenched my shoulder blades together tight, tighter.

I will tell you everything you need to know, I said.

She was from another city where there were no Orthodox Jewish high schools. I dont get this place, she said.

On the first day of 10th grade in Borough Park Brooklyn, she slung her backpack down near me. Our classmates penciled equations onto graph paper, but she drew on her arm in neon gel pen, Hannah. I rolled out up my identical navy checked sleeve and put a ballpoint pen to my own pale skin. She smirked. I wanted to know everything about her.

At 19, Sara got married to a man. And she prayed it would fix her. Heres Sara.

It wasnt the last time. There were other girls. But Sara saw her desires as unholy, unfaithful. So she shoved them deep inside her. And she committed herself to a life of following the rules.

It was like my bargain with God. Let me just have the PhD in psychology. I just want to do this one thing.

Ill get to have a PhD in psychology. Thats, like, the thing for me. My body is going to be for God. Everything I do every day will be for God. But just like, it was like the one thing.

Exactly. And I thought, I can do it. Like, its OK. I can handle it. Ill be with a man. But at least Ill get to be me in this one way.

When I got married to my first husband, I had strong feelings that I really should be with a woman and not with a man. But I wanted to do what God said was right. And so I had made mistakes, but I fought it. I prayed. I fasted. It was like, you know, Id love to murder people, but Im like over it, Im mostly over it. I only think of it, like, once in a while.

Sara had dreamed of becoming a psychologist since she was a kid. She wanted to work with children and with teenagers. But it was very rare for a woman in her community to get an advanced degree.

The risks for me were this. If I were to allow that door to bust open and if I were to allow myself to have all these thoughts about women, I could lose custody of my children. So the stakes were pretty damn high.

What was at stake for you if those desires did come out again?

It was threatening to blast that open again. I had a 1 and 1/2 year old and a newborn. And I couldnt afford to have all that blasted open.

And you felt like, OK, Im  you were trying so hard. It sounds like you had such a sort of vice grip on these desires. But then this video kind of blasted that open again. Is that true?

I was trying really hard to be straight. And I thought I had mostly conquered what was an evil temptation.

It was faith-based. We were raised to believe that everything we thought had consequences, everything we ate had consequences, and that everything we thought while pregnant had consequences for our fetuses were carrying.

Was that fear of whatever influence sort of infiltrating your body, was that something faith-based or was that a personal fear of yours?

And I started to get flashbacks of girls I had been with in high school. Seeing the external manifestation of the demon I had been trying to fight for my entire life made me really worried that my brain would turn back on to having those thoughts and feelings and that I wouldnt be able to shut it off. And then I started to worry  I was breastfeeding my daughter at the time  and I started to worry, what if these things that I see on the screen go into my milk and then they infect my daughter? And so I raised my hand and asked to meet the professor outside of class and just basically asked to be excused.

Weve got this. And this one day, my professor rolled one of those old VCRs into the classroom on the little metal stand. And the entire film was all about women dancing with other women and kissing other women and then men who are wearing nail polish.

Social work school, it was like my first foray out into the real world outside of the ultra-Orthodox community. And I geared up for college like it was a spiritual battle. I had holy texts in my car. I had a buddy, a religious woman from my block, who was like traveling with me to college. We had a plan to study Bible works during every lunch break so that whatever we learned in college  we didnt know what it would be  but whatever came at us in the spiritual minefield of social work school, we would be ready.

Tell me about what you were learning in this social work program?

I was devastated. I was really, really devastated. It just made me feel completely trapped in a world that I didnt really want.

How did you feel about going to school for a degree that wasnt really the dream youd had?

And so he went to his rabbi. And his rabbi didnt think that would be a very good idea. And so together, they decided I should get a masters in social work instead.

I knew growing up in the Hasidic ultra-Orthodox community, becoming a psychologist would be a battle. And so I went and got rabbinic permission from my rabbi to go to graduate school and get a degree in psychology. But then my husband seemed to disagree with that.

Finally, Sara graduated. Shed fulfilled her childhood dream. She was officially a psychologist. And she opened her own practice on Long Island, treating mostly kids and teens from the ultra-Orthodox community.

Still, sometimes, her desire would surface. She wanted to be with a woman. But shed shove it down just like she had for so many years.

Eventually, Sara Glass divorced her first husband. She got remarried to another man who was supportive of her getting her PhD. Those years were busy. She had two little kids. Most nights shed study until 4:00 AM.

After the break, it gets harder and harder for Sara to lie to herself. And then shes forced to be honest. Thats next.

sara glass

I got this little cottage set back from the Main Street on Long Island and decorated three separate play therapy rooms with expressive arts therapy and sand play therapy. And I brought in this wonderful, wonderful team of sensitive, warm child therapists and adult therapists. It was beautiful just to be able to do the work and to go in every day and have young children and teenagers come in and feel safe.

anna martin

Did your clients come to you specifically because you were in the community with them?

sara glass

And heres where it gets dicey. Some explicitly did ask before signing up for therapy with me, are you Orthodox? And at that time I did identify as Orthodox. And so I said yes. And for some, it was more implied by the way I dressed and the words that I knew how to speak. So they would be able to use words like Shabbos, which is observing the Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. But they can just weave it into a sentence and I would know exactly what it meant. And for others, it was that I was seeing their children. And they wanted their children to have adults in their lives who are positive role models, who were like adhering to the same value system that the parents are trying to teach at home.

anna martin

Did you feel like a positive role model?

sara glass

I did until I didnt. You know, I started to struggle once I divorced my second husband. And this was just because I was gay. And I couldnt do it anymore. And so I chose to get divorced and moved to Manhattan and started to date women. And at that point 

anna martin

But you kept your practice on Long Island?

sara glass

I kept my practice on Long Island and built a second one in Manhattan. I dont know if I felt like a positive role model, you know? I felt like maybe a good therapist. But I was starting to worry about that other part.

anna martin

Was your dating life now that youre living in Manhattan and youre divorced, was your dating life, seeing women, was that a secret? From your face looks like a complicated answer.

sara glass

I really didnt want it to have to be a secret. But at the same time, it wasnt something I advertised. And what I struggled with was this. I felt that it was my job as the therapist to create this sanctuary for my clients and for them to be able to walk into my room and to know, its safe here. I dont need to worry about you. That was sometimes the only place they had where they didnt have to take care of anybody else or worry about anybody else. And that was sacred to me. And so the struggle was, I know Im changing some things. And I know my clients. So I know that the changes Im making will give them some pause.

anna martin

But now you dont have that practice on Long Island anymore, correct? Its just the Manhattan one? Tell me about what happened.

sara glass

OK. Ive barely even spoken about this since it happened. So youll get to hear it very raw. As Im going through this whole transition, I started to date someone. And I really, really liked her. And shes sort of a masculine-presenting lesbian. And I was grappling with this staying closeted versus coming out. And so when she wanted to post some pictures of us on her personal social media pages, even though I knew it was a little risky, I was like so tired of being closeted that I was like, you go, do that. Dont tag me. Keep your page private. But lets be proud in this little area of your private social media page. Unfortunately, those pictures got leaked. One person saw them and then screenshot them. And communities like that, they have chats, WhatsApp chats in Orthodox communities.

anna martin

Mhm.

sara glass

So my picture went viral.

anna martin

On the Orthodox chats?

sara glass

Yes. So when I first heard this was happening, I spoke with my team. These were people I employed. And they had already known that I was changing. And I said to them, if this becomes an issue for you guys, I will step down from my position at the head of the practice. You know, if this blows up, Im going to just duck out of the way and take all the fire so you guys can just get away scot-free and continue to build your careers.

anna martin

Ugh.

sara glass

Yeah.

anna martin

I mean, I think  I want you to keep  I think thats a generous thing to say to your staff. Its good that you cared for them so much. But also, even the language, duck away, Ill take the fire 

sara glass

Yeah.

anna martin

 I mean, its pretty violent language that youre using. You know, its clear that you were preparing for a potential onslaught.

sara glass

I was. And when the picture got leaked, I started to get these phone calls at first from some clients. And they never said we have a problem with you being gay. But what they said was, lets put all our sessions on hold for now, you know? Or they would say things like, we just wish you had been authentic with us about who you are. And they werent wrong to feel like a little bit deceived. You know, Im a feminine-presenting lesbian. So I have that privilege where I dont have to  I didnt have to change my appearance to feel true to who I was. They also met me being married to a man, wearing a wig. And I look kind of the same, just without the wig. And, you know, I had given every impression that I was kind of still similar to the person they had known me to be when they met me.

anna martin

Did you get any calls from clients themselves and not just the parents of clients?

sara glass

Yes, but I had been in the community for several years. So there are some kids I had watched some grow up. Like, I had treated them from second grade to seventh grade or something like that. I knew when their teeth fell out. I helped them go on their first overnight sleepovers. And so there was one teenager, she reached out to me and said, the person I would normally talk to about this would be you and now I cant even talk to you. And I just dont even know if Ill ever trust anybody again.

anna martin

Oh my god. How did you respond to that?

sara glass

I cried. That one really broke me. I didnt say that to the child. I validated her feelings. I apologized to her. I told her I understood and that I would talk with her mom about how she could move forward. Because, again, she was a child. I didnt want to violate the parents wishes and engage too much in this out-of-session communication.

anna martin

Did you eventually follow up on your promise to your staff and leave that practice?

sara glass

Yes. I had this one associate on my staff whom I had been working with for the longest. And she called me. And she said, you know, its time. And I remember driving around Columbus Circle. And I just couldnt remember how to get out of the circle. I was like driving around and around and around, like trying to stay cool on the phone. And pretty much overnight, had to shut that practice down. And, actually, I do want to mention, there were some clients who called me and had different conversations with me. And they said, youve been our therapist for all these years. We know who you are. And we hope youre happy. And where is your new office? Because were going to take the train. And well be there.

anna martin

It sounds like you were being so strong for the people around you, but, I mean, this is devastating. How were you coping?

sara glass

The person I was dating at the time is now my wife. And she remembers just holding me through those nights. And I would just sometimes wake up shaking and crying. It was just all I wanted to do is be a safe person for those children and those teens. And then when I turned into the person who hurt them and who caused them pain, I really, really needed her. And I was glad that she was there.

anna martin

You married the woman in the photo?

sara glass

Yes, she is the most loving, sweetest person I could ever have imagined ending up with. And she and I actually have another child together. Hes 2 and 1/2 now. And hes just, like, the sweetest.

anna martin

And your two kids have a baby brother?

sara glass

Yes, they do. Theyre great with him.

anna martin

How old are they now?

sara glass

Theyre juniors in high school.

anna martin

Whoa.

sara glass

So in our household right now, we are  were doing college tours.

anna martin

Are you still in touch with anyone in the Orthodox community where you grew up?

sara glass

No.

anna martin

Not at all?

sara glass

No, Ill occasionally have little bits of communication with my siblings. And its not that they cut me off or I cut them off. Its just that they live in a world where having a queer sister would be a problem for them.

anna martin

Do you ever feel homesick for that community at all?

sara glass

Yeah, I do. Theyre only like about 11 miles away from where we are right now. And I know that because Ive gone on to Google Maps and been like, how far is my sister from where I am and how crazy is that were living such completely different lives? And there are many times when I feel like I just want to call someone, you know, and just say this great thing happened today. And I dont have that many of those people. And sometimes Im just like, you know, gefilte fish is this Jewish food. Its like imagine taking white fish, grinding it, mixing it with flour, and baking it as a loaf. Its not the best. But Ill be like, I just want gefilte fish, you know? Like, once in a while, Ill buy a jar of it. My family is like, just can you just put that in the back of the fridge? But Ill eat a piece just to feel like that connection to home.

anna martin

Sara, thank you so much for this conversation.

sara glass
A fully grown male orca is one of the planets fiercest hunters. Hes a wily, streamlined torpedo who can weigh as much as 11 tons. No other animal preys on him. Yet in at least one population, these apex predators struggle to survive without their moms, who catch their food and even cut it up for them.

Scientists have previously seen that some killer whale mothers share food with their grown sons. In a study published Wednesday in Current Biology, researchers found that this prolonged feeding carries a huge reproductive cost for mothers.

Killer whales, actually the largest members of the dolphin family, swim throughout the worlds oceans. Yet they live in discrete populations with their own territories, dialects and hunting customs. A group that spends much of the year off the coast of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon is known as the southern residents. They eat mainly Chinook salmon, which have been increasingly hard to find.

Killer whales worldwide are doing fine, said Michael Weiss, research director at the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Wash. But the southern residents, with a population of just 73, are considered endangered.
A small icy world far beyond Neptune possesses a ring like the ones around Saturn. Perplexingly, the ring is at a distance where simple gravitational calculations suggest there should be none.

Thats very strange, said Bruno Morgado, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Dr. Morgado is the lead author of a paper published in the journal Nature on Wednesday that describes the ring that encircles Quaoar, a planetary body about 700 miles in diameter that orbits the sun at a distance of about four billion miles.

Quaoar (pronounced KWA-wahr, the name of the creator god for the Indigenous Tongva people who live around Los Angeles) is a little less than half the diameter of Pluto and about a third of the diameter of Earths moon. It is likely to be big enough to qualify as a dwarf planet, pulled by its gravity into a round shape. But no one can say that for sure, because images taken by even the most powerful telescopes have revealed Quaoar as only an indistinct blob. The blob also has a moon, Weywot (the son of Quaoar in Tongva belief).

Quaoar orbits the sun in the Kuiper belt, a region of frozen debris beyond Neptune that includes Pluto.
In October 2020, just over a year after he was elected president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, took an official trip to Britain that included a visit to Buckingham Palace to meet with Prince William and his wife Catherine, now Princess of Wales. At the time, the Ukrainian President, like the Prince, wore the uniform of a peace time leader: a dark suit and tie and black shoes polished to a pristine glow.

Two and a half years later, things looked very different.

On Feb. 8, just before the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky returned: meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, addressing Parliament and traveling to Buckingham Palace to meet with King Charles III  this time in what he has made the symbol of his status as wartime leader: a military green sweatshirt with the Ukrainian trident at the throat, military cargo pants and Lowa task force boots.

Yup, he didnt abandon his sweatshirt, even for the king (who was in his usual Savile Row blue suit and tie). The image tells the story more than words can.

This de facto uniform, which Mr. Zelensky has worn unrelentingly since the war began no matter what the context  in the soaring arches of Westminster Hall, the gilded rooms of the palace, the oaken arena of Congress, the grand backdrop of the White House and which he will almost certainly wear later in the week when he travels to Brussels to meet with European Union leaders  places the reality of the war front and central in any picture, any conversation. It puts the war above traditional protocol and propriety, and makes it impossible to gloss over the reality of its continued trauma and even ugliness.
To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Soon after ChatGPT debuted last year, researchers tested what the artificial intelligence chatbot would write after it was asked questions peppered with conspiracy theories and false narratives.

The results  in writings formatted as news articles, essays and television scripts  were so troubling that the researchers minced no words.

This tool is going to be the most powerful tool for spreading misinformation that has ever been on the internet, said Gordon Crovitz, a co-chief executive of NewsGuard, a company that tracks online misinformation and conducted the experiment last month. Crafting a new false narrative can now be done at dramatic scale, and much more frequently  its like having A.I. agents contributing to disinformation.
Bob Orben, who after writing jokes for Dick Gregory, Jack Paar, Red Skelton and others in the 1960s found a new avenue for his wit when he became a speechwriter for President Gerald R. Ford in 1974, died on Feb. 2 in Alexandria, Va. He was 95.

His death, at a nursing home, was confirmed by his great-niece, Yvette Chevallier.

Mr. Orben was a one-man gag factory. He wrote joke books. He dispatched one-liners to entertainers, politicians and disc jockeys through his subscription newsletter, Current Comedy. And he wrote a column, My Favorite Jokes, for Parade magazine.

I dont mean to blow my own horn, he told The Washington Post in 1982, but between Johnny Carsons monologues, the political cartoonists such as Herblock and Oliphant, and me, if we all decide what the hot subject in the country is, thats what it is.

In 1968, Gerald Ford, a Michigan Republican who was then the House minority leader, needed someone to spice up a speech he was going to give to the Gridiron Club, an organization of journalists whose annual dinner was an opportunity to lampoon political figures. George Murphy, the former actor and United States senator, knew Red Skelton, for whom Mr. Orben was a writer, and recommended him.
San Mateo County, Calif., has agreed to pay $4.5 million to the family of a Black man who died in 2018 after a sheriffs deputy repeatedly used a Taser on him during a struggle that began when law enforcement officers saw the man jaywalking on a busy street, the county confirmed on Tuesday.

The man, Chinedu Valentine Okobi, 36, died on Oct. 3, 2018, after the struggle that day with deputies from the San Mateo County Sheriffs Department, who said he had been walking in and out of traffic on a busy street in Millbrae, about 15 miles south of downtown San Francisco. Video made public in 2019 showed one of the deputies using his Taser several times against Mr. Okobi, before he was restrained and became unresponsive. Officials said Mr. Okobi died of cardiac arrest.

In 2019, the family of Mr. Okobi, a father and college graduate, filed two federal lawsuits, one on behalf of his mother, and one on behalf of his daughter, alleging that the county and the law enforcement officers involved in the episode had violated Mr. Okobis civil rights and wrongfully caused his death, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The settlement between the family and county was reached in August, but became public on Tuesday when The San Francisco Standard, which said it had obtained access to the documents through a public records request, wrote about it.
WASHINGTON  One year after President Biden used the State of the Union address to celebrate billions in federal funds for police departments, the president struck a different tone this week after yet another person was killed at the hands of law enforcement.

With the parents of Tyre Nichols, the Black man who died after being beaten by police in Memphis, sitting in the audience on Tuesday evening, Mr. Biden said in his annual address to Congress that it was time to finish the job on police reform.

When police officers or police departments violate the public trust, they must be held accountable, Mr. Biden said. All of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment.

Mr. Bidens speech included one of the most impassioned calls for police accountability of his presidency, but many of his efforts to overhaul policing in America have been incomplete.
Heres my message to all of you out there, he added later. I have your back.

Mr. Bidens approach underscored how he has not regarded the Republican House takeover as a rebuke of his policies.

It defied the example set by Mr. Bidens Democratic predecessors after they lost House control in their first midterms. President Bill Clinton promised a new era of smaller government in 1995. President Barack Obama vowed in 2011 to take responsibility for our deficit and proposed what he called painful cuts to domestic spending.

Mr. Biden offered no apology for his policies. He cast himself as more fiscally responsible than his immediate predecessor, former President Donald J. Trump, in claiming credit for a $1.7 trillion decline in the federal budget deficit last year. That improvement was largely the product of expiring pandemic aid programs, but Mr. Biden suggested he would take steps to keep winnowing the shortfall between what the government spent and what it earned through taxes and other revenue. He said his next budget, which will be released on March 9, would further reduce deficits by $2 trillion over a decade.

In a sharp contrast with Republicans, he called for raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy as a way to show a commitment to deficit reduction in spite of his spending plans. His proposals included an expanded tax on stock buybacks and what would effectively be a sort of wealth tax on billionaires.

He baited Republicans on a pair of politically cherished programs, Social Security and Medicare, drawing sustained jeers when he said some of his opponents wanted to sunset the programs. While hundreds of Republican lawmakers have signed on to plans to reduce spending on the safety net by raising retirement ages and other reductions in future benefits, Mr. Bidens sunset accusation rests on the possible effects of a plan to reauthorize spending programs every five years, advanced by Senator Rick Scott of Florida, which has gained little traction among party leaders.
Yet Mr. Biden appeared in control as he took his time How are ya, man-ning down the aisle of the House chamber before reaching the dais, where Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, were waiting. Breaking from the combative mood of the chamber, Ms. Harris and Mr. McCarthy engaged in small talk, and the speaker greeted Mr. Biden warmly.

The president had a shaky start on the teleprompter as he raced through his remarks and mangled some lines, although he had plenty of energy. He got an even bigger burst once the Republicans heckles and boos began, and was most animated when he veered off the teleprompter and addressed them directly before a live television audience of millions. At times, the House floor seemed like the British Parliament, where catcalls and shouted insults from the opposing party are tradition.

In 2009, it was considered a travesty when Representative Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, shouted you lie at President Barack Obama during a joint address to Congress. Back then, Mr. Wilson was formally rebuked by the whole House.

Times have changed. Republican lawmakers shouted both liar and bullshit at parts of Mr. Bidens speech, and no one appeared shocked. After the speech, Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee defended yelling out its your fault as Mr. Biden described the fentanyl crisis, telling reporters it was a visceral response.

Though Mr. McCarthy appeared willing to play peacemaker at moments when tensions threatened to boil over  the speaker shushed Republicans who yelled at Mr. Biden for calling to codify citizenship for Americans brought to the United States as children  his role over the next months will be to oppose virtually all of Mr. Bidens agenda.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas delivered a scorching admonition of President Bidens State of the Union address on Tuesday, casting him as the head of a failed administration hijacked by a radical left agenda that has delivered high gasoline prices and empty grocery shelves while teaching children to hate one another on account of their race.

The Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day, Ms. Sanders said. Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didnt start and never wanted to fight.

Ms. Sanders, who rose to national prominence as press secretary in the Trump White House, was elected to her first public office in November and sworn in just 28 days ago.

She was picked to deliver the Republican response by the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, both of whom described her as an avatar for the future of the Republican Party.
A Texas man who fatally shot 23 people and injured dozens more at a Walmart store in El Paso in 2019 pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal hate crimes and weapons charges in connection with the deadliest anti-Latino attack in modern United States history.

Lawyers for the gunman, Patrick Crusius, said last month that he would change his plea to guilty days after federal prosecutors notified the court that they would not seek the death penalty. He has agreed to accept a sentence of 90 consecutive life terms, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas. Mr. Crusius is to be formally sentenced in June.

Mr. Crusius, 24, still faces trial on state capital murder charges, for which he could receive the death penalty.

He appeared in U.S. District Court in El Paso on Wednesday afternoon, where he pleaded guilty to all 90 federal charges that he faced, including 45 hate crimes.
A bus driver has been charged with first-degree murder after he plowed a large bus into a day care center outside Montreal, killing two children on Wednesday morning, the police said.

The police said that six other children were injured when the driver crashed into the day care center in Laval, just outside Montreal.

The authorities said that they did not know what caused the driver to crash into the center and that an investigation was underway.

We cannot confirm if it was intentional or not, a police spokeswoman, Erika Landry, wrote in an email. We are still investigating the suspects motives.
Frances prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, sat on a recent, rainy evening in a dim room at a Red Cross shelter, listening to young women recount their personal stories of poverty, fractured homes and schooling struggles.

She smiled reassuringly and asked piercing questions. But what she did not say was that she could relate.

Ms. Bornes youth was full of trauma. Her father survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, the notorious Nazi camp where one million Jews were killed, and died by suicide when she was 11. He left behind a bankrupted business and a shell of a wife. His daughter was taken under the wing of the state and left home at 16.

Now, she is only the second woman ever to become Frances prime minister, serving as the right hand of President Emmanuel Macron and the public face of his unpopular plan to overhaul Frances pension system, which has drawn millions of people onto the streets to protest.
Greeces government has moved to block from Parliament an extreme-right party seen as a successor to the neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn, which shot to prominence a decade ago but was effectively banned after being declared a criminal organization.

On Wednesday, a government-sponsored bill in Parliament that bars from the legislature parties whose leaders have been convicted of serious crimes and are deemed a potential threat to democracy passed with the votes of the ruling conservatives and the opposition Socialist party, who control a total of 178 seats out of the 300 in the house. The main leftist Syriza party abstained, and smaller opposition parties voted against it.

While it was not explicitly mentioned in the bill, the new legislation would effectively disqualify National Party  Greeks, a party founded by a former top official of Golden Dawn, Ilias Kasidiaris, on the grounds that he is a convicted criminal.

Government officials have named Mr. Kasidiaris as the target of the bill and on Tuesday he sent an injunction to the speaker of Parliament demanding that it be revoked.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Deep in the archives of Frances national library, an assortment of coded letters listed as Italian texts lay untouched for more than 400 years. But when three code breakers  a German pianist, an Israeli computer scientist and a Japanese physicist  stumbled upon them, they discovered something remarkable.

They were, they found, not Italian texts at all.

Instead, they were part of the secret prison correspondence of Mary, Queen of Scots, whose tragic life and tangled role in the lethal dynastic and religious politics of 16th-century Europe have long fascinated writers and historians. One leading biographer of Mary described the discovery as the most significant in the study of her life for more than a century.

We found treasure lying in plain sight, said George Lasry, the Israeli computer scientist who led the yearlong project, which was released to the public on Wednesday, the 436th anniversary of Marys death.

Mary became the queen of Scotland when she was just 6 days old, in 1542, but was imprisoned and forced to give up her throne in 1567. She escaped to England, only to be jailed again by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I as a threat to her own rule. After 19 years as a prisoner, she was eventually executed in 1587, at age 44, accused of involvement in a Catholic plot to assassinate the Protestant Elizabeth.
There are strong indications that President Vladimir V. Putin decided to supply the antiaircraft missile system that Russia-backed separatists used to shoot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet above eastern Ukraine in 2014, a Dutch-led international team found.

But the team said on Wednesday that it had suspended its criminal investigation because of insufficient evidence and immunity privileges that prevent new prosecutions in the crash of Flight MH17, which killed all 298 people aboard.

The investigators noted that no evidence suggested that Mr. Putin ordered the downing of the aircraft and that he was, in any case, protected from prosecution under Dutch law because he enjoys immunity as a head of state.

The investigation has now reached its limits, the Dutch prosecutor, Digna van Boetzelaer, said at a news conference. All leads have been exhausted.
In the first days after Mondays earthquake, no humanitarian aid was entering northwestern Syria. Only victims bodies.

They arrived in the back of a van, wrapped in body bags, blue tarps or colorful family blankets. Their names were scrawled on pieces of paper for bereaved family members waiting in the bitter cold to receive them on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey.

The dead had once fled the airstrikes and collapsed buildings during a civil war back home to live in safety in Turkey. This week they were pulled from the rubble of their new homes and repatriated through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between the two countries.

On Tuesday there were 85 Syrian bodies. On Wednesday, dozens more followed.

Those who didnt die in Syria, died in Turkey, said Ahmad al-Yousef, 37, as he waited Tuesday night on the Syrian side of Bab al-Hawa with his aunt to receive the body of a cousins 13-year-old daughter.

The body of the girl, Yara Ibnayat, had been unearthed from the ruins of their home in Turkey that day. Both of her parents and a brother were still under the rubble.

Those who died, we want them to come back, said Mr. al-Yousef, who lives in a tent camp near the Syrian town of Sarmada on the border. We want them to be buried among their family.
In Berlin, roads are blocked by boxes and people frantically unloading trucks of baby formula. In Melbourne, Australia, a halal-butcher shop hosts distraught expatriates, packing tents and sharing their grief. And in London, volunteers spend their mornings shuttling vans full of donations to the airport.

Faced with chilling images of destruction after the massive earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria  and an agonizing wait for news from those they love  the worlds Turkish and Syrian diaspora communities, around 30 million people, have mobilized to send help to their homelands.

Nearly everywhere, they are hastily organizing groups to pack boxes from sunrise to sunset, sometimes unsure even of where their supplies will go, or who will bring the trucks to move them. Some are volunteering with vehicles to shuttle donations. Others have chartered planes to fly goods and people to Turkey. The quakes death toll had risen above 15,000 people on Wednesday.

Perhaps nowhere are the intermingled desperation and determination as palpable as on the streets of immigrant neighborhoods in Germany.
As they reckon with shocking images on social media and the long wait for news from home, the worlds Turkish diaspora, which includes some 20 million people, has rallied to provide support to one another and send aid to their family members far away.

In Melbourne, Australia, where the Turkish-Australian community exceeds an estimated 300,000 people, dozens of volunteers in the parking lot behind a halal butcher shop packed three shipping containers with cardboard boxes full of new tents, blankets and sleeping bags. The supplies will be flown to Turkey on Thursday morning, and they are expected to arrive at quake-damaged areas within days.

Everyone here has someone they know out there thats been affected, said Kasiye Kuru, one of the organizers of the effort, as her daughter rubbed sunscreen onto her cheeks. A friend who had left Australia to move to Gaziantep, Turkey, close to the epicenter of the quake, had lost her home, she said. She built that home with so much love and care, but what do you do? Shes alive.

Theres been a lot of emotions happening here, said Bea Tercan, one of the organizers of the equipment drive. A lot of people crying, a lot of people are feeling the pain, not getting through to their loved ones, which has been devastating. Its the worst not to be able to hear someones voice and not know where they are, whether theyre stuck, whether theyre alive, whether theyre just screaming for help.

Volunteers secured boxes with tape and packed them full of supplies as children in school uniforms watched.

As a Turkish flag fluttered from one of the shipping containers, people shared accounts of relatives and friends displaced by the quakes and discussed images they had seen on social media and news accounts of the disaster.

I cried all the way here, said Kamil Kolay, who had donated 60 new tents and who described seeing footage of a child who had been pulled from the rubble. He was two months old  it just killed me.

One man said he was from the city of Kirikhan, Turkey, in Hatay Province, and that he had lost several family members, including a cousin, whose wife and child had also died.

It came as little surprise that the community had been able to come together in such a way, Ms. Tercan said.

We did this for the bush fires in Australia back in 2019. We got the community together, and weve done it again, she added. The Turkish community know how to get together when theres a crisis.

For Ms. Tercan, seeing footage of people struggling amid the wreckage brought back vivid memories of her experiences as a survivor of the 1999 earthquake in Izmit, Turkey, in which more than 17,000 people died.

I know what they are living through, she said. Its not something that people expect. You can never imagine it until you live it, and I pray no one lives it.
Black people and those from other minority groups are significantly more likely to be prosecuted in England and Wales than white people who have been arrested on comparable charges, according to a major new study that the Crown Prosecution Service called troubling.

The study, which had been commissioned by the prosecution service itself, presents law enforcement authorities with official evidence of racial disparity in how they decide which cases to prosecute. The figures support what civil rights groups and ethnic minority residents have said for years: that Black people face disproportionately harsh treatment across the criminal justice system.

These findings are troubling, Max Hill, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement released with the report on Tuesday. While we cannot yet identify what is driving these disparities, it is clear we must do further work to establish this as a matter of urgency.

The Crown Prosecution Service, the public prosecutor for England and Wales, decides whether to charge people with serious offenses. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, different bodies are responsible for those decisions. The police are responsible for charging decisions in more minor crimes, which make up around two-thirds of all offenses.
LONDON  President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine made a surprise visit to Britain on Wednesday morning, welcomed with a hug at Stansted Airport by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who announced plans to expand British military support for Ukraine to include training its pilots in NATO fighter jets.

In a speech to Parliament, Mr. Zelensky, dressed in his familiar drab green sweatshirt and speaking in English, thanked Britain for its military support on behalf of our warriors who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire.

London has stood with Kyiv since Day 1, he said, adding: We know that freedom will win.

Mr. Zelensky is scheduled to meet with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace later in the day. Earlier on Wednesday, applause rang out for Mr. Zelensky as he walked into 10 Downing Street with Mr. Sunak, after the two leaders shook hands and waved to reporters and onlookers.

The visit by Mr. Zelensky, announced by Downing Street just hours before his arrival, is only the second trip the Ukrainian leader has made outside his country since Russias invasion last February. In December, he traveled to Washington for a White House meeting with President Biden and an address to Congress, and also stopped in Poland.
Tyre Nichols faced an onslaught of impossible demands and brutal beatings at the hands of Memphis police officers on Jan. 7  much of which was caught on three police body cameras and a street camera.

The videos are chaotic and dimly lit, making it challenging to discern each officers actions. The New York Times analyzed the available footage and radio traffic to identify and track which of the six officers threatened, chased and beat Mr. Nichols after he was pulled over for alleged reckless driving. The videos do not show what initially prompted the traffic stop.

The Times found no verbal communications or actions by officers during the encounter that signaled Mr. Nichols posed a potential threat or was even acting aggressively. Yet each of the six officers immediately used physical force. The analysis also found the officers actions lacked coordination and served no clear tactical purpose. They continued to escalate their use of force even as Mr. Nichols became increasingly incapacitated and incoherent.

Footage and police documents show that at least some of the officers were aware that they were being filmed by body cameras. Video also captures two additional police officers arriving during the final blows and one supervisor, a lieutenant, who appeared about six minutes later as Mr. Nichols lay on the street severely injured. At least 14 responders were at the scene before the ambulance arrived, including 12 law enforcement officers, footage shows.

The findings from The Timess visual analysis were corroborated by documents from the officers disciplinary proceedings released by the State of Tennessee on Tuesday.

This article contains graphic images and descriptions of violence.

A visualization showing the six police officers who were identified in footage of Tyre Nicholss death. The graphic shows which of the officers were charged. Five officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder: Detectives Bean, Haley, Martin, Mills and Smith. One officer, Detective Hemphill, was fired but not charged. Fired and charged with murder Fired Fired and charged with murder Fired Fired and charged with murder Fired A series of portraits showing six police officers who the Times identified and tracked in footage from the night of Jan. 7. As the reader scrolls through the story, the portrait of each officer is highlighted during parts of the story where he is mentioned or involved. hemphill haley martin bean smith mills Initial Traffic Stop 8:24 p.m. The body camera footage begins as Detective Preston Hemphill drives up to the intersection where Nicholss car had been boxed in by two police vehicles. Hemphill draws his firearm and joins Detective Demetrius Haley and Detective Emmitt Martin III who are rushing to Nichols's car, barking commands. Get the fuck out of the fucking car," Haley shouts, then pulls Nichols out of the car. Image from Hemphills body camera footage. Nicholss car is shown stopped in an intersection at night. Hemphills hand is shown toward the right corner of the image holding his drawn gun. To the left of the image, Haley holsters his gun as he leans toward the driver side door of Nicholss car. Martin is also standing near Nicholss car. Haley Martin Hemphill Detective Haley holsters his gun. Detective Hemphills gun is drawn. Haley Martin HEMPHILL Detective Hemphills gun is drawn. Detective Haley holsters his gun. Haley Martin HEMPHILL Detective Hemphills gun is drawn. Detective Haley holsters his gun. The New York Times; Image from Hemphills body camera footage released by the City of Memphis 8:25 p.m. All three officers immediately swarm Nichols, manhandling him and unleashing a bombardment of intensifying threats and commands to get on the ground. Im fitting to tase your ass, Hemphill yells. Nichols appears confused, and tries to point out he is complying. All right, Im on the ground, he says. Im just trying to go home.



Hemphill presses a Taser against Nicholss leg. Haley, Hemphill and Martin pin down his arms. They demand his hands. Haley fires pepper spray at Nichols, but the spray also hits the officers who lose their grip. Hemphill attempts to use his Taser on Nichols as he is trying to get away. After a short foot chase, the officers give up and call for backup as Nichols flees. Image from Hemphills body camera footage showing Haley, Martin and Hemphill. Hemphill holds Nicholss torso down, while Martin and Haley grip his arms. Haley Martin Detective Hemphill holds Nicholss torso down. Hemphill Detective Martin grips Nicholss wrist. Martin Haley Detective Hemphill holds Nicholss torso down. Hemphill Detective Martin grips Nicholss wrist. Martin Haley Detective Hemphill holds Nicholss torso down. Hemphill Detective Martin grips Nicholss wrist. The New York Times; Image from Hemphills body camera footage released by the City of Memphis Officers Catch Nichols 8:32 p.m. Three new officers responding to the call for backup spot Nichols about 600 yards from the initial stop. Detectives Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean chase and tackle Nichols. They grab his hands. Detective Desmond Mills Jr. runs up and yells, You about to get sprayed again. Nichols tries to shield his face.



Smith and Bean strike Nicholss head repeatedly, and Mills fires pepper spray into his face. Nichols writhes on the ground and yells out for his mother, who lives nearby. Image from Millss body camera footage. Millss hand is visible in the right corner, wielding pepper spray. Nichols lies on the pavement, being restrained by Bean and Smith. Bean Smith Mills Nichols Detective Mills wields pepper spray. Bean Smith Mills Nichols Detective Mills wields pepper spray. Bean Smith Mills Nichols Detective Mills wields pepper spray. The New York Times; Image from Millss body camera footage released by the City of Memphis 8:33 p.m. The officers briefly pause as Nichols wipes pepper spray from his face. Then Martin  from the initial traffic stop  rushes into the scene, before kicking and punching Nichols in the head.



Smith, Martin and Bean shove Nichols to the ground. Mills pepper-sprays Nichols again. The spray also hits the officers. Two of them fall back. Nichols cries out again for his mother.



Officers stand over Nichols who is now on his hands and knees. Smith knees him in the ribs, knocking Nichols back to the ground. 8:34 p.m. Martin recovers from the pepper spray and rejoins the officers who are standing over Nichols and demanding his hands. He kicks Nicholss head with so much force that he nearly slips.



Nichols moves to cover his face and Martin yells, Lay flat, goddamnit, kicking his head again. Nichols groans. Smith snaps a handcuff on his left wrist.



Three officers are gripping both of Nicholss arms and simultaneously demanding his hands  even as one of them is already cuffed.



Mills draws his baton and holds it up. Watch out. Im going to baton the fuck out you, he says. Bean and Smith hoist Nichols into the air using the handcuff. Mills strikes Nichols three times with his baton, punctuating each blow with a demand for his hands. Image from SkyCop camera footage. Nichols is shown lying on the ground with his left wrist handcuffed. Martin, Bean, and Smith are gripping both of Nicholss arms and simultaneously demanding his hands. Mills is standing to the right of the group and drawing his baton. Detective Mills draws his baton. Bean Smith Mills Martin Nicholss left wrist is cuffed. Detective Mills draws his baton. Bean Smith Martin Mills Nicholss left wrist is cuffed. Bean Smith Mills Martin Detective Mills draws his baton. Nicholss left wrist is cuffed. The New York Times; Image from SkyCop camera footage released by the City of Memphis 8:35 p.m. Three officers are holding Nicholss arms and wrists, but rather than putting the other handcuff on Nichols, they stand him up in front of Martin. Martin squares up and drives his fist into Nicholss head five times. Give me your fucking hands! Martin yells between punches. But Nichols  with Bean pinning his arms behind his back and Smith gripping his handcuffed wrist  is unable to comply. After the final blow, Nichols is dropped to the ground. The footage later captures Martin boasting about his punches. Image from SkyCop camera footage. Three officers are holding Nichols arms behind his back: Mills, Smith and Bean. Martin raises his arm to punch Nichols. Detective Martin winds up to punch Nichols. Martin Mills Smith Detective Smith holds Nichols. Bean Detective Bean holds Nichols. Detective Martin winds up to punch Nichols. Martin MILLS SMITH Detective Smith holds Nichols. BEAN Detective Bean holds Nichols. Detective Martin winds up to punch Martin. Martin smith mills Detectives Smith and Bean hold Nichols. bean The New York Times; Image from SkyCop camera footage released by the City of Memphis 8:36 p.m. Haley  the other officer from the initial traffic stop  runs onto the scene and immediately kicks Nichols, who is immobilized on the ground.



Martin delivers one last blow: another kick.



Finally, the officers fully handcuff Nichols. Officers report Nichols is in custody 8:37 p.m. Nichols lies on the pavement, groaning. Smith approaches. "Get him up," he shouts.



Smith and Bean drag Nichols by his arms and prop him up against a car. 8:39 p.m. Haley turns on his flashlight and uses his cellphone to take a photograph of Nichols, who is lying motionless and unattended.



Seconds later, Haley takes another photograph from a slightly different angle. Image from SkyCop camera footage. Nichols is in a seated position, slumped against the side of a car. Haley, Bean, Mills and Martin are standing a few feet away. Haley is pointing his phone toward Nichols. Detective Haley points his phone at Nichols. Haley Nichols Bean Mills MARTIN Detective Haley points his phone at Nichols. Haley Nichols Bean Mills Martin Detective Haley points his phone at Nichols. Haley Nichols Bean Mills Martin The New York Times; Image from SkyCop camera footage released by the City of Memphis 8:40 p.m. With Nichols slumped against the car, incapacitated and incoherent, Bean and Smith complain about their sore legs and knees. Nichols tips over. 8:41 p.m. Officers mill around and muse about the various mishaps, injuries and equipment losses during the arrest, paying little attention to Nichols. Bean eventually walks over and says: Hey, sit up, bro, then pulls him upright. 8:42 p.m. At least one supervisor  who is later identified as a lieutenant  appears in the footage. He listens to officers relay their accounts of events. Haley and Martin claim Nichols reached for their guns. Martin also alleges that Nichols tried to punch him. In one police report filed hours later, Nichols is named as a suspect in an aggravated assault. The report identifies Martin as the victim.

Lawyers for four of the officers did not respond to, or declined, The Timess requests for comment about their clients actions captured in the footage. The Memphis Police Department also declined to comment.

William D. Massey, Mr. Martins attorney, said additional footage is necessary to show what precipitated the traffic stop and to complete a full assessment of the incident.

Lee Gerald, Mr. Hemphills lawyer, said while they both strongly disagree with his termination, Mr. Hemphill would continue to cooperate with authorities investigating Mr. Nicholss death. Mr. Gerald also said that Mr. Hemphill was never present at the second scene.
A former zoo director in the Mexican city of Chilpancingo has been officially accused of a series of wrongdoings during his time in office, including cooking pigmy goats for a staff party.

Jose Ruben Nava Noriega is probably a prime candidate for the title of the worlds worst zoo director. During his time managing the local zoo in the city of Chilpancingo, Noriega allegedly sold animals illegally, failed to properly record animal births and deaths, somehow lost several animals, and, probably most shocking of all, he slaughtered and cooked four out of the zoos ten pigmy goats for a New Years staff feast.

Photo: Peter Lloyd/Unsplash

It all started on January 14, when a farmer from the Mexican state of Guerrero found an injured deer on his property and called the authorities. The animal had several bite marks on its body and an injured leg. It was established that the deer had escaped from the Chilpancingo Zoo, so it was taken back there to be treated. Unfortunately, the animal died a few days later, and an investigation found that its wounds had been sutured without anesthesia, and its antlers cut off for no justifiable reason.

However, the case of the escaped deer was apparently only the tip of the iceberg. Jose Ruben Nava Noriega, who had only been the director of Chilpancingo Zoo for a few months, was involved in several other shady dealings. Investigators found that he had authorized animal trades with fake invoices to justify the money transfers, and had arranged the transfer of rare watusi bulls in exchange for building materials and tools that were nowhere to be found.

The investigation also revealed that several species, including 10 reptiles, a jagurundi, a coyote and several birds were missing from the zoo, as were four of the ten pigmy goats. As it turns out, Jose Ruben Nava Noriega allegedly had the four goats slaughtered and served to the staff at a New Years party



These actions put the health of consumers at risk, because they were not animals suitable for human consumption, the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of Guerrero told El Pais Mexico.

Noriega denies having slaughtered the four pigmy goats, but authorities claim that they have enough evidence to prove that he did in fact authorize staff to kill and cook the animals. The director has since been fired and is still under investigation.
Ethiopian-born artist Natnael Mekuria specializes in stunning celebrity portraits cracked into panes of glass using only a chisel and hammer.

22-year-old Natnael Mekuria discovered cracked glass art during the Covid-19 pandemic, but mastering the unusual art form took a lot of time and patience. In the beginning, he lacked the hand control necessary to keep the glass canvas from shattering, so he would spend hours chiseling at it only to have it break into pieces before finishing. But he didnt give up, and today he is able to turn simple panes of laminated glass into beautiful works of art. He still spends hours on end painstakingly chiseling at the glass, but the end results are much different than when he first started.

Photo: Natnael Mekuria/Instagram

It took a lot of practice and patience to master this technique, the artist writes in his LinkedIn bio. But I didnt give up. I kept practicing and learning, and over time, I was able to develop a consistent and reliable method for creating glass portraits.

Mekuria was born in 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and immigrated to the United States in 2008. He has since been living in the District of Columbia, making a living off of his intriguing cracked glass artworks. He has found success on social media, with millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram alone.

To create his intriguing artworks, Natnael begins by mapping the outline of the design on the glass pane and then proceeds to produce small cracks in the glass using a small metal chisel and a hammer. In order to obtain the desired result, he has to control the size of the cracks by hitting the chisel with varying degrees of force.

Natnael Mekurias art style is similar to that of renowned Swiss artist Simon Berger, who also creates art by smashing glass panes.
Fraser Seitel

The bedrock practice of public relations is dealing effectively with the media. Building positive relationships with the press is what public relations pioneers like Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays practiced a century ago. And media relations remains the go-to skill of successful public relations practitioners today.

The most powerfuland difficultmedia relations job in the world is the press secretary to the President of the United States. Every day, the White House press secretary must go out and confront a menacing White House press corps, eager to unleash red-meat controversy throughout the land. A press secretarys every word, therefore, must be measured and purposeful. The job is neither for the squeamish nor the inexperienced.

Over time, a small number of press secretariesRobert Gibbs under President Obama, Tony Snow and Ari Fleischer under President Bush, Mike McCurry under President Clinton, Sarah Sanders under President Trump and even Jen Psaki under President Bidenwere all outstanding. A smaller numberthe duplicitous Scot McClellan under Bush, the lugubrious Jay Carney under Obama and the befuddled Sean Spicer under Trumpwere dreadful.

Bidens current press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre is, by all accounts, a lovely woman. But so far at least, shes a miserable press secretary. Admittedly, thats harsh but also true.

What Ms. Jean-Pierre, alas, lacksand her more able predecessors possessedwere certain characteristics that made them invaluable to both their boss and the media through which they conveyed their Administrations positions, philosophies and programs.

Indeed, a competent media relations counselor at any level and in any organization must abide by at least three inviolate principles:

Its not about you

First, youre speaking as a proxy on behalf of your chief and the administration. Your primary job is accurately to reflect the positions of the enterprise. Who you are and what you think are of little consequence. Youre merely an intermediary, a messenger, a conduit to communicate the thinking of the CEO.

The universally-respected McCurry recognized this when he was asked, point blank, at a Clinton briefing whether he, personally, believed the President had a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. McCurrys answer: The President has said he never had any improper relationship with this woman  Im here to represent the thinking, the actions, the decisions of the President. Thats what I get paid to do.

By contrast, George H.W. Bush speechwriter Peggy Noonan was oblivious when she acknowledged that she was the one who created President Bushs thousand points of light voluntarism initiative. Neither the President nor wife Barbara were pleased that Noonan claimed credit for the Presidents program.

In Jean-Pierres case, her unique background has complicated keeping the story on Biden and not herself. She devoted a large part of her very first White House press briefing in May to noting, I am a Black, gay, immigrant woman, the first of all three of those to hold this position.

Her pride was justifiable and well worth mentioning. But she didnt let it go there. Over the subsequent 10 months on the job, shes continued to write, lecture and bring attention to her own personal story. No question, hers is an inspirational tale, but her job is to focus attention on the Presidents successes, not her own.

Gain a seat at the table

One way to ensure that the focus stays on the chief is by earning a seat at the policy table to participate in the discussions and understand the decisions that become administration policy.

Access is power goes the public relations truism, and thats certainly the case if one is the organizations lead spokesperson. The closer you are toand the more comfortable you are withthe individual running the show, the more confidence youll display and speak with when representing that individual in public.

Gibbs was the prototypical example. He served as a counselor to Obama for four years before being called upon to become White House Press Secretary. So, it was natural that the incoming President would appoint his longtime friend and advisor as press secretary. When Gibbs opened his mouth as press secretary, he did so with the full knowledge and confidence that he had the boss trust.

Psaki, like Gibbs, was a media relations veteran who invested years in ascending public relations roles at the Obama-Biden White House. By the time she was named President-elect Bidens press secretary in 2020, she, too, had earned a reputation as a knowledgeable, confident and trusted member of the Biden team.

Jean-Pierre, on the other hand, is a relative newcomer not only to the Biden administration but also to the practice of public relations. Her background is as a political operative, having served in various organizational roles in Democrat campaigns. Her public relations experience" began two years ago as Psakis deputy. The point is if Jean-Pierre does have a voice and seat at the Biden management table, its likely a faint one at the distant far end.

This unfamiliarity with the boss wouldnt pose as much of a problem if Jean-Pierre demonstrated an ability to...

Know the policy cold

A capable media relations professional must also know everything about everything of relevance thats going on both within and outside the organization. He or she must be the eyes and ears of a preoccupied chief, both to provide the leader with instant knowledge and counsel on pressing issues and to put those issues in an understandable context for the public.

This requires doing your own constant due diligence on matters that not only are front-and-center on the national stage but also those lurking behind-the-scenes ready to explode. Too many  Ill have to get back to you on that or  I have no further information on that or Youll have to ask others about that  and your credibility as a reliable source begins to wane.

For the White House press secretary, with a multitude of hot-button topics looming at all times, its this responsibilityto be equipped and ready with correct answers that transcends all others. And its here, on a daily basis, that Jean-Pierres policy uncertainty and fear of failure expose themselves.

Watch todays Daily White House Press Briefing and the object that stands out most prominently is the voluminous briefing book, to which Jean-Pierres hands appear to be perpetually connected. The press secretary rarely answers a question without first turningsometimes furiously, other times furtivelyto the section in the briefing book coded to the subject in question.

Nothing improper, of course, about making sure your answers reflect written policy. Psaki would occasionally, infrequently turn to the briefing book to ensure accuracy in a particularly prickly area of inquiry. But she, like all good press secretaries, handled most questions with an extemporaneous confidence and clarity. Jean-Pierre, by contrast, is so wedded to the briefing book for virtually every answer, her reliance on it has become a source of criticism and even ridicule by administration critics, who question not only the press secretarys confidence but her competence.

For example, when Psaki faced recurring hostile questions about the disastrous policy of moving migrants from the southern border, shed respond specifically, aggressively and extemporaneously, as she did at a January 2022 briefing:

What I can tell you, in terms of what our policy is and how were approaching the border, is that we continue to be under Title 42. Migrants who cannot be expelled under Title 42 are placed into immigration proceedings. And one of those avenues could be placement in an alternative detention program in the interior of the United States  where they wait for next steps in the immigration process, such as a court hearing and are required to check in with a local ICE office. We have stringent protocols and processes that we implement here.

A year later, when confronted with similar hostility about the Biden administrations southern border inaction, Jean-Pierres answers were characteristically vague, defensive and studiously scripted:

The President inherited a mess ... Secretary (Alejandro) Mayorkas has worked against immeasurable odds to lead the Department of Homeland Security out of the depths of the prior administrations chaos, cruelty and dysfunction to deliver real, lasting and meaningful reform.

In fairness, the job of White House press secretary is a 24/7 pressure cooker, where self-important reporters mainly fling gotcha questions to win themselves air time. Karine Jean-Pierre has been in the saddle for only less than a year. With time may come increased confidence and greater mastery of the subject matter.

But Ms. Jean-Pierre is off to a rocky start. If shes to reverse disastrous first impressions, shell need to master these three media relations principles ASAP.

***

Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for 40 years. He is author of the Pearson text The Practice of Public Relations, now in its 14th edition, and co-author of Rethinking Reputation" and "Idea Wise. He may be reached directly at [email protected].
OFFALY County Council is currently seeking tenders for the development of its five year Offaly Economic Development Strategy & Action Plan. Businesses are being invited to contact the Local Enterprise Office for more details.

The LEO points out that we are living in a time of great change due to accelerated decarbonisation, climate change and Brexit which are bringing big challenges to how we shape our economic strategies recovery. The LEO and the Council say they want to build resilience and advance a more diversified, vibrant and sustainable economy in Offaly with a connected and engaged local business base and focused regional leadership.

The Offaly Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan frames an overarching strategy and an action focused roadmap to build Offaly's economy in the years to come.

The plan looks impressive and it was formally presented to the councillors during their January County Council meeting.

The meeting heard that in terms of disposable income per person Offaly lags behind other counties in Ireland, but it is not the lowest in the Midland region.

The midland region has the lowest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the country, which means that it has the lowest economic growth in the country. It was pointed out to the councillors that GDP in Offaly is consistent but with limited growth.

The attractiveness of the county must be transformed into new projects, the councillors were told. Since 2011 the county has stagnated and hasn't kept up with the rest of the country. However, there are signs of real progressive growth in the county.

From January 2010 to January 2022 the county performed quite poorly in attracting Foreign Direct Investment. During the 12 years only a thousand FDI jobs were created in the county. Offaly was above the average in terms of company formations from 2015 to 2017, achieving 30 new company formations. In terms of active enterprise by industry classification, over 20% of the county's enterprise is in construction. The SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and Threats) analysis shows elements of positivity but an overall perspective of opportunities missed. Its strengths include a great location in Ireland  the county is close to everywhere and accessible. The county also has a breadth and depth of natural assets and the opportunities to exploit those assets.

Among the county's weaknesses are the absence of a third level institution, a dependency on the ESB and Bord na Mona, a lack of confidence, and an insufficient amount of accommodation.

Opportunities include Just Transition and the Waterways. Changes in the industrial landscape post Covid with adjustments to value chains and structures presents new opportunities for Offaly in terms of remote working, and developing new industries.

Among the threats is the fact of the gap between the east and the west of the county. The county seems to have two personalities. Another threat is insufficient economic resilience.

The stakeholders are united on some key points. One of these is the need to ensure young people are retained within the county. Parents need to know there are future job opportunities for their children in the county.

Another problem is low levels of ambition and a fear to move out of one's comfort zone.

More needs to be made from tourism. Perhaps we could create a Tourism+ mode that incorporates food, experiences and local enterprise to take tourists off the beaten track.

The vision contained within this five year Strategy is that County Offaly will become an established Cleantech enterprise county with a national and international reputation for rapidly building, scaling and anchoring technology companies that address climate change across multiple sectors.

The mission of this strategy and plan is to support the Irish and European journey to a net zero economy (net zero means the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. We reach net zero when the amount we add is no more than the amount taken away); and therefore position Offaly as a leading centre for innovation, talent and capital for cleantech innovations across a distinct number of sectors with an internationally recognised position. The activities of the plan are based on a collaborative Helix-5 cluster model that fosters partnerships with five key stakeholders  industry, SMEs, Academia, Investors and Government. This mission supports economic development goals of job growth, company growth, investment attraction and trade opportunities, by identifying gaps, facilitating engagement, and developing collaboration opportunities.

The councillors were told of a number of areas of possible development in the county as a result of the strategy, including:

The Construction Centre of Excellence in Mount Lucas can be used as a national centre for the development of new capabilities in the county.

The Tullamore General Hospital affords the opportunity for the development of a MedTech campus and associated projects.

The ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sector with the Big Data element and the work being conducted by I-LOFAR affords Offaly a platform to build a new ICT sector supporting the main hubs in Ireland.

The promotion and expansion of Ferbane Food Campus.

There is a core Governance issue to be addressed in Offaly, the meeting was told. Currently there are many agencies engaged and many cross-cutting agendas. It is proposed to have a Taskforce chaired by a private sector individual in Offaly with a secretariat from the Local Enterprise Office. This task force would cover all the agencies engaged in Offaly and ensure that the plans are being implemented. The taskforce would meet quarterly.

It's also planned to provide an Offaly centric one stop shop to signpost companies to relevant supports.

Orla Martin of the Local Enterprise Office told the meeting that this is an ambitious strategy for the county which will bring together SMEs, academia, investors, the government and industry.

Cllr Peter Ormond said it was an excellent presentation and an excellent sounding plan which hopefully will bear considerable fruit and will bring about economic development in the county. This is a positive moment because we are being given an excellent roadplan to work with. I think all the SPCs (Strategic Policy Committees) in the council should take on board what is contained in this document.

The crux of our ambition for the county, remarked Cllr Eamon Dooley, is to create more disposable income and to create more jobs. As we all know so well a very high number of very well paying jobs have been lost in the ESB and Bord na Mona in the county. We want to replace them with equally well paid jobs. That's the objective. For the last few years we have been asking for, and not getting, accurate figures of the job losses in Bord na Mona and the ESB in the county.

The meeting was told that under this Strategy the county would not be returning to carbon industries. The focus will be on clean, net zero industries.

Cllr John Clendennen said they need to work hard at spreading positive messages about the county. He said the IDA has woefully underperformed in terms of job creation in the midlands and Offaly. By contrast the Local Enterprise Office has been a powerful force for good and positivity. The councillor pointed out that too many young people are not staying in the county. We have to do what we can to provide the circumstances for them so they can stay in the county. It's also very important that this report is activated and doesn't lie on shelves, like so many previous well meaning reports, gathering dust.

Cllr Sean O'Brien said the aim is to make it possible for as many Offaly people as possible to remain in their home county and not have to go elsewhere for work.

Chief Executive Anna Marie Delaney remarked that following the implementation of the decarbonisation programme and the heavy loss of jobs the county needs a strategy for job creation. This is it, therefore this is an important moment.
Irish software development and integration company, Tullamore based Dotser, has won a national tender with the Irish Shows Association (ISA) to deploy licences of its SuperShow - Agricultural Show Management Platform, to all ISA member shows in Ireland.

The cloud business contract will see Dotser deliver on the ISAs overall objective to provide an umbrella solution for the deployment of online show management software for individual ISA show members, and provide support to a Super Administrator and 10 proposed SuperUsers.

Following the ISAs feasibility study and market research; the tendering and selection process awarded Dotser winning marks in their three criterias: skills and expertise, quality and technical merit of the methodological process proposed, and cost.

These followed the overall selection criterias of economic and financial standing, turnover, and technical and professional ability.

The contract is being part-funded under the LEADER national co-operation programme, which is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Agriculture, as part of Project Ireland 2040. The project is being led out by Monaghan Integrated Development CLG in partnership with Avondhu Blackwater Partnership CLG, Galway Rural Development CLG and Southwest Mayo Development Company CLG.

Each show is expected to achieve significant benefits when live; such as a great reduction in time that show organisers & secretaries spend in operating and administering shows, improved cost efficiencies, more positive feedback, and increases in participation and footfall.

Each show will benefit from the systems key features:

One central system to manage many key show management functions such as trade management, competitions, memberships, and sponsorships.

Tiered functionality with the ability to assign different roles, user rights and permissions.

Live judging and results published directly to the shows website.

Single sign-on for competitors and trade stand holders to sign into ISA shows.

Website content management system.

Search Engine Optimisation management.

Promotional functionality with sharing content directly to social media platforms.

Use of shows own branding and website name.

Online payment integration.

Competitors and exhibitors will also benefit by way of the single sign-on feature; central across all SuperShow powered websites.

Commenting on the announcement of the confirmed contract; Loughnan Hooper, Chief Executive Officer at Dotser says we are delighted to have been awarded this tender to power all ISA shows with the SuperShow Event Management System, and excited for each of the shows who will benefit greatly from SuperShow, and their local economies and communities. Being the culmination of 20 years development and fine-tuning work on the ground in the agriculture and events industry and with voluntary organisation structures, we have arrived at what is now the most ideal show management solution for the Irish Shows Associations members. We look forward to a seamless roll out, and incredible results for everyone involved.

The roll-out of the project has commenced with training actively underway including a session held at the ISA AGM, recently, where Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys commended the ISA for "the great work being done in digitising and future proofing the shows".

Pictured at the event held on the 26th of November, from left to right is: Geoff Liffey, Business Development Manager at Dotser; Heather Humphreys, Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection; Catherine Gallagher, Outgoing National President of the ISA; Jim Harrison, National Secretary of the ISA, and Ciara Kinnarney, SuperShow Manager at Dotser.

The contract was confirmed in May, and all shows will be set up on the ISA SuperShow Platform by the end of this year.
THE water supply system in Clonbullogue is to undergo a 5.5km upgrade.

Irish Water (Uisce Eireann) says it is working in partnership with Offaly County Council to replace aged water mains with new modern pipes.

Irish Water said the project, which will commence this week, will provide a more reliable water supply and reduce the amount of treated drinking water lost to leakage.

The utility said the works are a critical step in conserving water and reducing high levels of leakage which have been a significant source of disruption and outages for customers.

Manager for Uisce Eireanns national leakage reduction programme Joe Carroll is looking forward to getting crews on site.

Old and damaged water mains are a huge source of leakage and continue to impact communities right across Ireland, causing low pressure and supply disruption. Replacing these old water mains in poor condition will eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground, said Mr Carroll.

Local political representatives have welcomed the project with Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen describing the work as hugely significant and saying it will bring to an end the ongoing issues that residents of the area have been experiencing.

Deputy Cowen said there will be a more reliable water supply and a reduction in the amount of treated drinking water lost to leakage.

"I have frequently been contacted by a number of residents in the area who are justifiably frustrated and aggrieved by the ongoing problems they experience with their water supply. Replacing these old water mains in poor condition will eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground, said Deputy Cowen.

"To facilitate the delivery of the upgrades, motorists will unfortunately experience some traffic disruption. However, the benefits of the works will hopefully outweigh the inconvenience and I very much welcome this significant step forward.''

The TD's Fianna Fail colleague, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, also welcomed the announcement.

The works are being carried out by Ward & Burke Construction in partnership with Offaly County Council on behalf of Uisce Eireann and are due to be completed by the end of June this year.
New Zealand authorities have intercepted more than three tonnes of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean they suspect was headed for Australia.
Philip Mark Mehrtens was abducted by separatist fighters and his commercial plane set it alight after it landed in a remote airport on the Indonesian province.
 2008-2023 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
Police National Organised Crime Unit head Greg Williams said New Zealand was not a cocaine market, and the 3.2 tonnes were meant to go elsewhere.
The Chancellor is addressing parliamentarians in the German federal parliament on the upcoming EU special summit in Brussels. The topics on the agenda in the Belgian capital include climate protection and migration.
The Chancellor is addressing parliamentarians regarding the upcoming EU special summit in Brussels. The topics on the agenda in the Belgian capital include climate protection, the war in Ukraine and migration.
Ukraine's president headed to London and was then moving on to Paris and possibly Brussels for talks with European allies. Meanwhile, both sides reported high casualty figures in the field. DW has the latest.
Sky News 15 Feb 2023

A New Zealand pilot taken hostage by separatist rebels in Indonesia has been pictured alive in images released by the group.
We meet Ahmat at one of the few functioning airports in the earthquake zone.
Joe Biden has vowed to work with political rivals in his latest State of the Union address.
Secret letters written by Mary Queen of Scots while she was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I have been cracked by a team of codebreakers.
The president says US democracy is "unbowed and unbroken"; Republicans accuse him of "woke fantasies".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive in the UK today to meet Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian troops, the prime minister's office has said.
The Ukrainian leader thanks the UK for its "grit" and calls on the West to provide fighter jets.
Russia provides arms and diplomatic support to Myanmar's military. However, the war in Ukraine, and Moscow's international isolation, means the partnership remains limited.
An anti-NATO rally in Stockholm that would have included the burning of a Quran has not been allowed to go ahead. It comes after a similar incident sparked threats from NATO member Turkey.
Two children have died and six have been rushed to hospital after a bus crashed into a day care centre in Quebec.
President Zelensky steps up calls for the West to supply fighter jets, on a visit to the UK.
Afghanistan announced a relief package to Turkey and Syria despite itself being in the midst of a severe economic and humanitarian crisis.
President Yoon Suk-yeol had rejected the opposition's demand he sack the minister after the disaster last year.
Sky News 09 Feb 2023

Pink Floyd star Roger Waters has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and called for a ceasefire - but also said he believes the..
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said the embattled New York congressman, who faces continued questions about his biography and campaign finances, should've been "sitting in the back row and staying quiet."
Paris (AFP) Feb 7, 2023



A new generation of AI chatbots has unleashed a titanic battle between Microsoft and Google for the eyeballs of billions of web users, and the dollars they bring. Microsoft has gone all-in with a multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the firm behind the world's most buzzy bot ChatGPT, hoping to revolutionise its unloved Bing search engine. Google has owned the search market for two d
The Memphis officer stood over Tyre Nichols and took photographs, which he sent to other officers and a female acquaintance, according to documents released by the Tennessee's police standards panel.
Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the Financial Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.  There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Financial



#alistairmacgregor #ndp #parliament #vancouverisland #thibaults #ericlafleche #macgregor #thibault #lafleche #loblawcosltd
Russian President Vladimir Putin likely decided to supply the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, but there is no realistic prospect of prosecuting him or others, investigators said.
NPR 08 Feb 2023

Investigators said they found that the Russian president likely approved the supply of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian..
A 1.5 million square-ft. zone of Dubai known as International Humanitarian City is the world's largest aid hub, with warehouses for U.N. agencies, Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations and others.
the abrupt lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China Overall, global economic activity, especially in the United States, the euro area and China, was somewhat above the Banks expectations in the October Monetary Policy Report (MPR). Council members continued to expect a significant slowing in



#chinaoverall #mpr #council #russianwar #ukraine #governingcouncil #lfs
Watch VideoUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushed for fighter jets to ensure his country's victory over Russia in a dramatic speech before the U.K. Parliament, where he also thanked the British people for their support since "Day One" of Moscow's invasion.



The embattled leader's surprise visit to Britain in a bid...
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Officials of the national unity government held a meeting here on Wednesday to follow up on the plan of the Libyan General Electricity Company (GECOL) to streamline the consumption of electricity during the peak of the summer season
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA)  Souh Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa says his Government is determined to remove all impediments, such as electricity blackouts and illegal mining, to create an environment that will drive sustained growth in the mining industry
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to support the humanitarian response for refugees and internally displaced people in Ethiopia and work towards achieving long-term solutions, including for those displaced by drought and the impact of climate change
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA)  Representatives and envoys of five Western countries and the European Union have stated that assistance to Sudan would resume as soon as a civilian government is established
Photo: (Photo : Jeenah Moon /Getty Images)

A 5-year-old brings a gun magazine and ammunition to school.

On Monday, February 6, a 5-year-old brought ammunition and a gun magazine to school.

The 5-year-old is a kindergarten student at Porter Elementary School in Syracuse, New York. The confirmed materials were found in the student's backpack.

However, the student was equally shocked and claimed that those materials were not his or did not belong to their household.

5-year-old brings gun magazine and ammunition to school

According to NBC News, it appears, at this point, that the student was completely unaware of the existence of such things in his bag.

The Syracuse City School District spokesperson confirmed that the incident was at Porter Elementary School by recently sharing the statement from the police.

They clarified that the student's rucksack only contained a pistol magazine and ammo. After a search, law enforcement officers determined that the 5-year-old boy did not have a firearm.

However, it was later found out, as reported by CNYCentral, that the student had a razor blade with him at the time of the incident. The spokesman stated that the blade was never employed in a manner that could be considered threatening.

The spokeswoman did not provide an answer to questions about who was responsible for putting the things in the student's bag and whether or not the student was aware that they were there.

On Tuesday, attempts to get in touch with the police for a further statement were unsuccessful. On Tuesday, an individual who answered the phone at Porter Elementary declined to comment.

Additionally, it has been established that further investigation into the recent occurrence is still being carried out.

Read Also: Keeping Children Safe From Hypothermia, Frostbite During Extreme Cold

Young children's gun access in America

The incident at Porter Elementary comes after a devastating shooting that happened last month involving a 6-year-old.

On January 6, there was an incident at the Richneck Elementary School wherein a 6-year-old boy shot his first-grade teacher in the middle of the class.

That incident caused a national uproar unraveling so many questions.

The incident triggered lawmakers, parents, educators, and citizens from all walks of life to question gun control, laws, and firearms access to extremely young children.

According to Giffords Law Center, in the United States, federal law sets the minimum age for purchasing a firearm at 18 years old for a long gun and 21 years old for a handgun.

However, some states have more restrictive laws, setting a higher minimum age for purchasing firearms. Others may have specific exemptions for hunting or other lawful purposes.

Shooting incidents involving minors can have devastating consequences and raise important questions about the availability of firearms and the role of adults in ensuring their safe storage and use.

It is important to note that in many cases involving minors and firearms, the responsibility for ensuring the safe storage of the weapon falls on the adult owner. This can include parents, guardians, or other family members.

In cases where a minor is involved in a shooting, law enforcement may investigate the source of the firearm and determine if it was stored safely and securely.

If it is found that the adult owner of the firearm was negligent in their storage or supervision of the weapon, they may face criminal charges.

Related Article: Tristyn Bailey Case: Aiden Fucci Pleads Guilty to First-Degree Murder
Photo: (Photo : Getty Images/Ethan Miller)

Children's exposure to edible marijuana and other means has surged in Colorado, yet lawmakers do not plan to revise the regulations this year.

The number of kids, especially very young ones, ingesting marijuana has nearly tripled in Colorado, even with regulations that say edible marijuana should be kept out of children's reach. However, what can be more alarming than this news is that state leaders have no intention to revisit or change the rules this 2023.

Based on the reports given to Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety office, 151 children aged five and below in 2021 have been exposed to cannabis, a number that has skyrocketed from 56 children in 2017. According to the reports, these exposures happened by ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the children's skin.

Further, there was also a surge in the number of children under six checked in the hospital with a marijuana-related billing code, with only 569 in 2019 compared to 1,082 in 2021.

It's happening all over the nation

From 2017 to 2021, young kids were most exposed to eating edibles like gummies, cookies, drinks, and other products with the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), not intentionally but accidentally. In 2021 there were 97 children aged five and below that were unintentionally exposed to edible marijuana, as compared to 35 children in 2017. According to the poison and drug safety office, the exposures do not mean that the kids were poisoned or overdosed.

Marijuana exposures among kids are, in fact, on the rise nationwide. In a study published last month by the American Academy of Pediatrics, it was found that the cases of children younger than six who ingested marijuana edibles rose to a shocking number of 3,054 in 2021 from only 207 in 2017.

Colorado is playing a "notable role" in the nationwide trend. However, the federal government has not yet created uniform protocols, and health officials from Colorado have not expressed any plans for regulation revisions to end kids' exposure and consumption of cannabis.

"Marijuana laws and regulations are regularly evaluated by lawmakers, state agencies, local agencies and the various stakeholders. A top priority is preventing youth access and to the extent we see opportunity in rules to address youth access, we do so," Colorado's Marijuana Enforcement Division spokesperson Shannon Gray wrote in an email to KHN.

Gray further expressed that considerations on changing the regulations should be done, including those that state leaders have proposed.

Unfortunately, according to Colorado House of Representatives majority spokesperson Jarrett Freedman, there are no impending bills concerning marijuana edible mandates.

Read also: Pot Legalization Can Lead to "More Use Less Abuse" Effect, Study Says

It goes back to the parent's responsibility

The legalization of selling recreational or edible marijuana began in Colorado in 2014 with the implementation of regulations to stop kids from mistaking cannabis for safe and delicious sweet treats.

It has been mandated that there should be no edible marijuana manufactured in the shape of a human, fruit, or animal. The edibles should be sold in packaging that is child-resistant with no candy or candies inside with it. Marketing and advertising of the products should not include cartoon characters or any characters or stuff that can appeal to children. Lastly, the universal THC symbol (! THC) must be visible on all packaging and stamped on all edible items.

However, information received by the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety cannot be filtered out between edible marijuana manufactured and sold by licensed retailers and those from "illegal sources" that are not following Colorado's packaging regulations, Gabi Johnston, the state health department's spokesperson, stated.

According to Dr. Marit Tweet, a medical toxicologist at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, the rise of accidental child exposure to cannabis has much to do with its legalization. The more readily available it is, the more opportunities the children have to be exposed to it, she told US NEWS.

Further, she stated that parents feel less stigma in going to poison centers and health clinics to ask for or buy edibles.

The problem lies, however, in parents not knowing how to store these marijuana edibles safely in their homes, knowing that most kids aged five and below still cannot read, Tweet stressed.

Related Article: Study Says Parents Who Smoke Marijuana Make Their Kids Weak Against Respiratory Infections
Photo: (Photo : Pexel/ Eren Li)

Parents that are still waiting for the right time and age to discuss pornography with their children should stop waiting and act now, a recent report stresses.

In a new survey by Common Sense Media on Teens and Pornography, it was confirmed that most of the 1,300 teen respondents aged 13 to 17 had watched porn online. Some said they stumbled upon it accidentally, while a significant number admitted viewing porn intentionally online regularly, which means once a week or more.

What has been more alarming is that the average age of kids exposed to online pornography is 12 years old. However, 15 percent of children saw their first porn at the age of ten or even younger.

An Ohio-based clinical psychologist specializing in the development of teenage girls, Dr. Lisa Damour, expressed that the new data does not surprise her, stating that teens are introduced and exposed to porn "far more often" than their parents or many adults assume.

According to Common Sense Media founder and CEO Jim Steyer, parents might assume that their kids are not part of the percentages. However, he stresses how the numbers are "overwhelming." Thus, parents need to think again.

Steyer even stated that teens' exposure to pornography at a very young age is a crucial public health and sexual health issue the world has right now that is "literally being buried by parents, by educators and by all of us."

What do teens think about porn

Another very concerning piece of information the report gave is that most teenagers are watching violent and aggressive forms of porn. Fifty-two percent admitted to seeing pornography depicting rape, choking, and seeing someone in pain.

Only 33 percent stated that the content they were watching implied asking for consent first before doing the sexual act.

Twenty-seven percent of the teens thought that the porn they watched accurately depicts sex, and 45 percent shared that porn gives them helpful information about sex.

Dr. Devorah Heitner, the author of "Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World" and founder of Raising Digital Natives, a resource for parents and schools, stated that parents need to understand and accept that curiosity around sexuality is very common for teenagers. Thus, parents need to assume that their kids must have already seen something that they were not supposed to, especially since children as young as eight are already exposed to social media more than ever, as the doctor wrote in a New York Times article.

While 73 percent of the participants saw pornography online when they were 17 or younger, 58 percent saw the content accidentally by clicking on a link they did not realize would take them to a porn site or stumbling upon a pornographic advertisement or being shown to them by a peer.

Eighteen percent of the teenagers who saw porn unintentionally stumbled upon it on social media.

These kids are not viewing porn only on closed doors, with 41 percent admitting that they watch online porn during school days while 31 percent watch even while attending school in person.

Read also: What to do if You Catch Your Child Watching Pornography

What are parents to do

Unfortunately, more than half of these teenagers never discussed this with their parents or a trusted adult about pornography.

The report, though, has provided a silver lining.

There was 43 percent who had "the talk" with either their parents or an adult they trust, and among these teens, 51 percent expressed that the conversation "encouraged [them] to think about ways to explore sex or [their] sexuality other than porn," a confirmation that parents and caregivers need to start discussing porn to their kids even before they start their teenage years.

Damour even suggested that the conversation should start before the kids get to have their own mobile phones or other devices, CNN News reported.

If parents do not know how or where to start, Damour encouraged them to start by saying that porn rarely depicts the "loving, tender, mutual intimacy that characterizes a healthy love life." Parents need to have the courage to tell their children that if the latter stumble upon porn, they are available to answer any confusion or questions that might have resulted.

"The best offense here is preparing them for a world where porn is highly accessible and may be giving kids misleading information about sex, consent and practices that they may assume are expected or 'common' because they see people in porn doing them," Heitner explained.

Related Article: Children Should Be Shown Pornography In School And Sex Education Should Be Abolished, Says Dame Jenni Murray
Photo: (Photo : JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Getty Images)

The Massachusetts mom, Lindsay Clancy, showed signs of happiness before killing her three children.

The Massachusetts mom, 32, was accused of strangling her children to death on January 24. Her husband, Patrick Clancy, told the authorities that his wife had been smiling and happy earlier in the day before the incident occurred.

The husband also recalled his wife saying she was having one of her best days after struggling with mental health problems.

Massachusetts mom strangles 3 children

According to NBC News, prosecutors believed that the Massachusetts mom planned the killing of her three young children. This assumption was made public once further information regarding the date of the occurrence became available.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about Lindsay Clancy's demeanor when she took her daughter Cora to the doctor for an appointment the morning of the killings. The medical staff at the office didn't observe anything unusual about her conduct.

She sent images of the snowman she created with her daughter Cora and her son Dawson to her mother and her husband after they returned home.

Clancy used Apple Maps to determine the time it would take to travel to and from a restaurant in a neighboring town.

After that, she dialed the number of the restaurant and placed an order for pickup, after which she requested that her husband, Patrick, get the food.

The family often ordered takeout from a restaurant closer to their house in Duxbury, but the new eatery, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, was further away.

After returning home, according to ABC News, Patrick saw their second-floor bedroom window open and his wife, who had attempted suicide, lying on the ground in their backyard. He noticed there were cuts on her neck and wrist.

When the husband, Patrick Clancy, found his three young children in the basement being strangled with exercise bands, he screamed in agony and shock and immediately called 911.

Their firstborn child, Cora, who was five years old, and Dawson, who was three years old, were both pronounced dead at a hospital that evening. Three days later, the boy named Callan, who was seven months old, also died at the hospital.

The Massachusetts mom survived her attempted suicide after she was rushed to the hospital by responders. She confessed to her husband that she had killed their children while lying in her hospital bed and explained that she had heard a voice and experienced a moment of psychosis.

Read Also: 5-Year-Old Brings Gun Magazine, Ammunition to New York School

Why do parents kill their own children?

The reasons why a mother with mental health problems may kill her own children are complex and multifaceted. Mental health issues such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and psychosis can impact a person's ability to think and make decisions rationally.

This type of phenomenon is called filicide. According to the National Library of Medicine, "Filicide" is a term used to describe the act of a parent killing their own child.

This is a relatively rare but tragic occurrence and can profoundly impact families and communities.

There has been a significant amount of research on filicide, including psychological and sociological studies that have aimed to understand the motivations behind this act and identify risk factors.

Some of the most commonly cited reasons for filicide include mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and financial stress. Other factors that have been identified include parental psychopathology, past abuse or neglect, and relationship conflict.

However, it's important to note that most people with mental health issues do not engage in violent behavior, including killing their own children.

In Clancy's case, she continuously pleaded not guilty to killing her three children while the prosecutors continued to present evidence of her normalcy and awareness during the incident.

Related Article: Miracle Baby Survives Syria Earthquake; Born Under Rubble, Rescued to Safety
Photo: (Photo : David McNew /Getty Images)

The 15-year-old boy who was recorded beating a 9-year-old girl is now charged with battery.

Prosecutors have filed criminal battery charges against him after he was seen repeatedly punching a girl on a school bus in Miami-Dade.

A video recording was uploaded on social media and caused a buzz about extreme bullying on February 1 on a school bus from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Tuesday that the charges would be filed at the juvenile courts.

15-year-old boy charged with battery

NBC reported that the 15-year-old was initially given a civil citation, also known as a written arrest, but Fernandez Rundle said a more serious charge was warranted.

According to the attorney's statement, the video indicated that this beating was significantly more serious than a regular student fight.

Based on the evidence and the circumstances, the court is of the opinion that the use of a civil citation was incompatible with the degree of aggression demonstrated by the 15-year-old offender toward his considerably younger and smaller victim.

Consequently, they have submitted criminal battery charges to the juvenile courts. This means that the proceedings and potential punishment will be handled within the juvenile justice system.

In addition, the officials with Miami-Dade County Public Schools stated that the students involved would face disciplinary action in accordance with the student conduct code.

According to Local 10, the mother of the 9-year-old girl, who wants to be identified only as Jenni, was devastated. She was in tears and crushed after seeing her child being beaten in that manner.

Jenni had said she intended to avoid putting other children in a potentially dangerous situation. It is to ensure that they have the necessary safety precautions in place for the children to prevent this from happening in the future.

She went on to say that her child is not the first to experience this and that it will not be the last if nothing is done. In addition, the mother stated that her goal is to bring about changes at the school on the district level.

Jenni continued to be saddened by it and said it was just deplorable because there were many points along the way where adults could have intervened to prevent this from becoming as severe as it did.

Read Also: Ohio Police Tracks Down Homeschool for Teaching Racist, White Supremacist, Pro-Nazi Lessons

Bullying across the country

In the United States, the juvenile court system handles cases involving minors who are accused of criminal behavior. Juvenile courts have different goals than adult criminal courts and focus on rehabilitation and treatment rather than punishment.

This is also what the mother of the 9-year-old wants to advocate because, with that level of aggression, the boy seems to need professional support and medical help.

Furthermore, the hearing will proceed this week. According to NOLO, if a minor is found guilty in juvenile court, they may be placed in a juvenile detention center or rehabilitation program instead of jail.

The length of time they spend in these facilities depends on the crime's severity and the case's individual circumstances. However, in some cases, minors may be transferred to adult criminal court and face adult criminal penalties, including the possibility of serving time in jail.

Related Article: Murder-Suicide Pact: Pennsylvania Family Agree to Kill Each Other Leaving Written Notes With Vague Reasons
Last year Apple TV+ added veteran actress Glenn Close to the international Emmy Award-winning global espionage thriller Tehran that gave the series a boost in depth. For 2023, it's only going to get better, as multi-Emmy Award nominee Hugh Laurie (House M.D., The Night Manager, Roadkill) is set to join the ensemble cast. Created by Moshe Zonder, Dana Eden and Maor Kohn, and directed by Daniel Syrkin, season three of Tehran is now in production.

After its global debut on Apple TV+ last summer, which featured Glenn Close, the second season of Tehran was hailed as nail-biting, thrilling and one of the most suspenseful Israeli shows ever made. Season three of Tehran will expand its cast with Hugh Laurie in the role of Eric Peterson, a South African nuclear inspector. Laurie will star alongside Niv Sultan, who will reprise her widely acclaimed role as Mossad agent Tamar Rabinyan, as well as returning stars Shaun Toub and Shila Ommi, and new additions Sasson Gabai, Bahar Pars and Phoenix Raei.

Tehran follows Tamar (Niv Sultan), a Mossad hacker-agent who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity. After going rogue at the end of season two and reeling from the loss of her closest allies, in season three, Tamar must find a way to reinvent herself and win back the Mossads support if she is to survive.

Seasons one and two of Tehran are now streaming globally on Apple TV+.

Archive: Apple TV News
We really enjoyed attending sacrament meeting on both of our Sundays here. We met with a Tongan ward in Lahaina, on Maui. This past Sunday, we joined with the Kona 1st Ward, which meets directly adjacent to the Kona Hawaii Temple. One of the negatives in the Latter-day Saint reputation, at least in the United States, is that were white racists. And here in Hawaii, whenever Ive gone swimming, Ive been acutely aware that I am, indeed, very, very white. But no matter: We loved attending the Kona 1st Ward, in which Bishop Faleata Fanguna, wearing a lavalava, both presided and conducted. His first counselor, Lokahi Aipia, appears to have been out of town, so Bishop Fanguna had the Elders Quorum president, Kekua Ahuna, sit up on the stand with him. It was fast and testimony meeting, and one of those who bore his testimony was Elder Amanaki Uhila, who was also wearing a lavalava and who has just completed his home MTC training and who is leaving this week to begin full-time missionary service. At the conclusion of the sacrament meeting  this is a traditional Hawaiian practice that Ive seen on previous visits to the Islands  the congregation stood and sang Aloha Oe to Elder Uhila who was, by now, wearing a lei as well as a lavalava. And then, one by one, members of the congregation went up to the stand and hugged him in farewell.

Haaheo ka ua i na pali

Ke nihi aela i ka nahele

E hahai (uhai) ana paha i ka liko

Pua ahihi lehua o uka Hui:

Aloha oe, aloha oe

E ke onaona noho i ka lipo

One fond embrace,

A hoi ae au

Until we meet again O ka halia aloha i hiki mai

Ke hone ae nei i kuu manawa

O oe no kau ipo aloha

A loko e hana nei Maopopo kuu ike i ka nani

Na pua rose o Maunawili

I laila hiaai na manu

Mikiala i ka nani o ka lipo

The congregation sang only a part of the song  my wife and I and our friends being significantly helped when a member of the ward slipped us a sheet with both the Hawaiian and English lyrics on it  but here is the complete translation (of the complete original just above) that was prepared by the composer herself:

Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs

As it glided through the trees

Still following ever the bud

The ahihi lehua of the vale Chorus:

Farewell to you, farewell to you

The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers

One fond embrace,

Ere I depart

Until we meet again Sweet memories come back to me

Bringing fresh remembrances of the past

Dearest one, yes, you are mine own

From you, true love shall never depart I have seen and watched your loveliness

The sweet rose of Maunawili

And tis there the birds of love dwell

And sip the honey from your lips

I noticed no white supremacy in the Kona 1st Ward. I wish that others, too, could see such areas within the Church.

By the way, Aloha Oe was composed by Liliuokalani (1838-1917), who served as the only queen regnant and as the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from 29 January 1891 until the rather dishonorable overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by American business interests on 17 January 1893. She was always friendly to the Latter-day Saints, who were always friendly to her. In fact, she actually seems to have been baptized into the Church, though she appears never to have considered herself exclusively one of the Saints. (See my brief discussion of her, and of a blessing given to her at her request by President George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency during his last mortal visit to Hawaii, in The Surprising Latter-day Saint Connections in Hawaii.)

We spent the afternoon and evening in Hawaii Volcanos National Park. We drove along Chain of Craters Road down to the sea, where we walked for a while across a massive, relatively recent lava flow. (Our last time to do so was with my wifes brother and her father, whose last major trip it has proved to be.) En route, we visited several minor craters, as well as the Thurston Lava Tube.

The highpoint, though, was definitely walking out to observe the large pit crater known as Halemaumau for a while, despite a heavy mist. Halemaumau is a major feature within the much larger caldera of Kilauea and, historically speaking, it is one of Kilaueas most active eruption centers. It is also a principal contributor to Kilaueas long-held and unchallenged status as the worlds most active volcano.

Despite the rain and the heavy mist, the view down into Kilaueas caldera was spectacular and awe-inspiring. The mist above Halemaumau glowed visibly orange long before we reached the edge of the caldera in the darkness, and I was resigned to the possibility that all we would be able to make out would be an even brighter eerie, hellish orange fog. But, instead, we could see the volcanic activity quite clearly, with one very large continuous fountain being especially impressive.

Posted from Hilo, Hawaii Island, Hawaii
Lucas Banzoli is a very active Brazilian anti-Catholic polemicist, who holds to basically a Seventh-Day Adventist theology, whereby there is no such thing as a soul that consciously exists outside of a body, and no hell (soul sleep and annihilationism). This leads him to a Christology which is deficient and heterodox in terms of Christs human nature after His death. He has a Masters degree in theology, a degree and postgraduate work in history, a license in letters, and is a history teacher, author of 25 books, as well as blogmaster (active on and off) for six blogs. He has many videos on YouTube.

This is my 56th refutation of Banzolis writings. For almost half a year (5-25-22 to 11-12-22) he didnt write one single word in reply. Why? He says its because my articles are without exception poor, superficial and weak . . . only a severely cognitively impaired person would be inclined to take them seriously. Despite this childish rationalizing, he remarkably concluded at length that my refutations are so entertaining that he will make a point of rebutting them one by one.

He has now replied to me 14 times (the last one dated 1-22-23), and I will (rest assured) counter-reply to any and all arguments (as opposed to his never-ending insults) that he makes in direct response to me. I have disposed of the main droning themes of his ubiquitous slanderous insults in several Facebook posts: see them listed under his name on my Anti-Catholicism page. I plan (by Gods grace) to completely ignore them henceforth, and heartily thank him for providing me with these innumerable blessings and extra rewards in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12).

Google Translate is utilized to render Lucas Portugese into English. Occasionally I slightly modify clearly inadequate translations, so that his words will read more smoothly and meaningfully in English. His words will be in blue. Words from past replies of mine to him will be in green.

*****

This is my reply to Lucas Banzolis article, Os mortos intercedem pelos vivos? (Refutacao a Dave Armstrong) [Do the dead intercede for the living? (Rebuttal to Dave Armstrong] (11-19-22). He was mainly responding to my article, Reply to Banzolis Analyzing the evidence of saints intercession (9-22-22).

Dave, who never wrote a single line to prove theism

One of my first major apologetics efforts was to prove and defend the divinity / deity / Godhood of Jesus and the Holy Trinity from the Bible: back in 1982  likely before Lucas was born. I have a huge web page on those topics and a book devoted to it: Theology of God: Biblical, Chalcedonian Trinitarianism and Christology (2012); also another that devotes more than a hundred pages to those topics: Mere Christian Apologetics (2002). My largest effort when I began doing apologetics in 1981 (and still one of my biggest writing / research projects ever, after 41 years), was a systematic refutation of Jehovahs Witnesses, who deny that Jesus is God (see that study): including their falsehood about souls and annihilationism (held by Banzoli).

As for theistic arguments, I massively deal with those on my Science & Philosophy web page and my huge Atheism page. My third book directed towards atheists (The Word Set in Stone: How Archaeology, Science, and History Back Up the Bible) is to be published this March 20th by Catholic Answers Press. Unlike Banzoli, who is only self-published, as far as I can tell  and in desperate need of a professional editor  , I have over twenty officially published books. My new book literally and directly came about as a result of a year-and-a-half of intense discussions and debates with atheists in their own environments: as did my brand-new book that I just finished. See also my large collection of articles: Bible & Archaeology / Bible & Science.

My other two books intended primarily for atheists are Christian Worldview vs. Postmodernism (2002) and Science and Christianity: Close Partners or Mortal Enemies? (2010). I just completed a fourth that I have high hopes of getting officially published as well: Anti-Bible: Refutations of XXX Alleged Biblical Contradictions (see also my large web page devoted to alleged biblical contradictions).

So thats four books from me critiquing atheism and defending theism (one now 21 years old) vs. two for Banzoli. Yet according to him, I never wrote a single line to prove theism and my whole poor life consists of attacking evangelicals literally 24 hours a day (by his own admission, this is his job). This is the fantasy world that he lives in: often sadly characterized by an inverse relationship to the truth.

Dave even goes so far as to say that I falsely claim to be evangelical,

Thats right. As one who was a fervent evangelical myself, for 13 years, and an apologist and evangelist then as well, and a sociology major, I know for a fact that historic Protestant evangelicals  by any reasonable, informed definition of the term and going by their own creeds and confessions and systematic theologies  do not:

1) assert that there is no hell and that unsaved persons are annihilated. 2) assert that there is no such thing as a soul.

I am just as duty-bound to defend the nature of the belief-system of my fellow Christian Protestant evangelicals  whom I greatly admire and respect  as I am to defend the true nature of Catholicism. No one deserves to be misrepresented. Banzoli distorts and twists both and falsely claims to be in one of the categories. This must be opposed.

I didnt follow this calling in order to be rapturously loved by one and all. I did in order to share and defend Gods truth, come what may. Those who are being corrected almost never appreciate or accept it, and they lash out, as we see Banzoli doing with all his silly, mindless insults in this article (and thirteen others in response to me) that I have mostly ignored. Please pray for him, that God will open his eyes to the fullness of biblical and Christian and Catholic truth.

I suppose this is because I deny the immortality of the soul, which just goes to show how poor Daves knowledge of Protestantism is, for if to deny the immortality of the soul is to be falsely evangelical, then even Luther was one false evangelical, and Dave should stop quoting him as a Protestant on his blog!

Well, he did and he didnt, as so often. He was self-contradictory. This was noted in the article, A Re-examination of Luthers View on the

State of the Dead, written by Seventh-Day Adventist Trevor OReggio in 2011. As an author of a book about Luther and editor of a second volume of his quotations, and webmaster of a very large web page devoted to him, I wrote about Luther and soul sleep in an article that is now almost exactly fifteen years old.

I would simply note that Banzoli himself admitted on page 18, in the Introduction to his book on the soul, that belief in the immortality of the soul is held by nearly all the Christians in the world. That includes Protestant evangelicals. If indeed, Luther was wrong on this issue, as Banzoli is, even his own Lutherans didnt follow him in the error.

it suffices to show that, even if the dead were alive in the afterlife, they would not have knowledge of what is happening on earth or a sufficient degree of consciousness to intercede for the living

They certainly have a strong awareness of what is happening on the earth:

Hebrews 12:1 (RSV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

The Greek word for witness is martur, from which is derived the English word martyr. The reputable Protestant Greek scholars Marvin Vincent and A. T. Robertson comment on this verse as follows:

[T]he idea of spectators is implied, and is really the principal idea. The writers picture is that of an arena in which the Christians whom he addresses are contending in a race, while the vast host of the heroes of faith . . . watches the contest from the encircling tiers of the arena, compassing and overhanging it like a cloud, filled with lively interest and sympathy, and lending heavenly aid (Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament. 4 vols. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1946, IV, 536). Cloud of witnesses (nephos marturon) . . . The metaphor refers to the great amphitheater with the arena for the runners and the tiers upon tiers of seats rising up like a cloud. The martures here are not mere spectators (theatai), but testifiers (witnesses) who testify from their own experience (11:2, 4-5, 33, 39) to Gods fulfilling promises as shown in chapter 11 (Word Pictures in the New Testament. 6 vols. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930, V, 432).

(not to mention countless other problems, such as the lack of omnipresence or omniscience to know what everyone prays everywhere and intercede for each of them at the same time, which would make them gods and not men).

All this requires is being outside of time (not all knowledge or presence everywhere) which would be, so it is reasonable to assume, the result of being present in heaven, where  as many Christian philosophers and theologians believe  it is an eternal now. I wrote about this in my article: How Can a Saint Hear the Prayers of Millions at Once? [National Catholic Register, 10-7-20]:

The question then becomes: Are we creatures also outside of time (or do we at least transcend earthly time in some fashion?) when we get to heaven and enter eternity? Many philosophers of religion have thought so, on the grounds that heavenly eternity (for creatures) is not endless succession of time, but rather, the cessation of time as we know it from a particular point forward (rather like a ray in geometry). There are many mysteries about heaven, but who can say what it will be like  including our experience of time or lack thereof? Its certainly possible that we could be outside of time: not eternally like God, but from the moment we get to heaven. If human beings can invent computers that are able to produce extraordinary amounts of information and answers and solutions in a split second, is not an omniscient God great enough to enable his creatures to hear prayers in a way that transcends our earthly existence? It seems likely that heaven is a different dimension, or has more dimensions, and time is part of that framework. . . . We know heaven will be extraordinary and that we will have glorified bodies, and that now we only see through a glass, darkly as Paul stated (1 Corinthians 13:12), and that eye has not seen (1 Corinthians 2:9) etc. what God has prepared for us. Paul wrote how he was caught up into Paradise and heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter (2 Corinthians 12:3-4). Thus, saints hearing millions of prayers is no problem for God at all.

The Bible says that Moses and Samuel still pray for us:

Jeremiah 15:1 Then the LORD said to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!

God casually mentions this to the prophet Jeremiah. He doesnt say they shouldnt pray. He simply (in effect) answers a hypothetical prayer from them on this topic with a no. If it were impossible for a dead saint to intercede to God for those on earth, God could never have spoken in this fashion; or else He would have asserted the contrary: Moses and Samuel cannot stand before me and intercede! or suchlike. Banzoli replies to this later in his paper:

Note that the text does not say that Moses and Samuel stood before God or interceded after death; rather, it says that even if they were, God would not answer them (which means they werent ).

The thought is that even the greatest intercessors and prayer warriors cannot persuade Me not to judge in this case, since the time is ripe for judgment. Thats not a denial of the possibility that Moses and Samuel could intercede after their deaths; rather, its expressing the thought that even if they asked me not to judge, I still would, having decided to. This appears to be too subtle for Banzoli to grasp, judging by his droningly repetitive and groundless objection to it, but I trust that my readers will be able to understand the argument. Sometimes (this is the case for all of us), we have to read something a few times before it sinks in.

If Moses and Samuel were alive at that moment as disembodied souls in Paradise, they would obviously be praying for Israel, as this is what these two prophets always did for the people in life and what they would not fail to do after death.

Exactly. And God would still have the prerogative to judge anyone who took their rebellion against Him too far.

In this case, the text would say that despite their intercession, God did not answer them. But what the text says is exactly the opposite: even if they did that  which they dont, because they are dead  God would not answer them.

It means the same thing: despite = even if they [the great prayer warriors] prayed.

The only difference is that here we are not dealing with a logical impossibility (that is, with something ontologically impossible), but with something impossible from a biblical perspective (unless Moses and Samuel were resurrected to be in the presence of God and intercede for the people ).

Its not in the slightest biblically impossible. Samuel appeared after death to Saul and told him a prophecy about his own impending death and judgment. If he can prophesy after death, he can certainly also pray. Moses (along with Elijah) appeared with Jesus when He was transfigured (I visited the spot where this happened), and was talking with him (Mt 17:3). If he can do that, he can surely pray for us on earth. And Jeremiah 15:1, correctly understood, minus this heretical soul sleep predisposition, teaches the same about both of them.

In other words, Israels wickedness had reached such a level that even if Moses and Samuel were standing before God interceding for the people, God would not hear them.

Exactly! We agree! Stop the presses! It doesnt prove that they couldnt utter such prayers at all or that they no longer exist. Banzoli simply projects that onto the passage (eisegesis). I can think of at least two passages with the same sort of dynamic:

Ezekiel 14:14, 16 even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord GOD. . . . [16] even if these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate. Matthew 11:21 Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Beth-saida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

In both cases, God is not talking about an absolutely impossible scenario, but rather, a possible one where He says what would have happened if this possible thing had actually occurred. Likewise with Jeremiah 15:1.

he clearly doesnt know what exegesis is and must never have consulted Hebrew in his life and looked up cross-references.

This is just one example among countless ones, of Banzolis endless insults sent my way. I simply document it. There is clearly no need to reply to such an asinine lie.

it was not Samuels soul, but a demonic spirit impersonating Samuel.

Demons dont give true prophecies. They lie. There is not the slightest hint in the text that it is a demon in play. The Bible calls this spirit Samuel.

This part in the book has 24 pages, so I wont tire the reader by transcribing everything here

I already dealt with this topic, against Banzoli and also another anti-Catholic over fifteen years ago, and in two additional papers:

#13 (Dead Biblical Heroes Return to Earth!: Samuel & Saul / Moses & Elijah at Jesus Transfiguration) [12-1-22]

Communion of Saints, Scripture, & Anti-Catholic Doug Mabry (With Emphasis Particularly on the Saul and [Dead] Samuel Incident) [7-8-07]

Samuel Appearing to Saul: Argument for Communion of Saints? [7-1-07]

Dialogue on Samuel Appearing to Saul (Witch of Endor) [5-6-17]

***

Banzoli claims that even the best arguments for the immortality of the soul are ridiculously embarrassing and that his books arguments really are insurmountable. Modesty and humility are clearly not his strong suits. He objects to this counter-argument of mine:

Isaiah 38:18-19 For Sheol cannot thank thee, death cannot praise thee; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for thy faithfulness. [19] The living, the living, he thanks thee, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children thy faithfulness. Psalm 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in Sheol who can give thee praise?

Many Protestant commentators hold that the above two passages express a lack of energy or will power in Hades / Sheol, as opposed to non-existence or unconscious sleep.

Note that Dave does not even exegete the texts  if he has actually read them  he simply limits himself to saying what certain Protestant commentators hold, as if that in itself relieves him of the responsibility of explaining the texts through a decent exegesis.

Okay; lets look more closely at them. Do they prove that there is no consciousness at all in Sheol? I provided several other passages that contradict such a notion, and he addresses some of those further down in his reply. For now, I will simply analyze the above passages. I would say that the doctrine of the afterlife slowly developed in Jewish thought. It wasnt significantly or sufficiently clarified until after the Old Testament was completed.

At this point (Isaiah lived in the eight century BC and Psalm 6:5 was from David, who died c. 970 BC) Sheol (later known as Hades) tended to be a very shadowy, mysterious place, and there was relatively little distinction between the righteous and the wicked who went there after death. But Isaiah elsewhere describes conscious communication in Sheol (14:9-11), which is why I cited that passage. Isaiah doesnt consistently portray soul sleep. This gives us reason to believe that 38:18-19 is likely merely figurative poetry, and that the doctrine was still very fuzzy and poorly understood in his time. Isaiah also wrote:

Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! . . .

This is hardly a shadowy temporary existence in Sheol and then annihilation. Ellicotts Commentary for English Readers observes, regarding Isaiah 38: The thought of spiritual energies developed and intensified after death is essentially one which belongs to the illuminated immortality (2 Timothy 1:10), of Christian thought. Barnes Notes on the Bible adds:

All these gloomy and desponding views arose from the imperfect conception which they had of the future world. It was to them a world of dense and gloomy shades  a world of night  of conscious existence indeed  but still far away from light, and from the comforts which people enjoyed on the earth. We are to remember that the revelations then made were very few and obscure; . . . It was a land of darkness; an abode of silence and stillness; a place where there was no temple, and no public praise such as he had been accustomed to.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Sheol) expands upon this:

It is, as the antithesis of the living condition, the synonym for everything that is gloomy, inert, insubstantial . . . It is a land of forgetfulness, where Gods wonders are unknown (Ps 88:10-12). There is no remembrance or praise of God (Ps 6:5; 88:12; 115:17, etc.). In its darkness, stillness, powerlessness, lack of knowledge and inactivity, it is a true abode of death; hence, is regarded by the living with shrinking, horror and dismay (Ps 39:13; Isa 38:17-19), though to the weary and troubled it may present the aspect of a welcome rest or sleep (Job 3:17-22; 14:12 f). The Greek idea of Hades was not dissimilar. Yet it would be a mistake to infer, because of these strong and sometimes poetically heightened contrasts to the world of the living, that Sheol was conceived of as absolutely a place without consciousness, or some dim remembrance of the world above. This is not the case. . . . The state is rather that of slumbrous semi-consciousness and enfeebled existence from which in a partial way the spirit might temporarily be aroused. Such conceptions, it need hardly be said, did not rest on revelation, but were rather the natural ideas formed of the future state, in contrast with life in the body, in the absence of revelation. . . . There is no doubt, at all events, that in the postcanonical Jewish literature (the Apocrypha and apocalyptic writings) a very considerable development is manifest in the idea of Sheol. Distinction between good and bad in Israel is emphasized; Sheol becomes for certain classes an intermediate state between death and resurrection . . . (cf. another article in the ISBE: Eschatology of the Old Testament).

But the OT Jews were not left with no doctrine of an afterlife at all. God delivers or rescues the righteous from Sheol (he brings down to Sheol and raises up: 1 Sam 2:6; cf. Ps 30:3; 49:15; 86:13; 89:48). But Sheol (in OT theology) is the hopeless final state of the wicked (Ps 6:5; 9:17; 31:17; Is 14:11, 15 cf. Mk 9:48; 38:18; 66:24). See my article: Salvation and Immortality Are Not Just New Testament Ideas [National Catholic Register, 9-23-19].

Moreover, the Old Testament strongly implies at least six times that some righteous may not have to experience Sheol at all, which is directly contrary to it meaning simply the grave: where everyone ends up:

Job 33:18 he keeps back his soul from the Pit, . . . Job 33:28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the Pit, . . . Psalm 16:10 (David) For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit. Psalms 49:9 that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit. . . . Proverbs 15:24 (Solomon) The wise mans path leads upward to life, that he may avoid Sheol beneath. Isaiah 38:17 . . . thou hast held back my life from the pit of destruction, . . .

Note that Isaiah 38:17 is the verse before one of Banzolis own arguments. Isaiah 38:18 can hardly signify the grave where everyone goes and all are unconscious, when the verse before precisely denies this and implies that some may not go there (thereby proving that it cannot possibly mean the grave). Thats exegesis; thats context. If Banzoli wants that, hes got it. Im delighted that he challenged me again, so I could greatly strengthen and expand my argument. Gotta love when that happens . . .

But the worst is . . . the hypocrisy of saying that the dead in Sheol or Hades had a lack of energy or willpower to explain Isaiah 38:18-19 and Psalm 6:5, while uses to its advantage the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which is interpreted literally and where the characters in Hades did not have any lack of energy or willpower. On the contrary: they converse naturally, even with those lost on the other side; the rich man feels pain and thirst, and Lazarus has the ability to dip his finger in water. What does all this have to do with lack of energy or willpower? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

This is apples and oranges: comparing the primitive OT doctrine of the afterlife from 970 BC and the 8th c. BC with Jesus doctrine in the first century AD. It would be like comparing the biology or astronomy of 1000 AD with those fields today. By the first century AD the theology of the afterlife had greatly developed, and we see this in Jesus recounting of the true story of the rich man and Lazarus and His and other NT teachings on hell and heaven. And of course He would know the true state of things: being God and omniscient.

The characters in the parable

Its not a parable, as I have explained.

are perfectly awake and willing, just as any of us are, and nowhere do we have the slightest suggestion or hint that Abraham and Lazarus could not praise the Lord (as expressed in Isaiah 38:18-19) or that not even remember Him (as expressed in Psalm 6:5). On the contrary: the rich man remembers Lazarus perfectly well and even his five brothers who remained in the land (Luke 16:27-28), and Abraham remembers Moses and the prophets perfectly well (v. 29). With that in mind, note the strategy of dissimulation: in order to explain texts like Isaiah 38:18-19 and Psalm 6:5, he says that the dead are practically in a vegetative state (although they still exist), but at the same time time cites in its favor a parable (which for Dave is not even a parable!) which completely contradicts this idea!

If one doesnt have an inkling as to the nature and definition of doctrinal development (which seems to be the case with Banzoli) this might make some sense and have some force. But when one properly understands it and gets up to speed, it proves (to quote him) nothing, absolutely nothing.

Banzoli states that Isaiah 14:11 is obviously a poetic allusion. Good! Then maybe hell also figure out that many of the texts regarding Sheol are also poetic and non-literal. Psalms and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are all poetic books, and much of prophetic utterance is also. He cites Isaiah 14:20 and highlights You will not be joined with them in burial: as if all of these passages are referring to the common grave of all mankind (later, he states unequivocally: Sheol is precisely the universal grave of the dead).

Okay, great: I hope he explains, then, the six passages above that I produced: all stating that some righteous dont have to go to Sheol or the Pit (what he thinks is the grave) at all. Are they all instantly transported to heaven like Enoch and Elijah? Maybe they were cremated? Please do tell!

In Ezekiel (32:24-25, 30), Sheol is described as a place where the inhabitants bear their shame: obviously a conscious event. People there talk and describe others who have joined them in Sheol:

Ezekiel 32:21 The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: `They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.

Banzoli presents the larger context of Ezekiel 32:18-32 and opines:

As anyone can see by reading the entire context, it is just poetic language to speak of the grave, the common and universal destiny of all the dead. Hence Sheol is cited in parallel with the tomb ( qeber ), as if they were the same thing.

So how is it that the six verses proclaim that not all have to go to this grave? As in my original argument, I would contend that certain phrases imply a conscious existence: they bear their shame (32:24-25, 30).

there is nothing there [in Ezekiel 32] that hints at after-death torment, colossal tortures, . . . or unquenchable fire.

Catholics arent claiming that Sheol is the same as hell (its always good to be familiar with the view one opposes). It was a holding-place for souls (good and bad) before the redemptive death of Christ. This was made crystal clear in Jesus teachings in Luke 16.

long-tailed demons with pitchforks,

This notion isnt biblical. I did a search for demon and tail together and nothing came up. Pitchfork isnt in the Bible at all. But winnowing fork is biblical. It appears three times (Jer 15:7; Mt 3:12; Lk 3:17). The only problem is that the first refers to God the Father having such a fork, and the second and third refer to Jesus having it. This is the difference between what the Bible and the Catholic Church actually teach, and the distorted, absurd caricature of same by anti-Catholic polemicists.

This in no way changes the fact that the dead know nothing, as expressed in the first part of the text [Ecc 9:5]. If the text is to be understood in the sense of not knowing anything that happens in this life, it is a complete refutation of the doctrine of the intercession of the saints, in which the dead need to know what happens here so that they can intercede for the living.

The dead obviously know quite a bit, as is obvious in Luke 16, in the souls crying under the altar in Revelation, and Hebrews 12:1, commented upon above. And Jesus said,

Matthew 22:31-32 . . . have you not read what was said to you by God, [32] I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 must be interpreted in harmony with those sorts of passages, if we regard the Bible as internally consistent and harmonious inspired and infallible revelation (as the Catholic Church does and many Protestant evangelicals do as well). Its meaning is simply poetic: phenomenologically describing the dead, who can no longer do anything (bodily), and alluding to the lack of activity in Sheol, according to the early dim understanding of that doctrine (Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, who lived in the 10th century BC).

Why would God need to tell a dead person what you are going through for that dead person to intercede on his behalf, when he can do it himself without going through any bureaucracy? What sense does this outsourcing of prayer make?

God doesnt have to tell them anything. He only needs to give them the ability to be outside of time and to be able to perceive happenings and thoughts on earth. Hebrews 12:1 and other passages indicate that reality. The outsourcing of prayer is quite biblical, as I explained in my paper (with copious biblical support): Bible on Praying Straight to God (vs. Lucas Banzoli) [9-21-22]. Catholics are much more biblical than Protestants are. We seek to follow all of the Bibles teaching.

A Catholic prays to a saint, but the saint doesnt know anything that the Catholic prays, so God needs to tell the saint what the Catholic is praying, so that the saint himself is aware and then asks God for what God himself he could have done it the first time, but he preferred to submit to all this meaningless bureaucracy.

This is a gross caricature and fairy tale, and thoroughly unbiblical, as just explained. Nice try, though.

Although some translations render it as the grave, it is Sheol that appears in the Hebrew [in Ecc 9:10]  that is, exactly the different realm where Dave believes that the dead are perfectly alive and aware of what is happening around them.

Yes I do, because Jesus explicitly teaches that in Luke 16, and I have this odd habit of actually believing in and accepting clear, plain teachings of my Lord and Savior Jesus: God the Son. Banzoli seems to lack this good and pious habit.

***

Practical Matters: Perhaps some of my 4,000+ free online articles (the most comprehensive one-stop Catholic apologetics site) or fifty-one 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 Transfiguration (1518-1520), by Raphael (1483-1520) [Moses and Elijah are next to Jesus] [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license]

***

Summary: I take on the topic of dead saints interceding for us, and systematically dismantle Banzolis weak and poor arguments for the heretical doctrine of soul sleep.
At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Stunning OLED upgrade in resolution, performance, more

One of the first 13th-gen Core laptops

Top-notch battery life

Solid inking

1080p webcam and very good audio Cons Good, not great, performance

Webcam effects are iffy Our Verdict Samsungs Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 offers significant value across a variety of fronts: video, audio, the webcam, and battery life. Only as a laptop is it somewhat ordinary.

Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360

Retailer Price $1699.99 View Deal

Samsungs Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 laptop packs in a self-contained movie theater, a sketchpad for digital artists, and an all-day productivity machine that can digitally connect to other Galaxy devices inside a single, 16-inch, 360-degree convertible laptop. Capping it all off is a gorgeous, powerful new OLED display that puts almost all of its rivals and predecessor to shame.

Consider this $1,699 (MSRP) laptop for what it can do after hours as well as your workday. While its 13th-gen Intel Core processor doesnt outperform everything in its class, youll find a ton under its hood that few rivals offer. So buckle uptheres a lot to talk about.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: What it offers and where it fits

Samsungs Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 is one of a small family of new Book3 laptops that consists of the Book3 Ultra, the Book3 Pro, the Book3 Pro 360, and the Book3 360. The Book3 Ultra is a new addition to the family, sporting an Nvidia RTX GeForce 4xxx GPU inside a thicker frame. The Book3 Pro is Samsungs traditional clamshell, shipping in either a 14-inch or 16-inch size, with a pound of weights worth of a difference between the two.

The Book3 Pro 360, which we test here, is a single 16-inch 360-degree convertible laptop that can be folded back into tablet mode, but is otherwise similar to the Pro. Since it is designed for inking, the Book3 Pro 360 also includes an integrated S Pen inside the box. The cheaper Book3 360 does not and uses the more traditional 1080p display resolution instead. We were also told that the Book3 Pro 360 includes a 5G option. Our review unit doesnt offer that feature, however, and it wasnt listed on the index of Galaxy Book3 laptops Samsung has published.

The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, in tent mode. Mark Hachman / IDG

We reviewed Samsungs Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 last year. This year, Samsung offers substantial upgrades from top to bottom. Save for the Book3 360, all members of the Book3 familythe Pro, Pro 360 and Ultranow ship with a significantly improved AMOLED 2X display, which well discuss below.

If youre buying the Book3 Pro 360, you have only the option of 16GB of RAM and either 512GB or 1TB of SSD storage. But Samsung is also offering a free upgrade to the 1TB tier, which means that theres essentially just one, upgraded model of the Pro 360 available.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: Specifications and features

Processor: Intel Core i7-1360P

Intel Core i7-1360P Display: 16-inch (2,8801,800) touch, 120Hz AMOLED 2X, 400 nits, 120 percent DCI-P3 color volume

16-inch (2,8801,800) touch, 120Hz AMOLED 2X, 400 nits, 120 percent DCI-P3 color volume Memory: 16GB LPDDR5

16GB LPDDR5 Storage: 512GB/1TB SSD (512TB as tested)

512GB/1TB SSD (512TB as tested) Graphics: Iris Xe

Iris Xe Ports: 2 Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, HDMI 1.4, microSD, headphone/mic

2 Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, HDMI 1.4, microSD, headphone/mic Security: Fingerprint reader

Fingerprint reader Camera: 1080p (user-facing)

1080p (user-facing) Battery: 73Wh (design) / 76Wh (actual)

73Wh (design) / 76Wh (actual) Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+), 802.11 ax 22, Bluetooth 5.1

Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+), 802.11 ax 22, Bluetooth 5.1 Audio: AKG Quad Speaker (two 5W woofers, two 2W tweeters), Smart Amp, Dolby Atmos

AKG Quad Speaker (two 5W woofers, two 2W tweeters), Smart Amp, Dolby Atmos Operating system: Windows 11 Pro

Windows 11 Pro Dimensions: 13.99 x 9.93 x 0.50in. (12.7mm)

13.99 x 9.93 x 0.50in. (12.7mm) Weight: 3.66lbs (rated)

3.66lbs (rated) Colors: Graphite, Beige (Graphite as tested)

Graphite, Beige (Graphite as tested) Price: $1,699 from Samsung

The Pro 360 is the premium option of the two 360-degree convertibles Samsung ships within the Book3 family, which allows it to fold back on itself in either laptop, tent, or tablet modes.

Laptops have typically shipped with either 15-inch or 17-inch options, so this 16-inch model with a 16:10 display feels rather spacious. Normally, Samsung Galaxy Book laptops are known for being thin and light, but the extra room adds weight. 3.66 pounds isnt that heavy, but its noticeable in your bag. The upside is that these notebooks charge with the same tiny gallium nitrate (GaN) charger that accompanies its Galaxy phones, so packing the Book3 Pro 360 and its charger for a work trip will probably feel lighter than a rival notebook and its traditional power brick. The new Book3 convertible is still surprisingly thin, thoughnot as absolutely thin as the 0.44 inches Apple cites for its MacBook Air (M2), but at 0.50 inches, close enough.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: An improved OLED display worth talking about

Samsungs Galaxy Book Pro 360 emerges from its box as a svelte, slick slab of aluminum that looks bigger than its actual 14 inches or so of width. Open it up with a finger, and the laptops gorgeous OLED reveals itself. Just do be careful with that finger, though. Our Graphite (black) review unit the company provided attracts smudges very easily, especially oils from fingers. Keep a cloth handy.

As the boot cycle begins, youll see why we think its worth talking first about why the Book3 series represents such a significant upgrade over the Book2: the updated AMOLED screen. You wont see the faint glow of an LED-lit screen, since OLEDs emit light on a per-pixel basis. Instead, while you briefly wait for the white Samsung Galaxy font to be displayed on the jet-black background, dont be surprised if your first thought is, is this thing actually on?

With its superb OLED display and excellent sound, Samsungs Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 doesnt so much consume content as show it to its fullest advantage.

Put simply, Samsungs latest AMOLED 2X display claims improvements in both visual performance and visual quality. First, theres simply the dramatic improvement in resolution. The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 defaulted to 1080p displays, but now the Book3 Pro 360 includes a 16-inch 2,8801,800 display, which the manufacturer characterizes as a 3K (versus a 4K) display.

If youre using the Book3 Pro 360 for productivity, theres something here for you, too: A new 120Hz display refresh rate. This may be less noticeable in terms of moving your mouse around, but inking with the integrated S Pen is markedly smoother when using a high-refresh display. Gamers also favor 120Hz refresh rates and above, as higher refresh rate results in smoother gameplay. Thats less important here, as the Pro 360 simply uses Intels integrated GPU for graphics.

Color gamut comparisons for both the default Auto setting and the OLED setting on the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360.

OLED displays inky blacks already provide a marked visual upgrade compared to the glowy backgrounds of dark scenes lit by LED-backed display. The Book3 Pro 360 is now VESA ClearMR and DisplayHDR TRUE BLACK 500 certified, though that isnt quite as impressive as it sounds. While its display can produce some decent HDR effects just like premium TVs, they wont be quite as profound.

Samsung claims that the laptop produces 120 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which simply translates into brighter, more vivid colors than a different display. Our colorimeter tests simply reported the color gamut as close to 100 percent, though that could be a fault of the testing hardware. The Pro 360 OLED display does feature dedicated modes for DCI-P3, AdobeRGB and sRGB, as well as an Auto mode that presumably optimizes itself for the application. We tested without using an adaptive color feature that can also adjust colors depending upon what the laptop detects about your environment. That feature can be enabled within the Windows settings.

We also cant yet test Samsungs claim that the AMOLED 2X display reduces blue light by 78 percent while in dark mode, a noteworthy selling point if true. Blue light can trigger migraines and affect sleep. Dark mode doesnt appear to skew the display toward warm colors, which is normally the way Windows users can filter out blue light.

This is Samsungs own demonstration of how its new AMOLED 2X display cuts blue light to nearly zero. Mark Hachman / IDG

In all, the Pro 360s display emits 392 nits of luminance, according to our tests, enough for the laptop to be used in a bright room. Be aware, though, that the screen is quite glossy, and reflects your background easily.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: Chassis and ports

Structurally, the Pro 360 feels much more like a standard convertible. Flipping the keyboard back works well for watching movies or an impromptu business presentation. As expected, the laptops hinge was strong enough to support it in either context.

The setup process encourages you to integrate your Galaxy Book3 with other members of the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem, specifically your phone. We werent provided with the latest Galaxy S23 smartphone for review, but you can connect older phones. There are some benefits to that, which well mention below. Otherwise, setting up the Book3 Pro 360 is similar to setting up any other Windows notebook.

The Samsung Galaxy Book3 side ports include HDMI 1.4 and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports. Mark Hachman / IDG

Thin, light laptops can bring tradeoffs, and the Book3 Pro 360 does produce a moderately loud though neutral hiss as air is sucked in through a fine grille at the bottom and is pushed out through the back. Fortunately, the laptops fans only kick in under substantial load, which doesnt include movie playback. Thats important, given content consumption is an important reason to this laptop. We couldnt detect any of the distracting high-pitched whine that some fans produce, though, so you should be able to tune it out or adjust the performance mode in the Samsung Settings app. There are High Performance, Quiet, and Silent modes to choose from in addition to the default Optimized mode.

The Pro 360 includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports with a USB-C interface, plus a USB-A port for legacy devices like a wired mouse. Samsung also includes a microSD slot of an undisclosed nature and an HDMI port, which a Samsung representative told us is an HDMI 1.4 port. Thats sufficient for playing back 4K video at 24 frames per secondfine for watching movies, but not really for high-bit-rate digital video. For that, youll need the Galaxy Book3 Ultra, its HDMI 2.0 port, and its focus on content creation.

On the right -hand side of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 is a microSD slot, a legacy USB-A port, and a headphone/mic jack. Mark Hachman / IDG

Samsungs USB-C charger claims that it can charge the laptop about 35 percent in 30 minutes, a claim which bears out in idle mode but not under load. While using the laptop, the Pro 360 charged 18 percent in 35 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: Once again, a surprisingly good keyboard

Ive always preferred deep laptop keyboards with roomy travel, and Samsung keeps confounding me. I want to dislike their shallow keyboards as uncomfortable, but theyre simply not. The wide 16:10, 16-inch form factor display allows Samsung to spread its keys out, including a narrow island keypad to the right. I certainly felt comfortable typing on it for a length of time, though I would generally prefer a different keyboard for long-term use.

Since the Book3 Pro 360 is a thin-and-light convertible, its not that surprising that Samsung continued to forego the use of a depth camera. Instead, the power button hides a fingerprint reader, which is sensitive to smudges and requires repeated taps to set up. On the other hand, your finger doesnt change over time, so that you wont need to reset your finger as some depth cameras do. You can power up and log into the Book3 Pro 360 with a single tap.

An enormous touchpad accompanies the keyboard. A fingerprint reader is hidden in the power button in the keyboards upper right-hand corner. Mark Hachman / IDG

The Book3 Pro 360 does have some quirks, including an absolutely massive touchpad at the bottom of the screen thats 24 percent bigger than the Book2. Some laptops simply refuse to fill this space, but Samsungs touchpad sprawls all over and still gives you a decent palm rest on either side. The touchpad placement skews towards the left, however, so that you right palm will have much more space to rest. Unfortunately, while the entire touchpad is tappable, you can only click on the bottom two thirds.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: A surprising webcam complements solid audio

The Book3 Pro 360 includes a 1080p webcam with a standard 87-degree viewing angle, with a 60fps option hidden in the Windows Camera apps settings.

Downward/side-facing speakers help widen the Book3 Pro 360s sound. Mark Hachman / IDG

What we were surprised to see, however, were Studio Mode effects applied to the webcam such as face effects, HDR, auto framing, background blur, and eye contact. Its not clear how these effectswhich mirror the Windows Studio Effects normally found on AI-capable devices like the Surface Pro 9 (5G) made their way onto the Book3 Pro 360, or if theyre enabled by the Movidius AI card Intel said it would add to select 13th-gen Core PCs.

Our tests showed that Eye Contact worked, rarely, to alter the webcam image in a way that made it appear as if your eyes were focused directly on the camera. Apps like Zoom do a better job of blurring or replacing the background than these algorithms do, but auto framing works marvelously, panning and zooming in and out to frame your face in the cameras vision. Samsung has historically included beauty settings to redden your cheeks or slim your face. These arent present any longer, and the built-in face effects make little difference.

The Galaxy Book Pro 360 with the webcams effects (background blurring, and smooth face settings) turned on and off. The main difference that I can see with face settings is that is tidied up the dark circles under my eyes. (Auto framing zooms in and turns off the other effects.)



Samsung does use AI to help cancel noise in video calls, however, and does so very well. A pair of studio mics capture your voice.

Samsungs speakers, meanwhile, are usually excellent, and the Pro 360s are no exception. AKG tuned the Book3 Pro 360s audio system, with a pair of 5W woofers and two 2W tweeters. The former elevate the Pro 360s audio into something youll want to listen to, with substantial volume that can decently fill a small room.

You may be less enthusiastic about the integrated Dolby Atmos stereo expansion system, which usually is the only thing that makes laptop audio aurally palatable. Here, leaving Atmos off, which is the default setting, is a smart choice. Otherwise, Atmos produced a sort of cacophonous effect until I went into the Atmos app and adjusted its settings to Dynamic, instead. At least theres still a headphone jack!

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: Finicky inking is otherwise good

The Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 includes an S Pen in the box, and the first question you may have is, now where do I put it? Samsung doesnt really have an answer, so youll have to come up with your own solution.

The S Pen inks with 4,096 levels of pressure, and the Book3 Pro 360 translates varying levels of pressure into ink width as well as any laptop weve seen. The large screen area on the Pro 360 means that I often carelessly draped or dragged both hands across the screen to try and keep things steady, however, and the laptop was simply too sensitive in trying to translate my taps into what it thought were attempts to access a menu or other option. Sometimes, when I thought I was inking I wasnt. Im also not a fan of how the S Pens single button is located far down, where your fingers naturally grip the pen.

Inking on the Book3 Pro 360 seems generally solid, with excellent pressure sensing and minimal judder. Mark Hachman / IDG

Ink flowed smoothly from the tip of the pen, as it was supposed to. There was also very little to imperceptible levels of ink judder, the sinuous line that can be produced while trying to ink slowly with a straight edge. Incidentally, the Pro 360 ships with Noteshelf, an Android note-taking app.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: Integration ties across the Galaxy ecosystem

Whether or not you set out to buy a Samsung Galaxy phone, tablet, and laptop, the manufacturer offers you a bonus if you do. Several apps that tie the various devices together. They include Samsung Multi Control and Second Screen plus the existing Quick Share and Private Share apps.

Samsung has also offered the Link to Windows / Phone Link apps on its phones and Books, respectively, which allow the Book to control a Galaxy Phone a bit better than the Phone Link app connects to other Android phones. Ironically, since the Book3 Pro 360 is an Evo device, Intel included its Unison app on board, which does pretty much the exact same thing.

We werent given a Galaxy S23 phone to test a new capability: How Samsung Flow can connect a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet, S23 phone, and Book3 together by using the mouse to mouse between and transfer files between all three devices. The manufacturer also has a new Expert Raw Auto Share app that can take uncompressed raw files from the phone and transfer them to the Book3 for editing. The company also provides a two-month trial of Adobe Lightroom.

This isnt an integration feature, though its a nice software feature we rarely see: a time to emply indicator. Mark Hachman / IDG

Otherwise, Samsung provides a ton of preloaded apps you probably wont use. Just make sure to check out the Samsung Galaxy Experience, Samsung Update, and the Samsung Settings app for controls that will help you manage specialized functions like supplying power to the USB ports when the Pro 360 is sleeping.

Finally, Samsung (or Windows itself) offers a OneDrive configuration where files stored on the Windows desktop, Documents, or Pictures are always synced with the cloud. This was a little confusing, as we ran into an error message early on that said it was impossible to turn off this feature, something that Windows doesnt normally do. Then, later on, the objections disappeared.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: Performance

Were concluding from our experience with the Book3 Pro that its a content-consumption machine first, though not especially for gaming. Anecdotally, the laptop occasionally hiccupped, pausing activity for a second while switching on its Dolby audio, for example. There was also a bit of lag when opening a 4K60 YouTube video, an informal check on how the laptop performs streaming video.

The latter test is useful, since theres a hidden control that reveals in what resolution YouTube is delivering the video, and how many frames are dropped. In our tests, that translated into 164 dropped frames out of 10,000, which generated just a tiny bit of shaky video when playing it back. (The Book2 Pro 360 dropped about half that when rendering the same video, though at 1080p.) Otherwise, however, we noticed no other glitches.

Finally, keep in mind that the Book3 Pro 360 is one of the first 13th-gen Core laptops out of the gate, which helps its placement in performance standings.

We use four key tests to determine a laptops performance: PCMark 10, which measures day-to-day performance in office applications, video calls, CAD work, and light gaming, Cinebench, a pure CPU benchmark, 3DMark, which does the same for the laptops GPU, and Handbrake, a tool which we use to measure prolonged performance. Two more stress tests in Cinebench and 3DMark can help us further determine if the Pro 360s performance will drop if youre using it intensively for more than a minute or two.

Thin-and-light notebooks tend to run on the smaller side, and OLED displays wander between content creation and consumption. So were comparing the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 with a wide swathe of competitors. The chunkier though cheaper Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED, the 14-inch, high-resolution Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X, and the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 as well as the gorgeous HP Spectre x360 16. We also compared it against a pair of smaller convertibles, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max and the Folio G3. We close with another light laptop, the Lenovo ThinkpadX1 Nano and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5. (We considered the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, but that seems aimed at content creation.) Weve also noted the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro2 360 in orange, to show off any generation-to-generation differences.

PCMark 10 puts a laptop through a battery of tests such as word processing, Web browsing, some CAD work, videoconferencing, and more. Its a good indicator of overall performance across a variety of tasks.

Though the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 is being compared to some older laptops, the overall performance is very good. Mark Hachman / IDG

Cinebench R15 is an older test, pushing all of the cores and threads in the laptops CPU to their maximum. Later revisions of this benchmark use more complex scenes, but this test is a good representation of how a laptop handles quick tasks. The downside? Modern CPUs handle this task quickly, so prolonged tests measure how the laptop performs over time.

You might not be so impressed with the Book3 Pro 360s performance, but some of these larger OLED laptops are aimed at content creation and use beefier processors, such as the HX processor inside the Asus Vivobook. Mark Hachman / IDG

We use the Handbrake application to transcode a Hollywood movie into a format appropriate for storing on a tablet. The conversion process pushes all of the cores to the limit for a prolonged period  anywhere from half an hour to 90 minutes. This is a measurement of how well the laptop can perform under prolonged thermal load.

THe Book3 Pro 360 lands more in the middle of the pack in our Handbrake video transcoding test. Mark Hachman / IDG

We also tested prolonged performance using Cinebench R23s thermal stress test and 3DMarks looped Time Spy benchmark, separately benchmarked just below. Here, there was a 7.5 percent drop in CPU performance over the life of the Cinebench benchmark, which ran for several minutes. In prolonged 3D performance, the laptop fared better. It wasnt able to hold its framerate over repeated loops of the benchmark, but did so 95 percent of the time. (In this, 96 percent is considered a passing grade.) Put simply, strenuous workloads that turn on the laptops fan will slightly diminish in performance if run for long periods.

Our final performance benchmark is the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, which is probably less significant given that this laptop isnt designed for gaming. Still, as our recent tests showed, even integrated GPUs can deliver low-end gaming-class performance.

Laptops that use Intels Iris Xe integrated GPU (here, all save the top two, which include discrete GPUs) tend to deliver similar 3D performance numbers. Mark Hachman / IDG

We measure battery life by looping a 4K video over and over until the laptop shuts down for want of power. Video playback may not be the only way to measure battery life, but it mimics a common scenario such as bringing a store of downloaded movies from Netflix or other services on to your laptop for a long airplane flight.

This is a real strength of the Book3 360 Pro, though not quite as strong as its predecessor. (That may be because of the increased display resolutionlighting more pixels takes more power.) Still, 812 minutes is just over 13.5 hours of battery life, on average, which is excellent.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360: So much to offer

We see a lot of laptops which easily push north of $2,000 just by banking on a few new features. Here, Samsungs Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 justifies its value with many more, on top of a somewhat reasonable price tag. For what youre paying, the Book3 Pro 360 offers substantial upgrades over the Book2 Pro 360 as well as some best-of-class features, period.

Even if you arent as in love with OLEDs as we are, the higher resolution OLED and refresh rate certainly help sell this laptop. Inking, the convertible form factor, its solid audio and webcam experience, and its presence as a 13th-gen Core Evo laptop do too. Buying a Samsung laptop to accompany a Samsung Galaxy phone is an ultimately less compelling need.

We do think that the Book3 series offers something unique that maybe only the Asus Vivobook and Zenbook series seem to be consciously addressing: laptops focused on showing off content first and foremost. (Consider the Vivobook Pro 16 OLED as an alternative until we manage to test the latest offerings.) For all it brings to the table, Samsungs Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 earns one of our first Editors Choice awards of 2023.

Correction: The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro runs Windows 11 Pro, not Home.
Ghana is optimistic of concluding the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to get the support of the fund by March.



This is because the issues surrounding the domestic debt exchange programme, one of the requirements, has been virtually concluded, paving the way for the country to go the full hog.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo gave this assurance when he held discussions with the visiting German Federal Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner last Friday at the Jubilee House in Accra.



He said the main concerns of the government include the process of concluding talks with the IMF, as well as the specific assistance that would help Ghana fast-track the process of its economic recovery.



We have already taken one important step forward in concluding a staff level agreement with the IMF. One of the steps was the domestic debt exchange programme which encountered a lot of difficulty; but it has now been virtually concluded.



We are now looking towards going the full hog and concluding the agreement. We're hoping that will be done by the middle of March, President Akufo-Addo said.



Visit



Germanys Finance Minister was in Ghana for bilateral talks with the government and the business communities and also to assure Ghana of Germanys support to help Ghana get out of its current economic challenges.



He was accompanied by an entourage made up of technocrats and Members of Parliament of Germanys federal Parliament, the Bundestag.



Mr Lindner said the delegation was in the country because although they saw economic challenges in Ghana, they believed they could be turned into opportunities for bilateral trade.



He said he had already had fruitful and constructive exchanges of views with his Ghanaian counterpart, Ken Ofori-Atta, on the current situation and how Germany could be of help to overcome the current situation.



After months of speculation, Ghana, on July 1, 2022, announced that it was going to the IMF to seek support.



Subsequently, the government, in December 2022, reached a staff-level agreement with the fund as part of processes leading to a bailout.



President Akufo-Addo welcomed the pledge by Germany to help the country overcome its current economic challenges and appealed to the German government to lend its support in that direction.



He explained that one very important consideration was the financial stability fund that had been promised Ghana, which was one of the key outcomes of negotiations, and said the voice of the German government was needed in trying to bring that into being.



He was happy that Germany was willing to help in that regard.



We count on Germany, as one of our privileged partners, not just in Europe but in the world. I am pleased to hear the statement of willingness to do what you can to assist us in the difficult economic situation in which we are, the President emphasised.



Security



President Akufo-Addo also commended Germany for providing military assistance to West Africa to deal with the Jihadist insurgencies, a move he described as very concrete and highly acceptable.



We have to find a way of bringing the insurgency in West Africa to a close. If we don't, all these other things that we want to do to develop our society and economy will be very difficult. It is eliciting a great deal of resources that we can hardly afford and are now being diverted for security, support and initiatives, he added.



He said the increasing activities of the insurgents were disturbing the entire region, with Ghana directly in the line of fire because Burkina Faso was its northern neighbour.



The President said in the last six weeks, more than 4,000 people from Burkina Faso had taken refuge in Ghana, saying those were the ones the refugee board could officially count, with many more unaccounted for.



Ghana needs help



Mr Lindner reiterated the call he had made earlier for an international credit committee to help Ghana.



Earlier, at a joint press conference with Mr Ofori-Atta, Mr Lindner had, said he had also met Ghanaian business leaders and managers of financial institutions on how Germany can be of help to Ghana to overcome the current situation.



He advocated the immediate formation of an international credit committee under the common framework to help Ghana restructure its debt.



"For Germany, it is essential to see a fair burden sharing among all creditors. We need a creditor committee as soon as possible. I would like to call on all creditors to join the efforts as swiftly as possible," he said, and reminded China, Ghanas largest bilateral trading partner, of its responsibilities as an important bilateral creditor to participate in the programme.



"We have to find new approaches to the over indebtedness of low-income countries and the common framework is part of this solution and Germany is willing to play its role," he said.



The German Finance Minister said although Ghana was experiencing economic challenges, Germany was optimistic that it could be turned into opportunities for bilateral trade and growth and thus stressed the need for Ghana to be supported.



We now have the relations with the Paris Club, the common framework. We are looking for, as quickly as possible, a committee to be established, so we will have a body with whom we can engage to bring about those discussions as quickly as possible, he added.



Mr Lindner further indicated that the stability and security of the West African region was essential for security in Europe, and so Germany would provide support to keep the sub-region stable and secure.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Government of Ghana has extended the window for bondholders to complete tender processes of Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.



In a statement signed by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, it said it had come to the attention of Government that some bondholders faced technical glitches as they tried to complete the online tender process.



As a result, Government is providing bondholders with a window to complete processes for tendering their bonds, in response to the terms of Exchange as amended pursuant to the 2nd Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum. This window ends on Friday, 10th February 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (GMT), the Finance Ministry announced in a statement.



The timetable of the Exchange is not otherwise affected by this, except for the Announcement Date which is now expected to occur on Monday, 13th February 2023.



"All Eligible Bondholders who were unable to complete the process should visit the website of the Central Securirties Depository (www.csd.com.gh/dde) to complete the process," it concluded.



Read below the full statement

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
Stakeholders in the domestic piggery industry are threatening legal action which could result in a total import blockade on pork products across board  should the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) fail to disclose detailed information on a recent agreement to buy large quantities of pork from the United States.



Two of such stakeholder civil society organisations (CSOs)  the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) and National Pig Farmers Association (NPFA)  have said they are being frustrated by MoFA in their quest to obtain full information and documents on the agreement.



The lack of consultation, detailed information and documents on the agreement that was signed between government and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is creating panic among domestic pig farmers, feed producers and key sector stakeholders.



CAG and the NPFA said a legal action and petition through the International Trade Commission of Ghana, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and other relevant bodies will be presented in the coming days to ban all pork imports should MoFA fail to disclose full information on the deal.



We dont have the document to know the extent of the agreement and its impacts. MoFA is frustrating us and hiding information from stakeholders, CAGs Chief Executive Officer, Selorm Anthony Morrison, told the B&FT.



Application for right to information



Mr. Morrison said an application has been made by lawyers of CAG and the NPFA to the Right to Information Commission (RTI) to compel the ministry to release all necessary details and information on the agreement.



The full details, when available to industry players, will enable us to learn what the agreement entails and what aspects require redress when we go to court, he said.



Background



On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, the B&FT reported that MoFA had reached an agreement with the USDA, confirming that the Ghanaian market is officially open to U.S exports of pork and pork products in addition to other meat products.



The agreement was reached with MoFA as the result of a request made by USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service on October 24, 2022 for Ghana to allow pork products to be imported in large quantities.



The report said the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Veterinary Services Directorate of MoFA signed and responded to the request on January 12, 2023  that the country will not only accept pork products onto its market but also others including beef, goat, lamb and poultry.



Whereas the USDA has noted the agreement is an opportunity that will be exploited by businesses from the US, the deal has sparked concerns among stakeholders of possible dumping  with calls on local authorities to be vigilant.



Pork import figures



Ghanas imported pork and pork products market was valued at US$16million in 2021, according to the USDA.



Total imports have increased progressively from 2017, hitting 15,000 metric tonnes in 2021. The market is dominated by the European Union, with the United States not being a significant player  not even counted among the top-ten importers of pork into the country.



About 70,000 metric tonnes of pork and pork products have been imported into the country over the last six years from 2017 to 2022, according to Trade Data Monitor LLC  with the top-ten countries being Belgium, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Spain, Ukraine, the UK and France.

Source: B&FT









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
Zeepay, the African fintech leader and game-changer in the mobile money space, has once again demonstrated its commitment to expanding access to financial services across the continent.



The company has received regulatory approval to bring its revolutionary mobile money services to Gambia, making it the fourth country, alongside Ghana, Zambia, and Ivory Coast. This marks another significant milestone, as it continues to disrupt the traditional financial services sector and bring innovative and accessible financial solutions to Africa.



At a time when Africa is focusing on the integration of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and financial inclusion, Zeepay's entry into the Gambian market is a welcome development. With its award-winning fintech platform, Zeepay is transforming the way Gambians send and receive money, both domestically and internationally.



The company's partnership with MoneyGram, a global provider of money transfer and financial services, will enable Gambians to receive money directly into their Zeepay wallet and send money to over 150 countries, making cross-border transactions easier and more convenient than ever before.



Zeepay's mission is to bring financial services to underserved communities, and we are thrilled to bring our cutting-edge mobile money solutions to Gambia and further drive financial inclusion for all, said Andrew Takyi-Appiah, founder of Zeepay. Our innovative fintech platform opens up the local market and creates interoperability between wallet-to-bank and bank-to-wallet transactions, making financial services accessible to everyone.



The rapid growth of Zeepay is a testament to the company's innovative partnerships and the tenacity of its founder, Andrew Takyi-Appiah. Despite global economic challenges, Zeepay remains focused on its mission of bringing financial services to communities that have been left behind by traditional financial institutions. We are moving forward, Mr.Kwesi Yankey, Board Chairman, said. And we look forward to entering even more markets in 2023.

Zeepay

Zeepay is the fastest growing mobile financial services company across Africa with operations in Ghana and the United Kingdom and terminating to 20 countries across Africa with termination agreements in over 90 jurisdictions globally. We specialize in remittance termination into mobile wallets and are completely network and partner agnostic.



We are a wholly owned Ghanaian company and regulated in the UK by Financial Conduct Authority-FCA # 592538 and in Ghana by Bank of Ghana- #00001. Zeepay supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 and is considered a Financial Inclusion Company positioned to improve last mile access. Visit myzeepay.com for more information.



MoneyGram



MoneyGram provides money transfer and other financial services around the globe with both digital platforms and retail locations. Consumers can send money internationally to friends and family, pay bills and more with affordable fees and great exchange rates. MoneyGram is trusted by 150+ million consumers who can choose how they send money - online, in our highly-rated mobile app or at one of 380,000+ locations.

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 late Shadrack Arloo who died during an arrest by some Officers of the Ghana Police Service at the West Hills Mall, died after swallowing a package that had narcotic substance, as he tried to resist arrest.



A police statement dated February 7, 2023, said that the late brother of Gospel musician Perpetual Didier resisted arrest by a police officer on duty who was being assisted by private security guards at scene.



The statement furthered that the deceased after swallowing the package became unconscious and was taken to the Sonotech Clinic for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival.



Police Statements taken from witnesses at the scene of the incident, including some private security guards at the mall, and the arresting Police officer revealed that the deceased had resisted arrest by the Police Officer who was being assisted by the private security guards.



The narrative of the events, as gathered by the police, indicated that during the course of the arrest, the deceased pulled out a substance from his bag, which he quickly swallowed before anyone could stop him. He became unconscious shortly afterwards and was taken to the Sonotech clinic for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival, part of the statement read.



It added that per a post-mortem examination conducted on the deceased, it was confirmed that the cause of death was Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body.



On 7th February 2023, a post-mortem examination was conducted on the deceased's body in the presence of Alfred Boafo, father of the accused, Dr Rosana Polinicio Segborwortso Pathologist of GA East Municipal hospital representing the accused, Mr Francis Xavier Sosu lawyer for the deceased, Louis Melabah Edeafor, uncle of the deceased, Isaac Anim Anno, father of the deceased and Anna Cobbina sister of the deceased.



The pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body. He also retrieved from the throat of the deceased, eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene.



"The retrieved, suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination, in the presence of all the interested parties, he said.



Background



Gospel musician, Perpetual Didier alleged in a viral video that her brother was killed by some police officers.



According to her, the incident happened at the West Hills Mall in Accra on January 30, 2022.



The musician explained that her brother, was brutally assaulted by the uniformed policemen, leading to his untimely death.



Someone should tag the IGP. I need justice for my brother. Tell him that this is a crime one of his men has done to my family by killing my brother. We are all Ghanaians with equal rights and freedom. Why will you use your position to take someones life? she said in her Facebook Live video, amidst tears.



How the incident came about:



In her narration, her brother (the deceased) had gone to the West Hills Mall to withdraw money in order to purchase some items intended to be sent to his sister in Germany.



She added that, from what an eyewitness told her, the police demanded that her brother hand over his bag to be searched, but he refused.



This then led to the police officer getting agitated and then hitting and pushing him to the ground.



Perpetual added that her brother fell to the ground and hit his head on the floor, breaking his neck in the process.



He is said to have lost consciousness, at which time the police officer tased the motionless man on the floor.



It is believed that this worsened the state the young man was already in, leading to his death.

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
The Member of Parliament for the Suame Constituency, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has described as unfortunate some inciting comment made by an executive of the opposition National Democratic Congress in the constituency.



According to the New Patriotic Party MP, such comments as made by the youth organiser is as a result of the propaganda being perpetuated by the leaders of the NDC.



I believe its a very unfortunate comment from anyone engaged in politics. When you look at Article 55 of our Constitution, it clearly spells out the purpose of a political party. It says we have a duty to build this nation to prosper around economic, social and political ideas. Sell your policies to people in your constituency to vote for you, how does that warrant killing?



He claims Akufo-Addo killed 8 people to gain political power. That is a very sad commentary from a person involved in politics. It is a problem with propaganda because these claims started being shared by some leaders of the NDC; claiming that Akufo-Addo killed people for power. But if we are going to look back in that regard, what happened at Atiwa during elections?... When Anita Desoso drove through a crowd injuring some people was it to win them power? he said during an interview on Hello FM monitored by GhanaWeb.



The police has announced that it had mounted a search for the said executive for his alleged comments relative to the 2024 general elections.



The announcement by the police followed the publication of the viral video in which the said organiser is seen inciting members of the party to engage in violence to win power.



Speaking to a journalist on the sidelines on what looked like a party event, the man charged members of the NDC not to hesitate to shed blood if it is what it will take to win power.



As journalists, you were witnesses to a situation where people were shot and killed in the 2020 elections. So standing here today, I am to make sure that no NPP member can come and kill me. So we are in and I will advise every true NDC member that in the 2024 elections when it becomes necessary to kill someone to win, kill them; even if it requires that you shoot someone or club them to win us power do it, he told a journalist with Oyerepa FM.



According to the Majority Leader, whereas there have been similar incidents of violence under an NDC administration, the blame cannot necessarily be placed on the president at the time.



Sometimes unfortunate things happen during elections but I will not accuse Prof Mills of being behind what happened in previous elections as well, the MP said.









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
An aggrieved pensioner bondholder is cautioning Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta of dire consequences even in the afterlife if he continues with plans to include their funds in the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).



The unnamed bondholder was among hundreds of pensioners who started picketing at the premises of the Ministry of Finance early this week to protest Ofori-Attas plans.



He told the Ghana News Agency that if himself and others are forced to die without getting back their monies, they will exact vengeance on the minister when they meet in the afterlife.



If we die ahead of him and we go and get a post in the afterlife, his ghost / soul will weed forever  we wont spare him, if you stress us here, you will come and meet us in the afterlife. You (if you like) dont give us our money and let us die.



He continued that if the Minister does the right thing by giving them their monies, and we spend it and die, we wouldnt have any issues with you. We know we all came to this world, we wont do any thing to you.



If you do the opposite, and you force us to die and we get a position at the other side, you will see no rest, he stated in Twi.



Ofori-Atta met with the picketing senior civil servants and explained why the government needed to include them in the DDEP. He said Ghana risked economic collapse if the programme failed.



On their part, a representative said the insistence to include pensioners will have negative implications including affecting their cost of medication and other short to medium and long term plans.



Meanwhile, the February 7, 2023 deadline for the DDEP of the Government of Ghana has been extended by three extra days over 'technical glitches.'



The Ministry of Finance announced the development via a press release which read in part: "In connection with the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), the Government of Ghana thanks all bondholders who have so far tendered their bonds.



"However, it has come to the attention of Government that some bondholders faced technical glitches as they tried to complete the online tender process."



The statement added: "Government is providing bondholders with a window to complete processes for tendering their bonds, in response to the terms of Exchange as amended pursuant to the 2nd Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum. This window ends on Friday, 10th February 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (GMT)."



The release dated February 7 was signed by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.



This becomes the fourth extension since the first announcement was made in December 2022.



"The timetable of the Exchange is not otherwise affected by this, except for the Announcement Date which is now expected to occur on Monday, 13th February 2023.



"The settlement of the Exchange is still scheduled for Tuesday, 14th February 2023. Except as set forth in this paragraph, the terms and conditions of the Exchange are not modified or amended."



The DDEP is part of conditionalities by government to access an International Monetary Fund bailout. The government is aiming to achieve IMF Board approval by March after sealing a Staff-Level Agreement in December 2022.







































Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The United Nations has warned there is a strong possibility of famine in Somalia from April as current weather forecasts indicate a sixth consecutive failed rainy season.



It says more than seven million people continue to be affected by the countrys longest and most severe drought in decades.



At an event in the capital, Mogadishu, the UN, the Somali government and humanitarian agencies said the international response so far was insufficient. They have appealed for more than $2.5m (2m).



The drought has so far forced more than 1.4 million people from their homes and destroyed at least 3.5 million livestock.



Somalis have zero contribution to the climate change but we are facing this dire consequence, the countrys special envoy for drought response said at the event.

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
NIGERIA: The Supreme Court of Nigeria has temporarily halted the move by the Federal government to ban the use of the old N200, N500 and N1000 notes as legal tenders from February 10.



The Supreme court gave the order while delivering judgment in the exparte application filed before it by the Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kogi state governments against plans by the FG to stop the use of the old Naira notes.



The three states had applied for an order of interim injunction restraining the FG through the Central Bank of Nigeria or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame in which the older versions of the N200, N500 and N1000 notes may no longer be legal tenders.



Moving the application today, counsel to the applicants, Mr A. I. Mustapha, SAN, had urged the apex court to grant the application in the interest of justice and the well-being of Nigeria. Mustapha argued that the policy of the government had led to an ?excruciating situation that is almost leading to anarchy in the land ?



While he referred to a Central Bank of Nigeria?s (CBN) statistics which put the number of people who don?t have bank accounts at over 60 percent, Mustapha lamented that the few Nigerians with bank accounts can?t even access their monies from the bank as a result of the policy.



The senior lawyer further argued that unless the Supreme Court intervenes the situation will lead to anarchy because most banks are already closing operations.



Delivering ruling in the motion, the seven-man panel led by Justice John Okoro, held that after a careful consideration of the motion exparte this application is granted as prayed, ?An order of Interim Injunction restraining the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame with which the now older version of the 200, 500 and 1,000 denomination of the naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction?.













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
All 53 people who experienced symptoms of foodborne disease after eating waakye or plain rice and tomato stew from a food vendor at Oyibi in the Adenta Municipality, Accra, are doing well.



Dr Esther Dankwa, District Director of Health, Kpone Katamanso, said none of the victims has reported back with any symptoms of adverse effect, so we are sure they are all fine and have returned to their normal duties.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), she said the Directorate was yet to finalise its report, saying we gave our Directors two weeks, so we are working hard to finalise it by next week. Meanwhile, we still go by the Food and Drug Authoritys report.



Operations of the food vendor, Yellow Sisi, were suspended by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) until measures were put in place to ensure that activities were brought into compliance to prevent future occurrences.



Kwabena Amankwah, a Lotto Operator, and one of the victims told the GNA that he was well and had resumed work after being on admission to the hospital for five days.



The FDA, earlier in a release, indicated that investigations done jointly with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), had revealed that 53 people experienced symptoms of the foodborne disease after eating the waakye and that one person had been reported dead, with the exact cause of death not confirmed.



It said an environmental assessment of the food preparation site of three vending sites at Bush Canteen, Prison Joint and Sharp Curve Joint revealed poor food handling practices, which could have resulted in the contamination of the food, leading to the foodborne disease outbreak.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
In line with the NDCs reshuffle in parliaments minority leadership, some members of parliament including the former leaders, will see some changes in their sitting positions.



Per the seating arrangement in parliament, the leaders are usually seated on the first row in the chamber and ranking members sit in the row after that.



The two seats in the front row are usually reserved for the seniormost parliamentarian.



Before the reshuffle Cletus Avoka and Collins Dauda who are the two longest-serving members of parliament occupied these seats.



However due to the reshuffle, Collins Dauda, MP for Asutifi South has been removed for Haruna Iddrisu to occupy the seat.



Cletus Avoka retains his seat in the front row.



Meanwhile, the sitting position of the former Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak and the deputy minority leader, James Klutse Avedzi will be captured when the house commences its business.



Background:



The NDC leadership has appointed the former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as the minority leader in the 8th Parliament of Ghanas Fourth Republic.



He replaced the MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu.



According to the NDC, Kofi Armah Buah, MP for Ellembele, will take over as the Deputy Minority Leader.



While Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, he will replace Asawase MP Muntaka Mohammed as the Chief Whip.



Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Whip.



This was contained in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, from the National Democratic Congress, dated January 23, 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
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced some changes in his government.



The Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin announced the Ministerial nominations in Parliament today when the House reconvened after the Christmas recess.



President Akufo-Addo has appointed Kobina Tahiru Hammond as the new Minister of Trade and Industry, taking over from Alan Kyerematen who recently resigned from his position to contest for the NPP Flagbearer position for election 2024.



Bryan Acheampong, MP for Abetifi Constituency will now head the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.



Meanwhile, former Director-General of SIGA Stephen Asamoah Boateng, heads to the Ministry of Chieftaincy, Mohammed Amin Adam is now the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance replaceing Charles Adu Boahen while Osei Bonsu Amoah is the Minister of State for Local Government.



The Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso and head of MASLOC, Stephen Amoah, is to serve as a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, while Herbert Krapa, a Deputy Trade Minister has been moved to the Energy Ministry as deputy Minister.



Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin referred the nominations to the Appointments Committee of Parliament and asked the Committee to expedite action on the vetting of the nominees.











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 Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council has expressed concern about Ghanas ailing economy which has left many in extreme hardship.



The Council in its communique to the government in Accra on Monday, 6th February 2023 following its recent National Conference said the situation now is presenting an almost existential threat to the poor and vulnerable.



Whiles admitting global economic challenges are partially the problem of Ghanas distresses  the Council also commend the government for its effort to sustain the situation.



The President of the Council, Apostle Eric Nyamekye who signed the seven pages communique said the church is always ready to play its role in nation-building by sharing feedback and using its platforms to educate and create awareness on national issues.



Attached is the full statement

Your browser does not support iframes.

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 Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu was conspicuously missing at the crunch meeting called by the Council of Elders with the Minority Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Monday, February 6.



The meeting resolved to back the decision to select Dr Cassiel Ato Forson of Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency as the Minority Leader with Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah of Ellembelle Constituency as the Deputy Minority Leader. Adaklus Governs Kwame Agbodza is replacing Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak as the Minority Chief Whip.



The Asawase Member of Parliament was also missing at the meeting.



But later writing to confirm the resolution by all at Mondays meeting, former Deputy Minority Leader James Klutse Avedzi said he was sent to the meeting by the Tamale South MP.



We the former leaders made up of Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, the former Minority Leader, Hon. James Klutse Avedzi, Deputy Minority Leader and Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, Minority Chief Whip assured the Council of Elders of the Party when we met them on Tuesday 17th January 2023, that we will abide by their resolution of the challenges, he wrote on Monday, February 6.



This assurance was disclosed to the Council when Hon. Haruna Iddrisu asked me to sum up our position on the matter.



He subsequently thanked the Council chaired by Alhaji Mahama Iddrissu and former President John Dramani Mahama for their intervention.



The National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, assured that all concerns that arose out of the announcement have been resolved.



You can see from the enthusiasm that the challenges that arose out of the announcement of the new leadership of our caucus in Parliament have all been resolved, he said after the meeting.



All concerns have been addressed so we are just looking forward.



One of the Minority MPs who signed the petition to the Council, Cletus Apuul Avoka, on Ghana Tonight on TV3 on Monday pledged to work with the new leadership.







Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Essiam, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has made an official statement before the house as a minority leader since he joined parliament in 2009



He thanked the party and colleagues for allowing him to serve and also commended Haruna Iddrisu for his distinguished public service since 2017.



"On January 7, 2009, I took the first step in this very chamber towards becoming a representative for the people of Ajumako Enyan Essiam and contributing my quota to Ghanas parliamentary democracy. Fourteen years on, from a fresh legislator, I have the unique honour of being entrusted with the leadership of the Minority Caucus in the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic.



I wish to convey our profound gratitude to my party, the great National Democratic Congress, and our colleagues on the minority side for this opportunity to serve at an even higher level and help shape the trajectory of this Parliament. I want to express, on behalf of my colleagues, our profound appreciation and thanks to the immediate past Minority Leader and my senior brother, the Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, for his many years of distinguished public service and his sterling leadership of the Caucus since 2017, he said.



He added that the caucus remains firm, resolute, and principled in its journey to discharge oversight duties.



Both gentlemen have been the very backbone on which the Minority Caucus has leaned all these years. Their masterful perspectives on the affairs of this house have enhanced the work of the caucus and Parliament as a whole.We in the minority are privileged to have you in our caucus.



To you my colleagues in the Minority Caucus, we pledge to offer fair and unbiased, balanced, consultative, and principled leadership in our journey to broaden the frontiers of Parliamentary oversight and hold the Akufo-Addo & Alhaji Bawumia government to account in a manner that helps deliver public goods, he said.



video=178529>



He said he is confident and can muster that the minority side means business and is up to the task.



We are simply unwilling to countenance any more bad governance, and we will insist on the highest levels of performance from all government officials and institutions over whom this Parliament has oversight and jurisdiction. We are unwilling to be part of any negligence of duty of any sort, and neither shall we tolerate any lackadaisical attitude towards the work of this house by public officials. We will maintain the highest levels of vigilance and offer intense scrutiny of government programs, policies, agreements, bills, and legislative instrument, He said











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
Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng aka Kwabena Adu Gyamfi in an application has asked the High Court to cite the North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for contempt after he kicked a court writ on the ground upon service by bailiff.



According to him Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has brought the administration of justice and the authority of the law as well as the Honourable Court into disrepute and same ought to be punished by the Court by commitall to prison for contempt.



He says the court's action will protect the whole administration of justice and serve as a deterrent to others.



Okudzeto Ablakwa kicks court writ on the ground upon service by bailiff



North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa kicked away a writ filed against him by the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, Rev Victor Kusi-Boateng.



The order seeks to restrain him from making further public disclosures of the private information, documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the Applicant; and for such further order or orders as the Court deems fit.



He was served by a bailiff on Friday, February 3, 2023 on the premises of Metro Television after appearing on their morning show, Good Morning Ghana.



In the video, the legislator who was seen standing by his vehicle in the company of the bailiff, later entered the car in an attempt to drive off.



However, the bailiff dropped the document on the ground in his presence. This compelled Mr Ablakwa to get out of the car. He then kicked the document away from his vehicle and returned to his seat and drove off.

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
Unionized workers with the City of Yellowknife were on picket lines and the city locked out employees early Wednesday Feb. 8, 2023, after mediation between the parties failed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emily Blake
Aerial photo shows the destruction in Hatay city centre, southern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Donations are pouring into a Vancouver warehouse for those affected by Monday's devastating earthquake in Turkey but a volunteer organizer says the country could most benefit from professional search and rescues teams.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, IHA
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

President Bidens State Of The Union was full of optimism, bipartisanship, joy. It was the anti-MAGA.

Biden Told America Exactly What His Economy Has Done

Video of Biden talking about infrastructure:

Biden with a smiling jab at Republicans who voted against infrastructure, "I promised to be the president for all Americans. Well fund your projects. And Ill see you at the ground-breaking." pic.twitter.com/jWhvxKoN3H  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 8, 2023

The President said, We used to be #1 in the world in infrastructure, then we fell to #13th. Now were coming back because we came together to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest investment in infrastructure since President Eisenhowers Interstate Highway System. Already, weve funded over 20,000 projects, including at major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland. These projects will put hundreds of thousands of people to work rebuilding our highways, bridges, railroads, tunnels, ports and airports, clean water, and high-speed internet across America. Urban. Suburban. Rural. Tribal. And were just getting started. I sincerely thank my Republican friends who voted for the law. And to my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts, dont worry. I promised to be the president for all Americans. Well fund your projects. And Ill see you at the ground-breaking.

Biden Laid Down The Law On The Debt Ceiling

Biden went straight for Trump and Republicans for running up the debt:

Republicans start booing and yelping when Biden calls them out for running up the deficit and wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare. #SOTU. pic.twitter.com/Mfy9pHvJD2  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 8, 2023

The President said, Because of those record deficits, no president added more to the national debt in any four years than my predecessor. Nearly 25% of the entire national debt, a debt that took 200 years to accumulate, was added by that administration alone. How did Congress respond to all that debt? They lifted the debt ceiling three times without preconditions or crisis. They paid Americas bills to prevent economic disaster for our country. Tonight, Im asking this Congress to follow suit.

Biden Gets Republicans On Social Security

Biden also vowed to protect Social Security and Medicare:

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Biden a liar as he accurately states that some Republicans want to sunset Social Security and Medicare. Republicans say no, so Biden responds, "So we all agree, Social Security and Medicare are off the books." pic.twitter.com/N83YSFc7eN  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 8, 2023

The President said:

Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what their plans are. Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years. That means if Congress doesnt vote to keep them, those programs will go away.

(At this point, Republicans went ballistic, and Biden ad libbed that everyone agrees that Social Security and Medicare are off the books.)

Other Republicans say if we dont cut Social Security and Medicare, theyll let America default on its debt for the first time in our history. I wont let that happen. Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors.

Americans have been paying into them with every single paycheck since they started working. So tonight, lets all agree to stand up for seniors. Stand up and show them we will not cut Social Security. We will not cut Medicare. Those benefits belong to the American people. They earned them. If anyone tries to cut Social Security, I will stop them. And if anyone tries to cut Medicare, I will stop them. I will not allow them to be taken away. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

To Get More Stories Like This, Subscribe To The PoliticusUSA Newsletter:

Bidens Closing Message Suggested What America Can Be

President Biden closed his address by saying:

A nation that embraces, light over darkness, hope over fear, unity over division. Stability over chaos. We must see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. We are a good people, the only nation in the world built on an idea. That all of us, every one of us, is created equal in the image of God. A nation that stands as a beacon to the world. A nation in a new age of possibilities.

So I have come here to fulfil my constitutional duty to report on the state of the union. And here is my report.

Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the State of the Union is strong.

As I stand here tonight, I have never been more optimistic about the future of America. We just have to remember who we are. We are the United States of America and there is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.

Biden Ripped The Heart Out Of MAGA With Optimism And A Smile

President Bidens tone was perfect. He walked the line between calling out Republicans, telling American about his accomplishments, and laying out an optimistic vision for the future. The address was at times joyous, at times serious, but always hopeful.

MAGA is built and fueled by darkness, despair, resentment, and a desire to go back to the past.

President Biden held Republicans accountable, but also reached out a hand in bipartisanship in his State Of The Union.

It doesnt matter what the public opinion polls say, Joe Biden has a winning message. The Presidents State Of The Union was a profound contrast with Trump and MAGA.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) made it clear that he doesnt care if his investigation uses misinformation and disinformation.

Video:

Comer: "Who makes the decision as to who determines what's misinformation and what's not? One thing that you make think is disinformation I may believe is fact. Who's gonna decide? pic.twitter.com/jda4LhxlSV  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 7, 2023

Comer said when asked some of the information Republicans are relying on to investigate the Bidens being disinformation, Ended up in time being labeled as disinformation. So, who makes the decision as to who determines whats disinformation and whats not? One thing that you may think is disinformation, I may believe is fact. Whos going to decide, you are  that what we want to know from the Twitter executives is, walk us through the policy? What was your policy to determine? What is disinformation? And who you seeking advice from? Who in the government was advising you? And what were they saying, just kind of walk us through that. We want to get a picture of exactly what the process was in censoring people.

Disinformation isnt an opinion. By definition disinformation is false information or propaganda intended to mislead that is issued by a rival power. Disinformation isnt open to interpretation because it is false.

Comer is admitting that House Republicans are going to use Russian propaganda to investigate Hunter and Joe Biden.

Republicans are going to launder Russian propaganda through the legislative oversight process to create a scandal that they hope will end with Donald Trump being restored to the White House.

The Hunter Biden laptop investigation is a sham, and Republicans are willing laundering Russian disinformation for what they hope will be taking back the White House in 2024.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

A flash poll of SOTU watchers by CNN found that Bidens speech was a major hit.

Video from CNN on their flash poll:

CNN flash poll of #SOTU watchers finds Biden's speech was a big success. pic.twitter.com/vueUWydtIK  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 8, 2023

CNN reported:

Again, this is a poll of speech watchers, and a more Democratic-friendly audience overall, because its a Democratic president. Tonight more Democratic than the country at large. But we asked people, did Bidens policies  are they going to move the country in the right direction or wrong direction  71% said the right direction. 29% said the wrong direction. But I want to compare that 71% to what people thought prior to the speech  we were able to look pre-speech and pro speech. You will see, hear the movement of people who thought his policies would move the country in the right direction. Prior to the speech, 52% of the speech watchers said they believe Biden policies would move in the right direction and then after the watch in the speech that went up to 71%  we see something similar on the economic policy specifically Anderson.

So, its 66% of speech watchers said Bidens economic policies move the country in the right directionI think it was roughly, maybe, 50% of these folks, so that his economic policies would move the country in the right direction. But after the speech, that went up to 66%. That is exactly what the White House is looking for on the eve of the president, likely to announce a reelection campaign.

Biden gained nearly 20 points on the question of whether his policies move the country in the right direction, and the President gained 16 points on his economic policies.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter:

President Bidens speech was a major hit. Before his address, polling showed that the American people didnt know much about Bidens economic accomplishments. After his SOTU, Americans are more informed and more supportive of his policies.

The difference is that Biden had an uninterrupted conversation with the American with no media filtering involved. If the American people understand what Biden is doing, they like it.

All of this is great news for the President and Democrats, and a giant red flag for Republicans who think that they can win back the White House in 2024.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) warned former Twitter employees that they would be arrested for rigging the 2020 election as the hearing flailed and failed.

Video:

Clay Higgins, who is very scary, threatens that the ex-Twitter employee witnesses will be arrested for unspecified crimes pic.twitter.com/v8ZntV8WgK  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2023

Higgins said, You, ladies and gentlemen, interfered with the 2020 election knowingly and willingly. Thats bad news. Its going to get worse, because this is the investigation part. Later comes the arrest part. Your attorneys are familiar with that. Mr. Chairman, Id like to spend five hours with these ladies and gentlemen on depositions that are yet to come.

As Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) explained, the former Twitter employees were in a private company, and their actions were protected by the First Amendment. Twitter can decide what content it publishes and which users it allows on its platform. The employees committed no crime. There will be no depositions or criminal trials.

Twitter did not rig the 2020 election. Twitter did not interfere in the 2020 election. Donald Trump called the Secretary of State of Georgia and asked him to find 12,000 votes for him. Trump is currently under investigation for election interference in Georgia.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter:

There is no conspiracy here. There is also no crime.

House Republicans are flailing around and continuing to contest the 2020 election. There was no conspiracy against Trump.

Donald Trump lost, House Republicans dont have the power to arrest anyone, and their entire hearing was a conspiracy-induced flop.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Last week House Republicans introduced a resolution that denounces socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America. The bill passed on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 328-86-14. 109 Democrats voted in favor of the resolution.

The resolution identified socialism as some kind of clear and present danger to American democracy, asserting that socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has time and time again collapsed into Communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships.

The resolution has the feel of a carnival barker or con man who distracts your attention while picking your pocketor worse. Pay no attention to the dead man on the wall.

It needs to be noted that when Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) sought to clarify the resolution with an amendment including language that programs like Medicare and Social Security are not to be considered socialist, his amendment was denied by the Republican majority.

Indeed, regardless of Speaker Kevin McCarthys insistence that cuts to Social Security and Medicare are not on the table when it comes to discussions regarding the debt ceiling, these programs are certainly on the chopping block for House Republicans.

Whats more, we have to ask ourselves, in light of recent history and our contemporary political reality, if socialism somehow really represents a threat to American democracy. Indeed, if Social Security and Medicare represent socialism, then it seems given the popularity of these programs with the majority of Americans, these socialist programs represent the democratic will of the people.

While Republicans want to make you afraid of the S-word, elevate it to the status of some kind of bogeyman, it would seem the F-word poses the not just real but absolutely imminent threat to American democracy and the realization of the peoples will, in both political and economic terms.

Donald Trumps ascent to the presidency in 2016 spurred Americas descent, for sure, into what has amounted into far more than a flirtation with authoritarian politics. The F-word came to abound in the American political vocabulary, anxiously for many and thrillingly for the extremist Republican Party and their right-wing supporters.

The F-word, is, of course, fascism.

And it began to circulate in the nations political conversation with good reason.

Trumps presidency, fueled by Russian interference and support Trumps campaign courted, according to a bipartisan Senate report, resulted in the appointment of three conservative, even extreme, Supreme Court justices, tipping the balance toward a conservative majority and empowering the already extreme Justices Alito and Thomas.

Quickly, the right-wing forces, organized for years and just waiting for its opportunity, went to work exploiting its Supreme Court accomplices in its agenda to erode Americans civil rights it had taken decades, even centuries, to secure in law if not always in reality. Chief Justice John Roberts had already led the gutting of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, leading the charge to undermine American democracy and racial justice, and this agenda continued with Justice Samuel Alito penning the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Justice Clarence Thomas penning a concurring opinion that provided a road map for removing legal protections for gay marriage, inter-racial marriage, and the right to purchase contraception.

Given that the majority of Americans do not support any of these measures, it should be clear that the overturning of democracy is no longer a threat but a reality, and the political force imposing this authoritarian rule is not socialism.

We have seen multiple criminals who stormed the Capitol on january 6, encouraged by former President Donald Trump and Republican Senators such as Josh Hawley, convicted of seditious conspiracy.

We have seen Congressional Republicans apologize for these criminals and decry the treatment they received, insisting they were mere tourists and even calling for investigations into their arrests.

We have watched Republican members of Congress and Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney General William Barr turn a blind eye to Russian attempts to interfere in our elections and discredit investigations into these efforts to undermine the will of the American people and disrupt democratic elections.

So, is socialism really the major threat to American democracy? Are programs designed to bring the American people some measure of dignity, livelihood, and access to healthcare in their retirement really the ushering in totalitarian rule to America?

Lets step back and take a clearer look.

Not only do we see efforts from Republican politicians, the Supreme Court, and their right-wing supporters legislate and adjudicate to erode civil and democratic rights and suppress peoples right to vote, but we have to look at the extent to which our current economic arrangement has undermined democracy.

The resolution stated that socialist ideology necessitates a concentration in power.

But where do we see this concentration of power in an American society characterized by gross economic inequality?

Its a secret right before our eyes that power is concentrated among corporations and the wealthiest. They have access to politicians. They have powerful lobbyists. In a world in which running for political office tends to take millions of dollars, those who can fund candidates tend to have amplified voices.

Obviously, concentrations of wealth in America translate to concentrations of political power, and the wealthiest 10% control 75% of the nations wealth.

This gross economic inequality indeed undermines democracy by enabling governments that are not by, of, and for the people but which serve the wealthiest and most influential. The Trump tax cuts are one example, transferring more of the collective wealth the nations people produces to the wealthiest, picking the pockets, pensions, 401Ks, and bank accounts of ordinary working Americans just trying to meet their needs.

Giving the richest Americans and corporations a tax break made it harder for the majority of Americans to afford housing, food, and basic necessitiesand to access opportunity! And corporations still laid off workers despite the billions in tax windfalls.

But socialism is the threat?

When one starts to put two and two together, it starts to sound like this kind of anti-socialist ideology is the problem, trying to fool Americans into being afraid of real political and economic democracy.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

A great night for Democrats got even better as for the first time in more than a decade, they won three special elections to take control of the Pennsylvania House.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported:



Democrats declared victory in three special elections for the state House on Tuesday, putting the party on the brink of controlling the lower chamber of the legislature for the first time since 2010.

While votes were still being counted late Tuesday night, initial returns showed all three Democrats enjoying commanding leads that would be almost impossible for Republicans to overcome  in one case by more than 85 percentage points.

Democrats lead each race by thousands of votes. Republicans have absolutely have no chance of winning any of these seats. Once Democrats officially win all three contests, they will have a one-vote majority in the state house, which is huge because the body has been paralyzed and unable to pass operating rules for a month.

Pennsylvania Republicans have been on a relentless assault against the states mail-in voting rules, which ironically, Republicans originally passed. The Democratic-controlled House and Democrat Josh Shapiro being governor means that the Republican effort to kill mail-in voting in the state is dead.

For the first time in 13 years, Democrats will officially control the House in Pennsylvania, as a great State Of The Union night for Democrats got even better.
The South Carolina House of Representatives is likely to consider a bill banning the teaching of concepts related to critical race theory Wednesday, and Aiken County's House delegation is split by party on whether the bill should be approved.

S.C. Reps. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, Bill Hixon, R-North Augusta, and Melissa Oremus, R-Graniteville, said they supported passage of H.B. 3728, the South Carolina Transparency and Integrity in Education Act. S.C. Rep. Bill Clyburn, D-Aiken, said there was a lot of skepticism regarding the bill.

The bill prohibits the teaching of concepts where one race, sex, ethnicity, color or national origin is inherently superior; that a person is privileged due to race, sex, ethnicity, religion, color or national origin; that a person's moral character is determined by race, sex, ethnicity, religion, color or national origin; that people should be discriminated against because of their race, sex, ethnicity, religion, color or national origin; that meritocracies or a hard-work ethic are racist, sexist or belong to one religion or particular group of people; or that blame should be assigned to a person because of the person's race, sex, ethnicity, religion, color or national origin.

It also bans mandatory gender or sexual diversity training except in cases where it is mandated as part of a corrective action plan and establishes nothing prohibits the teaching of the history of an ethnic group or fact-based discussions of controversial aspects of history or the oppression of a particular group based on the group's race, sex, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion or geographic region.

The bill provides for the development of a complaint mechanism for parents who feel their child's school is teaching one of the prohibited concepts.

Taylor, a co-sponsor of the bill, said he wanted students to learn in a positive environment where they feel welcomed, supported, respected and free from discrimination.

"I find it fascinating that those opposed to this legislation label it censorship claiming it will prevent students from learning about the ugly parts of the state and nation's history by restricting what teachers can say," Taylor said. "The objective is just the opposite. The legislation seeks instruction that is non-biased and includes a broad scope of history, both inspirational and shameful history of our great state and nation."

He said the bill ensures a transparent policy for teachers, parents and students to maintain high-quality education that is not clouded by bias. He added the bill uses language from a bill he filed that makes it easier for parents to question their child's curriculum.

Clyburn said he wanted to make sure that history is taught in South Carolina's public schools. He added he wanted to make sure the bill did not make teachers feel threatened. Clyburn said there are a lot of statements made about critical race theory but not everyone knows what it is or why it exists.

Hixon said he supported the bill. He added the House passed a similar bill last year  Hixon, Taylor, Oremus and Bart Blackwell voted for it; Clyburn voted against  but the bill did not receive consideration in the Senate.

Oremus said she did not support the teaching of critical race theory or related concepts in the state's public schools.

"Our kids do not need to be indoctrinated," Oremus said. "Parents need a voice in what our kids are learning."

The House is expected to meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Statehouse in Columbia.
Parkdale Mills plans to close its Plant 40 in Graniteville permanently at the end of March and 135 employees will be laid off, according to Will Williams, president and CEO of the Western SC Economic Development Partnership.

Conditions have been very soft in their market, and this is a step theyre taking to keep their business strong, he told the Aiken Standard during a telephone interview Tuesday.

Plant 40 is at 418 Ascauga Lake Road.

They have 150 employees, and 135 will be let go, Williams said. The other 15 are going to be transferred to other locations. Thats what I was told.

According to Parkdale Mills website, the company is the worlds leading manufacturer of spun yarns.

Parkdales corporate headquarters is in Gastonia, North Carolina.

In addition to plants in South Carolina and North Carolina, the locations of the companys factories and distribution facilities include Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Mexico, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

Obviously, its very sad news to hear of a plant closure and the loss of local jobs, said Williams of Plant 40s impending shutdown. But the good news is that if those people want to continue working, theyll be able to do that. There are plenty of opportunities in this community.

We (the Economic Development Partnership) have already begun reaching out to our other manufacturers, which have in turn reached out (to Plant 40) to get those folks reemployed as soon as possible, Williams added.

The Aiken Standard contacted Parkdale Mills management by telephone and via email. No responses were received prior to the publication deadline for this story.

There was a fire at Plant 40 in January. No injuries were reported, according to an Aiken Standard article about the blaze.
Russian President Putin has signed a bill allowing authorities to issue electronic notices to draftees and reservists amid the fighting in Ukraine, sparking fears of a new wave of mobilization. The bill signed into law was published Friday on the official register of government documents. Russias military service rules previously required the in-person delivery of notices to conscripts and reservists who are called up for duty. Under the new law, the notices would be considered valid from the moment they are put on a state portal for electronic services. In the past, many Russians avoided the draft by staying away from their address of record. The new law closes that loophole ahead of a widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive in the coming weeks. Read morePutin signs bill allowing electronic conscription notices
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 59F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
KERHSAW  A former deputy, who has faced several federal lawsuits alleging assault and a previous arrest, was arrested again for allegedly punching a detainee during jail booking at the Kershaw County Detention Center in 2020.

The State Law Enforcement Division arrested 38-year-old Johnathan Lewis Goldsmith on Feb. 6 after a request by the 5th Circuit Solicitor's Office to investigate a use of force incident at the county jail. He was charged with third-degree assault and battery

Goldsmith had been fired by the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office in November 2020. Several lawsuits followed, which were moved to federal court, as well as his arrest by SLED agents in January 2021 on charges of second-degree assault and misconduct in office.

The latest charges stem from an incident in May 2020. Goldsmith had allegedly punched a detainee after being kicked, according to the arrest warrant.

"He apprehended a heavily intoxicated subject who resisted arrest," according to the misconduct report filed with the S.C. Criminal Justice Training Academy. "Goldsmith then took the subject to the ground while striking him multiple times with a closed fist."

The punches knocked out three of the detainee's teeth, and he fell to the floor, unconscious, according to the misconduct report.

Goldsmith did not immediately call for an ambulance and allegedly used force to attempt to place the detainee back into his patrol SUV, according to the misconduct report.

"The subject should not have been left unattended after being knocked unconscious and bleeding from his mouth," according to the report. "And that there was no reason to continue using force on the wounded subject in order to place him in a patrol car to wait for an ambulance to arrive on the scene."

Four lawsuits filed federal court in 2021 and 2022 accuse Goldsmith of assaulting the plaintiffs in each case while he was on duty. One case was settled out of court, and another was dismissed because the plaintiff died. Two cases are still pending.
Two decades ago, Tom and Jen Sedio sold their New England diner and vowed to never work together again.

But "God had other plans," Jen said.

All these years later, the couple is celebrating Valentine's Day with heart-shaped pizzas  like the one Tom made to impress Jen soon after their first date  at the Irmo pizzeria and food truck they own together.

Like many couples who own and operate restaurants together, the Sedios, co-owners of Lil' House of Pizza and Small Catering, know the trials and triumphs of owning a restaurant with a significant other.

For the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, Free Times sat down with four couples who run Columbia-area eateries together. While the details vary, the thread tying each story together is this: The highs are exceptionally high, the lows can be brutally low, but there's no one they'd rather work with than their sweetie.

Sparks fly in the kitchen

The Sedios met 25 years ago working in a pizza restaurant in Massachusetts. A few years and a wedding later, the pair bought into a diner in their area and were met with piles of bills and a strained relationship.

"We were just at a point where we had to call it quits and regroup," Jen said.

The pair moved their family down to the Columbia area and took a long hiatus from restaurant ownership.

But a few years ago, Tom dreamed up a pizza shop on wheels, and when COVID-19 turned that plan sideways, Jen pitched in. Now, despite their pledge 20 years earlier, Tom and Jen are in business together again, working full-time at their brick-and-mortar pizza shop and adjacent catering company.

Meagan and Keven McDonald, owners of Il Giorgione on Devine Street, also found love in the restaurant business, at a whiskey distillery in Utah.

"I had (already) met Meagan and I had a little crush on her," Keven said. "And then I found out she was applying at (the distillery I worked at), so I got really excited."

The McDonalds bounced back and forth between South Carolina and Utah, but the couple landed in Columbia to raise their family. When the pair decided to move back, Keven called up his old boss at Il Giorgione and took a job as the sous chef.

In December of last year, the McDonalds took over ownership of the restaurant when previous owners retired.

Hell's (and Heaven's) kitchen

Although they've worked together before, owning a restaurant is a whole new adventure, the McDonalds said.

"(The difference is) now she can tell me what to do," Keven teased.

Danny and Tracey Katsikis, owners of Our Daily Bread SC, said working together can be a challenge because there's a fear that they'll let each other down.

"But that ends up happening," Tracey said. "Nobody's perfect. Right? Like you leave the salt out of a recipe or  I rolled something out improperly and the brioche didn't come out."

When they are disappointed in each other, though, they've learned how to walk away and cool off before losing their tempers, Danny said.

The McDonalds echoed this sentiment, adding that they try not to read too much into each others' tones, especially over text.

"I'm a chef, and sometimes we lose our tempers," Keven said. "And I really wanted to change that dynamic."

On the flip side, in a marriage each partner knows how the other will react to stress, which can help tense situations in the food business.

"We know how to talk each other down," Meagan said.

Knowing your business partner like you know your spouse also makes dividing up labor easy, Tracey said.

"We've been together for so long," she said. "So we already know where a good portion of like our strengths are."

And working with one's spouse provides a level of trust that is hard to find in any other business partner, Lil' House of Pizza's Tom said.

"I know between her and me, nothing's gonna happen," Tom said. "And that's what gives us, I think, a lot of security."

Trade secrets

Each couple agreed that keeping up with romance while working together full-time can be a challenge, but all had their secrets to keeping their marriage fun and upbeat.

Cynthia and Dennis Harris, owners of Sky Bistro Lounge near Main Street, have found their marriage has been stronger since jumping into the restaurant business.

The pair met in the Army and decided nearly 40 years into their marriage to experiment in the restaurant business. Dennis purchased the Washington Street property and renovated it through the pandemic.

Cynthia works closely with her husband to keep the restaurant running smoothly and said the challenge of running Sky Bistro has brought the two closer together.

'We're down here all the time," Cynthia said. "And we're around each other all the time."

The Sedios carve out time in their busy life for each other and plan getaways every few months.

"It's finding a place that it's just us," Jen said. "We went to Asheville the first week of January and we wined and dined the days that we were there. We didn't have to make beds there  it was just him and I exploring and enjoying each other's company."

At the end of the day, sharing moments with each other is worth the challenges that come with co-ownership of a restaurant, the McDonalds said.

"On our soft opening when everything was finally coming together, I remember looking across the room and seeing Meagan talking to everyone," Keven said. "It was just this high of like, OK, this is amazing."
The Georgetown City Council cleared the purchase of a $150,000 computer system for the Georgetown water treatment plant on April 6, less than a month after its current system failed to detect a major leak. Read moreAfter water leak, Georgetown approves $150K in ARPA funds for new computer system
GREENVILLE  Where one Upstate taco restaurant left its mark, another creative taco place from the Lowcountry aims to leave a new one.

Farmhouse Taco closed its Laurens Road location in early January, citing plans to relocate the restaurant to another site in Greenville. Owners said the move was initiated partly because of interest in their building at 1813 Laurens Road by a restaurant group outside of Greenville.

That restaurant group is Taco Boy. Taco Boy founder Karalee Nielsen Fallert and a business partner opened the first location in Folly Beach in 2006. THe Greenville location is slated to open this summer.

Taco Boy currently has locations in Charleston, Summerville and West Asheville. Besides Greenville, the company has two more locations planned for the Carolinas, according to a Feb. 8 news release.

With the growth comes opportunity, Nielsen Fallert says, though the seasoned restaurant veteran is careful to explain that by growth, she means something integrative and collaborative not just profit margin.

Growth can have negative connotations but there is a real vibrant energy there (in Greenville) right now, Nielsen Fallert said of choosing Greenville for the next restaurant.

Were excited to dive in and have a deeper conversation about whats important in Greenville and where we can build ourselves a home there that is gonna have meaningful roots and have positive impact in the future for the team members and the community we serve at large.

With Taco Boy, Nielsen Fallert wanted to create not just a place for great fish tacos like the ones she missed from growing up in California, but a vessel to build community. Taco Boy has done this through a number of philanthropic initiatives including the Green heart Project, a community garden and sustainability effort, and a financial assistance program for employees who encounter unexpected medical or other crises.

In Asheville, Taco Boy this year rolled out an initiative to support a different local non-profit with monthly fundraisers at the restaurant.

Nielsen Fallert has plans to bring a similar community-forward approach and mindset to Greenville, but any effort begins with listening, she says.

We wanna do things that leverage what we do well and help our community partners in that way, Nielsen Fallert said. There is quite a bit of listening that is ahead of us for us to know what that looks like there. It needs to feel like its what Greenville needs.

Taco Boy grew the way many concepts do  a longing for a food, a flavor of home. For Nielsen Fallert that was the fish tacos she would eat post-surfing or after a day at the beach in southern California.

When Nielsen Fallert moved across the country to Folly Beach, she found a welcoming and vibrant beach community, but not the tacos.

It was like wait a minute, we have this beautiful seafood, we have this surf culture, but theres this thing thats missing, Nielsen Fallert said. Its almost like apres ski. Where is this after surf thing that I was craving.

Today, Taco Boy is known for not just its fish tacos, but its less traditional ones as well  kimchi beef, Firecracker shrimp and buttermilk fried chicken. The restaurant has also drawn a following with scratch-made salsas, sides like rice and beans, chipotle slaw, Mexican street corn and guacamole and a robust craft cocktail program inspired by Mexican flavors.

In the last year, Taco Boy has carved a space with homemade tortillas. The West Asheville location was the first to include a tortilleria, to produce house-made tortillas, and Greenvilles location will include the same. Luis Martinez is overseeing that facet of the restaurant. Martinez, an Asheville-based chef, is also founder of Tequio Foods, which is focused on supporting indigenous Mexican foodways and farmers.

Once open later this summer, the Greenville Taco Boy will serve lunch and dinner as well as a weekend brunch. Diners can expect items like breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros and churros French toast. The menu also includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free offerings.

The conversion from Farmhouse Tacos to Taco Boy will include renovations to the interior and exterior of the building to generate what Nielsen Fallert calls curb appeal. Plans include expanding the outdoor patio and redoing the interior as well.

It has the power to activate fun, tacos and tequila or a delicious agua fresca is going to brighten your day, and especially when its done with genuine hospitality, Nielsen Fallert said. Ultimately, weve seen the power of putting all those components together and creating a compelling environment for our guests and our team members. That helps us give back in the community and it helps us build stronger communities where we are.

For more, visit https://www.tacoboy.net

The restaurant will be hiring for key management and leadership positions soon. Jobs will be posted at tacoboy.net/jobs.

Taco Boy is also seeking local artisans and craftspeople to contribute to the new Laurens Road location. Interested Greenville-based painters, muralists, ceramists, and sculptors should email info@tacoboy.net.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.
To celebrate World Autism Awareness Month, Mount Pleasant Towne Centre and local nonprofit Just Bee are teaming up for a special event for families with children on the spectrum. Read moreLights & Love returns to Towne Centre for Autism Awareness Month
Stephen Smith's mother announced a $35,000 reward April 3 for information that leads to the arrest of anyone involved with her son's 2015 death. His body was found on a Hampton County road. The money is coming from a pool of more than $120,000 raised in a GoFundMe initiative to subsidize the investigation. Read more$35,000 reward offered for information into Stephen Smith's 2015 death
The news keeps getting better for those concerned about South Carolina's horseshoe crab population and the threatened rufa red knot shorebird that depends on crab eggs during its migration from South America to the Artic, but we still need more robust data about both and the impact of harves Read moreEditorial: Surprise order helps protect SC horseshoe crabs, but more is needed
COLUMBIA  The story goes that during the 1776 siege of Charleston when Col. William Moultries indigo Liberty flag was blown off the ramparts by the British bombardment, a plucky young sergeant ran into the open to retrieve and hoist it once more.

Members of the state Senate arent giving up on their flag fight either.

After a bill to codify an official state flag design died on the Senate floor last session under the opposition of a single senator, the Senate's Family and Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously sent the rekindled flag bill to the Senate floor once again on Feb. 8.

Its not that we dont take up a lot of things on the floor that are not worthy of my time but this is worthy of my time, said Committee Chairwoman Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, as she held up a printout of the approved design.

I think it looks good," she said. "I think we should have a standard state flag that everybody uses.

If the bill eventually gets the governor's signature, the official flag would feature a deep indigo background dubbed pantone 282C with a white crescent, or gorget, in the upper left corner.

The dominant palmetto tree in the center is based on a form that was official from 1910 to 1940.

South Carolina has had no official state flag design since a provision of state law was repealed in 1940, meaning that the flags that fly over government buildings around the state are different based on the designs chosen by the suppliers.

That has irked some in the Legislature.

Something that bothers me is that we have a flag that some faceless manufacturer somewhere, probably not in the state, created, Sen. Thomas McElveen, D-Sumter, said at a Jan. 26 subcommittee meeting on the issue.

A Senate committee studied the history of the flag and recommended an official design in December of 2021, but that design, which featured a somewhat scraggly palmetto tree, was widely mocked on social media.

The committee went back to the drawing board and suggested two other potential designs, and the Family and Veterans Affairs Committee forwarded one based on the first 1910 official design with a leafier palmetto tree  the same one it voted for on Feb. 8  to the full Senate.

But thats as far as it got. Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, used a parliamentary procedure to stall the bill and it died in the Senate.

We dont need to superimpose what you think the flag ought to look like, Hutto told The Post and Courier last month.

The bill voted out of committee Feb. 8 matches the final amended version from the end of last session.

The flag bill has become something of a running joke around the Statehouse, regularly eliciting groans or chuckles when it comes up.

Once this is done, it wont come back up. I promise you, Eric Emerson, director of the S.C. Department of Archives and History, told the subcommittee. But if nothing is done, your successors will be here asking my successor the same questions.
COLUMBIA  A joint session of the S.C. General Assembly voted to elect Appeals Judge Gary Hill as the new justice on the state Supreme Court, capping off a contentious race to replace Justice Kaye Hearn, the author of the controversial January ruling that struck down the state's six-week abortion ban.

The Feb. 8 election in which Hill's two opponents, both female appeals court judges, dropped out the same day legislators were legally allowed to begin pledging their support, makes South Carolina the only state in the country without a woman on its highest court.

The vast majority of the Legislature's Republicans and Democrats, 140, voted for Hill, while eight legislators voted against him and more than a dozen voted present or abstained.

The "no" and "present" votes came primarily from the Senate's five women and members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, who, for very different reasons, have objected to the process.

In a statement, Hill said he was honored by the bipartisan support.

"With God's grace, I will continue to do my best to uphold our great tradition of the rule of law, preserve and defend our hard-won constitutional principles without fear or favor," he said.

House Freedom Caucus members, who have called the judicial selection process opaque and corrupt, forced roll-call votes on all the judicial races, a break with custom by which court votes were practically automatic in races with only one candidate.

The vote came under unusual scrutiny after the state Supreme Court ruled the six-week abortion ban violated the privacy provision of the state constitution, prompting fury from anti-abortion Republicans who accused the court of judicial activism.

Those same Republicans saw the judicial election as an opportunity to flip the courts majority by replacing Hearn with someone more receptive to abortion restrictions.

As if to underline how central abortion has become to the election, hours before the Legislature voted, the state Supreme Court rejected petitions for rehearing of the abortion decision filed by the governor, the state attorney general, and the states legislative leadership by the same 3-2 majority that made the original ruling.

Republicans have repeatedly called Hill a conservative and a strict constructionist.

At Hills 2017 hearing to join the Court of Appeals he pledged to be very deferential to the Legislature.

And I'm a firm believer in a strict separation of powers, he said. I believe in deference to the other branches to do what the Founders intended them to do."

Along with cases on abortion restrictions, the court is expected to deal with other highly politicized issues on school vouchers and the death penalty in the coming term.

The election took a dramatic turn in its final weeks when Sen. Sandy Senn, R-Charleston, accused the House Republican Caucus of conducting an informal poll of the race at a caucus meeting before pledging was legally allowed to begin. She alleges there was an agreement on Hill along with pressure on the two female candidates to drop out.

In an impassioned Senate floor speech, Senn, who supported Judge Stephanie McDonald, one of the other Supreme Court candidates, said the lack of female representation in the judiciary is an embarrassment.

Republican House members refused to comment on whether an informal poll took place but said the majority had come to support Hill independently due to his qualifications and judicial philosophy.

This is a sad day for South Carolina as this General Assembly caused us to go backward 30 years in time, which was the last time we had an all-male Supreme Court, Senn said in a statement after the vote. They will not be happy until there is a total abortion ban in all circumstances.

The upper chamber's other female members, Margie Bright Matthews, D-Walterboro, and Mia McLeod, I-Columbia, voted against Hill, while Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, and Penry Gustafson, R-Camden, voted present.

Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, voted present and Sen. Billy Garrett, R-Greenwood, abstained. The pair are staunch abortion opponents who had supported indefinitely delaying the Supreme Court vote.

In the House, three members of the Freedom Caucus voted against Hill while many of the rest did not vote. Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Hopkins, and Rep. Annie McDaniel, D-Winnsboro, voted against Hill.

Rep. Adam Morgan, R-Taylors, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, called for the judicial selection process to be totally revamped at a press conference the morning before the vote, saying it was Republicans' own support for the current system that allowed the three justices who overturned the abortion ban to get on the court.

"Why are we letting legislators pressure judges into dropping out when we dont even accurately know the count or whos pledged to whom?" Morgan said, echoing Senn's critiques from a different perspective. "We do not have transparent elections of judges and thats a serious issue no matter what party youre from."

Judicial reform has gained widespread attention and support in the wake of the ruling and the acrimonious Supreme Court contest. In his State of the State address, Gov. Henry McMaster called for judges to be nominated by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Travelers Rest, has said that Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, intends to introduce a package of judicial reforms this session, while judicial reform bills have been introduced in the Senate.

Judicial elections have grown more contentious in recent years. In 2019, Black lawmakers walked out in protest over diversity on the bench after who they thought was a vastly more qualified African American candidate lost to a White candidate. Last year, a hard-right Upstate Republican called for a roll-call vote when Hearn was up for reelection, which she won by a vote of 122-14, with conservative legislators dissenting.

Hill is a Greenville County resident and attended Wofford College before receiving his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1989. He was in private practice doing civil, criminal and appellate law in Greenville before he was elected as a judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit in 2004. He was elected to the state Court of Appeals in 2017.

Seanna Adcox of The Post and Courier staff contributed to this report.
GAFFNEY  Proposed changes to Cherokee County's land development regulations have been postponed to allow more review time for the county's Planning Commission.

County Administrator Steve Bratton said the county's current regulations on land development were approved in the early 1990s and aren't equipped to address the boom in residential growth occurring in the county, especially in areas of the Grassy Pond and Macedonia communities.

County Council was scheduled to approve final reading of the proposed ordinance changes on Feb. 6 but after further discussion it was decided to delay the final vote and send it back to the Planning Commission.

Bratton said at least 1,500 houses are planned within a mile of the Gaffney Outlet Marketplace within Gaffney's city limits, including the Fox Creek subdivision that includes 766 lots. This new subdivision is within the city's limits so the county's proposed changes to land development regulations would not apply, if approved.

"We are basically adding meat to our development regulations in the county," Bratton said. "We are behind on it."

Developers have shown increased interest in building houses on large tracts of land in rural areas of the county, Bratton said. The new development guidelines aim to increase lot sizes, add sidewalks, require tiny home developments to follow the same rules of standard manufactured homes, increase the width of roads and add curb and gutters to subdivisions using specific criteria.

Traffic studies would also be required for developments with more than 50 houses based on the proposed changes. The county is working to develop new zoning requirements as well. Bratton said Charlotte-based Benchmark Planning was hired to assist with updating the county's comprehensive plan and develop a unified development zoning ordinance. The contract for Benchmark's work is $250,000, Bratton said.

County Council anticipates reconsidering a final reading of the proposed land development regulations in late March. The new regulations, if approved, would require subdivision cul-de-sacs to increase from 60 feet to 70 feet in diameter, increase road widths from 18 feet to 26 feet, and require lots to be at least 100 feet wide.

During a public hearing, Mark Wilkins of Gaffney expressed opposition to the proposed changes. Wilkins didn't believe requiring sidewalks should be included and also objected to curb and gutters being added to development regulations.

"Please Cherokee County Council do not add unnecessary regulations to the process that are not in the best interest of our county long term," Wilkins said.

During the meeting, County Planning Commission Chairman Richard Lavender requested County Council to delay its final vote on the matter. The Planning Commission had not had an opportunity to review changes made by county staff after a second reading.

"Our Planning Commission has never seen these changes in writing," Lavender said. "Give us time to meet within the next month or so and go over what he (Bratton) has added since our first meeting."

County Councilman Quay Little, who represents District 3, said he was in favor of delaying the vote for further review.

"We don't want to stop development," Little said. "We just want it to be aesthetically pleasing to the residents."
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low 61F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
On Sunday, Big Brother Titan pair Nigerias Jaypee and South African, Lukay, were evicted.

They became the third and fourth housemates to be evicted from the house since the BBTitans began on 15 January, after Sandra and Theo.

On Monday, the duo, Jaypee, a nurse and Lukay, a sales executive, shared their experience and difficulties and gave an insight into whats next for them in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

Relationships, Love Interests

Lukay, the lover boy of the pair, spoke about his relationship with fellow housemate Ipeleng, stating he would wait till she was out of the house.

Speaking on why he was attracted to her, he said, Im a sucker for natural hair, and natural beauty, not that there is anything wrong with makeup, but I love a natural woman who looks good in her skin and her hair.

She was very natural to me, very true to me and genuine to me, he added.

He also mentioned certain housemates outside the house; he said he would want to see Mmeli, Tsatsii, Marvin and Olivia.

He revealed that he gave Marvin a South African name, Manda.

Jaypee, on the other hand, claimed that although she did not have time to get to know many people, she would love to meet most of her housemates once they were out.

Cultural differences

Speaking about what they learnt from each other respective countries, they shared their experience about the food, cultures and dress sense.

Jaypee said she figured the South Africans had a laid-back attitude as they were all easygoing. She stated she was also impressed by their culture.

She said, I also love how much they love their culture; they were so in tune with their culture when we had to do a task that had us talking about our history and stuff, they were able to come up with names and chants easily, that was so nice to see.

They are super proud of their culture, and they unify; their history connects them, and that just helps them stay together.

Further expressing her relationship, she said she does not think she met any terrible South Africans and loved learning about their cultures.

Lukay speaking about his experience with Nigerians, said, I loved the food, I loved learning about their cultures, I learnt to appreciate what we have in South Africa, there are certain things that we take for granted here that you learn from other people you shouldnt take it for granted. He said.

He also stated that he learnt not to judge a book by its cover.

Culture Shocks

On cultural shocks, Lukay said he was not taken aback by any Nigerian culture but had a problem with the food being Spicy.

He said, When we talk about food, the food that you guys eat is extremely Spicy; I dont understand how you guys eat such hot food; I dont get it; all the time, its spicy. Jaypee even told me that sometimes you have to eat with the fan and water by the side.

Expressing how much he loved the Nigerian male attires, he said, I enjoyed the attires that the boys were wearing; they told me they got it tailored and all that, so I loved it and when I come to Nigeria that the first thing I want to get is a tailored African suit.

Jaypee said she was shocked when she found out the south african would not harm insects or bugs.

She said, These people dont kill flying insects, they dont kill bees, they dont kill spiders; why?

In Nigeria, as long as you are not working on your four feet or two feet, youre dead; why can I not kill flying insects? They even named the two spiders in our bathroom; one was Kevin, and one was Kelvin. She added.

She stated that her second shock was the south Africans loved cow produce. Also they love everything that comes out of a cow, milk, cheese, butterthey put butter in everything, they put butter in oats, they put cheese in noodles, they grate cheese into everything, and they microwave their noodles.

They both claimed to have gotten deeper perspectives of each others countries, highlighting that they gained a lot of clarities about each country,

Predictions

With the housemates out of the house, they revealed their favourites.

Jaypee said she thinks Kanaga Jnr would win but wants Ebubu to win.

She said, I think Knaaga Jnr would win because of the way that boy is moving with his strategy, but I want Ebubu to win because that guy is a hustler.

Lukay chose Ipeleng for the win.

Life after BBTitans

Sharing what they intend to do after BBTitans, Lukay disclosed he would love to go into the media, particularly radio and other aspects of the media.

Jaypee also mentioned that she would want to go into modelling and use her newfound fame to establish a business and grow.

She stated it would be hard for her to adjust to celebrity life, saying she can no longer move around Lagos like a regular person with public transport.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Supreme Court Wednesday ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to end the use of old naira notes on 10 February.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a seven-member panel of the court, led by John Okoro, gave the order of interim injunction amid acute scarcity of newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 currency notes.

The court gave the order temporarily, cancelling the CBNs 10 February deadline to end the validity of the old versions of the banknotes based on an ex parte application filed by three northern states being controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The three applicant states are  Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara.

The governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has been one of the most vocal critics of the naira redesign policy.

The presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, had also publicly criticised the policy during a campaign stop. Their stance contradicts that of President Muhammadu Buhari, the leader of their party, who had repeatedly defended the policy.

The applicants, on 3 February, filed their application at the Supreme Court praying for an order to restrain the CBN from ending the use of the old currency notes on 10 February as threatened by the bank.

They cited the sufferings the scarcity of the new bank notes had brought upon many Nigerians.

The application, being ex parte, was not served on the Attorney General of the Federation who is sued in the case as the representative of the federal government.

Only the applicants lawyer, Abdulrakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was heard by the court.

Mr Okoro, after listening to the applicants lawyer Wednesday morning, granted the application as prayed, a decision he said his panel took after a careful consideration.

He issued an order of interim injunction restraining the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on 10 February, the time frame with which the now older version of the 200, 500 and 1,000 denominations of the naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

The court, after issuing the order, adjourned until 15 February for hearing of the main suit.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last October announced that it was redesigning the N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes.

Godwin Emefiele, the CBN governor, announced 31 January as the deadline for the expiration of the old banknotes.

But due to the public outcry trailing the currency scarcity, Mr Emefiele extended the deadline till 10 February. He added that money deposit banks would continue to receive the old banknotes even after the deadline.

Despite the deadline extension, however, the scarcity of new notes has persisted.

On 3 February , the governments of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states, through their lawyers, filed their application against the naira redesign policy on 3 February, citing the avoidable sufferings majority of Nigerians were going through as a result of the acute scarcity of the newly resigned N200, N500 and N1,000 notes.

They said many citizens have to date not seen the newly redesigned naira notes let alone exchanged their old notes for the new notes, despite assurances by the government to make the currency available.

Hearing

Earlier on Wednesday, the applicants lawyer said that the policy of the government had led to an excruciating situation that is almost leading to anarchy in the land .

While he referred to a Central Bank of Nigerias (CBN) statistics which put the number of people who dont have bank accounts at over 60 per cent, Mr Mustapha lamented that the few Nigerians with bank accounts cant even access their monies from the bank as a result of the policy.

The senior lawyer further argued that unless the Supreme Court intervenes the situation will lead to anarchy because most banks are already closing operations.

His submissions echoed his clients claims in their suit that many citizens have to date not seen the newly redesigned naira notes let alone exchanged their old notes for the new notes, despite assurances by the government to make the currency available.

They contended that the inadequacy of the notice (of naira redesign) coupled with the haphazard, back-handed manner the exercise is being carried out and the attendant hardship has been well acknowledged even by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The plaintiffs argued that there is no justifiable basis for the ongoing difficulties and suffering being meted out on the good people of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara States by the Federal Government.

In buttressing the extent of the hardship being suffered by Nigerians, the plaintiffs lamented, economic activities are furiously grinding to a halt.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


NPF Microfinance Bank Plc on Monday announced that it has appointed Said Fagge as a non-executive director to its board.

Mr Fagge, an assistant commissioner of police, will fill the vacancy created by the redeployment of Jibrin Gane from the Nigeria Police Cooperative Multi-Purpose Society Ltd.

The microfinance bank announced the appointment in a disclosure published on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, signed by the Company Secretary, Osaro Idemudia.

According to details of the disclosure, Mr Fagge was born on 23 December, 1971, in Fagge Local Government Area, Kano State.

He holds a degree in Applied Biology from Bayero University, Kano (1997) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Crime Management Prevention and Control from the same University (2016), the notice said.

He started his career with the Nigeria Police Force on May 1, 2000 and served in six commands and twelve divisions as the Divisional Police Officer (DPO).

According to the notice, Mr Fagge is currently the Financial Controller of the Nigeria Police Cooperative Multi-Purpose Society Ltd.

His appointment is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Shareholders at the Annual General Meeting, it said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has finally arrested a convicted senator who has been on the run since he was jailed for seven years for corruption over seven months ago.

The senator representing Delta North in the Nigerian Senate, Peter Nwaoboshi, was convicted by the Court of Appeal in Lagos on a two-count charge of fraud and money laundering on 1 July 2022.

The senator, who was not present when the court pronounced his jail term, had gone underground and avoided prison since then.

After over seven months of hiding, Mr Nwaoboshi was arrested by EFCC operatives at a hospital in Lagos on Monday, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the anti-graft agency.

EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said the convict was finally remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre today, February 8, 2023, to commence his prison term.

From his hiding, Mr Nwaoboshi made a futile attempt to obtain a post-conviction bail from the Supreme Court.

Rejecting his bail application on 27 January, the Supreme Court ruled that it could not grant him bail while he was on the run.

A member of the Supreme Court panel that sat over the request, Tijjani Abubakar, said Mr Nwaoboshis behaviour was an assault on the rule of law.

It is a very sad development in our democracy that a lawmaker has refused to respect the law of the land.

This is a sad development. It is a slap on democracy, and a slap on the rule of law.

Mr Abubakar warned that nobody is above the law. The government and the governed are subject to the rule of law. And, we must ensure that there is respect for the rule of law.

Commenting further, Mr Abubakar advised lawmakers to lead by example.

They make the laws, they must respect the laws. And, if they do not respect the laws, it means that they have failed in discharging their mandate.

EFCC said in a statement on Wednesday that its operatives arrested him at a hospital in Lagos on Monday.

The Court of Appeal had in a judgement delivered on 1 July 2022 sentenced him to prison after convicting him on a two-count charge of money laundering involving N805 million.

The court also ordered the winding up of his two companies.

The two companies  Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd  were wound up by the court in line with the provision of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021.

The assets of the companies were also forfeited to the Federal Government.

READ EFCCs FULL STATEMENT

N805m Scam: Finally, Senator Nwaoboshi Lands in Prison

The Senator representing Delta North in the National Assembly, Peter Nwaoboshi, who has been on the run months after the Court of Appeal Lagos Division convicted and sentenced him to 7 years imprisonment for money laundering, is finally in prison custody. The lawmaker who was intercepted by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, at a Hospital in Lagos on Monday, February 6, was finally remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre today, February 8, 2023, to commence his prison term.

The Court of Appeal had in a judgement it delivered on July 1, 2022, sentenced him to prison after it convicted him on a two-count charge of money laundering and also ordered the winding up of his two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Suiming Electrical Ltd, in line with the provision of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021, and their properties forfeited to the Federal Government.

But the lawmaker who was not present in court at the time of the ruling, went underground and refused to present himself to the Nigerian Correctional Service. Instead, he proceeded to the Supreme Court, praying the apex court to not only set it aside the judgment of the appeal court but grant him bail, pending the determination of his appeal.

But in a unanimous decision on January 27, 2023, the apex court dismissed the application. In the lead judgement by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court wondered why Nwaoboshi, who refused to submit himself to the law, would seek the indulgence of the law.

Justice Tijani Abubakar, in his contribution, upbraided the Appellant for filing the bail application while on the run.

We must make it very, very clear to all Nigerians that nobody is above the law. The government and the governed are subject to the rule of law. And, we must ensure that there is respect for the rule of law.

The Court of Appeal judgement that convicted Nwaoboshi followed an appeal by the EFCC against the judgment of Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court in Lagos, which had on June 18, 2021, discharged and acquitted the lawmaker and his companies.

Nwaoboshi and his companies illegally acquired a property named Guinea House, Marine Road, in Apapa, Lagos, for N805 million. Part of the money paid for the property was transferred by Suiming Electrical Ltd on behalf of Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd. The funds are believed to be proceeds of illicit activities of the convict.

READ ALSO:

One of the counts reads:  That you, Peter Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Projects Limited, between May and June, 2014, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did acquire a property described as Guinea House, Marina Road, Apapa, Lagos, for the sum of N805million, when you reasonably ought to have known that the sum of N322 million out of the purchase price transferred to the vendors by order of Suinming Electricals Limited formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of fraud and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2011(as amended) and punishable under Section (15)(3) of the same Act.

Wilson Uwujaren

Head, Media & Publicity

08/02/2023

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The federal government has called on the Supreme Court to dismiss a suit challenging the 10 February deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to end the legal tender status of the old versions of some newly designed currency notes.

It argues that the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the suit. The suit was filed by three states  Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara States, all in the northern part of Nigeria and controlled by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The respondent maintains that the case is not a dispute between the federation and the state governments, but merely an issue about CBNs policy.

It says the suit is, therefore, not qualified to be taken directly to the Supreme Court for adjudication. It argues that the suit ought to have been commenced at the Federal High Court.

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, sued as the sole defendant as the representative of the federal government, filed his opposition to the suit as a preliminary objection against it at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Mr Malamis filings came hours after the Supreme Court granted a request by the three state governments for an order temporarily halting the CBNs plan to end the use of the old currency notes on 10 February.

Neither the federal government nor the CBN has commented on their plan to comply with the ruling.

Suit

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the three state governments had sued the federal government to challenge the Naira redesign policy.

Their application filed at the Supreme Court on 3 February prayed for an order restraining the CBN from ending the use of the old currency notes on 10 February as threatened by the bank.

They cited the sufferings the scarcity of the newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 bank notes had brought upon many Nigerians.

After listening to the applicants lawyer on Wednesday, a seven-member panel of the court, led by John Okoro, issued an order of interim injunction halting the plan by the CBN to end the use of the old banknotes as scheduled.

The court then adjourned the hearing of the main case until 15 February.

Filing

Ahead of the hearing, the AGF filed a preliminary objection urging the Supreme Court to dismiss the state governments suit.

The federal governments legal team led by two Senior Advocates of Nigeria  Mahmud Magaji and Tijanni Gazali  cited 11 grounds on which they anchored their call on the Supreme Court to dismiss the suit.

The defendants legal team pointed out that the state governments suit challenges the federal government through its agency, the CBN, to withdraw old banknotes from the financial system and introduce new ones.

Referencing Section 251 of the Constitution, they argued that the suit falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in matters of monetary policy of an agency of the federal government.

The claims or reliefs are not against the federation, but the Federal Government and its Agency, the Central Bank of Nigeria.

READ ALSO:

The Federal Government of Nigeria is distinct from the Federation or the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Plaintiffs have no grievance whatsoever against the Federation of Nigeria.

This suit has disclosed no dispute that invokes this (Supreme) Courts original jurisdiction as constitutionally defined, the defendants lawyers contended.

The applicants, through their lawyers, are expected to oppose the defendants preliminary objection.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Like other voters across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, the electorate in Ondo State, south-west Nigeria, will file out on 25 February to elect the senators to represent their three districts in the 10th Senate that will be inaugurated in June.

The three senators will be first-timers in the senate as none of the current or past senators from the state will be returning. Out of the current 109 senators in the ninth Senate, at least 58 of them will not be returning, PREMIUM TIMES reported.

The high rate of turnover of new senators in every election cycle, according to experts in parliamentary studies, denies the Senate the sort of institutional memory it needs to come up with quality and impactful legislation. The Nigerian Senate has one of the lowest retention rates for senators globally, a study revealed.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) put the total number of registered voters in Ondo State at slightly above two million. As of 16 December 2022, only about 1.9 million permanent voters cards (PVCs) had been produced for the state. Out of these, over 1.5 million had been collected and over 300,000 were uncollected. The voters are spread across the 203 wards in the 18 local council areas of the state. Ondo has 3,933 polling booths.

Ondo is one of the eight states where there a governorship election will not hold on 11 March. The incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, will complete his second term in office in 2024.

Although some of the fringe political parties have presented candidates for the senatorial elections, residents believe that only the candidates of the two dominant parties  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)  will be the main contenders for the three senatorial seats in the state.

Given the dominance of the two parties in all the nooks and crannies of the state, residents are fixated on the candidates of the parties while they spare little or no attention to the candidates of the other parties, which many believe are special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for those who lost out in the primaries of the two behemoths (PDP and APC).

Ondo South:

The race is between Jimoh Ibrahim of the APC and Agboola Ajayi of the PDP. No other candidate comes close to the duo which implies that the probability of a dark horse emerging as the senator for the district is zero.

In this oil-rich district lacking in critical infrastructure and suffering from arrested development over the years, voters have a binary choice to make between Mr Ibrahim, a controversial businessman who has been constant Iike the Northern Star in the political firmament of the district for over two decades, and Mr Ajayi, the immediate past deputy governor of the state who is also a smooth political operator and has held one elective office after the other since the country returned to civil rule in 1999.

Jimoh Ibrahim:

Though a late entrant into the race, he predictably won the APC primaries because he had a commanding influence on a vast majority of party delegates.

The leader of the party in the state, Governor Akeredolu, reportedly supported him, according to multiple sources familiar with the inner dealings that facilitated his emergence as the flag bearer of the party.

Also, in the days and weeks leading to the contest, the state chairperson of the party, Ade Adetimehin, did not mince words about where his tent was pitched. The wife of the governor, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, reportedly also preferred Mr Ibrahim as against the stance of some stakeholders in the party who were opposed to his choice.

While the primary contest is an internal affair of the party, the main election is the real deal as it will be the second time the businessman, who recently bagged a PhD from Cambridge University, United Kingdom, will be standing in a general election in the state. He was on the ballot in 2003 as the governorship candidate of the defunct ANPP but came a distant third in the election. He ran a very colourful campaign then. But for the appellate court decision that gave the governorship ticket of the PDP in 2016 to Eyitayo Jegede, he would have also been the flag bearer of the party.

Rich, expressive, bold, educated, and highly connected at home and abroad, Mr Ibrahim has the means to mobilise supporters and rally the masses to vote for him in the election. He also has the advantage of the APC being the ruling party in the state, although that could also be an albatross in view of the misgivings Nigerians are currently expressing against the party.

Mr Ibrahim has been crisscrossing the six local government areas that make up the district, running an electrifying campaign, making promises to the voters and also racking up endorsements from traditional rulers, key personalities and groups in the district. Translating the endorsements into votes on Election Day is another issue, however.

All said, Mr Ibrahim, a former PDP chieftain, has a formidable challenge ahead of him. The district remains a stronghold of the PDP with strong and influential chieftains and die-hard supporters. The incumbent senator, Nicholas Tofowomo, is PDP, though it is uncertain yet if he will support the man who snatched the ticket from him at the primary, a result he litigated against up to the Supreme Court but lost.

Aside from the solid footing of the PDP in the district, Mr Ibrahim is perceived as arrogant and some think he may become inaccessible if elected senator. Some also feel that despite his wealth, he has not done much in his private capacities to bring development to the district. However, he is currently building a university in his hometown, Igbotako in the Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Ibrahim is also fighting a battle within his party. The feelers are that some stakeholders in the party, including those holding senior appointments in the administration of Governor Akeredolu, are either aloof, disenchanted with him or surreptitiously working for the opposition to ensure that he loses in the 25 February election.

All said, Mr Ibrahim has a fair chance to win the election.

Agboola Ajayi:

A smooth political operator, he contested the 2020 governorship election on the platform of the ZLP against his former principal, Governor Akeredolu, but registered an abysmal performance, failing to win the majority votes in any of the 18 council areas of the state, including his own Ese- Odo.

He is a grassroots politician with tentacles spread everywhere. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2011 where he was chairman of the crucial NDDC Committee. Before then, he was elected the chairperson of Ese-Odo LGA and had previously served as a supervisory councillor in the same council in a previous administration.

In his quest for power, like some nomadic politicians, he sojourned in the PDP, found solace in the APC where he became Deputy Governor, returned to the PDP again after falling out with Mr Akeredolu, nested briefly in the ZLP before returning home to the PDP.

One major mileage Mr Ajayi has going into the election is that the PDP is a household name in the district and also has the advantage of producing the incumbent senator. The party also has in its rank tested politicians such as Boluwaji Kunlere, a former senator; Eddy Olafeso, a former Vice Chairman of the PDP  South-west; Jumoke Akindele, a former Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly; an ex-chairperson of Federal Character Commission, Abayomi Sheba; Mike Omogbehin, a former House of Reps member; Iroju Ogundeji, and many others with strong following in the district.

That said, much as the PDP is strong in the district, Mr Ajayi has to unite the various tendencies within the party, especially the faction led by the incumbent senator, Mr Tofowomo, who wanted him disqualified from the election over claims that Mr Ajayi paraded fake credentials and false age. The courts, up to the supreme court, did not examine the merit of the petition as they said Mr Tofowomo filed it out of time.

Mr Ajayi has since reached out to Mr Tofowomo, whose performance in office is rated as modest. But Mr Tofowomo has not publicly identified with Mr Ajayi nor his aspiration to succeed him. Mr Ajayi defeated Mr Tofowomo in the keenly contested primaries by a margin of four votes  78 against 74.

Besides the seeming disunity in the party, Mr Ajayi is also perceived in some quarters as being inordinately ambitious, hence, his serial movements across parties in the last few years. There are those in the PDP who feel that had he not joined forces with Mr Akeredolu in the 2016 election, the PDP might not have lost the election.

Some critics of Mr Ajayi said he is neither expressive nor eloquent, and hence, lacks the necessary verbal facility to make robust contributions to motions and debates that can help advance good governance in the country. At best, they contend that he will be an obscure senator because of his alleged lack of depth on policy issues.

At the home front, Mr Ajayi has to contend with Donald Ojogo, a former political ally in the same Ese Odo LGA; Olusola Oke, a former governorship candidate; Gbenga Edema, Ondo State representative in NDDC, and the incumbent deputy governor, Lucky Ayeidatiwa who have all vowed to deliver the zone to their APC.

The former deputy governor also has a fair chance to win the election.

Ondo Central: Race between two sons of Akure

The battle in Ondo Central is between two senior lawyers and indigenes of Akure, the Ondo State capital. The two, who are also Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), come from two prominent families in Akure.

Interestingly, no indigene of Akure in Akure South Local Government Area, the area with the highest voting capacity in Ondo Central, has been a senator of the district since the return of democracy in 1999. The agitation by Akure to have one of its own may have prompted the two dominant parties to produce the two lawyers as their candidates for the February polls.

Ifedayo Adedipe

He is the candidate for the PDP. In a shocking move, he defeated the incumbent senator, Ayo Akinyelure, a two-term senator adjudged to have recorded a modest performance in office, in the partys primary election last year and others.

Mr Akinyelure, from Idanre, had through proxies blamed a former governor of the state, Olusegun Mimiko, for his loss in the election.

Many party insiders believe Mr Mimiko contributed significantly to the emergence of Mr Adedipe, a Port Harcourt-based lawyer, as the candidate of the PDP in the district.

Mr Adedipe, a graduate of Law from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, is new on the political turf in Ondo State. He is believed to be enjoying the support of Mr Mimiko who has promised to deliver bulk votes from Ondo East and West, his strongholds, to him.

Local analysts say the votes in Akure South will be evenly divided between him and the candidate of the APC, Adeniyi Adegbonmire. They contend that whoever will win the election will do so principally with votes from Idanre, Ifedore, Ondo and Akure North.

Eyitayo Jegede, another Senior Advocate, who is from Akure and the 2020 gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, will also mobilise support for Mr Adedipe as he would not want the party to lose in the district because of his own rumoured ambition to vie for the governorship seat again in 2024

For now, theres nothing to show that Mr Akinyelure is canvassing support for Mr Adedipe in his Idanre enclave. Perhaps he is still bitter over his loss in the primaries he said was manipulated against him.

Other things being equal, Mr Adedipe, who said he will never be involved in vote-buying, has a bright chance to win the election.

Adeniyi Adegbonmire

Young and urbane, the senior lawyer is not entirely a newcomer as he was a governorship aspirant in the APC in the 2016 primary election, which he lost to Mr Akeredolu.

He, like Mr Adedipe, is also from a reputable family in the Akure kingdom, also co-alumna of the Faculty of Law at Obafemi Awolowo University.

Many observers believe Mr Akeredolu enabled his emergence as the candidate of the APC in last years primaries where he defeated the likes of Tayo Alasoadura, who was the senator for the district between 2015 and 2019. The latter resigned as minister of state from the Federal Executive Council to participate in the primaries.

Mr Adegbonmire is leveraging his family connections to win the election in addition to being the candidate of the ruling party in the state. Like Mr Adedipe, Mr Adegbonmire is also banking on critical stakeholders and local chieftains of the party and the youth demographic to win the election.

His chances are fair if things go to plan for the APC.

Ondo North:

Just like Ondo South is the strongest base of the PDP in the state, Ondo North is the strongest enclave of the APC.

Against the foregoing, if there is any district where the APC is sure to win a senatorial election, it is certainly this, given the array of prominent chieftains of the party and the apparent unity they seem to have, at least, as far as the senatorial election is concerned, although some infighting within the party is yet to be resolved including of the House of Representatives tickets in the district.

The sitting senator for the district, Ajayi Boroffice, who declined to participate in the party primaries last year because of his presidential ambition, which he later aborted, has been in the Senate since 2011. By June 2023, he would have done 12 unbroken years as a senator. He is currently the deputy majority leader of the Senate and the Asiwaju of Akokoland, comprising four local government areas.

Jide Ipinsagba

The candidate of the APC, Jide Ipinsagba, a pastor and businessman, enjoys the support of Mr Boroffice, a professor and former presidential aspirant. He is said to be well-loved across the party just as the governor, Mr Akeredolu, is also reportedly backing him to win the election.

Mr Ipinsagba, a perennial aspirant and candidate, enjoys the benefit of the APC being the ruling party in the state and also the extensive local appeal the party has in the district. This is in addition to the fact that his hometown, Ikare Akoko, in the Akoko North East LGA, has never produced a senator despite its large population.

He has the resources to also mobilise support and get logistics that will help him actualise his ambition, coupled with the fact that his major challenger in the partys primaries, Alex Ajipe, has vowed to campaign for him so that the party can retain the seat come 25 February.

Mr Ipinsagba has promised the people of the district quality representation if elected.

Except if the unexpected happens, he is highly favoured to win the election.

Adetokunbo Modupe

Young, vibrant, urbane and cultured, he has consistently been a PDP chieftain in Ondo State where he is well-loved by critical stakeholders of the party and supporters of the party. No wonder observers were not shocked that he emerged as the candidate of the party for Ondo North in the primary election conducted last year. He was an aspirant in the 2019 primaries but lost out in the contest.

The Public Relations expert and entrepreneur enjoys strong support from the youth in the district because they believe he speaks to their individual and collective aspirations. He has promised to offer purposeful and quality representation if given the nod to serve. It is, however, unsure if the support will translate into huge votes for him in the election because the PDP does not enjoy much support in the district.

Mr Modupes chances of winning the election are frankly not as bright as the credentials and certifications he parades. He is from Owo in Owo Local Government Area, the same as Governor Akeredolu, who is not only the leader of the APC in Ondo State but also the South-west leader of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign in the zone.

The overriding sentiment in the district is that Owo cannot produce the governor of the state, who is yet to conclude his term and still produce the senator to represent the district. This sentiment appears to be a major hurdle to Mr Modupes ambition.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has endorsed the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of the 25 February general elections.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Chiedozie Ogbonnia, on Tuesday, Ohanaeze said, apart from them, other regional socio-political groups also endorsed Mr Obi during their gathering at Wells Carlton Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja on Thursday.

The other groups which endorsed LP candidate during the gathering, according to the statement, included the Middle Belt Forum led by its president, Bitrus Porgu, the Pan Niger Delta Forum led by Edwin Clarke, the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, led by Ayo Adebanjo.

Ohanaeze said the groups separately acknowledged that Mr Obi has the needed capacity and competence to rescue Nigeria from its current woes and urged Nigerians to recognise and seize the rare opportunity which the LP candidate has provided.

In unison, all acknowledged that Obi is the best thing God has done for Nigeria in this century; a game changer, soldier of morals, democracy archetype, the popular sentiment of Nigerian youths, an abundance philosopher, prudent resource manager, ethnic barrier-breaker and a quintessential audacious Igbo icon, the group said.

It urged Igbos to remember that politics is not always the art of the possible, but most times the art of choosing between the reasonable alternatives.

The group suggested that it would be needless and counterproductive for residents of the South-east to continue their agitation against perceived marginalisation of the region and work against the LP candidate ahead of the general elections.

Now that Nigerians are moving from a winter of despair to a summer of hope, through our son, Mr Peter Obi, is it sensible that agitations based on marginalisation and other forms of relative deprivations should continue?

Is it sensible to turn the barrel of the gun inwards? And is it sensible for any noble Igbo son and daughter to embark on self-destruction such as the sit-at-home syndrome, destruction of public utilities, among others, Ohanaeze stated.

2023: Its South-easts turn

Ohanaeze said although the group does not wax eloquent on partisan politics, it maintains the earlier stand that it is the turn of the South-east to produce a Nigerian president in 2023.

It is to this end, that Ohanaeze insists that going by the political culture of sharing, zoning and rotation of power which have been in existence since the Nigeria came into existence, it is the turn of the South-east to produce a president for Nigeria in 2023, the group said, insisting that the position is irrevocable.

PDP, APC machinations

There have been calls from South-east leaders that the region should be allowed to produce a president for the first time in 2023.

But the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the two dominant political parties in Nigeria, picked their candidates outside the region during their separate presidential primaries in May.

The two parties subsequently ignored the region in the selection of their vice-presidential candidates.

Ohanaeze criticised what it termed machinations by the political parties against the South-easts chances of producing a president in 2023.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo watched with keen interest, sadness and reproach the bourgeois cash and carry politics, conspiracy, cold intrigues, betrayals, hypocrisy, opportunism and other forms of machinations within the mainstream political parties, against the South-east, even from the least expected, it said.

Obis formidable structure

Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, was among the presidential aspirants in the PDP in 2022.

He left the party a few days to the PDP primary saying there were practices in the party inconsistent with his persona and beliefs. He later joined the LP.

Since his emergence as the LP candidate ahead of the 2023 general election and subsequent picking of Yusuf Ahmed-Datti as running mate, there has been growing support for his candidacy mainly in the South-east and South-south regions of the country.

However, his opponents have repeatedly claimed the LP candidate would not win the 25 February poll because of his lack of political structure.

But Ohanaeze dismissed the lack of structure comment, saying the growing support for Mr Obi and his running mate, Mr Ahmed-Datti, has developed into the needed political structure for electoral victory.

Students of political history will readily recall that it is the ideas from gifted men that develop concentrically into ideology, movements, revolutions and finally to a political structure. And today, the Obi-Datti movement has become an enviable irreversible, irrepressible and formidable structure in Nigeria, Ohanaeze said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The 36 state governors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum on Tuesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the timeframe for the implementation of the Naira Redesign policy.

The governors made their positions known in a statement signed by Sokoto State Governor and Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Aminu Tambuwal.

In December 2022, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced new limits for cash withdrawal, specifically limiting daily withdrawals to N20,000 for individuals and N100,000 for corporate organisations.

Similarly, the CBN announced the re-designing of the N200, N500 and N1000 and specified an implementation period of 45 days before shifting the deadline to 10 February.

But since it introduced the policy, Nigerians have had difficulties accessing the new notes. The development has also worsened the hardship being faced by Nigerians, as there was an existing fuel scarcity crisis. These challenges have now led to protests and demonstrations in some parts of the country.

The NGF, in its statement Tuesday, said that it does not doubt the good intention of the CBN to curb the excesses emanating from cash transactions and the imperative to migrate the country to digital financial services and cashless economy.

We note that this policy is intended to address the contradictions in our fiscal environment including the dysfunction that has resulted from large volumes of cash circulating outside the banking system, estimated at over 80%, it said.

Understandably, the policy is designed to have been aimed at addressing the shortage of clean banknotes, the attendant negative perception of the CBN, the increased risk to financial stability and the threat of counterfeiting.

However, the forum acknowledged the concern shown by experts and renowned institutions over the implementation of the policy as poor execution of the policy would hurt the economy and have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable.

Mr. President, a State by State analysis has shown that this policy will affect several intra State security arrangements which basically depend on cash transactions to ensure effective implementation, the forum said.

Your Excellency, we also find the timing of these policies untenable. The new currency was unveiled between mid-December 2022 and January 2023, which essentially allows a 45-day window for implementation.

This period also coincides with the Christmas and new year festive season, which is traditionally a time of heightened commercial activity. The speed of implementation of the policy is a recipe for anarchy in the country and we urge a re-think of the policy.

Cash withdrawal

Regarding the reviewed cash withdrawal limit, the NGF said the informal sector in the states, particularly in the Northern and Niger Delta States, almost wholly depend on cash transactions because of the nature of their trade. It added that an immediate limitation in the use of cash without robust engagement with stakeholders as well as the provision of accessible alternatives will deny such people legitimate sources of livelihood.

The Governors Forum argued that the cumulative effect of these unintended but very profound and probable consequences of these policies would be a rise in the number of unemployed and unengaged persons who will inevitably resort to crime to make ends meet.

This has a dangerous implication to the security of the country and a potential to derail Mr. Presidents security agenda, it said.

The forum said that it noticed the remarkable unavailability of the new notes, adding that some banks are rejecting the old notes even though they are still legal tender. These have resulted in riots and protests from Nigerians who are clearly frustrated by this policy, it said.

Your Excellency, to further compound the unfortunate situation occasioned by these new policies, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) recently released an Advisory and new Guidelines on cash transactions. We are already in talks with the NFIU for a review of these policies, it said.

Recommendations

The governors appealed to the president to approve an expanded time frame for the implementation of the policy and direct the CBN to make the new notes available within the enlarged time frame.

The forum also urged Mr Buhari to direct a thorough assessment of the prevailing economic conditions related to the implementation of the currency change and cash withdrawal limit policies and approve the putting in place of necessary infrastructure and facilities within a reasonable time frame to facilitate the implementation of the policy.

It urged the governor to introduce incentives to encourage the use of digital payment solutions and invest in infrastructure to expand access to financial services.

In addition, it urged the president to direct that a robust enlightenment campaign be mounted to create sufficient awareness in the citizens of the thrust of the policy.

This decision, it said, will help people better understand the implications of the naira redesign and cash withdrawal limits and how to use digital payments platforms.

The Governors Forum also urged Mr Buhari to direct the review of the NFIU Advisory and Guidelines to accommodate the peculiar circumstances of States; direct the CBN to increase foreign exchange availability to alleviate the pressure on the naira; and encourage increased collaboration between the government and the private sector to encourage digital payments.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Babagana Monguno, has assured Nigerians that the 2023 general elections would be conducted in an atmosphere devoid of rancour.

Mr Monguno, a retired major general, gave the assurance on Tuesday during his meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and leadership of security agencies in the country.

There have been fears and concerns that the scarcity of the new naira notes and fuel may disrupt the forthcoming polls.

But Mr Monguno advised Nigerians to dispel any form of misinformation, fake news and fear on the conduct of 2023 general elections, saying the election would be conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.

He said that the meeting was to look at certain issues that dominated both the political and economic spaces in the country in the last couple of weeks, leading to apprehensions, agitation, fear and uncertainty with regards to the general Elections.

We are all aware of the current situation in the country. There is a need for me to reassure citizens of this country that whatever fears, whatever agitations we have I would want to dispel such feelings.

The 2023 elections will go on in a climate devoid and bereft of rancour. The security agencies have done a lot in the last couple of months to put things in place  he said.

Mr Monguno said that the security agencies were sure of the measures they had put in place.

We are not in anyway in doubt what the situation of the country is but we need to let the entire country know that agents of bad news are peddling all kinds of stories around.

We see these on social media and hear things on many platforms. If these are intended to scare people, I want to dispel such illusions.

Everybody that is concerned in carrying out his legitimate undertaking, casting his or her vote will do so in a secured atmosphere.

It is very important that Nigerians are not pushed to the limit where they will abandon their number one responsibility as citizens.

I have confidence in the work of security agencies had been doing.

The Nigeria Police Force is a lead agency and has assured all of us repeatedly during our meeting and engagement and I know all the security agencies are up to the task.

Mr Monguno said that the remaining days to the election would be used to intensify efforts among security agencies for election security.

On his part, the Chief of Defense Staff, Lucky Irabor, restated the commitment of the armed forces to work with the Police and other security agencies to ensure that INEC conducts the 2023 general elections without hitches.

I believe that this meeting today couldnt have come at a better time to look at what we have done thus far. What gaps do exist and how we can close it, Mr Irabor a general, said.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, also assured members of the public that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, are fully prepared for 2023 general elections.

Mr Baba pledged that the security personnel would provide a level-playing ground for Nigerians to exercise their franchise.

We are aware of the situation in Nigeria in terms of crime and criminality, and in terms of the general situation, particularly in the South-east.

We are prepared to checkmate the activities of those who do not even want the election to take place and also provide a level-playing ground for those who are willing to exercise the franchise to do so, Mr Baba said.

In his remarks, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, welcomed the assurances from security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.

Mr Yakubu said INEC looks forward to the comprehensive plan for the deployment of security personnel to their various duty posts.

This arrangement has been done in the past and has greatly facilitated rapid response to situations that may arise in the field either on Election Day or during the collation of results, he said.

Mr Yakubu said for INEC, its preparation for the election had gone far as most of the sensitive and non-sensitive materials were already in the various locations nationwide.

Training of all categories of ad hoc staff will soon take place and election technology has been tested, mock accreditation conducted and configuration underway.

The movement of personnel and materials has been worked out with the land and maritime transport unions.

Facilities destroyed in recent attacks have either been repaired already or are being repaired.

Where the damage is extensive, alternative facilities have been secured while materials lost will be replaced, Mr Yakubu said.

He said that INEC had also engaged other critical national institutions such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with regard to the adequate supply of petroleum products and the arrangement to pay for critical services without any encumbrances.

We are glad that additional security has been deployed to our facilities nationwide.

We also note the increasing tempo of activities in many troubled spots nationwide.

We are confident that these actions will further reassure voters, our personnel, service providers and stakeholders of their safety during elections and of a free, fair and peaceful process, Mr Yakubu said.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The federal government has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to ensure that employers implement the Employees Compensation Act (ECA).

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said this at the 13th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the NLC in Abuja on Tuesday.

The delegates conference is titled: Building Peoples Power, National Unity and Quest for a New Contract.

Mr Ngige said: the major work I want the next NLC administration to do is the implementation of the Employee Compensation Act and the Pension Reform Act (PRA).

The Pension Commission Act makes it mandatory that the employees in any organisation must get two insurance covers for their workers.

That is one group life insurance for a person in case of when the person dies. Second, Employee Compensation Act that replaces the old workers compensation act.

This makes sure all workers are insured against accidents, infirmity, disease that occurs in the course of discharge of their duty, he said.

The minister said, unfortunately, state governments in particular were not paying particular attention to ECA.

He said that no government was implementing the ECA of 2010, though it was a national law.

The minister said that some corporations in the public service have tried to implement the act by engaging private insurance companies to do what they call accident insurance for workers.

He said they did this because they did not want to pay for any fatalities, but they liked to gather the premium.

Therefore the next NLC leadership, if you love the workers and if you love your consistency, you must press for the employee compensation act to be universal.

You must have universal coverage for workers in the states, if you slip on this right, you have not done your workers well.

The Country Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Vanessa Phala, said the delegates conference was to deliberate on issues affecting workers globally and in Nigeria on the need to evolve the world of work.

Our time is marked by economic and social crises that have been unfolding over the past few years and further aggravated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrane war.

Our context is marked by worsening inequalities, environmental crises and million youths who want to work cannot find a job, she said.

Ms Phala, therefore, said that there was a need for a global social justice that comprise a Modernised Normative System that would support the quest for social justice in the rapidly changing world of work.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, says the 2023 general elections will hold as scheduled.

Mr Yakubu said this Wednesday in Abuja when he fielded questions from State House Correspondents after he briefed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the level of preparedness for the conduct of the election.

He identified scarcity of petroleum products and the naira redesign as major challenges confronting INEC, saying, however, that solutions were already in sight.

We took members of the council through all the preparations that we have put in place for the elections and the few challenges that we are facing and the steps we have taken to address them.

The first one is the availability of petroleum products. We had a meeting with the National Union of Road Transport Workers and they raised that as an issue of concern, Mr Yakubu said.

He said that immediately after the meeting with the transport union, the commission interfaced with the leadership of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL).

Right now, there is a technical committee working; the idea is for them to avail us the use of their over 900 land mega as well as floating mega stations nationwide for the purpose of stocking products.

This is to ensure that the commission doesnt suffer any encumbrances in movement of personnel and materials for the election.

The second one is the currency issue and again we had an engagement yesterday with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and he assured us that the commission will not suffer any encumbrances on that front.

Fortunately for us, all our accounts, national and state are held by the apex bank, he said.

READ ALSO:

Mr Yakubu added: So, we raised those challenges and we have found solutions to those challenges so be rest assured that the elections are going to be held as scheduled; on 25 February for national and on 11 March for the state election.

The INEC Chairman also said that he plans to brief the Council of State on 10 February when the body is expected to meet at the Presidential Villa.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has suspended its campaigns for the general elections amid protests over the effects of the implementation of the naira re-design policy and fuel scarcity.

A youth group and students carried out protests in Akure, the state capital, on Wednesday.

A similar protest on Tuesday had grounded activities in Ore, disrupting traffic flow along the busy Benin-Ore-Lagos road.

The youth group, Active Citizens of Nigeria, barricaded the Akure/Ilesha road and vented their frustrations on motorists.

Waving placards with different messages, the youth said they could no longer bear the hardship caused by the scarcity of cash and fuel.

The protest was joined by social media influencers like Yemi Fashipe, Kike Isijola and Brainbox Ilesanmi.

They said the protest was not sponsored by any political party.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), activists and artisans were also part of the protest.

Amidst the protests, the APC said it was suspending its campaign rallies in the state

in solidarity with the people of the state.

The state chairperson of the party, Ade Adetimehin, said the APC empathised with residents of the state over the current financial and fuel crisis in the country.

The party has therefore directed party chairmen, and directors-general at all levels, within the chapter, to suspend rallies, in sympathy with our people, Mr Adetimehin said in a statement on Wednesday.

He said Nigeria was experiencing an unusual cost of petrol and shortage of cash, a few weeks from an all-important general elections. 

Our strong belief is that this time shall fade soon, he added.

He acknowledged the efforts of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu-led state government to ameliorate the harsh situation and ensure the security of residents of the state.

Mr Adetimehin called on members of the party to show more understanding, and identify with those in their various localities.

Ironically, the party has been blamed for the current crisis, even though factions within the party were also involved in a blame game.

READ ALSO:

The APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and his handlers had put the blame squarely at the doorsteps of a cabal at the Aso Villa working with a section of the opposition.

They have said the naira re-design policy and the fuel scarcity were a deliberate plot to make Mr Tinubu lose the election.

They said the plot was to provoke people and make them vote against the ruling party.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Two rounds of ammunition were missing from the 25 rounds that Drambi Vandi booked alongside his AK-47 rifle on 25 December, a police armourer told a high court in the TBS area of Lagos on Wednesday.

Adamu Shuaibu, an armourer attached to the Ajiwe police division in the Ajah area of Lagos, has joined the list of the police witnesses who have testified before the court on events that surround the killing of Bolanle Raheem, a lawyer based in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mrs Raheem, who was pregnant, was fatally shot on Christmas Day last year allegedly by a police officer.

At the resumed hearing, the armourer who said he has been in the police for 22 years, recounted how he received a telephone call from Ameh Matthew, a police inspector, informing him that the defendant had shot a pregnant woman.

When I told the DPO what had happened, he led a patrol team to the scene. I called all the station guards to fortify the station, he recounted.

Later, I saw Drambi Vandi and Sup. Segun with the defendants rifle which he handed over to me immediately he saw me coming out of the office.

I personally disarmed Inspector Ebimine of his AK-47 rifle with 7037 before cross-checking his magazine. The eight rounds of ammunition he booked was complete but when I checked the defendants rifle, I realised that only 23 rounds were found and two were missing.

I immediately moved to the cell to speak with him and when I asked what happened he started crying.

When asked by Moyosore Onigbanjo, the Attorney General of Lagos State who led the prosecution team, if he could identify the register in which he used to take records of arms and ammunition as of 25 December, the officer responded in the affirmative while he identified the register.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor said he could not tender the original copy of the register but rather, he brought it for comparison and sought to tender the thesis.

During cross-examination, Adetokunbo Odutola, the defendants lawyer, asked the witness to tell the court what he did with the guns when he received them.

Responding, the armourer said after he had confirmed the number of ammunition, he and the station officer transferred the gun immediately to the State Crime Investigation Division (SCID), Panti.

The witness also explained that he did not count the bullets in the presence of the defendant because, after the defendant was disarmed, the DPO ordered his detention before leaving for the hospital, adding that the tension was so high at that time.

READ ALSO:

He also told the court the procedure when a rifle is returned to the armourer.

The normal procedure when you return a rifle is that I will bring out the magazine and count the ammunition in the presence of the person that collected it, then sign after confirming.

The judge, Ibironke Harrison, adjourned the case to Thursday, for the continuation of trial.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N117 billion for the construction of Oloibiri oil museum in Bayelsa State.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the council meeting, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the proposed museum will also serve as a research centre to enhance academic activities.

The Federal Executive Council today approved the award of the contract for the construction of the Oloibiri Oil Museum and Research Centre to Julius Berger PLC in the sum of N117 billion with a completion time frame of 30 months, he said.

The minister stated that the museum was started in the early 80s by the late President Shehu Shagari but could not be continued due to paucity of funds.

He, however, revealed that the Buhari administration had injected life into the project because of its importance.

Oil marketers frustrating govts efforts

On the recent emergence of queues at petrol stations across the country, the minister accused some marketers of frustrating governments efforts in making the product available to motorists.

This is quite unfortunate and we are not happy at all with what is going on. Every hand is on deck to check the excesses of these marketers.

At the moment today there is supply but unfortunately we are experiencing some bottlenecks in the distribution and movement of the product to various destinations.

I want to assure you that everything is being done; the NNPC Ltd. and all other stakeholders are working hard to ensure that this problem is resolved.

We have reports of profiteering by marketers and I have directed the pricing regulatory agency, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to sanction anybody who profiteers on this kind of situation.

Also addressing the correspondents on the outcome of the FEC meeting, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed that the council approved N721 million for the award of contract for the maintenance of the Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State.

It is a contract that was awarded for airport maintenance and technical support at Malam Aminu Kano Airport in Kano.

It will be for a period of 12 months and the sum of the contract is N721 million and the memorandum was approved, he said.

Nigeria Air commences operation soon

While giving an update on the introduction of a national carrier for the country, Mr Sirika said all arrangements had been concluded and the carrier would soon commence services.

Nigeria Air will soon start flying. We have got the aircrafts ready, they have been painted in their colours.

We are now at stage five, which is Air Operator Certificate (AOC) issuance by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and once that is done, the airline will begin to fly, he further revealed.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Ali Bello, identified as a nephew to the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello.

Mr Bello was arraigned alongside two others at the Federal High Court in Abuja on 18 charges of money laundering and misappropriation of about N3 billion, according to a statement by EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, on Wednesday.

The two other co-defendants are: Abba Adauda, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat. EFCC also said another suspect, Rashida Bello, was on the run.

Mr Bello and others pleaded not guilty to the 18 charges said to violate sections 18(a), 15(20)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.

According to the EFCC, the defendants committed the crime in 2020.

In view of their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), , urged the court to give a trial date to enable the prosecution to prove its case.

However, defence counsel, Ahmed Raji, also a SAN, prayed the court to grant his client bail pending the hearing and determination of the case.

The judge, Obiora Egwuatu, adjourned the case till 13 February and ordered that the defendants be remanded in a Correctional Centre pending the determination of the bail application.

Background

In a separate charge, the EFCC had in December last year, arraigned Mr Bello alongside another defendant before James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The other defendant was Dauda Sulaiman. Another defendant in the case, Abdulsalami Hudu, who was said to be a cashier of the Kogi State House Administration, was said to be at large.

They were arraigned on 10 charges of misappropriation and money laundering to the tune of N10 billion fraud.

Fresh charges

Count one of the freah charge filed against Mr Bello and others reads: That you, ALI BELLO, ABBA ADAUDU, YAKUBU SIYAKA ADABENEGE, IYADA SADAT, RASHIDA BELLO (at large) sometime in June, 2020 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court procured E- Traders International Limited to retain the aggregate sum of N3,081,804,654.00 (Three Billion, Eighty One Million, Eight Hundred and Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Four Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activity to wit: criminal misappropriation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18(a), 15(20)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.

Count 3 reads, That you, ALI BELLO, ABBA ADAUDU, RASHIDA BELLO (at large) sometime in November, 2021 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court procured E-Traders International Limited to transfer the aggregate sum of $570,330 (Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty United States Dollars) to account number no; 426-6644272 domiciled in TD Bank, United States of America, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful activity to with: criminal misappropriation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, will establish a firm for marketing of products produced by its students under the universitys mandatory entrepreneurship and skill acquisition programme.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Lawrence Ezemonye, stated this on Wednesday in Okada during the institutions 10th students product exhibition.

He said the firm had become necessary in order to commercialise all the products being made by students every year, with the proceeds reverted to the programme to develop it better.

We are setting up a firm for the EPS (Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition) programme; it is to commercialise all the products we have seen here.

Every year, products will be sold, and the funds returned to the school account and reverted to the EPS programme to develop it better, he said.

The vice-chancellor said the exhibition marked the formal conclusion of the training, which was mandatory for 300-level students in all disciplines, after they had been exposed to 14 different skill sets.

He described the role of the university in fostering entrepreneurial culture amongst students and staffers as critical to national development.

This is in tandem with our overarching goal of ensuring that every graduate leaves the university with at least one skill that will enable him/her to find a profitable niche in an economy where youth unemployment has climbed to over 30 per cent.

The making of an entrepreneur goes beyond learning and developing a skill. Therefore, the university adopts a multifaceted approach in achieving our objectives in this area, said Mr Ezemonye, a professor.

Commendation

The guest speaker, Friday Okpara, expressed the regret that many universities were not preparing their students for the challenges after school, particularly how to stand on their own.

Mr Okpara, who is the director, Partnership and Coordination, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), said that students were rather being prepared to carry files around, looking for jobs that were not available.

He lauded the Igbinedion University for toeing the right path of inculcating entrepreneurial mind into their students and bequeathing to them practical components of the skills.

The SMEDAN director said that a meeting would be held with the institutions management on how the agency could deepen and broaden partnership in entrepreneurial development with the university.

He urged the students to tap from the entrepreneurial mindset of the proprietor of the institution, Gabriel Igbinedion who, he said, found a gap in the Nigeria education system and established the university.

Mr Okpara, who described every challenge as an opportunity, called on the students to recognise opportunities and take a step.

Earlier in her address, Mary Josiah, director, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition of the university, said the programme offered mentorship and advisory services to students by bringing successful entrepreneurs from the industry to train them in various skills.

She said certificates would be issued to successful student-trainees at the end of the programme.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Joe Ajaero on his emergence as the new president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

The president also hails the National Executive Committee of the NLC on the success of the congress that produced the new leadership.

After many years of hard work and struggles, the selflessness with which Ajaero dedicated himself today paid off. His journey in the Labour movement has been a remarkable one, marked by many important milestones.

This victory that emerged from a rancor-free congress, the president notes, is a mark of the strength of democracy in the nations labour movement.

Today, as he rises to the highest position in the NLC, it is our hope and desire that he will use the position to write a new chapter of progress for all workers and the labour movement in the country and the continent in general.

The president also expresses the hope that Mr Ajaero and his team will continue to be partners to the administration in fulfilling the aspirations of Nigerian people.

President Buhari also congratulates Ayuba Wabba for a successful completion of his tenure as the head of Nigerian workers, wishing him the best in his future undertakings.

He wished the new executive body a successful tenure.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

Media & Publicity)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Datti Baba-Ahmed, says some state governments give the partys campaign oversized venues they cannot fill with supporters.

He specifically cited the case of Kebbi State, North-west Nigeria, where the state government gave LP the Horse Race Course, a large venue, which it had to demarcate for its campaign rally.

Mr Baba-Ahmed disclosed this in an interview on Channels TV on Tuesday.

LP whose presidential candidate is Peter Obi, has held its presidential campaign rallies in several states of the federation. It is, however, often ridiculed on social media for having scanty crowds at some of the rallies.

Mr Baba-Ahmed said filling campaign venues is not a priority of the party but to fill the heart of the people, adding that it spends little effort in attracting crowds. He further stated that the crowds at some of the rallies exceeded his expectation.

There are venues that were oversized venues. For example, in a state like Kebbi that we got race course. Racecourse is where horses run. The government would not give us where we wanted. We demarcated where exactly we thought we would fill.

I want to move away from filling the venue. What about filling the heart of Nigerians? Everybody is feeling insecurity, everybody is feeling the naira swap.

They have been deceiving Nigerians that we are only on social media. It became necessary to show what we are worth. We did a little in our power in filling those venues. We could 10 times fill those venues, he said.

Mr Baba-Ahmed also disclosed that the party used the rallies to prove a point to doubters that it is beyond social media.

Labour Partys performance on the ground is actually above social media.

It was slightly above what I thought. It was far beyond how others were playing us down. I knew they were playing us down at their detriment.

We well end use of long convoy

Speaking on the cost of governance, Mr Baba-Ahmed said if elected, the Peter Obi administration will end the long presidential motorcade, and reduce the money spent on the Presidential Villa and fleet.

Maintaining the Presidential Villa, the amount of money spent will not happen  the unnecessary long convoy, unnecessary travels, the fleet, the number of security votes  that will not happen under us, he stated.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Gunmen have killed a professor at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, Nigerias South-east.

The victim, Anthony Eze of the Faculty of Education of the institution, was killed in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a report by the Nation.

Mr Eze is a professor of vocational education (agriculture & technology) at the institution.

The gunmen were said to have stormed Mr Ezes residence in Awka, the state capital, with a Toyota Corolla vehicle and shot him at close range.

A resident of the area, who asked not to be named, told the Nation that the victim was driving out of his residence when he was attacked by the gunmen.

The resident said the victim attempted to flee on sighting the gunmen, but was surrounded by the attackers who rushed and shot him repeatedly on his chest.

When he tried to drive back, they followed him and shot him, emptying about four bullets into his chest. As soon as they executed their plot, they fled to an unknown destination while we ran for our lives, he said.

He said the victim was rushed to the General Hospital Amaku where he was confirmed dead by a doctor on duty.

The spokesperson of the institution, Chika Ene, confirmed the incident to the newspaper.

Mrs Ene, however, said she was yet to get details of the incident.

When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday night, the spokesperson of the police in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was not aware of the incident.

There is no such report before me, said Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police.

Increased attacks

There have been increasing cases of attacks in the institution lately. But the killing of a lecturer in the institution by gunmen was a novelty.

The latest attack comes barely one month after armed robbers killed a 200-level undergraduate student of the institution.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has no option but to engage Lagos State Parks Management Committee to distribute election materials and personnel in the state on election days.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Olusegun Agbaje, said this during the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting at the INEC office on Tuesday, in Lagos.

Mr Agbaje was responding to questions on controversies around the engagement of the Parks Management Committee led by Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo), a Lagos APC chieftain, to distribute election materials.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State had banned the operations of the Nation Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state and set up Park Management Committees to administer operations.

The PDPs Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has, however, warned INEC not to use the Parks Management Committee led by Akinsanya, a former NURTW chairman and APC stalwart, to distribute election materials in order not to compromise the elections integrity.

Mr Abubakar, in a statement on 2 February by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said that INEC must preserve the sanctity of the election and ensure that there is no room for electoral malpractice.

He said that in doing so, INEC must ensure that the MC Oluomo-led committee was not mobilised to move materials.

Mr Shaibu maintained that Mr Akinsanya remained a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and had held solidarity rallies for the party and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

Speaking on the controversies, Mr Agbaje said that the commission was not concerned about the person Akinsanya but about individual drivers and vehicle owners, to meet up with the high volume of logistics needs for the elections.

There is a ban on the NURTW and RTEAN, we are only left with the Park Management system and NARTO (National Association of Road Transport Owners) and we are already working with NARTO.

NARTO is not even able to meet up with 40 per cent of our vehicle requirements for this election. The commission in Lagos State does not have any option than to use park management system.

We are not dealing with Oluomo, we are dealing with the park managers. Individual people that have vehicles are those we are going to use.

So, it will be working against the law if INEC has to continue to work with NURTW or any other group that is proscribed in the state, the INEC boss said.

He, however, stressed that working with the state parks management committee would not reduce the credibility of the polls as the movement of electoral personnel and materials would be monitored by security agencies, party agents and observers.

At the CBN (Central Bank Nigeria) where they are going to move our materials, there will be security agencies and party agents including the military to monitor and escort these vehicles from CBN to Local Government Areas (LGAs).

So, I dont see how this can compromise the election in any way. Our politicians should see the peculiarity in Lagos State; we cannot work with banned NURTW or RTEAN.

We need over 5,000 vehicles for this election, including trucks, buses and so on to carry our people and materials for the elections. There is no other way we can go.

We cannot go to other states and bring vehicles here, it is not allowed by law. The only way we can operate is through the park management system.

These are the only people that can give us any type of vehicles. In fact, most of the NURTW drivers are working with the park management system, he added.

Mr Agbaje assured that the commission would not use any politically branded vehicle for the elections, such as any vehicle carrying the logo of a party or image of any candidate.

He said that some other states, including Oyo State, a PDP-controlled state, had the same challenge where the commission had no option but to use the state park management system put in place by the state government.

This has not in any way and will not in any way compromise the election, he said.

The 2023 general elections begin with the presidential and National Assembly polls on 25 February, followed by the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections on 11 March.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The petrol scarcity being witnessed across the country will reduce from next week, officials said on Tuesday.

The Nigerian government also on Tuesday warned against attempts to disrupt the nations petroleum supply and distribution chain.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, gave the warning in a statement issued by his senior adviser on media and communication, Horatius Egua.

The statement said the warning came on the heels of renewed efforts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to maintain the 450.92 million litres of the weekly evacuation of petrol to different filling stations across the country.

The NNPCL, separately, promised an improvement in petrol supply across the country from next week.

While reassuring Nigerians of the federal governments determination to ensure adequate supply, Mr Sylva called on security agencies to prevent attempts by subversive elements to cause any disruption to fuel supply ahead of the general elections.

He noted that President Muhammadu Buharis government is sincere in finding permanent solutions to the fuel problems in the country and urged relevant bodies in the oil and gas sector to join hands with the government in ending the problem.

The statement noted that during a tour of selected petrol stations in Abuja last Friday, Mr Sylva expressed the governments satisfaction with the efforts of the NNPCL in ensuring fuel availability across the country.

It said in the last month, NNPCL has maintained a total weekly evacuation of 450.92 million litres, a daily average of 64.42 million litres.

While calling for collective support in dealing with the fuel challenges, Mr Sylva said the government feels the pains of the ordinary Nigerian occasioned by the lingering fuel queues.

The problems associated with fuel queues in the country are not a problem that came with Buharis government but a fallout of the long years of rot and decadence in the fuel products supply and distribution chain by successive governments.

The Buhari administration is addressing the fuel problem holistically stressing that this is the first time in so many years that a government is addressing the problems associated with fuel supply and distribution collectively, he said.

He further explained that the federal government has also embarked on the rehabilitation of refineries neglected over the years.

He said the government, through the NNPCL, acquired a 20 per cent equity stake in the Dangote refinery and has embarked on the licensing of modular refineries.

NNPCs Intervention

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited on Tuesday promised that there will be a major improvement in the supply of petroleum products across the country next week.

The NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, disclosed this while speaking during an interview on Channels Television Tuesday evening.

In recent months, Nigerians have had a tough time getting petroleum products at filling stations across the country. The scarcity has persisted despite the governments repeated claims it had enough petroleum products in stock amid a poor supply of electricity across the country.

Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the constitution of a 14-member steering committee to address the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), also attributed the lingering fuel scarcity in the country to a disruption in the product distribution chain caused by the activities of cross-border smugglers.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Kyari said the supply glitch will be resolved soon.

I apologise for the situation. On behalf of all of us, the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. Definitely, not surely exclusive. Having said this, it is unfortunate. Its a glitch.

We are responsible for resolving this glitch. We will resolve this, Mr Kyari said.

He noted that market forces will determine how quickly the glitch is resolved.

Now within the next one week, Im not saying that youre going to have zero queues within the next week, no, I cant guarantee that because a number of things are out of our control, and of course, the market forces will determine some of these issues.

But I believe that were going to see substantial and relative ease compared to today in the next one week.

We have no benefit in doing this. We are families. We are members and part of this community. We are very proud of this country. We would like this country to prosper. We dont want Nigerians to suffer and of course, as a matter of condition, we dont think that anyone should go through this thing, he added.

The NNPC boss said the company has been on top of the situation to bring the crisis under control by increasing the supply of petroleum into the market.

We know that the solution is excess supply. Once we are able to do excess supply across the country and locations, you are going to resolve this issue, which is exactly what were doing now.

Were ramping up evacuation today. On a daily basis, we are doing more than 70 million litres into the market against the regular evacuation of up to 63-64 million litres.

This will work and we believe the ease that were seeing in many locations today. I dont want to cite specific locations but I know that were seeing ease across the country. This is easing up, he said.

Speaking further on the countrys fuel scarcity challenge amid an abundance of crude products in the country, Mr Kyari argued that fuel queue is not peculiar to any country.

It happens everywhere whenever you have breaches of pipes, pipeline issues, and so on.

We dont hope that this happens to our country but you must have a guarantee of supply in your country, which is why we are focused on delivering our refineries rehabilitation projects so that ultimately this product becomes close to us.

Now, this hasnt happened. The refineries rehabilitation is not completed. The Dangote refinery hasnt taken off. Both of them will happen and once that happens, you have the safety and security of supply near you.

And the guarantee I have now is that NNPC has locked supply into this country irrespective of the financing challenges that were facing, he said.

NNPCL begins direct supply of petrol to IPMAN

Also, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) says the management of the NNPCL has allocated petrol to its members directly to ease scarcity.

The National President of IPMAN, Chinedu Okoronkwo, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr Okoronkwo said the order was directed after a close door meeting of IPMAN executive and NNPCL management.

He said the meeting resolved that IPMAN members should load petrol at NIPCO, MRS and other loading depots.

He said the NNPCL management had confirmed that the product had been released to the depots for immediate loading by IPMAN members.

He said IPMAN members were encouraged to upgrade their POS to G4 or G5 for payment efficiency.

According to him, Members without POS are also advised to acquire it for efficiency.

The arrangement was in collaboration with NNPCL Retails Ltd. and IPMAN.

IPMAN members are advised to open up their stations and start selling to the public nationwide.

Mr Okoronkwo said IPMAN was a responsible association with over 85 per cent filling stations across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

He added that lPMAN would in a few days time also massively load at NIPCO and MRS depots massively for South West and North West parts of the country.

Mr Okoronkwo enjoined members who had made payments to commence loading of petrol from the designated depots.

He said the meeting was attended by the National President of IPMAN, Chinedu Okoronkwo; the Chairman of the BOT of IPMAN, Abdulkardir Aminu, and other executive committee members of IPMAN.

He said Adeyemi Adetunji, the executive vice president of Downstream; Lawal Sade, the Managing Director of NNPCL Trading and Huub Stokman, Managing Director of NNPC Retail Ltd were also in attendance.

Consequently, lPMAN has reversed its earlier order that its members should suspend all operations across the country, he said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Federal High Court Abuja, on Tuesday, discharged and acquitted Shamsudeen Bala, son of Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed, of the N1.1 billion fraud charge against him.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed a 20-count charge bordering on money laundering against Bala.

However, in a ruling earlier delivered on 14 December on a no-case submission, the trial judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, upheld Mr Balas submission in part by dismissing 11 out of the 20 charges filed against him.

Mr Bala was left to defend himself for his failure to declare some of his bank accounts and the amount in them to the EFCC, identity fraud, and forgery.

But delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Dimgba held that the EFCC failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

On the allegation that the defendant forged signatures and documents to access illegal funds, the judge said the anti-graft agencys forensic expert did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the charge.

The law is settled that in a charge of forgery, it is essential to prove that the accused person forged the document in question.

An allegation that a document is forged is a criminal allegation that must be proved beyond reasonable doubt and not by speculation.

The judge held that the burden of proof rested on the prosecution, adding that it did not discharge the burden beyond a reasonable doubt.

The question, therefore, is on a holistic consideration of the evidence led by the prosecution, can it be said that there is evidence sufficient to lead the court to the conclusion that the defendant is guilty of the offence contained in the surviving counts 11 to 19?

Looking at the case being made out as a whole in the light of the entirety of the evidence adduced on both sides, it appears to me that there are very reasonable doubts thrown up in the case.

This will make it very difficult for any reasonable tribunal to proceed to find the defendant guilty of the charge in counts 11 to 19 on the strength of the evidence available.

In the final analysis, having reviewed all that has been provided, I am not convinced that the prosecution has discharged the burden placed on them by law to prove the guilt of the defendant beyond reasonable doubt on any of the remaining 9 counts of the charge.

According to the judge, reasonable doubts do exist in the prosecutions case as made out in the body of this opinion.

As the law commands, I am bound to resolve the doubts in favour of the defence and I so resolve them.

In consequence, I find the defendant as being not guilty in all of the counts 11 to 19, and consequently discharge and acquit him.

The judge opined that the gamut of the prosecutions case on the whole charge was hinged on the theory of the alleged corrupt enrichment through the defendants illegal and clandestine dealings in property in the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge also ordered the prosecution to refund the defendant N580,000 and 60,000 dollars as well as other items taken from his apartment in the course of executing the search warrant on his apartment.

Speaking to journalists, after the judgment, the prosecuting counsel, Wahab Shittu, SAN, said the trial courts proceedings were just the first leg of the legal battle as there was ample opportunity to proceed on appeal.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the EFCC had on 1 February 2017, arraigned Mr Bala on charges of money laundering and others.

Part of the flagged transactions took place in the twilight of the tenure of Balas father, Bala Mohammed, as then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The senior Bala was himself facing corruption charges in a different case until he gained immunity after he was elected Governor of Bauchi State in May 2019.

The EFCC alleged that the younger Bala made payments of huge sums in cash for the purchase of properties in different parts of Abuja without going through a financial institution.

The anti-graft agency called 11 prosecution witnesses and tendered 57 documentary exhibits to prove the charges while the defence called two witnesses.

Mr Bala filed a no-case submission, urging the court to dismiss the charges for not establishing a prima facie case.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Nigerian government on Tuesday warned against attempts to disrupt the nations petroleum supply and distribution chain.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, gave the warning in a statement issued by his senior adviser on media and communication, Horatius Egua.

The statement said the warning came on the heels of renewed efforts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to maintain the 450.92 million litres weekly evacuation of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) to different petrol stations across the country.

While reassuring Nigerians of the federal governments determination to ensure adequate supply, Mr Sylva called on security agencies to prevent attempts by subversive elements to cause any disruption to fuel supply ahead of the general elections.

He noted that President Muhammadu Buharis government is sincere in finding permanent solutions to the fuel problems in the country and urged relevant bodies in the oil and gas sector to join hands with the government in ending the problem.

The statement noted that during a tour of selected petrol stations in Abuja last Friday, Mr Sylva expressed the governments satisfaction with the efforts of the NNPCL in ensuring fuel availability across the country.

It said in the last one month, NNPCL has maintained a total weekly evacuation of 450.92 million litres, a daily average of 64.42 million litres.

While calling for collective support in dealing with the fuel issue, Mr Sylva said the government feels the pains of the ordinary Nigerian occasioned by the lingering fuel queues.

The problems associated with fuel queues in the country are not a problem that came with Buharis government but a fallout of the long years of rot and decadence in the fuel products supply and distribution chain by successive governments.

The Buhari administration is addressing the fuel problem holistically stressing that this is the first time in so many years that a government is addressing the problems associated with fuel supply and distribution collectively, he said.

He further explained that the federal government has also embarked on rehabilitation of refineries neglected over the years.

He said the government, through the NNPCL, acquired a 20 per cent equity stake in the Dangote refinery and has embarked on the licensing of modular refineries.

NNPCs Intervention

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited on Tuesday promised that there will be a major improvement in the supply of petroleum products across the country next week.

The NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, disclosed this while speaking during an interview on Channels Television Tuesday evening.

In recent months, Nigerians have had a tough time getting petroleum products at filling stations across the country. The scarcity has persisted despite the governments repeated claims it had enough petroleum products in stock amid a poor supply of electricity across the country.

Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the constitution of a 14-member steering committee to address the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), also attributed the lingering fuel scarcity in the country to a disruption in the product distribution chain caused by the activities of cross-border smugglers.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Kyari said the supply glitch will be resolved soon.

I apologise for the situation. On behalf of all of us, the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. Definitely, not surely exclusive. Having said this, it is unfortunate. Its a glitch.

We are responsible for resolving this glitch. We will resolve this, Mr Kyari said.

He noted that market forces will determine how quickly the glitch is resolved.

Now within the next one week, Im not saying that youre going to have zero queues within the next week, no, I cant guarantee that because a number of things are out of our control, and of course, the market forces will determine some of these issues.

But I believe that were going to see substantial and relative ease compared to today in the next one week.

We have no benefit in doing this. We are families. We are members and part of this community. We are very proud of this country. We would like this country to prosper. We dont want Nigerians to suffer and of course, as a matter of condition, we dont think that anyone should go through this thing, he added.

The NNPC boss said the company has been on top of the situation to bring the crisis under control by increasing the supply of petroleum into the market.

We know that the solution is excess supply. Once we are able to do excess supply across the country and locations, you are going to resolve this issue, which is exactly what were doing now.

Were ramping up evacuation today. On a daily basis, we are doing more than 70 million litres into the market against the regular evacuation of up to 63-64 million litres.

This will work and we believe the ease that were seeing in many locations today. I dont want to cite specific locations but I know that were seeing ease across the country. This is easing up, he said.

Speaking further on the countrys fuel scarcity challenge amid an abundance of crude products in the country, Mr Kyari argued that fuel queue is not perculiar to any country.

It happens everywhere whenever you have breaches of pipes, pipeline issues, and so on.

We dont hope that this happens to our country but you must have a guarantee of supply in your country, which is why we are focused on delivering our refineries rehabilitation projects so that ultimately this product becomes close to us.

Now, this hasnt happened. The refineries rehabilitation is not completed. The Dangote refinery hasnt taken off. Both of them will happen and once that happens, you have the safety and security of supply near you.

And the guarantee I have now is that NNPC has locked supply into this country irrespective of the financing challenges that were facing, he said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, discharged and acquitted Jide Omokore, chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, of alleged fraud and money laundering.

Mr Omokore and his co-defendants were arraigned in 2016 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on nine charges of criminal diversion of about $1.6 billion in proceeds of petroleum products belonging to the Nigerian government.

They were also accused of underhand dealings in connection to the Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) existing between his companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

Mr Omokore is the first defendant in the matter while his companies, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited, are the second and third defendants, respectively.

The EFCC accused Mr Omokore of allegedly purchasing houses for a former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani-Alison-Madueke. He was equally accused of purchasing cars for some staff of the NNPC and some politicians.

The defendant, however, denied all the allegations, noting that the business deals he had with federal government agencies were legal and never a contravention of relevant laws.

Delivering judgment in the suit on Tuesday, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba held that the EFCC failed to prove its case against the first, second and third defendants.

ThisDay newspaper reports that on the first three counts, the anti-graft commission had alleged that the first three defendants made false representations to get into an agreement to carry out a project for NNPC Limited and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).

However, the judge held that the EFCC failed to prove that the three defendants falsely represented themselves as possessing the required technical and financial competence to carry out the project.

On financial capacity, the judge held that the EFCC ought to have shown that the three defendants had bad creditworthiness as opposed to concluding their account balance.

The judge also agreed with the testimony given by the first prosecution witness, Andrew Yakubu, former group managing director of the NNPC.

Mr Yakubu had earlier testified that the defendants were awarded the project because NNPC had previously recorded remarkable success and value addition while working with them.

On the counts relating to fraudulent intent, the judge held that the 1st-3rd defendants do not strike me as persons with fraudulent intents.

The court also acquitted the defendants of the charges bordering on money laundering and conversion.

The sale of crude oil by the 1st-3rd defendants was done legally as contained in the agreement.

They did not sell any crude that was not allocated by lawful authority, the court held.

The court also held that there is no evidence of a conspiracy between the defendants as alleged by the prosecution. Similarly, charges bordering on procurement fraud were not proven by the prosecution, it held.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria to make available both new and old naira notes for the people in line with the directive of the Supreme Court.

Mr Tinubu, in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday, commended governors for the Supreme Court verdict that halted the 10 February deadline for the legality of old naira notes.

The Supreme Court had earlier on Wednesday granted an interim order following a case filed by the governors of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara States to invalidate the 10 February deadline set by the CBN to end the legal status of old N200, N500 and N1,000.

The Supreme Court granted the interim order to allow the use of the old banknotes beyond the deadline until the case is fully disposed of.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported cases of violent protests in some states due to the scarcity of the new notes. In some stances, banks were attacked by aggrieved customers.

According to the statement, Mr Tinubu said the CBN must ensure that the Supreme Court ruling is effectively executed by taking all necessary steps to ensure sufficient availability of Naira notes (whether old or new) and properly sensitising the public on the ruling and the consequent validity of old Naira.

He added, I want to salute the courage of our Governors and most especially the Progressives Governors in APC who acted to save our country from avoidable and dangerous political crises and social unrest which the Central Bank policy on new Naira notes has brought on our country.

Our country was dangerously careering toward anarchy and political and economic shutdown. But with the Supreme Court interim ruling, our country has been pulled back from the precipice.

He noted that the country was heading towards a precipice due to the poor implementation of the policy.

The former Lagos state governor also said the federal government and relevant agencies must work out a better framework on how to proceed with the policy.

The federal government and relevant stakeholders can now sit down and work out better framework on how to proceed with the new policy without causing any social and economic disruption and inconvenience to our people.

We have examples of other countries that have successfully and seamlessly changed their currencies to learn from.

Those countries give a long time, at least 12 months to effect the currency change. They do not engage in CBN-like Fire Brigade approach.

We have seen how a good policy can be poorly implemented to cause unintended problems for the people who should be the beneficiaries. While lessons have been learnt, we must now move on as a country and people with a Renewed Hope for a better tomorrow.

The sole aim of my running to be the president of our country is to make life better and more abundant for our people and this is an ideal to which I will remain eternally committed, he said.

The Nigerian Governors Forum had earlier called on President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the deadline due to the scarcity.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has asked Nigerians to stop depositing their old naira notes in banks promising that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, will reverse the naira redesign policy if elected as the next president.

The governor stated this on Tuesday in a town hall meeting with leaders of markets in Kaduna state.

Mr El-Rufai has spoken out strongly against the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) saying that it was a deliberate attempt by some elements in the presidency to sabotage the electoral chances of the presidential candidate of the ruling APC.

Also, the Kaduna governor, alongside his counterparts in Zamfara and Kogi States sued the federal government at the Supreme Court over the deadline for the use of the old naira notes.

The Supreme Court Wednesday ordered the CBN not to end the use of old naira notes on 10 February.

The court gave the order temporarily, cancelling the CBNs 10 February deadline to end the validity of the old versions of the banknotes based on an ex parte application filed by the state governments.

Stop returning your money to the banks, nobody will devalue your money, I am pleading with you, its just a matter of time, and now its remaining 18 days to the election. After the election wait for what Bola Tinubu will say. He will reverse the policy

Please help us to deliver this message to your brothers and sisters and everyone else to stop taking your old naira notes money to the banks, and continue doing your business transactions with it, Mr El-Rufai told the traders in Kaduna

READ ALSO:

The CBN announced the new naira notes policy last October and initially gave 31 January as the deadline for the use of the old notes.

The CBN chief, Godwin Emefiele, who announced the policy, had sought to challenge Mr Tinubu for the APC presidential ticket but was forced to withdraw from the race due to public pressure as many questioned the correctness and legality of the bank chief joining active politics while still holding office as the governor of the bank.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Nigerias aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, Wednesday insisted the controversial national carrier, Nigerian Air, will soon commence operations.

Mr Sirika, who spoke to journalists after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, said the regulatory approval to get the national carrier flying is at the final stage.

Nigeria Air will soon start flying, weve got the aircrafts ready, theyre painted in the colours. Weve crossed all the Ts and dotted the Is. Were at stage five of the AOC issuance by the NCAA. Once that is done, the airline will begin to fly, Mr Sirika said.

So there are five stages, weve done stages 1,2,3,4 and we are now at stage five, once the AOC is given, the aircraft is ready to start to fly.

When the minister was asked to be specific on the timeline, he insisted it would be soon.

Well, because the issuance of the AOC is in the hands of NCAA, but I know it will be very soon, with an emphasis on soon. So as soon as we get the AOC, then we fly, he said.

Many Nigerians have criticised the Muhammadu Buhari administration for seeking to start a new national carrier after the former national carrier, Nigeria Airways, collapsed largely due to corruption.

The government, which has only about three months in office, has, however, said the new carrier would only be partly government owned and would be managed by a private partner.

However, some local airlines in Nigeria have sued the federal government, asking the court to stop the new national carrier as it would get unfair advantages over other airlines.

Last November, a Federal High Court in Lagos issued an order of interim injunction restraining the Nigerian government from proceeding with the establishment of its proposed national carrier.

In the originating summons of the suit, the plaintiffs formulated five questions for the court to determine, one of which is to determine whether the entire process for the sale and transfer of shares of the 1st defendant to the 2nd defendant and its consortium by the 3rd and 4th defendants is in line with the provisions of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (Est.) Act, 2005, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Convention, the National Policy on Public Private Partnership (N4P), sections 76-81 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, and does not affect the entire process including the selection, approval or grant to the 2nd defendant and its consortium by the 3rd and 4th defendants is not invalid and thereby entitling the entire process to fresh bidding exercise?

The case is still in court.

On Wednesday, Mr Sirika said he was not aware of any court injunction barring the commencement of Nigeria Air and so it would commence operations soon.

National Carrier

Nigeria Air, the nations proposed national carrier, was unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in England on 18 July 2018.

The project was suspended two months after it was announced as critics raised concerns over its relevance and sustainability. The proposed airline was expected to gulp $8.8 million in preliminary cost and $300 million as take-off cost.

The national carrier idea was raised many years after Nigerias defunct carrier, Nigeria Airways, collapsed due to corruption and poor management.

Last July, the Federal Executive Council approved the leasing of three aircraft to enable the airline to commence operations.

READ ALSO:

In September last year, Mr Sirika said at a press briefing in Abuja that Ethiopian Airlines emerged as a core investor in Nigeria Air with a 49 per cent shareholding.

This led to the suit filed by local airline operators in the country, who are saying that they can manage Nigerian air better than a foreign airline.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Court of Appeal Wednesday affirmed Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February elections.

In a unanimous decision, the appellate court struck out the appeal challenging Mr Obis candidacy and awarded N200,000 each in favour of INEC and the LP.

The court held that the appellant who filed the suit at the lower court had no locus standi to institute the action, meaning it had no legal basis to institute the suit.

Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu who led the three-member panel in the judgment held that the trial court was right in its decision.

The appellant had contended that Mr Obi was not qualified by the circumstance of his emergence as the candidate of the LP.

The 1st respondent In the suit marked: CA/ABJ/CV/1414/2022I is the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) while the second is the Labour Party.

Mr Obi is the 3rd respondent while the appellant is the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

The Federal High Court in Abuja had dismissed the suit seeking the disqualification of Mr Obi.

The APM had approached the trial court for an injunction restraining the 1st defendant from acting on or giving effect to, or in any way or manner, dealing with the name of Mr Obi as the candidate of the LP in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election.

In his judgment, Justice James Omotosho dismissed the suit for the failure of the plaintiff to provide sufficient evidence to grant the request.

The plaintiff, in an originating summons, had sought, among other reliefs, a declaration that, in view of Section 131(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

The 1st defendants election timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general election, the 1st defendants electoral guidelines for the conduct of 2023 political party primary elections and nomination of candidates for election.

Sections 29(1), 77(2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which mandate the 2nd defendant to maintain a register of its members in both hard and soft copy.

Also to make such register available to the 1st defendant, not later than 30 days before the date fixed for the partys primaries.

The 3rd defendant be disqualified from taking part in or otherwise contesting the 2023 presidential election fixed for February 25, 2023.

Provisions of Section 131 (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended); the 1st defendants election timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general election.

The 1st defendants electoral guidelines for the conduct of 2023 political party primary elections and nomination of candidates for elections.

Sections 29(1), 77(2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the fact that the 3rd defendant became a registered member of the 2nd defendant less than 30 days to the partys presidential primary election.

READ ALSO:

This was held on May 30, 2022, the 3rd defendant, herein, is disqualified and ineligible to contest the 2023 presidential elections as the candidate or flag bearer of the 2nd defendant.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the party headed to the appeal court.

The appeal court ruled that the lower court was right and struck the appeal.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello, says he rejected all requests for him to interfere in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election that produced his partys governorship candidate.

Mr Bello, who will complete his second term on 29 May, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during a fundraising dinner for Umar Bago, the APC governorship candidate in Niger State.

Mr Bago, a member of the House of Representatives, defeated Mohammed Malagi, the publisher of Blueprint newspaper, the incumbent deputy governor, Mohammed Ketso, and others.

While canvassing support for the candidate, Mr Bello said he deliberately refused to interfere in the primary as against the usual practice of incumbents handpicking a successor.

I deliberately refused to get involved in the primaries even with all the pressure, all the lobbying. I said you know what? Let the will of the people take place. When you allow the will of the people to speak, you wont have a problem in the general election.

What we see today in Niger State  the acceptance, the reception during campaigns is as a result of allowing the people to choose who they want.

Campaigns have been completed in two zones and I can tell you that in those two zones, we score 90 per cent, he said.

The governor, therefore, donated N8 million to the campaign of Mr Bago.

Speaking to journalists, the governorship candidate said fundraising is a critical part of his campaign because he cannot afford to finance the election alone.

He stated that fighting insecurity in the state is top on his agenda. He added that with close collaboration with traditional rulers, insecurity in Niger State will be addressed.

We want to collaborate with the traditional institutions to curb insecurity.

We have travelled around Niger for the campaigns. We have seen how people live and how our bushes are and how our local governments are.

READ ALSO:

There is a need for the government at the centre in the state to connect with the traditional institutions and the local institutions to curb insecurity, he said.

For the past couple of years, Niger State has become vulnerable to bandits and other terror groups operating in North-central Nigeria.

The state has witnessed several cases of mass abductions in recent years.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, says he will ensure the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex in Kogi State, in addition to other critical projects, if elected as president in the 25 February poll.

Speaking at the APC campaign rally in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, on Wednesday, Mr Tinubu said his government would prioritise the development of mineral resources in the North- central state, in addition to dredging the River Niger which will allow ships to berth in inland ports.

Hope is here. Ajaokuta resuscitation will be done. Dredging of the Niger River will be done. Agriculture will be the source of our prosperity. North-central has the potential for great mineral industrialisation, we will work on that,  a statement by his media office quoted him to have said.

The former two-term governor of Lagos State also felicitated the people of Kogi State and other Nigerians over the Supreme Court judgment on the currency swap impasse, saying those who wanted to take advantage of the situation have failed.

The presidential candidate said members of the opposition were counting on the unintended suffering caused by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy to play to their advantage.

The Supreme Court had in a unanimous judgement on Wednesday halted the 10 February deadline for the validity of the old higher denomination naira notes, pending a hearing on the substantive suit filed by Kogi, Kaduna and Zamfara State governments. The case is adjourned to 15 February

Mr Tinubu lauded the mammoth crowd for turning up for the event despite the challenges, asking them to repeat the same on the day of the election.

He said the opposition wanted to take advantage of the peoples hardship.

They even rejoiced when you cannot sell your products, he said.

You will never see hardship in your lives. You will see prosperity, you will see progress, the APC candidate said to a thunderous amen from the crowd.

This is your determination, I want you to multiply it. On the 25th of February, there will be a vote for the president, senators and House of Representatives members, it is in your hands now. But we have come to remind you, whether by Keke NAPEP or by bicycle or even with your legs, you should go here in the morning. Cast your vote, and be vigilant. Do your part, play your role.

Mr Tinubu assured the electorate of the best deal when they elect him as president, promising to accomplish important projects that will foster development.

I guarantee you I know how to do it. I am smarter than their candidate. I am the front runner, the best candidate. I know the road. I am a man who knows how to develop wealth, a man who keeps promises.

In his remarks, Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, recalled that the state had a good showing for the APC during the 2019 poll, saying the performance will be surpassed this time around.

Like Mr Tinubu, Mr Bello also lampooned members of the opposition parties who, he said, were counting on the unbearable situation created to reap support at the polls.

We have seen clearly between light and darkness. Some few elements decided to make life unbearable so that our party will be affected.

Our leader made his stance clear to the whole country. He showed that he is with the people. Some people decided to make political capital out of it.

He described the cashless policy as a good policy which some people want to turn around to inflict hardship on our people.

Mr Bello said with the Supreme Court order, hope has been renewed. Go ahead and use your money, the old and the new Naira.

READ ALSO:

The rally was attended by the APC Vice Presidential Candidate, Kashim Shettima, APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Abubakar Kyari, Governors Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger) and Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa).

Others were the APC National Women Leader, Betta Edu; Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke and former Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, among others.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports that it is seeking the postponement of the 25 February presidential and National Assembly election.

The party in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Felix Morka, on Wednesday, denied that it was calling for the postponement of the elections.

Mr Morka described the reports as fake news without any iota of credibility.

He noted that the party and President Muhammadu Buhari are committed to a free, fair and credible election.

Our attention has been drawn to a shadowy media report in some media outlets that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is pushing for a postponement of the 2023 general elections.

The report is blatantly false and reckless and bears no iota of credibility. Beyond its loud headline, the report offers no substantive justifying content aside from its intended purpose of misleading and causing needless anxiety and speculations regarding the upcoming elections, Mr Morka said.

The ongoing debacle over the redesigning of some banknotes by the Central Bank of Nigeria has fueled speculations that INEC may not be able to conduct the election.

However, INEC has reiterated its readiness to conduct the election.

Read the full statement by APC

ABUJA, FCT

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

PRESS STATEMENT

*APC READY FOR ELECTIONS, POSTPONEMENT REPORT FALSE AND RECKLESS*

Our attention has been drawn to a shadowy media report in some media outlets that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is pushing for a postponement of the 2023 general elections.

The report is blatantly false and reckless, and bears no iota of credibility. Beyond its loud headline, the report offers no substantive justifying content aside from its intended purpose of misleading and causing needless anxiety and speculations regarding the upcoming elections. Our general election is matter of extreme national importance bordering on national security and corporate integrity of our country. It is not and should not become a matter for idle, rash or insensitive speculation by the media or any institution for that matter. It bears reiterating that the underlying report is FAKE NEWS.

On record, under President Muhammadu Buharis leadership, our Party continues to wage the most extensive and vibrant campaign in the history of our nascent democracy seeking to elect our visionary Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima and our Partys governorship, national and state legislative flag bearers into office. This is in direct contrast to the lackluster and incoherent campaign of the opposition parties that have placed nothing before the electorate except their vile merchandise of lies, innuendoes and hate propaganda against the APC.

President Muhammadu Buhari has left no one in doubt as to his unshakable commitment to bequeathing a befitting legacy of credible, free and fair election, and has enacted unprecedented electoral reform and innovation that has placed our country in good stead to deliver 2023 general election and bolster our democratic consolidation.

We stand ready for the general election, and remain confident that Nigerians will overwhelmingly renew our mandate in a peaceful, free and credible electoral contest.

SIGNED:

*Barr. Felix Morka*

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of conspiring with certain members of the campaign team of its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to thwart the forthcoming general elections.

In a statement on Wednesday, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP national publicity secretary, alleged that there are plans by the ruling party to use some of its party members in both Senate and House of Representatives to create tension ahead of the polls.

This, according to the party, is to derail the conduct of the elections slated for 25 February and 11 March.

The PDP also said it received intelligence about how Mr Tinubu allegedly directed his cronies in the APC in both chambers to reconvene plenary and use both the legislative arm as a platform to scuttle the elections.

The opposition further alleged that the plots are to promote incendiary speeches with a view to overheating the polity and making the entire electoral process appear to be unconducive to conduct elections in the country.

The PDP informs of the moves by the Tinubu Presidential Campaign to allegedly use certain compromised All Progressives Congress (APC) members in both Senate and House of Representatives to create tension in the polity and derail the conduct of the elections.

There is credible intelligence of how the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu allegedly directed his cronies in the APC leadership of both Houses of the National Assembly to reconvene Plenary and use the Legislative Chambers as platforms to promote incendiary speeches with the view to overheating the polity and making it appear unconducive to conduct elections in the country.

This is in furtherance of the alleged scheme by the APC Presidential Campaign to use all means including APC leadership of the National Assembly to orchestrate security situations that will justify its reported demands to postpone elections as a prelude to the derailment of the electoral process, having realised that it has no chance in the elections, the statement said.

The PDP also accused the APC Presidential Campaign plan to use other means in connivance with the APC members of the National Assembly to orchestrate security situations in order to have the elections postponed.

In the past weeks, there have been concerns about the prospect of the elections being postponed over the lingering issues of cash crunch and fuel scarcity across the country.

Many youths have taking to the streets in parts of the country to protest, claiming that the current money and fuel scarcity had caused them hardship.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, while briefing the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday said the elections would hold as scheduled.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that former President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed optimism that nothing would stop the February and March general elections from being held.

Mr Obasanjo said Nigerians must do everything they can to ensure that the elections are held as scheduled. He also noted that the global community is interested in Nigeria holding its elections as scheduled.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has barred the Rivers State Government from arresting, harassing and intimidating members of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council (PDP PCC) in the state.

The court gave the order on 19 January in a suit filed by a former senator in the state, Lee Maeba, and 13 other members of the PDP PCC in the state against the Rivers State Government and seven others.

Other members of the PDP PCC listed as applicants in the suit include, director of the council in the state, Abiye Sekibo and its spokesperson, Leloonu Nwibubasa.

The respondents in the suit include the Attorney General of Rivers State, Inspector General of Police and the Director of State Security Service in the state.

The court order stated in parts: An interim order restraining the 1st to 8th respondents from harassing, intimidating, arresting and or detaining the applicants in connection with the unfounded, deliberately, orchestrated falsehood and misleading petition of violating any Law in Rivers State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Spokesperson for the PDP PCC in the state, Mr Nwibubasa, told PREMIUM TIMES, Wednesday, that Atiku Abubakars supporters are now protected by the court order after some of them were arraigned before a Magistrate Court on Tuesday.

Over 20 of those arraigned were remanded in prison, while the case was adjourned to 22 March for hearing of their bail application.

Mr Atiku, a former vice president of Nigeria, is the PDP presidential candidate for the 25 February election.

The arrest and arraignment of his supporters was allegedly ordered by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

We are almost securing their release. If not for administrative difficulties they would have been released today (Wednesday), Mr Mr Nwibubasa said of Mr Atikus supporters who were remanded by the court.

Backstory

Governor Wike has been at loggerhead with the national leadership of PDP after the presidential primary of the party last year, which he lost to Mr Atiku.

The governor fell out with Mr Atiku for reneging on an alleged promise to ensure the exit of the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, so that a southerner can lead the party for the sake of a regional balance.

Messrs Atiku and Ayu are both northerners.

Mr Wike now leads the G5, a group of PDP governors who are aggrieved with Atiku and the PDP leadership.

Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpaeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) are the other members of G5.

Members of the group who were appointed into the Atiku presidential campaign council withdrew their membership and boycotted its inauguration.

Governor Wike last week cancelled the approval it earlier granted the PDP Presidential Campaign Council to use the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium for the 11 February rally in the state.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


In this interview, Professor Randall Peterson, Professor of Organisational Behaviour; Academic Director, Leadership Institute of the prestigious London Business School, explains the importance of the TEXEM, UKs Self-awareness for Better Management of Change in Uncertain Times programme and why executives should attend. Other TEXEM, UKs faculty delivering this programme include Professor Paul Griffith, the worlds first Professor in Management to lead a team to launch a rocket into space, Oxford alumnus Professor Roger Delves and Ambassador Charles Crawford, winner of the equivalent of two Oscars.

1. What can Leaders do to better manage in uncertain times?

I would say that the most important thing is to figure out your personal tolerance for risk. Those who are OK with risk are likely to be OK with change. Those who prefer to avoid risk are more likely to take risks (sometimes unreasonable or unwise risk) to avoid changing.

2. How can leaders develop self-awareness to manage change in uncertain times better?

Most importantly, get feedback from others! As hard as it can be to listen sometimes, everyone must ask others for feedback, listen carefully, and not get upset, but LEARN from it. We will cover more of this at TEXEMs forthcoming programme, Self-awareness for better management of change in uncertain times. I encourage you to attend.

3. How can organisations help their executives develop self-awareness for better change management in uncertain times?

There are always TEXEM executive development programmes that you could attend, and one should always be willing to talk about it openly with your people. Verbalising it makes it less frightening!

4. What are three challenges that organisations face at this critical time, and what will be your advice for leaders on addressing this?

The fast pace of change, stiff competition and increasingly challenging operating landscape. Change means old plans die, but there is always an opportunity for change. I will also encourage a culture of ingrained psychological safety-challenge ideas and do not attack the people behind the ideas, and encourage everyone to contribute.

Finally, encourage your team to embrace a growth mindset-keep an open mind and ask further questions to avoid being superficial. A growth mindset culture is difficult to imitate and gives you an edge over competitors.

Some of the best ideas that drive life- changing innovation are from the most unexpected sources, which could be the silver bullet for you and your organisation to thrive in these challenging times.

5. What lessons could leaders learn from previous crises, such as COVID-19 and the global economic recession that leaders can learn from?

That there were WINNERS in those crises. Ask yourself what you can do to win now. One of the critical challenges of crises is that some leaders might need more time to tap into the collective knowledge in the organisation and act alone. Those who win ask great questions, build trust, encourage the team to challenge assumptions and emphasise the organisations purpose. They also continually learn from others mistakes and join TEXEMs forthcoming programme to learn how to win in turbulent times.

6. How can organisations still win in these increasingly challenging times?

Look for opportunity and not be scared of what you might lose in the change. Develop agility and adaptability in your DNA, build enduring relationships, and be spontaneous, innovative, reflexive and strategic.

7. What will you like leaders to do differently to turn challenges into opportunities?

Mainly look for opportunities rather than try to protect what they already have.

8. Why should delegates attend the TEXEM programme Self Awareness for better management of change in uncertain times?

Participants who attend this TEXEM, UKs programme will challenge assumptions, become more motivated, improve their leadership quotient, network and help their organisation to win.

9. What is the programme format?

The TEXEM, UK Self-awareness for Better Management of Change in Uncertain Times programme is a combination of self-paced study and live sessions. Participants will study for an average of one hour every day between February 11 to March 4, and there will be live sessions every Saturday for four weeks. The experience has been gamified such that participants will get points ranked on a league table for every article read, video watched, and comment made. The top 5 on the league table will be recognised each weekend when we have the live sessions via zoom, during which different faculty will deliver. For example, each live session on Saturday will have Professor Roger Delves, Professor Paul Griffith, the worlds first Professor of Management to lead a team to launch a rocket, Ambassador Charles Crawford, and I deliver. For more information, email exec@texem.co.uk

or register at https://texem.co.uk/self-awareness-for-better-management-of-change-in-uncertain-times.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


One of the coordinators of Bashir Machina for Senate campaign, Mohammed Gaskanta, has vowed that the organisation will not support the candidacy of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in the National Assembly election for Yobe North Senatorial District despite yesterdays ruling of the Supreme Court nullifying the candidacy of his principal.

On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed the rulings of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal which stated that Mr Machina was the authentic candidate of the party for the district. The court ruled that Mr Lawan was the authentic candidate of the party for the district.

Mr Gaskanta who spoke with Premium Times from his House is Gashua, the hometown of the Senate President also alleged that some supporters of Mr Lawan attacked him after the Supreme Court judgement. He added that the attack would be escalated if the police had not promptly intervened.

He said despite the ruling of the Supreme Court, his loyalty to Mr Machina remained unshaken.

I have no regret of what happened today at the Supreme Court and I will keep on being a party member of the APC. I am a politician and we politicians expect anything, whether good or bad. What has happened will not change our commitment and support for Bashir Machina.

I have not spoken with Machina but definitely we are going to sit down and decide our next course of action. But let me tell you something. As we speak now, I am in my house, it is under protection by the police from Ahmad Lawan supporters. Look at the situation now, his supporters have come to attack me in my house so how can I work for him?

His supporters came to my house and were throwing stones and shooting guns in the air. They destroy electric bulbs in my house and the police have to come here to protect me. Because the court has given them by force and they are now attacking us. This means that they dont need our votes and support. People cannot come to my house and destroy my property and you expect me to work with him?

He vowed that regardless of the ruling of the court, he and other supporters of Mr Machina will not transfer their support to Mr Lawan.

This matter is beyond what you can see. Even the governor has to think twice. We were talking about problems before but it is now that we are going to start having the real problem

Take it from me that Bashir Machina has a lot of supporters in this zone and we are going to come out en masse and vote against Ahmad Lawan. The Supreme Court will not force us to vote for Ahmad Lawan, nobody will force us to vote for him, Mr Gaskanta said.

However, following the ruling of the court on Monday, the APC in Yobe State has set up a three-person ad-hoc reconciliation committee to reach out to Bashir Machina and his supporters to pacify them.

The State Chairman of the party in the state, Mohammed Gadaka, told PREMIUM TIMES that the party will pursue reconciliation.

Mr Gadaka said the decision of the Supreme Court today is a victory for the party in the state and not against any individual, stressing that the party will work very hard to deliver victory at the polls come February 25, 2023.

Todays judgement is an in-house matter so we cannot be celebrating for having victory over one of our own. What has happened is within the Yobe State APC house. We are doing this for the interest of the party and not for an individual. When you have a good candidate like Ahmad Lawan, you will be sure that you are going to win the election and that is what the party is all about and that is what, Yobe APC stand for, Mr Gadaka said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


As part of his plans to revamp the economy, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to reopen the borders between Niger Republic and Yobe State if elected president in this months general elections.

Atiku said reopening the border, would facilitate free flow of human and agricultural resources.

Mr Atiku, who is also from the North East, also assured Yobe state people that he will restore peace in the state.

He was speaking Wednesday in Damaturu during the presidential campaign rally.

He said he would make funds available for youths and women to become entrepreneurs.

If you vote for PDP, peace will return to Yobe. We will make sure that our schools are re-open, So that our children will continue to go to school. We also promised to empower our young men and women, by giving them capital, so that they can set up their own businesses. so that they can also live a successful life.

We promised to reopen the borders so that businesses between us and our neigbours can flourish very well, he said.

The national chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of inflicting harship on Nigerians through bad policies.

He said the next general elections would present Nigerians the opportunity to lead the country on the path to recovery.

They made you go hungry; they gave you insecurity, and other things that you dont like. Vote for Atiku Abubakar, he will recover Nigeria.

On the Naira swap, it is not all of them that agree to that. Even those that agree, hoarded the Naira for vote-buying, that is why you are suffering, dont agree. Let Buhari direct the security to retrieve the money they have, he said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Nuhu Sanusi, the late emir of Dutse, who died last week, was not the first son of his father and heir apparent, but the kingmakers chose him as his fathers successor because he was humble, decent and charismatic.

And for 28 years, until he passed last week at the age of 79, he exemplified those virtues that endeared him to the kingmakers.

The late emir soon became popular among his subjects for helping the poor. He was also a just arbiter of disputes. he was particularly famous for his expert handling of the common disputes between herders and farmers in his domain. A testament to his just resolution of disputes is the negligible instances of herders-farmers clashes in his domain.

In the three decades he ruled, the late Emir exemplified a life of a dedicated leader committed to bettering the lives of the downtrodden. He institutionalised, perhaps, one of the best zakat (the Islamic obligatory alms) collections in Northern Nigeria for the Dutse Emirate which consists of seven local government areas  Gwaram, Birnin Kudu, Buji, Miga, Kiyawa, Jahun and Dutse.

Unlike many states in northern Nigeria struggling with the collection of zakat, the sharia tenet of alms to the poor, the Duste Emirate under Mr Sanusi, became the reference for the proper collection of zatak and distribution among the needy.

Emir Sanusi had no problem with mixing with commoners in his domain as he was often seen sitting on the floor with his subjects listening to Tafsir, recitation of the Quran at the Dutse Central Mosque.

He was often seen feeding the horses at his Kasarau residence without being ushered by palace guards. Uncharacteristic of traditional rulers in Northern Nigeria his residence was also open to hundreds of needy who are fed on dedicated cooked meals daily.

He administered the emirate affairs at the uphill Garo palace and received all the traditional parades there, and went back to his Kasarau residence where he lived a life characterised by mingling with commoners.

Mr Sanusi was a large-scale farmer producing hundreds of bags of rice, millet and other grains but rather than sell the farm produce, he distributed them to the poor in his domain.

Several years before his demise, the emir secured a spot at the burial place meant for the common people and instructed that he should be buried there rather than in the royal cemetery.

He explained that burying him among commoners will make visitors to the burial site continue praying for him. His wish to be buried among commoners was fulfilled last week when he was buried at the public cemetery.

The late emir played particular attention to education in his domain. He paid for the fees and provided other education provisions for the poor and orphaned in his domain.

The U.S. mission in Nigeria in their condolence message described him as an outspoken supporter of education, who obtained academic degrees from the University of Ohio.

He was also described as a wise Emir by the late Islamic scholar, Jafar Mahmud-Adam, for personally taking inventory and purchasing the books needed in the library of the central mosque in his domain.

But he was not without his traducers.

Cultural purists and traditional hardliners in the emirate often chastised him for downgrading the traditional system for the way he freely mixed with commoners. But he was not fazed by such comment and remained steadfast to the simplicity of his leadership style.

He is survived by two wives, 13 children and many grandchildren. He had three male children and nine female children.

Profile

The late Mr Muhammad-Sanusi attended Dutse elementary school and Birnin Kudu Senior Primary School, between 1952 and 1959. He was, thereafter, admitted to the Kano Teachers College.

He later gained admission into Advanced Teachers College in 1967. He also attended Ohio University in the USA where he obtained BSc in Business Education in 1972 and MBA in 1974.

Thereafter he had MSc in Project Analysis and Evaluation from Bradford University in England in 1977. He was elected a member of the constituent assembly in 1989. At the traditional level, he served as the district head of Dutse and senior counsellor in the emirate council between 1992 and 1995.

The Federal Military Government under Ibrahim Babangida created Jigawa State on 27 August 1991, and Dutse became the capital city of the new state. This development gave birth to Dutse Emirate on 13th November 1991 with the upgrade of the district head as first class emir.

Funeral prayers

His funeral ceremony was attended by the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad, the presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and that of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed and the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Kashim Shettima.

The presidential delegation was led by Garba Shehu, a media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The funeral prayers were also attended by former Vice President, Namadi Sambo; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former governors of Jigawa and Bauchi, Sule Lamido, and Muhammad Abubakar, respectively.

READ ALSO:

Popular northern Islamic cleric at the funeral ceremony include Sani Rijiyar-Lemu; Abdulwahab Gadon-Kaya; and Bashir Abdallah; among many Sunni clerics across northern Nigeria.

Other Emirs at the event include the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi; Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamalli, Emir of Fika in Yobe State, Muhammadu Idrissa, Emir of Gombe Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar, Mai Kaltungo, Sale Muhammad, and All the first-class Emirs of Kano and Jigawa States among others.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers has donated the sum of N70 million to the families of the three slain police officers and one injured officer at the Rumuokoro flyover bridge in Port Harcourt.

Mr Wike on Tuesday presented the cheque of N20 million to each widow of the three slain officers and N10 million to the injured officer who is still on active service at the Nigerian police headquarters, Rivers police command.

Mr Wike, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, commiserated with the police command and families of the slain officers.

He stated that his administration introduced the officers welfare policy to encourage and support officers and their families in the face of fatality while on active duty.

He said the gesture is also to make certain that men and women of the various security agencies who work hard to guarantee the security of Rivers State are not left alone when they suffer a casualty.

We are here to let you know that the officers did not die in vain, when you serve this country and serve this state, it is never in vain. Whatever situation you find yourselves in, we as a government must identify with you.

Your husbands died while serving this country and the state. Rivers State Government truly appreciates their efforts and contributions.

We know this token will not wipe away your tears or replace your husbands but we believe that it will impress upon your mind that your husbands died while working for a worthy cause and even God Almighty will not abandon those they left behind, he said.

Mr Wike also admonished the injured officer to keep fate as the state government has taken up the expenses incurred in his recovery journey.

Mr Wike said that residents of Rivers State can testify that indeed the efforts of the police and other security agencies in the state are yielding dividends in terms of peace and security.

In his response, the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, Okon Effiong, commended the governor for honouring the families of the slain officers and standing tall with the police command in its trying times.

Mr Effiong advised the beneficiaries to judiciously use the token to the benefit of their families.

Maria John, the widow of the late Inspector Enekele John, prayed for the blessings of God on Governor Wike for remembering the widows and supporting the families of the slain officers.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


A 70-year-old man was, on Monday, killed when suspected herders invaded Ugboanyim-Aniyi, Amagunze, a community in the Nkanu East Local Government of Enugu State, Nigerias south-east.

The victim has been identified as Anike Nwa-ogbu.

His brother, Emma Ogbu, 67, was injured during the attack, according to a report by the Punch.

A community leader and former President-General of the community, Francis Nnamani, confirmed the incident to the newspaper on Tuesday.

Mr Nnamani lamented that several residents had fled the community for fear of more attacks by the suspected herders.

While Anike Nwa-Ogbu has been confirmed dead, his brother, Emma Ogbu, has been rushed to the hospital. It will only take the mercy of God for him to survive, he said.

The former president-general said the traditional ruler of the community, identified simply as Emmanuel, the incumbent President-General of the community, Ifeanyi Nnaji, and other leaders of the community have called on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and security agencies to assist them to quell the situation.

The activities of herdsmen have scared our people from going to farms as our people are being maimed and crops being destroyed, Mr Nnamani added.

Police begin manhunt

The police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, has confirmed the incident, according to the newspaper.

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said Mr Nwa-ogbu was macheted to death by some yet-to-be-identified hoodlums during the attack.

READ ALSO:

Manhunt for the assailant(s) and investigation have been launched, he said.

The victim was said to have gone fishing at Ubeagu River in Nkanu East Local Government Area on 6 February, 2023, where his body was found on 7 February 2023, at the river bank, Mr Ndukwe added.

The police spokesperson said the injured victim was currently responding to treatment at the hospital.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended its campaign towards the forthcoming elections.

According to a release by the party, the state chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, said the decision was reached as a result of the state of the nation due to the scarcity of fuel and pain occasioned by the Naira redesign.

The statement quoted the APC chairman aa empathizing with the general public, especially the down trodden who are at the receiving end of the hardship triggered by the Naira redesign policy.

He expressed the view that it will be insensitive to forge ahead with the various rallies with the situation of things.

Mr Ojelabi said members of APC are not immuned against the development as he has been inundated with several complaints, Seye Oladejo, the spokesperson of the chapter of the APC, said in the statement on Tuesday.

He joined his voice with those of other well meaning Nigerians to call for the review of the Naira redesign policy to give it a human face and ameliorate the suffering of ordinary Nigerians. He equally appealed that petroleum products should be made available in order not to jeopardize the preparation for the elections and reduce the negative economic impact.

He enjoined all Lagosians to remain law abiding as all issues are resolved in due course.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Phrank Shaibu, an aide to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has called for the removal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lagos, Olusegun Agbaje, over the commissions partnership with the state-controlled Parks Management Committee to distribute election materials across the state on election day.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Shaibu, who is the special assistant on public communication to Atiku, asked the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, to remove Mr Agbaje because the credibility of the Lagos State REC is seriously in doubt

On Tuesday, Mr Agbaje while addressing the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting in Lagos, said INEC had no option but to engage the Lagos State Parks Management Committee to distribute election materials and personnel in the state on election day.

He said the commission was not concerned about the person Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo) but about individual drivers and vehicle owners, to meet up with the high volume of logistics needed for the elections.

Responding to the development, Mr Shaibu stated it was curious that Mr Agbaje had insisted on using the Lagos State Park and Garage Management Committee led by Mr Akinsanya, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council.

Mr Shaibu, however, described as watery Mr Agbajes excuse that INEC would not be able to use the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) because they had been barred in Lagos State.

He stated, The law is clear that only a court has the power to proscribe an organisation. That was why the federal government had to go to court to proscribe the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

What Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu did in Lagos State was to arbitrarily announce a ban on the activities of the NURTW because the organisation suspended MC Oluomo, the APCs henchman. INEC must not promote illegality by working with a partisan organisation which is filled with APC members that are working for Bola Tinubu.

How could such people be given sensitive materials to be distributed across Lagos on election day? This has already undermined the possibility of a free and fair election. INEC must sanction Mr Agbaje for insisting on using MC Oluomos committee despite protests from members of the public.

Mr Shaibu recalled that Mr Agbaje was the REC who superintendent over the 2018 governorship election rerun in Osun State which was criticized by international observers groups including the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

He added, Recall that it was Mr Agbaje who superintended over the fraudulent and violent Osun governorship rerun which produced Gboyega Oyetola as governor. US Consul General, John Bray was spot on when he stated, we witnessed what appeared to be incidents of interference and intimidation of voters and heard reports of harassment or party monitors, journalists and domestic observers.

He added, Unfortunately, it is the same Agbaje, who could not effectively supervise a rerun in a few polling units that have been given the task of superintending the election in Nigerias largest state with over seven million registered voters. The election is doomed to fail if INEC doesnt do the right thing by removing him.

We remind the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, that this will be his last general election before the end of his tenure. We ask him to protect his legacy by removing Mr Segun Agbaje if he insists that MC Oluomo must be the one to handle sensitive INEC materials. This election must not only be fair but it must be seen to be fair as well.

It is disheartening that the Lagos REC, Mr Segun Agbaje, has begun to show open partisanship. We find it curious that it is the local governments considered opposition strongholds that were unable to get their PVCs.

READ ALSO:

Mr Shaibu further stated, Historians and analysts have described this 2023 general election as a watershed. The destiny of over 200 million people is at stake. INEC says it is ready to deliver a credible and free election but one weak link in the chain of command can undermine the entire process.

We call on Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to remove the Lagos REC, Mr Agbaje, as his credibility is seriously in doubt. Again, we call on INEC not to use the MC Oluomo-led partisan organisation to distribute ballot papers on election day.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed optimism that nothing will stop the February and March general elections from holding.

Mr Obasanj expressed concern over the elections while hosting members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at his penthouse residence located in the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The former president stated this against the backdrop of concerns by Nigerians that public disturbances over the scarcity of Naira notes and fuel may force the elections to be postponed.

The BoT members were led by their Chairman, Mani Ahmed, the national chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, and a former presidential aspirant, Chukwuka Monye.

Mr Obasanjo said: We are in an interesting period in Nigeria. In less than three weeks, we will be going to the poll. Well, I hope nothing will intervene against that. In less than three weeks, we will be electing a leader that will pilot the affairs of Nigeria for the next four years from May.

And all of us in Nigeria, again, as I have said to you, early this morning, I have been in Togo, Ghana and Cote dIvoire from the beginning of the week, from Sunday and they are as concerned about what happens in Nigeria as every Nigerian should be.

Mr Obasanjo said Nigerians must do everything they can to ensure that the elections hold as scheduled.

He also noted that the global community is interested in Nigeria holding its elections as scheduled.

Last night before I left Abidjan, President Ouattara (Alassane) was telling me the position in West Africa that Ghana and Cote dIvoire are vying for. And he said to me, well we are putting it on hold until after Nigerias election. So even for them, Nigerias election is of importance. And I believe that for us who are directly involved, we cannot take it any less important than those people.

Your party (ADC) is one significant party in existence in this country and your voice matter. Therefore, I understand why you are here and we are here also as a family.

Speaking earlier, the BoT chairman hinted at possible collaboration as the presidential election draws nearer.

He added Nigeria is at a crossroads, a situation he said necessitated their meeting with the former president to chart new ways into a better Nigeria.

The time for merger under the present electoral act is over. What we can look at is how to pool strength together, how to collaborate and how to work as a unifying front in order to face the election.

Mind you, this is one election in Nigeria that is going to be like none other like we have experienced in the past and as such one cannot underrate the influence this type of discussion we have had today will bring to the outcome of the election at the end of the day.

READ ALSO:

We have not come to a definitive decision on that yet, but clearly our party is looking at the possibility of coming up with an arrangement that will allow us to announce what type of collaboration we are going to have with any party, be it Labour Party or otherwise.

READ ALSO:

I think if we want you to know what that advice is, we will not be meeting behind closed doors. For now, what I have said, is all that we can say, I have said the situation is fluid. Within the next 48 to 72 hours, we should be able to come out clearly and say this is the direction that we are going and so be it.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced on Wednesday a 50 per cent reduction in fares on all public transport services in the state for the next one week.

In a video posted on Twitter by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, the governor said the measure is to cushion the effects of fuel and naira scarcity.

The 50 per cent discount takes effect from Thursday for holders of the Cowry Cards.

But for us to further cushion the effect of what our citizens are currently facing, I have directed immediately that from tomorrow, on all of our Lagos run bus system, all of our BRT buses on all of our Lag ride taxis, all of our ferries and all of our last miles buses and small buses that we have in the state, that they should be carrying passengers at 50 per cent of the current fare and this will continue to happen using their Cowry Cards, Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

And we want to further make this Cowry Card available to all willing citizens. We have over three million cowry cards that are out there that are being used.

So for the next one week, on all the passenger route within all of our buses, ferries and taxis, passengers will enjoy a 50 percent discount from tomorrow morning.

The governor also announced that food banks will be set up around the state for vulnerable citizens.

We are going to be identifying vulnerable spots in our communities and you would see us distributing food items, food stuffs that we are making arrangement for and we have tens of thousands that are already ready and we will be identifying various locations in which we will be distributing these food packs so that we can cushion the effects on all our citizens, he said.

READ ALSO:

These developments come barely two weeks to the begining of the general elections on 25 February.

The governor is seeking reelection under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Earlier, due to the rising violence caused by the fuel and naira scarcity in other parts of the country, Mr Sanwo-Olu suspended his campaign activities indefinitely.

The scarcity has led to violence and protests in different parts of the country.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

Telegram

LinkedIn

Email

Print


Carbonplace becomes independent entity based in London , led by new CEO Scott Eaton .

, led by new CEO . USD 45 million in funding received from Carbonplace's nine founder banks: BBVA, BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest, Standard Chartered, SMBC and UBS.

in funding received from Carbonplace's nine founder banks: BBVA, BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest, Standard Chartered, SMBC and UBS. Carbonplace to leverage capital injection to scale platform, grow team and expand services to additional banks and carbon market participants, including registries and marketplaces.

LONDON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Carbon credit transaction network Carbonplace has raised USD 45 million in a strategic round of investment and formed its own entity, it was announced today.

Carbonplace, which connects buyers and sellers of carbon credits through their banks, secured the seed funding from the financial institutions which founded the fintech: BBVA, BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest, Standard Chartered, SMBC and UBS. Through the investment, each bank shares equal equity ownership in the new company which is expected to launch its platform later this year.

Headquartered in London, Carbonplace will be led by CEO Scott Eaton. Eaton, who has held a number of senior leadership roles in financial technology and capital markets, is joining from capital markets fintech Nivaura, where he served as CEO. Prior to Nivaura, he was CEO of Algomi from 2018 until its sale to BGC in 2020. From 2015-2018, Scott was COO at fixed income trading platform provider MarketAxess.

The capital injection represents a commitment from some of the world's largest financial institutions, which account for nearly USD 9 trillion in total assets, to achieve Carbonplace's vision of accelerating corporate climate action by providing transparent, secure and accessible carbon markets.

The new company intends to leverage this investment to scale the platform and its team to expand services to a wider client base of financial institutions and accelerate partnerships with additional carbon market participants, including registries and marketplaces around the world.

Scott Eaton: "With Carbonplace, we are transforming the way that carbon credits are bought, distributed, held and retired. I am excited to take this company to the next level of its evolution, and to help unlock its massive potential to drive significant economic and social value by opening the carbon markets up to the world."

Carbonplace, which has been likened to the SWIFT of the carbon markets, has already piloted trades with a host of buyers, sellers, registries, and exchanges, including global payments technology company Visa, and Singapore-based marketplace Climate Impact X.

Robert Begbie, CEO, NatWest Markets: "Carbonplace creates an efficient and secure network for carbon credit transactions. According to McKinsey, global demand for voluntary carbon credits is likely to increase by a factor of 15 in the next seven years. To meet that demand, Carbonplace is delivering a reliable, secure and scalable technology that will form a crucial part of the infrastructure for carbon markets to drive climate action at scale."

Building on its user banks' highly regulated and standardized compliance frameworks, Carbonplace ensures transparent and simple customer-to-customer transactions by enabling frictionless counterparty due diligence and onboarding. Carbon credit buyers and sellers can also share information in real-time, ensuring traceable and streamlined settlement of carbon credit transactions, with the retirement of credits within minutes. Digital wallets enable owners to reliably demonstrate ownership to the market, reducing the risks of double counting and simplifying reporting.

* The closing of Itau Unibanco's acquisition of ownership shall occur following approval of the Central Bank of Brazil.

About Carbonplace Limited

Carbonplace Limited is a global carbon credit transaction network headquartered in London which has been developed by nine of the world's foremost financial institutions: BNP Paribas, CIBC, Itau Unibanco, National Australia Bank, NatWest Group, BBVA, SMBC, Standard Chartered and UBS.

Expected to launch later this year, Carbonplace will enable the simple, transparent, and secure transfer of certified carbon credits. The fintech, which has been likened to the SWIFT of the carbon markets, will fundamentally transform how carbon credits are bought and sold by allowing simultaneous settlement of carbon credits, with immediate transfer of ownership upon payment  ensuring robust reporting and traceability during the entire carbon credit transfer process, and will be available to clients of financial institutions wanting to deliver secure and transparent access to the carbon markets.

About Scott Eaton

Scott Eaton has over 30 years of financial services experience, ranging from corporate finance to trading structured credit to fintech. Most recently, Scott was CEO of capital markets automation startup Nivaura and before that he was CEO of London based fintech company Algomi, which he led until its sale to BGC in 2020. From 2015-2018, Eaton was COO at fixed income trading platform provider MarketAxess. Prior to MarketAxess, Eaton held various senior roles at ABN Amro, Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank, and at UniCredit where he was global head of emerging markets trading.

Scott has a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and a BA in Economics from Colorado College. Scott currently serves on the board of trustees for the educational charity City Pay It Forward.

Contact

Tom Buchanan

www.carbonplace.com

carbonplace@browningenvironmental.com

+44.7585-034895

Notes to editors:

The voluntary carbon market has a critical role in supporting the transition of corporations to net zero greenhouse gas emissions, as part of their climate action strategies. Carbon credits can be used by corporations looking to compensate for emissions that they cannot reduce or remove. The credits fund high-quality projects that remove such emissions from the atmosphere.

SOURCE Carbonplace Ltd.
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and The Rachael Ray Foundation partnership supports future industry talent. Apply here through March 14.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- High schools across the country can jump start or improve their ProStart culinary arts programs by applying for $5,000 grants from The Rachael Ray Foundation. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) is accepting applications through March 14, 2023, at ChooseRestaurants.org/ProStartGrowGrant.

High school culinary arts programs could receive a 2023 Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant of $5,000. Tweet this The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) today recognized Rachael Rays affiliated philanthropies, including The Rachael Ray Foundation and the Yum-o! organization, for crossing the $1 million threshold of support for NRAEF scholarships that fund students pursuing higher education in the restaurant, hospitality, and foodservice industry.

Up to 25 ProStart schools, or those with culinary arts programs looking to become a ProStart school, could receive a 2023 Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant of $5,000. The funding supports upgrades or the purchase of new resources, the building up of classrooms and supplies, and supporting teachers with what they need to help their students learn career-building skills in the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality industry.

"The ProStart program provides an exceptional hands-on culinary learning experience at nearly 1,850 high schools across the country, teaching them fundamental, career-building skills in the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality industry," said Rachael Ray, award-winning television personality and philanthropist. "We are psyched to once again support these programs  and the educators who make them possible (my heroes)  in fostering the next generation of industry talent with ProStart Grow Grants."

This year marks the fourth round of Grow Grant funding provided through The Rachael Ray Foundation, which has awarded $590,000 to schools demonstrating a strong need to engage and educate students through the ProStart program. Additionally, over the past 16 years, more than 260 scholarships have been provided by Rachael Ray's Yum-o! organization and The Rachael Ray Foundation.

"The students in 73 schools have had an additional range of unique experiences and opportunities to grow their interest and industry skills thanks to a ProStart Grow Grant," said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "We are grateful for the continued partnership with The Rachael Ray Foundation and their shared commitment to cultivating the skills and talents of tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice industry leaders."

ProStart, a two-year technical education program focused on culinary arts and restaurant management, is offered at nearly 1,850 schools across the country and enrolls nearly 165,000 students. These students experience the restaurant and foodservice industry through a close connection with local industry experts, class mentors, tours of local facilities, student competitions, and more. ProStart students finish the program ready to join the workforce and make an immediate impact in restaurants and foodservice. Learn more about ProStart here.

"I have truly enjoyed the opportunity to teach students new mediums of cake decorating and pastry arts as well as food photography," said Kandice Dequeant, an 18-year ProStart educator at W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, which received a 2022 Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant. "Equipment provided by the Rachel Ray Grow Grant allowed us to experience cake sculpting, air brushing, fondant techniques, and culinary photography skills, which prepares students for not only entry level positions, but potential self-sustaining, long-term self-employment. That's exciting, life changing stuff!"

The NRAEF facilitates the Grow Grant application process. Current ProStart schools or those onboarding/incoming in the 2023-2024 academic year are eligible to apply. Each school must submit a complete application. If selected, new ProStart schools are required to sign an agreement joining the program for the next school year or return the funds. Applicants have through March 14, 2023, to complete their submissions for the NRAEF's consideration by clicking here.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)

As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's (NRAEF) mission of service to the public is dedicated to enhancing the industry's training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart  a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES  Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military  helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships  financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC)  accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.

Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's 2021 Annual Impact Report.

About The Rachael Ray Foundation

The Rachael Ray Foundation (RRF) is a private foundation that is fully funded by the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish. RRF was launched by Rachael in 2016 to better support the causes she cares for most such as helping animals in need. Additionally, RRF works with organizations that support the mission of Yum-o!, Rachael's 501c3, in order to bolster and amplify their efforts through additional funding. Yum-o! empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. It also teaches families to cook, feeds hungry kids, and funds cooking education, among other initiatives.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "50 Protests 50States' is a collaborative advocacy effort coordinated by One Mom's Battle, LLC and Breaking Code Silence (a 501(c)3) nonprofit organization. These organizations have partnered with advocacy groups across the country and will be hosting a peaceful protest on Feb. 17, 2023, at the Utah State Capitol (south steps) at 350 North State Street, 120 State Capitol, Salt Lake City, Utah, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This event is part of a series of 50 protests in 50 states across the country.

One Mom's Battle LLC One Mom's Battle LLC

The mission of the nationwide protests will be to raise awareness on the shortcomings of the family court system with emphasis on the need for legislative change ( Keeping Children Safe from Family Violence Act, also known as VAWA Kayden's Law ) and research-based education and training for judicial officers . Advocates are calling for a ban on court-ordered reunification camps, a subsection of the highly controversial troubled teen industry (TTI) and the alienation industry. Videos of children being violently removed in Santa Cruz and Los Angeles (sent to reunification camps) have gone viral, reaching over 30 million people. A case in Utah received international attention after a Commissioner ordered the children into a reunification camp just before another judge ruled the children would be given to a parent with substantiated claims of child abuse.

The alienation industry has deep roots in disinformation and is rejected by organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) , American Medical Association (AMA), and the World Health Organization (WHO ). Reunification camp directors purport to heal fractured parent-child relationships and are often dismissive of allegations or findings of abuse. This process frequently involves the forceful removal of the child from their preferred parent, followed by the prohibition of contact between the child and that parent for days to years.

Psychologist and Founder of the Leadership Council, Joyanna Silberg states, "Forced reunification against a child's will and without taking into consideration the child's point of view and emotional well-being can be expected to reinforce a sense of helplessness and powerlessness in an already vulnerable child. Such "treatment" can be expected to do more harm than good, and rather than helping their well-being, could cause lasting psychological harm, particularly when imposed upon children who claim the parent they are being forced to reunify with is abusive."

The organizers of 50Protests50States, invite community members, media, and survivors to join the demonstration in Salt Lake City on Feb. 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Contact:

Tina Swithin

805-586-0511

[email protected]

SOURCE One Mom's Battle LLC
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 5WPR, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the U.S., announces today it has been selected as the PR Agency of Record in the North American market for Skyscanner, one of the world's leading flight comparison marketplaces.

Skyscanner is unbiased and free, which means that the millions of travellers who use the site every month can trust its comprehensive range of flight, hotel and car rental options.

5W leads Skyscanner's U.S. and Canadian media outreach strategy with the goal of growing the brand's presence in both markets, further establishing the company's position as a global travel industry leader. To date, 5W has secured feature and round-up coverage within consumer, lifestyle, travel, trade, technology, business, and regional titles.

"We are thrilled to work with Skyscanner as they continue to innovate online travel planning & booking, enabling travelers to navigate all of their options and book with confidence", said 5WPR CEO, Matthew Caiola. "Our team of experts is incredibly successful in crafting messages relevant to current events, while leaning into their media connections to put Skyscanner in the forefront of travelers' minds."

"We are delighted to be working with 5W to connect North American travellers to Skyscanner's unique offering. 5WPR impressed with their experience in both tech and travel, two fields in which we are at the global forefront, said Skyscanner's VP Global Communications, Anna Harland Martin.

5W's Consumer and Emerging Tech PR team boasts decades of combined travel tech experience and robust media relationships within the space, giving them a leg up on the competition. These relationships have led to placements in top media across broadcast, print and digital.

About Skyscanner

Founded in 2003, Skyscanner is a leading travel marketplace dedicated to putting travellers first. Skyscanner helps millions of people in 52 countries and over 30 languages find the best travel options for flights, hotels and car rental every month. Skyscanner is available on desktop, mobile web and its highly rated app has over 110 million downloads. Working with 1200 travel partners, Skyscanner's mission is to lead the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel.

About 5WPR

5W Public Relations is a full-service PR agency in NYC known for cutting-edge programs that engage with businesses, issues and ideas. With more than 300 professionals serving clients in B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, Nonprofit), B2B (Corporate Communications and Reputation Management), Public Affairs, Crisis Communications and Digital Marketing (Social Media, Influencer, Paid Media, SEO). Founded by Ronn Torossian 20 years ago, 5W was named to Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces 2022 list, awarded 2020 PR Agency of The Year, and brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold and results-driven approach to communication.

SOURCE 5W Public Relations
Anti-plagiarism company Compilatio released an AI-generated text detector showcasing unprecedented reliability with both ChatGPT and YouChat.

CHAVANOD, France, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- French company Compilatio is addressing the growing concerns regarding the misuse of generative AI in education. Providing anti-plagiarism technologies to leading European universities, it just released a free, user-friendly AI detector . Preliminary tests show a 90% accuracy in attributing texts to either humans or artificial intelligence. Such performances rank Compilatio's tool above its rivals. The detector works in several languages and reliably identifies content produced by ChatGPT as well as YouChat. Free for everyone to use and tinker with, it will serve as a testing platform for an upcoming commercial product.

So far, Compilatio developers have tested their tool on a corpus of 125 texts authored by humans, ChatGPT, and YouChat. The detector could reliably label 100% of the content directly written in English by humans, as well as 100% of YouChat-generated works. It accurately attributed slightly more than 87% of ChatGPT texts.

"What sets our detector apart is how it accurately identifies not only AI-generated texts but also human-generated texts," says Frederic Agnes, CEO of Compilatio. "Most current systems are decent at identifying humans, but they also tend to misattribute AI-generated texts to humans, which somewhat defeats their purpose."

Such test results are preliminary. By offering free access to its beta detector, Compilatio aims to conduct a larger-scale, more detailed assessment of its technology. Users can freely contribute by filling up a small survey every time they run an analysis.

"AIs are designed to produce contents that are as predictable as possible, following a principle akin to the word suggestions on your phone when you type an sms," says Agnes. "These predictable answers result in a predictable vocabulary and syntax, which is precisely what our detector picks up."

In the second half of 2023, Compilatio will release a commercial detector able to discriminate mixed AI and human contributions. It will highlight the suspicious passages and sentences and give an estimated probability for each of them. This add-on will integrate into the company's anti-plagiarism software, providing a complete and updated solution for educational institutions. "Compilatio is now the only major player in the anti-plagiarism industry with an actual, efficient AI detector prototype. We are in a good position to lead this emerging market," says Agnes.

Compilatio AI detector: https://compilatio.link/ai-detector

Contact

Frederic Agnes

[email protected]

+33 672 845154

About Compilatio

Compilatio has been providing tools to prevent and detect plagiarism since 2005. It is now present in +40 countries, and provide its services to more than 800 educational institutions with its software Compilatio Magister.

SOURCE Compilatio
NANJING, China, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GenScript ProBio, a leading Biologics CDMO to the bio-pharmaceutical market, and Bio Immunitas, a UK pharmaceutical company with a novel, safe and efficacious human Recombinant Protein Platform (hRPP), announced their partnership to enhance an already well-respected expertise in developing potential novel therapies for clinical use.

This long-term partnership will fast-track Bio Immunitas' manufacturing and production from bench to bedside in an expedited timescale while maintaining regulatory milestones. GenScript ProBio provides IND-enabling CMC service for Bio Immunitas to accelerate the preclinical development of 2 recombinant protein products using Bio Immunitas' proprietary hRPP platform.

Shedding more light on the news, the CEO/CMO of Bio Immunitas, Prof Syed Haq, said, "This relationship will help us realise our commitment to creating innovative, differentiated treatments for millions of patients."

Dr Brian Min, the CEO of GenScript ProBio, stated, "We're delighted to collaborate with Bio Immunitas to accelerate its novel therapeutic platform and expect more patients will benefit from this superior treatment."

About Bio Immunitas Ltd

Bio Immunitas, an innovative EIS-qualified pharmaceutical company, has pioneered the development of a novel treatment that regulates and stabilises the immune system and acts as a potent anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulator with the anti-ageing capability. The safe and efficacious human Recombinant Protein Platform [hRPP] therapy has been developed through several planning and research stages while adapting to the market's needs.

The platform has a unique multi-level mechanism of action with several key indications: 1) Broad spectrum Anti-inflammatory 2) Anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapyhospitalised patients 3) Longevity and Anti-ageing  cutaneous and systemic 4) The Pox family virus

www.bioimmunitas.com

About GenScript ProBio

GenScript ProBio is the subsidiary of GenScript Biotech Corporation, proactively providing end-to-end CDMO service from drug discovery to commercialisation with proactive strategies, professional solutions and efficient processes in cell and gene therapy (CGT), vaccine, biologics discovery and antibody protein drug to accelerate drug development for customers. GenScript ProBio has established GMP capacity which meets FDA, EMA and NMPA regulatory requirements and has established companies in the United States, the Netherlands, South Korea, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Nanjing and other places to serve global customers and supported customers in the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific and other regions to obtain more than 40 IND approvals.

https://www.genscriptprobio.com/

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1883485/GENSCRIPT_Logo.jpg

SOURCE GenScript ProBio
NEW HAVEN, W.Va., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Felman Production, a New Haven, West Virginia-based metallurgy manufacturing company led by Mordechai Korf and Uriel Laber that employs over 100 workers, announced today it has signed a five-year agreement to sell ferro-silicomanganese, a key component in steel production, to a multi-billion-dollar publicly traded steel and metal manufacturer based in the United States. The agreement will greatly benefit Felman Production's workers and the local community, ensuring stable demand and allowing the company to focus on improving plant operations and implementing environmental initiatives.

"This agreement is a win not only for Felman Production's workers but for the region and for American manufacturing," said Mordechai Korf and Uriel Laber of Felman Production in a joint statement. "We're proud to work with a world-class company that shares our commitment to creating and protecting good-paying jobs while playing a key role in bolstering America's manufacturing footprint, especially at a time when our country is making generation-defining investments in infrastructure."

Felman Production is one of only two companies in the U.S. that produces ferro-silicomanganese, and is known for its high-quality, American-made products. Earlier this year, Felman Production reached a labor agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW) and its affiliated Local Union No. 5171, ensuring dozens of competitively paid, family-sustaining jobs at its plant.

About Felman Production:

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in New Haven, West Virginia, Felman Production is a leading producer of high-quality ferro-silicomanganese, an essential deoxidizer and alloy additive used in the manufacturing of steel. One of only two companies in the United States that produces ferro-silicomanganese, Felman Production's products are distributed to steelmakers across North and South America.

Felman Production employs over 100 workers, and its facility is strategically located in Letart, West Virginia along the Ohio River and is accessible by major transportation modes, including rail, water, and truck. The plant has its own barge facility and internal rail system.

SOURCE Felman Production
ADR Industry Veteran Will Manage Commercial Arbitration for Parties in the Nation's Capital and Surrounding Regions

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Arbitration Association (AAA) announces that Matthew Conger has been promoted to Vice President in its Commercial Division. Based in the AAA's office in Washington, D.C., Mr. Conger will manage the facilitation of arbitration services for resolving complex and business-to-business (B2B) commercial disputes in the nation's capital, as well as Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

"Matthew is a dedicated advocate for alternative dispute resolution within the corporate and legal worlds," said Robert Matlin, Esq., Senior Vice President of the American Arbitration Association's Commercial and Construction Divisions. "He will continue to work with companies in Washington, D.C. and surrounding Mid-Atlantic states to help them benefit from the use of arbitration for resolving legal disputesand the proprietary services and technology we offer to make the process even more customized, cost-effective, and time-efficient."

Mr. Conger, who reports to Mr. Matlin in his new role, joined the AAA as Director of ADR Services in the organization's Washington, D.C. office in September 2016. Prior to the AAA, he served as a Staff Attorney in the American Bar Association's Section of Dispute Resolution, where he was also briefly Acting Director. Mr. Conger is a member of the American Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Committee, and has made presentations at some of its events to educate business attorneys on the benefits of ADR. Earlier in his career, he worked complex litigation, mergers, and acquisitions, and as a quality engineer in the semiconductor technology field.

"Every major law firm in the country has an office in Washington, D.C., and I am proud to represent the AAA and the ADR field in this key marketplace," said Matthew Conger, Vice President in the American Arbitration Association's Commercial Division. "We are grateful for the opportunity to offer companies a broad roster of objective arbitrators with experience and expertise in various industries who can oversee the equitable resolution of their cases."

Mr. Conger received his Juris Doctorate from the Syracuse University College of Law, and earned his M.A. in International Relations from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He also graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science. Mr. Conger is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

To learn more about the AAA's Commercial offering, please visit https://www.adr.org/commercial.

About the American Arbitration Association

The not-for-profit American Arbitration Association (AAA) is the leading provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services for parties in commercial disputes, having administered more than seven million ADR cases since its founding in 1926. With 29 offices in the United States, in addition to Singapore, the AAA provides organizations of all sizes in virtually every industry with ADR services and products. For more information, visit www.adr.org.

Media Contacts:





Michael C. Clark Laura Simpson American Arbitration Association JConnelly +1.212.716.3978 +1.973.713.8834 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE American Arbitration Association
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins issued the following statement in response to President Biden's State of the Union speech this evening:

"AARP has been crystal clear with Congress and the President: Americans should be able to trust that our leaders will safeguard their hard-earned Social Security and Medicare benefits they have contributed to and earned throughout their lives. That is why we are encouraged to hear this commitment echoed from leaders in both parties  including from President Biden, former President Trump, Speaker McCarthy, Majority Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries and others.

"Tonight, the President also highlighted the importance of supporting family caregivers. There are more than 48 million Americans who provide care to their loved ones without compensation. AARP calls for action on the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers  such as access to better respite care and paid leave to family caregiver tax credits and reimbursement programs. These steps will make it possible for millions of additional older Americans to live independently in their own homes as they age, where they want to be.

"AARP also applauds the President's pledge to ensure that the law enacted last year to reduce the price of prescription drugs will be fully carried out. Already, millions of seniors are saving thousands of dollars a year on insulin and lifesaving vaccines. Over the next several years, the costs of the most expensive drugs will be reduced for those on Medicare, including through price negotiation and an annual out-of-pocket cap, which will help save lives and money. AARP will keep fighting to protect lower drug prices for people on Medicare from big drug companies' efforts to overturn the new law."

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP
Abbott will gain an innovative, complementary solution in treating vascular disease through CSI's leading atherectomy system, which prepares vessels for angioplasty or stenting to restore blood flow

CSI's offering will support Abbott's ability to provide better care for patients with peripheral and coronary artery disease

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. and ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), today announced a definitive agreement for Abbott to acquire CSI, a medical device company with an innovative atherectomy system used in treating peripheral and coronary artery disease. Under terms of the agreement, CSI stockholders will receive $20 per common share at a total expected equity value of approximately $890 million.

CSI is a leader in devices for atherectomy, a minimally invasive treatment for plaque build-up in arteries that can restrict blood flow. Procedural use of atherectomy can help maximize the benefits of standard balloon angioplasty or stent treatments in restoring blood flow in complex arterial disease. CSI also has an early-stage pipeline of complementary vascular intervention devices in development.

"The acquisition of CSI will add new, complementary technologies to Abbott's leading vascular device offerings," said Lisa Earnhardt, executive vice president, Medical Devices, Abbott. "CSI has a talented and experienced team and a leading atherectomy system that will allow Abbott to provide physicians more tools to help patients live fuller lives."

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with a leading global company that shares our passion for the development and commercialization of innovative solutions for treating complex peripheral vascular disease and coronary artery disease," said Scott Ward, CSI's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We believe combining with Abbott delivers value to our patients, physician customers, employees and stockholders while continuing our work to save limbs and save lives every day."

Financial Impact of Transaction

Upon close, the transaction is expected to be neutral to Abbott's recently issued 2023 ongoing earnings per share guidance.

The transaction, which has been approved by the boards of directors of CSI and Abbott, is subject to the approval of CSI stockholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as financial advisor to CSI.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews.

About Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn., is a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing innovative solutions for treating vascular and coronary disease. The company's orbital atherectomy system treats calcified and fibrotic plaque in arterial vessels throughout the leg and heart and addresses many of the limitations associated with existing surgical, catheter and pharmacological treatment alternatives. For more information, visit www.csi360.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This news release may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed acquisition of Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), by Abbott. In connection with the proposed acquisition, CSI intends to file relevant materials with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including CSI's preliminary and definitive proxy statements relating to the transaction. CSI stockholders are urged to read all relevant documents filed with the SEC, including CSI's preliminary and definitive proxy statements, because they will contain important information about the proposed transaction and the parties to the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders are able to obtain the documents (once available) free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, or free of charge from CSI at www.investors.csi360.com.

Participants in the Solicitation

CSI and its directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from CSI stockholders in favor of the proposed transaction. Information about CSI's directors and executive officers is set forth in CSI's Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, as revised, which was filed with the SEC on Oct. 26, 2022, and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on Aug. 18, 2022. Information concerning the interests of CSI's participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of CSI's stockholders generally, is set forth in the materials filed by CSI with the SEC, and will be set forth in the preliminary and definitive proxy statements relating to the proposed transaction.

 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 

A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Abbott and CSI caution that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all, the ability of the parties to satisfy the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction, including the ability to secure the applicable regulatory approvals on the terms expected, at all or in a timely manner, the effect of the announcement of the proposed transaction on the ability of CSI to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its key business partners and customers, and others with whom it does business, or on its operating results and businesses generally, the response of competitors to the proposed transaction, risks associated with the disruption of CSI management's attention from ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction, significant costs associated with the proposed transaction, potential litigation relating to the proposed transaction, restrictions during the pendency of the proposed transaction that may impact CSI's ability to conduct its business, the ability of Abbott to successfully integrate CSI's operations, and the ability of Abbott to implement its plans, forecasts and other expectations with respect to CSI's business after the completion of the transaction and realize expected synergies. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Abbott's and CSI's operations are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," in each of Abbott's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2021, and CSI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2022, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference. Abbott and CSI are providing the information in this news release as of this date. Abbott and CSI undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to the information included in this news release or any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE Abbott; Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
End-user evaluations earn EngageCare top rank for the second time in three years

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AccuReg, a healthcare technology solutions company offering EngageCare, a full suite of intelligent patient access, revenue cycle management and digital patient intake and engagement solutions for hospitals, health systems and large clinics, has been awarded the 2023 Best in KLAS designation as the number one ranked company in patient access. AccuReg also earned the Best in KLAS award for patient access in 2021.

"Our goal is to provide our customers nationwide with fully integrated, automated solutions that utilize exception-based workflows to simplify the indispensable work of patient access teams, resulting in increased revenue, improved satisfaction and experience," said AccuReg CEO and Founder Paul Shorrosh. "By combining our proven revenue cycle management technology with an innovative digital patient intake and engagement platform in EngageCare, KLAS researchers confirmed our customers exceed patient expectations by providing a safe, intuitive experience that incorporates payment and affordability options. We are honored to have received this designation again, confirming that our customers value exceptional service and innovations that produce measurable return on investment."

AccuReg's market-leading patient access solutions enable patient access teams to detect and correct errors and risks to revenue at the front end of patient engagement. This eliminates expensive rework, denials, collections and write-offs that surface later in the revenue cycle, while increasing pre-service payments and financial assistance conversions. AccuReg integrates and complements leading EHRs to improve customers' return on investment. EngageCare enables end-to-end automated prior authorization, self-service check-in and registration, virtual waiting rooms and intelligent eligibility and benefit validation capability. AccuReg solutions also help hospitals comply with complex government requirements for price transparency and the No Surprises Act (NSA).

"The 2023 Best in KLAS report highlights the top-performing healthcare IT solutions as determined by extensive evaluations and conversations with thousands of healthcare providers," said Adam Gale, KLAS CEO. "These distinguished winners have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving and innovating the industry, and their efforts are recognized through their inclusion in this report. Congratulations to all the winning vendors for setting the bar for excellence in healthcare IT! KLAS continues to be committed to creating transparency and helping providers make informed decisions through our accurate, honest, and impartial reporting."

The 2023 Best in KLAS: Software and Services report recognizes software and services companies who excel in helping healthcare professionals improve patient care. All rankings are a direct result of the feedback of thousands of providers over the past year. A Best in KLAS award signifies to the healthcare IT industry the commitment and partnership that the top vendors should provide. Read the report to see the top-rated medical software and services for 2023.

About AccuReg: AccuReg, the market leader in patient access, provides health systems, hospitals and large clinics with a single platform that integrates patient engagement, intake and access and enables healthcare consumerism, the consolidation of vendors and increased net revenue. AccuReg EngageCare utilizes an advanced rules engine and intelligent robotic process automation, machine learning and predictive analytics to provide patients intuitive digital tools that allow them to complete error free pre-registration and registration, access a digital front door and virtual waiting room at check-in, make payments from accurate price estimates and communicate bi-directionally in real-time. EngageCare delivers the data integrity required to reduce denials, increase collections and protect net revenue. EngageCare provides patients the digital experience they expect and further positions customers as leaders in their markets. AccuReg has offices in Nashville, Orlando and Mobile. AccuRegSoftware.com

CONTACT: Philip Betbeze, [email protected]

SOURCE AccuReg
Plastic molding and the manufacturing of precision metal and plastic parts are some of the products and services the Costa Rican delegation is presenting.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A Costa Rican delegation  made up of six companies, suppliers in the precision and medical equipment sector, the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) and the Costa Rican Coalition for Development Initiatives (CINDE)  showcase the capabilities and advanced manufacturing of this Central American country, from February 5 to 7, at the most important medical device trade fair in the United States: MD&M West, in Anaheim, California.

This is the fifth time the country has participated in the trade fair with an exhibit of the country brand Essential Costa Rica. The Costa Rican export companies participating in the exhibit are ATL, Acro Engineering, CRX Life Sciences, Grupo Vargas, Microtechnologies, and Precision Medical & Components, as well as the real estate projects Costa Rica Green Valley, Innova Park, Zona Franca Coyol, and Zona Franca La Lima.

"The United States is our main destination for exports of medical devices, with 65% of total exports of this type of product from our country, which makes our participation in MD&M West both strategic and necessary to continue promoting Costa Rican advanced manufacturing companies to large global corporations, with whom they can generate or strengthen business," said Mario Saenz, export development manager at PROCOMER.

MD&M West is one of the world's most important trade fairs for the medical device industry, as it is specifically aimed at decision-makers from the main parent companies in the medical device industry, contract manufacturers, and input suppliers.

During their participation in MD&M West, Costa Rican companies will have business meetings and tours of the fair which is attended by over 1,400 exhibitors. Additionally, PROCOMER and CINDE will give talks about the country's capabilities in terms of advanced manufacturing for the world's medical industry, as well as the participation of two industry expert representatives speaking about the key aspects that have contributed to Costa Rica's success in this sector.

In 2022, Costa Rican exports in the precision and medical equipment sector accounted for $4,569 million, 17% more than in the same period of the previous year, which represents an increase in sales of $672 million. The products that recorded the highest growth were prostheses for medical use (+51%), other devices for medical use (+11%), and electrodiagnostic devices (+39%).*

*These figures do not include the months of April, May, and June due to a hack of the TICA customs system.

SOURCE Promotora de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica (PROCOMER)
CHARLESTON, W.Va., Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aetna Better Health of West Virginia, a CVS Health company (NYSE: CVS), has been selected by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to continue serving Mountain Health Promise members under a new Medicaid managed care contract.

Image provided by CVS Health

Aetna Better Health of West Virginia has been the sole managed care organization serving approximately 30,000 Mountain Health Promise beneficiaries statewide and began supporting the program in 2020. Under the new contract, Aetna Better Health of West Virginia would continue supporting Mountain Health Promise members across the state. The contract covers physical and behavioral health care services for children and youth in the foster care system and individuals receiving adoption assistance, as well as children in the Children with Serious Emotional Disorders (CSED) waiver program.

"Improving the health and wellbeing of West Virginia communities requires close collaboration across state, health care and community-based partners," said Kelly Munson, President, Aetna Medicaid. "We'll continue supporting the State of West Virginia to implement solutions that positively impact its child welfare system and the youth and families we serve."

Aetna Better Health of West Virginia has been committed to supporting children and youth in the foster care system and their families. The plan recently announced it provided $6.1 million to health care providers across the state to help them expand community-based waiver services for CSED so children can transition from residential facilities to home- and/or community-based settings. In addition, the plan provided $9.3 million to residential and community-based service providers to help them serve members after they have transitioned to home- and/or community-based settings.

Aetna Better Health of West Virginia serves approximately 210,000 members across the state through the Mountain Health Trust and Mountain Health Promise managed care programs. The new one-year contract for the Mountain Health Promise program is anticipated to begin July 1, 2023, with three possible one-year extensions.

About Aetna Medicaid

Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC (Aetna Medicaid), a CVS Health company, has over 30 years of experience managing the care of the most medically vulnerable, using innovative approaches and a local presence in each market to achieve both successful health care results and effective cost outcomes. Aetna Medicaid has particular expertise serving high-need Medicaid members, including those who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Currently, Aetna Medicaid owns and/or administers Medicaid managed health care plans under the names of Aetna Better Health and other affiliate names. Together, these plans serve approximately 2.8 million people in 16 states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, see www.aetnabetterhealth.com.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues  including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health  whether that's managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system  and their personal health care  by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social media.

Media contact

Robert Joyce

[email protected]

SOURCE Aetna
MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sapia.ai , creator of the world's first AI Smart Interviewer, has released a communication score update that will enable its Chat Interview tool to score candidate language skills with high accuracy.

With this innovation, Sapia can accurately score language fluency and complexity from candidate job interview responses, giving employers more data on the ability and communication skills of applicants  information which can be used to attain better quality of hire, as well as other performance indicators.

The update further cements Sapia's AI system  which uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning  as the only recruitment tool of its kind to leverage both text chat responses and communication scoring as a solution for multimeasure candidate screening.

Sapia.ai founder and CEO Barb Hyman said that the innovation will give employers and talent acquisition managers more certainty around hire quality and soft skills.

"We know that most, if not all, roles require good communication skills,"Hyman said. "Now, alongside behavioral competencies and personality traits, Sapia.ai customers can gauge communication skills and use all of these combined data to make even better informed decisions about who they hire."

"Sapia's text-based approach to candidate interviewing and assessment has transformed hiring for our customers, affecting considerable savings to the time and costs associated with recruitment. By using text, customers no longer need to screen resumes or review face-to-face interview correspondence, instead relying on objective, unbiased data. Most of all candidates love the familiar asynchronous chat interaction", Hyman said.

The communication score update was developed through rigorous academic research, testing, and validation. Dr Madhura Jayaratne, Lead Data Scientist at Sapia.ai who led the research, said that bias testing was an important part of the development process.

"We acknowledge that our interview tool is used by many different kinds of people whose written communication skills cover a wide spectrum. It is critical that our algorithm does not unfairly disadvantage candidates who belong to different demographic groups and various job families. Our candidate base of over two million candidates from around the globe allow us to test and benchmark across different groups," Dr Jayaratne said.

The communication score algorithm is based on several dimensions, including the length of responses, readability, word usage, word choice, development and organization of ideas, and others. Customers can find where each candidate stands in the communications skills benchmark within the Talent Insights report generated at the end of the Chat Interview.

About Sapia.ai

Sapia's mission is to build a fairer, more human world through ethical AI. Using the world's first Smart Interviewer, powered by the world's largest source of first-party proprietary text data and advanced Natural Language Processing, Sapia turns simple text conversations into unprecedented talent intelligence  enabling organizations to interrupt hiring bias at scale, get to the right talent fast, and give every candidate an experience they love.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3251241/

Twitter: @get_sapia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SapiaAi/

Instagram: @sapia.ai

Contact: Barb Hyman, [email protected]

SOURCE Sapia.ai
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of PLDT Inc. (NYSE: PHI) publicly traded securities between January 1, 2019, and December 19, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period") have until April 7, 2023 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the PLDT class action lawsuit. Captioned Olsson v. PLDT Inc., No. 23-cv-00885 (C.D. Cal.), the PLDT class action lawsuit charges PLDT and certain of PLDT's top executives and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the PLDT class action lawsuit, please provide your information here:

https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-pldt-inc-class-action-lawsuit-phi.html

You can also contact attorney J.C. Sanchez of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected].

CASE ALLEGATIONS: PLDT purports to be the Philippines' largest fully integrated telco company. Through its principal business groups, PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines' most extensive fiber optic backbone and fixed line cellular networks.

The PLDT class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) PLDT was facing capital spending budget overruns; and (ii) PLDT and certain of its executives and directors failed to address weaknesses that allowed such budget overruns.

On December 16, 2022, PLDT announced that it was facing a budget overrun of PHP 48 billion. Then, on December 19, 2022, Bloomberg reported that the Philippines' Securities and Exchange Commission launched an inquiry into PLDT's budget overrun. On this news, the price of PLDT shares declined more than 19%, damaging investors.

THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired PLDT publicly traded securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the PLDT class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the PLDT class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the PLDT class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the PLDT class action lawsuit.

ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller is one of the world's leading complex class action firms representing plaintiffs in securities fraud cases. The Firm is ranked #1 on the most recent ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report for recovering nearly $2 billion for investors in 2021  more than triple the amount recovered by any other plaintiffs' firm. With 200 lawyers in 9 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever  $7.2 billion  in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information:

https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html

Attorney advertising.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices.

Contact:

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101

J.C. Sanchez, 800-449-4900

[email protected]

SOURCE Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rowley Law PLLC is investigating potential securities law violations by Argo Group International (NYSE: ARGO) and its board of directors concerning the proposed acquisition of the company by Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM). Stockholders will receive $30.00 for each share of Argo Group International stock that they hold. The transaction is valued at approximately $1.1 billion and is expected to close in the second half of 2023.

If you are a stockholder of Argo Group International and are interested in obtaining additional information regarding this investigation, please visit us at: http://www.rowleylawpllc.com/investigation/argo/. You may also contact Shane Rowley, Esq. at Rowley Law PLLC, 50 Main Street Suite 1000, White Plains, NY 10606, by email at [email protected] , or by telephone at 914-400-1920 or 844-400-4643 (toll-free).

Rowley Law PLLC represents shareholders nationwide in class actions and derivative lawsuits in complex corporate litigation. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.rowleylawpllc.com .

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

SOURCE Rowley Law PLLC
The Company was Granted Approval for an Additional 48 sites Across Five European Union Countries

Annovis Currently has 50 Clinical Trial Sites Open in the United States

BERWYN, Pa., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) ("Annovis" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage drug platform company addressing neurodegenerative diseases, today announced approval for additional European clinical trial sites for the ongoing Phase 3 study of buntanetap for the treatment of Parkinson's disease ("PD").

Annovis is actively recruiting for the ongoing Phase 3 study with 50 clinical trial sites open and currently enrolling in the United States. The approval adds an additional 48 sites in five European Union ("EU") countries, including Italy, Spain, Hungary, Poland and Germany, for the Company's Phase 3 study of buntanetap for the treatment of Early PD.

Maria L. Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO of Annovis, commented: "We are pleased to significantly expand our geographic reach with the addition of these EU sites that gives us the ability to efficiently enroll European patients in our study."

The locations will enroll the initial cohort of early PD patients. Based on the current enrollment, the Company anticipates having a sufficient number of patients who have received two months of therapy to conduct an interim analysis in the second quarter of 2023.

The interim analysis will be used to determine if the Company's original estimates for patient enrollment in the Phase 3 trial (150 patients per arm) will be sufficient to observe a statistically significant treatment effect in both scales between the active arms and the control arm of the study after six months of treatment.

The ongoing Phase 3 trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of buntanetap in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. Patients are being treated with 10mg buntanetap, 20mg buntanetap or placebo, on top of their standard of care, for six months.

The Company's Phase 3 trial in PD builds upon earlier, proof-of-concept data from a Phase 2a study which demonstrated that patients treated with buntanetap showed statistically significant improvements in both motor function and coding speed, as measured by MDS-UPRDS Part III and WAIS Coding scores.1 Additionally, no clinically significant adverse events were observed in the Phase 2a study, and its pharmacokinetics were found to be in line with levels measured earlier in humans.

1 Fang et al: Buntanetap Proves Promising in Both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Patients; J Prevention Alzheimer Disease 10-2022

About Buntanetap



Buntanetap (previously known as ANVS401 or Posiphen) is an oral translational inhibitor of neurotoxic aggregating proteins (TINAPs), which mode of action leads to a lower level of neurotoxic proteins and consequently less toxicity in the brain. In a Phase 2a clinical trial in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, buntanetap was shown to be well-tolerated and safe, and its pharmacokinetics were found to be in line with levels measured earlier in humans, meeting both the primary and secondary endpoints. Additionally, exploratory endpoints were also met, as treatment with buntanetap resulted in statistically significant improvement in motor function in PD patients and cognition in AD patients. Presently buntanetap is being studied in a Phase 3 early PD study and in a Phase 2/3 study in AD patients.

About Annovis Bio, Inc.

Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. (Annovis) is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases. We believe that we are the only company developing a drug for AD and PD that inhibits more than one neurotoxic protein and, thereby, improves the information highway of the nerve cell, known as axonal transport. When this information flow is impaired, the nerve cell gets sick and dies. Annovis conducted two Phase 2 studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study buntanetap showed improvements in cognition and memory in AD as well as body and brain function in PD patients.

For more information on Annovis Bio, please visit the Company's website www.annovisbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This presentation contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to all information other than historical matters, such as expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "forecast," "intend," "seek," "target," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," "outlook," and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements with respect to the operations, strategies, prospects and other aspects of the business of Annovis Bio are based on current expectations that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from expectations expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: that clinical trials may be delayed and that the data reported herein is from a Phase 2a study. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled "Risk Factors" in Annovis Bio's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Although it may voluntarily do so, from time to time, Annovis Bio undertakes no commitment to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

Media Contact:

Nic Johnson

Russo Partners, LLC

(303) 482-6405

[email protected]

Investors Contact:

Chris Calabrese

+1 (917) 680-5608

[email protected]

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Kevin Gardner

+1 (617) 283-2856

[email protected]

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

SOURCE Annovis Bio
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthony Hsieh, the Founder and largest voting stockholder of loanDepot, Inc. (NYSE: LDI) ("loanDepot" or "the Company") issued the following statement to correct the record with respect to certain matters referenced in loanDepot's press release of February 8.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has been aware of the candidacy of Steve Ozonian for several months now. In late November, in an effort to refresh the Board in his capacity as Chairman of the Board, Mr. Hsieh began introducing Mr. Ozonian to the Board as a potential independent director candidate. Mr. Hsieh showed patience over this period of time in order to allow the Board's fulsome consideration of Mr. Ozonian as a director candidate.





In late November, in an effort to refresh the Board in his capacity as Chairman of the Board, Mr. Hsieh began introducing Mr. Ozonian to the Board as a potential independent director candidate. Mr. Hsieh showed patience over this period of time in order to allow the Board's fulsome consideration of Mr. Ozonian as a director candidate. There has been no signal that Mr. Ozonian is being seriously considered as a candidate for the Board. Mr. Hsieh's conversations with the Board have consistently left him with the impression that Mr. Ozonian is not being seriously considered for the Board. In fact, despite the Board's claims that a fair review process is still ongoing, the Company's unusual actions of promoting Ms. Patenaude's biography and accomplishments and its recent actions only indicate Mr. Ozonian is not receiving fair consideration and signal its strong intent to move ahead with its nomination of Ms. Patenaude. On February 2 , the Company made the unusual choice to announce Ms. Patenaude's appointment to the Board of a non-profit and even in its response to Mr. Hsieh's February 7 press release, the Company inexplicably included Ms. Patenaude's biography. There is no dispute that Ms. Patenaude is an accomplished individual, but the Company's obvious attempts to publicize those accomplishments at this time speaks volumes.





Mr. Hsieh's conversations with the Board have consistently left him with the impression that Mr. Ozonian is not being seriously considered for the Board. In fact, despite the Board's claims that a fair review process is still ongoing, the Company's unusual actions of promoting Ms. Patenaude's biography and accomplishments and its recent actions only indicate Mr. Ozonian is not receiving fair consideration and signal its strong intent to move ahead with its nomination of Ms. Patenaude. On , the Company made the unusual choice to announce Ms. Patenaude's appointment to the Board of a non-profit and even in its response to Mr. Hsieh's press release, the Company inexplicably included Ms. Patenaude's biography. There is no dispute that Ms. Patenaude is an accomplished individual, but the Company's obvious attempts to publicize those accomplishments at this time speaks volumes. It appears the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee was looking to run out the clock on considering Mr. Ozonian and deny Mr. Hsieh his rights as a stockholder. Mr. Hsieh was told there would be no decision on Mr. Ozonian's candidacy until sometime in late February. The nomination deadline for stockholders to exercise their rights to nominate a director, according to the Company's bylaws, is February 17 . Adhering to the Board's schedule would have caused Mr. Hsieh to waive his nomination rights as a stockholder.





Mr. Hsieh was told there would be no decision on Mr. Ozonian's candidacy until sometime in late February. The nomination deadline for stockholders to exercise their rights to nominate a director, according to the Company's bylaws, is . Adhering to the Board's schedule would have caused Mr. Hsieh to waive his nomination rights as a stockholder. The Board voted to remove Mr. Hsieh as executive chairman and create a proxy committee before Mr. Hsieh formally submitted his notice of nomination of Mr. Ozonian. On Monday, February 6 , a special board meeting was called, without providing Mr. Hsieh an agenda of topics to be discussed, despite being Chairman of the Board, Executive Chairman and a controlling stockholder. At this special meeting, the Board, in a 5-2 vote (with one director not present), terminated Mr. Hsieh as Executive Chairman. This vote was not unanimous as the Company had reported. Mr. Hsieh thereafter agreed that the Company could describe the termination as mutual in light of his desire not to serve in this role after the Board's vote. Also at this special meeting, the Board acted to create a committee that excluded Mr. Hsieh and his director designee  in order to contest Steve Ozonian's nomination - even though the nomination had not been formally submitted by Mr. Hsieh or fully considered by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

The Company has an obligation to accurately communicate these matters to stockholders, loanDepot employees, and other stakeholders. Mr. Hsieh will continue to ensure the facts are known and understood.

CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS

Anthony Hsieh (the "Investor"), may file a preliminary and definitive proxy statement and accompanying proxy card with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to be used to solicit votes for the election of the Investor's director nominee at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders of loanDepot, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company").

THE INVESTOR STRONGLY ADVISES ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY TO READ THE PRELIMINARY AND THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENTS AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC'S WEB SITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV. IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROXY SOLICITATION WILL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS WITHOUT CHARGE, IF AND WHEN AVAILABLE, UPON REQUEST. REQUESTS FOR COPIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' PROXY SOLICITOR.

The participants in the proxy solicitation are anticipated to be Anthony Hsieh and Steven Ozonian.

As of February 7, 2023, the Investor is the record owner of 30,881 shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, and beneficially owns another 4,213,324 shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock, for an aggregate of 4,244,205 shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock. The Investor also beneficially owns 147,657,247 shares of the Company's Class C Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share. As of the date hereof, Steve Ozonian does not own any shares of common stock or any other securities of the Company.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Val Mack

[email protected]

+1 212.841.9308

Kate Pulio

[email protected]

+1 312.315.9353

SOURCE Mr. Anthony Hsieh
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Russ Thomas, CEO of Availity, has joined the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

The Florida Chamber Board of Directors is a group of leading and diverse job creators and champions of free enterprise uniting to secure Florida's future and support the Florida Chamber's vision of leading the state to a diverse and sustainable economy through global competitiveness, prosperity, and high paying jobs, as well as vibrant and resilient communities.

"Free enterprise isn't free, and I am confident the experience, insight, and leadership Russ will bring to the Florida Chamber Board of Directors with help us further drive Florida to a top 10 global economy by 2030 and ensure Florida remains the best state to work, live, and start a business," said Mark Wilson, President & CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Industry and Organizational Leadership

Thomas has been CEO of Availity since 2012. Under his tenure, Availity has become the healthcare industry's largest real-time health information network. More than 2 million providers and most health plans in the country use Availity technology and services to facilitate nearly 13 billion clinical, financial, and administrative interactions every year.

Thomas' leadership has also influenced and nurtured the culture and growth of the organization's employees. Availity's awards in 2022 for Fortune's Best Place to Work in Technology, Best Place to Work for Millennials, and Best Place to Work for Women are all a testament to the strong culture built at the company. Thomas also serves on the Board of Directors of Iodine Software, an industry leader in clinical information documentation solutions.

Focus on Charity and Philanthropy

Thomas is active in many industry and philanthropic organizations. In 2015, Thomas served as Chair of the United Way Northeast Florida Annual Campaign. Through the United Way, Availity developed a partnership with Ribault Middle School in the "Achievers for Life" dropout prevention program. He also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Jacksonville University.

Before joining Availity, Thomas was CEO of Gold Standard, a drug information database and clinical knowledge solution. Thomas grew the company from a small start-up to a multi-sector leader in the healthcare market before selling the business to Reed Elsevier in 2006. He remained with Reed Elsevier as a senior executive in their clinical information business until 2008.

"I am honored to serve on the Florida Chamber's Board with some of Florida's most well-respected business leaders," said Thomas. "The Florida Chamber is a dynamic organization that has and will continue to play a critical role in the development of a sustainable economy for our state."

Thomas earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia Tech and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia. A licensed commercial pilot, Thomas was appointed to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority board of directors in 2015, where he served a six-year term. He lives in Ponte Vedra, FL, with his wife Claudia and has two children, Ethan and Lauren.

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]

SOURCE Availity
Medical imaging AI company brings total investment to $10 million and targets global growth.

MARSEILLE, France, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical imaging AI specialist Avicenna.AI today announced it has secured a Series A funding round, bringing aggregated investment in the company close to $10 million. The round was backed by existing investors Innovacom and CEMAG Invest.

The new funds will be used to scale up deployment of Avicenna.AI's solutions across the world and to diversify the company's offering into new areas of medicine.

"Last year was pivotal for Avicenna.AI, with huge growth in the deployment of our solutions around the world, and very positive feedback from our partners and users alike," said Cyril Di Grandi, co-founder, and CEO of Avicenna.AI. "We have created the conditions to accelerate the extension of our portfolio within our emergency suite but also outside our initial scope. We have finally obtained the first patents that will allow us to consolidate our position as a leader in the field with a disruptive approach to the use of deep learning in therapeutic decision-making. This new investment reflects the continued confidence of our investors and signifies our readiness to become a dominant force in healthcare AI."

Avicenna.AI provides healthcare AI solutions that use deep learning to identify, detect and quantify life-threatening pathologies from CT medical images. Using a combination of deep learning and machine learning technologies, the company's solutions automatically detect and prioritize emergency cases within seconds, and assess them for severity, before seamlessly alerting radiologists.

Avicenna.AI's unique business model is based on an asset-light, R&D powerhouse expertise, generating rapid business growth potential through already signed commercial partnerships with leading market actors in the US, Europe and Asia.

In a successful year for the company, 2022 saw Avicenna's AI solutions rolled out to more than 140 hospitals in 14 countries across three continents. The company is now ready to scale up in 2023 and expects to deploy at least 30 new sites every month this year.

In parallel, Avicenna's R&D efforts will add to the four FDA and six CE mark approvals already awarded to its products. The company's FDA-cleared and CE-Marked tools for neurovascular and thoraco-abdominal pathologies are seamlessly integrated within the clinical workflow, automatically triggering and reporting algorithm results through the systems already used by radiologists.

About Avicenna.AI

Founded in 2018, Avicenna.AI develops medical imaging AI solutions for highly prevalent pathologies. The company uses artificial intelligence and deep learning to optimize many of a radiologist's manual tasks. Its CINA products leverage deep learning algorithms to identify acute abnormalities and to enhance clinicians' workflow. Avicenna.AI is co-founded by Cyril Di Grandi, who previously co-founded and successfully sold Olea Medical, and Dr. Peter Chang, a radiologist and internationally recognized expert in AI and deep learning. www.avicenna.ai

About Innovacom

Innovacom is a pioneer in innovation capital in France. Since 1988, it has invested nearly 1 billion, supported more than 300 digital and high-tech startups, participated in more than 20 IPOs and completed more than 150 industrial divestments.

The team, which benefits from a long experience in high-tech, has contributed to several recent successes in multiple sectors (telco, healthcare, mobilityi, energy...) and has a solid track-record including unicorns like Heptagon or Soitec.

Today, Innovacom supports innovative industrial projects and high-potential disruptive technologies by providing financing, advice and support. Its association with the Turenne Group has giveni birth to one of the leading independent private equity firms in France with a platform of 1.5 billion under management. With offices in Paris and Marseille, Innovacom Gestion is licensed by the Autorite des Marches Financiers.

About Cemag Invest

Cemag Invest is a family office dedicated to healthcare and technology, with a focus on adding value to patients. Cemag Invest has notably invested in Wandercraft, Diabeloop, and alongside innovacom in Aryballe Technologies.

SOURCE Avicenna.AI
Trade Mission is a first step towards advancement of country's Technology Sector

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hon. I. Chester Cooper, Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, headed a Bahamian delegation to Ottawa, Ontario in Canada on an intensive three-day trade mission last week, 1-3 Feb. Focused on the goal of seeking out investment opportunities toward advancing the country's technology sector, DPM Cooper and his contingent held a series of meetings with the heads of leading technology firms located in North Kanata Technology Park, Canada's largest technology and innovation hub.

Trade Mission is a first step towards advancement of country's Technology Sector Tweet this The Bahamian delegation led by DPM Cooper listens intently to company executives sharing their thoughts on how The Bahamas can become an innovation center.

Included among the delegation led by DPM Cooper were the Hon. Ginger Moxey, MP, Minister for Grand Bahama; the Hon. Zane Lightbourne, MP, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education and Technical & Vocational Training; Wayde Watson, MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs; Dr. Ian Strachan, Vice President of the University of The Bahamas (UB) and President of UB North Campus; Dr. Raveenia Roberts-Hanna, Executive Director of The Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) and senior executives from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and The Bahamas Investment Authority.

Remarking on the three-day trade mission to Ottawa, DPM Cooper said, "We are taking significant steps in pursuit of the Innovation and Technology sectors. This is to revolutionize the way we do business, but also to create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, and a new industry in The Bahamas."

The trade mission was organised by The Bahamas High Commission in Ottawa. Bahamas High Commissioner to Canada V. Alfred Gray explained that in the months leading up to the mission, the High Commission staff, led by First Secretary Nahaja Black, held meetings with industry leaders of North Kanata Technology Park and heads of tertiary institutions to showcase the mutual benefits that could be derived from forging a partnership with The Bahamas, a country that is in the mode of rebuilding and expanding its economy post-covid.

DPM Cooper said: "The companies we met with this past week have blazed trails in multiple sectors including innovation in artificial intelligence, computer automation and agri-technology. These firms are global in nature and are seeking new territories for further expansion. During our meetings, we highlighted the ease of doing business in The Bahamas, outlined the attractive incentives that our jurisdiction offers to investors and invited them to give consideration to setting up operations in The Bahamas."

Additionally, DPM Cooper pointed out that a major change that Covid-19 has brought to the workplace in countries like Canada is a shift to remote work. "CEOs and HR Directors of many of the tech companies we met with indicated that The Bahamas figures high on their list as a desired destination from which their employees can work remotely. Much of our discussions centered around putting arrangements in place that would allow this to happen seamlessly."

Highlights of the three-day mission trip included courtesy calls on Ottawa Government Officials; a tour of Kanata North Technology Park and a visit to Sanmina Corporation, a global electronics manufacturing services company; meetings with CEOs and Human Resource Executives of firms in the technology park to discuss elaborating an agreement that would allow members of their staff to work virtually from The Bahamas.

The mission's itinerary also took leaders in education among the delegation on a tour of Carleton University and Algonquin College where meetings were held with the institutions' leadership to discuss ways to integrate technology in business, modalities of introducing technical programs earlier in high schools and opportunities for technical studies scholarships and internships for Bahamian students.

Discussions were also held with Growcer, a promising investor in the agri-tech space, on advancing food security for The Bahamas and entrepreneurship opportunities in agriculture. The mission closed with a reception hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Cooper.

Minister Moxey in expressing her optimism about the trade mission said, "This trade mission to Canada came at a very opportune time, as we are seeking to revolutionize Grand Bahama's economy with a focus on innovation." She added, "Grand Bahama is well positioned to launch a tech hub, and the cutting-edge innovation we witnessed, along with significant interest of key industry partners will certainly open doors for The Bahamas to make significant advancement in innovation and technology."

The Kanata North Technology Park is an innovation hub located twenty minutes south of the City of Ottawa. This innovation cluster is home to over 540 technology companies, such as Mitel, You.i TV, Saba Software, Nokia, Ross, Cienna, Ericsson, Blackberry and QNX. Kanata North leads in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, and Internet-of-Things.

High Commissioner Gray noted that, as the world's ninth largest economy, Canada abounds with investment opportunities. The Bahamas High Commission in Ottawa, he highlighted, has strengthened its role as scout for investment opportunities for The Bahamas. "The trade mission to Ottawa this February is just the initial stage of building the industry partnerships required to lay the groundwork for advancing the technology sector of The Bahamas. Follow up meetings are anticipated in the very near future."

About The Bahamas

Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram to see why It's Better in The Bahamas

Media Contacts:



Nahaja Black

First Secretary

Bahamas High Commission  Canada

[email protected]

Tel: 613-232-1724 ext. 226

Andre Miller

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation

[email protected]

SOURCE The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation
Multi-brand portfolio continues to expand services to support people to live their best life

TROY, Mich., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Life Brands, LLC ("Best Life Brands"), a franchised organization that includes Blue Moon Estate Sales , CarePatrol , ComForCare , At Your Side Home Care and Boost Home Healthcare , ended 2022 with multiple awards and 96 franchise agreements awarded across all brands.

"2022 has been a year of tremendous growth across all of our brands," said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands. "With the first baby boomers starting to turn 80 years old in 2025, we have yet to see the full magnitude of the demand for senior care services. This equally presents both challenges and opportunities for the sector that we as an organization are committed to addressing by continuing to add more locations and providing support to franchisees so they can grow their teams and their businesses."

Highlights across the Best Life Brands network in 2022 include:

Best Life Brands:

Surpassed 550 open locations across all brands in the U.S. and Canada ;

; VetFran discount has increased from 15% to 20% for all brands to further support military franchisees both present and future;

Senior Vice President of Marketing Jennifer LoBianco recognized in Entrepreneur's Top 50 Franchise CMO Gamechangers list and named chief marketing officer ;

recognized in and named ; David Tarr named vice president of franchise development

ComForCare/AtYourSide Home Care:

Signed 29 new franchise agreements;

Named a Certified 2022 Great Place to Work in the United States and Canada ;

and ; Ranked 74th by Fortune Magazine as a 2022 Great Place to Work for Millenials ;

; Ranked 311th on Entrepreneur Magazine 's 43rd annual Franchise 500 list;

's 43rd annual list; Recognized as Number Two in At Home Care on Fortune and Great Place to Work 2022 Best Workplaces in Aging Services 

 Certified 2022 Great Place to Work for Inclusion in Canada ;

; Recognized in Franchise Dictionary Magazine's Top 100 Game Changers for 2022

CarePatrol:

Signed 25 new franchise agreements;

Year-over-year growth revenues increased 32% and year-over-year move-ins increased 19%;

Implemented a brand refresh , updating its website and more;

, updating its website and more; Launched a new podcast, "My Care Advisors" ; more than 11,000 episodes downloaded;

; more than 11,000 episodes downloaded; CarePatrol Co-Founder and President Becky Bongiovanni recognized as one of Franchise Dictionary Magazine's 50 Women of Wonder 2022 ;

recognized as one of ; Named as one of the 200 best franchise opportunities by Franchise Business Review

Blue Moon Estate Sales:

Surpassed 100 open locations;

Signed 36 new franchise agreements;

Won the Franchise Times Zor Award as the Top Brand to Buy ;

Zor Award as the ; Ranked for the first time in the Entrepreneur Magazine 's annual Franchise 500 list at #491;

's annual list at #491; Recognized in Franchise Dictionary Magazine's Top 100 Game Changers for 2022;

Top 100 Game Changers for 2022; Ranked 100th on Entrepreneur Magazine's worldwide Fastest-Growing Franchises list

Boost Home Healthcare:

Opened the brand's first franchise location in Culver City, CA ;

; Signed six new franchise agreements;

Launched the new Boost website ;

; Named Jackie Lleverino as brand president

To learn more about ComForCare, visit www.comforcare.com/ .

To learn more about CarePatrol, visit www.carepatrol.com/ .

To learn more about Blue Moon Estate Sales, visit www.bluemoonestatesales.com/ .

To learn more about Boost Home Healthcare, visit https://www.boosthomehealth.com .

About Best Life Brands, LLC

Based in Troy, Mich., Best Life Brands, LLC is a holding company that includes ComForCare and At Your Side , premier franchised providers of home care; CarePatrol , the nation's largest franchised senior care solutions organization; Blue Moon Estate Sales , the leading estate sale franchise in the U.S., and Boost Home Healthcare , dedicated to providing superior in-home nursing, therapy, and home care services, which together include more than 550 franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada. With a private equity investment from The Riverside Company, Best Life Brands is a platform of award-winning complementary businesses that serve people along the continuum of care.

For more information, contact:

Marcella Winfiele I BizCom Associates

832.314.8565 | [email protected]

SOURCE Best Life Brands
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in response to President Biden's State of the Union address tonight:

"Incredulously, President Biden, who came to office two years ago with some of the lowest levels of illegal immigration in modern history, largely ignored the historic border crisis he created by devoting only a few lines to it in his State of the Union address. Nevertheless, he attempted to shift the blame for the crisis, saying problems will not be fixed until Congress acts. No, the border problems won't be fixed until he and his Administration commit to ending the crisis that began under their watch. In all of FY2020, 400,000 illegal aliens were encountered at the southern border  a total that has been frequently eclipsed, even in a period as short as six weeks.

"Other than a call for additional manpower (to process migrants) and equipment to 'secure' our borders, Biden said nothing about his failed policies that have resulted in more than a quarter of a million illegal aliens breaching our borders in a single month. At the same time, he reiterated his call for a mass amnesty that will serve as yet another magnet for even greater illegal immigration in the future.

"This is all by design. Keep in mind that on Day One, President Biden began dismantling border security and immigration enforcement, and, to the great detriment of the American people, he has largely succeeded in his clear mission. Two years into his presidency, we are approaching 6 million illegal entrants, the vast majority of whom have been released under the pretense that they will be removed some time in the future. We all know they won't.

"President Biden sought to portray his flagrantly illegal abuse of parole as an effective border enforcement strategy. With no statutory authority, he has created a parallel immigration system that allows 360,000 otherwise inadmissible aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter each year, all while boasting that he has cut illegal entry by citizens of those countries by 97 percent. That is like raising the speed limit to 150 mph and bragging that you have dramatically reduced the number of drivers cited with speeding tickets.

"Subtly, but unmistakably, President Biden's agenda has effectively abolished statutorily mandated border and immigration enforcement and replaced it with border and immigration management. No longer do the American people and their elected representatives get to determine who or how many people settle in this country, and under what conditions. Under the Biden Immigration Doctrine, circumstance dictates who and how many, and the role of our government is simply to manage the flow as best as possible.

"The goal of U.S. immigration policymaking under the Biden Administration is clear: Open borders for all who want to settle here, and amnesty for everyone who is already here illegally. All manner of enforcement is out and endless accommodation is in."

Contact: Ron Kovach, 202-328-7004 or [email protected].

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
BJ's new partnership with Capital One and Mastercard offers BJ's members the ability to earn never-expiring rewards, plus incredible savings at BJ's Gas

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ), a leading membership warehouse club operator, today announced the scheduled launch of its new credit card program with Capital One and Mastercard, officially named the BJ's One Mastercard program. The new cards deliver even more value back to members and make BJ's top-tier memberships even better.1

BJ's Wholesale Club and Capital One Unveil BJ's One Mastercard Program Tweet this BJs Wholesale Club and Capital One Unveil BJs One Mastercard Program

BJ's new program with Capital One and Mastercard will provide a first-class rewards and customer service experience for BJ's members. Customers can start using their new BJ's One Mastercard on Feb 27, 2023 and the program will offer2:

In-club earnings: 3 BJ's One+ TM Mastercard (formerly BJ's Perks Elite  ) cardholders will earn 5% back in rewards on most BJ's purchases; BJ's One TM Mastercard (formerly BJ's Perks Plus  ) cardholders will earn 3% back in rewards on these purchases. Redeeming rewards will be easier than ever with members able to redeem their entire rewards balance once it reaches $10 , up to the transaction total, and rewards that never expire.

BJ's One+ Mastercard (formerly BJ's Perks Elite ) cardholders will earn 5% back in rewards on most BJ's purchases; BJ's One Mastercard (formerly BJ's Perks Plus ) cardholders will earn 3% back in rewards on these purchases. Redeeming rewards will be easier than ever with members able to redeem their entire rewards balance once it reaches , up to the transaction total, and Gas discount 4 : BJ's One+ Mastercard cardholders will now receive 15 cents off/gallon at BJ's Gas every time they use their credit card at the pump; BJ's One Mastercard cardholders will continue to receive 10 cents off/gallon at BJ's Gas.

BJ's One+ Mastercard cardholders will now receive off/gallon at BJ's Gas every time they use their credit card at the pump; BJ's One Mastercard cardholders will continue to receive off/gallon at BJ's Gas. Out-of-club earnings5: Spending outside BJ's will now be more rewarding, with BJ's One+ Mastercard cardholders earning 2% back in rewards everywhere they use their card outside of BJ's. BJ's One Mastercard cardholders will now earn 1.5% back in rewards everywhere they use their card outside of BJ's clubs.

"We are always striving to be best in class when it comes to the value of our membership," said Bill Werner, executive vice president of strategy and development at BJ's Wholesale Club. "Our partnership with Capital One and Mastercard will deliver unmatched rewards to our members with an exceptional customer service experience. Put simply, we expect this new program will be the best program in the retail space."

Both cards will benefit from Capital One's industry-leading customer experience and digital tools, including its award-winning mobile app, virtual assistant and access to exclusive events.

"With this new program, we partnered closely to offer BJ's members the opportunity to reap even more value from their everyday purchases at BJ's and elsewhere," said Buck Stinson, senior vice president, head of U.S. card partnerships, Capital One. "We know the benefits and rewards from this program will help them get the most out of their membership."

This is in addition to the Mastercard World benefits cardholders already receive.

"Mastercard is pleased to extend our long-standing partnership with BJ's Wholesale Club," said Chiro Aikat, EVP, U.S. Market Development, North America, Mastercard. "We're excited that the BJ's One Mastercard and BJ's One+ Mastercard will deliver even more robust benefits and value to cardholders across everyday purchases. That includes access to Priceless Experiences and further enhancing their memberships."

BJ's Business EliteTM Credit Card

Business members who have a BJ's Perks Rewards Business credit card will transition to the BJ's Business Elite Mastercard. The new BJ's Business Elite Mastercard will also carry the best-in-class value of the BJ's One+ Mastercard, including 15 cents off/gallon at BJ's Gas, 5% back in rewards on most BJ's purchases and 2% back in rewards everywhere else Mastercard is accepted. 3,4,5

Enhanced Membership Program

In addition to these new and exciting credit card benefits, BJ's is also announcing enhancements to its BJ's Perks Rewards Membership program. The BJ's Perks Rewards Membership will be rebranded as The Club+ Card Membership. The Club+ Card members will continue to earn 2% back in rewards on most BJ's purchases and will also receive 5 cents off/gallon at BJ's Gas every time they scan their membership card at the pump6.

The enhancements to BJ's rewards program will make BJ's the only wholesale club to offer an instant gas discount across each of the higher-tier membership options. In addition to the enhanced rewards, the new BJ's One+ Credit Card, BJ's One Credit Card and The Club+ Card membership tiers include the everyday benefits of having a BJ's membership such as: up to 25% off grocery store prices every day, access to both manufacturers' and BJ's coupons, and convenient shopping options including shopping in-club, on BJs.com, through the BJ's mobile app, and curbside and in-club pickup.

"We are proud to be able to provide our members with incredible value and benefits every day, and we believe that the launch of these new membership benefits will only enhance the value we offer our members," said Tim Morningstar, executive vice president, chief membership officer, BJ's Wholesale Club.

Members who currently have a My BJ's Perks Mastercard will soon receive more information on the transition to Capital One and can visit bjsone.capitalone.com for more details.

About BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.

Headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States focused on delivering significant value to its members. The company provides a curated assortment of grocery, general merchandise, gasoline and ancillary services to offer a differentiated shopping experience that is further enhanced by its omnichannel capabilities. Since pioneering the warehouse club model in New England in 1984, the company currently operates 235 clubs and 164 BJ's Gas locations in 18 states. For more information, please visit us on BJs.com or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation ( www.capitalone.com ) is a financial holding company which, along with its subsidiaries, had $333 billion in deposits and $455.2 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2022. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Visit the Capital One newsroom for more Capital One news.

About Mastercard

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. www.mastercard.com

1 All BJ's memberships are subject to BJ's current membership terms, ask in-club or go to BJs.com/terms. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark with Mastercard International Incorporated.

2 The BJ's One Mastercard rewards program and The Club+ Card Membership rewards program are provided by BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. and their terms may change at any time. For full rewards terms and conditions, please see BJs.com/bjsoneterms and BJs.com/terms.

3 BJ's One Credit Card holders earn 3% back and BJ's One+  (and BJ's Business Elite) Credit Card holders earn 5% back, as applicable, in rewards on eligible purchases of goods and services in-club at BJ's front-end registers, on BJs.com or in the BJ's app (minus any redeemed rewards, returns, refunds or credit adjustments) when they pay for these purchases with their BJ's One Credit Card or BJ's One+ Credit Card (or BJ's Business Elite). There is no cap to the amount you can earn on eligible purchases with your BJ's One  Credit Card or BJ's One+  (or BJ's Business Elite) Credit Card, as applicable, and rewards are yours for the life of the account  they will not expire. Must have a minimum balance of $10 in rewards to redeem. Minimum eligible purchase amount $10 at BJ's checkout. Eligible purchases exclude shipping, sales tax, bottle deposits, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and tobacco-related products, lottery tickets, gift cards, propane, BJ's Gas, online optical purchases, membership fees and add-ons, warranties and protection plans, BJ's services provided by third parties (e.g., BJ's Travel), and BJ's B2B and BJ's Global Sales transactions. See BJs.com/bjsoneterms for information on excluded services.

4 Receive an instant discount of 10 off each gallon of fuel at BJ's Gas when you use your BJ's One  Credit Card, or 15 off each gallon of fuel at BJ's Gas when you use your BJ's One+  (or BJ's Business Elite) Credit Card, as applicable, to pay for your fuel purchase and scan the associated membership card.

5 BJ's One Credit Card holders earn 1.5% back and BJ's One+ (and BJ's Business Elite) Credit Card holders earn 2% back, as applicable, in rewards on purchases made outside of BJ's with their BJ's One Credit Card or BJ's One+ (or BJ's Business Elite) Credit Card, minus any returns, refunds or credit adjustments. Purchases at BJ's clubs, BJ's Gas, BJs.com, BJ's app, and BJ's B2B and BJ's Global Sales transactions are not "outside of BJ's."

6 The Club+ Card members earn 2% back in rewards on eligible purchases of goods and services in-club at BJ's front-end registers, on BJs.com, or in the BJ's app (minus any redeemed rewards, returns, refunds, or credit adjustments) when they scan their membership card for these purchases, unless the primary member or the member making the purchase is a credit cardholder in the BJ's One Mastercard program, in which case the member will only earn rewards in accordance with the BJ's One Mastercard program rewards terms (see BJs.com/bjsoneterms). Rewards earned by The Club+ Card members may not exceed $500 in any 12-month period. Rewards are yours for the life of your The Club+ Card Membership  they will not expire while your membership remains active and in good standing. Eligible purchases exclude shipping, sales tax, bottle deposits, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and tobacco-related products, lottery tickets, gift cards, propane, BJ's Gas, online optical purchases, membership fees and add-ons, warranties and protection plans, BJ's services provided by third parties (e.g., BJ's Travel), and BJ's B2B and BJ's Global Sales transactions. See BJs.com/terms for information on excluded services. The Club+ Card members receive an instant discount of 5 off each gallon of fuel purchased at BJ's Gas when they scan their membership card for these purchases, unless the primary member or the member making the purchase is a credit cardholder in the BJ's One Mastercard program, in which case the member will only receive an instant discount at BJ's Gas in accordance with the BJ's One Mastercard program rewards terms (see BJs.com/bjsoneterms). BJ's Gas purchases are not eligible purchases and do not earn rewards.

SOURCE Capital One Financial Corporation
One of Germany's leading legal medical cannabis companies secures significant funding from Artemis Growth Partners, Measure 8 Venture Partners, and a leading German family office

Moritz Bleibtreu invests personally and joins the company's mission to de-stigmatize cannabis use for patients and for future adult-use consumers

Multi-million Euro capital raise fully funds Bloomwell's current business operations and positions the Company for significant future growth

FRANKFURT, Germany, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Frankfurt-based medical cannabis holding company Bloomwell Group ("Bloomwell," "Bloomwell Group," or the "Company") has closed a significant multi-million Euro funding round led by Artemis Growth Partners ("Artemis"), a premier American investment fund specializing in impact investing across global cannabis markets. Also participating in this latest funding round are existing seed investor, Measure 8 Venture Partners ("Measure 8"), along with a German family office investing in medical cannabis for the first time, and award-winning, Germany-born film actor Moritz Bleibtreu. Existing Bloomwell investors committed new capital as reinvestment in support of the offering. The terms of the multi-million Euro financing are undisclosed.

As part of the transaction, Artemis co-founder and managing member William Muecke has joined the Company's advisory board and will serve alongside Bloomwell's current board representatives. Mr. Muecke was previously the global co-head of healthcare services in the healthcare investment banking group at Goldman Sachs and Co. With over 30 years of experience in global financial markets, Mr. Muecke is an expert in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity investing.

The large size of the investment and the marquee name recognition of the institutional capital now joining Bloomwell's investor group is a noteworthy endorsement of Bloomwell's success to date, as well as a statement of confidence in Bloomwell's management team, who has guided the Company to its leading market position in German medical cannabis.

This latest investment provides Bloomwell with a fully-funded business model and positions the Company to continue to both increase current market share as well as prepare the business for the expected upcoming federal legalization of adult-use cannabis in Germany.

"We are pleased to be one of the very few select businesses who have been able to close funding in what has been a very difficult period in the private capital markets. Indeed, we are humbled to not only have the continued support of our existing investors but also to have been able to attract new lead capital from such a highly reputable group as Artemis, which is a statement of confidence and vision that we accept and embrace," said Niklas Kouparanis, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomwell Group. "At Bloomwell, our patient-first approach and our unwavering quest for quality and service have guided us from inception to the leadership position we hold today in German medical cannabis. We believe it is this unrelenting spirit of quality and success that has attracted the world's best cannabis investors to our company, and we are pleased to have a fully funded business with significant opportunity and growth ahead of us."

"Germany is the most important European market for medical cannabis, and the country will become the world's largest Federally-legal domestic cannabis market when adult-use cannabis sales begin. We are excited to join Nik and the team as investors and supporters of Bloomwell's continued growth and success, and we believe that Bloomwell is the best-positioned independent German medical cannabis business operating today. We believe the leadership that Bloomwell has shown in the German market will translate into an expanding growth story across Europe, and we enthusiastically join the Company's board to help guide the Company on its path forward. Among all global markets, Europe is the future for patient service, adult use access, and stigma-free acceptance of cannabis, and Germany is the engine powering the train in terms of responsible regulation, durable codification, and profitable growth in legal cannabis," said Mr. Muecke.

Alongside Artemis, a leading German family office has taken a meaningful ownership stake in Bloomwell and will bring its industrial non-cannabis network, and its operational and financial expertise to enhance and accelerate Bloomwell's growth.

In addition, Moritz Bleibtreu is investing in the round and will also work alongside Bloomwell Group to advocate for the continued de-stigmatization of medicinal cannabis.

"Although the potential of the cannabis plant is far from being fully understood, there is now sufficient evidence to justify legalization and expanding consumer access. The cannabis plant can help many people advance their wellness goals. We should stop pigeonholing a plant on the basis of decades of antiquated prejudices," said Mr. Bleibtreu, who is one of Germany's most successful actors. Mr. Bleibtreu is a well-known German actor and public personality who achieved fame for his roles in classic movies such as Run Lola Run, The Experiment, Lammbock  Alles in Handarbeit, Elementarteilchen and Der Baader Meinhof Komplex. Mr. Bleibtreu received a Germany Television Award (The Deutscher Fernsehpreis) last year for his performance in the series Faking Hitler.

"We are very pleased that Moritz Bleibtreu, an accomplished actor with an international reputation, is joining our mission and offering financial support as we work to end the decades-long stigma of the cannabis plant and cannabis consumers. We can only succeed in changing public perceptions if we involve courageous personalities in the public discourse who will help to educate, promote the plant's potential benefits, and strengthen the spirit of the cannabis community," added Mr. Kouparanis.

About Bloomwell Group

Frankfurt-based Bloomwell Group is one of Germany's largest legal private cannabis companies. Founded in 2020, the Company's vision is to become the centerpiece of a new cannabis ecosystem that maps nearly the entire value chain (excluding cultivation), both potentially for cannabis as a future adult-use consumer product, as well as cannabis' current use for medicinal purposes. Bloomwell Group's portfolio of operating businesses currently includes licensed distributor, importer and product developer Ilios Sante; Europe's leading cannabis telemedicine company, Algea Care; and Breezy Brands, the incubator platform for technology solutions and consumer brand building. Among other things, Breezy Brands operates Germany's first marketplace for cannabis dispensaries. For more information, visit: www.bloomwell.eu

About Artemis Growth Partners

Artemis Growth Partners is an alternative asset manager executing environmental, social and governance (ESG) and impact investment strategies across its investment portfolio. Artemis is focused 100% on investing in the global legal cannabis industry. Artemis Growth Partners was founded by a team of professional investors, operators, and advisors who have built and run successful, award-winning domestic and international impact funds. The founders of Artemis Growth Partners are former senior investment banking officers from JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, & Co. and Mesoamerica (Latin America). Artemis Growth Partners oversees more than US $375 million in mission-driven discretionary assets under management (AUM) in a portfolio of over 30 leading companies operating across the global legal cannabis industry. For more information, visit: www.artemisgrowth.com

Contact: Alex Rush

718.664.3517

[email protected]

SOURCE The Bloomwell Group
Blue Line Aviation expands its fleet with the addition of three new Diamond Aircraft, enabling twenty additional students to learn and creating seven more jobs in Johnston County.

SMITHFIELD, N.C., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Line Aviation, an independent commercial pilot training school in Smithfield, North Carolina has grown the flight school's fleet to 31 aircraft with the addition of three new Diamond DA-40 NG planes.

Together, the new airplanes represent a $1.5 million (approximately) investment in education in Johnston County. This investment is just a small portion of the total order for 50 Diamond aircraft that Blue Line originally placed in 2021 and further exercised the additional 50 options in that order in 2022.

Blue Line Aviation Takes Delivery of Three More Diamond DA-40 NG Aircraft

Commercial airline pilots are in demand. According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), over 18,000 pilots are needed per year through 2031, with an average pay of $134,630. And Blue Line's goal is to help fill the positions with highly skilled pilots that have been trained at Blue Line.

With its growing Diamond Fleet, Blue Line Aviation will now be able to train an additional twenty students each year, and the purchase will create seven new jobs in Johnston County.

"The addition of these airplanes will play an integral role in our tireless efforts to train the next generation of professional aviators" says Adam Walters, President of Blue Line Aviation.

The new aircraft purchase will directly impact the recipient of this years 'Fly Right Scholarship'. The newly announced Blue Line flight training scholarship will award $100,000 to a graduate of Johnston County Public Schools. The opportunity to pilot these state-of-the-art planes will be an invaluable asset for the student chosen.

"In spite of the efforts of some in the local government, Blue Line continues to grow. We look forward to announcing further expansion plans soon, which will include relocating some assets from Johnston County to a new training center" says Trey Walters, Co-Founder of Blue Line Aviation."

For more information about Blue Line Aviation or the Fly Right Scholarship program, please visit www.bluelineaviation.com

About Blue Line Aviation

Blue Line Aviation, established in 2012, is one of only a few flight schools in the world to provide quality flight training programs at an accelerated pace. In as few as five and a half months, students can go from no experience to fully confident and certified pilots, fully prepared for a career in aviation. Schedule a tour of our new state-of-the-art facility (located at 3149B Swift Creek Road, Smithfield, North Carolina) and let your new career take flight. For more inquiries and additional information, please visit our website, find us on social media, or contact Ashley Tucker, our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (919) 578-3713 ext. 305.

Press Contact:

Ashley Tucker

(919) 578-3713 ext. 305

http://www.bluelineaviation.com/

SOURCE Blue Line Aviation
MIAMI, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brand Institute, the global leader in pharmaceutical brand name development, offers a portfolio of services to bring a new brand name to market, including creative name development, trademark searches, linguistic analysis, and market research. Still, once a test name has proved to be both distinct and innocent of any negative connotations, what role does market research play exactly in the development of a new pharmaceutical brand name? Daina Quevedo, President of Brand Institute's Boston Office, provides insight.

"Market research serves as an excellent resource in determining which pharmaceutical brand names appeal most to your target audience," Dr. Quevedo says. "The data collected can tell us much about current naming trends in the relevant therapeutic space."

"Certain brands may resonate more with prescribers versus patients, for example. And findings like that can provide tremendous value when planning downstream commercialization activities. Balancing the regulatory and commercial requirements of a project can present challenges, but market research provides an objective assessment of the proposed names and their overall appeal. It is always recommended that you seek expert support to ensure sponsors are adhering to current guidance."

Since first joining Brand Institute in 2017, Dr. Quevedo has worked on hundreds of naming projects, including pharmaceutical and consumer brand names, nonproprietary (INN/USAN) names, corporate identities, and clinical trial names.

About Brand Institute and our wholly owned regulatory subsidiary, Drug Safety Institute

Brand Institute is the global leader in pharmaceutical and healthcare-related name development, with a portfolio of over 4,000 marketed healthcare brand names, 1,300 USAN/INN nonproprietary names for 1,200 clients. The company partners on over 75% of pharmaceutical brand and nonproprietary name approvals globally every year with healthcare manufacturers. Drug Safety Institute is composed of former naming regulatory officials from global government health agencies, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Health Canada (HC), American Medical Association (AMA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). These regulatory experts co-authored the name review guidelines with their respective agencies, with many responsible for ultimately approving (or rejecting) brand name applications. Now working for a private company, these professionals provide Brand Institute's clients with industry-leading guidance pertaining to drug name safety (i.e., preventing medication errors), packaging, and labeling.

Contact:

James Dettore

Chairman & C.E.O.

[email protected]

www.brandinstitute.com

SOURCE Brand Institute, Inc.
Providing a telehealth solution so people can access licensed, skilled doctors and receive care where and when they need it.

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- South Africa. BuddyCentral Group, a South African-based financial services group, is pleased to announce the Beta release of its new platform that enables the people of South Africa to access telehealth services regardless of their location. Additionally, the system helps users create a personal electronic health record they can keep and share as needed. These services are provided through an exclusive licensing agreement with Eagle Intelligent Health, LLC, ("EIH"), a global healthcare technology leader.

"Our group is excited to work with Eagle Intelligent Health on an exclusive basis to bring the app's benefits to South Africa," said Lodewyk Spies, Chairman and Co-founder of the BuddyCentral Group. "We believe that healthcare is a basic human right. However, for various reasons, key populations are being left behind regarding healthcare access. It is our responsibility as global citizens to prioritise healthcare by making medical resources more accessible to all communities. We're thrilled to partner with Eagle Intelligent Health to make this access easier for everyone."

Eagle Intelligent Health, built on patented technology, allows patients to see skilled physicians and licensed healthcare providers via the free app, regardless of location. In addition, users can get digital work sick notes and prescriptions during their telemedicine visits. Finally, they receive a copy of their electronic medical record they can keep on hand for future use and share with others. The platform allows multiple family members to use the app from the same mobile phone. The telehealth services will be made available by the doctors at no cost to the user for a limited time using the Eagle Intelligent Health platform that connects patients and doctors directly.

"Unfortunately, due to the Covid pandemic, we all must think about new ways to care for our patients. Technology has become our first line of defence to protect ourselves, our patients, and our loved ones. The lessons learned during the last two years have given us a new perspective on how to consult with patients, keep their loved ones in the loop concerning their conditions and progress, and create a history that is in the cloud and is with them for life," said Dr. Zaheer Kader, Chief Medical Officer and principal MediBuddy, the company in the BuddyCentral group that carries the vision to service patients from all over in a cost-effective manner.

Arvind Raichur, CEO, and Co-founder of Eagle Intelligent Health said, "Our technology is transforming traditional healthcare as we know it by helping meet the present-day needs of the people in South Africa in an exciting new way. We're also thrilled to partner with MediBuddy to help close the gap in underserved communities and help reduce health inequalities by ensuring that all South Africans have easy access to healthcare when and where they need it via our user-friendly telehealth solution."

Eagle Intelligent Health, designed with the patient's needs at its core, complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act. EIH is revolutionising healthcare by empowering people with a convenient and easy-to-use mobile application that puts individuals in control of their health and wellness. Now the people of South Africa have access to healthcare providers, no matter how far they are from the nearest hospital or clinic, so long as they have cellular service.

The free Eagle Intelligent Health app is available via the Google Play store. Users can create an account today and start managing their family's healthcare needs from one convenient place.

MediBuddy sees this as a strategic initiative which will complement the groups' insurance offerings and which will not only make a difference in the lives of individuals but companies alike, keeping their workforce productive, healthy, and looked after. We are also excited about the strategic partnerships we forged with solid South African companies that truly make a difference in the lives of our people. In time we will be able to reveal more about these.

About Eagle Intelligent Health for South Africa

Eagle Intelligent Health is a secure telehealth platform allowing patients to access skilled doctors in the app from anywhere, regardless of location. Users can better control their health and wellness and understand and share their health information which can help improve outcomes and the quality of care. Patients fill out a simple intake form that captures their medical history, medications, allergies, and more. This information is combined with AI and machine learning to create a personalised Patient Portal in easy-to-understand language. It also includes physician-approved resources to help them better understand their health. Patients can initiate telemedicine calls and get electronic sick notes and prescriptions from their telehealth sessions.

About MediBuddy

MediBuddy is a solution-centred organisation focused on bringing healthcare to everyone through technology without negating the human touch. The partnership with Eagle Intelligent Health provides the perfect opportunity to exploit technology as an enabler to better the lives of the man on the street and give them the perfect opportunity to live with dignity. Having world-class AI and machine learning capabilities to subsidise human effort is an opportunity we cannot let go by.

SOURCE Eagle Intelligent Health
Highlights

Another key milestone for advancing Crawford Nickel Project towards production

Anglo American to become a 9.9% shareholder

TORONTO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Canada Nickel Company Inc. ("Canada Nickel" or the "Company") (TSXV: CNC) (OTCQX: CNIKF) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a Subscription Agreement with Anglo American today to make an approximately $24 million investment in Canada Nickel at a price of $1.95 per Common Share, a 10% premium to the 30-day volume weighted average price ("VWAP").

Upon completion of the private placement, Anglo American will own 9.9% of the Company's issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis. In addition, Canada Nickel has agreed to enter into at closing a binding Offtake Term Sheet with Anglo American pursuant to which Anglo American will have an exclusive right to purchase up to ten per cent (10%) of recoveries of nickel concentrate, iron and chromium contained in the magnetite concentrates and any corresponding carbon credits from the Company's Crawford Nickel Project. Canada Nickel has also agreed to enter into a Material Transfer and Technology Testing Agreement with Anglo American to assess opportunities to add value to Crawford from its FutureSmart Mining technology program.

"We are very pleased to welcome Anglo American, a leading global mining company, as a cornerstone investor in Canada Nickel. Today's announcement is another key milestone as we advance Crawford towards production." said Mark Selby, Chair & CEO of Canada Nickel. "Our team is looking forward to working with Anglo American to identify opportunities to apply their industry leading mining innovation technology to add additional value to Crawford."

Anglo American is leading global mining company with a portfolio of world-class competitive operations and a broad range of future development options. For more information about Anglo American please visit www.angloamerican.com

Under the terms of the agreements, Anglo American will receive ore samples from Canada Nickel for testing, using technologies from Anglo American's FutureSmart Mining programme, with the aim of assessing opportunities to improve processing recoveries and reduce the project's overall energy, water and emission footprint.

Subscription Agreement and Investor Rights Agreement

These agreements contain customary investor rights. As of closing, Anglo American will have a pro rata right in any future issuance of Common Shares or any securities that are or may become convertible, exchangeable or exercisable into Common Shares to maintain its shareholding as long as they hold 7.5% or more of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company. Anglo American will also have the right to nominate one member to the Company's Technical Committee and ESG Committee. If Anglo American holds 15% or more of the issued and outstanding shares, Anglo American will have the right to nominate one director to the Company's board of directors.

Material Transfer and Technology Testing Agreement

This agreement addresses the collaboration between Canada Nickel and Anglo American to identify opportunities to utilize Anglo American's FutureSmart Mining programme to improve processing recoveries and reduce the project's overall water, energy and emission footprint. This Agreement will remain in force until 12 months after the delivery of a sample of ore in an amount of at least one hundred (100) tonnes by Canada Nickel to Anglo American, expected by 2024. For the duration of this agreement, Canada Nickel agrees to deal exclusively with Anglo American in those areas where FutureSmart Mining technologies apply.

Offtake Term Sheet

This binding term sheet grants offtake rights to Anglo American for approximately 10% of the Company's metal production and carbon credits from the Crawford project until the delivery of 65kt of nickel or a term of 15 years, whichever is later. The offtake is based on customary marketing terms and will be based on market terms for the specific products produced. If Canada Nickel utilizes any of the Anglo American technologies, Anglo American shall have the offtake rights to 100% of the incremental quantity of nickel products, related products, and carbon credits produced utilizing these technologies.

The completion of the private placement and related agreements is subject to customary closing conditions including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and is targeted to close on or about February 28, 2023.

This investment is a first step in financing Crawford and complements the previously announced ongoing work by our financial advisors at Deutsche Bank and Scotiabank. The Company has taken a number of steps during the past few months to advance Crawford to construction through the achievement of multiple permitting milestones, the appointment of project equity advisors, and the appointment of a project debt finance advisor expected in the coming month.

About Canada Nickel Company

Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulphide projects to deliver nickel required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero NickelTM, NetZero CobaltTM, NetZero IronTM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp. For more information, please visit www.canadanickel.com.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Selby

Chair and CEO

Phone: 647-256-1954

Email: [email protected]

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, completion of the transactions contemplated herein, drill and exploration results relating to the target properties described herein (the "Properties"), the potential of the Crawford Nickel Sulphide Project and the Properties, timing of economic studies and mineral resource estimates, the ability to sell marketable materials, strategic plans, including future exploration and development results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon several assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals, and the impact of COVID-19 related disruptions in relation to the Company's business operations including upon its employees, suppliers, facilities and other stakeholders. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Canada Nickel Company Inc.
- Leading Fast Casual Seafood Franchise Capitalizing on Market-Smart Prototypes with Smaller Footprints and Efficient Double Drive-Thru Features 

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of multiple restaurant openings in the last quarter of 2022, Captain D's announced today it has an impressive slate of new locations and development agreements underway in the first half of 2023. The nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant currently has seven restaurants slated to debut early this year and has already signed a development agreement with a new franchisee in Cleveland, Ohio. The brand's growth is propelled by market-smart real estate prototypes, including highly efficient double drive-thrus, smaller footprints and cost-effective conversion opportunities. These flexible options are attracting both new and existing multi-unit and multi-concept franchisees who are growing with Captain D's throughout the South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states.

"Captain D's spent the last several years developing restaurant footprints that are well-suited to the increasingly competitive real estate market, and we now have an effective mix of small, medium and no dining room options to provide our franchisees with flexibility and substantial cost savings," said Brad Reed, Chief Development Officer of Captain D's. "Our brand's forward-thinking real estate strategy, paired with our seafood niche in the fast casual space, has positioned Captain D's for accelerated development in 2023."

"Our forward-thinking real estate strategy has positioned Captain D's for accelerated development in 2023." Tweet this

Openings in the last few months of 2022 included new restaurants in Gulfport, Mississippi, Fort Worth and Humble, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio, which marked a second Express opening for the brand. Express is Captain D's 960-square foot prototype with a drive-thru and walk-up window but no dining room. It debuted earlier last year in the Atlanta market with a streamlined selection of core menu items and a kitchen design that assists with quicker cook times and a faster drive-thru.

New restaurants already under construction for the coming months include new and existing markets in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Future locations will feature Captain D's popular Express, 22- and 44-seat designs and a double drive-thru, which boasts shortened wait times and increased efficiency. Captain D's is also continuing to successfully convert vacant restaurant properties, with four completed last year and three cost-effective conversions currently underway in Georgia markets.

Captain D's is consistently recognized among the franchising and foodservice industries' most prestigious accolades. The brand was ranked as the seafood category leader in Entrepreneur magazine's highly competitive Franchise 500 ranking for three years in a row. Other awards include Franchise Times' Top 200 and Nation's Restaurant News Top 100 Restaurants.

With more than 540 restaurants in 23 states, Captain D's is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The brand remains focused on corporate and franchise development in target markets throughout the South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, including Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The company is currently seeking single and multi-unit operators to join in the brand's rapid expansion and is offering franchise owners 0% royalties for the first six months for locations that open 60 days or more ahead of schedule. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-314-4819.

ABOUT CAPTAIN D'S

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Captain D's has more than 540 restaurants in 23 states. Captain D's is the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D's has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for over 50 years. Captain D's serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature batter dipped fish. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, Tilapia and Salmon, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.

Contact:

Nicole Hunnicutt

Fish Consulting

404-558-4108

[email protected]

SOURCE Captain D's
ANNISTON, Ala., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- About 60 workers at Carfair Composites Inc. in Anniston, Ala., won union representation on Feb. 6, with 98 percent of eligible workers affirming their decision to become members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union.

The Carfair workers manufacture fiberglass-reinforced polymer components to supply the transportation industry, including for hybrid and electric buses. They chose to join the USW to gain a greater voice in decisions that impact their working conditions, wages and benefits.

"As we look to the jobs of the future, it's essential that they're good, family-sustaining union jobs," said USW District 9 Director Daniel Flippo, who leads the USW's bargaining and organizing work in Alabama, six other southern states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. "The USW is proud to welcome Carfair workers to our union."

Carfair, a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries, signed a neutrality agreement with the USW last April stating they would not interfere with the union-building process if workers decided they wanted the benefits of collective bargaining.

"Too many employers fight their workers tooth and nail to keep them from exercising their right to organize," said Flippo. "True neutrality allows workers to make their own choice  and as workers at Carfair overwhelmingly demonstrated, workers want a seat at the table."

Carfair has two facilities in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota in addition to its Alabama factory.

The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in tech, public sector and service occupations.

Contact: Cheyenne Schoen, [email protected], 412-562-2446

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)
The two brands are bringing all-new menu items to fans to indulge for breakfast, lunch and dinner

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are releasing a new menu platform inspired by the city of Brotherly Love -- Philadelphia. The all-new Philly Cheesesteak menu platform combines the iconic Philly Cheesesteak flavor and toppings with the brands' charbroiled burger and breakfast burrito, available to consumers nationwide.

CARLS JR. AND HARDEES INTRODUCE NEW PHILLY CHEESESTEAK MENU PLATFORM

Menu items include the Philly Cheesesteak Angus Thickburger which features a one-third pound, 100 percent Angus beef patty topped with thin sliced ribeye, fire roasted onions and peppers, melty cheese and mayo served on a toasted potato bun. The menu platform also features a Philly Cheesesteak Breakfast Burrito which includes scrambled eggs, thinly sliced ribeye, fire roasted onions and peppers and melty cheese served in a warm flour tortilla.

Our brands are always looking for flavors and sources of inspiration to bring exciting new creations to the menu, said Jean Leathersich, Director of Culinary for CKE Restaurants, Inc. With this latest launch, were bringing the flavor many know and love from the iconic Philly Cheesesteak in two unique product offering forms. Were looking forward to getting this product out there and seeing how consumers respond.

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's Philly Cheesesteak Breakfast Burrito and Philly Cheesesteak Angus Thickburger will be available beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at locations nationwide. The burrito has a starting price of $4.99 at Hardee's and $5.19 at Carl's Jr., and the burger has a starting price of $7.19 at Hardee's and $7.49 at Carl's Jr.

Follow Carl's Jr. and Hardee's on social media for the latest product news and download the brand's My Rewards app for promotional offers.

Twitter: @CarlsJr and @Hardees

Instagram: @CarlsJr and @Hardees

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlsjr and www.facebook.com/hardees

About CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE"), a privately held company based in Franklin, Tennessee, runs and operates Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, two beloved regional brands, known for one-of-a-kind premium and innovative menu items such as 100 percent Black Angus Thickburgers, Made from Scratch Biscuits and Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders. With both a US and international footprint, Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardee's Restaurants LLC have over 3,900 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states and 42 foreign countries and U.S. territories. For more information about CKE, please visit www.ckr.com or its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com .

SOURCE CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.
Company's expansion into Canadian market addresses surging demand for secure cloud-based services in the country.

TYSONS, Va., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Casepoint today announced the company has officially expanded its North American offering of the Casepoint Platform with a dedicated data center in Canada. Canadian corporations, government agencies, and law firms will now have access to Casepoint's industry-leading Legal Hold and eDiscovery software within Canada. The move comes in response to an increasing demand in the Canadian market for secure, cloud-based legal discovery technology for litigation, investigations, and compliance. It also addresses data residency requirements for organizations operating within Canadian borders.

While Casepoint has established a strong presence in the U.S. market since 2008, there is a growing need for modern cloud-based Legal Hold and eDiscovery platform alternatives in the Canadian market. The demand has surged for a single secure, end-to-end platform that can replace the need for separate software for legal hold, processing, review, and analytics. With more Canadian corporations bringing eDiscovery in-house and more government agencies and law firms seeking self-service options, Casepoint has emerged as an obvious solution.

Casepoint Announces Launch of Its Legal Hold and eDiscovery Solution in Canada Tweet this

"We're thrilled to be able to offer our industry-leading Legal Hold and eDiscovery software to Canadian customers for the first time after years of mounting interest in Casepoint in this market," said Haresh Bhungalia, Casepoint's CEO. "Not only will we be able to provide major organizations a leading alternative to legacy eDiscovery systems, we'll also meet jurisdictional and data privacy law requirements, including the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act ( PIPEDA )."

Like its U.S. counterpart, Casepoint's Canadian cloud-based solution exceeds all NIST and SOC controls to manage cybersecurity risks.

"The biggest benefit of our data center is lower latency for our Canadian customers, which allows for faster data transfers, especially for larger data sets," said Sundhar Rajan, Casepoint's Chief Information Officer. "The data center is also backed by Casepoint's rigorous approach to cybersecurity, giving Canadian organizations even more reason to choose Casepoint."

The establishment of the data center highlights Casepoint's rapidly growing market presence in North America and increasing engagements in the Canadian market. The recent " eDiscovery Innovation of the Year " winner has expanded its legal hold, cloud data collection, intelligent data processing, and collaboration capabilities over the past year, resulting in a best-in-breed solution to manage and monitor the entire discovery process from legal hold to review and production.

About Casepoint

Casepoint is the legal technology platform of choice for corporations, government agencies, and law firms to meet their complex eDiscovery, investigations, and compliance needs. Powered by cutting-edge AI and advanced analytics, Casepoint helps teams cut through large volumes of data to quickly identify insightful and actionable information. Casepoint's secure and scalable cloud-based platform is designed to help organizations take control of their data and processes to maximize efficiency, mitigate risk, and lower overall legal spend. Casepoint's easy-to-use and intuitive interface provides legal hold, cloud collections, powerful data processing, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, review, and production.

Media Contact

Carolyn Depko

Plat4orm PR

Media Relations Manager

[email protected]

Phone: 908 565 3709

SOURCE Casepoint, LLC
Global pioneer in fertility treatment and research expands its world-class operations and services from Northern Virginia to greater Washington D.C. and Maryland areas to support the growing demand in the community

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CCRM Fertility, the global pioneer in fertility treatment, research and science, today announced the introduction of two new satellite office locations in the greater Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland area. The first-ever Downtown D.C. location opens on February 21, 2023, and on February 27, 2023, CCRM Fertility's Rockville, MD permanent space will open its doors. Beginning today, patients can start scheduling appointments at either location. CCRM Fertility now has three locations and four endocrinology and infertility specialists serving the community.

CCRM LOGO 2021 Updated (PRNewsfoto/CCRM)

Led by reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists and current CCRM Northern Virginia doctors, Dr. Olivia Carpinello and Dr. Anne Martini, the new Downtown D.C. and Rockville, MD satellite offices were created to provide patients in the area with even more accessibility and convenience to CCRM Fertility's exceptional fertility care. Upon opening, these CCRM Fertility spaces will support all procedures (with the exception of embryo transfers and egg retrievals); new patient consults for IUI, IVF, egg freezing; monitoring, diagnostic procedures, ultrasounds, phlebotomy and clinical lab services.

"By adding two additional satellite offices to Northern Virginia and the surrounding area, our leading physicians can better help their existing and future patients achieve their dream of having a baby today," said CCRM Fertility CEO Bob LaGalia. "Both Dr. Carpinello and Dr. Martini will now have the opportunity to bring CCRM Fertility's gold standard of fertility care to even more individuals and families going through their fertility journeys and help them develop custom tailored plans to ensure their best outcomes possible."

Dr. Carpinello treats patients on Thursdays at CCRM Fertility's Northern Virginia Main Center in Vienna, and now will see patients at the new satellite office in Downtown D.C. the remaining days of the week. Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Carpinello received her undergraduate degree in nutritional sciences from Cornell University and then attended the University of Vermont College of Medicine for medical school as a third-generation legacy. Following her medical school graduation, Dr. Carpinello completed residency at the University of Connecticut and went on to work as a staff clinician at The National Institutes of Health under the mentorship of Dr. Alan DeCherney, a leader in the field of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She subsequently completed her fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the National Institutes of Health and currently has a particular interest in third-party reproduction and PCOS.

"Helping my patients achieve their family-building goals in a compassionate and evidence-driven manner is a huge passion point of mine," said Dr. Carpinello. "At CCRM Fertility, our patients are getting access to physicians trained at one of the top fellowship programs in the country, a high-quality laboratory and most importantly, personalized care. I believe these traits combine to create the perfect opportunity for success on my patients' fertility journeys."

Dr. Anne "Annie" Martini treats patients on Tuesday at CCRM Northern Virginia Main Center in Vienna, and will soon see patients at the new Rockville office on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays. Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, the Midwest native received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her medical degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. After finishing her OBGYN residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Dr. Martini completed her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Martini's research and clinical interests have focused on IVF outcomes after egg freezing and she continues to help author guidelines for best practices in fertility care.

"Through my work at CCRM Fertility, I strive to build a trusted partnership with my patients," said Dr. Martini. "Part of that trust comes from being able to provide a comfortable and personalized experience on their family building journey to ensure they can go through the process with ease, excitement and peace of mind."

CCRM Fertility's Downtown D.C. office is located at 2120 L. Street, N.W. Suite 701, Washington, D.C., 20037, and will be open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m.  3:30 p.m. EST.

CCRM Fertility's Rockville, MD office is located at 14995 Shady Grove Rd., Suite 430, Rockville, MD, 20850, and beginning February 27, 2023, the satellite location will be open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m.  3:30pm EST.

To schedule a new patient appointment at either new location, please call (571) 789-2100 and for more information, visit www.ccrmivf.com/northernvirginia.

About CCRM Fertility

CCRM Fertility is a global pioneer in fertility treatment, research and science. Founded by Dr. William Schoolcraft over 35 years ago , CCRM Fertility specializes in the most advanced fertility treatments, with deep expertise in IVF, fertility testing, egg freezing, preimplantation genetic testing, third party reproduction and egg donation. CCRM Fertility leverages its own data and a dedicated team of in-house reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists and geneticists to deliver industry-leading outcomes. CCRM serves 13 major metropolitan areas with 36 locations across North America, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Delaware. Denver, Houston, New Jersey, New York, Northern Virginia/D.C., Minneapolis, Orange County, San Francisco Bay Area, and Toronto. CCRM Fertility is a proud strategic partner of Unified Women's Healthcare, a focused women's health company that strategically operates, affiliates, or invests in businesses that drive better outcomes and experiences for patients for every milestone and moment of her healthcare journey. For more information, visit www.ccrmivf.com .

SOURCE CCRM Fertility
Book early to combat the competitive travel environment

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CheapAir.com today published its 9th annual Airfare Study, taking a look at 917 million flight prices in more than 8,000 markets across the United States to determine the best times to buy domestic airline tickets. The analysis provides travelers with necessary insights to navigate the competitive landscape and get the best airfare value.

According to the study, on average, the best day to buy domestic flights is 70 days before departure, which is six days earlier than 2022's study. When booking airline tickets, there are many factors that impact how far in advance travelers should secure their flights. Seat location, flight experience, destination, and price all determine when to purchase in order to receive the best deal.

"At CheapAir.com we utilize our first-hand data to provide a fully transparent booking experience, recognizing there is not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to travel. We understand how important it is, especially with last year's complications, to share relevant trends and tips to help consumers make the best travel decisions," said CheapAir.com CEO Jeff Klee.

In 2023, the booking window that offers the lowest flight prices is approximately 1.5 to 5.5 months before departure. This is slightly earlier than previous years when travelers could wait up to three weeks before departure and is likely the result of today's high travel demand, staffing shortages, and fluctuating fuel prices. In order to secure the best deals on flights this year, the message is consistent: book early.

To help consumers make the most informed purchasing decisions, CheapAir.com's 2023 Domestic Airfare Study revealed these additional insights:

Wednesday is the cheapest day of the week to fly , saving on average $100 per airline ticket compared to the most expensive day, Sunday .

, saving on average per airline ticket compared to the . February is the least expensive month to fly with January following closely behind. Flying in February will save travelers approximately $114 compared to flying in December, the most expensive month to fly (followed by July).

with January following closely behind. Flying in February will save travelers approximately compared to flying in to fly (followed by July). Airfares remain volatile. From the time a trip first goes on sale, fares change 49 times on average and change by an average of $43 each time .

on average and . There is no best day of the week to buy an airline ticket . Data shows that the average low fare varies by less than $1 , no matter what day of the week travelers purchase airline tickets.

. Data shows that the average low fare varies by less than , no matter what day of the week travelers purchase airline tickets. The summer travel season requires the earliest timeline to take advantage of the lowest flight prices. Winter, excluding peak holidays, is the bargain season to travel with the shortest window to purchase airline tickets than any other season.

To further help travelers book flights with confidence, they can utilize tools such as CheapAir.com's Best Time to Buy Flights Widget to check for the best times to purchase airfare for specific itineraries. Additionally, CheapAir.com's Price Drop Payback program allows customers to be reimbursed for up to $100 per airline ticket if prices drop after purchase. The company also offers payment flexibility options from cryptocurrency payments to monthly financing making it easy for anyone to purchase airfare.

For more information, data, and insights on the best ways to save on airfare, check out the full CheapAir.com 2023 Airfare Study.

About CheapAir.com

Headquartered in California, 2022 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards winner CheapAir.com is powered by a team of travel enthusiasts who use cutting-edge technology and superior customer service to simplify the way people shop for travel. Our proprietary airfare shopping engine provides an easy-to-understand view of flight and fare options, to make trip planning easy and joyful. Only CheapAir provides full apples-to-apples comparisons so you can see and book across different airlines and different flights, not just the lowest fares, but also the best value flights based on quality, comfort, and inflight amenities.

Along with its sister company, AmTrav for Business Travelers, CheapAir.com has helped over five million people buy plane tickets and travel with confidence.

Press Contact:

Geetha Kerlin,

630-248-0434,

[email protected]

SOURCE CheapAir.com
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant will help researchers answer important questions about the effects of COVID-19

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To advance vital mitochondrial medicine research and help decode the pandemic puzzle, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has received more than $2.3 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

As health officials monitor local and global COVID-19 infections, a critical question has surfaced  why are certain individuals and populations more severely affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus  which causes COVID-19  than others? To address this question and the resulting unprecedented demands being pressed on global medical institutions, the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine (CMEM) at CHOP is determining if mitochondrial variation is an important factor in determining why certain patients have more severe symptoms to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

"Our mitochondrial studies have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 has a powerful adverse effect on patients' mitochondrial function," said Dr. Douglas Wallace, geneticist, evolutionary biologist and director of the CMEM at CHOP. "The genes of the DNA within the mitochondria, the mtDNA, are vitally important in cellular energy production and differ in sequence between individuals as well as people of different global ancestries. Therefore, we are investigating the role of mtDNA variation in determining the severity of COVID-19 symptoms."

"With this transformative grant from the Gates Foundation we hope to not only determine the importance of mtDNA variation in COVID-19 severity, but also to identify new approaches for mitigating the adverse impact of COVID-19," Wallace explained.

The CMEM focuses on understanding and potentially treating a broad spectrum of diseases by focusing on mitochondria, the "batteries" of our cells. The genes for generating mitochondria are dispersed across both the nuclear DNA and the mtDNA. CMEM is studying alterations in the mitochondrial genes in diseases as diverse as neuropsychiatric disorders from autism to Alzheimer's disease, blindness, heart and muscle disease, diabetes and obesity, as well as SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CMEM team, in conjunction with the international COV-IRT consortium, have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 has a striking adverse effect on mitochondrial gene expression and function. CMEM investigators will now determine if mtDNA variation contributes to individual COVID-19 sensitivity.

"Based on current evidence, we have hypothesized that individuals with more energetically efficient mtDNAs, such as those from sub-Saharan Africa, may be less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 mitochondrial inhibition and more resistant to COVID-19 pathology," Dr. Wallace added. "The Gates Foundation funding will make testing this hypothesis possible."

To learn more about the work of Dr. Wallace and CMEM, please visit cmem.research.chop.edu.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the 595-bed hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as a new inpatient hospital with a dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit www.chop.edu.

CONTACT:

Kaitlyn Tivenan

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

610-618-0542

[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "China Autonomous Driving Algorithm Research Report, 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The core of the autonomous driving algorithm technical framework is divided into three parts: environment perception, decision planning, and control execution.



Environment perception: convert sensor data into machine language of the scenario where the vehicle is located, which can include object detection, recognition and tracking, environment modeling, motion estimation, etc.;



Decision planning: Based on the output results of perception algorithm, the final behavioral action instructions are given, including behavioral decisions (vehicle following, stopping and overtaking), action decisions (car steering, speed, etc.), path planning, etc.;



Control actuation: according to the output results of decision-making level, the underlying modules are mobilized to issue instructions to the core control components such as accelerator and brake, and promote vehicle to drive according to the planned route.



BEV drives algorithm revolution



In recent years, BEV perception has received extensive attention. BEV model mainly provides a unified space to facilitate the fusion of various tasks and sensors. It has following advantages:



BEV unifies the multimodal data processing dimension and makes multimodal fusion easier



The BEV perception system converts the information obtained from multiple cameras or radars to a bird's-eye view, and then do tasks such as object detection and instance segmentation, which can more intuitively display the dimension and direction of objects in BEV space.



In 2022, Peking University & Ali proposed a fusion framework of LiDAR and vision - BEVFusion. The processing of radar point clouds and image processing are carried out independently, using neural networks to encode, project to a unified BEV space, and then merge the two in BEV space.



Realize timing information fusion and build 4D space



In the 4D space, the perception algorithm can better complete the perception tasks such as speed measurement, and can transmit the results of motion prediction to the decision and control module.



PhiGent Robotics proposed BEVDet4D in 2022, which is a version based on BEVDet to increase timing fusion. BEVDet4D extends BEVDet by retaining intermediate BEV features of past frames, and then fuses features by aligning and splicing with the current frame, so that time clues can be obtained by querying two candidate features.



Imagine occluded objects to realize object prediction



In the BEV space, the algorithm can predict the occluded area based on prior knowledge, and imagine whether there are objects in the occluded area.



FIERY, proposed by Wayve in cooperation with the University of Cambridge in 2021, is an end-to-end road dynamic object instance prediction algorithm that does not rely on high-precision maps and is only based on aerial views of monocular cameras.



Promoting development of an end-to-end autonomous driving framework



In the BEV space, perception and prediction can be directly optimized end-to-end through neural networks in a unified space, and the results can be obtained at the same time. Not only the perception module, but also the BEV-based planning decision-making module is also the direction of academic research.



In 2022, autonomous driving team of Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the team of associate professor Yan Junchi of Shanghai Jiao Tong University collaborated on paper ST-P3 to propose a spatiotemporal feature learning solution that can simultaneously provide a set of more representative features for perception, prediction and planning tasks.



AI large model drives algorithm iteration



After 2012, deep learning algorithms are widely applied in autonomous driving field. In order to support larger and more complex AI computing needs, AI large models with the characteristics of `huge data, huge computing power, and huge algorithms` were born, which accelerated the iteration speed of algorithms.



Large Model and Intelligent Computing Center



In 2021, HAOMO.AI launched research and landing attempts on large-scale Transformer model, and then gradually applied it on a large scale in projects including multi-modal perception data fusion and cognitive model training. In December 2021, HAOMO.AI released autonomous driving data intelligence system MANA (Chinese name `Snow Lake`), which integrates perception, cognition, labeling, simulation, computing and other aspects.

In January 2023, HAOMO.AI together with Volcano Engine unveiled MANA OASIS, a supercomputing center with a total computing power of 670 PFLOPS. After deploying HAOMO.AI's training platform, OASIS can run various applications including cloud large-scale model training, vehicle-side model training, annotation, and simulation. With the help of MANA OASIS, the five major models of HAOMO.AI have ushered in a new appearance and upgrade.



In August 2022, based on Alibaba Cloud intelligent computing platform, Xpeng Motors built an autonomous driving intelligent computing center `Fuyao`, which is dedicated to training of autonomous driving models. In October 2022, Xpeng also announced the introduction of Transformer large model.



In November 2022, Baidu released Wenxin Big Model. Leveraging more than 1 billion parameters, it recognizes thousands of objects, helping to enlarge the scope of semantic recognition. At present, it is mainly used in three aspects: distance vision, multimodality and data mining.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Overview of Autonomous Driving Algorithms

1.1 Overview of Autonomous Driving Algorithms

1.1.1 Overview of Environment Perception Algorithms - Vision

1.1.2 Overview of Environment Perception Algorithms - LiDAR

1.1.3 Overview of Environment Perception Algorithms - Radar

1.1.4 Overview of Environment Perception Algorithms - Multi-Sensor Fusion

1.2 Overview of Decision Planning and Control Actuation Algorithms

1.3 Development of Neural Networks

1.4 Autonomous Driving Algorithm Supply Mode



2. Research on Chip Vendor Algorithm

2.1 Huawei

2.2 Horizon Robotics

2.3 Black Sesame

2.4 Genesys Microelectronics

2.5 Mobileye

2.6 Qualcomm Arriver

2.7 NXP

2.8 NVIDIA



3. Research on Tier 1 & Tier 2 Algorithm

3.1 Momenta

3.2 Nullmax

3.3 ArcSoft

3.4 JueFX

3.5 ThunderSoft

3.6 Holomatic

3.7 Enjoy Move

3.8 Haomo.ai

3.9 Huanyu Zhixing

3.10 Valeo

3.11 StradVision



4. Algorithm Research of Emerging Automakers and OEMs

4.1 Tesla

4.2 NIO

4.3 Li Auto

4.4 Xpeng

4.5 Rising Auto

4.6 Leapmotor

4.7 ZEEKR

4.8 BMW

4.9 SAIC

4.10 General Motors



5. Research on Robtaxi Algorithm for L4 Autonomous Driving

5.1 Baidu Apollo

5.2 Pony.ai

5.3 WeRide

5.4 Deeproute.ai

5.5 QCraft

5.6 UISEE Technology

5.7 AutoX

5.8 DiDi Autonomous Driving

5.9 Waymo



6. Development Trends of Autonomous Driving Algorithms

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/iv0rxj-autonomous?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.

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
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Research Report on China's Cotton Import 2023-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

With the development of China's economy and rising living standards, the demand for cotton in the Chinese market is on the rise. Due to the limited arable land, there is little room for growth in China's local cotton production, and China needs to import a large amount of cotton every year.



In 2021, China's cotton imports totaled 2.147 million tons, down 5.7% year-on-year, and the import value was US$4.11 billion, up 15.3% year-on-year. According to the publisher analysis, in the first three quarters of 2022, China's cotton imports totaled 1.458 million tons, down 21.2% year-on-year, and the import value was US$3.84 billion, up 11.1%.



The average price of China's cotton imports is more volatile in 2018-2022. The average price of China's cotton imports fell continuously from 2018-2020, from US$2.0 per kg in 2018 to US$1.7 per kg in 2020. the average price of China's cotton imports reached US$1.9 per kg in 2021, up 16.0% y-o-y. in the first three quarters of 2022, the average price of China's cotton imports rose to US$2.6 per kg, up 41.0% year-on-year.



In 2021, China imports cotton from 36 countries, and the top five source countries by import volume are the U.S., Brazil, India, Burkina Faso and Benin. According to the publisher's analysis, China's cotton imports from the U.S., Brazil and India in 2021 will be 1.884 million tons, accounting for 87.7% of total imports, and $3.60 billion, or 87.5% of total imports, with the U.S. accounting for 38.6%, Brazil for 30.0% and India for 19.2%.



In the first three quarters of 2022, Sudan overtook Burkina Faso to return to the top five source countries of China's cotton imports, the United States, Brazil, India still firmly in the top three, the three accounted for 88.8% of total imports, of which the United States imports amounted to 95.0 million tons, an increase of 26.6% year-on-year. India's imports fell to 39,000 tons, down 90.4% year-on-year.



The types of cotton imported into China mainly include uncombed cotton and combed cotton, of which uncombed cotton is the main type of cotton imported into China. 2021, China imported 2.142 million tons of uncombed cotton, accounting for 99.8% of the total imports, and the import value of US$4.10 billion, accounting for 99.8%.



In the publisher's analysis, China is the world's largest cotton consumer, and domestic cotton production cannot meet the demand of the downstream industry chain, so the cotton market is in short supply, it is expected that the future demand gap of China's cotton will still rely mainly on imports.



Topics covered:

China's Cotton Import Status and Major Sources in 2018-2022

Cotton Import Status and Major Sources in 2018-2022 What is the Impact of COVID-19 on China's Cotton Import?

Cotton Import? Which Companies are the Major Players in China's Cotton Import Market and What are their Competitive Benchmarks?

Cotton Import Market and What are their Competitive Benchmarks? Key Drivers and Market Opportunities in China's Cotton Import

Cotton Import What are the Key Drivers, Challenges, and Opportunities for China's Cotton Import during 2023-2032?

Cotton Import during 2023-2032? What is the Expected Revenue of China's Cotton Import during 2023-2032?

Cotton Import during 2023-2032? What are the Strategies Adopted by the Key Players in the Market to Increase Their Market Share in the Industry?

What are the Competitive Advantages of the Major Players in China's Cotton Import Market?

Cotton Import Market? Which Segment of China's Cotton Import is Expected to Dominate the Market in 2032?

Cotton Import is Expected to Dominate the Market in 2032? What are the Major Adverse Factors Facing China's Cotton Import?

Key Topics Covered

1. 2018-2022 China Cotton Import Analysis

1.1. Scale of China's Cotton Import

1.1.1. China's Cotton Import Volume Analysis

1.1.2. China's Cotton Import Value Analysis

1.1.3. China's Cotton Import Price Analysis

1.1.4. China's Cotton Apparent Consumption Analysis

1.1.5. Analysis of China's Cotton Import Dependence

1.2. China's Cotton Main Import Sources



2. 2018-2022 China Cotton Import Type Analysis

2.1 Import Analysis of Uncombed Cotton

2.1.1 Import Volume Analysis of Uncombed Cotton

2.1.2 Import Value Analysis of Uncombed Cotton

2.1.3 Import Price Analysis of Uncombed Cotton

2.1.4 Import Dependence Analysis of Uncombed Cotton

2.1.5. Uncombed Cotton Import Source Country Analysis

2.2 Combed Cotton Import Analysis

2.2.1 Combed Cotton Import Volume Analysis

2.2.2 Combed Cotton Flower Import Volume Analysis

2.2.3 Combed Cotton Import Price Analysis

2.2.4 Import Dependence Analysis of Combed Cotton

2.2.5 Combed Cotton Main Import Source Countries Analysis



3. 2018-2022 China's Cotton Major Import Source Country Analysis

3.1 USA Cotton Import Analysis

3.2. Brazil Cotton Import Analysis

3.3. India Cotton Import Analysis

3.4 Other Cotton Import Analysis



4. 2023-2032 China's Import Cotton Outlook

4.1 Factors Affecting China's Cotton Imports

4.2. Drivers and Market Opportunities for China's Cotton Imports

4.3 Threats and Challenges to China's Cotton Imports

4.4. China's Cotton Import Demand Forecast, 2023-2032



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4m46v0-report?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
WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ConnectRN , the nurse staffing community that provides clinicians with flexible scheduling opportunities and resources, today launched an initiative with healthwear company Care+Wear entitled "Encouraging Scrubs." Three limited edition scrub designs have been embroidered with an encouraging message submitted by nurses in connectRN's community. The sayings, which range from "Keep your head up" to "Take a deep breath, you got this" to "You make a difference" are intended to serve as a boost of positivity from one nurse to another when they need it most during a challenging shift.

connectRN and Care+Wear Announce Limited Edition Encouraging Scrubs to Offer Support and Motivation to Nurses connectRN and Care+Wear Announce Limited Edition Encouraging Scrubs to Offer Support and Motivation to Nurses

Care+Wear and connectRN share a common belief that supporting and celebrating healthcare heroes is essential. The Encouraging Scrubs collection is about joy, self-expression, confidence, and dignity. They're about no detail being too small and no decision being too intentional when it comes to celebrating those who care for us day-in and day-out.

Support for nurses is more vital than ever on the heels of the recent nursing strike , as well as statistics from a connectRN national survey that reveals that half of nurses are considering quitting the profession. As well, over 1,700 nurses have signed connectRN's " unResignation Notice " promising to stay in the profession if stipulated changes in the nursing industry occur, making their jobs more sustainable.

Nurses will have the opportunity to enter a social media giveaway where they can win a set of scrubs by simply tagging a fellow nurse who inspires them.

"One of the aspects that makes the nursing community so resilient is their commitment to looking out for one another, especially during the unexpected challenges over the last few years," said Jen Reddy, Chief Marketing Officer at connectRN. "These special edition scrubs bear messages that come directly from other nurses in our community, and we're grateful for the partnership with Care+Wear that allows nurses to encourage each other in new and creative ways."

Each item in the Encouraging Scrubs collection was designed with both fashion and function in mind while the embroidered sayings help nurses feel the support of their community and celebrate the ways in which healthcare workers are there for one another through their daily challenges.

"Care+Wear is excited to be partnering with connectRN. The project felt like a natural fit for our two brands as we both aim to support our healthcare heroes on a daily basis," stated Chaitenya Razdan, Care+Wear's Founder & CEO. "Care+Wear's mission is to bridge fashion and function for a more human healthcare experience and the Encouraging Scrubs project brings to life that core belief."

ConnectRN and Care+Wear look forward to further supporting the nursing community together and aim to bring more comfortable luxurious scrubs to this core market.

About connectRN

connectRN is the leading nurse community, created to connect nurses with each other, provide career support and deliver flexible work opportunities. By leveraging technology the platform allows access to work opportunities and vital resources nurses need to build a thriving career. connectRN is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts and serves clinicians across the U.S. To learn more about connectRN, please visit www.connectrn.com.

About Care+Wear

Care+Wear is an innovative healthwear company born out of the desire to help loved ones feel more human while in the hospital. Founded in 2014, the first product developed by the company was a better PICC Line cover, which provided a springboard to reimagine how the world looks at and feels about healthcare. Care+Wear aims to reach millions of patients and clinicians with its adaptive and accessible shirts, sweatshirts, recovery bras, innovative patient gowns, NICU onesies, scrubs collection, and more. Their products are used in more than 80 hospital systems globally including Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, NYU Langone Health and more. All items are developed keeping with the mission of bridging fashion and function for a more human healthcare experience. Visit www.careandwear.com .

Media Contact:

Lily Seibert

6462992491

[email protected]

SOURCE connectRN
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global blood glucose meters industry size was valued at USD 15.80 billion in 2022 and will register a robust CAGR of around 7.3% from 2023 to 2030, according to the "Blood Glucose Meters Industry Data Book, 2023-2030," published by Grand View Research. An unprecedented rise in the diabetic population has furthered the demand for technologies monitoring blood glucose. In November 2022, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) report claimed that around 62 million people live with diabetes in the Americas, which is forecast to reach 109 million by 2040. The trend for glucose monitoring devices and boosting the capacity for the early diagnosis of diabetes will encourage leading players to foster their penetration.

Blood glucose monitoring devices have witnessed increased traction across developing and developed countries, mainly due to the need to stay on track with blood sugar goals. The growth trajectory is primarily attributed to the trend for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technologies to track blood sugar levels. CGM tools have provided an impetus to manage type 1 or type 2 diabetes 24 hours a day. These devices are non-invasive, do not need fingerstick and can measure blood sugar in real time. The blood glucose monitoring devices market size reached USD 12.53 billion in 2022 and could expand at around 8.1% CAGR from 2023 to 2030. State-of-the-art devices can leverage early detection, holistic insights, remote care and better diabetes management to help users make informed health decisions.

Access the Global Blood Glucose Meters Industry Data Book, 2023 to 2030, compiled with details like market sizing information & forecasts, trade data, pricing intelligence, competitive benchmarking, macro-environmental analyses, and regulatory & technological framework studies

The point-of-care glucose testing has witnessed an increased demand to provide instant feedback to the patient, thereby minimizing wait time. Notably, the advent of analyzers for short turnaround tests has added fillip to the market growth. An increased emphasis on shorter hospital stays and the trend to streamline POC management have augured innovation in the global landscape. The point-of-care glucose testing market size was pegged at USD 3.27 billion in 2022, depicting a CAGR of 3.7% from 2023 to 2030. Industry participants expect POCT to redefine diabetes management with reduced staff time, minimized laboratory overhead and increased patient satisfaction.

A slew of drivers, opportunities and trends has brought a paradigm shift in the global landscape. Blood glucose meters manufacturers and suppliers are expected to cash in on the prevailing growth potentials to expand their penetration across yet-to-be-penetrated areas. Some industry dynamics, included but not limited to, are highlighted below:

Glucose meters will be sought-after to help people make decisions pertaining to their insulin, food choices, medications and activities. End-users are likely to prioritize accuracy, ease of use and price of glucometers, including CGMs and standard devices.

Self-monitoring devices have received impetus following the demand for wearable technologies. Digitally-powered tools have become the go-to technology for the self-management of diabetes and to underpin blood glucose maintenance. It can help identify and treat hypoglycemia and is believed to assist in enhancing the control of sugar levels.

Europe could witness investment galore in the wake of profound traction for CGM devices. In September 2022 , Innovate U.K. poured 800,000 (roughly USD 958,370 ) in seed funding and a 300,000 (approximately USD 359,419 ) grant to Transdermal Diagnostics to help develop needle-free continuous glucose monitor technology.

Order your copy of the Free Sample of "Blood Glucose Meters Industry Data Book - Point-of-care Glucose Testing Devices, Self-Monitoring & Continuous Blood Glucose Monitors Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" Data Book, published by Grand View Research

From a regional perspective, the North America blood glucose meters market share will rise against the backdrop of a surging diabetic population and the demand to monitor sugar levels. Strikingly, the impact of COVID-19 complications furthered the need to track blood glucose levels. According to the CDC, COVID-19-infected people younger than 18 had 2.5 times more chances of being newly diagnosed with diabetes post infections than those without COVID-19 and those with respiratory diseases prior to the outbreak. Additionally, continuous glucose monitoring devices will continue to witness an uptake across the U.S. and Canada to slow down or prevent the progression of the disease. Along with other notable features, CGM can help download data to smart devices to seamlessly assess glucose trends, prompting leading companies to foster their footprint.

Go through the table of content of Blood Glucose Meters Industry Data Book to get a better understanding of the Coverage & Scope of the study

The competitive landscape alludes to an emphasis on organic and inorganic strategies, including technological advancements, mergers & acquisitions, product launches, R&D activities and innovations. To illustrate, in August 2022, Abbott announced infusing USD 450 million to bolster the production of its FreeStyle Libre CGMs in two facilities in Ireland. Meanwhile, in March 2022, Dexcom's received a CE mark for its G7 CGM systems, enabling the product to be rolled out in Europe.

Check out more Industry Data Books, published by Grand View Research

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/sector-reports-list

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc
CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Customer Intelligence Platform Market size is projected to grow from USD 1.9 billion in 2022 to USD 7.0 billion by 2027 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.7% during the forecast period, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The rising demand for personalized customer experiences, the shift toward data-driven marketing and advertising, and rising investments in customer intelligence platforms by large enterprises are some key factors expected to boost the market growth.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Customer Intelligence Platform Market"

339 - Tables

56 - Figures

322  Pages

Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=56360803

By component, the platform segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

Customer intelligence platform is the next step in customer data management. It serves and connects business users across sales, marketing, commerce, and services, connecting billions of data points across disparate sources of data to uncover insights. Significant resources have been invested by companies in analytics but they realize that they must also invest in data governance and management or risk making decisions on bad data, leading to bad results. To deliver the more automated, personal, and predictive services customers expect, organizations need a customer intelligence platform driven by AI and machine learning to manage and analyze data from multiple disparate sources at volumes and at speeds no human can match. Increasing use of AI and ML capabilities to develop predictive models will drive the market of customer intelligence platforms.

By services, support & maintenance segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

Support and maintenance services include the assistance provided by professionals to implement and maintain customer intelligence platform solutions. These services include assistance for troubleshooting, upgradation of existing software, problem-solving, emergency response management, software maintenance, proactive services, and technical support provided by customer intelligence platform vendors. Customer intelligence platform vendors offer IT professionals, data scientists, platform architects, system integrators, and data management experts who provide support and maintenance services. They also provide one-on-one personalized training and courses for the implementation of the leading technologies, tools, and best practices. These help organizations manage, maintain, and build their data platforms and infrastructure.

Request Sample Pages @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=56360803

North America to hold the larger market size during the forecast period

North America is expected to be the largest contributor to the Customer Intelligence Platform Market. The region is led by the US and Canada. Both countries have invested substantially in R&D activities, contributing to the development of new technologies. The Customer Intelligence Platform Market in North America has been further segmented into the US and Canada. Organizations, especially in the US, have started using customer data from various data sources to stay competitive in the market. North America is home to multiple customer intelligence platform vendors, such as Microsoft, Oracle, Teradata, and SAP. Due to high competition and demand prevailing across the North American region these companies are targeting higher revenue and business expansions.

The major vendors in the Customer Intelligence Platform Market include IBM (US), Oracle (US), Microsoft (US), Adobe (US), SAS (US), Salesforce (US), Google (US), Accenture (Ireland), Informatica (US), SAP (Germany), Verint (US), Teradata (US), Zeta Global (US), TIBCO (US), NICE (Israel), TransUnion (US), Alida (Canada), Algonomy (US), NetBase Quid (US), NGDATA (Belgium), Zeotap (Germany), ActionIQ (US), Amperity (US), UserIQ (US), Datashift (Belgium), Staircase AI (US), Terminus (US), and Lifesight (Singapore).

Browse Adjacent Market: Analytics Market Research Reports & Consulting

Browse Other Reports:

Simulation Software Market - Global Forecast to 2026

Telecom Cloud Market - Global Forecast to 2027

Metaverse Market - Global Forecast to 2027

Multiexperience Development Platforms Market - Global Forecast to 2027

Managed Security Services 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 moulded 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 MarketsandMarkets 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]

Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com

Research Insights: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/customer-intelligence-platform-market.asp

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/customer-intelligence-platform.asp

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
Koan Health enables clients to achieve population health success with MSSP, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Commercial ACO programs.

DALLAS, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Koan Health announced that Southern New England Health (SoNE HEALTH) selected its Datalyst platform to power its population health and medical economics departments. SoNE HEALTH is a clinically integrated network (CIN) comprised of 1,700+ primary and specialty care providers, five hospitals, and nearly 200,000 patients living in CT and MA.

Lisa Trumble, CEO of SoNE HEALTH since January 2020, explained what the main drivers were for switching to Koan Health. "Having worked with many vendors, it was refreshing to find a partner whose actions were consistent with how I felt a partner should perform. SoNE HEALTH needed a platform we could trust, one that highlights where my teams need to focus our resources, to improve outcomes and costs; I couldn't afford a system where a team of analysts spends countless hours sifting through data searching for insights; I need a system that uncovers the insights we can focus on today."

Koan Health enables clients to achieve population health success with MSSP, MA, Medicaid, and Commercial ACO programs. Tweet this

In addition:

The Datalyst solution works; we get consistent and accurate answers every time we run reports.

Koan's turnaround time for changes, modifications, and report building is fast, consistent, and always high-quality.

The Koan team understands our data, business, and MSSP/VBC programs in detail. They're as concerned about data quality, accuracy, and transparency as we are.

Koan's approach with a 90-day trial was perfect; we experienced firsthand how well Datalyst worked with our data, experienced incredible client service, and confirmed their focus on data quality, accuracy, and transparency.

With our margin pressures, Datalyst was priced fairly, we were able to lower our cost, and need fewer analytic FTEs to support our population health and medical economic initiatives; pricing was simple, predictable, and fair.

Lisa remarked that Datalyst and the Koan team are essential to help us deliver on our vision "To be Southern New England's premier population health organization dedicated to optimizing the health of patients, populations, and communities that entrust us with their care."

Koan Health's founder and CEO, DT Nguyen, said, "we are honored to partner with another leading value-based care organization that prioritizes data quality, accuracy, and transparency. We designed Datalyst to identify the drivers of quality, cost, and utilization variation, combined with a culture of serving our clients to help them deliver high-quality care and lower costs. We are focused and committed to each of our client's success and will continue to innovate and invest in our solutions and teams."

Nguyen is the former president of MedAssets (now FinThrive), where he led the RCM and claims analytics team to earn the "Best in KLAS" award for five consecutive years. Nguyen commented that "Koan's culture was intentionally developed to attract people who are driven to provide world-class service to each of our clients." Koan Health received an NPS score of 78 from their clients this year, a score above 71 is considered world-class.

About - SoNE HEALTH is a clinically integrated network focused on population health. SoNE HEALTH is a collaboration between the physicians and hospitals that cover Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The SoNE HEALTH network is comprised of 1,700+ primary and specialty care providers, the five Trinity Health of New England Hospitals, and nearly 200,000 covered patient lives. www.sonehealthcare.com

About - Koan Health is a population health company serving ACOs, CINs, Payers, and other risk-bearing organizations to improve performance in their value-based relationships. With Datalyst, accountable providers leverage powerful analytics to understand their networks, provider performance, cost, and quality metrics to quickly identify opportunities to improve clinical and financial results for their populations and communities. Pursuing a broader vision of healthcare value, we work closely with each client to discover waste, disorganization, and disparities in care that increase costs and reduce the client's ability to improve the health of their patients and populations. Today, caring for over 1.2 million patients, and having saved Medicare over $321 million, our clients pursue the shared goal of delivering optimal healthcare value with a more personalized approach to care. For more information, visit www.koanhealth.com.

SOURCE Koan Health
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global diamond jewelry market size is estimated to grow by USD 16.6 billion from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3% during the forecast period. North America will account for 44% of the market's growth during the forecast period.

For more Insights on market size Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Diamond Jewelry Market 2023-2027

Global Diamond Jewelry Market - Five Forces

The global diamond jewelry 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 diamond jewelry 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 diamond jewelry market - Segmentation assessment



Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on type (rings, necklaces, earrings, bangles, and pendants), distribution channel (specialty stores, department stores, discounters, online retailers, and others), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America).

The rings segment will grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. The rising demand for premium products from middle-class customers during weddings and festivities encourages vendors to venture into the premium products category. Diamond rings are particularly popular in North America and Europe , where customers are highly brand conscious. The availability of various designs in rings is expected to attract customers and drive the market during the forecast period.

Geography overview

By geography, the global diamond jewelry market is segmented into North America, APAC, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and South America. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global diamond jewelry market.

North America will account for 44% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The North American diamond jewelry market is experiencing high demand for personalized and unique design jewelry with cut and polished diamonds, particularly in wedding rings. The demand for designer jewelry in the North American market peaks during the festive and wedding seasons. Moreover, the growth of the diamond jewelry market in the US is also driven by the rising technological innovation in online retail. Hence, all these factors will drive the diamond jewelry market in North America .

Download a Sample Report

Global diamond jewelry market  Market dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

Innovation in terms of design and manufacturing technology is notably driving market growth .

. Unique and innovative jewelry designs, combined with high-quality precious metals and authentic gemstones, are key factors that set companies apart in a competitive jewelry market.

The demand for innovative jewelry designs is driving the market, as consumers are willing to pay a premium price due to their increasing fashion consciousness.

Furthermore, factors like the growing demand for wedding jewelry and the growth of e-retailers providing convenient services will also drive the diamond jewelry market during the forecast period.

Leading trends influencing the market

The growing number of market vendors making diamond jewelry of different designs is the key trend in the market.

The growth of the diamond jewelry market during the forecast period will be driven by the expansion of vendors worldwide due to increasing demand for diverse jewelry designs.

Furthermore, factors like increasing adoption of omnichannel strategies and increasing M&A and partnership activities will also act as a major trend and will drive the market during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering the market growth

The presence of counterfeit products in the e-retailing space is the major challenge impeding market growth.

The growth of the diamond jewelry e-retail market is hindered by the proliferation of counterfeit products due to growing brand consciousness and preference for luxury goods. Counterfeiters use digital marketing strategies, such as pay-per-click campaigns, to mimic top brands and attract customers with fake products at lower prices.

These counterfeit products are more prevalent in the Middle East and Southeast Asia , including UAE, Saudi Arabia , Indonesia , China , India , Malaysia , and Singapore , which will slow down market growth during the forecast period.

Driver, Trend & Challenges are the factor of market dynamics which states about consequences & sustainability of the businesses, find some insights from a sample report !

What are the key data covered in this diamond jewelry market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the diamond jewelry market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the diamond jewelry market and its contribution to the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the diamond jewelry markets across North America, APAC, 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 the diamond jewelry market vendors

Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Related Reports:Gems and Jewelry Market by Distribution Channel, Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The gems and jewelry market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.55% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 137.48 billion. Innovation in terms of design and manufacturing technology is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as the rising labor cost and fluctuating raw material prices may impede the market growth.

Costume Jewelry Market in India Growth, Size, Trends, Analysis Report by Type, Application, Region and Segment Forecast 2022-2026: The costume jewelry market share in India is expected to increase to USD 552.73 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 8.08%. The affordable pricing of costume jewelry is notably driving the costume jewelry market growth in India, although factors such as lack of durability may impede the market growth.

Diamond Jewelry 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 3% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 16.6 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 2.8 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 44% Key countries US, China, India, Japan, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Anglo American plc, BlueStone Jewellery and Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd., Brilliant Earth LLC, Cartier SA, CHANEL Ltd., Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, DAMIANI S.p.A., F.lli Pisa SRL, Graff Diamonds Ltd., Harry Winston Inc., Kalyan Jewellers India Ltd., Kering SA, Le petit fils de L.U. Chopard and Cie SA, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, Pandora AS, Parker Diamonds, Signet Jewelers Ltd., Swarovski AG, Tacori Inc., and Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. 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 "Consumer Discretionary" 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 Product 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 diamond jewelry market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global diamond jewelry market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Product Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Product 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 Product Type

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Product Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Product Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Product Type

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Product Type



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Product Type

6.3 Rings - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Rings - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Rings - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Rings - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Rings - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Necklaces - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Necklaces - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Necklaces - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Necklaces - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Necklaces - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Earrings - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Earrings - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Earrings - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Earrings - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Earrings - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Bangles - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 46: Chart on Bangles - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Bangles - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Bangles - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Bangles - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.7 Pendants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 50: Chart on Pendants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Pendants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 52: Chart on Pendants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Pendants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.8 Market opportunity by Product Type

Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by Product 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 Specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Specialty stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Specialty stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Specialty stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Department stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 63: Chart on Department stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Department stores - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 65: Chart on Department stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Department stores - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Discounters - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 67: Chart on Discounters - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 68: Data Table on Discounters - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 69: Chart on Discounters - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on Discounters - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.6 Online retailers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 71: Chart on Online retailers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 72: Data Table on Online retailers - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 73: Chart on Online retailers - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 74: Data Table on Online retailers - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 75: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 76: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 77: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 78: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.8 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel

Exhibit 79: Market opportunity by Distribution Channel ($ billion)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 80: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 81: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 83: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 84: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 87: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 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 (%)

9.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 95: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 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 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 103: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 104: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 105: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 106: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 107: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 108: 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 109: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 110: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 111: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 112: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 113: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 114: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 115: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 116: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 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 (%)

9.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 121: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 122: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 123: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 124: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 125: 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 126: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 127: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 128: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 129: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 130: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 131: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Anglo American plc

plc Exhibit 132: Anglo American plc - Overview

plc - Overview

Exhibit 133: Anglo American plc - Business segments

plc - Business segments

Exhibit 134: Anglo American plc - Key news

plc - Key news

Exhibit 135: Anglo American plc - Key offerings

plc - Key offerings

Exhibit 136: Anglo American plc - Segment focus

12.4 Brilliant Earth LLC

Exhibit 137: Brilliant Earth LLC - Overview



Exhibit 138: Brilliant Earth LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 139: Brilliant Earth LLC - Key offerings

12.5 Cartier SA

Exhibit 140: Cartier SA - Overview



Exhibit 141: Cartier SA - Product / Service



Exhibit 142: Cartier SA - Key offerings

12.6 Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA

Exhibit 143: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Overview



Exhibit 144: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Business segments



Exhibit 145: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 146: Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA - Segment focus

12.7 DAMIANI S.p.A.

Exhibit 147: DAMIANI S.p.A. - Overview



Exhibit 148: DAMIANI S.p.A. - Product / Service



Exhibit 149: DAMIANI S.p.A. - Key offerings

12.8 F.lli Pisa SRL

Exhibit 150: F.lli Pisa SRL - Overview



Exhibit 151: F.lli Pisa SRL - Product / Service



Exhibit 152: F.lli Pisa SRL - Key offerings

12.9 Harry Winston Inc.

Exhibit 153: Harry Winston Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 154: Harry Winston Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 155: Harry Winston Inc. - Key offerings

12.10 Kering SA

Exhibit 156: Kering SA - Overview



Exhibit 157: Kering SA - Business segments



Exhibit 158: Kering SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 159: Kering SA - Segment focus

12.11 Le petit fils de L.U. Chopard and Cie SA

Exhibit 160: Le petit fils de L.U. Chopard and Cie SA - Overview



Exhibit 161: Le petit fils de L.U. Chopard and Cie SA - Product / Service



Exhibit 162: Le petit fils de L.U. Chopard and Cie SA - Key offerings

12.12 LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE

Exhibit 163: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE - Overview



Exhibit 164: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE - Business segments



Exhibit 165: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE - Key news



Exhibit 166: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE - Key offerings



Exhibit 167: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE - Segment focus

12.13 Malabar Gold and Diamonds

Exhibit 168: Malabar Gold and Diamonds - Overview



Exhibit 169: Malabar Gold and Diamonds - Product / Service



Exhibit 170: Malabar Gold and Diamonds - Key offerings

12.14 Parker Diamonds

Exhibit 171: Parker Diamonds - Overview



Exhibit 172: Parker Diamonds - Product / Service



Exhibit 173: Parker Diamonds - Key offerings

12.15 Signet Jewelers Ltd.

Exhibit 174: Signet Jewelers Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 175: Signet Jewelers Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 176: Signet Jewelers Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 177: Signet Jewelers Ltd. - Segment focus

12.16 Tacori Inc.

Exhibit 178: Tacori Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 179: Tacori Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 180: Tacori Inc. - Key offerings

12.17 Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd.

Exhibit 181: Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 182: Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 183: Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 184: Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. - 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 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
TEANECK, N.J., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leica Camera USA is making it easier for new and existing customers to get started with the SL-System through the new Customer Appreciation Program which allows creators to access a voucher of $1,300 USD when purchasing a Leica SL bundle. The voucher can be redeemed from February 8th through April 30th, 2023, when purchasing one of the six SL-Kits. The SL-Kits consists of a Leica SL2 or SL2-S with a Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70 f/2.8 lens, the new Summicron-SL 35 f/2 ASPH. lens. or the new Summicron-SL 50 f/2 ASPH. lens and thus, provide visual artists with an unbeatable price-performance ratio.

Leica Camera SL Promotion Leica Camera SL Promotion- New Lenses

With this Customer Appreciation Program Leica introduces two new particularly compact lenses into the Leica SL lens portfolio. Both standard focal lengths are characterized by particularly compact dimensions and low weight. These lenses impress with their high speed and famous Summicron look with a very shallow depth of field. This makes the Leica SL-System ideal for daily use as well as travelling. The Leica Summicron lenses focus extremely fast, smoothly, and accurately thanks to their linear direct drive. Hence, they not only deliver excellent focus performance for photography, but are also perfectly suited for videography, where quiet focusing is very important.

A Leica account is required to activate the voucher. It can be set up quickly at club.leica-camera.com . After the successful registration or in an already existing Leica account, the voucher can be activated and used directly after the login. The voucher can be redeemed during the promotional period from February 8th to April 30th, 2023, at Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and participating dealers when purchasing one of the six SL-Kits.

About Leica Camera

Leica represents a union of craftsmanship, design and experience. It is a beautiful collision of art and engineering, and the future of form and functionality. Leica Camera, headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany with a second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicao, Portugal, is an internationally operating, premium-segment manufacturer of cameras and sport optics products. The legendary status of the Leica brand is founded on a long tradition of excellence in the supreme quality and performance of cameras and lenses, and the iconic images that artists and photojournalists everywhere captured with them. For more information about Leica visit https://leicacamerausa.com/, or follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Press Contact

For all inquiries and information:

Nike Communications Inc.

Phone: 212-529-3400

Email: [email protected]

Internet: www.leica-camera.com

SOURCE Leica Camera
Neurosurgeon and molecular biologist will focus on medulloblastoma and ependymoma research

HOUSTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine are proud to welcome Dr. Michael Taylor, esteemed molecular biologist and CPRIT Scholar, as the Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Program at Texas Children's Hospital and at Baylor College of Medicine. Taylor will also remain clinically active as a pediatric neurosurgeon in the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, at Texas Children's Hospital.

Dr. Michael Taylor; Photo by Texas Children's Hospital

"I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Taylor, a world-renowned physician, neurosurgeon and researcher, to Texas Children's," said Mark A. Wallace, President and CEO of Texas Children's. "His extensive experience and passion for brain cancer research will be a tremendous asset to our team and will strengthen our ability to provide the very best care to childhood cancer patients in Texas, throughout the nation and worldwide."

As the director of the transformational pediatric neuro-oncology research program, Taylor will lead a team of investigators dedicated to pursuing novel therapies for particularly difficult-to-treat pediatric brain tumors, including medulloblastoma and ependymoma.

"Throughout my career, I have been inspired by the cancer research taking place at Texas Children's, and I am honored to be joining this collaborative, cutting-edge team," said Taylor. "While I am dedicated to curing medulloblastoma and ependymoma, most of all, I look forward to continuing my research into preventing these aggressive cancers. My vision is that no family ever has to face this devastating diagnosis."

Taylor's research will take place within Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, one of the largest pediatric cancer and hematology centers in the United States and consistently ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

"Dr. Taylor's research into treating and preventing rare, aggressive and recurrent pediatric brain tumors is a wonderful addition to our program, and we are so excited to welcome him to our team," said Dr. Susan Blaney, Director of Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center and Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine. "I have no doubt that Dr. Taylor and his laboratory will enhance and accelerate our mission to cure childhood cancer."

Within the Neurosurgery division, Taylor will continue his work as a clinical neurosurgeon. In 2022, Texas Children's Hospital's pediatric neurosurgery division was ranked #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is a national and international destination for world-class, innovative, high quality and attentive neurosurgical care for children. With Dr. Taylor's arrival, Texas Children's Neurosurgery is now the largest and remains one of the most active pediatric neurosurgery teams in the nation, with very high surgical volumes, especially in pediatric brain and spinal tumor, epilepsy and fetal surgery. Just over a decade ago, Texas Children's was the first hospital in the world to use real-time MRI-guided thermal imaging and laser technology to destroy lesions in the brain that cause epilepsy and uncontrollable seizures, and experts here pioneered groundbreaking fetoscopic spina bifida repair. It is also one of the few pediatric centers with focused ultrasound technology, and is the first children's hospital to be designated as a pediatric skull base multidisciplinary team of distinction.

"I am very proud to welcome Dr. Taylor to our special neurosurgical team," said Dr. Howard Weiner, Chief of Neurosurgery at Texas Children's Hospital and Professor and Vice Chair of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine. "He is a widely recognized international leader in pediatric brain tumor research and will be a huge addition to our team. We are so impressed by Dr. Taylor's expertise and sincere dedication to the patients he cares for, and I look forward to working closely with him."

Prior to joining Texas Children's, Taylor was a professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and a principal investigator in the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He earned his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto/Ontario, and he completed his fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery and neuro-oncology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

To learn more about Texas Children's Hospital, visit texaschildrens.org . To learn more about Baylor College of Medicine, visit bcm.edu .

ABOUT TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children's Pediatrics; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Global Health program leads efforts that advance health care equity through innovative collaboration in care, education and research for underserved populations globally. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

ABOUT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as health sciences university and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked 22nd among medical schools for research and 17th for primary care by U.S. News & World Report. Baylor is listed 20th among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding and No. 1 in Texas. The Baylor pediatrics program ranked 7th among all pediatric programs, reflecting the strong affiliation with Texas Children's Hospital where our faculty care for pediatric patients and our students and residents train. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Baylor has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals and jointly owns and operates Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center. Currently, Baylor has more than 3,000 trainees in medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, physician assistant, orthotics and genetic counseling as well as residents and postdoctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital
Current chair of 10 Years, Kenny Slaught, to serve as vice chair

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Investec Real Estate Companies' Founding Principal and President, Kenny Slaught, is to step down as Dream Foundation's board chair after a decade at the helm. He will continue to serve as vice chair under Dream Foundation's newly appointed chair, Mario Muredda.

Muredda is currently a member of Dream Foundation's board and was formerly co-chair of Dream Foundation's New York Advisory Council. His entire career has been focused on healthcare communications. Mario is currently President of Marketing at Fishawack Health, a purposefully-built commercialization partner in the biopharmaceutical, medical technology, and wellness industries.

Slaught has been a loyal supporter of Dream Foundation since its 1994 inception and been personally involved in many Dreams. He connected deeply with Dream Foundation's mission to help fulfill the Dreams of terminally-ill adults and empathized passionately with the recipients and families it serves. During his tenure as board chair, Dream Foundation reached a milestone of 34,000 Dreams served, launched its Dreams for Veterans program to better serve veterans and their families, and chaperoned countless partnerships and leadership appointments, all of which are vital to the organization today.

To epitomize Kenny's dedication to the organization, the board created an honorary title, Lifetime Honorary Director, a first for Dream Foundation.

"It has been an honor to participate and witness firsthand the incredible compassion Dream Foundation provides to those in need," says Slaught. "It has been a pleasure to work closely with Dream Foundation's staff, especially Kisa Heyer over the past ten years. I look forward to many more years of supporting Dream Foundation as they provide comfort and closure to so many in need."

"Kenny has given his heart and soul to Dream Foundation and everyone we serve," says Dream Foundation's Chief Executive Officer, Kisa Heyer. "I came into leadership just as Kenny was embarking on his role as chair, and it has been one of my greatest privileges to work alongside him to bring inspiration, comfort and closure to Dream recipients and their families. We are so grateful that he will continue to be involved as vice chair."

Muredda spearheaded Dream Foundation's New York Advisory Council in 2018 to raise Dream Foundation's nationwide profile, identify expanded fundraising opportunities, initiate corporate partnerships, and assist with fulfilling New York-based Dream requests. His dedication has been exhibited through his many accomplishments over the years, which have been essential to Dream Foundation's future.

"I'm honored to be selected as the new board chair for Dream Foundation," says Muredda. "From the moment I learned about Dream Foundation nearly a decade ago, I was blown away by the organization's tremendous generosity, compassion, and loving spirit in support of Dream recipients everywhere. I'm extremely thankful of everything Kenny has done for us during his tenure as board chair and I look forward to working with Kisa and her team, Kenny and our board, and all of our generous supporters in continuing on this important journey in support of our Dream recipients and their families."

"Mario's career has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of terminally-ill adults," says Heyer. "Under his leadership, Dream Foundation will continue to thrive and grow, and I look forward to our future together."

About Dream Foundation:

Dream Foundation, the only national dream-granting organization for terminally-ill adults, fulfills final Dreams that provide inspiration, comfort and closure at the end of life. With the support of a nationwide network of volunteers, hospices, health care organizations and committed donors, Dream Foundation has given life to more than 34,000 final Dreams since being founded in 1994. Dream Foundation receives no state or federal fundingwe rely solely on private donations. To support our mission, please visit DreamFoundation.org/donate.

SOURCE Dream Foundation
Channel leader makes prestigious list for second time

PLANO, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Critical Start, a leading provider of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) cybersecurity solutions, today announced that CRN , a brand of The Channel Company , has recognized Dwayne Myers, VP of Channels and Alliances, on its 2023 Channel Chiefs list. Every year, this list honors the IT channel executives who work tirelessly to advance the channel agenda and deliver successful channel partner programs and strategies.

Myers has more than two decades of experience in channel development, sales strategy and business operations for both manufacturing and channel partners, ranging from start-ups to major international corporations. In his current role, Myers is responsible for partner growth and channel management, maintaining customer satisfaction and driving improvements to business processes.

"Organizations today are looking for help to cost effectively reduce the risk of a breach," said Rob Davis, CEO and Founder of Critical Start. "Our platform based MDR solution provides the detection and response capability to mitigate cyber-attacks while delivering provable risk reduction. Combined with our trusted advisor channel partners, we provide confidence in the prevention of breaches and business disruptions within our joint customers."

In the past year, Critical Start has made significant enhancements to its channel partner program and to its MDR service offering as a whole. The company launched its partner rewards program, added new training content for its software engineering bootcamps, and expanded its channel team. Critical Start also recently announced several new MDR service offerings that support Microsoft Defender for Servers, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM, and Trend Micro Vision One, as well as a new Managed SIEM service that supports Microsoft Sentinel and Splunk Cloud. Partners can expect more of the same in 2023 with new services and integrations on the horizon, along with new branding and messaging, and improved partner enablement.

"Critical Start is committed to a 100% channel go-to-market model and Dwayne has been an integral part its success, which has been fueling our exponential growth," continued Davis. "He has been a champion in building our channel program to collaborate with partners, allowing them to provide the best security options for their customers and establishing Critical Start as a go-to MDR vendor within the channel."

The 2023 Channel Chiefs have helped their solution provider partners and customers navigate an increasingly complex landscape of interconnected challenges and shifting industry dynamics. With the innovative strategies, programs, and partnerships of these Channel Chiefs in place, the solution provider community has continued to thrive.

The 2023 CRN Channel Chiefs were selected by the editorial staff based on their record of business innovation and dedication to the partner community. This year's list represents the top IT executives responsible for building a robust channel ecosystem.

"Once again, this year's list gives well-deserved recognition to the IT Channel Chiefs who are dedicated to driving the channel agenda and advocating for the development of strong channel partnerships," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "Under their exceptional leadership, influence, and innovation, the IT channel vendor community continues to deliver solutions and services that meet the rapidly evolving needs of their solution provider partners and their customers."

The 2023 CRN Channel Chiefs list will be featured in the February 2023 issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.CRN.com/ChannelChiefs .

About Critical Start

Today's enterprise faces radical, ever-growing, and ever-sophisticated multi-vector cyber-attacks. Facing this situation is hard, but it doesn't have to be. Critical Start simplifies breach prevention by delivering the most effective managed detection and incident response services powered by the Zero Trust Analytics Platform (ZTAP) with the industry's only Trusted Behavior Registry (TBR) and MOBILESOC. With 24x7x365 expert security analysts, and Cyber Research Unit (CRU), we monitor, investigate and remediate alerts swiftly and effectively, via contractual Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for Time to Detection (TTD) and Median Time to Resolution (MTTR), and 100% transparency into our service. For more information, visit criticalstart.com. Follow Critical Start on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn , and Facebook.

 2023 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

SOURCE CRITICALSTART
Company Earns Top Ranking for Diversity for Women, Along with High Marks for Work/Life Balance, Benefits and Company Culture

Arlington, Va., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eagle Hill Consulting again has earned top rankings on the Vault Consulting 50 ranking for 2023, an annual rating of the top firms to work for in North America. When it comes to diversity for women, Eagle Hill earned the number one spot. The company climbed to the fifth spot among boutique firms and is ranked number 28 among firms in North America.

Based on scores from employees, the company this year also earned the number two spot for work/life balance and hours in the office, along with high marks for relationships with supervisors, benefits, satisfaction, and firm culture. Read more about Eagle Hill's rankings.

The Vault rankings are evidence that Eagle Hill is one of the best consulting firms in the nation where employees want to work. Tweet this

The Vault rankings are further evidence that Eagle Hill is one of the best consulting firms in the nation employees are drawn to for a high achieving career that also respects employees. Other areas of recognition include Eagle Hill's diversity, training, and innovation.

"From the day I opened the doors of Eagle Hill, I was focused in creating a firm that values diversity. It's the right thing to do, and diversity brings the best ideas and innovation for our clients," says Melissa Jezior, Eagle Hill president and chief executive officer.

"It's so rewarding that our team is recognized for not only our diversity for women, but our overall diversity. We're still striving to further deepen our diversity, and we will stay the course on our diversity commitment. We also intend to sustain our culture that gives equal importance to the client and employee experience. Eagle Hill's people-centric culture continues to achieve results for our clients while balancing the wellbeing of our workforce," Jezior said.

The Vault Consulting 50 rankings are an independent assessment of verified consulting employees in North America. Vault calculated the 2023 Vault Consulting 50 rankings based on a wide range of factors, and more information about Vault's methodology is available here.

The Vault findings are aligned with Eagle Hill's own employee survey that finds 91 percent of employees say they feel respected and valued by colleagues, while 96 percent indicate that the company has a collaborative culture. In the company's most recent client satisfaction survey, 100 percent of clients say they would work with Eagle Hill again.

Eagle Hill's founders broke from the pack of large, traditional consulting companies to establish a firm that is collaborative, unified and possesses an entrepreneurial spirit. The company considers itself a community of consultants rather than a traditional consultancy. As a result, Eagle Hill is uniquely positioned to help solve client business problems across various industries.

Learn about Eagle Hill's current career opportunities here.

Read about a year in the life at the company here.

Learn about the company's unconventional employee career paths here.

Read about Eagle Hill's Living Labs concept here.

Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is a woman-owned business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Strategy & Performance, Talent, and Change. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. A leading authority on employee sentiment, Eagle Hill is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with employees across the U.S. and offices in Boston and Seattle. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.

SOURCE Eagle Hill Consulting
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global electric scooters market size is expected to reach USD 78.65 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 9.9% during the forecast period, according to a study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing demand for the air combating, fuel-economic high-performance vehicles is expected to fuel the growth of the industry. In addition, a growing number of government initiatives to increase the adoption of EVs, automobile manufacturers' investment in the development of battery charging infrastructure, and rising disposable income in developing nations are expected to drive the growth further. Moreover, the ease of maneuverability and extensive driving agility of e-scooters are expected to boost their demand.

Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report:

The personal end-use segment is expected to register the fastest growth rate from 2023 to 2030. This growth can be attributed to significant demand for e-scooters.

Based on battery, the lithium-ion segment dominated the industry in 2022 due to benefits, such as low cost and robustness.

Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest as well as the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period.

is expected to be the largest as well as the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period. This is owing to significant investments in vehicle charging infrastructure and government subsidies for battery-powered scooters.

Read 164-page market research report, "Electric Scooters Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Battery (Lithium-ion, Lead-acid), By Drive Type (Belt Drive, Hub Motor), By End-use (Personal, Commercial), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Electric Scooters Market Growth & Trends

Key players are focusing on improving quality, enhancing performance, comfort, and safety, and lowering the cost of maintenance. In addition, prominent players are undertaking strategic steps to expand their customer base in the international market. They are focusing on launching a range of e-scooters. For instance, Gogoro, Inc., and KYMCO expanded their reach in other regions to capture the benefit of the untapped market. Furthermore, prominent players, such as GenZe by Mahindra, YAMAHA Motor Pvt. Ltd., Vassla Electric Scooters., and PURE EV, have invested in installing charging systems across various countries and are offering swappable battery systems in their e-scooter variants.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR over the forecast period due to increasing government focus on replacing the existing fleet with EVs in developing economies, such as China, India, and ASEAN countries. Moreover, government and e-scooter manufacturers are investing in developing the public charging infrastructure, which will encourage consumers to shift to e-scooters over their counterparts. The governments in European countries have been providing subsidies to drive the sales of battery-powered two-wheelers. These initiatives are anticipated to become more robust with increasing gasoline prices...

Electric Scooters Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global electric scooters market based on the drive type, battery, end-use, and region

E-scooters Market - Drive Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

Belt Drive

Chain Drive

Hub Motor

E-scooters Market - Battery Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

Lead Acid

Li-ion

Other

E-scooters Market - End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

Personal Use

Commercial Use

E-scooters Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

U.K.

Germany

France

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Middle East & Africa

List of Key Players of the Electric Scooters Market

AllCell Technologies LLC

Yadea Technology Group Co., Ltd.

BMW Motorrad International

BOXX Corp.

Gogoro, Inc.

Green Energy Motors Corp.

Greenwit Technologies Inc.

Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

Jiangsu Xinri E-Vehicle Co., Ltd.

KTM AG

Mahindra GenZe

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Electric Three Wheeler Market - The global electric three wheeler market size is expected to reach USD 1.57 billion by 2030 with a CAGR growth of 7.5% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth of electric three wheelers is attributed to factors such as the increasing inclination towards electric vehicles as a sustainable, and efficient alternative for public commuting. The increasing carbon emission level in the environment by fossil fuel-powered conventional vehicles has become a significant concern for governmental and environmental organizations. This has resulted in electric three-wheeler vehicles being perceived as a solution to reduce carbon emissions caused by conventional three wheelers. In addition to this, increasing traffic congestion and rising fuel prices across regions have further propelled the market of electric three wheelers as passenger carriers.

The global electric three wheeler market size is expected to reach by 2030 with a CAGR growth of 7.5% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth of electric three wheelers is attributed to factors such as the increasing inclination towards electric vehicles as a sustainable, and efficient alternative for public commuting. The increasing carbon emission level in the environment by fossil fuel-powered conventional vehicles has become a significant concern for governmental and environmental organizations. This has resulted in electric three-wheeler vehicles being perceived as a solution to reduce carbon emissions caused by conventional three wheelers. In addition to this, increasing traffic congestion and rising fuel prices across regions have further propelled the market of electric three wheelers as passenger carriers. Electric Bus Market - The global electric bus market size is expected to reach USD 110.44 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 13.5% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing consumer demand for energy and emission-free mass transportation options and rise in the production of cost-effective batteries are driving the market. Furthermore, the decreasing prices of batteries and investment in battery charging infrastructure are propelling the industry growth.

- The global electric bus market size is expected to reach by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 13.5% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing consumer demand for energy and emission-free mass transportation options and rise in the production of cost-effective batteries are driving the market. Furthermore, the decreasing prices of batteries and investment in battery charging infrastructure are propelling the industry growth. North America Electric Vehicles Market - The North America electric vehicles market size is expected to reach USD 147.60 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 37.2% from 2021 to 2028. Favorable initiatives to promote the adoption of electric vehicles coupled with rising crude oil prices are anticipated to drive the demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs). Electric vehicles generate power using an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine that burns a mix of fuels and gases for power generation. The increasing advantages of electric vehicles over conventional vehicles such as zero fuel emission, better performance, and lower total cost of ownership are expected to contribute to the growing demand for electric vehicles in the coming years.

Browse through Grand View Research's Automotive & Transportation Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global embedded products market size is estimated to increase by USD 86.08 billion between 2022 and 2027. The market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.3%. 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. Discover some insights on market size before buying the full report -Request a sample report

Embedded products market  Vendor analysis

Vendor offerings -

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Embedded products Market 2023-2027

Advantech Co. Ltd. - The company offers embedded products such as EPC S201, EPC S101, EPC S202, EPC T1215, and EPC T1217.

The company offers embedded products such as EPC S201, EPC S101, EPC S202, EPC T1215, and EPC T1217. Curtiss Wright Corp. - The company offers embedded product solutions such as FPGA modules, GPU modules, and networking modules.

The company offers embedded product solutions such as FPGA modules, GPU modules, and networking modules. Digi International Inc. - The company offers embedded product solutions such as Digi XBee Ecosystem and Digi ConnectCore 8X Quad.

The company offers embedded product solutions such as Digi XBee Ecosystem and Digi ConnectCore 8X Quad. EUROTECH Spa - The company offers embedded products such as BoltGATE 10 12, BoltGPU 10 31, DynaGATE 10 06, and BoltCOR 30 17.

The company offers embedded products such as BoltGATE 10 12, BoltGPU 10 31, DynaGATE 10 06, and BoltCOR 30 17. For details on vendors and their offerings  Buy the report!

Vendor landscape 

The global embedded products market is fragmented, with the presence of several vendors. A few prominent vendors that offer embedded products in the market are Advantech Co. Ltd., AMETEK Inc., ARBOR Technology Corp., ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Axiomtek Co. Ltd., congatec GmbH, Curtiss Wright Corp., Digi International Inc., EUROTECH Spa, Fujitsu Ltd., Intel Corp., Kontron AG, NVIDIA Corp., NXP Semiconductors NV, Qualcomm Inc., Radisys Corp., SMART Global Holdings Inc., Super Micro Computer Inc., TechNexion Ltd., Texas Instruments Inc., and Toradex AG and others.

The global demand for smart and connected devices globally is creating opportunities for vendors, including new product innovations, enhanced reliability, and high product utilization. Hence, the competitive environment in this market is likely to intensify with an increase in technological innovations and product developments. Moreover, international players are likely to grow inorganically by acquiring regional or local players during the forecast period.

Embedded products market - Customer landscape

To help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies, the report outlines 

Key purchase criteria

Adoption rates

Adoption lifecycle

Drivers of price sensitivity

Embedded products market - Segmentation assessment



Segment overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (consumer electronics, automotive, industrial, aerospace and defense, and others) and product (hardware and software).

The consumer electronics segment will account for a significant share of the global market during the forecast period. Embedded system manufacturers are creating highly-capable embedded boards such as COM and SBCs. These solutions help gaming equipment manufacturers achieve faster time-to-market. Embedded products are used in gaming applications such as video slot machines. The gaming industry uses encryption and decryption techniques to safeguard against hackers. This, in turn, will compel embedded board vendors to provide affordable hardware modules that can provide a level of security using proprietary solutions. Such factors will, in turn, drive market growth during the forecast period.

Geography overview

Based on geography, the global embedded products market is segmented into North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global embedded products market.

North America is estimated to account for 33% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The need for faster time-to-market, reduced manufacturing costs, and efficient management of complex control systems are driving the growth of the regional market. The US is a key market in North America , as the country is a global leader in research, product innovation, design, branding, marketing, and manufacturing of electronic consumer goods. Such factors are expected to increase the demand for embedded products in the region during the forecast period.

Download a sample report

Embedded products market  Market dynamics



Leading drivers - The demand for smart appliances is driving the market growth. Electronic systems are being upgraded with improved technology. Smart appliances and other electronic systems communicate and interact with users via the Internet. Most modern electronic systems need ICs with embedded software to control the hardware functions. Smart grid technology uses automation to integrate the actions of the user and deliver sustainable and secure electricity. It also helps reduce electricity wastage. These factors will fuel the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Key trends - The rise in the development of 5G-based embedded devices is a key trend in the market. Embedded product output is expected to improve considerably during the forecast period. With the incorporation of 5G, embedded goods used in smart video surveillance systems of automobiles will deliver quick response times. Moreover, 5G technology supports quick picture processing, which will help in overcoming the difficulties associated with industrial automation and smart farming. Therefore, embedded products supporting 5G infrastructure are expected to support the growth of the embedded product market during the forecast period.

Major challenges - High energy consumption of compact embedded products is challenging the global embedded products market growth. As embedded systems are highly compact, their design architectures are very complex. This, in turn, increases the consumption of energy in embedded products, which can affect the overall lifecycle of embedded products. Moreover, energy consumption increases with the rise in temperature, which negatively affects the overall performance of embedded products. Hence, the high energy consumption of compact embedded products is expected to hinder the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this embedded products market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the embedded products market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the embedded products market and its contribution to the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the embedded products market across North America , APAC, Europe , South America , and Middle East and Africa

, APAC, , , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of embedded products market vendors

Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Related Reports:

The battery market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 17.22% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 229.86 billion. This report extensively covers market segmentation by application (portable batteries, automotive batteries, and industrial batteries), type (lithium-ion battery, lead acid battery, nickel metal hydride battery, nickel cadmium battery, and others), and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The over-the-top (OTT) market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 24.85% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 439.12 billion. This report extensively covers market segmentation by content type (video, text and images, VoIP, and music streaming), device (smartphone and tablet, laptop and desktop, and smart tv), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

Embedded Products Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 178 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.3% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 86.08 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 6.0 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 33% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading vendors, market positioning of vendors, competitive strategies, and industry risks Key companies profiled Advantech Co. Ltd., AMETEK Inc., ARBOR Technology Corp., ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Axiomtek Co. Ltd., congatec GmbH, Curtiss Wright Corp., Digi International Inc., EUROTECH Spa, Fujitsu Ltd., Intel Corp., Kontron AG, NVIDIA Corp., NXP Semiconductors NV, Qualcomm Inc., Radisys Corp., SMART Global Holdings Inc., Super Micro Computer Inc., TechNexion Ltd., Texas Instruments Inc., and Toradex AG Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Browse for Technavio's consumer discretionary market 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 Market Segmentation by Product



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 embedded products market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global embedded products market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.3 Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Product 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 Application

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Application



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Application

6.3 Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Consumer electronics - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Consumer electronics - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Automotive - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Automotive - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Automotive - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Automotive - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Automotive - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Industrial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Industrial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Industrial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Industrial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Industrial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Aerospace and defense - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 46: Chart on Aerospace and defense - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Aerospace and defense - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Aerospace and defense - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Aerospace and defense - 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 Application

Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by Application ($ billion)

7 Market Segmentation by Product

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 55: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 57: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Comparison by Product

7.3 Hardware - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Hardware - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Hardware - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Hardware - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Hardware - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Software - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 63: Chart on Software - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Software - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 65: Chart on Software - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Software - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 67: Market opportunity by Product ($ billion)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 68: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 69: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 71: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 72: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 75: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 77: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 78: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 79: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 80: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 82: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 83: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 84: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 87: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: 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 89: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 91: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 93: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 94: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 95: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 96: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 99: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 103: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 104: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 105: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 106: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 107: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 108: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 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 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 113: 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 114: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 115: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 116: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 117: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 118: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 119: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Advantech Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 120: Advantech Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 121: Advantech Co. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 122: Advantech Co. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 123: Advantech Co. Ltd. - Segment focus

12.4 AMETEK Inc.

Exhibit 124: AMETEK Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 125: AMETEK Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 126: AMETEK Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 127: AMETEK Inc. - Segment focus

12.5 Curtiss Wright Corp.

Exhibit 128: Curtiss Wright Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 129: Curtiss Wright Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 130: Curtiss Wright Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 131: Curtiss Wright Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 132: Curtiss Wright Corp. - Segment focus

12.6 Digi International Inc.

Exhibit 133: Digi International Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 134: Digi International Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 135: Digi International Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 136: Digi International Inc. - Segment focus

12.7 EUROTECH Spa

Exhibit 137: EUROTECH Spa - Overview



Exhibit 138: EUROTECH Spa - Business segments



Exhibit 139: EUROTECH Spa - Key offerings



Exhibit 140: EUROTECH Spa - Segment focus

12.8 Fujitsu Ltd.

Exhibit 141: Fujitsu Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 142: Fujitsu Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 143: Fujitsu Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 144: Fujitsu Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 145: Fujitsu Ltd. - Segment focus

12.9 Intel Corp.

Exhibit 146: Intel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 147: Intel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 148: Intel Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 149: Intel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 150: Intel Corp. - Segment focus

12.10 Kontron AG

Exhibit 151: Kontron AG - Overview



Exhibit 152: Kontron AG - Business segments



Exhibit 153: Kontron AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 154: Kontron AG - Segment focus

12.11 NVIDIA Corp.

Exhibit 155: NVIDIA Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 156: NVIDIA Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 157: NVIDIA Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 158: NVIDIA Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 159: NVIDIA Corp. - Segment focus

12.12 NXP Semiconductors NV

Exhibit 160: NXP Semiconductors NV - Overview



Exhibit 161: NXP Semiconductors NV - Product / Service



Exhibit 162: NXP Semiconductors NV - Key news



Exhibit 163: NXP Semiconductors NV - Key offerings

12.13 Qualcomm Inc.

Exhibit 164: Qualcomm Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 165: Qualcomm Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 166: Qualcomm Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 167: Qualcomm Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 168: Qualcomm Inc. - Segment focus

12.14 Radisys Corp.

Exhibit 169: Radisys Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 170: Radisys Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 171: Radisys Corp. - Key offerings

12.15 SMART Global Holdings Inc.

Exhibit 172: SMART Global Holdings Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 173: SMART Global Holdings Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 174: SMART Global Holdings Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 175: SMART Global Holdings Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 176: SMART Global Holdings Inc. - Segment focus

12.16 Super Micro Computer Inc.

Exhibit 177: Super Micro Computer Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 178: Super Micro Computer Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 179: Super Micro Computer Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 180: Super Micro Computer Inc. - Segment focus

12.17 Texas Instruments Inc.

Exhibit 181: Texas Instruments Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 182: Texas Instruments Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 183: Texas Instruments Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 184: Texas Instruments Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 185: Texas Instruments Inc. - Segment focus

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 186: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 187: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 188: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 189: Research methodology



Exhibit 190: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 191: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 192: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 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
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute today released its 12th annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, and the state of New York placed six locations on the list.

"As the most populous city in the U.S., New York City generates tremendous demand for all the goods delivered by truck, including food, clothing, and fuel," said Trucking Association of New York President Kendra Hems. "Unfortunately, when traffic congestion brings trucks to a standstill, everyone pays the price. Addressing congestion must be a key component of New York's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ATRI's analysis provides a roadmap of where infrastructure investment will have the most impact."

The 2023 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at over 300 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on an extensive database of freight truck GPS data, uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location. ATRI's truck GPS data is also used to support numerous U.S. DOT freight mobility initiatives. The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations.

The six New York bottlenecks are:

 No. 27 Brooklyn: I-278 at Belt Parkway  No. 75 Manhasset: I-495 at Shelter Rock Road  No. 36 Queens: I-495  No. 84 Nyack: I-287  No. 46 Bronx: I-678  No. 96 Elmsford: I-287 at I-87





"The past year-plus has shone a spotlight on our supply chains, and how congestion and other pressures can hurt the American economy and consumers," said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. "ATRI's bottleneck report highlights the areas of our transportation network in need of investment so we can get goods and people moving. The cost of doing nothing is felt in needless delays, wasted fuel and time."

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, please visit ATRI's website at TruckingResearch.org. ATRI is also providing animations created with truck GPS data for select bottleneck locations, all available on the website.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute
NYSE American:EU

TSXV:EU

www.encoreuranium.com

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - enCore Energy Corp. ("enCore" or the "Company") (NYSE American: EU) (TSXV: EU) today announces that it has closed its previously announced public offering (the "Offering") of units (the "Units") of the Company. Pursuant to the Offering, the Company issued a total of 10,615,650 Units at a price of C$3.25 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of C$34,500,862.50, including the full exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the Underwriters (as defined herein) under the Offering.

The Offering was conducted through a syndicate of underwriters led by Canaccord Genuity, as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, and including Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation and Haywood Securities Inc. (collectively, the "Underwriters") pursuant to an underwriting agreement dated January 25, 2023 entered into among the Company and the Underwriters.

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Unit Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$4.05 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months following the closing of the Offering.

The Company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the Offering to fund amounts required to be paid to complete the Company's previously announced pending acquisition of the Alta Mesa ISR uranium project (the "Alta Mesa Acquisition") and to maintain and advance the Company's material properties, acquire properties, plant upgrades, drilling, maintenance and refurbishment, community outreach and communications, licensing and permitting, and for general corporate and working capital purposes, all in the manner as set forth in the short form prospectus of the Company dated February 3, 2023 and filed in connection with the Offering (the "Prospectus").

The Offering remains subject to the final approval of the NYSE American and TSX Venture Exchange.

The Prospectus has been filed with the securities commissions or similar securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada except Quebec. A registration statement on Form F-10 (including such Prospectus) (the "Registration Statement") has also been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for the Offering. The Prospectus and the Registration Statement contain important detailed information relating to the Company and the Offering.

Investors should read the Prospectus and the Registration Statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the Offering. A copy of these documents is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Copies may also be obtained in Canada from Canaccord Genuity Corp., 40 Temperance Street, Suite 2100, Toronto, ON M5H 0B4 and in the United States from Canaccord Genuity LLC, 99 High Street, Suite 1200, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, Attn: Syndicate Department, by telephone at (617) 371-3900, or by email at [email protected].

About enCore Energy Corp.

enCore Energy is the most diversified In-Situ Recovery (ISR) uranium development company in the United States and recently announced it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Alta Mesa In-Situ Recovery uranium project. The Alta Mesa Acquisition will position enCore as a leading US-focused ISR uranium company with the proven management expertise required to advance multiple production opportunities within its portfolio. enCore is focused on becoming the next uranium producer from its licensed and past-producing South Texas Rosita Processing Plant by 2023. The South Dakota-based Dewey-Burdock project and the Wyoming Gas Hills project offer mid-term production opportunities, with significant New Mexico uranium resource endowments providing long-term opportunities. The enCore team is led by industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of ISR uranium operations and the nuclear fuel cycle. enCore is committed to engaging and working with local communities and indigenous governments to create positive impact from corporate developments.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release, including: any information relating to the Company being a leading uranium company; the use of proceeds from the Offering; the ability of the Company to complete the Alta Mesa Acquisition and to realize the expected benefits of the Alta Mesa Acquisition; final approvals relating to the Offering; and any other statements regarding future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; may constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "is expected", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companies' ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; risks associated with accessing additional funding required for the transactions and operations discussed in this news release; the use of proceeds of the Offering; obtaining final approvals relating to the Offering; the Company's ability to complete the Alta Mesa Acquisition; future legislative and regulatory developments; the ability of enCore to implement its business strategies; and other risks. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation exploration and development risks, changes in commodity prices, access to skilled mining personnel, the results of exploration and development activities; uninsured risks; regulatory risks; defects in title; the availability of materials and equipment, timeliness of government approvals and unanticipated environmental impacts on operations; risks posed by the economic and political environments in which the Company operates and intends to operate; market instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential for losses arising from the expansion of operations into new markets; increased competition; assumptions regarding market trends and the expected demand and desires for the Company's products and proposed products; reliance on industry manufacturers, suppliers and others; the failure to adequately protect intellectual property; the failure to adequately manage future growth; adverse market conditions, the failure to satisfy ongoing regulatory requirements and factors relating to forward looking statements listed above which include risks as disclosed in the companies' annual information form filings. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the various securities commissions which are available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of management. Such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes and readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE enCore Energy Corp.
Title Recognizes a 9-year-old Pacific Pocket Mouse, North America's Smallest Mouse Species

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance today received a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Oldest Living Mouse in Human Care recognizing "Pat," a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Pat was born July 14, 2013 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in the first year of the organization's Pacific pocket mouse conservation breeding and reintroduction program. Today, he is 9 years and 209 days old. The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title is a win for all the tiny but mightyand often overlookedspecies around the world that play an important role in their ecosystems.

Guinness World Record Holder Ribbon San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance today received a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Oldest Living Mouse in Human Care recognizing Pat, a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Pat was born July 14, 2013 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in the first year of the organizations Pacific pocket mouse conservation breeding and reintroduction program. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance today received a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Oldest Living Mouse in Human Care recognizing Pat, a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Pat was born July 14, 2013 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in the first year of the organizations Pacific pocket mouse conservation breeding and reintroduction program. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance today received a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Oldest Living Mouse in Human Care recognizing Pat, a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Pat was born July 14, 2013 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in the first year of the organizations Pacific pocket mouse conservation breeding and reintroduction program. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance today received a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Oldest Living Mouse in Human Care recognizing Pat, a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Pat was born July 14, 2013 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in the first year of the organizations Pacific pocket mouse conservation breeding and reintroduction program. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance today received a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Oldest Living Mouse in Human Care recognizing Pat, a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Pat was born July 14, 2013 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, in the first year of the organizations Pacific pocket mouse conservation breeding and reintroduction program.

Team members and local and regional partners were present at a ceremony this morning in which Debra Shier, Ph.D., Brown Endowed Associate Director of Recovery Ecology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, who established and continues to oversee the Pacific pocket mouse conservation breeding program, accepted a plaque commemorating Pat's significant age.

"This recognition is so special for our team, and is significant for the species," said Shier. "It's indicative of the dedication and incredible care we as an organization provide for each species, from the largest to the very smallest. This acknowledgement is also a symbol of appreciation for species that people don't know much about because they're not charismatic megafauna, but are just as critical for ecosystem function. These overlooked species can often be found in our own backyardslike the Pacific pocket mouse."

The acknowledgement from GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS comes on the heels of a historic Pacific pocket mouse breeding season. In 2022, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance recorded the earliest breeding event and pup birth in the history of the program, and the team helped with producing a record 31 litters, for a total of 117 pups during the spring and summer months. Many of these mice will be reintroduced into native habitats this spring.

Endemic to coastal scrublands, dunes and riverbanks within about 2 miles of the ocean, the Pacific pocket mouse's range once stretched from Los Angeles to the Tijuana River Valley. Because of human encroachment and habitat degradation, their numbers dropped sharply after 1932. For 20 years, they were thought to be extinct until a tiny remnant population was rediscovered in 1994 at Orange County's Dana Point headlands. By then, the species had been reduced to just a few small populations, isolated from one another by long distances and urban barriers.

Continued declines in Pacific pocket mice populations prompted the establishment of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's conservation breeding program in 2012 to help save the species from extinction. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance carries out a breeding program and studies behavior, ecology, genetics, microbiome and physiology to best support genetically diverse, healthy and behaviorally competent mice that are well prepared for reintroduction into native habitats. With the support from Orange County Parks, in 2016, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife began to establish a new population of Pacific pocket mice in Orange County's Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, and they began to breed without human assistance in 2017.

Weighing about the same as three pennies, the endangered Pacific pocket mouse is the smallest mouse species in North America. They get their name from pouches in their cheeks used to carry food and nesting materials. Though small, these mice play a crucial role in their ecosystems by dispersing the seeds of native plants and encouraging plant growth through their digging activities.

In addition to bolstering the species and maintaining high genetic diversity, the breeding program provides the added benefit of increasing the understanding of how to better manage genetic diversity of populations in their native habitats. Because only three small populations of Pacific pocket mice remain, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's collaborative efforts to augment population numbers, as well as to study and understand their biology and habitat requirements, are critical in conservation of the species.

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 the 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:

Photos and videos from GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ceremony on Feb. 8, 2023

Video interview with Debra Shier , Ph.D., Brown Endowed Associate Director of Recovery Ecology, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

, Ph.D., Brown Endowed Associate Director of Recovery Ecology, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Photos and B-roll footage of Pat, the 9-year-old Pacific pocket mouse, at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance conservation breeding center

Video explanation of Pacific pocket mouse conservation efforts narrated by Will Miller , biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

, biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Graphics of historic and current range of the Pacific pocket mouse



PERMITTED USE: Images and video(s) are provided to the media solely for reproduction, public display, and distribution in a professional journalistic non-commercial and non-sponsored context in connection with newspaper, magazine, broadcast media (radio, television) or internet media (ad enabled blog, webcasts, webinars, podcasts). Image(s) and video(s) may not be made available for public or commercial download, licensing or sale.



ADDITIONAL LIMITATION: Media acknowledges and agrees that San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance specifically does not grant a right to sublicense any image and/or video without the prior express written consent of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in each instance and at its sole discretion.



REQUIRED CREDIT AND CAPTION: All image and/or video uses must bear the copyright notice and/or be properly credited to the relevant photographer, as shown in the image metadata, and must be accompanied by a caption that makes reference to the San Diego Zoo and/or San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Any uses in which the image and/or video appears without proper copyright notice, photographer credit and a caption referencing the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and/or San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance are subject to paid licensing.



AP PERMITTED USE: Specific to the Associated Press ("AP") only, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has provided to the AP one or more photograph(s) and/or video(s) for distribution by the AP to its subscribers and customers solely for editorial publication. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is the sole copyright owner of the photograph(s) and/or video(s) furnished to AP for editorial publication by AP and its subscribers and customers in all media now known or hereafter created. Said content is a factually accurate rendering of what it depicts and has not been modified or augmented except for standard cropping and toning.

CONTACT: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

[email protected]

619-685-3291 WEBSITE: sdzwa.org PRESS ROOM : sdzwa.org/pr/PPMWorldRecord

SOURCE San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Entrata Affordable helps property managers streamline the certification and compliance processes and more while Student Revenue Management provides machine learning algorithms to better benchmark community performance

LEHI, Utah, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrata , the multifamily industry's leading operating system, today announced the launch of Entrata Affordable as well as a first-of-its-kind student revenue management solution. Entrata Affordable is a new product designed specifically for property owners and managers with affordable housing units, while the student revenue management system provides machine learning algorithms on a bed-by-bed basis to help benchmark performance and optimize pricing strategies.

"Our goal has always been to make the rental experience easier for residents and property managers alike, and with Entrata Affordable, we're able to reach a sector of the rental industry where legacy solutions and approaches just aren't working. Regulations and certification processes have created a complex process for those trying to access, rent and manage affordable housing units," said Chase Harrington, President of Entrata. "While there is no silver bullet solution to solving the affordable housing crisis, our hope is that with this new system, we're able to reduce some of the barriers to entry to affordable housing and create a better way for everyone to find a place to live  no matter their economic circumstances."

Entrata Affordable

Backed by Entrata's comprehensive operating system, Entrata Affordable helps property managers mitigate compliance risks by streamlining workflows and automating tasks throughout the certification and reporting process.

With a national shortage of more than seven million affordable rental units in the United States, there is an urgent need for property managers to bring on new units and more accessible rental opportunities for an at-need population. As property managers enter the affordable housing market, navigating the renter certification process can be a complex and time-consuming process, and, once they are certified, ensuring compliance throughout their program participation adds extra barriers.

Entrata Affordable will be available across the US and will include the following key features:

A "What's Next" Workflow : Navigates property managers and owners through complex processes such as certifications, Housing Assistance Payments requests, Tenant Rental Assistance Certification System files and reporting.

: Navigates property managers and owners through complex processes such as certifications, Housing Assistance Payments requests, Tenant Rental Assistance Certification System files and reporting. Automatic Income Limits Updates : Automatically uploads HUD and Tax Credits limits, keeping property managers up-to-date on qualifications and rental limits for their affordable housing units.

: Automatically uploads HUD and Tax Credits limits, keeping property managers up-to-date on qualifications and rental limits for their affordable housing units. Annual Recertification Notices : Automatically alerts users of when recertification notices need to be generated for each household  keeping them on top of deadlines and streamlining the process for the operator and renters alike.

: Automatically alerts users of when recertification notices need to be generated for each household  keeping them on top of deadlines and streamlining the process for the operator and renters alike. Certification Wizard : Easy-to-use interface guides property managers through all the steps to certify households from move-in to move-out  ensuring they remain compliant with the latest regulations.

: Easy-to-use interface guides property managers through all the steps to certify households from move-in to move-out  ensuring they remain compliant with the latest regulations. Verification Workflows: Easily navigate the verification process with tools that help facilitate the authentication of all critical eligibility factors related to affordable housing programs.

Student Revenue Management

A first-of-its-kind solution, Entrata's Student Revenue Management utilizes machine learning to provide optimal rent suggestions on a bed-by-bed basis to help benchmark rates specific to the market in which the property is competing. It also provides real-time data with information tailored to the nuances of student housing.

This solution is designed and built specifically for the unique needs of student operators. To meet those needs, Entrata worked with some of the largest student operators to test the product to address these specialized use cases. Student Revenue Management provides a way to maximize performance and access revenue data like never before.

For more information about Entrata's product releases, please visit www.entrata.com/ product-updates .

About Entrata

Entrata is the leading operating system for multifamily communities worldwide. Setting the bar for innovation in property management software since 2003, Entrata offers solutions for every step of the leasing lifecycle and empowers owners, property managers, and renters to create stronger communities. Entrata currently serves over three million residents across more than 20 thousand multifamily communities around the globe. Learn more at www.entrata.com .

SOURCE Entrata
 Announces James C. Day Planned Retirement from Board of Directors

HOUSTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG) today announced the appointment of Lynn A. Dugle to its Board of Directors, effective March 1, 2023. Dugle served as Chief Executive Officer of Engility Holdings, a publicly traded engineering and technology consulting company, from 2016 until the sale of the company in 2019. Dugle previously served more than a decade in senior management positions at Raytheon Company, including Vice President, Engineering, Technology and Quality, and President of Intelligence, Information and Services. Before joining Raytheon in 2004, Dugle held international and officer-level positions with ADC Telecommunications. Dugle began her career at Texas Instruments.

"We are excited to add someone with Lynn's leadership experience across multiple information technology disciplines to EOG's Board of Directors," said Ezra Y. Yacob, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Lynn's extensive background across several technology markets, including telecommunications, intelligence, and cybersecurity, will be a valuable asset and a great fit for EOG's unique position as a technology leader in the oil and gas sector."

EOG also announced that James C. Day plans to retire from the Board at the end of his current term and not stand for re-election at EOG's 2023 annual stockholders meeting. Day was first elected a Director of EOG in 2008, following a distinguished career leading Noble Corporation, one of the world's largest offshore drilling companies, including as Chairman of the Board from 1992 until his retirement in 2007, and Chief Executive Officer from 1984 until 2006.

"On behalf of EOG and the Board, I would like to thank Jim for his dedicated service to EOG over the past 15 years," Yacob said. "Jim's counsel and support was integral to EOG's success navigating several commodity price cycles and growing to become one of the largest and most successful independent E&P companies and a technology leader in the oil and gas sector. We offer Jim and his family our best wishes."

About EOG

EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE: EOG) is one of the largest crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States with proved reserves in the United States and Trinidad. To learn more visit www.eogresources.com.

Investor Contacts

David Streit 713-571-4902

Neel Panchal 713-571-4884

Shelby O'Connor 713-571-4560

Media Contact

Kimberly Ehmer 713-571-4676

SOURCE EOG Resources, Inc.
Named Best Estate Executor Software, and Web Application of the Year

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EstateExec, the leading online service for estate executors , announced that it has been recognized with additional industry awards from two separate organizations, winning both the Gold Medal for Web Applications at the Globee Business Excellence Awards, and the Best Estate Executor Software award at the Software and Technology Awards.

EstateExec named Best Executor Software in North America EstateExec provides automatically customized step-by-step guidance, and integrated estate accounting

Both awards recognize EstateExec for its innovative estate settlement software which provides executors and/or probate lawyers with step-by-step guidance (automatically customized for the estate), integrated estate accounting (including bank transaction download), and the ability to share online with all interested parties.

The annual Globee Business Excellence awards program celebrates individuals and teams who set industry benchmarks for excellence. EstateExec won the Gold Medal in the Web Application category, for its ground-breaking estate executor software.

The Software and Technology Awards, hosted by New World Report, look to acknowledge the efforts of global pioneers and disruptors of modern technology. In their published award materials, they recognized EstateExec for "disrupting an industry that has stagnated democratizing processes largely unchanged for hundreds of years."

"Whenever someone passes away, there are a number of activities that must be set into motion, activities which can last years," said Dan Stickel, founder and CEO of EstateExec. "While some of these activities are simply 'best practice', others are mandated by law, and it can be a little overwhelming. Our software helps simplify the entire process, making it easier and less prone to error. We're very gratified by the recognition our web application is receiving, and look forward to continuing to expand its capabilities to best serve our clients in both the United States and Canada."

EstateExec covers every state, territory, and province in the US and Canada. It offers a complimentary 10-day trial, and costs only $199 (an expense that can be written off to the estate).

ABOUT EstateExec: Based in Silicon Valley, EstateExec is the leading provider of software for estate executors. EstateExec is revolutionizing the way executors settle their estates, making it easy to manage, calculate, and finalize. For more information, visit www.EstateExec.com.

Media Contact:

Geoffrey Sadwith

1-201-898-5369

[email protected]

SOURCE EstateExec
EV Education Hub to Help Answer Consumer Questions

CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric vehicles (EV) will be on full display on the expanded and redesigned Chicago Drives Electric indoor test track and education hub, powered by ComEd. The new area will feature a one-stop-shop for interested parties to experience and learn about all aspects of EV mobility.

This 100,000 sq.-ft. destination in the show's South Hall will feature electric vehicles from five brands:

Experts will be on hand to help break down the various aspects of EV ownership and tackle complex EV-related topics. Tweet this

BMW i4

BMW i7

BMW iX

Cadillac LYRIQ

Chevrolet Bolt EV

Chevrolet Bolt EUV

Nissan ARIYA

Nissan Leaf

Volkswagen ID.4

Consumers can ride along with professional drivers on the track and experience the unique feel of driving in an electric vehicle, including the power that comes from instant torque. Each manufacturer will manage their own registration process within the track so attendees can ride in a variety of EVs  making it the perfect location to compare different models.

The Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) hosted a fall EV test drive program under the same name and is building on the success of that pilot event to make the EV test drives and education available to all consumers. Experts will be on hand to help break down the various aspects of EV ownership and tackle complex topics such as range anxiety; at-home charging solutions; on-the-go charging and infrastructure; tax credits and incentives; and where people can begin their search.

"The redesigned Chicago Drives Electric indoor track, powered by ComEd, is bigger and better than before providing the perfect place for consumers to compare many EV models all in one location," said Chicago Auto Show Chairman Kevin Keefe. "We know that consumers have questions about electric vehicles and we designed this educational and experiential hub to provide the experts and resources to answer them!"

The Chicago Auto Show has engaged a range of EV experts to support the Chicago Drives Electric hub including title sponsor, ComEd, and premier sponsors Autel, Cars.com, and Powering Chicago:

ComEd will have a booth adjacent to the Chicago Drives Electric test track to interact with attendees, answer questions and learn about their online toolkit.

Autel, a charging hardware company, is providing chargers for all the EVs running on the indoor test track along with an interactive exhibit where consumers can learn more about charging technology.

Powering Chicago is sponsoring this EV track for the second year and will once again feature their mobile field trip truck directly across from the track. Powering Chicago is also hosting a series of educational panels in their EV Learning Center to educate businesses and consumers on critical topics such as EV charging infrastructure installation and the different types of EV chargers available, rebates and tax incentives, energy needs, safety considerations and more.

Other brands exhibiting in the show will also highlight their EVs and hybrid models with their own tracks.

Hyundai will be showcasing the IONIQ5 with an all-new test track in their display and have an IONIQ6 on display.

Jeep will have various 4xe models running in Camp Jeep.

Ford will bring back Built to Electrify with the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning.

Toyota will focus on hybrids and plug-in hybrids with an indoor track featuring the Prius, RAV4, Tundra, Sequoia, and Sienna.

And outside, attendees can get behind the wheel to test drive the Kia EV6, Subaru Solterra, and Volkswagen ID.4.

Watch this video for a glimpse of what to expect at Chicago Drives Electric and find full information on the 2023 show at ChicagoAutoShow.com.

Tickets to the 2023 Chicago Auto Show are currently on sale at ChicagoAutoShow.com. The 2023 show runs Feb. 11-20 at McCormick Place and is open to the public everyday beginning at 10 a.m. Adult ticket prices are $15; seniors ages 62 and older are $10; children ages 4-12 are $10; kids 3 and younger are free.

About the Chicago Auto Show

First staged in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show is the nation's longest running auto exposition in North America. The show is produced by the Chicagoland's new-car dealer association, the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, which has staged the show since 1935. The 2023 public show is Feb. 11-20 at McCormick Place. For more information and the latest updates, visit ChicagoAutoShow.com or Facebook.com/ChicagoAutoShow.com.

About the Chicago Automobile Trade Association

Founded in 1904 and located in Oakbrook Terrace, the Chicago Automobile Trade Association is comprised of more than 400 franchised new-car dealers and an additional 150 allied members. The group's dealer members employ about 19,000 people in the metropolitan area. The association has produced the world famous Chicago Auto Show since 1935. For more information, please visit www.CATA.info.

SOURCE Chicago Auto Show
Air Force family finds Fisher House to be a place of comfort.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cathleen Daniels knew when her husband told her that he wanted to join the military that being part of a military family would be tough, but she quickly realized it was the right path. David, a son of missionaries, knew in his heart that this calling was the path that God had decided for him, and Cathleen felt a sense of peace with their decision. Several years later, though, the family was faced with a series of unknowns that they never anticipated.

At the end of 2021, their experience, while challenging, wasn't all that unusual for a military family. David, an Air Force aircraft structural mechanic, had just returned from a year in Korea. The Daniels were preparing to relocate from Florida, where Cathleen and their two young daughters, Adalyn (5) and Elayah (3) had spent the last year, to their new duty station in New Mexico. In December, they received the exciting news that Cathleen was pregnant again. The growing family had most of their belongings picked up in April and, at the end of May, made their way across the country. That is when the real unknowns came.

About an hour and a half outside of San Antonio, Texas, Cathleen's water broke  at just 23 weeks. They went back to the nearest hospital they knew of, in San Antonio, where they were told she could not go anywhere unless it was by ambulance or helicopter, so she was admitted. At first, they depended on friends of their parents for a place to stay but knew this wasn't really a practical solution. After they reached out for resources from their medical team, a social worker referred them to Fisher House.

On May 28, after just 23 weeks and five days of pregnancy, Luke was born weighing just 1 pound, 5 ounces. As a micro-preemie, there were numerous complications, so he stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit. Staying at the Lackland Air Force Base Fisher House allowed Cathleen and David to take turns watching Luke's sisters and bonding with him, letting him hear their voices and hold him as much as possible at Methodist hospital where he was born.

The Daniels family has had months of unknowns. "Our whole story is 'We don't know,'" explained Cathleen. "How long would we be here? When will he be able to come home? When can we leave? Where will we go?"

What Cathleen does know is that family is all she really needs to be home.

"Home is where heart is, and family is where home is. As long as we have our family, we are home."

Both Cathleen and David's parents live in Africa as missionaries, and their siblings live all over the country. With almost everything in storage and so many unknowns, Fisher House became a family to them, which was very important to them.

"It's been fantastic. The fact that it exists is awesome," said David. "The kids really became close to the staff, and even met Luke here."

Cathleen and David's parents were all able to make the journey from Africa and stayed with the Daniels at the Fisher House to meet their tiny grandson.

Originally built to support Wilford Hall, which had a large labor and delivery department, NICU, and pediatric population, the Lackland Fisher House has a special playroom for children right in the center of one of the wings. Both Adalyn and Elayah enthusiastically pointed out the many toys and books that are their "favorites." They shared how much they loved the murals that make them feel like they are in a forest.

"All the things we didn't think of, and even the things we did, were provided," said Cathleen. "It's been the biggest blessing."

"We told the girls, 'We are all together and this is home for now,'" she explained. "We don't know what is next, but this is our home for now."

To learn more about families like the Daniels family, visit www.fisherhouse.org.

SOURCE Fisher House Foundation
Ilaria Resta to take the helm of integrated Perfumery & Ingredients Organization

Amaury Roquette to take over leadership of Ingredients activities

GENEVA, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, has appointed a new leadership for its integrated Perfumery & Ingredients organization, naming current Perfumery head, Ilaria Resta as its President, while Amaury Roquette will take the role of Senior Vice President, Ingredients. The Perfumery & Ingredients business integrates the company's innovative ingredients palette closely with its Perfumery activities, offering customers significant added value. A key player in the market, the Group's Perfumery & Ingredients business has the broadest range of ingredients in the industry, from synthetics to naturals, and from renewable to biodegradable.

Ilaria Resta, President Perfumery & Ingredients, Firmenich Amaury Roquette, Senior Vice President Ingredients, Firmenich



"The size, depth, scope and innovation of our Perfumery & Ingredients business bring us significant competitive advantage and market shifting value to our customers. It also gives me great pleasure to welcome Ilaria and Amaury to their respective new roles within the organization," said Gilbert Ghostine, Chief Executive Officer, Firmenich. "Ilaria has successfully led the transformation of our Perfumery business since she joined three years ago and has been pioneering a wide array of innovations to lead Perfumery into new markets while driving winning performance with our customers. Together with Amaury, who has an unparalleled understanding of both Perfumery and our Ingredients business, while embracing our Group values for over a decade, they will take the business to new heights."

Ilaria Resta, President of Perfumery & Ingredients, Firmenich, commented: "Our Perfumery & Ingredients capabilities bring undisputable competitive and differentiating advantage to our customers. Our unique value proposition, powered by innovation and an unmatched, vertically integrated portfolio, offers our customers a world leading palette. The superiority and variety of our palette enables our Perfumers to create fragrances with innovative and remarkable perfume ingredients that show our dedication to nature, green science and cutting-edge technology. This covers natural and synthetic molecules, 99% biodegradable and 100% renewable ingredients, plus biotech ingredients that have functional benefits."



"I also want to welcome Amaury to the business. He has significant experience across all units within our Group, proven leadership capabilities and the strategic ability to leverage the clear synergies between ingredients and perfumery."

"I am delighted to take on this thrilling new challenge", said Amaury Roquette, Senior Vice President Ingredients at Firmenich. "Firmenich has an industry leading position thanks to its team, its strategic focus on consumers and innovation, and its superior ingredients portfolio. I am looking forward to further strengthening the connection between our perfumery and ingredients activities, and bolstering our combined offers."

Amaury Roquette will take the role of Senior Vice President, Ingredients, reporting to Ilaria Resta. He will run all end-to-end activities of our Ingredients business. Amaury succeeds Boet Brinkgreve who will open a new chapter in his professional life.

Amaury has been with Firmenich for more than 14 years, and initially joined the Strategic Development team. He then moved into the ingredients business where he held various positions in sales and product management. In 2014, he was promoted to Ingredients Global Head of Sales, and in 2017 he moved into Perfumery Fine Fragrance as VP, Sales & Marketing Europe. In 2019, he moved into Taste & Beyond to successfully drive the Naturals Platform.

About Firmenich

Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, and has been family-owned for 127 years. Firmenich is a leading business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors, and ingredients. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers superior innovation in formulation, a broad and high-quality palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies including biotechnology, encapsulation, olfactory science, and taste modulation. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 4.7 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2022. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1998455/Ilaria_Resta.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1998454/Amaury_Roquette.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/798187/Firmenich_Logo.jpg





SOURCE Firmenich
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The forensic technologies market size is estimated to increase by USD 6,583.87 million from 2022 to 2027, with a CAGR of 11.89%, according to a recent market study by Technavio. This report also offers a 5-year historical (2017-2021) data projection of market size, segmentation, and region. Discover some insights on market size before buying the full report - Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Forensic Technologies Market 2023-2027

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of vendors has been conducted to help clients understand the wider business environment as well as the strengths and weaknesses of key market players. Data is qualitatively analyzed to categorize vendors as pure play, category-focused, industry-focused, and diversified; it is quantitatively analyzed to categorize vendors as dominant, leading, strong, tentative, and weak. the bargaining power of buyers & suppliers and the threat of new entrants, rivalry, and substitutes have also been analyzed and rated between LOW-HIGH to provide a holistic view of market favorability.

To procure the data - Buy report!

Find Technavio's exclusive analysis of price sensitivity, adoption lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

One of the core components of the customer landscape is price sensitivity , an analysis of which will help companies refine marketing strategies to gain a competitive advantage .

, an analysis of which will help companies refine . Another key aspect is price sensitivity drivers (purchases are undifferentiated, the purchase is a key cost to buyers, and quality is not important) , which range between LOW and NEUTRAL.

, which range between Furthermore, market adoption rates for all regions have been covered.

The addictions therapeutics market report also offers information on the criticality of inputs, R&D, CAPEX, technology, and products of 15 vendors listed below -

AB SCIEX LLC

Agilent Technologies Inc.

BDO International Ltd.

Belkasoft

Danaher Corp.

Eurofins Scientific SE

Exterro Inc.

HORIBA Ltd.

Illumina Inc.

LGC Ltd.

LIFARS LLC

Neogen Corp.

NMS Labs

Perkin Elmer Inc

Promega Corp.

QIAGEN NV

Shimadzu Corp.

StoneTurn Group LLP

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc

Zentek Digital Investigations Ltd.

Download a sample

Chart & data table on 5-year historic (2017-2021) market size, comparative analysis of segments, and y-o-y growth of forensic technologies market

The market is segmented by application (law enforcement agencies, healthcare, and others) and technique (PCR, capillary electrophoresis, and others).

Based on technique, the PCR segment will account for a significant share of the market's growth during the forecast period.

segment will account for a significant share of the market's growth during the forecast period. PCR is a forensic technique used in DNA fingerprinting for human identification. Forensic analyses utilize short tandem repeats (STRs) to differentiate between different individuals.

It facilitates the analysis of DNA from old or degraded samples and amplifies the DNA fragments into several billion copies.

Moreover, the method ensures accurate measurement of DNA for STR analysis using a small sample, which increases efficiency and reduces the cost of reamplification.

Such factors are expected to drive the growth of the PCR segment in the market during the forecast period.

Need for better investigation methods due to the increasing crime rate is driving the forensic technologies market growth

Crime rates have increased worldwide, which require advanced technologies and intelligence. Forensic technologies are crucial in criminal investigations. A rise in the number of criminal cases has increased the backlog of pending cases. This led to an increase in the number of laboratories globally. Moreover, heavily financed research has created a demand for high-quality forensic products and services. Such factors will fuel the market growth during the forecast period.

Chart & data table on historical market size (2017-2021), historic industry size, and analysis of vendors and countries

The market is segmented by region (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW)). An analysis of key leading countries has been included.

North America is estimated to account for 33% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. High funding by governments to forensic labs and the presence of major vendors are driving the market growth in this region. The US, Canada , and Mexico are the key contributors to the market growth. The growing crime rates and government initiatives to combat such issues are increasing the demand for forensic technologies in the region.

is estimated to account for 33% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. High funding by governments to forensic labs and the presence of major vendors are driving the market growth in this region. The US, , and are the key contributors to the market growth. The growing crime rates and government initiatives to combat such issues are increasing the demand for forensic technologies in the region. The outbreak of COVID-19 led to the closure of forensic labs, which negatively impacted the market in the region. However, the rise in adoption of genome sequencing technology has boosted the demand for various forensic technologies. Moreover, forensic labs reopened in 2021 with routine activities resuming in the region. The rise healthcare expenditure in the region is expected to boost the growth of the market in North America during the forecast period.

For insights on the market dynamics and segmentations, view PDF sample!

Related Reports:

Transfection Technologies Market Research Report, Size , Growth, Trends, Opportunity Analysis, Industry Forecast - 2022-2026 - size is projected to grow by USD 526.14 million with a CAGR of 9.05%, during the forecast period 2021 to 2026, according to the recent market study by Technavio. Furthermore, this report extensively covers transfection technologies market segmentation by end-user (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research organizations, and academic and research institutes) and geography (North America, Asia, Europe, and the Rest of the World (ROW)). To get more exclusive research insights: view summary of the report.

Cell Culture Consumables Market by Application, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027  size is forecasted to increase by USD 23,729.7 million. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 22.3% between 2022 and 2027. This report extensively covers market segmentation by application (biopharmaceutical production, cancer research, and others) and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World). To get more exclusive research insights: view summary of the report

Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

What are the key data covered in this forensic technologies market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the forensic technologies market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the forensic technologies market and its contribution to the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the forensic technologies market across North America , Europe , Asia , and Rest of World (ROW)

, , , and Rest of World (ROW) A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of Forensic Technologies Market vendors

Forensic Technologies Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 165 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 11.89% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 6,583.87 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 9.95 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution North America at 33% Key countries US, UK, Germany, China, and Japan Competitive landscape Leading vendors, market positioning of vendors, competitive strategies, and industry risks Key companies profiled AB SCIEX LLC, Agilent Technologies Inc., BDO International Ltd., Belkasoft, Danaher Corp., Eurofins Scientific SE, Exterro Inc., HORIBA Ltd., Illumina Inc., LGC Ltd., LIFARS LLC, Neogen Corp., NMS Labs, Perkin Elmer Inc, Promega Corp., QIAGEN NV, Shimadzu Corp., StoneTurn Group LLP, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc, and Zentek Digital Investigations Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Browse for Technavio's health care market 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 Technique



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global forensic technologies market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global forensic technologies market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Technique Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Technique Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Technique

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Technique - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Technique - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Technique

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Technique



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Technique

6.3 PCR - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on PCR - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on PCR - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on PCR - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on PCR - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Capillary electrophoresis - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Capillary electrophoresis - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Capillary electrophoresis - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Capillary electrophoresis - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Capillary electrophoresis - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Market opportunity by Technique

Exhibit 46: Market opportunity by Technique ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Application

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 47: Chart on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 49: Chart on Comparison by Application



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Comparison by Application

7.3 Law enforcement agencies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Law enforcement agencies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Law enforcement agencies - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Law enforcement agencies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Law enforcement agencies - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 55: Chart on Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 57: Chart on Healthcare - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Healthcare - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.6 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 63: Market opportunity by Application ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 64: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 65: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 67: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 68: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 70: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 72: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 83: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 85: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 86: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 87: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 88: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 91: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 93: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 94: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 95: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 96: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 99: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 103: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 104: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 105: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 106: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 107: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 108: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 109: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 110: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 111: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 AB SCIEX LLC

Exhibit 112: AB SCIEX LLC - Overview



Exhibit 113: AB SCIEX LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 114: AB SCIEX LLC - Key offerings

12.4 Agilent Technologies Inc.

Exhibit 115: Agilent Technologies Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 116: Agilent Technologies Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 117: Agilent Technologies Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 118: Agilent Technologies Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 119: Agilent Technologies Inc. - Segment focus

12.5 BDO International Ltd.

Exhibit 120: BDO International Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 121: BDO International Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 122: BDO International Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 123: BDO International Ltd. - Segment focus

12.6 Danaher Corp.

Exhibit 124: Danaher Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 125: Danaher Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 126: Danaher Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 127: Danaher Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 128: Danaher Corp. - Segment focus

12.7 Exterro Inc.

Exhibit 129: Exterro Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 130: Exterro Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 131: Exterro Inc. - Key offerings

12.8 HORIBA Ltd.

Exhibit 132: HORIBA Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 133: HORIBA Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 134: HORIBA Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 135: HORIBA Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 136: HORIBA Ltd. - Segment focus

12.9 Illumina Inc.

Exhibit 137: Illumina Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 138: Illumina Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 139: Illumina Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 140: Illumina Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 141: Illumina Inc. - Segment focus

12.10 LGC Ltd.

Exhibit 142: LGC Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 143: LGC Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 144: LGC Ltd. - Key offerings

12.11 Neogen Corp.

Exhibit 145: Neogen Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 146: Neogen Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 147: Neogen Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 148: Neogen Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 149: Neogen Corp. - Segment focus

12.12 NMS Labs

Exhibit 150: NMS Labs - Overview



Exhibit 151: NMS Labs - Product / Service



Exhibit 152: NMS Labs - Key offerings

12.13 Promega Corp.

Exhibit 153: Promega Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 154: Promega Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 155: Promega Corp. - Key offerings

12.14 QIAGEN NV

Exhibit 156: QIAGEN NV - Overview



Exhibit 157: QIAGEN NV - Product / Service



Exhibit 158: QIAGEN NV - Key news



Exhibit 159: QIAGEN NV - Key offerings

12.15 Shimadzu Corp.

Exhibit 160: Shimadzu Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 161: Shimadzu Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 162: Shimadzu Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 163: Shimadzu Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 164: Shimadzu Corp. - Segment focus

12.16 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Exhibit 165: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 166: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 167: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 168: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 169: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. - Segment focus

12.17 Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc

Exhibit 170: Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc - Overview



Exhibit 171: Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc - Business segments



Exhibit 172: Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 173: Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc - Segment focus

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 174: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 175: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 176: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 177: Research methodology



Exhibit 178: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 179: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 180: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 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
WILMINGTON, N.C., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital Pulse, a healthcare finance technology start-up that transforms the way healthcare companies access working capital, announced that Eric D. Hargan, Founder and CEO of The Hargan Group, has joined as a member of its Board of Directors.

Hargan served as Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2017-2021, as well as Acting Secretary in 2017-2018. As Deputy Secretary, he led the day-to-day operations and management of the department, as well as policy and strategy development. He previously served at HHS in similar roles during the George W. Bush Administration. Between his times at HHS, Eric was a practicing attorney specializing in healthcare regulation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and government relations.

Former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of HHS Joins the Board of Healthcare Finance Start-Up Capital Pulse Tweet this

Since leaving his post at HHS, Eric has joined the Boards of University Hospitals, Alio Medical, SIU Medicine, Tomorrow Health, and HealthTrackRx. Additionally, Hargan serves as an Adjunct Professor of Management at Vanderbilt and Fellow of the Center for Healthcare Market Innovation in the Owen Graduate School of Business and teaches at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Board of Capital Pulse," said Hargan. "I believe the company is truly a first mover in healthcare finance. Its innovative, integrated platform for valuing and financing medical insurance claims has the potential to unlock billions of dollars in liquidity within the US healthcare system."

"We couldn't be happier that Eric has joined our Board," said Susan Estes, co-founder and CEO of Capital Pulse. "His expertise in Healthcare and Policy will be immensely helpful in guiding Capital Pulse as we bring our offering to market and deliver on our mission to help hospitals better access working capital, a vital financing lifeline."

Capital Pulse was founded in 2022 by Estes, a pioneering female financial leader and serial entrepreneur. As the first woman to run a US Treasury primary dealership, Estes has a storied career in the capital markets.

Estes, along with co-founders Dr. Alexandria Sakrejda and Josh Holden, created Capital Pulse in response to an increasing need from hospitals to access affordable working capital. The company's premise is that funding rates backed by medical insurance claims should reflect the credit of the underlying guarantor  the U.S. government or other highly-rated institutions  rather than the credit of the hospital or hospital system generating them. Capital Pulse uses secure cutting-edge technology to provide neutral and transparent medical claims scoring to providers, lenders and payers, unlocking liquidity in these undervalued assets.

ABOUT CAPITAL PULSE

Capital Pulse is a healthcare start-up that seeks to transform the way hospitals access working capital. The company's premise is that funding rates backed by medical insurance claims should reflect the credit of the underlying guarantor  the U.S. government or other highly-rated institutions  rather than the credit of the hospital or hospital system generating them. Capital Pulse uses secure cutting-edge technology to provide neutral and transparent medical claims scoring to providers, lenders and payers, unlocking liquidity in these undervalued assets. Capital Pulse is led by CEO Susan Estes, a serial entrepreneur with an extensive and successful track record in capital markets. A pioneering female leader, she was the first woman to run a primary dealership on Wall Street and was a member of the U.S. Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC). To find out more, visit www.capitalpulse.com

SOURCE Capital Pulse
FLINT, Mich., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Forum Health, LLC , a nationwide network of functional and integrative medicine, adds four medical providers to existing Forum Health clinics in South Carolina, Florida, and Texas.

"We have been aggressively expanding our network to meet the growing needs of functional medicine across the nation and are thrilled with the exciting talent we have brought on board," said Adam Puttkammer , president at Forum Health. "These knowledgeable providers bring expertise and a shared passion for the root-cause medicine we provide to our patients across the nation."

The following providers have joined Forum Health:

Mimi Uong APRN, FNP-C joins Forum Health in Austin, Texas with more than 10 years of experience as a nurse practitioner. She is a certified functional medicine and a mold-literate provider specializing in gut health, hormone replacement, and mold illness.

Julie Murphy, APRN, WHNP joins LifeStream Health Centre & Med Spa, a Forum Health Partner, in Coppell, TX. Julie is a women's health nurse practitioner and board certified in women's health. She has extensive training in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, hormone imbalances, thyroid and autoimmune conditions, digestive issues, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk.

April Christians, RN joins Forum Health in Tampa, Florida as a family nurse practitioner. She has experience in the medical intensive care unit, the emergency department, and the post-anesthesia care unit. Her focus is educating patients on disease processes and treatment options to achieve optimal health.

Ashlea Smith Bates, APRN, FNP-BC joins Forum Health in Greenville, South Carolina with more than 25 years of medical experience as a nurse practitioner. She specializes in aesthetic treatments including laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation, cellulite reduction, and microneedling.

Forum Health's growth continues with the expansion of its clinics, making root-cause medicine more accessible across the nation. For more on Forum Health and its locations, visit www.forumhealth.com/locations .

About Forum Health, LLC

Forum Health, LLC is a nationwide provider of personalized healthcare. Steeped in the powerful principles of functional and integrative medicine, Forum Health providers take a root-cause approach to care. They listen and dig deep  exploring lifestyle, environment, and genetics to help each patient achieve their ultimate health goals. Members have access to advanced medical treatments and technology, with care plans informed by data analytics and collaborative relationships. To learn more, visit forumhealth.com .

SOURCE Forum Health, LLC
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2022, the fuel cell generator market was worth around USD 330 million, and it is projected to advance at a 17.50% CAGR from 2022 to 2030, hitting USD 1,199 million in 2030, as per P&S Intelligence.

This development can be ascribed to several reasons, including the burgeoning need for the minimalization of CO 2 emissions, easy availability of fuel cell generators, and demand for the renewable generation of energy.

Variants that Use Hydrogen Are Highest Revenue Contributors

Hydrogen fuel cell generators have the largest market share, of approximately 55%, mainly because they do not release any damaging gases. This, in turn, removes the prices associated with deploying a dedicated CCUS system. Moreover, these generators are dependable and offer 4060% output efficiency and scalability.

Numerous nations are targeting to decrease their overall releases of CO 2 to zero by 2050. This is because governments' focus has amplified on making a decarbonized future over the past few years. To accomplish this aim, the introduction of renewable sources, including solar, biomass, hydro, wind, and geothermal, is vital.

Get the sample pages of this report: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/fuel-cell-generator-market/report-sample

However, the production of electricity from the sun and wind has a few drawbacks, the biggest of which is the output disparities, as these technologies are reliant on weather conditions.

Fuel Cell Generator Usage in Aquaculture To Grow at Highest Rate

Aquaculture will be the fastest-growing end user, witnessing a CAGR of approximately 19.2%, credited to the increasing aquaculture activities and strong ecological impact ascribed to it due to the high-volume consumption of electricity and water.

Thus, to lessen the environmental effects, governments have taken numerous steps for utilizing fuel-cell-based generators as an alternative to diesel generators.

As per the estimates of the NOAA, the aquaculture sector in the U.S. generates USD 1.5 billion every year and supports 1.7 million people engaged in fisheries.

North America Is Leading the Way in Fuel Cell Generator Usage

North America is dominating the industry, and it is projected to continue with the dominance throughout the decade. This can be ascribed to the acceptance of clean sources for generating heat and electricity.

Browse detailed report on Fuel Cell Generator Market Growth, Development and Demand Forecast to 2030

In North America, the U.S. is leading the market, and it will develop with a CAGR of 18.1%, credited to the solid economic support of the government and the private sector.

The growth in the usage of renewable sources and snowballing electricity needs from the aquaculture and data centers industries are the major factors that will boost the industry in the future.

Fuel Cell Generator Market Report Coverage

By Type

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Generators

Methanol Fuel Cell Generators

By End User

Marine

Construction

Mining

Agriculture

Aquaculture

Data Centers

Emergency response generators

Regional Analysis

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



U.K.



France



Italy



Spain

Asia-Pacific

Japan



China



India



South Korea



Australia

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico

Middle East and Africa

and Saudi Arabia



South Africa



U.A.E.

Browse More Reports Published by P&S

Global Hydrogen Market Share, Growth, Development and Demand Forecast to 2030

Global Blue Hydrogen Market Share, Growth, Development and Demand Forecast to 2030

Global Methanol Market Share, Growth, Development and Demand Forecast to 2030

Global Hydrogen Energy Storage Market Share, Growth, Development and Demand Forecast to 2030

About P&S Intelligence

P&S Intelligence provides market research and consulting services to a vast array of industries across the world. As an enterprising research and consulting company, P&S believes in providing thorough insights on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness. P&S keeps the interest of its clients at heart, which is why the insights we provide are both honest and accurate. Our long list of satisfied clients includes entry-level firms as well as multi-million-dollar businesses and government agencies.

Contact:

Prajneesh Kumar

P&S Intelligence

Phone: +1-347-960-6455

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn Twitter

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1224988/P_and_S_Intelligence_Logo.jpg

SOURCE P&S Intelligence
GATC has discovered and is developing drug candidates and diagnostics for cancer, PTSD, depression, and fentanyl addiction

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GATC Health Corp, a science and technology company revolutionizing drug discovery and disease prediction using artificial intelligence (AI), today responded to the release of President Biden's "Unity Agenda" as detailed in his first State of the Union address. The Unity Agenda's goals include ending cancer as we know it; delivering on the sacred obligation to veterans; tackling the mental health crisis; and beating the opioid and overdose epidemic. Not only are these four subjects the focus of the administration, they are each also current initiatives at GATC Health.

According to the White House's Fact Sheet on the speech, "During his first State of the Union address, President Biden announced a four-part Unity Agenda focused on areas where members of both parties can come together and make additional progress for the American peopleOver the last year, the President was proud to work with Democrats and Republicans to enact major legislation that delivers on all aspects of this four-part agenda. In his State of the Union today, the President will announce a new set of policies to continue to make progress advancing his Unity Agenda and deliver results for families across the country.

The four goals in the Unity Agenda reflect GATC's work in oncology, veteran's health, mental health and addiction Tweet this

"President Biden's call for bipartisan endorsement of critical health issues outlined in his State of the Union address echo GATC Health's project pipeline," noted Dr. Robert Sorrentino, the company's Chief Medical Officer. "The four goals in the Unity Agenda reflect our work in oncology, veteran's health, mental health and addiction. Our uniquely powerful AI platform is fast-tracking solutions across all four fields, which is something every American can support."

Ending cancer as we know it

In April of last year, GATC Health made news with the announcement that entered the oncology treatment market with a new prodrug for cancer. This new drug, created on GATC Health's Multiomics Advanced Technology platform (MAT), was designed to safely cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for cancer treatment, specifically glioblastoma. Innovative solutions in oncology continue at GATC Health, via planned partnerships with biotechnology firms to de-risk and optimize CAR-T and natural killer (NK) solutions by simulating clinical trial environments using the MAT platform.

Delivering on the sacred obligation to veterans

The company's commitment to addressing veterans' needs is evidenced in the development of a new drug candidate for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This new drug asset was developed de novo by MAT and has passed GATC Health's rigorous pre-clinical validation process. This process has been demonstrated to identify drugs that will have a beneficial impact on human healthwith endpoints across a spectrum of FDA defined benchmarkswith 88% accuracy, which is 11-times more accurate than the industry standard. The platform can identify potential failures with 84% accuracy. GATC Health's new PTSD drug candidate is expected to complete in silico and small animal pre-clinical studies by the end of the year.

Tackling the mental health crisis

One of GATC Health's earliest milestones was the development of its personalized Depression Report. This valuable tool leverages MAT's ability to analyze billions of points of data per individual to provide a detailed assessment of 29 genes with almost 500 genetic variants known to be linked to mental health. In essence, its measures how much (or how little) a person's genomics influence their mental state and what simple steps can be taken to optimize mental health. The data is grouped into three categories: genetic predisposition, supplement recommendations, endocannabinoid system. With this tool, clinicians and patients can build a better strategy to strengthen and enhance mental resilience.

Beating the opioid and overdose epidemic

The first drug synthesized by GATC Health and put through pre-clinical studies specifically addresses the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic. This non-addictive fentanyl addiction drug is expected to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) by returning the diseased, addicted brain to its natural, healthy state while maintaining sufficient dopamine levels in the addiction and reward centers to reduce discomfort and agitation. This novel approach will also promote remodeling of the brain limbic system by increasing neuroplasticity, thereby facilitating shifts away from learned addiction patterns of thoughts and behavior.

In a recent presentation at the Opioid Abatement and Settlement Summit at Georgetown University before a crowd of state, municipal and tribal decision-makers who are receiving opioid settlement funds, GATC's Chief Operating Officer, Tyrone Lam described the company's new drug asset to the receptive audience. "We believe our new fentanyl addiction drug could prove to be a critical tool in the fight against this deadly epidemic."

About GATC Health

GATC Health Corp is a science and technology company revolutionizing disease prediction and drug discovery and development through its transformative AI platform and approach, which de-risks drug pipelines and accelerates new therapies to treat disease with accuracy, efficiency and speed never before achieved in medical science. The company's validated and proprietary Multiomics Advanced Technology (MAT) platform simulates human biochemistry's billions of interactions for accurate and rapid disease prediction, novel target identification, and drug discovery and development. GATC envisions the future of medicine now, where health is protected, disease is reversed, and every person's unique biology is treated with precision.

GATC is accelerating the future of predictive, individualized medicine, today.

SOURCE GATC Health Corp
CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, G.H. Smart & Company, LLC was ranked #1 in the 2023 Vault study of "Best Consulting Firms to Work For" in ten categories, including Work/Life Balance, Compensation, Hours in the Office, Selectivity, and Diversity. The firm repeated top rankings in Client Interaction (fifth year in a row), Level of Challenge (fourth year in a row) and overall Satisfaction (fourth year in a row). Rounding out the #1 rankings, the firm earned top honors in Overall Business Outlook and Overall "Best Boutique Firm" (for the third year in a row).

ghSMART was ranked #1 in the 2023 Vault study of "Best Consulting Firms to Work For" in ten categories. Tweet this ghSMART Earns Ten #1 Rankings on Vault's Annual Study of Best Consulting Firms

In the overall "Vault Consulting 50" rating, the definitive industry list of best consulting firms, ghSMART was ranked #6, joining BCG, Bain and McKinsey in the top 10.

ghSMART is the industry-defining leadership advisory firm, where team members work directly with boards and CEOs to solve their highest stakes leadership challenges. "We're grateful for the Vault rankings, and we're very proud of the unique firm we've built," said Founder and CEO Geoff Smart. "We hire the very best people, and our consultants have the freedom and flexibility to chart their own career path while earning top compensation. We support our team in becoming the best they can be, at work and at home."

President Jeff McLean said: "I'm very proud of this recognition. Our team does meaningful work every day, partnering with the most influential leaders in making positive impact on the world. We are very fortunate to be the most trusted advisors to the best clients and to work each day with a truly extraordinary team, and these rankings reflect that."

Chief People Officer Pam Keenan Fritz added: "We are growing the firm as the demand for our work continues to increase. Though we hire to a very high bar, our colleagues find the combination of an extraordinary team, truly flexible model and deeply meaningful work incredibly rewarding. This is what powered Vault's wonderful recognition."

About ghSMART

The world's most effective leadership advisors, ghSMART was founded on the idea that leadership is the most important force for good. Today, ghSMART is the trusted advisor to F500 and non-profit CEOs, boards and large private equity investors. Using the art of advising and the science of leadership intelligence, consultants help clients build and develop powerful, diverse teams that work better and win quicker, achieving their business goals and personal aspirations. Rigorous assessments coupled with analytics serves as the basis for work that ranges from CEO succession, portfolio performance and board effectiveness to leadership selection and development.

Firm leaders authored some of the top-selling and most-acclaimed books in the field of leadership. The firm published the New York Times bestseller Who: The A Method for Hiring (Smart & Street), The Wall Street Journal bestseller Power Score: Your Formula for Leadership Success (Smart, Street, and Foster), and the New York Times bestseller The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders (Botelho & Powell).

For more information about ghSMART, please visit www.ghsmart.com or connect on LinkedIn. We hire a select number of candidates each year to advisor and staff roles. Current opportunities can be found on our website and information on life at ghSMART on Glassdoor.

Contact:

Jennifer Watkins

480-293-4770

[email protected]

SOURCE ghSMART
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Automotive Telematics Market: Embedded, Tethered and Integrated Connectivity" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report analyzes different product types, connectivity types, applications, sales channels, vehicle types, and regional market development of automotive telematics. Furthermore, we also segment the market analysis by major countries in this report, such as the U.S., China, Germany, and others where the opportunities for automotive telematics are lucrative.

The report also covers leading companies with information on product types, business footprint, revenue, etc. We have also included a list of other companies in global and regional markets. As well, the report includes a patent analysis for the automotive telematics market, which represents a significant investment area for investors.

The telematics market is continuously growing due to growing demand by drivers and fleet managers for more connectivity and vehicle and driver monitoring features in vehicles. Often, telematics users can pay for services on a subscription model according to desired telematics features. Due to the market's growth software companies are investing in this business.

Furthermore, automotive vehicle manufacturers and hardware manufacturers are working collaboratively to include new and desired systems in new automobiles. There is also a wide variety of end users interested in the data collected through telematics, such as insurance and risk assessment companies.

Consumers have two ways to access telematics services, either as original equipment installed in new vehicles or via the aftermarket. OEM telematics systems are highly reliable, low in cost (usually included in the vehicle's price), and subscription services are typically free for one year after purchase of the car.

Commercial fleet managers often look to the aftermarket for appropriate telematics systems. Aftermarket companies such as Geotab, the leader in commercial telematics, offers systems for vehicle monitoring and other packages.

The OEM segment is also driven by government regulations. For example, the federal governments of the U.S. and Canada have mandated use of ELDs (Electronic Logging Devices). An ELD is a device used in commercial trucks to track drivers' hours of service (HOS).

ELD technology automatically records a driver's driving time and other aspects of their HOS records, allowing for more accessible, more accurate HOS recordkeeping. In the U.S., it has been mandatory to use ELD since December 2017, while in Canada the same mandate was implemented in June 2021.

OEM companies offer two connectivity options in their vehicles, embedded and integrated. The embedded option is highly compatible with in-vehicle technology. Integrated connectivity offers drivers the option, for example, to connect their smartphone with the vehicle's infotainment system.

In the coming years, the telematics companies engaged in software and services expect higher revenue growth than the hardware manufacturers. At the same time, the hardware side will continue to grow due to increased software-driven technologies that require highly advanced hardware, such as AIpowered dashboard cameras.

Many fleet managers are using telematics services to reduce their insurance premiums. These managers share vehicle use-related data with vehicle insurance companies.

Descriptive company profiles of the leading global players, including Cartrack, LG Electronics, Zonar Systems and Verizon Connect

Report Includes

Analyses of the global market trends, with market revenue data for 2021, estimates for 2022, forecasts for 2023 and 2025, and projections of five year compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2027

Highlights of the market potential for automotive telematics, industry growth drivers, and areas of focus to forecast the global PCB market into various segments and sub-segments

Estimation of the actual market size and market forecast for automotive telematics in dollar value terms, and corresponding market share analysis by product type, connectivity, application, vehicle type, sales channel, and geographic region

In-depth information (facts and figures) concerning market drivers, market deterrents and other macroeconomic forces affecting the current and future market outlook

Discussion of the industry value chain analysis providing a systematic study of key intermediaries involved, with emphasis on manufacturers, suppliers, and major users of these products

Holistic review of the impact of COVID-19 and the Russia - Ukraine war on the global and regional markets for automotive telematics

- war on the global and regional markets for automotive telematics A relevant patent analysis with significant allotments of patents on automotive telematics technology

Updated information on recent mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, collaborations, joint ventures, and market expansions in the automotive telematics industry

Identification of the major stakeholders and analysis of the competitive landscape based on recent developments and segmental revenues

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights

Chapter 3 Market Overview

3.1 Current Market Overview

3.2 History and Evolution of Automotive Telematics

3.3 Applications, Benefits and Challenges of Vehicle Telematics

3.3.1 Applications

3.3.2 Benefits

3.3.3 Challenges

3.4 Market Definitions

3.4.1 Types of Telematic Systems

3.4.2 Telematics Sales Channel

3.4.3 Telematics Hardware

3.4.4 Telematics Software

3.4.5 Telematics, by Vehicle Type

3.4.6 End-users of Automotive Telematics

3.5 Value Chain Analysis in the Automotive Telematics Market

3.5.1 Content Creation

3.5.2 Application Development

3.5.3 Content Aggregation

3.5.4 Network Transport

3.5.5 Telematics Hardware

3.5.6 Access Interface

3.4 Porter's Five Forces Model

3.5 Covid-19's Impact on the Global Telematics Market

3.6 Russia-Ukraine War Impact on the Global Telematics Market

3.7 Industry Expert Insights

Chapter 4 Global Market Dynamics

4.1 Market Drivers

4.1.1 Government's Strict Regulations and Standards Are Pushing the Installation of Telematics Devices in Vehicles

4.1.2 The Usage of Telematic Services Can Help Fleet Managing Companies to Achieve Sustainability Goals

4.1.3 Demand Side Drivers for Automotive Telematics Market

4.1.4 Market Restraints

4.1.5 Current Market Trends

4.1.6 Market Opportunities

Chapter 5 Market Breakdown, by Product Type

5.1 Introduction

Chapter 6 Market Breakdown, by Connectivity Type

6.1 Introduction

Chapter 7 Market Breakdown, by Application

7.1 Introduction

Chapter 8 Market Breakdown, by Sales Channel

8.1 Introduction

Chapter 9 Market Breakdown, by Vehicle Type

9.1 Introduction

Chapter 10 Market Breakdown, by Region

10.1 Introduction

10.2 North America

10.3 Europe Market

10.4 Asia-Pacific

10.5 Rest of the World Market

Chapter 11 Patent Analysis

11.1 Overview

11.2 Patent Description for Automotive Telematics

Chapter 12 Competitive Landscape

12.1 Overview

12.1.1 Leading Hardware Suppliers

12.2 Leading Players in Commercial Telematics

12.3 Key Developments

12.4 List of Resources for Automotive Telematics

Chapter 13 Company Profiles

Cartrack

Continental AG

Geotab Inc.

Lg Electronics

Masternaut Ltd.

Mix Telematics

Samsara Inc.

Teletrac Navman U.S. Ltd.

Verizon Connect

Zonar Systems

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lhj4fg-automotive?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
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

Executive Summary

Source: ReportLinker Research

The Global Carbon Credit market was valued at USD 760.28 Billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.14% during the forecast period of 2023-2028. Demand for carbon credits is expected to increase drastically in the near future due to the growing number of corporate net-zero commitments. Purchasing carbon credits allows corporations to become carbon-neutral today while they continue to work to reduce their emissions.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06416119/?utm_source=PRN

Businesses can commit to more aggressive and earlier goals with the help of carbon credits. Credits give companies the option to offset their current emissions while also taking cost-effective steps to cut future emissions through asset turnover and the evolution of their business models. In the long run, credits are crucial for offsetting hard-to-abate emissions from items that don't offer options for low or zero emissions.

As more private companies seek to engage in the offset market, recent advances have been fuelled by a rise in voluntary demand for these credits. Since projects with societal benefits coupled with emissions reductions are perceived as more attractive to voluntary buyers, these corporations have been under pressure from shareholders and the general public to drive this in recent years.

The demand increase in the offsetting market is caused by a rising awareness of environmental challenges on a global level, catalyzed by COP26. More and more companies are recognizing the environmental and social value of offsetting projects and taking climate action by compensating for their carbon footprint.

The voluntary market segment is expected to grow tremendously in the upcoming years. Voluntary carbon credits, whilst historically transacted through bespoke bilateral agreements between buyer and seller, can increasingly be bought through specialized carbon credit exchanges and trading platforms. Given the growth of the voluntary carbon credit market, more established exchanges are looking to launch their own offerings.

Scope of the Report

The report analyses the Carbon Credit Market by Value (USD Billion).

The report analyses the Carbon Credit Market by Volume (Million Tonnes).

The report presents the analysis of the Carbon Credit market for the historical period of 2018-2021, the base year 2022 and the forecast period of 2023-2028.

The report analyses the Carbon Credit Market by Market Type (Voluntary Market, Compliance Market).

The report analyses the Carbon Credit Market By End User (Aviation, Energy, Petrochemical, Manufacturing, Others).

The Global Carbon Credit Market has been analysed by countries ( United States , Canada , Germany , UK, Switzerland , Poland , Spain , France , China , South Korea ).

The key insights of the report have been presented through the frameworks of SWOT and Porter's Five Forces Analysis. Also, the attractiveness of the market has been presented by region, by component, by vehicle.

Also, the major opportunities, trends, drivers and challenges of the industry have been analysed in the report.

The report tracks competitive developments, strategies, mergers and acquisitions and new product development. The companies analysed in the report include AltaGas, Sterling Planet , 3 Degrees Group Inc., Native Energy, Cool Effect, South Pole Group, ClearSky Climate Solutions, Carbon Credit Capital, Sustainable Travel International, EcoAct.

Key Target Audience

Aviation, Energy, Petrochemical, Manufacturing Companies

Consulting and Advisory Firms

Research and Development Organizations

Government and Regulatory Authorities

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06416119/?utm_source=PRN

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.

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker
The global icon is a true believer and frequent consumer of spiritual guidance

For high-res images, click here .

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Groundbreaking music superstar, choreographer, dancer, songwriter, performer, TV personality, and business woman, Paula Abdul, has officially been named as partner of the popular psychic platform, Psychics1on1 . In her new role with Psychics1on1.com, Abdul will promote the brand's mission to make its more than 3,300 spiritual advisors easily accessible in a simple, private, and affordable way to its over 19,000 clients. Additionally, Abdul will share her positive experiences from her personal readings from some of psychics1on1.com's top psychics, mediums, healers, and astrologers.

"I am so excited to tell you about my partnership with Psychics1on1, a modern platform where you can connect with expert, vetted psychics through video chat or audio call," said Abdul. "What makes me so excited about this venture is the fact that I've been helped through spiritual advisors, incredible psychics who have been spot-on, who have helped me navigate my way throughout my career and my love life. I have found spiritual advice offers wonderful lessons that are yours for the taking if you allow yourself to be open minded enough to seek that spiritual guidance."

With over 3,300 spiritual advisors readily available, Psychics1on1.com aims to help guide its clients through some of life's most difficult scenarios. As a founding partner, Paula Abdul will be sharing her tips on making the most out of a psychic reading, her secrets to inner peace, psychic advice that changed her life, and horoscope hacks.

"Paula and I have been friends for many years. Her talent knows no bounds and her love for spirituality is completely authentic, making her a natural fit for Psychics1on1," said Robert Earl, co-founder of Psychics1on1.com. "We are so excited to welcome Paula to our family and look forward to seeing how Psychics1on1 continues to grow and expand with her deep knowledge and oversight."

Psychics1on1.com's roster of psychics, mediums, healers, and astrologers offers its community everything from spiritual readings, relationship guidance, dream interpretation, horoscope navigation, tarot card readings, and much more. The online platform empowers its spiritual advisors and clients by providing them with a digital storefront and the necessary tools to find the right resources for them. Its community then engages through Psychics1On1.com's innovative chat, audio, and video calling platform, all at different prices and hours set by the psychics themselves. With the active support of Abdul, the brand will continue to revolutionize the psychic industry by offering accessible, innovative ways to connect clients to spiritual advisors.

Psychics1on1.com was developed by Avi Vaknin, a tech entrepreneur, and the founder of renowned technology companies, such as Telx Computers and HomeEscape, and with initial seed funding from Robert Earl, the founder of Planet Hollywood, Virtual Dining Concepts, and other well-known hospitality brands. Since Psychics1on1.com launched in January 2020, over 3,300 psychics and 19,000 clients have joined the website. To learn more about the platform, please visit www.psychics1on1.com .

About Psychics1on1.com:

Psychics1on1.com is a digital marketplace that allows psychics to market their businesses and engage directly with their clients online. The platform allows clients to discover and engage with psychics via text, phone, or video, which the professionals in turn monetize. This platform solves several business challenges for psychics by aggregating their customer base on a single platform and allowing them to charge for their services. The platform also provides a safe and secure community that allows customers to discover the best psychics for their needs and to pay for their services.

About Paula Abdul:

Paula Abdul has sold 60 million records and earned numerous awards and recognitions including 17 MTV Video Music Awards nominations with five wins, two GRAMMY Awards, three American Music Awards, two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography (The Tracey Ullman Show, and her performance on the American Music Awards), two People's Choice Awards as Favorite Female Music Performer, and five Juno Awards. She was the first entertainer to receive the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Hall of Fame Award and you can find her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. People who have followed her career know that she began as the choreographer for the LA Lakers, went on to choreograph shows for Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, and a host of others as well as numerous feature films and TV shows, and then came to worldwide attention once more as an original judge on the legendary TV show American Idol. She continues to perform while actively involved in several business partnerships.

SOURCE Psychics1On1
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market - A Regional and Country Analysis: Focus on Test Type, Application, End User, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2021, the global prostate cancer testing market was valued at $5,246.9 million, and it is expected to reach $21,306.9 million by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 13.68% during the forecast period 2022-2032.

The growth in the global prostate cancer testing market is expected to be driven by high investments in the field of cancer research and the rising prevalence of prostate cancer globally. In addition, the focus of business leaders is establishing a deep understanding to address the unmet needs in clinical research to understand the prostate cancer market.

Market Lifecycle Stage

The global prostate cancer testing market is in progressing phase. PSA screening or testing in a general population has increased the incidence of prostate cancer in recent decades.

In addition, prostate cancer testing is essential in precision medicine because it assures the safe and successful use of tailored therapies. The majority of the companies in the global prostate cancer testing market provide biomarker tests that are urine, blood, and tissue-based, as well as testing services. Furthermore, applications of prostate cancer testing are primarily clinical and research.

Impact

One of the main reasons for the expansion of the prostate cancer testing market in the upcoming years is the rise in prostate cancer cases.

Prostate cancer is the second most frequent disease diagnosed in men, and its frequency is rising across the globe. Prostate cancer is thought to be diagnosed in one million additional cases worldwide each year. Due to an aging population, growing urbanization, and accompanying lifestyle changes, the overall incidence of prostate cancer has increased over the past few decades.

Impact of COVID-19

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of disease models issued warnings about an excess of cancer fatalities brought on by missed cancer screenings as a result of the general population's quarantine and a lack of healthcare resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on early diagnosis in the specific case of prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men, by reducing participation in screening programs and on time from diagnostic testing to surgery/radiotherapy, which may translate into a worse prostate-cancer-specific death rate in the coming years. Additionally, in other areas, including Florida, state governments disallowed non-essential healthcare services.

Significant reductions in cancer screenings were seen in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a research paper published in January 2022 by the University of Florida, screenings for prostate cancer were reduced by 74%. Due to these screening figures, there may have been thousands more cancer deaths in the U.S. than were registered.

For instance, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing rates and the identification of several urological malignancies, including prostate cancer, have been found to be declining in significantly afflicted populations. Several Australian urologists worry that men with possibly curable prostate cancer may have missed their chance for a cure due to low screening test uptake during the lockdowns of 2020.

According to a research paper published by BMC Urology in June 2022, a total of 4,048,099 PSA tests and 118,328 prostate biopsies were performed in Australia over the six years of data analysis. In the years 2019 and 2020, 68,429 prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. Between 2015 and 2019, there were, on average, 19,573 prostate biopsies and 678,082 PSA testing performed per year.

Market Segmentation



Test Type

Based on test type, the pre-biopsy test in the global prostate cancer testing market is expected to be dominated by the test type segment. This is due to the increasing popularity of prostate cancer testing and rising awareness related to prostate cancer testing.

Application

Based on application, the global prostate cancer testing market is dominated by the clinical segment owing to the rising R&D activity focused on the development of prostate cancer testing. The diagnosis of prostate cancer has developed a new molecular-based diagnostics technology. To detect clinically relevant cancer upon diagnosis, several tools or therapeutic options are required to improve the patient's quality of life.

End User

Based on end user, the global prostate cancer testing market is dominated by the ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) segment owing to their rise in number. They are dedicated to offering same-day surgical care, including testing and protective procedures. ASCs, which have a proven track record of providing high-quality treatment and successful patient outcomes, have altered the outpatient experience for millions of Americans by giving patients a more convenient option for hospital-based outpatient operations.

Region

North America generated the highest revenue of $2,702.9 million in 2021, which is attributed to the several established diagnostics manufacturers in this region who are focusing on expanding their portfolios in prostate cancer testing and are collaborating with service providers and pharmaceutical giants to co-market prostate cancer testing solutions with its complementary precision medicine solutions.

Moreover, the U.S. government is currently undertaking several initiatives to develop tests for cancer and provide funds to new start-ups in the cancer diagnostics field.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

Some of the prominent names in this market are:

Abbott.

Abcam plc.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Bio-Techne. (ExoDx)

Cleveland Diagnostics, Inc.

Danaher. ( Beckman Coulter , Inc.)

, Inc.) Exact Sciences Corporation

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (FOUNDATION MEDICINE, INC.)

H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. (Fujeribio)

mdxhealth.

Siemens Healthcare GmbH

Myriad Genetics, Inc.

NeoGenomics Laboratories.

OPKO Health, Inc. (GenPath)

Veracyte, Inc.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Markets

1.1 Product Definition

1.2 Market Scope

1.3 Research Methodology

2 Industry Analysis

2.1 Overview

2.2 Legal Requirements and Framework in the U.S.

2.2.1 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines

2.2.2 American Urological Association (AUA)

2.2.3 American Cancer Society (ACS)

2.2.4 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

2.3 Legal Requirements and Framework in Europe

2.4 Legal Requirements and Framework in Asia-Pacific

2.4.1 China

2.5 Patent Analysis

2.5.1 Patent Filing Trend

2.5.2 Patent Analysis (by Year)

2.5.3 Patent Analysis (by Region)

2.5.4 Patent Analysis (by Country)

3 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market: Market Dynamics

3.1 Overview

3.1.1 Impact Analysis

3.2 Market Drivers

3.2.1 Rising Prevalence of Prostate Cancer Globally

3.2.1.1 Disease Trend

3.2.1.2 Increasing Number of Prostate Cancer Screening and Testing

3.2.1.3 Government Initiatives Related to Prostate Cancer

3.2.2 Market Restraints

3.2.2.1 Probability of False Positive Results of Prostate Cancer Testing

3.2.2.2 Clinical Gaps Related to Prostate Cancer Testing

3.2.3 Market Opportunities

3.2.3.1 New Treatment Therapy and Technique for Prostate Cancer

4 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market: Competitive Landscape

4.1 Overview

4.2 Corporate Strategies

4.2.1 Mergers and Acquisitions

4.2.2 Synergistic Activities

4.2.3 Business Expansions and Funding

4.3 Business Strategies

4.3.1 Product Launches and Approvals

4.3.2 Publications

4.3.3 Licenses and Agreements

4.3.4 Other Activities

4.4 Market Share Analysis

5 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Test Type), Value ($million), 2021-2032

5.1 Overview

5.2 Pre-biopsy Test

5.2.1 Biomarker Test

5.2.1.1 Blood-Based

5.2.1.2 Urine-Based

5.2.2 Imaging Test

5.3 Biopsy

5.4 Post-Biopsy Test

5.4.1 Tissue-Based Biomarker Test

6 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Application), Value ($Million), 2021-2032

6.1 Overview

6.2 Clinical

6.3 Research

7 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by End User), Value ($Million), 2021-2032

7.1 Overview

7.2 Cancer Research Institutes

7.3 Diagnostic Laboratories

7.4 Hospitals and Clinics

7.5 Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs)

7.6 Others

8 Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Region), Value ($Million), 2021-2032

8.1 Overview

9 Company Profiles

9.1 Company Overview

9.2 Role in the Global Prostate Cancer Testing Market

9.3 Key Competitors of the Company

9.4 Financials

9.5 Key Insights about the Financial Health of the Company

9.6 Analyst Perspective

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mba7nl-prostate?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.

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
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Sub-Orbital Testing Services Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Payload Capacity, Application, End User, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global sub-orbital testing services market is estimated to reach $178.1 million in 2032 from $122.4 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 3.82% during the forecast period 2022-2032.

The sub-orbital testing service providers have witnessed the demand from the government, research institutions, and growing commercial industry.

The sub-orbital testing services has a long history as government agencies have been using sub-orbital platforms such as sounding rocket to test payload at higher altitude. So, the sub-orbital testing services market was mostly dominated by the end users such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA).

Furthermore, in recent years the sub-orbital testing services market has witnessed commercial applications, and private companies have shown their interest in sending their technologies to be tested in the near space environment. Additionally, research institutions and colleges are the major end user that are utilizing the sub-orbital testing services as the government agencies are providing support through its programs such as NASA's Flight Opportunities.

In recent years, the sub-orbital testing services market has witnessed commercial players offering reusable sub-orbital platforms, such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. These platforms can conduct multiple flights with just minor refurbishment required. Hence, the sub-orbital testing services market has emerged with the capability of serving more sub-orbital missions.

Furthermore, the rise in the deployment of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) will generate demand in the sub-orbital testing services market. The small satellites use many commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) subsystems and components that are usually not space qualified. So, satellite manufacturers/operators will utilize sub-orbital testing services to validate their products.

Impact

The global sub-orbital testing services market is observing rising demand across various end users, which drives the development of investments across the sub-orbital launch vehicle platforms. The major challenge in the sub-orbital testing services market is the expensive sub-orbital launches and time-intensive testing process. This leads to fewer customers utilizing the sub-orbital services. Hence, the reusability of sub-orbital platforms can bring down the cost. However, as only some key companies are offering reusable sub-orbital platforms, the pricing power is with service providers owing to less competition.

Furthermore, in the upcoming years, more companies will enter the sub-orbital market and reduce the sub-orbital testing service launch cost. Additionally, the emerging deployment of small satellites will increase the demand for sub-orbital testing services, especially the 1-50 kg satellite mass segment. The 1-50 kg satellites use maximum COTS subsystems and components, which generally are not space qualified. So, the sub-orbital testing service providers will experience greater demand in the forecast period 2022-2032.

Market Segmentation



Segmentation 1: by Payload Capacity

1-50 Kg

51-200 Kg

201-500 Kg

501 Kg and Above

Segmentation 2: by Application

Human-Tended

Automated

Segmentation 3: by End User

Government

Commercial

Defense

Research Institutions

Segmentation 4: by Region

North America - U.S. and Canada

- U.S. and Europe - France , Germany , Russia , U.K., and Rest-of- Europe

- , , , U.K., and Rest-of- Asia-Pacific - China , India , Japan , and Rest-of- Asia-Pacific

- , , , and Rest-of- Rest-of-the-World - Middle East and Africa and Latin America

North America is expected to dominate the global sub-orbital testing services market during the forecast period. The factor attributing to the growth of this region is the high presence of the key companies highly engaged in developing and demonstrating sub-orbital testing services capabilities in the region.

Recent Developments in Global Sub-Orbital Testing Services Market

In November 2022 , Virgin Galactic signed an agreement with Axiom Space, a commercial space company, to provide microgravity research and training. The company would provide Axiom's astronauts a trip to the sub-orbit region to train them for future long-duration space missions.

, Virgin Galactic signed an agreement with Axiom Space, a commercial space company, to provide microgravity research and training. The company would provide Axiom's astronauts a trip to the sub-orbit region to train them for future long-duration space missions. World View Enterprises, Inc, under collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will provide high-altitude balloon services to the winner of NASA's TechRise Student Challenge. The company will carry students' scientific/technology experiments to the edge of space on its stratospheric balloon platform.

In July 2022 , Virgin Galactic signed a contract with Boeing Subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to partner in developing the company's new motherships. The Aurora Flight services would build the two motherships capable of conducting 200 launches a year, carrying Virgin's Spaceship to an altitude of 50,000 and releasing it.

Demand - Drivers and Limitations



The following are the drivers for the global sub-orbital testing services market:

Need for Microgravity Testing Services

Limitations of Terrestrial Testing Service Capabilities

The following are the challenges for the global sub-orbital testing services market:

Expensive Sub-Orbital Flight

Time Intensive Testing Process

Safety Concerns Associated with Impact Landing

Policy Challenges for Sub-Orbital Flights

Following are the opportunities for the global sub-orbital testing services market:

Companies Offer Human-Tended Sub-Orbital Research

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analysis of the company's coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

The top segment players leading the market include established players of sub-orbital testing services that constitute 69% of the presence in the market. Other players include start-up entities that account for approximately 31% of the presence in the market.

Key Companies Profiled

Aerostar

Blue Origin

bluShift Aerospace, Inc.

Dawn Aerospace

Equatorial Space Inc.

Exos Aerospace Systems & Technologies, Inc.

Interstellar Technologies Inc.

Near Space Corporation

PD AeroSpace, LTD

PLD Space

Skyrora Limited

SpinLaunch

UP Aerospace

Virgin Galactic

World View Enterprises, Inc

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/78mjcx-orbital?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
Third party payment providers can now service the fast-growing account-to-account payments market via a single integration to GoCardless

LONDON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GoCardless , a global leader in direct bank payments, has launched GoCardless Embed , a new integration for third party payment providers to access its global bank payment network and reap the benefits of bank-to-bank payments.

GoCardless Embed, which comes white labelled as standard, allows payment providers to integrate GoCardless' global bank payment network straight into their platform through a single, simple API that provides access to:

Hiroki Takeuchi, CEO and co-Founder, GoCardless

bank payment schemes in the UK, Eurozone and US, with more to come in the near future

end-to-end payment processing capabilities for bank-to-bank payments including reconciliation, mandate management, reporting and refunds

open banking-powered features, including instant one-off and recurring payments in the UK and account verification and fraud prevention across the three markets

GoCardless Embed allows providers to tap into the burgeoning account-to-account market, valued at around USD 225 trillion in transaction volumes worldwide*, and expand their total addressable market to new verticals and use cases where bank payments are preferred.

It's a fast and easy way for third party payment providers to increase revenue through expanding the range of payment methods they offer, keeping their merchants in-platform. GoCardless Embed also slots seamlessly into their existing solution, meaning payment providers retain complete control over the customer experience.

By adopting GoCardless Embed, they also benefit from increased efficiency, tapping into a worldwide network that took years to build in just a matter of weeks. The integration will give them an end-to-end bank payment solution that provides merchants and their payers all the benefits of bank payments, without any of the complexity traditionally associated with introducing and managing the payment method.

Hiroki Takeuchi, co-founder and CEO of GoCardless said, "We've spent the past decade optimising bank payments and bringing them into the digital age. Our greatest achievement is building a global bank payment network, connecting disparate payment schemes into one interoperable network -- a challenge that our peers and competitors had previously considered insurmountable. Now, for the first time, we've created a product to open up access to our unique network and we're excited by the positive reactions so far."

Market context

Through GoCardless Embed, payment providers can meet growing merchant demand for bank payments. Many types of businesses have already realised a range of benefits powered by payments that are faster, cheaper and more secure:

Smart money app Plum noted that "account-to-account payments are more cost-effective and reliable than cards, which are expensive to process and prone to fail when cards expire or get cancelled."

noted that "account-to-account payments are more cost-effective and reliable than cards, which are expensive to process and prone to fail when cards expire or get cancelled." Similarly, consumer lending firm Plend reported that bank-to-bank payments have saved them upwards of 50,000 and helped them eliminate the need for a full-time financial operations employee at this stage of growth, "which is pretty unheard of for a lending start-up".

Payment providers can also use GoCardless Embed to align with changing payer preferences.

According to a global study by YouGov for GoCardless, when it comes to paying invoices, the top method chosen by consumers globally was bank payments (25%), followed by credit card (21%) and debit cards (18%).

Over half (54%) of all business payers also cited bank payments as their most preferred method when making invoice payments.

Notes to Editors:

*GoCardless analysis drawing from McKinsey Global Payments Map; WorldPay Global Payments Report; industry research

About GoCardless

GoCardless is a global leader in direct bank payments. We help more than 75,000 businesses, from start-ups to household names, collect both recurring and one-off payments, without the chasing, stress or expensive fees. Each year GoCardless processes more than US$30 billion of payments across 30+ countries. Our acquisition of Nordigen means we're also helping businesses make faster and more informed decisions through easy access to bank account data. We are headquartered in the UK, with additional offices in Australia, France, Latvia and the United States. For more information, please visit www.gocardless.com and follow us on Twitter @GoCardless .

 2023 GoCardless Ltd. All Rights Reserved. GoCardless is a registered trademark of GoCardless Ltd in multiple countries. Third party trademarks mentioned above are owned by their respective companies. Unless explicitly identified as such, nothing in this press release should be construed to the contrary, or as an approval, endorsement or sponsorship by any third parties of GoCardless Ltd. or any aspect of this press release.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. For the Financial Decision Makers survey, the total sample size was 1514 adults across the UK, US, France and Germany. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6th  16th June 2022. The survey was carried out online.

For the consumer survey, total sample size was 7611 adults across UK, US, France, Germany and Australia. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st  9th June 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted for each country to produce an 'average' value.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1997881/Hiroki_Takeuchi_GoCardless.jpg

SOURCE GoCardless
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenPoint Partners ("GreenPoint" or the "firm"), an alternatives firm investing at the intersection of real assets, technology and sustainability, today announced the expansion of its European mobility logistics platform with the acquisition of a UK car park portfolio for 305 million. As part of the transaction, GreenPoint welcomed new investors Ivanhoe Cambridge and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, alongside existing investor GCM Grosvenor that upsized its commitment on behalf of its clients.

The portfolio contains 37 car park facilities in convenient city centre locations across the UK, comprising nearly 15,000 spaces with a concentration in major cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Birmingham. The portfolio is primarily operated by NCP, the UK's largest car park operator. Leveraging its deep technology and real estate investment and operational expertise, GreenPoint intends to work with NCP to identify and execute on opportunities to enhance operations, implement new electric vehicle infrastructure and introduce technology-enabled services to the portfolio.

"We are excited to expand our European mobility logistics platform with such a high-quality portfolio of metro locations," said Chris Green, Founder and CEO of GreenPoint. "Alongside our existing relationship with Infinium Logistics, we are building a portfolio of high quality mobility logistics assets that over time can also play an important role in the decarbonization of transportation."

"In a more challenging macroeconomic environment, the importance of innovative and reliable mobility and logistics-oriented solutions is essential for businesses, individuals and governments alike," said Alexander Cakir, Partner and Co-Head of Real Estate at GreenPoint. "With our exceptional team, deep technology expertise and the support of a group of like-minded investment partners, we are well positioned to invest in improving these assets to create a market-leading UK parking and charging platform."

"We are excited to partner with the GreenPoint team to expand access to electric vehicle charging and mobility solutions across the UK," said Councillor Gerald Cooney, Chair of Greater Manchester Pension Fund. "At GMPF, we are dedicated to being a long-term, responsible investor in businesses that have a positive impact for our members and communities, and we look forward to working with GreenPoint to deliver mobility and logistics solutions across the UK."

This marks the third investment between GreenPoint and Ivanhoe Cambridge, the first within the firm's Real Estate Private Equity platform, further strengthening this partnership.

GreenPoint announced its Real Estate PE platform in May 2022, with initial investments at the forefront of decarbonization, advance fulfillment, delivery and parking solutions. GreenPoint has previously invested in and partnered with UK-based operator Infinium Logistics, to build out a portfolio of final mile logistics assets incorporating critical charging infrastructure across Europe.

About GreenPoint

GreenPoint is an alternatives investment firm that invests at the intersection of real assets, technology and sustainability. Founded in 2019 by Chris Green and headquartered in New York, the firm is deploying complementary strategies across technology investing and private equity to integrate the disparate worlds of real assets and technology. Green has 20 years of real assets experience, including 16 years at Macquarie Capital where he was the global head of real estate. The firm's activities are supported by a team of investors and operating partners who bring decades of experience in technology, real estate investing and operations at top firms. GreenPoint's investors include strategic real asset operators, pension funds, family offices and industry senior executives who collectively own/manage over $500 billion in global real assets with an additional $125 billion development pipeline. By combining tech venture capital investing real estate private equity, and sustainability solutions, GreenPoint can deliver unique and transformative insights into a rapidly changing industry. Visit us at www.greenpointpartners.com

Contacts Jonathan Keehner / Erik Carlson

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449





SOURCE GreenPoint Partners
CALGARY, AB, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - (TSXV: GRD) (OTCQB: GRDAF) - Grounded Lithium Corp. ("GLC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce our intended field development plan for our first 10,000 metric ton/yr phase at the Kindersley Lithium Project ("KLP") located in Western Saskatchewan. The development plan relies on and considers such factors as production testing, extensive dynamic fluid modeling, present land configuration, land tenure, topography, best practices in reservoir development and infrastructure availability. This entire analysis will contribute to the completion of our Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on phase one of the KLP expected to be completed during Q2 2023.

GLC Development Plan (CNW Group/Grounded Lithium Corp)

Highlights of Field Operational Plan

Producing wells - only 24 additional producing wells planned given strong grade and deliverability characteristics of the reservoir;





Disposal wells - 5 injector wells;





Pipelines - given strong reservoir characteristics resulting in a relatively small number of wells, only 70 kilometers of buried brine capable pipelines should be required, significantly limiting surface disturbance; and





Central processing facility ("CPF")  an appropriately sized CPF will take advantage of economies of scale during construction. Our CPF avoids incremental capital often associated with removal of contaminants in the brine, such as trace hydrocarbons and/or H 2 S gases, as these are not expected to be present in GLC's intended drill horizon.

This proposed development plan is best depicted by the following graphic, which can also be found in our latest corporate presentation on our website. (www.groundedlithium.com)

"From our outset, we singularly focused on building the Company and its associated projects to generate cash flow and provide economic returns as quickly as possible," stated Gregg Smith, President & CEO. "The current development plan is based on best practices in reservoir management collected by our team over decades of experience managing subsurface fluid production. The plan takes into account capital efficiencies wherever possible to ensure solid project economics all while maintaining a reservoir that can deliver for years to come. We look forward to further elaborate on our efforts in this regard as we steadily advance to the completion of vital lab pilot work and associated technology selection, completion of a PEA and towards the end of 2023 potentially commencing construction of a field demonstration plant."

Detailed Assessment

Field work completed over the last year confirmed our geologic view that our intended production zone is free of hydrocarbons and H 2 S, which materially reduces the cost of a full commercial plant since pre-treatment facilities will not be required to process these contaminants. With an initial project size of 10,000 metric tons/yr of battery grade lithium salt, our initial processing facility maintains a smaller footprint and is expected to be located near key infrastructure such as paved highways, key power sources and a number of operational services given our proximity to Kindersley, Saskatchewan. GLC's full development plan calls for multiple 10,000 metric tons/yr 'trains' or phases which minimizes a number of operational and financial risks, which ultimately is expected to drive incremental value for all stakeholders.

From an operational perspective, positive results from our field work evidencing grade and more importantly for this type of operation, deliverability, results in a field development plan calling for only 22 producing wells, with five disposal wells. Aside from our initial test well, we will drill two additional producing wells to provide operational flexibility and redundancy in order to maintain consistent annual production rates. Our field work further refined our 3-dimensional dynamic model, enabling a more precise inter-well spacing and depletion plan through time. Additional capital savings are expected from the shallow depth to our intended horizon, which materially reduces capital expenditures associated with drilling and ancillary services. The infrastructure to connect our wells to the facility requires only approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) of buried pipeline for both production and disposal. Taken as a whole, our program requires similar total wells to produce sufficient volumes for a 10,000 metric ton/yr project but at approximately half the depth and with reduced facility requirements for brine prefiltering, we believe the KLP has the potential to be one of the lowest cost structure projects in the lithium from brine industry in Western Canada.

From a land tenure perspective, the location and selection of our drill program will earn or validate mineral permits which are leased from either the Crown (government) or freehold landowners. We note that this development plan has an average inter-well distance between 1 mile to 1.5 miles whereby we can develop our individual sections in a checker-board manner. This model provides for infill development, that we can use for future growth or production maintenance if necessary.

Several factors may impact our timing of the development plan, however the Company anticipates production commencement in the 2026 timeframe. Lithium from brine projects have the potential to reach commercial production far quicker than current global sources of lithium, which can often exceed a decade from concept to commissioning.

As has been communicated in the past, we plan to deploy direct lithium extraction technology to deliver a very economic project. We have been making steady progress in our analysis and efforts with Hatch Ltd. to select the preferred technology to process our chemistry of brine from the KLP. The Company holds in secure storage more than sufficient quantities of brine to conduct longer-term lab pilot tests. Announcements will be forthcoming as we move through this process.

Grant of Stock Options and Restricted Share Units ("RSU's")

The Company also announces that it granted 1,474,000 stock options to certain officers, employees, directors and consultants of the Company at a strike price of $0.30 and a term of five years from the date hereof. Options granted will be pursuant to the Company's approved equity incentive plan. The grant of the options is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

In addition, as part of the 2022 incentive compensation program to insiders and 2022 Board compensation, 1,018,000 RSU's were granted to certain employees, officers and directors as applicable. RSU's vest 50% equally on the 12 and 24 month anniversaries from the date of grant.

Virtual Presentations

The Company also encourages readers to visit our website at www.groundedlithium.com to view a number of virtual interviews and webcasts that senior leadership of the Company recently participated in, including Gregg Smith's interview with Mark Bunting from RCTV and Greg Phaneuf's interview on Power Hour Stocks.

About Grounded Lithium Corp.

GLC is a publicly traded lithium brine exploration and development company that controls approximately 3.7 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent of inferred resource over our focused land holdings in Southwest Saskatchewan. GLC's multi-faceted business model involves the consolidation, delineation, exploitation and ultimately development of our opportunity base to fulfill our vision to build a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition shift. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on https://www.otcmarkets.com/.

Qualified Person

Scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been prepared under the supervision of Doug Ashton, P.Eng, Suryanarayana Karri, P. Geoph., Alexey Romanov, P. Geo. and Meghan Klein, P. Eng., each of whom is a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The opinions, forecasts, projections and statements about future events of results, are forward looking information, forward-looking statements or financial outlooks (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements are made as of the date of this press release and the fact that this press release remains available does not constitute a representation by GLC that the Company believes these forward-looking statements continue to be true as of any subsequent date. Although GLC believes that the assumptions underlying, and expectations reflected in, these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the completion of the PEA and timing thereof; the Company's project development plan; the completion of lab pilot work and associated technology selection; commencing construction of a field demonstration plant and the timing thereof; reservoir deliverability; the project size of the Company's initial processing facility; the location of the Company's initial processing facility; the number of 10,000 metric tons/yr phases and expectation that operational and financial risks will be minimized as a result, which will drive incremental shareholder and stakeholder value; the Company's expectation that it will drill additional producing wells to provide operational flexibility and redundancy in order to maintain consistent annual production rates; anticipated capital savings stemming from shallow depth to intended horizon; the cost structure associated with the KLP; earning and validating mineral permits which are leased from either the Crown or freehold landowners; infill development being used for future growth or production maintenance; the timing of the Company commencing production; deploying DLE technology to deliver an economic project and GLC's vision of becoming a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition.

Among the important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: GLC's expectation that our operations will be in Western Canada, unexpected problems can arise due to technical difficulties and operational difficulties which impact the production, transport or sale of our products; geographic and weather conditions can impact the production; the risk that current global economic and credit conditions may impact commodity prices and consumption more than GLC currently predicts; the failure to obtain financing on reasonable terms; the risk that unexpected delays and difficulties in developing currently owned properties may occur; the failure of drilling to result in commercial projects; unexpected delays due to the limited availability of drilling equipment and personnel; and the other risk factors detailed from time to time in GLC's periodic reports. GLC's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE Grounded Lithium Corp
An innovative strategy for GSoft to expand its product portfolio and offer its customers the most comprehensive portfolio of employee experience solutions.

MONTREAL, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Today, GSoft, a well-established software company that improves the employee experience, is proud to announce its new acquisition, Didacte, a Quebec-City-based company offering a corporate learning management system that supports and optimizes professional development. This new addition will support GSoft's mission: to craft the leading products to make work simpler, kinder, and faster.

While GSoft intends to continue its strong growth momentum of the past few years, this acquisition is an important step in the company's strategy to further expand its product offering to provide more value to its clients.

Furthermore, Didacte is an essential addition to GSoft's portfolio as it will help clients enhance their employee experience strategy by providing their workforce with learning opportunities. To help companies survive and thrive, one of the leading trends in the HR market is employee upskilling. Vertical learning will drive the next wave of edtech and help employees in their career growth.

"We have found a great fit with Didacte in terms of values, mission and product complementarity. GSoft is also working on filling other gaps in the employee experience offering by developing new products on a full-time basis, including one that is expected to be launched in the coming months," said Simon de Baene, CEO at GSoft.

Didacte will permit GSoft to offer its clients an online learning platform to create and distribute training courses on an easy-to-use system, both for the company and its employees. An organization could use GSoft's new product to host its corporate learning modules or external modules offered to customers and business partners. In addition to providing a central location for storing and distributing learning materials, a Learning Management System (LMS) provides tools for tracking participation, performance assessment, reporting, and other functions.

"Our goal has always been to provide small-and medium-sized businesses with a tool that supports their growth by putting employees at the heart of their success. Partnering with GSoft was the next logical step to increase Didacte's impact and outreach among an audience aware of the importance of the employee experience, while continuing to support local businesses," said Mathieu Dumont, CEO at Didacte.

"Today's news marks what we hope is the beginning of a string of future successful acquisitions. Acquiring Didacte is a key step in executing our growth strategy, which consists of expanding GSoft's presence, while gaining market share in existing and new markets. Adding an LMS product into the family is an important milestone for GSoft, as we work toward our objective of developing an ecosystem of interconnected products. We are in a strong and powerful position and are confident that we're on the right path to achieve our growth objectives in the coming months and years," added Martin Gourdeau, President & General Manager at GSoft.

GSoft is at an inspiring and promising stage in its evolution and plans to create long-term value and maintain momentum. The company is positioning itself as a leader and setting up a framework to encourage the emergence of innovative technology.

About GSoft

GSoft is the independent company behind a family of software products that improve the employee experience as the world of work continues to evolve. We rethink how we work to develop intuitive tools that make work easier, more human, and more efficient. One software at a time. GSoft enables companies to manage their digital transformation with ShareGate peacefully, helps managers contribute to their team's performance, engagement and recognition with Officevibe, and facilitates simplified and personalized onboarding experiences for new employees with Softstart.

GSoft's team includes more than 400 passionate employees united around a purpose: to enable people to work at their best, which meets a growing need since our software makes a difference for tens of thousands of companies in more than 100 countries. These marks of trust energize and inspire us to continue building the next generation of solutions that will change work for the better.

About Didacte

Didacte is a Quebec-based start-up that offers a web-hosted learning management system for SMBs. Didacte believes that knowledge sharing is a strategic lever for the growth of organizations because training contributes to the continuous improvement of staff while improving internal processes. Didacte's LMS enables companies to accelerate employee onboarding, standardize practices, and strengthen the skills of their teams through a customized learning experience. With a small team of 10, Didacte is a strategic partner in the growth of over 400 companies worldwide, providing them with a simple and effective tool, coaching, free content and high-standard support. Didacte has gained and maintained competitive market shares thanks to outstanding customer ratings, easy-to-use interfaces and genuine business relationships. These connections have been the company's main motivation to build a first-class LMS and contribute to the technology revolution in HR.

SOURCE GSoft
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlights , a global media brand, brings the power of kindness to life with the launch of its kindness collection. Highlights welcomes five titles designed to encourage kids to be their best selves wherever they go. Expertly crafted to nurture your child's empathy and compassion, these five new storybooks and social emotional learning activities encourage kids to grow into their best selves: Curious, Creative, Caring, and Confident.

"Here at Highlights, we're dedicated to inspiring the next generation and we're excited to continue that mission with the launch of our Kindness Collection," said Mary-Alice Moore, EVP, Product Development & Strategy. "In addition to the helpful resources on Highlights Parents, all five books and activities will help to deliver the building blocks of empathy and kindness for young children."

Here are the top five kindness titles.

Highlights Kindness Library  Filled with joyful illustrations and simple words that explore what it means to be kind, these 3 hardcover kindness books feature kids of all abilities and backgrounds and everyday examples of simple ways to practice kindness, compassion, empathy, and gratitude at home and out in the world (MSRP $49.99 , ages 2+).

 Filled with joyful illustrations and simple words that explore what it means to be kind, these 3 hardcover kindness books feature kids of all abilities and backgrounds and everyday examples of simple ways to practice kindness, compassion, empathy, and gratitude at home and out in the world (MSRP , ages 2+). Learning Kindness Book  Build social-emotional skills through stories, puzzles, poems, drawing, learning activities & more (MSRP $14.99 , ages 3+).

 Build social-emotional skills through stories, puzzles, poems, drawing, learning activities & more (MSRP , ages 3+). Kindness Baking Kit  This kit comes with all the dry ingredients (and a heart-shaped cookie cutter and an activity booklet), you need to make delicious cookies as a fun way to spend time together, welcome new neighbors or cheer up a friend to spread some kindness. (MSRP $35.99 , ages 5+).

 This kit comes with all the dry ingredients (and a heart-shaped cookie cutter and an activity booklet), you need to make delicious cookies as a fun way to spend time together, welcome new neighbors or cheer up a friend to spread some kindness. (MSRP , ages 5+). Learning Kindness Activity Set  Introduce preschoolers and kindergarteners to the importance of kindness with 96 pages of activities that cover a range of school skills from letter and number tracing to critical thinking in activities, puzzles, and games (MSRP $14.99 , ages 3+).

 Introduce preschoolers and kindergarteners to the importance of kindness with 96 pages of activities that cover a range of school skills from letter and number tracing to critical thinking in activities, puzzles, and games (MSRP , ages 3+). Stick with Kindness Reusable Sticker Playscenes  Designed to help kids 3-6 understand real-world examples of kindness, the reusable sticker activity set includes 3 double-sided playscenes and more than 175 vinyl cling stickers to create scenes again and again. (MSRP $14.99 , ages 3+).

All five kindness collection books and activities can be purchased on Highlights.com or Amazon. For resources on raising kind children, visit Highlights' new site, Highlights Parents, that was designed to nurture confident parenting.

About Highlights:

Founded in 1946, Highlights for Children is a global brand dedicated to publishing content and creating experiences for children, families and teachers that engage, delight, and foster joyful learning. Renowned for its popular magazines that feature the beloved Hidden Pictures puzzles, Highlights publishes three primary titles: Highlights Magazine (ages 6-12), High Five Magazine (ages 2-5), and Hello Magazine (ages 0-2). Through a diverse and expanding portfolio that includes books, clothing, gear, crafts and activities, and puzzle book clubs, Highlights inspires kids to be their best selves - curious, creative, confident and caring. Created to be a trusted resource for more confident parenting and a more optimistic world, Highlights recently launched a website for parents. Connect with Highlights: Highlights.com, Parents.highlights.com, HighlightsKids.com. Follow Highlights: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Join the conversation: #MyHighlightsKid

Media Contact:

Megan Lloyd Payne

Highlights

[email protected]

SOURCE Highlights for Children
SFW RUNWAY Founder, Naomi Alabi announces the next NYFW show based on the most controversial music genre

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Influencing media, fashion, art, and linguistics, culture curators are dedicating 2023 as the year of honoring HipHop. SFW RUNWAY is leading the fashion industry by curating a show aimed at display's HipHop's influence on fashion throughout the years. As HipHop turns 50 in 2023, SFWRUNWAY streetwear fashion designers are honoring the vehicle that influenced streetwear, fashion as a whole, and people across the globe.

Coming off the success of fall fashion week in September , SFW RUNWAY's founder, Naomi Alabi is announcing February's fashion show theme dedicated to HipHop. Their planned dates include a New York show on February 11th and a Los Angeles show on March 25th. Designers interested in participating will be tasked to envision streetwear designs that express the way that the music genre has contributed to fashion's evolution over the years.

SFWRUNWAY understands that HipHop is more than chains, durags, jeans, and more jewelry. The fashion incubator style company will be challenging designers to take inspiration from the half-century-old culture innovator. The goal for celebrating the 50th anniversary of HipHop according to the company is to use it as an opportunity to bring attention back to the streetwear industry. SFWRUNWAY champions streetwear by inviting a limited number of designers to showcase their work this February.

Founder, Naomi Alabi states, "We are excited to see how these emerging designers offer a fresh spin on HipHop's influence into their designs." For years, SFWRUNWAY has been the only platform offering a voice to emerging designers that innovate and create the very trends that the larger fashion industry monetizes.

The streetwear fashion industry is estimated at $60B per year in the US alone according to Business of Fashion editors. The industry which has no clear pinpoint of the individual that started it does credit designers such as Dapper Dan and James Jebbia as pioneers.

Tickets are currently available for a limited time on Eventbrite for those that would like to attend as a VIP or general audience. Fashion buyers that would like an invitation to the show can contact SFWRUNWAY directly via phone.

About SFWRunway

SFW RUNWAY is a platform created to offer emerging designers a voice during New York and LA Fashion Week. The platform is self-funded and run by Naomi Alabi(Founder) who is looking to collaborate with platforms whose mission aligns with hers. Images Available here

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE SFWRUNWAY
TOKYO and SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hitachi Ltd. (TSE: 6501) and Hitachi Vantara today announced an Overall Positive rating in the Gartner Vendor Rating: Hitachi report for the second consecutive year. Assessing the technology provider's offerings and strategic direction against its business objectives, the report helps customers understand how Hitachi is performing and delivering against its vision and strategy aligned to its IT/Digital offerings.

For more information on the Gartner Vendor Rating: Hitachi, visit:

https://www.hitachivantara.com/go/gartner-vendor-rating-report-2023.html

Headquartered in Japan, Hitachi's workforce accounts for more than 350,000 employees operating in a wide range of markets and business sectors across over 100 countries. In April 2022, Hitachi announced the formation of Hitachi Digital to fulfill the growing digital transformation needs in social infrastructure fields such as energy, transportation, and industrial and manufacturing.

Hitachi brings a legacy in information and operational technology to its solid partner and channel programs, focusing on customer outcomes to guide organizations on their digitalization journey.

"We are extremely proud of the social and environmental heritage Hitachi was founded on and grateful to the partners and customers we work alongside as we bring the power of data to bear across industries," said Gajen Kandiah, CEO at Hitachi Vantara. "Hitachi Vantara and the greater One Hitachi network are ripe with deep IT and OT expertise that set us apart as we build innovative solutions for some of the world's greatest challenges."

Additional Resources:

2023 Gartner, Vendor Rating, Peter Havart-Simkin | Gary Spivak | Craig Lowery | Jeff Vogel | Tobi Bet | Chrissy Healey, 25 January 2023

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Gartner is a registered trademark and service mark and Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology. We will solve customers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, under the business structure of Digital Systems & Services, Green Energy & Mobility, Connective Industries and Automotive Systems. Driven by green, digital, and innovation, we aim for growth through collaboration with our customers. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2021 (ended March 31, 2022) totaled 10,264.6 billion yen ($84,136 million USD), with 853 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 370,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.

About Hitachi Vantara

Hitachi Vantara, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd., delivers the intelligent data platforms, infrastructure systems, and digital expertise that supports more than 80% of the Fortune 100. To learn how Hitachi Vantara turns businesses from data-rich to data-driven through agile digital processes, products, and experiences, visit www.hitachivantara.com.

SOURCE Hitachi Ltd.; Hitachi Vantara Corporation
Aim is to prevent avoidable heart attacks and strokes in North London

Expands primary care capacity by utilising digital tools to identify and manage high risk individuals

Advances proactive, predictive care for people at risk of the world's leading cause of death1

LONDON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Huma Therapeutics ("Huma"), a leading global digital health company, today announced a partnership with Camden Health Partners and UCLPartners to deliver a digital-first programme aimed at identifying more people living in North Central London who are at high risk of, or who have undiagnosed, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and helping them to adopt new behaviours to help modify the condition. The programme will form a blueprint for potential national adoption.







Supported by a grant from the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare, the initiative aligns with the government's review-driven2 plans to digitise the existing National Health Service (NHS) Health Check, making it more convenient for patients to carry out the checks at home and reduce pressure on GPs3.

People at risk of, or with, CVD are typically identified during an NHS Health Check. These checks require considerable face-to-face healthcare resources, and some remain incomplete because individuals do not follow through with appointments to measure biomarkers such as blood tests. The digital-first programme aims to expand the Health Check system by:

prompting individuals to complete appointments linked to the Health Check through Huma's iPLATO multi-channel engagement platform

moving the majority of the Health Check to a digital format on Huma's remote patient monitoring platform, reducing in-person appointment duration and thereby increasing population screening capacity

driving access to online, approved materials which recommend lifestyle changes in line with improving CVD status

providing enhanced access to face-to-face health checks for those who do not wish to use digital tools, to avoid digital exclusion

Dan Vahdat, CEO and Founder of Huma, said "We are proud to be part of the global movement that is bringing health equity through digital technology to people everywhere. Imagine the impact we could make by reaching tens of thousands of people across London alone who may be at risk of cardiovascular disease, making them aware of cardiovascular health, helping educate them and encouraging them to connect with their clinicians. This is the very definition of proactive care and I am so excited that, together with our clinical partners, we have the opportunity to scale our evidence-based digital innovations to advance personalised health."

Dr Alex Warner, Clinical Director at Camden Health Partners, said, "As Camden GPs we are excited about the potential for this programme. We know that there are many of our patients with modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, but within our current practice we have struggled to find the capacity to identify and support them. This new digital-first approach, powered by Huma's technology will allow our patients to be better-informed and empowered to improve their health, and to prevent more heart attacks and strokes across our diverse Camden population."

Kate Cheema, Director of Evaluation and Insights at UCLPartners, added: "UCLPartners is delighted to be working with HUMA as an evaluation partner. CVD is a leading cause of disease and inequality across London and we are looking forward to bringing together staff, patient and stakeholder experience and expertise to demonstrate real improvements for people living with, and at risk of CVD, and to ensuring critical lessons learned are fed back into the healthcare system for the benefit of all."

Tobias Alpsten, Founder and CEO of iPLATO Healthcare, a Huma company, added: "We are delighted to be part of this ground-breaking initiative which, in partnership with local GP practices, will use the myGP Engagement Hub to recruit patients to this CVD pathway transformation programme."

CVD is the world's leading cause of death according to the World Health Organization. It is the single biggest condition4 where lives can be saved by the UK's NHS over the next decade. There are 7.6 million people living with CVD in the UK, and it is a leading cause of premature disability, mortality, and health inequalities, responsible for one in four deaths each year5.

References

World Health Organization: the The top 10 causes of death https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-health-check-programme-review/preventing-illness-and-improving-health-for-all-a-review-of-the-nhs-health-check-programme-and-recommendations#:~:text=The%20review%20looked%20at%20how,health%20and%20for%20shared%20care https://www.gov.uk/government/news/patients-to-carry-out-health-checks-in-comfort-of-own-home-to-ease-pressure-on-frontline-services https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/cvd/ British Heart Foundation factsheet. https://www.bhf.org.uk/-/media/files/research/heart-statistics/bhf-cvd-statistics---uk-factsheet.pdf

About Huma

Huma Therapeutics is a global digital health technology company that advances digital-first care delivery and research to help people live longer, fuller lives.

Huma's award-winning modular platforms are used by more than 3,000 hospitals and clinics, with 1.8+ million active users in healthcare and 650,000+ participants across research. Huma's regulated Software as a Medical Device powers:

remote patient monitoring (RPM) for health systems

companion apps to support patients through treatment and drug therapies

virtual clinical trials to accelerate research

Huma's Decentralised and Hybrid Clinical Trial (DCT) platform now includes the clinical expertise of Alcedis GmbH , a global digital first clinical trials company and market-leader for data driven clinical research and technology. Please visit www.huma.com and follow us on LinkedIn at Huma

Media contact:

Karen Birmingham PhD

Head of PR & Communications, Huma

[email protected]

+44 (0) 7866 609314

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1427908/Huma_Logo.jpg

SOURCE HUMA Therapeutics
Doug Sharp , Senior Managing Director and Head of EMEA, to assume expanded leadership role for the Americas and EMEA, and global responsibility for ETFs, SMAs and digital capabilities

Stephanie Butcher , Chief Investment Officer, EMEA, and Tony Wong , Global Head of Fixed Income Investments, named Senior Managing Directors and Co-Heads of Investments

Greg McGreevey , Senior Managing Director and Head of Investments, to retire

ATLANTA, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) announced today that Marty Flanagan, under whose strong leadership Invesco has grown to become one of the world's leading global investment management firms, has decided to retire as President and CEO on June 30, 2023.

"During his time at Invesco, Marty's relentless focus on understanding and meeting client needs while building a world-class investment organization has helped Invesco strengthen its global leadership position and grow its AUM from $400 billion to $1.4 trillion1," said G. Richard Wagoner, Jr., Chair of the Invesco Ltd. Board. "Under Marty's strong leadership, Invesco has built a fully integrated firm with a comprehensive set of capabilities that enables us to meet a wide range of client needs and a well-scaled global platform that allows us to deliver a high level of service and value to clients across the globe. Throughout his time at Invesco, Marty has built an inclusive and forward-looking culture that values employees and stakeholders of the company, and has played a prominent role in business groups nationally and in Atlanta. The Board and I are extremely appreciative of Marty's many significant achievements during his 18 years at Invesco, which will have an enduring impact on the firm's long-term success."

Mr. Flanagan will also step down from the Invesco Ltd. Board on June 30, 2023. He will continue as Chairman Emeritus through Dec. 31, 2024, providing advice and guidance to the company.

The Invesco Ltd. Board of Directors is delighted to announce the appointment of Andrew Schlossberg, Senior Managing Director and Head of the Americas, to succeed Mr. Flanagan as President and CEO of Invesco Ltd. Mr. Schlossberg will become President and CEO of Invesco and a member of the Invesco Ltd. Board of Directors on June 30, 2023.

"Andrew has a long and established track record of delivering a superior investment experience to clients, helping employees grow in their careers, and leading innovation and profitable expansion across our global business," said Mr. Wagoner. "His leadership in the asset management industry and wide-ranging experience at Invesco position him well to bring next-generation leadership to the company and deliver for all our stakeholders."

"I've worked side-by-side with Andrew throughout my career at Invesco and have found him an exceptional leader who is highly focused on delivering the best possible experience for our clients," said Mr. Flanagan. "I have every confidence that Andrew and the Executive Leadership Team will build on our strong momentum to take the business forward."

"Invesco has an exceptional foundation to provide investment excellence for our clients, innovate in our delivery and enhance the growth of our business," added Mr. Schlossberg. "We have a comprehensive range of in-demand investment capabilities, a strong global footprint and outstanding talent throughout the firm. I look forward to working with the Invesco Ltd. Board, our team worldwide and Marty to ensure continued strong outcomes for our clients, employees and shareholders."

Mr. Schlossberg has been in the asset management industry since 1996 and with Invesco Ltd. since 2001. He has served in multiple leadership roles across the company's businesses and locations. Prior to his current position, he was based in Invesco's UK office as Senior Managing Director, Head of EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and Chair of the Board of Invesco UK Limited. Before the UK, he served as Head of US Retail Distribution and Global ETFs and, prior to that, was US Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Global Corporate Development. He has also held leadership roles in strategy and product development in the company's North American Institutional and Retirement divisions.

Mr. Schlossberg is active within the financial services industry, serving on the Investment Company Institute (ICI) Board of Governors and Executive Committee. Previously, he served on the board and advisory boards of the UK Investment Association, ICI Global, TheCityUK and the Diversity Project.

Doug Sharp, Senior Managing Director and Head of EMEA, will assume an expanded leadership role as Head of the Americas and EMEA, and global responsibility for ETFs, SMAs and digital capabilities.

"Throughout his leadership roles at Invesco, Doug has dedicated himself to meaningfully strengthening the client and employee experience across various parts of our organization, most recently in our EMEA region," said Mr. Flanagan. "We're pleased to build on his successful leadership of EMEA over the past three years, as well as his deep experience across Invesco, to expand his responsibilities to include our Americas business, as well as global responsibility for ETFs, SMAs and digital capabilities.

"Doug will work with Andrew Lo, Senior Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific, to oversee a more globalized client-facing organization with a focus on better understanding and meeting client needs, employing both a regional and cross-regional approach," Mr. Flanagan added. "This will enable us to take the breadth of skills and the quality that exists across our people, our technology and our capabilities and create a more tightly coupled set of linkages across Investments, Distribution, Marketing and Product to sharpen the focus on meeting the needs of our clients."

Mr. Sharp has served as Senior Managing Director and Head of EMEA since 2019. He joined Invesco in 2008 from McKinsey & Co. and has served in multiple leadership roles across the firm, including his previous role as Head of EMEA Retail. Prior to that, he ran Invesco's cross-border retail business and served as Head of Strategy and Business Planning and as Chief Administrative Officer for Invesco's US institutional business.

The firm also announced that Stephanie Butcher, Chief Investment Officer, EMEA, and Tony Wong, Global Head of Fixed Income Investments, have been named Senior Managing Directors and Co-Heads of Investments. Together, Ms. Butcher and Mr. Wong will oversee the firm's distinctive investment capabilities, building on the strength of our investment culture, processes and enterprise support model.

"For decades, one of Invesco's greatest strengths has been our distinctive investment teams, which have the autonomy to form differentiated views across global markets," said Mr. Flanagan. "Between them, Stephanie and Tony have nearly 50 years' experience leading investment teams and managing portfolios. Working with our investment leaders across the globe, Stephanie and Tony will build on our unique strengths, while advancing the collective benefits of our investment platform globally to deliver exceptional investment outcomes for our clients."

Ms. Butcher has served as Chief Investment Officer of Invesco's EMEA business since January 2020, overseeing the highly regarded Henley Investment Center, encompassing equities, fixed income and multi-asset capabilities. She joined Invesco in 2003 from Aberdeen Asset Management as a fund manager on the company's European equities team.

Mr. Wong has served as Global Head of Fixed Income Investments since March 2019, responsible for the investment process and performance, strategic direction and enterprise oversight of Invesco Fixed Income's global organization. Mr. Wong joined Invesco in 1996 and has served in various investment roles within the fixed income organization.

Greg McGreevey, Senior Managing Director, Investments, has decided to retire from the firm. Mr. McGreevey will serve as an advisor to Ms. Butcher, Mr. Wong and the firm on investment topics through March 31, 2023, which will help ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.

"Throughout his career at Invesco, Greg has worked tirelessly to build a highly connected, client-focused investment culture that has had a meaningful impact on our ability to deliver superior performance and outcomes to clients," said Mr. Flanagan. "We thank him for his exceptional contributions to the organization, our investment teams, clients and overall business. We wish Greg well in his retirement."

About Invesco Ltd.

Invesco is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. With offices in more than 20 countries, Invesco managed $1.4 trillion in assets on behalf of clients worldwide as of December 31, 2022. For more information, visit invesco.com/corporate.

1 AUM data as of Dec. 31, 2022.

Media relations contact: Jeaneen Terrio 917-714-0358 Investor relations contacts: Greg Ketron Matt Seitz 404-724-4299 404-439-4853

SOURCE Invesco Ltd.
Maryland Battery technology company, ION celebrates key milestone in its push towards manufacturing

BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ion Storage Systems Inc . (ION), a breakthrough solid-state lithium metal battery technology company, announced the hiring of its 50th employee. Destinee Dickerson joined the QC team as a QC Analyst II beginning Nov. 14, 2022. Destinee brings years of quality control experience in Wet Chemistry, Environmental, Food, and Bioanalytical/ Clinical Testing. She has completed Validations, Methodization, and Calibrations, while specializing in PSD/ Zetasizer, ICP/ICP-MS, UV-Vis spectroscopy, TOC, Conductivity, FTIR and many other Wet Chemistry techniques. Destinee has a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a Minor in Animal Behavior.

Destinee joins a diverse, cross-industry team, which has seen tremendous growth over the past year focused on the commercialization and manufacturing scaleup of its unique Solid-State lithium metal battery technology. The company, which secured over $30M in investment in 2022, and active partnerships in multiple market segments, expects to see 100% additional growth in 2023.

"At ION, our people are the drivers of a step-change in both the chemistry and the architecture of batteries," said Ricky Hanna, CEO of ION. "While most battery firms talk about innovation and growth, we're completely re-writing the book on how batteries can be manufactured at scale as the backbone of how we power the world. Destinee and her 49 co-workers exemplify that passion."

Founded in 2019 with just six employees, ION's rapid growth has been attributed to a breakthrough patented solid-state lithium metal technology which can forego cobalt, nickel, and other less sustainable materials all while enabling the ultimate in battery capabilities. ION announced its Series A round of investment in early 2022 from a variety of well-known investors in climate technology including Toyota Ventures, Volo Earth, Tenaska, Bangchak Corporation and others. The investment has enabled ION to expand its facility and team at its Beltsville, Md. headquarters to commission and qualify a battery cell manufacturing line capable of producing its next-generation solid-state batteries. Founded at the University of Maryland, ION's team of innovators creates technology that improves safety and enhances product performance of lithium-ion batteries. ION is creating positive change in renewable energy storage, consumer electronics, electrified transportation and defense and aerospace industries.

About Ion Storage Systems

Ion Storage Systems, from its new state of the art HQ and manufacturing facility, creates high energy density, solid state lithium metal batteries that are safer, lighter and enable form factors with tighter packing density that enhance system performance. ION's nonflammable technology offers safe operation, greater abuse tolerance, and both volume and weight reduction. These advances empower the world's innovators to redefine what is possible and begin building the products-of-tomorrow today.

Media Contact:

Daysa Corrington

8018309340

[email protected]

SOURCE ION Storage Systems Inc.
Biotech company makes significant progress on its PressureSafe device, teeing up entry into U.S. market in 2023

ROSH PINNA, Israel, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "IR-MED" or the "Company" (OTCQB:IRME), an innovative medical device company that develops non-invasive, real-time detection devices that utilize Infrared Light Spectroscopy (IR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for use by healthcare professionals, today recaps a successful 2022 and forecasts consistent momentum in 2023.

During 2022, the company made substantial progress in developing non-invasive devices for various medical indications by detecting and measuring various biomarkers and molecules in human tissue and in the blood in real-time. Some notable achievements include:

Enhancing the PressureSafe Device: The company has completed its first-generation model of PressureSafe, a portable, handheld device that uses infrared technology (IR), spectral analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect pressure injuries early. Early-stage detection of pressure wounds have the potential to reduce or prevent patient suffering, simplify medical treatment, lower healthcare costs in nursing homes, hospitals and homecare settings and improve health quality. The device also plays a key role in addressing health equity and ensuring minority groups receive equal care since pressure injuries are more difficult to detect on darker skin tones.

Preparing to Enter the U.S. Market: Pending regulatory approvals, IR-Med entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with PI Prevention Care LLC (the "Distributor"), a newly-formed entity focused on marketing to the senior care facility, hospital and homecare markets. Equipped with a team of renowned industry experts to help scale the company, the Distributor is obligated to comply with minimum purchase requirements of the device and accompanying disposables.

Adding "Nobiotics" to Its Product Pipeline: IR-Med made progress on its proof of concept for a second product, currently referred to as Nobiotics, which will be an advanced, handheld device that provides healthcare practitioners with real-time information about a patient's ear infections. Doctors do not currently have an in-office, immediate tool to discern whether the cause of a patient's infection is viral or bacterial, which could impact decision-making when deciding to use antibiotics as treatment.

Announcing an Advisory Board Member: As the company shifts toward its first sales approach, IR-Med strengthened its corporate and advisory team by announcing Dr. David Dalton to its Scientific Advisory Board. He is a hall of fame CEO, entrepreneur, pharmaceutical executive and founder of over 40 companies. In his role, Dr. Dalton will support IR-Med with analyzing the benefits of the PressureSafe device for Hispanic and African American populations in the United States, two groups that suffer from pressure wounds nearly twice as much as the Caucasian population due to late diagnosis.

Raising Additional Funds: In late 2022, the company completed a private placement with gross proceeds totaling $3.6M. To date, the total investment in the company is just over $9M.

Looking ahead to 2023, IR-Med expects to submit the PressureSafe device for FDA approval during the second half of the year and to move forward with the development of the Nobiotics device. The company is also planning to expand usability studies for the PressureSafe device to in both leading Israeli and U.S. hospitals.

For more information on the company or its PressureSafe device, please visit https://www.ir-medical.com/.

About IR-Med

IR-MED Inc. is developing a non-invasive spectrographic analysis technology platform, allowing healthcare professions to detect, measure and monitor, in real time, different molecules in the blood, in human tissue, and in body fluids without any invasive procedures. The first product under development is a handheld optical monitoring device that is being developed to support early detection of pressure injuries (PI) to the skin and underlying tissue, regardless of skin tone as it calibrates personally to each patient's skin.

IR-MED's technology is being developed to allow accurate readings of biomarkers in a non-invasive method, that may provide caregiver the optimal decision support-system in cases where uncertainties disturb physicians in their decision processes.

IR-MED holds patents protecting its technology and innovations in the non-invasive tissue analysis, and in the modelling and analysis of subcutaneous tissue.

Yahalom 20, Z.H.R Industrial Zone,

PO Box 143, Rosh Pina, Israel 1231400,

Tel: (+972) 04-6555054

For additional information, please visit www.ir-medical.com or follow IR-Medical on LinkedIn .

SAFE HARBOR/FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements included in this communication, which are not historical in nature, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements relating to the future performance of IR-Med are subject to many factors including, but not limited to, the sufficiency or working capital and our ability to raise the capital needed to fund our development efforts, timing of product development, results of usability and other studies, FDA approval/clearance of products in development, customer acceptance of our products in the market, the introduction of competitive products, the impact of any product liability or other adverse litigation, commercialization and technological difficulties. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and the other risks identified in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2022 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information, or otherwise.

SOURCE IR-Med
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V. ("Aeromexico"). January 2023 operational results:

Grupo Aeromexico transported 1 million 961 thousand passengers in January 2023 , a 54.5% year-on-year increase. International passengers carried increased by 39.4%, while domestic passengers increased by 62.2%.

Aeromexico's total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASKs), increased by 31.5% year-on-year. International ASKs increased by 24.4% and Domestic capacity increased by 45.8% year-on-year.

Demand, measured in passenger-kilometers (RPKs), increased by 44.7% year-on-year. International demand increased by 39.0% compared to January 2022 . Domestic demand increased by 56.2% versus January 2022 .

Aeromexico's January 2023 load factor was 78.6%, a 6.8p.p. increase versus January 2022 . International load factor increased by 7.9p.p. and Domestic load factor increased by 5.1p.p.

Aeromexico informed that, starting May 2023 , it will initiate operations from Felipe Angeles International Airport (NLU) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas (IAH), offering 1 daily frequency. In addition, the routes from Mexico City International Airport (MEX) to Colima (CLQ), Cozumel (CZM), Tepic (TPQ) and Ciudad Victoria (CVM) will be launched by the end of March.



January

2023 2022 Var vs 2022







Passengers (itinerary + charter, thousands)





Domestic 1,364 841 62.2 % International 597 429 39.4 % Total 1,961 1,269 54.5 %







ASKs (itinerary + charter, millions)





Domestic 1,645 1,128 45.8 % International 2,814 2,262 24.4 % Total 4,459 3,391 31.5 %







RPKs (itinerary + charter, millions)





Domestic 1,250 800 56.2 % International 2,253 1,620 39.0 % Total 3,502 2,420 44.7 %







Load Factor (itinerary, %)



p.p. Domestic 76.0 70.9 5.1 International 80.1 72.1 7.9 Total 78.6 71.7 6.8

Figures may not sum to total due to rounding.

The information included within this report has not been audited and does not provide information on the Company's future performance. Aeromexico's future performance depends on many factors and it cannot be inferred that any period's performance or its year-over-year comparison will be an indicator of similar future performance.

Glossary:

"RPKs" Revenue Passenger Kilometers represent one revenue-passenger transported one kilometer. This includes itinerary and charter flights. The total RPKs equals the number of revenue-passengers transported multiplied by the total distance flown.

Revenue Passenger Kilometers represent one revenue-passenger transported one kilometer. This includes itinerary and charter flights. The total RPKs equals the number of revenue-passengers transported multiplied by the total distance flown. "ASKs" Available Seat Kilometers represent the number of available seats multiplied by the distance flown. This metric is an indicator of the airline's capacity. It equals one seat offered for one kilometer, whether the seat is used.

Available Seat Kilometers represent the number of available seats multiplied by the distance flown. This metric is an indicator of the airline's capacity. It equals one seat offered for one kilometer, whether the seat is used. "Load Factor" equals the number of passengers transported as a percentage of the number of seats offered. It is a measure of the airline's capacity utilization. This metric considers the total passengers transported and total seats available in itinerary flights only.

equals the number of passengers transported as a percentage of the number of seats offered. It is a measure of the airline's capacity utilization. This metric considers the total passengers transported and total seats available in itinerary flights only. "Passengers" refers to the total number of passengers transported by the airline.

refers to the total number of passengers transported by the airline. Grupo Aeromexicos investors presentation is available in the following link: https://www.aeromexico.com/en-us/investors

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of the Company and its management with respect to its performance, business and future events. We use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect,", "intend," "target," "estimate," "project," "predict," "forecast," "guideline," "should" and other similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, but they are not the only way we identify such statements. Such statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in this release. The Company is under no obligation and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, has its main operations center in Terminal 2 of the Mexico City International Airport. Its destination network has reach in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, Asia and Europe. The Group's current operating fleet includes Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, as well as the latest generation Embraer 190. Aeromexico is a founding partner of SkyTeam, an alliance that celebrates 20 years and offers connectivity in more than 170 countries, through the 19 partner airlines. Aeromexico created and implemented a Health and Hygiene Management System (SGSH) to protect its clients and collaborators at all stages of its operation.

www.aeromexico.com

www.skyteam.co

SOURCE Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V.
Tokyo is still the most popular city to investors

TOKYO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shenjumiausuan released a research result recently on "the interests of investing in Japanese real estate from Chinese investors" that 89% of Chinese investors are interested in going for a house-viewing tour if the overseas traveling market reopens. Shenjumiausuan (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan, CEO: Jie Zhao) is one of the sub-companies of the GA technologies group; it runs the biggest platform service which provides Japanese real estate information mainly to customers in Mainland China[1], Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It is part of the GA technologies group, a real estate business corporation in Tokyo, Japan (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Ryo Higuchi, Securities code: 3491).

89% of Chinese investors are interested in Japanese real estate

The online questionnaire was carried out among 100 platform users asking about their interests in investing in Japanese real estate. From the result, we could see that the interests of Chinese buyers are still high even after 3 years since the outbreak of the pandemic and with all the traveling restrictions. Major cities like Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka, and Kyoto are still the most popular among Chinese investors. The average budget willing to spend is between 77,500 USD~232,600 USD (34%); one-room layout apartment/studio is still the most popular for investment purposes (40.6%), the whole building option comes in second (28.7%), and the high-rise condos come in third (12.9%). Chinese investors' interest in investing in Japan's real estate market is still strong. Therefore, the impact due to the pandemic on our business is limited.

[1] "Number of listings (portal site for inbound real estate investmentApril 2020~" researched by Shenjumiausuanformer NeoX Co., Ltd.

Key Highlights

89% of Chinese investors say that they are interested in going to Japan for a house viewing tour if traveling overseas is possible.

for a house viewing tour if traveling overseas is possible. 34.7% of the investors are willing to spend around 77,500 USD ~ 232,600 USD (10 million yen~ 30 million yen ) to purchase a property for investment purposes.

~ (10 million yen~ ) to purchase a property for investment purposes. Major cities are still the most popular locations to investors. The list is as follows: Tokyo (47.5%), Hokkaido (19.8%), Osaka , and Kyoto regions (14.9%).

(47.5%), (19.8%), , and regions (14.9%). When asking about the type of property you are interested in, the list is as follows: single-room layout apartment/studio (40.6%), whole building option (28.7%), and high-rise condos (12.9%).

Major reasons for investing in Japanese real estate: "consistent rent income" is the biggest reason (33.8%), and "good rate of return" comes in second (32.5%).

89% of the Chinese investors answered that they are interested in going to Japan for a house viewing tour if the overseas traveling market reopens

The Chinese government has announced the Covid-19 restrictions (constraints) would be lifted on January 8th, 2023. All restrictions for travel (national & International), long-distance moving, and going outside would no longer be applied. People in Mainland China welcomed a pandemic-restrictions-free Lunar New Year holiday in the three years since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. The Lunar New Year holidays fell between 1/21~1/27 this year. And according to Trip.com, the biggest online booking platform in Mainland China, bookings jumped 6.4 times more than last year (2022). Japan is also the No.3 most popular travel destination among Chinese customers (Mainland China). As we could possibly predict, as the restrictions have all been lifted, more people from Mainland China will be more willing to come to Japan for a house-viewing tour.

Most investors are willing to spend around 77500 USD ~ 232,600 USD as for budgets

34.7% answered with 77,500 USD ~ 232,600 USD (10 million yen~30 million yen)

~ (10 million yen~30 million yen) 26.7% answered with under 77,500 USD (under 10 million yen )

(under ) 20.8% answered with 232,600 USD ~ 383,820 USD (30 million yen~50 million yen)

Big cities with more population are still the preferred options when it comes to property for investment purposes

"Tokyo" tops the list with 47.5% of investors preferring it. 19.8% answered "Hokkaido", and 14.99% chose "Osaka" and "Kyoto" regions. 2% of the investors choose "Fukuoka". From the answers, we can see that big cities with more population are still popular choices for investors when thinking about buying a property for investment purposes.

One-room studio type of property for rental is still the most popular among investors

Single-room layout apartment/studio is the most popular (40.6%). The whole building option is the second most popular (28.7%). 12.9% preferred High-rise condos.

"Stable profit of return" is the biggest reason that attracts investors to Japanese real estate

What attracts Chinese investors to be willing to invest in Japanese real estate is "stable profit of return" which, no surprise, is the top reason. 33.8% of the investors want to invest in Japanese real estate for "consistent rent income". 32.5% answered that they would like to invest in Japanese real estate because of the good rate of return.

According to a report ("Index of cost to rent price of International real estate market) released by Japan Real Estate Institute that the total cost of purchasing real estate in Tokyo (apartments/luxury mansions) is cheaper compared to other major cities in the world such as London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore when the rate of return is better compared to these cities.

Result Summary

Research time period: September 6th, 2022, ~ November 21, 2022

Targets for research: Shenjumiausuan platform users (100 practical answers received)

Research method: Online questionnaire

Shenjumiausuan Co., Ltd.

The business concept of Shenjumiausuan is "to bridge the users from all over the globe by the power of technology". The service mainly targets customers living in the Chinese cultural regions. The accumulated number of page views is about 4,500,000 views, with about 1,100,000 unique users' access. (By 2022). It is one of the most popular Japanese real estate service sites that is receiving attention from Greater China.

Shenjumiausuan Co., Ltd.

Representative: Jie Zhao

Website: https://www.shenjumiaosuan.com/company

Headquarters: 40F of Sumitomo real estate Roppongi Grand Tower, Roppongi 3-2-1, Minato-Ku, Tokyo

Year of founding: December 2016

Capital fund: 5,000,000 yen

Service: Real estate service platform "Shenjumiausuan" targets customers living in the Greater China regions

GA technologies Co., Ltd

Representative: Ryo Higuchi

Website: https://www.ga-tech.co.jp/

Headquarters: 40F of Sumitomo real estate Roppongi Grand Tower, Roppongi 3-2-1, Minato-Ku, Tokyo

Year of founding: March 2013

Capital fund: 7,238,798,466 yen (by October 2022)

Services:

Internet real estate marketplace business: RENOSY

BtoB PropTech SaaS development

GA technologies group: ITANDI, RENOSY PLUS, Shenjumiausuan, and 12 other group companies

Please contact us through the following information

GA technologies P.R. team: Hayata, Judy (+81-80-8899-1699)

Mail: [email protected]

SOURCE GA technologies Co., Ltd.
JG Wentworth accelerates entry into consumer lending, appoints new Vice President of Pricing

CHESTERBROOK, Pa., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Industry leading consumer financial services company JG Wentworth, that helps consumers experiencing financial hardship or who need access to cash, announced today that it is appointing Timothy Yu as Vice President of Pricing effective October 10th, 2022. Yu will be joining JG Wentworth's Credit Risk Analytics Team and will be responsible for developing the loan pricing strategy for the consumer lending business, build the price engine with related analytics and competitive intelligence capabilities to optimize risk-based returns and volumes.

Yu joins JG Wentworth with nearly two decades of experience in consumer products, including credit cards, student loans, auto loans, personal loans, mortgages, and leasing. He is a domain expert in the entire lending process structure from acquisitions, account/risk management, to recovery.

JG Wentworth accelerates entry into consumer lending, appoints new Vice President of Pricing. Tweet this

Before joining JG Wentworth Yu served as Vice President of Credit at Kafene, a fintech startup that specialized in Point of Sale and omnichannel financing for various industries. He has also worked as VP, Director of Credit Underwriting at OneMain Financial, Director of Risk Analytics and Systems at PHH Mortgage, spent five years at JP Morgan Chase & Co. as a Vendor Portfolio Manager and Senior Risk Analyst, and as a Senior Data Analyst at Capital One.

Yu holds a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Statistics, and an MS in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

"Timothy brings to the team a wealth of experience and domain expertise in pricing. With him on the team I am excited to see what we accomplish in the coming months. We are thrilled about the new direction into Consumer Loans, along with offering our existing customers a suite of new products to help them achieve their financial goals" said Emre Sahingur, Chief Credit Officer at JG Wentworth.

About JG Wentworth

JG Wentworth is a consumer financial services company that focuses on helping everyday Americans achieve their financial goals. Its services include structured settlement payment purchasing, annuity payment purchasing, lottery and casino payment purchasing, and debt resolution services. Most recently, the company launched its consumer lending arm, with a focus on debt consolidation. JG Wentworth was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania.

Follow JG Wentworth on social media to stay updated on the latest news from the company: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

SOURCE The JG Wentworth Company
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boutique political and government law firm Kaufman Legal Group announced that Principal Stephen Kaufman has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2023 Southern California Super Lawyers list as a "Top Legislative & Government Affairs Attorney" for the fourth year in a row.

Stephen Kaufman represents clients in some of the most high-profile political campaigns and public policy debates in the City of Los Angeles, State of California and on the national stage. A recognized authority in the field of campaign finance and election law, Kaufman represents elected officials, candidates, PACs, labor unions, corporations, non-profit organizations, ballot measure campaigns, political parties, major donors, lobbying firms and government agencies on a wide variety of campaign finance, election and governmental ethics matters.

Kaufman is a former President of the California Political Attorneys Association, and has served on a number of other non-profit Boards, including the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Education Fund, the Southern California Leadership Network, the UCLA Political Science Board of Advisors, and the Labor 411 Foundation.



Kaufman obtained a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from UCLA in 1984, and received his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco in 1987.

About Kaufman Legal Group

With offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento, Kaufman Legal Group offers a full spectrum of legal services connected to the political process at the federal, state and local levels. The firm advises elected officials, candidates, PACs. ballot measure campaigns, labor unions, businesses, non-profits, campaign donors, political parties, and government agencies on campaign finance and election law issues and represents them in government investigations. For more information, visit KaufmanLegalGroup.com.

SOURCE Kaufman Legal Group
WESTPORT, Conn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kerri Rosenthal, a luxury lifestyle brand comprised of art, home decor, fashion apparel and accessories all derived from the artist's colorful original art, announces the appointment of Suzanne Anderson as President. In this role, Anderson will grow the Kerri Rosenthal brand both nationally and internationally through existing and new distribution channels and introduce the vibrant brand to a larger, wider community. Anderson will be based out of the company's new corporate office in Westport, Connecticut.

Suzanne Anderson Appointed President of Kerri Rosenthal Kerri Rosenthal & Suzanne Anderson

Suzanne brings over 30 years of experience in the fashion industry. She was most recently the Vice President of Design at Macys for RTW, Mens and Kids private brands where she played an integral role on the Executive Team and led design teams across multiple brands to reinvigorate their private brand business. Prior to that Suzanne was Creative Director at Peerless Clothing where she spent 13 years driving the creative strategy across both licensed and in-house brands.

"We are thrilled to welcome Suzanne to the company," said Kerri Rosenthal, Founder & CCO. "As the Kerri Rosenthal brand continues to grow, we believe that Suzanne will build upon our well-established DNA and prepare us for extensive growth."

"I am excited to join a luxury brand that translates Kerri's vivid art into fashion apparel and products for the home. The collection has a very elevated, sophisticated and unique beauty which I believe is missing in the market," said Anderson. "The opportunities for growth are endless and I am excited to start this journey."

In the last 6 years, Kerri Rosenthal has seen rapid growth and brand recognition with the opening of its flagship store in Westport, featuring original paintings and home and apparel products as well as a highly curated selection of third-party items. Additionally, Kerri Rosenthal products are now available in over 200 doors across US and Canada. In November 2022, the brand launched Kerri Rosenthal x Aqua, available in all Bloomingdales doors and online. Additional 2022 collaborations included Kerri Rosenthal x Roller Rabbit; Kerri Rosenthal x Spiritual Gangster; and Kerri Rosenthal x Stripe & Stare. The brand recently introduced a new tabletop collection, plans to open additional US retail locations and is focused on adding new categories within the brand's art space.

About Kerri Rosenthal

Kerri Rosenthal is a fresh, vibrant, and slightly unpredictable Home and Apparel lifestyle brand created and inspired by Kerri's celebrated original artwork. Launched in 2016, the KR world continues to expand and now includes 14 distinct product categories - original art and the art print series; a womenswear collection, sold in over 200 shops in the US and Canada; a robust fabric and wallpaper collection; home accessories; tabletop and a line of colorful and comfortable furnitureall in Kerri's fabrics. Original, authentic, and perfectly imperfect, Kerri's art + lifestyle collection allows others to share the sunshine that Kerri brings to her own world.

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Traub

212.518.4771 x 105

[email protected]

SOURCE Kerri Rosenthal
New Experience Allows You to Create Your Own Unique Thinking Putty or Land of Dough Sensory Compound

NORRISTOWN, Pa., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As Crazy Aaron's embarks on its 25th anniversary in 2023, the company takes dough and putty play to a whole new level thanks to "Crazy Creator," a brand-new play experience at the world-famous FAO Schwarz toy store at Rockefeller Center in New York City. This unique hands-on experience allows kids and "kidults" to create their very own unique Thinking Putty tin or customized Land of Dough cup. With various compounds, colors, and add-ons to choose from, the Crazy Aaron's Crazy Creator experience has quickly become a smash hit with plans to expand throughout this fun anniversary year!

Crazy Aaron's

"We know what a magical experience it is to create your very own Thinking Putty and Land of Dough because we do it every day in our own U.S. based factory," says founder and executive chairman Aaron Muderick. "It's so much fun, that we wanted to share it with others and our new Crazy Creator experience at FAO Schwarz provides everything one would need to make their own, unique sensory toy."

The Crazy Creator experience recently opened at FAO Schwarz and offers kids and adults alike the ability to create their own Thinking Putty or Land of Dough for $25. Handcraft your very own Land of Dough cup, just like they do in the wind-powered factory on Main Street USA in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Start off by selecting three scoops of fun, colorful dough and watch as it magically swirls together. Spice it up with additional glitter and select a fun stamp for the top. Or create your own Thinking Putty! Just choose a putty color and special effect, like confetti, and combine it all together.

"FAO Schwarz is so much more than just a toy store, we're known for our in-store experiences that inspire play and creativity," said David Niggli, Chief Merchandising Officer, FAO Schwarz. "The Crazy Aaron's Crazy Creator experience is a perfect example and has quickly become a popular destination within our flagship store at Rockefeller Center because kids of all ages love making their own putty with customized colors and add-ins. The partnership has far exceeded our expectations and we're thrilled to continue the offering to delight our customers."

Thinking Putty is a high-quality, silicone-based putty that is safe, nontoxic and will never dry out. In addition to being a fun toy for kids, Thinking Putty is perfect for people of all ages combatting stress, as it provides a fun, tactile sensory experience that can help to ease anxiety, and even change our mood.

Land of Dough is the world's most eco-friendly dough on the planet. Handcrafted on Main Street USA in Crazy Aaron's wind-powered facility, Land of Dough uses only natural colors, ethically sourced ingredients, compostable glitter, and sustainable packaging, making it a fun, sensory toy.

Muderick concludes, "This is just the beginning. We plan to roll out a fun year filled with great sensory activities, new products and more as we celebrate our 25th birthday this year."

For more information about upcoming activities, events, and new products, please visit www.crazyaarons.com or follow us on:

TikTok: @crazyaaronsunofficial

Instagram: @landofdough , @thinkingputty

Facebook: Crazy Aaron Enterprises

Twitter: @ThinkingPutty

YouTube: Crazy Aaron's

About Crazy Aaron's

A world leader and innovative company in creative play, Crazy Aaron's has been making genuine Thinking Putty since 1998. Founder, Crazy Aaron, has continued to trailblaze within the toy industry by establishing new product lines and brands to inspire curiosity and wonder to people of all ages! Known for creating the best putty on earth, Crazy Aaron's has also reinvented a childhood classic with Land of Dough. Land of Dough is play dough reimagined! Handcrafted from natural ingredients and considered the most sustainable dough on the planet. All Crazy Aaron's products are made with safe, nontoxic, top-quality materials and ingredients right on Main Street, USA in Norristown, PA.

About FAO Schwarz (FAOSchwarz.com)

FAO Schwarz is one of the oldest, most historic, and iconic toy brands in the world. FAO Schwarz opened its first doors in 1862 revealing a marvelous, bountiful emporium full of extraordinary, one-of-a-kind toys from all over the world. Founded by Frederick August Otto Schwarz, FAO Schwarz has always been synonymous with quality and innovation, offering cherished memories for generations of adults and children alike. At its core, FAO Schwarz has always been known for the "theater of it all," where toys meet deep nostalgia. FAO has been delivering wonder to families for over 160 years, celebrating awe and discovery for all children and the child inside all of us.

Media Contact:

Ahren Hoffman

8665782845

[email protected]

SOURCE Crazy Aaron's
OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 988 Oklahoma Mental Health Lifeline will debut a commercial statewide during the highly-anticipated 2023 Big Game. 988 Oklahoma is a 24/7 crisis and suicide prevention lifeline connecting Oklahomans to trained professionals and offering the help and resources they need. The commercial will bring much-needed awareness to the lifeline and its life-saving services.

Oklahoma Native, Kristin Chenoweth featured in 988 Oklahoma PSA.

"988 is a game-changer for mental health services in Oklahoma," Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Carrie Slatton-Hodges said. "Improving access to resources and services for those needing mental health care, suicide intervention, or addiction is crucial for our communities. With this three-digit lifeline, more Oklahomans will receive the services they need when needed."

The 988 initiative in Oklahoma gives hope and assistance to anyone experiencing a crisis, suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety and more.

Oklahoma's own Kristin Chenoweth headlines this spot. The commercial uses a dash of humor to bring awareness to the everyday struggles that many suffer from in silence. By personifying "burden," Kristin's talents are showcased in various ways before ultimately revealing her purpose in the spot.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services hopes the message of this commercial reaches as many Oklahomans as possible, explaining the big stage appearance the commercial will have. This three-digit lifeline is part of a national effort to provide much-needed aid to our growing mental health crisis in America.

Each time an individual contacts 988, there is free and confidential help on the other end. Operators of this lifeline are trained to provide conversational support or dispatch mobile crisis teams if the situation requires in-person assistance. Those reaching out will be connected to a mental health professional to talk through what's going on and get the resources needed for either themself or a loved one.

In Oklahoma, 90% of calls are stabilized over the phone; however, if more help is needed, dispatchers or mobile crisis teams can set up appointments at nearby Urgent Recovery and Crisis Centers for those who need to visit with a trained behavioral specialist. If this is the case, transportation will be provided to help Oklahomans in need safely arrive at an Urgent Recovery and Crisis Center.

Urgent Recovery and Crisis Centers offer accessible mental health and substance abuse care where people can stabilize and receive professional help during a crisis. Functioning much like a hospital ER, Urgent Recovery and Crisis Centers accept 24/7/365 walk-ins, as well as ambulance, fire and police drop-offs.

Learn more about the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and 988oklahoma.com .

PR Agency: Jones PR

Creative: Insight Creative Group (ICG)

Video Production Agency: RetroSpec Films

SAG/AFTRA Signatory: DSG Production Services, Inc

About ODMHSAS 988 Mental Health Lifeline

The 988 Mental Health Lifeline is designated as a three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. The 988 Mental Health Lifeline operates 24/7 and offers services for mental health crisis calls. Operators are licensed and certified health crisis specialists who answer calls, connect to and dispatch local services and mobile crisis teams. To learn more, visit https://988oklahoma.com/

SOURCE 988 Oklahoma Mental Health Lifeline
Milestone Coincides with 20th Anniversary of Renowned U.S. Policy Information Contributory Database, LexisNexis Current Carrier

ATLANTA, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a leading provider of data and analytics for the insurance industry, is celebrating the 35th anniversary of LexisNexis C.L.U.E. Auto (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange), the auto insurance industry's most comprehensive claims history database. LexisNexis Risk Solutions also celebrates the 20th anniversary of LexisNexis Current Carrier Auto, which has grown to include more than 96% of auto insurance policy data to help insurers validate underwriting information and improve customer experience.

C.L.U.E. Auto helps enable U.S. insurers to quickly and seamlessly access claims information to expedite the underwriting process, help predict the potential for future claims, and through continued innovation, help discover even more important claims that typically go unnoticed by other solutions. These data analytics insights are even more critical in today's market as consumers are increasingly shopping their auto insurancei and insurers' profitability is challenged by increasing claims severityii and other economic factors.

Prior to C.L.U.E. Auto's launch in 1987, claims history was typically incomplete and difficult to obtain. This resulted in inefficiencies and information gaps that did not allow for proper pricing to the risk. C.L.U.E. Auto, which can be seamlessly integrated into an insurer's workflow, and its contributed data have brought to the market a 360-degree view that helps U.S. insurers understand their customers in a more comprehensive and actionable manner, giving them the ability to offer the products that best meet their customers' needs and deliver a personalized experience. Additionally, by combining contributed information with other data sources, such as life events or driver activity, insurers can focus on customer retention and profitability.

"The use of contributory data helps lead to lower rates for most consumers," said Bill Madison, CEO, Insurance, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "By providing carriers with insights into an applicant's previous coverage and loss history, contributory databases help enable more accurate rating and, for many consumers, lower ratesnot just with their current carrier but also with others, should they choose to shop around."

C.L.U.E. Auto includes up to seven years of personal automobile loss data from more than 99% of the U.S. auto insurance market to help insurers underwrite with greater speed and accuracy, better segment and price risk, reduce expenses and improve customer service for consumers shopping for insurance. It uses the LexisNexis Risk Solutions unique identifier LexID and proprietary linking technology for a more comprehensive and accurate view by uniquely identifying consumers so that insurers can underwrite with even more confidence and offer more customized premiums to the individual or household. With these tools, insurers can identify and organize information quickly to help make more informed and immediate business decisions.

C.L.U.E. Auto can help offer actionable insights about common underwriting use cases like:

Adding drivers. LexisNexis Risk Solutions internal analysis shows 20.7% of added drivers, such as those undergoing life changes like getting married, have a prior claim in the past three years and 17.1% of discovered claims were designated 'surchargeable.'

LexisNexis Risk Solutions internal analysis shows 20.7% of added drivers, such as those undergoing life changes like getting married, have a prior claim in the past three years and 17.1% of discovered claims were designated 'surchargeable.' Uncovering missed claims. Where alternative solutions have not found drivers to have claims, C.L.U.E. Auto discovered claims on nearly a third of those risks, which could result in up to 13% of those drivers having chargeable claims. C.L.U.E. Auto provides insurers with an 8% lift in match rates to better align insurance premiums to the right risk.

Where alternative solutions have not found drivers to have claims, C.L.U.E. Auto discovered claims on nearly a third of those risks, which could result in up to 13% of those drivers having chargeable claims. C.L.U.E. Auto provides insurers with an 8% lift in match rates to better align insurance premiums to the right risk. Providing data-driven insights for stronger risk assessment. Traffic deaths increased in early 2022, hitting a 20-year high iii and painting a disturbing picture of what's happening on today's roadways. For a better picture of risk, insurers can leverage 1,000+ attributes to help aid with subject and policy-level underwriting.

Traffic deaths increased in early 2022, hitting a 20-year high and painting a disturbing picture of what's happening on today's roadways. For a better picture of risk, insurers can leverage 1,000+ attributes to help aid with subject and policy-level underwriting. Highlighting the potential for insurance fraud. The increased transparency provided by contributory databases can help to mitigate fraud, an $80 billion annual drain on the insurance industry, which can ultimately be passed onto consumers in the form of higher rates.

"C.L.U.E. Auto has been a game changer for insurers since its inception 35 years ago," said Madison. "With our commitment to investing in the solution, C.L.U.E. continues to provide value for insurers looking to minimize their blind spots and optimize their business opportunities with confidence. We are proud of its evolution in keeping up with technology insurers use today and are implementing, its accuracy, flexibility and the fact that we have continued to innovate to serve our customers' needs. And with ever-changing legislative requirements, C.L.U.E Auto's platform continual enhancements allow insurers to configure settings to receive information that matters."

LexisNexis Current Carrier Auto, the auto insurance industry's leading contributory database of existing coverage intelligence, has helped revolutionize the way insurance companies validate proof of prior insurance. By providing information electronically, Current Carrier Auto helps insurers elevate customer experience by providing insurers insights into prior coverages, household members, and vehicles to confirm information versus having to collect that information during the underwriting process. Validating underwriting information quickly and accurately has never been more crucial for insurers, as consumers think a company's experience is as important as its products[iv].

"We're excited to celebrate this significant milestone for our Current Carrier product, which has now been helping improve workflows by automating the coverage verification process for 20 years. Insurers have made it a point to let us know that they want to truly know those consumers they are covering, and Current Carrier has been a huge part of that validation process. We look forward to continuing to help carriers strengthen their customer experience, taking friction out of the process, while helping improve the renewal underwriting process and profitability for many years to come," said Madison.

These two solutions can help offer actionable insights to help make more informed and immediate business decisions. C.L.U.E. Auto and Current Carrier Auto data can be easily accessed and leveraged through the single platform where insurers already integrate with world-class quoting, pricing, and underwriting products from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, including National Credit File, LexisNexis Motor Vehicle Records and LexisNexis Telematics OnDemand.

Insurers' customers and those who may apply for coverage also benefit from LexisNexis Risk Solutions commitment to compliance and consumer transparency through the LexisNexis Consumer Advocacy Center, which offers more than 20 years of experience as a trusted custodian of consumer data, helping to ensure transparency, accuracy and privacy protections in alignment with legal and regulatory FCRA guidelines. Additionally, the Consumer Advocacy Center helps educate consumers on their data, respond to any questions that may arise, and will help consumers dispute information that may need to be corrected.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. We provide data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of R.E.L.X. Group (L.S.E.: REL/NYSE: R.E.L.X.), a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. For more information, please visit www.risk.lexisnexis.com , and www.relx.com.

Media Contacts:

Chas Strong

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Phone: +1.678.694.3569

[email protected]

Donna Armstrong

Brodeur Partners for LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Phone: +1.202.510.3531

[email protected]

i LexisNexis Insurance Demand Meter Shows Strong Rebound in U.S. Auto Insurance Shopping and New Business Volumes in Q3 2022 (yahoo.com)

ii 2022 Auto Insurance Trends Report | LexisNexis Risk Solutions

iii NHTSA Early Estimates Show Record Increase in Fatalities | NHTSA

[iv] https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/state-of-the-connected-customer-report-outlines-changing-standards-for-customer-engagement/

SOURCE LexisNexis Risk Solutions
CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquid Handling System is a device used to transport small liquid, such as biological samples, chemicals, or reagents, from one container to another. It is used in laboratories for various applications, such as pipetting, cell culture, drug discovery, DNA extraction, and more. The system consists of a pipette and a controller. The pipette is used to move liquid from one vessel to another, while the controller manages the movement of the liquid. The system can be automated or manually controlled. Automated liquid handling systems are used for high-throughput applications, such as drug screening and genomics.

Liquid Handling System Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $4.6 billion in 2022 and is poised to reach $5.8 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2022 to 2027 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growth of this market is majorly driven by industrial growth in the pharma-biotech sector, rising R&D expenditure by biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and increasing life science research, which is supported by a favorable funding scenario, expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries, increasing focus on data precision and accuracy and Increasing labor costs leading to higher automation requirements.

Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=192124302

Browse in-depth TOC on "Liquid Handling System Market".

205 - Tables

41 - Figures

279 - Pages

Liquid Handling System Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2022 $4.6 billion Estimated Value by 2027 $5.8 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% Market Size Available for 20202027 Forecast Period 20222027 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Type, Product, Application, End user and Region Geographies Covered North America (US, Canada), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy and RoE), APAC (China, India, Japan, and the RoAPAC), and Rest of the World Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Growing genomics and proteomics research Key Market Drivers Global expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries

The Pipettes segment accounted for the largest share of the Hemato oncology testing devices market, by product type, in 2021

On the basis of products type, the global liquid handling system market is segmented into Pipettes, Consumables, Pipettes, Consumables. Microplate Reagent Dispensers, Liquid Handling Workstations, Microplate Washers, Burettes, Software and Other Products. The Pipettes segment accounted for the largest share of the global hemato oncology testing market in 2021. This can be attributed to the high and growing demand of the drug discovery and the genomic and protenomic research.

The automated liquid handling systems segment holds a major share of the global Liquid handling system market, By type, in 2021

By type, the global Liquid handling system market is broadly segmented into electronic systems, automated systems, and manual systems. In 2021, the Automated liquid handling systems segment dominated Liquid handling system market. Factors supporting the growth of the segment is the wide use in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies for its speed, accuracy, reliability, and consistency of operations.

The drug discovery segment accounted for the largest share of the Liquid handling system devices market, by Application, in 2021

By application, the global Liquid handling system are classified into drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, genomics, proteomics, and other applications. In 2022, the drug discovery segment dominated the global market. This can be attributed to factor such as the rising investment in drug discovery and development, role of sample preparation, assay set-up, high-throughput screening, in vitro experiments, cellular assays, and in vivo toxicity studies.

North America dominates the global Liquid Handling System market

Based on the region, the liquid handling system market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). The global liquid handling system market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and ROW. North America dominated liquid handling system market. The largest share can be attributed to North America due to the significant advances in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and increasing investment and government funding for the research.

Request for FREE Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=192124302

Liquid Handling System Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Global expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries Significant R&D expenditure by biopharma companies Increasing funding for life science research Growing market demand for high-throughput screening Increasing focus on data precision and accuracy

Restraints:

Pricing limitations Slow adoption of automation among small and medium-sized laboratories

Opportunities:

Changing scenario in emerging economies Growing genomics and proteomics research

Challenges:

Developing infrastructure and other barriers in emerging markets Possibility of errors in automated systems

Key Market Players:

The major players in the Liquid Handling System are the liquid handling system market is highly consolidated and is dominated by various players. The major players operating in this market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Danaher Corporation (US), Eppendorf (Germany), PerkinElmer Inc. (US) and Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US).

Recent Developments:

In 2022, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (US) company of Danaher Corporation launched the Biomek NGeniuS liquid handling system. It automates the labor-intensive process of manual library construction and reagent transfers, helping free up technicians and researchers to focus on the science, not the workflow, while also reducing the possibility of errors.

Gilson (US) launched MyPIPETMAN, a customizable and modular pipette. It is lightweight, ergonomic, reliable, and easy to use, with technical and personalization options to adapt to the researcher's laboratory needs.

(US) launched MyPIPETMAN, a customizable and modular pipette. It is lightweight, ergonomic, reliable, and easy to use, with technical and personalization options to adapt to the researcher's laboratory needs. In 2022, Endress+Hauser ( Switzerland ) launched Memosens 2.0 technology that converts the measured value to a digital signal and transfers it inductively to the transmitter, offering safe data transfer for increased availability of the measuring point and trouble-free operation. The new technology is available for pH/ORP, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen sensorsand it will be extended to the complete sensor portfolio for liquid analysis.

Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=192124302

Browse Adjacent Market: Analytical and Scientific Instrumentation Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Pharmacy Automation Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Microplate System Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Laboratory Informatics Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Intraoperative Imaging Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

Lab Automation Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

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/liquid-handling-system-market.asp

Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/liquid-handling-system.asp

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) today announced that it has been awarded a third consecutive Gold rating for sustainability by EcoVadis, placing Livent in the top 5% of the more than 90,000 companies assessed worldwide in 2022.

EcoVadis is an independent ratings agency which evaluates organizations on their sustainability management and progress across four main categories: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.

"We are once again honored to receive this acknowledgment from EcoVadis for our sustainability performance. The 2022 Gold rating reflects the dedication and hard work of Livent's people and our ongoing commitment to corporate citizenship, transparency and continuous improvement in all aspects of our operations," said Paul Graves, president and chief executive officer of Livent.

"As one of the world's premier producers of lithium chemicals, we believe Livent has an obligation to meet the growing global demand for lithium while advancing industry standards for responsible growth and production. Our social and environmental efforts are underpinned by lithium's critical role in the shift to electric vehicles and clean energy solutions as well as our mission as a company to help build a more sustainable future for generations to come."

For more information about Livent's sustainability program, please download Livent's 2021 Sustainability Report from the Sustainability section of Livent.com

About Livent

For nearly eight decades, Livent has partnered with its customers to safely and sustainably use lithium to power the world. Livent is one of only a small number of companies with the capability, reputation, and know-how to produce high-quality finished lithium compounds that are helping meet the growing demand for lithium. The company has one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry, powering demand for green energy, modern mobility, the mobile economy, and specialized innovations, including light alloys and lubricants. Livent has a combined workforce of approximately 1,350 full-time, part-time, temporary, and contract employees and operates manufacturing sites in the United States, England, China and Argentina. For more information, visit livent.com.

Media contact: Juan Carlos Cruz +1.215.299.6170

[email protected]

Investor contact: Daniel Rosen +1.215.299.6208

[email protected]

SOURCE Livent Corporation
Salt Lake City growth capital partner announces final close of their largest fund to date

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercato Partners today announced the final close of Traverse Fund IV, a $400 million growth fund that will be deployed to high-growth, mature technology and branded consumer companies.

"Fund IV will prioritize those companies being built in cities and states that have historically been overlooked and under-appreciated by growth capital." Tweet this Mercato Partners growth-stage fund, Traverse, is led by seasoned investors, operators, and managing directors Ryan Sanders, Joe Kaiser and Greg Warnock, co-founder of Mercato Partners.

Founded in 2007, Mercato Partners has principally invested in growth companies outside of the traditional coastal geographies. "Dedicated to investing in the next generation of great American entrepreneurs, Fund IV will prioritize those companies being built in cities and states that have historically been overlooked and under-appreciated by growth capital," said Joe Kaiser, Managing Director. "This raise provides us the opportunity to go all-in on our core belief that great businesses can be built anywhere."

The Traverse Fund IV raise was led by commitments from institutional allocators, including public pension funds, university endowments, charitable foundations, health care systems, and insurance companies. In addition to this traditional mix of long-term investors, Mercato Partner's reserved a portion of Fund IV for accomplished service affiliates, executives and business leaders that bring mission-critical access, resources and networking opportunities to the fund's portfolio companies. "We understand that one of the fundamental needs of our portfolio companies is access to the right resources at the right time to fuel growth," said Managing Director Ryan Sanders. "This strategic CXO partnership is the perfect value-add channel to enable that growth support."

Mercato Partners has already added five key investments to the Traverse Fund IV portfolio, including: Atomic, a payroll API that powers banks, credit unions, and fintech; Klover, a permissioned commerce data platform; Lambda, a deep learning AI infrastructure company; Paytient, a category creator that built the Health Payment Account; and Prime Trust, a fintech and digital assets infrastructure provider. These five companies join the 65 other investments Mercato Partners has completed since 2007.

"As we look forward across the investing landscape, we are energized by the explosion of disruptive entrepreneurs building industry-changing companies. In conjunction with the significant investment potential presented by today's economic climate, we are confident that our fourth growth fund will be the best yet," said co-Founder Greg Warnock.

Since its founding, Mercato Partners has raised over $1 billion combined across their venture, growth and buyout practicesPrelude, Traverse and Savory, respectivelyand has an active portfolio of 43 investments.

The Traverse Fund is led by seasoned investors, operators, and managing directors Ryan Sanders, Joe Kaiser and Greg Warnock, co-founder of Mercato Partners. Further detail about the firm and its Fund IV memorandum, For the Better, is available on Mercato Partner's website here.

About Mercato Partners

Based in Salt Lake City, Mercato Partners is a multi-practice investment firm that provides funding, guidance and support for rapidly expanding technology, branded consumer, and food and beverage companies. Mercato Partners has over $1.6 billion in assets under management1. Notable past investments include Central Logic, Cotopaxi, Cradlepoint, DOMO, Ephesoft, Fusion-IO, Galileo Financial Technologies, Goal Zero, Mediconnect, SaltStack, Simplus, Skullcandy, Stance, Swig, and Venafi.

Platform AUM as of 12/31/2022

SOURCE Mercato Partners
Member of a first-generation American family looks forward to helping other global families move to the US.

WESTPORT, Conn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today LCR Capital Partners has announced Mike Elmasry has joined as Chief Commercial Officer based in Westport.

All LCR employees have empathy for international families considering a move to the US, but Mike Elmasry, the company's new chief commercial officer, has lived it. He has personally seen how it can completely change a family's trajectory for generations. What Mike's family experienced is nothing short of the classic American dream.

Mike Elmasry

Mike's father, as well as his aunts and uncles, came to the US to study and escape a difficult political environment in Egypt. After completing an MBA in the US, Mike's father was hired by Price Waterhouse, leading to a successful 30-year career in corporate roles, followed by a successful career in real estate. Mike's uncle, like his father, rose through corporate ranks to become the Chief Financial Officer of Coca-Cola. One of his aunts came to the US as a Fulbright scholar, received a Ph.D., and chose to stay as a professor. Today, over fifty members of his extended family, across three generations, are Americans and have built successful careers in engineering, medicine, real estate, sales, education, architecture, law, and more.

When asked about his international experience, Mike's first comment was "international has always been in my blood." As early as age four, due to his father's position at Price Waterhouse, he moved to Guatemala, where he lived for five years, followed by a five-year term in Europe. Traveling all over the world cemented his belief that the US, with its array of choices and opportunities for growth and success, was where he wanted to live and work. He put it simply: "Live as you want, work as hard as you want, and show success from your hard work."

This approach has shaped his career. Starting at Xerox after receiving his BA from Georgetown, he began as a field sales representative building client relationships. Over 18 years there, he progressed to key and major accounts and then to running national programs in corporate strategy and market development. At Pitney Bowes, he built an understanding of financial solutions before joining IBM, where he led national and global teams focused on financing technical projects for over 17 years.

"Mike brings an amazing level of international experience and commercial discipline shaped over a successful career at some of the best US technology companies," said Sherman Baldwin, CEO of LCR. "I love that he understands financial products and knows that a thoughtful, trust-based approach is what works with clients. While our clients are making a personal decision, they like to see LCR show up with the professionalism they have come to expect in their lives."

"As the son of a first-generation American myself, I immediately felt a connection with Mike and what his family has experienced," said Suresh Rajan, Founder and Executive Chairman. "I know I apply what I have learned from my extended family with our clients every day. Mike has already connected with the LCR team, and I'm looking forward to watching how he will shape our approach with his team in India, the Gulf, Brazil, Mexico and Singapore."

"I'm at a point in my career where I still love leading a team, and working with global families I also feel like I'm giving back," Mike said. "I love talking to people, and I hope my story can help them see the potential of moving to the US or Europe. Offering advice on how a life in the US can build their lives and broaden their careers doesn't feel like work. It is a joy."

Energized to start in his new position, he asks, "How do you put a price on the value of changing lives?"

About LCR Capital Partners

LCR Capital Partners is a private investment and advisory services firm that serves families interested in global opportunities. Founded in 2012, the firm's primary focus is working with clients interested in immigrant investor programs. LCR has helped over 850 clients move to the United States via the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa, which grants investors and their immediate family members US Green Cards. LCR also works with the Portuguese Golden Visa, which is based on government-approved investments. Through its affiliates, International Investors Mortgage and LCR Wealth Management, the firm also offers US loan solutions and wealth management to foreign nationals moving to the United States. LCR has built long-term, trust-based relationships with a global client base of high-net-worth families in over 30 countries around the world. LCR is headquartered in Westport, CT, and runs a global network with teams in Miami, San Francisco, Mumbai, Delhi, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Dubai, and Singapore.

Website: http://www.lcrcapital.com

Press contact:

John M. Baker

CMO, LCR Capital Partners LLC

[email protected]

+1 (203) 883-1940

SOURCE LCR Capital
DENVER, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Akron School District R-I has awarded a $3.4M contract to Millig Design Build to improve classroom comfort and indoor air quality, and lower district operational costs.

Currently, Akron Schools is heated by an in-floor radiant system and unit heaters that are served by a high-efficiency boiler plant. The building is cooled and ventilated by heat recovery ventilators (HRVs). However, since opening in 2012, the building has had significant issues with overheating and with the building automation controls that operate the ventilation equipment.

"Unfortunately, the mechanical system was never designed to provide adequate mechanical cooling for the building," said Aaron Tilden, PE, senior project developer, Millig Design Build. "The district has made several attempts to remedy this issue, but it's impossible due to the chosen equipment and how the system was designed."

The Millig team performed a thorough facility analysis and is moving forward with plans to install an air-source variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system to provide mechanical cooling to classrooms. The Millig team will also retro-commission the in-floor radiant heating system and replace components of the ventilation system to provide adequate ventilated air building-wide.

To help pay for the upgrades, the Millig team worked with district administrators and maintenance staff to apply for and secure a Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant. The district will leverage ESSER funds to assist with the state-required BEST grant match, further minimizing the financial impact on the district.

"This project is an excellent example of Millig's target value design approach," said Lauren Donley, vice president, Millig Design Build. "Instead of looking at individual systems in isolation, we're addressing the root causes of these issues and providing holistic solutions with a better return on investment for the district."

All construction is scheduled to be completed by Fall 2023.

About Millig Design Build

Millig Design Build is an integrated engineering, design, and construction firm specializing in turnkey facility improvements that address energy efficiency, building health and safety, and core infrastructure needs. We serve clients nationwide from five strategic offices in Kansas; Colorado; Oregon; Washington; and Vancouver, Canada. For more information, visit milligdb.com.

Media Contact Information:

Amy McVey | [email protected]

SOURCE Millig Design Build
Mobily Joins Hands with Tencent Cloud to Provide Cloud Solutions and Services in Saudi Arabia

Cloud to Provide Cloud Solutions and Services in Mobily Pay to work with Sure Pay to provide strong B2B solutions

D11 Gaming signs a deal with Mobily to create Mobily Gamers' gaming and esports platform

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Etihad Etisalat 'Mobily' has announced a raft of new deals on day two of LEAP 2023 covering a range of areas such as customer experience, gaming, Cloud solutions and more

Mobily's determination to develop new and innovative technologies and services continued on the second day of LEAP, which runs until 9th February, as a number of Memorandums of Understanding worth millions of dollars were signed.

Mobily showcases even more big partnership announcements on Day two of LEAP 2023

The deals include new partnerships with tech giants such as Tencent and involve a wide range of projects including development of payment systems, Internet of Things (IoT) and more.

Tencent Cloud

Mobily and Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a strategic collaboration that will pave the way to launch the next-generation cloud solutions and services in KSA.

According to the MoU, Mobily will lead and manage the data center hosting, network links, and ICT infrastructure, while Tencent Cloud will provide cloud solutions and services, from IaaS products such as cloud virtual machine, storage, and network solutions, to PaaS products such as database and media solutions. The collaboration also highlights the use of Tencent Cloud Enterprise (TCE), an enterprise-grade private cloud platform leveraging on Tencent Cloud's established product system. TCE provides self-controllable and elastically scalable full-stack service capabilities, and also integrates diverse IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS products, and uniformly deploys data centers, networks, servers, systems, and applications to provide a one-stop solution for enterprises in KSA.

Omar Alrasheed, Chief Corporate Strategy & Digitalization Officer of Mobily, said, "There is a new industry reality that is partnering with hyperscalers has become a strategic imperative for both parties. The question is not anymore whether we will partner or not. It is about which business model and how to start the collaboration. We are glad to announce today that we signed an MOU with one of the world's leading cloud service providers, Tencent Cloud, as we aim to expand our cloud solutions and services. Building on Tencent's years of experience and expertise in various fields. Mobily is confident that our collaboration with Tencent Cloud will add value to KSA's digital transformation."

Dan Hu, Vice President of Tencent Cloud International for the MENA region, said, "At Tencent Cloud, we are committed to providing high-quality and high-security cloud services to enterprises and businesses around the world. With this in mind, we are looking forward to our collaboration with Mobily, a leading telecommunications services provider in KSA, leveraging each other's expertise to provide high-performance and reliable cloud solutions in the country."

Sure Pay

Mobily Pay has confirmed an agreement with Sure Pay to develop a payment acquiring system for its app. The deal will enable Mobily Pay to become a merchant wallet for their point-of-sale users while supporting strong B2B solutions. The aim is to increase the number of transactions conducted on the app and open up new opportunities for the application.

D11 Gaming

Mobily Gamers has established a partnership with D11 gaming to create Mobily Gamers' gaming and esports platform. Under the revenue sharing agreement D11 will become a gaming hub partner that will provide and manage a customized gaming ecosystem solution for multi-platform gaming which includes casual, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), the Cloud, esports and all related aspects based on the contract.

Thamer Abdulkareem Albutairi, General Manager Digital Services from Mobily said: "We are proud to announce our partnership with D11 Gaming. The field of gaming and esports is rapidly growing and evolving, and we at Mobily have taken the initiative to cater to this segment by collaborating with D11 Gaming to create Mobily Gamers."

About Etihad Etisalat (Mobily)

Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) is a Saudi company launched commercially in May 2005. Mobily provides integrated services for three main sectors, individuals, businesses, and carriers. It has one of the largest wireless networks by coverage in Saudi Arabia as well as the region, and one of the widest FTTH networks, in addition to one of the largest data center systems worldwide.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1998351/Mobily_Day_two_of_LEAP_2023.jpg

SOURCE Mobily KSA
MONTCLAIR, N.J., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Montclair State University, a leading institution of higher education in New Jersey, today announced a retail renewable energy agreement with ENGIE Resources LLC, a subsidiary of ENGIE North America Inc. The contract extends through 2025 under which Montclair State University will purchase Green-e certified Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from wind, solar and hydro projects across the U.S.

The University will receive Green-e certified RECs which are independently verified by the Center for Resource Solutions and represent the environmental benefits of one megawatt-hour of renewable energy. Over the course of the agreement, the RECs purchased contribute to support CO 2 emissions avoidance by more than 7,600 metric tons, while matching 100% of the University's forecasted retail electricity consumption from the grid.

Montclair has long been a leader in sustainable practices in higher education. The University was the first educational institution in the nation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2009, and has committed to building all new facilities to meet Leadership in Environmental Energy Design (LEED) certification standards, with four buildings on campus currently holding LEED certifications.

"Montclair State University is committed to serving the public good by utilizing the latest in sustainable technologies and practices," said Vice President for University Facilities Shawn Connolly. "This agreement allows us to further those efforts and do so in a way that will truly make an impact."

RECs support the development of renewable energy generation by monetizing the environmental benefits inherent in such generation. RECs provide renewable energy developers with an additional revenue stream and support financing of renewable energy projects.

"We are pleased to provide a retail energy solution that matches Montclair State University's sustainability objectives," said Sayun Sukduang, chief executive officer at ENGIE Resources. "As America's Energy Greentailer we help colleges and universities to participate in the energy transition with supply options and ways to consume energy better."

Montclair State University launched its Facilities Sustainability Plan in April 2022. The plan details 17 goals to move the University towards operational sustainability. The purchase of Green-e certified RECs will make significant progress for goal 01-5 which is focused on reducing, and eventually neutralizing, Scope 2 emissions.

The agreement includes electricity supply in a structure that provides budget certainty throughout the term of the agreement.

Serving as advisor on the agreement is Newark, New Jersey, based Diversegy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genie Energy (NYSE: GNE). Diversegy is a leading retail energy brokerage serving customers across all deregulated U.S. markets.

About Montclair State University

Building on a distinguished history dating back to 1908, Montclair State University is a leading institution of higher education in New Jersey. Designated a Research Doctoral University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the University's 10 degree-granting schools and colleges serve more than 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students with more than 300 doctoral, master's and baccalaureate level programs. Situated on a beautiful, 252-acre suburban campus just 12 miles from New York City, Montclair State delivers the instructional and research resources of a large public university in a supportive, sophisticated and diverse academic environment.

About ENGIE North America

Based in Houston, Texas, ENGIE North America Inc. is a regional hub of ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services. ENGIE (ENGI), is listed on the Paris and Brussels Stock Exchanges. Together with our 101,500 employees around the globe, our customers, partners and stakeholders, we are committed to accelerate the transition toward a carbon-neutral world, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally friendly solutions. Inspired by our purpose ("raison d'etre"), we reconcile economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet, building on our key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to our customers. In North America, ENGIE helps our clients achieve their energy efficiency, reliability, and ultimately, their sustainability goals, as we work together to shape a sustainable future. We accomplish this through: energy efficiency projects, providing energy supply (including renewables and natural gas), and the development, construction and operation of renewable energy assets (wind, solar, storage and more). For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, https://www.engie-na.com/ and https://www.engie.com.

SOURCE Montclair State University
CARROLLTON, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NerdsToGo, a leading information technology (IT) solutions and technology services franchise for both business and home, recently held its 2023 NerdsToGo Franchise Convention in Las Vegas, NV. Themed IT's Time, the multiple-day event celebrated franchisee achievements and the growth initiatives of the network.

Over 90 % of the NerdsToGo network attended in addition to key vendor partners and corporate staff members. Attendees represented 35 locations in the US. and included a Vendor Showcase featuring 25 vendors.

NerdsToGo Convention

Attendees heard from Brian Seurth, President of Technology Assurance Group (TAG), an organization of leading managed technology services providers (MTSPs), and Partner at i-NETT, southern California's top MTSP. Seurth shared insights and best practices for growing a successful MSP business. Attendees also heard from Steve LeFever, a successful entrepreneur and Chairman of Profit Mastery, who spoke about how franchise business owners can identify and amplify their financial performance.

Highlights from the 2022 Awards Dinner at the Convention include:

The President's Award, which recognizes the top 25% of NerdsToGo locations with the highest total sales from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 , was given to David Alcorn : League City, TX , Regis Deveaux : NerdsToGo Alexandria, VA , Rory Dunnaback : NerdsToGo of Milwaukie, OR , Kevin Martin : NerdsToGo of Franklin, MA , Erik Nelson : NerdsToGo of Swarthmore, PA , Gina & Michael Santiago : NerdsToGo of Bellevue, WA , and Angel Soto : NerdsToGo of Las Vegas, NV.

to , was given to : , : NerdsToGo , : NerdsToGo of , : NerdsToGo of , : NerdsToGo of , Gina & : NerdsToGo of , and : NerdsToGo of Charles Bailey and Matt Swearingen with NerdsToGo of Moon Township / Pittsburgh, PA won The Rookie Award, which honors the franchisee with the highest sales for the first full 12 months of operation.

and with NerdsToGo of / won The Rookie Award, which honors the franchisee with the highest sales for the first full 12 months of operation. The three awards for Highest Volume Centers in Sales Achievement were given to Regis Deveaux : NerdsToGo of Alexandria, VA , Rory Dunnaback : NerdsToGo of Milwaukie, OR , and Kevin Martin : NerdsToGo of Franklin, MA.

: NerdsToGo of , : NerdsToGo of , and : NerdsToGo of Caesar Serralta : NerdsToGo of Las Vegas, NV received The Nerd Know-How award which recognizes the Nerd in the network who exemplifies outstanding leadership and strong business acumen, demonstrating the desire to make a difference every day. Committed to excellence of service, this individual contributes daily to the success and growth of their NerdsToGo store.

: NerdsToGo of received The Nerd Know-How award which recognizes the Nerd in the network who exemplifies outstanding leadership and strong business acumen, demonstrating the desire to make a difference every day. Committed to excellence of service, this individual contributes daily to the success and growth of their NerdsToGo store. Gina & Michael Santiago received The Nerdy Award, an award that recognizes a franchisee that best represents the concept and the spirit of the NerdsToGo name, both in the business community and within the network. They excel in helping customers and employees achieve their objectives and realize their full potential while they build deep relationships with their customers. Michael and Gina define generosity and cooperation in working with other franchisees to increase the strength, size and integrity of the network. They are truly champions of the NerdsToGo brand, doing all they can to build the value of the brand.

"Our 2023 convention brought our franchise network together to celebrate and recognize their many achievements, as well as to engage in both networking and educational opportunities," said Jim Howe, President of NerdsToGo. "The excitement from convention is contagious, and it was the perfect way to begin a successful 2023."

"Joining a franchise is like joining a family. The convention offers the opportunity to connect with those who share the same challenges and struggles. It also enables us to celebrate victories, look at things from a fresh perspective, catch a glimpse of successes to come, and share our stories to benefit others in our network. I always come away feeling better about where I'm going," said Pete Holczinger, franchisee at NerdsToGo of Green Brook, New Jersey.

About NerdsToGo

NerdsToGo is a growing IT services franchise brand that provides a simple path to overcoming the pain points and complexities of technology. Friendly and approachable Nerds offer solutions for efficiency and security for small to medium-sized businesses, as well as the individual who needs help with personal computers, devices and home networks. As a Managed Services Provider for business, the Nerds can assess, design and support IT networks while providing remote support and vendor management.

To learn more, visit NerdsToGo.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/nerdstogo/mycompany/ , or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NerdsToGoComputerService/ . For information about the NerdsToGo franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected]).

Media Contact:

Clarissa Rios | BizCom Associates

972.352.7601 | [email protected]

SOURCE NerdsToGo, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Preeclampsia Foundation announced today the recipient of its 2023 Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine 43rd Annual Pregnancy Meeting. Based on the recommendations of its Scientific Advisory Council, the Preeclampsia Foundation awarded a grant totaling $99,994 USD to Wendy Kuohung, MD of Boston University.

Preeclampsia Foundation

Principal Investigator Wendy Kuohung, MD, and her project Characterization of apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) variant-overexpressing cell lines for high-throughput drug screening, will be carried out at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. The study is designed to potentially accelerate discovery of therapies for preeclampsia by designing placental cell lines that express variants of the APOL1 gene for drug screening. Previous research has found that these variants in the APOL1 gene increase the risk of developing preeclampsia when present in the fetus and also alter levels of certain proteins in cells when expressed. The study aims to design a special assay using these cell lines to measure changes in protein levels after treatment with different compounds.

Dr. Wendy Kuohung received her medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine, completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston Medical Center, and conducted fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is currently the Division Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Boston Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Named for the infant son of preeclampsia survivor Lauren Pappas and her husband Clement, the Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants program award grants totaling up to $200,000 each year. The ultimate goal of the program is to drive research that will eliminate the delivery of pre-term babies as an intervention for severe preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

"We lost our son Peter due to preeclampsia following a 29-week delivery in 2015," explained Lauren Pappas. "Since then, we have dedicated our lives to helping others avoid the same outcome by establishing the Peter Joseph Pappas Fund."

"Thanks to generous contributions from family and friends, and our partnership with the Preeclampsia Foundation, we are making strides to reach our ultimate goal of eliminating pre-term births due to preeclampsia by 2050," added Clement Pappas.

The Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants program adds to the Preeclampsia Foundation's portfolio of research programs including the Vision Grant program for young investigators, PRIME for health services research, and EMPOWER, which helps build research capacity in low- and middle-income countries.

Questions about Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants program? Email [email protected].

About the Preeclampsia Foundation

The Preeclampsia Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2000 to improve the outcomes of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by educating, supporting, and engaging the community, improving healthcare practices, and finding a cure. We envision a world where preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy no longer threaten the lives of mothers and babies. For more information, visit www.preeclampsia.org .

About the Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grant Program

Clement and Lauren Pappas of Philadelphia, PA, lost their firstborn child, Peter Joseph, after HELLP syndrome necessitated his early delivery. Their son, born at 29 weeks' gestation, spent a week in the neonatal intensive care unit before dying from a central line infection. The Pappas family, along with friends and family, have established this special fund with the Preeclampsia Foundation to advance research, with the overarching goal of eliminating pre-term births due to preeclampsia by 2050.

Contact: Laney Poye

Director of Communications and Engagement

321.421.6957

[email protected]

SOURCE Preeclampsia Foundation
Nation's Largest Locally-Owned and Operated Coworking Provider Continues to Address the Growing Demand for Convenient Workspaces

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With more Northern California-based companies looking for new ways to maintain productivity, innovation, and engagement as the shift to remote and/or hybrid work becomes the norm; Office Evolution has the perfect solution. The coworking provider continues to address demand and help small businesses and entrepreneurs by offering convenient and affordable flexible business environments in some of the region's busiest and most expensive suburban markets.

Home to a growing and diverse population, California has cemented itself as a hub for small and medium-sized businesses. According to IBISWorld, California has seen consistent, year over year revenue growth at 2.9% over the last six years, ranking the state fourth in terms of revenue growth compared to the rest of the country. With a total of just over 4.7 million businesses located in California, and a growth rate of 3.9% over the last six years, California has become a hot-bed for entrepreneurs wanting to make their mark on the worldi.

Office Evolution has a total of five locations in Northern California. The brand has three in the Bay Area, one outside of San Jose, and one outside of Sacramento. The flexible office space that Office Evolution provides allows businesses to take on the right amount of office space for their needs with no commitment to long-term leases. Every location is experiencing a continuous demand from local professionals as they consistently help businesses within various industries, including professional services, retail support, and healthcare administration. The five centers provide approximately 40,000 square feet of thoughtfully designed office spaces that create an inviting atmosphere for a diverse business ecosystem.

Members of Office Evolution benefit from being part of the brand's nationwide network of coworking locations, where they have access to over 70 Office Evolution business locations in 25 states when traveling. Office Evolution is also part of United Franchise Group's Coworks division, which is the largest privately owned network of affiliated coworking and flexible office space franchises in the world.

"Having the option to work in a space with all the amenities of a downtown office that is also close to home is appealing to those who want a productive and professional environment," said Jason Anderson, President of Office Evolution. "With California being at the forefront of our nations creativity and innovation, Office Evolution is proud to be able to offer professional workspaces to entrepreneurs looking to get work done."

For more information about Office Evolution, please visit: https://www.officeevolution.com/.

About Office Evolution

Office Evolution (OE), a shared workspace  coworking environment, founded in 2003 and cultivated on the principles of 'Ohana', the Hawaiian tradition that references family working toward a common goal. Office Evolution is part of Coworks  the largest privately held affiliated coworking franchise network on the planet, associated with United Franchise Group  (UFG), a successful community of affiliated brands and consultants. Office Evolution is serious about supporting small business owners  the Dreamers, Risk-Takers and Doers who dare to chase their passions. For more information about Office Evolution visit www.officeevolution.com and for information about franchise opportunities visit www.officeevolutionfranchise.com.

About United Franchise Group

Led by CEO Ray Titus, United Franchise Group  (UFG) is home to an affiliated family of brands and consultants including Accurate Franchising Inc., Exit Factor, FranchiseMart, Fully Promoted, Signarama, Transworld Business Advisors, and the Coworks division consisting of Franchise Real Estate, Network Lead Exchange(NLX), Office Evolution (OE) and Venture X as well as a food division featuring Graze Craze and The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. UFG affiliated brands include over 1600 franchises in more than 60 countries, with consultants that have helped develop over 350 brands into franchises, in over 80 countries with more than 2500 franchisees. With over three decades in the franchising industry United Franchise Group offers unprecedented leadership and solid business opportunities for entrepreneurs.

About Coworks

Coworks specializes in franchising within the coworking industry, offering solutions, expertise, and shared service options within the flexible workspace franchise community. Part of the United Franchise Group  (UFG) family of affiliated brands and consultants, Coworks was founded in 2021 by Ray Titus, founder and CEO of United Franchise Group, with the express intention of building a framework to connect a variety of coworking brands, services, and amenities within the coworking industry, providing the largest privately owned affiliated franchise network of flexible, professional, and shared office space options on the planet. For more information about Coworks, visit www.coworksllc.com .

About Starpoint Brands

A family of trusted companies representing the very best in their industries, including retail, food & beverage and professional services, Starpoint Brands is the mark of quality for the consumer. It brings together a constellation of brands within United Franchise Group, including Signarama, Fully Promoted, Transworld Business Advisors, Venture X, Network Lead Exchange, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and Graze Craze. A brand under the Starpoint Brands division is one that the consumer can be sure will provide the ultimate in service, reliability, and value.

i "Industry Market Research, Reports, and Statistics." IBISWorld, https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/economic-profiles/california/.

SOURCE Office Evolution
Proceeds to accelerate commercialization and pipeline expansion of novel FLASH Aorto-Ostial Angioplasty System

CAMPBELL, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ostial Corporation (Ostial), a private medical technology company focused on addressing the clinical challenges of aorto-ostial interventions, today announced the raise of $7.5M in growth funding led by Delos Capital with participation from AMED Ventures and other existing investors.

"With support from Delos Capital and AMED Ventures, Ostial is on an exciting trajectory to further commercialize the FLASH System, build out its sales and operation teams, accelerate the product into new and existing accounts, and advance our current FLASH technology," stated Jon Bohane, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Ostial.

Ostial, an Incept LLC portfolio company, intends to use the funds to accelerate commercialization of its FLASH Aorto-Ostial Angioplasty System (FLASH System) by doubling its sales force, executing national programs and expanding its clinical research and scientific advisory of its dual balloon-based system. Additionally, the company plans to commence development of the next-generation FLASH System.

"Our vision is to arm physicians with advanced innovation that uniquely addresses treatment of high-risk areas in coronary and peripheral cases," stated Henry Chen, Managing Partner of Delos Capital. "Ostial is uniquely posed to seek partnerships with other innovative, synergistic technologies that will expand its cardiovascular platform beyond FLASH."

The FLASH System is the first and only dual-balloon angioplasty catheter designed to overcome challenges of aorto-ostial stenting by delivering complete, 360 stent apposition at the ostium. Total stent apposition with FLASH optimizes patient outcomes while improving reaccess for future interventions.1

"Aorto-ostial stenting represents a growing worldwide 'neck to waist' market opportunity," stated Michael Lankford, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Ostial. "With this new influx of capital, our field team will have the opportunity to cast a wider net and make the FLASH System available to more physicians seeking to confidently treat challenging aorto-ostial lesions."

The FLASH System is commercially available in the United States and currently sold in 350 hospitals with 19,000 commercial units sold to date.

About Ostial Corporation

Ostial Corporation (Ostial), headquartered in Campbell, California, is a private medical technology company focused on addressing the clinical challenges of aorto-ostial interventions. The company's first product, the FLASH Aorto-Ostial Angioplasty System, allows physicians to confidently treat ostial cases with true, 360 lesion coverage that enables streamlined vessel reaccess and optimal patient outcomes. For more information, visit www.ostialcorp.com.

1Data on file at Ostial Corporation.

SOURCE Ostial Corporation
Research Shows Direct Path to Physical Equipment that Enables Hackers to Breach Operational And Industrial Networks

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OTORIO, the leading provider of operational technology (OT) cyber and digital risk management solutions, announced research today pointing to wireless IIoT vulnerabilities that provide a direct path to internal OT networks, enabling hackers to bypass the common protection layers in the environments. OTORIO senior researcher Roni Gavrilov will present key findings and how organizations can overcome these issues at S4 2023 .

OTORIO's comprehensive research into industrial wireless IoT devices and technologies has revealed a significant issue involving the implementation of "secure" remote access to critical infrastructure. Because wireless IIoT is commonly connected both to the internet and the internal OT network, it poses serious risk to OT environments.

The research demonstrates how local attackers can compromise industrial Wi-Fi access points and cellular gateways by targeting the Wi-Fi/cellular channels on-site, exposing devices to Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, internal services, and even directly accessing Purdue Model Level 0 devices. These devices are the ideal target for hackers who want to crash physical machinery and cause the most damage to production and facilities.

Attackers can leverage free and publicly available platforms such as WiGLE to identify a target, find its location and vulnerabilities, and exploit it successfully. "Wireless IIoT cloud platforms, in their current state, present a critical attack surface for industrial remote sites," said Gavrilov. "We have found over 30 vulnerabilities in these IIoT devices, including a chain of vulnerabilities that could give an attacker direct access from the internet to thousands of internal OT networks."

The Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture Model provides a framework for OT security personnel on how to segment, and thereby protect, their networks. However, OTORIO found that a wireless IIoT device breach could enable hackers to simultaneously bypass every layer defined by this model, including intelligent devices as well as control, manufacturing operations, and business-logistics systems.

Through the research, multiple vulnerabilities were found across several different vendors, in both cloud management platforms and on edge devices, some are still under responsible disclosure, the following table summarizes the disclosed vulnerabilities at the time of writing -

Vendor CVEs Affected devices Link Etic Telecom CVE-2022-3703 - CVSS 9.0 CVE-2022-41607 - CVSS 8.6 CVE-2022-40981 - CVSS 8.3 Remote Access Server (RAS) https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-22-307-01 Inhand CVE-2023-22597 - CVSS 6.5 CVE-2023-22598 - CVSS 7.2 CVE-2023-22599 - CVSS 7.0 CVE-2023-22600 - CVSS 10.0 CVE-2023-2261 - CVSS 5.3 Various InRouter devices https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-23-012-03 Sierra wireless CVE-2022-46649 - CVSS 8.0 CVE-2022-46650 - CVSS 4.5 Various Airlink Router running ALEOS software devices https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-23-026-04

Having both cloud management and wireless connectivity increases the potential attack surface dramatically. What's more, these devices directly connect to the lower levels of the Purdue model (L2 to L0), an attacker's ideal entry point to OT networks.

To combat these threats, OTORIO recommends several architectural adjustments, including:

Establishing a zero trust policy between cells and the L3 (control center), ensuring that if an attacker compromises a single cell, they won't be able to reach other cells or unnecessary services in the L3.

Applying a whitelist-based communication template monitored by the FW/IPS between L3 and and the cells. The communication template will guarantee that only allowed traffic is sent from the cells to the L3.

Creating a proxy address for internet-managed devices (industrial cellular gateways, intelligent field devices, etc.). Traffic will be sent to the Proxy functionality, which will perform MITM to the data to detect any malicious behavior.

OTORIO is a Prime sponsor at S4 2023. To learn more about the findings, visit them in the "Moon" room on the third floor.

About OTORIO

OTORIO delivers proactive, orchestrated, and industrial-native OT cyber solutions. Effectively protecting industrial digitalization, OTORIO combines innovative technology, deep research, and proven real-world OT cybersecurity expertise. To learn more, visit OTORIO.com .

Contact: [email protected]

Company contact: [email protected]





Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1998067/Otorio_Logo.jpg

SOURCE OTORIO
New whitepaper in partnership with Calix addresses the role of managed services and support for the smart home

DALLAS, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Parks Associates whitepaper, Revenue at the Edge: Wi-Fi Managed Services and the Subscriber Experience, reports NPS (net promoter score) for service providers increases substantially as their subscribers add more value-added services (VAS), including managed services, going from -10 NPS among users with no VAS to more than +60 NPS among households with five or more VAS. The whitepaper, released in partnership with cloud and software technology company, Calix, analyzes recent changes in the broadband market, including the decline of pay TV, increase in connected devices, and the role of managed services and support services in building subscriber satisfaction and loyalty.

Parks Associates: Net Promoter Score of Broadband Service Providers by Number of Value-Added Subscriptions

"With increased fiber and fixed wireless adoption, there is growing competition at both the low and high ends of the market: players in the middle are increasingly getting squeezed," said Kristen Hanich, Research Director, Parks Associates. "Declining pay-TV adoption, an ongoing trend, is pointing to the need for new bundles and offerings to attract and retain home internet subscribers. Remote technical support and self-service solutions are key in helping to prevent dissatisfaction among customers."

Wi-Fi managed services and emerging technology in general represent a new way of deploying customer services, conducting operations, and providing ongoing support. Proactively identifying and resolving issues results in greater customer satisfaction and retention while reducing the cost of operations.

"Calix has spent 12 years and more than $1 billion developing a cloud and software platform that enables even the smallest broadband service provider (BSP) to compete and win in their markets," said Pam Ferguson, VP, product, persona, market segment, and international marketing, Calix. "What we see from the most successful BSPs is a two-part strategy, not solely reliant on speed. They make smart capital expenditure (CapEx) decisions to deliver speeds consumers need. But then they quickly move beyond speed and launch new revenue streams and loyalty-generating opportunities by introducing managed services across their residential, community, and business markets. These managed services include social media monitoring on and off the network, managed home security, connected device protection, community Wi-Fi services, and much more. With such services, BSPs have more opportunity to differentiate on experience and build lasting legacies in their communities."

Consumers are increasingly adopting new technologies that will drive further upgrades and increased service adoption in the coming years. "Smart TV adoption, continued smart home device adoption, cloud gaming services, and continued virtual reality growth will strain home networks," Hanich said. "Multi-member households in particular report higher needs, with increased 4K video consumption happening simultaneously on different endpoint devices throughout the household."

This whitepaper is available for download.

Parks Associates and Calix recently hosted the webinar Managed Services with Exceptional Experiences: How Broadband Providers Win, and this presentation is also available to download.

To request more data or an interview, please contact Rosey Sera at [email protected], 972.996.0233.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates, a woman-owned and woman-led internationally recognized market research and consulting company, specializes in emerging technology solutions serving the consumer and small to medium business (SMB) markets. Celebrating its 35th year in 2021, Parks Associates is a partner to companies navigating the changing consumer technology landscapes through data-driven market insights, extensive consumer and industry intelligence, custom marketing services, and executive networking experiences and conferences. http://www.parksassociates.com

SOURCE Parks Associates
BEIJING, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has simplified the diagnosis of human genetic disorders. Since the mapping of the human genome, scientists have been able to detect diseases even at a "single gene" level. While DNA-sequencing provides information about the 3 billion bases of the human DNA, it fails to identify changes in the non-coding regions of the genome. These non-coding regions or intronic variations have recently been identified as key players in multiple disorders. Also, NGS techniques like whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) are unable to determine the cause of several genetic disorders. This limits the overall diagnostic efficiency of NGS techniques.

Pediatric Investigation Review Throws Light on Improving Diagnosis of Genetic Diseases with RNA Sequencing

RNA-sequencing, which is the analysis of the transcriptome, is a promising clinical diagnostic tool. It uses blood, fibroblasts, and muscle biopsies as samples and addresses the shortcomings of other sequencing methods. Data from RNA-sequencing provides detailed information on the sequence, structure, and quantity of specific RNA sequences. Experts believe that it has resulted in a nearly 15% diagnostic improvement by the systematic identification of RNA phenotypes!

Recently, researchers led by Dr. Holger Prokisch of the Technical University of Munich reviewed how RNA sequencing can improve the diagnostic power of NGS techniques in an article published in Pediatric Investigation on 5 March 2022. According to Dr. Prokisch, "RNA-sequencing demonstrates success in prioritizing and detecting not only deleterious deep intronic variants but also coding variants affecting gene expression, which are often overlooked by WES and WGS."

In their article, the researchers analyzed eight previous studies and found a 15% improvement in the performance of DNA-based sequencing when combined with RNA sequencing. The authors enlisted three possible reasons for abnormal RNA content in cells. They describe how "aberrant expression" causes a defect in the cell's machinery during the process of transcription (converting DNA into RNA). "Reduced expression of a disease gene often translates into low protein levels and indicates a genetic disorder," explains Dr. Prokisch. Next, they discuss "mono-allelic expression," which results in the silencing of one allele or gene copy, and causes abnormal RNA profiles. Third, they explain how faulty processing of a newly formed RNA transcript, especially during "splicing" of non-protein coding regions, may be problematic. Some abnormal splicing events may result in sequences carrying rare mutations, resulting in abnormal RNA profiles.

RNA sequencing can easily identify these abnormal patterns, providing an edge in detecting genomic anomalies. The data from sequencing could be further used to improve the performance of in silico prediction tools. However, each technique has its own limitations. While DNA-sequencing is mainly tissue independent, RNA-sequencing relies heavily on tissue-specific expression. "Different tissues or cell types represent a wide spectrum of splicing events and expression patterns, warranting caution when selecting and sampling blood and tissue for RNA-sequencing," explains Dr. Prokisch.

Although RNA-sequencing is widely used around the world, its clinical application is still limited, highlighting the importance of incorporating additional NGS data, including proteomics, to correlate the RNA-sequencing findings, particularly for variants that do not have abnormal phenotypes. Moreover, improved analytical tools and guidelines for interpreting these variants must be incorporated into the bioinformatic guidelines for clinical use.

Dr. Prokisch concludes by saying, "If we can identify and leverage these abnormal phenotypes, identifying rare genetic diseases and their causes may become easier and more fulfilling in clinical practice."

Reference

Title of original paper: RNA sequencing role and application in clinical diagnostic

Journal: Pediatric Investigation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ped4.12314

Contact:

Lu Lu

86-10-66019629

[email protected]

SOURCE Pediatric Investigation
Watson an Industry Veteran with 20 years of Multifamily Experience

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pegasus Residential, a 2022 National Multifamily House Council's (NMHC) Top 50 Manager, welcomes Julia Watson as Senior Vice President. Watson joins Pegasus with over 20 years of experience in the multifamily industry.

"I am delighted to welcome Julia to our team. Her experience and skills make her a perfect fit at Pegasus. I am confident Julia will help us to achieve our main goals of growing our company and talent to be the best company with the best culture in the industry." Lindy Ware, CEO, says.

Pegasus Residential Names Julia Watson to Senior Vice President

Prior to joining Pegasus, Watson served as Senior Vice President of Operations at The Bainbridge Companies. She was responsible for overseeing the company's operations platform of approximately 25,000 units across a wide geographic footprint. Starting her career as a leasing agent in 2002, Julia has held various positions in the property and leadership pathway and has earned the CAM and HCCP designations. She has operated and overseen assets across all classes, including LIHTC, renovation/value-add, repositioning, and ground-up development. Throughout her career, Julia has held leadership positions with nationally recognized industry leaders, such as Alliance Residential and RAM Partners. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where she studied Business Management.

About Pegasus Residential

Pegasus Residential is a boutique, third-party management company with a footprint that spans nine states and 48 metropolitan markets. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, Pegasus presently has remote offices in Charleston, Charlotte, Raleigh, Orlando and Dallas. Pegasus manages over 40,000 units for more than 40 clients. Aside from their daily management of the communities in their portfolio, Pegasus provides expertise to their clients for acquisitions, new development, and re-development, and they serve as consultants in branding and marketing as well as building and construction services. Pegasus Residential management combines both national and local market knowledge for optimal performance. To learn more about Pegasus, visit www.pegasusresidential.com.

Contact: Devin Harvey

678-347-2866

[email protected]

www.pegasusresidential.com

SOURCE Pegasus Residential
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Porte Brown LLC, www.portebrown.com, a Chicagoland accounting firm providing accounting, audit, tax, technology, and wealth management services, announced today that they have won the Best of Accounting Award for providing superior service to their clients. ClearlyRated's Best of Accounting Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients. On average, clients of 2023 Best of Accounting winners are 70% more likely to be satisfied than those who work with non-winning firms. Porte Brown received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 87.5% of their clients, significantly higher than the industry's average of 50% in 2022.

Porte Brown Receives 2023 Best of Accounting Award for Client Service Excellence

"Client service is a top priority at Porte Brown, and we are very proud and honored to be recognized for our efforts in this regard," said Joe Gleba, Porte Brown's Chief Executive Officer / Managing Partner. "The feedback we get from our clients is incredibly important and is put to good use. The input we receive helps us create and implement new ways to improve the firm, which is an ongoing process that we are constantly reviewing to ensure we are providing the best possible service."

"I am pleased to introduce the 2023 Best of Accounting winners alongside their validated service ratings on ClearlyRated.com," said ClearlyRated's CEO, Eric Gregg. "These firms have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to delivering amazing experiences, despite another year of upheaval and macroeconomic uncertainty. Hats off to these service leaders - it's truly an honor to recognize and celebrate their achievements."

About Porte Brown

Porte Brown LLC is a full-service accounting and consulting firm headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village, Illinois. For more than 75 years, Porte Brown has focused on providing the highest level of service to individuals, businesses and organizations throughout the region. In addition to the traditional accounting services such as tax planning and preparation, audit, business valuations, and retirement plan administration. Porte Brown also provides strategic consulting and leading-edge technology implementation for clients in cloud and non-cloud environments. Wealth management services provided by Porte Brown Wealth Management LLC.*

*Securities offered through Avantax Investment ServicesSM, Member FINRA, SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Avantax Advisory ServicesSM. Insurance services offered through an Avantax affiliated insurance agency.

About ClearlyRated

Rooted in satisfaction research for professional service firms, ClearlyRated utilizes a Net Promoter Score survey program to help professional service firms measure their service experience, build online reputation, and differentiate on service quality. Learn more at www.clearlyrated.com/solutions .

About Best of Accounting

ClearlyRated's Best of Accounting Award recognizes accounting firms that have demonstrated exceptional service quality based exclusively on ratings provided by their clients and employees. The award program provides statistically valid and objective service quality benchmarks for the accounting industry, revealing which firms deliver the highest quality client and employee experience. Winners are featured on ClearlyRated.coman online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms with the help of validated client ratings and testimonials.

Contact:

Pam Metzger

[email protected]

847-956-1040

SOURCE Porte Brown
WILLIAMSPORT, Md., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), invested nearly $10 million in 2022 to complete service reliability projects that will help enhance electric service and minimize the impact of power outages for thousands of customers in Maryland. The company also received approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission to complete additional service reliability projects in 2023.

"Potomac Edison is continually investing in upgrades to our system that help us restore service to our customers faster following severe weather. The enhancements will also help reduce the number of momentary and sustained power outages our customers experience," said Linda Moss, president of FirstEnergy's Maryland operations.

Potomac Edison completed several distribution automation projects in 2022 that allow personnel to automatically switch customers to an adjacent power line during an outage. By tying customers to a second source of power, the impact of power outages for approximately 2,950 customers in the Beallsville, Boyds and McHenry areas was minimized last year. In 2023, Potomac Edison will complete two similar projects to help improve reliability for nearly 4,900 customers in the West Frederick, Frostburg and Finzel areas.

Additionally, Potomac Edison installed equipment called reclosers at eight substations throughout the Frederick, Williamsport and Mt. Airy areas last year that help protect the power lines that deliver electricity to customers. These devices can isolate a problem on one portion of a power line while keeping electricity flowing through the remainder of the line, minimizing the number of customers interrupted by outages. Potomac Edison personnel also can operate the new reclosers remotely to assist line workers in the field during power restoration activities.

The reclosers installed in 2022 will improve reliability for nearly 10,000 Potomac Edison customers. In 2023, Potomac Edison plans to install fourteen more reclosers that will improve service for customers in Williamsport, Cumberland, Frederick, Hancock and Oakland counties.

Lastly, each year, Potomac Edison makes a proactive effort to replace aging underground cable with a more reliable type of cable. In 2022, the company replaced more than 30 miles of cable, improving reliability for individual customers and the overall electric system. In 2023, Potomac Edison plans to replace approximately fifty miles of older underground cable.

Potomac Edison serves about 275,000 customers in all or parts of Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, and Washington counties in Maryland and 151,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at www.potomacedison.com, on Twitter @PotomacEdison, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PotomacEdison.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. (the "Company" or "Prospect Ridge") (CSE: PRR) (OTC: PRRSF) (FRA: OED) is pleased to announce that it has completed its acquisition of 100% of the Holy Grail property. It is located 10 km northeast of the town of Terrace, BC.

With this acquisition PRR now controls some 730 square kilometers of ground in the Terrace area. In connection with the finalization of this acquisition, the Net Smelter Royalties ("NSR") have been modified. Loan Wolf Exploration Ltd has a 1.5% NSR on the property from which 1% can be purchased for $1M. Knauss Creek Mines Ltd. also gets 1.5% NSR on the property from which 1% can be purchased for $1M. This NSR also applies to our fully owned Knauss Creek property in place of certain royalties that were previously granted.

Prospect Ridge is also pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Jasmine Lau, CPA, CA, as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"). Ms. Lau has an extensive background in the resource sector and has served as CFO of several public exploration companies with projects throughout the world. Ms. Lau previously worked at Teck Resources Ltd. and Deloitte & Touche LLP's Vancouver Assurance & Advisory group where she focused on audits of public mining and resource companies. Ms. Lau holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia.

Ms. Lau is replacing Ms. Stella Chen who has served as Chief Financial Officer since November 2021. The Company extends its appreciation to Ms. Chen for her dedication and contributions and wishes her well in her future endeavors.

Michael Iverson PRR's CEO commented: "With this acquisition, we just reached another milestone in our strategy. Owning 100% of our portfolio will give us more flexibility in our exploration programs. We are looking forward to the next field season. We are also pleased to welcome Jasmine Lau aboard as our new CFO. She will be a great asset to our growing company. I would like to thank Stella Chen for her dedication to the company and for her hard work. I wish her great success in her future challenges."

Qualified Person

All scientific or technical information included in this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Yan Ducharme, P.Geo., President of the Company and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About the Holy Grail property

The Holy Grail property starts about 10 kilometers north of the town of Terrace in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It is easily accessible by highway 16, the Nisga'a highway and a network of logging roads. It covers about 700 square kilometers and forms a horseshoe that encloses our fully owned Knauss Creek property in its southeastern part.

Prospecting led to the discovery of several gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc showings. Gold rich grab samples with values up to 50 g/t Au were obtained.

The southern tip of the Golden Triangle arrives just northwest of PRR properties. The Bowser Lake and the Hazelton Groups hosting most of the deposits and mines of this area are also underlying the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail.

About Prospect Ridge Resources Corp.

Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. is a British Columbia based exploration and development company focused on gold exploration. Prospect Ridge's management and technical team cumulate over 100 years of mineral exploration experience and believes the Knauss Creek and the Holy Grail properties to have the potential to extend the boundaries of the Golden Triangle to cover this vast under-explored region.

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 release.

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, positive exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects and the Company's use of proceeds from the Private Placement. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will not be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.

SOURCE Prospect Ridge Resources Corp.
Researchers from South Korea explore if and how the prevalence of suicide increases with reduced sunlight exposure

BUSAN, South Korea, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the years, deaths due to suicide have become prevalent across the globe, with estimates suggesting that almost 800,000 people take their own lives each year. Suicide and self-harm adversely affect individuals, families, and society at large. Other than causing mental distress, they also lead to productivity loss and soaring medical expenses. In 2019, losses associated with suicide reached $490 billion. Lately, there is a growing cause of concern regarding the increased risk of suicide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers from Pusan National University have systematically reviewed 20 cross-sectional studies and found a positive correlation between geographical latitude (which determines sunlight exposure) and suicide prevalence.

In this light, a research team led by Professor Yun Hak Kim from Pusan National University, South Korea, explored the role of sunlight exposure in the prevalence of suicide. Discussing the motivation underlying this work, Prof. Kim remarks, "As latitude increases, cumulative sunlight exposure decreases. It reduces serotonin neurotransmitter binding in blood platelets and the brain, which may promote impulsive aggression and mood disorders, including depression. This biological mechanism interlinks sun exposure to suicide. Therefore, investigating the relationship between latitude and suicide rates is crucial." Their work was made available online on January 7, 2023, and will be published in Volume 81 of the Asian Journal of Psychiatry in March 2023.

For this study, the team performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 cross-sectional studies published from 1982 to 2020. Next, they calculated the suicide prevalence per 100,000 people and its trends based on factors such as latitude, gender, age, firearm regulation, and income. They found that the average worldwide suicide prevalence was 13.34. The prevalence increased with an increase in latitudes, with 8.12, 8.54, 9.97, 19.23, and 15.28 in the 0-14o, 15-29o, 30-44o, 45-59o, and 60-75o latitude ranges, respectively. According to the results of the regression analysis, the value increased by 0.255 with each additional degree. In fact, the latitude change explained nearly 27.3% of the suicide prevalence.

Additionally, while the suicide prevalence in men (25.91) was much higher than in women (5.66), women were likely to have suicidal tendencies at a higher frequency. This "gender paradox" is related to the differences in suicide method fatality, depression rates, alcohol abuse, and cultural taboos between the genders.

The researchers further highlighted that suicide prevalence increased with age, from 1.43 in the 014 age range to 15.97 in the 6574 age range, which could be due to the increased risk of social isolation, economic poverty, and health problems that occur with age. They also noted that while gun-control and gun-permissive countries had similar suicide prevalence values of 16.46 and 15.40, suicide by firearm was more common in the latter.

So, what are the future implications of these findings? "This work is one of the first to establish a scientific basis for the association between exposure to sunlight and suicide. Moreover, it is expected to provide evidence for identifying suicide rates by geographic residence," concludes Prof. Kim.

We are confident that these findings will help develop suicide prevention strategies in countries that do not receive adequate sunlight exposure, and based on specific causative factors.

Reference

Title of paper: Global prevalence of suicide by latitude: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal: Asian Journal of Psychiatry

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103454

*Corresponding author's email: [email protected]

About Pusan National University

Website: https://www.pusan.ac.kr/eng/Main.do

Media Contact:

Jae-Eun Lee

82 51 510 7928

[email protected]pr.com

SOURCE Pusan National University
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, today announced that Rahel Ayalew has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations. In a newly created role, Ayalew will primarily focus on the firm's credit platform. Ayalew's appointment reflects Thoma Bravo's expanding position as a debt investor of software and technology companies. The firm's most recently completed credit fundraise, Thoma Bravo Credit Fund II, was its largest to date, totaling $3.3 billion in total available capital, including leverage.

Based in New York, Ayalew will be responsible for expanding and managing Thoma Bravo's relationships with credit LPs worldwide and continuing to grow the fundraising capabilities of the firm's credit platform, which has collectively invested more than $6.7 billion since its inception in 2017.

"Thoma Bravo has been active in the past year fundraising across all of our strategies, and we are thrilled to welcome Rahel to the team to advance our credit-focused initiatives," said Jennifer James, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Investor Relations & Marketing at Thoma Bravo. "After raising our largest credit fund ever in April of last year, we look forward to continuing to offer differentiated opportunities to our investors and addressing the growing demand for private credit in the software industry."

"I am elated to join Thoma Bravo during a period of exciting growth and achievement," said Ayalew. "The firm's recent fundraising milestones are a testament to its leading expertise and partnership in the world of software and technology investing. It's an honor to be a part of this team and to contribute to the firm's continued success and partnership with investors."

Ayalew joins Thoma Bravo from Neuberger Berman, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President, Client Advisor in the Institutional Client Group. She has over 15 years of experience in institutional distribution, business development and strategic partnership relationship management across public and private market strategies. Ayalew earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Bryn Mawr College. She also serves as a Mentor for Rising Leaders, Inc., a nonprofit organization that empowers underserved middle school students by expanding their professional networks and equipping them with leadership development training.

About Thoma Bravo

Thoma Bravo is one of the largest software investors in the world, with more than $120 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2022. Through its private equity, growth equity and credit strategies, the firm invests in growth-oriented, innovative companies operating in the software and technology sectors. Leveraging Thoma Bravo's deep sector expertise and strategic and operational capabilities, the firm collaborates with its portfolio companies to implement operating best practices and drive growth initiatives. Over the past 20 years, the firm has acquired or invested in more than 420 companies representing over $235 billion in enterprise value.1 The firm has offices in Chicago, London, Miami and San Francisco. For more information, visit Thoma Bravo's website at thomabravo.com and Twitter @ThomaBravo.

1 Includes control and non-control investments.

SOURCE Thoma Bravo
10% of weekend sales will be donated to BakerRipley to assist in providing disaster relief

PASADENA, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In late January, tornadoes came through Pasadena, causing destruction to many structures and homes throughout the community. The community in Pasadena has stepped up to help, and Razzoo's Cajun Cafe is here to lend a helping hand to its neighbors and give back to the Pasadena community. From Friday, February 10 to Sunday, February 12, 10% of all sales at Razzoo's will be donated to BakerRipley Pasadena Campus.

"We are a family restaurant and as a part of the community we serve, it is our responsibility to give back as an employer and a restaurant," said Jeff Powell, Razzoo's Chief Executive Officer. "Donating to BakerRipley allows us the opportunity to be part of something larger, which is bringing resources directly to the citizens of Pasadena that are in need."

BakerRipley connects low-income families and individuals to opportunity so that they can achieve the lives they imagine. The organization has been providing relief for Pasadena families affected by the tornadoes. The community center run by BakerRipley is offering food fairs, utility assistance and a computer lab for residents whose homes and businesses were damaged.

"Our kitchen is open, and we are here to give the Pasadena community some delicious Cajun cooking," concluded Powell.

The restaurant is located at 3501 E. Sam Houston Parkway South in Pasadena. The Pasadena location is currently open and will follow the same hours of business, Sunday  Thursday 11:00 a.m.  9:00 p.m., Friday  Saturday 11:00 a.m.  11:00 p.m.

For more information about Razzoo's, including menu items and online ordering, visit www.razzoos.com or find them on UberEats or DoorDash.

ABOUT RAZZOO'S CAJUN CAFE

Razzoo's Cajun Cafe passionately creates bold, flavorful, Cajun-inspired dishes that bring to life all the flavor, fun and festivity of New Orleans and the French Quarter. Founded in Dallas in 1991, Razzoo's operates 22 restaurants in TX, OK and NC. Razzoo's is privately owned. Learn more about Razzoo's by visiting www.razzoos.com or www.facebook.com/razzoos.

Media Contact:

Brianne Barbakoff

[email protected]

786-605-9250

SOURCE Razzoo's Cajun Cafe
Best in KLAS awarded by KLAS Research to RSI for Debt Collection performance

COLUMBIA, S.C., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- RSi, a leading national provider of revenue cycle services for the hospital and large physician practice market, has been awarded the first ever "Best in KLAS" designation in the Revenue Cycle Financial/HIM category: Debt Collection. This designation recognizes that out of the companies reviewed that offer RCM Debt Collection services, RSi was ranked number one for its overall excellence in culture, loyalty, operations, product, relationship, and value.

Brent Rollins, Chief Executive Officer of RSi KLAS Research Best in KLAS 2023 Seal

"While we always value being called a partner, our true goal is to be viewed as our client's best employee. We are proud to have grown from a small team and a handful of clients to a national presence featuring thriving relationships with many of the largest providers in the country," said Brent Rollins, Chief Executive Officer of RSi. "Client success is our focus. What matters to them is what matters to us. We value their time and are always eager to engage, learn, and serve."

RSi is dedicated to growing and investing in the best mix of talent, tech, and operational excellence across its service lines. Most recently, RSi announced its acquisition of Invicta Health Solutions, LLC (Invicta). Invicta, based in Houston, Texas, has earned a reputation for progressive tech integrations, unique partnerships with established entities, and a mastery of business intelligence to recast traditional revenue cycle management services.

RSi's Chief Client Officer, Estelle Barnes, commented on the KLAS process, ""Knowing how thoroughly KLAS measures services, operations, overall value, and client relationships, being selected Best in KLAS is a true honor and clear recognition of the work RSi is doing for our clients."

KLAS is a research and insights firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals and clinicians, KLAS gathers data and insights on software, services, and medical equipment to deliver timely, actionable reports and consulting services. KLAS represents the provider and payer voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance, highlighting healthcare industry challenges and opportunities, and helping build understanding and consensus for best practices.

Best in KLAS is based on information obtained from evaluations KLAS conducted with healthcare professionals and clinicians from more than 4,500 hospitals and 2,500 clinics, and account for 1,200 products and services from more than 450 vendors.

According to KLAS CEO Adam Gale, "The 2023 Best in KLAS report highlights the top-performing healthcare IT solutions as determined by extensive evaluations and conversations with thousands of healthcare providers. These distinguished winners have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving and innovating the industry, and their efforts are recognized through their inclusion in this report. Congratulations to all the winning vendors for setting the bar for excellence in healthcare IT! KLAS continues to be committed to creating transparency and helping providers make informed decisions through our accurate, honest, and impartial reporting."

RSi's leadership will accept the award during the 2023 Best in KLAS Awards Ceremony on April 17 during the HIMSS national conference in Chicago.

To learn more about RSi, visit rsircm.com. To learn more about KLAS and view the full report, visit KLASResearch.com. Members of the media may contact RSi's Chief Brand Officer, Jennifer Evans, at [email protected] for more information and to secure interview access. For multi-media assets, visit the digital press kit link here.

About RSi

RSi is a leading provider of revenue cycle services to the hospital and large physician practice market. The Company's outsourcing solutions offer an attractive value proposition for hospitals looking to outsource portions of their revenue cycle operations while maintaining best in class patient financial experience. RSi provides a comprehensive range of outsourced services across the RCM continuum, from day one patient receivables to insurance follow up, that are designed to accelerate cash flow, improve operating efficiencies, and enhance profitability. For more information, visit www.rsircm.com.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Evans

[email protected]

(832)693-9790

SOURCE RSi
FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- REOSTAR ENERGY CORPORATION (OTC: REOS) is pleased to provide its first corporate update of 2023. The Company is currently repricing its Reg. A offering at this time which we expect to be completed in the first quarter.

Reostar is also pleased to announce that the Company is finalizing its strategic alliance with Larry Myers & Associates a commercial printing firm with printing contracts valued at several million dollars. Larry MYERS and Associates had an annual revenue north of $5 million in 2022.

In addition, Reostar is engaged in the development of additional ventures in the energy sector which will offer further market diversification. We're also in talks with an Iron Ore Mine company that has impressive assets and is currently operating and profitable.

About ReoStar Energy Corp

ReoStar Energy Corp. is an Emerging Growth Energy Company with a two-fold mission: to aggregate existing oil and gas production from proven reserve fields to maximize revenues and to segregate some of those hydrocarbon revenues to acquire alternative energy sources. ReoStar plans to follow the Carbon Neutral protocols to be a Net Zero Carbon Neutral Energy Company by 2050.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect our views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ReoStar Energy Corp disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement made herein.

Contact Information:

Michael Lajtay

CEO

[email protected]

SOURCE ReoStar Energy Corp.
Preeclampsia Foundation Canada makes announcement at 2023 SMFM Pregnancy Meeting

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Preeclampsia Foundation Canada announced today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) 43rd Annual Meeting  The Pregnancy Meeting  that applications are now being accepted for its 2023 Vision Grant program.

Research Funding Available for Preeclampsia and Related Pregnancy Disorders

Preeclampsia Foundation Canada will award two medical research Vision Grants to study preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. One of the awards will specifically fund HELLP syndrome research, thanks to generous support from the Cara HELLPs research fund, created in honor of Cara Kernohan, who at 29 years old, lost her life tragically and suddenly to HELLP syndrome at 35 weeks. Grant award amounts are up to $25,000 CAD. The program is not limited to Canada and open to researchers across the globe.

Vision Grants are intended to provide initial funding for novel, innovative research by promising young investigators that will advance progress towards detection, prevention, or treatment of preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Post-doctoral, Clinical Fellows, or Early-Stage Investigators only are eligible to apply. Projects with potential to alter clinical management and improve patient outcomes will receive priority, but any well-considered research proposal will be accepted for review. International applications are welcome; however, submissions must be in English. The Foundation has committed to funding grants that address known research knowledge gaps.

The application deadline is Wednesday, April 12, 2023, with award notification in August 2023. Instructions to apply can be found at www.preeclampsia.org/research-funding (US) or www.preeclampsiacanada.ca (Canada).

Since 2016, the Preeclampsia Foundation Canada's Vision Grant annual program has invested more than $180,000 in novel research with the goal of supporting new, potentially groundbreaking concepts.

"I am delighted to see Preeclampsia Foundation Canada emerge as a significant force for positive change in the fight against this dangerous disease affecting pregnant women globally," said says Dr. John Kingdom, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, Director of the Placenta Program and Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto and member of the Preeclampsia Foundation Canada's Medical Advisory Board. "Canadian researchers are committed to this cause alongside their US and global counterparts, and are making important strides towards fostering higher standards of care."

"Preeclampsia Foundation Canada looks forward to supporting ambitious and innovative research that will lead to improved maternal and infant health," said Violet Mateljan, President of the Preeclampsia Foundation Canada Board of Directors. "We are very proud to partner and invest in research that will impact and make a difference for all expectant women and their babies."

About the Vision Grant Award program

According to the World Health Organization, preeclampsia is one of the least funded areas of research, especially when considered against Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The Preeclampsia Foundation's Vision Grants fund medical research pertaining to the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

About Preeclampsia Foundation Canada

Preeclampsia Foundation Canada was incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act in May 2015. As an affiliate of the U.S. based Preeclampsia Foundation, its mission is to raise awareness and advance education and research of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. For more information, visit www.preeclampsiacanada.ca.

Contact:

Laney Poye

Director of Communications & Engagement

(321) 421-6957

[email protected]

SOURCE Preeclampsia Foundation
The platform is built on highly accurate real-time sensor data analytics and is the brain behind tomorrow's autonomous supply chain

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Roambee, the global real-time supply chain visibility and intelligence provider, reports details of the company's growth and success in 2022. Roambee's upward trajectory is powered by its supply chain intelligence built on verifiable IoT sensor information to accurately predict business KPIs - at a time when enterprises are looking to build resilient, sustainable, and autonomous supply chains.

Roambee's Supply Chain Intelligence

In 2022, Roambee increased its monthly monitored shipments by 138%, adding new customers and expanding to more routes, regions, and business units of its 300+ customer base - out of which 50 of them are Top 100 companies in Pharma, Food, Electronics, Chemicals, Automotive, and Logistics. In addition, its innovative supply chain intelligence platform earned the company strong industry recognition as the runner up out of 6 finalists in the CSCMP Supply Chain Innovation Award; badge of 'Leader - Summer 2022' on the real-time G2 Grid for the top Asset Tracking Software products; and Top Software & Tech Providers Award by Food Logistics.

Roambee's AI-powered platform is differentiated by its ability to affirmatively guide any company to deliver the right product at the precise time, in the correct place, and in ideal condition, using sensor data analytics. Most supply chain software such as carrier-aggregated telematics platforms, supply chain planning tools, and tracking and monitoring solutions lack direct-from-source, timely, or actionable data to orchestrate supply chains three-dimensionally around On-Time, In-Full (OTIF), product quality, and transparent chain-of-custody  a critical unsolved piece for Fortune Global 500 firms to confidently automate their supply chain planning and execution.

Sanjay Sharma, CEO of Roambee, called out some game-changing success stories published in the company's recent newsletter, "Roambee's platform was the brain behind major industry transformations. One of the world's largest pharma companies automated quality controls with Roambee's business signals and narrowed down the top 20 out of 500+ international cold chain lanes that produce the highest quality compliance risks; a British chemical multinational streamlined and automated its railcar logistics operations; a large reusable packaging operator serving the retail and food space increased its 'revenue per asset' by 34% in just 2.5 years, and one of the biggest apparel manufacturers in the world with 50+ factories improved its workforce productivity by identifying the top 16 out of 248 lanes contributing more than 50% of security risks."

Roambee's platform gains its power by merging real-time IoT sensor inputs with other data streams from carriers, port operations, airport operations, rail operations, traffic, weather, and more, turning it into contextual business signals, insights, and forecasts, such as replenishment triggers, quality compliances, lane/transporter scoring, and security risks. In this way, enterprises can effectively address supply chain challenges, automate operations, and implement a successful future growth plan. The platform works independently or together with other popular supply chain software.

Sharma added, "In 2023, the company's top priorities are driving sustainability for enterprises through scope 1, 2, and 3 emission metrics analytics, implementing its platform for 3PL (third-party logistics) companies to monetize, improving customer experience, and increasing the platform's sensor-independent capabilities to further hone the accuracy of supply chain prediction and business KPIs."

About Roambee

Roambee is a supply chain intelligence provider, offering in-depth visibility on demand, for on-time in-full (OTIF), in-condition delivery of shipments and assets anywhere in the world. 300+ enterprises are improving customer experience, service levels, product quality, cash cycles, business efficiencies, sustainability, and automating logistics with Roambee's real-time insights and foresights. More than 50 of them are within the top 100 global companies in the Pharma, Food, Electronics, Chemicals, Automotive, Packaging & Containers, and Logistics sectors. Roambee's innovative AI-powered platform and end-to-end monitoring solutions deliver curated and highly accurate supply chain signals built on item-level, first-hand IoT sensor data and non-sensor inputs. Outcomes include optimized multimodal ETAs, OTIF deliveries, 80%+ cold chain compliance and more, including 4X+ ROI on supply chain assets by optimizing utilization and inventory levels.

Media Contact

Ariane Wolff

Warner Communications

[email protected]

+1 (978) 729-3542

SOURCE Roambee
MIAMI, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) named Palle Laursen as executive vice president, head of marine, effective May 1, 2023. Laursen will report to Royal Caribbean Group's President and CEO Jason Liberty and will join the company's Executive Committee.

Royal Caribbean Group Names Palle Laursen Executive Vice President, Head of Marine

With this newly created position, the company will centralize its global and brand marine operations functions under Laursen. He will oversee all marine operations for the company's entire fleet, as well as strategic oversight of marine operations of its TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, of which it's a 50% joint-venture owner.

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Palle Laursen to the Royal Caribbean Group," said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. "Palle has had a long and distinguished career with Maersk and is a recognized leader in the maritime industry. With more than 25 years of experience, his direct technical and operational knowledge will serve our company well, especially as we continually work to decarbonize our business."

Most recently, Laursen served as chief fleet and technical officer at A.P. Moller  Maersk and was responsible for its entire fleet of more than 750 container vessels, 400 chartered vessels and 350 owned vessels as well as chartering, technical management, crew management, safety and compliance, newbuilding activities and engineering services. He also led Maersk's effort to have the entire fleet operating fully carbon neutral by 2040.

Having joined the Maersk Group in early 1998, Laursen has spent his entire professional career at the Danish shipping company. Previously, he was vice president and head of Ship Management and also held several other roles with increasing responsibilities, including head of technical services, ship engineering and technical vessel operations.

"This is an exciting time for the Royal Caribbean Group, and I very much look forward to helping the company deliver the best vacations in the world, responsibly," said Palle Laursen. "I look forward to joining the most innovative team in the industry at Royal Caribbean Group and lead the marine team alongside a team committed to operational excellence, and environmental stewardship."

Laursen graduated from the Svendborg International Maritime Academy in Denmark as a marine engineer and has since completed several executive and leadership development programs.

About Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is one of the leading cruise companies in the world with a global fleet of 64 ships traveling to approximately 1,000 destinations around the world. Royal Caribbean Group is the owner and operator of three award winning cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises and it is also a 50% owner of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Together, the brands have an additional 10 ships on order as of December 31, 2022. Learn more at www.royalcaribbeangroup.com or www.rclinvestor.com.

SOURCE Royal Caribbean Group
MIAMI, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) named Palle Laursen as executive vice president, head of marine, effective May 1, 2023. Laursen will report to Royal Caribbean Group's President and CEO Jason Liberty and will join the company's Executive Committee.

Royal Caribbean Group Names Palle Laursen Executive Vice President, Head of Marine

With this newly created position, the company will centralize its global and brand marine operations functions under Laursen. He will oversee all marine operations for the company's entire fleet, as well as strategic oversight of marine operations of its TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, of which it's a 50% joint-venture owner.

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Palle Laursen to the Royal Caribbean Group," said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. "Palle has had a long and distinguished career with Maersk and is a recognized leader in the maritime industry. With more than 25 years of experience, his direct technical and operational knowledge will serve our company well, especially as we continually work to decarbonize our business."

Most recently, Laursen served as chief fleet and technical officer at A.P. Moller  Maersk and was responsible for its entire fleet of more than 750 container vessels, 400 chartered vessels and 350 owned vessels as well as chartering, technical management, crew management, safety and compliance, newbuilding activities and engineering services. He also led Maersk's effort to have the entire fleet operating fully carbon neutral by 2040.

Having joined the Maersk Group in early 1998, Laursen has spent his entire professional career at the Danish shipping company. Previously, he was vice president and head of Ship Management and also held several other roles with increasing responsibilities, including head of technical services, ship engineering and technical vessel operations.

"This is an exciting time for the Royal Caribbean Group, and I very much look forward to helping the company deliver the best vacations in the world, responsibly," said Palle Laursen. "I look forward to joining the most innovative team in the industry at Royal Caribbean Group and lead the marine team alongside a team committed to operational excellence, and environmental stewardship."

Laursen graduated from the Svendborg International Maritime Academy in Denmark as a marine engineer and has since completed several executive and leadership development programs.

About Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is one of the leading cruise companies in the world with a global fleet of 64 ships traveling to approximately 1,000 destinations around the world. Royal Caribbean Group is the owner and operator of three award winning cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises and it is also a 50% owner of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Together, the brands have an additional 10 ships on order as of December 31, 2022. Learn more at www.royalcaribbeangroup.com or www.rclinvestor.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1998780/Palle_Laursen.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1213007/RCG_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Royal Caribbean Group
DALLAS, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandler Law Group (SLG), a Dallas-based law firm with a practice exclusively focused on meeting the legal and compliance needs of residential mortgage lenders, is pleased to announce the elevation of Diane Jenkins to the position of Partner.

Throughout her more than 25-year legal career, Diane has concentrated her practice on state and federal regulatory mortgage banking compliance - assisting banks, credit unions, independent mortgage lenders, and brokers. She regularly advises clients on transaction-specific scenarios and loan document challenges as well as the review and preparation of custom loan documents. Diane routinely prepares and distributes valuable compliance updates designed to assist clients in remaining current and informed with respect to statutory and regulatory changes that could impact their operations.

In addition to her role at SLG, Diane serves as Director of the National Mortgage Practice Group for Asurity Mortgage Group, Inc. ("AMG"), where she advises the business with respect to legal and regulatory matters impacting the content and design of a full suite of mortgage loan documents for all fifty states. Diane has extensive experience and subject matter expertise practicing as in-house counsel and as a compliance officer for both mortgage origination and servicing companies. She is the author of Pratt's State Regulation of Second Mortgages and Home Equity Loans, published by Matthew Bender & Company, Inc. Diane also volunteers regularly with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas.

"I am pleased to take on a more integral role in the firm as we build on our history of success in the highly focused lending market that SLG serves," said Diane. "I am proud of the talented team at SLG and look forward to continuing to meet the legal needs of our valued clients."

"Diane brings with her a unique combination of skills and experiences - involving various aspects of the home lending process. Over the years, she has made substantial contributions to the development and success of AMG's innovative and user-friendly document preparation software - Propel. Her deep understanding of the mortgage industry and its day-to-day challenges will benefit our many loyal clients as they work diligently to meet ever increasing compliance and regulatory demands." says Andy Sandler, SLG's Chairman. He further stated, "At SLG, we continue to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to having a team of professionals that is exceptionally talented and diverse, so we can better serve the needs of all our constituencies."

Diane received her Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Wisconsin. She is admitted to practice in Texas and Georgia.

About Sandler Law Group: Sandler Law Group (SLG) is a law firm based in Dallas, TX that services the needs of mortgage lenders. SLG offers mortgage companies a holistic residential mortgage loan process that includes compliance management strategies, regulatory expertise, and document preparation technology. SLG has a record of successfully delivering closing functions and document preparation, including unauthorized practice of law compliance and fulfillment services for all its clients.

Media Contact

Sandler Law Group

Era Williams

Director of Marketing

(214) 257-1763

[email protected]

SOURCE Sandler Law Group
MILWAUKEE, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating Oak Street Health (NYSE: OSH) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with CVS.

Click here to learn how to join the action https://www.ademilaw.com/case/oak-street-health-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Ademi LLP alleges Oak Street Health's financial outlook and prospects are excellent and yet Oak Street Health shareholders will receive only $39 per share, representing an enterprise value of approximately $10.6 billion. The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing bids for Oak Street Health by imposing a significant penalty if Oak Street Health accepts a superior bid. Oak Street Health insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.

We are investigating the conduct of Oak Street Health's board of directors, and whether they are (i) fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders, and (ii) obtaining a fair and reasonable price for Oak Street Health.

If you own Oak Street Health common stock and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or https://www.ademilaw.com/case/oak-street-health-inc.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts

Ademi LLP

Guri Ademi

Toll Free: (866) 264-3995

Fax: (414) 482-8001

SOURCE Ademi LLP
BERLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Spotos, a logistics startup that digitised and reimagined freight forwarding principles, announced the start of operations. Spotos has developed a digital spot freight market for shippers and carriers in Europe.

The company was established to address daily struggles and inefficiencies in finding spots, carriers and moving freight. Founded by entrepreneur Sarunas Stanislovenas, Spotos is a solution to simplify logistics for shippers and carriers, connect a fragmented industry and digitise inefficient business processes.

Sarunas Stanislovenas, Founder & CEO Spotos Unlocking the maximum value of every spot freight

"I felt something is missing within the logistics industry, something vital and fundamental, which has fragmented and disconnected the industry. Logistics has always defaulted to analogue, inefficient, and time-consuming processes. I noticed that a lack of automation has negatively impacted all players in transportation, so I wanted to showcase how simple freight forwarding, with the help of digitisation, could truly be. This is how the spark for Spotos was born." said Sarunas Stanislovenas, Founder & CEO.

Spotos' ambition is to improve every aspect of freight forwarding by providing price transparency, radical automation, and market accessibility. The company declares that everyone deserves a chance to participate in the complex but fair process that is freight forwarding. Following this philosophy, Spotos has implemented various features that are changing industry habits.

Spotos makes room for small and medium businesses, allowing them to ship goods efficiently - no more time-consuming tasks, inefficient processes, unpredictable prices, fake freights, or late payments.

About Spotos

Spotos revolutionised the old-school logistics industry, combining it with cutting-edge innovation, customer-oriented design, and a futuristic vision. It offers shippers access to a wide network of carriers across the EU region. The platform powertrain includes data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1991881/Spotos_CEO.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1991880/Spotos.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1991882/Spotos_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Spotos
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Steel market insights -

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Steel Market 2023-2027

Vendors : 15+, Including Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd., ArcelorMittal SA, Baosteel Group Corp., Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd., Beijing Shougang Co. Ltd., China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd., HBIS Group Co. Ltd., Hebei Jingye Group, Hyundai Steel Co., JFE Holdings Inc., JSW STEEL Ltd., Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., NLMK Group, Nucor Corp., POSCO holdings Inc., Shagang Group Inc., Steel Authority of India Ltd., Tata Steel Ltd., and Benxi Steel Group Co. Ltd. among others

: 15+, Including Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd., ArcelorMittal SA, Baosteel Group Corp., Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd., Beijing Shougang Co. Ltd., China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd., HBIS Group Co. Ltd., Hebei Jingye Group, Hyundai Steel Co., JFE Holdings Inc., JSW STEEL Ltd., Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., NLMK Group, Nucor Corp., POSCO holdings Inc., Shagang Group Inc., Steel Authority of India Ltd., Tata Steel Ltd., and Benxi Steel Group Co. Ltd. among others Coverage: Key drivers, major trends, and challenges; customer and vendor landscape; vendor product insights and recent developments; key vendors; and market positioning of vendors

Key drivers, major trends, and challenges; customer and vendor landscape; vendor product insights and recent developments; key vendors; and market positioning of vendors Segments: End-user (construction, machinery, transportation, metal goods, and others), type (flat steel and long steel), and geography (APAC, Europe , North America , Middle East and Africa , and South America )

To understand more about the information services market, request a sample report

The steel market report provides critical information and factual data, with a qualitative and

quantitative study of the market based on market drivers and limitations as well as future

prospects.

Why Buy?

Add credibility to strategy

Analyzes competitor's offerings

Get a holistic view of the market

Grow your profit margin with Technavio- Buy the Report

In 2017, the steel market was valued at 1,653.03 million tons. From a regional perspective, APAC held the largest market share, valued at 1,212.58 million tons. The steel market size is estimated to grow by USD 207.46 million T from 2022 to 2027 at a CAGR of 2.17% according to Technavio.

Steel market - Customer landscape

To help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies, the report outlines 

Key purchase criteria

Adoption rates

Adoption lifecycle

Drivers of price sensitivity

For highlights on customer landscape analysis, download a sample!

Steel market - Vendor insights

The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services. Technavio report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors including -



ArcelorMittal SA: The company offers steel for the automotive, mobility, construction, and energy industries.

The company offers steel for the automotive, mobility, construction, and energy industries. Baosteel Group Corp: The company offers steel such as carbon steel, stainless steel, and special steel.

The company offers steel such as carbon steel, stainless steel, and special steel. Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd: The company offers steel products such as steel bars, wires, and forgings.

Steel market  Market dynamics

Major drivers 

Upsurge in consumption of high-strength steel

Corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties

Growing demand from the construction industry

KEY challenges 

Excess production capacity

Growing preference for carbon fiber in automotive applications

Stringent government regulations

Drivers, & Challenges have an impact on market dynamics and can impact

businesses. Find some insights from a sample report !

What are the key data covered in this Steel Market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the steel market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the steel market and its contribution to the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the steel market across APAC, Europe , North America , Middle East and Africa , and South America

, , and , and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of steel market vendors

Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Related Reports:

Aluminum Extrusion Market by End-user, Product, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The aluminum extrusion market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by 8.45 million t. The increasing demand for aluminum extrusion in the automotive industry is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as growing competition from substitutes may impede the market growth.

Tungsten Carbide Market by End-user, Application, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027: The tungsten carbide market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.23% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 4,818.79 million. The increasing demand from the mining and construction industries is notably driving the market growth, although factors such as toxicity and safety concerns may impede the market growth.

Steel Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 171 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 2.17% Market growth 2023-2027 207.46 mn t Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 1.78 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 76% Key countries US, China, India, Japan, and Russia Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd., ArcelorMittal SA, Baosteel Group Corp., Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd., Beijing Shougang Co. Ltd., China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd., HBIS Group Co. Ltd., Hebei Jingye Group, Hyundai Steel Co., JFE Holdings Inc., JSW STEEL Ltd., Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp., NLMK Group, Nucor Corp., POSCO holdings Inc., Shagang Group Inc., Steel Authority of India Ltd., Tata Steel Ltd., and Benxi Steel Group Co. Ltd. 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 "Metals" 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 End-user



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



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 steel market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global steel market 2017 - 2021 (million t)

4.2 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  End-user Segment 2017 - 2021 (million t)

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type Segment 2017 - 2021 (million t)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 (million t)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 (million t)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by End-user

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by End-user

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by End-user



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by End-user

6.3 Construction - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Construction - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Construction - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Construction - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Construction - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Machinery - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Machinery - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Machinery - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Machinery - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Machinery - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Transportation - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Transportation - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Transportation - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Transportation - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Transportation - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Metal Goods - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 46: Chart on Metal Goods - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Metal Goods - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Metal Goods - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Metal Goods - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 50: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 52: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.8 Market opportunity by End-user

Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by End-user (million t)

7 Market Segmentation by Type

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 55: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 57: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Comparison by Type

7.3 Flat steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Flat steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Flat steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Flat steel - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Flat steel - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Long steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 63: Chart on Long steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Long steel - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 65: Chart on Long steel - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Long steel - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 67: Market opportunity by Type (million t)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 68: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 69: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 71: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 72: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 73: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 74: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 75: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 76: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 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 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 82: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

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 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 87: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 91: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 95: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 99: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 103: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 104: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 105: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 106: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)



Exhibit 107: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 108: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 109: Chart on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 110: Data Table on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 (million t)

Exhibit 111: Chart on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 112: Data Table on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 113: Market opportunity by geography (million t)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 114: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 115: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 116: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 117: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 118: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 119: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd.

Exhibit 120: Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 121: Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 122: Ansteel Group Corp. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.4 ArcelorMittal SA

Exhibit 123: ArcelorMittal SA - Overview



Exhibit 124: ArcelorMittal SA - Business segments



Exhibit 125: ArcelorMittal SA - Key news



Exhibit 126: ArcelorMittal SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 127: ArcelorMittal SA - Segment focus

12.5 Baosteel Group Corp.

Exhibit 128: Baosteel Group Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 129: Baosteel Group Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 130: Baosteel Group Corp. - Key offerings

12.6 Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 131: Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 132: Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 133: Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.7 Benxi Steel Group Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 134: Benxi Steel Group Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 135: Benxi Steel Group Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 136: Benxi Steel Group Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.8 China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd.

Exhibit 137: China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 138: China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 139: China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.9 HBIS Group Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 140: HBIS Group Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 141: HBIS Group Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 142: HBIS Group Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.10 Hebei Jingye Group

Exhibit 143: Hebei Jingye Group - Overview



Exhibit 144: Hebei Jingye Group - Product / Service



Exhibit 145: Hebei Jingye Group - Key offerings

12.11 Hyundai Steel Co.

Exhibit 146: Hyundai Steel Co. - Overview



Exhibit 147: Hyundai Steel Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 148: Hyundai Steel Co. - Key offerings

12.12 JFE Holdings Inc.

Exhibit 149: JFE Holdings Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 150: JFE Holdings Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 151: JFE Holdings Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 152: JFE Holdings Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 153: JFE Holdings Inc. - Segment focus

12.13 JSW STEEL Ltd.

Exhibit 154: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 155: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 156: JSW STEEL Ltd. - Key offerings

12.14 Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 157: Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 158: Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 159: Liuzhou Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.15 Nippon Steel Corp.

Exhibit 160: Nippon Steel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 161: Nippon Steel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 162: Nippon Steel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 163: Nippon Steel Corp. - Segment focus

12.16 NLMK Group

Exhibit 164: NLMK Group - Overview



Exhibit 165: NLMK Group - Business segments



Exhibit 166: NLMK Group - Key offerings



Exhibit 167: NLMK Group - Segment focus

12.17 Nucor Corp.

Exhibit 168: Nucor Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 169: Nucor Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 170: Nucor Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 171: Nucor Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 172: Nucor Corp. - Segment focus

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 173: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 174: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 175: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 176: Research methodology



Exhibit 177: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 178: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 179: 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
Commemorates milestone with a Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Collection of cases made from recycled water bottles

ANAHEIM, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Targus, the number one-selling laptop case brand in the U.S.*, and a leader in laptop cases and mobile computing accessories, announced that it is celebrating its 40th year in business since creating the first laptop bag in 1983. To honor the milestone, the company has launched a Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Collection of eco-friendly laptop cases which feature the classic look of the original Targus bags.

Targus celebrates 40 years of developing innovative solutions that carry, connect, and protect your tech with its Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Collection.

"At Targus, we are proud of delivering 40 years of quality, purpose-driven solutions that mobile professionals around the world rely on to carry, connect, and protect their tech, so they can perform at their best," says Andrew Corkill, Vice President, Global Marketing & eCommerce. "Our new Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Collection celebrates the original signature look of the early laptop bags that our company created back in the 80s while offering an eco-conscious design that is important to today's consumers."

The Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Collection includes a 15.6" Cypress Hero EcoSmart Backpack and Cypress EcoSmart Briefcase, eco-friendly laptop bags made from recycled water bottles.

With accents of ruby red, the case honors the original Targus bags, which donned the same red elements. A custom, reflective "40" logo is featured on the front panel and shoulder strap, and the interior features a special edition "Milestones of Targus" pattern. The bags also boast ergonomic shoulder straps, padded back paneling, soft-touch handles, and a sleek minimalist design for ease of use and maximum comfort while on the go.

Both cases will be available for sale exclusively online starting in early February 2023. The backpack retails for $99.99 and the briefcase for $77.99.

About Targus

For 40 years, Targus has been revolutionizing mobile computing accessories for large enterprises and consumers, alike  connecting people and technology in meaningful ways. From laptop bags to tablet cases, to peripherals and universal docking stations, we persistently conceive, design, and produce innovative, productivity-boosting solutions that make the complex, simple; and seamlessly integrate into the lifestyles of mobile professionals wherever they work  at home, in the office, or wherever they go. We cross categories, regions, industries, and lifestyles with a breadth and depth of products that provide you with the solutions you need to live, dream, and do.

Headquartered in Anaheim, California, Targus has global operations in more than 24 offices and distribution in more than 100 countries. Learn more about us and read about Targus' history in the making at targus.com, and like or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service (U.S. and Canada): combined Q3 2022 sales for Sleeves/Slipcases; Reseller Tracking (U.S.): combined sales for Laptop Cases and Other Notebook Accessories; based on unit sales, 12ME September 2022 combined.

SOURCE Targus
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Transportation Research Institute today released its 12th annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, and the state of Tennessee placed seven locations on the list, including one in the top 10.

"The trucking industry is a vital part of Tennessee's economy, delivering the goods we need in our everyday lives, from food to fuel to clothing," said Tennessee Trucking Association President and CEO Donna England. "But when congestion brings those trucks to a standstill, we all pay the price. ATRI's bottleneck analysis provides a roadmap for infrastructure investment to address the most critical chokepoints and improve mobility for people and freight."

The 2023 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at over 300 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on an extensive database of freight truck GPS data, uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location. ATRI's truck GPS data is also used to support numerous U.S. DOT freight mobility initiatives. The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations.

The seven Tennessee bottlenecks are:

No. 9 Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I- 440 (East)

No. 37 Nashville: I-40 at I-65 (East)

No. 39 Chattanooga: I-24 at US 27

No. 51 Nashville: I-65 at I-24

No. 59 Chattanooga: I-75 at I-24

No. 63 Knoxville: I-40/I-75 at I-140

No. 72 Knoxville: I-40 at I-275

"The past year-plus has shone a spotlight on our supply chains, and how congestion and other pressures can hurt the American economy and consumers," said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. "ATRI's bottleneck report highlights the areas of our transportation network in need of investment so we can get goods and people moving. The cost of doing nothing is felt in needless delays, wasted fuel and time."

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, please visit ATRI's website at TruckingResearch.org. ATRI is also providing animations created with truck GPS data for select bottleneck locations, all available on the website.

ATRI is the trucking industry's 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation's essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

SOURCE American Transportation Research Institute
The Vivery Idea Lab pilot is a collaboration between the Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities, Community Safety Coordination Center, and the Thierer Family Foundation creating in-home delivery and technology solutions removing barriers to food access

CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities (MOPD), Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC), and the Thierer Family Foundation , an organization helping nonprofits increase their impact through technology, today announced a collaborative effort to increase food access for Chicago residents who live with any disabilities. Working closely together, MOPD, CSCC, and the Thierer Family Foundation initiated the Vivery Idea Lab in-home delivery pilot to provide access to nutritious food for high-risk, challenging-to-serve populations in the City who may experience barriers to accessing food options.

Vivery Idea Lab from the Thierer Family Foundation is an incubator focused on testing, validating, and scaling customizable solutions to increase access to nutritious food. This pilot, leveraging the Vivery platform, includes an in-home delivery solution that fills a critical need in food insecurity for homebound individuals with disabilities, who face tremendous challenges in accessing regular and nutritious food. Through a collaboration with nearby pantries and a community produce supplier, these individuals will receive monthly shelf stables, perishables, and fresh produce, all delivered in-home by a local delivery service. This pilot will help further integrate the City of Chicago as a partner into the emergency food response ecosystem, by providing an easy and adaptable digital tool to connect with and serve the disability community.

"I appreciate the partnership and efforts between the Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities, the Community Safety Coordination Center, and the Thierer Family Foundation to create a pathway for food equity, especially for our residents who are living with a disability," said Mayor Lightfoot. "The new Vivery Idea Lab pilot will help eliminate such barriers to access through in-home food delivery services, pantries and community suppliers, who will help create a support network that better uplifts our most vulnerable residents."

"The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) is honored to partner with the Thierer Family Foundation, along with the Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC) on this ground-breaking pilot with Vivery. Together, our efforts address the barriers that people with disabilities experience in accessing food for themselves and their families, by increasing an available in-home delivery option for residents of Chicago's Austin neighborhood", said MOPD Commissioner Rachel Arfa. "This is yet another way that we all work together to make Chicago a more accessible city, by addressing food insecurity in our City's neighborhoods."

The Community Safety Coordination Center works with City departments and sister agencies to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to addressing the root causes of violence across Chicago. This program is part of their people-based strategy.

"Working to combat food insecurity in communities that have been historically disinvested in is a key component of addressing community safety through a public health framework," said Gregorio Martinez, Interim Chief Coordination Officer at the CSCC. "This pilot reflects the city's commitment to coordinate services in neighborhoods that need it most."

The Vivery Idea Lab in-home delivery pilots are validating innovative ways to provide a sustainable, fully-funded and supported solution for in-home delivery, so everyone, regardless of their circumstance, can have access to food. With the Vivery in-home delivery system in place, pantries are able to identify the most efficient routes to reach those individuals, saving time and increasing capacity, and recipients can get a level of personal support they didn't have previously through this high-touch delivery service.

"By partnering with the Mayor's office and other visionary leaders in our local community, we can test new and big ideas that hold the promise of significantly impacting access to food," said Nasrin Thierer, Founder of Thierer Family Foundation. "When public and private forces partner together, it means we can really scale these efforts and make them sustainable."

The Vivery Idea Lab's pilot programs have made more than 500 deliveries to date. The partnership with the MOPD and CSCC aims to enhance this further as it targets up to 2000 deliveries to 150 individuals in the Austin community, providing them with consistent access to food from pantries closest to them for six months.

To learn more about, or to support these in-home delivery pilots, visit Vivery Idea Lab .

About Thierer Family Foundation

The Thierer Family Foundation was founded by Nasrin and Mark Thierer in December 2015, with a mission to increase the impact of nonprofits by helping them leverage technology to be more effective, efficient, and sustainable. The foundation strategically funds innovative technology projects to modernize access to food and significantly change the way an organization can serve their target audience. By investing in technology, the Thierer Family Foundation can greatly impact an organization's reach, help organizations deliver on their mission, and ultimately serve more people. Their hope is that this approach will pave the way for other funders to see the value of investing in technology within the nonprofit sector. Head to https://thiererfamilyfoundation.org/ to learn more.

Media Contacts

Mayor's Press Office

312.744.3334

[email protected]

Vivery from the Thierer Family Foundation:

Andrea Oliveira

(458) 206-6478

[email protected]

SOURCE Thierer Family Foundation
The benefits of diversity will only be realized by embedding inclusion into work practices, behaviors, and values, which ensures accountability throughout the organization.



TORONTO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - In recent years, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) has become a strategic priority for organizations. The positive impacts of workforce diversity initiatives have been especially important in a challenging and competitive labor market in which candidates are considering more than the standard priorities of compensation and vacation time. Leading HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company has observed that HR teams are experiencing job applicants who are increasingly evaluating an organization's commitment to social, ethical, and equitable practices. During Black History Month, organizations are reminded even more strongly that their intention behind DEI policies and initiatives is in the spotlight. But it is not enough just to have a diverse organization and claim to have a well-rounded approach to DEI, cautions the firm.

Inclusive practices must be embedded throughout an organizations culture through its work practices, stated values, and accepted and encouraged behaviors. It is necessary to purposefully embed inclusion into all aspects of workplace culture to begin truly breaking down systemic barriers and moving toward authentic inclusion. (CNW Group/Mclean & Company)

"Diversity on its own will not create a culture of inclusion," says Jennifer Rozon, president of McLean & Company. "For both employees and employers to enjoy the benefits of a truly diverse organization, inclusion must be an intentional and steadfast priority throughout the entire year, every year. It's important to envision a future state that is reflective of your organization's needs by looking inward rather than outward."



To support organizational and HR leaders pursuing the implementation of inclusivity within their workplace culture, both during Black History Month and long-term, McLean & Company has made its blueprint Embed Inclusion Into the Organization's Culture available to the public.

The complexity of the overall concept of DEI can make it a daunting undertaking, especially because creating inclusion is not a one-and-done exercise. McLean & Company recommends that rather than relying solely on the presence of diversity within the organization, HR and leadership must intentionally work to embed inclusion in the workplace culture itself. This requires the ongoing commitment of employees at all levels to drive a cultural shift, but it must begin with leadership implementing inclusive practices and policies into the foundational philosophy of the organization.

The blueprint provides guidance on conducting an assessment to understand the current state of inclusion within an organization and embedding inclusion into organizational values. HR and leadership will also learn about adapting competencies to promote accountability at the individual level and using inclusive design principles to modify organizational work practices to demonstrate a more inclusive culture.

Publicly accessible, data-based resources will continue to be made available throughout Black History Month via McLean & Company's social media and through its member newsletters, which will focus on key steps and elements of DEI in the workplace.

The advisory firm reminds HR and organizational leaders that DEI is a continuous, never-ending journey of intentional and committed learning. It takes the prioritization of what truly matters to employees belonging to historically marginalized groups to build better workplaces. Through data-backed industry resources, McLean & Company aims to empower organizations to shape workplaces where everyone thrives.

McLean & Company also provides its members with various levels of support designed to meet organizations' unique HR needs, including DIY toolkits, guided implementations, workshops, and dedicated consulting. To access the full collection of research or to learn more about becoming a member, visit mcleanco.com/services. To follow along in learning about and celebrating Black History Month through the lens of HR, connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.

Additional resources to support DEI work during Black History Month and year-round:

About McLean & Company

Through data-driven insights and proven best-practice methodologies, McLean & Company offers comprehensive resources and full-service assessments, action plans, and training to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and Industry analysts through the ITRG Media Insiders Program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE McLean & Company
"We know that 1 in 8 kids in the United States are at risk for hunger***, which makes tackling food insecurity and malnutrition in our communities a critical priority for us," says Stephanie Moseley, president of The Marco's Pizza Foundation and a Marco's multi-unit franchise owner. "This initiative is very personal to me because my mother grew up with food insecurity and became impassioned with fighting child hunger  as a school teacher, she always said, 'a hungry child cannot learn or focus' and that has always stuck with me; I'm humbled to lead our efforts helping to solve the issues of hunger and malnutrition in children, who are the future of our communities and society at large."

Established in July 2022, The Marco's Pizza Foundation's mission is to nurture and nourish local communities through four key pillars: School & Education, Hunger Prevention & Nutrition, Workforce Development, and Entrepreneurship. With an emphasis on the Hunger Prevention & Nutrition pillar, the partnership with No Kid Hungry cements the Foundation's commitment to addressing the issue of hungry children and empowers team members, franchisees, and guests to make a positive difference in their communities. Starting this month, customers at select U.S. stores are able to donate either $1, $3, or $5 to support the initiative.

"The work we are doing through The Marco's Pizza Foundation plays a vital role in our success as a business and as an effective corporate citizen," says Tony Libardi, Co-CEO and President of Marco's Pizza. "The campaign with No Kid Hungry is a national extension of the local store efforts already happening to support kids and will magnify the overall impact that the Marco's Pizza brand can have in the communities where we serve and operate."

"The Marco's Pizza Foundation's commitment to making a positive difference in its communities supports our mission of ending childhood hunger," says Diana Hovey, senior vice president of Corporate Partnerships at Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign. "Marco's Pizza has a proven track record of upholding community values and getting involved within its own backyard  the brand's support will help us continue to make a large-scale impact."

Community giveback is a key business priority for Marco's Pizza in 2023 as the brand closes out a historic 2022. The nation's fastest-growing pizza brand* reached key milestones with the opening of its 1,100th store and surpassing $1B in annual systemwide sales. Additionally, Nation's Restaurant News Top 500 Report shows Marco's achieved the highest percent year-over-year sales change (+18.2%) when compared to the nation's top 4 pizza brands, making Marco's the No. 5 pizza brand in systemwide sales in America****. Now, Marco's has its sights set on becoming the No. 4 brand in pizza as it experienced a 12.8% increase in year-over-year Average Unit Volume (AUV), and the Top 50% of Marco's franchised stores generated $1,198,201 AUV for 2021*****.

At the crux of Marco's ongoing growth is its renowned high-quality pizza which has provided the basic foundation to scale and with this unparalleled growth trajectory and a focus on innovation and development in the year ahead, Marco's is positioned to support its communities more than ever before and looks forward to engaging its consumers with No Kid Hungry this year.

For more information on the Marco's Pizza Foundation, visit https://www.marcos.com/foundation.

ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA

Marco's Pizza is one of America's Top 10 Favorite QSR Brands according to the 2022 Market Force Information Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is the fastest-growing pizza brand in the United States*. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,100 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 51 on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2023 "Franchise 500" ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek's 2023 "America's Best Customer Service" in pizza chains list, ranked No. 40 on QSR's Top 50 and has been featured six consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 500" ranking.

ABOUT NO KID HUNGRY

No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.

*Marco's Pizza is the fastest-growing pizza brand based on year-over-year unit growth, according to 2021 NRN Top 500 U.S. Restaurant Ranking LSR Pizza Segment.

** Source: https://www.nokidhungry.org/blog/what-your-dollars-can-do

*** Source: USDA

****Marco's is now the 5th largest pizza brand in systemwide sales, according to 2021 NRN Top 500 US Restaurant Ranking LSR Pizza Segment."

*****Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2021. Based on fiscal year 2021, 146 of 389 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our current FDD  please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

SOURCE Marco's Pizza
GURUGRAM, India, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Spain Pet Insurance Market is at a growing stage and is a consolidated market with about 5-6 major players capturing large portion of the market. Mapfre is the market leader. The players are competing on the basis of Animals Covered, Coverage Type, % of claim provided, network and Average premium charged.

In 2019, Spanish households spent 3,721 million euros on products and services for pets.

on products and services for pets. The number of dogs and cats living in Spain already exceeds 20 million.

already exceeds 20 million. Spaniards spend an average of 1,260 euros a year on their pets in 2019, 7.3% more than 2 years ago. That is, 823 in food, 353 in veterinary expenses and 83 in accessories and toys.

Adoption of New Advance Technology: Embedding advance technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the underwriting process, as it can compare pet activity data with benchmarks of similar breeds and combines them with rating information from industry sources, which enables them to accurately price an individual pet at the time of quoting. For settling claims, it can predict an accurate reserve based on the type of illness, or even predict a possible customer churn giving insurers the digital advantage to streamline operations, improve customer experience and reduce cost across both these business functions. It can also automate and improve claims processing. It can enhance customer interactions and provides more personalized and accurate information. Furthermore, machine learning allows software to study behavioral analytics and customer data to make more accurate decisions on whether a claim is genuine or not.

Increase in Online Presence: Young people who prefer buying online contracts demand this type of service and the ease of purchase. Insurers and brokers are increasingly streamlining the contract processes and trying to invest more resources to make everything easier in the future for the pet owners.

Spain's new Animal Protection Law: The new Animal Protection Law includes a number of general obligations such as keeping pets integrated within the family unit, well-groomed and washed, preventing uncontrolled breeding, never keeping pets alone inside vehicles and abandoning of pets. These rules are expected to bring pets closer to their owners in Spain.

Analysts at Ken Research in their latest publication "Spain Pet Insurance Market Outlook to 2027F- Driven by rising pet population, increased 'humanization' of pets and awareness of pet health in Spain" by Ken Research observed that Pet Insurance Market is an emerging insurance market in Spain which is currently at a growing stage after the pandemic. The Spain's new animal protection law and growing humanization of pets are expected to contribute to the market growth over the forecast period. The market is expected to grow at a 11.6% CAGR during 2022-2027F owing to increase in online presence, civil liability and new government policies.

Key Segments Covered in the report:-

Spain Pet Insurance Market

By Policy Type

Pet Liability Insurance

Pet Veterinary Insurance

Others

By Type of Animal

Dog

Cat

Others

To learn more about this report Download a Free Sample Report

By Sales Channel

Direct

Agents

Brokers

Bancassurance

By Veterinary Insurance Coverage Type

Accidental only

General health (accident + illness)

By Insurance Type

House Insurance

Stand-alone Policy

Key Target Audience

Private Insurance Providers

Public Insurance Providers

Insurance Agency

Bancassurance

Brokers

Related Government Agencies

New Entrants

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period: 2017-2022

2017-2022 Base Year: 2022

2022 Forecast Period: 2022-2027F

Visit this Link :- Request for custom report

Companies Covered:-

Mapfre

SanteVet

Asisa

Caser

Santa Lucia

Pet Plan

Barkibu

Mascota Y Salud

Key Topics Covered in the Report:-

Spain Pet Insurance Market Overview

Business Cycle and Genesis of Spain Pet Insurance Market

Ecosystem and Value Chain of Spain Pet Insurance Market

Spain Pet Insurance Market Size, 2017-2027F

Market Segmentation of Spain Pet Insurance Market

SWOT Analysis and Growth Drivers of Spain Pet Insurance Market

Challenges and Impact of Covid in the Spain Pet Insurance Market

Trends and Developments in Spain Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Cross Comparison of Major Players in Spain Pet Insurance Market

Pet Insurance Market Future Outlook of Spain Pet Insurance Market

Analyst Recommendation

For more insights on the market intelligence, refer to below link:-

Spain Pet Insurance Market

Related Reports By Ken Research:-

UK Pet Insurance Market Outlook to 2027F- Driven by Rising Companion Animal, High veterinary costs and Technology advancement

According to Ken Research estimates, the UK Pet insurance market expanded at a CAGR of ~5.3% between 2017  2022P on the basis of premium collected. The market saw rapid growth owning to increasing companion animal population, adoption of advance technology, rising animal health concerns, high veterinary cost and growing At-home diagnostic. UK Pet insurance market is estimated to grow at a positive CAGR of ~4.8% between 2022P and 2027F. In Europe, the UK exhibit highest pet insurance penetration. Key drivers in the region are high cost of veterinary services and willingness of pet owners to buy pet insurance. Pet insurance companies using artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict a pet's health trajectory, as well as providing tools that will improve pet wellness and decrease vet care costs.

Sweden Pet Insurance Market Outlook 2027F- driven by an increasing pet adoption, high veterinary costs, rising pet health issues and awareness among pet owners

According to Ken Research estimates, the Sweden Pet Insurance which grew at a CAGR of 9.2% from 2017-2022 & is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% from 2023-2027F owing to increasing pet adoption, high veterinary costs, rising pet health issues and awareness among pet owners. High insurance penetration rates, growing pet humanization, sophisticated product offerings by players involved are the major trends and developments in Sweden Pet Insurance Market. Approximately 15% and 21% of the households own at least one dog or one cat respectively in Sweden basis the data reported by European Pet Food Industry Federation.

Follow Us 

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Contact Us:-

Ken Research Private Limited

Ankur Gupta, Director Strategy and Growth

[email protected]

+91-9015378249

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1954972/Ken_Research_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Ken Research
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Automotive Glass Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2022 to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global automotive glass market was valued at US$ 17.47 Bn in 2021 and is anticipated to grow to US$ 29.98 Bn growing at a CAGR of 6.3% throughout the forecast period from 2022 to 2030.

Despite the challenging environment, the automotive market posted modest growth during 2020-21. According to report published by International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) the global sales of automotive vehicle was 95,055,937 units globally. Thus driving the growth of the automotive glass market. Factors including rapid development of infrastructure, and support from fiscal stimuli among other are further fueling the market growth.

The sales of automotive will be affected by technical advancements in vehicle connectivity and integration of safety systems for self-driving cars. Rapid technological advancements have helped in improvising vehicle designs including cross-curvature windows, roofline sweeping glass, and asymmetric shapes. There is a positive im pact on consumers due to increased usage of telematics in vehicles and a shift in consumer preference towards superior comfort vehicles influencing the market growth.

Product Analysis

Based on product, tempered glass was the largest market segment and accounted for over 50% of revenue share of the total market revenue. This can be attributed to the factors including reduced cost, easy manufacturing and high demand of product in both commercial as well as passenger vehicles. In addition, the benefits offered by it including durability and utility in automotive industry among others is expected to drive the market growth.

In contrast, laminated glass segment is anticipated to register fastest growth throughout the forecast period. Owing to the increased usage of laminated glass in windshield, better visibility and enhanced safety among others. Increasing demand for premium features in automotive vehicles is anticipated to facilitate R&D and product development in this segment. Thus boosting the demand of the automotive glass market.

End-use Analysis

Based on end-use, the global automotive glass market is segmented into OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and ARG (Aftersales Replacement Glass). OEM segment leads the market in terms of revenue share and accounts for more than 80% of the market revenue. This can be associated with the increasing sales of vehicles globally and technological advancements for enhancing safety solutions. Thus bolstering the growth of the market.

In comparison, ARG segment is expected to grow at a modest CAGR during the forecast years. Owing to, factors including low cost of installation than OEM, poor installation, accidents, and temperature changes among others. Thus driving the growth of the automotive glass market in this segment.

Regional Analysis

In 2021, Asia Pacific appeared as the market leader and contributed more than 30% to the market revenue of the global automotive glass market. Asia Pacific region is projected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period trailed by Europe. This is due to rapidly developing infrastructure, and increased production and sales in the countries including China and India among others. Thereby fuelling the market growth of automotive glass market. According to report published by OICA, the sales in India increased to 4,400,136 units in 2018 from 4,059,455 units in 2017.

On the contrary, Latin America region is set to register fastest growth throughout the forecast period. Owing to, growing urbanization, expanding automotive industry in the region among others. For instance, the sales of automotive in Brazil increased from 2,172,738 units in 2017 to 2,468,434 in 2018. In addition, Europe appeared as the second largest revenue contributing region to the global automotive glass market with a share of more than 20%.

List of Companies Covered:

Asahi Glass Co. Ltd.

Fuyao Group

Nippon Sheet Glass Co.

Corning Incorporated.

Saint-Gobain S.A.

Guardian Industries Corp.

Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd.

Duratuf Glass Industries Pvt. Ltd.

CSG Holding Ltd.

China Glass Holdings Ltd.

Central Glass Co. Ltd.

Historical & Forecast Period

This study report represents analysis of each segment from 2020 to 2030 considering 2021 as the base year. Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for each of the respective segments estimated for the forecast period of 2022 to 2030.

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of Automotive Glass market?

What are the key investment pockets with respect to product segments and geographies currently and during the forecast period?

Estimated forecast and market projections up to 2030.

Which segment accounts for the fastest CAGR during the forecast period?

Which market segment holds a larger market share and why?

Are low and middle-income economies investing in the Automotive Glass market?

Which is the largest regional market for Automotive Glass market?

What are the market trends and dynamics in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific , Latin America , and Middle East & Africa ?

, , and & ? Which are the key trends driving Automotive Glass market growth?

Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the Automotive Glass market worldwide?

Key Topics Covered:

1. Preface

2. Executive Summary

3. Automotive Glass Market: Competitive Analysis

3.1. Market Positioning of Key Automotive Glass Market Vendors

3.2. Strategies Adopted by Automotive Glass Market Vendors

3.3. Key Industry Strategies

3.4. Tier Analysis 2021 Versus 2030

4. Automotive Glass Market: Macro Analysis & Market Dynamics

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Global Automotive Glass Market Value, 2020 - 2030, (US$ Million)

4.3. Market Dynamics

4.3.1. Market Drivers

4.3.2. Market Restraints

4.3.3. Key Challenges

4.3.4. Key Opportunities

4.4. Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints

4.5. See-Saw Analysis

5. Automotive Glass Market: By Product, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

5.1. Market Overview

5.2. Growth & Revenue Analysis: 2021 Versus 2030

5.3. Market Segmentation

5.3.1. Laminated

5.3.2. Tempered

6. Automotive Glass Market: By Application, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

6.1. Market Overview

6.2. Growth & Revenue Analysis: 2021 Versus 2030

6.3. Market Segmentation

6.3.1. Windshield

6.3.2. Sunroof

6.3.3. Rear-view mirrors

6.3.4. Others (Sidelite, Backlite, etc.)

7. Automotive Glass Market: By Vehicle, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

7.1. Market Overview

7.2. Growth & Revenue Analysis: 2021 Versus 2030

7.3. Market Segmentation

7.3.1. Passenger Vehicles

7.3.2. Commercial Vehicles

8. Automotive Glass Market: By End-use, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

8.1. Market Overview

8.2. Growth & Revenue Analysis: 2021 Versus 2030

8.3. Market Segmentation

8.3.1. OEM

8.3.2. ARG

9. North America Automotive Glass Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

10. UK and European Union Automotive Glass Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

11. Asia Pacific Automotive Glass Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

12. Latin America Automotive Glass Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

13. Middle East and Africa Automotive Glass Market, 2020-2030, USD (Million)

14. Company Profile

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/oo7w7u-glass?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
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cyber Security Consulting Services Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The cyber security consulting services market was valued at US$2.955 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 16.51% to reach a total market size of US$8.614 billion in 2027.

The consulting companies play the roles of both defenders and attackers in the systems as well as software programs. The major factors bolstering the market growth throughout the forecast period include the growth in cyberattacks and data breaches across various organizations that further lead to a loss of millions of dollars to the companies.

This, in turn, further drives the requirements for the implementation of the right strategies regarding security management and data assessments coupled with the setting up of necessary infrastructure and applications. Thus, these consulting services companies play a vital role in guiding companies to define and implement the right strategy depending on the current situation of the business.



Furthermore, the rising digitization coupled with the rapid integration of technology across all sectors has led to the rapid adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) which has also amplified the number of connected devices within the organization as well as outside the organization. This, in turn, has increased the risk of cyberattacks, thus considered to be a major factor supplementing the cyber security consulting services market growth in the next five years.



There is a high volume of companies working in the cyber security consulting services market. However, some have solidified their position as the leading providers in this industry. These players are involved in a plethora of investments, service expansions, R&D, partnerships, and acquisitions as a part of their growth strategies to further strengthen their position and provide better products to their customers worldwide, which is further expected to propel the growth of the market in the coming years.

Also, growth in the funding received by various start-ups for the enhancement of services offered by them shows the potential for the market to grow in the near future. For example, Haven Cyber-Technologies Group, a UK-based cyber security company, recently announced that it had received 5.7 million in funding from C5 Capital, which it intends to use to improve its solutions, products, and consulting competencies.

Also, in May 2020, HCL Technologies announced the expansion of its partnership that it signed with Broadcom Inc in the year 2018, HCL aimed to broaden its service offerings and include Symantec Enterprise Division (SED) consulting services, which were part of Broadcom's enterprise security solutions. Furthermore, in June 2020, CI Security announced the growth and enhancements in its Critical InsightT Channel Partner Program to cater to the growing expectations of consumers due to the increased risk of cyber threats.



Growth in the number of cyberattacks is expected to drive the market's growth



The key factor supplementing the cyber security consulting services market growth includes the growth in the number of cyberattacks, even in the developed economies of the world despite having world-class infrastructure. According to AtlasVPN data, for example, cybersecurity incidents in NASA increased 366% from 2018 to 2019, reaching 1,469 by 2019 from just 315 in 2018.

Also, in September 2018, in a cyberattack on the leading hotel chain, Starwood Hotels, owned by the Marriot group, around personal information of more than 500 million people was compromised, to which more than 327 million entries were related to the banking information of the hotel's customers. Similarly, in February 2018, around US$6 million was stolen from the Russian Central Bank by some unknown hackers in a cyberattack.



The cyber security consulting services market has been segmented on the basis of enterprise size, industry vertical, and geography. By enterprise size, the segmentation of the market has been done into small, medium, and large. On the basis of industry vertical, the market has been classified into BFSI, aerospace and defense, retail, IT and Telecom, healthcare, energy and utilities, and others. Geographically, the segmentation has been done into North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific.



SMEs to show robust growth



By enterprise size, both the small and medium segments are anticipated to witness healthy growth during the next five years. The major factor supplementing the growth of this segment includes the significant growth in the number of SMEs at the global level. This, coupled with the rapid adoption of cloud computing solutions is also considered to be a major factor that is expected to bolster the market's growth over the next five years.



North America to hold a decent share



Geographically, the North American region is projected to hold a considerable market share throughout the forecast period, primarily on account of the early technology adoption coupled with the availability of a well-established infrastructure. Moreover, the presence of key market players in the region is also a key factor supplementing the cyber security consulting services market growth in the North American region during the next five years.



Competitive Insights



Prominent key market players in the Cyber Security Consulting Services market include Capgemini, Cisco, IBM Corporation, and Optive Security, among others. These companies hold a noteworthy share of the market on account of their good brand image and product offerings.



Major players in the Cyber Security Consulting Services market have been covered along with their relative competitive positions and strategies. The report also mentions recent deals and investments by different market players over the last two years.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Function Value Chain Analysis



5. Cyber Security Consulting Services Market Analysis, By Enterprise Size

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Small

5.3. Medium

5.4. Large



6. Cyber Security Consulting Services Market Analysis, By Industry Vertical

6.1. Introduction

6.2. BFSI

6.3. Aerospace and Defense

6.4. Retail

6.5. IT and Telecom

6.6. Healthcare

6.7. Energy and Utilities

6.8. Others



7. Cyber Security Consulting Services Market Analysis, By Geography

8. Competitive Environment and Analysis

8.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

8.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

8.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

8.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



9. Company Profiles

9.1. Capgemini

9.2. McAfee, LLC (acquired by Intel)

9.3. Accenture

9.4. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP.

9.5. IBM Corporation

9.6. BlackBerry Limited

9.7. Dell Inc.

9.8. FireEye, Inc. (acquired by Symphony Technology Group)

9.9. Optiv Security Inc. (acquired by KKR)

9.10. BAE Systems



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/eqcxin-security?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
BOSTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tive, the global leader in supply chain and logistics visibility technology, is proud to announce its participation at Fruit Logistica, the leading trade fair for the fresh fruit industry. The event is taking place in Berlin, Germany from February 8-10.

More than 73,000 trade visitors and vendorsfrom more than 130 countriesattend Fruit Logistica every year. At this 30th anniversary event, Tive will showcase its award-winning digital tracking solutions, and discuss how Tive's solutions streamline operations, reduce costs, and increase profitability.

Throughout Fruit Logistica, Tive team members will be on hand at Booth C23 in Hall 26 to discuss the specific visibility challenges faced by companies in perishable and temperature-controlled industries. Booth visitors will learn how cost-effective Tive trackers monitor the real-time location and condition of this valuable freightempowering immediate action to minimize waste and spoilage, reduce product damage, and improve customer satisfaction.

On Friday, February 10, Tive Sales Director Brice Marion will present ways you can "Keep Track of Visibility." This session is scheduled for 10:20 am in the Logistics Hub - Hall 26. Marion will discuss farm-to-fork challenges, and will share ways to decrease the likelihood of costly rejected loads, delays, recalls, and missed saleswhile establishing custody and documenting data to support insurance claims.

"Fruit Logistica is one of the most important events in the fruit industry, and we are honored to play a prominent role," says Krenar Komoni, CEO & Founder of Tive. "As end-to-end supply chain visibility technologies become table stakes for fruit shippers, Tive is excited to introduce our solutions to new customers and marketsacross industries and around the globe."

Tive is committed to helping businesses optimize supply chain operations and increase their competitiveness. The company's participation in Fruit Logistica reinforces Tive's commitment to being at the forefront of the perishables and cold chain industries  providing innovative solutions to its customers.

About Tive

Tive is a global leader in supply chain and logistics technology. With Tive, shippers, retailers, and Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) have the ability to eliminate delays, avoid damage, and mitigate shipment failures. Tive's solution provides insights generated by its industry-leading products for clients to actively optimize their shipments, improve the customer experience, and unlock actionable data in real time. For more information, visit www.tive.com .

Press Contact:

Charlie Pesti

[email protected]

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/710828/Tive_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Tive, Inc.
Beverly Brin Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

ADDISON, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, February 4, 2023, Beverly Brin received the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI) during its annual conference held in Tampa, Florida. This prestigious award recognizes an individual who has given their time, dedication, leadership, and knowledge towards the advancement of the Destination Management (DMC) industry over their lifetime.

Ultimate Ventures President, Laurie Sprouse, presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Beverly Brin at the ADMEI Awards Banquet. Beverly Brin, DMCP

Beverly Brin, DMCP, General Manager of Ultimate Ventures (UV), earned this honor by being a consummate professional, a devoted friend, and a dedicated leader who has given much of herself during the last two decades to the DMC Industry. In addition to her roles as Director of Operations and General Manager at UV, she has also served on ADMEI's Certification and Accreditation Board (CAB) for seven years, including having served as Chair and having mentored many young DMC professionals on the CAB board and within the industry. Beverly is the only DMC professional to have been awarded both ADMEI's Rising Star award as well as the DMC industry's top individual honor: DMC Professional of the Year.

Beverly has earned the respect of her peers, clients, and vendors. Industry partner and friend, Gary Peto, Owner and General Manager of Shag Carper Prop Rentals, wholeheartedly agrees, "Her professionalism, leadership, and industry knowledge make her a shining light at Ultimate Ventures and for those of us fortunate enough to work alongside her. Ultimately, UV's clients reap the reward of her top-down leadership and communication skills."

Ultimate Ventures' President, Laurie Sprouse, followed up, "Beverly is an industry icon and so deserving of this honor. At our company, she has guided company culture, created teams, been integrally involved in business development, operated so many award-winning programs, maintained key client relationships, and has been critical to just about every facet of our business. It's impossible to sum up her contributions, but suffice it to say, we are so very grateful for her dedicated service to our company and the industry."

About Ultimate Ventures, a DMC Network Company

The destination experts at Ultimate Ventures (UV) have been bringing the best of Dallas-Fort Worth to life for 30 years. As the most awarded corporate event and destination management company in Texas, UV prides itself on providing a full range of services including special events, team-building, group tours/excursions, and transportation logistics. Recognized as the Best Meeting & Event Planning Company in Texas by Texas Meetings & Events magazine and as the only ADMEI accredited DMC (ADMC) in North Texas, our women-owned company gives our clients what they crave most: Time Savings, Expertise, and Peace of Mind. To learn more visit www.uvdmc.com.

Contact: Val Lenington

Vice President

T: 972-732-8433

E: [email protected]

W: www.uvdmc.com

SOURCE Ultimate Ventures
BLUE BELL, Pa., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) announced today that it will release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 financial results on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Unisys will host a conference call with the financial community on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results.

The company will offer a live, listen-only Webcast of the conference call on the Unisys Investor Website at www.unisys.com/investor. In addition, domestic callers can dial 1-844-695-5518 and international callers can dial 1-412-902-6749 and provide the following conference passcode: Unisys Corporation Call.

A replay of the Webcast will be available on the Unisys Investor Website shortly following the conference call. A replay will also be available by dialing 1-877-344-7529 for domestic callers or 1-412-317-0088 for international callers and entering access code 5843310 from two hours after the end of the call until March 9, 2023.

About Unisys

Unisys is a global technology solutions company that powers breakthroughs for the world's leading organizations. Our solutions  digital workplace; cloud, applications & infrastructure; enterprise computing; and business process  help our clients challenge the status quo and create new possibilities. To learn how we deliver breakthroughs for our clients, visit unisys.com.

Contacts:

Investors: Michaela Pewarski, Unisys, +1 215-274-1254

[email protected]

Media: Heather Gries, Unisys, +1 484-319-1404

[email protected]

RELEASE NO.: 0208/9897

Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

UIS-C

SOURCE Unisys Corporation
LAWRENCE, Kan., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite Private Networks (UPN), a leading provider of high-capacity, fiber-based communication networks, is pleased to announce a network expansion into Lawrence, Kansas.

The expansion will bring a total of 24 miles of high-count fiber to the Lawrence metro, delivering over 900 serviceable locations across the community. The network will connect back into UPN's core network in Kansas City, Missouri with dual 100 Gbps routes. This allows business and carrier customers access to dark fiber or dedicated lit services that are scalable from 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps, and a suite of other products powered by a low-latency carrier-grade, 100 percent fiber-optic network.

"Headquartered and founded in Kansas City, we're always eager to grow in serving the Midwest," said Michael Dillingham, Regional Vice President at Unite Private Networks. "As a college town adjacent to a large metro experiencing accelerated growth, Lawrence is poised to see its business community continue to thrive. We're looking forward to providing the critical infrastructure to support that growth, and to serving new customers."

"The Chamber welcomes Unite Private Networks to our business community. As a growing region, high-capacity communication is a priority to retain and attract talent to our workforce. This economic investment is exciting, and we look forward to working together," said Bonnie Lowe, President & CEO of the Lawrence Chamber.

About Unite Private Networks: UPN provides high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks and services to schools, governments, carriers, data centers, hospitals, and enterprise business customers across a 21-state service area. Service offerings include dark and lit fiber, private line, metro-optical Ethernet, Internet access, data center services, voice, and other customized solutions. Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, UPN has been providing customer focused communications solutions since 1998. For more information on UPN, please visit www.uniteprivatenetworks.com, or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Brandi Tubb

816-903-9400

[email protected]

SOURCE Unite Private Networks
Noteworthy railroad stations began brightening the American landscape by the 1870s. This issuance features five architectural gems that continue to play an important role in their communities: Tamaqua Station in Pennsylvania; Point of Rocks Station in Maryland; Main Street Station in Richmond, VA; Santa Fe Station in San Bernardino, CA; and Union Terminal in Cincinnati.

Just as the railroad represents progress and movement, railroad stations hold stories of industry and commerce, of migration and hope for the future, of reunions and goodbyes. They are gateways and crossroads where lives meet.

All five of the stations featured on these stamps are listed in the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places.

Derry Noyes served as art director for the project. Down the Street Designs designed and created the digital illustrations and typography.
Enables University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Connected Systems Institute to Expand Industry 4.0 Solutions With Private 5G Network

CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UScellular is delivering a high-performance private cellular network solution to expand the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's (UWM) Connected Systems Institute (CSI) manufacturing research facility to include private 5G technology. With UScellular's 5G private wireless network, the CSI research facility will connect their operations with 5G IoT sensors and controls.

The collaboration between UScellular and the UWM CSI lab is supported by technology from Ericsson and Rockwell Automation. It establishes a 5G private cellular network so that students, faculty, and industry partners can securely work together to develop, test and ideate on new solutions for Industry 4.0 manufacturing facilities to drive automation, intelligence, and control, while also upskilling and augmenting the Wisconsin workforce. This approach improves digital manufacturing leadership and accelerates the development of applications with advanced technologies. Initial use cases include connecting manufacturing facilities with sensors, Digital Twin, 5G 'infrastructure as a service' with security overlays, AR/VR and autonomous robotics.

"This is an incredible opportunity to bring our wireless expertise in private cellular networks to advance the vision in smart manufacturing developed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Connected Systems Institute," said Kim Kerr, senior vice president, enterprise sales and operations for UScellular. "This is an initial step toward maintaining Wisconsin's leadership in manufacturing. We're looking forward to seeing how our private cellular network can support additional growth and learning from the near real-time automation within the CSI lab."

UScellular is also providing private cellular network content to the Digital Manufacturing Leadership learning pathway course developed by CSI. The digital manufacturing curriculum includes in-person training and classroom education around concepts of supply chain, industrial internet of things (IIoT), and smart manufacturing to support continuing education in the industry.

"The Connected Systems Institute is a powerful partnership linking industry and academia. CSI plays a critical role in Wisconsin and beyond to accelerate innovation, develop a highly-skilled workforce and drive economic growth. UScellular's technology and investment in CSI allows us to advance research and business use cases while helping our students develop skillsets needed for Industry 4.0. UScellular has proven to be a valuable partner and there's much we can accomplish as we move forward together," said Mark Mone, UWM Chancellor.

The institute launched in November 2017 with a $1.7 million investment from Rockwell Automation to support talent development and research to solve real-world problems with industrial automation in commercial applications.

"The relationship will benefit the manufacturing industry in Wisconsin and across the country by creating an accelerator for small and medium manufacturers to adopt advanced technologies as well as upskill the workforce," said Andrew Ellis, vice president global portfolio engineering at Rockwell Automation. "UScellular brings leading edge 5G cellular technology to a manufacturing environment. The learning that will be achieved through the partnership at CSI will be a tremendous benefit to expanding smart manufacturing with private 5G networks both in Wisconsin and across the U.S."

Built on Ericsson's successful 4G and 5G radio and dual mode core technology, Ericsson Private 5G unlocks a wide variety of innovative use cases for both indoor and outdoor environments while easily integrating with business operations, devices and applications ensuring next level efficiencies of productivity, cost, and energy use.

"At Ericsson, we're excited to be part of the collaboration where UScellular and the University Wisconsin-Milwaukee Connected Systems Institute have worked to establish a strong 5G private cellular connection for students and professionals so they can continue innovating with cutting-edge technology," said David Green, vice president and key account manager, UScellular account for Ericsson North America. "5G brings incredible opportunity to equip the Wisconsin workforce to develop cutting edge technology and processes that will better the community and industry alike."

Information for how customers can take advantage of the expertise of UScellular is at Private Cellular Networks | UScellular for Business.

About UScellular Business

UScellular is the fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier provides a strong, reliable network supported by the latest technology and plays a critical role in helping businesses of all sizes navigate the wireless ecosystem, delivering advanced technology, increased network security and reliability. To learn more about UScellular's business solutions, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com/business.

About UWM

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has an ambitious mission as both a top-tier research university and an access institution, striving to ensure that students have equitable opportunities to earn a college degree. UWM educates a diverse student body of more than 24,000 students from 83 countries. About 35% of its undergraduates are first-generation college students. Its unique and top-rated programs include Wisconsin's only accredited schools of architecture and public health, the only North American school dedicated solely to freshwater sciences and a film program ranked among the top 50 in the world. It has the largest and top-rated online education program in Wisconsin. UW-Milwaukee partners with leading companies to conduct joint research, promote entrepreneurship, provide student internships and serve as an economic engine for southeastern Wisconsin. The Princeton Review named UW-Milwaukee a 2021 "Best Midwestern" university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews. https://uwm.edu/

For information on the Connected Systems Institute visit: https://uwm.edu/csi/

For more information, contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE UScellular
TEMPE, Ariz., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a Wednesday, February 1st decision, the US International Trade Commission (USITC) ruled in favor of BOLD Carts, an Arizona based vaporizer hardware and packaging manufacturer in a patent infringement investigation initiated by Shenzhen Smoore Technology, a Chinese Company. The USITC ruling concluded that BOLD has not violated the patents of Shenzen Smoore Technology, whose cartridges are sold under the brand name CCELL. Chief Administrative Law Judge Clark Cheney ruled that BOLD does not infringe on either of the two patents at the heart of the investigation. This initial judgment is subject to review by the full Commission as is standard practice. The ruling falls under Section 337 of the US Tariff Act of 1930.

About BOLD Carts

USITC Judge rules in favor of cannabis vape hardware leader BOLD Carts over CCELL in ITC patent case. Tweet this

BOLD, a leading vaporizer hardware and packaging manufacturer, provides the highest quality and most innovative technology combined with world class service and support to meet the needs of our customers in the plant-based oil industry. BOLD strives to set the standard in customer experience by providing customizable products to enhance flavor, taste and experience for the user. Learn more at www.boldcarts.com

Contact: Andrea Graziani, [email protected]

SOURCE BOLD
MADRID, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Digitalisation and new technologies continue to be key for the business and growth of many companies, especially in uncertain economic times as VASS has proved during 2022. As a result, the leading company in digital solutions has closed this year with a total revenue of 272 million euros (324 million on a proforma basis, including all acquisitions), achieving 20 percent year on year organic growth and 35 percent in total terms -considering inorganic growth-. 52 percent of the company's turnover has been generated abroad Spain, which represented 60 percent of the profit total growth.

This growth is due to VASS internationalisation vision, which aims to drive the company as a leading global player in digital transformation services and which has led it to be present in 26 countries in 4 continents.

"These numbers are possible thanks to our customers' trust as well as the excellent VASS team of professionals. This result is the culmination of an extraordinary year and the consolidation of the [email protected] plan initiated a year ago, our ambitious roadmap to strengthen our international presence and become one of the world's leading players in digital and technological solutions" says Francisco Javier Latasa, Chairman and CEO of VASS.

In order to continue to scale and grow internationally VASS began the year setting a new innovative global business model with 3 main markets, called GEOs, Spain; EMEA & APJ (Europe, Middle East and Africa - Asia Pacific and Japan) and the AMERICAs (North America and Latam). To lead these regions it has appointed three CEOs who will lead these areas: Eduardo Lorente (GEO Spain), Markus Bohme (GEO EMEA & APJ) and Alvaro Sanchez Pozuelo (GEO AMERICAs).

This new strategic phase of international consolidation, which begins this year, has been named 'VASS Global Play', where it is expected to set the roadmap to achieve a revenue of one billion euros in the coming years.

Under the "[email protected]" strategic plan, the company acquired a total of 5 companies in 2022. First, One Inside, a Swiss IT consulting company specialised in Adobe technology, with a strong focus on customer experience solutions. This was followed by the acquisition of Movetia, a Barcelona-based company and leader in the development of digital solutions for the finance and automotive verticals. Mexico-based Hexagon, which specialises in digital marketing solutions and services focused on customer targeting and customer analytics. The latest acquisitions in 2022 were: Zington, a prestigious Swedish technology and management consulting firm, and Intelygenz, a Spanish company that is a reference in Artificial Intelligence technologies and is specialised in automation solutions and services.

In just one year, the company's workforce - with a broad ecosystem of companies formed by NATEEVO, Serbatic, vdSHOP, T4S, in addition to the acquired companies - has grown 32 percent.

The acquisitions carried out, together with the ambitious new international expansion plan, strengthen VASS's objective of becoming a leader in the sector, following One Equity Partners' (OEP) taking a majority share with the objective of boosting the company's strategic growth plan. With these good results and following this new strategic plan "VASS GLOBAL PLAY", the company expects to close this year with a turnover of 400 million euros.

Media Contact:



Mail: [email protected]

Phone: +34 619649296

SOURCE VASS
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran Ventures Capital's ("Veteran Ventures") Veteran Fund I is proud to announce an investment into Asylon Robotics, Inc. ("Asylon"), the fastest growing, full-service, automated air and ground security robotics company in the United States. When the drone industry took off, Asylon's CEO, Damon Henry and his co-founders, who were Department of Defense (DoD) aerospace engineers, noticed a significant gap in the market. Asylon leverages the capabilities of drones, robots, software, and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide 24/7 robotic security operations. Aligned to Veteran Ventures thesis, Asylon employs Veterans throughout their executive and management teams, supporting U.S. government and private sector entities, to include the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, GXO, and Citizens Bank towards better managing and protecting their people, profits, and assets.

Asylon is the only full-service American robotic perimeter security company. Tweet this Asylon Robotics (PRNewsfoto/Veteran Ventures Capital)

Asylon's advanced and automated robotics systems act as significant force multipliers for streamlining security operations. The Asylon team consists of world class experts in the UAS, security, and robotics space, to include experience at Lockheed Martin, L3 Communications, Boeing Aerospace, Johns Hopkins University for Applied Physics Lab, UTC, Intelligent Drone Systems, Whitefox Defense Technologies, the U.S. Air Force, and MIT.

Veteran Ventures will work with Asylon towards further strengthening their Defense portfolio and non-dilutive funding opportunities as they continue to grow. Veteran Ventures' Founder and Managing Partner, Derren Burrell, stated, "We are extremely pleased to partner with Asylon as they lead the frontier of security automation for government and private sector customers."

About Veteran Ventures Capital, LLC

Veteran Ventures is a veteran-owned investment firm focused on investing in veteran entrepreneurs and leadership. Veteran Ventures recognizes the value of military experience, training, and character, providing success in all aspects of business growth and operations. For more information, please visit: www.veteranventures.us.

About Asylon Robotics, Inc

Asylon is the leading robotic perimeter security company in the U.S. Asylon partners with commercial and government entities to modernize traditionally inefficient security practices. By providing customers with the most advanced, American-made, robotic security technology, Asylon ensures their customers can protect their people, assets, and profits against threats. Asylon provides a customer experience that is second-to-none and is based in Philadelphia, PA. Learn more by visiting AsylonRobotics.com or stay connected with Asylon at LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Contact: Craig Jaques

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Veteran Ventures Capital
Dr. Castro will oversee the development and implementation of clinical protocol and policies and manage clinical staff

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ViTel Health, a leading telehealth-EHR and remote patient monitoring services platform provider, announces the addition of Harvey Castro, MD, MBA, FACEP, as the company's Chief Clinical Operations Officer. Dr. Castro will oversee the company's clinical operations, including developing and implementing clinical protocols and policies and managing clinical staff and resources.

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA, FACEP.

"We are fortunate to have Dr. Castro lead in the transformation of healthcare with a new healthcare delivery model that empowers physicians to take back control of healthcare, create physician autonomy, and truly provide personalized healthcare services to patients through the continuum of care with the best possible outcomes," said ViTel Health's CEO and founder, Doug Sumaraga.

Dr. Castro is a Board Certified Emergency Medicine physician and has owned and operated several concierge emergency clinics. He is the author of several books, including Success Reinvention, The Top 10 Mistakes that Stop You From Creating Success, and his latest release, ChatGPT in Healthcare: The Key to the New Future of Medicine. ViTel Health selected Dr. Castro because of his forward-thinking throughout his career, which aligns with ViTel's "Click 'n Mortar" proprietary patent pending directives.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to join such a forward-thinking and innovative company," Dr. Castro said. "I look forward to working with the talented team at ViTel Health to provide our providers and patients with the highest quality of service and care."

To learn more about ViTel Health and its telehealth/EHR services, RPM services, and more, please visit vitelhealth.com.

About ViTel Health

ViTel Health is designed with a singular philosophy: happy physicians, healthy patients. The ViTel Health platform empowers physicians to take control of their careers and provide better patient care. ViTel offers services in telehealth, electronic health records, worker's compensation, tele-physical therapy, remote patient monitoring, and chronic care management. To learn more, please visit vitelhealth.com.

Media Contact:

Doug Sumaraga

(415) 324-8808

[email protected]

SOURCE ViTel Health
Embrace state-of-the-art wireless connectivity, data collection, and data transfer capabilities all in one device.

TAIPEI, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Winmate Inc., the manufacturer of rugged tablets for field work, released two new rugged tablets, M101TG and M116TG, with Intel 11th generation processor Tiger Lake to meet the smart manufacturing demands of rugged solutions.

Tailored for industry needs

The Winmate ATEX panel PC offers full IP66 protection against dust and water, withstands vibration, and compliant with MIL-STD-810F standard requirements. Suitable for in-vehicle applications and in potentially explosive environments. All the I/O ports are covered by the cover with EX-Type brass cable glands M16/ M12 for maximum protection in wet and dusty operation conditions.

Building on a proven track record of success, the Winmate new M101TG and M116TG tablets feature various upgrades and enhancements over their predecessor to optimize productivity in remote and adverse environments. A powerful 11th Generation Intel quad-core i5 processor Tiger Lake delivers extraordinary performance, rapid responsiveness, and rich visuals, so the tablet can carry out multiple tasks simultaneously without slowing or overheating.

Powerful operational efficiency and communications

The M101TG and M116TG hand held tablets come with a hot-swappable battery to ensure full-shift operation, while the optical bonding technology on the panel enhances the sunlight-readable display with rain and glove touch capability to help maintain productivity in a variety of weather conditions. The tablets also have options of up to 32GB DDR4 SDRAM and 2TB storage to help customers prepare for future industry demands.

The optional 1D/2D barcode reader and HF RFID reader are available to speed up data collection. The 2 MP front camera and 8 MP rear camera deliver exceptionally high-quality photo/video capture, while dual digital microphones with noise cancellation filter out loud background noise for enhanced audio quality. Elsewhere, WLAN, BT, dedicated GPS, GLONASS, and an optional WWAN module offer rapid data transfer and location positioning capabilities in remote field locations.

Superior performance in field environments

The next-generation M101TG and M116TG have been designed with versatility at their core. Winmate's rugged solutions are dust-and-water-tight IP65 sealing, passed the MIL-STD 810H shock and vibration testing, and are operable in extreme temperatures. The tablets can be quickly and easily adapted to numerous real-world use cases via an extensive range of user modes and optional Winmate accessories, including vehicle and desk docks, hand straps, shoulder straps, dual bay battery chargers, and many more.

Winmate rugged tablets with Intel Tiger Lake processors are available in a variety of sizes to fit industrial needs:

M101TG: 10.1" Windows Rugged Tablet PC with Intel Core i5-1135G7

M116TG:11.6" Windows Rugged Tablet with Intel Core i5-1135G7

S101TG: 10.1" Windows Rugged Tablet with Intel Core i5-1135G7

Availability and support

At Winmate, we are committed to facing our customers' challenges alongside them to provide the right rugged tools to meet industry demands and empower your workforce. We pride ourselves on being one of the best industrial computer manufacturers in the market. We design and build the complete solution. For more product and service information, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at www.winmate.com/inquiry.

CONTACT: Vivian yeh, [email protected]; Winmate Marketing team, +886-2-8511-0288

SOURCE Winmate Inc.
Free Online Information Sessions February 13 and March 3 for Certificate Course for Professionals at all Levels

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Office of Executive Education at University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business will present "Workplace Negotiations: Unlocking Your Potential," a workshop-based professional certificate course on Thursday and Friday, March 9 and 10, 2023, at Smith's D.C. campus in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

Smith faculty experts Vijaya Venkataramani and Rellie Derfler-Rozin will lead participants through experiential exercises and real-life simulations covering a broad spectrum of workplace negotiation situations. The workshop runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

The program is designed for professionals at all levels seeking to negotiate more effectively  whether related to product pricing, partnership agreements or new employee job offers.

The mission of this course is to 1) Introduce executives and working professionals to key elements in preparing appropriately for different types of negotiation and 2) Practice with and understand how to apply negotiation concepts and frameworks to different negotiation contexts. The activities further are designed to bust the myth that good negotiators are born, not made.

There are no prerequisites for the workshop, which costs $1,995 and can be previewed in free information sessions, via Zoom, at 1 p.m. both Feb. 13 (register here) and March 3 (register here).

For more information and to register for the workshop, go to the Workplace Negotiations: Unlocking Your Potential homepage.

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: [email protected] or [email protected].

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
London/Ankara, Feb 8 : UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged the UK's "steadfast support" to Turkey in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A Downing Street spokeswoman on Tuesday said Sunak had also expressed his "deep condolences for the tragic loss of life" caused by the earthquake, BBC reported.

The latest death toll from the quake in Turkey now stands at 5,894, while the figure over the border in Syria is 1,932.

"The Prime Minister confirmed that a 77-strong British search and rescue team arrived in Gaziantep today with specialist equipment and dogs, in response to a request from the Turkish government, and will immediately start work assisting with the rescue effort," the spokeswoman said.

"President Erdogan thanked the Prime Minister for the UK's solidarity in response to this tragedy and welcomed international search and rescue and medical support for the initial emergency response." "The Prime Minister also noted the deeply concerning humanitarian situation over the border in north-west Syria, where Turkey plays an important co-ordinating role, and set out how the UK has increased support to aid organisations and emergency responders."
New Delhi, Feb 8 : He met him for the first time at an event. Slowly, a deep relationship developed -- he became like a brother, also like a father -- recalls author Arvind Mandloi, who has written 'Jadunama: Javed Akhtar's Journey' (Amaryllis) in Hindi, which has also been translated into English by Rakshanda Jalil.

The book is not just about a writer, poet, lyricist and political activist but also delves deep into his struggle since childhood to become what he is today. While Akhtar was named 'Jadu' at birth (thus the title of the book), which was later changed, Mandloi has spoken to several people whose lives Akhtar has touched -- Gulzar, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar to bring forth a narrative much beyond his artistic achievements.

Indore-based Mandloi, who barely finished primary school (grade V) spent almost four years researching and meeting people before writing the book.

"During my initial meetings with Akhtar, I realised that the person we see from the outside is very different. He looks at the world and sees people from a very different and enigmatic angle." Initially, the author told the poet that he just wanted to do a series of interviews, but the latter soon realised that he was doing something elaborate.

"I eventually told him that I had spoken to several people in his life, and was planning a book. He could not believe it. In fact, the publisher was quite enthusiastic and we decided to release it in Hindi and English. The book's second edition is coming out in its second month," says Mandloi.

Recalling that everyone in Akhtar's circle he approached was accommodating and gave him enough time for long conversations, the author says, "They talked about the contributions Akhtar has made to their lives. I was surprised to see that so many people giving him credit to several substantial things in their careers and personal lives. It was a revelation how he changed people's lives and the way he maintains relationships," says this author, who runs a business and stresses that he did not let lack of education come in between life and him.

"Reading diverse poets introduced me to different facets of life. I derive strength and energy from words." Adding that Akhtar's philosophy and the way he lives his life will always be an inspiration for him, Mandloi says, "If he did not get into cinema, he would have a lot more for the world than he already has." (Sukant Deepak can be reached at sukant.d@ians.in)
Ankara/Damascus, Feb 8 : As desperate searches continue to find more survivors under the rubble in both Turkey and Syria, the death toll from the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the two nations earlier this week has increased to 7,926, authorities have confirmed.

In an address to the nation early Wednesday, Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay said at least 5,894 people have been confirmed dead so far, while 34,810 others were injured, CNN reported.

A total 16,139 teams were currently continuing with the search and rescue operations, with additional international teams to be deployed in the coming days, he added.

In Syria, the death toll has increased to 2,032.

In its latest update, the Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, said the number of fatalities in rebel-held areas in northwest Syria stood at 1,220 and the number of injured people rose to 2,600.

Those figures are "expected to rise significantly due to the presence of hundreds of families under the rubble", CNN quoted the group as saying.

"Our teams continue search and rescue operations amid difficult circumstances," it said, describing a tally of more than 400 collapsed buildings, more than 1,300 partially collapsed buildings and thousands of others that were damaged by the early morning quake.

According to Syria's state news agency SANA, at least 812 deaths were confirmed in government-controlled parts of the country.

Freezing weather conditions are further endangering survivors and complicating rescue efforts, as more than 100 aftershocks have struck the region since the initial tremor on Monday.

More than 60 countries have pledged support and sent humanitarian aid to the affected regions, while there are about 20 international government search and rescue teams on the ground presently.

The devastating 7.8 tremor struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4.17 a.m. on Monday morning, which was followed by a 6.4-magnitude temblor a few minutes later in Gaziantep province.

The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake was 23 km east of Nurdagi in Gaziantep, at a depth of 24.1 km, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

At around 1.30 p.m, a third 7.5-magnitude tremor hit Kahramanmaras, which officials said was "not an aftershock".

Turkey's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest loss of lives, while Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus also felt the tremor.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday in 10 of the country's hard-hit provinces.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Washington, Feb 8 : The US Navy has released photos of debris of the suspected Chinese spy balloon which was shot down by an American F-22 fighter jet over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4.

The photos were published on Tuesday by the US Fleet Forces Command on its social media handles.

The balloon was retrieved off the coast of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina a day after it was shot down, the BBC reported.

According to the Navy, the balloon's debris was spread over 11 km of the Atlantic Ocean, and two naval ships were sent to the area.

The photos showed the piles of balloon material being pulled aboard by hand.

According to the US Fleet Forces Command, the sailors retrieving the debris on Sunday were part of the Navy's specialist explosives team.

The debris were now being sent to an FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis to see whether it was indeed spy equipment, reports CNN.

On Monday, Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), told reporters that the balloon was roughly 200 feet tall and carried a payload portion comparable in size to regional airliners and weighing hundreds, or potentially thousands of pounds.

US defence officials first announced they were tracking the "strange object" on February 2, and waited until it was safely over water before shooting it down.

The discovery of the balloon set off a diplomatic crisis, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately calling off a weekend trip to China -- which would be the first such high level US-China meeting there in years -- over the "irresponsible act".

On Tuesday, US officials said the Pentagon sought to arrange a phone call between Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart after the balloon was shot down, but was rebuffed by Beijing, reports the BBC.

"Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this," defence press secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the PRC (People's Republic of China) has declined our request." China had admitted ownership of the balloon on Monday, saying it was used for flight tests and had "seriously deviated" from its flight course "by mistake".

"China is a responsible country. We have always strictly abided by international law. We have informed all relevant parties and appropriately handled the situation, which did not pose any threats to any countries," CNN quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning as saying to reporters.

On February 3, the Pentagon had said a second Chinese spy balloon had been spotted -- this time over Latin America with reported sightings over Costa Rica and Venezuela.

Colombia's Air Force says an identified object -- believed to be a balloon -- was detectedin the country's airspace at above 55,000ft.

It says it followed the object until it left the airspace, adding that it did not represent a threat to national security.
Lucknow, Feb 8 : The demand to rename Lucknow as Lakshmanpuri has been revived with BJP MP Sangam Lal Gupta raising it.

Sangam Lal Gupta has written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to rename Lucknow to either 'Lakhanpur' or 'Lakshmanpuri.' In May 2022, Yogi Adityanath's tweet that referred to Lucknow as the city of Lakshman to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gained much traction.

"Seshavatar bhagwan Sri Lakshmanji ki pawan nagri Lucknow mein aapka hardik swagat va abhinandan (warm welcome on your arrival in Lucknow, the land of lord Lakshman)," Yogi had tweeted then.

The BJP MP has said in his letter, "As per ancient belief, Lord Ram had gifted Lucknow to Lakshman ji and had since been named after him as 'Lakhanpur' or 'Lakshmanpur' but in 18th century, the then nawab Asaf-ud-Daula renamed it as Lucknow and that is how it is known since. Now that the country has entered Amrit Kaal, this symbol of slavery needs to be done away with." Meanwhile, a large, bronze statue of Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Ram, was placed outside Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport though it is yet to be formally unveiled.

The bronze statue, designed by Statue of Unity fame sculptor Ram Sutar, has been installed at a roundabout just outside the park in its surroundings. The installation has happened days before the Global Investors' Summit scheduled in Lucknow from February 10 to 12 and the G20 summit meetings scheduled from February 13 to 15.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will reply to the motion of thanks on the President's Address to Parliament.

The opposition on Tuesday led by Rahul Gandhi attacked the government and the Prime Minister.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his Lok Sabha speech brought up the Adani controversy. He alleged that the Central government was favouring only one corporate, Adani Group, 'who gets all the contracts, including the overseas ones'.

"Earlier he used to travel in Adani's aircraft and now Adani travels with Modiji in his aircraft. First the matter was limited to Gujarat then the country and now he has become international," Gandhi said on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.

He alleged, "The Prime Minister went to Australia and by magic, SBI gave a $1 billion loan to Adani. The PM goes to Bangladesh and then the power development board of the country signs a 25-year contract with Adani." "How much money Adani gave to the BJP in the last 20 years," Rahul Gandhi asked.
Brussels, Feb 8 : Flags of the 30 NATO member states at the military alliance's headquarters in Brussels flew at half-staff to honour the nearly 8,000 people who lost their lives in the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the two nations earlier this week.

In a Twitter post on Tuesday, the 30-member alliance, of which Turkey is a member, said: "All flags at NATO Headquarters are at half-mast today in solidarity with our ally Turkey." NATO also outlined its contributions to relief efforts.

"Over 1,400 emergency response personnel from more than twenty NATO allies and partners, including invitees Finland and Sweden, are deploying to Turkey, helping to respond to the devastating earthquakes which struck the country," the post read.

On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had said that he was in contact with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, adding that "NATO allies are mobilising support now".

NATO and its partners are providing assistance to Turkey through seismic experts, search and rescue teams with dogs, freighters, structural engineers, and medical personnel and supplies, according to an official statement.

As of Wednesday morning, Turkey has reported a total of 5,894 deaths with 34,810 injured, while Syria's toll has increased to 2,032, with nearly 3,000 injured persons.

The devastating 7.8 tremor struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4.17 a.m. on Monday morning, which was followed by a 6.4-magnitude temblor a few minutes later in Gaziantep province.

At around 1.30 p.m, a third 7.5-magnitude tremor hit Kahramanmaras.
Mathura : , Feb 8 (IANS) In yet another case of hit-and-drag, a speeding car dragged a 25-year-old man's body for almost 11 km on the Yamuna Expressway before stopping near a Mathura toll block.

According to the police, the car was going towards Noida from Agra when the body of the man, stuck on the left side rear wheel, caught the attention of security personnel at a toll booth in Mant area in Mathura.

Police recovered the badly mangled body parts and sent it for post-mortem.

Additional superintendent of police, Trigun Bisen, said: "The victim has been identified as Rijpal Singh a resident of Urenga village under the jurisdiction of Bakewar police station of Etawah district. He used to work as a driver with a private courier company in Delhi and met with the accident while returning to his native place on Tuesday." He added: "The accused, Virendra Singh, who was driving a car with a Delhi registration number, is being interrogated. CCTV cameras on the expressway are also being examined." During questioning, the accused told the police that "due to dense fog, visibility on the expressway was low. Hence, the man who had met with an accident got stuck with the car." Following a preliminary investigation, police found blood stains near milestone 106 of the expressway, which is around 11 km away from the toll plaza where the car was spotted.

SHO (Mant) Pradeep Kumar Yadav said: "The accident is likely to have occurred near milestone 106. We are trying to ascertain whether the victim was hit by the car in question or some other vehicle as the front part of the car did not have any signs of damage on it. On the basis of the complaint received from the victim's family, an FIR is being registered."
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MP K. Keshav Rao has moved notice for suspension of business in the Rajya Sabha to discuss the Adani issue under rule 267.

While the House is discussing the motion of thanks on President's Address, the BRS move is likely to disrupt the House proceedings.

Congress MP Manish Tewari has also moved adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha on the Chinese transgressions issue. Tewari has been moving notices on the China-LAC issue but the chair has disallowed them.

In the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister is going to reply to the motion of thanks on the President's Address where the debate was initiated by BJP MP C.P. Joshi on Tuesday.
Damascus, Feb 8 : A UN joint statement has said that nearly 70 per cent of the population was in need of humanitarian assistance even before the massive 7.8-magnitude quake struck the country devastated by the 12-year prolonged crisis.

The statement was issued on Tuesday by the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Syria, El-Mostafa Benlamlih, and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Muhannad Hadi.

"We express our sincere condolences to the victims' families and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. We stand in solidarity with the people of Syria and Turkey during this time of need. Urgent support is needed to be able to respond to all those who have been affected in this terrible tragedy," Benlamlih was quoted as saying.

Syria's ongoing crisis has destroyed much of its public infrastructure and left millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance.

The war-torn nation is also grappling with an economic collapse and a severe water, electricity and fuel shortages, said the statement.

"We appeal to all donor partners to provide the assistance necessary to alleviate suffering," said Hadi.

"This tragedy will have a devastating impact on many already vulnerable families who struggle to provide for their loved ones on a daily basis," he added.

The UN and humanitarian partners have said that they are currently focusing on immediate needs, including food, shelter, non-food items and medicine.

In Syria, at least 2,032 people have died and another 3,849 people have been injured as a result of the devastating earthquake that struck on Monday.

Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama, Idlib and Tartus were the most affected.
Los Angeles, Feb 8 : Hollywood star Tom Cruise is reportedly putting his film projects on hold to attend the coronation of King Charles.

The British monarch will be coronated in London on May 6, and Cruise will pause filming for the new 'Mission: Impossible' movie in order to attend the historic event, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

A source explained: "Tom has been invited to King Charles' coronation and there is no way he would have ever turned it down.

"It is a hugely prestigious event and Tom is a real royalist - plus he is now close with Prince William and Kate. Tom has told film bosses to shut down the production on 'Mission: Impossible' over the coronation weekend to make sure he can attend." Cruise's decision has shocked the production staff working on the new 'Mission: Impossible' movie.

But the film star is determined to attend the event.

The insider told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre: "It shocked some people on the film, as Tom is so dedicated to his craft and would never normally deviate from his intense production schedules." "But something as important - and grand - as King Charles's coronation is something he would not want to miss out on." "It is a huge thing for Tom to be invited and he is honoured."
Kiev, Feb 8 : A top Ukrainian official has said that Russian troops were being sent to the war-torn nation's eastern region as part of an offensive planned by Moscow on February 15.

On Tuesday, Serhiy Haidai, Governor of the eastern Luhansk region, said that "we are seeing more and more reserves being deployed in our direction", reports the BBC.

Almost a year into Moscow's ongoing invasion, an estimated 300,000 Russian reserve troops have been recruited in recent months in an attempt to break through Ukraine's front lines in the east.

Capturing the key city of Bakhmut could enable Russian forces to press on towards the bigger cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

Haidai further claimed that the Russians' two-month training period was coming to an end and Moscow would need around 10 days to transfer them to the front for a new offensive.

He suggested that in Luhansk region they would target the three towns of Bilohorivka, Kreminna and Svatove, the BBC reported.

The Governor's claims comes as Ukraine has been warning of an imminent Russian offensive that could begin on February 24, marking the first anniversary of Moscow's invasion.
Ankara/Damascus, Feb 8 : At least 8,326 people have now been confirmed dead and nearly 40,000 injured following the devastating 7.8-magnitude quake that stuck Turkey and Syria earlier this week, with aid agencies saying that the figures could significantly rise as many people still remain trapped under the rubble.

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said the death toll in the country currently stood at 5,894, while the number of injured persons spiked to 34,810, reports Anadolu News Agency.

"The loss of every citizen deeply saddens us," Oktay told reporters, adding that authorities are continuing their rescue efforts to reach out to survivors.

As many as 5,775 buildings collapsed, he said, adding that more than 8,000 people have been rescued from the rubble of the buildings.

In its latest update, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said that total of 60,218 emergency officials are working in the affected-areas, including 3,200 personnel from 65 countries.

In Syria, the death toll has increased to 2,470, Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying.

Of the overall fatalities, 1,250 were reported in government-controlled areas and 1,220 in rebel-held regions of the war-torn nation.

The regions of Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama, Idlib and Tartus were the hardest-hit.

More than 60 countries have pledged support and sent humanitarian aid to the affected regions in the two nations, while there are about 20 international government search and rescue teams on the ground presently.

Freezing weather conditions are further endangering survivors and complicating rescue efforts, as more than 100 aftershocks have struck the region since the initial tremor on Monday.

In Turkey, rescue workers were scattered across the vast quake-hit zone, which covers 10 provinces which are home to around 13.5 million people.

But as the quakes have also seriously disrupted the zone's infrastructure, making highways and roads inaccessible, some cities were left mostly unattended.

In Gaziantep, Adiyaman and Malatya, three provinces hit by the quakes, survivors took shelter in community centres where they were given blankets and food, television channels reported.

Mosques in the region were also opened to provide shelter.

The World Health Organization has warned that the death toll in the two countries could end up surpassing 20,000.

The earthquake-stricken region in Turkey is also home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their homeland.

The devastating 7.8 tremor struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4.17 a.m. on Monday morning, which was followed by a 6.4-magnitude temblor a few minutes later in Gaziantep province.

The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake was 23 km east of Nurdagi in Gaziantep, at a depth of 24.1 km, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

At around 1.30 p.m, a third 7.5-magnitude tremor hit Kahramanmaras, which officials said was "not an aftershock".

Turkey's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest casualties, while Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus also felt the tremor.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday in the 10 provinces.

Turkey is also is observing a seven-day period of national mourning.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hyderabad, Feb 8 : Leaders of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday filed police complaints and the ruling party has called for protests against Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy over his remark concerning the Chief Minister.

Reddy had said that "even if Maoists blow up the official residence of the chief minister with explosives it would be of little consequence as it was of no use to the people".

The complaints were filed in Mulugu and Narasmpet police stations. The BRS leaders expressed doubts that there could be a conspiracy behind Revanth Reddy's remarks.

The complainants alleged that the Congress leader gave a call to Maoists to blow up Pragati Bhavan as a conspiracy to endanger the life of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Telangana Pradesh Congress committee (TPCC) president Revanth Reddy had made the controversial remarks on Tuesday in Mulugu district during his ongoing Hath Se Haath Jodo padayatra.

Revanth Reddy, who is also a member of the Lok Sabha, alleged that Chief Minister KCR was indifferent to the woes of the people as he was barricaded by the walls of the Pragati Bhavan. He went on to add that even if Maoists blow up Pragati Bhavan, it would make no difference as it was of no use to the people.

"What use is a structure built with hundreds of crores when the chief minister is indifferent to the sufferings of the people as long as he is inside it? If it is of no use to the public," he asked.

Alleging that hundreds of crores of public money was spent to build Pragati Bhavan, he asked why Pragati Bhavan is home to KCR family.

Meanwhile, the BRS has also called for protests against Revanth Reddy. The party has called up on its cadres to set afire the effigies of the Congress leader during the protests.

BRS MLA P. Sudershan Reddy said large-scale protests would be held in Narasmpet constituency on Wednesday. He said Revanth Reddy's effigies would be burnt and the protesters would also take out his mock funeral processions.

The BRS leader said an MP calling for blowing up the Pragati Bhavan is highly condemnable. "Congress party which banned Maoists should respond to the statement of its own leader calling upon Maoists to blow up the official residence of the chief minister," he said.

The MLA demanded that a case under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act should be booked against Revanth Reddy and he should be sent to jail.

Sudershan Reddy also demanded the Congress party to remove Revanth Reddy as the MP and suspend him from the party.
Seoul, Feb 8 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the barracks of the country's general-grade officers together with his daughter to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the armed forces, Pyongyang's state media said on Wednesday.

In a speech at a banquet on Tuesday following his visit, Kim praised the Korean People's Army (KPA) as "the strongest troops in the world", according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"For the everlasting peace, prosperity and development on this land, we've developed great and absolute power while enduring so many sufferings and pain," Kim said, apparently pointing to the North's nuclear force.

Photos released by the KCNA on Wednesday showed Kim's apparent second child, Ju-ae, sitting between her father and mother Ri Sol-ju at the banquet table, surrounded by ranking military officers for a photo shoot, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Kim revealed his daughter to the outside world in November 2022, as Pyongyang's state-controlled media released photos showing them attending the test-firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile.

The state media called Ju-ae the leader Kim's "respected" daughter, changing its previous manner of naming her as his "beloved" daughter.
Bengaluru, Feb 8 : The flight operation at the KempeGowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAL) will be affected in the backdrop of Aero India Show 2023 scheduled to be held between February 13 and 17. The authorities have announced that the flight services will be partially suspended for 10 days from Wednesday ahead of the 14th edition of the show.

The show will be held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru and the preparations are in full swing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Bengaluru to inaugurate the spectacular international show of metal birds.

"There will be partial air space closure during Aero India 2023 impacting commercial flight schedules between 08 -17 February, 2023," the official announcement of KIAL stated. The passengers have been asked to look into the official portal to know more about the flight schedules.

The KIAL has announced airspace closure timings and for queries on revised, changed flight schedule, passengers are asked to get connected to their respective airline. "We request all passengers travelling through Bengaluru airport during this period to plan the travel time accordingly," the statement said.

The Bengaluru airport flight operation would be closed for rehearsals between 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on February 8. On February 12 it will remain closed from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the same reason.

On February 13, flight operations will be closed between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. for the inauguration ceremony and Air Display. On February 14 and 15, the Bengaluru airport would be closed for Air Display between 12 p.m. to 2.30 p.m.

On February 16 and 17, the flight operations will be suspended from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m for Air Display.
Aurangabad/Mumbai, Feb 8 : The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday reacted angrily to an "attack" targeting former Minister and MLA Aditya Thackeray during his visit to Aurangabad.

Top Sena (UBT) leaders like MP Sanjay Raut, Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve, spokesperson Kishore Tiwari, Aurangabad leader Chandrakant Khaire, and others have strongly condemned the incident.

Party leaders said that Aditya Thackeray's convoy was pelted with stones as it was passing through Mahalgaon village late Tuesday night during his ongoing 'Shivsamvad Yatra' in several districts, and a huge crowd of aggressive miscreants attempted to lay siege to his car.

While Aditya and Danve have pointed fingers at the 'traitors' -- referring to the ruling Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) activists for the incident, Khaire alleged that a local prominent leader of the ruling alliance had hired goons to perpetrate the attack in front of the local police team which did not rush to control the threatening mob.

Raut said it was fortunate that there were no casualties in the attack but called upon the state government to ensure that such incidents do not occur in future against any political leaders.

Slamming the government, Tiwari said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his supporters are rattled by Aditya's challenge for a face-to-face electoral contest against him in Thane or Worli Assembly seats and the attack was intended to "silence and suppress" the Sena (UBT) youth leader.

Meanwhile, the Sena (UBT) has also sent a letter to the state DGP and others highlighting the incident and demanding adequate security for Thackeray Jr., while former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to speak on the issue later this afternoon.

Hours later, the Maharashtra Police is understood to have provided an additional cover to the Sena (UBT) leader, though the state government has not yet commented on the developments.
Chennai, Feb 8 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will hit the campaign trail for the Erode East bypoll on February 24.

The election to the Assembly seat will take place on February 27.

The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance has fielded senior Congress leader and former Union Minister, E.V.K.S. Elangovan for the election, while its principal rival, the AIADMK-led NDA front, has fielded former Minister K.V. Thenarasu.

The by-election was necessitated following the demise of sitting legislator, E. Thirumahan Everaa on January 4.

The deceased legislator is the son of the Congress candidate, EVKS Elangovan.

With both the DMK and AIADMK taking this as a prestige fight, sparks are bound to fly in the election.

Congress leader E. Thirumahan Everaa won the seat in the 2021 Assembly elections by a margin of 8,924 votes.

MNM founder leader and South Indian megastar, Kamal Haasan has extended his support to the Congress candidate.

The AMMK of TTV Dhinakaran and the OPS faction of the AIADMK had fielded candidates but have withdrawn now.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Delhi Police have arrested a man for smuggling illegal liquor from Haryana to the national capital and recovered 5,000 bottles of alcohol from his possession, an official said on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old accused has been identified as Dharmender, a resident of Sonepat, Haryana.

According to M Harsha Vardhan, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), specific inputs were received on Monday that that Dharmender, who uses Tata tempo vehicle to transport the illegal liquor from Haryana to Delhi. will cross Najafgarh Firni, carrying a huge quantity of alcohol.

"Acting on the inputs, a trap was laid down by the police team in Najafgarh area and the accused was nabbed," said the DCP.

On checking the tempo, it was found loaded with 100 cartons of illegal liquor which contained the bottles.

"A case under section 33/38/58D Excise Act was registered at Najafgarh police station and further investigation is going on," said the official.
Junagadh : , Feb 8 (IANS) A sadhu was arrested from the Bilkha area here on charges of attempting to murder a sadhvi, police said on Wednesday.

The arrest was made by the Junagadh city police on Tuesday night.

Police Sub Inspector M.C. Chudasama told media, "On Tuesday evening, accused Shivgiri Naga Sadhu was quarreling with other sadhus in the Bhavnath area, where sadhus from across the country have started reaching as Maha Shivrati is approaching. Seeing the trouble Sadhvi Jayshreeka Nandgiri tried to intervene as she is also the local head of Juna Akhada.

"Later accused Shivgiri Naga sadhu attacked her with a sword. When the sadhvi screamed for help, other sadhus rushed to the spot. Shivgiri fled from the crime scene. Police increased patrolling and interception on roads from the city, and finally caught Shivgiri from Bilkha area," said the officer.
Los Angeles, Feb 8 : Actor Brendan Fraser joined Howard Stern's talk show and continued to sound off on the Golden Globes, which he did not attend this year despite being nominated for best actor in a motion picture drama thanks to his performance in Darren Aronofsky's 'The Whale'.

Austin Butler won the category for 'Elvis'. Fraser has accused Philip Berk, former president and member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, of groping him at a 2003 luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Fraser revealed the alleged assault in a 2018 GQ interview. Berk later disputed Fraser's allegations, reports Variety.

During his interview with Howard Stern, Fraser said that Butler's Globes win for 'Elvis' was "well deserved" and a "big win for him." He added that he had no interest in winning the prize himself.

"I found myself wondering is this a cynical nomination," Fraser said.

"I couldn't really tell because of my history with them and that I still have yet to see the results from their reformation. We all are still awaiting that, to tell you the truth. What does matter is that it would mean nothing to me. I don't want it. I didn't ask to be considered even, that was presumed." Fraser continued: "They needed me, I didn't need them. Because it wouldn't be meaningful to me. Where am I gonna put that hood ornament? What would I do with that?" When asked if he felt other actors should have joined him in not going to the Globes, Fraser responded: "It's my fight, no one else's. I don't need everyone to stand in solidarity with me. Maybe. But, you know, it would be a leap of faith for whoever that would be. It would be a calculated risk and it could also be trivialised very easily by the cynical view of this all." "I honestly don't even wanna think about it that much because it's not that important to me," Fraser continued about the Globes. "And the good news is, they did something important in that broadcast and it changed my thinking about them: they put Zelenskyy front and centre. They let him have the stage, and that's a powerful statement and something I can get behind and support." Fraser confirmed to GQ magazine in November that he would be skipping the Globes, saying at the time: "No, I will not participate. It's because of the history that I have with them. And my mother didn't raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that." For his performance in 'The Whale', Fraser is nominated for the Academy Award for best actor.
Modinagar, Feb 8 : Thirteen youths were arrested for creating ruckus and disturbing traffic on the Delhi-Meerut road and the police have also seized two vehicles in connection.

In a statement on Tuesday, Modinagar ACP Ritesh Tripathi said that police teams were sent to the spot after receiving information of the incident.

Tripathi added that the police had to chase the accused persons before arresting them.

All the arrested youths are residents of Bulandshahr and were in the area to attend a wedding in Modinagar.

A video of the act went viral on social media.

Tripathi apprised that the arrested were issued challans under sections of breach of peace and traffic obstruction.
Rome, Feb 8 : Juventus eventually righted the ship with a 3-0 win away to Salernitana, as Dusan Vlahovic ended his goal drought by bagging a brace while his compatriot Filip Kostic added another.

Juve are in deep trouble as they have been docked 15 points for inflating transfer fees to boost gains and only collected one point in the last three Serie A games. Vlahovic started upfront to form an attacking trident with Kostic and Angel Di Maria, while Fabio Miretti got the nod in the middle of the park, reports Xinhua news agency.

The away side broke the deadlock in the 26th minute when Miretti was tripped down in the box, and Vlahovic stepped up to convert it.

Juve doubled the lead before half-time as Salernitana's poor clearance went for Vlahovic, whose wayward attempt turned into an assist for Kostic to tap it in from a close range.

Vlahovic sealed the win straight after the break as substitute Nicolo Fagioli threaded through for the Serbian to complete the scoresheet.

Despite the win, Juve are still struggling in the 10th place with 26 points, 13 points off fourth-placed Lazio.
Patna, Feb 8 : A miscreant tore the screen of a cinema hall in Bihar's Bettiah to protest against Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan' movie.

The incident happened during the evening show (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.) on Tuesday in Lal Talkies located in Chanpatia block of the district.

The accused along with one of his friends fled soon after committing the crime. Local police have arrested two of the accused's friends.

The police said that four youths went to Lal talkies to watch the movie. While the movie was underway, one of the youths went near the screen and cut it with the help of a knife. Following the incident, huge chaos occurred in the theatre.

The operators of the theatre cancelled the show. Those present in the hall nabbed two of the culprit's friends and handed them over to the local police.

"We are currently quizzing the arrested persons to identify the main accused. He is at large," said an officer of the Chanpatia police station.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 8 : Two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is responding well to the medicines and recovering from pneumonia, said a medical bulletin issued by hospital on Wednesday.

Chandy has responded well to the medicines and has started interacting with his family and medical professionals, the bulletin added.

He was admitted to a leading hospital on the outskirts of the state capital city on Monday with fever after his younger brother Alex V. Chandy and 41 others expressed concern over the treatment protocol of Chandy and sought the urgent intervention of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Chandy, who is suffering from throat cancer, has been undergoing treatment for the past few years. Chandy, who was recently being treated at a Bengaluru hospital and had returned on January 1, was supposed to return, but according to his younger brother, further treatment was denied and the leader was not taken to Bengaluru.

Veteran Congress leader A.K. Antony met Chandy at his home after which the ailing leader was rushed to the hospital.

After Vijayan's intervention, State Health Minister Veena George visited the hospital and interacted with the doctors attending on Chandy and a seven-member expert panel of doctors formed by the state government.

Since then, the expert medical team was frequently interacting with the private hospital's medical team.

The official spokesperson at the hospital told media that a decision on shifting Chandy to another speciality hospital will be taken later.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the offices of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor and the pro-tem presiding officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), MCD commissioner on a petition filed by AAP's mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi for urgent holding of the mayoral elections.

Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, representing the petitioner, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud that though elections were to be conducted in December last year, the situation at present is that no election has been conducted for mayor, deputy mayor, and the members of the standing committee.

He further emphasized that Article 243R of the Constitution states that nominated members cannot be allowed to vote, therefore allowing nominated members to vote in the election to the posts is unconstitutional.

The top court noted Singhvi's contention that according to Section 76 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act that mayor or in his absence the deputy mayor have to preside on every meeting of the corporation, and the simultaneous holding of elections for three posts -- mayor, deputy mayor, and standing committee members -- is contrary to the statute.

The bench, Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, said: "Issue notice, returnable on Monday".

The plea sought summoning of the MCD House within a week, no adjournment of proceedings till completion of the mayoral elections, declaration that nominated members are not entitled to vote in mayoral elections, etc.

After the Delhi Municipal House was adjourned for the third time on Monday without electing a mayor, AAP leader Atishi said the party will move the Supreme Court and seek the conduct of the polls within a week to ten days under its supervision.

Atishi, while addressing a press briefing, had said, "The Aam Aadmi Party is going to the Supreme Court today. We will appeal to the apex court that the MCD elections should be held within one week to ten days under their supervision. Satya Sharma arbitrarily adjourned the House indefinitely." She said, "We will also challenge the BJP's decision to give the voting rights to the aldermen. AAP has a majority with 134 out of 250 elected members.

Both the BJP and AAP have traded charges in connection with the prevention of the mayoral polls. The bone of contention is the appointment of aldermen and their voting right in the House.

The AAP has alleged that the BJP was trying to steal its mandate by giving voting rights to the nominated members.

Oberoi had previously moved the apex court to ensure mayoral election in Delhi in a time-bound manner but when the election was scheduled for February 6, the plea was withdrawn.

Last week, the apex court had noted that the election had been notified and granted her liberty to come back in case of any grievances.

The mayoral election was first scheduled for January 6, but the House was adjourned following a scuffle between the councillors of the BJP and the AAP. Then a session was convened on January 24 to elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor and members of the Standing Committee.
Mumbai, Feb 8 : Actor Vatsal Sheth, who hails from Gujarat, has now signed a multi-film deal with a renowned Gujarati producer. He said that carving a niche in your home ground industry is always special.

Talking about the same Vatsal said: "Yes it's happening and I am excited for it. Gujarat is my home ground and growing up I had always wanted to do something here, and now when it's finally happening I can't wait for everyone to witness it." "We as team are putting in immense efforts in making this happen. I have always known the language, the people, the culture and it feels incredible to carve my niche in my home ground industry." On the work front, Vatsal's next release will be 'Adipurush' with Prabhas where he plays Indrajit.
Hyderabad, Feb 8 : The Telangana High Court on Wednesday declined to hear an interim petition by the Telangana government seeking suspension of the single judge's order to transfer the investigation into the MLAs poaching case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The state government had sought a stay on December 26, 2022 order for three weeks facilitating it to move the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan made it clear that since the matter was heard and disposed of by the division bench, it can't be taken up again by the court and that the order can be challenged only in the Supreme Court.

Advocate General B. S. Prasad brought to the notice of the Chief Justice that the CBI is pressurising for case file. He submitted that the CBI wrote to the Chief Secretary again on Tuesday for case file.

The Advocate General approached the Chief Justice for permission a day after Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy made the suggestion when the interim petition came up before him on Tuesday.

It was on December 26 that Vijaysen Reddy had pronounced his order, handing over the case to the CBI. He had also quashed the Government Order (GO) constituting Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case relating to the alleged attempt to poach four legislators of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

The single judge had pronounced the order on the petitions filed by the accused priest Ramchandra Bharati, pontiff Simhayaji, and restaurant owner Nandu Kumar that they did not have faith in the SIT investigation.

The judge had also observed that the media should not have been given access to investigation material. He also noted that the state has not responded to the question who provided the Chief Minister with investigative materials.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji on February 6 dismissed the petition of the state government challenging the order of the single judge transferring the case to the CBI.

The division bench ruled that the single judge bench's order can't be faulted and interfered with.

The three accused were arrested by Cyberabad police from a farmhouse at Moinabad near Hyderabad on the night of October 26, 2022 when they were allegedly trying to lure four MLAs of BRS with offers of huge money.

Cyberabad police conducted the raid on a tip-off by Pilot Rohit Reddy, one of the MLAs. He alleged that the accused offered Rs 100 crore to him and Rs 50 crore each to three others to make them "defect to BJP".

The state government had subsequently constituted SIT headed by Hyderabad police commissioner C. V. Anand to probe the case.
New Delhi, Feb 8: Less than two years after seizing power in Kabul, the Taliban movement, banned in Russia and unrecognized in the world, proved itself to emerge as a fast-growing power on the map of world terrorism, representing its rapidly developing Asian breed.

The question of whether the regional states can put aside their mutual distrust to come up with a collective response to the growing Afghan threat would top the agenda of the upcoming Moscow meeting of the Heads of the Security Councils of ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, India, Pakistan and China, slated for this week.

The fifth round of consultations of the Secretaries of the Security Councils will probably become the most dramatic in its history as the security situation in Afghanistan is rapidly deteriorating and has already lead to the closure of the several foreign embassies in Kabul.

The destabilization is also fueled by the mushrooming conflicts in the Taliban's troubled relations with the leading powers of the Muslim world-Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

It should also be noted that the current meeting of the Heads of the Security Councils of regional states will gather in Moscow after a nine-month break. The previous round of consultations on Afghanistan, which was attended by the Secretaries of the Security Councils of India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, was held on May 27 last year in Dushanbe.

Prior to that, the heads of the Security Councils met on November 10, 2021 in New Delhi.

"The Secretaries of the Security Councils of regional powers have been invited to Moscow. These are Russia's partners from Central Asia, as well as Pakistan, India, and China," Zamir Kabulov, Special Representative of the Russia's President in Afghanistan told TASS agency.

During the rule of the pro-Western Afghan government in Kabul, Zamir Kabulov was one of the most outspoken Russian critics of the pro-American regime of President Ghani, blaming it for many perils of Afghanistan. At the same time, Russian diplomats regarded the Taliban as the national interests-oriented force with a potential to put an end to the rule of alleged "American puppets" in Kabul.

It is highly symbolic that on the very day of the overthrow of President Ghani government, the Russian ambassador in Kabul appeared on Russian television, radiating hope and telling the audience that long-awaited calm and order had finally reigned in the Afghan capital-thanks to Taliban.

It is noteworthy that during the rule of President Ghani organizers of the regional meetings on Afghanistan held in so-called Moscow format didn't invite representatives of the legitimate Afghan authorities, as well as representatives of India, while Pakistan was always on board. At that time the Moscow meetings were invariably attended by representatives of the Afghan elite with dubious reputation who were part of the inner circle of friends of Zamir Kabulov and pretended to act as Arepresentatives of the Afghan peopleA.

The Taliban's victory has changed a lot.

Veterans of previous meetings, like ex-President Hamid Karzai, no longer appear in Moscow these days. At the same time, a new tango is danced in relations with the Taliban.

The Taliban did not participate in the consultations of the secretaries of the Security Councils in Dushanbe and New Delhi.

However, this circumstance did not prevent the new Afghan authorities from sending a strong signal on the eve of the current Moscow meeting that they consider their non-participation in regional consultations on Afghanistan to be an abnormal situation.

"The Islamic Emirate has not yet been invited, but at the meetings where Afghanistan is discussed, an Afghan representative should be present as a participant to shed light on the situation," Zabihullah Mujahid, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information in the Taliban government, said last Sunday in an interview with the Afghan Tolo News channel.

Citing sources in the Afghan government, Tolo News reported that, despite the lack of an invitation, the Taliban hoped to come to the Russian capital this week to discuss the issue of recognition of the Kabul government.

In the meantime, the fifth round of regional consultations on Afghanistan will take place against the backdrop of increasing Western pressure on Kabul and the deterioration of relations between the new Afghan authorities and the countries of the Islamic world.

On the eve of the Moscow meeting State Secretary Blinken announced the introduction of visa restrictions for members of the leadership and activists of the Taliban movement for infringing on women's rights.

However, the Taliban relations with the states of the Islamic world are also not in a good shape. As it became known last Sunday, the Saudi authorities refused to issue a visa to the Minister for Hajj Affairs in the Afghan government, Nur Mohammad Saqib. According to the Afghan media, the reason was Riyadh's dissatisfaction with the fact that the Taliban imposed restrictions on education for girls.

Days before that Saudi diplomats accredited in Kabul hurriedly left Afghanistan on board a Kam Air plane. While there were no official explanations from the Saudi authorities, the Afghan media indicated that the departure of the diplomats could have been an expression of protest against the Taliban's decision to ban Saudi embassy employees from performing their professional duties, as well as was triggered by worsening security situation.

According to the Al Arabia TV channel, following Saudi Arabia, several Arab and Western countries also decided to withdraw their diplomats from Kabul for security reasons.

However, the main disappointment for the authorities in Kabul was the continuing deterioration of relations with Pakistan, which for many years remained the main pillar of the Afghan Taliban.

After the Taliban came to power in Kabul Afghanistan turned into one of the main sources of threats to Pakistan's security.

The security situation in Afghanistan was discussed last week at Moscow talks involving Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

"We have talked a lot about the situation in Afghanistan, it is directly related to the task of eliminating terrorist threats in our region. So far, unfortunately, this has not happened on the territory of Afghanistan, but efforts are being made, and we have agreed to use the opportunities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for this purpose," Sergey Lavrov said.

The fifth round of consultations of the Security Council secretaries scheduled in Moscow would be followed by another regional meeting on Afghanistan which is due to take place in Uzbekistan in March. "Uzbekistan wants to host a ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's neighboring countries plus Russia in March. There are no dates yet. Special representatives will gather on the eve," Zamir Kabulov said.

"The security situation in Afghanistan disappoints even the few rosy optimists in Moscow who initially pinned hopes on the 'nationally oriented' Taliban government. Less than two years later, the hopes faded away as the country was covered by a wave of terrorism. The Taliban regime is unable to provide security even in its capital. With the connivance, and sometimes with the assistance of the Taliban, the Islamic State terrorist group is gaining strength in the country. At the same time, unlike the Taliban, ISIS members see their future in expansion. They intend to spread their values to neighboring countries, including the republics of Central Asia," Vadim Kozyulin, Head of the project "Security in Central Asia and Russia" at the Moscow-based analytical PIR Center, told India Narrative.

"In the wake of the new Afghan fighting season in Spring, the countries of the region will have to take urgent steps to neutralize newly-emerging threats. No doubt Afghanistan has become a source of headache for all regional neighbors, including its former mentors and sponsors," Vadim Kozyulin adds.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Feb 8: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has recently released its latest report on the opium production in Myanmar. As per the report, poppy cultivation has increased after the military coup in 2021. The increase in production is caused by two primary shocks: the economic downturn triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and the military coup.

The isolation of, and instability in, Myanmar after the military coup has incentivised farmers to rely more and more on poppy cultivation. The report notes that it is seen as the safe insurance crop against the backdrop of political and economic uncertainty. The worsening economic outlook has enhanced the role of poppy in Myanmar's economy. Furthermore, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its aftershocks on global energy, food and fertilizer prices have aggravated the situation.

The growing poppy cultivation presents a security challenge not just for Myanmar but also its neighbours including India. Even the report notes that, "East and Southeast Asia-fanning out from the upper Mekong region across ASEAN countries, to Australia and New Zealand, Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as India and Bangladesh - is set to continue to face a significant expansion in the illicit supply of drugs." Myanmar is a key link in the global opium supply chain and is part of what is considered as the Golden Triangle. Golden Triangle consists of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos and is one of the most important nodes in the opium trade. Apart from the production, Myanmar offers overland as well as sea routes for the transport of opium. Interestingly, as per the UNODC report, the production areas of Myanmar's poppy cultivation are located close to the international frontiers with India, China, and Thailand. For example, Chin and Kachin states which are located across India's Northeast have reported an increase in production.

As a result, India finds itself in an unenviable situation where two countries in the neighbourhood are increasing the production and supplies of opium. Just like Myanmar, Afghanistan under the Taliban has reported an increase in poppy cultivation. Makran coast (of Iran and Pakistan) has emerged as a major supply conduit for drugs. The increased poppy cultivation in the neighbourhood has implications for India's counter-narcotics efforts, coastal security, and local policing.

Meanwhile, as the military in Myanmar keeps reins of power in its hands, the international isolation of the regime will only contribute in the making of Myanmar as a narco-state. The war between rebels, known as People's Defence Force, and the military will mean Myanmar will remain unstable and volatile. In this context, the influence of China and Russia is increasing in Naypyidaw after the coup as the West and regional players have turned their back on Myanmar.

India's concerns Although India has not turned its back on Myanmar after the military coup, the evolving politico-military situation is proving to be a challenge. Earlier this month, Myanmar's Air Force, while targeting rebels, dropped bombs in Indian territory. This incident could have caused deep embarrassment to Myanmar, but India has chosen to downplay it. India maintained that Myanmar's Air Force has not violated Indian airspace.

The issue of Burmese refugees had become a challenge for India's North-eastern States bordering Myanmar. Estimates about the exact number of Burmese refugees vary. There are about 30,000 Chin refugees in Mizoram along the southern districts that border Myanmar whereas in Manipur, there are about 5000-10,000 refugees. The refugee influx from Myanmar has become a thorny issue between the Union Home ministry and Mizoram government.

In the Northeast, refugee flows from neighbouring countries and its impact on local demographics are a politically sensitive matter. To complicate matters further, four North-eastern states (Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Mizoram) will go to polls this year. Of the four, Nagaland, Tripura, and Mizoram border Myanmar. Therefore, the situation in Myanmar assumes importance from the point of view of border management, refugee flows and internal security of the North-eastern states.

In this context, India has no option but to engage with the military regime of Myanmar. So far, India has prioritized its security interests over the prospects for democracy in Myanmar. The increased poppy cultivation underscores the need for engaging with the Burmese regime. As the military takeover of Myanmar completes two years and the spectre of continuing instability looms large, India is likely to continue the same approach.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Amid interruptions from the ruling party MPs and the chair, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition attacked the Central government over the demand for a probe by the joint parliamentary committee in the Adani case even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seated in the House.

Kharge said, "There should be a joint parliamentary committee probe in the Adani row... when the government is not afraid of anything then constitute a JPC." While attacking the PM, Kharge alleged, "Wealth of one of the closest friends of the Prime Minister increased by 12 times in the last two and half years. In 2014 it was Rs 50,000 crore group while in 2019 it became Rs 1 lakh crore group, but what 'jadu' (magic) happened that suddenly in two years assets worth Rs 12 lakh crore came...whether it is due to the favour of friendship." Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reacted sharply and said, "It is a very smart thing to say... We are giving data and we will corroborate it, but it is completely infused with insinuation against the Prime Minister and that is what we are objecting to. They are overtly insinuating the PM." While the chair asked for authentication, he said that there should be discussion in national interest. To this Kharge was furious, and said, "I speak the truth, is it anti-national? I am not anti-national and more patriotic than anyone here as I am 'bhoomi-putra'. You are looting the country and telling me that I am an anti-national." Kharge alleged, "The responsible ministers, MPs are always Hindu-Muslim always and don't get any other subject... Scheduled Castes people are beaten up upon entering temples, if they are considered Hindus why then the Scheduled Caste people are not allowed in temples or be educated...Many ministers show pictures of them eating at Scheduled Caste houses. Is that any achievement..." During the motion of thanks on the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said that "one person became rich as his wealth increased 12 times from 2019", which drew objections from the Chair and treasury bench.

However, the chair and the treasury benches objected to it.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "You are insinuating the Prime Minister which can't be allowed... Any report from any corner of the world cannot be quoted here." Kharge had mentioned the Hindenburg report while attacking the government.

Even the leader of the House, Piyush Goyal said that LoP casting aspersions on the Prime Minister was unacceptable.

While BJP's Sushil Modi raised the point of order that any allegations made, a notice should be given in advance which the chair will validate.

The Finance Minister too said, "The LoP is insinuating the Hon'ble Prime Minister." The Congress members said that they have not taken the name of the Prime Minister.

The LoP, however, continued tirade against the Adani Group.

He said that the group is taking money from the public sector banks and purchasing the public sector undertakings. "Privatisation is also diminishing the reservation system which they could have got in the PSUs," said Kharge.
Mumbai, Feb 8 : Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday appealed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to give its decision on his party's 'Bow-and-Arrow' poll symbol only after the Supreme Court verdict on February 14.

Reiterating his complete faith in the law, the former Chief Minister said that "we are fully confident that the 16 MLAs will be disqualified" by the apex court at the next hearing due after a week (Tuesday, February 14).

Accordingly, Thackeray called upon the ECI to give its decision on the party poll symbol -- frozen last year after the party split -- only after the SC case outcome, while speaking to mediapersons here this afternoon, flanked by senior leaders Subhash Desai, Anil Desai and others.

In a direct snub, Thackeray also said that there's "only one Shiv Sena" and he doesn't recognise any other faction -- referring to the one headed by Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

He described them as 'traitors' who had backstabbed the "real Shiv Sena" to grab power in June 2022 after the rebellion which brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.

Ridiculing the BSS' claims that they are the real Sena as they had "more elected people" (MLAs & MPs), Thackeray said if this was so, "then tomorrow, anybody with money power, including industrialists can become the Prime Minister or chief minister".

Thackeray rued how these days anyone can become the PM or CM using money power which poses a 'threat to democracy', and urged the SC to deliver its judgement in the Shiv Sena case soon.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : As part of a walking pilgrimage that is being organised by the Sangwol Society of South Korea, 108 Buddhist pilgrims from the Republic of Korea will walk over 1,100 km over the course of 43 days, according to an announcement made today by Apurva Chandra, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Chandra noted that the event is more significant because India and South Korea are commemorating 50 years since their diplomatic relations were established. The purpose of the pilgrimage is to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation between the two nations. The tourists will go to Nepal after visiting Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The circuit tracks Buddha's steps throughout his life and aims to assist travellers in experiencing Lord Buddha's teachings firsthand. The pilgrimage's destinations cover the Buddha's entire life, from his birth to his Parinirvana.

The Secretary welcomed the pilgrims, assured them of the Indian government's full support, and expressed the hope that their tour would help them better comprehend Buddhist philosophy.

The tourists will be on a 43-day tour to Buddhist holy sites in India and Nepal from February 9 to March 23, 2023. With the slogan 'Oh, We! Oh Love! Oh, Life!', the pilgrimage aims to spread Buddhist culture of devotional activities through a through a pilgrimage to India where the life and footsteps of the Buddha are preserved.

Ambassador of Republic of Korea to India Chang Jae-bok said that the year 2023 is special for the bilateral relation between the countries as the two celebrate this historic milestone of 50 years of diplomatic relations. This occasion coincides with India's G20 Presidency and South Korea is committed to India's success at G20, he added. The Ambassador further remarked that Buddhist teachings are similar to the motto of India's G20 presidency 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'.

Speaking on the religious ties between India and South Korea, the Ambassador said that the it evokes strong emotion and generates immense goodwill among the two peoples that fuels the bilateral relation. He further said that every year thousands of tourists visit India from Korea and this walking pilgrimage is being hosted by Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The walking pilgrimage will begin from Sarnath in Varanasi and will culminate at Shravasti after traversing through Nepal.

Informing media about the significance of this event, the Ambassador said that the mega Buddhist pilgrimage is a befitting tribute to our shared Buddhist heritage. This will go a long way in further deepening the people to people contact. He added that the pilgrims which include monks will pay homage to eight major Buddhist holy sites,

experience Indian Buddhism and culture, and have a bilateral meeting of religious leaders and

hold a prayer assembly for world peace and a blessing ceremony for the dignity of life

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Noida, Feb 8 : The Noida Special Task Force (STF) arrested a Class 12 pass 23-year-old member of a 'Solver' gang, who impersonated candidates, and appeared on their behalf in the 2020 Delhi Police Recruitment Examination. A reward of Rs 25,000 had been declared on the arrested accused.

The accused has been identified as Nitin Kumar, who was arrested by the STF and the Sector-58 police personnel from Sector 62 on Tuesday night.

STF's Additional Superintendent of Police, Rajkumar Mishra said that information was received regarding Kumar's plans to visit Sector 62 for some personal work.

Kumar, during interrogation revealed that the gang's leader, Dinesh Kumar Prajapati and another member, Dinesh Chaudhary hailed from Haryana's Palwal and rigged competitive examinations by making a 'solver' appear in tests.

Additional SP Mishra said that Kumar had earlier registered for the 2020 Police Constable Recruitment examination.

He added that three members of the gang -- Arpit, Dinesh Chaudhary and Bijendra Singh impersonated candidates -- Shiv Kumar, Praveen Kumar and Nitin kumar respectively and appeared for the 2020 Police Recruitment examination on their behalf.

All the three were arrested from the centre and Nitin Kumar had been absconding ever since.

Kumar told police that the gang members would impersonate the candidates by using the Multi-Face Blender app to merge their photos with the candidates.

He added that they would use the merged photos on forms and in identity cards.
Sambhal : , Feb 8 (IANS) A Dalit family was given protection after it sought help from the police for the wedding of their 20-year-old daughter.

The plea came after alleged restrictions were imposed by a group of upper caste men from their village for gifting a Royal Enfield motorcycle to the newlyweds.

The bride's parents, Rishipal Valmiki and Sheela Devi, claimed that the local village head had asked them 'not to give away gifts like upper caste families do if they want the wedding to be held smoothly.

They were also warned of "violent reprisals like stone pelting during the wedding procession".

The bride's mother, Sheela Devi, said, "We are the only Dalit family in the village and people in the neighbourhood firmly told us that they will not let my daughter get married because we are starting a new tradition in our community by presenting a bike as a gift. Initially, they did not raise any objection but when they saw the new motorcycle and other gifts at our house, they created a ruckus and misbehaved with guests on Monday." She further said, "We had to approach the police and a former minister for help. Now, we have received police protection and expect the wedding ceremony to pass off peacefully." Superintendent of Police, Sambhal, Chakresh Mishra, said, "Yes, we sent a police team to Ghughaiya and questioned those who threatened the family. They said that they do not have any objection with the wedding ceremony now. But we have kept a team there for the safety of guests and the family till the wedding is over."
Ankara/Damascus, Feb 8 : The death toll from the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this week has reached 9,638 on Wednesday, with rescue efforts becoming "harder" due to freezing weather in the two countries, authorities said.

In its latest update, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said the overall death toll currently stood at 7,108, while the number of injured persons increased to 40,910, reports Anadolu News Agency.

More than 96,670 search and rescue teams are currently conducting operations in the field, the AFAD said.

"As a result of the negotiations with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, 5,309 personnel coming from other countries for help were dispatched to the disaster area," it added.

Besides rescue teams, blankets, tents, food, and psychological support teams were also sent to the affected areas.

A total of 70,818 family tents were set up to shelter survivors, AFAD said, adding that 5,434 vehicles, including excavators, tractors and dozers, were sent to the disaster area.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to visit Kahramanmaras and Hatay, two of the worst-hit regions, later on Wednesday, the BBC quoted his office as saying.

He will also go to Pazarcik, epicentre of Monday's quake.

In Syria, at least 2,530 people have died in both government-controlled areas and rebel-held regions, while nearly 4,000 others were injured.

Aid agencies and rescue workers say the death toll is likely to increase further with many people still trapped under the rubble.

Meanwhile, rescue workers have not been able to access all the disaster areas as a cold and wet weather system is moving through the quake-hit region in the two countries, plunging temperatures below freezing.

Temperatures are already bitterly low, but are forecast to fall several degrees below zero on Wednesday.

Scattered showers and snow in the region are expected to continue, putting the lives of those trapped underneath the rubble, who have already gone days without food and water, at risk of hypothermia, reports CNN.

The World Health Organization has also warned that the death toll in the two countries could end up surpassing 20,000.

The earthquake-stricken region in Turkey is also home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their homeland.

The devastating 7.8 tremor struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4.17 a.m. on Monday morning, which was followed by a 6.4-magnitude temblor a few minutes later in Gaziantep province.

The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake was 23 km east of Nurdagi in Gaziantep, at a depth of 24.1 km.

At around 1.30 p.m, a third 7.5-magnitude tremor hit Kahramanmaras, which officials said was "not an aftershock".

Turkey's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest casualties, while Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus also felt the tremor.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday in the 10 provinces.

Turkey is also observing a seven-day period of national mourning.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Raichur, Feb 8 : A Pre-University (PU) principal was arrested for allegedly raping and killing a 17-year-old student in Lingasugur town of Karnataka's Raichur district, police said on Wednesday.

Ramesh, the Principal of Sir M. Visvesvaraya Pre-University sexually harassed the girl, killed her and later, got her hanged at a hostel, parents of the victim alleged.

Ramesh, who was absconding after the incident, was arrested from Bijapur.

The incident occurred at the hostel run by the VCB education institution.

The girl, a student of first PU (class 11), was found dead on February 10 night. When the victim's parents reached the hostel after getting information, her friends alleged that Ramesh used to repeatedly call her to his room and sexually harass her.

After that, parents and relatives of the victim protested before the college.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Indian textile industry is one of the most distinctive in the world thanks to ancient skills and cultural traditions. As per IBEF, we are the second largest producer of garments in the world and have a centuries-old textile industry that consists of a number of sectors, including hand-spun and hand-woven fabrics, as well as mills. The strength of India's textile sector is attributed to the wide diversity of natural and synthetic fibres and yarns. However, there has lately been an increase in the synthetic fibre business, which has grown tremendously over the previous decade. Fast fashion has grown more common and clothing is created in shorter timescales, with new patterns appearing every few weeks to meet the demand for the newest trends. But this comes at the expense of waste.

At the same time, there is also a desire to return to slow fashion, with superior quality items that have a longer shelf life and usage. Today's consumer is aware of the damages caused by fast fashion and is ready to return to sustainable fabrics/garments and retain their value for longer. The increase in awareness of the damage caused by synthetic materials to the environment has led to the revival of natural fibres.

Despite India's rich heritage, the fast fashion business gained traction, resulting in the widespread usage of synthetic and other artificial fibres. Not surprisingly, textile mills quickly emerged as one of the significant industrial pollutants, accounting for one-fifth of global industrial water pollution.

However, when the severe repercussions of climate change became evident to all cohorts, including policymakers, what started as a progressive movement from fast fashion to slow fashion. As a result, there has been an increase in demand for the commercial use of natural fibre-based composites in recent years. Natural fibres have advantages like low-cost, lightweight, renewability, biodegradability, and high specific properties like eco-friendliness, regenerability etc.

Opportunities for natural fibres Natural fibres are considered the backbone of the Indian textile industry, which is expected to grow from $138 billion to $195 billion by 2025. The market for natural fibres has been steadily increasing, which provides opportunities for farmers in the country, mainly those farming cotton, silk, jute, wool, and linen. India's farm cotton output stands at 21 USD billion which was 12.5 billion in FY21 mainly due to an increase in the price of raw cotton. India is the 2nd largest producer and consumer of Silk with a production value amounting to 34000 MT. India exported USD 18.9 billion worth of cotton and related goods IN FY 22 - USA, China and Bangladesh were the major export destinations. The silk export stood at USD 208 Bn major importers were USA, UAE and China.(IBEF) Buyers in developing nations such as India are becoming more aware of the benefits of sustainability and the complete life cycle of products and resources, right from the source to the final output. The expansion of the textile sector will be driven by rising household income, and increased demand from housing, hotels, and healthcare industries.

Types of natural fibres Cotton and silk have been the best natural fibres. Cotton holds the lion's share of the market as far as textile applications are concerned. The fibre grows around the seeds of the cotton plant and cotton has been used since about 3000 BC. Cotton is soft, substantial, flame retardant, hypo-allergenic and easy to wash. It is the most popular natural fabric used in making clothing. Silk is also extremely popular and is in high demand globally. With significant government and international subsidies for silk projects and marketing plans, the industry has snowballed in recent years. Silk exports are also increasing rapidly.

Apart from cotton & silk, some resource-efficient fibres include Linen, Hemp, Modal, Banana, Viscose and bamboo.

Hemp is an excellent example of how textiles can be made with minimal environmental impact. It has been used for centuries, making it an ideal plant fibre that can benefit society while reducing our carbon footprint. It is an extremely robust fabric that lasts longer than cotton and does not lose shape easily. Hemp fabrics are hypoallergenic and non-irritating to the skin. Hemp has the appearance and feel of traditional linen. Hemp materials can soften with time and washing. It is also used to make tapestries, hats, shawls and towels.

Banana Fibre: Banana stems and peels, like hemp, provide fibres that can be used to make textiles. This has been done for generations, but the world of Western fashion has only recently recognised the textile potential of the common banana. Because of its natural appeal and texture, it is more suitable for home furnishing like blankets, rugs, mats, etc. It is light in weight and has strong absorbance quality thus a good fit for summer wear fabric too.

Bamboo: Bamboo is an environmentally friendly natural cellulose regenerated biodegradable textile material. The fibre generated from Bamboo is of the highest quality. The yarn produced from bamboo usually has a silky texture and the fabric made from this is called bamboo linen. Bamboo fibre has already acquired appeal in the textile sector due to its aesthetic qualities, fineness, flexibility, inherent antibacterial properties, and UV resistance.

Modal: Modal is a lighter, breathable, and more durable version of the traditional rayons. It is made using wood chip cellulose from Beech trees only. Modal has emerged as a wear-resistant, fade-resistant, and breathable soft fibre. Therefore, today, modal is used in various applications like clothing, furnishings, bedding, etc. It is mainly used as an alternative to cotton or silk. Modal is great for sportswear, base layers, and t-shirts as the fabric's weave is very breathable.

Ecovero: EcoVero is created from certified and sustainably managed wood pulp, giving it a significantly more environmentally friendly option than other fabrics on the market. EcoVero is not only better for the environment, but it is also soft and gentle on the skin, making it an excellent solution for those with sensitive skin. Ecovero emits half the amount of CO2 and consumes half the amount of energy and water, and its pulp bleaching is completely chlorine-free.

While the Indian textile industry is largely self-reliant due to the abundance of raw materials, affordable local labour and effective supply chains, much is left to elevate India's position to be the top textile manufacturer and exporter from its current runners-up ranking. This is where government support comes into play. Climate experts and industry professionals are pushing the case for a fashion industry shift towards developing more sustainable and resilient materials that can withstand extreme weather patterns. The uptake of sustainability standards within the textile industry represents progress towards a future in which fashion can become a leading industry in environmentally sound and best practices.

(Prasansha Saha is the VP Design of Resha Mandi) (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Upon hearing the term "Chai," what immediately comes to mind? What are the large, little stories that accompany chai? Chai has played a big part in bringing people together from the beginning of civilization. A drink that unites individuals and makes it easier for them to open up and share their untold tales and secrets. We might be able to listen in on some informal chats later while drinking chai. So, what? "Chai is an emotion. The warm feeling or the prospect of making chai comforts me. Also, it is a get-together beverage for me. When I call people to my house, I always prefer serving tea over coffee," chimes Anu. Her passionate love for chai is unmistakable.

"Chai is family," adds Rakshita, another tea enthusiast who has a strong love for chai. Sitting far away in Seattle, she immerses herself in 3 cups of chai every day. Each cup acts as a trail of crumbs to connect her to her family in India.

Here are three must-read books for tea-lovers.

A Sip in Time by Pallavi Nigam Sahay A newly released recipe book, A Sip in Time by Pallavi Nigam Sahay contains India's finest teas and teatime treats.

With 60 delectable dishes and lip-smacking recipes, this book will keep you wanting more chai. It doesn't matter if you are a fan of traditional more-sugar-less-milk chai or trending chamomile and Darjeeling teas, the book has something for everyone and resonates with readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Sahay, who is an adrak chai lover loves adding lemon grass leaves to her brew. "You cannot go wrong with lemon grass as it reaches your soul with a refreshing aroma and heals with its citrusy taste," offers Sahay.

In the book, the author talks of discovering India's first brew, aka.phalap, as she journeys into the densely forested areas of Upper Assam. She also talks of the medicinal properties of tea as kadhas-medicinal concoctions believed to cure a number of ailments-made using tea as a base.

The book will also take you to the lane of memories. Nostalgia is a key ingredient in her book of tea recipes. From Mumbai's cutting chai to Haryana's khaddi chamach wali chai, she talks about everything in the book.

Sahay is a published author, columnist and television show host. Her first book, The Bhojpuri Kitchen, published in 2017, won the Gourmand Cookbook Award for the best book in India in the Easy Home Recipes category and was recognised among the 'culinary treasures of 2017' by India Today.

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo If you are not looking for a recipe book and want to learn interesting facts about tea's history then you must purchase this book. In The Book of Tea, popular author Okakura Kakuzo explores how tea moved from being a medicine in China to a religion in Japan. The Book of Tea is not a history of tea, but of humanity and how the East and West and their values came together. This book is written poetically about how to understand the beauty of the present time, which is the central focus of a tea ceremony in Japan, is a must-read for those visiting Japan and who want to learn more about the reason behind the tea ceremony.

Kakuzo was a Japanese scholar and art critic who in the era of Meiji Restoration reform defended traditional forms, customs and beliefs. Outside Japan, he is chiefly renowned for his book.

Cancer Hates Tea by Maria Uspenski and Dr Mary L Hary To start with, the book was a finalist for Best Tea Publication 2017 World Tea Awards in 2017. Author Maria Uspenski is the founder of one of the most popular tea shops, The Tea Spot. The book helps the reader understand the biology of the human body at the cellular level and how cancer affects it. It is an unusual read around tea that chai lovers would definitely find interesting.

The author, through this book, explains the healing power of tea, backed by 5,000 scientific studies, leaving the reader with a feeling of control over their own wellness. The book inspires the reader to overhaul old beverage habits.

You won't find many books solely on tea related to cancer. But, this book will definitely catch your attention as it is an amazing tea story with wellness references backed by studies and many wonderful recipes.

While these are some of the tea books which I found unique and caught my attention, there could be many that you may like and can tell us in the comments section below. Before you go, just a sneak peek into the conversations over Chai people have to make your day: "You don't need any time travel machine if you have chai in hand," says Meenakshi, a tea enthusiast. She says she cannot trade her chai time for anything. She and her friends meet once a week for chai and together go on a nostalgic drive of their college times.

And if you think matchmaking apps are setting you up for a thrill, making adrenaline course through your veins, Akshu's words are piercingly intimate and you cannot stop resonating with them. "My partner has to enjoy tea as much as like I do. That is the underlining criteria of my dating choice. I should enjoy a cup with him at the end of the long day." Love for chai means swipe right, isn't it? (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Delhi Police on Wednesday detained PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti during a protest in the national capital against the Jammu and Kashmir administration's anti-encroachment drive in the union territory.

Several videos doing rounds on social media showed police lifting Mehbooba Mufti up from the protest site and carrying her into a police van nearby.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader on Wednesday had planned to march from Railway Bhawan to Parliament to protest against the Jammu and Kashmir administration's "bulldozer policy".

"Jammu and Kashmir is being turned into a place like Afghanistan," she said before being detained by the police.
Beijing, Feb 8 : China's national observatory renewed an alert on Wednesday, forecasting snowstorms in parts of the northwestern and central regions of the country.

From 2 p.m. Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday, heavy snow is expected in parts of several provincial-level regions, including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan, Xinhua news agency quoted the National Meteorological Centre as saying.

Blizzards have been forecast to hit some areas of Shaanxi and Shanxi and some places may see more than 10 cm of snow cover, the Centre said.

Local authorities in the affected regions have been advised to make preparations for snowstorms and frost damage.

Transportation, power and communications departments should inspect roads, railways and lines and carry out road cleaning and de-icing.

Drivers have been instructed to take caution and use anti-skid measures on their vehicles, according to the Centre.
Patna, Feb 8 : Rebel leader Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to promote any leader from the JD(U) rather than not Tejashwi Yadav, and also demanded to break the deal with RJD as it is hurting the party.

The statement came soon after JD(U) MLC Maheshwar Mahto met Upendra Kushwaha in the latter's official residence in Patna on Wednesday.

"I want to make JD(U) stronger. It may be possible that the face of Upendra Kushwaha is unacceptable for some persons, but it is a different matter. I want to say that if any deal would happen with the RJD and Nitish Kumar, it would deeply hurt the JD(U). RJD leaders are repeatedly saying that the deal is between their party and Nitish Kumar. If any such deal would take place in Bihar, Nitish Kumar should break it and give the statement in public that no deal had happened between these two parties," Kushwaha said.

"I want to request the chief minister to promote any leaders from our own party rather than promoting Tejashwi Yadav. Promoting Tejashwi Yadav for the 2025 Assembly election is deeply hurting the Lav-Kush equation of JD(U) in Bihar. If Nitish Kumar will promote any leaders of our party, probably from an extremely backward class leader, I will accept it but promoting Tejahswi Yadav is not acceptable," Kushwaha said.

"I am repeatedly saying that whenever the chief minister calls me, I will go to his residence and meet him and put my point before him," Kushwaha said.

Kushwaha is the first leader of JD(U) who publicly took the name of Tejashwi Yadav and raised objections over Nitish Kumar promoting him.

Earlier in the day, JD(U) MLC Rameshwar Mahto went to the residence of Upendra Kushwaha and met him. After the meeting, he said: "The ongoing tussle between CM Nitish Kumar and Upendra Kushwaha is deeply hurting the party. I came there to request him and meet with the chief minister to lessen the problems. The message going in society is not good for the party. Upendra Kushwaha promised me to go to the CM residence when Nitish Kumar would call and talk to him." When he was asked if the chief minister was being misled by some leaders, Mahto said: "Everyone knows that four to five persons are misleading the chief minister. If you shut the camera, they will give you the names."
Chennai, Feb 8 : Drones from India's Garuda Aerospace will be deployed in a rescue mission in the quake-hit Turkey by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said a top company official.

"Garuda Aerospace has always stepped up during crises and has created massive impact by deploying drones for various emergency situations. Given the current situation in Turkey, Garuda Aerospace is deploying drones to support the ongoing rescue and relief operations," Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, said.

The NDRF had requested Garuda Aerospace to provide their Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved drones for disaster management operations.

The city based drone-as-a-service start-up Garuda Aerospace will deploy their Droni Drone for surveillance in the most affected areas to identify where victims could be trapped under rubble piles and a modified Kisan Drone which will carry payloads that will help transport emergency medicines, supplies and food for victims.

Earlier, Garuda Aerospace deployed drones for rescue and relief operations to the Chamoli glacier burst at Uttarakhand and supported the locust control operation in Rajasthan.
Wellington, Feb 8 : The New Zealand government is providing a NZ$5 million ($3 million) package of emergency support to help businesses significantly affected by the recent flooding in Auckland.

"The floods were devastating for many businesses in the Auckland region. The flooding was sudden and could not be reasonably prepared for, so it is expected that it will take a long time for many businesses to recover and start operating again," Xinhua news agency quoted Finance Minister Grant Robertson as saying.

The package of support was developed through discussions with Auckland business leaders, so it reflects the needs they identified, he said, adding that further support will be considered if required.

Revenue Minister David Parker said taxpayers affected by the flooding and other weather-related damage can contact the taxation department to have their penalties for late payments or late filing of returns waived.

Record rainfall from January 27-28 in Auckland caused massive flooding across the country's second-largest city.

The massive killed four people and forced the closure of state highways and the Auckland Airport, with the state of emergency declared by the government.
Jammu, Feb 8 : Panun Kashmir, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits on Wednesday demanded the constitution of an SIT to investigate the role of National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in promoting 'Muslim separation in J&K'.

Addressing the media here, Dr. Ajay Chrungoo, the chairman of Panun Kashmir demanded the creation of Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate, assess and analyze the role of NC and PDP in the promotion and perpetuation of Muslim Separatism and Islamic fundamentalism in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said, "We welcome the action taken by the J&K government headed by Lt. Governor against the illegal encroachments and constructions across J&K, particularly by top political bigwigs.

"We ask both the leadership at the helms of the governments in Jammu and Kashmir and Centre to recognise such corrupt and illegal activity not merely as acts of corruption but as acts of internal subversion.

"The opposition by the recently designated and banned terrorist outfit TRF to the government actions against illegal encroachments and constructions and threats to government officials who participate in such activities only proves how land grab in Jammu and Kashmir and building of properties over them is being visualized as part of the vital Islamic terrorist interests in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Panun Kashmir sees the use of the wherewithal of the state and the democratic space for promotion of Muslim separatism, Islamic fundamentalism and Jihadi terrorism as the gravest threat to the democratic domains across the world and particularly to India.

"The political processes in Jammu and Kashmir right since the installing of NC government in Jammu and Kashmir have nourished Muslim separatism and communalism.

"In fact various governments in Jammu and Kashmir spearheaded by National Conference and PDP have operated as vehicles for the use of democratic domains for growth of Islamic fundamentalisation and separatism.

"It is critical to realize that the so-called political mainstream in Jammu and Kashmir represented by the regional parties NC and PDP deliberately or by implication. Athrough their policies when they were in government and their political approach have served as the overground support structures of separatist establishment and terrorist regimes.

"Subversion of Democracy happens when democratic space is allowed to be used for politics which violates the constitution and basic ideology and integrity of the nation.

"Panun Kashmir also asserts that the core content of the internal strategic policy on Jammu and Kashmir of the Government of India has been to use Muslim halfway separatism and Muslim religious sub nationalism as political devices to foster nationalism and secularism. This strategy has only acted as a long protracted suicide for the nation and has actually lead to building up of internal support structures for separatism, fundamentalism and terrorism.

"If harnessing halfway Muslim separatism and empowerment of Muslim Communalism is not abandoned lock stock and barrel as a strategic and tactical outlook then even if Pakistan stops all support to separatism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir it will still survive and perpetuate.

"Panun Kashmir also states very unambiguously that land grab and encroachments has been an integral part of the demographic war being waged on Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir. It has implications of genocidal destabilization for Hindus. Hence evacuating lands illegally encroached should be followed to its logical end."
Bengaluru, Feb 8 : The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday sought clarifications on whether the Central government was giving directions to carry out raids at the offices of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The court also directed the government to submit documents in this regard.

The single bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna, gave the directions on a petition by SDPI district general secretary Anwar Sadat seeking directions to the administration of Dakshina Kannada district to end the seizure of properties of the SDPI.

The counsel for the petitioner explained that without issuing prior notice, 17 offices of the SDPI in Dakshina Kannada district have been sealed. The counsel stated that the SDPI has to make preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka.

As the offices are locked, they are not able to conduct any political programmes. He pleaded with the bench to issue directions to unseal the offices.

The counsel representing the government objected to the demand of the SDPI. "The Popular Front of India (PFI) has been banned by the Central government. Material related to the PFI has been found in SDPI offices. The action has been taken as per the directions of the Central government. However, the petitioner has not made the Central government as the opposite party," he added.

The bench posed questions to the government about the directions of the Centre and directed it to submit the documents in this regard. The hearing of the case was adjourned to February 16.
Amity student tried to run over traffic constable with his car, police arrested. Image Source: IANS News

Amity student tried to run over traffic constable with his car, police arrested. Image Source: IANS News

Noida, Feb 8 : The Noida Sector-126 police arrested a BA student of Amity University for trying to run over a traffic constable when the latter signalled him to stop his car.

The constable, Alok Tomar saved himself by jumping out of the car's way but has suffered injuries.

According to sources, Tomar was getting the vehicles parked in an orderly way to smoothen traffic flow around Amity University, located in Sector-125 of Noida on Tuesday.

The student, identified as Kunal, fled from the spot after which Tomar informed the traffic police control room.

The accused was arrested later when the police put up barricades to nab him.

The police has registered a case against the student and seized the car.

The campaign to stop the university students from parking their vehicles on haphhazardly has been going on for days, to avoid traffic jams in the area.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : BJP Lok Sabha member and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday alleged in Parliament that the Gandhi family was mired in corruption, and while themselves being out on bail, are levelling baseless allegations against the Central government.

Speaking during the motion of thanks on President's address in the Lok Sabha, Prasad, while referring to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's allegation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reportedly favouring Adani Group, said that Gandhi's comments were "false and shameful".

Gandhi was misleading the House, Prasad said.

On Tuesday, Gandhi had attacked the government over the US-based research firm Hindenburg's report on Adani Enterprises.

He had claimed that Gautam Adani's fortunes rose soon after the BJP came to power in 2014.

Prasad said, "Those out on bail and currently facing trial (in National Herald case) are levelling baseless allegations." "Rahul Gandhi cannot digest the fact that people had twice elected Narendra Modi as the prime minister and he will again come back in 2024," Prasad said.

The BJP MP pointed out that the Adani Group has also invested in Congress-led states of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and even Left-ruled Kerala.

Prasad also countered the allegations made by Gandhi regarding Adani's assets in foreign countries, saying that even during the UPA rule, the group had made overseas investments.

Prasad further said that the Congress rule was marred by corruption in 2G spectrum allocation, Commonwealth Games, besides coal and Adarsh Housing scams.
New York, Feb 8 : The Oak Creek Gurdwara in Wisconsin, US, which witnessed mass shooting in 2012, honoured Milwaukee Police Department's (MPD) first India-born officer who retired from the service after 21 years.

Balbir Mahay, who came to the US in 1999, was there when the tragedy struck the Sikh temple nearly 11 years ago to support members of the Sikh community.

Mahay is also a member of the gurdwara, and "that connection was especially helpful during the mass shooting at the temple", WISN TV reported.

Mahay said he is forever grateful to everyone who made his career possible.

"Thank you to my community, my Indian community, and my Milwaukee Police Department, friends, and families to bring me here, give this much respect that I was able to retire. I'm happy with that," he told WISN TV.

He worked for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office before joining the MPD.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who was also there at the occasion and presented Mahay with a certificate of appreciation, tweeted: "I was able to go to the @SikhTempleWi to honor Balbir Mahay -- the first Indian police officer employed by the @MilwaukeePolice Department". "Thank you, Balbir, for your over 20 years of dedicated service to our city!" The mass shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara in Wisconsin left seven people from the Sikh community dead and left many others injured.

The 40-year-old shooter, Wade Michael Page, shot himself in the head with his 9mm Springfield XD(M) semi-automatic pistol after he was shot in the hip by a responding police officer.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 8 : A transgender couple in Kerala's Kozikhode was blessed with a baby at the state-run Medical College hospital, reportedly the first such case in the country.

The good news was shared by the close friends of the couple on the social media on Wednesday, however the new 'parents' wished not to divulge the sex of the new born.

The couple is in an elated mood and thanked all who stood with them during the testing times.

For several months, Sahad and 21-year-old Ziya Paval were gearing up to embrace parenthood after Sahad, a trans man, halted his transitioning process to get pregnant. After long discussions and deliberations, the couple decided to opt for this.

The young couple have been together for the past three years.

Sahad is an accountant by profession, while Ziya is a dance teacher. Both of them have undergone hormone therapy as part of their transitioning process.

After deciding to become a man after the baby is delivered, Sahad got 'her' breasts removed some time back. After the delivery, the couple is sourcing breast milk from the breast milk bank attached to the hospital.
Shivamogga : , Feb 8 (IANS) Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said on Wednesday that he has been asked by the ED to appear before it on February 24 while his daughter, Ishwarya, has been served a notice by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

He chided that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI were only meant for the opposition parties.

The CBI has issued a notice regarding disproportionate assets to Ishwarya and directed her to submit various documents. Sources said that the agencies have completed the investigation and the CBI was making preparations to file the charge sheet.

Reacting to the development, Shivakumar said to the media, "I can't do anything about it. All developments are happening in this juncture. The CBI has sent a notice to my daughter. They are asking for documents regarding matters such as college fees.

"The ED has called me for inquiry on February 24. Should I participate in Prajadhwani Yatra in Karnataka or go to ED? "ED is existent only for us (opposition). For the ruling party there is no ED and CBI. Let it be, I will certainly know what will happen," he said.

Sources said that Shivakumar's problems may mount as the CBI is likely to file a charge sheet in the disproportionate assets case and the timing may coincide with the polls. The CBI has been conducting investigation in this regard for the past two years. Multiple raids have been conducted on residences of Shivakumar and his relatives.
Hyderabad, Feb 8 : Work has commenced for the revival and restoration plan of Sardar Mahal, a landmark near iconic Charminar in Hyderabad.

Arvind Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Urban Development, stated on Wednesday that an art studio, a vibrant cultural centre and a small cafe will come up as part of the restoration work.

The official said the work has commenced in a tri-partite agreement with Kalakriti Art Gallery and Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA).

Arvind Kumar had recently revealed that Sardar Mahal will have an art gallery, cafe and heritage accommodation on lines of Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan.

The state government already announced that Sardar Mahal will be developed as the cultural hub of the city, adding an attraction for thousands of tourists who visit Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace and other monuments every day.

According to officials, Sardar Mahal, a palace built in European style by Nizam VI Mir Mahboob Ali Khan in 1900, will be conserved and restored to its original structure with additional architectural designs.

Though Mahboob Ali Khan, the then ruler of Hyderabad State, built the palace for one of his beloved consorts, Sardar Begum, she refused to inhabit this token of love as it did not live up to her expectations. No one stayed there but the building took her name.

It was declared a heritage building by the Heritage Conservation Committee and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) took over Sardar Mahal in 1965 due to outstanding property taxes.

Minister for municipal administration and urban development, K. T. Rama Rao had asked the department and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to restore the famous Sardar Mahal.

As per the plans announced earlier, the heritage structure will be developed as a cultural hub with a museum, 10-12 room hotel and various activities including exhibitions and performances. However, the authorities have apparently dropped the plans for the hotel.

The proposed activities include cultural events, workshops, art exhibitions, heritage walks and hospitality. The project has been taken up in Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Built, Operate and Transfer concept.

According to QQSUDA, this will create and strengthen the identity of Hyderabad as synonym for heritage, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation at local and regional levels and maximise the historical, cultural, social and tourist potential of Charminar area.

In April last year, Rama Rao along with Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had formally launched the works to conserve, restore and strengthen Sardar Mahal.

Rama Rao had announced that the project taken up at a cost of Rs 30 crore will not only protect the heritage structure but add attraction to tourists visiting Hyderabad.
Elephant entered Hazaribagh city of Jharkhand, crushed five, two died, road jammed in protest. Image Source: IANS News

Elephant entered Hazaribagh city of Jharkhand, crushed five, two died, road jammed in protest. Image Source: IANS News

Ranchi, Feb 8 : The people of Jharkhand's Hazaribagh blocked the Hazaribagh-Chatra road in protest after two people died and three were injured in a series of elephant attacks in the city.

The wild animal got separated from its herd and attacked five people in a matter of hours, from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.

The condition of two of the injured is critical. The deceased have been identified as Damodar Saav and Dhaneshwar Saav, both residents of Khirgaon.

Angered by the attacks, the people demanded compensation for the deceased's family during the protests held on Wednesday. Forest department and police officers have been trying to pacify the people.

The animal wreaked havoc in Kud-Rewali area near the city's railway station and in Khirgaon and Kumhartoli localities and is allegedly still present on the outskirts of the city. It damaged property, including a car and a wall.

Forest officials said that efforts are being made to drive it to the forest away from the city.

On Wednesday morning, an elephant attacked a girl in Hazaribagh's Barkagaon village, who has been admitted to the hospital in a critical condition.
Shillong, Feb 8 : The Meghalaya unit of Trinamool Congress alleged on Wednesday that its party workers were being attacked by the 'goons' of the ruling National People's Party (NPP).

In a statement, Trinamool said, "NPP workers have resorted to attacking our partymen at Charbatapara in West Garo Hills. The attack took place at around 10.30 p.m. on Tuesday night at the residence of one of the party workers, Nozrul Hoque, when NPP workers vandalised the premises where a meeting was being conducted by the party." Hoque claimed that NPP workers came in a group and started destroying his property. Bamboo walls, tables and chairs at his house were vandalised, he claimed.

"They also pelted stones and injured four of our party workers," he claimed while undergoing treatment at a hospital.

An FIR has been lodged in this regard.

NPP is yet to issue a statement on this count.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : To provide accommodation to students and visitors from the state, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of Rs 57.72-crore five-storey Himachal Niketan in Dwarka here.

Besides two VIP rooms, there will be 36 general rooms exclusively for the students and 40 general suites. In addition to this, there will be three room dormitories for staff. It will also have a facility to park 53 vehicles and 87 two-wheelers in the basement. In all, there will be 81 rooms.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said this would be an additional facility apart from the existing Himachal Bhawan and Himachal Sadan, offering accommodation facility to students aspiring for competitive examinations held in New Delhi.

Himachal Niketan would exclusively offer comfortable stay to students and favourable atmosphere for studies.

"Apart from existing Himachal Bhawan, Himachal Sadan, facilitating stay facilities to residents of Himachal Pradesh visiting New Delhi for various purposes, including availing of medical services, at AIIMS, Himachal Niketan will be the third alternative to stay," said the Chief Minister.

Every year many people from Himachal visit other states of the country to spend their winter vacations.

Himachal Niketan would be an additional option for their halt in New Delhi, he said. The PWD has been directed to complete it by 2025. He said the PWD Minister would also review progress of construction at regular intervals so that timely construction could also be ensured.

Earlier, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh welcomed and honoured the Chief Minister. He assured timely completion of Himachal Niketan.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : BJP President J.P. Nadda will visit Bastar on February 11 for his first election rally in the region in the run-up to the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls scheduled later this year.

Eyeing to capture the tribal belt, Nadda will reach Bastar district on February 11 to address a public rally at the Railway Ground in Jagdalpur.

According to a source in the BJP, "Before the public rally in Jagdalpur, Nadda will hold a series of meetings with senior BJP leaders of Chattisgarh." Nadda will also attend other events in Bastar, including meeting and addressing the party karyakartas, the source added.

The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to win the confidence of the tribal belt, as the 12 seats in the Bastar division will play a crucial role in the formation of the government in Chhattisgarh.
Hyderabad, Feb 8 : Legislators of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday urged Telangana's Director General of Police Anjani Kumar to take action against Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy over his remark about blowing up the chief minister's official residence.

Six members of the Legislative Council belonging to BRS met the DGP and submitted a written complaint against Revanth Reddy.

They demanded that the remarks of the Congress leader be viewed seriously and action be taken against him as per law.

MLCs Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, T. Arvind Rao, L. Ramana, Tata Madhu, Shambhipur Raju and D. Vital met the DGP at his office.

They slammed Revanth Reddy's remark that even if Maoists blow up the official residence of the chief minister with explosives it would be of little consequence as it was of no use to the people.

They wondered how a Member of Parliament could talk about blowing up government buildings.

Earlier, BRS leaders in Mulugu district filed police complaints against Revanth Reddy. The complaints were filed in Mulugu and Narasmpet police stations. The BRS leaders expressed the doubt that there could be a conspiracy behind Revanth Reddy's remarks.

The complainants alleged that the Congress leader gave a call to Maoists to blow up Pragati Bhavan as a conspiracy to endanger the life of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Telangana Pradesh Congress committee (TPCC) president Revanth Reddy had made the controversial remarks on Tuesday in Mulugu district during his ongoing Hath Se Haath Jodo padyatra.

Revanth Reddy, who is also a member of Lok Sabha, alleged that Chief Minister KCR was indifferent to the woes of the people as he was barricaded by the walls of the Pragati Bhavan. He went on to add that even if Maoists blow up Pragati Bhavan, it would make no difference as it was of no use to the people.

"What use is a structure built with hundreds of crores when the chief minister is indifferent to the sufferings of the people as long as he is inside it? If it is of no use to the public," he asked.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 8 : Contrary to expectations, Kerala Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal on Wednesday refuted reports that he will reduce the Rs 2 fuel cess that was included in his budget speech for the year 2023-24.

Instead he took pot shots at the Congress led opposition while speaking in the assembly on the budget and said, "based on the media reports that a Re one reduction will be made, the opposition started a protest and because of that they failed to see the good things in the budget,", said Balagopal.

"This cess is going into a separate account and this is not going to be a burden on the people. The Pinarayi Vijayan government is not arrogant and it's because all are going through very tough times and to take care that the social welfare pensions continue," said Balagopal.

As soon as the Minister ended his speech, the Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan led a walk out and told the media outside the assembly that there has been no reduction in the cess because of the arrogance of Vijayan.

"We will not cooperate with this fuel cess and we will continue our strike inside and outside the assembly," said Satheesan.

Incidentally in the foyer of the assembly four opposition legislators are staging an indefinite protest, which has entered the third day. All eyes are now on what will happen to this protest after Thursday evening, when the assembly session breaks for a while and will resume in the last week of this month.

Meanwhile during the day the Congress party workers took to the streets across the state. At certain places there were skirmishes with the police and protesters were taken into custody.
San Francisco, Feb 8 : US-based cybersecurity company Secureworks, backed by Dell Technologies, has laid off about 9 per cent of the workforce globally as part of its restructuring.

According to CRN, Secureworks did not disclose the total number of workers affected by the layoffs.

The company last disclosed its workforce in a regulatory filing in March 2022 to 2,351 employees, and if its workforce size remains the same, the 9 per cent workforce reduction will affect more than 200 SecureWorks employees.

During its filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company said it is implementing the layoffs to "align its investments more closely with its strategic priorities".

"Our business is evolving with our partners and customers in support of their security needs," CEO Wendy Thomas wrote in a message to employees.

"This demands agile footing and a smaller, more focused team. We are forging a structure that emphasizes simplicity and agility, requiring fewer roles and different skill sets a Our path to profitability will be achieved in part by reducing our spending," he added.

Earlier this week, Dell Technologies also announced to lay off about 6,650 workers globally, becoming the latest technology company to do so.

The cuts will include 5 per cent of the company's global workforce, reports Bloomberg, citing sources.

Clarke told employees that previous cost-cutting measures, such as a halt in hiring and travel restrictions, are no longer sufficient.
Kolkata, Feb 8 : The West Bengal Assembly witnessed major ruckus as BJP members from the opposition bench vehemently protested against the omission of reference to the recent issues of corruption from the opening speech of Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Day 1 of the Budget Session on Wednesday.

The BJP legislators, led by leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, alleged that the reference to the issues of corruption has been deliberately omitted from the Governor's speech.

The saffron party MLAs first raised 'Chor Dharo, Jail Bharo' (catch the thieves, fill up the jail) slogans before staging a walkout from the House.

In the midst of sloganeering, at times the speech of the Governor was hardly audible. Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a time was seen putting on headphones to listen to the speech. However, despite the sloganeering by the opposition MLAs, Bose completed his speech.

The protests by the BJP legislators started immediately after the Governor read out the ninth paragraph of his written speech which said that an environment of peace and secular ambience is prevailing in West Bengal under the leadership of the Chief Minister.

Immediately, the BJP legislators protested and claimed that the Governor's speech was an attempt to guard the events of rising corruption in the state.

"We refuse to accept the falsehood in the Governor's speech," the BJP legislators said as they staged a walkout.

Some of them were also spotted tossing the copies of the written speech distributed among them.

After staging a walkout, the BJP legislators continued with their protests and raised slogans at the lobby of the Assembly.

Later, Adhikari told mediapersons that the Governor's speech was not a reflection of the true state of affairs in West Bengal.

"The constitutional head of the state has just resorted to praising the state administration, ignoring the burning issues facing the state. The state government has resorted to false propaganda using the Governor," Adhikari said.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The state security police in Beijing have paid a visit to outspoken veteran activist Ji Feng after he made a skeptical comment on social media about police claims that high-schooler Hu Xinyu died by suicide, according to a media report.

"I was approached by state security police because I commented on the Jiangxi provincial [police] press conference. I had written 'you can't lie to the Chinese people'," Ji said, Radio Free Asia reported The death of 15-year-old Hu Xinyu, whose body was found hanging after going missing for three months, has prompted widespread speculation over human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting gangs, leading the authorities to announce a crackdown on online 'rumor mongering' in relation to the investigation, RFA reported.

Ji said the police had told him to delete the post.

"They asked me repeatedly if I had now deleted it. I told them I had deleted it, but they still shouldn't lie to the Chinese people," Ji said.

"If I hadn't deleted it, they could have arrested me. It's that simple," he added.

Ji said he didn't believe the police had coordinated their approaches, and that he was likely somewhat protected by his connections with prominent political journalist Gao Yu and other Beijing-based intellectuals, RFA reported.

He added that he was astonished to see that one of the four officers who visited him in his apartment had previously been assigned to monitor late former Communist Party aide and dissident Bao Tong, who died in November.

"I laughed to myself that they put the guy who had been in charge of Bao Tong in charge of me now," Ji said, adding that he wondered if he had gotten an upgrade.

He said the high-profile nature of the Hu Xinyu case was likely behind the move.

"The whole thing that sparked this was that they are afraid the shady organ transplantation business will be uncovered. I had been discussing this privately among our circle of friends [on WeChat]," Ji said.

"[The police] said private discussions are one thing, but they shouldn't be posted on the internet," he added.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Leading laptop brand, MSI, on Wednesday launched its all-new laptop line-up equipped with the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs and up to 13th Gen Intel Core chipsets in India.

The new RTX 40 series of laptops will be available in the market by the end of February, starting at a price of Rs 58,990, said the company.

The laptops come with innovative technology breakthroughs, extremely powerful performance and aesthetic designs that ensure the best-in-class user experience for all its consumers.

"The new series will be a culmination of three values we focus at MSI - extreme performance, innovative technology, and luxurious aesthetics. The laptops are powered by the all-new 13th Gen Intel Core processors that promises best-in-class performance, security, reliability, and style," Bruce Lin, Regional Marketing Manager, MSI, said in a statement.

The new MSI gaming laptop comes with the latest exclusive thermal design, which helps to make the gaming series more powerful than ever.

In response to the performance enhancement, MSI's GeForce RTX 40 Series laptops, from the high-end Titan series to the entry gaming Katana series, incorporate the MUX design to allow activation of Discrete Graphics Mode through MSI Center, further unleashing more GPU power.

Moreover, the Stealth series comes with a full-size range from 14, 15, 16, to 17 inches.

The company introduced the newly designed Stealth 14 Studio and Stealth 16 Studio laptops.

Further, the company introduced a whole new series of entry gaming laptops, Cyborg 15.

MSI has also refreshed the hot-selling gaming series Katana, Sword and Pulse to the latest graphics and processors for better gaming performance.

Among the new line-up of laptops, MSI also introduced -- Titan GT series, Raider GE series, Vector GP series, Creator Z Series, and Prestige series.
Agartala, Feb 8 : The Election Commission ahead of the February 16 Tripura assembly elections has made special arrangements for voting for the people living in Indian territory but outside the barbed wire fencing erected along the international border with Bangladesh, officials said on Wednesday.

As the India-Bangladesh areas bordering Tripura have no 'No Man's Land', several hundred families live outside the fencing but in Indian territory just along the border line. There are some gates operated by the Border Security Force (BSF) and whenever the villagers are required to go deep inside Indian territory or to a different location or market or any offices, the Indian villagers taking permission from the border guards move to their places.

Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said that lists of the voters living outside the border fencing have been given to the BSF authorities. "Our officials have asked the BSF to cooperate with these voters on February 16," he told the media.

Following the directive of the Election Commission, the authorities have taken strict security measures along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura. A senior police official said that all 32 police stations along the border with Tripura are working in close coordination with the BSF to check intruders and smuggling of drugs and contraband.

The three Election Observers, who recently visited Tripura, asked the BSF officials to convene meetings immediately with their counterparts (Border Guard Bangladesh) to sensitise them to take a more vigilant approach considering the elections. The police official said that besides undertaking anti-insurgency operations against the underground elements, special measures have been taken in the mixed populated and ethnically sensitive areas.

The Union Home Ministry following the request of the Election Commission would deploy 30,000 security personnel of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to ensure zero poll violence. The majority of the CAPF comprising Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, have already arrived in Tripura and more are on the way.

"The flag marches by the CAPF and the Tripura State Rifles have been continued since the second week of January to ensure confidence building among the political workers for campaigning and among the citizens to cast their votes freely without any fear. The security forces are deployed well before the poll process so that they get familiar with the locality. Local police should extend necessary cooperation to the CAPF," the official said.

A large number of fixed police pickets, 3320 Naka points (check gates), installation of hundreds of CCTVs, round-the-clock patrolling, inter-state border meetings, preventive arrests, execution of warrants are some of the many measures that have been undertaken to ensure peaceful elections.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari here, and held deliberations on several issues, especially the ongoing four-lane projects being operated by the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI).

The Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to speed up four-lane projects, especially the Kiratpur-Manali, the Parwanoo-Shimla, the Chakki-Mataur-Shimla, the Mandi-Pathankot, the Nalagarh-Swarghat, the Mubarakpur-Amb-Naduan and the Paonta Sahib-Kala Amb highways so that it could be completed in stipulated time.

Besides, the Chief Minister advocated for construction of flyovers to ease traffic congestion. He sought converting two-lane highways into four-lanes and construction of tunnels on national highways in the state.

Plan to moot construction of ropeways in the state has also been discussed under Parvatmala Project, an official statement said.

Sukhu also advocated releasing funds for the repair work of national highways, keeping in view the tourism season approaching.

The Chief Minister said the Union Minister has assured of all possible assistance and cooperation on issues raised by him.
Mumbai, Feb 8 : The Maharashtra legislatures four-week-long Budget Session will be held from February 27 to March 25 and the government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis - which took office in June 2022 - will table its maiden Budget for FY 2023-2024 on March 9, officials said here on Wednesday.

The Budget Session will begin with the customary address by the Governor on the first day and the playing of the newly-ordained state song, "Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha" after the "Vande Mataram" in both Houses of the legislature.

The decision was taken by the Business Advisory Committee at a meeting on Wednesday that was attended by Shinde, Fadnavis, leader of opposition (Assembly) Ajit Pawar, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, leader of opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve, legislative council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe, representatives of various political parties, ministers, and senior officials.

The government proposes to table resolutions on the occasion of the platinum jubilee of Marathwada Mukti Sangram Day, a special discussion in both houses to mark the International Women's Day (March 8), while the Budget will be discussed for three days followed by six days of debate on the Budget proposals.

At the BAC meeting and later outside, Pawar criticised the four-week duration of the session and said it should be of at least five weeks since this will be the first full-fledged Budget Session after two years of truncated sessions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Referring to a provision of Rs 500 crore for 75th anniversary of the Marathwada Mukti Sangram Day made by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Pawar urged the government to ensure that all political parties and their leaders are taken together for the celebrations to make the new generations aware of the movement.

Around a dozen proposed bills are likely to come up for discussion and tabling before the House during the Budget Session, said an official.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to expeditiously consider the Maharashtra-based registered trust R.R. Patil Foundation's plea in case it plans to co-organise with the Maharashtra government a cultural programme at the Agra Fort on Chhatrapati Shivaji's birth anniversary on February 19.

A single-judge bench of Justice Pratibha M. Singh was dealing with a plea moved by the R.R. Patil Foundation along with Ajinkya Devgiri Pratishthan against the ASI's last December's communication denying them permission to organise the event. The letter to the Union Culture Minister for organising the event was addressed by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Counsel representing the Centre submitted that a private body cannot be permitted to organise a cultural programme at any monument and it does not want to start a new tradition.

After taking note of the ASI's official memorandum issued in 2005 to permit only government departments and public bodies to organise cultural events inside the protected monuments and sites, the court said: "Since the OM and policy of ASI has been in operation for almost 18 years now and no challenge has been made to the same, it is deemed appropriate to direct that if the petitioner wishes to co-organise the event along with the state, they may move a letter to the ASI which shall be considered expeditiously." However, here the Maharashtra government is not the co-organiser of the event. The Chief Minister has only supported the NGO's plea.

Justice Singh passed the direction only because the petitioner had approached the Maharashtra government for coordinating the event, which is under consideration.

Moreover, the court, while disposing of the matter, granted liberty to the petitioner to approach the court if there is a delay in consideration of the letter by the ASI.

The plea stated that the NGO and the people of Maharashtra are emotionally attached to the Agra Fort, where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son were imprisoned and kept captive by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

The petitioner also told the court that it was involved in social and charitable activities in Maharashtra.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Central government has informed the Supreme Court that surrogacy law says a surrogate mother may not be genetically related to the child born through the process.

A bench headed by Justice Ajay Rastogi is hearing a clutch of petitions, including one challenging certain provisions of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.

The petition has contended these provisions directly infringe upon the right to privacy and are against the reproductive rights of women and also a contention has been raised, in one of the petitions, that both Acts fall short in fully addressing the essential goal of regulating surrogacy and other assisted reproductive techniques.

It has been argued that the Surrogacy Act imposes a blanket ban on commercial surrogacy, which is neither desirable nor may be effective.

The Central government said section 4(iii)(b)(III) of the Surrogacy Act prescribes that no woman shall act as a surrogate mother by providing her own gametes. The government clarified that a child to be born through surrogacy to the intending couple should be formed of gametes of the intending couple themselves: sperms from the father and oocytes from the mother.

The government said through a notification issued in May last year, it had formed the National Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Board under section 17 of the Surrogacy Act and section 3 of the ART Act.

The Central government submitted before the apex court that the child to be born through surrogacy must be genetically related to the intending couple or intending woman (widow or divorcee).

It further added that a provision of the Surrogacy Act prescribes that no woman shall act as a surrogate mother by providing her own gametes.

Citing Section 25 of the Surrogacy Act, the government said the board has the power to advise the Centre on policy matters relating to assisted reproductive technology and surrogacy. And, also for supervising the functioning of various bodies constituted under the two statutes, including the state boards, it added.

The government said the national board is a common body between the Surrogacy Act and the ART Act. It further added that boards have been constituted in all states and Union Territories except Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Uttar Pradesh global investors' summit in Lucknow on February 10. Later in the afternoon on the same day, Modi will visit Mumbai, where he will flag off two Vande Bharat trains from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The Prime Minister will also dedicate two road projects to the nation - the Santacruz Chembur Link Road and the Kurar underpass project.

Modi will then inaugurate the new campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, also in Mumbai, during his day-long visit.
Mogadishu, Feb 8 : More than 8.3 million people require humanitarian assistance in Somalia where significant segments of the population are on the brink of famine, the United Nations relief agency said on Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in the absence of adequate funding and enhanced capacity, famine is projected between April and June in the three population groups including Baidoa and Burhakaba rural districts as well as internally displaced people (IDPs) in Baidoa and Mogadishu, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Somalis are hungrier, sicker, and more vulnerable than a year ago, pushing an ever greater number of people into reliance on humanitarian assistance for survival," OCHA said in its latest update on the humanitarian situation in Somalia.

It said even if no famine emerges, the humanitarian situation is extremely alarming since more than 6.3 million Somalis are expected to face high levels of food insecurity between January and March, including 322,000 in catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

"The cumulative levels of excess mortality could be as high as in 2011 when almost 260,000 people lost their lives, at least half of them children. In 2022 alone, 1,049 children died in nutrition centers and many more without even accessing the centers," OCHA said.

The crisis is caused by the historic failure of four consecutive rainy seasons, persistent conflict, displacement, and high food prices that have left millions of people at risk and are pushing people in Somalia to the brink of famine.

OCHA said the current drought is the longest and most severe in recent history and has surpassed the 2010/2011 and 2016/2017 droughts in terms of duration and severity.

It also said the recent escalation of the military offensive against al-Shabab, in addition to ongoing political and inter-clan tensions, has resulted in significant humanitarian impacts including increased displacement and reprisal attacks.

"Overall, it is expected that up to 450,000 additional civilians will be displaced due to conflict in 2023," it warned, noting that protection concerns include widespread forced family separation, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, freedom of movement restrictions, forced recruitment, abductions and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

OCHA believed the ongoing military operations offer both an opportunity for expanded access into areas previously under al-Shabab control as well as the increased likelihood of widespread insecurity and acute deterioration of humanitarian access.

"This uncertainty will require partners to exercise flexibility in programming to adapt to shifting insecurity, to assess and provide assistance in newly recovered areas as well as to engage in coordinated advocacy for the protection of civilians," OCHA said.
Chennai, Feb 8 : After the deposed AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam (OPS) withdrew his candidate, T. Senthil Murugan from the Erode East by-election on the request of the state BJP, the onus is now on Edapapdi K. Palaniswami (EPS) to make the AIADMK candidate and former minister, K.V. Thenarasu, victorious.

While the odds are in favour of the DMK led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) candidate and senior Congress leader, EVKS Elangovan to win the election, the power of EPS in the Kongu belt of Tamil Nadu has to be on display for clinching a victory for the AIADMK candidate. The by-election was necessitated following the passing away of sitting legislator, E. Thirumahan Everaa who was the son of EVKS Elangovan. The Congress candidate, Thirumahan Everaa had won the 2021 assembly election with a margin of 8924 votes.

With the DMK front under Stalin performing well in government, the AIADMK does not have much chance of winning but the party is trying to play up the facts that the government could not cancel the NEET for admission to medical and allied courses and could not provide the Rs 1000 per month support to BPL women which was a poll promise of the DMK.

BJP state president K. Annamalai has already exhorted the party cadres to work tirelessly for the victory of the AIADMK candidate. The AIADMK is banking on the fact that the Erode belt has a good support base of EPS and the Gounder community to which he belongs which may throw their weight behind the AIADMK candidate.

The Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) of TTV Dhinakaran has also withdrawn its candidate from the electoral fray and this will also be advantageous to the AIADMK. Both OPS and Dhinakaran were leaders of the AIADMK in the immediate past.

The DMK however has got a shot in the arm following the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) of South Indian superstar Kamal Haasan announcing its support to the DMK/Congress candidate. The MNM had in the 2021 assembly election secured around 10,000 votes.

However in politics the arithmetic may not add up but it is the political chemistry that matters. If the AIADMK does its grassroots work in a proper manner, the party has a fair chance of pulling off a memorable win which will stamp the authority of EPS as the sole leader of the AIADMK.
Patna, Feb 8 : After JD-U's parliamentary board President Upendra Kushwaha appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to disclose the 'deal', RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari said that Kushwaha has given his 'dil' (heart) to someone else.

"After the formation of Mahagathbandhan government, the deal between JD-U and RJD was to give 20 lakh jobs to the unemployed youth of Bihar. We have removed BJP from the state and will remove it from the Centre as well. We have a deal to develop Bihar, but Upendra Kushwaha repeatedly talks about the deal. I believe he has given his 'dil' to someone else and hence he is talking about the deal. He is speaking the language of BJP," Tiwari said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kushwaha had said that Nitish Kumar should promote any leader from the JD-U and avoid promoting Tejashwi Yadav, as it will weakening the party and the 'Lav-Kush' equation.

Reacting to this, Tiwari said, "JD-U had contested the 2020 Assembly elections under the umbrella of NDA, yet the RJD under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav put up an impressive performance and became the single largest party in the state. Tejashwi Yadav failed to form the government only by five-six seats. In a democracy, the voters are supreme and they have given their blessings to Tejashwi Yadav. After the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government, 'uncle' (Nitish Kumar) has given his blessings to his 'nephew' (Tejashwi Yadav). What is wrong with it?" "Why is Upendra Kushwaha feeling uneasiness. He is sitting on the lap of communal forces and hence he is talking like this," Tiwari added.
Bengaluru, Feb 8 : Karnataka's ruling BJP and opposition Congress and JD-S are gearing up for the last session of the present Assembly, to be held February 10-24, and expected to witness high-voltage debates and confrontations.

The session is begin on Friday, when Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot will address a joint sitting of both the houses, while proceedings in both houses will begin from Monday onwards with the debate on the motion of thanks on the speech.

Opposition parties and the ruling BJP want to make a mark in the session before going to Assembly elections in less than two months.

The Congress and JD-S are expected to raise the allegations of "40 per cent commission charges" against the ruling BJP, while JD-S leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy regarding BJP's "secret agenda" to anoint a Brahmin candidate, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, as Chief Minister if the BJP voted to power will also figure.

The statement was aimed at the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, which play a crucial role in the election of the new government. The controversy has put the ruling BJP in a fix and pressure exerted on the party to declare the CM's face.

The saffron party initially announced the candidature of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. However, in the recent past, the party leaders are stating that they will seek votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The opposition leaders have already attacked the BJP over the matter and they are expected to taunt BJP and demand announcement of CM candidate in the session.

Ruling BJP will also face the challenge of managing the alleged criminal Santro Ravi case. Though he is arrested, the opposition leaders are likely to rake up the issue and question the ruling government on alleged collusion with top state leaders.

The BJP, on the other hand, is expected to flaunt the generous funds for the Upper Bhadra Project, and Rs 8,000 crore allocation for incomplete railway works in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are repeatedly stressing the double engine the government is delivering in terms of development for Karnataka.

Opposition parties are also likely to highlight the withholding of Rs 13,000 crore GST share of the state by the Union government. The state is the second state in terms of paying highest taxes.

On the other hand, Chief Minister Bommai is all set to present a populist budget during the session to get mileage for the BJP.
Mumbai, Feb 8 : The Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), Bombay Union of Journalists and Peoples Union for Civil Liberties have demanded a probe into the 'murder' of Ratnagiri journalist Shashikant Warishe -- who succumbed after being knocked down by a vehicle under suspicious circumstances -- here on Wednesday.

Warishe, a crusading scribe working for 'Mahanagri Times' publication, met with an "accident" late on Monday and succumbed on Tuesday morning, sparking a furore in state media circles.

He had been writing a series of articles campaigning against the proposed Ratnagiri Refinery and petrochemicals mega-complex coming up with foreign collaboration, at Barsu, near the original location of Nanar.

It is alleged that Warishe was run down by a speeding vehicle of one Pandharinath Amberkar, who is a strong supporter of the refinery complex, ostensibly to teach him a lesson.

Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe, Sena (UBT) national spokesperson Kishore Tiwari, BUJ's Indra Kumar Jain and PUCL's Mihir Desai and Lara Jesani have strongly condemned what they suspect is a 'well-planned murder' of the activist-journalist.

Londhe said that even since the government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis came to power (in June 2022), attacks on the mediapersons doing their jobs are increasing in Maharashtra, undermining the independence of the fourth pillar of Democracy.

"The killing of a journalist like this is an atrocious attack on democracy and a blot on a progressive and tolerant state like Maharashtra. Law and order has deteriorated under the Shinde-Fadnavis regime. Ruling party MLAs fire guns openly, threaten to beat up people, assault officials, beat up principals, etc.," said Londhe.

Tiwari said that it was indeed a grim scenario with the media being threatened in this manner with attacks for exposing the government or its policies and officials, and called for urgent steps from Fadnavis who holds the home portfolio.

Urgent for a speedy and fair probe, Desai and Jesani demanded compensation and security for Warishe's family, and stopping all land acquisition work pertaining to the proposed refinery project till the locals' views are taken into account.

Quoting local reports, Jain said that Warishe was dragged for over 100 metres under Amberkar's vehicle before he fled the spot, leaving the journalist profusely bleeding on the Rajapur Highway.

"The incident came soon after Warishe had published Amberkar's photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shinde and Fadnavis. Amberkar has been accused of land-grabbing and intimidating the locals or activists who are opposed to the refinery project," said Jain.

On Tuesday, the All India Marathi Patrakar Sanghi, Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, the Mantralay Ani Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh urged the government to take immediate action in the matter and ensure the most stringent punishment for the guilty.

Media organisations have also submitted a memorandum to the state government condemning the incident and ensuring an impartial probe into the 'heinous killing' of Warishe.
Chennai, Feb 8 : The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has intensified its campaign against the poaching of turtles after the state's forest special squad apprehended two persons, including a juvenile, for allegedly poaching and smuggling turtles in Ramanathapuram, an official said on Wednesday.

Based on inputs about illegal poaching and smuggling activities, a special team of the Forest Department on Tuesday conducted an inspection in Ramanathapuram following which two persons who were moving on a two-wheeler were held.

The forest special squad found multiple turtle hatchlings in three plastic containers on the two-wheeler.

An official of the special squad, requesting anonymity, told IANS: "Eighteen turtle hatchlings were seized, including 17 Indian black turtles and one Indian flap shell turtle, which are listed under Wild Life Protection Act 1972 Schedule I&II." Of the two apprehended individuals, the minor boy was sent to an observation home, while legal action was taken against the other person.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has constituted special squads to prevent the poaching and smuggling of wild animals of endangered species.
Kolkata, Feb 8 : Kolkata Police on Wednesday submitted its report on the slanderous postering in front of the residence of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the Calcutta High Court to the special three-judge bench of the same court constituted for the purpose.

However, the special bench of Justices T.S. Sivagnanam, Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Chittaranjan Dash expressed anguish over the report as it lacked specifics about the probable trouble-makers who were behind the postering.

The report also could not specify the printing press where these slanderous posters were printed.

Observing that the police should have been more proactive in investigating the matter, the bench gave additional time to the police to submit a fresh report on this count.

In the report, the police named six persons as probable offenders in the matter of slanderous postering. It also mentioned that the police have collected CCTV footage from seven places and questioned the owners of 39 printing presses.

Although the paper and ink used in printing the posters have been sent to the central forensic science laboratory, the latter has claimed that it does not have the required infrastructure for conducting such tests.

Justice Mukerji stressed that it is extremely urgent to identify the offenders behind the postering act and identify the printing press where the posters were printed.

The police report, at the same time, remained silent about identifying the advocates who created ruckus in front of the court of Justice Mantha. The report claimed that there was no clear CCTV footage from which the offenders could be identified.

Justice Sivagnanam observed that the advocates responsible for the ruckus should come forward owning their responsibilities.

"This cannot be the gesture from those who are quite vocal about their right to protest. The bar association surely has the right to protest on specific issues. But in this case, a judge of the Calcutta High Court has been insulted. Why is a section of the public prosecutors still refusing to appear at the court of Justice Mantha? This is not a healthy trend," Justice Sivagnanam noted.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : A total of 1,457 cases are pending in various high courts, related to compensation for land acquisition against the government or the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) wherein no response could so far be filed, the Rajya Sabha was told on Wednesday.

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply at the Rajya Sabha, said: "There is no delay in filing of replies. Therefore, the question of fixing responsibility does not arise." "Instructions have been issued to all concerned officers to file the response on behalf of the government or NHAI within the prescribed time limit in the matters pending before the High Courts," he added.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued instructions and guidelines regarding timely handling of court cases in which it has been instructed that the concerned field office of the agency involved in the development and maintenance of national highways, shall file a suitable counter affidavit in court cases, well before the date of hearing of the case before the court and defend the case on behalf of the Central government, said the reply.

The Ministry said that many efforts have been taken for resolution of land acquisition compensation disputes. It includes introduction of BhoomiRashi portal for online submission of LA notification for reducing the time in publication and payment of compensation.

The efforts in this regard also include regular meetings with state governments for speedy land acquisition and timely disbursement of compensation.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has given approval to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a case against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and six others over allegations that the AAP government created a Feedback Unit (FBU) under the vigilance department to 'collect political intelligence.

"I am of the considered view that the case requires to be further investigated by CBI deeply, after registering a regular case. I, therefore, approve the proposal of the Directorate of Vigilance to forward the request of CBI in respect of Manish Sisodia, Dy Chief Minister, Delhi to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, the Competent authority to consider granting approval for 'Investigation' under Sec 17A," read the order issued by the LG.

"I have perused the report of Director CBI dated on Jan 12 requesting the approval of the Competent Authority, under sec 17A of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, for investigation & registering a regular case against Sh. Manish Sisodia, Dy Chief Minister, Delhi, with regard to the creation and Functioning of the Feed Back Unit referred as FBU", the order read further.

LG Saxena has observed, "From the careful perusal of the note, it can be unambiguously observed that there was a concerted effort by the state Government to create an agency that was outside it's mandate and not within the constitutional scheme of Governance. There seems to have been a well conceived attempt to establish an extraneous and parallel covert agency with overarching powers of snooping and trespass, without any legislative, judicial or executive oversight whatsoever".

"The scrutiny of such reports during the period February 2016 to early part of September 2016 shows that a substantial number of reports submitted by FBU officials related not to actionable feedback or information on corruption in any department, institutes, entities etc... but related to political activities of persons, political entities and political issues touching political interest of Aam Aadmi Party, BJP or like, which was beyond the scope and ambit of functions of FBU. Thus apparently the FBU was misused by the concerned public servants for the purpose other than the one for which it was manifestly created," adds a report by the vigilance department.

As per the order, the FBU started functioning from February 2016, manned by around 17 contractual employees most of whom were retired officials of IB & Central Parliamentary Forces in non-existent posts and no approval was taken before the creation of posts for the FBU or for the recruitment made thereto, from the Lt Governor.

"It is also noted that despite being created within the Vigilance Department and mandated to be under the overall supervision of Secretary (Vigilance), as per Rule 57 of Transaction of Business Rules, on 31.05.2016, an order was issued with the approval of the Chief Minister, designating Sh. R.K Sinha, Advisor to the CM, as Joint Director and overall in-charge of FBU and of the Secret Service Fund (SSF) allotted to the FBU. As Sh. R.K Sinha directly reported to the Chief Minister, the established hierarchy was not only bypassed, but it also ensured that the FBU operates sans any administrative control or oversight. Not only this, the Secretary (Vigilance), who was the administrative head of the FBU, was also refused the copy of the reports generated by FBU. Such blatant disregard of laid down procedures to create and empower a body which neither had legislative backing or proper executive mandate, in itself was a cause for bonafide suspicion", the LG noted in his observation.

The order reads, "The analysis of CBI suggests a very disturbing scenario that brings out that, the nature of reports generated by the FBU revealed that political intelligence and issues unrelated to Vigilance, accounted for around 40% of reports generated. The records reveal that while putting in place the clandestine infrastructure for snooping, apparently over political adversaries, the Chief Minister/Dy Chief Minister deliberately disregarded the constitutional scheme of Governance".

"This needs to be viewed with grave concern, as it appears to challenge the constitutionally established order of checks & balances and constitutional mandates of various governments and its agencies. Hence, I would recommend a deep threadbare investigation into the whole matter, over and above the evidences already gathered by CBI, so as to ascertain if there existed any sinister design akin to challenging the established constitutional authority of the State by clandestinely subverting institutions and statutes, and, if so, bring to book all those involved in such activities", LG Saxena has said in the order.
Srinagar, Feb 8 : In his sublime tragedy, 'Merchant of Venice', Shakespeare wrote: "There be land-rats and water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves, I mean pirates, and then there is the peril of waters, winds and rocks". This simile aptly describes the powerful and mighty land grabbers of Jammu and Kashmir.

While the demand for protecting the dwellings of poor citizens and small farmers gains momentum in Jammu and Kashmir, the list of people on whom the axe of anti-encroachment drive has fallen so far reads like the who-is-who of the influential and powerful in the union territory.

Those indulging in encroaching state and grazing lands have grown orchards, laid sprawling lawns, constructed commercial buildings and even built personal palaces on those lands.

Obviously, the hurt of giving up encroached empires is understandable.

Among the top ranking politicians, who lost possession of encroached lands during the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, is the former state unit Congress president and minister, Peerzada Mohd Syed.

Syed had fenced an area and thereby brought a large chunk of land under illegal possession in Ara Khushipora village of Anantnag's Dooru tehsil.

In the same tehsil, the legal heirs of a former chief minister and senior Congress leader, Syed Mir Qasim had grown trees on encroached land that was freed from illegal possession by the authorities.

Abdul Majeed Bhat, a former MLA, had constructed a commercial building on encroached land in Anantnag. Bhat also lost the commercial concern during the anti-encroachment drive.

Ghulam Hassan Khan, former social welfare minister, had constructed 8 shops on encroached land in Hergam village of Shopian district. He recently suffered demolition of those shops by the authorities.

Dr. Haseeb Drabu, former finance minister, had laid an orchard on 3 kanals of encroached land in Pirpora village of Keegam tehsil in Shopian district.

Authorities restored the encroached land to the public by dispossessing Drabu of the encroached land.

Taj Mohiuddin, former minister, had grown an orchard on 13 kanals and 16 marlas of encroached land in Sedow village in Shopian district. Taj also lost his illegal orchard during the anti-encroachment drive.

In Shistergam village of Dooru tehsil of Anantnag district, politician and close relation of former chief minister, Mufti Sayeed, Farooq Andrabi had grown trees on encroached land which was restored to public recently.

Not only the politicians and others, but even terrorists had made good of the bad times during 1990s.

Aashaq Ahmad, a terrorist presently in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, built a house in Hanjan Bala village of Pulwama district.

Authorities have since dismantled the house and removed the terrorists' encroachment on state land.

Politicians, government servants, land brokers and influential businessmen, all have had their finger in the pie of encroached lands in Jammu and Kashmir.

For Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor, Manoj Sinha, removing encroachments is going to be a tightrope walk.

He must not earn the wrath of the common man by uprooting poor citizens and small farmers while targeting the mighty encroachers.
Gurugram, Feb 8 : The Gurugram police on Wednesday arrested a couple for allegedly brutalising their 14-year-old maid.

A police team along with an official from a one-stop centre for women had rescued the minor girl from a house in old Gurugram late on Tuesday evening after they received an informed about the incident.

The arrested couple has been identified as Manish Khattar and Kamaljeet Kaur, who allegedly meted out inhuman treatment to the girl during her captivity in their house over the past five-six months.

"We have booked both the accused under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Juvenile Justice Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act at a police station in Gurugram. The accused man has been sent to two-day police remand while the woman has been sent to 14-day judicial custody," said a senior police officer.

The victim hails from Jharkhand and was found with burn marks on her arms and legs, officials said, adding that she has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Doctors are also conducting her medical examination to ascertain if she was sexually assaulted, it is learnt.

The girl was allegedly beaten with hot tongs and sticks by the couple, sources said.

Initial investigation suggests the couple would starve and thrash the girl, accusing her of "not working properly" and "stealing food".

"She was not given proper food for days. The victim used to eat leftover food from the dustbin," an official said.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : With the arrest of two men, the Delhi Police on Wednesday said they had busted a racket that duped over 4,000 youths of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of providing 'Gigolo' and 'Escort' jobs.

The accused have been identified as Kuldeep Singh Charan, 29, and Shyam Lal, 33, both residents of village Dantra near Jaipur.

Police said that Shyam Lal is fluent in both Hindi and English languages and also mimicking the voice of women after posing as NRI woman client to lure the victims.

The officials said that both the accused have been working on online cyber crime fraud of playboy services, escort services, gigolo and dating services since last four years.

"The web developer who developed the website used in the commission of tje crime has been served notice under Section 41.1 (A) Cr.P.C. and his role in the case is being examined," said the officials.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer North, Devesh Kumar Mahla, a grievance was reported on Cyber Crime Reporting Portal from a resident of Gautam Colony, Narela.

In the complaint, the man stated that he was searching for an online job on Google when he came across a website "SP Playboy services.com" and contacted the given number mentioned in the website.

"In the name of providing a job, the accused demanded the initial registration fee amounting to Rs 2,499 and subsequently issued an identity card to the complainant on Whatsapp. Thereafter the alleged started demanding amounts in the name of advance commission of 40 per cent, massage kit, pass code charges and hotel booking. In this process the alleged defrauded complainant to the tune of Rs 39,190. After a preliminary enquiry, a case was registered and investigation taken up," said the DCP.

During investigation, police after getting server space details, call detail and money trail, nabbed Charan from Jaipur.

"Police recovered the mobile phone and number used in commission of the crime from the possession of the accused. The same mobile number was also mentioned on the website," said the DCP.

Further during the scanning of the money trail, the police team found that the cheated amount was settled in the co-accused bank account registered in the name of Shyam Lal.

"The mobile number given to the complainant in the name of NRI client was stated to be in the possession of Shyam Lal and he was also arrested," said the DCP.

As per police investigation so far, both the accused were online defrauding the people in the name of playboy services, gigolo services and escort services since 2017 and defrauded more than 4,000 people.

"They have used more than a dozen bank accounts for receiving the fraud amount," said the official, adding that further probe is on.
Panaji, Feb 8 : State Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar, after chairing a House Committee meeting on Wednesday, said that the battle over the Mhadei water diversion will be fought at the administrative and the Supreme Court level. However, irked opposition parties said that the government should not do mere 'time pass', but act on it.

After chairing the preliminary meeting of the House Committee to study issues related to the Mhadei river, Shirodkar said that the meeting was fruitful and got good inputs from the members.

"We have to fight (this case) at the Administrative and Supreme Court level. We should be perfect in submission at the administrative level and should make our defence strong in the Supreme Court, these suggestions will play an important role for this," Shirodkar said.

He said that valid points were discussed during the meeting. "It was a positive and fruitful meeting. Suggestions of members will be considered and we will go ahead," Shirodkar added.

"We can do detailed discussions in the House Committee and also appoint consultants, committees, experts committee and seek a report. This we will do in the next one month," he said.

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Venzy Viegas said that whatever is going on is all a 'drama'. "We are living with a false sense of hope and security. Things that need to be done are not focused upon. The Chief Minister has compromised himself. The only issue we have is to save our Mhadei based on the environment. But they are not speaking about the process of saving the environment," Viegas said.

"We need to protect Goa by way of eco-system, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves. If we damage the route of the tiger then they will enter villages. So we need to protect their areas. This (Tiger reserve) is one of the solutions," Viegas said.

According to Viegas, notifying the tiger reserve would make Goa's case strong to save the Mhadei water from being diverted from the wildlife sanctuary.

"The House committee is actually a time pass," Viegas said.

Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should be summoned for a meeting. "If things are compromised from the top then whatever we are doing here (House Committee meeting) is time pass. The government has not demanded urgent hearings in the Supreme Court," Sardesai said.

"In 2002 one such DPR was approved and later kept in abeyance after Manohar Parrikar met Atal Bihari Vajpayee with an all- party delegation, then why is the fresh DPR not kept in abeyance when the BJP has governments in the state and the centre," he questioned.

According to Sardesai, even now when the same party is in government, why are they not meeting the Prime Minister and urging him to keep the DPR in abeyance.

The BJP government in Goa is under attack since the Central Water Commission granted permission to a Detailed Project Report of Karnataka for the disputed Kalsa-Banduri dam. The government was forced to appoint a House Committee over the issue.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested four men for allegedly killing a 23-year-old man here in Mitraon village, an official said on Wednesday.

The arrested individuals have been identified as -- Himanshu Dagar, 20; Dheeraj Toor, 21; Anshul Antil, 20 and Sahil, 21 -- all residents of Sonepat district in Haryana.

The accused had even disfigured and smashed the face of the deceased with stones so that he could not be identified.

Special Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ravindra Singh Yadav, said: "On February 4, a police control room (PCR) call was received at Baba Haridas Nagar police station that a man was spotted injured and lying unconscious in village Mitraon with blood oozing off his head.

"The police later shifted that person to Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead," Yadav said.

The police officer said there were multiple injuries on the head of the deceased and his face was smashed with some heavy object.

"The deceased could not be identified. Empty liquor bottles, glasses, stones with iron rods, medicines were also found at the crime scene. A murder case was registered and sensing the gravity, brutality, sensitivity and nature of the crime, a team from the Crime Branch was tasked to identify the deceased and nab the accused," Yadav said.

The police eventually managed to ascertain the identity of the deceased -- Bunty, a resident of Gopal Nagar in Najafgarh.

During the investigation, it was learned that Bunty had gone out with some people, and they had consumed alcohol.

Eventually, the identities of the accused persons were also established, Yadav said, adding all the accused were nabbed from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh.

On questioning, one of the accused -- Himanshu Dagar, revealed that Bunty was in a relationship with his sister.

Dagar -- whom the police named as the main accused, did not approve of their relationship and he wanted to get it ended.

Along with his friends, Dagar then made a plan to eliminate Bunty without getting caught, the official said.

On the evening of February 4, one of the accused called Bunty from a tea seller's mobile phone and called him to meet them over a drink.

"After some time, as per their plan, they began an argument that led to a quarrel with Bunty, who was killed with stones. They also stabbed the deceased with a broken liquor bottle and smashed his face to disfigure it so that the body could not be identified," the police officer said.
Kolkata, Feb 8 : BJP's former West Bengal President Tathagata Roy on Wednesday hit out at his own party's state unit, claiming that the activities of the party's state leaders are now restricted to only issuing statements.

"Currently the entire state is plunged in corruption. Almost the entire state Education Department including the former Education Minister is behind the bars. The central funds for essential projects are being diverted for organising festivals. The state government employees are being denied their long overdue dearness allowance arrears. However, as the principal opposition party of the state, the BJP is restricting its activities just to issuing statements from time to time," Roy, who is also a former Governor of Meghalaya, said.

He also noted that talks of a clandestine pact between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress is going on in the state. "This means that there is a secret pact, whereby the BJP will give a walkover to Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and in return, the Trinamool Congress will not let the opposition get united. It is high time that the BJP should disabuse people through its action," he said.

However, he was all praises for Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari. "Suvendu Adhikari seems to be the only hope for the state BJP in this moment of crisis. He not only defeated the Chief Minister from Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly elections, but is also moving around throughout the state. When those who joined the BJP out of greed for money and women accepted defeat and left the scene on the counting day by 12 noon, Adhikari did not escape from the counting station till the end," Roy said.

However, none of the senior BJP leaders agreed to give any counter-comment to his observations on this count. This is not the first time that Tathagata Roy had been critical of the state leadership of his own party. After the defeat of the BJP in the 2021 Assembly polls, he said that the over-dependence on the turncoats coming to BJP from the Trinamool and Left parties ignoring the claims of the old guards was the major reason behind its rout.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The working President of Delhi BJP, Virendra Sachdeva, said on Wednesday that the Arvind Kejriwal government since its inception in 2015 has been hostile towards political opponents whom it wants to suppress.

Addresssing a press conference here, Sachdeva said that for this purpose, on February 1, 2016, the Kejriwal government had established a Feedback Unit (FBU) to keep an eye on not only political opponents, but Union ministers, MPs, L-G office, media houses, leading businessmen and also on judges.

Sachdeva claimed that to carry out its anarchic practices, the Kejriwal government set up the FBU without any administrative or financial approval only, but only on the basis of the approval of his own Cabinet. The unit was headed by a retired CISF DIG, he said.

This FBU was provided with an establishment fund of Rs one crore and it was given the name of 'Secret Service Fund' which in itself raises the question as to whom did Kejriwal want to investigate for which a secret fund was created, Sachdeva claimed.

Funds worth crores of rupees were given from this fund to private investigating agencies, as well as to set up a network of informers, he said.

From the very beginning, the Vigilance Department had objected to this. In September 2016, when Ashwani Kumar became the Director of Vigilance, he had directly asked FBU for an account of the work done, which it failed to submit, Sachdeva claimed.

When the Delhi government had sent the FBU file to then Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, the latter had not only rejected it, but also objected to the creation of such a new unit by bypassing the Vigilance Department, Sachdeva said.

Sachdeva also said that the people of Delhi demand a reply from the Kejriwal government on the formation of the FBU.

"We want to ask some questions regarding the establishment of FBU for which Kejriwal government is responsible. In spite of the existence of the ACB and the Vigilance Department, why did the Kejriwal government establish the FBU with a retired official as its head? "What was the purpose behind the establishment of FBU, and if the purpose was clear, why didn't the government announce it at the time of establishment? According to us, the objective was to keep an eye on political opponents as it is clear from the CBI report that 60 per cent of its reports were only on political opponents. The CBI investigation has revealed that FBU submitted about 700 reports to the Kejriwal government," Sachdeva said.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed its discontent with setting up of zoos and safaris inside tiger reserves and national parks.

It said prima facie it does not appreciate the necessity of zoos inside tiger reserves and national parks and restrained authorities from doing any construction within the core areas notified in tiger reserves, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries.

A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Vikram Nath sought reply from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) detailing the necessity of having safaris in national parks. It said that until further orders "we restrain the authorities from doing any construction within the core areas notified in tiger reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries".

A report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), a panel constituted by the apex court, was also brought to the notice of the bench.

The CEC asked the Union Environment Ministry to amend or withdraw guidelines related to setting up zoos and safaris within tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. It further sought discontinuation of the use of wildlife habitats for tourism activities which are non-site specific. Also, approvals given for setting up zoos and safaris within tiger reserves and protected areas should be withdrawn forthwith, it added.

The panel, in its report, said the location of such safaris and zoos shall not endanger the life of the natural population and eco-tourism and wildlife education should not be at the cost of survival of the endangered species.

The apex court was hearing a matter connected with alleged illegal constructions in tiger reserves and the establishment of a tiger safari in the buffer area of Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.

In an application, advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal raised the issue of alleged illegal construction of buildings and water bodies by way of cutting trees illegally in Saneh Forest Rest House towards Pakhrao Forest Rest House etc.
Amaravati, Feb 8 : There was mild tension during Telugu Desam Party (TDP) General Secretary Nara Lokesh's padyatra in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district when a police official tried to snatch mike from him, citing the ban on public meetings on roads.

The incident took place at NTR Crossroads in NR Peta when Lokesh was addressing participants in the padyatra. Police asked him to stop saying there is no permission for meetings on roads. They cited Government Order (GO) number one issued last month prohibiting public meetings on roads.

As the TDP leader continued his speech, a police officer tried to snatch the mike from his hands. This led to mild tension. The opposition party alleged that the police were creating hurdles for the padyatra at every place.

Lokesh, son of TDP President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, continued his padyatra 'Yuva Galam' on the 13th day.

The local farmers at Krishnapuram in Chittoor Assembly segment met Lokesh, and he told them as Chandrababu Naidu comes from a farmer's family, he has thorough knowledge about the problems being faced by the farming community.

Recalling that Chandrababu Naidu, as the Chief Minister, was holding repeated review meetings with the then Agriculture Minister, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, he felt that agriculture is now remunerative now. "Chandrababu Naidu encouraged agriculture and allied sectors on a massive scale but now the Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, who came to power by making several promises to the farmers, did not fulfil even a single one," he said.

He alleged that the Chief Minister is harassing the farmers by installing meters to motor pump-sets due to which the farming sector is in deep crisis now.

Stating that farmers never resorted to suicides due to harassment by the government during the Chandrababu Naidu regime, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh is now in the third position the country in farmers' suicides. "I am assuring you all that whenever the TDP government is formed again all your problems will be resolved on a war-footing basis," he told the farmers.

Cold-storage plants will be set up and crop insurance will be revived and the Annadata Sukhibhava scheme that is withdrawn now too will be reintroduced, Lokesh said. "The basic problem now is that neither the Chief Minister nor the Minister for Agriculture has any knowledge about agriculture," he remarked.
Patna, Feb 8 : Police have initiated the property attachment process against the accused responsible for the massive violence in Mubarakpur village of Bihar's Saran district on Sunday.

Main accused Vijay Yadav and his associates are absconding at the moment. They have been booked under the charges of murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy in Manjhi police station.

A large number of police forces headed by SDPO Sonpur and SDPO Madhaura went to Mubarakpur village and announced the property attachment against the accused. They have also put notices on the houses of the accused.

Following the massive violence on Sunday, villagers fled the spot. Police have surrounded the village and are camping there, while internet services are suspended in the region.

The incident in Mubarakpur village under Manjhi police station was triggered on February 2 when some unidentified persons opened fire on Yadav, the husband of the village Mukhiya.

Following that incident, Yadav and his aides called three youths Amitesh Singh, Rahul Kumar, and Alok Kumar, whom he suspected of the attack on him, to his chicken farm located at Sidharia Tola, tied their hands and legs, and thrashed them brutally to teach them a lesson.

Following the assault, the victims were admitted in the hospitals where Singh succumbed due to his injuries.

Following the youth's death, his family members and relatives attacked the house of Vijay Yadav and set it on fire. They have also set ablaze houses in the entire village, belonging to Vijay Yadav and his supporters.

Following the incident, all male supporters of Yadav fled from there, in fear of being caught by the mob and lynched.
Panaji, Feb 8 : Goa Police on Wednesday arrested two Ugandan nationals for allegedly possessing drugs, including ecstasy, cocaine and MDMA.

North Goa SP Nidhin Valsan informed that inputs were received from reliable sources that two women, both foreign nationals, were supplying drugs in the coastal region of Anjuna for past few days.

"On Wednesday, two ladies who had come to supply drugs to prospective customers were detained and their personal search was conducted," he said.

"During the search, seven gm Ecstasy valued at Rs 45,000, 10.3 gm of cocaine valued at Rs 82,400, and 3.4 gm MDMA valued at Rs 34,000 were recovered from their possession," the police said.

"The accused women have been identified as Ssanyu Florence (28) and Nabankema Arisat (26), both Ugandan nationals," Valsan said.
New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the removal of reference to the Sikkimese-Nepalese as "people of foreign origin" from a judgment it passed on January 13, in connection with tax exemption in Sikkim.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had filed a review petition against some of apex court observations referring to Sikkimese Nepalis as "immigrants" and sought modification.

A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna agreed to remove the part "the persons of foreign origin settled in Sikkim like the Nepalese".

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, requested the bench to delete the entire sentence. Citing the reasons for the error, the bench said the original writ petitioners have made more than 25 amendments to the petition but this fact was not brought to its notice.

After brief hearing in the matter, the bench removed the part "namely the Bhutia Lepchas and the persons of foreign origin settled in Sikkim like the Nepalese".

This remark had sparked protests in Sikkim, with the Sikkimese-Nepalese community taking strong objections over it.

Mehta urged the court to clarify that its verdict did not touch the aspect of Article 371F of the Constitution, which deals with special provisions with respect to Sikkim.

The top court said this clarification is unnecessary as Article 371F was not a subject matter of the case.

It modified its verdict after hearing the plea filed by the Centre and also petitions filed by Sikkim and private parties seeking modification of the remark.

Justice Nagarathna, who authored the verdict on behalf of the bench, dictating the modifications in the order, said: "It is to be noted that in the said writ petition there was an amended writ petition filed pursuant to an application filed." The apex court, in its verdict, had ruled that the exclusion of a Sikkimese woman from exemption allowed under the Income Tax Act merely because she has married a non-Sikkimese man after April 1, 2008 is "discriminatory and unconstitutional".
Ghaziabad, Feb 8 : A leopard that entered the premises of a Ghaziabad court on Wednesday, and attacked three persons including a lawyer, a cobbler and police constable near the old building complex, has been captured, officials said.

A 12-member team of the Forest Department along with the police personnel were engaged in a 4-hour-long operation to capture the leopard.

Nets were strategically placed in several points to capture the big cat. The leopard was also administered tranquilizer.

A huge crowd of people, including the court staff and lawyers, was witnessed outside the court, which was sealed while the operation to capture and rescue the leopard was underway.

The Forest Department team had brought nets and cages to trap the leopard.

Earlier, the cobbler was admitted to a hospital after he sustained critical injuries. Several people were also injured in the commotion.

All the rooms of the old building were evacuated as soon as news of the leopard entering the premises spread.

A video of the incident has surfaced, where three lawyers are seen patrolling the building with sticks to catch the leopard.

One of them was filming the video when the big cat suddenly attacked them, injuring one lawyer.

The main building was eventually cordoned off.

According to eyewitnesses, the leopard was first seen under the stairs in the CJM court building.
Amaravati, Feb 8 : The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for establishment of the National Law University in the state.

The university, the second of its kind in the country, will come up on a 50-acre campus at Kurnool.

At its meeting presided over by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at the Secretariat here, the Cabinet approved the calendar of welfare schemes for February and March starting with YSR Kalyanamastu on February 10, besides ratifying the decisions of the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) that cleared investment proposals of various companies and giving nod to fill existing vacancies in several departments.

It approved disbursal of funds to beneficiaries of welfare schemes like Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Jagananna Vasati Deevena for students, input subsidy for farmers, YSR Law Nestam for junior lawyers, YSR Asara for women groups and EBC Nestam for women aged between 45 and 60 years in the coming months.

Information & Public Relations and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Chelluboyina Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna briefed the media on the Cabinet decisions.

He said the Cabinet has also decided to establish Andhra Pradesh Medical Services Recruitment Board for filling up vacancies of state, zonal, and district level posts in Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department excluding the posts under the purview of APPSC and upgrade the 50-bedded Community Health Centre at Nandigama in NTR district to 100-bedded Area Hospital at a cost of Rs 34.48 crore.

The Cabinet also approved the Draft Bill for making an Act to constitute the Andhra Pradesh Para Veterinary and Allied Council as a regulatory body for registration, controlling and managing Polytechnic Institutions, imparting training to Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Fishery Diploma holders besides sanctioning 105 additional posts in the Andhra Pradesh Special Protection Force (APSPF).

Approval to take follow up action to provide necessary infrastructure like land and other facilities to the investors who have submitted proposals to the SIPB was also given by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet okayed the proposal for restructuring the IT division of the TTD by creating 34 new posts in different categories and also for creating 12 posts in the TTD's Sculpture Department.

--IANS ms/vd

A
Mumbai, Feb 8 : Police in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district have arrested realty agent Pandharinath Amberkar in connection with the death of a Marathi journalist Shashikant Warishe, officials said here on Wednesday.

Following an uproar from the media, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, and civil rights groups, the police have slapped murder charges against Amberkar.

Warishe, working with the "Mahanagri Times", was knocked down when he was riding his bike by the SUV of Amberkar and dragged for some distance on the Rajapur Highway on Monday before Amberkar fled the scene.

Warishe, 46, succumbed to his grievous injuries on Wednesday, creating a furore in media and political circles.

Initially arrested on minor charges, Amberkar, 42, was slapped with the charge of Warishe's murder. He was produced before a District Court which sent him to police custody till February 13.

Earlier, the MVA, the Bombay Union of Journalists, and the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties demanded a probe into the "murder" of Warishe.

A crusading scribe, Warishe had been writing a series of articles campaigning against the proposed Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals mega-complex coming up with foreign collaboration, at Barsu, near the original location of Nanar.

It was alleged that Warishe was run down by the speeding vehice of Amberkar, who is a strong supporter of the refinery complex, ostensibly to teach him a lesson.

Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe, Shiv Sena-UBT national spokesperson Kishore Tiwari, BUJ's Indra Kumar Jain and PUCL's Mihir Desai and Lara Jesani have strongly condemned what they suspect is a "well-planned murder" of the activist-journalist.

Londhe said that even since the government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis came to power in June 2022, attacks on media persons doing their jobs are increasing in Maharashtra undermining the independence of the fourth pillar of democracy.

"The killing of a journalist like this is an atrocious attack on democracy and a blot on a progressive and tolerant state like Maharashtra. Law and order has deteriorated under the Shinde-Fadnavis regime. Ruling party MLAs fire guns openly, threaten to beat up people, assault officials, beat up principals, etc," he said.

Tiwari said that it was indeed a grim scenario with the media being threatened in this manner with attacks for exposing the government or its policies and officials, and called for urgent steps from Fadnavis who holds the home portfolio.

Urgent for a speedy and fair probe, Desai and Jesani demanded compensation and security for Warishe's family, and stopping all land acquisition work pertaining to the proposed refinery project till the locals' views are taken into account.

Quoting local reports, Jain said that Warishe was dragged for over 100 metres under Amberkar's vehicle before he fled the spot, leaving the journalist profusely bleeding on the Rajapur Highway.

"The incident came soon after Warishe had published Amberkar's photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shinde and Fadnavis. Amberkar has been accused of land-grabbing and intimidating the locals or activists who are opposed to the refinery project," said Jain.

On tuesday, the All India Marathi Patrakar Sanghi, the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, and the Mantralay Ani Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh had urged the government to take immediate action in the matter and ensure the most stringent punishment to the guilty.

Media organisations have also submitted a memorandum to the state government condemning the incident and ensuring an impartial probe into the "heinous killing" of Warishe.
Kolkata, Feb 8 : With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continuing with its search operation till late on Wednesday evening in connection with the multi-crore coal smuggling case in West Bengal, the cash recovery amount by the central agency has increased to Rs 1.25 crore.

Although initially the ED was secretive about the identity of the business house at whose office the raid was conducted, later on Wednesday evening it surfaced that the cash recovery was made from at the registered office of Gajraj Towers Private Limited at 5A, Earle Street in South Kolkata. Raids were also conducted at the residence of the owner of the company at the posh Ballygunge area in South Kolkata.

As per records of the registrar of companies (ROC), the directors of Gajraj Towers Private Limited, Vikram Sikaria and Suchi Sikaria, are directors in many other companies and have diverse business interests starting from real estate, food chain, commodity broking to exports, among others. Vikram Sikaria has already been detained by the ED for questioning in this connection.

Sources said that the central agency has got specific clues that the money recovered from the office Gajraj Towers was part of the coal scam proceeds which the said business was supposed to divert to different channels.

It is learnt that the team conducting the raids on Wednesday at the residence and office of the said businessman was led by three special officers of ED who arrived in Kolkata from Delhi especially for this purpose.

Sources said that the name of the businessman in question came from the examination of different documents and statements given by different businessmen in connection with the coal smuggling case.

Sources said that the names of some other businessmen on this count have also surfaced and similar raid and search operations will be conducted at their premises as well in the days to come.

It is learnt that recently a person named Ratnesh Burma, a close associate of the prime accused in the coal scam, Binay Mishra, surrendered at a special CBI court in Asansol. Burma was reportedly involved in managing the accounts of the coal smuggling proceeds. During the course of interrogation, he gave crucial clues to the investigating officials.
New Delhi, Feb 9 : The Delhi high court (HC) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing for March 17 of Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal's plea challenging a trial court's order denying him bail in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling case in West Bengal.

On December 31, Mondal had moved the HC challenging the trial court order dated January 24 denying him bail.

The special judge had passed the order finding no reason to give him bail.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana had said that Mondal's bail application was without any merit.

The ED had arrested Mondal based on an FIR registered by the CBI in Kolkata against Satish Kumar, the then Commandant of Border Security Force.

Mondal has also recently filed a plea before the HC challenging his arrest, contending he was not provided with grounds of arrest as mandatory under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

A special CBI court in Asansol had denied bail to Mondal.

On December 21, 2022, Mondal had moved the HC challenging issuance of production warrant by the Rouse Avenue courts in ED's case.

On December 19, Rouse Avenue courts permitted the ED to bring him to Delhi.

Mondal's counsel Kapil Sibal had earlier approached the Delhi HC against ED's bid to bring Mondal to Delhi, but the HC referred the case back to the Rouse Avenue courts.

While Mondal was named in the fourth charge-sheet filed by the CBI on October 7 at the Asansol court, Mondal's former bodyguard Sehgal Hossain, was arrested on June 10.

According to CBI's third charge-sheet filed on August 8, he was one of the kingpins. Hossain is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail.

CBI suspects that profits from cattle smuggling were used to buy 24 of the 168 land and property deeds executed in or after 2014.

CBI officials claim to have detected Mondal's suspected link to these property deeds. The remaining 144 registration papers bear the names of his relatives, aides and their kin.

Mondal's daughter Sukanya, who is suspected to be among the beneficiaries, was summoned by the ED in November 2022, to its Delhi office.

She is the director of two companies, Neer Developer Pvt Ltd and ANM Agrochem Foods Pvt Ltd, CBI's probe revealed.

The companies have their offices at the same address where Bholebam Rice Mill, which is also owned by her, is located in Birbhum's Bolpur town.
Beirut, Feb 9 : A visiting Iranian senior diplomat has slammed "the unjust siege imposed on Lebanon," referring to US pressure on Lebanon's financial system.

"The blockade wants to weaken the resistance and the will of the Lebanese state and people, but we are confident that Lebanon and the resistance will always remain in a strong position in the face of these attempts," Ali Bagheri, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, was quoted as saying by the National News Agency.

He made the remarks during his meeting with Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri during an official visit to discuss bilateral ties and recent regional developments, Xinhua news agency reported.

Bagheri said that enemies of the region have been practicing unjust blockades towards Lebanon and Iran.

The Iranian official added his country would continue to greatly support Lebanon's security, stability, development and prosperity.

"I would like to stress once again that the Islamic Republic of Iran will always remain supportive of the brotherly Lebanese people in various fields," he said.
La Francaise Real Estate Managers (REM), a real estate asset management company with 31 billion in assets under management (30/11/2022), has signed a forward purchase agreement for a senior housing unit of nearly 5,500 m, located at 4 rue Dejean in Amiens, also known as the Little Venice of the

[]
"We are excited about not only expanding OSS and OCMs current business, but now having the ability to offer security services to our customers throughout the country, stated Bryson Raver

Ohio Support Services (OSS) and Ohio Custodial Management (OCM) were founded in 1978 and have been leaders in the security and janitorial industries in Ohio for over 45 years. OSS and OCM provide security and janitorial services throughout Ohio and Kentucky. Scott Tucker, President of OSS and OCM, was searching for an industry partner that would allow OSS and OCM to retain the culture that has separated OSS and OCM from their competition for the last four decades.

Partnering with The Facilities Group is a unique opportunity for us to rapidly expand our security and janitorial divisions, while maintaining the culture and work environment our employees expect at OSS and OCM, Tucker stated.

The Facilities Group, with 23 offices, services more than 28,000 locations across the country. Our partnership with OSS is our first strategic partnership in the security industry. We are excited about not only expanding OSS and OCMs current business, but now having the ability to offer security services to our customers throughout the country, stated Bryson Raver, Chief Executive Officer of The Facilities Group.

Adding OSS and OCM to The Facilities Group family, marks the fifteenth company to join The Facilities Group since inception. OSS joins one of the fastest growing national providers of facilities maintenance and janitorial services in the United States, with additional acquisitions expected in 2023.

The Facilities Group 

The Facilities Group partners with premier local, regional, and national facility maintenance providers, while maintaining brand legacy and driving high powered technology to provide the best-in-class service experience. For more information, please visit http://www.thefacilitiesgroup.com

Revolent Capital Solutions is a Tampa-based private investment enterprise founded and capitalized by entrepreneurs. We seek family and founder owned businesses looking for liquidity, while providing ownership opportunities for management teams and an ecosystem designed to foster organic and acquisitive growth. Revolent is distinct because we intentionally built our enterprise to be the catalyst for long-term advancement of companies and its stakeholders driven by our experience, capital, and professional network. We combine a long-term hold period, with a flexible approach to investing, tailored to meet the needs of both entrepreneurs and senior management teams. For more information, please visit http://www.revolentcapitalsolutions.com.
The growing frequency of requests for cybersecurity and data advisory services from Celeritys government and critical infrastructure clients signals the industrys need to address growing business risks.

Celerity Consulting Group, LLC, a leading provider of forensic services to corporations, law firms, and government agencies, with expertise in risk assessment, corporate compliance, litigation readiness, data forensics, and litigation support, announces the onboarding of four cybersecurity and e-discovery staff in Washington, D.C., and the emergence of a formal cybersecurity and information governance practice.

Norman Yee, the Chief Operating Officer of Celerity states, The growing frequency of requests for cybersecurity and data advisory services from Celeritys government and critical infrastructure clients signals the industrys need to address growing business risks. Having served the D.C. market for many years, this new team brings a mix of technology and services that complements Celeritys mission to provide exemplary services to law firms, corporations, and government agencies.

Kenya Parrish-Dixon, Celerity's Vice President and Associate Counsel, added, Joining the Celerity family provides our team the opportunity to better serve the east coast and D.C. market across multiple facets of the EDRM. Coupled with Celeritys focus on superior communication and customer service, our combined expansive mix of services, technology projects, and talent will provide clients with a powerful mix of hands-on and remote capabilities that are second to none. We look forward to integrating our people, processes, and clients into the Celerity family.

About Celerity Consulting Group, LLC

Celerity Consulting Group, LLC is an information management consulting firm that helps companies, law firms, regulated entities, and public agencies resolve their data management challenges, litigation risk and compliance issues, and restructuring objectives. Celeritys key service areas include cybersecurity, FedRAMP and StateRAMP infrastructure and consulting, information governance, e-discovery and litigation support, forensic data analysis, business and engineering analysis, and expert testimony. With a focus and expertise on the essential critical infrastructure sectors, Celerity offers a range of technology solutions, including industrystandard tools, a proprietary webbased document review platform, OLIVER, and custom database development.

Arbor Ridge Partners served as the exclusive M&A advisor and facilitator of this transaction.

About Arbor Ridge Partners

Arbor Ridge Partners is a business broker that focuses on mergers and acquisitions for Legal Technology and Legal Services companies, including litigation support, computer forensics, eDiscovery, legal services, and software companies. With over 100+ years of combined industry experience, legal backgrounds, first-hand industry M&A experience, and deep relationships, Arbor Ridge Partners maximizes value in the purchase and sale of Legal Technology and Legal Services Businesses.
Titan A Viewport to Titanic OceanGate Expeditions What is really exciting about, Titan  A Viewport to Titanic, is the way it gives viewers throughout the film a greater visual perspective of the areas of the Titanic that we are exploring. - Rory Golden

OceanGate Expeditions announces the premiere of the short film, Titan  A Viewport to Titanic. The film was developed from hours of footage captured throughout more than a dozen dives completed during the 2021 and 2022 Titanic Expeditions conducted by OceanGate Expeditions. The remarkable video is narrated by Titanic dive veteran and explorer, Rory Golden, and premiered on the OceanGate Expeditions YouTube channel today.

This newly released high-resolution 4K Titanic short film gives viewers a one-of-a-kind view of Titanic from the viewport of the OceanGate, Inc., 5-crewmember submersible, Titan. During the 2021 and 2022 Titanic Expeditions, Mission Specialists, scientists, and Titanic experts helped OceanGate Expeditions capture over 50 hours of high-resolution 4K and 8K footage and images of the wreck site, says Stockton Rush, President, OceanGate.

As OceanGate Expeditions returns to the Titanic during the 2023 Titanic Expedition, we will continue to work with those joining us as Mission Specialists and maritime archaeologists to characterize the deterioration of the wreck as we capture fresh footage in 2023 and beyond, continues Rush.

What is really exciting about, Titan  A Viewport to Titanic, is the way it gives viewers throughout the film a greater visual perspective of the areas of the Titanic that we are exploring, says Rory Golden, veteran Titanic diver and explorer.

Having first dived to the Titanic in August 2000, I have seen huge changes in the condition of the wreck. That is what makes this work so important. Returning to the site for multiple consecutive years has never been done before. Having the year-over-year comparisons in addition to earlier footage will give historians important data about the ongoing deterioration of this UNESCO Maritime Heritage Site. Some of what we are capturing now will one day be gone. The dramatic improvements and developments in camera and lighting technology have made this possible. Being a part of this important documentation initiative is the opportunity of a lifetime, shares Golden.

Some of the most awe-inspiring scenes included in Titan  A Viewport to Titanic, are Titanics legendary bow, the forecastle, the well deck, the ships bridge and wheelhouse area, and the officers deck. Notably, viewers can also see the telemotor where Quartermaster Robert Hichens was at the helm and the crows nest location where lookout Frederick Fleet alerted the bridge of the iceberg ahead.

Areas of accelerated deterioration include Titanics main mast that has completely disintegrated, and Captain Smiths cabin that is now destroyed by the ravages of time, currents, and the effects of iron eating bacteria that leave rivers of rusticles all over the wreck. The sea life that now makes the Titanic home are also to be seen including squat lobsters, rattail fish, and bamboo coral.

For those interested in supporting the continuing efforts to document and study the Titanic and the creatures that make it their home, there are still a limited number of Mission Specialist roles available for the 2023 Titanic Expedition.

###

OceanGate Expeditions

Media Inquiries | Lisa Dreher | lisa.dreher@oceangateexpeditions.com | +1 425-442-1301

Expedition Inquiries | Kyle Bingham | kyle.bingham@oceangateexpeditions.com | +1 425-595-6343

Investor Inquiries | Bob Shuman | robert.shuman@oceangatexpeditions.com | +1 425-595-5017

Business Inquiries | Bob Shuman | robert.shuman@oceangatexpeditions.com | +1 425-595-5017

CLICK HERE VIEW TITAN  A VIEWPORT TO TITANIC

ABOUT OCEANGATE EXPEDITIONS

OceanGate Expeditions, Ltd is dedicated to direct human exploration of the undersea world. Using crewed submersibles, OceanGate Expeditions crewmembers explore 95% of the seafloor that man has never visited, including iconic shipwrecks, hydrothermal vents, deep-sea canyons, and uncommon biological events around the world. Mission Specialist participation supports the work of scientists and archaeologists who are studying the mysteries of the deep sea. These expeditions, to depths up to 4,000 meters (13,123 feet), provide rare opportunities for citizen explorers and researchers to work together to expand our understanding of our home, Earth, the blue planet. Visit http://www.oceangateexpeditions.com.

Follow OceanGate Expeditions on: YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
Under the SPAs, the ExxonMobil affiliate will purchase LNG on a free-on-board basis from the first two trains of Mexico Pacifics anchor LNG export facility, Saguaro Energia LNG, located in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, Mexico over a 20-year term. ExxonMobil also has an option for 1 MTPA from Train 3.

We are pleased to announce these long-term SPAs with ExxonMobil, said Ivan Van der Walt, Chief Executive Officer of Mexico Pacific. We have reached a critical point on contract volumes required for FID on our first two trains and will now shift focus to close contracting on the significant commercial momentum in place for a subsequent Train 3 FID. With natural gas playing a critical role in the quest for global energy security and the energy transition, we remain committed to supplying vital energy for decades. As we position for FID on the first two trains, we will also commence advanced engineering with Bechtel.

LNG has an important role to play in helping society reduce emissions by enabling the delivery of lower carbon energy, said Peter Clarke, Senior Vice President of LNG for the ExxonMobil Upstream Company. We look forward to working with Mexico Pacific to continue growing ExxonMobils LNG portfolio and deliver Permian natural gas to global markets.

Mexico Pacific is a strategic asset in our energy transition infrastructure portfolio, said Wil VanLoh, Founder and CEO of Quantum Energy Partners, the controlling stakeholder of Mexico Pacific. Mexico Pacifics unparalleled project fundamentals and highly experienced leadership team have established it as a premier LNG solution for customers and Permian producers to provide reliable and cost-effective LNG to support the energy transition.

About Mexico Pacific Mexico Pacifics anchor project, the Saguaro Energia LNG Facility, is a 3 train, 14.1 mtpa West Coast North American LNG export facility located in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, Mexico. The Saguaro Energia LNG Facility achieves significant cost and logistical advantages, including the lowest landed price of North American LNG into Asia, leveraging low-cost natural gas sourced from the nearby Permian Basin, and providing a significantly shorter shipping route that avoids Panama Canal transit for Asian markets. More information can be found at http://www.mexicopacific.com. About Quantum Energy Partners Founded in 1998, Quantum Energy Partners is a leading provider of private equity, credit, and venture capital to the global energy and energy transition industry, having managed together with its affiliates more than $19 billion in equity commitments since inception. For more information on Quantum, please visit http://www.quantumep.com.
STRmix has been extremely effective in resolving violent crime and sexual assaults, as well as cold cases like that of Rikki Neave in which evidence which originally would have been regarded as inconclusive can now be analyzed and reported.

STRmix  sophisticated forensic software capable of resolving mixed DNA profiles previously regarded as too complex or degraded to interpret  has played a key role in solving the 1994 murder of a six-year-old in the UK.

Using STRmix to analyze DNA left on the clothes of Rikki Neave, the UKs Cellmark Forensic Services was able to provide a link for James Watson, now 41, to his murder. Watson, who was only 13 when he strangled Neave and left his body in a wood in Peterborough, has been sentenced to life in prison.

The case remained unsolved until police reopened it as part of a cold case review in 2015 and, because of advances in the sensitivity of DNA profiling, Cellmark was able to recover DNA from tape lifts originally taken to recover fibers. Using STRmix, Cellmark was able to analyze the mixed DNA profiles obtained and provide a link to Watson, who was later charged with the murder (England and Wales, Central Criminal Court, #T20207051).

The conviction of James Watson for killing Rikki Neave concludes an appalling unsolved crime almost 30 years after it happened, says Clare Forsdike, a Senior Crown Prosecutor at the CPS. Ultimately, a combination of evidence from DNA, post-mortem, soil samples, eyewitness testimony, and his [Watsons] changing accounts proved overwhelming.

Since its introduction a decade ago, STRmix has established a highly successful track record of producing usable, interpretable, and legally admissible DNA evidence in more than 380,000 cases worldwide. It is now being used in 103 forensic laboratories, including 77 in the U.S., all nine state and territory forensic laboratories in New Zealand and Australia, and forensic labs in Europe, the UK, Asia, the Middle East, Canada, and the Caribbean.

John Buckleton DSc, FRSNZ, Principal Scientist at the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and one of the developers of STRmix, notes that STRmix has been extremely effective in resolving violent crime and sexual assaults, as well as cold cases like that of Rikki Neave in which evidence which originally would have been regarded as inconclusive can now be analyzed and reported.

STRmix works by assessing how closely multitudes of proposed DNA profiles resemble or can explain an observed DNA mixture, relying on proven methodologies routinely used in computational biology, physics, engineering, and weather prediction.

The probability of the observed DNA evidence can be calculated by assuming the DNA originated from either a person of interest or an unknown donor, Dr. Buckleton explains. These two probabilities can then be presented as a likelihood ratio (LR), inferring the value of the findings and level of support for one proposition over the other.

The success of STRmix has led the team behind its development to launch two related products which, when combined with STRmix, complete the full workflow from analysis to interpretation and database matching. These products include DBLR, an application which allows forensic labs to undertake superfast database searches, visualize the value of DNA mixture evidence, and carry out mixture-to-mixture matches; and FaSTR DNA, expert forensic software which rapidly analyzes raw DNA data generated by genetic analyzers and standard profiling kits, and assigns a number of contributors (NoC) estimate.

For more information about STRmix, visit http://www.strmix.com.
MAK is proud to be chosen for all three categories on this US Air Force IDIQ  we are well-positioned to contribute in a substantial and meaningful way, said Bill Cole, MAKs CEO and President.

MAK Technologies (MAK), a company of ST Engineering North America, today announced it was one of the contractors awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the United States Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Architecture & Integration Directorate (AFLCMC/XA) to rapidly contract for capabilities that enable multi-domain, multi-level security development, analysis, and synthetic environments.

This IDIQ contract is a Multi-Award Contract (MAC) which provides for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services up to a maximum of $900M with a ten-year period of performance. MAK is eligible to compete, along with the other eligible industry participants, as a prime for delivery orders through this contract over the next ten years.

The IDIQ contract covers three categories of performance, and MAK was selected to participate in all three.



Category 1  Development Planning: Capability Development and Development Planning includes activities associated with concept development/maturation modeling, simulation & analysis, product support planning, and future technology integration.

Category 2  Systems Development: Systems Development consists of innovative approaches to develop a wide range of systems addressing warfighter needs and supporting future program launch across the AFLCMC/XA portfolio.

Category 3  Synthetic Environment Development: Simulation Development includes development, testing, deployment, and operation within a simulated environment.

MAK is proud to be chosen for all three categories on this US Air Force IDIQ  we are well-positioned to contribute in a substantial and meaningful way, said Bill Cole, MAKs CEO and President. Weve been delivering innovative, market-leading simulation software products and services to military simulation and training customers for more than 30 years. The skills, technology, and team that weve built over that time align with AFLCMC/XAs mission to address warfighter needs and gaps through high-confidence simulation and training solutions.

MAKs 30+ years developing and selling its MAK ONE Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) products are punctuated by key program wins that demonstrate technical capabilities required for the AFLCMC/XA IDIQ contract.

For more information about the MAK ONE suite of simulation software, visit http://www.mak.com/mak-one, and to learn more about MAK Technologies, visit https://mak.com/about/the-mak-story.

Read the U.S. Department of Defense Air Force Contract Award Announcement here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/3242079/

ST Engineering is a global technology, defense and engineering group with a diverse portfolio of businesses across the aerospace, smart city, defense and public security segments. With our U.S. headquarters based in Alexandria, VA, we have major operations in over 50 cities across 22 states, employing about 6,000 people in the country. At ST Engineering, we enable a more secure and sustainable world through innovative technology, products and solutions across diverse market segments.

MAK Technologies builds solutions to your unique training challenges, built upon the strength and flexibility of the MAK ONE simulation platform. We have been delivering military simulation and training technology for more than 30 years, and the MAK ONE platform is the core of training simulations for the US Department of Defense and customers worldwide. Our end-user training systems are portable, easy to use and maintain, visually appealing, and able to meet individual and collective training requirements  including multi-domain operations. MAK Technologies is a company of ST Engineering North America. Please visit http://www.mak.com for more information.

The United States Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Architecture & Integration Directorates (AFLCMC/XA) mission is to work with the requirements community and S&T/Industry to analyze gaps, requirements, missions, threats, and technologies and to develop systems or solutions to address warfighter needs while launching high confidence programs. AFLCMC/XA develops innovative approaches that bring multi-domain systems capabilities, characterization of new technologies and systems through studies, recurrent demonstration and rapid development to enable rapid prototyping, test and capability transition to yield cost effective warfighting capability. Activities within AFLCMC/XA span from hardware technology, software technology, multi-level security analysis to open architecture design and implementation.
"It feels as if there is a lack of support for the things that truly matter."

Are your sweatpants, joggers, ripped frayed jeans, or a nontraditional color of denim a threat to your peers, self, and education? Or is this discrimination?

Milpitas is one of the largest cities in California. Demographically, 96% of Thomas Russell Middle School students are Asian, 18% of students are Hispanic, 5% are two or more races, 3% are White, and 2% are Black.

Students at the Thomas Russell Middle School in Milpitas, CA, are being sent to detention while wearing sweatpants to school.

One student has shared with us, "she has been sent to detention a total of 3 times this school year" over her sweatpants. Telling us, "they want us to look our age." This statement alone identifies this practice as one of the three types of ageism: institutional ageism, which occurs when an institution perpetuates ageism through its actions and policies; in this case through dress code.

When reading the student dress code handbook, it states terms like "common dress code, appropriate tops, and bottoms." TRMS 22-23 student handbook page 8.

Page 4 of the student handbook identifies discrimination on campus; "committed to providing equal opportunity for all individuals in education, programs, and practices, shall be free from unlawful discrimination, including discrimination against an individual or group based on race, color, ancestry, including discrimination against an individual or group national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital, pregnancy, or parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, etc."

https://russell.musd.org/parent-education/student-handbook This sounds like a school that understands the importance of individualism, free expression, and nondiscriminatory practices; however, there is a loophole that perpetuates a microaggression when holding all students to one standard for dress code  assuming that all families are equal in socioeconomic status. This dismisses understanding of income, family size, poverty rates, and the family's capacity based on personal and essential factors of health care costs, car issues, relationships, and other variable means that impact families' resources, including school clothes.

We have also been told students have ordered standard P.E. clothes, including sweatpants, for physical education class at the beginning of the school year in August 2022. Now February, 6 months into the school year, they have not received their purchased sweatpants. With freezing morning temperatures as low as 37 degrees in Milpitas, where kids have P.E. first period, they are required to wear P.E. shorts and still cannot wear their sweatpants!

Parents are frustrated and concerned for their kids. Many are expressing, "There are more important things to worry about on school campuses. It feels as if there is a lack of support for things that truly matter, like tutoring and being a positive space where kids feel supported in their education. Instead of being judged and picked on and sent to detention over what they are wearing." We agree.

There are many red flags here.

As stated above, holding an entire population of students to one standard without understanding each family's needs is discriminatory for various reasons.

It disrupts the consistency and positive influence a child needs in their school day to thrive, and for at-risk youth, the impact can be far more significant.

It projects a negative stereotype onto the students. Assuming the identity of a student reflects someone who does not "act their age," behaves "inappropriately," or does not fit the "standard image."

The impact Zero-Tolerance Policies have on children of color has been proven to further result in more severe forms of punishment and discrimination throughout their education, tarnishing students' school records and creating an image of a defiant student and a label on their academic profile.

We are told students are asked to wear loaner pants and change from their personal garments for the day. This can negatively impact a child's self-esteem by causing shame and embarrassment in being singled out in front of their peers. In a time of growth and development for children in middle school, self-confidence, and mental wellness are imperative. At the same time, the district handbook states the importance of mental wellness. The message this sends does not reflect a supportive practice.

Studies show that a teacher's impact is integral to a child's growth and development. A negative result can have long-term effects on a child's education, psychological health, literacy, physical, sleep, academic pressure, appetite, stress, anxiety, etc.

This statement is from theclassroom.com.

"Recent studies found that negative teacher attitudes can impair academic achievement and increase students' psychological disorders and physical symptoms of stress. Teachers who use humiliation or sarcasm can leave a child feeling belittled."

Read the full article.

The Negative Attitudes of Teachers' Impact on Students

Not only is this dress code outdated, but it is discriminatory.

Please support these students. Sign this petition, and share.

As part of the Milpitas School District code of conduct and individual rights, please follow this link; if you are a student or parent and would like to file a formal complaint, obtain, inspect, or amend your child's school records.

https://www.musd.org/handbooks.html

Excessive amounts of detention can lead to suspension.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Reports of serious or recurrent behavior patterns. Complaints may be filed with the following office that administers FERPA:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave. SW

Washington, DC 20202-4605
Allotrope Foundation Logo By making Allotrope Simple Model (ASM) available to the public, Allotrope Foundation seeks to enable wide-spread data standardization throughout the scientific community through adoption of this technology.

Allotrope Foundation, an international consortium of chemical & life sciences organizations, is excited to announce the public release of its extensive set of standardized data models that cover over forty different techniques and domains essential to research and development in the analytical laboratory. The data models leverage the modern JavaScript object notation (JSON) format, which is widely used as the backbone of communications for todays internet and immediately familiar to any software engineer or data scientist. The Allotrope Simple Models (ASMs) are designed by thought leaders in Allotropes diverse community of industry, governmental, and academic institutions to represent a true pan-industry data standard to streamline analytical data processing and accelerate digital transformation in the lab. Designed to be implemented quickly and easily, ASM models capture critical results and parameters essential to accurately capture, preserve, and transfer laboratory data. These models are specifically tailored to meet the exponential growth in the use of bedrock analytical data to fuel artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques and cover diverse techniques such as NMR spectroscopy, chromatography, and mass spectrometry.

The models leverage Allotropes standardized, open formal vocabulary of terms and definitions commonly used in scientific data and experiments, the Allotrope Foundation Ontologies (AFO). By employing these standardized terms and the widely adopted text-based JSON format, the ASM family of models represents an easy entry point in the journey towards digital laboratory and data standardization, serving as a steppingstone towards a future implementation which fully leverages Allotrope Foundations more information-rich semantic-based standardization technology. Through the application of reusable modeling patterns, the Allotrope data models make laboratory data interoperable and reusable anywhere ASM is used.

As with the Allotrope Foundation Ontologies, the Allotrope Simple Models will be available for immediate usage by any for- or non-profit institution under a variety of Creative Commons licenses. The licensing is designed to provide flexibility for use tailored to specific needs while maintaining a singular, common standard developed by the Allotrope community.

Were incredibly excited to make the work of our community broadly available to all. A standard needs to both represent diverse viewpoints and be widely adopted to see long-lasting value said Corey Bakalarski, Chairman of Allotrope Foundation. Through Allotropes wide community of data producers and consumers, weve been able to create standards that will work for all, and we hope that todays announcement that Allotrope Simple Models are free to use will make it easy for everyone to adopt ready-made data standards into their work  and free up their time to focus on more complex and critical tasks.

Allotrope Foundations suite of standardization tools for the digital laboratory reduces instrument integration costs, eliminates manual data transcription, and drives democratization of data for AI/ML modeling of product & process development, which revolutionizes the way that laboratory professionals and scientists work. By building upon a semantically-enabled framework, Allotropes systems work together to allow easy adoption of standards using common file formats that are quick to integrate but provide a powerful way to consistently represent data in a diverse array of domains. To keep pace with the rapidly changing world of research and development, Allotrope data models are readily extensible to additional content via the Allotrope community in the future.

ASM allows IFPEN to retrieve and centralize its lab data across a wide range of analytical techniques, allowing our public institution to comply with its open-data requirements, and researchers both internally and externally to advance scientific progress, leveraging the power of big data said Maxime Visconte, Industrial and lab IT manager at IFP Energies Nouvelles, the French public research and innovation organization in the field of energy.

By making ASM available to the public, Allotrope Foundation seeks to enable wide-spread data standardization throughout the scientific community through adoption of this technology. For more information on how to access the ASM and licensing terms, please visit the Allotrope Foundation website at https://www.allotrope.org/asm.

About Allotrope Foundation:

Allotrope Foundation is a consortium of chemical & life sciences companies formed in 2013 to revolutionize the way we acquire, share and gain insights from scientific data through the application of community-derived data standards consistently delivered via an extensible technology framework. For more information, please visit http://www.allotrope.org.
TechnologyAdvice has been announced as a 2023 Top Workplaces USA winner.

The 2023 Top Workplaces award adds to a growing list of TechnologyAdvice awards, including Inc. Best Workplaces, NBJ Small Business Awards, Forbes Americas Best Startup Employers, and more.

This award is especially meaningful to us because its determined by our team members feedback and is a reflection of their experience at TechnologyAdvice, said Shayleen Stuto, VP of HR and Administration at TechnologyAdvice. Were so honored to be recognized on a national level as a Top Workplace and look forward to continuing to grow and invest in our team in the year to come.

Winners are chosen based on an anonymous engagement survey that employees fill out, meaning that organizations must have a truly positive and supportive environment to win. TechnologyAdvice is a six-time award winner of the Tennessean Top Workplaces and a first-time award winner of the USA Top Workplaces. The company is excited to have an enhanced reach with this national recognition and recognizes that this achievement is a huge step up for the brand.

About TechnologyAdvice:

TechnologyAdvice is a leading B2B platform, delivering advice and facilitating connections between business technology decision-makers and the worlds best technology companies. They have been listed in the Inc. 5000 list of Americas fastest-growing private companies six times, and are a six-time recipient of the annual Tennessee Top Workplaces awards.

The TechnologyAdvice portfolio includes 23 digital media brands which connect over 100 million technology buyers with the world's best technology companies each year. For more information visit technologyadvice.com.
[L-R]: Dipanjan Kolay, Vice President, Product, TuneCore  Erica Clayton, Vice President, Artist Support & Operations Erica and Dipanjan have both played core roles expanding TuneCores products and services, with Dipanjan driving innovation and providing top of the line features to meet our artists needs, and Erica working to ensure that our artists are treated with the highest level of care and support."

TuneCore, the leading development partner for self-releasing artistsowned by Believe, one of the worlds leading digital music companieshas promoted Dipanjan Kolay to Vice President of Product, and Erica Clayton to Vice President, Artist Support & Operations. Kolay and Clayton will report to Alisha Outridge, Chief Technology and Product Officer of TuneCore.

Outridge commented, Erica and Dipanjan have both played instrumental roles in the expansion of TuneCores products and services, with Dipanjan driving innovation and providing top of the line features to meet our artists needs, and Erica working to ensure that our artists are treated with the highest level of care and support. Im confident that their respective teams will thrive under their leadership.

In his new role, Kolay will oversee the strategy and advancement of all products on behalf of TuneCore, overseeing the product management team and working alongside the engineering team to conceive and deliver features supporting the needs of TuneCore artists. Previously, Dipanjan served as Product Director - Customer Finance where he led the team for Customer Finance and E-Commerce, managing projects within the companys revenue management umbrella, including areas like compliance, global taxation and revenue accounting. Standout product initiatives helmed by Kolay include the rollout of TuneCores UNLIMITED pricing model and the development of a new UX for the TuneCore artist dashboard.

Kolay joined TuneCore in 2020 after working at Oracle for more than 11 years, holding various positions including Engagement Lead, Consulting Architect and Product Owner. Prior to that, he worked at Convergys (now Netcracker) as a Billing Architect for 4 years.

Kolay commented, Working on Product at TuneCore has been extraordinarily rewarding. Whether were dealing with complex analysis of royalty payouts, TuneCores continued global expansion, or working to stay on the cutting edge of a dynamic digital music industry, our Product teams core focus is to provide artists with the services most suited to support them in their careers.

As Vice President, Artist Support & Operations, Clayton will oversee all of TuneCores Artist Support teams, with offices spread across New York, Nashville, Paris, Mexico City and Mumbai, as well as TuneCores Operations teams encompassing Content Review, Fraud Prevention, Copyright Administration, and Video Rights, to provide a seamless, high-quality customer experience. Clayton will also continue to work closely with TuneCores Product team to execute strategies that support the companys goals of operational excellence.

Since joining TuneCore in 2019 as Director, Artist Support, Clayton has transformed the company's Artist Support department into an industry leader by identifying processes and operational efficiency opportunities to improve the customer experience and increase customer satisfaction.

Clayton commented, Im stoked to bring TuneCores Operations team into my orbit after working with the Artist Support team during such a transformative time in TuneCores history. Since I joined the company in late 2019, weve completely overhauled the client experience and today, were among the best in our industry. Im looking forward to doing the same thing with our Operations team, and continuing to take major steps forward with TuneCore artists at the forefront of our minds every step of the way.

Prior to joining TuneCore, Clayton held multiple support management positions including User Support Manager at Paperless Post and a Customer Service and Quality Manager at Shapeways. Clayton is a Six Sigma Yellow Belt, which was awarded to her by the American Society for Quality in Excellence in Process Improvement/Management.

About Believe:

Believe is one of the worlds leading digital music companies. Believes mission is to develop local artists and labels in the digital ecosystem by providing them with the solutions they need to grow their audience at each stage of their career and development. Believes passionate team of digital music experts around the world leverages the Groups global technology platform to advise artists and labels, distribute and promote their music. Its 1,610 employees in more than 50 countries aim to support local artists and labels with a unique digital expertise, respect, fairness and transparency. Believe offers its various solutions through a portfolio of brands including TuneCore, Nuclear Blast, Naive, Groove Attack and AllPoints. Believe is listed on compartment A of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Ticker: BLV, ISIN: FR0014003FE9). http://www.believe.com

About TuneCore:

TuneCore is the leading development partner for self-releasing artists to build audiences and careers  with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration, and a range of promotional services. TuneCore Music Distribution services help artists, labels, and managers sell their music through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Tencent, and more than 150 download and streaming stores worldwide, while retaining 100 percent of their sales revenue and rights for a low annual flat fee. TuneCore Music Publishing Administration assists songwriters by administering their compositions through licensing, registration, worldwide royalty collections, and placement opportunities in film, TV, commercials, video games, and more. The TuneCore Artist Services portal offers a suite of tools and services that enable artists to promote their craft, connect with fans, and get their music heard. TuneCore, part of Believe, is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta, and Austin, and operates globally through local teams based in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore across 5 continents.http://www.tunecore.com
 Ranking is based on analysis of 1,807 publicly listed global companies across 39 quantitative and qualitative criteria

 Top five performers are: Unilever, Citigroup, Inditex, BBVA and Starbucks

Refugee Integration Insights (RII), the first specialized provider of private sector refugee data and insights, today published the first-ever ranking of the 50 top-performing global companies based on actions taken to address the refugee crisis through economic integration. The full ranking, including details on RIIs methodology and interviews with Unilever (#1 in RIIs ranking) and Generali (#9), is available in RIIs new report, Corporate Leaders in Refugee Economic Integration, available at https://bit.ly/RIIReport2023

The magnitude of the refugee crisis poses a clear systemic risk  not just to social cohesion and geographic stability, but also to global financial markets. UNHCR estimates that there are now more than 100 million forcibly displaced people globally, including 32 million refugees. This number is growing exponentially as climate change and geopolitical conflict reshape how and where people live. Studies show that the effects of climate change alone will lead to the displacement of 1 billion people by 2050.

RII Co-Founder Sindhu D Janakiram said: Systemic risks require systemic solutions, and while governments and NGOs provide critical immediate support, the private sector is needed to meet the scope and scale of the growing crisis. Businesses can be part of helping refugees to integrate economically and socially so that they may regain their stability, dignity, and self-reliance. More and more companies also realize the value that can be unlocked by supporting refugee self-reliance, not just in their local communities but in their bottom lines. To get more companies on board, the market needs transparency into which companies are contributing the most toward refugee economic integration. We want to meet this information gap, providing investors and other organizations with data and insights on corporate activities.

The top 10 companies based on their Refugee Integration Score are as follows:

#1  Unilever (68.9%)

#2  Citigroup (66.1%)

#3  Inditex (54.2%)

#4  BBVA (52.7%)

#5  Starbucks (52.4%)

#6  ANZ Banking Group (51.6%)

#6  Uber (51.6%)

#8  Deutsche Post (51.3%)

#9  Generali (50.7%)

#10  Adidas (50.5%)

The report spotlights two of the top performers in RIIs dataset  Unilever (1st) and Generali (9th)  featuring interviews with key individuals involved in the companys respective refugee programs and refugees positively impacted by these programs.

Key findings from the report:



There has been a swift corporate response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Russias invasion of Ukraine was the main catalyst for what is now Europes fastest and largest refugee crisis since World War 2. European and U.S. concentration in the Top 50 is partly driven by the corporate response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

Western companies are responsible for the bulk of corporate refugee action. The top performing companies are dominated by European or U.S.-headquartered companies, with 48 of the Top 50 headquartered between the two regions.

Germany is the leader among the Top 50 companies. The country represents 30% of the Top 50 with 15 listed companies, including Deutsche Post (8th)and Adidas (10th). A key factor driving this performance was the development of Wir Zusammen or Us Together, a corporate network initiative created in 2016 to provide refugees with economic integration opportunities, especially following the influx of refugees stemming from the Syrian refugee crisis.

U.S. companies welcomed Afghan refugees. The U.S. represents 20% of the Top 50 with 10 listed companies, including Citi (2nd), Starbucks (5th), and Uber (6th).

Emma Ursich, Group Head of Corporate Identity & Executive Officer of The Human Safety Net at Generali, said: For five years, The Human Safety Net, the Generali Group global initiative for communities, has focused a major part of its work towards the economic inclusion of refugees in their host countries, by means of entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. We have seen the sector grow and become more structured and connected in the face of successive refugee influxes, starting from Syria to Afghanistan to Ukraine most recently. We are happy to contribute the experience, network and skills gathered in these first years to foster collaboration and further growth of the ecosystem serving refugees and supporting their path to integration.

A Unilever spokesperson said: For years, we have been working to support individuals who have been impacted by devastating natural and man-made disasters. Our behavior change programmes help communities build resilience to emergencies, such as our Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition with the UK government, which supported vulnerable communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also there when disaster strikes, providing relief through donations of hygiene products and food, working with key partners including UNHCR, Direct Relief and UNICEF. But we know that the personal impact can last longer than the initial crisis. That's why we support individuals to rebuild their lives through programs like our Up-Collective with TERN and our participation in TENT's LGBTQ+ mentoring program.

The data for this report is based on an analysis of 1,807 public companies across 35 countries, encompassing the companies listed on the S&P 500, Stoxx 600, and ISS ESG Developed Markets Index. RII looked at corporate action on 39 quantitative and qualitative metrics across six pillars, including: Hiring, Entrepreneur Support, Education & Skills Development, Products & Services, Philanthropy, and General. These metrics provide the basis for an RII score out of 100, allowing RII to rank companies across sectors, countries, and overall.

About Refugee Integration Insights (RII)

Refugee Integration Insights (RII) is a specialized provider of private sector refugee data and insights. The company was born after co-founders Sindhu Janakiram and Ignacio Paullier won the 2020 Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge with their product, Refugee ETF, the first public markets investment product focused on refugees. RII seeks to bring transparency to company refugee action and close the refugee data and investment gap by providing investors and other organizations with the information necessary to track and assess corporate refugee action across a range of quantitative and qualitative metrics.

Learn more about RII at https://refugeeinsights.org.
DTS growth was reflected in the strategic addition of 20% more full-time employees in their cybersecurity division, amidst a competitive marketplace. The company continues to expand its technical security remediation services to contractors required to meet industry cybersecurity requirements.

DTS, delivering cyber, consulting, and management services, defined 2022 with another year of strong company growth, increasing the company size and receiving prestigious industry recognition. In addition to renewing key government contracts and achieving remarkable success in its cybersecurity compliance practice, DTS formed SMCV, LLC, a joint venture combining the talents, skills, and passions of DTS and MIRACORP.

Best Places to Work in Virginia:

DTS was named to the Top 100 Best Places to Work in Virginia. The Best Places to Work in Virginia list is a survey and awards program dedicated to identifying and recognizing the areas best employers and providing organizations with valuable employee feedback. The process is managed by Best Companies Group (BCG), an independent research firm, and winners are published by Virginia Business.

Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce 2022 Distinguished Service Awards:

DTS was named a finalist in the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce 2022 Distinguished Service Awards as a Veteran-Owned Business of the Year. The awards are dedicated to honoring successful veteran-owned businesses in the Greater Washington business community that have demonstrated strong business performance and who have made meaningful contributions to help Veterans succeed. The awards are presented to individuals, companies, and non-profit organizations to recognize community stewardship and business leadership.

In addition to the industry recognition, DTS growth was reflected in the strategic addition of 20 percent more full-time employees in their cybersecurity division, amidst a competitive marketplace. The company continues to expand its technical security remediation and maintenance services to contractors and other companies required to meet industry cybersecurity requirements.

In 2022, DTS established a joint venture with MIRACORP called SMCV, LLC. That firm will support the mission work of Federal agencies. Combining proven experience with subject matter expertise, SMCV creates powerfully effective solutions that deliver the results customers need. SMCV teams address multi-faceted issues through technology, management of complex projects, and strategic plans for the future  with an unwavering commitment to service.

Continuing to serve government organizations, DTS holds GSA Schedules for GSA PSS, GSA IT 70, and FAA eFAST and is proud to team with other leading contractors on the following contracts:

 VETS 2 Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC)

 VECTOR Veteran Enterprise Contracting for Transformation and Operational Readiness

 ADVISOR Agile Delivery of VA Imminent Strategic and Operational Requirements

 CIO SP3 Chief Information Officer-Solutions and Partners 3

DTS is active in the industry and is proud to sponsor the 2023 National Small Business Conference (February 13-15 in New Orleans), the SAME Mid-Atlantic Small Business Outreach + Industry Day (February 27  March 1, Virginia Beach), and the 32nd Annual Government Procurement Conference (April 19, Washington, DC).

DTSs Managing Principal, Edward Tuorinsky, proudly serves as the president of the NVSBC (National Veteran Small Business Coalition), a member of the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council, and an active contributor of thought leadership to the Forbes Business Council. DTS is also a member of the Professional Services Council.

About DTS

DTS is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, founded in 2011, delivering cyber, consulting, and management servicesfor exceptional results. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, DTS employs talented individuals with a passion for excellence and surrounds them with the resources they need to excel. For more than a decade, we have helped public sector and commercial clients respond to changing environments and daunting challenges by clarifying pathways, applying expertise, and managing implementation. To learn more about DTS contact us at sales@consultDTS.com or (571) 403-1841. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. http://www.consultdts.com

# # #
We started Litmus as a customer-first companyto help manufacturers leverage the power of Industry 4.0 in record time to get real results, said Vatsal Shah, Litmus CEO and Co-founder.

Litmus, an edge platform for industrial operations, announced today another year of record growth in 2022 across all areas of the business. As manufacturers increasingly turn to Litmus to make Industry 4.0 gains by collecting, normalizing, and making business decisions based on their data, the company has realized on average a 100% revenue increase year-over-year for the past three years with continued growth expected to exceed 200% in 2023.

We started Litmus as a customer-first company, to help manufacturers leverage the power of Industry 4.0 in record time to get real results, said Vatsal Shah, Litmus CEO and Co-founder. Recent industry recognition from Gartner and Frost & Sullivan, coupled with our Series B and revenue momentum from a worldwide network of channel partners and relationships with manufacturers, bodes well for continued acceleration.

Stronger Core Capabilities Coupled with New Functionality

Maintaining its industry leadership with the ability to connect to the most OT assets and industrial systems at scale, Litmus expanded its device connectivity library by 30% in 2022. Litmus now has more than 250 industrial device drivers which can be used to connect to industrial machines in a matter of minutes to streamline data connectivity and normalization. Additionally, individual instances of the platform are now able to support more than 1M tags.

In late 2022, Litmus released a major advancement requested by many of its customerssupport for Digital Twins. Time to value with Litmus is a hallmark of the platform. One differentiation for customers with Litmus Digital Twins functionality is that Litmus is the source of the data (raw data from 250+ industrial drivers, as well as analyzed data, machine learning-inference and user-defined inputs) forming Litmus own Digital Twins Framework. This industry milestone means asset modeling and instances of digital twins working on the same platform for manufacturers. Litmus

Team Worldwide Expansion

In 2022, Litmus expanded its footprint by adding 50% headcount; introduced a European operation and sales leadership headquartered in Munich, Germany; hired regional sales leadership in Asia-Pacific in India and South Korea and added to its global leadership team with the announcement of a new Senior Vice President of Marketing, Paul Kuhne.

Customer and Partner Momentum

2022 was a record year with 300% growth in sites deployed globally and 98% customer retentiona testament to the platform and the value of the customer success team that ensures successful project execution, supporting clients to transform Industry 4.0 plans into reality. In 2022, Litmus solutions were also white-labeled and OEMed by Fortune 500 companies including Google Cloud, Dell Technologies, Belden and more.

Expanding Industry Recognition

Litmus was honored to be featured in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Industrial IoT platforms for the fourth consecutive year. Litmus was also recognized in IDCs 2022 Digital Industry Quadrant and as part of Frost & Sullivans Frost Radar Best Digital Industries Platforms. Litmus was recognized among a small group of leading vendors in each study, demonstrating Litmus niche status, focus and rising market leadership in accelerating digital transformation within Edge and Manufacturing. 150%

Growth Projected for 2023

While 2022 was a record year for our company in many ways, our plans for 2023 are even more aggressive, continued Shah. Our product development roadmap and channel partner expansion will only strengthen our mission to support manufacturers and simplify industrial data complexity to help them make Industry 4.0 a reality.
We are excited to partner with BlackPearl, combining their world-class hardware technology with ClearBlade's software will be a game-changer for industrial companies," said Eric Simone, Founder and CEO of ClearBlade

ClearBlade, the leading Industrial IoT Platform and Edge Computing software company, is proud to announce its partnership with BlackPearl Technology, a world-class designer and manufacturer of innovative electronic products. As a ClearBlade Preferred Partner, BlackPearl will provide their new Interceptor modular hardware line alongside ClearBlades IoT and Edge AI computing software, to provide expanded capabilities beyond legacy SCADA data limitations.

This partnership offers cost-effective, secure, and scalable IoT solutions, addressing a wide range of customer applications. The Interceptor modular gateway provides a base offering with complementary, modular components to meet the diverse needs of the IoT market. BlackPearl's flexible approach, combined with ClearBlade's ability to address virtually any customer use case, makes this partnership the perfect match for delivering real-time, secure, and scalable IoT solutions.

"We are excited to partner with BlackPearl, combining their world-class hardware technology with ClearBlade's software will be a game-changer for industrial companies," said Eric Simone, Founder and CEO of ClearBlade. The Interceptor family of Edge devices is perfect for IT/OT integration points in the IoT ecosystem.

BlackPearl VP of Innovation, David Smith, added, "We are excited to partner with ClearBlade to bring our cutting-edge hardware to the table. Together, we can deliver powerful IoT/AI Edge solutions that allow businesses of any size to benefit from reliable and cost-effective monitoring of their assets.

"With this partnership, ClearBlade and BlackPearl aim to provide their customers with a complete and scalable IoT solution, bridging the gap between hardware and software to deliver the next generation of IoT solutions.

About ClearBlade

ClearBlade, Inc., is a privately held Internet of Things (IoT), Edge computing, and AI software company headquartered in Austin, Texas. ClearBlades award-winning software is connecting millions of assets worldwide, across multiple industries including energy, transportation, and industrial. For more information about ClearBlade, Inc. visit the company's website at http://www.clearblade.com.

About the BlackPearl Group of Companies

Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, the BlackPearl group of companies is an exciting assortment of engineering brilliance coupled with manufacturing and client services. They are a state-of-the-art product development company handling product design and development lifecycles from start to finish. Fully staffed with electrical, mechanical, software, and firmware engineers, their team is ready to bring ideas to life. They use the latest technology and innovations to develop reliable solutions that solve problems and improve processes. All design and manufacturing are done in North America. To learn more about the Interceptor product line, go to http://www.interceptor.io. For more information on BlackPearl, visit http://www.blackpearltechnology.com.

Media Contacts:

ClearBlade:

Michelle Davis

marketing@clearblade.com

+1 (866) 999-3343BlackPearl Technology:

Misti Jeter

marketing@blackpearltechnology.com

(281) 362-5231
The NAO award aligns with TDIs industry leading focus on Cybersecurity Performance Management becoming an integral component of any organizations cybersecurity strategy, said Paul Innella, CEO.

Tetrad Digital Integrity (TDI), the Leader in Cybersecurity Performance Management (CPM) and CPM Automation, announced it has won a $13M pivotal U.S. Navy contract to provide Navy-wide cybersecurity risk management services, continuing nearly a decade of similar support.

The Navy Supply Systems Fleet Logistics Center recently awarded TDI a five-year, $13 million competitive contract under the General Services Administrative Multiple Award Schedule for Highly Assured Cybersecurity Services to provide Navy Authorizing Official (NAO) Risk Management Framework (RMF) Cybersecurity Support Services to U. S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. Tenth Fleet globally.

TDI continues its NAO RMF Cybersecurity Support as a prime contractor for the next five years. Our team understands the critical role of the authorization process in support of the warfighter and will ensure NAO is Cyber Ready, bringing extensive RMF, continuous monitoring (CONMON), and cybersecurity performance management experience, said Gail Rissler, Chief Operating Officer.

TDI began supporting the Navy twenty years ago at the Marine Corps and the Military Sealift Command and has helped NAO successfully evolve towards a state of cybersecurity continuous monitoring, especially as it focuses on being Navy Cyber Ready, a critical mission of the Navys CIO. The NAO award aligns with TDIs industry leading focus on Cybersecurity Performance Management becoming an integral component of any organizations cybersecurity strategy, said Paul Innella, CEO. We are honored to have NAO choose us as their partner to contribute to what has become our shared mission  and I am so proud of our team at TDI who make us successful at NAO.

TDIs twenty-plus years of cyber-focused experience differentiated them from their competition and uniquely prepared them to win this contract award. TDI developed a technical approach that combined customer service performance commitment with experience managing and providing superior solutions and personnel for organizations across the Government. TDI developed and introduced to the world the CPM framework for effective cybersecurity performance tied to an organizations strategic cyber objectives, measuring meaningful performance metrics over time, to ensure continuous monitoring of risk, compliance, maturity, and ROI. TDIs approach to succeeding at the Navy lays a foundation of the CPM framework as it maps to Navy Cyber Ready and all that it promises to offer the future of Navy Cyber. CPM makes needed cyber information available on-demand via ongoing Data Analytics.

About TDI

TDIs journey began in 2001 with a vision to create the worlds most advanced cybersecurity ecosystem. For over 20 years, our one and only focus has been delivering cybersecurity solutions, having provided millions of hours of cyber services for hundreds of clients across the globe and within all markets. We are the creators and industry leaders of Cybersecurity Performance Management (CPM), TDIs foundational core competency and the glue which binds together our other capabilities of Cyber Operations and Cyber Compliance. Finally, TDI is at the global vanguard of innovative cybersecurity via our remarkable and historical experience, by developing and fostering leading-edge security technologies like the industry-leading CPM platform, CnSight, providing the cyber community with open-source tools, and serving as an industry thought leader through published pieces, seminars, lectures, and interviews (ABC, CNBC, PBS, Forbes, MSNBC, EuroNews, Financial Times, Fox News, Federal News Radio, etc.). TDIs work is repeatedly awarded, including via the U.S. Department of Labors HIRE Vets Platinum Award and, for two years running, the Best Cybersecurity Performance Management Platform from The Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.
Heidi B. Hammel, PhD, was recently selected as the 2023 ARCS Foundation Alumni Hall of Fame inductee. "It is an incredible honor to be recognized by ARCS as part of this group of people who have all made significant contributions to the world I think it's important for us to recognize scholarship in whatever form it takes. I'm really excited and thankful for this honor." Heidi B. Hammel, PhD

At the January National Board Meeting, ARCS Foundation Inc. announced planetary astronomer Heidi B. Hammel, PhD, is the 2023 inductee into the prestigious ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame inductees are ARCS Scholar Alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of science in innovation, discovery, economic impact, the development of future scientists, and enhancement of US scientific superiority.

Dr. Hammel is currently the Vice President for Science for the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). AURA operates world-class astronomical observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for NASA and the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab and National Solar Observatory.

She is also a Senior Research Scientist for the Space Science Institute and serves as Vice President of The Planetary Society, which advocates for advancing space science and planetary defense.

ARCS Foundation has recognized Dr. Hammel for her expertise in planetary science and her work with both the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes.

A go-to expert on Neptune and Uranus, Dr. Hammel led the team that monitored the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's collision with Jupiter in 1994, which caused an impact site that was larger than Earth. She saw the potential for similar random planetary destruction as a danger to Earth, and her team began researching every aspect of the incident.

"By combining the observations of the collisions with Hubble, and the models that existed at that time, we were able to find a much more realistic understanding of how these collisions take place in an atmosphere, where the energy is deposited, and what the patterns of devastation on the Earth would be," she said.

Nearly 20 years later, the foundational research that began with Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 would lead NASA to execute the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, the first-ever mission dedicated to investigating and testing asteroid deflection by changing an asteroid's motion in space. It was a resounding success.

Dr. Hammel's experience with the Hubble Telescope led to her appointment as an Interdisciplinary Scientist for JWST, where she has served for more than 20 years. In the role, she received 100 hours of guaranteed research time. Dr. Hammel did something unprecedented with her time, though. "I gave it all away to younger people in my community," she said. "I just encouraged them to go forth and figure out what we can do with this telescope. Go and find what the most exciting science in the solar system will be." Since JWSTs successful launch in 2021, her team has generated remarkable observations of the Solar System with the new telescope.

An avid proponent of lifelong learning and opportunities for all, Dr. Hammel is also a skilled science communicator. She received the Public Understanding of Science Award from the Exploratorium in San Francisco in 1998. In 2002, she received the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences for outstanding communication to the general public. "I love to talk to different communities about what we do in astronomy and what a scientist does in general," she said. "I want to excite people about science because it's not about memorizing facts; science is about discovery."

Dr. Hammel received her ARCS Scholar award in 1985 while attending the University of Hawai'i at Manoa to complete a PhD in physics and astronomy. "When I was a young student in physics, women were very much a minority, and I often felt inadequate. The recognition provided by ARCS Foundation was a wonderful boost  it gave me confidence that I belonged in science and encouraged me to persevere."

Upon receiving this recognition for the Hall of Fame, Dr. Hammel said, "It is an incredible honor to be recognized by ARCS as part of this group of people who have all made significant contributions to the world I think it's important for us to recognize scholarship in whatever form it takes. I'm really excited and thankful for this honor."

"Dr. Hammel has made a truly incredible impact on how we understand space and approach planetary research," said ARCS National President Caron Ogg. "We are thrilled to welcome her into the distinguished ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame."

As an ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame member, Dr. Hammel joins the company of 14 other inductees.

#

About ARCS Foundation: ARCS Foundation is a national nonprofit volunteer women's organization that promotes US competitiveness by providing financial awards to academically outstanding US citizens studying to complete degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and health disciplines at 50 of the nation's leading research universities. The organization has awarded more than $131 million to more than 11,500 scholars since 1958. ARCS Foundation Scholars have produced thousands of research publications and patents, secured billions in grant funding, started science-related companies, and played a significant role in teaching and mentoring young people in the STEM pipeline. More information is available at arcsfoundation.org.
Hazel Rose is a trauma survivor who wants to share her journey of self-discovery as she finds resilience through yoga, the arts, her spiritual connection, and much more. It is for this reason she now releases Spirit Being Human: Discovering Resilience after Trauma (published by Balboa Press AU).

From her childhood in a small island community in North Queensland, Rose shares the traumatic events that have ultimately shaped the woman she has become. From childhood, she encountered deaths, accidents, family breakdown, domestic violence, drugs and alcohol, rape, confrontations with the law and multiple violent relationships.

Rose shares her darkest challenges and remarkable recovery and how along the way, she discovered the importance of community, family and friends. She learns how to reconnect with spirit through yoga, meditation, arts and discovers an inner sanctuary that offers counselling and support, in times when no one else was there for her.

In this book, I highlight the traumatic events as individual stories that occurred at various times in my life, and I explain how these events have stayed with me and shaped my behavior. These traumatic events can finally be shared with you, from my safe place. I have stopped running and can reflect without feeling the intensity of these usually triggering memories. For me, these stories link with the energy of the base chakra in yoga, Rose says.

When asked what she wants readers to take away from the book, Rose answered, I believe we are spirit beings before and after we manifest human bodies on Earth, and I believe we come here with a purpose, so essentially we are spirit being human. My traumas, the impact on my physical body and my spiritual connection has always helped me find resilience. I hope you will feel empowered after reading my story. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.balboapress.com/en-au/bookstore/bookdetails/784448-spirit-being-human

Spirit Being Human: Discovering Resilience after Trauma

By Hazel Rose

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 312 pages | ISBN 9781982296513

E-Book | 312 pages | ISBN 9781982296520

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Hazel Rose is an arts psychotherapist, remedial massage therapist, and yoga teacher. She lives in Queensland where she is focused on writing a series of personal stories that correlate with the energy of the individual chakras in yoga. Spirit Being Human is her first book.

Balboa Press Australia is a division of Hay House, Inc., a leading provider in publishing products that specialise in self-help and the mind, body and spirit genre. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the Author Solutions self-publishing model. For more information or to start publishing today, visit balboapress.com.au or call 1-800-844-925.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Spartan Education Group, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Spartan Education Group, LLC alleging the company violated Labor Code  2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code  201-203, 204 et seq., 210, 218, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against Spartan Education Group, LLC is currently pending in the Riverside County Superior Court, Case No. CVRI2300285. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Spartan Education Group, LLC allegedly failed to fully relieve Plaintiff and other Aggrieved Employees for their legally required thirty (30) minute meals breaks. Employees were also allegedly required, from time to time, to work in excess of four (4) hours without being provided the legally required ten (10) minute rest periods. The California Supreme Court defines off-duty rest periods as the time during which an employee is relieved from all work-related duties and free from employer control.

PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code.

For more information about the lawsuit against Spartan Education Group, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
Bob's Newest Store in Holyoke Mall, Massachusetts "We're confident that our new store will do just that by providing top name-brand apparel and footwear at unbeatable prices."

Bob's Stores, a well-known apparel and footwear retailer, is excited to announce the opening of its latest location in Western Massachusetts. The new store, located in the Holyoke Mall, will provide the Western Massachusetts community with a convenient shopping experience and a wide selection of top-brand clothing and footwear at unbeatable prices. The store will include departments dedicated to activewear, denim, casual, workwear, team, and footwear.

The new store is set to open its doors on February 10th, 2023, with a grand opening celebration planned for early April, in time for the arrival of Bob's Stores' new spring collection.

"We're thrilled to bring Bob's Stores to Western Massachusetts and be a part of this vibrant community," said Kevin Campbell, Executive Vice President, Operations. "Our goal is to provide everyone with a great shopping experience, and we're confident that our new store will do just that by providing top name-brand apparel and footwear at unbeatable prices."

Bob's Stores has been dedicated to offering its customers the latest fashion trends and high-quality products at affordable prices for many years. With this latest expansion, Bob's Stores is furthering its commitment to customer satisfaction and making it easier for people throughout the Northeast to access the latest styles and a wide selection of top-brand clothing and footwear.

For more information, please contact:

press@bobstores.com

About Bob's Stores: Bob's Stores is a leading apparel and footwear retailer that offers a wide selection of top-brand clothing and footwear at great prices. With a focus on customer satisfaction, Bob's Stores is dedicated to providing the latest fashion trends and high-quality products to shoppers throughout the Northeast.
CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (CHA HPMC), a member of CHA Health Systems, a global network providing a full spectrum of dynamic healthcare services, has been ranked as the second best hospital in California for coronary interventional procedures, according to a new analysis released by Healthgrades, the leading online resource that connects consumers, physicians, and health systems. Additionally, CHA HPMC has been recognized as one of Americas 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention for two years in a row (2022-2023), Americas 100 Best for Spine Surgery for three years in a row (2021-2023), and a recipient of Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award (2023).

We are honored to achieve this recognition which is a reflection of the expertise of our multidisciplinary care team, our best practices and protocols, and our never-ending commitment to providing optimal care and a high quality patient experience. said Jamie Yoo, Chief Executive Officer at CHA HPMC. Patients seek CHA HPMC for our track record and reputation in delivering high caliber healthcare services that they have come trust for almost a century.

Percutaneous coronary intervention is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure used to treat blockages in the coronary (heart) arteries and improve blood flow to the heart. CHA HPMC is designated a STEMI Receiving Center by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services which means its entire cardiac care team  starting from the Emergency Department  has the training and expertise to recognize and address heart conditions, and is ready to treat heart attack patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Furthermore, CHA HPMCs new patient tower, opening in 2024, will have expanded emergency department and advanced operating rooms and surgical services to offer cutting-edge care and speedy recovery for patients.

Hospitals ranked among the top in the state by Healthgrades are recognized for providing patients with superior clinical outcomes in coronary intervention procedures, including angioplasty with stent. For the state ranking analysis, Healthgrades evaluated clinical performance for nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide focusing on 18 key specialties across a mix of chronic, urgent, and surgical areas.

About CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (CHA HPMC) is a nationally recognized acute care facility that has cared for Hollywood and its surrounding communities since 1924. Today, CHA HPMC offers comprehensive health care services with a 469-bed acute care facility, including 89 skilled nursing beds. The hospital has a medical staff of more than 550 physicians and specialists, representing 69 specialties and 75 different countries. CHA HPMC embraces the areas diverse, multicultural patient populations by providing all who walk through its doors quality care in a compassionate manner. It is a member of CHA Health Systems, a dynamic global healthcare organization that provides a full spectrum of services in seven countries around the world, including 86 hospitals and clinics, 30 research and 14 education institutions and 31 bio/pharmaceutical/healthcare companies. For more information about CHA HPMC, visit http://www.hollywoodpresbyterian.com.
How does one rise above a chronic and potentially debilitating condition? This is the question that Charles L Blanchard had to face after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996 which left him unable to walk two years later. His quest to find the answer set him on journey which led him to write The Seeds of Self-Destruction or Success (published by Archway Publishing).

This book shares a compelling and personal story about how the author refused to allow the challenges he experienced define him. In the first chapters, Blanchard uses Erik Eriksons developmental stages of life to show readers how the ingredients of their lives may foster mistrust instead of trust, shame and guilt instead of autonomy, inferiority instead of industry, and role confusion instead of identity. Despite being born into a world beyond his control, Blanchard was able to overcome the binary of nature and nurture through conscious decisions encouraged by positive people on his journey. It is the authors hope for his story to serve as common ground through which all people collectively walk together to challenge, inspire, and nurture the mind, body, and spirit.

This book is an example of how people are not defined by lifes challenges or past mistakes, Blanchard states. By surrounding ourselves with people who truly care and by never losing hope, SUCCESS is possible.

To purchase a copy of the book, visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/835377-the-seeds-of-self-destruction-or-success.

The Seeds of Self-Destruction or Success

By Charles L Blanchard

Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 120 pages | ISBN 9781665737456

Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5in | 120 pages | ISBN 9781665737463

E-Book | 120 pages | ISBN 9781665737470

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Charles L Blanchard is an Old Catholic priest, a wisdom guide, and along with Father Harry Posner, Jr. is a founder of Christ the Good Shepherd Old Catholic Church. Where there are barriers, you and I will indeed surmount! has been Blanchards modus operandi throughout his years in seminary (1979-1991), career within psychiatry (1991-99), and most recently within the pharmaceutical industry (1996-2011) which prematurely ended due to his little friend called multiple sclerosis. Born in Flint, Michigan, Blanchard, who felt called to the priesthood ever since Saint Marys Elementary School, engaged in several educational pursuits. Today, despite lifes challenges, Blanchard finds priestly ministry rewarding whereby he engages the marginalized, disenfranchised, and oppressed. He is multi-lingual speaking Japanese, German, Latin, Spanish and English; appreciates cultural diversity; and espouses a firm belief in the empowerment model, meeting people where they are in life, suspending personal judgment and seeing the world from her/his vantage point.

Simon & Schuster, a company with nearly ninety years of publishing experience, has teamed up with Author Solutions, LLC, the worldwide leader in self-publishing, to create Archway Publishing. With unique resources to support books of all kind, Archway Publishing offers a specialized approach to help every author reach his or her desired audience. For more information, visit archwaypublishing.com or call 844-669-3957.
City of La Junta joins the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System The City of La Junta invites all potential vendors to register online.

The City of La Junta announced today that it has joined the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, an online eProcurement system that helps local governments post, distribute and manage RFPs, quotes, addendums and awards in a centralized location. Bidnet Directs Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System provides notification to registered vendors of new relevant solicitations, any addenda and award information from nearly 375 participating agencies from across Colorado and Wyoming. The City of La Junta invites all vendors to register online at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/cityoflajunta.

Before joining the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System in December, the City of La Junta was distributing bids and managing the procurement process manually. As the 366th participating local government agency to join the system, they are now able to streamline their bid process, saving time, increasing competition and achieving cost savings over the traditional paper-based bid process.

The City of La Junta is now able to distribute their open bids more effortlessly without increasing costs and have access to an extensive vendor pool, thereby enhancing competition. All vendors looking to respond to bids with local government agencies throughout the state can register online at: http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/cityoflajunta. Registration is quick and easy and gives you instant access to matching bid opportunities in your industry.

By joining many of our fellow local agencies as part of the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, we are part of a community that allows vendors to seek bid opportunities from agencies all over the state including, municipalities, special districts, schools and counties, states Jennifer Smith, Purchasing Director of the City of La Junta. By having one centralized location, distribution of bids has become so much easier and allows us to reach a large number of new vendors as well as our existing ones, which not only increases competition but provides our local vendors with more business opportunities to go after.

Once registered, vendors can access bids, related documents, addendum and award information instantly. In addition, the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System offers a value-added service to notify vendors of new bids targeted to their industry, all addenda associated with those bids and advance notice of term contract expiration. A robust NIGP code category list allows vendors registering to find the correct codes and receive matched bids.

Vendors looking for assistance registering on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System: http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/cityoflajunta, may contact Bidnet Directs vendor support team, who is available to answer any questions regarding the registration process or the bid system at 800-835-4603 option 2.

Other local Colorado and Wyoming government agencies looking to switch from a manual bid process, please contact the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System for a demonstration of the no-cost sourcing solution.

About the City of La Junta:

La Junta is a home rule municipality in, the county seat of, and the most populous municipality of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,322 at the 2020 United States Census. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado 68 miles east of Pueblo.

About Bidnet Direct:

Bidnet Direct, powered by mdf commerce, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. Bidnet Direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers
ACORE logo It is time to take action on the pro-transmission policies and reforms proposed in Congress and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, so we can keep the lights on and better protect communities, while also providing more affordable electricity, said ACORE President and CEO Gregory Wetstone.

Adding one gigawatt (GW) of transmission capacity during Winter Storm Elliott could have saved electricity consumers nearly $100 million over the course of the five-day storm, according to a new report released today by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). The report, The Value of Transmission During Winter Storm Elliott, details the benefits more transmission could have provided by keeping the lights on and delivering more affordable power as severely low temperatures caused record winter electricity demand and rolling blackouts across much of the Central and Eastern U.S. in December 2022.

Interregional transmission continues to be a key missing ingredient for U.S. grid reliability in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events, said ACORE President and CEO Gregory Wetstone. It has been exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, to develop interregional transmission under the current planning processes and related rules. It is time to take action on the pro-transmission policies and reforms proposed in Congress and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, so we can keep the lights on and better protect communities, while also providing more affordable electricity.

The report found that expanding transmission ties by 1 GW would have generated significant cost savings for consumers and reduced outages during Winter Storm Elliott by delivering power from other regions with spare supply. Additional transmission into the Duke/Progress utility area in the Carolinas and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region would have yielded savings of $85 million and $95 million, respectively. Flowing the other direction, that same one GW transmission line between Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and TVA would have also provided $1 billion in savings to Texans during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021.

Making the grid bigger than the weather is the key to making our power system more resilient, said report author Michael Goggin, Vice President at consulting firm Grid Strategies LLC. A stronger transmission network could have kept the heat on for hundreds of thousands of Americans who lost power during Winter Storm Elliott. In addition to serving as an insurance policy for extreme events, transmission benefits consumers every day by delivering lower-cost clean energy.

For a region-by-region breakdown of the benefits that expanded transmission capacity could have provided during Winter Storm Elliott, click here to download the new report. The Value of Transmission During Winter Storm Elliott was commissioned by ACORE and authored by Grid Strategies LLC.
Clay Heil, vice president, global government relations, Crowley His leadership will help elevate Crowleys transportation and logistics solutions to continue the growth as a chosen partner for government and military.

Crowley has appointed Clay Heil as vice president of global government relations, where he will lead the companys full spectrum of government advocacy across all of the companys business interests and activities.

Based in Washington, D.C., Heil will spearhead Crowleys engagement with federal, state and local government partners and elected officials on policy and regulatory matters that support the companys strategic growth.

Heil joins Crowley with more than 25 years of legislative and legal experience. In Congress, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for 12 years, holding senior roles including deputy staff director and general counsel for the Senate Appropriations Committee. Most recently, Heil was a partner in Tafts Public Affairs Strategies Group, where he represented Fortune 500 companies in the defense, cybersecurity and technology sectors.

"Clays experience, knowledge and relationships in Washington and the private sector make him a strong advocate for Crowley and our industries, said Chief Legal and Risk Officer Parker Harrison. His leadership will help elevate Crowleys transportation and logistics solutions to continue the growth as a chosen partner for government and military.

During his time in Congress, Heil also served as legislative director for Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and worked for Rep. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska.) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.).

Heil holds a juris doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center and a bachelors degree from Colorado State University. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

About Crowley

Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and -operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with $3.4 billion in annual revenues, over 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and approximately 7,000 employees around the world  employing more U.S. mariners than any other company. The Crowley enterprise has invested more than $3.2 billion in maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade and the global economy. As a global ship owner-operator and services provider with more than 130 years of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, the company serves customers in 36 nations and island territories through five business units: Crowley Logistics, Crowley Shipping, Crowley Solutions, Crowley Wind Services and Crowley Fuels. Additional information about Crowley, its business units and subsidiaries can be found at http://www.crowley.com.


Cybereason, the XDR company, today issued a global threat alert advisory warning organizations about a rise in global GootLoader infections. Victim organizations have been located primarily in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Previous reported attacks using the malware have been linked to UNC2565.

During an investigation starting in December 2022, Cybereasons incident responders discovered SEO Poisoning techniques being used to spread the GootLoader malware in victims environments. Using SEO Poisoning threat actors optimize fraudulent websites to appear higher in search engine results. In the past, victims tend to click on links to websites that appear high in search engine results. In addition, malware operators have been abusing Google Ads to distribute their malicious payloads.

For more information on Cybereasons GootLoader threat alert, visit: https://www.cybereason.com/blog/threat-alert-gootloader-seo-poisoning-and-large-payloads-leading-to-compromise

About Cybereason

Cybereason is the XDR company, partnering with Defenders to end attacks at the endpoint, in the cloud and across the entire enterprise ecosystem. Only the AI-driven Cybereason Defense Platform provides planetary-scale data ingestion, operation-centric MalOp detection, and predictive response that is undefeated against modern ransomware and advanced attack techniques. Cybereason is a privately held international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 40 countries.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Media contact:

Bill Keeler

Senior Director, Global Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler@cybereason.com

(929) 259-3261
I am thrilled to include Courtney and Aaron as my partners, as they will provide Eisemans customers with excellent service and ensure that our roofing and exterior remodeling projects are handled with care and consideration, said Melissa Eiseman.

Eiseman Construction is proud to announce that Courtney Dickinson-Mukamuri and Aaron Pilch have been named partners in the company. In their new leadership roles, Dickinson-Mukamuri and Pilch will oversee sourcing, estimating and human resources and will hold the titles of Director of Operations and Administration and Director of Sales, respectfully.

Company owner Melissa Eiseman praised their commitment to excellence and client service.

I am thrilled to include Courtney and Aaron as my partners, as they will provide Eisemans customers with excellent service and ensure that our roofing and exterior remodeling projects are handled with care and consideration deserving of homeowners associations, property managers, and residents across the New Jersey and Pennsylvania region, said Eiseman. I am grateful for their wonderful work and integrity in maintaining Eisemans values, and I look forward to their continued service as leaders within the company and within our community.

Dickinson-Mukamuri has been employed with Eiseman since 2013. She is an active member of the Community Associations Institute Keystone Chapter, holds an Educated Business Partner designation, and recently was named a Chapter Shining Star by the organization. She earned a bachelors degree from Delaware Valley University and lives in Doylestown with her husband, Shalom Mukamuri, a community-focused musician.

Pilch has served as a project manager at Eiseman since 2019. He has extensive experience managing construction projects with roofing companies such as JP Patti Tecta America, LLC, Pfister Roofing and Pravco, Inc. He graduated from Lehigh Valley Christian High School and lives in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania with his wife, Jessica, and two daughters.

About Eiseman Construction: A full-service contractor specializing in roofing and exterior remodeling, Eiseman Construction was founded in 1968 by Phil Eiseman. The company serves residential and commercial clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey on a variety of projects including residential housing, multi-family townhomes, and condominium projects as well as historic and commercial repairs and renovations.
We need to continue to examine what barriers are preventing us from completely de-labeling patients who can safely take penicillin and develop strategies to address those barriers.

Findings being presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) are highlighting the need to identify and address barriers to successfully de-labeling penicillin allergy for patients  even after testing has been completed.

Penicillin allergy labels are associated with increased healthcare cost burdens as well as adverse events for patients, said Althea Marie Diaz, MD, primary author of the study. Many patients carrying a penicillin allergy label can safely take penicillin, but even after allergy testing were finding those allergy labels arent always being removed.

Researchers identified 78 charts of patients who were de-labeled of their penicillin allergies from May 2019 to May 2022. Any patient who had their penicillin allergy removed from their electronic medical record (EMR) were also provided with a wallet card. Letters were sent to patients primary care physicians and their pharmacy of choice. Follow-up was conducted via phone interviews with patients and pharmacies to determine if penicillin had been successfully de-labeled.

They found that while 99% of the charts were de-labeled in the systems EMR, 31% of charts still had an active penicillin allergy listed with the pharmacy. During follow-up interviews with 68 patients, 97% of patients recalled they had received a negative penicillin allergy result. Since de-labeling, 44% of patients had taken penicillin, while 52% had not. Some patients - 4% - were still avoiding penicillin despite their negative allergy result.

Weve come a long way when it comes to de-labeling penicillin allergies, but we have a long way to go, said Dr. Diaz. We need to continue to examine what barriers are preventing us from completely de-labeling patients who can safely take penicillin and develop strategies to address those barriers.

Visit aaaai.org to learn more about penicillin allergy. Research presented at the AAAAI Annual Meeting, February 24-27 in San Antonio, Texas, is published in an online supplement to The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is the leading membership organization of more than 7,100 allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. The AAAAI is the go-to resource for patients living with allergies, asthma and immune deficiency disorders. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 7,100 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAIs Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.
"I look forward to continuing to drive value for our clients as we expand in the North Georgia market and beyond. Chris Etheridge, Office Managing Partner Alpharetta

Frazier & Deeter (FD), one of the nations Top 50 accounting & advisory firms, announced today that Chris Etheridge has been named the new Office Managing Partner for the firms Alpharetta location. Etheridge contributes over 30 years of experience to the firm, having joined FD in 1989.

We are thrilled to name Chris Etheridge as the Office Managing Partner in Alpharetta, said Seth McDaniel, FDs Managing Partner. His strong leadership skills and expertise make him the perfect choice to lead our continued growth in North Georgia and build on our focus of delivering exceptional client experience.

As a Partner in FDs Assurance & Advisory Practice, Etheridge works with clients in a variety of industries, including professional services, nonprofit, manufacturing & distribution, real estate, technology, construction, healthcare, government and agribusiness. His areas of expertise include employee benefit plan audits, regulatory and tax compliance and financial analysis for closely held businesses.

Etheridge is a Co-leader of FDs Employee Benefit Plan (EBP) Services Group and serves as a technical reviewer for the firms Accounting & Assurance Practice. Additionally, he has earned the designation of Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and serves on the Board Directors for the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Georgia.

Im honored to serve as the leader of Frazier & Deeters exceptional team of professionals in Alpharetta, noted Etheridge. I look forward to continuing to drive value for our clients as we expand in the North Georgia market and beyond.

About Frazier & Deeter

Frazier & Deeter is an award-winning Top 50 accounting & advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm provides a wide range of tax, audit, accounting and advisory services to serve the emerging needs of clients as they evolve. FD and its family of brands serve clients, from the Fortune Global 500 companies to growing small businesses, through six offices across the United States and the United Kingdom. The firm has been recognized repeatedly as a Best of the Best Accounting firm, a Best Firm to Work For and a Best Firm for Women in Leadership. FDs brand promise is Investing in Relationships to Make a Difference.
We created visuals whose movement and unique patterns were created spontaneously by water, reflecting that unique journey thats behind every bottle of wine we discover.

OperaWine, Vinitalys premiere event and one of the most prestigious wine tasting events in the calendar, is back in Verona for its 12th edition. On 1 April 2023, the Ex Gallerie Mercatali in Verona will welcome producers and guests to a fluid, relaxing, and immersive environment, where tones of aquamarine, turquoise, and emerald green will call to mind the gentle movement of water, offering a timely reminder of that most precious element that we too often take for granted.

OperaWine 2023 shifts from the geometric precision and primary colors of Mondrian, that characterized last years event, to the free-flowing fluidity of water, the inspiration behind this years event. The approach is reinforced by the use of watercolor techniques to adorn the events fixtures and fittings, which have been decorated using a brushstroke that embraces the unpredictability of the pigments on paper to generate a unique effect every time. Since watercolor painting creates ever-changing shades with each passage of the brush, it seemed to perfectly capture the uniqueness of each Italian wine that OperaWine celebrates.

Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International, explained the significance of water to the OperaWine 2023 visual campaign: Every edition of OperaWine is different, not just the producers, but the entire visual concept, which changes every year. This year we are inspired by water, a precious resource whose scarcity is of growing concern for the wine industry in many parts of the world. We created visuals whose movement and unique patterns were created spontaneously by water, reflecting that unique journey thats behind every bottle of wine we discover.'

OperaWine 2023 offers journalists, sommeliers, and international wine professionals the opportunity to taste and get to know the best Italian wines presented by 130 of Italys greatest producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. This American wine magazine specializes in tasting notes, industry news, and wine-personality profiles, reaching more than three million readers. The full list of Italian wine producers selected by Wine Spectator is available at: https://vinitalyinternational.com/vincitori-operawine-2023/.

___

About Vinitaly:

Vinitaly 2023 will be held from 2-5 April 2023. Vinitaly 2022 counted 88,000 visitors of which 25,000 were top international buyers from 139 different countries. The premiere event to Vinitaly, OperaWine Finest Italian Wines: Great Producers selected by Wine Spectator which was held on 9 April, one day prior to Vinitaly, united international wine professionals in the heart of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to discover and taste the wines of the 130 Best Italian Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. Since 1998 Vinitaly travels to several countries thanks to its strategic arm abroad, Vinitaly International. In February 2014 Vinitaly International launched an educational project, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. VIA this year launched the 21st edition of its Certification Course. To date, there are 290 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.

About Wine Spectator:

Wine Spectator is the worlds leading authority on wine. Anchored by Wine Spectator magazine, a print publication that reaches around three million readers worldwide, the brand also encompasses the most comprehensive wine site (WineSpectator.com), mobile platforms, and a series of signature events. Wine Spectator examines the world of wine from the vineyard to the table, exploring wines role in contemporary culture and delivering expert reviews of more than 15,000 wines each year. Parent company M. Shanken Communications, Inc., also publishes Cigar Aficionado, Whisky Advocate, Market Watch, Shanken News Daily, and Shankens Impact Newsletter.
LactRx Logo The LactRx app expands ease of access to this critical information for providers and the public worldwide.

The non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), through its public-facing service known as MotherToBaby, launches LactRx, a free app providing current information on the use of medications, vaccines, diagnostic agents & drugs of misuse during breastfeeding. The LactRx app provides easy access to the LactMed database, a resource from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

In 2019 the NLM announced that the LactMed app was being discontinued. The announcement prompted a discussion between Phil Anderson, PharmD, FASHP, UC San Diego clinical professor and author of LactMed and Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH, MotherToBaby Past President and Mommy's Milk: Human Milk Biorepository Program Director, about MotherToBaby sponsoring a new app for LactMed. "This was a hugely popular resource with millions of hits," said Chambers. Because of this, she saw it as an opportunity for MotherToBaby to help build and host a new app with all of the LactMed information.

In October of 2021, the idea was brought to the leadership of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), the professional non-profit that provides the MotherToBaby no-cost service. Development commenced and LactRx was born.

"The NLM made the decision to continue supporting web access to LactMed, and to discontinue support for its app. However, in Dr. Andersons experience, the app was a very popular and a user-friendly mode of access to the data, explained Chambers. In collaboration with NLM, MotherToBaby was given permission to create the LactRx app and, thus, to expand ease of access to this critical information for providers and the public worldwide.

To download LactRx, please click:

iPhone

Android

Information presented in the LactRx app is not intended to be a substitute for professional judgment. Users should consult personal healthcare providers for breastfeeding advice related to their particular situation.

MotherToBaby also works closely with the NLM to contribute bilingual (English/Spanish) evidence-based fact sheets regarding medications, vaccines, diseases, herbal supplements, occupational exposures and more during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

MotherToBaby traditionally provides information on exposures before and during a pregnancy as well as breastfeeding through its no-cost helpline 866-626-6847, texting service 855-999-3525 and website http://www.MotherToBaby.org, where the public can live chat or e-mail an expert.

More about OTIS and MotherToBaby

The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) is a professional scientific society made up of individuals engaged in assessing and evaluating risks to pregnancy and breastfeeding from environmental exposures. Members include, but are not limited to, specialists in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, genetics, dysmorphology, perinatal epidemiology, teratology, behavioral teratology, pharmacy, genetic counseling, nursing, midwifery, maternal and child health, public health, and includes experts that provide MotherToBaby services and researchers that conduct MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies. MotherToBaby is a suggested resource by many federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MotherToBaby is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $6,000,000 with zero percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents of this release are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. To learn more about MotherToBaby and OTIS, please visit http://www.MotherToBaby.org.
Balancing overall business costs with necessary hires is critical, and it seems like many employers are taking a wait-and-see approach with market conditions before increasing their headcount. - Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller

Expectations for wage increases have steadily risen over the past few years with 2023 marking their highest level yet. Seventy-five percent of hiring managers predict employees at their companies will receive a bump in pay this year, up from 58% in 2020.

This is according to a survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

Anticipated wage increases were strong at 69% in 2021 and 70% in 2022. This comes at a time when U.S. hiring managers say recruiting over the next year appears encouraging as three quarters (75%) say they feel positively, including feelings of optimism (43%), hopefulness (38%) and confidence (36%).

Three in five (60%) hiring managers say their company plans to increase the number of employees in the first half of 2023 on par with the first and second halves of 2022. Around a third (31%) report their company plans to either stay around the same number of employees or make no change.

Companies with more than 10 employees are the most likely to increase their employee count in the first half of this year. The breakdown of anticipated growth by company size is as follows:



2-9 employees: 42%

10-49 employees: 60%

50-99 employees: 66%

100-499 employees: 71%

500+ employees: 65%

This continued push to hire is great news for American job seekers. In a recent Express study conducted among more than 2,000 Americans ages 18 and older, close to half (46%) are seeking employmenteither actively looking for a new job or browsing job opportunities once in a while.

Reasons for Expansion

For companies that report plans to increase their number of employees in the first half of this year, many say this increase is due, in part, to the need to manage increased volumes of work (49%). The need to fill positions that are open due to employee turnover (48%), fill newly created positions (44%) and handle expansion into other categories or markets (34%) are also motivating factors for hiring at their companies.

Despite the need for many companies to hire due to the increased workloads, some simply do not have the capacity to do so.

Around half of hiring managers (51%) say they need more employees to manage their workload but do not have the capacity to hire. Interestingly, larger companies with more than 50 employees are more likely than those with 2-9 employees to cite the need for additional workload relief but lack the ability to hire at this time (54% vs. 42%).

Constraining Factors

For companies that lack the bandwidth to onboard additional employees, more than 2 in 5 (43%) say it is a result of their company adjusting their recruiting/hiring strategy. Others are waiting to see if the workload will level out before hiring additional employees (42%).

Around 3 in 10 say their company does not have enough money in the budget this year (29%) or their upper management has not approved the hiring of additional staff (29%). These sentiments are on par with what U.S. hiring managers reported in the first half of 2022.

Beyond the inability to hire, a few companies are actually planning to reduce their employee count in 2023. Nearly 1 in 10 (7%) hiring managers say their company plans to decrease the number of employees in the first half of 2023. While a small proportion of companies plan to do so, the main reason for this is to reduce costs (75%).

Balancing overall business costs with necessary hires is critical, and it seems like many employers are taking a wait-and-see approach with market conditions before increasing their headcount, Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said. But overall, this is great news for job seekers. The majority of businesses need workers, so for those on the sidelines, now is a great time to find the right opportunity.

Survey Methodology

The Job Insights survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, 2022, among 1,002 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 3.2 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

***

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Hollander, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 586,000 people globally in 2021 and 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com, and find more employment insights at ExpressPros.com/AmericaEmployed.
An exceptional employee experience isnt created by accident. At PrideStaff Financial, we work diligently to make every team member feel welcomed, included, and supported.

PrideStaff Financial, a division of The PrideStaff Companies, is honored to announce that it has won ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Employee Award for commitment to the internal employee experience.

This is the third year PrideStaff Financial has received this elite award, which recognizes agencies for excellence in employee satisfaction based entirely on ratings provided by their staff. To participate in the Best of Staffing award program for employee satisfaction, firms invited feedback from 100% of their internal staff on the overall experience of working at the firm, as well as the organizations performance related to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The results are as follows;



PrideStaff Financial received a Net Promoter Score from internal employees which far exceeds twice the global NPS standard for an "excellent" experience rating.

PrideStaff Financial received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 93.8% of their internal employees.

The organization is also the only firm specializing in accounting and financial staffing in the U.S. and Canada to earn ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing Client Award thirteen years in a row and Best of Staffing Talent Award fourteen years in a row, as well as their 10-Year Diamond Award for both client and talent satisfaction for four consecutive years. These rare honors place PrideStaff Financial fewer than 1% of its industry. PrideStaff Financials 2022 NPS scores, and well-established track record of superior employee satisfaction, prove that its an exceptional staffing firm and a fantastic place to work.

"An exceptional employee experience isnt created by accident. At PrideStaff Financial, we work diligently to make every team member feel welcomed, included, and supported," said PrideStaff Financial Vice President, Ashli Fernandez. "Our people are the heart of our companys Mission; without them, we couldnt 'Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most.'

"Our executives, owners, and managers work to create an environment that encourages and rewards all types of individuals," continued Fernandez. "Winning an award based solely on anonymous feedback from our own employees is particularly meaningful because it proves that weve built a strong culture that fosters diversity, employee well-being, and growth opportunities. We know that the effort we put into creating a great experience for our employees builds a strong culture that prioritizes employee happiness and engagement, ultimately translating into an increased commitment to delivering great results for our clients and candidates."

"I am pleased to introduce the 2023 Best of Staffing winners alongside their validated service ratings on ClearlyRated.com," said ClearlyRateds CEO & Founder, Eric Gregg. "These firms have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to delivering amazing experiences, despite another year of macroeconomic uncertainty. Hats off to these service leaders - its truly an honor to recognize and celebrate their achievements."

About PrideStaff Financial

A division of PrideStaff, PrideStaff Financial specializes in accounting and financial staffing. The parent company was founded in the 1970s as 100% company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 85 offices in North America to serve more than 5,000 clients. With 40 plus years in the staffing business, headquartered in Fresno, CA, all PrideStaff brands offer the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. For more information on PrideStaff Financial services, visit our website.

PrideStaff and PrideStaff Financial's shared Mission: Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most.

About ClearlyRated

Rooted in satisfaction research for professional service firms, ClearlyRated utilizes a Net Promoter Score survey program to help professional service firms measure their service experience, build online reputation, and differentiate on service quality. Learn more on their website.

About Best of Staffing

ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, placed talent, and internal employees. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.coman online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms with the help of validated client ratings and testimonials.
As the nation recovered from the public health crisis, Rx relief was a valuable partner to clients and candidates, providing industry-leading technology and incredible leadership while helping pharmacy employers and professionals advance their goals.

Rx relief, a division of The PrideStaff Companies, is pleased to announce that it has earned ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing Client and Talent 10-Year Diamond Award. This is the fourteenth consecutive year Rx relief has won a Client Award and the thirteenth consecutive year they have won a Talent Award.

As the only staffing firm dedicated to pharmacy staffing in the U.S. and Canada to win Best of Staffing Awards for client and talent satisfaction for over thirteen years, Rx relief is truly a world-class industry leader:



Fewer than 1% of staffing firms in the U.S. and Canada earned ClearlyRateds 10-Year Diamond Award.

Rx relief received a Net Promoter Score from clients that was more than twice the industrys average.

Rx relief received a Net Promoter Score from placed job candidates that was nearly triple the industrys average.

Winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and candidates. On average, customers who work with winning agencies are more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided, compared to those working with non-winning agencies.

"We are thrilled to receive the Client and Talent 10-Year Diamond Awards from ClearlyRated once again, and to be recognized for superior client service for fourteen years and talent service for thirteen years," said PrideStaff Senior Vice President, Bill Hamrick. Rx relief excels as a pharmacy staffing leader by prioritizing our client and candidates needs and living our company Mission, to 'Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most.'

"As the nation recovered from the public health crisis, Rx relief was a valuable partner to clients and candidates, providing industry-leading technology and incredible leadership while helping pharmacy employers and professionals advance their goals," continued Hamrick. "As we look to the future, we will continue to raise the bar on our service caliber to drive even better results for those we serve."

"I am pleased to introduce the 2023 Best of Staffing winners alongside their validated service ratings on ClearlyRated.com," said ClearlyRateds CEO & Founder, Eric Gregg. "These firms have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to delivering amazing experiences, despite another year of macroeconomic uncertainty. Hats off to these service leaders - its truly an honor to recognize and celebrate their achievements."

About Rx relief

A division of PrideStaff, Rx relief is a Joint Commission Certified and GSA approved pharmacy placement firm providing temporary and full-time pharmacy professionals for all pharmacy practice settings. The parent company was founded in the 1970s as 100% company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 85 offices in North America to serve more than 5,000 clients. With 40 plus years in the staffing business, headquartered in Fresno, CA, all PrideStaff brands offer the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. For more information on Rx relief services, visit our website.

PrideStaff and Rx relief's shared Mission: Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most.



About ClearlyRated

Rooted in satisfaction research for professional service firms, ClearlyRated utilizes a Net Promoter Score survey program to help professional service firms measure their service experience, build online reputation, and differentiate on service quality. Learn more on their website.

About Best of Staffing

ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, placed talent, and internal employees. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.coman online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms with the help of validated client ratings and testimonials.
OpenInfra users and supporters will engage in more than 100 sessions around infrastructure use cases like cloud computing, edge computing, hardware enablement, and security.

The schedule for the 2023 Open Infrastructure Summit (OpenInfra Summit), released today, features keynotes and sessions from users like Bloomberg, LINE, Alibaba Cloud, Samsung and Volvo. The event will be held June 13-15, 2023, at the Vancouver Convention Centre overlooking Vancouver Harbor. Other notable speakers include Ant Group, the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), China Mobile, SAP, and Viettel, the largest public and private cloud infrastructure provider in Vietnam.

The Summit will be a limited-capacity, sellout event. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first in-person OpenInfra Summit held in North America since 2019.

***Register today: https://openinfra.dev/summit/***

OpenInfra users and supporters will engage in more than 100 sessions around infrastructure use cases like cloud computing, edge computing, hardware enablement, and security. The Summit is focused on helping users compose, integrate, and operate these different technologies to solve real problems at scale.

In addition to sessions on projects directly supported by the OpenInfra FoundationOpenStack, StarlingX, Kata Containers, Airship, Zuul, and OpenInfra Labsthere will be a strong focus on LOKI (Linux, Kubernetes, and OpenStack Infrastructure) and over 30 other open source technologies relevant to infrastructure operators, including Docker, Ansible, Ceph, Istio, Envoy, Magma, OpenContrail, ONAP, OPNFV and many more.

The full event agenda is organized by use cases, including AI, CI/CD, containers, edge computing, hardware enablement, HPC, hybrid cloud, NFV, security, and public and private cloud.

Featured sessions include:



Samsung SDS will discuss how it set up an OpenStack-based cloud in multiple regions and multiple zones in order to enable applications to run on multiple zones as well as support disaster recovery with multiple regions. Primary technologies used include a Kubernetes control plane, Ceph file clusters, and OpenStack Keystone across zones and various architecture assessments.

Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences will discuss a five-year research project that has been implemented since mid-2022 as part of a private 5G campus network. The central component of the IT infrastructure is OpenStack, which has been in use since 2016, and StarlingX was harnessed this year to implement a mobile edge cloud in a mobile data center.

Volvo Cars Corporations session will cover how it uses AWS and Azure to run both the backend of Zuul as well as jobs. This involves both the use of Elastic Cloud Kubernetes clusters as well as more common nodes.

LINE is an instant messaging service based in Japan with 176 million active monthly users in the major four markets. LINE will discuss how its cloud powered by OpenStack increased its footprint to 4 million cores, a 150% increase compared to 2021.

Bloombergs OpenStack-based private cloud, which is made of thousands of physical machines, has become the home of tens of thousands of VMs and the foundation for its core applications. When it came to upgrading the operating system of the physical machines, the Bloomberg team wanted to not only speed up the process, but also minimize the impact on the engineers and end-users. This session will cover the journey and lessons learned along the way.

Ant Group and Alibaba Cloud will share highlights from their use of Kata Containers 3.0, including Dragonball, a new built-in hypervisor; a new async Rust runtime; and an integrated design bringing an out-of-the-box user experience. Kata 3.0 is the community version of an in-house developed hypervisor-based container runtime called RunD. It has been used in Ant Group's production environment and in Alibaba Clouds serverless platforms.

And over 20 sessions covering OpenStack and Kubernetes integration in production, including how to deploy and manage bare metal Kubernetes with Ironic.

***Register for Early Bird savings by February 15***

Prices for weeklong and day passes will increase at 11:59 pm PT on February 15.

Members of the media can contact jennifer@cathey.co for information about how to cover the event.

Open infrastructure was quickly embraced by the worlds most powerful research institutions, telecoms, manufacturing conglomerates and public cloud providers, and through their leadership and contributions, OpenInfra is now being adopted by enterprises of all sizes, said Thierry Carrez, general manager of the OpenInfra Foundation. The OpenInfra Summit is a time to celebrate this progress and collaborate with many different open source stakeholders to drive further innovation. Come to share and learn, and lets challenge each other to make an indelible difference in the coming year through open infrastructure.

Wind River is the Headline Sponsor for Vancouver 2023 Open Infrastructure Summit. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

About the Open Infrastructure Foundation

The OpenInfra Foundation builds communities that write open source infrastructure software that runs in production. With the support of over 110,000 individuals in 187 countries, the OpenInfra Foundation hosts open source projects and communities of practice, including infrastructure for AI, container native apps, edge computing and datacenter clouds. Join the OpenInfra movement: http://www.openinfra.dev


Many of us lead busy lives and we want to help families by providing them a quick and convenient way to manage their swim lessons.

Aqua-Tots, a worldwide leader in swim instruction for over 30 years, announced today the official launch of its native app available to download for free in the App Store and Google Play. The Aqua-Tots app allows users to easily manage all aspects of their swimming lessons in one place.

Aqua-Tots app users will be able to view their schedules, receive lesson reminders, schedule make-up lessons, cancel upcoming classes, manage billing, and more. Swim classes fill up quickly as spring approaches, so Aqua-Tots Swim Schools is encouraging families to use the new app now to reserve a spot in swim lessons for their children.

Many of us lead busy lives and we want to help families by providing them a quick and convenient way to manage their swim lessons, said Aqua-Tots CEO Craig Wright. Whether you have a sick child, vacation, or simply need to make a schedule change, our generous make-up policy allows families to easily make adjustments via our app.

Aqua-Tots offers swim lessons for children from four months old to 12 years old. Children can participate in private lessons or small group classes to help ensure a safe environment for proper swim instruction.

Aqua-Tots currently has more than 130 locations worldwide and teaches five million swim lessons a year. Additionally, every swim instructor has completed more than 40 hours of intensive in-water and classroom training. The Aqua-Tots Swim Journey is comprised of eight levels of a comprehensive curriculum that is tried, true, and trusted all over the world. Each level is designed to build upon the next, taking each child on a journey toward becoming a safe and confident swimmer for life. For more information about Aqua-Tots and to enroll in swim lessons, visit aqua-tots.com.

About Aqua-Tots Swim Schools

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the Phoenix area, Aqua-Tots Swim Schools is making waves as the largest international provider of year-round, indoor swim instruction, community outreach, and drowning prevention education. Its trusted program is dedicated to children of all abilities from four months to 12 years old and features a proven curriculum used to teach more than five million swim lessons each year.

Recognized in Entrepreneurs Franchise 500, Inc. Magazines Top 5000 and Franchise Times Top 200, Aqua-Tots has more than 130 locations in 25 states across 14 countries and is rapidly expanding with 90 locations in development. To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit aqua-tots.com/franchise-development and for more information about Aqua-Tots or to sign up for lessons near you, visit aqua-tots.com and follow Aqua-Tots on Facebook and Instagram.
symplr Best in KLAS Award for Time and Attendance 2023 symplrs Time and Attendance is consistently recognized as a leading tool to improve healthcare operations, and we are proud to provide mission critical and reliable solutions to drive operational efficiency.

symplr, the leader in enterprise healthcare operations software, announced today that the Companys Workforce Management Time and Attendance SaaS solution is a Best in KLAS Award winner in the Software and Professional Solutions category. The recognition from healthcare professionals to once again rank symplr No. 1 in the Time and Attendance category reaffirms symplrs excellence as a leader and innovator in workforce management software solutions. The award reflects symplrs dedication to building a leading SaaS platform supporting efficient healthcare operations systems and simplifying solutions for patients, payers, providers, and staff.

Across the industry, healthcare leaders are searching for technology to optimize labor, address retention, and contain costs. Developed specifically for healthcare, symplrs Time and Attendance addresses the need for an integrated and intuitive solution for workforce management that alleviates the administrative burden on healthcare providers and staff. Time and Attendance is used to standardize staffing and scheduling practices at top health systems across the country.

symplrs continued recognition from KLAS reconfirms our commitment to providing the best workforce management software solutions for our customers, said Brian Fugere, Chief Product Officer of symplr. symplrs Time and Attendance is consistently recognized as a leading tool to improve healthcare operations, and we are proud to provide mission critical and reliable solutions to drive operational efficiency.

The Best in KLAS Awards set the standard of excellence for software and services. The awards celebrate vendors receiving the highest provider scores in software, professional services, and medical equipment categories.

The 2023 Best in KLAS report highlights the top-performing healthcare IT solutions as determined by extensive evaluations and conversations with thousands of healthcare providers, said Adam Gale, Chief Executive Officer of KLAS. These distinguished winners have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving and innovating the industry, and their efforts are recognized through their inclusion in this report.

Notably, KLAS representatives will participate in symplrs inaugural Healthcare Operations Summit later this month in Park City, Utah. The summit will convene leaders in healthcare IT to discuss how to optimize healthcare operations, with a focus on using enterprise technology to mitigate risk, reduce costs, and enhance revenue. KLAS representatives will open the event by discussing key findings from their research.

About symplr

symplr is the leader in enterprise healthcare operations software and services. For more than 30 years and with deployments in 9 of 10 U.S. hospitals, symplr has been committed to improving healthcare operations through its cloud-based solutions, driving better operations for better outcomes. Our provider data management; workforce management; compliance, quality, and safety; and contract, supplier, and spend management solutions improve the efficiency and efficacy of healthcare operations, enabling caregivers to quickly handle administrative tasks so they have more time to do what they do best: provide high-quality patient care. Learn how at symplr.

About KLAS Research

KLAS Research has been providing accurate, honest, and impartial insights for the healthcare IT (HIT) industry since 1996. The KLAS mission is to improve the worlds healthcare by amplifying the voice of providers and payers. The scope of our research is constantly expanding to best fit market needs as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated. KLAS finds the hard-to-get HIT data by building strong relationships with our payer and provider friends in the industry.

Contact

Jill Gross

Matter Health for symplr

symplr@matternow.com

978-518-4528
ConnectPath CX "The CloudHesive team helped us with some challenges we were facing with Amazon Connect, ConnectPath platform provides some incredible features that enhanced the Amazon Connect offering." Dakota Hourie - Peace Hills Insurance

With the rebranding of Dextr Flex to ConnectPath CX, we aim to demonstrate the commitment to the evolution of the platform and the obsession we have for our customers. ConnectPath CX delivers a unique, easy-to-use, contact center solution backed by CloudHesive, a committed Amazon Connect premiere partner, obsessed with customer success and continued innovation in the contact center space.

Powered by Amazon Web Services, ConnectPath CX is an omnichannel CCaaS platform that is available on the AWS Marketplace and billed using a pay-per-use, consumption-based model. ConnectPath CX enhances the ever-expanding capabilities of Amazon Connect and the Amazon Web Service eco-system by accelerating time-to-value and maximizing business impact. Customers can deploy ConnectPath CX and Amazon Connect within minutes with zero downtime, interruptions, and limited engineering expertise. The powerful combination of ConnectPath CX and CloudHesives extended investment in the Amazon Connect contact center space provides customers with world-class agent management, contact center operations, and reporting capabilities for their Amazon Connect deployments.

Dextr Flex becoming ConnectPath CX is an evolutionary milestone for the platform. We leverage decades of experience in cloud services and solutions to accelerate the capabilities and support we provide to our Dextr Flex customers in the contact center space. ConnectPath CX has evolved over the last several months to be a highly scalable, feature rich platform backed by world-class service and support, - Jim Walker, CEO of CloudHesive.

Today, customers demand next-generation capabilities. ConnectPath CX brings additional feature functionalities to the agents, supervisors, and support staff by building on top of the Amazon Web Services eco-system and CloudHesives managed support and professional services. ConnectPaths omnichannel capabilities include features such as enhanced agent call control, tiered call dispositioning, call recording, call transcriptions, supervisor dashboards, reporting and analytics, SMS and MMS functionality, CTI integrations to Salesforce and other CRMs, webhooks to ancillary applications and multiple languages.

ConnectPaths team is focused on building the most robust next generation platform for the global Small, Mid-sized and Enterprise customer. The CloudHesive team helped us with some challenges we were facing with Amazon Connect. The ConnectPath CX platform provides incredible features that enhance the Amazon Connect offering, stated Dakota Hourie , an employee of a large insurance company.

If you are looking for the next-generation, pay for what you use, low-code no-code, omni-channel contact center solution please feel free to reach out to us at sales@connectpath.cx

Visit our website at http://www.connectpath.cx or http://www.cloudhesive.com

About CloudHesive:

CloudHesive is an Amazon Web Services Premiere Consulting Partner and a leading provider of cloud solutions, offering a unique combination of services, support, and software to reduce time to value. As an AWS Premier partner, we are experts launching businesses to new heights in the cloud by providing the freedom to focus on what they do best while we handle the undifferentiated heavy lifting. CloudHesive services customers in the Americas and beyond from its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, FL with satellite offices in Santiago-Chile, Bogota-Colombia, and Buenos Aires-Argentina.

For more information please visit: http://www.cloudhesive.com

About ConnectPath:

ConnectPath, formerly known as Dextr Flex, is an omni-channel Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) platform that leverages Amazon Connect and the Amazon Web Services eco-system to provide a next-generation contact center as a service (CCaaS) solution. It is supported and operated under CloudHesive.

For more information on ConnectPath please visit http://www.ConnectPath.cx
This years list of twelve honorees is comprised entirely of first-time SEAL Award winners: Ainslie Cruickshank of The Narwhal, Basten Gokkon of Mongabay, Dana Nuccitelli of Yale Climate Connections, Emily Holden of Floodlight News, John McCracken of Grist and Sierra Magazine, Karla Mendes of Mongabay, Mark Olalde of ProPublica, Molly Taft of Earth3r (Gizmodo), Naveena Sadasivam of Grist, Richa Syal of The Guardian and National Geographic, Sharon Udasin of The Hill, and Sophie Mbugua of Africa Climate News.

Of particular interest among this years winners, SEAL Awards wishes to highlight Karla Mendes for her powerful work covering the continued encroachment of global corporations into indigenous Amazon lands, and the work of Richa Syal to highlight topics of environmental justice as commercial and real estate interests from the global north intersect African waterways and resource distribution. In North America, Mark Olalde and Ainslie Cruickshank addressed both the environmental and human rights offenses of the mining and fossil fuels industries.

SEAL Awards intentionally focused the search for 2022 winners on independent and emerging publications in an effort to celebrate and encourage journalists to take initiative in filling the information gap. Given that knowledge about the escalating climate crisis among the public could not be more critical at this time, the proportion of coverage given to environmental topics among mainstream print and broadcast news outlets is startling, said Safa Bee, Impact Lead for SEAL Awards. Our selection of journalists for this years award stand out for their efforts to raise awareness of the interplay between social, governmental and market forces in shaping climate justice. Underserved communities continue to bear a disproportionate share of the consequences for shortfalls in environmental policy.

Environmental journalism is an essential public good, added Matt Harney, Founder of the SEAL Awards. Environmental journalists work of translating scientific research and policy developments into digestible writing requires real expertise and is under-appreciated. The SEAL environmental journalism award was created to reward journalistic excellence while encouraging news organizations to invest in more climate crisis coverage.

Winners were selected based on a review of each journalists work, data-driven analysis of the impact and reach of their articles, and consideration for writers who are bringing fresh perspectives and social relevance to environmental issues. In 2022, SEAL Awards placed particular emphasis on highlighting journalists whose work elevates local and indigenous voices in their coverage of the environmental crisis.

2022 SEAL ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS:



Ainslie Cruickshank  The Narwhal (@ainscruickshank)

Basten Gokkon  Mongabay (@bgokkon)

Dana Nuccitelli  Yale Climate Connections (@dana1981)

Emily Holden  Floodlight (@emilyhholden)

John McCracken  Grist, Sierra Magazine (@jmcjmc451)

Karla Mendes  Mongabay (@karlamendes)

Mark Olalde  ProPublica (@markolalde)

Molly Taft  Earther (Gizmodo) @mollytaft

Naveena Sadasivam  Grist (@naveenasivam)

Richa Syal  The Guardian, National Geographic (@richa__syal)

Sharon Udasin  The Hill (@sharonudasin)

Sophie Mbugua  Africa Climate News (@smbuguah)

ABOUT SEAL AWARDS

SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadrship) Awards is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through our corporate sustainability awards & environmental journalism awards while funding research and pursuing our own environmental impact campaigns.

The SEAL Awards core pillars are:
The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) recently honored nearly two dozen individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field of weed science. The awards were presented during the organizations 2023 annual meeting attended by individuals from academia, government, and private industry.

The 2023 award winners are listed below. Biographical sketches are available online.

FELLOWS (WSSAs highest honor):



Antonio DiTommaso, Ph.D., Cornell University

Peter Porpiglia, Ph.D., AMVAC Chemical Corporation

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AWARD



John Lindquist, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER WEED SCIENTIST



Vipan Kumar, Ph.D., Kansas State University

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD



Taylor Randell-Singleton, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Georgia

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARD



Brad Haire, Southeast Farm Press

OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARD



Dean Riechers, Ph.D., University of Illinois

OUTSTANDING INDUSTRY AWARD



Sandeep Rana, Ph.D., Bayer

PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD



Bill Chism, Ph.D., EPA, Office of Pesticide Programs (Retired)

US-HRAC HERBICIDE RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT AWARD



Amit Jhala, Ph.D., University of NebraskaLincoln

OUTSTANDING PAPER: INVASIVE PLANT SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

Assessing the performance and accuracy of invasive plant habitat suitability

models in detecting new observations in Wisconsin. Authors:



Mark Renz, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Niels Jorgensen, Ph.D., Opterrix

OUTSTANDING PAPER: WEED SCIENCE

Quantifying seed and establishment limitation to seedling recruitment of arable weeds: an example of barnyardgrass (Echniochloa crus-galli). Authors:



Friederike de Mol, Ph.D., University of Rostock (Germany)

Christian Selig, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Rostock

Barbel Gerowitt, Ph.D., University of Rostock

OUTSTANDING PAPER: WEED TECHNOLOGY

The Impact of Electrocution Treatments on Weed Control and Weed Seed Viability in Soybean. Authors:



Kevin Bradley, Ph.D., University of Missouri

Haylee Schreier, MS, University of Missouri

Mandy Bish, Ph.D., University of Missouri

OUTSTANDING REVIEWER AWARDS



Weed Technology: Pete Eure, Ph.D., Syngenta

Invasive Plant Science and Management: Erik Lehnoff, Ph.D., New Mexico State University

Weed Science: Thierry Besancon, Ph.D., Rutgers University

HONORARY WSSA MEMBER AWARD



Michael Walsh, Ph.D., University of Western Australia

About the Weed Science Society of America

The Weed Science Society of America, a nonprofit scientific society, was founded in 1956 to encourage and promote the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. The Society promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, fosters awareness of weeds and their impact on managed and natural ecosystems, and promotes cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit http://www.wssa.net.
Britney Winn Lee, a four-time author and associate pastor at Grace Community United Methodist Church in her hometown of Shreveport, La., had no experience teaching anyone meditation techniques, especially children, and particularly since she had only come to the practice herself as an adult.

I was raised in a religious setting that was a little more body-neglecting, and dissociated from spirit and body, she tells PW. Connecting with myself to find out what is needed to regulate has been huge for me.

After her son began suffering from anxiety during the pandemic lockdown, however, Lee was compelled to introduce him to body-scan meditationthe practice of checking in with individual body parts as a method for relaxation. Learning how to listen to what my bodys trying to tell me has been really important and powerful, and something that I wanted to start my son off with earlier than I had, she says.

The resulting success led Lee to write a new childrens book, Good Night, Body: Finding Calm from Head to Toe (Tommy Nelson, Feb 7), featuring illustrations by Norwegian artist Borghild Fallberg.

We take a big concept of body scanning, which includes regulating breathing and emotions, and pull that down to a child's level in a way that could activate actual physical experiences, Lee says of the book for readers ages 4-8.

She knew teaching children meditation would be challenging, as children arent used to the conceptual nature of the practice. If you instruct a child to feel their feet, they might take it very literally and reach down and touch their feet. We invite a child to feel in a different way than literal, she says.

Body-scan meditation has helped Lee and her son co-regulate, which she describes as the effort of two parties to stabilize their emotions together in a shared and stressful environment or situation. She believes co-regulation is particularly helpful because parents tend to become simultaneously overwhelmed alongside their children. To her, working with your child to regulate at the same time brings a state of joint peace that can be reached more quickly and with less damage.

Parents who were struggling with stressed-out kids also played a role in Lees idea for Good Night, Body. After sharing her sons experience and tips for body-scan meditation on Instagram, feedback poured in thanking her for the tool. I got lots of direct messages from parents saying they needed this, she says. Her post also caught the eye of Tommy Nelson.

Bri Gallagher, acquiring editor for Tommy Nelson, says Good Night, Body is particularly important in this moment. Weve all gone through so much in the last few years, but especially kids, she tells PW. I think where weve seen the biggest need is helping littles recognize those feelings and understand how to let go of them, and this is exactly what Good Night, Body walks kids through.

Books on meditation and mindfulness for children have become an industry trend, Gallagher adds. I think we will only continue to see more and more mindfulness books in the childrens market. She notes that with its focus on body-scan meditation, Good Night, Body stands out as truly one of the first of its kind in the childrens market.

Lee worked closely with Fallberg to create evocative imagery that children could relate to, such as hands opening like blooming sunflowers and moving fingers like wind chimes. We wanted to encourage very specific movements, but with something they could bring to mind that theyve seen before, she says.

And it was important to both the author and illustrator to include characters of varying races and physical abilities. With a subtitle as descriptive as Finding Calm from Head to Toe, it brought to mind that not everybody has the same body, body parts, or mobility that were mentioning, Lee says. We wanted to recognize that not all parts of this book would be relevant or useful for everyone. She takes care to note differing abilities in a letter to readers at the start of the book, noting, I hope a good number of people and children specifically can find themselves in the pages.

She adds, I sense that we need this as a tool in this world right now and I hope that it gets to be one. Kids and parent have taken on a lot lately, Lee says. We dont have to take this into our sleep or the next day, if we can process some of it together right now.

Lee will sign copies of Good Night, Body during an event at Barnes & Noble in Shreveport on March 4. Marketing and publicity for the book also includes giveaways on Goodreads as well as on MOPS.organ online community for mothers, ad placement on Edelweiss, and a Bookstagram tour running from February 6 to March 1, according to the publisher.

Past books by Lee include Deconstructed Do-Gooder (Cascade), a theologically analytical memoir, and Rally (Fresh Air), a social justice-focused Christian prayer book, as well as two childrens titles that are part of a series with Beaming Books: The Boy with the Big Big Feelings and The Girl with the Big Big Questions. A third title, The Kid with Big Big Ideas, will follow in August featuring a non-binary character.
People have struggled with suffering, whether inflicted by physical pain, social evils, or existential fears, since Job. And wrestling with the question of theodicy, of why a good God allows evil, does little to assuage the hurt. Faith-based publishers have long addressed the suffering born of injuries, illness, job loss, divorce, and more. Now, pile on the crises since 2020  a million deaths from Covid, ripped-open wounds of racism, excoriating political battles, devastating gun violence in schools and streets  and it's no surprise that many titles releasing this year aim to ease people's minds, hearts, and souls.

When PW asked publishers to talk about a sampling of these books, many editors shared one common theme: God is always present, always working for the good, even in unseen ways.

NavPress acquiring editor Deborah Gonzalez notes, "Readers are feeling the ripple effects of the crises of 2020, and everyone is trying to figure out how to live, lead, and worship in this new reality. Weve seen an uptick in book proposals that deal with how to live out our faith, lead our churches, and engage in discipleship amidst suffering, mental illness, broken relationships, divisiveness, and polarization." In April, the press will publish The Least of These: Practicing a Faith Without Margins in which 10 Christian scholars, clergy, and activists address troubling issues and ask: "What, then, is our responsibility to alleviate human suffering this side of eternity?" in essays edited by Angie Ward.

Gonzalez points to the chapter by Christiana Rice, a leader in The Parish Collective, which encourages people to "be the church in their own neighborhood." Rice describes how she picks up trash at a nearby park every week. She writes, "Perhaps our greatest solidarity with one another and with the most vulnerable comes from the most particular suffering and joy of our everyday lives in our everyday places, like our living rooms, cafes, sidewalks, and parks. And perhaps our deepest connection with God is in divine comfort during our darkest, ashiest of hours."

According to Zondervan executive editor Carolyn McCready, several proposals have taken on "suffering, depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental health issues. Some of this was already happening pre-pandemic, but the massive stress our country and the world have experienced over the last three years has pushed these issues to the forefront. Its becoming ever more acceptable for these concerns to be talked about openly in the church and in Christian circles and I think that will continue for the next number of years."

McCready sees Michele Cushatt's A Faith That Will Not Fail: 10 Practices to Build Up Your Faith When Your World is Falling Apart (March) aligning with this trend. Cushatt has survived divorce, three rounds of head and neck cancer, and the challenges of rearing six children including adopted youths with traumatic histories. However, her book looks beyond her own experiences to address violence, racial tensions, and "suffering of the day-to-day wear and tear on our human existence." Among Cushatt's practices is learning to reframe one's regrets and losses into being a source of expertise and comfort for others. She writes, "In seeking justice and another's wholeness, we find a measure of our own. It doesn't erase or eliminate the pain. But God builds up something new from the ruins of the old."

When Your Days are Dark, God is Still Good: Biblical Advice to Help You Trust in Difficult Times" (Ave Maria, May) by Catholic writer and speaker Gary Zimak, examines how 15 biblical figures suffered and how God ultimately brought them out from their experiences. He deals with not only with the obvious characters such as Job but also with Hagar, who gave Abraham his first son and then was "used, rejected and abandoned," writes Zimak. Yet, the Bible shows God heard Hagar's cries and provided for her. Zimak connects her story to today when, he writes, "The world is filled with people who have been forgotten: abandoned spouses, refugees, prisoners, the homeless, shut-ins, and the mentally ill." God sees them, he writes, and "is willing and able to provide for their needs."

Ave Maria's editorial director Josh Noem says the press looks for pitches that "give us confidence that God is working in the same way in our own lives, even when we can't see or even imagine a way forward." When Your Days Are Dark is particularly timely in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, he says, "did raise our collective consciousness around mortality and finding purpose and meaning. The question of suffering sits at the center of those existential concerns."

From Pandemic to Renewal: Practices for a World Shaken by Crisis (IVP, May) by Chris Rice, director of a Mennonite international relief, development, and peace agency, acknowledges that even before 2020, "many of us were already exhausted and overworked, depressed and anxious in a burnout society." And, he says, relying on "yes-we-can spirituality" won't help. Rice writes, "In challenging times when we allow our lives to be interrupted by new truth from God, when we expose and resist idols in our hearts and communities, when we dare to walk onto unfamiliar and difficult ground, when we learn to practice a better, more beautiful, more true way of life, that's what happens in us and around us: immeasurably more than we ask or imagine."

IVP senior trade editor Al Hsu says the book offers a "counterintuitive response" to suffering. "It's ultimately a book of joy and hope. While Rice is clear-eyed about the global challenges facing our generation, he is clear that the God who has worked throughout history has not abandoned us. He maintains a joyful hope that God is present and at work in his people to bring renewal and new life to the world.

While faith can offer respite from suffering, institutional religion's home baseschurches, seminaries, and academiahave been settings for harm as well, according to Trauma Informed Evangelism: Cultivating Communities of Wounded Healers (Eerdmans, April). The authors, pastor Charles Kiser and writer and speaker Elaine A. Heath, are both theologians who encourage readers to "recognize and share in solidarity with the trauma and pain of our neighbors," including victims of patriarchy, racism, queer phobia, and nationalism, they write in the book. Trevor Thompson, senior acquisitions editor at Eerdmans, says that the authors observe that a "greater societal appreciation of individual and group suffering has heightened everyones awareness and recognition of suffering and the human condition. The new climate opens doors for writers to examine, explore, and address suffering in varied forms. Kiser and Heath rightly focus attention on spiritual suffering."

In addition to the Christian titles, Buddhist publisher Shambhala, where every book addresses the fundamental question of suffering, brings a new book making an ancient coping technique accessible. Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method (Oct.) is by Rebecca Li, "a young Asian-American teacher who is really talking to an audience of young people, many of whom don't consider themselves Buddhist," says Nikko Odiseos, president of Shambhala Publications.

Li's book introduces the practice of silent illumination, a centuries-old Chinese Buddhist practice of self-inquiry that Odiseos says is "meaningful for both a secular and a Buddhist audience. People who engage in this can be can better able to connect with who they really are, find their true nature, which is free from suffering, and finally develop wisdom and compassion so they can not only be free from suffering themselves but also can more fully benefit others."
Pluto TV launched in Canada on December 1, 2022. With more than 100 channels and more than 20,000 hours of FREE content, it was said to be the strongest launch content offering of any international market, fuelled by Paramount, Corus and third-party content.The new channels include HauntTV, Crimetime, HistoryTime and Homeful, giving viewers in Canada free access to Blue Ant Medias library of paranormal, true crime, home improvement, and historical events programming.Homeful will offer Pluto TV viewers in Canada access to real estate, design and home improvement programming, including the library of original series from home renovation pioneer and TV superstar Mike Holmes. HauntTV is a dedicated paranormal channel, will launch on Pluto TV with Hotel Paranormal, Paranormal Survivor and Ghostly Encounters. 24/7 true crime channel Crimetime will feature series such as The Killer Within, How I Caught The Killer and An Unexpected Killer. HistoryTime will show series and documentaries that give context to historical people and events, with titles such as Hitlers Gold, Fidel Castro: An Unauthorised Bio and Who Killed Gandhi.This deal builds on Blue Ants partnership with Pluto TV as we continue to expand our footprint and bring our popular roster of genre-based, free streaming channels to fans nationwide," said Jamie Schouela, president, global channels and media, Blue Ant Media. Weve had great success launching Blue Ants channels on Pluto TV in multiple global markets, and were excited for Canadians to meet us on this platform.Blue Ant Media is a leader in producing captivating stories for audiences everywhere and were so pleased to partner with them to bring hundreds of hours of new content and channels to Pluto TV in Canada, added Katrina Kowalski, vice president of content, Pluto TV and Paramount+ in Canada.
Danielle Maltby / Instagram

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/07/2023



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 Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby have packed up Danielle's apartment in Tennessee for her move to Ohio!"Pack it up. Pack it in. Next stop... Cleveland," Michael captioned an Instagram Stories video late last week of the pair clearing out Danielle's former Nashville apartment, along with a red heart.Danielle then gushed on Monday, February 6 about how "moving day" had arrived via Instagram Stories."Guys, it's moving day! It's officially here," Danielle said in a video."I'm moving up to see Michael, moving on up to Cleveland. Things are really empty. This is crazy but I'm so grateful."Danielle captioned her video, "Big day for us!!!! Coming for ya [Michael]," and she posted a video of her cat taking the trip with her.Michael, originally from Akron, OH, currently lives with his young son James, whom he welcomed during his marriage to his late wife Laura Ritter-Allio, who passed away from breast cancer in 2019.In early December, Michael revealed on Instagram Stories that Danielle would be leaving Nashville and making the move to Ohio in two or three months.Danielle proceeded to let fans know at the time she was apartment hunting and looking for a job as a nurse near Michael's stomping grounds.During a late January Q&A session on Instagram, one of Michael's followers asked for an update on Danielle's move."It's been crazy busy!" Michael noted. "Next week I am going to Nashville to help Dani move and see all her friends. We're doing a little last hurrah."Michael continued, "Then the following weekend, she's moving to Cleveland! She found an awesome place and got an awesome job. It's all looking good. This is going to be an awesome year!"Michael said he's doing "really good," adding, "I'm excited about the future with everything that's going on."Michael pointed out that while a piece of his heart -- as well as "a parcel of protected land" -- will forever be reserved for Laura, he realizes it's possible to find happiness and love again."Our time on this earth is precious so don't waste it on the things or the people that do not matter," Michael wrote to his followers on the four-year anniversary of Laura's death."Reach out to someone you know that you've lost touch with. Make the call. It's never too late or for that matter too soon to rebuild a bridge that may have been burned."Michael said "life is more fulfilling when you travel light," and so people should "ditch the weight of the past by making things whole again."Michael spent Christmas 2022 with Danielle and his family in Akron, before the couple traveled to Wisconsin to spend part of the holiday with his girlfriend's family.The couple then enjoyed a sexy evening out for New Year's Eve in Chicago, IL, with Danielle's friends.On last summer, Michael was romantically interested in Sierra Jackson , but he ultimately determined something was "missing" between them and he was unable to let his walls down due to grief.But when Danielle -- who lost her fiance Nick Haag to a drug overdose in 2011 -- stepped foot on the Paradise beach in Mexico, Michael seemed ecstatic and affectionately called her "Dani."They had spoken via DMs on Instagram and become friends prior to filming the show but claimed they had never met in person.Michael and Danielle were able to connect quickly over their similar losses and traumas. The pair slowly got to know each other and never expressed interest in dating anyone else on the show.Michael and Danielle chose to leave together as a couple before overnight Fantasy Suites. They both determined they weren't ready to get engaged, especially because Danielle had yet to Michael's young son James.However, Michael revealed on the reunion show in November that James loves Danielle and never wants her to leave when she's visiting.Danielle also confirmed she adores the little boy and can't wait to be a bigger part of his life.Michael also announced on the reunion show that he's "in love" with Danielle and she has changed his life for the better. Danielle is only the second woman whom Michael has ever said, "I love you," to.While Danielle had no reservations about moving to Ohio in order to progress her relationship with Michael naturally, she explained how they don't want to live under the same roof -- at least not yet -- as to not rush things or involve James in their relationship too early."I'm just so excited," Michael said on social media in December of Danielle's decision to uproot her life for him."Long distance is difficult, but we've made the best of it and this next chapter and upcoming year is one I am so looking forward to. She's the best!"Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
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!
The U.S. State Department has named SIT Graduate Institute as the "Top English Language Fellow Producing Institution for 2022 to 2023." In this undated file photo, Professor Karen Blanchard, right, meets with prospective students during the School for International Training's open house.
You are the owner of this article.
Photographer / Multimedia Editor

Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer.
The U.S. Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Atlantic Ocean coast of South Carolina after a days-long journey across the U.S., adding a fresh source of friction between Washington and Beijing. The Pentagon later acknowledged that the 200-feet tall, 2,000-pound balloon was the fifth such Chinese vessel to breach U.S. airspace in recent years. China's assertion that the airship was only collecting weather data when it was blown off course has been rejected by U.S. authorities.
US research group says AI anchors are bolstering Beijings propaganda and badmouthing Washington.

Artificial intelligence-generated news anchors have been deployed for the first time to propagandize political content on social media, a U.S. research firm said in its latest report.

The New York-based Graphika said in the report Deepfake It Till You Make It that Spamouflage, a China state-aligned influence operation, has been using AI-generated fictitious people to promote Chinas global role and spreading disinformation against the United States since late 2022.

Spamouflage, a combination of Spam and Camouflage, is a tactic used by spammers to evade email spam filters by replacing certain letters with numbers. Cyber security researchers use the term, as well as other terms such as Dragonbridge or Spamouflage Dragon, to refer to the pro-Chinese propaganda network on the internet.

Spamouflage is responsible for posting, via fake accounts targeting social media users, thousands of assets that praise China, criticize the United States, and attack the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement as well as Taiwan independence.

Recently it has been promoting a new and distinctive form of video content on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, Graphika said.

The firms researchers spotted and analyzed two unique videos featuring a male and a female anchor, both speaking English and appearing to be Caucasian.

The videos used the logo of a likely fictitious media company called Wolf News with the accompanying slogan Focus on hot spots and broadcast in real time.

The male anchor criticized the U.S. government for its hypocritical repetition of empty rhetoric in tackling gun violence while the female highlighted the importance of China-U.S. cooperation for the global economic recovery.

Both videos mirrored past Spamouflage efforts to pass as legitimate news outlets, said the Graphika report.

Alex, Jason and James

The abundant similarities spotted in the videos and other Spamouflage assets on the internet led to the conclusion about the connection between the two.

China has yet to respond to the Graphika report which points to the alarming potential misuse of sophisticated AI technology in disinformation campaigns by state actors.

Until now, online influence operations have been limited to computer-generated fake faces and fabricated videos but the new videos featured AI-generated fictitious people that looked almost real.

At first glance, the Wolf News anchors present as real people. Our initial hypothesis was that they were paid actors that had been recruited to appear in the videos, the team behind the report said.

After further investigation they spotted the anchors robotic speech that doesnt sync with the lips movements, as well as numerous grammatical mistakes in the subtitles.

Graphika team said the anchors were likely created using technology provided by Synthesia, a British AI video company.

They found several marketing videos using the same AI-generated duo speaking a number of languages besides English. The male avatar, named Alex in the Wolf News video, was also called Mr Curtis, Jason and James.

The main benefit of this technology to the creators of the Spamouflage videos appears to be increased efficiency, specifically high-speed, low-cost content production, the report said, adding that Synthesias products can create AI-generated videos in a matter of minutes and subscriptions start at just U.S. $30 per month.

Deepfakes, Real Problems

Influence operations actors will continue to experiment with AI technologies, producing increasingly convincing media artifacts that are harder to detect and verify, warned Graphika.

In 2018, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua revealed the worlds first AI news anchor, which was a male image with a voice, facial expressions and actions of a real person.

The avatar was jointly developed by Xinhua and Chinese search engine company Sogou.com.

Xinhua said the English-speaking anchor can work 24 hours a day on its official website and various social media platforms, reducing news production costs and improving efficiency.

Xinhua revealed the worlds first AI news anchor in 2018. Credit: Xinhua

In the past decade, China has placed great attention on developing AI technology.

The Stanford Universitys 2022 AI Index, which assesses AI advancements worldwide, ranks China second in total private investment in AI and the number of newly funded AI companies, only after the United States.

Beijing introduced first-of-its-kind regulation on AI-generated images and videos, or deepfakes, in January. According to it, deep synthesis services cannot use the technology to disseminate fake news.

The new regulation also said content that endangers national security and interests, damages the national image or disrupts the economy is banned.

The regulation however doesnt apply to deepfakes generated outside of the country. Critics say its priority is to tighten online censorship and stifle dissent.
US Senate Committee says sham trial" illustrates "Chinas destruction of the rule of law.

A supporter is taken away by police outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building during the hearing of the 47 pro-democracy activists charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the national security law, in Hong Kong, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.

Hong Kong and Chinese officials have hit out at criticism of the trial of 47 former pro-democracy lawmakers and activists, who could face life imprisonment for taking part in a democratic primary election in 2020 aimed at maximizing the number of opposition seats in the city's legislature.

A foreign ministry spokesperson in Hong Kong said China "expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to criticism of Hong Kong's judicial system, which is currently engaged in a trial in front of three government-picked judges with no jury under a draconian national security law imposed by Beijing.

"There is no right or freedom that can break through the red line of national security," the spokesperson said in a statement, calling recent criticisms of the trial a "political performance."

The statement repeated the prosecution claim that the primary election was the work of "anti-China disruptive forces" and aimed to "seize control of the Legislative Council."

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee tweeted on Monday: "Today, #HongKong begins a sham trial against 47 pro-democracy leaders who planned to run for political seats."

"This charade illustrates #Chinas destruction of the rule of law and how afraid it is of different opinions. The U.S. will continue to support these freedom fighters," the tweet said.

The Hong Kong government said the case wasn't political, however.

"Cases will never be handled any differently owing to the profession, political beliefs or background of the persons involved," it said in a statement, claiming the courts were "free from any interference."

Part of a purge

The statements came after the last British colonial governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten of Barnes, said the trial was part of a political "purge" by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

"The Communist Party in Beijing, through its willing collaborators in Hong Kong, continues step-by-step to purge leaders or supporters of democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong," Patten said in a statement.

"I hope the world will continue to watch what is happening and take it to heart when considering how to treat Communist China in the weeks and months ahead."

Lord Patten of Barnes, the last British colonial governor of Hong Kong, called the trial part of a political "purge" by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Credit: AFP file photo

The former pro-democracy lawmaker in exile, Ted Hui, called on more governments to speak out in support of the 47 defendants, 16 of whom have pleaded not guilty and the rest guilty.

"The detained 47 are the most prominent representatives of all Hong Kongers," Hui said. "They are the faces of Hong Kong. I call on leaders from free countries to make the strongest statements ever to support them and call for their release."

Benedict Rogers, who heads the London-based rights group Hong Kong Watch, said the trial had marked Hong Kong's transformation from an open society to a police state.

"[It] is emblematic of the dismantling of Hong Kongs freedoms, autonomy, human rights and the rule of law," Rogers said.

"It is a total travesty of justice that these 47 individuals are even on trial, simply for conducting a process which is normal in any democracy, an open primary to select their candidates," he said in a statement on the group's website.

Focus on Benny Tai

The prosecution on Tuesday concentrated its arguments around former University of Hong Kong law professor and veteran political activist Benny Tai, 57, one of the initiators of the 2014 Occupy Central pro-democracy movement.

Tai's writings and comments in secretly filmed political meetings at the time were evidence that the democratic primary was a "conspiracy to subvert state power," the prosecution argued in a trial that is expected to last 90 days.

The secretly filmed footage played in court suggested that one of the pro-democracy activists present had handed over footage to national security police.

Tai's plan, summarized in his article "10 steps to mutual destruction" printed in the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper and posted to Facebook, aimed to gain at least 35 of the 60 seats in the Legislative Council for pro-democracy candidates.

Protesters rally outside a Hong Kong court as the authorities charged 47 pro-democracy activists picked up in mass arrests, March 1, 2021. Credit: RFA





Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (Special Duties) Anthony Chau argued that democrats had held more than 10 meetings since January 2020 to figure out how to implement the primary, and had agreed to support the five demands of the 2019 protest movement, which included universal suffrage, greater police accountability and an amnesty for all detained protesters.

Tai was handed a 10-month prison term in May 2022 for "illegally" promoting an earlier strategic voting scheme titled "ThunderGo" ahead of the 2016 Legislative Council elections via six paid newspaper ads.

The 47 defendants were arrested en masse in January 2021 by national security police, prompting angry protests, and the majority have been held on remand ever since, with only a handful allowed out on bail.

Soon after the primary, the government postponed the September 2020 elections, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, then rewrote the electoral rulebook to prevent pro-democracy candidates from running.

The subsequent "election" of Chief Executive John Lee in a poll in which he was the only candidate wiped out any distinction between the city and the rest of mainland China, commentators said at the time.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster
Retired steelworkers and other state employees say they will stage another rally soon if they don't get a response

People in Wuhan, China, protest outside municipal government offices Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, over cuts to their medical benefits.

Thousands of people turned out in protest on Wednesday outside municipal government offices in the central Chinese city of Wuhan over major cuts to their medical benefits, according to local residents and video footage posted to social media.

Video clips uploaded to social media showed a large crowd of older people in raincoats and holding umbrellas gathered in rainy weather in a public space outside the gates of the city government compound, with police in high-visibility jackets linking arms to prevent them from approaching the gates.

A resident of Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, surnamed Zhang said both uniformed and plainclothes police were out in large numbers at the protest, with several official buses parked at the scene.

"There were a lot of police officers there protecting [the municipal government], but this is a matter of public feeling," he said.

The protest came after warnings from the central government in Beijing that it wont be bailing out cash-strapped local governments, whose coffers have been drained by three years of President Xi Jinpings zero-COVID policy, which ended in December.

"This country is in trouble, and they haven't raised medical payments -- how can they reduce them?" Zhang said. "How are people supposed to manage?"

Ordinary people first

He said the authorities had known the protest was coming and had held a "stability maintenance" meeting at city hall to deal with the issue.

"Retirees are demanding an explanation from the government as to why their medical benefits have been cut from 260 yuan (US$38) a month to less than 100 yuan (US$15)," a subtitle on one of the videos says.

"If they don't get an answer from the government, they will hold an even bigger rally," the text says.

"The cuts always come for ordinary people first, huh," comments a voice on the same video. "Why don't officials' [benefits] get cut? It's disgusting!"

"This doesn't look like a scene created by U.S. or overseas forces or whatever," a person comments on one of the video clips. "This is entirely the doing of the government."

"They all talk about serving the people, but who are they really working for? There are more than a million retired workers in Wuhan, and there are thousands, possibly more than 10,000 here today."

Retired steelworkers

A local resident who gave only the surname Gao for fear of reprisals said the majority of protesters were retired workers at the Wuhan Iron and Steel plant, with some from other state-owned enterprises.

"They are calling for their medical benefits to be restored to their original level, which was 260.93 yuan a month," Gao said. "A lot of people have had theirs cut to 88 yuan or 82 yuan."

"They are calling on the government to give them a public response [today] ... and if they don't, they will hold a rights protection rally in Zhongshan Park on Feb. 15," he said.

The payments are intended to cover the costs of repeat prescriptions in retirement, and come at a time of skyrocketing healthcare costs that have put medical treatment beyond the reach of many in retirement, Gao said.

"There are nearly 2 million retirees in Wuhan," he said.

A retiree from Wuhan's Jiang'an district who gave only the surname Chen said the cuts have had an impact on huge numbers of people, and that more public protest is likely.

"Anyone who has a personal stake in this will go," Chen said, adding that he had been planning to go, but had held off after getting a warning from his local police station.

"People in the community where I live contacted me asking me to go with them last night," Chen said. "But I was warned off by the police."

"I told them I definitely wanted to go, so a policeman drove me, but I was only allowed to watch from a long way off," he said.

A Jiang'an district resident who gave only the surname Pang said some people had also been protesting big cuts to funeral expense claims, from 70,000 yuan (US$10,300) to just 30,000 yuan (US$4,400) per person.

"It wasn't just Wuhan Iron and Steel retirees who went, but also many other retired workers from different industries, and people whose homes had been [forcibly] demolished," she said.

Repeated calls to the municipal government offices and to its Letters and Visits [complaints] department went unanswered during office hours on Wednesday.

Crushing people who speak up

China's army of petitioners, who flood the ruling Chinese Communist Party's official complaints departments daily, frequently report being held in unofficial "black jails," beaten, or otherwise harassed, if they persist in a complaint beyond its initial rejection at the local level.

They are often escorted home forcibly by "interceptors" sent by their local governments to prevent negative reports from reaching the ears of higher authorities.

They then face surveillance, harassment and possible detention on criminal charges.

People in China frequently challenge those in power, despite nationwide measures aimed at nipping popular protest in the bud, the U.S.-based think tank Freedom House reported in November 2022.

Despite pervasive surveillance, a "grid" system of law enforcement at the neighborhood level and targeted "stability maintenance" system aimed at controlling critics of the government before they take action, the group identified hundreds of incidents of public protest between June and September 2022 alone.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Locals say they ran for their lives as around 130 troops descended on their homes.

Residents leave Thet Pay and Mu Thar villages in Khin-U township, Sagaing region on Feb. 1, 2023, ahead of junta raids

Myanmars junta forces continue to target townships in Sagaing region, forcing another 6,000 people to flee their homes ahead of advancing troops.

Soldiers descended on Khin-U Wednesday morning, a township already hit by indiscriminate arson attacks, locals told RFA.

At around 4 a.m., a column with 30 soldiers entered Myin Daung village as scouts, said a former resident who wished to remain anonymous. Then 15 soldiers were added from Mu Tein Chaung. More than 90 troops from Ye-U township joined the column and entered Myin Daung.

Locals say almost all the 2,600 people living in Myin Daung village fled on Monday ahead of the raids. They said they were too scared to stay, fearing they would be arrested and killed by the troops.

Earlier this month the junta declared martial law in Khin-U, along with 10 other townships in Sagaing region where it has struggled to win control from local pro-democracy militias.

Khin-U based Peoples Defense Forces said the military column that entered Myin Daung on Wednesday was under the command of Infantry Battalions 364 and 701 but RFA has not been able to confirm this.

Calls to the junta spokesman for Sagaing region, Aye Hlaing, went unanswered for a second day.

Last December he told RFA he doesn't comment on the military situation but  as junta social affairs minister for the region -- he was compiling a district-level list of displaced people in order to provide them with food.

More than 3,700 houses in 63 villages in Khin-U township have been destroyed by arson attacks in the two years since the military toppled Myanmars democratically elected government.

According to a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report on Feb. 2, fighting since the coup has led to nearly 650,000 people being forced to abandon their homes and live in makeshift camps in Sagaing region.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.
Residents say they were forcibly recruited by the group in recent months

Nearly 130 ethnic Taang people were freed from a militia camp by members of the Taang National Liberation Army in Lashio township, Shan state, Myanmar, on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.

Quietly slipping into a pro-junta militia camp, rebel soldiers of the ethnic Taang minority began freeing more than 120 of their people who had been forcibly detained, including more than two dozen women and children.

When the pro-junta fighters realized what was happening, a firefight erupted as the people fled, residents told Radio Free Asia in describing Saturdays raid.

Suddenly, a military helicopter arrived over the camp on the outskirts of Ja Yang village in Lashio township, in Myanmars northeastern Shan state. It fired a hail of bullets and dropped bombs to try to repel the Taang National Liberation Army soldiers before flying off.

By the time the dust settled, the ethnic fighters had freed 127 members of the Taang Palaung community, including 15 women and 20 children between the ages of 8 and 17, who had been forced to fight for the pro-junta forces at the behest of the military, said TNLA spokesman Lt. Col. Ta Pan La.

Our misery is all due to the militia  they have been recruiting people by force, including schoolchildren, said one resident of Lashio, who like others that spoke to RFA asked to remain unidentified, citing fear of reprisal. Thats why the TNLA raided their militia camp.

The clash started then. I dont know when military troops arrived, but they were there. At around 8:30 a.m., an aircraft hovered while firing, dropped two bombs and flew away.

Conscripts

In early 2023, the junta started reinforcing its allied militia forces by conscripting area residents, including children, Ta Pan La said.

Some of the children have been held at their training camp against their will for three or four months, he said. Their parents came to [us] and complained, so we were obligated to help them.

While there is no compulsory military service in the country, legislation requires each district to meet recruitment quotas. Under threat of being fined for failing to meet quotas, district authorities often coax children into joining the army through financial rewards or prestige. Other times, the military abducts children from public areas and forces them to become soldiers.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the highest number of recruited child soldiers in Myanmar occurred during the rule of the countrys previous junta, between 1990 and 2005. In 2001, Human Rights Watch found that Myanmar had approximately 70,000 child soldiers.

More than 100 ethnic Taang people were freed from a militia camp by members of the Taang National Liberation Army in Lashio township, Shan state, Myanmar, on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Credit: PSLF/TNLA





Ta Pan La said that his group had arranged for the younger children rescued in the raid to return to school and for others to go into hiding to avoid being forcibly recruited again.

The spokesman told RFA that members of the Taang ethnic community in Lashio township have been subjected to forced recruiting by various armed groups for ages, and saidT the TNLA regularly warns militias in the region to end the practice.

Despite Myanmars recent efforts to decrease the number of child soldiers, recruitment continues today. In 2021, the United Nations verified the recruitment and use of 790 children the previous year.

Differing accounts

A pro-junta militia officer gave a very different account, saying the TNLA was guilty of recruiting child soldiers.

Speaking to RFA on Tuesday, a militia officer in the region who has ties to the Ja Yang militia claimed that the 20 children freed from the camp had been sent to them because [villagers] were afraid they would be recruited by the TNLA.

The rest of the people evacuated in the raid were [the militias] former soldiers and family members, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The militia officer said that when the Taang soldiers entered the camp, they used nearly 50 villagers, including children and pregnant women from the Ja Yang militia's families, as human shields, so the militia fighters were reluctant to return fire.

His claims could not be independently verified by RFA.

A woman from Lashio township disputed the militia officers account, insisting that the Taang detainees had been recruited by force over the past two months.

They gave us a list of the names of people who they had chosen to recruit and later came to collect them, she said. They were training them when [the raid] happened two days later, which is why they were among those freed.

The military has yet to issue a statement about the weekend raid and attempts by RFA to contact the junta spokesperson for Shan state were unsuccessful due to telecommunications disruptions.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
Radio Free Asia talked with Malaysias former Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, who was often a strong advocate for ASEAN to take stronger action on the crisis in Myanmar. He spoke about the current geopolitical situation in the country and ASEANs reaction to it, as well as where things stand with the shadow National Unity Government that opposes the junta in the last two years since the Feb. 1, 2021, military coup.

RFA: What do you think about the situation in Myanmar currently?

Abdullah: Well, it is now already two years after the coup detat and things are getting worse day by day. More than 18,500 clashes, more than 1.2 million people are internally displaced, Many thousands have been killed, Civilians killed, and civilians arrested. Your president [Win Myint] and Aung San Suu Kyi are now behind bars for 12 years and 33 years. These are all very, very unfair. It was a kangaroo court that made the decision.

So things are getting worse for the people. But I salute the people of Myanmar because they have been steadfast in fighting against the junta since two years ago. And even before that, we know the story of the struggle of the Myanmar people.

The confidence-building work done by the NUG and the NUCC seems very fruitful. I understand people are talking to each other more today compared to before. All the stakeholders I have met the NUG, the NUCC and some of the other stakeholders more than once before, and I understand that they are working together very hard, including with the People's Defense Force militias. And the Myanmar diaspora, those who are living as refugees outside, are always in contact with the fighters and activists in the country. I think after two years, they are very resilient. And I think this is something that I really take my hat off to the people of Myanmar.

RFA: What do you think about ASEAN? So far we dont see any significant response from ASEAN.

Abdullah: ASEAN decided to do the five-point consensus. Unfortunately, the five-point consensus has not shown any real progress, not even on humanitarian assistance.

But this year, the chair of ASEAN is Indonesia. I am very hopeful that President Jokowi and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will do more. Both are very passionate. I have spoken to Retno Marsudi many, many times. I think she will put a lot more effort into getting the five-point consensus working.

However, when I met the foreign minister of the NUG, she was very polite in telling me that the five-point consensus is not sufficient. I don't know. I know that for them it is not going to work. It is something that was done without consultation with the NUG, the NUCC and the other stakeholders so they do not have any hope for the five-point consensus. But they were very polite to me saying that it is not enough.

So I think ASEAN has to have more of a sense of urgency, and I had spoken to my colleagues when I was Foreign Minister saying that ASEAN must have a framework with a straightforward end game, that is, to bring back democracy to the people of Myanmar. Until and unless you have a clear framework with a straightforward end game, this will not end. So the people will still suffer. I think ASEAN and the international community must have a higher sense of urgency in helping the people of Myanmar.

RFA: So, do you think Indonesia can persuade the Myanmar junta to go with the ASEAN five-point consensus? Would that be enough?

Abdullah: I'm very hopeful that Indonesia, as chair of ASEAN, can do something. I understand that Jakarta is planning to send generals to speak to the junta. I don't know what the objective is, but perhaps we can try, you know, many ways of talking to the junta. But at the same time, whether we like it or not, ASEAN must engage NUG and the NUCC officially, because this is the only way to do it. We have spoken to the junta many, many times. Nothing happened. So this is the time, two years after the coup d'etat. We must engage the NUG and the NUCC.

RFA: Do you think ASEAN will do it?

Abdullah: I know Retno Marsudi has met, or, if not her, her team has met NUG and the NUCC.That I know for a fact. And that I think is a good beginning.

RFA: So do you think ASEAN is going to officially contact NUG?

Abdullah: There are at least three ASEAN member states who are of the opinion that we should engage openly with the NUG and the NUCC. Malaysia has spoken about it. Indonesia has spoken about it. I'm sorry, I cannot mention the other ASEAN member state. I will let them say it in public themselves.

RFA: And what is the Malaysian government's stance on the Myanmar crisis?

Abdullah: Well, I have not spoken to the current foreign minister, but Malaysia's foreign policy is normally very stable. We normally continue from where we stood in the past. So I am hoping that the current prime minister and foreign minister will continue what we were already doing. But on a personal level, I am still engaging my friends. Of course, as a former foreign minister, It's not official, but I am still talking to them and sending whatever messages that need to be sent to people that need to receive those messages.

Myanmar nationals who had been detained under Malaysian immigrant law wait to board a chartered flight to Myanmar, Oct. 6, 2022. Credit: Myanmar Embassy in Malaysia





RFA: Yeah. Since the coup in Myanmar, a lot of Myanmar people have crossed the border and at least a thousand people arrived in Malaysia from Myanmar, maybe some illegally. There were reports that the Malaysian government deported some of the refugees who were detained. So what should the Malaysian government do about Myanmar migrants who are here?

Abdullah: There are two things here. Number one, we are not a signatory to the International Convention on Refugees, but we have always been very helpful, including to people from Myanmar. We have about 180,000 people from Myanmar in Malaysia. Most of them are Rohingya, but there are non-Rohingya residents too. I think what has happened [the deportation] is regretful, something that I really don't know. It may have happened when I wasn't in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or maybe when I was there, but it was something that didn't come to my attention because there are many agencies involved in this kind of program.

What Malaysia really needs is a proper and better management system for refugees. What I know is that a new amendment to a directive from Malaysia's National Security Council is now on the table. And I'm very hopeful that we can quickly amend or improve the way we manage refugees and people asking for asylum and continue working with UNHCR so that we can prevent deportation, especially unnecessary deportation from happening again.

RFA: Are you aware that on February 1st, Myanmar's people participated in a silent strike to show their defiance of the junta? What are your thoughts on that?

Abdullah: I really salute them. I think they are being very brave and very bold and very resilient. They are steadfast in showing their opposition to the junta. The silent strike I thought is a very innovative way to demonstrate, you know, that they don't fear the junta and they are continuing with the struggle.

And this is where I keep on saying that ASEAN and the international community must not fail the Myanmar people. They are daring and they are willing. So we from our side must be equally willing, if not so daring, but must be more willing to help them.

RFA: Do you have any suggestions for the NUG government?

Abdullah: No, I think NUG knows what needs to be done. I always believe that the pro-democracy struggle of the people of Myanmar must be led by the people of Myanmar. And for the Myanmar people. I understand that NUG is your elected government.

RFA: Is the United Nations doing enough for Myanmar?

Abdullah: The United Nations Secretary-General has appointed Dr. Noeleen Heyzer as the special envoy. I think she is also trying her best. She is working on a new program to provide better education for Myanmar refugees who are now outside Myanmar but also looking for funding to help the NGOs who are working within Myanmar to provide education.

I understand this is not going to be very easy, but this is one area that I understand she is trying to work on. But the international community, whether it is through the U.N. or other platforms, must do more. For example, sanctioning military assets - We must stop the supply of military assets, and military equipment, including fuel for aviation, especially. Because so long as the junta can fly the plane, they will still bomb people, including children attending school. So we must stop the supply of military assets, equipment, and fuel.

RFA: Any final message to the Myanmar people?

Abdullah: I think the people of Myanmar are a strong people. They are very bold. They're very brave and they're willing and daring. And I am very, very confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel. All I'm hoping for is for the international community, especially ASEAN, to have more urgency to assist the people of Myanmar.

Edited by Nawar Nemeh and Malcolm Foster.
Students recite vocabulary during a Mandarin Chinese class at Nagqu No. 2 Senior High School, a public boarding school for students from northern Tibet, in Lhasa in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, June 1, 2021.

A new U.N. report warns that Chinese government assimilation policies are affecting about 1 million Tibetan children, forcing them to attend so-called residential schools, separated from their families, culture, religion and language.

The report said that the schools teach content from the Han majoritys perspective and force the Tibetan students to learn in Mandarin Chinese, the Peoples Republic of Chinas standard language, or Putonghua.

UN experts said they were disturbed by the residential school system that appears to act as a mandatory large-scale programme intended to assimilate Tibetans into majority Han culture, contrary to international human rights standards.

In an interview with RFAs Mandarin Service, UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues Fernand de Varennes, who contributed to the report, explained its findings and why the residential schools are problematic. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

RFA: What about the reports findings was the most disturbing to you and the rest of the U.N. experts?

De Varennes: If you look at our communication, the main conclusion is that there seems to be an extremely large number of children, perhaps as many as 1 million children, who actually have to go to residential schools for long periods of time, which means that they are away from their families, language, religion and culture.

The information we received is that in most of these schools they are not taught in their own language. They are taught in Putonghua, in Mandarin, and there are also other restrictions. There is very little exposure, if you will, to their own culture.

Being removed from their families and communities means that also in terms of religious or even cultural instruction, they are far removed.

So what was most surprising, and indeed we could even use the word shocking, is that this seems to be a very systematic approach to have children really assimilated into the Han language, religion and cultural spheres.

So for us, this was something that had not been dealt with in such a comprehensive way that we had to look at what seemed to be a design to actually assimilate Tibetan children into the Han majority.

Fernand de Varennes is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues. Credit: United Nations

RFA: How would you like China to address this problem and how would you like the U.N. body to react to this? What can they do to solve this problem and to help Tibetan culture, language and minority rights prosper?

De Varennes: There has to be a look at the extent that the Tibetan language and culture are actually excluded in the educational field.

As the communication indicates, private schools, which did teach in Tibetan, have been closed in many parts of the region.

There are all kinds of other restrictions that seem to be applied specifically to Tibetan children and the regions where Tibetans are concentrated.

So what needs to be done, I think, is to reflect on what seems to be extremely forceful and systematic approaches to weaken, in fact, or even eliminate all those, it seems, the Tibetan language and cultures, from the educational field by preventing private education measures, by, in fact restricting heavily the use of Tibetan language.

These are aspects we had not looked at previously. This is clearly, on the face of it, a situation where the Chinese authorities are refusing to acknowledge that the Tibetans and their families and children have the right to be educated in their own language and to be exposed to their own cultures.

RFA:China said nothing in response to a written query on the matter that the U.N. body submitted in November. So what can we do now? What can the world do to stop China from practicing this kind of cultural assimilation?

De Varennes: It must be clear that not teaching children in their own language does not help their development. In the case of Chinese authorities, there may be the belief and it may be an honest belief, that the way to progress can only be achieved by having children completely adopt Putonghua, the Mandarin official language.

This is not accurate. It's clearly to the disadvantage of children not to be touched in their own language, and in this case, we do have clear reports of schools, especially rural schools, which used to teach in Tibetan being closed in the name of the best interests of children.

These educational policies have to be looked at again because they are not helpful. In fact, I would say that they are destructive and clearly against the interests of children who are going to be disadvantaged by being removed from their own families, by not learning in the best medium of education possible in their own language as much as is feasible.

And thirdly, to actually force education in the way which goes against perhaps the intentions of the parents.

The scale of the allegations here, that we have 1 million children or possibly up to a million children sent to residential schools away from their homes and families, is completely unacceptable in this day and age.

This was something that perhaps happened with indigenous people in the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th century, but in the 21st century, this is clearly against the interests of the children. It is clearly against the interests of the communities involved.

This will be disruptive and actually create situations where children are disadvantaged. This has to change fundamentally in the name of children and to effective education.

Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
After an earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday, killing more than 7,000 people, a group of Uyghur volunteers in Istanbul quickly responded, driving 24 hours to assist in relief efforts.

A key goal of the 30-member team was to help Uyghurs living in Turkey affected by the disaster. Many Uyghurs who have fled Chinas crackdown on them in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region  which Uyghurs prefer to call East Turkestan  have resettled in Turkey, where linguistic, cultural and religious similarities make for an easier transition.

The team was sent to show that the East Turkestan people and Turkish people are together in thick and thin, said Hidayettullah Oghuzhan, chairman of the Union of East Turkestan Organizations in Istanbul.

The 7.8-magnitude quake hit the Turkish cities of Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kahramanmaras and the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Idlib around 4:00 AM on Feb. 6.

The Uyghur Rescue Team traveled from Istanbul to Kahramanmaras, Turkey, to provide assistance. Credit: Uyghur Rescue Team





Officials said that more than 8,000 people had died in Turkey alone, with more than 22,000 injured. He said that around 8,000 had been rescued from the collapsed buildings, and declared a state of emergency across ten cities for three months.

Nearly 3,000 deaths were reported in both government and rebel-held areas in Syria, although rescue organizations highlighted the difficulty of confirming casualties there.

The rescue team was focusing its rescue efforts in the area around the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras.

A rescue team member told RFA that they rescued 11 Uyghur women and 12 children, putting them on the same van [the rescue team] came with and sent them to Istanbul, said Merdan Uyghur, one of the rescue team members.

The people here need a lot of assistance. So we provided the food and water we brought with us, he said. The local people were really happy to hear that we were Uyghurs coming to help them.

Uyghur women and children are evacuated from Kahramanmaras to Istanbul, Turkey, by the Uyghur Rescue Team. Members of the team remained in Kahramanmaras to help with the earthquake relief efforts. Credit: Uyghur Rescue Team

Most buildings in Kahramanmaras collapsed, he said. Many people have lost their dwelling places. It is cold and snowing. They need food, drinks, blankets, and tents.

The Istanbul-based World Uyghur Congress Foundation called on Uyghurs in Turkey to donate blood to assist with relief efforts, with Foundation Chair Abdureshit Abdulhamit donating his blood at the Red Crescent Blood Center to encourage other Uyghurs.

Translated by Alim Seytoff for RFA Uyghur. Edited by Nawar Nemeh and Malcolm Foster.
Nguyen Xuan Phucs comments at a handover ceremony were aimed at scotching rumors of family corruption.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his wife Tran Thi Nguyet Thu during their visit to India on Jan. 24, 2018.

Vietnams state-controlled news sites have been removing comments by the former president, denying that his family were involved in a bribes for contracts COVID scandal.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc was forced to step down last month and removed from the Politburo to take responsibility for corruption cases that happened during his term in office.

On Feb. 4, he spoke at a ceremony to pass the acting presidency to Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. Phuc tried to scotch rumors his family were connected to disgraced healthcare company Viet A, whose chief executive officer admitted to bribing officials the equivalent of U.S.$34 million to win contracts to sell substandard kits to hospitals at a 45% markup.

My family, wife, and children are not self-interested and corrupt in relation to Viet A, and have never met the Director of Viet A. This has been clearly concluded by the Central Inspection Commission," Phuc said.

At the time, most domestic online news sites quoted the former president's sentence verbatim, while some put the comments in their headlines.

Now the comments have vanished from the Tuoi Tre, Thanh Nien, Lao Dong, Zing and VTC News sites.

Only vietstock.vn, which republished an article from the Tien Phong newspaper, still had comments about Phucs family but the main article is no longer available.

The Feb. 4 statement ranked second on the Google search engine in Vietnam the following day with more than 100,000 searches.

In spite of his comments, social media is still full of unsubstantiated rumors that the former presidents wife, Tran Thi Nguyet Thu is the last boss of Viet A, and behind Truong My Lan.

Lan is the former chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, accused of illegally issuing bonds worth tens of millions of dollars in 2018 and 2019 to obtain prime real estate in Ho Chi Minh City.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.
A spate of military jet crashes in Vietnam, including one last month that killed the pilot, can be blamed on poor training and an aging fleet of obsolete warplanes, experts told Radio Free Asia.

State media reported that a Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jet piloted by Capt. Tran Ngoc Duy crashed Jan. 31 while trying to land at Yen Bai, an airbase in the countrys north, following a training mission.

The crash was the third deadly warplane accident since 2016, and all three point to an over reliance on flight simulators, as pilots spend very little time in planes, Carl Thayer, a professor at the Australian Defence Academy, told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

Vietnams air force has a fleet of 71 Soviet-era planes, many of which were acquired in the 1980s, he said.

In 2019, U.S. defense officials serving in Hanoi reported that Vietnamese military officers had expressed their unhappiness with Russian equipment and services, Thayer said.

The cause of the January crash is likely due to either faulty landing gear or pilot error, he said.

According to one study, Vietnamese air force pilots use virtual flight rules or radar vector in perfect weather only and have no experience with adverse weather conditions, he said.

Accident captured on video

State media reported that the Su-22 encountered a problem while landing and Duy was ordered to eject. He then tried to correct the problem manually but failed, and the plane crashed.

In a video about the accident filmed by a cell phone and posted on Facebook by one of the pilots relatives, when the Su-22 was about to land on the airstrip, it suddenly tilted and wobbled and a small flame started in the cockpit. Then, the pilot seat ejected but a parachute was not seen.

Shortly after that, the plane crashed onto the runway, causing an explosion with a big column of smoke and fire.

The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence launched an investigation after the accident, but so far has not announced any findings.

Capt. Tran Ngoc Duy was posthumously promoted to major. He had served 13 years in the air force and piloted many types of aircraft, logging 725 flight hours

Old aircraft

Prof. Zachary Abuza from the U.S. National War College said that Vietnams aging fleet was definitely a problem.

The Peoples Army Air Force has a lot of very old airframes, including the Su-22, and many are at the end of their lifecycle, he said. Another problem is that since the airframes, especially the newer ones like the Su-27, are very expensive, there is a reluctance to use them and train on them.

Abuza said both factors work to create a vicious cycle. The lack of training on the expensive models results in more accidents when they are flown.

Pilot training these days is a rarity due to a lack of budget and fuel, said Nguyen Dinh Am, a journalist who once worked for the Vietnam Heritage tourist magazine.

I live near Gia Lam Military Airport [in Hanoi] and I can easily hear an aircraft taking off, but these days I rarely hear airplane sounds, he said. Ancient aircraft, improper maintenance, and pilots with poor flying reflexes due to lack of practice could lead to mistakes and accidents.

At the National Party Congress in early 2021, the government approved a major military modernization program that prioritized air force upgrades.

Nguyen The Phoung, a lecturer from the Faculty of International Relations, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, told RFA that upgrades were badly needed to protect Vietnams sovereignty.

The entire fleet of Vietnams fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft are of Soviet-Russian origin, he said. The procurement of fighter aircraft is a big investment. Besides purchasing equipment, training, maintenance, and suitability for combat requirements are also needed, he said.

But because Russia is the supplier of Vietnams combat aircraft, rapid modernization is not feasible immediately because Moscow is fighting a war in Ukraine, he said. Obviously, Vietnam cannot buy Russian weapons freely like it did in the past. It needs to take the international communitys reactions into account.

Thayer said Vietnam was in critical need to modernize.

In late-2020, Vietnam moved to restructure its logistics support services to improve maintenance, repair and overhaul of its legacy combat air fleet, he said. Special priority has been accorded to maintaining, repairing and overhauling Vietnams Su-30MK2 multi-role jet fighters.

Both Thayer and Abuza said Vietnam was looking to purchase a fifth-generation fighter from Russia like the Su-30, -35, or -57, but Moscow has been capped on weapons exports after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The invasion of the country in 2022 further decreases the likelihood of such a transaction.

American shift?

In December, Reuters reported that U.S. defense companies had discussed supplying military gear, including helicopters and drones, to Vietnam in talks with top government officials, a new sign that Vietnam may reduce its reliance on Russian arms.

Thayer said that in late 2021, Vietnam placed an order for twelve T-6 jet trainers and Vietnamese pilots commenced participation in the U.S. Air Force Aviation Leadership Program in the United States, moves that may lay the foundation for the sale of the U.S.-made F-15E Strike Eagle to Vietnam by the end of this decade.

Vietnam placed an order in 2021 for American T-6 training aircraft [shown] and Vietnamese pilots began participating in the U.S. Air Force Aviation Leadership Program. Credit: AFP

Hanoi also ordered six Boeing Insitu ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicles for its Coast Guard under the U.S. Maritime Security Initiative in 2019, he said, and suggested that the war in Ukraine has raised the salience of drones and other UAVs in armed combat, meaning Vietnam would be a great market for U.S.-made weapons.

There are two constraints on Vietnams purchases of non-Russian weaponry. The first is the legacy of dependency on Russia for spare parts, servicing, maintenance support and language. The second constraint is cost and time, he said. U.S. and European weapons are expensive and Vietnam would need to develop an appropriate logistics support network that would take considerable time to develop.

But Abuza said there was no chance that Vietnam would buy American jets.

I am paying close attention to the recently upgraded ties with South Korea, now a comprehensive strategic partner, Abuza said. South Korea has been trying to sell its latest fighter overseas. Its a lot more expensive than the Russian fighters, but still cheaper than American or European [ones].

According to former military intelligence officer Vu Minh Tri, it is very difficult for Vietnam to import Western countries weapons due to its limited budget.

He said that Vietnam spends most of its defense budget on wages, food, and supplies, while the funding for weapons makes up only a small part.

Corruption and the lack of transparency are the biggest challenges the military faces, he said.

In general, Vietnams procurement of weapons and military equipment is not transparent, Tri said. Vietnams partners have told me that those assigned to purchase weapons always increase the purchasing prices to keep the difference. Western countries dont accept this practice.

In addition, Western countries do not trust Hanoi because Vietnam considers China a close ally, and Vietnam does not trust the United States and other Western countries, thinking they intend to topple the current regime, Tri said.

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States is united in its support for Ukraine as it opposes the "murderous assault" of Russia's invasion and that Washington will stand with Ukraine "as long as it takes."

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Speaking during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Biden said his government united NATO, built a global coalition, and stood against the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We stood with the Ukrainian people," he said, as Kyiv's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, looked on from the gallery.

"She represents not just her nation, but the courage of her people," Biden said.

The United States and other NATO allies have provided billions of dollars in military aid, including air-defense systems, to bolster Ukrainian forces. U.S. and European Union sanctions have also sought to impose a financial cost on Russia.

Biden noted that his address to lawmakers last year came days after Putin launched what Biden called a "brutal attack against Ukraine" and a test for the world.

"I spoke from this chamber one year ago, just days after Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal attack against Ukraine -- a murderous assault, evoking images of the death and destruction Europe suffered in World War II," Biden said. "Putin's invasion has been a test for the ages, a test for America, a test for the world."

"Would we stand for the most basic of principles? Would we stand for sovereignty? Would we stand for the right of people to live free from tyranny? Would we stand for the defense of democracy?" Biden asked. "One year later, we know the answer: Yes, we would, and we did. We did."

WATCH: The Russian invasion of Ukraine evokes "images of the death and destruction Europe suffered in World War II," U.S. President Joe Biden said.

Biden called Putin's invasion a test for America that showed it would stand for the defense of democracy.

"Such a defense matters to us because it keeps the peace and prevents open season for would-be aggressors to threaten our security and prosperity," he said.

Some Republicans have been skeptical of military aid to Ukraine, but that was not the case when Republicans in the chamber, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, appeared to strongly support Biden's remarks.

"I have to say, I saw a lot more support coming from the Republican side of the aisle when he was speaking about Ukraine, particularly at the moment when he said, 'We are in it as long as it takes,'" Elizabeth Shackelford of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs told VOA.

"This is something that we have heard the Republican Party push back on specifically, saying that there wasn't a blank check for Ukraine," she added.

Late last year, Congress passed a spending bill that included $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies, which many House Republicans, including McCarthy, opposed.

Biden said the United States faces serious challenges around the world, but that in the past two years, democracies have become stronger while autocracies have grown weaker.

He did not mention Iran or Afghanistan in his remarks. Republicans have criticized his administration for trying to revive a nuclear deal with Tehran, as well as what they argued was a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Days after a Chinese surveillance balloon drifted across American airspace, leading to the cancellation of a high-profile trip to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden outlined where he sees the relationship with Beijing now.

The president said he remains open to working with China "where it can advance American interests and benefit the world."

"But make no mistake about it," he said. "As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, and we did."

Some Republicans criticized Biden for not ordering the balloon shot down earlier as it traversed the country.

Biden argued that his administration had changed the narrative about how "the People's Republic of China is increasing its power and America was failing in the world."

"Not anymore," he said. "We made clear and I made clear in my personal conversations which have been many with President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict."

With reporting by Cindy Saine of VOA
BELGRADE -- Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik -- who has been sanctioned by the United States and Britain over alleged destabilization efforts and corruption -- has threatened that he could push for the independence of the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina over a dispute involving a controversial property law.

We are considering in the most serious terms to make a decision on independence and secede Republika Srpska [from Bosnia] unless the property issue is solved," Dodik said on April 14 while on a visit to Belgrade to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Republika Srpska has tried multiple times to implement a property law that aims to transfer Bosnian state property to Republika Srpska, despite it being deemed unconstitutional.

Republika Srpska authorities said they were implementing the law in late February. However, it represents a direct challenge to previous decisions by the high representative to Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, to repeal the decree creating the law and to suspend it pending a final decision by Bosnias Constitutional Court.

Republika Srpska says the law aims to ensure that properties used by the authorities of the entity, including local governments, public companies, public institutions, and other departments founded by Republika Srpska belong to them.

The countrys Constitutional Court has stated that the national parliament must adopt a property law that would be valid across Bosnia and not one of the countrys two entities.

The 1995 Dayton Agreement ended the Bosnian civil war and established an administrative system under which Bosnia remains partitioned between the Serbian entity -- Republika Srpska -- and the Bosniak-Croat federation, connected by a weak central government.

Dodik has long threatened to seek Republika Srpska's independence from the rest of Bosnia. He rejects the administrative arrangement and the authority of the Office of the High Representative, the international community's overseer of civil and other aspects of the Dayton Agreement.

With reporting by Reuters
Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.



I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Opposition figure Mir Hossein Musavi has called for the "fundamental transformation" of Iran's theocratic political system as anti-regime protests continue to rage across the country. In a statement on February 4, the 80-year-old called for a "free" referendum and the drafting of a new constitution.

Musavi, a former prime minister who has been under house arrest since 2011, added that Iranians want change based on the slogan "Woman, life, freedom" -- which many have been chanting during the months of antiestablishment protests.

Seven prominent political prisoners, including reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, backed Musavi's call in a joint statement on February 5.

Why It Matters: In the past, opposition figures inside Iran often called for reforms to the clerically led system. But Musavi's statement, in which he proposes a post-Islamic republic future, marks a shift. His comments appear to reflect a wider change in Iranian society.

"Iranians now share a broad-based consensus that something in the regime is broken and cannot be mended," Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, wrote in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine. He said that "illusions of reforms" have been replaced by an "irrevocable demand for fundamental political change and freedom."

During the current protests, the biggest challenge to the regime in decades, demonstrators have attacked the symbols of the Islamic republic and overtly called for an end to clerical rule.

Musavi's comments have added to growing calls for political change in Iran. Former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, in a February 5 statement, did not go as far as Musavi. But he said there was "widespread discontent" in Iran and expressed hope that "nonviolent civil methods [will] force the governing system to change its approach and accept reforms."

What's Next: There is little sign that the authorities will alter their approach or make significant concessions. The regime is likely to double down on its position and continue to use violence to stamp out any opposition to its rule in the future.

The authorities recently ordered an amnesty or reduction in prison sentences for the thousands of people arrested during the deadly crackdown on the protests, suggesting the regime believes it has managed to end the unrest using force.

Stories You Might Have Missed

Three medical workers who traveled to Iran's Kurdistan region to treat injured anti-regime protesters were arrested by the authorities, tortured, and charged with acting against national security, informed sources told RFE/RL. They are among the dozens of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who have been arrested during the crackdown on the protests.

who traveled to Iran's Kurdistan region to treat injured anti-regime protesters were arrested by the authorities, tortured, and charged with acting against national security, informed sources told RFE/RL. They are among the dozens of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who have been arrested during the crackdown on the protests. Iran looked forward to a tough winter in Europe that would allow Tehran to capitalize on its enormous natural gas resources. But when freezing temperatures arrived in Iran, perennial winter gas shortages served as a reminder of decades of failed energy policies and the country's difficulties in turning the situation around.

What We're Watching

Iran unveiled what it said was an underground air-force base on February 7. The base can accommodate fighter jets, bombers, and drones, according to state media, which released images and videos from inside the base. The location of the base was not disclosed, but state TV said it was "at the depth of hundreds of meters under the mountains" and capable of withstanding "bombs by strategic U.S. bombers."

The official IRNA news agency claimed that the base, named Eagle 44, is just one of the several underground air bases constructed in recent years. In May, state media published images of what it said was an underground drone base in western Iran.

What's Next: The unveiling of the base, which came as the country prepares to mark the 44th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, appears to be an attempt to show strength at a time when the clerical regime is facing mounting pressure at home and abroad.

It also comes after a suspected Israeli drone strike hit an Iranian military facility on January 28, in an attack that analysts said was part of a new effort to contain Tehran. The new "containment strategy" comes amid growing concerns over Iran's nuclear program and its supply of combat drones to Russia, which has allegedly used them in the war in Ukraine.

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.
In the first half of October 2022, employees of an obscure Russian government department working out of a small business center in northeast Moscow were worried about the weather.

Not Moscow's weather, but rather weather in four regions of Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin a couple weeks earlier had summarily declared were annexed and now part of Russia.

The employees -- IT specialists, analysts -- worked for a relatively unknown entity called the Main Radio Frequency Center, a unit of the federal government agency charged with policing Russia's Internet, Roskomnadzor. They trawled Russian websites, social-media pages, chat rooms, Telegram channels, and more, watching for potentially problematic issues: opposition protests, anti-war demonstrations, insults toward President Vladimir Putin.

In this particular instance, they were worried that on roughly 15 major Russian websites where weather forecasts were shown, the Ukrainian regions that were purportedly just annexed -- were still labeled as Ukrainian.

Employees of the center compiled a list of websites and contact information for the sites. By November 6, 10 out of 15 sites had changed the designations of the Ukrainian territories to indicate they were Russian.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Kremlin has hypercharged its long-running effort to censor news and information published on Russian online resources. Days after the onslaught began, Putin signed legislation criminalizing the deliberate dissemination of anything the government deems to be false information about the war or the Russian military.

As a result, since the invasion, more than 11,800 news items, posts, and other online materials containing "reports of massive losses of [Russian] armed forces in manpower and equipment, mass surrender, as well as attacks on civilian facilities, infrastructure, and the killing of civilians" have been removed from Russia's leading search engines, Yandex and Mail.ru. And Roskomnazdor has blocked websites of at least 95 Russian-language media organizations.

The linchpin of that effort is the Main Radio Frequency Center (GRFC), which more than a year before the invasion set up an internal messaging system called the "Operational Interactive Office."

The system linked the center's monitoring with Russia's leading security and law enforcement agencies: the Prosecutor-General's Office, the Federal Security Service, the Federal Protective Service, the National Guard, and the Interior Ministry.

A new investigation by RFE/RL's Russian Investigative Unit, also known as Systema, shows how exactly the GRFC -- and Russia's Internet censors -- monitor electronic communications, and how government agencies restrict what Russians are reading or watching.

The investigation is based on a massive trove of internal correspondence -- more than 2 terabytes of data -- that was obtained in November 2022 by a group identifying itself as a Belarusian hacker organization called Cyberpartisans. The materials were shared with RFE/RL and a consortium of media outlets that includes Russian news sites The Insider and iStories, the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, and others.

The leaked GRFC documents -- more than 700,000 letters and 2 million internal documents -- provide a detailed look at the mechanics of how Russia's Internet is monitored -- and censored.

"What amazes me is the belief [of the authorities] that the more systems they make, the greater the number of blocks will be. Every document I have seen is a potential criminal case against Roskomnadzor and everyone involved in the preparation of these documents," Philip Kulin, an independent IT specialist who runs a Telegram channel called Escher II, told RFE/RL.

"Because this is real surveillance of people," he said. Roskomnadzor "is a civilian body. Who sanctioned its ability to do surveillance, for the collection of personal data?"

Old Censorship, New Methods

Moscow's efforts at censorship are nothing new.

In the Soviet Union, the Communist Party created a sprawling censorship apparatus that tried to block out news from outside the Iron Curtain, jamming foreign TV and radio broadcasts.

Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost policies in the 1980s cracked open the window to outside news and information and allowed more space for conflicting views at home. After the Soviet collapse, Russia's media environment became a raucous free-for-all, with newspapers, broadcasters -- and later, websites and e-mail newsletters -- enjoying wide latitude to report and criticize.

After Putin formally assumed the presidency in 2000, one of his first notable acts was to exert greater control over national TV broadcasters -- the main source for news for the vast majority of Russians. That included NTV, which broadcast highly critical reports on the First Chechen War of the 1990s.

In the early 2010s, the Kremlin began putting punitive labels -- "foreign agent" or "undesirable organization" -- on nongovernmental organizations and civil society groups, and later media outlets, sharply curtailing media freedom, scaring off advertisers, and forcing some reporting organizations to shut down.

Still later, it built out a sophisticated system to vacuum up information from Russian Internet providers to be stored, filtered, and reviewed by government entities -- a system known by its acronym SORM. It ordered major Internet companies like Google and Facebook to locate some of their servers on Russian territory. And it curtailed ownership of major online resources, like social-media giant VK, Internet portal Mail.ru, and, much later, Yandex.

Initially set up under Roskomnadzor in 2000, to monitor and control radio frequencies, the GRFC had its remit expanded as government efforts to control the Internet widened.

The agency, which publicly acknowledged the hack in November, declined to answer detailed questions from RFE/RL about its monitoring and censorship operations. Roskomnadzor did not respond to questions from RFE/RL.

'Protest Moods'

The internal messaging and chat system called the Operational Interactive Office appears to have grown out of concern among law enforcement authorities trying to keep tabs on localized public protests that broke out in several places in Russia in 2019. Among them were demonstrations in the far north over garbage dumps being built in sensitive environments and protests against the construction of a church in a cherished park in Yekaterinburg.

An initial, beta version was rolled out in December of that year, and then updated two years later, to add further technical changes, including a mobile-phone version and the ability to send private messages, and upload videos, audio, and photographs.

According to RFE/RL's review of the materials, employees of the agency monitor a multitude of online resources, then, using the internal messaging system, flag content for other government agencies to issue warnings, or even propose administrative penalties and warnings.

As of November 2022, according to the document leak, there were several thematic chats in operation in the Operational Interactive Office -- "protest moods," terrorism, foreign intervention, and extremism, among others.

In the "Protest Moods" group, for example, the employees of the GRFC daily publish detailed reports "on the presence of protest moods in social networks," based on 3,500 local and national accounts on VK and another popular social network, Odnoklassniki, as well as YouTube and channels on Telegram.

The chat rooms include participants not just from the GRFC, but employees of other agencies as well.

As of mid-November, there were 60 participants in the "Protest Moods" group, including 15 Interior Ministry employees, nine prosecutor employees, and one from the Federal Protective Service, Russia's equivalent of the U.S. Secret Service.

The documentation also shows how the GRFC was used to suppress or censor information or incriminating news about powerful business leaders and oligarchs.

Using a centralized register called the Unified Automated Information System, GRFC responded to requests from business leaders to take down critical reporting. In one example, an aide to Mikhail Sirotkin, the head of the corporate cost-management department of state-owned natural-gas giant Gazprom, in February 2020 sent a request to Roskomnadzor to block more than 150 hyperlinks to articles about Sirotkin.

Prior to 2018, Roskomnadzor, which has the formal legal authority to order information deleted, temporarily blocked access to a website called Russiangate after it published an investigation into the undeclared real estate assets of Aleksandr Bortnikov, the head of the main domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service. That same year, billionaire Alisher Usmanov filed a lawsuit demanding that Roskomnadzor block articles about his connection with a notorious criminal mob boss.

'Yandex U Special Task'

According to the leaked GRFC documents, Roskomnadzor blocked 89,000 web pages in the third quarter of 2022 alone. Most of the violations are related to the distribution of information about illegal drugs or content about suicide, gambling, or child pornography

The center employs a clinical psychologist who works with the employees charged with monitoring and flagging the content, who have reported problems of "emotional and professional burnout," "anxiety," and a "loss of joy," according to the documents.

Employees of the center also flag problematic content directly for engineers at Yandex, which is Russia's largest search engine and dominates other area of Russia's Internet commerce such as taxi services, food deliveries, and online shopping.

Yandex has been roiled by internal dissent and its own accusations of censorship related to the war in Ukraine. Several top executives have resigned, and the company sold off its homepage news portal, and said it would focus more on non-news-related ventures.

According to the leaked files, GRFC employees have set up several Excel worksheets titled "Yandex U Special Task" containing between 30 and 200 links to materials or posts in social networks on themes such as "Putin's mobilization," "guys from Russia surrender," and "what are Russian guys dying for in Ukraine." GRFC employees collected links that match those keywords, and then sent them to Yandex to be deleted.

In a statement to RFE/RL, Yandex denied involvement in the GRFC censorship efforts.

Yandex is not involved in GRFC projects of searching or removing links, and also did not receive any lists of links, company spokeswoman Polina Pestova said in an e-mail.

Yandex itself does not remove anything from the search results. A specific link may be excluded from search results if it is included in Roskomnadzors register of prohibited websites or by a court decision. Links to such websites are removed automatically as soon as they appear in this register, she said.

Bots And Artificial Intelligence

In late 2021, to help increase their monitoring abilities, GRFC employees began to employ third-party "bots" -- software applications programmed to do automated tasks like, for example, sending automated messages, or responding to complaints, or executing stock trades.

GRFC also paid 57 million rubles (about $800,000) in August 2022 to develop a system of artificial intelligence called Oculus to monitor social networks, websites, and even instant-messaging services for photographs, videos, and text containing prohibited information.

According to the leaked documents, GRFC created a "graphic entity classifier" to train the Oculus system to find insults against Putin and match them up to images or videos.

The classifier included "offensive images of the president" and "comparison of the president to negative characters."

Among terms found in the classifier: "Putin in the form of a crab," "Putin in the form of a moth," as well as comparisons of Putin with Adolf Hitler and a vampire.

The GRFC is also tackling another problem, the leaked documents suggested: accessing and monitoring closed chat rooms and closed messaging services, for example on Facebook or VK, which can only be entered by creating a user profile and then asking a group administrator for permission to join.

To clear this hurdle, the center in the summer of 2022 began building "bot farms" that would imitate real human accounts on various social-media networks and secure access to closed chat rooms.

The GRFC has also sought Roskomnadzor's authorization to buy up a large number of unused phone numbers that would be used then to help automate and verify the bot-created social-media profiles, according to the leaked documents.

Written by Mike Eckel based on reporting by Daniil Belovodyev and Anton Bayev
Russian Army officer Igor Mangushev, who gained prominence last year for speaking on stage holding what he said was the skull of a Ukrainian soldier while calling for the death of "as many Ukrainian soldiers as necessary," has died in a hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to his head.

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.

Mangushev's associate, Akim Apachev, said on February 8 that the anti-Ukraine propagandist had been in a coma since being shot on February 4 at a checkpoint near the town of Kadiyivka in a part of Ukraine's Luhansk region, which is controlled by Russia-backed separatists.

It remains unclear who shot Mangushev and why. Some media reports say he was shot at close proximity.

Last August, a video showing Mangushev holding the skull of what he said was a Ukrainian soldier at a concert circulated around the Internet and sparked an outcry in Ukraine.

Mangushev said in the video that the skull belonged to a Ukrainian soldier who had been killed during Russia's invasion of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. He added that Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was fighting against "the idea of Ukraine as an anti-Russia state," adding that "all who support that idea must be eliminated."

It has not been independently verified whether the skull actually belonged to a Ukrainian soldier.

After the video appeared on the Internet, Kyiv turned to the United Nations, asking it to condemn the video.

Mangushev positioned himself as a Russian military officer, a political strategist, and an associate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-linked founder and leader of the Wagner private mercenary group.

Media reports also said that Mangushev was a co-founder of another mercenary group called ENOT (United People's Communal Fellowships) that was involved in Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and military operations in Ukraines east and Syria.

With reporting by RIA Novosti and Kommersant
MOSCOW -- Moscow municipal lawmaker Lyusya Shtein, who is also a member of the Pussy Riot protest group, has been charged in absentia with discrediting the Russian armed forces.

Media reports in Russia quoted sources as saying that the case launched against Shtein is linked to her online posts last March about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Shtein told Meduza on February 7 that she learned about the probe against her from those media reports, adding that neither she nor her lawyer had been officially informed about the case.

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 May, the Interior Ministry added Shtein to its wanted list for violating a parole-like sentence she was handed in August 2021 for violating coronavirus safety precautions by calling on people to protest against the detention of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.

The outspoken critic of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine left Russia in April after her apartment door was marked with a Z-shaped sticker inscribed with the slogan: "Collaborator. Do Not Sell Motherland," in an apparent attempt to intimidate her.

Many Russian military vehicles and tanks have been marked with the letter Z during the ongoing invasion, with the insignia becoming an increasingly ubiquitous symbol of support for the war, for the military, for the Kremlins policies, and most of all for President Vladimir Putin.

Shtein's partner and a founding member of Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina, also fled Russia last year after a Moscow court changed the remainder of her one-year parole-like sentence to real prison time, saying she had violated the terms of her punishment.

Shtein, Alyokhina, and other members of the protest group were sentenced to up 15 days in jail several times in 2021-22 over taking part in protest actions and unsanctioned rallies.

Pussy Riot came to prominence after three of its members were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" for a stunt in which they burst into Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral and sang a "punk prayer" against Putin, who was prime minister at the time and campaigning for his subsequent return to the Kremlin.

Alyokhina and bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova had almost completed serving their two-year prison sentences when they were freed in December 2013 under an amnesty. The two have dismissed the move as a propaganda stunt by Putin to improve his image ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics that were held in the Russian resort city of Sochi.

With reporting by RIA Novosti and Meduza
At first the debate was about sending tanks to Ukraine; now it's about planes. Mostly reliant on Soviet-era MiGs, Ukraine has repeatedly asked the West for fighter jets to help defend itself against Russian attacks.

But, so far, both the United States and the United Kingdom have said no, citing concerns about escalating the war and preferring to focus on military support in other areas. Other politicians and experts have said there would be too many training and logistical challenges in gifting Ukraine Western-manufactured aircraft.

RFE/RL's Georgian Service spoke to Greg Bagwell, a former British Royal Air Force commander and combat pilot and the current president of the Air and Space Power Association, a U.K.-based organization that promotes "discussion and debate on how air power influences today's world."

Air Marshal Bagwell spoke about the deficiencies in Russian air power, the reasons why the West is so afraid of sending fighter aircraft, and why the ubiquitous and "very capable" F-16 would be the best option for Ukraine.

RFE/RL: It's fair to say that not much has gone according to plan for the Russians in the war in Ukraine. What are the reasons behind Russia's failure to establish uncontested air supremacy?

Greg Bagwell: It's a very good question. You could argue they never necessarily thought they needed it, that they thought this would be over quickly and they would just, through overwhelming military might and speed, they would destabilize the country and effectively take it over without any fuss. So, I think that was the first thing that went wrong. It may be that they never had a plan to do this properly and that [they thought] their belief in their own will was enough, and therefore they didn't approach this in the right way.

I actually think it's slightly different to that. [Regarding] Russian [air] capability, based on what they say it can do, you would think that they are a match, or more than a match for Ukraine and potentially more than a match for the West. But actually, that's never been borne out whenever we've lifted the lid. It was very true after the Iron Curtain came down that when you lift the lid, actually, yes, on the surface, the aircraft might have the capabilities, the numbers, if you will. But if you don't have the logistics support, you don't have the networks, the data management, the supply chain, the armament interface, the sensors, and perhaps even more importantly, you don't have the level of training, then your very expensive, very capable machine isn't able to perform at the highest level of its function.

And I think what we've seen, particularly from the Russian Air Force, is that they don't have the skills to get the full potential from these platforms. Because their training is, as we would call it, rather regimented. It's very formulaic. They have set processes and procedures. The West doesn't fight like that; we're far more fluid, because we have the networks and the sensors, [and] we like to fight a far more fluid battle. And that's not what Russia is good at. It's good at military mass and just pushing and overwhelming. And it has proven that in Syria and elsewhere, but I think what's happened here in Ukraine is that they met someone that is thinking far more cleverly than they are, and they're not able to defeat [them].

So, I think that is a key part as to why we haven't seen [much of] Russian air power. There's probably one other element: They're probably quite fearful of Ukraine...[of] being shot down in Ukraine, losing one of [their] high-end, rather expensive, and rather modern [pieces of] equipment and compromising the intelligence of all sorts of people.... And therefore, they're relying on either indiscriminate attacks or long-range missiles that only have a certain effect against fixed targets, which more often than not will tend to be civilian in nature.

RFE/RL: Onto the question of Western countries sending fighter jets to Ukraine. What's the reasoning, the rationale behind not sending them, which seems to be the consensus at this point, in Washington, London, and Berlin?

Bagwell: You're going to have to ask me to be imaginative here, because I can't see the reason why not. But I know why it happens.... The primary reason we have not seen aircraft pushed forward to Ukraine is that there is a perception, falsely in my view, that aircraft cross some sort of red line as to what is acceptable to Russia, in order to support Ukraine. And, of course, Russia would [welcome] that impression...because the last thing they need is Western aircraft troubling them over the skies of Ukraine. I think the view is that aircraft can be offensive in nature and clearly strike a lot deeper and therefore [can] go into Russian territory.... Russia, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will see that as a step too far and will react potentially very disproportionately. And there is a concern that it might drag other nations, NATO or whatever, into the conflict.

For understandable reasons, everyone's trying to avoid escalating this conflict.... So, I think that's really the question here. Are we, in gifting aircraft, going to push Russia into a very different response either against Ukraine or potentially against supporting nations? I believe that would not happen. As much as Russia would not like to see modern aircraft on the front line, I don't think it's going to push them into doing something irrational. That's my opinion, other people will have a different opinion.

As much as Russia would not like to see modern aircraft on the front line, I don't think it's going to push them into doing something irrational.

I know the stakes are high, so people are going to think through this very carefully. But I think if it's used in a limited role, particularly for air defense or for the defense of Ukraine, I don't really see why people can see that as escalatory. It is merely giving the tools to a nation to defend its sovereign borders, in accordance with international law. There's nothing there that you can pick holes in. I think we saw that a little bit with the tanks. Tanks previously were seen as some sort of red line -- that that was a step too far. Well, we've busted through that glass ceiling.

RFE/RL: Will it be the same story as with the tanks? First, there was foot-dragging over the tanks and then, eventually, the West caved in. Will we see a repeat of that?

Bagwell: I think we may well see a sequence of events that needs to take place in order to apply pressure that then allows the aircraft to be let go. If you remember, we were talking very early on last year about potentially gifting MiG-29 [fighter aircraft] from former Eastern European Soviet-bloc nations [to Ukraine] but, of course, that fell foul because Poland didn't want to gift them directly and asked America to effectively be the third-party agent and America didn't want to be seen as the agent. So, there are diplomatic issues in the background here about what can and can't be gifted.

One of the reasons I've pushed for a [fighter] aircraft like the F-16 is that there are multiple nations that can donate the F-16. And it doesn't have to be America, America will [just] have to give permission. But America doesn't necessarily have to be involved. And it may be that the calculation of the president of the [United States] is that as long as he's not the person that literally gifts the aircraft directly, then it might be acceptable, and it may not cross the threshold.

So, I think, unfortunately, we're going to see a little bit of a diplomatic political dance here to get to a place where everyone can go, "OK, let's do it." I hope we'll get there, because here's my frustration: It's not that simple to start learning a new aircraft and all the systems and situations that you need. I happen to think Ukraine will do it far faster than we would normally have done it. And therefore, they can be quick. But the tanks are already going in, or very soon will be going in. If they go in in the spring into the line, they will go in without air support.... So, we are trying to help Ukraine fight this war in phases, without giving them all the tools. And that's my concern: that by breaking each glass ceiling, one at a time, we're trying to do combined-arms warfare one step at a time.

RFE/RL: The Germans were refusing to send tanks to Ukraine, unless the United States also got involved and sent Abrams tanks. Is it possible that Denmark and the Netherlands -- which probably are the countries that you meant when you said the United States green-lighting other countries sending F-16s -- could be fearful of being singled out by Russia?

Bagwell: Yes, of course that is the risk. And that's why I think, whether America likes it or not, it does have a huge responsibility here in being the litmus test of what is done and what isn't.... I assume that the Abrams tanks were promised in order to break the deadlock on what was happening in Germany, because I think everybody believed that Leopard 2 was the right tank. Because there were more of them. [And] they are a slightly simpler tank than the Abrams, which has got a jet engine in it. It's nearly as complicated as an F-16. And it is a long way away from home and needs a very long logistics chain to look after it, with a lot of maintenance.

So, the Leopard 2 was the right answer. And maybe [you'll] just see Abrams sit in a warehouse [and] never come out. But if that was the price of unlocking the Leopard 2, then so be it. So, it may well be that America has to be a physical donor in order to give other nations the confidence. It may be that permission isn't enough.

I can't speak for America. [U.S. President] Joe Biden was asked this question just a few days ago and gave a rather quick answer of "No" [to sending fighter jets to Ukraine]. I'm a believer that never tell the enemy what you're not going to do. Always keep the enemy guessing....

So, I think we've been making a few diplomatic mistakes as to how we signpost...but I happen to believe [the planes] will go eventually. My hope is that they go soon enough.... F-16 isn't the only answer. But I do believe that, all things being equal, because of what [F-16s] can do, because of how many there are, because of where they are, because of the support network that we can provide...and the fact that we can have multiple donors, so no one or two nations would necessarily be singled out, I think that offers a really strong case for why that aircraft is potentially the right answer.

RFE/RL: Training and logistical hindrances have been used as an argument against giving Ukraine fighter jets. How long would it take to train Ukrainian personnel on F-16s?

Bagwell: So, if you were a combat pilot already, in other words, if you had already flown the MiG-29 in combat, and let's be honest, Ukraine right now has some of the most experienced combat pilots in the world by dint of the last year, and I hope many of them are still going strong. But we shouldn't talk about numbers, nor should they, but I hope there's enough of them out there still. And somebody of that caliber would be able to transfer on to a new aircraft, in this particular scenario, because let's be honest, it's a war of national survival here...within about six to eight weeks.

Now that's quite [an] aggressive [timeline]. But I think it's doable. With virtual-reality simulation, with not having to learn every trick in the book and every system, you could do the basics. Maybe I shouldn't give away the secrets, but airplanes will fly the same. Up, down, left, right is exactly the same. Throttles, go forward, go faster, come back, go slower. Okay, that's the basics. Using the radar, employing the weapons, locking up targets requires a little bit of finesse. But you won't be surprised to know that modern aircraft, particularly modern Western aircraft, have got that down to a relatively fine art.... So, it is learnable in a relatively quick time.

Slightly more difficult is the maintainers learning how to make the airplane serviceable, make it work, get the weapons on it. That takes some time.

Actually, that's not the most difficult bit. Slightly more difficult is the maintainers learning how to make the airplane serviceable, make it work, get the weapons on it. That takes some time. But again, it's not rocket science.... With virtual reality, even with assisted reality, a maintainer could be sat there with a camera on his head with somebody back in wherever talking him through some of the processes. So, there are lots of different ways that we could make this work.... My personal opinion is I think this has been used as an excuse as to why they can't be sent because it's a rather convenient excuse. They've been fighting now for a year; they could have done the full [training] course twice over.

So, let's stop using the reason that there's not enough time and get to the real truth: which is when are you going to get the courage to do what's right? Because the training will happen. Ukraine will make it work -- if they can learn how to operate three different main battle tanks in a few months, they can learn how to operate an F-16.

RFE/RL: How much of a game changer would Western-manufactured fighter jets be for Ukraine? And can Ukraine get by without them?

Bagwell: Ukraine has clearly been an incredible nation in so many different ways and I mean that very, very sincerely-- not only the resilience of the entire nation to just keep going but to be able to effectively dull a country of so much greater size, aggression, military might, and hold them at bay. It is unbelievable. In many ways, they're their own worst enemy, because actually it means we don't see how desperate the situation is because everyone thinks Ukraine is having great victories and there are times when they have, but actually, they are still under extreme pressure.

And I think that half the problem is trying not to oversell how well Ukraine have done, even though they have done extremely well. They've clearly been able to match the Russian Air Force to a large extent on the terms that they can. Yes, some of these longer-range missiles are harder to attack. And yes, some of that is done through surface-to-air systems rather than air-to-air systems. I'd like to believe Ukraine will find a way no matter what. So, it isn't a deal breaker, but I don't want to say that because I don't want people to give the impression that yes, well, they'll probably be fine. Because I think the risks are too high of them losing if we don't help them to the maximum extent.

RFE/RL: How detrimental could it be for Ukraine if the West refuses to supply fighter jets?

Bagwell: I'm going to deal with that on two levels, the military level, and if you'd like, the higher level, what we'd call the morale component. I think if the West does choose to limit its help, to tanks, no more, we don't go beyond tanks, tanks are everything, I think that sends a very poor and weak message to Ukraine. It says, "Look, we'll help you as much as we can, but we're not going to give you everything." And that cannot be helpful for Ukraine, in terms of their morale and their belief that we've got their back, because we should have their back. I think it will also send a strong message to Russia that actually, there is a red line. And if Putin pushes hard enough, he can force us to modify behavior. And in that way, he wins. Because he maintains Ukraine at a level he thinks he can get away with. So that's the first issue.

I actually think that by giving them [the planes], I think we do two things. I think we embolden Ukraine...[with] modern aircraft that, I can tell you now, will frighten Russia. They already don't come into Ukraine [with aircraft] very much as it is. When you've got an F-16 up there with an AMRAAM (advanced medium-range air-to-air missile), you'll be lucky to see any of them. So, it is going to modify Russian behavior in the air undoubtedly.

It's going to send such a powerful message to Russia that the West is not going to back down.

Now, it won't stop them firing missiles from hundreds of miles away. It won't stop S-400 surface-to-air systems engaging from outside Ukrainian soil. But it will change the calculus that we already know [that] Russia is nervous about employing its air power in Ukraine.

So, in one fell swoop, it's going to change that calculus. And it's going to send such a powerful message to Russia that the West is not going to back down. It is not going to limit Ukraine; it is about Ukraine winning and not not losing. And if you want to keep doing this, you are going to come up against the full might of Western industry and equipment, and we have a lot more than you do. And if that's the way you want to go, then you (Putin's Russia) will lose. And the longer this goes on like that, and you do lose, you will be so weak that [firstly] you won't be able to stay in power. And secondly, you will not be able to carry on the way you threaten and the way you currently run and try to manage your international politics. And that would be a victory for everybody.... I think they don't even have to fly to achieve those effects. I think just the very act of gifting [aircraft], I think you'd see dancing in the streets and rightly so.

The Tavberidze Interviews Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Vazha Tavberidze of RFE/RL's Georgian Service has been interviewing diplomats, military experts, and academics who hold a wide spectrum of opinions about the war's course, causes, and effects. To read all of his interviews, click here.

Now, in terms of the military impact, an F-16 is still a very capable platform: It has a good radar, it can fly well above the majority of the Russian sound systems in the area apart from the very, very specialized ones. It has a weapons system tied to that radar that can engage the vast majority of Russian aircraft long before they can attack it. The F-16 doesn't have quite the same stealth characteristics of something like an F-35 and an F-22. But I've fought against the F-16. I've had the odd trip in one, but I've also fought against it. It's tiny, it's hard to see on radar, it's even harder to see in the air with the naked eye. The F-16 is not called a viper for no reason. It's a vicious, nasty, dangerous little airplane.

If I was a Russian pilot with 100 hours training in an aircraft that I'm a little bit nervous about whether my weapons really work because I've never been allowed to use them in training or in wartime, I am going to be shit scared of getting airborne and wondering whether there's an F-16 up there.

And it's going to change the way they approach [the war]. If we can take Russian air power and limit its influence on the battlefield and over Ukraine in general, that gives Ukraine breathing space, that's then going to allow the combined arms effect of the artillery, the HIMARS (High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems), the tanks, and everything else to operate as well as it already has done. And this time do it without any concern about what's above. The combination of those two things will be hugely powerful and ultimately will make most Russians realize that they can't win....

I think if Putin is not careful, and that he needs to think long term about this, what he's going to end up showing to all his allies -- not that he's got many these days -- is that the Russian equipment is no good. That actually, when it comes down to it, Western air power in particular and Western ground power as well, with the tanks, is ultimately way, way better than the Russian kit. And that's going to send powerful messages to his allies about what they should be buying or what they can trust. And it's going to send ripples through an army and an air force that suddenly no longer has confidence in its equipment. So, this has huge impact well beyond just the air-to-air tactical fight.
International investigators say there are "strong indications" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in the 2014 downing of a civilian airliner over eastern Ukraine, parts of which were controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, but that a lack of concrete evidence meant they were putting an end to their eight-year probe into the tragedy.

The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was blown out of the sky on July 17, 2014, amid a conflict between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian armed forces. All 298 people on board the airliner died in the crash. The victims came from more than a dozen countries, although more than two-thirds of them were Dutch citizens.



Russia has denied any involvement in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17).



Even though the probe resulted in some convictions, prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer told journalists in The Hague on February 8 that the investigation "has now reached its limit.



There are strong indications that the Russian president decided on supplying the Buk [missile system] to the [Russia-backed] separatists. This is the conclusion of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in its investigation into those responsible in the Russian Federation for the downing of flight MH17 with a Buk missile van Boetzelaer said.



During the news conference, the investigators backed up the claim by playing a recording of a telephone call from an adviser who appears to make a thinly veiled reference to Putin, saying a delay in sending the weapons used was "because there is only one who makes a decision...,the person who is currently at a summit in France."



"Although a lot of new information has been discovered about various people involved, the evidence is at the moment not concrete enough to lead to new prosecutions," van Boetzelaer added.



In November last year, a Dutch court convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison two Russians and one pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist for their role in the shooting down of the passenger plane. They had been tried in absentia



The three men convicted were former Russian intelligence agents Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov) and Sergei Dubinsky, and Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian separatist leader. All three are believed to be currently in Russia.



The court concluded that the three men had helped to arrange the transport into Ukraine of the Russian military Buk missile system that was used to shoot down the plane.



The fourth defendant, Russian Oleg Pulatov, the only suspect represented by defense lawyers at the trial, was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.



Russia called the trial "scandalous" and said the court's ruling was "politically motivated," insisting that the court was under "unprecedented pressure" from Dutch politicians, prosecutors, and media.



Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said after the decision to end the investigation into the incident was announced that the news was a "bitter disappointment." He added that the Dutch government would continue to call for Russia to be held to account for the "tragedy."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 8 made a strong appeal to Western allies to provide his country with fighter jets to combat Russian forces during a visit to the United Kingdom and France on his second known trip abroad since Moscow's unprovoked invasion of his country one year ago.

"I appeal to you and the world, with simple and yet most important words -- combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom," Zelenskiy said, speaking in a historic address to the British Parliament.

"We know freedom will win, we know Russia will lose," he told lawmakers.



"The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most... important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war."

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said later at a joint news conference that "nothing is off the table" in terms of military aid for Ukraine.



Fighter jets for Ukraine were "part of the conversation," Sunak added.



After speaking to Parliament, Zelenskiy met with King Charles III and then accompanied Sunak on an inspection of Ukrainian soldiers training in southwest England to operate British Challenger 2 tanks, which Sunak said will be deployed in Ukraine next month.



Thanking Sunak for help from the United Kingdom, Zelenskiy also appealed for long-range missiles, saying that unless Ukraine gets them or fighter jets, "there will be stagnation" and Russians will move into Ukrainian territory.

Earlier, Britain announced an immediate surge of military equipment to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks and pledged to train its pilots to ensure they are able to fly NATO-standard fighters in the future, a government statement said.



But a spokesperson for Sunak told reporters no decision had been made on supplying Ukraine with combat aircraft.

Zelenskiy arrived later on February 8 in France for a late dinner meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.



Macron said ahead of the meeting in Paris that France is "determined to help Ukraine to victory and the reestablishment of its legitimate rights," adding France would "continue the efforts" to deliver arms to Kyiv.



Zelenskiy urged France and Germany not to hesitate in shipping weapons, saying they have the "potential to be game changers" in the course of the war.



"The sooner we get heavy long-range weapons and our pilots get modern planes...the quicker this Russian aggression will end," he said.

For months, Kyiv has been urging the West to increase its military support, including the possibility of providing fighter jets.

The United States, Britain, Germany, and other Western allies recently relented and approved sending hundreds of battle tanks, armored vehicles, and other heavy weaponry to Ukraine amid expectations that Russia is gearing up for a new major offensive, possibly as early as this month.

Washington has so far also rejected supplying any F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, but some allies, such as Poland, have said they could be open to the idea.

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.

Britain also announced additional sanctions targeting individuals and companies that are profiting from the Kremlins war machine. The sanctions targeted Russian drone manufacturer CST; RT-Komplekt, a Russian producer of helicopter parts; and software developer Topaz.

These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

Oil executive Nikolai Yegorov and Sergei Rudnov, owner of the pro-Kremlin Regnum news agency, were also targeted.

In all, over 1,300 individuals and entities have been sanctioned by Britain over the invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskiys visit to Britain and France is his first since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. He visited the United States and addressed Congress in December. According to some reports, Zelenskiy might attend a European Union summit this week in Brussels.

Scholz said leaders at the summit on February 9 would send a strong signal of solidarity with Kyiv.



"I am taking a clear message to Brussels: Ukraine belongs to the European family," said Scholz in Paris on February 8.

Zelenskiys trip came hours after U.S. President Joe Biden, in his annual State of the Union address to Congress on February 7, pledged U.S. support for Ukraines war against invading Russia for as long as it takes.

In a post on Twitter, Zelenskiy thanked Biden for his powerful words of support.

Our values are the same, our common goal is victory, Zelenskiy wrote.

Fierce fighting in the eastern part of Ukraine has spurred Kyiv to ask its allies for heavy weaponry given Russia's size and equipment advantage. Longer range weapons would allow Ukraine to push back harder than it has up to now, officials say.

On February 7, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark pledged to provide more than 100 Leopard 1 battle tanks. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said 20 to 25 of the tanks would arrive by summer, about 80 by the end of the year, and at least 100 more in 2024. The three countries also promised to provide necessary training and support for the tanks.

In an interview with RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko, head of the parliaments National Security Committee, said Russia was planning a new offensive in the eastern Donbas region and possibly in another diversionary area.

The enemy is preparing an offensive, Kostenko said. Whether he will be able to attack or not remains to be seen.

Russian forces carried out air strikes in the city of Kharkiv during the night, the head of the regional administration, Oleh Synyehubov, said. The strikes targeted an industrial area of the city and ignited a large fire. No casualties were reported.

Russian military officials said the strike targeted a workshop for upgrading drones.

With reporting by Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the U.K. Parliament on February 8 during a surprise visit to London, his second known trip abroad since Russia's invasion of his country nearly one year ago. In his address to British lawmakers, Zelenskiy said "Russia will lose" and Ukraine's "victory will change the world."
Written By

Managing Editor

she/her | Bridget is the Messengers managing editor. She oversees the newsroom and covers the Maple Run and Franklin West school districts, the communities of St. Albans and Fairfax and pays attention to recreation, food and the arts. She's also an avid cyclist and skier.

|
After years of practicing lockdown drills to prepare for the threat of school shooters, public schools across San Diego County are deploying a new strategy: run, hide or fight.

The County Office of Education is training school employees to make split-second decisions in the event of an attack, equipping them with a range of options to evade, and if necessary, confront, violent intruders. At least one district, Escondido Union School District, has already contracted with a national security program to learn new responses to school shootings.

Up until this time, there has always been a single option strategy: lockdown  get out of sight, where the bad person cant see, said Tim Ware, school intervention manager for Oceanside Unified School District.

Advertisement

Its a good start, but its not enough, school officials concluded. Law enforcement authorities agreed.

They want teachers and school staff to know when its safe to evacuate students, how to not only lock down classrooms but also barricade them, and how to divert and disarm an assailant who gains entry.

Sometimes lockdown is the right strategy, Ware said. But the run, hide and fight is all about additional options.

School shootings have occupied a terrifying place in the nations consciousness since at least 1999, when Columbine High School students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and a teacher at the Colorado campus using sawed-off shotguns, bombs and other explosives. The horror deepened in 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

San Diego has had its own school attacks. In 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer shot eight children and a custodian at Cleveland Elementary School, killing two. Charles Andrew Andy Williams killed two students and wounded 13 at Santana High School in Santee in 2001. And in 2010, 42-year-old Brendan ORourke injured two children when he shot into a crowd of students at Kelly School in Carlsbad.

Educators, law enforcement and security experts have used each terrible event to examine how students and teachers can best protect themselves should an attack occur.

The well-publicized Columbines and Sandy Hooks  the victims did exactly what theyd been told to do, but that put them right as a sitting ducks, said Jeff Geyer, safety and environmental manager for Vista Unified School District. And thats what we want to avoid.

Around 2008, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies started exploring ways to expand options for such emergencies, said Bob Mueller, director of student attendance, safety, and well-being for the County Office of Education. In 2013, the federal government included run, hide and fight, in their guide for creating high quality school emergency operations plans, he said.

The problem was, school officials lacked direction on how to implement those concepts.

How does that second grade teacher decide what action to take, and what considerations should I take having all those little kids with me? Mueller asked.

In January the County Office of Education began drawing up its own guidelines, coordinating with educators, school psychologists and local law enforcement officials to update training programs. They strived to offer advice for action without creating undue alarm, Mueller said.

Instead of just the panic of the internal fight or flight stuff, we assess the situation, and by giving the adults the tools to assess the situation, make logical decisions, said Geyer, who was part of the team that developed the material.

The county office will start training school staff next week.

Meanwhile Escondido Union School District has made parallel preparations with a national security program called ALICE, which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate.

During staff training, Escondido teachers and administrators learned specific steps in dealing with an armed intruder.

For instance, if a shooter is on the opposite side of campus, getting out may be the first choice, said Michael Taylor, assistant superintendent for business services with Escondido Union. If thats not possible, classes should lock down, but do so defensively.

Teachers and students should barricade the door with furniture or other objects. If the door opens outward, they can jam the hydraulic closure to prevent entry. Students should disperse throughout the classroom instead of huddling together, Escondido staff learned.

The idea is to not give the shooter an easy target, Taylor said.

If the shooter breaks in, ALICE trainers taught staff to blindside the person by hurling objects. That relies on the universal tendency to flinch at thrown objects, and buys time to disarm the attacker, Taylor said.

Escondidos staff is completing online instruction now. In January the district will begin hands-on training for staff, and eventually introduce the system to students.

I think folks are definitely engaged, Taylor said. They feel so much more empowered, and they feel that they can do something.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
When ocean-bearing moons begin to cool down, their oceans can freeze. As new ice accretes to the bottom of the existing ice shell, the added volume of the ice can stress the shell. Plutos largest moon, Charon, has canyons and cryovolcanic flows that may have formed in response to a freezing ocean. In new research, planetary scientists from the Southwest Research Institute, the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, Berkeley modeled the formation of fractures within Charons ice shell as the ocean underneath it freezes to explore the evolution of the moons interior and surface. They found that an ocean source for cryovolcanic flows is unlikely because the ice shell would have had to be much thinner than current thermal evolution models imply; however, freezing the ocean may have produced the stresses that formed canyons later in Charons history.

A combination of geological interpretations and thermal-orbital evolution models implies that Charon had a subsurface liquid ocean that eventually froze, said Dr. Alyssa Rhoden, a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute.

When an internal ocean freezes, it expands, creating large stresses in its icy shell and pressurizing the water below.

We suspected this was the source of Charons large canyons and cryovolcanic flows.

New ice forming on the inner layer of the existing ice shell can also stress the surface structure.

To better understand the evolution of the moons interior and surface, Dr. Rhoden and colleagues modeled how fractures formed in Charons ice shell as the ocean beneath it froze.

They modeled oceans of water, ammonia or a mixture of the two based on questions about the makeup.

Ammonia can act as antifreeze and prolong the life of the ocean; however, results did not differ substantially.

When fractures penetrate the entire ice shell and tap the subsurface ocean, the liquid, pressurized by the increase in volume of the newly frozen ice, can be pushed through the fractures to erupt onto the surface.

Models sought to identify the conditions that could create fractures that fully penetrate Charons icy shell, linking its surface and subsurface water to allow ocean-sourced cryovolcanism.

However, based on current models of Charons interior evolution, ice shells were far too thick to be fully cracked by the stresses associated with ocean freezing.

The timing of the ocean freeze is also important. The synchronous and circular orbits of Pluto and Charon stabilized relatively early, so tidal heating only occurred during the first million years.

Either Charons ice shell was less than 10 km (6 miles) thick when the flows occurred, as opposed to the more than 100 km (60 miles) indicated, or the surface was not in direct communication with the ocean as part of the eruptive process, Dr. Rhoden said.

If Charons ice shell had been thin enough to be fully cracked, it would imply substantially more ocean freezing than is indicated by the canyons identified on Charons encounter hemisphere.

Fractures in the ice shell may be the initiation points of these canyons along the global tectonic belt of ridges that traverse the face of Charon, separating the northern and southern geological regions of the moon.

If additional large extensional features were identified on the hemisphere not imaged by NASAs New Horizons spacecraft, or compositional analysis could prove that Charons cryovolcanism originated from the ocean, it would support the idea that its ocean was substantially thicker than expected.

Ocean freezing also predicts a sequence of geologic activity, in which ocean-sourced cryovolcanism ceases before strain-created tectonism, Dr. Rhoden said.

A more detailed analysis of Charons geologic record could help determine whether such a scenario is viable.

The study was published in the journal Icarus.

_____

Alyssa Rose Rhoden et al. 2023. The challenges of driving Charons cryovolcanism from a freezing ocean. Icarus 392: 115391; doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115391
An American man in his 50s diagnosed with an advanced form of prostate cancer suddenly found himself sounding like an Irish person, which is a stark change that stuck with him for the rest of his life. The medics in North Carolina who treated him shared clops of his voice before and after the bizarre change, pointing to his cancer as the main culprit, MailOnline reported.

The man died from the deadly disease but before that, doctors diagnosed him with the extraordinarily rare foreign accent syndrome (FAS). The speech disorder usually occurs after a complication from a stroke or head injury and so far there are only two other reports of cancers triggering it. The man's case is the first one linked to prostate cancer.

FAS as Rare Complication of Cancer

The team at Duke University Health System presented the patient's case in the British Medical Journal Case Reports, wherein they reported that the man developed a paraneoplastic neurological disorder (PND). It is a rare complication of cancer as the cells fighting the cancer cells mistakenly attack the nervous system.

The condition usually presents itself with muscle movement or coordination problems, although it can also affect cognitive skills. The man received radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy over the course of 20 months to treat his prostate cancer. He also revealed that he had never been to Ireland and had never spoken in an Irish accent.

However, he did have Irish family and friends who briefly lived in England during his 20s. Doctors commented that the man's accent was uncontrollable and gradually became persistent. The man never had any head trauma or suffered any psychiatric conditions. More so, the results of an MRI scan of his brain also did not show any abnormalities.

However, a CT scan of his abdomen and pelvis showed that his prostate cancer has spread further. Due to this, he was referred to the Duke Cancer Institute to undergo treatment. But it further developed into neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), which is a lethal kind of cancer.

Medics said that there are many PNDs presenting symptoms of NEPC. Due to the rapid clinical deterioration of the man, he was moved into a home hospice. The team wrote in the BMJ publication that the man's Irish brogue-like accent was maintained until his death.

READ ALSO: Can Prostate Cancer Be Cured? Activating This Cell May Help Eliminate Killer Cells

What Is Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS)?

According to Science Alert, FAS is a rare speech disease that can lead a person to spontaneously adopt a 'foreign' accent, with pronunciation altering in ways that mimic the rhythm of another dialect or language.

Strokes and severe brain injuries are the most prevalent causes of the condition. The most notable example is of a Norwegian lady who suffered a brain injury during the bombing of Oslo in 1941. She began to talk with what sounded like a German accent a few months later. Another case was of a woman from Arizona a few years ago who woke up speaking like "Mary Poppins" with an unknown cause.

FAS cases that are conclusively connected to malignancies are far less prevalent. In fact, only two such cases are given in the literature. The first one is of a lady in her 60s in 2008 who began having an unidentified accent after breast cancer cells went into her brain, while the second case was a woman in her 50s with a brain tumor who started speaking with a different rhythm and melody.



RELATED ARTICLE: Itchy Skin Could be a Symptom of Cancer: 20-Year-Old Woman Diagnosed With Hodgkin Lymphoma After Chronic Itching

Check out more news and information on Cancer in Science Times.
We all know that the world of cryptocurrency can be a bit daunting, especially when it comes to keeping your assets safe. With bad actors lurking around every corner, it's important to take the necessary steps to protect your investments.

I'll be sharing some of the most effective methods for keeping your backups and recovery phrases safe, using privacy-focused wallets to protect your financial privacy and even discussing the importance of self-custody.

I will also be discussing some of the best wallets and tools available on the market, including the Ledger, Trezor, Bitwarden, TornadoCash, Samourai Bitcoin Wallet and BitLox Hardware Wallet.

Control Your Crypto: Avoid Using Centralized Exchanges

When it comes to handling and investing in digital assets, one of the most important decisions you'll make is where to store them. You can leave them on a centralized exchange, or you can take control of your own assets by self-custodying them. As someone who's been in the crypto game for a while, let me tell you: self-custody is where it's at.

Why? Well, there are a few reasons. Let's dive in.

The Lack of Transparency and Accountability on Centralized Exchanges

First things first, let's talk about the transparency and accountability of centralized exchanges. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof. You see, when you leave your assets on an exchange, you're basically entrusting that exchange with your money. And while some exchanges are more trustworthy than others, there's always a risk that you're dealing with a shady operator.

For example, do you know the true regulatory status of the exchange you're using? Are they registered with the appropriate authorities? Are they operating legally? And what about their debts? Are they in the red? Are they using your assets to keep the lights on? You have no idea, because they're not exactly forthcoming with that information.

And let's not forget the whole "insider trading" thing. You know, where the exchange or its employees use their privileged access to information to make trades before the rest of us plebeians get a chance? It's not exactly unheard of.

So, in short: when you leave your assets on a centralized exchange, you're putting a lot of trust in that exchange. And while some of them are trustworthy, there's always a risk that you're dealing with a shady operator. And that's not a risk I'm willing to take with my money.

The Inability to Access Funds During Exchange Downtime or Maintenance

Okay, so maybe you're not too concerned about the transparency and accountability of centralized exchanges. But there's another issue to consider: the inability to access your funds during exchange downtime or maintenance.

You see, centralized exchanges are basically just websites. And like all websites, they can go down. Sometimes it's planned downtime for maintenance. Sometimes it's an unplanned outage. And sometimes it's just because there's too much traffic (looking at you, Coinbase during a bull run).

Now, you might be thinking: "Well, that's not a big deal. I'll just wait until the exchange comes back online." But here's the thing: what if you need to access your funds during that downtime? What if there's a market crash and you need to sell your assets ASAP? What if there's a buying opportunity and you need to buy more assets ASAP? You're out of luck, because the exchange is down.

And it's not just planned downtime or outages you have to worry about. Sometimes, during periods of high volatility, exchanges can experience what's known as "trading halts". This is when an exchange temporarily suspends trading to prevent market manipulation or protect against a sudden influx of traffic.

Now, you might be thinking: "Well, that's not a big deal. I'll just wait until trading resumes." But here's the thing: what if you need to access your funds during that trading halt? What if there's a market crash and you need to sell your assets ASAP? What if there's a buying opportunity and you need to buy more assets ASAP? You're out of luck, because the exchange is halted.

So, in short: when you leave your assets on a centralized exchange, you're at the mercy of that exchange's downtime and maintenance schedules. And while some outages are planned and necessary, others can be detrimental to your financial well-being. And that's not a risk I'm willing to take with my money.

The Possibility of Exchange Insolvency or Bankruptcy

Alright, so maybe you're not too concerned about the transparency and accountability of centralized exchanges or the inability to access your funds during downtime or maintenance. But there's one more issue to consider: the possibility of exchange insolvency or bankruptcy.

You see, centralized exchanges are businesses. And like all businesses, they can fail. Sometimes it's due to mismanagement or fraud. Sometimes it's due to a lack of liquidity. And sometimes it's due to external factors beyond their control.

Now, you might be thinking: "Well, that's not a big deal. I'll just withdraw my assets before the exchange goes bankrupt." But here's the thing: what if you don't know the exchange is going bankrupt? What if the exchange freezes withdrawals before you have a chance to withdraw your assets? What if the exchange declares bankruptcy and all your assets are frozen or lost? You're out of luck, because the exchange is insolvent.

We can take the example of FTX, Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange that began its bankruptcy in November 2022. The collapse of FTX was caused by a liquidity crisis of the company's token, FTT. Prior to its collapse, FTX was the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume and had over one million users. As a result of this event, many of the funds were lost and the ripple effect across the cryptocurrency industry, with the price of Bitcoin falling to its lowest level in two years. Anonymous sources cited by the Wall Street Journal 10 November 2022 stated that FTX had lent $10 billion from customers' accounts to fund Alameda Research earlier in 2022, a move forbidden by FTX's terms of service.

So, in short: when you leave your assets on a centralized exchange, you're at the mercy of that exchange's financial stability. And while some exchanges are financially stable, others can be on the brink of collapse. And that's not a risk I'm willing to take with my money.

Self-custody is the way to go when it comes to handling and investing in digital assets. It may require a bit more work on your part to set up and maintain, but the peace of mind you'll have knowing that your assets are safe and secure is worth it. And let's be real, you don't want to be the person who's kicking themselves for not taking control of their assets when the next FTX happens. So, do yourself a favor and self-custody your assets today.

Practice Self-Custody: Tips for Keeping Backups and Recovery Phrases Secure

So you've taken the plunge and decided to self-custody your digital assets. Congrats, you're well on your way to becoming a crypto-savvy individual. But there's one more important step you need to take: keeping your backups and recovery phrases safe.

You see, the beauty of self-custody is that you're in control of your own assets. But the downside is that you're also responsible for keeping your assets safe. And if your backups or recovery phrases fall into the wrong hands, your assets will be at risk.

Don't worry though, I'm here to help. In this section, I'll be sharing some ideas on how to keep your backups and recovery phrases safe. So let's dive in.

Use a Hardware Wallet to Store Your Cryptocurrency

The first and most obvious idea for keeping your backups and recovery phrases safe is to use a hardware wallet. A hardware wallet is a physical device that stores your private keys offline, away from the prying eyes of hackers and other bad actors.

There are a few advantages to using a hardware wallet over a regular software wallet. For one, hardware wallets are much more secure. Because your private keys are stored offline, they're much less susceptible to hacking and other types of cyber attacks.

Another advantage of hardware wallets is that they're easy to use. Most hardware wallets come with a simple interface that makes it easy to send and receive cryptocurrencies.

There are several hardware wallets on the market, but two of the most popular ones are the Ledger and Trezor. Both of these wallets offer great security and ease of use, so you really can't go wrong with either one.

Use a Password Manager to Securely Store Digital Copies of Backups and Recovery Phrases

Another idea for keeping your backups and recovery phrases safe is to use a password manager. A password manager is a software that allows you to store your passwords and other sensitive information in a secure, encrypted format.

There are a few advantages to using a password manager to store your backups and recovery phrases. For one, password managers are much more secure than storing your backups and recovery phrases in a plain text document. And two, password managers make it easy to store multiple copies of your backups and recovery phrases in different locations.

There are several password managers on the market, but one of the most popular one is Bitwarden. Bitwarden is an open-source password manager that offers great security and ease of use, so you really can't go wrong with it.

Use a Multi-Sig Wallet That Requires Multiple Keys to Access the Recovery Phrase

The last idea for keeping your backups and recovery phrases safe is to use a multi-sig wallet. A multi-sig wallet is a type of wallet that requires multiple keys to access the recovery phrase.

There are a few advantages to using a multi-sig wallet over a regular wallet. For one, multi-sig wallets are much more secure. Because multiple keys are required to access the recovery phrase, it's much more difficult for hackers and other bad actors to steal your assets.

Another advantage of multi-sig wallets is that they offer an added layer of security for businesses and other organizations. For example, if a company uses a multi-sig wallet, multiple employees would need to sign off on a transaction before it can be executed.

There are several multi-sig wallets on the market, such as Electrum, BitGo, and Casa. These wallets offer great security and ease of use, so you really can't go wrong It is worth mentioning that when it comes to multi-sig wallets, it is important to be aware of the number of keys required to access the recovery phrase. Some wallets may require two keys, while others may require three or more. Also, it is important to consider who will be responsible for holding each key.

For example, if you're an individual, you may want to keep one key in a secure location at home, another key on a hardware wallet, and the third key with a trusted friend or family member. This way, if you lose one key or it gets stolen, you can still access your assets with the other two keys.

For a business, it may be a good idea to have different keys held by different departments or individuals within the organization. This way, no single person or department has complete control over the assets.

Keeping your backups and recovery phrases safe is an important step in self-custodying your digital assets. And while there are many ways to do this, using a hardware wallet, a password manager, and a multi-sig wallet are all great options.

It's worth taking the time to research and find the best solution for you. And remember, the most important thing is to always have multiple copies of your backups and recovery phrases in different locations, and to keep them secure.

So, whether you're an individual or an organization, be sure to take the necessary steps to protect your backups and recovery phrases, and your assets will be safe and sound.

Best Self-Custody Privacy-Focused Protocols and Wallets

So you've taken the plunge and decided to self-custody your digital assets. You've also taken the necessary steps to keep your backups and recovery phrases safe. But what about protecting your financial privacy?

You see, when you make transactions on a public blockchain, your balance and transaction history are exposed for all to see. And while this may not seem like a big deal, it can lead to a number of problems. For example, your employer or government may be able to see your financial activity. Or hackers may be able to target you based on your transaction history. And let's not forget about the risk of identity theft.

That's why it's important to use a privacy-focused wallet when self-custodying your digital assets. In this section, I'll be sharing some ideas on how to use privacy crypto wallets to protect your financial privacy. So let's dive in.

TornadoCash - Privacy Solution for Ethereum

The first privacy-focused protocol I want to talk about is TornadoCash.sh. TornadoCash is a privacy-enhancing technology that allows users to make anonymous transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. It's a decentralized platform that uses zero-knowledge proofs to hide the transaction details, such as the sender, receiver, and amount transferred.

One of the key advantages of TornadoCash is that it supports a wide variety of networks and tokens. This means you can use it to make anonymous transactions with any ERC-20 token, not just Ethereum.

When using TornadoCash, it is important to keep in mind a few safety tips. First, make sure you're using a reputable version of the platform. Second, be sure to use a unique address for each transaction to increase your privacy. And third, avoid reusing addresses, as this can decrease your privacy.

Samourai Bitcoin Wallet

The next privacy-focused wallet I want to talk about is the Samourai Bitcoin Wallet. Samourai is one of the leading mobile privacy wallets for Bitcoin. It's branded as "a Bitcoin wallet for the streets" and comes with a number of unique privacy features.

One of the key features of Samourai is its built-in IP-address anonymization. It supports both TOR (The Onion Router) and VPN (Virtual Private Networks) to help hide your IP address. This makes it much more difficult for hackers and other bad actors to track your transactions.

Another great feature of Samourai is that it generates a new public address with every new transaction. This makes it much more difficult for anyone to track your transaction history.

In addition to these features, Samourai also offers alerts that prevent you from using the same address, a Ricochet send feature that sends your transaction through multiple BTC addresses before reaching the destination account, and Stonewall transaction protection that increases the difficulty of linking transaction inputs, outputs, and metadata.

It is important to note that at the moment, Samourai wallet is available only for Android devices. But the iOS version is in the making.

BitLox Hardware Wallet

The last privacy-focused wallet I want to talk about is the BitLox Hardware Wallet. BitLox is a hardware wallet that lets you create up to 100 distinct wallets, including hidden ones with an unlimited number of addresses.

One of the key advantages of BitLox is its packaging to deliver privacy according to individual needs. There are three variations of BitLox wallet: BitLox Advanced, BitLox Ultimate, and BitLox Extreme Privacy Set.

The BitLox Advanced is the standard version that lets you keep up to 100 wallets with countless addresses. The BitLox Ultimate supports the ability to hide up to 50 of your created wallets, and the BitLox Extreme Privacy Set is a complete set of Bitcoin hardware wallet and a military-grade USB vault with the preinstalled Tails operating system with Tor-compatible web tool.

All variations of the wallet come with a 5-year guarantee. At the moment, the wallet supports only Bitcoin, but support for Ethereum and other altcoins is in development.

It's worth noting that when using BitLox, it's important to keep in mind the same safety tips as with any other hardware wallet. Be sure to keep your recovery phrases safe and secure, and don't share them with anyone.

Protecting your financial privacy is an important step in self-custodying your digital assets. And while there are many ways to do this, using a privacy-focused wallet is one of the best options. TornadoCash, Samourai Bitcoin Wallet, and BitLox Hardware Wallet are all great choices for privacy-focused wallets. Each of them offers unique features and advantages, so be sure to research and find the best option for you.

Remember, it's important to take the necessary steps to protect your financial privacy and keep your assets safe. So whether you're an individual or an organization, be sure to use a privacy-focused wallet and stay anonymous on the blockchain.

Well, that's it folks! We've covered a lot of ground in this guide on how to protect your cryptocurrency. From the importance of self-custody to using privacy-focused wallets, we've covered all the key aspects of keeping your digital assets safe and secure.

I hope you found this guide helpful and informative. It's important to remember that the world of cryptocurrency can be a bit overwhelming at times, but with the right tools and knowledge, you can protect your assets and stay ahead of the curve.
State-owned explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) is in talks with global majors like American oil and gas giant ExxonMobil and Norwegian energy multinational Equinor on technology sharing for revamping its exploration operations.

The Maharatna company held discussions with these entities during the ongoing India Energy Week over deepwater exploration technologies.

It also held parleys with the American oil services conglomerate Baker Hughes during the mega event.

ONGC Chairman A.K. Singh said, during a panel discussion, that "the world is now getting balanced, as deep-sea investments are becoming economical. A combination of factors is there".

The company plans to enhance its production of petroleum products during the next two fiscals, and is looking at newer technologies to push its exploration activities.

On its Energy Strategy 2040, Singh said: "Now, the investments needed are more as renewables have come in. So, there is an issue of structural inefficiencies which have crept in. The transition to renewables is a reality, however, oil and gas will remain in focus in the journey. It will happen eventually."
The Indian government on Tuesday signed a pact with the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) for strengthening cooperation in the field of data and research and for enhancing global energy security, stability, and sustainability.

The Statement of Intent (SoI) was signed in the presence of Petroleum and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri, by P Manoj Kumar, Director General of Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) and Fatih Birol, Executive Director of IEA, on the sidelines of India Energy Week, being held in Bengaluru from February 6 to 8.

The SoI will initiate cooperation in the energy sector between the PPAC and the IEA, wherein comprehensive datasets, reports and analyses will be made available for better analysis and interpretation.

The training and internships of officers from PPAC to IEA for energy modelling and statistics by IEA experts would also be organised to develop skillsets required for challenges posed by energy transition.

Both PPAC and IEA intend to co-operate under the pact in the areas of energy market data and statistics, biofuels (bioethanol and biodiesel) and compressed bio-gas (CBG) and other emerging fuels.
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.
San Mateo, CA (94402)

Today

Mainly clear. Low around 45F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low around 45F. W winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.
A worker has died after a rail-related incident overnight at BHPs Boodarie facility near Port Hedland.

BHP WA Iron Ore asset president Brandon Craig said a person was struck by a locomotive at about 9.30pm Tuesday.

It is with deep sadness that we confirm a member of BHPs WA team was fatally injured in an incident at our rail yard in Port Hedland last night, he said.

All of us at BHP are devastated by this tragic event. Of course, that is nothing compared to the grief and loss being felt by the persons family, friends and colleagues.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on February 11, 1993

Customs seizes death music in Sydney raids

Customs officers have raided 20 Sydney music stores this week and seized boxes of death metal compact discs and cassettes, banned because of their violent and sexually explicit lyrics.

I like the rough, raw sound of it. ... death metal fan Mr Michael McMahon, in his bedroom. February 9, 1993. Credit: Michele Mossop

The raids, conducted during the past three days, were based on information about shipments of the banned music arriving in Australia from the United States.

Some death metal music, which describes in graphic detail such themes as cruelty, necrophilia and self-mutilation, has been banned in Australia by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
The West Australian government continued to approve Alcoas bauxite mining practices, which threaten Perths drinking water supply, despite its own departments raising grave concerns about the issue for at least two years.

This masthead can also reveal that the US aluminium giants latest mining plans have not met strict expectations set by State Development Minister Roger Cook.

Alcoa blasting bauxite to prepare for mining near Serpentine Dam. Credit: WA Forest Alliance

Internal government advice obtained by this masthead exposed serious fears that Alcoas mining practices near the Serpentine Dam left the water vulnerable to flows of pollutants and disease-causing pathogens from mining sediment in the event of heavy rainfall.

Alcoa experienced 227 drainage failures and spilled more than 100,000 litres of diesel and hydraulic oil over the past five years including in water catchment zones throughout the Darling Scarp.
The family of a Sydney man missing in Turkey has called for the Australian government to help find out whether he survived the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria this week.

Glebe man Can Pahali, who is in his 50s, was holidaying and visiting his sister in the Turkish province of Hatay when two powerful earthquakes struck on Monday morning.

Speaking on Channel 7s Sunrise on Wednesday morning, Pahalis niece Katherine said her brother was flying to Turkey in a desperate attempt to find out whether their uncle was alive.

The death toll has soared above 7200 as of Wednesday morning (AEDT) and is expected to rise as widespread search efforts continue.
Most evenings in the states up-for-grab seats, NSW Labor is holding focus groups to take the temperature of the electorate. And they repeatedly show exactly what youd expect.

Cost of living is biting. Anyone who buys groceries  everyone  is all too aware that food prices are soaring. Recent research by this mastheads pollster, Jim Reed, for NSW Farmers found 93 per cent of voters singled out rising prices  particularly for fresh food and groceries  as their top concern ahead of the March 25 election.

Eye on the prize: poker machine reform may not be at the front of voters minds, but is that an acceptable reason for Chris Minns not to support it? Credit: Rhett Wyman

Equally, anyone with a mortgage is hurting after nine successive rate rises since May. It must be an expensive exercise for Labor to determine the bleeding obvious. And, of course, theres not a whole lot that a state government, of any complexion, can do to address these concerns. Nonetheless, Labor is relying on its research almost exclusively to drive its policies, which explains why and how the party lands where it does on many issues. The most glaring example is Labors lukewarm response to the Perrottet governments proposed gambling reform.

Labor strategists are quick to point out that voters are not raising the poker machine reforms as an issue in their nightly focus groups. Perhaps not. But nor are they raising opposition to it.
South Africa: Former EC Health messenger sentenced for fraudulent R23.7m PPE contract

A former messenger in the office of ex-Eastern Cape Health MEC, Sindiswa Gomba, has been handed a 10-year prison sentence for fraudulently awarding a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) tender.

This was after the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court found that Ayanda Matinise (37) used his proximity to the office of Gomba to commit the fraud, as the country was in a State of Disaster.

During the State of Disaster at the time, government departments and entities were allowed some deviation from the ordinary procurement procedures.

In a statement, Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, said: In the period between 9 and 17 September 2020, Matinise wrote, signed, and sent a forged letter to Falaz Protection Services (PTY) LTD (FALAZ) under the false pretences that the ECDOH [Eastern Cape Department of Health] commits to procuring 700 000 nitrile, non-sterile, powder-free examination KN 95 surgical masks.

Consequently, FALAZ submitted the quotation and a declaration of interest to Matinise, accompanied by a quotation valued at R23.7 million. Upon the authorisation of such supply and delivery through the forged commitment letter, a delivery of consignment of PPEs was made by FALAZ at the ECDOH OR Tambo District stores in Mthatha.

Tyali said when the FALAZ Director demanded payment for services rendered, and even paid Matinise R3 000 to expedite the payment, it became apparent that the officials responsible for payment and issuing of commitment letters at ECDOH had no knowledge of the forged commitment letter.

The company decided to collect the consignment, but large quantities of it were missing, including 130 000 KN 95 masks and 70 000 surgical masks, to the value of R2.6 million. Investigations conducted by the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) and the Hawks led to the arrest of Matinise, he said.

During trial, Matinise pleaded not guilty, downplaying his role to that of a merge messenger and attempted to implicate the officials who blew the whistle as having been involved in large scale corruption.

However, under cross-examination by the State Advocate, Matinise contradicted himself and changed his version at least three times. The court rejected his defence.

The prosecution prayed for the imposition of the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years for the fraud amounting to more than R500 000, but the court found that compelling and exceptional circumstances existed justifying a deviation.

Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, commended the prosecuting team, SIU investigators and the Hawks for securing that conviction and sentence of one of the people who used the COVID-19 pandemic to illegally enrich themselves.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Construction at a railway station is forcing cars to crowd onto a footpath 20 metres from a level crossing thats yet to be upgraded as part of a $209 million project on Brisbanes northside.

The problem has emerged directly across Carseldines Beams Road from another building site, where the Queensland government wants 182 sustainable-energy terrace homes built by 2024.

Cars on the grass verge of Beams Road have to reverse into traffic while work proceeds at Carseldine train station. Credit: Tony Moore

The Palaszczuk government had said work on the level crossing in Carseldine would begin shortly after Christmas. However, the state opposition last week complained no work had begun.

While that might be true of the level crossing, work to upgrade parking at Carseldine train station has begun but led motorists to park dangerously.
Hundreds of Brisbane property owners are handing more money to the council under its new rates category for Airbnb-style rentals, pitched at making more homes available for longer-term tenants.

But seven months on, it is unclear how many properties have been returned to the long-term rental market.

Brisbane City Council announced it would hike rates for whole properties listed on Airbnb-style platforms for more than 60 days a year last June. Credit: Matt Dennien, Supplied

Despite urging owners to identify themselves if their properties met the criteria for the new rates category  a house or unit listed for rent for more than 60 days in a year  most were located via a big-data tech platform the council signed up for in October.

Of the 459 properties now under the Transitory Accommodation category, 394 were identified by the new platform, 61 from owners who came forward, and just four from complaints.
A Sydney man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a Brazilian national at Surfers Paradise in 2019 during a brawl.

Ricky Kevin Lefoe, 32, stood trial this week in the Brisbane Supreme Court accused of the unlawful killing of Ivan Patricio Susin, then aged 29, during the street brawl.

Following two days of evidence and final directions from Chief Justice Helen Bowskill on Wednesday morning, the jury returned its verdict within a couple of hours.

In court on Wednesday, Lefoe held his head in his hand and Susins family members in the public gallery quietly gasped as the verdict was read out.
Three more teenagers have been charged after an alleged robbery in southern Queensland left an elderly man fighting for life in hospital.

The boys  aged 15, 16 and 17  were arrested over the alleged attack and robbery of a 75-year-old man in Toowoomba on Monday.

Police say the 75-year-old victim was waiting at a taxi rank when he was struck from behind.

The 17-year-old boy was charged with armed robbery with violence, grievous bodily harm, and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

The 16-year-old was charged with armed robbery and grievous bodily harm, while the 15-year-old was charged with burglary, enter dwelling and commit, stealing, and two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
Renowned sculptor Peter Corlett, creator of the marvellously evocative statues of Victorias longest serving premiers, can start sharpening his chisel. This month, Daniel Andrews will qualify for immortalisation in bronze by hitting 3000 days in office. He will join John Cain jnr, Rupert Hamer, Henry Bolte and Albert Dunstan in the select grouping of premiers (four at present out of 48) who form the truncated avenue of political honour in the forecourt of 1 Treasury Place.

Thereafter, the milestones come thick and fast for Andrews. In April he will eclipse Cains record as the longest-serving Labor premier in the states history. Then, if as he has vowed, he stays a full term, he will progressively leapfrog Hamer, James McCulloch (who qualifies for a statue but anomalously has missed out) and Dunstan, to become Victorias second-longest-serving premier behind the Liberal postwar colossus, Bolte.

Credit: Matt Davidson

Longevity of office isnt everything. But combined with his record of activism in government, Andrews will undoubtedly be remembered as a titan of Victorian politics.

His reign has been momentous in several ways. Most obvious is his electoral genius. He won office at his first attempt in 2014, defeating Denis Napthines Coalition government: the first single-term administration for 60 years in Victorian politics. Andrews has followed with two landslide victories, in 2018 and 2022. He has joined Cain and Steve Bracks, two other modern three-time election-winning Labor premiers, in making the ALP the states natural party of government.
Four people who died in a car crash in Victorias north accepted a lift from a stranger minutes before the fatal incident, a court has been told.

Harinder Singh, 41, was on Wednesday granted bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court, after putting up $270,000 in equity from his sisters home as a surety he would abide by bail conditions.

Four men died after a car and ute collided in Pine Lodge, near Shepparton, in January. Credit: Joe Armao

He faces four charges of dangerous driving causing death.

The Indian national was holidaying in Australia and staying with his sister at Shepparton when he was shown around a vegetable farm on January 4 with the intention of working there to satisfy a visa, police allege.
Victoria Police release CCTV following Deer Park non-fatal shooting

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
The BHP worker fatally hit by a train on Tuesday has been identified as Port Hedland local Jody Byrne.

BHP WA Iron Ore Asset President Brandon Craig said the 51-year-old was working at the Boodarie facility, near Port Hedland, when he was struck by the locomotive at about 9.30pm.

Jody Byrne. Credit: Facebook

Jody joined BHP in 2013 and worked in our Queensland coal and WA iron ore teams, he said.

Jody is survived by his wife, three daughters and four grandchildren.
Water quality experts have shed light on the health risks posed by drinking water contaminants amid revelations the government is worried that Alcoas bauxite mining practices could shut down Perths biggest dam.

On Wednesday, this masthead revealed internal state government documents indicated Alcoas operation in the jarrah forest was presenting an increasing threat to the nearby Serpentine Dam, a key part of the citys drinking water supply network.

Serpentine Dam.

Authorities believe the threat has been amplified by a shift in the miners practices which has increased the risk of sediment washing into the dam and dragging with it chemical pollutants and disease-causing pathogens.

The government, which has raised concerns with Alcoa, was told by the Water Corporation a spill could necessitate a $2.6 billion spend to clean up the water and force a shutdown of the 78 billion-litre dam which comprises almost one-fifth of Perths total water supply.
A sprawling Dalkeith mansion at the centre of a huge court win against the Australian Taxation Office has hit the market.

It comes less than four months after the High Court ruled Perth lifestyle blogger Bernadette Bosanac was allowed to keep the home despite the ATO trying to take it to settle her estranged husbands $9.34 million tax debt.

Bernadette Bosanac and her Dalkeith home: the lifestyle blogger is planning to downsize.

The French Art Deco-inspired home on a 1163sqm block is listed from $6.75 million by real estate agent Peter Robertson of William Porteous Properties International Dalkeith.

The home was purchased for $4.5 million in 2006.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has rejected claims by former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull that Australias plan to acquire nuclear submarines under the AUKUS pact will undermine the nations sovereignty.

Both Keating and Turnbull have argued AUKUS will make Australia too dependent on the United States at a time the nation should be becoming more self-reliant.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has dismissed concerns AUKUS will undermine Australian sovereignty. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In a speech to parliament on Thursday, Marles will strongly defend AUKUS in a bid to soothe any lingering concerns about the pact within the Labor base ahead of a major announcement in March about the type of nuclear-powered submarine technology Australia will acquire.

Preparation is under way for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to travel to Washington for a possible joint press conference with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with expectation building that Australia will adopt a joint next-generation submarine model combining American and British technology.
A veteran Liberal Party activist insists she is the rightful heir to the Senate seat left vacant after the death of Jim Molan, warning the party will appear misogynistic and hypocritical if it overlooks strong women such as herself in favour of a man.

Mary-Lou Jarvis, a former NSW Liberal Party vice-president and head of the NSW Liberal Womens Council, has staked her claim to Molans seat on the basis she was the next endorsed candidate on the partys 2022 NSW Senate ticket.

Mary-Lou Jarvis wrote to the NSW Liberal Party president to insist she is the rightful successor to the late Jim Molan.

A factional war is brewing in the party over the Senate vacancy with moderate former Liberal MPs Andrew Constance and Fiona Scott preparing to run against conservative frontrunner Dallas McInerney, the head of Catholic Schools NSW.

In a leaked letter to NSW Liberal President Maria Kovacic, sent on Tuesday, Jarvis said the people of NSW were being denied the representation they are legally entitled to in the Australian Senate and warned the party it would deepen its much publicised women problem if she is not selected for the seat.
The Andrews government has spent almost a year sitting on a report which recommended sweeping changes to the states bail laws well before a damning coroners report into the death in custody of Veronica Nelson.

The parliamentary report was handed down last March and effectively mirrors the recent recommendations from Coroner Simon McGregor.

Premier Daniel Andrews has vowed to change Victorias bail laws within the next six months. Credit: James Brickwood

Aboriginal legal groups, the state opposition and the chair of the bipartisan committee spent two years investigating Victorias justice system and recommended overhauling bail laws and giving consideration of a persons Aboriginality during the bail process.

Theyve slammed the government for ignoring the committees work, which made 100 recommendations for change.
Copenhagen: Norways justice minister apologised for having failed to admit, when quizzed in Parliament, that she had installed and used TikTok on her government-issued phone.

The popular video-sharing app is Chinese owned, which has raised fears in the West that Beijing could use it to scoop up user data or push pro-China narratives or misinformation.

Norways Minister of Justice, Emilie Enger Mehl, left, at an event last year. Credit: AP

Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl, 29, told parliamentarians on Wednesday that she had installed TikTok on her government phone for about a month last autumn and has since deleted it. Questioned by opposition MPs in the past, she had dodged the issue citing security reasons.

I could have been open about this earlier, Enger Mehl said on Wednesday. I am sorry that the matter has developed in that way. ... I see in retrospect that I should have been open about the fact that I had TikTok on a (government) phone earlier.
Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has begun a promised policy reset by axing a number of his predecessor Jacinda Arderns unpopular policies.

Focusing on those doing it tough during high inflation, he pledged to stop a public media merger, cut a social insurance scheme and increase the minimum hourly wage to $NZ22.70 ($20.60).

New Zealands new PM Chris Hipkins is ditching some of Jacinda Arderns policies to help revive Labours chances at the next election. Credit: Getty

Hipkins, who became leader last month after Arderns surprise exit, pledged to rein in spending, cutting the governments cloth for tougher economic times.

He led his new teams first cabinet meeting in Wellington on Wednesday.
Castries, Saint Lucia:--- Under the theme Enabling Sustainable Futures- Be The One To Make The Change, Republic Bank in January unveiled its 2023 Power To Make A Difference (PMAD) partners within the East Caribbean Territories.

PMAD is Republic Banks overarching social investment programme built on the knowledge that the bank has the power to make a difference by empowering others to learn, help, care, and succeed. It is done through collaboration with advocacy groups in the pursuit of building successful and sustainable societies.

The in-person event was held in St. Kitts, with token handovers occurring in the other territories of Anguilla, Dominica, St. Maarten, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent, and the Grenadines.

In explaining the introduction of the program to the East Caribbean islands, and the process of partner selection, PMAD Advisory Council member Pierre Liburd, explained

Insert Clip 1: Pierre Liburd. IN (00:01) Giving Republic Banks  OUT (01:08) decision-making processes.

The highlight of the event was the announcement of the sixteen (16) partners who will be walking hand in hand with Republic Bank to spearhead social transformation in our East Caribbean territories. Two partners each were selected in Anguilla, Dominica and St. Maarten, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts/Nevis and four in Saint Lucia.

The projects to be implemented throughout 2023 include green energy generation, entrepreneurship, equipping vulnerable persons with life skills and access to sustainable livelihoods, greater access to education, training and employment opportunities, reducing non-communicable diseases and community development,

Insert Clip 2  Footage from RBEC PMAD partners token handover.

For the island of St. Maarten, The K1 Britannia Foundation, whose program provides work force entry level youth, access to a Training & Social Development Program, was selected as a PMAD partner, in addition to Freegan Food Foundation, targeting food security in times of emergencies and economic hardship via a well-stocked foodbank that eliminates wastage.

Republic Bank EC Limited Managing Director Michelle Palmer, in applauding the new partners, captured the spirit of PMAD.

Insert Clip 3: Michelle Palmer. IN (00:00) We live in OUT (02:18) .voluntourism programme.

Republic Bank is inviting everyone to follow closely the progress of its Power To Make A Difference Partners and is hoping that through this anyone, from even the humblest beginnings can Be The One, To Make The Change.
U.S. Consulate General Curacao Announces 2023 Fellows for the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI)

The U.S. Mission to the Dutch Caribbean is proud to announce the 2023 cohort for the U.S. Department of States Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program. Three young leaders from Curacao and one from Sint Maarten have been selected.

The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship is the U.S. Department of States flagship program for emerging entrepreneurs and business leaders from the Western Hemisphere. During a fully funded five-week exchange program, the Fellowship offers YLAI Fellows the opportunity to improve their leadership and entrepreneurial skills through hands-on experience, online coursework, and face-to-face training. The YLAI Fellowship fosters business relationships and connections between entrepreneurs in the United States and those across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.

The Dutch Caribbean 2023 cohort is:

Dominque Hodge, Sint Maarten - Dominique works in the Food and Beverages sector as an ice pop specialist providing tasty local treats from her company Tropsical. During the host placement, Dominique hopes to learn how to be an effective leader and how to assemble a team with similar values to grow the brand and inspire others to become entrepreneurs.

Monifa Jansen, Curacao - Monifa works in the Fashion sector as a self-employed social media content creator (influencer) leading a vast online audience, mainly focused on beauty, arts, and fashion. During the host placement, she hopes to learn from a US business how to expand her business beyond content creation and move to the next level of entrepreneurship.

Caroline Kolk, Curacao - Caroline is a holistic health and wellness practitioner who works in the Health sector leading The Space. During the host placement, Caroline hopes to find a partner that can help the company expand across the Caribbean and into Central and South America, making the region the top destination for healing and well-being.

Alton Paas, Curacao - Alton works in the Health sector leading Fundashon Alton Paas, a non-profit working to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries and other neurological disabilities. During the host placement, he hopes to learn how to extend the foundations impact and further awareness and services.

The 2023 YLAI Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, launched in December with a virtual Fellowship Leadership Curriculum and orientation. In May, fellows will split into cohorts and travel to 19 cities across the United States for four-week professional placements with U.S. businesses. They will collaborate with their peers to address shared business challenges, as well as engage in virtual and in-person events and cross-cultural activities. At the end of their professional placement, YLAI Fellows will travel to Washington, D.C. for the YLAI Closing Forum, before returning home to complete their Entrepreneurial Leadership Action Plans.

Fellows return to their ventures with new skills, resources, ongoing support from U.S. counterparts, and a broader network. YLAI strengthens business ties between the U.S. and Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, and promotes inclusive economic growth by giving a diverse array of entrepreneurs access to ongoing professional development opportunities, mentorship, life-long connections, and continued collaboration with U.S. partners.

If you are an entrepreneur aged 23-35 and want to expand your business and learn new skills, the YLAI Fellowship Program is for you. Apply today and dont miss your chance to collaborate and network with U.S. organizations and other entrepreneurial leaders across the region! Applications for the 2024 YLAI Program are due February 15. Visit ylai.state.gov/apply to apply.

For further information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and follow the fellowship on social media using #YLAI2023.

The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.






Li-Metal Announces Participation in Upcoming Investor Webinar and Industry Conferences

Li-Metal Corp. (CSE:LIM) (OTCQB:LIMFF) (FSE:5ZO) (aLi-Metala or athe Companya  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/li-metal-corp/ ), a leading developer of lithium metal anode and lithium metal technologies critical for next-generation batteries, today announced its participation in an upcoming investor webinar and the following industry conferences.

Swiss Resource Capital Investor Webinar:

On February 28, 2023 at 11AM ET, Swiss Resource Capital will host an investor webinar where Li-Metal management will update investors on the Companya?s lithium metal and anode technologies and provide a market outlook. For more information or to register for this webinar, please visit: http://bit.ly/3DEOlAc.

Upcoming Industry Conference Participation:

Electric Autonomy EV Innovation & Technology Conference 2023 (Toronto, Ontario), February 8, 2023:

This event will showcase individuals and companies working to accelerate and transform the electric vehicle (EV) industry in Canada. Kunal Phalpher, President, will take part in the Next-Generation Battery Innovations panel. For more information, please visit link.

TechBlink Battery Materials Conference: Next-Generation & Beyond Lithium-Ion (Virtual), February 15-16, 2023:

At this virtual event focused on covering solid-state batteries and advanced materials for next-generation batteries, Maciej Jastrzebski, CEO and co-founder, will present on producing lithium metal from lithium carbonate. For more information, please visit link.

NAATBatt 14th Annual Meeting & Conference (Phoenix, Arizona), February 20-23, 2023:

Kunal Phalpher and Dean Frankel, Chief Commercial Officer, will be attending this leading battery industry conference hosted by the trade association of the advanced battery industry in North America. For more information, please visit

CERAWeek by S&P Global (Houston, Texas), March 6-10, 2023:

This highly prestigious energy conference is focused on bringing together industry leaders, government officials, and innovators to discuss the road ahead for the global energy markets, geopolitics and technology. Kunal Phalpher will be presenting during CERAWeeka?s Innovation Agora program, which focuses on transformational technology for the future of energy. For more information, please visit link.

About Li-Metal Corp.

Li-Metal is a Canadian-based company developing lithium metal anodes and lithium metal production technologies for use in next-generation batteries. Our production methods are significantly more sustainable than existing products and enable lighter, more energy-dense and safer batteries that are critical to tomorrowa?s electric vehicles. For more information, visit: www.li-metal.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains aforward-looking informationa within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as aexpectsa, aanticipatesa, abelievesa, aprojectsa, aplansa and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements about, among other things, the Companya?s strategic plans are forward-looking information. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on managementa?s reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the development of the business of the Company will be completed as described above. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law.

Li-Metal Investor Contact:

Salisha Ilyas

ir@li-metal.com

Tel: +1 647 494 4887

Li-Metal Media Contact:

Harry Nicholas

Li-MetalPR@icrinc.com
Calibre Outlines 2023 Multi-Rig Gold Discovery and Resource Expansion Drill Programs in Nevada and Nicaragua

Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX: CXB; OTCQX: CXBMF) (the \Company\ or \Calibre\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/calibre-mining-corp/ ) is pleased to provide an update on the Company\-s 2023, multi-jurisdictional, 100 km discovery and resource expansion drill programs.

Nicaragua

2022 Exploration Highlights

Year end 2021 Mineral Reserves increased to over 1 Moz, the largest reserve base at record grades over the past 12 years (6.85 Mt, 4.6 g/t Au, 1.01 Moz) (see news release dated Feb 23, 2022);

Successfully completed 2022 drill programs designed to target >250,000-ounce deposits to bolster the Companya?s project pipelines, providing a solid base for growth;

Discovered the bonanza grade Panteon North zone, highlight results include: 66.0 g/t Au over 5.6m, 52.5 g/t Au over 3.8m, 26.0 g/t Au over 8.1m (see news releases dated September 7, 2022 and June 27, 2022);

Outlined a multi-kilometre prospective aVTEM Gold Corridora for future expansion, initial results include: 11.6 g/t Au over 9.3m, 1.5 km along trend of Panteon North (see news release dated December 8, 2022).

2023 Plans and Key Objectives a 60 km of Drilling

Approved a US$20 million exploration budget including 60 km of drilling focused on resource expansion and discovery with seven drill rigs operating across the assets;

High-grade expansion opportunities at Panteon VTEM Corridor, Talavera extension, Veta Azul and Volcan, which are not yet included in the Companya?s Resource statement;

Additional Resource expansion and grade increase opportunities at our Eastern Borosi Project (aEBPa) including Blag, La Luna and East Dome, as well as Riscos de Oro Southwest and Northeast extensions;

First pass drilling at the recently permitted Buena Vista and La Fortuna concessions, located near the Limon and Libertad mine complexes, respectively.

Nevada

2022 Exploration Highlights

Successfully completed 2022 drilling programs designed to increase confidence in the Pan and Gold Rock mineral resources while looking for expansion opportunities;

Discovered deeper aCarlin Stylea?, sulphide mineralization at Gold Rock Deep including: 6.8 g/t Au over 4.6m and 6.6 g/t Au over 5.8m (see news release dated November 22, 2022);

Discovered the at surface Coyote gold oxide zone at Pan including 1.36 g/t Au over 13.7m and 0.61 g/t Au over 18.3m (see news release dated January 17, 2023).

2023 Plans and Key Objectives a 40 km of Drilling

Approved a US$9 million exploration budget including 40 km of drilling focused on new discovery outside the fence at both Pan and Gold Rock;

Numerous discovery opportunities along a 5 km trend south of the Pan resource area and centered on the new Coyote discovery to be drilled following up on the recent drilling success;

Generative program underway including mineral alteration classification and structural interpretation.

Darren Hall, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calibre, stated: aI am very pleased with the outcome of our 2022 drill programs in both jurisdictions. The team were able to deliver our objective of identifying new, robust deposits, confirming the significant discovery and resource expansion potential across our underexplored assets. The high-grade Panteon North zone and the multi-kilometre long VTEM Gold Corridor remain our top priorities in Nicaragua, while the Coyote gold discovery at Pan, and deeper Carlin-style targets at Gold Rock have the team very excited in Nevada.

We continue to see new and expanding, high-quality exploration opportunities which will benefit from the continued self-funding of our exploration programs aimed at discovering and delineating new resources to organically grow production in Nicaragua.a

Overview of 2023 Nicaragua Exploration Targets

Limon, Panteon North and VTEM Gold Corridor: A Located approximately 5 km east of the El Limon mill and discovered in 2022 with high-grade gold mineralization, Panteon North is expected to positively impact the 2022 mineral resource and reserve statement. The zone consists of steeply dipping, ultra-high-grade gold veins striking broadly south-east to north-west at the main ore shoot at Panteon North. An airborne VTEM geophysical survey has outlined a high-low resistivity contact which extends for approximately 6 km to the north. Early indications of further high-grade mineralization up to 2.5 km north of the main ore shoot bodes well for additional discovery along the VTEM Corridor.

Limon, Talavara Extension: Located west of the main El Limon trend and mill, Talavara is a former underground mining area with past production of up to 800,000 ounces of high grade, low sulphidation gold.A

Buena Vista Concession: Located approximately 20 km east of the Limon Mine complex and 10 km northwest of the La India mine along the same structural trend which controls the gold mineralization at La India. Drill permits were received in late 2022 with plans to test several never-drilled targets in 2023.

Libertad, Veta Azul: This new target, located 10 km from the La Libertad Complex, was identified by our field team in 2022. Historic artisanal mining at surface along with high-grade surface samples indicate a 1.5 km strike extension. Drilling will commence in early 2023 to test depth extensions and delineate potential ore shoots along the trend.

EBP: Mining is scheduled to commence from Calibrea?s EBP project in the first half of 2023. Several original Calibre deposits (dating pre 2019 B2 Gold transaction) have current inferred mineral resources and have not been drilled for many years. There is potential to upgrade several of these resources to the indicated category while focusing on several zones of higher grade. A

Overview of 2023 Nevada Exploration Targets

Pan Mine, Coyote: Located south of the Pan resource area, Coyote was originally proposed for follow-up on soil and rock anomalies at the Pilot/Guilmette geological contact.A Assay results from 2022 RC drill holes PR22-237 and PR22-238 discovered gold mineralization in the lower Pilot formation and into the Guilmette formation.A In 2023 Calibre will drill the area adjacent to these holes to confirm if mineralization is found in the same lithology along the north-south trending valley containing the Pilot-Guilmette contact. Numerous additional targets south of the Coyote gold discovery along the multi-kilometre trend of favorable Guilmette formation will be drilled in 2023.

Gold Rock Deep: Located approximately 15 km southwest of the Pan mine Calibre discovered Gold Rock Deep, a north-east extension of the main Gold Rock surface oxide deposit. Initial drilling has confirmed Carlin-style sulphide mineralization with the potential of a larger, higher-grade deposit at depth.A High priority drilling is planned for early 2023.

Link 1  Figures

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Calibre maintains a Quality Assurance/Quality Control (\QA/QC\) program for all its exploration projects using industry best practices. Key elements of the QA/QC program include verifiable chain of custody for samples, regular insertion of certified reference standards and blanks, and duplicate check assays. Drill core is halved and shipped in sealed bags to Bureau Veritas in Managua, Nicaragua, an independent analytical services provider with global certifications for Quality Management Systems ISO 9001:2008, Environmental Management: ISO14001 and Safety Management OH SAS 18001 and AS4801. Prior to analysis, samples are prepared at Veritas\- Managua facility and then shipped to its analytical facility in Vancouver, Canada. Gold analyses are routinely performed via fire assay/AA finish methods. For greater precision of high-grade material, samples assaying 10A g/t Au or higher are re-assayed by fire assay with gravimetric finish. Analyses for silver and other elements of interest are performed via Induction Coupled Plasma (ICP)

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release was approved by David Schonfeldt P.GEO, Calibre Mininga?s Corporate Chief Geologist and a \Qualified Person\ under National Instrument 43-101.

About Calibre Mining Corp.

Calibre Mining is a Canadian-listed, Americas focused, growing mid-tier gold producer with a strong pipeline of development and exploration opportunities across Nevada and Washington in the USA, and Nicaragua. Calibre is focused on delivering sustainable value for shareholders, local communities and all stakeholders through responsible operations and a disciplined approach to growth. With a strong balance sheet, a proven management team, strong operating cash flow, accretive development projects and district-scale exploration opportunities Calibre will unlock significant value.

Note: Estimated True Widths for reported vein intercepts are based on 3D models of the individual veins. Estimates are determined in cross-section by measuring the modelled vein thickness perpendicular to the vein margins and through the midpoint of the drill hole intercept. Percentage based differences between individual ETWa?s and down-hole interval lengths will vary between drill holes depending on drill hole inclination, variations in vein strike and dip, and overall geometries of the different vein systems.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain \forward-looking information\ and \forward-looking statements\ (collectively \forward-looking statements\) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are identified by words such as \expect\, \plan\, \anticipate\, \project\, \target\, \potential\, \schedule\, \forecast\, \budget\, \estimate\, \intend\ or \believe\ and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions \will\, \would\, \may\, \could\, \should\ or \might\ occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: the \-Company\-s expectations toward higher grades mined and processed going forward; statements relating to the \-Company\-s 2022 priority resource expansion opportunities; the \-Company\-s metal price and cut-off grade assumptions; the \-Company\-s plans for the Pan Mine for 2022, including production and exploration and its contribution to production growth. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Calibre\-s control. For a listing of risk factors applicable to the Company, please refer to Calibre\-s annual information form (\AIF\) for the year ended December 31, 2021, and its management discussion and analysis (\MD&A\) for the year ended December 31, 2021, all available on the \-Company\-s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Calibre\-s forward-looking statements This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Calibrea?s forward-looking statements such as potential sanctions implemented as a result of the United States Executive Order 13851 dated October 24, 2022.

Calibre\-s forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. Such assumptions include but are not limited to: the Company being able to mine and process higher grades and keep production costs relatively flat going forward; there not being an increase in production costs as a result of any supply chain issues or ongoing COVID-19 restrictions; there being no adverse drop in metal price or cut-off grade at the \-Company\-s Nevada properties. Calibre does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management\-s beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.A
Maple Gold appoints Paul Harbidge to its technical committee and provides deep drilling update

Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX-V: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G)A (\Maple Gold\ or the \Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/maple-gold-mines-ltd/ ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Harbidge to its technical committee (the \Technical Committee\), which helps guide exploration, drilling and project management at the Company\-s projects located in QuAbec, Canada, and to provide an update on the ongoing deep drilling programs at the Douay Gold Project (\Douay\) and the Joutel Gold Project (\Joutel\), which are held by a 50/50 joint venture (\JV\) between the Company and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.

Mr. Harbidge is an accomplished geologist with more than 25 years of experience and a track record of discovering world-class gold deposits. He is currently President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Faraday Copper Corp., an emerging U.S. copper developer. Mr. Harbidge was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of GT Gold Corp. and led the company to a C$456 million acquisition by Newmont Mining Corp. in May 2021. Prior to that, Mr. Harbidge was Senior Vice President of Exploration for Goldcorp Inc. from 2016 until its acquisition by Newmont Mining Corp. in April 2019. He also led the exploration team at Randgold Resources Limited that was credited with five major gold discoveries. Mr. Harbidge holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Geology from Kingston University, London (UK) and a Master of Science in Mineral Exploration and Mining Geology from Leicester University (UK).

\We are thrilled to have Paul Harbidge join our Technical Committee, as his experience successfully leading teams to multiple world-class gold discoveries further strengthens our technical group during this critical phase of growth for the Company,\ stated Matthew Hornor, CEO of Maple Gold.A \2023 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the JV as we approach completion of the first phase (~6,000 m) of deep drilling at Joutel and with the planned deep drilling campaign (~10,000 m) at Douay testing beneath the known 6 x 2 km resource footprint already well underway.\

A total of six (6) drill holes and drillhole extensions are planned at Douay, several of which are expected to be drilled to 2,000 metres (\m\) downhole or more. Deep drilling will test beneath the current mineral resource (SLR 2022) and across the favorable Casa Berardi North Fault corridor, where modeled wireframes demonstrate the potential for higher-grade (>2 grams per tonne (\g/t\) gold (\Au\)) mineralization at greater depths.

Deep drilling at Douay commenced in early January 2023 with drill hole DO-23-331, which is collared approximately 400 m southwest of the conceptual pit limits at the 531 Zone (see Figure 1). Previous drilling at the 531 Zone has returned some of the highest-grade and largest gold accumulations (grade x thickness) to-date at Douay, including 8.8 g/t Au over 28.5 m at a depth of 295.0 m in drill hole DO-21-310 (see news from September 9, 2021). While the primary target for this hole is located approximately 1,900 m downhole, where it is expected to intersect the projection of the defined mineralized zone at the 531 Zone significantly down-plunge, DO-23-331 will also serve to test the full width of the mineralized corridor in this area (see Figure 2). DO-23-331 is currently approaching 1,100 m downhole and is proving to be more mineralized than anticipated in the hanging wall rocks (see drill core images with preliminary observations in Plate 1).

Two (2) additional drill rigs were recently mobilized to Douay and as previously reported the Company expects five (5) rigs to be turning concurrently throughout Q1/2023.

\We are encouraged and cautiously optimistic after observing significant pyrite mineralization in the upper portion of the first deep drill hole in an area well south of the 531 Zone with very limited drilling,\ stated Fred Speidel, VP Exploration of Maple Gold. \These initial observations point to the potential for these deep drill holes to intersect new mineralized horizons enroute to the targeted depths.\

Assays for the entire deep drilling program (Douay and Joutel) are pending and results will be released on a periodic basis over the coming months once they are received and interpreted.

Option Issuance

The Company has approved the grant to certain consultants of stock options (\Options\) to purchase an aggregate of 200,000 common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.26 per common share. The Options have a 5-year term and vest 1/3 immediately, 1/3 in 12 months and 1/3 in 24 months from the date of grant until fully vested.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc., P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration of Maple Gold. Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this press release through his direct participation in the work.

About Maple Gold

Maple Gold Mines Ltd. is a Canadian advanced exploration company in a 50/50 joint venture with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited to jointly advance the district-scale Douay and Joutel gold projects located in QuAbec\-s prolific Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt. The projects benefit from exceptional infrastructure access and boast ~400 km2 of highly prospective ground including an established gold resource at Douay (SLR 2022) that holds significant expansion potential as well as the past-producing Eagle, Telbel and Eagle West mines at Joutel. In addition, the Company holds an exclusive option to acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine Property.

The district-scale property package also hosts a significant number of regional exploration targets along a 55 km strike length of the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone that have yet to be tested through drilling, making the project ripe for new gold and polymetallic discoveries. The Company is well capitalized and is currently focused on carrying out exploration and drill programs to grow resources and make new discoveries to establish an exciting new gold district in the heart of the Abitibi. For more information, please visit www.maplegoldmines.com.

ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD.

\Matthew Hornor\

B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO

For Further Information Please Contact:

Mr. Joness Lang

Executive Vice-President

Cell: 778.686.6836

Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.com

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger & Marc Ollinger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch

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.

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release contains \forward-looking information\ and \forward-looking statements\ (collectively referred to as \forward-looking statements\) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about exploration work and results from current and future work programs. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management\-s best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company\-s expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.\-s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company\-s website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.


This page requires Javascript.

Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
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 (303)
Academician Razvan Theodorescu, who died on Monday at the age of 83, was buried on Wednesday with military honors in the Academicians' Section at the Bellu Orthodox Cemetery, told Agerpres.

The funeral service was officiated by the Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramures and Salaj, Andrei Andreicut, together with a council of priests.

The high hierarch presented the condolence message of the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, who emphasized that Razvan Theodorescu was an illustrious art historian, university professor, writer, academic.

"Author of numerous specialized volumes, many dedicated to Romanian monasteries and churches of heritage, of over 600 hundred articles and valuable studies published in magazines in Romania and abroad, the venerable academic Razvan Theodorescu remains the author of a work composed of books and fundamental studies of Romanian and European art history," Patriarch Daniel said.

The head of the Romanian Academy, Ioan-Aurel Pop, highlighted that professor Razvan Theodorescu taught generations of students about the life of the Romanian people, about the most beautiful things that they did for them, about the painted churches, the old medieval art, the splendor of the princely courts.

"He burned like a flame on the altar of those who founded this institution, he was moved every time in the Academy Hall, which he regarded as an Empire of the most chosen spirits of our nation. He follows now in their footsteps, in the footsteps of the founders, and he goes with the hope that he will be settled in the world of the righteous. May God rest him in peace, may he leave us a great legacy to carry forward and live from age to age in our memories. May God forgive him," said Ioan-Aurel Pop.

Academics Mircea Dumitru, vice-president of the Romanian Academy, and Sabina Ispas, representatives of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radautilor and of the International Association of Southeast European Studies, members of his family also delivered emotional speeches.

At the ceremony, there were present to lead Razvan Theodorescu on his last journey, together with his family, among others, the Minister of Culture, Lucian Romascanu, the prefect of the Capital, Toni Grebla, the president of the Writers' Union, Nicolae Manolescu, the presidents of the Composers' Union, academic Adrian Iorgulescu, president of the Union of Visual Artists, Petru Lucaci, president of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Liviu Sebastian Jicman, former president of the Constitutional Court, Valer Dorneanu, former prime ministers Adrian Nastase and Petre Roman, former Minister of Culture Ionut Vulpescu, academics, people of culture, former collaborators and students of the teacher.

A detachment of soldiers from the 30th "Mihai Viteazul" Guard Regiment presented the honour and executed three volleys with maneuver cartridges.

"A storyteller has disappeared. When you started a conversation with Razvan, you didn't want it to end. He was always interested in everything. (...) Razvan Theodorescu was, indeed, a person who could inspire others. He had this ability of inspiring people during their rough times, like when he protested against the demolition of the Vacaresti Monastery, and he kept this power of inspiring others including in the more recent times, when there is this general cultural decay. He remained a positive presence," said former president of Romania Emil Constantinescu, at the end of the ceremony.

Razvan Theodorescu, vice-president of the Romanian Academy between 2018 and 2023, died at the Floreasca Emergency Hospital, where he had been hospitalized for three weeks.

As a sign of tribute for the activity carried out in the high academic forum, on Tuesday, the coffin with the lifeless body was deposited at the Academicians' Club, after which it was placed in the Great Chapel of the Bellu Orthodox Cemetery.

Exceptional personality of contemporary Romanian culture, with an encyclopedic vocation, reputed cultural historian Razvan Theodorescu coordinated, as a specialist in art history, Romanian art and civilization, Christianity and Balkan spirituality, the activity of the Arts, Architecture and Audiovisual Section of the Academy Romanian, as president, for 10 years.

Invited professor at the Superior Center for Medieval Studies in Poitiers, Razvan Theodorescu's name is also associated with the establishment of the first UNESCO humanities desk in Romania.

His voluminous work was focused on the study of ancient Romanian art and medieval European art, on the comparative analysis of geopolitical strategies in Europe, on the study of mentalities and on the research of some niche areas from which the theory of "cultural corridors", the theory of the typology of founders, the exposition of the momentum princeps for the beginnings of European art, but also the theory of the transactional mentality of the Romanian people, which he presented in the reception speech at the Romanian Academy.

As secretary general of the International Association of Southeast European Studies (1994 - 2023), he supported numerous interdisciplinary research projects.

Laureate of the "Nicolae Balcescu" Award of the Romanian Academy and the "Gottfried von Herder" Award, conferred by the University of Vienna, academician Razvan Theodorescu was elected a member of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters in 1998.

He was awarded the National Order "For Merit" in the rank of Grand Officer by the President of Romania and the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic, in the rank of Commander, as a recognition of his indisputable contribution to the promotion of Romanian and European culture.
The total amount of European funds that entered this year in the accounts of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry (MADR) stands at over 1.5 billion EUR, the institution announced on Wednesday.

According to the quoted source, on the first days of February 2023, the MADR received in the account opened at the National Bank of Romania (BNR) the amount of 531 million EUR. These funds represent the reimbursement from the European Commission (EC) of the expenditures made by the Payments and Intervention Agency for Agriculture (APIA) in December 2022 for granting direct payments to farmers, funded from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF).

Thus, the total amount of European funds that entered the MADR accounts since the beginning of 2023 is 1.564 billion EUR, including the reimbursement from the EC from 5 January 2023.

"We bring in the country every euro put at the disposal of agriculture and rural development by the European Commission. We are on the assumed schedule regarding the accessing of European funds and we will continue on this path of granting the necessary, useful and proper subsidies in due time, being constantly concerned with supporting our farmers," Agriculture Minister Petre Daea stated. AGERPRES
The Custodian of the Crown, Her Majesty Margareta, sent a letter of condolence to the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Bucharest, Ozgur Kivanc Altan, following the earthquakes in this country.

"Like the entire Romanian society, we learned the shocking news of the human and patrimonial disaster caused by the tragic earthquake that occurred in the south of the country. On behalf of the Royal House of Romania, I convey to the State leadership of the Republic of Turkey and the entire nation our condolences and all our compassion for the immeasurable loss and human tragedy," said Margareta.

In the letter, the Custodian of the Crown notes that "the Romanian authorities have responded with great promptness and high professionalism, both the State institutions, led by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of the Interior, as well as the large national organizations, such as the Romanian Red Cross".

"The tradition of deep relations between your country and the Royal House of Romania extends for more than a century and a half, throughout our entire modern history. I am sure that, both now and in the future, the contribution of the Royal House to our country's bilateral relations with the Republic of Turkey will be deep and lasting," the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Margareta, also conveyed.AGERPRES
The allocation of 2.5pct of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) allows the strengthening of the national structure of forces in the Defence area, National Defence Minister Angel Tilvar stated on Wednesday, at the activity report of the Defence General Staff for last year, told Agerpres.

"The Romanian servicemen know what they have to do and they achieve their priorities with tenacity and adaptability. It is obviously necessary to continue the steps to adapt the legislative support in the area of defense to the new realities and I will support, in this sense, the adoption of the package with the normative projects that will facilitate the functioning more efficient of the defense institution," Minister Tilvar stated, according to a National Defence Ministry (MApN) press release.

The Chief of the Defense Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, mentioned that 2023 will unfold under the sign of the recruitment of new personnel and the training of the existing ones.

"We will have to find more effective methods for both attracting and retaining personnel in the Army. (...) Saber Guardian exercise, an important sequence in the Defender Europe 23 series, conducted by the US Land Forces in Europe and Africa, will take place in our country. At the same time, an important objective of the Romanian Army for 2023 is the achievement of the final operational capacity of the Multinational Corps South-East Command, an essential command structure in the allied security architecture in the southern area of the Eastern Flank," General Petrescu stated.

The chief of Defence underscored that, at national level, important steps were taken last year in terms of upgrading the Army. The major endowment and inventory assurance programmes registered progress. The projects started previously were continued, the contract for the purchase of 32 F-16 aircraft was signed, equipment related to HIMARS systems, PIRANHA 5 derivatives were received, the contract for coastal missiles was awarded and the framework agreement for the supply of UAS systems, the MApN mentions.

The quoted source also mentioned that procedures were started for other important programmes, such as light armored tactical vehicles. The military capabilities that were strengthened or initiated during the past year are significant in relation to the forces in the Black Sea, with an important deterrent effect. Providing servicemen with personal protective equipment was another goal achieved. The training was adjusted according to the operational requirements of the spectrum of risks and threats in Central and Eastern Europe, the release also states.

In terms of collective defence, in 2022, an important role was given to the strengthening of NATO's presence on the national territory. The allied defensive device on the Eastern Flank and, implicitly, in the Black Sea region has been strengthened and balanced, the MApN indicates.

NATO's Battle Group deployed in Cincu, increasing the US forces and capabilities at the Mihail Kogalniceanu base, mainly, but also in other places, as well as the augmentation with new allied troops of the Multinational Brigade South-East "are examples of European and transatlantic solidarity in Romania."
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, on Wednesday informed that, so far, 21 Romanian citizens have been brought back to the country from Turkey, with the support of the Ministry of National Defence, and another five will be brought back today, told Agerpres.

"Yesterday I spoke with my counterpart by phone. I assured my Turkish colleagues of all the concrete support and solidarity of Romania in these extremely difficult moments. The Turkish authorities, as you know, thank you very much for this concrete support that I have granted, especially since Romania was the first state among the member states of the European Union that concretely arrived on the ground in the fastest way possible," said Aurescu, at the beginning of the Government meeting.

He recalled that steps were taken to help the Romanians in Turkey who want to be repatriated.

"The Romanian Embassy in Ankara is in permanent contact with all Romanian citizens who have reported their presence on the territory of Turkey, especially in the areas affected by the earthquake. Steps have been taken to help those who wish to repatriate to return well in Romania. So far, 21 Romanian citizens have been brought back to the country with the support of the Ministry of National Defence. Also, another group of five Romanian citizens are being brought back today, by a scheduled flight. The Embassy of Romania in Ankara supported their boarding the plane today, so I hope they arrive safely in Romania soon," the minister said.

According to Aurescu, attention is being paid to another group of seven medical students who are part of an Erasmus program. They will also be helped to return to the country, probably also by one of the aircraft of the Ministry of National Defence.

"Also, there are still 10 Romanian citizens in the care of the Romanian Embassy in Ankara, together with three family members, but they are in remote areas (...) far from the airports, so that they cannot be taken over directly from a Turkish airport. We are making efforts to help them reach these airports and we are permanently in touch with them. Also, there are a number of 36 Romanian citizens who are in contact with the Romanian Embassy in Ankara but did not request for repatriation. They only had specific questions regarding various aspects related to the situation in Turkey," added Bogdan Aurescu.

He informed that from Syria, until this moment, there are no repatriation requests from Romanian citizens.

"As you know, we also took steps with the Syrian authorities to provide us with a list of equipment and concrete needs for humanitarian aid. We promptly sent this list to colleagues from the Ministry of Interior, to the Ministry of Health," explained Aurescu, adding that they are trying to identify some modes of transport for these aids.
Investment opportunities in the fields of defense industry, communication technology, electronics and infrastructure were analyzed on Wednesday by the Minister of Economy, Florin Spataru, and an economic delegation from South Korea, made up of representatives of the chambers of commerce from several South Korean regions, as well as international investors, told Agerpres.

"This economic mission is the first event that takes place as a result of last year's visit to South Korea. We are going to finalize the last details for the organization of the joint committee in Seoul. We are therefore taking concrete steps to strengthen bilateral relations, but more chosen in attracting investors and new business opportunities in Romania," Spataru said in a release sent to AGERPRES.

Also on Wednesday, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Lig Nex1, one of the main suppliers of equipment for the armed forces of the Republic of Korea, for the development of new capabilities in the branches of the defense industry in Romania.

"The South Korean economic mission ended with the signing of two large-scale partnerships for Romania. Two days ago, the memorandum was signed with Hanwha Aerospace, a large producer of military equipment from South Korea, and today, we signed a second partnership, of this time with Lig Nex1, a renowned company in the defense industry from Korea," added the Romanian minister of economy.

From the Korean side, the event was attended by the ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Romania, Rim Kap-Soo, the president of the Korea-Romania Economic Cooperation Committee (CEO of Hanwha Aerospace), Jaeil Son, representatives of the Romarm National Company and a delegation made up of large Korean companies, such as Samsung, SK, Hanwha, Hyundai Rotem and Lig Nex1.

"The visit of the business delegation aims to materialize the results of the visit of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, and of the Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, to Korea, last year. This economic mission will serve as a launching pad for the modernization of economic relations to the equivalent level of our strategic partnership," emphasized Rim Kap-Soo, the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Romania.

An economic mission from South Korea has taken place in Romania recently.
The extremely hard times, with two years of a pandemic and one year of war on the border, led in 2022 to an increase by just 3% in the number of start-up SMEs from 2021, far below the true potential of the Romanian economy, and to more companies closing, suspending business or being written off, Florin Jianu, chairman of the National Council of privately-run SMEs (CNIPMMR), said on Wednesday.

"Europe and Romania are coming out after two years of a pandemic and one year of a war at our borders that does not seem to end. That was visible in the economy, in terms of the increase in the number of SMEs, a growth far below the true potential of the Romanian economy, an increase of only 3% from 2021 - and a year 2022 in which more companies were closed, suspended or written off than in 2021. And that indicator shows regional disparities, it shows uneven development. We can see that the counties where social inequalities are even greater are also the counties where the entrepreneurial intensity is lower, where there is a lower number of small and medium-sized enterprises, of medium-sized companies or large companies. In 2021, we witnessed this disparity deepen with an up to 70% increase in the number of company closures in some counties, which implicitly also means loss of jobs. It is very important that moving forward we collaborate intensively and play an intensive role in terms of social forces," Jianu told an event organised in Bucharest by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in partnership with Romania's National Trade Union Bloc.

Jianu participated in one of the two thematic workshops within the program called "The future of European funds for cohesion and fair transition: with or without workers?".

He added that Romania is at a stage where its social partners can implement multi-year programmes that will structurally change the labour market, skills, entrepreneurs and those entering the economy - and thus we can bring up to European level models of good practice.

In his opinion, a protocol that should be implemented in Romania regards the digital transformation of labour. AGERPRES
As many as 167 funding applications were approved in the call for projects for the construction of digitally-operated ecological waste management islands through the 2020 - 2026 National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Forestry announced on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, Romanian local public authorities submitted 169 funding applications within the call for funding that ran from September 15 to November 24, 2022 with a financial allocation of 1.28 billion RON. Of these, 167 funding requests were approved for a total of 8,395 digitized ecological islands worth a combined 579 million RON.

The authorities estimate that the financing contracts for this sub-investment will be signed by the end of February.

Following the implementation of this program, at least 7,000 digitally-operated ecological islands will be created and rendered operational by September 30, 2024, and at least 13,752 by June 30, 2026.

The maximum eligible value of the project corresponds to an eligible unit cost as follows: above-ground multiple-container islands - 10,000 euros in allocation per island, VAT excluded; above-ground islands with individual containers - 19,000 euros in allocation per island, VAT excluded; underground islands with individual containers - 50,000 euros in allocation per island, VAT excluded. AGERPRES
The minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, had, on Wednesday, a telephone conversation with his counterpart from the Republic of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, the two officials talking about the regional security situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs.

The discussion took place in the context of the Republic of North Macedonia taking over the acting presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, "in a difficult context, marked by Russia's illegal military aggression against Ukraine", the quoted source says.

At the request of the Macedonian side, minister Bogdan Aurescu presented in detail the Romanian side's assessment of the situation in the Republic of Moldova, with an emphasis on the security context, including the war against Ukraine and the multiple overlapping crises in the neighboring country, the most serious being the economic one and energy, says the MAE.

Also, the Romanian minister presented the ample support offered by Romania to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, on all components, including for the European course of the Republic of Moldova and the achievement of democratic reforms.

Bogdan Aurescu indicated that Romania will support the organization this year, by the Republic of Moldova, of the fourth ministerial meeting of the Support Platform for the Republic of Moldova, format launched by the Romanian minister of Foreign Affairs, together with counterparts from Germany and France. He also referred to the organization by the Republic of Moldova, this year, of the meeting of the European Political Community.

At the same time, the Romanian minister emphasized that the OSCE should continue to manage the issue of protracted conflicts as a priority and mentioned the importance of maintaining the OSCE mission in the Republic of Moldova and the continuation of an effective OSCE activity in this state. At the same time, minister Bogdan Aurescu assured his Macedonian counterpart of the support that Romania will continue to give to the Republic of North Macedonia during its EU accession process.AGERPRES
The Government approved, by decision, the opening of the international state border crossing point with the Republic of Moldova, at Bumbata - Leova, as well as the establishment of the Bumbata Border Checkpoint, the spokesperson for the Executive, Dan Carbunaru announced on Wednesday.

Carbunaru specified that the decision was taken to streamline cross-border traffic at the border crossing points with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, told Agerpres.

"After the beginning of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine, the Government of Romania made continuous efforts to support the authorities in Ukraine, as well as the Ukrainian citizens, including from the perspective of streamlining the traffic at the border crossing points (...). Based on the decision taken by the Government, steps will be taken to open the new border crossing point with the Republic of Moldova, Bumbata - Leova, as well as the establishment of the Bumbata Border Checkpoint, subordinated to the Albita Border Customs Office, for international road traffic, in the sector of a floating bridge that will be installed between these two towns, Bumbata, Romania, respectively Leova, Republic of Moldova," stated Carbunaru.

He specified that this crossing point putting into operation, which will operate based on the decision approved by the Government on Wednesday, will be done after ensuring the necessary infrastructure, personnel and utilities, all to be dealt with on a priority regime.

Carbunaru mentioned that the Minister of Internal Affairs, Lucian Bode, and his counterpart from the Republic of Moldova will be present in Albita on Thursday "to witness the moment when the coordinated controls will begin at the border between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, another measure that will contribute to streamlining the traffic between Romania and the Republic of Moldova".

He also said that the Government also approved, through a memorandum, that the border crossing point at Isaccea, respectively Orlovka in Ukraine, will also function as a port in order to improve the transit of the state border between Romania and Ukraine, currently it operating in ferry mode.
The Head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, on Wednesday informs that Romania has around 28,000-29,000 operational firefighters at this point, underscoring that, in recent years, the country has invested very much in the endowment of the integrated civil protection system, told Agerpres.

"We have around 33,000 firefighters in Romania at this point. Some of them are working in offices, some are commanders. However, we are talking about 28,000 - 29,000 operational firefighters. If we want to alert Romania, and I'm telling you about our concept of response to the earthquake, it's nothing secret, we can switch to 24/24 hours in each county and take out an entire shift and move it from the first move. That means that we are already talking about, perhaps, 8,000 people, 7,000 people that we could bring only for intervention in the disaster area or disaster areas, and the others who remain will be divided into two shifts and work 24 hours a day with 24 hours pause, while their colleagues, of course, will be working in the disaster area. When the intervention is over, they go back and return to their normal schedule," Arafat told a press conference held at the Victoria Palace, when asked what the total force of specialists in emergency situations would Romania be able to mobilize in case of an earthquake.

He added that, if necessary, the number of personnel to be employed in such actions can be increased.
During his visit to Spain, minister of Health Alexandru Rafila met with representatives of the public health authorities, with specialists, but also with representatives of the medical community of Romanian origin who work in this country.

"During the day, we managed to meet with the Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Spain, with the president of the Health Committee of the Spanish Parliament. The topics discussed were of great interest. (...) We have the opportunity to collaborate in essential areas. I am referring here to public health, digitization, research and development in the field of communicable and non-communicable diseases and, last but not least, in the field of human resources," said Rafila in a press statement on the occasion of the visit to Madrid.

The Minister of Health also had a meeting with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry in Spain.

"I believe that the model of good practice developed in this country, which encourages investments in the pharmaceutical field alongside research and development, which makes this industry competitive and a great contributor to the gross domestic product of Spain should be largely taken over in our country, because Spain is a model in this sense and the problems caused by the lack of medicines on the pharmaceutical market in Spain are compensated by such a policy, which is a priority for the Spanish Government. I also had the opportunity to visit a large pharmaceutical company that makes many biological products and I believe that collaboration with prominent factories in Romania is possible and the openness shown by the Spanish colleagues is evident," declared Alexandru Rafila.

At the same time, the minister had a meeting with healthcare professionals - doctors, researchers, nurse - originating from Romania who work in Spain.

Referring to the earthquake that occurred in Turkey and Syria, Rafila declared that the Ministry of Health is "responsibly" trying to provide assistance and will come up with concrete solutions to help the victims in the two countries.AGERPRES
A strategic transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster III, with the multinational strategic airlift unit at Papa Air base in Hungary, as well as three aircraft of the Romanian Air Force are performing on Wednesday air missions to Turkey, in support of the population seriously affected by the recent earthquakes in the area, informs the Ministry of National Defense (MApN).

The aircraft are carrying an RO-USAR rescue team, medical personnel, materials and search and rescue equipment, as well as material goods of strict necessity, the cited source says.

Thus, a C-130 Hercules aircraft left for Turkey at around 9:30 a.m., the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft will take off from the 90th Air Transport Base in Otopeni at around 1:00 p.m., and two C-27J Spartan aircraft will take off on Wednesday.

MApN shows that the flight with the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft was requested by the Ministry of National Defense, through the Joint Forces Command, as part of the quota of flight hours allocated to Romania, as a member state of the NATO Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport Unit.AGERPRES
The Minister of the Interior, Lucian Bode, declared on Wednesday that Romania is better prepared to face major emergency situations, such as earthquakes, noting that each county has two containers with equipment and search and rescue crews of 25 people each, with certified RO-USAR specialized personnel, medical teams being prepared for special interventions at any time, told Agerpres.

"Through the European funds accessed by the coordination structures of the Emergency Department (DSU) of almost one billion EUR, which consist in the purchase of various equipment and special intervention vehicles, airplanes, helicopters, but also the involvement in personnel training modules, here is that our country is more prepared in dealing with such major emergency situations," Bode said at the beginning of the Government meeting.

He referred to Romania's support for Turkey following the earthquakes, noting that the rapid mobilization of forces shows "the stability of a national emergency system, a strong one, consolidated over time, with a lot of effort and with a lot of sacrifice".

The minister said that "Romania is the first country in the European Union that arrived in the area heavily affected by the series of earthquakes".

"Thus, in just a few hours, the specialized RO-USAR search and rescue team from the IGSU was mobilized and thus 59 rescuers, representing specialized RO-USAR search and rescue personnel, doctors and assistants, staff with canine teams from utility dogs club, along with two liaison officers from the DSU, set off for Adana, Republic of Turkey," explained Bode.

He showed that this rapid mobilization is also due to the support offered by the Ministry of National Defense, which provided three aircraft for sending rescuers to the Republic of Turkey, as well as specific equipment for intervention in such situations.

The minister also said that the second support team left for Turkey with two Spartan aircraft belonging to the Ministry of National Defense.

He pointed out that the rescue team has already managed to rescue three people from under the rubble so far, noting that the "heavy search and rescue" actions continue.

Bode also said that, at the same time, the possibility of providing support to Syria, a country that has also been hard hit by this disaster, is being analyzed.

"The requests have already come through the European mechanism and are being processed and Romania will be part of this support as well. Romania therefore continues to honor its international commitments. We are by far providers of civil protection at the European level and, as Minister Aurescu mentioned, in addition to the 21 Romanian citizens and two foreign citizens that we brought to Romania, we continue, in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the Turkish authorities, to bring with the aircraft that left with equipment, to bring citizens who are in difficulty today, tomorrow and in the following days," added minister Bode.
MEP Corina Cretu wrote on Tuesday on Facebook that Romania still has to spend until December 25 percent of the total EU funds allocated for the 2014 - 2020 financial period, and that following a meeting with European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira she received assurances that Romania will not lose money.

According to Cretu, the projects that cannot be completed until December most likely include the railway and highway modernization projects that register major delays in implementation.

Corina Cretu also showed that she proposed Commissioner Ferreira to initiate EC discussions for the extension of project submission and NRRP implementation deadlines, given that many member states are behind schedule with the submission of payment requests.

"In this context, I was informed that the Recovery and Resilience Plan is being renegotiated, primarily for the RePowerEU instrument to be granted a higher quota, i.e. for aid to households so that they are able to face the energy price explosion and for a higher share of investments in renewable energy. In the end, we also reviewed the goals and priorities that begun during my tenure as European Commissioner for Regional Policy and which were continued by Commissioner Ferreira, so that no region is left behind. I was delighted to learn about Mrs. Commissioner's positive impressions following her visits to Romania, to Bucharest, Alba-Iulia and Petrosani," Corina Cretu emphasized. AGERPRES
The General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs that on Tuesday, 58,159 people, including 6,843 Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania through the border points.

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, approximately 121,600 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, and more than 38,150 means of transport passed through the border points throughout the country (both in the direction of entry and exit). of transport, both inbound and outbound.

Starting from February 10 (pre-conflict period), 3,495,110 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania.

The border police detected 40 illegal acts (21 felonies and 19 misdemeanors) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, and the value of the contravention fines applied amounts to over 11,800 RON.

Goods were seized for confiscation in the amount of approximately 102,200 RON.

Also on Tuesday, nine foreign citizens who did not meet the conditions stipulated by the law were not allowed to enter the country, and 15 Romanian citizens were also not allowed to leave for various legal reasons.
President Klaus Iohannis will participate, on Thursday and Friday, in the special meeting of the European Council, which will take place in Brussels, the Presidential Administration announced.

According to the source, the latest developments of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine will be addressed at the meeting; the best solutions at the European level for ensuring the short- and long-term competitiveness of the European Union economy and its adaptation to the double green and digital transition will be analysed, starting from the proposals presented by the European Commission under the Green Deal Industrial Plan; the management of migration as a challenge that requires a common European response, will be discussed, with the aim of agreeing concrete courses of action on the external dimension of migration, the control of external borders, cooperation regarding the policy on return and readmission, or combating migrant smuggling.

President Klaus Iohannis participated, on Tuesday, in the videoconference with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and a group of European leaders, in preparation for the extraordinary meeting of the European Council.AGERPRES
Trade between Romania and Korea in the first 11 months of 2022 was 1.08 billion US dollars, up 11.4% from the same period of 2021, according to a press statement released by the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB).

Romanian exports amounted to 404 million US dollars (-3.2%), and Korean imports to 676 million US dollars (+22.4%), told Agerpres.

CCIB Chairman Iuliu Stocklosa welcomed a delegation of officials of the Korean chamber of commerce system led by Woo Taehee, executive deputy chairman of the Korean National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

The meeting was also attended by Lee Young Hwai, executive deputy chairman of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), and Lee Jae Kyung, executive deputy chairman of the Daegu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Corneliu Samoila, chairman of the CCIB Industry Section and deputy CCIB chairman, and Eduard Pughin, member on the CCIB Management Board and general director of the Maguay Group.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a multi-sector trade mission to Romania designed to identify concrete ways of collaboration starting from the opportunities offered by Romania and Korea and from a certain complementariness of the two economies.

In the opening, Stocklosa made a brief presentation of CCIB, emphasising its role and place in the economic and social life of Romania. He also mentioned CCIB's foreign affairs strategy focused on the development of relationships with countries outside the European Union, including those in East Asia.

He also pointed to an interest in developing contacts with similar organisations in Busan and Daegu, two important industrial and technological hubs of Korea, as well as with their members, putting forth the proposal of signing a collaboration agreement with BCCI and updating the one concluded in 2010 with DCCI.

Woo praised the CCIB leadership for openness to boosting co-operation at the chamber level and to strengthening bilateral economic relations. He pointed out that there are opportunities that can be capitalised on, but a better knowledge of Romania's economic potential is needed by the business community in his country.

According to Woo, information technology, communications, the industrial sector and tourism are areas where mutually beneficial collaborations can be initiated. The head of the visiting Korean delegation spoke about the project for Busan to host the 2030 World Expo, focused on the new technologies of the future, such as artificial intelligence, 6G technology, smart airports and seaports, requesting the support of the Romanian chamber of commerce system for designating Korea organiser of the World Expo.
The search and rescue teams dispatched by Romania to Turkey in the aftermath of two major earthquakes in Turkey two days ago have increased to almost 120 people and are made up of emergency management specialists, healthcare workers and attendants of seven utility dogs that take part in missions in disaster areas, according to the head of Romania's Emergency Management Department (DSU) Raed Arafat.

Arafat said on Wednesday that the first team of the General Emergency Management Inspectorate (IGSU) that is already operating in Turkey had managed to save three people, having been working since Wednesday morning to remove a 16-year-old young man from under the rubble.

"Immediately after the earthquake occurred, in less than 12 hours, I can say, after we got accepted by the Turkish authorities, we had the first team flown by means of the Ministry of Defence, of the Air Force, a team consisting of 59 rescuers, which also included two doctors, two nurses. They also included canine teams, from the NGOs we collaborate with. They started up as soon as they could, after creating the base of operations, and so far they have rescued three people. The last one was rescued during the night and they have been working for hours to get a 16-year-old out who is still alive but trapped under the rubble and we are expecting them at any time to let us know, and we hope they manage to get him out. (...) It's a race against time," said Arafat.

He also briefed on a second rescue team dispatched to Turkey on Wednesday.

"The team got ready during the night; it is the second search and rescue team, which is in the process of certification but prepared as it has already participated in international exercises in this field as part of the Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Management Inspectorate (ISU). (...) We are talking about a team of 57 people, which includes two DSU officers, rescuers from the Bucharest fire brigade, two doctors, two nurses from SMURD Bucharest and three dogs and their handlers from the NGO we collaborate with, the Club of Utility Dogs and Salvamont. So, that means that we will now have the first four dogs, plus the three sent today. Plus, we will have two teams of almost 120 people, who will work again against the clock to save lives there. The people have already left on the first two aircraft provided by the air force," Arafat said.

He explained that two NATO planes are also taking off from Bucharest to fly to Adana, Turkey, machines and equipment needed by the rescue teams.

"There, our staff will take over the equipment, which includes the machines, and they will start up a base of operations there. (...) We flew the first team without motor vehicles. It was much easier with the equipment on the pallet; the team was ready and Turkey provided cars for transportation. But for the second team, considering that there is a lot of pressure on the Turkish colleagues - as there are many teams arriving - we preferred to send cars to the area as well so that our teams can move around. This morning, another plane of the Romanian Air Force, a Hercules-130, left with two cars and other equipment to support the first team that left, to give them mobility too," said Arafat.

He added that as far as Romania is concerned, the RO-USAR urban search and rescue teams will remain in Turkey as long as necessary, but a staff rotation and the further provision of logistic support will be taken into account, told Agerpres.

According to available information, there are almost 5,000 rescuers and 200 dogs in Turkey as part of the teams provided by the European Civil Protection Mechanism, plus teams sent by other countries outside the European Union, such as Jordan and Israel.

"In terms of medical support, Turkey has accepted field hospitals 1, level 2 and I understand probably also one level 3, which will be located there to support in the medium run all the activity that is there. From our point of view, our teams will remain there as long as necessary in case we have to rotate staff or further provide logistical support," added Arafat.
The Chamber of Deputies rejected, on Wednesday, the simple motion against the minister of Internal Affairs, Lucian Bode, submitted by Save Romania Union (USR) and debated in plenary session on Monday.

There were 90 votes "in favor", 189 "against" and one abstention.

The signatories of the motion "Romania deserves more than thieves in public offices" claim that, through this action, they sought to draw attention to "the impermissible delay in a governmental position of a man who does not deserve it", as "he does not deserve the academic title" or "the respect of the people who work honestly in Romania".AGERPRES
The "Timisoara European Cultural Capital 2023" programme officially opens its first page of this unique year with a weekend in which 130 events are spread across the city, between February 17-19.

The launch of Timisoara 2023 means memorable performances, brave art, ideas that open the world, visitors from all over Europe and open communities.

"It is the start of a year with over 1,000 exceptional events that begins with an extraordinary weekend to which I invite all the people of Timisoara. It is only the first of the important moments that will mark this year 2023, which will go down in the history of the city. Dozens of ambassadors, European commissioners, national and international officials will join us to celebrate the title of European Capital of Culture. In times of crisis, culture brings us together. In times of hatred, Europe is the answer," said the mayor of Timisoara, Dominic Fritz.

The people of Timisoara and guests from all over the world will participate on Friday, February 17, in the festive event "We celebrate the Opening!" in Union Square, emphasizing the cultural diversity that characterises the "Timisoara - European Capital of Culture in 2023" programme. Saturdays and Sundays offer over 130 opportunities and invitations to get to know the city better through exhibitions, concerts, community events or shows spread in all the neighborhoods of Timisoara.

Timisoara 2023 Opening Gala Ceremony will take place at the Palace of Culture, Theater and Opera, on February 17, from 17:00 hrs. Officials will be delivering speeches, and the event will be marked by concerts supported by two outstanding pianists: Andrei Irimia, one of the most acclaimed contemporary piano composers in Romania, as well as the Dutch composer and pianist Joep Beving, who has become a sensation in the world of contemporary music streaming. The ceremony will be broadcast live on public broadcaster TVR 1 and can also be watched on large LED screens located in Victory Square and Freedom Square.

Also on February 17, from 19:00, Timisoara has a meeting with Europe in Union Square. The festive event "We celebrate the Opening!" highlights the memory and identity of Timisoara, together with local artists and their guests. We bring together video art and dance, electronic music and traditional rhythms, in a celebration of the whole city, a declaration of intent and love for Timisoara 2023 - European Capital of Culture.

Timisoara also reconfirms its vocation as host of the arts in a moment of synchronization with the Biennials and important museums in Europe and beyond.

The collective exhibition "Chronic Desire - Chronic Thirst" proposes, in multiple spaces in the city (Bastionul Maria Theresia, Comenduirea Garnizoanei Timisoara, Corneliu Miklosi Public Transport Museum, Stefania Palace) new ways of reading and feeling the critical political and ecological moment that we are going through together.

Timisoara will celebrate freedom of thought and choice through debates, workshops and presentations that open minds and bridges of collaboration.

Under the title "Ideas that change the world", the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk and the Romanian writer and director Andrei Ujica will have a must-see public dialogue about "the film of philosophy and the philosophy of film", on February 18, from 16:00, in the Aula Magna of the West University.

The Doua Bufnite bookstore will host on February 19, from 11:00, the debate on the 256 novels for Central Europe, chaired by the writer, publicist and university professor Adriana Babeti, accompanied by important writers, literary critics and translators.AGERPRES
At a government meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca restated a message of compassion and solidarity with the Turkish people hard hit by the earthquakes that jolted Turkey, saying that at the time of the meeting two aircraft from the Romanian Ministry of Defence (MApN) and one from NATO are flying to the earthquake-stricken area a second search and rescue team, as well as the equipment needed for their missions, told Agerpres.

"We will start the government meeting by expressing solidarity and compassion for the Turkish people, very hard tried by the disastrous earthquake two days ago, and I want to start by thanking all the state institutions that got involved in finding solutions to help the Romanian nationals in the Gaziantep area. Let's do it in such a way that we can provide the necessary support to the government of the Republic of Turkey in order to be able to manage the situation, once again, particularly disastrous, as best as possible. (...) As we speak, we already have two planes flying the second search and rescue team and another plane from the air transport capability to which Romania is a part (...) through which we fly the necessary means and equipment to enable the two teams deployed to Turkey to do their job," Ciuca told a government meeting on Wednesday.

He added that as a result of the situation in Turkey, he ordered, from the very first moment, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), through the consular service, take all the measures to make available to the Romanian nationals in Turkey the necessary means and methods by which they can receive support from the Romanian authorities, and MApN, through the means of air transport made available to the Emergency Management Department (DSU) to secure repatriation.

He also highlighted what he called the exemplary way in which DSU got mobilised to identify the first measures to secure the necessary help.

"By the way, Romania was the first country to arrive in the area affected by the earthquake and immediately went to the support of the population and the local authorities," said Ciuca.

He added that providing humanitarian aid to Syria was also considered.

"We discussed at the DSU level, and in coordination with the European institutions we will proceed to make good on our contribution to the effort to help the Syrian nationals affected by the earthquake," said Ciuca.

DSU has asked the Multinational Strategic Transport Unit for another C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. It will pick up materials from Otopeni airport and fly them to Adana airport on Wednesday, according to MApN.
Save Romania Union (USR) Chairman Catalin Drula had a meeting on Wednesday with Ambassador of Turkey to Romania Ozgur Kivanc Altan, occasion on which the party leader signed the Book of Condolences opened at the Turkish Embassy's headquarters, told Agerpres.

"Catalin Drula, the USR chairman, has a short meeting today with Turkey's ambassador to Romania and signed the Book of Condolences opened at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Bucharest. The USR MPs will also contribute with donations to help the victims of the earthquakes of 6 and 7 February 2023," the USR informs.

The death toll of the quake that hit Turkey and Syria reached over 11,200 deaths, according to the latest figures communicated on Wednesday.

In Turkey, the number of the deceased reached 8,574, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced. In Syria, a number of 2,662 deaths and 5,000 injured persons have been reported so far.
BRENTWOOD  The slow-motion closures of Bed Bath & Beyond stores continue to grind on.

The massively troubled home-goods chain is closing yet another area store. This time, the one to get the axe is in the Meridian at Brentwood shopping center on Eager Road.

In the last four weeks, the former retail giant has also closed its store in Fairview Heights and announced the pending closures of its stores in Lake Saint Louis and Sunset Hills.

The only area locations currently scheduled to remain open are the stores in Manchester and St. Peters. A store in Springfield, Illinois, is also open.

With Tuesdays announcement of 150 additional closures, including the Brentwood location, the chain has closed or planned to close more than 400 locations in the last year. In 2016, the company had 1,020 Bed Bath & Beyond-branded stores; on Tuesday, the company said its goal was to close all but 360 of them.

The company began buying back its stock in 2004, eventually spending a total of $11.7 billion to that end. Even as sales faltered in 2020 and 2021  partly due to a sell-off of several of its non-core brands  it continued to borrow money to buy back more stock.

In January, the company said it had received a notice of default on its loan from JP Morgan Chase. Tuesday, the company announced it had raised or expected to raise a total of $1 billion by selling preferred and common stock, and would use the cash to pay its outstanding debts.

The company recently said it may have to file bankruptcy and might not be able to stay in business.
Christmas is the Field House Museums time to shine.

The downtown attraction, the oldest house museum in St. Louis, displays as many toys as possible from its historic toy collection. Workers set out German feather trees, show off author Eugene Fields short stories about Christmas and invite visitors to do a little holiday shopping in the gift shop.

But this past year, on Christmas Eve, a pipe in the attic feeding the homes sprinkler system froze and burst, sending water down through the three floors of the house. More than a foot of water rose in the basement, soaking toys and artifacts stored in archival cardboard boxes on shelves.

About 20% to 30% of the 8,000 or so items in its collection were destroyed or sustained heavy damage.

Weve all cried about it, said executive director Stephanie Bliss, about her three-person staff, volunteers and board members. Weve pushed forward. What Ive tried to go with is being resilient  nobody was hurt, overall, everything is structurally sound. Were OK. And we can put it back to what it was. I think that we just kind of keep focusing on that.

Now, the group is coming out of crisis mode and has since removed all the toys, items and furniture from the house. Workers have removed damaged carpeting, floorboards, wallpaper and plaster from soaked floors, walls and ceilings.

The museums exhibition space, an addition added to the north side of the row house in 2016, was not damaged. Now, its a triage area for some of the toys and homes items. Workers hope to reopen the exhibition area in March, and, if all goes well, the rest of the house in September.

The 1845 residence, one of the oldest in St. Louis city, was the boyhood home of writer Eugene Field, known for verses about childhood like Wynken, Blynken and Nod and Little Boy Blue. Field, who was born in 1850, grew up to become a newspaperman, eventually writing columns for the Chicago Morning News. Because of Fields writings and because the museum owns toys that belonged to the Field family, the museum owns an extensive historic toy collection.

Eugene Fields father, Roswell Field, was the attorney for Dred Scott in an appeal of his court case seeking freedom from slavery. Scott had been a janitor in Fields law office.

The building was once part of a row of houses and was built to rent to upper-middle-class people. There is a living room and dining room on the first floor, two bedrooms on the second and two rooms on the third floor, which were used for exhibition space. The house was full of period furniture, some of which Eugene Field bought as an adult. The furniture has been cleared out and is in storage and was able to be saved with minimal or no damage.

When Bliss and other staffers left the building around 4 p.m. Dec. 23, nothing was amiss.

They looked forward to the holiday off. But at around 6 p.m., in the middle of Christmas Eve dinner with family at a restaurant, Bliss got a call from the alarm company, saying there was movement detected on the third floor.

Bliss thought something had fallen off a wall. But when she arrived with her husband, Ben, their two young daughters and a family friend, they looked up and saw water pouring through the medallion of a ceiling light fixture. That water poured from the broken pipe in the attic. She called the fire department, the sprinkler company, board president Karen Klohr, and mopped out what she could.

Nothing really prepares you for seeing water run out of the ceiling, said Klohr, who arrived that night. The water in the basement drained once the water got shut off. Bliss and other staffers, board members and volunteers stayed for hours that night, and returned to work hours more on Christmas Day.

The freezing temperatures, while tough to endure while cleaning and clearing things out, helped in a way, because warmer temperatures could have accelerated mold growth, Bliss pointed out. Another bright side: the museum can restore the third-floor rooms, which had served as exhibition space, to look like bedrooms again. Thank goodness the house is strong, said Klohr. Its stood for 178 years. We have to get it back to keep it at least that long going forward.

Like many small to mid-sized museums, it operates on a shoestring budget. And while it has insurance, its unclear what will or wont be covered. The spring and summer is usually busy with school and tour groups, so some of that revenue may be lost. The museum has set up a GoFundMe and will accept donations through its website.

The loss and the damage is very personal, said Bliss. We all have an attachment to it  the stories, the people who have made it what it is, she said of the house. And yeah, its devastating. You go into historic preservation because you love history. You love the stories behind it and you want their stories to be preserved.
The St. Louis Zoo and the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago recently made a gorilla swap in an effort to help the critically endangered species.

Two male western lowland gorillas, Jontu, 26, formerly of the St. Louis Zoo, and Zachary, 7, formerly of the Brookfield Zoo, made the move earlier this month and are staying in private areas, not in view of zoo visitors, as they get used to their new homes and gorilla families.

The moves are considered carefully, based on a recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Program.

The association manages the breeding program to make sure animals in North American zoos stay genetically healthy and to strengthen the population of different species.

Jontu had been living with bachelors Joe, 25, and Bakari, 18, since he arrived at St. Louis Zoos Jungle of the Apes in 2005.

The experts thought Jontu could lead a family group elsewhere, so hell be joining a group of female gorillas in Chicago. Hell be living with the zoos all-female gorilla family: Binti, 34; Koola, 27; Kamba,18; Nora, 9; and Ali, 4.

Zachary had been unable to mate with them. He is the grandnephew of Bakari in St. Louis, and keepers hope he will learn from his elder silverbacks here to become a leader.

Jontu is well known at the St. Louis Zoo for his regal appearance and confidence as a leader in the bachelor group, Helen Boostrom, the St. Louis Zoos zoological manager of primates, said in a statement. Despite his stature and serious demeanor, he has a very playful and gentle side.

Zachary was born at Brookfield Zoo in 2015, and Jontu was born at Columbus Zoo in 1997.

According to the Brookfield Zoo, there are about 300,000 western lowland gorillas living in swamps and dry lowland forests of western equatorial Africa. There are about 320 western lowland gorillas living in accredited North American zoos.

The gorillas are critically endangered mainly because of commercial hunting, diseases like the Ebola virus, the illegal pet trade and logging destroying their habitats.
After railing at the injustices of U.S. health care for decades, Sen. Bernie Sanders in January became the new chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee. The job gives the health care industrys biggest Washington nemesis an unprecedented opportunity to shape health care reform in Congress. But the sort of radical changes he seeks could prove elusive. Even Sanders concedes there are limits to the powers of his position.

President Joe Bidens State of the Union address Tuesday night showed how much of Sanders platform has moved into the mainstream of the Democratic Party, with Biden at times sounding like his former Democratic primary foe, lashing out at Big Pharma and its record profits. Biden bragged about measures taken to lower drug prices and halt surprise bills during his term thus far, and he urged Congress to pass a federal expansion of Medicaid.

Still, the radical changes Sanders seeks could prove elusive. During an interview with KHN at his Senate office recently, the independent from Vermont spoke about the prospects for lowering drug prices, expanding access to primary care, and his ultimate goal of Medicare for All.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What do you hope to achieve as chair of the HELP Committee  in terms of legislation, but also messaging and investigations?

What I ultimately would like to accomplish is not going to happen right now. We have Republicans controlling the House. And many of the views that I hold, including Medicare for All  I think if we had a vote tomorrow, wed get 15 to 20 votes in the Senate and would not win in the House. I realize that. But I happen to believe our current health care system is dysfunctional.

We spend twice as much per capita on health care as other countries and 85 million people have no insurance or are underinsured. It is a dysfunctional system that to my mind needs to be fundamentally changed to a Medicare for All system  but we aint gonna get it.

Q: What can you actually accomplish?

[From] a poll a couple of months ago just among Republicans. Top concern? High cost of prescription drugs. Were long overdue to take on, in a very bold way, the greed and outrageous behavior of the pharmaceutical industry.

Q: There are so many parts of the system that are messed up  patents, 340B, pharmacy benefit managers, insurance issues with formularies 

Right, there are a million parts to this problem.

Q: So short of a complete overhaul, what are the parts that you think you can change?

Every year the U.S. government through [the National Institutes of Health] spends tens of billions of dollars on research. The Moderna vaccine was co-developed between Moderna and NIH and received billions of dollars in assistance, guaranteed sales, and you know whats happened in the last couple of years. The CEO of Moderna is now worth $6 billion. All their top executives are worth billions. And now they are threatening to quadruple prices. This is a company that was highly supported by taxpayers of this country. And thats one example of many.

What is the responsibility of a drug company that receives very significant support  financial support, intellectual support for research and development  to the consumers of this country? Right now, it is zero. Thank you very much for your support. I will charge you any price I choose. We have to end that.

Thats the starting point.

Q: But whats the mechanism? March-in rights, whereby the government could force a company to share its license for a drug that was developed with federal investment, allowing others to produce it?

That is one approach. Threatened by people in George W. Bushs administration, by the way. March-in is one option.

Reasonable pricing is another area. I have made two trips to Canada: once as a congressman from Vermont, took a bunch of working-class women across the border to buy a breast cancer drug; once as a presidential candidate, took people from the Midwest, and we bought insulin. The price was one-tenth of the U.S. cost in both cases.

Another area is primary health care. I have worked hard with other members through the Affordable Care Act and American Rescue Plan [Act] to significantly expand community health centers. FQHCs [federally qualified health centers] provide primary care, dental care, mental health counseling, and low-cost prescription drugs. About one-third of [people in Vermont] get primary care through community health centers.

Q: I was at a meeting of FDA and patent office people, hearing from biosimilars companies, patients, etc., and a lot of what they were saying is that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office cant do that much about patent thickets, and itd be good if Congress did something.

That is one of the disgraceful tools that pharma utilizes to make sure we pay high prices and dont get generics. Yes, its certainly something that we should be looking at.

Q: Other priorities?

The crisis in the health care workforce. We dont have enough doctors, nurses, dentists, mental health counselors, pharmacists. The nursing crisis is enormous. We have a hospital in Burlington, moderate size by national standards, largest by far in Vermont. They told me they are going to spend $125 million on traveling nurses this year. One moderate-sized hospital! Meanwhile we have young people who want to become nurses, and we cant educate them. We dont have enough nurse educators. I think we get bipartisan support for that issue.

Another thing I want to look at is dental care. Not enough dentists, too expensive, whole regions dont have them.

Q: Did you agree with President Bidens decision to end the public health emergency in May?

[Frowns] I have some concerns. [Sanders appeared to be the only member of Congress wearing a mask during Bidens speech on Tuesday.] Its going to dump a lot more people into the uninsured again.

Q: And things like vaccines would not be covered anymore.

Theyd go on the market. Our friends at Pfizer and Moderna want to quadruple the prices. So if youre hesitant now about getting vaccinated, and its free, what about when it costs you $125?

Q: As you say, drug prices are a big concern for everyone. But among Republicans there seems to be more inclination to push on pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, as opposed to drug companies. Is that an area where there could be legislation?

Youve got the insurance companies, the PBMs, and pharma. Everyone wants to blame the other guy. And yet theyre all culpable. And were going to take a hard look at it.

Q: Is Dr. Robert Califf, the FDA commissioner, a good interlocutor for you?

A lot of work has to be done with FDA. Lets just say I think its important that we take a hard look at what theyre doing. They have some responsibility for pricing. Its part of that mission that they havent exercised.

Q: What about the 340B issue? Accusations that hospitals are gaming the system.

Yes, it is something. One of the first things [I did] when I was mayor of Burlington from 1981-89 was take away the tax-exempt status of the hospital. Because I did not believe they were fulfilling their responsibility to serve the poor and working families. We had a lot of discussions, and the situation improved. Right now the criteria to receive tax-exempt status is extremely nebulous. Thats an issue somewhere down the road I want to look at. If youre not going to pay taxes, what are you, in fact, doing?

Q: Do you have particular allies in either party?

I talked today with a conservative GOP senator who will work with me on issue X, but not issue Y. It depends on the issue. If were going to be successful, were going to need bipartisan support. And there is that level of support. Ive talked to now four out of the 10 or 11 Republicans on the committee, and Ill talk to the rest.

Q: Do you have a policy for dealing with the lobbyists?

I dont have lobbyists flooding through my door. These lobbyists are effective, well paid, and they help shape the culture of where youre going. My culture is shaped by going out and talking to ordinary people. Ive talked to too many elderly people who cut their prescription drugs in half.

Im not worried about the lobbyists. Worry about the people who are dying because they cant afford prescription drugs.

I dont have to have some guy who makes seven figures a year telling me about problems of the drug companies. They have to explain to American people why they made $80 billion last year and people cant afford medicine.

Q: Are you going to bring in pharma executives for hearings?

Were looking at all options.

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).
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Marital relationships are associated with lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels for men and women older than 50 years of age, regardless of spousal support and spousal strain, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

Katherine J. Ford, M.P.H., from the University of Luxembourg, and Annie Robitaille, Ph.D., from the University of Ottawa in Canada, examined the association between changes in HbA1c levels within individuals in relation to marital indicators (marital status, social support from spouse, and social strain from spouse) over time. Data were included for 3,335 adults aged 50 to 89 years without previously diagnosed diabetes from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Biomarker data were used from waves 2 (2004 to 2005), 4 (2008 to 2009), and 6 (2012 to 2013).

The researchers found that among adults without preexisting diabetes, being married was associated with lower HbA1c values ( = 0.21 percent). There were generally no associations seen for spousal support and spousal strain with HbA1c values.

"Increased support for older adults who are experiencing the loss of a marital/cohabitating relationship through divorce or bereavement, as well as the dismantling of negative stereotypes around romantic relationships in later life, may be starting points for addressing health risks, more specifically deteriorating glycemic regulation, associated with marital transitions in older adults," the authors write.
The number of children  especially very young ones  ingesting marijuana is rising in Colorado despite regulations meant to keep edibles out of kids hands, and state leaders said they have no plans to revisit those rules this year.

The number of reports the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety office received of kids age 5 or younger exposed to marijuana skyrocketed from 56 in 2017 to 151 in 2021. By 2021, this age group made up nearly half of all marijuana exposures  in which the drug is ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin  reported to the office, which is part of the nonprofit Denver Health organization.

In each of those five years, children were most often accidentally exposed by eating edibles  gummies, cookies, drinks, and other products infused with the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC  and not by inhaling smoke or consuming the drug in other forms, like capsules or tinctures. In 2017, 35 children age 5 or younger were unintentionally exposed to marijuana through edibles, compared with 97 in 2021. Exposures dont necessarily mean the children were poisoned or overdosed, according to the poison and drug safety office.

Marijuana exposures among children are increasing nationwide, with Colorado playing a notable role in this trend. However, the federal government has yet to create uniform protocols, and Colorado health officials havent conveyed any plans to revise the regulations meant to prevent children from consuming marijuana.

Marijuana laws and regulations are regularly evaluated by lawmakers, state agencies, local agencies and the various stakeholders, Shannon Gray, a spokesperson at the Marijuana Enforcement Division, which regulates the marijuana industry in the state, wrote in an email to KHN. A top priority is preventing youth access and to the extent we see opportunity in rules to address youth access, we do so.

Since legalized recreational marijuana sales began in 2014, Colorado has implemented a handful of directives to stop children from mistaking these products for safe, delicious sweets.

Regulations state that:

No edibles may be manufactured in the shape of a human, an animal, or a fruit.

All edibles must be sold in child-resistant packaging.

Candy or candies isnt allowed on packaging.

Advertising must not include cartoon characters, or anything else meant to appeal to children.

The universal THC symbol (! THC) must be on all packaging and stamped on all edible products.

Data from Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety does not distinguish between incidents involving marijuana sold by licensed retailers and those involving marijuana from sources that dont follow the states packaging rules, state health department spokesperson Gabi Johnston told KHN.

When asked whether the mandates are effective, Gray said the Marijuana Enforcement Division has observed material compliance with these regulations among marijuana businesses.

Regulation changes could be considered, including those proposed by state legislators, Gray said. But no forthcoming bills concern edible mandates, according to Jarrett Freedman, spokesperson for the Colorado House of Representatives majority. Democrats control both houses of the state legislature.

One limitation of regulating marijuana packaging is that most children 5 and younger cant read, said Dr. Marit Tweet, a medical toxicologist at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. And, she said, many parents dont know how to store marijuana safely.

The state health department has worked to address this knowledge gap through its Retail Marijuana Education program, established in 2014 to teach the public about safe, legal, and responsible cannabis use. One fact sheet advises parents to store marijuana in a locked area, keep products in child-resistant packaging, and avoid using marijuana around children.

Public health officials also launched a series of marijuana education campaigns in 2018 targeting new parents and adults who influence kids behavior. Between fiscal years 2015 and 2020, the department spent roughly $22.8 million on those efforts.

Its hard to say exactly how well marijuana regulations in states like Colorado are working, said Tweet. Its possible if those regulations werent in place that the numbers would be even higher.

Whats happening in Colorado is part of a national trend. In a study published in January, researchers looked at the number of children younger than 6 who ingested marijuana edibles nationwide from 2017 to 2021. They found 207 reported cases in 2017. In 2021, that number rose to 3,054 cases, according to data from the National Poison Data System.

The legalization of cannabis has likely played a significant role in the rise of accidental child exposures, said Tweet, a co-author of the study. Its more readily available and more of an opportunity for the children to get into.

Parents may also feel less stigma nowadays in reaching out to poison centers and health clinics, she said.

To understand what factors are driving these numbers, more research is needed into marijuana regulations and the number of child exposures nationwide, said Tweet.

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).
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

The Road to Limbo is an appropriate title for the sad and winding tale of Luke Trower.

Its the title U.S. District Judge John Ross used last week in his order for a case between Lukes parents  Adam and Jill Trower  and the federal government.

The ruling doesnt end Lukes limbo but should shorten it. The judge determined that the Trowers adoption of Luke is  and always has been  valid.

That doesnt make up for the fact that Luke turned 5 in an orphanage in the Democratic Republic of Congo  more than four years after his parents, who live in Pike County, got a judge in that country to sign off on adoption papers.

As an infant, Luke had been found near a trash heap in Kinshasha. I started writing about the Trowers attempts to adopt Luke a couple of years after that, not long before they filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government because it was blocking the adoption.

On one hand, the tale is complicated, as foreign adoptions often are. Congo is a war-torn country, and there have been questions about fraud in some adoptions there. Two federal agencies  the State Department and the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS)  are involved in various elements of such adoptions.

In 2016, Congo enacted legislation to suspend foreign adoptions. But, similar to what so often happens in the U.S., the legislative intent was never quite followed through by the other branches of government.

The simple part of the story is this: the Trowers in 2018 had approval from USCIS to seek the adoption. The Trowers had a friend who volunteered for a nonprofit called the Libota Project, which raises money for children in orphanages in Congo.

A judge in Congo approved the adoption. Court records showed no fraud in any element of the adoption.

But then the State Department stepped in and a series of bureaucratic and communication issues stalled everything. The Trowers eventually sued. In the meantime, a child who had been found playing near trash was stuck in an orphanage, only able to talk to his new parents and sister, Nora, in video discussions held on holidays and special occasions.

The last Saturday in January was one of those special occasions. It was a tough day, Adam told me of his sons birthday.

Because Luke was abandoned as an infant, no one knows what day he was born; the Trowers settled on Jan. 28. A couple of weeks ago, they sent the orphanage money so Luke could have a birthday cake and a special meal.

Heres this child who we adopted when he was a year old, and now hes turned 5 and hes never been here, Adam says.

The Trowers are pleased the judge agreed their adoption was legal, but there is lingering anger over the commitment the federal government showed to blocking the adoption, even with the facts surrounding it agreed to in court.

In one filing last year, for instance, the government criticized the Trowers for speaking to me and other reporters, suggesting they were using their First Amendment rights to sway the judge. And despite evidence that the biggest failure was the inability of the State Department and USCIS to communicate, the government early on refused to settle so the Trowers and Luke could unite.

The government was supposed to be our partner, but they were basically taking pot shots at us, Adam says. Anyone who has heard our story just cant believe its true. What we were doing was just telling our story so that other parents dont have to go through this.

The next chapter of The Road to Limbo was written on Tuesday. Forced to come to the table by the judges ruling, the agencies involved in the lawsuit signed an agreement with the Trowers. The reunification of Luke and his family can now proceed, with the government as the willing partner it was supposed to be from the beginning.

The next step is for Luke to get a visa, and then final permission from Congo to leave the country.

To be this close to having him home seems almost surreal, Adam says. It has been such a long, difficult struggle that times you thought it would never end. Nearly four years after the original adoption order, the judges ruling was confirmation of what we believed all along: Luke is our son.
ST. LOUIS  A former Jefferson County municipal prosecutor was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday in a case that included video evidence of him coercing a woman he was prosecuting into sex acts using money and reminders of her pending charges.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark sentenced James Ike Crabtree, 40, of Crystal City, Tuesday after Crabtree pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of lying to the FBI and a misdemeanor civil rights charge.

Crabtree asked a woman he was prosecuting on multiple pending charges to meet him after hours in his courthouse office in March 2021 to talk about her case.

When she arrived, he offered her alcohol and prescription drugs, before asking if she was wearing a wire, according to sentencing documents.

She said she wasnt, but began recording an 11-minute cellphone video entered as evidence in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said Tuesday that the recording was born out of fear as the woman became afraid of Crabtrees sexual advances.

Crabtree can be heard in the recording telling the woman hes married but wants someone on the side.

He offers her $300 in cash. The woman, a mother of two, responds that shes not a prostitute.

Oh no, of course not. Im trying to help you, Crabtree says. Youve got kids. I just didnt know if you wanted to do anything on this side and, if not, its not a big deal. Im dismissing your cases regardless.

Crabtree then kisses the woman and can be heard asking her to undress. Sentencing documents read in court Tuesday say Crabtree then performed a sex act on the woman before fondling himself in front of her.

Im going to be your friend forever, he says in the recording, later reminding her: Im going to dismiss your cases.

The woman tells Crabtree that she doesnt want to go to jail again, and he tells her he can help get other pending cases dismissed.

I can be a very valuable friend, he says.

The victim in the case spoke in court Tuesday, asking for a harsher sentence and detailing that the pressure from Crabtree did not end with a single encounter.

He was stalking me. He had a tracking device on my car, the woman told the court.

The victim said Crabtrees behavior stole her trust in public officials and the criminal justice system and prompted her to rely on drugs as a way to cope.

This has taken everything from me, she told the court Tuesday.

Sentencing documents read in court detailed that after the first March interaction, Crabtree pressured the woman to meet him in different Jefferson County parking lots where he asked her to sit on his lap. He then asked her to get lunch with him at a bed and breakfast where he asked her to get a room with him, but she declined. He then pressured her into sending nude photographs of herself, prosecutors wrote.

In March 2022, Crabtree was questioned by the FBI and lied by denying sexual contact with the woman, according to his plea. He told the investigators she came onto him before he was confronted with the recording.

Clark called Crabtrees conduct abhorrent and emphasized that he violated the oath to uphold the law he took both as a lawyer and prosecutor serving the public.

Mr. Crabtree did exactly the opposite, Clark said.

Clark said he hopes the sentence acts as a deterrent for other public officials, saying he hopes when people do something in the dark of night not in the light of day that they think twice.

Crabtrees attorney John Lynch asked for leniency, arguing Crabtree has a sex-related addiction and is the sole provider for his wife and five children. Crabtree plans to end his career as a lawyer and pursue information technology, Lynch told the judge Tuesday.

Crabtree worked as a Jefferson County municipal prosecutor from 2015 until his resignation in March 2022 shortly before he was indicted by a grand jury in April.

More than 10 people wrote letters on Crabtrees behalf before sentencing, including lawyers, family members, friends from his Russian Orthodox church and colleagues from his work with Habitat for Humanity.

Crabtree himself spoke before sentencing, expressing remorse for what hed done.

He apologized to investigators: I waffled, obfuscated and lied, he said.

He apologized to the victim: I betrayed your trust in the justice system.

He apologized for the living nightmare he put his family through.

Finally, Crabtree apologized to the people of Jefferson County.

I violated the sacred trust given to the office of municipal prosecutor, he said. I have caused scandal and offense.

Clark permitted Crabtree to self-surrender to a federal prison at a later date. His prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release.
CLAYTON  Gov. Mike Parson announced Monday that he would not grant clemency or stop the execution of death row inmate Leonard Taylor.

Taylor, 58, of Jennings, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Tuesday evening at the state prison in Bonne Terre for the deaths of his girlfriend and her three children.

Leonard Taylor brutally murdered a mother and her three children. The evidence shows Taylor committed these atrocities and a jury found him guilty. Courts have consistently upheld Taylors convictions and sentences under the facts and the Missouri and United States Constitutions, Parson said in a statement Monday afternoon. Despite his self-serving claim of innocence, the facts of his guilt in this gruesome quadruple homicide remain.

The 2004 murder victims are Taylors girlfriend Angela Rowe, 28; Rowes daughters, Alexus Conley, 10, and AcQreya Conley, 6; and her son, Tyrese Conley, 5. All had been shot at a house on Park Lane in Jennings.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bells office also announced last week that it would reject requests from Taylors lawyers to seek a hearing to vacate Taylors conviction under a new state law.

We are not filing a motion to vacate Leonard Taylors sentence  the facts are not there to support a credible case of innocence, the prosecutor said in a statement.

Bell said he would not elaborate or take interviews on the reasons for his findings in a statement Monday.

For this office to provide details on why we came to this judgment could only further incriminate a person who sought relief from this office and currently has appeals pending, the statement reads.

The Missouri Supreme Court also denied a stay in the case on Feb. 2. Taylors defense attorneys, Kent Gipson and Kevin Schriener, raised multiple issues they wanted a judge to hear: time of death, concerns that a key witness had been threatened by police, and phone records they say bolster their claim that the victims were still alive when Taylor boarded a flight to California.

The Missouri Attorney Generals Office, in response to some of Taylors appeals over the years, has said the case against Taylor is solid.

The execution is slated to be the third in Missouri in the past three months.

The 54 people Missouri has executed since 2000
ST. LOUIS  A St. Louis man who was previously sentenced to life in prison for killing a young actress was sentenced Wednesday to two additional life terms for the murders of a nurse and her 8-year-old daughter.

Prinshun McClain, 19, was convicted last month of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action in the deaths of Terri Bankhead and her daughter, DaNilya Edwards, who were found bound and lying in a bloodied bed at their apartment in the 4200 block of Pleasant Street on Aug. 11, 2021.

He was previously sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years for killing 26-year-old actress Tori Manisco, who was fatally shot outside her home in the Carondelet neighborhood after McClain followed her home from the bus.

He would have been eligible for parole in 25  years, but on Wednesday, Judge Rex Burlison issued two additional life sentences to run consecutively, plus 30 years for two additional charges of armed criminal action. He also received a seven-year sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
ST. LOUIS  Police on Thursday released the identity of a 41-year-old man who was shot to death in the Baden neighborhood of St. Louis.

Police said Harold Griffin was found on a sidewalk in the 1100 block of Riverview Boulevard about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

He died at the scene.

Police said they do not have any suspects in the killing.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with an approximate age of the victim. An earlier incorrect report was based on information from police.
OFALLON, Ill.  Divers have recovered the body and vehicle of a Metro East man in a retention pond at St. Elizabeths Hospital.

David Foster, 50, of Swansea, had been missing since Jan. 13 when he left work in the Belleville area.

Police said they dont suspect foul play. Foster likely crashed into the pond after suffering from a medical emergency while driving himself to the hospital the day he went missing, police said.

Kirk Brueggeman, the police chief in OFallon, said Brothers Underwater Recovery used a drone to fly over the pond Monday and spotted a vehicle there. Brueggeman said police hadnt searched the pond previously.

With permission from the hospital and local police, the volunteer group went into the water and verified that the car, a 2002 Honda Civic, belonged to Foster. They saw a person in the vehicle and the description matched Foster.

The car was submerged in 6 to 10 feet of water and was about 30 feet from shore. The retention pond is on the grounds of the hospital, police said.

Searchers then backed off, and the scene was then turned over to police. OFallon police brought in Swansea police and the Swansea Fire Departments dive team, and they helped pull the car out. Authorities on Tuesday announced that the body was that of Foster.

Swansea police Chief Matt Blomberg said Foster had left work in Belleville after mentioning to someone that he wasnt feeling well and would be going to the hospital. Fosters family on social media said Foster, who worked at a car dealership in Belleville, was having chest pains. Searchers said that, after leaving work, Foster reportedly stopped by his home in Swansea first before heading to the hospital.

After his disappearance, Swansea police tried several ways to find him. They tracked his cellphone, but it apparently had been shut off. They checked with his bank about recent withdrawals. They used license-plate readers and searched the roads he could have driven between work and the hospital. They asked the state police helicopter pilots to be on the lookout for his car if they saw one in a field. They checked parking lots at bus and train stations in St. Louis.

It was pretty extensive, Blomberg said of their search. There were a ton of uncertainties. We didnt know which way he wouldve gone to the hospital. Our guys would drive different routes. Every day we were checking various sources to try to find Foster.

The owner of Brothers Underwater Recovery, who asked not to be identified beyond his first name, Ronnie, said his group started at Fosters home in Swansea and mapped the shortest route to the hospital, a 12-minute drive without a single body of water along the path.

Searchers then drove three longer routes. There were a few ponds, but the groups owner said he ruled those out because there were no obvious signs such as tire marks leading to the water. He ruled out a creek along another route because its water was too shallow to hide a submerged vehicle.

Swanseas chief Blomberg said one last check will be with the hospital to see if any video surveillance cameras captured the car entering the water.

Lori Thouvenot, Fosters girlfriend, said Foster worked as a porter at the car dealership, enjoyed grilling and was such a fan of Spiderman that he devoted a room at their house to various Spiderman collectibles.

He was such a good guy. He could talk to anybody, Thouvenot said.

He is survived by a daughter and a granddaughter.
BONNE TERRE  Missouri on Tuesday executed 58-year-old Leonard Taylor, who was convicted of killing his girlfriend and her three children at their home in Jennings nearly two decades ago.

A state executioner delivered a fatal dose of pentobarbital at 6:07 p.m., and Taylor was pronounced dead a short time later, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Muslims dont die. We live eternally in the hearts of our family and friends, Taylor wrote in his final statement following a verse from the Quran. From Allah we come, and to Allah we all shall return. Everybody will get their turn to die.

Taylor was the third person to be executed in Missouri in three months. His death marked only the second time since 2015 that more than one person was executed in a calendar year.

He was convicted in 2008 of killing 28-year-old Angela Rowe and her three children, Alexus Conley, 10, AcQreya Conley, 6, and Tyrese Conley, 5, at their home on Park Lane in Jennings. He has insisted he is innocent of the killings.

Rowes older sister, Gerjuan Rowe, attended Tuesdays execution along with eight other loved ones.

Justice was served, Rowe said. Now, I get a little peace.

Rowe and her children were found Dec. 3, 2004. Rowe was covered by blankets and shot four times, once fatally in the head. The children were also shot and lined up on a bed.

Prosecutors said they believed the family was shot on the night of Nov. 23 or early morning of Nov. 24, 2004.

Taylor had called his brother just before midnight, then again at 12:05 a.m. Nov. 24, and admitted to the killings. The brother told police Taylor stayed in the house with the bodies because he was waiting for a letter from his wife in California.

On Nov. 26, Taylors sister-in-law drove him to the airport. She testified at trial she saw him drop a long-barreled revolver into a sewer before he left.

Taylor was arrested Dec. 9 in Kentucky in possession of fake IDs and pamphlets about creating a false identity, authorities said. Police later tested the sunglasses he wore that day and found blood that matched Rowes DNA.

A jury sentenced Taylor to death on Feb. 29, 2008, for the four murders.

Taylor had since filed several appeals, including a request last month asking St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell to hold a hearing to review discrepancies in the states evidence and consider new declarations from Taylors daughter and her mother saying Taylor was actually in Los Angeles at the time of the killings.

Bell denied that request last week, finding the facts are not there to support a credible case of innocence.

On Monday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson denied Taylors petition for clemency.

Leonard Taylor brutally murdered a mother and her three children. The evidence shows Taylor committed these atrocities and a jury found him guilty, Parson said in a statement. Despite his self-serving claim of innocence, the facts of his guilt in this gruesome quadruple homicide remain.

Taylor, meanwhile, met with his three daughters, his sister, his two attorneys and a spiritual adviser.

On Tuesday morning at around 11 a.m., he ate a last meal of a seafood platter, cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake.

At 5:52 p.m., it was announced all pending appeals and petitions, including one before the U.S. Supreme Court, had been denied. At 6:06 p.m., the order for execution was given.

Taylor was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m.

Afterward, Gerjuan Rowe reflected on the years waiting for Taylors death. She said it was painful to answer questions from investigators during his appeals and see his photo on her television screen.

She said she still missed her sister and her nieces and nephew and wondered what they would be like now as adults.

The execution, she said, gave her a bit of peace.

Still, Its not going to change nothing, she said. Not really.

The 54 people Missouri has executed since 2000
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  St. Louis County prosecutors charged a second man with murder Tuesday in the shooting death of a pizza delivery driver in Black Jack.

Marcus Thomas, 23, of Florissant, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 60-year-old pizza delivery driver Hershel Perkins.

Charging documents allege Thomas shot Perkins multiple times while Perkins was delivering a pizza in the 4600 block of Whisper Lake Drive.

Perkins called 911 to say he'd been shot, police wrote in court documents. He was found dead in a parking lot.

Phone records show Thomas attempted to make several other orders to other pizza chains that night, charging documents say.

Another man, Wayea Hallowanger, 20, was also charged in December with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection to the death.

Investigators determined that Hallowanger had ordered the pizza to be delivered to a vacant apartment.

After police arrested Hallowanger, he admitted ordering the pizza and being there when it was delivered, court records allege. He later changed the number on the cellphone that was used, police said.

Thomas' bail was set Tuesday at $1 million.
ST. LOUIS  A St. Louis family has been trying for more than a year to get a woman to stop making racist threats against them at their south city home.

Fatima Suarez said the woman, a stranger, initially broke into her parents home with a hammer, and since then has repeatedly harassed them at their Princeton Heights home.

Suarez said shes tried, to no avail, to get police to stop her.

But then video of the incident went viral Tuesday on the app TikTok, bringing attention to her familys plight  and an admission from the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office that a warrant for the womans arrest had sat unresolved for more than a year in a drop-off box containing warrants for nonviolent crimes.

Suarez, 22, whose parents and 5-year-old sister live at the home on Lisette Avenue, said Tuesday she was frustrated it took a viral video to get authorities attention. The video included footage that was captured by the familys Ring doorbell and initially posted to TikTok by Suarez.

Its just crazy how it took this for it to be important for them, said Suarez, who shared emails with video footage to police. Shes tried multiple times to get a restraining order but was unsuccessful, she said.

If the video hadnt gone viral, Suarez said, I guess it would have just still been put on the side.

The video, viewed tens of thousands of times, shows an angry white woman beating the door of Suarezs parents home with a hammer while making racist threats.

Youre illegals living here, the woman says in the video. Get out. Youre a bunch of illegals. You dont belong on American property ... show me some illegal paper cause I know you didnt buy this house. You dont have enough money.

The video caught the woman just after she broke into the homes basement in January 2022 with a hammer and smashed several objects, Suarez said. But it was only the first of at least six times she harassed the family at the home, even after she was arrested three times.

Official response

Circuit Attorney Kim Gardners office said Tuesday they elevated the application for an immediate review but as of Tuesday evening did not have any video evidence like the footage circulating online.

Police applied for warrants in January 2022, after the break-in, but put the application in a drop-off box for nonviolent crimes, spokeswoman Allison Hawk said.

Police have discretion to flag warrants in nonviolent crimes so they can be reviewed within 24 hours but did not do so, she said. Asked why it took more than a year to review the case, Hawk said the office prioritizes violent crimes and reviews other cases on a rolling basis.

Police, who earlier Tuesday referred questions about charges to Gardners office, did not immediately respond to the statement.

The department confirmed officers arrested a suspect for disturbances at the home on:

Jan. 5, 2022, about 5:30 p.m., for two felonies  first-degree robbery and first-degree property damage

March 17, 2022, about 1:30 p.m., for municipal violations of trespassing and miscellaneous peace disturbance

Dec. 12, 2022, about 10:37 p.m. for a peace disturbance

Evita Caldwell, a spokesperson for city police, said the department released the incident reports without requiring a public records request due to the attention it has garnered insinuating a lack of police response.

But police would not identify who was arrested, citing state law that declares arrest records closed to the public if the arrestee was not charged with a criminal offense within 30 days.

The woman named in the viral videos is not being identified by the Post-Dispatch because she has not been charged with a crime. Neither the woman nor her relatives could be reached Tuesday for comment.

The woman claimed in the video the house was hers. Property records show the house was owned by apparent relatives of the woman named in the video until about 30 years ago.

Suarezs parents, originally from Mexico, bought and moved into the home on Lisette six years ago. Things were fine until that day in January, she said, when her father and sister were in the first-floor living room and heard what sounded like a window breaking in the basement.

Her father rushed to the basement door and found a woman with a hammer walking up the stairs. He slammed the door and locked it shut. The woman then left the basement and went around to the front door, where the familys Ring camera caught her beating the door with a hammer.

We had never seen her in our lives, Suarez said. She doesnt live around the neighborhood.

In March, the woman was arrested after she stole mail from the house and attacked Suarez and her husband when they confronted her, Suarez said. Another 10 months went by before the woman returned, in December, on two occasions, at one point sitting outside the home for hours overnight.

She last returned Feb. 1, knocking on the door again before apparently trying to pick the lock, Suarez said.

The viral video

Suarezs parents caught footage of the woman appearing at the home multiple times on the familys front-door Ring security camera, and she posted footage of the first two incidents to TikTok days after they happened.

She posted videos again after the latest incident Feb. 1. But the videos didnt get viral attention until Monday, when a popular TikToker with more than 5 million followers reposted Suarezs videos and called for a public campaign to provide help.

Law enforcement in St. Louis, Missouri needs to do something, said the TikToker, Michael McWhorter, a video editor and director whose social media profiles call out apparent racist, homophobic, violent or otherwise illegal behavior in videos.

Neighbors in the area said they werent aware of the womans visits to the home.

Ben Schulte, who lives two houses down from Suarezs parents, said the family is a great neighbor, and they left him a Christmas gift on his porch last year after they noticed him cleaning the sidewalk outside.

Ive had nothing but good times with them, Schulte said. Youre talking about model citizens here.

Suarezs parents did not respond when a reporter knocked on the door Tuesday. The door bore yellow markings where it appeared it had been hit with a hammer.

Suarez said her parents were afraid to speak publicly because the woman harassing them hadnt yet seen their faces.

They dont feel comfortable to even open up the windows or the curtain, Suarez said.
JEFFERSON CITY  In a bid to soften Democratic opposition, Republicans in the Missouri Senate watered down legislation Wednesday that would have banned the teaching of certain theories about racism and its role in American history.

As part of a so-called Parents Bill of Rights sought by the GOP as part of a national focus on schools, the changes were given preliminary approval on a voice vote. The measure now awaits final approval before moving to the House for further debate.

Im not saying everybody is happy with it, said Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, who is sponsoring the plan. I think were at a point where we can agree to move on.

Democrats agreed that there have been some positive changes in the legislation following closed door negotiations over the past week. Among them are increased funding to public schools for low-income and homeless students.

But Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, said the proposed law is still an attack on teachers because it micromanages what they do in the classroom.

I also worry it signals to parents that they cant trust what is being taught in classrooms, said Arthur, a former teacher.

Sen. Karla May, D-St. Louis, called the legislation, even with the changes, insulting.

Although the new version removes language associated with the teaching of critical race theory, it still includes provisions that could limit how race is discussed in a classroom.

For example, the bill prohibits a teacher from teaching that individuals of any race, ethnicity, color, or national origin are inherently superior or inferior.

It also bars curriculum that could make students feel responsible for actions committed in the past by others.

May, who is Black, said attempts to whitewash U.S. history when it comes to slavery and racism mark a dangerous turn in how lawmakers envision how public schools operate.

She said urban school districts are still facing basic infrastructure issues, ranging from lead paint in classrooms to lead drinking water pipes, while parents in suburban schools are arguing about racist concepts that are mostly limited to college level legal classes.

The disparity is amazing. The gap is huge, May said. What are you trying to solve or prevent?

I think the language is clear, Koenig said.

The debate marked the latest chapter in a push by mostly white conservatives to limit school lessons dealing with race and gender concepts. The proposal also includes a requirement that schools send all curricula, syllabi and other materials to a public portal managed by the state.

The legislation also includes a number of parental rights, including being able to access curricula, the names of guest speakers at the school, and information about collection and transmission of student data.

It also sets up the Missouri Education Transparency and Accountability Portal allowing the public to access every school districts curriculum, textbooks, source materials, and syllabi.

The package also requires the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a class for schools to teach about patriotism.

Members of the GOP-controlled House also are crafting their own versions of laws addressing similar themes.

The legislation is Senate Bill 4.
CLAYTON  The chair of the St. Louis County Council on Tuesday proposed changing council rules to limit public speaking, after years of listening to topics often unrelated to county business.

Council Chair Shalonda Webb, a Democrat from north St. Louis County, introduced a resolution limiting speakers at weekly council meetings to topics that are either on the councils agenda or are related to issues the council has taken up or may take up in the future.

But Webb agreed to put off a vote on the issue until the council could meet to discuss rule language in detail later this month.

Webb was met with uproar a week ago after she first announced her proposal. Frequent public speakers accused her of violating their First Amendment rights.

But there is no law in Missouri that guarantees the right to unlimited free speech at government business meetings, and public forums are commonly regulated in other local governments across the state.

Republican Councilman Ernie Trakas of South County vocally opposed Webbs idea to limit public speech. He proposed a resolution of his own this week, asking the council to move the public forum back to the beginning of the meetings, which the council last month had moved to the end. Trakas voted against that measure, and his attempt to reverse it failed 4-3.

The public comment period gained notoriety during the pandemic for speakers who talked about wide-ranging issues, from nuclear war to pornography to vaccine conspiracies.

Webb said she doesnt want to block peoples First Amendment rights, but wants speakers to stick to county business.

Once a resolution comes before the council, it would take one majority vote to pass.
JEFFERSON CITY  The window for jobless Missourians to collect unemployment benefits could become the smallest in the nation under legislation debated by state lawmakers Tuesday.

At a time when companies are facing post-pandemic worker shortages, a measure sponsored by Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, would slash the minimum amount of time someone can collect unemployment benefits from 13 weeks to eight weeks.

Democrats dominated the debate in an attempt to keep the proposal from advancing. After three hours of discussion, Bernskoetter pulled the measure back for what could be further negotiations.

Bernskoetter, a small business owner, said he believes people are waiting until the final weeks of unemployment benefits to begin hunting for a job. If the state makes benefits available for a shorter period of time, the unemployed will look for jobs more quickly, he said.

Obviously, I dont want to punish people who cant find a job, Bernskoetter said.

Similar plans have been floated by GOP lawmakers in recent years, but none of them have become law. A 2015 version of the change was found unconstitutional by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin, R-Shelbina, said people should not sit on the sidelines when the job market is so hot.

I honestly do not know of one business that is not looking for employees, OLaughlin said. It might not be the job you really want, but you can certainly find a job.

Opponents say the eight week period is harder on older workers and those who have specialized skills.

I hate this bill, said Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City. Legislation like this does not help working families in any way. The bill as currently written is really the wrong approach.

Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, said there are better ways to get people into the workforce, including improving child care services, which has become a priority for Republican Gov. Mike Parson.

Parson also has proposed expanding workforce training programs and boosting aid to apprentice programs.

Sen. Doug Beck, D-Affton, urged Republicans to continue negotiations on the matter, saying the economy is likely to eventually cool.

Everybody keeps acting like the employment situation is going to be here forever, Beck said.

Currently, if the states unemployment rate is at or below 6%, people can collect unemployment benefits for 13 weeks. The proposed legislation would drop it to eight weeks if the unemployment rate is at or below 3.5%.

The proposed law keeps the 20-week maximum when the unemployment rate is over 9%.

The states unemployment rate as of December was 2.8%, according to the Missouri Department of Labor. Missouris unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for the last five years.

The weekly amount for unemployment benefits is a maximum of $320. The average is about $270 per week. Jobless workers typically receive benefits for an average of 12 weeks.

Similar legislation sponsored by Rep. Jeff Knight, R-Lebanon, is pending in the Missouri House.

The legislation is Senate Bill 21.
JEFFERSON CITY  A midyear pay boost for Missouri state workers sailed through the House Budget Committee on Tuesday after Democrats tried and failed to insert additional pay increases into the measure.

The spending plan includes 8.7% pay increases across state government as well as an extra $2 per hour for overnight shift workers at prisons and nursing facilities.

Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, called for the raises last month, citing a severe recruitment and retention problem. We must do better, he said.

Rep. Betsy Fogle, D-Springfield, sought an additional 6.3% increase for workers in direct and congregate care settings, on top of the 8.7% increase, but House Budget Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, rejected the amendment on technical grounds, along with other Democratic efforts to boost pay above Parsons recommendations.

Fogle said the 15% raise was aimed at workers for the Missouri Veterans Commission, Department of Corrections, Department of Mental Health, Division of Youth Services, the Childrens Division, and juvenile detention centers.

The amendment that Im going to offer increases the pay raises for those individuals tasked with caring for our states most vulnerable, Fogle said.

Smith acknowledged while theres probably greater need in specific areas, that was something the committee should explore at another time. I dont think, again, this bill at this juncture is the right time to do it.

The House is likely to take up an additional supplemental spending plan later this year, as well as the budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1. Both could include additional pay raises.

The plan advanced Tuesday also includes $629,000 for black vulture mitigation, sought by Sen. Lincoln Hough, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Farmers and ranchers in parts of the Midwest have been grappling with the sometimes aggressive birds, which they say attack newborn calves and other small animals.

Members of the House Budget Committee unanimously approved the $627 million midyear budget adjustment, which includes about $180 million for the raises. Parson has called on lawmakers to approve the raises by March 1.

The Parson administration said the 8.7% cost of living adjustment increase is based on the increase given to Social Security recipients this year and the Consumer Price Index determined by the U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The full House must approve the plan before it heads to the Senate for consideration.

The legislation is House Bill 14.
JEFFERSON CITY  State officials say theyve uncovered a $118 million tax scam that could have resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue.

According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, which oversees the states tax collections, a fraudulent scheme was discovered when fake tax payments flooded the states tax payment system in late January.

Fraudsters attempted to make fake income tax payments from fake bank accounts in the hopes that the overages would trigger a refund in the DORs payment system, said Revenue spokeswoman Anne Marie Moy.

Moy said the incident is not limited to Missouri. Similar scams have been carried out in other states.

The diligent work of the Departments Taxation Division staff ensured that no Missouri taxpayer money was lost. This has been reported to law enforcement, Moy added.

The incident was first noticed publicly when the states Daily General Revenue Report showed a massive spike in payments, artificially inflating the totals in the report.

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted a number of tax-related cases, including one Monday in Florida where a tax preparer received a three-year prison sentence for filing false and fraudulent income tax returns worth an estimated $1.6 million.

In 2021, an unregistered tax preparer from St. Louis admitted filing about 28 false tax returns for clients, prosecutors said.

Lakisha Smith, 39, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of tax fraud.

From 2013-2016, Smith reported false income and withholdings on the returns to boost returns, then took a payment of up to $2,500 from those refunds, prosecutors said. She was not registered with the IRS and did not sign the returns as the preparer, they said.
JEFFERSON CITY  St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones made the rounds in the Capitol Wednesday, urging Missouri lawmakers to include funding in the upcoming state budget for a handful of high-profile projects in the city.

Although Republican Gov. Mike Parson was not on the schedule, Jones, who previously served in the House, said she had face-to-face meetings planned with top budget writers in search of money for a new 911 facility and for repairs to the citys water and streets system.

Im a recovering legislator myself so I know you have to meet with the chairs of appropriations, the budget chair and we are also equipped with where to take the money from so that were just not coming to ask for money. We know exactly where some of the buckets are, Jones said in an interview in the Capitol.

Although they come from different parties, Jones proposals mirror Parsons push for more spending on construction projects at a time when the GOP-controlled Legislature has instead been focused on national culture war issues addressing how race is taught in schools and anti-LGBTQ measures affecting transgender athletes.

Jones said lawmakers should focus on other issues.

We have to address our history and embrace it, the good, the bad and the ugly. Our schools need to be safe places for our children to have those sensitive conversations with people that they trust about the things that are going on in their lives, she said.

The proposed new 911 call center, which would include a child care facility, is expected to cost an estimated $43 million. The facility is billed as essential to improving a service that currently puts some callers on hold.

Jones is asking state lawmakers to finance half of the new facility through either state general fund revenue or emergency management dollars.

A packet of material she handed out to members of the House and Senate reminds them the state currently is sitting on a massive balance of more than $5 billion heading into the new fiscal year beginning July 1.

Another top priority is the city water department.

Its in need of over $400 million in repairs, the mayor said.

In addition, Jones is seeking state aid to repair the citys Mississippi River floodwall system, which is aging. The cost for repairs could be at least $10 million, but a local funding source has not been identified.

Jones told reporters that the push for improvements to the aging water system also could include seeking federal dollars.

Were trying to get money where we can, Jones said.

As for a revamp of the citys street system, Jones is seeking funds to study how to reduce traffic fatalities. For example, an existing city proposal would try to cut down on those incidents by paying to remove lanes and bump out curbs to slow traffic on major thoroughfares such as Kingshighway, Grand and Jefferson Avenue, as well as other areas identified as dangerous.
JEFFERSON CITY  Two Missouri Supreme Court judges are retiring this year, Chief Justice Paul Wilson announced Wednesday during the annual State of the Judiciary address to state lawmakers.

Lawmakers stood to applaud Judges Patricia Breckenridge and George Draper when Wilson announced their upcoming retirements this fall.

A court spokeswoman said the judges have not yet announced when their last days will be.

Both Breckenridge and Draper are nearing their 70th birthdays, and the Missouri Constitution requires judges to retire by age 70 or they automatically forfeit their pensions.

Former Republican Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Breckenridge to the high court in 2007, and former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon picked Draper for the court in 2011.

In Missouri, a special panel of lawyers, governor-chosen citizens and the chief justice recommend three candidates to fill Supreme Court vacancies. The governor picks from those three candidates.

These will be Republican Gov. Mike Parsons second and third Supreme Court appointments since he took office in 2018. He appointed Judge Robin Ransom to the court in 2021.

_____
SHREWSBURY  After hearing pleas from Catholics to save their churches, the Archdiocese of St. Louis has proposed new maps showing a consolidation of half of the 178 parishes across the region.

New draft models from 15 geographic planning areas in the All Things New reorganization show 88 pastorates  groups of one or more parishes that will be served by a single pastor.

The maps show the greatest consolidation of parishes in St. Louis city and much of St. Louis County while most parishes in Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Valley Park and Eureka would remain intact on their own.

There are three possible structures for each pastorate: a single parish with a resident priest, two or more parishes with independent finances that share a priest or two or more parishes that are merged into one.

Archdiocese and parish leaders will be charged with deciding how each pastorate with more than one parish is structured, including where and when Sunday Mass will be held. Some of those decisions are expected to be announced on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, when St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski releases the final plan.

There are still a lot of question marks, said Jason Bolte of Save Rome of the West, a group fighting to keep churches open. It does baffle me if you look at areas like St. Charles and parts of Franklin County where theres a lot of growth, theyre being hit pretty hard. And then areas that are stagnating growth are being left alone.

Even parishes that appear untouched on the maps could be affected by losing a priest or combining with other parishes ministries including schools, said Father Chris Martin, the archdioceses vicar for strategic planning.

The pastorates were created from the fruit of the feedback we received from the people on factors like traffic patterns and existing collaborations among parishes, Martin said Wednesday.

The balance really is about what is the most prudent pastoral care, priest availability and long-term parish viability, Martin said.

The first question to be settled is whether the latest parish groupings are the best fit. Then archdiocese leaders will make recommendations for primary worship sites within each pastorate, but the decisions will likely fall with individual priests and their parishioners, Martin said.

Priests have also been told to expect a significant reassignment in the coming months, Martin said.

Typically, about 20% of pastors are reassigned annually, Martin said. He did not estimate a percentage of priests that will be moved in the coming months.

Catholics got their first look at possible parish mergers at listening sessions in November. After surveys and feedback from the sessions, the various options were reworked into one draft for each area.

Save Rome of the West posted the draft models Tuesday after they were leaked by a church leader.

Archdiocesan leaders have said the downsizing is necessary as both the number of Catholic faithful and the priests to serve them have dwindled in recent decades. Projections show there will be 130 priests in 15 years, according to the archdiocese.

Ken Battis, president of Save Our St. Louis Parishes, anticipates a Catholic hunger games scenario where parishes in each pastorate battle for survival.

I cant imagine a more disruptive plan than Were gonna lock the three of you parishes in the room and whoever comes out standing wins, Battis said. That doesnt seem Christian to me let alone Catholic or pastoral.

The latest drafts show a Hispanic parish being established at St. Barnabas in OFallon instead of St. Gianna in Wentzville, where parishioners mounted a vigorous opposition to the plan.

Several historic churches near downtown St. Louis, including St. Mary of Victories, St. John Nepomuk and Sts. Peter and Paul, will be spared closure.

St. Cecilia with its popular Mexican fish fries in the Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis will not be moved to another church as originally proposed but will remain a Hispanic parish without geographic boundaries.

The 18 parishes in north St. Louis County will be combined into six groups and the eight parishes in north St. Louis city will go down to three pastorates, with only St. Alphonsus Liguori the Rock on north Grand Boulevard standing alone.

Close to 3,000 Catholics from 120 parishes have signed a procurator mandate in protest of large-scale parish mergers while preparing for possibilities including civil lawsuits and appeals to Vatican courts through canon, or church law.

Archdiocese leaders said All Things New follows canon law and churches will not be closed without just cause, which does not include a shortage of priests.

Bolte said Save Rome of the West would continue its work to fight the closure of any church.

This is Gods sacred holy ground ... you dont just shut it down, Bolte said.

Originally posted at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8.
ADANA, Turkey  Rescuers in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria searched through the frigid night into Tuesday, hoping to pull more survivors from the rubble after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 4,000 people and toppled thousands of buildings across a wide region.

Authorities feared the death toll from Monday's pre-dawn earthquake and aftershocks would keep climbing as rescuers looked for survivors among tangles of metal and concrete spread across the region beset by Syria's 12-year civil war and refugee crisis.

Survivors cried out for help from within mountains of debris as first responders contended with rain and snow. Seismic activity continued to rattle the region, including another jolt almost as powerful as the initial quake. Workers carefully pulled away slabs of concrete and reached for bodies as desperate families waited for news of loved ones.

"My grandson is 1 years old. Please help them, please. We can't hear them or get any news from them since morning. Please, they were on the 12th floor," Imran Bahur wept by her destroyed apartment building in the Turkish city of Adana.

Tens of thousands who were left homeless in Turkey and Syria faced a night in the cold. In Turkey's Gaziantep, a provincial capital about 20 miles from the epicenter, people took refuge in shopping malls, stadiums and community centers. Mosques around the region were opened to provide shelter.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning.

The quake, which was centered on Turkey's southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, sent residents of Damascus and Beirut rushing into the street and was felt as far away as Cairo.

The quake piled more misery on a region that has seen tremendous suffering over the past decade. On the Syrian side, the area is divided between government-held territory and the country's last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Turkey, meanwhile, is home to millions of refugees from the civil war.

In the rebel-held enclave, hundreds of families remained trapped in rubble, an opposition emergency organization said in a statement. The area is packed with some 4 million people displaced from other parts of the country by the war. Many of them live in buildings that are already wrecked from past bombardments.

Strained health facilities quickly filled with injured, rescue workers said. Others had to be emptied, including a maternity hospital, according to the SAMS medical organization.

More than 7,800 people were rescued across 10 provinces, said Orhan Tatar, an official with Turkey's disaster management authority.

The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured Monday's quake at 7.8, with a depth of 11 miles. Hours later, a 7.5 magnitude temblor struck more than 60 miles away.

Thousands of buildings were reported collapsed in a wide area extending from Syria's cities of Aleppo and Hama to Turkey's Diyarbakir, more than 200 miles to the northeast.

In Turkey alone, more than 5,600 buildings were destroyed, authorities said. Hospitals were damaged, and one collapsed in the Turkish city of Iskenderun.

Bitterly cold temperatures could reduce the time frame that rescuers have to save trapped survivors, said Dr. Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards at Nottingham Trent University. The difficulty of working in areas beset by civil war would further complicate rescue efforts, he said.

Offers of help  from search and-rescue teams to medical supplies and money  poured in from dozens of countries, as well as the European Union and NATO.

The vast majority were for Turkey, with Russian and even an Israeli promise of help to the Syrian government, but it was not clear if any would go to the devastated rebel-held pocket in the northwest.

The opposition's Syrian Civil Defense described the situation in the enclave as "disastrous."

The opposition-held area, centered on the province of Idlib, has been under siege for years, with frequent Russian and government airstrikes. The territory depends on a flow of aid from nearby Turkey for everything from food to medical supplies.

In the small Syrian rebel-held town of Azmarin in the mountains by the Turkish border, the bodies of several dead children, wrapped in blankets, were brought to a hospital.

Television stations in Turkey aired screens split into four or five, showing live coverage from rescue efforts in the worst-hit provinces.

In the city of Kahramanmaras, rescuers pulled two children alive from the rubble, and one could be seen lying on a stretcher on the snowy ground. Turkish broadcaster CNN Turk said a woman was pulled out alive in Gaziantep after a rescue dog detected her.

At least 2,316 people were killed in 10 Turkish provinces, with more than 13,000 injured, according to Turkish authorities. The death toll in government held areas of Syria climbed to 656 people, with some 1,400 injured, according to the Health Ministry. In the country's rebel held northwest, groups that operate there said the death toll was at least 450, with many hundreds injured.
JSX, a semi-private airline, is unconventional for a host of reasons. For one thing, planes have just 30 seats. Travelers skip traditionally long security lines because JSX departs from private air terminals. Once on board, snacks and drinks are complimentary, every seat has power outlets, and legroom is plentiful.

And then theres one perk that stands out as especially generous: Small pets fly free.

Pets are family and at JSX, we believe you should have the option to fly with your whole family, JSX spokesperson Meghan Patke tells NerdWallet.

Why JSX might be right for your pet

JSX doesnt charge pet fees, and for pet owners based in the West, JSX has several route options. JSX fares are usually more expensive than those of conventional airlines, but often the cost is just incrementally more compared to typical fares with pet fees. Plus, JSX provides a business class experience for both pets and passengers. So in some cases, the price difference is more than worth it for the added comfort and convenience.

Heres how the JSX pet experience compares:

JSX is sometimes cheaper

NerdWallet compared JSX airfare against the cost to fly the same route on Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which won first and second place in NerdWallets Most Pet-Friendly Airlines of 2023. On most flights, Alaska charges $100 each way for pets that fit in a carrier under the seat. Southwest offers a slightly cheaper $95 pet fare for animals that fit in a carrier under the seat. (Pets are not allowed on international Southwest flights, though.)

To compare prices, NerdWallet analyzed 2023 airfares on 75 nonstop routes shared by Alaska, Southwest and JSX. On a few routes, JSX was cheaper  and sometimes a lot cheaper.

For example, Alaska charged $224 (or $324 with the pet fee) for one flight between San Diego and Phoenix, while JSX charged just $199 for the same route that day.

When you factor in pet fees, the average Alaska airfare is 1.2% more expensive than JSX and the average Southwest airfare is 12.6% cheaper than JSX.

The prices in the analysis were based on the lowest non-Basic Economy fare each airline offers. For airlines with multiple flights on the same day, the cheapest departure time was selected.

Especially on shorter routes like Los Angeles to San Francisco  where fares are typically cheap (but pet fees are fixed)  pets can amount to a huge chunk of overall flying costs, which enables JSX to shine.

Less wait time and a better onboard experience

JSX flights depart from private air facilities, so you wont have to arrive for your flight two hours in advance, and the security screening process is much less invasive. This can cut down on the time you might have to spend wrangling a stressed pet at the airport.

Then theres the onboard experience. Humans and pets alike get a business class-like experience on JSX flights. JSX spokesperson Meghan Patke told NerdWallet that pets are given a JSXbranded bandana.

When JSX doesnt make sense, even with pets

Few routes. JSXs route map is pretty limited, only operating out of about two dozen airports around North America. Southwest and Alaska serve more than 110 airports each.

JSXs route map is pretty limited, only operating out of about two dozen airports around North America. Southwest and Alaska serve more than 110 airports each. Larger animals arent cheap. For large dogs, youll have to buy their own seat  which will likely be pricier than the roughly $100 pet fees on most airlines.

For large dogs, youll have to buy their own seat  which will likely be pricier than the roughly $100 pet fees on most airlines. Its usually more expensive. When you factor in pet fees, JSX fares were more expensive than Alaska fares 60% of the time and more expensive than Southwest fares 76% of the time. In raw dollars, Southwest airfare with a pet averaged $103 cheaper than the same JSX route.

When you factor in pet fees, JSX fares were more expensive than Alaska fares 60% of the time and more expensive than Southwest fares 76% of the time. In raw dollars, Southwest airfare with a pet averaged $103 cheaper than the same JSX route. For large groups with just one pet. For an individual traveling with their pooch, the upcharge might be worth it for the JSX experience. But for large groups, the price difference for seats starts to become a lot starker. For example, a family of four plus one pet would pay, on average, about $700 more to fly JSX versus Southwest.

Why JSX might be the best airline for your pet

Because JSX doesnt charge pet fees for small cats and dogs, it sometimes nets out to be the cheapest option to fly. But even when its not cheapest, often the cost is just incrementally more. And given that JSX provides a business class experience for both pets and passengers, it might be worth the extra cost.

Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia.
Spexis AG / Key word(s): Financing/Partnership

Spexis and SPRIM Global Investments (SGI) Announce Plans for Clinical Trial Partnership to Fund up to Half of the Projected Phase 3 Clinical Development Costs of ColiFin



08-Feb-2023 / 07:20 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Allschwil, Switzerland, February 8, 2023

Spexis and SPRIM Global Investments (SGI) Announce Plans for Clinical Trial Partnership to Fund up to Half of the Projected Phase 3 Clinical Development Costs of ColiFin

SGI debt facility to provide Spexis up to half of the projected ColiFin  Phase 3 development costs, including those involving both COPILOT and COPA

SGI has invested in Spexis as part of the ColiFin  P3 clinical trial partnership financing; additional investments from other investors expected in the near future

SGI debt facility subject to a number of conditions, including negotiation of final agreements

Spexis AG (SIX: SPEX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases and oncology, today announced that the Company has executed term sheets describing a clinical trial partnership with SPRIM Global Investments (SGI), a leading health sciences venture capital firm with deep industry expertise and decades of opeRating experience across 17 countries. The partnership, which includes a debt facility, is expected to provide Spexis with up to half of the Phase 3 clinical development costs of ColiFin and enable the initiation of Spexis Phase 3 COPILOT study, expected in the second quarter of 2023. COPILOT will evaluate and confirm the use of once versus twice daily dosing for COPA, the planned single pivotal efficacy and safety Phase 3 trial. While the majority of such funding is planned to be in the form of senior debt tied to the funding of the COPILOT and COPA studies, SGI has also invested in Spexis via an interest-bearing subordinated convertible note financing in an amount of $500,000, with a term of 2 years and partial warrant coverage. Spexis expects to secure additional investors in the near future.

The planned partnership with SGI positions us well to rapidly advance ColiFin into the next stage of development  particularly the imminent initiation of our COPILOT study, expected in the second quarter, said Jeff Wager, M.D., Chairman & CEO of Spexis. This collaboration is expected to provide capitalization through significant clinical milestones in ColiFins Phase 3 development. As such, we are grateful for the support from SGI, both as debt funders for our clinical trials, as well as new investors in our fundraising, and are excited to work closely with them as we continue our mission to bring a novel treatment option to improve and extend the lives of cystic fibrosis patients.

Thomas Fratacci, CFO of SGI, further commented, As part of our commitment to tailoring financing solutions for the life science industry  particularly in a climate of depressed market capitalizations  we developed our investment products to enable companies like Spexis to raise capital in order to continue clinical development of their priority programs. What weve designed for Spexis is exactly such a product.

The debt funding component of the partnership is subject to the negotiation of final clinical trial agreements with a selected CRO and related funding agreements with SGI. In addition, the initiation of the COPILOT and COPA trials will be subject to Spexis securing additional financing to cover the full cost of the Phase 3 trials.

ColiFin is being developed for the treatment of chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Spexis has worldwide rights to ColiFin ex-Europe and is focused on developing the product first for the U.S. market. With a Study may Proceed letter from the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Spexis will upon securing the necessary funding advance ColiFin into a Phase 3 clinical program in adult and adolescent CF patients with moderate to severe lung function impairment and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lung infection. PA infection accounts for two-thirds of CF chronic lung infections and is the leading cause of lung function decline and mortality in CF patients. The Phase 3 program includes the COPILOT safety and tolerability pilot clinical trial which will enroll 38 patients and evaluate and confirm the use of once or twice daily dosing for COPA, the planned single pivotal efficacy and safety Phase 3 trial. The clinical development of ColiFin is supported by an FDA Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of respiratory infection in patients with cystic fibrosis, Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) Designation for ColiFin for the treatment of PA lung infections in CF patients, and Fast Track Designation.

About Spexis

Spexis (SIX: SPEX) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Allschwil, Switzerland, focused on rare diseases and oncology. For further information please visit: www.spexisbio.com.

About SPRIM Global Investments (SGI)

SPRIM Global Investments (SGI) is a leading health sciences venture capital firm with deep industry expertise and decades of operating experience across 17 countries. SGI invests in biotechnology, digital health and R&D service companies to commercialize the newest technologies and accelerate innovations that are the future of health around the world. For more information, visit: www.sprim.net

For further information please contact:

SPRIM Global Investments Pte. Ltd

Daniel Martinez

daniel.martinez@sprim.net

Spexis AG

For Investors:

Hernan Levett

Chief Financial Officer

Spexis AG

+41 61 567 1600

IR@spexisbio.com

For Media:

Dr. Stephan Feldhaus

Feldhaus & Partner

+41 79 865 9256

feldhaus@feldhaus-partner.ch



Europe

Raimund Gabriel

MC Services

spexis@mc-services.eu

Europe: +49 89 210 2280



U.S.

Stephen Jasper

Gilmartin Group

Stephen@gilmartinir.com

Ph. +1 858 525 2047

Dr. Brigitte Keller/Laurie Doyle

MC Services

spexis@mc-services.eu

Europe: +49 89 210 2280, U.S.: +1 339 832 0752

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of Spexis management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular Spexis results, financial situation, and performance. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only of the date of this communication. Spexis disclaims any intention or obligation to update and revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
OVERLAND PARK, KS / ACCESSWIRE / February 7, 2023 / Tortoise today announced the tax characterization of 2022 distributions paid to common stockholders of each of the following funds:

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (NYSE: TYG)

Tortoise Midstream Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE: NTG)

Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE: TTP)

Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. (NYSE: NDP)

Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE: TPZ)

2022 Tax Characterization of Distributions

TYG NTG TTP NDP TPZ Qualified Dividend Income 100% 100% 21% 40% 11% Ordinary Dividend Income 0% 0% 0% 0% 17% Return of Capital 0% 0% 79% 60% 72% Long-Term Capital Gain 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Additional information regarding the tax characterization of the 2022 distributions is available at www.TortoiseEcofin.com.

A copy of the information is also available upon request by calling (866) 362-9331.

Nothing contained herein or therein should be construed as tax advice. Consult your tax advisor for more information. Furthermore, you may not rely upon any information herein or therein for the purpose of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code.

Annual Report

The adviser also announced today the release of the 2022 annual stockholders' report for TTP, NDP and TPZ. The annual report is available online at cef.tortoiseecofin.com. Please call (866) 362-9331 or email [email protected] to request a hard copy of this report free of charge. The advisor continues to work on the financials for TYG and NTG.

About Tortoise

Tortoise focuses on energy & power infrastructure and the transition to cleaner energy. Tortoise's solid track record of energy value chain investment experience and research dates back more than 20 years. As an early investor in midstream energy, Tortoise believes it is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the global energy evolution that is underway. With a steady wins approach and a long-term perspective, Tortoise strives to make a positive impact on clients and communities. To learn more, please visit www.TortoiseEcofin.com.

Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. is the adviser to Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp., Tortoise Midstream Energy Fund, Inc., Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc., Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. and Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc.

For additional information on these funds, please visit cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

Safe harbor statement

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that may include "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. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are "forward-looking statements." Although the funds and Tortoise Capital Advisors believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the fund's reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Other than as required by law, the funds and Tortoise Capital Advisors do not assume a duty to update this forward-looking statement.

Contact information

For more information contact Jen Ashlock at (913) 981-1020 or [email protected].

SOURCE: Tortoise

View source version on accesswire.com:
Bank of America reiterated an Outperform rating and $295.00 price target on Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) after the construction equipment makers biggest dealer, Finning reported a solid 4Q resulting in a record 2022.

Finning was restrained in providing a FY outlook and reluctant to guide in the 2H given macro uncertainty. However, analyst Michael Feniger found key aspects of the 4Q report, and the earnings call relevant for CAT. The dealer reportedly maintained a record backlog of C$2.5bn, flat QoQ, in spite of a big quarter of equipment deliveries. The strong backlog implies a strong order intake to backfill the backlog.

Feniger believes that the re-stocking tailwind will likely fade in 2023, yet there are no signs of de-stocking as backlogs remain elevated driven by mining and energy. Finning also announced that their parts department expects product sales to grow in 2023 vs 2022, a positive for Caterpillars parts business.

Feniger wrote in a note, In our view, unique macro and business cycle factors are underpinning stronger earnings: China re-opening, commodity capex bias to upside post years of underinvestment, and powerful shift in construction spending mix towards heavy/infrastructure projects vs light non-residential construction.

Shares of CAT are up 0.13% in mid-day trading on Wednesday.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]
Concho County community members joined Avantus to celebrate the more than 250 workers responsible for the project and its benefits to the local economy

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Avantus (formerly 8minute), a leader in low-cost clean energy, celebrated the groundbreaking and continued development of the Galloway 2 Solar Project in Concho County, Texas. Community and industry leaders heard from local business leaders and solar workers about the economic benefits the project has brought to the community, as well as its lasting impact.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005845/en/

Galloway 2 is creating over 250 peak construction jobs and will generate more than $18 million in local property taxes, supporting essential local services, like education, the county hospital, and public safety. More than half of this funding will directly benefit the Paint Rock School District, which is located less than five miles from the project. Once completed, the project will serve as a dedicated 147 MWdc / 110 MWac resource for Texas energy grid, generating enough low-cost clean electricity to provide power for 60,000 Texans.

Texas leads the nation in energy production, so its no surprise the Lone Star State is leading the charge in building out massive amounts of clean energy. Today, solar is not only one of the lowest cost forms of electricity generation, but also one of the fastest growing workforces in America. Here in Texas, we are creating lifelong careers in clean energy that can sustain generations to come, said Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, Founder and CEO of Avantus. Avantus is committed to helping Texas reach its potential by bringing in more projects like Galloway 2 to provide low-cost, reliable energy, high-quality jobs, and incredible benefits to local communities like Paint Rock and Concho County.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, attendees toured the construction site. Initial work began at the site in the summer of 2022 and is currently at peak construction. The project is expected to come online before the end of the year.

Galloway 2 has been such a great addition to our local economy here in Paint Rock, said Paint Rock Mayor Francis Maupin. Our town is busier than ever, and the tax revenue will help create real benefits for our school and community for years to come.

The Galloway 2 project helps cement Texas status as a leader in energy, bringing local jobs, and strengthening our area industries, said Representative Drew Darby. We are grateful to Avantus for their partnership, vision, and commitment to our state, and look forward to the many economic benefits Galloway 2 will provide to Concho County and West Texas.

The majority of the projects energy is committed to BASF Corporation, who is purchasing renewables to offset the energy demand at its Freeport, Texas site. The Galloway 2 project is owned by Allianz Capital Partners, with Avantus maintaining a minority stake in the project. RES is providing the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction services.

This is Avantus second utility-scale project development in the Paint Rock area, with many workers returning to support Galloway 2. Together, these two projects are providing tens of millions of dollars in local tax revenues to the County, spanning the next few decades.

Driven by Avantus growing team in Austin and commitment to Texas, the company has already brought 600 MWdc of solar energy online with more than four gigawatts (GW) of solar and 12 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy storage under development across the state. The companys portfolio will continue to bolster the Lone Star States energy industry and deliver critical economic benefits across local communities. Avantus pipeline of solar and energy storage spans more than 90 utility-scale projects across Texas and the Southwest, representing over $70 billion in investments and large enough to provide reliable, low-cost power for more than 30 million people, day and night.

ABOUT AVANTUS

Avantus is shaping the future by making reliable, low-cost clean energy a global reality. Our legacy of leadership in next generation solar energy includes developing the nations largest solar cluster and the first plant to beat fossil fuel prices back in 2016. Today, we are expanding the boundaries of existing technologies to build one of the largest portfolios of smart power plants with integrated storage, capable of providing 30 million people with affordable, zero-emission energy  day and night. Through our relentless pursuit of better, we are decarbonizing our planet at the gigaton level, and bringing the advantages of clean energy to all of us.

For more information, please visit www.avantus.com, and follow Avantus on Twitter and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005845/en/

Avantus

Katie Struble

Director, Corporate Communications

[email protected]

Source: Avantus
LEVERKUSEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Supervisory Board of Bayer AG has appointed Bill Anderson to become CEO of Bayer, effective June 1, 2023. He will join Bayer as a member of the Board of Management on April 1, 2023. Bill Anderson was elected unanimously after a thorough selection process which began mid last year. Werner Baumann (60), current CEO of Bayer, will work closely with him on a smooth transition before retiring from Bayer after 35 years of service at the end of May 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005749/en/

Bill Anderson to become CEO of Bayer AG (Photo: Business Wire)

Bill Anderson (56), a chemical engineer by education, has served in various leadership positions in the life science industry over the past 25 years. Most recently, he served as CEO of Roches Pharmaceuticals Division, where he successfully led a comprehensive transformation program which resulted in many successful new product launches, significant revenue growth, and greater productivity across the organization. Before this role, Anderson was CEO of Genentech, one of the pioneering companies in the biotech field.

Previously, Bill Anderson held several senior leadership positions in general management, product development, and finance at Biogen, another innovation leader in the biotech sphere, and Raychem, an American technology and electronics company. During his time at Biogen, Genentech and Roche, Anderson was involved in the development and launch of 25 new medicines, including 15 blockbusters. In addition to his native country, the United States, Bill Anderson has lived and worked in several European countries with postings in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. In his new role, he will be based in Leverkusen, Germany.

We are very excited to welcome Bill Anderson as new CEO of Bayer. He is the ideal candidate to lead Bayer together with the team into a new, successful chapter at a time of a disruptive innovation cycle in biology, chemistry and artificial intelligence. Bill has an outstanding track record of building strong product pipelines and turning biotech breakthroughs into products. Beyond that, he is a truly transformational leader who creates a culture that propels innovation, boosts productivity and performance, and allows people to thrive, said Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG. Bill Andersons mission is clear: enable Bayer to realize its full potential and create sustainable value for our shareholders, farmers, patients, consumers, employees, and all stakeholders of the company.

Winkeljohann continued: On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would also like to sincerely thank Werner Baumann for 35 years of dedicated service with Bayer, including seven years as CEO. Today, Bayer is a leading life science company with outstanding innovation capabilities in health and nutrition, well positioned in highly attractive growth markets. The recent successful operational performance is clear proof that Bayer stands on a very strong foundation. We wish Werner Baumann all the very best in his future endeavors.

The new CEO-elect, Bill Anderson, said: Bayer is an innovative company that is already delivering tremendous benefits for the nutrition, health and environmental protection of the world. Its leading R&D investments in agriculture, medicines and consumer health hold the promise for additional breakthroughs. I look forward to working with the people of Bayer to accelerate innovation, increase performance, advance sustainability and unleash the full potential of the company.

Heike Hausfeld, Vice Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Chairwoman of the Bayer Central Works Council said: There is a long-lasting and strong partnership between the Works Council and Bayers management, which is a foundational element of the companys governance and success. We thank Werner Baumann for the trustful collaboration over the years and wish him all the best in the future. We had tough debates on a number of topics  and ultimately we were able to advance a lot for Bayer together. In our conversations, Bills commitment to Bayers employees, its purpose Science for a better life and its vision Health for all, hunger for none was evident. I am confident that the close partnership with him as CEO and the Works Council will continue.

Bill Anderson holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas, and Master of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Bill Anderson is married and has three children.

About Bill Anderson

Future Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG (effective June 1st, 2023)

William N. (Bill) Anderson, born in 1966, is an American chemical engineer and senior executive. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas and a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in Chemical Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Management from MITs Sloan School.

Bill started his professional career in 1989 at Ethyl Corporation, a U.S.-based fuel additives company, with postings in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1995, he joined Raychem Corporation, an American technology and electronics firm. In 1997, Bill took up work for Biogen Idec, today simply known as Biogen, an American biotechnology firm. After serving in various leadership roles, Bill was appointed Vice President and General Manager of Biogens Neurology Unit, the companys largest business unit. Bill joined Genentech, a pioneering American biotechnology company, eventually serving as Senior Vice President in the firms BioOncology Unit in 2010.

He left this role in 2013 to join Roche Pharmaceuticals, the parent company of Genentech, as Head of Global Product Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer. After serving in this position until 2016, he moved back to Genentech to assume the position of Head of North American Operations before becoming CEO of the company in 2017.

In 2019, Bill became CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals. Based in Switzerland, he oversaw a comprehensive transformation program at the division that resulted in significant increases in productivity and revenue growth despite a major impact of patent losses. In his four years in the position, Bill led the launch of multiple new products that were commercially successful. Bill is married and the father of three adult children.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Note:

Print-quality photos can be downloaded from our website at

www.media.bayer.com.

Follow us on twitter.com/bayer

mip (2023-0027E)

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayers public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005749/en/

Media inquiries:

Christian Hartel, phone +49 214 30-47686

Email: [email protected]

Tino Andresen, phone +49 214 30-66048

Email: [email protected]

Investor inquiries:

Bayer Investor Relations Team, phone +49 214 30-72704

Email: [email protected]

www.bayer.com/en/investors/ir-team

Source: Bayer
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Duda, the professional website builder for digital marketing agencies and web professionals, today announced it has been named to G2s 2023 Best Software Awards for Content Management Products. As the worlds largest and most trusted software marketplace, G2 is visited by 80 million software buyers each year. Its annual Best Software Awards rank the worlds best software companies and products based on authentic, timely reviews from real users.

This is Dudas second time receiving a G2s Best Software Award recognition, earning its place this year thanks to Dudas dedication to building fast, high-ranking websites designed specifically for digital marketing agencies and SaaS platforms. As the number one platform for Core Web Vitals performance, Duda continues to offer the best in fully customizable website design and top-performing SEO.

We are so incredibly honored by G2s recognition this year, Duda CEO and Co-Founder Itai Sadan said. Duda worked hard in 2022 to provide the best experience possible for web professionals and digital marketing agencies, as well as those looking to expand into eCommerce as well. We are very proud of the work weve done, and were very excited for the next year to come. Thank you, G2, and to all our fantastic customers that made this a reality.

While G2 publishes the Best Software Awards each year, theyre really awards from customers, said Sara Rossio, Chief Product Officer at G2. Representing a vote of confidence from real software users, these awards also spotlight those that have risen to the top among thousands of companies. With 2 million+ verified software reviews, the most in a single destination, our marketplace features more than 145,000 products and services across 2,100 different categories. Congratulations to all those named, as buyers will continue to lean on these awards as a trusted source to inform their software decisions in the year ahead.

The top 100 companies are ranked based on a combination of Satisfaction and Market Presence scores for each vendor, and the top 100 products are ranked based on reviews across all categories they are a part of. To be recognized as a Best Software Award winner, a software company or product must receive at least 50 approved and published reviews during the 2022 calendar year. Scores reflect only data from reviews submitted during this evaluation period.

To learn more, view G2s 2023 Best Software Awards and read more about G2s methodology.

G2 also publishes quarterly reports based on verified reviews from clients. In the latest G2 Winter reports, Duda ranks as a leader in the following categories: Website Builder, Web Content Management, Landing Page Builder, and Personalization. Duda received 22 badges, including "Most Implementable", "Best Usability", "Easiest To Use", "Best Results", "Best Relationship", "Easiest Setup", "Best Support", "Easiest To Do Business With", and "High Performer".

About Duda

Duda is the leading web design platform empowering digital marketing agencies and SaaS companies to create and manage their customers' digital presence. Offering an extensive range of eCommerce tools, scalable client management offerings, team collaboration solutions, top-tier SEO support, white labeling, and marketing capabilities, Dudas award-winning no-code platform enables agencies to reach higher productivity and unprecedented growth. Since launching in 2010, one million sites have been published on the white-label Duda platform, and over 20,000 web professionals trust it enough to put their own name on it. Headquartered in the U.S. with offices in Israel, Canada, and Brazil, Duda has raised more than $100 million in funding to date. For more information, visit www.duda.co.

About G2

G2 is the world's largest and most trusted software marketplace. More than 80 million people annually  including employees at all Fortune 500 companies  use G2 to make smarter software decisions based on authentic peer reviews. Thousands of software and services companies of all sizes partner with G2 to build their reputation, manage their software spend, and grow their business  including Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, and Adobe. To learn more about where you go for software, visit www.g2.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005921/en/

Lauren Perry

SlicedBrand for Duda

[email protected]

Jenny Gardynski at G2

[email protected] or [email protected]

Source: Duda
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FOX News Books, FOX News Medias publishing imprint, will release its sixth title on March 28th, The Love Stories of the Bible Speak, by FOX News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream. The book follows The Women of the Bible Speak (March 2021) and The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak (March 2022), both of which topped The New York Times bestseller lists and shattered sales records for a religious title in a year.

In commenting on the announcement, Bream remarked, There are so many inspirational and informative stories from the Bible that are relatable today and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to share these meaningful works with our readers. The past two books explored the strength of women, and now I am thrilled to share this new volume where we focus on relationships, redefining the way we look at love, loss and hardships.

The third installment of Breams bestselling biblical franchise, The Love Stories of the Bible Speak, will reveal new dimensions of the golden rule of Christianity: to love God and your neighbor. From Adam and Eves flesh of my flesh to the deep friendship of David and Jonathan to the eternal love of God, Bream examines the meaningful relationships spanning the good, bad and ugly of Biblical romances, friendships and families.

Since 2022, Bream has served as the anchor of FOXs FOX News Sunday which airs on FOX Network with encore presentations on FOX News Channel. With Bream at the helm, the program has grown the timeslot by 12% in total viewers and 29% in both the 25-54 and 18-49 demographics within the last year. Additionally, she serves as the networks chief legal correspondent. Previously, she anchored FOX News @ Night (12-1 AM/ET), FNCs nightly newscast. A founding author of FOX News Books, Breams debut titles The Women of the Bible Speak and The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak, continue to deliver strong sales, with nearly one million copies sold, collectively. Notably, The Women of the Bible Speak was the 13th top bestseller of the year, according to NPD BookScan.

Since the installment of FOX News Books, the publishing imprint has sold over 1.5 million copies, with each title placing on the national bestseller list. The imprint launched in November 2020 with Pete Hegseths Modern Warriors: Real Stories from Real Heroes, and also featured All American Christmas (November 2021) by Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy, as well as the recent national bestseller Faith Still Move Mountains (November 2022) by Harris Faulkner. Notably, Faulkners title sold over 292,000 copies since its November debut and has remained on The New York Times bestseller list in the ten weeks after it was published.

FOX News Media operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Digital, FOX News Audio, FOX News Books, the direct-to-consumer streaming services FOX Nation and FOX News International and the free ad-supported television service FOX Weather. Currently the number one network in all of cable, FNC has also been the most watched television news channel for more than 21 consecutive years, while FBN ranks among the top business channels on cable. Owned by Fox Corporation, FOX News Media reaches nearly 200 million people each month.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005683/en/

FOX News Media Contact:

Sofie Watson: 212.301.3818 or [email protected]

Source: FOX News Books
HANOI, Vietnam--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FPT Software, Vietnams leading technology and IT services provider recently entered a strategic partnership with business planning and decision-making platform Anaplan Asia Pacific. As Anaplan Asia Pacifics regional integration partner, FPT Software sets to deliver cloud-based Enterprises Performance Management to businesses across Southeast Asia.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207005861/en/

The alliance expands Anaplans reach to new customer segments in FPT Softwares world-leading digital transformation portfolio throughout the Southeast Asia region. Businesses customers will be able to boost their performance with enterprise-wide planning, data collection and data analysis. Furthermore, through leveraging both sides capabilities, the partnership also focuses on promoting continuous collaboration among finance and operations departments.

As the fourth largest trading and consuming region in the world, with one of the largest digitally savvy segments, businesses in Southeast Asia are investing in building new digital capabilities and technologies to maintain competitiveness. Research by Altimeter reveals that most leaders in Southeast Asia (72%) not only sponsor digital transformation in spirit they also consider digital transformation as one of their top three business priorities in the year ahead.

Led by FPT Software's Digital Transformation Group, the partnership combines FPT Software's expertise in leveraging digital technologies with Anaplan's connected planning platform. FPT Software's customers in several industries: automotive, manufacturing, logistics & transportation, and utilities will be able to harness the unique power of Anaplan's planning, forecasting, and decision-making capabilities. Hence, to elevate their finance, supply chain, sales, marketing, and workforce performances. With planning solutions that connect data and illuminate blind spots across departments, enterprises can build a single source of truth, eliminate the need for estimations and access the intelligence necessary to prepare confidently for an uncertain future.

The partnership with Anaplan will enable FPT Software to extend its outreach in the Digital Transformation services portfolio. Were glad that Anaplan shares the same vision in cloud infrastructure while bringing in valuable offerings in business planning. Through this partnership with Anaplan, were rolling up our sleeves to strengthen our capabilities in Cloud Financial Planning to better assist our clients, especially those from the Fortune 500, as these enterprises have an established view regarding business strategy, Frank Bignone, Vice President of Global Digital Transformation of FPT Software pledged.

Mark Micallef, Asia-Pacific Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Anaplan said: Enterprises across Southeast Asia from many industries have embraced Anaplan to accelerate decision-making, drive efficiencies and stay resilient. Our collaboration with FPT Software will enable customers to create a digital backbone for their organisations, and confidently build agile, forward-looking plans that fuel innovation and growth across finance, supply chain, workforce, and sales.

About Anaplan

Anaplan is a transformative way to see, plan, and run your business. Using our proprietary Hyperblock technology, Anaplan lets you contextualize real-time performance, and forecast future outcomes for faster, confident decisions. Anaplan enables connected strategy and planning across your enterprise to move your business forward. Based in San Francisco, Anaplan has over 200 partners and more than 2,000 customers worldwide.

To learn more, visit www.anaplan.com.

About FPT Software

FPT Software is a global technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam, with more than $632.5 million in revenue and 25,500 employees in 28 countries. As a pioneer in digital transformation, the company delivers world-class services in Smart factories, Digital platforms, RPA, AI, IoT, Cloud, AR/VR, BPO, and more. It has served 1000+ customers worldwide, a hundred of which are Fortune Global 500 companies in Automotive, Banking and Finance, Logistics & Transportation, Utilities, and more. For further information, please visit http://www.fpt-software.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207005861/en/

Media

Mai Duong (Ms.)

FPT Software

PR Manager

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.fpt-software.com/newsroom/



Anaplan Media: Kate Hegarty  [email protected]

Source: FPT Software
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Heritage Cannabis Holdings Corp. (CSE: CANN) (OTCQX: HERTF) (Heritage or the Company), today announced that the Company has appointed Eoin Hegarty as Chief Operating Officer, and Cory Larsen as Chief Commercial Officer. Dan Phaure will retain his position as Chief Financial Officer, following his resignation from the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Both Mr. Hegarty and Mr. Larsen are current employees of Heritage, and their promotions follow on their achievements in advancing the Companys strategy to not only successfully expand across Canada, but also in Heritages entry into the United States.

We are thrilled to welcome both Eoin and Cory into these key executive roles at Heritage, which better reflect their duties and achievements to date, stated David Schwede, CEO of Heritage. We have had an incredible couple of years building the business and with both their savvy in operations and commercial activities, we look forward to continuing our growth and expansion in North America and globally.

About Heritage Cannabis Holdings Corp.

Heritage Cannabis is a leading cannabis company offering innovative products to both the medical and recreational legal cannabis markets in Canada and the U.S., operating under two licensed manufacturing facilities in Canada. The company has an extensive portfolio of high-quality cannabis products under the brands Purefarma, Pura Vida, RAD, Premium 5, Thrifty, feelgood., the CB4 suite of medical products in Canada and ArthroCBD in the U.S.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HERITAGE CANNABIS HOLDINGS CORP.

David Schwede

David Schwede

CEO

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005992/en/

Kelly Castledine

Tel: 647-660-2560

[email protected]

Source: Heritage Cannabis Holdings Corp.
The promise of integrated photonics reaching broad market adoption now much closer to reality

VALENCIA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- iPronics, the first company to develop plug-and-play, programmable photonic microchips, today announces that it has successfully delivered initial shipments to several companies in distinct sectors.

Operating at the Speed of Light

The iPronics SmartLight Processor improves processing capabilities and moves data at the speed of light. A photonic microchip uses up to 10x less power and can be 20x faster than electrical chips while processing far more information.

This new processor allows the reconfiguration of a common photonic hardware platform through user-friendly software. This is the first-in-class fully programmable photonic chip, as previous photonic integrated circuits have been fixed-function or application-specific in operation.

The new product has many applications throughout emerging markets and technologies, including 5G/6G signal processing, data centres, machine learning, AI, and computing. The programmable nature of this technology unlocks novel commercial applications as it allows the generation of optical functionalities in software, which critically reduces time to market and total costs for system design, prototyping, and production.

Delivering innovation

iPronics chips have been dispatched to customers in the US and Europe, including a multinational telecommunications and electronics company, a European-based optical networking company and a large US technology company.

The iPronics SmartLight Processor stands out from the crowd, as its photonic chip has significant time-to-market and cost benefits. Compared to custom photonic ICs, the development time can be cut from 18 months down to a couple of weeks. This lowers the total cost and mitigates risk for iPronics clients while delivering on the promise of photonic processing: lower power consumption, lower latency, and faster computation. The iPronics SmartLight Processor enables innovative tech companies to continue their cutting-edge silicon photonics work on several fronts such as high-speed optical communications, RF photonics, and neuromorphic computing.

Mark Halfman, iPronics CEO, commented: For a company that was founded just prior to the pandemic, it is almost unprecedented to move so swiftly from development to shipping our first commercial orders supporting a variety of applications. Todays announcement is a testament to the vision of the companys founders and the dedication of the entire team. This is both a watershed moment for the photonics industry and an exciting time for the company.

END

About iPronics

iPronics is making the computational power of photonics commercially affordable. It has pioneered the field of programmable photonics and developed the first general-purpose photonic processor capable of programming high-speed light signals on-chip with unprecedented flexibility. iPronics processors share a common hardware platform that is reconfigurable by software. This cost-effective solution enables the same hardware to be applied to limitless commercial applications with a voracious appetite for computational power, including 5G and 6G communication, data centres, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, quantum computing, and IoT. Find out more at www.ipronics.com and on LinkedIn and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005762/en/

[email protected]

Source: iPronics
BOSTON & LONDON & AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Monument Group, a global capital advisory and fundraising partner in alternative investments, today announced the opening of a new office in Amsterdam. Monument Group Netherlands B.V., which is fully licensed in the Netherlands and passported throughout the European Union, will support Monument Groups growing European business. A presence in Amsterdam will enable the firm to expand its client roster across Europe, deepen its relationships with investors in the region, and further the growth of its capital advisory and secondary business. The Amsterdam team will work closely with the members of the firms long-standing London office.

We are pleased to expand our European presence with the opening of our Dutch office, said Janet Brooks, Partner at Monument Group. Janet Brooks and Karl Adam, Partner, who have been with the firm for 15 years and 8 years, respectively, will co-lead Monument Groups efforts in the region.

As a growing financial centre in post-Brexit Europe, Amsterdam is a logical fit for Monument Group and having a presence in this dynamic city will nicely complement our established offices in London, Boston, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Our Amsterdam-based team is well positioned to further engage with European investors and general partners and take an active role in the growing secondaries market, commented Mike Miller, Managing Partner.

Monument Group has raised and advised on US$125 billion of capital for general partners globally over 28 years and has deep experience in the European private markets. With its global presence and full-service advisory capabilities, Monument Group advises and assists on capital formation and liquidity solutions over a firms lifecycle, including primary fundraising, recapitalizations and portfolio rebalancing solutions for both general and limited partners globally. The firm established its London office in 2005 and has represented a strong roster of clients across a variety of strategies. Select European clients include Altor Equity Partners, Castik Capital, HighBrook Investors, and Impilo.

About Monument Group

Monument Group is a global independent capital advisory and fundraising partner in alternative investments managed by a senior team with a significant buy-side investment heritage. Since its inception in 1994, Monument Group has assisted a range of general partners around the world to raise 124 funds, totaling US$125 billion of equity. These clients represent a broad variety of investment strategies, including buyouts, growth equity, venture capital, private debt, infrastructure, real estate and natural resources. Monument Group also provides capital advisory and liquidity solutions to both general and limited partners. For more information on Monument Groups primary and secondary capabilities, visit www.monumentgroup.com.

Monument Group, Inc., is an SEC registered broker-dealer and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC); Monument Group Europe LLP is authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority; Monument Group Netherlands B.V. is licensed by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. Monument Group, L.P. is licensed as a Type II Financial Instruments Dealer by the Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) and Monument Group (HK) Limited is licensed to conduct Type 1 regulated activities in Hong Kong by the Securities and Futures Commission.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207006035/en/

Stephen Fishleigh

BackBay Communications

[email protected]

Dan Abramson

BackBay Communications

[email protected]

Source: Monument Group
Wild-caught crab makes a splash with a Tex-Mex spin for a fresh taste and vibrant flavor.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, the worlds largest Mexican casual dining brand, today introduced new menu items featuring wild-caught crab dishes including tostadas, enchiladas, Mexican dip and more. On The Borders Crab Fiesta menu brings its enthusiasts a pinch of bold Tex-Mex for a vibrant and fresh seafood experience.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005768/en/

On The Border today launched Crab Fiesta, new seasonal menu items featuring wild-caught crab dishes including tostadas, enchiladas, Mexican dip, and more. The new Crab Fiesta menu items start at $9.99 and are available through June 2023. Find this Seasonal Special at https://www.ontheborder.com/specials/crab-fiesta/. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Our inspiration for featuring wild-caught crab is to showcase the coastal flavors of Mexico, says Daniel Camp, senior director of culinary at On The Border. Our guests can enjoy the diversity and richness of flavors found in Mexican cuisine for a taste of something unique and delicious."

Crab Fiesta Highlights

NEW! Crab Tostadas - Double-stacked tostadas layered with fresh guacamole, wild-caught crab, topped with toasted corn, pico de gallo, creamy red chile sauce, pickled red onions and queso fresco.

- Double-stacked tostadas layered with fresh guacamole, wild-caught crab, topped with toasted corn, pico de gallo, creamy red chile sauce, pickled red onions and queso fresco. NEW! Stuffed Crab Enchiladas - Hand-rolled enchiladas stuffed with wild-caught crab, melted Jack cheese, topped with sour cream sauce and pico de gallo. Served with Mexican rice and black beans.

- Hand-rolled enchiladas stuffed with wild-caught crab, melted Jack cheese, topped with sour cream sauce and pico de gallo. Served with Mexican rice and black beans. NEW! Mexican Crab Dip - Wild-caught crab mixed with cheese, creamy red chile, topped with spicy avocado ranch and pickled red onions. Served with seasoned flour tortilla crisps.

During the Crab Fiesta, guests can add wild-caught crab to any entree for $3.99. Additional featured items include the Gran Papi with 5 food favorites and a side of rice and beans. Plus, the new Skinny Manarita using Teremana Blanco Tequila.

Our guests already love the seafood selection we have, like the Honey-Chipotle Shrimp Tacos, Dos XX Fish Tacos and Shrimp Fajitas, so the wild-caught crab takes our Bold Tex-Mex seafood menu to the next level, says Edithann Ramey, chief marketing officer at On The Border.

New menu items start at $9.99 and are available through June 2023.

About On The Border

Founded in 1982, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina is the world's largest Mexican casual dining brand. Known for its award-winning margaritas, house-made salsa, and sizzling mesquite-grilled fajitas, On The Border is a fan-favorite destination for authentic, contemporary Mexican food and vibrant good times. With more than 120 restaurants in the U.S. and Asia, theres always a fiesta waiting at On The Border. For more information, visit ontheborder.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005768/en/

Renee Cossman, [email protected]

Source: On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina
Co-Led by Wing Venture Capital and Patron, the seed round will be used to bring the platform to market

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sesame Labs, a Web3 marketing platform that equips Web3 marketers with the tools they need to reach, engage, and attract users, today announced it has raised a $4.5 million seed funding round. The round is being co-led by Wing Venture Capital and Patron, with participation from DoubleJump, Forte, MoonFire, Samsung, Twin Ventures, and angel investors including Balaji Srinivasan, chief technology officer at Coinbase and founder of Earn; Robin Chan, co-founder of fractal; and Ryan Spoon, ex-chief operating officer at Sorare. Sesame Labs will use the new capital to scale its engineering team, bring its products to market, and grow its user base.

Built by a team of Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter alums, Sesame Labs offers a Web3 native marketing stack, which includes a campaign management platform, advertising network and CRM. With Sesame Labs, Web3 companies now have the ability to develop targeted marketing campaigns that leverage competitor data, surface cross-channel customer insights and create in-app engagement rewards  all in one platform.

The company, which also provides customers with a network that allows private and trusted engagement, launches during a time when Web3 companies lack viable distribution channels or the tools needed for effective marketing and customer acquisition.

The playbook for Web3 marketing is still being written, but we know we cannot rely on traditional Web2 marketing tactics to deliver on growth promises and engage with community members on Web3, said Sesame Labs co-founder Vinay Jain. Common Web2 distribution channels simply do not exist on Web3, so we built a solution from the ground up to be the growth engine for Web3 dApps.

Founded by Vinay Jain and Aman Jain, Sesame Labs launched in private beta in September 2022 to test its platform with over a dozen of some of the largest Web3 gaming companies, including Decentral Games, Ethermon, and League of Kingdoms. Sesame Labs is built on Polygon and includes offerings such as:

Comprehensive User Profiles: User profiles based on on-chain, social and in-game activity

User profiles based on on-chain, social and in-game activity User Engagement: Advanced filters identify high-quality users via precise targeting and marketing segmentation tools that give visibility into on and off-chain data

Advanced filters identify high-quality users via precise targeting and marketing segmentation tools that give visibility into on and off-chain data Business Messaging : Messaging features with built-in rewards and custom pricing allows engagement with users directly

: Messaging features with built-in rewards and custom pricing allows engagement with users directly Cohorts: Search for players within a specific target audience, then save as a cohort, which automatically stays up-to-date

Search for players within a specific target audience, then save as a cohort, which automatically stays up-to-date On-chain incentives: Seamless integration of no-code in-game quests and dedicated quest landing pages with automatically dispensed rewards

The founding team at Sesame Labs has a strong technical background and track record of both building and scaling products at the worlds biggest tech companies, said Tanay Jaipuria, Partner at Wing Venture Capital. Were firm believers in the teams vision and overall mission to help Web3 marketers become more efficient with their time and capital.

"A universal pain point around Web3 has been finding sustainable growth for developers, especially those building in games," said Brian Cho, Co-Founder and GP at Patron. "The partners that the Sesame team have on-boarded absolutely love what they are building, and we're thrilled to see them tackle one of the largest opportunities in Web3 dApps."

Using Sesame Labs, we were able to drive a huge surge in social engagement on both Twitter and Discord for the upcoming launch of our Drago NFT collection," said Han Yoo, chief operating officer at NOD Games. "The platform helped us generate more than 700 NFT sales within a two-week period."

For more information on Sesame Labs, visit sesamelabs.xyz or follow the Sesame Labs blog.

About Sesame Labs

Sesame Labs is the Web3 marketing startup helping Web3 marketers reach, engage, and attract users. Created by founders with years of experience building products at companies such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter, Sesame Labs is on a mission to enable people and dApps to engage with trust in a decentralized world. Sesame Labs is based in San Francisco and has raised $4.5 million in equity funding from Wing Venture Capital, Patron, DoubleJump, Forte, MoonFire, Samsung, Twin Ventures, and more. For more information, visit sesamelabs.xyz.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005760/en/

Moxie Communications Group

[email protected]

Source: Sesame Labs
Leveraging significant leadership experience in asset management, Buchwald, former head of BlackRocks North America institutional business, will focus on driving the global investment solutions firms next phase of growth

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Russell Investments announced today that Zach Buchwald has been selected to serve as Chief Executive Officer and as Chairman of the firms board of directors. Based in the firms global headquarters in Seattle, Buchwald will take the helm effective May 1 as Russell Investments eighth CEO in 87 years. He will succeed Michelle Seitz, who departed the firm late last year.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005697/en/

Zach Buchwald selected as CEO for Russell Investments (Photo: Business Wire)

As CEO, Buchwald will drive Russell Investments continued growth and results at a time when the firms client-focused approach is directly aligned with the intensifying need for outcome-oriented solutions, and when the global capital markets are demanding agile, risk-managed total portfolio management.

We believe Zach is the ideal leader to further Russell Investments legacy of innovation in asset management, said Todd R. Crockett, a managing director at TA, which, along with Reverence Capital Partners, acquired Russell Investments in 2016. We are excited to welcome Zach and fully expect his leadership, along with President and Chief Investment Officer Kate El-Hillow and others on the leadership team, will help propel the firm through the next phase of growth, with a focus on delivering a superior client experience.

I am deeply honored to join Russell Investments, said Buchwald, former managing director at BlackRock, Inc. Ive long admired Russell Investments unique legacy as a pioneer in investment consulting, OCIO, portfolio implementation, and much more. Todays Russell is differentiated by its commitment to a total portfolio approach, which is critical in our inter-connected investment universe. I am excited to work with this innovative team to help clients achieve their investment goals with the best possible toolkit.

Buchwald joins Russell Investments from BlackRock, where as the head of its institutional business in North America he was responsible for delivering BlackRocks investment capabilities to the firms institutional clients. Prior to this role, he led BlackRocks Financial Institutions Group, and earlier he helped establish its Retirement Solutions and Financial Markets Advisory platforms. Buchwald has focused much of his career on improving financial security for retirees, which is also central to Russell Investments stated mission.

At BlackRock, he also served on the firms Global Operating Committee, the US/Canada Executive Committee, and as sponsor of its LGBT employee network.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2008, Buchwald served as a managing director at Morgan Stanley, where he held positions of increasing responsibility within the firms fixed income division, with leadership responsibility for the banks collateralized loan obligation (CLO) platform by the end of his tenure.

This is great news for Russell Investments clients. I look forward to working with Zach, especially benefiting from his stellar record of innovating client solutions to deliver on their desired investment outcomes, said Kate El-Hillow, president and chief investment officer at Russell Investments. Zach is expertly prepared to further the firms innovation successfrom cutting-edge asset allocation and unparalleled money manager insights to some of the earliest forays into factor exposures, and a competitively recognized implementation capabilityto address the exacting demands of investors globally.

Milton R. Berlinski, managing partner at Reverence Capital Partners, added, Our extensive search process produced a CEO with proven leadership skills and deep industry experience who fully values Russell Investments mission of improving peoples financial security. Together with the firms leadership team, we are confident Zach will successfully further the firms client-centric focus and momentum from day one.

More about Zach Buchwald

Zach Buchwald earned a B.A. in English with honors from Harvard College. He is a trustee of the Public Theater, producer of Hamilton, Fun Home and Girl from the North Country, and serves on the board of directors of the Jericho Project, a non-profit homeless service organization. He also is a frequent contributor to LinkedIn News and his work has appeared in Newsweek and Fortune magazine.

About Russell Investments

Russell Investments is a leading global investment solutions firm providing a wide range of investment capabilities to institutional investors, financial intermediaries, and individual investors around the world. Building on an 87-year legacy of continuous innovation to deliver exceptional value to clients, Russell Investments works every day to improve the financial security of its clients. The firm has $276.5 billion in assets under management (as of 12/31/2022) for clients in 32 countries. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Russell Investments has offices in 17 cities around the world, including in New York, London, Toronto, Tokyo, and Shanghai.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005697/en/

Steve Claiborne, 206-505-1858, [email protected]

Source: Russell Investments
Autonomous mobility company, Beep, Inc. announced Wednesday that the company has expanded its leadership team with the appointments of three new executives to aid in the scalability of their next generation platform.

Katrina Heineking joins Beep as Executive Vice President, Operations, bringing more than three decades of experience in transit systems in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Beep, Katrina was responsible for helping create and head Transdev, North Americas autonomous vehicle division and the continents largest private provider of multiple modes of transit.

Marc Klein has been appointed as Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts and Smart Cities. Klein has over 20 years of experience delivering cutting-edge mobility and technology solutions across the United States. He was named a White House Champion of Change award winner by President Barack Obama for creating innovative mobility, technology and sustainability solutions.

Alex Poirot joins the company as Vice President, Public Policy. Poirot previously served as Senior Governmental Affairs Officer at the United States Department of Transportation, and as Acting Associate Administrator in the Office of Communications and Congressional Affairs for the Federal Transit Administration.

Im delighted to welcome Katrina, Marc and Alex to our leadership team, said Joe Moye, Chief Executive Officer for Beep. As we continue to experience unprecedented growth and impact within our industry, these seasoned leaders will help us scale our operations, build close strategic relationships with our largest customers and ensure we continue to work closely with state and federal government agencies on enabling the safe adoption and expansion of autonomous mobility solutions that help protect our environment, improve road safety and extend mobility to all.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]
FILE PHOTO: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his security detail depart the companys local office in Washington, U.S. January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

(Reuters) -Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk will reveal the third part of the electric vehicle (EV) maker's "Master Plan" when the company holds its first investor day on March 1.

In 2006 and 2016, the billionaire laid out his vision for the electric carmaker, but much of the plans have yet to be achieved.

"Master Plan 3, the path to a fully sustainable energy future for Earth will be presented on March 1," Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

At Tesla's annual shareholder meeting in August, Musk said the third part of his Master Plan was "going to fundamentally be about scaling" both car production and the supply chain that supports it such as battery materials and components.

At the upcoming investor day to be held at its gigafactory in Texas, Tesla said it will share details about its next-generation vehicle platforms, which Musk has said would produce a vehicle about half the cost of Tesla's current vehicle underpinings. Tesla also said it will discuss long-term expansion plans, capital allocation and other subjects.

Last year, Tesla shares posted their worst annual performance as Musk sold Tesla shares to fund his purchase of Twitter and other shareholders lost confidence in his focus on the carmaker, whose sales growth was not as much as some investors had hoped.

In 2006, Musk unveiled "a secret mast plan," which includes an affordable electric car, but Tesla's cheapest model is $43,490 in the United States.

In 2016, Musk unveiled his "Master Plan, Part Deux," a four-point plan which includes expanding its electric vehicle lineup to all major segments and achieving "true self-driving." Its Semi heavy duty electric trucks has started "pilot production" last year, while its Cybertruck pickup trucks have been pushed back to 2023.

As part of that 2016 plan, Musk said Tesla drivers would be able to sleep, read or do anything else enroute to their destination and make money by renting out their autonomous vehicles when they are not in use. But Musk said in October last year its cars are not ready to have no one behind the wheel, after missing his targets to achieve self-driving capability.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and David Gregorio)
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Google is seen at an office building in Zurich, Switzerland July 1, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

By Supantha Mukherjee and Martin Coulter

STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) -Alphabet's Google on Wednesday said it will enhance search results with generative AI features, in its latest salvo against Microsoft which laid out plans a day earlier to improve its rival search engine Bing.

Microsoft is hoping new features can revive its Bing platform and take a shot at Google's dominance of online search which drives a lucrative ad business earning $100 billion in sales last year.

Adding generative AI to search results will create text or visual responses to prompts and enable users to interact with information in "entirely new ways", Google said.

"As we continue to bring generative AI technologies into our products, the only limit to search will be your imagination," Google's senior vice present Prabhakar Raghavan said at an event in Paris.

It was Google's second announcement this week. On Monday it unveiled its chatbot service Bard, but the launch has faced hiccups as Google's own online ad showed BARD delivering inaccurate answers.

Analysts said Google will be hoping it can prevent users switching to rival Bing.

San Francisco-based OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, opened up its ChatGPT chatbot for free public testing in November. It surged in popularity within days and Microsoft now plans to use the technology to power its Bing search engine.

Google's ad business is Alphabet's biggest earner, accounting for about 80% of the company's annual revenue.

Microsoft said it expects every percentage point of market share it gains will bring in another $2 billion in search advertising revenue.

As the use of artificial intelligence picks up, the European Union is gearing up to regulate it, through its AI Act.

Apart from search, Google also showcased a bunch of improvements to Maps, indoor views, image search and translation -- all using artificial intelligence in some form.

"AI is also making it far more natural to make sense of and explore the real world," Raghavan said.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm and Martin Coulter in London;Editing by Mark Potter and Elaine Hardcastle)
The following is an opinion editorial by Ilke Demir of Intel Corporation:

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) describes the algorithms used to create new data that can resemble human-generated content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos. This technology is trained with existing content and data, creating the potential for applications like natural language processing, computer vision, metaverse and speech synthesis.

Generative AI is not new. Its the tech that created voice assistants, infinitely evolving games, and chatbots.

Recently, several powerful AI tools, such as ChatGPT and DALLE 2, have been used as generative AI, enabling people to build apps on them, and to experiment and post the results online. You may have seen one in action when social profiles were flooded with historically inspired photos from the MyHeritage AI Time Machine, which uses AI to generate hypothetical pictures of a persons appearance if they lived in different eras. While some have shared concerns about the potential of generative AI to threaten jobs, there is a greater opportunity to responsibly use generative AI to improve peoples efficiency and creativity.

Intels Trusted Media team works to build generative AI applications with humans in mind. The team strives to create AI that improves peoples lives, limits harm and builds tools to make other technologies more natural. And it does it all with responsibility at each step of the process, not just the end.

Intels Approach to Generative AI

In the past few years, generative AI has become more powerful  and therefore more capable of doing problematic things in a more convincing and realistic manner.

For example, generative models for deepfakes aim to impersonate people. We defend against this in two ways. The first is with our deepfake detection algorithms integrated into our real-time platform. FakeCatcher, the core of the system, can detect fake videos with a 96% accuracy rate, enabling users to distinguish between real and fake content in real time. The second is through our responsible generators, one of which makes human puzzles. As opposed to creating images by training on real peoples faces, this generator mixes and matches regions (nose of person A, mouth of person B, eyes of person C, etc.) to create an entirely new face that does not already exist in a data set.

We believe that AI should not only prevent harm but also enhance lives. To fulfill this vision, the teams speech synthesis project aims to enable people who have lost their voices to talk again. This technology is used in Intels I Will Always Be Me digital storybook project in partnership with Dell Technologies, Rolls-Royce and the Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Association. The interactive website allows anyone diagnosed with MND or any disease expected to affect their speaking ability to record their voice to be used on an assistive speech device.

Finally, the Trusted Media research team is also working on using generative AI to make 3D experiences more realistic. For example, Intels CARLA is an open source urban driving simulator developed to support the development, training and validation of autonomous driving systems. Using generative AI, the scenes surrounding the driver would look more realistic and natural. Intels generative AI approaches also simplify 3D creation and rendering workflows, saving hours for 3D artists and making games run much more quickly.

The Role of Responsible AI

We understand that we cannot trust generative AI results without understanding the process by which these systems work. Intel has long recognized the importance of the ethical and societal implications associated with the deployment of such technological advancements. This is especially true for AI applications as we remain committed to leveraging the best methods, principles and tools to ensure responsible practices in every step of our product cycles. As generative AI evolves, it is critical that humans remain at the center of this work. Responsible AI begins with the design and development of systems, not with cleaning up after they are deployed.

Its important to train AI systems so they do not generate harmful material. This is where our Responsible AI framework is important. We improve safety and security by conducting rigorous, multidisciplinary review processes throughout the development lifecycle. This includes establishing diverse development teams to reduce biases, developing AI models that follow ethical principles, extensively evaluating our results from both technical and human perspectives and collaborating with industry partners to mitigate potentially harmful uses of AI.

This framework ensures we are finding ways to positively implement this technology and keep people in control of how they can best leverage AI. A multidisciplinary approach allows us to deepen our knowledge and focus to tap into opportunities in the thriving AI sector while working within established ethical, moral and privacy parameters.

Whats Next

Our goal is to support all AI models, including generative AI, with responsible perspectives and principles. Ensuring a human perspective is present at all phases of development allows this technology to be more applicable, collaborative and less harmful.

I look forward to seeing how the generative AI momentum grows, and to partnering closely with my team at Intel and across the industry to ensure its responsible advancement.

Ilke Demir is a senior staff research scientist in Intel Labs.
Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: Post) (Post), a consumer packaged goods holding company, announced today it has signed a definitive agreement in which Post will acquire select pet food brands from The J.M. Smucker Co. for $1.2 billion. The transaction includes leading dog and cat food brands such as Rachael Ray Nutrish, Natures Recipe, 9Lives, Kibbles n Bits and Gravy Train (the Pet Food Brands), which together generated net sales of $1.4 billion in the year ended April 30, 2022. Post also is acquiring manufacturing and distribution facilities in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and manufacturing facilities in Meadville, Pennsylvania and Lawrence, Kansas (such facilities together with the Pet Food Brands, the Pet Food Business).

The acquisition will provide Post with a compelling entry point into the attractive and growing pet food category. Post is acquiring an established, scaled position in the mainstream and entry premium sub-categories. Post management expects there to be additional opportunities for future investments in the pet food category.

We expect this acquisition to continue our history of creating value with a buy and build approach to categories. These iconic brands are ideally suited to this strategy. Most importantly, I am delighted to welcome the over 1,000 talented people who will join us as Post colleagues, said Rob Vitale, President and Chief Executive Officer of Post.

Upon closing of the acquisition, Post expects to create a new pet food platform within Post Consumer Brands. Nicolas Catoggio will continue in his current role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Post Consumer Brands and will expand his responsibilities to include management of both the North American ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal and peanut butter business and the new Pet Food Business.

The transaction is expected to be completed early in the second calendar quarter of 2023, Posts third quarter of fiscal year 2023, subject to closing conditions, including the expiration of waiting periods under United States (U.S.) antitrust laws.

Financial Details

Post will acquire the Pet Food Business for $1.2 billion on a cash-free, debt-free basis, subject to an inventory adjustment. Under the terms of the agreement, at closing Post will pay $700 million in cash and issue to The J.M. Smucker Co. approximately $500 million of new shares of Post common stock (approximately 5.4 million new shares of Post common stock). Post expects to fund the cash portion of the purchase price with a combination of cash on hand and through borrowings under its existing revolving credit facility. The transaction is expected to be leverage neutral; upon closing of the transaction, Posts pro forma net leverage ratio* is expected to be approximately 5.2x.

Post management expects the Pet Food Business to contribute approximately $100 million of adjusted EBITDA* in the next twelve months following the close of the acquisition, before the realization of cost synergies, which Post management expects to be approximately $30 million annually by the third full fiscal year post-closing, resulting from benefits of scale across logistics, procurement and administrative services. One-time costs to achieve synergies are estimated to be approximately $75 million. Additionally, Post expects the transaction to result in a tax benefit to Post with a net present value of approximately $120 million. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Posts free cash flow*, excluding one-time transaction expenses. Post management expects the Pet Food Business to generate substantial incremental free cash flow, complementing Posts cash generation-focused business model and preserving Posts flexibility to manage its capital structure.

* For additional information regarding non-GAAP measures, such as Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow, see the related explanations presented under Use of Non-GAAP Measures later in this release.
(Updated - February 9, 2023 5:02 AM EST)

By Yasin Ebrahim, Geoffrey Smith, and Senad Karaahmetovic

Investing.com -- Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) became the latest big employer to cut thousands of jobs, as returning CEO Bob Iger moved to ease pressure from shareholders unhappy at the cost of its move into streaming

The entertainment giant is looking to cut $5.5 billion in cost savings by bringing its original content businesses under one roof, alongside ESPN sports networks business and its theme parks.

Disney stock rose over 6% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after Iger announced the measures on a conference call, which followed a better-than-expected result in its fiscal first quarter. The surprise was due largely to the parks business, where revenue jumped 21% to $8.74B.

Earnings per share fell some 7% to 99c but were still some 25% above consensus forecasts and a marked improvement on the previous quarter. Group revenue also came in slightly ahead of forecasts at $23.51B.

Losses narrowed at the Disney+ streaming business, as the company appeared to sacrifice the 'growth at all costs' approach that Iger's predecessor Bob Chapek had taken. However, Disney+ and Hulu eked out only modest gains in subscribers and average revenue per user fell, against a backdrop of squeezed household budgets and depleted pandemic savings. The D2C operating loss was $1.1B, more than double last year's figure, but still narrower than the $1.5B posted in the previous three months.

Disney+ added 1.4 million subscribers in the quarter to 104.3 million as of the end of the quarter, a gain of 1%. Hulu and ESPN both saw their subscriber base rise by 2%.

However, the Hotstar service lost 6% of its subscribers after giving up rights to broadcast Indian Premier League cricket matches. As a result, the global D2C business posted a 1% drop in overall users to 161.8 million as of the end of the quarter.

As such, the streaming business continued to exert a significant drag on cash flow. Net outflows more than doubled on the year to $2.16B. Despite this, Iger told the conference call that he will ask the board to resume dividend payments by the end of the calendar year.

Disney is under pressure from activist investor Nelson Peltz to rein in costs. Peltzs Trian Partners, which owns about 0.5% of Disney, is locked in battle with Disney for a board seat at the April 3 annual meeting after his request was denied last month.

Evercore ISI analyst Vijay Jayant hiked the price target by $15 to $130 per share, reflecting higher estimates on the back of cost savings, which are "meaningfully higher than expectations going into earnings."

Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall also raised the price target as he went to $141 from the prior $125 per share.

"Bob Iger laid out a plan for cost cuts, content and streaming rationalization and ultimately improved profitability. An execution story is a cleaner catalyst path, and the shares should track higher on confidence + estimates," the analyst wrote in a note.

Including pre-market gains, Disney shares are now up over 30% year-to-date (YTD).
FILE PHOTO: Emerson Electric Co is displayed on a screen on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., January 13, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/

(Reuters) -Industrial conglomerate Emerson Electric Co missed Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit and revenue on Wednesday as lingering supply-chain snags affected its efforts to tap into a booming demand for automation.

The company's shares fell 5% to $86.02, even as Emerson slightly raised its full-year sales growth outlook.

A semiconductor shortage coupled with supply woes has weighed on Emerson at a time when demand remains robust from companies racing to add robots and revamp their assembly lines to offset a labor crunch.

The company has struck a string of deals over the last few years to turn into a provider of automation products and services, and recently disclosed a hostile $7 billion bid for National Instruments Corp to strengthen that business.

"We continue to actively pursue opportunities to deploy capital effectively," Emerson Chief Executive Lal Karsanbhai said in a statement. The company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2.27 billion.

Meanwhile, the company said it sees no signs of weakness, but added that it will be carefully watching the automotive sector.

"Chemical investments, plant modernization and sustainability remain steady in North America and Asia, but we are keeping a close eye on this market as we assess our outlook for the balance of 2023," Chief Financial Officer Frank Dellaquila said.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned 78 cents per share, compared with analysts' estimates of 87 cents, according to Refinitiv data.

Revenue rose 7% to $3.37 billion, but fell short of estimates of $3.43 billion.

Emerson said it now expects net sales growth of 8% to 10% for 2023, higher than its previous forecast of 7% to 9%.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Shounak Dasgupta)
(Reuters) -Shares of investment bank B Riley Financial Inc fell about 11% on Wednesday after Wolfpack Research disclosed a short position in the sole book-runner for troubled home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Inc's $225 million equity offering.

The Los Angeles-based bank had overleveraged to buy speculative assets during the "financial mania" of 2020-21 when the Federal Reserve's loose monetary policy triggered a wave of risky bets, and lent money to companies that have "degenerated into zombies," the short seller alleged.

B Riley's shares fell nearly 11% to $39.31 in morning trade, the biggest intraday percentage decline in more than three months.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Wolfpack said B Riley was not cutting losses on "failing" investments and had continued extending more capital to its distressed clients, including cryptocurrency mining company Core Scientific Inc that filed for bankruptcy in December.

"RILY's biggest risk is that much of its loan book appears headed for bankruptcy," Wolfpack said.

B Riley's client Bed Bath & Beyond Inc is hoping to avoid bankruptcy with the latest equity offering.

The bank's balance sheet will take a $175 million hit in the second quarter if B. Riley's special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is liquidated, the short seller added.

The SPAC, B Riley Principal 250 Merger Corp, raised $150 million when it went public in May 2021. SPACs typically have two years to acquire a target.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shinjini Ganguli)
FILE PHOTO: A customer drives his new Model Y after a ceremony inside the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Nadine Schimroszik/File Photo

(Reuters) - Tesla Inc's Model Y and Model 3 electric vehicles were the top-sellers in California last year, outselling Toyota Motor Corp's RAV4 and Camry models, according to an industry body report.

It is the first time a Tesla model topped the annual sales list in California, a major vehicle market where one in five cars is electric.

Austin, Texas-based Tesla sold 87,257 Model Y electric sport utility vehicles and 78,934 Model 3 electric sedans last year, while Toyota sold 59,794 units of its RAV4 SUV and 55,967 of its Camry sedans, the California New Car Dealers Association said in its report.

In 2021, the Camry was the top-seller in California, followed by the Model Y, Honda's Civic and RAV4, and the Model 3.

Toyota retained its top spot in the state for vehicle brands, with a market share of 17.3% in 2022, followed by Tesla at 11.2%.

The report noted that the appetite for Tesla's vehicles is much larger in California than the nationwide average, which accounts for only 3.5 percent of the brand market share.

Last year, zero-emission vehicles accounted for 19% of all cars sold in California, which brought in 40% of all sales of electric vehicles, including hybrid vehicles, in the United States.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
TORONTO, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Ltd. (CSE: NICO/OTCQB: NICLF) ("Class 1 Nickel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of 40 drill holes (16,510m) on its Somanike Nickel-Copper Project (Somanike), located near Val-dOr, Quebec (Canada). Assays are pending for all drill holes and are expected in Q1 2023.

Key Points:

Diamond drilling has intersected sulphide mineralization in 23 drill holes. Mineralization is within and, in close proximity to ultramafic rocks. The host rocks are komatiitic flows and can be correlated with the horizons in the mine sequences at Mine 1, Mine 2, Mine 3 and Mine 4.

Drilling has confirmed that Mine 1 is in a separate stratigraphic/structural sequence from Mine 2, Mine 3 and Mine 4 that are in the hanging wall to Mine 1.

Down hole time domain (BHEM) geophysical surveys on holes drilled to date have identified multiple off-hole anomalies for follow-up.

Drone mag and LIDAR surveys have been completed over the main Marbridge area. These have identified magnetic trends that demonstrate both definition of known nickel-bearing ultramafic rocks and the significant continuation of ultramafic rocks into under-explored areas.

The Companys primary objective is to make a major discovery of high-grade magmatic nickel sulphides in an environment of known nickel mineralization with significant opportunity for new discoveries.

Figure 1. Location of the Somanike Project near the city of Val-dOr, Quebec.

Figure 2: Completed drilling at Marbridge.

Figure 3: A 3D overview of the drill holes completed in phase 1 with modelled mineralized zones.

Figure 4: A plan view of the drill holes completed to date with 2nd Vertical Derivative DroneMAG background.

David Fitch, President & CEO, stated, We are very pleased to have completed comprehensive drilling both below and adjacent to the four historical mines at Marbridge. The application of modern borehole geophysics has successfully demonstrated its viability in targeting sulphide mineralization. We know from the drilling to date that we are in a very fertile geological environment with abundant ultramafic rocks that host sulphide mineralization.

The drill program was conducted by Forage GeoNord from Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec and Forage LaMontagne Fortier from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, under the supervision of ABG Exploration Inc. (Alex Belo Geologue Inc.) of Laval, Quebec.

Table 1: Drill hole locations (NAD 83, Zone 17).

Hole Name Easting Northing Elevation Length Azimuth Dip NICO22-013 707857.00 5358682.68 314.86 397.00 215.00 -55.00 NICO22-014 708238.11 5358605.70 315.50 834.00 210.00 -70.00 NICO22-015 708640.74 5358525.81 319.31 585.00 200.00 -67.00 NICO22-016 708634.16 5358530.08 319.97 615.00 0.00 -45.00 NICO22-017 706939.67 5359108.07 314.66 446.00 260.00 -70.00 NICO22-018 706934.49 5359109.10 315.17 288.00 317.00 -65.00 NICO22-019 706933.92 5359107.09 314.89 483.00 220.00 -65.00 NICO22-020 706938.78 5359161.43 315.69 318.00 20.00 -50.00 NICO22-021 708634.37 5358528.97 319.59 192.00 0.00 -55.00 NICO22-022 708000.46 5358758.78 320.41 303.00 235.00 -45.00 NICO22-023 708634.39 5358528.77 319.64 352.00 0.00 -60.00 NICO22-024 708596.44 5358660.78 316.54 455.00 195.00 -50.00 NICO22-025 707964.72 5358725.67 319.78 37.00 215.00 -45.00 NICO22-026 707964.91 5358725.90 319.70 36.00 215.00 -60.00 NICO22-027 707950.59 5358722.17 319.73 150.00 215.00 -65.00 NICO22-028 707949.94 5358722.43 319.61 153.00 285.00 -65.00 NICO22-029 707977.17 5358853.69 324.26 660.00 215.00 -50.00 NICO22-030 708636.95 5358704.12 319.80 357.00 195.00 -50.00 NICO22-031 708772.78 5358700.69 317.24 321.00 200.00 -55.00 NICO22-032 708344.88 5358764.27 317.41 585.00 190.00 -60.00 NICO22-033 708772.74 5358700.49 317.35 426.00 200.00 -45.00 NICO22-034 708772.86 5358700.87 317.20 486.00 200.00 -65.00 NICO22-035 708772.97 5358701.30 317.30 423.00 235.00 -60.00 NICO22-036 708344.85 5358763.58 317.54 603.00 200.00 -45.00 NICO22-037 708213.24 5358869.09 320.12 539.00 230.00 -60.00 NICO22-038 708772.87 5358700.62 317.32 666.00 160.00 -65.00 NICO22-039 708566.69 5358779.82 317.47 495.00 180.00 -50.00 NICO22-040 708908.90 5358455.08 314.80 21.00 195.00 -45.00 NICO22-041 708921.88 5358451.24 314.82 34.20 195.00 -60.00 NICO22-042 708921.87 5358451.62 314.72 46.00 195.00 -85.00 NICO22-043 709088.83 5358493.44 314.79 594.00 210.00 -45.00 NICO22-044 709090.17 5358493.96 314.82 398.00 260.00 -65.00 NICO22-045 709089.56 5358492.49 314.80 492.00 200.00 -50.00 NICO22-046 708596.44 5358661.82 316.73 708.00 250.00 -67.00 NICO22-047 708486.46 5358619.81 317.93 444.00 227.00 -55.00 NICO22-048 708600.39 5358667.17 316.69 749.00 215.00 -70.00 NICO22-049 708597.79 5358663.77 316.98 741.00 295.00 -80.00 NICO22-050 708490.18 5358850.98 317.78 606.00 210.00 -62.00 NICO22-051 708950.90 5358709.54 314.75 501.00 200.00 -50.00 NICO22-052 709222.15 5358449.23 310.65 201.00 20.00 -50.00

About Somanike Project

The Somanike Project consists of 148 mining titles (mining rights area) covering 6,882 hectares within a large NW-trending ultramafic complex within the Abitibi Greenstone Belt that hosts several nickel sulphide occurrences, recognized nickel targets, ultramafic trends, and geophysical anomalies. The project is located in the prolific and mining-friendly Abitibi region of northwestern Quebec approximately 25 km north of the mining centre at Malartic, 40 km northwest of Val-dOr, and 60 km east of Rouyn-Noranda.

The Somanike Project includes Quebecs first nickel mine, the historical Marbridge Mine, which was a high-grade nickel mine operated by Falconbridge Nickel. The Marbridge Mine occurs within a large NW-trending deformed and altered ultramafic complex. The Falconbridge Nickel reported production of 702,366 tons grading 2.28% Ni and 0.10% Cu from 1962 to 1968, prior to being placed on care and maintenance in 1968. The Mine consisted of two shafts accessing four separate mineralized zones over a combined strike length of 1000 m. The mineralized material was trucked 25 km south and processed at the Canadian Malartic plant. Since 1968, leading groups have reviewed Marbridge data and reports and unanimously concluded that mining ceased in mineralization and the four nickel sulphide zones remain open to expansion by drilling along strike and down-dip/plunge.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Alexandr Beloborodov (P.Geo.), geological consultant of the Company, who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by National Instrument 43101.

About Class 1 Nickel

Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Limited (CSE: NICO/OTCQB: NICLF) is a Mineral Resource Company focused on the exploration and development of its 100% owned Somanike komatiite hosted nickel-copper sulphide project in Quebec, which includes the historical Marbridge Mine. The Company also owns the Alexo-Dundonald Project, a portfolio of komatiite-hosted magmatic nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide deposits located near Timmins, Ontario.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. David Fitch, President & CEOT: +61 400 631 608 E: [email protected]

For additional information please visit our website at www.class1nickel.com and our Twitter feed: @Class1Nickel.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is 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. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Companys managements discussion and analysis as filed under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3af71a6b-64a2-48e2-a23d-e7139e17ea78

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e8713718-0bbd-401e-9785-446439342846

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fd2b9be0-4df3-4e2e-b822-7e93ea16641e

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f3e16a3a-8ce6-4bc8-a0cc-1785caa62c69

Figure 1. Location of the Somanike Project near the city of Val-dOr, Quebec. Figure 1. Location of the Somanike Project near the city of Val-dOr, Quebec. Figure 2: Completed drilling at Marbridge. Figure 2: Completed drilling at Marbridge. Figure 3: A 3D overview of the drill holes completed in phase 1 with modelled mineralized zones. Figure 3: A 3D overview of the drill holes completed in phase 1 with modelled mineralized zones. Figure 4: A plan view of the drill holes completed to date with 2nd Vertical Derivative DroneMAG background. Figure 4: A plan view of the drill holes completed to date with 2nd Vertical Derivative DroneMAG background.

Source: Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Limited
TORONTO, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lactalis Canada, the Canadian dairy leader behind iconic brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia and a subsidiary of France-based Lactalis Group, is delighted to announce the inaugural winner of the companys internal innovation program Lactalis Canada NEXT Ventures which received over 100 submissions focused around the theme of Waste Reduction in all its forms including, but not limited to time, abilities, financial resources, food, processing, packaging, energy and material resources in 2022.

The winning project focuses on a fully digitized reporting system for Quality Assurance to facilitate greater efficiencies in collecting and analyzing quality and food safety information. The idea was submitted by Nathalie Rey, a Quality Manager at Lactalis Canadas St. Claude Manitoba plant as a solution to reduce significant paper, time, and resources allocated to the current reporting system and in turn, decrease product wastage. The winning project will now go into incubation with a dedicated project team, key resources, tools and external expertise to build and implement a new reporting system.

We know that some of the best ideas can come from those who have the deepest knowledge of the business. The winning project is an example of just that  where a Quality Manager on the ground at one of our manufacturing facilities identified a way to make a process she routinely performed more efficient, effective and sustainable, said Mark Taylor, President and CEO, Lactalis Canada. The Lactalis Canada NEXT Ventures program has created an internal platform to bring new ideas forward within the organization as seen with the overwhelming number of submissions of great quality and inventiveness in 2022. We look forward to continuing this program annually to identify innovations  big and small  to help drive our business.

Lactalis Canada NEXT Ventures is a great opportunity for anyone across the organization to share, develop and potentially implement the next big idea for the company, said Nathalie Rey, Quality Manager in St. Claude, Manitoba. I am thrilled to have participated in this process, meet and collaborate with so many leaders, experts and peers across the company and most importantly, see my idea transform into reality.

Lactalis Canada NEXT Ventures 2022Launched in April 2022, Lactalis Canada NEXT Ventures is an annual program designed to spur and accelerate future thinking, innovation, and creativity by empowering our people and leveraging internal crowdsourcing to explore ideas and bring to market new products, processes, technologies or business models. With a new theme every year, contributors with the most inventive and potentially viable proposals have the unique opportunity to participate in a comprehensive program to further explore and develop these new ideas from inception to implementation through the facilitation of mentorships, collaboration, resource support and external partnerships.

Following an open call to all employees in April 2022, more than 100 waste-reduction related submissions were received from across the organization. Ranging from proposed solutions that included process enhancements, unique stakeholder partnerships, as well as exploring new concepts to repurpose waste into greener solutions. The top three innovative ideas were selected based on the potential impact and feasibility of each proposal. The top three finalists, who were each awarded a cash prize, participated in the Lactalis Canada Next Ventures Pitch Day held in Toronto, Ontario and presented their proposed projects to the NEXT Council, comprised of leaders from across the organization, including Lactalis Canadas President and CEO. Each idea was carefully evaluated by the panel based on innovativeness, sustainability and viability, as well as with input from all employees who participated in a vote to determine the Lactalis Canada NEXT Ventures winner.

About Lactalis Canada Inc.With 140 years of brand heritage, Lactalis Canada is committed to enriching and nurturing the lives of Canadians by producing nutritious and great tasting dairy products. Named on Forbes list of Canadas Best Employers, Lactalis Canada directly employs more than 4,000 employees, supports hundreds of farming families and contributes to the livelihoods of thousands of Canadians who provide essential services to Lactalis Canada's more than 30 operating sites including 19 manufacturing facilities. The companys iconic brands include Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, P'tit Quebec, Balderson, Cheestrings Ficello, aMOOza!, Astro, Khaas, siggis, IOGO, IOGO nano, Olympic, Lactantia, Beatrice, Galbani, and President. Lactalis Canadas commitment to responsible and sustainable growth has been recognized with the 2021 Canadian Grocer Impact Award for Sustainability and its CDN $2.9 million investment to the communities in which it operates. Lactalis Canada is part of Lactalis Group, the worlds leading dairy company, headquartered in Laval, France. For more information, visit www.lactalis.ca.

Media Contact:Sarah SuttonManager, Corporate Communications, Lactalis Canada[email protected] | c: (437) 249-2730

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5a8a37c6-e6b3-49c6-a1ca-a57b27316d7a

Lactalis Canada NEXT Ventures Inaugural Innovation Program Selects Winning Project Crowdsourcing program draws over 100 submissions geared toward waste reduction

Source: Lactalis Canada
Not for dissemination in the United States of America.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Premier Diversified Holdings Inc. ("Premier" or the "Company") (TSXV: PDH) announces that it has entered into certain loan agreements, as set out below.

Loan Agreements with MPIC Fund I

Premier entered into a loan agreement (Loan Agreement) dated February 7, 2023 with MPIC Fund I, LP ("MPIC") for a secured loan in the principal amount of up to USD$100,000 (the "Loan"). The Loan matures on February 7, 2024 and bears interest at a rate of 6% per annum.

The Loan is secured with all of the present and after-acquired property of the Company and ranks equally in priority with all of the loans previously made to the Company by MPIC. The Loan will be used for working capital (including for Premiers partially owned subsidiaries, Purposely Platform Inc. (Purposely) and MyCare MedTech Inc.) and may be used to acquire an additional interest in MyCare MedTech Inc. (MyCare), a telehealth company.

The Company is not issuing any securities, or paying any bonus, commission or finder's fees on the MPIC Loans. The MPIC Loans are both repayable at any time without penalty. Purposely and MyCare are generating revenue, and the Company expects to receive re-payment of funds from such entities, allowing it to partially repay some of the funds owed to MPIC. The Loan is subject to review and acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

Amended Loan Agreement with MPIC Fund I, LP

Premier previously entered into a certain loan agreement dated February 10, 2021, as amended February 10, 2022, for a loan from MPIC. The parties agreed to extend the maturity date of the loan from February 10, 2023 to February 10, 2024. The date of the second amending agreement is February 7, 2023.

Related party transaction disclosure

As MPIC is a control person of Premier, the Loan and the amended loan agreement described above each constitute "related party transactions" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). These agreements have been determined to be exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval based on sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(f) of MI 61-101.

Premier does not have securities listed or quoted on any of the specified markets listed in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101. Premier is relying on the exemption from minority shareholder approval in 5.7(1)(f) of MI 61-101 as the loans were obtained by Premier from MPIC on reasonable commercial terms that are not less advantageous to Premier than if the loans had been obtained from a person dealing at arms length with Premier. Further, the loans are not convertible, directly or indirectly, into equity or voting securities of Premier or a subsidiary entity of the issuer, or otherwise participating in nature, or repayable as to principal or interest, directly or indirectly, in equity or voting securities of Premier or a subsidiary entity of the issuer.

Amended Loan Agreement with Purposely

Premier entered into an amended loan agreement with its partially owned subsidiary, Purposely. Premier previously entered into a certain loan agreement dated September 1, 2017 with Purposely as borrower. The Company and Purposely agreed to amend the terms of the original loan agreement and entered into an amending agreement (the "Purposely Amending Agreement") dated February 7, 2023 to, among other things, make the following amendments: the loan is no longer payable on demand but has a maturity date of March 1, 2025; the loan is no longer non-interest bearing but bears interest of 9% per annum, calculated as of May 31, 2021; and the loan is no longer unsecured but is secured with all of Purposelys present and after-acquired property. Until the maturity date, Premier will have a pre-emptive right to participate in certain subsequent offerings of new securities of Purposely up to a percentage of such offering equal to Premier's then percentage ownership of all issued and outstanding Common Shares immediately prior to such offering.

Related party transaction disclosure

As Premier is a control person of Purposely, the Purposely Amending Agreement described above constitutes a "related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Amending Agreement has been determined to be exempt from the requirements of Part 5 of MI 61-101 as per Section 5.1(g), as it constitutes a downstream transaction as defined in that instrument.

About Premier Diversified Holdings Inc.

Premier Diversified Holdings Inc. participates in diversified industries through its acquisitions of securities and/or assets of public and private entities which it believes have potential for significant returns. It may act as a holding company (either directly or through a subsidiary) and may participate in management of subsidiary entities to varying degrees.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Sanjeev Parsad"

Sanjeev ParsadPresident, CEO and Director

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Any offering made will be pursuant to available prospectus exemptions and restricted to persons to whom the securities may be sold in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions, and by persons permitted to sell the securities in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions.

Further information regarding the Company can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Not for dissemination in the United States of America.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are indicated expectations or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include those regarding loan terms including regarding maturity date(s), that PDH will repay the loan from MPIC as disclosed in the news release, and that the net proceeds of the Loan will be used as stated in this news release. Factors that could cause actual results to be materially different include but are not limited to the following: that any revenue which PDH makes indirectly via its operating subsidiaries will be insufficient to repay the loans to MPIC, that its operating subsidiaries, including MyCare, will not generate revenue, or will retain or redirect such revenue, that the terms and conditions of the various loans may be amended, that the management or board of PDH may use its revenue or other the funds for other purposes, that the capital raised will be insufficient capital to accomplish our intentions and capital alone may not be sufficient for us to grow our business, that the issuer's financial position will not improve, will stay the same or will decline further, that the timing of receipt of anticipated revenues or returns may be delayed, that its ongoing expenses including general and administrative expenses will increase, and that complications or unforeseen obstacles from COVID-19 or other factors may negatively impact Premier. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. It is not our policy to update forward looking statements.

For further information, contact: Sanjeev Parsad, President and CEO Phone: (604) 678.9115 Fax: (604) 678.9279 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.pdh-inc.com

Source: Premier Diversified Holdings Inc.
Vancouver, BC, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rockridge Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: ROCK) (OTCQB: RRRLF) (Frankfurt: RR0) (Rockridge) (the Company) is pleased to announce it is planning an upcoming drill program at its high-grade Raney Gold Project located southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada (the Raney Gold Project or the Property). The drill program will be designed to evaluate the strike, depth and expansion potential of the high-grade zones of gold mineralization discovered in previous drilling. Rockridge is currently permitted for the program and has begun the application process to extend the permit beyond 2023. The project is road accessible with nearby infrastructure to help bring down the cost of exploration and drilling.

Raney Gold Project Location Map:http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/maps/location_map_may2020a.jpg

Rockridge is planning for an initial drill program that will consist of a minimum 2,500m of drilling in 10-12 diamond drill holes with the potential to be expanded. The historical geophysics and previous drilling, including hole RAN-20-06 which returned 27.9 g/t Au over 6.0m at approximately 100m vertical depth, has identified several key structures that could potentially be host to new high-grade gold zones. This planned drill program will utilize all exploration data to date with the goal to test the strike potential and depth continuity of high-grade gold mineralization intersected in previous holes. Specifically, the Company plans on testing the eastward and westward continuity of the Main Raney Gold Zone where there is a coincident geophysical anomaly that has yet to be drill tested. Additional news will be forthcoming on the drilling program.

Rockridges CEO Jon Wiesblatt commented: Raney is a very important asset in Rockridges portfolio and is prospective for additional gold discoveries. The Project is near to some of the most prolific gold mines in Canada and further exploration at Raney is warranted. We are excited to be planning further exploration and drilling at Raney as gold prices strengthen in the current global macro-economic climate. The main mineralized zone at the Raney Gold Project has returned significant, shallow, high-grade gold results from previous drilling campaigns and this data will be utilized to design a follow-up drill campaign this year.

Additionally, we have completed our most recent exploration program at our VMS copper project in Saskatchewan and have now earned 100% interest in the Knife Lake Project. Knife Lake remains a high priority project for Rockridge, and exploration results over the last few years have increased our confidence that there are further discoveries to be made.

The Raney Gold Project is strategically located within the highly prospective west extension of the Abitibi Greenstone belt, proximal to several regional deposits. Newmonts operating Borden Gold Mine (reserves of 4.17 MT @ 6.38 g/t Au for ~860k oz. Au reported in 2015) is located 35 km west of Raney. IAMGOLD and JV partner Sumitomo Metals Mining recently decided to proceed with construction of their Cote gold project located 75 km southeast of Raney. The Cote project, estimated to contain gold reserves of ~7 million ounces (~236MT @ 0.96 g/t Au), is noted as a world-class deposit by IAMGOLD.

Raney Gold Project History and Previous Diamond Drilling:

In 2020, Rockridge completed just over 5,000m of drilling in twenty drill holes. The drilling focused on the main mineralized zone over a strike extent of approximately 225 metres that produced the best historic intercept of 6.5 g/t Au over 8.0 metres in 2010. Rockridges drilling in 2020 returned a high-grade intercept of 27.9 g/t Au over 6.0 metres near the 100-metre depth level in hole RAN-20-06. The broad structural corridor that hosts the mineralization is up to 125 metres wide and extends well beyond the area tested by drilling. Other results from the drilling included hole RN 20-13 which returned 2.5 g/t Au over 13.0m, including 9.6 g/t Au over 2.0m, as well as hole RN 20-18 which was a significant step out hole along strike 250m to the west of the main zone and returned 1.36 g/t Au over 9.0m including 2.1 g/t Au over 4.0m.

Mag Survey Plan Map Showing Exploration Hole Collars:http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/Raney-Gold-Project-Summer-2020-Drill-Targets.jpg

Prior to Rockridges drilling, historical drilling at the Raney Gold Project focused on identifying near-surface gold mineralization. Previous exploration on the Property from 1972 to 1991 consisted of prospecting, mapping, sampling, trenching, winkie drilling, ground geophysics, stripping, and some limited diamond drilling. This was followed by exploration work during the 2009 to 2010 period. The Property is underlain by mafic volcanics to the north, and felsic to intermediate volcaniclastics to the south. The felsic volcaniclastics are host to the gold zones. Quartz feldspar porphyry dykes and sills and minor mafic intrusives occur throughout the Property. The porphyries are generally massive but may be sheared and hydrothermally altered and veined in places.

A 100 metre-wide intensely sheared and altered quartz-feldspar porphyry body is located just to the south of the main Raney gold showing. Gold mineralization exposed on the surface and intersected in drill holes on the property is typical of the lode gold class of gold deposit which is the dominant gold deposit type in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Gold mineralization on the property is associated with the intensely sheared and altered zones within the felsic tuffs, and higher grades tend to occur where quartz veining is present.

The Property is in the Archean Swayze Greenstone Belt, considered to be the southeast extension of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, which hosts the world-class Timmins and Kirkland Lake gold districts. Numerous gold occurrences occur throughout the district and several world-class mines have been developed. These deposits are responsible for a significant portion of the worlds cumulative gold production and are often characterized by gold enriched quartz vein systems associated with supracrustal belts in low to medium grade metamorphic terranes. Gold mineralization at the Property is typical of the mesothermal lode gold deposit model. Rockridge owns a 100% interest in the Raney Gold Project.

Qualified Person:

Todd Keast, P.Geo., a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and the Raney Gold Project Manager for Rockridge Resources Ltd., has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Rockridge Resources Ltd.:

Rockridge Resources is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties in Canada, specifically copper and gold. The Companys 100% owned Knife Lake Project is located in Saskatchewan which is ranked as a top mining jurisdiction in the world by the Fraser Institute. The project hosts the Knife Lake Deposit, which is a VMS, near-surface Cu-Co-Au-Ag-Zn deposit open along strike and at depth. There is strong discovery potential in and around the deposit area as well as at regional targets on the large property package.

The Company's gold asset is its 100% owned Raney Gold Project, which is a high-grade gold exploration project located in the same greenstone belt that hosts the world class Timmins and Kirkland Lake lode gold mining camps. Recently reported drill hole RN 20-06 intersected 28.0 g/t gold over 6.0 metres at a shallow vertical level of 95 metres, which is the best result from the project thus far. Rockridges goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Raney Gold Project Regional Geology Map:https://rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/Rockridge-RandyGold-RegionalGeo.jpg

Additional information about Rockridge Resources and its project portfolio can be found on the Companys website at www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com.

Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Jonathan Wiesblatt Jonathan WiesblattCEO

For further information contact myself or:

Jordan Trimble, President orNicholas Coltura, Corporate CommunicationsRockridge Resources Ltd.Telephone: 604-558-5847Toll Free: 800-567-8181Facsimile: 604-687-3119Email: [email protected]

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements, including the Private Placement. Although management 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 or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, regulatory approvals, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.

Source: Rockridge Resources Ltd.
MONTREAL, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The YMCAs of Quebec Foundation is excited to announce the return of the in-person YMCA Challenge, in its original pre-pandemic format.

In 2019, close to 1500 people participated in this great and festive gathering in support of vulnerable youth. For the 2023 edition, the fundraising event returns in the form of a friendly 1 km, 2 km, 5 km and 10 km race or a 5 km solidarity walk. The Challenge takes place in Montreal on May 6; in Quebec City, June 3. The event is open to the general public and to companies that would like to get their teams moving and mobilized around an important cause.

This friendly and inclusive walk-and-run challenge aims to raise $100,000 to help children and families in vulnerable situations access the Y's programs and facilities, either through financial support or through companions to assist those with special needs.

"The funds raised will allow hundreds of young people, who would not otherwise be able to afford it, to attend YMCA Day Camps, Camp Kanawana, or take swimming lessons and have a wonderful summer. As a father, I am concerned about social inequality, so that all children may flourish, regardless of their situation."

- David Latour, President of the Organizing Committee and Managing Director, Strategy and Investment, Capital Solutions, CDPQ

Each year, more than 7,500 people receive financial assistance from the YMCA, totaling more than $1.27 million. And the need is growing. Urgent action is needed to prevent the gap from widening and penalizing more children and youth this summer.

Registration is already open to the public and to companies. For more details, visit defiymca.org

Thank you to the President and members of the Organizing Committee: David Latour, President of the Committee (CDPQ), Fabien Caillette (Fonds de solidarite FTQ), Charles Cote-Lepine (Ivanhoe Cambridge), Magalie Corfias (Defimedic), Eric Delaplace (YMCA), Patricia Dionne (Productions Patricia Dionne), Marie-Chantal Dreau (Price Waterhouse Coopers), Cyclia Lai (Desjardins) and Anais Mercet.

About the YMCAs of Quebec Foundation

Since 1984, and thanks to the generosity of its volunteers and donors, The YMCAs of Quebec Foundation has supported The YMCA's mission to inspire and engage each individual to reach their full potential and to contribute to their community. The Foundation ensures the sustainability of the YMCA by raising awareness of its impact on the community and by raising funds to support it.

By supporting the YMCA Foundation, you are enabling people from diverse backgrounds to grow, learn, and thrive.

Media Contact:

Veronique Lettre Director of Communications514-506-9897[email protected]

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/02ff5aef-5f65-455d-9635-f286ec3d93a3

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a0269d88-acd9-43d5-bd19-0c572add5381

YMCA 2023 Challenge YMCA 2023 Challenge 2023 YMCA Challenge Running Girl 2023 YMCA Challenge Running Girl

Source: YMCAs of Quebec
Olathe, Kan., Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Terracon Foundation announced today the award of more than $90,000 in grants and scholarships to 19 nonprofit organizations and 10 universities throughout the U.S. Established as the community investment arm of Terracon, the foundation has granted nearly $4 million to community organizations, universities, and dependents of employees, as well as disaster relief efforts.

The Terracon Foundation works continuously to support higher education in the form of grants for scholarships, fellowships and programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, said Scott Kolodziej, P.G., chair of the Terracon Foundation and environmental manager in the Terracon Dallas office. Its our goal that grants like these will help students finish their studies, engage in research and advance their professional development.

The Terracon Foundation awarded $54,000 in grants to 10 universities:

Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Mercer University, Macon, Ga.

Midlands Technical College, Columbia, S.C.

Shippensburg University  Center for Land Use and Sustainability, Shippensburg, Pa.

Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tenn.

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

Virginia Tech Foundation, Blacksburg, Va.

Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, N.C.

We invite our employees to submit grant requests each year and many do so in support of community organizations doing vital work serving childrens education and health, Kolodziej added. Each grant awarded was championed by a Terracon employee who is actively involved in the work of the nonprofit organization.

The Terracon Foundation awarded nearly $37,000 in community grants to 19 nonprofit organizations:

ANUJA SA, San Antonio, Texas

Bastrop High School Robotics Team BearTecs 4610, Bastrop, Texas

Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley, Columbus, Ga.

Community Culinary School of Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C.

Engineers in Action, Tulsa, Okla.

Gather 1, Stoughton, Wis.

Georgia Pick and Bow Traditional Music School, Inc., Dahlonega, Ga.

Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, Des Moines, Iowa

His Hands Free Clinic, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Holy Cross Catholic School, Overland Park, Kan.

Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Mo.

Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, Kansas City, Mo.

Pathways High, Milwaukee, Wis.

Shadow Buddies Foundation, Lenexa, Kan.

Southern Arizona Environmental Management Society, Inc. (SAEMS), Tucson, Ariz.

STEM NOLA, New Orleans, La.

Stepping Stones Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio

Terrace Elementary PTA, Houston, Texas

The Terracon Foundation was established with a goal of becoming a real part of the lives of Terracon employees and the communities where they live and work.

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 5,500 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 175 locations with services in all 50 states. Terracon consistently ranks as a top 25 design firm by Engineering News-Record.

###

Brenda Kramer Terracon (913) 577-0476 [email protected]

Source: Terracon
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Ambari Brands Inc.(CSE: AMB) (OTCQB: AMBBF) (FSE: Y92) ("Ambari" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered an agreement with DNO Group ("DNO") to distribute Ambari products in India.

DNO is a leading distributor of global brands with more than 50,000 points of sale throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Starting in the second quarter of 2023, DNO will distribute Ambari's products in India through luxury e-tailer shops and brick and mortar chains.

DNO initiates, promotes and develops business activities, identifies business opportunities and potential local partners, leveraging its extensive network and cultural knowledge of the Asian market in order to accelerate business.

India is the fastest-growing economy in the world, with the World Economic Forum1having projected not only significant economic growth over the next decade, but more than half of that growth being attributable to the middle class. As such, Ambari expects India to be a ripe market for its products, and aims to be a pioneer of CBD infused products in the country.

Nisha Grewal, CEO of Ambari, stated, "With this distribution deal we establish a significant footprint in India and gain access to the Asia-Pacific beauty and skincare market. We are extremely excited about this partnership and have worked diligently in receiving approval to ship CBD products into India, but we are now happy to announce the deal is complete and we are moving forward quickly."

About Ambari Brands Inc.

Ambari Brands is a consumer-packaged goods company focused on developing consumer products, co-packing and manufacturing. To learn more about Ambari visit www.ambaribrands.com and www.ambaribeauty.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Nisha Grewal

CEO, Corporate Secretary and Director

[email protected]

+1 (424) 284-4022

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws with respect to the Company. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believe," "project," "aim," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions and in this news release include statements respecting: the distribution of Ambari's products in India in both e-tailer shops and brick and mortar chains, the growth of the Indian economy and its suitability for Ambari's products, and Ambari's ability to establish a business footprint in India. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

1https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/10-mega-trends-for-india-in-2030-the-future-of-consumption-in-one-of-the-fastest-growing-consumer-markets/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153988
Owing to the increasing popularity of Hartford, Connecticut as a haven for gourmands, Avery Restaurant Consulting has announced restaurant staff training and menu consulting for new dining establishments in the area looking to enhance their operations.

Reading, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Avery Restaurant Consulting has announced a new comprehensive staff training program and menu development services tailored to the needs of its client's brand. The new program helps independent restaurants in Hartford, Connecticut, improve the overall dining experience for customers.

For more details, visit https://www.averyrestaurantconsulting.com/restaurant-hospitality-consulting-hartford-ct





Avery Restaurant Consulting Announces Staff Training & Menu Curation In Hartford

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/154066_8844633c04af8a28_001full.jpg





With over 1,000 restaurants in Hartford, restaurateurs understand that in order to stay ahead of the competition, they need to offer a fine dining experience to customers. The consulting company responds to these needs by helping restaurant and bar owners in the area take advantage of current trends with expert guidance and support.

With over three decades of experience in the service and hospitality industry, Avery Restaurant Consulting helps new restaurant and bar owners with customized training and consulting services designed to improve their operations and retain customers ranging from food bloggers and reviewers to full-time gourmands and connoisseurs, local residents, and tourists.

As part of the new service, the company offers advice on menu development with the goal of making its client's menus more appealing to customers and profitable for their business. The menu consultants also provide advice on menu design, food pairing, and cost management. In addition to creating fine cuisine, the company is experienced in wine pairings, featured cocktails and spirits, and craft beer.

The new staff training program includes front-of-house service and multitasking, especially for bar staff. During the training, the company covers customer service, food handling, and cooking techniques, as well as developing a prep list to produce consistent dinners daily.

The restaurant consulting company applies an individualized approach to staff training and menu curation to help local restaurants and bars improve their offerings and boost sales. In addition, the company also offers expertise on restaurant marketing and retooling to help restaurateurs rebrand and refocus.

Led by Jason Carron, Avery Restaurant Consulting helps new and existing restaurants in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island. Owing to his extensive experience as a restaurateur and chef, Carron has helped many underperforming restaurants and bars improve their operations and management level, thereby increasing their guest visits and revenue.

A spokesperson said: "We take time to understand not only your concept but your vision and how to communicate that vision to your guests. We listen. We learn. We implement our knowledge and execute the strategy catered to your specific brand."

Interested parties can find more information by visiting https://www.averyrestaurantconsulting.com/restaurant-hospitality-consulting-hartford-ct

Contact Info:

Name: Jason Carron

Email: [email protected]

Organization: Avery Restaurant Consulting

Address: Reading, MA, Reading, MA 01867, United States

Website: https://www.averyrestaurantconsulting.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154066
WuHan, China--(Newsfile Corp. - February 7, 2023) - The song We Wish You A Happy Spring Festival is voluntarily recorded online by artists from the mainland and Taiwan in celebration of the Year of the Rabbit. Sponsored by Long Chain, a well-known digital chip service provider, the program "Seeking Culture in China" tries to use this song to send out the best wishes to compatriots across the Strait in the traditional festival, sharing the conviction that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are members of one and the same family.





Cannot view this video? Visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2El7gpRV8E

The song is written by mainland musician Lu Hongya and composed by Zhou Yang. Artists from Taiwan either performed at home or at famous landmarks and scenic spots in Taiwan, singing "Let's sing together and say goodbye to past trouble. Let's dance together and keep pace with the joy. Come join us, wherever you are. Give me a hug and let's say Happy Spring Festival." Every line and every note of the cheerful song just shows how eager people across the Strait are to reunite at an early date.

Media contact

Contact: Lily Chan

Company Name: Long Chain Technology co.,ltd.

Website: http://www.saigeyun123.com

Email: [email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/153750
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Prismo Metals Inc. (CSE: PRIZ) (OTCQB: PMOMF) ("Prismo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its drilling permit application for Los Pavitos has been submitted, opening the door to a drilling program. The Los Pavitos project consists of a 5,289-hectare (the equivalent of 53 square km or 20 square miles) concession located in the well mineralized Alamos region of southern Sonora State, Mexico.

Significant mapping and sampling at Los Pavitos was conducted in the first half of 2022 and covered about 75% of the area of main interest on the concession before taking a break for the summer heat and monsoon season. Signing of a formal two-year surface access agreement was achieved during this down time (see press release of October 31, 2022).

Additional mapping and sampling in the southeastern portion of the concession was conducted over the past two months. As part of this further exploration program, 106 rock samples were submitted for assay, with results pending for most of the samples. Results are expected before the end of February.

"The geological mapping program to cover the main area of interest on the Francisco Villa Ejido has now been completed," said Dr. Craig Gibson, President and CEO of the Company. "The next phase of our exploration program is ongoing and focuses on detailed mapping and sampling on individual mineralized areas and drawing up a drilling program planned for the first half of 2023." He added: "We anticipate receiving drilling approval in early March. An initial drill program of about 2500 meters is planned."

The recently completed mapping has identified northwesterly trending structures that may be an extension of the Las Auras structural trend in the northwestern portion of the project. Also, a large area of quartz veining and silicification with sulfides was also identified. Assay data for 92 samples taken in January are pending, but one sample of 14 taken in December from a small prospect pit yielded a gold assay of 1.72 g/t, similar to results from historic sampling by the property vendor, Minera Cascabel.

The LiDAR was reprocessed and interpreted by Geocloud Analytics of Melbourne, Australia. Numerous prospect pits and small mine workings were identified as well as structures defined by aligned workings. Several areas of surface disturbance and prospect pits were identified that have not been visited previously; work in these areas is planned.

Geologic mapping at the project in 2022 refined several principal structures that define the Las Auras, Santa Cruz and Oromuri structural trends that were identified during original reconnaissance work by Minera Cascabel. Several additional new parallel structures have been recognized, including the La Espaola, San Jorge and La Ramada faults. Areas of mineralization identified during the recently completed work on the southeastern portion of the project will be added to the target areas for more detailed examination.

Geologic map of the Los Pavitos project showing strong northwesterly orientation of faults hosted largely by metasediments.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7434/154062_0944e046c47c4a62_002full.jpg

Interpretation of LiDAR data for Los Pavitos Project.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7434/154062_0944e046c47c4a62_012full.jpg

Assay results have been received for 198 samples taken by the Company with the best results from the Las Auras and Santa Cruz areas with individual samples yielding 10.15 and 28 g/t gold, respectively (Seenews release of May 11, 2022). The detailed interpretation of the LiDAR data has identified numerous small mines and prospect and has aided in definition of the mineralized structures that will serve as a guide for further work.

QA/QC

Samples taken by Prismo are analyzed by multielement ICP-AES and MS methods by ALS Group, an internationally recognized analytical service provider. Gold is analyzed as part of the ICP package using a 25-gram digestion. Certified Reference Materials including standard pulps and coarse blank material were inserted in the sample stream at regular intervals.

Dr. Craig Gibson, PhD., CPG., a Qualified Person as defined by NI-43-01 regulations and President, CEO and a director of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this news release.

About Los Pavitos

The Los Pavitos project consists of a 5,289-hectare concession located in the well mineralized Alamos region of southern Sonora State that lies 25 km west of the well-mineralized Alamos District, which encompasses several active exploration and mining projects, including the past producing Alamo Dorado mine of Pan American Silver, the Piedras Verdes copper mine of Cobre de Mayo and the Alamos and Aurifero vein projects being explored by Minaurum Gold Inc. Infrastructure is excellent with paved highway access, electricity and water. The project, which was generated by Rafael Gallardo, was acquired from Minera Cascabel S.A. de C.V., a Mexican exploration and services company founded by Dr. Peter Megaw, an advisor to the Company (for terms see the Company's prospectus filed on SEDAR). The Company completed a NI 43-101 Technical Report on the project in March 2021 available on SEDAR.

Location of the Los Pavitos project in southern Sonora State in relation to the CaborcaOrogenic Gold Belt.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7434/154062_0944e046c47c4a62_013full.jpg

About Prismo

Prismo (CSE: PRIZ) is mining exploration company focused on two precious metal projects in Mexico (Palos Verdes and Los Pavitos) and a copper project in Arizona (Hot Breccia).

Please follow @PrismoMetals on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube

Prismo Metals Inc.

1100 - 1111 Melville St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3V6

Contact:

Craig Gibson, President & Chief Executive Officer [email protected]

Jason Frame, Manager of Communications [email protected]

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement and exploration program results, the ability to complete future financings, required permitting, exploration programs and drilling, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, the analytical results from surface trenching and sampling program, including diamond drilling programs, the results of IP surveying, the results of soil and till sampling program. the quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including CSE acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, the potential impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on the Company's exploration program and on the Company's general business, operations and financial condition, and other risks and uncertainties. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154062
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks to the media at the statekout location at the White House following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs a committee on labor issues, and 10 other members of the committee have asked Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Howard Schultz to testify at a March 9 hearing.

The letter released on Wednesday from Sanders, an independent, and 10 Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions, said the hearing will focus on Starbucks compliance with federal labor law.

Starbucks Workers United has won elections at more than 260 U.S. stores and has lost about 70 elections since late 2021. The union is seeking increased pay and benefits, improved health and safety conditions and protections against unfair firings and discipline.

Starbucks said it "will continue our ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders, including the chairmans office, to offer clarifying information in reference to these issues."

Sanders, who last month took over as chair of the HELP committee, criticized Starbucks Wednesday, saying the coffee company "has fought their workers every step of the way, including refusing to bargain a first contract in good faith, delay tactics, and a significant escalation in union busting."

Starbucks says it respects the right of its employees to organize and to engage in lawful union activities. The company says it has held 84 single-store contract bargaining sessions since October.

Last year, Sanders and three other senators asked Starbucks to disclose how much the coffee chain has spent on lawyers and consulting fees to counter the growing union membership.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on Congress to make it easier for workers to join a union: "I am so sick and tired of companies breaking the law by preventing workers from organizing."

In January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the percentage of workers who belong to unions edged down to an all-time low in 2022.

The union membership rate fell from 10.3% in 2021 to 10.1% in 2022, even as the number of workers in a union rose to 14.3 million, up by 273,000, or 1.9%, from 2021.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Marguerita Choy)
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and The Rachael Ray Foundation partnership supports future industry talent. Apply here through March 14.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- High schools across the country can jump start or improve their ProStart culinary arts programs by applying for $5,000 grants from The Rachael Ray Foundation. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) is accepting applications through March 14, 2023, at ChooseRestaurants.org/ProStartGrowGrant.

High school culinary arts programs could receive a 2023 Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant of $5,000.

Up to 25 ProStart schools, or those with culinary arts programs looking to become a ProStart school, could receive a 2023 Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant of $5,000. The funding supports upgrades or the purchase of new resources, the building up of classrooms and supplies, and supporting teachers with what they need to help their students learn career-building skills in the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality industry.

"The ProStart program provides an exceptional hands-on culinary learning experience at nearly 1,850 high schools across the country, teaching them fundamental, career-building skills in the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality industry," said Rachael Ray, award-winning television personality and philanthropist. "We are psyched to once again support these programs  and the educators who make them possible (my heroes)  in fostering the next generation of industry talent with ProStart Grow Grants."

This year marks the fourth round of Grow Grant funding provided through The Rachael Ray Foundation, which has awarded $590,000 to schools demonstrating a strong need to engage and educate students through the ProStart program. Additionally, over the past 16 years, more than 260 scholarships have been provided by Rachael Ray's Yum-o! organization and The Rachael Ray Foundation.

"The students in 73 schools have had an additional range of unique experiences and opportunities to grow their interest and industry skills thanks to a ProStart Grow Grant," said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "We are grateful for the continued partnership with The Rachael Ray Foundation and their shared commitment to cultivating the skills and talents of tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice industry leaders."

ProStart, a two-year technical education program focused on culinary arts and restaurant management, is offered at nearly 1,850 schools across the country and enrolls nearly 165,000 students. These students experience the restaurant and foodservice industry through a close connection with local industry experts, class mentors, tours of local facilities, student competitions, and more. ProStart students finish the program ready to join the workforce and make an immediate impact in restaurants and foodservice. Learn more about ProStart here.

"I have truly enjoyed the opportunity to teach students new mediums of cake decorating and pastry arts as well as food photography," said Kandice Dequeant, an 18-year ProStart educator at W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, which received a 2022 Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant. "Equipment provided by the Rachel Ray Grow Grant allowed us to experience cake sculpting, air brushing, fondant techniques, and culinary photography skills, which prepares students for not only entry level positions, but potential self-sustaining, long-term self-employment. That's exciting, life changing stuff!"

The NRAEF facilitates the Grow Grant application process. Current ProStart schools or those onboarding/incoming in the 2023-2024 academic year are eligible to apply. Each school must submit a complete application. If selected, new ProStart schools are required to sign an agreement joining the program for the next school year or return the funds. Applicants have through March 14, 2023, to complete their submissions for the NRAEF's consideration by clicking here.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's (NRAEF) mission of service to the public is dedicated to enhancing the industry's training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart  a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES  Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military  helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships  financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC)  accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.

Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's 2021 Annual Impact Report.

About The Rachael Ray FoundationThe Rachael Ray Foundation (RRF) is a private foundation that is fully funded by the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray Nutrish. RRF was launched by Rachael in 2016 to better support the causes she cares for most such as helping animals in need. Additionally, RRF works with organizations that support the mission of Yum-o!, Rachael's 501c3, in order to bolster and amplify their efforts through additional funding. Yum-o! empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. It also teaches families to cook, feeds hungry kids, and funds cooking education, among other initiatives.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/5-000-prostart-grow-grants-available-to-help-high-schools-kick-off-and-grow-their-culinary-arts-programs-301742246.html

SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
Innovative software platform and remotely operated equipment puts farmers in the driver's seat

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Agtonomy, an ag tech software start-up, has announced that global wine producer Treasury Wine Estates will be the first paid trial customer of its innovative software and tele-guidance technology, named TeleFarmer.

Agtonomy's TeleFarmer solution is comprised of innovative software, a suite of apps and an electric vehicle (EV) reference tractor. The solution allows specialty crop farmers to remotely manage and execute day-to-day farming tasks more efficiently and with more precision, all while keeping the farmer in control. The TeleFarmer solution helps address labor shortages and reduce a farm's overall carbon footprint, a focus area for agricultural producers worldwide.

"At Treasury Wine Estates, we are excited to be partnering with Agtonomy to trial TeleFarmer technology at some of our sites in California to help us make our first substantial step into the new generation of farming tools. This collaborative program means we can refine the solution for vineyard and other crop applications and tailor the solution to benefit specialty crop farmers everywhere while providing real opportunities to upskill our teams," said Simon Graves, director of vineyard operations at Treasury Americas, a division of Treasury Wine Estates.

"Continuously reducing our impact on the living world around us is a focus while we produce world-class wine. Our partnership with Agtonomy means using technology that supports our sustainability goals while balancing a future of tight labor availability and changing consumer demands," added Will Drayton, director of technical viticulture, sustainability and research at Treasury Americas.

Together, the parties have defined a program to utilize Agtonomy's solution side by side with existing equipment, operators and practices to really understand how the technology can improve overall farming outcomes, ease the transition from traditional equipment control and provide a return on investment.

"With a rising global population and shrinking availability of natural resources and skilled labor, the agricultural industry will need to turn to advances in technology for smart, sustainable solutions to both feed a growing world and keep their operations profitable," said Tim Bucher, CEO and co-founder of Agtonomy. "We are excited to partner with Treasury Wine Estates to not only utilize the solution we developed but to receive invaluable feedback and data that ensures we are meeting the needs of the market and delivering real value."

Agtonomy is focused on partnering with agricultural producers that understand the immediate and long-term needs of transitioning to sustainable practices that confront many challenges farmers face today. For more information, visit agtonomy.com.

The TeleFarmer solution will be on display at World Ag Expo, Feb.14-16 in Tulare, Calif. Bucher, along with additional members of the Agtonomy executive leadership team, will be available for interviews and live product demonstrations throughout the show in South Exhibits, booth #DS73-74.

About AgtonomyAgtonomy, based in South San Francisco and Sonoma County, is a hybrid autonomy and tele-guidance service platform with the venture backing of GV, Toyota Ventures, Grit Ventures, Flybridge, Momenta, Village Global, Cavallo Ventures, Mirae Asset Venture Investment and many other prestigious investors. The platform will give local agriculture and land maintenance operators the ability to solve the skilled labor shortage with autonomous equipment and greatly increase their efficiency. The executive team consists of veterans from the AI, EV, cloud service and agriculture industries with extensive experience at companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, CNH Industrial, Microsoft, Uber and Kittyhawk, as well as lifelong farming experience at Northern California agriculture operations such as Trattore Farms.

About Treasury Wine EstatesTreasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world's leading premium wine companies, employing 2,500 talented people across the world, with wine sold in more than 70 countries around the world. TWE owns world-class wine production and packaging facilities in Australia (primarily in South Australia and Victoria), Marlborough in New Zealand, the North and Central Coast regions of California as well as in France and Italy. With a portfolio of outstanding wine brands, prized viticultural assets and world-class production facilities, TWE's commitment to delivering shareholder value is underpinned by its passion for crafting, marketing and selling quality wine through building sustainable partnerships with customers and other industry partners, globally.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agtonomy-partners-with-treasury-wine-estates-on-breakthrough-farming-technology-for-specialty-crop-market-301742111.html

SOURCE Agtonomy
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominus Capital is pleased to announce the addition of Kent Stemper as an Operating Partner. Mr. Stemper was most recently CEO of BluSky Restoration ("BluSky"), a national contractor that provides commercial, industrial, governmental, residential, and multifamily restoration, renovation, environmental and roofing services. Under his stewardship, BluSky grew from a regional presence into one of the largest restoration firms in the U.S. with 41 offices in 18 states from coast to coast. In addition to leading eight acquisitions during his tenure as CEO, Kent spearheaded multiple strategic initiatives which grew revenue organically at a double-digit compound annual growth rate. The growth initiatives included the establishment of BluSky's national sales team, enhancement of BluSky's go-to-market strategy and cross-sell efforts, and BluSky's expansion in high growth and complementary service lines such as healthcare, environmental remediation and commercial roofing. Through his leadership and relentless focus on customers, employees and service quality, Kent transformed BluSky during his tenure which resulted in a highly successful investment for Dominus Capital.

Mr. Stemper received a B.S. in Accounting from Colorado State University, a Masters in Management from Northwestern University, and was a Certified Public Accountant. He will work with Dominus in the business and commercial services sectors.

About Dominus Capital, L.P.

Based in New York, Dominus Capital, a 2022 Top 50 PE Firm in the Middle Market, focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital investments particularly in family and founder owned companies in the business services and light manufacturing sectors of the economy. Drawing on the experience, knowledge and network of its founders and a team of in-house operating executives, Dominus Capital works hand-in-hand with exceptional management teams to unlock the untapped potential of its portfolio companies. The firm 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 Capital team members have executed more than 90 transactions over the past 20+ years. For more information, please visit www.dominuscap.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blusky-restoration-ceo-kent-stemper-joins-dominus-capital-301742152.html

SOURCE Dominus Capital, L.P.
New Quarterly Report on the Behaviors of Three Million 401(k) Plan Participants Finds Millennials Lead the Way in Contribution Rates

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America today launched the 401(k) Participant Pulse, a new quarterly report series providing timely insights into plan participants' confidence and sentiment toward retirement planning and overall financial wellness.

Drawing on data from the company's proprietary financial benefits programs, which include more than 3 million 401(k) plan participants, the new report analyzes activity across 401(k) loans, hardship distributions and overall contribution rates, and aims to help gauge the extent to which short-term economic trends may be impacting consumers' long-term financial planning.

"We are deeply committed to understanding how current financial realities are affecting consumers' long-term financial health and planning," said Lorna Sabbia, Head of Retirement and Personal Wealth Solutions at Bank of America. "Long-term retirement planning is a critical metric when considering an individual's financial wellbeing, as well as the economy as a whole."

The inaugural 401(k) Participant Pulse reveals:

Contribution rates down slightly in 2022. The average plan participant contribution rate dropped slightly from 6.6% at the end of 2021 to 6.4% at the end of 2022, suggesting consumers may have been a bit more focused on short-term financial needs last year.

The average plan participant contribution rate dropped slightly from 6.6% at the end of 2021 to 6.4% at the end of 2022, suggesting consumers may have been a bit more focused on short-term financial needs last year. Fewer participants taking loans, but defaults rise slightly. In Q4 2022, 60,789 participants borrowed from their workplace plan, which was a decline of 12% from Q3. Loan defaults rose slightly to 15.9%. The average loan amount in Q4 was $7,500, the lowest average for all four quarters in 2022.

In Q4 2022, 60,789 participants borrowed from their workplace plan, which was a decline of 12% from Q3. Loan defaults rose slightly to 15.9%. The average loan amount in Q4 was $7,500, the lowest average for all four quarters in 2022. Fewer participants taking hardship withdrawals for immediate financial needs. Participants taking a hardship distribution declined in Q4 2022, with the average at 0.4% (down from 0.5% in Q3) and the number of participants totaling 12,350 (down 18% compared to Q3). In addition, the average hardship amount also declined in Q4 from Q3 by 8%.

Participants taking a hardship distribution declined in Q4 2022, with the average at 0.4% (down from 0.5% in Q3) and the number of participants totaling 12,350 (down 18% compared to Q3). In addition, the average hardship amount also declined in Q4 from Q3 by 8%. Millennials lead the way in savings rates. Almost half of Millennials (47%) contributed 7% or more to their plan  more than any other generation. Meanwhile, Baby Boomers had the highest percentage of participants (43%) contributing 3% or less.

Almost half of Millennials (47%) contributed 7% or more to their plan  more than any other generation. Meanwhile, Baby Boomers had the highest percentage of participants (43%) contributing 3% or less. 30- and 40-year-olds drive borrowing. More than half of loans taken in 2022 were participants ages 30-49. Gen X (age 43-58) had more participants (3.1%) with loans in default at year end than any other generation.

Bank of America's Retirement & Personal Wealth Solutions organization serves more than 25,000 companies of all sizes and more than six million employees as of December 31, 20221. Bank of America offers institutional client employees a range of financial benefit programs and solutions to help them pursue their financial future.

Financial Wellness at Bank of AmericaAt Bank of America, we know that supporting the physical, financial and emotional wellbeing of our employees in their personal life also supports them in their work life  so they can be the best at work and at home. When it comes to financial wellness, we believe that the more informed people are about their money, the clearer their financial outlook can be. This applies not just to our clients, but to our employees, as well. This is why we offer robust financial offerings to our employees that focus on driving better behaviors across life priorities and the financial spectrum  budgeting, planning, saving, investing and more. Our competitive financial benefits  including 401(k) plans that include a company match, retirement advice2, health savings accounts3, banking4 and investing5 programs, educational resources and financial wellness tools  help employees address money issues in the here-and-now, prepare for retirement and help protect their family over the long term.

1Source: Global Wealth and Investment Management Finance.2Investment advice on 401(k) assets is only provided to plan participants through certain investment advisory programs as directed by plan sponsors.3Made available through Bank of America, N.A.4Bank products are available from Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks.5Investment products are available from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.

Bank of AmericaBank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATM and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.

Retirement and Personal Wealth Solutions is the institutional retirement business of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.") operating under the name "Bank of America." Investment advisory and brokerage services are provided by wholly owned non-bank affiliates of BofA Corp., including Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as "MLPF&S" or "Merrill"), a dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser and Member SIPC. Banking activities may be performed by wholly owned banking affiliates of BofA Corp., including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC.

Investment products:

Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value

 2023 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Reporters may contact:Don Vecchiarello, Bank of AmericaPhone: 1.980.387.4899[email protected]

MAP#5446046

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bofa-401k-participant-pulse-report-shows-volume-and-dollar-amounts-of-401k-loans-and-hardship-withdrawals-decreasing-301741428.html

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation
Chartis colleagues pointed to the firm's culture, worklife balance, and opportunities for career growth and development as reasons they love where they work.

CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chartis, a comprehensive healthcare advisory firm, has been named to Vault's annual "Best Places to Work" list. Chartis ranked No. 18 among the Best Boutique Consulting Firms and No. 26 among the Top 50 Consulting Firmsup from No. 35 in 2022.

Vault noted, "Chartis is well known for being one of the more employee-centric firms in the healthcare consulting space, with a focus on compassion and empathy that pervades both its internal and client relationships."

"We're thrilled to be featured in this year's Vault's Best Places to Work rankings and are particularly gratified to be recognized in five diversity-related categories," said Shannon Brownell, Chief Talent Officer, Chartis. "This recognition is testament to the powerful things an organization can accomplish by bringing together a diverse group of exceptionally talented professionals who care deeply about the firm's mission, our clients, and each other."

The annual award recognizes consulting firms that deliver a well-rounded work experience. To compile the list, Vault conducted an anonymous employee satisfaction survey measuring a multitude of aspects, including firm culture, satisfaction, benefits, and worklife balance. The 2023 Vault rankings recognize Chartis' unique culture; commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and approach to client service.

Today, Chartis announced the firm also earned two Best in KLAS rankings, including Best Overall Healthcare Management Consulting Firm for the third straight year, based on client satisfaction, by industry analyst KLAS.

About ChartisChartis is a comprehensive healthcare advisory firm dedicated to helping clients build a healthier world. We work across the healthcare continuum with more than 600 clients annually, including providers, payers, health services organizations, technology and retail companies, and investors. Through times of change, challenge, and opportunity, we advise the industry on how to navigate disruption, pursue growth, achieve financial sustainability, unleash technology, improve care models and operations, enhance clinical quality and safety, and advance health equity. The teams we convene bring deep industry expertise and industry-leading innovation, enabling clients to achieve transformational results and create positive societal impact. Learn more.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chartis-ranked-among-top-50-consulting-firms-best-boutique-consulting-firms-by-vault-301741507.html

SOURCE The Chartis Group
Koan Health enables clients to achieve population health success with MSSP, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Commercial ACO programs.

DALLAS, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Koan Health announced that Southern New England Health (SoNE HEALTH) selected its Datalyst platform to power its population health and medical economics departments. SoNE HEALTH is a clinically integrated network (CIN) comprised of 1,700+ primary and specialty care providers, five hospitals, and nearly 200,000 patients living in CT and MA.

Koan Health enables clients to achieve population health success with MSSP, MA, Medicaid, and Commercial ACO programs.

Lisa Trumble, CEO of SoNE HEALTH since January 2020, explained what the main drivers were for switching to Koan Health. "Having worked with many vendors, it was refreshing to find a partner whose actions were consistent with how I felt a partner should perform. SoNE HEALTH needed a platform we could trust, one that highlights where my teams need to focus our resources, to improve outcomes and costs; I couldn't afford a system where a team of analysts spends countless hours sifting through data searching for insights; I need a system that uncovers the insights we can focus on today."

In addition:

The Datalyst solution works; we get consistent and accurate answers every time we run reports.

Koan's turnaround time for changes, modifications, and report building is fast, consistent, and always high-quality.

The Koan team understands our data, business, and MSSP/VBC programs in detail. They're as concerned about data quality, accuracy, and transparency as we are.

Koan's approach with a 90-day trial was perfect; we experienced firsthand how well Datalyst worked with our data, experienced incredible client service, and confirmed their focus on data quality, accuracy, and transparency.

With our margin pressures, Datalyst was priced fairly, we were able to lower our cost, and need fewer analytic FTEs to support our population health and medical economic initiatives; pricing was simple, predictable, and fair.

Lisa remarked that Datalyst and the Koan team are essential to help us deliver on our vision "To be Southern New England's premier population health organization dedicated to optimizing the health of patients, populations, and communities that entrust us with their care."

Koan Health's founder and CEO, DT Nguyen, said, "we are honored to partner with another leading value-based care organization that prioritizes data quality, accuracy, and transparency. We designed Datalyst to identify the drivers of quality, cost, and utilization variation, combined with a culture of serving our clients to help them deliver high-quality care and lower costs. We are focused and committed to each of our client's success and will continue to innovate and invest in our solutions and teams."

Nguyen is the former president of MedAssets (now FinThrive), where he led the RCM and claims analytics team to earn the "Best in KLAS" award for five consecutive years. Nguyen commented that "Koan's culture was intentionally developed to attract people who are driven to provide world-class service to each of our clients." Koan Health received an NPS score of 78 from their clients this year, a score above 71 is considered world-class.

About - SoNE HEALTH is a clinically integrated network focused on population health. SoNE HEALTH is a collaboration between the physicians and hospitals that cover Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The SoNE HEALTH network is comprised of 1,700+ primary and specialty care providers, the five Trinity Health of New England Hospitals, and nearly 200,000 covered patient lives. www.sonehealthcare.com

About - Koan Health is a population health company serving ACOs, CINs, Payers, and other risk-bearing organizations to improve performance in their value-based relationships. With Datalyst, accountable providers leverage powerful analytics to understand their networks, provider performance, cost, and quality metrics to quickly identify opportunities to improve clinical and financial results for their populations and communities. Pursuing a broader vision of healthcare value, we work closely with each client to discover waste, disorganization, and disparities in care that increase costs and reduce the client's ability to improve the health of their patients and populations. Today, caring for over 1.2 million patients, and having saved Medicare over $321 million, our clients pursue the shared goal of delivering optimal healthcare value with a more personalized approach to care. For more information, visit www.koanhealth.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datalyst-selected-by-sone-health-for-its-next-generation-population-health-platform-301742253.html

SOURCE Koan Health
Clinicians experienced highest levels of satisfaction with Elation's EMR telehealth solution

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Elation Health, the clinical-first technology company powering innovation in primary care, announced today it has been named 2023 Best in KLAS for the EMR-Centric Virtual Care Platform category. In addition to holding the top overall performance score, Elation received top grades in the report across five customer excellence pillars: loyalty, operations, services, relationship, and value.

"Winning Best in KLAS is only possible with our dedicated team members and strong partnerships with our clients. We are extremely thankful they continue to rate us number one, giving Elation high accolades across all five performance categories," said Kyna Fong, CEO of Elation Health. "Our continued commitment to the highest levels of client satisfaction remains evident by the score, grades, and positive feedback that we received from this year's report. As we continue to grow and diversify our client base, our commitment to strengthening trust between the physician and patient relationship has never been more important."

As a 2023 Best in KLAS award winner, Elation ranked number one for return on investment with an overall performance score of 91.8 out of 100. Elation also received nearly all A's across all six graded categories. Key findings from the report also indicate Elation was the top ranked EMR telehealth vendor among Epic, athenahealth, and Kareo in delivering strong experiences for patients that lead to improved outcomes.

"The 2023 Best in KLAS report highlights the top-performing healthcare IT solutions as determined by extensive evaluations and conversations with thousands of healthcare providers. These distinguished winners have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving and innovating the industry, and their efforts are recognized through their inclusion in this report," said KLAS CEO Adam Gale. "Vendors who win the title of 'Best in KLAS' show a consistent commitment to prioritizing customer satisfaction with the Best in KLAS award, signaling to provider and payer organizations that they can expect excellence from the winning vendors."

KLAS researchers collect feedback from more than 30,000 interviews conducted with health systems and payers each year to offer an honest, accurate, and impartial overview of vendor performance in the industry. The Best in KLAS designation is awarded to the software and service solutions that have outperformed others in their respective fields  based entirely on provider and payer feedback.

The 2023 Best in KLAS: Software and Services report includes performance indicators to help provide better context and transparency of vendor performance. In addition to displaying the overall KLAS score for each evaluated service, KLAS displays letter grades associated with the six key categories. To review Elation's KLAS performance data and read comments from Elation clients, please visit the KLAS page on Elation Health.

About Elation Health

Elation Health is the most trusted technology platform for high-value primary care. Since 2010, the company has delivered clinical-first solutions  built on a collaborative electronic health record (EHR)  that helps primary care organizations start, grow, and succeed in delivering the highest-quality personalized care to patients. Elation supports primary care clinicians by relieving administrative burden and restoring the doctor-patient relationship so that they can return to the craft of medicine. The company serves 24,000 clinicians caring for more than 12 million Americans, including thousands of small independent practices and large prominent digital health innovators. Elation Health is looking at another year of advancement ahead, securing $50 million in Series D funding in July of 2022 with plans to keep investing in technology and services as they continue to rapidly scale. Learn more at elationhealth.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About KLAS

KLAS is a data-driven company on a mission to improve the world's healthcare by enabling provider and payer voices to be heard and counted. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals, KLAS collects insights on software, services, and medical equipment to deliver reports, trending data, and statistical overviews. KLAS data is accurate, honest, and impartial. The research directly reflects the voice of healthcare professionals and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. To learn more about KLAS and the insights we provide, visit www.KLASresearch.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/elation-health-named-best-in-klas-award-winner-for-2023-301742204.html

SOURCE Elation Health
AUSTIN, Minn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, plans to release recast historical financial information in connection with its new operating model, GoFWD, on Feb. 28, 2023. Additionally, the company plans to hold a webcast at 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET) to discuss its new financial reporting structure.

The company is also inviting interested parties to participate in a webcast and conference call with Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer; Jacinth Smiley, executive vice president and chief financial officer; and Deanna Brady, executive vice president, Retail; to discuss the company's first quarter financial results. The company will issue its earnings release before the markets open on Thursday, Mar. 2, 2023, and will host a conference call shortly thereafter at 8:30 a.m. CT (9:30 a.m. ET).

The webcasts, replays and other information related to both events can be accessed on the company's investor website, http://investor.hormelfoods.com.

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.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hormel-foods-corporation-sets-dates-to-issue-recast-financial-information-and-hold-first-quarter-earnings-conference-call-301742339.html

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
Seasoned executive brings decades of experience in capital markets, finance, and corporate strategy

WEST HILLS, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc. ("ImmPACT Bio"), a clinical-stage company developing transformative logic-gate-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for treating cancer, today announced the appointment of Biren Amin, M.B.A., to its board of directors.

Mr. Amin has been the chief financial officer (CFO) and chief strategy officer of Pyramid Biosciences, Inc. since August 2022. He also serves as a co-director on the board of trustees of Axiom REACH Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on addressing public health disparities.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Biren to the board of ImmPACT Bio. Biren is a seasoned executive who is highly experienced in capital markets, finance, and corporate strategy," said Sheila Gujrathi, M.D., chair of ImmPACT Bio's board of directors. "Biren's broad and deep expertise will be invaluable as we continue to build the company to advance our pipeline of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies."

"This year we are rapidly advancing our novel bispecific CAR to treat aggressive B-cell lymphoma into Phase 1/2 clinical trials," said Sumant Ramachandra, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of ImmPACT Bio. "Biren's world-class experience in the cell therapy space as a biotechnology equity analyst at a top investment bank, along with his knowledge of finance and capital markets, will help us implement robust strategies to grow the company and move our next-generation CAR T-cell therapies through the clinic and ultimately to patients."

"ImmPACT Bio's portfolio of logic-gate-based CAR T-cell therapies holds tremendous potential to transform how we treat cancers," said Mr. Amin. "I am excited to work with this dynamic board and talented leadership team to help ImmPACT Bio achieve its vision of developing transformative oncology medicines for cancer patients who are in desperate need of new treatment options."

Previously, Mr. Amin was CFO of Immuneering Corporation and led its IPO in mid-2021. Before his pivot to industry, Mr. Amin spent nearly two decades on Wall Street building a strong track record covering small and mid-cap biotechnology companies. He was managing director and senior biotechnology analyst at Jefferies Financial Group and earned industry recognition from Financial Times/StarMine and Institutional Investor. Earlier in his career, Mr. Amin held positions within business development and medical affairs functions at Aventis Pharmaceuticals. He holds an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University and earned his M.S. in pharmacy from Long Island University, and a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Sciences in Philadelphia.

About ImmPACT Bio ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc., is a clinical-stage company dedicated to the discovery of transformative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for cancer patients who have exhausted their treatment options. The company's logic-gate-based CAR T-cell platforms, licensed from UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG), address key biological challenges in treating cancer. ImmPACT Bio's technologies are specifically designed to prevent antigen escape, and to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The company's technology is based on the work of pioneering scientists Yvonne Chen, Ph.D., and Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., both from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In addition, another logic-gate-based CAR T-cell technology is based on the work of Gideon Gross, Ph.D., from the MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, to address the prevention of 'on-target  off-tumor' toxicities. For more information, visit www.immpact-bio.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/immpact-bio-appoints-biren-amin-mba-to-its-board-of-directors-301741085.html

SOURCE ImmPACT Bio
Company's diverse offerings to enhance surgical care

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regarded as a leading pathway to the federal healthcare system by providers of medical devices and supplies, MellingMedical is pleased to announce its newest distributor relationship with ATMOS, whose offerings range from surgical suction devices to endoscopy equipment. As a CVE-Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), MellingMedical is especially proud of the positive impact this equipment can have on the care provided to America's veterans.

MellingMedical, a leading pathway to the federal healthcare system, announces a distributor relationship with ATMOS.

"We are proud to be a conduit for cutting edge medical devices that can enhance the care offered across the federal health care system, including the Department of Veterans Affairs," said Chris Melling, founder and CEO of MellingMedical. "As a family-owned company ourselves, it's great to join forces with a family-owned company like ATMOS whose own history of excellent service spans more than 130 years."

From their U.S. offices in Exton, PA, ATMOS supplies manufacturers, distributors, hospitals, and doctors with medical suction systems as well as complete solutions for ENT, OB/GYN, and Swallowing Diagnostics. "Part of our recipe for success for more than a century is collaborating with likeminded companies who share our passion for excellence in care and customer service," said Maik Greiser, CEO of ATMOS MedizinTechnik. "MellingMedical is not only highly knowledgeable in U.S. federal contracting law, they're also quite savvy when it comes to understanding what doctors need to do their job and what quality standards are the best determiners of success."

About MellingMedicalMellingMedical, a CVE-Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), holds a Medical Equipment and Surgical Federal Supply Schedule (Med/Surg), as well as a Pharmaceutical Schedule, and currently serves more than 165 VA Medical Centers and 300 VA Outpatient clinics, all seven (7) VA CMOPs, 95 DoD Medical Facilities and Health and Human Services (HHS), including Indian Health Services (IHS) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). MellingMedical provides access to innovative and cost-effective healthcare solutions in ophthalmology, optometry, urology, pharmaceuticals, ENT/neurology and wound care. To learn more, visit MellingMedical.com.

About ATMOSATMOS MedizinTechnik is one of the world's leading addresses when it comes to innovative and user-friendly products and system solutions for medical professionals and nursing staff. The family-run business develops and manufactures electrical suction systems, tapping units for central medical gas supply systems, solutions for mobile gas supply as well as system products for ENT, gynecology, and swallowing diagnostics.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mellingmedical-enhances-medicalsurgical-line-with-atmos-products-301742009.html

SOURCE MellingMedical
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- O2B Kids, the leader in the early education and child care industry, celebrated their Ribbon Cutting today of their brand-new building for their 47th location, O2B Kids Valdosta. This new location expands O2B's reach to Valdosta, Georgia. With a highly-acclaimed preschool program and dedicated childcare services, families are feeling the positive impact of O2B Kids' passion for providing a state of the art curriculum and positive learning environment to children, helping them grow and learn.

The first five years of a child's life are the most important and brain science proves it! Research clearly shows that a child's early experiences with the world and interactions with adults collectively builds the brain's architecture  which creates the foundation for all future learning. Put simply, experiences wire the brain  and the more early experiences, the better!

The Valdosta O2B Kids location is a brand-new building that provides top-notch facilities for teachers and children alike. This facility includes a beautiful play village that spans from an indoor play area to three fully fenced-in outdoor playgrounds, with large classrooms and a top-notch teaching team. O2B Kids helps parents grow happy, successful children.

In addition to the play village, O2B Kids Valdosta has specially-designed, age-appropriate classrooms where children 6 weeks to 5 years old always have access to learning, toys, technology and tools that are specifically curated to improve learning and motor skills through play.

O2B Kids is a rapidly growing company focused on providing high-quality care and early education to children from infancy through school ages, and has 47 locations across Minnesota, Florida and Georgia with more on the way!

About O2B Early Education:

O2B Early Education is the parent company of O2B Kids. O2B Kids is a Florida based company that has helped shape the landscape of early education, preschool, and childcare. Under the O2B Early Education brand are O2B Kids, Cedars Preschool, Children of Tomorrow, The Child Center, and FD Education. The company, founded in 1998, has provided excellent care and programs for children as young as newborns, all the way through school-age. The company, as a whole, is committed to providing a strong foundation of comprehensive early-education to children and creating a positive impact in their community.

Media Contact:Michelle M. DeschampsO2B Early EducationVice President of Marketing[email protected] 407-897-9251

Related Linkso2bkids.comcedarspreschool.comchildrenoftomorrow.comfdeducation.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/o2b-kids-opens-47th-location-in-valdosta-georgia-301742284.html

SOURCE O2B Kids
London based deal experts are the exclusive advisors for this and the ongoing partnering efforts for WM-A1-3389

LONDON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmaVentures is pleased to announce that it acted as exclusive advisor for Wellmarker Bio Co., Ltd (WMBIO) on its collaboration with MSD (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA) to evaluate WM-A1-3389 in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), MSD's anti-PD-1 therapy.

Under the agreement with MSD, WMBIO will sponsor the Phase 1 (or Phase 1b) clinical trial for WM-A1-3389, a novel therapeutic antibody for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients with low or no PD-L1 expression, in combination with KEYTRUDA. Some NSCLC patients with low or no PD-L1 expression have shown limited response to treatment with immunotherapies and there is a high unmet need in these patient populations. WMBIO is also planning to expand the target patient group to other solid tumour indications.

Adrian Dawkes, Managing Director at PharmaVentures, said "We are pleased to have assisted WMBIO in establishing this collaboration with MSD. We have been working with Wellmarker Bio for some time now and it is gratifying to see this collaboration come to fruition. We look forward to helping Wellmarker with more partnerships as their pipeline progresses."

Dong-Hoon Jin, CEO of Wellmarker Bio, said "This clinical trial collaboration with MSD holds great significance for WMBIO as it allows us to evaluate a first-in-class drug with a novel mechanism in combination with KEYTRUDA. We engaged PharmaVentures as our advisors for this collaboration and continue to work with them in partnering for WM-A1-3389."

Fintan Walton, Founder and CEO of PharmaVentures, said "We are delighted to be supporting our client WMBIO in their collaboration with MSD. PharmaVentures has an extensive industry network and the specialist expertise to connect the Korean and Western Biopharma industries and vice versa, enabling them to collaborate through licensing and M&A deals."

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.

About PharmaVentures

PharmaVentures is a premier transaction advisory firm and a leading international company in partnering, M&A deals and strategic alliances.

For over 30 years, PharmaVentures has acted as advisor on over 1000 deal related projects covering licensing, mergers, acquisitions, divestments, and joint venture activities for companies worldwide.

PharmaVentures' deep bank of specialist experience, deal analytics and network of contacts among innovators and large pharma makes it uniquely placed to support business in all aspects of deal making and strategic planning.

PharmaVentures is well known for its deep insight into deal structures and its success for generating partnering interest.

PharmaVentures' services include:

M&A (divestments, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transactions)

(divestments, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transactions) Licensing (in and out licensing)

(in and out licensing) Fundraising Support

Strategy (commercialisation, deal strategy, due diligence, market entry)

(commercialisation, deal strategy, due diligence, market entry) Valuations (licensing, M&A and fundraising)

(licensing, M&A and fundraising) Pricing and Market Access

PharmaVentures is based in London, UK, and employs over 30 professionals and has associates in Asia-Pacific.PharmaVentures Capital Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of PharmaVentures Ltd. All regulated activities are delivered through PharmaVentures Capital Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (741356).

For more details, visit https://www.pharmaventures.com

About Wellmarker BioWellmarker Bio Co., Ltd (WMBIO) is the first company to be spun out from the renowned Asan Medical Center, Korea's largest hospital. It focuses on the development of novel anticancer drugs derived from comprehensive biomarker analysis. Since it was founded in 2016, WMBIO has developed 9 first-in-class drugs for solid tumor indications. Having access to a wide array of patient samples from Asia and using predictive biomarkers to guide therapeutic development in innovative ways have allowed WMBIO to rapidly move its assets from exploratory to preclinical and then into early clinical stages. WMBIO's R&D strategy is to focus mainly on drug discovery and early-stage development of lead compounds to build a deep and wide pipeline of products, with the most advanced assets in phase 1 clinical trials. Once a drug candidate is at that stage, WMBIO would seek to find global pharmaceutical companies to partner with for co-development or licensing.

About WM-A1-3389WM-A1-3389 is a novel therapeutic antibody targeting a new immune checkpoint protein discovered by Wellmarker Bio. WM-A1-3389's novel target is abundantly expressed in a variety of cancer types and has demonstrated efficacy across different PBMC humanized models. An additive benefit of WM-A1-3389 and anti-PD-1 antibody was evidenced in preclinical mouse models including PD-1-resistant CT26 and LLC-1 mouse models.

For further information, please contact:Lisa HollowaySenior Marketing ManagerPhone: +44 (0) 1865 332700[email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pharmaventures-advises-wellmarker-bio-on-their-clinical-trial-collaboration-with-msd-to-evaluate-wm-a1-3389-in-combination-with-keytruda-pembrolizumab-301741182.html

SOURCE PharmaVentures
Drivers and Warehouse Workers at Wine and Liquor Distributor Come Together to Win Respect, Voice on the Job

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Drivers and warehouse workers at Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits distribution facility in Farmers Branch, Texas, have decided overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 745. There are 250 workers in the bargaining unit.

"I am thrilled to welcome these workers into our Teamster family," said Brent Taylor, Teamsters Southern Region Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 745. "When over two hundred workers come together to demand respect and a fair return on their work, it's a proud moment for them, their families and their community."

"When this group contacted me back in October, they were already fired up to exercise their rights and make things better for themselves and their co-workers," said Rod Cuevas, Recording Secretary and Organizer/Business Agent at Local 745. "Then the drivers started reaching out to the warehouse workers and it spread like wildfire."

The Teamsters Brewery, Bakery & Soft Drink Conference negotiated a card-check agreement with the company. Last week, the workers' union authorization cards were counted, and the company formally recognized Local 745 as the bargaining agent for the group.

"When we contacted Local 745, we hadn't had a raise in six years," said Terrington Lawson, a warehouse worker at the Farmers Branch facility. "We knew that wasn't right, and that if anything was going to change, we had to fight for it ourselves."

"We started talking, and then we reached out to the Teamsters who helped give us the skills we needed to organize our co-workers and win this victory," said Saul Martinez Jr., a driver. "Now we're excited about bargaining our first-ever Teamster contract."

Teamsters Local 745 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and the surrounding communities. For more information, go to facebook.com/Local745.

Contact:Rod Cuevas, (214) 735-7423[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-glazers-workers-join-teamsters-local-745-301742342.html

SOURCE Teamsters Local 745
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 13G Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.___)* Turtle Beach Corporation (Name of Issuer) Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (Title of Class of Securities) 900450206 (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: y Rule 13d-1(b)  Rule 13d-1(c)  Rule 13d-1(d) (Page 1 of 8 Pages)

______________________________

*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

1 NAME OF REPORTING PERSON Hudson Bay Capital Management LP 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a)  (b)  3 SEC USE ONLY 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION State of Delaware NUMBER OF

SHARES

BENEFICIALLY

OWNED BY

EACH

REPORTING

PERSON WITH: 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6 SHARED VOTING POWER 916,165 shares of Common Stock 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 916,165 shares of Common Stock 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 916,165 shares of Common Stock 10 CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES  11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 5.53% 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON PN

1 NAME OF REPORTING PERSON Sander Gerber 2 CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a)  (b)  3 SEC USE ONLY 4 CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION United States NUMBER OF

SHARES

BENEFICIALLY

OWNED BY

EACH

REPORTING

PERSON WITH: 5 SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6 SHARED VOTING POWER 916,165 shares of Common Stock 7 SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8 SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 916,165 shares of Common Stock 9 AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 916,165 shares of Common Stock 10 CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES  11 PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 5.53% 12 TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON IN

Item 1(a). NAME OF ISSUER: The name of the issuer is Turtle Beach Corporation, a Nevada corporation (the " Company ").

Item 1(b). ADDRESS OF ISSUER'S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES: The Company's principal executive offices are located at 44 South Broadway, 4th Floor, White Plains, New York 10601.

Item 2(a). NAME OF PERSON FILING: This statement is filed by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP (the " Investment Manager ") and Mr. Sander Gerber (" Mr. Gerber "), who are collectively referred to herein as " Reporting Persons ."

Item 2(b). ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL BUSINESS OFFICE OR, IF NONE, RESIDENCE: The address of the business office of each of the Reporting Persons is 28 Havemeyer Place, 2nd Floor, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830.

Item 2(c). CITIZENSHIP: The Investment Manager is a Delaware limited partnership. Mr. Gerber is a United States citizen.

Item 2(d). TITLE OF CLASS OF SECURITIES: Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the " Common Stock ").

Item 2(e). CUSIP NUMBER: 900450206

Item 3. IF THIS STATEMENT IS FILED PURSUANT TO RULES 13d-1(b) OR 13d-2(b) OR (c), CHECK WHETHER THE PERSON FILING IS A: (a)  Broker or dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act (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) y Investment adviser in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E); (f)  Employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F);

(g) y Parent holding company or control person in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G); (h)  Savings association as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (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 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3); (j)  Non-U.S. institution in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J); (k)  Group, in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K).

If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify the type of institution:

Item 4. OWNERSHIP The information required by Items 4(a)  (c) is set forth in Rows (5)  (11) of the cover page for each Reporting Person hereto and is incorporated herein by reference for each such Reporting Person. The percentages used in this Schedule 13G are calculated based upon 16,556,960 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of October 31, 2022, as reported in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14, 2022. The Investment Manager serves as the investment manager to Hudson Master Fund Ltd., in whose name the securities reported herein are held. As such, the Investment Manager may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of all shares of Common Stock held by Hudson Master Fund Ltd. Mr. Gerber serves as the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of the Investment Manager. Mr. Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities.

Item 5. OWNERSHIP OF FIVE PERCENT OR LESS OF A CLASS. Not applicable.

Item 6. OWNERSHIP OF MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER PERSON. See Item 4.

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 Persons hereby makes the following certification: By signing below each Reporting Person certifies that, to the best of his or its 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.

SIGNATURES

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of its or his knowledge and belief, each of the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

DATE: February 8, 2023

HUDSON BAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP By: /s/ Sander Gerber Name: Sander Gerber Title: Authorized Signatory /s/ Sander Gerber SANDER GERBER

EXHIBIT I

JOINT FILING AGREEMENT

The undersigned acknowledge and agree that the foregoing statement on Schedule 13G is filed on behalf of each of the undersigned and that all subsequent amendments to this statement on Schedule 13G shall be filed on behalf of each of the undersigned without the necessity of filing additional joint filing agreements. The undersigned acknowledge that each shall be responsible for the timely filing of such amendments, and for the completeness and accuracy of the information concerning him or it contained herein and therein, but shall not be responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the information concerning the others, except to the extent that he or it knows or has reason to believe that such information is inaccurate.

DATED as of February 8, 2023
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  The spouse of the Navy officer serving a three-year prison sentence in Japan met with President Joe Biden on Tuesday in a chance meeting at the Capitol following his State of the Union address, according to a family spokesman.

Brittany Alkonis, wife of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, reportedly spoke with Biden and left feeling very positive about the meeting, family spokesman Jonathan Franks said by text Wednesday to Stars and Stripes in Japan. He declined to elaborate further on the encounter.

Biden told Brittany Alkonis that were not giving up and were going to get him home, according to a Tuesday tweet from Real Clear News reporter Philip Wegmann.

The encounter follows months of protests and pleas for meetings with the president by Brittany Alkonis, who has advocated for her husband since he reported to prison in July.

Ridge Alkonis, 34, of Claremont, Calif., is seven months into a three-year sentence handed down by the Shizuoka District Court in October 2021. He was convicted of negligent driving causing the deaths of two people and injuring a third in May 2021.

Formerly a weapons officer assigned to the destroyer USS Benfold at Yokosuka, Alkonis was driving his family through Fujinomiya after a trip to nearby Mount Fuji when he fell unconscious and crashed into the victims outside a soba restaurant.

Following her husbands conviction and a higher court refusing his appeal in July, Brittany Alkonis and other supporters immediately began organizing marches and other protests behind the phrase Bring Ridge Home. A petition to secure Ridge Alkonis release, started in June, had 85,783 signatures as of Wednesday.

The Alkonis supporters, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., say Lt. Alkonis received unfair treatment from the Japanese legal system. Both congressmen have alleged that Japanese prosecutors violated sections of the U.S.-Japan status of forces agreement that governs the rights and responsibilities of individuals in Japan affiliated with the U.S. military.

Brittany Alkonis and others say Alkonis was deprived of sleep and otherwise treated harshly during the investigation into the incident, and was denied legal counsel and translation services during the 26 days he was in Japanese police custody.

Suspects in criminal cases may be held up to 23 days without an opportunity to post a release bond until theyre formally charged, according to the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. Alkonis was charged 20 days after his arrest and legally held another six days after the official charges, a Japanese attorney told Stars and Stripes in August.

Alkonis supporters have put his case before other politicians in the months following his incarceration. Vice President Kamala Harris in September spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida about the situation, a White House official told Stars and Stripes in October.

In December, Congress approved the continuation of Alkonis pay and benefits during his incarceration after passing an amendment to the $1.7 trillion federal spending bill; the amendment, sponsored by Lee, was a response to the Defense Department refusing Alkonis request for an exception to policy.
The Pentagon is moving an aircraft carrier already deployed in the Mediterranean Sea closer to Turkey in the latest response of U.S. military forces to earthquakes that have killed thousands of people in the region, a Defense Department spokesman said Wednesday.

The USS George H.W. Bush, a Nimitz-class super carrier, has begun sailing toward Turkey to help in the massive recovery effort, if Turkish officials ask for the additional aid, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagons top spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon. The ship will join other U.S. military assets sent to respond to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Monday  including Urban Search and Rescue teams, C-17 cargo jets, and helicopters to aid in search and rescue efforts.

We're trying to do everything we can to lean forward to be responsive to their requests, and help them as they try to save lives and recover, Ryder said Wednesday of efforts to help the NATO ally.

The Bush is the flagship of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, which is on deployment in support of the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations. The aircraft carrier was most recently ported in Greece, where it visited Piraeus last week, the Navy said in a statement.

The nuclear-powered ship, home-ported at Norfolk, Va., can carry a crew of more than 5,500 sailors and house more than 90 planes and helicopters, according to the Navy. It departed Norfolk for its deployment in August.

Ryder said the U.S. military was working to provide medical and water supplies for the recovery efforts. He said U.S. military helicopters based at Turkeys Incirlik Air Base began moving first responders on Tuesday into positions to help recovery efforts. He said additional American disaster assistance response teams were expected to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Monday after the earthquake, Ryder said.

We offer our sincere condolences, and we'll stand with our ally Turkey as they work to save lives and recover from this horrific disaster, the general said.

The powerful earthquake and a second 7.5-magnitude quake hours later leveled thousands of buildings in Turkey and neighboring Syria. More than 11,000 people were killed in the quakes as of Wednesday, according to The Washington Post, which labeled it the deadliest earthquake incident in more than a decade. Almost 50,000 people had been reported injured as of Wednesday, and officials expected both numbers to continue to rise, the Post reported.

Ryder said the U.S. military was working with Syria Defense Forces  its proxy forces trained in eastern Syria to fight Islamic State militants  to respond to the devastation in that country.
LOS ANGELES  Southern California isnt the most obvious place to forage for mushrooms. Mushrooms thrive in damp and dark places, a description that doesnt always match the climate of drought-dried Los Angeles.

But during LAs rainy season  from mid-October to mid-April  local mushroom lovers still hit the trails.

This is an exceptionally good mushroom year, said Bat Vardeh, the field trip chair for the Los Angeles Mycological Society, walking through the trails behind Canyon View Park in Aliso Viejo. This is not common, just walking around and seeing mushrooms left and right.

Vardeh, 26, essentially eats, sleeps and breathes mushrooms. When shes not leading Mycological Society forays (group trips to identify fungi), she runs another group called the Foraging & Mushroom Hunting Women of SoCal and forages on her own to reduce food waste. Even when it comes to work, shes hunting for shrooms.

Technically, I get paid to collect mushrooms for the fungal diversity survey, she said. I collect fungi that seem interesting and I send them in for DNA sequencing.

For the last three years, both foraging and fungi have been on the rise. Creators like Alexis Nicole Nelson, whos best known on TikTok as Black Forager, and William Padilla-Brown, whos known on Instagram as Permaculture Papi, have drawn audiences with their tips and finds. The #foraging hashtag on TikTok itself has more than 115 million views.

There are plenty of reasons why people enjoy foraging for mushrooms: Some forage for their own cooking and baking purposes, while others just enjoy the opportunity to get out of the house. One big draw for both beginners and experts is the challenge of exploring a field that still has so many unidentified species.

If youre new to the foraging community, never fear. Here are some of Vardehs best tips and tricks for identifying and responsibly gathering fungi in the wild.

Its advisable to start your foraging journey with some supervision. If nothing else, this will ensure you have someone verifying your mushroom identifications and bringing you to the safe trails.

Theres a lot of stuff that you might think you know, but until you have it confirmed, you wont really know, Vardeh said.

The Mycological Society organizes forays that are open to members (membership costs $25 annually) and some events that are open to the public, but parks like Griffith Park sometimes also offer forays that are open to anyone.

Vardeh, who leads field trips and forays for several different organizations, said she always tries to ensure that newcomers feel welcome to participate.

I tell them all that its a no-judgment zone, she said. They can take any mushroom ID guess they want.

I love getting a ton of people just really excited about mushrooms, she added. And then getting them hands-on with the mushroom so they can go home and think about it.

Beyond just keeping people safe (which well expand upon in a moment), Vardeh guides groups to fruitful spots and nurtures their curiosity.

Look to your left and right, she said as we wandered deeper into the woods. Theres mushrooms everywhere already. Once your eyes land on them, you wont stop seeing them.

Yellow mushrooms growing on a fallen tree branch in Canyon View Park.

One tip that Vardeh gives new foragers is to look for plants that have symbiotic relationships with fungi.

Oak trees are like X marks the spot, because there are so many mushrooms that have special relationships with oak trees, she said. If it rained recently, youll very likely find a mushroom under the tree.

Lets look up here because some of these oak trees are really big and really old, she said as we approached a large tree. They have some dead branches on them that are still kind of hanging on. A lot of times you can find oyster mushrooms coming off of these.

As expected, her advice was spot-on.

Were gonna get them. Yeah, were not leaving without them, she said as we looked at a cluster of oyster mushrooms about 20 feet above us. Were gonna get a big stick. One person pushes; the other one catches.

Vardeh suggests that new foragers in SoCal keep an eye out for common mushrooms such as coprinoids (inky caps), Leratiomyces percevalii (a woodchip-loving shroom), Agrocybe (found in grassy and wood-chip-heavy areas) and Agaricus fungi.

Agaricus is really common to find year-round anywhere theres irrigation and grassy areas, and a lot of those are edible, she said. But theyre also known as the lose your lunch bunch, because edible ones look exactly like the not-edible ones, but the worst that theyll do is make you throw up.

After a good rain, Vardeh also recommends looking for Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms, which grow on some hardwood trees) and Trametes versicolor (turkey tails, which some people like to brew into a tea).

If youre lucky, you might even come across Vardehs favorite mushrooms to find: Lactarius rufulus, better known as candy caps.

They smell and taste like maple syrup when theyre dried, she explained. Candy cap cookies are very popular.

Take safety precautions

Vardeh uses the acronym BOLETE (yes, like the type of mushroom) to remind her foraging groups of what to keep in mind.

B: Be aware of your surroundings.

O: Only forage in areas where it is permitted.

L: Let someone know where you will be going.

E: Extra water and snacks.

T: Toxic lookalikes? Always make sure to double-check what kind of mushroom you found.

E: Eat only what YOU are 100,000% sure about. When in doubt, throw it out.

The last rule is especially important, since a few types of mushrooms are deadly when ingested.

You can touch any mushroom, Vardeh reassured. In order for mushroom toxins to impact you, they have to be digested.

There are some general indicators that can help new foragers avoid poisonous mushrooms. Fungi with red caps or stems; mushrooms with white gills, skirts or rings on their stems; and any shrooms with a bulbous sack or volva are all worth avoiding. Some edible mushrooms are nearly identical to toxic ones, which is a great reason to err on the side of caution.

While youre on the trails, its also essential to note where youre grabbing mushrooms from.

We have this thing that we call the dog pee zone, Vardeh said, pointing to the edge of the trail. Plucking mushrooms from there would be similar to eating yellow snow: gross.

But bugs, for the most part, are not a concern.

Mushroom hunters are very aware of springtails being in their baskets, Vardeh said as she brushed away some small insects. They dont actually cause any harm. Some people are like, I dont want to eat bugs, but were all just like, Its extra protein.

Bring the right tools and know the rules

Though it might sound obvious, it helps to show up prepared.

Vardeh recommends wearing a long-sleeve shirt and long pants since some of these trails have poison oak and other itchy plants nearby. She also recommends bringing ample water, snacks and some reusable containers in which to stash your finds.

Reading up before you hit the trails also can be helpful. Vardehs favorite book for beginners is All That the Rain Promises and More by David Arora. (For more advanced foragers, she recommends Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast by Christian Schwarz and Noah Siegel and Mushrooms Demystified by Arora.)

She also recommends joining iNaturalist, a social network for naturalists and scientists. 

When somebody takes a photo of a mushroom and posts it on iNaturalist, it shows the location where it was found and has an algorithm that gives you a suggestion as to what it thinks it is, she explained. But then, it publishes it for experts  like really mushroomy experts  to take a look at these and then tell you what you have.

Though you can observe mushrooms and fungi anywhere you please, each park and forest has different policies when it comes to taking anything home with you.

Cleveland National Forest, Los Padres National Forest and Angeles National Forest are three of Vardehs favorite places to forage. Most of the national forests advise visitors to limit collection of edibles, such as mushrooms and berries, to what you can consume during your visit, but its worth checking specific guidelines with rangers at each park.

For the most part, as long as youre being ethical and conscious of your harvest  basically not out there to pick the forest clean and sell them  national forests are OK with foraging, Vardeh said.

And if youre just curious to look around and take photos, most public parks are also fair game.

This areas really amazing because Southern California is not like this, Vardeh said as we explored Canyon View Park. Its normally uncommon to find more than a couple of different species, but weve already found a ton of different species and we havent even scratched the surface.
(Tribune News Service)  Washington has signaled that when it comes to Iran, diplomacy is out, and hostility is in. The U.S. began conducting joint air exercises with Israel on Jan. 23, employing more than 100 aircraft including strategic bombers and advanced F-35 fighter jets. This comes after President Joe Biden stated, Were going to free Iran, during its recent wave of protests and adding recently that the Iran deal is dead and that Iran will have a nuclear weapon. But the possibility of a nuclear Iran is less dangerous than the certainty of a war that would erupt from a preventive strike.

While these joint exercises are primarily meant as a deterrent, Iran likely will not view them that way and for good reason. Israel is already hoping to double its purchase of advanced U.S. fighter jets as multiple Israeli officials hint at options for striking Irans nuclear facilities. Doing so would likely necessitate U.S. assistance, primarily with air refueling. Consequently, the U.S. would likely become entangled, whether it took the lead or supporting role in a strike. But the consequences would be catastrophic.

The idea of a surgical strike is a myth. In a strike on Irans nuclear facilities, fighters would have to penetrate hundreds of miles of contested airspace, encountering multiple layers of Iranian air defenses, not just in Iran but in Syria as well. To do so without risking American casualties would mean first setting the stage with hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian air defenses and air bases. That would not go unanswered, and Irans arsenal of thousands of ballistic missiles and hundreds of thousands of proxy fighters would likely be brought to bear against Israeli and American forces in retaliation.

This means U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would be targeted. Likewise, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, sourcing a fifth of the worlds oil supply, would also be disrupted. The effects would immediately prove militarily and economically disastrous for the United States.

With U.S. arsenals already depleted from sending aid to Ukraine, igniting a war in the Middle East would be even more dangerous. The United States has been moving away from a two-war force posture for the last decade, formalized most recently in the 2022 National Defense Strategy. This means the United States cannot fight everywhere at once; 100,000 troops in Europe to deter Russia and more than 300,000 in the Pacific to deter China necessarily mean that the U.S. cannot afford to fight a war with Iran.

The urgency of Irans nuclear development is likewise exaggerated. The Biden administrations 2022 Nuclear Posture Review released in October revealed that U.S. intelligence still assesses that Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon. As far as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus track record goes, Iran has been imminently close to obtaining a nuclear weapon for at least 30 years. The premise underlying a preventive strike rests on a foundation of sand, namely that this threat will materialize.

But is a nuclear Iran a more catastrophic outcome than a preventive war?

The United States has allowed three enemy nations to nuclearize: the Soviet Union, China and North Korea. In none of these cases was the outcome unmanageable. Rather, the United States has learned to establish deterrence with nuclear-armed states. The same model can be applied to Iran, which pales in comparison to the conventional and nuclear threat posed by the communist bloc.

Possessing a nuclear weapon is also different from using a nuclear weapon. Iran cannot use a nuclear weapon even if it obtained one because its chief foe, Israel, has a nuclear deterrent of hundreds of weapons already. Iran is conventionally overmatched by Israel and its Arab rivals in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Many of the proponents of a military strike put forward the mad mullahs argument, namely that the Iranian regimes revolutionary vision makes its leaders undeterrable and suicidal. But its hard to carry out a theocratic utopia if your regime doesnt exist. The Islamic Republics founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, went as far as to say in a book that the survival of the Islamic Republic was more important than Imam Mahdi, the end-times savior of Shiite Islam. If Khomeini was insufficiently zealous to fulfill the suicidal ideation of the mad mullah hypothesis, then its really hard to argue that this would apply decades after the revolutions fervor subsided.

Striking Iran would prove disastrous for the United States. A strike would not guarantee that Iran never nuclearizes, but it would immediately backfire against both Israel and the United States. Deterrence and diplomacy, not preemption and provocation, should guide Washingtons relationship with Iran.

Geoff LaMear is a fellow at Defense Priorities.

2023 Chicago Tribune.

Visit at chicagotribune.com .

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  South Koreas president described the security climate on the Korean Peninsula as very fraught on Wednesday and called on law enforcement agencies and the military to establish an all-out national security posture.

Citing threats from North Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a more unified approach to national security during a high-level defense meeting.

Security in the past was a concept of the military fights, private citizens support, but currently were unable to separate the frontline and the rear, Yoon said, according to a summary of the meeting provided by his office. Eventually, all that matters is an all-out national security.

Dozens of senior officials from South Korean ministries, law enforcement, intelligence agencies, the military and local government gathered in Seoul for a Central Integrated Defense Council meeting led by the president for the first time since 2016, according to the summary.

The annual meeting evaluates and plans South Koreas security and this year included Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee Keun.

South Korea should be prepared for a wide range of North Korean threats, including nuclear weapons, missiles and cyberattacks, Yoon said, according to his office. He said he would continue to preside over the meeting for the remainder of his five-year term.

The meeting was held on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army. The communist regime routinely holds grand military parades to commemorate anniversaries, and recent satellite images from 38 North, a North Korea-monitoring organization, indicated preparations were underway for a parade.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday in a news release it was closely monitoring North Korea for a potential parade.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an anniversary banquet said he led the strongest army in the world, according to a Korean Central News Agency report Wednesday. On Tuesday, the state-run outlet said the ruling party called for increasing the number of combat drills this year in preparation for a war.

North Korea launched roughly 75 missiles on 36 separate days of testing last year, including one that landed near Japanese territory in November. Pyongyang last fired a short-range ballistic missile on Jan. 1.
Poland has a tentative green light from the U.S. to acquire another batch of high-mobility rocket systems, the latest development in a military buying spree intended to make the Poles the most powerful land force in Europe.

The State Department informed Congress on Tuesday that it supports Polands request to buy up to $10 billion worth of the in-demand HIMARS, which Ukraine has used to great effect against invading Russian troops.

Warsaw wants 18 launchers and an extensive array of supporting gear for the system.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the department said in a statement.

Over the past couple of years, Poland has invested heavily in upgrades to its military, and that push has only intensified since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

Poland sent Soviet-era tanks to bolster Ukraine in the ongoing war and will replace their inventory with American M1A1 and M1A2 Abrams tanks.

Additionally, Apache attack helicopters, Patriot missiles and F-35 fighter planes are becoming integral to Polands growing arsenal.

Earlier this week, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said his countrys aim is to establish a ground force of at least 300,000 soldiers.

This will be the strongest land force in Europe, well-manned and equipped with modern weaponry, an active NATO force  which will also work together with the powerful U.S. forces stationed in Poland, Blaszczak told the Polish magazine Sieci in an interview published Monday.

Blaszczak told the magazine the Polish army now stands at 164,000 soldiers, with a record 13,742 troops joining up last year alone.
More than 20 NATO countries are sending emergency response personnel to Turkey to support rescue and relief operations in areas devastated by Mondays earthquake, which has killed thousands of people in Syria and Turkey.

More than 1,400 responders from allied countries, along with prospective members Finland and Sweden, are deploying, NATO said.

We stand in solidarity with our ally Turkiye and with all those affected, and NATO allies stand ready to provide further assistance to those in need, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement Tuesday.

The assistance includes search teams with rescue dogs, as well as firefighters and structural engineering teams, medical personnel and supplies, and seismic experts, NATO said.

Incirlik Air Base, home to the Air Forces 39th Air Base Wing, also is factoring into U.S. relief efforts.

In a phone call this week with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar emphasized the positive impact that cooperation at Incirlik Air Base was having on relief efforts, a Pentagon readout of the conversation stated.

The base, with runways able to support large cargo aircraft, could serve as a hub for moving supplies across the broader region. Incirlik, located in southern Turkey, did not experience any major damage, Air Force officials said.

However, in the neighboring city of Adana, rescue workers were sifting through the rubble of collapsed buildings in search of survivors soon after the earthquake struck.

More than 53,000 Turkish first responders were working throughout the country to find survivors as of Tuesday.

Gaziantep, a city closer to the Syrian border, lies about 20 miles from the epicenter of the quake and was once an area where U.S. soldiers were involved in a Patriot air defense mission. But that mission ended several years ago.

NATO assistance is being provided through the alliances disaster response coordination center, which functions as a clearinghouse for requests and assistance offers in the event of disasters.

On Tuesday, Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said she was in talks regarding the disaster with U.S. European Commands Gen. Christopher Cavoli, who is also NATOs top military commander.
LONDON  In his second trip abroad since the Russian invasion of his country almost a year ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday urged Britain to deliver warplanes to ensure a victory that would change the world.

Speaking to both houses of Parliament, Zelenskyy said that when he visited the United Kingdom two years ago, he thanked officials for the delicious English tea ... and I will be leaving Parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.

After the United States, Britain is the largest donor of military assistance to Ukraine. It has committed $2.8 billion so far, according to a recent parliamentary briefing paper, and has pledged to match that in 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday that 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers had come to Britain for training  and dozens more arrived last week to learn to master the Challenger 2 tanks that his government has promised to deliver next month. Going forward, he announced, training would be extended to Ukrainian marines and fighter jet pilots. The government also announced a fresh round of sanctions that targeted Putins war machine and financial networks.

But while Sunak said everything is on the table, committing fighter jets is something Britain and other Western allies have been reluctant to do.

When it comes to fighter combat aircraft, they are of course part of the conversation, Sunak said in a joint news conference at a British training camp. Thats why weve announced today that we will be training Ukrainian air force on NATO standard platforms, because the first step in being able to provide this advanced aircraft is to have soldiers or aviators who are capable of using them.

Sunaks spokesperson said the prime minister had asked the defense secretary, Ben Wallace, to investigate what jets we might be able to give, but, to be clear, this is a long-term solution rather than a short-term capability.

Zelenskyy is set to head Wednesday evening to Paris, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the French presidency confirmed in a news release. The three leaders are scheduled to hold a joint news conference before dining together.

Zelenskyy said he would meet with other European Union leaders on Thursday, a day the E.U. is holding a summit in Brussels.

While in Britain, Zelenskyy also met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. Charles, in his signature pinstripes, greeted the Ukrainian leader, in his trademark olive green, saying, Weve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long. The two spoke for about a half-hour, and tea was served.

In his remarks to Parliament, Zelenskyy said: In Britain, the king is an air force pilot, and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king. Charles trained as a jet pilot with the Royal Air Force in the 1970s.

Zelenskyy continued: Because they are so few, they are so precious that we, the servants of our kings, do everything possible and impossible to make the world provide us with modern planes to empower and protect pilots who will be protecting us. He then presented the helmet of a Ukrainian pilot to the speaker of the House of Commons, inscribed with the phrase: We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.

Zelenskyys first international trip since the invasion was in December, when he traveled to Washington to address a joint meeting of Congress and rally for continued U.S. support. He stopped in Poland on his return home to Ukraine.

Such is the security operation around these trips that Downing Street announced his visit only a few hours before the aircraft carrying Zelenskyy arrived at Londons Stansted Airport on Wednesday  a moment broadcast live on the BBC.

We know freedom will win; we know Russia will lose, he said in the House of Commons, as lawmakers broke out into thunderous applause. We know the victory will change the world, and this will be the change that the world has long needed, he said. The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most important victory of our lifetime.

Britain sees itself as playing a leading role on Ukraine, and Sunak, like his predecessors, is an outspoken supporter.

But Malcolm Chalmers, the deputy director general of RUSI, a military think tank, said Western powers were reluctant to hand over warplanes because of the eternal debate about escalation risk and also the practical concerns: You cant simply hand over a Western fighter plane and expect it to be used.

Nonetheless, he said the offer of pilot training was a significant signal  its the U.K. saying, Over time, we support Ukraines ambition to operate Western fighter aircraft and recognizing the reality is something you cant do overnight. Its much more complicated to train a fighter pilot than a tank driver, and that shouldnt be forgotten.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson has argued that the West should be more willing to send Ukraine sophisticated planes. He was not speaking on behalf of the British government.

Give the Ukrainians the tools to finish the job. Give them the deep-fire artillery systems, give them the tanks, give them the planes, because they have a plan. They know what they need to do, he said in a recent speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Although this was the first time the Ukrainian leader addressed the British Parliament in person, he did speak to lawmakers last year via video and received a standing ovation.

Asked by a reporter on Wednesday for his impressions of his time out of Ukraine, under a peaceful sky, Zelenskyy said his visit was focused on conveying gratitude and the urgent need for weapons. Although yes, London is a very beautiful city, its a shame I dont have time for this.

The Washington Posts Marisa Bellack and Claire Parker in Washington contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. military transported search teams, rescue equipment and other items to Turkey on Tuesday to help crews find more survivors in the aftermath of the massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked the country and killed thousands of people.

The quake struck before dawn on Monday, severely shaking parts of southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria.

Many countries have begun sending aid. U.S. Transportation Command said Tuesday that it delivered two Urban Search and Rescue teams and 170,000 pounds of equipment that will help rescuers dig survivors out of the debris and provide medical care and other necessities. Also part of the shipment were a dozen rescue dogs, the command said.

Some of the items shipped to Turkey include concrete breakers, generators, medical supplies, tents, water, and water-purification systems, TRANSCOM said. The aid was sent in cooperation with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Our hearts go out to Turkey following the devastating earthquakes, said Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, TRANSCOM commander. USTRANSCOM is working closely with USAID to deliver aid to the country, with U.S. assistance already underway.

The rescue teams and equipment were sent aboard two Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes that left Dover Air Force Base, Del., and March Air Reserve Base, Calif., officials said. The main function of TRANSCOM, one of the militarys 11 unified commands, is to provide transportation via air, sea and land for the Pentagon for military and humanitarian purposes.

In our profession, nothing is more noble than delivering humanitarian aid to those in need, and we are proud to support our ally Turkey, Van Ovost said.

Since the quake struck, the United States has been coordinating aid to Turkey, a NATO member, and U.S.-supported humanitarian partners are responding to the destruction in war-torn Syria, which has endured a destructive civil war and terrorist activity for years.

Mondays quake is one of the most powerful ever to strike Turkey or Syria. A similar 7.8-magnitude quake hit Turkey in 1939 and is believed to have killed more than 30,000 people.

The Associated Press reported a number of other countries and the European Union have sent aid to Turkey, including Great Britain, South Korea, Russia, Israel, Greece, India, Jordan, Switzerland, Japan, Italy and France.
One of the former Memphis police officers charged in the murder of Tyre Nichols texted a photo of Nichols to multiple people after the unarmed, 29-year-old Black man was brutally beaten by police last month, according to new state documents released Tuesday.

Demetrius Haley is accused of taking two photos from his personal cellphone of an obviously injured Nichols as he was handcuffed and propped up against a police cruiser on Jan. 7, according to documents sent by the Memphis Police Department to the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

Haley admitted in a statement to authorities that he shared a photo with at least five people, including two Memphis officers and a female acquaintance. An administrative investigation later found that a photo of Nichols, who died three days later, was shared with a sixth person, records show.

On your personal cellphone, you took two photographs while standing in front of the obviously injured subject after he was handcuffed, the agency wrote as part of a 104-page report.

The commission noted that Haleys actions violated a Memphis police regulation concerning confidential information. Since Haley shared a photo of Nichols over text message, he violated a regulation that says officers cannot share information concerning official police matters without prior approval or subpoena, except to authorized people, according to the document. The Memphis Police Department also prohibits its officers from using their personal cellphones while performing police duties.

Your on-duty conduct was unjustly, blatantly unprofessional and unbecoming for a sworn public servant, the department wrote of Haley, according to state documents.

The document is part of the process to decertify Haley and four other now-fired officers, all of whom are Black. Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean are facing second-degree murder and other charges. A sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, who is White, was fired last week and prosecutors said they are considering charges. A seventh officer, who the department has not publicly named, was recently relieved from duty.

The process to decertify Haley and the other four officers charged so that they can no longer work as police officers in any state was signed off on by Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis last month. A hearing has yet to be scheduled for the decertification process.

Mike Stengel, an attorney for Haley, declined to comment to The Washington Post early Wednesday.

The news of the agencys report was first reported by the New York Times.

The release of the documents, which offer the most detailed account of each officers actions the night of the beating, came the same day that Nicholss parents attended the State of the Union address. President Biden acknowledged his guests, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, during his Tuesday night speech and urged lawmakers to hold police accountable when they blatantly violate public trust.

What happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often, Biden said. We have to do better. Give law enforcement the real training they need. Hold them to higher standards. Help them succeed in keeping us safe.

The president added, Lets commit ourselves to make the words of Tyres mom true: Something good must come from this.

At a Memphis City Council meeting on Tuesday, officials indicated that as many as 13 Memphis police officers could be disciplined for their role in Nicholss beating. Some of the seven additional officers who could be disciplined were not at the scene of the beating, the police chief said.

According to the state documents, Haley was driving an unmarked vehicle and wearing a hoodie over his head when the officer forced the driver out of his vehicle while using loud profanity. Haley then pepper-sprayed Nichols directly in his eyes, records show.

You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest, the report says.

The documents state that Haley  who had been previously reprimanded by the police department in 2021  did not have his body camera on at the time Nichols was stopped at the intersection of East Raines and Ross roads, and that the officer was on an active cellphone call where the person overheard the police encounter. After Nichols ran from police and was apprehended again, Haley kicked the 29-year-old in his torso while other officers were handcuffing him, according to records.

After the subject was placed in custody, [you] and other officers were captured on body camera making multiple unprofessional comments, laughing, and bragging about your involvement, the department wrote as part of its charges against Mills, according to state documents.

Memphis police said Mills later admitted that he did not provide immediate medical aid to Nichols and walked away and decontaminated yourself from chemical irritant spray. Authorities also accused Mills of failing to give RowVaughn Wells an accurate description of what happened to her son.

The report outlines the actions of the other officers. Video evidence does not corroborate the claims from Martin that Nichols tried to snatch his gun, according to the documents. Instead, Nichols appeared calm and polite on body-cam footage as Martin used profanity and threatened to knock out the man, records show.

A hearing officer found Smiths claim that Nichols was violent and would not comply to be false, and that the officer punched Nichols two or three times in the face because they had trouble handcuffing the 29-year-old. And Bean allegedly held Nichols by one arm while Nichols was pepper-sprayed and beaten with a baton.

Before Nicholss parents attended the State of the Union, Wells told the 19th, a nonprofit news outlet, that her sons death should push lawmakers toward more police reform.

They need to see, they need to see what happens to families when these tragic incidents happen, she said.
WASHINGTON  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday during a visit to the Pentagon that U.S. aid is doing a great deal to help defend Ukraine, but he stressed Western allies must provide all the weapons Ukrainians need to beat back Russian forces in a war thats closing in on its one-year anniversary.

Stoltenberg met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, and the two said they would evaluate the latest strategies in Ukraine and discuss how U.S. and NATO allies can best help the country.

NATO stands stronger and more united than ever, Austin said Wednesday during an introductory meeting with Stoltenberg, adding the alliance and the U.S. must build on momentum thats been achieved in Ukraine. Deterrence and defense remain job No. 1 for NATO.

Stoltenberg arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday for three days of meetings with top officials in President Joe Bidens administration. Austin welcomed him at the Pentagon just a few hours before they were scheduled to join Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the State Department for further discussions.

Next week, Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will travel to Belgium for a meeting of the NATO defense ministers, the Pentagon said. Stoltenberg will lead the meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We must continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to retake territory and prevail as a sovereign independent nation, Stoltenberg said at the Pentagon.

In his meeting with Austin, Stoltenberg said the billions in aid provided by the U.S. is making a difference on the battlefields of Ukraine every day and all Western allies must be prepared to stand with the country for as long as it takes.

If [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wins, it will be a tragedy for Ukraine and dangerous for us, he said. It will send a message that Russia can achieve its goals when it uses military force.

The NATO chief also thanked the U.S. earlier for unwavering leadership and bipartisan support that has united the alliance like never before.

Stoltenbergs U.S. visit follows Bidens approval of billions of dollars in weapons and equipment for Ukraine, such as a Patriot missile defense system and dozens of M1 Abrams battle tanks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others in Kyiv, however, have also requested fighter jets, such as the Air Forces F-16 Fighting Falcon  a weapon that Biden has said the U.S. is not considering as part of its military aid to the country. Biden and U.S. defense officials have previously taken the same stance on other weapons that they ultimately decided to send, such as the Abrams tanks.

Stoltenbergs visit to the Pentagon on Wednesday is his first since the summer and his second since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago. The one-year anniversary of Russias invasion is Feb. 24.

Since then, NATO allies have provided unprecedented support for Ukraine, about $120 billion in military, humanitarian and financial assistance, Stoltenberg said. Regrettably, we see no sign that Russia is preparing for peace.

U.S. leaders and Stoltenberg also discussed other security and humanitarian matters that have arisen in recent days  such as the Chinese balloon that floated above the United States and the earthquake that has left thousands of people dead in Turkey and Syria.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon transported 170,000 pounds of equipment and civilian rescue teams to Turkey, a NATO ally, to assist in searches for survivors.

Meanwhile, military and civilian teams are still searching a large debris field in the Atlantic Ocean from the Chinese balloon that was shot down last weekend by a U.S. fighter jet. U.S. officials have said they are certain that the balloon was spying, and rejected Beijings claims that it was a civilian research aircraft. Some experts have said the wreckage could yield a treasure trove of Chinese intelligence.

The Chinese balloon over the United States confirms a pattern of Chinese behavior where we see that China over the last few years has invested heavily in new military capabilities, including different types of surveillance and intelligence platforms, Stoltenberg said Wednesday. We need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence and step up what we do to protect ourselves.

It highlights that security is not regional, he said.

Security is global. What happens in Asia matters for Europe, and what happens in Europe matters for Asia and also, of course, for North America, Stoltenberg said, noting he visited Japan and South Korea last week to discuss such security issues.

The importance of U.S. allies and global strategic partnerships was a chord that Biden struck Tuesday night in his State of the Union address.

Allies are stepping up, spending more, and doing more, he said. Look at the bridges were forming between partners in the Pacific and those in the Atlantic.

Putins invasion has been a test for the ages  a test for America, a test for the world, Biden said. Together, we did what America always does at our best  we led. We united NATO, we built a global coalition, we stood against Putins aggression, we stood with the Ukrainian people.
Ryan Palin (37) was found guilty of a major trafficking conspiracy to supply 700kg of cocaine, 15kg of heroin and 40kg of amphetamines

A major British drug dealer who was jailed for 29 years after he was identified by a massive mural of Conor McGregor at his home near Liverpool has pleaded poverty as he cannot afford a lawyer.

Ryan Palin (37) was found guilty of a major trafficking conspiracy to supply 700kg of cocaine, 15kg of heroin and 40kg of amphetamines at Liverpool Crown Court in June last year after a trial.

A jury was convinced he was the user of the EncroChat handle 'Titch.com', which detectives had identified after the encrypted phone network was hacked by French and Dutch police.

Palin was identified as the man behind 'Titch.com' by the Conor McGregor mural, painted at his home address in Mereworth, Caldy, after detectives found pictures of it on his EncroChat device. Despite the seemingly overwhelming evidence, Palin still argued he was not the man behind the handle.

However, his argument fell on deaf ears and he was jailed for 29 years at the conclusion of his trial.

Now, the fallen kingpin has told a court he has no money to fund legal representation.

A hearing was held this week to check on the progress of proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) to seize any assets funded by his criminal lifestyle.

The McGregor mural found at his home

During his trial, the court had heard his home was raided on Thursday, December 9 2021, where officers found designer clothing worth 136,000 and watches worth 129,000. Pictures released by Merseyside Police showed Rolex watches, Balenciaga clothes and Chanel handbags which had been seized.

Palin appeared via video-link from prison on Tuesday when he told the court he was not legally represented. He told the Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary, KC, that he had not been aware of the hearing until prison officers took him from his cell.

"My family is in the process now of speaking to a new legal team, he is quoted as saying in the Liverpool Echo.

He said his previous lawyers stopped representing him after the trial and he had been unaware of the POCA case.

Asked by Judge Menary why he was no longer represented. He replied: "I have got no money to fund it myself."

Judge Menary agreed to set a new timetable and allow Palin to seek new lawyers with a further hearing set for June 26.

Read more EncroChat phone hack led to jailing of 400 UK criminals but no success in Ireland

Major drug dealer busted by mural depicting UFC star Conor McGregor

Examination of data from encrypted phones revealed that, using the handle Titch.com, Palin was involved in a conspiracy to supply the drugs between 1 July 2019 and 12 May 2020.

An image on the encrypted phone showed a distinctive mural of the Ultimate Fighting Champion star Connor McGregor.

This proved key to linking the encrypted phone to Palin, as officers were able to identify that the wall the mural was painted on was a wall at the home address of Palin.

Despite this damning evidence, Palin still thought he had a fighting chance of walking free and denied the charges put to him, but was found guilty by a jury.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Merseyside Police said Palins arrest formed part of an operation involving European law enforcement agencies working with the National Crime Agency (NCA), and supported across the UK by police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units.

Detective Sergeant Graeme Kehoe said at the time: We welcome the verdict and sentence and now that Ryan Palin is behind bars and can no longer peddle huge amounts of drugs and misery on the streets of Merseyside and beyond.

"Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Palin chose to go to trial. Fortunately the jury saw through his lies and Palin can now consider the consequences of his actions while he serves a significant time in jail.

"Palins substantial sentence should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in this criminality that there are serious consequences. We simply wont let people live off the profits of criminality while our law-abiding communities work hard to make an honest living - we will find you and bring you to justice.

"Merseyside Police, along with law enforcement agencies across the world, will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of those people who think they are above the law, and we will continue to target anyone involved in serious organised crime to keep this positive momentum going.

"We rely on our local communities to be our eyes and ears as part of these investigations and I would continue to urge people to come forward if they have information which could assist us."
Gardai attending the scene found Barry Doogan (42) hiding behind a taxi

A man who kicked off in a shop and threw a packet of nuts at a customer has been jailed for three months.

Gardai attending the scene found Barry Doogan (42) hiding behind a taxi, Blanchardstown District Court heard.

Judge David McHugh sentenced Doogan to three months in prison.

Doogan, of Horan Hall, Belgard Square, Tallaght admitted public intoxication and threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour, as well as a separate charge of theft.

The court heard gardai were called to Londis, Bawnogue, Clondalkin on August 6, 2021.

It was reported the accused was kicking off and being aggressive. When gardai arrived, security pointed out Doogan who was hiding behind a taxi.

Blanchardstown District Court

He had come into the shop, left, returned and refused to leave, shouting at staff.

Doogan smelled strongly of alcohol and threw a packet of nuts at a customer, the court heard. He was unsteady on his feet and subsequently arrested.

In an earlier incident on May 29, 2021, Doogan went to Lidl, Fonthill Retail Park and took 74 worth of meat. When confronted by staff he fled the shop.

Gardai caught him on Fonthill Road and brought him to Ronanstown garda station.

The accused had 130 previous convictions for charges including theft and public order offences.

Doogan was already in prison serving a four-year sentence when he appeared in court.
Armstrong put the knife to the womans neck and pulled her into the living room before she handed over her bag containing her passport, 150 and other cards.

"It turns out that he is eight years older than me, whereas he told me he was only one year older." Stock image

A man armed himself with a knife when he burgled the house of a woman he had recently met on Tinder, a court has heard.

Graham Armstrong (38) and the woman, who owned the Dublin home, matched on Tinder and after Armstrong initiated contact, they agreed to meet in her home.

She later told gardai that he stayed for about an hour and she found him to be nice and normal.

Armstrong told her he would like to see her again and later made contact through her friend, claiming that he believed he had left his bank card in her home.

The woman told her friend that she was fairly confident he had not left the card behind but she checked anyway and messaged later to confirm there was no card there.

The following day she returned home having been out at the shops for ten minutes. She noticed a draught in the house and checked to see she had not left the front door open.

Garda Joanne Browne said the woman then noticed a shadow before she was pushed. She could see the intruder was Armstrong before he grabbed her by the arm and held a knife above her, threatening to kill her if she didnt give him money.

Armstrong put the knife to the womans neck and pulled her into the living room before she handed over her bag containing her passport, 150 and other cards. He had already taken her mobile phone.

She contacted the friend who had been in contact with Armstrong and on her advice she called the gardai. That friend later got a message from Armstrong saying that he would give the woman back her stuff for 3,000.

The friend advised Armstrong not to message her again and told him the gardai had been contacted.

The court heard that the previous August, Armstrong had mugged a 75-year-old woman just outside her home after the woman was returning from a visit to a friend.

The woman later told gardai she heard footsteps running up behind her before a man shouted stay there, stay there, stay there. He then grabbed for her handbag.

She was determined to hold onto it but let go when she feared she would be hurt. Armstrong then ran away.

Armstrong of Moyola Court, Lower Churchtown, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery of the woman on August 3, 2020 and burglary of the womans home on November 27, 2021.

He has 68 previous convictions, 20 of which were dealt with in the Circuit Court for theft, burglary, assault, possession of weapons, road traffic offences, public order and criminal damage offences.

Gda Browne told Diana Stuart BL prosecuting, that Armstrong was easily tracked down for the burglary as he had used his own phone number in his communication with the victims friend.

He also messaged five days after the burglary to inform the woman that he had left her property in McDonalds on Grafton Street, in Dublin. Gardai followed this up and the womans cards and passport were recovered but her mobile phone and the cash were not.

In relation to the earlier robbery Armstrong was spotted crouched down in a nearby wooded area, minutes after the attack. Gardai gave chase and he was caught. He still had the womans bag with him, which was returned to her.

Fiona Murphy SC, defending, said her client was ashamed of his behaviour in relation to the burglary and offers his apologies to the woman. He had a cocaine addiction that he is trying to get over, counsel said.

She said his mother died in 2016 and he is still not over that as he was very close to her. He has been with his partner since they were 15 years old and they have three children together including a young baby.

She stands by him as he is a good supportive partner who provides for his family, Ms Murphy said. She said he has not got to spend much time with his new baby due to his remand in custody.

Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Armstrong to two years for the robbery and a consecutive three-year term for the burglary, after commenting that he thought a headline sentence of eight years would be appropriate.

He accepted that there had been no gratuitous violence used on the 75-year-old woman. He wanted the bag and there was a struggle which led to her being on the ground. He acknowledged that it would have been a very frightening experience for the victim.

Judge Nolan described the burglary as more insidious noting that he had returned to the womans home, confronted her with a knife and made certain threats.

He said it was a very serious crime to enter somebodys house in this way and to behave in this way when confronted. He noted that the crimes were easily detected as there was no great planning to them.
The court heard Michael Lynott (52) had 23 previous convictions and it was all related to drink and drugs

Michael Lynott was being moved to another hostel that he didnt like

A hostel resident brandished a knife during a standoff after he was told he was being moved to what he thought was a dodgier place, a court heard.

Gardai had to get armed support to deal with Michael Lynott (52) as he lost the plot during the incident.

Judge Bryan Smyth fined him 250 when he appeared in Dublin District Court.

Lynott pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon at Ardfert House, Nelson Street, Dublin 7.

A garda sergeant told the court officers received a report from management that there was an incident at the hostel on June 7 last year.

The accused was no longer resident there and was moving; he had a wardrobe against the door and a knife in his hand, the sergeant said.

Gardai sought armed support and a short time later, Lynott handed over the knife and was arrested.

He was no longer a resident at the hostel.

It sounds as if he didnt want to go, he wanted to hold onto his place and there was a bit of standoff, Judge Smyth said.

The defence said Lynott had not threatened anyone with the weapon and it was more a threat to hurt himself.

Lynott had 23 previous convictions and it was all related to drink and drugs, which he struggled with.

At the time of the incident he was staying at the hostel and things were going OK for him, she said.

There was an altercation with another resident, Lynott was being moved to one of the dodgier hostels and he became very, very upset, the court heard.

He just sort of lost the plot, he never threatened anyone, he was mostly threatening himself, the defence said. This is sad, more than anything else.

The accused had not been in custody for a number of years.

He was now back living with the Simon Community and was in receipt of social welfare.

The judge gave Lynott five months to pay the fine.
He pleaded early, hes still young and he has no record of conviction, added the judge.

A teenager has been given a fully-suspended sentence for his role in a two-hour attack during which a woman was tied up, assaulted and scalded with boiling water.

Josh Conlon (19) with an address at Meath Place, Thomas Street, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm of Ms Lyndsey Byrne at The Maltings, Watling Street, Dublin 8 in November 2021.

At a hearing in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Martin Nolan said it would be unjust to imprison Conlon as he was not the prime mover of this assault.

The judge sentenced Conlon to three years but suspended it in full, ordering him to be of good behaviour and abide by the supervision of the Probation Services for a year.

Judge Nolan said that although Conlon did help in the assault, he probably didnt expect that his co-accused Paul Clarke would scald using boiling water.

The prime mover of this assault was Clarke. Conlon had a much lesser role. He pleaded early, hes still young and he has no record of conviction, added the judge.

Yesterday, Judge Nolan sentenced Paul Clarke to four years and three months for attacking Ms Byrne and her partner Emmet Black at their apartment over the course of two days.

The court heard that a number of men called to Ms Byrne and Mr Blacks apartment and assaulted the couple. Ms Byrne was tied up, hit over the hands, arms and chest with a stick and repeatedly scalded with boiling water.

Craig Kelly, of Dowland Road, Walkinstown, Dublin, Josh Conlon, of Meath Place, Thomas St, Dublin 8, Photo Collins Courts

Ms Byrne told gardai she was tortured by Clarke (29) and thought she was going to die from the pain she endured, after he poured a kettle and several cups of freshly boiled water over her during the two attacks.

Clarke, described in court as the main man, was accompanied by Conlon on the first day of the assault and by Craig Kelly (38) on the second day, the court heard.

Clarke, with an address at Clonard Road, Crumlin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to Lyndsey Byrne. A second count of assault causing harm to Mr Black was taken into consideration.

Kelly, with an address at Dowland Road, Walkinstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of simple assault.

Garda Kerrie Sullivan told Garret Baker SC, prosecuting, that Clarke phoned Mr Black on the day in question, looking for a box of cannabis that Mr Black was supposed to be holding for him. He then called to the couple's apartment accompanied by Conlon looking for the drugs and became angry when he learned Mr Black did not have them.

The men ordered Mr Black to come up with a sum of 7,000 to pay for the missing drugs, and Mr Black left the apartment to try and get money from the Credit Union.

Clarke then ordered Ms Byrne to put her hands out on the table, before he repeatedly struck her with a stick  believed to be a mop or broom handle  which she described as agony.

The court heard Clarke then told Conlon to boil a kettle of water and to add sugar to the kettle. The sugar could not be found, but the kettle was boiled and the water was poured into a number of cups, which Clarke then poured over Ms Byrne's hands and arms. Ms Byrne described the pain as excruciating but said she just had to bear it.

During the assault, Ms Byrne said Clarke repeatedly asked her where the drugs were but she did not know. Ms Byrne's wrists were then bound with a phone charger and a scarf was tied around her mouth. Clarke sat her down in the chair and began hitting her with the stick. He tried to pour boiling water in her face at one point, but missed when she managed to turn her head aside.

Sometime later, Clarke phoned Mr Black and flew into a rage upon hearing he had not been able to get any money. He ordered Mr Black to return to the apartment and Ms Byrne was taken into the bathroom and forced into the bath.

The court heard Mr Black was attacked upon his return to the apartment and Ms Byrne was ordered to clean up the blood and tend to his head wound. The two men then left the apartment, with Clarke saying he would return the next day.

Around lunchtime on November 12, Clarke came back to the apartment accompanied by Kelly. Another row ensued about the missing drugs, before Kelly hit Ms Byrne over the chest twice with a stick and Clarke poured a kettle of boiling water over her, hitting her shoulder and arms.

The court heard Ms Byrne was in absolute agony and her skin was blistering. She said Clarke then told her: You think that's bad, wait until I skin you alive.

The men left shortly afterwards and Ms Byrne, who had called 999 before they arrived, ran out of the apartment and was met by two gardai. She was taken to hospital and treated for second degree burns and a suspected collapsed lung.

In her victim impact statement, which was not read out in court, Ms Byrne said it was the most traumatic and frightening thing to have ever happened to her, and that it changed her life forever. She genuinely thought she was going to die from the pain, Mr Baker said. Ms Byrne was in court for the sentence hearing.

The court heard Mr Black declined to cooperate with gardai, except for allowing them access to his medical records.

The court heard the three men were identified from CCTV in the apartment building and arrested.

Clarke has been in custody ever since. He has 79 previous convictions including several for assaulting a peace officer, violent behaviour in a garda station, public order offences and assault causing harm.

Paul Carroll SC, defending Clarke, said he was not going to gainsay the horrific nature of the attack on Ms Byrne. He said his client is doing well in custody and had a letter of apology to hand into court.

He said Clarke had a history of drug addiction which led to him getting involved in drugs to a certain level.

Judge Nolan said Clarkes behaviour against Ms Byrne was incredibly serious.

He handed down a sentence of four years and three months and backdated it to November 2021 when Clarke went into custody.

Kelly has 109 previous offences, mostly road traffic offences, but also for drug offences and robbery. Keith Spencer BL, defending, said his client had spent about four and a half months in custody on this matter. The maximum sentence for simple assault is six months.

Judge Nolan handed Kelly a five-month sentence for his role in the incident and took into account the time he has already spent in custody, noting Kelly would not spend much longer in custody as a result.

Defence counsel for Conlon told the court he was the youngest defendant by 10 years and had just turned 18 on the day in question. He has no previous convictions.

He said Conlon broke ranks with his co-accused and pleaded guilty at an early opportunity, compared to the other two who entered guilty pleas on the first day of his trial. He expressed remorse, the court heard.
The victim described the pain as excruciating but said she just had to bear it.

Craig Kelly, of Dowland Road, Walkinstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of simple assault. Photo: Collins Courts

A man who repeatedly threw boiling water over a woman, tied her up and assaulted her in a row over drugs has been jailed for four years and three months.

A number of men called to the apartment Lyndsey Byrne shared with her partner Emmet Black over the course of two days in November 2021, where the pair were assaulted and Ms Byrne was tied up, hit over the hands, arms and chest with a stick and repeatedly scalded with boiling water, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard today.

Ms Byrne told gardai she was tortured by Paul Clarke (29) and thought she was going to die from the pain she endured after he poured a kettle and several cups of freshly boiled water over her during the two attacks.

Clarke, described in court as the main man, was accompanied by Josh Conlon (19) on the first day of the assault, and by Craig Kelly (38) on the second day, the court heard.

Clarke, with an address at Clonard Road, Crumlin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to Lyndsey Byrne at the apartment she lived in with her partner Emmet Black at The Maltings, Watling Street, Dublin 8.

A second count of assault causing harm to Mr Black was taken into consideration.

Conlon, of Meath Place, Thomas St, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and Kelly, of Dowland Road, Walkinstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of simple assault.

Garda Kerrie Sullivan told Garret Baker SC, prosecuting, that Clarke phoned Mr Black on the day in question, looking for a box of cannabis that Mr Black was supposed to be holding for him.

He then called to the couple's apartment accompanied by Conlon looking for the drugs and became angry when he learned Mr Black did not have them.

The men ordered Mr Black to come up with a sum of 7,000 to pay for the missing drugs, and Mr Black left the apartment to try and get money from the Credit Union.

Clarke then ordered Ms Byrne to put her hands out on the table, before he repeatedly struck her with a stick  believed to be a mop or broom handle  which she described as agony.

Josh Conlon, of Meath Place, Thomas St, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. Photo: Collins Courts   Collins Dublin

The court heard Clarke then told Conlon to boil a kettle of water and to add sugar to the kettle.

The sugar could not be found, but the kettle was boiled and the water was poured into a number of cups, which Clarke then poured over Ms Byrne's hands and arms.

Ms Byrne described the pain as excruciating but said she just had to bear it.

During the assault, Ms Byrne said Clarke repeatedly asked her where the drugs were but she did not know.

Ms Byrne's wrists were then bound with a phone charger and a scarf was tied around her mouth.

Clarke sat her down in the chair and hit her with the stick.

He tried to pour boiling water in her face at one point, but missed when she managed to turn her head aside.

Some time later Clarke phoned Mr Black and flew into a rage upon hearing he had not been able to get any money.

He ordered Mr Black to return to the apartment and Ms Byrne was taken into the bathroom and forced into the bath.

The court heard Mr Black was attacked upon his return to the apartment and Ms Byrne was ordered to clean up the blood and tend to his head wound.

The two men then left the apartment, with Clarke saying he would return the next day.

Around lunchtime on November 12, Clarke came back to the apartment accompanied by Kelly.

Craig Kelly   Collins Dublin

Another row ensued about the missing drugs, before Kelly hit Ms Byrne over the chest twice with a stick and Clarke poured a kettle of boiling water over her, hitting her shoulder and arms.

The court heard Ms Byrne was in absolute agony and her skin was blistering.

She said Clarke then told her: You think that's bad, wait until I skin you alive.

The men left shortly afterwards and Ms Byrne, who had called 999 before they arrived, ran out of the apartment and was met by two gardai.

She was taken to hospital and treated for second degree burns and a suspected collapsed lung.

In her victim impact statement, which was not read out in court, Ms Byrne said it was the most traumatic and frightening thing to have ever happened to her and it changed her life forever.

She genuinely thought she was going to die from the pain, Mr Baker said.

Ms Byrne was in court for the sentence hearing.

The court heard Mr Black declined to cooperate with gardai, except for allowing them access to his medical records.

The court heard the three men were identified from CCTV in the apartment building and arrested.

Clarke has been in custody ever since.

He has 79 previous convictions including several for assaulting a peace officer, violent behaviour in a garda station, public order offences and assault causing harm.

Paul Carroll SC, defending Clarke, said he was not going to gainsay the horrific nature of the attack on Ms Byrne.

He said his client is doing well in custody and had a letter of apology to hand into court.

He said Clarke had a history of drug addiction which led to him getting involved in drugs to a certain level.

Sentencing Clarke today, Judge Martin Nolan said his behaviour against Ms Byrne was incredibly serious.

He noted the maximum sentence for assault causing harm is five years and that Clarke was eligible for some mitigation due to his guilty plea.

He handed down a sentence of four years and three months and backdated it to November 2021 when Clarke went into custody.

Kelly has 109 previous offences, mostly road traffic offences, but also for drug offences and robbery. Keith Spencer BL, defending, said his client had spent about four and a half months in custody on this matter.

The maximum sentence for simple assault is six months.

Judge Nolan handed Kelly a five- month sentence for his role in the incident and took into account the time he has already spent in custody, noting Kelly would not spend much longer in custody as a result.

Defence counsel for Conlon told the court he was the youngest defendant by 10 years and had just turned 18 on the day in question.

He has no previous convictions.

He said Conlon broke ranks with his co-accused and pleaded guilty at an early opportunity, compared to the other two who entered guilty pleas on the first day of his trial.

He expressed remorse, the court heard.

Judge Nolan said he would consider Conlon's case overnight and sentence him tomorrow.
Kearney (62) strangled wife Siobhan (38) to death with a wire flex 17 years ago after she told him the marriage was over

Siobhan Kearney's sisters Aisling, Caroline, Brighid and Niamh at a vigil for her in 2006. Photo: Collins

Siobhan Kearney was murdered by her husband Brian Kearney in 2006

Evil wife killer Brian Kearney won't be freed from jail for several years, we can reveal.

He is engaging with the Parole Board after serving over 14 years of a life sentence but has not applied or been put on an early release programme, prison sources have confirmed.

Kearney (62) strangled his beautiful wife Siobhan (38) to death with a wire flex 17 years ago after she told him the marriage was over and she wanted a divorce.

He never admitted or apologised for her death after he was found guilty in 2008.

Earlier this week her family expressed outrage that he was seeking early parole.

They felt it was scandalous that they were suffering a life sentence over Siobhan's murder yet he would not serve life, just a mere sentence.

Siobhan Kearney was murdered by her husband Brian Kearney in 2006

Aisling McLaughlin said; " The death Siobhan got was beyond horror. We feel we got a life sentence. We miss her every day.

" This is the brutality of a murderer who is actively offered parole meetings and reviews yet he has never taken responsibility or showed any remorse for what he's done."

Keaney is serving his time in Wheatfield Prison and has been busy studying law and learning Spanish behind bars.

A prison source said; " The McLaughlin family has nothing to worry about, he will be kept in prison for many more years.

" The whole process of parole and early release takes several years and he has not even applied to be placed on an early release programme at this stage because he knows he will be refused.

" Under the rules of the new Independent Parole Board which was set up last year the victim's family will also have their say and be allowed to make a submission on whether he can get out or not.

" Their feelings on the issue would also be taken into account by those making the decision."

Siobhan Kearney's sisters Aisling, Caroline, Brighid and Niamh at a vigil for her in 2006. Photo: Collins

Several notorious Irish prisoners who have served over 20 years in custody and are due for release have been put on hold because of delays setting up the new Independent Parole Board.

Over 100 prisoners are waiting for decisions but the Parole Board is at the moment only dealing with a dozen cases a month.

These inmates include Veronica Guerin's killer Brian Meehan who is currently in Shelton Abbey open prison and sex killer Micheal Murphy (60) who abducted, raped and murdered German tourist Bettina Poeschel (28).

Meehan has not even been let out on a temporary day release which is normally the first step to freedom.

The average sentence for life imprisonment in Ireland at the moment is 20 years.
But for the actions of his brother, this defendant wouldnt be here.

A former soldier who agreed to hold drugs in order to alleviate his brothers drug debt has been given a four-year suspended sentence.

George Radford (33) of Drumcairn Avenue, Tallaght, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing the drugs for sale or supply at his home on October 2, 2021. He has no previous convictions.

Describing it as an exceptional case, Judge Martin Nolan said: But for the actions of his brother, this defendant wouldnt be here.

He added: In a lot of cases, people hold drugs to deal with problems they have created for themselves. In this case, the problems were created by his brother. That lessens this defendants culpability.

Judge Nolan said Radfords mitigation could not be much better and that he was very unlikely to come before the courts again.

The judge added that it was a sad case and that Radford had resigned from his good position in the army when this matter came to light.

Garda Vincent Jaffray told Conor McKenna BL, prosecuting, that gardai secured a warrant to search Radfords house. Radford was not there at the time but he returned after he was alerted that the gardai were there.

During the search, gardai discovered a particular key in Radfords car that was later found to open a safe that officers had found in a shed on the property.

Gda Jaffray said just under two kilogrammes of cocaine, valued at 137,690, was found in that safe. Radford told gardai he had brought the drugs in and nobody else knew about it.

He was interviewed and again admitted that he had been holding the cocaine after his younger brother got into debt over drugs.

He told gardai if he had known how much the drugs were worth, he would never have got involved.

Gda Jaffray agreed with Giollaiosa O Lideadha SC defending that Radfords brother was a drug addict.

He accepted that Radfords mother died in 2016 and his step-father left the family home soon after which left Radford caring for his younger brother.

Gda Jaffray further accepted that his client had been working hard to try and get his brother off drugs; He didnt succeed but that is what he was trying to do, Mr O Lideadha suggested.

Mr O Lideadha said threats were brought to the door and Radford handed over cash, money that he had saved for his wedding. He also discharged himself from the army after he was charged with the offence, bringing his 15-year career to an end.

Counsel asked Judge Nolan to accept that there was truly exceptional circumstances in this case.

Judge Nolan ordered Radford to be of good behaviour for the duration of his suspended sentence.
Patrick Doyle had been on a list to have his gallbladder removed when he collapsed six years ago

Lillie Collins (peach jacket) sister of Patrick Doyle who sued the HSE on behalf of her brother Patrick Doyle following his death. Pictured with the extended Doyle family outside the Four Courts Photo: Collins Courts   Collins Courts

The family of a 47-year-old man who collapsed and later died while on a hospital waiting list for surgery has settled a High Court action over his care.

Farmer Patrick Doyle had been on a waiting list for several months to have his gallbladder removed when he collapsed six years ago.

On Tuesday, St Lukes General Hospital, Kilkenny, gave an unreserved apology to the Doyle family for its failings in respect of the care of the late Patrick Doyle.

The apology from the general manager Anne Slattery added: We deeply regret these failings and acknowledge the sadness, distress and loss these failings have caused you and your family.

The hospital also offered sincere condolences to the Doyle family.

Mr Doyle from Killeshin, Co Carlow, who had a history of gallstones was, in September 2016, given a primary diagnosis of gallstone pancreatitis and had his case marked as urgent.

He was booked in November 2016 for gallbladder removal and a laparoscopy, but while still on the waiting list in March 2017, he collapsed and was readmitted to St Lukes with severe upper abdominal pain.

The Doyle family counsel Oonah McCrann SC, instructed by Marian Fogarty of Cantillons Solicitors, said Mr Doyle was a much-loved brother and uncle.

Counsel said his condition in the Kilkenny hospital deteriorated and he was transferred to a Dublin hospital. He spent all 90 days in ICU, but died on June 20, 2017.

Liability was admitted in the case, and the settlement, the terms of which are confidential was reached after mediation.

In a statement outside court Mr Doyles sister Lillie Collins, who had brought the case against the HSE on behalf of the family, said it was the familys hope that lessons will be learnt by the hospital regarding delays in treatment of gallstone pancreatitis in patients particularly given the fatal consequences that can occur.

She added: We hope our story will spread awareness on this issue as we do not wish another family to go through the harrowing ordeal that we have suffered following the needless loss of our much loved brother. 

She said her family had been reassured by the Kilkenny hospital that Mr Doyles condition was not serious.

She said at a later stage noticing his further deterioration they requested he be transferred to a Dublin hospital.

The case was brought by Ms Collins of Dalystown, Loughrea, Co Galway, against the HSE over the care her brother received at St Lukes.

It was claimed that after he was transferred to a Dublin hospital ICU he was noted to have necrotising pancreatitis, septic shock and an acute kidney injury.

He remained in that hospital ICU and was ventilated, intubated and sedated.

On April 22, 2017, Mr Doyles haemoglobin was noted to be grossly abnormal and he died two months later on June 20, 2017.

In the proceedings it was claimed there was a failure to follow guidelines for the management of gallstone pancreatitis during his Kilkenny hospital admission in September 2016.

It was also claimed there was a failure to carry out the gallbladder removal in September 2016.

There was also an alleged failure to ensure an urgent booking was made in November 2016 for the operation and an alleged failure to ensure it took place within a month of that date.
Ex-TUV councillor claimed to have been fined for allowing Britain First member Jayda Fransen to sit on Belfasts mayoral chair

A public services watchdog has heard allegations that former councillor Jolene Bunting doctored a wage slip and wrongly claimed to have been fined for allowing Britain First member Jayda Fransen to sit on the mayoral chair in Belfast City Hall.

Bunting was later given money through two online payments made by Britain First leader Paul Golding for the alleged council fine, before an internal investigation by the far right party caused them to suspect they had been misled.

In January 2018, Fransen  at the time the deputy leader of the controversial political party  posted a video of herself sitting in the Lord Mayors chair in the council chamber of Belfast City Hall wearing official robes.

Fransen, who had just appeared in court on incitement charges that morning, was heard saying she intended to fight the case and clear her name for a speech in which I mentioned the I word, Islam.

Her access to the chamber had been facilitated by Bunting, who was an independent councillor for the Court ward, having originally been elected on a TUV ticket.

Belfast City Council said at the time that the protocols for filming in the chamber were not followed and it was not made aware of the plans. It said it was looking into the circumstances.

A complaint was made to the Local Government Commissioner for Standards. That, and a number of other complaints to the NI Public Services Ombudsman (Nipso) about Buntings conduct, are yet to be heard.

But a separate complaint was also made by Golding, who claimed she had used her position as a councillor to defraud Britain First, and is now being heard.

At an adjudication hearing in Belfast on Tuesday attended by Golding, a Nipso panel heard that in July 2018, Bunting rang the far right leader in a flustered state.

Giving evidence, Golding, dressed in a navy suit, said that in a phone call Bunting had told him she had been fined a 500 penalty by Belfast City Council for allowing Fransen to sit in the mayors chair. Jolene Bunting was very flustered and stressed, he told the panel. He added that he told her that if Jayda Fransens stunt was responsible that the party would pay the penalty.

We will cover it, that was obviously our stunt, he said.

Paul Golding

However, he said he would need to see some sort of proof before he could release the funds.

He later received an email from Bunting that included a scan of her council payslip.

It showed other deductions of 545.35. Following this Golding authorised two payments, one of 50 and a further payment of 60.

Golding added that he had only recently been released from prison and that Britain First was in a bad state financially, hence the part payments.

He said Bunting was chasing me for payment.

The hearing was told about messages sent from Bunting, one of which asked: Were you able to put something in Paul?

Jolene Bunting

Another read: You wont forget about me today and was accompanied by a smiley face emoji.

At that stage I was on good terms with Jolene, he added.

This all occurred at a time when Fransen was in prison serving a sentence for incitement.

However, later in July 2018 there were allegations that another party member was using Fransens credit card while she was in jail.

Golding claimed Bunting was aware of this and didnt report it.

Bunting, he said, was not a member of Britain First so couldnt be expelled. Instead they proscribed her, banning other members from associating with her, and stopped the payments.

Golding claimed that shortly after this, an unnamed DUP councillor cast doubt on the fine story and when they checked the pay slip they discovered it had been doctored.

A copy of the same pay slip presented to the hearing showed that the extra deductions were in fact for mobile phone usage.

The hearing was also told that pay slips provided to investigators from the Public Standards Ombudsman showed that Britain First had just 1,379.56 in its bank account at the time the payments to Bunting were made.

Jolene Bunting (left) and Jayda Fransen

Senior commissioner Ian Gordon concluded the hearing, which will deliver its findings on Wednesday.

Bunting was not present to hear the complaint against her and had chosen not to be legally represented.

However, in statements given previously, she claimed the money was wages for allowing her home address to be used as PO Box for Britain First.

Golding denied this, saying the party used PO boxes in Belfast and England and would never use a home address for official correspondence.

Never far from controversy Jolene Bunting was elected to Belfast City Council in 2014 as a member of the TUV.

She resigned from the party in 2017 after it failed to select her to run in the Assembly elections.

She served the rest of her tenure as an independent and lost her seat in May 2019 with just 351 first preference votes.
One of his co-defendants was convicted Garda killer Aaron Brady, now awaiting a separate trial

Aaron Brady is serving a life sentence for the murder of Garda Adrian Donohue in Co Louth in 2013

A Dublin criminal has been jailed for a year for possessing two contraband mobile phones hidden in his Mountjoy Prison cell while serving a lengthy term for drugs and firearms offences.

Following an investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Glen Holland, 40, of Rory O'Connor House, Hardwicke Street, Dublin 1, was charged with unlawfully possessing a mobile phone in Mountjoy prison from Aug 7  28, 2020.

One of his co-defendants was convicted Garda killer Aaron Brady, now awaiting a separate trial.

Holland's case resumed at Dublin District Court level today.

Earlier, he denied the charge and was due to face a trial with 20 prosecution witnesses. However, he changed his plea ahead of the hearing date.

In evidence, Detective Garda Paul O'Hara told the court that Holland's cell was searched twice in August 2020.

At the time, he was serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for drugs and firearms offences, including possession of two 9 mm handguns.

The detective said that on August 7, a prison officer entered his cell on D-wing and saw a Samsung Galaxy phone on the floor.

It was confiscated and the Prison Service moved Holland to another cell which gardai searched on August 27.

They found a Huawei mobile phone hidden in a sock in a bowl, stashed in insulation behind the sink unit in that cell.

Holland's DNA was on both phones.

The detective agreed with prosecution counsel David Perry that gardai analysed them and found a message to Holland's partner on the second phone. He was asking her to get his "WhatsApp call history remotely wiped".

He was interviewed, but nothing of evidential value was gleaned.

Man accused of having phone used in bid to pervert course of justice in Aaron Brady murder case

The court heard he had 25 previous criminal convictions, including four offences for possessing a mobile phone in prison during his last jail sentence.

His older offences included public order burglary and driving offences.

Judge John Hughes heard Holland was released from prison in August 2020.

Pleading for leniency, defence solicitor John Quinn said the phones were seized during the covid pandemic when Holland he had wanted to keep in touch with his son.

He said it was "a difficult time" and there were just family pictures on the phones, the court heard.

Aaron Brady is serving a life sentence for the murder of Garda Adrian Donohue in Co Louth in 2013

Holland was anxious to support his son and has not come to further guard attention, the court heard.

The solicitor said Holland did not want to return to custody, and he invited the judge to consider community service or a suspended sentence.

However, Judge Hughes imposed two consecutive six-month sentences.

Sentencing, he remarked that there was a good reason why possessing mobile phones in prisons are the subject of legislation. He fixed recognisance in his bond of 500 in the event of an appeal.

The Director of Public Prosecutions directed that his case should be dealt with at the district court level, but two co-defendants were sent for trial to the Special Criminal Court.

While awaiting sentence, Mr Holland has been warned he cannot have contact with them "including by any electronic means".

The co-defendants were Aaron Brady, 31, of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, and Dean Byrne, 29, from Cabra Park, Phibsborough, Dublin. Last year, both were returned for trial to the Special Criminal Court.

They were accused of plotting to pervert the course of justice in connection with Brady's 2020 trial, which led to him being handed a life sentence for the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe during a robbery at Lordship Credit Union in Co. Louth in 2013.
A garda investigation into the incident had concluded there was no foul play that caused her death

A woman who suffered fatal burn injuries from a fire at her home four years ago told gardai and family members before she died that she had been set alight by her former partner, an inquest has heard.

However, a sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court into the death of Martina Kiely (44) arising out of a fire at her Limerick home in the early hours of August 2, 2019, heard a garda investigation into the incident had concluded there was no foul play that caused her death.

The mother of one from Shanabooley Road, Ballynanty, Limerick, died at St Jamess Hospital in Dublin on December 31, 2020  almost 17 months after suffering severe burn injuries in the fire in an upstairs bedroom of her home.

Detective Garda Sean OHagan told the inquest yesterday that he was informed by Ms Kiely, when he visited her in St Jamess Hospital, that her former partner, Kenneth Hynes, had sprayed a liquid on her before setting her on fire.

Det Garda OHagan said Ms Kiely was very confused about events when he saw her on February 22, 2020, and he decided she was not in a fit condition to make a statement. He explained he was subsequently unable to try and take a statement from her on another date before her death because restrictions had been imposed on hospital visits following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Det Gda OHagan told the coroner, Aisling Gannon, that scene-of-crime officers who had inspected Ms Kielys house later on the day of the fire had found nothing suspicious to report following a technical examination of the property.

The inquest heard a report by forensic scientist, Lorna Corr, of Forensic Science Ireland, who examined debris from the fire, including the victims clothing, had found no evidence of any accelerant at the scene.

Det Gda OHagan said no cause of the fire had been determined, but an electrical fault had been ruled out. 

Det Gda OHagan said the house was undisturbed while there was evidence of alcohol consumption in the property.

There was no evidence to suggest any criminal aspect or malicious cause or third-party involvement, he added.

In reply to a question from the coroner, Det Garda OHagan said he believed he had conducted a thorough and methodical investigation into the fire at Ms Kielys home. All the evidence points to it being an unfortunate, tragic accident, he observed.

While the witness said he was no fire expert, he said it appeared the fire broke out in either clothing or a blanket that was wrapped around the victim who was found sitting on the floor with her back against the wall of her bedroom.

Det Gda OHagan said any cigarette that might have caused the incident would have been destroyed by the fire.

Addressing the coroner, the victims brother, Anthony Kiely, said his late sister had also made the same claim about being set on fire by Mr Hynes to her family on her deathbed.

Mr Kiely said she had told them Mr Hynes had set fire to her clothes and punched her.

He claimed his sister had been in an abusive relationship with Mr Hynes for 12 of the 18 years that they were together.

However, Mr Kiely said he was not her partner but a drinking buddy.

Kenneth Hynes set fire to my sister as far as we are concerned, he remarked.

Following the dramatic evidence, the coroner adjourned the hearing at the request of the victims family in order to address their concerns and to issue a summons to Mr Hynes to attend the inquest to give evidence about his statement to gardai which was read out in court.

The coroner said Mr Hynes would be expected to come to the next sitting of the inquest to give evidence and there would be repercussions if he did not attend.

The coroner adjourned the hearing until March 13.
Ex-terrorist broke law in fighting against Putin in Ukraine, according to claims

Ulsters pipe-bomb pastor Clifford Peeples may be heading back to jail sooner than he thought, the Sunday World can reveal.

A former loyalist paramilitary boss who spent five years in the Maze Prison, Peeples was pictured last week in Ukraine wearing military fatigues and brandishing a machine-gun.

The Shankill Road man was on a four-week stint to the war-torn country, where he helped the Ukraine army face down President Putins men.

And he was also snapped distributing much-needed aid to war-weary and starving families in the former Soviet satellite state.

But we have been told the PSNI is currently probing a 150-year-old law to see if the once-suspected Orange Volunteers leader has broken it.

Read more Guitar maker to the stars to stand trial over upskirting and indecent child video charges

According to legal experts, Section 4 of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 makes it an offence for a UK citizen to enlist in the military of a foreign state at war with another foreign state with which the UK is at peace.

And when we contacted the PSNI, a spokesperson said the police were aware of Peeples trip to Ukraine and that inquiries were continuing.

But when we tracked down Pastor Peeples in Belfast this week, he told us any police officer who approached him would be sent away with a flea in his ear.

A recently qualified Master in Law at Queens University, Pastor Peeples said he was actually looking forward to debating the finer points of military law with what he called one of Simon Byrnes lackeys.

Those boys better get their facts right before they speak to me, Peeples said.

Pipe Bomb Pastor - Clifford Peeples handing out much needed goods to the people of Ukraine.

Earlier this week Peeples returned to the Shankill, where he was hailed like a homecoming hero.

A woman told us: Clifford was in a shop to buy gas after he got home and he was mobbed by well-wishers asking him about Ukraine.

But when we caught up with him near his home in Glencairn, he was in no mood for small talk. He insisted the PSNI Chief Constable had better do his homework before trying to drag him before the courts.

Do Simon Byrnes lads even know this law was introduced to prevent people joining foreign armies during the Napoleonic Wars?

Does he know that the men who went to fight for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War did so illegally?

And the last time this law was used successfully was in 1890. Yes, Byrne will have his work cut out if he wants to prosecute me.

During her short stint as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss told the House of Commons how much she admired those who took up arms on behalf of Ukraine.

And as I told you last week, I went to Ukraine to help my fellow Christians in their hour of need, said Peeples.

He added: I think Im on safe ground as far as Simon Byrnes boys go.

Last week, exiled loyalist Johnny Mad Dog Adair voiced support for Peeples. It is believed the pair met while serving sentences on the loyalist wing of the Maze Prison.

Adair claimed: Clifford stood up for his Christian beliefs by supporting the people of Ukraine.

Shankill Road-born Peeples has been a controversial figure for many years.

A fundamentalist preacher who ran his own Gospel Hall, he hit the headlines in October 1989 when a car he was driving was stopped by the RUC on the M1 Motorway near Dungannon.

A search of the vehicle revealed a pipe bomb and two grenades were hidden inside.

He was jailed for 10 years and trial judge Mr Justice Gillen told him he was a menace to society.
Predator John Flynns guilty pleas mean he now has 103 convictions as courts urged to extend travel ban over history of Nigeria sex trips

A serial paedophile is facing prison after he admitted possessing yet another stash of sickening child rape images.

John Flynns guilty pleas mean he now has 103 convictions for having photographs of kids being sexually abused.

The 66-year-old predator, who once had a high-flying career as a senior lecturer at the Armagh Planetarium, was freed on bail ahead of being sentenced at Belfast Crown Court next month.

Flynn was caught by police with the haul in June 2017, with forensic analysis on his computers showing he had been compiling the horrific pictures for over 18 months.

The notorious pervert, who has an address at Dufferin Avenue in Bangor, previously served a one-year prison term, and later a two-year suspended jail sentence, for the same offences.

While on the suspended sentence, Flynn had to attend educational courses designed to help him focus on the impact of his crimes.

It was stressed to him that the children being raped in the images he was ogling were real, however, sources who knew him at the time say the paedophile took little interest in their plight.

The fact that John Flynn was back in court last week to plead guilty to another 23 child image offences shows he is beyond rehabilitation, said the insider.

Many of the kids whose naked photos were found on Flynns computer were from Africa. Because of this, and the fact he was a frequent visitor to Nigeria where he married an unsuspecting local woman, the courts imposed a five-year Foreign Travel Order (FTO) on him in 2018.

This prevented the paedophile from making Gary Glitter-style sex trips abroad, however, the order ends in March meaning Flynn is free to hop on a plane again to Africa.

John Flynn was once employed at Armagh Planetarium

Those familiar with the predators long history of offending feel Belfast Crown Court should extend the FTO when it sentences him later this month for his latest crimes against children.

Doing this would protect a lot of kids in Africa, added our source.

Between 2010 and 2016 John Flynn made 14 trips to Nigeria, and this was at a time when he was downloading and sharing images of kids being raped and abused.

Flynn was first convicted in 2011 and jailed for one year when he admitted possessing 3,250 horrific child abuse images, some of which depicted toddlers being raped by adults and bondage scenes involving schoolgirls.

He was so addicted to the pictures that he could not stop himself taking one last look minutes before handing his computers to police, having been summoned back to Northern Ireland from Nigeria.

In 2018 Flynn was back before the courts to be handed a two-year suspended jail sentence for possessing more photographs, with many of the victims African.

Allegations against him go back to 1998 when he was acquitted of possessing a similar haul.

It was after this that he quit his job at Armagh Planetarium and stood down as chairman of the Board of Governors of Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School.

He later found work with Lloyds Register Quality Assurance, for which he travelled the world carrying out business audits for international firms.

Colleagues of Flynn previously told us that he boasted about his sex life in Nigeria, revealing: There was something very creepy about him. He used to make boasts about his trips to Port Harcourt in Nigeria and the cheap, easy sex he had access to there.

He also was very outspoken about newspapers. He accused newspapers of ruining peoples lives.
Mark Sheehan, 26, suffered facial injuries when he and his group got a bus home in the Templeogue area of south Dublin

A youth charged over a suspected homophobic attack on a young man travelling on a Dublin bus has left the country while awaiting trial.

Mark Sheehan, 26, suffered facial injuries when he and his group got a bus home in the Templeogue area of south Dublin at around 4 am on August 18 last year.

He had been out socialising earlier in The George nightclub on Dame Street with three friends, celebrating two of their birthdays.

But after the incident on his journey home, he was taken to Tallaght University Hospital for treatment.

Gardai opened an investigation.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named because he is still a minor, was later charged with assault causing harm to Mr Sheehan on the upper deck of the number 15 bus as it was in the vicinity of Templeogue.

He appeared at the Dublin Childrens Court in November. Bail with conditions was set in his bond of 200, and the case was adjourned for 10 weeks.

The court had granted legal aid and directed that an interpreter be available for the teens appearances.

An order was made for the disclosure of evidence to the defence to prepare for a preliminary hearing this week to determine if he would be tried in the Childrens Court or in the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.

However, when the case resumed, defence counsel Doireann McDonagh explained that the teen was not present and had left the country.

Judge Paul Kelly issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

When the court initially set bail, it ordered the teen to obey a curfew from midnight to six am and to sign on twice weekly at Rathmines Garda station.

He was also warned to have no direct or indirect contact with the complainant, including by social media, and to return to court to face the next scheduled stage of the proceedings.
But after a hearing at Antrim Crown Court this week, it emerged for the first time he was hopelessly addicted to gambling and had effectively been robbing Peter to pay Paul.

A banker who fleeced his customers out of 355,000 did so to desperately feed his gambling addiction, the Sunday World can reveal.

George Simpson pleaded guilty last year to swindling hundreds of thousands of pounds from customers at Santander Bank.

But after a hearing at Antrim Crown Court this week, it emerged for the first time he was hopelessly addicted to gambling and had effectively been robbing Peter to pay Paul.

He told the Sunday World this week there was much more behind him simply ripping off customers of the global financial institution where he had been a highly respected personal banker.

And he lamented that reports he had simply robbed the money from his clients had resulted in him losing a new job he had secured after admitting the thefts.

The 37-year-old from Ballymadigan Road, Castlerock, Co Derry, said he didnt want to say too much until he has been sentenced  though its a strong possibility he could be going to jail when he appears at Antrim Crown Court in a fortnight to learn his fate.

George Simpson

Im not blaming you, but whats been written before has resulted in me losing my job, he explained from his doorstep.

What has appeared already in the papers is not the full story. Theres a lot more behind it but I cant speak about it until after the sentencing.

Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of gambling in the UK.

While the total figure swindled by Simpson was 355,096, the fraudster had redeposited 180,280, which left the bank suffering a loss of 174,816.

Though he had taken the money from Santanders customers, the bank had repaid all of them, meaning it was his employer who was ultimately the victim to his thefts.

This week, Antrim Crown Court heard that Simpson was robbing Peter to pay Paul but he was snared when the executor of a dead mans will noticed anomalies in the estate.

He offered guilty pleas to six charges of fraud by abuse of position in that between May 15 and October 31, 2015, he abused his position as a personal banker with Santander PLC to transfer money to his own account.

Prosecuting counsel Mark Farrell told the court how Simpson had been in a privileged position in the bank and as such, had access to computer systems and financial instruments.

One of those instruments was financial bonds, where a customer lodges a set amount of money for a fixed time with a specific set of interest to be paid at the end if it.

Abusing the access he had, Simpson cashed in half a dozen bonds and paid the money into his own Nationwide account, said Mr Farrell.

Although the offending took place in 2015, the court heard it only came to light in January 2020 when the executor of a dead mans estate spotted that a bond had been cashed in early.

Mr Farrell said that sparked an internal investigation, which then uncovered Simpsons other offending.

He explained that while the total figure swindled by Simpson was 355,096, the fraudster had redeposited 180,280, which left the bank suffering a loss of 174,816.

Mr Farrell said that as a large banking group in Europe, Santander had made restitution to the defrauded customers, so it was the bank who is at a loss, not any of the fraud victims.

Arrested and interviewed in September 2020, Simpson made full admissions and told cops he had a gambling problem.

He has basically indicated that he had gambled the money trying to make good on his losses, robbing Peter to pay Paul effectively, said Mr Farrell.

He told Judge Roseanne McCormick while Simpson maintained that he hoped to pay the money back, really we say that he is a man of straw and is someone without significant assets.

Turning to the facts to be taken into account in assessing the sentence, Mr Farrell said that given the gross breach of trust... we say culpability is high but in mitigation, he had cooperated in an investigation that wouldve been made difficult and had admitted his guilt at the first opportunity.

Defence counsel Jonathan Browne said that since the offences were uncovered and his banking career came to an abrupt end, Simpson has been working for Translink and has been trying to deal with his gambling addiction.

Judge McCormick said given that a central plank of the plea in mitigation, seeking to persuade the judge to take a departure from what would usually be an inevitable outcome, was what steps Simpson had taken to address his gambling problem, she would adjourn the case to February 21 to allow time for the defence team to gather together whatever supporting documents they needed.

Simpson was freed on bail.

According to a prevalence study published in 2017, Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of gambling in the UK  at more than 67 per cent compared to more than 61 per cent in Wales and 62 per cent in England.

In 2021, a leading expert called for more support to be given to gambling addicts in Northern Ireland.

Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, consultant psychiatrist and spokesperson on behavioural addictions for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of gambling in the UK, so its concerning that there are still no specific services in place for those in need of treatment for gambling disorder.

Gambling disorder has a devastating impact on individuals and families. People feel trapped and sometimes their gambling can get out of control leading to severe mental illness as well as suicidal thinking.

We need to acknowledge gambling disorder as a mental illness and treat it accordingly, in an evidence-based way within an NHS setting.
The registered owner of the home is builder Gerry McGreevy, who is also a known associate of Jim Mansfield Jnr.

Dissident hardman Nathan Kinsella can be seen chatting on the phone as he leaves the Special Criminal Court last week after being charged with money-laundering offences.

The Sunday World can reveal that Kinsella and his partner, Jennifer Dunne, are both accused of using funds lodged to a bank account, on dates in 2018 and 2019, knowing them to be the proceeds of crime.

The couple have yet to formally enter a plea to six money-laundering charges brought under Section 7 of Criminal Justice Act (Money Laundering and Terrorism Finance).

Kinsella, who was a close pal of slain RIRA leader Alan Ryan, is believed to have met Dunne while she was working for shamed hotel tycoon Jim Mansfield jnr.

At the time, Kinsella was a frequent visitor to Tasaggart House, the Mansfield family home, and was regularly seen in the socialites company.

Last year, the Sunday World published photographs of Mansfield Jnr chatting with Kinsella as he hosted a family event to celebrate his son Samuels debut on Mondello Park racetrack.

Sources say that the younger Mansfield was furious that Kinsella showed up at his event, believing he was taking advantage of his fathers soft nature.

During Mansfield Jnrs trial last year, a court was told how Kinsella had been using his Co. Dublin mansion like his office.

Nathan Kinsellas house in Newtownpark, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

Dad-of-six Kinsella ultimately moved into a house in the leafy Dublin suburb of Blackrock with Dunne  a house purchased for almost 1 million and refurbished to a high standard in 2018.

The pair continue to live in the six-bedroom, four-bathroom home at Richmond, off Newtownpark Avenue.

The registered owner of the home is builder Gerry McGreevy, who is also a known associate of Jim Mansfield Jnr.

McGreevy was also referenced during Mansfields trial when the court was told he was the investor who bought some of the Mansfields assets from a receiver  including Paddy Reillys Field and the Finnstown House Hotel.

Mansfield Jnr was said in court to have enlisted dissident groups to help him get back ownership of Paddy Reillys Field.

Locals in Blackrock  one of South Dublins most expensive suburbs  were not impressed that Kinsella had moved into the area.

In April 2020, heavily-armed officers surrounded the property and moved in to search it, removing documents and electronic devices.

However, Kinsella has told friends that he is very concerned about an ongoing health problem he has and is desperate to raise funds so he can attempt to buy the property, which he has already told close associates he owns.

Kinsella visited Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where he took part in a medical treatment and has been hospitalised several times over the past year.

Kinsella first hit the headlines when he was associated with a Real IRA gang under murdered leader Alan Ryan.

Real IRA boss Alan Ryan

Ryan had been the head of the Real IRAs Dublin Brigade and ran a massive extortion racket on drug dealers operating in the capital.

He is suspected of ordering the murder of Michael Micka Kelly in 2011 in a bid to put pressure on other traffickers to pay protection money to the dissident group.

However, a coalition of drug dealers are believed to have eventually decided to hit back and took out Ryan in September 2012.

After his death, paramilitaries displayed their might at his funeral when they turned out in their droves, uniformed in black and white and let off a number of rounds of ammunition as their martyr was lowered into his grave.

Despite the show of strength, the organisation was falling apart at the seams and in the years that followed all of Ryans inner circle would be targeted.

Kinsella himself survived a kneecapping attack before he was arrested by officers who rounded up the funeral-goers after a massive public outcry.

In 2021, Kinsellas name was again in the headlines when he was mentioned at Mansfield Jnrs trial in the Special Criminal Court.

Mansfield was ultimately jailed for trying to pervert the course of justice but was acquitted of a separate charge of conspiracy to falsely imprison his former security chief, Martin Byrne.

Nathan Kinsella faces six charges of money laundering

During the trial, State witness Martin Byrne, a former head of security at Citywest, was described as an unreliable and dishonest by Mansfield Jnrs legal team  but the judges at the Special Criminal Court disagreed.

Martin Byrne had told the court how a string of paramilitary groups and terrorists were hired to provide security.

He said that Jimmy Jnr was at one point paying 2,500 a week to the Real IRA to protect him from the Wall Traveller gang and a family described as the Kavanaghs, who said they were owed money.

Since being locked up, Mansfield Jnr has also been named as a defendant in CAB proceedings targeting him, US-sanctioned cartel boss Daniel Kinahan and convicted drug trafficker Thomas Bomber Kavanagh.

The High Court heard that Mansfield Jnr was given 4.5 million in cash in two suitcases by Daniel Kinahan and his associate Thomas Bomber Kavanagh in 2009.

It was intended Mansfield invest the money in property assets for the cartel.

However, the deal collapsed due to the crashing economy and the Kinahan cartel did not get its properties.

The High Court heard how Mansfields financial position deteriorated after the collapse of the Celtic Tiger economy and how his relationships with the cartel soured after he went into receivership.

Mansfield Jnr later reached a deal with the cartel to effectively repay them by giving them a luxury house in a gated community in Saggart as well as a sum of money.

CAB has been investigating the house, at Coldwater Lakes, and its history for a number of years.

The High Court was told Kinahan effectively owned the property from 2014 and had stayed there for periods.
After climbing the career ladder in the mob, Mahony has now given up his assets without a fight

Hes the Kinahan fixer who decked out his house with Plasma screens and bullet-resistant glass, but now Brian Mahony has gone and the keys of his palace are with the Criminal Assets Bureau.

After climbing the career ladder in the mob, Mahony has now given up his assets without a fight and a community will soon see a for sale sign outside what was once the best-kept house in the neighbourhood.

Today Im talking with journalist Eamon Dillon about the low-key fixer who tried to stay under the radar as he washed drug money but who came a cropper as he feathered his nest and lived the high life in organised crime.

Crime Word Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.

MORE EPISODES 
James OMahony was a passenger in the car that was involved in the single vehicle crash on the N63 in Newbridge on February 5

A young Cork man who was tragically killed in a road crash in Co Galway was remembered as a great all-around good guy in just one of many tributes.

James OMahony who was in his 20s, was the passenger in a car involved in the single vehicle collision on the N63 in Newbridge near Ballinasloe, at around 12.45pm on Sunday, February 5

The driver of the car, another man who was aged in his 20s was taken to Portiuncula Hospital for treatment.

Local Councillor Michael Connolly paid tribute to the victim on Galway Bay FM's Galway Talks.

"The two young men were travelling on the N63, the car struck a tree at Newbridge and the passenger seemed to have taken the brunt of the accident and was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

The garda and the Mountbellew fire service were on the scene very promptly but when the car hit the tree, the impact of the car hitting the tree seems to have given the occupant little or no chance of surviving."

On his death notice on RIP.ie it states that the death occurred of James OMahony of Clashduv Road, Togher, Cork on February 5 unexpectedly, following an accident in Ballinasloe.

James (late of Peloton), (is the) beloved son of Jim and Teresa (nee Hickey) and loving brother of John and Stephen. Sadly missed by his loving family, uncles John (OMahony) and Jim and Trish (Hickey), cousins Laura and Jack, girlfriend Aisling Walsh, extended OMahony family and a wide circle of friends, it reads.

It adds that James will be reposing at Fordes Funeral Home, South Gate Bridge on Thursday from 5pm until 6pm.

Requiem Mass will take place on Friday at 11am in Church of the Way of the Cross, Togher, with funeral afterwards to St Michaels Cemetery, Blackrock.

In the condolences section people have left numerous messages of sympathy including one that reads: So sorry to hear of the sudden tragic and untimely passing of your beloved James

Sincere condolences to all his family, friends, girlfriend, workmates and all who knew and loved him. May James soul rest in peace, amen.

Another adds: So sad and sorry for your loss of a good friend and a great all-around good guy. Gone too soon. So for your loss as well Aisling.

One other person offer condolences, to James family and to Aisling. James was a clever, witty friend and colleague that I had the pleasure to know for many years - James will be missed by us all. May he rest in peace.

We are so sorry for the loss of your son, another reads: May he rest in peace, thinking of you all at this sad time.
Mr Ahern has also been linked with a run for the presidency in 2025 - a possibility not ruled out by Tanaiste Micheal Martin.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has rejoined Fianna Fail more than ten years after he quit the party over the findings of the Mahon Tribunal.

A Fianna Fail spokesperson confirmed: We received a membership application and it was accepted by the Party.

Its understood that Mr Ahern has rejoined the party organisation in Dublin Central as an ordinary member for the annual 20 a year fee.

In line with party rules he has no voting rights in the first year of his membership.

The application was processed in recent weeks.

A spokesperson for Mr Ahern said he has done a number of events in the last year with many different groups in relation to the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, and rejoined Fianna Fail at the end of last year.

Taoiseach urges TD not to play into far right's argument

It comes as Mr Ahern is to address Fianna Fail TD Jim OCallaghans constituency organisation as part of an event marking the landmark anniversary of the agreement.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has welcomed Mr Aherns return to the party more than a decade after he effectively forced him to resign.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Mr Martin said: As I said earlier, above and beyond everything he has made an outstanding contribution to peace in Northern Ireland and he continues to work on that agenda.I believe in the context of that achievement, I welcome his membership.

There had been heightened speculation that Mr Ahern would return to the party he quit 11 years ago over the findings of the Mahon Tribunal.

Mr Ahern has also been linked with a run for the presidency in 2025 - a possibility not ruled out by Tanaiste Micheal Martin.

File photo: Bertie Ahern   PA

Mr Martin opened the door to Mr Aherns return to Fianna Fail for the first time last September, saying he had been consulting with his predecessor on Northern Ireland and Brexit issues.

The then Taoiseach denied that Mr Ahern was now an adviser to him, but said he had been valuable in terms of engagement with communities in the North.

The Fianna Fail leader proposed expelling Mr Ahern from Fianna Fail in March 2012 after the Mahon Tribunal into planning matters found the former Taoiseach failed to truthfully account for the source of bank account lodgements.

Mr Ahern, who resigned his membership of the party after Mr Martin proposed expelling him, has disputed the tribunals findings, saying he has never accepted a bribe or a corrupt payment.

Mr Martin said at the time that his predecessor had betrayed the trust of the country and the party.

Meanwhile, Mr OCallaghan, who has made no secret of his ambition to lead Fianna Fail, criticised the party for not being good at commemorating its own achievements in Government ahead of the event on Thursday, which has been organised by party members in Dublin Bay South.

He said it was important to mark the partys achievements.

One of the things we are not good at in Fianna Fail is commemorating our achievements, we should be celebrating significant achievements that Fianna Fail has been responsible for or played a part in .

We should be doing it much more, if we don't commemorate things other people try to appropriate our achievements.

He said as many as 250 people are expected to attend the event at a hotel in Ballsbridge in Dublin where Mr Ahern will be interviewed by Patricia MacBride, a columnist with the Irish News.

It is not the first time Mr Ahern has addressed Fianna Fail meetings with the three-term Taoiseach, a frequent speaker and commentator on Brexit and Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the former Taoiseach has been welcomed back to the party with open arms with one minister claiming it was always going to happen.

Fianna Fail ministers, TDs and Senators who spoke to Independent.ie were all happy with his return into the party in recent months.

Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education Niall Collins welcomed Mr Aherns return.

Im not surprised and I welcome it. It was always going to happen, he said.

This sentiment was echoed by other Fianna Fail politicians, with one minister saying it is fantastic he has returned.

Other politicians pointed to Mr Aherns role in the Good Friday Agreement almost 25 years ago.

Several TDs noted how Mr Ahern left his mothers funeral early to go and continue negotiations on the agreement.
"I have been threatened that when I leave work that evening, I will be stabbed as I get into my car

Paediatric nurse Sylvia Chambers attended a Joint Health Committee meeting in Leinster House to discuss the welfare and safety of workers and patients in the public health service. Photo: gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

A Dublin childrens hospital nurse has revealed she received threats that she would be stabbed while leaving work and getting in to her car.

Sylvia Chambers, an emergency department nurse, said she has never experienced aggression like we have in the past few years, particularly on a daily basis.

There are a numerous of incidents where we are verbally attacked, I have been spat at, she said.

I have been verbally abused.

I don't feel safe. My colleagues don't feel safe. Staff are leaving in bulk because of assault.

"I have been threatened that when I leave work that evening, I will be stabbed as I get into my car.

"I have had grown men six foot four towering over me throwing objects at me. It is a daily occurrence and I do not feel safe going to work,  she told the Oireachtas health committee.

She said she neither her, nor her colleagues, feel safe.

This all comes down to security. This comes down to overcrowding. The facility that our parents are asked to wait it is not sufficient.

"At night-time from 2am onwards we only have two doctors. Sometimes we could have up to 60 to 70 patients waiting at that time. It's not feasible for two doctors to see all both patients and parents become very aggressive.

They become tired and the nurse who is normally the first person that they see we're the ones that we receive the backlash. 

Ms Chambers is a member of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), one of a number of unions before the committee.

More than 10 nurses a day are assaulted.

Dr Clive Kilgallen, president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said delays in admission in admission from the emergency department (ED) are associated with increased mortality within thirty days and poorer outcomes for patients; it is estimated that up to 400 people could die every year as a result of ED overcrowding.

Studies have shown ED overcrowding is associated with delays to receiving pain relief, medication errors and greater hospital lengths of stay.

Read more TD tells Leo Varadkar of dying OAP's agonising wait on trolley in Portiuncula Hospital

He said: Staff and patients are placed at additional unnecessary risk because of our capacity crisis.

"This has led to widespread burnout according to findings from a recent survey conducted by the IMO.

These include 94pc of doctors reporting having experienced some form of depression, anxiety, exhaustion, stress, emotional stress or other mental health condition relating to or made worse by work  81pc of doctors are at risk of burnout.

A range of issues were also raised by the SIPTU and FORSA trade unions.
Mystery has deepened over the death of Niamh Finneran Loader (25) who was found dead on December 2 in the bathroom of the Kuta-Bali Famous Hotel

Tests on the body of tragic young Irish woman who died suddenly in Bali where she had travelled for dental treatment have failed to provide any clues about her death.

Mystery has deepened over the death of Niamh Finneran Loader (25) who was found dead on December 2 in the bathroom of the Kuta-Bali Famous Hotel, where she had been staying after traveling to the holiday island to undergo a minor dental procedure.

The 25-year-old masters student in international relation is believed to have immigrated to Perth in Australia from Ireland as a child with her family.

The circumstances of her death in Bali have proved baffling for local police, who have interviewed the dentist she was treated by as well as hotel staff and a tattoo artist.

An autopsy was conducted at Balis Sanglah Hospital but Denpasar Police chief Bambang Yugo Pamungkas said the post-mortem had proven inconclusive.

We have received the autopsy report and interviewed the forensic doctor last week, he said in a message on Monday.

But he was unable to determine the cause of death based on the toxicology and pathology test results.

Orpa Takalapeta, the Kuta Police chief, indicated the investigation into her death would continue but it was unclear how police would be able to get to the bottom of it.

We will first conduct a gelar perkara [an internal meeting between relevant departments] before we can proceed and determine the next step, he said.

Finneran Loaders devastated parents travelled to Bali to organise the repatriation of her body, with an online fundraiser raising more than $42,000 to assist them.

She was laid to rest at a funeral in Mandurah on December 23.

Mystery has surrounded the death of Ms Loader

It had previously been reported that Niamh had been due to travel to the United States in January for an internship through the Perth-based Mannkal Economic Education Foundation.

"It is with great shock and sadness that we learned of the sudden passing of Mannkal Scholar Niamh Loader following a medical procedure," the foundation said in a statement.

"We offer our deepest sympathy to her family, friends and fellow Mannkal scholars."

Ms Loader's father had previously told The West Australian newspaper his daughter had been in Bali to have minor dental treatment and was "very happy" with the results.

Tributes paid to young Irish woman who died after dental treatment in Bali

Spanish police arrest British contract killers after Mr Flashy ally shot in Marbella

Drug dealer identified by massive Conor McGregor mural in his home cant afford lawyer

Ms Loader, who was earlier this year awarded UWA's prestigious Kate King legal prize, has been remembered by friends and family as a kind and fun-loving young woman who "brought brightness into everyone's lives".

Niamh was also a regular contributor to politics and affairs magazine The Spectator Australia where Mark Burgess wrote: "I will remember Niamh for her cheeky Irish sense of humour and sharp wit, coupled with a strong intellect, which facilitated enjoyable philosophical discussions."

He continued: "Niamh had a very bright future ahead of her, and she has been taken far too soon. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends at this difficult time."

Her family members took to social media to pay tribute to Niamh in the wake of the tragic news.

Chloe Loader wrote on Facebook: "Yesterday we lost an incredible woman. I've woken up today and the reality has hit me, hard, that she's really gone. No matter the physical distance between us, we've been so close all these years.

"From swings as kids, to clubbing as young adults, to watching dolphins in Australia, and all the chats in between - I'll always cherish all our special memories together forever."

Eoghan Finneran wrote on social media: "We were all devastated by the sudden loss of our beautiful niece Niamh Finneran. Words can't express our sorrow.

"Taken far too soon, at the age of just 25, from her heartbroken parents and loving brothers Joe, Daniel and Ronan. Heaven is a brighter place this week."

Niamh's parents have flown to Bali to arrange the repatriation of her body and a fundraising page has been set up to help cover the repatriation costs.

The Go Fund Me page reads: "Niamh was taken suddenly from us on the 2nd of December while in Bali, where she was receiving dental treatment. She was a Masters student at the University of Western Australia and was due to head to the United States in January 2023 as part of the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation.

"Niamh was a wonderful, kind, fun-loving young woman who brought brightness into everyone's lives. The proceeds of this fundraising will go to the family to help cover the costs of the post-mortem and repatriating Niamh back to Australia."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Bali.

Meanwhile has been reported that an autopsy has since been carried out as Indonesian authorities are said to be investigating the circumstances of her death.
His comments came after a father who lost his teenage daughter in the Creeslough explosion said his wife and children are not ready to see a documentary which is due to air on TG4 this evening.

Leona Harper, 14, Robert Garwe, 50, Shauna Flanagan Garwe, five, Jessica Gallagher, 24, and James O'Flaherty, 48, and (bottom row, left to right) Martina Martin, 49, Hugh Kelly, 59, Catherine O'Donnell, 39, her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, and Martin McGill, 49, the ten victims of explosion at Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday. Picture date: Sunday October 9, 2022.   PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has urged TG4 to sit down with the Creeslough families ahead of any decision to broadcast a proposed documentary on the tragedy  which is due to air tonight.

What I'd ask TG4 to do is to perhaps sit down with the families concerned, maybe consult them, and having done that make a decision as to whether or not they're going to postpone the airing of the documentary, Mr Varadkar told the Dail.

I'm reluctant as head of Government to tell any broadcaster what they should or should not broadcast. I don't want to get into that space, he said, answering Donegal Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty.

But I do hear what the families are saying, and I think we all feel their pain, and would ask at the very least that TG4 would sit down with their representatives and discuss the matter and hear their case and try to understand it.

His comments came after a father who lost his teenage daughter in the Creeslough explosion said his wife and children are not ready to see a documentary which is due to air on TG4 this evening.

Ten people lost their lives following the explosion at the Applegreen petrol station in the Donegal village on October 7 last year.

The documentary, Iniuchadh TG4 - An Craoslach, will show how local people came together to help rescue those trapped before emergency services got to the area.

Creeslough scene

Read more Family of two Creeslough victims ask TG4 not to air programme on tragedy

Hugh Harpers 14-year-old daughter Leona died in tragedy and he has joined the chorus of bereaved relatives who are pleading with the Irish-language broadcaster to postpone the programme until a later date.

Its timing of this and the lack of communication from TG4. Thats our issue, he said.

Speaking on RTEs Liveline, Mr Harper said he has written to TG4 asking for all the bereaved families to be contacted, as well the Garda Superintendent who is overseeing the Creeslough investigation, but he has not received a reply.

Were not looking for this not to be aired, were not looking for this to be put on the shelf and gather dust. If we had been contacted during the production of it and somebody said, this is what its going to be, heres some footage, take a look at it, maybe we wouldnt be sitting here having this talk, he said.

It feels like were passengers on a bus, on the back seat, youre out of sight out of mind, and people are just going to do what they want to do without your consent. Were not looking to give consent, were just looking to be included, acknowledged.

I dont know what way to put it, its just too damn early. My kids are not ready see some of them images. My eldest boy and my wife were one of the first on the scene What they have seen, and they wont talk to me about it, they dont want me to know, he added.

Cillian Flanagan spoke to Liveline yesterday on behalf of his sister Aine who lost her partner Robert Garwe and their five-year-old daughter Shauna in the tragedy.

Mr Flanagan said Aine is devastated at the prospect of what she may view in the documentary which covers the worst chapter of her life.

Theyve interviewed a number of people who were first on the scene who without a doubt are heroes and no ones questioning that, these people are unbelievable, he said.

A mourner displays the order of service at the funerals of Robert Garwe his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe in Donegal last year. Picture: Getty Images   Getty Images

But what we have now is a situation tomorrow night where Aine and others are being asked to look at a one-hour documentary revisiting the worst chapter of their existence and seeing things for the first time, hearing things for the first time and its not acceptable.

Last Tuesday, as soon as we learned of this, we sent emails into TG4 and since then weve sought information of whats in it.

Aine hasnt slept a wink since last Tuesday, shes devastated at the prospect of what shes going to see here tomorrow night.

Theres been no consultation whatsoever with the families, no advance notice.

Donegal Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said the issue has left many people directly connected to the tragedy deeply distraught to learn suddenly of the proposed broadcast.

They're pleading with them not to air this documentary. They believe it's too raw and the garda investigation is still not concluded.

Mr Doherty said TG4 provided an excellent service on documentaries and nobody is questioning that professionalism.

It was expected that the families and the tragedy would be dealt with sensitively, and the story of those heroes who were the first responders did need to be told, he said.

But the families are asking -- and indeed begging -- that this is postponed until the garda investigation is over.

Mr Varadkar said: I just want to once again extend my condolences to the people of Creeslough, who I know are still mourning and for whom this tragedy is still very, very raw.

He then suggested that TG4 sit down with the families concerned and consult them  even though there are only hours left to the scheduled broadcast.

In a statement issued to sundayworld.com, a spokesperson for TG4 said the documentary shows the upmost respect for those who lost their lives.

The spokesperson said the programme does not report anything about the victims other than what has already been reported publicly in the direct aftermath of the tragedy.

The focus of the documentary Iniuchadh TG4 - An Craoslach is to shine a light on the people of the area who assisted in the rescue at the scene of the explosion, the spokesperson said.

It contains interviews with some of those who risked their own lives while bringing others to safety.

They speak compassionately and sensitively about the roles they played helping others in the face of great adversity.

The contributors wanted to express their gratitude at how an ordinary community came together at a time of great difficulty to try to assist their friends and neighbours.

The production team who made the programme, Clean Slate TV, includes the highly respected former BBC journalist Kevin Magee.

Iniuchadh TG4 - An Craoslach will air at 9.30pm tonight.
The head of the Pharmacy Guild says community pharmacies are shutting down thanks to the influx of Australian-owned discount chains.

Chief executive Andrew Gaudin warns in the long-term, this will reduce access to essential healthcare services - particularly for people outside the main centres.

Discount pharmacies like the Chemist Warehouse and Countdown supermarket stores do not ask for the usual $5 prescription charges.

"They're using their commercial buying power and clout and running a loss-leader model, Gaudin told RNZ's Nine to Noon

"They're absorbing the government's $5 prescription charge. Effectively they're manipulating government policy to buy market share, and drive and squeeze out the smaller, independent [owner-operator] pharmacies."

Prescription copayments were first introduced in the 1980s, and by the 2000s the cost had risen to double-digits.

The then Labour-led government reduced the charge to $3, which rose to $5 in 2013 under the following National-led government.

In recent years, big-box pharmaceutical retailers have started absorbing that cost, essentially making prescriptions free and giving them an advantage over smaller, locally owned outlets.

Gaudin says for a typical pharmacy to absorb the cost it will mean taking a $120,000 hit.

Unable to do so, 70 community pharmacies have closed in the last four years, according to the Pharmacy Guild. Last year alone saw 30 shut their doors.

In Auckland, Seema Rambisheswar permanently closed her Life Pharmacy store in Glenfield Mall just over a week ago, after working there for 22 years and owning it for 14.

"It's quite sad the time has come for me to close," she told Nine to Noon.

The writing was on the wall in 2020, when right after Covid-19 hit, a Chemist Warehouse opened in the same mall. Her landlord, assuming she'd struggle with rent, offered her a smaller venue.

"I said no because if I did that, I'd have to refit a store and defit my existing store that would just not have been viable."

She says big stores that don't charge the copayment have led customers into wrongly believing that pharmacies who do charge are pocketing the money.

"They have to realise it doesn't. We collect it. We're tax collectors. We collect it on behalf of the government and then we have to pay it back to the government. It doesn't stay in our tills.

"Now that I'm closing, people are [saying], 'We will pay you, please don't close.' But it's too late. I'm at a point of no return

"They're using the copayment as a loss-leader. People are not looking at the bigger picture they need to wake up, because long-term there will be problems."

Rambisheswar and Gaudin both say community pharmacies offer a range of services the discounters don't - such as vaccinations, ongoing care and even simple things like advice on the medicines they're dispensing.

Rambisheswar says despite the cost, she sometimes doesn't charge the fee - particularly if the patient needs multiple medicines, each one costing $5.

"We don't want in the long-run for people like that to be hospitalised, then there's a burden on the hospital system and the cost on the government would be higher We care about our people. We care about our community and we don't want them to be deprived of healthcare."

The Pharmacy Guild is currently in a legal battle with Te Whatu Ora, over former district health boards giving operational licences to two Countdown pharmacies that offer zero-free prescriptions.

The Wainuiomata Countdown was initially denied a licence, a decision overturned by a DHB official who said having free options for patients would increase equity of access to medicines.

A lawyer for Te Whatu Ora says the guild's members are more concerned about having retail competition, not public health.

Rambisheswar says either the copayment needs to either be abolished or made compulsory so there's an even playing field.

"We care about our people. We care about our community and we don't want them to be deprived of healthcare."

Removing prescription charge has dramatic impact on odds of hospitalisation - study

A New Zealand-based study published in January found "prescription copayments are likely to increase overall healthcare costs", with the small fee discouraging people from collecting their medicines, and ending up needing hospital care as a result.

The authors "strongly recommend that the $5 prescription co-payments be removed for those with high health needs and low incomes, or be scrapped entirely".

"[Some people] go without their medicines, and as a result their health problems get worse, so they need hospital care. This is bad for them, their whanau, and the health system," says research lead Pauline Norris.

The study found for every 100 people who received free prescriptions, 33 were admitted to hospital and stayed for 208 days.

For every 100 people who still had to pay the $5 charge, 41 were admitted to hospital and stayed for 326 days.

"New Zealanders are exempted from the $5 charge after 20 items in a year, so revenue is, at most, $100 per person The cost of one day of hospital care in New Zealand has been estimated at $1000 to over $1500."

Removing the charge reduced the number of admissions for mental health problems, the number of admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the length of stay for COPD admissions, the study found.

A recent New Zealand health survey found 3.3 per cent of adults reported going without a medicine because of costs. This was more common for Maori and Pacific peoples, and those living in areas of high deprivation.

Gaudin says removing the copayment altogether will not only help smaller pharmacies with a community focus stay in business, but help with the government's stated goal of easing cost of living pressures.

"Not only can we improve health outcomes, have a better service offering and have a more sustainable network of pharmacies, we could also remove a cost of living pressure which would fit neatly with the government's top priority of dealing to that."

-RNZ.
The State of Emergency for the Coromandel remains in place due to the elevated risk of a debris dam failure at Koputauaki, north of Coromandel Town.

On Wednesday morning, the Thames-Coromandel District Council Civil Defence team, Waikato Regional Council and a Koputauaki community leader met to discuss options based on the latest expert and scientific information.

Helicopter sluicing at the dam site last weekend did improve water flow, enough to make the decision with the community today to let nature take its course with no intervention.

While the risk of dam failure remains very high, it is certain to be impacted further next week with another Cyclone heading toward the North Island, says Thames-Coromandel District Council in its latest update.

Our Council and WRC will be working closely with the Koputauaki community over the next few days ensuring as many mitigation measures as possible and welfare support is in place.

We continue to assist a number of people who were also displaced last week with accommodation and welfare needs.

Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler is considering the options of the current state of emergency given the possible intensity of a new cyclone, which is due to start building from Monday.

We will have a much clearer picture by Friday on where the cyclone is tracking and what we are likely to face on the Coromandel next week, so having the wide range of powers and access to resources if we need them will be the key as to whether we stay in a declared or transition state, says Garry.

We will have a further update today.
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.
The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime.
amalji Senior - BHPian



Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,541 Thanked: 2,705 Times

Re: Toyota Innova Hycross Review



I am 172 cms in height. I tried adjusting the seat for my comfortable position on 1st row ( top ) and 2nd row ( bottom left ) and this is what I ended up on 3rd row ( bottom right ).

Things to note. On the 1st row ( top ), I could get comfort even after having my knees very close to the dashboard. This is because the foot well is reasonably big and the angles are very comfortable.

On the 2nd row ( bottom left ) as you you can see, I had to leave significant gap between my knee and the front seats for me to feel comfortable. This is due to the Hybrid battery placement under the front seats which blocks my foot from going underneath the front seats.

What the above point means is that I touch the 2nd row seats when I sit on the 3rd row. But, the fact that I could push my feet under the 2nd row seats and the fact that the floor on 3rd row is lower which prevents the knees up position is a welcome change.





The business class seating arrangement available on the old Innova Crysta is still possible on both the 7 seater and 8 seater version of the Innova Hycross.







Ottoman coming up fully was a useless feature for a person of my height since the foot will get locked! But, the ottoman position in. this photo ( middle position ) felt very comfortable for a relaxing drive even for my height. The 2nd row seats is moved to the extreme back position with a comfortable recline angle as well. What this means is that 3rd row seats is unusable in this position. The subtle support on the calfs by the ottoman felt good even after sitting in this position for some time. One another bonus was that the arm rest for the captain seats can be adjusted to horizontal position regardless of the recline angle of the captain seats. I am keeping my feet at an angle on the ground with the top part resting on top of the hybrid battery protection. It is a foot rest like position and felt comfortable when the seat is moved back to the extreme ( making 3rd row useless at this position).





3rd row headroom felt borderline due to the slanting roofline and slanting glass. Priority on external aesthetics and aerodynamics seems to have impacted the practicality inside here.





This is how the 3rd room legroom felt like. Just enough for me to scrape through. The fact that I had to bring back the 2nd row seat for a comfortable position regardless of the huge knee room in 2nd row due to the hybrid battery intruding into foot well of 2nd row passenger.





The profile on the 17 inch tyres available on VX variant felt very adequate to the naked eye. At the same time, the sidewall height of the top end variant felt scary thin! This can be a possible opportunity for another alloys and sidewall damage thread of the Innova Hycross ( much like the Innova Crysta )





The ambient light cover looks like a cheap led tube light! The ambient light on the Innova Crysta felt classy compared to this.





Overall Feedback ( from the perspective of a 2017 Innova Crysta Touring Sport Diesel AT owner )



Positives

The front seats felt comfortable similar to the Innova Crysta

The arm rests of the front seats felt very comfortable.

The ability to bring the arm rests of the 2nd row captain seats parallel to the ground regardless of the recline angle of the seats is a welcome change. This is not the case on the crysta where the arm rest position stays static and hence is dependent on the recline angle of the seat.

The low floor in the 3rd row seats means knees up sitting position on 3rd row is almost solved. It also aides the hiding of feet under the 2nd row seats which was impossible with the Crysta.

The fact that the business class seating position of 2nd row is still possible.

Airy feeling of the cabin.

Positioning of arm rests on all seats felt very comfortable.

Ottoman at middle position does give subtle support to calf and feels comfortable.

Boot space with all 3 rows up continues to be practical.

Retractable curtains are a welcome addition.

Concerns The additional space freed up on the Hycross is kind of lost in reality due to that Hybrid battery positioning under the front seats. The 2nd row seats has to be moved much more to the rear than on the Crysta because of this one change.

Ottoman effort felt half baked. At fully lifted position, a person with reasonable height will find it unusable.

The 18" low profile tyres on the top end variant is going to be a hassle to take care of. It's going to damage both the alloys as well as the tyres on pothole filled Indian roads.

The panoramic sunroof felt very hot! Even after closing the sunroof the sunroof cover itself was feeling very warm. And the AC was not compensating for it at idle. And this was at 30 degrees outside temperature. The summer has not even started. Given an option, I would have preferred a top end variant without the sunroof. For the same reason, VX variant felt like a better choice for me if I ever consider the Hycross. Once the mandatory 6 airbags rule forces Toyota to equip VX variant with 6 airbags, that variant will feel very attractive for me.

The ambient light cover felt very cheap!

The fact that 6 airbags are not available on the VX variant even as an option. I find this a racist and classist mindset from brand - Toyota. They could have given it atleast as an option similar to the way they offered optional safety pack to all variants of Etios when it was first released in India.

The audio quality of the topend Hycross version with JBL sound system felt very ordinary to me. I prefer the inferior audio system on the Innova crysta than this. It atleast sounds more natural. Disclaimer: I haven't tried tuning the audio system. Maybe, the tuning is badly done by someone on the test drive car.

Gear lever positioning felt odd for me. I like to access the gear from the comfortable arm rest position of my hands. This is no longer possible now.

The lack of tumbling seats. My wife was very disappointed that this feature is no longer there. She generally arranges our luggage well on a fully loaded trip ( like from IKEA ). The tumbling seats helps her to arrange things better without worrying about any damage to the seats.

Overall, I am not bowled over by the Hycross. I would rate it a 7/10 in terms of practicality of the interiors. But, if you ask me what is the other alternative for this vehicle, all I can give is a blank look. There is no other alternatives that satisfies all my requirements for an MPV.



Thank you to my friend Sharath who invited me while he was visiting the Toyota showroom and for helping me with the photos.



Note: I have not done a test drive of the vehicle. Whenever I do it, I will surely pen down my thoughts on the hybrid drivetrain. I got a chance to see the Hycross in real since I accompanied my friend who had booked the Innova Hycross. Some of my observations mentioned below.I am 172 cms in height. I tried adjusting the seat for my comfortable position on 1st row ( top ) and 2nd row ( bottom left ) and this is what I ended up on 3rd row ( bottom right ).Things to note.The business class seating arrangement available on the old Innova Crysta is still possible on both the 7 seater and 8 seater version of the Innova Hycross.Ottoman coming up fully was a useless feature for a person of my height since the foot will get locked! But, the ottoman position in. this photo ( middle position ) felt very comfortable for a relaxing drive even for my height. The 2nd row seats is moved to the extreme back position with a comfortable recline angle as well. What this means is that 3rd row seats is unusable in this position. The subtle support on the calfs by the ottoman felt good even after sitting in this position for some time. One another bonus was that the arm rest for the captain seats can be adjusted to horizontal position regardless of the recline angle of the captain seats. I am keeping my feet at an angle on the ground with the top part resting on top of the hybrid battery protection. It is a foot rest like position and felt comfortable when the seat is moved back to the extreme ( making 3rd row useless at this position).3rd row headroom felt borderline due to the slanting roofline and slanting glass. Priority on external aesthetics and aerodynamics seems to have impacted the practicality inside here.This is how the 3rd room legroom felt like. Just enough for me to scrape through. The fact that I had to bring back the 2nd row seat for a comfortable position regardless of the huge knee room in 2nd row due to the hybrid battery intruding into foot well of 2nd row passenger.The profile on the 17 inch tyres available on VX variant felt very adequate to the naked eye. At the same time, the sidewall height of the top end variant felt scary thin! This can be a possible opportunity for another alloys and sidewall damage thread of the Innova Hycross ( much like the Innova Crysta )The ambient light cover looks like a cheap led tube light! The ambient light on the Innova Crysta felt classy compared to this.Overall, I am not bowled over by the Hycross. I would rate it a 7/10 in terms of practicality of the interiors. But, if you ask me what is the other alternative for this vehicle, all I can give is a blank look. There is no other alternatives that satisfies all my requirements for an MPV.Thank you to my friend Sharath who invited me while he was visiting the Toyota showroom and for helping me with the photos.Note: I have not done a test drive of the vehicle. Whenever I do it, I will surely pen down my thoughts on the hybrid drivetrain. Last edited by libranof1987 : 8th February 2023 at 10:50 . Reason: As requested
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support



Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 9,715 Thanked: 10,941 Times

View My Garage





re: Bribie Island Reloaded | 4WD Beach Offroading trip | Australia



A person in a Jeep Grand Cherokee who was returning from the beach passed us, and stopped to enquire if we needed help. Soon enough, he had brought along his recovery boards too, and now we had 6 boards to try and get the Navara to latch onto. However, the same story continued and the car just refused to make its way out. May i also mention here that the inexperience of the person at the wheel possibly had a role too.



After some discussion, the person in the Grand Cherokee offerred to snatch out the Navara, as he had a rated recovery point on his car.



Soon the snatch straps and D-shackles were out, and the recovery process was underway. The sand around this area was so soft that just the process of the Grand Cherokee (GC) lining up ahead of the Navara resulted in him almost getting bogged himself.



At one point it did look like he was bogged, and then we ended up laying out the recovery boards just to help it get itself out of trouble. Soon with 6 boards at our disposal, we used it to lay down a path for the GC to drive on, and avoid getting bogged again.









This time round, the GC was able to snatch the Navara out of its predicament, and help them get going on their way.



We all bade bye to each other, and headed out. We didnt realise it had been close to an hour and a quarter since we stopped to help! First thing i did was check tyre pressures on the Navara, which was sitting around 26 PSI or so. Brought this down to 18 PSI all around. We then scooped away sand around the tyres, and propped the recovery boards at the rear wheels, and got the guy to give it a go. The wheels just refused to grab onto the tracks, as it really was sitting flat on its belly.A person in a Jeep Grand Cherokee who was returning from the beach passed us, and stopped to enquire if we needed help. Soon enough, he had brought along his recovery boards too, and now we had 6 boards to try and get the Navara to latch onto. However, the same story continued and the car just refused to make its way out. May i also mention here that the inexperience of the person at the wheel possibly had a role too.After some discussion, the person in the Grand Cherokee offerred to snatch out the Navara, as he had a rated recovery point on his car.Soon the snatch straps and D-shackles were out, and the recovery process was underway. The sand around this area was so soft that just the process of the Grand Cherokee (GC) lining up ahead of the Navara resulted in him almost getting bogged himself.At one point it did look like he was bogged, and then we ended up laying out the recovery boards just to help it get itself out of trouble. Soon with 6 boards at our disposal, we used it to lay down a path for the GC to drive on, and avoid getting bogged again.This time round, the GC was able to snatch the Navara out of its predicament, and help them get going on their way.We all bade bye to each other, and headed out. We didnt realise it had been close to an hour and a quarter since we stopped to help! Last edited by benbsb29 : 7th February 2023 at 02:20 .
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

What just happened? As expected, Microsoft has announced a new iteration of its Bing search engine powered by a version of the same AI behind ChatGPT. During an event at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters, the firm also said it is updating the Edge browser with new AI capabilities and a new look.

Bing has been around for 13 years now, yet it still holds a lowly 3% share of the browser market while Google sits at about 93%, but Microsoft believes integrating OpenAI's GPT-4 model into its search engine will help close that massive gap. "It's a new day in search," said CEO Satya Nadella.

The new Bing is available to try now in a limited version on desktop---you can join a waitlist for the full thing. The search engine shows results in their traditional form alongside an AI-powered sidebar containing more comprehensive answers. Users can also ask the chatbot questions directly, much like ChatGPT.

Microsoft says the new Bing provides more relevant results, can summarize them from multiple sources, and is able to refine answers. It's also able to create a vacation itinerary, prepare users for job interviews, retrieve news about recent events, and much more.

Some other examples of what the new Bing can do include finding detailed instructions for how to substitute eggs for another ingredient in a cake you are baking right at that moment, without scrolling through multiple results. Microsoft also demoed Bing creating an itinerary for each day of a five-day trip to Mexico City.

The updated Edge browser, meanwhile, comes with new Chat and Compose features. The former lets users summarize web pages and ask questions about their contents, while the latter helps generate the likes of emails and social media posts.

Microsoft is using an upgraded version of the GPT 3.5 language model that powers OpenAI's ChatGPT in the new Bing and Edge. The company says this "Prometheus" model is more powerful than the famous chatbot and is better able to answer search queries.

The chatbot revolution continues today when Google reveals more details of its rival AI tool, Bard, during its Live from Paris event, starting at 8:30 am ET / 5:30 am PT. Chinese search giant Baidu is also releasing its own ChatGPT-style service, called Ernie, in March.
A hot potato: The meteoric rise of generative artificial intelligence over the last few months might be exciting for big companies looking to cash in, but it's also giving rise to fears about how the technology will impact a broad range of jobs, with everything from lawyers and coders to creators and teachers potentially under threat. One industry that's also worried about AI is that of voice actors, many of whom are now being asked to sign away the rights to their voices so they can be digitally generated; a technique that could replace the actors themselves.

Being able to generate actors' voices has allowed the creation of shows and movies that wouldn't have been possible years ago. James Earl Jones, for example, gave his blessing to an artificial recreation of the Darth Vader voice, a role he has occupied for 45 years, in the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi series, making his vocals sound like they did in 1977. And Director Joseph Kosinski said the voice of Iceman was digitally altered for clarity in Top Gun: Maverick due to actor Val Kilmer's medical condition.

But the use of AI in the voice industry has a less positive side. More actors are now under contractual obligation to sign away the rights to their voices, sometimes without compensation, writes Motherboard. The publication notes that many companies now offer voice cloning, generating, or synthesizing services for prices as low as $30 per month. A few websites offer this service by just uploading recordings, making it possible to synthesize a voice without the owner's consent.

Fryda Wolff, who has voiced games that include Apex Legends, said, "game developers, animation studios, and perhaps even commercial clients could get away with squeezing more performances out of me through feeding my voice to AI, using these generated performances, and then never compensating me for use of my 'likeness,' never mind informing my agency that this was done."

Tim Friedlander, president and founder of the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA), said that contracts that allow producers to synthesize actors' voices, often without extra compensation, are now "very prevalent," and the actors sometimes don't realize that these clauses have been added. Occasionally, those that object are told they won't be hired without agreeing to the terms.

While Hollywood stars are unlikely to feel the impact of their voices being generated digitally, those trying to break into the business and working full-time hours to make ends meet could suffer. "Those jobs are what will be lost to synthetic voices first and will damage a large part of the industry," said Friedlander.

Voice generation technology is improving all the time. Microsoft's voice AI tool, called Vall-E, can replicate a person's voice right down to their timbre and emotional tone after hearing just a three-second sample. Like Deepfakes, there's concern over the potential misuse of these tools, such as impersonating politicians or tricking people into believing they are talking to family, friends, or officials and handing over sensitive data.

SungWon Cho, a game and animation voice actor who also uses the name ProZD, summed up many actors' feelings. "I'm completely against it. Synthesizing a voice takes the soul and spontaneity out of a real-life performance." He added "I can only hope that synthetic voices just go away entirely, but at the very least, actors should be given the option to not agree to their use."

Masthead: Ociacia
Why it matters: One of the most significant changes we are seeing Hollywood is the increased use of de-aging technology. This can make actors look much younger on screen, to the point where they could play characters several decades younger than they are. This shift is changing not only how films are made, but also how actors are cast. Furthermore, it can help create a more believable and compelling story for the audience.

The characters we see on screen usually adhere to the laws of space and time. For example, when a director wants to show a scene from the protagonist's childhood, they will typically cast a child actor who looks similar to the adult version of the character. But what if an adult character needs to appear as they did in their youth? That's where de-aging technology comes into play.

Hollywood A-lister Harrison Ford has undergone a digital makeover for his role in the upcoming film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He is not the only performer to receive a digital makeover with AI's help, though. Here, a film by Robert Zemeckis will feature Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and other cast members playing younger versions of themselves.

Notably, until a certain point, makeup artists were responsible for all the best actor makeovers. One of the earliest technologies that made it possible to alter an actor's age was cosmetics. Movies were formerly made on grainy film, which helped conceal makeup trickery. The viewer could not discern the subtle details of an actor's face in vintage film movies because the resolution level was lower. But makeup is no longer an option with today's digital and high-resolution filmmaking.

The de-aging of an actor has come a long way since the days of prosthetics and wigs. This was notably seen in Kurt Russell's scene in the second Guardians of the Galaxy film. His rejuvenated appearance was so believable that viewers didn't even realize it was CGI. Other have somewhat failed in their attempt, like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, where the de-aging ended up being distracting to many in the audience.

When you see de-aged actors in movies, you're usually seeing the result of some intense CGI animation and visual effects. Actors are filmed with tiny markers attached to their faces to create a realistic de-aged look. This allows editors to create a 3D version of the head that is then synchronized with the movements of the actor's head. Finally, "patches" from a cloud of points are added to the skin of the original image to give it a more youthful appearance.

De-ageing has been met with mixed reviews thus far. Some contend that it would be preferable to de-age Harrison Ford than cast a different actor in one of his iconic roles, others believe there is no justification for an individual to be 80 years old and yet appear to be in their 40s.

At present, de-aging technology is still quite expensive. Only big Hollywood studios can afford to use it. A digital head model costs approximately one million dollars, and each frame with its animation can cost anywhere from thirty to a hundred thousand dollars, depending on its complexity.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

WTF?! For the past few years, Microsoft has been accused of regularly violating user privacy. Compared to the classic NT-based systems, Windows 10 and especially Windows 11 are two completely different beasts in this regard.

How much data is a Windows operating system sending to online servers? According to a recent video from The PC Security Channel (TPCSC, via Neowin), the most up-to-date version of the Redmond OS is a real "talker" when it comes to telemetry and other data about users' preferences and online behavior.

Titled, "Has Windows become Spyware?," the video describes how live capture sessions can show online communication between Windows and external servers. The video creator used Wireshark, a well-known (and free) network protocol analyzer useful to see what is happening on a network "at a microscopic level."

Using Wireshark to check what a freshly-installed copy of Windows 11 was doing on a brand-new laptop, what they saw was eye-opening to say the least: just after the first boot, Windows 11 was quick to try and reach third-party servers with absolutely no prior user permission or intervention.

By using a Wireshark filter to analyze DNS traffic, TPCSC found that Windows 11 was connecting to many online services provided by Microsoft including MSN, the Bing search engine and Windows Update. Many third-party services were present as well, as Windows 11 had seemingly important things to say to the likes of Steam, McAfee, and Comscore ScorecardResearch.com, which is a market research effort that "studies and reports on Internet trends and behavior."

Many of the Windows 11 initial DNS queries where designed to provide "telemetry" data to market research companies, advertising providers and even geolocation-related domains like geo.prod.do with no permission or web browsing activity needed. The latest and greatest in the Windows line of operating systems is seemingly designed to "spy" anyone and everything from the get-go, TPCSC suggests.

As a comparison, or perhaps as a critical note about the current state of privacy in the Windows ecosystem, the YouTube channel tried the same packet-sniffing activity via Wireshark on Windows XP, which was first released in 2001.

According to their analysis, Windows XP doesn't even know what the word "telemetry" means: the first DNS traffic from the freshly-installed OS was to try and contact the Windows Update service, and that's all. No market research, no browsing tracking, nothing at all.

Some people are trying to justify Windows 11's behavior as the lesser evil in a technology world full of third-party services and online features that need to be fed data to work as intended. Answering to comments on the video, TPCSC is still warning the most knowledgeable and privacy-aware users that even when telemetry is turned off via third-party utilities, Windows 11 is still "sending things" online.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

The big picture: Among the many alternative solutions to traditional lithium-ion batteries, researchers are experimenting with lithium-air designs. A new innovation in the space could solve many of the issues previously exhibited by this technology.

A new paper published in Science describes the chemistry behind a novel lithium-air battery, an innovative design which could potentially provide way more energy density than traditional li-ion battery technology. It could serve as a real breakthrough for the battery market and a possible revolution for transportation and heavy-duty vehicles such as airplanes, trains and even submarines.

The new battery can sustain more than 1,000 recharge cycles with just a small five percent drop in energy efficiency and zero impact on coulombic efficiency. This means that all the initial battery material was still active, with no irreversible side reactions during the charge/recharge cycles.

The design conceived by researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology uses a solid electrolyte based on a ceramic-polyethylene oxide composite, which is safer and more efficient compared to liquid electrolytes. Ceramic and polymer materials used as solid electrolytes have their own downsides when used separately but when combined, they can provide both the high ionic conductivity of ceramic and the high stability of the polymer.

The composite electrolyte was able to work at room temperature, a first for lithium-air batteries. According to Mohammad Asadi, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Illinois Tech, the solid-state electrolyte "contributes around 75 percent of the total energy density." There is still room for further improvement and by minimizing the thickness without compromising performance, the new design could achieve a "very, very high" energy density.

The lithium-air battery could potentially store one kilowatt-hour per kilogram or higher, which is four times greater than current lithium-ion technology. A lithium-air battery based on lithium oxide (Li2O) formation, the Science article says, can theoretically deliver an energy density that is "comparable to that of gasoline."

Going forward, Asadi plans to work with private industry partners to try and optimize the design for manufacturing. The researcher says the new technological breakthrough has opened "a big window of possibility" to actually bring lithium-air batteries to the market.
February already started, and as much as it is "Love Month" and filled with the color Red, there is another event that takes place from the start of this month until the end of April called National Green Week. It is a holiday observed in the United States and what makes it unique is that it does not have a specific timeline to celebrate its festivities.

The main goal of National Green Week is to promote sustainability, particularly in schools and among the youth, to focus on a more sustainable future and promote the three R's.

National Green Week: When Is It Commemorated?

(Photo : Nareeta Martin on Unsplash)

National Today said that the United States National Green Week starts this February and ends on April 30, and that is two months' worth of having a week-long event in one institution. From February to the end of April, schools may commemorate Green Week at any period, and it aims to spread awareness and instill care for the environment.

It also aims to imbue a lasting attitude toward the Earth's care, one that could teach and influence the youth in taking care of the planet and everything that comes with it.

National Green Week also aims to repurpose the famous three R's that is taught to students, focusing on the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle waste campaign.

Read Also: What Are The Biggest Contributors to Carbon Emissions?

What is Happening During the Green Week?

According to the Green Education Foundation, the goal is to give importance to creating a sustainable future among the youth, who will soon be the inheritors of the land in the coming generations. This yearly tradition may help in reminding them that taking care of the environment is a responsibility, not an obligation or chore.

There are several activities prepared by schools for Green Week, and they all center on teaching children to be environmentally cautious and sustainable.

Environmental Awareness and Care

The world should be looking into being environmentally aware, and everyone should be advocates for preserving or taking care of the natural resources that are still available in the world. Moreover, after using or sourcing from this, everyone should also learn to replace what they have taken to help replenish the planet and bring it back to its former glory.

Studies and developments are already looking into creating new opportunities for the world to heal and it is through sustainable developments or applications for different industries.

There is one company called Heliatek that developed ultrathin panels that it may apply for buildings to act as the receiver for the Sun's power, and generate electricity for the entire structure.

There is also one company that repurposed concrete blocks, and instead of contributing to carbon emissions, it collects and processes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to reduce its abundance.

Many startups and companies are already looking into creating sustainable innovations for the world to use, and there are significant and promising ones already available.

However, it should start even on a small scale, and it is possible to even for those who are only starting to learn or begin their life's journey here on the planet, with the National Green Week serving as a reminder to help make the world better.

Related Article: World's Largest Electrolyzer, Hydrogen Power Plant Will be Built Soon in South Australia

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
We are celebrating Safer Internet Day on February 7, 2023, Tuesday, to promote a more secure and safer experience while browsing online.

With the ever-growing popularity of technology these days, more and more folks out there are relying on the internet in their day-to-day lives. And as such, the dangers online are also increasing rapidly.

So, we need, now more than ever, to collectively ensure that our online experience remains secured. And that is where "Safer Internet Day" comes in. But what is it all about?

(Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - MARCH 07: Lt. Mike Baute from Florida's Child Predator CyberCrime Unit talks with people on instant messenger during the unveiling of a new CyberCrimes office March 7, 2008 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Safer Internet Day: What is it For?

Safer Internet Day.org states that it has been an annual campaign to promote a more secure online experience.

In fact, this year's Safer Internet Day 2023 campaign is its 20th edition.

As per the SaferInternet.org United Kingdom, it all began in 2004 as the European Union SafeBorders kicked off the project nearly two decades ago.

And since then, the campaign has grown exponentially, expanding to roughly 180 territories in various parts of the world.

The key objective of the campaign is to spread utmost awareness of prevalent issues hounding our internet experience, such as cyberbullying and online addiction.

Raising the necessary awareness on these issues should help online folks better protect themselves from looming harm while browsing the internet.

How to Celebrate Safer Internet Day

But how can we get ourselves involved?

(Photo : GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

A man plays a computer game at an internet cafe in Beijing on September 10, 2021, days after Chinese officials summoned gaming enterprises including Tencent and NetEase, the two market leaders in China's multi-billion-dollar gaming scene, to discuss further curbs on the industry.

Take Time to Educate Yourself

Now that you took time to learn what the Safer Internet Day is all about, the next step is to learn more about the current issues online.

Safer Internet Day.org offers tons of resources that focus on various issues, including tools to prevent falling into scams and educational materials for keeping the internet safer.

Some content further gives us a glimpse of how bad the current issues are, including online sexual child abuse.

Join the Online Discussions

One way to celebrate Safer Internet Day 2023 is to join the discussions on various social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Safer Internet Day.org notes that participants may use or check out the official hashtags of this year's campaign, the #SID2023 and #SaferInternetDay.

Read Also: Stay Safe Online: Essential Tips to Protect Your Information and Online Activity

Spread Awareness

Given that Safer Internet Day seeks to spread awareness of pressing issues online, it would be a great opportunity to spread the word on promoting the campaign.

You may use the hashtags, #SID2023 and #SaferInternetDay to tell your friends and family members about it on your social media platforms.

Related Article: Instagram 'Take a Break': How to Use it to Balance Social Media Use

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Bill Gates admits that artificial intelligence (AI) progress excites him amid the emergence of the ChatGPT chatbot in a recent interview with Forbes Magazine.

The Microsoft co-founder has consistently expressed his fascination for the prospects of AI through the years. And now that it is starting to make significant progress, he could not help but express his excitement for it.

(Photo : Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 07: Bill Gates speaks onstage at the TIME100 Summit 2022 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on June 7, 2022 in New York City.

Bill Gates Says AI, ChatGPT Progress 'Excites' Him

Gates recently sat down in an exclusive interview with Forbes where he spoke about AI and the partnership between OpenAI and the firm that he co-founded, Microsoft.

Interesting Engineering reports that Gates admitted that the current progress in AI excites him. He told Forbes during the interview that "the progress [in AI] has gotten me quite excited."

It is worth noting that Gates' Microsoft is one of the early investors of OpenAI, the firm that brought us the ChatGPT chatbot today.

The business magnate went on to talk about the possibilities that ChatGPT might offer in our day-to-day lives. He offers that the potential of the AI-powered chatbot is "pretty fantastic."

(Photo : NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Illustration picture shows the ChatGPT artificial intelligence software, which generates human-like conversation, Friday 03 February 2023 in Lierde.

Gates says that the possibilities for the chatbot include being a "math tutor [that is] available to inner city students."

Not only that, he offered that it might also give "medical advice [that is] available to people in Africa who during their life, generally [would not] ever get to see a doctor."

Despite that, Gates admits that ChatGPT "is truly imperfect." He goes on to argue that "nobody suggests it [does not] make mistakes, and [it is] not very intuitive."

But the Microsoft co-founder notes that it looks like the chatbot also knows when it makes mistakes. In one instance, when they were training the AI with Sudoku and it got the wrong answer. The chatbot surprisingly blurted out "oh, I mistyped."

Read Also: Bill Gates Looks Down on Elon Musk's Tesla Semi and Electric Airplanes Despite Being Known to Drive a Model X

ChatGPT is as Important as PC or the Internet, Bill Gates Says

Meanwhile, Gates recently pointed out how important ChatGPT is these days.

The billionaire says that chatbots emerging nowadays, such as the ChatGPT, are as important as what PC and the internet have become.

(Photo : Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 03: Bill Gates discusses his new book 'How To Prevent The Next Pandemic' onstage at 92Y on May 03, 2022 in New York City.

As per a report by Business Insider, the philanthropist says that "this is every bit as important as the PC, as the internet." He likens the prospective impact of AI to humankind to them.

The online news outlet further highlighted the unprecedented growth of ChatGPT.

And to put it into perspective, the AI chatbot surpasses trending apps like TikTok with more than 100 million monthly active users in the first month of 2023. It should be noted that its impressive user base comes two months after it debuted in late 2022.

Related Article: Bill Gates Believes AI is the Next Big Tech Shift, Rather than Metaverse

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Qualcomm is the brand behind the Snapdragon chips and is known for developing some of the best chips for mobile phones and other devices. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the successor to the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which was first released nearly two years ago.

Upgraded Architecture & Improved Graphics Processing Power: What to Expect From the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

This process is a powerful chip and powers some of the most popular Android phones. Now, the company is preparing to launch the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, surpassing its predecessor by a wide margin.

According to the story by Giz China, the chip is rumored to have some amazing features and specs. According to reports, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will have an upgraded architecture and better graphics processing power.

A Three-Cluster Design - Combining a "1+5+2" Structure

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is expected to power the upcoming flagship Android phones from different brands. Qualcomm is ready to take the mobile processor market by storm again with the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, per My Driver.

Leaks have been promising, and the latest information suggests that the new SoC will have increased performance and improved power efficiency by over 20%. The new processor is shaped by a three-cluster design, combining a "1+5+2" structure that features a Cortex X4, a main core, five power-efficient cores, and a set of two specialized cores for AI tasks.

Improvement in Performance per Watt of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

This design allows for better utilization of the SoC's resources and a noticeable improvement in performance per watt. An engineering sample of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has been tested under GeekBench, as seen on Notebook Check, and achieved impressive scores of 1930 on single-core and 6236 on multi-core tests.

This puts the SoC on par with the current generation of high-end mobile processors, which are noticeably more powerful than the previous generation. Qualcomm has yet to announce an official release date for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but rumors suggest that it should hit the market in the future.

Read Also: OnePlus Ace 2 Officially Revealed: Dedicated Processor 'SuperVooc S' Improves Efficiency

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: A Powerful Contender in the Mobile Processor Market

Until then, tech enthusiasts can only speculate about the processor and wait for the official reveal from Qualcomm. Given its impressive performance and improved power efficiency, this new processor will surely deliver a great desktop-like experience. With its fresh design and powerful specs, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is set to be a powerful contender in the mobile processor market.

As far as smartphone chips go, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is looking to be quite the catch. With an impressive GeekBench score of 1877 (single core) and 5447 (multi-core), it puts other chips like the Apple A16 Bionic SoC firmly in its wake.

Not only does the 8 Gen 3 offer amazing potential performance, but it can also deliver this power more efficiently for a longer-lasting battery life on your smartphone. As such, it is no surprise that even in an engineering sample, the chip is turning heads in the tech world.

Related Article: Qualcomm Says US Ban Won't Affect its Supplying Chips to Huawei: Snapdragon Unaffected

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Artificial intelligence is getting significant roles in different companies, and last January, there was an initiative by Codeword to try a new experience. It is by hiring AI interns for its workforce. These two AI interns are named Aiko and Aiden, with the program and software-based workers joining its staff in their day-to-day operations as a tech marketing company.

Codeword claims it is the first to do this in the world, and while other companies are looking into hiring human interns, it taps on technology to lend them a hand.

Codeword: Meet the New AI Interns Aiko and Aiden

(Photo : Codeword Blog Post)

A blog post from Codeword's Kyle Monson, co-founder of the digital marketing firm, introduced to the world their latest intern hires to the company, and it takes a turn towards the future. The company claimed that this move was a "world's first," with their roles starting last January 11.

Monson said that they had developed AIs to testing whether it should be a part of their staff, and employing these programs is cheaper and more efficient than human hires.

The duo of interns, Aiko and Aiden, are part of the company's "Winter 2023 Internship Class." One of their earliest assignments was to choose their names and design their looks.

The company's press release aims to see how human-AI collaborations would work with this experiment, hence the internship.

Read Also: China-based Tech Firms, Including Baidu and Alibaba, Join AI Chatbot Bandwagon

Experimenting with AI to Serve as Workers

Aiko would join the company's design team under Emilio Ramos, Codeword's Senior Art Director, with tasks including editing photos, icon design, and sketching. On the other hand, Aiden would be part of the marketing firm's editorial team under Senior Editor Terrence Doyle.

According to Doyle, these are all experimental, and they are currently looking into ChatGPT's language model and Midjourney AI's art generator for their tasks.

AI for Companies and Management

AI in the world today centers on technology and a deep-learning program that assists people in their daily tasks and lives without necessarily being physically present around humans. Although significant robotic developments utilize artificial intelligence to adapt to situations, most AI is still found in computer systems and software.

There is one significant addition to the workplace by a Hong Kong-based company called NetDragon Websoft, which centers on giving AI full authority to its operations, serving as its CEO. The AI named Ms. Tang Yu already serves as the top officer in NetDragon, and this was a significant leap towards entrusting AI with a massive tech company for its leadership.

Hong Kong may be one of the world's first to appoint AI as its CEO, but others debut their AI models to be part of the workplace in other aspects and also a pioneer in their rights. Codeword hired its new interns in January, and they are to serve under different teams with specific job roles or assignments already carried out by Aiko and Aiden.

Related Article: AI Race Between Google, Microsoft Worries Experts-Here's Why

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has become the fastest-growing tech app. With over 100 million active users, it has become the leading AI tool in the industry. The success of ChatGPT is not surprising.

ChatGPT: A Revolutionary AI Tool for Conversation Understanding and Responses

This AI tool can provide detailed responses to conversations based on text papers available online. It is even more impressive that ChatGPT ranks itself higher than existing AI tools like Xiaoai and Siri. Bill Gates, one of the world's most influential tech figures, has praised ChatGPT, claiming that its development is just as significant as the invention of the Internet and PCs.

The ability of ChatGPT to understand conversations and provide detailed responses has made it a powerful tool for businesses and individuals. The rapid development of ChatGPT is a testament to the power of AI technology.

Paving the Way for a New Era of AI-Powered Applications and Tools

According to the story by Giz China, this development will likely lead to further advancements in AI technology, paving the way for a new era of AI-powered applications and tools.

The Internet has undergone many changes over the last few years, but the introduction of AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is one of the most significant advancements. ChatGPT is a leading AI technology focused on Natural Language Processing (NLP), as explained further by IBM, and machine translation, also mentioned in an article by IT Home.

The Dangers of Relying on ChatGPT for Necessary Business Communications

With its capacity to complete simple tasks such as writing polite rejection letters and predicting the technology industry trend over the course of the next five years, ChatGPT has been met with praise from many within the tech industry. This praise, however, recognizes the problems that ChatGPT presents.

ChatGPT can do a stand-up job of expressing itself in a calm and positive way when it comes to writing basic letters, such as polite rejection letters. However, consistent use of the program could risk making even minor mistakes in highly formal letters.

Exploring the Potential Risks of Microsoft's ChatGPT

It's also possible that ChatGPT could be limited to more complex tasks where it's expected to have a better understanding of the complexities of the field to deliver a satisfactory result.

To assess the level of risk posed by ChatGPT, a new AI tool developed by Microsoft Research, the report from Giz China said they engaged in a Q&A session with the tool. The response was encouraging when asked whether it would lead to mass unemployment.

Read Also: Microsoft Launches AI-powered Bing Search Engine With ChatGPT Features

AI and Language Models Are Creating Job Opportunities, Not Taking Them Away, According to AI

Rather than predicting the end of employment opportunities, it noted that AI and language models could automate certain tasks while creating new job opportunities in areas such as development, maintenance, and training.

Given ChatGPT's encouraging response and the complexity of predicting the impact of AI on the job market, it is clear that AI and language models are not likely to cause mass unemployment anytime soon. Instead, the impact of these tools on employment will depend largely on other economic and technological trends and government policies.

Related Article: AI Race Between Google, Microsoft Worries Experts-Here's Why

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A former employee from Coinbase has already admitted his hands in a cryptocurrency insider trading scheme which he engaged in while still with the trading firm. Ishan Wahi used his position to help his brother and friend to gain advances when buying cryptocurrency, and the trio was able to generate more than $1.5 million in their scheme.

Sharing insider trading secrets is a crime, as it puts an unfair advantage on those familiar with the happenings against those who buy it without intricate market knowledge from a company.

Coinbase's Former Manager Admits to Crypto Insider Trading Charges

(Photo : CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Reuters' report, Wahi already admitted to the insider trading charges against him in US courts, with the incident happening on more than 14 occasions with the former employee. His actions were done during his tenure at Coinbase, a famous crypto trading firm worldwide, a company from Bryan Armstrong.

Wahi leveraged his position to share insider trading information with his brother, Nikhil Wahi, and friend, Sammer Ramani.

Wahi is now facing 36 to 47 months of prison for his crimes, and his sentencing will happen in May. On the other hand, his brother, Nikhil Wahi, also admitted to wire conspiracy fraud charges against his name last September 2022 and is now facing ten months in prison.

Read Also: CryptoWatch: What's the Latest Prices of the Coins? Premiere League's NFT Fantasy Game, and MORE

Wahi, Accomplices Generated More Than $1.5 Million in Scheme

Engadget reported that the Wahi brothers and their co-conspirator, Ramani, have gained more than $1.5 million in ill-gotten wealth from the insider secrets the ex-Coinbase employee obtained.

Their scheme gave them an upper hand on which coins to purchase, particularly those that Coinbase would add to their list, resulting in a higher value and increasing their investments.

Insider Trading is a Massive Crime in the Country

There are various cases of insider trading, and it spans different industries present in the world. One of the main reasons is to gain an edge over the competition or the market and generate more money in the end. Since cryptocurrency started, there have been several insider trading charges against executives and part of the industry, with one case on OpenSea.

This gives the insider an unfair advantage, and it does not matter who they share it with, whether for personal gain or their friends and family.

Of course, this is not isolated in the cryptocurrency industry alone, as there is a significant one against a Big Tech company, from a Meta investor, who accused Mark Zuckerberg of this illicit action. There was also a lawsuit against the billionaire and CEO of the company, who leveraged his position for gains.

The cryptocurrency industry is full of information and data that may help analyze the market to find the best and most profitable coin to invest in and grow their money to great heights. However, it is still unacceptable to get help from people within the trading firms, as Wahi exhibited in the past, using his position as a manager on Coinbase to get ahead.

Related Article: Crypto Market Manipulation Should Be Criminally Punishable, NFTs Should Be Taxed-South Korean Regulators

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Vivo has a knack for introducing devices in different markets with rebrand receptions, and it looks like they're at it again. After the highly-acclaimed Vivo S16 series launched in December last year, Vivo is set to launch the global variant of the Chinese offering under the Vivo V27 series.

Introducing the Vivo V27 5G - A Rebranded Version of the S16 Series

According to the story by Giz China, Vivo recently made headlines when the Chinese electronics company launched its Vivo S16 series in December. Now, the company is bringing the Vivo V27 5G to the public, a rebranded version of the S16 series, to join its V-series family.

According to the story by Giz China, which showed the recent listing on the Geekbench website, the Vivo V27 5G comes with impressive specs, suggesting that this phone will be a great addition to the V-series lineup. The Vivo V27 5G has the model number V2246, and it runs on Android 13, with Funtouch OS 13 running atop.

Vivo V27 5G Rumored to Have 12 GB RAM and mid-range MediaTek Chipset

Geekbench score revealed 845 points in single-core tests and 2,217 points in multi-core tests, as also noted in an article by GSM Arena. This suggests that its equipped with MediaTek's mid-range processor and a Mali-G610 MC4 GPU.

Furthermore, the listing revealed that the Vivo V27 5G would have 12 GB of RAM. Vivo has offered a species of the V27 model, even coming in 4G and 5G versions, with S16e likely to be rebranded as Vivo V27e 5G.

Vivo V27 5G Specs Include 120Hz Refresh Rate and 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED Screen

While the Vivo V27 5G specs may not be as impressive as its S16 counterpart, featuring the Snapdragon 870 instead, this model will still have notable specs fans have grown to appreciate from Vivo's V-series. This includes a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution, a centered punch-hole cutout, and a 120Hz refresh rate.

An impressive lineup of cameras, a 50-Megapixel selfie camera with auto-focus, a 64-Megapixel main camera with OIS, an 8-Megapixel ultrawide, and 2-Megapixel macro sensors. As well as a 4,600 mAh battery with 66W charging and other features such as Wi-Fi 6, NFC, and Bluetooth.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy S23 Feature: Bypass Battery, Run on Direct Charging Power via Game Booster-How?

Unveiling the Vivo V27: Expansion of Vivo's V-Series Lineup

The Vivo V27 5G has promising specs, with impressive features that appeal to visuals and performance. After the success of its Vivo X90 series, Vivo looks to expand its V-series with this upcoming model further, appealing to a new generation of smartphone buyers and providing them with a phone that can perform and look good at the same time.

With the launch of the Vivo X90 series in February, the company is adding more offerings that span the low, mid, and upper mid-range segments. That being said, unveiling the Vivo V27 series is around the corner, as further explained in an article by My Smart Price.

Related Article: Apple iPhone Reverse Wireless Charging Still in the Works, Report Says

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
ByteDance is currently testing its food delivery service for the Douyin app soon. The company behind TikTok says that it will be launching in select major cities in China.

Douyin is Entering the Food Delivery Venture

According to a report by Pandaily, Douyin will conduct internal testing in three big Chinese cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Beijing.

As per ByteDance's spokesperson, Douyin will pilot the early trials which will involve merchants in the said cities. They will be the first to try "food delivery services for group purchasing."

It's expected that Douyin will roll out several trials in other pilot cities in the future. ByteDance remains tight-lipped about the particular schedule of the test at the moment.

"We would consider expanding the feature to more cities in the future depending on the testing results. There is no detailed timeline yet," the company's representative said.

Douyin Aims to Compete With Alibaba and Meituan

This is not the first time that we heard of ByteDance's attempt to enter the food delivery sector in China. Back in July 2022, the tech giant announced that it wanted to penetrate the market to compete with Meituan and Alibaba.

At that time, Douyin considered introducing the feature for businesses that wanted to receive "group-purchased" goods during emergencies.

With COVID-19 cases still hitting the region, Chinese authorities have to remain strict in implementing the health protocols and policies in the country.

As such, users should ditch going to restaurants in some cities to avoid the spread of the virus. With the inclusion of Douyin's food delivery service, they could now order food without sacrificing their health and safety outside.

Related Article: ByteDance's Douyin Launches Ride-Hailing Services to Earn Profit in Local Sector

New Food Delivery Business Model

In another report by CNBC, ByteDance will be using a different business model for its food delivery venture. It will be different from Alibaba and Meituan's food delivery services.

According to a research firm IMARC Group, ByteDance wants to dip its toes in the market to potentially snag the limelight from the existing food delivery giants.

In 2022, the market sits at $66.4 billion. This alone is enough for other companies to invest in this food delivery business.

Earlier in January 2023, ByteDance reportedly axed hundreds of workers in China. As part of the company's plans to cut operating and labor costs, it decided to streamline its operations via a quick layoff.

The termination of the staff affected nearly 10% of the workforce inside ByteDance. This decision is also said to be connected to the discontinued support for Feishu, a popular communication tool that was formerly dubbed "Lark."

According to an anonymous source, those laid-off employees will receive compensation that is equivalent to their yearly wage (with an extra one-month salary).

Read Also: ByteDance's Chinese TikTok Version Accused by Cantonese-Speaking Streamers of Premature Content Take Downs

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
UN experts claimed in a new report that North Korean government-affiliated hackers stole record-breaking virtual assets valued between $630 million and more than $1 billion in 2022, according to a report by AP on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Sophisticated Methods

The report stated that hackers were employing more sophisticated methods than ever to break into digital networks of cyberfinance and steal data from enterprises, governments, and private citizens that may be valuable to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile projects.



The experts note that the country is still breaking UN sanctions by creating more nuclear material and ramping up its ballistic missile program.



The panel estimated that North Korea launched 73 ballistic missiles and missiles with ballistic and guidance technologies in 2022, including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).



Additionally, 42 launches were made in the final four months of 2022, including tests of a new solid-fueled ICBM engine and an allegedly novel type of ICBM.



An anonymous cybersecurity company said in the report that North Korea's cybercrime led to more than $1 billion worth of stolen virtual assets, which is more than double the total assets in 2021.



The experts also noted that the three groups that make up the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the country's main foreign intelligence agency, continued to target victims to create revenue and solicit valuable information for North Korea including its weapons projects.



The three groups mentioned in the report were the Lazarus Group, Kimsuky, and Andariel.

The Lazarus Group allegedly targeted energy companies in several member states between February and July 2022, taking advantage of a vulnerability to set up malware and gain access to their data.



The report said that it "aligns with historical Lazarus intrusions targeting critical infrastructure and energy companies ... to siphon off proprietary intellectual property," quoted by AP.

Read also: North Korean State-Sponsored Hackers Have Been Attacking Healthcare Providers Since 2021 - US Authorities Warn

$1.2 Billion Worth of Bitcoin and other Virtual Assets

UN's report follows South Korea's spy agency claiming in December that North Korean hackers plundered over 1.5 trillion won ($1.2 billion) worth of bitcoin and several virtual assets in the past five years.



The sanctioned country has allegedly resorted to cybercrimes following the UN's strengthened economic sanctions in 2017 due to its nuclear and missile tests, as per South's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS).



The 2016 to 2017 UN sanctions prohibited North Korea from exporting products such as coal, textile, and many more. It also prompted member states to send North Koreans working abroad back to their home country.



The NIS estimates that since 2017, state-sponsored North Korean hackers have stolen virtual assets valued at $1.2 billion ($1.5 trillion) worldwide, including $800 billion ($626 million) in 2022 alone.



NIS also claimed that more than 100 billion won ($78 million) worth of stolen assets came from South Korea.

Related Article: North Korean Hackers Target Social Media Accounts of Security Researchers, Social Media Cybercrime Comes to Light

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A suspected Chinese spy balloon was ordered by US President Joe Biden to be taken down off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after reportedly flying over sensitive military locations on Sunday, Feb. 5.

The US Navy shot down the balloon and dropped it down from a height of 60,00 feet so that it would not pose unnecessary risks to civilians on the ground.

Now, we get a closer look at how the aircraft was taken down after the US Fleet Forces Command shared images of the balloon's debris on its official Facebook page.

EODGRU 2

The takedown operation was given to sailors of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Group 2 (EODGRU 2). The Navy said that this is a crucial part of its Expeditionary Combat Force that is tasked with clearing explosive hazards to provide access to denied areas.

They are responsible for securing the undersea domain to ensure freedom of movement, build relationships with trusted partners, and protect the country in general.

"At the direction of the President of the United States and with the full support of the Government of Canada, US fighter aircraft under US Northern Command authority engaged and brought down a high altitude surveillance balloon within sovereign US airspace and over US territorial waters Feb. 4, 2023," the Navy wrote in its Facebook post.

"Active duty, Reserve, National Guard, and civilian personnel planned and executed the operation, and partners from the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration, and Federal Bureau of Investigation ensured public safety throughout the operation and recovery efforts. "

Read also: US Navy's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Will Serve as a Game-Changing 'Digital Quarterback' Aircraft for Military Missions

Flying White Object

The flying white object was spotted Saturday morning on Feb. 4 as it traveled toward the Atlantic coast over South Carolina's coast. According to senior defense officials, an F-22 fighter jet's missile took down the balloon while it was around six nautical miles off the coast near Myrtle Beach.

The debris was spread for nearly seven miles and fell in water about 47 feet deep. Officials reported that the recovery activities were finished in just a few days.

US defense officials said that the balloon first traveled to the US air defense zone north of the Aleutian Islands on January 28. After that, it crossed over land across Alaska before reaching Canadian airspace in the Northwest Territories.

Biden was immediately briefed about the balloon sighting and the White House said that it returned to US territory over northern Idaho on Jan. 30.

The balloon was once again spotted on Feb. 1 over Montana where Malmstrom Air Force Base is located and houses several nuclear missile silos.

The balloon's sighting stoked further division between the US and China. It also came at a time when Secretary of State Antony Blinken delayed a diplomatic trip to Beijing.

China responded to the takedown saying that it reserved the right to take action and accused the US of committing a "violation of international practice."

Related Article: US Navy's Anti-Hypersonic Missile Energy Systems Now Being Developed; Efficient Against Chinese, Russian Rockets?

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A mysterious Russian satellite disintegrated in orbit last month, producing a cloud of space debris that may stay in orbit for some time, as per Space.com's report on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

85 Pieces of Space Debris

The US Space Force's 18th Space Defense Squadron (18th SDS) said in a tweet that the Kosmos 2499 broke apart on the night of Jan. 3 and that they are currently tracking 85 associated pieces at 1169 km altitude.



This cloud of space debris is orbiting 1,169 kilometers (726 miles) above Earth, which is so far away that it will likely take a century or more for the atmosphere to pull it down, according to Space.com.



According to Anatoly Zak of RussianSpaceWeb.com, the satellite was carried into Earth orbit by a Russian Rockot spacecraft in May 2014 together with three Rodnik military communications satellites.



Zak noted that Kosmos 2499 was initially categorized by American satellite trackers as a piece of debris designated Object E even though it was not formally listed on the launch manifest. The Rockot's Briz-M upper stage was then seemingly in danger when the debris started to maneuver.



The US ultimately designated Object E as Kosmos 2499 towards the end of October 2014 after reclassifying it as a payload rather than a fragment.



According to Oleg Ostapenko, the former head of Russia's government space agency Roscosmos, the satellites were created in collaboration with the Russian Academy of Sciences and utilized for peaceful objectives.



Ostapenko merely stated that the mission was completed and declined to elaborate on more details about the mission.

Read also: US Space Force Levels Up its Space Security with Space Delta 18, Triggered by China and Russia's Anti-Satellite Capabilities

Space Debris Problem

In 2022, the International Space Station (ISS) performed several maneuvers to prevent it from interacting with a Russian space brought on by a satellite weapon test in 2021.



The quantity of Starlink internet satellites that SpaceX launches has also drawn criticism, prompting astronomers to organize a protest against the company's launch procedures.



According to NASA, there are currently more than 500,000 objects in orbit that are 1 cm to 10 cm in diameter and about 25,000 pieces that are larger than 10 cm. These fragments cross orbit at speeds up to 33,000 mph, which is faster than a bullet.



The US Global Surveillance Network is also keeping an eye on 30,000 objects larger than 4 inches (10 cm) in Earth orbit. Furthermore, the European Space Agency (ESA) one million particles are currently circling the globe at a speed of 0.4 inches (1 cm).

Related Article: Elon Musk SpaceX Starship Could Clean Space Junk Going to Mars, Why Should We Care About Space Junk And How Does He Plan To Do It?

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A group of Russian cybercriminals who previously deployed the WhisperGate malware is now back with another campaign.

According to cybersecurity experts, the same crew of hackers is now spreading new data-stealing malware to Ukrainian organizations.

Russian Hackers Launch Graphiron Campaign

According to a blog post by Symantec's Threat Hunter Team on Wednesday, Feb. 8, the TA471 group which is said to have originated from Russia is currently operating across North America and Europe.

This state-sponsored group of Russian hijackers continues their mission to hit Ukrainian entities in a series of malware campaigns.

Initially, it was linked to WhisperGate which first hit Ukraine in January 2022. This shape-shifting malware might be seen as simple ransomware by unsuspected victims.

Symantec confirms that the same group behind WhisperGate is now deploying a new form of data-wiping malware to the same country. The so-called "Graphiron" is hitting Ukrainian systems from October 2022 until mid-January 2023.

This dangerous malware can wipe out the system's files and infect all of its content, according to security analysts.

Related Article: Russia and Iran State-Linked Hackers Are Increasingly Attacking Politicians, Journalists - UK Cybersecurity Center Alleges

Graphiron Disguises Itself as Microsoft Office File

In another report by TechCrunch, Graphiron works by disguising itself as a Microsoft Office file on a computer. After masking the said data-stealing malware as GrimPlant or GraphSteel, it will obtain more data in the system such as the SSH keys and several screenshots.

"That information could be useful in itself from an intelligence perspective, or it could be used to penetrate deeper into the targeted organization or to launch destructive attacks," Symantec Threat Hunter Team's principal intelligence analyst Dick'O Brien said in an interview with TechCrunch.

To date, TA471 is still using this information-stealing malware in their campaigns pointed at the Ukrainian government and computers.

Ukraine is not only battling with TA471 spies. Actually, the country is also fighting UAC-0010, another known Russian group of hackers that are receiving support from the government.

State-sponsored hackers are observed to be increasing in numbers each year as authorities crack down on people who sell their products on the dark web.

The State Cyber Protection Center of Ukraine says that more cybercriminal groups are getting smarter with their methods of deploying malware. Some variants now bypass their security gates and become undetected even with extra security protection.

For Ukrainian officials, improving the overall cybersecurity of the country is an utmost priority to address this year. Companies and organizations lose millions of dollars in revenue with each strike of these Russian groups.

Meanwhile, a notorious hacker from Russia has pleaded guilty in the US because of money laundering cases, per The Hacker News.

The authorities learned that the 30-year-old Denis Mihaqlovic Dubnikov was connected to the Ryuk ransomware attacks. He will be sentenced on April 11, 2023.

Read Also: Ukraine's Strong' Cyber Defense Succeeds in Slowing Down Russian Hackers, According to UK Cybersecurity Chief

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A new deep learning algorithm that can detect signs of depression from a person's speech has recently been developed by researchers at the Jinhua Advanced Research Institute and Harbin University of Science and Technology, MedicalXpress reports.

This new artificial intelligence technology could be a significant step toward reducing the number of suicides and other complications by making it easier for medical professionals to identify patients who require assistance with their mental health.

AI to Tackle Depression

AI tools are quickly making their way into healthcare, and computer scientists are looking into how these tools might be able to spot signs of physical and mental illnesses.

One of the most widespread psychiatric disorders is depression. According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 6 adults will experience depression at some point in their lives.

Each year, an additional 16 million American adults suffer from depression as a result of this. Anybody can experience depression, and it can strike at any age or in any type of person.

Meanwhile, the WHO notes that depression is a common illness worldwide, affecting an estimated 3.8% of the population, including 5.0% of adults and 5.7% of adults over the age of 60. Depression affects approximately 280 million people worldwide.

Read Also: Will Google Bard, Microsoft Bing ChatGPT End SEO? Here's How They Could Change Marketing

As an answer to this sobering reality, a new deep-learning algorithm that can detect signs of depression from a person's speech has recently been developed by researchers.

How the Algorithm Works

The researchers used the DAIC-WOZ dataset, a collection of audio and 3D facial expressions of patients with and without depression, to train their deep-learning model.

Researchers Han Tian, Zhang Zhu, and Xu Jing stated in their paper that "a multi-information joint decision algorithm model is established by means of emotion recognition." The model is used to analyze the subjects' representative data and to help determine whether the subjects are depressed or not.

A virtual agent asked the interviewee about their life and mood and recorded their voice and facial expressions as they answered questions.

Using OpenSmile, an open-source tool for interpreting speech and music, the researchers took important parts of the audio recordings and put them through principal component analysis.

The deep learning algorithm worked well in tests. It was able to spot depression in 87% of male patients and in 87.5% of female patients.

This encouraging result might serve as a catalyst for the creation of similar AI tools for spotting symptoms of other psychiatric disorders in speech, which would be a helpful addition to the toolkit for human psychiatrists and other medical professionals.

The creation of this deep learning algorithm could be a big step forward in the fight against depression and other mental illnesses.

By letting doctors make more accurate and earlier diagnoses, this technology could help people in need and lower the number of people who kill themselves.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: This Robot Replicates AI Art Generators by Painting Artworks Based on Text Inputs

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Archaeologists found the oldest workshop for the production of obsidian bifaces dating back to over 1.2 million years ago. It was located at Melka Kuntera, a rich site for archaeological deposits marked by a unique set of flora and fauna, as per a press release from the Sapienza University of Rome.

Oldest Known Production Workshop

The research team was headed by Margherita Mussi, a lecturer at the Department of Ancient World Studies. They discovered at a Simbiro site in Melka Kuntere a small cliff that has five visible archaeological levels of the Acheulean from more than 1,200,000 years ago.

Acheulean is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacturing most noted for its unique oval and pear-shaped hand axes. It is the first standardized tradition of toolmaking headed by the Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens.



One of the levels that the research team found highlighted an astounding amount of obsidian bifaces and flakes derived from human production.

A close examination of the bifaces reveals that they are highly standardized. This suggests they were created by skilled hands that produced large chips and retouched them to maintain constant and repeated shapes even though obsidian is not an easy object to work with due to its fragility.



"The fact that there were no other types of tools at Simbiro, with the exception of these high-quality obsidian tools, leads us to believe that this was a specialized production site," Mussi said in a statement.



"In other words, this is a production workshop, the oldest ever known, since those known so far date back no more than 300,000 years".

Read also: Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Earliest Known Narrative Scene Carved in an 11,000-year-old Neolithic Bench

History of Obsidian

According to the archaeologists, obsidian has already been chipped as early as 2 million years ago since the Olduvain culture predominated on this volcanic glass.



However, they were merely little fragments made from a few centimeter-sized pebbles; starting around 1,950,000 years ago, larger fragments and a few bifaces were also created, although infrequently and from other volcanic stones like basalt.



Mussi said that their findings show a crucial stage in the development of human intelligence, which is innovation and creativity. She notes that it is the first example of "parallel thinking" development that forges knowledge and technical skills that were earlier obtained in other productions.



She adds that Melka Kunture not only sheds light on the evolution of human intelligence but also serves as a warning against making hasty generalizations about the capacities of Lower Pleistocene hominids, who did more than simply adapt to their surroundings.

The team's findings were detailed in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Related Article: Archaeologists Find an Extremely Rare 1,300-year-old Gold and Gemstone Necklace From a Medieval Woman in England

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A stalker may potentially monitor your whereabouts according to a security flaw in iOS 16.2 for Apple's mobile devices.

In a report by Fox News, a blogger has recently revealed that a major Brazilian food corporation has been monitoring his iPhone. He installed the company's app, but he never allowed it to access his whereabouts.

Apple nonetheless shared information with the app when it was not supposed to.

Therefore, there may be a potential problem with Apple's upcoming iOS 16.2 release.

iOS 16.3 to the Rescue

Good thing possible fixes for the location tracking issue might be included in the recent iOS 16.3 release. After updating from iOS 16.2 to version 16.3 and then restarting his iPhone, the blogger who says his device was being actively hijacked no longer witnessed his personal information being shared with the food service app.

The following notes seem to be part of a discussion of this privacy concern in Apple's iOS 16.3 latest update, which can be found in the Maps section:

Impact: An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.

Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.

CVE-2023-23503: an anonymous researcher.

Supported hardware for version 16.3 includes modern devices starting with iPhone 8, iPad Air 3, iPad 5, iPad mini 5, and all models of iPad Pro.

Now is a good time to see what version of iOS your Apple iPhone and iPad are running. Even if you have automatic updates turned on, upgrading to iOS 16.3 or later by hand is still the quickest way to ensure you get the latest features and security patches.

Related Story: Apple Blocks iOS 16.2 Downgrades After iOS 16.3 Release for iPhone Users

Safeguarding Your Devices

Install the latest operating system on your iPhones and iPads. Do so by launching the configuration utility or the Settings app. Tap the General option, then the Software Update.

It is suggested to upgrade to version 16.3 or later if you find an outdated software version, such as 16.2, to fix the issue.

Meanwhile, according to reports, iOS 16.3.1 is currently being developed by Apple and will be launched sometime in February.

More than only the tracking flaw, which has been receiving a lot of attention in online support forums, many issues may be fixed in this update, including additional concerns linked to errors in iCloud backups. There have been rumors that the way iCloud verifies your device before letting it to the cloud is the root of the problem.

Aside from updating your gadget's operating system, two-factor authentication should also be used wherever feasible. Moreover, robust antivirus software should be installed on all devices to reduce the likelihood of a hacker getting unauthorized access to your systems.

See Also: New Higher-End iPhone Could Arrive, But It's Not 'Ultra!' What's The Difference Between Pro and Pro Max?

 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

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!

Are those who are always to blame for everything to blame?

Japan also participates in the successful launch of the Jupiter spacecraft, approaching Jupiter in 2031

Why is the matter of napping so much attention

Contrary to Macron's position on the Taiwan Strait. Why is Germany warning of a catastrophic scenario for the world?

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?

"Sport will be killed in the country": Ukrainian officials banned athletes from competing with Russians and Belarusians

Tuchel considered himself his first lawyer and asked for his forgiveness. Bayern Munich impose huge financial penalty on Mane

Eslov won the eighth Swedish Championship: "One of the better teams in Europe"

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

Inflation: the Smic will increase "by a little more than 2%" on May 1, according to Elisabeth Borne

Money flight: the population in the United States began to actively buy cryptocurrencies and gold against the backdrop of the banking crisis

Siluanov spoke about plans for the transition to the normalization of Russia's budget policy

Four years after the large-scale fire, the President of France visits Notre Dame Cathedral as it is being rebuilt

"Suspicious" mail arrives at the Embassy of Finland in Russia, Moscow comments on the incident

The suspect in the US leaking classified Pentagon documents was charged with two criminal offenses

Unpublished photos of the founder of the Mouride brotherhood handed over to the Senegalese embassy in Paris

In his first appearance since his arrest. US court charges Pentagon leaker with two penalties and this sentence awaits him

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

Mass poisoning on MasterChef 11: "We're sorry. It is an absolutely exceptional case in these 11 years"

Political scientist Dudchak on Hersh's statement about Zelensky: there are probably a lot of such stories

The sexist murder of an influencer shakes the Dominican Republic: her ex shoots her in the head three days after trying

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"

The athlete Beatriz Flamini leaves the cave where she has remained alone and isolated for 500 days

A fighter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spoke about the joy of a resident of Artyomovsk who mistook him for a Russian soldier

 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.
United States President Joe Biden, in his annual address to Congress, called on lawmakers to raise the national debt ceiling, following the example of past years, "without preconditions."

How did Congress react to all this debt?

He raised the debt ceiling three times without preconditions or a crisis.

He paid America's bills to prevent an economic catastrophe for our country, RIA Novosti quotes him.

During the speech, Biden asked Congress to follow suit.

On October 4, it became known that the US national debt for the first time exceeded $31 trillion.

On February 2, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy said that he would not allow an increase in public debt without a reform of government spending.
From left, Louisiana Secretary of Education Cade Brumley, Ascension Schools Supt. David Alexander and Ascension School Board District 2 member Scott Duplechein talk after a press conference to announce the release of Louisiana results of the 2022 LEAP tests -- how students in grades 3-8 did on math, English and other tests earlier this year-- at Bluff Middle School in Prairieville, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected Clive Palmers proposed central Queensland coal mine under the nations environmental laws.

The refusal is the first such determination to be made under the legislation.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected a coal mine proposed by businessman Clive Palmer.

Plibersek announced on Wednesday she had decided to knock back the project as it would have unacceptable impacts on nearby areas.

She said it posed a risk of causing irreversible damage to the Great Barrier Reef as it was fewer than 10 kilometres from the natural wonder.
A senior decision-maker working for the national healthcare watchdog sent a letter to its chief executive, Martin Fletcher, last July claiming that poor quality investigations were causing death and injury among patients.

The letter, obtained by this masthead, said most of the investigations completed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency that the decision-maker observed over a 13-year career were poor quality and had undermined its obligation to protect the public.

AHPRA chief executive Martin Fletcher was warned about serious problems with its investigations last July.

In a statement, Fletcher defended the quality of AHPRAs investigations and said resources and training had increased in recent years. We dont accept that our investigations are of poor quality, he said. Public safety is at the heart of everything we do.

But scrutiny of AHPRA continues to intensify after reporting in this masthead revealed chronic under-resourcing, bullying and systemic racism within the organisation. The bullying and racism allegations were anonymous and have not been made against Fletcher personally. In an interview on Monday, federal opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston called for new state and federal laws to bolster accountability for the watchdog.
There is plenty of colourful terminology to describe a politician who uses a political party to get elected and then deserts it. Labor describes it as ratting. In New Zealand it is known as waka-jumping  the perilous move of jumping from one waka (a Maori canoe) to another mid-stream. Wikipedia even provides a delightful list of notable waka-jumpers and historic waka-jumpers. Whether Lidia Thorpes leftwards leap from the Greens is notable or historic remains to be seen.

Party defections expose deep clefts in how we understand our political system. Do we elect the individual to serve a constituency or do we elect a representative of a party who is bound to support party policy? In blunt terms, do parties own a seat once they win it in an election?

Illustration: Dionne Credit:

The courts have recognised that it is the duty of a parliamentarian to serve the public, in accordance with their best judgment and conscience, and to act with a single-mindedness for the welfare of the community. Any contract that requires a politician to vote in parliament in a particular way is treated as void because it is against public policy. Parties, therefore, cannot legally control the parliamentary votes of their members, although in practice they can impose strong political and moral pressure.

But parties became recognised in the Constitution in 1977. Section 15 now requires casual Senate vacancies to be filled by a person from the same political party as the departing senator belonged to when elected. If, for example, Senator Thorpe were to resign her seat in the Senate, the Constitution requires that it be filled by a person chosen by the Australian Greens. This is because Senator Thorpe was publicly recognised as being an endorsed candidate of that party at the time of her election.
Opposition and crossbench MPs could force the Victorian governments hand on a parliamentary inquiry into the flooding of the Maribyrnong River after the independence of Melbourne Waters review was called into question.

The head of the Maribyrnong River flood inquiry, Nick Wimbush, stood down on Tuesday night after The Age revealed his previous role in supporting planning changes that led to a riverside retirement village building homes that were swamped during last years disaster.

Two people ride through floodwater from the Maribyrnong River in October last year. Credit: Scott McNaughton

The Coalition and the Greens have introduced separate motions to establish a state upper house inquiry into the devastating October flood and need the support of only three other MPs.

At least three crossbench MPs, David Ettershank, Jeff Bourman and David Limbrick, said they were open to the possibility, but would finalise their positions only once they had seen the proposed terms of reference.
London: The first stamp featuring King Charles III will be a highly sought after addition to any collectors album.

But those hoping to get their hands on it soon may well be disappointed.

Under instructions from Buckingham Palace, the new stamp will not be widely circulated until current stocks, featuring Queen Elizabeth II, have been exhausted.

A view of a sheet of the 1st class definitive stamps featuring Britains King Charles III going on display at the Postal Museum in central London, before they enter circulation later this year. Credit: PA/AP

Royal Mail said the move was to minimise the environmental and financial impact of the change of monarch.
Lulworth Camp, England: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made an emotional appeal for fighter jets on a whirlwind European trip where he was seeking support from European leaders for his countrys war with Russia.

Britains Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said nothing was off the table in response to Zelenskys plea, but added sending jets to Ukraine would require approval from allies.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold a news conference at a military facility in Lulworth, Dorset, England. Credit: Reuters

Zelensky appeared alongside Sunak at the Lulworth military camp in Dorset, south-west England, in front of a Challenger 2 tank that will arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks. The Ukrainian leader also presented the United Kingdom with the helmet belonging to one of his countrys most lethal pilots.

The pair visited Ukrainian troops who are being trained on British soil to command the tanks. After Britain, Zelensky flew to the Continent for talks over dinner in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Both vowed continued support for Ukraine.
Washington: A former leading commander of the US navy in the Indo-Pacific has urged Congress to fast-track development of Australias nuclear submarines, warning the AUKUS deal would be significant only if America followed through in the long term.

Speaking at a Congressional hearing into the threat of China, Admiral Harry Harris threw his weight behind a push to overhaul the maze of US regulations and export control laws that could limit the transfer of military technology to Australia and potentially derail the multibillion-dollar agreement.

Details of the AUKUS announcement regarding US submarines in Australia are expected to surface soon.

I cant emphasise enough how important it is to get through this export control issue with Australia, said Harris, who was also a US ambassador to South Korea under Donald Trumps administration.

We could have every good intention in the world, but we could be bound up by our own regulation and our own regulatory policy, so whatever could be done to relax that would be beneficial.
Singapore/Jakarta: The separatist rebels who took a New Zealand pilot hostage in Indonesias Papua region have demanded Indonesia President Joko Widodo hold direct talks with them, warning they are targeting all foreigners.

Independence fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Organisation, abducted pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens when they stormed his small commercial plane and set it alight after it landed in a remote airport in Paro, in the mountainous district of Nduga, on Tuesday.

Papuan students protest in Jakarta in 2019. Credit: Getty Images

The rebel group said they had released the five passengers who were on the flight, all of whom were indigenous Papuans, but they continued to hold Mehrtens at their headquarters.

They are calling on Widodo, known as Jokowi, to engage in negotiations about the easternmost region in Indonesia, where there has been an escalation of violence in the past year with dozens of separatists, military personnel, police and civilians killed.
Mone Kamishiraishi and Hiroki Miura appear in Spirited Away: Live On Stage at Tokyo's Imperial Theatre.

( GKIDS)

GKIDS, the producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced that it has acquired the North American audiovisual distribution rights for Spirited Away: Live On Stage, which was filmed during the production's 2022 run at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo.

John Caird (Les Miserables) co-adapted (with his wife, Maoko Imai) and directed the production, which is based on Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-winning animated film about a young woman who is enslaved in a magical realm ruled over by a sorceress, and her great escape.

GKIDS will release two separate filmed performances of the production, starring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi, double-cast as the lead heroine Chihiro. Character actor Mari Natsuki, who voiced the sorceress Yubaba and her twin sister Zeniba in the original motion picture, returns to her original role, accompanied by voice actor Romi Park.

GKIDS plans to release the film in theater this spring. Exact dates and venues have not been announced, but you can follow the film's official website here.
2 Children Killed, Driver Charged With Homicide in Quebec Daycare Crash

Driver 'was in a different world,' says witness

Parents and their children are loaded onto a warming bus as they wait for news after a bus crashed into a daycare centre in Laval, Que., on Feb. 8, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz)

A city bus crashed into a daycare in Laval, Quebec, on Wednesday morning, killing two children and injuring six others. Witnesses said the driver seemed delirious and removed his clothing, screaming.

The driver has been charged with reckless driving and homicide, Laval police spokesperson Erika Landry told reporters at a briefing. The lives of the six children who were taken to hospital are out of danger, she said, and one adult was also transported to hospital in shock.

The driver is 51 years old and an employee of the citys transit authority, Societe de transport de Laval. Landry said the circumstances are all part of the investigation. I cannot give any information right now.

Hamdi Benchaabane, a local resident, told reporters that he and three others subdued the driver. He was yelling, he didnt stop yelling, Benchaabane said. The first thing he did was take off all his clothes after opening the bus door . He was just yelling, there were no words coming out of his mouth.

He said the driver was in a different world.

Benchaabane helped pull one child from the daycare and tried to help another before firefighters took over, saying pieces of the roof were at risk of falling. It was a nightmare, I cant believe it, Benchaabane said. It was horrible.

Mario Sirois was among the first on the scene, he told The Canadian Press. It cant be an accident, Sirois said. There were no signs of skid marks. It was deliberate. He went directly into the daycare.

The location of the daycare, Garderie Educative Ste-Rose, is at the end of a cul de sac and the driver would have had to veer off the road, head down a driveway and through a parking lot about a dozen spaces long to hit it. He also hit it with such force that most of the front half of the bus was embedded in the building.

Montreals Sainte-Justine childrens hospital received some of the children, two boys and two girls. The patients are in stable condition. The hospitals teams are doing their utmost to provide the best care to the patients who need it, but also to support the families, to whom we offer psychosocial services in this tragic situation, a Sainte-Justine spokesperson told The Epoch Times via text message.

Ginette Lamoureux who lives close by told the Montreal Gazette, Children were screaming and crying. It was awful. Its horrible. She said, I couldnt stay there, it was too difficult.

A shocked mother who was just about to drop her child at the centre as the bus hit told Le Journal de Montreal in French, The bus passed behind me really fast. She said it was a question of two to three minutes and her child would have been in there.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the crash from Ottawa: Our thoughts are with families in Laval who are living incredibly difficult moments  we hope that everyone will be OK.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault said, We are going to give the parents all the help we can, and as a father, I am shaken.

Societe de transport de Laval did not reply to request for comment as of publication.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
3 Month Wait for Ashes at Shanghai Funeral Homes

Mourners gather outside the memorial halls for the deceased at a funeral home in Shanghai, China, on Dec. 31, 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Chinas Center for Disease Control (CDC) claimed on Feb. 4 that in the week before, there were 3,278 COVID-19 deaths in Chinese hospitals nationwide. However, information obtained from Shanghais funeral homes suggests that the Chinese authorities have heavily falsified the death figures.

In Shanghai alone, at least 2,640 remains are cremated every day at the 15 funeral homes in the city, according to an undercover investigation and analysis by The Epoch Times.

1 to 3 Months Wait Time for Ashes

An employee at Yishan Funeral Home, the largest funeral home in Shanghai, told The Epoch Times on Feb. 4 that the family of the deceased needs to wait one to three months to receive the ashes after the corpse is delivered to the funeral home.

The ashes are ready for them in three months  At the very least, it will take a month, he said.

When contacting two other funeral homes on Feb. 4, Shanghais Pudong Funeral Home told The Epoch Times that if the remains were delivered on Feb. 4, the cremation would be scheduled three days later on Feb. 7, while Baoshan Funeral Home said the wait time was five days. The employee at Baoshan Funeral Home also revealed that the facility is currently cremating around 280 to 300 bodies every day, and the furnaces operate continuously 24 hours a day.

According to Lijia Etiquette Service, a website that provides information about funeral services in Shanghai, Yishan Funeral Home has six memorial halls and 22 cremation furnaces, with an annual cremation capacity of 50,000. Baoshan Funeral Home has eight memorial halls and nine oil-fired cremators. In 2012, more than 18,000 corpses were cremated at Baoshan Funeral Home.

Furnaces Operate Around the Clock

Based on the calculation of cremating 300 remains per day at Baoshan Funeral Home, which has nine cremation furnaces, each furnace is currently cremating 33 remains every day. As they are said to be cremating continuously 24 hours a day, the maximum daily capacity of the cremation furnace is around 33 remains.

Several funeral homes indicated that cross-district cremation is allowed, but it needs to be coordinated by the municipal government. As there is a large backlog of remains and there is cross-district coordination between funeral homes, it can be speculated that all funeral homes in Shanghai are using their maximum processing capacity.

There are a total of 15 funeral homes in Shanghai. Public online information provided capacities for ten of these 15 funeral homes, which altogether had 80 cremation furnaces.

These 80 furnaces would process 2,640 remains every day, based on the capacity of 33 remains per furnace per day. The long wait time is a proof of a large backlog of remains, indicating that the current daily death toll in Shanghai is much more than 2,640 deaths.

Excess Deaths

According to information obtained by the CEIC data company from Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs, Shanghai cremated 127,798 remains in 2015, an average of about 350 remains per day.

This means that the number of daily deaths in Shanghai is now at least 7.5 times that of a regular year.

If all excess deaths, which accounted for 86.7 percent of total deaths, are related to COVID-19, the current daily number of COVID-19 deaths in Shanghai is at least 2,289.

Chinas CDC claimed that the number of COVID-19 deaths in Chinese hospitals in the week between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2 was only 3,278, averaging 468 deaths per day. The figure is only one-fifth of the death toll in Shanghai alone, which has been scrutinized as being falsified.

Model Prediction

Airfinity, a health analytics firm based in London, estimated that infection cases in China likely peaked at 4.8 million on Jan. 13, and projected 62 million infections in the two-week period Jan. 13-27. The death toll was expected to peak at 36,000 a day during Chinese New Year on Jan. 26, according to Airfinitys model.

Its COVID-19 death forecast curve estimated that the number of COVID-19 deaths in China was approximately 36,000 on Jan. 27 and roughly 32,000 on Feb. 2. The average daily death toll over that time period was 34,000. This amounts to 73 times the CCPs official death toll.
54 Senior Officials Purged in Xi Jinpings New Round of Power Redistribution

Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds during the opening of the 3rd Session of the 12th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People on March 5, 2015 in Beijing, China.(Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

News Analysis

While Xi Jinpings third term administration will be shaping up in the coming March at the two critical meetings of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)National Peoples Congress and the Political Consultative Conference, a vast purge of senior officials has been extending across the country. Experts said the move is part of Xis efforts to redistribute power within the party.

The collective purge focused on provincial and municipal officials of the judicial system and government system in the administrative and economic fields, spanning 10 provinces. As of Feb.7 this year, 54 senior officials were arrested or indicted, among which 18 judicial officials were dismissed within five days, according to data by Chinas Supreme Procuratorate.

Mostly on economic charges, a common tactic used by the Xi faction in recent years infighting.

Current affairs commentator Li Yanming told The Epoch Times on Feb. 2 that a sense of doomsday panic now pervades the Communist Party leadership when Xis faction has begun to clean up local dissident forces and, at the same time, lay out and foster the party affiliates.

Xis Ruling Crisis

Entering 2023, the Xi regime faces fiercer headwinds from a deteriorating economy, depleted state finances, and soured diplomatic relations with western countries.

In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak had a fatal impact on the Chinese Communist regime, Li said.

COVID infections and demise in China have spiraled out of control due to the CCPs polarized anti-epidemic policies. The rising death toll, which includes large numbers of elites and regime defenders, also brings Xi into question within the party.

The legitimacy of the Communist regime has been challenged as never before, even by part of cadres. For example, during the White Paper campaign against the Zero-COVID policy late last year, some local officials did not cooperate with the central government and acquiesced to civil protests.

Xis Self-Revolution

On Jan. 31, the CCP magazine Qiushi published Xis speech at a plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection last year, in which he gave the so-called self-revolution as the answer to the question of whether the CCP could remain in power for a long time.

Fear losing power and the CCPs ruling position, Xi put forward so-called self-revolution, which refers to the CCP should revolutionize itself first before waiting for the populace to revolutionize the CCP, but this is a false thing. How can a regime topple itself? said China current affair expert Zhang Tianliang, on his YouTube program on Feb.3.

A similar case occurred with Mao Zedong, who had said, let the people supervise the government before the CCP seized power. According to Zhang, Maos words deceived many people at that time, but the CCP will not remain in power if it is democratic, and it will be taken down if the Chinese people were able to elect.

Therefore, Xis self-revolution is merely to intimidate his political opponents within the party, Zhang said.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
80 Percent of Kids Grow Out of Gender Dysphoria: Pediatric Psychiatrist

A leading Finnish pediatric gender expert has warned about transgender treatments being pushed on children, pointing out that the majority of kids facing gender identity issues come out of such confusion when they grow up.

In an interview with Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala, chief psychiatrist at Tampere Universitys department of adolescent psychiatry, said she has come across hundreds of young people who were struggling with their gender experience. She noted that some children will strongly identify with the opposite gender at some point in their lives.

The young person tries out different identities and is prone to suggestion. In one situation, he feels he is one. And in another, another. Its normal in adolescence, she said.

However, four out of five children in such cases feel differently about the matter once they hit adolescence, the expert noted.

If a childs legal gender marking is changed, it would become a strong psychological as well as social intervention which determines the persons future. Such intervention is akin to saying to the child that this is the right path for you.

According to Kaltiala, there has been a tenfold increase in the number of children with gender identity issues since 2015.

In the past, it was little boys who made up most cases of identifying with the other gender. But now, almost all of her patients are teenage girls experiencing gender conflict. In addition, three out of four patients now face serious mental health problems, she said.

Suicide Issues, Treatment

Organizations that promote gender transition among children often argue that these children have a higher risk of suicide and thus need support for transition. However, Kaltiala dismisses these claims.

Such claims are purposeful disinformation, she said, while adding that it would be irresponsible to spread them.

Mentally healthy young people who experience their gender in a way that differs from their biological body are not automatically suicidal, she said.

A study from Finland found that the mental health of several minors who had received hormonal treatments deteriorated following the medical intervention, Helsingin Sanomat reported. Similarly, a Swedish study showed an increase in suicide mortality among adults who had subjected themselves to sex-change procedures.

Therefore, it is not justified to tell the parents of young people experiencing transgenderism that the young person is at risk of suicide without corrective treatment and that the danger can be countered with gender reassignment treatment, Kaltiala stated.

US Gender Agenda

Leor Sapir, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute think-tank, pointed to Kaltialas interview with Helsingin Sanomat to criticize the push for gender transition ideologies among children in the United States.

The interview highlights just how out of step the U.S. medical establishment is with its European counterparts on pediatric gender medicine. Doctors and medical groups in Finland have been willing and able to stand up to activists, including within their own ranks, he said in a Jan. 31 tweet.

In the Helsingin Sanomat interview, Kaltiala also pointed out that both Britain and Sweden have started limiting the use of hormonal treatments for minors.

A Jan. 16 report by Do No Harm, an organization that seeks to protect the health care profession from radical ideologies, showed that the United States is the most permissive country for legal, medical gender transition of children.

The American people need to understand how radical the United States has become regarding gender ideology, Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, board chair of Do No Harm, told The Epoch Times in a previous report. Our study documents the concerns expressed by many European nations about caring for children with gender dysphoria. We show how the concept of gender-affirming care in the United States is harming many children.

Dr. Michelle Cretella, executive director of the American College of Pediatricians, told The Epoch Times that many European countries have only a single gender clinic for children as opposed to the United States, which has at least 80 pediatric gender clinics.

The American clinics also allow independent physicians and nurse practitioners to dispense puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

Terri Wu contributed to this report.
A Thorpedo Threatens to Derail Labors Voice Plans

Senator Lidia Thorpe announces she is resigning from the Greens and moving to the cross bench at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 6, 2023. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Commentary

Politics is often colourful. Not only do the various political parties have identifying coloursblue, red, green, and yellowbut the political discourse can also provide a kaleidoscope with the language spoken and the positions taken by the various players.

And what a position was taken by extreme left-wing activist Senator Lidia Thorpe when she resigned from the Greens.

Resigning from Australias most extreme left-wing parliamentary party because it isnt extreme enough suggests a rich vein of extremism coming the Senates way over the next few years.

Her amalgam of Black and Green politics appears to have fractured, leaving Senator Thorpe on the crossread upsetcrossbench in the Australian Senate.

From waving her defiant and divisive clenched fist whenever cameras are around, to making the ugliest of interjections to a fellow female senator about her morals, to calling Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (immediately after her passing) a coloniser, and also failing to declare a relationship with a bikie while serving on the parliamentary law enforcement committee.

This is a snapshot of what will continue to be in store for Australian politics.

Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe (R) during the Invasion Day rally in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2023. (AAP Image/Diego Fedele)

The impact of the move by Senator Thorpe will be seen over the next few years. I predict that her chance of re-election is minimal, but in the meantime, her voting in the Senate may play a major role in the governments agenda.

Previously as a member of the Greens Party, she provided a reliable vote for the government in a fractured Australian Senate where Labor, Greens, and two other senators could deliver the needed majority for the passage of legislation. Now the government will need to snare an extra vote.

Time will tell if the newly minted independent senator follows along with her former party on legislation where it matters, or takes to abstaining or protest voting to make her often quite irrational political points.

The harnessing of senators votes can often be tedious, defying logic or rationale, let alone principle. And if that isnt sufficiently complex, a promise of support can easily be reconsidered in light of new information.

One can be forgiven for pondering whether the new information is the realisation that something more or other can be extracted from the government in exchange for the vote.

The Impact of That Single Senate Vote

In the long-term, the Thorpe defection will evolve with its consequences of less stability and certainty for the governments legislative agenda.

The senators approach seems to be based on the premise that somehow one of the most multicultural, democratic, and freedom-loving countries of the world with an envious lifestyle has an illegitimate government and taking the taxpayers dollar and all the privileges of being a senator do not seem to faze the consciousness.

How will the senator deal with an illegitimate government in an illegitimate parliament? The tortured logic and justifications will be worth a seat in the public gallery of the Senate.

For the government, the dilemma becomes how can it claim to be a sensible middle-of-the-road government when dealing with such a political participant. Relying on such a vote could be reputationally devastating and damaging over the long term.

The Australian Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Sept. 8, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

In the short-term, the senator has sent a Thorpedo through the governments proposed, ill-considered Voice constitutional amendment.

Straight-faced and with sincerity aplenty, the government is asserting to the Australian people that the Indigenous people of the country need a separate voice in the parliament.

In fact, it is another or second voice, potentially making them more equal to other Australians, which is a surefire way to breed resentment.

But that aside, we have a substantial number of members of Parliament identifying as Indigenous too. In the Senate, there is more Indigenous representation on a percentage basis than in the population as a whole.

Therefore, the need for a separate voice in those circumstances is difficult to justify.

However, what is telling is that amongst the Indigenous Senators, there are those who oppose The Voice because it offends the principles of equity and unity, those who support it as a step to reconciliation, and now a senator who thinks it doesnt go far enough.

Even on the voice, there are three distinct separate schools of thought amongst elected Indigenous representatives that not only make for an upcoming colourful public debate but have torpedoed the paternalistic assertion that there is such a thing as a single Indigenous voice.

The idea we might actually celebrate the diversity of opinion within the Indigenous communities has floundered, but it is there for all to see and even more so thanks to the Thorpedo fired by the activist senator.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Airbnb Accused of Banning Parents of Political Commentator Lauren Southern

The company said the accounts have been reinstated

Canadian conservative and libertarian activist Lauren Southern livestreams a video during a rally in Berkeley, Calif., on April 27, 2017. (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Canadian political commentator and internet personality Lauren Southern has accused Airbnb of banning her parents from using the property marketplace website simply for being related to her.

Southern took to Twitter on Feb. 8 where she shared a screenshot of a message her parents allegedly received from the San Francisco-based company.

My parents just got banned from AirBnB for being related to me, Southern wrote alongside the screenshot. They have never booked anything for me. They do not represent me in any way. They arent publicly political in any way.

The message allegedly from Airbnb reads: We have an update to share. Weve removed you from the Airbnb platform because your account is closely associated with a person who isnt allowed to use Airbnb. This means youll no longer be able to book reservations on Airbnb.

It goes on to explain that the decision was made for the safety of our community, adding that Airbnb may remove accounts that are closely associated with people who arent allowed to use the site.

The message states that going forward, Southerns parents will have all future reservations canceled and fully refunded

We dont take these decisions lightly but if you have information to share, you can submit an appeal, the message adds.

Will Friends of My Parents Now Be Banned?

Southern said on Twitter that she had been banned from Airbnb years ago for her politics and affiliations and had appealed the ban but got nowhere.

She shared a screenshot of a message allegedly from Airbnb, which was dated Aug. 2, 2019. It states that her account is being removed based on the fact that your public affiliation with certain groups is in violation of our policies and community standards.

How many degrees of affiliations can AirBnB realistically ban people for? Southern wrote. Will friends of my parents now be banned? Cousins? Second cousins?

Southern, who is also a filmmaker, ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the Canadian federal election in 2015. She previously worked for Canadas conservative outlet Rebel Media until 2017, when she began to work independently.

One of her documentaries, titled Farmlands, provides an in-depth look at crime from the perspective of white farmers in South Africa.

It is unclear why or how Airbnb identified her parents or why exactly they took action. Southern said on Twitter that neither of her parents is a political activist and that they are some of the sweetest people I know.

The filmmaker said her folks had been planning a romantic getaway.

All Ive learned is that if governments and corporations cant shut you up by harming you, theyll now go for your families, Southern said.

An Airbnb spokesperson declined to answer several questions when contacted by The Epoch Times but stated: We have reinstated their accounts and apologized to them for this mistake.

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) listen in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images)

Possible GovernmentBig Tech Collusion Case Ongoing

Responding to Southerns Twitter post, Canadian psychologist and author Jordan Peterson wrote: Hey, there, woke corporations: when the tide turns, and it will, this sort of behavior will prove costly.

Gregg Re, an attorney and investigative producer of Fox Newss Tucker Carlson Tonight, demanded that Airbnb explain its decision immediately.

Elsewhere, Jeremy Carl, former deputy assistant secretary of the Interior, Fish, Wildlife, and Parks under President Trump and a senior fellow at the conservative think tank Claremont Institute, called the ban absurd, adding that there is no reason why Southern should be banned from Airbnb any more than a hotel could arbitrarily ban you.

The fact that your parents are banned just makes it more ridiculous and dangerous, Carl wrote in a Twitter post.

Southerns tweet comes after a Louisana court ordered the Biden administration to disclose documents relating to five national security officials that could reveal their possible involvement in the governments supposed collusion with Big Tech to suppress election- and COVID-19-related social media content.

Republican lawmakers have regularly raised concerns that some social media platforms are suppressing conservative viewpoints, which the platforms have denied.
Americans Like Wind and Solar in Theory, Dislike Them in Practice, Study Reveals

A recent report by the Brookings Institution claims that the American public overwhelmingly favors renewable power. While this may be true in theory, when Americans experience the reality of it, they dont seem to like it much at all.

Brookings, which sees local resistance as an impediment to overcome, conceded that even though people like wind and solar power in the abstract, some still object to large projects near their homes. The report, Renewables, Land Use, and Local Opposition in the United States, notes that wind and solar generation takes up at least 10 times as much land as coal- or gas-fired plants, while other estimates have put it as high as 75 times.

Most wind turbines being installed in the United States today are the height of a 35-story building, the report reads. The expanding land needs of a renewable energy system raise concerns about energy sprawl.

Extensive networks of power lines must be constructed to transmit between the remote areas where wind and solar are located and the cities that use their power. Fossil fuels are mobile and those plants, as with nuclear plants, can be located close to end users. Wind and solar, for the most part, cant.

Offshore wind eliminates land use, but it raises opposition among those concerned with the impact on the environment and scenic views.  Transmission for renewable power can also be unpopular, and even more difficult to site when the power is just passing through an area, rather than directly benefitting local residents, the report reads.

Renewable Rejection Is on the Rise

Author and energy expert Robert Bryce has been tracking just how unpopular renewable power is in his Renewable Rejection Database, collecting data from sources such as local news reports. He has observed an escalation in local community rejections over the past decade, increasing from virtually none from 2011 to 2014 to more than 450 cases in the almost 10 years since.

(Source: Robert Bryce, Renewable Rejection Database)

Im interested in whats happening in rural America and how local communities are reacting to the encroachment of these wind and solar projects, Bryce told The Epoch Times. From Maine to Hawaii, the bottom line is local people care about what happens in their neighborhoods everywhere, and they are concerned about their views and their property values and rightly concerned about their health and the noise that comes from these wind projects.

(Source: Robert Bryce, Renewable Rejection Database)

Many Americans feel that what President Joe Biden calls the incredible transition to renewables from fossil fuels has been imposed on them by government fiat and corporate net-zero cabals, but Bryce said local democracy is giving people a voice.

Americans very broadly are having a say, based on the very fundamental issue of property rights and land use, he said.

The Brookings report states: An energy system based on renewables will have a different shape than the fossil fuel-based system Americans are accustomed to. Production facilities will cover more land in areas that are not accustomed to energy infrastructure. Trillions of dollars of infrastructure will be needed to achieve a renewable power system, for construction of generation and transmission capacity.

But according to Bryces database, in January alone, wind and solar project permits were denied in six cases by local boards and commissions in Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Nebraska. Even communities in deep-blue Massachusetts and New York have been rejecting wind and solar projects and blocking transmission lines through their towns.

The Environmental Cost of Mining

In addition to the energy sprawl once the systems are built, theres also the issue of the exploitation of wide tracts of land and habitats for the mining of minerals that are needed for batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, and transmission lines. They include cobalt, lithium, copper, nickel, and other minerals that must be extracted from the earth, creating toxic waste, pollution that has turned rivers red, and extensive carbon dioxide emissions.

Here, too, local communities have put up resistance. In 2022, the Biden administration announced a number of initiatives to increase the mining and refining of minerals for renewables in the United States. His Defense Production Act reclassified lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and manganese as essential to national security, giving the green light to the Defense Department to subsidize domestic mining.

This was soon contradicted by his administrations efforts to block domestic mining, most recently in an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision on Jan. 31 to block the Pebble Mine project near Alaskas Bristol Bay. Americans appear to want the mining of renewables to be done abroad.

Hailing the decision, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) stated: We are thrilled with the EPAs finding and thank the thousands of people in Alaska and around the country who participated in the public process that led to this result, including more than 31,000 TNC supporters. A no on the Pebble Mine is a yes to letting local communities decide whats best for them and a yes to preserving some of the last wild salmon runs on earth.

Pebble Project CEO Disagrees

The EPA decision to try to destroy the Pebble opportunity is just one more piece of the Biden administrations war on domestic natural resource development, said John Shively, CEO of The Pebble Partnership, the company that would control the mine. The Biden strategy, when it comes to securing the minerals required for its green energy goals seems to be to give some passing support for the development of boutique minerals such as lithium and rare earths in the United States but to seek the enormous supply of base metals such as copper needed for EVs, solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric plants, and the associated infrastructure from other nations.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency, the Paris-based intergovernmental organization, these other nations include, most notably, China.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Peoples Republic of China were responsible for some 70 percent and 60 percent of global production of cobalt and rare earth elements respectively in 2019, the report reads.

In terms of the refining of these minerals, China is even more dominant. Its global market share is 35 percent for nickel, 50 to 70 percent for lithium and cobalt, and 90 percent for rare earth elements.
Is Floridas DeSantis Campaigning by Not Campaigning?

News Analysis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didnt make news at his press conference at an Ocala appliance store on Feb. 8.

The Republican spoke about tax breaks in his proposed state budget now before the legislature. Hes mentioned all of these publicly before, some two or three times: sales-tax exemptions on a wide variety of baby and child-related items, about gas stoves, a toll rebate for commuters, and more.

So why did he have a news conference?

DeSantis, having a bully pulpit as governor of the nations third-largest state, is using it.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launches a signed cap with his reelection campaign logo into the crowd as he arrives on stage to speak at the Student Action Summit in Tampa, Fla., on July 22, 2022. (Natasha Holt/The Epoch Times)

He makes news nearly every day. Hes held such press conferences all around the state, from Milton in the Florida Panhandle to Miami in South Florida and Fort Myers in Southwest Florida, from Jacksonville to Tampa to Daytona Beach Shores to Ocala.

In every one, he highlights his administrations past accomplishments and new undertakings in the lead-in to Floridas legislative session starting on March 7.

Again and again, he stands at the podium pointing out Floridas strong economy and population growth.

Translation: People want to move to Florida, while other states are losing population, notably blue ones which are run much differently.

People visit Clearwater Beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida after Gov. Ron DeSantis reopens the states beaches at 7 a.m. on May 4, 2020. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Again and again, he talks about his administrations strong fiscal management.

The low debt and significant surpluses, enough that the state can use some to lower debt even more and still kick money back to taxpayers in various kinds of tax breaks, all while raising salaries for teachers, state workers, and law enforcement officers.

Contrasting Approaches to Policy

DeSantis contrasts all that with the national picture and the policies of President Joe Biden.

Is the national economy weak? Floridas is strong.

Defund the police? Reward the police.

Are teachers beholden to Democratic-aligned teachers unions? This Republican governor and Legislature have significantly raised their pay.

Is DeSantis running for president? He never breathes a word about a possible presidential run in 2024, other than to dismiss it. But he doesnt have to. Everyone else in politics talks about a future announcement as a foregone conclusion.

Meanwhile nearly every day, DeSantis contrasts his management of Florida with Bidens management of the nation. If he announced a bid for president, his campaign speeches might not sound much different.

DeSantiss Ocala speech at the appliance store came the morning after Bidens State of the Union address. It might be seen as the governors rebuttal to it.

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) listen in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images)

What else is DeSantis doing?

In Ocala on Feb. 8, DeSantis shared the podium with the states House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate Majority Leader Kathleen Passidomo. Both preside over chambers with Republican supermajorities.

That means most of DeSantiss proposalsincluding in-your-face proposals such as ending Disneys self-governing status, prohibiting vaccine-status discrimination, and making school choice scholarships available to nearly everyonelikely will become law.

DeSantis is letting his party allies, the leaders of another branch of state government, share the glory and attention.

In the News Almost Daily

Hes made news with major proposals nearly every day since the New Year. It began ramping up right after his November 2022 reelection.

Most days conferences highlighted a specific part of the upcoming budget. Now, he needs the lawmakers cooperation and leadership to get those proposals passed.

Sharing the spotlight with them doesnt hurt him, at all. And it could immunize him some from criticisms or resentments that the moves are all part of The Ron DeSantis Show.

What else does he do? Hes campaigning while not campaigning around the state.

He noted in Milton last week that hed made it in his first term to all 67 Floridas countiesnot an easy thing to do, he told the audience there.

Hes term-limited as governor, so why all the campaign-speak?

Perhaps for that national position he hasnt announced hes running for yet?

Supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, try to record his entrance at Florida Gateway College on Nov. 3, 2022. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times)

Its good politics, of course, to give local officials face time with the governor so they can feel hes paid attention to their needs and bolstered their standing in their communities.

DeSantis, at every conference, name-checks local officialsthis representative or Congressman, that agency headshowing deference to those who are present. Smiling, they accept the accompanying applause.

Every conference features a couple of everyday folks who praise DeSantiss initiative du jourhow it will help them or how his related move in his first term has already helped them.

In Ocala, a woman spoke of her varying family circumstances through life and how much DeSantiss proposed family-friendly tax exemptions will help folks she knows who are struggling now.

And a man praised the benefit, not only for his large and growing familyhe and his wife have five children, and shes expecting a sixthbut for families he helps through work with a Catholic outreach charity in the mid-state community.

Help for Floridians

DeSantis estimates these tax breaks can save more than $1,000 a year for a family with children.

And theyre all tax breaks for residents. (Translation: voters.)

They wont benefit tourists, the states leading industry, that much, DeSantis somewhat gleefully noted.

Floridians who pay tolls automatically through the SunPass system will see rebates to their accounts.

Tax exemptions for childrens clothes and baby strollers wont benefit out-of-staters much.

Sales-tax exemptions for summer events are aimed primarily at residents, because, as all Floridians know, most tourists dont visit in the summer. Its too hot.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his wife Casey DeSantis, and their children walk on stage to celebrate victory during an election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center in Florida, on Nov. 8, 2022. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

DeSantiss speech sites are often picked with optics in mind.

Staging the Ocala speech at an appliance store was a visual exclamation point for his proposal to permanently exempt gas stoves from sales tax.

Thats an in-your-face measure to Biden and the woke progressive forces of the Democratic Party DeSantis loves to battle.

That camp recently put out, then had to walk back, a proposal to ban gas stoves to combat climate change.

A Biden appointee to the Consumer Product Safety Commission proposed it, and the Energy Department proposed a ban, as well.

DeSantis isnt having that in the Sunshine State.

Its like hes suggesting: Gas stoves? Why, theyre sold right here in this Ocala appliance store! And were going to protect their right to sell them and your right to use them!

For good measure, boxes of diapers (a necessity he hopes to make tax-free) were stacked behind the podium, within the TV cameras view.

So Ron DeSantis isnt campaigning for president. Yet. But his daily events amount to the same thing.

He also is campaigning, of course, for the passage of his budget and to rally forces behind his conservative actions to remake the state.

Its not all about the White House. But his daily moves dont hurt any, particularly if voters from other states are watching and like what they see.
Master tinkerer Ernie Adams had always wanted a race car. But who has money for a race car?

Moreover, living in a little trailer park in Harvard, Nebraska, at the time, he had no room to park one.

So, Adams, who has worked in a garage since age 16, satisfied his longing by building his very own antique dwarf car.

Over the years, his hobby would snowball massively. Now 82 and retired, Adams has an entire fleet comprised of some 15 antique dwarf carsincluding several race carsall made by his hand.

Ernie Adams beside his dwarf 1940 Mercury 2-door sedan. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

No stranger to tinkering in the shop, growing up, Adams lived just a quarter mile from the city dump, which fed his hobby. That city dump was like a free department store for me, he told The Epoch Times.

At that time, they were taking gas washing machine motors off and putting electric on, and theyd throw the old motors in the dump.

There were old bicycle and wagon parts, too, and he started deconstructing and reconstructing them and then selling his fully-functioning contraptions.

I didnt realize I was learning my trade back then, he said, adding that his learning to build his own vehicles in those days came easy, because time meant nothing, and there was no money involved.

Adams was motivated to build his dwarf race cars by watching side hack races that he found dissatisfying. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

His motivation for building dwarf cars was fueled by watching old side-hack races, which dissatisfied him because the drivers had to slow down around corners. He would think to himself, Put four wheels on it and a small car body and slide them corners!

Thus, the young Adams started formulating an idea.

He recalled an old refrigerator laying in the weeds by the train tracks near his childhood house, and a miniature car popped into his mind. I wanted an antique car and couldnt afford one, didnt have room for one. I picked up some refrigerators and built one, he said.

I saw it in my mind, you know?

Adamss antique dwarf car which he thinks most closely resembles a 28 Chevy. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

It was to be Adams very first dwarf carthough it wouldnt be the last.

He didnt follow any design specifications or particular model for the first one, but said it looks more like a 28 Chevy than anything else and also that it looked pretty decent. Hes still got that old 28 Chevy dwarf car today.

But Adams wasnt satisfied with just one car; from the get-go, he had had a race car in mind.

So it was that throughout the 1980s, he pretty much sparked the whole dwarf race car craze, which spread nationwide, and he started making others miniature race car dreams come true, too.

Adams working on a dwarf car. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

A dwarf car in the works in Adamss workshop. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

People started wanting them, he said. People started seeing them, and they were cheap. And I was helping people build them for nothing for my labor.

It was just a fun hobby for me.

Adams became handy at making scaled-down versions of larger cars, imitating them to a tee. He learned to bend metal and weld; he crafted interior items, such as steering wheels and knobs on the dashboard; he even built his own tools, including his own bead roller and English wheel.

I couldnt afford to buy [those tools], and I just sat down and made them, he said. I made a better bead roller than I could have bought.

Adams shows several of his dwarf cars outside his garage. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adams next to his dwarf 42 Ford Deluxe Convertible, made in 1999. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adams shows off his dwarf 1940 Mercury 2-door sedan. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adamss Little Bitty, a dwarf 1954 Chevy Bel Air. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adamss 29 Ford Hillbilly dwarf car. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Besides cars for the racetrack, the mechanical maverick created dwarf models that are street-legal. Those include a 39 Chevy 2-door, a 29 Ford Hillbilly 2-door sedan, a 40 Mercury coupe chopped top, a 54 Chevy 2-door Bel Air, and a 32 Ford 3-window coupe.

But perhaps the most impressive of Adamss fleet is his prized 49 Mercury. It was a well-sought-after car, he said. Even now people pay big money for a 49 Mercury.

He added that he wouldnt sell it for any amount of money.

No, its not for sale, he said.

That car is just exactly like the real car, inside and outthe bumpers, everything. Its like the original: the steering wheel, the emblem on the horn button, the window cranks. All the gauges look exactly like the originalthe glove box, radio, heater.

All of these he crafted with his own two hands and homemade tools.

Adams poses beside Rebel Rouser, his dwarf 49 Mercury. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adams shows off his prized dwarf 49 Mercury. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adams shows off the interior of his dwarf 49 Mercury Rebel Rouser. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adams learned to fold metal to construct the bodies of his dwarf car fleet. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

Adams stands towering next to his dwarf 49 Mercury. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

The only thing different about the dash is its got a CD player instead of a radio, he said. Its a beautiful automobile.

The mechanics dwarf cars can easily handle the highway, zooming at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, while traveling as far as 200 or 300 miles on a tank of gas. They run on Honda motors installed by Adams.

Sure, its cozy but not uncomfortable, as Adams drops the floors down low to provide legroom aplenty.

Plus, theyre street legal; Adams, now living in Maricopa, contacted Arizona authorities and had them registered as homemade vehiclesas one would register a homemade trailer.

Having participated in dozens upon dozens of antique car competitions across the state and beyond, Adams boasts a wall full of trophies.

Heres one thats five feet tall, he said, pointing to one from a church car show, awarded for Peoples Choice.

Adams and his 34 Ford sedan, his personal favorite. (Courtesy of Ernie Adams)

If Adams had to choose a favorite from among his antique beauties, it would be his 34 Ford 2-door sedan, which he never painted but chose to let rust, thus bearing raw steel for all to see.

There are many who consider it their favorite as well.

His pride and joy features all the original levers and styling. Its door handles, dash, and everything else are just like the original.

Adamss showroom eventually became so busy with visitors, he decided to have it registered as a legitimate museum, the Dwarf Car Museum, located 17 miles southwest of Maricopa.

People come in here and look, and they said, Oh, this is just like a museum, Adams told the newspaper. So we had it legally registered as a museum in 2009.

I think theres probably been twenty here this morning alreadyor thirty?
Arizona Senator Files Bill to Ban Killing of Alpine Wild Horses for Their Meat

An Alpine wild horse mare stands guard beside an injured stallion in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests on Oct. 17, 2022. At least 36 wild horses have been shot in a recent unsolved killing spree. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

A bill filed in Arizonas Senate would make Alpine wild horse killing or slaughter for human consumption illegal while promoting humane birth control to stabilize the population.

Known as the Alpine Wild Horse Act, SB1057 would provide greater legal protections for the Alpine herd, currently facing systematic roundup and removal from federal lands throughout Arizona.

Filed by Sen. John Kavanaugh (R-Ariz.) in late January, the bill states a person may not harass, shoot, injure, drive, kill, take or slaughter horse that is part of the Alpine horse herd.

The bills language includes interfering with the Alpine population or euthanizing horses without written permission from the state or county sheriffs office.

This bill will make it illegal to kill and slaughter them [for human consumption]. It wont make it illegal to remove them, said Simone Netherlands, president of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group in Prescott, Arizona, which supports the bill.

Anyone who comes up against this bill would have to say they want to see wild horses killed and slaughtered. Thats difficult to say, Netherlands told The Epoch Times.

The bill states that Alpine horses are not stray animals, a definition that contradicts the U.S. Forest Services branding of them as authorized livestock, making them subject to legal removal.

As unauthorized livestock, the Forest Service has been rounding up dozens of horses within the Apache-Sitgreaves forests and selling them at online auctions.

Netherlands said 178 horses found good homes and sanctuaries through the fund-raising efforts of wild horse advocates.

Roughly 200 of the original 400 Alpine herd numbers are left to roam half a million acres of Apache forest.

In October, unknown perpetrators shot and killed more than 40 horses in the forest near Alpine, Arizona.

Alpine Wild Horse Advocates volunteers counted 43 dead horses and 11 still missing as of Oct. 5. The group has set up a Facebook page with periodic updates about the massacre.

Netherlands said SB1057 is similar to the Salt River Horse Act of 2017. Its goal is to protect historic wild horses on the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest.

Through humane birth control, the Salt River group reported only one foal was born in 2022.

In Wyoming, state lawmakers have proposed a resolution asking Congress to allow the slaughtering of wild horses for sale in domestic and foreign markets. However, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) opposes the measure as inhumane.

As beloved icons of the American West, wild horses are protected by federal law, the ASPCA told The Epoch Times.

While there is still a long road towards achieving sustainability [of the herd], horse slaughter will never be the solution, and the American public will not stand for such inhumane treatment of a cultural icon.
Artificial Intelligence Could Pose Existential Threat to Humanity: Australian MP

MP uses ChatGPT to write portion of speech

Cutting edge applications of Artificial Intelligence on display at the Artificial Intelligence Pavilion of Zhangjiang Future Park during a state organized media tour in Shanghai on June 18, 2021. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)

The risks around artificial intelligence must be thoroughly investigated as it could pose an existential threat to human life, says one Australian MP.

In a speech in Parliament on Feb. 6, Labor MP Julian Hill said ChatGPT had the potential to revolutionise the world but warned that if AI were to surpass human intelligence, it could cause significant damage.

It doesnt take long, if you start thinking, to realise the disruptive and catastrophic risks from untamed AGI are real, plausible, and easy to imagine, he said.

Hill said that risk analysts working on threats such as asteroids, climate change, supervolcanoes, nuclear devastation, solar flares or high-mortality pandemics are increasingly putting artificial general intelligence (AGI) at the top of their list of worries.

AGI has the potential to revolutionise our world in ways we cant yet imagine, but if AGI surpasses human intelligence, it could cause significant harm to humanity if its goals and motivations are not aligned with our own,  he said.

The risk that increasingly worries people who are far cleverer than me is what they call the unlikelihood that humans will be able to control AGI or that a malevolent actor may harness AGI for mass destruction.

Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm as technology improves at a breakneck speed.

Hill also noted that militaries around the world were pursuing AGI development as it could transform warfare and render current defensive capabilities obsolete.

An AGI-enabled adversary could conquer Australia or unleash societal-level destruction without being restrained by globally agreed norms, he said.

AI programs have been banned in schools across New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

MPs Speech Partly Written by ChatGPT

To illustrate his concerns, Hill said he had used ChatGPT to write parts of the speech he was delivering.

The program took just 90 seconds to summarise recent media reports about students using artificial intelligence in Australia to cheat and said the paragraph it produced was pretty good.

ChatGPT wrote, Recently, there have been media reports of students in Australia using artificial intelligence to cheat in their exams. AI technology, such as smart software that can write essays and generate answers, is becoming more accessible to students, allowing them to complete assignments and tests without actually understanding the material. This is causing concern, understandable concern, for teachers, who are worried about the impact on the integrity of the education system.

ChatGPT also wrote that students were effectively bypassing their education and gaining an unfair advantage by using AI.

This can lead to a lack of critical thinking skills and a decrease in the overall quality of education. Moreover, teachers may not be able to detect if a student has used AI to complete an assignment, making it difficult to identify and address cheating. The use of AI to cheat also raises ethical questions about the responsibility of students to learn and understand the material theyre being tested on, it wrote.

Screens displaying the logos of Microsoft and ChatGPT, a conversational artificial intelligence application software developed by OpenAI. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images)

Hill warned the quality of the response meant humanity needed to be a step ahead.

If humans manage to control AGI before an intelligence explosion, it could transform science, economies, our environment and society with advances in every field of human endeavour, he said, calling for an inquiry or international cooperation on investigating the issue.

The key message I want to convey is that we have to start now.

AI Community Worried

Hills speech comes after a decision by The International Conference on Machine Learning to ban authors from using the chatbot to write scientific papers.

During the past few years, we have observed and been part of rapid progress in large-scale language models (LLM), both in research and deployment. This progress has not slowed down but only sped up during the past few months. As many, including ourselves, have noticed, LLMs released in the past few months, such as OpenAIs chatGPT, are now able to produce text snippets that are often difficult to distinguish from the human-written text, the ICML said.

Such rapid progress often comes with unanticipated consequences.

Unfortunately, we have not had enough time to observe, investigate and consider its implications for our reviewing and publication process. We thus decided to prohibit producing/generating ICML paper text using large-scale language models.

US Defence Puts AGI on Watch List

Meanwhile, the U.S. Defence Information System Agency (DISA) has placed AGI on its watch list.

The DISA watchlist is known for featuring items that later become pillars of U.S. defence such as 5G, zero-trust digital defence , quantum-resistant cryptography, edge computing, and telepresence.

DISA Chief Technology Officer Stephen Wallace told an event hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International (AFCEA) that the organisation had taken an interest in the technology.

Participants at Intels Artificial Intelligence (AI) Day stand in front of a poster during the event in the Indian city of Bangalore on April 4, 2017. (Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images)

Weve heard a lot about AI over the years, and theres a number of places where its already in play, Wallace said on Jan. 25, according to Defence News. But this sort, the ability to generate content, is a pretty interesting capability.

Were starting to look at: How does [generative AI] actually change DISAs mission in the department and what we provide for the department going forward.
Australia and China Hold First Trade Minister Meeting in 3 Years

Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell (left) speaks to China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao during a meeting via teleconference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Lukas Coch - Pool/Getty Images)

Australia and China have held a meeting between trade ministers for the first time in three years as the two sides seek to resume the normal trade relationship after a period of tension.

On Feb. 6, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell joined a virtual meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao to discuss the removal of Chinas trade restrictions on many key commodities of Australia.

In the opening remarks, Farrell said trade and investment had always been part of the bedrock of the relationship between the two countries as China continued to be Australias largest trading partner and an important source of investment.

The minister also said the Australian government was determined to cooperate with China while standing firm on the countrys national interest.

While there were disagreements between the two sides on many issues, the Australian government believed the differences should be resolved via dialogues.

On Chinas side, Wang invited Farrell to visit China at a convenient time for further discussion, saying the trip would give him a different impression of the country.

While the Chinese commerce minister said he would like to work together with Farrel to bring economic cooperation between Australia and China back on track, Wang noted that the meeting was not likely to resolve all of the issues.

He also then suggested the meeting focus on building trust and finding a way to resolve the differences but stressed that China would not back down on principled issues.

The Meetings Result

While the meeting, which lasted for about 90 minutes, did not bring about any breakthrough, Farrell said it was another critical step in the stabilisation of Australias relations with China.

Our discussion covered a range of trade and investment issues, including the need for resumption of unimpeded trade for Australian exporters so that Chinese consumers can continue to benefit from high-quality Australian products, Farrell said in a statement after the meeting.

Minister Wang and I agreed to enhance dialogue at all levels, including between officials, as a pathway towards the timely and full resumption of trade.

Farrell also noted that he and Wang discussed the potential of cooperation between the two countries on several issues other than trade, such as climate change and support for business delegations.

As the Chinese regime lifted its international travel restriction in January, Farrell said Australia looked forward to seeing Chinese tourists and students return to the country.

The Australian trade minister also accepted Wangs invitation to travel to Beijing to continue their productive dialogue.

Meanwhile, Chinese state-run media Xinhua reported that during the meeting, Wang expressed the Chinese regimes concerns about Australias tightened security review of Chinese companies investment and operations in the country.

Chinas Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao is seen on a screen during a meeting via teleconference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Lukas Coch-Pool/Getty Images)

Wang also hoped that Australia could handle the above issue appropriately and provide a fair, open, and equal business environment for Chinese companies.

Wangs remarks came as the Australian government has signalled that it would be more cautious over foreign ownership of critical mineral resources such as lithium.

The meeting between Farrell and Wang is Australias latest attempt to resume the normal trade relation with China after Foreign Minister Penny Wongs trip to Beijing in December 2022.

Chinas Trade Ban

In 2020, Beijing unofficially imposed restrictions on a wide range of Australian commodities after tension escalated between the two countries due to several political and public health matters.

The tension started in 2018 when Australia banned Huawei from participating in the countrys 5G network and later became worse when Canberra called for an investigation into the origin of the COVID-19 virus, which attracted protests from the Chinese regime.

A container ship is loaded at the main Botany port in Sydney, Australia, on April 16, 2020. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

As a result, the Chinese regime imposed a combined 80.5 percent anti-dumping tariff on Australian barley and up to 218 percent for some wine brands.

Australian coal and cotton exporters also suffered as Chinese companies were reportedly told to avoid importing those commodities.

Other affected goods include Australian timber, beef and lobster, as they were subject to lengthy delays at Chinese customs clearing and enhanced inspection.

While the trade restrictions significantly impacted many Australian commodities, the Australian coal industry has found alternative long-term markets and is no longer dependent on China.

Meanwhile, the Chinese regime has shown signs of willingness to remove the trade bans, with reports emerging about the possibility of resuming coal trade relations with Australia in early January.

Some experts on China explained that China was now in a deep economic crisis due to the collapsing real estate sector and shrinking government finances, forcing the Chinese regime to improve its foreign relations to save the economy.
Bank of England Says Central Bank Digital Currency Will Likely Be Needed in the Future

British MPs have raised concerns after the Treasury and the Bank of England announced plans for a consultation to launch a state-backed digital pound this decade.

On Tuesday in a statement, the Bank of England and HM Treasury said that the way we use money is changing and that a decision on whether to introduce a digital pound is due to be made by 2025.

A consultation paper has set out its assessment of the case for a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC), a so-called digital pound which has been overseen by the joint Bank-HM Treasury CBDC Taskforce that was announced in April 2021.

CBDC

A CBDC is different from a cryptocurrency. The new form of digital money would be issued by the Bank of England, though there is public concern over the risk of state surveillance and control.

At this stage, we judge it likely that the digital pound will be needed in the future. It is too early to decide whether to introduce the digital pound, but we are convinced preparatory work is justified, the Bank of England and HM Treasury wrote.

They added that the digital pound would be a new form of sterling, similar to a digital banknote, issued by the Bank of England. They claimed that if introduced, it would exist alongside, and be easily exchangeable with, cash and bank deposits and would be used by households and businesses for their everyday payments needs.

The digital pound would maintain public access to retail central bank money and, as our lifestyles and the economy become ever more digital, it would also promote innovation, choice, and efficiency in domestic payments, they added.

The UK government is currently recruiting an individual to lead its growing team focused on a central bank digital currency.

Banknotes Used Less Frequently

Making a statement in Parliament, Andrew Griffith, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said the consultation paper aims to open a national conversation about the future of money in the UK, adding that Cash will remain important, but banknotes issued by the Bank of England are being used less frequently by households and business.

Were determined that the UK should remain at the forefront of innovation in money, payments, and financial services, this is part of the Governments vision for a technologically advanced, sustainable, and open financial services sector.

He stressed that a digital pound would be a digital counterpart to familiar, trusted banknotes and coins and subject to rigorous standards of privacy and data protection.

Conservative MP Danny Kruger asked, should be possible for the authorities to observe the transactions of any citizen if they have cause to do so?

Can he tell us whether money that is used through this new digital mechanism will require cash to be withdrawn from circulation in exact proportion? he added.

Because if not, then he has proposed to print new money. But if the cash will be withdrawn, in proportion as the digital pound is issued, then we are talking about the end of cash, arent we, because progressively the digital coin will replace the use of cash? said Kruger.

The Treasury minister said people would not be able to have a bank account directly with the Bank of England.

I do want to reassure him on cash: this will, by design, not replace cash. It will from a monetary policy perspective, although thats something, as with all of these questions, that members may respond to it during the consultation, but it is envisaged from a monetary policy perspective that this certainly does not increase money supply,  said Griffith.

A visual representation of the digital Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin in London, England, on Dec. 7, 2017. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Make Government Bigger and Bigger

Last year, commentator and investor Simon Dixon, who runs the global online investment platform Bank To The Future, told The Epoch Times that CBDCs were a radically different way of creating money.

When a central bank creates a digital currency, it doesnt have to be backed by a loan so it is a radically different way of creating money, essentially you are just creating the money, it doesnt have to be lent into existence, he said.

A CBDC could also theoretically mean automating tax collection at the point of transaction, which then would be tied to a passport which could stop people from traveling if this is in dispute.

The reason why people are scared about this is that by allowing the government to create money, history has shown that they will use that power in order to enforce agendas to make government bigger and bigger.

Dixon added that the counterforce is private cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. That allows the market to compete, he said.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Belgian Police Detain 25 in Chinese Sex Trafficking Probe

BRUSSELSBelgian police detained 25 people Tuesday as part of a human trafficking probe targeting an alleged criminal organization suspected of sending Chinese women to Europe and forcing them into prostitution, the federal prosecutors office said.

Police raided 26 places across Belgium, discovering 20 alleged victims, and one suspect was detained in Spain, the office said, with raids also taking place in the Spanish cities of Alicante and Barcelona.

All the alleged victims are of Chinese origin, and three suspects are of Belgian nationality, with the others of Chinese origin.

According to prosecutors, Chinese sex workers are increasingly present in Belgium, particularly in Brussels.

They said the criminal organization allegedly recruited women in China and transferred them to Europe where they were sexually exploited and forced to surrender most of their earnings.

The alleged prostitution ring used online rental platforms, hotels, or vacation homes and appointments could be made via websites specializing in sex advertisements, prosecutors said, adding that the victims were often moved from one place to another across the continent.

A significant proportion of the victims no longer had legal residence status, which increased their dependence on the criminal organization, the office said. The criminal organization acquired large sums of money, which were transferred abroad through legal and illegal channels.

Some of the victims discovered Tuesday have been sheltered in a specialized reception center, prosecutors said.

Belgian police took control of several buildings during the raids in Antwerp, Charleroi, Louvain, Neufchateau and Brussels, prosecutors said. The European Unions judicial cooperation agency Eurojust and the blocs crime agency Europol took part in the investigation.
Biden Admin Asks Supreme Court to Drop Title 42 Immigration Case

A Border Patrol agent instructs illegal immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The Biden administration urged the Supreme Court on Feb. 7 to dismiss 19 states challenge to the cancellation of the pandemic-era Title 42 policy that allows rapid expulsion of would-be migrants at the border.

The administration argued that its plan to terminate the public health emergency on May 11 would make the case moot. The high court will hear the appeal on March 1.

Open-borders and humanitarian groups say the Title 42 policy prevents those fleeing persecution and violence in their home countries from obtaining legal due process when they arrive in the United States; however, the states say withdrawing the policy would flood already overburdened border facilities with even more illegal aliens.

The states previously told the high court that failing to uphold the policy will cause a crisis of unprecedented proportions at the border and that daily illegal crossings may more than double.

Before he left office in early January, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, one of the architects of the legal strategy to keep the policy alive, told The Epoch Times that the states were intervening because the federal government was failing to maintain order at the border.

And the bottom line is  that if [President] Joe Biden is not going to do his job, then [we] have to do everything we can. Because what is going on at our southern border, obviously, is costing us not only fiscally, but its costing us in human lives lost. And so it is a life and death issue, Brnovich, a Republican, said at the time.

Days before that, the Supreme Court blocked the rescission of the policy, which has been used to expel more than 2 million individuals, and scheduled oral arguments in the case, Arizona v. Mayorkas, for March 1.

The anticipated end of the public health emergency on May 11, and the resulting expiration of the operative Title 42 order, would render this case moot, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar stated in a filing (pdf) with the court on Feb. 7.

Responding to Republican proposals in Congress to end the national emergency and public health emergency that were declared by the Trump administration three years ago, Bidens Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said on Jan. 30 that it would extend the soon-to-expire emergencies to May 11 and then end both emergencies on that date.

Ending the twin emergency declarations would curb some of the federal agencies expansive powers in managing the governments response to the COVID-19 virus and return agency operations to something closer to normal. Republicans, who took over the U.S. House of Representatives last month, say the emergencies arent justified and should be ended sooner.

But before that, under the Trump administration in March 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an emergency order under Title 42 of the U.S. Code regarding individuals recently in a country where a communicable disease is present. This allowed the government to promptly return individuals illegally crossing the border to Mexico without a formal hearing on the theory that their presence may pose public health risks.

Prelogar added, The government has also recently announced its intent to adopt new Title 8 policies to address the situation at the border once the Title 42 orders end.

Illegal aliens apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are generally processed under Title 8 but they can face prosecution if they illegally reenter the United States. Those expelled under Title 42 without a hearing face no further legal consequences.

Expulsions under Title 42 are not based on immigration status and are tracked separately from immigration enforcement actions, such as apprehension or inadmissibility, that are regularly reported by CBP, according to the agency.

The Biden administration reluctantly continued enforcing the Title 42 order after Biden assumed the presidency in January 2021 but on April 1, 2022, the new administration said it would end the order by May 23, 2022. Courts blocked the decision to rescind the order and the policy continued in effect at the border.

On Nov. 15, 2022, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Title 42 policy was unlawful and blocked it, finding the government had failed to show that suspending normal immigration laws was justified.

Responding to an emergency application by Republican attorneys general in 19 states, led by Arizona and Louisiana, on Dec. 19, 2022, Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay preventing the Biden administration from dropping Title 42. On Dec. 27, 2022, the full Supreme Court extended the stay, voting 54 to issue an emergency order allowing the program to continue.

Christopher J. Hajec, director of litigation for the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), which filed a friend-of-the-court brief (pdf) supporting the states, said he doubted the Biden administrations stated intention to end the Title 42 program would matter to the Supreme Court.

I dont think the Court will be influenced by the governments claim that the case will become moot on May 11. That may or may not actually happen; the government could always change its mind and continue the emergency, Hajec told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

The Court will focus on the narrow issue before it: whether the states had a right to intervene to protect the Title 42 program. While the Court considers that question, the district courts erroneous injunction of Title 42 will continue to be delayed.

The Supreme Court previously allowed the Biden administration to end the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy that required non-Mexican asylum-seekers arriving at the southern border to wait in Mexico for processing.

On June 30, 2022, the high court held in Biden v. Texas that Bidens decision to nix the program didnt violate a 1996 migrant detention law.
Biden Announces Standards Requiring Use of American-Made Materials for All Government Infrastructure Projects

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images)

President Joe Biden announced he would require that government infrastructure projects utilize American-made products.

The presidents comments came during his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7.

Despite seeming to indicate disagreement on some issues, both Republicans and Democrats applauded when Biden announced the new standards to require the construction materials to be sourced from the United States.

The push to use American materials is one part of the plan announced by Biden to strengthen the economy.

Tonight, Im also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. American-made lumber, glass, drywall, fiber optic cables, Biden said about 18 minutes into his speech.

On my watch, American roads, American bridges, and American highways will be made with American products.

During his comments, Biden touted his administrations work to increase jobs and assist in economic growth: Two years ago, our economy was reeling. As I stand here tonight, we have created a record 12 million new jobsmore jobs created in two years than any president has ever created in four years. Two years ago, COVID had shut down our businesses, closed our schools, and robbed us of so much.

The president asserted that he has an economic plan that is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten.

Biden went on: Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like theyre invisible. Thats why were building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives.
Bidens Plea for Unity Mixed With Jabs at Republicans During State of the Union

U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) before delivering the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)

President Joe Bidens State of the Union speech started with a lighthearted gesture of bipartisan goodwill, but that evaporated as he repeatedly made statements that irked the Republican side of the aisle.

His Feb. 7 speech marked the first time that the Democrat president, in office since 2021, faced a Republican-controlled House of Representatives as he gave his annual report to the nation.

Biden began by congratulating Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R- Calif.) for being chosen as Speaker of the House, then joked, off-script: Mr. Speaker, I dont want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you.

And, Biden said, during the past couple of years, Democrats and Republicans have shown they can work together, noting they approved a once-in-a-generation infrastructure law, building bridges connecting our nation and our people.

Jeers and Cheers

But Biden ran afoul of the GOP several times during his 75-minute speech, especially when he accused Republicans of wanting to sunset Medicare and Social Security. As Republicans booed and accused him of lying about that, Biden said, Im not saying its the majority.

Biden responded, I enjoy conversion. After going back and forth with Republican lawmakers who were shouting from their seats, Biden backed away from the confrontation, saying, So folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off, off the books now.

Applause and cheers followed. But Biden followed up with a threat: If anyone tries to cut those programs, Ill veto it, he said.

He also threatened to veto any anti-abortion law that Congress might pass.

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress as Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy applaud in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Biden attempted to urge the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate to come together on immigration. Make it a bipartisan issue once again, he said.

But the GOP side of the chamber again erupted with heckling as Biden claimed he was trying to secure the U.S.-Mexico bordera sore point with Republicans who have criticized him for allowing illegal immigrants to pour into America.

We now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border, Biden said. American border problems wont be fixed until Congress acts.

He urged them to at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border.

Another point of contention: Biden recognized a parent who had lost his daughter to a fentanyl overdose and decried the fact that 70,000 deaths from that drug have plagued the United States. Some Republicans shouted their disapproval of Biden; many have publicly criticized him for failing to stop the tide of fentanyl from coming from Mexico into the United States.

McCarthy remained fairly stoic throughout the speech, even when his fellow Republicans made their opposition to Biden clear. He applauded politely several times. Seated next to McCarthy, Vice President Kamala Harris frequently nodded in agreement as Biden spoke.

Standing Ovation

One of the few unifying moments of the evening came when Biden recognized two guests, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old black man whom police beat to death in Memphis, Tennessee, in January.

Everyone rose to their feet and applauded to show respect for the couple and the tragedy they have endured.

Rodney Wells and RowVaughn Wells, parents of Tyre Nichols, stand and applaud U.S. President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address in the House Chambers of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb.07, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Biden said that Nicholss mother told him that she hoped something good could come of her sons death. The president seized the moment. He asked Congress to pass a police reform bill.

But then Biden turned around and used the Nichols incident to decry how black and brown people must talk to their children about being cautious around policeeven though the officers accused in Nicholss death are also black.

He gave a disclaimer, though, which was greeted with applause: I know most cops and their families are good, decent honorable peoplethe vast majority.

Spy Balloon Not Directly Mentioned

Repeatedly, Biden said he wanted to finish the job, which seemed to hint that he will run for reelection. Still, he didnt mention the upcoming 2024 presidential race.

He also made no direct mention of Chinas spy balloon, which drifted across U.S. airspace for days before it was shot down. Many criticized the administrations failure to act sooner.

Biden did obliquely reference the incident by stating, As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did. He said little else about China.

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images)

Another topic that looms large but received little notice from Bidenthe national debt.

Last month, two dozen GOP Senators wrote a letter warning Biden that they would oppose raising the national debt limit unless he cuts spending and brings fiscal sanity back to Washington. America is now $31 trillion in debt, an amount that exceeds the national economy.

Union is Strong

Biden wrapped up his speech by attempting to strike an optimistic note.

My fellow Americans, we meet tonight in an inflection point, one of those moments that only a few generations ever face, he said. The direction we now take is going to decide the course of this nation for decades to come  We have to see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans.

He said Americans are good people and our nation is the only one in the world that is built on an idea.

Were the only nation based on the idea that all of us, every one of us, is created equal, Biden said.

Then he declared: Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone  of this nation is strong because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the union is strong.

Finally, Biden made one last attempt to strike the unifying chord that so many had expected from this speech, stating, Were the United States of America, and theres nothing beyond our capacity to do it together.
Biden Calls For Investigations Into Pandemic Fraud, Abuse During State of the Union

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) listen as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

During his State of the Union address on Feb. 7, President Joe Biden called for investigations into fraudulent use of funds authorized for COVID-19 economic relief.

The call comes as a concession from the president to Republicans, who are gearing up for investigations on topics ranging from Bidens family to the Department of Justice and FBI.

An estimated $500 billion has been lost to waste, fraud, and abuse in pandemic relief spending.

The House Oversight Committee was told by expert witnesses that nobody has lost their job for this enormous fraud.

Republicans, most prominently Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have called for investigations into pandemic fraud.

Biden conceded to the need for such an investigation during his address.

As we emerge from this crisis, stronger, were also gotta (sic) double down on prosecuting criminals who stole relief money meant to keep workers and small businesses afloat, Biden said.

The declaration was met with a round of applause from Republicans, as well as from Attorney General Merrick Garland. As head of the Department of Justice, Garland would be responsible for carrying out such prosecutions.

Soon Well End the Public Health Emergency

Soon well end the public health emergency Biden said before being interrupted by Republican applause.

Last week, the House GOP majority passed a bill that would end the public health emergency due to COVID-19.

Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) proposed ending the emergency declaration, putting pressure on the Biden administration to rescind the measure. After Republicans announced their intention to consider the bill, Biden announced that he would end the public health emergency but said he would wait until May to do so.

In a speech on the House floor calling for the passage of his bill, Guthrie said, President Biden and I agree: the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Its time to restore freedom to the American people, so the American peoplenot the governmentcan make the best decisions for themselves and their families, Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) said in favor of the legislation in a speech on the House floor.

On Jan. 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that it would again extend the health emergency for another 90 days, according to a declaration issued by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The emergency has been renewed about a dozen times since it was implemented under the Trump administration in early 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic is over, Guthrie wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. Its long overdue to end the COVID-19 [public health emergency] and for President Biden to relinquish his emergency powers.

Earlier in the speech, Biden effectively reiterated his September 2022 statement that the pandemic is over.

While the virus is not gone, thanks to the resilience of the American people and the ingenuity of medicine, we have broken the COVID grip on us, Biden said.

He continued: Deaths are down by 90 percent. Weve saved millions of lives and opened our country back up.

Still, Democrats have persisted in calls to wait until May to rescind the declaration.

Biden also called on Congress to continue to fund COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

We still need to monitor dozens of new variants and support new vaccines and treatments. Congress needs to fund these efforts and keep America safe, Biden said.

The call comes as Republicans seek to wind down pandemic-era spending.
U.S. President Joe Biden travels to the Madison, Wisconsin area and delivers a speech at 2:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 8 to promote his economic plan.

The Epoch Times will livestream the event.
The United States is dishing out another blow to China, this time for its ambitions on U.S. soil. Lawmakers have introduced a new House bill that, if passed, would ban China and other adversaries from purchasing American farmland. The measure echoes another bill revealed just last week in the Senate, with a similar goal. But how far can these measures go? And will they serve their intended effects?

Topics in this episode:
Border Patrol Chiefs Say Walls Would Improve Border Security

A Border Patrol agent instructs illegal immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)

A pair of Border Patrol sector chiefs called for more border wall construction during a hearing in the House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee on Tuesday.

Gloria Chavez, the chief patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley sector in Texas, and John Modlin, the chief patrol agent for the Tucson sector in Arizona, both called for more wall construction in their respective sectors.

When asked how border walls impact the work in her sector, Chavez said barriers that include lights and electronic technologies to detect attempted breaches mean she doesnt have to have 20 agents in one zone and those agents can maximize their coverage area elsewhere, thus allowing them to more effectively patrol a larger area with fewer personnel. Chavez said border walls also manage and direct the flow of people attempting to cross the border into areas, allowing her agents to more effectively make an arrest.

Modlin agreed with Chavezs assessments about controlling the flow of illegal crossing attempts. Modlin said his sector did receive about 120 miles of border wall construction that they asked for, but construction was incomplete on access roads along the wall and on a fiber-optic cable to assist in detecting crossing attempts. He also said gaps remain in the wall.

When asked if her agents would benefit from more border wall construction, Chavez said, locations in my AOR, in my area of responsibility, that requires barrier that is unprotected at this current time. Chavez said certain gates in her sector are also missing.

During another segment of the hearing, Modlin said single Border Patrol agents are trained to apprehend groups of 10 to 20 people, however, it also takes a single Border Patrol agent to apprehend a single person coming across the border. Modlin said cartels are increasingly sending one person or groups of two or three people across the border, spreading Border Patrol agents more thinly in what he described as a task saturation tactic that allows the cartels to get more people across without being stopped.

President Joe Biden halted border wall construction as one of his first moves in office.

Arizona subsequently began placing shipping containers along the border to block off some gaps between walls, but agreed to remove those barriers after a lawsuit by the Biden administration. The Biden administration has announced plans to close some border wall gaps in the Yuma border sector of Arizona with new barrier construction.

Modlin was asked to assess the reasons for the rising numbers of people being arrested attempting to cross the border. He said that after Biden took office, the most common response from people arrested in border crossing attempts was that they believed when the administration changed, that the law changed and policy changed and that there was an open border.

Democrats Say Republicans Are Thwarting Reforms

Ahead of the hearing, the Democratic minority on the House committee accused the Republican majority of calling the hearing to amplify white nationalist conspiracy theories instead of a comprehensive solution to protect our borders and strengthen our immigration system.

Good morning and good luck to everyone except @GOPoversight members who are using todays hearing to amplify white nationalist conspiracy theories instead of a comprehensive solution to protect our borders and strengthen our immigration system.https://t.co/V4kv8twk5a  Oversight Committee Democrats (@OversightDems) February 7, 2023

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat member on the committee, said record-low unemployment under Biden has raised a need for more workers in the U.S. economy. Raskin said creating new legal pathways to citizenship would grow the U.S. economy further.

Republicans driven by the extreme MAGA wing of their party have been systematically thwarting and derailing comprehensive efforts to improve our immigration system and strengthen border enforcement, Raskin said.

Raskin said Republicans have spread fear about a foreign invasion and disinformation about fentanyl, the vast majority of which is brought into our country by American smugglers who are traveling through lawful ports of entry.

Modlin was asked to respond to claims that most fentanyl crossing the U.S. border is seized at ports of entry and assess whether border security officials should not worry about drug smuggling between the ports of entry. Modlin said that in his sector, 52 percent of the illegal fentanyl his agents seized was intercepted in the field being backpacked across the border, while the other 48 percent was intercepted at immigration checkpoints.

During the hearing, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) suggested that increases in fentanyl seizures at the border under the Biden administration may be indicative of improved border security rather than a worsening crisis.

Whats interesting about this is, of course, we had a change of president in 2020 and some changes in border policy, and what we can see here is that the facts show we are seizing a lot more fentanyl, Porter said. And for me, as a mom, that is a sign of success.

Porter then asked if increased seizures at ports of entry may be leading cartels to try other smuggling means like crossing between ports of entry.

Criminals are always going to go to the path of least resistance, Modlin said. And if the ports are the path of least resistance, they will go there and if between the ports are the path of least resistance, they will go there.

From NTD News
Canada Goose Q3 Results Highlight Challenges of Doing Business in China

Why China reopening may not be the boon many expect

A Canada Goose logo on a storefront in Ottawa on Sept. 10, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

News Analysis

Companies doing business in China were given a nasty surprise when their earnings got hit as a result of Beijings nearly three years of extensive lockdowns followed by a sudden reopening in early December 2022.

The Epoch Times reported on Feb. 5 that with many places in China seeing 80 percent infection rates within 20 days, the decision had a massive effect on factory and business operations. Companies like Apple continue to exit China to relocate their supply chains.

Caught in the turmoil is luxury apparel maker Canada Goose. Its third-quarter earnings missed badly and its stock price fell 15 percent on Feb. 2.

While Canada Goose remains positive on its prospects in China, its chairman and CEO Dani Reiss said during the companys earnings call that he did not anticipate the sudden reopening in early December.

This led to a surge in infections, which had a significant impact on our business during what is typically our most productive trading month. Consumer traffic decreased dramatically and staffing levels were impacted due to illness, he said.

Chinas handling of COVID has hurt the earnings of many large multinationals, including Apple, Starbucks, Alphabet (Google), and Amazon.

Risky Business

Doing business in China includes dealing with Beijings abrupt and opaque moves. In 2021, Beijing took steps to limit foreign investment in its tech companies like Tencent and Meituan. Analysts said at the time that investing in China needs reevaluation.

The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (OTPP) is Canadas third-largest pension fund, with $242.5 billion in assets. In a Jan. 31 statement, the pension fund said it currently has about $5 billion, or 2 percent, of its net investments in China and that it has paused direct investments in private Chinese companies.

The OTPP told The Epoch Times by email on Feb. 3 that the pause only applies to direct private investments and that the fund will continue to invest in China through publicly listed securities and in public and private assets via its fund partners.

Reuters cited a source who said the move was due to geopolitical risks among other factors.

China has fallen in strategic priority in the minds of Canadian business leaders. The 202021 Canada-China Business Survey, conducted in August and September 2021 by the Canada China Business Council (CCBC), found that only 21 percent of companies polled said China was a top global priority. This was down from 26 percent in 201920.

CCBC also reported that respondents said Canada-China and U.S.-China relations were the top two obstacles for doing business in the Chinese market, whereas compared to the 2019 survey, neither reason even made the list of top 15 concerns.

Canadas relationship with China has now been strained for years, ever since the arrest of former Huawei CFO Meng Wenzhou in December 2018 and the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor shortly thereafter.

Ottawa recently made moves to cut China out of its resource sector, most notably regarding investments in critical minerals.

Warning Signs for China Reopening Narrative

There is an expectation among some economists that Chinas reopening from harsh COVID lockdowns will be a tailwind for the global economy in 2023. Other economists and China watchers feel differently.

China has lost the equivalent of 4.7 percent of gross domestic product as a result of the pandemic and its response, said Ben May, Oxford Economics director of global macro research.

Hes skeptical that the China reopening story will save the world from a recession, May added.

For companies selling products in China, the big question is the health of the Chinese consumer. In a Jan. 27 note, May said, Consumer confidence is very weak and households are tightening their purse strings, so a major consumer splurge seems unlikely.

China Beige Book managing director Shehzad Qazi said in an interview with Bloomberg on Jan. 17 that the Chinese consumer is in a very terrible spot right now.

He characterized the Chinese consumer as a conservative one.

I think companies have to really seriously reevaluate and rethink their China strategies, both because again, youre talking about an economy that is going to be slowing down into the future, he said.

On Feb. 7, Canada Goose presented its five-year growth plan but made no mention of China, even as the company opened new stores there in 2022 and said sales rebounded strongly in January after the December disruption.

Questionable Numbers

While May has a less-than-rosy outlook on China, he told The Epoch Times that his analysis is purely focused on economics and thus he is not in a position to assess the potential impacts of likely COVID deaths relative to official numbers.

The Epoch Times reported on Feb. 1 that Beijing had only registered fewer than 80,000 in-hospital COVID deaths to date. But experts say this figure is significantly lower than the true death toll, pointing to the regimes practice of hiding negative information and to widespread accounts of overwhelmed crematoriums and hospitals.

Canada put in place COVID restrictions for travellers from China, Hong Kong, and Macau effective Jan. 5 and has since extended these measures until April 5.

China expert Gordon Chang has slammed optimism about Chinas economy. In an article for the U.S.-based Gatestone Institute think tank on Jan. 30, he wrote that Chinas economy is far sicker than analysts assume and that the country wont have a good year either in 2023 or 2024.

Foreigners are going to lose money in China again, he said.
Canadian Military Plane Heads Home After Two Surveillance Flights Over Haiti

A Canadian CP-140 Aurora on the tarmac at the Italian naval air station in Sigonella, Italy in this undated photo. This same type of plane was treated in an inappropriate manner by Chinese military in October near North Korea. (MThe Canadian Press/Murray Brewster)

A Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane was heading home on Tuesday after two intelligence-collecting flights over Haiti.

The CP-140 Auroras return came after the Liberal government announced on Saturday that the plane was being deployed to collect intelligence on gang activity in Haiti.

Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly also described the deployment at the time as a demonstration of Canadas commitment to Haiti, which has been battered by a series of crises.

Violent, feuding gangs have taken over the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince since last summer. A United Nations report last October said gangs are sexually assaulting women and children, in addition to curtailing access to health care, electricity and clean water.

The gangs have reportedly killed and kidnapped hundreds, while filling a power vacuum in a country led by politicians whose terms have expired. No elections have been held since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Military spokesman Capt. Graeme Scott said Tuesday the long-range surveillance plane was originally assigned to a U.S.-led counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean before being tasked with conducting two flights over Haiti over two days.

The CP-140 has been capturing information that will be used by the government of Canada to further assess the situation in Haiti, Scott said in an emailed statement.

As the aircraft has now completed that information gathering, as part of Canadas response to the situation in Haiti, it is now on its way back to Canada.

It wasnt immediately clear how the information will be used, though Haitis unelected prime minister, Ariel Henry, has requested a foreign military intervention, which Washington says Canada ought to lead.

The idea has proven divisive among Haitians, and Canada has instead sought a political consensus in the country, which includes sanctioning more than a dozen of the countrys political and economic elites, accusing them of emboldening the gangs.
Violence from Mexican drug cartels is spilling across the border and into the United States, resulting in several deaths including gang executions. The problem is being attributed not only to loose border policy, but also to the easing of marijuana laws that has legitimized some of the cartel operations.

Meanwhile, many nations including the United States and its adversaries are facing dwindling volunteers for their militaries. As a result, they are lowering standards for troops and considering involuntary military drafts.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.

*Sponsor Special: Up to $2,500 of free silver with American Hartford Gold. Call 877-260-2764, text JOSHUA to 6-5-5-3-2, or visit: https://ept.ms/3rshean
CDC Director Defends Mask Mandates After New Study Shows Masking Has Little Effect

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Feb. 8 defended her agencys promotion of masking after a new study found that protective masks had little effect on the spread of respiratory viruses such as COVID-19.

The Cochrane review analyzed randomized controlled studies, considered the gold standard by U.S. officials and others, but limitations undermined the conclusions, according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

One of the limitations of that study, in addition to the fact that it included randomized trials from before COVID-19, is that it stated in the study that people actually had limited update of using masks, Walensky said during a hearing in Washington. Of course, randomized trials that look at mask use by people who arent wearing them are going to have limited utility.

The CDC imposed mask mandates on public transportation users, including plane passengers, and on children in Head Start programs as young as 2, contradicting policies from other countries that left younger children maskless, if mandates were imposed at all.

The agency also repeatedly recommended that children, teachers, and others in schools wear masks, as well as people in common settings, such as grocery stores.

Multiple members of Congress pressed Walensky on the Cochrane review, which concluded that the available evidence shows a lack of effect in mask wearing against the spread of influenza or flu-like illnesses.

While acknowledging the limited data pool, it found no clear sign of a reduction in transmission when using either medical or surgical masks, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said. Yet today, CDC still recommends masks in schools for all ages, even though the emotional, mental, physical, and educational toll masking has had on our kids is widely recognized.

Walensky told Rodgers, You actually have to wear a mask for it to work.

The CDCs mandates and guidance on masks relied on cohort studies, Walensky said.

That included a non-peer-reviewed study that the agency published in its quasi-journal that compared the incidence of COVID-19 case clusters in schools located in districts with mask mandates with schools in districts without forced masking. Only two Arizona counties were studied.

A follow-up study that expanded on the number of districts involved and the time frame found that there was no link between school masking and COVID-19 cases.

The CDC also cites other studies in a scientific brief on the subject, including a randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh that found that masking had little effect on COVID-19 spread and a Chinese study of just 124 households.

Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) brought up the Cochrane study and said doctors have informed him that masks arent effective.

He asked Dr. Lawrence Tabak, acting director of the National Institutes of Health, whether that agency funded any trials examining mask efficacy in schools. Tabak said he wasnt aware of any.

Walensky defended the lack of research.

So many studies demonstrated  that masks were working, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, that Im not sure anybody would have proposed a clinical trial because in fact there werent equipoise.

Apart from the Bangladesh trial, the two other randomized, clinical trials conducted in other countries provided little data to support masking against COVID-19.

Walensky also said this week that now is not the moment to drop mask mandates in schools. Many states have already lifted their mandates and others have recently announced that theyll rescind their mandates.

Lockdowns

During the hearing, Walensky also defended the lockdowns imposed in the United States during the pandemic.

I agree that we should do everything in our power not to have it happen [again], she said, referring to school closures and other lockdown policies.

But she recounted how being a clinician in 2020, there was a morgue outside her hospital. When hospitals are overwhelmed and unable to take care of brain tumors and car accident victims, extraordinary measures are necessary, Walensky said.

I do think when there are lockdowns, theres decreased need for things like motor vehicle accident care, she said, disagreeing with Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) on the issue.

When members pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccines dont stop transmission, undercutting the rationale for vaccine mandates imposed by the Biden administration, Walensky pushed back, claiming that the vaccines prevent severe disease and death. It doesnt prevent transmission as well as it did for prior variants, but it does still prevent some, Walensky said, referring to all vaccines as one type.

The CDC was consulted before the mandates were issued, she confirmed.

What we have though is a modest prevention, like a 50 percent prevention, of risk of getting infected if youre up to date on your vaccination, and thats very important for frontline workers of all types to stay healthy, for children not to infect their grandparents that may be at risk, said Dr. Robert Califf, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

If youre up to date, your risk of dying is reduced by 80 percent.

Califf was referring to the updated bivalent vaccines, for which theres no clinical data half a year after the administration authorized them. The U.S. government and outside researchers have said in observational studies that the bivalents provide a subpar boost against infection and a better boost against severe illness.
China Local Government Debt Skyrockets as CCP Pushes Infrastructure Investments

A partially removed company logo of China Evergrande Group is seen on the facade of its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, on Jan. 10, 2022. (David Kirton/Reuters)

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is trying to reverse the devastating economic effects of its extreme three-year zero-COVID lockdown. After the Chinese new year, local provincial governments across the country began a new trend of huge infrastructure spending in an attempt to reverse the economic downturn.

An important source of funding for construction and infrastructure projects in China is special bonds issued by local governments. In 2022, the Chinese regime accelerated the issuance of special bonds and tilted its investment focus toward infrastructure. The Bank of China Research Institute published a report on April 22, 2022, stating that since the second half of 2021, Chinas real estate market has been hitting rock bottom, and the pressure on local governments to repay special bonds has increased.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Finance on Jan. 30, the CCP local government revenue for 2022 would be 7.38 trillion yuan ($1.1 trillion), down 21.6 percent from 2021. This drastic decrease in the regimes revenue reflects a side of Chinas economic downturn.

One example is Shenyang City, Liaoning Province in China, where the volume of land sales plummeted in late 2021 with a failed auction rate of up to 70 percent in December 2021. However, in 2023, the provincial government is rolling out massive spending on urban infrastructure.

According to a December 2022 report by China Lianhe Credit Ratings on the debt risk of local governments and urban investment enterprises in Liaoning Province, the next three years will see a large-scale increase in maturing bonds. This poses a significant risk to CCP local government finances.

CCP Investing Heavily in Infrastructure Amid Huge Debt Risks

For years, the CCP viewed infrastructure spending as a tool to stabilize the economy and promote economic growth in China. For example, in the past decade, we have seen the rapid expansion of Chinas high-speed rail. However, many might question why the CCP would continue spending and investing despite its high risks during the economic downturn.

Current affairs commentator Li Wenzheng told The Epoch Times on Feb. 4 that the CCP leaderships goal is economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The plummeting Chinese real estate market, which constitutes a huge part of Chinas economy, is a significant threat to economic stability in China. The regime wishes that more infrastructure spending can stimulate growth and therefore reverse the trend. However, this plan might not work given that the Chinese infrastructure is already quite saturated and, to a certain extent, even in an over-supplied status. The massive risk of defaulting on debt puts the CCP local governments in a very tough position in the next three years.

Scale of Local Government Debt

Recently, an article published on Chinas Sina Finance pointed out that the Chinese regimes urban infrastructure investments have reached 65 trillion yuan (approx. $10 trillion), which is approx. $6,900 per capita, given Chinas population of 1.4 billion.

With the CCPs corruption and history of falsifying various data, it is often difficult for the outside world to get an accurate picture of the real situation. In general, it is usually more serious than the official story.

HuaAn Securities Co. reported in early January 2023 that based on incomplete data, 31 major infrastructure project contractors across 12 provinces in China had defaulted on loans, with two of them having risky loans of over 6 billion yuan (approximately $900 million) and six of them over 2 billion yuan (approximately $300 million). Such data further amplifies the financial risks facing the local governments in China as the CCP pushes extremely risky spending programs in order to stop the countrys economic downturn.
China Loses a String of Military Doctors Linked to Forced Organ Harvesting

China's military hospitals have been linked to the crime of forced organ harvesting from living donors. Pictured: A liver transplant. (Shutterstock)

In the midst of Chinas ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, at least 10 Chinese military physiciansmany of them surgeons, and all Chinese Communist Party (CCP) membershave died. The list includes a notable surgeon who was suspected of involvement in forced organ harvesting.

The deceased doctors join a large number of prominent party members who have died following the sudden reversal of Chinas strict zero-COVID policies in December of last year.

A Long List of Military Obituaries

Publicly released obituaries show that at least 10 Chinese military doctors died between December of 2022 and January of 2023.

On Jan. 27, Wu Zongyao, CCP member and professor of rehabilitative medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University, died at the age of 89. Wu was the recipient of many scientific and technological awards and honors. He was described in the obituary as an esteemed CCP member.

On Jan. 25, Guo Shouyi, CCP member and professor of aerospace medicine at the Air Force Medical University, died at the age of 90. Guo was the deputy head of refractive medicine for the armys ophthalmology committee. He had received many military and CCP awards and honors.

On Jan. 16, Li Yuguang, CCP member and veteran Red Army soldier and military surgeon, died at the age of 101. Li was director of the armys No. 211 Hospital and deputy director of logistics for the Heilongjiang Military Region.

On Jan. 8, Ren Guilan, wife of CCP lieutenant general Liang Xingchu, died at the age of 93. Ren had served as a military surgeon and authored a book on military history.

Doctors carrying organs for transplant surgery at a hospital in Henan Province on Aug. 16, 2012. (Screenshot/Sohu.com)

On Dec. 27, Fu Jinhe, a military surgeon and CCP member, died at the age of 86. Fu served as a military surgeon and was deputy director of the Red Cross Taiwan Compatriot Hospital in Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province.

On Dec. 26, Zhang Yijun, CCP member and former deputy director of infectious disease at Guangzhou Air Force Hospital, died at the age of 86. Zhang also served as director of infectious disease at the armys No. 458 Hospital.

On Dec. 24, Hou Sili, CCP member and former party secretary at Zhejiang Medical Universitys Hangzhou Branch, died at the age of 91. Hou served as a military surgeon at the Zhejiang Civil Police General Hospital, chief surgeon and deputy director of the Zhejiang Public Security General Hospital, and deputy director of the militarys No. 360 Hospital.

On Dec. 24, Wang Chengqi, CCP member and former deputy director of the armys No. 89 Hospital, died at the age of 91. He had served as a military surgeon, director of surgery and vice president of the hospital.

On Dec. 6, Bai Tao, CCP member and former deputy chief physician at Guangzhou General Hospital, died at the age of 96. Bai was the deputy director of the hospitals general surgery department.

Falun Gong practitioners in Vienna, Austria, stage a mock demonstration of organ harvesting from prisoners in China during a protest against the importation of human organs from China to Austria, on Oct. 1, 2018. (Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images)

Li Jieshou: Military Surgeon Involved in Forced Organ Harvesting

On Jan. 30, 2023, Li Jieshou, CCP member and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, former vice president of the Nanjing General Hospital, and a professor at Nanjing University, died after ineffective medical treatment. Li was 98.

Li Jieshou and Nanjing General Hospital are on a list of Chinese doctors and facilities alleged to be involved in forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. The list, released by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) in 2014, includes over 2000 medical personnel in military and police hospitals.

Li came from a family of physicians: his brothers, both deceased, were also military surgeons. His younger brother, Li Leishi, was known as the originator of kidney transplants in China and was suspected of participating in a large number of forced organ harvesting operations. Li Leishi jumped to his death in 2010.

CCP Military Heavily Involved in Forced Organ Harvesting

It is worth noting that the Chinese military hospital system is deeply involved in the crime of forced organ harvesting.

In October of 2022, the WOIPFG released an investigative report on the alleged involvement of the Chinese military and police hospital system in the live organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) talks with former president Jiang Zemin (R) during the closing of the 19th Communist Party Congress in Beijing, on Oct. 24, 2017. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Perceiving the spiritual movement as a threat, former CCP leader Jiang Zemin ordered the extermination of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999. His directive: bankrupt them financially, ruin their reputations, destroy them physically.

Since 2000, military hospitals in China have performed an extraordinary number of human organ transplants, with an unusually large and rapid supply of organ donors, according to the report. Because military hospitals are self-contained and operate independently of the Ministry of Health, it is assumed that the actual number of organs transplanted is far greater than the number of identified sources.

The WOIPFG report alleges that Chinese military and police hospitals are systematically participating in the mass extermination of Falun Gong practitioners by harvesting their organs while they are alive. The special status of the CCP military, with its self-contained totalitarian management, makes its participation in the persecution more brutal and secretive.

The 981 Project

The connection between the wave of deaths among elderly CCP cadres and forced organ harvesting is not incidental. The longevity of top party members is renowned. With access to a level of health care that is out of the reach of rank-and-file Chinese, they often live to an astonishing age.

In 2019, Chinas No. 301 Hospitala top facility that treats many party leadersran a video ad touting its advanced health care program for CCP leaders, a unique health regimen that combines traditional Chinese medicine principles with Western medical technology. The ad, which was quickly blocked from social media, boasted about the 981 Health Project for Leaders, launched in 2005 with the aim of extending Chinese leaders lives to 150.

Notable among the facets of No. 301 Hospitals advanced health program is regeneration of organ function. It is no secret that this includes organ transplants to replace the failing or diseased organs of CCP leaders.

A eulogy posted on Chinese social media for Gao Zhanxiang, former vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, illustrated this. Gao died on Dec. 9 at the age of 87. The eulogy read over the years, Gao Zhanxiang has been fighting the disease tenaciously. He had replaced many organs in his body. He joked that many parts are not his own.

Surviving to an advanced age via organ transplants has its downside, however. Organ recipients must rely on immunosuppressant drugs to prevent organ rejection. That makes them particularly susceptible to viral infection. A study published in the December 2022 issue of the journal Transplantation found a significantly higher mortality from COVID-19 among solid organ transplant recipients (kidney, heart, lung, liver).
Chinese Corn Mill Project in North Dakota Struck Down by Grand Forks Over National Security Concerns

A sign opposing a corn mill in Grand Forks, N.D., stands near 370 acres recently annexed by the city for the project. Many residents don't want the project in the city because the owner, Fufeng Group, has reputed ties to the Chinese Communist Party through its company chairman. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

A city council in North Dakota voted unanimously on Monday to block a Chinese companys proposed corn mill after the U.S. Air Force raised national security concerns over its proximity to a military base.

The public in attendance cheered and chanted USA! when the Grand Forks City Council voted unanimously 50 to terminate the proposal by Fufeng Group, a large Chinese agribusiness with strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

The proposed mill was intended to be built on 300 acres of land owned by Fufeng Group, which is only 12 miles from a military base that houses top-secret drone technology.

Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski read out the motion, stating that the councils decision to block the proposed mill was prompted by a letter (pdf) from the Air Force, sent to Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) on Jan. 27, stating that the project presents a significant threat to national security with both near- and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area.

Bochenski said the city determined that certain conditions of the companys development agreement with the city cannot be satisfied and that certain representations and warranties were incorrect, and he directed the city attorney to take all appropriate actions available and in favor of the city under the development agreement.

Prior to the vote, Councilwoman Rebecca Osowski acknowledged the concerns raised by citizens about Fufengs proposal and thanked them for their support.

I guess I will say it. Citizens, you were right, and thank you, Osowski said to applause from members of the public in attendance. As a citizen of Grand Forks, thank you very much.

She also urged the city council to look at what has been done and work together to make things right.

Airmen assigned to the 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., perform a maintenance check on a drone on June 6, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ashley Richards)

National Security Concerns

The city of Grand Forks approved the Fufeng project in November 2021, and the development agreement was signed in July 2022.

That same month, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Hoeven, and Cramer raised their concerns in a letter (pdf) to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the Fufeng Groups operations impacts in the area.

They said its proximity to the base led to concern that Fufeng operations could provide cover for PRC surveillance or interference with the missions located at that installation, given Fufeng Groups reported ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

The senators requested a full review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a federal panel responsible for evaluating foreign acquisitions for potential national security risks.

In December 2022, CIFUS determined it did not have jurisdiction to investigate the land purchase.

Mayor Bochenski declared his intention to stop the project on Jan. 31, saying the federal government requested the citys help to do so amid geo-political tensions that he said had greatly increased since the initial announcement of the project.

The only remedies the city has to meet this directive is to refuse to connect industrial infrastructure and deny building permits, Bochenski said. As mayor of the city of Grand Forks, I am requesting these remedies be undertaken and the project be stopped, pending City Council approval.

A sign spells out the concerns many residents have over a proposed corn mill in Grand Forks, N.D. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

The councils vote to block the development agreement was made shortly after a Chinese spy balloon was left to travel over the United States, including hovering above a military base in Montana, before being brought down near the coast of South Carolina.

Despite the citys vote to terminate the development agreement, Fufeng USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Fufeng Group, will still retain ownership of the farmland they purchased in Grand Forks in the fall of 2021.

As of Dec. 31, 2020, China held 325,686 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This represents less than 1 percent of all foreign-held agricultural land, but a significant increase from 13,720 acres in 2010.

Several state officials have also expressed concern about Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland, leading to legislation in states such as South Dakota, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Missouri, and Iowa aimed at prohibiting or restricting Chinese entities from buying U.S. agricultural land and businesses.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.
Chinese Media Campaigns Cost Conservative MP His Seat in 2021 Election, Committee Hears

Conservative MP Kenny Chiu rises during question period in the House of Commons on April 13, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) media campaigns carried out against Conservative MP Kenny Chiu during the 2021 federal election cost him his seat in Parliament, a witness told a House of Commons committee on Feb. 7.

Charles Burton, a senior fellow at the Ottawa-based think tank Macdonald-Laurier Institute, told the Commons Standing Committee on House Affairs that Chiu was targeted by a number of Chinese-language media outlets controlled by the CCP and didnt have anywhere really to turn.

What happened in the case of Mr. Chiu was, on the same day as there was a poll that came out that showed that the Conservatives might achieve a minority government, then this massive campaign of disinformation on multiple Chinese-language websites directed at people in Canada appeared, Burton said, as first reported by Blacklocks Reporter.

I think its really a question of it happened too fast and immediately Mr. Chius numbers started to plummet.

Chiu lost his bid for re-election to the B.C. riding of Steveston-Richmond East by over 3,400 votes to Liberal MP Parm Bains, who received about 43 percent of the ridings votes while Chiu got around 34 percent.

In the 2019 election, Chiu won with about 42 percent of the ridings votes.

Burton was asked if he thought the disinformation campaign against Chiu in 2021 had an effect on the election results in his riding.

My subjective judgment was that the impact was enormous, Burton said, acknowledging that while believing negative things is often more appealing than positive things, he still thinks the disinformation campaign had a large impact.

My personal view is that if it had not been for the disinformation, Mr. Chiu would still be in Parliament today, he said.

Election Interference

Burton also said that while attempts by the CCP to interfere in Canadian affairs have been going on for some time, their efforts have increased in recent years.

He said Chinese Leader Xi Jinping over his years in power has allocated a massive increase in resources for the CCP bureaus involved in engaging with persons of Chinese origin in foreign countries.

And because there have been no repercussions, Canada can expect more of the same, he said.

I think that after what has happened in the previous elections, no Chinese diplomats have been declared persona non grata and no agents of the Chinese regime have been brought before a Canadian court to be accountable for alleged criminal activity, that this emboldens the Chinese regime to do much more of it in the next election, Burton said.

In other words, the longer we remain passive and ineffective, the more encouraged theyll be that they can do more of this and get away with it.

A November 2022 report by Global News said the CCP has covertly funded candidates in past elections, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers have denied ever being briefed by Canadian intelligence officials about specific candidates receiving Chinese funds.

Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
Chinese Spy Balloon Went Over Other US Nuclear Weapons Sites, Top Lawmaker Says

The Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, S.C., on Feb. 4, 2023.; and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies over a debris field during recovery efforts on Feb. 4, 2023. (Randall Hill/Reuters); U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland)

A top House lawmaker said the Chinese spy balloon transited over key U.S. missile and nuclear weapon sites before it was shot down off the coast of the Carolinas last weekend.

If you take the path that this balloon did, and you put up an X every place where you have a missile defense site, actual nuclear weapons infrastructure, youre going to follow this path, House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said in a news conference with reporters on Tuesday, USA Today reported. So I think the natural conclusion is, it is intelligence gathering with respect to try to affect in some way the command and control of our missile defense and nuclear weapons.

During his briefing, Turner did not divulge other details about the investigation into the high-altitude balloon, which caused Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a scheduled trip to Beijing this month. The balloon was first reported in the skies over Billings, Montana, last week, although it wasnt shot down until several days later.

Notably, Malmstrom Air Force Basethe only military base in Montanais located some 200 miles to the northwest of Billings. That base houses some Minutemen III intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

The satellite had completed its mission. This should never have been allowed to enter the United States, and it never should have been allowed to complete its mission, Turner told NBC News on Sunday. The Epoch Times contacted Turners office for comment.

But the White House said the Pentagon waited to take down the balloon because it may have posed a risk to people on the ground. Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command, told reporters that he could not rule out the possibility that explosives were on the balloon, adding that the entire aircraft weighed several thousand pounds, according to a Pentagon transcript.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, speaks in Washington on Aug. 12, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The balloon assessment was up to 200 feet tall for the actual balloon, the top general said. The payload itself, I would categorize that as a jet airliner type of size, maybe a regional jet such as a ERJ or something like that. Probably weighed in excess of a couple thousand pounds. So I would  from a safety standpoint, picture yourself with large debris weighing hundreds if not thousands of pounds falling out of the sky. Thats really what were kind of talking about.

VanHerck also said the glass off of solar panels and other potentially hazardous material, such as material that is required for batteries to operate in such an environment as this and even the potential for explosives to detonate and destroy the balloon that  could have been present.

Response

Meanwhile, balloons either suspected of or confirmed to be Chinese have been spotted over countries from Japan to Costa Rica. Taiwanese media have reported that mysterious white balloons had been spotted over the island at least three times in the past two years.

Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told reporters Monday that a flying object similar to the one shot down by the U.S. had been spotted at least twice over northern Japan since 2020. We are continuing to analyze them in connection with the latest case in the United States, he said.

Chinese Communist officials this week also confirmed that a balloon recently spotted over Latin American was Chinese, describing it as a civilian airship used for flight tests.

The size of the Chinese balloon in the United States, as well as the equipment attached to it, had drawn intense speculation as to its purpose. Along with Washington, most security experts dismissed Beijings assertions that the balloon was intended for meteorological rather than spying purposes.

At a news conference last week with his South Korean counterpart, Blinken said that the presence of this surveillance balloon over the United States in our skies is a clear violation of our sovereignty, a clear violation of international law, and clearly unacceptable. And weve made that clear to China.

Any country that has its airspace violated in this way I think would respond similarly, and I can only imagine what the reaction would be in China if they were on the other end, Blinken said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cyberattack Worries Mar Safest Decade in US Air Travel: Congressman

Vulnerability exposed after computer failure caused nationwide grounding of flights on Jan. 11

A Delta Airlines jet comes in for a landing at Laguardia Airport, in New York City, on Jan. 11, 2023. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Amid talk of the safest decade for American air travel, a Wisconsin congressman scorched the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for shortcomings in its computer security.

Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) said his staff ferreted out facts about the systems vulnerability while probing the Jan. 11 FAA computer outage that grounded flights nationwide, causing 11,000 flight disruptions.

Security of the FAA systems affects every single human being on the planet that flies in aircraft, Van Orden said during a Feb. 7 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing about the FAAs future funding and operations.

Van Orden declared: the FAA left our entire nations air industry in peril by failing to properly shield the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system. That system warns pilots about closed runways and other abnormal conditions affecting air travel.

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) asks questions during a meeting of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in Washington, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times via screenshot of live video)

No CyberattackYet

In a statement, the FAA blamed the NOTAM failure on contract personnel who unintentionally deleted files while synching a live database with a backup. The investigation found no evidence of malicious intent or a cyberattack.

Van Orden and other committee members previously questioned FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen about the failure of the system. In that previous session, Nolen said his agency was using two-person integrity (TPI) to safeguard the computer system, Van Orden said.

FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen in an undated photo. (A4A/via Reuters)

Under TPI, at least two authorized persons must be involved before specific computer-system actions can be completed, thus blocking sabotage from a single bad actor.

Van Orden asked Nolen whether the TPI policy was in place before or after the incident. But Nolen refused to answer, citing the ongoing investigation, Van Orden said.

After that exchange, my staff worked with the committee to discover that, in fact, you (the FAA) did not have a two-person integrity policy in place prior to this incident, Van Orden told FAA Acting Associate Administrator David Boulter, who was representing the agency at the Feb. 7 hearing.

Poor Management

Although Van Orden said he was glad that the TPI procedure is now in place, I take exception that we had to find this out independently. He chastised the FAA for its remarkable lack of forethought regarding cybersecurity.

Im thankful it was a case of poor management and delinquent policy standards as opposed to a malicious actor targeting aircraft or aircraft control systems, Van Orden said, because I dont know if our aircraft would be flying today if it were.

Van Orden asked Boulter whether a thorough review was being conducted to identify any other single point of failure or vulnerability.

When Boulter responded that he was unsure what was explicitly being done, Van Orden pointedly asked: OK. Please do me a favor. Will ya give em a call after you get out of this meeting?

If there are more undetected weak points, the potentiality of the destruction of our system for maintaining aircraft in this country is a real thing, Van Orden said. So I think, of all the things we talked about today, this should be like No. 1 on your list to take care of this.

Safety Is Paramount

Van Ordens concerns surfaced after the committee had heard more than three hours of testimony from Boulter and four other witnesses.

Van Orden said he agreed safety is paramount, noting that safety appeared about 400 times in the witnesses written testimony. He was concerned that security was given short shrift, noting he counted only 15 mentions of that word.

Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the committee, launched the session by stating that hes a professional pilot and an active user of Americas flight networksand he is proud that our nation sets the gold standard for aviation safety worldwide.

During the past 13 years, there have been zero passenger fatalities on scheduled domestic passenger flights, even though ridership increased 50 percent during a 16-year span that preceded the coronavirus pandemic.

Even following the safest decade in our history, our aviation systems clearly need some urgent attention, Graves said. As Mr. Boulter says in his testimony, complacency and stagnation are equal threats to a safety culture.'

Witnesses field questions about the Federal Aviation Administration from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in Washington, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times via screenshot of videotaped testimony)

Nipping Problems in the Bud

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the committee, said it has become apparent that outdated computer systems need to be upgraded. He said the committee is working to ensure the FAA has the necessary funding and long-term certainty it needs.

Chairman of the aviation subcommittee, Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), declared: We just had the safest decade in aviation history.

While the goal is zero deaths, Graves said there had been three fatalities among passenger airlines during that span. In contrast, there were about 140 such deaths in the previous decade.

Yet, he said, there have been many recent near-collisions and other close calls, along with multiple problems with airline staffing, air-traffic control, and reservation systems.

We need to all be very concerned about whats going on, Graves said. On the horizon, big changes are coming because of new technologies, he said. And, at the same time, the system is stretched to capacity as demand for travel goes up.

Right now, the alarm bells should be going off across our aviation industry, he said. The only way we can ensure safety is being proactive in our upcoming FAA reauthorization bill and fixing issues before they become problems.
DeSantis and Panel Discuss Need for Libel Law Reforms to Protect Everyday Citizens

Nick Sandmann from Covington Catholic High School stands in front of Native American activist Nathan Phillips while the latter bangs a drum in his face in Washington on Jan. 18, 2019. (Kaya Taitano via Reuters)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a live-streamed roundtable discussion on Feb. 7, aiming at big media companies who, participants said, play fast and loose with the truth, leaving broken lives in their wake.

They discussed the 1964 Supreme Court decision of the New York Times v. Sullivan, which made it nearly impossible for a public figure to win a libel suit. The allegedly injured party must show the information was not only false and damagingthe usual standard to prove libelbut that the journalist knew it and chose to publish it anyway.

Courts have subsequently extended the standard to turn everyday people into public figures, said libel lawyer Libby Locke.

That immunizes news organizations from having to pay damages to them after wrecking their lives or businesses with false stories, she said.

University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett. (Courtesy of Aubrey Jewett.)

DeSantis didnt announce any libel-law reforms but hinted some might be upcoming. Well be having more to say about a whole bunch of different issues over the next couple of weeks. So stay tuned.

Asked by The Epoch Times if DeSantis planned any action, spokesman Bryan Griffin responded, The governor empaneled this roundtable because he believes it is a matter of great importance to bring to the publics attention.

Political science professor Aubrey Jewett told The Epoch Times in an email that most libel law is federal and there may not be much that DeSantis can do about it at the state level.

On the other hand. Gov. DeSantis has been very creative in finding ways to take action on issues that he cares about [and wants publicity for]. Combined with the new conservative majority on the Florida Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court, it would not surprise me if Gov. DeSantis pushed the legislature to pass a new law making it easier to sue for defamation in Florida, Jewett, of Central Florida University, said.

Even if DeSantis loses a challenge to such a law, Jewett said, he still gets to enhance his reputation as a conservative who challenges the status quo. In the best-case scenario, the law is upheld, and he helps to change precedent and gets even more political credit.

One roundtable participant was Nicholas Sandmann.

He was 16 years old, a student at Kentuckys Covington Catholic High School in 2019, when he and fellow students, some wearing MAGA hats, waited for a bus after a pro-life march in Washington.

They encountered participants in the Indigenous Peoples March, including Native Americans and members of the Black Hebrew Israelites.

University of Virginia administrator Nicole Eramo (L) leaves the federal courthouse in Charlottesville, Va., with attorney Libby Locke (R) on Nov. 4, 2016. A federal jury found Rolling Stone magazine defamed Eramo in a discredited story about gang rape at a fraternity house at the university. (Ryan M. Kelly /The Daily Progress via AP)

Incident coveragefirst on social media and then major news organswas slanted against them, tagging them as white supremacists and racists.

Sandmann took it the worst. His face was most prominent in videos posted on social media as he was closest to protester Nathan Phillips, who fanned the flames with social media statements later providing the core of Sandmanns libel case.

He was doxxed, there were social media calls for violence against the boys, and demonstrators came to his house, he said. The high school had to close temporarily.

Sandmann sued numerous media companies for $275 million for defamation. He won settlements for undisclosed amounts from CNN, the Washington Post, and NBC. Cases against several others, though, have been dismissed.

CNN, and then all of the usual suspects, they all came and piled on. They saw a narrative that they wanted to further. They didnt do, really, any underlying investigation. They just ran with it, DeSantis said to Sandmann. What was going through your mind, when all this was unfolding, as a 16-year-old?

I didnt even get the opportunity of a care to comment? or request for any of that, Sandmann said.

I found out on the bus ride back home to Northern Kentucky at three in the morning that this was making its way around Twitter. And there were already pictures of my face photoshopped onto lunch counter protests during the Civil Rights Movement.

And I was very confused because I hadnt even said anything. I had, you know, stood there until our bus came and I had gone home.

Thousands of gun rights advocates attend a rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League on Capitol Square near the state capital building in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 20, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The incident made it harder for him to get into college, he said.

News organizations defended themselves, Sandmann said, saying it was an updating story and We were giving the information that we had at the time.

But that conflicts with what they want to do, which is to sell copies, get clicks. They want the revenue. And so its got to be inflammatory. But theyre also saying, Well, we were only telling you what we knew at the time. Those two dont work together.

Carson Holloway, a fellow of the Claremont Institute, said the 1964 Times v. Sullivan decision by the U.S. Supreme Court broadened libel protection for the press.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 19, 2022. (Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)

A public figure, if suing, must prove not only that a story was false and damaging but that the publication knew it and acting with actual malice ran the story anyway, Holloway said.

This is distorting our politics in fundamental ways, he said and added, for self-government, the public needs good information to pick their leaders.

In a properly functioning democratic culture, the media would assist them in that by providing truthful and accurate information, not defamatory smears.

People have equated the Times v. Sullivan case with First Amendment protections, said DeSantis, a Harvard Law graduate, and former military and federal prosecutor. But he noted the First Amendment, for nearly two centuries, coexisted with common law defamation. No one questioned that.

Roundtable participants agreed the Trump presidency represented a significant worsening of the situation.

The swan song has been this Russia collusion hoax, DeSantis said. Because they indulged in that for two years. And it was almost all based on anonymous sources, and then it all eventually was debunked.

It just raises the question, this obsession with these anonymous sources, where did that come from? It used to be rare that you would do it. I mean, assassinate someones character with anonymous sources would have been a total no-no. Now its just kind of a normal and actually the preferred method.

Journalist Michael Moynihan agreed. He said he didnt watch cable news often, but does while in a hotel room. That morning hed tuned in.

Good Lord, I cannot believe I was watching MSNBC. They appear to think that Trump is still president. I mean, this is the business model, right? I was watching this, the previous night, this morning, its all Trump all the time.

Lawyer Vel Freedman of Miami represents Zachary Young, a veteran with post-military security experience who worked to get refugees out of Afghanistan. They successfully rescued 15 to 20 people. But CNN tagged him as a black-marketing exploiter and destroyed his ability to save people.

His income went to zero, Freedman said.

CNN later apologized, but Young is suing them. You dont get to destroy someones life and reputation and then issue a five-second apology and thats over.

Day in and day out, we see how the media does not do the job that the American public and Florida citizens would expect them to do, said Locke.

With her husband and law partner Tom Clare, she represents plaintiffs in libel lawsuits.

At every phase of the legal process, she said, the thumb is on the scale in favor of the press.

Locke said they represent Michael Black, a surgeon taking on difficult neonatal surgical cases and working in poor neighborhoods. Locke said a CNN story represented Black in a story as a baby killer, despite the news organization having been told by several experts that they couldnt interpret mortality rates as they did.

Black was put out of business, she said. He hasnt operated since that time.

DeSantis said while hes been the subject of many stories attacking him, this wasnt about him.

You know, when they come after me, and they do a lot of slander, but I fight back. I have a platform to fight that. So its a lot easier for me.

But you have some of these other folks who are just run-of-the-mill citizens. Their only possible way of recourse would be to bring an action, because they dont have the platform.

Dennis OConnor, former secretary for the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights advocacy group, discussed editing done for a Katie Couric documentary, Under the Gun.

Members of the group agreed to be interviewed by Couric, only for their answers to her questions to be edited out, making it look like they couldnt answer her questions. Producers instead used footage of the group being silent.

OConnor said that footage was taped secretly before the filmed interview began. The group was told they must remain still and silent for a sound check, he said.

Katie Couric appears at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 27, 2022. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Couric apologized for inserting a dramatic pause, but the group was unsuccessful in suing. A judge ruled the report was neither false nor defamatory, OConnor said.

Participants discussed whether the Supreme Court might revisit Times v. Sullivan, as Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch have indicated they favor that. The raucous confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh might have gone differently under improved libel standards, they agreed.

What they put him through was really outrageous, Locke said.

Other libel law reforms suggested included requiring news organizations to retain notes longer, lengthening the statute of limitations for libel, reforming pertinent insurance coverage, and not taxing plaintiffs libel awards.
Does Economic Performance Really Differ Between the US, UK, and Eurozone?

Commentary

There has been a rooted impression that the economic performance in Europe is always worse than that in the United States. This is not true. The measuring period for GDP released by the U.S. is quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), while those in other places are usually year-over-year (YoY). If both are reported in YoY for comparison, the numbers for 2022 Q1 to Q4 in the U.S. were 3.7 percent, 1.8 percent, 1.9 percent, and 1.1 percent, respectively, while those in the Eurozone were 5.5 percent, 4.3 percent, 2.3 percent, and 1.9 percent. The Eurozone numbers are higher than those of the U.S. in every quarter. Even if the Eurozone is replaced by the UK, the UK is no worse than the U.S.

If comparing the average GDP growth rates among these places since the birth of the Euro in 1999 to the latest, Eurozone is the worst at 1.4 percent, which is lower than UKs 1.7 percent and 2.2 percent in the United States. But if exceptional quarters like the financial tsunami in 2008/09, the European debt crisis in 2012/13, and COVID in 2020/21 are excluded, then in normal times, the Eurozone, UK, and the U.S. averaged a much narrower range at 2.1 percent, 2.4 percent, and 2.6 percent respectively. Note that GDP growth has an intrinsic error of about 1 percent, such a 0.5 percent difference may not matter meaningfully (statistically insignificant).

By further counting, two-thirds of the time, the United States grew faster than the Eurozone, and the portion of time that the U.S. grew faster than the UK or the UK grew faster than the Eurozone is both about 60 percent. Neither of these three fractions is overwhelming, meaning that the three places may not perform very differently. Even if the cyclical ups and downs are observed, the timings of recession and recovery do not exhibit much differencecycles are pretty synchronous. GDP growth is never a good indicator of cross-country differences, especially on cycles.

G3 (U.S., UK, and EU) real GDP YoY growth and unemployment rate on Feb.5, 2023. (Courtesy of Law Ka-chung)

The fundamental difference is easier to see not from flow variables but from the stock ones. The latter kind includes those fractions like whatever-to-GDP ratios, or one common measure is the unemployment rate divided by the labor force. Eurozone has shown a consistently higher unemployment rate than the United States or UK, on average by 3-4 percent.

Fair to say that the Eurozone is comprised of extreme members. If only Germany and Francewhich together take up half of the Eurozone GDPare concerned, then their average unemployment rates (both 7.8 percent) are just around 2 percent higher than the United States (5.8 percent) or UK ones (5.6 percent). Such differences might be attributed to the institution where capitalism is in the United States and UK while socialism is in Germany and France. A glance at the ups and downs demonstrates again that there is no difference in cyclical direction except for a slight phase lead/lag observed.

What data conclude is the difference lies more in the longer-run macro, which is the growth and development aspect, than shorter-run macro, which is concerned more with business cycles. International institutions or major banks highlighting any cross-country cycle differences may not be consistent with past data. This information is helpful in forecasting because one can always cross-check the consistency of outlook views among these countries.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Domestic Production Not the Way to Secure UK Semiconductor Supply Chain: Experts

A closeup of a silicon wafer on display at Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institution in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Sept. 16, 2022 . (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

While the UK government is urged to help future-proof the countrys semiconductor supply chain, there is little point to invest in the domestic production of silicon chips, experts said.

Matthew Lesh, head of public policy at the Institute of Economic Affairs, a free-market think tank, said the UK lacks a competitive advantage in semiconductor production, and that semiconductor autarky is too costly and neither realistic nor desirable as a way to bolster the UKs supply chain.

Simon Thomas, CEO of graphene chip maker Paragraf, believes the UK has missed the boat to invest in silicon chips, but still has an opportunity to get ahead in more cutting-edge technologies.

Semiconductor Arms Race

Semiconductors, commonly known as microchips, are essential components of all things modern from cattle tags, smartphones, and cars, to medical equipment, power stations, and weapon systems.

While the technology was born in the United States, the vast majority of advanced semiconductors today are produced in Asia, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and South Koreas Samsung leading the charge.

Concerns over semiconductor supply chain security were brought to the fore after a global shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic hit many industries including the automotive sector.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) logo brands the headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Oct. 20, 2021. (Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo)

While countries are already making plans to reshore semiconductor production to resist future disruptions, geopolitical tensionsparticularly anxieties over a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan and Beijings ambition of technological dominanceare also accelerating the process.

The U.S. government last year approved a $280 billion funding package to boost its domestic capabilities including research and production, with the European Union set to follow.

The UK government has also commissioned a 900,000 study to understand how to help grow the sector and vowed to publish a national strategy.

But Lesh said the UK shouldnt jump on the bandwagon of subsidising domestic production.

Presuming autarky is achievable, its not particularly good for security, he told The Epoch Times, arguing its better to diversify the supply chains rather than putting all eggs in one basket.

No Country Is Semiconductor Independent

The making and application of chips is a tremendously costly, energy-intensive, and complex process that involves mining and producing specialized materials and chemicals, manipulating the materials at the atomic level with expensive machinery, designing the equipment and the chips, packaging and testing the products, and integrating them into electronic devices.

Therefore its quite unrealistic to have the whole supply chain in the UK, or in any other country.

Effectively nothing these days is entirely domestically produced, and semiconductors are a feature of that, Lesh said, calling modern semiconductors a miracle of globalization.

Thomas said that he believes no country in the world currently has a complete end-to-end supply chain for semiconductors.

The logo of Samsung Electronics is seen at its office building in Seoul, South Korea, on March 23, 2018. (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Although South Korea and Taiwan may be pretty close to having it, they probably buy some stuff from China, they probably buy some stuff from Taiwan or Malaysia, he said.

Slowing Demand?

Lesh argued that there may be a surplus in supplies in the future following the increased investments in the United States and the EU, and that the UK should buy semiconductors from them instead of spending billions more on boosting its own domestic production.

Commenting on the U.S. investment, he said while it may be necessary from political or military perspectives, whether or not its really economically justified is less clear.

If there was a war between Taiwan and China tomorrow, there would almost certainly be further shortages, Lesh said. Putting that particular scenario aside, it seems likely that  there will be a global glut of semiconductors.

But Thomas outlined a more complicated picture. He told The Epoch Times that while the production of simpler chips have more than recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, industries that need more advanced chips are still having trouble getting enough supplies.

I think the investment [in the United States and the EU] is definitely needed, he said, adding that there is the possibility that they will end up investing too much.

UK Cant Compete With Bigger Players

Around 80 percent of the chips are made from silicon while other materials that can make smaller and faster chips are expected to eventually replace silicon.

Because of the complexity and risks involved in the semiconductor industry, including the astronomical initial investment required, its not realistic for the UK to invest in the domestic production of chips, the experts said.

Using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) as an example, Thomas said Taiwan has a very very unique ecosystem for semiconductor production after decades of focusing on government policy, education, infrastructure, supply chain building, and international trade.

The UK does play a leading role in the research and development of compound and advanced material semiconductors, it also has a number of semiconductor clusters that specialise in niche products, but it lacks a full ecosystem that would enable the UK to replicate Taiwans success.

We cant invest in the technologies that we have today, and by that I mean silicon chips, Thomas said, adding that the UK cant make it profitable in an already oversaturated market.

But what the UK is really good at is innovation and some of the best new semiconductor technologies are being invented here. So theres an opportunity to grow the future of semiconductors in the UK before anybody else does it, and that doesnt take as much money, he said.
Feds to Pay International Organization $2M to Advise on Indigenous Unmarked Graves

A plaque is seen outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on the Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation in Kamloops, B.C., on May 27, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Snucins)

The federal government will pay an international organization $2 million to provide indigenous communities with advice and options around identifying possible human remains buried near former residential school sites.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said in a statement that his office will be signing a technical agreement with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), which is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and describes itself as an intergovernmental organization that addresses the issue of persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, violations of human rights, and natural disasters.

The organization also helps governments identify the remains of people who were killed in conflicts and disasters or who have disappeared. The ICMP assisted the Canadian government with such a task after the 2013 Lac-Megantic rail disaster in Quebec.

Indigenous communities across Canada are leading the difficult and important work of uncovering the truth at the sites of former residential schools, and our government will continue to support them in that process, whether they choose to use the services of the (ICMP) or not, Miller said in the statement.

The Crown-Indigenous Relations office also said the ICMP will begin a cross-country outreach campaign for indigenous communities that are interested in exploring options to look for possible remains of children at the sites of former residential schools.

The federal office added that the ICMPs work will be independent of the government and also that local Indigenous facilitators will lead every step of the process.

The ICMP will conduct DNA analysis and other forensic approaches for consideration before writing a final report for the federal government.

The Canadian Press and Marnie Cathcart contributed to this report.
Female Centre-Right Politicians Face Disgusting Vitriol Online: Opposition Leader

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton speaking during the Set the Standard Report motion at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Feb. 8, 2023. (Martin Ollman/Getty Images)

Female politicians of the centre-right face some of the most disgusting vitriol online, according to opposition leader Peter Dutton.

Dutton said that if Parliament hopes to attract more women candidates, then it needed to deal with the issue; otherwise, diversity of opinion simply would not exist.

Today [the Liberal-National Coalition] have 10 women in the shadow cabinet, the same number as the government has for its cabinet, and 17 women all together in [the] outer and assistant shadow ministry, he told Parliament on Feb. 8 on the one-year anniversary of the handing down of the Set the Standard report into federal Parliaments workplace culture.

Dutton said women were part of the Coalition because of their experience and skills, and the party wanted more people from different backgrounds to join.

Unquestionably, a factor which can discourage women from pursuing political office is the reprehensible treatment that several female politicians have received online in recent times, he said.

Obviously, such behaviour is not limited to Liberal women, but women of centre-right views are subjected to some of the most disgusting vitriol online and [on] social media dominated by the extreme and insidious left.

Dutton cited the experiences of Country Liberal Senator Jacinta Price and former Liberal MP Nicole Flint.

Liberal MP Battling Online Abuse

Flint did not recontest her seat in 2022 after winning it in 2019, and the South Australian MP said she was subject to extensive personal attacks online.

GetUP, the Unions and the Labor Party ran an aggressive, relentless, and deeply personal campaign against me, she wrote in a submission to the Join Standing Committee on Electoral Matters.

I was harassed, faced vile, misogynistic attacks and frequently feared for my personal safety, she said.

Overall, there is a need for further legislation to be enacted to protect women and to reduce sexist, misogynist, and gendered attacks and abuse, which lead to more serious harms to women.

Flint also recognised that Labor MPs and high-profile journalists had also faced abuse.

Some of the proposals put forward by Flint include amending the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to increase protections for women and amending the Criminal Code Act 1995 to do the same.

Further, monitor whether the Online Safety Act 2021 is protecting women online.

Labor MP Says Dutton Pitting Progressives Against the Centre-Right

Meanwhile, in response to Duttons speech, newly elected Labor MP Sally Sitou said the opposition leader should have adopted a more positive tone to discussing the Set the Standard report.

The leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton, decided to use his speech to pit the experiences of progressive female parliamentarians against those in the centre-right. Suggesting that women in the Coalition experience more online trolling, she told Parliament.

I can assure him that I, too, get trolled online in a way that is both gendered and race-based. But thats not the point of today. The point of the Set the Standard report is to ask us all to do better.

She said there was a role for all men and women to make Parliament a safe and inclusive workplace.

In order to lift the standard of debate in this country and make it more respectfulwe need all our leaders to work together.
Florida Investigating ADL Curriculum for Violations of Parental Rights Law

Protestors angry about the Parental Rights in Education bill walk through the Florida Capitol on March 7, 2022. (Kevin Cho Tipton via Storyful)

The Florida Department of Education (DOE) is investigating the No Place for Hate curriculum by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for possible violations of the states Parental Rights in Education law.

Broward parent Deirdre Ruth filed a complaint with the department after discovering the curriculum taught in Broward public schools on a school board meeting agenda.

After researching the program online, she reported to the state that the materialsused to teach students as young as kindergartencontain apparent violations of the law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in March 2022.

Ruth, the parent of a 3rd grader, was pleasantly surprised when she received a call from a state investigator about a month later, she told The Epoch Times.

Her complaint focuses on a section called Lets Get It Right: Using Correct Pronouns and Names.

An LGBT activist holds pins about gender pronouns, on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, Wyoming, on Aug. 13, 2022. (Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The concepts taught in the section are in violation of HB 1557 [the Parental Rights in Education law] and encourages teachers to violate the law by telling them to do a get-to-know-you survey, which asks young students to pick their gender pronouns, Ruth wrote in her complaint.

The No Place for Hate website describes the program as a holistic, school-wide approach to improving school climate.

It calls for school districts to sign up, and provides a No Place for Hate Pledge for students to sign.

The program includes an all ages curriculum where, according to Ruths complaint, it gets into murky territory.

Facets of Our Identity

Gender pronouns are described on Page 24 as facets of our identity, according to the ADL program.

Calling someone by the wrong name or misgendering them by using incorrect pronouns can feel disrespectful, harmful, and even unsafe, according to the curriculum.

The program, given to Broward County public school teachers to be taught to students as young as kindergarten, encourages concealing information about the children from their parents.

The Broward Community Foundation pays for the curriculum in Broward County Public Schools. Nationwide, the program has been used for 20 years, according to the ADL website, currently reaching millions each year.

Its taught by more than 100,000 teachers and used in more than 1,600 schools, the website states.

You should also ask whether its okay or not to use their name and pronoun in communication home to parents/family members and in parent-teacher conferences. Keep in mind that some students may not disclose this information to some or all family members, the curriculum guide reads.

The curriculum goes on to recommend teachers keep a separate roster with the students pronouns, and that teachers should share their own pronouns.

You can act as a role model by sharing your pronouns and using them when introducing yourself, the curriculum guide suggests.

The cover of the No Place for Hate Coordinator Handbook and Resource Guide, published by the Anti-Defamation League, for schoolchildren in all grades, including kindergarten. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times)

Ruths complaint includes a list of ADL-recommended books for elementary students, including Calvin, a book suggested for ages 48. The description of the book reads: Calvin has always been a boy, even if the world sees him as a girl. Finally, he can wait no longer: Im not a girl, he tells his family.

Broward is not being transparent about this curriculum, said Ruth, who filed the complaint in December after members of the School Board of Broward County voted 6-2 to continue with the curriculum.

This program is extremely valuable, said member Sarah Leonardi, at the Dec. 13 board meeting, before voting to continue to program. It is important we are vocal to not allow hate here in Broward.

Leonardi and board member Jeff Holness both said they used the program while teaching in Broward schools.

Jorge Altoona, a high-school senior serving as student adviser to the board, thanked members for continuing the partnership with ADL.

In recent weeks, we have seen a rise in anti-semitism and homophobia, Altoona said. It is imperative that the board continue to support these groups.

Board member Brenda Fam voted No, saying it could result in litigation against the board if the literature is not in compliance with state law. She called the contract ambiguous.

I recommend that we do not sign this contract, as it puts the county at risk, said Fam, who is an attorney.

The contract says the district will facilitate approval for the ADL program. When we open that door, we must open it to everyone. We cannot be advocating for any group. We should stay clear of this.

Now, the state is investigating.

Fighting Hate

Founded in 1913, ADL is the self-described leading anti-hate organization in the world.

The organizations mission is to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.

It fights, all forms of bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism, and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all, according to the website.

Broward parent Elon Gerberg, founder of Florida Fathers for Freedom, says the ADL is not representative of the Jewish faith.

Where in the Torah does it state that boys can become girls if they want, or that men can get pregnant? Gerberg, a practicing Jew, told The Epoch Times. This is as anti-Jewish as it gets.

Gerberg was targeted by ADL in December 2022 for organizing a Protect the Children rally, an event he put on with the group Gays Against Groomers.

Anthony Raimondi, a board member of Gays Against Groomers, addresses the crowd at the Protect the Children rally on Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fla., on Dec. 3, 2022. (Jann Falkenstern/The Epoch Times)

The ADL website called Gerbergs rally an extremist-led anti-LBGT protest, and posted the headline: Weekend of Anti-LGBT Extremism Highlights Heightened Threat to Community.

An ADL spokesperson CK castigated Gerberg and other participants as misogynistic, white supremacist, and antisemitic, according to reports in South Floridas Sun Sentinel newspaper and on WLRN.

None of this is grounded in the Jewish faith, said Gerberg.

One of the 10 Commandments is to honor your father and mother. This is dividing them by telling children to keep secrets from their parents. Men and women also have roles in Jewish culture. In the highest sects of Judaism, men and women do not even sit together!

ADL lists Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties as those in Florida using the No Place for Hate curriculum.

An important component of freedom in the state of Florida is the freedom from having oppressive ideologies imposed upon you without your consent, whether it be in the classroom or the whether it be in the workplace, Gov. Ron DeSantis said before signing the Stop Woke Act in April 2022.

We decided to do something about it.

The Epoch Times reached out to all Broward County School Board members, the investigator handling Ruths complaint with the Florida Department of Education, the ADL, and the Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis, but did not receive responses before publication.

As a parent, Ruth is frustrated by the difficulty parents face in reviewing their childrens curriculum. Had she not paid attention to a school board agenda item, she may not have known about the program, which she sees as problematic.

How am I as a parent or the school district supposed to vet something like this? she asked. It is all online and not part of the regular curriculum.
CCP Will Lift Failed Trade Ban: Former Australian PM

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong meets with Australian Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Dec. 21, 2022. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Beijing will lift its trade ban on Australia as it looks for a way out of the failure of its trade sanctions.

The 29th Australian prime minister was speaking at an online forum on Responses to Chinas Economic Coercion hosted by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation on Feb. 6.

Australia-China relations hit a low point in May 2020 when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) retaliated against tens of billions of dollars worth of Australian exports, including coal, lobster, barley, and wine. Ministerial contacts were also severed by the CCP after the former Morrison administration called for an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19.

Turnbull said Beijing was holding back because its sanctions werent working.

It was designed to get Australia to knuckle down, he said. It was completely counterproductive. The Australian Government didnt change. The opposition [Labor] supported the government [the Coalition] Public opinion moved very considerably against the government of China.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delivers his election address to the National Press Club on June 30, 2016 in Canberra, Australia. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

I would expect these trade sanctions to be lifted. They havent worked, he added. Its cost the wine industry, made no difference to barley really made no difference to coal at all. Coal prices are at an all-time high.

The trade sanctions had a very modest impact overall. It failed as a counterproductive policy.

Beijing Looking to Dismount

The former Liberal Prime Minister noted that the CCP has clearly taken a wrong approach and will look for a chance to dismount.

I thought at the time, at some point, they will seek to dismount from this because theyve clearly taken a wrong approach, he said. Ive had a couple of experiences of this happening in the past, so then they look for an exit ramp, and sometimes you can help provide an exit ramp.

Turnbull said the change of federal government in May last year provided Beijing with such an opportunity.

The temperature has dramatically reduced, and more cordial normal intercourse is happening, and I would expect these trade sanctions to be lifted, he said.

Relations between Australia and China began to thaw after Labors election victory in May 2022.

Following Prime Minister Albaneses meeting with CCP leader Xi Jinping and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wongs visit to Beijing in late 2022, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell and his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao met via video conference on Feb. 6.

Then opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (L) with then Shadow Minister for Sport Don Farrell held a news conference at Parliament House on Feb. 05, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

Farrell was invited to visit Beijing in the near future.

Our discussion covered a range of trade and investment issues, including the need for resumption of unimpeded trade for Australian exporters so that Chinese consumers can continue to benefit from high-quality Australian products, he said in a statement.

Minister Wang and I agreed to enhance dialogue at all levels, including between officials, as a pathway towards the timely and full resumption of trade.

Bully Always Wants Once More

Turnbull stressed that it was vital that Australia not submit to the communist regimes trade bullying.

Chinese economic coercion is always thoroughly instrumental, he said. Its designed to do one thing, which is to get other countries or people or companies to knuckle under and do as theyre told and not do things that displease the Communist Party in Beijing.

The only thing that will guarantee you get more bullying is by giving in to bullies. That applies whether youre [a] little boy or girl in the playground at school, or whether youre running a country because the bully always wants once more.

In 2018, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull banned Huawei from participating in Australias 5G network due to national security concerns. The decision became the centrepiece of a document of 14 grievances leaked to Australian media outlets from the Chinese Embassy in Canberra in 2020.
Four Australians Missing After Deadly Turkey Earthquake

A rescue team searches for a mother and daughter trapped under the rubble of a 14-floor building that collapsed following the first of two earthquakes in Adana province, Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Ercan Koc for The Epoch Times)

Four Australians are missing following the devastating earthquake in Turkey as the federal government sends a search and rescue team to assist recovery efforts.

The foreign affairs department is providing consular assistance to the families of the missing as well as about 40 other Australians who were in the earthquake-hit region.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a team of 72 Australian personnel would be on the ground by the end of the week to help local authorities in rescue and recovery efforts.

These urban search and rescue specialists are highly trained to locate, deliver medical assistance to and remove victims who have been trapped or impacted by a structural collapse, he said.

Our hearts are heavy. It is impossible to look away from the terrible and heartbreaking scenes of loss.

Australia will also provide $10 million in humanitarian assistance to help with response efforts.

The death toll from Mondays earthquake in Turkey and Syria has risen to nearly 8000.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said everyone would back Australia in providing whatever help it could.

Weve all seen the scenes of devastation and heard the stories of human tragedy, she said.

The aid comes as buildings in major Australian cities are lit up in solidarity with those affected by the earthquake.

The sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up on Thursday, while buildings in Melbourne will be illuminated on Friday.

In the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield, volunteer Konur Alp Ozal was among hundreds of people who banded together to pack and ship donations for earthquake victims.

Huge piles of donated blankets, bedding and clothing were sent to Sultan Halal Meats and Poultry after owners Necmy and Necmiye Kul put a call out on social media.

Ozal, who lost relatives in the earthquake, said the public response had been overwhelming.

We found out this morning actually that my dads three cousins in Hatay were found deceased in the rubble, he told AAP.

Its hard because you want to go there and help, but you cant, obviously, so this is what we can do. Were just trying to do anything we can to help.

Volunteer Nilufer Kurtuldu said many people felt helpless, but people were coming together in Australia to help as they could.

I just spoke to someone who has friends stuck in the rubble, and they cant get a hold of them, so they feel helpless, so I said, Well, get down hereat least that way you feel like you can contribute on a community level, he said.

Mr and Mrs Kul initially planned to ship a few donated goods to Turkey in a container, but after sharing the idea on social media and tagging a few friends, their post went viral.

Im so overwhelmed with the community response, and its not just the Turkish community; its everyone, Mrs Kul said.

Many Australians with ties to the region are glued to their televisions and feel helpless watching recovery efforts unfold from the other side of the world.

The Brisbane Turkish Islamic Society is collecting donations to go towards medical supplies, food and blankets, but board member Sadullah Karatas said some people wished they could do more.

These are essentially our brothers and sisters who are left under this rubble, and because were not there, we almost feel desperate, he said.

We wish we could just go and physically take the rubble out ourselves.
Long before COVID-19, academics squabbled about the methodology, clinical sample sizes, and data manipulation of published scientific papersespecially if they did not agree with conclusions or were educational rivals.

Since the medical journal publication processespecially peer review are so slowthe latter taking longer than a year at some journalsmany researchers have turned to preprint servers. Intended to allow scientific studies to achieve dissemination before long waits for publication, the oldest preprint server began 30 years ago and now there are scores of them. Preprint servers can also be seen as part of the open access movement in which scientific findings are available to all and not hidden behind a paywall.

Preprint servers became particularly important and contentious during the COVID-19 pandemic when an urgent need for therapeutics amid a politically charged environment turned treatments as benign as vitamin D into major controversies.

Problems With Peer Review

What is peer review? Independent reviewers who are knowledgeable in a related field, sometimes called referees, are chosen by a journals editor, to assess a submitted manuscript for originality, validity, and significance.

These reviewers are typically employed at universities and institutions that task professors and researchers with doing peer reviews as part of their responsibilities. In other words, reviewers are not typically paid by the journal. Being a reviewer is a boost to a researcher or experts professional credibilityand by extension that of their employer.

Peer review is the gold standard for scientific papers and its absence is a key feature of arguments against preprint publications. Yet the potential flaws in peer review are also well recognized. According to the Lancet, one of the top medical journals, the peer review system is costly, time-consuming, and favors reviewers from high-income countries rather than low-income countries because the latter may not be able to afford to do the uncompensated review work.

More significant than that issue is likely the influence of status-quo reviewers who have careers built on specific theories or paradigms. Evidence that challenges or overturns established ideas can directly undermine a reviewers professional credibility.

According to an opinion piece in the BMJ, another top medical journal, prevailing medical beliefs can be reinforced by peer review when an editor or reviewer has a strong view for or against an authors findings resulting in bias. Also, according to the opinion writer [m]any studies have also documented higher acceptance rates for manuscripts written by authors from English-speaking countries, contributing to the publication gap between high-income and lower-income and middle-income countries.

A study published by Cambridge University Press also observed the potential for bias and that Heterogeneous reviewer and reader standards for scientific quality tilt the results of what is published toward conformity. Scientists need to begin asking whether our judgments are truly consistent with our scholarly and scientific standards, particularly when evidence suggests that underrepresented groups in the discipline are systematically disadvantaged by how we think about the journal hierarchy, wrote the author.

Peer Review Errors Can Happen

The Cambridge piece included another caveatpeer review also frequently misses major errors in submitted papers. Such errors go back at least to the revered JAMA when, in 2006, an article defending antidepressants during pregnancy was found to have ties to antidepressant manufacturers and authors of an article linking migraines with auras to cardiovascular disease was found to be financially linked to migraine and heart medication manufacturers.

Dr. Scott Reuben, a professor at Tufts University in Boston who received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 1985, faked data in 21 studies according to the Scientific American in 2009 and 10 of his papers were published by the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia. He ended up going to jail and the papers were retracted.

Hormone maker Wyeth (later becoming Pfizer) published a plethora of pro-hormone replacement therapy (HRT) papers in medical journals that were found to be written by marketing ghostwriters. Some of the pro-HRT papers still stand such as, Is there an association between hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer? (Guess what the answer was?) The role of hormone replacement therapy in the prevention of Alzheimers disease, and Mild cognitive impairment: Potential pharmacological treatment options.

The industry-driven papers occluded the truth about HRTthe Womens Health Initiative found it increased the risk of breast cancer in women by 26 percent, heart attacks by 29 percent, stroke by 41 percent, and doubled the risk of blood clots, though recent research has thrown some of these findings into question as hormone therapies continue to evolve.

A New Focus on Preprints

Preprints allow authors to reach an audience more quickly, without peer review, and thus can be more democratic. However, during COVID-19, those very attributes have sometimes made preprints the bad guys.

According to Maximilian Heimstadt, a postdoctoral researcher at the Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin, in a post on the London School of Economics and Political Sciences blog, The rise of open access has shifted power away from academic experts, as peer-reviewed studies became easily accessible to civil society, journalists, think tanks, charities, etc.  preprints could lead to a further democratization of expert authority, encouraging forms of lay expertise. Inevitably, this runs the risk of fake news and bad faith actors.

An article published in the journal Nature that the top preprint server sites for COVID-19 informationbioRxiv and medRxivare tightening their exclusion data because of disinformation fears.

[M]anuscripts are examined by volunteer academics or subject specialists who scan for non-scientific content and health or biosecurity risks, says the article. Richard Sever, a cofounder of both servers told Nature that the vetting process first seeks out articles that might cause harm rather than evaluating quality.

The vetting includes flagging papers that might contradict widely accepted public-health advice or inappropriately use causal language in reporting on a medical treatment, says the Nature article, and rejecting papers that might fuel conspiracy theories.

Of course, sometimes radically divergent science can be mislabelled because it is particularly groundbreaking. Many will remember that the germ theory, proven by French chemist Louis Pasteur in the 1860s, also contradicted widely accepted public-health advice.

Meanwhile, journals themselves have been deluged with COVID-19 papers and have had to speed up their acceptance processes according to Nature. That in itself can lead to a reduced ability to sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to quality science.

Is the Public Served By Such Tightened Publication Criteria?

The lack of experts reviewing preprint papers can raise questions about the quality of their papers, but those attacking this publication process may incidentally support scientific elitism and even censorship.

Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, a computational scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, had another observation when his paper was rejected by the preprint site bioRxiv because the site was no longer accepting manuscripts forecasting COVID-19 predictions about treatments on the basis of computational work.

Barabasi said he understood the concerns about protecting patient safety but added, Its precisely the coronavirus that creates an environment where you need to share, such breaking information, he said. The purpose of a preprint server, is that we decide what is interesting, not the referees, he added.

Many readers would agree with Barabasi, especially during a worldwide viral pandemic. A diversity of medical viewpoints should be desirable especially when a closed medical establishment seems heavily tilted toward vested interests.

It is also true that junk science can further confuse public opinion. But that point seems less pertinent when public distrust appears heightened, rather than reduced, by efforts to enforce scientific hegemony.

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.
Hong Kong Exports Face Largest Drop Since 1950s, Chip Re-Exports Decline

Hong Kongs exports have faced the largest decline in decades. Long-time trade in re-exporting electronic parts, particularly integrated circuits generating foreign currency, was likely impacted by U.S.-China trade sanctions and the U.S. restrictions on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s semiconductor industry.

Figures released by the Census and Statistics Department in Hong Kong showed exports recorded negative year-on-year growth for the last eight months, with the December 2022 figure showing a year-on-year drop of 28.9 percent, the largest reduction since 1954. At the same time, imports to Hong Kong decreased by 23.5 percent, leaving a balance of payments deficit of HK$51.65 billion (approximately $6.58 billion). Exports for the whole year fell 8.6 percent, while imports dropped 7.2 percent.



Exports to mainland China, Hong Kongs largest market, declined 12.9 percent in 2022 compared with a year earlier, the results have been negative for the last ten months, and figures for the months of October, November, and December show a decrease by 12.9 percent, 29.7 percent, and 30.4 percent respectively.

In July 2020, the United States abolished Hong Kongs special tariff status and special economic treatment after the CCP imposed the Hong Kong National Security Law. The U.S. also announced a semiconductor export control order in October 2022, restricting the export to China of equipment for the manufacture of logic chips below 14/16 nanometers, DRAM memory chips below 18 nanometers, and NAND flash memory chips above 128 layers.

According to a report of Economic Daily News in Taiwan, NVIDIA, the renowned manufacturer of high-end graphics processing units (GPUs), and ASML, the Dutch semiconductor giant, plan to move their logistic hubs from Hong Kong to the Farglory free trade zone in Taiwan. Such moves could potentially weaken Hong Kongs re-export role as the number of re-exports of components, such as integrated circuits (IC), account for a high percentage of Hong Kongs imports.

In the past, due to Hong Kongs independent tariff status and the preferential treatment given to goods labeled as Hong Kong origin, buyers tended to choose Hong Kong for their purchases. Under this practice, Hong Kong has been importing semiconductor components and re-exporting most of them for profit. For example, after purchasing semiconductors from TSMC, Nvidia, and AMD, they would ship their goods to Hong Kong for re-export to China or back to Taiwan.

Hong Kong, the Largest Integrated Circuits Re-Exporter Hub

According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) statistics in July 2022, Hong Kongs electronics industry is the territorys largest merchandise export earner, accounting for 72.6 percent of total exports in 2021. A substantial portion of this business, largely re-exports, are regarded as high-tech products, especially those related to telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, and computer items. In addition, according to the latest data, Hong Kong was the worlds largest exporter of electronic integrated circuits in value terms.

Drop in Integrated Circuits Exports From Taiwan to Hong Kong

The Bureau of Foreign Trade, Taiwan, showed that Hong Kong was Taiwans second-largest export market of IC Chips (second to mainland China). Although the aggregate amount of IC Chips exported from Taiwan to Hong Kong has increased in recent years, a drop in the second half of 2022 showed a downward trend compared with the same period YoY.

Observing the situation before and after the U.S. removed Hong Kongs special tariff status, the amount of IC chips exported from Taiwan to Hong Kong was $26.74 billion in 2019; $32.99 billion in 2020; $44.68 billion in 2021; and $49.20 billion in 2022. The amount increased by 23 percent YoY in 2020 and 35 percent YoY in 2021; but significantly slowed down to a ten percent YoY increase in 2022.

Looking at data from specific months, the aggregate amount of exports of IC chips from Taiwan to Hong Kong dropped YoY from May until December 2022.

A worker handles smartphone chip circuits at a factory in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China, on May 8, 2017. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)

Parts Like Semiconductors Occupy Half of Hong Kongs Air Imports

The data from the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department for November 2022 shows that the category of thermionic, cold cathode, diodes, transistors, photosensitive semi-conductor devices, light emitting diodes, and parts thereof, to which semiconductors and other components belong, continues to be the largest single category in terms of overall export and import value of Hong Kongs air cargo.

However, the import value of this category was only recorded at HK$104.76 billion ($13.36 billion) in November 2022, which was a drop of HK$121.16 billion ($15.45 billion) YoY, and still occupied over half of the air trade import value, HK$199.78 billion ($25.47 billion) in total.

However, the aggregate export value of this group for 2022 recorded an upward trend YoY.

Analyst: Decline May be Due to US Export Control Measures

In January, Tseng Chichao, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan Chinese Economic and Financial Association, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the U.S. intended to bind mainland China and Hong Kong together and weaken the re-exporting role of Hong Kong. He recently added that the drop in IC chips exported from Taiwan to Hong Kong might be due to the factories responding to the U.S. regulatory deployment and choosing not to re-export in Hong Kong.

In addition to Hong Kongs special tariff status being revoked by the Trump administration, the Biden administration on Jan. 17 further imposed restrictions on the export of chips to Macau, which is also a region of China. The U.S. is concerned that high-end chips and chip manufacturing equipment will be transferred from Macau to other parts of China.

When the U.S. restricted chip exports in October 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce stated that the export controls restrict the PRCs ability to obtain advanced computing chips, develop and maintain supercomputers, and manufacture advanced semiconductors. The PRC uses these items and capabilities to produce advanced military systems, including weapons of mass destruction; improve the speed and accuracy of its military decision-making, planning, and logistics, as well as of its autonomous military systems; and commit human rights abuses.
Hostile Regimes Such as Chinas Pose Greatest Strategic Cyber Threat to Canada, MPs Told in Committee

A sign for the Government of Canada's Communications Security Establishment (CSE) outside their headquarters in Ottawa in a file photo. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Canada faces two main cybersecurity threats, according to testimony on Feb. 7 at the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence.

These include the cyber programs of countries that are hostile to Canada, as well as cyber crimes such as ransomware attacks, MPs were told.

The state sponsored cyber programs of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea continue to pose the greatest strategic cyber threat to Canada, said Sami Khoury, the head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, which is part of the Canadian Security Establishment (CSE).

We know that Iran is using cyber criminal tools to avoid attribution. This is one of their techniques. China is going after, you know, research, technical data, business, intellectual property, military capabilities, Khoury told MPs. North Korea is very much interested in enhancing its economic value by stealing credentials and then stealing funds. So they each have a motivation to conduct those activities  to further their own interest.

Other witnesses told the committee that to see what cyber warfare looks like in action, they simply have to look at the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The reason I think its particularly important to pay attention to the Ukraine war is its a laboratory for cyber warfare, said Wesley Wark, a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a think tank based in Waterloo. Its really the first single laboratory weve seen everything thats been used by Russia against Ukraine.

The committee heard two examples of that.

Weve seen them use them against Ukraine by shutting down the power grid over there. Twice, said Khoury. We are very concerned about that. And thats why we work with critical infrastructure providers in Canada to make sure that they are taking every precaution, said Khoury.

And he added while Western nations have not been directly targeted, there can be spill-off effects, such as when Russia disrupted Ukraines satellite communications when the invasion was launched.

So Russia went after satellite communication  and as a result, there was some Western entities that were also users of that service. So as a result, their communication got disrupted, he said.

Concern over what other nations are doing also prompted some blunt questions from Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant over the Chinese high-altitude balloon that floated over Canada and the United States for a week, starting on Jan. 28. It was shot down on Feb. 4 over the Atlantic Ocean by North Carolina. But some MPs have expressed outrage that nothing appears to have been done while it was over Canada.

How and when was the Communications Security Establishment [CSE] made aware of the Chinese balloon in our airspace? asked Gallant.

As the minister spoke over the weekend, she indicated weve been working very closely with our U.S. allies on this matter, replied Alia Tayyeb, deputy chief of Signals Intelligence with CSE.

Did the CSE play a role in electronic warfare in blocking or jamming the devices attached to the spy balloon? asked Gallant.

Again, I apologize that Im not able to answer your question, replied Tayyeb, who later said she would try to get the answers in writing to the committee.

Gallant also asked whether ongoing research partnerships between Canadian universities and Chinas National University of Defense Technology are being monitored.

We  do report on any foreign activity  directed towards Canadian[s] including approaches to our research work or intellectual property or economic investments, Tayyeb replied.

But direct state-sanctioned cyber attacks are by no means the only threat. Cybercrime and ransomware are also major concerns.

The committee heard that almost every aspect of public life can be a targetgovernment departments, health institutions, utility companies, and more.

Wark told the committee that I would say I think were holding our own, against cyberattacks by China and Russia. But he added cybercrime and ransomware remain major challenges.

Theres a whole other world of threats to Canada and Canadians, including through cybercrime, he said. Wark added while major companies and institutions have a pretty high awareness of cyber risks, he feels many smaller companies are vulnerable.

The real problem is that small and medium enterprises who neither have the resources nor perhaps even the understanding of the degree to which theyre vulnerable to cyberattacks, and so we need to find  ways to help them, he said.

Khoury told the committee there is no requirement for private sector companies to report ransomware attacks, so the Centre is not even sure how many there are.

Many of them dont report it. As a matter of fact, in 2021, weve only had reports of about 300 ransomware incidents to the cyber center, which is probably underreporting, he said.

He said the cyber centre works with the private sector to try to mitigate the threat, including publishing alerts of emerging threats and other ongoing measures.

Aaron Shull, managing director of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, suggested tax incentives as a way to get smaller companies to follow protocols on cyber security.

Theres that old saying, you cannot herd cats, but you can pick where you put the food out, said Shull.

The committee also heard about the role of social media and how foreign actors try to influence that, including the use of bots.

The universe of social media communications is increasingly being affected by automated bots, said Wark. These are simply machines out there that amplify according to certain algorithms, certain kinds of messages, and theyre there. They can be used for disinformation purposes by foreign state actors, he said, whether the target is an election, or public opinion.

The committee is doing a study on the state of Canadas cybersecurity and cyberwarfare preparedness.
House Passes Motion for Auditor General to Investigate Governments McKinsey Contracts

A sign of U.S.-based McKinsey & Company management consulting firm in Geneva on April 12, 2022. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

A motion tabled by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis to request that the auditor general investigate the Liberal governments awarding of contracts to multi-national consulting firm McKinsey unanimously passed in the House of Commons on Feb. 7.

The motion called for the House to accept a report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO), which is studying the federal government consulting contracts awarded to McKinsey & Company.

The committee report recommends that the Auditor General be called upon to conduct, as soon as possible, a performance and value for money audit of the contracts awarded to McKinsey & Company since January 1, 2011, by any department, agency or Crown corporation.

The committee started its study of contracts awarded to McKinsey after CBC reported an exponential increase in dollars spent on the firm since the Liberals took power in 2015.

On Feb. 6, the committee heard testimony from the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Helena Jaczek. Her department has spent $104.6 million on McKinsey since 2015.

Jaczek, who took over the portfolio in August, said she shared concerns about excessive outsourcing, but could not answer many of the questions sent her way by MPs and deferred to her deputy.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had tasked Jaczek and Treasury Board President Mona Fortier to look into the matter after the news broke.

The committee also heard on the same day from former McKinsey partner Ehren Cory who then became the CEO of the Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB).

Cory said the CIB had given contracts to McKinsey before his tenure and that under his watch not a dollar had been spent on the firm.

The CIB is a crown corporation that was established in 2017 based on the recommendations of the Advisory Council for Economic Growth, which was at the time chaired by the head of McKinsey, Dominic Barton.

Barton was then appointed as Canadas ambassador to China in 2019, a post he left in 2021 after Beijing released Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

Barton testified at the government operations committee on Feb. 1 and downplayed his personal links to the Trudeau government and the importance of contracts from the federal government for the firms revenues.

The Globe and Mail previously reported that, based on filing made in a U.S. court by McKinsey, the New York-based companys contracts with the federal government made up as much as 10 percent of its gross Canadian revenue from 2016 to 2022.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) told The Epoch Times on Jan. 26 that the total amount awarded to McKinsey for 24 contracts since the Liberals took power in 2015 was $104.6 million.

PSPC added being aware of contracts signed by other departments for the sum of $12.2 million, noting research had not been completed.

McKinsey has defended its work for the government and accurately points out that other consulting firms conduct a lot more business with Ottawa.

Our government work in Canada is entirely non-partisan in nature and focuses on core management topics, such as digitization and operations improvement. Our firm does not make policy recommendations on immigration or any other topic, McKinsey said in a statement on Jan. 10.

Noe Chartier and Peter Wilson contributed to this report.
If China Threatens Our Sovereignty, We Will Act: Biden in State of the Union

President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress as Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy applaud in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 7, 2023. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

President Joe Biden has sworn to protect U.S. sovereignty in the face of Chinese communist aggression amid bipartisan alarm over the growing threat posed by Beijing.

Biden said his order to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon that traversed U.S. airspace last week was evidence of his commitment to defend the nation and to bring the fight to Chinas communist regime when necessary.

I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world, Biden said during his State of the Union speech on Feb. 7.

But make no mistake about it: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.

The president used the opportunity to underscore that he had outlined the U.S. stance to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping and made clear that it preferred competition over conflict, a statement the administration has repeatedly highlighted over the past two years.

Ive made clear with Xi that we seek competition, not conflict, Biden said. And lets be clear: Winning the competition should unite all of us.

The president also appeared to go off-script when he asked the joint session if anyone could name a person who would change places with Xi, appearing to insinuate that, although many may fear China, few would want to be in the communist nations position.

Name me a leader who would change places with Xi Jinping! Biden said.

Its never ever been a good bet to bet against America. Ever.

The president said that before his administration, the story was about how the Peoples Republic of China was increasing its power and America was falling in the world but that this situation had turned around under his leadership.

Responses

But some Republicans disagreed with Bidens assertions.

I thought it was unfortunate when he said that Americas enemies are weaker today, that hes standing up to China, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told The Epoch Times after the address.

Sadly, the entire world laughed at the president while a Chinese spy balloon hovered over America for over a week.  We should have shot it down the instant it entered U.S. airspace.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said he believed that Bidens framing of the issue was disingenuous.

I thought it was a total failure to level with the American people about whats happened this last week, about his administrations failure to deter China, and about the fact that hes made us more dependent on China, with everything from his energy policies to his military decisions, Hawley told The Epoch Times.

Others Republican lawmakers said the president should have taken a stronger stance on the communist regime.

The President should have more forcefully called out China as a threat to global security, Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) wrote in a tweet.

But Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) had a different take, saying that it was important to stand up to China.

[Biden] said that he wanted to be strong against China, Cueller told The Epoch Times. The balloon is only one aspect, but I think standing strong against China  puts us in a better situation.

Scrutiny Over Bidens Balloon Response

Over the past week, Republican lawmakers questioned Bidens handling of the CCP spy balloon and his administrations claims that it discovered previously undetected balloon incursions that allegedly happened during the Trump administration.

On Feb. 6, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that since Biden took office, the United States enhanced its surveillance capabilities to allow it to detect things that the Trump administration was unable to detect.

Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, who serves as commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), also said three Chinese spy balloons had appeared to have previously gone undetected.

I will tell you that we did not detect those threats, and thats a domain awareness gap, VanHerck said during a press briefing on Feb. 6.

Contrary to Sullivans remarks, VanHerck said U.S. intelligence determined the previous flights after the fact based on additional means of collection of intelligence without offering further details on whether that might be cyber espionage, telephone intercepts, or human sources. The military was prohibited from collecting intelligence within U.S. territory, he said.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the incident was the most provocative action taken by the CCP to date. He also questioned the existence of similar incidents during the Trump administration and why the intelligence community wouldnt have shared such information.

This was the most provocative act that weve seen come out of Communist China and really a shot across the bow and poke in the eye of the president, McCaul told The Epoch Times on Feb. 7 ahead of Bidens address.

If [previous incursions] did happen, it raises serious questions about our intelligence community, that if they had this information, why didnt they share it with the administration at the policy or political level?

He went on to describe the spy balloons trip as very dangerous and said he believed that the incident presented a failure for the Biden administration.

Theyre really testing this administration, in my judgment, its weakness versus strength. Every time we project strength as a nation  you have peace. When you project weakness, you invite aggression, McCaul said.

I would argue that by allowing it to cross U.S. airspace across the country, taking pictures of our most secret or most sensitive national security sites, [Biden] failed the test to protect the nation. And therefore, China, the Chinese Communist Party, won in that test. And thats what Chairman Xi thinks.

Previous Incursions

Previous Chinese incursions may have happened but were likely discovered using data gleaned from this most recent balloon incident, according to John Mills, former director of cybersecurity policy, strategy, and international affairs at the Pentagon.

But he didnt recall any such incidents while he was at the Pentagon, he said, noting that it would be highly unlikely that such information wouldnt be passed along.

Ive done shift work at the National Military Command Center [NMCC] at the Pentagon; I cant imagine why NORAD/NORTHCOM would not pass the balloon information to the NMCC and why this would not be shared with the White House Situation Room, Mills told The Epoch Times.

Ive been working on sensitive China issues since 2007 at the Pentagon and National Security Council, and there was lots of Chinese trickery, but I never remember any Chinese balloon events.

To that end, Mills, who left the Pentagon in 2018, said it was more likely the Biden administration used the intelligence gained from the spy balloon to learn what such airships appear like on radar and went back to find more.

It is not well-known, but we have always had very large gaps in radar and voice coverage in the oceanic approaches in air traffic, he said. We would go broke trying to have perfect radar coverage. Other capabilities are relied upon to fill in the gaps. But I dont know what has been introduced during the Biden years to make any difference.

Now that they know what a Chinese balloon radar return track looks like, they likely went back into historical radar track archives and spotted previous Chinese spy balloon tracks that werent paid attention to.

Emel Akan contributed to this report.
Is There Bureaucratic Oversight?: Federal Contracts Under Scrutiny

The Confederation Building reflects off the windows of a building in downtown Ottawa on April 7, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

The federal government is spending too much on contracts with too little accountability, say critics, who are calling for changes and reforms.

Contracts to consulting firm McKinsey & Company have drawn special attention from the parliamentary standing committee on government operations in recent weeks. The firm has received $104.6 million from 24 contracts since the Liberals took power in 2015, compared to $2.2 million in contracts under almost 10 years of the Conservative government under Stephen Harper.

However, a Carleton University School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) research project found that the $17.1 million given to McKinsey in fiscal 202122 placed the company 191st among around 1,848 recipients listed. Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions, which received over $1.14 billion, placed first, as the largest beneficiary of the estimated $22.2 billion in contracts that year.

Ken Coates, a professor at University of Saskatchewans Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, said that contracts have their place but that the expenditures deserve attention.

These are extraordinary times. So a fair amount of consulting work has been done because of COVID, a bunch of crises related to airline travel, and all these other kinds of things. You cant mobilize the bureaucracy to take on something that is immediate and needs attention in the next three weeks, Coates said in an interview.

When youre dealing with some short-term problem solving, policy development, [contracting out is] very helpful. But I think people are upset by the scale, and by the fact that its happening alongside the expansion in the civil service. You have one or the other, you dont get both.

The Liberal government has increased the number of civil servants by more than 30 percent since taking power, including 8,570 new federal employees in 202122.

I dont get a sense were on a war footing in Canada, but the government is behaving as though we are. Theyre spending lots and lots of money, theyre hiring lots and lots of people, but theyre also doing this contracting stuff, Coates said.

The problem with the contracting is that its not subject to the same kind of government oversight. Youre asking for advice from people outside the bureaucracy, who are not tied into the long-term vitality of the civil service in the same sort of way. Theres reason to be worried because it just is so much so fast, and subject to so little scrutiny.

Inevitable Dynamic

Amanda Clarke, an associate professor at Carletons SPPA, told the government operations committee on Jan. 30 that high expenditures on management consultants is not an accident but rather an inevitable dynamic in a public service that fails to invest in talent and recruitment and is bound by unhelpful oversight and reporting burdens.

The demands for error-free government make it very difficult to be creative and innovative in the public service, she said.

The Epoch Times reached out to a public policy expert with decades of experience to evaluate Clarkes assessment. He said her comments had a great deal of truth and value but requested anonymity to speak in-depth because being named could have repercussions on his parliamentary work involvement.

The current federal government has increased the dimensions through which it intervenes in the management of lower-level decisions. There are always a myriad of minor contracts to lesser consulting firms, the expert said.

Some of this is done because central officials and their advisers dont have complete confidence in the civil service. While this lack of confidence is sometimes justified and sometimes not, it does tend to create an environment where the regular civil service is not relied on or developed to be better relied on in the future.

Governments, sometimes under the influences of the vendors themselves, have layered many slogans and movements upon bureaucrats, the expert said. The requirement to fulfill these competing but unclear objectives paralyzes action.

Endless meetings must be held just to develop some idea of how to respond. Here is an area where better development of staff and expertise could be useful. Of course, the problem would be less severe if the accumulation of slogans and directives were not such a problem, he said.

There are solutions, but they would have to be undertaken in a coordinated way on a number of fronts simultaneously. It is hard to achieve that in Ottawa, or in most governments for that matter.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Treasury Board Secretariat and the minister for Public Services and Procurement Canada but did not hear back before publication.

Scrutiny

The House of Commons on Feb. 7 passed a motion sponsored by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis that calls for the auditor general to examine the money given to McKinsey.

Coates believes that assessing value for money is vital for all major government contracts and that parliamentary committees should receive the reports required to assess their merits.

Weve been picking on McKinsey now, but Ernst & Young and these other big accounting firms, Deloitte, they have incredible international connections and they bring phenomenal, phenomenal opportunities for Canadians to benefit from that global expertise, he said.

But the question is, to whom are they reporting? Does Parliament get to see the work, do they get to see the reports? Is there bureaucratic oversight? Is there a follow-up to see if the money was well-spent and well-used?
LA County Approves Gun Regulations Following Mass Shootings

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 7 unanimously approved a series of gun regulation measuresincluding the sales and possession of guns in unincorporated areasfollowing the recent rash of mass shootings that killed 18 people in California.

The first one forbids the sale of .50-caliber handguns and ammunition in the unincorporated area. The second would prohibit the carrying of guns at county facilities such as beaches, ball fields, and parks, with an exception for law enforcement officers. Two ordinances are expected to take effect soon.

We know that blame for the gun violence epidemic lies with the failure of congressional leaders to pass even the most basic federal gun laws, board Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement following the vote. Because they have not acted, we have found actions we can take at the county level to protect lives.

Los Angeles Supervisor Janice Hahn speaks at the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The motion that went before the board Tuesday was brought by Hahn, Supervisors Hilda Solis, and Lindsey Horvath. The board will take a final vote on the motion in two weeks.

Several other related ordinances are still in the pipeline.

The county is looking to develop a 1,000-foot buffer zone between gun stores and child-sensitive areas such as schools. Additionally, another measure would require privately owned firearms to be stored in a locked container.

An attorney for the county advised the board there were some doubts about the feasibility of the lock-and-key requirement, noting recent federal court rulings relating to firearms. Hahn asked for further research on the matter.

Los Angeles County supervisor Hilda Solis hosted a press conference Nov. 22 against hate crimes and in support of immigrant communities (Courtesy of Hilda Solis)

On top of that, the board also called for the development of other restrictions relating to gun salessuch as requiring stores to display warning signs about the risks of having firearms at home, including unintentional deaths to children. Another would require gun owners to carry liability insurance.

Steven Lamb, an Altadena resident and former council member, blasted the measures, saying they water down the primary purpose of owning a gun, which is to protect you. Lamb said forcing the lockup of guns would interfere with the guns intended purpose of self-defense.

The board also voted to support the bid by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to re-establish the expired 10-year national assault rifle ban and to forbid the sale of such firearms and high-capacity magazines to those under 21.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Labour Says UK Security Strategy Should Focus on NATO, Not Indo-Pacific

Labour shadow defence secretary John Healey speaks at the Institute of Directors, hosted by RUSI, in London, on Feb. 7, 2023. (James Manning/PA Media)

The UK must show realism on its military commitments to the Indo-Pacific region, Labours defence chief has said, as he suggested his party will stick to a NATO first security strategy if it comes into power.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development, and Foreign Policy in 2021 announced a UK tilt towards the Indo-Pacific in recognition of Chinas growing influence in the region.

It resulted in the UKs aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth being deployed on a seven-month tour of the Indo-Pacific, while a new defence pact was signed with Australia, with the UK and the United States agreeing to provide Canberra with a nuclear-powered submarine as part of the Aukus deal.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks on the flight deck during a visit to HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier in Portsmouth, southwest England, prior to its departure for Asia in its first operational deployment, on May 21, 2021. (Leon Neal/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

But in a speech hosted by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London on Tuesday, Labours shadow defence secretary John Healey said it does not make sense for UK forces to devote an increasing share of their scarce resources to the Indo-Pacific.

He said there is a Europe-shaped hole in the UKs security policy under the Conservatives and suggested a Labour government would shift attention back to where the threats are greatest, such as Europe and the Arctic.

Realism

The Labour front-bencher said: Our Indo-Pacific military commitments need realism. British armed forces are ill-served by leaders pretending we can do everything, everywhere.

Healey said that, over the past 13 years, Conservative-led governments have cut Britains full-time military personnel by over 45,000, scrapped one in five of the Royal Navys surface ships, and taken more than 200 Royal Air Force (RAF) planes out of service.

He added: Just as we would not expect Japan or Australia to deploy much of their military to Europe, nor does it make senseespecially at this momentfor UK forces to devote an increasing share of their scarce resources to the Indo-Pacific.

Healey said that Labour shares the concerns about Chinas growing military power and assertiveness in the region.

But he said British support should come in the form of technology, capability, diplomacy, alongside the industrial defence cooperation seen in the Aukus agreement.

He told the audience during the question and answer session that the Integrated Review labelling Beijing a systemic competitor was soundly based and said it would be a mistake to designate the country as a threat.

NATO First

Reiterating a pledge made by shadow foreign secretary David Lammy in his Chatham House speech last month, Healey said Labour would seek a defence and security pact with the European Union, including bespoke agreements with allies such as Germany.

He said the Conservative governments gung-ho promotion of global Britainwhich all too often means anywhere but Europemust end.

He said Labour accepts Brexit, but the Tories post-Brexit blindspot on Europe must be corrected.

We must rebuild relationships with our European allies to make Brexit work. Which is why Labour will seek a defence and security pact with the EU and new defence agreements with leading European allies like Germany.

Healey emphasised: Britains security strategy must be NATO first. The first priority for Britains armed forces must be where the threats are greatest, not where the business opportunities lie. This is in the NATO areaEurope, the North Atlantic, Arctic. This is also our primary obligation to our closest allies. After Ukraine, European allies will have to take on more responsibility for European security.

Halt Further Cuts

The shadow defence secretary said: Today, the biggest risk facing the UK military is that large parts of it are underprepared for conventional conflict in Europe. Lacking spare parts, munitions, and specialist personnel. NATO is rightly doing what it can to avoid escalation to direct conflict with Russia. But deterring such escalation means we need to be prepared for it.

He said that a Labour government would conduct a new Integrated Review and publish a new defence command paper, which must make clear how we meet NATOs demand for greater force commitments and should halt further cuts to the British Army.

But Healey refused to say by how much a future Labour administration would increase defence spending.

He said during the question and answer session: In principle, of course, well increase defence spending to meet the threats. But if youre pushing me for a figure and to fix that ahead of the election, that cannot be done.

Healey has previously confirmed that Labour would conduct and publish a strategic defence and security review within its first year in government.

In response, a Conservative Party spokesperson said: Instead of sticking to their spending promises, this amounts to half a billion in new spending with no new funds to back it upwhich means either cuts elsewhere or unsustainable borrowing.

Rather making a decision on defence, Labour have more reviews than policy. The one thing they arent willing to review is the position of shadow minister for disarmamentwhich risks undermining our security stance.

Only the Conservatives can be trusted to sustainably invest in defence and keep us safe by supporting our armed forces so that we can take on the threats of the future.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Like Animals in the Jungle: Bullying, Drug Dealing, Weapons Reported at California High School

Some parents and students at Costa Mesa High School in Southern California say they are fearful the school is unsafe after an increase in fights was reported, and weapons and drugs were found on campus.

In one recent incident, a student said she and her twin sister were attacked separately without provocation by a student who was later believed to be carrying a knife.

The same student said teachers routinely leave classrooms in tears over disruptive students, and a friend of hers resorted to carrying an unloaded gun to school last June after she had been bullied and received death threats.

The school district would not deny or confirm if a knife was involved in the first incident and declined to comment on the unloaded gun claim.

Parent Vicky Rodriguez, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Newport-Mesa Unified School Board last year, said she recently pulled her son out of the school shortly after he was bullied and attacked there.

Costa mesa high School in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

She said she shadowed her son throughout the day before the decision was made to withdraw.

Throughout that experience, Rodriguez said she witnessed school fights, students disobeying teachers in the classroom without any punishment, and drug use in the school bathrooms.

Theyre aggressive. They have so much hate. Theyre like animals in the jungle  Im sorry, theres no other way to explain what I saw, she said.

She said one student told her how students sell drugs on school grounds.

The student, she said, explained drugs are hidden in the back of a toilet, and students charge a small amount for their peers to use them, which are usually marijuana vaporizing pens.

Rodriguez said she informed the schools assistant principal of the problem but was unhappy with his response. She said she witnessed him and the schools security officer stand near the bathroom without paying much attention to students entering and leaving.

Theyre just standing there on their phones, but they dont go in there. They dont care, she said.

The school district denied the allegations.

These accusations are unsubstantiated. Any issues that are brought to school administrators are taken seriously and are addressed. Administrators are trained to investigate all matters of concern and respond appropriately, Annette Franco, a district spokesperson, told The Epoch Times in a statement.

Rodriguez claimed one of the biggest issues the school faces is a lack of security and fewer parents volunteering in classrooms since the pandemic.

They dont let us parents go in there and volunteer. We want to keep our kids safe.  Our kids dont even want to go to that school, she said.

Costa Mesa High School in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

According to officials, the district currently has more than 2,000 volunteers working districtwide and 80 on the Costa Mesa High School campus.

Another issue Rodriguez described was the lack of consequences for bad behavior.

She said while shadowing a class, one female student refused to give up her phone when asked and proceeded to use it the entire class, without any repercussions.

Without any real consequences, and parents are hardly told anything, nothing is going to change. These kids know they can continue to get away with whatever they want, she said.

The district responded, denying allegations of non-parent involvement, despite Rodriguezs claim parents only learn of such incidents from their children.

We communicate with parents when there are concerns or issues related to their child, district officials said. We also communicate with parents when issues impact the school community and ask for their partnership in talking with their children about fostering appropriate behaviors on campus.

Costa Mesa High School in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

However, the district said they have seen a rise in student altercations, which, they said, they are working to address.

While they are sporadic, we have seen an uptick in disruptive student behavior on campus and have worked collaboratively with staff, students, and parents to mitigate and bring resolution to these types of concerns. We have reassigned staff to be more visible on campus, especially during student breaks, lunch, before and after school, officials said.

Five years ago, the school recorded 169 suspensions, nearly half of them related to violence, according to data from the California Department of Education.

Since then, there has been a steady decline in suspensions, with only a fraction recorded during the pandemic.

Costa Mesa High School in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

But compared to other high schools in the district, Costa Mesa has the highest number of suspensions over the last 5 years with 343 recorded. Following is Estancia High School with 309mostly drug-relatedand Newport Harbor High with 257, also mostly drug-related.

The Costa Mesa City Council voted unanimously in January to approve a third officer from the Costa Mesa Police Department, to assist in patrolling campuses throughout the district, including Costa Mesa High School.

However, the addition of the officer is not related to incidents at the school, according to Costa Mesa police spokesperson Roxi Fyad.

Our priority is student safety, she said. Having school resource officers at schools is a great way to interact with students to help them and keep them safe.
Ansel Adams captured the American landscape like no other photographer before him. He owed much of his success to his beloved Yosemite National Parkwhere he snapped photos with his first camera, honed his observational and photography skills, and where his family scattered his ashes.

At 14 years old, Adams (19021984) first traveled to Yosemite with his family for a trip that forever changed him. The splendor of Yosemite burst upon us and it was glorious, he wrote of the trip. He saw light everywhere. One wonder after another descended upon us. On that trip, his father gave him his first cameraan Eastman Kodak Brownie box cameraand through that lens, he framed and shot his first photographs of Yosemite.

Yosemites splendor sparked Adamss love for photography. Many times he returned to the valley, developing his creative skills and observing the nuances of sunlight as it caressed the land.

American photographer and art critic John Szarkowski saw how Adams understood the transient quality of the landscape and the light that changes it. Ansel Adams attuned himself more precisely than any photographer before him to a visual understanding of the specific quality of light that fell on a specific place at a specific moment, he wrote.

Adams saw Yosemite in a spiritual light that impacted him more than man-made art. Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space. I know of no sculpture, painting, or music that exceeds the compelling spiritual command of the soaring shape of granite cliff and dome, of patina of light on rock and forest, and of the thunder and whispering of the falling flowing waters, he wrote in The Portfolio of Ansel Adams.

Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, 1960, by Ansel Adams. Photography, gelatin silver print. The Lane Collection, Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts Boston)

Choosing Pure Photography

Adams worked in the early 20th century, at a time when modern photography was a fairly new discipline. The dawn of modern photography, around 1825, had disrupted traditional art. Some painters felt that they couldnt compete with this new art discipline that could record images quickly and accurately, yet with no nuances of light. Some believed that they had to change their painting style, so modern art movements emerged, such as impressionism, that championed impressions of light over the traditional art of realism.

Photography enthusiasts explored whether this new way of capturing images was to simply record or manipulate scenes in order to create new artworks. (Those who agreed with the latter created the pictorialism movement, which peaked from around 1885 to 1915). For instance, pictorialists might manipulate their photographs by softening a shots focus, creating surface textures such as brushstrokes, or printing images in one or more colors rather than in black and white.

Early in his career, Adams experimented in pictorialism, but from 1925 on, he dedicated himself to pure photography.

Grass and Reflections, Lyell Fork of the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, circa 1943, by Ansel Adams. Photograph, gelatin silver print. The Lane Collection, Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts Boston)

In 1932, he set up Group f/64 with fellow pure photographers who aspired to define photography as an art form by a simple and direct presentation through purely photographic methods. Adams defined pure photography in the groups manifesto as possessing no qualities of [technique] composition, or ideas derivative of any other art form.

Adams shot in natural light, using small apertures and long exposures that, once developed in his darkroom, created his signature style: sharp, high-contrast, large-format landscape images.

Transcending Nature

Adams knew the power of his photographs. Early in his career, the U.S. Department of the Interior commissioned him to shoot photographs of national parks. The marketing department gave him valuable guidance on composing publicity shots, knowledge that he used throughout his images of American landscapes. He made images for the environmental nonprofit Sierra Club, a cause he advocated throughout his life.

On Jan. 27, 1975, photographer Ansel Adams (2nd R) along with his business manager, conservationist William Turnage, visited President Gerald R. Ford and first lady Betty Ford in the Oval Office of the White House with some of Adamss photographs. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. (Public Domain)

In 1975, Adams gave one of his images, Clearing Winter Storm, showing all of Yosemite Valley covered with fresh snow, to a former seasonal park ranger of Yellowstone National ParkPresident Gerald R. Ford. As he passed the image to him, Adams said: Now, Mr. President, every time you look at this picture, I want you to remember your obligation to the national parks.

Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, circa 1937, by Ansel Adams. Photograph, gelatin silver print. The Lane Collection, Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts Boston)

In Yosemite, time and time again, Adams found a certain solace and spiritual transcendence. After a bout of Spanish flu in 1918 (one of the worlds deadliest pandemics), for instance, he urged his parents, against medical advice, to let him visit Yosemite. After the trip, he felt rejuvenated, and being out in the wilderness even cured him of his compulsive cleanliness, a habit hed developed after his sickness.

Rain, Yosemite Valley, California, circa 1940, by Ansel Adams. Photograph, gelatin silver print.

The Lane Collection, Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust/Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts Boston)

After experiencing the power of nature and solitude, Adams advocated those too. He wrote in his autobiography: We all know the tragedy of the dust bowls, the cruel unforgivable erosions of the soil, the depletion of fish or game, and the shrinking of the noble forests. And we know that such catastrophes shrivel the spirit of the people.

More than 100 of Ansel Adams photographs, including those of Yosemite, will be on display in the Ansel Adams in Our Time exhibition at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, from April 8 through July 23. Adamss work will be shown alongside the works of 23 photographers, including his peers. To find out more, visit FAMSF.org
Man Fatally Shot in a Suspect Vehicle in South LA

LOS ANGELESA man who was fatally shot Feb. 8 was in a suspect vehicle apparently connected to an assault with a deadly weapon investigation in the Rancho Dominguez area, authorities said.

Officers were sent to 73rd Street and Avalon Boulevard in the south Los Angeles area at about 5:35 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. A vehicle crashed at that location, and an investigation was initiated, according to the police department and reports from the scene.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, a man who was in the vehicle died at the scene. The mans name was not immediately available for release. Another person who was in the vehicle was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, the sheriffs department reported.

Deputies had been sent to the 2100 block of East Del Amo Boulevard in Compton on a report of an assault with a deadly weapon.

Deputies discovered the incident originated at the intersection of Del Amo Boulevard and Wilmington Avenue in the unincorporated area of East Rancho Dominguez, and terminated at 2100 E. Del Amo Blvd., City of Compton, a sheriffs statement said.

Deputies later learned the suspect vehicle was located at the intersection of Avalon Boulevard and 73rd Street, in the City of Los Angeles, the statement continued. One of the occupants inside the suspects vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene. One additional person was transported to a local hospital in unknown condition.

The circumstances of the death remained under investigation, and further details were not being released, the sheriffs department said.

Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the Sheriffs Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
Mendicino: Canada Should Be Thoughtful and Inclusive About Creating Foreign Agent Registry

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino gestures toward a reporter as he waits to appear before the Special Committee on Canada-People's Republic of China Relationship on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 6, 2023. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

Amid requests by opposition MPs for a foreign agent registry in the face of increased espionage and influence activities by Beijing, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada should be thoughtful and inclusive when it comes to creating such a registry.

We need agencies to be inclusive, diverse, culturally sensitive, Mendicino told the House of Commons Committee on the CanadaPeoples Republic of China Relationship on Feb. 6.

Mendicinos remarks come amid heightened attention to Chinas espionage and influence activities after authorities shot down a high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon flying over American and Canadian airspace on Feb. 4.

Mendicino was asked whether he is hesitant about creating a foreign influence registry when allied countries like the United States have long had such measures in place.

I wouldnt describe it as hesitation, he said.

I think we need to be diligent and thoughtful and inclusive when it comes to bringing all Canadians along in the modernization of the tools and the arsenal that we create for our national security and intelligence communities.

A foreign agent registry would require an individual or an entity working for a foreign authority to register with the government. A registry would make such operations more transparent, and failure to comply would likely result in fines or even imprisonment.

The minister said there is a need to consider the historical context of interactions between some communities within this country and their relationship with agencies and the law enforcement community. He didnt specify which communities he was referring to.

He went on to say that a foreign agent registry could be one of the tools for the government to deal with foreign threats, but discouraged the idea that any one of those tools would work alone.

While there is attention to looking at each of the examples of the tools which we may consult onincluding the foreign agent registryI would discourage the members of this committee from quickly concluding that any one of these in isolation will work by itself, Mendicino said.

In February 2021, the federal government said that it was actively considering the creation of a foreign agent registry. Nearly two years later in December 2022, Mendicino announced that Ottawa was preparing to consult the public on the possible creation of such registry.

A survey released on the heels of the announcement showed that 90 percent of Canadians are in favour of having this mechanism installed to make operations of foreign agents more transparent, as the public grows increasing concerned about interference by China, Russia, and other authoritarian states.

At the Feb. 6 committee meeting, MPs also heard testimony from CSIS Director David Vigneault that a foreign agent registry would help with identifying alleged threats from China.

Those individuals would have to publicly state their affiliation and that would help with transparency. And it would help to bring people out of the shadowsthose who are trying to interfereit would be more difficult for them to get their hands on resources and to engage in this interference, Vigneault said.

So yes, it would help to prevent interference in foreign elections.

Secret Chinese Police Stations

The committee meeting focused on recent media reports about several secret Chinese police stations that are allegedly operating in the Greater Toronto Area and in Vancouver, while over 100 such outposts have also been established in some 50 countries around the world, according to reports published by Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders.

The issue raised particular concerns as the NGO has reported that some of those Chinese police stations have engaged in forced repatriation of Chinese nationals, including regular citizens.

Based on accounts published by Chinese authorities and state media run by Chinese Communist Party, Safeguard Defenders said that the police service stations have supported a national campaign for fighting telecommunication crimes conducted by Chinese nationals living abroad.

The Chinese authorities have touted the campaigns success in persuading around 230,000 individuals to return to China between April 2021 and July 2022.

Brigitte Gauvin, RCMP acting director for federal policing and national security, also confirmed Canadians concerns regarding these Chinese secret police stations.

This is concerning for several reasons. These alleged police stations may contribute to the involuntary return of individuals to China. Also, families living in both China and Canada may become the target of harassment, intimidation, or experience other negative consequences, she said while also testifying at the House committee on Feb. 6.

Mendicino, however, testified that he doesnt remember whether he had learned about these Chinese police stations before the media reports came out.

When did you become aware of the so-called foreign police stations here in Canada?  asked Conservative MP Garnett Genuis.

With regards to police stations, I would say to you that was certainly within the last year, Mendicino replied.

Did you become aware of it before or after it was reported in the media or at the same time? Genuis asked.

I dont remember when they first became public report, the minister said.

The Feb. 6 committee also touched on other accusations of communist Chinas espionage and interference activities in Canada, including a Hydro-Quebec employee who became the first person in Canada to be charged with economic espionage under the Security of Information Act for sending trade secrets to China.

Mendicino was also grilled on recent reports of a Chinese surveillance balloon that drifted across Canadian and U.S. airspace.
Microsoft Incorporates AI Technology Into Its Search Engine Bing

A signage of Microsoft is seen in New York City on March 13, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

Microsoft is incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot technology into its search engine Bing and its browser Edge.

The company made the announcement at a press event on Tuesday at its Redmond headquarters in Washington.

Bing and Edge will be powered by an upgraded version of the AI technology thats the hallmark of ChatGPT, the conversational service developed by OpenAI that can provide responses to a multitude of prompts.

Yusuf Mehdi, a Microsoft executive who leads its search division, said a public preview of the new Bing launched Tuesday for users who sign up for it, but the technology will scale to millions of users in coming weeks.

Users will be able to input queries into Bing like how they would to ChatGPT, and receive coherent responses that aim to fulfill the query.

Everyone can try a limited number of queries, Mehdi said.

The new Bing also includes annotations that link to sources the responses are drawn from. But there is a caution that appears at the bottom of Bings new homepage, which says that because Bing is powered by AI, surprises and mistakes are possible. Users are advised to Make sure to check the facts.

The latest shift by Microsoft will make its search engine and browser more conversational and more capable of providing answers to specific questions instead of merely providing links to other websites ranked by relevance.

The changes could have wide-ranging implications for advertisements on these platforms.

Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday that new AI advances are going to reshape every software category we know, including search, much like earlier innovations in personal computers and cloud computing.

He said it is important to develop AI with human preferences and societal norms and youre not going to do that in a lab, adding, You have to do that out in the world.

Microsofts Bing is second behind Googles search engine, holding 9 percent of search traffic worldwide compared to Googles 83 percent as of December 2022, according to Statista.

Microsoft has been partnering with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI since 2019, with multiyear, multibillion-dollar investments in the company. The investments so far have led to the development of a powerful supercomputer specifically built to train the AI models that power ChatGPT and other AI tools, such as the image-generator DALL-E.

Microsoft also recently announced a new multibillion-dollar investment into OpenAI as it looks to incorporate the technology behind these AI tools into its Office products like email and spreadsheets.

ChatGPTs masterful ability to generate English responses in various styles comes from having been fed a large number of online writings, from books to Wikipedia entries, to news websites, blogs, and instruction manuals.

Google on Monday announced a rival to ChatGPT called Bard. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the conversational service will be available to some trusted testers before it gets released more widely later this year.

Meanwhile, Chinese media reported that Chinese tech giant Baidu announced it will launch a similar AI-powered search engine later this year. Other companies, Amazon, and Facebook parent Meta are also working on similar technology.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Military: Forces Raid Hideout, Kill 12 Pakistani Taliban

The location of Lakki Marwat city, Pakistan, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

ISLAMABADSecurity forces acting on intelligence raided a hideout of Pakistani Taliban insurgents along the border with Afghanistan, triggering an intense shootout that left 12 terrorists dead, the countrys military said Wednesday.

The pre-dawn raid came amid soaring tensions in Pakistan and in the aftermath of a mosque bombing last week that killed 101 people in Peshawar. Pakistani officials blamed the blast on the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which denied involvement.

Pakistani Taliban have a strong presence in Lakki Marwat, where they have launched multiple attacks in recent months. Overnight in the district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, security forces launched the operation after monitoring the insurgents for a week, according to a military statement.

Terrorists were lured in by providing a vehicle for escape that was intercepted and neutralized, it said. The military said troops also recorded a case of weapons, munition, and Afghan currency.

There was no immediate comment from TTP.

The overnight operation against TTP was the first major confrontation since November, when the terrorist group halted a monthslong ceasefire with the government and resumed attacks on troops and police across the country.

The TTP, which maintains sanctuaries in neighboring Afghanistan, is separate from but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban. Pakistani Taliban have waged an insurgency in Pakistan in the past 15 years, seeking stricter enforcement of Islamic laws, the release of its members in government custody, and a reduction in the Pakistani military presence in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province it has long used as its base.

Pakistani Taliban, most of whom are hiding in Afghanistan, have been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as United States and NATO troops pulled out of the country after 20 years of war.
Ministers Defeat Lords Who Wanted to Withhold Right to Sue Universities on Free Speech Bill

A graduation ceremony at the University of Suffolk's campus in Ipswich, England, in October 2015. (PA)

The UK government has won a vote in upcoming legislation thatll ensure that cancelled academics and students will have the right to sue universities over free speech infringements.

Lords amendments to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill were debated in the House of Commons on Tuesday and Amendment 10which sought to remove the right of students and academics to sue universities that breach their speech rightswas defeated.

In December, when the Bill passed through the House of Lords, former Conservative universities minister Lord Willetts and others voted to remove the statutory tort from the legislation on the basis that it risked imposing unnecessary additional costs on universities.

The government faced a backlash from MPs and free speech campaigners after it was accused of making concessions to universities after concerns that the amendment watered down the Bill as it only gave academics and students the option to sue as a last resort.

Chilling Creep of Self-Censorship

Minister for Children, Families, and Wellbeing Claire Coutinho has pushed for the right to sue over free speech, saying it is an essential part of the Bill.

On Tuesday, Coutinho told The Epoch Times by email that learning how to have civil discussions about things we disagree upon is central to the university experience.

I stand firm in my belief that academics, students, and speakers must be able to go to court when their rights to free speech have been wrongly infringed, she added.

Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Coutinho warned of the chilling creep of self-censorship at universities.

In recent years, there has been a disturbing trend of forcing people into silence if they dare to go against what has become a progressive monoculture, she said.

Speaking invitations have been cancelled, visiting fellowships have been withdrawn, and academics have been subject to intimidation for taking part in debates on controversial issues, she added.

Even more worrying is the chilling creep of self-censorship. One in three academics in the UK report that they self-censor because they worry about the negative consequences that might come from speaking their mind, said Coutinho.

Free Speech

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill is legislation to safeguard free speech at university campuses.

The proposed act of Parliament would impose requirements for universities and student unions to protect freedom of speech, tightening existing legislation to make the promotion of it a statutory duty.

Policy Exchanges 2019 and 2020 publications, both entitled Academic Freedom in the UK, revealed concerning levels of self-censorship among academics.

It added that the latest update from the Academic Freedom Index project stated that the country is experiencing increasing limitations of academic freedom.

Professors such as Kathleen Stock and Jo Phoenix have been harassed on campus for years by transgender activists for their views on sex and gender.

Stock was forced to resign from the University of Sussex in 2021 for saying that trans women shouldnt be in spaces such as female dressing rooms in a completely unrestricted way because many of them are still males with male genitalia and are sexually attracted to females.

The Fear of Lawsuits

Eric Kaufmann, a professor of politics at Birkbeck College, University of London, told The Epoch Times by email that he believed that a climate of anti-conservative intolerance and cultural socialism has grown for years.

Its an important step as the fear of lawsuits will help to prevent universities caving into woke activists in the future, he said.

Kaufmann is a leading researcher into cancel culture in the world of academia and has pioneered the use of surveys to research authoritarianism and political discrimination in universities in the United States and the UK.

He has previously warned that unless politicians begin to take these issues more seriously cherished values such as free speech, scientific reason, and national heritage will lose ground in the years to come.

Kaufmann said that the fact Tory MPs are willing to overrule the pro-university lobby in the Lords led by wet Tories shows that the Conservative party has finally faced the fact universities have been playing them for fools on free speech for years while tacitly encouraging a climate of anti-conservative intolerance and cultural socialism (aka wokeness) in the academy.

The Free Speech Union (FSU) said has previously said that the only way to make sure universities uphold the new free speech duties in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill is to give aggrieved parties the option of suing them in the county court.

The FSUs position is that the statutory tort is what gives the legislations new free speech duties teeth, and if thats removed then the Bill is essentially a dead letter, it told The Epoch Times in an email.

The Bill is currently in its final stages before it officially becomes law.
Missouri Executes Man Who Killed Girlfriend and 3 Children

BONNE TERRE, Mo.A Missouri man convicted of killing his live-in girlfriend and her three young children was executed Tuesday despite his claims that he was in another state when the killings occurred.

Raheem Taylor, 58, was the third Missouri inmate put to death since November at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was the nations fifth execution this year, following a previous execution in Missouri, two in Texas, and one in Oklahoma. All were by lethal injection.

Taylor kicked his feet as the 5 grams of pentobarbital were administered, then took five or six deep breaths before all movement stopped.

Taylor, who previously went by the first name Leonard, long maintained that he was in California when Angela Rowe, her 10-year-old daughter Alexus Conley, 6-year-old daughter AcQreya Conley, and 5-year-old son Tyrese Conley were killed in 2004.

But Taylors innocence claims were turned aside time and again. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, a Democrat, last week declined Taylors request for a hearing before a judge, stating the facts are not there to support a credible case of innocence.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson declined to grant clemency on Monday, the same day the Missouri Supreme Court denied a stay request. Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.

Gerauan Rowe, Angela Rowes sister, said after the execution that moving on remains difficult, more than 18 years after she lost her sister, nieces, and nephew.

Im at a point in my life right nowIm OK but Im not, she said. But I know justice was served. Its kind of hard trying to move forward, but I think I can do it.

There was no question that Taylor was not in Missouri when the bodies were found. What isnt known for certain is when the family was killed.

Taylor and Angela Rowe lived with the children at a home in the St. Louis suburb of Jennings. Taylor boarded a flight to California on Nov. 26, 2004.

On Dec. 3, 2004, police were sent to the home in Jennings after worried relatives said they hadnt heard from Rowe. Officers found the bodies of Rowe and her children. All four had been shot.

The initial finding by a medical examiner was that the killings likely happened within a few days of the discovery of the bodieswhen Taylor was in California. But at Taylors trial, Medical Examiner Phillip Burch said the killings could have happened two or three weeks before the discovery of the bodies.

Taylors attorney, Kent Gipson, said that several people, including relatives of Rowe and a neighbor, saw Rowe alive in the days after Taylor left St. Louis. Meanwhile, Taylors daughter in California, Deja Taylor, claimed in a court filing that she and her father called Angela Rowe and one of the children during his visit. The court filing said Deja Taylors mother and sister corroborated her story.

Bob McCulloch, who was St. Louis Countys elected prosecutor at the time of the killings, said Taylors claim of innocence was nonsense, and the alibis provided by his daughter and her relatives were completely made up.

McCulloch told The Associated Press that evidence suggested Rowe and the kids were killed on the night of Nov. 22 or on Nov. 23, at a time when Taylor was still in St. Louis. He noted that Rowe typically made around 70 outgoing calls or texts each day. Starting Nov. 23, she made none.

Meanwhile, DNA from Rowes blood was found on Taylors glasses when he was arrested, a relative taking him to the airport saw Taylor toss a gun into the sewer, and Taylors brother told police that Taylor admitted to the crime, McCulloch said. Authorities believe Taylor shot Rowe during a violent argument, then killed the children because they were witnesses.
Moscow Intensifies Winter Assault, Kyiv Expects New Offensive

Ukrainian army from the 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade fire the German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000, called Tina by the unit, near Bahmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Feb. 5, 2023. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)

KYIVRussian forces ramped up a winter assault in eastern Ukraine, bringing tens of thousands of freshly mobilized troops to the battlefield, while Kyiv expected Moscow to broaden its offensive as towns in the northeast and south came under fire.

Ukraines military said on Tuesday that 1,030 Russian troops were killed over 24 hours, the highest daily toll of the war. The figure could not be independently verified, and Russia has also claimed to have killed large numbers of Ukrainian troops in recent weeks. For its part, Russia said it had inflicted 6,500 Ukrainian casualties in the month of January.

Ukraine national security chief Oleksiy Danilov said in an interview on Tuesday that the Kremlin is expected to target the northeastern Kharkiv or southern Zaporizhzhia regions in a new thrust.

Attempts at an offensive in either the Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia direction will of course be made, he told Reuters, speaking in his office in Kyiv. How successful theyll be will depend on us.

The Ukraine Armed Forces said on Tuesday evening that more than 30 towns and villages in Kharkiv and 20 communities in Zaporizhzhia came under fire.

Top Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have said Moscow will attempt to mount another major offensive with freshly mobilized troops in the coming weeks as the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion nears on Feb. 24.

They need to have something to show before their people, and have a major desire to do something big, as they see it, by this date, Danilov said.

Moscow is now making full use of hundreds of thousands of troops it called up in the autumn in its first mobilization since World War II.

Fighting has focused for months around Ukrainian-held Bakhmut in eastern Donetsk province, a city with a pre-war population of around 75,000. Russia has made clear progress towards encircling it from both the north and south, but Kyiv says its garrison is holding fast.

There will be a retreat from Bakhmut if there is a risk of encirclement, Ukrainian military analyst Oleksiy Hetman said on Ukrainian Radio NV.

There would be no sense in losing more people. Bakhmut does not have great strategic value. For the moment, we can hold our positions.

Danilov echoed earlier predictions by Kyiv that Russia still wants to capture all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east that Moscow claimed as its own territory last year in referendums dismissed by Ukraine and the West as a sham.

Moscow has also launched an assault further south against Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-controlled bastion also in Donetsk province on high ground at the strategic intersection between the eastern and southern front lines.

New Weapons Months Away

So far this year, Western countries have pledged hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles to Ukraine to give it the firepower and mobility to push through Russian lines and recapture territory later in 2023.

A new U.S. package of weapons is expected to include longer-range rockets, which would give Ukraine the ability to hit Russian supply lines in all of the territory it occupies in Ukraines mainland and parts of the Crimea Peninsula.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter he spoke on Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken about new military aid, sanctions on Russia and the preparations of important events.

But it will take months before new weapons arrive, and meanwhile Russia has replenished its manpower. The Kremlin says Western supplies of arms only widen and extend the conflict.

The U.S. and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday in a conference call with military officials.

To do this, they have started supplying heavy offensive weapons, openly urging Ukraine to seize our territories. In fact, such steps are dragging NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to an unpredictable level of escalation.

His use of the phrase our territories appeared to refer to four Ukrainian provinces Russia claimed to have annexed last year, as well as Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

By Dan Peleschuk and Max Hunder
MPs Remove Measures Targeting Chinas Hikvision and Forced Organ Harvesting From Procurement Bill

Hikvision surveillance cameras outside the Hikvision headquarters in Hangzhou, in east China's Zhejiang province, on May 22, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

A committee of MPs on Tuesday removed parts of the Procurement Bill that aim to purge Chinese security cameras and accomplices of forced organ harvesting from the UKs public supply chain.

The two clauses were passed in the House of Lords on Dec. 2 despite the fact that the government opposed the proposals, citing technicality issues. But the government, which has a majority in Parliament, managed to remove them in the House of Commons.

Lawmakers will attempt to push back on at least one of the removals at a later stage.

Security Cameras

One of the clauses, inserted by Lord Alton of Liverpool, would have compelled the government to publish a timeline for the removal of physical technology or surveillance equipment from the governments procurement supply chain where there is established evidence that a provider has been involved in modern slavery, genocide, or crimes against humanity.

The clause was removed by eight votes against five. All committee members voted along party lines.

Speaking in the House of Lords in December, Alton said the legislation was about committing the government to the removal of all Hikvision and Dahua cameras from the public sector supply.

Hikvision and Dahua, two world-leading surveillance camera manufacturers ultimately owned by the Chinese Communist Party, are the main suppliers of surveillance cameras in Xinjiang, where the Uyghur Tribunalchaired by the prominent British barrister and judge Sir Geoffrey Nice KCfound genocide had been taking place.

The cameras have also been found to have backdoors and vulnerabilities, sparking security concerns. The United States has blacklisted both companies.

The UK government has told its departments to stop installing new Chinese surveillance cameras into sensitive sites, citing security considerations, and advised them to consider replacing the existing ones before the maintenance schedule and do the same with non-sensitive sites.

Alton had welcomed the governments decision, but said the process could take too long.

Crossbench peer Lord David Alton speaks to NTDs British Thought Leaders programme in London on Nov. 22, 2022. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Speaking for the government on Tuesday, Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said the clause would require the government to review the evidence that existing surveillance suppliers or subcontractors have been involved in modern slavery, genocide, or crimes against humanity.

Given the size and complexity of technology supply chains, any review of that nature would be costly and resource-intensive; it would need to cover hundreds, if not thousands, of companies, he said.

He also argued that its especially difficult to prove the suppliers knowingly provided technology for use in human rights abuses and that if there were sufficient evidence to prove involvement, the cost and disruption of removing such surveillance equipment from across the entire government estate would be significant.

Burghart added that ministers are deeply concerned by both the accusations of modern slavery and the national security implications posed by such equipment, and that the government is taking actions including creating new powers in the bill that would exclude suppliers that pose serious security risks from future contracts.

Florence Eshalomi, shadow parliamentary secretary to the Cabinet Office, urged the government to reconsider, citing security concerns and growing evidence of Hikvisions and Dahuas involvement in the construction of internment camps in Xinjiang.

Kirsty Blackman, Scottish National Partys Cabinet Office spokesperson, criticised the government for having missed the point, saying, If the [United States] believes that there is enough evidence to do that, and the Scottish Government are getting rid of the Hikvision cameras we have in Scotland, I do not see why the UK Government are unable to act in that regard.

Writing on Twitter, Alton said the removal of the clause is extraordinary, and said senior Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith intends to challenge this at the next stage.

Organ Harvesting

Also removed from the Bill was an exclusionary ground that would give ministers discretionary power to exclude a supplier if a contracting authority determines it or a connected person is found to be involved or have been involved in forced organ harvesting and unethical activities relating to human tissue.

The text does not name any country or individual. During the debate in December, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, who introduced the amendment, cited the explicit evidence of state-sanctioned and widespread killing by forced organ harvesting in China, arguing there is a strong reason to add forced organ harvesting to the exclusion list.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath speaks in the House of Lords, in London, on Oct. 29, 2019. (Screenshot/Parliamentlive.tv)

An independent peoples tribunal chaired by Nice in 2019 found that adherents of the spiritual practice Falun Gong had been and continued to be the main group of victims killed for their organs. Evidence also pointed to forced organ harvesting from the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in recent years.

In April 2022, a new study identified 71 Chinese-language publications on organ transplants where physicians had carved out hearts and lungs from people for transplant without first conducting a test to establish brain deathrevealing that patients were killed for their organs.

Burghart told MPs on Tuesday that serious unethical behaviour particular to a certain industry is already covered by the ground of professional misconduct.

Every exclusion ground, whether mandatory or discretionary, must be considered for each and every supplier for each procurement. I am sure the Committee can appreciate how burdensome that would be when there are thousands of contracts every year, he said.

Eshalomi opposed the removal of the part, saying the UK has to ensure that any supplier with ties to forced organ harvesting is not allowed anywhere near our procurement system.

Blackman abstained after acquiring assurance from Burghart that the abhorrent practice would qualify as serious unethical behaviour and that the government are strongly opposed to this practice and to the people who conduct this practice and that we wish public procurement to have no part in it.

The exclusionary ground was removed by eight votes against four.

In an email to The Epoch Times, Hunt said he is very disappointed with the news, and will consider the next steps when the bill goes back to the House of Lords.
Contempt Charges Against NB Church Leaders for Holding Tent Services During Pandemic Restrictions Dismissed

Case hinged on legal ruling over the definition of "public indoor space"

A New Brunswick judge has dismissed contempt charges against two church leaders for holding church services in an outdoor tent during pandemic restrictions.

The case hinged on whether an outdoor tent is a public indoor space as the government alleged.

On Feb. 2, Chief Justice Tracey DeWare, of the Court of Kings Bench of New Brunswick, released her decision, dismissing contempt of court charges against Saint John pastor Philip James Hutchings, and church director Keith Cody Butler.

The two church leaders have faced ongoing charges for allegedly violating COVID-19 public health orders while holding worship services at His Tabernacle Family Church in Saint John, New Brunswick.

At one hearing, the Crown argued church services could become super spreader events.

In October 2021, a week after first receiving COVID-19 tickets, Hutchings was arrested and spent seven days imprisoned in solitary confinement.

The pastor was alleged to have breached a court order by holding a church service that did not comply with masking and social distancing requirements.

Hutchings and Butler filed a charter challenge on May 3, 2022, arguing the public health orders and resulting tickets were an unjustified infringement of constitutionally-protected rights including freedom of religion, expression, assembly, and freedom against arbitrary search and seizure.

The province withdrew those tickets, which automatically ended the charter challenge.

Police and public health officials at His Tabernacle Church in Saint John, New Brunswick during COVID-19. (Photo courtesy Phil Hutchings)

Tent Church Services

The first outdoor tent service took place on Nov. 7, 2021, at a time when Hutchings and Butler were under a court order that required them to make all reasonable efforts to comply with public health orders at the time, including an order that banned all indoor public gatherings.

We just started having church outdoors. And with a tent, if it rains or snows, people are dry, Hutchings said in a previous interview.

The government argued that an outdoor tent is an indoor space, and the pastor and Butler were charged with contempt of court for violating public health orders and previously agreed to court orders.

DeWare said the case required the court to consider whether a tent was clearly and unequivocally a building.

The judge noted that the tent was 30 feet by 50 feet, included a roof canopy and side wall curtains, and no floor, and that during the first services, the sidewalls of the tent were left open. As the weather became cooler, the church lowered the sidewalls.

The commercial tent did not actually have doors, she said and was rather equipped with three openings, six feet by eight feet, to enter the tent.

The province wrote to the church on Dec. 2, 2021, advising the church that the tent was a public indoor space, and demanded they comply with COVID-19 restrictions in place under public health orders.

Health Orders

At the time, the N.B. government had mandated public health orders regarding religious worship services.

Churches were told they had to require congregants to provide proof of vaccination or limit services to 50 percent capacity. They also had to enforce social distancing, mandatory masks, contact tracing, and avoid singing. The provinces public health orders were lifted in March 2022.

Hutchings said in an affidavit that it would be a grave infringement of his religious freedom, and the religious freedom of his congregation, to require proof of vaccination to attend church and said he would not ask church members about their vaccine status.

I made sure that masks were available. I didnt police it. Im not going to force people to wear masks. Im a pastor, not a policeman, he told the Epoch Times.

Jonathan Martin, the churchs lawyer, and counsel representing both church leaders, responded to the government, disagreeing that the commercial tent was an indoor space.

The church held another service on Dec. 5, 2021, at which time the N.B. government filed court documents alleging that Hutchings and Butler were not complying with health orders, and were in contempt of previous court orders.

Pastor Philip Hutchings, of His Tabernacle Family Church in Saint John, New Brunswick, preaches outside during COVID restrictions. (Courtesy of Philip Hutchings)

In making her ruling against the province, DeWare said that to make a finding of contempt, there were three essential elements.

First, the order or law must clearly state what should or should not be done. Next, the individual alleged to have breached an order must have actual knowledge of it. Finally, the party must have intentionally done an act prohibited by an order, or, intentionally failed to do something compelled to do by court order.

DeWare said during the trial, she asked counsel for the province to define the precise moment when the commercial tent became a public indoor space or an enclosed space.

Did this description apply when two [tent] sidewalls were down, when three sidewalls were down, or when all four sidewalls were down? she asked.

DeWare noted in her ruling that the provinces lawyer could not provide an answer. The judge noted that the provinces letter to the church, advising the tent is a public indoor space, also did not explain how this is so, or when it falls within the definition.

Enclosed Place

DeWare made special note of the French version of the provinces orders, which use the term enclosed place when translated to English.

The key factor is whether or not the commercial tent could be considered an enclosed place, DeWare noted. She said it was reasonable to question whether a tent with openings rather than doors and no floor could be considered enclosed.

DeWare said it was also reasonable to take the view that the church leaders could have moved their church services to the commercial tent to avoid breaching health orders and in an attempt to comply. She ruled she could not find the men had intentionally breached a court order.

My clients are pleased with the decision. This is a win for due process and also a win for government accountability. This case highlighted the problems with the drafting of vague regulations that provide limitless prosecutorial discretion, said Martin, whose legal defence of the church and its leaders is funded by The Democracy Fund, a non-profit legal advocacy organization.

In November 2022, New Brunswick also dropped two outstanding tickets against the pastor, and dropped obstruction charges against both Hutchings and Butler, for allegedly refusing to allow government inspectors to enter the church earlier during the pandemic.

If liquor stores can stay open, if Cannabis New Brunswick can stay open, and Tim Hortons can stay open  if any place should stay open, it should be the church. We provide people hope, the pastor said.

Hutchings says he tried to comply with public health orders, as long as they didnt conflict with our faith.
Newport Beach Police Engage Community With Mobile Cafe

Newport Beach Police Department officers, volunteers, and members of the community gather for the Mobile Cafe at McFadden Square in Newport Beach, Calif., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Courtesy of Newport Beach Police Department)

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.On any given morning, visitors to this citys seaside McFadden Square can expect to see surfers, skateboarders, Dory fishermen, locals riding bikes or walking dogs, and tourists taking photos on the beach.

But this past Saturday, Feb. 4, the bustling Newport pier area was also the gathering place of the Newport Beach Police Departments monthly Mobile Cafe, a meet-and-greet community outreach program.

Established in July 2022 and led by Sgt. Steve Oberon, the initiative promotes positive interaction between police and the community without any agenda other than providing a chance for people to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the officers in their neighborhood.

What were doing is bringing the community together in an easygoing, positive manner. To get to know officers on a personal, as well as professional level, to establish goodwill and trust, Oberon told The Epoch Times.

Each month, the informal gatherings, for old and young alike, are held at various coffee houses, cafes, or restaurants over coffee and donuts or maybe an iced tea and pizza.

When you see people positive, smiling and laughing, it becomes contagious, Oberon said.

According to Oberon, all sorts of folks have, so far, participated: residents, visitors, homeless people, and even someone who had been previously arrested.

In that relaxed, friendly environment, with everyone eating donuts, drinking coffee, and engaging in conversationit kind of breaks barriers, he said.

Since the Mobile Cafes inception, Oberon says, thus far, homelessness, e-bike safety, and residential, retail, and commercial burglaries are the topics mostly on peoples minds.

On Saturday, as people chatted over offerings from Newport Coffee Co., several police SUVs and motorcycles were displayed next to a bright blue Newport Beach Police pop-up tent with the pier and lifeguard headquarters as a backdrop.

Newport Beach Police Department Officer Mark Hamilton shares his motorcycle with a young Mobile Cafe attendee in Newport Beach on Feb. 4, 2023. (Courtesy of Newport Beach Police Department)

Acting Police Chief Joe Cartwright chatted with several residents while one motorcycle officer handed out bike helmets, and another discussed e-bike safety with a teenager and his dad.

Newport Beach resident and long-time volunteer for the police department, Dotty McDonald told The Epoch Times that the Mobile Cafe is a great way for residents not only to air complaints and concerns, but to show their gratitude.

Its a great morale booster for our officers, she said. When they see people showing up at these Mobile Cafes with a smile and a kind word, showing their support, or simply saying thank you for all you do for usit goes a long way.

Sara Verschueren, who is a crime prevention specialist with the department, told The Epoch Times that outings also give her an opportunity to distribute information on important topics and to inform residents about various police services.

Its a good feeling for us to be able to answer questions in person; to help residents with information so they can plan for an unexpected disaster for example, or clarify ways in which they can better secure their home or business, she said.

One highlight of the recent outing came with a surprise appearance of a horse-mounted unit of three officers. Children pointed excitedly, one noticing that each of the horses donned their own personalized official police badge attached to their halter.

Newport Beach Police Department officers ride horses at Mobile Cafe in Newport Beach, Calif., on Feb. 4, 2023. (L-R) Officer Isaac Furnari and Bullseye, Officer Nathan Farris on Buckie, and civilian volunteer Lori Hayden on Huck. (Lynn Hackman/The Epoch Times)

As the mounted unit strolled from the beach towards the square, children and adults approached to pet the horses, take pictures, and ask questions. It was an opportunity for the officers to share how the equestrian unit assists the department in patrolling beaches and parks or helping with event crowd control.

My little girl absolutely loves horses. Its so exciting to see them in person, one mother visiting from Fountain Valley told The Epoch Times. For her to be able to get up close and pet them like this is amazing. She probably wont be able to sleep for a week after this!

The next Newport Beach Police Department Mobile Cafe is March 11 at the Starbucks located at Pacific Coast Highway and Bayside Drive.

More information can be found here or on Facebook and Twitter.
Norman Absolutely Backs Military Action Against Mexican Border Cartels

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) during an interview with The Epoch Times' "American Thought Leaders" program at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 27, 2021. (The Epoch Times)

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said that he would absolutely support a military-type action against the Mexican cartels.

The South Carolina lawmaker made his comments to reporters ahead of President Joe Bidens Feb. 7 State of the Union address.

The question put to Norman was whether he would support military action if it became necessary.

Norman responded in the affirmative and went so far as to say, Its at that point.

Fentanyl Deaths

If you look at the metrics of where the guard cartels are they are all over this country, theyre coming in unfettered. It is outrageous what this man is doing, Norman said of Bidens border policies.

The military has got to get involved because the military is probably the only way that we can get a handle on it.

The lawmaker pivoted to one of the major concerns among Republicans about lax border policies, saying that there have been at least 100,000 deaths due to fentanyl in the United States.

Thats low I think. I live in South Carolina in a rural district. They found enough fentanyl in a small town 15 miles from our home that would kill 50,000 people. How much is enough?

During his address, the president spoke to the issue of illegal drugs entering the United States through the southern border, saying that there is a record number of personnel working to secure the border arresting 8,000 human smugglers and seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in just the last several months.

The president went on to say that the border problem could be fixed by Congress. However, the president has been insistent that any border policy needs to include an allowance for illegal immigrants who arrived as children.

Citizenship for Dreamers

Americas border problems wont be fixed until Congress acts. If you wont pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border, Biden said during his speech.

And a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.

Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ronald Vitiello, who was a guest at the State of the Union, told reporters that the United States is in the midst of the worst surge of illegal migration across the Southwest border than weve ever seen in the history of that border.

This administration has made terrible choices as it relates to the policy and the approval, Vitiello said.

He cited a roughly 100 percent increase in individuals crossing the border illegally since when he left Border Patrol in 2019.

According to the former agent, there was a 45-year low in illegal border crossings during the Trump administration that ended when Biden put an end to the remain-in-Mexico policy.
North Carolina Senate Approves Parents Bill of Rights Legislation

Law enforcement stand guard outside of the state Capitol building in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2021. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images)

The North Carolina Senate approved a Parents Bill of Rights law on Tuesday written to give parents transparency and authority over their childrens education.

Senate Bill 49 (pdf) promotes a partnership between parents and educators that prioritizes the safety of students ensuring the parents right to know what their child is being taught, Republican state Sen. Phil Berger said in a statement Tuesday.

Republican state Sen. Amy Galey, a primary sponsor of the bill, said the legislation requires that public schools inform parents of their rights and of the procedures to exercise those rights.

Parents should be confident that when there is a problem, a remedy is available, Galey said.

The bill allows parents to see materials being used in the classroom, notifies the parents of any medical and mental health treatment, and requires that parents be informed of any name or pronoun changes related to their child. The bill also prohibits instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or the teaching of sexuality in kindergarten through fourth grade classrooms.

This bill would not ban a student from talking about their unique family structure or asking a question, Berger said. All it does is simply prohibit sexuality, sexual activity, and gender identity from being part of the curriculum in those grades.

The bill comes as more schools, government institutions, and health care facilities have gotten on board with encouraging children to explore their sexuality and question whether they are in fact male or female.

A Parents Bill of Rights for Students

All Democrats voted against the bill and countered with their own Parents and Students Bill of Rights (pdf) that shifts those rights to the students.

According to its stated purpose, the Democrats bill is intended to promote a learning environment in which discrimination in all forms is not tolerated by the public-school unit or school administration, school police or security personnel, or students.

The bill is also intended to promote a feeling of safety and comfort at school, including sufficient protections and resources for the public school and school unit, including physical and mental protections for students and staff.

The bill has no provisions for sexual material or gender identity being taught in the classroom.

A spokesperson for the Senate Republicans told The Carolina Journal that the Democrats version of the bill doesnt mention parents outside of the bills title, while the Republican version of the bill mentions parents 130 times.

Some media outlets framed the bill as being anti-LGBT, comparing it to Floridas Parental Rights in Education bill that prohibits the teaching or discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through third grade.

Democrat state Sen. Lisa Grafstein told the left-leaning North Carolina media outlet Cardinal & Pine that the bill is a step backward for society.

Im afraid that we are going to see some bills come up that are going to attempt to again create what people sometimes call culture wars but are really about who has a right to exist in our society and who has a right to exist free in our society and not having to live in fear or live in a way that makes them feel like theyre surrounded by people who have animosity toward them, Grafstein said.

Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters on Tuesday that he doesnt approve of the bill but would wait until he sees the final version before committing to a veto.

Republicans could override his veto now that Republican state House members passed rules for their chamber allowing the speaker to call a vote on Coopers vetoes without notice.

In the November election, Republicans won a supermajority with two seats gained in the Senate.

Republicans won seven seats in the House in districts that lean Democrat, but they remain one seat short of having a House supermajority.
North Texas Couple Charged With Distributing Fentanyl That Led to 3 Teen Deaths, Multiple Poisonings

Brightly colored counterfeit M30 oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Lab testing reveals that four out of every ten fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.(Courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration)

A North Texas couple is accused of running a fentanyl ring linked to three student deaths and at least six hospitalizations.

On Feb. 3, Luis Eduardo Navarrete, 21, and Magaly Mejia Cano, 29, were arrested at a Carrollton home where they allegedly sold fentanyl-laced pills to eight R.L. Turner High School students between 14 and 16 years old, according to charging documents that were unsealed on Feb. 6. (pdf)

After buying the drugs, the students then sold them to their classmates at the high school and to younger students at nearby DeWitt Perry and Dan F. Long Middle Schools.

Navarrete and Cano are charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, according to the documents. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than morphine.

To deal fentanyl is to knowingly imperil lives. To deal fentanyl to minorsnaive middle and high school studentsis to shatter futures, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said in a statement. These defendants alleged actions are simply despicable.

Nine teens were poisoned after taking the fentanyl-laced drugs, commonly known as M30 pills, between September 2022 and February 2023. Three of the teenagers died.

Jordy Navarrete, a 17-year-old student at R.L. Turner High School, told KDFW Fox 4 News that Luis Navarrete is his cousin and that he was living with his family at the Carrollton house.

I had nothing to do with that, and I just want to make sure my family is OK, the teen said, adding that he knows how deadly fentanyl is and that hes against it.

Investigation

Law enforcement began surveilling the home starting on Jan. 5, the documents stated.

They allegedly observed Navarrete and Cano making hand-to-hand transactions with multiple individuals. Many of the transactions involved students from the high school.

On Jan. 12, a 16-year-old student was observed making a purchase from Navarrete. The teen crushed up a pill and snorted it on the porch of the home.

Then the officers followed the 16-year-old to the high school, where he went into a bathroom stall and snorted more drugs. The student later told police that he got the perc pills from Navarrete.

The Drug Enforcement Administration Dallas Field Division and the Carrollton Police Department conducted the investigation with help from student resource officers from the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (ISD).

Child Victims

The mother of one victim told The Dallas Morning News that she asked school officials for help before her son died from a suspected fentanyl poisoning last month.

Lilia Astudillo said she worried that her son Jose Alberto Perez might be using drugs after she began noticing behavioral changes in him. She went to the staff at Dan F. Long Middle School and asked for help.

I didnt get help  they didnt want to help me, Astudillo told the newspaper.

The 14-year-old died in late January.

Had the district helped me when I reached out, my son wouldnt be dead today, she said.

The autopsy report is pending, but Astudillo believes her son died from fentanyl poisoning.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD didnt respond to a request for comment regarding Astudillos claims that the district denied her requests for help.

Another victim, a 14-year-old girl, overdosed on Christmas Eve at her home and again on Jan. 16, according to the court documents. She spent multiple days in the hospital and suffered temporary paralysis.

The girl told authorities that she got the M30 pills from two separate 16-year-old dealers. She also said she had purchased multiple M30 pills directly from Navarrete.

We can never replace the three teenagers whose lives were lost, nor can we heal the psychological damage of those who survived their overdoses. But we can take action to ensure these defendants are never allowed to hand a pill to a child again, Simonton said.

The youngest poisoning victim was 13 years old, and the most recent death occurred on Feb. 1, according to the court papers.

District Response

The school district issued a statement on Feb. 6 after the news broke about Navarrete and Canos arrests.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of our students due to the fentanyl epidemic that continues to be a concern throughout the nation. Our hearts are very heavy at the loss of young lives, the statement reads.

The statement included a quote from Interim Superintendent Briann Moersch, who said: We must come together as a community to solve this problem that is endangering our children. We strongly encourage adults to engage in open conversations with children about the risks of drugs, especially fentanyl.

The school district said it would continue to work cooperatively with local law enforcement agencies to address the issue and to maximize safety on its campuses in every way possible.

We believe if we work together as a community, we can avoid these tragedies, it said.

The district said it has taken several actions to educate the community on the dangers of fentanyl, including sending an email to parents on Oct. 31, 2022, and inviting them to parent drug-awareness presentations held on Nov. 9 and Nov. 12, 2022. The district has made Narcan available at all campuses in the event of poisoning. It has also started conducting random canine drug searches on secondary campuses.

A previously scheduled Student Health Advisory Council presentation on fentanyl is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 9 at the Educational Services Division Complex.

Court Appearances

On Feb. 6, Navarrete and Cano made their initial appearances in a federal court in Dallas. Cano is expected to appear for a detention and preliminary hearing on Feb. 10, The Dallas Morning News reported. Navarrete waived his right to a hearing.

If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
President Joe Biden is expected to deliver his second State of the Union address to a divided Congress on Feb. 7. The White House says the president will outline a four-part Unity Agenda. NTDs Stefania Cox speaks with Genevieve Wood, the Heritage Foundations counselor and spokesperson, for her analysis of Bidens presidency.

Two Customs and Border Protection patrol agents testified on southern border security before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. They say the situation there is overwhelming.

Conservative figures are reacting after transgender activists staged a protest at the Oklahoma state capitol Monday.
NYPD Officer Dies After Being Shot in Botched Robbery While Off Duty

New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell (C) speaks to reporters during a press conference in New York City on Dec. 31, 2022. (NYPD via AP)

An off-duty New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer has died days after being shot in the head during an attempted robbery in Brooklyn on Feb. 4, officials have confirmed.

The officer, 26-year-old Adeed Fayaz, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell confirmed. His death came just hours after a suspect was arrested.

Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city, Sewell wrote on Twitter. Officer Fayaz was shot Saturday night and he tragically succumbed to his injuries today. Our Department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers.

City officials on Tuesday identified the suspect as 38-year-old Randy Jones.

During a press conference on Tuesday, officials said that Fayaz had arranged through Facebook Marketplace to check out and buy a used Honda Pilot for $24,000 from an online seller. The off-duty officer and his brother-in-law were carrying the money for the potential purchase when they arrived at Ruby Street, near Linden Boulevard.

When they arrived at the location, they were met by Jones, who walked them toward a driveway and jokingly asked them if they were carrying a gun, to which they responded no.

Jones then allegedly pulled out a gun and got Fayaz in a headlock while pointing the gun at his head and demanding that he hand over the money. At this point, Fayaz told the man that he did not have the money, prompting the suspect to point the gun at his brother-in-law, according to officials.

Fayaz managed to break free from the headlock, officials said, at which point Jones fired the gun, striking him in the head. Jones then allegedly continued firing at the brothers as he fled the scene.

Officials said that the brother-in-law grabbed Fayazs weapon from its holster and fired at Jones at least six times. Jones then jumped into a black vehicle and sped away, police said.

Dashcam video from the brother-in-laws SUV helped investigators identify the getaway vehicle and track down the driver, police said. Video footage showed him pulling into a Department of Sanitation lot on Park Avenue at about 8:10 p.m. on Saturday after the shooting.

He was later seen getting out of the vehicle and entering another vehicle with a woman and five children. Investigators were able to track down that vehicle at a Rockland County hotel room on Monday, where Jones was subsequently arrested by an NYPD detective assigned to the U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force.

He fled but he could not evade our reach, Sewell said during Tuesdays press conference.

Suspect Charged

Jones was placed in custody in Brooklyn and has since been charged with murder and attempted robbery. The girlfriend was also questioned but is not expected to be charged in the case, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.

The children are currently staying with their mother.

Jones, who had at least three prior arrests including one in 2014 for strangulation, asked for a lawyer once he was apprehended, according to police.

Essig said that police used Fayazs handcuffs to arrest Jones, telling reporters: We wanted him to know what he did to that officer and that officers cuffs were on him. I think it sends a powerful message.

Police noted that there have been a number of robberies connected to Facebook Marketplace and other social media sites recently, including in January, and they are currently investigating whether the weekends killing may be part of a pattern.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams called Fayazs death a tragedy on Twitter and said the officer dedicated his life to keeping his city safe.

We lost him to a cowards bullet, but his love for his fellow New Yorkers will endure. His death is a tragedy. Join me in keeping his family, friends, and brothers and sisters in the NYPD in your hearts tonight, Adams wrote.
Off-Duty New York City Police Officer Shot in Robbery Dies

NEW YORKAn off-duty New York City police officer who was shot in the head during a botched robbery died Tuesday, the police commissioner said as officials also announced a murder charge against a suspect.

Officer Adeed Fayaz, 26, was shot Saturday in Brooklyn, where he and his brother-in-law went to buy a car posted on Facebook Marketplace from a man later identified as the alleged shooter, authorities said.

Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a social media post Tuesday evening. Our Department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers.

Fayazs family and dozens of police officers gathered outside a Brooklyn hospital Tuesday evening as his body was loaded into an ambulance and driven away in a procession.

Police officials said earlier Tuesday that Randy Jones, 38, was arrested at a suburban motel Monday in connection with the shooting. Tuesday night, authorities announced Jones was charged with murder and attempted robbery. It was unclear if Jones has a lawyer who could respond to the allegations.

Fayaz, married with two young children, agreed to meet Jones on Saturday to buy a car for $24,000, Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference. When Fayaz and his brother-in-law arrived, Jones asked jokingly if the men were armed, Essig said. Jones then put Fayaz in a headlock and demanded the money, the chief said.

Fayaz said he didnt have the money, Essig said, and Jones pointed a gun at Fayazs brother-in-law. Fayaz broke free from the headlock and Jones shot him in the head, Essig said.

Jones ran, firing more shots at he fled, Essig said. The brother-in-law grabbed Fayazs gun from his hip and fired several shots as well, he said. The brother-in-law was not injured.

Jones drove off in a 2011 BMW that was registered to his mother, Essig said.

Jones was arrested Monday at a Days Inn in Nanuet, about 35 miles north of New York City. A woman and five children ages 6 months to 11 years were with him at the motel, Essig said. Police detained Jones using Fayazs handcuffs, Essig said.
Expert Hints at Intelligence Chinese Spy Balloon Might Seek

Frank Gaffney, executive chairman at the Center for Security Policy and the co-author of the new report, The CCP is at War with America," at CPAC on Aug. 6, 2022. (Otabius Williams/The Epoch Times)

An expert has hinted at the intelligence that the CCP might have been seeking to gather by sending its spy balloon over to the United States last week.

Frank Gaffney, executive chairman at the Center for Security Policy, told NTDs China in Focus program, The Epoch Times sister media outlet, that the CCP might have a keen interest in monitoring communications in those silos.

The Chinese balloon was first sighted above Montana, a state that houses intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos, earlier last week. A top Pentagon official said on Feb. 3 that the balloon flew at 60,000 feet (18,300 meters), had the ability to maneuver, and changed course at some point during its flight, although he didnt specify when.

A high-altitude balloon floats over Billings, Montana, on Feb. 1, 2023. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)

What spurs on the action of the communist regime, Gaffney said, could be the level of alert status on those sorts of things that could be relevant to calculations about their own military ambitions, whether its with respect to Taiwan, or perhaps helping the Russians in Ukraine, which the Chinese are doing a lot of.

The think tank head raised a question on whether the communist regime is doing the same thing in Taiwan, with an aim at desensitizing us to behavior that we should be very concerned about.

War Warning

Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan said that he anticipated fighting between China and the United States to break out by 2025, in a memo leaked in late January.

Minihan wrote to the leadership of its roughly 110,000 members, saying, My gut tells me we will fight in 2025.

Gaffney pointed to the generals warning saying, the path of the Chinese spy balloon over the United States might be a premonition of a potential war between America and China.

This episode with the balloon, I have the feeling, has been reinforcing that perception, Gaffney said in an interview set to be aired on Feb 6.

He believed that the warning is very important as it would urge the Air Mobility Command to take these orders to heart and do what they can to up their readiness to train more effectively, and to operate in a manner that will help contribute to deterrence of the Chinese Communist Party so this war does not actually take place.

And as importantly, I pray that other senior officers in our military will be deciding this is in fact necessary within their commands as well. And if thats the case, then theres a chance that the Chinese will be persuaded that they dont actually think they can have their way with us, which I fear is what theyre thinking now, he added.

Deter the CCP

The official laid out steps that concerned citizens can follow to deter the CCP.

Gaffney pointed to billion dollars of United States pensions, retirement, and investment funds pouring into the Chinese economy, which he said, are helping build the weapons that the Peoples Liberation Army is obtaining to kill our servicemen and women, and maybe the rest of us as well.

Many state governments in the United States have invested their pension funds with BlackRock, the worlds largest investment manager. According to a 2021 report (pdf) from Consumers Research, Washington, Florida, and New York were the top three investors, investing $13.8 billion, $10.7 billion, and $9.8 billion, respectively,

The report also warns about BlackRock putting investors money in Chinese companies with ties to the Chinese military, such as Chinas biggest chipmaker, SMIC.

Gaffney called for the American people to cut off the funds by going to the people managing their money and saying: I dont want my money in China.

If China does go to war against our country, [which] I think its a pretty certain bet, none of that money that weve put in China is coming back, he said.

They could also urge their representatives to find out how much money had been put into the CCPs coffers through these investments and end it at once.

The concerned representatives, he said, should make it clear to Wall Street that there must be no more going that way and bringing back what has gone.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.
Catholic Student Arrested as Gender Belief Controversy Escalates at Ontario School

Josh Alexander is arrested outside of St. Joseph's High School in Renfrew, Ont., on Feb. 6, 2023. (Courtesy of Josh Alexander)

A 16-year-old student was arrested for attending St. Josephs Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ont., on Feb. 6, after the principal had previously banned him from school grounds because he said he would continue to express his belief that God created only two genders.

They excluded me for no reason other than religious discrimination, Josh Alexander told The Epoch Times on Feb. 7. I would argue that I was supposed to be there.

Alexander was released shortly after his arrest and charged with trespassing, which he and his lawyer will contest.

Hes not a belligerent kid and this isnt about him getting his 15 minutes of fame, his lawyer, James Kitchen, told The Epoch Times. This is about principle. Its about beliefs. Josh was not going to tacitly condone the religious segregation.

Kitchen said there has to be a balancing of the rights of transgender students with the rights of students like Josh who hold Catholic beliefs about the immutability of gender, or the rights of girls who want female-only washrooms.

Alexanders problems with the school started when he organized a protest last year advocating for female students who were uncomfortable with biological males in the girls washroom.

One girl at the school told The Epoch Times she was caught off-guard by a transgender student who followed her into the girls washroom because I didnt even really know at that point that he self-identified as female.

It was for my own privacy and safety that I felt like I had to say something, she said.

Alexander also engaged in classroom discussions about gender, and called transgender students by their dead names. He was suspended in November, then excluded in January (which is similar to being suspended, but considered non-disciplinary).

Exclusion

The exclusion notice, sent to Kitchen by the schools lawyer, said the principal is authorized by the Education Act to exclude a student if his or her presence is detrimental to the safety or well-being of a person on the premises.

The notice lists things Alexander has refused to do that have led to his exclusion, such as refusing to use pronouns or names that are inconsistent with students biological sex. He has also refused to refrain from freely professing that people cannot change gender and that boys must not be permitted to enter girls private spaces as a matter of morality, modesty, and safety.

The school boards Superintendent of Educational Services has supported the principal in determining that Alexander should be excluded, the notice said. The schools principal, Derek Lennox, and the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board told The Epoch Times they cannot comment on particular students.

Human Rights Code

Mark Searson, the boards director of education, told The Epoch Times in December that, in general, the schools have gender-neutral washrooms available for transgender students. However, the Ontario Human Rights Code has made it very explicit that individuals do have the right to utilize the restricted washroom of their lived gender identity, he said.

Kitchen contested this understanding of the code. If gender identity was the only right the Human Rights Code protected, yes [transgender students] would be allowed in the girls washrooms. But the Human Rights Code protects other grounds, he said, adding that religion is one of them.

The code requires balancing of rights, said Kitchen, who works with the Christian conservative Liberty Coalition Canada.

Aside from Alexanders right to express his religious beliefs, Kitchen said, some Christian girls and others also have beliefs about sexual modesty. Its not right that youre in there, you could be potentially viewed by a boy.

Searson did not reply to a request for comment on Kitchens statements about the Human Rights Code as of publication.

Kitchen said Alexanders going to the school despite the exclusion had a purpose. It was to show he doesnt recognize the unlawful exclusion based on religious discrimination.

A lot of other youth who may feel the same way dont necessarily speak up, Kitchen said. Josh is courageous and principled enough, and hes got a high enough risk tolerance to see it through all the way.

Alexander said some girls who want a washroom without male-bodied students have been reluctant to speak out about it.

Sophie Smith-Dore, co-founder of Arnprior Pride and mother of a transgender student at the school, told The Epoch Times in a written message in January: Trans folks and their loved ones (like most marginalized folks) are constantly doing this emotional work and its exhausting. We bear the burden of trying to protect our gender-diverse kids.

Kitchen and Alexander will challenge the trespassing charge, and will file a human rights complaint on the basis of religious discrimination.
Ottawa Must Be Prepared to Expel Chinese Diplomats Involved in Interference, Harassment: Former Envoy to China

A Canadian flag hangs from a lamp post along the road in front of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa on June 30, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Canada must be prepared to expel any Chinese diplomats that are found to be involved in interference or harassment activities on Canadian soil, says a former Canadian ambassador to China.

Testifying before the Commons procedure and House affairs committee (PROC) on Jan. 7, David Mulroney said Chinas plan for Canada is to transform it into a compliant country that perpetually looks over its shoulder to be sure that what it says and does meet Beijings approval and looks the other way when Beijings extraterritorial reach extends into our communities..

Mulroney, who served as Canadas envoy to China from 2009 to 2012, told committee members that China is the primary threat when it comes to foreign interference in Canada, and the longer Ottawa takes to address these issues, the more difficult the task becomes.

We must be prepared to expel Chinese diplomats involved in interference or harassment, he said. Our failure to do so only encourages increasingly brazen meddling.

This will trigger retaliation, but we must make it clear that expulsion is the inevitable consequence of such hostile behaviour, he added.

Accountability

Mulroney urged that the federal government launch a foreign agent registry that will require people to publicly report when they are doing paid work on behalf of another state, under threat of fines or jail time.

We need to hold current and former elected officials and public servants to higher standards of transparency, accountability, and loyalty, he stressed to PROC, which is currently studying how foreign state actors interfered with the federal election in 2019 and 2021.

On Dec. 2, 2022, the Liberal government acknowledged outside interference from foreign governments and organizations that routinely try to meddle in Canadian affairs.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said at the time that the government would launch consultations to hear from the public on whether it should follow the lead of key allies including the United States and Australia in establishing a foreign agent registry.

The announcement came nearly a month after the Global News reported on Nov. 7, 2022, that intelligence officials had warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several cabinet members that Beijing had been allegedly targeting Canada with an extensive campaign of foreign interference, including during the federal election in 2019.

The report also alleged that at least 11 federal candidates, whose party affiliations werent revealed, received funding from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during that election.

Trudeau responded shortly that day, saying his government had taken significant measures to strengthen Canadas election process and systems, and would continue to invest in the fight against election interference and foreign interference.

A week later on Nov. 15, 2022, Trudeaus office said the prime minister spoke with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping at the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, regarding allegations of interference and media reports of de facto police stations operating in Canada. He was confronted by Xi the next day who said it was not appropriate to share their conversations with the media.

Havent Seen the Actions

Mulroney agreed that Trudeau is not currently doing enough to counter foreign interference when asked by Conservative MP Luc Berthold if he thinks so.

Yes, I think his China policy took a long time in getting on the right track, Mulroney said. But I havent seen the actions to follow up on that new understandingthat new awareness of China.

On Feb. 6, Mendicino said Canada should be thoughtful and inclusive when it comes to creating a foreign agent registry. He said such a database must be carefully considered, as it could stigmatize communities who have felt targeted by security agencies in the past.

Mulroney said one tactic the CCP uses against those who speak against it is to accuse them of fanning anti-Chinese sentiment.

This is furthered by propagation of the falsehood that simply speaking up about PRC [Peoples Republic of China] interference is itself racist, anti-Chinese, he said.

Get Away With It

Charles Burton, a China expert and senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute who also testified at the committee, said he heartily endorse[s] everything Mulroney had said.

After what has happened in the previous elections, no Chinese diplomats have been declared persona non grata, and no agents of the Chinese regime have been brought before a Canadian court to be accountable for alleged criminal activity,  this emboldened the Chinese regime to do much more of it in the next election, Burton said.

In other words, the longer we remain passive and ineffective, the more encouraged theyll be that they can do more of this and get away with it.

Burton, also a former diplomat posted in China, added that Canada is a laggard in providing information on attempted interference, and in probing disinformation that appears on social media in languages like Chinese.

We dont have the capability within the Canadian system to deal with activities in the diaspora community that could affect election results improperly, he testified.

Mulroney said Canada should design its defence against proxies favoured by the CCP. Here in Canada, Beijing recruits proxies to parrot its talking points, expand its influence in media, on college campuses, and in government, and to launder its illicit financial contributions, he said.

He recommended that police need to be more present in the diaspora communities that are informed of the CCPs interference.

The defining characteristic of a truly sovereign nation is the ability to shield its citizens and its institutions from foreign interference, he said.

Andrew Chen, Peter Wilson, and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Papuan Separatists in Indonesia Take New Zealand Pilot Hostage

A Susi Air Cessna C208B Grand Caravan aircraft prepares for take off at Halim airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 10, 2011. (Bay Ismoyo/AFP via Getty Images)

A New Zealand pilot has been taken hostage while flying over Indonesias Papua province by an armed separatist group.

The pilot has been identified as Captain Philip Merthens, and local authorities are currently investigating the case.

Merthens was carrying five passengers on his plane, and Indonesia authorities are unclear on whether they were also taken.

It is understood that the plane operated by Susi Air departed from Mozes Kilangin Airport in Timika and arrived at Paro airport in Nduga at 6:17 a.m., eastern Indonesia time.

However, soon after landing, contact was lost with the plane, which was later found up in flames on an airstrip.

A police spokesman in Papua, Ignatius Benny Adi Prabowo, told Reuters that police and military personnel had been sent to locate the pilot and passengers.

We cannot send many personnel there because Nduga is a difficult area to reach. We can only go there by plane, he said.

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has claimed responsibility for the abduction. The Indonesian government classified the group as a terrorist group in 2021.

A spokesperson for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were aware of the situation involving a New Zealand pilot in Papua and that the New Zealand Embassy in Jakarta was providing consular support to his family.

For privacy reasons, we will not be commenting further on the case, the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

A spokesman for the TPNPB, Sebby Sambom, said the group had released the five passengers because they were Indigenous Papuans.

We want to convey that we have taken this pilot hostage and brought it to the TPNPB headquarters, which is far from the airfield area, he told The Australian, adding that he will be killed if their demands arent met.

He said that New Zealand, Australia, the U.S., and Europe have supported the Indonesian governments actions in the region and should be held accountable.

People react as a building burns after protests broke out in Wamena, Papua province, Indonesia, on Sept. 23, 2019. (Vina Rumbewas/AFP via Getty Images)

Additionally, local media have reported that they suspect the TPNPB are also holding 15 local construction workers hostage in Nduga.

Prabowo said communication access in the area was very limited, so there was very little information.

Decades of Conflict Sees Violent Escalation

West Papuan separatist forces have clashed with Indonesian authorities after the Dutch, and the United Nations handed over governance of the region to the Indonesians in 1963 under the New York agreement.

According to the agreement, the United Nations would oversee a referendum in 1969 where the people would choose whether to remain a part of Indonesia or become independent.

The resultto be integrated into Indonesiawas rejected by the Free Papua Movement due to its allegations that there was strong evidence showing the vote was rigged.

The separatist movement, however, has gained momentum following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, causing the escalation of violent conflict in 2018.

Civilians have fallen victim to the armed conflict between separatist forces and the Indonesian authorities, with the United Nations estimating that since December 2018, between 60,000 and 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of violence.

The majority of IDPs [internally displaced people] in West Papua have not returned to their homes due to the heavy security force presence and ongoing armed clashes in the conflict areas, United Nations experts said.

Thousands of displaced villagers have fled to the forests where they are exposed to the harsh climate in the highlands without access to food, healthcare, and education facilities.

The U.N. has raised concerns with the Indonesian government of allegations of security forces carrying out extrajudicial killings, inhuman treatment, and human rights abuses towards the native Papuans.

Meanwhile, the TPNPB have executed civilians who they claim were Indonesian military dressed in plain clothing. The targeting of civilians, primarily workers in government projects and non-Papuan citizens and migrants, has increased since 2020.
Pastor Who Witnessed His Own Birth: The Creator Cares for Humanity Beyond Our Understanding

Walt Scotson, a retired pastor from Lewistown, Montana, experienced something incredible that allowed him to take an open and inclusive view of other peoples beliefs.

Scotson said he witnessed his own birth and since then has felt an unseen element impacting his life in powerful and deeply spiritual ways.

I had a unique experience when I was born. In that, I guess the best description would be I had an out-of-body experience. Because I vividly recall watching myself be born, it was like I was standing behind the nurses watching myself be born, he said in an interview with The Epoch Times on Feb. 1.

It gives me the sense that I have been here before and was allowed to watch myself reenter another incarnation. So, it was quite an interesting perspective that I have this vivid recollection of my birth because it was a little unique.

Looking back on 71 years, Scotson sees a life guided, impacted, and transformed by spiritual experiences. He senses an unseen hand guiding his spirit, No matter how much I learn, I recognize how little I know, he said.

To this end, Scotson has explored the realms of metaphysics, quantum physics, and near-death experiences.

My perspective is that the Creator is an expression. Were just at a loss of words, but Creator is an expression of the infinite energy, light, love, Scotson said after watching a video broadcast of the article How Humankind Came to Be published by Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi on Jan. 20.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient Chinese spiritual practice consisting of simple, slow-moving meditation exercises and teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. It grew in popularity during the 1990s, with 70 million to 100 million adherents in China by the end of the decade, according to official estimates at the time.

Mr. Lis article was published on the eve of Chinese New Year, in which he said he is disclosing heavenly secrets meant to provide a true picture of affairs, and to give people another chance at salvation.

Scotson said he watched the video four times so far and plans to keep watching and comprehending its meaning.

I wanted to listen carefully and deeply consider the subject matter. I enjoyed the presentation very much and have been contemplating his words deeply, he said.

Scotson has had a multitude of vocations, including, starting at age 40, being a pastor for 27 years. He owned a flooring business and was once the marketing director for a printing company. He was the customer service manager for an online investment training company and worked in the insurance industry.

Scotson found himself exploring a spiritual world outside the box, and Mr. Lis article gave him more food for thought and inspiration.

The Creator Deeply Cares

Scotson said that the message he got from Mr. Lis article was that the Creator deeply cares, beyond our understanding, that we have the opportunity to grow and to change and to improve. The ultimate expression of providing an opportunity for our salvation.

To me, salvation is an opportunity to be freed from the restrictions of the human incarnation. And in being freed from that, getting to the place on the soul side, said Scotson.

Scotson believes that beliefs that teach people to be good all have the same path. The Creator shows different ways to people of other regions. That information comes from so many different directions because each of us is in a different place. And were given infinite opportunities to respond in the right direction. The Western institutionalized Christian religion, Buddhism, Hinduism, Falun Gong, all are an opportunity, he said.

It just expresses the depth of the Creators love for us. He will try every possible avenue to get to us to reach us to help us to grow and mature, and experience what we need to experience and learn what we need to learn so that we can achieve higher and higher levels of expression.

Mr. Li Shows a Broader Perspective to Human Beings

Scotson said that after watching the video of Mr. Lis article, he got a real sense of the magnitude of the Creator.

Growing up within Western institutionalized Christian religion, I always felt like I was in a box, he said. And after watching the video, he felt hes been able to climb out of that box and get a much broader perspective.

For this, he is grateful to Mr. Li for publishing this article and sharing it with the world: Its being expressed with the Falun Gongs perspective, and invites us to participate in that. I think it stirs up a longing within us to answer that question, I have always felt theres more, growing up in a Christian background, as a child, I always felt like, well, this is wonderful, but isnt something missing? Wheres the rest of it? I always had the sense that there was more.

Scotson believes that Mr. Lis article is a good enlightenment of the magnitude of what were a part ofas human beings, we tend to be focused, narrow-minded, or near-sighted.

Scotson says the video of Mr. Lis article helps people see things on a much larger scale. And I think doing that helps us to see it on a bigger scale but also see it on a more macro scale, intersperse it into perspective, reflective, so that we say, okay, who am I? What is the essence of me in relation to this bigness.

Scotson said Mr. Lis article makes such a point, much more than the average person walking down the street is aware of, to stir the desire to research to study within a person. Now, my oldest son has researched Falun Gong because he was fascinated with some of the principles and teachings, and so were just pretty open to whatever it is that the universe presents to us as an opportunity to grow spiritually.

Do Good

In his article How Humankind Came to Be, Mr. Li points out that: When you see people winning or losing in life, it appears to come about in a normal way from things in this world. But it is ultimately the karmic consequences of those peoples past doings. Whether people have something or not, or are winning or losing in life, is going to play out in ways that accord with this world. So no matter whether you are rich or poor in life, you should be sure to do good, refrain from doing bad things, stay good and kind, be spiritual and devout, and be happy to help others. And by doing so, you will build up blessings and virtue, and reap their rewards in the next life.

Scotson agrees with this: We exist eternally as an energetic soul, and we reincarnate, or were in this process of having human experiences. And then that human vessel was dying because of age, or whatever circumstances, possibly dramatically. And then that cycle gets to be repeated, allowing us to learn to, to grow, from a spiritual perspective, in the aspect of how we love.

Scotson says he has become highly sensitized to the feelings of others because of his learning experiences with prayer and meditation, Im very empathetic to whats going on in someone elses life, and I can often feel what theyre feeling.

Therefore, he profoundly resonates with Mr. Lis repeated references to do good in his articles.

When you do good, its an expression of love towards others, beings, entities, Scotson said. But for me, the overall growth in the spiritual process that occurs because we have the opportunity to reincarnate and travel down a different path is the continual experience of learning how to love better and be more other-centered, and self-giving, rather than self-centered and taking, receiving.

Karmic Consequences

Scotson also agrees with the karmic consequences mentioned in Mr. Lis article.

The consequences that we suffer or experience based upon the decisions and the choices we make can then be re-expressed in another life, for example, if in a particular life experience, maybe I was an abuser, and I was mean to people, I beat them up. In the next life, I could choose them to incorporate into or incarnate into a life where I was on the receiving end and I got to experience abuse. So that from that both sides perspective, I could truly grow, to understand not only what it feels like to be an abuser, but what it feels like to be abused.

Scotson says that because of his work, he has met many people who have had near-death experiences, and consequently, they have a deeper sense of karma. They are not the same people after their experience. A significant number of them are so impressed with the importance or the significance value of the human life that an incarnated soul expresses, the value of that soul being expressed in human life is so incredible that they can no longer do anything in their life that harms anybody in any way, he said.
Paul Pelosi Attack Suspect Appears in Court, Hearing Postponed Until Next Month

The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, appeared before a federal judge on Feb. 8 regarding charges connected to the October incident at the couples San Francisco home.

Prosecutors told Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley that they turned over 16,000 pages of discovery materials and will provide the defense with more materials, according to a local ABC7 reporter, Stephanie Sierra, who was in the courtroom. They also will hand over body camera footage, forensic information from an FBI investigation, and surveillance footage.

The status hearing for David DePape was postponed until March 15, according to a KNTV reporter.

DePape, who also faces state charges, was charged by federal prosecutors with the attempted kidnapping of a federal officer or employee and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. In his state case, the 43-year-old Canadian national faces attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and threatening a family member of a public official.

Hes pleaded not guilty in both cases. If convicted, he faces decades in prison.

For the state charges, DePapes next court date is scheduled for Feb. 23.

In late January, a judge released police bodycam footage of the alleged attack, showing DePape and Paul Pelosi struggling to gain control of a hammer. When an officer tells DePape to put it down, he then pulled it back and appeared to hit Pelosi, sending the 82-year-old man to the ground.

Because of the angle of the body camera, the actual attack isnt shown. After the strike, officers then rush to grab DePape before placing handcuffs on him.

That day, the judge also ordered the release of U.S. Capitol Police surveillance footage that appears to show DePape peering into the Pelosi home in San Francisco before the alleged attack took place. He is then seen grabbing a hammer and smashing a window.

After the release of the footage, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson, who represents DePape, said it was a terrible mistake.

The footage is inflammatory and could feed unfounded theories about this case, and we are extremely concerned about Mr. DePapes ability to get a fair trial, Lipson said in a statement to news outlets.

The news agencies who sought the release of the footage includes The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Press Democrat, CNN, Fox News, CBS, ABC, NBC, and KQED, an NPR-member radio station in San Francisco.

David DePape in Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 13, 2013. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Around the same time, DePape phoned a local TV station, KTVU, and stated he wanted to commit more attacks. His reasoning was that individual liberties are under attack by Washington politicians.

[The] people killing it [individual liberty] have names and addresses, so I got their names and addresses so I could pay them a little visit  have a heart-to-heart chat about their bad behavior, he told KTVU in late January. I want to apologize to everyone. I messed up. What I did was really bad. Im so sorry I didnt get more of them. Its my own fault. No one else is to blame. I should have come better prepared.

Family members of DePape previously said he suffers from mental illness. A former partner, Oxane Gypsy Taub, told The Epoch Times in November that he disappeared for months before coming back and claiming that he was Jesus, while his son has questioned whether he was motivated by right-wing political viewpoints.

Prosecutors say DePape broke into the Pelosis San Francisco home on Oct. 28 seeking to kidnap the former speakerwho was out of townand instead beat her husband with a hammer.

In an interview with San Francisco Police Lt. Carla Hurley after he was taken into custody, DePape said he didnt regret the attack, even though it wasnt against Nancy Pelosi, his intended target.

DePape said the attack happened very quickly, and he recalled how it took the officers by surprise.

I yank the hammer away from him, I jump into action, he said. They jump into action. Theyre like on top of me instantly.

On Feb, 7, as a special guest of First Lady Jill Biden, Paul Pelosi attended the State of the Union address, where he and his wife, Rep. Pelosi, received a standing ovation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pentagon Says No to Chinas Demands to Return Downed Spy Balloon Debris

John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on June 21, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Washington has said it wont give back to Beijing the debris of Chinas downed spy balloon while a senior Chinese official has called for the remnants of the vessel to be returned.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that there are no plans to return to Beijing the debris of the downed balloon, which China claims was a civilian airship but that U.S. officials insist was a military spycraft.

I know of no such intention of plans to return it, Kirby said, adding that the U.S. military has recovered some of the debris and salvage efforts continue.

They have recovered some remnants off the surface of the sea and weather conditions did not permit much undersea surveillance of the debris field, he said.

U.S. Navy divers will in the coming days be able to get down there and take a better look at whats on the bottom of the ocean, but its just started, Kirby added.

On the same day that Kirby said there were no plans to return the debris to Beijing, Chinas ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, said in an interview with French news channel LCI, that the remnants of the vessel should be returned to China.

If you pick up something on the street, you should return it to the owner, if you know who the owner is, Shaye said, according to a transcript posted on the Chinese embassys official WeChat account on Wednesday.

Shaye added that if the United States doesnt want to return it, thats their decision but that this would amount to dishonesty.

His remarks represent the first time that China has officially expressed a desire to get the balloon back after it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

Spy Balloon Shot Down

The spy balloon was first located on Feb. 1 floating over Montana, where it loitered over sensitive areas where nuclear warheads are kept in silos.

Discovery of the balloon prompted a flurry of calls by lawmakers and others to shoot it down, with the U.S. military finally downing it on Feb. 4 off the coast of South Carolina using a single AIM-9X supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile.

The remnants of a large balloon drift above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it, on Feb. 4, 2023. (Chad Fish via AP)

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) criticized the military strike on the object, claiming it was a civilian airship used for meteorological and other scientific purposes and that it had strayed into U.S. airspace completely accidentally.

Asked about whether China wanted the remnants of the vessel back, a spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Ministry said during a press briefing Tuesday that the airship does not belong to the U.S. It belongs to China.

U.S. officials have flatly dismissed claims that the device was civilian, describing the balloon as a military spycraft with a device hanging from the bottom about the size of a small jet.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States would exploit any parts of the vessel or its payload that are recovered in order to learn more about its system.

Sullivan said that military officials wanted it to be shot down over water to create a greater possibility that we could effectively exploit the wreckage than if it were shot down over land.

First Photos of Spy Balloon Debris Released

On Monday evening, U.S. Northern Command (NORCOM) released the first photos of efforts to recover the balloon.

Photos captured by U.S. military personnel show forces attempting to recover debris from the balloon on Sunday evening. A large piece of the balloon itself was seen being pulled onto a small boat by sailors.

According to captions of the photos, sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 were deployed to recover the balloon near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Over the weekend, local officials told residents to avoid touching the balloon should pieces of it wash up on shore, after it was shot down by an F-22 Raptor fighter jet on Saturday afternoon.

NORCOM also released images of the F-22 that was used to shoot down the Chinese military craft. The Pentagon previously confirmed that the jet took off from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia to carry out the mission.

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Feb. 5, 2023 (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 are seen working to recover the balloon near South Carolinas coast on Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)

The head of NORCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on Monday said the balloon was about 200 feet in height and weighed thousands of pounds.

The balloon assessment was up to 200 feet tall for the actual balloon, Gen. Glen VanHerck told reporters, according to a transcript released by the Pentagon. The payload itself, I would categorize that as a jet airliner type of size, maybe a regional jet such as [an] ERJ or something like that. Probably weighed in access of a couple thousand pounds.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies over a debris field during recovery efforts of a high-altitude surveillance balloon on Feb. 4, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland)

Sailors are seen attempting to recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)

VanHerck then explained why the U.S. military did not shoot down the balloon when it was first discovered last month near Billings, Montana.

Picture yourself with large debris weighing hundreds if not thousands of pounds falling out of the sky, VanHerck said. Thats really what were kind of talking about.

Sailors are seen attempting to recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)

VanHerck told reporters that there may have been explosives on the aircraft, saying that factored into his decision not to shoot it down over U.S. territory.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday it was imposing a temporary security zone in the waters off Surfside Beach, South Carolina, in the area where the balloon was shot down.

Developments around the spy balloon have heightened U.S.-China tension and highlighted the fragile nature of their rivalry, which some fear could escalate into an outright war.

Paul Crespo, president of the Center for American Defense Studies, said that the trajectory of the balloon that was shot down by the U.S. military could absolutely suggest that Chinas communist regime was conducting a dry run for an attack using balloon-mounted weapons.

Crespo warned that the regime could use high-altitude balloons to conduct electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks on vital U.S. bases and infrastructure.

While China has tested hypersonic missiles launched from balloons in the past, that isnt a likely use for these airships, Crespo told The Epoch Times in an email.

The biggest threat is sending one or more of these high altitude balloons over the U.S. with a small nuclear EMP device.

EMPs are bursts of electromagnetic energy that disrupt communications and damage electronic equipment.

Andrew Thornebrooke, Jack Phillips, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Philippine Leader Visits Japan to Forge Closer Security Ties Amid China Concerns

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Japan on Wednesday to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart on deepening security ties amid concerns over Chinas increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.

Marcos will meet with Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other top officials during his five-day visit to Japan to enhance regional cooperation in a broad range of engagements, his office said in a statement.

My bilateral visit to Japan is essential and is part of a larger foreign policy agenda to forge closer political ties, stronger defense, and security cooperation, as well as lasting economic partnerships with major countries in the region amid a challenging global environment, he said.

Marcos is expected to sign seven key agreements with Japan, which aim to boost cooperation in agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation, defense, and infrastructure between the two nations.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the meeting with Japan will be consequential as Marcos seeks to maximize the full potential of the Philippines-Japan strategic partnership in all its aspects.

Japan is the first country with which the Philippines has forged a strategic partnership and is only one of two strategic partners of the Philippines, the other one being Vietnam, it said in a statement.

US Ties

This marks Marcoss first visit to Japan since taking office in June last year, which came just a week after his meeting with U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin in Manila on Feb. 2.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III (R) with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (L) at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on Feb. 2, 2023. (Jamilah Sta Rosa-Pool/Getty Images)

During his meeting with Austin, Marcos expressed his hopes to maintain ties with Washington, citing the United States role as a Pacific power, and granted the United States greater access to the Philippine military bases.

More specifically here, the Asia-Pacific region has become a terribly complicated situation, Marcos said. It is something we can only navigate with the help of our partners and our allies.

The United States pledged to modernize the Philippine military and boost interoperability between their forces. The Philippines also granted the United States four new military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in addition to five existing bases.

Austin said these efforts are especially important as the Peoples Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Seathe name that Manila uses for the South China Sea.

PhilippineJapan Relations

The Philippines and Japan have sought to bolster defense cooperation as Beijing expanded its military foothold in the AsiaPacific region.

Marcos said on Jan. 16 that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is facing strong pressure from major powers to choose sides amid geopolitical rivalry in the IndoPacific region.

The forces of us going back to that Cold War type of scenario, where you have to choose one side or the other, are strong, Marcos told reporters in Switzerland, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.

Naval vessels from the United States, Japan, India, and the Philippines conduct formation exercises and communication drills in the South China Sea, in May 2019. (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/U.S. Navy)

In December 2022, the Philippines and Japan conducted unit-to-unit exchanges to expedite cooperation, inter-cooperation, and mutual understanding between their forces.

This made the Philippines the third nation to which Japan has dispatched fighter jets, after the United States and Australia, according to Japans Air Self-Defense Force.

Consuelo Castillo, the Philippine Air Forces spokesperson, said the exchanges involve aircraft maintenance, medical affairs, base defense, and field meteorology, according to a state-run news agency.

In April 2022, the two nations agreed to increase defense relations through capability building, reciprocal port calls/ship visits, transfer of more defense equipment and technology, and continuous cooperation on previously-transferred defense equipment.

In a joint statement, both nations strongly opposed actions that would exacerbate tensions in the East and South China Seas, underscoring the need for a rules-based approach to resolving competing claims in maritime areas within the framework of international law.

They called for the implementation of a code of conduct consistent with the Law of the Sea without jeopardizing the legitimate rights of all stakeholders in the disputed sea, according to the statement.

Beijing claims much of the South China Sea as its own under its so-called nine-dash line. The Hague Tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016. Still, it has had little to no impact on Beijings behavior, with it repeatedly intruding into Manilas territorial zones.

The Philippines sought to increase its military presence in the South China Sea to deter the Chinese from encroaching on its territories. The Southeast Asian nation is also concerned about Beijings aggression against Taiwan, given its proximity to the self-ruled island.

Japan, on the other hand, is concerned about its own vulnerability as the Chinese Communist Party expands its military presence near Taiwan and the East China Sea, where the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands are located. Japan released its National Security Strategy in December, which refers to China as its greatest challenge.
Premiers Express Disappointment With Trudeaus Pitch for Health Care Transfer Deal

Premiers plan to reconvene for further discussions and continue negotiations with Ottawa

After the first meeting between Canadas provincial and territorial premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in over two years, the premiers came away expressing disappointment in the federal governments offer on health-care transfers, and an intention to continue negotiations.

In the Feb. 7 meeting in Ottawa, Trudeau offered to increase the federal share of health-care spending by $196.1 billion over the next decade, of which $46 billion would be new money.

However, the provinces budgeted $204 billion for health care in the current fiscal year and wanted the federal share to increase to 35 percentabout $28 billion annually. Instead, the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) was set at $45 billion, or about 22 percent, which works out to, on average, less than $5 billion in new funding a year.

The increase to the CHT is also conditional upon the provinces sharing data with the federal government and digitizing the health information of Canadians.

To access their share of the federal funding, including the five percent CHT guarantee, provincial and territorial governments are asked to commit to improving how health information is collected, shared, used, and reported to Canadians to promote greater transparency on results, and to help manage public health emergencies, said a statement issued by the prime minister on Feb. 7.

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson speaks at a press conference following a swearing-in ceremony for her cabinet at the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg on Jan. 18, 2022. (David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press)

At a news conference of premiers following the meeting with Trudeau, Heather Stefanson, Manitobas premier and chair of the Council of the Federation of Premiers, said the offer was disappointing.

Its significantly less than we were looking for in terms of the baseline funding injection into the Canada Health Transfer, she said.

Stefanson said while it was good to have a discussion with Trudeau, which had been requested for quite some time, the premiers would be reconvening as a council within days to have further discussions and continue negotiations with the federal government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as Canadas premiers meet in Ottawa on Feb. 7, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said that while he was pleased with the structure being offered, his province is spending a significant amount on health care, which would absorb the new money very quickly. He said it is important that the federal government recognize the burden of the cost.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement on Feb. 7 saying that while the plan is a start, overall this is significantly lower than the premiers anticipated.

Premier Smith will take this information back to her team in Alberta in advance of meeting with Canadas premiers again in the coming days, the statement said.

At the press conference, Smith said Ottawa was looking for a quantification of the COVID backlog in surgeries but noted Alberta had fully cleared its backlog. She said dedicated dollars earmarked by the government was an important measure for Albertas indigenous population.

The government has floated the idea of an Indigenous-specific funding stream of $2 billion over 10 years.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as Ontario Premier Doug Ford responds to a question following an announcement in Ottawa on Oct. 17, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his province always welcomed new funding, no matter how small or large. However, he said Trudeaus offer was a starting point, a down-payment on further discussions.

Ford said while he would not refuse new funding, he would have lots of questions moving forward.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault said, We requested adding $28 billion to the base of $45 billion that is given every year by the federal government. We didnt get that.

B.C. Premier David Eby called the federal governments proposal fiscally limited.

Dennis King, the premier of Prince Edward Island, said his province came to the meeting with hope and optimism, and the federal governments offer was not insignificant.

Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, pictured at a meeting on May 23, 2018. (Pat Kane/The Canadian Press)

Caroline Cochrane, premier of Northwest Territories, said over 50 percent of the population of the N.W.T. is indigenous, and the regions spending was four times the average that other jurisdictions pay per person.

Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok said he needed time to digest the offer presented by the federal government, but felt his province could try to secure more. He said he appreciated the other premiers for recognizing and supporting the unique challenges of his region.

Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, meanwhile, said while the offer was fiscally restraining, it wasnt just about money. He said he could not plan in five year cycles.

Premier for Labrador and Newfoundland, Andrew Furey, said he agreed with some of the other premiers that the issue was not just money. It needs to [be] about modernization of the health-care system that is really stuck in the 1960s, he said.

The premiers still have to agree to any new accord with Ottawa and develop action plans describing how they will use the funding to improve their health carearound four shared health priorities, which include family health care; health workforce and backlogs; mental health and substance use; and modernizing the health care system with standardized information and digital tools.
Pro-Life Spiderman Arrested After Scaling Skyscraper in Phoenix

Maison DesChamps, a climber who goes by the social media handle Pro-Life Spiderman, was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday after scaling the former Chase tower.

The 23-year-old DesChamps scaled the 40-story building on Tuesday morning, starting just before 10 a.m. MST and ending about an hour later. Videos taken of DesChamps during the climb showed that he used a stemming technique to ascend a three-foot-wide channel that runs up the 483-foot tower.

DesChamps ascended the building without ropes or protective equipment, in a risky style of climbing known as free soloing.

The Phoenix Police and Fire Departments responded to DesChamps climbing stunt on Tuesday. Capt. Todd Keller, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Fire Department, told the Arizona Republic that DesChamps had reached the 15th floor of the building by the time they arrived.

Keller said fire officials prepared to begin rescue operations and were in constant contact with DesChamps throughout his climb, asking him if he was fatigued or needed assistance. After he reached the top, police arrested DesChamps and booked him into jail on charges of trespassing and criminal nuisance.

Maison Deschamps climbs Chase Tower in Phoenix on Feb. 7, 2023 in a still image taken from social media video. (Jim Wyatt via Reuters)

On his website, DesChamps said he took on the dangerous stunt to raise funds for Let Them Live, a charity that provides financial support for women considering abortions due to financial hardships.

DesChamps said on the website, and reiterated in a video he took during the climb, that he is also raising funds for a pregnant woman named Hope, who has several health problems that she believes would severely limit her ability to care for her baby. DesChamps said because of those concerns, Hope scheduled a late-term abortion on February 10th.

DesChamps said he decided to fundraise for the pro-life organization because the vast majority of moms choose abortion because of the kind of financial and physical challenges that Hope is facing. He said he hopes the fundraising effort will bring Hope the financial assistance she would need to choose not to abort her child.

Fire Official Condemns Stunt

Keller condemned DesChamps activist stunt, saying DesChamps wasnt the only person endangered by the climb.

This is so dangerous. You put not only yourself in danger, you put firefighters in danger. You put anyone else walking below or anybody around this incident in danger, Keller said. This is an uncontrolled environment. This is Chase Tower; 40 floors up. Very, very dumb.

DesChamps described his risk assessment on his website, saying that while he wouldnt encourage people to climb without a rope, buildings are technically easier to climb than rocky cliffsides.

There are definitely dangers involved, DesChamps wrote. However, most skyscrapers are significantly easier to climb than rock. The large rails and positive windows sills are ginormous in comparison to the credit card-sized holds found on rock. As an experienced climber, I see climbing skyscrapers as a safe and creative/effective way to peacefully protest.

Not His First Arrest

Tuesdays tower climb was not the first time DesChamps has scaled the side of a building without any safety equipment like ropes, carabiners, or the spring-loaded camming devices professional climbers often use to climb rock crags.

DesChamps climbed the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, California, in May 2022. He climbed the second-tallest building in California to protest a Washington, D.C., late-term abortion provider who had been accused of allowing babies who had already been born to die. For his efforts to raise awareness about the abortion provider, DesChamps was arrested and charged with trespassing and resisting arrest by not complying when police ordered him to stop climbing.

DesChamps has documented other building climbs he has done, such as ascents of the New York Times building in New York City, and the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas.

In most states and cities there are no laws against climbing skyscrapers, DesChamps said on his website. Usually, I am charged with some form of trespassing or disorderly conduct. However, after further review, my charges are either dropped or easily fought in court.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

From NTD News
RCMP Sent Officers to Alleged Chinese Police Stations to Show Visible Presence: Commissioner Lucki

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki waits to appear before the Special Committee on Canada-People's Republic of China Relationship on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 6, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby)

The RCMP has sent officers in uniform and marked police cars to have a visible presence at locations where alleged secret Chinese police stations are operating in Toronto and Vancouver, says RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

Lucki told MPs on the House committee on Canada-China relations that the RCMP had sent the police presence to cause disruption to the allegations that the locations have been serving as unofficial Chinese police service stations.

Weve had that visible presence and thats mostly so that people will see the [RCMPs] actions, first of all, because we need more information, she said on Feb. 6.

Lucki indicated that the strategy has been successful, saying that a lot of people come forward to provide information because they see the police in the area dealing with the allegations.

We havent heard very many new complaints on those three stations in Toronto and the one in Vancouver as a result of the disruption that we have done with those particular locations, she said.

Lucki also confirmed the RCMP are currently investigating three of the alleged police stations in Toronto and one in Vancouver.

A senior RCMP officer told MPs at the committee meeting that the Chinese police stations in Canada and around the world are concerning due to the potential for forced repatriation of individuals to China, as well as the intimidation of Chinese nationals family members at home and abroad.

These alleged police stations may contribute to the involuntary return of individuals to China. Also, families living in both China and Canada may become the target of harassment, intimidation, or experience other negative consequences, said Brigitte Gauvin, RCMP acting director for federal policing and national security.

Lucki told the committee that so far no one has been arrested or deported in relation to the Chinese police stations.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed at the committee meeting that no diplomatic credentials have been revoked in response to the issue.

Unofficial Chinese Police Stations

The RCMP said in a statement last November that it is seeking witnesses with knowledge of possible foreign actor interference at undeclared Chinese police service stations in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

News of the Chinese police outposts first emerged in September 2022 following a report published by the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders, which identified 54 police stations in dozens of countries around the world run by two provincial-level police bureaus in China, including the three stations in the GTA.

The specific addresses of those three stations in the GTA were mentioned in a local Chinese government news release: one is in a convenience store in Scarborough, one is at a residential home in Markham, and the third is a property that is also the headquarters of the Canada Toronto FuQing Business Association (CTFQBA), a federally incorporated non-profit.

We did a disruption by going in uniform with marked police cars, to speak with the people involved in those police stations, or those locations, because those locations are a legitimate business in the front, Lucki said, adding that the Chinese outposts do not resemble standard police stations.

Its any place that is causing interference or intimidation, harassment to individuals in any form.  In some of these cases, it could be as simple as a room behind a commercial retail store, she said.

In an updated report published in December 2022, Safeguard Defenders further identified two other provincial-level police bureaus in China that were also operating overseas service stations, bringing the total known Chinese police service stations to 102, with an overall presence in 53 countries.

This includes two more Chinese police stations identified in Vancouver, whose specific addresses werent provided.

On Dec. 10, 2022, the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), which is leading the investigation of the matter, reportedly paid a visit to a building in Vancouver that currently serves as the headquarters of the Wenzhou Friendship Society, a non-profit group in Richmond, B.C.

The police conducted interviews there and in the surrounding neighbourhood, but declined to disclose the nature of their investigation.

Hua Wei Su, director of Wenzhou Friendship Society, told Global News that the police were at the groups clubhouse, but said he didnt know why. He denied that the societys building, which is situated at 4266 Hazelbridge Way, has any connection to the alleged Chinese police stations operating in Canada.

Stations Shut Down

Authorities in over a dozen countries have been investigating the Chinese police service stations allegedly operating in their territories, with some stations being shut down.

Bloc Quebecois MP Denis Trudel questioned Lucki at the Feb. 6 committee on whether Canada could learn from other countries in shuttering the stations more efficiently.

I saw in Ireland and the Netherlands that the so-called police stations have been shut down, said Trudel.

How did they go about doing that in those countries? Did they proceed by investigation like were undertaking in Canada? Did it take months? Did it take years? What process was undertaken in those countries?

Lucki said in response that police investigations have to meet the threshold of Canadas Criminal Code.

We have to meet the threshold of the evidence in order to bring somebody to court [in] shutting them down, she said.

An unofficial Chinese police station in Dublin removed its signage just days after the Irish government started questioning the local Chinese embassy about the stations activities. Weeks later, the Irish government confirmed on Oct. 26, 2022, that the police station has been ordered to shut down.

The Netherlands has ordered the closure of two Chinese police stations in November 2022. The two stations were identified in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, according to Safeguard Defenders report in September.

More recently, the United States has shut down a Chinese police station in New York City.
Renters in Canada Face Toughest Market in Decades Amid Surging Demand, High Prices: CMHC

The city of Vancouver is "ground zero" for activities of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Word Department, according to former Mountie and author Scott McGregor. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Renters in Canada are facing the toughest market in decades as surging demand and high prices meet some of the lowest national vacancy rates in decades, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

The national average vacancy rate for purpose-built rental apartments declined to 1.9 percent last yearthe lowest level since 2001, the housing agency said in its latest rental market report, released Jan. 26.

Across the country, in the purpose-built rental market, the average two-bedroom rent was up 5.6 percent, to $1,258, while the vacancy rate slipped down from 3.1 percent in 2021 to 1.9 percent.

The report found the demand for purpose-built rental apartments increased in 2022, while the vacancy rate decreased. Demand outpaced supply in 2022, dropping the open vacancies lower than they were in 2021.

The condo apartment market, meanwhile, saw the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment hit $1,930, with a national vacancy rate of 1.6 percent.

Particularly in Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto, low vacancies, surging demand, and higher net migration, are making it harder for renters to find a place to live, and even more difficult to actually purchase a new home, according to the CMHCs latest Rental Market Report.

The annual report uses data from CMHCs fall 2022 Rental Market Survey and Condominium Apartment Survey.

Lower vacancy rates and rising rents were a common theme across Canada in 2022, said Bob Dugan, CMHCs chief economist, in a Jan. 26 news release.

In most markets, especially Ontario and B.C., the report notes that the share of rental units available and affordable for the lowest-income renters is either in the low single digits, or too low to report.

CMHC said that rental affordability continues to pose a significant challenge across the country and that there is a lack of affordable rental housing, especially for the lowest 20 percent of income earners, which it attributes to very low stocks of rental units that are affordable for people in lower income ranges.

CMHC defines an affordable dwelling as one where the renter household is spending no more than 30 percent of its gross income on rent.

In January, the federal government offered qualifying low-income renters a one-time $500 payment under the Canada Housing Benefit, to help with the cost of renting. To qualify, individuals have to be over the age of 15, with a net adjusted family income of $35,000 or less for families, and $20,000 or less for individuals.

Low Stock

The report indicated that in 2022, rental condominiums accounted for 19.3% of the total stock of rental units across large cities. In Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, more than one-third of all rental supply is rental condominiums.

The demand for rental housing was driven in part by higher net migration, increased costs for home ownership, and students returning to on-campus learning who need rentals near their post-secondary institutions.

The average rent growth for two-bedroom units that were being rented to a new tenant was well above average rent growth for units without turnover (18.2% vs. 2.8%).

This reflects the fact that, once a tenant vacates a unit, landlords are generally free to increase asking rents to current market levels. Landlords can also take the opportunity to renovate between tenants. In doing so, they raise unit quality and can then ask for higher rents from new tenants, says the report.

Vancouver saw a record-high increase, in rental demand, as did Toronto.

This reflects higher flows of immigrants to these centres, among other factors, said the report.

The average monthly rents for two-bedroom purpose-built apartments in Vancouver ($2,002) and Toronto ($1,779) continue to be the highest in the country, well above the national average of $1,258, indicated the report.
Rep. McCaul to Visit Taiwan in War of Oppression Versus Democracy

Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) talks about China during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington on Oct. 20, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A leading Congressional Republican is planning a tour of Asia that will likely include a stop in Taiwan.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that he intends to visit the democratic island later in the year to assist it in the struggle against communist Chinas repressive overtures.

I have a trip planned in the springtime to visit Taiwan, and also Japan and South Korea, who are our allies in this war of oppression versus democracy and freedom, McCaul said during a Feb. 7 interview with The Epoch Times.

A spokesperson for McCauls office separately confirmed that McCaul is planning a visit to Asia, which will focus on strengthening the United States alliances in the region, but said that a date and itinerary had not yet been set.

McCaul said that demonstrating American support was important to ensure that the Taiwanese knew they were not alone and to deter Chinas communist regime from attempting an invasion of the island.

I think its important that we show Taiwan that we support them, McCaul said.

And its also important to show that the American people support Taiwan as a deterrence against Communist China from ever thinking about invading that island.

China Continues to Threaten Taiwan



The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, claims that Taiwan is a rogue province that must be united with the mainland.

CCP officials have vowed to compel the island into unity with the regime by any means necessary, and have claimed that they are willing to initiate a war to make that dream a reality.

Despite the CCPs claims, Taiwan is a democratic power with a thriving market economy that has maintained its de facto independence since 1949 and has never been controlled by the CCP.

U.S. military leadership has variously cautioned that the CCP could attempt to launch an invasion of Taiwan in 2027 or even 2025.

Wargames conducted by think tanks have suggested that Taiwan could weather an invasion by China if the United States and Japan intervened on its behalf. However, such a conflict would carry heavy costs for all involved.

For its part, the Biden administration has attempted to stymie the risk of overt conflict and has repeatedly called for all sides to focus on limiting the scope of their competition.

The president believes that we should be in a competition with China and that it should not evolve into conflict, said White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby in a January interview with CNN. Theres no reason for it to.
Rogers Vows to Expel All Chinese Goods from Defense Supply Chains

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, gestures during committee's hearing on "Ending the U.S. Military Mission in Afghanistan" in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, Sept. 29, 2021. (Rod Lamkey/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is vowing to expel all Chinese goods and materials from the United Statess defense supply chains.

Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said that he would lead the effort to expunge China-sourced goods during a Feb. 8 hearing of the committee on the subject of defense-industrial base security.

The greatest concern I have with the defense industrial base is our continued reliance on China as the source of raw materials, Rogers said.

I wont stop until weve completely rid the defense supply chain of Chinese goods and materials.

Rogers said that communist China still inadvertently controlled too many parts of the supply chains required to equip the military and conduct security operations.

He singled out the United Statess continued reliance on China for rare earth minerals and non-advanced semiconductor chips and said that the regimes grip on such supplies would need to be broken.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintains a tight grip on many of our material supply chains including critical minerals and semiconductors, Rogers said.We will never prevail in a conflict with China if theyre the source of our military supply.

US Must Move Dependencies

Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said that the continued role of China in providing elements for the United Statess defense industrial supply chains was part of a greater legacy of irresponsible investment by U.S. corporations seeking to make an easy profit.

Starting roughly in the late 1990s into the early 2000s, China became the global corporate easy button, Smith said.

Thats where you went to make stuff. Huge market, not much in the way of labor costs, certainly not environmental regulations. It was cheap, it was easy, it was the way to go.

To that end, Smith said that the intricately woven ties between U.S. and Chinese companies would not be easily undone, nor could they be wholly replaced by the power of American manufacturing alone.

The United States, he said, would need to look to its allies and partners to create new deals and supply chains.

Theres no way that the United States of America can meet this challenge on its own, Smith said.

We need to increase our capacity, absolutely, but we also need to work with trusted partners.

The committee also heard from Eric Fanning, who is currently the CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association and formerly served as secretary of the Army.

Fanning said that the United States was doing an admirable job pulling its defense supply chains out from Chinas grasp, but that it still faced particular trouble with the processing of rare earth minerals.

While the nation could source the minerals from elsewhere, Fanning said, nearly all of the infrastructure to process them into useful materials was still in China.

Like Smith, Fanning attributed the state of affairs to years of overlapping policies and incentives that favored outsourcing to China.

It took us years to get to where we are, built on different policies with China, Fanning said.

As we pivot, and try to extricate ourselves particularly on the national security side, its going to take time, shared effort, and a sense of urgency.
San Diego County Move Forward to Help Homeless Veterans

SAN DIEGOThe county Board of Supervisors Feb. 7 unanimously approved the development of a plan to help homeless veterans find a place to live.

As proposed by Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Nora Vargas, the plan could be ready in April and feature input from community groups, government representatives, and people who have experienced homelessness.

The county will also work with partners to find additional resources, remove housing barriers for veterans, offer vouchers, and quickly match veterans with housing.

A Marine Corps combat veteran, Fletcher on Jan. 20 announced the proposal during an event with veterans and homeless advocates.

In recent years we have started to see the veteran homelessness number decline in San Diego, and now is the time we must accelerate the efforts to functionally end veteran homelessness, Fletcher said in a statement. I am ready to put in the work.

Last years Point in Time Count showed the San Diego region has nearly 700 homeless veterans, and about half of them were staying in temporary shelters, Fletcher said. At the same time, the statistics showed a record of nearly 8,500 homeless population in the county.

Nora Vargas, board chairwoman, said the county has a responsibility to take care of those who served our country, and we must invest in programs that will help our veterans thrive when they integrate into civilian life.

Fletcher recently said regional political leaders, including Rep. Mike Levin and Assemblyman Chris Ward, will help bring more resources to San Diego County.

Last month, supervisors approved more help for veterans coming out of the justice system who are at risk of becoming homeless or living on the streets.
For the 16th consecutive year, Shen Yun Performing Arts will perform at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido in northern San Diego County. In anticipation of Shen Yuns arrival, greater San Diego area officials of the federal, state and county levels, welcome the New York-based premier classical Chinese dance company.

From Feb. 8 to Feb. 14, Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform seven shows at the California Center of the Arts in Escondido.

San Diego County Proclaims Shen Yun an American Success Story

Having watched last years Shen Yun performance, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond sent a representative to present a proclamation at the theater on the opening day.

Desmond said in the proclamation that Shen Yuns interpretation of the essence of traditional Chinese culture gives the message of hope that disperses darkness.

The proclamation highlighted the rapid growth of Shen Yun Performing Arts and praised Shen Yun as an American success story.

Shen Yuns mission of reviving the beauty and goodness of China before communism has inspired artists from all over the world to join; and has grown from one to eight equally sized companies, each with its own accompanying orchestra.

Shen Yun is an American success story in which hundreds of people work seamlessly towards a common mission and are guided by the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearancethe tenants of Falun Gong.

The proclamation also pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party does not allow Shen Yun to perform in China because it is afraid that the Chinese people, upon watching Shen Yun, will reconnect to their cultural roots and see through the regimes disguise.

US Congressman Welcome Shen Yun

U.S. Congressman Scott Peters, representing the 50th congressional district in San Diego since 2013, has been sending proclamations to Shen Yun every year for the past few years. In this years proclamation, Peters said that Shen Yun has maintained their mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and share it with the world since their humble beginnings in 2006 in New York and has played a crucial role in reviving and sharing the traditional Chinese culture with the San Diego community.

Furthermore, Peters praised Shen Yun performances symbolic of the revival of the beauty and virtue of China before communism.

State Leaders Praise Shen Yuns Mission

California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones welcomed Shen Yun to San Diego for its 16th consecutive year of performances in the region, and honored Shen Yun Performing Arts for the outstanding community service, in which tens of thousands of San Diegans have thoroughly enjoyed Shen Yun  the beauty of divine beings dancing.

In a Certificate of Recognition, California State Assembly Minority Leader Marie Waldron praised Shen Yuns dedication to the revival of traditional values, the pursuit of perfection of artistry and the enrichment and betterment of the SD region and the world beyond through performing arts.

Representing Californias 79th Assembly District since 2021, Dr. Akilah Weber sent her first Certificate of Recognition to Shen Yun, the rich and vibrant Chinese history that you bring to the stage is truly a great contribution to our San Diego region. Your presentation of Chinese ethnic traditions, ancient legends, and cultural values enables the audience to become immersed, combined with the orchestra, allows for a transcendental experience. Thank you for sharing your art, talents, and history.

California State Assemblyman Brian Maienschein once again welcomed Shen Yun for showcasing the beautiful art of classical Chinese dance at the CA Center for the Arts in Escondido and for your commitment to the revival of traditional values and culture through the preforming arts. Maienschein is pleased to honor the SY 2023 world tour for helping improve our understanding of Chinese history and philosophy in our community.

Representing the 80th Assembly District in San Diego County since 2022, David Alvarez sent a letter to Shen Yun Performing Arts. In the letter, Alvarez commented Shen Yuns mission of bringing Chinas rich history to live on stage. He praised Shen Yun shows as groundbreaking, and that Shen Yun 2023 world tour will bring cultural awareness to audiences worldwide, spanning more than 180 cities 20 countries and five continents.

For more information, visit https://shenyun.com/escondido
Scientists Take Australian Bureau of Meteorology to Court Over Reliability of Temperature Records

In this photo illustration a thermometer is seen on the banks of the Swan River on January 22, 2022 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

For years, Australian biologist Jennifer Marohasy has questioned the reliability of the Bureau of Meteorologys (BoM) new methods of reporting historical weather records, which have shown a rising in temperatures over the past few decades. She wants the BoM to make public its sets of raw data from both mercury thermometer readings as well as electronic readings from updated automatic weather stations.

The BoM has attributed the increasing temperatures to manmade global warming, but Marohasy is sceptical, saying the recent warming trend could be attributed to changes in how temperatures are now recorded and the data standardised, as well as natural causes.

In response, her husband, environmental researcher John Abbott, took the matter to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in Brisbane with Marohasy appearing as an expert witness. They called for the BoM to make raw temperature data public, something the weather bureau has refused previously.

A public hearing was held on Feb. 3, but the case was taken back to mediation before Marohasy presented her evidence. Further, the public was asked to leave. The case resumed on Feb. 7.

Raw Temperature Data Crucial to Understanding Climate Change

According to Marohasy, a major reason why Australias temperature data may have underlying issues leading to different interpretations is because of the changes in equipment used, resulting in the need for homogenisation to standardise the data between the measurement methods.

Previously, the BoM used mercury thermometers, which have a slow response to change. These have since been replaced with electronic sensors, which are more sensitive.

The change from a mercury thermometer to a probe makes a material difference to the reliability of the historical temperature data, Marohasy wrote in a blog post on Feb. 4.

This matters for understanding climate variability and changethe trend.

The concern was echoed by Queensland geophysicist and former professor at James Cook University Peter Ridd. Ridd said in a Facebook post on Feb. 2 that while mercury thermometers often missed short-term high temperatures, electronic probes often pick up the short-term high temperature spikes and thus register a higher maximum temperature on that day than the mercury thermometers.

So, has the bureau accounted for this in their long-term records? he asked, It could well mean that they are reporting temperatures higher than they should.

In 2018, Marohasy shared a table comparing raw temperature readings and the two homogenised ACORN-SAT datasets, explaining that the data corrections have resulted in a rewriting of the temperature records of 112 weather stations dating back to 1910.

ACORN-SAT stands for the Australian Climate Observations Reference NetworkSurface Air Temperatures.

Temperatures are changed through a process known as homogenisation, and then changed again, sometimes by as much as 6.4 degrees Celsius (11.5 F) for the one day, Marohasy wrote in 2019.

According to Marohasy, 44.8 degrees Celsius (112.6 F) was the maximum temperature measured at Albany, Western Australia, on Feb. 8, 1933. In the year 2012, BoM homogenised the maximum temperature to 51.2 degrees Celsius (124 F), before it was recently revised to 49.5 degrees Celsius (121.1 F).

Scientists John Abbot (L) and Jennifer Marohasy (R) outside the Administrative Appeal Tribunal in Brisbane on Feb. 3, 2022. (Jennifer Marohasy/ Facebook)

She noted that the release of the parallel data attained from mercury and electronic thermometers is important so that readings from the new equipment can be compared with readings from the old equipment, including to check they are comparablethat there are no discontinuities.

It is reasonable to assume this data would be public, but it is guarded by the Bureau and kept secret. The Bureau also claim it is undigitized and only potentially available as hard copies of A8Forms and that the Bureau lacks the available resources for scanning to provide this on request, she wrote on Feb. 4.

Work that I have undertaken with John Abbot shows that even without the industrial revolution, there would have been a temperature increase of about 1 C (1.8 F) through the 20th Century.

The biologist further noted that release of the data is in the public interestgiven far-reaching public policy decisions are being made on the basis of a 1.5 C tipping point.

Additionally, on Jan. 28, Marohasy argued that claims that we are facing a climate catastrophe because temperatures will soon be exceeding 1.5 C is driving the closure of coal mines, caps on the price of gas, and a mental health epidemic amongst children who increasingly fear global warming.

No Significant Difference Shown: BoM

In a statement to The Epoch Times, the BoM said, there is no significant difference in the diurnal temperature range measured using mercury thermometers compared with platinum resistance probes.

As to what the major factors contributing to the rise in Australian temperatures are, the BoM pointed to the State of the Climate Report 2022, recently released by the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

In a Facebook post on Jan. 31, Marohasy said that despite the importance of the temperature data, there is a lack of media attention on the issue.
SANTIAGO, Dominican RepublicDeputy director of Information and Press of the Presidency Lucildo Gomez watched Shen Yun Performing Arts on Feb. 6 at the Grand Theater of Cibao Restoration Hall. Mr. Gomez said that the performance surpassed his expectations, and highly praised Shen Yun.

It was a phenomenon of great excellence, of great technique, of great mastery, he said. The artists presented, [and] they gave their best.

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists and quickly became the worlds premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Shen Yuns mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture and present the beauty of China before communism.

Shen Yuns name means the beauty of divine beings dancing, and Mr. Gomez expressed that he certainly saw the divine elements both in the dancing itself and in the presentation of traditional Chinese culture, which, according to Shen Yuns website, is deeply rooted in the spiritual teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

I feel very calm, very peaceful because the experience was of great spiritual transcendence, said Mr. Gomez. It is a masterful work related to the celestial, with the ideas that they bring from the millenary history of their people. And that of course penetrates deeply into the soul.

Shen Yuns website also states that the ancient Chinese people believed that their culture was a gift from the heavens. Mr. Gomez said that he was particularly moved by Chinese cultures connection to the divine.

All the content was related to spirituality, to religion, to your own history or that of your country, which comes from divinity, from the gods, from spirituality, Mr. Gomez observed. I felt very good, it really touched me very deeply.

Mr. Gomez also said that he believed the values Shen Yun presented, such as compassion, faith, and hope, to be extremely important because that is what gives you hope, what gives you life. What makes human beings think that they can continue walking and that they can fill their body with energy, with good ideas, with inner strength to be able to continue.

Reporting by NTD and Wandi Zhu.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
South Korean Court Orders Compensation for Survivor of Vietnam War Massacre

Vietnamese woman Nguyen Thi Thanh on a computer monitor as she speaks outside the court at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Ryu Young-suk/Yonhap via AP)

A South Korean court on Tuesday ruled in favor of a Vietnamese woman who suffered a gunshot wound and lost family members in a massacre committed by South Korean marines in 1968 during the Vietnam War.

The Seoul Central District Court ordered the government to pay Nguyen Thi Thanh 30 million won (about $23,800) in compensation, calling the shooting by South Korean marines during the Vietnam War an illegal act.

This is the first time that a South Korean court ruled the government responsible for such atrocities. Thanh, who is currently in her 60s, filed a lawsuit against the South Korean government in 2020.

In its ruling, the court dismissed the governments claim that there was no conclusive evidence that South Korean marines were responsible for the killings in Phong Nhi village in Quang Nam province, the scene of the attack on Thanh and her family.

It is acknowledged that the plaintiffs family members died at the site, and she sustained serious wounds  from the shooting by marine troops, the court was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.

The court also rejected the governments contention that civilian killings were unavoidable because the South Korean troops were dealing with Viet Cong guerrillas who often blended with villagers.

The governments lawyers were also unsuccessful in invoking a statute of limitations.

Thanh was 7 years old when South Korean marines stormed the villages of Phong Nhi and Phong Nhut on Feb. 12, 1968. She sustained a gunshot wound in the stomach, while five of her family members died in the incident, including her mother.

Thanh, who awaited the ruling in Vietnam, said she was overjoyed by her court victory.

I think that the souls (of those who died in Phong Nhi) were always with me and supported me, she said in a video message translated by her legal team. I am overjoyed because I think that the souls can now rest easy.

Commenting on the courts decision on Tuesday, South Koreas Ministry of Defense said it would review follow-up steps after going through consultations with relevant agencies, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Vietnam War Massacre

Then ruled by anti-communist military leaders, South Korea sent more than 320,000 troops to Vietnam, the largest foreign contingent fighting alongside U.S. troops.

According to U.S. military documents and survivors, more than 70 people were killed and about 20 others injured when South Korean marines allegedly fired at unarmed civilians as they swept through Phong Nhi and the nearby village of Phong Nhut in 1968.

According to U.S. military investigation records, U.S. Marines and South Vietnamese militia provided medical treatment to villagers who fled as South Korean soldiers continued to shoot inside the villages.

U.S. Marines later entered the villages and found piles of bodies in different areas, many burned or buried in ash. One U.S. soldier took photos which were used as evidence during Thanhs trial.

The trial also included the testimonies of other Vietnamese villagers and South Korean war veterans such as Ryu Jin-seong, a member of the marine unit linked to the attacks in Phong Nhi and Phong Nhut.

Ryu provided a firsthand account of how the South Korean soldiers shot at unarmed civilians, many of them children and women.

The government has never officially acknowledged responsibility for civilian massacres linked to South Korean soldiers in Vietnam, which some experts say were possibly responsible for thousands of deaths.

Those atrocities havent meaningfully impacted official relations with Vietnam, whose growing economy benefits from South Korean investment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Teachers Offered $10K Housing Incentive to Move to Regional New South Wales

New South Wales public school teachers have endorsed a new wage agreement that awards the best teachers with a six-figure salary. Director-general of the NSW education department Michelle Bruniges said she hoped the higher pay would allow expert teachers to stay in the classroom. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

Teachers who would like to move to rural, regional and remote communities in New South Wales (NSW) will be offered a $10,000 (US$6,900) incentive as part of a push to address shortages outside cities.

Educators who are new to a regional posting will be able to claim back the amount in stamp duty when buying a home in their school community, the government announced on Feb.8.

It comes as the NSW government claims teacher shortages are not an issue of demand for people in the role but a problem of deployment.

Late on Wednesday, the government posted a response to a parliamentary report on teacher shortages, which it said failed to acknowledge work that was already underway.

The government said it has been developing and implementing solutions to teacher supply challenges in certain subjects and locations for a number of years and claimed to have filled almost 8000 permanent teaching positions in 2022.

Because of these efforts, the state is no longer on course for a teacher shortage in the simple terms of supply and demand. Rather it is facing a deployment challenge, the government response stated.

The parliamentary report, tabled in November, recommended strengthening the supply of quality teachers in regional communities as one of three key priorities.

The other priorities were growing the supply of teachers overall and encouraging more teachers to train in high-need and specialist areas.

The NSW Teachers Federation recently said shortages were worsening, with 3,300 permanent positions vacant in November and a 30 percent decline in the number of people studying to become a teacher.

At the start of this year, the government launched a pilot program for rural teachers offering a range of resources and benefits to help them build social and professional connections.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said on Wednesday a one-off $600 incentive could go towards activities like registering with a local sporting team, signing up for art classes or having coffee with new friends.

We want to reduce the level of social isolation experienced by new teachers who have moved to the country and improve retention by encouraging them to build a sense of belonging in their communities, she said.

Eligible teachers can already access up to $40,000 on top of their base salary, plus an additional $20,000 recruitment bonus, under a rural and remote incentives scheme used by 1700 teachers in 2022.
Tennessee Crisis Pregnancy Centers Could Get $100 Million in State Funding

Civility is not a weakness, by the way, it is a strength, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said after at least one audience member interrupted him at the State of the State address Monday at the state capitol in Nashville.

The governor, going off script amid the heckling, was in the process of announcing a major injection of grant money into crisis pregnancy centers. This follows the states enacting of one of the nations strictest abortion laws following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lee said the $100 million grant program would be directed toward nonprofit centers with a focus on serving mothers, fathers, and families during a crisis pregnancy.

He added that 2022s budget funded ultrasound machines for crisis pregnancy clinics across Tennessee. There are currently 60 such centers across the state, according to The Crisis Pregnancy Center Map.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers

The latest report (pdf) on pregnancy centers in Tennessee from the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) reveals the state clinics provided more than $5.2 million in services and materials to over 65,000 men, women, children, and families.

The institute studies the impact of such centers around the nation. CLI says its research reveals that a majority of Americans consider pregnancy centers a valuable community resource.

Pregnancy centers exist to serve and support mothers in the courageous decision to give their children life, even under the most difficult circumstances, said Chuck Donovan, president of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of Susan B. Anthony List. All Americans benefit from these resources in communities everywhere across our national landscape.

Democratic lawmakers in the state have been vocal in opposition to the states strict abortion laws and the governors latest proposal.

Pro-choice slogans left by a vandal on Loreto House, a crisis pregnancy center in Denton, Texas, on May 7, 2022. (Courtesy of Loreto House)

Lees comments sparked ire from Democratic lawmakers, who argued the governor was ignoring the concerns of women who no longer have access to abortion services in Tennessee.

Its embarrassing that Gov. Bill Lee made a smart aleck comment during the State of the State directed at women upset that they no longer are considered equal in this state, state Democrat Rep. Gloria Johnson posted on Twitter. Dissent is not incivility.

Critics of the crisis pregnancy centers have labeled them as facilities that represent themselves as legitimate reproductive health care clinics providing care for pregnant people but actually aim to dissuade people from accessing certain types of reproductive health care, including abortion care and even contraceptive options.

Other Initiatives to Support Strong Families

Lee said the Roe overturn was a significant shift in the country when it comes to protecting the lives of the unborn.

He added that Tennesseans have an opportunity and a moral obligation to support strong Tennessee families.

The Governors Office of Faith-Based Initiatives can engage with nonprofits and community organizations. Lee said its time to equip those nonprofits with the resources needed to play a bigger role in serving children and families.

Pro-life is much more than defending the lives of the unborn, he said. This is not a matter of politics. This is about human dignity. We can have a healthy debate about the policy specifics, but we can also agree that America is rooted in a commitment to human dignity.

The governor proposed other social spending measures for new parents through the states Medicaid program, TennCare, and expanding paid family leave for state employees.

Tennessee received a waiver for its Medicaid TennCare program, the only such waiver in the nation, which allowed the state more flexibility in spending.

Lee said the waiver, which was approved in the final days of the Trump administration, allows the state to receive a block grant and set an amount of funding instead of the federal government paying two-thirds of the costs of TennCare. This also allows more flexibility in spending.

Our waiver actually rewards a state for efficient, responsible management of taxpayer resources by awarding additional federal fundsknown as shared savingsto serve the most vulnerable, he said. Ive said all along, we would only move forward with this waiver if it was a good deal for Tennesseans. Tonight, I can share that we have claimed the first returns from this program, and not only did we get a good deal, we got a great deal.

Lee said in the first year of the program, in 2022, the state received more than $300 million in shared savings from the prior system at no additional burden to Tennessee taxpayers.

Among new programs funded by those savings, in terms of TennCare, Lee wants to strengthen postpartum coverage, provide services to over 5,000 more mothers, close the coverage gap for parents, and reach an additional 10,000 children.

Lee said changes would expand the program to a total of 25,000 more women, children, and parents in need.

With savings in years to come, Lee said the state has the opportunity to expand more services, reach more families in need, and improve rural health care access across our state.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of the State address in the House Chamber of the Capitol building in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 31, 2022. (Mark Zaleski/AP)

Additional funding will also go to the Department of Childrens Services, which has recently had leadership changes following poor report cards from a state audit showing that children were often left sleeping in state office buildings while foster families were found.

Commonsense paid parental leave is another proposal the governor touted Monday night, stating he wanted to expand the program for state employees.

Lee said the proposal is not wide-reaching in that it is not a mandate on businesses, stating business owners should make the choices in the best interest of their employees.

One way we can support and strengthen families is by making it possible for parents to be there, worry-free, for every second of those first months of life, he said. If we can strengthen the bond between parents and children from the very first moments, we will have truly done something important.

He also proposed asking the federal government to pay for the cost of diapers for Medicaid recipients in the state for the first two years of the childs life.

If approved, Tennessee will be the first Medicaid program in the nation to implement this kind of support. Thats pro-life. Thats pro-family, Lee said.
Quake Survivors in Turkeys Adana Hold Out Hope for Missing Loved Ones

Women hug each other near the collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey., on Feb. 7, 2023. (Burak Kara/Getty Images)

ADANA, TurkeyOne day after southern Turkey was rocked by two major earthquakes, residents of the countrys Adana Province are struggling to come to grips with the devastationand holding out hope that lost loved ones may still be found.

Six of my family members are still missing, said Davut Karaagac, who rushed to Adana from Istanbul immediately after the first earthquake.

Over the past 48 hours, weve helped rescue workers pull several people from under the rubble, Karaagac, 57, told The Epoch Times. But none of them were my family members.

The first earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude, struck in the early hours of Feb. 6, leveling buildings and killing thousands of people across 10 provinces.

Nine hours later, the same region was struck by a 7.6-magnitude quake that compounded the destruction.

We were here when the second earthquake struck, Karaagac said. High-rise buildings were swinging back and forth. There was smoke and dust everywhere.

Davut Karaagac, a local resident, waits for news of six missing relatives the day after two earthquakes struck in Adana province, Turkey, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Ercan Koc for The Epoch Times)

In the hours after the second quake, Karaagac says he helped pull 17 people from the rubble of collapsed buildings.

But of these, he said, only two of them were alive.

Mehmet Turacci, a 33-year-old Adana resident who witnessed the back-to-back quakes, described the experienceand its aftermathas terrifying.

Ive seen people being pulled from the rubble, both dead and alive, he told The Epoch Times. Under such traumatic circumstances, its really hard to keep calm and maintain your composure.

Still, Im doing everything that I can to help rescue efforts and distribute food to survivors, he said.

Local residents look on as a crane sifts through the rubble of an eight-floor building that collapsed after the second of two earthquakes in Adana province, Turkey, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Ercan Koc for The Epoch Times)

As of the evening of Feb. 7, the official death toll in Turkey stood at 5,894, with another 34,810 injured. An estimated 5,775 buildings have reportedly collapsed entirely as a result of the two main earthquakes and more than 430 aftershocks.

Across the border in Syria, meanwhile, the twin quakes caused widespread devastation in the northern provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Raqqa. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, more than 1,900 people have been killed and thousands more injured.

The epicenter of both earthquakes was in Turkeys Kahramanmaras Province. But they also caused extensive damage in the southern provinces of Adana, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis.

On Feb. 7, the Turkish government declared an official state of emergency in all 10 affected provinces.

Turkeys Adana Province, home to the U.S. militarys Incirlik Air Base, is located roughly 250 miles southeast of the capital Ankara.

Although it was one of the least affected provinces, scores of Adana residents were killed by the quakes, local authorities say, while several buildings were reduced to rubble.

According to local press reports, thousands of survivors have been successfully extracted from beneath the debris of collapsed buildings. But with nighttime temperatures falling below freezing, the chances of survival appear increasingly slim.

A rescue team searches for a mother and daughter trapped under the rubble of a 14-floor building that collapsed following the first of two earthquakes in Adana province, Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Ercan Koc for The Epoch Times)

Nevertheless, search-and-rescue teamsand a host of local volunteerscontinue to sift through the wreckage in hopes of finding survivors in Adana and other affected areas.

It could be me trapped under the rubble, said one volunteer rescue worker and Adana resident, a technician by trade who preferred not to give his name.

Im still hopeful that we will find more people alive, he told The Epoch Times.

We can still hear sounds coming from under the debris. Whenever this happens, we stop all our machinery and try to hone in on the source of the noise.

We believe there still may be as many as 30 people trapped underneath.

Salih Oral, who owns an upscale restaurant in downtown Adana, has kept his restaurant open around the clock to provide food and shelter to local residents who have been rendered homeless by the earthquakes.

Since the first earthquake struck, weve been providing food, soup, and hot drinks to survivors, some of whom have nowhere else to go, Oral, 40, told The Epoch Times. Some of them have even been sleeping here.

According to our religion, Islam, anyone who is in needor who doesnt have a homeshould be helped, he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the series of earthquakes as one of the biggest natural disasters to hit Turkey within the past century.

A man removes a quilt from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images)

In 1939, an earthquake in Turkeys central Erzincan Province killed more than 32,000 people. Six decades later, the northwestern Izmit Province was rocked by a 7.6-magnitude quake that left more than 17,000 people dead.

Meanwhile, residents of the region, which sits on a major fault line, remain fearful of renewed seismic activity.

Shortly after midnight local time on Feb. 8, another powerful tremormeasuring magnitude 4.9rattled the province of Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the initial two quakes.
Nine miracle Chinese words changed his destiny

In the prime of his youth, a 21-year-old music major, Joseph Ma, was suddenly admitted to a Guangxi hospital due to lobar pneumonia, a severe lung infection that fills the air sacs with pus and other liquid. The damage to both his lungs made it difficult for him to breathe.

Amid excruciating pain, nine miracle Chinese words pulled him back from the brink of death and forever changed his life. He made it through the severe ailment without medication.

Serious Condition

In 2008, Ma suddenly experienced severe coughing and persistent high fever. He was later admitted to the hospital and was told that he had lobar pneumonia, a lung disease with a high mortality rate.

The doctor said over 75 percent of his lungs had become suppurated and necrotic based on his x-ray scans, which was what resulted in his difficulty breathing.

At first, I kept coughing and had a high fever of 39 to 40 degrees Celsius, which lasted for almost a week. My family sent me to the hospital. After seeing my condition, the doctor was shocked and said, it was too late. And that the condition was too serious, Ma said.

When I was lying on the hospital bed, I felt extremely ill. I felt severe pain with every breath I took. I couldnt breathe in at all, and the pain was so painful that I had to spit out my breath, he said.

At that time, the hospital had no prescription to treat him, so they only gave him a glucose drip. The doctor also told his family that there wasnt any more they could do to help and whether he lives will depend on his own willpower to survive.

The feeling of hopelessness grew stronger every second as Ma continued to experience excruciating pain and difficulty breathing.

Just as he felt every second was on the verge of life and death, Mas girlfriend and her mother came to visit.

In a genuinely heartfelt tone, they asked him to recite the nine-word mantra, Falun Dafa is good, truthfulness-compassion-forbearance is good.

Amid hopelessness, Ma was willing to give it a try, but he was afraid to recite those words out loud as he knew that Falun Gong had been slandered and persecuted in China.

[However], my girlfriend told me not to be afraid but to recite [those words] silently in my heart, Ma said.

Like many others in communist China, Ma was brought up as an atheist who regarded all unscientific things as superstitions.

However, he decided to recite the nine-word mantra as nothing else could help him.

I was miserable at the time. It was like treating a dead horse as if its still alive, Ma said. I just believed her words, like grasping at straws, and I kept reciting these nine words in my heart.

Miracle

A few hours later, at about 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, a miracle happened.

I felt an electric shock go through my entire body. Golden snowflakes appeared in front of my eyes. I felt a battle was being fought inside my body, like armies of good versus evil, and I felt a tingling sensation. That feeling lasted for a few minutes. And immediately after that, everything went silent. My body felt refreshed, and for the first time in a while, I felt comfortable, Ma described.

He then felt a warm current go through his entire body as he began recovering and felt increasingly more comfortable. By sunrise, he was able to get out of bed and go to the bathroom by himself.

That same day, he started spitting up thick, rust-colored phlegm.

At that time, I was vomiting [phlegm] bowl after bowl. After the vomiting stopped, my body felt much better, and I recovered after a week, Ma said.

The doctor thought it was incredible but warned him that there might be sequelae. Symptoms of coughing would likely occur as the weather changes, the doctor suggested.

He asked Ma to return to the hospital for a review in a month.

A Healed Body

A month later, Ma went to the hospital for a re-examination.

The doctor couldnt believe his eyes when he saw the new x-ray scans. He double-checked Mas medical records.

Is this you? Why is there no shadow on your lungs? And no scars? the doctor said. Most people will have sequelae, the doctor added, referring to the expected aftereffects of the disease.

Mas x-ray films showed his lungs were translucent and in a healthy state that even he was surprised. In the days that followed, he experienced no relapse or sequelae from the disease. He felt free of illness.

This miraculous experience changed Ma.

By simply reciting the nine-word mantra Falun Dafa is good and truthfulness-compassion-forbearance is good brought me back to life; even if I didnt believe it, its incredible! Ma said.

I found my mind opened up. There are too many mysteries in this universe that science has not discovered. Such as multidimensional space and multiple time dimensions.

There are too many things out there that exist, but we just dont know them yet. The science we know is too limited. We should open our minds and quit limiting ourselves!

Mas miraculous experience led him to begin understanding Falun Dafa.

Also known as Falun Gong, Falun Dafa is an ancient Chinese spiritual practice consisting of qigong exercises and moral teachings that promote living life according to the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime launched a brutal campaign to eliminate the practice in July 1999 due to its growing popularity, which had attracted 70 million to 100 million adherents in Chinamore than the number of CCP members.

Falun Gong practitioners meditating in public in Guangzhou in 1998 before the Chinese Communist Party banned the spiritual group in 1999. Such sessions remain forbidden. (Minghui.org)

Changed Person

But after reading Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Gong, things changed for Ma. After recovering from his severe illness, Ma embarked on the path of spiritual cultivation. He also quit smoking and drinking.

By following Falun Gongs principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, Mas personality has undergone tremendous changes.

In the past, I had a bad temper and a poor personality. After practicing Falun Gong, everything changed. My interactions with my family and neighbors have become very harmonious. People who knew me said I had changed for the better, Ma said.

He advised those who have doubts about Falun Gong to read Zhuan Falun for themselves and not listen to the Chinese regimes propaganda.

Traditional Chinese and English versions of Zhuan Falun. (Faluninfo.net)

Musical Journey

In 2016, Ma applied to the Berklee College of Music, one of the worlds top music colleges based in Boston, Massachusetts, a prestigious music school that Ma had dreamed of entering.

During the interview process, Ma caught the interviewers attention with a self-created symphony. And he was successfully admitted after two rounds of interviews.

In his academic tenure, Ma earned a place on the Deans list four times and received the Berklee Achievement-Based Scholarship. He graduated at the end of 2019 with a Bachelor of Music in film and media scoring.

After graduation, he composed the soundtrack and theme song for the movie Silver Screen Dreams. In 2022, he won the Best Composer Award at the American Golden Picture International Film Festival.

Ma is currently engaged in music creation and post-production work in a U.S.-based media company. His work includes orchestration, mixing, and many more.

Joseph Ma now engages in music creation and post-production work. (Courtesy of Joseph Ma)

Ma said practicing Falun Gong has inspired his music creations.

Inspiration is the life of the artist and the source of art. It will be difficult for your artistic career to develop if your inspiration runs dry. Falun Dafa has opened up my wisdom, and sometimes I hear music from other dimensions. Sometimes, music comes to my mind even when Im only sitting here, Ma said.

My master told us that a practitioners inspiration comes from the wisdom of Dafa. Therefore, when a beautiful melody, or even the melody of the entire symphony, appears in my mind, I will quickly record it. I dont have to worry about inspiration running dry at all.

Music That Can Heal Your Mind and Body

Ma said that in ancient China, music was a form of medicine, and one of its earliest purposes was healing ones mind and body. He used Japanese businessman and scholar Masaru Emotos research results on the crystallization of water as an example.

In 2004, Masaru Emoto published The Hidden Messages in Water, and his book quickly became a bestseller. In his experiment, Emoto exposed distilled water to various sounds, including classical music and heavy metal rock. The water that had experienced the vibrations of Mozarts Jupiter symphony produced ornate, geometrically perfect crystals. By contrast, water that experienced heavy metal music crystallized in distorted shapes. Emoto concluded that the hexagonal crystals he saw represented the life force of Mother Nature.

Human beings, being largely composed of water, must similarly react to different types of sound, Emoto thought, and so went on to treat clinically ill patients with water that he had treated with vibrational information.

A note with the words You are really nauseating and disgusting. Ill kill you! were put on the container of the water that formed this crystal. (Courtesy of Dr. Masuru Emoto)

A note with the words love and thank you was put on the container of the water that formed this crystal. (Courtesy of Dr. Masuru Emoto)

Ma said Emotos experiment shows positive vibrational stimuli, such as classical music, can positively affect the human body and even provide healing, in contrast to negative vibrational stimuli in many modern genres of music.

He pointed to classical music, such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn during the classical period and Bachs music during the Baroque period, as being beneficial to peoples minds and bodies.

The Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. (Courtesy of Shen Yun Performing Arts)

Shen Yun

He especially recommends Shen Yun Performing Arts to the readers.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company, and since its inception in 2006 has become a global phenomenon. Using the universal language of music and dance, it seeks to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and show audiences the beauty of China before communism.

Shen Yun has moved audiences all over the world with its art of virtue, kindness, and beauty. Many audiences said the music comes from heaven and experienced healing of their minds and bodies after watching Shen Yun. Every time I listen to Shen Yuns musical performance, I feel great compassion that reaches the bottom of my heart. The same is true for Shen Yuns Symphony Orchestra, Ma said.

He also recommends Shen Yuns online audio-visual platform to readersShen Yun Creations, where one can enjoy some of Shen Yuns songs, dances, and musicals on their digital devices.

Shen Yun Performing Arts World Companys curtain call at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya, Japan, on the afternoon of Jan. 29, 2023. (Fujino Takeshi/The Epoch Times)
The Russia Collusion Delusion Resurfaces

The New York Times newspaper in New York in this file photo. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Commentary

As the world continues to wonder why the president of the United States allowed a floating Chinese spy dirigible to traverse the entire continent, pausing here and there over ICBM sites, another sort of gaseous eructation has resurfaced to claim our attention.

I mean the Russia Collusion Delusion.

You remember the RCD: the expensive, multi-year malignant fantasy that was foisted upon a credulous public by a loose-knit confederation of operatives for Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and various anti-Trump outposts in the media and deep-state bureaucracy.

I thought we had finally said goodbye to that enormity, but no. Two recent interventions remind us that lies mean never having to say youre sorry.

One piece, which ran in our countrys former paper of record in late January, was an exercise in historical revisionism, blustering self-exoneration, and a steely-eyed bid for absolution without contrition.

As Mary McCarthy said of Lillian Hellman, every word of it is dishonest, including and and the.

As J. Peder Zane shows in a devastating piece for RealClearPolitics, How Barrs Quest to Find Flaws in the Russia Inquiry Unraveled is a mendacious effort to rewrite the history of The New York Times coverage of the baseless inquiry into Donald Trumps possible ties to or collusion with Russia.

One strategy is to deploy carefully craftedread obfuscatorylanguage to seemingly address inconvenient facts while minimizing them.

For example, the NY Times tells readers that John Durham, the prosecutor charged with investigating various actors, from the FBI and elsewhere, who were involved in the spurious effort to get Trump set out to pursue the theory that the Clinton campaign conspired to frame Mr. Trump. What they left out was the inconvenient truth that this theory is now an established fact.

What started the delusion?

Why, the infamous dossier fabricated by disgraced former intelligence operative Christopher Steele.

It was concocted out of whole cloth using fabric furnished by Igor Danchenko, a Russian living in the United States who was employed by the Brookings Institution, a left-leaning, anti-Trump think tank.

The NY Times, like every other organ of the regime media, was all over the story.

Eventually, Danchenko admitted that he hadnt verified any of the scurrilous gossip about Trump.

One source reported (pdf) that he simply asked for any thought, rumor, allegation.

But in its long, revisionist review of the story, the NY Times, Zane notes, ignores this history in its Jan. 26 article, blandly describing the dossier as a dubious source.

A more accurate description would be a thoroughly discredited pack of lies concocted as an opposition hit piece and gleefully circulated by emunctory media outlets like The New York Times.

If that seems hyperbolic, read on to the other piece that Zane considers in his essay: the long, meticulously researched essay that Jeff Gerth published on Jan. 30 in the Columbia Journalism Review.

Titled The Press Versus the President, this multipart fusillade looks back over the medias concerted effort to weaponize the Russia collusion hoax to take down the Trump presidency.

The NY Times, as Gerth writes, crowed about its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage.

But practically everything it reported turned out to be wrong.

Outside of the Times own bubble, he observes, the damage to the credibility of the Times and its peers persists, three years on, and is likely to take on new energy as the nation faces yet another election season animated by antagonism toward the press.

Indeed, public trust in the media has plummeted in the wake of the Trump presidency.

Its true that Trump and his supporters fed the flames of the media war, but the war was started and escalated by the media and its yeomen in the deep-state bureaucracy.

Gerths long, melancholy anatomy of the medias war with Trump is a masterpiece of sober understatement.

His main conclusion, and one that anyone who cares about the future of our democratic republic must take very seriously, is that journalisms primary missions, informing the public and holding powerful interests accountable, have been undermined by the erosion of journalistic norms and the medias own lack of transparency about its work.

That, alas, is putting it mildly.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The US Marines in Japan: Stiffening Island Defenses

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers fly from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, for a mission, with an escort of a pair of Japan Self-Defense Forces F-15 fighter jets and U.S. Marines' F-35B fighter jets in the vicinity of Kyushu, Japan, in this photo released by Air Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan on Aug. 31, 2017. (Air Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan/Reuters)

Commentary

The U.S. Marines, particularly its presence on Okinawa, has often seemed the bellwether of the Japan-U.S. defense relationship. And its usually been problematic. But recently, there was good news involving the Marines.

At the 2+2 Meeting of top Japanese and American defense and foreign affairs officials in Washington on Jan. 11, it was agreed that the 12th Marine Regiment will remain on Okinawa and be converted into the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) by 2025.

Littoral? Thats a unit capable of deploying small detachments of Marines to austere, remote islands from which they conduct surveillance and launch anti-ship missiles at enemy ships. In this case, Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships. The Marines will also have some anti-air capability.

One thought the Marines already knew how to do this sort of thing. The Marine Corps hymn mentions fighting in every clime and place. But thats a question for another day.

According to The Washington Post, unnamed U.S. officials described the MLR deal as one of the most significant advances in U.S. force posture in the region in at least a decade.

It isnt. But it is useful and it is important.

Heres why:

Operational Benefits

It appears the MLR will deploy throughout the Nansei Shoto. Also known as the Ryukyus, this is the chain of islands extending from KyushuJapans southernmost main islandand almost to Taiwan. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) has positioned intelligence, missile, and anti-aircraft units along the chain in recent years, and plans to add more. The Marines add additional surveillance resources and firepoweras well as troops to help deal with enemy raiders.

Taiwanese Air Force F-16 fighter jet flies alongside a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) H-6K bomber in the western Pacific, one of the Chinese military aircraft that reportedly flew over Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait near Japans Okinawa island chain on the morning of May 11, 2018. (Taiwan ROC Air Force)

So Chinese ships and aircraft coming within range of both U.S. and Japanese missile batteries on the Nansei Shoto will need to tread carefullyboth in peacetime and wartime. Think of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) putting something like an MLR on a series of islands; say, like the Chinese have done on man-made islands in the South China Sea.

The U.S. Navy and Air Force will either avoid the areaor else have to eliminate the threat.

Does the MLR Deployment Deter China From Attacking Taiwan?

No. But from Yonaguni, the westernmost Nansei Shoto island, it is only 60 miles from Taiwan. Marine (and Japanese) missiles can reach northern Taiwan and nearby waters. This threatens the northern flank of a Chinese invasion force. Indeed, a well-defended Nansei Shoto barrier severely restricts the PLAs broader movements by the northern wing of an assault force.

However, the MLRs existing and soon-to-be-acquired missiles are relatively short-range (100-plus miles). Longer-range weapons would increase MLR (and GSDF) effectiveness.

Also, keep in mind that the Nansei Shoto barrierand any MLR unitscan be outflanked or leapfrogged, or penetrated by brute force. They are just one part of a more complex defense problem.

Finally, Becoming Real Partners

The Marines training and operating throughout the Nansei Shoto is a first. Until now, the Marines have mostly been confined to the main island of Okinawa. Training areas are limited and there are severe limits on the kinds of training that can be done. This is in part to avoid provoking a well-oiled protest crowdsome of it looking for central government cash, some of it unhinged leftists (many from elsewhere), some of it egged on by China, and some of it principled opposition.

Aerial file photo shows U.S. Marine Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa, southern Japan on Jan. 27, 2018. (Kyodo News via AP)

The expanded training and exercise opportunities are essential for maintaining warfighting skills. They also allow the Marines to operate where they likely will have to fight. And fighting on familiar terrain is always an advantage. This is all moving in the right directionaway from the restrictions that have effectively required the Marines to leave Japan to train in order to defend Japan.

But theres more benefit. The MLR and its deployed units will need to operate closely with the GSDFand probably with the Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces. Progress has been made in recent years, but more needs to be done.

And theres the psychological benefit that comes from both sides carrying out a common mission together. You increasingly see the other guys as useful partners and equals.

And perhaps the MLR effort will serve as a catalyst for making the entire Nansei Shoto defense a combined effort between all Japanese and U.S. services (not just the Marines and GSDF)to include a standing joint headquarters overseeing operations. The more the Americans and Japanese are a single force, the more effective theyll be in a fight against the Chinese regime. Beijing hates it when its self-declared adversaries link up to resist.

Theres also a national-level political angle to the Japanese government granting approval for the revamped 12th Marines to stay on Okinawa and operate more widely. Until recently, Tokyo would have rejected such a request. But these days, it appears Japans rulers are more afraid of the Chinese than of domestic criticsof whom there are fewer than ever.

More Than the MLR

While the MLR announcement got the main coverage, the official 2+2 statement includes more importance than the MLR. These statements usually read like Hallmark Greeting cards. However, this one is different. It mentions specifics and lays out existing shortcomings in defense capabilitiesparticularly in the bilateral command and control areas, where there is nearly no capability. And it calls for correcting them.

In other words, an effective bilateral defense between the Japanese and the Americans is now conceivable. A few years ago, the handwringing from the Japanese side and the timidity and/or lack of interest on the U.S. side would have made this impossible.

Now, all it takes is some will and some imagination. And it seems there are a few people around who have both.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Through Military-Civil Fusion, China Allies With Russia on Ukraine War

Understanding China's thinking on military tech is key to understanding its friendship with Russia

Emergency workers clear rubble after a Russian rocket hit a multistory building, leaving many people under debris in the southeastern city of Dnipro, Ukraine, on Jan. 14, 2023. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo)

News Analysis

The Russian government recently claimed that NATOs entire satellite network and military infrastructure are supporting Ukraine in the ongoing war. At the same time, as the anniversary of the RussiaUkraine war approaches, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is said to be planning a visit to Moscow, signaling closer ties between the two countries.

On Feb. 1, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, We see how NATOs entire military infrastructure is working against Russia. Moscow believes all of NATOs military infrastructure, even satellites, is supporting Ukraine day and night, he said, adding that these operations create very peculiar, hostile conditions for Russia.

Now that the RussiaUkraine war is in its 11th month, space capabilities are playing a central role as never before. The collective satellite capabilities of NATO members provide considerable advantages to the Ukrainian military and supporting armed forces, including rapid provision of targeting data for missile and artillery strikes. These strikes have caused significant damage to the Russian military, and as the United States begins to provide long-range missiles, they could become even more dangerous.

Xis State Visit Signals Closer Ties

Concurrently, China and Russia are strengthening their collaboration as the anniversary of the RussiaUkraine war nears.

On Jan. 30, Russias Foreign Ministry announced that Xi Jinping will visit Moscow this spring. The upcoming state visit will be the top priority of bilateral relations in 2023, the Foreign Ministry said.

U.S.-based China affairs expert Lan Shu told The Epoch Times he believes there could be two reasons for Xis visit to Russia at this time.

First, the CCP may be trying to increase its bargaining power during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinkens upcoming visit to China.

That visit was indefinitely postponed just hours before Blinkens scheduled departure for Beijing on Feb. 5, due to an intrusion into U.S. airspace by a Chinese spy balloon. The CCP has acknowledged that the balloon belonged to China.

Second, Xi may wish to make a public statement to the world in support of Russia.

Lan suggested that after a year of the RussiaUkraine war, China may be taking a more open and hawkish stance against the West in its move to align itself with Putins Russia.

CCP-backed Enterprise Supports Russian Military

On Jan. 26, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Chinese satellite manufacturer Spacety China for providing assistance to the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The Wagner Group, which has recently been designated by the United States as a transnational criminal organization, has provided tens of thousands of mercenaries to the Russian military in the RussiaUkraine war.

An independent investigation conducted by The Epoch Times revealed that Spacety China, an ostensibly private company, has deep ties to the CCPs military. It is part of communist Chinas military-industrial complex.

The small satellite manufacturer, also known as Tianyi Research Institute, has offices in Beijing and Luxembourg. According to a U.S. Treasury Department statement, Spacety China provided Russian technology company Terra Tech with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images of Ukraine. The images were collected to enable the Wagner Group to conduct combat operations in Ukraine.

Spacety Chinas website shows that it has deep ties to a number of the CCPs military-industrial enterprises. The companys major business partners include the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), which is the major research and development institution for the CCP militarys missiles. Other business partners of Spacety China include the CCPs defense contractors in space and satellite technologies, as well as several major universities directly linked to the CCPs military research projects.

Spacety China: the CCPs Trojan Horse

Lan Shu stressed that the CCPs approach to civil-military integration (CMI) is totally different from that of Western countries.

In Western countries, CMI is generally a way for defense and civilian industries to work together to develop technologies. Advancements in military technology can be transferred to civilian use, meeting both defense and commercial needs. Conversely, technology advances in the commercial sphere benefit the military, and may be aimed to fulfill specific goals as the military makes known its needs.

This is seen in the United States, as the U.S. military has forged closer ties to the private sector, acknowledging that much of todays breakthrough technology is coming from commercial sources.

China, on the other hand, lacks the level of technology and personnel to meet the CCPs defense goals. Therefore, the CCP has created its own version of CMI, which it calls military-civil fusion.

The CCP aims to use military-civil fusion to build the most technologically advanced military in the world. However, according to the U.S. State Department, The CCP is implementing this strategy, not just through its own research and development efforts, but also by acquiring and diverting the worlds cutting-edge technologiesincluding through theft in order to achieve military dominance. (pdf)

The CCPs military-civil fusion involves partnerships between Chinese tech companies and academic research institutions and Western universities and research institutes, with the goal of stealing technology wanted by the CCP. Those technologies are then transferred to the CCPs military.

Connecting the Dots

Like Spacety China, Russias Wagner Group operates under the guise of a private company. However, its management and operations are closely tied to the Russian military and intelligence community. It has about 50,000 troops in Ukraine.

Chinas private tech companies function similarly. These companies may look like private enterprises, but they do not mirror U.S. military-industrial corporations such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon. Instead, the CCP uses them as Trojan horses to infiltrate and steal critical military technologies from the West.

Understanding Chinese thinking on military-civil fusion, and examining the ties between Spacety China and the CCP military, and between Wagner Group and Putins military, it is easy to connect the dots: the Chinese regime is in fact directly supporting Russia in the ongoing RussiaUkraine war.
Twitter to Change Showing Blood Rule After Senators Account Suspended for Hunting Photo

Twitter owner Elon Musk said the platform will be amending its rule about showing blood after the account of Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) was suspended due to a hunting photo he used as his profile picture.

Daines, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), was locked out of his account for hours after he uploaded a new profile picture, which shows him and his wife, Cindy, posing with a dead Montana antelope. Twitter flagged the image as a violation of the sites standards against graphic violence or adult content in profile images.

This is insane. Twitter should immediately reverse this suspension, NRSC spokesman Philip Letsou said in a statement.

The Senator thinks its preposterous that a picture of him and his wife huntingan activity that is engrained in the Montana way of lifewould be against Twitter rules, a spokesperson for Daines said.

Dainess Republican colleagues also rallied behind him with the hashtag #FreeSteveDaines. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) described the suspension as Twitter jail.

Ridiculous. My friend Steve Daines is in Twitter jail for posting this pic with his wife Cindy, Cruz wrote. If you dont like hunting, fine, dont go. But dont censor others who disagree.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) called on Musk to lift Dainess suspension.

It looks like you need to hire some new people and fire some bad employees who are trying to undermine you. I know this isnt the kind of Twitter you want, Lee wrote in a post referring to Musk.

Elon Musk Responds

Dainess account returned to normal on Tuesday afternoon, with Musk saying that said the issue was being fixed.

The billionaire also promised to relax Twitters rule regarding graphic profile images.

Policy against showing blood in profile pic is being amended to clearly showing blood without clicking on the profile pic,' he wrote. The intent is to avoid people being forced to see gruesome profile pics.

Going forward, Twitter will be broadly accepting of different values, rather than trying to impose its own specific values on the world.

In a statement initially sent to Dainess office, a Twitter representative said that the rule against profile pictures showing dead animals or blood exists because there is a technical limitation.

We dont allow images of dead animals or blood in profile photos because we are unable to label them as NSFW (not safe for work) and keep them from being seen by users who specifically dont want to see graphic images, including minors, the message read.

Since last December, Musk has been releasing internal records and conversations that took place within Twitters previous leadership to a group of independent journalists, who went through them and publicized their findings in the form of Twitter threads. Those threads, dubbed Twitter Files, exposed behind-the-scene details of Twitters censorship moves, including the decision to suppress the reach of a story about Hunter Bidens lost laptop in the weeks ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Two Teen Girls Denied Bail in Fatal Toronto Swarming Attack

Bail granted amid calls for judicial reform

Police have identified the Toronto man allegedly stabbed to death by a group of teenage girls as 59-year-old Ken Lee. (The Canadian Press/HO-Toronto Police Service)

A judge has denied bail for two of the eight teenage girls charged with second-degree murder involving the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto in a swarming attack. Four of the other girls have already been released on bail and two are awaiting bail hearings later this week.

Justice Maria Sirivar had reserved her decision following the two girls bail hearings last month, but announced her decision to deny bail on Tuesday.

A pre-trial publication ban is in place on any evidence described during the hearings to protect the integrity of a prospective jury pool. The names of the accused minors cannot be published under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).

The denial of bail comes amid national calls for bail reformcalls to limit the ease with which bail is granted. Some have also called for reforms to the YCJA in reaction to the attack, saying the names of the alleged perpetrators should be released in this, and similarly serious, cases.

Judicial Reform

Criminal defence lawyer and commentator Ari Goldkind told the Epoch Times that many are concerned about a lack of consequences for young offenders. For 16 and 17 year olds who commit murder, that requires some thought and intention, Goldkind said via email.

To know there are minimal real consequences for those actions, and [they will have] anonymity for the rest of their livesso that any person sitting next to them in class or at work, any future employer or partner will never know that person has killed or stabbed somebodythat is at least a conversation we should be having. Even if the current policy is the right one, he said.

Eric Shum, brother-in-law of victim Ken Lee, published a letter he wrote to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and other officials calling for changes to the YCJA. He commended Ford for joining other Canadian premiers in asking the federal government to make bail reforms.

I hope that you will also support changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, Shum said.

Why do we need to protect their privacy? Shum asked, regarding the accused girls. Society needs to know who these perpetrators are; especially if they are attending school. As a parent, I would want to know if a perpetrator was in my childs school or my childs class.

The suspects who have been released are under various bail conditions. The first girl to receive bail is allowed to leave her home only to go to school, according to Reuters. The other girls face various conditions, including limited use of the Internet and a prohibition against contacting the other accused. The fourth girl to receive bail, on Jan. 31, is not allowed to leave her home.

Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid is among those calling for bail reform. He told The Epoch Times that, in general, Toronto police dont have the manpower to enforce bail conditions.

We dont really have the robust system in place as we used to, to follow up on these individuals to make sure that they are actuallyas an example, if theyre under house arrest, making sure they are at their house, he said.

Moved to Open Detention Facilities

The two girls who were denied bail on Tuesday have been moved from secure facilities to open facilities.

Open detention facilities are generally smaller residences located in the community where youth can have access to staff-supervised programming in the community, according to the website for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

Secure facilities are generally larger sites, which have higher security measures.

The attack occurred on Dec. 18 near York Street and University Avenue. The girls range in age from 13 to 16 and police have said they probably met each other through social media. They allegedly stabbed Lee, a 59-year-old homeless man, who later died of the injuries.

Lees sister, Helen Shum, said in a statement accompanying a fundraising campaign that Lee was experiencing some bad luck and he left home determined to get his life back on track last fall.

We ensured that he knew we were always here for him and were waiting for him to return home. He wanted to resolve his issues independently, and we understood and respected his wishes, she said.

Although the circumstances are not fully understood, we were told he was protecting his friend that was being attacked by these girls, Shum said. Ken was a kind soul. He would help anyone in need, whether a close friend or just an acquaintance.
UK Attorney General Says Sentence for Serial Rapist Police Officer to Be Reviewed as Too Lenient

An undated police mugshot of David Carrick, a serving Metropolitan Police officer who admitted the last of 49 serious sexual offences at Southwark Crown Court in London on Jan. 16, 2023. (Hertfordshire Police)

The Attorney Generals Office has confirmed the prison sentence handed out on Tuesday to serial rapist and former police officer David Carrick will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal.

Carrick, 48, was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 30 years after pleading guilty to 24 counts of rape and 25 other serious sexual offences which were carried out over the space of almost two decades, while he was a serving Metropolitan Police officer.

The offences, against 12 women, occurred between March 2004 and September 2020, but Carrick was only suspended from duty in 2021 and finally sacked by the Met last month.

A spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office said in an email to The Epoch Times, We can confirm we have received multiple requests relating to David Carricks sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme [ULS], the case will of course be considered for referral to the Court of Appeal.

He added: The ULS allows prosecutors, victims of crime and their families, and members of the public to ask for certain crown court sentences to be reviewed by the law officers if they think the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in circumstances of the offence.

A sketch of David Carrick, seen on a video link from Rampton Hospital, at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in London in November 2022. (PA)

The Attorney Generals Office published data in November showing that in the majority of cases referred under the scheme the sentence is increased by the Court of Appeal.

In March 2022 Frankie Smith, the mother of Star Hobsonwho was convicted of causing or allowing her death at the hands of her girlfriend Savannah Brockhillhad her sentence increased from eight to 12 years.

Carrick would be in his late 70s before he was eligible for parole and his lawyer, Alisdair Williamson, KC, told Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday his client accepted the sentence would bring him close to, if not to, the close of his natural life.

Prosecutor Tom Little, KC, said Carrick did not qualify for a whole-life sentence because he had not killed any of his victims and had pleaded guilty.

Wayne Couzens, another former Metropolitan Police officer who served in the same Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command as Carrick, was given a whole-life sentence in 2021 for the abduction, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard, who was tricked into getting into Couzenss car in south London in March 2020, on the pretence that she had broken COVID-19 lockdown rules.

Sentencing Carrick, Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb, told him: You behaved as if you were untouchable. You were bold and at times relentless, trusting that no victim would overcome her shame and fear to report you. For nearly two decades you were proved right.

My Function Is to Impose Appropriate Punishment

In her sentencing remarks (pdf) Cheema-Grubb went on to say: I have to bear in mind that my function is to impose appropriate punishment and when that is served the Parole Board will determine how to protect the public thereafter. Decades will have passed before that time comes.

She said: I conclude that the notional determinate sentence that would provide a just and proportionate punishment is sixty years. To that the guilty plea discount of 20 percent will be applied. It is to your credit that you did not contest a trial. Your decision deserves this recognition because there is no doubt that a court hearing at which evidence is given and challenged provides a particular ordeal for victims.

Cheema-Grubb said a suicide attempt he made while on remand was borne out of self-pity, rather than any remorse.

The full list of charges included 24 counts of rape, nine counts of sexual assault, five counts of assault by penetration, three counts of coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of false imprisonment, two counts of attempted rape, one count of attempted sexual assault by penetration, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and one count of indecent assault.

Carrick, who joined the Met in 2001 and became an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009, admitted the last of the offences last month and was immediately fired from the force, which has already apologised to his victims.

It emerged Carrick came to the attention of the police nine timeswith him being accused of rape, domestic violence, and harassmentbetween 2000 and 2021, before any action was taken by the Met.

A previous hearing heard Carrick had bragged to women about how he was an armed officer who protected VIPs including then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley appearing before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, to answer questions about the David Carrick case, at City Hall in east London, on Jan. 25, 2023. (Yui Mok/PA Media)

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who took over from Dame Cressida Dick last year, is under huge pressure to tackle misogynistic crimes and behaviour within the Metropolitan Police.

Last month Rowley said he planned to write to Home Secretary Suella Braverman and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, at the end of March after reviewing all of our people, having checked their details against all the police, national intelligence data in the police national database.

The National Police Chiefs Council has since written to all police forces in England and Wales, telling them to check all their staff by the end of March.

Finally the Penny Has Dropped

Her Majestys Inspector of Constabulary, Matt Parr, said he believed finally the penny has dropped for police chiefs about the importance of weeding out sex offenders and corrupt elements.

Parr told LBC: In the past Ive described the Met as being defensive, as being complacent. I dont see that now under the new leadership, not just of Mark Rowley but of others in the top team. Policing as a whole realises that this cant go on any longer.

Finally the penny has dropped and police leaders have realised that they have got to take much more interest in who gets in and who stays in, and that standards across the board have got to be raised, added Parr.

PA Media contributed to this report.
UK Banks Including HSBC Complicit in Hong Kong Human Rights Suppression, Lawmakers Find

British banks in Hong Kong, including HSBC, have been complicit in suppressing human rights by proactively supporting Beijings National Security Law, a group of UK lawmakers found in an inquiry.

Numerous instances exist in which banks have denied Hongkongers access to their pensions and other funds, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hong Kong stated in a report published on Feb. 8.

British banks have denied Hongkongers access to their mandatory provident funds by rejecting their British National (Overseas) status, or BN(O) status, as evidence of permanent departure from Hong Kong, the inquiry found.

It means Hongkongers who moved to the UK via the BNO route lost access to their money, making it harder for them to settle down.

The banks also denied Hongkongers access to their bank accounts and pensions, contributing to the suppression of principles set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the report said.

The report said HSBC breached the U.N. Guiding Principles by only recognising that the reference to all applicable laws refers to domestic laws such as the National Security Law, when in fact the principles also refer to applicable international human rights laws.

The lawmakers urged HSBC to at least demonstrate its efforts to respect human rights by seeking advice on how to adhere to international human rights standards.

In light of the ramped-up pressure by Hong Kong authorities and National Security Law, the banks should also be aware of their overarching human rights responsibilities and demonstrate the necessary moral leadership that has so far been lacking, the report said.

The panel urged the UK government to demand that British banks unfreeze the accounts of political targets in the UK and in Hong Kong, challenge the banks to release the assets or disclose property of Hongkongers arrested or charged with an offense under the security law, and condemn British banks that support the draconian law.

As we told the APPG in November 2021, HSBC has an enduring commitment to Hong Kong, its people, and communities. It is where we were founded nearly 160 years ago, the financial services company said in a statement.

Like all banks, we have to obey the law, and the instructions of the regulators, in every territoryincluding Hong Kongin which we operate.

On June 30, 2020, Beijing imposed the wide-ranging and vaguely worded National Security Law, which effectively banned dissent in or outside of Hong Kong. Then-British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the enactment of the law constituted a clear and serious breach of the SinoBritish Joint Declaration.

Undated photo of Ted Hui, former Hong Kong legislator, at a rally in Sydney. (Huang Jiachuan/ The Epoch Times)

The practice of British banks came under scrutiny in 2021 after HSBC froze the accounts of former Hong Kong lawmaker and pro-democracy politician Ted Hui and his family.

A day after Hui announced his asylum application in the UK on Dec. 3, 2020, HSBC froze his bank account along with the accounts of his wife and parents.

After Hui spoke to media outlets about the incidents, the bank briefly released their accounts before refreezing them under the order of Hong Kong police, who accused Hui of money laundering, misappropriating a crowdfund he had raised, and breaking the National Security Law.

Grilled by MPs from the Foreign Affairs Committee select committee in January 2021, Noel Quinn, group chief executive at HSBC, said the bank had to comply with local law and that it was not his position to make a moral or political judgment on these matters.

After launching an inquiry into the banks conduct in September 2021, the Hong Kong APPG received evidence from a range of respondents including individual Hongkongers, human rights organisations, and British banks.

A few days after Chinas rubber-stamp Parliament passed a draft resolution of the national security law in late May 2020, HSBCs Asia-Pacific CEO Peter Wong, who is also a member of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, openly backed the legislation by signing a petition. He also voiced his support for the legislation to Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency and his opposition to then-rumored U.S. sanctions over the law.

Another British bank, Standard Chartered, also openly endorsed the security law.

Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, leaves the Court of Final Appeal by prison van in Hong Kong on Feb. 9, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, said HSBCs complicity in Hong Kongs political crackdown must not be tolerated.

The behaviour of British banks is cruel towards the people who have left Hong Kong and simply want to start a new life. People who have nothing to do with politics are seeing their pensions frozen. This is theft, pure and simple, with banks like HSBC robbing working families who want nothing more than a life of freedom. It should give the lie to anyone who thinks its business as usual in todays Hong Kong, Clifford said in a statement.

The APPGs report exposes the twisted acts of the Hong Kong authorities and the complicity of international financial institutions. There must not be complacency when it comes to doing business with organizations that turn a blind eye to the National Security Law, a vague and sweeping law that poses a threat to freedom in Hong Kong, the UK, and the rest of the world.
UK Government Strategy Has Double Standard When Dealing With Extreme Right and Islamism, Says Independent Review

Report also found funding was being given to groups 'sympathetic with Taliban'

A mural bears the logo of the ISIS terrorist group in the village of Albu Sayf, Iraq, on March 1, 2017. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)

An independent review of the British governments Prevent strategy has found it is not doing enough to counter non-violent Islamist extremism and has a double standard when dealing with the extreme right-wing and Islamism.

The review was ordered by former Home Secretary Priti Patel in 2019 but on Wednesday her successor, Suella Braverman, said the government would be accepting all 34 recommendations in the report.

Braverman described the 188-page review, led by the former Chairman of the Charity Commission, William Shawcross, as superb and unflinching, and she said it showed that the Prevent strategy had been influenced by cultural timidity and institutional hesitancy for fear of being accused of Islamophobia.

The report recommended a series of reforms to the Prevent strategy, which was founded by Tony Blairs Labour government in 2003 in the wake of 9/11, and the Channel panels set up to try and deradicalise vulnerable people.

The Shawcross report (pdf) said, Prevent must return to its overarching objective: to stop individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

It added: Challenging extremist ideology should not be limited to proscribed organisations but should also cover domestic extremists operating below the terrorism threshold who can create an environment conducive to terrorism.

Prevent takes an expansive approach to the extreme right-wing, capturing a variety of influences that, at times, has been so broad it has included mildly controversial or provocative forms of mainstream, right-wing leaning commentary that have no meaningful connection to terrorism or radicalisation.

However, with Islamism, Prevent tends to take a much narrower approach centred around proscribed organisations, ignoring the contribution of non-violent Islamist narratives and networks to terrorism, it added.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman making a statement to MPs in the House of Commons, London, on Dec. 14, 2022. (House of Commons/PA Media)

Braverman responded in Parliament, saying: Prevent has defined the extreme right wing too broadly, encompassing the respectable right and the centre right. The threat from the extreme right-wing must not be minimised. It is serious and it is growing. It must be robustly addressed, but it is not the same, either in nature or scale, as the threat from Islamism.

The report also found fault with the work being done with convicted terrorists, such as Usman Khan, who stabbed to death two volunteers at a prisoner rehabilitation event at the Fishmongers Hall in central London in November 2019.

Shawcross said: I am not satisfied that sufficient precaution is being applied to rehabilitation work. As the murderous Fishmongers Hall attack of 2019 showed, optimism bias can have tragic consequences. Procedures need to be built in that can correct this.

It is vital to avoid complacency around the danger that ideologically driven offenders may continue to pose, and how this can differ from other types of offending. This requires staff to understand the ideology itself, how it manifests, and the risks it can pose, he added.

The report also criticised groups funded by Prevent.

Shawcross said: I was consistently unable to determine how many Prevent-funded civil society organisations (CSOs) and community projects are achieving impact. I found there were inadequate mechanisms to evaluate individual projects. Funding too often goes towards generic projects dealing with community cohesion and hate crime, and few CSOs could be seen publicly to contest extremist discourse.

Prevent Money Supporting Groups Sympathetic to the Taliban

He added: Of particular concern, I discovered that some CSOs have promoted extremist narratives, including statements that appear sympathetic to the Taliban. As a core principle, the government must cease to engage with or fund those aligned with extremism.

Shawcross said: I was disturbed by the prevalence of antisemitism within the Channel cases I observed. Individuals discussed at Channel panels tended to harbour violent and fanatical beliefs about Jews, often expressing an intent to kill, assault or blow-up members of the Jewish community.

Prevent must better understand and tackle antisemitism where it is relevant to its work. As part of this pursuit, Prevent work should cover UK extremist networks supportive of terrorist movements that explicitly target Jewish communities. Prevent should also better address the anti-Jewish component of both Islamist and extreme right wing ideology, the report added.

The Home Office said Prevent would need to be overhauled and Braverman committed herself to delivering wholesale and rapid change.

Braverman said: Prevent will now ensure it focuses on the key threat of Islamist terrorism. As part of this more proportionate approach, we will also remain vigilant on emerging threats, including on the extreme right.

This independent review has identified areas where real reform is required. This includes a need for Prevent to better understand Islamist ideology, which underpins the predominant terrorist threat facing the UK, she added.

Detective Chief Superintendent Maria Lovegrove, Counter Terrorism Policings national coordinator for Prevent, said, The terrorist threats we face now are very different to when Prevent began, and a strong collective approach is absolutely vital if we are to keep up with this changing landscape and its growing dimensions.

Lovegrove promised to work alongside the Home Office to respond to the recommendations.

PA Media contributed to this report.
US Congresswoman Says She Was Injured by COVID-19 Vaccine

A U.S. congresswoman on Feb. 8 said she was left injured by a COVID-19 vaccine.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) disclosed details of her health complications during a hearing with former Twitter executives while decrying how Twitter had censored posts from medical experts, including Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Martin Kulldorff.

I, along with many Americans, have long-term effects from COVID. Not only was I a long hauler, but I have effects from the vaccine. It wasnt the first shot but it was the second shot that I now developed asthma that has never gone away, Mace said in Washington.

I have tremors in my left hand, and I have the occasional heart pain that no doctor can explainand Ive had a battery of tests.

Maces office declined to provide any medical records to support the testimony.

Case reports indicate that asthma may be induced or worsened by COVID-19 vaccination while neurological issues and heart problems are known side effects of the shots.

Mace said she was alarmed by how Twitter limited or hid posts such as one from Kulldorff that said people at high risk from COVID-19 should get vaccinated but that people who had infection-induced immunity and children didnt need a shot.

I have great regrets about getting the shot because of the health issues that I now have, that I dont think are ever going to go away, Mace said. And I know that Im not the only American who has those kinds of concerns.

She asked Vijaya Gadde, Twitters former executive for legal, public policy, and trust and safety, whether Gadde had been to medical school. Gadde said no. Mace then asked why Twitter officials believed they had the expertise to censor opinions from medical experts.

Our policies regarding COVID were designed to protect individuals, Gadde said.

You guys censored Harvard-educated doctors, Stanford-educated doctors, doctors that are educated in the best places in the world, and you silenced those voices, Mace said.

From left, James Baker, former deputy general counsel of Twitter; Vijaya Gadde, former chief legal officer of Twitter; Yoel Roth, former global head of trust and safety of Twitter; and former Twitter employee Anika Collier Navaroli are sworn in to testify during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing in Washington on Feb. 8, 2023. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

Internal Twitter files made public by journalists who were allowed to peruse documents provided by CEO Elon Musk show that Twitter took action against Bhattacharya and Kulldorff, among other experts, over alleged misinformation.

One email, for instance, stated that Kulldorff was spreading false information regarding the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, which goes against CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines, and officials ultimately labeled the post misleading.

Other documents have shown the White House and Big Tech companies were in close contact regarding taking down posts and suspending or banning users, Mace noted, asking whether the U.S. government ever pressured Twitter to moderate or censor posts.

We have a program, Gadde said. We received legal demands to remove content from the platform from the U.S. government and governments all around the world.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) later questioned why Twitter took action against prominent doctors and radio hosts in his state because they offered information that contradicted guidance from U.S. authorities such as the CDC.

Could you comment on why you would take somebody off a platform, or why a distinguished doctor would be considered something that the public as a whole couldnt hear their version of events? Grothman asked.

None of the former executives answered.
US Plans $10 Billion Sale of HIMARS Rocket Launchers, Ammunition to Poland

Military personnel stand in front of a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during the military exercise Namejs 2022 in Skede, Latvia, on Sept. 26, 2022. (Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration plans to sell nearly 20 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers and various other weapons and related equipment worth about $10 billion to NATO ally Poland.

The Pentagons Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement that Congress was notified of the potential sale on Feb. 7. Lawmakers will still need to sign off on it.

Poland, which borders Ukraine, requested to buy a number of weapons, including 18 M142 HIMARS launchers, 45 of the 185-mile range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, and more than 1,000 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, among other things.

HIMARS launchers have played a key role in aiding Ukraine amid Russias invasion, allowing Kyiv to destroy Russian ammunition warehouses and command and control centers with pinpoint accuracy.

The technically advanced systems can carry a six-pack of GMLRS rockets or one large Tactical Missile System, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Weapons Will Improve Security of Poland

Ukraine has regularly requested ATACMS missiles from the United States to use in the ongoing invasion but has been rebuffed. Poland wouldnt be able to transfer any ATACMS to Ukraine without U.S. approval.

Also included in the deal are low-cost Reduced-Range Practice Rockets, support and communications equipment, spare and repair parts, test sets, batteries, laptop computers, personnel training and equipment, U.S. government and contractor engineering and logistics personnel services, and other related elements of logistics and program support.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the Pentagon said in a statement.

It will also aid Polands military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies, according to the Pentagon.

Poland intends to use these defense articles and services to modernize its armed forces and expand its capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats. Poland will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces, the statement reads.

The principal contractor for the sale would be Lockheed Martin.

Poland Ramps Up Military Spending

According to the Pentagon, the proposed sale will have no adverse effect on U.S. defense readiness and wont alter the basic military balance in Poland.

The latest sale comes after Poland ordered 20 HIMARS, including 18 combat and two training rocket launchers, from the United States in 2019, which were set to be delivered by 2023.

In May 2022, the country, which has been a NATO member since 1999, ordered an additional 500 HIMARS launchers from the United States, but, according to Polish media, Lockheed Martin said it could only offer around 200.

Poland has been bolstering its military in the past year amid the war in neighboring Ukraine, which is fast approaching its one-year anniversary. The country spent the equivalent of 2.4 percent of its GDP on its military in 2022, The Defense Post reported, making it the third-highest percentage among NATO countries.

Last month, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the country will spend 4 percent of its GDP this year on bolstering the military, amid growing concerns over the RussiaUkraine war.

The war in Ukraine makes us arm ourselves even faster, Morawiecki told reporters on Jan. 30. That is why this year, we will make an unprecedented effort: 4 percent of GDP for the Polish army.

Reuters contributed to this report.
US Says China Denied Request for Call With Pentagon Chief After Balloon Downing

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies over a debris field during recovery efforts of a high-altitude surveillance balloon on Feb. 4, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland)

The United States attempted to contact Chinas communist regime after its military shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4, but Beijing refused to take the call.

The Pentagon said on Feb. 7 that it requested a phone call between U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe after the balloon downing, but the request had been turned down.

Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this. Unfortunately, the [Peoples Republic of China] has declined our request, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Ryder stated that Washington remains committed to maintaining open lines of communication with Beijing.

On Feb. 4, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet fired a missile at the balloon from an altitude of 58,000 feet near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The balloon itself was flying between 60,000 to 65,000 feet in altitude, according to a senior defense official.

PRC Explanation Lacked Any Credibility

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the U.S. move a clear overreaction, claiming that the balloon was a civilian airship that had been blown off-course and posed no threat to national security.

The airship does not belong to the U.S. It belongs to China, spokesperson Mao Ning of the Chinese foreign ministry told reporters on Feb. 7, criticizing the United States for using force to deal with such incidents.

A senior defense official said U.S. officials spoke directly with Chinese authorities through multiple channels before the shootdown, but instead of addressing their intrusion into U.S. airspace, the PRC put out an explanation that lacked any credibility.

This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada. And we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites, the official told reporters on Feb. 4.

Its route over the United States, near many potential sensitive sites, contradicts the PRC governments explanation that it was a weather balloon, he added.

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Feb. 5, 2023 (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)

The shootdown came after President Joe Biden broke the silence on the balloon, telling reporters on Feb. 4 that were gonna take care of it.

Biden said he ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down as soon as possible after being briefed on the intrusion on Feb. 1, but the Pentagon decided that the best time to do so without harming anyone on the ground was when the balloon was out over water, within a 12-mile limit.

They successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it, he said, adding that they will have more to report on this a little later.

Sailors are seen attempting to recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)

Unnamed senior government sources told Fox News that once recovered, the balloon will be sent to the FBIs facility in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis. The Epoch Times has contacted the bureau for comment.

The head of NORCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on Feb. 6 said the balloon was about 200 feet in height and weighed thousands of pounds.

The balloon, described by U.S. officials as a high altitude surveillance balloon, was first spotted on Feb. 1 above an airfield in Montana, one of three U.S. states where the nuclear missile fields are based.

It drifted over Asheville, North Carolina, and then near Charlotte on the morning of Feb. 4.

The presence of the balloon has exacerbated the already tense relations between the United States and China and prompted U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken to postpone a planned trip to Beijing earlier this month.

A second Chinese balloon was spotted flying above Latin America on Feb. 3.

Eva Fu and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Victoria White, Beaten by Police With Metal Baton on Head on Jan. 6, to Decline Plea Deal

Victoria White is jostled and spun around after being beaten by police in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Victoria C. White, the Minnesota woman shown on security video being repeatedly beaten by police in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has decided to reject a plea offer from federal prosecutors after she met with several members of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates has a plea hearing scheduled for 11:30 a.m. EST on Feb. 10 in the federal courthouse in Washington.

Well, things are changing, White, 41, told The Epoch Times in a text message on Feb. 7.

Asked if she was going to decline the plea offer, she replied: Yes. I honestly never wanted to take it in the first place.

White was among a group of people who attended the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach that met with congressional representatives at the Capitol on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. White said the group sat down with [Rep.] Lauren Boebert [R-Colo.] about investigating January 6th and the murders on J6, mistreatment, lack of actual fair trial, the political prisoners, the weaponization of the feds against us, etc. We also spoke with [Rep.] Byron Donalds [R-Fla.].

The Jan. 6, 2021, group included Ashli Babbitts mother, Micki Witthoeft; Nicole Reffitt, wife of Guy Reffitt, the first Jan. 6 defendant found guilty at trial; David Valentine, founder of Freedom Express Media, which broadcasts nightly vigils outside the District of Columbia jail; and several others with ties to Jan. 6, according to White.

On Feb. 7, she posted on Twitter, I will NOT be taking a plea deal.

Victoria White is seen putting her hands and arms up to protect her head from baton strikes and punches in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. (U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshots via The Epoch Times)

In a superseding indictment filed in January 2022, White was charged with civil disorder and aiding and abetting, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. She pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Im in DC this week. I have court on Friday, White posted to Twitter on Feb. 6.

Details of the proposed plea agreement werent available on Feb. 7. Prosecutors havent filed any plea documents with the court yet. Whites trial is set to begin on May 8 in Washington.

High-Profile Jan. 6 Case

Whites case is one of the most discussed among the more than 950 Department of Justice prosecutions launched since Jan. 6, 2021.

Shortly after White entered the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, a supervisor from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) began beating her in the head with a collapsible steel baton.

The first blow came to me by a metal baton, White recounted in the 2022 Epoch Times documentary, The Real Story of Jan. 6. It was really bad. I remember just trying to keep myself up because I was scared I would be trampled.

Originally, I thought I just got hit like three times on the head, but it wasnt until I saw the video that I realized how bad it was in the tunnel.

Before it was over, she was struck nearly 40 times, most of the blows delivered by MPD Commander Jason Bagshaw. She was struck directly in the skull, repeatedly punched in the face and head, grabbed by the hair and spun around violently, and tossed back and forth between officers.

Bagshaw wasnt disciplined or charged for the beating. The Metropolitan Police Department deemed all of its use of force on Jan. 6, 2021, as objectively reasonable.

New bodycam footage released in January as part of the Richard Bigo Barnett trial shows White being spun around in the tunnel and tossed like a rag doll between officers. Just before she was led out the back of the tunnel, her jeans were pulled part way down, the footage shows.

This image from video shows Metropolitan Police Commander Jason Bagshaw in the Lower West Terrace tunnel as Victoria White is led into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Real Story of Jan. 6/Epoch TV)

Use-of-force expert Stan Kephart, who also appeared in The Epoch Times documentary, said the attack on White was deadly force.

The head is a sphere. What happens when you strike a spherical object with a blunted object at least resistance, [it] glances off the head, Kephart said. Thats a possibility. The second thing is you can hit them flush and kill them.

If your intent was to kill them, you should have been using a firearm, not a baton. So it fails tactically to use a baton, to attempt to use it as a disabling-force option.

He said he believes White grabbing at police shields and reaching at officers was clearly [from] a defense position, not an attack position.
Wait Times at Walk-In Clinics in Canada Increased by 50 Percent in 2022

Pedestrians walk along a street in Halifax on Jan. 26, 2023. Patients in Nova Scotia and British Columbia had the longest wait times at walk-in clinics, at 83 minutes and 79 minutes respectively. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

Wait times for Canadians at walk-in medical clinics rose by nearly 50 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, providing yet another symptom of the crisis in health care.

The recently released Medimap Walk-in Clinic Wait Time Index shows that Canadians had to wait 37 minutes on average to see a doctor last year, a 12-minute increase from the year before, when the average wait was 25 minutes.

Medimap operates in six provincesBritish Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotiaand the company says approximately 70 percent of walk-in clinics across Canada use its software to share their wait times. It uses this data to publish wait times online, allowing people who need a doctor to find out where the wait is shortest in their area.

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Medimaps VP of operations Teddy Wickland said theres not enough doctors to go around.

Theres frankly just a supply-demand imbalance in terms of the number of primary care physicians, family doctors, and walk-in clinics to the number of patients who need care. Especially coming out of the pandemic, you had doctors who were really burned out, [so] some of them decided to retire early or decided to change specialties entirely, Wickland said.

Weve heard that anecdotally, from a number of our partnersthat theyre actually closing their walk-in clinic and converting it to something else. A cosmetic dermatology clinic, for example, is one thing that weve heard a bunch.

Ontario had the shortest average wait time in 2022, with patients waiting only 25 minutes to see a physician. Patients in Nova Scotia and British Columbia had the longest wait times, at 83 minutes and 79 minutes respectively.

Within these provinces, however, there were wide disparities among cities. Brampton, Ontario, had an average wait time of just 10 minutes, while London patients had to wait 80 minutes on average. In Nova Scotia, Halifax residents waited 55 minutes while those in Dartmouth waited 117 minutes. In B.C., Richmond patients waited 31 minutes on average, while those in North Vancouver waited 160 minutes.

B.C. for a number of years has been the worst province for wait times for walk-in clinics. Weve heard anecdotally about clinics closing and doctors leaving practice  [especially] in the Vancouver area, Wickland said.

We had heard both from doctors who worked in a clinic or owned their own clinic, and from administrators who were part of a large organization, that a lot of doctors were retiring early, I think because they were so burned out because the work-life balance of a walk-in clinic doctor is incredibly challenging.

Pressure

Vancouver-based Susan Martinuk, a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and the author of Patients at Risk: Exposing Canadas Health-Care Crisis, says the pressures on walk-in clinics are unprecedented.

Its just a function of numbers. Some walk-in clinics have even had to close because they dont have doctors. Five million Canadians dont have a family doctor. Theres a lot of pressure on walk-in clinics, and there just arent enough doctors to deal with the flow, Martinuk told The Epoch Times.

Billing is higher to treat someone in emergency rooms than it is at walk-in clinics, giving one more reason for government to encourage people to go to walk-in clinics instead.

Canadians earlier on in the pandemic were asked to avoid the emergency room. Over the last couple of years, I think Canadians have become very aware that its really bad when you have to go to the emergency department, that its not a good place to go.

In the Prairies, Manitobas average wait time was 31 minutes in 2022, Albertas 34 minutes, and Saskatchewans 51,. Albertas wait time was 25 minutes in 2020 and actually decreased to 18 in 2021, making it the only province that did not have two consecutive years of increase in wait times. The rise in Nova Scotia was most dramatic, going from 35 minutes in 2020 to 44 in 2021, then almost doubling to 83 last year.

We Need a Lot of Changes

Wait time issues are evident in other aspects of health care. On Jan. 30, SecondStreet.org announced that 3.2 million Canadians are either waiting for surgery, or for a diagnostic scan, or to see a specialist.

The data was compiled from Freedom of Information requests, but gaps in the data suggest the true total is more than 3.8 million, according to the organization, which works to explore how government policies impact everyday Canadians.

SecondStreet.org president Colin Craig said that the pandemic did not create the wait list problem but that it has made the problem worse.

The sad thing is that Canadians have become a bit numb to the idea that theyre going to wait forever to get the health-care services they need, Craig said in an interview.

We need a lot of changes when it comes to health care in this country so that ultimately patients lives are improved.

Craig said broader opportunities for the private sector to innovate improvements to health care have been especially hindered in B.C. There, the government has fought Dr. Brian Days constitutional challenge to allow private medical insurance.

Our own polling showed in the past that British Columbia patients definitely support governments working with the private sector, rather than against them. But for the most part that really hasnt been the governments approach, Craig said.

A November 2021 Leger poll for SecondStreet.org found that 62 percent of Canadians would either strongly support or somewhat support people paying for their own health care at private clinics. This ranged from 57 percent in Ontario, where support was lowest, to 71 percent in B.C.

Nadeem Esmail, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute, says the Medimap index is another piece of evidence demonstrating a consistent problem.

The health-care system is poorly structured, Esmail told The Epoch Times.

Other developed nations have figured out better ways to deliver universal access to health-care services. Now, these ways are not entirely consistent with the Canada Health Act and [not] entirely consistent with what the defenders of medicare would like to see, but they are absolutely consistent with the principle of universal access to high-quality care in a time frame that provides comfort and peace of mind.

Esmail believes the Canada Health Act is imposing the shackles that must be removed.

Its about allowing the private sector to do what it does best, which is deliver quality services at good value with a patient focus. Thats a lesson thats been learned in Sweden, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, he said.
Western University Drops Mask Mandate After Promising Update From Public Health on Respiratory Illnesses

A group of Western University students hold a protest against the school's COVID-19 vaccine mandate in London, Ont., on Aug. 27, 2022. (Nicole Osborne/The Canadian Press)

Western University announced Monday it had dropped its mandatory mask policy due to the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) issuing a promising update on respiratory illnesses including COVID.

In a Feb. 6 website statement, the university said, Effective today, Western will move from mandating masks in instructional spaces to strongly encouraging masks in crowded indoor spaces like large classes.

This move is aligned with the advice of public health. Leaders of research labs will make health and safety decisions based on the appropriate protocols for their lab environment, said the statement, signed by the universitys academic vice president and provost, and Operations and Finance Vice-President Lynn Logan.

The university said it was asking the campus to be considerate of individuals who may ask you to wear a mask based on their personal circumstances.

Public health officials across the country agree that COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future, and as we learn to live with it, we will continue to adjust and adapt, said the statement.

This brings Western in line with most of the other universities and colleges across Canada that dropped their mandates in 2022.

One of the last holdouts is Waterloos Wilfrid Laurier University, which continues to enforce a mask mandate for any indoor class with an academic focus.

On Feb. 6, a group of students and teachers attended a protest at the Waterloo Town Square, organized by a group called Students Against Mandates. The protest was organized in part by Kamil Bachouchi, who has been engaged in an ongoing peaceful protest against mask mandates since the fall of 2022.

Kamil Bachouchi, a student at Waterloos Wilfrid Laurier University, wears a lettuce mask to protest the schools mask mandate on Jan. 16, 2023. (Courtesy of Kamil Bachouchi)

Kamil Bachouchi, a 21-year-old philosophy student, showed up to class on Nov. 15, 2022, wearing a maskor rather, a hollowed-out grapefruit.

It covered his nose and mouth, complying with the mandatory mask policy put in place for the fall university term.

Bachouchi told The Epoch Times he started his protest using a ziploc bag with phone charging cables going around his ears. He came to class one day wearing a bucket over his head. Another day, he wore a folded-in-half, upside-down blue mask. On Jan. 16, he wore a mask made out of romaine lettuce.

Healthy young adults should not be forced to wear a mask, he said.

On Oct. 17, Western announced it would be keeping its mandatory mask policy until the end of the fall term. Students were required to wear medical-grade masks in classrooms, labs, and seminar rooms.

At the time, the university said safety ambassadors will monitor classrooms to ensure COVID protocols were followed.
What Ending the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Means for Your Pocket

A lab technician works in the Emergency Department at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., on March 11, 2022. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Biden administration will be ending the COVID-19 public health emergency and national emergency declarations within several months, with a range of impacts on Americans and their pocketbooks.

Under the dual emergency declarations, most Americans have had access to free COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccineseven if theyre uninsured. But thats about to change.

Amid Republican pressure to end the twin emergencies, the White House announced in a Jan. 30 policy statement (pdf) that it will be terminating the declarations on May 11, 2023.

Initially, the national emergency was slated to expire on March 1 and the public health emergency was set to run out on April 11, with Republicans pushing for no further extensions.

Some two dozen Republican governors in December asked President Joe Biden to end the COVID-19 public health emergency in April (pdf), arguing that it was inflating the population covered under Medicaid and costing states hundreds of millions of dollars.

In November, 13 Senate Democrats sided with Republicans to approve a resolution that would terminate the national emergency. However, President Joe Biden opposed it and said hed veto it if the measure reached his desk.

In the Jan. 30 policy note, the White House justified the extension of the twin declarations through May 11, arguing that an abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty for health systems and ordinary Americans.

Regardless, the end of the emergency orders is fast approaching, with a range of implications for Americans.

Most Americanseven those with health insurancecan expect some out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 services like tests, treatments, and vaccines once the twin declarations end and the government hands things off to the private sector.

Vaccines

Most Americans will still be able to get COVID-19 vaccines and boosters at no cost.

As long as the public health emergency is in effect, private health plans and insurers are required to cover COVID-19 vaccines without cost sharing even if provided by out-of-network providers.

After May 11, people with private health insurance will continue to be offered the shots for free but only if they get them through in-network providers.

Participants may have out-of-pocket costs if they receive a COVID-19 vaccine from an out-of-network provider, a legal team at Winston & Strawn LLP, a law firm, said in a note.

People enrolled in government or state health insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid will continue to pay nothing for vaccines.

Uninsured adults will no longer be able to get free vaccines, which under the emergency order were covered through state Medicaid programs, according to KFF.

Children who are uninsured will continue to have access to free vaccines through the Vaccines for Children Program, though they may face some administrative fees.

A nurse administers the Pfizer booster shot at a COVID-19 vaccination and testing site at Ted Watkins Park in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 5, 2022. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Tests

Under the emergency declarations, people on private health insurance plans or Medicare could get up to eight rapid at-home COVID-19 tests per month for free.

Once the emergency ends, people on Medicare will face out-of-pocket costs for both laboratory and at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 tests.

Those on private health plans may continue to receive free tests but only if theyre distributed by in-network providers.

Participants may incur out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 diagnostic tests and testing-related services, the Winston & Strawn LLP legal team said.

People on Medicaid or CHIP programs will continue to have their COVID-19 tests paid for but only until the last day of the first calendar quarter beginning one year after the public health emergency ends, according to KFF.

This means that, until the second half of 2024, people on Medicaid or CHIP will start to see some out-of-pocket expenses, but lab tests will continue to be free of charge if ordered by a doctor.

For those on Medicaid or CHIP, the cost of other testing services, including at-home tests, will vary by state after the 2024 deadline.

Take-home COVID-19 self-testing kits provided by the District of Columbia government, in a photo illustration taken on Jan. 11, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Treatments

Americans with private health insurance will continue to be covered for COVID-19 treatments, including such antiviral therapies like Paxlovid, as long as their plans offer such coverage.

There is no federal mandate requiring group health plans to cover treatment of COVID-19. Most private plans currently require some form of cost sharing, the Winston & Strawn LLP legal team said.

At the same time, the U.S. government has made treatments like Paxlovid available for free and will continue to do so while supplies last. But after those run out, people on private health insurance are likely to have to pay some out-of-pocket costs, per the details of their plans.

There are currently resources outside private plans that provide free COVID-19 treatment, such as antiviral medications, the Winston & Strawn LLP legal team said. Once the Public Health Emergency ends, these resources may no longer be available or may be more limited, which may affect plan costs.

Insurers may decide to cover some treatment costs but if not, people may have to pay full prices. People might also face higher insurance premiums if the COVID-19 treatment costs are high enough.

As for those on Medicare, theyll be covered for antiviral treatments as long as the federal supply lasts. But after those doses run out, people on Medicare will have to pay some out-of-pocket cost for treatments.

People on Medicaid and CHIP programs will be eligible to receive FDA-approved COVID-19 treatments at zero cost until the second half of 2024. However, it will be up to individual state Medicaid programs whether or not to cover those under an EUA rather than full formal approval.

Coverage

The emergency declarations gave the federal government the ability to modify requirements in programs like Medicare and Medicaid, as well as private health insurance plans.

In particular, the public health emergency barred states from disenrolling people from Medicaid. This drove nearly 20 million people to enroll in the program during the COVID-19 public health emergency, around 30 percent above pre-pandemic levels.

As part of the omnibus spending bill that was signed into law on Dec. 29, 2022, the continuous enrollment provision ends on March 31.

KFF estimates thatin the year after the Medicaid disenrollment rule ends at the end of Marchbetween 5 million and 14 million people will lose Medicaid coverage.

Reuters contributed to this report.
When Might Californias Population Start Growing Again?

Commentary

As a kid growing up in cold Michigan, I was fascinated by California. The Beach Boys were my favorite band. Disney movies were magic. My family took a summer trip to the Golden State in 1964 when I turned nine, traveling from Disneyland up across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Redwoods. I loved spending time in Montereystill my favorite placelearning Russian for a 52-week course at the Defense Language Institute in 1978-79.

Its no wonder I ended up out here in 1987. And despite complaints detailed here in my Epoch Times columns, I have no plans to leave. Indeed, its dismaying seeing the decline of this state these past 36 years. But as I wave goodbye to many friends heading to Texas, Florida, Idaho, and Tennessee, its not surprising Californias population has been declining.

The latest U.S. Census figures show the state lost 113,649 people in the year prior to July 1, 2022. The year before that, ending July 1, 2021, saw an even bigger loss, of 395,254. Thats more than half a million gone in two years. At least the rate of exodus is slowing.

Some of the loss was from people fleeing the states crowded cities during the pandemic. San Francisco lost 3.7 percent of its population in the year ending July 1, 2021. A lot of people took the lockdowns, and the opportunity to work from home, to leave a city suffering soaring crime and homelessness rates.

But I think these declines are ending due to what for years I have called the Manhattanization of California. Its the transition of California away from what, until about 2005, was a middle-class paradise. Housing along the coast still was relatively cheapabout 25 percent above the national averagewhile salaries were about 15 percent higher. Energy prices were reasonable, and the states incomparable outdoor lifestyle attracted millions every decade. In the 1980s, when I came here, the population soared 25.7 percent, rising by 6.1 million.

Now consider New York City, population 8,467,513 in 2021, the latest year tallied by the U.S. Census Bureau. That also was a decline, of 336,667 from the 8,804,190 of 2020. Its center is the densely populated Manhattan. The crime spree of 2020 during the national riots following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis drove out many of these people.

Nobody with any sense would move to Manhattan to raise a family. You crowd into a small apartment at high cost, the schools are terrible, the weather is bad, the crimewhich Mayor Rudy Giulani sharply reduced in the 1990srose sharply in the 2010s under leftist Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Yet Manhattan has an undeniable mystique: Wall Street, the museums, the concerts, the publishing industry, the restaurants and bars, the excitement. As the old Sinatra song put it, New York, New York  if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

The population actually has increased, rising each of the past four decades, from 7.1 million in 1980 to 8.8 million in 2020. The recent decline probably is temporary. But no one who goes to Manhattan, or the rest of the Big Apple, does so thinking it provides low-cost housing and fine public schools.

The same, I think, will hold true for Californias population changes. Those who dont like it here will leave. But those who do come here will have no illusions. They wont be middle-class families eager to live near the coast in single-family homessurfing in the morning and cooking on the barbecue in the evening, even in February.

This is part of what sociologists call the great sorting going on in America. A clear manifestation of that is conservative Republicans moving to Red States, such as my friends heading out to Tennessee, and liberal Democrats moving to Blue States, such as California. Its partly why Orange County, where I live, has in a decade gone from electing almost all Republicans to federal, state, and local offices, to a Purple State of mixed Republicans and Democrats.

The OC Board of Supervisors just went majority Democrat for the first time in five decades. And 1970s-era Democrats were the old, conservative types, not progressives like Rep. Katie Porter and state Sen. Dave Min are today.

Not surprisingly, Orange Countys population doubled to 3.2 million during its Republican era of 1970 to 2020. But it dropped 16,292 from 2020 to 2021. Thats probably temporary. OC remains a great place to live, especially compared to Los Angeles. Yet its along the coast, so it affected directly by Californias Manhattanization.

Some friends of mine bought a nice home on a small lot in Huntington Beach, about a mile from the state beach, for $20,000 in 1970. As recently as 2000, it went for about $180,000, and the neighborhood still was middle class and working class. The house currently lists on Zillow.com for $1.3 million.

Only rich people live in that neighborhood now, along with a few older people who bought before the huge price increase. Theyre staying because of Proposition 13s low taxes on property, based on the purchase price, which was low for them decades ago.

The California coastal middle-class lifestyle is gone. Only the wealthy can afford it now. Which also explains the political changes. In a switch, today its the wealthy, indoctrinated by leftism in college, who tend to be liberal Democrats. While its the working-class folks, more likely to have only a high-school education, and so more likely to get their politics and ethics from family and religion, who tend to be Republicans.

As this sorting continues, soon those seeking to leave California largely will have gone, while those who want to come here, and can afford it, will do so in greater numbers. And the population will start going upward again.

Coastal California now is Manhattan with great weather.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
White House Invites Bono, Paul Pelosi, and Parents of Tyre Nichols to State of the Union

Several individuals recently featured in the news are listed as guests of first lady Jill Biden at Tuesday nights State of the Union address.

RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, the parents of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by police in Memphis, Tennessee, last month, will be among those seated with the first lady.

Also invited by the White House were U2 rock band frontman Bono, Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States.

Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administrations policies at work for the American people, the White Houses announcement said.

The White House also invited Mitzi Colin Lopez of West Chester, Pennsylvania, who was 3 years old when her parents brought her into the country illegally.

[Lopez] grew up only knowing the United States as her home, the White House said. As a DREAMer, she applied for and received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2015, and has since graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She is an advocate for comprehensive immigration reform and in 2021, Colin Lopez met the President to share her experiences as a DACA recipient.

Amanda and Josh Zurawski of Austin, Texas, are also slated to be seated near the first lady. Amanda Zurawski was reportedly 18 weeks pregnant when she had pregnancy complications and lost the unborn child. The White House asserted that her doctors were unable to intervene to help her due to concerns they were violating Texas abortion ban that prohibits abortion care unless the life of the mother is in danger.

She was sent home with instructions to come back if she developed signs of a life-threatening infection, which she did, three days later, the White House said. Zurawski developed sepsis and nearly died because of the delay in receiving treatment. She continues to suffer from medical complications due to the delay.

Other guests include registered nurse Lynette Bonar, a former sergeant, an Army medic, and a member of the Navajo Nation. The White House also invited several individuals whose families have been impacted by health struggles in recent years.
White House Dismisses Report That Claims US Blew Up Nord Stream Pipeline Last Year

The gas leak in the Baltic Sea from Nord Stream photographed from the Coast Guard's aircraft on Sept. 27, 2022. (Swedish Coast Guard via AP)

White House officials on Feb. 8 dismissed a report from an investigative journalist that claims the United States was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.

This is utterly false and complete fiction, Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement to news outlets on Feb. 8. A State Department spokesperson issued a similar comment to Reuters.

Longtime investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, a former reporter with The New York Times and The New Yorker magazine who first gained prominence in 1969 for his reporting on the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, published a report on his Substack page on Feb. 8, titled How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline, that cited unnamed sources for his claims.

Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning, Hersch wrote.

Tammy Thorp, a spokesperson for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), similarly said in a statement that this claim is completely and utterly false.

The Epoch Times hasnt been able to corroborate the report. The White House didnt respond by press time to a request for comment.

Ultimately, Herschs report, which is based on anonymous sources, concluded that President Joe Bidens administration conducted a covert operation through the CIA to blow up the pipeline.

Several European countries carried out investigations into the cause of the explosions, which occurred in September 2022 but came up with few answers. The Russian government has categorically denied that it was behind the blasts at the pipelines, which it jointly operated with Germany.

Hersch, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, went on to say that the White Houses decision to sabotage the pipelines came after more than nine months of highly secret back and forth debate inside Washingtons national security community about how to best achieve that goal. For much of that time, the issue was not whether to do the mission, but how to get it done with no overt clue as to who was responsible.

This is not kiddie stuff, the aforementioned unnamed source told him. Hersch didnt provide any more details about the person, including whether they worked for the U.S. government. But that person noted that such an attack would be an act of war.

During all of this scheming, the alleged source told the 85-year-old Hersch, some working guys in the CIA and the State Department were saying, Dont do this. Its stupid and will be a political nightmare if it comes out.

According to his Substack post, divers operating from a Norwegian Alta mine-hunting vessel used a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium streaming from their tanks, and plant shaped C4 charges on the four pipelines with concrete protective covers before detonating the explosives. Again, he cited unnamed sources, a practice that has long been the subject of criticism against Herschs previous reporting.

When Hersch claimed years ago that the Obama White House told lies about the killing of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, a critic with The Washington Post in 2015 noted that Hersh relied at least 55 times on an anonymous retired senior intelligence official.

Nord Stream Investigation

Russias foreign ministry said on Feb. 8 that the United States has to answer questions following Herschs reporting. In response to that report, Russias Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the White House to issue a statement on the facts.

Moscow has repeatedly said the West was behind last Septembers explosions affecting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects that carried Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Investigators from Sweden and Denmark, in whose exclusive economic zones the explosions occurred, have said the ruptures were a result of sabotage but havent said who they believe was responsible.

Construction of Nord Stream 2, designed to double the amount of gas Russia could send directly to Germany under the sea, was completed in September 2021 but was never put into operation after Berlin shelved certification just days before Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine in February.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Wind Turbines Deadly for Bald Eagles and Songbirds, but Could Benefit Region, Ohio Supreme Court Is Told

Bald eagles at Wyoming's Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in an undated photo. (Tom Koerner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Birdwatching is such a big deal along Ohios Lake Erie shore, 100,000 fans flock to a springtime festival in Ottawa County called The Biggest Week in American Birding.

Thats one reason why a proposal to build a wind-turbine farm, with whirring blades that kill birds, has been so hotly debated in nearby Erie and Huron counties.

Despite the opposition, a state board gave Firelands Wind LLC the go-ahead, citing few negative effects on residents and positive benefits for the economy and electrical power system. Not satisfied with that decision, 19 residents appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, which is now weighing the fate of the project.

The case represents the latest example of a project touted as green, intended to benefit the environment. Yet it is facing opposition from environmentally minded people.

In a Feb. 8 hearing, the residents lawyer, Jack Van Kley, told the justices: Firelands has chosen to cite its wind turbine facility in a uniquely bad locationin a migratory pathway, towards one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the world.

A warbler is released from the ringing hut after being recorded on a private reserve in East Sussex in Rye, United Kingdom, on Aug. 21, 2013. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Opponents of the project include the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, which has 17,000 members in Oak Harbor, Ohio. That group launched the birdwatching festival; its visitors infuse $40 million to $90 million into the regions economy, court records say.

The northwest Ohio area has been dubbed the warbler capital of the world, because many rare species traverse the area as they journey from South America to breeding grounds in Canada.

These turbines are going to slaughter unnecessarily high amounts of these migratory birds as theyre traveling toward Lake Erie, Van Kley said.

Van Kley also said the area is full of bald eagles that will be killed by the turbines.

That species, near and dear to peoples hearts because it has been Americas national symbol since 1782, is no longer endangered. However, bald eagles remain protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Dispute Over Bird, Bat Toll

Jonathan Secrest, representing Firelands, said he thinks Van Kley has overestimated the number of migratory birds and bald eagles that would become casualties of the project.

Firelands estimated that, at most, the turbines would kill 2.5 bald eagles per year. The company said it would file for an eagle take permit, and if more eagles die than allowed, Firelands would face criminal penalties, fines, and curtailment of operations.

However, Justice Melody Stewart expressed concern about that. Youre hitting the pocket, but it doesnt rescue those birds.

In a 2021 court filing, Secrest noted that Ohio then had 39 operating wind projects, with a total of 419 turbinesand as of that date, there was only one known eagle fatality.

Van Kley predicted a particularly grim toll for bats, which help control insects that can destroy farmers crops. The project will kill 14,620 bats per year  totaling 365,500 dead bats over 25 years, he wrote in a court record.

But Secrest said the projects toll on wildlife may be lower than Van Kley is asserting. Some estimates assumed that 71 turbines would be built; the actual number could be as low as 52, Secrest said. And, in court records, Firelands claims some of the opponents estimates were based on flawed data.

Besides affecting wildlife, Van Kley told the justices there are concerns about residents water supplies. Construction of the turbines could pollute or destroy underground water wells that residents rely upon for drinking water, he said.

Further, in a court filing, the residents expressed concern about disturbing noises and flashing shadows cast by the rotating blades.

Van Kley told the justices that the potential impact on wildlife, residents, and water deserves further consideration.

Giant wind turbines are powered by strong prevailing winds near Palm Springs, Calif., on May 13, 2008. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Benefits of Project Argued

But Secrest and an attorney representing the Ohio Power Siting Board, which approved the proposed Emerson Creek Wind Project, said all of those factors were taken into account.

In a court filing, Secrest wrote: Firelands went above and beyond what was required and completed seven years of surveyswell beyond what is needed to determine risk.

Spanning about 40,000 acres, the project is expected to create about 50 jobs and produce more than $170 million in economic output, the board said, adding that local governments would benefit from tax revenues. Trade groups, local officials, small businesses, and other local citizens supported the project, the board said, according to court records.

The project strikes a reasonable balance of the competing local interests in terms of protecting public safety, environmental concerns, landowner rights, renewable energy, and local governmental financial concerns, the board said when making its decision, court records show.

Under that approval, Firelands must comply with 44 separate, rigorous conditions, Firelands wrote in court records.

The projects approval was the culmination of a two-and-a-half-year process. During that span, the Power Siting Board considered an evidentiary record of more than five thousand pages.

Further, Firelands argues, the turbines would generate up to 952,000 megawatt-hours of electricity.

For all of those reasons, Firelands argues that the Supreme Court should allow the projects approval to stand.
Witnesses at House Hearing Debate Proposals for Stopping CCP Economic and Geopolitical Aggression

Traders work on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City on Jan. 27, 2023. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

With the worlds attention focused on Beijings meddling in the affairs of foreign nations and on tensions in an increasingly adversarial relationship between China and the United States, a panel of witnesses with expertise in diplomacy, trade, and national security presented a range of views on how best to counter the Chinese threat and safeguard American interests.

The Feb. 7 hearing took place just days after the U.S. military shot down a Chinese balloon believed to have penetrated American airspace for espionage, and the international incident came up frequently during testimony.

Entitled Combatting the Economic Threat From China, the hearing featured testimony from a wide range of experts including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.); Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), the new chair of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions; Clete Willems, a partner at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and a special assistant to the president for international trade, investment, and development during the Donald Trump administration; Tom Feddo, founder and director of The Rubicon Advisors LLC; Eric Lorber, principal of the Cyber, Risk & Regulatory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers and a senior advisor to the undersecretary of state for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence during the Trump administration; and Rich Ashooh, corporate vice president for global trade and government affairs at the Lam Research Corporation.

A Range of Views

Opinions presented at the hearing were notable for their political and ideological diversity and the variety of approaches advanced for countering the Chinese threat. Waters criticized GOP lawmakers for wrangling with Democrats and the Biden administration over the debt ceiling and suggested that the default on U.S. debt that may result from such infighting would play right into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

If House Republicans continue their brinksmanship, it will result in major job losses and a recession of epic proportions, and would hand the Chinese Communist Party a massive win. Weve been down this road before, and there have been real harms to our economy, Waters stated.

Waters urged the lawmakers in attendance to take the threat of default much more seriously and to explain how a default would affect Americans standard of living and political influence across the globe.

Luetkemeyer emphasized how the increasingly close business and economic ties between China and the United States provide abundant opportunities not only for Beijing to use U.S. dollars to expand and upgrade its military, but also for companies controlled by the CCP to infiltrate the stateside business landscape and gain access to highly sensitive commercial, diplomatic, and military secrets.

For decades, China has employed a civil and national strategy to develop the Peoples Liberation Army into a world-class military, Luetkemeyer said.

Luetkemeyer went on to quote then-President Donald Trumps executive order from 2020 which was intended to curb investment in Peoples Republic of China (PRC)-affiliated entities: The PRC is increasingly exploiting United States capital as a resource in order to enable the development and modernization of its military and other security apparatuses. China continues to use their economy to repress its own people. This oppression includes speech suppression of all citizens and the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, including arbitrary imprisonment, forced labor, and genocide.

But even in the face of this acknowledged reality, the resolve needed for the decoupling of American capital from Chinese security and military forces is lacking, Luetkemeyer said, alluding to the events of recent days.

The U.S. government seemingly acknowledges this, but we lack meaningful action, as we just witnessed this past weekend with the balloon fiasco, he said.

The Chinese Presence

The risks to economic and national security are severe given the extent of integration between the Chinese and American economies at this juncture, Luetkemeyer suggested. He noted that, as of Jan. 9, 2023, U.S. exchanges had listings for 252 Chinese companies whose total market capitalization exceeds $1 trillion. Moreover, as of 2021, the U.S. trade deficit with China has hit $355 billion.

Another area of grave concern is the data and intellectual property theft that such close ties facilitate.

While it is hard to put a dollar sign on Chinas theft of intellectual property, certain estimates put it at as much as $600 billion a year, Luetkemeyer said.

It is our committees job to examine all interconnections and pursue options to limit U.S. capital flowing into those areas, he added.

Ashooh emphasized the need for U.S. departments and agencies to pool their resources and close those gaps that permit capital, trade, and technology secrets to go to the wrong parties. He urged various agencies and outfits to work closely together and ground their classification of impermissible security breaches in well-defined export control lists.

Gaps do exist. Leverage what works to address them. The United States should consider a new method for multilateral controls in targeted technology areas, Ashooh said.

Ashooh contrasted such a coordinated, targeted strategy to the ad hoc approach applied to semiconductor supply chains, among other areas.

U.S. technology leadership is indispensable. Without such alignment, unilateral policy will ultimately fail, he said.

A New Bureau?

The witnesses concurred on the need for much higher levels of scrutiny around outbound trade and investment. But a new interagency bureaucracy to oversee export controls, which some have argued for establishing, may in the end cause more problems than it solves, believes Feddo.

Congress is best suited to respond to an issue of this complexity and potential scope and impact. There should be no dispute that, to ensure Americas future security, the PRCs theft and the misappropriation of technology must be prevented, Feddo said.

The question is whether a new and far-reaching bureaucracy is the answer. The debate has taken on a presumption that outbound screening is necessary. But decision-makers would benefit greatly by not rushing into a solution. Additional hearings should be held to determine costs and benefits, and define objectives, he added.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has taken years to adopt and implement changes to its protocols, and if such a body were to come into existence to screen outbound investment, lawmakers and officials would be making it up out of whole cloth, Feddo said.

From my CFIUS experience, a new interagency committee would be extremely time- and resource-intensive, and would require substantial effort to build a clear regulatory framework. Its in the best interests of national security, a strong open economy, and accountable government to get this right. The alternative could be an unrestrained bureaucracy, he continued.

Lorber argued that while sanctions have proven highly effective when dealing with abuses of foreign regimes at some points in the recent past, it is important not to overestimate the utility of sanctions. They are not a silver bullet, he said.

While the U.S. use of sanctions against China has so far been limited, policymakers have increasingly focused on them, Lorber said.

Targeted, list-based sanctions can be impactful at disrupting threatening activity, making it harder and riskier for our adversaries to access U.S. markets, he said.

However, no two sets of geopolitical circumstances are exactly the same. While sanctions may have worked in the case of Iran, given how few market players were willing to abandon U.S. business dealings and rely on Iranian supply chains, that scenario may have limited applicability to the present case.

This dynamic may not hold in the context of China, Lorber said.

Offering Alternatives

If U.S. lawmakers wish to dissuade companies from having dealings with firms linked to the Chinese regime and its military and security apparatus, then it is hard to overstate the importance of providing them with alternative markets, argued Willems.

The threat from China is not confined only to national security. China also seeks to challenge U.S. economic and geopolitical leadership and to remake the world order, Willems said.

I hope to facilitate the committees development of a strategic China agenda. To maximize our chances of success, our approach should be comprehensive and not only defensive in nature, he said.

The United States has several advantages in its rivalry with China, namely a free-market system, democratic values, and a deep network of allies and partners, Willems stressed. But the comprehensive approach that he believes to be necessary to protect the security and integrity of U.S. economic and commercial interests means recognizing the reality that businesses will be ready and willing to walk away from Chinas market of more than 1.4 billion consumers, without other opportunities in place.

As we cut off capital and technology flows to China, we must also be creating opportunities for U.S. companies that are affected by these measures, [such as] market-access trade agreements that break down barriers in third countries and reduce our reliance on China for critical goods. We need to provide companies with meaningful incentives, Willems said.

Establishing such trade agreements may help even the playing field in a global economy where China makes no secret of its ambition to cultivate closer ties to other markets.

If we want to build those relationships, those partnerships, we need to have trade agreements. The reason thats important for supply chains is that Chinas going around the world, theyre cutting trade agreements with other countries that make it easier to facilitate trade between them. So we are at a cost disadvantage when other countries are making agreements about supply chains, he said.

Reconsidering Rules

Willems also suggested that, as part of the same approach, it may be time to consider allowing the U.S. Export-Import Bank to take on more risk.

Ex-Im has a 2 percent default cap. Thats the maximum default theyre allowed to have before they totally lose their ability to make investments. Its a controversial policy, but we need to take another look if were serious about providing an alternative, he said.

Willems clarified that he does not envision total decoupling and the absence of any Chinese-linked firms in stateside markets, but rather, he sees a need for higher levels of sophistication on the part of investors and a greater awareness of risks.

I dont think, inherently, that you dont want any Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges. As long as they play by the rules, its good for us. That said, I dont think U.S. citizens understand what theyre getting into with those investments, said Willems.

I do think that having disclosures about that is important so that investors can make the decisions, he added.

One hopeful sign is that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) appears to have achieved some success at the end of 2022 in its monitoring of the operations and finances of Chinese companies in this country, including inspections of which the firms executives did not have warning.

I think youre right to wonder, was this a one-time thing where China wanted to avoid mass delistings, or is this China finally opening and saying, Were going to play by the rules that everyone else has to follow? Willems said.

In Willemss view, there are grounds for optimism on this point and the PCAOBs actions may have helped establish a useful precedent.

At this point, we should take the PCAOBs word for it that they were able to access Chinese papers in December. The checks were random, the Chinese didnt know in advance, he said.
That release could not be found.
An immediate primary care fix, improper disposal of medication, and getting more from your daily dose of coffee
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




Dutch researcher Frank Hoogerbeets from the Solar System Geography Survey (SSGEOS) has received widespread attention on social media for his apparent prediction of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

On February 3, just three days before the massive quakes took place, Hoogerbeets took to Twitter to issue a warning, stating that a magnitude 7.5 earthquake was likely to occur in the region of South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Sooner or later there will be a ~M 7.5 #earthquake in this region (South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon)., he tweeted. The tweet has since gone viral, with over 48 million views.

The SSGEOS, where Hoogerbeets works, is a research institute that monitors the geometry between celestial bodies in relation to seismic activity. The institute believes that specific geometry in the Solar System may cause larger earthquakes. On February 2, the SSGEOS published an earthquake forecast, stating that larger seismic activity may occur from February 4 to 6, with the possibility of a larger seismic event around February 4.

However, the methodology and scientific rationale behind Hoogerbeets prediction and the SSGEOS are not widely accepted. According to Caltech Science Exchange, it is currently not possible to predict exactly when and where an earthquake will occur, nor how large it will be. The US Geological Survey (USGS) also states that it is not possible to predict major earthquakes, and that they can only calculate the probability that a significant earthquake will occur in a specific area within a certain number of years.

The human cost of the recent earthquake has been devastating, with over 2,000 fatalities and a larger number of injuries across affected areas in Turkey and Syria. The viral tweet has sparked a debate on the validity of earthquake predictions and the role of technology and social media in the dissemination of such information.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




An appearance by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on ABC News is almost always certain to be a snooze fest of softball questions and hosts lauding whatever narrative the Biden administration is currently pushing. By some miracle, thats not what it was when Jean-Pierre appeared on The View ahead of Joe Bidens State of the Union address.

Though the interview was 95% boring, co-host Sara Haines did bring up data from an ABC/WaPo poll which found that a full 40% of Americans feel that they are worse off since Biden became president  the highest such number for any president in decades.

Now if the economy is strong, why dont more Americans feel that way? Haines asked, shooting an arrow into the White House narrative that Americans believe the economy is doing well.

Jean-Pierres answer, like most of her responses, lacked gusto.

What the president has done is transform the way we think about it, right? We used to talk about the trickle down economy. He doesnt say that. He doesnt believe in that. He believes in building an economy from the bottom up, middle out, she said.

Polls go up. Polls go down. We all know this. I know you all talk about this very often, so we know thats a reality, she added.

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin then pressed the press secretary over Bidens wretched poll numbers, with the above-mentioned poll also finding that 58% of Democrats dont want Biden to run again in 2024.

Voters are even less enthused about Biden running again than Trump, a low bar. How do you respond to that fact that a whopping 58 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning want someone other than the president to run, she said.

Jean-Pierre sidestepped the question by going on a rant about the Hatch Act and saying she can only repeat what the president has said about running in the next election cycle. Not super reassuring for Democrats.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




The NYPD will hold a funeral service on Thursday for murdered Officer Adeed Fayaz. The funeral will take place at the Makki Masjid Mosque on Coney island Avenue near Foster Avenue in Midwood, Brooklyn. The services will tentatively be starting at 1:00PM. Thousands of police officers will be attending, and the area will be a traffic nightmare.

Flatbush Scoop WhatsApp will be providing update throughout the day. Make sure to sign up here.

Officer Adeed Fayaz, 26, was shot Saturday in Brooklyn, where he and his brother-in-law went to buy a car posted on Facebook Marketplace from a man later identified as the alleged shooter, authorities said.

Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a social media post Tuesday evening. Our Department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers.

Police officials said earlier Tuesday that Randy Jones, 38, was arrested at a suburban motel Monday in connection with the shooting. Tuesday night, authorities announced Jones was charged with murder and attempted robbery.

Fayaz, married with two young children, agreed to meet Jones on Saturday to buy a car for $24,000, Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference. When Fayaz and his brother-in-law arrived, Jones asked jokingly if the men were armed, Essig said. Jones then put Fayaz in a headlock and demanded the money, the chief said.

Fayaz said he didnt have the money, Essig said, and Jones pointed a gun at Fayazs brother-in-law. Fayaz broke free from the headlock and Jones shot him in the head, Essig said.

Jones ran, firing more shots at he fled, Essig said. The brother-in-law grabbed Fayazs gun from his hip and fired several shots as well, he said. The brother-in-law was not injured.

Jones drove off in a 2011 BMW that was registered to his mother, Essig said.

Jones was arrested Monday at a Days Inn in Nanuet, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of New York City. A woman and five children ages 6 months to 11 years were with him at the motel, Essig said. Police detained Jones using Fayazs handcuffs, Essig said.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC / AP)




Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence.

The revamping of Microsofts second-place search engine could give the software giant a head start against other tech companies in capitalizing on the worldwide excitement surrounding ChatGPT, a tool thats awakened millions of people to the possibilities of the latest AI technology.

Along with adding it to Bing, Microsoft is also integrating the chatbot technology into its Edge browser. Microsoft announced the new technology at an event Tuesday at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft said a public preview of the new Bing will launch Tuesday for users who sign up for it, but the technology will scale to millions of users in coming weeks.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsofts corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, said the new Bing will go live for desktop on limited preview. Everyone can try a limited number of queries, he said.

The strengthening partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has been years in the making, starting with a $1 billion investment from Microsoft in 2019 that led to the development of a powerful supercomputer specifically built to train the San Francisco startups AI models.

While its not always factual or logical, ChatGPTs mastery of language and grammar comes from having ingested a huge trove of digitized books, Wikipedia entries, instruction manuals, newspapers and other online writings.

Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday that new AI advances are going to reshape every software category we know, including search, much like earlier innovations in personal computers and cloud computing. He said it is important to develop AI with human preferences and societal norms and youre not going to do that in a lab. You have to do that out in the world.

The shift to making search engines more conversational  able to confidently answer questions rather than offering links to other websites  could change the advertising-fueled search business, but also poses risks if the AI systems dont get their facts right. Their opaqueness also makes it hard to source back to the original human-made images and texts theyve effectively memorized, though the new Bing includes annotations that link to sources.

Google has been cautious about such moves. But in response to pressure over ChatGPTs popularity, Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday announced a new conversational service named Bard that will be available exclusively to a group of trusted testers before being widely released later this year. Chinese tech giant Baidu also this week announced a similar tool coming later this year, according to Chinese media.

Googles chatbot is supposed to be able to explain complex subjects such as outer space discoveries in terms simple enough for a child to understand. It also claims the service will also perform other more mundane tasks, such as providing tips for planning a party, or lunch ideas based on what food is left in a refrigerator. Other tech rivals such as Facebook parent Meta and Amazon also worked on similar technology, but Microsofts latest moves aim to position it at the center of the ChatGPT zeitgeist.

Microsoft disclosed in January that it was pouring billions more dollars into OpenAI as it looks to fuse the technology behind ChatGPT, the image-generator DALL-E and other OpenAI innovations into an array of Microsoft products tied to its cloud computing platform and its Office suite of workplace products like email and spreadsheets.

The most surprising might be the integration with Bing, which is the second-place search engine in many markets but has never come close to challenging Googles dominant position.

Bing launched in 2009 as a rebranding of Microsofts earlier search engines and was run for a time by Nadella, years before he took over as CEO. Its significance was boosted when Yahoo and Microsoft signed a deal for Bing to power Yahoos search engine, giving Microsoft access to Yahoos greater search share. Similar deals infused Bing into the search features for devices made by other companies, though users wouldnt necessarily know that Microsoft was powering their searches.

By making it a destination for ChatGPT-like conversations, Microsoft could invite more users to give Bing a try.

On the surface, at least, a Bing integration seems far different from what OpenAI has in mind for its technology. Appearing at Microsofts event, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the the new Bing experience looks fantastic and is based in part on learnings from its GPT line of large language models. He said one of the reasons for the Microsoft partnership is to help get OpenAI technology into the hands of millions of people.

OpenAI has long voiced an ambitious vision for safely guiding whats known as AGI, or artificial general intelligence, a not-yet-realized concept that harkens back to ideas from science fiction about human-like machines. OpenAIs website describes AGI as highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work.

OpenAI started out as a nonprofit research laboratory when it launched in December 2015 with backing from Tesla CEO Elon Musk and others. Its stated aims were to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return.

That changed in 2018 when it incorporated a for-profit business Open AI LP, and shifted nearly all its staff into the business, not long after releasing its first generation of the GPT model for generating human-like paragraphs of readable text.

OpenAIs other products include the image-generator DALL-E, first released in 2021, the computer programming assistant Codex and the speech recognition tool Whisper.

(AP)




Chief Rabbi of Tehran Rav Yehudah Gerami and other religious figures in the Islamic Republic met on Monday with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The meeting focused on the topic of the Islamic revolution and its achievements for all religions.

Raisi spoke about Jews and Israel, emphasizing the lack of connection between the two: All believers in the Abrahamic religions, with the belief in G-ds promise to save man and actualize justice and fight oppression  this is a common belief among all religions, including the Abrahamic religion.

Those who oppress the downtrodden people in Palestine in the name of Jews have nothing to do with the Jewish religion and the followers of the Prophet Moses today. Those who oppress people in any part of the world in the name of Christianity have nothing to do with Christianity because all the prophets hated oppression.

Raisi almost mentioned the ongoing protests against the regime, calling the protesters enemies of the regime.

Today, the enemies of the Islamic revolution seek to create hopelessness and despair in Iranian society in order to stop Iran from developing, producing, from promoting science and technology, business and creative pursuits.

According to a BChadrei Chareidim report, HaRav Gerami spoke during the meeting, emphasizing the common values between monotheistic religions, and in particular Abrahamic religions, such as the belief in one G-d, prophecy, the world to come, the Messiah and redemption.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




A thief recently stole thousands of shekels from a mikvah in Har Nof and HaRav Moshe Yaakov Spitzer, the head of the Imrei Shefer mosdos in the neighborhood, called to report the theft to community police officer Sergeant Shay Cohen on Sunday morning.

Cohen, together with police officers from the Moriah station, launched an investigation and shortly later identified the suspect, a resident of Jerusalem in his 40s.

On Tuesday, the suspect was brought to the police station for questioning, and after realizing that the police had enough evidence to indict him, returned the money to the police, who promptly handed over the money to Rav Spitzer.

Rav Spitzer not only showered the police officer with brachos but even blessed the suspect for returning the money and gave him a bracha to mend his ways.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Joe Rogan, who has millions of listeners to his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has been accused of anti-Semitism while expressing support for Ilhan Omar after she was kicked off the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rogan said that Omars apologizing for talking about its all about the Benjamins, should have been enough to save her job.

Its just about money  shes just talking about money, Rogan said. Thats not an anti-Semitic statement, I dont think that is.

Benjamins are money. The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. Thats like saying Italians arent into pizza. Its [expletive] stupid. Its [expletive] stupid, he insisted.

Rogan then said that whether you agree with her or not, Omar had shared a bold opinion and that opinion is not her own  theres many people that have that opinion, and they should be represented.

Critics have taken issue with Rogans remarks, blasting the podcaster for his ridiculous comment.

For the hard of understanding, Jews are into money is not like Italians are into pizza, David Baddiel  the author of a book about anti-Semitism called Jews Dont Count  said.

Because unless my history lessons really missed something out, no-one has exterminated a large section of the entire Italian community because of their love for pepperoni, he quipped. Also, Joe Rogan has a 200 Million dollar deal with Spotify. And yet apparently its Jews who are into money.

Disturbing that at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories, @joerogan would use his immense platform to spew antisemitic tropes about Jews and money, tweet ADL CEO Jason Greenblatt.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




A former New York stockbroker-turned-Islamic State group militant was convicted Tuesday of becoming a sniper and trainer for the extremist group during its brutal reign in Syria and Iraq.

The trial of Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a Kazakh-born U.S. citizen, was the latest in a series of cases against people accused of leaving their homelands around the world to join the militants in combat.

Todays verdict in an American courtroom is a victory for our system of justice and against the Islamic State group, Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. Asainovs lawyers had no immediate comment.

A onetime broker who doted on his toddler daughter, Asainov converted to Islam around 2009 and later quit his job and started watching radical sermons online, his ex-wife testified. He abruptly left his family in Brooklyn in December 2013 and made his way to Syria as IS stormed to power.

In a case built largely on Asainovs own words in messaging apps, emails, recorded phone calls and an FBI interview, prosecutors said he fought in numerous battles and built a notable profile in IS by becoming a sniper and later an instructor of nearly 100 other long-range shooters.

The evidence has shown that people died as a result of the defendants conduct. It is time to hold him accountable, prosecutor Douglas Pravda told a Brooklyn federal court jury in a closing argument.

Asainov, 46, didnt testify, telling the court he was not part of this process.

His lawyers didnt dispute that he went to Syria and affiliated with the Islamic State group, but they argued that his accounts of his role were boasts that had no firsthand corroboration and didnt prove anyone died because of his conduct.

Nobodys arguing to you that Mr. Asainovs view of the world is not a very warped view, defense attorney Sabrina Shroff said in her summation, asking the jury not to confuse his views with what is needed to convict him beyond a reasonable doubt.

Theres not a single piece of paper that ties Mr. Asainov to anything in the Islamic State that would tell you he, in fact, is the person he claims to be, she said.

Jurors, whose identities were kept confidential, found Asainov guilty of offenses that include providing and attempting to provide material support to what the U.S. designates a foreign terrorist organization. The jury also concluded that his actions caused at least one death, a finding that means he faces the potential of life in prison. His sentencing is set for June 7.

IS fighters seized chunks of Iraq and Syria in 2014, sweeping millions of people into a so-called caliphate ruled according to the groups iron-fisted interpretation of Islamic law, enforced through massacres, beheadings, sexual slavery and other atrocities. The groups bloody campaign attracted tens of thousands of foreign fighters; at least scores of them were U.S. citizens, according to a 2018 academic report from George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism.

Fighting left a swath of deaths, displacement and destruction in major cities and beyond. The extremists lost the last remnants of their realm in 2019.

Asainov was picked up soon after by U.S.-backed forces and turned over to U.S. authorities. Unabashed as FBI agents questioned him, he gave his occupation as sniper and frankly detailed how hed taught others, explaining that he could spend three hours just on the fine points of pulling a trigger, according to video played at trial.

He had also been forthcoming in messages and calls from Syria to friends and the now-ex-wife hed left behind, according to trial evidence.

Have you heard of Islamic State? Right. I-S-I-S. Do you watch news on TV? Thats where I am located. I am one of its fighters, he told his ex in a voicemail that authorities translated from Russian. We are the worst terrorist organization in the world that ever existed.

He sent photos of himself in camouflage garb with a rifle and pictures of the bloodied bodies of men with whom he said hed fought. He texted one confidante  in fact a U.S. government informant  a rundown of prominent battles in which he said hed participated and asked for money to buy a night scope for his rifle.

Later, with the sounds of explosions in the background of Asainovs phone, he asked another friend for money to send his new wife and children to safety as U.S.-backed forces fought to capture the extremists de facto capital of Raqqa in 2017.

Shroff urged jurors not to take his remarks at face value.

To say the same wrong things over and over again does not make them accurate, she argued.

After his arrest, a defiant Asainov declared at his arraignment that he was an Islamic State citizen, not a United States citizen, and jail officials said they later found a hand-drawn version of the militants flag in his cell.

He told his mother on the facilitys recorded phones that her son doesnt exist anymore, replaced by a man who saw himself as a holy warrior who fought and killed on divine command, didnt regret it and would be fighting until the end.

I will never change this path, even if they give me freedom a thousand times, he told her in one translated call.

Do you understand?

(AP)




The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a $10 billion arms sale to NATO ally Poland as Russias war in neighboring Ukraine rages.

The State Department notified Congress that the sale comprises mid-range, mobile HIMARS artillery rocket systems, associated ammunition and related equipment.

Poland and other eastern flank NATO allies become increasingly concerned about the possibility of a new Russian offensive in Ukraine along their borders as the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion approaches toward the end of the month.

The department said the sale would support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by bolstering the defensive capabilities of a NATO ally. The department also said Poland is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.

The proposed sale will improve Polands military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies, it said.

Poland intends to use these defense articles and services to modernize its armed forces and expand its capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats, the department said in a statement.

(AP)




IDF Home Front Command search and rescue teams arrived in southern Turkey on Tuesday and immediately began rescue operations, working throughout the night to find survivors trapped under the rubble.

By Wednesday morning, the Israeli rescue teams succeeded in rescuing four people, including a 23-year-old woman and a boy in two separate areas in the city of Kahramanmaras, and two trapped people in the city of Gaziantep, one of whom had to endure an emergency amputation of his leg by IDF medics before he could be pulled from the rubble.

Maj. (Res.) Matan Schneider, the teams commander, described the rescue of the woman, saying that the team was on their way to a site when they were summoned by locals who heard sounds from the rubble. We began a complex rescue operation that lasted four and a half hourseventually we rescued a 23-year-old woman, suffering only from a fracture in her hip.

The video below shows the rescue team launching their search.

Another IDF delegation departed for Turkey on Wednesday to establish a field hospital. As part of Israels Olive Branches humanitarian aid delegation, an IDF advanced team landed in Turkiye on Wednesday morning and will begin establishing a field hospital, a statement from the IDF spokesperson said. The team will provide medical assistance to individuals rescued from the sites hit by the earthquakes.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a rare trip out of his country Wednesday, daring to visit Britain in a bid for more advanced weapons as Kyiv braces for an expected Russian offensive and hatches its own plans to retake land held by Moscows forces.

Zelenskyy arrived on a Royal Air Force plane at London Stansted airport north of the U.K. capital. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greeted him on the tarmac, tweeting a photo of him embracing the Ukrainian leader.

The United Kingdom was one of the first to come to Ukraines aid. And today Im in London to personally thank the British people for their support, Zelenskyy said on Instagram.

A large convoy of vehicles left the airport and headed straight to Downing Street in central London. Both leaders posed briefly for photos in front of the famous black door that leads into the U.K. prime ministers residence.

Staff inside 10 Downing St. could be heard applauding as the Ukrainian leader entered.

At the start of the leaders meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Britain for its big support from the first days of full-scale invasion.

Zelenskyy will later address Parliament. Its his first trip to the U.K. since Russias invasion began nearly a year ago and only his second confirmed journey outside Ukraine during the war.

Zelenskyy will also meet with King Charles III and U.K. military chiefs during his visit.

The U.K. is one of the biggest military backers of Ukraine and has sent the country more than 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in weapons and equipment.

The visit comes as Sunak announced that Britain will train Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard fighter jets. Ukraine has urged its allies to send jets, though the U.K. says its not practical to provide the Ukrainian military with British warplanes.

More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops have also been trained at bases in the U.K., some on the Challenger 2 tanks that Britain is sending.

I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future, Sunak said. It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come.

Coinciding with the visit, the U.K. government announced a new round of sanctions against six entities that the U.K. said supplied equipment to the Russian military.

CST, a manufacturer of Russian drones and parts for helicopters used against Ukraine, were among those sanctioned. Others targeted included five individuals linked to Russian President Vladimir Putins luxury residences, including Boris Titov and Aerostart owner Viktor Myachin.

Zelenskyy addressed the U.K. Parliament remotely in March, two weeks after the start of the invasion. He echoed World War II leader Winston Churchills famous never surrender speech, vowing that Ukrainians will fight till the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.

Before Sunak took office, Zelenskyy had formed a bond with Boris Johnson, who was one of Ukraines most vocal backers while he was U.K. prime minister. Sunak took office in October and has pledged to maintain the U.K.s support.

It will be Zelenskyys second known trip visit abroad since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. He visited the U.S. in December.

Zelenskyy may be seeking Western pledges of more advanced weapons before potential spring offensives by both Russia and Ukraine.

In Brussels, there were increasing expectations that the Ukrainian leader might also make his first visit to European Union institutions since the war began.

Leaders from 27-nation bloc will be gathering for a summit in Brussels on Thursday. That would enable Zelenskyy to meet with all major leaders of the bloc in one day. Zelenskyy has often addressed EU summits only through video calls from Ukraine.

The EUs legislature has also slated a special plenary session in Brussels for Thursday in the hopes that Zelenskyy will come following his trip to Britain.

The London visit came as Russian forces blasted areas of eastern Ukraine with more artillery bombardments, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, in what Kyiv authorities believe is part of a new thrust by the Kremlins forces before the invasion anniversary.

Russian forces over the past day launched major shelling attacks on areas near the front line in Ukraines northeastern Kharkiv region, killing a 74-year-old woman and wounding a 16-year-old girl in the border town of Vovchansk, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.

Russian forces in Ukraine are focusing their efforts on waging a counteroffensive in the countrys industrial east, with the aim of taking full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

Russian troops launched assaults near Bakhmut and Vuhledar, two mining towns in the Donetsk region that have been among Moscows key targets, Ukrainian officials said.

Seizing Bakhmut could severely disrupt Ukraines military supply routes. It would also open a door for Moscows forces to drive toward key Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk.

Ukrainian authorities say the Kremlins goal is to complete full control of the Donbas, an expansive industrial area bordering Russia. That would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a major battlefield success after months of setbacks and help him rally public opinion behind the war.

Military analysts say that after a Ukrainian counteroffensive that started last summer and recaptured large areas from Russia, the war has been largely static in recent months.

Moscow, meanwhile, believes Ukraine is preparing its own battlefield push.

The Russian-installed leader of the occupied Luhansk region said Wednesday the situation in some areas is very difficult because Kyiv is mustering forces for a counterattack.

Leonid Pasechnik told Russian state TV that the situation is very difficult in areas around a key Russian supply route. Unfortunately, the enemy is accumulating sufficient reserves there, forces to counterattack, to return the lost territories, he said.

It wasnt possible to verify the claims by the two sides.

(AP)




House Republicans are expected to question former Twitter executives about the platforms handling of reporting on Hunter Biden, the presidents son, fulfilling a party promise to investigate what they have long asserted is anti-conservative bias at social media companies.

Three former executives will be appearing Wednesday before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to testify for the first time about the companys decision in the weeks before the 2020 election to initially block from Twitter a New York Post article about the contents of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden.

The witnesses Republicans subpoenaed to testify are Vijaya Gadde, Twitters former chief legal officer; James Baker, the companys former deputy general counsel; and Yoel Roth, former head of safety and integrity.

Democrats have a witness of their own, Anika Collier Navaroli, a former employee with Twitters content moderation team. She testified last year to the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot about Twitters preferential treatment of Donald Trump until the then-president was banned from Twitter two years ago.

The hearing is the GOPs opening act into what lawmakers promise will be a widespread investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, with the tech companies another prominent target of their oversight efforts.

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, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the committee chairman, said in a statement announcing the hearing.

The New York Post first reported in October 2020, weeks before the presidential election, that it had received from Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, a copy of a hard drive from a laptop that Hunter Biden had dropped off 18 months earlier at a Delaware computer repair shop and never retrieved. Twitter blocked people from sharing links to the story for several days.

Months later, Twitters then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, called the companys communications around the Post article not great. He added that blocking the articles URL with zero context around why it was blocked was unacceptable.

The newspaper story was greeted at the time with skepticism due to questions about the laptops origins, including Giulianis involvement, and because top officials in the Trump administration had already warned that Russia was working to denigrate Joe Biden before the White House election.

The Kremlin had interfered in the 2016 race by hacking Democratic emails that were subsequently leaked, and fears that Russia would meddle again in the 2020 race were widespread across Washington.

Just last week, lawyers for the younger Biden asked the Justice Department to investigate people who say they accessed his personal data. But they did not acknowledge that that data came from a laptop that Hunter Biden is purported to have dropped off at a computer repair shop.

The issue was also reignited recently after Elon Musk took over Twitter as CEO and began to release a slew of company information to independent journalists, what he has called the Twitter Files.

The documents and data largely show internal debates among employees over the decision to temporarily censor the story about Hunter Biden. The tweet threads lacked substantial evidence of a targeted influence campaign from Democrats or the FBI, which has denied any involvement in Twitters decision-making.

Nonetheless, Comer and other Republicans have used the Post story, which has not been independently verified by The Associated Press, as the basis for what they say is another example of the Biden familys influence peddling.

One of the witnesses on Wednesday, Baker, is expected to be the target of even more Republican scrutiny.

Baker was the FBIs general counsel during the opening of two of the bureaus most consequential investigations in history: the Hillary Clinton investigation and a separate inquiry into potential coordination between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans have long criticized the FBIs handling of both investigations.

For Democrats, Navaroli is expected to counter the GOP argument by testifying about how Twitter allowed Trumps tweets despite the misinformation they sometimes contained.

Navaroli testified to the Jan. 6 committee last year that Twitter executives often tolerated Trumps posts despite them including false statements and violations of the companys own rules because executives knew the platform was his favorite and most-used  and enjoyed having that sort of power.

The Jan. 6 committee used Navarolis testimony in one of its public hearings last summer but did not identify her by name.

(AP)
Rishi Sunaks reshuffling of responsibilities in Whitehall comes none too soon.

A smarter, more alert government would have sought to refocus the Cabinet and government on the economys most promising sectors immediately after the Brexit referendum in 2016, and certainly after Boris Johnson delivered an 80-seat Commons majority in December 2019.

Instead, the Tories allowed themselves to become trapped in the reeds of politics.

Brain drain: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Michelle Donelan to head a science, innovation and technology department in a bid to boost Britain's tech sector

Much of the good stuff that UK enterprise does, the main drivers of productivity and prosperity, has been left to sink or swim.

The attention in Westminster inevitably will be on the new Department for Energy and Net Zero.

Thats not surprising after the world was turned upside down by Vladimir Putins ruthless aggression against Ukraine. It is the other department changes which are just as significant.

The creation of a science, innovation and technology department under the stewardship of Michelle Donelan seeks to fulfil the declared determination of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to unleash Britains inner Silicon Valley. There is critical and immediate work to be done.

The brain drain of European and other overseas scientists from Britains world-class research universities, caused by the UKs suspension from the 81billion Horizon Europe project, needs to be restored as pledged.

If budgetary constraints mean that a rise in the UKs R&D budget to American or even Israeli levels is not immediately feasible, then tax incentives for investment in these areas have to be far more generous.

The horse has already bolted on some of the best UK software, R&D, patents and science. The 10billion sale of Aveva to Frances Schneider without full scrutiny is disturbing.

In the last week, Emma Walmsley at GSK and Pascal Soriot at AstraZeneca have warned that the UKs competitive edge in life sciences is endangered.

They are calling for greater R&D support and reform of clinical trials. They want a speed up of regulatory approval for treatments so the latest medicines are brought to market more rapidly, as was the case with Covid.

A laser focus on ensuring the UKs avionics, AI, sonar and satellite tech is not denuded any further also is essential.

Equally critical is recognition of the UKs creative sector, with its own Department of Culture, Media & Sport.

Depending on where one draws the perimeter, this sphere of the economy, which includes JK Rowling, video gaming, London theatres, ITV studios, the Premier League and much else, accounts for up to 10 per cent of GDP.

Leaving the EU has had its impact on live performances in Europe and the accessibility of British TV channels to EU streaming platforms. The new Cabinet minister Lucy Frazer has the opportunity to disperse such blockages.

No one will be sad to see the cumbersome Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department dismantled.

Greg Clark was the last Secretary of State driven by issues rather than ideology.

Kwasi Kwarteng, last incumbent but one, regarded his sessions with leaders from the media, insurance and other sectors of commerce as an opportunity to propagate his own brilliant ideas rather than listen to practical issues raised by participants.

Reviving what effectively is the old Department of Trade & Industry offers the possibility of a renewed industrial strategy and pushing the frontiers of trade deals particularly in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific.

Grant Shapps, who has been a person for all seasons amid this winters industrial disruption, inherits the hot potato of Energy.

He should not allow himself to be pulled into the Westminster narrative that big oil needs to be punished for making profits.

Yes, there has been an enormous transfer of wealth from consumers and other businesses to the oil majors and Gulf producers. What the UK needs to do is capture some of the extraordinary profits through investment.

Bernard Looney at BP may be rethinking his greening of the company but is still planning investment in 50 gigawatts of wind and solar by 2030. BP and Shell could do more for net zero.

Rather than tax them until the pips squeak, as Labour and the Lib Dems propose, the obvious thing would be for the Government to encourage big energy  Shell, BP, Centrica et al  to invest in next-generation nuclear power.

Sizewell C and Rolls-Royce have been trapped in the starting stalls for too long.

Time for the race to the finish line to be unleashed.
Plans to water down City rules to bring Arm Holdings back to the London market have provoked a backlash.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) said there was a real danger in trying to rewrite the rulebook to lure specific firms such as the chip maker.

British officials are locked in last-ditch talks to bring Arm back to the UK in a float expected to value the company at around 50billion.

Setting precedents: The Institute of Directors said there was a real danger in trying to rewrite the rulebook to lure specific companies, such as the chip maker Arm

The Cambridge-based firm, which is the worlds leading specialist designer, yesterday revealed latest quarterly revenues of 620million, up 28 per cent on last year, as well as underlying profits of 374million.

It said its initial public offering (IPO) preparations were well advanced and it remains fully committed to listing in calendar 2023 but gave no further details about the venue or timing of the float.

But some in the City fear that regulators are preparing to relax established stock market rules in order to lure Arm to London.

Roger Barker, director of policy and corporate governance at the IoD, said: The UK regulatory authorities are demonstrating a worrying willingness to rewrite the listings rulebook as a means of luring business to London.

There is a real danger in watering down established governance rules in order to win transactions. It undermines the integrity of both the rules themselves and the UKs wider governance framework.

In the long term, good corporate governance is best served by the consistent and fair application of sensible listing rules that protect investors and other stakeholders.

The UK should not endanger its hard-won reputation for high governance standards by engaging in a regulatory race to the bottom.

But one City source described the reported plans for watering down rules as pretty weak beer.

Arm, whose chips underpin the global smartphone industry, was listed in London before being bought by Japans Softbank in 2016 for 24billion.

A plan to sell it to Americas Nvidia fell through amid scrutiny from regulators, prompting plans for it to return to public markets, with New York initially seen as being in pole position for the listing.
BP has scaled back its climate change plans after raking in record profits on the back of soaring energy prices.

In an apparent U-turn by chief executive Bernard Looney, the energy company said it plans to cut oil and gas production by just 25 per cent between 2019 and 2030  well short of its more ambitious previous target of a 40 per cent reduction.

The move, which sparked outrage among climate change campaigners, came as BP reported profits of 23billion for 2022  the highest in its 114-year history.

U-turn: BP, led by chief exec Bernard Looney (pictured), says it now plans to cut oil and gas production by just 25% between 2019 and 2030

The figures  which came alongside a hike in the dividend and further pay outs to investors  sent BP shares up 8 per cent, or 38.05p, to 516.4p.

Looney has spent years boasting of BPs green ambitions amid an increased focus on clean energy.

But announcing record profits on the back of soaring fossil fuel prices, he yesterday said BP needed to continue near-term investment into todays energy system  which depends on oil and gas  to meet todays demands.

He said the sector faced an energy trilemma of the world needing energy that is secure, affordable and low carbon.

To tackle that, action is needed to accelerate the transition, he said.

And  at the same time  action is needed to make sure that the transition is orderly, so that affordable energy keeps flowing where its needed today.

But in comments likely to further enrage climate change activists, Looney also said in a presentation the company could pursue smart acquisitions to expand its oil and gas portfolio amid the boom in profits.

Greenpeace UKs head of climate justice Kate Blagojevic said: Not only will BPs new strategy fail to deliver much-needed energy security in the UK, but it will ensure that people across the globe, already battling devastating droughts, floods and heatwaves, will continue losing their lives and livelihoods.

Despite the scaling back of its targets, BP outlined plans to pour 6.7billion into transition projects over the next seven years including electric vehicle chargers, renewable energy and hydrogen power.

This was matched by another 6.7billion for investment in oil and gas projects to target short-cycle fast-payback opportunities.

The figures came less than a week after rival Shell posted profits of 33billion  also a record.

It means Shell and BP made a combined 56billion in profit last year as households and businesses faced rising energy bills.

Shell shares also climbed yesterday, by 2.4 per cent, or 56.5p, to 2455p. US giant ExxonMobil last week reported a 46billion profit for 2022  the highest ever for a Western oil company.

Following the bumper results, BP announced plans to buy back another 2.3billion worth of shares, taking the cumulative total for the year to 9.8billion.

The company also hiked its dividend by 10 per cent in the final quarter of the year, taking the total paid out during 2022 to 3.6billion and providing a boost to the pension pots of millions of British workers.

The results sparked yet more anger from opposition politicians and campaign groups who have made repeated calls for oil and gas giants to be hit with even higher windfall taxes to help fund support measures for households grappling with surging energy bills.

While bill-payers across the UK are struggling with soaring costs, BPs shareholders are reaping enormous pay outs, said Joseph Evans, a researcher at the Left-wing Institute for Public Policy Research think-tank.

The Government has already imposed a windfall tax on the energy giants, meaning they now pay a corporation tax of 75 per cent on activities in the North Sea.

But those in the sector have hit back by warning that punishing tax rises will risk choking off investment in the UKs North Sea oil and gas industry.
HSBC has been accused of doing the dirty work of the Chinese Communist party after denying customers who fled from Hong Kong to the UK access to their own savings.

A scathing report from the all-party parliamentary group on Hong Kong also attacked the London-based banks support for the anti-democracy laws imposed on the territory by Beijing.

More than 88,000 people have escaped from Hong Kong to Britain since early 2021 after the harsh crackdown by China.

More than 88,000 people have escaped from Hong Kong to Britain since early 2021 after the harsh crackdown by China.

But the parliamentary group found that on top of brutalising dissidents, the Communist regime also seeks to financially isolate those whove turned to the British Government for safety and support, denying them the pension and personal savings they have spent their lives paying into.

It said this was the latest example of HSBC kowtowing to Beijing to protect its profits.

At stake are Mandatory Provident Funds (MPFs), a compulsory pensions savings scheme for Hong Kong residents.

The funds are managed by banks including HSBC, which was founded in the territory when it was under British control and makes most of its money in Asia.

Permanent departure from Hong Kong is supposed to give savers the right to withdraw money.

But last year the MPF authority said a British National Overseas (BNO) visa  used by people fleeing to the UK  could not be used as proof to do so.

The report found that by going along with this, HSBC was adding to its record of underhand collusion with Beijing.

It said the effect on many Hong Kongers was devastating and may have meant some could not leave.

The report added: It may even lead to Hong Kongers having to return back to Hong Kong and put their lives at risk because they could not afford to settle in the UK.

But it said HSBCs reliance on Hong Kong as a profit centre means it cannot afford to attract Beijings ire, and there have been a number of decisions where it has been forced to endorse the Chinese Communist party line.

Alistair Carmichael MP, co-chair of the group, said the bank was doing the dirty work of the Chinese Communist Party. He called on the Government to pressure it to act better than this.

The UK taxpayer has offered the hand of friendship to people fleeing the Chinese government in Hong Kong, Carmichael said.

A bank headquartered in London has picked the other side. We have a range of sanctions against individuals who are complicit in human rights abuses and thats whats going on in Hong Kong.

If sanctions have to be applied to directors of HSBC then our governments got to be prepared to make that clear to them.

HSBC is also criticised for freezing the accounts of pro-democracy activists and backing the National Security Law.

Its chief executive Noel Quinn was grilled in 2021 by a select committee over Hong Kong and said it was not his position to make moral or political judgments and that he had to comply with the law.

HSBC said: Like all banks, we have to obey the law, and instructions of the regulators in every region in which we operate.

It said it followed the Hong Kong regulators guidance on MPFs, and the regulator had said a BNO was not evidence of the right of abode outside of Hong Kong.
National Savings and Investments (NS&I) help-line staff have wrongly told customers that they can only open its new 4 per cent fixed-rate bond if they have access to the internet.

The 12-month fixed rate was launched last Wednesday with a top rate of 4 per cent to much fanfare. However, the NS&I website claims that the product is 'designed to be invested in online'.

It also says the bond is not suitable for customers who 'prefer to manage savings by post'.

- Check out the best fixed rate savings bonds from the whole of the market here.

NS&I's staff have wrongly told customers that they can only open its new 4% fixed-rate bond if they have access to the internet when an account can be opened over the phone

When Cecile Hill, 86, called NS&I customer services last Friday in order to move money from her existing Direct Saver account to the new Guaranteed Growth Bond, she was told she couldn't have the account because she didn't have access to the internet.

Cecile, from London, says: 'They were adamant that I couldn't open a new account on the phone. I'm elderly and live alone, I don't use the internet at all.

'I gathered from the staff member that I wasn't the first person to be told this.

'There are many people who don't have the internet and we're being told it's hard luck.'

When challenged about Cecile's case, NS&I admitted some of its call centre staff had been given incorrect guidance.

A spokesman confirmed staff should allow customers without access to the internet to open accounts over the phone.

The spokesman says: 'We would like to apologise to any customers who have called our call centre and have not received the level of service that they should rightfully expect from our team.

'The quickest and easiest way to apply for the new Issues of Guaranteed Growth Bonds and Guaranteed Income Bonds is online via our website, but we appreciate that not all customers have online access.

'We are committed to ensuring that all of our customers, including those who do not have access to online services, are able to invest in our products.'

Dennis Reed, of charity Silver Voices, criticised the blunder. He says NS&I should be setting an example to other investment banks by ensuring there are always non-digital options for securing the best rates.

He says: 'This specific case is a display of age discrimination, and it is made worse by the fact that a government agency is responsible NS&I is very popular with older investors, many of whom don't have internet access, or don't want to switch to digital banking.'

Don't forget customers without internet It's astonishing that NS&I appears to have been routinely blocking older customers from opening accounts over the phone. Cecile, who features in our story, told me that a member of staff asked her why she didnt have the internet... While many of us are happy to make transactions online, government organisations like NS&I are wise to consider the needs of all. On the one hand, NS&I is making great moves on its savings rates. Its Premium Bonds are now far more attractive. These new bonds are competitive and even its easy-access accounts have been bumped up. On the other, NS&I has not covered itself in glory by irking many of its core customer base, who simply want to take advantage via a method theyve trusted for decades  the telephone.

NS&I says it has now contacted Cecile to open her account and move her savings over.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week, NS&I's helplines quoted waiting times of up to 45 minutes. Money Mail has been campaigning  as part of its Pick Up or Pay Up  for big businesses to be fined if they do not answer their phones within ten minutes.

There is no dedicated option to open the new bonds on the phone, meaning potential customers must go through to its general enquiries line.

An NS&I spokesman said: 'We are sorry that some customers may have waited longer than usual to speak to a member of our team this week.

'We are experiencing a much higher number of calls than usual and thank our customers for bearing with us while our team works hard to help as many people as possible.'

It says queries about the new bonds, switching from other products into the bonds and Premium Prize draw had created longer wait times than usual.

NS&I says that where a product is advertised as being 'online-only,' NS&I will speak to each customer on a case-by-case basis.

It says a staff member will then guide them through one of three options  the online process during a phone call, an account will be opened and payment taken by phone, or they will be sent a switching form via the post.

l.boyce@dailymail.co.uk




In a statement, the penitentiary institute reported that said disciplinary process the second one against the ex-President is brought against him for the alleged interview he gave to El Salto a Spanish newspaper.





In this regard, the INPE indicated that there is a procedure to authorize media outlets to conduct journalistic interviews with inmates, which has not been initiated by said newspaper.





Likewise, regarding the first disciplinary process against Pedro Castillo, the INPE said that the Penal Enforcement Code and its regulations expressly state that, although communications constitute a right of all persons deprived of their liberty, those of political and proselytizing nature are excluded.





"In this sense, on January 26, 2023, the INPE initiated an administrative disciplinary procedure against the inmate (Pedro Castillo) for the commission of an alleged disciplinary offense regarding the letter signed and published on Twitter, which is under investigation so that the Penitentiary Technical Council can determine any responsibility in accordance with the law," the statement read.





The penitentiary institute stated that Castillo is under the ordinary closed-prison regime and has the right to receive visits and communicate with family and friends orally or in writing, in accordance with the time schedule and security measures adopted at the prison.





"It should be noted that visits can only be restricted by a court's order of solitary confinement. Currently (Pedro Castillo) can receive a maximum of five people per day," the institution reported.





Finally, the INPE reaffirmed its commitment to faithfully comply with the principle of authority, order, and discipline within the penitentiary establishments in the country.





The National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) has opened an administrative disciplinary process against ex-President Pedro Castillo , who is currently held at Barbadillo prison located in Lima's Ate district.Publicado: 8/2/2023




Speaking from Piura, Gomez de la Torre emphasized that they had already been deployed to that part of the country as a result of the El Nino weather phenomenon.





In this sense, the chief of the CCFFAA underscored that as soon as an event of this kind occurs, they immediately come together to provide support to the population.





"A landslide has recently occurred in Secocha (Arequipa), but also in Yauyos and Canete, and the Armed Forces have been immediately mobilized," Gomez de la Torre remarked.





"You have seen in the media that we are bringing aid, transporting people, and carrying out emergency evacuations. We will always be where we are needed," he added.





On the other hand, the head of the CCFFAA pointed out that the Armed Forces keep working to unblock roads in regions such as Ica, Lima Provinces, Madre de Dios, among others.





As for the internal order control that the Armed Forces will enforce in Puno, according to the declaration of a state of emergency announced on Sunday for seven regions, Gomez de la Torre ruled out that this implies a militarization.





In addition, the CCFFAA head explained that the National Police will support the efforts of the Armed Forces.





"We will restore the internal order hand-in-hand with the population," he stressed.





(END) MRCA/CVC/RMB/MVB

The Chief of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces (CCFFAA), Manuel Gomez de la Torre , on Wednesday affirmed that law enforcement agents have been immediately deployed to Arequipa and other parts of the country affected by landslides.Published: 2/8/2023
February 06, 2023





The technology behind artificial intelligence has come on leaps and bounds over recent years. Whether youre interested in AI writing technology, more realistic gaming or automated responses to questions asked on a website youll have noticed improvements over recent years. The most recent shift in artificial technology has been around chatbots, where people have noticed a massive improvement in the experience they can give. In fact, you can barely visit your LinkedIn (News - Alert) newsfeed without seeing how one industry or another has started to make use of it.







Why is it Suddenly So Popular?

AI chatbot technology might not be something that is brand new, but it is something that is being talked about more than ever. There are several reasons behind this, but the fact that it has shifted so much to be able to give more accurate answers than ever definitely helps.

There are several types of chatbot technology out there and they all operate in different ways, but it is ChatGPT that has most recently hit the headlines. If you visit any business forum or social networking website youll find people talking about ChatGPT and how they might be able to use it for their particular business or niche.

Of course, as with any AI technology, there are various opinions as to whether this is something that we should be making use of  after all, what is going to happen to the humans that usually answer customer queries if it is suddenly taken over by a robot?

That isnt something that Microsoft seems worried about, as it is said that they are currently in talks to invest $10 billion into ChatGPT  which by any stretch of the imagination is a significant investment into the company.

What Industries are Expected to Make Use of this AI Technology?

As you might imagine, this type of technology could prove massively useful for several industries  and many are already taking advantage of it. For example, if you have bots answering basic customer queries then you never have to worry about staff shortages or wage bills to make this happen, so for a business it makes sense to invest in this type of technology.

Education

Over recent years the education industry has taken a bit of a shift, with more people open to remote learning. Before 2020 education was seen in a much stricter light  with the need to attend classroom training and complete work within set hours. However, with Zoom technology on the increase, many people are now much more familiar with remote learning and being able to learn at a pace that suits them. Chatbot technology can be a great help to those that choose to participate in this type of learning  because they can ask questions about their learning at any time of day and know that they are going to get an almost instant response.

Gambling

The gambling industry is another that is already benefitting from the use of AI chatbots to provide a better experience for customers. You can view PayPal casinos here, some of which are already using this technology. The gambling industry is one where customers want peace of mind that they are able to ask questions from customer service representatives and get an immediate response  after all, sometimes placing a bet can be really time sensitive. AI chatbot technology means that customers can get an instant response, giving them confidence in using that particular betting platform to make their move.

SEO

You might assume that chatbot technology is all about customer service and therefore unless customers have questions to ask about SEO this technology wont be called for. However, that is not the case. Shifts in AI technology means that ChatGPT and other chatbots are able to put together things like content plans and blog posts, which is another thing ticked off the list that SEO experts no longer have to worry about.

Technology

It stands to reason that technology is going to take advantage of chatbots, after all this is a pretty significant and exciting change in technology. Chatbots are able to discuss a range of topics as well as answer customer questions, so taking advantage of this just makes sense.

What Does the Future Look Like for AI Chatbot Technology?

Without a doubt, over the next couple of years, well see the AI industry continue to grow in terms of both popularity and revenue. The technology behind this is only likely to improve and as businesses start to see these improvements the uptake of them is likely to be even more popular.

Of course, as with any technological advancement like this, there are going to be people that have their concerns. Content writers and customer service representatives may be concerned that their jobs are going to be redundant and that robots will take over.

However, the truth is that the way AI technology is there will always be a need for human involvement  for example, if a customer cant get an answer from the AI technology then the option to be sent to a human should always exist. Basic articles may be written by AI technology, but they are going to be unable to relay the emotion behind any articles or to write newsworthy pieces.

The truth is that we dont know exactly what the future looks like for AI chatbot technology, but we do know it is something that has people excited. With plenty of people talking about it and businesses interested in seeing what it may be able to help them with, it is something that is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

If Microsoft (News - Alert) do go ahead and make their investment then this could change this too. This would give the development teams at ChatGPT some significant funds to further develop the technology. Where this will lead remains to be seen, but it seems relatively certain that chatbot technology and in particular ChatGPT are not going to be going anywhere for the foreseeable future  and most people are very happy that is the case.
February 07, 2023





Cindy Anderson of Bainbridge Island knows that technology has had a significant impact on activism and has changed the way people engage in social and political activism. Here are some of the ways technology has influenced activism:







Amplifying voices and peoples messages: Technology, particularly social media, has provided activists with a platform to reach a wider audience, amplify their message and mobilize supporters. Activists can easily create and share content, livestream events, and engage with people from different parts of the world!

Increasing accessibility and participation: With the widespread use of technology, it's easier for people to access information and participate in activism, regardless of their location. This has led to a democratization of activism and an increase in the number of people participating in social and political activism. This is definitely motivating for people who want to get involved.

Mobilizing and organizing: Tech has made it easier for activists to organize and mobilize people for events, campaigns and protests. Activists can use social media, messaging apps and other digital tools to coordinate and plan events and campaigns.

Making activism more effective: Computers and the tools around us have made activism more effective by providing activists with tools to track and analyze their impact, as well as the ability to measure and analyze the impact of their campaigns.

Encouraging collaboration and solidarity: Cindy Anderson, Bainbridge Island thinks that tech has facilitated collaboration and solidarity among activists, allowing them to work together, exchange ideas and join forces to achieve their goals. Activists can participate in online communities, join groups and attend virtual events, which has increased their ability to collaborate and support each other.

Breaking down barriers: Our involvement with tech has enabled us to break down barriers and made activism more inclusive, allowing people from different backgrounds and communities to participate and have their voices heard. This has created a more diverse and representative movement, which is essential for the success of activism.

It is important to note however that technology has also brought some challenges to activism. Here are some of the ways technology can impact activism negatively and Cindy Anderson of Bainbridge notes we should weary of these things:

Misinformation and propaganda: Technology has made it easier for misinformation and propaganda to spread, which can be detrimental to activism. Activists need to be cautious about the information they share and ensure that it is accurate and reliable.

Online harassment and abuse: Activists who use technology to engage in activism are often targeted by online harassment and abuse, which can have a significant impact on their well-being and ability to continue their activism.

Data privacy and security: Technology has made it easier for activists to be monitored and tracked, which can be a threat to their privacy and security. Activists need to be aware of the risks and take measures to protect their data and privacy.

Dependence on technology: The reliance on technology for activism can lead to a lack of personal connection and face-to-face interaction. This can impact the effectiveness of activism and the sense of community and solidarity among activists.

In closing, technology has had a profound impact on activism and has changed the way people engage in social and political activism. While technology has provided many benefits and opportunities, it has also brought new challenges and risks that activists need to be aware of. It's important for activists to use technology wisely and balance the use of technology with traditional forms of activism to ensure the success of their campaigns and movements.
February 07, 2023





Remote working has seen a huge boost in recent years, with many companies fully embracing the idea that employees can work from anywhere in the world. In some cases, businesses have closed their offices completely.

New hybrid work setups have their advantages and disadvantages, and the requirement of adaptability for managers has developed for overseeing a team remotely. Understanding different home working conditions, scheduling across different time zones and maintaining strong employee wellbeing conditions are all considerations that managers more than ever are having to take.







Creating a positive working environment for your team whilst balancing some of the challenges of working in locations is a new management skill. Below we breakdown some ways to put this into practice with the best ways to do remote working.

Setting Clear Boundaries

Working remotely can often feel like the boundaries of your working hours and personal time become blurred. This results from the idea that with flexible working hours you should be readily available at all times.

In reality, it is important to set a clear set of boundaries which will allow your employees to work flexibly without it impacting on the performance of the team. Be clear about what your expectations are for your teams output and any required deadlines, and also when setting timeframes and response times for emails.

A benefit of remote working means in theory your work can be done from anywhere. That being said, make sure your team communicates to you where they are working from and have this agreed upon. This will help prevent scheduling meetings at inconvenient times, and prevent unexpected difficulties in contacting team members. Communication is key in agreeing ways of effective remote working, therefore make sure your peers are sharing information as needed.

Trust is vital in remote working.

Employee Wellbeing

Having empathy for your team and their working environment is an important management skill. Each of your team members will have a different home setting and understanding these circumstances will be crucial in managing the performance of your team. They might be experiencing isolation or distractions at home.

Take time to listen to any concerns and struggles that your team is experiencing in their work set up. Schedule meetings with those who report to you as an informal opportunity to discuss any issues. This will help prevent any difficulties coming to light at a point when it is too late to resolve easily.

Find out if there are resources that your team requires in order to work effectively away from an office, such as new laptops, headsets or WiFi (News - Alert) boosters. Investing in these tools can be beneficial in improving your teams work conditions.

Team Bonding

Creating opportunities for your team to meet and bond is an essential part of growing your teams morale and retaining employees.

Your company's approach to office working will determine your ability to coordinate in person meetings. If you have a hybrid working pattern, it could be beneficial to enforce certain days the whole team will be in the office.

If your company is fully remote there are still other ways to get this valuable time together. If possible, coordinate to have a team offsite. This will allow colleagues to spend time together and develop in person relationships that can be so important for team performance. These company offsites can also be used to host in depth company reviews and planning sessions.

Regardless of how you go about getting your team together, it is essential that these opportunities are inclusive and that there are ways to dial in for those who cannot attend in person.
Brendan Swift to Join ATF Medical as Vice President, Payer Partnerships & Marketing

Brendan Swift will join ATF Medical, a national provider of complex rehab technology and accessibility solutions in workers' compensation, as vice president, payer partnerships and marketing on February 13. In this newly created role, Swift will lead the company's sales and marketing strategies and develop and oversee national payer relationships.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005097/en/

Brendan Swift to join ATF Medical as Vice President, Payer Partnerships & Marketing, effective February 13. (hoto: Business Wire)





"Brendan's background in payer operations, payer relations, and marketing along with his passion for helping injured workers regain mobility and independence make him a perfect fit in our growing organization," said CEO and President Sid Glover.

Swift started his career in group health with Oxford, United Healthcare, and Coventry, transitioning into workers' compensation when he led the national provider network management strategy for Coventry DME-plus. He later served as vice president of payer relations and strategic accounts for National Seating & Mobility, managing the national implementation of its workers' compensation service program. Most recently, he was staff vice president, provider operations/enterprise provider data management for Elevance Health, formerly Anthem, Inc.

"I've always admired the heart and passion that the ATF Medical team has for their seriously injured workers," Swift said. "Its focus on workers' comp has produced a business model that delivers fully integrated mobility and accessibility solutions with an enhanced level of service and partnership with payers and injured workers."

About ATF Medical

ATF Medical (After the Fall, Inc.) supplies fully integrated mobility and accessibility solutions for workers' compensation payers and injured workers nationally. The company specializes in complex cases and coordinates all rehabilitation and accessibility needs, including, home modifications and vehicle modifications. Based in Newnan, Georgia, ATF Medical can be reached via visit www.atfmedical.com or by calling 877-880-4283.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005097/en/
[February 08, 2023]

Forum Health Expands Southeast and Texas Clinics with New Providers

FLINT, Mich., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Forum Health, LLC , a nationwide network of functional and integrative medicine, adds four medical providers to existing Forum Health clinics in South Carolina, Florida, and Texas.

"We have been aggressively expanding our network to meet the growing needs of functional medicine across the nation and are thrilled with the exciting talent we have brought on board," said Adam Puttkammer , president at Forum Health. "These knowledgeable providers bring expertise and a shared passion for the root-cause medicine we provide to our patients across the nation."

The following providers have joined Forum Health:

Mimi Uong APRN, FNP-C joins Forum Health in Austin, Texas with more than 10 years of experience as a nurse practitioner. She is a certified functional medicine and a mold-literate provider specalizing in gut health, hormone replacement, and mold illness.







Julie Murphy, APRN, WHNP joins LifeStream Health Centre & Med Spa, a Forum Health Partner, in Coppell, TX. Julie is a women's health nurse practitioner and board certified in women's health. She has extensive training in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, hormone imbalances, thyroid and autoimmune conditions, digestive issues, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk.

April Christians, RN joins Forum Health in Tampa, Florida as a family nurse practitioner. She has experience in the medical intensive care unit, the emergency department, and the post-anesthesia care unit. Her focus is educating patients on disease processes and treatment options to achieve optimal health.

Ashlea Smith Bates, APRN, FNP-BC joins Forum Health in Greenville, South Carolina with more than 25 years of medical experience as a nurse practitioner. She specializes in aesthetic treatments including laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation, cellulite reduction, and microneedling.

Forum Health's growth continues with the expansion of its clinics, making root-cause medicine more accessible across the nation. For more on Forum Health and its locations, visit www.forumhealth.com/locations .

About Forum Health, LLC

Forum Health, LLC is a nationwide provider of personalized healthcare. Steeped in the powerful principles of functional and integrative medicine, Forum Health providers take a root-cause approach to care. They listen and dig deep  exploring lifestyle, environment, and genetics to help each patient achieve their ultimate health goals. Members have access to advanced medical treatments and technology, with care plans informed by data analytics and collaborative relationships. To learn more, visit forumhealth.com .

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/forum-health-expands-southeast-and-texas-clinics-with-new-providers-301741128.html

SOURCE Forum Health, LLC
[February 08, 2023] Government of Canada helps youth build the digital skills they need for the evolving digital economy

Post-secondary graduates to benefit from investment in building tomorrow's workforce OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada needs to continue building a strong workforce that is able to adapt to changes in the way we work and do business. Investing in Canadian youth is an essential part of the Government of Canada's efforts to support an increasingly digital economy and prepare workers for new jobs in emerging industries. That is why the government is helping youth develop the skills and gain the experience they need to successfully transition into the labour market. Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, launched the third phase of the Digital Skills for Youth (DS4Y) program and highlighted a $10.68 million federal investment in the program. DS4Y is part of the government's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), which provides Canadian youth with the tools and valuable experience they need to launch successful careers. The program also seeks to bridge the digital divide by helping Canadians develop the skills they need to access new technologies. The government is seeking applications from organizations with a strong network of employers, including small to medium-sized enterprises and not-for-profit organizations, that can provide post-secondary graduates with training and meaningful work experience, helping them prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. In order to reduce barriers, post-secondary education is not required for participants who live in Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut.



The deadline to submit a complete application is March 10, 2023. More information on the DS4Y program and application process can be found on the Digital Skills for Youth program website.

Quotes "Young Canadians are essential to our continued and future economic success in the digital world. Our government is committed to helping recent graduates transition into the labour market by giving them the experience and skills they need to begin successful careers in emerging digital fields. This valuable work experience will also provide youth with the tools to adapt and thrive in the 21st century economy."

 The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Quick facts The following types of organizations can apply for funding: for-profit and not-for-profit organizations; provincial, territorial and municipal governments and their agencies; Indigenous governments, band councils and other not-for-profit groups representing Indigenous people; and provincial and territorial Crown corporations.

Applications are being accepted until March 10, 2023 .

. Since its launch in 2018, DS4Y has helped provide training and valuable work experience to nearly 6,000 young Canadians. This third phase seeks to provide an additional 356 training and employment opportunities.

DS4Y seeks to provide experiences that will prepare youth to adapt to tomorrow's workplace, including in emerging areas such as cybersecurity, the automation of knowledge tasks, big data and artificial intelligence. Associated links Digital Skills for Youth program

program Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Stay connected Find more services and information at Canada.ca/ISED. Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media.

Twitter: @ISED_CA, Facebook: Canadian Innovation, Instagram: @cdninnovation and LinkedIn SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 07, 2023]

Nigeria Cold Chain Market is expected to generate USD ~130 Mn by 2026F owning to thriving E-Commerce, Increase in Imports of Cold Chain Commodities like Pharmaceuticals, and Investments from Foreign Logistics Players: Ken Research

GURUGRAM, India, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nigeria Cold Chain Market is in nascent stage due to lack of investment and a smaller number of players to cater to the overall end user's need but there is a strong opportunity for new international players with access to capital to enter in the market. Major players include MDS, Zenith Carex, Cold Hubs. Other players in the market includes TranEX, red Star, KCCL, Wigmore Trading, Flux Logistics.



Development of Better Infrastructure: Development of LAKAJI Agricultural growth corridor and Lekki Sea-Port will significantly increase the efficiency of the logistics traffic. The 42 Free Trade Zones in Nigeria where companies can import and export without being subject to the usual customs and tax, boosts the logistics industry significantly. Improvement of pharmaceutical cold chain, existing players like Zenith Carex are investing to increase their presence in pharma-logistics. Increased investment will drive technological development, and will potentially lead to automation of warehouses and installation of IoT devices. This is will improve real-time data collection and analysis, that will in turn lead to better cold chain management.

Adoption of New Technologies: Increased adoption of new technologies such as RFID, IoT, Temperature sensing systems, by players like Zenith Carex and MDS Logistics. Start-ups like cold hubs have emerged that work on cooling as a service model and offer solar powered storage units to tackle the problem of irregular power supply

Increasing Imports of Cold Chain Commodities: Increased demand by pharmaceutical clients was witnessed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the higher demand of medicines. Horticulture products, like flowers, also require ambient cold warehousing. The demand for these products decreased during the pandemic due to decreased social gatherings. Since the population of Nigeria is growing at a decent pace, and is expected to double by 2050, we can expect the demand of these substances to grow.

Increase in Investments: For the last few years the market is witnessing the entry of new innovative players like Cold Hubs. There has been a trend of new investments by international investment funds e.g., Triple I, an investment fund that invests in Sub-Saharan businesses to drive social impact decided to make an investment in the cold chain industry of Nigeria. The president of Organization for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa, has recently urged all the state(s) and federal governments to invest in cold chain to reduce food wastage.

Analysts at Ken Research in their latest publication "Nigeria Cold Chain Market Outlook to 2026  Driven by high food produce wastage due to lack of cold chain infrastructure, solar-focused start-ups, and increased disposable income of consumers" by Ken Research observed that Cold Chain market is an emergent market in Nigeria at a growing stage even during the pandemic as well. The rising of E-Commerce Companies and the increase in pharmaceuticals imports, along with the burgeoning demand for Processed and Packaged Foods, is expected to contribute to the market growth over the forecast period. The Nigeria Cold Chain Market is expected to see high growth rate over the forecasted period 2021-2026F.

Key Segments Covered

Nigeria Cold Chain Market:

By Cold Chain Market Size (by Revenue/Price or No of Reefer Trucks), 2021 & 2026F:

Cold Transportation

Cold Warehousing

Nigeria Cold Warehousing Market:

By Pallet Size (by Revenue), 2021 & 2026F:

Chilled

Frozen

Ambient

By End-User (by Revenue), 2021 & 2026F:

Meat & Seafood

Fruits and Vegetables

Pharmaceuticals

Dairy Products

Others (Horticulture & more)

To learn more about this report Download a Free Sample Report

By Geography (by Revenue), 2021 & 2026F:







Lagos State

Ogun State

Others (Imo State, Abuja State).

Nigeria Cold Transportation Market:

By Mode of Transport (by Revenue), 2021 & 2026F:

Land

Air

Sea

By Type of Freight (by Revenue/Price or No of Reefer Trucks), 2021 & 2026F:

International Freight

Domestic Freight

By End-User (by Revenue), 2021 & 2026F:

Meat & Seafood

Fruits and Vegetables

Pharmaceuticals

Dairy Products

Others (Horticulture & more)

Key Target Audience

Cold Transport Companies

Warehousing Companies

Pharmaceuticals

Food & Vegetables Providers

Meat & Seafood Providers

Dairy products Companies

Government and Institutions

Visit this Link :- Request for custom report

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period: 2016-2020

2016-2020 Base Year: 2021

2021 Forecast Period: 2022 2026F

Companies Covered:-

MDS Logistics

Zenith Carex

TranEX

Red Star

Cold Hubs

Kenie-O-Cold Chain Logistics

Wigmore Trading

Flux Logistics

Key Topics Covered in the Report:-

Nigeria Cold Chain Market Overview

Nigeria Cold Chain Market Value Chains

Ecosystem of Major Entities in Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Cold Chain Market Cross Comparison of Technologies in use in Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Cold Chain Market Emerging Technologies in Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Cold Chain Market Nigeria Cold Chain Market Size and Segmentations

COVID Impact on Cold Chain Industry of Nigeria

Trends and Developments in Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Cold Chain Market Issues and Challenges in Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Cold Chain Market Decision Making Parameters for selecting a logistics partner in Nigeria

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for Nigeria Cold Chain Industry

Competition Landscape

Strengths and Weaknesses of Major Players in Nigeria Cold Chain

Cold Chain End-User Potential in Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Cold Chain Market Future Market Outlook and Segmentations for Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Cold Transportation Future Market size by Revenue and Segmentation, 2022-26F

Cold Chain Future Market Segmentation by End Users, 2022-26F

Analyst Recommendations

For more insights on the market intelligence, refer to below link:-

Nigeria Cold Chain Market

Related Reports By Ken Research:-

Philippines Cold Chain Market Outlook To 2026F: Driven By Rising Meat And Seafood Consumption Owing To Growing Millennial Population Albeit Infrastructure Challenges

Philippines cold chain market is expected to register a positive CAGR during 2021-2026F owing to increasing infrastructure investment to improve connectivity for cold transport business, high domestic demand for seafood and meat products, growing focus on ISO and LEED certifications for frozen storages, automation in cold storages through ASRS, WMS and RFID and incorporation of quick or blast freezing services. Demand for perishable food products is expected to increase due to the rising disposable income and retail spending of the people in the country, which will necessitate the development of cold storage facilities and positively affect the market growth.

Singapore Cold Chain Market Outlook to 2026F- Driven By Rising Meat and Seafood Consumption Coupled With Demand for Temperature Sensitive Health Care Products

According to Ken Research estimates, the Singapore Cold Chain Market  which grew from approximately SGD ~10.0 Bn in 2016 to approximately SGD ~14.0 Bn in 2021  is forecasted to grow further into SGD ~19.0 Bn opportunity by 2026F, owing to the rising household expenditure on food products and investments in the health care sector. Singapore's Cold Chain Market has grown at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2016-2021 driven primarily by demands from the advanced and significant food service and healthcare industry. Singapore Cold Storage Market has grown at a CAGR of 7.5% from 2016-2021 driven primarily by the high investment made in the form of new infrastructure, and increasing pallet capacities. Singapore's Cold Transport Market has grown at a CAGR of 3.6% from 2016-2021 driven by the increasing requirement for vaccine transportation and rising demand for processed foods in Singapore.

Malaysia Cold Chain Market Outlook To 2026 - Driven By Increase In Demand For Perishable Food Items And Its Establishment As The Halal Industry Hub, Malaysia Cold Chain Market Experiencing Growth

The Cold Chain market in Malaysia is expected to experience moderate level of growth at a single digit CAGR in terms of revenue during the period 2021P-2026F. The Cold Chain market in Malaysia is expected to experience positive growth owing to the increase in demand for perishable food items, increase in e-commerce and government's initiatives to improve the logistics infrastructure in the country as part of Malaysia's 'National Transport Policy'. Moreover, the operational efficiency in Malaysia cold chain market over the forecast period 2021P-2026F is to improve with the increasing adoption of warehouse automation technologies such as RFID, AS/AR, WMS, AMR and others.

Thailand Cold Chain Market Outlook to 2026F- Driven by Rising Import-Export Trade Volume and Domestic Consumption of Meat, Seafood and Popularity of Ready to Eat Frozen Processed Food

According to Ken Research estimates, the Thailand Cold Chain Market is forecasted to grow more than THB 20 Bn by 2026F, owing to the growing demand of processed ready-to-eat food, rising export volumes, expanding storage capacity and new and advanced technologies. The Thailand Cold Chain Industry comprises of Cold Storage and Cold Transport with presence of major companies such as JWD logistics, Thaimax, Yokorei and Interexpress Logistics operating in the market. The Cold chain market is slightly consolidated with the presence of some big market leaders catering to main end users as Meat and Seafood, Fruits and Vegetables industry. Since the past decade, the Government is investing in Physical Infrastructure development of Thailand in terms of roads and Highways, Major seaport, airports development, Special Economic Zones.

Follow Us 

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Contact Us:-

Ken Research Private Limited

Ankur Gupta, Director Strategy and Growth

[email protected]

+91-9015378249

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661352/Ken_Research_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nigeria-cold-chain-market-is-expected-to-generate-usd-130-mn-by-2026f-owning-to-thriving-e-commerce-increase-in-imports-of-cold-chain-commodities-like-pharmaceuticals-and-investments-from-foreign-logistics-players-ken-research-301741048.html

SOURCE Ken Research
[February 07, 2023] How FinTechs Can Contribute to the World's Sustainability Goals: New Report by Elevandi

The report, jointly produced by McKinsey & Company, Elevandi and the Monetary Authority of Singapore draws on insights shared at the ESG track of the Singapore FinTech Festival 2022 SINGAPORE, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report - SFF 2022 Insights: Enlisting FinTech To Help Create a Sustainable Future - jointly produced by McKinsey & Company, Elevandi and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) showcases how FinTechs can contribute towards a greener future. Key insights from the report include: The move to a net zero global economy by 2050 will require the greatest reallocation of capital since World War II, coupled with a massive influx of financial innovation.

Data remains crucial in supporting the innovation of FinTechs: Data collection and analysis are crucial factors in whether FinTech innovation can successfully support sustainability goals. Data is necessary to make informed decisions, evaluate market participants, and assess the success  or failures  of initiatives. Yet good data remains a scarce commodity.

FinTechs are already playing a role in driving the sustainability agenda. "FinTechs for Good", i.e. FinTechs that embed an ESG agenda into their core product portfolio, operations and mission, attracted $2.1bn in funding in 2021, and this trend is expected to continue. As sustainability efforts proliferate, a key challenge for all companies would be to demonstrate real impact, and self-protect against greenwashing.

in funding in 2021, and this trend is expected to continue. As sustainability efforts proliferate, a key challenge for all companies would be to demonstrate real impact, and self-protect against greenwashing. Encouraged at least in part by increased concern for climate change, regulators around the world are taking a keen interest in sustainability claims by corporations, particularly their reporting activities. The report draws from the environment, social, and governance (ESG) track of the Singapore FinTech Festival 2022 (SFF 2022) that took place between 2-4 November 2022, and includes insights from respectable leaders present at SFF 2022. These include Anthony Tan, Co-Founder & Group CEO at Grab, Eric Lim, Chief Sustainability Officer for United Overseas Bank, Helge Muenkel, Chief Sustainability Officer for DBS Bank, Mark FitzPatrick, CEO at Prudential, Nikhil Rathi, Chief Executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority, Ravi Menon, Managing Director of MAS, and Sonam Wangchuk, Founder of Himalayan Institute of Alternatives. One of the most pressing issues highlighted was sustainability, particularly the critical need to prioritise efforts in this area, both by the FinTech sector and the rest of the world. Commenting on the launch of the report, Pat Patel, Executive Director of Elevandi said, "Net zero is a massive mountain to climb, and reaching the critical sustainability goal will test society's capability and commitment. The McKinsey Global Institute has provided a steep estimate  that $275 trillion in capital spending between 2026 and 2050 would be needed[1]. At Elevandi, we firmly believe that an active dialogue and collaborative projects between the public and private sectors will make a difference. In the first half of 2023, we will continue to bring policymakers, and regulators together with corporates, startups and investors to progress frameworks and concrete initiatives. We'll be convening key global leaders in Rwanda[2] to focus on inclusive and sustainable FinTech projects and Switzerland[3] to focus on technology and data frameworks required to move the sustainability agenda forward." Joydeep Sengupta, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company said, "Climate change is a major global challenge, and requires sizable investments to meet net zero commitments. The FinTech industry has the ability, and the opportunity, to rise to the occasion and contribute towards ESG, not only by addressing its gaps and problems but also by helping to lead the way. Drawing on research done by McKinsey and the proceedings of the ESG track of SFF 2022, this report provides insights into how FinTech has the potential to help us reach a sustainable future." The "SFF 2022 Insights: Enlisting FinTech To Help Create a Sustainable Future" report is one of the seven reports Elevandi will be releasing with consultant partners, which include topics such as Web3 and digital assets, banking for business, balancing innovation and regulation, the future of FinTech in growth markets, and how FinTechs can become more resilient to volatile market conditions. Read the full reports now on the Elevandi website . Up to 13 more reports will be released in Q1 2023 with insights from the roundtable discussions at the Elevandi Insights Forum at SFF 2022.







[1] McKinsey Global Institute, "The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it could bring", McKinsey, 2022 [2] Inclusive FinTech Forum will be held from 20 to 22 June in Kigali, Rwanda [3] Point Zero Forum will be held from 26 to 28 June in Zurich, Switzerland

About Elevandi

Elevandi is set up by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to foster an open dialogue between the public and private sectors to advance FinTech in the digital economy. Elevandi works closely with governments, founders, investors, and corporate leaders to drive collaboration, education, and new sources of value at industry and national levels. Elevandi's initiatives have convened over 350,000 people to drive the growth of FinTech through events, closed-door roundtables, investor programmes, educational initiatives, and research. Elevandi's flagship product is the Singapore FinTech Festival alongside fast-rising platforms, including the World FinTech Festival, Point Zero Forum, Elevandi Insights Forum, The Capital Meets Policy Dialogue, and the Inclusive FinTech Forum. Visit www.elevandi.io to learn more about Elevandi. About the Singapore FinTech Festival

The Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) is organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Elevandi, in partnership with Constellar and in collaboration with The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS). Since its inception in 2016, SFF has become the premier platform for the global FinTech community to engage, connect, and collaborate on issues relating to the confluence of financial services, public policy, and technology. Last year's edition brought together more than 62,000 participants from over 115 countries. The next Singapore FinTech Festival will be held from 14-17 November 2023. Visit www.fintechfestival.sg for more information. SOURCE Elevandi

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
El ministro Julio Demartini se reunio con el administrador del @pnud, @ASteiner, y la subsecretaria general de la @ONU_es y directora de la Oficina Regional del @PNUDLAC, @MichMuschett, para fortalecer la cooperacion del PNUD a favor de una proteccion social integral en Peru. pic.twitter.com/hiF82XwkEt
[February 07, 2023] SMU Launches Master's Programme with a Practical Focus on Entrepreneurship and Venture Building

SMU's enhanced Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MEI) is a 12-month programme that is infused with practical venture building experience

Students will have the flexibility to develop their own start-ups or to work with multinationals and vibrant startups within the entrepreneurship ecosystem on projects designed to have a positive impact on society SINGAPORE, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneurship is important for Singapore as a key driver of innovation and source of economic renewal[1]. The Singapore government is actively encouraging entrepreneurship, with policies such as Startup SG Equity Initiative, Global Ready Talent Programme and Startup SG Founder, to name a few. In response to such industry needs and demand, Singapore Management University (SMU) has revamped its Master of Science in Innovation programme to the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MEI) programme, to nurture purpose-driven talents who will pioneer new growth opportunities for Singapore and beyond and solve pressing, real-world problems. The full-time MEI programme offers students a unique combination of Entrepreneurship and Innovation modules, complete with an enhanced, practical hands-on experience in venture building. With greater emphasis on knowledge transfer to action, students have the flexibility to either develop their own start-ups, gaining valuable experience and exposure to the world of entrepreneurship while tapping on the rich and vibrant network of likeminded individuals that the SMU MEI provides; or consult on projects such as those offered by Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator (TLA), a Singapore-based biotech and agri-tech incubator with state-of-the art infrastructure. The curriculum of the MEI programme is rigorous, equipping students with knowledge that expands their creative thinking, hone business acumen and a metaphorical toolkit to navigate the precariously exciting entrepreneurship journey. Access to generous equity-free prototype budgets, providing students the space and resources to support the development of their breakthrough idea. A diverse range of mentors is also provided, allowing students to bring their ideas to life and make an impact in the world through extensive collaboration with likeminded individuals. In addition, students are offered an option of overseas immersion with University College London and access to the deep knowhow of SMU's Business Innovations Generator (BIG), including its BIG Incubation Programme. Designed to help early-stage founders validate their product and get ready for seed investment, selected teams in the BIG Incubation Programme receive support including grant opportunities, world-class advisors, masterclasses as well as a work space in the heart of downtown Singapore. "Besides the all-around access to the entire ecosystem that SMU has and that of its industry and university partners, what makes this Master programme great is also how it offers a unique blend of foundational frameworks and hands-on experiences. For example, compared to many similar programmes that focus solely on entrepreneurship or classroom learning, we are thrilled that the revamped MEI programme goes beyond this traditional approach by melding innovation and entrepreneurship concepts for students, whilst giving them the invaluable experience of venture building," said David Gomulya, Associate Professor of Strategic Management and Academic Director, Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU. "Distilled from world-class best practices, venture building allows students to share ideas, gain feedback, build contacts and push through to see the first-hand impact of their creations on both society and the economy. For those keen to create new ideas that capture the imagination, this revamped programme will equip them with the ecosystem access to start and scale their innovations. Finally and perhaps most importantly, an entrepreneurship setting forces students to master cognitive, interpersonal and self-leadership skills, which are essential to survive in a future constantly reshaped by uncertainties. This is key because the job opportunities for our graduates span from innovating in large established companies to being a savvy investor and well informed policy makers, and anything in between, certainly well beyond just starting a company." Scholarship schemes are available for interested applicants. Click here for more information on the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.







[1] Entrepreneurship in Singapore: SPRING Singapore

SOURCE Singapore Management University

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 07, 2023] IREP Credit Capital simplifies loan collection journey for MSMEs with Credgenics

Elevated the borrower's and collection team's experience while unlocking efficiencies

Enabled 3X increase in field debt recoveries with 35% following digital payments

Facilitated adoption of digital collections processes across semi-urban and rural segments NEW DELHI, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IREP Credit Capital, a Non-Deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC-ND) recently partnered with Credgenics, a pioneering SaaS-based debt collections platform to drive digital solutions for its MSME customers in South India. Since the implementation of the project, IREP has witnessed a 3X increase in field recoveries, higher efficiencies through 50% increase in number of field visits and 35% field collections coming through digital payments mode. With a keen eye on deepening financial inclusion across India, IREP Credit Capital is focused on giving MSMEs more power and making it easy to get sustainable credit solutions. Credgenics CG Collect mobile application has enabled IREP Credit Capital to digitize the debt collection processes, streamline reconciliations and empower the field teams. The advanced capabilities of CG Collect app have augmented the loan allocations process, simplified visit management, reduced possibilities of fraudulent entries, thereby enabling seamless tracking of field agents. Additionally, the offline operability has increased efficiency in remote network areas, making operations for field agents hassle-free. The CG Collect app simplified the repayment deposits process and allowedcollection agents to deposit multiple loan amounts at the nearest branch.



IREP Credit Capital achieved 100% visibility on online recoveries and allowed agents to plan visits ahead of time through the Google Maps navigation feature. With more effective daily work planning, the agents could manage a 50% increase in daily visits. Collection managers were able to evaluate agent effectiveness and performance, which resulted in a 3X increase in field recoveries since the project's implementation. Naresh Naik, CEO, IREP Credit Capital said, "We are strong believers in the power of small businesses and that they should be empowered with the right financial solutions to be able to achieve their goals. As a part of this technology powered transformative agenda, we have partnered with Credgenics, a leading technology player in debt collections. We aim to harness advanced technology solutions and empower the MSMEs and entrepreneurs in tier 3 & tier 4 towns in South India. Credgenics has helped us in the digitization of field collections and it holds tremendous potential to simplify and improve debt collections processes in India."

Rishabh Goel, Co-founder and CEO, Credgenics said, "IREP Credit Capital is regarded as a pioneer in identifying newer technological innovations to provide customer focused financial services for its customers. We are delighted to be working with them and supporting their efforts to boost digitisation for MSME focused retail lending in India. Our CG Collect platform has been specifically designed to address the challenges for field teams in debt collections and the positive impact that it has been able to deliver for our customers is extremely exciting." About IREP Credit Capital IREP Credit Capital was established with the aim of supporting entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka with customized credit solutions. Over the years, IREP has established itself as a trusted lender in the MSME landscape. The underserved businesses in semi-urban and rural financial ecosystems have had much to gain owing to the presence of IREP Credit Capital as a one-stop shop for hassle-free credit solutions. https://www.irepglobal.com/about-us.php About Credgenics Credgenics is the leading provider of Loan Collections and Debt Resolution technology platform to Banks, Non-banking finance companies, FinTechs, and ARCs worldwide. The AI-powered SaaS-based platform has been recognized as the #1 Best Selling Loan Collections Platform in India by IBS Intelligence in their Annual Sales League Table 2022. Credgenics works with 75+ customers and handles USD$2 bn NPA stage retail loan book value, USD$6bn delinquent stage retail loan book value. It manages 22 million retail loans and sends 50 million digital communications every month. With Credgenics, lenders have increased resolution rates by 20%, improved collections by 25%, reduced collections cost by 40%, reduced collections time by 30%, and improved legal efficiencies by 60%. https://www.credgenics.com/ Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1844975/Credgenics_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/irep-credit-capital-simplifies-loan-collection-journey-for-msmes-with-credgenics-301741070.html

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] How Women Lead Adds Third Regional Chapter in the U.S. to Support Senior Executive Women

How Women Lead, a powerful community of more than 15,000 accomplished women executives working to redefine female leadership in the 21st century, has added a Chicago Region chapter with a powerhouse executive board. The new Illinois-based chapter will help propel women to higher positions of power and influence in the region. The Chicago Region chapter kicked off its first in-person meeting of investors, board directors and C-Suite leaders on October 2, 2022. "How Women Lead has gathered together some of the most powerful leaders in the city and has partnered with regional organizations to support Chicago's women in senior leadership," said Julie Castro Abrams, Founder and CEO of How Women Lead. "I am excited for the Chicago chapter to mobilize our movement and help change the gender and racial equity equation in all areas of work and community." The Chicago chapter of How Women Lead has a goal of reaching 10,000 women leaders in Chicago by 2027. The group of influential women will focus programming around corporate boards, investing, senior women's leadership, elevating their own brand, and philanthropy & impact. With these efforts in mind, the chapter will be engaging with IWF Chicago and other organizations to promote events and development activities that support these goals. There are two upcoming opportunities to network in-person and learn more about How Women Lead's efforts in Chicago, listed below. The organization invites those interested in joining to sign up here for additionalinformation.



February 16 at 5-8 p.m. CST (Senior women leaders)

February 15 at 12:30-2 p.m. CST (Venture Capitalists) With over 15,000 senior executive women at the top of their game, How Women Lead is changing the definition of women's leadership by helping experienced, talented women leaders - particularly women of color - claim their seats in the C-suites and corporate boardrooms, and as limited partners in venture capital firms. In alignment with similar efforts in California, the Chicago chapter is already working on legislative efforts in Illinois to require public companies to have gender and racial diversity on their boards.

"Asset management firms and other financial leaders have made it very clear through requirements that it is a financial imperative to have board diversity for good governance. In order to protect shareholders and Illinois companies, it is essential that Illinois establish legislation requiring the good governance practice of diversity in boards," added Castro Abrams. "With advice from Senator Hannah Beth Jackson, the California legislator who successfully implemented legislation, How Women Lead is once again tackling this initiative in Illinois." The Executive Board The Chicago Region Executive Board is led by Kimberley Goode and Amalia Rioja. The Executive Board is rounded out with a cadre of impressive local senior executive women including: Amalia Rioja, Partner at Hoke LLC

Debra Clary, AVP at Humana

Jaclyn Jackson, SVP and Chief HR Officer at National Equity Fund, Inc

Jennifer Lee, Board Member at Enzyme by Design

Jessica Patton, Co-Founder and Principal at 5th Century Partners

Kimberley Goode, Chief Communications and Social Impact Officer at BMO Financial Group

Lizette Williams, Global Head of Vertical Solutions Marketing at Meta

Lori Igleski, Founder, Heart-Led Ventures LLC and Senior Advisor, Bravanti

Racquel Harris, Board Director at Bader Rutter

Sarah Glavin, Head of Community Affairs at Amazon

Stacie Selinger, Managing Director and Head of Investor Relations, GCM Grosvenor

Stephanie Gaffin, Managing Partner and Co-Founder SLS Capital Advisors

Violet Clark, Of-Counsel at Laner Muchin, Ltd. The executive board represents a cross section of government, business, and non-profit organizations. To join the Chicago region chapter of How Women Lead, please visit www.howwomenlead.com/join-us and sign up here for additional information. About How Women Lead How Women Lead is a national organization of top executive women focused on activating their individual and collective power to achieve equity for women by driving representation and opportunities across all aspects of life and career. Founded in 2011, the organization fights for change at all levels by affecting systems reform, mobilizing a movement, offering training, and providing access to opportunities. Now more than 15,000 strong, the organization has expanded the breadth and depth of its impact nationally. How Women Lead's philanthropic arm, How Women Give, provides grants and invaluable connections to women's and girls' organizations on the frontlines of today's most critical issues. And its sister organization, How Women Invest, invites women to play big and powerfully in venture, making meaningful investments and propelling high-potential, women-led companies forward at scale. For more, visit https://howwomenlead.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005261/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Deep Breathe Secures Funding to Advance AI-powered Lung Ultrasound Technology

LONDON, ON, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Deep Breathe, a medical-technology company focused on revolutionizing lung ultrasound interpretation through artificial intelligence (AI), today announced that it has closed on a significant external financing round. Bootstrapped by the founders to date, this financing represents an important milestone for the company and significant validation of Deep Breathe's progress in delivering on its vision. Led by MAP Equity Investco, an investment firm based in London, Ontario, this investment enables Deep Breathe to expand its ongoing research and development initiatives. The funds will also accelerate important regulatory approval efforts to bring Deep Breathe's novel technology to market. "We are thrilled to receive this investment and to have the opportunity to bring our groundbraking suite of AI-powered lung ultrasound applications to the world," said Dr. Robert Arntfield, founder and CEO of Deep Breathe. "With the support of our investors, this technology stands to transform the usage of lung ultrasound, enabling healthcare providers to make decisions with greater speed, accuracy and objectivity. Deep Breathe is providing the missing link in the wider-adoption of point-of-care lung ultrasound."



Point-of-care lung ultrasound is an imaging technique deployed at the bedside by healthcare providers to diagnose and manage various lung pathologies. Deep Breathe technology pairs the utility of lung ultrasound with deep learning algorithms to analyze and interpret ultrasound images, automating the accurate identification of important lung ultrasound findings. "There is an unmet need in the medical community for a more efficient and effective way to diagnose lung conditions, where the state of the art for decades has been the use of costly and radiation exposing chest x-rays," said Jasson Cohen, Managing Partner at MAP. "Deep Breathe's technology has the potential to transform the way healthcare providers diagnose and manage lung conditions and we're excited to be a part of that journey."

The development of Deep Breathe technology relies on vast quantities of annotated, de-identified clinical data utilized to train its innovative deep learning models. Through exclusive research and data-sharing agreements, Deep Breathe has established the world's largest proprietary archive of expertly-annotated lung ultrasound images, spanning more than a decade of clinical investigations and encompassing millions of images. Exclusive training data on such unprecedented scale, combined with extensive expertise in deep learning and AI, positions Deep Breathe to become the undisputed category leader in this emerging and life-altering domain of medical technology. About Deep Breathe Deep Breathe is medical technology company headquartered in London, Ontario that develops deep learning algorithms designed to automate and guide the clinical interpretation of lung ultrasound images. Deep Breathe, founded by Dr. Rob Arntfield, MD is composed of a unique team of medical specialists, deep learning, computer vision and software engineering experts. SOURCE Deep Breathe

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Maxar Awarded $192M Foreign Commercial Imagery Program IDIQ Contract

Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence, today announced that it was awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), worth up to $192 million over five years. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005039/en/ Placa de Catalunya | Barcelona, Spain | April 1, 2022 | WorldView-3 Satellite Image (Credit: Maxar Technologies) Under the Foreign Commercial Imagery Program contract, Maxar will provide multiple U.S. allies and partners with commercial imagery services consisting of high-resolution electro-optical, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and 3D data products. To support these contract requirements, Maxar will leverage the following products: SecureWatch: Giving on-demand access to the world's most recent, high-accuracy and high-resolution satellite imagery and analytics.

Rapid Access Program: Providing the highest commercially available collection priority, predictable access plus virtual control of imaging operations to help meet mission requirements-all from any location on Earth.

Precision3D: Enhancing situational awareness and decision-making, providing a precise, true representation of Earth that not only reflects the terrain in all dimensions but also provides an accurate foundation for additional data sources.

Commercial SAR: Enabling customers to stay apprised of their areas of interest, regardless of light or weather conditions. Because radar imagery can penetrate through clouds and darkness, it is uniquely suited to provide reliable and continuous monitoring.



About Maxar

Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR) is a provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence. We deliver disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications; and explore and advance the use of space. Our unique approach combines decades of deep mission understanding and a proven commercial and defense foundation to deploy solutions and deliver insights with unrivaled speed, scale and cost effectiveness. Maxar's 4,400 team members in over 20 global locations are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world. Maxar trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Any such forward-looking statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements, including those included in the Company's filings with U.S. securities and Canadian regulatory authorities. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, other than as may be required under applicable securities law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005039/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Genius Group Announces AI Educator Suite with OpenAI GPT-3 & GPT-4 Genie Integration

SINGAPORE, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Group Limited (NYSE American: GNS) (Genius Group or the Company), a leading entrepreneur edtech and education group, announces today the launch of its Genius AI Educator Suite, combining the AI capabilities of OpenAIs GPT-3 and upcoming GPT-4 with the AI capabilities of Salesforces Einstein AI to power Genius Groups AI Genie Virtual Assistant on the Companys Edtech platform, GeniusU.

The Genius AI Educator Suite will enable GeniusUs 12,500 partners to: Provide personalized pathways for students based on their talents, passions, purpose and interests, linked to their assessment results and course progress.



Enable educators to combine their expertise with AI generated content to develop their student pathways on GeniusU to ensure constantly updated, current curriculum.



Link progress data volunteered by students and captured by GeniusUs Salesforce Einstein AI with GPT-3 & GPT-4s conversational chatbot and GeniusUs Genie to develop Personal AI, where the AI becomes personalized to support each individual students lifelong learning journey.

The Genius AI Educator Suite will be launched at the Lifelong Learning Summit on March 2-3, 2023, with an expected 20,000 partners and students attending. There will also be a preview at the Genius Group Investor Meeting on February 15, 2023, at 4:15 p.m. EST / 5:15 a.m. SGT. The Investor Meeting will livestream the investor call on YouTube on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEjFVU-pIG4 Saranjit Sangar, CEO of GeniusU is leading the tech development initiative and said Genius Groups AI Genie has been the central feature of GeniusU since Day One. We have been at the forefront of AI developments and our team has been utilizing GPT-3 for content and development since its launch. With the launch of the Genius AI Educator Suite, we will now be putting advanced AI tools into the hands of our educators. We have enjoyed a long-term relationship with Salesforce, who has highlighted GeniusU as a partnership success story on numerous occasions. Through our ESquare primary and high school, we have also had a long-term partnership with Microsoft through their Imagine Academy Program, teaching students tech and robotics skills. With their support of OpenAI and other AI initiatives, we are excited to now be combining the cutting-edge progress of both companies in advancing the future of AI through APIs that can directly power our AI Genie Virtual Assistant. Roger Hamilton, CEO of Genius Group, added When we launched Genius Group, we anticipated a day when AI would enable our vision of a personalized, lifelong learning journey guided by a Genie virtual assistant that could direct us to the best next thing to learn, best next person to meetand the best next action to take. Several weeks ago Nisha Talagala declared in Forbes magazine 2023 will be the year of AI Education. We believe she is right, and the future is arriving ahead of schedule.



What we believe makes our strategy stand out in the Edtech market is in the concept of Personal AI Any user of ChatGPT today, which is powered by OpenAIs GPT-3, will know that while the conversation is impressive, ChatGPT does not know your name, where you live, what you want to learn or what you want to achieve. By combining the personal data that students volunteer to us through our quizzes and assessments, with conversational chat and access to all knowledge on the Internet, each student can have their own personal assistant who will know how to answer a question like Who should I meet when Im in New York? or Whats the best job or business that would suit me? or Who should I hire as my COO? While this will not occur overnight, our Genius AI Educator Suite is our next important step forward. The landscape is moving fast, and we dont think anyone will be talking about GPT-3 a year from now, as it is scheduled to be replaced by GPT-4. Were committed to keep up with this exponential growth in what we believe will be an education revolution, added Hamilton.

When asked how AI will impact education, ChatGPT, powered by GPT-3, replied: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the education sector in several ways: Personalized learning: AI can analyze individual student data and provide personalized recommendations for learning, helping students learn at their own pace. Automated grading and feedback: AI algorithms can grade assignments and provide feedback to students in real-time, allowing teachers to spend more time on other tasks. Interactive virtual tutors: AI-powered virtual tutors can interact with students and provide personalized feedback, making learning more engaging and effective. Improved accessibility: AI-powered technologies can make education more accessible to students with disabilities, helping to bridge the digital divide. Enhanced research: AI can assist educators and researchers in analyzing large datasets, making it easier to identify patterns and draw insights that can inform teaching and learning.

Overall, AI has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education while also making it more accessible and engaging for students. About Genius Group Genius Group is a world leading entrepreneur Edtech and education group, with a mission to disrupt the current education model with a student-centered, life-long learning curriculum that prepares students with the leadership, entrepreneurial and life skills to succeed in todays market. The group has a group user base of 4.3 million users in 200 countries, ranging from ages 0 to 100. Genius Group has identified five technology growth drivers of which AI is one:

Investor Notice

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties and forward-looking statements described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on May 13, 2022. If any of these risks were to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations would likely suffer. In that event, the value of our securities could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment. The risks and uncertainties we describe are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. In addition, our past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results in the future. See "Forward-Looking Statements" below. Forward-Looking Statements Statements made in this press release include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as may, will, plan, should, expect, anticipate, estimate, continue, or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties, many of which the Company cannot predict with accuracy and some of which the Company might not even anticipate and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and are advised to consider the factors listed above together with the additional factors under the heading Risk Factors in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 20-F, as may be supplemented or amended by the Company's Reports of a Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise. For more information, please visit https://www.geniusgroup.net/ Contacts Investors:

Flora Hewitt, Vice President of Investor Relations and Mergers and Acquisitions

Email: [email protected] Media Contacts: Adia PR

Email: [email protected]

US Investors:

Dave Gentry

RedChip Companies Inc

1-800-RED-CHIP

[email protected]



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] The Eclipse Foundation Opens 2023 with Significant Research Wins from Horizon Europe, the EU's Key Funding Programme for Research and Innovation

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Eclipse Foundation , the EUs largest open source software foundation, today announced it has secured three new research programs under the auspices of the Horizon Europe (HEU) programme, including two Research and Innovation Action (RIA) projects (NEMO and NEPHELE) and a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) (OpenContinuum).

These three projects contribute to the definition of the Future European platforms for the Cloud-Edge-IoT continuum. The Horizon Europe programme is leading the charge in ensuring that the EU is at the cutting edge of tech innovation, said Mike Milinkovich, executive director for the Eclipse Foundation. By securing the program funding for these research programs, we can do our part to catalyze the growth of new open source technologies that connect the Cloud to the IoT. The combination of the public and private sectors are slated to reap significant rewards in this endeavor. The OpenContinuum CSA (https://eucloudedgeiot.eu/) contributes to a joint effort with a second CSA, UNLOCK CEI CSA, focussing respectively on the demand and supply sides of the Cloud Edge IoT (CEI) Continuum. The core ambition of OpenContinuum is fostering European strategic autonomy and interoperability through an open ecosystem for the computing continuum. Such an ecosystem will contain the research and innovation action projects in the Cloud-Edge-IoT portfolio to be coordinated, the diverse community evolved from the current Cloud and IoT ones, with the addition of further actors, initiatives, and alliances of significance. Two of these projects are NEMO and NEPHELE. The NEMO project ( https://meta-os.eu/ ) (short for Next Generation Meta Operating system) RIA, is focused on building open European platforms for the Edge. Funded for three years, the expected outcomes of this RIA are a new generation of higher-level (meta) operating systems for the smart Internet of Things with strong computing capacity at the smart device, system and edge-level, embedded in a compute continuum from IoT-to-edge-to-cloud. Such an OS should be device independent and implement advanced concepts such as ad-hoc clouds, time-triggered IoT, and decentralised intelligence.



Increasing European autonomy in data processing required to support future hyper-distributed applications by building open platforms and an open edge ecosystem including business models, driven by European actors. Achieving trust in these (meta) operating systems among actors in diverse industrial ecosystems by leveraging open standards and - where applicable - open source. The final RIA is NEPHELE (https://nephele-project.eu/), also funded for three years. A lightweight software stack and synergetic meta-orchestration framework for the next-generation compute continuum. Similar to NEMO, one possible outcome is the emergence of an open edge ecosystem including midcaps, SMEs and start-ups that foster the up-take of an edge operating system, e.g. through a modular functional spectrum of executable apps and services, for nurturing a European network of innovators and developers.

The Eclipse Foundation has decades of experience managing the governance of complex technology initiatives and multi-vendor organizations, making it the ideal organization to help manage projects where academia and the private sector converge. Its commitment to transparency, vendor-neutrality, and a shared voice will ensure that all participants have the opportunity to shape the future of the working group. To learn more about getting involved with the Eclipse Foundation, please visit us at eclipse.org/research , or email us at [email protected] . About the Eclipse Foundation

The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organizations with a mature, scalable, and business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. The Foundation is home to the Eclipse IDE, Jakarta EE, and over 400 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, distributed ledger technologies, open processor designs, and many others. The Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 330 members, including industry leaders who value open source as a key enabler for their business strategies. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @ResearchEclipse, @EclipseFdn , LinkedIn or visit eclipse.org . Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Media contacts:

Schwartz Public Relations for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL (Germany)

Stephanie Bruls / Susanne Pawlik

Sendlinger Strae 42A

80331 Munich

[email protected]

+49 (89) 211 871  64 / -35 Nichols Communications for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL

Jay Nichols

[email protected]

+1 408-772-1551 514 Media Ltd for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL (France, Italy, Spain)

Benoit Simoneau

[email protected]

M: +44 (0) 7891 920 370



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Intermap Selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to Demonstrate Advanced AI/ML

AI/ML/NLP solution accepted for next stage of solicitation

Intermaps advances in AI/ML/NLP provide insight into incidents that could affect military installations DENVER, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intermap Technologies (TSX: IMP; OTCQX: ITMSF) (Intermap or the Company), a global leader in 3D geospatial products and intelligence solutions, today announced it was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense for the next stage of a competitive process to demonstrate advanced technology for Geospatial Temporal Incident Data. After Intermaps previous proposal was vetted and evaluated, the Company was invited to present its newest artificial intelligence processing technology and demonstrate how it can support the U.S. government with actionable, geo-precise data for situational awareness and planning processes. Geospatial Temporal Incident Data includes human-caused events (crime, population disturbances, riots and protests, and cybersecurity developments) and natural hazard events. Intermap will present its capabilities and provide a demonstration of its advanced technology for the Department of Defense at the Thunderstorm 23-1 event in April 2023. Intermaps digital tool integrates AI algorithms, machine learning, natural language processing, proprietary, global-scale, multi-sensor-derived terrain, object and feature catalogs, and open-source global data to identify, track, display and notify interested parties of current world events, threats and natural catastrophes. Its technology uses AI/ML/NLP processing to analyze and precisely geolocate the threat level, categorize each incident, calculate its footprint and mark it on a map to provide actionable visualization for potential threats in an area of interest. The resulting information enhances situational awareness and supports planning processes through fusing, analyzing and visualizing events and trends to provide the U.S. Army with an improved common operation picture (COP). We are excited about being selected by the U.S. Army following a competitive assessment to demonstrate our newest advances in AI/ML/NLP processing and look forward to demonstrating our applied solutions at Thunderstorm, said Patrick A. Blott, Intermap Chairman and CEO. Leveraging the worldslargest commercial elevation data archive for training, our proprietary technology identifies current and past events of interest to visualize human-caused and natural hazard trends integrated with a high-resolution base map to anticipate potential and imminent issues in areas of interest.



Intermap Reader Advisory

Certain information provided in this news release, including reference to revenue growth, constitutes forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast", will be, will consider, intends and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although Intermap believes that these statements are based on information and assumptions which are current, reasonable and complete, these statements are necessarily subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Intermaps forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to, among other things, cash available to fund operations, availability of capital, revenue fluctuations, nature of government contracts, economic conditions, loss of key customers, retention and availability of executive talent, competing technologies, common share price volatility, loss of proprietary information, software functionality, internet and system infrastructure functionality, information technology security, breakdown of strategic alliances, and international and political considerations, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed Intermaps Annual Information Form and other securities filings. While the Company makes these forward-looking statements in good faith, should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from those expected. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that the Company will derive therefrom. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Intermap or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law. About Intermap Technologies

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Intermap (TSX: IMP; OTCQX: ITMSF) is a global leader in geospatial intelligence solutions, focusing on the creation and analysis of 3D terrain data to produce high-resolution thematic models. Through scientific analysis of geospatial information and patented sensors and processing technology, the Company provisions diverse, complementary, multi-source datasets to enable customers to seamlessly integrate geospatial intelligence into their workflows. Intermaps 3D elevation data and software analytic capabilities enable global geospatial analysis through artificial intelligence and machine learning, providing customers with critical information to understand their terrain environment. By leveraging its proprietary archive of the worlds largest collection of multi-sensor global elevation data, the Companys collection and processing capabilities provide multi-source 3D datasets and analytics at mission speed, enabling governments and companies to build and integrate geospatial foundation data with actionable insights. Applications for Intermaps products and solutions include defense, aviation and UAV flight planning, flood and wildfire insurance, disaster mitigation, base mapping, environmental and renewable energy planning, telecommunications, engineering, critical infrastructure monitoring, hydrology, land management, oil and gas and transportation.



For more information, please visit www.intermap.com or contact: Jennifer Bakken Executive Vice President and CFO [email protected] +1 (303) 708-0955

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Flagship Food Group Acquires Yucatan Foods to add Fresh Guacamole and Dips to Portfolio

Flagship Food Group, LLC ("Flagship" or the "Company") announced today that it has acquired Yucatan Foods, LLC adding guacamole and dips to its growing portfolio of Southwestern foods. Yucatan manufactures and markets fresh guacamole and salsa under the Yucatan and Cabo Fresh brands. Sold nationwide and throughout Canada, Yucatan has long been a pioneer in the retail, pre-made guacamole category and is one of the largest brands in the set. "We have been building Flagship to be a scaled, multicategory food company with a focus on premium and Hispanic food products," said Rob Holland, Executive Chairman of Flagship. "Our current product portfolio is very complementary to that of Yucatan," added Matt Finnerty with Flagship. "We are excited to plan some impactful cross-promoting of our world-famous Hatch Valley green chile and salsa, chips, tortillas, and now fresh guacamole." Yucatan joins a family of brands that includes 505 Southwestern, La Tortilla Factory, and Lilly B's, to name a few of the Company's most recognized brands in the Southwestern category. The acquisition not only adds to the better-for-you offerings within Flagship, but also emphasizes a focus on vertical integration with the addition of 97,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space in Siao, Mexico.



Through its subsidiaries Flagship Premium Food Group and Desert Premium Group, the Company has leadership positions in tortillas, tortilla chips, salsa, green chile, and frozen Mexican handheld categories. Its brands include 505 Southwestern, the largest jarred green chile brand in the USA; La Tortilla Factory, one of the nation's largest tortilla brands that is focused on health and wellness; Hatch Kitchen and Lilly B's, leading brands in the frozen burrito and quesadilla space; and Young Guns, a leader in food service Hatch Valley green chile. "This is great for the future of this legendary brand in the guacamole category," said Stephen Hillion, VP of Sales and Marketing for Yucatan. "Being part of this broad family of complementary Hispanic and Southwestern food products will allow us to offer more value to our retail partners and to consumers. We are going into immediate action to collaborate with our partners to realize these synergies."

Flagship operates manufacturing and distribution facilities in Colorado, Kansas, California, New Mexico, and Mexico. The Company believes that it is the largest flame roaster of Hatch Valley green chiles in the world. "We're really excited about expanding our consumer reach into the refrigerated Dairy, Deli and Produce categories, and Yucatan is the perfect brand partner. We'll be integrating Yucatan's sales and marketing efforts into our salsa, green chile and dips business," said Sam Carson, Brand President for 505 Southwestern. "We're wasting no time in merging this brand into our 505SW portfolio and innovating on products, marketing, quality, and packaging. This will be fun!" "This acquisition will definitely result in some innovative product development," added Holland. "I expect we'll see some exciting 'Hatch Valley' guacamole products coming out very soon." About Flagship Food Group, LLC Through its subsidiaries Flagship Premium Food Group and Desert Premium Group, the Company has leadership positions in tortillas, tortilla chips, salsa, green chile, and frozen Mexican handheld. Its brands include 505 Southwestern, the largest jarred green chile brand in the USA; La Tortilla Factory, one of the nation's largest tortilla brands that is focused on health and wellness; Hatch Kitchen and Lilly B's, leading brands in the frozen burrito and quesadilla space; and Young Guns, a leader in food service Hatch Valley green chile. Other brands include TJ Farms, Mama Lupes, and Select New Mexico. The Company is also a valued partner with retailers and food companies, providing private label, brokerage, and freight and warehousing solutions. Flagship is headquartered near Denver with operations and offices in Idaho, California, Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico, and Mexico. About Yucatan Foods, LLC Yucatan Foods, through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells premium guacamole, salsa, and dips. The Yucatan brand dates back over three decades and was a pioneer in the fresh, retail guacamole space. Yucatan also sells products under the Cabo Fresh brand, and is a valued private label partner with premium retailers. The company operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Silao, Mexico. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005308/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Teledyne FLIR Defense Wins $13 Million Pentagon Contract for Remote CBRN Detection Using Autonomous Drones

Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), announced that it has been awarded a $13.3 million contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to further expand the capabilities of its R80D SkyRaider unmanned aerial system to autonomously perform chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance missions. Teledyne FLIR Defense will integrate flight control software that enables the SkyRaider Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to autonomously fly CBRN missions currently performed by soldiers hand-carrying detection sensors into hazardous areas. Blending the new technology with SkyRaider's existing capabilities will allow soldiers to complete these missions without directly controlling the drone - and without exposing themselves to toxic substances. Teledyne FLIR also will design and build prototype chemical and radiological sensor payloads for the R80D SkyRaider, as well as integrate existing detectors in the U.S. Army's inventory. This effort builds on three years of investment by several joint program offices to develop new and improved UAS capabilities for CBRN missions. "For many good reasons, militaries are shifting their CBRN defense strategy from manned to unmanned platforms," said Dr. David Cullin, vice president of technology and product management at Teledyne FLIR Defense. "Employing unmanned air and ground assets to assess risks from weapons of mass destruction is an increasingly sought-after capability. We'll continue our customers' important work to enhance situational awareness for mounted and dismounted operations, enabling greater maneuverability on future CBRN-contested battlefields." "This project also complements our existing ortfolio of CBRN sensing drone payloads - the MUVE C360, MUVE B330, and MUVE R430 - all of which allow users to remotely detect and identify a broad spectrum of potentially lethal threats," Cullin added.



Both the autonomous SkyRaider and the new sensor payloads will be designed to operate with the command and control user interface for the U.S. Army's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) Stryker platform, for which Teledyne FLIR Defense is the prime systems integrator. For the base contract, Teledyne FLIR will deliver four SkyRaiders and six of each sensor payload, with options to support training, documentation, plus the delivery of additional UAS and payloads. The award was made through the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense; Joint Product Manager for Reconnaissance and Platform Integration (JPdM RPI); and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Sensor Integration on Robotics Platforms Program Office (CSIRP).

Initial deliveries are scheduled for fall 2023. The contract period of performance is 33 months, if all options are exercised. Visit us online to learn more about Teledyne FLIR's multi-faceted Detection solutions. About Teledyne FLIR Teledyne FLIR, a Teledyne Technologies company, is a world leader in intelligent sensing, unmanned systems, and integrated solutions for defense and industrial markets, with roughly 4,000 employees worldwide. Founded in 1978, the company develops a wide range of advanced technologies to help professionals make better, faster decisions that save lives and livelihoods. To learn more, visit teledyneflir.com or follow @flir. #AnyThreatAnywhere About Teledyne Technologies Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated digital imaging products and software, instrumentation, aerospace and defense electronics, and engineered systems. Teledyne's operations are primarily located in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Western and Northern Europe. For more information, visit Teledyne's website at www.teledyne.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005016/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Canciller Gervasi recibio al Coordinador Residente de NNUU en Peru @GarafulicIgor, quien presento iniciativas de cooperacion del Sistema de NNUU para atender necesidades basicas de poblacion afectada por bloqueos. Reitero asimismo su apoyo en la busqueda de dialogo y consensos. pic.twitter.com/4tVUhNSXiL
[February 08, 2023] 3D Systems Announces Appointment of Dr. Rebekah Gee as Member of its Medical Advisory Board

ROCK HILL, S.C., Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced the appointment of Dr. Rebekah Gee to the 3D Systems Medical Advisory Board, effective March 1, 2023. Dr. Gee is a recognized expert on public health policy and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017.

Dr. Gee will join six other members of the advisory board who have been named since the boards establishment in May 2022: Dr. Stephen K. Klasko, former President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health;

The Honorable David J. Shulkin, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

The Honorable Alex Azar, former U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary;

Dr. Toby Cosgrove, former President & Chief Executive officer of the Cleveland Clinic;

Dr. Bon Ku, Professor of Medicine and Design at Thomas Jefferson University and Director of the universitys Health Design Lab; and

Mr. Bert Bruce, Regional President, North America for the Rare Disease Business at Pfizer. The boards primary mission is to provide strategic input, guidance, and recommendations for the companys expanding efforts in regenerative medicine. These efforts are currently focused on utilizing advanced 3D printing technologies and materials central to the manufacture of implantable human organs, human non-organ applications such as vascularized soft tissue for use in reconstruction surgery, and organs-on-a-chip for use in early-stage drug discovery and development. Dr. Gee is a recognized leader in healthcare policy who possesses a unique blend of experience in delivering innovative healthcare solutions for families and communities, leading government healthcare institutions, and the practice of medicine. Dr. Gee is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nest Health, a company that seeks to overcome the challenges faced by working families with young children in accessing much-needed healthcare services by delivering whole-family, whole-person primary care to families at home, in the community, and online. From 20162020, Dr. Gee served as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the states largest agency with an annual budget of approximately $14 billion. While Secretary, Dr. Gee oversaw the implementation of Medicaid expansion which has extended health insurance coverage to over 600,000 Louisianans. Dr. Gee has an extensive background in quality improvement and as a health services researcher who has served in numerous additional state and national healthcare policy roles. Before she was appointed Secretary, Dr. Gee served as the Medicaid Medical Director for Louisiana Medicaid, the Medical Director for Title V, and she directed Louisianas Birth Outcomes Initiative where she led efforts to decrease infant mortality and prematurity. Her initiatives resulted in a 25% reduction in infant mortality, an 85% drop in elective deliveries before 39 weeks, and a 10% drop in NICU admissions statewide. Dr. Gee has been a practicing Obstetrician/Gynecologist for over 20 years, which has enabled her to bring a medical caregivers persective to the people she serves in public policy and healthcare delivery roles. She is a gratis Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans. In addition to her appointment to the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Gee was recognized by The New York Times as one of Five Who Spread Hope in 2019, and by Modern Healthcare as one of 2019's Women Leaders to Watch in Healthcare.



Commenting on her appointment, Dr. Jeffrey Graves, president and CEO of 3D Systems, stated, It is my great pleasure to welcome Dr. Rebekah Gee to our Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Gee has distinguished herself throughout her career by her ability to bridge the gap between the practice of medicine and the critical role that public and private institutions play in delivering healthcare and in improving health outcomes for patients. As 3D Systems moves forward with our efforts to build a world-class regenerative medicine business that will develop innovative medical products in the areas of human organ transplantation and a broad range of non-organ human applications, Dr. Gees insights and advice on topics such as patient insurance coverage and third-party reimbursement of care providers will be invaluable. Dr. Gee will also be well-positioned to provide strategic guidance to the Medical Advisory Board on a broad range of issues, given her experience at the helm of state and national healthcare policy institutions as well her leadership role in those institutions response to some of the largest public health challenges of our time, such as the COVID pandemic and the opioid crisis. She is an exceptional healthcare leader and we are honored to have her join us at this critical time in our programs. In recognition of her appointment, Dr. Gee stated, I am delighted to become a member of 3D Systems Medical Advisory Board and to have the opportunity to play a role in the companys development of exciting new products and therapies in the area of regenerative medicine. As both a medical practitioner and a long-time leader in the public healthcare arena, I have experienced first-hand how innovation in the areas of medical devices and treatments can lead to dramatic improvements in patient health outcomes. I am honored and excited to have this opportunity to assist the company as they advance the frontier of healthcare innovation and build a world-class regenerative medicine business.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "may," "will," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based upon managements beliefs, assumptions, and current expectations and may include comments as to the companys beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the company. The factors described under the headings "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included are made only as of the date of the statement. 3D Systems undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. About 3D Systems

More than 35 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction - empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems solutions address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com . Investor Contact: [email protected]

Media Contact: [email protected] A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4d66a1a6-1dbb-4bde-a931-1a062818fcbb



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Moonfare Sees Overwhelming Demand in Extended Series C Round at Record Valuation

Moonfare, the leading global digital private equity investment platform, has capped the extension of its Series C financing round at c.a. $15 million, achieving a record valuation. This brings the total capital raised in the Series C funding round to over $130 million. Following Insight Partners' investment in November 2021, Vitruvian Partners and Swiss private bank Bordier & Cie became Moonfare shareholders in March 2022. With the extension of the Series C financing round, Moonfare now welcomes 7 Global Capital (7GC) as an additional institutional investor. 7GC is a leading cross-border venture capital firm investing in capital-efficient internet and consumer technology companies with market-leading potential. Previous investments include Jackpocket, Roofstock, Jio, Hims & Hers and more. CEO and Moonfare founder Steffen Pauls said, "We're excited by this investment, particularly considering valuations of the most valuable VC-backed companies have fallen by half over the past few months1. We experienced overwhelming demand from shareholders and institutional parties wanting to participate in this extension round, demonstrating that Moonfare is solidifying its mission to democratise access to private equity." He added, "Individual investors and their advisors are increasingly seeking refuge in private equity, especially in current volatile public markets. We aim to meet this demand by giving an even broader range of like-minded investors access to our curated low-minimum private market funds. We will offer new products, expand into new markets and strengthen our senior management team with seasoned private equity experts. We are well equipped to meet our growth plans for this year." Moonfare makes it possible for qualified individual investors to invest intop-tier private equity and venture capital funds from firms like KKR, Carlyle, EQT and Insight Partners at low minimums and via a fast and user-friendly digital experience.



The company increased its assets under management by almost 60% to over $2.3 billion in the 12 months to end December 2022. In this same period, the number of Moonfare investors grew by 40% to 3,393 and the community of registered users more than doubled to over 48,000. To meet this exceptional growth in demand, Moonfare has increased the funds offered on its platform from 40 to 69 (up 73%) and entered into two new asset classes, Impact and Philanthropy. In 2022 the company launched in nine new jurisdictions including Scandinavia, Portugal, Israel and the US, and set up four new offices in Singapore, New York, Zurich and Paris. About Moonfare

Moonfare offers individual investors and their advisors' access to curated private equity investment opportunities. With a digital onboarding process and asset management platform, Moonfare allows investors to register and invest through a digital onboarding process2. To date, Moonfare has offered more than 69 private market funds from top general partners worldwide such as KKR, Carlyle, Permira and EQT, with an emphasis on private equity buyouts, venture, growth and real asset categories like infrastructure.

Moonfare's investment team conducts ground-up due diligence on all funds. Fewer than 5% of available funds pass this process and make it onto the Moonfare platform. This focus on quality is one reason why Moonfare has won the trust of more than 3,00 clients who have invested more than 2 billion on its platform. Headquartered in Berlin, Moonfare operates in 25 countries across Europe, Asia, and America and has offices in New York, Hong Kong, London, Zurich, Singapore, Paris and Luxembourg. Important notice

This content is for informational purposes only. Moonfare funds are only available to qualified investors. Moonfare does not provide investment advice. You should not construe any information or other material provided as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. If you are unsure about anything, you should seek financial advice from an authorized advisor. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. Your capital is at risk. 1 Valuations of most-valuable VC-backed companies fall by half | PitchBook

2 Subject to eligibility View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005089/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Philips Speech and Sembly AI Launch SmartMeeting As Answer To New Meeting Culture

Today, Speech Processing Solutions, the global leader in professional speech-to-text solutions sold under the Philips brand, in partnership with Sembly AI, a voice and conversation analytics technology company, launched SmartMeeting. A pioneering conversational AI-driven meeting technology that fosters collaboration and productivity with actionable auto-generated notes is designed to support today's modern workplace culture and hybrid workforce needs. In an age where freedom and flexibility are valued, the new SmartMeeting product transforms business meetings into action. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005004/en/ Philips SmartMeeting (Photo: Business Wire) Delivering Outcomes

The shift in practices to ensure the workforce stays engaged and productive has brought friction to modern companies, forcing meetings to occur more frequently. According to Harvard Business Review, 70% of managers believe time in meetings is unproductive, creating a culture of burnout, information silos, and lack of action. These challenges require organizations to undertake a paradigm shift where technology enables a transformation from binary meetings to continuous information flow to drive improved outcomes from a meeting-heavy culture. SmartMeeting reimagines meetings for the modern worker and enterprise with machine learning that can augment team collaboration and participation. Using conversational AI from Sembly AI coupled with high-quality microphone and video technology from Philips, SmartMeeting accurately captures discussions. Multi-modal transcription automatically analyzes and summarizes subjects with key item detection of actions, issues, and sentiment to deliver high-quality, at-a-glance summaries, and customized, searchable insights with integration across all meeting platforms. "It's difficult to be everywhere at once, despite technology-driven connectivity," said Gil Makleff, co-founder and chief executive officer, Sembly AI. "The business value of SmartMeeting is its answer to the FOMO factor of a distributed workforce culture and its ability to gain accurate, AI-driven insights without actually being in meetings. Technology supports the goals of many modern companies to democratize data, encourage cross-team collaboration and drive outcomes from meetings in increasingly hybrid or remote environments."



Humanizing Hybrid Work

With 18 hours spent in meetings per week, according to research from University of North Carolina, employers and employees are eager to balance productivity with humanity. The future corporate or personal workplace will remain hybrid in nature and require more efficient ways to work, collaborate and communicate. SmartMeeting resets the pace of work ecosystems by introducing mature AI technology into meeting culture - fostering meeting engagement flexibility and high-quality reporting outputs to increase the speed of information sharing, with improved accountability and fewer meeting participants. Proxy Productivity

For those seeking to champion the future of work, SmartMeeting offers elevated collaboration and increased engagement without having to attend a meeting. The SmartMeeting agent will join any call it is invited to, introduce itself and record the call. After the meeting, sharable, automated meeting minutes are available with a high-accuracy transcript and smart summary. The proxy attendance of the SmartMeeting agent improves task and talent management and business intelligence while also impacting secure information flow across teams for improved product management, collaboration, topic analysis, and productivity.

"SmartMeeting combines best-in-class 4k video and HD audio with conversational AI technology, enabling users to capture all speakers and benefit from a smart assistant. In this way, users effectively address today's workplace culture and prioritization of information access, while driving actional outcomes from meetings of any type," said Dr. Thomas Brauner, CEO of Speech Processing Solutions. Key Features of SmartMeeting: Automatic minute-taking - to help focus and actively engage in the conversation during meetings

- to help focus and actively engage in the conversation during meetings Instant smart summary - tracks issues, requirements, risks, and events in a comprehensive text-based meeting read-out with sentiment analysis and topic extraction at-a-glance

- tracks issues, requirements, risks, and events in a comprehensive text-based meeting read-out with sentiment analysis and topic extraction at-a-glance Automated meeting action points - time-saving efficiency driver provides brief, sharable summaries of what happened in the meeting

time-saving efficiency driver provides brief, sharable summaries of what happened in the meeting Speaker detection - identifies the speaker to separate who said what in meeting transcripts

identifies the speaker to separate who said what in meeting transcripts Cross-platform integration - seamless integration with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex

seamless integration with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex 4K high-definition camera - clear video with accurate color representation, autoframing and speaker tracking

clear video with accurate color representation, autoframing and speaker tracking 360 array microphone - noise-canceling microphone technology for clear recordings essential for accurate transcripts SmartMeeting pricing and availability

SmartMeeting is compliant across all conference platforms and allows for secure information flow and is currently available to purchase at Staples, Office Depot and through distribution at Ingram Micro and D&H Distributing. SmartMeeting HD Audio and Video Conferencing Solution (PSE0550) | Staples at a list price of $499.99. To find out more about SmartMeeting, visit here. About Speech Processing Solutions

Speech Processing Solutions (SPS) is an international technology company and a global leader in dictation solutions. More than four million users worldwide work with speech-to-text solutions developed by SPS and sold under the Philips brand. These solutions include web-based and desktop workflow software as well as dictation devices. These smart solutions save users' time and allow them to focus on their core tasks, making their business more efficient, customer-centric, and profitable. Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, SPS has regional offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, and Austria, as well as a network of more than 1000 distribution and implementation partners worldwide. About Sembly AI

Sembly AI is a voice and conversation analytics technology company focused on bringing the power of natural language processing to professional meeting environments. Sembly's products can simplify the work life of distributed teams while providing powerful analytics to help teams attend less while getting more done. Sembly AI was founded by CEO Gil Makleff and CPO Artem Koren in 2019. Gil Makleff was CEO of UMT Consulting Group, which was acquired by Ernst & Young. Artem Koren was a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young and CTO at Visual Trading Systems. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005004/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Fresche Solutions Acquires Silveredge Consulting to Expand Application Support Services and ERP Capabilities

MONTREAL, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fresche Solutions is pleased to announce the acquisition of Silveredge Consulting, a premier IT consulting services provider specializing in IBM i (AS/400, iSeries) application support, ERP and homegrown application development and help desk services.

Organizations that rely on applications running on the IBM i platform are facing a critical skills gap and lack of access to knowledgeable resources. With aging IBM i professionals retiring, organizations are finding themselves at risk when it comes to maintaining and modernizing their legacy applications. Bringing Fresche Solutions and Silveredge Consulting together addresses this need in the market by providing comprehensive application support and development services and modernization solutions. This partnership provides an invaluable resource for organizations seeking guidance and assistance with their IBM i technology investments. Silveredge has been delivering IT solutions for over 35 years and has built strong relationships with their customers, employees and the entire IBM i (AS/400) community. The companys commitment to excellence has earned them an outstanding reputation for providing quality IT services and having some of the best and brightest talent in the market. Silveredge is a first-class organization with an impressive team of dedicated professionals who consistently deliver quality customer service and satisfaction, said Fresche Solutions CEO, Stephen Woodard. They have a unique approach that combines business and technology to deliver incredible value to their customers. Their industry expertise and focus on business outcomes is beyond compare. We are thrilled to welcome them into our organization and look forward to building on the strong relationships that have been formed over the years." The company currently supports customers running all variations of RPG and other languages, and provide development and ongoing maintenance and modernization for leading ERPs such as Infor (PRMS, BPCS, MAPICS, XA and LX), JD Edwards, SAP, as well as many other technologies on the IBM i (AS/400, iSeries) platform. Sue Boers, President of Silveredge Consulting, commented, We have worked hard over the years to build strong relationships which have enabled us to be successful. We are excited o be joining Fresche, a company that has a strong vision and ability to help Silveredge customers modernize for the future. Fresche provides an exceptional path forward for our customers and employees and we look forward to continuing this success."



Ambrose Marton, EVP at Silveredge adds, With Fresche, we now have the ability to provide our customers with end to end solutions including cloud, managed infrastructure services, transformation and security. This acquisition is part of Fresche Solutions long-term strategy to further build on its position as a global provider of IT and IBM i (AS/400, iSeries) solutions and a leader in Application Services and IT Managed Service Delivery.

American Pacific Group (APG), the private equity firm that backs Fresche commented, Silveredge is an exciting addition to the Fresche family and supports the continued goal of building out a comprehensive set of solutions tailored for our customers growing needs. We will continue to invest in new capabilities and expand the solution set both organically and through further acquisition. said Fraser Preston, Managing Partner at APG. Silveredge will become a business unit of Fresche Solutions and continue to operate and do business under its current name. Fresche remains a global company with offices in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and India and will assume the Silveredge office presence in Chicago, Illinois. For more information on Fresche please visit www.freschesolutions.com or contact [email protected].

About Fresche Solutions From applications to infrastructure, Fresche brings digital experiences to life, solving complex business problems for our customers with innovative IT solutions. Businesses across the globe rely on us to deliver value in several critical areas including: custom application development, modernization of highly valuable legacy software assets, managed services, cloud, infrastructure and expert staffing solutions. The depth and breadth of our automated tooling, products and services for IBM i, Windows, Linux and other platforms helps organizations to reach new heights and achieve their digital aspirations to survive and thrive successfully in todays everchanging markets. www.freschesolutions.com About Silveredge Consulting Since 1987, IBM i development teams have turned to Silveredge Consulting to deliver reliable IBM i-centric solutions. Our team of IT experts are dedicated to customer success and committed to exceeding expectations. For our clients, effective management of information is the competitive edge in their marketplace. We help our customers identify and deliver well thought out solutions. Silveredge keeps abreast of changes in technology as well as changes in business. We provide a balance between the ability to analyze and re-engineer a business process and to implement new technological solutions. Our years of experience in information technology have exposed us to many challenging situations and solutions. www.silveredgeconsulting.com For further details about the acquisition, please contact: Christine McDowell

Fresche Solutions Cell: +1 514.220.1309

Email: [email protected]

Sue Boers

Silveredge Consulting Direct: +1 708.725.3461

Email: [email protected]







[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Ciena Announces Reporting Date and Web Broadcast for Fiscal First Quarter 2023 Results

Ciena Corporation (NYSE: CIEN) expects to announce its fiscal first quarter financial results on Monday, March 6, 2023 before the open of the financial markets. The press release will be available on Ciena's website at www.ciena.com.

In conjunction with the announcement, Ciena will post an additional set of supporting materials to the Quarterly Results page of the Investor Relations section of its website. Ciena's management will then host a live audio web broadcast beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern accessible via www.ciena.com.







Rebroadcast Information

For those listeners unable to participate in the live web broadcast, an archived version of the conference call will be available shortly following the conclusion of the live call in the Events & Presentations section of the Investor Relations section of Ciena's website.

About Ciena

Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a networking systems, services and software company. We provide solutions that help our customers create the Adaptive Network in response to the constantly changing demands of their users. By delivering best-in-class networking technology through high-touch consultative relationships, we build the world's most agile networks with automation, openness and scale. For updates on Ciena, follow us on Twitter @Ciena, LinkedIn, the Ciena Insights blog, or visit www.ciena.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005318/en/
[February 08, 2023] Drew University Selects Proven Leader as its 15th President

Hilary L. Link, PhD to lead next chapter MADISON, N.J., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Drew University Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee today announced that Hilary L. Link, PhD will be named the University's 15th president. Link brings a distinguished track record of leadership at prominent higher education institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Link will succeed President Thomas J. Schwarz, who will step down at the end of June after successfully fulfilling his three-year commitment. The Drew University Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee today announced that Hilary L. Link , PhD will be Link comes to Drew most recently from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, where she served as president from 2019 to 2022. She successfully guided Allegheny through the COVID-19 pandemic while managing demographic, enrollment, and financial challenges facing institutions of higher education across the country. Prior to Allegheny College, Link was dean of Temple University Rome and previously served as vice provost at Barnard College of Columbia University. She began her career in higher education as director of scholar programs at New York University. Link earned her bachelor's degree at Stanford University and both her master's degree and doctorate in Italian language and literature at Yale University. "We are delighted to have attracted a candidate who has spent decades in leadership roles at prominent institutions of higher education with such outstanding pedigrees and rputations," said Fredrick Fuest C'68, P'02,'08, chair of the Presidential Search Committee and vice chair of the Board of Trustees. "Dr. Link's appointment comes at the end of a national nine-month search process that involved the energetic and thoughtful input of Drew trustees, faculty, staff, students, alums, and the executive search firm Storbeck Search. We sought a bold visionary who is innovative, entrepreneurial, inspiring, and financially astute, and I am proud to say we found all that in Dr. Link."



"I am excited to step into the leadership of Drew University, a strong institution known for providing its students with a truly immersive learning experience and for a faculty distinctively dedicated to student success," said Hilary L. Link, PhD, who will officially take office on July 1, 2023. "The past several years have been particularly challenging for small liberal arts colleges, and I look forward to working with Drew's faculty and staff across the University, including the College of Liberal Arts, Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, and Drew Theological School, to build on their tremendous work. I am eager to begin working with the entire Drew community to forge the University's path into a vibrant and successful future." "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Hilary Link to the Drew family. The Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed her appointment, and I personally look forward to working with her to build upon the momentum Drew has harnessed under President Schwarz. I am extremely proud of the work President Schwarz has done over the last several years to put Drew in a position to appeal to another proven leader like Hilary," said William W. Landis III C'85, chair of the Board of Trustees. "Hilary's experience and track record make her a natural fit for Drew, from her innovative leadership, commitment to the academic community, experience in the New York and international higher education spheresin line with Drew's popular New York Semesters and top-10 international enrollment numbersand more."

A more comprehensive introduction of Dr. Link to the Drew community are planned for the spring. Details to follow. Media Contact

Stuart Dezenhall

Drew University

Phone: 973-408-3210

Email: [email protected] About Drew University Drew University, a Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts university, includes the College of Liberal Arts, the Drew Theological School and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. Drew is located on a beautiful, wooded campus in Madison, New Jersey, a thriving small town close to New York City. Drew has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 students and has 136 full-time faculty members, 96% of whom hold the terminal degree in their field. The Theological and Caspersen schools offer master's and doctoral degrees, and the College confers BA and BS degrees in 40 disciplines, with 60 available minors, and offers 18 preprofessional and 19 dual-degree programs. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/drew-university-selects-proven-leader-as-its-15th-president-301741313.html SOURCE Drew University

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Craig S. Richards Named Chief Administrative Officer of Fiduciary Trust International

Fiduciary Trust International, a global wealth manager and wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, announces that Craig S. Richards, CPA/PFS, CFP, executive vice president, has been appointed chief administrative officer. He most recently served as director of tax services, and maintains oversight of the firm's tax services team, which he has led since 2006. "There are many complexities involved in the delivery of sophisticated wealth management services to individuals and institutions, and the specialists who are in charge of providing them often need expediting and decisioning support. This is why a highly coordinated business response is required," said John M. Dowd, chief executive officer of Fiduciary Trust International. "Craig's strong technical expertise, his clear understanding of risk, and deep knowledge of our systems put him in an excellent position to lead us in our mission to deliver the best client and advisory experience in the industry." Mr. Richards, who joined Fiduciary Trust International in 1984, serves on the firm's executive, management, and operating committees, and is chairman of the directors trust committee. He is also a member of the boards of directors of Fiduciary Trust Company International and subsidiaries Fiduciary Trust International of Delaware and Fiduciary Trust International of California. "Fiduciary Trust International's organization has doubled in size and complexity over the past few years," said Mr. Richards. "My more than 30 years with the firm have given me the privilege to learn about all of our teams and functions inside-out-and I am pleased to be able to harness this expertise to continue streamlining processes and aligning the execution of core business priorities, so we can deliver a strong client and employee experience." Mr. Richards is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the New Jersey State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He holds the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designations. Mr. Richards earned his master of science in taxation from Seton Hall University, and graduated from Saint Peter's Colege with a bachelor of science in accounting.



About Fiduciary Trust International Fiduciary Trust International, a global wealth management firm headquartered in New York, NY, has served individuals, families, endowments and foundations since 1931. With over $87 billion in assets under management and administration as of December 31, 2022, the firm specializes in strategic wealth planning, investment management and trust and estate services, as well as tax and custody services. The New York-based firm and its subsidiaries maintain offices in Coral Gables, FL, Boca Raton, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, Radnor, PA, Lincoln, MA, Los Angeles, CA, San Mateo, CA, San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, Reston, VA, and Atlanta, GA. For more information, please visit fiduciarytrust.com, and for the latest updates, follow Fiduciary Trust International on LinkedIn and Twitter: @FiduciaryTrust.

About Franklin Templeton Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 155 countries. Franklin Templeton's mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and approximately $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2022. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Copyright  2023. Fiduciary Trust International. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005554/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] KLAS Research ranks Wolters Kluwer's Sentri7 #1 for Infection Control & Monitoring for second year

Wolters Kluwer Health today announced that KLAS Research has recognized the Sentri7 clinical surveillance solution as Best in KLAS for infection control and monitoring for the second year in a row in the 2023 Best in KLAS: Software and Services report. KLAS Research, which specializes in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors, rated Sentri7 as the market leader for infection control for hospitals and health systems. "It's an honor that Wolters Kluwer's Sentri7 team has been recognized for two years running by KLAS as the top-ranked infection control and monitoring solution," said Karen Kobelski, Vice President and General Manager for Clinical Surveillance, Compliance & Data Solutions at Wolters Kluwer Health. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, infection preventionists have had to manage rapidly changing prevention guidance, expanded reporting requirements, and increases in hospital acquired infections and workload. We're proud of our partner hospitals using Sentri7 to help address their evolving infection prevention needs during these difficult times." Strong customer guidance & exceptional technology benchmarks KLAS interviews thousands of healthcare professionals and uses the responses to rate innovative surveillance software. Evaluation questions cover several areas including Culture, Loyalty, Operations, Product features, Relationship, and Value. Respondents to this year's survey noted a number of key benefits for using Sentri7, including tailored workflows and features that save time-strapped infection preventionists. In October 2022, a health system director commenting to KLAS about Sentri7 stated: "One of the selling points of Sentri7 Infection Prevention is that it mimics the infection prevention workflow, whereas some other programs that I have used don't make sense. I can tell the product is built with infection prevention in mind, whereas other systems are made by mega software vendors who consider infection prevention logic to be a secondhand thing. Other vendors know that they need an infection prevention module, but the other modules are not built by people who understand how infection prevention works." One provider and manager surveyed by KLAS discussed the functionality in October 2022 by stating: "All my reports go through Sentri7 Infection Prevention to the NHSN [National Healthcare Safety Network] website. I can run some Excel spreadsheets that help with reporting things to CMS as well. The reportng functionality is very easy. I can access the system on weekends, so I am able to track trends with what is going on in certain units so that we can put action plans together. I like the system as a whole because it really helps us drive down hospital-acquired infections and increase patient safety for our customers. We are able to see trends with our hospital-acquired infections and can then decrease our number of hospital-acquired infections and see that decrease in the moment."



Top honors for infection control and monitoring two years in a row Wolters Kluwer Sentri7 is designed to deliver real-time alerts and evidence-based guidance so clinical teams deliver the right care at the right time. Even with robust electronic health record (EHR) systems, many hospitals are still challenged with identifying at-risk populations and optimizing infection prevention (IP) and control programs. Sentri7 advanced technology leverages data from the EHR and delivers an IP-tailored workflow to automate infection control and required regulatory reporting so that infection control professionals can focus on improving patient care instead of spending time working with IT or navigating manual processes.

Sentri7 stands out as Best in KLAS Best in KLAS is a recognition given by KLAS Research to health technology solution providers for outstanding efforts to help healthcare professionals deliver better patient care. The Best in KLAS designation is reserved for the software and services market segments that have the broadest operational and clinical impact on healthcare organizations. "The 2023 Best in KLAS report highlights the top-performing healthcare IT solutions as determined by extensive evaluations and conversations with thousands of healthcare providers. These distinguished winners have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving and innovating the industry, and their efforts are recognized through their inclusion in this report," said Adam Gale, CEO at KLAS Research. "Congratulations to all the winning vendors for setting the bar for excellence in healthcare IT! KLAS continues to be committed to creating transparency and helping providers make informed decisions through our accurate, honest, and impartial reporting." Wolters Kluwer will be honored for Sentri7 and also Emmi for Patient Driven Care Management at the Best in KLAS Show 2023 on April 17, 2023, at HIMSS23 in Chicago, Illinois. Wolters Kluwer Health provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students in effective decision-making and outcomes across healthcare. The division of Wolters Kluwer supports clinical effectiveness, learning and research, clinical surveillance and compliance, as well as data solutions. About Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare; tax and accounting; governance, risk and compliance; and legal and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2021 annual revenues of 4.8 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005576/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Receives Grant to Propel Critical Research in the Mitochondrial Space

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant will help researchers answer important questions about the effects of COVID-19 PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To advance vital mitochondrial medicine research and help decode the pandemic puzzle, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has received more than $2.3 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As health officials monitor local and global COVID-19 infections, a critical question has surfaced  why are certain individuals and populations more severely affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus  which causes COVID-19  than others? To address this question and the resulting unprecedented demands being pressed on global medical institutions, the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine (CMEM) at CHOP is determining if mitochondrial variation is an important factor in determining why certain patients have more severe symptoms to SARS-CoV-2 infection. "Our mitochondrial studies have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 has a powerful adverse effect on patients' mitochondrial function," said Dr. Douglas Wallace, geneticist, evolutionary biologist and director of the CMEM at CHOP. "The genes of the DNA within the mitochondria, the mtDNA, are vitally important in cellular energy production and differ in sequence between individuals as well as people of different global ancestries. Therefore, we are investigating the role of mtDNA variation in determining the severity of COVID-19 symptoms." "With this transformative grant from the Gates Foundation we hope to not only determine the importance of mtDNA variaton in COVID-19 severity, but also to identify new approaches for mitigating the adverse impact of COVID-19," Wallace explained.



The CMEM focuses on understanding and potentially treating a broad spectrum of diseases by focusing on mitochondria, the "batteries" of our cells. The genes for generating mitochondria are dispersed across both the nuclear DNA and the mtDNA. CMEM is studying alterations in the mitochondrial genes in diseases as diverse as neuropsychiatric disorders from autism to Alzheimer's disease, blindness, heart and muscle disease, diabetes and obesity, as well as SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CMEM team, in conjunction with the international COV-IRT consortium, have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 has a striking adverse effect on mitochondrial gene expression and function. CMEM investigators will now determine if mtDNA variation contributes to individual COVID-19 sensitivity.

"Based on current evidence, we have hypothesized that individuals with more energetically efficient mtDNAs, such as those from sub-Saharan Africa, may be less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 mitochondrial inhibition and more resistant to COVID-19 pathology," Dr. Wallace added. "The Gates Foundation funding will make testing this hypothesis possible." To learn more about the work of Dr. Wallace and CMEM, please visit cmem.research.chop.edu. About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the 595-bed hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country.?The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its?CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as a?new inpatient hospital?with a dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia.?In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit?www.chop.edu. CONTACT:

Kaitlyn Tivenan

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

610-618-0542

[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/childrens-hospital-of-philadelphia-receives-grant-to-propel-critical-research-in-the-mitochondrial-space-301740795.html SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] KlariVis Chief Business Intelligence Officer Ashley Fiore Named in 40 Under 40 Class of 2023

KlariVis, a fast-growing enterprise dashboard and analytics solution for the financial services industry, is proud to announce that its Chief Business Intelligence Officer, Ashley Fiore, has been named in The Roanoker's 40 Under 40 for the Class of 2023. Each year, The Roanoker honors 40 individuals under the age of 40 who are making a difference in the greater Roanoke, Virginia area. Applicants are judged not only on their career achievements but also on their involvement in the community. Fiore, previously named a 2022 BAI Global Innovation Rising Star, has been an integral part of KlariVis' success and a key driver of its platform. KlariVis, led by a team of former bank executives, was conceptualized to solve the universal data challenges faced by community financial institutions. From the onset, Fiore--a former conroller with financial management experience in community banks and credit unions--intimately understood the industry's significant need for a streamlined business intelligence tool that would enable executives to make strategic business decisions quickly and efficiently.



By using her bank data knowledge in conjunction with self-taught data visualization skills, Fiore led the research and experimentation efforts for the initial development of KlariVis by transforming mundane bank data into a powerful interactive, visualization experience. Ashley's proof-of-concept model ultimately became the springboard for the KlariVis product launch, and she is an undeniable contributor to the continued evolution of the KlariVis platform. Ashley is also heavily involved in the sales process for KlariVis, demonstrating the platform's value to prospect clients across the country. Today, KlariVis empowers financial institutions across the country by providing self-service access to interactive data dashboards - enabling its clients to improve customer engagement, increase productivity and efficiency, and quickly act upon the high value data to better serve their customers and communities.

Also weighing heavily into Fiore's selection as an honoree was her contribution to the Roanoke community. In parallel to her extraordinary contributions to KlariVis, Fiore has actively participated in various community service projects, served for The Historical Society of Western Virginia, served as a Boy Scouts pack treasurer, and proudly raised four children by prioritizing family values and work-life balance. "It is truly an honor to be recognized as a 40 Under 40 by The Roanoker," said Fiore. "Roanoke is a terrific place with so many deserving people. To be named among them is a tremendous achievement. I look forward to continuing to make a positive impact on our community, as well as the banking industry." Kim Snyder, Founder and CEO of KlariVis, said, "Ashley is absolutely a force to be reckoned with and deserving of being recognized for her accomplishments as a Roanoker 40 Under 40. Ashley is a key contributor to the KlariVis executive leadership team and we are blessed to have her leading our business intelligence efforts. Her work thus far has made a deep impact on our industry, and it will be exciting to see what more she accomplishes." About KlariVis Created by veteran community bank executives, KlariVis was developed to enable institutions of all sizes to see their institution clearly and access transformative data in an efficient way, interpret it, and act decisively on it. The KlariVis team provides financial institutions with an enterprise dashboard and analytics solution designed to solve the data conundrum that is prevalent in the industry today. For more information visit www.KlariVis.com or contact Kim Snyder, CEO & Founder, at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005580/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Morgan Stanley Hosts First Global Demo Day for Startups in Inclusive Ventures Lab

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today is hosting its first global in-person Demo Day, with 10 participating companies from the US and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The cohort companies, all founded by women, will pitch over 200 investors, as well as potential business partners and customers. Over the past five months, Morgan Stanley's Inclusive Ventures Lab has supported its eighth cohort of technology-enabled startups in the post-seed to Series A funding round stage, offering an intensive accelerator program designed to provide a variety of mentorship opportunities and business-growth resources from across the Firm's network. "We are on a mission to change the investing landscape for underrepresented founders. Through our accelerator program we are providing promising startups with much-needed capital, the broad resources of Morgan Stanley and access to investors," said Selma Bueno, Managing Director and Global Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group. "Today's Demo Day showcases innovative businesses led by underrepresented founders. By providing a global platform for these companies to attract funding, we are working to advance a more equitable investing climate for startups." The cohort companies presenting at Demo Day include: Advocat a virtual deal desk with AI contract generation to streamline contracting from CRM through legal drafting, negotiation and internal approvals to signing.

a virtual deal desk with AI contract generation to streamline contracting from CRM through legal drafting, negotiation and internal approvals to signing. AMAKA Studio a digital media platform connecting a global community of women sharing Pan-African stories.

a digital media platform connecting a global community of women sharing Pan-African stories. AuditMate a provider of SaaS-driven vertical transportation maintenance and contract management services, helping property managers with contract analysis, maintenance completion reporting, compliance management and more.

a provider of SaaS-driven vertical transportation maintenance and contract management services, helping property managers with contract analysis, maintenance completion reporting, compliance management and more. Gentreo a next generation estate planning software solution helping families and caregivers affordably and easily prepare, plan and protct all they love.

a next generation estate planning software solution helping families and caregivers affordably and easily prepare, plan and protct all they love. Here Here Market an online marketplace connecting consumers with chefs and small batch food artisans.

an online marketplace connecting consumers with chefs and small batch food artisans. imagi an education tech company leveraging gender inclusive proprietary coding education tools to equip 8-13+ year-olds with essential technology skills and confidence.

an education tech company leveraging gender inclusive proprietary coding education tools to equip 8-13+ year-olds with essential technology skills and confidence. Kinhub (formerly Kami) an AI-powered platform offering a one-stop-shop for employee wellness, enabling diverse talent to thrive.

(formerly Kami) an AI-powered platform offering a one-stop-shop for employee wellness, enabling diverse talent to thrive. Perse an open energy platform unlocking access to energy and carbon data.

an open energy platform unlocking access to energy and carbon data. Physician 360 a platform that transforms community pharmacies into healthcare clinics by empowering them with access to a virtual care platform and a network of on-call clinicians in all 50 states.

a platform that transforms community pharmacies into healthcare clinics by empowering them with access to a virtual care platform and a network of on-call clinicians in all 50 states. WeArisma a global enterprise SaaS influencer analytics platform helping large-scale companies to optimize marketing spend and to achieve communication objectives.



Today, the Multicultural Client Strategy Group will be renamed the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Group, which includes the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, to reflect the group's evolution and global expansion.

Founded in 2017, the Lab has hosted 69 participating companies, with a combined valuation of more than $670M. Following the Lab's global expansion in 2022, the next cohort will support up to 15 companies in the US and 10 companies in EMEA. Applications will be open from February 14 - March 31, with the cohort set to launch in September. About the Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab The Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab (MSIVL) is an intensive five-month in-house accelerator designed to help further develop and scale startups, culminating in a showcase presentation and Demo Day to the investor community. Morgan Stanley launched MSIVL, formerly called the Multicultural Innovation Lab, in 2017 in order to address inequities in funding of ethnically diverse- and women-led startups, which our research shows equals over four trillion dollars in unrealized returns. The team is led by New York-based Selma Bueno, Managing Director and Global Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group, and London-based Sanghamitra Karra, Managing Director and EMEA Head of the Inclusive Ventures Group. Together, they have over 35 years of investment banking and risk management experience. About Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207006133/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] NeOnc Technologies Completes $10.0 Million Equity Funding Round

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeOnc Technologies Holdings, Inc., a clinical stage medical biotechnology company, has completed a $10.0 million equity funding round at a post-money valuation of $70 million. The proceeds were used to conduct Phase 2 clinical trials of NEO 100, an enhanced method of delivering pharma-based therapeutics to the brain designed for the treatment of brain and central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The funding participants included Eminent II Venture Capital (the investment arm of TaiAn Venture Funds), Orion BioScience, and Lin Family Office. NeOncs proprietary biotechnology breakthroughs are the result of more than a decade of research and development by its highly accomplished medical and scientific teams. NeOncs patent portfolio consists of 95 patents U.S. and international patents. NeOncs technology focuses on segments of the global CNS treatment market which is expected to grow from $89 billion in 2021 to $166.5 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 9.4%, according to Future Business Insights. The financing has helped us to advance the commercialization of NEO 100 for Grade IV Gliomas and NEO 212 for treatment of malignant gliomas, stated NeOncs chairman and CEO, Thomas Chen, MD, Ph.D. Following the success of our Phase 1 clinical trials, we have established a timeline for further trials which we believe should provide certain data required for regulatory validation and advancing to commercialization. NEO 100 is classified as an orphan drug and is on a fast-track pathway for FDA approval. Because of the successful studies to-date of NEO 100 for treating Grade IV Gliomas, NeOnc has begun work on a pediatric rare disease indication for children with high grade Gliomas. The company currently expects to utilize NeOncs platform technologyto launch Phase One clinical trials for its second drug, NEO 212. The company hopes to submit NEO 212 for approval as an investigational new drug and currently plans on filing pediatric rare disease designation by the end of 2023.



The companys funding to date (equity and NIH grants) totals approximately $14.0 million. About NeOnc Technologies Holdings Inc.

NeOnc is a privately held biotechnology company focused on creating novel drugs and delivery methods for pharma-based therapeutics that target brain and central nervous system diseases. The companys NEO 100 is its first therapeutic that completed Phase One clinical trials in April 2019. It is also developing several proprietary chemotherapy agents that have demonstrated positive effects in laboratory tests on various types of cancers. As the result of its extensive research and development efforts, the company has assembled an extensive portfolio of patented intellectual property around these proprietary chemotherapy agents. To learn more about NeOnc, visit neonctech.com.

Important Cautions Regarding Forward Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are "forward-looking statements" (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Generally, such forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, possible or assumed future actions, business strategies, events or results of operations, including statements regarding our expectations or predictions or future financial or business performance or conditions and those statements that use forward-looking words such as "projected," "expect," "possibility" and "anticipate," or similar expressions. The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Actual results could differ materially from current projections or implied results. The Company cautions that statements and assumptions made in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and make no guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof. The Company and its management are under no obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, alter or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements following the date of this news release, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. NEO 100 and NEO 212 are registered trademarks of NeOnc Technologies Holdings, Inc. NeOnc Contact:

Dr. Thomas Chen, Chairman and CEO

NeOnc Technologies Holdings, Inc.

Email Contact NeOnc Investor Relations:

Ron Both

CMA Investor Relations

Tel (949) 432-7566

Email Contact NeOnc Media & ESG Contact:

Tim Randall

CMA Media Relations

Tel (949) 432-7572

Email Contact



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Raise Your Hand Texas Recommends Reining in State's STAAR Test, Reforming Public Education Accountability System

Today, Raise Your Hand Texas and community leaders across the state are calling on lawmakers to support Texas kids and make much-needed reforms to the state's STAAR test and add additional indicators to the public school accountability system. Statewide press events will take place throughout February in eight cities. "Our students are more than one test on one day," said Dr. Libby Cohen, senior director of advocacy for Raise Your Hand Texas. "A single test should not be the sole indicator of school and student performance. Let's seize the opportunity to craft a world-class accountability and testing system, one that supports our kids and provides a more complete picture of our students, our teachers, and our schools." Our current A-F school district and campus ratings system needs to be updated this legislative session to support kids across the state. Any new accountability plan should follow these basic principles for KIDS: Knowledge for parents and community members A single letter grade tells an incomplete story to families, educators, businesses, and community members.

We need multiple letter grades reflecting different kinds of work to give communities better insight into a school's areas of strength and areas for growth rather than a single summative score. Indicators beyond the test Add additional indicators to our accountability system, especially at the elementary and middle school levels, that reflect work we know contributes to positive long-term outcomes for students. De-emphasize STAAR STAAR test results should only count for up to 50% of the overall score in the state's accountability ratings system.

Eliminate tests that are not required by federal law, including the 8th grade Social Studies STAAR test, the U.S History STAAR EOC exam, and the English II STAAR EOC exam. Seek feedback The voices of the people they ultimately serve-parents, students, and local stakeholders, including private industry partners-should all be represented as districts seek to understand where they are succeeding and where they need to improve.

Families want to know if their children feel safe, secure, and engaged at school. Including a student safety and school climate survey can help to provide this insight. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) currently grades Texas public schools on an A-F scale. However, for elementary and middle school campuses, the only element they are graded on is their students' STAAR test scores.



Policy recommendations for this KIDS-centered reform of school accountability and testing is drawn from A Report from the Measure What Matters Assessment & Accountability Council. The Report reflects more than a year of statewide community conversations, data collection, analysis, surveys, and research. "We strongly believe that a meaningful accountability system looks at the whole child and school, not just a single test on one day," said Cohen. "To do what is best for students, we must identify what actions matter most inside our schools and ensure they are reflected in our accountability system. To do what is best for teachers, we must allow sufficient time and flexibility in our classrooms for them to deploy their expertise. Doing so means we will move closer to the mark of doing what is best for the future of Texas."

Educators, administrators, parents, and community members have voiced concerns over the current testing and accountability system. "Texas has the opportunity to lead once again in developing a world-class public education testing and accountability system," said Dr. Michelle Smith, executive director of Raise Your Hand Texas. "Let's seize this moment for our kids and for the Texas of tomorrow." Statewide Press Events will be held in the following cities: El Paso on February 8, 2023

Burkburnett (Wichita Falls DMA) on February 9, 2023

Harlingen on February 10, 2023

Houston (Northwest) on February 13, 2023

Lufkin on February 15, 2023

Frisco (DFW DMA) on February 15, 2023

Lubbock on February 16, 2023

San Antonio on February 16, 2023

Elgin (Austin DMA) on February 17, 2023 About Raise Your Hand Texas Raise Your Hand Texas is a non-partisan nonprofit organization supporting public policy solutions that invest in Texas' 5.4 million public school students, encourage innovation and autonomy, and improve college and workforce readiness. Our statewide advocacy team works in communities throughout the state to raise the voices of parents, teachers, community leaders, business owners, and students who care about the future of public education. Our advocacy work, alongside current research, inform the policy recommendations we make to Texas lawmakers. For more information, visit www.RaiseYourHandTexas.org Connect with us on Twitter: @RYHTexas

Connect with us on Facebook: /RaiseYourHandTexas

Connect with us on LinkedIn: /raise-your-hand-texas View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005690/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] NOTICE: Investors in PLDT Inc. with Substantial Losses Have Opportunity to Lead the PLDT Class Action Lawsuit - PHI

The law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of PLDT, Inc. (NYSE: PHI) publicly traded securities between January 1, 2019, and December 19, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period") have until April 7, 2023 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the PLDT class action lawsuit. Captioned Olsson v. PLDT Inc., No. 23-cv-00885 (C.D. Cal.), the PLDT class action lawsuit charges PLDT and certain of PLDT's top executives and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the PLDT class action lawsuit, please provide your information here: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-pldt-inc-class-action-lawsuit-phi.html You can also contact attorney J.C. Sanchez of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected].



CASE ALLEGATIONS: PLDT purports to be the Philippines' largest fully integrated telco company. Through its principal business groups, PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines' most extensive fiber optic backbone and fixed line cellular networks. The PLDT class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) PLDT was facing capital spending budget overruns; and (ii) PLDT and certain of its executives and directors failed to address weaknesses that allowed such budget overruns.

On December 16, 2022, PLDT announced that it was facing a budget overrun of PHP 48 billion. Then, on December 19, 2022, Bloomberg reported that the Philippines' Securities and Exchange Commission launched an inquiry into PLDT's budget overrun. On this news, the price of PLDT shares declined more than 19%, damaging investors. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired PLDT publicly traded securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the PLDT class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the PLDT class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the PLDT class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the PLDT class action lawsuit. ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller is one of the world's leading complex class action firms representing plaintiffs in securities fraud cases. The Firm is ranked #1 on the most recent ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report for recovering nearly $2 billion for investors in 2021 - more than triple the amount recovered by any other plaintiffs' firm. With 200 lawyers in 9 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world, and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever - $7.2 billion - in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230207006195/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Flutterwave Expands into North Africa with New Egypt Payments Licenses

Flutterwave becomes one of the few payment service providers in Egypt with both local and global settlements capabilities. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Flutterwave, Africa's leading payments technology company, has announced today that it has received its Payment Services Provider and Payments Facilitator licenses in Egypt. The licenses will enable Flutterwave to act as an official payment service provider in the country, collect payments on behalf of its customers and settle payments locally and globally. These licences will allow Flutterwave to deploy Flutterwave for Business suite of products including store, payment links, invoices, checkout in Egypt. Flutterwave as a result of these licenses becomes one of the few payment service providers in Egypt with both local and global settlements capabilities. Flutterwave facilitates cross-border transactions in multiple currencies for global companies, including Uber, and the new licenses will help the company support international businesses entering the Egyptian market or growing their operations in the country. Flutterwave will also be in a strong position to empower businesses based in Egypt to expand internationally, in addition to creating new jobs in the country through empowering local businesses. Commenting on the news, Aalaa Gamal, Regional Manager, North Africa in Expansion & Partnerships, Egypt, said, "We're excited to receve the payments services provider and facilitator licenses in Egypt. The licenses will enable us to be the go-to payment processor and digital transformation partner for global settlements in Egypt, which enables our customers to expand quickly within or outside of the country. This, for us, is the beginning of other strategic wins in the North Africa and Middle East regions."



Commenting on the news, Olugbenga GB Agboola, CEO and Founder of Flutterwave said: "We are proud to have been granted the Payment Services Provider and Payment Facilitator licenses in Egypt, which forms part of our international expansion strategy. This is testament to our commitment to provide first-class payment services, seamlessly connecting businesses to their customers. Our vision is to connect all parts of Africa through payments and connect Africa to the world. This way, it is easier for multinationals expanding into Africa to do so. This achievement is yet another step in that direction. "

As part of Flutterwave's expansion initiatives, they have also made it possible for users to send money to Ethiopia via cash pickup. Ethiopians in Diaspora can send money home and have the receivers pick up the cash in Dashen bank branches, Amole Agents and Ethiopian postal service offices. About Flutterwave Flutterwave is the leading payments technology company that enables businesses across the world to expand their operations in Africa and other emerging markets through a platform that enables local and cross-border transactions via one Application Programming Interface (API). Flutterwave has processed over 400M transactions in excess of USD $25B and serves more than one million businesses including customers like Uber, Airpeace, Bamboo, Piggyvest and others. The company's key advantage is connecting businesses to various local and international payment types to enable them to expand globally. It also enables cross border transactions from the diaspora to African countries via its Sendapp product. Flutterwave processes payments via multiple payment modes including local and international cards, mobile wallets, bank transfers, and Google Pay. The company has an infrastructure reach in 34 African countries For more information on Flutterwave's journey, please visit: www.flutterwave.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flutterwave-expands-into-north-africa-with-new-egypt-payments-licenses-301742216.html SOURCE Flutterwave

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Oshkosh Corporation to Participate in Citi's 2023 Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference

Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK), a leading innovator of mission-critical vehicles and essential equipment, will participate in a fireside chat at Citi's 2023 Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference.

The event is scheduled to start at 1:50 p.m. EST on February 22, 2023, and will be webcast. To access the webcast, please visit www.oshkoshcorp.com prior to the start of the event.

About Oskosh Corporation







At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we make innovative, mission-critical equipment to help everyday heroes advance communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs approximately 15,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common cause: to make a difference in people's lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG, Pierce, Oshkosh Defense, McNeilus, IMT, Jerr-Dan, Frontline, Oshkosh Airport Products, London, Pratt Miller and Maxi-Metal. For more information, visit oshkoshcorp.com.

,  All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005817/en/
[February 08, 2023] Bobcat Company Announces $9.3 Million Investment in Automated Press System at North Dakota Manufacturing Facility

Bobcat Company, a global leader in the compact equipment industry, has completed a $9.3 million investment in punch press automation and press technology at its manufacturing facility in Gwinner, N.D. The new press line, which recently began production, is expected to more than double press production capabilities, reduce energy consumption, lower noise levels and improve complex forming for sheet metal parts, all of which will help meet the increasing demand for Bobcat equipment. The company also invested an additional $1.2 million for entrance and building upgrades at the Gwinner location. "As the home of our original manufacturing facility in North America, we are excited to invest in the facility and add this new automation technology to the Gwinner plant," said Mike Ballweber, president of Bobcat Company North America. "This investment will provide us with new capabilities and efficiencies in our metal stamping operations, and it also aligns with our commitment to innovation, sustainability and continued investments in our manufacturing footprint." Bobcat partnered with AP&T North America, Inc., a leading provider of advanced production solutions, for the fully automated tandem line, which includes design and build of the new 2000 Ton Valveless Servo Hydraulic Lead Press at the Gwinner facility. "Bobcat is one of the first companies in North America to invest in the future by implementing this automated solution using our new press technology," said Dr. Christian Koroschetz, chief sales officer of AP&T Group. "This investment also supports Bobcat's interest in pursuing sustainable, energy-efficient manufacturing solutions." The highly automated, closed-looped, valveless servo-hydraulic press is 70 percent more energy efficient than a conventional hydraulic press. The press also provides increased productivity and superior forming capabilities, which enables the pressing of more intricate and complex designed parts, along with shorter cycle times. The press line and automation are smart controlled via internet-based solutions. Bobcat firs became aware of the new press technology through a relationship with Wisconsin-based TCR Integrated Stamping Systems, a leading equipment manufacturer consultant and system provider for the metal forming industry. Bobcat partnered with TCR Integrated Stamping Systems to provide the new press control systems and magnetic quick die changes for all other presses in the tandem line.



"While visiting AP&T in Sweden, I was introduced to their latest automation breakthrough and knew it would provide a significant advancement for Bobcat. This unique solution provided the ability to move parts in excess of 200 pounds very quickly over great distances; it was perfect for them," said Todd Wenzel, president of TCR. "In addition to the latest automation, AP&T also demonstrated their new valveless, servo hydraulic technology for me. It's unique capabilities, too, had clear application for the Gwinner facility and is consistent with Bobcat's sustainability goals." The Gwinner manufacturing complex serves as the very first Bobcat production facility, which was established in 1947. Today, the facility covers 780,000 square feet, employs approximately 1,500 employees, and produces Bobcat loaders and utility work machines. The operation continues to grow with about 60 open positions in general production, including assembly, welding, material handling, fabrication, paint, maintenance and machining.

"This investment demonstrates Bobcat's commitment to our manufacturing footprint in Gwinner and supports our next generation manufacturing capabilities for North America," said Jim Flynn, vice president of operations at Bobcat Company. "It is another step for us when it comes to automation, robotics, new technologies and advanced data analytics." The investment in people and technology at Gwinner is part of Bobcat Company's long-term strategic growth initiatives as a leading equipment manufacturer to support its manufacturing footprint plan. Media Resources: Images of the installed 2000 Ton Valueless Servo Hydraulic Press are available to download and publish at this Dropbox link. Please click into each photo to see a caption and short descriptor within the "Info" section. Longer captions and descriptions may be found within the Description document in the Dropbox folder. About Bobcat Company Since 1958, Bobcat Company has been empowering people to accomplish more. As a leading global manufacturer of compact equipment, Bobcat has a proud legacy of innovation and a reputation based on delivering smart solutions to customers' toughest challenges. Backed by the support of a worldwide network of independent dealers and distributors, Bobcat offers an extensive line of compact equipment, including loaders, excavators, compact tractors, utility products, telehandlers, mowers, attachments, implements, parts, and services. Headquartered in West Fargo, North Dakota, Bobcat continues to lead the industry, all while helping people succeed and build stronger communities and a better tomorrow. 2023 Bobcat Company. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005815/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] Zach Buchwald to lead Russell Investments as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

Russell Investments announced today that Zach Buchwald has been selected to serve as Chief Executive Officer and as Chairman of the firm's board of directors. Based in the firm's global headquarters in Seattle, Buchwald will take the helm effective May 1 as Russell Investments' eighth CEO in 87 years. He will succeed Michelle Seitz, who departed the firm late last year. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005697/en/ Zach Buchwald selected as CEO for Russell Investments (Photo: Business Wire) As CEO, Buchwald will drive Russell Investments' continued growth and results at a time when the firm's client-focused approach is directly aligned with the intensifying need for outcome-oriented solutions, and when the global capital markets are demanding agile, risk-managed total portfolio management. "We believe Zach is the ideal leader to further Russell Investments' legacy of innovation in asset management," said Todd R. Crockett, a managing director at TA, which, along with Reverence Capital Partners, acquired Russell Investments in 2016. "We are excited to welcome Zach and fully expect his leadership, along with President and Chief Investment Officer Kate El-Hillow and others on the leadership team, will help propel the firm through the next phase of growth, with a focus on delivering a superior client experience." "I am deeply honored to join Russell Investments," said Buchwald, former managing director at BlackRock, Inc. "'ve long admired Russell Investments' unique legacy as a pioneer in investment consulting, OCIO, portfolio implementation, and much more. Today's Russell is differentiated by its commitment to a total portfolio approach, which is critical in our inter-connected investment universe. I am excited to work with this innovative team to help clients achieve their investment goals with the best possible toolkit."



Buchwald joins Russell Investments from BlackRock, where as the head of its institutional business in North America he was responsible for delivering BlackRock's investment capabilities to the firm's institutional clients. Prior to this role, he led BlackRock's Financial Institutions Group, and earlier he helped establish its Retirement Solutions and Financial Markets Advisory platforms. Buchwald has focused much of his career on improving financial security for retirees, which is also central to Russell Investments' stated mission. At BlackRock, he also served on the firm's Global Operating Committee, the US/Canada Executive Committee, and as sponsor of its LGBT employee network.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2008, Buchwald served as a managing director at Morgan Stanley, where he held positions of increasing responsibility within the firm's fixed income division, with leadership responsibility for the bank's collateralized loan obligation (CLO) platform by the end of his tenure. "This is great news for Russell Investments' clients. I look forward to working with Zach, especially benefiting from his stellar record of innovating client solutions to deliver on their desired investment outcomes," said Kate El-Hillow, president and chief investment officer at Russell Investments. "Zach is expertly prepared to further the firm's innovation success-from cutting-edge asset allocation and unparalleled money manager insights to some of the earliest forays into factor exposures, and a competitively recognized implementation capability-to address the exacting demands of investors globally." Milton R. Berlinski, managing partner at Reverence Capital Partners, added, "Our extensive search process produced a CEO with proven leadership skills and deep industry experience who fully values Russell Investments' mission of improving people's financial security. Together with the firm's leadership team, we are confident Zach will successfully further the firm's client-centric focus and momentum from day one." More about Zach Buchwald Zach Buchwald earned a B.A. in English with honors from Harvard College. He is a trustee of the Public Theater, producer of Hamilton, Fun Home and Girl from the North Country, and serves on the board of directors of the Jericho Project, a non-profit homeless service organization. He also is a frequent contributor to LinkedIn News and his work has appeared in Newsweek and Fortune magazine. About Russell Investments Russell Investments is a leading global investment solutions firm providing a wide range of investment capabilities to institutional investors, financial intermediaries, and individual investors around the world. Building on an 87-year legacy of continuous innovation to deliver exceptional value to clients, Russell Investments works every day to improve the financial security of its clients. The firm has $276.5 billion in assets under management (as of 12/31/2022) for clients in 32 countries. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Russell Investments has offices in 17 cities around the world, including in New York, London, Toronto, Tokyo, and Shanghai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005697/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 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. 8, 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 8 February 2023, delivered 37,080 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 51.41). On the date hereof, the total number of issued and outstanding DSM ordinary shares is 173,122,050. As a consequence of the delivery included herein, the number of outstanding DSM ordinary shares increased by 0.0214%. 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-301742312.html

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[February 08, 2023] University of Prince Edward Island Adopts YuJa Enterprise Video Platform Campuswide

YuJa, Inc., a leader in ed-tech solutions, announces that the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) has selected the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform to enhance teaching and learning. UPEI went through a multi-department yearlong pilot to evaluate YuJa's efficacy, followed by an extensive RFP process. YuJa was stacked up against other vendors and selected for its comprehensive offering. Located in Charlottetown, the capital city of Prince Edward Island, Canada, UPEI will continue to benefit from robust lecture capture capabilities, live streaming, video quizzing, a comprehensive analytics dashboard, the ability to auto-caption media in multiple languages and more. YuJa's Video Platform provides tools for creating, editing, distributing and managing media content and integrates with Moodle, UPEI's learning management system. "YuJa's Video Platform enables UPEI to quickly and easily publish recordings for students, automate workflows, schedule recordigs and live stream events," said Nathan Arora, Chief Business Officer at YuJa, Inc. "We're glad our products have proven beneficial for UPEI and are excited to see how they continue to make use of the robust tools within the platform."



YuJa has been expanding its presence in Canada, including through agreements with institutions such as Vancouver Island University, the Ontario College of Art and Design University, Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Manitoba, and others. ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Located in Charlottetown, the capital city of Prince Edward Island, Canada, the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) has a rich history with roots in two founding institutions, Prince of Wales College (est. 1834) and Saint Dunstan's University (est. 1855). Formed in 1969 as the provincial university, UPEI honors its proud legacy through academic excellence and research innovation. UPEI offers a wide range of programs and degrees to undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. ABOUT YUJA, INC. YuJa is a leader in ed-tech solutions. Our platforms provide organizations of all sizes with the tools to educate, engage, inspire and collaborate. We serve learning enterprises within all sectors, including higher-ed, K-12, government, healthcare, non-profit and corporate. We have legal headquarters in Delaware with primary U.S. offices in Silicon Valley, California, and Canadian offices in Toronto. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230208005918/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan concur that the deployment of the EU monitoring mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border can have a serious role in establishing peace in the region.

Yes, I think the European Union, like the entire international community, has a very serious role in the future discussions of ensuring the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh and eliminating the ongoing blockade of Nagorno Karabakh. I repeat, there is only one way for the solution of all problems, peace talks, diplomatic path, and here the international community and particularly the European Union have a role to play, Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Gordan Grlic-Radman when asked by a reporter whether the EU mission or generally the EU can contribute to restraining Azerbaijans aggressive actions and establishing peace and stability in the region.

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said hes glad that Armenia attaches importance to the deployment of the EU monitoring mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

This topic is truly highly important, how the European Union can utilize all efforts for establishing peace in the region. I am very happy that Armenia acknowledges the importance of the EU monitoring mission. Id like to mention that the EU monitoring mission consists of up to 100 persons, and it has a term of two years. Weve assumed this commitment as a party interested in stability in the region. This mission is a temporary instrument for establishing sustainable and lasting peace in the future. This doesnt guarantee status quo in any way, the Croatian FM said.
[February 08, 2023] Surf Internet Secures $100 Million Debt Investment to Support Continued Network Expansion Across the Great Lakes Region

DigitalBridge Credit to provide a significant capital investment to accelerate the deployment of fiber to underserved communities across the Great Lakes region ELKHART, Ind., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Surf Internet, a leading fiber-optic high-speed internet service provider in the Great Lakes region, today announced that it has raised $100 million of debt financing from DigitalBridge Credit, a division of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG). Surf Internet secured the new debt capital to support the Company's mission to transform broadband in the Great Lakes region by expanding its dense fiber networks into more communities. The debt raise comes alongside significant equity investment from the Company's existing sponsors Bain Capital and Post Road Group, and management team. Surf Internet provides predominantly fiber-based, high-speed broadband to residential subscribers, businesses, educational institutions, and municipalities across Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. The Company was acquired by Bain Capital and Post Road Group in 2021 to capitalize on attractive growth opportunities in the region while strengthening its commitments to bridging the digital divide across the Midwest. Over the last two years, Surf has successfully bolstered its executive leadership team, completed an extensive rebranding, and secured grants with local municipalities to expand broadband access in the Great Lakes region. Surf now serves over 27,000 customers across 45 markets in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. The Company offers residential speeds up to 10 gigs and has increased its fiber subscriber base sevenfold since the acquisition. "We are thrilled to enter the next phase of expansion with highly experienced digital infrastructure investment partners who share our vision for building Surf into a leading fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) provider," said Gene Crusie, CEO of Surf Internet. "The addition of DigitalBridge Credit to our capital structure follows the tremendous support over the past several years from our equity partners, Bain Capital and Post Road Group, who remain committed to our growth strategy," added Ryan Delack, CFO of Surf Internet. The new funding will support Surf's plan to expand its network into over 60 markets while strengthening its multigig capabilities. Surf is on pace to surpass 100,000 fiber passings in 2023 and has a pipeline of attractive build opportunities to roughly double its fiber passings through 2024. "We are excited to partner with Surf Internet, Bain Capital, and Post Road Group in support of the next phase of fiber-to-the-premise buildouts in underserved U.S. markets," said Chris Moon, Managing Director at DigitalBridge Credit. "DigitalBridge believes that access to high-speed internet service is essential and, together with our partners, we are dedicated to supporing Surf's continued expansion."



"As we approach the 100,000 fiber passings milestone, partnering with DigitalBridge Credit will enable Surf to further accelerate its fiber network expansion. It's clear that the Surf Internet FTTP solution is resonating deeply with consumers and businesses across the Midwest, and we see significant opportunities for continued, attractive edge-outs in 2023 and beyond," added David Haswell, a Vice President at Bain Capital. "This transaction with DigitalBridge Credit continues our multi-year partnership with Surf's outstanding management team and will catalyze the Company's next phase of growth, as it expands its fiber network to additional underserved communities across the Midwest," said Andrew Runk, Managing Director at Post Road Group.

The transaction closed on February 3rd, 2023. Houlihan Lokey served as exclusive financial advisor and placement agent to Surf Internet and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel. White & Case served as legal counsel to DigitalBridge Credit. About Surf Internet Surf Internet is an innovative fiber-optic internet company that serves as the essential gateway to connectivity across the Great Lakes region of Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The company is building a bridge to the wide-open future by delivering high-speed, reliable internet to homes and businesses in underserved, rural communities. Surf's 140-plus person team is local, giving them an edge when it comes to customer care and advocacy for the region. Headquartered in Elkhart, Ind., Surf also has offices in La Porte, Ind., Byron Center and Fowlerville, Mich., and Coal City and Rock Falls, Ill. Learn more at https://surfinternet.com . About DigitalBridge Credit DigitalBridge Credit offers senior and junior debt financing for digital infrastructure companies in North America and Europe and is a separately managed division of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG), a leading global digital infrastructure investment firm. With a heritage of over 25 years investing in and operating businesses across the digital ecosystem including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure, the DigitalBridge team manages a $50 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and shareholders. Headquartered in Boca Raton, DigitalBridge has key offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Luxembourg, and Singapore. For more information, visit: www.digitalbridge.com . About Bain Capital Bain Capital, LP is one of the world's leading private multi-asset alternative investment firms that creates lasting impact for our investors, teams, businesses, and the communities in which we live. Since our founding in 1984, we've applied our insight and experience to organically expand into numerous asset classes including private equity, credit, public equity, venture capital, real estate and other strategic areas of focus. The firm has offices on four continents, more than 1,500 employees and approximately $160 billion in assets under management. To learn more, visit www.baincapital.com . About Post Road Group Post Road Group is an alternative investment advisory firm with ~$1.4 billion of assets under management, located in Stamford, CT. Post Road originates and executes investments across four distinct but complementary strategies: Corporate, Real Estate Credit, Real Estate Equity and Specialty Finance. Since its founding in 2015, the firm has invested and committed over $2.3 billion of capital. To learn more, visit www.postroadgroup.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/surf-internet-secures-100-million-debt-investment-to-support-continued-network-expansion-across-the-great-lakes-region-301742497.html SOURCE Surf Internet

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
A quick update on local crime reporting AND more info about ongoing cases, rising crime and just a bit of good news near the end of the compilation.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Mother of man killed watching KC sideshow says events need secure space KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The mother of a 20-year-old man shot and killed while watching a sideshow says her son just wanted to watch fast cars burn rubber. Witnesses at Meyer Boulevard and Swope Parkway recorded the last moments of Thomas Lewis' life on their cellphones.

Belton, Kansas City police arrests man wanted for multiple crimes in 2 counties Police in Belton and Kansas City apprehended a suspect last week accused of committing multiple crimes in Jackson and Cass Counties. Thyon L. Williams was charged in Cass County with first-degree robbery. He was charged in Jackson County with two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of attempted robbery and three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

Two former Missouri clerks guilty of stealing over $500k in city funds FLORDELL HILLS, Mo. - Two former city clerks of Flordell Hills, Missouri on Monday admitted to stealing a combined amount of more than half-a-million dollars from the small, struggling community. Maureen Woodson, 68, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge, Rodney W. Sippel, to one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.

Kansas sheriff's office investigates theft of 150 hay bales Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said 150 large bales were stolen from a field near Olmitz sometime between late November and Tuesday, when the theft was reported.

Investigators, relatives ask for tips to help solve Alesha Reade's homicide Her dismembered body was discovered in February 2021 in several locations near Cameron Road and Easley Road in Clay County, Missouri.

Blue Springs police piloting license plate readers program BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - The Blue Springs Police Department launched a license plate reader program this month, and says it is already seeing results. There are now 24 cameras installed across the city that automatically scan license plates. The cameras are focused on high-traffic and commercial areas where crimes like car break-ins and shoplifting are often reported.

Kansas City police officers honored for service to the city Dozens of Kansas City police officers were honored by the department on Tuesday. It was a night of recognition for officers who go above and beyond the duty of normal expectations. "Their dedication to the city, which you are about to learn, has made Kansas City safer, stronger, and more hopeful," said Police Chief Stacey Graves.

Developing . . .
We invite TKC readers to do the math . . .

The money might buy even more local "support" to limit gun rights.

Accordingly, here's the word from the Mayor and more info ahead of today's presser that we ruined:



The number of guns on the streets of Kansas City, the accessibility of those firearms, and the volume of violent crime is something that is nothing short of astonishing, the mayor said.



It has been too dangerous in Kansas City, he said. Were coming off of three of our most violent years in the citys history. That is something that is heartbreaking to us and inspires our actions each and every day.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Leaders in Kansas City discuss ways to reduce violent crime KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas hosted a roundtable discussion today with the U.S. Marshals Service deputy director and local teens to talk about violent crime impacting young people who live here. Top city leaders, law enforcement and members of several community organizations sat down with the teens to discuss gun violence and possible solutions.

Kansas City looks for solutions at roundtable on crime prevention KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Deputy Director of the U.S. Marshal Service Roberto Robinson was in Kansas City on Tuesday to discuss local crime prevention. "One of our core missions is fugitive apprehension," Robinson told reporters after the meeting. "So that's our bread and butter. However, you can't arrest your way out of this problem."

Kansas City officials push for $30 million violence prevention effort KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Nine Kansas City Councilmembers are introducing legislation Wednesday for $30 million over the next five years appropriated for violence prevention programs across the city. The councilmembers in favor of the proposal are calling on City Manager Brian Platt to help find a way to budget the funding.

Developing . . .
There weren't many local connections BUT I was also playing video games whilst pretending to listen.

The only thing that stood out to this blogger is the federal demand to have even more control over your personal tracking device mobile phone.

Also, Senator Mitt Romney yelling at a former drag queen was kinda fun . . . But it might have been better if there was a dance-off.



Everything else was just the same kind of empty promises and promotion of the next war that hopefully won't go nuclear.

Here are some of the highlights from our reading . . .



Biden to urge GOP lawmakers to 'finish the job' But a symbol of the new fault lines in Washington will be just over Biden's left shoulder. He delivered last year's State of the Union, and 2021's address to Congress, with Nancy Pelosi seated behind him in her role as House speaker.

Biden booed during State of the Union for claiming GOP wants to cut Social Security, Medicare President Biden was scolded by a wide swath of Republican lawmakers for dubiously claiming they want to cut Social Security and Medicare. During his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, Biden face strong resistance from the GOP, who he accused of wanting to take the economy "hostage."

Sarah Huckabee Sanders draws sharp contrast with Democrats in GOP rebuttal Sanders called Biden unfit to serve as commander in chief, said his weakness puts our nation and the world at risk and described the political landscape in dire terms. The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy, she said.

Biden says police who 'violate' trust should be held accountable in State of the Union WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday renewed his call for police reform, saying officers who "violate the public trust" should be held accountable and law enforcement officials should be given the necessary training and be held to higher standards.

Biden vows "to protect" country in State of the Union speech, refers to China balloon WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he would cooperate with great power rival China, but vowed "to protect our country," a reference to a Chinese spy balloon that traveled across America last week.

Biden State of the Union 2023: Enhancing the state of health equity Biden should lay out well-defined plan to address existing public health challenges and COVID-related health inequalities in his State of the Union Address.

Cameras catch Santos interactions before Biden's State of the Union address Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is getting some attention during his first State of the Union address. Cameras on Tuesday evening caught the embattled congressman, who wore a bright orange tie to the affair, mingling with lawmakers before President Biden's speech on Tuesday, after he managed to work himself into the aisle in the chamber during...

Romney excoriates Santos, says he's a 'sick puppy' who should have been 'sitting in the back row' during Biden address WASHINGTON - Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, chided Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., Tuesday night ahead of President Joe Biden's address in what appeared to be a tense exchange on the House floor. Santos, who has faced calls to resign after he admitted to lying about much of his background, had positioned himself along the chamber's middle aisle ahead of Biden's speech.

Romney told Santos 'You don't belong here' in tense exchange in House chamber before SOTU | CNN Politics Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah told GOP Rep. George Santos of New York: "You don't belong here," according to a member who witnessed the tense exchange in the House of Representatives chamber Tuesday night.

Read President Biden's State of the Union speech subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast podcast Remarks of President Joe Biden State of the Union Address As Prepared for Delivery The United States Capitol Mr. Speaker. Madam Vice President. Our First Lady and Second Gentleman. Members of Congress and the Cabinet. Leaders of our military.

Developing . . .
Right now, for close readers we share a peek at the social media advocacy of hottie Lindsey along with pop culture, community news and top headlines.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

East Side In Flames

No injuries after fire spreads from building to home at 22nd and Prospect in Kansas City SOURCE: KMBC No one was injured following a fire in the 2200 block of Prospect Avenue. Crews responded to a fire at 2206 Prospect Ave. at around 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday evening. When they arrived, firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames. A home next to the two-story building that was burning also caught fire.

Local Retail Death Deets Redux

Four more Kansas City-area Bed Bath & Beyond locations closing The Kansas City area currently is home to six Bed Bath & Beyond locations, but the struggling retailer is set to wipe all but one of those locations from the map. What started last weekend with the announcement that a store at 15335 W. 119th St.

Small Biz Second Chances

Strength in numbers: Chamber's Superstars bench surges to 2,500 KC small businesses A new round of nominations and submissions have brought the KC Chamber's roster of Small Business Superstars to more than double its initial size - further amplifying the work of Main Street and startup entrepreneurs to overcome a slew of obstacles, said Vicky Kulikov.

EXCEPTIONAL KC PIX!!!

Urban Black and White Photography Blog

Bring Ur Friends In Bigger Boat

'Jaws' actor Richard Dreyfuss coming to Planet Comicon Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The celebrity guest list for Planet Comicon Kansas City just got a little bigger. Best known for his roles in "Jaws" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," actor Richard Dreyfuss will make daily appearances at the three-day convention.

Hottie Shames Haterz

Lindsey Pelas Responds to Slut Shamers Model Lindsey Pelas responds to the slut-shaming and mean comments she receives on social media.

MAGA Cans Criticism

Trump tears into Biden in pre-taped State of the Union response Former President Trump, the leading GOP contender to take on President Biden in next year's presidential election, issued a "real state of the union" Tuesday as a pre-taped response to Biden's address. In a fiery two-minute speech, Trump described the U.S. as a country under siege by immigrants at the southern border, marred by...

Vlad On Warpath

Moscow intensifies winter assault, Kyiv expects new offensive KYIV, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Moscow pressed its intensifying winter assault in eastern Ukraine, bringing tens of thousands of freshly mobilised troops to the battlefield, while Kyiv predicted areas in the northeast or south could be part of an expected Russian offensive.

Big Oil Stays Winning

BP profits rise to 23bn, adding fuel to calls for toughened windfall tax BP's annual profits more than doubled to $28bn (23bn) in 2022 as a sharp increase in gas prices linked to the Ukraine war boosted its earnings, adding fuel to calls for a toughened windfall tax.

Not Quite A Mexican Standoff

GOP reps spar with Oversight Dems at border hearing over 'white nationalist' claim Republicans on the House Oversight Committee took aim at a tweet put out by their Democratic counterparts which accused them of fueling "white nationalist conspiracy theories" with a hearing on security at the southern border. Chairman James Comer highlighted the tweet at the opening of the hearing, which features Border Patrol agents and is on "the front lines of the border crisis."

Internets Talks

Stereotypes

Joe Rogan Faces New Criticism for Promoting 'Antisemitic Tropes About Jews and Money' on Podcast Joe Rogan has found himself facing new controversy after voicing antisemitic tropes on his massively popular podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience." In a recent episode featuring guests Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, hosts of the "Breaking Points" podcast, Rogan stated that "the idea that Jewish people aren't into money is ridiculous.

Tragic End Game For Hedgehog

Porn star Ron Jeremy committed to state mental hospital LOS ANGELES, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Porn star Ron Jeremy was committed to a state mental health hospital after being found incompetent to stand trial on rape and other charges, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney said on Tuesday. Jeremy can be held for up to two years, said Greg Risling, spokesperson for the district attorney's office.

Local Cash For Fun Times

Worlds of Fun looks to hire 3,000 workers for 2023 season KANSAS CITY, Mo. -If you're on the hunt for a summer job, Worlds of Fun may have an opportunity for you. Monday park officials announced plans to hire more than 3,000 seasonal ambassadors for the upcoming 2023 season. The amusement park is looking for ride operators, lifeguards, food and beverage workers and security.

Winter Returns . . .

More clouds and rain on the way for Wednesday THE EXCLUSIVE LIVE RADAR IN 94 CAN SO YOU'LL KNOW FIRST. THIS IS FIRST ALERT WEATHER IN NEED A LOT OF NAPKINS FOR THE BURGERS. SOUND A LITTLE BIT MESSY. YEAH, BUT IT'S GOOD. IT'S FUN TO SEE THAT UNIQUE THINGS. PEOPLE ARE COMING UP WITH THIS. CELEBRATE. IT REALLY IS.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
The real lesson in this facet of the culture war might inspire more reading and thinking about the content foisted on students . . .

Actually, this "docu-drama" might only be appropriate for high school seniors but, like it or not, does offer a tragic yet realistic view of LGBT life and its challenges and deadly risks for younger people.



Check-it . . .



"Tectonic Theater Project at The Matthew Shepard Foundation is making scripts of The Laramie Project available free to students in Lansing, Kansas, following the work's classroom ban by the Lansing Board of Education. The 2000 docu-play uses the text of real interviews conducted by the work's original cast to tell the story of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, who was targeted because of his homosexuality."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas School Bans The Laramie Project From Classrooms; Tectonic Theater Project Offers Students Free Scripts The work was one of three studied in Lansing High School's Social Justice Expository Unit in the senior-level English Composition class.

The work was one of three studied in Lansing High School's Social Justice Expository Unit in the senior-level English Composition class.
Sorry, this post is a bit macabre but our snarky & apropos response for the defense of some dude convicted of killing youngsters.

Here's the mainstream news postscript with newsworthy attribution and background for "Fast Supper" by Sam Carter . . .



A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections told Fox News Digital that Taylor's last meal consisted of "a seafood platter with shrimp, French fries, a cheeseburger, cheesecake and vanilla ice cream."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Missouri executes man convicted of killing girlfriend and 3 kids The state of Missouri executed a man who was convicted of killing his girlfriend and three children after a last-minute appeal to the Supreme Court. Leonard Taylor, 58, was found guilty in the murders of Angela Rowe and her three daughters Alexus Conley, 10; AcQreya Conley, 6; and Tyrese Conley, 5, which took place in November 2004 at their home in Jennings, Missouri.

Missouri set to execute man who insists he was 1,800 miles away when murders he was convicted of were committed An attorney for Raheem Taylor is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to halt what he calls a "constitutionally intolerable event" - the potential execution of an innocent man Tuesday evening. Taylor, 58, is scheduled to die at the state prison Bonne Terre, Missouri, for the killings of his live-in girlfriend and her three young children nearly two decades ago.

Missouri man who killed 4 executed despite innocence claims Raheem Taylor, 58, was the third Missouri inmate put to death since November at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was the nation's fifth execution this year, following a previous execution in Missouri, two in Texas and one in Oklahoma.

You decide . . .
Here's hype for the nation's favorite cash crop that's now enjoying a renaissance and economic boom . . .



Even as the U.S. may be headed toward a recession, the $33 billion cannabis industry is expected to create 108,000 new jobs this year, including 16,000 in Missouri.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Missouri recreational marijuana legalization could create 16,000 jobs with fast rising wages - Kansas City Business Journal Even as the U.S. may be headed toward a recession, the $33 billion cannabis industry is expected to create 108,000 new jobs this year, including 16,000 in Missouri. Those jobs include roles people typically associate with the marijuana industry: cultivation technicians, dispensary managers, brand managers, chemists and packaging technicians.
Generally, we thought the courthouse would lean more progressive with a new majority and younger legislators.

However . . .

For reasons that aren't quite clear at this point, this week we noticed Legislator Abarca dragging his feet on an important bit of legislation.

Here's more deets about the effort along with our hope that the ban on this form of pseudoscience is moved forward . . .



"Conversion therapy" is a discredited practice of using psychological interventions to change sexual orientation. The treatment has been banned in many U.S. states and in countries around the world due to heavy criticism from medical experts, including the American Psychological Association.



While no statewide ban on "conversion therapy" exists in Missouri, multiple cities  including Independence  have banned the treatment within their borders.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

This Kansas City group is pushing Jackson County to ban 'conversion therapy' for LGBTQ youth The Kansas City LGBTQ Commission recently published calling for Jackson County to introduce legislation that could ban so-called conversion therapy within the county. "Conversion therapy" is a discredited practice of using psychological interventions to change sexual orientation. The treatment has been banned in many U.S.

KCMO LGBTQ Commission urges Jackson County legislature to be first Missouri county to ban conversion therapy KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri, LGBTQ Commission sent a letter to the Jackson County government on Monday, urging the legislature to be the first county in Missouri to ban conversion therapy. The LGBTQ Commission released the letter on Twitter.

Developing . . .
Here's one of the most important lines in this struggle to keep the stench of KCMO away from the outlying areas . . .

"Residents also are encouraged to call their state legislators regarding Senate Bill 590 and House Bill 909. The bills, if passed, would give surrounding cities more say in the landfill decision."

Hilariously . . . Right now KCMO is denying their participation in the landfill that's moving forward quickly.



We'll have more on this topic later but for now here's a glimpse at the progress or lack thereof . . .



The planned landfill will sit on privately-owned land within a 960-acre location, with Peterson Road on the west, Horridge Road on the east, Missouri 150 Highway to the north and 155th Street to the south.



There are a lot of entities at stake, including a state park, Longview Lake, several elementary schools and bordering cities.



Its likely going to have some kind of degradation on home values, property values in our area, said Raymores Mayor Kris Turnbow.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Toivo Klaar, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, met Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, GPBs First Channel reports.

In an interview with GPBs First Channel main news program Moambe, Toivo Klaar recalled the PMs involvement and desire to act as a facilitator in bringing together Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The EU Special representative praised and expressed support for Georgia in acting as a bridge for peace and stability in the region.

It is very important that the three countries of the South Caucasus are able to work together and promote peace. And here, Georgias role, acting like a bridge between Armenia and Azerbaijan, is undoubtedly very important.

We have discussed with the Prime Minister the previous occasions, and I hope, in the future, to have even more cooperation and collaboration between the European Union and Georgia and between EU and all three Caucasus countries, he said.

According to Toivo Klaar, proposing Tbilisi as the venue for high-level meetings, as with Armenian and Azerbaijans Foreign Ministers, was significant and could be used for other formats in the future.

Tbilisi has acted as a place to bring together Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and it can do so again. Both for the leaders and different formats. It is an easy option, also as a venue where both representatives from Armenia and Azerbaijan can easily travel to. It doesnt take long to travel here. And in the end, it is logical for the three countries that occupy the common space, like the South Caucasus, to try to find common areas of cooperation, irrespective of any conflict.

It is simply logical that there would be a collaboration between such close neighbours in questions of transport, environment, energy, and so far. I see a lot of potential both now and for the future, he said.
Tax season is upon us and with it comes the ever-present threat of fraud. Canadians should be wary of scammers posing as Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees who will trick their victims into sending them money or providing personal information that can be used to take over a bank account.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Despite all efforts by Armenia, the situation in the region remains fragile and tense and there is a significant probability of a new escalation, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman.

The security challenges resulting from Azerbaijans aggression against, and occupation of, the sovereign territory of Armenia in May and November of 2021 and September of 2022 after the 2020 war it unleashed against Nagorno Karabakh are not only disrupting the Armenian governments efforts aimed at establishing peace, stability and security in South Caucasus, but are also threatening the Armenian democracy, FM Mirzoyan said.

He reminded that in gross violation of the terms of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement and international humanitarian law, Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin corridor blockaded for already two months, besieging 120,000 people of Nagorno Karabakh.

The everyday growing humanitarian crisis can become a real humanitarian disaster. It is necessary to underscore that the calls by numerous big and small countries, international organizations, reputed NGOs havent yet had impact on Azerbaijans behavior. In this case I want to underscore the need for clear actions and initiation of respective mechanisms by the international community aimed at ending the illegal blockade of Nagorno Karabakh and preventing the ethnic cleansing against Armenians of Artsakh and preventing Azerbaijans future aggression, Mirzoyan said. In this regard the Armenian FM attached importance to deploying an international fact-finding mission into Lachin corridor and Nagorno Karabakh.

Id like to underscore the important role the EU monitoring mission has in direction of ensuring stability around the borders of the Republic of Armenia. Periodical use of force or explicit threats to use force, mass violations of human rights cannot create stable ground for peace and security in the region. Armenia has numerously announced its readiness for constructive dialogue in an environment free from hate speech, preconditions and belligerent rhetoric for sustainable peace and development in South Caucasus. Theres no alternative to a peaceful settlement of existing problems and disputes, this is our conviction, Mirzoyan said.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia has most interest in the reopening of connections in the region and none of the other countries, neither Azerbaijan nor Turkey need those roads more than Armenia.

The PM made the remarks in parliament during questions time when asked by MP Shirak Torosyan about the EEU and the opening of regional connections.

PM Pashinyan said that Armenia has a single land link with the EEU, the Upper Lars, with objectively insurmountable problems related to avalanches, weather, and floods.

Certainly, now our Georgian colleagues have initiated the construction of a tunnel which will mostly solve the problem. But on the other hand, of course we understand that the opening of connections in the region, particularly the Armenia-Azerbaijan railway and the opening of the roads will significantly increase our trade turnover with the EEU and not only the EEU, Pashinyan said.

PM Pashinyan said Armenia is interested and ready to implement the terms of the November 9 statement in this regard.

We are the ones who want those roads to be opened the most, and its the others who are resisting. We are the most interested ones, because its us who were blockaded for thirty years, no one else needs these roads more than us, neither Azerbaijan nor Turkey. They have alternatives to all roads. And since everyone understands that we need those roads the most, they try to raise the price of opening the roads for us. We are saying no, lets accurately implement whats been written in the 9 November trilateral statement. And dont attribute to the 9 November trilateral statement what hasnt been written in it, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said that the Azerbaijani President himself has recently noted that the clause 9 of the 9 November statement doesnt mention any corridor.

This says it all. Theres no mention of a corridor, theres no mention of limiting Armenias sovereignty, theres no mention of limiting the application of Armenias legislation. We are ready to implement, launch all the actions literally tomorrow, Pashinyan added.
Former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith tells Tv6 News that the businessman who was killed during a car-jacking on Wednesday was among many who had received provisional approvals for a Firearm User's Licence but after 18 months had not received a permit to carry a licensed firearm. This, as the National Security Minister told the Express newspaper that the new Police Commissioner informed him that, a "robust and thorough assessment" of FUL applications was necessary.
The German government has issued licenses to the country's defense companies to export up to 178 Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine.

The German Defense Ministry said this in a press release on Tuesday, February 7, according to Ukrinform.

According to the press release, the German federal government supports Ukraine in close coordination with international partners by supplying Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks for legitimate self-defense against the Russian war of aggression, which violates international law. The federal government had already announced the political approval of this delivery last week, and "this was followed by the necessary formal approval steps."

"The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), as the formally responsible licensing authority, has issued export licenses to German armaments companies for up to 178 Leopard 1 A5 main battle tanks for the Ukraine. How many Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks will actually be delivered to Ukraine depends on the necessary repair work," the ministry said.

It added that the financing of these supplies and the repair of tanks, as well as the training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, "is carried out in close coordination with the European partner countries of the Federal Republic of Germany."

Read also: German government vows to deliver tanks to Ukraine soon

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during his visit to Kyiv on February 7 that Ukraine would receive more than 100 older Leopard 1A5 battle tanks from a group of European countries. According to him, at least three battalions should be equipped with Leopard 1A5 tanks "by the first or second quarter of 2024."

On January 25, the German government also decided to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with 14 modern Leopard 2 tanks. Germany also allowed other countries that have these main battle tanks in service with their own armies to send them to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The German government has announced the transfer of another batch of military equipment to Ukraine.

The list has been updated on the website of the Federal Government, Ukrinform reports.

In particular, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received two more Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (32 in total) and about 6,000 rounds of ammunition for them, five border protection vehicles (120 in total), 29 generators (245 in total), six 15-tonne load-handling trucks (eight in total), six mobile antenna mast systems (16 in total) and ten roll off containers.

Everything, except for generators and containers, comes directly from industry stocks.

Photo: Maurizio Gambarini / dpa
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Foreign and Security Policy Advisor Jens Plotner in Berlin, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia informs.

February 8, 2023, 09:43 Armenia FM, Germany Chancellor advisor discuss Lachin corridor reopening issue

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: Mirzoyan and Plotner exchanged views around prospects of enhancing the political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between Armenia and Germany. A broad circle of issues related to regional security and stability were also discussed, according to a read-out issued by the foreign ministry.

The importance of addressing humanitarian issues, as well as immediately eliminating the blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan was emphasized.

During the meeting, the cooperation between the two countries on multilateral platforms, as well as issues related to the Armenia-EU partnership, were discussed. In this regard, Minister Mirzoyan highly appreciated the EU's decision to deploy a long-term monitoring mission on the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, expressing his belief that this mission will contribute to establishing stability in the region.
The United Kingdom will expand training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to sea and air, including fighter jet pilots and marines, and will also provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities.

According to Ukrinform, the UK Government said this in a statement posted on its website.

"Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory. I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future. It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come," UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

According to the statement, at today's meeting, Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "will discuss a two-pronged approach to UK support for Ukraine, starting with an immediate surge of military equipment to the country to help counter Russia's spring offensive, and reinforced by long-term support."

The Prime Minister will also offer the UK's backing to President Zelensky's plans to work towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

"As part of today's talks, the Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UK's training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future. The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future. As part of that long-term capability investment, the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to coordinate collective support to meet Ukraine's defensive needs," the statement said.

That training will be in addition to the recruit training program already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year. The UK will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the program up in 2023.

Just last week, Ukrainian troops arrived in the UK to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the Prime Minister's decision to send the main battle tanks to Ukraine.

"The Prime Minister will also offer to provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities. This will disrupt Russia's ability to continually target Ukraine's civilian and critical national infrastructure and help relieve pressure on Ukraine's frontlines," the statement said.

The President and his team will also meet defense and security chiefs, including the Chief of Defense Staff and Chief of the Air Staff, to discuss the details of the training program.
The Netherlands will pursue efforts to hold Russia accountable for the shooting down of the Malaysian Airlines passenger jet flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.

Thats according to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Ukrinform reports, referring to his tweet.

Let me be clear: we will not stop. Since 2014 we have become all too familiar with the pattern of obstruction, untruths and injustice from Russia and its president, Putin. We will continue to call the Russian Federation to account for its role in this tragedy. The Dutch state remains as committed as ever to the international proceedings it has instituted to establish the truth and achieve justice and accountability, reads Ruttes statement.

On 17 November last year, three defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in the downing of flight MH17. The investigation continued after the trial and today the Public Prosecution Service and the international Joint Investigation Team (JIT) presented the investigations latest findings.

Although these findings were extensive, the JIT has announced that there is currently insufficient evidence to warrant any bnew prosecutions. It added that todays announcement does not mean the end of the criminal justice processs. The investigation will be resumed as and wen any relevant new developments emerge, Mark Rutte explained.

Read also: ECHR declares eastern Ukraine and flight MH17 case partly admissible

At the same, the prime minister says he realizes that this decision is not what many of the next of kin had hoped for.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the JIT told a press conference on the progress of the inquiry into the MH17 downing that there are strong indications that in Russia, the president made the decision to provide the BUK-TELAR to Russias proxy forces in Donbas.

According to the JIT, the latest investigation revealed much about the decision-making process regarding the provision of the missile system, which was transported from Russia to the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine. However, it is not possible to find out why the missile was fired and who pressed the button. The available evidence is not concrete enough to lead to convictions in court, according to the Public Prosecution Service. That is why no new lawsuits are being started at the moment, according to NL Times.

Memo:

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over an occupied area of the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died.

The international Joint Investigation Team reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belonged to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.

As reported on November 17, the district court of The Hague found guilty of shooting down the passenger plane flight MH17 and killing all 298 people on board former FSB operative, former "Minister of Defense of the DPR" Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov), General, at the time of the downing Colonel of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, head of the "GRU of the DPR" Sergei Dubinsky, and a citizen of Ukraine Leonid Kharchenko, who fought on the side of the "DPR.

Russian national, Lieutenant Colonel of the GRU, Oleg Pulatov, was acquitted.

The court sentenced Kharchenko, Dubinsky, and Girkin to life imprisonment and ordered that they be detained. The court recognizes Pulatov as innocent," said presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis.
Swedens Riksdag has voted in favor of the Governments proposal for an additional amending budget, namely providing a record-high military support package for Ukraine, totaling SEK 4.3 billion (i.e. about USD 406 million).

The relevant statement was made on the website of Swedens Riksdag, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Military equipment that the Swedish Armed Forces can do without for a limited period will be donated to Ukraine. The package includes anti-tank weapons, mine-clearance equipment, light anti-tank weapon Robot 57 and Combat Vehicle 90, at a maximum value of SEK 4.3 billion, the report states.

The legislative amendments will come into force on February 13, 2023.

A reminder that it will be the 10th military support package to have been provided by Sweden to Ukraine since the Russian invasion started.

Photo: Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry

mk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have discussed defense support, the rebuilding of Ukraine, a peace formula, as well as preventing Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Olympic Games.

The leaders met in London on Wednesday, February 8, Ukrinform reports, citing the press service of the head of state

"During the meeting, Volodymyr Zelensky and Rishi Sunak discussed defense cooperation and the entire range of issues on the bilateral agenda: the implementation of the Peace Formula, Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, future support from the United Kingdom, the possibility of involving the British side in the post-war reconstruction of our country, as well as a number of other promising projects," the report reads.

The issue of not allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was discussed separately.

Zelensky informed Sunak about the situation on the front lines and the key needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in terms of weapons and military equipment. He emphasized the importance for Ukraine to receive the necessary weapons from allies to stop the Russian offensive and liberate all temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

Zelensky also thanked the British people and personally Sunak for providing comprehensive support to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.

Zelensky said the United Kingdom is our reliable partner and friend that has become one of the world leaders in helping the Ukrainian state.

"I thank you for your efforts to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, for the humanitarian and financial assistance provided after the beginning of full-scale aggression, for supporting Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes because of the Russian war," he said.

Zelensky is visiting the UK on Wednesday.

This is Zelensky's first visit to the UK and his second foreign trip since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. In December 2022, the Ukrainian leader visited the United States.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the United Kingdom and the international community to create a "coalition of planes" and provide Ukraine with fighter jets to help defend itself against the Russian aggressor.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the Ukrainian leader said this in his address to British MPs in Westminster Hall as part of his first visit to the UK since February 24, 2022.

In his address, Zelensky said that today he will have the honor of being received by the King. According to him, during the meeting, he also intends to tell the King something "very, very important not only for the future of Ukraine, but also for the future of Europe."

"In Britain, the King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today every air force pilot is a king. For us, only for us, for our families," Zelensky said to the loud applause of the British political leadership.

He said that Ukraine was doing "everything possible and impossible so that the world provides us with planes for protection."

Saying he was proud of the Ukrainian Air Force, Zelensky announced that he had brought a present to the United Kingdom from Ukrainian combat aviators. After that, Zelensky handed over the helmet of a Ukrainian pilot  "one of the most successful aces and one of our kings" to the speaker of the UK Parliament. The helmet also bears the inscription: "We have freedom, give us wings to protect it."

"I trust this symbol will help us with our next coalition, the coalition of planes. And I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words: combat aircraft for Ukraine -- wings for freedom," Zelensky said.

Zelensky is visiting the United Kingdom on Wednesday, February 8.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine during a call with Wopke Hoekstra discussed among other things the issue of F-16 fighter jets Ukraine wants western partners to supply.

Thats according to Kulebas tweet, seen by Ukrinform.

I spoke to Wopke Hoekstra to coordinate our international steps as Russia's full-scale invasion nears its one-year mark. I thanked for the latest decision on tanks. I also raised the issue of F-16s. We continue our dialogue with the Netherlands and others regarding combat aircraft, the top diplomat wrote.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in his address to British MPs in Westminster Hall called on Great Britain and the international community in general to create a warplane coalition to provide Ukraine with combat aircraft to help the nation defend against Russia.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in his address to British MPs in Westminster Hall, thanked the United Kingdom for supporting Ukraine from Day 1 of Russian invasion, separately noting the role of ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in uniting allies.

This was reported by Ukrinform's own correspondent.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your bravery. Thank you very much from all of us. All applause for you. London has stood with Kyiv since Day 1. From the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war, Great Britain, you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react. Boris, you got others united when it seemed absolutely, absolutely impossible. Thank you. All of you have shown your creed and character back then  strong British character. You didnt compromise Ukraine and hence, you didnt compromise your ideals and thus you didnt compromise the spirit of these great islands. Thank you very much, Zelensky said in his address.

As reported, in his speech to British MPs in Westminster Hall, the President of Ukraine also separately thanked Prime Minister of Great Britain, Rishi Sunak, for the decision to provide Ukraine with Challenger battle tanks.

Photo: Presidents Office, archive
How propaganda exploited the university's letter to Ukrainian students in its narrative about the alleged oppression of Russian citizens rights.

Kremlin propaganda is actively working on portraying the West, which supported the Ukrainians in their self-defense, as an enemy. Back in May 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, claimed that the West "declared a total war on the whole of Russia." The natural reaction of democracies to hold Putin's dictatorial regime accountable by introducing various restrictive measures is presented as "Russophobia" and a "culture of cancellation" toward Russia. And in many cases, such "discrimination against Russians" in the West is simply invented by Moscow. As, for example, it happened during Vladimir Putins recent meeting with Russian university students.

During the staged conversation, one of its participants, who introduced herself as Daria Semenova, complained to Putin that she "faced oppression of her rights as a citizen of the Russian Federation" in Austria, as a result of which she was forced to return to Russia. According to her, this happened while she was studying at the Vienna State University (Universitat Wien), where she "studied transnational communications."

"I received a paper from my university  a few days after the start of the special military operation  with a request to sign it, where it was written that Russia is a terrorist state and that I should support Ukraine. I did not sign it. It was my choice, I think I did the right thing," Daria Semenova told Putin, adding she is "glad to return" to the Russian Federation, where she became a proud student of RUDN.

Screenshot from the news piece about Putin's meeting with students from kremlin.ru:

Whether Daria Semenova really studied at the University of Vienna has not been verified. During the meeting, however, she, as well as Putin (who, obviously, knew about the issue), used the greeting "Gruss Gott", common in Austria. Ukrinform asked the Universitat Wien whether such a student really studied at the university. However, the higher education facility avoided a direct answer to this question, noting at the same time that the "Transnational Communications" specialty, which Semenova spoke about, is not among those available in the university.

Screenshot from the video with D. Semenova's address to Putin:

But it is known for certain that Daria Semenova's statement about her alleged oppression as a citizen of the Russian Federation in Austria and, in particular, her being coerced to recognize Russia as a "terrorist state" and to support Ukraine, is a lie. The educational facility denied the statements made by the student at the meeting with Putin, noting that the university did not send out any letters with the mentioned appeals.

"The University of Vienna clarifies that the statements made are not true. The University of Vienna did not send any letters as claimed, nor were there any requests to sign up for anyone's support. Moreover, there is no educational course as Transnational Communication at Uni Wien, the press service of Universitat Wien said, commenting n the relevant statements by Semenova.

At the same time, a letter was offered to show how the university actually communicated with students a week after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The letter on behalf of the rectorate of the university entitled "Situation in Ukraine - Proposals for support" was sent out on March 2, 2022, addressed primarily to students from Ukraine  it contained words of support and useful information they could use.

In particular, in the letter, the University of Vienna declared its "support for the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and democracy," but also expressed "respect for all those people in the Russian Federation who oppose the criminal policy of their government."

"We stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian colleagues and students and will take measures to support them. We realize that many students now have great existential worries and fears. We fully understand that your care and attention are focused on your families and friends. We know, that some of you cannot leave Ukraine at this time and that technical capabilities are limited. We offer our teaching support in this difficult situation," the letter stated.

It contained information on studies and exams, admission, academic leave, as well as contact details and consulting services that can be found on a separate section of the university's website. It was also noted that academic supervisors and teachers of students affected by the Russian war were asked to consider their requests, for example, regarding tardiness or alternative exam formats.

"We wish you strength in this difficult situation and support you as a university!" the letter read.

It contains no calls to sign up to the recognition of Russia as a terrorist state or coercion to support Ukraine, as Darya Semenova complained to Putin.

Screenshot of the letter from the management of the University of Vienna to students dated March 2, 2022:

Vasyl Korotkyi, Vienna
In the Scythian Gold case, the so-called Crimean Museums is so far unable to find lawyers who would represent their interests in the cassation instance.

This was announced on Facebook by Ukraines First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emine Dzhaparova, Ukrinform reports.

"September 14, 2022 we received from the so-called Crimean Museums a request to extend by two months the deadline for submitting written explanations. It was based on the fact that the museums could not find a legal adviser who would be ready to represent their interests in the cassation instance," Dzhaparova said, adding that their previous legal adviser refused to represent their interests as early as May last year.

According to her, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands refused to grant the defendant's motion.

As stated in the petition, Dzheppar added, the "museums" even turned to the Hague Bar Association with a request to provide a representative, but the Association refused to assist them in this matter.

"Crimean Museums" believe that the refusal by the Hague Bar Association violates their constitutional rights, and intend to challenge it in the competent courts of the Netherlands. I wonder if they will find a lawyer for these purposes?" Dheppar said.

The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs noted that this case is one of the consequences of Russia's treacherous invasion and occupation of Crimea in 2014.

"Its essence is that the Crimean Museums filed a lawsuit against the Allard Pearson Museum in Amsterdam in order to have a number of exhibits from the Crimea. The Golden Island in the Black Sea collection returned to them. I emphasize the word so-called because, in fact, the plaintiffs have nothing to do with those institutions to which, until 2014, these exhibits were transferred under the right of operational management of the state of Ukraine. These are legal phantoms that existed only on paper in the courtroom," Dzhaparova stressed.

As reported, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands is expected announce the decision in the case of the Scythian Gold ownership on September 15.
Emun, a refugee from Eritrea, starts a cooking fire outside her shelter in Alemwach camp, where she and her children are among over 20,000 Eritrean refugees displaced by the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

ADDIS ABABA  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, today reaffirmed his commitment to support the humanitarian response for refugees and internally displaced people in Ethiopia and work towards achieving long-term solutions, including for those displaced by drought and the impact of climate change.

While the last few years have been incredibly difficult for many of those affected by the conflict, I was very encouraged to see the progress made towards peace in northern Ethiopia and to witness all the efforts made in getting more aid to the people who lost everything, Grandi said at the conclusion of a three-day visit to Ethiopia, where he met with senior government officials and displaced communities including Eritrean refugees.

Since the peace deal in November last year, the UN Refugee Agency, and other partners have been able to step up the delivery of much-needed aid including medicines, shelter materials, clothes, household items and blankets.

Progress is visible on the ground. People are now getting assistance. Some have started to go back to their homes, but much more needs to be done to support the reconstruction and recovery efforts in the Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions, Grandi added. This will be critical to improve their living conditions and work towards lasting solutions, including voluntary returns to their communities.

He visited Eritrean refugees relocated to Alemwach, a settlement some 70 kilometres from Gondar in the Amhara region and now home to over 22,000 people. While offering safer conditions, the Alemwach site still requires further investments to ensure refugees can rebuild their lives. Health, education and sanitation services need to be reinforced to enable both refugees and host communities to thrive, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees  a global framework aimed at strengthening solidarity with refugees and their host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance as well as expanding access to durable solutions.

The model has been embraced by Ethiopia. Creating an integrated assistance programme that supports both refugees and host communities is what should be done around the world and it is encouraging to see the Governments efforts to make it happen in Ethiopia, said Grandi.

During his visit, the High Commissioner met with President Sahle-Work Zewde, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen and other officials, whom he thanked for Ethiopias continued hospitality towards refugees.

Many other countries would have chosen to close their doors while grappling with conflict and climate change, but the Government and people of Ethiopia continued to generously welcome and host thousands of refugees from South Sudan and Somalia, said Grandi. Im calling for the prompt registration of new arrivals and urge the international community to strengthen their financial commitments to accelerate delivery of aid to address critical humanitarian needs.

In 2022, UNHCRs programmes in Ethiopia were half-funded, making it one of the 12 most underfunded UNHCR operations globally. In 2023, with continued displacements and the dramatic effects of the drought, UNHCR requires some US$370 million to assist, protect and find solutions for refugees and forcibly displaced families.

ENDS

For more information on this topic, please contact:

In Nairobi (regional), Faith Kasina, [email protected] , +254 113 427 094

, +254 113 427 094 In Addis Ababa, Neven Crvenkovic, [email protected] , +251 948 053 450

, +251 948 053 450 In Geneva, Olga Sarrado, [email protected] , +41797402307

For video B-roll on the HCs visit to Ethiopia, please visit Refugees Media: https://media.unhcr.org/Share/327asck88d2q0sxgs745go24bira17m5
Construction dropped 90-95% in Artsakh as a result of the blockade, the Minister of Urban Development of Artsakh Aram Sargsyan said.

February 8, 2023, 11:10 Blockade by Azerbaijan causes nearly 95% drop in construction in Artsakh, major housing project jeopardized

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 8, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Construction is generally suspended as a result of the blockade given the shortage of construction materials. The materials were mostly being imported from Armenia. We were planning to commission 300 new residential homes in the end of 2022. Few work remains to be completed, but theres insufficient construction materials and diesel fuel to finish the job. The houses will be ready for commissioning in one and a half months in case of obtaining the required materials, the minister said.

The ministry has inventorized existing supplies in construction shops and will attempt to carry out some work this year.

But if the current situation continues we can face more serious problems. After depleting the existing resources, construction works will be entirely suspended if the resources dont get replenished, Minister Sargsyan said.

After the 44-Day-War in 2020, the authorities in Artsakh launched an unprecedented housing project  the construction of 3800 new homes and the reconstruction of other residential homes which were damaged from bombardments.

The construction was proceeding normally until 12 December 2022, when Azerbaijan blockaded Artsakh. The program is planned to be completed in 2025. After the war, over 300 new residential houses were commissioned in Artsakh and over 470 homes were renovated and given to displaced families.
GENEVA - Tomorrows Special European Council in Brussels is a chance for European Union leaders to reaffirm solidarity and support for all refugees. When EU States opened their doors to refugees fleeing Ukraine, they clearly demonstrated their capacity for an organized and effective approach to protection and inclusion within Europe. This is exactly the type of leadership and collective action required to tackle the global displacement challenges of our time.

As conflict and insecurity persist, climate change worsens and global economic disparities widen, the numbers of people forcibly displaced or on the move in search of a better future continue to grow. Renewed cooperation across regions and further innovations and investments are urgently needed to help States manage increasingly complex mixed movements and ensure protection for those in needin Europe and in other host countries. Further investments are also urgently needed in countries of origin to address underlying causes of flight.

Global leadership begins at home, and supporting refugees outside Europe must not undermine and can never be a substitute for EU States own asylum obligations. While asylum applications to the EU have increased in recent months, the numbers remain manageable.

The EUs draft Pact on Migration and Asylum provides a sound vision for improved solidarity within Europe, more efficient and effective screening and reception of new arrivals, and for more equitable responsibility-sharing and constructive engagement with States beyond the EUs borders, where the vast majority of refugees and others in need of international protection reside. I renew my longstanding plea to Europes leaders to adopt and implement the New Pact.

Europe has demonstrated its capacity to mobilize political will and act boldly in the interests of refugees. UNHCR welcomed the triggering of the Temporary Protection Directive last year, to ensure refugees from Ukraine are protected. We applauded the June 2022 Solidarity Declaration as a sound basis for predictable search and rescue at sea and safe disembarkation. And we welcome the increased interest among Member States in resettling refugees in Europe.

These are important steps, but the breadth and complexity of the challenges we face requires that Europe do more to share responsibility with refugee-hosting States in Europe, but also beyond, particularly low and middle-income countries. This will invariably mean new partnerships, the development of new approaches and tools, renewed commitment to invest in asylum capacity building in host States, and a commitment to uphold fundamental human rights and international obligations.

Managing borders, sharing responsibility and respecting human rights are fully compatible. UNHCR will continue to support States in finding and implementing innovative and humane solutions in line with international law to better protect refugees wherever they may be.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Just seven days after the birth of her son, 32-year-old Mashwa Hailu was forced to flee her home when conflict erupted. Our home was destroyed, and I fled with my children and parents on foot to safety, says the mother of two who has been displaced in Tigrays capital, Mekelle, since fighting broke out in November 2020.

The signing of a peace deal last November has meant an end to two years of conflict and the return of hope for Mashwa and others who dream of returning home after years of fear and uncertainty. I hope that this peace process will bring all things back to normal, she says. I hope that all people will go back to their places of origin to restart their lives.

The conflict in northern Ethiopia uprooted hundreds of thousands and severely disrupted the provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance, plunging people like Mashwa into still more dire conditions. Among the displaced are Ethiopians as well as refugees from other countries who had sought safety in Ethiopia before the conflict began.

"We are so happy about this peace agreement."

Since the peace agreement, the situation has begun to improve. We are so happy about this peace agreement, Mashwa says.

On a three-day visit to Ethiopia that ended on Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said he was very encouraged by the progress underway.

The peace agreement has improved the situation, allowing humanitarian agencies to deliver more aid to areas that have been very difficult to access during the hostilities. This means more people in northern Ethiopia can get access to critical services now and [be] accompanied towards solutions, said Grandi.

Eritrean refugee Selam* was displaced from Adi-Harush refugee camp in Tigray at the peak of the conflict. She is now living in Alemwach refugee site in the Amhara region.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

Selam makes traditional coffee in the small cafe she started in Alemwach.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

An Eritrean refugee fetches water for his family at Alemwach.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

Some of the houses at Alemwach which have been allocated to vulnerable refugee families.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

Huriya Musa counsels a refugee woman at a protection desk in Alemwach refugee site. UNHCR works with partners to ensure refugees have access to psychosocial support.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, meets with some of the Eritrean refugees recently relocated to the Alemwach refugee site.  UNHCR/Samuel Otieno

Mashwa Hailu with her two children at the Mai Woini site for internally displaced people in Tigray.  UNHCR/Hayelom Baro

In Alemwach, a settlement for Eritrean refugees in the north-western Amhara region, Grandi met some of the 7,000 Eritrean refugees relocated by the Government Refugee and Returnees Service, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners from neighbouring Tigray since the cessation of hostilities in November. I am grateful to the Ethiopian Government for providing land to Eritrean refugees and I am also grateful to the local authorities and host communities for accepting them, said Grandi.

UNHCR has scaled up critical assistance to affected populations who lost everything during the conflict, but we need sustainable funding to support solutions for refugees and other displaced, Grandi added.

UNHCR is working closely with the government of Ethiopia to ensure displaced communities are included in national development plans, and to create an integrated assistance programme that supports both refugees and host communities.

Selam* runs a small cafe attached to her shelter in Alemwach where she lives with her 13-year-old son, and her younger brother. The sweet smell of traditional incense wafts through the air, mixed with the strong aroma of roasted coffee.

My son is the main reason why I am alive, Selam says. I want him to get a good education and a bright future. He is my everything.

She fled to Ethiopia from Eritrea in 2016, following the arrest of her husband. They also threatened me, so I escaped with my son and brother, she says. I wanted to save my brother from forced military conscription too, so I sold my jewellery to pay for transport to cross the border to Ethiopia through Djibouti.

She first settled in Adi-Harush refugee camp in the Tigray region, but when the devastating conflict broke out in late 2020, she was forced to flee again and subjected to horrific sexual violence by her smugglers.

After two days in the forest, we found people collecting firewood who helped us to return to the camp where the Ethiopian Governments Refugees and Returnees Service and UNHCR provided me with medical treatment, and later relocated us here to Alemwach site, she says.

"I am happy I started working. I have forgotten the life I had before."

Alemwach is now home to over 22,000 Eritrean refugees, who receive water, shelter, health services and education from UNHCR and its partners. The most vulnerable, such as Selam, also receive psychosocial support and cash assistance.

For Selam, the new peace has meant she worries less about her sons safety and has been able to start a business running a cafe. I thank God because of my son, she says. What would happen to me if he wasnt around? I am happy I started working, I have forgotten the life I had before. Now that I am here and spend time at work and chatting with customers.

Meanwhile, in Mekelle, Mashwa is preparing to return to her hometown where she worked as a teacher before the conflict broke out. I want to return home and reunite with my relatives. I am looking forward to working as a teacher again, and meeting with my talented students that I had been teaching before the conflict began.

*Name changed to protect identity.


Growing up in a religious household always felt like a blessing. I never felt alone or misunderstood. At some point, however, there did come a point in my life where I stopped taking my faith seriously. I stopped going to church, and I stopped talking to God. I never realized how miserable my life was until I came to Tyburn. Seeing how connected everyone was to God, and how much love they conveyed to both the church and others, flipped a switch in me. I began to take my faith seriously, and pray more often. I also started to become a better person. At first, I was unsure if a Catholic school was for me, but hearing from a coworker of my dads who went to Tyburn, it felt like a no-brainer. I didnt like public school; everyone was harsh and hateful. It wasnt the community I wanted to surround myself with. When I started at Tyburn, my first day was already better than all the years I had spent in public school. Coming to Tyburn was absolutely life-changing.

Not many things in my life made sense when I came to Tyburn. I believed in God, but I didnt show it; I didnt even admit it. I was constantly convincing myself that God is real and that he loves me, but I never really felt a connection with him. When I started at Tyburn, that changed. My love for him grew and so did my love for others. I started seeing the world in colors, compared to black and white. I began to appreciate small things. I finally felt like I had a relationship with God. I came home from school happier, more excited to go to school the next day, and happy to tell my parents about my day. I began to start taking my faith more seriously. I started practically begging my parents to go to church every Sunday. I felt like God had embraced me in a hug, a hug you want to stay in forever. A hug that only exists with him. The faith and love I had for God as a 5-year-old that was lost was quickly re-found.

Once I began to grow closer to God, I began to feel like he started to guide me more. I felt like he was drizzling miracles in my path, small miracles that were more than likely being sprinkled before I found him, but never noticed previously. Finding God again was literally like a breath of fresh air. I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. In a way, I felt like I was finally living instead of just existing. Life suddenly had meaning, and I wanted to be a better person. Without the help of Tyburn and the love they showed for God, I dont entirely know if that would have been achieved.

In public school, I often felt almost ashamed of believing in God. I felt like people would make fun of me. When I began going to Tyburn, the staff helped me to not feel that way. They didnt make me feel ashamed or stupid for the questions I asked. Many of the teachers at Tyburn actually helped to grow my love for God. I owe it entirely to them for bringing me as close to God as I am now. For the love, support and patience everyone at Tyburn showed, Im eternally grateful. I finally found the purpose of my own existence at Tyburn. Catholic school has opened so many new doors for me, doors I cant imagine living without now.

Tyburn offers so much more than just a better education, it offers a deeper connection with God and the church. At Tyburn, I found myself interested in things I wasnt before. Tyburn offered so much between allowing myself to bring hope and faith into my life, and helping me improve my grades. Catholic education offers an entirely new schooling experience, filled with tons of positive things public schools dont offer.

Tyburn is one of the greatest gifts God has given me. I have never felt so much support at home and school. I finally have the connection with God that I longed for my whole life. A Catholic school is something I would never have imagined myself doing, but it was ultimately the best decision my family and I have ever made. I have made lifelong friends at Tyburn. The greatest gift Tyburn gave to me, though, was the relationship with God I had been secretly yearning for.
Wells College will host two Zoom events with poet, performer and climate justice activist Aya de Leon this week.

The college will host a master class with de Leon at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, as part of its Visiting Writers Series. In "Rumors of the Apocalypse: Optimism and Climate Justice Propaganda," she'll examine the role of hope and persuasion in the subconscious, writing and the world as they pertain to climate justice.

The Zoom number for the class is 876-8469-9506, passcode *G!Hp^1u:.

At 7 p.m. the same day, de Leon will present "Climate Justice: Multiracial Movement-Building for the Win" as part of the college's Sustainability Speaker Series.

"Climate is a Black issue, an Indigenous issue, and an issue for all people of color," the college said in the event description. "Our communities are often hit first and worst in the climate crisis, but we are sidelined in public conversations about climate. In fact, the climate crisis has been allowed to escalate precisely because communities of color worldwide have borne the brunt of the impacts so far."

The Zoom number for the talk is 820-8952-8929, passcode XBj4K$h%.

For more information, visit wells.edu.
February 8 2023

The site of the former Aviemore primary school is to house 14 cottage flats and semi-detached affordable homes under new plans filed by Colin Armstrong Architects.

Accessed from Grampian Road the brownfield site sits below the busy A9 within an area characterised by suburban development.

In a planning statement, the architects wrote: "The buildings are set out in a rational and efficient layout with building entrances easily recognisable and apparent upon approach. This has been emphasised by building massing, including entrance canopy/porch and change of materials at entrance zones. Parking is arranged into clearly defined courtyards that are positioned within well-overlooked spaces to encourage natural surveillance and avoidance of dead space.

"The raised nature of the houses has the fortunate consequence that natural surveillance is enhanced across the existing streetscape."

The linear row of white render homes will be broken up by areas of charcoal-coloured timber-effect cladding and feature entrance doors.

An existing parking court to the front of the building is also to be remodelled and landscaped.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2023) President Joe Biden in his 2023 State of the Union speech called on Congress to raise the debt ceiling to avoid a default on the United States' financial obligations, with the statement coming amid talks with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the matter.

"Let us commit here tonight that the full faith and credit of the United States of America will never, ever be questioned," Biden said on Tuesday evening.

Last week, Biden met with McCarthy at the White House to talk about raising the debt ceiling. McCarthy has called for a "responsible" raise of the debt ceiling that also addresses government spending, while Biden has urged lawmakers to raise it without conditions.

Biden in his speech characterized Republicans' plan as taking the US economy "hostage." McCarthy has vowed that a default on US debt is not an option.
Frankfurt, Germany, Feb 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Feb, 2023 ) :German chemical giant Bayer on Wednesday named Bill Anderson as its new CEO, following mounting pressure from activist investors urging the company to switch direction.

Anderson, an American who was previously a senior executive at Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche, will take over the reins from Werner Baumann on June 1 this year, Bayer said in a statement.

Activist investors -- including Bluebird Capital Partners, who had recently acquired a stake in Bayer -- had been ratcheting up pressure on the drugs-to-pesticides group to make major changes, according to media reports.

Outgoing CEO Baumann, who will retire from Bayer after 35 years at the company, led the 2018 takeover of troubled US firm Monsanto.

Since then, Bayer has been beset by legal problems, with its share price cratering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

It has faced cases in US courts from cancer patients related to the glyphosate chemical in the Roundup weedkiller, which they claim caused them to fall ill. Bayer rejects the accusations.

Anderson, 56, was most recently the CEO of Roche's pharmaceuticals division, and prior to that was head of biotech firm Genentech.

The American manager was "the ideal candidate to lead Bayer together with the team into a new, successful chapter at a time of a disruptive innovation cycle in biology, chemistry and artificial intelligence," said Norbert Winkeljohann, chairman of the supervisory board of Bayer.

The incoming CEO, a chemical engineer by training, said that he looked "forward to working with the people of Bayer to accelerate innovation, increase performance, advance sustainability and unleash the full potential of the company".
A Skaneateles company is now part of a manufacturing group with a global presence.

InData Systems, a manufacturer of specialty bar code scanning equipment, has been acquired by United Kingdom-based Luminescence Sun Chemical Security.

In a news release, LSCS said that it acquired InData Systems patented invisible barcode reading technology, which consists of a variety of dedicated readers that can verify and decode "invisible" (fluorescing) codes. Under the agreement, ownership of the full range of InDatas code scanning systems, actively in use at over 70 customer sites, has been transferred to LSCS.

LSCS said it "will continue to serve the existing client base and actively market the technology through its world-wide sales network."

The company said the dedicated readers for invisible barcodes were first introduced by InData in the early 2000s and were constantly innovated as new technologies became available. Current applications include reading invisible barcodes for brand protection, product diversion tracking and revenue stamps for beer, wine, spirits and cigarettes. The barcode readers can read a variety of UV, IR fluorescence and tailor-made taggant codes. LSCS offers security inks for all of these applications.

The key benefit of invisible codes, LSCS said, is that they can be integrated into any design without impacting appearance or, as mostly used on revenue stamps, can be printed "underneath" a visible bar code, offering the revenue authority two strings of data for authentication and communication, taking up minimal space, which is often limited on a revenue stamp.

We have worked together with InData Systems for more than 10 years and have always been keen to add barcode reading technologies to our product portfolio" Luminescence Sun Chemical Security Managing Director Gary Silver said in a statement. "Together with our bespoke security inks, this enables us to offer a 'lock and key' solution to our customers. We will continue to further develop the readers as new technologies or applications become available.

After having worked on these technologies for decades, I am happy to transfer these into the capable hands of the LSCS team. I have full confidence that they will maintain the great customer relationships and continue to grow the market, InData Systems owner John Hattersley said.
(@FahadShabbir)

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Feb, 2023 ) :A Pakistan-American officer of New York police, who was shot in the head Saturday while off duty has died, the City's police commissioner said Tuesday night.

The officer, Adeed Fayaz, 26, a five-year veteran of the New York Police Department (NYPD), had been hospitalized in Brooklyn for three days since the shooting on Saturday night. He was married and the father of two young children.

"Police Officer Adeed Fayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great city," NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. "Officer Fayaz was shot Saturday night and he tragically succumbed to his injuries today. Our department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our prayers." A 38-year-old New York City man, Randy Jones, was arrested Monday in connection with the shooting, authorities said at a news conference.

There are about 500 police officers of Pakistani origin serving NYPD.

Fayaz had been in contact with a man selling a Honda Pilot on Facebook Marketplace for $24,000, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said.

The officer and his brother-in-law on Saturday met the man, who jokingly asked whether they were carrying a gun, to which both men responded no, Essig said.

"At this time, our perpetrator grabs (Fayaz) in a headlock, points the gun at his head, and demands the money," Essig said.

When Fayaz said he didn't have the money, the man pointed the gun at the brother-in-law, according to Essig.

"Officer Fayaz was able to break free, at which time the man fired, striking him in the head," Essig said. "As (the suspect) flees, he continues to fire towards both the officer and his brother-in-law." The brother-in-law took a gun from Fayaz's hip and fired at least six times, according to Essig. The assailant drove from the scene. Dashboard camera video from the brother-in-law's vehicle helped detectives identify the car the assailant fled in, he added.

The assailant reportedly had led both the officer and his brother-in-law down an alley where the shooting took place. There were no cameras in the alley.
Sanliurfa, Turkey, Feb 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Feb, 2023 ) :Rescuers in Turkey and Syria battled bitter cold Tuesday in a race against time to find survivors under buildings flattened by an earthquake that killed more than 7,800 people.

Tremors that inflicted more suffering on a border area, already plagued by conflict, left people on the streets burning debris to try to stay warm as international aid began to arrive.

But some extraordinary survival tales have emerged, including a newborn baby pulled alive from rubble in Syria, still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother who died in Monday's quake.

"We heard a voice while we were digging," Khalil al-Suwadi, a relative, told AFP. "We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact) so we cut it and my cousin took her to hospital." The infant is the sole survivor of her immediate family, the rest of whom were killed in the rebel-held town of Jindayris.

The 7.8-magnitude quake struck Monday as people slept, flattening thousands of structures, trapping an unknown number of people and potentially impacting millions.

Whole rows of buildings collapsed, leaving some of the heaviest devastation near the quake's epicentre between the Turkish cities of Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras.

The destruction led to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declaring Tuesday a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces.

Dozens of nations including the United States, China and the Gulf States have pledged to help, and search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by air.

Yet people in some of the hardest-hit areas said they felt they had been left to fend for themselves.

"I can't get my brother back from the ruins. I can't get my nephew back. Look around here. There is no state official here, for God's sake," said Ali Sagiroglu in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras.

"For two days we haven't seen the state around here... Children are freezing from the cold," he added.

A winter storm has compounded the misery by rendering many roads -- some of them damaged by the quake -- almost impassable, resulting in traffic jams that stretch for kilometres in some regions.

The cold rain and snow are a risk both for people forced from their homes -- who took refuge in mosques, schools or even bus shelters -- and survivors buried under debris.

"It is now a race against time," said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"We have activated the WHO network of emergency medical teams to provide essential health care for the injured and most vulnerable," he added.

The latest toll showed 5,894 people killed in Turkey and at least 1,932 in Syria, for a combined total of 7,826 fatalities.

There are fears that the toll will rise inexorably, with WHO officials estimating up to 20,000 may have died.

WHO warned that up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the disaster zone.

The Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid as President Bashar al-Assad's government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international relief efforts.

Washington and the European Commission said on Monday that humanitarian programmes supported by them were responding to the destruction in Syria.

The UN's cultural agency UNESCO also said it was ready to provide assistance after two sites listed on its World Heritage list in Syria and Turkey sustained damage.

In addition to the damage to Aleppo's old city and the fortress in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, UNESCO said at least three other World Heritage sites could be affected.

Much of the quake-hit area of northern Syria has already been decimated by years of war and aerial bombardment by Syrian and Russian forces that destroyed homes, hospitals and clinics.

Residents in the quake-devastated town of Jandairis in northern Syria used their bare hands and pickaxes to search for survivors.

"My whole family is under there -- my sons, my daughter, my son-in-law... There's no one else to get them out," said Ali Battal, his face streaked with blood and head swathed in a wool shawl against the bitter cold.

"I hear their voices. I know they're alive but there's no one to rescue them," added the man in his 60s.

The Syrian health ministry reported damage across the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russia is leasing a naval facility.

Even before the tragedy, buildings in Aleppo -- Syria's pre-war commercial hub -- often collapsed due to the dilapidated infrastructure.

Following the earthquake, prisoners mutinied at a jail holding mostly Islamic State group members in northwestern Syria, with at least 20 escaping, a source at the facility told AFP.

Turkey is in one of the world's most active earthquake zones.

The country's last 7.8-magnitude tremor was in 1939, when 33,000 died in the eastern Erzincan province.

The Turkish region of Duzce suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999, when more than 17,000 people died.

Experts have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16 million people filled with rickety homes.
Rio de Janeiro, Feb 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Feb, 2023 ) :The US and Brazil will seek to reset ties this week when President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva travels to Washington to meet Joe Biden, both keen to turn the page on the Jair Bolsonaro years.

Veteran leftist Lula, who took office for a third term last month after defeating far-right incumbent Bolsonaro, will hold what his team called a highly symbolic meeting with his American counterpart Friday afternoon at the White House.

"The most important aspect of the visit is political: the symbolism of this meeting happening so soon after President Lula took office," said Brazilian foreign ministry official Michel Arslanian Neto.

"It's an opportunity for the two leaders to meet face-to-face and give the relationship a new direction and new momentum," he told journalists Tuesday.

US-Brazilian ties turned chilly after Biden defeated Donald Trump, Bolsonaro's top ally and political role model, in the 2020 presidential race.

Lula's return now paves the way for a rapprochement.

Biden, 80, and Lula, 77, know each other from the days when the US Democrat served as Barack Obama's vice president (2009-2017) and the Brazilian leftist was in the home stretch of his first presidency (2003-2010).

The White House said they would discuss "common challenges" including climate change, food security, economic development, security and migration -- as well as "the United States' unwavering support of Brazil's democracy" and the need to promote "democratic values" worldwide.

- Fighting far-right 'radicalization' - "Defending democracy" will be a key agenda point, said Fernanda Magnotta, a specialist on US-Brazilian relations at the FAAP foundation in Sao Paulo.

Biden and Lula share remarkably common ground on the issue.

Both came to office after defeating right-wing populists who made unproven allegations of election fraud.

And both started their presidencies against the backdrop of riotous attacks on the halls of power by their predecessors' supporters -- in Biden's case, the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol; in Lula's, the January 8, 2023 invasion of the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia.

"The issue on which they have the greatest affinity..

. is the fight against the radicalization of the far-right," political analyst Guilherme Casaroes of the Getulio Vargas Foundation told AFP.

Bolsonaro, who was among the last world leaders to congratulate Biden after his 2020 election win, has been living since the end of his presidency in Florida, Trump's own Primary residence.

However, that particular subject is not expected to be mentioned during the visit, Brazilian officials said.

- Climate accord - Biden and Lula are also expected to find ample common ground on the key issue of the environment.

Under Bolsonaro, deforestation surged in the Amazon rainforest, a key buffer against climate change. Since winning election, Lula has been hammering home the message that "Brazil is back" as a partner in the race to curb global warming.

"It's an absolute priority" for the Lula administration, said Casaroes.

"All signs indicate he will manage to align Brazil's environmental agenda to meet US expectations." Lula has vowed to achieve zero illegal deforestation in the world's biggest rainforest by 2030.

"There is no alternative," Rubens Barbosa, a former Brazilian ambassador to the US, told AFP.

"Lula will have to deliver." - Touchier subjects - There will be "ample space" to discuss expanding trade ties and bilateral investment during the visit, said Magnotta.

Brazil is also keen to increase its access to the US defense market, Arslanian Neto told reporters.

But there are thornier subjects, too.

Lula has raised eyebrows in the West with his relatively soft stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He also wants to normalize Brazil's relations with Venezuela and resume cordial ties with China.

China is Brazil's top trade partner, with $152.6 billion in bilateral trade last year. The United States is a distant second, at $88.8 billion.

Latin America's largest economy is "heavily dependent on Asia, especially on China, for trade and investment," said former ambassador Barbosa.

So even as Lula seeks closer ties with the US, he will be looking to return to Brazil's "balanced" foreign policy stance, said Casaroes: "constructive relations with all countries, without aligning automatically with any global power."That marks another turnaround from the Bolsonaro years.
(@Abdulla99267510)

The parliament is expected to pass a resolution expressing solidarity with the oppressed people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Feb 8th, 2023) A joint session of the Parliament is being held at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Wednesday at three pm.

According to the agenda of the session, the parliament is expected to pass a resolution expressing solidarity with the oppressed people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Apart from some legislative business, the joint sitting is to hold discussion on important national matters including economic and foreign policies, CPEC, national institutions and Climate Change.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2023) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said they are confident Finland and Sweden will be formally accepted into the alliance soon.

"We're confident that NATO will formally welcome both countries, and that will happen soon," Blinken said during a joint press conference with Stoltenberg in Washington.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Fresh snowfall in Syria on Wednesday compounded the already desperate situation faced by millions of people in the five governorates whose lives had been shattered by the earthquake disaster, the UN's top humanitarian official in the country said

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Feb, 2023 ) :Fresh snowfall in Syria on Wednesday compounded the already desperate situation faced by millions of people in the five governorates whose lives had been shattered by the earthquake disaster, the UN's top humanitarian official in the country said.

The death toll in Turkey and Syria has surpassed 11,000 in the world's deadliest earthquake disaster in more than a decade, and the number of victims is climbing quickly two days after earthquakes leveled cities and towns in both countries.

"We have already a very vulnerable situation; people (are) already vulnerable, not capable of taking care of themselvesand all of a sudden comes this (the snow)," El-Mostafa Benlamlih, UN Resident Coordinator for Syria, said in a statement.

"All the achievements we had before, anybody who had a small business has lost that business, anybody who could go to school cannot go to school, women who could go to protection centres cannot go to protection centres." Benlamlih warned that the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance  currently 15.3 million  would have to be revised upwards.

Speaking from Damascus via video link, Benlamlih told reporters in New York that 10.9 million people in Syria had been affected by the catastrophe in the northwestern governorates of Hama, Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo and Tartus.

Some 100,000 people were now believed to be homeless in Aleppo alone, the humanitarian official continued, as he described how just 30,000 of that number had found shelter in schools and mosques.

"Those are the lucky ones," he said, before stressing that the remaining 70,000 "have snow, they have cold and they are living in a terrible situation".

Confirming that roads had been damaged that lead to the only permitted cross-border aid route into northwest Syria from Trkiye at Bab al-Hawa, the UN Resident Coordinator for Syria said that he was hopeful that the crossing point would reopen on Thursday.

"Luckily we're hearing today that the road is openingwe're hoping that tomorrow, we will be able to deliver something across the border," he said, stressing that UN aid teams and partners had started working "from the first hour of the disaster" by using prepositioned stocks of food, dignity and medical kits.

Also at the briefing, UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Muhannad Hadi echoed the urgent need to get aid to those who need it.

"Our objective is to reach the people, for us, cross-border and cross-line are just modalities complementing each other," he said.

"The most important thing is that we reach people in this time, people who are desperate for help in this very desperate situation. We see images on tv, children stranded in very harsh cold winter, snowing, it's really heartbreaking." Three days after the double earthquake in neighbouring Trkiye, the situation remains dire and even more precarious in Syria.

UN aid coordination office OCHA also noted that UN staff and contractors working in Gaziantep had also been directly impacted by the disaster, with some looking for their families in the rubble.

More than 50 emergency response and search-and-rescue teams have been deployed to the region and OCHA has also reported that $25 million in emergency funding has been released by the UN to support the response.

The World Food Programme WFP, tweeted that trucks in Trkiye had departed from its warehouses carrying food for around 17,000 people impacted who were now seeking shelter in Osmaniye Cevdetiye camp.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

An Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) departed for Iran to deliver humanitarian aid following the recent earthquake in the country, the ministry told Sputnik on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2023) An Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) departed for Iran to deliver humanitarian aid following the recent earthquake in the country, the ministry told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On January 28, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred in the city of Khoy, located in Iran's West Azerbaijan Province. According to the latest data, at least three people died and 973 were injured.

About 25 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquake.

"An Il-76 aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry flew out of Zhukovsky airport to deliver humanitarian aid to the Islamic Republic of Iran. By order of the government of the Russian Federation, a humanitarian cargo with a total weight of 35 tonnes will be delivered," the ministry said.

The aid includes sugar, flour, vegetable oil, tents, warm blankets, stoves and a mobile power station.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will pay official visits to Italy and Malta from February 8-10 to discuss security, migration and trade, as well as aid for Ukraine, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2023) UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will pay official visits to Italy and Malta from February 8-10 to discuss security, migration and trade, as well as aid for Ukraine, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Wednesday.

"Stopping illegal migration and accelerating support for Ukraine will be top of the agenda during Foreign Secretary James Cleverly's 3-day visit to Italy and Malta (8 to 10 February)," the statement read.

Cleverly is expected to discuss with his Italian and Maltese counterparts defense and security cooperation, as well as measures to tackle illegal migration flows to and across Europe, the statement said.

"Italy and Malta are seen as gateways to Europe for many hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge from conflict and persecution. However, it is important that we stop illegal migration and criminal smuggling gangs, and instead ensure there are safe and legal routes," Cleverly said ahead to the visit.

The ministers will also touch upon boosting support for Ukraine "by providing military, humanitarian and economic assistance," according to the statement.

Cleverly, along with UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, are expected to attend the 30th Pontignano Conference, one of the most important annual events in UK-Italy bilateral relations.
The United Kingdom will explore the possibility of sending fighter jets to Ukraine, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Downing Street office said Wednesday, adding it would only be a "long-term" solution

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Feb, 2023 ) :The United Kingdom will explore the possibility of sending fighter jets to Ukraine, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Downing Street office said Wednesday, adding it would only be a "long-term" solution.

"The prime minister has tasked the defence secretary with investigating what jets we might be able to give but, to be clear, this is a long-term solution rather than a short-term capability, which is what Ukraine needs most now," Sunak's spokesman said.

The announcement came shortly after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky met Sunak and urged UK politicians to send jets to his war-battered country during a visit to London.

Sunak's office warned that training Ukraine pilots to use state-of-the-art British jets would be a long process.

"We are keen to do whatever is possible to get these pilots trained up as fast as possible," said the spokesman.

"But these are complex pieces of military equipment and... the current training period for UK pilots is around five years," he added.
An unverified account of investigate journalist Seymour Hersh alleged on Wednesday that US Navy divers planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines last year

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2023) An unverified account of investigate journalist Seymour Hersh alleged on Wednesday that US Navy divers planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines last year.

Sputnik was not immediately able to verify whether the Substack account, which was created only several hours ago, belongs to Hersh.

"Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning," Hersh wrote in his Sustack newsletter.

The White House dismissed the claims as "false and complete fiction."
AUBURN  Calling it "astronomical," Auburn Enlarged City School District's business executive told the board of education Tuesday about the impact of the governor's recently released state aid proposal.

Lisa Green gave a presentation at that evening's school board meeting on Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2034-24 budget proposal, which was released last week.

Hochul's early spending plan, announced Feb. 1, includes $34.5 billion in school aid, a $3.1 billion hike over 2022-23 levels. That would entail a record 10% increase in school aid, and an overall state aid increase for almost every Cayuga County-area school district.

Auburn would see a 22.4% uptick in foundation aid, the most basic form of aid school districts receive, under the current budget proposal. The district's overall foundation aid under the 2022-23 budget adopted by voters in May is $36,230,165, Green said, while Auburn's foundation aid amount through Hochul's current proposal would be $44,337,235.

The 2023-24 school year is meant to be the last of a three-year effort from the state to raise school districts' foundation aid up to the amount intended in the state formula for determining how much districts get.

While speaking to the board, Green called Auburn's potential year-to-year rise in foundation aid "astronomical."

"Last year we got a $4 million increase, we thought that was awesome. This year, $8 million, so obviously we're very pleased with that," she said.

The district would also receive an 18.6% bump in total state aid, according to the governor's 2023-24 proposal, Green said, going to $59,326,878.
By: Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing

With significant racial gaps in research across the country, a University of South Florida assistant professor is leading a program that encourages students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds to explore careers in addiction research and biomedical sciences  an initiative essential to creating a diverse workforce and mitigating existing health disparities, such as the opioid crisis.

Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the program  Substance Misuse and Addiction Research Traineeship  offers undergraduate students a hands-on research opportunity to advance science on the causes of drug use, prevention and treatment of substance use disorders and advance research on underrepresented communities who experience disproportionate consequences of drug use.

USF Mental Health Law and Policy Assistant Professor Micah Johnson founded the program and says the hope is that the students will go on to become independent drug misuse researchers who help reduce the gap in addiction research, especially in underrepresented communities.

A researchers work tends to reflect who they are and where they come from. Without diversity in the workforce, minority communities are negatively impacted because research areas  such as health disparities among Latino, Native American and Black communities  are underrepresented, Johnson said. An example of this is the opioid epidemic, where the lack of African American researchers was directly reflected in how little research was available to help the African American community during crisis.

Between 2010 and 2021, the National Institutes of Health reported 2.6% of scientists designated as principal investigators on at least one research project grant were Black or African American. The small pool of applicants from underrepresented groups is both a challenge and an opportunity the NIH hopes to resolve by supporting intiatives, such as Johnsons program.

Representation is incredibly important in order to achieve equality," said Oluchi Nwankwo, whos majoring in health sciences. As a first-generation African American woman, I want to serve my communities well and be in spaces to contribute to the growing need for people like me in the field that lacks people from underrepresented backgrounds.

Over the next three years, the program will provide 24 students, including Nwankwo, with mentorship and year-round training to increase their confidence and professionalism while they actively investigate substance misuse, such as adolescent addiction. It also provides stipends to students to help alleviate financial strain  a challenge that commonly prevents many underrepresented, first-generation and disadvantaged students from fully committing to their education.

There are not many immersive, real-world research opportunities for undergraduate students, Johnson said. When he started graduate school, Johnson says he noticed many gaps and deficits in his own undergraduate experiences, including lack of opportunities and exposure to research  both things he now strives to improve for students, like Nwankwo and Elian Ruiz-Arevalo, a biomedical sciences undergraduate student aspiring to be a pharmacologist to assist underrepresented communities.

This program impacted me by giving me the means to be able to conduct research that works to assist members of my community, Ruiz-Arevalo said.

This feature is part of USF's series of stories that celebrate the work and accomplishments of its community members throughout Black Heritage Month. A list of university events can be found here. For additional stories, click the "Black Heritage Month" tag on the bottom of the page.
Nursing Partnerships between USM, Other Schools Meeting Expectations

Wed, 02/08/2023 - 09:06am | By: Van Arnold

The nation needs more nurses, and the sooner the better. The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has taken a proactive role in fighting the national shortage by helping students overcome obstacles to a nursing degree through an innovative collaboration with other Mississippi colleges.

Last June, USM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pearl River Community College, Jones College, and Alcorn State University, establishing partnerships between the schools designed to create easier pathways for students seeking a degree in nursing.

Seven months into the collaboration, Dr. Lachel Story, Dean of USMs College of Nursing and Health Professions, is delighted with the results.

We rolled out these options in the fall, and I am thrilled to say that we were able to find placements for all the students who would have previously been denied admission with one of our partners, she said.

The unprecedented academic partnerships provide qualified applicants to USMs pre-licensure Bachelor of Science (BSN) in nursing program (i.e., those without a nursing licensure) who would otherwise be delayed an alternative admission pathway to a nursing degree.

Under the new agreements, qualified pre-licensure BSN applicants not accepted into the USM program will be offered an opportunity to apply to Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Practical Nursing (PN) programs at Alcorn, Pearl River, or Jones. Previously, students not accepted into USMs program could have applied to the other schools but customarily found themselves forced to wait until the following semester.

Brandi Linares became the Director of Nursing Education, Associate Degree Nursing, at PRCC earlier this year. She emphasizes the potential for having access to qualified applicants as a positive aspect of the partnership with USM. PRCC currently has 410 nursing students (LPN and RN) enrolled across 3 campuses - Poplarville, Forrest County and Hancock.

PRCC is dedicated to supporting our community by increasing the nursing workforce and assisting with the current nursing shortage, said Linares. We are working extremely hard to increase our enrollment of applicants at our Poplarville and Forrest County campuses. This partnership provides us with additional qualified applicants to assist us with meeting our communitys needs. The partnership also provides a variety of opportunities for these students to reach their career goals, and ultimately that strengthens our nursing workforce.

Teresa McDonald, Dean of the School of Health and Human Sciences at Jones College, stresses that the USM partnership helps strengthen the colleges commitment to supporting families in rural communities. Jones currently has 238 nursing students enrolled for the spring 2023 semester.

This partnership gives students another avenue, impacting the nursing workforce and the livelihood of families, said McDonald. Moving forward, more work must be done on a federal and state level giving colleges the opportunities to enhance programs to meet the needs of our healthcare organizations, such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities.

A recent Associated Press article suggested that nursing programs at Mississippi's public universities are turning away hundreds of potential students every year because of insufficient faculty sizes. The article further stated that students are being turned away amid a nursing shortage that is exacerbating poor health outcomes in the state.

Story points out that USMs program is required to maintain a 1:15 faculty/student ratio by accreditation standards.

We make every effort to maximize that ratio so we can ensure that we admit every qualified student possible, she said. Our embedded clinical faculty is one such way we have maintained our enrollment capacity. Our hospital partners have dedicated a Registered Nurse who meets accreditation requirements to faculty to serve as the clinical instructor for our students in their faculty. This allows for us to include them in our faculty count.

Story goes on to note that the Universitys enrollment numbers for the pre-license BSN program in the fall 2022 semester return to pre-COVID numbers, indicating that these types of efforts are working.

Nursing is the nation's largest healthcare profession. Records show there are nearly 4.5 million registered nurses with active licenses. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says of those, only 72% percent are employed as RNs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country will need more than 203,000 new registered nurses every year through 2026 to fill the gap in care left by a retiring workforce. The average age of a nurse right now is 51.

The U.S. nursing crisis has been building for some time. Steps, like the partnership initiative USM launched with sister schools, are being taken at the state and federal levels to combat the shortage. A little more than 500 students are currently enrolled in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs at USM.

We did not get here overnight, and we will not turn this around overnight, said Story. The issue is complicated and addressing one area can cause issues in other areas. Additionally, we must focus on all of the contributing factors in order to make a measurable impact. We all must do our part to contribute to the solution through innovative strategies like the partnerships we have built with our sister institutions and our clinical partners.

Added McDonald: We must not repeat the past. We must continue to do our part in making a positive impact by finding creative ways to make a difference. We are excited about the future.
A naturalized U.S. citizen who became so enamored with Islamic State that he abandoned his wife and child to join the terror group in Syria, eventually rising to the rank of emir, faces life behind bars after being convicted of all charges against him.

The U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday that a jury has found the now 46-year-old Ruslan Maratovich Asainov guilty on five counts, including conspiracy to provide material support, receiving and providing training, obstruction of justice and support to a terror group that led to the death of one or more persons.

Asainov was so committed to the terrorist organizations evil cause that he abandoned his young family here in Brooklyn, New York, to make an extraordinary journey to the battlefield in Syria, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

Even after being captured [Asainov] still pledged his allegiance to ISIS murderous path, Peace added. There is no place in a civilized world for the defendants bloody campaign of death and destruction.

Asainov was captured by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces following the fall of Baghuz, the Islamic States last shred of territory in Syria, in March 2019.

He was extradited to the U.S. in July 2019 and was immediately charged with providing support to the terror group.

Training camps

According to court documents, Asainov, a naturalized citizen who came to the U.S. from Kazakhstan, traveled to Syria in late 2013, where he began fighting with IS as a sniper.

Eventually, he became one of the terror group's emirs, responsible for establishing training camps for IS recruits and for teaching them how to use weapons.

He also began communicating with a confidential informant for the FBI, asking for money while periodically sending the informant photos of himself and other IS fighters in combat gear.

"We [IS] are the worst terrorist organization in the world that has ever existed," he wrote in one communication, adding he wished to die on the battlefield.

In other messages, officials say Asainov talked about fighting in places like Kobani, Deir el-Zour and Tabka.



In addition to the messages, U.S. officials said some of the evidence against Asainov was based on interviews with "at least one other individual who provided material support and resources to ISIS during part of the same time period as the defendant."

More American IS

Since 2016, the U.S. has repatriated at least 39 citizens from Syria and Iraq, including 15 adults and 24 children.

Of the adults, at least 11 have been charged with crimes. U.S. officials told VOA that some of the adults were not charged because they were minors when they were brought by their families to join IS.

Notable convictions include those of 37-year-old Samantha El-Hassani, who was sentenced to more than six years in prison after she took her children to Syria to join IS.

Her four children, who also came back with her from Syria, were placed in the custody of officials with the U.S. state of Indiana.

Omer Kuzu pleaded guilty to providing material support to IS in September 2022.

And in June 2017, the U.S. brought back Mohamad Jamal Khweis of Alexandria, Virginia. Khweis was later found guilty of providing material support to IS.

IS Foreign Fighters

Despite ongoing efforts to repatriate IS foreign fighters and their families, U.S. officials estimate that the U.S.-backed SDF still holds about 2,000 foreign fighters in make-shift prisons across northeastern Syria, along with another 8,000 Iraqi and Syrian IS fighters.

Both numbers have remained essentially unchanged since October 2019.

A report released Tuesday by the Defense Department Inspector General raised concerns about the state of the prisons in Syria, noting, many detention facilities were not built to hold detainees and their long-term viability is poor."

U.S. counterterrorism officials estimate that, in total, more than 45,000 foreign fighters flocked to Syria and Iraq following the start of the Syrian civil war, including 8,000 from Western countries.
Independent journalists in Azerbaijan are protesting a media law that they say obstructs their ability to work and gives the government too much control over the media.

Journalists involved in the "We Don't Want Sanctioned Media" campaign have called for a repeal of the law that President Ilham Aliyev enacted in 2022, saying it goes against the constitution.

The biggest complaint is over the creation of a registry for journalists and news outlets that provides a press card and access to government briefings and officials.

To be eligible, journalists must have at least three years' experience and a work contract  a provision that critics say blocks freelance reporters from applying. News outlets must also agree to produce a minimum number of stories each day.

Lawmakers have said the law is to help improve relations between media and state, and noted that they discussed the bill with journalists when it was being drafted.

But last month the Media Development Agency said it will take action against media agencies and journalists who fail to register but still work.

Journalists say the registry contravenes rights and is obstructing their ability to report.

"The requirement of the law on compulsory registration is against Article 51 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, as well as the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms," Khalid Agaliyev, a lawyer, told VOA.

Independent journalist Aynur Elgunash said the law is preventing media from acting in their role of state watchdog.

"According to the information we have, even accredited journalists are no longer allowed to enter the parliament, because their names are not in the registry. The same will happen in the courts," she told VOA.

Independent media are "deprived of these opportunities," Elgunash said, adding that journalists could be blocked from protests, street polls and interviews with government agencies.

Elgunash believes the registration component gives the government too much control.

"If the registry interferes with creativity, demands 20 news [stories] per day, and dictates the topic of the materials, it means that the media is completely under the control of the state. It turns out that the state strengthens not only public but also legal control over you. This is a tragedy for the media," Elgunash said.

VOA emailed the Media Development Agency late Wednesday for comment but as of publication had not received a response.

Shamshad Aga, editor of Argument.az  a news website covering democracy, corruption and human rights  also believes that the state interferes with journalists' work.

"Unfortunately, in our country, they see the media as a mouthpiece of the government, a propaganda tool. The executive body controls the media, and in a country like this there is no transparency, no pluralism, no justice, and no democracy," he told VOA.

The implementation of this law, which applies to media outlets in the country as well as those who broadcast or publish to an Azerbaijani audience, may lead to some media being completely shut down, he said.

"We demand transparency in our country, we are fighting for freedom of expression in our country, we are fighting for freedom of speech and press. We will not accept this and we think that it is necessary to protest," he added.

Aga, a Baku-based journalist, said the law affects a wider group than just journalists.

"This is not a problem of media representatives only. It is a problem affecting the whole society, and the whole society should protest it," he said.

A six-month registration period for media is due to end in March.

In a statement, Ahmad Ismayilov, executive director of the Media Development Agency, said that after that period, the authorities "will start legal action" against those operating without being registered.

"The court will decide whether they can continue their work," he said.

So far 160 news outlets and 180 journalists were added to the registry, Ismayilov said.

This article originated in VOA's Azeri Service.
The first person hired to work at Micron's future semiconductor chip manufacturing facility in Onondaga County was one of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's guests for the State of the Union address Tuesday.

Savion Pollard, a U.S. Navy veteran and an electrical engineering student at Syracuse University, was invited by Schumer, D-N.Y., to highlight Micron's plans to invest $100 billion over 20 years  the largest private investment in New York state history  and create 50,000 jobs, including 9,000 at the chip manufacturing plant.

Pollard's hire was announced in October when President Joe Biden visited Onondaga Community College to celebrate Micron's investment. He will work as an equipment engineer intern and learn how to maintain the equipment at the facility.

"I am hopeful for the future of Micron and the central New York region," Pollard said. "The historic investment will bring about a lot of opportunity in the area. I feel blessed that my military and engineering backgrounds have led me to be able to take advantage of this opportunity."

Schumer played a key role in bringing Micron to central New York. He led the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, a bill that includes $52 billion to support domestic semiconductor manufacturing and an investment tax credit for chip companies.

Savion Pollard is a Navy veteran, a Syracuse University student, and the first hire for Microns massive $100 billion megafab in Central New York that is being built because of the CHIPS and Science Act.



Hes coming with me to the #SOTU! pic.twitter.com/mtQ9SydaTT  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 8, 2023

As Micron looked to build a new chip manufacturing plant in the United States, Schumer worked with state and local officials to bring the company to upstate New York. Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra credited the Biden administration and Schumer for the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act.

"Savion securing the first local job with Micron represents the start of a brighter future as the first of tens of thousands more good-paying jobs to come from this transformational project and many others spurred by the federal investments we are making to bring industry back from overseas," Schumer said.

The construction of the manufacturing facility won't be Micron's only contribution in the region. The company has committed $250 million to support a $500 million community investment fund focused on education, housing and workforce development. It has also pledged to hire 1,500 veterans, like Pollard, to work in the Syracuse area.
China says it was smeared in U.S. President Joe Bidens State of the Union address, in which he called for bipartisan unity to push back against Beijing.

Days after a Chinese surveillance balloon drifted across American airspace, Biden said he remains open to working with Beijing, "where it can advance American interests and benefit the world."

"But make no mistake about it," he said. "As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, and we did."

The president also promoted his administration's policies that are increasing trade restrictions on some high-tech equipment, saying those policies are aimed at ensuring advanced technologies "are not used against us."

Lets be clear: winning the competition with China should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world, Biden added.

In Beijing early Wednesday, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a regular briefing that Beijing does not shy away from competition.

However, we are opposed to defining the entire China-U.S. relations by competition. It is beneath a responsible country to use competition as a pretext to smear other countries and restrain their legitimate right to development, even at the expense of global industrial and supply chains, she said.

Mao's remarks followed a protest from a senior Chinese diplomat to senior U.S. officials over the shooting down of the surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

The Chinese Embassy in the United States said its charge d'affaires, Xu Xueyuan, lodged stern representations Tuesday with senior State Department and White House National Security Council officials on what Beijing said was the U.S.s attack on a Chinese unmanned civilian airship by force.

At the Capitol, U.S. lawmakers are expected to be briefed on the balloon later this week, while House Republican leaders are pushing a bipartisan measure to denounce the operation of the spy balloon by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA.)

China has decided to try to impose its will on the world and move us in a direction that takes us away from the rules-based international system that the United States and so many other nations are trying to impose, said Democratic Congressman Adam Smith during a Tuesday hearing.

Under President Xi [Jinping], the Chinese Communist Party has nearly tripled its defense spending in the last decade alone, said Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, who chairs House Armed Services Committee.

The [Chinese Communist Party] is not building these new and advanced military capabilities for self-defense. In recent years, the CCP has used its military to push out its borders to threaten our allies in the region and to gain footholds on new continents.

Rogers warned the Chinese military has more Intercontinental ballistic missile launchers than the United States.

The danger of the Chinese Communist Party is preoccupying Congress, said Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute. A rival nations spy balloon just audaciously violated our sovereignty. Downplaying the scope of the threat in the State of the Union address does not make the problem less acute or more manageable.

Other analysts said the Chinese military is shaping perceptions within the Chinese Communist Party.

PLA's operations definitely affect China's foreign affairs and global perception of China, said Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official and now a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Meanwhile, as an effort to ensure open lines of communication between the two militaries, the U.S. government is working on a sanction exemption for Li Shangfu, who is widely seen as Chinas next minister of national defense when the current minister, Wei Fenghe, retires later this year.

The United States sanctioned Li when he headed the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese military in 2018, due to Chinese purchases of advanced Russian fighters and missile systems.

The United States has already communicated to the Chinese military the exemption plan, according to former CIA top China analyst Dennis Wilder, now a professor at Georgetown University, citing conversations with U.S. officials.

We are entering a tense period and it will take depth diplomacy on both sides to make sure that things do not spiral downward, Wilder told VOA.

The U.S. Department of State has yet to respond to VOAs request for comment.

Last Saturday, the PRC declined a U.S. request for a secure call between their defense chiefs after the U.S. shot down the Chinese balloon. The U.S. Department of Defense said deconfliction talks are critical in a tense moment and the U.S. commitment to open lines of communication will continue.
U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States faces serious challenges around the world, but in the past two years, democracies have become stronger while autocracies have grown weaker.

In outlining his foreign policy accomplishments and challenges in his State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday evening, the president struck an optimistic and defiant tone, focusing his remarks on China's Communist Party and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Days after a Chinese surveillance balloon drifted across American airspace, leading to the cancellation of a high-profile trip to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, President Biden outlined where he sees the relationship with Beijing now.

The president said he remains open to working with China, "where it can advance American interests and benefit the world."

"But make no mistake about it," he said. "As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, and we did."

Some Republicans criticized Biden for not ordering the balloon shot down earlier as it traversed the country. They may still be looking for Biden to publicly take a tougher stance on China, Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center told VOA.

"So, he was not taking a forceful, hawkish position. He was leaving open some space for conciliation, and I really don't think those members of Congress that wanted a more hard-line stance would have been satisfied with what he said tonight."

Biden argued that his administration had changed the narrative about how "the People's Republic of China is increasing its power and America was failing in the world."

"Not anymore. We made clear and I made clear in my personal conversations which have been many with President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict."

The president highlighted how his economic policies are aimed at investing in American industry and technologies of the future, the same ones that China's government he said, "is intent on dominating."

Biden also promoted his administration's policies that are increasing trade restrictions on some high-tech equipment, saying those policies are aimed at ensuring advanced technologies "are not used against us."

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Was 'Test'

Referencing his State of the Union speech a year ago, which occurred days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden called Putin's invasion a test for America that showed it would stand for the defense of democracy.

"Such a defense matters to us because it keeps the peace and prevents open season for would-be aggressors to threaten our security and prosperity," he said.

Some Republicans have been skeptical of military aid to Ukraine, but that was not the case when Republicans in the chamber, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, appeared to strongly support Biden's remarks.

"I have to say, I saw a lot more support coming from the Republican side of the aisle when he was speaking about Ukraine, particularly at the moment when he said, 'we are in it as long as it takes,'" Elizabeth Shackelford of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs told VOA.

"This is something that we have heard the Republican Party push back on specifically, saying that there wasn't a blank check for Ukraine," she added.

Late last year, Congress passed a spending bill that included $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies, which many House Republicans, including Speaker McCarthy, opposed.

President Biden did not mention Iran or Afghanistan in his remarks. Republicans have criticized his administration's policies for trying to revive a nuclear deal with Tehran, as well as what they argued was a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday the "story of America is a story of progress and resilience" as he gave his second State of the Union address with a focus on his domestic economic policy, including an appeal to his Republican opponents to work together.

"Two years ago, COVID had shut down our businesses, closed our schools and robbed us of so much," Biden told a joint session of Congress.

"Today, COVID no longer controls our lives," he said.

"And two years ago, our democracy faced its greatest threat since the Civil War. Today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken."

Facing a Congress in which Republicans now have a majority in the House of Representatives, Biden cited legislation that Republican and Democratic lawmakers came together to pass, including a massive infrastructure bill, aid for Ukraine and protecting same-sex marriage rights.

"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can't work together and find consensus in this new Congress as well," Biden said.

Biden said that to maintain the world's strongest economy, the United States needs the best infrastructure, and he said new standards will require federal infrastructure projects to use only construction materials made in America.

"Lumber, glass, drywall, fiber-optic cable," he said. "And on my watch, American roads, American bridges and American highways are going to be made with American products as well."

Overall, Biden said, his economic focus is on "investing in places and people that have been forgotten."

The president also argued for raising the debt ceiling, which is the maximum amount the U.S. Treasury can borrow to pay the nations bills. The U.S. hit its debt limit of $31.4 trillion in January. Congress now has until midyear to raise the limit before the U.S. defaults on its loans.

Biden said Congress has previously paid the country's bills "to prevent an economic disaster." He called on lawmakers to commit to making sure the credit of the United States will never be questioned.

Kevin McCarthy, the newly elected speaker of the House of Representatives, has said the Republican Party will continue to oppose what they see as excessive spending.

"Biden's challenge in the State of the Union is to make the global case while also presenting himself as a leader who understands and is prepared to meet the day-to-day economic challenges facing Americans here at home," political scientist Andrew Seligsohn said in a note to VOA.

Foreign policy

Biden said in response to Russian President Vladimir Putins murderous assault on Ukraine, the United States has united NATO and built a global coalition.

We stood against Putins aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people, he said.

With Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova in attendance, Biden said the United States is united in its support for Ukraine and will stand with you as long as it takes.

With U.S.-China relations hitting a new low last week when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the country for a week, Biden said he wants to work with China in ways that can advance U.S. interests and benefit the world.

But make no mistake about it: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, he said.

Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, a conservative Washington think tank, told Lin Feng of VOA's Mandarin Service ahead of the speech that Biden needs to show he "is forging ahead with policies that strengthen the security of America and its allies. His words about China should highlight Beijing's deeds, not words, but without adjectives. Let facts speak for themselves."

Gun control, immigration

Biden used part of his address to urge Congress to support immigration reforms, including providing equipment and officers for border security, a pathway to citizenship for certain immigrants who came to the country as children and for farm workers and essential workers.

He also advocated for a ban on assault rifles, and for police reforms.

The Congressional Black Caucus invited the parents of slain Memphis resident Tyre Nichols to the address.

Nichols, 29, was killed by five African American police officers in January. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have used the tragedy to urge Congress to revisit the stalled police reform act that Democrats proposed after the 2020 killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd.

What happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often, Biden said. We have to do better.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States is united in support for Ukraine as it opposes a Russian invasion, and that the U.S. will stand with Ukraine "as long as it takes."

Speaking during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Biden said government united NATO, built a global coalition and stood against the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States and other NATO allies have provided billions of dollars in military aid, including air defense systems, to bolster Ukrainian forces. U.S. and European Union sanctions have also sought to impose a financial cost on Russia.

Biden noted that his address to lawmakers last year came days after Putin launched what Biden called a "brutal attack against Ukraine" and a test for the world.

"Would we stand for the most basic of principles? Would we stand for sovereignty? Would we stand for the right of people to live free from tyranny? Would we stand for the defense of democracy?" Biden asked.

Putin has criticized Western aid to Ukraine as being a threat against Russia, while saying Russia will prevail in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Biden "for the powerful words of support."

"We are grateful for U.S. leadership in helping Ukraine, for solidarity of the entire U.S. people," Zelenskyy tweeted Wednesday. "Our values are the same, our common goal is victory."
Mexican police detained a medical doctor accused of using infected medicines that may have caused a mysterious meningitis outbreak in northern Durango state, after the disease killed at least 35 women in recent months.

Another 79 people have been hospitalized with signs of infection.

Police arrested the doctor who specializes in anesthesiology early Tuesday morning on charges of illegal practices including the re-use of medications at the private hospitals where he worked. The doctor's full name was not disclosed.

Meningitis is typically associated with painful inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, often caused by a virus or in some cases bacteria or a fungal infection.

The affected patients in Durango were likely infected by fungal meningitis while having procedures in the same hospitals where the doctor worked, according to Durango state prosecutor Sonia Garza.

She told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday in the state capital that the first procedures associated with the infected patients took place last August and that many of them had been administered anesthesia for obstetric procedures.

"This specialist carried out procedures with no restraint," said Garza, adding that he brought his own medication for patients, including unauthorized controlled drugs.

The outbreak has raised concern in both Mexico and from international bodies after the outbreak's first death was confirmed last November.

Garza added that the detained doctor was the only physician who conducted procedures at the four hospitals where the infections have been observed. She said that he denied using his own medications at a hearing before prosecutors.

Reuters was not immediately able to request comment from the doctor, or locate his lawyer, but his son, contacted by Reuters, said his father is innocent.

"They accused my father without any evidence," he said, declining to provide his name.

The meningitis outbreak is confined to private hospitals in the state capital, also known as Durango, according to Mexico's health ministry.
Former Twitter executives conceded Wednesday they made a mistake by blocking a story about Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, from the social media platform in the run-up to the 2020 election, but adamantly denied Republican assertions they were pressured by Democrats and law enforcement to suppress the story.

"The decisions here aren't straightforward, and hindsight is 20/20," Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of trust and safety, testified to Congress. "It isn't obvious what the right response is to a suspected, but not confirmed, cyberattack by another government on a presidential election."

He added, "Twitter erred in this case because we wanted to avoid repeating the mistakes of 2016."

The three former executives appeared before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to testify for the first time about the company's decision to initially block from Twitter a New York Post article in October 2020 about the contents of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden.

Emboldened by Twitter's new leadership in billionaire Elon Musk  whom they see as more sympathetic to conservatives than the company's previous leadership  Republicans used the hearing to push a long-standing and unproven theory that social media companies including Twitter are biased against them.

Committee Chairman Representative James Comer said the hearing is the panel's "first step in examining the coordination between the federal government and Big Tech to restrict protected speech and interfere in the democratic process."

Alleged political bias

The hearing continues a yearslong trend of Republican leaders calling tech company leaders to testify about alleged political bias. Democrats, meanwhile, have pressed the companies on the spread of hate speech and misinformation on their platforms.

The witnesses Republicans subpoenaed were Roth, Vijaya Gadde, Twitter's former chief legal officer, and James Baker, the company's former deputy general counsel.

Democrats brought a witness of their own, Anika Collier Navaroli, a former employee with Twitter's content moderation team. She testified last year to the House committee that investigated the January 6 Capitol riot about Twitter's preferential treatment of Donald Trump until it banned the then-president from the site two years ago.

'A bizarre political stunt'

The White House criticized congressional Republicans for staging "a bizarre political stunt," hours after Biden's State of the Union address where he detailed bipartisan progress in his first two years in office.

"This appears to be the latest effort by the House Republican majority's most extreme MAGA members to question and relitigate the outcome of the 2020 election," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement Wednesday. "This is not what the American people want their leaders to work on."

The New York Post reported weeks before the 2020 presidential election that it had received from Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, a copy of a hard drive from a laptop that Hunter Biden had dropped off 18 months earlier at a Delaware computer repair shop and never retrieved. Twitter blocked people from sharing links to the story for several days.

"You exercised an amazing amount of clout and power over the entire American electorate by even holding (this story) hostage for 24 hours and then reversing your policy," Representative Andy Biggs said to the panel of witnesses.

Months later, Twitter's then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, called the company's communications around the Post article "not great." He added that blocking the article's URL with "zero context" around why it was blocked was "unacceptable."

The newspaper story was greeted at the time with skepticism because of questions about the laptop's origins, including Giuliani's involvement, and because top officials in the Trump administration had already warned that Russia was working to denigrate Joe Biden before the White House election.

The Kremlin interfered in the 2016 race by hacking Democratic emails that were subsequently leaked, and fears that Russia would meddle again in the 2020 race were widespread across Washington.

Musk releases 'Twitter files'

Just last week, lawyers for the younger Biden asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate people who say they accessed his personal data. But they did not acknowledge that the data came from a laptop Hunter Biden is purported to have dropped off at a computer repair shop.

The issue was also reignited recently after Musk took over Twitter as CEO and began to release a slew of company information to independent journalists, what he has called the "Twitter Files."

The documents and data largely show internal debates among employees over the decision to temporarily censor links to the Hunter Biden story. The tweet threads lacked substantial evidence of a targeted influence campaign from Democrats or the FBI, which has denied any involvement in Twitter's decision-making.

Witness often targeted

One of Wednesday's witnesses, Baker, has been a frequent target of Republican scrutiny.

Baker was the FBI's general counsel during the opening of two of the bureau's most consequential investigations in history: the Hillary Clinton investigation and a separate inquiry into potential coordination between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans have long criticized the FBI's handling of both investigations.

Baker denied any wrongdoing during his two years at Twitter and said that despite disagreeing with the decision to block links to the Post story, "I believe that the public record reveals that my client acted in a manner that was fully consistent with the First Amendment."

There has been no evidence that Twitter's platform is biased against conservatives; studies have found the opposite when it comes to conservative media in particular. But the issue continues to preoccupy Republican members of Congress.

And some experts said questions around government influence on Big Tech's content moderation are legitimate.
The U.S. military is planning to set up a training center in Europe to teach NATO allies how to field High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, a top U.S. general told VOA, amid increased demand for the systems in Eastern Europe following the weapons successes in Ukraine.

We're still in the preliminary stages here, but it would be an area that we would maybe pull in several countries to one location, V Corps commander Lieutenant General John Kolasheski, who is responsible for U.S. Army operations along NATOs eastern flank, told VOA in an exclusive interview late Tuesday.

The news came as the State Department on Tuesday approved the potential sale of 18 HIMARS launchers to Poland, along with hundreds of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and dozens of Army Tactical Missile Systems. The Polish government requested the sale, worth an estimated $10 billion.

The proposed HIMARS program would be available to NATO countries that are approved for foreign military sales of the long-range artillery systems, which include nations such as Estonia, Poland and Romania on NATOs eastern side.

They [NATO] see the brutality of what has taken place in Ukraine, and there is a sense of urgency, there's a sense of purpose, and all 30 nations are united to come together to this effective defense of NATO terrain, Kolasheski said.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told VOA earlier this week that one of the biggest lessons learned from the war in Ukraine is that long fire is extremely important. HIMARS have been credited with shifting the momentum of the war.

Estonia has purchased six HIMARS units that are expected to be delivered in the 2024-25 time frame. An American HIMARS platoon is providing extra defensive capabilities in the Baltics, and Pevkur said the platoon also is allowing Estonian forces to begin training on the rocket systems today so they will be ready to use them from day one.

Polands Abrams Academy

Kolasheski said the proposed HIMARS academy would be a similar construct to the Abrams Tank Training Academy, which opened near Poznan, Poland, last year to familiarize Polish forces with the U.S.-made Abrams main battle tanks. Poland was the first European ally to acquire the Abrams, purchasing 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks last year and 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks in January.

Part of the Abrams program includes a type of apprenticeship, where Polish forces are attached to Army tank units to study how to service and fire the tanks, according to Kolasheski.

Since the Abrams academy opened last summer, a class of Polish tank operators and a class of maintainers have graduated from it.

Poland has fast become a military hub for U.S. forces in Eastern Europe and has been an outspoken advocate for sending Western tanks to Ukraine.

Existential threat

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Saturday that Poland had begun training Ukrainian military forces on the German-made Leopard 2 tanks.

Asked whether the Abrams Tank Training Academy in Poland would be used to train Ukrainians, Kolasheski told VOA there was still no decision on that right now.

After President Joe Biden announced last month that the U.S. would provide Ukrainian forces with Abrams tanks, the Pentagon has since said it will first need to procure the tanks because there isnt an excess available in U.S. stocks. The move will delay the tanks delivery.

Leopard 2 tanks and British-made Challenger 2 tanks, however, are expected to arrive on the Ukrainian battlefield as soon as Ukrainian training is complete.

Tanks are much awaited  and I really hope that we are not too late for that, Estonias Pevkur told VOA.

Asked whether it was realistic to expect Ukrainian forces to operate Leopard 2 or Challenger tanks within a few months, Kolasheski replied, I think it is.

Theyre very, very motivated. Theyre very eager. I mean, this to them is an existential threat, he said.

VOA asked the Pentagon for access to U.S. forces training Ukrainians in Germany and to the Abrams Tank Training Academy in Poland, but the request was denied.
Iran's army on Tuesday unveiled its first underground base for fighter jets designed to withstand possible strikes by U.S. bunker-busting bombs, state media reported.

The base, named Oghab 44 (Persian for eagle), can accommodate "all types of fighter jets and bombers, in addition to drones," the official news agency IRNA said, releasing images and videos from inside the base.

The exact location of the base was not revealed, but state media said it was "at the depth of hundreds of meters under the mountains," and capable of withstanding "bombs by strategic U.S. bombers."

In May last year, Iran's army revealed an air force base for drones under the Zagros Mountains in the western part of the country.

The latest unveiling comes the day before Iran marks Air Force Day, part of the buildup to the 44th anniversary on Saturday of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

State media on Tuesday showed Iran's armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri and the army's commander-in-chief Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi at the new base.

Oghab 44 is "one of numerous tactical underground air bases for the army's air force built in different areas of the country in recent years," IRNA reported.

It can prepare fighter jets to "counter possible offensives" such as those practiced by the U.S. and Israel in their recent military drill, according to state media.

Iran has mostly Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets that date back to the Soviet era, as well as some Chinese aircraft, including the F-7.

Some American F-4 and F-5 fighter jets dating back to before the revolution are also part of its fleet.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his wife and daughter Ju-ae, visited soldiers at their barracks ahead of a quinquennial army anniversary, the nation's main broadsheet Rodong Sinmun said on Wednesday.

Wednesday is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean People's Army or the KPA. A large-scale military parade is anticipated, but not yet reported.

In a commemorative banquet on Tuesday, Kim Jong Un praised the state's military tradition that  despite the odds  persisted through the decades to achieve a "great and absolute power," in an apparent reference to North Korea's nuclear weapon capability.

Kim also hailed the Korean People's Army as the "strongest in the world," according to Rodong Sinmun, that "radiates an extraordinary sense of responsibility and an unbreakable superhuman willpower."

He lauded the soldiers as the height of the North Korean people's dignity who defend their bright days ahead, as he called for "redoubled efforts" toward the development of the armed forces and the socialist cause.

There were no remarks directed at the United States, Japan, or South Korea at the anniversary banquet.

Kim's Daughter Attends

Images carried by state media showed Kim's daughter flanked by beaming military men in the company of her father. Ju Ae, believed to be the second of three children between Kim and wife Ri Sol Ju, was referred to by state media not by name but as "the respected offspring."

Her appearance at the banquet marks at least the fourth occasion that the young daughter, presumed to turn ten years old this month, attended a high-profile military event with her father.

She was last seen on state television on New Year's Day, inspecting missiles and other weaponry inside a warehouse. The girl first came to the public's eye in November of last year, present at a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile test launch. State media then described her as Kim's "most beloved child."

Some analysts consider whether the 39-year-old autocrat is grooming Ju Ae to be his successor in North Korea's hereditary dictatorship system. Others say the choreographed decision to include the daughter in Pyongyang's messaging underlines that North Korea's nuclear program is intended to be passed on to future generations.

Prelude to Possible Military Parade

A large-scale military parade is anticipated to be broadcast on North Korean state television, which analysts will be combing for hints of progress in the reclusive state's ambitious military modernization program.

Satellite imagery since late last year through recent days suggest North Korea has been running practice drills for the 75th-anniversary parade, which in recent years have been staged at night for dramatic effect.

During an expanded meeting of the party's Central Military Commission Monday, Kim Jong Un ordered "matchless military strength" for "ever-victorious feats" by the KPA, to "perfect" war preparedness in line with the "prevailing situation."

At the start of the year, North Korea publicized its intention to mass produce tactical nuclear weapons. It also indicated its continued work toward realizing a new intercontinental ballistic missile with a "quick nuclear counterstrike" capability, in likely reference to a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, which in theory can be launched faster than their liquid-fueled counterparts.
The recent rescue of two children from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Idlib and Aleppo in northwest Syria is a rare bit of good news in an area devastated by the massive earthquake that struck southern Turkey and its northern neighbor Monday.

While a huge humanitarian operation is slowly gathering steam in Turkey, similar efforts in Syria are barely able to get off the ground.

Logistical problems brought on by more than 12 years of crisis and conflict, the crippling impact of unilateral sanctions, and the reluctance to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad, who is widely reviled as a war criminal, are some of the limiting factors.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, warns that political tensions between Turkey and its northern neighbor could compound the difficulties for aid workers to adequately respond to the crisis in Syria.

"It is imperative that everybody sees this as a humanitarian crisis because that is what it is," he said. "Please do not politicize any of this. Let us get the aid out to the people who so desperately need it."

Laerke noted the earthquake temporarily has stopped the cross-border aid operation from Turkey to Syria, preventing essential relief from getting through.

That operation has been overseen by the United Nations since 2014. It has been a lifeline for some 4 million people in Syria's rebel-held northern territory, because aid convoys from government-controlled areas do not cross the conflict line.

An estimated 23 million people reportedly are affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the most powerful to hit the region in almost 100 years. While the latest reports put the number of people killed at more than 11,000, the World Health Organization says it expects the death toll to rise to about 20,000.

Children are most at risk, according to James Elder, UNICEF spokesman. "When we hear the official numbers, UNICEF fears that the earthquake that hit southeast Turkey and northern Syria may have killed thousands of children."

"They went to bed as normal, they were woken by the screams of their neighbors, by broken glass, and by the terrifying sound of crumbling concrete," he said.

Before the earthquake struck, Elder said children in the region already were in an emergency and in need of humanitarian support. "Many, many children in that part of the world in northwest Syria are facing a cholera outbreak, a brutal winter, and a vicious conflict. This earthquake, of course, is simply unimaginable hell for them."

UNICEF is using its limited funds and supplies to provide safe drinking water and sanitation services, to identify unaccompanied children, and to provide as much education and psychological help as possible, Elder emphasized.

Turkey is home to more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, nearly half of whom are living next to residents in the 10 provinces most affected by the earthquake, the UNHCR said.

It is providing tents, mattresses and whatever else the government requests to both Turkish nationals and refugees.

Syria's 12-year-long civil conflict has displaced more than 6.8 million people inside the country. More than 4 million in northwest Syria need humanitarian assistance, the majority of whom are women and children.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has relevant core relief supplies in stock and "has already started distributing desperately needed relief items such as blankets, mattresses, plastic sheeting, thermal blankets, and tents," said Matthew Saltmarsh, a UNHCR spokesman.

He noted that some of the areas that were struck by the earthquake are in remote and hard to reach areas, "and the severe winter storms hitting the region are adding to challenges to the efforts to reach those impacted."

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is supporting the Syrian Red Crescent, which is playing a pivotal role in search and rescue operations in northwest Syria and in providing life-saving support and emergency medical care to those affected by the disaster.

The federation has just launched an appeal for more than $200 million to respond to the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and other aid agencies are expected to follow suit.

The U.N. Syria Commission, which has been investigating alleged violations of international human rights law in Syria since March 2011, is calling for a comprehensive cease-fire to enable humanitarian workers and rescuers to reach those in need without fear of attacks.

"Many Syrians are now without shelter among collapsed buildings, in the rain and the snow, amid freezing temperatures with untold numbers trapped beneath the rubble," said Paulo Pinheiro, chair of the commission.
Thruway Authority officials told skeptical lawmakers on Monday that a toll increase is needed to avoid a massive budget shortfall within the next decade.

Frank Hoare, the interim executive director of the Thruway Authority, and Matthew Howard, the authority's chief financial officer, testified at the transportation budget hearing that without a toll increase, projections show the agency will face a $4 million budget gap beginning in 2024. The deficit will rise to $250 million by 2031 if tolls remain unchanged.

The Thruway Authority has proposed a 5% increase for New York E-ZPass users beginning in 2024 and another 5% hike in 2027. Out-of-state E-ZPass users and tolls-by-mail customers would pay a differential  a 75% higher rate than in-state E-ZPass holders. Public hearings will be held before the authority's board votes on the toll increase later this year. Hoare said the hearings will begin in mid-to-late spring.

About three-quarters of Thruway users are New Yorkers with E-ZPass accounts. The remaining customers are either out-of-state E-ZPass holders or use the tolls-by-mail system.

State legislators are concerned about how a toll increase will affect cash-strapped New Yorkers. But the Thruway Authority is not immune from current economic conditions.

Within the last two years, Hoare said equipment and vehicle costs increased by 40%. When the Thruway Authority bought structural steel for projects in 2010, it was $1.31 per pound. It is now $4.08 per pound, a 212% increase. There are significantly higher costs for other supplies, such as asphalt and gravel, and personnel.

"There is never a good time to raise prices. I know that," Hoare said. "But if you look at prices and you look at expenses and what the needs were in 2010 versus now, it's gone up. If we want to maintain a safe and reliable system... we are going to need to continue to invest in that."

Howard compared New York's proposed tolls to other states. The tolls to drive on the Pennsylvania turnpike cost 14.5 cents per mile, while it is 8.6 cents per mile in Indiana. In New York, the rate would increase from its current level, 4.5 cents per mile, to 4.9 cents per mile once the increase is fully phased in.

As an example, Howard calculated what the toll would be to drive from Buffalo to Albany on the Thruway. The current toll is $12 and would increase by 91 cents if the authority adopts the new rates. The toll to drive the same distance on the Pennsylvania turnpike would cost $39, he said.

Legislators questioned why the Thruway Authority did not pursue other potential revenue sources before seeking a toll hike. The agency has repeatedly said it does not receive federal and state funding. The federal infrastructure law that was signed in 2021 included billions for New York but Hoare said the funding went to support the state Department of Transportation's capital plan.

"We were not included in that," he said, adding that the authority has applied for grants through other federal programs.

State Sen. George Borrello, a Southern Tier Republican, inquired about the Thruway's shift to cashless tolling and why that did not achieve the savings necessary to avoid a large budget gap. Hoare explained that cashless tolling "was not meant to save money." Instead, the transition was intended to boost safety and customer convenience, he said.

Some legislators referred to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's analysis of the Thruway Authority's finances and his statement that a toll hike "should be the last option."

But Hoare believes that the Thruway Authority needs to raise tolls to boost revenue. The agency has previously mentioned its capital needs, including the reconstruction of aging bridges that will cost $800 million.

"We are at a point where we cannot continue to push the can down the road," he said.
Nigeria's Supreme Court has suspended the government's deadline to stop the use of old currency notes.

The Central Bank of Nigeria had ordered people to swap out old bank notes for currency with a new design by the February 10 deadline, but the directive led to cash shortages, protests and some attacks on banks.

The court ruling halts the move by federal authorities and the Central Bank of Nigeria to completely phase out the old 200, 500 and 1,000 naira bills by this Friday. The Central Bank has yet to respond to the court ruling, which comes ahead of another hearing next week.

The decision follows a lawsuit filed by three Nigerian state governors seeking to keep these bank notes in circulation a while longer.

Abdulhakeem Mustapha, the attorney who filed the suit on behalf of the Kogi, Kaduna and Zamfara state governors, said Wednesday the bid to transition to the new notes was causing political instability.

However, economist Emeka Okengwu said the central bank has been operating within legal parameters and that the high court should not be involved.

"Clearly we can see that the CBN is making efforts. All they need to do is be able to redouble their efforts," Okengwu said. "I don't think they should extend it, and I think we should start respecting the sanctity of institutions. The CBN is operating based on the laws and powers that it has. This is not arbitrary, so I don't even think that the Supreme Court should have entertained that suit."

In late October, the central bank redesigned the bank notes to curb crime, ransom payments to kidnappers, and counterfeiting and to regain control of the amount of money in circulation.

Authorities say the measure has been successful.

But millions of citizens across the country have been scrambling to get the new notes.

The situation has been especially challenging for some 40 percent of Nigerians in rural areas who have little access to banking services.

Daily struggles have resulted in protests and attacks on commercial banks.

The CBN has blamed the scarcity of the old money on sabotage by commercial banks and has been cracking down on institutions that are not compliant.

On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari held a private meeting with the central bank governor and the head of anti-graft agency the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The closed-door meeting followed pleas for calm as citizens protested the cash shortages.

The situation comes ahead of elections set to begin later this month.
Enthusiasm has turned to frustration and bitterness for a leading conservation activist in India's Himalayan region of Ladakh, which was separated from Jammu and Kashmir when the former state's limited autonomy was controversially revoked in 2019.

The move by India's parliament prompted widespread anger and a monthslong security clampdown in the Kashmir Valley, where the Muslim-majority population bristled at the increased control over their lives by the Hindu-led federal government.

But in the Himalayan highlands of Ladakh, the partition of the former state into two union territories with limited local control was seen by the 97% tribal population as an opportunity to set their own path and preserve the region's pristine natural wonders.

More than three years later, that vision has turned to ashes for one of its strongest proponents, Sonam Wangchuk, who recently staged a five-day fast demanding that New Delhi follow through on promises made in 2019.

"We were better off with Jammu and Kashmir than today's [union territory]," Wangchuk lamented in a video he made public before completing his fast at the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh, which he founded.

A former engineer turned educational reformer, Wangchuk has been working on the development of Ladakh for the last 30 years. He is credited with designing solar-heated buildings and artificial glaciers, while more recently providing the people with better education facilities.

Wangchuk was the 2018 winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, sometimes referred to as the Asian Nobel, for "harnessing nature, culture and education for community progress." His life story was the inspiration for one of the lead roles in the 2009 film "3 Idiots," one of the most successful in the history of Indian cinema.

In a telephone interview with VOA, Wangchuk acknowledged his initial support for the partition of Jammu and Kashmir and the revocation of Article 370 in the Indian Constitution, which had granted the region a separate constitution, a state flag, and a high degree of autonomy over its internal affairs.

"On the one hand, it was good for the people of Ladakh to have their own path of development," said the tireless advocate of a carbon-neutral lifestyle, who had hoped the change would help to safeguard the region's fragile ecology. "But on the other hand, we were concerned about how will the safeguards of Article 370 continue?"

Reflecting a growing local consensus, Wangchuk now argues that Ladakh should become a state with its own legislature. And as a key demand of his fast, he appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant the region special protections under the Sixth Schedule of the constitution.

Such measures, granting wide powers to local councils, were established to protect primarily tribal populations against exploitation and now exist in special administrative regions in four states in India's remote northeast  Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Wangchuk said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government had promised to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule at the time it was separated from Jammu and Kashmir but that the issue has since been ignored.

The activist's fast, which he began on a frigid hillside before he was placed under house arrest and forced to move to his institute, struck a nerve in the region and mobilized large numbers of like-minded supporters.

"There is no state assembly. The bureaucrats are taking all the decisions. People feel that they have lost their voice, which has created a sense of alienation," political activist Sajjad Kargili told VOA. "Ladakhis are now unitedly raising their voice for statehood and Sixth Schedule."

Tsering Namgyal, the leader of the opposition on the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, agreed that Wangchuk's climate fast has galvanized public opinion in the region.

"It proved to be a massive boost in getting the demand for the Sixth Schedule echoed nationally and internationally. It remains to be seen what step the government of India and the Home Ministry will take in the wake of such a huge public outcry."

As for his own future plans, Wangchuk said, "I am happy with the response I received nationally and internationally. I want the government to pay attention to peoples concerns and work for their betterment." But if the government still does not pay attention, he said, he will continue to protest until the people's needs are fulfilled.

When asked whether he wanted the region's leaders to join the protest, Wangchuk said that he wouldn't compel anyone, and if they wanted to shake hands in protest, he won't stop them either.
Authorities in Pakistan said Wednesday a pre-dawn counterterrorism military operation in a turbulent northwestern district had killed 12 insurgents linked to an extremist banned group, which allegedly operates out of Afghan sanctuaries.



The military identified the slain men as terrorists from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban, an offshoot and ally of Afghanistans ruling Islamist Taliban.



The army statement noted its intelligence tentacles had enabled security forces to intercept and eliminate the TTP insurgents in Lakki Marwat, a violence-hit district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border province.



Weapons, ammunition, and Afghan currency were also recovered from the terrorists during the operation, the statement said.



The anti-terror military action comes amid a spate of TTP attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks that has killed hundreds of people, including security forces, and strained Islamabads otherwise friendly ties with the Taliban regime in Kabul.

The central spokesman for the Afghan Taliban has again rejected allegations that cross-border terrorism in Pakistan is emanating from his country.



The Islamic Emirate is making all possible efforts to counter activities on Afghan soil that could be detrimental to others, Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA by phone, using the official title for the Taliban administration in Kabul.



However, Mujahid urged Pakistani authorities to desist from swiftly pointing fingers at his country for domestic acts of terrorism even before thoroughly investigating such incidents.



We seek peace and security in both countries. We have seen the destruction wars caused in Afghanistan and we dont want anyone, including Pakistan, to suffer from it, he said.

Pakistan is a close neighbor, a friendly and brotherly country. It is an important relationship for us, and we would never want to spoil it.

Mujahid added his administration would welcome Pakistani officials if they intended to visit Afghanistan for counterterrorism discussions and cooperation.

Last week, a powerful bomb blast at a mosque in the highly secured police headquarters in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killed nearly 100 people and injured many more. The victims were mostly security forces.

TTP denied its involvement in the bombing, but Pakistani officials blamed the group and renewed calls for Kabul to rein in the insurgents, further straining bilateral relations.

The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021 as the United States and NATO allies withdrew from the country after two decades of war with the then-insurgent Taliban. The hardline group has since imposed harsh Islamic laws based on its own interpretation of Islam to govern the country, barring women from work and education.

The Pakistani Taliban, designated as a global terrorist organization by the United States, has long been waging terrorism in Pakistan. The violence has killed thousands of people, including civilians and security forces.

TTP seeks to establish a Taliban-style Islamic Shariah-compliant state in Pakistan through violence. Pakistani officials and religious scholars reject the campaign as anti-Islam and an illegitimate armed struggle against the country.

Recent United Nations assessments have suggested the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.

There are some 4,000 TTP fighters based in Afghan areas bordering Pakistan, and they make up the largest group of foreign fighters in the conflict-torn country, according to the U.N.

The Pakistan Taliban has been scaling up its attacks over the last few years, mostly targeting security forces in rural areas near the border, Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington told VOA.

Kugelman said the growing terror threat was not good news for Pakistani leaders efforts to tackle a severe economic crisis and a lingering political turmoil in the country

The violence, Kugelman said, will deepen pressure on the state to launch a new counterterrorism offensive that has been resisted so far due to economic stress and a preference for talks with the militants, he said earlier this week in a written response, commenting on the wake of rising TTP attacks. Even if those talks are essentially dead in the water, he said.
Rescue crews in Turkey and Syria raced against the cold early Wednesday to find survivors buried in the rubble of buildings toppled by powerful earthquakes that struck the region Monday and left more than 7,700 people dead.

After a night in which temperatures fell close to freezing, there were more aftershocks a day after the 7.8 magnitude quake. More than 20 of them measured a magnitude of 4.0 or greater, shaking the territory along the border between the two countries.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed support for the people of Turkey and Syria in this moment of unspeakable grief, and said the casualty figures do not capture the grief and loss being experienced by families right now who have lost a mother, a father, a daughter, a son beneath the rubble  or who dont know whether their loved ones are alive or dead.

Speaking at a WHO meeting in Geneva, Tedros said the organization is sending charter flights to both countries with medical supplies and that it will work to support them as they recover and rebuild.

This is a moment when we must come together in solidarity, as one humanity, to save lives and alleviate the suffering of people who have already suffered so much, he said.

Turkeys emergency disaster management agency said it was conducting operations by road and by air to get supplies and crews to areas affected by the earthquakes. Those efforts were being backed by a growing number of other governments and aid agencies that have sent teams and resources to the region.

On a traffic-jammed, snowy road between the cities of Krsehir and Kayseri, VOA Turkish spoke with people who were on their way to the affected area with aid.

Cetin Klc told VOA his truck was carrying blankets and food.

We will do whatever is necessary, he said.

The epicenter of Mondays pre-dawn earthquake was near Gaziantep, close to the Turkey-Syria border, and it was followed by a separate magnitude 7.5 earthquake about 100 kilometers north in the early afternoon.

Officials in Turkey said Tuesday more than 7,700 people were killed and more than 15,000 others were injured. They said more than 8,000 people had been rescued and at least 6,200 buildings had collapsed. Syria reported at least 1,800 deaths and about 3,700 injuries, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue groups.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning and a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces directly affected by the quake.

Erdogan described the earthquake as unique in the world, and he thanked Qatar for offering 10,000 container homes for people left homeless.

Search teams and emergency aid from throughout the world poured into Turkey and Syria as rescue workers dug through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors. Some voices that had been crying out for help fell silent.

"We could hear their voices, they were calling for help," said Ali Silo, whose two relatives could not be saved in the Turkish town of Nurdagi.

More than 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkey alone, Vice President Fuat Oktay said, and some 380,000 have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels. They huddled in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centers, while others spent the night outside wrapped in blankets gathering around fires.

Awale Ahmed Darfa, a Somali student in Gaziantep at the epicenter, told VOA Somali, A large earthquake hit while we were asleep ... The situation turned critical very quickly. We heard screams, cries and people running. The buildings were shaking as if they were shaken by Jinn [evil spirits]. Everyone ran to wherever they felt they would be safe.

The student added, We are now outside since we left our homes around 4 a.m. There is a problem being outside  it is rainy, cold, windy, and we are not wearing protective clothing. Outside, everyone is wearing what they were wearing [while] asleep. Some people do not have shoes. They told us we could not go back to the buildings because of the fear [of aftershocks]. That is the disaster here.

The earthquake struck a region enveloped on both sides of the border by more than a decade of civil war in Syria. On the Syrian side, the swath affected is divided between government-held territory and the countrys last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Turkey, meanwhile, is home to millions of refugees from the conflict.

The opposition-held regions in Syria are packed with about 4 million people displaced from other parts of the country by the fighting. Many of them live in buildings that are already damaged from past bombardments.

The opposition emergency organization, the White Helmets, has experience pulling people from buildings collapsed by airstrikes. But with calls for help coming from more than 700 places, Mounir al-Mostafa, deputy head of the White Helmets, said they are overwhelmed. They can realistically help in 30 places.

Strained health facilities and hospitals were quickly filled with the injured, rescue workers said. Others had to be emptied, including a maternity hospital, according to the SAMS medical organization.

Mondays quake destroyed the historic Gaziantep Castle and many other historic buildings in the area.

In the Turkish city of Mersin, resident Nurhan Kiral told VOAs Turkish Service that the earthquake lasted about a minute.

We woke up with the tremor and got out of the bed. Rubble fell from the chimney. Rubble fell from the empty space between the buildings. It was terrifying, Kiral said.

Residents in Turkeys western city of Izmir organized a clothing donation campaign to help the earthquake victims.

Emre Demirpolat told VOAs Turkish Service, We brought blankets and heaters. We need to be united ... In such bad times, we must support each other. While we cant stay outside for 10 minutes in this cold, people there, shudder to think about the loss of their homes and when they will get to go to a warm place.

In other parts of Turkey, residents struggled to find transportation to travel to the earthquake-stricken area to see their relatives and loved ones.

Serdar Ozdemir, an Ankara resident, told VOAs Turkish Service he was finally able to get a bus ticket to go to the city Malatya, after not being able to find a car rental.

I cant rent a car. Theres no way to go. I have been looking for a car here for hours.

Turkey is in one of the worlds most active earthquake zones.

In 1999, more than 17,000 people were killed when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake  the worst to hit Turkey in decades  struck near Duzce, in the northwest of the country.

In October 2022, a magnitude 7.0 quake hit the Aegean Sea, killing 116 people and injuring more than 1,000. All but two of the victims were in Izmir, Turkey.

VOA Turkish and VOA Somali Services contributed to this report.

Some material for this article came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Rescue crews in Turkey and Syria raced against time and the cold Wednesday to find survivors buried in the rubble of buildings toppled by powerful earthquakes that struck the region Monday and left more than 11,000 people dead.

The rescue effort in Turkey involved 96,000 personnel, the countrys emergency management agency said Wednesday.

Search sites have been the scenes of some celebrations as people are found alive and taken away for medical care. But uncovering the rubble has also meant frequent increases in the number of casualties.

Officials in Turkey said at least 8,574 people were killed and more than 38,000 others were injured. In Syria, there were at least 2,530 deaths, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue groups.

The earthquake is now the worlds deadliest seismic event since a 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people in Japan.

The epicenter of Mondays pre-dawn earthquake was in Pazarcik, near the city of Gaziantep, close to the Turkey-Syria border. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the area Wednesday, including a stop at a tent city in Kahramanmaras that the emergency management agency set up for people affected by the earthquake.

Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning and a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces directly affected by the quake.



Erdogan described the earthquake as unique in the world, and he thanked Qatar for offering 10,000 container homes for people left homeless.

Search teams and emergency aid from throughout the world poured into Turkey and Syria as rescue workers dug through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors. Some voices that had been crying out for help fell silent.

"We could hear their voices, they were calling for help," said Ali Silo, whose two relatives could not be saved in the Turkish town of Nurdagi.

More than 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkey alone, Vice President Fuat Oktay said, and some 380,000 have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels. They huddled in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centers, while others spent the night outside wrapped in blankets gathering around fires.

The earthquake struck a region enveloped on both sides of the border by more than a decade of civil war in Syria. On the Syrian side, the swath affected is divided between government-held territory and the countrys last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Turkey, meanwhile, is home to millions of refugees from the conflict.

A crisis on top of a crisis

The U.N. resident coordinator for Syria said Wednesday that 10.9 million people have been affected across the country by the earthquake. Before the quake, there were already 15.3 million in need of humanitarian assistance in the country, due to more than a decade of civil war.

So, its a crisis on top of a crisis, El-Mostafa Benlamlih told reporters at the United Nations in New York during a video briefing from Damascus.

He said in Aleppo alone, they estimate a third of homes have been damaged or destroyed, displacing around 100,000 people.

Humanitarians are coping with a shortage of fuel for their operations, as well as freezing temperatures and damaged roads and infrastructure.

The World Food Program has pre-positioned food stocks in the area, which Benlamlih said are enough to feed 100,000 people for one week. The World Health Organization has two planes with medical supplies coming from its hub in Dubai to Damascus. But more supplies need to come in urgently.

Additionally, the main road the United Nations uses to get aid from Gaziantep in Turkey to the transshipment point into northwest Syria was damaged in the quake and closed.

So we couldnt send any relief items; we were looking for alternative routes, Muhannad Hadi, U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, told reporters from Amman, Jordan. He said they had word Wednesday that the road is opening, and they could start delivering some supplies as early as Thursday.

The U.N. has access to only one crossing point from Turkey into Syria. With their aid partners they move between 500 to 600 supply trucks monthly across the border into areas beyond government control in northwest Syria.

The Damascus government prefers all aid go through the capital and has said earthquake response assistance should also go through them. The U.N. says moving aid across conflict frontlines is more complex and in 2022, there were just nine such convoys. So far this year, there was one in January. Humanitarians say the two kinds of operations -- cross border and crossline  should complement each other.

Meanwhile, the U.N. announced a $25 million grant on Tuesday to help invigorate the humanitarian response in both Syria and Turkey. Benlamlih said U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths would be arriving in the region in a couple of days. Damage assessment teams are also arriving to do thorough needs assessments.

The World Food Program appealed Wednesday for $46 million to provide food assistance to a half-million people in Turkey and Syria for the next 3-4 months.

Turkey is in one of the worlds most active earthquake zones.

In 1999, more than 17,000 people were killed when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake  the worst to hit Turkey in decades  struck near Duzce, in the northwest of the country.

Last October, a magnitude 7.0 quake hit the Aegean Sea, killing 116 people and injuring more than 1,000. All but two of the victims were in Izmir.

Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some material for this article came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
A big fireball and billowing smoke rose into the sky when officials released and burned toxic chemicals from the wreckage of a derailed train in an Ohio village where residents had been ordered to evacuate because of health risks from the fumes. AP explains the risks behind the substance that was burned, the resulting air quality concerns and how it's being monitored.

Days after crews released and burned toxic chemicals transported by a wrecked train in Ohio, residents remain in the dark about what toxic substances could be lingering in their evacuated neighborhoods.

About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash Friday night in East Palestine, according to rail operator Norfolk Southern and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine earlier ordered evacuations in the area of the derailment that has been smoldering since Friday night. Some Pennsylvania residents living nearby also weren't being allowed in their homes.

Vinyl chloride was slowly released into the air Monday from five of the 10 derailed cars before crews ignited it to get rid of the highly flammable, toxic chemicals in a controlled environment, creating a dark plume of smoke.

The impact of burning vinyl chloride is a concern.

What is vinyl chloride?

The gas is used to make the polyvinyl chloride hard plastic resin in plastic products. It is found in products such as credit cards, furniture and car parts, but is most notably used in PVC plastic piping, a common material for plumbing.

Is it dangerous?

Vinyl chloride is associated with increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal government's National Cancer Institute.

The effect was studied in PVC pipe makers, who breathed in vinyl chloride and developed rare liver cancers, said Ruth Lunn, who studies carcinogens at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

"If you worked longer, you had a higher risk, and if your exposure levels were high, you had a higher risk," Lunn said.

Vinyl chloride is dozens of times less toxic per molecule than the U.S.-banned insecticide DDT but more dangerous per part than ammonia and natural gas, according to federal regulations that dictate acceptable levels in the air.

What happens when it burns?

Officials warned the controlled burn would send phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air. Phosgene is a highly toxic, colorless gas with a strong odor that can cause vomiting and breathing trouble and was used as a weapon in World War I.

Phosgene is considered safe at 0.1 parts per million during an eight-hour exposure, or 0.2 ppm for a 15-minute exposure. The eight-hour exposure threshold would have to be even lower when measuring inside people's homes, where residents often spend more than eight consecutive hours.

Hydrogen chloride is a colorless to yellowish gas with a strong odor and its primarily effect on humans is skin, eye, nose and throat irritation. It is considered safe at 5 ppm for an eight-hour exposure.

What is being monitored?

James Justice of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said a network of air station monitors inside and outside the evacuation zone was collecting samples and that none of their readings found anything to be concerned about. "We want to make sure that's not going to change," he said.

Justice said the agency is still working with experts to determine safe levels for various gases before reopening the evacuation zone. The incident response team did not specify what substances they are monitoring.

The gases that experts suspect are in the area are heavier than air, which means they could be sitting in low-lying areas if not completely dissipated.

National Guard members wearing protective gear are taking readings inside homes, basements and businesses, Major General John Harris Jr. said.

The EPA also sampled nearby rivers to determine whether there has been any water contamination and is awaiting results.

When will the risk be over?

Whatever chemicals are in the air, gases largely dissipate fairly rapidly when out in the open, said George Gray, a public health professor at George Washington University. "Sunlight can change that, the movement of air can change that, temperature can change that."

Residents are concerned about long-term effects of low grade exposure.

"There's all that smoke and all those chemicals in there," said Mason Shields, who lives in East Palestine and visited an aid center outside the evacuation zone. "I'm wondering if it's even going to be safe for people to return within the next week or month or however long."
Twitter became inaccessible on major Turkish mobile providers on Wednesday as online criticism mounted of the government's response to this week's deadly earthquake.

AFP reporters were unable to access the social media network in Turkey. It was still accessible using VPN services that disguise a user's location.

The netblocks.org social media monitor said Twitter was being restricted "on multiple internet providers in Turkey".

"Turkey has an extensive history of social media restrictions during national emergencies and safety incidents," the monitor added.

Turkish police have detained more than a dozen people since Monday's earthquake over social media posts that criticized how President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has been dealing with the disaster.

Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor and its aftershocks killed at least 11,200 people in southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria.

Turkish social media have been filled with posts by people complaining about a lack of search and rescue efforts in their provinces.

The Twitter outage came as Erdogan toured two of the hardest-hit Turkish provinces.

Turkish officials released no immediate statements about the service disruption.

But they had issued repeated warnings about spreading misinformation in advance of a crucial May 14 election in which Erdogan will try to extend his two-decade rule.
The URL has been copied to your clipboard

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

Nearly a year ago, tens of thousands of Ukrainians sought refuge in the United States as Russian troops invaded their country. Mike O'Sullivan spoke with two Ukrainian families in California about their lives one year later.
The U.N. is appealing for $2.6 billion this year to assist 7.6 million of the most vulnerable Somalis who are facing acute hunger and possible famine from conflict, high food prices, and unprecedented drought.

"Famine is a strong possibility from April to June this year, and of course beyond, if humanitarian assistance is not sustained, and if the April to June rains underperform as currently forecast," Adam Abdelmoula, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, told reporters in a video briefing.

The country, along with other parts of the Horn of Africa, is in the throes of historic drought after five consecutive failed rainy seasons.

Abdelmoula said nearly 6.4 million people are currently facing high levels of food insecurity and that is expected to rise to 8.3 million between April and June, including 727,000 of them who are expected to experience catastrophic hunger levels.

The U.N. says those at highest risk are in Baidoa and Burhakaba districts and among the displaced populations in the Baidoa town of Bay Region and in Mogadishu. In addition, several areas and population groups in central and southern Somalia are at risk of famine.

Abdelmoula said the distinction between a declared famine and what millions of Somalis are already experiencing is "truly meaningless," as children are already starving.

In 2011, after three failed rainy seasons, Somalia went through a famine that killed 250,000 people  half of them children. Now it is in its fifth failed rainy season and the forecast for the upcoming one is not promising.

"Don't listen to those who tell you that this is the worst drought in 40 years," Abdelmoula said. "This is the worst drought in Somalia's recorded history, period."

He urged donors to step up, noting that after the 2011 famine the international community said "never again."

"If we truly want to honor that promise, there is no time to lose," he said. "Every delay in assistance is a matter of life or death for families in need."
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has appealed for more international aid to help Ethiopia's war-displaced, saying only half of their required funding was met last year.

While visiting Ethiopia this week, the high commissioner said that addressing the needs of Ukrainian people affected by Russia's invasion must not mean the needs of the rest of the world are neglected.

"Last year, UNCHR's program in Ethiopia were only half funded," Grandi said. "This is not acceptable and I hope that this year after the peace agreement, that there will be more attention and more support given to our programs."

During his first visit to Ethiopia since the November peace deal was reached between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the high commissioner visited Mekelle, the capital of Tigray region, where he met with people displaced by the two-year war.

"I want to make a strong appeal here, where there is an opening created by the peace process, it is absolutely important that all necessary resources are mobilized to sustain the peace agreement," he said.

The high commissioner also visited the new refugee site in Alemwach in the Amhara Region, which shelters 22,000 Eritreans.

"I think there's quite a lot of work that we need to do on that particular site to make living conditions better. We had quite a good discussion with the representative of the refugees. We also have to recognize that Eritreans have gone through a very troubled time," Grandi said.

Prior to the start of the war in Ethiopia, about 20,000 Eritrean refugees were sheltered in camps in Tigray. Both camps were destroyed when they came under attack during the war.

The high commissioner also raised the importance of supporting the U.N.'s work in Ethiopia in recognition of the country hosting the third largest number of refugees in the world, with 880,000 people. A majority of those refugees are South Sudanese, followed by Somalis and Eritreans.
A former chair of the Cayuga County Legislature will serve as state Sen. Rachel May's local representative.

May, D-Syracuse, announced Tuesday that she has named Aileen McNabb-Coleman as her Cayuga County constituent liaison.

"Since I began serving this new district, I have looked for someone who could fulfill these needs and much more," May said. "Aileen is the perfect fit for this position because of her wealth of experience and invaluable knowledge of the local community. I'm extremely excited and proud that Aileen has joined my team, and I look forward to the wonderful service she'll bring to the region."

McNabb-Coleman represents the Cayuga County Legislature's 6th district (the towns of Owasco and Sennett) and has served on several community boards, including the Central New York Regional Planning Board and the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council. She was chair of the legislature from 2020 through 2021.

A graduate of Cayuga Community College, Keuka College and Nazareth College, McNabb-Coleman is a former teacher. She was a teacher in the Auburn Enlarged City School District and later taught in school districts in the Albany and Rochester areas. She returned to Cayuga County in 2012 and lives with her husband, Mark, and their two children in Sennett.

May was elected to represent the new 48th Senate District that includes the city of Auburn and all of Cayuga County. Before she was sworn in for her third term, she told The Citizen that she planned to have a staffer assigned to Cayuga County. In her previous district, she had a Madison County representative.

In a statement, McNabb-Coleman said she will relay communications between county residents and May.

"As a member of the Cayuga County Legislature, I've seen firsthand how critical it is to have positive relationships throughout the community," she added. "I will provide a clear lens to the county's unique needs by working with Senator May and her team. We can do more together, and I'm excited to serve the county in this capacity and honored to join her team."
The Justice Department is putting associates of Russian oligarchs on notice.

In the latest case of its kind, U.S. prosecutors have charged an associate of Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg with sanctions violation and money laundering in connection with helping to maintain Vekselbergs U.S. properties, according to a five-count indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

Vladimir Voronchenko, a Russian citizen and U.S. permanent resident who fled to Russia last May, is accused of facilitating more than $4 million in payments for the maintenance of four properties owned by Vekselberg.

The properties  an apartment on New Yorks Park Avenue, an estate in the seaside community of Southampton, New York, an apartment and a penthouse apartment on Fisher Island, Florida  are worth about $75 million, according to the indictment. Voronchenko is accused of unsuccessfully trying to sell the New York and Southampton properties in violation of sanctions imposed on Vekselberg in 2018.

This is the third indictment of a Vekselberg associate in recent weeks. Last month, the Justice Department charged two businessmen  one British and one Russian  in separate indictments in connection with the operation of a $90 million, 255-foot luxury yacht owned by Vekselberg. The yacht had been seized by Spanish authorities at the request of the United States.

The Justice Departments Task Force Kleptocapture, created in March 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has been leading the fight against corrupt Russian oligarchs. The task force has recently focused on targeting the oligarchs enablers.

Shell companies, straw men, and professional money launderers did not shield Voronchenko or the illicit transactions charged today from the investigative persistence of [Homeland Security investigations], FBI, and the attorneys of the Southern District of New York, Andrew Adams, director of the task force, said in a statement.

Todays indictment is yet another reminder of the priority that the Department of Justice places on uncovering the proceeds of kleptocracy and sanctions evasion and on prosecuting those who would take a paycheck in exchange for facilitating money laundering and sanctions evasion.

Voronchenko, 70, who lived in three of Vekselbergs U.S. properties, held himself out as a successful businessman, art collector and art dealer, and as a close friend and business associate of Vekselberg, according to the indictment.

He is charged with two counts related to sanctions violation, and two counts related to money laundering and one count of contempt of court for fleeing the United States seven days after being served with a subpoena to produce documents and appear before a grand jury, according to the Justice Department.

Vekselberg, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes magazine at more than $5 billion, was first sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018 for operating in Russias energy sector and again last March following Russias invasion of Ukraine.

He bought the four U.S. properties between 2008 and 2017, using a string of shell companies to mask his ownership from public view, according to court documents.

A New York lawyer retained by Voronchenko helped purchase the properties on behalf of Vekselberg and later managed their finances using his interest on lawyers trust account, or IOLTA, to receive payments from shell companies.

The American Bar Association describes IOLTA as a method of raising money for charitable purposes, primarily the provision of civil legal services to indigent persons.

Vekselbergs purchase of the U.S. properties was hidden behind multiple corporate veils.

Take his 2017 purchase of the Fisher Island penthouse.

The $31.2 million purchase was made by Voxi Management Corp., a Bahamian company owned by Medallion Inc., a Panamanian-registered company.

According to the indictment, Medallion was owned by another Panamanian company, identified as Company 1, which, in turn, was owned by a Panamanian foundation, identified as Foundation 1.

The first and exclusive beneficiary of Foundation 1 was a British Virgin Islands company (Company 2), of which Vekselberg was the sole owner, the document says.

As of the date of the indictment, Vekselberg remained the ultimate beneficial owner of Voxi and Medallion, which in turn owned the U.S. properties.

The indictment includes a notice of U.S. intent to forfeit Vekselbergs U.S. properties.
A global ransomware outbreak has scrambled servers belonging to the U.S. state of Florida's Supreme Court and several universities in the United States and Central Europe, according to a Reuters analysis of ransom notes posted online to stricken servers.

Those organizations are among more than 3,800 victims of a fast-spreading digital extortion campaign that locked up thousands of servers in Europe over the weekend, according to figures tallied by Ransomwhere, a crowdsourced platform that tracks digital extortion attempts and online ransom payments and whose figures are drawn from internet scans.

Ransomware is among the internet's most potent scourges. Although this extortion campaign was not sophisticated, it drew warnings from national cyber watchdogs in part because of the speed of its spread.

Ransomwhere did not name individual victims, but Reuters was able to identify some by looking up internet protocol address data tied to the affected servers via widely used internet scanning tools such as Shodan.

The extent of the disruption to the affected organizations, if any, was not clear.

Florida Supreme Court spokesperson Paul Flemming told Reuters that the affected infrastructure had been used to administer other elements of the Florida state court system, and that it was segregated from the Supreme Court's main network.

"Florida Supreme Court's network and data are secure," he said, adding that the rest of the state court system's integrity also was not affected.

A dozen universities contacted by Reuters, including the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Rice University in Houston, and institutions of higher learning in Hungary and Slovakia, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Reuters also contacted the hackers via an account advertised on their ransom notes but only received a payment demand in return. They did not respond to additional questions.

Ransomwhere said the cybercriminals appear to have extorted only $88,000, a modest haul by the standard of multimillion-dollar ransoms regularly demanded by some hacking gangs.

One cybersecurity expert said the outbreak, thought to have exploited a 2-year-old vulnerability in VMWare software, was typical of automated attacks on servers and databases that have been carried out by hackers for years.

VMWare has urged customers to upgrade to the latest versions of its software.

"This is nothing unusual," said Patrice Auffret, founder of French internet scanning company Onyphe. "The difference is the scale."

Also uncommon is the highly visible nature of the outbreak, which began earlier this month. Because internet-facing servers were affected, researchers and tracking services like Ransomwhere or Onyphe could easily follow the criminals' trail.

Digital safety officials in Italy said Monday that there was no evidence pointing to "aggression by a state or hostile state-like entity."

Samuli Kononen, an information security specialist at the Finnish National Cyber Security Centre, said the attack was likely carried out by a criminal gang, although he added that it was not particularly sophisticated as many victims had managed to salvage their data without paying a ransom.

"More experienced ransomware groups usually don't make that kind of mistake," he said.
European Union leaders are to meet Thursday for a summit dominated by migration, the economy and, not surprisingly, Ukraine. Reports suggest Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy  who arrived in London on Wednesday  may attend the Brussels summit in person.

The EUs two-day summit comes ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine  and days after top EU officials held a summit with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Besides Western Europe, Ukraines leader has made only one other known trip outside his homeland since Russia's invasion of Ukraine; that trip was to Washington in December, where he met with United States President Joe Biden and addressed the U.S. Congress.

Zelenskyy wants several things from the Europeans, including to speed up Ukraines bid to join the EU, more weapons ahead of an expected Russian offensive, and more sanctions against Moscow.

Brussels is unlikely to fast-track Kyivs membership application. But in Kyiv last week, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen praised Zelenskyys commitment to join the bloc.

"I must say I am deeply impressed, and I want to commend you for the preciseness, the quality and the speed at which you deliver," she said. "This is phenomenal.

Europeans already have committed billions of dollars in defense and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Brussels is also expected to unveil a 10th sanctions package against Moscow later this month.

Migration is also set to dominate the summit amid a sharp uptick in economic migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Europe this past year. Thats on top of the millions of Ukrainian war refugees.

Today, some EU member states are calling for tougher policies  and fences  against what they call irregular migration. Using EU funds for border fences is especially divisive.

I think migration and asylum policy remains a very tricky issue within the EU  with the EU witnessing its biggest migration and asylum crisis since World War II, said Pauline Veron, a policy advisor at the European Centre for Development Policy Management, a Netherlands-based think-tank.

Veron said that, even as many Europeans continue welcoming Ukrainian refugees, they are feeling rising angst about migration from Africa and elsewhere.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to appear in person Thursday to lobby the European Parliament in Brussels for more weapons in his country's fight against Russia.

If security concerns permit, Zelenskyy will address a summit of the 27-nation bloc in his push to secure tanks, jets and missiles.

The Ukrainian leader is on a three-nation tour seeking support from allies in Europe as the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion nears. Ukrainian officials have said they expect Russia to time a new offensive in the east around the February 24 anniversary.

Zelenskyy flew to London on Wednesday to thank the British people for their support in fending off Russias nearly yearlong invasion of his country and predicted that Ukraine would win the war.

"We know freedom will win, we know Russia will lose," Zelenskyy told the British Parliament. "We know the victory will change the world, and this will be the change that the world has long needed. The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most important victory of our lifetime."

Zelenskyy also met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace in what was Zelenskyys second trip abroad since the Russian invasion began. In December, the Ukrainian leader went to Washington to meet with President Joe Biden and address Congress.

Later Wednesday, Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris.

"I have come here and stand before you on behalf of the brave, on behalf of our warriors, who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire," Zelenskyy told Parliament, paying tribute to Ukraine's military. "I thank you for your bravery. ... London has stood with Kyiv since day one."

Hundreds of lawmakers and parliamentary staff packed 900-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest  and unheated  part of Parliament, for Zelenskyy's speech.

Britain has been one of Ukraines biggest military supporters, sending more than $2.5 billion in weapons and equipment.

The visit came as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that Britain would train Ukrainian pilots on "NATO-standard fighter jets." More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops have also been trained at bases in the United Kingdom, some on the Challenger 2 tanks that Britain is sending.

"I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak said.

Zelenskyy called on British lawmakers to offer even more advanced fighter jets, a plea he has also made to the United States and its Western allies.

"We ... will do everything possible and impossible to make the world provide us with modern planes to empower and protect pilots who will be protecting us," Zelenskyy said.

Later, at a joint news conference in front of a tank at the Lulworth Camp training base, Sunak said fighter jets were "part of the conversation" about support for Ukraine.

"Nothing is off the table," he said. "We must arm Ukraine in the short term, but we must bolster Ukraine for the long term."

On the battlefront, Ukraine said Russia was continuing its artillery bombardment in the eastern region of the country, in what Kyiv officials have said they think is part of a new thrust to mark the anniversary of the invasion.

Russian forces over the past day also launched major shelling on areas near the front line in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, killing a 74-year-old woman and wounding a 16-year-old girl in the border town of Vovchansk, local Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands said Tuesday that they were planning to send at least 100 older, refurbished Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.

The Leopard 1 tanks were manufactured from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s and, once made battle-ready again, will not reach Kyivs fighters until the summer months. The defense ministers of Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands said in a statement that the additional weaponry would "significantly enhance Ukraines military potential for the restoration of their violated territorial integrity."

The German defense ministry said that authorities in Berlin had approved the export of up to 178 Leopard 1 A5 tanks to Ukraine, but that the number sent would depend on the refurbishments required. Germany has not used the tanks since 2003.

The new weapons deployment will come in addition to Germanys recent announcement that it would dispatch 14 newer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraines fighters. The U.S. said it would supply 30 of its front-line Abrams tanks.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew to London on Wednesday to thank the British people for their support in fending off Russias nearly yearlong invasion of his country and predicted that Ukraine would win the war.

We know freedom will win, we know Russia will lose, Zelenskyy told the British Parliament. We know the victory will change the world, and this will be the change that the world has long needed. The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most important victory of our lifetime.

Zelenskyy also met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace in what was Zelenskyys second trip abroad since the Russian invasion began last February 24. In December, the Ukrainian leader went to Washington to meet with President Joe Biden and address Congress.

Later Wednesday, Zelenskyy was to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris.

"I have come here and stand before you on behalf of the brave, on behalf of our warriors, who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire," Zelenskyy told Parliament, paying tribute to Ukraine's military. "I thank you for your bravery. ... London has stood with Kyiv since day one."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses parliamentarians in Westminster Hall, London, during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Feb. 8, 2023.

Hundreds of lawmakers and parliamentary staff packed 900-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest  and unheated  part of Parliament, for Zelenskyy's speech.

Britain has been one of Ukraines biggest military supporters, sending more than $2.5 billion in weapons and equipment.

The visit came as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that Britain would train Ukrainian pilots on "NATO-standard fighter jets." More than 10,000 Ukrainian troops have also been trained at bases in the United Kingdom, some on the Challenger 2 tanks that Britain is sending.

"I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak said.

Zelenskyy called on British lawmakers to offer even more advanced fighter jets, a plea he has also made to the United States and its Western allies. "We ... will do everything possible and impossible to make the world provide us with modern planes to empower and protect pilots who will be protecting us," Zelenskyy said.

Later, at a joint news conference in front of a tank at the Lulworth Camp training base, Sunak said fighter jets were "part of the conversation" about support for Ukraine.

"Nothing is off the table," he said. "We must arm Ukraine in the short term, but we must bolster Ukraine for the long term."

Zelenskyy has mostly addressed Western leaders via video from Kyiv. But European officials in Brussels suggested it was possible he could also appear in person before a summit of leaders from the 27-nation bloc meeting there on Thursday.

On the battlefront, Ukraine said Russia was continuing its artillery bombardment in the eastern region of the country, in what Kyiv officials have said they think is part of a new thrust to mark the anniversary of the invasion.

Russian forces over the past day also launched major shelling on areas near the front line in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, killing a 74-year-old woman and wounding a 16-year-old girl in the border town of Vovchansk, local Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands said Tuesday that they were planning to send at least 100 older, refurbished Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.

The Leopard 1 tanks were manufactured from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s and, once made battle-ready again, will not reach Kyivs fighters until the summer months. The defense ministers of Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands said in a statement that the additional weaponry would significantly enhance Ukraines military potential for the restoration of their violated territorial integrity.

The German defense ministry said that authorities in Berlin had approved the export of up to 178 Leopard 1 A5 tanks to Ukraine, but that the number sent would depend on the refurbishments required. Germany has not used the tanks since 2003.

The new weapons deployment will come in addition to Germanys recent announcement that it would dispatch 14 newer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraines fighters. The U.S. said it would supply 30 of its front-line Abrams tanks.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
CCC is introducing changes it wants included in the electoral law during debate on the Electoral Amendment Bill. It says government has already agreed to some of the proposed amendments, including the setting up of power transferring transitional committee. Ian Makoni speaks about this issue.
We accept many different kinds of announcements. Just click on the button below and submit a form.

Go to forms
A New York legislator asked the state Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority to study the implementation of a mile-based exit system that would replace the existing sequential numbering scheme on nearly all state highways.

State Sen. Joe Griffo said in January that he wrote letters to the agencies urging them to examine the potential change. Griffo, a Rome Republican who serves on the Senate Transportation Committee, is a proponent of the mile-based exit system.

Nearly all U.S. states use a mile-based system, meaning the exit numbers are aligned with the highway's mileage markers. But New York is one of the few that uses a sequential numbering system. For example, the exits on the New York State Thruway are in numerical order, from exit 1 on Interstate 87 in Westchester County to exit 61 on Interstate 90 in Chautauqua County. There are some exits that share a number but a letter is added to avoid confusion, such as exit 48 (Batavia) and 48A (Pembroke/Medina) on I-90 in western New York.

Two neighboring states  Connecticut and Massachusetts are either in the process of switching or have already shifted to a mile-based exit numbering system. In other states, such as Pennsylvania, the mile-based approach has been in place for years.

"While I recognize that motorists will have to adapt to the changes in the short term and that there will be a transition period, I believe that applying this new exit system will prove beneficial in the long term and will make New York's major thoroughfares easier to navigate, safer and more compliant with federal standards," Griffo said.

According to Griffo, the Thruway Authority responded to his letter and noted there would be challenges with changing to a mile-based system, namely how exits would be numbered on I-87 and I-90, both of which are part of the Thruway.

The concept was briefly discussed at a transportation budget hearing on Monday. State Sen. Peter Oberacker asked Frank Hoare, interim executive director of the Thruway Authority, about whether the agency is exploring a switch to a mile-based exit numbering system. Hoare did not rule it out.

"We're looking at that. Senator Griffo has raised that," he said. "There is a number of issues and complications to doing that, but we certainly, again, always will take the time and be respectful to the legislature to look at any issue that is raised."

Griffo acknowledges there would be "challenges and technical issues that must be resolved." There would also be costs associated with the project because highway exit signs would need to be updated.

But Griffo does not see those as major obstacles. He said in a statement that the idea "has merit" and wants the Thruway Authority to "consider the further implementation of a mileage-based exit system in New York."
American journalist Seymour Hersh - who broke the story of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, the acts of torture in Abu Ghraib, and even the fake sarin gas attack in Syria - has just revealed how the Nord Stream gas pipelines were sabotaged [1].

US Navy divers planted explosives under Nord Stream 1 and 2, in the course of NATOs Operation Baltops 22 from 5 to17 June 2022, which were then set off by the Norwegians on 26 September by dropping a buoy from an airplane causing them to explode.

The operation was directed by Jacob Sullivan (National Security Advisor), Antony Blinken (Secretary of State) and Victoria Nuland (Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs). These three figures belong to the very restricted circle of philosopher Leo Strauss disciples. The planning began in December 2021, i.e. two months before Russias military intervention in Ukraine, in keeping with Security Council resolution 2202 (presented as an invasion by NATO propaganda)

On 7 February 2022, while hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Joe Biden said: If Russia invades  there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring it to an end."

In June 2022, the Norwegian Parliament adopted a military agreement with the United States granting them unlimited access to and unrestricted use of four areas of its territory.

The operation was executed by the US Navy in such a way as to avoid having to report to Congress, while the Special Forces Command (SoCom) is under obligation to do so.

This sabotage is the most serious terrorist act perpetrated since the Second World War.

The injured parties are the owners of the gas pipelines, the Russian-German-Dutch-French company domiciled in Switzerland, Nord Stream AG. The fallout from this sabotage has devastated the economy of the European Union, causing a staggering rise in energy prices and a string of bankruptcies.
U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney will answer questions during a telephone town hall meeting and her staff will hold mobile office hours this week.

Tenney, R-Canandaigua, will hold the tele-town hall from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. You can register by calling the congresswoman's office at (202) 225-3665 or by completing the online form at tenney.house.gov/rsvp. Constituents can also join by calling (833) 419-0132.

The mobile office hours are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 9 Pearl St., Lyons, Wayne County; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 7 Main St., Batavia, Genesee County; and 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 9 Academy St., Wyoming, Wyoming County.

Caseworkers from Tenney's office will be available to assist constituents with questions about dealing with federal agencies, such as issues with passport applications, Social Security benefits and veterans health care.

To schedule an appointment at the office hours, you can call (315) 236-7088. Walk-ins are welcome.
Infinity at Chiostro del Bramante from 18 March-15 October.

Rome's Chiostro del Bramanate hosts an exhibition dedicated to Michelangelo Pistoletto, one of the main representatives of the Italian Arte Povera movement, from 18 March to 15 October 2023.

Titled Infinity, Larte contemporanea senza limiti, the show will serve as a retrospective spanning the 60-year career of the Italian painter and action artist who will turn 90 this year.

Infinity follows the successful run of collective shows Love, Enjoy, Dream and the recently-finished Crazy, and will once again be curated by Danilo Eccher who describes Pistoletto's show as "a group exhibition by a single artist".

As suggested by its title, the exhibition proposes "an infinite number of ways of making art, an infinite number of ways of seeing, of changing perspective, of reading reality", according to a statement on the Chiostro del Bramante website.

Infinity will comprise 50 works and four large site-specific installations, dating from 1966 to 2023, including his celebrated Venere degli Stracci (Venus of the rags) and his mirror paintings.

For full details including opening times and tickets see Chiostro del Bramante website.
Among a handful of major initiatives in Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2023 agenda is a plan to expand availability of housing in New York state as part of an effort to turn around the long-running trend of population loss.

For some areas of the state, particularly in the downstate region that includes New York City and Long Island, the concept is solid because there's a decided lack of quality, affordable housing options. And overly restrictive zoning in some of those places has prevented the problem from being addressed adequately through the construction of affordable housing units.

At the heart of the governor's proposed plan to grow the state's housing stock is a requirement that all villages, towns and cities meet a new housing creation target of 1% every three years. Failure to do so could lead to a situation in which the state would be able to override local reviews of affordable housing project proposals.

The goal is to create 800,000 new housing units in New York over the next decade, something the governor believes will help keep people in the state and bring in new residents.

There is some help on the table under the plan to help municipalities attract developers. Hochul proposes a $5 million low income housing tax credit that could be used on mixed-income projects.

Hochul housing development plan triggers zoning concerns ALBANY  In pushing for a major expansion of New York's housing stock, Gov. Kathy Hochul is taking aim at restrictive local zoning policies by

We can absolutely see this package working well, and achieving the overall policy goal, in some areas of the state. But we also can't imagine how it would possibly apply to vast areas of rural upstate New York, including many municipalities in Cayuga County.

The reason goes back to basic supply and demand. There's simply not the demand that would fill up a wave of new housing projects in a large portion of the small towns and villages in the Cayuga County-area, which is not unique to upstate in that respect.

We urge the governor and the Legislature to work with municipalities to fine tune this proposal so that it doesn't attempt to impose a solution to problems in places where they don't really exist.

The Citizen Editorial board includes president and director of local sales and marketing Michelle Bowers, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd.
Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share

Heres something you dont see everyday: Microsoft Corp. is serving up a snazzy web search tool. And Google, whose search page has barely changed in 24 years, is also racing to launch a just-as-cool revamped tool in the next few weeks. It seems that officially, the new chat-engine wars are underway, with Microsoft on Tuesday announcing its long-awaited integration of OpenAIs ChatGPT bot into Bing and calling it a copilot for the web. Google published a blog post hours earlier about its own chatbot for search, called Bard. For Google in particular, it could be the riskiest strategic move it has made in years, a metaphorical leap off the couch that the company has been relaxing on for far too long.

This scramble by two typically slow-moving tech giants  whose endgame represents nothing less than owning the next era of online search  will be messy and fraught with risk. Both companies are using AI systems that have been trained on billions of words on the public internet, but which can also give incorrect and even biased information. Google also risks provoking a backlash from the web publishers that are critical to its business.

Update: Google is already grappling with chatbot accuracy problems after it emerged that an example used in one of Bards promotional examples was wrong. The companys shares declined 8% following the news.

Advertisement

ChatGPT prompted a wave of admiration for its creative responses to human prompts when it launched last year, but there has since been growing concern about its grasp of facts. We dont have statistics about how often ChatGPT gives incorrect information because OpenAI doesnt provide those figures. It only says the tool is getting better through regular updates. But the errors are frequent enough  occurring between 5% and 10% of the time Ive used it  to make users increasingly wary about all of its answers.

And despite strict filters that stop the bot from making political statements or hate speech, users of the popular forum Reddit have figured out how to goad ChatGPT into making expletive-laden tirades against its creators using social engineering tricks. The tool has also, inexplicably, used pro-Russian rhetoric when answering questions about the killing of civilians in Ukraine.

That gives us a taste of the potential stumbles that lie ahead. At first blush, it looks like Google is being bolder in how it might use the new technology. In the examples that Microsoft posted of the new Bing, it seems the chatbots answers will be relegated to the side of the page, not front and center where the usual search results will remain. The bots answers also include footnotes and links to source material, something that ChatGPT doesnt do, but which makes Microsofts tool seem significantly more trustworthy.

Advertisement

Googles own example of Bard, by contrast, showed a single summarized answer in the middle of the page, above its search results and with no footnotes, meaning it would be impossible for a user to identify the source. Why? Perhaps because Google is under pressure to move quickly. The companys AI lab DeepMind is currently working on a chatbot called Sparrow that will cite sources in its answers to queries, according to a recent Time magazine interview with DeepMind Chief Executive Officer Demis Hassabis. But Googles new tool isnt using DeepMinds technology, at least not yet.

Neither companys demonstration showed a warning that their tool could give inaccurate answers, as ChatGPT does. They should. This technology is much more mature than it was a year ago, but still its far from being robust enough to be at the forefront, says Ori Goshen, co-founder of AI21 Labs, an Israeli startup that sells access to a large-language model that competes with OpenAIs GPT-3.5. Big Tech has been pushed to make a move and the technology is not there yet.

Firms such as OpenAI have sought to make their language models more accurate by adding billions more parameters, settings used to help them predict words. But making such models a lot bigger doesnt mean theyll become a lot more accurate, and some researchers suspect diminishing returns for accuracy as the models grow. Ironing out those persistent few falsehoods could become a chronic challenge for both Microsoft and Google, in the same way that self-driving car technology has been nearly there for more than six years.

Advertisement

Google also risks damaging its relationships with web publishers who rely on the companys search page to bring clicks to their sites. The company has long had the technology that could have allowed it to introduce AI-powered answers to search queries many years ago  and even talked about doing so back in 2011  but it never did, because that would disrupt a $150 billion business that hinges on getting people to click around Googles search results. Now that its been forced to act, Google searches could draw eyes away from other websites, and that could provoke anger from publishers whove already accused the company of abusing its dominance in online advertising. (Disclaimer: Bloomberg LP is a web publisher that draws traffic from Google searches.)

Publishers though, cant delay the inevitable march of technology. Other Big Tech firms like Meta Platforms Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. will be moving to make their own large-language model plays, which will threaten publishers of writing, music, video and more over time. The shift to using such models will be similar to the one made more than a decade ago from desktops to mobile, one that companies like Facebook pulled off spectacularly while others  like Microsoft through its ill-fated purchase of Nokia  flubbed. This pivot will be a messy one, all the more so because the two leading players are rushing in head first.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

Advertisement

 How Did Big Tech Get Away With Such an Earnings Thud?: John Authers

 Robots Coming for Our Jobs Will Also Help Fire Us: Beth Kowitt

 Can You Make an Electric Car Without Losing Billions?: Chris Bryant

(Updates after second paragraph with allegations of mistakes in Bards promotional examples.)

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, she is author of We Are Anonymous.

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

Ecuador, one of the few countries in South America with a conservative leader, saw its politics thrown into confusion in early February when President Guillermo Lasso received a double rebuke from voters. A package of constitutional amendments he proposed was voted down, to the surprise of pollsters and investors, and the left-leaning opposition had a strong showing for mayoral races in key cities. The countrys bonds plunged at the possibility that the market-friendly Lasso wont be able to finish the two years left in his term.

1. What did Lasso propose?

The key referendum proposal was to allow the extradition of organized crime bosses to the US. This was an attempt by Lasso to bolster his popularity, which had suffered from a rise in drug-related violence. Other amendments focused on security, the environment and a plan to reduce the size of the national assembly.

Advertisement

2. What were the results?

With more than 98% of votes tallied, all eight constitutional amendments proposed by Lassos government failed, including the key extradition reform. In the same vote, former president Rafael Correas party scored victories in most of the major municipal races, including in the capital of Quito. His Citizen Revolution party also won the mayorship in Guayaquil, one of the nations most important cities  one that for 30 years had been the stronghold of Lassos Social Christian Party.

3. Why were the amendments rejected?

Thats puzzling analysts, since pre-election surveys by pollsters Ipsos and Cetadatos had shown the majority of Ecuadorians expressing support for all eight proposals. One line of thought is that voters opted to reject constitutional reforms solely to protest Lassos administration. The referendum turned into an apparent plebiscite on Lassos government, according to Barclays Plc. economist Alejandro Arreaza.

Advertisement

4. What was the reaction?

The outcome caught most politicians and investors by surprise. As results trickled in, the nations bonds plummeted, with notes due in 2030 plunging 10 cents on Feb. 6, the biggest single-day drop on record. Wall Street analysts argued the rejection of Lassos proposals weaken his mandate in the short term, while Citizen Revolutions strong showing clouds the nations long-term financial outlook.

5. Why could this bring Lasso down?

The results reinforce the nations current policy paralysis and dependence on high oil prices, said Siobhan Morden, a veteran sovereign debt strategist whos specialized in emerging-market debt for the past three decades. The opposition-controlled national assembly already has a corruption investigation open against Lasso. That could be used as a vehicle for trying to impeach him, though thats still seen as unlikely. Lawmakers failed to gain the two-thirds majority support needed to remove Lasso from office in 2022. Lassos term is set to end in 2025, but investors say his mandate is weaker going forward. That could leave him unable to enact the economic reforms they see as needed to promote long-term growth in the South American country.

Advertisement

6. Who are the alternatives?

Lasso said he plans to seek reelection, and indigenous leader Leonidas Iza is expected to take to the streets in the coming weeks or months as he looks to capitalize off Lassos weakness and elevate his national profile, Eurasia Group analysts Risa Grais-Targow and Yael Sternberg wrote. Former president Correa is exiled in Belgium.

7. Why are so investors so wary of political instability in Ecuador?

Even as international reserves are at record highs, debt payments in the coming years are minimal and the fiscal deficit has has narrowed under Lassos government, money managers are quick to flee when political uncertainty creeps into Ecuador. Since its independence 200 years ago, the country has defaulted on its external debt 11 times, most recently at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Minimal instability in the nation could dethrone one of the few market-friendly administrations in the region, leaving the reins in the hands of the opposition, a hard sell for investors who still have fresh memories of Correas debt default in 2008.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share

The pictures and videos emerging from Syria and Turkey since Mondays twin earthquakes trigger my worst memories of human tragedy  and my best experiences of human tenacity. In a previous life as a foreign correspondent, I covered the aftermath of two of the 21st centurys most catastrophic quakes: In the Indian state of Gujarat in 2001, and in Haiti almost exactly nine years later. The hideous sights, sounds and smells of suffering are painfully familiar.

Familiar, too, is the sense of awe at the heroic response to calamity by local nongovernmental organizations and other civil society groups. Their role is central to the rescue, relief and rebuilding efforts that follow any natural disasters. As important as providing immediate succor to the victims  building makeshift shelters, distributing food, water and medical help  NGOs have the responsibility of monitoring governmental efforts, ensuring the fair distribution of aid, guarding against corruption in the allocation of resources for reconstruction and proper accountability for failures.

Gujarat, where there was an abundance of NGOs with deep local roots and long experience, recovered relatively quickly from the quake. Haitis recovery was handicapped by the systematic undermining of its civil society ecosystem during its long periods of repressive dictatorship; the enthusiasm and resources of international NGOs could not fully make up the gap.

Advertisement

The tragedy that Syria and Turkey now face comes at a time when civil society institutions, and especially NGOs, have been greatly weakened by war and vindictive government policies. (In Lebanon, affected to a lesser degree by the quake, civil society is hampered by years of political and economic chaos.)

By at least one yardstick, civil society participation in the three countries shows a dramatic deterioration in the past decade, especially in Turkey:

Civicus Monitor, a global civil-society alliance that tracks civic space freedoms across the world, rates Turkey as Repressed, on a par with Russia, and Syria as Closed, akin to China. And Freedom House, the Washington-based think tank, gives Syria a score of 0/4 for associational and organization rights; Turkey gets 1/4.

Syrias civil war, now in its 12th year, has strained the resources of the few NGOs that are able, against enormous odds, to operate in the country. Most who live in the quake zone are opposed to the government of the dictator Bashar al-Assad, which means they can expect little help from Damascus. In fact, we may never know exactly how many people were killed, injured and rendered homeless by the twin temblors.

Advertisement

On the other side of the border, many of the victims in Turkey are refugees from the Syrian civil war. But they will be far outnumbered by Turkish citizens: The area accounts for roughly 15% of the countrys population. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a state of emergency in the quake-affected zone, but his government is already overwhelmed by the logistical challenges of providing aid to 13.5 million people.

In other words, Erdogan needs all the help he can get from NGOs, both local and foreign  the very organizations his government has debilitated over the years, by enacting laws that expand government control of civil society, restricting financing of NGOs and forcing many to shut down.

Erdogan isnt alone in this: Populists everywhere regard civil society groups as a threat to their absolute control of the state. In recent years, the Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi  ironically, a native of Gujarat  has eroded civic space and hobbled NGOs, earning the country the same Civicus Monitor rating as Turkey.

Advertisement

The Turkish will hope that state-approved religious groups can perform some of the functions that are usually the preserve of NGOs. But while mosques and churches are excellent conduits for relief efforts, they are not especially good at keeping governments honest.

Erdogans enervation of Turkish civil society cant help but hamper the governments response to the quake. And the resulting fallout will expose him to criticism in the lead-up to the general election scheduled for May 14. Tellingly, in his speech announcing emergency measures, Erdogan aimed a preemptive sideswipe at critics: This is not the day of debate with them, [but] when the day comes, well open the notebook that were keeping.

The threat is anything but subtle. Hes warning journalists and civil society that we will prosecute you if you criticize us, says Nate Schenkkan, Freedom Houses senior director of research on countering authoritarianism. Hes trying to short-circuit any discussion about accountability.

Advertisement

This may all seem somewhat academic right now to the Turkish NGOs that are scrambling to respond to the disaster. In the days ahead, they will undoubtedly demonstrate the extraordinary energy and endurance I saw in Gujarat and Haiti. But when they pause to take a breath, they might wonder how much more assistance they might have been able to provide  and how many more lives they might have saved  if presidential paranoia hadnt weakened their hands.

More from Bloomberg Opinion:

 Heres How Finland, Sweden and NATO Should Deal with Erdogan: Andreas Kluth

 The Worlds Most Important Election in 2023 Will Be in Turkey: Bobby Ghosh

 NATO Must Bring Finland, Sweden and Turkey Together: James Stavridis

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
Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share

President Joe Biden is still old. That observation might not seem quite so relevant after Biden delivered a spirited State of the Union address Tuesday night that accomplished all the White House could reasonably have hoped for. Biden, 80, rattled off meaningful achievements, slathered on some bipartisanship with a salute to GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell and praise for former President George W. Bush and then baited Republican House members into behaving like Republican House members, a performance that inevitably makes Biden and his party look like the only game in town for serious people of any age.

Biden was quick on his feet, exploiting his political foes in real time. His performance will deflate questions about his age for months. Maybe weeks. Or, as the existence of this column suggests, perhaps for a few minutes. The respite will necessarily be short. Because unlike most of the preoccupations of MAGA land, Bidens age is a legitimate concern. He has had a tremendously successful half term and his White House has performed well. But hes old and getting older; that makes supporters nervous and opponents ambitious.

Biden cant do much about time past or future. But if he is going to run for re-election  and there is no reason to believe he wont  he should do what he can to minimize the unease that eight decades of living induces in the electorate. The best thing he can do is have a vice president who is perceived as ready and able.

Advertisement

He doesnt yet have that.

Here are some words from the first paragraphs of a Feb. 6 story in the New York Times about Vice President Kamala Harris: Struggling. Frustrated. Trap. Then comes struggled again. The Times story was the latest entry in the Harris Cant Cut It genre, a growing body of reportage about her shortcomings on the national stage. A particularly brutal paragraph encapsulates the theme:

But the painful reality for Ms. Harris is that in private conversations over the last few months, dozens of Democrats in the White House, on Capitol Hill and around the nation  including some who helped put her on the partys 2020 ticket  said she had not risen to the challenge of proving herself as a future leader of the party, much less the country. Even some Democrats whom her own advisers referred reporters to for supportive quotes confided privately that they had lost hope in her.

Advertisement

Harriss bad press isnt a result of attacks from opponents. Its a result of a lack of confidence among allies. Thats partly Harriss fault. The vice presidency may be a rotten job, but history  including Bidens ascension to the presidency  proves it isnt always a no-win job. Every vice president has to identify a downhill trajectory, commandeer gravity and make a political vehicle out of an engine-less soap box derby car.

One person who can make that task easier is the president of the United States. Harriss main job until now has been sticking around Washington to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Its as mundane as it is essential  the sort of mechanical job that the president could highlight or ignore. Biden has mostly ignored it.

Making Harris the administrations point person on the southern border is an even more thankless task. The border will be under stress  and continue to deliver talking points to demagogues  as long as millions of people view it as a final destination in their flight from misery. You cannot fix that problem without a comprehensive solution that only Congress can supply. (Even Congress will need coordinated assistance from other nations.) Neither Congress nor the nations producing desperate migrants are poised to ease the stress anytime soon. So the perception of a festering problem will remain.

Advertisement

Harris, 58, isnt untalented. She rose through the ranks of the Democratic Party of California, hardly a political backwater. She won big statewide races for attorney general and US Senate. In the Senate, she ably grilled former Attorney General William Barr among other slippery witnesses. Her 2020 presidential campaign didnt catch on. That doesnt mean shes out of the running: None of Bidens presidential campaigns took flight until the one that finally did.

Its Bidens job to bolster Harris, elevate her and convince first Democrats, then the wider electorate, that his vice president is prepared for the top job in the event the actuarial tables scramble the political scene. Biden selected Harris in the first place because he needed the qualities that she brought to the ticket. He still does.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

Advertisement

 Bidens Successes Were Made Possible by Obama: David A. Hopkins

 What Kind of Republican Is Nikki Haley?: Jonathan Bernstein

 Will Biden Run Again? Democrats Need an Answer: Jonathan Bernstein

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Francis Wilkinson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering U.S. politics and policy. Previously, he was an editor for the Week, a writer for Rolling Stone, a communications consultant and a political media strategist.

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

Brazil needs friends. This is not an everyday thought among the polished diplomats at the foreign ministry in Itamaraty, where diplomacy is mostly understood as the art of projecting Brazils greatness and defending a narrow self-interest. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight But in the wake of the right-wing insurrection in Brasilia on Jan. 8, with revelations about the involvement of former President Jair Bolsonaros allies in a plot to overturn the presidential election and efforts to frame and arrest the head of the electoral court, Brazilian democracy needs all the support it can get from the liberal, democratic world.

When President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives in the White House on Friday, President Joe Biden must provide that support, no strings attached. And Lula must overcome his bureaucracys suspicions of the US and take it. With the political stability of the hemisphere at stake, the behemoths of North and South America must build a more solid bond.

Advertisement

The reason Lula wanted to come and come now is because he does see that his standing is weak, said Monica de Bolle of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. Lula wants some clear show of support. Thats all it is.

It would be a mistake for Biden to entangle US solidarity with any demands that the Brazilian leader will find impossible to accept.

As German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discovered last week, Brazil sees little upside in helping to arm Ukraine and antagonizing Russia, a key supplier of essential fertilizer for its agricultural interests (which, as fierce supporters of Bolsonaro, are already pretty antagonistic to Lula).

Theres also little point in Biden asking Lula for support in the USs budding conflict with China, which, like Brazil and Russia, is part of the BRICS group of large developing countries, with India and South Africa.

Advertisement

It will want to maintain a degree of leverage and independence from both sides, said Thomas Shannon, who was President Barack Obamas ambassador to Brazil from 2010 to 2013. They dont want to be the ham in the sandwich.

It is critical for the Biden administration to understand just how weak Lulas government is, dependent on a large coalition of parties that are not necessarily aligned with the objectives of his Workers Party, also known as the PT. Lula may be popular but the PT isnt, Shannon noted.

Even Lulas popularity is hardly universal. While the Brazilian president is a skilled political operator who has proven able to cut deals across party lines, the opposition is uncompromising. The armed forces did not join the insurrection, but cadres in the military, the police and the intelligence services are happy to undermine the regime.

Advertisement

Hamilton Mourao, a former general and vice president under Bolsonaro, is now in the senate, fulminating against the government for mistreating the insurrectionists and standing in the way of Lulas attempts to reform the security forces. The government cant trust its own security, de Bolle added. Things are just looking really weird.

The US can really help with this. To begin with, Shannon notes, Lula sees the US as a tranquilizing force not only for the political opposition but, most importantly, for the armed forces and the military, which have forged close ties with their US counterparts.

American help could also prove extremely valuable for other priorities in Lulas playbook. Consider the preservation of the Amazon rainforest, which tops Lulas list. Ending deforestation, protecting indigenous rights and developing viable development strategies to serve communities reliant on the forest will be tough.

Advertisement

For starters, those goals will require squelching a burgeoning illegal economy  land theft and deforestation, illegal grazing, mining, logging, drug dealing  a difficult task without the full-fledged support of the security forces. Lula cant do that now, de Bolle asserted. He needs Europe. He needs the US. He needs all the big democracies.

Just as it helped develop the system that has proven essential to monitoring the Amazons health, the US  and other rich countries  could provide diplomatic, financial and technological backing to build a new economic, social and environmental strategy that ropes in Brazil and the other Amazon nations, from Peru to Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Addressing world hunger is another potentially fruitful area of cooperation. The US and Brazil are among the worlds biggest producers and exporters of food. Even if they cant agree on the war in Ukraine, they might collaborate in dealing with one of its devastating consequences.

Advertisement

Come what may, Bidens advisors should not become too frustrated if there are no obvious wins to chalk up; no deals to announce; no points to put on the board. An unequivocal, muscular show of support for Brazils democracy would, on its own, count as a clear win for the US too.

The US shares responsibility for the attack on democracy in Brasilia last month. Americans offered blueprints on how to undermine elections, guides to storming seats of power. That alone justifies deploying American leverage to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.

But theres more. In the end, Brazil and the US share an imperative: Lula must do what he can to ensure that Bolsonaro fades into insignificance. Biden must do the same with Donald Trump. If they succeed, they will have sent a powerful message to a hemisphere in which democracy is only barely hanging in there: that democracy can, indeed, recover and endure.

Advertisement

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



Lula Cant Tell Vladimir from Volodymyr: Andreas Kluth



Social Media Firms Failed Once Again in Brazil: Parmy Olson



South Americas Make-Believe Money Is Either Dangerous or Irrelevant: Eduardo Porter

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Eduardo Porter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin America, US economic policy and immigration. He is the author of American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise and The Price of Everything: Finding Method in the Madness of What Things Cost.

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

Had I told you three years ago that Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S would report $31 billion in 2022 operating profit and promise to return almost half of that to shareholders, youd have called me crazy. It did. But the shipping industrys Covid-era bonanza is over and the hangover looks grim.

On Wednesday Maersk forecast its operating profit to decline to as little as $2 billion this year (or $5 billion if all goes well) as global consumers cut spending, causing shipping volumes and freight rates to decline. While Maersk is well-positioned to navigate the storm, its days as one of Europes most profitable companies are numbered.

What sounds like catastrophe is really a return to normal. In the 2019 financial year preceding the pandemic Maersk reported $1.7 billion of operating profit. From a customer perspective, this normalization is surely a good thing.

Advertisement

During the interlude, exporters and importers were paying sky-high prices in a desperate attempt to secure space on ships, which generated a massive windfall for vessel operators.

But in 2023 Maersk predicts container demand could contract as much as 2.5%, in part because retailers ordered too many goods during the pandemic and now have surplus inventory. Port congestion has eased, forcing fleet operators to idle ships. A nascent capacity overhang could worsen towards the end of this year when Maersks rivals start taking delivery of new vessels.

It falls to new Chief Executive Officer Vincent Clerc to plot a course through the impending storm  predecessor Soren Skou stepped down at the start of January, timing the top of the market almost to perfection.

Clercs first big decision  to disband a vessel-sharing alliance with Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Co. from 2025  is positive for those of us who think shipping companies are far too cosy and benefit from overly generous antitrust exemptions.

Advertisement

But it heralds even more competition on the high seas which wont delight investors. The reshoring trend where industrial supply chains are relocated from Asia to Europe and the US is a further headwind.

Maersk has tried to hedge itself against a shipping slowdown by shifting customers onto longer-term contracts and building out its land-based logistics activities via acquisitions. Neither is a panacea.

Long-term contract rates are trending towards depressed short-term spot rates while Maersks less profitable logistics arm is feeling the same pressures from subdued demand. Maersks terminals business is now earning less from offering storage to customers affected by port congestion (which again is something clients wont be unhappy about).

One silver lining from the three years of pandemic chaos is that shipping companies have a much sounder financial footing: Maersk had $12.6 billion of net cash at the end of December, compared to net debt of almost $12 billion in 2019.

Advertisement

By maintaining its current fleet size and declining to splurge on new ships, Maersk has been far more conservative than some of its rivals.

Even after returning $14 billion of cash to shareholders via dividends and buybacks in 2023 and pursuing further logistics and decarbonization investments its balance sheet will be in decent shape.

Maersk will remain a vital cog in global supply chains but we wont be talking about it quite so much. And maybe thats a good thing.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Shippings $500 Billion Profit Can Take on Amazon: Chris Bryant

 Want to Slash Your Tax Bill? Buy a Container Ship: Chris Bryant

 East African Pirates Are Forgotten But Not Gone: James Stavridis

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Chris Bryant is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies in Europe. Previously, he was a reporter for the Financial Times.

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

Addressing the Bundestag the other day, Olaf Scholz shot an underhanded gibe at a partner country that went unnamed but was easy enough to identify. The German chancellor was announcing that hed allow battle tanks made in his country to be sent to Ukraine. This step followed months of pressure from NATO allies  and from Poland in particular.

Hic Rhodus, hic salta, Scholz said with one his trademark Smurf grins. The phrase comes from the Latin version of an Aesop fable. In that story, an athlete returns home and boasts about his exploits, claiming that while visiting Rhodes he jumped farther than any man alive ever had or could. Alright, said a skeptic, if thats true, then Rhodes is here, jump here.

Scholzs intended audience was of course in Warsaw. The Polish government, only a week earlier, had said it would give Ukraine some of its own German-made Leopard 2 tanks, even if Berlin refused to approve the delivery.

Advertisement

That maneuver was part of a more general Polish campaign narrative. In the run-up to parliamentary elections this fall, the populist government in Warsaw wants to energize its base by sounding in equal measures anti-German and anti-Russian. As part of its tirades against Berlin, for example, Warsaw is demanding 1.3 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion) in reparations for World War II. As part of its resistance to the Kremlin, its become one of the worlds most stalwart supporters of Kyiv.

Alright then, Scholz was saying in the Bundestag: If you Poles are having so much fun posing as leaders of the West in the struggle against the Kremlin, then jump here, jump now. Send your own Leopard 2 tanks, then send even more weapons. And show us how to end this war while youre at it.

Aesopian barbs aside, theres a genuine debate these days about where to locate the European Unions political center of gravity. It appears to have shifted eastward over the past year. In relative terms, clout resides less in what former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld memorably called Old Europe, and more in the New Europe that joined the EU and NATO after the Cold War.

Advertisement

But that could lead to two conclusions. One is that Poland and its neighbors in the Baltic are leading the continents response to Putin. Another is that theyre apprenticing to lead the bloc more generally.

Theres no doubt that New Europe has over the past year been vindicated in its hawkish stance toward Moscow, and has gained kudos for it from Brussels to Washington. Moreover, just as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and others in the region were proven right about Putin, Germany and France were revealed to have been disastrously wrong.

For years, Berlin and Paris  which thought of themselves as a Franco-German tandem propelling the EU forward  coddled Putin and denied the threat from his imperialist worldview. Germany even built not one but two pipelines to carry natural gas directly from Russia to Germany, circumventing not only Ukraines gas links but Polands as well.

Advertisement

That amity triggered historical nightmares in Poland and the Baltic countries. Theyve been suffering from German-Russian deals at their expense at least since Hohenzollerns, Habsburgs and Romanovs partitioned the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth out of existence in the 18th century. Their worst trauma was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, in which Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union carved up Poland and the Baltic countries between them.

When these nations later joined the EU and NATO, it was therefore in large part to get away from Moscow. During Putins two decades in power, theyve progressively stepped up their warnings. But Brussels, Berlin, Paris and other capitals ignored them  with dismissive arrogance, as Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a former Estonian president, recalls.

These days, by contrast, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius and Warsaw have the ears of the whole EU, and the transatlantic West. They can claim to lead in another way too. Relative to economic size, Estonia has been the worlds greatest supporter of Ukraine, followed by Latvia, Poland and Lithuania. Germany ranks 14th, France 21st.

Advertisement

But this credibility doesnt exactly translate into other kinds of influence. Theres no longer an eastern bloc they could lead within the EU, as there used to be when the Visegrad Four  Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic  pooled their clout in Brussels. These days, theyve all gone their separate ways. The Czechs just elected Petr Pavel, a former general who spent time at NATO, as their new president; hell also help rally the West against Moscow. But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban remains a Putin apologist, and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic also tends to wander off the political reservation.

Moreover, Warsaw, like Budapest, spends much of its political energy railing against Brussels and the EU, while undermining the rule of law and other democratic institutions at home. The EU in turn has sanctioned Poland and Hungary, and is withholding a combined 138 billion ($148 billion) of financing from them. That hurts, because Poland remains by far the largest net recipient of EU money, followed by Greece and Hungary. Germany and France, meanwhile, are still the biggest net contributors.

No government or country can claim to lead a confederation even as it simultaneously undermines that leagues common values, milks its finances and obstructs its governance.

Advertisement

If it seems that power has shifted eastward in the EU, therefore, the reasons lie elsewhere. The main one is that all other potential leaders have in effect taken themselves out of the running. The Brits have left the club altogether. The Italians replaced Mario Draghi, a leader with bona fide gravitas, with Georgia Meloni, a post-Fascist populist. And as for that old Franco-German tandem, French President Emmanuel Macron and Scholz can barely mount  never mind pedal  the thing.

This is the depressing sequitur of Scholzs Aesop quip. The truth is that the wider West only has one leader, the United States, while Europe has none at all. Its friends and foes alike may well flip Scholzs gibe around and point it at Berlin, Paris, Brussels and the whole EU: Hic Rhodus, hic salta.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

Advertisement



Forget  Autonomy: Europe Needs the US as Much as Ever: Andreas Kluth

 Ukraine Desperately Needed Tanks. Now It Needs Planes: James Stavridis



In Ukraine, Now Its a Matter of Who Attacks First: Leonid Bershidsky

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy came to Britain Wednesday hat in hand, literally. The war-torn countrys leader paused his speech in the historic 900-year-old Westminster Hall to present Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle the helmet of one of Ukraines ace fighter-pilots with the inscription, we have freedom. Now give us the wings to protect it.

Speaking in English and dressed simply in those familiar khaki fatigues, Zelenskiy appealed for modern jet fighters, but he gave the MPs something beyond planes to think about.

Zelenksiy made Britain the first stop on his second foreign trip since Russias invasion almost a year ago, in recognition of Britains pivotal role in supporting Ukraine from the early days of the war. He name-checked Boris Johnson and that felt right. Whatever his many flaws, Johnson understood that Ukraines fight was also a fight against authoritarianism generally, a battle to preserve the postwar rules-based order and one on which the very credibility of the West depended.

Advertisement

Johnson expedited the delivery of weapons and other support to Ukraine, making Britain the second-largest provider of military aid after the US and a major trainer of Ukrainian soldiers. He built a unique rapport with Zelenskiy, with four visits to Kyiv in 2022. There had been some worries that current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak didnt share Johnsons fire for the cause. As chancellor of the exchequer, Sunak had supported sanctions against Russia, but stressed that they are not cost free for us at home. More focused on balancing the books and putting out domestic fires, would Sunak play a key role in maintaining public support and the western coalition as those costs mounted?

Most of those fears were laid to rest when Sunak became prime minister. He made Kyiv his first foreign visit, presided over additional defense aid and made Britain the first western nation to send main battle tanks, though the number of Challenger 2 tanks is largely symbolic.

Wednesdays visit dismissed any doubts Sunak would go wobbly  to borrow Margaret Thatchers famous admonition to George Bush. Sunak didnt promise planes at this stage, but he did offer Ukrainian pilots training on NATO-standard planes. A new set of sanctions against Russian entities and individuals was also announced.

Advertisement

Still, the Ukrainian leader needed to foster the broad-based political, public and media support that has sustained his fight. The genius of Zelenskiys address was that it went straight to the national heart. He made Britains lawmakers feel that his mission was also part of their DNA. He tied Britains long history to his nations existential battle, Britains sense of national character to Ukraines existential cause. He had warm words of gratitude for to King Charles III for his support back when he was still Prince of Wales. But there was also perspective: In Britain, the king is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.

Zelenskiy spoke of his visit, well before Russias invasion, to Churchills War Rooms, when he was invited to sit in the armchair where the World War II hero made life-and-death decisions in Britains moment of historic peril. He said only now could he understand what the feeling it gave him meant. And all Ukrainians know it perfectly well too. It is a feeling of how bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory.

What would they get at the end of this long, costly and bloody war? He had no doubt that the result would be victory for Ukraine. But he also held out the prospect of something bigger; victory, he said would change the world. The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most, I think, the most important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war. It would send a message to any aggressor that an attack against the international order would result in defeat.

Advertisement

That wasnt to call this the war to end all wars. Evil is part of the human condition, he acknowledged and other wars would happen. But, he told lawmakers, it is in the power of our words and deeds to ensure that the light side of human nature prevails.

In pure national interest terms, a Ukrainian victory would put the UK in a position to benefit economically from increased trade and a role in reconstruction. And it would substantially improve the UKs international standing.

National myths can be dangerous things, as indeed Putin has demonstrated in waging this war. In recent years, Britain has fought a faux war for freedom from European Union laws. It has divided the country, distracted its leaders, left it poorer and often feeling worse about itself. In the battlefields of Kharkiv and Bakhmut, and in Zelenskiys daily reality and plea for help, comes a reminder of what it is like when real freedom is at stake. The world needs your leadership, Britain, just as it needs Ukrainian bravery, Zelenskiy told lawmakers.

Advertisement

He will now take his message to Paris and Brussels, but by coming to Britain first he was both asking for help and offering a kind of redemption.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 What Would George Kennan Make of Russias War?: Tobin Harshaw

 Biden Is Escalating the War in Ukraine to End It: Hal Brands

 The China-Russia Friendship Is Too Big To Fail: Clara F. Marques

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering health care and British politics. Previously, she was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
It's a red flag when exercise or food choices lead to obsessions with appearance, body size, weight or exercise in a way that worsens quality of life.
Indian electronic component maker, Flash Electronics has announced a partnership with Slovakia-based GEM motors, which specialises in high-tech electric motors for electric vehicles. The new partnership will see Flash manufacture hub motors between 1 kW and 15 kW at its production facility in India for domestic and global markets.

Flash says it can provide motors as per customised solutions to automakers with a fast turnaround time. The Flash-built hub motors will come with integrated control, which brings a huge advantage to the automakers including space-saving, lighter weight, and higher cost competitiveness over existing motors with a separate controller. Flash says there are indirect savings as well for the automakers with fewer wires, bringing the total cost saving up to about 4,000 per electric two-wheeler.

Speaking on the technological collaboration, Sanjeev Vasdev, MD - Flash, said, The partnership will accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility with innovation-driven differentiation for our customer's mobility requirements. In addition to being highly strategic and exclusive for the Indian market, this partnership aligns with our commitment to being a one-stop solution provider for EV motors globally. FLASH is now the first company in India to have a product portfolio of motors ranging from 1 kW to 540 kW across two /three wheelers, passenger cars, LCVs, HCVs including electric buses."

Simon Madelj, PhD, CEO, GEM motors, said: Our solutions are visionary innovative designs with a low number of parts which effectively optimize the space to drive simplicity and superior performance. We are delighted to have a strong partner like FLASH and their strong focus on production and quality in manufacturing will enable us to reach newer heights in the global market. GEM motors have already onboarded over 15 customers in Europe, North America, and other countries for their range of motors and are looking to further strengthen their position in India with this new alliance with Flash."

As part of the partnership, Flash has access to 20 global patents of GEM motors and will make India the global manufacturing hub for electric motors. Speaking to HT Auto, Sanjeev Vasdev said that the company expects high demand for the low-capacity hub motors, which are used for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers. The heavy-duty e-motors will be used in light and heavy electric commercial vehicles.

GEM has been working on this electric hub motor for about eight years and supplies the unit to six players based in Europe and North America. The company will now source the electric hub motor from Flash, which will be supplied to companies worldwide. Flash says the motor has been tested for extreme Indian temperatures and is IP-67 rated. It claims to offer high efficiency with about 15-20 per cent of additional distance on a single charge.

Flash says it plans to an additional 150 crore over the next two years in the EV components business. The company produces traction motors, controllers, DC-DC converters, brushless DC motors, BMS and other allied products.

First Published Date:
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- DECO Automotive Co., Ltd. (DECO), a Chinese provider of intelligent driving steering systems, on Feb. 7 announced the completion of the B+ round financing, which raised for the company nearly 100 million yuan ($14.751 million).

The fresh round was led by Winreal Investment, with follow-up investments from Jinsha Capital, Qianhai Pengchen Investment, and iangel Venture Capital. The proceeds from this round will be used to enhance the company's production capacity of high-end intelligent steering products, upgrade its intelligent driving X-by-wire technology solutions, and attract high-end industry talents.

Photo credit: DECO

This marks another large financing for DECO in just a few months after completing a nearly 100 million yuan worth of Series B financing in Sept. 2022. The continued investment by existing shareholders Qianhai Pengchen and iangel Venture Capital reflects the market and shareholders' high recognition over DECO's R&D and mass production capabilities.

Founded in 2009, DECO focuses on the R&D, production, and sales of EPS system for various vehicles. Currently, DECO has achieved R&D of automotive-grade steer-by-wire (SBW) system and started the mass production of SBW products, which makes DECO a leading enterprise in domestic SBW technology for intelligent driving.

DECO has been engaged in the R&D of X-by-wire technology since 2011. It owns the redundant algorithm for L4 intelligent driving SBW system as well as the L2-L4 hardware platform. Its SBW products meet ASIL-D safety standards, assisting business partners to realize the commercialization and mass production of L2-L4 autonomous driving vehicles.

In terms of R&D, design, and production process of steering products, DECO holds over 100 unique and controllable core patents, said the company. Its product performance is comparable to that of international giant manufacturers with the cost considered as well.

DECO has its own software and hardware R&D team that boasts the ability to develop the entire industry chain of steering system controllers, brushless motors, sensors, and reducers, providing customized solutions for the steering products of automakers.

According to Gasgoo Auto Research Institute, the scale of China's chassis-by-wire market is anticipated to reach 60 billion yuan ($8.85 billion) in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 25.9%, among which the SBW sector would post a compound annual growth rate of 72.2%, far exceeding the industry average.
Australia Post expects households will be receiving less than one letter a week by the end of the decade as it faces the fallout of an unstoppable decline in snail mail, but the group still has high hopes about the growth of parcel delivery volumes.

The postal carriers chief executive, Paul Graham, said mail deliveries were a major drag on the companys business and all options were on the table, including reviewing the frequency of letter deliveries. He is optimistic, however, about the prospects for parcel post thanks to the boom in online shopping.

Australia Post boss Paul Graham. Credit:

Australia Post on Wednesday revealed losses in its letters business almost tripled in the December half and the company was heading for a full-year loss for the first time since 2015.

All options are on the table, Graham said. The simple fact is that Australians are not sending mail and not receiving mail. A lot of the mail that people receive, the vast majority is business-related, its bank statements, its your electricity bill. All those companies are moving to digital  we have no control over that.
3M will stop making so-called forever chemicals. Credit: Bloomberg Since it was first filed in 2018 the case has ballooned to include more than 3300 claimants, making it the largest PFAS litigation on foot in the United States. Documents beginning to emerge from years of discovery are expected to cause angst on Wall Street as 3M faces fresh allegations of concealing the health risks of PFAS and their widespread presence in human blood. The truth was that 3M possessed this knowledge for more than 20 years, and had spent two decades actively hiding, distracting or misleading those outside of 3M about this important public health matter, court filings said. In a statement, a 3M spokeswoman said it would vigorously defend its record of environmental stewardship.

3M acted responsibly in connection with products containing PFAS, she said. AFFF was a critical tool developed to serve an important need for military service members and other responders facing high hazard, potentially life-threatening challenges. Two of the most notorious in the family of chemicals  PFOS and PFOA  were used in the firefighting foam but were phased out by 3M in the early 2000s. Exposure to PFOA and PFOS at current and historical levels found in people and the environment has not been shown to cause adverse health effects, the spokeswoman said. She said 3M made provisions for probable and reasonably estimable liabilities and provided disclosures about the status of litigation.

According to a Bloomberg Intelligence report, 3M is facing a $US40 billion threat to its bottom line as a result of the 14,000 lawsuits filed against it in the United States over water contamination caused by PFAS. The reports author Holly Froum found remediation costs were potentially worth up to $35 billion payable over 30 years, and personal injury, medical monitoring and property damage claims were worth as much as $5 billion. This case presents an enormous risk to 3M financially should they lose. Gary Douglas, lead counsel for the plaintiffs If 3M must face trial, as we expect, it could fare poorly with juries, Froum said. Under her estimate, the legal liability represents nearly two-thirds of the Fortune 500 companys $US66 billion market capitalisation, with its alleged tactics around PFAS previously compared to those weaponised by the asbestos and tobacco industries.

With new claimants signing up to the South Carolina litigation every week, lawyers are yet to specify the size of the overall claim. Among the litany of allegations of corporate malfeasance to be aired will be claims a scientist warned 3M representatives as far back as 1979 that the chemicals appeared to behave similarly to carcinogens in animal studies  before the comment was deleted from meeting minutes. Loading The case will probe the extent of internal 3M concerns about the health effects of PFAS in open court for the first time, with the company having publicly denied for years that the chemicals posed any risk to human health. The first leg of the litigation will deal with the cases involving water providers, with a claim by the City of Stuart in Florida against 3M the first to be tried in June.

Gary Douglas, a partner at New York law firm Douglas and London, will represent the city as lead trial counsel. He told the Herald and The Age the city was fighting to recoup more than $100 million spent on removing the cancer-causing toxins from its water, which bore a unique chemical signature showing they were manufactured by 3M. Douglas said Stuart was selected as a bellwether case because it was considered representative of many of the other cases pending in the litigation. Accordingly, the jurys verdict in this case will have enormous repercussions, Douglas said. This case presents an enormous risk to 3M financially should they lose. Douglas said while the story of PFAS was only just beginning to come to light, it was well established that PFAS could be found in everyone and everywhere on planet Earth.

The blood of the polar bears in the North Pole, on the snow high atop Mount Everest and in the fish in the deepest parts of the ocean, he said. We intend to reveal for the first time in open court the entire story of 3Ms role in causing likely the worst environmental disaster in the history of mankind. The case has been assigned to Judge Richard Gergel, who was nominated to serve in the District of South Carolina by former president Barack Obama in 2009. Gergel warned that if certain motions didnt go their way, the defendants are in an existential threat to their survival.

If you ask the plaintiffs counsel, they would say, this is like one of the greatest environmental tragedies in the history of man and the defence lawyers said: Ill drink it by the bottle, and it wont hurt us, Gergel said. Somewhere the truth may lie and weve got to figure out what is it ... unemotionally, rigorously, scientifically looking at the data. The lawyer representing the foam manufacturers, Joe Petrosinelli, replied: Can I give you one thought on that, Judge? Youre not offering to drink it? Gergel said.

No, Im not. Im not, Petrosinelli said. Gergel said the issue of causation would be a major contest in the lawsuit, which would be at the cutting edge of the developing science on the chemicals. The case is expected to reverberate internationally, including in Australia, where dozens of communities have been polluted by the use of the toxic firefighting foams on military bases. In 2020 the Australian government paid out $212 million to three of those communities to settle a class action lawsuit and a cache of new claims are on foot. Newer forms of PFAS remain widespread in consumer products, including make-up, school uniforms and non-stick cookware. PFAS was found in the blood of all Australians sampled in a 2016 study by the University of Queensland.

All Australians are expected to have detectable levels of PFAS in their blood, the Australian government said in advice issued to general practitioners. 3M has pledged to stop manufacturing all forms of PFAS by the end of 2025. The plaintiffs team is being advised by attorney Robert Bilott, a partner with law firm Taft Stettinius and Hollister, who led a high-profile crusade for justice on behalf of a community polluted by the chemicals in West Virginia. Bilott said he hoped the litigation would mean critical information about PFAS that had been buried for decades in internal company files would finally be revealed to the world. He argued companies should be held responsible for the damages and costs associated with this unprecedented disaster. The Australian government maintains there is limited to no evidence that exposure to PFAS significantly harms human health.

However, other governments have delivered stark warnings about the health dangers. In Europe, authorities have declared the chemicals can cause health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and cancer. In the United States, the EPA has found high levels of exposure may raise cholesterol, interfere with hormones, the reproductive and immune system, increase the risk of some types of cancers and lead to developmental effects in children. Loading 3Ms latest annual report noted it was defending multiple lawsuits regarding its PFAS-related products and the outcome was difficult to predict.
The Hague: Russian President Vladimir Putin played a major role in supplying the anti-aircraft weaponry that downed Malaysia Airlines flight 17 over eastern Ukraine nine years ago, killing all 298 people on board, an international investigation team has found.

Dutch prosecutors said there were strong indications that Putin had signed off on a decision to provide the missile to separatists who shot down MH17, but that his position as head of state would prevent any charges being brought under international law.

The five-nation investigative team announced it had suspended its criminal investigation because of insufficient evidence and immunity privileges, meaning further prosecutions of those who either fired the missile or ordered them to press the button are unlikely.

The Boeing 777 commercial jet was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing 15 crew members and 283 passengers from 17 nations, including 38 who called Australia home.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- In the first month of 2023, Tesla sold 66,051 China-made vehicles via wholesale, representing a 10.37% increase over the previous year, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Compared to the wholesale number of the previous month, Tesla China still scored a 18.32% jump in January wholesale volume, which defies against the industry-wide decline in sales due to the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.

In the past month, Tesla saw 39,208 Shanghai-made vehicles shipped to overseas markets, soaring 182.68% over a month ago but slipping 3.19% from the earlier year. On the other hand, retail sales of Tesla vehicles in China surged 38.75% compared to January 2022.

Photo credit: Tesla

According to rankings released by the CPCA, Tesla China was the eighth in line on the Top 10 automakers list in terms of January 2023 wholesale volume of locally-made passenger vehicles. Specifically, the wholesale volume of the Model Y and the Model 3 came in at 40,903 units and 25,148 units in the past month, ranking second and third among all China-made passenger vehicle models after the BYD Song (49,865 units).

In January, Chinas homemade new energy passenger vehicle (NEPV) retail sales reached 332,000 units, down 6.3% year-on-year and 48.3% month-on-month.

Judging from the overall monthly retail volume of NEPVs in China, Tesla secured 8.1% of the Chinese market in January, up 2.6 percentage points year-over-year. In the past month, Chinas locally-owned brands sustained its 70.6% share of the entire NEPV retail volume like in December 2022, which climbed 3.3 percentage points from the previous year. The market share of new energy vehicle startups slipped 5.8 percentage points from a year earlier to 13%.

New energy vehicle startups retail volume accounted for 13% of the total NEPV market in January, down 5.8 percentage points year-on-year. Startups such as Li Auto and NIO all saw their January sales remain strong in general. Among joint-venture-owned auto brands, Volkswagens two Sino joint ventures took a strong lead with 5,273 NEPVs wholesaled last month, which accounted for 37% of the mainstream pure-electric joint venture vehicle market.

Outside of China, a total of 74,000 NEPVs were exported by Chinese automakers last month, specifically, Tesla China (39,208 units), SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle (15,316 units), BYD (10,409 units), Dongfeng eGT (4,260 units), Great Wall Motor (1,244 units), Geely Auto (749 units), Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen (722 units), Skyworth Auto (668 units), Chery Auto (565 units), as well as other companies with fewer vehicles.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

Chery Holdings JETOUR brand boasts 59.3% YoY spike in Jan. 2023 sales

On February 8, Chery Holdings SUV-dedicated brand, JETOUR, announced that its January sales volume amounted to 16,009 units, which surged 59.3% year over year.

Photo credit: JETOUR

Haima Automobiles Jan. 2023 sales jump 23.52% YoY

In January, Haima Automobile sold 1,901 vehicles, representing a jump of 23.52% year over year, according to the companys announcement on Wednesday.

DFSK allies with Chongqing authorities for smart new energy vehicle transition

DFSK (Dongfeng Sokon Motor Co., Ltd. ), the joint venture between Dongfeng Motor and SERES Group, inked an agreement with the local government of Chongqing citys Jiangjin District. Under the agreement, the duo will utilize the existing resources to promote the transformation and upgrading of DFSK, allowing the latter to be a maker of intelligent connected new energy vehicles.

Tesla sells 66,051 China-made vehicles in Jan. 2023

In the first month of 2023, Tesla sold 66,051 China-made vehicles via wholesale, representing a 10.37% increase over the previous year, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Haomo.ai partners with Enjoy Move for cost-effective integrated intelligent driving solution

Great Wall Motor-backed autonomous driving solution developer Haomo.ai reached cooperation with Enjoy Move, the Shanghai-headquartered developer of computing software platform and autonomous driving software, on February 3.

Chinese steering system supplier DECO nabs nearly 100 million yuan in Series B financing

DECO Automotive Co., Ltd. (DECO), a Chinese provider of intelligent driving steering systems, on Feb. 7 announced the completion of the B+ round financing, which raised for the company nearly 100 million yuan ($14.751 million).

RoboSense becomes nominated LiDAR supplier to SERES Group

Chinas leading intelligent LiDAR solution provider RoboSense announced on February 6 it has received nominated orders from high-end new energy vehicle maker SERES Auto.

Great Wall Motor scores 25.47% YoY jump in Jan. 2023 overseas sales

Affected by the New Year's Day and Chinese Spring Festival holidays, Great Wall Motor (GWM) sold 61,519 vehicles in Jan. 2023, representing a year-on-year plunge of 44.96%, the automaker announced on Tuesday.

YUDO sees Yuntu SUVs PPV model come off line

Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) startup YUDO saw the PPV (production process validation) model of the Yuntu (Chinese Pinyin) roll off the production line at its smart plant in Putian city, Guangdong province on Feb. 1, indicating the SUV model was almost ready for volume production, according to a post on YUDOs WeChat account.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China's passenger vehicle (PV) retail sales amounted to 1.304 million units in Jan. 2023, sliding 37.9% from the previous year, while also tumbling 40.5% from the previous month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

For clarity, the passenger vehicles hereby refer to the cars, SUVs, MPVs, and minibuses locally produced in the world's largest auto market.

The YoY and MoM decline in Chinas Jan. PV retail sales were in line with the industry forecast as both the New Years Day and Chinese Lunar New Year holiday fell in the past month.

Despite the overall downturn, the CPCA still noted that the oil-fuel vehicle sales favorably picked up in mid-Jan. partly thanks to the moderate release of consumers shopping demands as a result of the travel peak during the Spring Festival holiday and the continuation of local governments incentives.

With the decline of international oil prices, some new energy vehicle companies issued price cuts and rolled out a slew of sales promotion measures, contributing to the automotive market recovery as well.

The association also added the conventional fuel-burning vehicle market (excluding new energy vehicles) was still under a high pressure in Jan. after the withdrawal of car purchase tax reduction.

In Jan. 2023, the retail sales of oil-fueled vehicles in China amounted to roughly 960,000 units, sliding 44% and 37% year on year and month on month, respectively.

The CPCA commented that it is currently necessary to boost the consumption confidence of lower-/mid-income earners, who incline to choose an oil-fueled vehicle as their first car. Thus, the association suggests that policies still need to be tilted more towards energy-saving vehicles, and the best balance should be sought between economic effect and environmental protection requirements.

In Jan., many mainstream automakers in China stepped up sales promotion to make up for the coronavirus-led sales loss and strive for the best sales results under their expectations in early 2023.

There were around 190,000 luxury PVs retailed across China last month, representing a 36% year-on-year decline and a 28% month-on-month dip.

Chinese indigenous PV brands recorded a combined retail sales volume of 640,000 units in Jan., which was 31% and 40% fewer than that of the year-ago and month-ago periods, respectively.

The CPCA's data show that China's local brands accounted for 49.4% of the country's total PV retail volume last month, 4.3 percentage points higher than the prior-year level.

With about 470,000 PVs delivered last month, mainstream joint ventures in China posted a 45% decline both year-on-year and month-on-month.

Among the top 10 automakers by Jan. PV retail sales in China, BYD ranked highest in terms of sales volume and was also the only one to record a year-on-year growth. BMW Brilliance moved up to the 7th place.

China's monthly PV wholesale volume reached 1.46 million units last month, falling over 30% both year on year and month on month.

With regard to the PV wholesale volume in Jan., BYD outshone other automakers with a wholesale volume of around 150,000 units. Among the top 10 automakers, BYD and Tesla were the only two to face a year-on-year upward movement.

According to the data compiled by the CPCA, China's passenger vehicle export volume (including complete vehicles and CKDs) amounted to 230,000 units last month, leaping 34% from a year earlier, but dwindling 13% from the previous month.
LOS ANGELESRon Jeremy was committed to a state mental health hospital after a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled he was incompetent to stand trial on rape and other charges, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney told Reuters today.

The industry veteran, who is 69, can be held for up to two years under the ruling, said Greg Risling, spokesperson for the district attorney's office. A hearing on Jeremy's progress is set for May 8.

Jeremy had been charged with 30 counts of rape and other sexual misconduct stemming from various incidents in the Los Angeles area over a 23-year period. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

To read the full story, click here.
If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

- Air Products & Chemicals Inc. plans to invest a half-billion dollars to produce environmentally friendly hydrogen in New York state.

- The Trexlertown Chick-Fil-A plans to add a second drive-thru lane as part of a plan to reduce traffic congestion.

- The Harrisburg-based Mid Penn bank has opened its first full-service branch in the Lehigh Valley in South Whitehall.

- The Allentown Planning Commission put off a decision on a new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at the site of the former Nostos Greek restaurant.

- The former Star Crete concrete plant at the intersection of Farmersville Road and Easton Avenue has been sold for $1.58 million, and that may clear the way for a medical office building.

- The local business SuperSets Gym will open its third location in Allentown's South Mall, with no opening date set yet.

- The jewelry boutique Versant will close later this year, but the business will be consolidated at Gary Werkheiser's other location in Saucon Valley Square.

- The DSW Woodmill Commons has moved to Berkshire West, 1101 Woodland Road in Wyomissing.

- Trainer Michael Melendez has opened his new Reading Extreme Boxing Club where PacSun used to operate in the Berkshire Mall.

- Frackville NAPA Auto Parts held a grand opening with the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and Frackville Business & Professional Association.

- Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers in North Manheim Township held a grand opening, in conjunction with the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and Pottsville Business Association.

- PDC Machines, a maker of hydrogen compressors, showed off a new plant in Lower Salford.

- Maya Capital Partners has acquired Amwell Valley Self Storage, a 265-unit storage business on Route 31 in Ringoes, New Jersey.

- Norwescap is buying the former Sullivan's on the Main restaurant in Phillipsburg to renovate the building and then use it for programs to help educate and feed people.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Clouds thicken overnight. A warm and dry evening, then a spotty shower or two possible after midnight. Remaining quite mild. .

Tonight

Clouds thicken overnight. A warm and dry evening, then a spotty shower or two possible after midnight. Remaining quite mild.
Today

Clouds thicken overnight. A warm and dry evening, then a spotty shower or two possible after midnight. Remaining quite mild.

Tonight

Clouds thicken overnight. A warm and dry evening, then a spotty shower or two possible after midnight. Remaining quite mild.

Tomorrow

Mainly cloudy and much cooler than we've been (but still not bad for April) with some occasional showers or an afternoon t-storm, but not a washout.
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry The King Lawler, who spent years as an announcer during their televised events, is currently recovering after suffering a stroke at his home. The 73-year-old is currently recovering at a Florida hospital following emergency surgery.

Memphis TV station Action News 5 was the first to report the story. According to PWInsider, the incident occurred on Monday at Lawlers Fort Myers home.

Wrestling Observers Dave Meltzer has reported that Lawler suffered a blood blockage on the right side of his brain, saying that was unable to speak and has no feeling on the right side of his body.

WMC-TV chief meteorologist Dave Brown, a longtime friend of Lawlers, told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that he is very optimistic that hes eventually going to recover.

Lawler, who last appeared as an announcer with WWE in 2020, recently made an appearance on their Raw XXX celebration last month as well as on the Royal Rumble Kickoff show.

The legendary Memphis wrestler has had multiple health-related issues over the years, including suffering a heart attack on-air during a September 2012 episode of Raw. He also suffered a previous stroke in 2018.

Lawler has also courted controversy many times during his career. In 2016, after he and his fiancee were arrested on a misdemeanor domestic assault-bodily harm charge, he was dropped from the WWE commentary team, though he would later return at various points through 2020.

Despite his health issues, the 73-year-old is still performing in the independent circuit. His most recent match took place on January 21 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Lawler, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, remains signed to WWE.

[Action News 5, PWInsider]
EXETER TWP., Pa. - Police in Berks County say a woman assaulted a school bus driver Tuesday.

Roxanne Rivera got into a verbal confrontation with the Exeter Township School District bus driver around 8:30 a.m. at the 1300 block of Fox Run, according to a news release from township police.

Police say she illegally boarded the bus and then assaulted the driver.

After the assault, Rivera proceeded down the bus aisle and left through the rear emergency exit, according to police.

There were children on the bus at the time of the assault, but none of them were injured, police said.

Rivera faces several charges, including aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
WASHINGTON - With Tuesday night's State of the Union address, members of Congress typically invite someone from their district.

Lehigh Valley Congresswoman Susan Wild invited Nick Gruber and his wife Natalie to honor the sacrifice of their family and raise awareness of the needs of firefighters.

The invitation comes exactly two months since Nick's 59-year-old father Marvin and fellow New Tripoli volunteer firefighter 36-year-old Zachary Paris died fighting a fire in Schuylkill County.

Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday the Lehigh County couple met with Wild inside her Washington DC office.

"Are you surprised by the invitation?" I asked.

"I was. It's not something you get to do every day, not something you typically get invited to, little bit of a shock," he said.

Nick is the deputy fire chief of the New Tripoli Volunteer Fire Department.

"It's an honor to be down here to represent these guys, who gave their lives that day," he said.

Nick's DC visit isn't strictly to honor his father but to push for more protections for his fellow firefighters.

"Funding is a big one. Not only do we come out at 2 a.m. for emergencies and do that. People are shocked, we do have pay for the funds for equipment and safety gear," Gruber said.

Pennsylvania volunteer firefighters make up 98.6% of all state fighters, the third highest in the country.

Crews are in a crisis. Numbers have dropped from 360,000 in the 1970's to 37,000 today.

To help with recruitment the state Senate just passed a bill empowering schools to create training programs for high school students.

Wild is reintroducing a federal bill to correctly count EMS personnel and says more can be done on a federal level to help volunteer companies.

"It's important people recognize what incredible public servants they are," Wild added.

And as the country awaits the president's message, Gruber has one, too.

"To the people we do serve and protect, we are here for you," he said.

He says he hopes his department's tragedy can lead to a bigger impact across the state for fire companies like his own.
A key suspect in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland pleaded not guilty Wednesday, according to multiple news reports.

The U.S. Department of Justice arrested suspected bombmaker Abu Agila Mohammad Masud in September 2022. He was taken into custody after previously being held in Libya on unrelated crimes.

In 2020, the Justice Department announced charges against Masud, making him the third Libyan intelligence official indicted.

The attack took the lives of 270 people when the bomb detonated over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. Two of the people killed were from the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.

The father of a Lehigh Valley man who died on the flight recently spoke out.
PALMER TWP., Pa. - Police in part of Northampton County say three people assaulted a man while he was sitting in his car in his driveway, then stole the car.

It happened around Tuesday around 7:20 p.m. on York Place, near Old Orchard Park, in a neighborhood in Palmer Township, police say.

The 22-year-old was in his car, parked in his driveway, when three people came up and forced their way into the car at gunpoint. They tried to get the man into the backseat and there was a struggle, but the victim was able to get out of the car, township police say.

The three then took off in the stolen car, a 2015 hagane blue Infinity Q50 4-door sedan with Pa. license plate LLF-6195.

Police in nearby Wilson spotted the stolen car on Butler Street and took off after it, in a chase that went through Wilson and into the city of Easton. The stolen car was last seen at 13th and Northampton streets, police say.

Investigators are asking for help identifying the three involved and finding the stolen car.

Palmer Township police say they do not believe there is any threat to the community.

Anyone with information should call 610-253-5844 or submit a tip through Crimewatch.
BUCKINGHAM TWP., Pa. - A Lackawanna County man who set the fire at a home in Buckingham Township, Bucks County that killed his girlfriends 81-year-old father has learned his fate.

Christopher Gillie, 62, of Dunmore, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the death of Julius Drelick, according to a news release from the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

He also received a consecutive sentence of 25 years to life for the attempted murder of Drelicks wife, Phyllis, the DA's office said. Phyllis was able to escape by fleeing the burning home.

Gillie was ordered to pay more than $724,000 in restitution.

Julius Drelick died in the fire at the 5700 block of Private Drive in Buckingham Township. The fire was reported to county dispatchers with information that two elderly residents may be trapped inside. Upon arrival, police and fire units found Phyllis outside of the house, but she said that her husband was still inside, the DA's office said.

The house was fully involved with flames and smoke, and initial efforts to gain access were unsuccessful. Fire personnel were able to finally reach the second homeowner, who was unresponsive. Julius was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the DA's office.

The Drelicks used a chair lift to get up and down the stairs, but the fire knocked out electricity in the home, so Julius was unable to use the lift to get down, according to the news release.

As part of the investigation, an accelerant detection K9 was brought to the scene and detected an accelerant in three areas of the interior of a family room located on the east side of the building, the DA's office said. Further investigation by Bucks County Detectives and the Buckingham Township Police Department led to Gillie, who lived with the Drelicks daughter in Dunmore, Lackawanna County, according to the DA's office.

Hours after the fire, he was stopped in Lackawanna County by Dunmore Police. The DA's office says a strong odor of gasoline was emanating from Gillie, and a lighter was visible on the passenger seat.

Authorities say Gillie was also found with the house keys to the Private Drive home in his pocket and an older style rifle, which was positively identified as belonging to the Drelicks, was sitting in plain view on the rear seat of the vehicle.
STROUDSBURG, Pa. - Police in part of Monroe County are looking for three people they say vandalized a snowman display over the weekend.

Three males were seen on video vandalizing a Snowman of Stroudsburg on the 500 block of Main Street at around 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to a news release from the Stroud Area Regional Police Department.

A short time later, an officer discovered the snowman lying in the roadway and immediately moved it back to a safe location in order to prevent further damage, police said.

Eight people were viewed on video walking on the sidewalk and three of those people physically make contact with the snowman, according to the news release.

The first person hits the snowman, the second person kicks it off the planter and the third kicks it while it is already down in the street, according to police. The snowman was damaged in the incident, requiring body, face, and arm repairs, along with a hat reconstruction, police said.

Police are asking for the publics assistance in identifying any of the males seen on the video damaging the snowman.

Any one with information on the incident is asked to contact Officer Ralph Overpeck at 570-421-6800 ext:1030 or via email at roverpeck@sarpd.com.
DOYLESTOWN, Pa.  The community in the Central Bucks School District remains angry and divided over a policy approved last month that prohibits employees of the district from advocating for or displaying items that reflect partisan, political or social policy agendas.

The anger and passion were evident Tuesday night when community members packed the board room and spent two hours speaking both against and for the policy.

No items on the agenda were related to the previously approved policy. While the board listened to the comments, it cut the public comment period off at the two-hour mark.

The Central Bucks School District has been a center of controversy over the past year because of direction from the administration to ban pride flags in the classroom, censor sexually explicit library books and adopt the neutrality policy.

Many have claimed that the policy marginalizes the LGBTQ students.

But on Tuesday night, members of the Jewish community and others added allegations of antisemitism.

Last month, prior to the Holocaust National Day of Remembrance, a Central Bucks South High School librarian displayed a quote from "Night" by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor.

The quote reads:

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

The school administrators ordered the quote removed, stating it violated the new policy.

After a public outcry, the district apologized and allowed the quote to be displayed again.

Andrew Goretsky, director of the Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia Regional Office, said his office has been responding to record levels of hate and extremism targeting all identity groups.

"When this policy was being considered, we cautioned that this overbroad policy could lead to censorship and could have children not feeling welcome in their own school," Goretsky said. "One example of this occurred two weeks ago before Holocaust Remembrance Day."

"I am grateful this decision was rescinded, but this mistake should not have happened, and it likely would never have occurred if not for this policy," Goretsky continued. "Educators in your schools are now forced to second-guess themselves rather than educate."

"The unfortunate irony of this policy is the claim that it exists to protect students, while the majority of students do not view symbols of equity and inclusion based on gender race, sexual orientation and other characteristics as a cause for concern," Goretsky said. "Adults are the ones deciding that these characteristics are the root of a problem that must be addressed."

Evi Casey, a student, said she is baffled by the board's policies.

"As someone who is Jewish, whose own family was put in concentration camps, the removal of such an important quote is scary," Casey said. "After all, what is wrong or harmful about a quote from a Holocaust survivor? Are you saying that there's another side to take besides that of the survivor? Such a notion makes me worry where the priorities of my school lie, and what will come next."

"Many other students no longer feel safe in the schools, thanks to the fact that you ban pride flags, despite every ounce of evidence proving that they do nothing to harm our students, but, in fact, can actually save the student's life," she added. "Just that little bit of representation can make a kid feel supported, and can prevent them from mental stress and breakdowns."

Many other adults and students echoed the same sentiments.

There were, however, also those in support of the board's actions.

Leslie Watson, of Buckingham Township, thanked the majority board members for what she described as their courage and wisdom.

"I believe we all want the best for our children and for them to have the skills and values to prosper as they mature into adults," Watson said. "I am here to voice my support for the policy because it protects parents' rights and is the least divisive and fairest policy."

"Many obviously here believe just the opposite," she said, "but I have faith that truth will prevail over deceit and that peaceful tolerance will be adopted over forced acceptance."

Watson said citizens with different views have existed peacefully until the past few years.

"What has changed over the past few years that is causing the current division?" she asked. "I believe the division is due to pushing an agenda on our children, using the public schools, and subverting the rights of parents."

"This is not about intolerance towards the LGBT community," she said, "but about children and the rights of parents."

Sandy Gerger, a resident of Warrington Township, said the vast majority of the community believes that school is not the place to display ideology of any kind.

"Sexual and political materials have no place in school," Gerger said. "School is there to educate and prepare kids to become self-sufficient adults capable of living on their own."

"No potential boss is going to ask your child about their sexual preferences or political views," Gerger continued. "They're going to want to know about their skills and their learning."

The board itself has remain divided 6-3 over the social issues.

Board members Tabitha Dell'Angelo, Karen Smith and Mariam Mahmud vehemently opposed the adoption of the policy last month.

The board held on further discussion on the topic following the public comment period.
A minimally invasive alternative to heart surgery has come to Flagstaff for the first time through Northern Arizona Healthcares (NAH) Cardiovascular Institute (CVI).

The first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure in Flagstaff was performed in September by Dr. David Leder and Dr. Mark Tasset. A team of health care experts at CVI have performed between 20 and 25 more since, putting it on track to meet the rate of larger facilities in Phoenix, said Leder, a board-certified interventional cardiologist at CVI.

While TAVR is new to Flagstaff, the procedure has been commercially available for about a decade.

Leder said TAVR is currently at a point where  for patients who are at moderate or low risk for open heart surgery  it is considered an equal option to heart surgery and decisions on which to use often being based on the patients preference.

TAVR is most often used to treat a condition called aortic stenosis, where the aortic valve stiffens and narrows, becoming unable to open fully.

Leder said aortic stenosis is a common condition, affecting more than two million adults older than 75 years old  a total which includes a significant number of northern Arizona residents.

Symptoms can include chest pain, fainting and congestive heart failure. For most, however, the disease will present as shortness of breath and decreased functional capacity. Diagnosis starts with talking to a doctor, who can identify stenosis with a physical examination, as it often creates a distinctive heart sound (or murmur), followed by an ultrasound (known as an echocardiogram), to look at how the valves are pumping and determine the degree of severity.

If aortic stenosis is left untreated for two years, Leder said, the mortality rate is 20%. By five years, this increases to 50%, worse than some metastatic aggressive cancers.

The gold standard way to treat stenosis for years had been open-heart surgery to replace the aortic valve, a method that involves cutting through the sternum, opening the chest cavity and then removing the valve and sewing in a replacement.

Often the surgeon would describe that being akin to major trauma for your body, Leder said. Its quite an insult and especially for older patients. ... The recovery, beyond a week in the hospital, its often months of rehab before you get back up to full strength. You have restrictions: you cant drive for six weeks, cant lift heavy things, all things that dont exist with the TAVR procedure

With TAVR, the new valve is instead inserted through the femoral arteries using a small incision in the leg. Once it reaches the heart, a small balloon is inflated to place the new valve over the location of the existing valve (the balloon is removed after placement).

This is similar to the kind of stent that would be used to treat a heart artery blockage, Leder said, only much larger.

It all allows for a faster recovery.

For a typical TAVR patient, Leder said, the recovery is two to four hours of bed rest, but youre up in a chair that same evening and patients are walking and going home the next day. Rather than a week in the hospital and months of recovery, its generally a day in the hospital and a couple days of recovery.

Before TAVR was available at the CVI, he said, patients with stenosis in northern Arizona were referred to Phoenix for the procedure  unless they were a candidate for open heart surgery, which is available at NAH.

All of our patients basically had to drive to Phoenix, he said.  ... To avoid the trip for them is phenomenal and also theyre getting the care by their regular providers. So theyre getting the procedure by myself, who is obviously here in Flagstaff, and surgeons who are here, and they follow up with our cardiologists and primary care providers. All of them are local community as opposed to being sent elsewhere. Thats been one of the most exciting things, I think, about this.

What allowed the procedure to come to Flagstaff for the first time, Leder said, was NAHs investment in CVI, specifically the inclusion of a hybrid operating room (OR). Staff training and other support and resources was also part of this investment, but the main piece was having a hybrid OR, a $7 million investment, according to NAH.

Most cardiac procedures, he explained, are done in a cardiac catherization laboratory (or cath lab), which has a different set of equipment than an operating room. While extremely rare (meaning, a smaller than 1% chance, Leder said), inserting the new valve as part of TAVR can tear the existing aortic valve, leading to the requirement of emergent open heart surgery to treat. Having the procedure take place in a hybrid room that has the necessary operating equipment makes it easier to respond to an emergency should one occur.

Having a hybrid OR can also allow other procedures and techniques to make their way to Flagstaff, Leder said, giving examples such as vascular surgeons and new ways to treat structural heart disease. TAVR as a response to aortic stenosis is the most common example of the latter, but CVI plans to bring others to Flagstaff, such as MitraClip or valve-in-valve to respond to various problems with the mitral valve.

The hope is to expand access to procedures in northern Arizona.

We have the personnel and the talent to be a true regional referral center where there really should be very little that patients should be needing to go to Phoenix for services that cant be provided here, Leder said. These are all steps to that end.

More about TAVR can be found at nahhealth.com/cardiovascular-services, or by calling the Cardiovascular Institute at 928-226-6400.
The Young Vic has announced a new season of shows coming across 2023.

Newly revealed productions include the UK premiere of The Second Woman, starring Golden Globe and Olivier Award winner Ruth Wilson in a 24-hour performance from 19 to 20 May.

Created by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon, co-produced by LIFT and presented in association with Wilson and House of Oz, 100 different men (mostly non-actors) will be invited to star opposite the stage and screen favourite, as she performs a scene between "a man and a woman in a relationship that has lost its creativity and romance" over and over again.

Wilson commented: "I have a feeling that The Second Woman will challenge all norms of what it means to be actor and audience, to be performer and observer. I'm interested in what happens in that space between us all; if we form a bond as we watch and anticipate the next play partner. This is a one-off, 24-hour experience of pure, spontaneous interaction. It will never happen again."

The piece also features lighting design by Lauren Woodhead and video design by EO Gill.

In addition, the UK premiere of Beneatha's Place, penned and helmed by artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah, will run from 27 June to 5 August, with press night scheduled for 5 July. Billed as "a blistering satirical drama about history, power and the cost of letting go", the piece is inspired by the 1950s civil rights drama A Raisin in the Sun and set in Lagos. It features set and costume design by Debbie Duru and lighting design by Mark Henderson.

Kimber Lee's untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, which was confirmed as part of Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre's summer season, has revealed dates for the Young Vic run, playing from 18 September to 4 November, with a press night set for 22 September.

From 31 July to 11 August in the Maria Theatre, the world of ballroom and theatre join forces for Sundown Kiki Reloaded, helmed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu with creative direction by Jay Jay Revlon.

The cast is comprised of Amani, Asa Haynes, Diogo Varela, Emanuel Vuso, Georgie Lynch, Jay Lafayette Valentine, Joshua Asare, Laura Sergio, Sarah-Angel Sharma and Tatenda Shamiso.

The creative team also includes set designer Khadija Raza, sound designer and composer XANA, lighting designer Pablo Fernandez Baz, costume designer John Bastos, movement assistant Omar Jordan Phillips and stage manager Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng.

The Young Vic will also stage its first-ever ball, as Jay Jay Revlon and Taking Part present The Fabric with Colour Vogue Ball on 15 April.

The venue's eight-time WhatsOnStage Award-nominated production of Oklahoma!, which has transferred from Broadway, will also open in the West End next week.
Public NoticeThe Mt. Juliet Alcohol Beverage Board will have a Public Meeting on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at 6:30pm at City Hall, 2425 N. Mt. Juliet Rd. to consider the following Beer Permits.-BP Station (Off Premise) at 5120 Beckwith Rd., Mt. Juliet, TN 37122-Seafood Palace (On Premise) at 512 Pleasant Grove Rd., Mt. Juliet, TN 37122The Public is invited to []
NOTICE TO CREDITORS

As Required by TCA 30-2-306

Estate of Ricky Guthrie A/K/A Rickey Eugene Guthrie,

Deceased

Case Number 22CH1-2023-PR-8

Notice is Hereby Given that on January 25 of 2023, letters testamentary (or of administration as the case may be) in respect to the estate Ricky Guthrie A/K/A Rickey Eugene Guthrie, who died 07/15/2022 were issued to the undersigned by the Dickson County Chancery Court of Dickson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court, on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred: (1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or (B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1) (A); or (2) Twelve (12) months from the decedent s date of death.

Nadine I Guthrie

Executor

Jordan Osborn

702 E. College Street Ste 200

Dickson, TN 37055

Attorney

Lynn Collins

Clerk & Master

February 1, 2023 & February 8, 2023

|

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

As Required by TCA 30-2-306

Estate of Wanda G. Sensing,

Deceased

Case Number 22CH1-2023-PR-11

Notice is Hereby Given that on January 31 of 2023, letters testamentary (or of administration as the case may be) in respect to the estate Wanda G. Sensing, who died 12/26/2022 were issued to the undersigned by the Dickson County Chancery Court of Dickson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court, on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred: (1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or (B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1) (A); or (2) Twelve (12) months from the decedent s date of death.

Arthur King

Administrator

Stan Reynolds

210 E. College Street

Dickson, TN 37055

Attorney

Lynn Collins

Clerk & Master

February 8, 2023 & February 15, 2023

|

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

As Required by TCA 30-2-306

Estate of Mary Elizabeth Riggins,

Deceased

Case Number 22CH1-2022-PR-225

Notice is Hereby Given that on January 31 of 2023, letters testamentary (or of administration as the case may be) in respect to the estate Mary Elizabeth Riggins, who died 12/02/2022 were issued to the undersigned by the Dickson County Chancery Court of Dickson County, Tennessee. All persons, resident and non-resident, having claims, matured or unmatured, against the estate are required to file the same with the Clerk of the above-named Court, on or before the earlier of the dates prescribed in (1) or (2) otherwise their claims will be forever barred: (1) (A) Four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting, as the case may be) of this notice if the creditor received an actual copy of this notice to creditors at least sixty (60) days before date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting); or (B) Sixty (60) days from the date the creditor received an actual copy of the notice to creditors, if the creditor received the copy of the notice less than sixty (60) days prior to the date that is four (4) months from the date of the first publication (or posting) as described in (1) (A); or (2) Twelve (12) months from the decedent s date of death.

Cody Riggins

Executor

Jennifer Sheppard

1935 21st Ave South, Ste 100,

Nashville, TN 37212

Attorney

Lynn Collins

Clerk & Master

February 8, 2023 & February 15, 2023

|

NOTICE OF SUCCESSOR TRUSTEES SALE

WHEREAS, default has occurred in the performance of the covenants, terms and conditions of a Deed of Trust Note dated April 22, 2019, and the Deed of Trust of even date, securing said Deed of Trust Note and recorded as Instrument # 298999 and in Book V1379at Page 23-37 in the Registers office for Dickson County, Tennessee, executed by Devon Greer conveying the certain property described therein to Tennessee Title Services, LLC, Trustee, for the benefit of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as beneficiary, as nominee for The Mortgage Firm, Inc. and to Robert S. Coleman, Jr., having been appointed as Successor Trustee by NewRez, LLC d/b/a Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing.

WHEREAS, the owner and holder of the Deed of Trust Note has declared the entire indebtedness due and payable and demanded that the hereinafter described real property be advertised and sold in satisfaction of indebtedness and costs of foreclosure in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Deed of Trust Note and Deed of Trust.

NOW, THEREFORE, notice is hereby given that an agent of Robert S. Coleman, Jr., as Successor Trustee, pursuant to the power, duty, and authority vested in and conferred upon said Successor Trustee by the Deed of Trust, will on April 10, 2023 at 11:00 AM at 4 Court Square, Charlotte, Tennessee, offer for sale to the highest bidder for certified funds paid at the conclusion of the sale, and free from all legal, equitable and statutory rights of redemption, exemptions of homestead, rights by virtue of marriage, and all other exemptions of every kind, all of which have been waived in the Deed of Trust, certain real property located in Dickson County, Tennessee, described as follows:

All that certain lot or parcel of land situated in the County of Dickson, State of Tennessee, and being more particularly described as follows:

Beginning at an iron rod in the East right of way margin of Old State Route 47 at a distance of 25 feet from the center of said road, said point also being Mark Corlews Southwest corner; thence along Corlews South boundary line, South 83 degrees 13 minutes 25 Seconds East 175.18 feet to a 10 inch cedar corner fence post, said point being Bluff Trace Limiteds Northwest corner; thence along Bluff Trace Limiteds West boundary line, South 00 degrees 52 minutes 05 seconds East 294.21 feet to an iron rod; thence leaving Bluff Trace Limiteds West boundary line, North 55 degrees 05 minutes 40 seconds West 31.30 feet to an iron rod next to fence post, said point being Mark D. Parkers Southeast corner; thence along Parkers boundary line to points as follows: North 06 degrees 31 minutes 00 seconds West 125.69 feet to an iron rod next to a fence post; South 89 degrees 05 minutes 05 seconds West 111.58 feet to an iron rod next to a fence post in the East right-of-way margin of Old State Route 47 at a distance of 25 feet from the center of said road, said point also being Parkers Northwest corner; thence along the East right-of-way margin of said road, North 08 degrees 48 minutes 05 seconds West 175.92 feet to the point of beginning, containing 0.70 acres, more or less, by survey of Bobby D. Christy R.L.S. #1033, November 8, 1994.

More commonly known as: 1150 Old Charlotte Road, White Bluff, Tennessee  37187

Tax Map or Parcel ID: 096-002.00.000

Said sale shall be held subject to all matters shown on any applicable recorded plat; any unpaid taxes; any restrictive covenants, easements, or setback lines that may be applicable; any statutory rights of redemption of any governmental agency, state or federal; any prior liens or encumbrances as well as any priority created by a fixture filing; to any matter that an accurate survey of the premises might disclose; and subject to, but not limited to, the following parties who may claim an interest in the above-referenced property:

The following individuals or entities have an interest in the above-described property: (1) Devon Greer, (2) Unknown Spouse of Devon Greer, (3) Occupants of 1150 Old Charlotte Road, White Bluff, Tennessee  37187, (4) Marshall Crawford, Trustee, (5) The Housing Fund, Inc. and (6) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

To the best of the Trustees knowledge, information, and belief, there are no other Federal or State tax lien claimants or other claimants upon the subject property which would require notice pursuant to the terms and provision of T.C.A.  35-5-104 or T.C.A.  67-1-1433 or 26 U.S.C.  7425.

The Successor Trustee may postpone the above referenced sale from time to time as needed without further publication. The Successor Trustee will announce the postponement on the date and at the time and location of the originally scheduled sale.

This property is being sold with the express reservation that the sale is subject to confirmation by the lender or trustee. This sale may be rescinded by the Successor Trustee at any time.

THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

DATED this 6th day of February, 2023.

Robert S. Coleman, Jr.

Successor Trustee

SettlePou

1501 North University, Suite 970

Little Rock, Arkansas 72207

Insertion Dates:

February 8, 2023; February 15, 2023; February 22, 2023

|

NOTICE OF PROPOSED ANNEXATION AND

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that: The Town of Vanleer, Tennessee

proposes to annex to enlarge and extend the boundary limits of the Town to

include the following described property:

Entire property belonging to Elizabeth Gilmore Farmer, Map 036, Parcel 024.03,

S/I 000, being 9.50 acres more or less.

NOW, THEREFORE, as required by law, notice is hereby given that a public hearing

will be held by and before the Town Council of the Vanleer, Tennessee on

February 27, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. at the Vanleer Town Hall for all persons interested

in the above proposed annexation. At said time and place all such persons shall

have the right to appear and be heard. Of all said matters and things, all persons

interested in the things and matters herein mentioned will take notice.

|
Recently, Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer technology, (ChatGPT), a large-scale conversational language model released by artificial intelligence laboratory OpenAI, has set off a frenzy on world media platforms. In a short period of 4 days, the number of users reached millions, and the number of registered users has led to the server being full for a time.

From answering questions, doing translations, summarizing essays and even drafting codes for a computer program, ChatGPT is so powerful that Elon Musk tweeted that "We are not far from dangerously strong AI".

Some people are clamoring that programmers and journalists will be laid off, while others think that ChatGPT will replace search engines such as Google. Is ChatGPT really omnipotent? Will human work be replaced by AI?

In fact, currently it is just an auxiliary tool. Taking news writing as an example, ChatGPT will generate the first draft for journalist or editors, but there is some illogical content, or even wrong content, journalist and editors need to add or delete some words to complete a news article.

Will ChatGPT completely replace people in the future?

The answer is it will not be realized in the short term, and there is even a long way to go.
With a love of animals helping define her future dreams, Cotter High School senior Kayleanna Kohner is looking forward to the next chapter of her life after graduation.

It hasnt been an easy path for Kohner to reach academic success, though, as over the years she has faced learning difficulties that required some extra help.

Kohner, who is Cotters Above and Beyond nominee for this year, shared that she has faced difficulties with learning and reading, along with communication  leading to her mom needing to email teachers at school for her.

While that led to some bullying against Kohner, she didnt let her battles hold her back.

I just never gave up. I had support from teachers and my mom and dad, Kohner shared about what kept her strong.

On her Above and Beyond nomination form, it was also shared, Several years of assistance from Cotters Learning Center taught her how to advocate for herself, stay organized and keep focused.

Today, Kohner needs less help with her school work and is able to communicate with her teachers better on her own.

Her nomination form adds: When younger, Kayleanna would become overwhelmed and shut down, but she has learned how to manage her stress and how to reach out for help. She is wonderfully kind and helpful toward others. Her ability to overcome and stick with it will serve her well in college and life.

About her willingness to help others, the nomination shares that Kohner has volunteered over 60 hours to help others, through a variety of different activities including caring for animals, baking cookies for fundraisers and more.

Kohners love for animals also helped her along the way to get to the point she is at now.

She said her love of animals started when she saw her sister show horses, which eventually led to Kohner doing the same starting at a young age.

Kohner also said she grew up surrounded by animals, as her family lived on a hobby farm  which included a wide variety of animals, like donkeys, goats, horses and more.

Her love of horses in particular helped Kohner work through some of the challenges she has faced, as she shared that she spent three years participating in horse therapy.

That really helped me express my feelings, she explained with a smile about the benefits of the experience.

While Kohners overall goal for the future is to get a good degree and find a career she really likes, she hopes that she can go into veterinary science.

She said that she really wants to just be able to help animals and be with them.

Kohner is considering taking classes at Minnesota State College Southeast in the fall.

Kohner shared that she hopes other people who may face challenges in school just remember to never give up and talk to someone when you need help.
This week, Minnesota State College Southeast will host open forums to gain input on the colleges two finalists for the position of vice president of strategic initiatives.

The forums will take place in person at the Winona campus and online via Zoom. The college community and members of the general public are invited to participate on campus, or register in advance for Zoom links and passcodes at www.southeastmn.edu/openforums.

The vice president of strategic initiatives position is critical to building institutional capacity through strategic partnerships and leading the growth of the MSC Southeast Foundation, said Dr. Marsha Danielson, president of Minnesota State College Southeast. We hope to get as much feedback on our finalists as possible from community members in addition to our faculty, staff and students.

The finalists' names, dates and times of the open forums are:

Dr. Narren Brown: 2 to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9

Jennifer Hawkins: 1:30 to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10

Both open forums will be held on the Winona campus, Room 208, 1250 Homer Road, Winona, Minn., and online via Zoom.

Full bios of the candidates and advance registration for Zoom links and passcodes are available at www.southeastmn.edu/openforums.

Photos: Ribbon cutting for Minnesota State College Southeast's Manufacturing Initiative Program MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Yer a Blizzard, Harry and Blizzo join the states snowplow fleet as winners of the 2023 Name a Snowplow contest, along with six other popular names, the Minnesota of Transportation announced today.

More than 64,000 voters cast a ballot in the contest. One newly named snowplow will be assigned to each of MnDOTs eight districts.

The winning names, in order of vote totals, and their future homes are:

Yer a Blizzard, Harry  District 8 (Southwest Minnesota)

Blizzo  Metro District (Twin Cities)

Clearopathtra  District 1 (Northeast Minnesota)

Better Call Salt  District 3 (Central Minnesota)

Han Snowlo  District 7 (South Central Minnesota)

Blader Tot Hotdish  District 2 (Northwest Minnesota)

Scoop! There it is  District 6 (Southeast Minnesota)

Sleetwood Mac  District 4 (West Central Minnesota)

Tallies for all 60 finalists can be found on MnDOTs Name a Snowplow website.

The agency invited people to submit creative ideas for snowplow names in December 2022. After receiving more than 10,400 name ideas, MnDOT staff narrowed the list to 60 finalists for the public to vote on. This is the third year that MnDOT has hosted the annual Name a Snowplow contest.

MnDOT now has 25 named snowplows statewide, including Plowy McPlowFace, Betty Whiteout, Duck Duck Orange Truck and The Big Leplowski. In addition to the 24 named snowplows selected through Name a Snowplow contests, staff in District 1 chose to add a named snowplow to their region in 2022. Giiwedin, the Ojibwe word for the North Wind, is stationed at MnDOTs Duluth Truck Station and covers Highway 33 near the Fond du Lac Reservation.

MnDOT will share additional information on its social media pages once the new 2023 names are placed on the snowplows.

Note: Individuals were able to vote for up to eight choices, so the final totals will differ from the overall number of votes. There were 64,075 unique voters in total.

Close IN PHOTOS: Winona in December snow Scenes around Winona after snow covered the city on Thursday.
Planning and Zoning officials in Gage County will discuss changes to a set of proposed solar regulations, as well as consider special use permits at upcoming meetings.

Gage County Planning and Zoning Administrator Lisa Wiegand discussed the upcoming discussions with the Board of Supervisors during its regular meeting Wednesday.

Next Wednesday, Gage County Zoning will be meeting to talk about solar regulations again after the review from the public comments made during the hearing process, she said. I think we discussed at committee meetings that the commission took a look at adding another classification to that. And that deals with setbacks and the escrow account to help manage studies and so forth.

The proposed regulations included three classes of solar energy generation. Class 1 is for small operations of up to 100 kilowatts. Those require administration approval rather than a special use permit, must be on a lot or parcel thats at least three acres and theres no setback requirement from participating dwellings. Participating properties are those where owners have solar panels or partnerships with energy companies to use their property, while nonparticipating properties and landowners are those with no agreements with people or companies that have solar panels.

Class 2 is classified as commercial solar generation, and requires a special use permit. Its defined as generating 101 kilowatts to 2 megawatts, and requires a three-acre parcel site, setback of 75 feet from the center of the road, 75 feet from nonparticipating landowners, and no setback from participating dwellings. Class 2 also requires  mile setbacks from nonparticipating dwellings, and  mile setbacks for churches, schools, natural resources districts, National Park Service sites, platted subdivisions and platted villages.

Class 3 commercial solar operations are those that generate more than 2 megawatts. These operations would require 20 acres, maintain the same 75 feet setback from the center of roads, and come with a 150 feet setback from nonparticipating properties. The setbacks increase to  mile from nonparticipating dwellings, and  mile for churches, schools, natural resources districts, National Park Service sites, platted subdivisions and platted villages.

The meeting featuring a discussion regarding solar regulations will be Feb. 15.

On March 2, another meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and includes public hearings for two special use permits. One is for a commercial greenhouse near 66th and East Hoyt roads, while the other is for a swine feeding operation proposed near 82nd and East Cedar roads.

In December, the Planning and Zoning Commission held a hearing where members of the public voiced their thoughts on the proposed set of regulations for commercial solar generation.

There are currently no regulations in place for commercial solar energy generation.

A total of 13 people spoke during the meeting, most expressing concerns about large solar energy operations.

While the regulations are a blanket document for future projects in Gage County, a large portion of the meeting regarded a proposed solar operation by Norris Public Power, which is partnering with Todays Power Inc. (TPI) for solar generation in southeast Nebraska.

In June, the Gage County Board of Supervisors voted to put an indefinite moratorium on special use permits for commercial solar energy until a set of regulations are in place.

The moratorium is to prevent any projects from starting before those regulations are in place.

When the Planning and Zoning Commission finalizes the regulations, it will pass the document on to the County Board of Supervisors for final consideration and approval.
The Beaver Dam Common Council was presented with several options for dedicating the citys remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds Monday night.

In total, Beaver Dam has received $1.7 million and has spent approximately $432,000, leaving the city with $1.3 million.

While few official decisions were made, City Administrator Nathan Thiel presented a swath of ways that ARPA funds could be used, encouraging the alders to take a holistic view of their spending.

One of the proposed projects is the addition of pedestrian amenities on Spring Street as well as sprucing up a parking lot on Henry Street. Thiel suggested that Beaver Dam could dedicate $50,000 in ARPA funds and get its investment matched by a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation grant. The addition of a parking lot would run the city $30,000.

While Beaver Dam has until December 2024 to decide how it will dedicate the money, the WEDC grant deadline forced the council to come to terms on at least one of its funding options.

The city invested a lot into Spring Street last year, but there was a lack of funding to support the streetscape amenities, Thiel said. The discussion was, can we look for grants and other opportunities to find funding? As I reviewed opportunities, WEDC brought forth the Vibrant Spaces Grant, and as a staff we were excited to bring this concept.

Ten benches, 10 trash barrels and 10 planters would be purchased for Spring Street. To better match the project with WEDCs grant specifications, the Henry Street parking lot was tacked on along with a plan for landscaping, lighting and trees on the western side of the lot.

Additionally, the city met with Ooga Brewing Company and Title Consultants Inc to discuss beautifying the entire corner.

That parking lot would get utilized a lot more if it was laid out more efficiently, so I think a redo on that parking lot would be very beneficial, Council President Mike Wissell, District 14, said.

I cant park my truck on Center Street. Its too long. Ill kill somebody. I cant park my car there either because somebody will park a truck next to it, Alder Kevin Burnett, District 13, stated. Im for this parking lot.

The council voted to authorize the use of ARPA funds for the Spring Street project as well as match the Vibrant Spaces Grant for the parking lot should the city receive it. If Beaver Dams application isnt chosen, the city would only be obligated to put in amenities on Spring Street.

The resolution passed 10 to 4, with Alders Ken Anderson, 6, Mick Fischer, 5, David Hansen, 1, and Jack Yuds, 7, against.

Other recommendations for the remaining funds included purchasing fire and rescue equipment, funding a mass transit feasibility study and upgrading the citys street lights to LED, which would cost $280,000 but yield $65,000 in energy savings. Roughly $100,000 could be set aside for future housing projects, and $200,000 can be dedicated to area projects that expand childcare offerings.

Mayor Becky Glewen also proposed committing $225,000 for land acquisition on Madison Street in a continued effort to revitalize the gateway to the downtown area. Beaver Dams Downtown Redevelopment Plan identifies Madison Street, a route thats commonly taken off of Highway 151, as being integral in how residents and visitors perceive the city.

If all funding recommendations were approved in the coming months, the total bill would be $1,374,000  $90,030 over what the city has available in ARPA funds.

Fischer commended the LED lighting upgrade, noting that the city would be able to spend ARPA funding instead of its own dollars on a project that would also result in future savings. Fischer added that the city should be looking at other ways to save money instead of spending.

He later accused alders who vote for the resolution of financially benefitting from the decision.

We have available funds at this time to use as a match, which makes (Spring Street) a project that can be accomplished that otherwise might not be, Mayor Glewen said. This is nothing that were just making up or trying to benefit one business over another. It is purely looking at how we can grow our community.
County officials would like to meet again with solar companies planning to put large commercials projects in Columbia County. This move comes months after solar representatives made presentations to the full board.

Two solar companies have submitted applications to the Public Service Commission to put large scale commercial solar energy projects in Columbia County. Since November the county has heard concerns from citizens about the potential adverse effects from the project. County officials have been discussing what role they have in getting more oversight during the PSC application process.

The PSC application from Langdon Mills states the project study area was over 2,300 acres. The primary array  where solar panels, inverters, transformers and access roads will contain  will be set on 957 acres with 33.7 acres for a substation for battery storage in the towns of Springvale and Courtland. It was submitted in October and could produce up to 300 megawatts of power.

High Noon Solar submitted their application to the PSC in August. Their application has a primary array of approximately 2,057 acres for producing 300 megawatts. It is proposed to be located in the towns of Arlington, Leeds, Lowville and Hampden.

The Wisconsin PSC is responsible for reviewing renewable energy applications for wind and solar projects producing over 100 megawatts. It is made up of three non-elected officials who will ultimately decide if the proposed solar energy projects will go forward.

Were not going to stop this, Supervisor Doug Richmond said on Tuesday. Once the applications are submitted to the PSC it is difficult to stop.

Richmond continued by citing a legal column published in the Wisconsin Counties Association magazine written by attorneys Jake Curtis and Andy Phillips of Attolles Law during the Planning and Zoning meeting.

The column outlines three cases that showed counties will face legal issues if attempting to regulate a project that has a PSC application filed.

(These cases) make clear that any attempt by counties to regulate renewable energy projects that have already been submitted to the PSC for review and approval are likely to face significant hurdles, Richmond read from the column.

Corporate counsel Joe Ruf and assistant corporate counsel Susan Fisher attended the meeting with Curtis on Tuesday afternoon. Curtis serves as legal counsel for the county. During the meeting he discussed a number of hypotheticals with the committee about the PSC process and Curtis explained that the PSC will grant or deny the project.

Curtis added that the companies still need to work with the county on the joint development agreement and the local operating contract. These companies will need to work with the county to get the proper permits to build in Columbia County.

Curtis said since those are contractual negotiations they will most likely need to be held in a closed-session meeting.

The county planning and zoning committee had a lengthy discussion Tuesday afternoon on what they can do in this process. The committee voted to set up a meeting with the solar companies to discuss the county and citizen concerns about these large solar energy proposals.

There has been a group of concerned citizens attending county meetings pertaining to these two solar projects. The group has voiced their concerns for over a year when the Langdon Mills project was first discovered by citizens by word-of-mouth. These concerns include fire hazards, loss of property value and the loss of farmland in the county.

Larry Wells is a third generation farmer in the county and told the committee to think about the prime farmland in Columbia County.

Were not against solar, Wells said. Were against it on prime farmland.

Becky Santowski said that she has concerns about local fire departments being unprepared for a potential fire at a commercial solar site.

Im madder than hell, Santowski said. Ask the PSC to pause this thing.

The committee discussed sending a resolution directly to the PSC. However, Assistant Corporation Counsel Susan Fisher stated that doesnt follow the standing rules for the county board and its committees. Fisher explained that a resolution needs to go through the executive committee and the full county board. The executive committee and the full county board will not be meeting this month so discussions were pushed to March.

The planning and zoning committee voted to table their discussions on sending county input to the PSC in March. The committee could also be sending a resolution to state officials in an effort to revise the solar project laws in Wisconsin.

Close PHOTOS: It's a Wonderful Life with the Portage Area Community Theater Members of the Portage Area Community Theater rehearse in preparation to give community members a wonderful show. On November 11, the theater's radio production of It's a Wonderful Life opens at the Portage Center for the Arts, where it will run on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until November 20. Director Bob Viking says his vision for the production, which held auditions around a month ago, was to create something that could be performed with the use of scripts, while also keeping audiences engaged. With the PACTs production of Miss Lulu Bett being canceled due to illness, it was also important for Viking to make room for cast substitutions if needed. Hence, the radio broadcast, in which everyone onstage has a script and takes on different roles. We thought it would be fun to do a radio play, said Viking. Anybody could step right in and grab a script and take a part. Sound effects will also take place right onstage. For thunder, cast members will shake a piece of tin. For train sounds, a whistle being blown. To emulate the sounds of someone falling into the river, a large bucket of water right on stage (no splash zone required.)
A Tomah resident who had been missing since late December and was later found deceased is now determined to have died from hypothermia.

Expansive ground search operations were conducted on Jan. 18 in the area near the Tomah Walmart. Felicia J. Wannas body was discovered as a result of this search nearly 1 miles from the store in a remote area in the Township of La Grange in Monroe County. The investigation into her disapperance around the turn of the year, revealed that she died from hypothermia due to exposure to the elements.

According to a Feb. 7 release from the Monroe County Sheriffs Office, Wannas family called the department for a welfare check on Jan. 2, having not seen nor heard from her since Dec. 29, 2022. Attempts to contact Wanna were unsuccessful following the request.

The Ho-Chunk Police Department opened an investigation and after further investigative options were attempted, the department determined that Wanna was near the Walmart in Tomah on Dec. 29. Video footage from security cameras in the same area allowed the Monroe County Sheriffs Office to confirm her presence there around 7:20 p.m. that day.

She left the area under her own free will, but did not have her vehicle or cell phone with her, as a known party had taken both to La Crosse, according to the investigation. This is the last confirmed sighting of Wanna, despite reports of other sightings received by the department.

Assisting the Monroe County Sheriffs Office and Ho-Chunk Police Department with the investigation were the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Lab, and the Monroe County Medical Examiner.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice, Tomah, La Crosse, and Eau Claire police departments, Eau Claire County Sheriffs Office, K-9 rescue search squads, Oakdale Fire Department, The Salvation Army, and Rapid Search and Rescue assisted with the search operation for Wanna.
DEFOREST  In a clear indication that he plans to go after the working class vote in the 2024 election, President Joe Biden focused on unions role in building the countrys economy in a speech Wednesday at a DeForest worker training center.

The Biden economic plan is working, Biden told a receptive audience at the Laborers International Union of North America Center here in his first speech after Tuesdays State of the Union address.

But thats not news to any of you. Laborers here in Wisconsin, union workers across the country are seeing it firsthand because for the first time in a long time, were building an economy from the bottom up.

Biden in his 24-minute speech highlighted two key aspects of the message likely to feature prominently in any reelection campaign: What he called the hollowing-out of the working class and how his administration seeks to build it up. That message is central to Democrats hopes for winning back the support of blue-collar workers, who have shifted more Republican since 2010.

For decades, the backbone of America, the middle class, has been hollowed out, Biden said. Referring to the former General Motors plant in Janesville, which shuttered its doors in 2008 and left the community in turmoil, Biden said: Thousands of people lost their jobs.

Once-thriving cities and towns became shadows of what they used to be. When those towns were hollowed out, something else was lost: Pride, self-esteem, a sense of self-worth. But now were going to turn that around.

In DeForest, Biden took credit for creating more jobs in two years than any other president did in four years. A White House memo sent out before the event says private companies have committed $4 billion in manufacturing across Wisconsin since Biden took office. It also says $2.9 billion in federal funding has been allotted to infrastructure projects across the state.

Here in Wisconsin we are seeing the results of this investment firsthand, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said before Bidens arrival in DeForest. Our economy is in the strongest position ever in state history.

The union vote

Bidens visit comes as federal labor data shows just under 8% of workers in Wisconsin are represented by a union, an all-time low. In 1989, over 20% of Wisconsin workers belonged to a union.

Those figures are no surprise after former Republican Gov. Scott Walkers signature legislation, 2011 Act 10, largely eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees, said Kent Miller, the president and business manager of the Wisconsin Laborers District Council, which runs the DeForest training center.

But registered apprentice numbers are at a two-decade high, Miller added, and will likely further increase thanks to Biden signing into law provisions making some tax credits available for companies that employ a certain number of apprentices.

The LIUNA training center offers courses on laying pipe, building scaffolds, environmental remediation, building demolition, utility construction and dozens of other topics.

Increasing the share of the union vote makes a big difference, Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler said in an interview. But its also certainly the case that unions help focus voters on the impact on their pocketbook of having Democrats in office.

Much of Bidens speech related to the economy, though he also took aim at a handful of GOP lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, of Oshkosh, for comments regarding Medicare and Social Security. Johnson in August said those programs should be approved annually by Congress, rather than being automatically renewed.

Come on, man, Biden said Wednesday.

Deflect, divide

Johnson said late Wednesday afternoon that Biden was lying about him.

I want to save these programs, he said in a statement. I have simply pointed out the greatest threat to these programs is out-of-control debt and deficits. We need a process to prioritize spending and decrease our deficits.

Just before his speech, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said Bidens post-State of the Union victory lap in Wisconsin is out of touch with Americans struggling in the economy.

Every day is a crisis for American workers facing rising costs to feed their families, yet Joe Biden continues to deflect, divide, and duck blame without offering solutions, she said.

Bidens Wisconsin visit follows a nationwide 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.

At the same time, Bidens approval ratings are among the worst ever for a presidents second year. Forty percent of Americans approved of Biden compared to 53% who disapproved of him as of Jan. 25, according to a Reuters poll.

Wisconsins unemployment rate was 3.2% as of December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But employers statewide have been struggling to find workers. And there will be 130,000 fewer working Wisconsinites by 2030 if recent migration patterns continue, according to the Wisconsin Counties Associations nonpartisan research arm Forward Analytics.

With the worker shortage in mind, the Republican-led Legislature recently approved putting an advisory referendum on the April 4 ballot  which also features the Wisconsin Supreme Court race  asking voters whether some adults should have to seek work to receive benefits from taxpayer-funded programs. Democrats called the effort a politically motivated election turnout effort that would divide Wisconsinites. The referendums results will not have any binding effect.
President Joe Biden will visit a DeForest union worker training center Wednesday afternoon for his first scheduled speech after Tuesday's State of the Union address, according to the White House.

His remarks at the Laborers' International Union of North America Center, scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, will come after he emphasized the economy more than any other topic in his State of the Union speech. His remarks in DeForest will also focus on the economy, emphasizing unions' role in it, according to a White House statement.

The president's emphasis on union labor highlights the ongoing Democratic goal of winning back support from blue-collar workers, who have shifted significantly more Republican since 2010.

"Increasing the share of the union vote makes a big difference," Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler said. "But it's also certainly the case that unions help focus voters on the impact on their pocketbook of having Democrats in office."

Biden's visit, which will emphasize union labor, comes as federal labor data shows just under 8% of workers in Wisconsin are represented by a union, an all-time low. In 1989, over 20% of Wisconsin workers belonged to a union.

It's no surprise that Wisconsin union worker numbers are down after former Republican Gov. Scott Walker's signature legislation, the 2011 Act 10, largely eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees, said Kent Miller, the president and business manager of the Wisconsin Laborers' District Council, which runs the DeForest training center.

But registered apprentice numbers are at a two-decade high, Miller added, and will likely further increase thanks to Biden signing into law provisions making some tax credits available for companies that employ a certain number of apprentices.

On Tuesday night Biden took credit for creating more jobs in two years than any other president did in four years  including 800,000 manufacturing jobs. He also called on Congress to pass legislation that would shield workers seeking to form a union from being fired and add penalties for punishing workers who organize.

In Wisconsin he will emphasize the legislation he signed into law that have benefitted workers, including an infrastructure law setting aside over $1 trillion for direct spending across the country, a measure to boost domestic production of semiconductor computer chips and and a $1.9 trillion policy giving money to Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A White House memo says private companies have committed $4 billion in manufacturing across Wisconsin since Biden took office. It also says $2.9 billion in federal funding has been allotted to infrastructure projects across the state.

Biden's Wisconsin visit follows a nationwide 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.

At the same time, Biden's approval ratings are among the worst ever for a president's second year. Forty percent of Americans approved of Biden compared to 53% who disapproved of him as of Jan. 25, according to a Reuters poll.

"You've got one of the most Democratic enclaves in the whole country here in Madison, and so they found a nice, soft landing place for the president to try out his lines after the speech," Republican Party of Wisconsin chair Brian Schimming said in an interview before the visit. "But the truth of the matter is if the president wants to come in and talk about the economy, he can spend his time apologizing."

Wisconsin's unemployment rate was 3.2% as of December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But employers statewide have been struggling to find workers. And there will be 130,000 fewer working Wisconsinites by 2030 if recent migration patterns continue, according to the Wisconsin Counties Association's nonpartisan research arm Forward Analytics.

With the worker shortage in mind, the Republican-led Legislature recently approved putting an advisory referendum on the April 4 ballot  which also features the Wisconsin Supreme Court race  asking voters whether some adults should have to seek work to receive benefits from taxpayer-funded programs. The referendum's results will not have any binding effect.
Registration is now open for the 42nd annual Montana Women's Run. The run will be held on May 13 starting at 8 a.m. in downtown Billings. Proceeds from the event benefit charitable organizations in Billings that contribute to womens health and wellness.

Over the past 42 years, tens of thousands of participants have filled the streets of downtown Billings, wearing the uniquely designed Montana Womens Run T-shirt. This year downtown Billings will once again be a sea of women in jewel toned purple shirts.

This years artwork features a Bitterroot flower and a woman/butterfly in flight. Billings graphic designer, Jim Heins, said that the woman/butterfly in flight symbolizes the nature of the Womens Run event while the butterfly represents springtime, transformation, life and hope. The Bitterroot flower is a constant in the Womens Run design and curved typography and motion lines create a sense of movement and dynamics.

The Montana Womens Run began in 1982 with 200 registrants and celebrated last year with over 4,600 women participating virtually around the world. Today, the race is recognized as the largest running event for women in the state of Montana, and one of the largest all-womens races in the country.

To date, the Montana Womens Run has donated more than $1,637,500 to local organizations that promote womens and childrens health and fitness. The major sponsors of this year's Montana Womens Run are Billings Clinic, ExxonMobil, First Interstate Bank, Graphic Imprints, The Planet 106.7 and KTVQ.

For announcements, updates and discussion about the many Womens Run events, please visit the Montana Womens Run Facebook page or the Montana Womens Run website. To register for any of the events or for more information, visit womensrun.org.
Peter Mecoy (R) holds two pieces of paper with handwritten words reading "I love China" and "I love Tianjin" at home in Tianjin, north China, Nov. 14, 2022. [Xinhua]

TIANJIN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua)  After finishing a physical examination and giving a blood sample, Peter Mecoy deftly rolled up his sleeve, peacefully watched the nurse insert a needle into his arm, and waited for another round of blood donation.

"I am quite familiar with the blood donation process here," said Peter, 58, who hails from Australia. He has been volunteering to donate blood and platelets almost every 15 days for nearly 15 years in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

"I have lived in China for half of my life. China is my home. Chinese people are like my brothers and sisters. Helping family is the right thing to do, isn't it?" Peter said, "Maybe my blood can help mothers delivering babies or aged people in surgery. I am happy to be helpful."

Peter changed his job and first set foot in Tianjin in 1992. He quickly fell in love with the metropolis with its combination of Chinese and Western cultures. The modest, friendly, and hardworking Chinese people moved him deeply.

"Chinese people make friends with us first. Friends work together. It should not be like 'I gain, you lose,' but win-win and seeking a way to move forward together," Peter said.

He saw a Chinese and English leaflet about blood donation by chance in 2008. Without much delay, he donated blood at a nearby bloodmobile for the first time in China.

In the beginning, Peter chose to donate whole blood semiannually. Later, he learned that platelet donations could be made every two weeks. He became a frequenter of the Tianjin Blood Center.

"When I first met Peter, I was still a rookie. I felt so nervous when drawing blood. Peter told me to relax. His words were encouraging for me," said Li Mantong, a nurse at the Tianjin Blood Center.

Peter also received the nickname "Panda Man" as his blood type is called "Panda blood"  a rare blood type  in China. "This makes me feel that it is meaningful to insist on donating blood."

Peter has donated blood and platelets more than 270 times, equivalent to more than 420,000 milliliters of blood in terms of therapeutic volume. It is about 90 times the amount of blood in an adult and can ensure many people's clinical blood use.

After each donation, Peter would obtain a blood donation certification. "I collected a stack of them. These cards have witnessed my blood donation experiences. They are the most precious gifts to me."

According to regulations in Tianjin, Peter can no longer donate blood when he reaches the age of 60, so he cherishes every chance to donate blood. "I want to donate as many times as possible and hope to attract more people to join the volunteer team."

Peter has a WeChat group, gathering dozens of foreign people who want to become blood donors.

"My friends come from all over the world. It does not matter if their Chinese is good or not. I will help them as long as they are willing to donate blood. I can teach them the process step by step," Peter said.

Recently, Peter won a Chinese national award for his blood donation behavior. "If someone learns my story and becomes a blood donor to help more people in need, I will feel happier," Peter said.

Peter Mecoy poses for a photo while donating blood at the Tianjin Blood Center in Tianjin, north China, Nov. 14, 2022. [Xinhua]

(Source: Xinhua)
Click the photo and watch the video.

* Time-honored brands, which have been through a decades-long or even a centuries-long journey, either serve as a reminder of people's old childhood flavors, or relate to festival traditions and nostalgic memories.

* They are embodiments of China's traditional culture and a majority of them own at least one intangible cultural heritage. It is the traditional skills and craftsmanship passed from generation to generation, as well as credibility, that make time-honored brands endure the changes of the times.

* While some brands have sustained their classic style and ancient beauty, others have innovated their products and tapped into digital platforms to win the hearts of younger consumers.

BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua)  Holding two jars of sugar garlic, a gray-haired resident surnamed Guo is lining up at a Liubiju store, a nearly 600-year-old pickle-making brand located on Beijing's Qianmen Street, to pay for the delicacy.

Sugar garlic, or pickled garlic, is a traditional Chinese appetizer with a sweet and sour flavor. "I grew up eating sugar garlic sold by Liubiju and I pair it with porridge, noodles and hotpot. The taste is every bit as good now as it was when I was a kid," Guo said.

For people like Guo, some time-honored brands, including the renowned Liubiju, serve as a reminder of their old childhood flavors, while others such as the Da Bei Photo Studio relate to festival traditions and nostalgic memories.

Staff members demonstrate pickle-making skills at the workshop of Liubiju, a pickle-making brand, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 31, 2023. [Xinhua/Wei Hongyi]

Most of these brands have been through a decades-long or even a centuries-long journey and have become witnesses to China's commercial development. Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that China has 701 century-old brands. The oldest one  Beijing Bianyifang, famed for its specialty roast duck  has survived for 607 years.

The total number of existing time-honored brands, which are well-known throughout the country and recognized by the Ministry of Commerce, is 1,128, according to Sheng Qiuping, China's vice commerce minister.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, over 70 percent of these brands are still profitable, and around 35 percent saw their sales revenue surpass 100 million yuan (14.9 million U.S. dollars) in 2022, Sheng said.

Already firmly rooted in people's memories of special times, these brands are holding on to their craftsmanship, while also striving to break new ground in terms of technology and products, as they seek to remain relevant in the here and now.

Legacy, Perseverance

Time-honored brands are embodiments of China's traditional culture and a majority of them own at least one intangible cultural heritage. Data shows that of the 1,128 brands, nearly 800 are involved with intangible cultural heritage projects, according to the commerce ministry.

A staff member promotes cloisonne handicrafts through livestreaming at Beijing Enamel Factory Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2022. [Xinhua/Ju Huanzong]

At Beijing Enamel Factory, a cloisonne ware manufacturer founded in 1956, Luo Shuxiang, a 61-year-old craftsperson, is deftly applying the colored ore powders to objects made of copper, a key step in the process of making cloisonne handicrafts.

Cloisonne, which was widely produced during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties of ancient China, is considered one of Beijing's top traditional forms of artware. China listed this time-honored craft as a national intangible heritage in 2006.

It is a labor-intensive technique that involves over 100 steps to make a finished product. The artisanal practice mainly requires five processes: making a copper body; buckling and inlaying copper wires on the surface in certain patterns; coloring; firing; and polishing. And Luo is the best craftsperson in the factory for coloring the cloisonne.

Luo has been doing this craft for over 40 years and was reemployed after retirement, as she is considered the best at painting vivid patterns in different shades of color on the copper surface. "A single leaf may need six or seven shades of green to make it more lively," Luo said.

One of the cloisonne vases she colored  "Shengshihuange," literally "singing happily in prosperous times" in Chinese  was presented as a state gift to the United Nations Office in Geneva in 2017.

When asked about the reason for returning to her job after retirement, Luo said that no process of this craft can be done by machines, except for polishing some regular-shaped products. "I came back to teach more apprentices. The cloisonne craft and Beijing Enamel Factory need more people to inherit the legacy, in order to live on and prosper," Luo said.

It is the traditional skills and craftsmanship passed from generation to generation, as well as credibility, that make time-honored brands endure the changes of the times, according to Li Xiaosong, an official with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Innovation, Digitalization

While some brands have sustained their classic style and ancient beauty, others have innovated their products and tapped into digital platforms to win the hearts of younger consumers.

This photo taken on Jan. 31, 2023 shows the traditional cloth shoes at the main store of Neiliansheng, a Chinese traditional cloth shoe maker, in Beijing, capital of China. [Xinhua/Xie Xiyao]

Neiliansheng, a Chinese traditional cloth shoe maker, used to be a symbol of the ancient court nobility and riches with its "thousand-layer" soles and hand-stitched fabric uppers. Now it is revamping itself through association with international brands and with novel elements to catch the attention of Gen Z customers.

The brand inked a deal with Disney in 2016 to feature Mickey Mouse on one of its product lines. In 2021, its sub-brand partnered with Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape, or BAPE, to launch a co-branded collection of cloth shoes featuring BAPE's iconic green camouflage.

The Chinese New Year limited editions released this year with designs based on the image of the rabbit, one of the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals, are very sought-after as well, with some versions already sold out, said Cheng Xu, Neiliansheng's general manager.

Young consumers aged below 25 account for around 10 percent of our customer base, Cheng said. "We wish to gain more popularity among the Gen Z and millennials," he added.

Eyeing wider coverage of young people, other brands such as Beijing Daoxiangcun, a traditional Chinese bakery brand, have turned to digital platforms, a channel it recognizes as being more popular with young people.

Yu Dazhi, vice general manager of Beijing Daoxiangcun, said products sold through live-streaming platforms before the Spring Festival holiday were immediately snapped up when the links for these products were posted.

Pickle maker Liubiju is also exploring digital transformation. Its monthly sales revenue through live-streaming on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has exceeded 1 million yuan.

Data shows that nearly 350 time-honored brands participated in live-streaming platforms. Live-streaming events of time-honored brands in 2022 topped 50,000, with a combined business volume of 3.5 billion yuan. The figure increased over five times compared with that of 2019.

Looking forward, the ministry will mobilize more chiefs and inheritors of time-honored brands to participate in live-streaming, tell the tales of their brands and showcase traditional crafts, to promote their advancement, according to the vice commerce minister.

Video reporters: Jiang Sai, Yin Jiajie;

Video editors: Wu Yao, Cao Ying, Zhao Xiaoqing

(Source: Xinhua)
Zhang Pihe (R) teaches traditional tie-dyeing technique of the ethnic Bai group to a villager in Sangzhi County, central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 8, 2022. [Xinhua/Zhang Ge]

CHANGSHA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua)  Crowds gathered around Zhang Pihe, watching how the Bai woman deftly folded and rolled the fabric and then wrapped it, stitch by stitch  an important step in the traditional tie-dyeing technique of the ethnic Bai group in China.

Hequn Village, in Furongqiao Bai Township of Sangzhi County, in central China's Hunan Province, has attracted many tourists recently with its rich Bai culture.

But Zhang, who was introducing visitors to Bai culture, is not a native of the village, her hometown is more than 1,000 km away in Dali, home to most of the country's Bai population, in the southwestern border province of Yunnan.

Over 700 years ago, an army of Bai people from Dali came to Hunan to set down roots in Sangzhi. In the 1980s, after a series of visits and investigational studies, authorities recognized that the Bai people of Sangzhi and those of Dali were of the same origin.

However, Sangzhi was once an impoverished county in Hunan Province, and the residents of Hequn Village were once too poverty-stricken and too busy making a living away from home to learn Bai culture. The Bai-style dance, for example, has more than 80 types of moves that are on the verge of being lost in Sangzhi.

Having been brought up and deeply influenced by the Bai culture, Zhang has studied Bai music, dance, tie-dyeing, and other traditional culture.

"We are all from a Bai village, so I hope we can work together to pass on and promote our culture," said Zhang. With such conviction in mind, Zhang left her hometown of Yunnan and moved to Sangzhi County.

"I hope to take advantage of the traditional cultural resources of the Bai ethnic group to boost the development of our villages," said Zhang.

As soon as Zhang arrived in Hequn Village, she set up the Bai tie-dyeing room, purchased needles, thread, cotton cloth, brushes, and other tools from Yunnan, and began training villagers in tie-dyeing techniques. She started with the Bai-styled octagonal drum and gave local Bai women a systematic lecture on the historical heritage of the music and dance of the Bai ethnic group, teaching each syllable and movement.

As a cultural advisor to the Bai cultural projects that will soon be implemented in the village, Zhang and the villagers committee developed a cultural heritage curriculum for the villagers.

Wang Yan, a girl from Hequn Village, said that the more she learns about the Bai culture, the more she loves it. "Ms. Zhang teaches us Bai music, dance, tea art, and handicrafts. As a member of the Bai ethnic group, I will keep these skills passed on!"

"The heritage of culture cannot be destroyed," said Zhong Baiyu, Party secretary of Hequn Village. Now that more and more people are returning to their hometowns, the Bai culture becomes even more of a "soft power" for revitalizing the area.

"Nowadays, the atmosphere of our Bai culture is getting stronger and stronger, and I have more confidence in passing on our Bai culture," said Wang.

Zhang Pihe shows traditional tie-dyeing technique of the ethnic Bai group in Sangzhi County, central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 8, 2022. [Xinhua/Zhang Ge]

(Source: Xinhua)
WOLF POINT  District Judge Katherine Bidegaray ruled last week that Frank Piocos wasnt an eligible candidate in the Roosevelt County attorney election in November.

The ruling came after Northern Plains Independent and Community News publisher Darla Downs filed a complaint against Piocos in Roosevelt County District Court. Downs filed the complaint Friday, Jan. 20, which claimed that Piocos is not qualified to assume the office of county attorney because he falsely registered as an elector of Roosevelt County when he provided a county address that was not his residence to register and seek the office.

In her ruling given following the hearing on Friday, Bidegaray noted that a qualifications of an elector include being a resident of the county in which a person offers to vote for at least 30 days. Guidance for determining a persons residence is found in MCA 1-1-215, which states there may be only one residence. If a person claims a residence within Montana for any purpose, then that location is the persons residence for all purposes unless there is a specific statutory exemption.

Bidegaray wrote, Piocos should not have been recognized as an elector at the time of his election to the office of Roosevelt County attorney because he was not a resident of Roosevelt County, Montana.

Under MCA 13-36-207, during a hearing of this type contesting the election of a candidate, no person other than the parties and their attorneys may be heard except by order of the court. Since Downs filed the complaint pro se without representation of an attorney, only she and Piocos were allowed to testify at the hearing.

During the hearing, Piocos said he had the intent to live in Roosevelt County, but provided various reasons why the move didnt take place. He noted that he works and shops in Roosevelt County. He said he has rental properties in St. Marie and spends time in Billings with his girlfriend, but he considers Roosevelt County his residence.

Following Piocos opening statement, Bidegaray asked Piocos several times where do you sleep? Piocos was able to avoid directly answering the judges question and explained his belief that because his intent is that Roosevelt County is his residence that he is a resident of Roosevelt County.

During cross examination, Downs asked Piocos a series of questions regarding the location in Culbertson that Piocos listed on his voter registration form. Downs asked Piocos if he put a desk in the location, visited the location after initially looking at it with the lessor or ever slept at the location.

He replied no to each of those questions. When Downs asked where he was sleeping at the time of the election, Piocos said Valley County.

After a short recess, Bidegaray announced her ruling and said she sided with Downs because Piocos wasnt an elector in Roosevelt County at the time of the election. Although he had rented property in Culbertson, it wasnt where he lived or slept.

A special election will be conducted in not more than 85 days. Roosevelt County Clerk and Recorder Cheryl Hansen will contact the Montana Secretary of State office to determine the best date and method for the election.

The judge told Piocos that he could take steps to become a resident of Roosevelt County and, therefore, be eligible to seek office in the special election when it takes place.

In the first step of this action, Downs filed an affidavit of individual challenging an elector Nov. 15, 2022, with Roosevelt County Clerk and Recorder Cheryl Hansen which claimed that Piocos falsely claimed 202 Broadway Ave. Apartment 300 in Culbertson as his residence. Following an investigation, Hansen canceled Piocos voter registration effective Nov. 15.

Following Fridays hearing, Downs noted, I believe watchdog journalism  journalism that seeks to increase transparency and accountability of our politicians and other public figures and institutions  plays a critical role in democracy. This case was important to maintain election integrity in Roosevelt County.

"Numerous citizens from one end of the county to the other contacted me as publisher of the newspaper in the county and asked me to do something about a county attorney who didnt actually live in the county he was supposed to serve. I sought legal advice from attorneys across the state, but was unable to find one able to take on the case. After much consideration, I decided to take on the challenge myself, even though I am not an attorney. I am very grateful that Judge Bidegaray ruled in the favor of the citizens of Roosevelt County.
The home at 241 Cato St., in Woonsocket, pictured Tuesday morning, where a 70-year-old man was found dead late Monday afternoon, the victim of domestic violence, according to police.
3 former Twitter executives to testify Wednesday at House hearing over handling of Hunter Biden laptop story
A majority of the North Dakota House got behind legislation to define milk as a mammal-derived product, but lawmakers looking to preserve lactose alternatives strayed from the herd.

The House voted 78-15 on Wednesday to approve House Bill 1255, which would clarify in state law that milk is a lacteal secretion obtained from a hoofed mammal. The proposal will now go to the Senate.

The bill sponsored by Rep. Dawson Holle, a Mandan Republican and dairy farmer, doesnt draw the line at cows -- secretions collected from goats, sheep, horses and even reindeer can also be considered milk. An amendment to the proposal added milk from llamas and camels to the definition.

The legislation intentionally leaves out drinks made from soy, oats, coconuts and almonds that are marketed to consumers as milk varieties. Holle mentioned at a hearing last month that there's an ongoing "war between dairy milk and soy milk."

Holle told his colleagues Wednesday the bill helps "send a message to our farmers that we support them and we want to keep dairy in North Dakota for generations to come.

The intent of the bill is not to crack down on the labeling of plant-based beverages in North Dakota, Holle previously told Forum News Service. That kind of enforcement would likely have to come from the federal government.

Still, several lawmakers who voted against the bill Wednesday worried that cementing a strict legal definition of milk would diminish the availability of plant-based beverages in the state.

Rep. Larry Klemin, R-Bismarck, said he believes passing the legislation would "severely limit the ability of people like me who are lactose intolerant to get something to put on my cereal in the morning."
Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Bismarck woman they say kept drugs and drug paraphernalia in a home where four children were under her watch.

Pamela Adams, 43, is charged with felony child neglect, two drug misdemeanors and a drug infraction, court documents show. The child neglect charge carries a possible five-year prison sentence. An attorney isnt listed for her in court documents.

Police in an affidavit say they found user amounts of methamphetamine and marijuana, a number of used syringes and a glass pipe in her East Bowen Avenue home while executing a search warrant in September. Children ages 17 and 5 were home during the search. A 15-year-old and a 12-year-old were in school, according to an affidavit.
Hundreds of thousands of National Health Service (NHS) nurses held a second day of strikes Tuesday across England. Mondays joint action by nurses and ambulance workers was the largest strike in the NHS since its foundation 75 year ago.

On picket lines workers told the WSWS about their demands for higher pay and more staff to be employed in the NHS. Many workers expressed the view that pay, conditions, and the right to public health care had to be defended in a unified struggle against Rishi Sunaks Conservative government.
One day after a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks struck the western border region of Turkey and Syria, the death toll has surpassed 7,700 and is expected to continue to rise as rescue and recovery efforts continue. The quake is one of the strongest ever recorded in the region and the deadliest in nearly 25 years.

More than 11,000 buildings were destroyed by the quake across 10 provinces in Turkey, including skyscrapers and hospitals. Videos posted on social media show entire apartment blocks suddenly collapsing into dust. In northwest Syria, whole families were left trapped under the rubble of their collapsed homes. Tens of thousands across both countries have been left wounded, and hundreds of thousands are now homeless, struggling to survive in freezing winter temperatures.

All told, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that as many as 23 million people have been directly impacted by the earthquake, including 1.4 million children. Its now a race against time, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes. According to a WHO estimate, the death toll could rise as high as 30,000.

Despite this catastrophe, the Biden administration is refusing to lift the US sanctions imposed against Syria, which drastically impede the flow of relief supplies, meaning that many more Syrians will die from the disaster. Much less does Washington intend to provide any humanitarian aid to the Assad government in its recovery efforts. Instead, State Department spokesman Ned Price made clear that the Biden administration saw the disaster as an opportunity to rekindle its regime-change operation and funnel more money and aid to its proxy forces.

It would be quite ironicif not even counterproductivefor us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now, Price told reporters Monday. Instead, we have humanitarian partners on the ground who can provide the type of assistance in the aftermath of these tragic earthquakes.

The ruthless refusal of the Biden administration to provide aid to the Syrian government, when it knows its actions will result in more suffering and death, recalls the remark of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 1996 that the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children caused by US economic sanctions against Baghdad was worth it in the furtherance of regime-change.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden pledged any and all needed assistance to Turkey in remarks on Monday. However, one can be sure the Biden administration will seek to exploit the disaster to press its geopolitical interests against Ankara, in particular, over the war against Russia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government has stood in the way of the rapid accession of Finland and Sweden into the NATO military alliance, of which Turkey has been a member since 1952. Turkey maintains strong economic and military ties with Russia, and Erdogan has sought to mediate the conflict in Ukraine, even as the US and the imperialist powers in Europe press forward with an escalation which threatens a catastrophic nuclear war. Erdogan survived a military coup attempt in 2016 which bore the hallmarks of a plot hatched in Washington, and the US maintains a military alliance with Kurdish nationalist forces in Syria and Iraq deemed by Turkey to be terrorist organizations.

Despite these differences, Erdogan and his predecessors have played a key role in the imperialist interventions in the Middle East, including in Syria, where it has also supported anti-Assad Islamist groups in the civil war and deployed troops under the cover of waging a war on terror against Kurdish forces.

Ultimately, the earthquake disaster exposes the hypocrisy of American imperialism and explodes the narrative that the US intervenes around the world to defend human rights. American imperialism is the greatest mass murderer in the world today, using its military might to trample on human rights and human life wherever it treads.

The wars it has waged since the 1990s, from Iraq and the Balkans to Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Somalia, have killed millions, displaced tens of millions and left entire societies defenseless against the privations of natural disasters. These wars have metastasized into an open war against Russia, even as US imperialism prepares further escalation of its murderous interventions in the Middle East, with preparations for war against Iran and throughout the region.

Since 2011, beginning under the Obama administration, the US has fueled a civil war in Syria aimed at toppling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Through the arming and funding of Islamist militias and punishing economic sanctions, Washington has left Syrian society shattered and entire cities laid to waste. The war has displaced 13 million Syrians, including 6.7 million refugees, many of whom reside in rudimentary camps and inadequate housing on both sides of the border in the earthquake struck region. More than half a million Syrians have been killed in the more than decade long war.

Under the cover of nearly total media blackout, the United States maintains an occupation force of approximately 900 troops split between the Al Tanf military base in southern Syria and the countrys eastern oil fields, where they have been deployed since 2014, denying the country access to critical resources needed for rebuilding infrastructure destroyed in the war and now in the aftermath of the earthquake.

The US sanctions on Syria must be lifted immediately, and its occupation and regime-change operations must end. This must be combined with the mobilization of social resources to provide emergency relief and rebuild infrastructure on a scientific basis to protect the population from earthquakes. This effort must be paid for with the enormous sums that are spent on war and funneled into the bank accounts of the rich. Such a progressive program requires the building of a working class movement against war and against the capitalist system.
A 366-page coronial inquest finding, issued last week, outlined in horrifying detail the chain of neglectful and cruel events that led to the death in custody of 37-year-old Aboriginal woman Veronica Nelson on January 2, 2020.

Coroner Simon McGregor described the last days and hours of Nelsons life as a harrowing experience in which she endured inhumane conditions including medical neglect and degrading cruelty that contributed to her preventable death, alone on the floor of her maximum-security prison cell. These comments in fact represent a significant understatementwhat happened amounted to a state murder.

Veronica Nelson [Photo: Donna Nelson]

Not much information was provided in the coroners report, nor in related media coverage, on Veronica Nelsons personal background. The report did note that she lost her father unexpectedly and, while grieving, became addicted to heroin. She divided her time between Collingwood, an inner Melbourne suburb where she lived with her partner, and Shepparton, a regional working class city in northern Victoria where many of her extended family live.

Shepparton, a city that has disproportionately high poverty and unemployment rates, is where Nelson was charged with shoplifting from a chemist in October 2019. She was also subsequently charged with the summary offence of failing to appear before a magistrates court, as had been required by her bail conditions.

On December 30, 2019, police in central Melbourne arrested Nelson for outstanding warrants. The coroner deemed the arrest lawful, but criticised police for handcuffing her, noting that policy states this should only be done when reasonably necessary in the circumstances.

Police took Nelson to Melbourne Custody Centre where she was interviewed and held overnight. On December 31, the Melbourne Magistrates court refused bail. This followed Nelson privately speaking with a publicly appointed legal counsel for just six minutes. The barrister excused himself at the hearing, leaving Nelson to speak for herself with no legal support.

Her democratic right to bail, given the presumption of innocence and the lack of any record of violent crime, was deniedprimarily because of the state Labor governments draconian restrictions.

In 2018, Victorian bail laws were massively tightened after a terrible incident in central Melbourne when an individual in a drug-induced psychosis, who had been released on bail days earlier, drove over and killed six people. This led to an aggressive Murdoch media campaign that ignored the social background and causes of that tragedy, and instead demanded tighter bail. The state Labor government of Premier Daniel Andrews immediately responded and its legislation has resulted in an enormous increase in bail refusals and incarcerations.

This has impacted on the poorest sections of the working class, the most vulnerable, the unemployed, homeless, those suffering mental illness and drug and alcohol dependency and in particular, Aboriginal people. By mid-2019, more than a third of adults in Victorias prison were unsentenced, while nearly half (47.7 percent) of Aboriginal prisoners were unsentenced.

On December 31, 2020, Veronica Nelson was transferred from the Melbourne Magistrates court to a maximum security prison in Melbournes outer western suburbs, the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

During transportation, Nelson began suffering from opiate withdrawal and vomited multiple times. When she arrived at the prison she was met by a doctor and a nurse, both employed by the private company Correct Care Australasia, to which the state Labor government contracts all medical care within prisons. Correct Care Australasia is owned by the US billion dollar corporation Wellpath, which dominates privatised healthcare within the American prison system.

The coronial inquest finding outlined a series of damning conclusions about the role played by the Correct Care Australasia doctor in Nelsons death. The doctor dismissed the nurses suggestion that Nelson be sent to hospital for emergency treatment. The coroners report concluded that it was clear that Nelson should have been transferred to a hospital and the ongoing failure [to do this] causally contributed to her death.

The coroner concluded that a physical examination of Veronica was not conducted, contrary to the doctors report of the assessment. She had also not been weighed, despite the doctors recorded entry of her being 40 kilograms. After Nelsons death, she was weighed at just 33 kilograms, with this emaciated state itself warranting hospitalisation.

The coroner found that the doctors failure to physically examine Nelson, plan ongoing care and maintain accurate records are significant departures from reasonable standards of care and diligence expected in medical practice. The coroner has raised the episode with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, which investigates malpractice.

The report also noted that the insufficient treatment for Nelsons addiction constituted cruel and inhumane treatment. This was partly due to stigmatisation of prisoners who had drug addiction and are of Aboriginal descent.

In the assessment, Nelson reported that she had a heroin addiction. A mental health check was then carried out by a psychiatric nurse who suggested Nelson remain overnight in the prison medical centre, as she struggled to sit up and was shaking and vomiting. Following the assessment, Nelson received opiate-related medications, however the doses proved inadequate to address her heroin withdrawals.

During the night of December 31 and throughout the morning of January 1, Nelson continued to vomit. She requested assistance by using the cell intercom 20 times. Just before 9 a.m. she was moved to a clean cell after lying in a vomit-ridden cell for over 15 hours.

Throughout the morning she requested to see a doctor. When Nelson asked when the doctor would see her, she was told, Its not an emergency, stop asking. At 10 a.m. Nelson was given additional medication through the cell door and moved to another cell where she vomited again. At 12.37 p.m. she was examined by a doctor and nurse and given electrolytes, but she continued to vomit.

At 5.20 p.m., Nelson was transferred from the medical ward to the general prison population. At 7 p.m., a sign was placed on her cell door: LATE RECEPTION  DO NOT UNLOCK.

Nelsons final hours leading to her agonising death represent a shocking and inhumane crime. At 9 p.m. she requested blankets twice, due to muscle cramping. An inmate reported that Nelson was repeatedly screaming for help. At 1.30 a.m. on January 2, Nelson used the intercom to plead for assistance, explaining she was in severe pain. Another inmate also called, alerting staff that someone needs help.

At 1.37 a.m., a nurse and prison officer provided Nelson with paracetamol and a nausea medication through her cell flap. The nurse was forced to pry open Nelsons fingers to place pills in her hand, because they [had] cramped into a claw. Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., Nelson, wailing in pain, called for assistance another 11 times. She was told by the prison officer to stop screaming, because you are keeping other prisoners awake.

During most of the night, the duty nurse was seen on CCTV watching a movie on a computer.

At 3.56 a.m. Nelson was in extreme pain and heard wailing over the intercom. Her breath was heavy and she was sobbing, calling out for her deceased father, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy

During a subsequent intercom communication, Nelson stopped responding and a thud was heard from the cell. No-one in the prison investigated, including during mandatory unit patrols by the prison officer. Only several hours later, amid a prisoner count carried at 7.50 a.m., was Nelson found dead, lying naked on the floor in a foetal position.

This marked the first time that an officer or nurse had attended Nelsons cell in six hours and the first time the cell door had been opened in more than 12 hours. An autopsy later found that Nelson had been suffering from Wilkies Syndrome, a rare gastrointestinal condition, in the context of opiate withdrawal and malnutrition.

Part of the coronial inquest provided details of the official reviews following Nelsons death in custody. This included a debrief by authorities at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a report by the Justice Assurance and Review Office, Justice Health and Correct Care Australasia. In all, they amounted to yet another death in custody whitewash.

Rather than providing a detailed account of the complete and utter failure and exposure of the indifference to Nelsons life and care, in most official reviews the actions of staff were exonerated and even praised. Typical was the formal debrief carried out by Dame Phyllis Frost Centre. The prison governor stated that she was proud of the prison officer on duty the night that Nelson died, for the way she sensitively managed the intercom calls and how Nelson was treated in the last few hours. Another senior prison official praised the response as textbook.

The coroner noted that employees of Correct Care Australasia had omitted key details of what had happened in their initial accounts, while Dame Phyllis Frost Centre authorities appeared not to probe for the necessary information. The inquest report characterised this as a dont ask/dont tell arrangement, representing a matter of grave public interest and goes part of the way to explaining how so many continual and repeated systemic failings were permitted to occur in this case.

The coroner concluded that Correct Care Australasia lacked a number of clear policies or processes for the safe medical management of their patients. He has notified the Director of Public Prosecutions that an indictable offence may have been committed.

It remains to be seen whether anyone will face charges for the killing of Veronica Nelson. No confidence whatsoever ought to be lent to state institutions to reform the brutal and repressive prison system. The capitalist state creates these brutal and violent environmentscontrolled by the police, courts and prison officialsto discipline and punish the most vulnerable, marginalised and poor sections of society.

The continuation of state brutality and the killing of Aboriginal people proves that various promises on the issue made by the ruling eliteincluding the Hawke Labor governments 198791 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudds apology to the Stolen Generation and the Closing the Gap programhave resolved nothing for Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal people are disproportionately impacted by the violent incarceration system, but regardless of racial and national background, all of the most oppressed sections of the working class are affected. The coronial report noted that in the twelve months since Nelsons death, four more women died at Dame Phyllis Frost Centreone indigenous, three non-indigenous.

While racism certainly exists within the police and prison system, in the final analysis the reason for the level of Aboriginal incarceration rates lies in the fact that most indigenous people are poor and working class, as are the vast majority of non-Aboriginal prisoners, who are also dying in custody at a frightening rate.
The catastrophe is worsening after Mondays 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes in Kahramanmaras, on Turkeys southern border with Syria, destroyed thousands of buildings in both countries.

Turkeys Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced last night that the death toll from the earthquakes, which hit 10 cities in Turkey, has reached 5,434, with nearly 32,000 injured. Syria has also been hit hard: 1,600 people died, and nearly 4,000 people have been injured.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday that his government has decided to declare a state of emergency for three months in 10 cities hit by the earthquake. The bill is to be voted in parliament today.

Respondingto widespread protests to his governments inaction in the face of the earthquake disaster with an attempt at intimidation, Erdogan claimed there is national unity, stating: While the state and the nation are working hand in hand to overcome this historic disaster, we are closely monitoring those who intend to pit our people against each other with fake news and distortions.

Erdogan added: When the time comes, we will bring them to account. Our prosecutors identify those who try to create social chaos with such inhumane methods and take the necessary actions swiftly.

In reality, the social chaos in the region is the result of the governments turning a blind eye to the widely foreseen earthquake disaster and its indifference to the consequences. Yesterday, while Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirisci was met with protests in Adana, masses of earthquake victims protested in the governors office in Adyaman, chanting: Adyaman is unprotected. Both cities were devastated by the earthquakes.

The government is trying to criminalize posts by journalists or social media users that reveal the almost complete lack of state response in the disaster area and the fact that millions of people, including those trapped under the rubble, are abandoned to their fate.

Yesterday, an anti-democratic investigation was opened against Tele1 TV journalists Enver Aysever and Merdan Yanardag on charges of public incitement to hatred and hostility for their statements on the earthquake disaster.

Meanwhile, the Journalists Union in Turkey issued a statement last night, saying: With the announcement of the state of emergency, journalists are being removed from the rubble in some regions. Investigations are being opened against TV commentators and social media users. They want to censor those who talk about negligence and places where help is not coming.

Millions of people across the country and internationally have mobilized to collect and deliver aid to the earthquake victims. Many health care workers and miners trained in search and rescue have also volunteered to go to the region. However, coal miners in Zonguldak were only able to reach the affected region after 36 hours because the authorities did not arrange a plane.

Other aid personnel also had great difficulty in reaching the necessary places. Many volunteers complained on social media about the lack of coordination and organization by the state. Every moment lost worked against those under the rubble.

Around 23 million people in Turkey and Syria are thought to have been directly affected by the earthquake. The harsh winter conditions in both countries, with snow and rain, necessitated the rapid rescue of tens of thousands of people trapped under the rubble. However, neither in Turkey nor in Syria was this requirement met.

In Syria, divided by the 12-year war for regime change waged by NATO powers, including Turkey, and with many buildings damaged before the earthquake, the Damascus governments ability to help earthquake victims continues to be undermined by crippling imperialist sanctions. There is no international aid or comprehensive search and rescue efforts in the affected towns in northern Syria.

In Turkey, the damage to highways and airports built on fault lines undermined the disaster response, but the Erdogan governments incapable response to the earthquake exposes its political bankruptcy. This is not a failure of this or that official but a reflection of the indifference of the financial oligarchy to the suffering and vital needs of the broad masses.

Remarkably, 36 hours after the earthquake, there were still places where search and rescue teams have not reached. In many places, urgent needs such as shelter, electricity, heating and water cannot be met. While earthquake survivors say there are many bodies under and above the rubble, these terrible conditions also point to the danger of disease outbreaks.

With the addition of the search and rescue teams that have reached Hatay as of tonight, we will be doubling the number of teams for tomorrow, Health Minister Koca said last night. However, these teams should have reached the affected in the very first hours.

According to Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) official Orhan Tatar, around 24,000 personnel of many different organizations are on duty in the earthquake zone. Since around 6,000 buildings in Turkey have completely collapsed, this means that for every building that collapsed, there are only four personnel on duty. This obvious inadequacy has led to the deaths of those trapped under the rubble, as search and rescue operations in many areas were either non-existent or started too late.

Speaking to BBC Turkce yesterday morning, Arzu Dedeoglu, a resident of Hatays Iskenderun district, said: We waited until the evening but no one came. We brought a crane by our own means, but they didnt want to and they intervened to stop. There are two children [under the rubble], my sisters children, Aysegul and Ilayda. The children have passed away!

Dedeoglu cried out against the late arrival of aid, adding: Why didnt those who came now come before noon? We brought a generator by our own means, we tried, but we ran away when the apartment shook with the aftershocks.

According to the same report, earthquake victims waited all day for help, but the cries from those trapped in the rubble stopped yesterday morning. If you had come yesterday, we would have saved them, another woman said.

In the same place, a citizen named Ali Onder expressed his anger at the state and the political establishment, stating: I have eight people under the rubble. No one has come, and there is still no AFAD. Dont let those who leave us alone like this come to ask for our votes, dont! There is no one on behalf of the state, everyone pulled out their relatives by their own means. We dug with our hands!

However, the government has deployed more police and gendarmes to the region than search and rescue workers specialized in earthquakes. According to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, 18,000 gendarmes and about 10,000 police officers have been dispatched to the region, and 10,000 more will be sent.

Speaking to Cumhuriyet TV in Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras yesterday, an earthquake victim said: No one has arrived. Everyone is cold, and tents have not been set up. All living beings died under the debris. Not a single [official] person came. Elbistan was left to die.

These massive earthquakes have long been expected, and scientists have explained what needed to be done to prevent such devastating consequences.

Huseyin Alan, chairman of the Chamber of Geological Engineers, exposed the guilt of the government and the political establishment as follows: There are many reports and academic articles on the fact that these faults will produce earthquakes and could break at any moment. Taking these into account, we have often tried to draw attention to this region. In fact, our Chamber has conducted studies for 24 cities and more than 500 neighborhoods and settlements on this fault. We have repeatedly said and written that these settlements should be prepared for earthquakes.

He added: We prepared and presented reports on this issue. We have presented this report to the President, to the relevant ministries. We have repeatedly pointed out that measures need to be taken. We didnt get a single response. ... Not from the President, not from an MP ... No one turned to us. ... Not even a single improvement was made. All our warnings went unanswered. ... So the expected happened. It was blindingly obvious. We knew this was going to happen.

In an interview with Haberturk TV channel yesterday, respected geologist Prof. Dr. Naci Gorur emphasized that their warnings were not heeded. He explained: It is clear what we will do. We have to build earthquake-resistant cities. The first priority of future governments should not be roads and airports. Of course they should also be built. But the first priority is to build earthquake-resilient cities that will ensure the safety of the people.

This scientific requirement for public health and safety can only be fulfilled on an international scale and under socialism, which is based not on private profit but on the needs of society.
Yesterday a no-confidence motion in the provincial assembly ousted the premier of Malaita province in Solomon Islands, Daniel Suidani.

The development represents a blow to the United States government, which has funnelled so-called aid money into the island of Malaita and extended political support to Suidani and his backers as a reward for their vociferous anti-China and anti-central government stance.

Daniel Suidani in September 2022 [Photo: Solomon Islands Government]

Suidanis ouster comes just days after the US formally reopened its embassy in Solomon Islands, which had been closed in 1993 but was relaunched as part of Washingtons drive to counter Beijings influence in the South Pacific.

The national government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in September 2019, and in March 2022 developed a security pact with Beijing. The diplomatic switch was met with consternation and protests from powerful figures within Washington.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio threatened to crash the Solomons impoverished economy. The security pact saw threats by the Biden administration to stage a military intervention in the event that a Chinese military base was opened in the small, strategic Pacific country.

These were blatantly illegal ultimatums issued against an elected government entering into relations with other states.

For US imperialism, however, everythingincluding basic precepts of international lawis subordinated to its war drive against China. Washington is attempting to diplomatically and militarily encircle China, while ratcheting up anti-China rhetoric within the US and internationally, most recently via the scare campaign over an apparently stray weather balloon. The Solomons-China security pact cut directly across this agenda, while raising the spectre of an end to unchallenged American hegemony across the Pacific Ocean.

It was within this context that Malaitan Premier Daniel Suidani rose from the obscurity of Solomon Islands village politics to become the US pointman within the country over the past four years.

On the eve of the 2019 diplomatic switch, a team of American officials travelled to Malaita, including members of the Department of State, Department of Defence, Department of Trade, as well as embassy and aid personnel. US intelligence operatives were undoubtedly also present. After this secretive tripno press statements or social media posts accompanied the missionSuidani declared that his provincial administration regarded as illegitimate the central governments recognition of Beijing.

The Malaitan premier insisted that he would maintain his own foreign policy relations with Taiwandespite this being explicitly illegal under Solomon Islands law.

Suidani sought to whip up Christian fundamentalist and anti-communist sentiment in Malaita and prohibited Chinese trade and investment in the province. His supporters in the now proscribed Malaita For Democracy outfit (M4D) issued a pogromist threat in September 2020 to ethnic Chinese residents, demanding they leave the Malaitan capital of Auki within 24 hours.

The US pledged tens of millions of dollars in so-called aid directly to Malaita, amounting to at least 50 times more money than the province receives from any other country. Suidani also enjoyed critical political backinghe and his colleagues have received training from personnel with the International Republican Institute, an organisation with close ties to the US intelligence agencies.

As early as January 2020, the World Socialist Web Site warned that the US and its key ally in the region, Australia, were preparing a regime change operation against the Solomon Islands Sogavare government. This was borne out when Suidanis M4D supporters travelled from Malaita to the capital, Honiara, in November 2021 and attempted to storm the parliament and take Sogavare hostage. When this proved unsuccessful, they burned and looted much of the city for three days, murdering three people.

Suidanis removal as premier appears to reflect growing opposition to his rule in Malaita. Promised US investments have largely failed to materialise and desperate poverty and chronic infrastructure problems remain. Paved roads and bridges are either non-existent or in advanced disrepair, yet Suidani has blocked Chinese construction firms from doing work as they have in other provinces. Suidani also blocked the installation of Huawei mobile phone towers, limiting reception on the island. This issue was recently raised against Suidani by Malaitas deputy premier, Glen Waneta.

Suidani and his executive failed to appear before the provincial assembly yesterday, apparently after learning they lacked the numbers. The provincial budget failed to pass the assembly last month, demonstrating growing defections to the opposition. Seventeen assembly members reached quorum yesterday and voted for the no-confidence motion, the text of which included allegations against Suidani of financial mismanagement and corruption.

Around 100 Suidani supporters reportedly clashed with police after the premiers removal, with protestors throwing stones and officers firing tear gas. According to social media reports, the rioters attempted to enter the assembly building, reprising their previous occupation of the assembly building in October 2021. This anti-democratic incident resulted in an earlier no-confidence motion being unable to be heard.

The situation remains tense ahead of the scheduled assembly vote for a new provincial premier. Just before Suidanis removal, a spokesman for a group of his supporters among Malaitan chiefs issued a provocative statement warning of violence unless the provincial government remained in power. Flex Fiumae told the Solomon Star last Sunday: If anything goes wrong, resulting in damages to properties and loss of lives, the mover of the [no-confidence] motion and the non-executive will be blamed for triggering the situation.

Suidanis removal will see no let-up in the propaganda campaign in the Australian and US media against the Sogavare government and China. Already, without a shred of evidence, Suidanis ouster is being attributed to a corrupt conspiracy. Mihai Sora from an Australian corporate thinktank, the Lowy Institute, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that there is speculation that Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare financed these motions against Suidani, backed by money from China, which would be glad to see the premier removed.

This unsubstantiated speculation is being fuelled by the Australian and American governments as part of ongoing efforts to destabilise the Sogavare government.
Bismarck Public Schools superintendent candidate Brandt Dick points to artificial intelligence and teacher shortages as the biggest challenges for education in the next three to five years.

He believes that students will be tempted to use AI tools such as ChatGPT to do their work for them in the coming years. ChatGPT can be used to converse, generate readable text on demand and even produce novel images and video based on what it's learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media, according to The Associated Press.

Dick during an interview with a community focus group on Wednesday emphasized the importance of Career and Technical Education and making sure that graduating students are career-ready, college-ready or military-ready.

The goal of education is to prepare (students) for the future, he said.

BPS Superintendent Jason Hornbacher announced his retirement last year and will serve his last day June 30. Four finalists were chosen to be interviewed for the position.

Dick was the first finalist to complete the daylong process that consists of interviews and a presentation to the School Board. The remaining three candidates will complete the same process in the coming days.

Dick is the chief financial officer for the Central Region Educational Association and the Burleigh County superintendent of schools. He previously served as superintendent of Underwood Public School from 2011-22 and as superintendent of Hazelton-Moffit-Braddock Public School from 2008-14. He unsuccessfully challenged incumbent State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler in the 2020 election, receiving 40% of the vote.

Superintendent candidate Jeff Fastnacht will interview Thursday. Next Wednesday (Feb. 15), Shawn Oban will interview, and next Thursday (Feb. 16) it will be Tyler Hanson's turn.

Fastnacht is assistant superintendent of Mandan Public Schools. Oban is principal of Horizon Middle School in Bismarck. Hanson is superintendent in Edgeley.

Community focus group interviews with the candidates begin at 9 a.m. in Board Room 1 of the Hughes Education Center, 806 N. Washington St. School board interviews with the candidates begin at 6 p.m. those days in the Multipurpose Room of the Career Academy, at 1221 College Drive. All sessions are open to the public.

Bismarck Public Schools is the largest school district in the state, with an enrollment of 13,632 students in grades K-12.
Canadas Liberal government moved closer to launching a full-scale military intervention in Haiti this past weekend, deploying a long-range Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane to support operations by the countrys national police to combat a sustained wave of gang violence. The Western Hemispheres most impoverished country, Haiti has been gripped for years by an ever widening social calamity, characterized by mass hunger and destitution, the COVID-19 pandemic, a cholera epidemic, and a proliferation of heavily-armed gangs that are allied with competing factions of Haitis corrupt, pro-imperialist ruling elite.

The Biden administration has been pushing Ottawa behind the scenes and in public statements to assume a leadership role in a military intervention in Haiti since late October. In a joint statement issued Sunday, Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly confirmed that a C-140 Aurora spy plane had begun surveilling Haiti, but refused to specify how long the mission would continue. This Canadian patrol aircraft will provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to bolster efforts to establish and maintain peace and security for the people of Haiti, the ministers declared in their statement. The CP-140 aircraft has already deployed to the region and is currently operating over Haiti. It will remain in the region for a number of days.

Protesters calling for the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry run after police fired tear gas to disperse them in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. [AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph]

To describe the blather about Canada working to establish peace and security for the people of Haiti as hypocritical would be an understatement. The social disaster that faces the vast majority of the countrys 12 million inhabitants is the outcome of a long series of catastrophic foreign occupations and interventions stretching back over a century, primarily led by US imperialism, but also in recent decades directly involving its Canadian ally.

The last of these interventions began in 2004, when US and Canadian troops collaborated with far-right paramilitary forces associated with the old Duvalier dictatorshipwhich Washington had backed to the hilt for three decades ending in 1986to violently overthrow Haitis elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The intervening two decades have witnessed the imperialist powers in the so-called Core Group, which includes the US, France and Canada, back a series of increasingly right-wing governments that have presided over deepening social and economic breakdown, especially since the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Under pressure from the Biden administration, the Trudeau Liberal government has made preparations over recent months to mount a new imperialist military occupation of the island nation. The Trudeau government sent a batch of armoured vehicles to the Haitian national police in October and made a second delivery last month. Ottawa also dispatched a fact-finding mission to Port-au-Prince late last year after Ariel Henry, the imperialist-installed acting president, appealed in October 2022 for a foreign military intervention to suppress the criminal gangs that control much of Port-au-Prince and other cities and exact tolls on traffic and the transport of fuel and other essentials.

Henry has held power since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moisein what appears to have been a settling of scores within the traditionally pro-Duvalierist, ultra-right-wing faction of the ruling elite from which Moise himself hailed. The well-armed gangs, some of which were used by Moise to suppress popular unrest, are backed by powerful figures within the Haitian oligarchy.

If there is a certain reluctance on the part of the Trudeau government to rush to deploy ground troops to Port-au-Prince, this is certainly not to be explained by any aversion to aggressive military operations in other countries. Over the past two decades, Canadian imperialism has participated side-by-side with its US ally in the savage destruction of Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, and is now in the front ranks of the imperialist war on Russia.

The delay in finalizing the intervention in Haiti has much more to do with the depth of the crisis confronting Haitian capitalism and its pro-imperialist puppet regime, and fears that the attempt to bloodily prop it up could prove costly.

Henry, who is widely suspected of having a hand in Moises assassination, is hated by the vast majority of the populace. His rule is also seen as illegitimate by the bourgeois opposition, which has long argued that Moises election and that of his predecessor and mentor, Michel Martelly, were the result of manipulation and outright fraud.

Among Haitis workers and toilers there is mass opposition to American imperialism due to its more than century-long role in bloodily suppressing the democratic and social aspirations of the Haitian people. But there is also widespread and mounting hostility to Canadian imperialism, with repeated protests in recent years targeting Ottawas role in upholding the countrys vicious, corrupt capitalist ruling elite.

The Liberal government clearly fears that a Canadian-led military intervention would face mass popular opposition from the outset, and that this could dangerously undermine the democratic and human rights facade behind which Ottawa conducts its predatory foreign policy, including its increasingly significant roles in the US military-strategic offensives against Russia and China.

It also needs to be noted that the gangs are heavily armed and could prove difficult to disarm. As for the National Police, some of whose former personnel are now gang leaders, they are likely to prove a less than reliable ally of a Canadian-led military intervention. Late last month, a group of officers staged a violent day-long protest in Port-au-Prince to press for more state support and weaponry, forcing acting Prime Minister Henry to shelter in the airport as they fired guns into the air. At least 78 police officers have been killed on duty since Moises assassination, including 14 who were kidnapped.

The spy plane mission indicates that a decision on a Canadian-led military intervention may be imminent. During a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the North American leaders summit in Mexico City last month, Biden again pressed Ottawa on the issue. If Trudeau has not green-lighted such a deployment by the time the US president visits Canada in March, it could well serve as the backdrop for unveiling a Canadian-led military operation. This is the preferred outcome for the Biden administration, which is eager to avoid yet another US-led operation as it wages war against Russia and intensifies its all-sided campaign of diplomatic, economic and military pressure against China.

Bob Rae, the Trudeau governments ambassador to the United Nations, told a meeting of the UN Security Council in January that Canada intends to do things differently than in the past and learn from the history of large, outside military interventions in Haiti because they have actually failed to bring about long-term stability for Haitians. The solutions Ottawa is striving for must be led by Haitians and Haitian institutions, Rae claimed.

Behind the florid rhetoric, Rae was essentially saying that pressure is being applied behind the scenes to establish a more stable regime that can better front an imperialist intervention. Henry duly sought to oblige his imperialist masters with his announcement February 6 of the creation of a High Transition Council, which he stated unanimously supports a foreign military intervention to restore order. Its three members represent the political, business and civil sectors. They include Mirlande Manigat, a former right-wing presidential candidate associated with Henrys supporters; Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of Haitis Chamber of Commerce; and Pastor Calixte Fleuridor, from the countrys Protestant Federation.

The imperialists would like to see the political integration of the bourgeois opposition Montana Accord parties into a transitional regime capable of imposing the dictates of the major powers and international investors, who are demanding stability to facilitate the ruthless exploitation of Haitis impoverished workers. Washington and Ottawa are also anxious that the social crisis in Haiti not destabilize the broader Caribbean region, including through a mass exodus of desperate refugees to the neighbouring Dominican Republic and beyond.

Amid the unfolding nightmare in Haiti, both the US and Canada continue to deport Haitians en masse.

A report released this week by the UN Childrens Agency UNICEF underscored the extent of the social catastrophe produced by decades of imperialist intervention and the corrupt rule of their local stooges. Fully 2.5 million children, half of the countrys entire child population, will require emergency assistance this year due to a lack of food and other basic necessities. As Bruno Maes, UNICEFs Haiti representative told the Guardian, Haitian children dont just face challenges accessing food and potable water while the health system collapses around them. There is also a lack of protection. Children are being abused, young girls are being raped and services are not there at the scale they should be for their survival and development.

A deadly cholera epidemic continues to rage across the country. According to a UN report dated January 15, 483 deaths, 1,742 confirmed cases and 24,232 suspected cases can be attributed to the outbreak that began last year. The impact of the disease is compounded by widespread malnutrition, with the World Food Program reporting that 4.7 million Haitians, more than a third of the population, face acute hunger.

Chief responsibility for this abysmal state of affairs lies with the imperialist powers. After decades of military occupations and interventions, and the backing of brutal dictatorships, they responded to the 2010 earthquake that claimed at least 250,000 lives by offering up Haitis impoverished masses as a source of cheap labour for international finance capital. Money provided to support the victims was funnelled through pro-imperialist organizations like the Inter-American Development Bank, and large investment deals brokered by the war criminals Bill and Hillary Clinton were struck.

Under this regime of aid, approximately 60,000 jobs were created in the low-paying apparel sector, as large international concerns took advantage of extremely low wage rates and Washingtons removal of export restrictions to cash in. At least 11,000 of these jobs have disappeared since December 2021.

The latest announcement came from South Korean producer Sae-A Trading Co., which is cutting 3,500 jobs from its workforce of 7,000 and closing one of its six factories in northeastern Haiti. The company, which operates as S&H Global in Haiti, arrogantly complained about the prevalence of strikes by customs officials, gang violence and the unreliable local power supply in a statement full of corporate managerial-speak. These disruptions, declared Sae-A Trading, had led to orders canceled and trust lost from our retailer customers in the USA as they suffered significant losses from delayed and non-delivery of merchandise. For 2023, it continued, the large US-based retailers are rerouting orders elsewhere around the Caribbean and Central America leaving us, S&H Global with a dearth of orders.
Michigan Medicine nurses discharging patient [Photo: Michigan Medicine]

A poll of working registered nurses (RNs) in Michigan shows that understaffing is the number one issue they face, making hospitals unsafe and leading to an increase in patient deaths.

The poll was conducted by Emma White Research, an Ann Arbor-based public policy research agency, and explored registered nurses perceptions of their working conditions, the staffing shortage and the reasons nurses are leaving the profession. Several of the questions were the same as those asked in a similar poll in 2016. They show the changes in nurses views over the past seven years.

Emma White Research conducted the poll from January 2 through January 8 by holding 400 interviews via live mobile and landline phone calls and text-to-web communications among registered nurses living or working in Michigan. The nurses were selected from a list of RNs provided by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

The poll was conducted on behalf of the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA), a union representing 13,000 nurses in Michigan. The MNA has been conducting a campaign for the passage of a Safe Patient Care Act by the Michigan legislature, that would set mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios.

The results of the poll, which were published on January 23, expose the dire conditions that nurses are working under across Michigan. The results are, in fact, a microcosm of the situation facing nurses throughout the US and around the globe.

The following is a summary of the key findings:

More than seven in ten RNs say they are assigned an unsafe patient load in half or more of their shifts. Of the nurses polled, 71 percent said they agreed with the statement, Nurses are often assigned too many patients at once.

More than nine in ten RNs say requiring nurses to care for too many patients at once is affecting the quality of patient care. Ninety-four percent of nurses responded that they strongly agree or somewhat agree with the statement, Some people say that the quality of patient care in Michigan hospitals is suffering because hospitals are requiring registered nurses to care for too many patients at once.

Nurses reported increases in awareness in every category of negative patient outcomes as compared to 2016. The eight negative outcomes listed range from nurses lacking time to properly comfort patients and families (92 percent) to medication errors such as wrong medication, wrong dosage or missed medication (75 percent) and longer hospital stays (64 percent). Most categories increased by 10 percentage points or more from the 2016 poll results.

A dramatic measure of the deteriorating conditions in hospitals was the number of nurses who say they know of a patient death due to nurses being assigned too many patients. This category nearly doubled from 22 percent in 2016 to 42 percent this year.

Of those who plan to leave nursing within the next two years, 75 percent said staffing and nurse-to-patient ratios are the biggest problem on their jobs, and 85 percent say that they are assigned too many patients at once. Significantly, of these nurses planning to leave their jobs in the next two years, 58 percent said they know of a patient who died due to insufficient staffing.

The vast majority of RNs, 79 percent, blame working conditions for the staffing crisis, rather than a shortage of qualified nurses.

The results of the poll paint a devastating picture of conditions in hospitals and health care systems in the tenth most populous state in the US. Since 2016, the working conditions for nurses in Michigan have deteriorated significantly, especially during the three years of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the staffing crisis in the health care industry preceded the pandemic and was markedly exacerbated by it. The disconnect between the needs of the public for increased health care services, the need of hospital employees for improved staffing resources, incomes and working conditions, and the drive by the health care industry for increasing profits and financial performance has been manifest for decades.

While the health care industry in Michigan received a collective $3 billion in emergency government funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has shown no inclination to reverse the decline in the number of nurses working in direct care. According to records maintained by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), there are 154,758 registered nurses with active licenses in Michigan, but the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows just 102,480 are working as RNs in the state.

Any serious examination of the source of the staffing crisis points to the role of the for-profit health care industry, run by powerful capitalist and financial interests, that subordinate all aspects of patient care to the drive for profit.

The remaining segments of the poll were devoted to asking nurses if they support the Safe Patient Care Act which would establish a limit on the number of patients a nurse is assigned at one time. Nurses were also asked if the measure passes do you think the quality of care for the patients you see will improve.

The poll also asked about a law in Michigan that would eliminate mandatory overtime for nurses. On these questions, of course, the nurses polled were overwhelmingly in favor by a margin of 75 percent or more.

However, the campaign by the MNA for the passage of the Safe Patient Care Act seeks to conceal the root cause of the staffing crisis, and divert nurses away from a mass struggle against the corporate and political institutions responsible for the crisis.

As the MNA has shown repeatedly, such as when 6,000 nurses were blocked from taking strike action, and their contract fight at Michigan Medicine was betrayed last spring and summer, the union has no intention of organizing any fight to mobilize the strength of nurses and other health care workers against the capitalist interests responsible for the understaffing crisis.

Nurses in Michigan, across the US and around the world have demonstrated again and again their willingness to mobilize their strength in a fight for adequate staffing, better working conditions, wages and benefits. However, as long as these struggles are dominated by the official labor organizations with their numerous ties to the big-business Democratic Party and corporate and financial interests, these rights cannot be secured.

What is required is the formation of rank-and-file committees made up of all layers of health care workersdoctors, nurses and staff, and facilities staffto organize the struggle in the interests of the employees and not those of the corporate executives and managers, and their defenders in the union apparatus.
A New York University graduate student, Naye Idriss, has reportedly lost her university job after being accused of violating the universitys Non-Discrimination and Harassment and vandalism policies last summer by writing f*ck Israel and Free Palestine on a trash bag.

Idriss, who studies at NYUs Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, worked at the universitys Elmer Holmes Bobst Library as an Arabic translator. On a white canvas mail bag in the trash that read Israel Postal Co. Ltd, she graffitied the words f*ck followed by free Palestine. In November, she underwent hearings by the university and the human resources department. In January, at the beginning of the spring semester, her annual job reapplication was denied. Additionally, two of Idriss colleagues, who defended her during her proceedings, were not offered to return to their positions. The story was subsequently reported by the Washington Square News (WSN), NYUs student newspaper.

The New York University campus in New York City, on December 16, 2021. [AP Photo/Seth Wenig]

Idriss has denounced the investigations as a blatant attack on freedom of speech. It goes to show how desperate they are when they choose to go after a student just for expressing political speech on a trash bag. Its absurd to me, Idriss told the Washington Square News.

Palestine Legal, an American nonprofit law firm that specializes in Palestinian rights cases on universities across the US, issued a press release in her defense.

The right-wing Zionist Jerusalem Post has published an attack on Idriss, and the right-wing watchdog StopAntisemitism.org tweeted an image of her with details about her place of birth from an account with 65,000 followers.

The university has not publicly commented on Idrisss investigation other than acknowledging that there was an incident that involved the writing of profanity in the library, and that various appropriate NYU offices have looked into the matter and responded to it.

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) at NYU condemns the anti-democratic action taken by the NYU administration against Idriss. This constitutes a fundamental assault on democratic rights and sets a dangerous precedent for the victimization and targeting of left-wing students and university employees.

For years, the false equation of opposition to the Israeli state with anti-Semitism has been the basis for an escalation of the assault on democratic rights and the criminalization and suppression of left-wing opposition to capitalism and the war policies of imperialism. The far right, which in many cases has helped spearhead this reactionary campaign, has only emerged strengthened from it.

NYU has long played an important role in this state-backed campaign. The university maintains extensive ties to the US military and state apparatus and is run by a board of trustees whose members are composed predominantly of Wall Street hedge fund managers, and figures from the Democratic and the Republican parties.

In the spring of 2020, a former NYU graduate student, Adela Cojab, filed a lawsuit against the university for awarding the Presidents Service Award to a pro-Palestinian campus club. The case attempted to equate the award ceremony with the universitys failure to protect Jewish students from violence and specifically targeted the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. University President Andrew Hamilton effectively backed her lawsuit in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.

Cojabs lawsuit was a part of the effort by the Trump administration and the pro-Israel lobby to implement and enforce a policy of equating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. In December of 2019, Trump signed an executive order which imbued Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act with language explicitly condemning anti-Semitism. The order was based on the 2016 definition of anti-Semitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance as any criticism of the State of Israel on the basis that it is a racist endeavor. Cojab was subsequently invited by Trump to speak on the case at an Israeli-American Council national event.

In the fall of 2020, the NYU administration sided with videoconferencing corporation Zoom over its decision to shut down online meetings sponsored by San Francisco State University (SFSU) that featured pro-Palestinian activists. Online meetings at NYU and other universities across the country held in opposition to the canceling of the SFSU event were similarly shut down, sparking broad opposition.

The campaign against Idriss coincides with last weeks vote by the Republican House majority to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. For years, Omar, who has the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America, a pseudo-left faction within the Democratic Party, has been publicly attacked as an anti-Semite both by figures from the Democratic Party establishment and far-right Republicans for her timid statements criticizing Israel.

The blatant assault on the democratic rights of Naye Idriss by the New York University administration can only be understood within their broader political context. Without even so much as a public discussion or declaration, the US and NATO have de facto entered a military conflict with Russia in Ukraine which threatens humanity with a nuclear catastrophe.

Last Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with French President Emmanuel Macron and pledged to send armaments to Ukraine and continue provocations and attacks against Iran, a central ally of Russia in the war in Ukraine. Netanyahus government is the most right-wing in Israels history and is replete with far-right, fascistic and Jewish supremacists. For the past weeks, it has been shaken by a wave of protests of over 100,000 people, including both Jewish and Arab citizens with reports describing Jewish protesters flying Palestinian flags side by side with Israeli Arabs.

NYUs targeting of Nayde Idriss for her comments on a trash bag sets a dangerous precedent for the silencing of anyone who speaks out against these war policies on campus and beyond. It must be opposed as a matter of principle. The defense of democratic rights is an indispensable component of the fight against war.

The International and Youth and Students for Social Equality is fighting to build a global movement by young people against imperialist war that is rooted in the international working class and based on the struggle for socialism. Our club at NYU is organizing a meeting this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., The Socialist Response to the War in Ukraine & The Danger of World War III. We urge all students at NYU and throughout New York who are determined to fight against war and the attack on democratic rights to attend.
On February 4, the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP, Socialist Equality Party) held a rally against the war in Ukraine and the return of German militarism as part of its election campaign for the Berlin state election at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. More than 300 people took part. We publish here the opening remarks of Johannes Stern, who moderated the rally. Stern is a member of the SGPs executive committee and editor-in-chief of the German-language edition of the World Socialist Web Site.

Dear comrades, dear friends, dear opponents of war:

I would like to warmly welcome you to the Socialist Equality Partys rally against war. We meet in a historic place. Here, almost exactly 107 years ago on May 1, 1916, in the midst of the mass slaughter of the First World War, an historic anti-war demonstration took place. Karl Liebknecht, the great socialist and revolutionary, was the main speaker. Many of you are probably familiar with the words he shouted at the time: Down with the war! Down with the government!

Johannes Stern, editor-in-chief of the German-language edition of the World Socialist Web Site

Liebknecht was arrested shortly thereafter. But the demonstration was an important step in the construction of a powerful anti-war movement, which culminated in the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 and a year later in the November Revolution here in Germany, which finally put an end to the war.

Our rally is in this tradition. We are here today to once again take a stand against war and militarism. We are here to confront the warmongers who are once again plunging the world into the abyss. The NATO powers continue to escalate the war in Ukraine against the nuclear-armed power of Russia. And above all, German imperialism is rearming and building on its darkest traditions. Ninety years after Hitlers seizure of power, German battle tanks are once again rolling against Russia.

This madness, which as in the First and Second World Wars can only lead to disaster, must be stopped. As we declare on our posters: Two world wars are enough! Thats why today we dont just want to protest loudly, but above all we want to use the rally to clarify what needs to be done. It is necessary to build an international mass movement of workers and youth against war and its root, capitalism.

This perspective is also at the heart of our election campaign. The SGP is participating in the Berlin elections in order to give a voice and a socialist perspective to the enormous opposition in the population to militarism and war. I want to urge you to vote for us on February 12th and to become active. Lets make the rally a prelude to the building of a powerful anti-war movement. Come after the speeches to our book tables, purchase our materials, register as an election supporter and become a member of the SGP.

Before I welcome our first speaker, I would like to emphasise one point. This is a demonstration against war from the standpoint of the international working class. Nationalist symbols, flags or slogans are therefore completely out of place here. They do not serve the fight against war, but the war policy and the warmongers.

Anyone who wants to fight against war must be absolutely clear on this question. The struggle against war requires the unity of workers: workers in Ukraine, in Russia, in Germany, in Europe, in the US and worldwide, against governments and warmongers in their own countries. The fight against war is a class issue. This is the perspective of this rally. I am pleased that in the course of the rally we will hear greetings from a whole range of countries, including Russia.

To begin, I would like to welcome our first speaker. Christoph Vandreier, the chairman of the SGP and our lead candidate in the Berlin elections.
Howard University in Washington D.C. has been awarded a five-year, $90 million contract by the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force to fund a research center dedicated to developing advanced technology for the military.

The center will be one of the Pentagons 15 officially designated UARCs (University Affiliated Research Centers) and the first to be based at a historically black college/university (HBCU), a dubious honor that was announced with great fanfare on January 23 by university President Wayne A.I. Frederick.

The announcement came as the school hosted Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall to proclaim a historic and tremendous accomplishment for Howard University.

In his remarks, Austin lamented that Only a tiny fraction of our departments research funding goes to HBCUs. He then declared, To sharpen Americas technological edge and to strengthen Americas outstanding military, the department is committed to investing in even more HBCUs and minority-serving institutions. Today, we are taking that commitment to a new level.

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]

Air Force Secretary Kendall added, What we are celebrating today directly supports two goals incredibly important to our nation, one is a need to grow and diversify the pool of scientists and engineers across the country, particularly those contributing to our national security.

The research center, which will receive $18 million in funding annually for at least five years, will focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on autonomous systems.

Danda Rawat, who is director of Howards Data Science and Cybersecurity Center, explained to the university newspaper, The Dig, that Howards UARC will focus on advanced battle management systems (ABMS) and tactical autonomy, which the Air Force defines as autonomous systems acting with delegated and bounded authority of humans in support of tactical, short-term actions associated with a longer-term strategic vision in war. He added that this research would provide operational advantages to our war fighters.

Stripping away the euphemisms, the center will be dedicated to the development and improvement of the US militarys killing machines, including the drones that for decades have wreaked terror and havoc in the United States neocolonial wars in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asiawars that have led to millions of deaths and the destruction of entire societies.

Howards partnership with the most reactionary and bloodstained institution on the planet is presented as a progressive advance for people of color. Speaking to The Dig, Howard Professor Bruce Jones explained, There is a dearth of people of color going into these areas of tactical autonomy, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cyber security This [contract] enables Howard University to provide a pipeline of students and faculty into these strategic areas. In securing this UARC, Howard acts as a model for other HBCUs to do the same.

There are 14 other universities with Pentagon-funded UARCs, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins University. While Howard is the first HBCU to be awarded this prestigious program, this is merely the latest step in the integration of HBCUs into the military-intelligence apparatus, part of the broader militarization of American higher education.

Eleven other HBCUs are classified under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as R2 (Research 2) high research activity institutions, conducting research that can be utilized for military purposes, and in many cases specifically intended for military use.

A September 2022 issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education detailed the extent of this collaboration, quoting an Air Force spokesperson who reported: The Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act required the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish a plan to elevate a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCUs/MSIs), assess their ability to participate and compete in engineering, research, and development activities, and report the plan to Congress.  The goal is to grow and diversify the available pool of scientists and engineers to support more comprehensive solutions to the departments most challenging problems.

Among the problems being tackled by these research centers, such as the one located at the HBCU Florida A&M University (FAMU), is the issue of communication with hypersonic aircraft, which is difficult due to the high speeds involved. The solution would allow hypersonic craft to operate entirely unmanned, giving the US a military edge over its principal competitors, designated in the article as Russia and China.

The establishment of the UARC at Howard will open the road for the university to receive a Carnegie R1 (very high research activity) designation, which in turn will open the floodgates for even more funding and grants. This fact was noted with glee by the universitys president, himself a millionaire who answers to a wealthy Board of Trustees made up of venture capitalists and Democratic Party operatives.

The research center at Howard will provide the infrastructure for a consortium of HBCUs that will collaborate and share academic resources among themselves in support of the research. Among these schools are Jackson State University, Tuskegee University and Tougaloo College. The founding of the center at Howard will therefore serve as a catalyst for the further integration of these institutions into the military-intelligence complex.

The unholy alliance between the Pentagon and the wealthy executives who run Howard University is a demonstration of the fundamentally reactionary character of identity politics.

When the race- and gender-obsessed middle classes speak of diversity, they are referring to the elevation of a narrow layer of grasping careerists to well-paid positions in academia, the state and the corporate world. There is no contradiction between these aspirations and the war aims of American imperialism. Indeed, they are in lockstep: the wealth of these affluent layers is tied to Wall Street by a million threads.

On the other hand, this diversity has nothing to do with the interests of the great mass of the working class of all races, from whom the gargantuan costs of the ever-expanding military apparatus and its imperialist wars are extracted in the form of increased austerity and exploitation.

This basic contradiction has found its expression at Howard, which has a wealthy, mostly black administration, while it hosts mostly black students from working class backgrounds, who face deplorable living conditions on campus. Similarly, the mostly black faculty face low pay and high exploitation. The administration claims it has no money to pay for better dorms or higher wages, even as it receives millions of dollars to fund the latest weapons research.

The integration of Howard and other HBCUs into the military apparatus of US imperialism is part of the broader militarization of Americas colleges and universities, which are being transformed into a pipeline for trained technicians and specialists who can be put to use in the burgeoning military-intelligence field. Any aspect of academics that cannot be put to this use is deemed worthless. Hence the attempt by the Howard administration to shut down the universitys classical studies department in 2021, which was called off only after it provoked outrage among students and faculty.
Brian Keller, a worker at the Stellantis MOPAR parts facility in suburban Detroit and candidate for United Auto Workers president in the first round of the election, has given his full support to long-time UAW bureaucrat Shawn Fain in the illegitimate run-off election for union president.

Brian Keller (top) and Shawn Fain [Photo: UAW Real Talk, GM, Ford, FCA Facebook page]

On February 2, Keller invited Fain to a live video broadcast on his UAW Real Talk GM, Ford, FCA Facebook page. Keller continuously expressed confidence in Fain, declaring that he was sure Fain would do the right thing if elected UAW president. Keller urged rank-and-file workers to cast their ballots for Fain, saying they would be voting for change and sending a message to the UAW leadership.

Keller brushed aside the fact that Fain was a member of the UAW-Chrysler National Negotiating Committee in 2009 and 2011, when the committee unanimously imposed massive concessions on workers, including cutting the wages of all new hires in half, eliminating cost-of-living (COLA) protections and vastly expanding the use of highly exploited temporary workers. By 2015, Fain was number two in the UAW-Fiat Chrysler department under Norwood Jewell, who was later convicted of taking illegal payoffs from management to fix contracts. It strains belief that Fain did not know of the corruption going on under his nose.

During the February 2 event, Keller absurdly claimed Fain was merely a subordinate who had to do what he was told, and therefore had no responsibility for the massive betrayals carried out by the UAW leadership.

This is a complete about-face of what Keller said when he was running against Fain during the first round of the UAW elections. He repeatedly denounced Fain as a tool of the corrupt UAW apparatus whose record in selling out workers was no different than incumbent UAW president Ray Curry.

In a live broadcast on his Facebook page on September 11, 2022, for example, Keller declared, Shawn Fain is part of Ray Currys caucus. Shawn Fain is the administrative assistant for the Chrysler department under Cindy Estrada. You know what Cindy Estrada did to GM workers and you know what she is doing to Chrysler workers. And Shawn Fain has gone along with the whole entire program. Shawn Fain helped negotiate those concessionary company friendly agreements. He also helped push those agreements. But he wants to act like hes not part of Ray Currys caucus.

During the February 2 event, Fain studiously avoided making specific promises for actions he would take if elected. He did not pledge to win back lost concessions, root out massive corruption within the apparatus, or fight the collusion of the UAW bureaucracy at all levels with management against the rights of rank-and-file members.

Fain repeatedly referenced the failure of the incumbent Curry to win job security and product commitments. As UAW members are well aware, these have long been code words used by UAW bureaucrats to signal their readiness to impose concessions on workers aimed at boosting competitiveness of the auto companies, supposedly in the name of saving jobs.

When Keller made tentative efforts to pin Fain down to specifics, Fain would deflect with scripted phrases such as the gloves will come off and we will fight like hell, etc.

Early in the event, Keller said he would not accept an appointment to the UAW international staff, apparently addressing concerns that he had been promised a job in return for his endorsement of Fain. However, later he made a not-too-subtle pitch for a union position, telling Fain directly that he would be interested in being part of the UAW negotiating team in the upcoming national auto contract negotiations.

Keller is also apparently not burning his bridges with the Curry faction either. During the event, Keller also announced his support for Chuck Browning for vice president, who currently heads the unions Ford department. Browning is running on the same slate as incumbent UAW President Ray Curry.

The current run-off being conducted by the UAW bureaucracy and the court-appointed UAW Monitor is a complete fraud. In an official protest filed with the monitor on December 19, Mack Trucks worker and socialist candidate for UAW president Will Lehman documented a host of gross violations of democratic procedures, which led to a turnout of less than 10 percent of the eligible voters in the first round.

This included the refusal of the leadership to update membership address lists to send out ballots or to properly inform members of the first direct election in the unions history. Although this was mandated under the UAW Monitors election rules, the court-appointed monitor did nothing to enforce these mandates.

Because of Lehmans protest, filed on December 19, the UAW Monitor has not yet been able to certify the first round of the election. At the same time, the monitor has ignored Lehmans request for a redo of the first round of voting or the inclusion of all the candidates in the current run-off.

In contrast to the first round, workers are now being bombarded by campaign materials, including multiple e-mails and signs all over the plants informing them of the runoff between Curry and Fain.

During Kellers February 2 event, neither he nor Fain said anything about the deliberate disenfranchisement of UAW members and Lehmans protest. While acknowledging that many members have told him the election is rigged, Keller has lent his support to the sham runoff between two hand-picked candidates of the UAW bureaucracy.

In the first round of elections, many workers voted for Keller because he is perceived as a vocal critic of the corrupt UAW bureaucracy. Keller won a majority of votes in a number of key UAW locals, including at Fords Kentucky Truck Plant, Stellantis Mack Assembly in Detroit and Volvo Trucks New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia, the scene of a militant strike and rebellion against the UAW bureaucracy in 2021.

Many supporters of Keller are no doubt surprised by his shift from denouncing the Solidarity House sellouts to singing the praises of the likes of Fain and Browning. But this is the logical outcome of Kellers outlook and program.

Whatever criticisms Keller has made of the UAW bureaucracy, he has consistently opposed Lehmans call for the abolition of the UAW apparatus and the transfer of decision-making power to workers on the shop floor through the formation of rank-and-file committees. Instead, Keller has insisted that workers must work within the existing bureaucratic structure. At a debate between the five candidates in the first round last September, Keller said Lehmans call for the abolition of the UAW bureaucracy was divisive.

Kellers evolution is an important experience for workers. It shows that it is impossible to consistently oppose the betrayals of the union bureaucracy while upholding the nationalist, pro-capitalist and anti-socialist program which it advances.

Writing in 2019 in response to statements by Brian Keller defending a nationalist and anti-immigrant perspective, the World Socialist Web Site defended an internationalist strategy. Such an outlook, the WSWS insisted, is a basic dividing line between futile efforts to reform the UAW and the struggle to build new organizations of the working class to take on and defeat the transnational corporations and secure good-paying jobs, decent wages and democratic workers control over production and health and safety conditions for all workers.

The WSWS continued, If autoworkers are to fight successfully against powerful transnational corporations, they need the most advanced understanding, theory and strategy, not the most backward. Whether Keller likes it or not, the globalization of economic life is a reality. To believe that the worlds productive forces can be crammed back within the confines of the nation-state is about as realistic today as the belief in the Middle Ages that the world was flat and the sun revolved around the earth.

The fact is that the unending betrayals by the UAW apparatus do not flow simply from the actions of bad or corrupt leaders, though there are plenty, but more fundamental causes. The UAW bureaucracy and other nationally based unions had no progressive answer to the increasingly global nature of capitalist production. Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, the apparatus focused on collaboration with management, driving down wages and conditions of American workers in order to boost the competitive position of US corporations versus their overseas rivals.

The campaign of socialist autoworker Will Lehman is based on the exact opposite conception as those advanced by Keller. Lehman is seeking not the reform of the UAW bureaucracy, but its abolition. He fights for an international strategy based on uniting workers of all countries in a common struggle against the transnational corporations and the entire system of capitalism. In opposition to the policy of union-management collaboration and concessions, Lehman calls on workers to build rank-and-file committees to take power into their own hands to fight for their demands, not what that the companies and UAW bureaucrats say is possible or allowable.

Will Lehman, socialist candidate for UAW president, campaigns during a shift change at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. [Photo: WSWS]

On December 12, Lehman issued a statement titled Why I am not supporting Shawn Fain in run-off vote, after Fain asked him for his endorsement. In it, Lehman explained why he was not supporting either of the two union bureaucrats.

First, the initial round of elections was completely illegitimate, and the results should not be certified. Less than 10 percent of the 1.1 million active and retired workers eligible to vote cast ballots. The two top vote getters, Curry and Fain, each received less than 4 percent of the vote of eligible members.

Lehman continued, Fains defense of the legitimacy of the elections is bound up with the fact that he is a longtime UAW bureaucrat who rose to the top of the trash heap in the UAW apparatus by collaborating in the destruction of the jobs, living standards and working conditions of UAW members.

If elected, Lehman continued, the only change that would occur is that Fain would increase his current salary of $156,364 as an Administrative Assistant at Solidarity House to the nearly $300,000 that a UAW president pockets.

Lehman has warned that the replacement of one union bureaucrat with another would do nothing to advance workers interests. That is why his campaign has been centered on building a network of rank-and-file committees, democratically controlled by workers themselves, as a new center of decision-making power and struggle against the corporations.

The WSWS urges autoworkers to read the protest of the UAW election Lehman has sent to the UAW monitor, submit statements of support for the protest and join the fight to build rank-and-file committees in every factory and workplace. To support Will Lehmans campaign and share your thoughts email the campaign at: willforuawpresident@gmail.com.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky made surprise visits to the UK and France Wednesday in his third trip abroad since the start of the war with Russia. He will meet European Union leaders and address the European Parliament Thursday.

Meetings with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, King Charles III, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and a speech before the UK Parliament were used to promote NATOs continuing escalation toward a Third World War.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks at a military facility in Lulworth, Dorset, England, Wednesday Feb. 8, 2023 [AP Photo/Andrew Matthews]

There was only one theme to Zelenskys remarks: demands for the delivery of advanced fighter jets to the Ukrainian armed forces.

In an elaborate piece of political theatre staged in Britains Westminster Hall, he told the assembled House of Commons and Lords of his scheduled audience with Charles: In Britain, the king is an air force pilot. In Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king. He then presented the Speaker of the House with the signed helmet of a Ukrainian pilot, emblazoned with the words, We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.

Zelensky concluded his speech, Leaving the British parliament two years ago, I thanked you for delicious English tea, and I will be leaving the parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.

As the World Socialist Web Site wrote February 2, A familiar script is playing out. The decision to send fighter jets has already been taken. But it must be packaged in an initial reluctance to act, followed by insistent demands from NATOs proxy government in Ukraine, amplified in all the Western media, and then a relatively rapid reversal and official green light from Washington and the European capitals.

Zelenskys speech was intended to generate support for this move among the upper-middle class layers supporting war and to put pressure on European powers, particularly Germany, which have been less willing to front the costs of a war with Russia whose main benefits will be reaped by the United States.

Britain was chosen for the venue as the most pro-war of Washingtons allies, with the Ukrainian president saying, London has stood with Kiev since day one, and saying of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was in the audience, You got others united when it seemed absolutely, absolutely impossible.

In a series of statements, Sunaks office announced before Zelenskys arrival that the Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UKs training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future The Prime Minister will also offer to provide Ukraine with longer range capabilitiesthat is, missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory.

After Zelensky had spoken, it was revealed that the prime minister has tasked the defence secretary with investigating what jets we might be able to give

We think this is right to provide both short-term equipment like Challenger tanks, additional guns, longer-range capabilities that can help win the war now, but also look to the medium-to-long term to ensure Ukraine has every possible capability it requires.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Zelensky in the evening, Sunak said in response to a question about jets, Nothing is off the table When it comes to fighter combat air force, of course they are part of the conversation.

None of the servile journalists assembled asked what the prime minister expected the consequences of such a decision would be. The truthful answer is that the dispatch of fighter jets would mark the start of a direct shooting war between the NATO alliance and nuclear-armed Russia.

Speaking to the i newspaper last Tuesday, Kings College London defence expert Dr Marina Miron explained, Logistics and training aside, it would be politically impossible for NATO to send those fighter jets to Ukraine without getting involved directly. Tanks are already kind of borderline. But fighter jets

You have to have a lot of trust to give Ukraine fighter jets because if they strike Russia, its going to be hell. It will escalate immediately.

She added that giving them fighter jets and long-range missiles is probably out of the question. Both are now on the table.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Ukrainian national security official Oleksiy Danilov was confidently predicting that it was only a matter of time before combat aircraft were sent to Ukraine. He continued, Regarding Russian territory, nobody prohibits us to destroy targets with weapons produced in Ukraine. Do we have such weapons? Yes, we do.

The imperialist powers and Washingtons proxy Ukrainian forces do not intend to minimise the risks of the conflict but to prosecute it through to the collapse of the Russian state. The US and NATO have dispatched tens of billions of pounds worth of increasingly advanced, NATO-standard weaponry and reconnaissance systems, plus special forces, to Ukraine in the last year, preparing the ground for the large-scale intervention of NATO forces.

Britain has helped to lead the charge, being among the first to provide anti-tank and artillery weapons systems and the first to announce the sending of heavy tanks14 Challenger IIs. Ukrainian soldiers began training on the vehicles in the UK this week and Sunak announced in Wednesdays press conference with Zelensky that the tanks will be on the battlefield in a matter of weeks.

As well as fighter pilot and tank crew training, the UK announced this week that it would also offer to begin an immediate training programme for marines.

This would be in addition to the recruit training programme already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year. The UK will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the programme up in 2023.

Any pretence that this is not a NATO war against Russia in Ukraine is being shredded. Speaking last week, Tory MP and former chair of the Defence Select Committee Tobias Ellwood said bluntly, It is up to the Treasury and Number 10 to recognise the world is changing. We are now at war in Europe. We need to move to a war footing. We are involved in that.

Ellwood complained that the British military was not up to the task and needed vastly more resources, to be paid for through massive cuts to social spending: The army is in a dire state. Our army is simply too small, we have cut down by 10,000 troops.

He was lent support from within the US and UK military, with government sources reporting that a serving US general had told UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace the British Army was no longer regarded as a tier one force. They added, according to Sky News, Rishi Sunak risked failing in his role as wartime prime minister unless he took urgent action.

The Labour Party has made itself the main political spokesperson for these warmongers. On Tuesday, Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey told the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) military think tank that the upcoming Integrated Review of defence and foreign policy must outline the contribution the UK will make to NATO as it focusses on future Russian aggression, accusing Tory governments of having hollowed out and underfunded the armed forces. Securing Britain as NATOs leading European nation would be a Labour mission in government.
Mandan High School senior Medora Ellingson has been riding in rodeos since she was in the third grade. She competes in barrel racing, girls cow cutting and reining cow horse.

She has represented North Dakota at the National High School Rodeo Association finals in both cutting and reining cow horse events. Ellingson competes in the National Cutting Horse Association and National Barrel Horse Association during the offseason to keep herself and her horses busy and in shape. She said succeeding with her horses in the arena is the best feeling in the world.

All the hard work, all the hours and money spent is so worth it, she said. I think it's such a rewarding sport because when you go to a rodeo, you're not only taking care of yourself, but youre also taking care of your animals.

The daughter of Chad and Julie Ellingson, of St. Anthony, is this week's Teen of the Week. Thirty-two high school seniors will be recognized by spring, at which time a Teen of the Year will be selected from the weekly winners to receive a $5,000 scholarship sponsored by MDU Resources Group.

Ellingson has been a student event director for the National High School Rodeo Association for three years. She helps oversee the reining cow horse event, which involves working with judges, answering questions, deciding schedules and setting up the event.

She also is involved in 4-H, Student Council, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society and FFA, which is her favorite extracurricular.

Ellingson said being in FFA is a family tradition: It is where her parents met, and her four siblings also were in the organization. She has served as the chapter reporter and secretary, and is proud to be the current chapter president.

Thats a role that I do not take lightly, she said. It is a big leadership role to take on, but I was very ecstatic when I found out that I got to serve. I think it will ultimately lead into my future and bring my leadership skills to a whole new level.

Last year her FFA food science and technology team took first at the state convention. Ellingson also joined the agricultural sales event last year and ended up getting gold at state. She said joining ag sales helped her decide to pursue a marketing career.

English teacher Candace Brannan said Ellingson is an excellent student who rises up to challenges and welcomes opportunities to learn. She said one of the most impressive things about Ellingson is her leadership in FFA.

What's interesting is the way (Ellingson) has developed a sense of herself and a sense of collaboration. She is comfortable talking with other people, looking at problems from a team standpoint to identify objectives, strategies, potential questions and negotiation approaches, Brannan wrote in a letter of recommendation. She's a dedicated worker and whatever shes driven to do, she does wholeheartedly.

Ellingson maintains a 3.89 weighted GPA while working toward an associate degree at Bismarck State College. She will have completed two Advanced Placement classes and earned 24 credit hours by the time she graduates high school.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  Democratic Gov Tim Walz signed a bill Tuesday that requires Minnesota utilities to get 100% of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040, saying he's confident it will stand up against a threatened lawsuit from coal and gas producing North Dakota.

Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum this week renewed his threat to sue his neighboring state over the requirements. He unsuccessfully tried to persuade Minnesota lawmakers as the bill took shape to make changes to ensure that North Dakota utilities  which export electricity produced from coal and natural gas to Minnesota  would not be harmed.

"I am not a lawyer but I am surrounded by very good ones, Walz told reporters after signing the bill into law. I trust that this bill is solid. I trust that it will stand up because it was written to do exactly that. And just to be clear, Minnesotas not staking our future on coal and carbon.

Walz added that he thought it was unfortunate that Burgum is ready to litigate, and that it would be more productive if North Dakota joined Minnesota and the rest of the country instead.

"The fact of the matter is, Minnesota is moving into the future and theyre going to have to come sometime, Walz said.

The Minnesota Senate passed the plan 34-33 along party lines Thursday after the House approved it 70-60 the week before. Republican lawmakers said it would raise costs for consumers while undermining the reliability of the power grid. Rural utilities said they'll have trouble complying.

According to the Clean Energy States Alliance, 21 other states have already established 100% clean-energy standards or goals, most with target dates between 2040 and 2050. Minnesotas previous standard, set in 2007, aimed to cut overall statewide greenhouse emissions to 80% by 2050.

"The adoption of 100% clean energy goals by an increasing number of states has been one of the most important energy policy developments of recent years, Warren Leon, the alliance's executive director, said in a statement. Minnesotas addition to the ranks of those states is especially noteworthy, because the state has historically been a leader in clean energy policy and its new goals are ambitious and meaningful.

At a meeting of the North Dakota Industrial Commission on Monday, Burgum said the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and other laws bar Minnesota from having a say over how North Dakota businesses operate.

By regulating the percent of electricity sold, theyre essentially overreaching and affecting North Dakota companies, the Bismarck Tribune quoted Burgum as saying. The commission allocated $1 million to pay for any litigation and voiced support for asking legislators for $3 million, the newspaper reported.

But Burgum also told the commission  which is made up of him, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring  that officials from their state would continue trying to reach an agreement with Minnesota to avoid a lawsuit, the Tribune reported.

In a letter to their Minnesota counterparts last month, Burgum and the other commissioners said Minnesotas plan threatens the tax revenue stream from North Dakota's energy industry that theyre counting on to fund their states carbon-capture, hydrogen power and other initiatives to decarbonize their energy sources

They also noted that federal courts ruled against Minnesota when North Dakota and its utilities challenged a part of the 2007 Minnesota Next Generation Energy Act that tried to ban importation of power that would increase statewide carbon dioxide emissions from the sector. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals said in 2016 that Minnesota could not do that without congressional approval.

San Francisco-based Climate Cabinet Action, a political action committee that backs candidates who support fighting climate change, said Burgum's threat is part of a new trend of fossil-fuel industry backlash against states or communities that pass pro-climate measures.

States suing other states for passing pro-climate policy is just another tactic by fossil fuel lobbyists to protect their special interests and their bottom line," Caroline Spears, the group's executive director, said in a statement.

The group said those court challenges don't work, citing a lawsuit by the state of Utah and fossil fuel companies against a San Francisco Bay community that banned the handling and storage of coal and petroleum coke. Under a 2021 settlement, a private port operator in the city of Richmond, California, that handles the fuels was given until 2027 to continue those operations.

And it pointed to a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision to bar Wyoming and Montana from suing Washington state for denying a key permit to build a coal export dock that would have sent coal to Asia. The two major coal mining states have sought to boost exports to prop up an industry that's in decline as U.S. utilities switch to gas-fired power and renewable energy.
The two chambers of the North Dakota Legislature have sent mixed messages to drivers this week: hit the gas and buckle up.

The House of Representatives voted 65-29 on Tuesday to pass House Bill 1475, which would raise the speed limit on multilane highways from 75 mph to 80 mph.

Across the hall, the Senate approved Senate Bill 2362 in a 31-14 vote on Monday. The legislation would allow police to pull over a vehicle if the driver or any passengers are not wearing seat belts.

Each bill will now head to the opposite chamber.

The familiar proposals have long divided libertarian-leaning lawmakers and their safety-minded colleagues.

Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, and other supporters of raising the speed limit on Interstates 29 and 94 say it would save drivers time and reduce their likelihood of getting pulled over.

Koppelman, who has sponsored failed bills to increase the speed limit three other times, noted in a hearing last month that several neighboring states, including South Dakota and Montana, have set top speed limits at 80 mph. The bill still would allow cities to establish lower speed limits when highways run through city limits, Koppelman added.

The state Department of Transportation didnt explicitly oppose the bill at last months hearing, but Deputy Director for Engineering Matt Linneman told lawmakers there are curvy and urban patches of I-29 and I-94 that cannot accommodate an 80 mph speed limit. Koppelman said the department would retain the ability to limit speed in those sections of road.

Linneman and the state Highway Patrol asked lawmakers to add a 40 mph minimum speed limit to the bill to mitigate the unsafe driving conditions caused by large speed differentials. The House Transportation Committee did not approve the proposed amendment.

Senate Bill 2362, sponsored by Sen. Dean Rummel, R-Dickinson, is the latest in a series of efforts to put a "primary enforcement" seat belt law in place. The legislation also would require all passengers to wear a seat belt, rather than just front-seat passengers.

North Dakota currently has a secondary enforcement law, which means drivers over 18 can't be pulled over solely for not wearing a seat belt. They can be issued a ticket for being unbuckled, but only if an officer pulls them over for a separate offense.

Thirty-four other states have a primary enforcement seat belt law, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Rummel echoed public safety advocates in noting that instituting a primary enforcement law encourages drivers to buckle up, which reduces traffic deaths.

Department of Transportation Director Ron Henke testified last week that more than half of North Dakotas traffic deaths from 2017-21 came among unbelted drivers and passengers. Only about 81% of drivers in the state wear seat belts, compared to a national rate of 90%, Henke said.

We know that seat belts save lives. They are the single most effective traffic safety device to prevent death and injury in a motor vehicle crash, but all drivers and passengers must wear them for them to be effective, Henke said.

The House has killed bills that would have increased seat belt enforcement several times in the last decade. Opponents of the legislation argue North Dakotans should have the personal freedom to reject the safety feature. No legislators spoke against the bill Monday.

Lawmakers approved the current law on the books in 1993, but the rule was mostly intended to solve the enforcement issue of officers pulling over vehicles for seat belt violations only to discover passengers were wearing lap belts. All cars sold in the U.S. are now required by regulators to have shoulder belts.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the GOPs response to President Joe Bidens State of the Union address on Tuesday night  but viewers might want to do some fact-checking before taking anything she says at face value.

During Sanders two-year tenure as the press secretary for Donald Trumps White House, stint as a Fox News commentator and new job as Arkansas Republican governor, Sanders has earned a reputation among her critics for lying with ease  something shes admitted under oath to doing  and fiercely defending Trumps most offensive behavior.

In no particular order, here are some of Sanders most egregious lies and outrageous remarks you should reacquaint yourself with before her Tuesday night address:

She said Trumps policy of separating children from their parents at the border and locking them in detention facilities was very biblical.

When Trump retweeted three unverified, Islamophobic videos, Sanders insisted it didnt matter if the videos were real and told reporters that if theyre focusing on the nature of the video, youre focusing on the wrong thing.

Weeks after a gunman slaughtered 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, she declared in a speech that we will make sure that when a kid is in the womb, theyre as safe as they are in a classroom. At that point in 2022, there had already been 27 school shootings that year.

She refused to say the press was not the enemy of the people.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks to journalists outside the West Wing of the White House in April 2019.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks to journalists outside the West Wing of the White House in April 2019.

She admitted to lying during a press conference about former FBI director James Comey when she claimed countless FBI agents told her they were happy Trump fired him. She confessed under oath during special counsel Robert Muellers investigation that this was not true, but she downplayed it as a mere slip of the tongue.

She twice used her government Twitter account to slam businesses she took personal issue with: a small restaurant in Virginia that refused to serve her and The New York Times for publishing an anonymous op-ed critical of the Trump administration. Former White House ethics chiefs said these incidents were illegal ethics code violation.

She mocked Biden for stuttering  a speech impediment hes dealt with throughout his life  after a Democratic presidential debate in 2019.

She posted an Infowars-produced video of CNNs Jim Acosta that appeared doctored to make him seem aggressive toward a White House intern, and used it to defend the Trump administration taking away Acostas White House press credentials.

She claimed God wanted Donald Trump to become president.

She falsely claimed that Trumps border wall had stopped nearly 4,000 known or suspected terrorists at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018. In reality, the wall  for which Trump was demanding $5.7 billion in federal funds to build  had only stopped six people on the No Fly List.

Story continues

Sanders speaks during a press briefing at the White House in October 2018.

Sanders speaks during a press briefing at the White House in October 2018.

She claimed that the Mueller report findings were a total and complete exoneration of Trump even though the report summary explicitly said it does not exonerate him.

When a journalist used the term lopping heads off to refer to the need for a staff shakeup on the White House communications team, she took it very, very literally. Theyve said I should be choked, they said I should deserve a lifetime of harassment, but certainly never had somebody say that I should be decapitated, Sanders said in 2019.

She defended Trumps unprecedented refusal to share his tax returns by claiming members of Congress are not smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume President Trumps taxes will be.

While running for governor of Arkansas, she vowed not to support any rape or incest exceptions in legislation banning abortion  an extreme position out of step with the vast majority of Americans, including more than three-quarters of Republicans, studies have found.

As Arkansas governor, she banned the term Latinx from any official state documents, saying the word  which came into use in recent years as an inclusive, gender-neutral term to describe someone of Hispanic or Latino origin  constitutes ethnically insensitive and pejorative language.

Related...
Billie Eilish continues her partnership with Nike and Jordan Brand, gearing up for another footwear release. This time around, the collaboration isn't an Air Force 1 or and Air Jordan 15 -- it's the new women's exclusive Hex Mule.

The musician has worked with the footwear giant to create a pair of all-black slides, which are constructed with leather material along with foam soles. Donning a hexagonal shape, the shoe comes with grooved bottoms while the Jumpman logo and "23" branding subtly appear on the footbed. The overall design is kept minimalist, with not much of Eilish's branding visible on the mules. Instead, her name appears on the shoebox, which also comes in an all-black theme.

Eilish and Nike's partnership dates back to 2021 when the artist released a neon yellow Air Jordan 1 KO. The duo continued their relationship with more releases including an Air Jordan 15, Air Force 1 High and Air Force 1 Low.

Take a closer look at the Jordan Hex Mule above. You can expect the collaborative pair to release this spring season via Nike and select retailers with a $65 USD price tag.

For more footwear news, check out the Nike ACG Air Moc Slip-On in "Sail/Black."
Two bills regulating medical marijuana pop-up clinics passed the House Health and Human Services committee Tuesday morning at the Capitol in Pierre.

The bills, one that would regulate pop-up clinic locations and another that would regulate advertisements and restrict telehealth meetings to obtain a medical marijuana card, passed through the committee 10-2 and 9-4, respectively. Both bills are sponsored by Fred Deutsch, R-Florence.

The issue of the clinics popped up at the Legislatures Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee last year. Pop-up clinics have appeared in several businesses across the state, including the Hampton Inn in Watertown, the St. Charles Lounge in Pierre and even a strip club, Deutsch said.

I dont see my doctor in a strip club, Deutsch said. I dont know if any of you do, but I dont. And I dont think any South Dakotan should.

Chris Qualm, of the Department of Health, told the committee last October that hundreds of patient applications come in over the course of a few days whenever a pop-up clinic takes place. The department said thats how it typically finds out a pop-up clinic happened.

The bill would limit the medical marijuana assessment of a patient to be in a licensed health care facility, such as clinics and hospitals, Deutsch said. Proponents include lobbyists from the South Dakota police chiefs and sheriffs associations, as well as Protecting South Dakota Kids, a political action committee that successfully opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana in the November general election.

However, opponents argue the bill is arbitrary, citing examples of mobile dentists, clinics and other medical evaluations used across the state that arent limited to brick and mortar clinics. Opponents included lobbyists from various marijuana industry associations.

Opponents also said the bill would push more people to turn to the black market for products and reduce the number of facilities where practitioners could practice, which would raise the cost for patients and make it more difficult for patients to find medical care.

Story continues

Kittrick Jeffries, lobbyist for Dakota Cannabis Consulting, told legislators that many physicians in South Dakota at larger health care systems dont prescribe medical marijuana to patients because of an insurance issue since the drug isnt federally legal.

Opponents also said HB 1154 is an alternative bill that would address Deutschs concerns without unintended consequences. In regards to pop-up clinic locations, the bill would ban medical assessments in spaces licensed for alcohol sales. The bill has not yet had a hearing.

Deutsch said HB 1154 would not address the problems with pop-up clinics.

Theres not a better bill coming, Deutsch said. Ive studied their bill. Its not better. Its much worse.

The second bill to pass the committee was HB 1129, which would ban advertisements for medical marijuana that would guarantee a card, offer telehealth appointments or offer financial incentives to make an appointment.

Based on the bill, any practitioner or business that distributes such advertisements would be prohibited from certifying medical marijuana cards for up to six months and would have to remove the advertisement.

A lobbyist for the South Dakota Cannabis Industry Association, Jeremiah Murphy, said the bill was a duplicate of language already in statute.

The bills will now head to the House floor.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Bills regulating medical marijuana pop-up clinics pass House committee
Bernard Lafayette Jr. is a name synonymous with the long history of civil rights in Nashville and across the South.

Lafayette is set to deliver a keynote address Thursday afternoon in Nashville to mark the launch of a social justice collaborative between Fisk University and Belmont University.

This project is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff at both Fisk and Belmont to learn more about past struggles and advances in social justice and learn the tremendous resources available all of around them to carry the torch forward for human rights," Joyce Espy Searcy, the director of Community Relations at Belmont University, said in a news release. Searcy is also a Fisk University graduate.

The event is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Civil Rights Room at the downtown Nashville Public Library campus. Lafayette is set to speak at 4:30 p.m. Those who wish to attend are asked to RSVP by calling 615-460-6241 or emailing canesha.conger@belmont.edu.

Black leaders march down Jefferson Street at the head of a group of 3000 demonstrators April 19, 1960, and heading toward City Hall on the day of the Z. Alexander Looby bombing. In the first row, are the Rev. C.T. Vivian, left, Diane Nash of Fisk, and Bernard Lafayette of American Baptist Seminary. In the second row are Kenneth Frazier and Curtis Murphy of Tennessee A&I, and Rodney Powell of Meharry. Using his handkerchief in the third row is the Rev. James Lawson, one of the advisors to the students. News reporters believed it marked the first time Rev. Lawson had participated in a demonstration downtown.

Here are three things to know about Lafayette ahead of Thursday's keynote address.

Deep dive:Coverage of the civil rights movement in Nashville

From Freedom Rides to lunch counter sit-ins, Lafayette was a staple in the civil rights movement

Lafayette, a native of Tampa, Florida, got his start in the civil rights movement as a student at American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville in 1958, according to his biography on the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute website. The school was also home to leaders like John Lewis, James Bevel and Diane Nash.

Lafayette helped lead the Freedom Riders, who protested segregation by making bus trips around the South. He survived an attack by Ku Klux Klan members during a visit to Montgomery, Alabama. He was also badly beaten in Selma, Alabama. Additionally, Lafayette organized lunch counter sit-ins to protest segregation in Nashville.

John Lewis, left, Bernard Lafayette, second from left, Paul Brooks, right, and another fellow sit-in demonstrator sit in a courtroom of the Nashville Court House Nov. 21, 1960, for a trial over their protesting at lunch counters in downtown Nashville.

Lewis and Lafayette were also roommates, and their friendship spanned decades until Lewis, who went on to become a U.S. congressman, died in 2020.

Story continues

"A week before he passed, (Lewis) wanted to talk to me," Lafayette told The Tennessean in 2020. "I realized he was ill and was going through these struggles with his health. When it was over with, I found out he just wanted to hear my voice. We didn't have a long conversation, it was only about his health and how he was doing. I didn't expect this to happen. I didn't expect him to leave us this soon."

Lafayette:John Lewis' leadership driven by 'sincerity without arrogance'

Lafayette was part of the inner circle of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. hired Lafayette as the program director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967, his King Institute biography said.

King advocated for Lafayette and his group after the attack on their Freedom Riders in Montgomery, securing a military escort to keep them safe as they pressed on into the South. The two became close friends as they worked together to advance civil rights, mobilize voters and teach nonviolence before King's death.

Lafayette was with King in Memphis the day before he was slain, per previous Tennessean reporting. They'd planned to get together again the next day in Washington, D.C. to talk more about Lafayette's new role as coordinator for King's Poor People's Campaign, a national push to end poverty.

King never made the trip.

"The last thing he said to me is that we needed to figure out a way to institutionalize and internationalize nonviolence," Lafayette told The Tennessean in 2013.

Lafayette has worked ever since to carry on King's legacy of nonviolence.

From 2013:Lafayette carries on mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Lafayette co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

Freedom rider Bernard Lafayette, Jr., arrives during the 57th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday March in Selma, Ala., on Sunday March 6, 2022.

Lafayette co-founded of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a driving force for students in the early civil rights movement. It began in 1960, according to its website, and networked college campuses as they worked on a wide variety of issues spanning everything from voting to adult education.

Read more about the history and legacy of the committee at snccdigital.org.

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at RAwegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

Thank you for reading The Tennessean. Want to help us power more dedicated, local journalism? Subscribe today. Already subscribed? Invite a friend! Your support helps us bring you the latest news, alongside investigative reporting, in-depth analysis and more.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Civil rights leader Bernard Lafayette to speak at Fisk-Belmont event
From humble beginnings came a song that would captivate the world. Owl Citys 2009 mega-hit Fireflies might be a globally beloved chart-topper  and diamond certified to boot  but its conception was free of any grand ambitions or calculated goals.

Back in 2008, Owl Citys Adam Young was just 21 years old and still living in his parents basement in Owatonna, Minnesota. Music was a hobby he spent his time on completely just for fun  exactly the same way that I spent my time playing video games or skateboarding, Young said. Sharing whatever he created in self-released projects like his debut album Maybe Im Dreaming, which arrived that year, recorded and produced himself.

The inspiration for Fireflies

Although it didnt make it onto the tracklist, it was during the making of that first LP that Fireflies was born. At the time, Young was working the night shift in a warehouse, struggling with sleep when he got home from work. I found myself battling some insomnia, which was really mostly the inspiration for Fireflies, he explained. Instead of wasting those hours lying in bed frustrated because I wasnt getting sleepy, the musician turned them into an opportunity for creativity. I wrote down the things that I was imagining during those bouts of insomnia, and those kinds of musings became the lyrics of the song.

Among those imaginings were the iridescent bugs Young had witnessed on a camping trip in northern Minnesota, sparking the main crux of the song. Another sighting on that same trip also fed into the imagery that would glitter through the global smash  a meteor show that transformed the fireflies into shooting stars in Youngs mind.

Although Fireflies is most famous for its wide-eyed lyricism, it was the melody that came first, with its creator playing around on a MicroKorg synth when he first came up with the initial notes. With an intro coming together, he turned the melody into a loop, adding the drum track, bass, and pad elements to it later. Then came the words  first in gibberish, then refined in a stream-of-consciousness thought release.

Story continues

A DIY production

Untainted by knowledge of the music industry or what constitutes a hit, Young wrote his breakthrough single from a pure, intention-free space. I just wrote a song that I thought was cool to me, and I think it took me two or three days, and it was done, he said. I remember having no idea what I was doing [from] an audio engineering standpoint, so I was really just pushing buttons and turning knobs, not having any understanding [of] exactly what they did. It really is amazing how lo-fi and modest the writing and recording process was during the making of Fireflies.

A year later, Fireflies was unleashed on North America and Australia (a European release followed in 2010) as the lead single from Owl Citys second album, Ocean Eyes. It quickly topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks while also hitting No.1 in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, and Sweden.

When Fireflies came out, it was met with such a positive reception that I was absolutely floored, and I still am just completely blown away, Young said. Its harder as time goes on [to understand] how a song that I wrote without a second thought  really, I had no agenda when I wrote the song  can be beloved by so many people around the world.

To this day, the track remains a favorite in Owl Citys catalog and live setlist. The reaction at gigs worldwide continues to surprise Young at just how impactful the song has been on his fans' lives. I just am so amazed and compelled at how music has such a power to transcend miles, and distance, and culture, and language, and even time, he explained.

After the song earned a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Young reflected on how he feels about the song now. Over 10 years ago, this song came out, and 10 million streams later with Fireflies having achieved a diamond certification, Im even more blown away if I didnt think that was even possible, he said. But at the end of the day, I am just incredibly, incredibly grateful.

Buy or stream Fireflies.

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.
In 2021, for the first time in two decades of Gallup polling, Americas social ideology shifted. For the first time in two decades of Gallup polling, social liberals outnumbered their socially conservative counterparts. Although a 4% dislocation may not seem that significant, it serves as evidence of a trend many on the political right have bemoaned for years: More and more Americans are rejecting a centuries-old philosophy of social conservatism and embracing liberal stances on a swath of social issues.

To redress this situation, social conservatives, particularly those of a religious bent, must retake lost ground. Its a daunting task. How can social conservatism see rebirth in an America not only less religious than in previous decades, but increasingly accommodating of both libertarian-style personal/sexual ethics and progressive stances on the very positions its adherents believe to matter the most?

Few modern thinkers have worked harder to revive social conservatism than Princeton professor and public intellectual Robert George. Considered one of Americas leading modern conservative philosophers, Georges almost 40-year career has been one committed to not only advancing socially conservative policy positions but also developing the movements undergirding doctrines. Although Catholic, Georges philosophy is far from a mere restating of Catholic social teaching; he fuses such teaching with a Thomistic conception of natural law to develop intellectually grounded defenses of conservative stances on a variety of issues.

Georges explication of both social issues and foundational doctrines is the subject of Social Conservatism for the Common Good from Crossway, a collection of essays from prominent evangelical thinkers applying Georges philosophy to several key issues for modern social conservatives. Although the books subtitle is A Protestant Engagement with Robert P. George, the book is neither a fundamentally Catholic vs. Protestant work nor a simple highlight reel of Dr. Georges insights. Social Conservatism is about introducing timeless concepts of natural law and Christian ethics to evangelicals who are seeking a serious foundation for their cultural witness.

The post-Dobbs world has changed the abortion debate in America from one ruled by overarching legal decisions to on-the-ground voter debates below the federal level. Evangelicals are now being forced to present watertight arguments to pro-choice Americans, who now will determine abortion policy at the state level. Georges work, as explained in Social Conservatism, offers such watertight arguments. Pro-lifers in the 1990s had problems a whole lot worse than activist judges and biased pollsters, writes pro-life advocate Scott Klusendorf in a chapter on Georges pro-life philosophy: We had idea problems. The worldview assumptions that made abortion plausible to many of our fellow citizens were deeply entrenched in the culture.  A bigger March for Life was not going to fix that problem. While affirming the centrality of the imago dei as the basis of any conception of human rights, as expounded in law professor Adeline Allens chapter on human dignity and natural rights, Georges pro-life argumentation is still empirical in nature: (1) Human beings have intrinsic rights by virtue of being human; (2) human beings are human physical organisms; and (3) human physical organisms come into being at conception, therefore conceived human beings have intrinsic value and rights.

This philosophy gave pro-lifers a serious argumentative strategy, counteracting the mere religious fundamentalism complaint often raised against them. From such arguments, George helped advance a natural law case for incorporating the tenets of the pro-life argument into American public policy, in the name of the dignity and equality of every individual. As Klusendorf explains, Georges highly logical arguments reset the terms under debate, allowing social conservatives to shift it from one primarily concerned about the rights of the mother to one prioritizing the rights of the unborn.

Georges work promotes human flourishing at all stages of life, including within the traditional family. Theology professor Jennifer Marshall Patterson describes Georges definition of marriage as a comprehensive, permanent, monogamous relationship rooted in the biological complementarity of man and woman. Tracking this definition through modern challenges, including the Supreme Courts landmark affirmation of same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges(2015), Patterson notes that a defense of traditional marriage requires an understanding of marriage as an institution reflecting deep principles of human interaction, not as a mere social contract: Participating in the institution of marriage actualized its norms even if spouses could not articulate its theory.

George freely admits that many conservatives have simply taken the path of kowtowing to cultural pressures surrounding marriage. Defending marriage, he writes, involves counteracting modern priorities of the desires of adults and affording greater care for the needs of children. We seek to preserve marriagethe real thingbecause of the profound respects in which a flourishing marriage culture serves and benefits all members of the community, beginning with children. We need courage, we need to muster the courage, to love as we shouldself-sacrificially.

Outside strictly family-centric issues, Robert Georges philosophy of human dignity expands to encompass a bold defense of religious liberty on domestic and international fronts. A former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, George views the defense of religious freedom as necessary for defending human rights. Opposed to viewing religious liberty as a strictly sectarian or ecclesiastical issue, despite heavy references to Augustinian thought, George sees religious liberty as a matter of freedom of conscience worth defending both in America and overseas, leading him to criticize actors ranging from Islamic extremists in Saudi Arabia to militant secularists in America. Religious freedom remains under serious attack across the globe, writes George. A very substantial proportion of the worlds population live in circumstances in which they are either victimized by their own governments  or terrorists who operate with impunity. To George, religious liberty is more than merely defending the Christian baker or the website designer but a holistic philosophy of civil society that respects the rights of conscience for all.

Methodist layman and writer Mark Tooley examines Georges support for classical liberalism and democracy more generally, particularly against recent accusations that liberalism has led to rampant social degradation and unrest. Although George is unwilling to deem liberal democracy as the genesis of such social ills, he argues that a neutral public square cannot endure the assaults of a militant secularism. Liberal secularism will tolerate other comprehensive views so long as they present no challenge or serious threat to its most cherished values, insisted George at the Knippers Memorial Lecture. But when they do, they must be smashed. If, however, social conservatives prepare for the long war on issues like the traditional definition of marriage and the value of human life, then liberal democracy can succeed in Georges view. Although George has not always been optimistic about democracy, including in Clinton-era articles betraying heavy doubt regarding the sustainability of the American regime, his modern work seems more optimistic as far as the future of classical liberalism is concerned, as seen in a 2019 piece co-written with the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Ryan T. Anderson: While classical liberalism  may not have hit a home run, it certainly hasnt struck out.

Georges social conservatism is rooted in his philosophy of new natural law. Building on the thought of Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle, Georges new natural law affirms the existence of moral absolutes toward which norms are directed in a way that both affirms the innate moral behavior necessary for human flourishing and rejects more utilitarian systems of ethics. While Georges philosophy of natural law suggests a degree of moral social behavior, it nevertheless does not prescribe a comprehensive blueprint of all moral behavior through the law of civil society [Civil] law and morality occupy distinct normative domains, writes law professor Adam MacLeod on Georges jurisprudence. Human law often requires or forbids actions that natural law and divine law leave undetermined.

Evangelicals who see tension between social conservatism and a broader cultural tendency to reject coercive morality (at least as traditionally conceived) can make great use of Georges overall philosophy. Andrew Walker notes that, despite Georges heavy grounding in Catholic social teaching, the new natural law theory he espouses is accessible regardless of denominational affiliation: Absent is virtually any antagonism between Catholicism and Protestantism in Georges rendering.

Referenced often throughout the book is Georges civilitynot the kind of toothless niceness that so often draws criticism but rather the willingness to argue graciously without ceding ground to false premises. In Walkers words, What matters is being the right type of gadflythe kind of person who is winsome and gracious but laser sharp in an argument, one who must be taken seriously by ideological counterparts. Such ideological counterparts most notably include progressive intellectual Cornel West, whose friendship with George is the subject of the books concluding chapter. Such coalitional company, George himself admits, is only feasible when everyone involved is honestly pursuing truth: Seek the truth and speak the truth, as God gives you to understand the truth. Such ideological companionship has no room for bad faith, grifting, or selling out for artificial unity.

For social conservatives, the road ahead is long, hard, and may very well suffers defeats. Even still, the life and work of thinkers like Robert George exemplify the path the movement must take: Refuse to abandon the posts, be willing to fight in broad ideological company when necessary, and bring razor-sharp arguments and unassailable intellectual dignity to the battlefield of ideas. Christians must meet the enemy on the field of battle, Carl Trueman writes in his chapter on faith and reason. Graciously, yes, but in a manner that cedes no ground without a fight.
Former participant Normandy Vamos. Normandy Vamos

Former "American Idol" contest Normandy Vamos has sued the production companies behind the show.

She alleged that they were overworked, underpaid, and signed away employee rights.

Vamos' lawyers alleged she was made a "laughing stock" by the show and not paid for eight consecutive days of work.

A former participant on "American Idol" has sued the production companies behind the show, alleging that she was underpaid and set up in an audition that went viral.

According to a lawsuit filed on Friday by former participant Normandy Vamos, she and other contestants were treated as employees but not paid, working 15 hour days with little to no breaks. Vamos alleged that her final audition was partially set up for viral fame in a class action lawsuit that includes up to 400 former participants.

In the lawsuit, Vamos said that after a series of successful auditions, participants were invited to stay in a Los Angeles hotel during "Hollywood Week." At that point, Vamos' attorneys allege, the show should have classified the participants as employees and not volunteers under California law, as the episodes had the potential to be re-aired.

The contestants remained in the hotel for 15 hours a day on stand-by, for up to 8 days on end, waiting to be called for auditions without any pay, according to the lawsuit. The wage theft lawsuit also alleges that contestants were made to sign "work-for-hire" contracts that signed away their copyrights and license rights to performances.

Representatives for American Idol and ABC did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

"American Idol's producers seem to feel they can break labor laws and exploit ambitious young performers simply because they may be eager for a shot at becoming the next Jennifer Hudson or Carrie Underwood," Vamos's attorney, Chantal Payton, principal managing partner of Payton Employment Law, PC, said in a press release. "They treated them as so-called volunteers, when in reality they are employees who should be paid."

Story continues

Payton also claimed in the press release that the judges made Vamos a "laughingstock" in the audition. Her lawyers claimed that when it was her turn, she was instructed to retrieve a carrot-shaped purse she owned in order to help create a viral moment. Judges leaned into her high-pitched speaking voice for an audition, the attorneys said in the statement.

"Reality TV isn't always real. There's a lot that happens behind the scenes," Vamos said in a press release. "Myself and hundreds of people worked about a week with no pay."

In the February 2022 audition, Vamos arrived holding the carrot purse and wearing bunny rabbit Croc shoes, leaving judge Katy Perry in shock upon hearing her voice. Perry briefly leaves the judge's table and returns before all the judges eventually vote Vamos to the next round.

"Fuck this job. I'm outta here!" Perry says in the lighthearted segment. The judges leave impressed by Vamos' low register performance of "Proud Mary."

Vamos never appeared on the next round, and previously defended the show's decision not to have her advance on "Hollywood Week." She is no longer able to compete on the show as a 30 year-old, due to the show's cutoff age of 29.

Read the original article on Insider
Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences' 10th Annual Governors Awards - Arrivals

Kevin Winter/Getty Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart

Harrison Ford is still regularly taking to the skies as a pilot following his near-death plane crash nearly eight years ago  but his wife Calista Flockhart has her reservations.

Opening up to The Hollywood Reporter about how he "changed a lot of things in [his] life" following the March 2015 incident, the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny actor admitted, "My wife does not fly with me in vintage airplanes anymore  she will in others."

Ford, 80, added that he has no desire to ever again "have to recover from that kind of accident," from which he suffered critical injuries including a large laceration on his scalp as well as broken bones, leading him to remain hospitalized for almost a month.

While the actor said the experience "was really hard on my family," he continues to fly.

"I know what happened. So that's part of the reason [I went back]," he explained. "There was a mechanical issue with the airplane I could not have known about or attended to in any way."

"So in the words of the great philosopher Jimmy Buffett: S--- happens," he concluded.

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.

Harrison Ford Hollywood Reporter

Austin Hargrave for The Hollywood Reporter Harrison Ford for The Hollywood Reporter

RELATED: Inside Harrison Ford's Passion for Flying  and Scariest Crashes

The actor and avid pilot experienced the near-fatal crash in his World War II vintage plane on March 5, 2015. After having to make an emergency landing, Ford suffered a shattered right ankle, a shattered pelvis, a broken back and a serious bump on the head.

A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board named engine malfunction as the cause of the crash landing.

"I remember. Not all of it, I remember some of it," Ford recalled of the accident during an October 2015 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Story continues

"I remember the engine stopping; I remember that part very well," he continued. "And then I remember the tower; I remember their suggestion. Their suggestion was that I take the normal route to land and I knew I wasn't going to do that, so I said no. And that's the last thing that I remember until five days afterwards, actually."

Ford eventually made a full recovery, returning to the pilot seat as early as May of that year and surprising Star Wars fans with an unexpected appearance at San Diego Comic-Con that July.

Harrison Ford Hollywood Reporter

Austin Hargrave for The Hollywood Reporter Harrison Ford on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter

RELATED: Harrison Ford Plane Crash: Eyewitnesses Describe "Sputtering" Plane, Hearing a "Boom"

And while Flockhart, 58, won't be riding shotgun with her husband in the skies, Ford recently said he'd "love" to work with her onscreen  but the Hollywood power couple hasn't found the right project yet.

"We'd love to find one we could do together," the legendary actor told PEOPLE at the premiere of his new Apple TV+ comedy series Shrinking in Los Angeles last month. "But yeah, haven't found one yet."

Ford met Flockhart in 2002 at the Golden Globe Awards. The two tied the knot eight years later in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

He added to PEOPLE in January that the Ally McBeal alum is recently starting to act again after taking time off to focus on their son Liam, 22.

"She's just going back to work after having devoted herself to the raising of our son, Liam, for the last 20 years," Ford explained. "And she's enjoying going back to work. I'm hoping we will find something to do together."
Ahead of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinys release on June 30, Harrison Ford has spoken about how the film addresses Indys age.

While speaking to THR, Ford discussed how the new movie confronts age compared to how Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did. The 2008 film approached the idea of Indys aging with a more exclusively comical slant, which the actor isnt particularly fond of.

Yeah. In [Dial of Destiny] there were a lot of old jokes in the script. We took them all out, Ford explained. There is a moment where he observes himself in this situation and says, What the fuck am I doing in here? But I hate what I call talking about the story. I want to see circumstances in which the audience gets a chance to experience the story, not to be led through the nose with highlights pointed out to them. Id rather create behavior that is the joke of age rather than talk about it.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is once again being led by Harrison Ford as he reprises one of his most iconic roles as the titular explorer. Joining him as the female lead is Emmy and Golden Globe winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The final installment also features the introduction of other franchise newcomers Antonio Banderas, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, and Shaunette Renee Wilson.

The long-awaited film is being directed by Oscar nominee James Mangold (Logan) from a new screenplay he is co-writing with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, who collaborated on Ford v Ferrari. Mangold took over the directors chair after Steven Spielberg exited his directorial duties for the film. Despite his exit, Spielberg will still remain part of the films production as a producer.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel, with John Williams returning to score the film.

The post Harrison Ford: We Took All the Old Age Jokes Out of Indiana Jones 5 appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Rt. Honourable Baroness Catherine Ashton, former vice president of the European Commission and the European Union's first representative for foreign affairs and security policy, about her career and new book, "And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy." Ashton provides an insider's view of several high-stakes diplomatic engagements, including the early days of forging the Iran nuclear deal and the EU-brokered talks between Serbia and Kosovo. Morell and Ashton also discuss the nature of political leadership and share thoughts about some of the world leaders with whom they engaged personally.

Highlights:

On political leadership: "One thing that is very clear is that leaders who do brave things often find that they're not appreciated for what they've done at that time; they're making compromises with enemies, that they're trying to do things that would be seen in a very negative way by large parts of their population because it's hard to explain what they're doing. And in the end, 'Isn't it better to do nothing?' is what they would think.""Drip, drip, drip" diplomacy: "The thing about diplomatic activity is that it is drip, drip, drip. It's drip, drip over years at times, but it's so important to keep doing it. And certainly if you'd said to me in 2010 or '11 that we would get as far as getting to the JCPOA, I'd have been astonished because we were so far from it. So we should always remember that that's an important part of anything that we do, is to keep open the possibility of being able to reach a conclusion."Global response to Ukraine in 2014: "What I do know is that at a time when a crisis occurs, you're not always certain of what it is you're seeing, and you're not always certain of how best to try and resolve it. And so our initial reaction was to try and resolve it through discussion, dialogue, pressure, sanctions, the kind of determination but short of the provision of military hardware."

Download, rate and subscribe here: iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.

INTELLIGENCE MATTERS - RT HONOURABLE BARONESS CATHERINE ASHTON

(Lightly edited for clarity)

PRODUCER: OLIVIA GAZIS'

MICHAEL MORELL: Cathy, welcome to Intelligence Matters. It's a real honor to have you on the show.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Thank you, Michael.

MICHAEL MORELL: So, Cathy, you just published a new book - your memoir from your time as the EU's foreign policy chief. It's titled, "And then what? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy." So congratulations. It's fantastic.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Thank you. That's very kind.

MICHAEL MORELL: Cathy, because of the way we tape these episodes here at Intelligence Matters, you didn't get a chance to hear me introduce you. But in doing so, I provided your title: The Right Honourable Baroness, Catherine Ashton. And I must say that we've never had a Baroness before on Intelligence Matters. So it's a super treat for us from that perspective. So thank you.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Well, that's first rate. It's just me. So that's okay.

MICHAEL MORELL: And in fact, the reason I wanted to mention it is because it contrasts so much with who you are and who you come across as in the book. You know, in the book, you're Cathy Ashton; in the book, you're down to earth. In the book, you're a person of deep humility. You're a person who is is candid in a way that I think is unusual for any senior official, including former senior officials. So I just wanted to say that because you really are Cathy Ashton. And I think it's important for everybody to know.

Here's an example of your candor. You write in the book that, 'I have often been asked in the ensuing years whether I enjoyed my time as being the first representative for foreign and security policy, the first vice president of the Commission.' And the answer you give when you're asked that question is, 'No,' which is incredibly honest. And I wanted to ask you why you say no.

CATHERINE ASHTON: It's a good question, I think, because I was trying to make clear that when these jobs are undertaken by people like me or anyone, there's an expectation that somehow there must be some sort of great glamour or excitement about it. But the truth is that they are relentless. They are crucial. They are jobs that require you to put aside all of the things about the kind of life that you might want to have and really focus on what it is you're trying to do.

And for me, that meant that I was constantly aware that there was a limit to what I could do, that maybe there were people who could have done more and done better than I, was being confronted with some of the most tremendous human dilemmas of people gointhrough real suffering. And you're simply there to try and help.

And that on a kind of weekly, monthly, yearly basis means that you are constantly aware of being given the privilege of trying to help and assist. But there's nothing about it that makes you think to yourself, 'Well, this is an enjoyable kind of role.'

It doesn't mean there weren't great moments of humor and laughter and that I met some extraordinary, wonderful people and that I saw beautiful things in the course of my travels. It's not that. It's simply that it's not and shouldn't be, in a way, a job that you should enjoy in the traditional sense.

MICHAEL MORELL: You used the word relentless, which I think is kind of exactly the way I felt when I spent seven years on the CIA seventh floor. And it's never-ending, right? Even when you're home, it's never-ending. You know, even when you're in a conversation with a family member, your mind, you know, is often someplace else. So that relentlessness, you know, really resonates with me.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Absolutely. But then you remember, too, that, you know, you're tired a lot of the time. You're constantly waiting for the next phone call or text message. You're constantly aware that you've got an agenda in front of you that's huge, that you've got an enormous amount of travel to do. You've got a lot of issues to resolve, a lot of meetings, to travel, a lot of people to talk to, a lot of what to do. So you're tired and you're concentrating, and there's never a moment when that goes away. And it is, as I say, relentless.

MICHAEL MORELL: Cathy, you did something else that was really interesting and I think unique. When I wrote my book, I really struggled actually remembering things, right? I would write something down and then I would show it to friends and they would say, 'Well, that's not the way it happened. Remember, here's the way it's happened.'

But you did something interesting. You had conversations with your husband throughout and he would jot down what you told him, which must have made it a lot easier for you to reconstruct the narrative of those many important moments that you had.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Well, the credit really is his, Michael, because he taped me. Well, what happened? He's a journalist by background and he said to me, 'You'll never keep a diary. You'll never have time to write anything.' So when I would come back after a week or two of work on the Iran talks or Serbia Kosovo, whatever I was doing, he would simply sit you down with the cup of coffee and he would explore beyond what I describe as the outline of the meeting.

The outline of the meeting is what you read in the press report, if you like. But it's a coloring of the outline. It's the, 'What did it feel like? What did they say? How did you feel? What did you think?' that gives you the picture in the story. And so when I finished in office, he handed me the tape and said, 'Over to you,' and I, over time, transcribed them and discovered a lot of things, as you rightly point out, that I had long forgotten. And it brought back those memories, but also that sense of what we were trying to do. And I stuck to that in the story.

So I haven't tried to use, hindsight being the perfect vision, what happened later, what I learned later. I've tried to tell the story as it was at the time for me. So these are my stories are not historical documents in the traditional sense. They're simply what it was like for me to be part of these particular crises or issues at that time.

MICHAEL MORELL: When you left the job, did you know you wanted to write a book or did that come later?

CATHERINE ASHTON: It came later, really. When I left the job, I wanted to sleep and I wanted to --

MICHAEL MORELL: I know how that feels.

CATHERINE ASHTON: I wanted to have time to do the things that I'd really missed. Just seeing friends, going to the theater, you know, did things that you do. But you no longer have to kind of keep the phone switched on or worry that you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. All of those and of course, go on holiday.

But as time went by, people asked me to tell the stories because they were intrigued and interested. What was it like to meet these people? How did it feel to be involved in these particular things that were going on? And as I told the stories, people would say to me, you know, you should write a book. You should write these. And eventually I realized that none of the problems or issues that I described in the book had really been resolved. And so it seemed right to say a little bit about what I'd learned. And to describe the beginning of some of these crises, but also what it was like to try and do something to alleviate them, if not to resolve them.

MICHAEL MORELL: So, Cathy, I want to get to the tough issues that you had to deal with. But I want to ask you, before we do that, I want to ask you a couple of questions about a particular paragraph in the introduction of the book that really grabbed my attention. And let me read a few sentences from that paragraph and get you to provide an example of two of who you were thinking about when you wrote those sentences.

So the first one is, "Sometimes I was frustrated by leaders who simply preferred to do nothing, passing the problem on to their successors or ignoring it altogether." Who were you thinking about?

CATHERINE ASHTON: A range of different people, but especially in places like the Western Balkans, where it was easy to not argue when you said, 'For goodness' sake, you know, we need to move forward, you need to do more,' and would do nothing about it. There were a number of countries that I visited where that was a very common response.

And it was sometimes because the process of becoming a leader. And it kind of exhausted all of the energy. And the new leader in place of the leader who had been there for a while was determined to remain there that the idea of doing anything might topple them or might make them less secure. Because one thing that is very clear is that leaders who do brave things often find that they're not appreciated for what they've done at that time; they're making compromises with enemies, that they're trying to do things that would be seen in a very negative way by large parts of their population because it's hard to explain what they're doing. And in the end, 'Isn't it better to do nothing?' is what they would think.

So the example that springs to mind always when I described this of the opposite were what the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia were prepared to do, both of them knowing that it would affect the view of the people had of them, affect their popularity potentially, and it could in some cases affect their ability to lead in the future. So it's a common problem.

But see, for me, I felt that if you were given the privilege of leading your country, then the responsibility is on you to do things, is on you to make life better for the people that you serve. So I would get really frustrated by that.

MICHAEL MORELL: And it's on you to take the risks associated with accomplishing what you've been given the job to accomplish. I mean, it's pretty straightforward, actually.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Absolutely.

MICHAEL MORELL: Here's another sentence, Cathy. "Some were the creators of chaos, prepared to put personal gain ahead of any interests in lessening the plight of their people." Who were you thinking about?

CATHERINE ASHTON: There wasn't any one specific that comes to mind when I write that, because in the course of my time in office I met more or less every leader across the world and at any given time, there were people that you met who, when confronted with problems, would think about themselves, would be prepared to see their country suffer as long as they okay, as long as they and their family were getting richer, they were okay.

So you came across the willingness of people to think that becoming the leader put them in a different place. They were no longer beholden to the people who took them there, and therefore they could afford that risk. I remember saying to President Morsi, Mohammed Morsi in Egypt before he was removed, 'It's not enough to be elected. It's what you do with it that matters.'

In other words, you can't just get the job and then kind of go on holiday for a few days. It's what you do once you you've been elected, not the actual fact of election, that determines whether you are a leader or not. And I think that's an important message for all leaders that actually they're given the chance to do something for their people and that's what they should do.

MICHAEL MORELL: When I read that sentence, I thought you were thinking of somebody like Bashar al Assad or Moammar Gadhafi or even, you know, Vladimir Putin.

CATHERINE ASHTON: All of them would fit that mold, of course, and fit those words.

MICHAEL MORELL: Cathy, I'd love for you to take us inside three of the issues with which you had to deal, and you devote an entire chapter to each of these. The first one, I think, is the one that our listeners are going to be most familiar with. It's the P5+1s negotiations with the Iranians that eventually led to the JCPOA, the Joint Comprehensive Program of Action, which is commonly referred to as the nuclear deal.

And I really want to ask you first, I want to ask you two questions. And the first is, were there things that you did not fully understand about the Iranian mindset about this issue at the start of the negotiations that you came to understand over the course of the talks, as you spent so much time with them?

CATHERINE ASHTON: Right. So the first thing that I always think when you're negotiating  and this is what I tell people when they ask me about negotiation - is that you have to try and understand the people who are sitting across the table. It doesn't matter whether it's a business negotiation or an international negotiation or whatever it is; not in order to cross the line and become that or take on that viewpoint, but simply, if you don't understand what drives them, what what history and what culture of, then it's more difficult to reach any conclusions.

So for me, learning about Iran and about the Iranian teams that I dealt with was really important. I was not particularly familiar with Iran when I started this, and so it was important to get to know them. And it's why I and both the Ahmadinejad and Rouhani presidencies I worked with on the issue would always begin the discussions with dinner with the chief negotiator the night before. And that was a sort of what I call a warming up period where you get a chance to talk on other things and have a chance to get to know each other.

So without question, to answer what you asked me, by the time I got to spend so much of the week or the months with them, I understood better who they were, what they thought, what concerns, and in a sense, the issues that they dealt with from that perspective. In other words, that the other side views you differently to the way you view yourself. Of course, it's an obvious point. But understanding that that's the case is quite different to kind of thinking, I guess, the case. So knowing what they see and what they're looking for, what they're expecting, it's important. And that for sure, I learned in the course of those negotiations.

MICHAEL MORELL: Would you say that the number one driver for them, the number one issue on their mind, was their own security? Or is there something else?

CATHERINE ASHTON: Well, when we were negotiating with President Rouhani's regime,













which is when Foreign Minister Zarif was leading for the Iran team, the thing that struck me most was that this government had come in on the promise of resolving some of the economic challenges that Iran had and that that was impossible unless you could do something about sanctions and unless you could open up the economy.

And so the motivation, in a sense, to get on with the agreement was, in my view, anyway, at least in part because of the need to fulfill the promise of the economy. There was a question I think that was always in our mind was, Did the Iranians believe that they were more secure or less secure with a nuclear weapon? Now, in my view, there's no question that security in the region does not include Iran having a nuclear weapon. But it was, I think, more obvious to me that, having been the negotiator himself a decade before, he understood that it was much better for Iran not to have a nuclear weapon and I don't think wanted a nuclear weapon. And so this was about a negotiation that was to ensure that we could be confident of that situation if it were the case, and that in return for that confidence, their economy could improve.

MICHAEL MORELL: So, Cathy, the second question that I want to ask you about Iran is, as you know better than anybody, a successful negotiation requires give and take. And I've never asked anybody involved in the negotiations this question. But what were some of the things the Iranians wanted that they did not get? And what were some of the things that the West wanted, the P5+1wanted that we did not get? I don't know if anybody's asked you that before.

CATHERINE ASHTON: No, not so much in those terms because the  so the Iran deal is like a jigsaw puzzle. Any deal is. But when you look at it, you should be able to see no spaces between the pieces and be absolutely clear what the pictures telling you. So, you know, it's a picture of a kitten with a ball. Whatever it is, doesn't matter what shape and size the pieces are. And the most important thing about the negotiation was that we should have absolute clarity that we could say to people, 'Look at this picture.' What you will see is that we have created an agreement that gives confidence in the purely peaceful nature of the nuclear program, to quote the wording that we were given, if you like, you know, kind of what we were told we had to do and the shape and size of each individual piece have the ability to vary depending on what happened.

You could have a bigger piece here, which meant you needed a small piece somewhere else. And so it wasn't so much there were things that we didn't get. It was more that when we were talking to Iran about all of the different parts of the nuclear program, from the heavy water reactors to a number of centrifuges and what they were capable of doing, it was about making sure that jigsaw puzzle came together and created the picture and it did it. So I don't think we came away saying, 'Well, we didn't get this or we didn't get that.' We're saying when you look at the picture, it works.

So from that point of view, what they were looking for was, of course, sanctions relief of being able to build their economy is the main focus of what they would receive in return.

And again, there may be specific elements of that verbiage, but the jigsaw puzzle piece, I think, also gave them what they needed, which was the potential to grow the economy. So it's important.

And, you know, like one of the things that's always interesting in a negotiation is it's very easy for people to become fixated on a piece. And I think one of the problems that the Iran negotiations had was that people said, 'Well, unless you do this particular bit, then we don't believe in the rest.' And yet any particular bit was subject to all the others. In other words, creating the picture that if the piece was the right shape and size, that would work because it would slot together with everything else. So I think sometimes the criticism of the deal was that people thought, 'Well, if that piece doesn't look like this, then maybe the deal isn't as good as it should be.'

MICHAEL MORELL: My question fell into the trap. How about that? So, last question on Iran, Cathy. I'm sure you've followed all the developments, reading the press and talking to people over the last several years. Where do you think we're headed with the Iranian nuclear program and what do you think we should do about it?

CATHERINE ASHTON: It's very difficult to see where it's going right now, with all that's happened inside Iran and our deep concerns for the people of and the positioning, if you like, of Iran in the region and the need to concern ourselves with countries that feel vulnerable or threatened or exposed to Iran. I don't get the sense that we are seeing much movement on any of the Iran talks.

It doesn't mean you don't keep trying, of course. Having spent four years doing this, I know that's important, but it's in a sense going back to the drawing board a little bit, saying, 'Okay, well, the two-pronged approach of pressure to show that we're serious  and this is not just individual nations, this was the Security Council, all of them and members, particularly the P5  and keeping that pressure up is going to be incredibly important, while also being determined to carry on talking whether talking might lead somewhere in the end.

And it sounds quite trying to say it, but the thing about diplomatic activity is that it is drip, drip, drip. It's drip, drip over years at times, but it's so important to keep doing it. And certainly if you'd said to me in 2010 or '11 that we would get as far as getting to the JCPOA, I'd have been astonished because we were so far from it. So we should always remember that that's an important part of anything that we do, is to keep open the possibility of being able to reach a conclusion.

MICHAEL MORELL: You know, one of the things that that I would occasionally need to remind my analysts of when they thought something impossible is I would need to remind them that diplomats often do extraordinary things and accomplished extraordinary things.

So, Cathy, the second topic that you cover in your book that I want to talk about, which obviously has great resonance today, are the events in Kyiv in 2014: Russia's invasion of Crimea and its subsequent creation of and support for a separatist movement in eastern Ukraine.

And three questions I want to touch on. The first is, why didn't the West come together at that point and loudly say 'No' to Putin when he grabbed Crimea? Why didn't we provide weapons to the Ukrainians then? And why did we do so this time around? Why didn't we do it in 2014?

CATHERINE ASHTON: It's interesting that it was a very different time and it was a very different Ukraine. And in a way, there had been this dramatic set of events  Maidan demonstrations, the departure of the President, Yanukovich, to Russia and through the ability of the parliament to move forward to its constitution. It had created a new leadership and then eventually elections led to President Poroshenko being elected. So it was a very strange and a difficult time, I think, for the country.

And in a sense, I think we didn't really know what we were looking at. Yes, Russia had taken Crimea, but it had stopped. There had been incursions into the Donbass that we thought the best approach as an international community was much more about pressure and sanctions at that point. And for a process of negotiation or mediation to actually try and resolve the issues that had appeared.

It was also, in my view, the case that Russia's way of operating was for, what is it, two countries. They'd done it in Georgia in 2008, they had done it in Moldova. They were interested in doing it elsewhere. And that these wedges were about preventing countries from acting as whole states, sovereign states. They couldn't join things like the EU and they couldn't do things because they weren't quite complete. And the people who said they represented these breakaway or whatever they call them areas would loudly claim that without that, no decisions could be formally made for that country.

And so we were, we thought we were looking at that. And that's really difficult, challenging, and we've not resolved those issues elsewhere. But it's a sort of slightly different situation than one that has been now very clearly designated by all of us as a war. You look back and you can see things that we should have confronted better and confronted together more effectively. But what I do know is that at a time when a crisis occurs, you're not always certain of what it is you're seeing, and you're not always certain of how best to try and resolve it. And so our initial reaction was to try and resolve it through discussion, dialogue, pressure, sanctions, the kind of determination but short of the provision of military hardware.

MICHAEL MORELL: Cathy, the second question on Ukraine is where are you on the question of how much Western weapons we should be providing to the Ukrainians and on what timescale? You know, the pace has been deliberate and I'm wondering if you are comfortable with what the pace has been or if you would have liked to have seen a quicker pace.

CATHERINE ASHTON: So as you know, Michael, much better than I really, the pace is often dictated by what the country that's receiving weaponry is able to do, and particularly more modern weaponry requires people to know how to use it, requires it to be delivered in good order and so on. And all the countries that are providing weaponry have got to think about their own defense in terms of how they're going to replace what they get. So there's a lot of considerations.

So sometimes the pace is not about the unwillingness of countries to do things. It's to do with factors such as the ones I've described. And those are important.

I think all of us are trying to think about looking to the future and how we can see this conflict ending. Wanting Ukraine to be whole and free to be a sovereign nation in charge of its own future. And what that means and what that means for relations with Russia down the track. We know how difficult and terrible has been the situation now. But we also have to keep, in a sense, a sense of what will be in total 20 years time when things may be maybe different, maybe not. And so all of the pacing of this and all of the thinking of this has got to be multifaceted.

The reason the book's called, "And then What?" is always to have in mind the question that I used to try and ask all the time, which is, if we do this and then what? And then what do we do? Where do we go next? What are the things that follow? So in terms of providing weaponry, our responsibilities to Ukraine are to help them to retain and take back the territory that makes them a sovereign state.

That's what we're trying to do, is to give them support and help, so that President Zelenskyy is able to make sure that his people end up living in Ukraine in a safe and secure country. And the safe and secure space is going to require us to think in the longer term about all of the different elements of what that means in the context of the EU, with NATO, of security guarantees of relations with Russia in the future and so on. And that's a big bundle of stuff that needs to be on our minds now if we're going to be able to help them resolve it in the future.

MICHAEL MORELL: You know the title, "And then what?" you know, I don't think in my time sitting in the Situation Room that we asked that question enough. And I know when we were asked to think about at CIA, we were asked to think about covert action, we didn't ask ourselves that question enough: If we do this and then what? It's a great question. And it's a it's a great title to your book.

Cathy, the third broad topic I wanted to ask you about was Serbia and Kosovo, another full chapter in your book. This is a topic that I think that Americans probably know the least about in terms of of the ones we've been discussing. Can you explain what happened, what position the West took and why this had a successful outcome?

CATHERINE ASHTON: So we go back in time to the breakup of Yugoslavia, to the wars that erupted between countries, between communities. And one of the most devastating parts of that was the fighting between people in Kosovo, which was regarded in the time of Yugoslavia as a kind of region connected to Serbia, and the desire of the people in Kosovo to be free and independent, for them to exercise self-determination, to be a nation state, having suffered at the hands of Serbia in particular over the years.

We remember the photographs of floods of refugees as people were forced out of their homes. The Kosovo Albanians, in particular Kosovo Serbs, was still connected to Serbia. And eventually Kosovo declared itself a nation that was recognized by a large number of countries, most of the European Union, not all. Certainly the United States and many other countries as well, 100 or so, have recognized it as an independent nation.

Serbia has always said it is not. It is part of our territory. And they would argue that Kosovo should remain part of its territory and does not have the right to break away. And the conflict within that has continued through the years and really resonates in the north of Kosovo, where you have a big community of Kosovar Serbs that look to Serbia, not just culturally and linguistically, but politically and economically, too. And of course, the government in central Kosovo, in Pristina, the capital that wants to see the north of Kosovo, absolutely as part of its territory.

And in my time, it was the Wild West. There was lawlessness. There were dual purpose groups, there were two police forces. There were there was a kind of justice system that didn't function. And to go from one to the other was to go through two separate sets of gates for the sort of no man's land in the middle. Gates that were set on fire from time to time and many thousands of troops from NATO protecting parts of Kosovo, protecting these wonderful old Serb monasteries on the one hand, and protecting the people who were in danger on the other. So you had a complete mess, to put it bluntly.

And we were able to get Serbia, Kosovo and the two prime ministers to work together to reach a first agreement that was all about making life for the people in the North better. It was resolving that there is one police force, one justice system, having one set of gates. No no man's land in the middle, working out where the money that was collected as people use customs receipts going to and fro, how that would be spent trying to support the development of the communities developing as one community see the future.

And the first agreement was signed in my time and was an important breakthrough because the people who had talked to each other had never met before. They had nothing but, in some cases I would say almost hatred, but certainly contempt or felt that the other side was being completely unreasonable. And it was a very brave thing for them to do.

And you know, what was interesting for me was seeing the poll of the European Union, the membership of the European Union for the countries of the Western Balkans is a no brainer. That's where they should end up in time, because that's where they belong. And here was an opportunity to use the pull by being able to offer them the opportunity to get closer to the day when membership would be possible was what made it possible for them to sell what was a pretty difficult sell to many people who felt aggrieved, for many who lost their loved ones in the course of the conflicts.

MICHAEL MORELL: Cathy, we have a very short period of time left. I just want to do one more thing. I want to throw out the name of a couple of leaders that were important players on the issues you worked and just get it literally a one or two sentence response from you. It's kind of like a Rorschach test here. And the first one is Barack Obama. Couple of sentences.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Very considered. A president who I've had the privilege to talk to a number of occasions. He was thoughtful. He was deeply interested in foreign policy issues. And he was very determined on trying to get outcomes that would be beneficial for the United States, but also for the people that we were trying to help.

MICHAEL MORELL: Angela Merkel.

CATHERINE ASHTON: She was the most consistently supportive leader to me across the European Union. She said to me the day I was appointed, "I'll support you today and I'll support you every day." And she did. And she was always ready to find ways to try and help. Whether that was talking endlessly with President Putin, whether that was trying to navigate issues in the European Council. She was an extraordinary leader.

MICHAEL MORELL: And lastly, Vladimir Putin.

CATHERINE ASTHON: A man who exuded power from the moment that you met him. Somebody who was determined that Russia was not going to be reduced to a regional power, but was going to be a superpower, who passionately and angrily believed that it was impossible for countries that historically had been in a relationship with Russia to even contemplate looking elsewhere.

MICHAEL MORELL: The book is, "And then what? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy." The author is Catherine Ashton. Cathy, thank you so much for joining us.

CATHERINE ASHTON: Michael, thank you.

Marjorie Taylor Greene shouts "liar" at Biden during State of the Union address

Dave Franco on co-writing movie script with wife Alison Brie

Tina Brown reacts to Prince Harry's book, latest royal news
Controversial podcast host Joe Rogan is once again receiving backlash, this time for comments that critics have labelled antisemitic.

The Joe Rogan Experience host was discussing US Representative Ilhan Omar with his guests, Breaking Points co-hosts Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, during a recent episode when he made the offending statements.

Omar was recently removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee by Republicans over accusations that she is antisemitic.

In 2019, she tweeted that Republicans wanted to condemn her comments about Israel because Its all about the Benjamins, baby, a reference to Benjamin Franklin being on $100 bills. She later apologised for her comments.

Thats not an antisemitic comment, I dont think that is. Benjamins are money, Rogan said on his podcast.

He continued: The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. Thats like saying Italians arent into pizza. Its f***ing stupid.

David Baddiel responded to the comedians comments, writing on Twitter: I actually want to stop banging the Jews Don't Count drum at some point but hard to do when a racist myth about Jews is just...said, breezily, on one of the biggest podcasts in the world and no-one gives a f***.

I actually want to stop banging the Jews Don't Count drum at some point but hard to do when a racist myth about Jews is just...said, breezily, on one of the biggest podcasts in the world and no-one gives a fuck. pic.twitter.com/CXkiBR9BJJ  David Baddiel (@Baddiel) February 7, 2023

For the hard of understanding, Jews are into money is not like Italians are into pizza Because unless my history lessons really missed something out, no-one has exterminated a large section of the entire Italian community because of their love for pepperoni, he continued.

Meanwhile, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said Rogans comments were no joke and that he found it disturbing that at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories, @joerogan would use his immense platform to spew antisemitic tropes about Jews and money.

Story continues

Greenblatt added: For centuries, people have used these longstanding tropes to spread vicious lies about the Jewish people. Comedian or not, Rogans comments are no joke.

Disturbing that at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories, @joerogan would use his immense platform to spew antisemitic tropes about Jews and money. https://t.co/O6o1i2nS9x  Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) February 7, 2023

Temple University Professor Mark Lamont Hill tweeted: This statement by Joe Rogan is blatantly and disgustingly antisemitic. It plays on one of the oldest, ugliest, and most dangerous antisemitic tropes. This is indefensible.

This statement by Joe Rogan is blatantly and disgustingly antisemitic. It plays on one of the oldest, ugliest, and most dangerous antisemitic tropes. This is indefensible. pic.twitter.com/6Gt0IQ0Llo  Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) February 8, 2023

The Independent has contacted Spotify and Rogans representative for comment.

The podcaster has faced numerous controversies over the course of his career. Last year, resurfaced footage showed the podcaster using the N-word multiple times.

Rogan apologised but said the footage was taken out of context.

Artists such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell successfully had their music removed from Spotify (where his podcast is hosted) in protest against Rogan, after accusing him of spreading misinformation about Covid-19.

Rogan made light of the controversy at a stand-up gig, where he said: If youre taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault?
Volodymyr Zelensky and Rishi Sunak held a press conference on Wednesday evening as the Ukrainian President continued his historic visit to the UK.

The leaders took questions from reporters after meeting Ukrainian troops being trained by the British Army at a base in Dorset.

Mr Sunak told the joint press conference the UK's Challenger 2 tanks would be in operation in Ukraine by next month. He said the sophisticated weapons would soon be making a difference on the battlefields of your country.

Mr Zelensky said Kyivs relations with the UK have reached a new level.

"It is very clear that we are standing together with Great Britain, he said.

Mr Zelensky and Mr Sunak arrived by helicopter at Lulworth Camp on the latest leg of the Ukraine leaders whirlwind surprise visit.

Earlier, Mr Zelenszky was granted an audience with the King at Buckingham Palace.

The King said: We've all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can't tell you.

The audience followed Mr Zelenskys address to Parliament, in which he urged the UK and the West to provide fighter jets as he told his audience: Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.

Mr Zelensky began his speech by thanking Britain on behalf of his country's war heroes.

He also thanked former prime minister Boris Johnson for the support he showed as Russia launched its invasion.

London has stood with Kyiv since day one, from the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war, Great Britain you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react, he said.

Boris: you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible. Thank you.

Mr Zelensky earlier met Rishi Sunak at Number 10 after jetting in to Stansted airport for his surprise visit.

The war dominated Mr Sunaks exchange with Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Ministers Questions at midday.

End of live coverage

19:40 , Tom Davidson

Thats the end of our live coverage of the historic day.

Story continues

Read more here.

Sunak suggests talks with allies needed over aircraft

18:22 , Josh Salisbury

In his final comments of the press conference, Mr Sunak has suggested there needs to be conversation with Britains allies over the supply of aircraft to Ukraine.

He adds: And it is also a conversation we are having with our allies because, particularly some of the aircraft we have, are done through joint treaty with multiple other countries - I think we have seen that with previous bits of kit that others have had to give.

For aircraft, that is something we are also involved in because, as I said, we have other allies involved in the provision of those bits of equipment.

And as the president said, he is on his way to Europe after this to pick up this conversation with our partners and allies over there."

Sunak denies reluctance to send military equipment to Ukraine

18:19 , Josh Salisbury

Rishi Sunak has denied reticence in providing arms to Ukraine when asked he will send Typhoon fighter jets.

He is facing pressure from former PM Boris Johnson to immediately send fighter jets to Kyiv.

Responding to journalists, Mr Sunak said: I dont think theres been any reticence at all actually. Weve probably been the most forward-leaning country in trying to bring about a Ukrainian victory in this conflict.

And thats why as prime minister we decided to change our strategy to accelarate and intensify the amount of support we give to Ukraine so that we can bring about more decisive victory in a sooner time.

He added: With regards to aircraft, weve already said nothing is off the table. The first step on that has to be have people who can fly what are very sophisticated pieces of kit ... We need to make sure they can operate the aircraft they would potentially be using.

But theres a supply chain around such sophisticated aircraft and those are the conversations the president and I are having.

Zelensky: Risk of stagnation if we dont get fighter jets

18:12 , Josh Salisbury

Volodymyr Zelensky said that without the fighter jets he is asking for there is a risk of stagnation in his countrys struggle against Russia.

In a joint press conference with Rishi Sunak in Dorset, the Ukrainian president said through a translator: Now weve come to kind of this stagnation phase.

Youve just asked me what would happen if we dont get these fighter jets or longer-range missiles, or we dont have enough ammunition, because everything obviously is running out and coming out of maintenance.

Without the weapons that we are discussing now and the weapons that we just discussed with Rishi earlier today and how Britain is going to help us, you know, all of this is very important. Without this, there would be stagnation which will not bring to anything good.

Sunak: Pressing need is for long-range missiles

18:06 , Josh Salisbury

Pressed by a reporter from BBC Ukraine whether a decision on sending warplanes to Ukraine is taking too long, Mr Sunak replies: As the president said, the main priority right here and now is main battle tanks - which we led on - but also those long range missiles.

In all the talking weve done and planning for how we can have decisive victory on the battlefield and make progress, it requires long-range missiles ... thats the conversation weve been having and again we hope Britain can lead.

Sunak: Nothing off the table in sending fighter pilots to Ukraine

17:58 , Josh Salisbury

Asked whether Britain will send fighter jets to Ukraine as asked, Rishi Sunak has said that nothing is off the table.

Responding to questions at a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Sunak said: Weve been very clear and have been clear for a very long time that when it comes to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, nothing is off the table.

And thats because were determined that Volodymyr, the president, and his people can be victorious against Russian aggression. And weve backed up that rhetoric with action.

Zelensky: Discussions were very fruitful

17:54 , Josh Salisbury

Volodymyr Zelensky said his discussions with Rishi Sunak were very fruitful as he thanked Britain for its support.

In a joint press conference with Mr Sunak on a military base in Dorset, the Ukrainian president said through a translator: Im not able to share with you all of the details what weve been talking about and how it is specifically we are going to strengthen Ukraine.

However I would like to say that this day has become very fruitful and Im grateful to the Prime Minister for understanding our needs and for his helpful advice and for the decisions that are truly helping our Ukrainian warriors to become stronger.

Im also grateful to His Majesty for the opportunity to have a meeting and conversation with him, and Im grateful to all of the members of the British Parliament who today to my address clearly showed that Great Britain will never betray their brave spirit.

(PA)

Sunak: UK tanks to be operational in Ukraine by next month

17:49 , Josh Salisbury

Rishi Sunak has said the UKs Challenger 2 tanks would be in operation in Ukraine by next month.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Dorset alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Sunak said the sophisticated weapons would soon be making a difference on the battlefields of your country.

He added: The Ukrainian crews who arrived last week will be using Challenger 2 tanks to defend Ukraine sovereign territory next month.

Touching on the expansion of a UK-Ukrainian armed forces training programme, Mr Sunak added: We must arm Ukraine in the short term but we must bolster Ukraine for the long term.

Your country cannot be left vulnerable to attack ever again.

Zelensky and Sunak meet Ukrainian troops being trained by Britain

17:23 , Josh Salisbury

Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelensky have arrived by helicopter at Lulworth Camp, Dorset, to meet Ukrainian troops being trained by the British Army.

Mr Zelensky thanked Mr Sunak for his support before presenting medals to some of his troops.

Mr Sunak said: It is a privilege for us to have all of you here and your courage is inspiring to us and the courage of your families is inspiring to us.

We will be there until the end and you are victorious."

The pair were shown a Challenger 2 tank simulator being used to train Ukrainian troops, before signing a declaration of unity and shaking hands.

(PA)

Ukrainian delegation leaves Buckingham Palace after meeting with King

15:56 , Josh Salisbury

The meeting between the King and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued in private, said Buckingham Palace in a readout.

The pair were joined by the Kings principal private secretary Sir Clive Alderton and - from Ukraine - Andriy Yermak, head of the presidents office, and Dmytro Kuleba, minister of foreign affairs.

They sat in the 1844 Room for 30 minutes of conversation about the continuing conflict in Ukraine, and the part Britain has played in supporting the nation. Tea was served.

Further representatives from Ukraine were then welcomed into the room for an introduction and informal conversation with the King and a chance to have pictures taken individually.

The Ukrainian party then departed through the Grand Entrance, Buckingham Palace said.

King tells Zelensky: Weve all been so worried about you'

15:53 , Josh Salisbury

The King told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he was delighted to welcome him to the Palace.

Mr Zelensky replied that it was a great honour to be here, adding: Thank you for finding the time for me.

The King said: Weve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I cant tell you.

Mr Zelensky replied: Thank you so much.

The King went on to say he had heard that the president had addressed both Houses of Parliament earlier in the day.

Mr Zelensky said what a big support they had been. The monarch replied: Im so glad.

King Charles and President Volodymyr Zelensky (Getty Images)

Pictured: Zelensky and Sunak enjoy tea

15:28 , Miriam Burrell

(Simon Walker/No10 Downing Street)

Zelensky given spent bullet casing by PM

15:25 , Miriam Burrell

Rishi Sunak gave Volodymyr Zelensky an unusual gift when they met this morning.

The Prime Minister presented the Ukrainian President with a spent bullet casing from the 62 gun salute in the Tower of London following the death of the Queen.

Mr Sunaks wife, Akshata Murthy, gave the Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska a Ukraine sunflower scarf from Aspinal.

Proceeds from the scarf go to the Centre for Womens Perspectives in Ukraine.

(Simon Walker/No10 Downing Street)

Ukrainian pilots to arrive in spring

15:18 , Miriam Burrell

Downing Street said the UK was hoping to receive the first Ukrainian pilots in the spring, but would not give a specific date.

Obviously we want it to start as soon as possible, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said, but Downing Street stressed that it would be a long-term process.

But these are complex pieces of military equipment. And as you know the current training period for UK pilots is around five years.

We think this is right to provide both short-term equipment like Challenger tanks, additional guns, longer-range capabilities that can help win the war now, but also look to the medium-to-long term to ensure Ukraine has every possible capability it requires.

UK to investigate what jets to give Ukraine

15:15 , Miriam Burrell

Rishi Sunak has asked the Defence Secretary to investigate what jets the UK could potentially give to Ukraine, Downing Street said, but called it a long-term solution.

King speaks on Ukraine

15:05 , Miriam Burrell

The King has made several comments about Russias invasion of Ukraine before he met with President Zelensky this afternoon.

In May 2022, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, spoke out about the nightmare situation in Ukraine during a trip to Romania to meet refugees who have fled the war in their homeland.

The prince told a group of Ukrainian families: We feel for Ukraine, a nightmare situation. Keep praying.

In March last year, Charles said the values of democracy were under attack in Ukraine in the most unconscionable way.

In the stand we take here, we are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal aggression, he said.

Charles has been outspoken in the past about Russian president Vladimir Putin and his annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

He sparked a diplomatic storm in 2014 when he compared Putin to Hitler during a visit to Canada.

Putin, in a direct message to Charles, publicly branded the comments unacceptable and said such remarks were not what monarchs do.

Zelensky says meeting King truly special'

14:56 , Miriam Burrell

In his address to MPs at Westminster Hall earlier on Wednesday, President Zelensky said it is an honour to be meeting King Charles III.

It will be a truly special moment for me, for our country, and in particular because I will convey to him from all the Ukrainians the words of gratitude for the support His Majesty showed to them when he was still the Prince of Wales.

He said he intended to tell him that was very, very, very important.

In Britain, the king is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.

(PA)

Boris Johnson says Typhoon jets are four-nation plane

14:50 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson said supplying Typhoon jets to Ukraine would require the support of Germany, Italy and Spain.

The former prime minister, who was personally thanked in President Zelenskys address, said: It is true that the Typhoon is a four-nation plane and that we require the approval of allies for export. But there is no reason to think that Germany or others should oppose our decision  these are UK planes.

Thank you President @ZelenskyyUa. Your powerful and passionate appeal must be heard. There is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by sending planes now.  #UkraineMustWin pic.twitter.com/pzxHBtt8aU  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 8, 2023

Pictured: King and Zelenksy meet

14:45 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with the King at Buckingham Palace as they meet for the first time.

(PA)

Zelensky greeted at Kings Door

14:34 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was greeted at the Kings Door firstly by the Kings equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson.

Lt Col Thompson, dressed in his military uniform with kilt, shook hands with Mr Zelensky before introducing him to Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen Consort.

Sir Clive also shook hands with the president before welcoming him inside Buckingham Palace.

(PA)

Zelensky arrives at Buckingham Palace

14:29 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at Buckingham Palace for his audience with the King.

It is the first time the monarch has met Mr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader was driven through the front gates of the royal residence and into the quadrangle.

Highlights from President Zelenskys address

14:05 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally thanked both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak for their support and gifted a Ukrainian pilots helmet during his address to MPs at Westminster Hall.

He spoke of delicious English tea but pushed for powerful English planes after remembering a visit to the Churchill War Rooms in 2020.

A tour guide asked him how did I feel?. Mr Zelensky said: And I said that I suddenly felt something. But it is only now that I know what the feeling was.

He said that Ukraine calls for a special compensation mechanism, which will compensate war losses at the expense of Russian assets.

Mr Zelensky said it would be a truly special moment to meet with the King this afternoon.

In Britain, the King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.

Ukrainian pilot helmet (Getty Images)

Foreign Secretary praises powerful speech'

13:51 , Miriam Burrell

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has praised President Zelensky for a powerful speech.

We are backing Ukraine until they are victorious, he tweeted.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said Mr Zelensky is the embodiment of the Ukrainian peoples bravery.

Inspirational address from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Parliament. He is the embodiment of the Ukrainian people's bravery, dignity and courage.



The whole House and the whole UK stands united against Putin's bloody and illegal war. Ukraine must win.  David Lammy (@DavidLammy) February 8, 2023

What a powerful speech from President @ZelenskyyUa.



We are backing Ukraine until they are victorious.



Freedom will win   James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) February 8, 2023

Zelensky shakes hands with MPs

13:42 , Miriam Burrell

Zelensky has shaken hands with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer among others as he was led down to the crowd of MPs following his address.

(PA)

Watch: Zelensky arrives in UK

13:38 , Miriam Burrell

Pictured: Zelenskys address at Westminster Hall

13:37 , Miriam Burrell

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

(PA)

Zelensky thanks Parliament in advance for powerful English planes

13:34 , Miriam Burrell

President Zelensky ended his address to MPs by thanking the country for its delicious English tea.

He said he will leave Parliament today thanking you in advance for powerful English planes.

Long live the King, he added.

Zelensky presents gift to UK

13:32 , Miriam Burrell

President Zelensky has gifted the UK with a Ukrainian pilots helmet.

It bears the words we have freedom give us wings to protect it.

(Sky News)

The King is an air force pilot

13:28 , Miriam Burrell

President Zelensky said it will be an honour to be received by His Majesty the King this afternoon at Buckingham Palace.

It will be a truly special moment for me, for our country, he told MPs

I will convey to him words of gratitidue for the words of support he showed to Ukrainians when he was still the Prince of Wales.

He said he will tell the King that in Britain, the King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a King.

Sunak thanked for powerful defensive support

13:24 , Miriam Burrell

President Zelensky said Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in Britain and he thanked Rishi Sunak for todays announcement of further support.

I thank you Rishi for these powerful defensive steps for tank assistance, he told the Prime Minister.

It will allow us to make the evil completely retreat from our country.

The world needs your leadership Britain, Zelensky says

13:20 , Miriam Burrell

The world needs your leadership, Britain, just as it needs Ukrainian bravery, President Zelensky told MPs during his address at Westminster Hall.

He said together with US, the UK and Ukraine created a true coalition of friends, and a coalition of values together with the G7.

Your help was preventive, he added.

We know that Russia will lose'

13:17 , Miriam Burrell

We know that Russia will lose, President Zelensky said.

We will always come out on top of evil. This lies at the core of our, and your, traditions.

However the horizon never stays clear for a while, when the old evil is defeated, the new one is attempting to raise its head.

Boris Johnson thanked for uniting allies

13:15 , Miriam Burrell

President Zelensky has thanked former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for uniting allies in support for Ukraine from day one of Russias invasion.

Zelensky visited Churchill war rooms

13:13 , Miriam Burrell

President Zelensky said he visited the Churchill war rooms in 2020 and a tour guide offered for him to sit in an armchair.

I suddenly felt something...but it is only now that I know what that feeling was, he told MPs at Westminster Hall.

He explained how that feelingof bravery takes your through unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory.

Zelensky stands on behalf of the brave'

13:10 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he stands before the people of UK on behalf of the brave, defenders of the sky, conscripts and parents who are waiting for their children to return from war.

Zelensky put himself at risk to visit UK

13:06 , Miriam Burrell

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle said Parliament is honoured that President Zelensky has put himself at risk to visit the UK and shine a light on the fact that his country is still fighting.

I do not believe any of us in the room are complacent about the realities of conflict, he said to MPs in Westminster Hall.

Zelensky applauded at Westminster Hall

13:01 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at Westminster Hall to rapturous applause from more than 600 MPs at a packed Westminster Hall.

Zelensky arrives at Westminster Hall

12:51 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at Parliament ahead of his address to MPs.

He shook hands with the Speaker of the House of Commons and the House of Lords before making his way to a packed Westminster Hall.

MPs including Michael Fabricant have lined up to hear from the Ukrainian leader.

All lining up to @ZelenskyyUa in Westminster Hall pic.twitter.com/Rxjc3MaAKz  Michael Fabricant  (@Mike_Fabricant) February 8, 2023

Zelensky to address MPs

12:37 , Miriam Burrell

Prime Ministers Questions has ended ahead of President Zelenskys address to MPs at Parliament.

Mr Zelensky will address both Houses in Westminster Hall at 1pm.

PM asked about further aid for Turkey, Syria

12:34 , Miriam Burrell

MP Feryal Clark said its the third day after the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which means the likelihood of pulling survivors out of the rubble is less and less likely.

Can I ask the Prime Minister when we can expect an announcement on further aid? she asked.

Rishi Sunak said he spoke to Turkeys president yesterday who said search and rescue teams are most needed right now.

He said in Syria the UK is funding the White Helmets team, who are working on the ground.

40,000 Devon residents waiting for energy bill support

12:30 , Miriam Burrell

MP Richard Foord said more than 40,000 residents in Devon live off the gas grid and need energy bill government support up front.

What will the Prime Minister say to these people waiting for alternative payment five months later? he asked.

Rishi Sunak said that money should be getting to them and he would make sure that happens.

PM asked to mark invasion of Ukraine with minutes silence

12:27 , Miriam Burrell

On February 24 it will be one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, MP Vicky Ford said.

She asked Rishi Sunak if he will call for a national minute of silence on that date.

The Prime Minister said Im sure its something we are considering as we speak and there are many other ways we can mark that moment including international condemnation of Russia.

PM asked to pay social care workers more

12:24 , Miriam Burrell

The Prime Minister was asked to pay a higher minimum wage to social care workers, as outlined in the Liberal Democrats plan.

Rishi Sunak said a further 14 billion in funding has been given to health and social care workers.

Human trafficking nothing to do with small boat crossings

12:22 , Miriam Burrell

Human trafficking has nothing to do with people crossing the Channel in small boats, MP Philip Hollobone said.

A third of all trafficking of UK occurs wholly in the borders. He called for a specific position to be created to tackle the problem.

Mr Sunak said he is proud of the UKs world leading legislation against human trafficking.

UK has unbreakable friendship with Ukraine

12:16 , Miriam Burrell

Rishi Sunak has said the UK has an unbreakable friendship with Ukraine.

Opening PMQs, he said: I am proud that we are expanding the training for Ukrainian forces to include jet pilots and marines, and ensure that Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests today and in to the future.

Sunak asked if he regrets Trusss time as PM

12:15 , Miriam Burrell

SNP leader Stephen Flynn said former Prime Minister Liz Truss said did not regret her time in office.

Mr Sunak was asked if he regrets Ms Trusss time in office.

The Prime Minister said he is grateful to all who contribute to UK politics. He said mistakes were made but the Government has a clear plan to halve inflation and grow the economy.

UK is leading European ally for Ukraine'

12:12 , Miriam Burrell

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: We in this house have a duty to stand on the shoulders of giants and support Ukraines fight for freedom, liberty and victory.

Rishi Sunak said UK is the leading European ally for Ukraine, and it will continue to invest in military support for the country.

Putin and all his cronies must face justice

12:10 , Miriam Burrell

When the war in Ukraine is over, President Putin and all his cronies must stand ...and face justice.

Rishi Sunak said the UK must hold those to acocunt for the horrific crimes they have committed.

UK support for Ukraine goes even further today

12:07 , Miriam Burrell

Rishi Sunak said the Government has accelerated military support for Ukraine this year.

The Prime Minister said today we are going even further by providing challenger tanks and moves to start training Ukrainian marines and pilots.

UK can be proud of support to Ukraine, PM says

12:05 , Miriam Burrell

Sir Keir Starmer said no experiences compare to the pain and suffering of the people of Ukraine. He said it is vital to stand together in full support of Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak said the entire House of Commons can be proud it came together to stand with Ukraine when it mattered.

PMQs to begin

11:57 , Miriam Burrell

After welcoming President Zelensky to Downing St, Rishi Sunak is heading to the House of Commons to answer questions from MPs.

Then Mr Zelensky will address Parliament at 1pm.

Zelensky thanks UK for support

11:53 , Miriam Burrell

Standing inside No 10 Downing Street alongside Rishi Sunak, President Zelensky said it was a great honour to visit the UK.

Speaking in White Room ahead of bilateral talks with Rishi Sunak, he said: Thank you so much Rishi for inviting me and for me great honour to be here in Britain.

And thanks Britain for society first of all for your big support from the first days of full-scale invasion.

Thank you so much. We are proud really and we have very good relations with Rishi.

Mr Zelensky added that the two leaders would continue their dialogue which he said was very important for security of our country and of the course the security for the world.

(PA)

Zelensky in London to thank the British people'

11:44 , Miriam Burrell

President Zelensky has said he is visiting London to personally thank the British people.

He said the UK was one of the first countries to come to Ukraines aid after Russias invasion.

Zelensky arrives at Downing St

11:40 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Downing Street as he visits the UK for the first time since Russia invaded his country.

He and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chatted as they walked from their car to No 10.

The pair then shook hands outside the famous black door and waved to the cameras, before heading in to hold talks.

(PA)

Five people linked to Putin targeted in sanctions

11:36 , Miriam Burrell

The Foreign Office said that sanctions have targeted five individuals linked to Vladimir Putins luxury residences, including presidential commissioner for entrepreneurs rights Boris Titov and Aerostart owner Viktor Myachin.

CST, a manufacturer of Russian drones, RT-Komplekt, which produces parts for helicopters used by Russia in the war against Ukraine, are among the entities sanctioned.

New sanctions announced against Russia as Zelensky touches down in London

11:10 , Barney Davis

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has announced a fresh round of sanctions against the Russian military and some Kremlin figures, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes a visit to the UK.

The sanctions package hits six entities the Foreign Office said provided military equipment such as drones to the Russia government, as well as eight individuals and one entity linked to Russian financial networks.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion. He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country.

We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.

These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin  undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail. I am determined, consistent with our laws, that Russia will have no access to the assets we have frozen until it ends, once and for all, its threats to Ukraines territorial sovereignty and integrity.

Rishi Sunak greeted Volodymyr Zelensky as the Ukrainian President arrived in the UK.

11:05 , Barney Davis

The Prime Minister tweeted a picture of the pair, with Mr Sunak embracing his Ukrainian counterpart at Stansted.

Welcome to the UK, President Zelensky, he tweeted.

Zelensky arrives in UK

10:39 , Miriam Burrell

Volodymyr Zelensky has landed at Stansted Airport.

The Ukrainian leader is heading to Westminster where he will meet the Prime Minister before addressing MPs.

President Zelensky arrives in UK (Sky News)

UK to announce fresh sanctions on Putins allies

10:35 , Miriam Burrell

The UK is set to announce new sanctions targeting those who have helped Vladimir Putin build his personal wealth and firms which have profited from the war.

The sanctions will hit companies who are profiting from the Kremlins war machine, Downing Street said in a statement.

King to meet Zelensky

10:30 , Miriam Burrell

The King will hold an audience with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today, Buckingham Palace has said.

Mr Zelensky will be greeted in the Palace quadrangle before being taken to meet the monarch inside the royal residence.

Zelensky and Sunak last met in Kyiv

10:27 , Miriam Burrell

Volodymyr Zelensky and Rishi Sunak met last when the Prime Minister visited Kyiv, Ukaines capital, in November.

The Ukrainian Presidents visit to the UK is believed to be his second foreign visit since the conflict started.

He visited Joe Biden in the White House in December and also addressed Congress.

Mr Zelenskys trip to the UK comes almost a year after he made a virtual address to the UK Parliament.

Read more here.

Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelensky last met in Kyiv (PA)

Why is Volodymyr Zelensky visiting the UK?

10:22 , Miriam Burrell

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will use his surprise visit to the UK to see his countrys troops being trained by the British armed forces.

Rishi Sunak is expanding the training offered by the UK to include fighter jet pilots and marines, and has promised an immediate surge of military equipment including longer-range weapons.

Downing Street said the Government is following a two-pronged approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future.

Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a long-term capability investment.
Next time you go out to eat and splurge on some market-price crab, just know that Neanderthals were enjoying the same delicacy without the high price tag.

Researchers have found that Neanderthals in Portugal were roasting and eating crab at least 90,000 years ago, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, the team noted the discovery of charred crab legs and claws in a cave just outside of Lisbon.

More from Robb Report

You can immediately identify them on site as being crab claws, especially in Portugal, because we have a tradition of eating crabs a lot, Mariana Nabais, one of the studys authors, told the Times. It was a big surprise, especially because when we were digging there, we still didnt have that idea of Neanderthals actively eating shellfish.

Within the cave site, called Gruta da Figueira Brava, the research team found 635 bits of crab shells, representing at least 33 individual crabs. Most of them were the same species of brown crab popular in Portugal today, where theyre served with roe and mustard. (Jurys still out on whether the Neanderthals were enjoying those accoutrements as well.) And based on the size of the claws, the researchers determined that the crabs from long, long ago were larger than average, with about seven ounces of meat per crustacean.

Of course, other animals have historically eaten crabs as well. But the shells found in Gruta da Figueira Brava didnt carry tooth marks or the shattering patterns seen after birds drop them on rocks. In fact, some of the shells were charred and blackened, leading researchers to say that they had been roasted, just like you might see on any restaurant menu today.

Story continues

The idea of Neanderthals serving up an elegant meal of roasted crab is a bit at odds with the general depiction of them as, well, idiots. But the new study may help change the way people think of Neanderthals, imbuing them with more intelligence than theyre given credit for.

Weve always seen Neanderthals as like these brute cousins, Nabais said. Now, we know they were eating shellfish  which was something that people thought that they wouldnt be capable of because they were a bit dumb.

Neanderthals, then, may have been smarterand way fancierthan we thought.

Best of Robb Report

Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
PREMIERE: Brisbane Pop Duo LOVELOVELOVE Explore Sentimentality on 'CLOVER'

Brisbane duo Jared Hundermark and Denis Janse aim to infuse the pop songs they release as LOVELOVELOVE with textural detail and emotional heft. The pairs 2022 single ULTRAVIOLET premiered on triple j Uneartheds Tops program, laying the foundation for the pairs upcoming debut EP.

The EPs second single is CLOVER, a song that displays Hundermark and Janses sentimentality while also pulling in influences from modern pop bands LANY and The 1975. Music Feeds is premiering CLOVER ahead of its official release on Friday, 10th February.

LOVELOVELOVE  CLOVER

Hundermark and Janse grew up in South Africa. They moved to Brisbane with hopes of building a better life for themselves. The sadness that comes with leaving people behind is felt throughout the tender and melancholic CLOVER.

We used to walk along the meadow / You were pretty / It felt so soothing, goes the chorus. And its a few years later now / But that feeling is still stuck with me.

LOVELOVELOVEs debut EP is due in the first half of 2023. Theyre having a launch party at Brisbanes Black Bear Lodge on Wednesday, 17th May. Get your hands on tickets here.

Further Reading

NEW AUS MUSIC PLAYLIST: Our Favourite Tunes Of The Week

The 1975 Add Second Sydney Date to 2023 Tour

Jack Antonoff, Phoebe Bridgers, Weyes Blood & More Cover Nicos These Days

The post PREMIERE: Brisbane Pop Duo LOVELOVELOVE Explore Sentimentality on CLOVER appeared first on Music Feeds.
The post Roger Waters Does Impression of Diplomat, Speaks with Dead Mom in Bizarre UN Appearance appeared first on Consequence.

Roger Waters spoke before the UN Security Council on February 8th at the invitation of the Russian Federation, where he put on a funny voice for his impression of a diplomat, enacted a lengthy conversation with his dead mother, and claimed to represent the concerns of four billion people in the voiceless majority whom, he suggested, held Presidents Biden, Putin, and Zelenskyy equally responsible for Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Appearing over a video conference, the former Pink Floyd frontman began by laying out his goal, which was to express what I believe to be the feelings of countless of our brothers and sisters all over the world, both here in New York and across the seas. I shall invite them into these hallowed halls to have their say.

Beginning under the assumption that everyone in the UN Security Council was quite happy with the war and the many profits he said it would produce, he endeavored to remind them of the dire and often deadly circumstances of life in Ukraine, a life he then compared to being homeless in New York and suffering under the neoliberal capitalist ship we call life in the city. Believing that the war was a triumph of profits over empathy, he implored the United Nations member states to put ourselves in others shoes.

The voiceless majority is concerned that your wars  yes, your wars  that these perpetual wars are not of our choosing, he said. The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation was illegal. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Also, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not unprovoked, so I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms.

In between digressions on capitalism and sweeping pronouncements about the collusions of the global ruling elite, Waters was also sidetracked by the settling of personal scores. I read in the paper this morning, some anonymous diplomat quoted as saying, Roger Waters to address the security council? Whatever next, Mr. Bean? Ha, ha, ha,' he said in a posh, gravely voice, explaining, You know what theyre like. Anyway. For those of you who dont know, Mr. Bean is an ineffectual character from an English comedy show on television. So its a penny to a pound the anonymous diplomat is an Englishman. Ha, ha,' he laughed in the voice. Without furger segue, he continued, Anyway, I think its time to introduce my mother, Mary Duncan Waters.

Story continues

She was a big influence on me, he added. She was a school teacher. I say was, shes been dead for 15 years. After pausing to note that his father died in World War II, he went on a long tangent about a conversation his mother had with him when he was 13, going so far as to recount several lines of dialogue.

My mum sat me down and said, Now listen, youre going to be faced with many naughty problems during your life, Roger. And when you are, heres my advice: Read, read, read. Find out everything you can about whatever it is. Look at it from all sides, all angles, listen to all opinions, especially ones you dont agree with it. Research it thoroughly, and when youve done that, you will have done all the heavy lifting and the next bit is easy. Is it? Ok, mum. Whats the easy bit? Oh, the easy bit is, you just do the right thing. Phew, he said.

As if the whole invasion of Ukraine boiled down to Russia, the US, and Ukraine failing to consider each others viewpoints, he said, So speaking of doing the right thing brings me to human rights. He then read out a lecture on the importance of respecting said human rights, making sure to get in a few lines about Palestine and adding, Let that sink in, apparently under the impression that the assembly were hanging on his every word.

So, from the four billion or so brothers and sisters in this voiceless majority, he said, who together with the millions in the international anti-war movement represent a huge constituency: enough is enough. We demand change. President Biden, President Putin, President Zelenskyy, USA, NATO, Russia, the EU, all of you, please change course now. Agree to a cease fire in Ukraine today.

Waters didnt clarify which of the eight billion people on the planet made up his four-billion-member constituency. But in his conclusion, he envisioned the voiceless majority cheering him on for the speech he was currently giving, even going so far as to evoke John Lennon pumping the air with his fists from the grave. Weve finally been heard in the corridors of power,' he imagined the masses saying.

Afterwards Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian member of the UN Security Council, applauded Waters precise analysis, and suggested, although Waters hadnt said so, that Waters and the international creative intelligentsia were all in agreement that NATO had incited the violence in Ukraine in order to fight a proxy war with Russia.

This is Waters latest attempt to both-sides Russias invasion of Ukraine. Last fall, he called evidence of Russian war crimes lies, lies, lies, lies, and insisted that President Biden is the real war criminal. His controversial statements have reportedly endangered the sale of Pink Floyds catalog, and led his former bandmate David Gilmour and his wife Polly Samson to rip Waters on social media. Sadly @rogerwaters you are antisemitic to your rotten core, Samson wrote on social media. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac. Enough of your nonsense. Gilmore agreed in his own tweet, writing, Every word demonstrably true.

Roger Waters Does Impression of Diplomat, Speaks with Dead Mom in Bizarre UN Appearance

Wren Graves

Popular Posts

Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
The post Roger Waters to Speak on Russias Behalf at U.N. Security Council Meeting appeared first on Consequence.

Russia has invited Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters to speak on its behalf at a U.N. Security Council meeting scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

Lets see what he will say. He has a position and you will hear it tomorrow, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzi told Reuters.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia, confirmed that Waters would be speaking at 10:00 a.m. ET. I can confirm: for tomorrows UN Security Council briefing on prospects of peaceful settlement of crisis around Ukraine in the context of increasing Western arms deliveries to this country we invited as a briefer famous British Musician and rock-musician, Roger Waters.

Waters previously blamed Ukraine and NATO for provoking a war with Russia. This war is basically about the action and reaction of NATO pushing right up to the Russian border, which they promised they wouldnt do when [Mikhail] Gorbachev negotiated the withdrawal of the USSR from the whole of Eastern Europe, Waters said in an August 2022 interview with CNN.

He also dismissed claims of Russian war crimes as lies, lies, lies, lies, while arguing that US president Joe Biden is the true war criminal. [Biden] is fueling the war in the Ukraine, Waters said. That is a huge crime. Why wont the United States of America encourage [Ukraines president Volodymyr] Zelensky to negotiate, obviating the need for this horrific, horrendous war? As a result of his comments, Waters claims that he is on Ukraines kill list.

On Monday, former Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour and his wife Polly Samson blasted Waters on social media. Sadly @rogerwaters you are antisemitic to your rotten core, Samson tweeted. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac. Enough of your nonsense. Gilmore quoted his wifes tweet, adding, Every word demonstrably true.

Story continues

I can confirm: for tomorrows UN Security Council briefing on prospects of peaceful settlement of crisis around Ukraine in the context of increasing Western arms deliveries to this country we invited as a briefer famous British Musician and rock-musician @rogerwaters  Dmitry Polyanskiy (@Dpol_un) February 8, 2023

Roger Waters to Speak on Russias Behalf at U.N. Security Council Meeting

Alex Young

Popular Posts

Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
In a first-of-its-kind move, Australia has rejected a proposed coal mine due to the threat it poses to the environment. This coal mine would have been only 10km from the Great Barrier Reef, and the public was overwhelmingly opposed to its construction.

abc.net.au:

Ms Plibersek's decision is the first time in Australian history that a coal mine has been refused under national environmental laws.

The planned mining site was just 10 kilometres from the edge of the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area near Rockhampton.

"I have decided not to approve the Central Queensland Coal Project because the risks to the Great Barrier Reef, freshwater creeks and groundwater are too great," Ms Plibersek said in a statement.

"Freshwater creeks run into the Great Barrier Reef and onto seagrass meadows that feed dugongs and provide breeding grounds for fish."
The U.S. downing of a Chinese spy balloon over the weekend is offering Washington and Beijing a dress rehearsal for an unexpected crisis  and the results are concerning.

While the incident has deepened distrust and suspicion between U.S. and Chinese officials and delayed strategic talks meant to stabilize the relationship, the risk of dangerous confrontation between the two global superpowers appears low.

Still, the battle between Republicans and Democrats  in a partisan atmosphere where China is seen as Americas biggest foe ideologically and economically  has the potential to inflame crises into dangerous territory.

The chorus of GOP criticism of President Bidens delay in shooting down the balloon shows just how charged the atmosphere is in Washington as it relates to China, said David Sacks, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, where his work focuses on U.S.-China relations.

Sacks said that both parties dont want to look weak on China, but that raises concern over how much space U.S. officials would have to cool down an even more explosive confrontation.

If you had a real crisis on your hands, it would be very difficult to de-escalate and it would be really difficult for a president of either party to find the decision space that he or she needs to try and work out a diplomatic resolution, because there will be loud calls to take as strong of an action as possible, he said.

And the potential for real crises is high, given flashpoints of tension between Beijing and Washington that include Taiwan, the nuclear threat from North Korea or Chinas tacit support for Russias war in Ukraine.

Chinese officials are signaling they are prepared to cut off communication at the highest levels with U.S. officials. The Pentagon on Tuesday said that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was rebuffed by his Chinese counterpart when he sought to reach him by phone after the U.S. shot down the balloon.

We believe in the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC in order to responsibly manage the relationship, Ryder Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this.

Story continues

But analysts say the Chinese response to the U.S. discovery of the balloon has revealed a surprisingly shaky state of affairs under Chinese President Xi Jinping, raising the risk for more unexpected crises.

Regarding the Chinese reaction, theres something quite extraordinary here.  It seems that there is a confusion here, that there is inconsistency in terms of the response, said Ho-Fung Hung, a professor in political economy at Johns Hopkins Universitys School of Advanced International Studies.

Hung said that the confusing messages coming from Chinese officials  initially expressing regret that the balloon entered U.S. airspace and then incredulity that Biden had sent a missile to shoot it down  mirrors similar confusion coming from officials amidst Chinas COVID-19 response and other domestic crises.

The draconian pandemic regulations were relaxed in the wake of widespread protests, but Chinese officials appeared unprepared to respond, or acknowledge infection outbreaks that followed.

It reflects something going on in the Chinese government, that Xi Jinping is apparently in control, but the state seems more fragmented, Hung said.

Biden officials say they are looking to have the right conditions to reschedule a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China that was canceled in the wake of the balloons discovery, but have not addressed what steps Beijing needs to take to smooth relations.

Expectations were already low for Blinkens anticipated meetings, which were to take place this week. But the visit was viewed as a critical venue for U.S. and Chinese officials to address how they communicate over the most volatile issues in the relationship, and how to prevent geopolitical explosions.

The most dangerous of these issues for both the U.S. and China is Taiwan, the self-ruled, democratic island that Beijing is intent on subsuming under the control of the Chinese Communist Party.

Biden has committed at least four times to aid Taiwans defense in the event of a Chinese military attack, even as his senior officials stress that the administration is working in line with long-held policy declarations between Washington and Beijing related to Taipei.

Blinkens visit to Beijing was meant to re-establish channels of communication  on climate change and military to military  that China severed in response to a visit to Taiwan in August by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

And China is likely to lash out more if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) follows through on reported plans to visit Taiwan, with the Chinese foreign mInistry last month issuing a statement warning against such travel.

Even as the U.S. has identified China as its toughest global competitor, the Biden administration has stressed it seeks to cooperate on areas of mutual concern, in particular climate change, but also nuclear nonproliferation, with an unpredictable, nuclear-armed North Korea on Chinas border.

And the U.S. has homed in on a potential opening with China to address Russias war in Ukraine, pointing to remarks by Xi in December to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he had questions and concerns about the then-10 month conflict.

The United States and China share a strong common interest in not going to war with each other and global stability, generally speaking. This gives them a reason to engage with each other, said Patricia Kim, an expert on China and East Asia at the Brookings Institution.

I think the interests are there, but its just a very tricky climate with nationalism high on both sides, with mutual trust very low.

But the two sides are unlikely to come together anytime soon given the fallout from the spy balloon.

There might have been a tiny hope on the Chinese side that the Biden administration would be softer than the previous Trump administration, Kim said. But I think those hopes were quickly dashed when they realized that there is a pretty strong consensus in the United States that China is the pacing challenge for the United States, and that the Biden administration also has its eyes fixed on competing with China.

While the Chinese appeared to ease off their wolf warrior diplomacy amid the planning of Blinkens visit, and conveyed regret in the immediate aftermath of the balloons discovery, foreign ministry officials have since doubled down on describing the balloon as a civilian weather research tool and deriding the U.S. for overreacting.

The signs from both sides suggest a resumption of talks between the U.S. and China is far off, and controversy surrounding the balloon will likely be dragged out amid interest in what intelligence the U.S. is able to glean from the recovery of the debris.

The most realistic outcome is that tensions settle over time, and the two sides can get back on track. I dont think its impossible, but its remote for now, Kim said.

I think both sides just want space from this event, added Sacks of the Council on Foreign Relations. I think it has to kind of blow over, it has to fade from the news and then, kind of, U.S.-China diplomacy will resume.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Riding from 300-foot-tall redwoods to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk might be the best way to sightsee in California.

VSCC and Walter Scriptunas

California's iconic coastal redwoods are majestic: They are the tallest trees on Earth, often growing more than 300 feet high and living as long as 2,000 years. Back in the mid-1800s, the logging industry in the West relied on trains to move the redwoods' tremendous tree trunks from the coastal forests and mountains to flatter, inland regions. Today, coastal redwood forests are preserved, of course, but in some places, trains continue to move on down the track, helping nature buffs (and train buffs) enjoy these scenic areas via locomotive.

In Felton, California, about seven miles outside of the Santa Cruz, Roaring Camp does just that. Trains have run here since 1875, so guests today get a feeling for life back then, with historic engines pulling them through the redwood forest along narrow-gauge grades  and so close to redwood trees you can almost touch them.

Jenn Day

The trains are working pieces of history themselves. One of the few operating steam trains here is Dixiana. Named for the Virginia area it served for years as a mining train, Dixiana is a two-truck steam engine that makes that cartoon-famous (and wildly loud) toot, toot when the conductor releases the steam valve. It pulls open-air cars along its route  a slow ride, as it would have been back in the day. The wind may not blow your hair, but youd be hard-pressed to beat your view.

There are two journeys available at Roaring Camp. Diaxana carries guests for 75 minutes up Bear Mountain and back to the village. For a longer experience, try the three-hour ride connecting Roaring Camp to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. You can start your ride at either of these stops, then enjoy a trip to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, through a gorge and 19th-century tunnel as you go. This route is part of the historic Santa Cruz Big Trees & Pacific Railway, operating since 1875.

Story continues

Families heading to Roaring Camp can tack additional kid-friendly activities onto their day. Theres gold panning and candle making, for example, plus lots of outdoor space to run or picnic.

Reserving train tickets in advance is suggested. Prices start at $25 for kids (those under age two are free) and $40 for adults. Theres a full calendar of special events, too, including educational weekend rides in March, an Easter Egg Hunt in April, and themed dinner and movie nights throughout the year.

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
Coheed and Cambria Setting Sail With Sunny Day Real Estate, Bartees Strange

The reunited Sunny Day Real Estate has added a host of additional shows to the previously announced rescheduled fall/winter 2022 dates necessitated after drummer William Goldsmith broke a bone in his hand. Following an upcoming run that starts Feb. 22 in Salt Lake City, the new shows begin April 15 in Chicago and run through April 29 at the fabled Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J.

Sunny Day will also make appearances alongside Modest Mouse and Lord Huron at the In Between Days festival in Quincy, Mass., in August and at Coheed and Cambrias S.S. Neverender cruise to the Dominican Republic in late October.

More from Spin:

Joined by new bassist Chris Jordan and guitarist/vocalist Jason Narducy (who alternated dates with previous Sunny Day touring musician Greg Suran), Goldsmith, frontman Jeremy Enigk, and guitarist Dan Hoerner played material from throughout their catalog during the bands first tour in 12 years last fall.

The rare track Lipton Witch was played at all 16 shows; Hoerner told SPIN it was undeniably the best song from aborted sessions for a new album over the past decade. It was quietly released in 2014 on a split single with Circa Survive, four years after the last show of Sunny Days short-lived 2009-2010 reunion, but remains unavailable on streaming services.

Sunny Day Real Estates 2023 tour dates:

Feb. 22: Salt Lake City (The Complex)

Feb. 23: Denver (Ogden Theater)

Feb. 25: Austin, Tx. (Emos)

Feb. 26: Dallas (Studio at the Factory)

March 16-17: Seattle (Moore Theatre)

March 19: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theater)

April 5: San Diego (Observatory)

April 6: Phoenix (the Van Buren)

April 8: San Francisco (Regency Ballroom)

April 9: Los Angeles (The Wiltern)

April 15: Chicago (Metro)

April 16: St. Louis (The Pageant)

April 18: Grand Rapids, Mich. (The Intersection)

April 19: Cincinnati, Oh. (Bogarts)

April 21: Milwaukee (Pabst Theater)

April 22: Minneapolis (First Avenue)

April 25: Pittsburgh (Roxian Theatre)

April 26: Toronto (Danforth Music Hall)

April 28: Huntington, N.Y. (The Paramount)

April 29: Asbury Park, N.J. (Stone Pony)

Aug. 19-20: Quincy, Ma. (In Between Days Festival)

Oct. 23-27: Miami to Puerto Plata, D.R. (S.S. Neverender Cruise)

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Coheed and Cambria Setting Sail With Sunny Day Real Estate, Bartees Strange appeared first on SPIN.
Active volcanoes are proving to be a hot commodity in the global race to transform to renewable energy as regions all over the world that reside near these natural wonders work to harness their heat.

Geothermal energy, the process of using the heat from the inner cores of the earth to create power, is one of the most sustainable forms of energy, experts told ABC News. The technology works by pushing hot water from the reservoirs of volcanoes and geysers toward the surface, which then turns to steam due to the reduced pressure.

MORE: Hawaii's Big Island abuzz over simultaneous eruptions at Mauna Loa and Kilauea

The steam then gets pushed toward a turbine, which then generates electricity.

There are virtually no carbon emissions from this process once the infrastructure is in place, other than the diesel-powered pump required to bring the water and steam to the surface, Pete Stelling, a retired geology professor formerly at Western Washington University, told ABC News.

"It is considered the most sustainable energy source," Amanda Kolker, program manager for geothermal energy at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, told ABC News. "It's also a relatively invisible renewable source, both figuratively and, you know, metaphorically, because it's literally underground."

PHOTO: Geothermal power plant, Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Iceland. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

If there are any leaks in the pipes, the substance leaking out is simply water or steam, and there is no hazardous waste, Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a professor of geology at Western Washington University, told ABC News.

Other than the land use and the environmental damage done by the initial construction, there are no other hazards, Caplan-Auerbach.

"There are no refineries that need to be built or shipped to," she said. "There's no gas station on the corner that you need to develop to sell the product."

MORE: Lava oozing out of Mauna Loa inching closer to main highway on Hawaii's Big Island

The caveats to geothermal energy, however, are cumbersome, Stelling said.

The technology is only available in select places around the world. What makes a region ideal for harnessing geothermal energy is the availability of something "really hot" near the surface.

Story continues

PHOTO: An aerial view of Unalaska, Aleutian Islands. (Getty Images)

The vast majority are near active volcanoes, where an underground magma chamber heats the water around it, simply because they are the easiest locations to find, Stelling said. Geysers and inactive volcanoes can also be options, he added.

The residents and businesses who can benefit from geothermal energy need to reside near the plant, as it is not possible to transport the energy, Stelling said. Instead, the energy is placed directly into the power grid.

MORE: Batteries, solar, wind and hydropower: Why renewable energy is essential to curbing climate change

In addition to determining whether the fractures in the ground are big enough to allow water to flow through them, geologists also have to consider the inherent risk of constructing an energy plant near an active volcano and whether a possible eruption can damage the plant, Caplan-Auerbach said.

The biggest roadblock to installing geothermal production plants is the cost, Stelling said. Construction crews must drill several kilometers into the earth and pull the hot water out of open fractures in the ground. The turbine will then run off of the steam and produce electricity.

PHOTO: The Makushin volcano is seen on Unalaska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. (Getty Images)

A construction project aimed at bringing geothermal energy to Unalaska, a city in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, is expected to cost about $235 million to build a plant powered by the Makushin Volcano.

"The initial upfront investment is pretty high," Stelling said. "But once you get the equipment in place, and you establish that geothermal field, it works really well. And it's really cheap."

MORE: Why green hydrogen is the renewable energy source to watch

The introduction of geothermal energy into a community has the ability to decrease energy costs for residents and businesses, especially in Alaska, which is so dependent on importing oil for heat and electricity, Stelling said. The wind in the Aleutian Islands is so heavy that it "just blows the turbines apart," making wind production impossible, he added.

Geothermal energy currently generates about 3.7 gigawatts of electricity in the United States, according to the Department of Energy. A new analysis showed that geothermal energy could provide 90 gigawatts of "firm, flexible power" to the U.S. grid by 2050.

PHOTO: The Makushin volcano is seen in on Unalaska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. (Getty Images)

Many who live near geothermal energy plants may not know that their cities are powered by the heat of the earth, Kolker said. For example, San Francisco at one point obtained a third of its power from the Geysers, which is the world's largest geothermal complex. The Geysers, located in the Mayacamas Mountains 72 miles north of the city, contain 18 geothermal power plants that draw steam from more than 350 wells.

The U.S. Department of Energy is currently researching the extent of geographical constraints that geothermal energy presents, Kolker said.

"There are efforts to try to expand the geographic possibilities for geothermal using more unconventional approaches," she said.

The Department of Energy announced funding of up to $74 million on Wednesday for up to seven pilot projects that will test the efficacy and scalability of enhanced geothermal systems.

"Advances in enhanced geothermal systems will help introduce geothermal energy in regions where, until recently, the use of this renewable power source was thought to be impossible," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in a statement. "These pilot demonstrations will help us realize the enormous potential of the heat beneath our feet to deliver clean, renewable energy to millions of Americans."

This is how heat from a volcano can be used to power an entire town originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Alabama Dog Lover Helping Canines in Ukraine

(Picture Credit: Olena Ruban / Getty Images)

Its been almost one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. While its been a very difficult time for the people and animals of the European country, there have been a number of heartwarming stories coming out concerning dogs there. From the therapy Pit Bull working with traumatized children to the elderly Ukrainian woman reuniting with her dog a month after her village was attacked, there have been some positives.

Fundraising and Adopting Pups

And now, we can add Ashley Swartzenteruber to that list. From the city of Montgomery in Alabama, Ashley has spent her life training service dogs and showing dogs. Through the dog showing industry, she got into contact with a breeder in Ukraine who needed help, WSFA reports.

Maria Kravtsova needed to stay in the city of Odessa with her family, who are fighting for their country. She couldnt leave her dogs. However, Ashley and her contacts in the dog showing industry are raising money to send to Maria to help care for her canines.

Not only that, but Ashley has actually adopted two of Marias French Bulldogs, Egor and Lottie. I think that they went through some stress before they came to me because its very loud with downing missiles and drones and things theyve experienced, she said. Some of Marias older dogs showed signs of stress, with three sadly dying.

Helping Dogs in Ukraine

If youd be interested in adopting a dog from Maria, you can email kravtsovsa1968@gmail.com. Or, to donate, you can do so via PayPal to aheartfordogs2@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, there are other ways to help dogs in Ukraine. The Kyiv Animal Rescue Group is looking for donations, as is the Viva! Rescue Center. Transform a Street Dog has been working on the ground in the country since 2018 too, rescuing homeless animals and supporting independent rescuers.

The post Alabama Dog Lover Helping Canines in Ukraine appeared first on DogTime.
"My store is the oldest cheese shop in America and the heartbeat of Little Italy. We're a New York institution."

In the depths of New York City's Little Italy lives the oldest cheese shop in America, Alleva Dairy. Home to freshly sliced melt-in-your-mouth meats, creamy hazelnut cannolis, espresso sodas, and mozzarella made fresh daily, along with over 30 distinctive cheeses.

Like many now-closed restaurants, the beloved cheese shop could not survive the wrath of COVID-19. For that reason, the red and green-hued neon lights plastered outside of the Italian cheesery will shut off for good as the business closes its Grand St. doors on Mar. 1.

Karen King, the owner of Alleva Dairy, tells the New York Post, "My store is the oldest cheese shop in America and the heartbeat of Little Italy. We're a New York institution."

Robert K. Chin - Storefronts / Alamy Stock Photo

:Senate Fails to Pass Additional COVID Relief Funds for Restaurants

The pandemic placed many restaurants in NYC on shaky ground, as businesses had to navigate a dwindling workforce and rent payments while trying to stay solvent and healthy. Under those circumstances, the food service sector lost 64% of its workforce, as stated in a grim report by the Office of the State Deputy Comptroller for the City of New York.

Since 1892, the cheese shop has survived countless NYC disasters, counting 9/11, SARs, and Hurricane Superstorm Sandy among them, yet COVID-19's impact on the family-owned and operated businesses, imparted lasting consequences, including about $628,000 in back rent, according to the New York Post.

About a 13-minute walk down the street from Alleva Dairy, another beloved eatery, Ming's Caffe, permanently shut its doors on Feb. 3. The Hong Kong-style cafe and shop known for their Congee and roasted turkey closed because they could no longer afford their rent, according to comments on Yelp.

"Chinatown lost 57% of food services jobs (compared to 45% citywide)," a study examining small business challenges in Manhattan's Chinatown shows. Many business owners trying to rise above COVID-19 relied heavily on government support. "I've written letters extensively to Senators and government officials. We met with the Governor's office and got lip service," King expressed to the New York Post.

One COVID-19 relief program, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, promised business owners support. However, the pot was quickly depleted as the demand exceeded the allocated grants. Many restaurant owners notified of grant awards were even met with cancellation notices due to lawsuits against the program. While King, like many passionate business owners, tried to advocate for her shop, unfortunately, she faced brick walls and no options.

Though the business is mourning its current shop, it still aspires to continue its legacy, even in a new location. As King says, "We are committed to remaining here in Little Italy, hopefully for another 130 years."


This article originally appeared on Outside

The Leaning Tower is a perfect piece of granite, rising from the Yosemite Valley floor like the point of a crown and forming the spillway of Bridalveil Fall. Climbers know it as one of America's most continuously overhanging cliffs, and the way it leans gives an impression that is both gentle and imposing.

For Mason Earle, the tower has deeper significance. This is where he was climbing on the day when, as he puts it, he died.

On May 11, 2018, around 5 P.M., the golden hour of a Yosemite spring evening, Earle and his climbing partner Nik Berry were finishing a productive session together. Earle had sent the crux pitch on a route they'd chosen, called Wet Lycra Nightmare. He was exhausted, but it was the settled-in kind of fatigue that comes from working hard.

They rappelled off the cliff and were starting the walk back to their vehicles when Earle suddenly felt an excruciating pain in his neck, along with the overwhelming sensation that his whole system was crashing. "By the time I reached my van, the only thing I could think was, Something isn't right," he recalls. "I remember thinking, This isn't something that's going to go away."

Earle, 29 at the time, was considered one of the best crack climbers in the sport. Sponsored by Eddie Bauer, he'd put up bold first ascents in places like Venezuela and Canada's Northwest Territories, and he'd completed one of the hardest crack climbs in the world, a 5.14 overhanging finger route called Cobra Crack in Squamish, British Columbia. He'd also appeared with Berry and Alex Honnold in Sender Films' 2016 production Showdown at Horseshoe Hell, a quasi-documentary in which Earle and Berry comically portray a pair of scrappy underdogs.

Earle treated climbing like a job, but he also found time for other interests. He played guitar, banjo, and lute. He built things, including a decorative steel fire pit and other functional art. Before his mysterious episode in Yosemite, he was planning to get married to his great love, Ally Coconis. They'd met at the national park in their early twenties. She was working for its wildlife-management program--

a summer job linked to the career she was considering in wildlife science--while he was living out of his Volvo and climbing. "It was a romantic and carefree beginning," she says. "We were very young and living our best lives."

Story continues

In September 2017, they bought a house together in Salt Lake City, where she worked at the Natural History Museum of Utah while he made regular trips to Moab. Earle was nearly always doing something, even on rest days. He'd work on their house or on art projects. He loved riding bikes and kept a fleet of strange rigs he'd built or modified--including his pride and joy, a bike with a lightweight, propane-powered engine on the back that shot flames. They had good friends and were part of a tight-knit community. There was a lot of lightness in their existence.

But there was something hanging over 2018. Earle had been getting sick a lot that spring. Little colds here and there, then a case of the mumps. He didn't know it at the time, but that day on the Leaning Tower would be his last as a climber.

For exclusive access to all of our fitness, gear, adventure, and travel stories, plus discounts on trips, events, and gear, sign up for Outside+ today.
A bald eagle sits on a nest in Oklahoma. Due to recovery efforts by the Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville 30 years ago, a bald eagle is no longer a rare sight in Oklahoma.

Recently, I came across a "Discover Oklahoma" story we did about eight years ago. It was about the number of eagles being seen there almost on a daily basis around Lake Wister State Park. It brought back memories of shooting that story and how exciting it was as we ended up seeing a magnificent male eagle in a tree at first, but then to see him soaring throughout the sky over the park filled us with a sense of awe and wonder.

More:Bald eagles are no longer a rare sight in Oklahoma thanks to this research center

Both bald and golden eagles flock to Oklahoma's open and ice-free lakes and rivers every winter. Eagles can be seen in practically every section of Oklahoma during the winter, and the state typically receives between 800 and 1,000 of them. In January and February, you can join a guided eagle watch, but you also can go on your own time and find plenty of places where eagles are soaring. And so I did want to let you know about a couple of upcoming February guided tours.

To witness Southern bald eagles in their native environment, plan a trip to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge on Feb. 18.

After guests have seen the eagles via the refuge's webcam, the tour group will head off to explore. Be sure and bring those binoculars!

Stops will be made at two eagle nesting sites and other interesting locations where eagles are frequently spotted. Two spotting scopes are available for anyone who may want to get a better look at these magnificent birds.

More:'It almost looked liked Yellowstone': People flock to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge to see a white eagle

Later that day you can head over to the Driftwood Nature Center at Tenkiller State Park in Vian to see even more eagles and numerous loons, such as the common loon, red-throated loon, pacific loon and yellow-billed loon.

Visitors take part in an eagle watch at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.

Each Saturday until March 4, you can enjoy eagle watches taking place at Beavers Bend State Park.

As with any eagle watch, always check the weather for how to dress, but you should always bring comfortable shoes and binoculars.

Story continues

For the eagle watch at Beavers Bend, tour participants gather in the amphitheater before setting off to explore one of Oklahoma's most prestigious state parks and perhaps spot some soaring eagles while warming themselves by the crisp autumn air.

A bald eagle comes in for a landing at River Park, along the Arkansas River in Sand Springs.

On its website, www.wildlifedepartment.com, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation provides information, directions and pointers for independent visits to prime eagle-watching locations. The website highlights such areas as Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, along with Fort Gibson, Grand Lake, Texoma and Tenkiller lakes, as well as the lakes along with Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

Keystone State Park and Lake Thunderbird State Park are two of the Oklahoma state parks where you can plan your own eagle watching adventure. At Thunderbird, you can go to the park office or the Discovery Cove Nature Center and pick up self-guided packets regarding eagle watching.

Also, go to Travelok.com see other places for eagle watching and eagle viewing tips. It is there you can find more information about the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Arcadia Lake, Quartz Mountain State Park and Black Mesa State Park & Nature Preserve.

A bald eagle is seen in a nest at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge.

Dino Lalli is the co-host and one of the feature reporters for the weekly television travel show "Discover Oklahoma."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Where to go on eagle watches in Oklahoma in February
TALLAHASSEE  A Senate panel raced ahead with legislation that could help Gov. Ron DeSantis stave off courtroom challenges to divisive, high-profile moves he made last year, cracking down on voters who erroneously cast illegal ballots and also sending dozens of undocumented migrants from Texas to blue state Massachusetts.

In party-line votes, the Republican-dominated Fiscal Policy Committee advanced changes Tuesday that could shield DeSantis in lingering legal battles that threaten to cloud his expected candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination, which could be announced soon.

One measure fully pays at least $1.5 million in costs Florida incurred last fall when DeSantis ordered state contractors to pluck 50 asylum-seeking Venezuelans from Texas and send them to Marthas Vineyard off Massachusetts.

Arrests, with governor's fanfare:DeSantis announces 20 felons charged with voter fraud across Florida

Migrants misled before trip:Migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard speak out; DeSantis vows to keep relocating migrants

Black voters a target:Voter intimidation? Black voters over-represented among those arrested so far for election crimes

The governors actions followed similar relocations to New York City and Washington, D.C., by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a fellow Republican, whose border state has been inundated with migrants.

DeSantis found migrants in Texas

DeSantis, though, went to Texas to find the Venezuelans he flew to the island. And the legislation (SB 6B) approved Tuesday creates a new $10 million relocation program that would authorize what Democratic opponents derided as the governors hunting of undocumented migrants anywhere in the U.S.

DeSantis is facing several lawsuits over his use of last years $12 million relocation program, which was intended to be used solely for transporting migrants out of Florida.

What were doing right now is carrying the water for the governor knowing that what he did was wrong, said Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park. And you all are holding your nose to vote for this, and saying that its right.

Story continues

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature is in special session to approve measures that could help Gov. Ron DeSantis stave-off court challenges to some of his high-profile moves of the past year.

This is wrong, he added. Its not becoming of us as a state, it is not becoming of us as human beings. And it's definitely not becoming of our resources and how were about to spend taxpayers dollars.

Stand up to Biden, Republican senator says

But the sponsor of the measure, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, praised empowering the state to stand up to President Joe Biden and the federal government for a failed immigration system.

The state of Florida is currently in a state of emergency because of the ineptness and the incompetence of the federal government when it comes to immigration policy, Ingoglia said. In fact, I would say someone should declare the federal government, itself, its own disaster area.

Ingoglia defended the bill as allowing for companies contracted by Florida to relocate migrants from anywhere in the U.S. to states like New York, California and Massachusetts, which he said have more welcoming sanctuary policies.

He also said that using Florida taxpayer money to accomplish these moves was worthwhile.

Floridians are (already) asked to foot the bill and pay the consequences, for the nations immigration woes, Ingoglia said.

House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, called the Legislature into special session over the next two weeks to tackle several issues.

Included are revamps of the migrant relocation program and elections security law, which has been troubled in court, and a measure that also overhauls a bill approved last year that is designed to punish Walt Disney Co., for its opposition to DeSantis parental rights law, which critics labeled Dont Say Gay.

Disney punishment still to come

The Disney legislation, which renames the five-member Reedy Creek Improvement District that oversees theme parks Central Florida property and allows DeSantis to appoint its members, is set for its first hearing Wednesday in the House State Affairs Committee.

The Senate panel Tuesday also approved a reworked version of legislation from last year that led to the arrest of 20 people charged with voter fraud for illegally voting in the 2020 election. Most were Black, from Democratic-leaning counties and had felony convictions, but also had been assured by elections officials that they were eligible to vote.

DeSantis announced the arrests with fanfare shortly before last Augusts statewide primaries.

Since then, the first three cases in court have been dismissed on jurisdictional grounds by judges who questioned the authority of the Office of Statewide Prosecution in bringing the charges.

The new legislation (SB 4B) is intended to expand the offices role and authorize such arrests, although its uncertain how the change will affect the status of those already charged.

Floridas Amendment 4, approved by almost 65% of voters in 2018, was intended to make it easier for felons to regain voter rights. But there is no statewide database for anyone to determine easily whether a felon has paid all their fees, fines, costs and restitution ordered by a court.

Those arrested last summer had been issued voter cards by elections officials. But that was downplayed by supporters Tuesday.

If you do break the law, you will be held accountable for the law, said Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, sponsor of the measure.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Networks Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Senate committee approves election, migrant bills for DeSantis
South Africa: N West prioritises communities with critical water shortages

The North West Provincial Steering Committee - led by Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu - has instructed the committees Technical Task Team to start prioritising critical projects that will ensure the immediate restoration of water in areas with existing infrastructure in the province.

The directive came after the steering committee received an assessment report on the state of water and sanitation service provision in the North West.

The assessment report was tabled on Tuesday during a committee meeting attended by the co-chairperson, North West Premier Bushy Maape, Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo, executive mayors from district and local municipalities, the Magalies Water Board, traditional leaders, and community leaders from various municipalities in the province.

Mchunu said the report has painted a clear picture that the province has enough sources of water, both surface and groundwater, to support domestic and other users. However, huge infrastructural challenges in various parts of the province impede the resource to be transferred the users.

Most of the challenges identified stem from lack of capacity, skills and budget to carry out operations and maintenance, illegal connections, incomplete projects and infrastructure vandalism in the Water Service Authorities (WSAs) and municipalities reticulation systems, Mchunu said.

Mchunu said the task team will now start the process of prioritising projects for immediate intervention and get commitments from all role players to enable the work to go ahead, as we need to pump water to the people and put this water crisis in the North West behind us.

There is extensive work lying ahead, and this collaborative process, will enable our plans to take off with speed to restore water and sanitation services in the province. The task team should be able to provide us with this roadmap by next Monday, Mchunu said.

A roadmap emanating from the assessment report will now be developed outlining immediate and long-term plans, with clear sources of funds to finance the projects, timelines and roles that all stakeholders will play to ensure the work on the plan is fully executed.

The roadmap will focus on prioritising the refurbishment of the current existing infrastructure, including the resuscitation of non-functioning boreholes and temporary supply through water tankering for immediate supply in communities where the situation is dire.

The long-term plans will involve the development of bulk water services infrastructure, water treatment works, reservoirs, waste water treatment works, pump stations, reticulation, as well as operations and maintenance of the whole water value chain systems in the province, Mchunu explained.

The Minister has instructed the task team to consider involving the business sector and traditional leaders in the process, noting that they play an essential role in infrastructure development, protection and management.,

The business sector, including agriculture and mining, as well as traditional leaders needs to form part of these engagements to ensure that they are involved in resolving the challenges of this province. This is with the view of exploring public-private partnerships to fast-track the interventions required to alleviate these challenges, the Minister said.

Maape commended the task team for the swift and comprehensive report, saying that after this process, there must be a prompt response from all spheres of government to address the needs of the community.

We are very happy with the progress and the work that the task team has done in this short space of time. Now we need to make our plans feasible if we want to ensure sustainability, and as a province, we will also look at what structures we have that can be activated in order to fast-track these interventions and provide water to our people, Maape said.

A Provincial Political Steering Committee was established by Mchunu last month to address water and sanitation challenges experienced in the province.

The Minister also set up a technical task team that includes technical experts from Water and Sanitation, Magalies Water Board, as well as the provincial, district and local government.

Water and Sanitation Services Deputy-Director General, Risimati Mathye, has been assigned to lead the process of assessing, planning and implementing water and sanitation interventions to alleviate challenges in the whole province.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
On Monday, March 8, 1971, members of The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI broke into the government offices in Media, Pennsylvania with the intent of destroying draft cards. What they stumbled on would expose the secret and illegal war waged by the FBI against political movements dating back to the late 1940s. Reams of documents stamped with the name COINTEPRO (CounterINTElligencePRogram) revealed the infiltration, set-up, gaslighting, snitch-jacketing, and elimination of political activists, union organizers, teachers, and other members of society.

The documentary film 1971 tells the story of these brave activists and the Church Committee hearings held in 1976 that supposedly put an end to these extra and illegal actions organized by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI.

In 2019, at the height of white nationalist and Nazi organizing in public and in clandestine cells, it was revealed that the FBI had created a new category for surveillance and infiltration: the "Black Identity Extremist" designation. This category would be the pretext for the infiltration and attempts to destroy political movements yet again.

A new podcast from Western Sound and iHeartPodcasts updates the ongoing illegal activities of government agencies and agents. The podcast "Alphabet Boys reveals the secret investigations of the FBI, CIA, DEA, ATF, and other alphabet agencies. Hosted by journalist Trevor Aaronson, this podcast exposes secret undercover recordings that the government never wanted you to hear, along with the entrapment schemes federal agents set up to target unsuspecting Americans. We explore cases that are both dangerous and absurd while asking this question: Are America's top cops catching criminals  or creating them?

Told as a single narrative over 10 episodes, season one of "Alphabet Boys" features access to never-before-heard FBI undercover recordings and interviews with activists who were the targets of the federal probe. The show also reveals for the first time the identity and sordid history of the controversial informant the FBI paid to spy on racial justice activists."

Check out this interview on Democracy Now! with podcast host Trevor Aaronson.
Judy Blumes fictional New Jersey suburb was brought to life in North Carolina.

Dana Hawley/Lionsgate

North Carolinians should pay extra close attention when watching Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret this spring. In case you werent excited enough already, the star-studded film adaptation of Judy Blumes classic book was primarily filmed in the Tar Heel State.

The movie about a sixth grader who prays for help as she navigates puberty stars Rachel McAdams as Barbara, the well-meaning mom to title character Margaret, and Kathy Bates as Margarets cherished grandmother, Sylvia. More than 50 years after it was published, Blumes seminal book is considered required reading for young girls to this day.

Although the novel was primarily set in suburban New Jersey, much of the movie was actually filmed in and around Charlotteparticularly in downtown Monroe and Concordduring the spring and summer of 2021. The mid-century modern homes in leafy Foxcroft reportedly had just the right look to bring the Simon familys 1960s neighborhood to life, while The McCelvey Center just over the state line in York, South Carolina, served as Margarets school.

"This is awesome for our city," Pete Hovanec, Monroe Tourism Director, told WCNC Charlotte back in 2021. "Organized chaos. Everybody knows what they're supposed to be doing. This is one day, so everything you see here filming around us, they're just filming one day."

We cant wait to see one of our favorite cities transformed for the big screen when Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret debuts in theaters on April 28, 2023.



For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living.
This article originally appeared on Trail Runner

After hearing glamorous stories about New Zealand since he was a little boy, Hayden Hawks has finally been able to live out the dream of running in Middle Earth.

Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who once lived in New Zealand, Hawks, an American trail runner from Utah, has spent the past several months living in Aotearoa--the Maori name for New Zealand--in preparation for his debut at the Tarawera Ultramarathon 102K on February 11.

The international training sojourn is both the start of a big year for Hawks--who is planning to race the Western States 100 again in 2023--and also the conclusion of a strong 2022. Hawks and his family arrived in New Zealand after a course-record win in the 100K race (7:48:55) at the Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB in Australia in early December.

The Tarawera Ultramarathon, the first event of the 2023 UTMB World Series, also includes 100-mile, 50K, and 21K races, all of which are infused with Maori culture and send runners through geothermal terrain features and the lush Whakarewarewa Forest before finishing in the North Island lakeside town of Rotorua. The 102K race, which has 7,700 feet of elevation gain, is the fifth of seven Hoka Golden Ticket Races that serve up automatic qualifying entries to the Western States 100.

RELATED: Courtney Dauwalter Sets Course Record And Jeff Colt Claims Victory at Bandera 100K

(Photo: Graeme Murray)

More than 5,000 runners are competing in the events, which are returning after a two-year hiatus after a COVID-19 outbreak forced the cancelation last year.

"As a child I would hear his [grandfathers] stories and always wanted to get here," Hawks said. "My interests were piqued even more with Tarawera and the friendships I have developed over the years with Kiwi legends Scotty Hawker, Ruth Croft, and Dan Jones. We are so happy we made the decision to spend a couple months down here and explore both the South and North Island. It's been a wonderful experience and I hope to cap it off with a great race."

Story continues

There's a deep field of women in the 102K race, including Amanda Basham (U.S.), Claire Heslop (U.S.), Cat Bradley (U.S.), Konoka Azumi (Japan), Naomi Brand (South Africa), Aroa Sio (Spain), Stephanie Auston (Australia), Fuzhao Xiang (China), and Nancy Jiang (New Zealand).

Other top entries on the men's side include Ryan Montgomery (U.S.), Paul Giblin (UK), Luke Taylor (Australia), Brendan Lombard (South Africa), Vlad Shatrov (Australia), Michael Voss (New Zealand), Sam McCutcheon (New Zealand), and Dan Jones (New Zealand).

Hawks is hoping to join a long list of Americans who have run to victory in Rotorua, including Sage Canaday (2013 in the 100K; 2014 in the 69K), Dylan Bowman (2015, 100K; 2018, 102K), Jim Walmsley (2017, 102K), Sally McRae (2018, 100-miler), Kelly Wolf (2018, 102K), Jeff Browning (2019, 100-miler), Camille Herron (2017, 102K; 2019, 100-miler), and Courtney Dauwalter (2019, 100K).

The 31-year-old Hoka athlete is coming off a year in which he was the runner-up at last summer's Western States 100. He also won the Bryce Canyon 60K race in May, but DNF'ed at the Transgrancanaria 128K in March and the CCC 100K in August.

"I have wanted to run this race since I started my ultra-running career in 2016," Hawks said. "I love competitive racing and this race is one of the most prestigious and competitive races consistently every year. It is a fast course, fast competition, and fits my style of racing. It's always fun to push your body to the limits, see what you can do, and suffer a little in a barn burner."

RELATED: Just Weeks After a Lupus Diagnosis, Devon Yanko Wins the Javelina Jundred

(Photo: Graeme Murray)

While preparing for the race in New Zealand, Hawks has been training with Dan Jones, who recorded multiple trail and road race wins in 2022, including the Auckland Marathon (2:21:52), Queenstown Marathon (2:26:30), and Kepler Challenge Mountain Run 60K (4:43:14) on the tip of New Zealand's South Island.

They struck up a friendship last year when Hawks invited Jones to train with him at his home in Cedar City, Utah. They shared two solid weeks of training together in the Utah mountains, as well as on trails in and around Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. While racing in the U.S. last summer, Jones finished 10th at the Canyons 100K (9:55:08) and won the Lake Sonoma 100K a month later (8:59:58). He also placed sixth at the European Running Festival in Poland.

At the end of last year, Jones made a reciprocal gesture and invited Hawks down to New Zealand. The 32-year-old Jones grew up in Whakatane, a coastal town on the North Island about 90 minutes from Rotorua.

"We quickly built a lasting friendship built around our love for running, hunting, fishing, and everything outdoors," Hawks said. "We have now been training for the last three to four weeks and have had a great training block. We have learned a lot from each other through training and have pushed off of each other's energy and motivation."

The 32-year-old Jones is also running Tarawera for the first time, but with the added incentive of finishing among the first two men to earn a Golden Ticket. The top two women's finishers will also earn Golden Ticket entries to Western States.

RELATED: Western States Endurance Run Announces This Year's Golden Ticket Races

"In the end were all here to race our hardest. It may be Hayden, or the other Kiwis, Aussies, Americans or international athletes that are pushing for the win," Jones said. "The 102K is a long way so there will likely be a bit of testing of form as we go along, but everything will be laid down, thats for sure. If its a sprint for the line, then that will be what it will be. There will be no holding hands."

Hawks said he's definitely aiming to win, but he'd love to see Jones finish second and earn a Golden Ticket so they can continue training in the U.S. in the spring.

"He's a good dude and can't wait to see him execute a great race at Tarawera," Hawks said. This is what I love so much about this sport, so much of it is about the relationships you build, the friendships you make, and sharing these experiences with others. This is ultra trail running."

For exclusive access to all of our fitness, gear, adventure, and travel stories, plus discounts on trips, events, and gear, sign up for Outside+ today.
An Ohio man accused of stealing nearly $6,000 from two North East financial institutions over nine days last spring has requested a jury trial after pleading not guilty on Tuesday to two counts of bank robbery in the federal investigation.

Deandre C. Thorington made his initial appearance by videoconference in U.S. District Court in Erie on Tuesday morning to face the bank robbery counts that a federal grand jury indicted him on in December. The indictment was unsealed Feb. 1.

Thorington, through his lawyer, pleaded not guilty to the charges before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Lanzillo and requested a jury trial that lawyers in the case said is expected to take three days. He also waived a detention hearing, as he remains in custody in another matter.

Each of the charges Thorington faces carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Anglin said during Tuesday's proceedings.

Thorington is accused in the indictment of stealing $2,249 from the Widget Financial Federal Credit Union, 5 Grant St. in North East, on April 28, and robbing the KeyBank branch at 27 East Main St. in the borough of $3,692 on May 6.

No one was injured and no weapons were reportedly shown during the two robberies.

More:Search ongoing for suspect who robbed Widget Financial branch in North East Thursday

In each case, the robbery suspect used a note to rob the branch before fleeing with stolen money, according to information released by the North East Police Department.

An Ohio man indicted on charges of robbing two financial institutions in North East in 2022 pleaded not guilty to the charges and requested a jury trial during an appearance via video in U.S. District Court in Erie on Feb. 7, 2023.

Authorities charge that the two North East heists were part of a larger bank robbery spree that Thorington is accused of committing in 2022, according to information in a criminal complaint that an FBI agent filed in U.S. District Court in eastern Michigan in early June.

In the complaint, the agent wrote that probable cause existed that Thorington, with the help of a "getaway driver," committed 15 bank robberies in five states between Feb. 11 and June 6. Those robberies occurred in Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Story continues

The robbery spree ended when authorities in Ohio took Thorington and another man into custody following the robbery of a Premier Bank branch in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and a police pursuit on June 6.

Surveillance camera images of the suspect who robbed the two North East banks would play a role in identifying Thorington as a suspect in the bank robbery spree, according to investigators.

According to information in the FBI's complaint, a former corrections officer at the Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Conneaut, Ohio, recognized Thorington, a former inmate at the facility, as the person in the released surveillance video images.

Investigators wrote that Thorington was also identified as a suspect through a tattoo on his neck and through cell phone information.

A grand jury in eastern Michigan indicted Thorington in late June on charges in some of the robberies in the crime spree.

Investigation ongoing in latest North East robbery

North East police continue to investigate a more recent bank robbery in the borough, which happened at the KeyBank branch on East Main Street on Jan. 23.

Investigators said a male suspect passed a note demanding money and fled the branch with an undisclosed sum of cash.

The suspect was described as wearing a dark blue hooded zip-up jacket, dark blue or black pants, black and white shoes, red gloves and a face mask, North East police reported.

More:North East police, FBI continue search for suspect who used note to rob Key Bank branch

No one had been charged in the robbery as of Tuesday.

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Ohio man pleads not guilty to charges in North East, PA bank robberies
An Oregon woman is facing charges for allegedly helping a kidnapping suspect evade police and destroy evidence of his alleged crimes.

Tina Marie Jones, 68, pleaded not guilty to the crimes of hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence at a Josephine County Circuit Court hearing Friday, according to Oregon television station KTVL.

According to court documents reviewed by the outlet and press releases from the Grants Pass Police Department, Jones helped Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, dispose of the vehicle he allegedly used to kidnap a woman on Jan. 24.

RELATED: University Of Idaho Students Report Seeing A 'Staring' Bryan Kohberger On Campus Before Murders

"Jones followed Foster via vehicle to a remote location in Wolf Creek, Oregon, where Foster intentionally drove his vehicle off an embankment. Jones then immediately provided Foster with a ride via vehicle back" to an address where she "had allowed Foster to stay while he was actively evading arrest," Jones' arrest affidavit stated, according to the station.

Then, she allegedly "took substantial steps to aid Foster with evading law enforcement apprehension and took substantial steps to suppress or destroy physical evidence that would have aided Law Enforcement in the apprehension of Foster."

Foster died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a Grants Pass hospital on Jan. 31 after an hours-long standoff with police, according to an earlier report from KTVL. He reportedly hid in a crawl space under a house while a SWAT team tried to negotiate with him unsuccessfully.

Police were called to the scene after he was spotted walking a small dog in the area. Police had sought the public's help in locating Foster a week before, distributing photos of Foster and characterizing the fugitive as "extremely dangerous" and a "serial predator."

Oxygen.com could not reach the Grants Pass Police Department to confirm whether Foster was found at Jones' home or to determine the relationship between the two parties.

Story continues

Tristyn Bailey Aiden Fucci Pd

Jones is currently being held at Josephine County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, according to FOX 26 Medford. Her attorney argued for her pretrial release on Friday due to an alleged cancer diagnosis.

She has a myriad of different medications that are necessary for her health that she is unable to receive in the Josephine County Jail, Jones lawyer Brodia Minter said, If her blood clots in her body because she is not able to get her cancer medication, it is going to be bad for everybody.

Oxygen.com confirmed with the court that Jones' next hearing regarding a potential pretrial release will take place on Tuesday.

A warrant was issued for Foster's arrest after authorities found his alleged female victim on Jan. 24. The woman, who was in critical condition last Wednesday, told police she knew Foster before the attack. She was bound and severely beaten when she was discovered by police, and had been tortured for a "protracted amount of time" before her rescue, Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman said at a press conference.

Prosecutors said Foster intended to kill the woman, and charged him attempted murder, kidnapping, and assault.

Before he was apprehended by police, prosecutors said, Foster killed two additional men via blunt force trauma. Their corpses were discovered by Oregon State sheriff's deputies on Jan. 31, according to reporting by CNN. A motive in those killings is unclear.

Oxy App

Foster narrowly evaded capture on Jan. 28 after he "likely received assistance fleeing the area" of his parents' property in Wolf Creek, according to an earlier Grants Pass Police Department press release. Foster's 2008 Nissan Sentra was seized along with other pieces of evidence. It's unclear whether this was the vehicle that was driven off the embankment.

At least two other woman who had previous relationships with Foster reported him for abuse, according to Clark County, Nevada court records from cases in Las Vegas reviewed by CNN.

In 2019, Foster was charged in Las Vegas for felony battery constituting domestic violence after he was arrested for allegedly holding his ex-girlfriend hostage. He allegedly shaved the womans head and forced her to eat a sandwich filled with lye. The victim suffered seven broken ribs, two black eyes and other injuries from having been bound with duct tape and zip ties. He ultimately entered a plea deal and served 200 days in prison.

Additionally, he'd previously served time for felony battery constituting domestic violence in 2017, according to NBC News.

Despite the past convictions, Foster was able to use online dating apps, raising concerns about whether app users are vetted prior to their joining. Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel and Match Group, the parent company of Match, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish, told NBC News that it does not believe Foster was using their apps based on the information provided to the public.
Tenants of Pioneer Investments, which owns properties around Rhode Island, say they are being pushed out of their apartments after weathering poor conditions caused by neglect.

On Monday, tenants plan to rally in West Warwick alongside Reclaim RI, a progressive group that has helped to organize renters in their fight for better conditions from their landlord, Anurag Sureka. That has included writing letters to Sureka and showing up outside his home in protest.

The latest demonstration was to be held outside the home of Melissa Grussi, a Pioneer tenant of several years, whose home is rife with maintenance problems. During a visit on Friday, a Providence Journal reporter saw a pool of water more than 12 feet wide in the basement caused by a leak from the kitchen sink, what appeared to be vermin droppings, a strong sewage stench from a bathroom, uneven flooring, a hole in a wooden porch and crumbling sections of foundation.

Melissa Grussi with sons Sergio, left, and Luciano and daughter Rosealiea at their home in West Warwick, a Pioneer property that has numerous maintenance problems.

More:Tenants band together against RI landlord as they face deplorable conditions

A history of complaints against Pioneer properties

In the past, the attorney general's office has declined to say whether it is investigating Pioneer.

Grussi is among many tenants who have tried to raise awareness of living conditions at Pioneer's apartments, though it may cost her her home. In a recording of a late-January phone call with a man she identified as Sureka, Grussi was told, "If you're unhappy, then try to find somewhere else."

During the call, the man also asked Grussi if 30 days would be long enough for her to find a new place. He later mentioned Reclaim RI, apparently referring to its role in organizing tenants.

Melissa Grussi looks at the puddle on her basement floor caused by a leak in the kitchen sink.

More:A Central Falls couple's twins were struggling. Then a blood test showed high lead levels

For Pioneer, maintenance issues aren't new. The Journal has previously covered its properties, which are poorly maintained and have often lacked proper lead certificates. Most recently, The Journal published an investigation into the lead poisoning of two children at a Pioneer property in Central Falls  both of whom may suffer developmental difficulties as a result, though it remains too early to tell.

Story continues

Grussi, a single mother of three who manages a Dunkin' location, said she is having trouble finding new housing because of an eviction Sureka filed against her for a brief period of nonpayment of rent while she was in the hospital last year. Grussi said Sureka was informed that the payment would be coming, and she applied for COVID relief funds for use on rent.

Now, finding a new unit won't be easy. Grussi said she already has an older eviction on her record because of a dispute with family; both will remain visible as she applies for new apartments, raising a major obstacle.

Grussi said that as of Friday, she had not received a termination of tenancy notice on paper, but she expected to be pushed out.

Sabastian Colton, another West Warwick tenant who was attempting to organize other renters, said he received a termination of tenancy notice requiring him to leave by the end of the month. Colton said he has lived in his McNiff Street unit for more than a year and has dealt with a leaky ceiling that has gone unaddressed.

Melissa Grussi's son Luciano shows the light fixture in his bedroom ceiling that has gone unrepaired for several months.

More:Radon is a big risk in Rhode Island, but renters are left to face the danger on their own

Pioneer's attorney responds

By Monday evening, Samuel Grossack, Pioneer's attorney, replied to a list of questions sent by the Journal between Friday and Saturday. Many of the replies conflicted with tenants' narratives.

According to Grossack, Grussi "has made it very difficult for [Pioneer] to conduct maintenance in her unit," though an exterminator has visited the property and "Pioneer would gladly update and repair her unit if she made it accessible." Grossack said Pioneer has offered her another apartment on Providence Street, but she did not take it. Grussi told The Journal she made that decision because she felt the street was too busy to be safe for her youngest child.

Grossack said that during Grussi's period of nonpayment, she was already four months behind and Pioneer wanted all four months before moving forward. Grussi provided The Journal with an email from RIHousing showing that in August 2021, the year after she applied for rent relief, she finally was approved for past-due rent and some future rent.

Grossack said Grussi's "potential association with ReclaimRI has nothing to do with Pioneer's discussion of her move out" and that Sureka never told Grussi to stay quiet. However, in the call Grussi shared, she was told, "I don't want to be in a situation where there is so much noise, and you know exactly what noise I'm talking about. You've been part of that noise."

Regarding Colton's unit, Grossack said the ceiling was fixed but that water may still drip down if the above tenant overfills their bathtub.

The Journal also left a voicemail for a woman whom a tenant identified as the property manager but did not hear back.

Tenant organizer: Landlord retaliation is illegal yet common

"RI has a law on the books that prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants for complaining or joining a tenants union," Shana Crandell, Reclaim RI's lead tenant organizer, said in a statement. "We encounter isolated cases of retaliation all the time  the unspoken rule for Pioneer tenants is to shut up or get out, and to expect rent increases but no repairs."

Garth Verrill, a father of two who lives on Pond Street, said he, too, received a notice to leave this month, apparently so that his apartment can be remodeled. Like Colton, Verrill said he's had ceiling leaks that have not been patched up. While Verrill didn't participate much in Reclaim RI's organizing efforts, he has been frustrated by Sureka's handling of the property.

More:How a Pawtucket man lost his $160,000 childhood home over a $1,182 water bill.

"Its full neglect," Verrill said. "He just doesnt care until hes forced to do something."

Reclaim RI is now trying to raise $50,000 in part to help affected tenants cover rent and security deposits for any new housing they find.

Miguel Martinez Youngs, Reclaim RI's co-political director, said the situation shows why the General Assembly should pass safeguards for tenants.

"As despicable as Pioneer Investments is, they're not the only RI landlord who treats their tenants like this," Martinez Youngs said. "This is why we need comprehensive reform to tenant rights in this state. Current protections are so outdated that tenants are forced into accepting awful living conditions while constantly facing the threat of eviction. Meanwhile, these negligent landlords make huge profits and face no consequences."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Pioneer tenants say they're being pushed out after organizing
These dogs are just incredible.

More than 11,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. The loss of life is devastating and in addition to the loss of human lives, thousands of buildings have collapsed and freezing temperatures have made it difficult for search and rescue missions.

Greece, Libya, Britain, Taiwan, Japan, Poland, Mexico and Germany, as well as many other countries, have sent teams of rescue workers, doctors, firefighters, structural engineers and rescue dogs to aid in the mission.

@Marilynbash comments, "Bless these four footed heroes. Their noses and ears are like magic. So many lives and bodies will be found. . Thank you Germany." @MrPizzaMarlon adds, "Bless these dogs and their handlers. May they find the missing children." @Richardquickii comments, "The race is truly on for survivors. All the dogs have to do is signal to their handlers where to dig, and they can move on to search the next location, while digging crews come in to excavate people out. With shock and the low temperatures the clock is ticking for hypothermia."

Here's how to help the organizations that are aiding the rescue and recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria.

Don't miss another headline from PetHelpful! Follow us on Google News by clicking the star in the top right hand corner for the latest updates curated just for you.

Do you have a pet who's funny, smart, full of personality, or just downright adorable? We'd love for you to submit a video of your fur baby for a chance to be featured on PetHelpful and our social channels! Click here to upload your clip and share your beloved pet with the world. For more interesting pet news, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

READ THE COMMENTS
A trooper with the MSP Emergency Support (ES) team talks to a parent outside Okemos High School near the football field Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, after false 911 calls of a shooting. No students or staff were injured.

LANSING  Law enforcement and emergency management officials say despite false reports claiming violence at more than a half a dozen schools across the state on Tuesday, widespread hoaxes alleging school violence are rare.

Callers reported violence at schools in Okemos, Portage, Saginaw, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit and Muskegon among others on Tuesday morning, but officials said none of the claims proved to be true.

After a caller reported an active shooter at Okemos High School just after 9 a.m., six police agencies, the FBI and ATF and emergency management personnel responded to the school, evacuated it and searched the building. They found no evidence of violence and school officials canceled classes for the remainder of the day and Wednesday.

"Fortunately, this was a false call that does not make it any less serious. This put a lot of fear and impact into students, community members and faculty," Meridian Township Police Chief Ken Plaga said. "Its a terrible thing."

The false reports, known as "swatting," usually involve making a hoax call to law enforcement to purposefully cause a heavy police or SWAT team response at a given location.

The Battle Creek Police Department received a 911 call Tuesday with false information about a shooting at Battle Creek Central High School. Police were in direct contact with the districts liaison officer, who was on-site at the building, and immediately identified the call as a hoax, district officials said in a Facebook post.

Harper Creek Community Schools also received a false report Tuesday of a student with a weapon at Harper Creek High School. Police determined there was no threat to student or staff safety.

The school district in partnership with the Emmett Township Department of Public Safety was prepared prior to the incident as other false reports were being reported in neighboring counties, Harper Creek Superintendent Rob Ridgeway said in a statement. We take any and all reports of potential threats seriously, and we are making every effort to maintain an environment where students and staff feel safe.

Story continues

It's rare to see false calls regarding multiple school districts in a given day though, Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez said.

"I don't believe we've had an incident like this within the last year of something where so many schools are being affected," he said. "Normally it'll be one school, an isolated incident."

Buses staged outside the football field at Okemos High School, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, to transport students away from the school to meet their parents.

Still, police have to take every report of violence seriously, he said.

"For any active shooter report that we get, we take the safety of the students and the faculty seriously," he said. "They're our first concern so we're going to go in and treat it as is an active shooter and go into school and clear it out."

The FBI was investigating Tuesday's rash of false shooting calls to schools. A caller with a heavy accent stated a school's name and address and claimed to be a teacher reporting that a student had shot another student in a specific classroom, state officials said.

"There is a suspicion that it's possibly connected only because it all did happen in one day and it's happening throughout the state," Gonzalez said. "It appears that they may be connected, but that hasn't been confirmed."

Some mid-Michigan school districts either took their own precautions or reassured parents they were prepared to handle potential issues Tuesday.

Just 12 miles from Okemos, school officials at Waverly Community Schools announced students and staff would "shelter in place" district-wide "Out of an abundance of precaution..." after the Okemos threat, according to a post on the district's Facebook page Tuesday.

Officials in others locations, including Charlotte Public Schools and St. Johns Public Schools, reassured parents they were aware of the false threats and prepared if they received any.

"Please know that districts across Eaton County are working with local police and our Eaton County Emergency Manager on how to respond to potential similar 'Swatting' calls if that were to happen in our district," said Charlotte schools Superintendent Mandy Stewart in an email to parents.

St. Johns Superintendent Mark Palmer expressed a similar sentiment.

"We have been in contact with local and area authorities to confirm this was a false report. Police will be checking in with buildings today as a precaution. At this point, we have no reason to believe additional actions beyond our regular security protocols need to be taken."

Eaton County Emergency Manager Ryan Wilkinson said his office coordinated with local law enforcement and area school officials on Tuesday regarding how they should respond if any threats regarding violence at school buildings come in.

School officials "consult with us regularly on their comprehensive emergency management plans, processes, procedures, training and even exercises," Wilkinson said.

The widespread hoax calls received Tuesday are rare, he said.

"I certainly hope it doesn't become a commonplace thing," Wilkinson said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a warning Tuesday about the serious repercussions to those who make false claims of school violence.

"Threats of violence in our schools disrupt the classroom, tax our local law enforcement agencies and harm our students sense of safety, Nessel said. Whether these are real threats made by those intent on doing harm or pranks made by kids trying to get a day off, they are real crimes with real consequences."

In a release, Nessel noted swatting is a 93-day misdemeanor while making a threat of terrorism can carry a 20-year prison term.

Tuesday has been "a traumatic day for students, staff, and school communities across the entire state," Tina Kerr, executive director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators, said in an emailed statement. "While we are thankful none of the active shooter reports came to fruition and were found to be hoaxes, its heart-breaking that they happened in the first place. Inciting fear and panic in our children and dedicated school staff are absolutely inexcusable acts."

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ or contributing reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Swatting calls at Okemos and other schools rare, officials say
Giant bunnies are taking over downtown Iowa City starting Feb. 1, or at least six enormous inflatables in the shape of the furry creatures are.

This installation is part of Iowa City Downtown Districts Winter Night Lights, which features programming all month designed to get people to downtown during the colder weather.

What is Winter Night Lights?

Winter Night Lights will run all February, showcasing four unique light installations and hosting silent disco parties on Friday evenings for the community to enjoy, all for free in the Pedestrian Mall.

These light installations include:

Intrude by Amanda Parer,

A 120-foot interactive light canopy,

Singing Trees, and

Doodle Trees by Ali Hval.

What are these giant rabbits in the Ped Mall?

"Intrude" by Amanda Parer will make its Iowa City debut Feb. 1 in the Pedestrian Mall. Visitors will see six large, inflatable rabbits lit from inside.

On display will be Intrude by Amanda Parer, featuring six inflatable rabbits that are lit from the inside, with one of the rabbits measuring seven meters tall.

These bunnies, some designed to sit on their hind legs and others on all four paws, will be placed around the Ped Mall, including near Reunion Brewery and the Black Hawk Mini Park.

These rabbits have traveled around the world and in cities across America, standing proud from San Francisco to Boston.

Iowa City will be the only U.S. community in 2023 to host this playful installation, according to the downtown district.

According to Parer Studio, rabbits were introduced to Australia and caused destruction and imbalance in the continents ecosystem. Parer is an Australian artist who lives in Tasmania. Rabbits are also the fairy tale animals from our childhood; a furry innocence, the artist explained.

These giant rabbits invite viewers to consider the environmental impact people have on the world, while also showing that despite the magnitude of it, it will be ignored, according to Parer Studio.

What else can I see and do as part of Winter Night Lights?

An interactive, 120-foot light canopy will adorn the alley behind the Englert Theatre (221 E. Washington St., Iowa City), which connects South Linn Street to the center of the Ped Mall. The lighting will be activated by sound and remain as a permanent fixture all year. It's part of the downtown districts ongoing efforts to provide additional lighting and improve the aesthetics of Iowa City alleyways, much like the "Sprites" light installation did in 2021. The canopy comes as a partnership between the University of Iowa, Neumann Monson and the downtown district.

Story continues

More:Five new public art installations in downtown Iowa City are designed to create conversations

The interactive Singing Trees that made its debut in 2021 returns along the Dubuque Street corridor in the Ped Mall as well. Six trees will be draped in lights with icicles, changing in color and in brightness in response to music and sound.

Ali Hvals Doodle Trees," the squiggly, neon rope lights that covered trees in the Ped Mall in December, will also be on display.

Each Friday in February, the Weatherdance Fountain will be home to a silent disco party. From 6 to 9 p.m., people can groove out to the music playing in headsets provided by the downtown district.

How long will this be open for?

Winter Night Lights will begin Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. and ends on Feb. 28.

Where else can I see light displays in Johnson County?

North Liberty is hosting a monthlong light display around Liberty Centre Pond, located at 795 W. Cherry St., as part of the city's Beat the Bitter programming.

Visitors will be treated to the colorful sights of 3- to 10-foot tall snowflakes, polar bears, penguins and other displays.

The display will turn on after sundown daily. On Feb. 18, there will be free bike carriage rides from 6 to 8 p.m. Five days later, stop by for Sip & Stroll, where participating restaurants will have beverages for folks to try as they enjoy the evening light display.

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: Giant rabbit installation part of new winter activities in Iowa City
Canton City Public Health hasn't seen a problem with air quality around Stark County since a major train derailment Friday in East Palestine and a controlled release of toxic chemicals on Monday, officials said.

"We have not seen anything in our regular monitoring," Canton Health Commissioner Jim Adams said Tuesday morning.

The health agency works with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. EPA to monitor ambient air quality to ensure compliance with the federal clean air standards in the county. It monitors particulate matter, ozone in the summer months, volatile organic compounds and lead, Adams said.

They have not seen any changes in the particulate matter, he said, as a result of the fire and controlled release of toxic chemicals inside the derailed cars.

What we know:Toxic chemicals released from derailed train cars in East Palestine

Train derailment:Stark County hazmat, IMAT teams deployed to East Palestine after train derailment

A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk and Southern trains Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash Friday night, according to rail operator Norfolk Southern and the National Transportation Safety Board. No injuries to crew, residents or first responders were reported.

Five car were transporting vinyl chloride, which is used to make the polyvinyl chloride hard plastic resin in plastic products and is associated with increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal governments National Cancer Institute.

Residents in a one-mile by two-mile radius  in both Ohio and Pennsylvania  near the derailment site were evacuated over concerns of another potential explosion. State officials said the chemicals in the rail cars were unstable and could potentially explode, causing deadly disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes.

During the controlled release Monday afternoon, the contents of the rail cars were manually vented and drained after some of the cars' pressure-relief devices stopped working.

Story continues

A large fire and plume of black smoke and fire could be seen throughout the area as some of the material burned off as it drained. Pits and other containers were set up to catch materials.

Train derailment:Crews successfully release toxic chemicals from derailed Ohio train cars, authorities say

Officials had warned the controlled burn would send phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air. Phosgene is a highly toxic gas that can cause vomiting and breathing trouble and was used as a weapon in World War I.

But officials have said the town's air quality monitors showed no levels of concern.

A spokesperson for the Joint Information Center  set up by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency to answer questions  said the EPA continues to monitor air quality and officials have been pleased with the results.

This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Air quality varies from area to area, the spokesperson said, but everything has been below a level requiring action.

But the evacuation order remains in place and residents should continue to monitor the situation and listen to local officials for advice and advisories, the spokesperson said.

Adams also has been watching the reports from the U.S. EPA, which has been monitoring the air quality near the derailment.

"It's very promising," Adams said. "The modeling they did before the burning and their modeling right now, they didn't have any concerns."

He noted that reports that some residents have smelled chlorine, bleach and other chemicals inside their homes have been investigated and nothing has been found.

Carroll County Health Commissioner Kelly Morris also has been keeping a close eye on the EPA reports.

"We don't see that there is a risk at this time," she said, adding they offered to help the Columbiana County Health Department.

Federal investigators say the cause of the derailment was a mechanical issue with a rail car axle.

The three-member train crew received an alert about the mechanical defect shortly before the derailment, Michael Graham, a board member of the NTSB, said Sunday. Investigators identified the exact point of derailment, but the board was still working to determine which rail car experienced the axle issue, he said.

Includes reporting by The Associated Press.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @aknappINDE

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Health officials monitoring air quality after Ohio train derailment
Heat map showing Russian oligarch yacht traffic across the world before and after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Spire Maritime/Ali Balli/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Russian oligarchs' superyachts were detected in different regions after the Ukraine war began.

Heat maps show oligarchs' yachts have avoided America's west coast and the Mediterranean.

Turkey, Dubai, the Maldives, and the Seychelles, were popular destinations for the superyachts.

Some Russian oligarchs have kept their luxurious superyachts at bay from Western sanctions since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine in February last year.

Heat maps from space-based data and analytics firm Spire, obtained by Insider, showed that oligarchs' superyachts were located in completely different destinations in January this year compared with before the war started in February 2022.

While some of the yachts trekked across the world to steer clear of sanctions against Russian oligarchs, others turned off their tracking signals to avoid detection. The Galactica Super Nova reportedly stopped sending tracking signals in March, though the reasons for this were unclear. Per multiple reports, the vessel was owned by Vagit Alekperov, CEO of Russian oil firm Lukoil.

Below is a world map from Spire displaying the movements of Russian oligarchs' superyachts between February 2021 and February 2022, and then from February 2022 to January 2023. The yellow spots represent the most heat, indicating there were a high number of yachts detected in the area.

Worldwide

Spire Maritime

The first map shows two popular paths for the yachts  one was straight down the west coast of America all the way to Chile, and another was across the Atlantic Ocean. The luxury vessels were also common in Iceland, the Mediterranean Sea, and along the coastline of France, Portugal, and Norway, per the map.

One year on, the trends have distinctly changed. The second map shows within a year, oligarchs' superyachts avoided most of America's west coast and floated close to the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico, and The Caribbean. Fewer vessels crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and the vast majority stayed away from the Mediterranean.

Story continues

The Mediterranean

Spire Maritime

Spire's data found that the Mediterranean was a hotspot for Russian oligarchs' superyachts before Russia invaded Ukraine. Many vessels would linger around Spain, northern Italy, south of France, Croatia, Greece, and Sicily, according to the first heat map.

The second map shows that after Putin invaded Ukraine, there was very little activity from Russian oligarchs' yachts around the Mediterranean coast and some of the popular routes disappeared.

The only country in the region attracting the yachts was Turkey, per Spire's map. Turkey still offers a safe haven for Russian oligarchs' assets because it's yet to sanction Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.

Two superyachts owned by sanctioned billionaire Roman Abramovich both sailed to Turkey in March and have remained there ever since, according to Marine Traffic data.

"With the yachts steering clear of once favorite vacation spots like Sicily in favor of safe havens like Turkey  and sometimes avoiding detection altogether by turning off their tracking signals  it's clear that the Russian oligarchs who still have their ships know that the threat of seizure is real and have completely changed their travel plans to avoid capture," John Lusk, CEO of Spire Maritime, told Insider.

Northern Europe

Spire Maritime

Before the war, Russian oligarchs' yachts stuck around Iceland, the north coast of France and Germany, and parts of Norway and the UK, per Spire's first map.

From February 25, 2022, Spire said its data showed there was barely any activity from oligarchs' superyachts in Northern Europe. Only one yacht was detected in the area since the war began, Spire said.

Arabian Sea

Spire Maritime

Spire's data also honed in on the movements of Russian oligarchs' yachts around the Arabian Sea.

The path down the Red Sea still proved a favored sailing route for the vessels after the Ukraine war started in February last year, according to the maps.

Fewer yachts were detected in Dubai, the Maldives, and the Seychelles, but the yellow heat spots on the second map indicate they were still popular destinations.

These sunny locations don't have an extradition treaty with the US and therefore attracted many Russian billionaires' yachts, including Clio, which is owned by Oleg Deripaska, according to SuperYacht Fan and other reports. A spokesperson for Deripaska said he didn't own Clio. Deripaska was sanctioned by the US in 2018, as well as by the EU and the UK last year  all three entities described him as an oligarch in their sanctions. The spokesperson said Deripaska wasn't an oligarch because he became a billionaire before Putin came to power and wasn't involved in politics.



February 8, 2023: This story was updated to include a response from a spokesperson for Oleg Deripaska.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Montana freshman Senator Daniel Emrich (R) thinks children shouldn't be taught scientific theories. He introduced Senate Bill 235, which says, "The trustees of a school district shall ensure that science curriculum and instructional materials, including textbooks, used in the district include only scientific fact."

Montana Public Radio reports that more than 20 people testified against the bill to voice their concern "that it could keep teachers from including gravitational theory, evolution and cell theory in curriculum."

In his testimony, Emrich "If we operate on the assumption that a theory is fact, unfortunately, it leads us to asking questions that may be potentially based on false assumptions," Emrich said.

We know what Emrich is up to. He wants to ban the teaching of the theory of evolution, which is a well-substantiated explanation based on a large body of factual evidence, not assumptions. His dangerous and misguided bill creates a false dichotomy between science and scientific theories, and undermines the principles of academic freedom and the separation of church and state.

I can't get upset with Emrich, however. The GOP relies on a large base of poorly-educated voters and he is only doing his part to make sure there are enough ignorant people to keep his party afloat.
A Jemison man died in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning in Bibb County, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Troopers said L.J. Smith, 51, was seriously injured when the 2009 Saturn Aura that he was driving was involved in a collision with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Smith was taken to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee was identified by troopers as 29-year-old Patrick J. Kirby of Randolph.

The crash occurred around 6 a.m. on Alabama 139, about 1 mile north of Randolph in Bibb County. No further information about the crash was released.

Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Highway Patrol Division are investigating the crash.

The crash occurred on Alabama 139, about 1 mile north of Randolph in Bibb County.

Smith was taken to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

after he was taken to UAB hospital.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Two-vehicle crash in Bibb County kills Jemison man, state troopers say
A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk and Southern trains Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Crews released toxic chemicals into the air from five derailed tanker cars that were in danger of exploding Monday and began burning it after warning residents near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line to leave immediately or face the possibility of death.

The Associated Press reported that about 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash in East Palestine around 9 p.m. Friday as a train was carrying a variety of products from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, according to rail operator Norfolk Southern and the National Transportation Safety Board.

No injuries to crew, residents or first responders were reported.

Here's the latest on what we know about the East Palestine train derailment, according to the AP:

What's the latest on the East Palestine train derailment, explosion?

Flames and black smoke billowed high into the sky from the derailment site late in the afternoon, about an hour after authorities said the controlled release would begin.

According to the National Weather Service in Cleveland and television meteorologists, the plume was visible on satellite imagery and radar.

Impressive smoke plume from the East Palestine, OH Train Derailment showing up on the Power of 5 High Resolution Radar. Officials have initiated a controlled burn of several train cars containing toxic chemicals#ohwx @wews pic.twitter.com/oGiMR665TI  Trent Magill (@TrentMWeather) February 6, 2023

Peggy Clark, director of the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, said around 6 p.m. Monday that vinyl chloride, a precursor to the production of PVC plastic, was released from five derailed tanker cars into an area surrounded by a hastily constructed dike. Explosive charges on the tankers caused ruptures that allowed the chemical to flow into the area, which contained flares that ignited the flammable, carcinogenic substance.

Story continues

She said other tanker cars containing the chemical had been removed from the area over the two days since the derailment.

A representative from Norfolk Southern said Tuesday afternoon that all five of the cars containing vinyl chloride were no longer burning. Four were already cleared from the wreckage, with crews working on getting to the fifth car, he said.

The representative said the cars will be inspected by the NTSB before theyre cut up and removed from the site.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine earlier ordered evacuations in the area of the derailment that has been smoldering since Friday night. Authorities believed most, if not all, residents in the danger zone had left but they were knocking on doors one more time before releasing the vinyl chloride inside the cars, he said.

You need to leave, you just need to leave. This is a matter of life and death, DeWine said at news conference.

The controlled release  which happened as the situation became more unstable  was done to prevent an uncontrolled explosion at the site.

In a news release issued around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, DeWine said that within the previous two hours, "a drastic temperature change has taken place in a rail car, and there is now the potential of a catastrophic tanker failure which could cause an explosion with the potential of deadly shrapnel traveling up to a mile."

East Palestine train derailment:Toxic chemicals being burned off in 'controlled release'

What's the air quality after the East Palestine controlled release?

Representatives from the U.S. and Ohio EPAs said Tuesday that air and water quality monitoring remain ongoing, with nothing of concern detected as of Tuesday afternoon.

The village fire chief said Tuesday that residents wouldnt be able to return to the evacuation zone until testing determines its safe, saying he could not provide an estimate on when that testing will be complete and when residents can return.

The slow release of vinyl chloride from five rail cars into a trough that was then ignited created a large plume above the village of East Palestine but authorities said they were closely monitoring the air quality.

Thus far, no concerning readings have been detected, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a brief evening news conference about three hours after the venting and burning procedure began.

However, he urged Pennsylvania residents within a 2-mile radius of the derailment site to shelter in place and keep their doors and windows closed through the evening as a precaution in case of wind shifts.

I just spoke with an East Palestine resident who is concerned the chemicals that are burning a mile away from his home could be seeping in. Hes taping his doors and windows shut. @WEWS pic.twitter.com/x5Yahz624I  Bryn Caswell (@BrynCaswellTV) February 6, 2023

Officials warned the controlled burn would send phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air. Phosgene is a highly toxic gas that can cause vomiting and breathing trouble and was used as a weapon in World War I.

Scott Deutsch of Norfolk Southern Railway earlier said doing this during the daytime would allow the fumes to disperse more quickly and prevent the rail cars from exploding and sending shrapnel and other debris from flying through the neighborhood.

A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk and Southern trains Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

We cant control where that goes, he said.

The process involves using a small charge to blow a hole in the cars, allowing the material to go into a trench and burning it off before its released in the air, he said. The crews handling the controlled release have done this safely before, Deutsch said.

About three hours into the procedure, Norfolk Southern Railway issued a statement saying that experts and first responders had breached the rail cars, chemicals were burning off and the cars were expected to drain for several more hours.

East Palestine train derailment:50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio

What is vinyl chloride, and what is vinyl chloride used for?

Five of the cars were transporting vinyl chloride, which is used to make the polyvinyl chloride hard plastic resin in plastic products and is associated with increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal governments National Cancer Institute.

Officials said Sunday afternoon that cars involved also carried combustible liquids, butyl acrylate and residue of benzene from previous shipments, as well as nonhazardous materials such as wheat, plastic pellets, malt liquors and lube oil.

This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.

Where is East Palestine, Ohio, the site of the train derailment?

East Palestine is a village of 4,761 residents located in northeastern Columbiana County, about 65 miles east of Akron, close to the Pennsylvania border and north of the West Virginia panhandle.

The site is very close to the state line, and the evacuation area extends into a sparsely populated area of Pennsylvania. About half of the 4,800 residents in East Palestine had been warned to leave over the weekend before officials decided on Monday to use the controlled release.

This is what they call a "controlled release" The train derailment in Ohio at a little town called East Palestine had at least 5 tanker cars full of toxic flammable chemicals, apparently the only options were to let it burn like this or it would go off like a bomb. pic.twitter.com/SfogMDO9hd  _Imposter_ (@Imposter_Edits) February 7, 2023

Shapiro said the evacuation zone includes about 20 Pennsylvania residences. Pennsylvania State Police went door-to-door to assist the last remaining residents and ensure they leave.

Stark County hazmat:Stark County hazmat, IMAT teams deployed to East Palestine after train derailment

What caused the train derailment in Ohio?

Federal investigators say the cause of the derailment was a mechanical issue with a rail car axle.

The three-member train crew received an alert about the mechanical defect shortly before the derailment, Michael Graham, a board member of the NTSB, said Sunday. Investigators identified the exact point of derailment, but the board was still working to determine which rail car experienced the axle issue, he said.

Were there evacuations in East Palestine before the controlled release?

Forced evacuations began Sunday night in East Palestine after authorities became alarmed that the rail cars could explode after a drastic temperature change was observed in a rail car.

Residents were packing overnight bags, loading their pets into cars and searching for hotel rooms Monday morning. Police in the village moved out of their communication center as the threat of an explosion increased.

A map of the evacuation ordered following the derailment of a train containing vinyl chloride in East Palestine. Residents in the red who do not evacuate are risking death and those in the orange risk permanent lung damage if exposed to the controlled gas release planned for 3:30 p.m.

Police cars, snow plows and military vehicles from the Ohio National Guard blocked streets leading into the area.

According to Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland, people were asked to evacuate and shelter at the East Palestine Junior and Senior High School, according to Clark, the director of the Columbiana County EMA.

East Palestine evacuation:Officials urge evacuation near derailment, fearing explosion

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What we know about the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment
A young Karina Castro posing with her father, Martin Castro. Courtesy of Martin Castro

Jose Raphael Solano Landaeta, charged with Karina Castro's murder, said he acted out of self-defense.

Prosecutors say Landaeta beheaded Castro with a samurai sword in September.

A domestic violence expert said a self-defense claim aligns with typical abuser characteristics.

A man charged with decapitating his ex-girlfriend claims he did it out of self-defense.

Police have said Jose Raphael Solano Landaeta, 33, brutally killed 27-year-old Karina Castro right outside her house in San Carlos, California in September.

Landaeta, 33 and who goes by Rafa Solano, beheaded Castro with a samurai sword, prosecutors allege. He is currently being held on homicide charges.

Her father Martin Castro previously told Insider that Karina had been "screaming and running around the car, begging for help." He said he found blood splatters all over her car.

In an interview recounted by Dan Noyes of ABC7 on Thursday, Landaeta admitted to the murder and said he did it because he was practicing self-defense.

"She emerged from the driver's side of that Volkswagen with the knife in hand and kind of marched towards him with this knife," Noyes said Landaeta told him. "And he claimed that he swung that sword in self-defense."

Noyes reported that he wasn't able to bring a camera or a pen and paper into the San Mateo County Jail, where Landaeta is being held and the interview took place.

Karina's father told Insider that he finds Landaeta's argument unconvincing.

Karina Castro on the far left. Courtesy of Martin Castro.

"He claimed self-defense against a girl who was a quarter of his size," Martin Castro said. "She was like 5'5" or 5'6" and maybe 120 at the time. And this guy's 6'2", 6'3" whatever, 300 plus pounds."

Castro said he thinks Landaeta is grasping at straws out of fear and desperation.

"He's grabbing at any string he can to keep himself out of as much trouble as he can," he told Insider. "He's been trying to make it out that he's not the monster that he really is and that there was some sort of reason for him doing what he did."

Story continues

San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told Noyes that the evidence so far doesn't seem to match up with a self-defense claim.

Days after the incident in September, Landaeta's attorney Robert Cummings petitioned the court for a mental examination, saying he "is sadly a soul that is riddled with schizophrenia," Fox affiliate KTVU reported. But a judge later ruled that Landaeta is competent enough to stand trial.

Cummings, who represents Landaeta, said he wasn't present when Noyes interviewed him in the jail and he's in the process of getting a psychiatric evaluation for him.

"There's a whole lot more to this story and what's going on inside his head. Somebody going in there and talking to him off the cuff, there are many layers they're not going to see," Cummings told Insider.

The self-defense claim was a "defense mechanism that he's putting up to cover up a whole lot more that's going on inside of him," Cummings said.

It's unclear whether Landaeta will end up in prison or a mental health facility, Cummings said, but the latter is preferable to the former.

"It's a life he's taken and a life he's gonna lose, regardless of the outcome," Cummings said.

"The inner workings of his mind are something far more than what he portrayed to Dan Noyes. It doesn't make any of this less gruesome or less horrible but it is kind of a question of where does he belong in the system."

In the years Castro's known Landaeta, he's never indicated that he was scared of Karina, Castro said.

He said the opposite was true. Castro told Insider that Landaeta often "manhandled" Karina. He said neighbors once saw him throw her against a wall in the midst of a heated argument.

The coroner's office told Castro that Karina had been "about 90 to 95% decapitated," but still had "some skin and tissue holding her head on."

"Thankfully she died immediately," Castro said.

Neighbors also witnessed the horrific incident.

Chapel Thorborne told ABC7 affiliate KGO-TV that he saw Karina's "head was underneath the car and she was laying in [the] back of the car, just severed, and then they covered her up."

When Castro arrived on the scene and took possession of her car, he said he found a pink pocketknife inside the door panel of the car.

"I think she was trying to get to her knife," Castro said. "She was trying to get something to help because he was coming at her with a sword."

In a previous interview, Castro told Insider he always had a bad feeling about Landaeta and tried to convince her to leave him. But every time he told her how he felt, Karina dismissed him, he said.

Karina in April last year had taken out a restraining order against Landaeta, KGO-TV reported. But the two had continued interacting afterward.

There is no data on how common it is for men accused of violence against women to employ a self-defense claim, according to domestic violence expert Tracy Tamborra, who is a professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven.

When reported to the police, a domestic violence case gets simplified down and classified as an assault or aggravated assault, Tamborra said. That means the case is not specified as an incident of domestic violence. After the case is documented, there's no data kept on how the perpetrator responds to the charges, she said.

But Landaeta's claim of self-defense might be in line with an abuser's normal behavior.

"His desire to use self-defense does play into what we know about perpetrator psychology," Tamborra said. "It is definitely one of the patterns of abuse in which they downplay their role in the abusive relationship and they shift blame."

Read the original article on Insider
People protest in Memphis following the release of video showing the deadly encounter between police and Tyre Nichols Shameka Wilson for Insider

A Memphis police officer reportedly took and shared photos of Tyre Nichols following his beating.

Five officers have been charged in Nichols' death.

Seven more officers are under investigation.

One of the Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols took and texted a photo of the bloodied and bruised 29-year-old following the brutal beating as he sat handcuffed and propped up against a cruiser, according to police documents obtained by Insider.

Former officer Demetrius Haley admitted to sharing a photo of Nichols with at least five people, including two other officers, a civilian employee at the department, and a female acquaintance; a sixth person also obtained the photo, according to the records.

Street camera footage from the scene appears to show Haley taking cellphone photos of Nichols as he sat slumped against a police car.

Haley said he used his personal cell phone to take the photographs while he stood in front of Nichols who was "obviously injured" and handcuffed, the documents said.

On the evening of January 7, Memphis police officers stopped Nichols on suspicion of "reckless driving," though police officials have since said they haven't found evidence that Nichols was driving erratically. An initial confrontation between Nichols and several officers ensued as they pulled him out of his vehicle and pushed him to the ground.

A second confrontation occurred after Nichols got up and ran away as an officer tried to Tase him. Body-camera footage showed several officers beating Nichols while he was on the ground. Nichols died three days after the traffic stop.

The Memphis Police Department submitted documents for the five officers charged in the beating, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Haley, and Tadarrius Bean, to the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission last month as part of an effort to decertify the officers who have since been charged with second-degree murder, according to The New York Times.

Story continues

Six cops in total have been fired as a result of the beating, and seven more officers with the department are facing an internal investigation and possible discipline, the City of Memphis announced Tuesday.

The Memphis Police Department declined to comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
China-based American Quartz Group Inc. bought a block of land parcels in 2019 totaling 74.7 acres along Lenwood Road, in the north corner of Barstows highway hub for Mojave Desert drivers.

An impromptu July 2022 raid at a Barstow warehouse owned by a Chinese countertop-making company  purportedly vacant at the time  uncovered an illegal weed-cultivation complex spanning more than 80,000 square feet and storing millions of dollars worth of product.

But seven months later, while a criminal investigation of the illegal pot grow is still underway, the City of Barstow maintains permits for other marijuana-focused entrepreneurs who lack state licenses on the 75-acre Mojave Desert property owned by China-based American Quartz Group Inc.

Even after the multi-million dollar bust, the Barstow City Council greenlit an application from Quality Life Inc.  a Carlsbad-based firm incorporated in November 2021 by attorney Alvin Gomez and run by sole director Michael Wilhoit  to cultivate, manufacture and distribute weed in the American Quartz warehouse that police had swarmed five weeks prior.

Quality Life had already gotten Barstows first cannabis-biz approval in February 2022 for a dispensary in a building that now jointly operates as a pot shop and IHOP restaurant at 2841 Lenwood Road, less than a mile southeast of American Quartz.

In March 2022, Quality Life leased a 5,000-square-foot unit of the warehouse from American Quartz and applied to grow pot there. The pitch got unanimous post-raid approval from Barstows elected council after city staff argued a then-ongoing investigation had cleared Quality Life of involvement in the illegal grows at the same building, which they said were instead run by separate entities using the rest of the warehouse that totals 86,000 square feet.

Six months after that local approval, though, Quality Life still hasnt secured the state-level permits it needs to produce or transport weed. A California Department of Cannabis Control database listed only five state-issued licenses in Barstow as of Feb. 7, all of which permit only retail-bud sales.

The City of Barstow has had no official communication with Quality Life since its development agreement was approved by council on (Aug.) 15, 2022, Barstow City Manager Willie Hopkins Jr. said in a statement via public-relations firm The Ferraro Group, responding to a Daily Press email inquiry.

Story continues

Carlsbad-based Quality Life Inc. got Barstows first local cannabis-biz approval in 2022 to open a dispensary in a building jointly operating as an IHOP restaurant at 2841 Lenwood Road.

City officials didnt address separate inquiries in the email as to whether Barstow has reprimanded or enhanced oversight of American Quartz for its housing of the illegal grow, and whether the investigation cited by city staff in August has since concluded or progressed in any way.

In response to a Daily Press inquiry about the American Quartz raid, Jacquelyn Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson, said the office is awaiting a final report from Barstow Police Department for issuing and review."

In following up with Barstow PD, they let us know that they are concluding their investigations and submitting the case to us likely within the coming week," Rodriguez wrote in an emailed statement.

Representatives of Quality Life and American Quartz didnt respond to requests for comment.

How the raid went down

The American Quartz bust only occurred because a building inspector stumbled upon the illegal pot-farming warehouse by coincidence.

American Quartz has owned a block of land parcels totaling 74.7 acres since 2019 along Lenwood Road, in the north corner of Barstows Interstate 15 hub midway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, according to county property records.

This land includes three industrial-size structures: one that houses American Quartzs countertop-making operations, the largest building; a second that operates as a semi-truck terminal; and a third classified in county records as a commercial storage warehouse, closest to the propertys Lenwood Road entry.

A City of Barstow inspector went to the American Quartz property on July 7 to inspect a different building than the storage warehouse closest to the entry, according to a July 12 Facebook post by BPD and as later explained by Chris Heldreth, Barstows Building and Safety Department director and fire marshal.

The inspector was doing an inspection on another building, Heldreth said at the City Councils Aug. 15 meeting, when he noticed that somebody was inside the (warehouse) and decided to go over there.

Then, the inspector requested assistance from the Barstow Police Department regarding a possible marijuana cultivation operation, according to BPDs post.

Detectives Andrew Hollister and Jose Sanchez dispatched with BPD officers around 3:10 p.m. to the American Quartz warehouse, which has a specific address of 2989 Lenwood Road.

There, Hollister and the officers on the scene could smell a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the building from as much as 100 feet away, BPD stated, indicating a strong, reasonable suspicion that a large quantity of marijuana or marijuana plants were at the location.

People could be heard inside the building as the officers knocked and announced their presence multiple times with no one from inside the building responding.

Hollister wrote a search warrant and got it approved as officers continued announcing their presence via a PA system to no response from the warehouse occupants, according to BPDs post.

When the detectives and officers entered the warehouse with an approved warrant, they found (10) individual cultivation rooms with marijuana plants in various stages of developmental growth.

Based on the extent of the grow, BPD stated, the operation had been in existence for months.

The department counted a facility-wide total of 15,047 cannabis plants and arrested 14 people inside the warehouse for illegal-marijuana cultivation, all of whom it says were working inside the building.

City officers photographed the warehouse, loaded every cannabis plant onto city-owned trucks, and hauled it all to the Barstow landfill, where they dumped a total weight of 8,980 pounds of Marijuana, as described by BPD.

The Barstow Sanitary Landfill is a solid-waste dump run by San Bernardino County a few miles south of Barstows city limits. If the 8,980 pounds cited by BPD was ready-to-smoke marijuana, it couldve netted roughly $8.8 million on the legal-wholesale market as of Jan. 27, according to the U.S. Cannabis Spot Index  and potentially double that if it were high-quality.

A murky aftermath

BPD detectives identified the business behind the operation as Woolsey Farms LLC, according to the departments post.

The firm had applied for a cultivation permit with the City of Barstow, but the application had failed to meet all the requirements of the city ordinance and was ultimately rejected, BPD stated.

Woolsey Farms was registered as a business based in the gated city of Canyon Lake in September 2020. It recently filed its required statement of information on Jan. 19, according to California Secretary of State records.

The recent filing lists the LLCs managers as Jacob W. Woolsey and Jordan M. Woolsey, the same first and last name as two of the people BPD named in its July arrest logs among the 14 illegal-cultivation arrestees at the American Quartz warehouse.

The 14 people cited for illegal-marijuana cultivation in the American Quartz warehouse as a result of the July 7 raid, according to the arrest logs, included:

Cui Zhang

Hong Wei

Yong Huang

Lin Juan

Carmelino Lopez

Woshun Yang

David Fabian-Orantes

Ming Wu

Jordan Woolsey

Jacob Woolsey

Han Chen

Natasha Stratton

Zachary Woolsey

En Lee

Despite each of these individuals being arrested and booked that day, according to BPD, all were cited and released without criminal charges.

Thats because California made illegal-grow citations a misdemeanor comparable to speeding tickets in 2018, no matter how big a pot farm is. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs and DAs offices have criticized this area of the states legal-weed policy, arguing it has fueled a surge of cartel-tied grows in rural High Desert pockets.

Quality Life

Barstows City Council gave Quality Life  the dispensary operator connected to an IHOP  its final approval at an Aug. 15 meeting to become the first business with local permits to cultivate, manufacture, and transport weed in one unit on the north end of the warehouse that BPD had busted five weeks prior.

City staff exonerated Quality Life that night as a potential subject of investigation, though. Councilwoman Barbara Rose focused a line of pre-vote questioning on the idea that a legitimate cannabis business shouldn't be hindered by a probe of the illegal-pot growers whod been busted in its building.

Quality Life entered a lease as tenant with American Quartz as landlord on March 21 to enable its planned grow operation, according to its cannabis-biz application. It had gotten unanimous approvals in a Barstow Planning Commission review and an initial City Council vote before the raid happened.

Heldreth said at the Aug. 15 meeting that the roughly 86,000-square-foot American Quartz warehouse contains 16 units.

Separate from Quality Lifes 5,000-square-foot unit, he said, two other businesses had applied for permits to grow cannabis across the rest of the warehouse. Aside from Woolsey Farms being named in BPDs statement five days after the raid, city officials havent identified a second business responsible for illegal growing at the site.

When the police department did their search warrant, Heldreth said, the entire two suites, or the two  the majority of the building, approximately 80,000 square feet, was used for the illegal operation.

In Quality Lifes unit, we actually went in and took pictures and did all that just to have for ourselves and the investigation the police department was doing, the building official continued. There was nothing inside that unit.

The illegal growers had applied for their permit. They were going through the entire process. They just decided to start, Heldreth said. He added that they built a wall dividing Quality Lifes unit from the rest of the American Quartz warehouse that they were using to grow.

So they not only did, obviously, illegal cultivation, he said, but they did illegal construction inside the facility as well.

No building inspectors had entered or checked in on the American Quartz warehouse since at least February 2022 because there was no reason to as nobody had a permit to do anything there, Heldreth said.

Rose asked, referencing Quality Life, is it going to be OK for them to be in there and not be affected by this investigation in any way, shape, or form?

Yes, BPD Chief Andrew Espinoza responded.

Thats what we anticipate at this time, City Attorney Matthew Summers added.

We cleared (Quality Life) that day, the chief continued. We talked with the owner, and we  just like Chris said, theres a wall right there. Theres no way you can access their area.

And I should note, Summers said, the investigation regarding the other side of that wall does continue. That matter is not resolved yet, that investigation.

Thats correct, Espinoza confirmed.

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

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Pot-farm bust in China firms Barstow base still murky months later
Joe Scarnici / Getty Images

Kyle Busch will not be penalized by NASCAR for illegally bringing a gun to a Mexican airport, the series said Tuesday. While the driver has been convicted of the crime in Mexico and sentenced to 3 and a half years in prisonwith a $1095 fine (20,748 pesos)he will still be able to race in the upcoming Daytona 500, Autoweek reports.

Busch brought a pistol loaded with six hollow-point .38 caliber inside his baggage to an airport in Quintana Roo, Mexico, according to the official report dug up by our friends at Autoweek. A court in Mexico found him guilty of "carrying a firearm without a license and possession of cartridges for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces."

In a statement posted to Twitter after the news broke, Busch said that he had a valid concealed carry permit and forgot that the firearm was in his bag. He apologized and noted that he had dealt with the penalty, though it remains unclear how he handled the prison sentence. While the United States does have an extradition treaty with Mexico, countries often resist extraditing their own citizens for all but the most heinous crimes. And Busch was clearly allowed to leave Mexican soil.

Regardless, NASCAR doesn't see this as an issue it needs to address.

"We do have a Member Conduct policy," a NASCAR spokesman told Autoweek. "With the information we received, we did not feel that this warranted any disciplinary action."

You Might Also Like
Two law enforcement offices in Pennsylvania are reportedly sifting through cold case files in search of any potential links to Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger.

Northampton County District and Lehigh County started looking for links between unsolved cases and Mr Kohberger following his 30 December arrest, King5 reported. The Washington State University PhD student is accused of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin on 13 November in Moscow, Idaho.

Mr Kohberger, originally from Pennsylvania, was a student at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem before he went on to spend four years studying criminology at DeSales University in Lehigh County. Prosecutors in the two Keystone State counties told King5 that although no links have emerged so far, their offices are still working through cold cases databases.

Your natural question is to start wondering, is this guy wanted? Northampton County District Attorney Terence Houck told the network. Is his name out there? Did he do anything here in [my] county?

Mr Houck said his department had used Mr Kohbergers height, weight and the alleged Idaho killers method of operation to compare with old cases - to no avail so far.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin also told King5: The first thing I did was ask the director of the RIC [Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center] to see if we had any contact with Mr Kohberger ... [We] have no unsolved homicides that in any way meet the modus operandi of this event out in Idaho,

Mr Martin said his office sorted through a database with more than six million police reports and case files, only finding one instance in which Mr Kohberger called 911 when his car locked behind a parked gate. Mr Martin said that Mr Kohbergers exchange with law enforcement was uneventful and that he was apologetic.

Following several days of a surveillance operation by the FBI, Mr Kohbergerwas arrested at his parents home in Monroe County pm 30 December. At the time, police said he had no previous criminal history.

Story continues

It has since emerged that Mr Kohberger was facing disciplinary action in his teaching assistant job at WSU around the time of the murders of the four University of Idaho students  before he was ultimately fired from the position days before his arrest.

According to an affidavit released last month, cellphone data places Mr Kohberger close to the home of the murders at around 9am on 13 November  suggesting that he returned to the scene of the crime just hours after allegedly murdering the four victims at around 4am.

Police also said that his DNA was also found on a knife sheath left behind at the scene by the killer and his white Hyundai Elantra was caught on surveillance footage at the crime scene at the time of the murders, the affidavit reveals.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Kaylee Goncalves, 21 (Instagram/Kaylee Goncalves)

One of the victims surviving roommates was also able to partially describe the killer to investigators after she came face to face with him in the aftermath of the murders.

Acquaintances of Mr Kohberger also spoke with King5 and recounted the suspected murderers struggles as a teen. Jack Baylis, who met Mr Kohberger when they were eighthgraders, told the Network that Mr Kohberger struggled with heroin addiction, as other of his former friends have previously claimed.

Hes always been kind of fascinated with kind of how the how the brain works and how people think and why they do what they do, Mr Baylis said. I want to say he wanted to be a cop since he was younger.

Vernard James also told King5 that while working on a class project with Mr Kohberger at DeSales, he realised the criminology student could be manipulative and cold

Were approaching the due date and I was feeling like I was left out to dry, Mr James said, adding that Mr Kohberger gave him a very intense stare when confronted. I remember that. Ill never forget that looking right into my soul almost, you know, as we were having this back and forth.

James said Kohberger was dismissive of his complaint and accepted no responsibility as the project leader.

At DeSales, Mr Kohberger studied under renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland who interviewed the BTK serial killer and co-wrote the book Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer with him.

He also carried out a research project to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.

Mr Kohberger is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on 25 June.
President Joe Biden spoke about the police killing of Tyre Nichols during the State of the Union address Tuesday, balancing his condemnation of five former Memphis police officers with his respect for police officers and an acknowledgement of all that is asked of them.

His remarks on Nichols' death followed commentary on a spike in violent crime that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic that dovetailed with comments for the need on public safety.

"Public safety depends on public trust as all of us know. Too often, that trust is violated," Biden said.

Rodney Wells and RowVaughn Wells, stepfather and mother of Tyre Nichols, are recognized by President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington.

Biden spoke of "the talk"  a reference to conversations parents of color often have with their offspring on what to do, and what not to do, if pulled over or stopped by law enforcement. Most people in the room, Biden said, referring to Congress, have not had to worry about instructing their own children on how to safely navigate encounters with law enforcement.

"There's no words to describe the heartache and grief of losing a child, but imagine... imagine if you lost that child at the hands of the law," Biden said. "Imagine having to worry if your son or daughter came home from walking down the street, playing in a park, or just driving a car.

Nichols' parents, Rodney and RowVaughn Wells, were invited to the State of the Union by U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nevada, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus. The camera focused on the Wells several times throughout Biden's remarks.

"Just as every cop that pins on that badge in the morning has a right to go home every night, so does everybody else out there. Our children have a right to come home safely. Equal protection under the law is a covenant we have with each other in America," Biden said, as some Congress members rose to their feet.

Biden continued his remarks by addressing what he characterized as an ongoing need for police reform.

The Reverend J. Lawrence Turner, senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, where Nichols' funeral was held last week, attended the speech at the invitation of U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis.

Story continues

Michael Brown Sr., whose teen son Michael's fatal shooting by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 ignited furor nationwide and sparked the national growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, was expected to attend the event.

Six Memphis police officers were fired, with five being charged with second-degree murder and other offenses, after the 29-year-old Nichols, a FedEx employee and father of one, died Jan. 10, three days after a traffic stop. Video released later by the city showed officers beating, pepper spraying and using a Taser on Nichols.

Two emergency medical technicians and a Memphis firefighter were also fired for failing to render aid to Nichols.

Memphis police officials said a seventh officer has been suspended and numerous other officers are facing an internal investigation because of Nichols' death.

Since Nichols died, Memphis has seen multiple peaceful protests, including one on Saturday that blocked the intersection of Poplar Avenue and Danny Thomas Boulevard for much of Saturday, as demonstrators demand changes in the way police deal with residents and disclose the use of force.

The officers who stopped Nichols were part of the specialized SCORPION unit, which the city has said has been disbanded. The entire department and its operations are under review. SCORPION stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods.

The FBI is investigating the circumstances of Nichols' death.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee also address Nichols' death during his State of the State address Monday night in Nashville. Lee said he has been in constant prayer for his family and said the courage and compassion shown by the Nichols family and the city of Memphis is a "picture of hope."

"We have been in constant prayer for the Nichols family since they tragically lost their son in January," Lee said in his annual address. "Their courage, along with the compassion shown by the people of Memphis, is a picture of hope."

At the time of the video's release, Lee condemned the actions of the officers.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: president biden talked of tyre nichols amid police reform in state of the union
Editors note: this article has been updated to note that the bail modification requests were rejected by the judge.

A federal judge has rejected a request from Sam Bankman-Fried's attorneys to allow the former FTX CEO to communicate electronically again after being barred from doing so in January. The request came in a letter sent to District Court Southern District of New York Judge Lewis A. Kaplan after prosecutors alleged Bankman-Fried may have engaged in witness tampering.

The letter motion is denied without prejudice pending oral argument, which remains scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on February 9, 2023, Judge Kaplan wrote in response.

The judge had rejected changes to Bankman-Fried's bail arrangements that were jointly developed by his attorneys and federal prosecutors.

In exchange for allowing Bankman-Fried to have supervised communication, his attorneys said they would not fight a separate order barring him from transferring assets related to FTX and Alameda Research.

Federal prosecutors said in a four-page filing that the former billionaire, who is currently facing life in prison on charges of fraud and conspiracy, tried to contact Ryne Miller, general counsel for FTX US, through the Signal encrypted messaging app last month.

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, U.S. prosecutors allege Bankman-Fried wrote.

Bankman-Frieds lawyers, Mark S. Cohen and Christian R. Everdell, sought Kaplans approval to modify Bankman-Frieds bail conditions after the government exempted specific individuals from the proposed no-contact condition.

Bankman-Frieds attorney asked that Bankman-Fried be allowed to use FaceTime, iMessage, Zoom, SMS texts, email, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, provided the communications can be reviewed.

In the letter, the agreement between the prosecution and defense asked Judge Kaplan to permit Bankman-Frieds use of WhatsApp if monitoring technology is installed on his cellphone that automatically logs and preserves all WhatsApp communications.

Story continues

In the original order barring Bankman-Frieds use of messaging apps, Bankman-Fried was explicitly ordered not to use any encrypted or ephemeral call or messaging application, including but not limited to Signal.

Ephemeral messaging applications allow users to set a time limit on how long a message stays on the app. Signal, for example, enables custom time limits, including 30 seconds to four weeks. While the feature can be used for nefarious purposes, these features are also used by journalists and activists to communicate while limiting the chance rogue governments can intercept their communications.

On December 12, 2022, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the United States a week later. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Bankman-Fried with eight counts of money laundering, fraud, and conspiracy.
The South Carolina General Assembly elected Judge Gary Hill to the South Carolina Supreme Court Wednesday, making the state supreme court the only one of its kind in the United States with no woman on the bench.

The all-male bench emerges the same week that women's reproductive rights and abortion bans continue to dominate state politics.

Hill, a 58-year-old Greenville resident, will replace the sole female judge Justice Kaye Hearn, who retired because of state law term limits on judgeships. In South Carolina, supreme court justices are picked by the legislature.

Hearn authored the majority opinion that quashed the 2021 six-week abortion ban on Jan. 5. In the ruling, the top court ruled the six-week abortion ban was unconstitutional because it violated a woman's privacy rights.

More:About 1,500 people rally in Greenville at 'Bans Off Our Bodies Protest' after court ruling

Just hours before Hill assumed his role in the high court, the Supreme Court denied a petition to rehear the abortion ban decision.

A day before Hill's election, a House committee moved a bill that will ban all abortions at conception. Meanwhile, the Senate began to debate an abortion ban with amendments that would armor it against future litigation.

Who is Gary Hill?

Hill was born in 1964. He was a law clerk in the early stages of his career and then joined the law firm of Hill, Wyatt & Bannister. Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville, is also a partner at this firm.)

In 2000, Hill would start his own practice with his father, Leo H. Hill, the former president of the SC Bar. Gary Hill then served as a Circuit Judge for the 13th Circuit and in 2017, he was elected to the Court of Appeals. Former SC Gov. and US Secretary of Education Dick Riley was among the list of 5 people who were a reference for his job.

Most of Hill's litigation history is related to businesses and personal injury. His work included lawsuits in which several plaintiffs claimed personal injury due to asbestos exposure. Hill, in his interview with the selection commission, said he wrote orders involving issues such as product identification, proximate cause, product liability and sophisticated-user defense.

Story continues

He votes Republican, according to a LexisNexis search.

Gary Hill waves at members of the General Assembly after his election to the Supreme Court bench

How was he picked and what does it mean in a post-Roe world?

A 10-member Judicial Merit Selection Commission that screens candidates sends top picks to legislators. During this time, candidates are not allowed to seek support or a formal pledge from a lawmaker to endorse their candidature.

Court of Appeals judges Aphrodite Konduros, Stephanie McDonald and Hill were the three top picks for the vote, as per a report published by the commission. But before the election began, Konduros and McDonald withdrew from the race, leaving only Hill in the race.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Alan Wilson filed a petition to rehear the six-week abortion ban litigation. On Wednesday, the SC Supreme Court denied Wilson's petition, thus shutting down any avenues for reviving the six-week abortion law. Wilson said in a statement the state disagreed with the court's decision. "This issue is now in the legislature's hands," the statement read.

More:South Carolina Supreme Court shuts down six-week abortion ban

Lynn Teague with the League of Women Voters said that the ruling was justified as there were no legitimate grounds for rehearing and no flaw in the original hearing.

"(Lawmakers are) just hoping that if they keep getting new bites at the apple, they'll get a different result and that's not an appropriate way to deal with the judiciary," Teague said.

Several in the legal circle have a great deal of respect for Hill, Teague said. It was regrettable that South Carolina would be the only state not to have a woman on the Supreme Court bench. "But that's not Justice Hill's fault," she said.

More:SC abortion ban gets hearing for first time this session

More:SC AG Alan Wilson asks court to reconsider abortion ruling

Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton, who voted against Hill's election, said that she was voting against the process.

"I believe that they should have at least given the women an opportunity to stay in the race," Bright Matthews said. "I think that there needs to be some reform around how the caucuses interview these judicial candidates."

"(All three candidates) are dear friends of mine," she said. "And I don't think that's fair to them."

Devyani Chhetri covers the South Carolina State House and is a watchdog SC government reporter. You can reach her at dchhetri@gannett.com or @ChhetriDevyani.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC to be only state in the US with no woman on Supreme Court
Eye patches, peg legs, black flags, scurvy, and parasitical relationships to nation-states and colonial empires; in a word, thieves. These ideas are associated with pirates and piracy in the Caribbean, the Atlantic, or the Coasts of Africa. Relying on Hollywood parody always distorts our reality, just as pirate Hollywood stars parody truth as a distorted reality.

But what if the parasite was capitalism and domination, and the pirates were the cure?

Marcus Rediker, writer, researcher, and documentary filmmaker of history from below, has devoted many years of his career to investigating the lives, loves, labors, and loss of pirates and other working peoples, helping to understand who they were more accurately and the role they played in working-class history, the impact on cultures of democracy and rebellion, and how we understand justice.

Rediker just released a collaboration with artist, illustrator, musician, and writer David Lester, Under the Banner of King Death: Pirates of the Atlantic, a Graphic Novel with editing by Paul Buhle.

"Featuring an African American fugitive from bondage, an undercover woman, and 'outcasts of all nations,' an arresting graphic exploration of the resistance and radical vision of 18th-century pirates.



A tale of mutiny, bloody battle, and social revolution, Under the Banner of King Death, novelizes for the first time the real pirates, an itinerant community of outsiders, behind our legends. This graphic novel breaks new ground in our understanding of piracy and pirate culture, giving us more reasons to love the rebellious and stouthearted marauders of the high seas.



Set at the pinnacle of the "Golden Age" of Atlantic piracy, this novel follows three unlikely companions, who are sold into servitude on a merchant ship and unwittingly thrust into a voyage of rebellion.

Mutiny ensues against the tyrannical Captain Skinner, who is thrown overboard to make way for democracy aboard The Night Rambler. The crew's new order provides radical social benefits, all based on real, documented practices of contemporary pirate ships: democratic decision-making, a social security net, health, and disability insurance, and equal distribution of spoils taken from prize ships."

For a discussion with Rediker, Buhle, and Lester about "Why we need Pirates," check out the article and excerpt from the graphic novel in Yes Magazine:
The United States is crisscrossed by historical trails, both physical and virtual, that follow the journey of the African American experience. There are also trails yet to be blazed.

Naomi Carrier is hoping to see her dream of an Emancipation National Historic Trail realized in her native Texas. The trail would start in Galveston and run 51 miles north to Houston, tracing the path that people newly freed from slavery took after word of emancipation reached them in June 1865  the occasion now celebrated as Juneteenth.

We believe in the concept that there should be a trail because our stories are not being told, and this is a way to tell some of those stories, Carrier said.

'They paved the way': How Buffalo Soldiers shaped America's national parks

'I just want to see more of us': The importance of seeing people like you while traveling

New trails in the making

Carrier spent more than 30 years as a schoolteacher, devoting much of her time educating students about the rich history of African Americans in the Lone Star State. She has not stopped teaching that history since she retired a decade ago, and the proposed trail is a continuation of those efforts.

The impetus for the Emancipation Trail is that Texas Black history is virtually unknown, Carrier said. Among the events, she points to the Battle of Palmito Ranch, considered by many to be the last Civil War battle, which was fought in Texas in May 1865.

If designated by Congress after a study by the National Park Service by the end of 2023, it would be the second national historic trail centered on African American history. The first was the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama, marking the 1965 voting rights marches.

An image of the David Hall Home, located along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, state legislator Antwan McClellan is also looking forward to a new historic trail.

McClellan was the lead sponsor of a bill, recently signed into law by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, to create the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail. The bill authorizes the placement of historical markers at important sites throughout the state, as well as a dedicated website that plots out a virtual trail and travel itineraries for visitors.

Story continues

'What part of Africa are you from?': A Black American's tourism experience is different

McClellan says he hopes the trail, which would start at the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May (where the legendary abolitionist lived during the 1850s), will be unveiled by Juneteenth 2023.

It feels great that it is happening. It seemed so far away, going on three years from when the bill was introduced. Its exciting to know that this is coming to fruition, McClellan said.

Not all trails are on the ground

The Little Calumet River running through the South Side of Chicago is not simply a waterway. Its also a path into that areas rich African American past.

The African American Heritage Water Trail takes canoeists and paddlers past locations such as the site of the Ton Farm, a stop on the Underground Railroad for those going to Canada for freedom, and Chicagos Finest Marina, built in the 1950s for Black residents who couldnt use other marinas in the area due to racist policies. There are seasonal guided tours, or you can take a self-guided trip with information found on the website of the conservation group Openlands Chicago, which oversees the trail.

Laura Barghusen of Openlands Chicago says the trail stems from an effort in 2018 by local groups to connect people to the Little Calumet River and the nearby Beaubien Woods, where the water trail starts and continues 7 miles west to the village of Robbins.

Her colleague Lillian Holden says the trail gives the public access to 180 years of African American history.

At the end of the day, having this here and getting community members canoeing and kayaking on this trail is powerful and has a great purpose, Holden said.

Smaller trails can bring something different

Another trail 1,200 miles south in Fort Pierce, Florida, highlights African American history on a smaller scale. All the sites on this self-guided trail are connected to one person: Zora Neale Hurston.

Hurston, author of the classic novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and a major figure in 1920s Harlem Renaissance, spent the last three years of her life in Fort Pierce. She is buried in the Garden of Heavenly Rest Cemetery, one of the stops on the Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks Heritage Trail, which has three large kiosks, eight trail markers, a recently added exhibit and a visitor information center.

Marvin Hobson, president of the Zora Neale Hurston Florida Education Foundation, said there are plans to add a museum and humanities center dedicated to Hurston. He says visitors have paid homage to Hurston in unique ways.

You have people walking this trail who leave various things at her grave site, like gold. So it has been almost like a religious experience for them, he said.

Virtual trails are also available

The Berkshires to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts is rich with African American history. However, exploring all that history in person can be arduous and time-consuming. Thats where the African American Trail Project comes in.

The brainchild of Tufts University professors Kendra Field and Kerri Greenidge, this online resource documents more than 200 sites across Massachusetts spanning five centuries. Among sites in Boston, for example, are the Dorchester North Burying Ground, one of the oldest burial grounds in the state, where three enslaved women are buried, and the Malcolm X  Ella Little-Collins House in Roxbury. Malcolm X lived there for several years as a teenager during the 1940s along with Little-Collins, who was his half-sister and a civil rights activist.

The complexity of history

Greenidge, a Massachusetts native, says putting together this trail was about highlighting the complexity of Black history in the state and how that history goes in multiple directions.

Yes, Boston  but also Cambridge. Yes, abolition  but also Black entrepreneurs in the late 19th century, Greenidge says. I really think this is a big project that looks through that lens.

Exploring the history of African Americans in a larger state like California can be quite an endeavor.

John William Templeton has made it his mission to showcase how the Golden State benefited from the Black experience by creating the California African American Freedom Trail, which encompasses more than 6,000 sites.

Templeton was prompted to create the trail, which exists on paper, online and through guided tours, after doing research for an op-ed on police brutality after the Rodney King beating in 1991 and exploring the history of Black people in California going back to the 1800s. Since then, he has mapped out Black history sites across the Golden State, including writer Maya Angelous childhood home in San Francisco.

Its been exciting doing this trail, which is the first freedom trail on the West Coast, because people who explore this trail are going to find out a different perspective on American history from a Pacific (Ocean) view, Templeton said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: African American history stretches across the US: Trails to visit
Ukrainian artillery teams fire toward Russian positions in Bakhmut. Madeleine Kelly/Getty Images

Ukraine on Tuesday said that 1,030 Russian troops were killed in the past 24 hours.

This would mark the deadliest day for Russian forces since the war began.

Western officials estimate Russia is approaching 200,000 casualties in the war.

Ukraine said on Tuesday that 1,030 Russian troops were killed in the past 24 hours, which would mark the deadliest day for Russia since it invaded last February, per Reuters.

It's extremely difficult to track casualties in active war zones, and Insider could not independently verify this data. Western officials estimate that Russia is approaching 200,000 casualties in the war so far, an astonishing number of dead and wounded in less than a year of fighting, and US Army Gen. Mark Milley, who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in late January that the war in Ukraine is "turning into an absolute catastrophe for Russia."

The Ukrainian military puts the total Russian death toll at 133,190 as fierce fighting continues to rage on in the country's east. Russia has made a hard and costly push to take the city of Bakhmut, which is located in Donetsk  one of four Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed in September, claiming they are a part of Russia even though Russian forces do not fully control or occupy these territories.

Putin announced a partial military mobilization in September, aiming to provide a boost to Russia's struggling war effort. The mobilization did not go well, facing public backlash and leading thousands of Russian men to flee the country. Though Russia was able to address some its manpower concerns through mobilization, there have been numerous reports of Russians being sent to the front line poorly equipped and with little training.

Russia has also turned to the notorious Wagner mercenary group for help addressing its manpower issues. Wagner has recruited thousands of prisoners to serve in the war, and many have reportedly been killed.

Story continues

But despite its growing list of setbacks and failures in the war, Russia has shown no signs of giving up. Ukraine is bracing for Russian forces to launch a major offensive in the near future. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov recently suggested that the offensive could begin around February 24  the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

There are open questions though as to whether a weakened Russian military, which has struggled to make major gains over the course of the war, is capable of mounting a successful offensive.

Russia lacks the munitions and maneuver units "required for successful offensives," the British Defense Ministry said in a daily intelligence update on Tuesday.

The ministry noted that Russian forces have been working to restart major offensive operations in Ukraine since last month, with the operational goal of conquering the Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk.

"Russian leaders will likely continue to demand sweeping advances," the British defense ministry said, adding, "It remains unlikely that Russia can build up the forces needed to substantially affect the outcome of the war within the coming weeks."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The United States plans to sell Poland about $10 billion worth of rocket launchers and ammunition as its neighbor Ukraine braces for a renewed Russian offensive.

The package  which would include 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 45 Army Tactical Missile Systems, the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System and related equipment  would improve the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the State Department announced Tuesday.

The Biden administration notified Congress of the possible sale earlier Tuesday.

U.S. weapons sales to other countries experienced a major jump in the past year largely due to Russias war on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24.

European nations have since rushed to arm themselves, with the biggest buyers including Germany, Poland and others that sit close to Ukraine and Russia, purchasing everything from new fighter aircraft to tanks and missiles.

For this newest sale, Poland intends to use the advanced missile systems to modernize its armed forces and expand its capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats, according to the State Department notice.

Warsaw also will get M1A1 Abrams battle tanks from Washington as part of an estimated $3.75 billion deal to buy 116 of the vehicles, cleared in December, and another $4.75 billion sale for 250 of the systems, inked in April.

News of the latest missile deal follows one of the deadliest days of fighting in the war in Ukraine, with more than 1,000 Russian troops killed on Monday, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

The death count raises the total throughout the conflict to just more than 133,000, with numbers expected to continue to climb as an anticipated Russian offensive involving an estimated 500,000 troops seeks to capture new territory.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The massive truck parked at Bucks County Community Colleges campus in Bristol Township wasn't there for a delivery. This big rig is part of the curriculum  a supersized classroom on wheels for some special students.

Bucks County Community College is using the tractor trailer for education and economic opportunity for new arrivals to the Delaware Valley. It is the first community college in the country to establish federal training program Afghan Open Road for refugees who want to learn to drive and enter the trucking and transportation industry.

While they came to the United States under trying circumstances, when the war in their country ended, participants say they are working to settle here and and get to work.

A truck used in training drivers for CDL parks in the parking lot at Bucks County Community College's Lower Bucks campus on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Bucks County Community College President Felicia Ganther poses for a portrait inside the truck with (standing from left) David Borek, Tracy Timby, Mohammad Bawar, Lori Cushman, Basharmal Paiwind, Donna Kirn and Patrick Murphy at Bucks County Community College's Eugene and Marlene Epstein Lower Bucks campus on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. (Photo: Nur B. Adam / Bucks County Courier Times)

More truck drivers are needed

Since the pandemic is waning, manufacturing has picked up and more people are shopping online, leading to more deliveries and a greater need for truckers to transport goods across the country.

"Afghan Open Road" is part of the federal Department of Transportations Task Force Movement initiative to train military spouses and veterans so they can obtain their commercial driving license (CDL) to drive the big rigs to help fill the countrys need for truck drivers.

The American Trucking Association (ATA) estimates the industry is 80,000 drivers short, fueled by high turnover rates and COVID-19. Those shortages could reach 160,000 by 2030, should current strategies to attract and train new drivers fail, said Tracy Timby, the college's interim associate vice president for Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation

According to labor market data, in the five-county area (of Southeastern Pennsylvania) there are 3,645 job postings and only 291 qualified candidates, she added.

Bucks County Community College President Felicia Ganther poses for a portrait inside a truck in support of Operation Afghan Open Road, a program that trains Afghan refugees to become CDL drivers, at Bucks County Community College's Eugene and Marlene Epstein Lower Bucks campus on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. (Photo: Nur B. Adam / Bucks County Courier Times)

Its about opportunity. Its about the future of America. Its about making sure America gets back to work, said Patrick Murphy, the former Congressman from Bristol tapped by President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to lead the federal task force.

Story continues

BCCC is working to train both veterans and the Afghanis as truck drivers. It has partnered with CC Training, a CDL training firm that works with community colleges to do so. The Afghans in the program are vetted for security clearance, Murphy said.

Murphy stopped at BCCC last week to meet the Afghani student drivers and talk to college President Felicia Ganther about the program geared to their specific needs.

Bucks County Community College is honored to serve as an educational partner for this effort," Ganther said in an email after meeting Murphy on Thursday. Assisting the White House with CDL training for Afghans who nobly assisted our troops during the war there is a gesture of our gratitude for the sacrifices they made to keep Americans safe. As the resettled Afghans find a new life here, Bucks is proud to be a part of helping them get this certification so that they may join our local workforce, financially support their families, and settle into a community that they can call home.

More:After his tour of duty, college gave him a path. Now this vet is helping others go to college in Bucks County

Afghans want to see the country

The program to help the refugees started when David Borek of Doylestown, who operates the trucking placement firm Fluid Shift, met Mohammad Bawar, and his family when they moved to Central Bucks County after coming to the United States in September 2021 as war refugees. He wanted to help Bawar with a job and that led to other Afghanis also wanting to learn how to drive the tractor-trailers once they had a regular drivers license.

It was a collective idea, Borek said. "Were starting the next step. Theyre here to stay. They need good employment opportunities to make money to support their families.

The first cohort of eight drivers has finished their 162 hours of training and another eight are about to begin. Basharmal Paiwand said the Afghans he knows all want the CDL licenses because it can provide them with a good-paying job while allowing them time to learn the English language better.

Anthony Kneisser, an over-the-road truck driver turned CC Training instructor, said that he has visited all 50 states. He hopes his new students will be able to do the same when they receive their CDL, so they can also learn about America.

The Justamere Foundation of Exton is helping to fund the Afghan Open Road program at BCCC with a grant of $224,000. Foundation President Lori Cushman said the foundations purpose is to remove obstacles that keep people from (being) self-sustaining.

"Theyre the ones doing the hard work, she said of the Afghani students.

And while Bucks is the first, seven other states that have taken in refugees are interested in following the pilot program, said Liz Belcaster, of Chicago, who works with Task Force Movement. And the federal government on Jan. 31 issued $3.2 million in grant funding available to community colleges to fund truck driver training for veterans, refugees and underserved communities.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County Community College is first to train Afghan refugees as truck drivers
Pack plenty of water  this one is a doozy.

Think you've climbed every mountain? Searched high and low? Followed every byway and every path you know? Well, The Connected Communities Project is working to remedy that problem by bringing the hiking community a new 600-mile path to enjoy.

The Connected Communities Project, a collaboration between the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS), the U.S. Forest Service, and other community partners, is diligently working to create a 600-mile network of multiuse trails that will one day connect 15 northern California mountain towns to Reno, Nevada. And it will be known as the Lost Sierra Route.

Ken Etzel

"It will create a vision for a recreation-focused lifestyle through community investment, shared stewardship, economic opportunity, and important new local jobs, all benefiting economically disadvantaged communities in California's Plumas, Sierra, Butte, Lassen, and Nevada counties," SBTS explained on its website. "Our work will include planning, environmental review, trail creation, and maintenance of trails. It is the intent of this project to diversify recreation throughout the region, provide economic stability, as well as support fire recovery and prevention efforts."

Courtesy of SBTS

Additionally, SBTS noted, the trail will create a learning landscape and pay homage to the region and historic Gold Rush-era mail delivery route as it makes its way over "breathtaking topography, jagged peaks, and high alpine meadows similar to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the John Muir Trail (JMT)."

But unlike those trails, this one will allow for all "dirt trail travelers," which includes not only hikers, but also mountain bikers, motorcycle riders, equestrians, trail runners, hunters, and fishermen, to create what it calls "A Trail for Everyone."

Along the way, the trail will highlight 15 mountain communities to help support local economies that have been devastated by everything from the loss of the mining industry to more recent events like wildfires and COVID-19.

Story continues

"Each mountain town has something unique to offer in terms of terrain, nature, adventure, food, camping  and all have a rich history to experience," SBTS shared. "Through our Planning Phase, we've captured input from community locals on what they'd like to highlight about their town, where they want trails to be located, and the outdoor experience the neighborhood topography and landscape has to offer."

It's important to note this trail system will take an extensive amount of work and several years to complete. Currently, the trail system is in its development stages, but there are two project areas that will begin construction in 2023; the Quincy to Taylorsville connection, and the East Zone Connectivity and Restoration Project, 10 miles of trail construction are set to begin soon.

Additionally, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy was recently awarded funding to enter into environmental review on trail segments that will connect Loyalton and Sierraville to the East Zone Connectivity and Restoration Project. The entire route is scheduled to debut by 2030.

Want to help the project finish a little sooner? The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is hosting three volunteer weekends, including the Quincy Epic Weekend (April 28-30 and Sept. 22-24) and the Lakes Basin Epic Weekend (Aug. 18-20). Those interested can get more details on sierratrails.org. See all the ways you can get involved and keep track of the progress on the SBTS website.

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
MEXICO CITY, February 08, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a" (Excellent) of Compania Internacional de Seguros, S.A. (CIS) (Panama City, Panama). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect CIS balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses at the strongest level, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

CIS balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), historically positive technical and bottom-line results, its leading position in Panamas insurance market, a strong reinsurance program, a seasoned management team, solid risk-management practices and increased geographic diversification through Aseguradora del Istmo (ADISA) S.A. in Costa Rica. Partially offsetting these positive rating factors are the challenges CIS faces operating in a relatively limited and increasingly competitive insurance market.

CIS initiated operations in 1910 as a multiline insurer and ranks among the top insurance companies in Panama in terms of premium market share. The companys largest business lines include health, automobile, miscellaneous, group and individual life insurance. CIS operates through a network of brokers and office branches in several cities throughout Panama.

Historically, CIS has increased its capital base at a 7.6% compound annual growth rate as a result of positive bottom-line results, driven by a consistent inflow of underwriting and investment income, which reflects the management teams market knowledge and experience. AM Best expects the companys risk-adjusted capitalization to remain stable.

In 2022, CIS solid operating performance was reflected by a combined ratio of 87.8% and a return on earned premiums of 5.6%. These results were supported by continued positive performance in its surety, auto and health businesses, which were the main contributors to the companys net income during the period. The companys gross written premiums grew by 15.4% on a year-over-year basis, driven by the re-opening of important economic sectors previously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as business opportunities in the surety segment, the lift provided by bank assurance for the personal accidents segment and a large new group life account.

Story continues

The company leverages its health segment performance through Blue Cross Blue Shield, a health care provider network in the United States.

Financial income continues to support CIS results; however, the company is not dependent on this revenue to achieve positive bottom-line results. Although CIS maintains a sound risk profile and its overall performance is strong, CIS presented reduced profitability in 2022, as measured by return on equity, with respect to historical trends due to the decline in U.S. equity markets, which generated mark-to-market losses.

Despite the many positive characteristics of CIS, the ratings are limited by the competitive environment present in its domestic market, as well as AM Bests perception of country risk in Panama, which has an AM Best country risk tier ranking of CRT-4, the second-highest level in this scale.

AM Best considers CIS to be well-positioned at its current rating levels, and positive rating actions are not expected in the near term. Factors that might lead to negative rating actions include protracted adverse underwriting and overall operating performance, changes in strategic alliances, a significant deterioration in CIS risk-adjusted capitalization or a downgrade of Panamas country risk tier rating.

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 Bests 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/20230208005913/en/

Contacts

Olga Rubo, FRM

Senior Financial Analyst

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 134

olga.rubo@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Eli Sanchez

Associate Director, Analytics

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 122

eli.sanchez@ambest.com

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098

al.slavin@ambest.com
Experts weigh in on whether or not your phone should sleep elsewhere.

As a child, you may have slept with a teddy bear. These days, teens and adults sleep beside something far less warm and fuzzy. It likely won't come as a surprise that the "thing" is a phone or mobile device.

A 2019 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that rates media and technology, found that 29 percent of teens slept with their phone or another mobile device. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of mobile devices were within reach while they slept. Parents didn't fare any better, with 74 percent keeping a device within reach but only 12 percent bed-sharing with one.

Other research also shows that phone use at night is not simply a "kids-these-days" problem. A 2017 survey of 855 hospital employees and university students with an average age of nearly 44 found that 70 percent of participants engaged in electronic social media use in bed. Almost 15 percent spent more than an hour on it.

But is our new favorite sleep companion preventing our brains from powering off at night? And is it harmful to health in any other ways? Experts discussed the risks of sleeping next to your phone.

Is Sleeping Next to Your Phone Bad for You?

Though it's the norm, sleeping next to or with your phone is not a good idea.

Experts share that's the first problem with sleeping next to your phoneit means you're likely on it before attempting shut-eye.

"The golden rule of sleep is 'only use the bed for sleep,'" says Dr. Alicia Roth, PhD, of Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center. "Getting into bed and using your phone may prevent you from falling asleep and having good sleep quality.

The science agrees with Dr. Roth. A 2020 study indicated that reducing phone use before bed for four weeks improved sleep quality and duration and working memory. Another study of more than 430 people in Saudi Arabia, ages 21 and up, suggested that people who used their smartphones before bed were more likely to get poor sleep.

Story continues

Sleeping next to your phone is like sleeping next to a slot machine," says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.

The odds are not in your favor.

At best, [the phone is] captivating and interestingunlike a book, when you get bored, you change apps or articles and keep searching," Dr. Dimitriu says. "At worst, it's rewarding and stimulating as you read a post or reaction or find a really interesting article you have been meaning to read."

Dr. Roth and Dr. Dimitriu say that pings can wake you up or make it tempting to scroll again after a midnight bathroom run.

"If you have lots of notifications turned on, you will hear every time you have a message or just those random messages from apps," Dr. Roth says.

How Does Sleeping Near Your Phone Affect Sleep?

Dr. Dimitriu compares using a phone to "hunt and find behavior" that animals, like mice, display when foraging for food.

"Smartphone use is a lot of seek-and-find behavior, which is periodically rewarded with a fascinating find," Dr. Dimitriu says. "This type of dopamine slot machine is the opposite of what makes people drift off to sleep. It's just too exciting and occasionally rewarding."

The light coming from the phone doesn't help.

"Phones are also bright, and the blue light suppresses melatoninworse so when it is so close to your face," Dr. Dimitriu says.

A 2022 review indicated that research suggests blue light suppresses melatonin significantly more than other light sources, such as the single-wavelength monochromatic light that emanates from sodium bulbs. In turn, people can see a reduction in sleep quality, deep sleep and alertness when awake.

Combine this already-poor sleep quality with a phone going off with late-night messages or breaking news notifications, and it's a recipe for even fewer Zzzs. Even if you didn't doom scroll in bed, having your device on and near your sleep space can disrupt you.

"Light sleep comprises about 50 percent of any given night of sleep," Dr. Roth says. "And during light sleep, you are vulnerable to environmental changeslight, sound, temperature [and more]. If you are in light sleep and hear a notification or a notification lights up your phone, you may easily awaken."

It's a vicious cycle. If you are struggling to fall back asleepor fall asleep in the first place, the phone beckons.

"You may reach for your phone to look at the time or just get on the phone again," Dr. Roth says. "Social media apps are designed to keep you absolutely glued to the screen, so once you start scrolling, you will have a difficult time stopping."

What About Electromagnetic Fields?

Sleep is vital to your health, and having your cell phone by your bed can disrupt it. But are there other health risks related to sleeping with your phones? Cell phones are a source of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Unlike ionizing sources (sunlight, X-Rays), non-ionizing EMFs are considered low-level radiation and generally perceived as safe for humans, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

But is the consistent exposure (including through the night) an issueand reason to move the phone?

A 2019 study indicated that cell phone use was linked to an increased risk for glioma, a brain or spinal cord tumor. Another on male rats from 2017 noted immune suppressant effects from cell phone radiation. As for actual sleep, an older study from 2012 did not find an association between smartphone EMF and sleep quality.

"Putting all the research together, there is some chance that EMF can have deleterious health effects, and likely fewer effects on sleep," Dr. Dimitriu says. "However, given even a small chance of health impact from EMF, and a definite insomnia impact of having a colorful smartphone within arm's reach, it might be a good idea to leave the phone out of the bedroom if possible."

How To Reduce Harm From Sleeping by Your Phone

Dr. Roth gets it: Phones are a significant part of our lives. We use them to communicate and unwind, for better or worse.

"I dont necessarily advocate for no devices close to bedtimeI think thats really difficult to avoid in our times, but dont bring it into bed with you," Dr. Roth says.

If you must sleep by your phone, try these tips to minimize its effect on your sleep.

Do not disturb

"If you do sleep next to your phone, anything you can do to minimize its interestingness is a plus," Dr. Dimitriu says.

Group chats can get rowdy late at night. So can news outlets. All those messages will still be there in the morning. "Put your phone on silent, so you dont get notifications at all," Dr. Roth says.

You may have a child or family member who uses you as an emergency contact. You can still receive calls from them while muting the rest of the world.

"'Do not disturb is good, but yes, set up exceptions if you want to be available to certain people," Dr. Roth says. You can find the do not disturb function in the settings app on iPhones, Androids and Google phones.

Don't scroll in bed

Dr. Roth understands you may use your phone close to bedtime, but advises against scrolling in bed.

"Reserve the bed and bedroom for sleep alone," Dr. Roth says. "You may be bringing the phone into the bedroom with you as a 'just in case' or for the alarm function, but do not get into bed and doom scroll or do the Wordle."

Using your phone in bed can prevent your brain from going into sleep mode.

"Once you start using your phone in bed, your brain says, 'Huh, we get into bed, and we scroll, so thats what the bed is for,'" Dr. Roth says. "You want your brain to think, 'If Im in bed, Im sleeping.'"

Willpower

You can put boundaries in place, such as do not disturb, but willpower will play a role in minimizing the impact of sleeping near your phone. Take stock: Are the rules on your phone and for yourself working?

"If you can't resist checking, you might need to leave the phone out of the bedroom," Dr. Dimitriu says.

Sources
A Minnesota bear that picked the wrong place to hibernate wound up stuck in the ice in a culvert alongside a road near Wannaska, leading to an ineffective and ill-advised rescue by a well-intentioned public.

Area residents discovered the stuck bear Sunday and attempted to dig the bear out that evening, as reported by TwinCities.com.

We were going to go out there and take every precaution necessary, but basically we just wanted to dig it free enough so it could get out, Spencer Krohn told TwinCities.com.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Ice fisherman catches odd-looking fish that was considered suspicious

Some well-meaning folks started to dig the bear out and tried to feed it before officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources arrived and blocked off the area as evening arrived.

Before then, the citizen rescuers had served him up a smorgasbord of six Pop Tarts, a head of lettuce, a dead sucker minnow, some Fancy Feast cat food, bird seed and a Swedish fish, DNR stated on its Facebook Page.

That might work for The Very Hungry Caterpillar in Eric Carles book, but its no good for bears, DNR wrote. Luckily, because bears dont have the desire to eat in the winter, the bear didnt bite.

The next morning, the bear was sedated by biologists and relocated to another den at the Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area in Marshall County.

The bear denned up in a culvert that began flowing during a recent warmup and became stuck when it tried relocating.

He tried to push himself out and kind of got wedged on some frozen water that had frozen and thawed, frozen and thawed, and got stuck in place and tired, Andy Tri, bear project leader for the DNR, told TwinCities.com.

Using a rope with paw cuffs, conservation officers spent 20 minutes to extract the drugged bear from its icy predicament.

Tri examined the bear and pronounced him healthy, estimated its age at 6 years and its weight at 375 to 400 pounds, and said it was a male.

Story continues

If youre ever concerned about a bears safety by all means give us a call, the DNR wrote on Facebook. But dont try to move it or feed it! Doing so can result in a bad situation (either for you or for the bear).

Tri told TwinCities, I was worried wed have a sick bear mortally wounded or gravely injured or something like that. This is a happy story all the way around.

Photos of the stuck bear, drugged bear and relocated bear courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Story originally appeared on For The Win
Tesla Inc. added more than 100 jobs at its Buffalo factory last year, even as its operations have shifted away from solar energy.

The company, in a report submitted to the state, said it had 1,734 full-time workers at its South Park Avenue factory at the end of 2022, along with another 107 part-time employees.

That tops the 1,460 jobs that Tesla needed to avoid a $41.2 million penalty from the state, which used $950 million in taxpayer funds to build and partially equip the South Buffalo factory.

And the company said in the report it has continued to hire, with employment totaling 1,948 as of Jan. 23, with plans to add another 130 workers by the end of January. That works out to about $468,000 in taxpayer subsidies per job.

"This past year has been another excellent year for Tesla in Buffalo and throughout New York state," said Jeff Munson, the treasurer for the Tesla affiliate that operates the Buffalo plant.

How Tesla built its Buffalo workforce beyond solar to dodge a big state penalty The company said Tuesday that it has 1,619 full-time and 17 part-time employees at the Buffalo factory, comfortably topping the 1,460 jobs that Tesla needed to avoid a $41.2 million penalty from the state.

The report is subject to verification from state officials, and Tesla submitted a revised version of the employment report to state officials earlier this month after the company said it discovered that it had double counted a small number of jobs outside of the Buffalo Niagara region in 2021 and again initially last year. Tesla said it has 528 full-time employees in locations across New York other than the Buffalo factory.

The report did not provide details on what type of work the new Tesla employees are doing in Buffalo or provide any insight into the type of work now going on there.

But previous reports indicate that the mix of jobs at the Buffalo plant is far different from what was originally envisioned when the state paid more than $950 million to build and partially equip a factory that was expected to focus on solar energy.

Tesla still does work on its solar roof at the South Buffalo facility, but the complex and costly product has been difficult to develop and install, keeping production rates low. Tesla executives have not discussed the solar roof or its production in any detail during quarterly conference calls with investors and analysts in more than a year.

To reach its job target, which calls for Tesla to employ a minimum of 1,460 workers in Buffalo, the company has been shifting other types of work to the local plant.

The company is making electronic components for its electric vehicle Superchargers and inverters for some of its battery products in Buffalo.

It also has hired hundreds of people to work on its autonomous driving programs for electric vehicles, although many of those positions are for data annotation work that only requires a high school diploma.

Tesla's agreement with the state, part of the state's Buffalo Billion economic development initiative, only requires the company to have a certain number of jobs in Buffalo. It does not include any provisions on the type of job or how much they pay.

State officials said they were reviewing the report.

"We have received the report, but we are in the process of doing our due diligence," said Pamm Lent, a spokesperson for Empire State Development.

David Robinson: RiverBend equipment sale is a Buffalo Billion disappointment As an economic development program, the highest-profile silver bullet projects in Buffalo Billion have had some costly disappointments and been a victim of overhyped expectations.

The Buffalo plant no longer makes conventional solar panels as part of a partnership with Panasonic, which closed its manufacturing operation before the pandemic after Tesla diverted resources away from its solar business in its all-out push to launch its Model 3 electric vehicle.

Instead, Tesla now is concentrating its solar energy business on its complex and hard-to-install solar roof  a shift that prompted the state to sell or scrap equipment that it paid more than $207 million to acquire for the plant. State officials said those sales were expected to bring in proceeds that were a fraction of the original cost.

With the solar roof still selling at what analysts believe are relatively low levels, Tesla has shifted other types of work to the Buffalo plant.

The data annotation work is growing rapidly, with teams of employees processing data that is being used by Tesla to develop its self-driving vehicle capabilities.

The Buffalo factory also makes versions of the cabinets that house the charging equipment funneling power to individual charging stations, called Posts, which deliver the high-voltage electricity to vehicles.

The factory makes the air- or liquid-cooled cables that connect the Supercharger to vehicles. The liquid-cooled cables allow for the fastest charging speeds.

Tesla officials previously have said the Buffalo factory also makes the company's Powerstage product  an inverter that converts electricity from direct current to alternating current and back again, as needed.

The Powerstages are used in Tesla's Megapack large-scale battery storage systems and other power electronics products.
A bill that could block a project to store spent nuclear fuel at a proposed facility in southeast New Mexico was passed by a second legislative committee and heading to the Senate Floor, despite support from local government leaders from around the potential site.

Senate Bill 53 went before the Senate Judiciary Committee for discussion Feb. 3 and was passed Monday a vote of 8-1.

Holtec International applied for a federal license in 2017 to build the facility that would act as an interim storage site for spent nuclear fuel rods brought into the area via rail from nuclear power plants across the country.

It would represent a $3 billion investment in the local community, the company said, and Holtec was recruited by a consortium of government leaders in Carlsbad, Hobbs and Eddy and Lea counties known as the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance.

More:New contractor takes over nuclear waste disposal at site near Carlsbad under $3B contract

Holtec also agreed to share 30 percent of the sites revenue with ELEA if the project went into operation, in exchange for the Alliances support and promotion of the proposal.

While supporters argued Holtecs project could bring needed economic diversification to the oil- and gas-dependent region, critics from around New Mexico and at the highest levels of state government were wary such a facility could bring with it a heightened risk of exposure to radioactivity during storage and also transportation of the waste.

Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-36) of Las Cruces, a frequent critic of nuclear activities in New Mexico, led the opposition during this years ongoing legislative session, introducing Senate Bill 53 which was passed by the Senate Conservation Committee Jan. 24 on a 6-1 vote.

More:Bill to block nuclear waste storage site near Carlsbad supported by lawmakers via vote

Holtec Chief Nuclear Officer Pierre Oneid argued the facility was proven safe as designed, citing an environmental analysis published in 2021 by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that found the project would have minimal impact and recommended the license be issued.

Story continues

The NRC expected a final decision by the end of 2023.

Oneid urged lawmakers to reject the bill. He was joined in opposition by representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Im here to plead with you not to move this bill to the floor, Oneid said before the committee. The safety and security of transportation and storage of spent nuclear fuel are without reproach.

More:Nuclear weapons waste disposal using Carlsbad-area site draws fears, support from locals

He said the company received local support for its project through ELEA that should be adequate toward building the facility, along with support from former-Gov. Susana Martinez and her cabinet.

If put into operation, Oneid said the site would bring billions of dollars and 550 fulltime jobs to New Mexico, while the company pledged to bring manufacturing and research facilities to the state along with a training center.

We first ensured the support of local cities and counties. Thats what we did first, Oneid said. The storage facility is the first step. Its a down payment in economic development. The overall benefit to New Mexicans will far outlast the life of the proposed storage facility.

More:Diluted plutonium disposed of at Carlsbad nuclear waste site as program draws controversy

Bill would require New Mexicos consent for nuclear waste sites

If passed, SB 53 would ban the storage or disposal of radioactive materials until the State of New Mexico officially consents to such a project, and until a permanent repository is in operation in the case of a temporary site like Holtecs.

The bill would bar the State of New Mexico from issuing any permits, contracts, leases or licenses to such a site until its conditions are met.

While the federal government, by law, is given sole authority to regulate nuclear waste, New Mexico has rights to other aspects of such a facility like wastewater or utilities Holtec would need approvals for.

More:Federal appeals court rules in favor of nuclear waste storage project in West Texas

SB 53 would also expand membership of New Mexico Radioactive Waste Consultation Task Force to include the States Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Department of Indian Affairs the New Mexico State Land Office.

It would adjust the task forces oversight to include private facilities like Holtec, in addition to federal sites as specified in present state statutes.

Nuclear waste faces opposition from New Mexico leaders

Steinborn said the bill was needed policy to prevent the federal government from forcing the risks of high-level nuclear waste onto New Mexicans.

More:Feds ramp up nuclear waste shipments to New Mexico repository, led by out-of-state waste

He reasoned the Holtec facility could also threaten nearby industries in the southeast portion of the state like oil and gas or agriculture.

New Mexico Sen. Jeff Steinborn

Were doing this to preserve the states economy, were doing this to preserve social justice attributes in the state, he said. Those are our main motivations.

Steinborn argued the federal government should not have a right to place a nuclear waste facility in a state like New Mexico that he said does not consent to it.

More:Nuclear waste project in New Mexico opposed in recent poll, company asserts local support

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and multiple members of her cabinet opposed the Holtec proposal during its licensing process, along with local governments around the states urban centers in Bernalillo, Dona Ana and Santa Fe counties.

That process would see at least 10,000 shipments of waste coming into New Mexico, Steinborn said, which all of it potentially passing through southeast New Mexico via a rail spur in Clovis.

This posed an unacceptable risk, he said, that the state must prevent, pointing to a recent program initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy to enact policy that would require state consent for nuclear facilities around the country.

More:Feds push plan to dispose plutonium using nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad

We have a proposal right now to store the entire countrys nuclear waste in New Mexico, Steinborn said before the Judiciary Committee. This is really a relic of a broke federal law, and a loophole that would allow a few people to trigger something on not just the state, but in fact the entire nation without having a permanent repository in place.

Its definitely the tail wagging the dog.

Committee member Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-15), who supported the bill, said the waste should be kept as close to where it is generated as possible until a permanent repository was built.

The federal governments got a real problem. Safest and closest would be the best policy of the federal government, he said. If you create it, you store it.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Bill to block nuclear waste in New Mexico heads to Senate Floor
David Foster

Swansea Police Department

The body of a 50-year-old Illinois man has been found weeks after he went missing in mid-January.

Per a news release from the O'Fallon Police Department, the body of David Foster was discovered in a retention pond at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in O'Fallon on Monday.

Foster apparently drove into the pond after having a medical emergency, the department said.

"We do not suspect any foul play as it was previously reported Mr. Foster may have been suffering from some type of medical emergency and was reported to be in route to the hospital the day he went missing," the department said.

"Our sympathies go out to the family and friends of Mr. David Foster," they added.

In their report, police said Foster was found by a volunteer group, Brother's Underwater Recovery, which specializes in searching for missing people near waterways.

RELATED: Woman Who Died 37 Years Ago After Being Found Unconscious on Ga. Highway Identified as Missing Mom of 4

"The group used a drone to fly over the pond where they observed what they believed to be a submerged vehicle," O'Fallon police said.

"The volunteer group, with the permission from St. Elizabeth's Hospital and the O'Fallon Police Department dove the lake and verified the vehicle was occupied and belonged to David Foster," they continued. "They immediately withdrew and the scene was secured."

RELATED: Missing 22-Year-Old Hiker Found Dead in Calif. Wilderness Park: 'The Family Is Extremely Grieved'

Swansea police Chief Matt Blomberg said Foster had missing since Jan. 13 and was last seen telling someone at work that he wasn't feeling well, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

On social media, some of Foster's loved ones said he had complained of chest pain, and made a stop at his home after leaving work that day, the outlet reported.

RELATED VIDEO: Missing Girl, 17, Likely Froze to Death After Driving Into a Ditch in Rural Wisconsin: Officials

Foster's girlfriend, Lori Thouvenot, told the Post-Dispatch that he worked at a car dealership and was a fan of Spider-Man. He was also a grandfather.

"He was such a good guy," she said. "He could talk to anybody."
Republican Rep. George Santos of New York at the State of the Union Address on February 7, 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images

George Santos and Mitt Romney had what appeared to be a tense exchange at the State of the Union.

C-SPAN cameras captured the interaction, but the two men gave competing accounts.

Following the speech, Santos tweeted that Romney "will NEVER be PRESIDENT!"

Before President Joe Biden entered the chamber to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, Rep. George Santos found himself in an apparently tense conversation with fellow Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.

C-SPAN cameras captured the tense interaction between Santos  the scandal-plagued Long Island congressman  and Romney, the party's 2012 presidential nominee.

Following the speech, the Utah Republican told reporters that Santos is a "sick puppy" who "shouldn't have been there."

"He should be sitting in the back row and being quiet instead of parading in front of the president," he told reporters, noting the ethics inquiries Santos faces.

Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 8, 2023

Santos  not exactly the most reliable interlocutor  claimed to Semafor's Kadia Goba that Romney called him an "ass" and that Santos retorted that Romney is a "much bigger asshole."

And according to CNN, Romney simply told Santos: "You don't belong here."

Santos sat in a seat on the center aisle beside fellow Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, giving him the opportunity to shake dignitaries' hands as they entered the chamber.

He could be seen shaking hands with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Whip John Thune, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and even a couple of Democrats: Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Following the speech, Santos tweeted that Romney "will NEVER be PRESIDENT!"

Story continues

Read the original article on Business Insider
GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ -- A news report from GDToday: Boiled fish with pickled cabbage, sea bass with wine sauce, breaded shrimp stick, Siu Mai... On February 4, China's Guangdong hosted a premade food tasting and exchange activity titled "Chinese New Year with Hometown Flavour" in Toronto, Canada.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a number of officials sent congratulatory letters to the event, extending welcome to Guangdong premade food's entry into the Canadian market and wishing everybody a happy Chinese New Year.

Jean Yip, Member of Parliament of ScarboroughAgincourt, read the congratulatory letter of Mr. Justin Trudeau. In his letter, Mr. Justin Trudeau wrote, "Amidst a range of global challenges, having conversations about food industries, products, and supplies is more important than ever before."

Li Tong, Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, delivered a congratulatory speech at the event. She stated that Chinese food culture is broad and profound, and premade food is the product of the times with huge growth potential. "We hope that Guangdong premade food industry can open up a new prospect in Canada and drive the whole industrial chain's development so as to further China-Canada economic exchanges and practical cooperation."

The event has witnessed the inauguration of the Guangdong Prepared Cuisine Industry Development Center of North America. Initiated by EachTehcnology, the center includes members from prepared food's industrial chains, supply chains and cross-border investment. It is committed to promote the industry's exchanges and development between China and Canada.

Two panel discussions were organized on the premade food industry's development prospects as well as its impact on people's lives. Representatives from local chambers of commerce, Guangdong prepared food enterprises including Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co., Ltd and Evergreen Conglomerate, Canada-based Sunny Foodmart Group were invited to brainstorm ideas on Guangdong premade food's access to Canadian market.

Story continues

"Our products such as Golden Pomfret and Fotiaoqiang are available in major supermarkets in Canada. We are developing more cuisines to serve not only the Chinese community but also international consumers to make them feel as accustomed and convenient as eating pizza," said the representative of Evergreen Conglomerate.

Guests are tasting Guangdong prepared cuisine.

During the event, 200 fish prepared delicacies were donated by the Guangdong Prepared Cuisine Industry Development Center of North America to the elderly Chinese in the Mon Sheong Home for the Aged as a wish for a prosperous new year.

About 100 guests from the Government of Canada, the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, industrial associations, chambers of commerce, catering companies and media outlets have attended the event.

SOURCE GDToday

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/08/c8136.html
Skin Klinic & Day Spa

The Aesthetic-Focused Team Began Offering a New, Longer-Lasting Wrinkle Relaxer Starting December 2022

ROCKLAND, Maine, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BOTOX has long been considered a highly effective and popular injectable for reducing facial lines, but theres now a wrinkle-relaxing treatment injection from Revance Aestheticsand its set to change the world of cosmetic treatments for good. As of Dec. 1, Skin Klinic & Day Spa began providing the new DAXXIFY at their Rockland, Maine-based practice, offering the injectable approved by the FDA to address frown lines between the eyebrows. As of this launch, the Skin Klinic team was the only DAXXIFY provider in the entire state.



Why DAXXIFY? All wrinkle-relaxing injectables provide temporary results, with the bulk of the options treating facial lines for a few months at a time. While patients may be thrilled to see their smoother, fresher-looking skin soon after an injection session, they may also wish that the effects lasted longer so they could enjoy their results more between maintenance visits.

BOTOX has a duration of three to four months, while the results from DAXXIFY last for six months on average and have even been shown to last for up to nine months in a small percentage of people. In other words, DAXXIFY lasts for twice as long as BOTOX and the other popular botulinum toxin injections.

This means that patients could need as few as two appointments per year in order to maintain their skin-smoothing DAXXIFY resultscompared to three or four appointments during the year to maintain the results of other neuromodulators.

DAXXIFY also has a peptide-derived formulation that helps to stabilize the active ingredient, which inhibits communication to the facial muscles where it is injected. The formulation also means that the injectable doesnt have to be refrigerated. Some people prefer the fact that it isnt cold when injected, as they find that the warmer treatment is more comfortable.

Story continues

While DAXXIFY will appeal to many women and men who want to target their frown linesalso known as glabellar lines or 11sthe right treatment for each patient will depend on their unique facial features, goals, and more. The important thing is to start with a consultation.

For more information about the benefits of DAXXIFY, contact Rockland, Maines Skin Klinic & Day Spa. Call (207) 594-7003 or submit a contact form to request a consultation.




On February 7, Boris Pistorius visited Kyiv

Together with Germany and Denmark, the Netherlands are providing Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard-1A5 tanks from industrial stocks, she wrote.

Read also: Germany to transfer 178 Leopard-1A5 tanks to Ukraine

We remain determined to support Ukraine in their fight against the Russian aggression.

Danish news outlet DR Nyheder reported that decommissioned Danish Leopard-1A5 tanks will be prepared and sent to Ukraine within a few months.

Read also: President Zelenskyy, Danish PM Frederiksen visit southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv

The article said that the tanks are no longer part in active service in Denmark, as they were sold in 2010 to German military vehicle manufacturer FFG, though the tanks are still stored in Denmark.

Read also: First of Canadas Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine already in Poland

The Leopard-1A5 tanks are armed with a cannon that is less powerful than the modern Leopard-2 and are also not as well-armored.

Following a meeting with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen in Odesa, President Zelenskyy announced that Copenhagen was ready to join an international coalition to supply tanks to Kyiv.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Dilara Senkaya/Reuters

The death toll from Mondays 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the Turkey-Syria border has topped 11,000 and is climbing as aid agencies warn the coming days could be the worst yet. Hope for those still trapped alive under the rubble has grown dim as freezing temperatures and forecast snowstorms complicate chances for survival.

The World Health Organization warned of a serious risk of survivors in remote areas now freezing to death without electricity, food, water, or shelter. We dont have a tent, we dont have a heating stove, we dont have anything. Our children are in bad shape. We are all getting wet under the rain and our kids are out in the cold, Aysan Kurt, 27, told the Associated Press. We did not die from hunger or the earthquake, but we will die freezing from the cold.

Many aid agencies and NGOs working in the region fear the death toll could increase substantially due to a lack of amenities for those who lost homes. We are already receiving reports of casualties among children and the elderly falling ill and dying because of the cold, Ahmed Mahmoud, Islamic Reliefs country director for Syria, told Middle East Eye. People in tents are burning anything they can find. Some are accidentally setting their tents on fire or suffocating from the fumes they are burning to stay warm inside the tents.

Rescue workers have not even been able to reach many destroyed towns in northern and northwestern Syria, which are under opposition control and surrounded by Russian-backed forces, in part because the roads to the one authorized border crossing checkpoint, Bab al-Hawa, have been heavily damaged. Two other checkpoints have remained closed for years due to Russias veto power on the U.N. Security Council, which supports Bashar al-Assads ruling government.

New York City Student Loses His Little Nieces to Earthquake in Syria

As such, no international aid is getting through despite volunteers from dozens of countries sending manpower and supplies. And Syrias ruling government controls all aid sent to the rebel-held areas, which house some 4.6 million internally displaced people, now being served by the so-called White Helmet civilian defense forces who are stretched thin.

Story continues

The areas worst affected by the earthquake inside Syria look to be run by the Turkish-controlled opposition and not by the Syrian government, Mark Lowcock, former head of United Nations humanitarian affairs. It is going to require Turkish acquiescence to get aid into those areas. It is unlikely the Syrian government will do much to help.

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.
NYSE American:EU

TSXV:EU

www.encoreuranium.com

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - enCore Energy Corp. ("enCore" or the "Company") (NYSE American: EU) (TSXV: EU) today announces that it has closed its previously announced public offering (the "Offering") of units (the "Units") of the Company. Pursuant to the Offering, the Company issued a total of 10,615,650 Units at a price of C$3.25 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of C$34,500,862.50, including the full exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the Underwriters (as defined herein) under the Offering.

enCore Energy Logo (CNW Group/enCore Energy Corp.)

The Offering was conducted through a syndicate of underwriters led by Canaccord Genuity, as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, and including Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation and Haywood Securities Inc. (collectively, the "Underwriters") pursuant to an underwriting agreement dated January 25, 2023 entered into among the Company and the Underwriters.

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Unit Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$4.05 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months following the closing of the Offering.

The Company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the Offering to fund amounts required to be paid to complete the Company's previously announced pending acquisition of the Alta Mesa ISR uranium project (the "Alta Mesa Acquisition") and to maintain and advance the Company's material properties, acquire properties, plant upgrades, drilling, maintenance and refurbishment, community outreach and communications, licensing and permitting, and for general corporate and working capital purposes, all in the manner as set forth in the short form prospectus of the Company dated February 3, 2023 and filed in connection with the Offering (the "Prospectus").

Story continues

The Offering remains subject to the final approval of the NYSE American and TSX Venture Exchange.

The Prospectus has been filed with the securities commissions or similar securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada except Quebec. A registration statement on Form F-10 (including such Prospectus) (the "Registration Statement") has also been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for the Offering. The Prospectus and the Registration Statement contain important detailed information relating to the Company and the Offering.

Investors should read the Prospectus and the Registration Statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the Offering. A copy of these documents is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Copies may also be obtained in Canada from Canaccord Genuity Corp., 40 Temperance Street, Suite 2100, Toronto, ON M5H 0B4 and in the United States from Canaccord Genuity LLC, 99 High Street, Suite 1200, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, Attn: Syndicate Department, by telephone at (617) 371-3900, or by email at prospectus@canaccordgenuity.com.

About enCore Energy Corp.

enCore Energy is the most diversified In-Situ Recovery (ISR) uranium development company in the United States and recently announced it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Alta Mesa In-Situ Recovery uranium project. The Alta Mesa Acquisition will position enCore as a leading US-focused ISR uranium company with the proven management expertise required to advance multiple production opportunities within its portfolio. enCore is focused on becoming the next uranium producer from its licensed and past-producing South Texas Rosita Processing Plant by 2023. The South Dakota-based Dewey-Burdock project and the Wyoming Gas Hills project offer mid-term production opportunities, with significant New Mexico uranium resource endowments providing long-term opportunities. The enCore team is led by industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of ISR uranium operations and the nuclear fuel cycle. enCore is committed to engaging and working with local communities and indigenous governments to create positive impact from corporate developments.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release, including: any information relating to the Company being a leading uranium company; the use of proceeds from the Offering; the ability of the Company to complete the Alta Mesa Acquisition and to realize the expected benefits of the Alta Mesa Acquisition; final approvals relating to the Offering; and any other statements regarding future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; may constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "is expected", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companies' ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; risks associated with accessing additional funding required for the transactions and operations discussed in this news release; the use of proceeds of the Offering; obtaining final approvals relating to the Offering; the Company's ability to complete the Alta Mesa Acquisition; future legislative and regulatory developments; the ability of enCore to implement its business strategies; and other risks. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation exploration and development risks, changes in commodity prices, access to skilled mining personnel, the results of exploration and development activities; uninsured risks; regulatory risks; defects in title; the availability of materials and equipment, timeliness of government approvals and unanticipated environmental impacts on operations; risks posed by the economic and political environments in which the Company operates and intends to operate; market instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential for losses arising from the expansion of operations into new markets; increased competition; assumptions regarding market trends and the expected demand and desires for the Company's products and proposed products; reliance on industry manufacturers, suppliers and others; the failure to adequately protect intellectual property; the failure to adequately manage future growth; adverse market conditions, the failure to satisfy ongoing regulatory requirements and factors relating to forward looking statements listed above which include risks as disclosed in the companies' annual information form filings. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the various securities commissions which are available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of management. Such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes and readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/encore-energy-closes-c34-5m-public-offering-301742023.html

SOURCE enCore Energy Corp.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/08/c0587.html
Soledad O'Brien is an award-winning journalist and is also an author, entrepreneur, reporter and executive producer known for the 2022 documentary film The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.

As Black History Month is celebrated across the nation, part of Florida A&M Universitys celebration will include an evening with award-winning journalist Soledad OBrien on campus Thursday.

The highly acclaimed journalist  who is also an author, entrepreneur, reporter and executive producer known for the 2022 documentary film The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks  will join FAMU President Larry Robinson for a Black History Month Conversation event at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Lee Hall Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Topics discussed will include clips from the film about Parks and her activism as the documentary continues to stream on Peacock since its release in October.

Were delighted to welcome Soledad OBrien to our campus for this timely conversation about Rosa Parks, an American icon, Robinson said in a prepared statement. Soledads career is a testament to her unstinting passion and commitment to tell important, often overlooked stories. We look forward to hearing the conversation about this true heroine of the Civil Rights Movement.

Larry Robinson is the president of Florida A&M University.

Black History Month in the headlines:A doctor, blood and the human spirit: Black History Month opens with a song

More:Opening Nights acts put spotlight on Black History Month

A Saint James, New York native with Black, Cuban, Australian and Irish roots, OBrien is well decorated with numerous awards that include three Emmys, the George Peabody award, the NAACPs Presidents Award and the Gracie Allen Award.

Having been a first-generation student, she received her bachelors degree in English and American literature from Harvard University in 1988.

Early on in OBriens career, she worked at NBC News in New York City in 1991 as a field producer for Nightly News and Today."

She has also reported and anchored for NBC News, MSNBC and CNN, appeared in networks such as Fox and Oxygen and wrote the books "Latino in America and The Next Big Story: My Journey through the Land of Possibilities."

Story continues

The trailblazer wears many hats as she currently reports for HBO Real Sports, the PBS NewsHour and WebMD while also anchoring and producing the Hearst Television political magazine program Matter of Fact with Soledad OBrien.

As the founder and CEO of Soledad OBrien Productions  a documentary production company that tells untold stories about issues related to race, class, poverty and more  O'Brien played a significant role in the 2022 film on Parks as her company helped produce the movie.

Saturday marked the late civil rights activists 110th birthday.

Related news:Going beyond the bus on Rosa Parks' birthday | Candace McKibben

More:Here are the honorees featured in TCC's 23rd annual African-American history calendar

More:Which MLK Jr. quote is most relevant today? Tallahassee community members reflect

Rosa Parks mentored and was a champion of youth activists, OBrien, 56, said in a university release. I cant think of a better way to celebrate her and her legacy than by speaking to the students at FAMU. They are the leaders of today and tomorrow.

In addition to Thursdays event featuring OBrien, here are other activities being held by FAMU throughout February to celebrate Black History Month:

Afro-Cuban Dance Lesson - Feb. 15 at 6 p.m., FAMU Student Unions Dance Studio

Black History Trivia with the Greeks - Feb. 22 at 6 p.m., FAMU Rattler's Den

Annual Harambee Festival - Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Cascades Park

Student Pop-Up Shop - Feb. 27 at 11 a.m., Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater Lawn

2nd Annual Trailblazers Awards - Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m., FAMU Grand Ballroom

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU to host Soledad OBrien for Black History Month Conversation
Voters have until Feb. 14 to change their party affiliation for the June 27 primary, Erie County Board of Elections Commissioners Ralph M. Mohr and Jeremy J. Zellner report.

Only those enrolled in the Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties will get to vote in the primary election contests in Erie County.

To change party enrollment, voters must fill in a new registration form and return it by 5 p.m. Feb. 14 to the Board of Elections at 134 W. Eagle St., Buffalo, NY 14202. Forms are available online at elections.erie.gov or at libraries and many county and state agency offices. Enrollment also can be changed online at dmv.ny.gov.

Deadline to register to vote in the June primary is June 17, the first day of early voting. For more information, call 716-858-8891 or visit the Board of Elections website.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO / ACCESSWIRE / February 8, 2023 / Fortitude Gold Corp. (OTCQB:FTCO) (the "Company") announced multiple high-grade gold drill intercepts below the Isabella Pearl open pit. Oxide intercepts include 3.05 meters grading 15.15 grams per tonne gold (g/t) within 21.34 meters grading 7.21 g/t gold, and 18.29 meters grading 3.72 g/t gold. Non-oxide intercepts include 6.10 meters grading 12.17 g/t gold within 41.15 meters grading 6.25 g/t gold. Fortitude Gold is a gold producer, developer, and explorer with operations in Nevada, U.S.A. offering investors exposure to both gold production and dividend yield.

Isabella Pearl drill highlights include (m=meters, g/t=grams per tonne, "oxide"=heap leachable, "non-oxide"=non-heap leachable) (full drill table below):

Reverse Circulation holes drilled into Isabella Pearl open pit:

Hole# IPRC-353:

21.34 m of 7.21 g/t gold (oxide)

incl.

3.05 m of 15.15 g/t gold

41.15 m of 6.25 g/t gold (non-oxide)

incl.

4.57 m of 10.67 g/t gold, and

6.10 m of 12.17 g/t gold

Hole# IPRC-355:

16.76 m of 6.47 g/t gold (non-oxide)

incl.

4.57 m of 13.34 g/t gold

Hole# IPRC-357:

44.20 m of 2.86 g/t gold (non-oxide)

incl.

16.76 m of 5.07 g/t gold

Hole# IPRC-358:

35.05 m of 3.78 g/t gold (non-oxide)

incl.

13.72 m of 6.45 g/t gold

Hole# IPRC-359:

18.29 m of 3.72 g/t gold (oxide)

Reverse circulation holes drilled outside of open pit:

Hole# IPRC-365:

12.19 m of 1.29 g/t gold (oxide)

incl.

3.05 m of 2.65 g/t gold

Hole# IPRC-371:

9.14 m of 1.34 g/t gold (oxide)

incl.

3.05 m of 2.17 g/t gold

This drill program completed during the fourth quarter of 2022 was designed to test below the projected future Isabella Pearl open pit floor and walls testing for additional oxide ore and to further define minable ore blocks. The program was also designed to better define the transition zone between oxide heap leachable ore and non-heap leachable mineral resources. Oxide and certain transitional gold ores at Isabella Pearl can be processed by using a standard heap leach process, while non-oxide gold ore requires a special milling process for gold extraction and is not currently part of the Company's business plan. Intercepts are being evaluated for possible inclusion into the updated mineral resource inventory.

Story continues

"This drill program has given us a better understanding of the oxide and transitional ore blocks in the targeted bottom of the open pit that can be processed using our existing heap leach pad and recovery plant," stated Mr. Barry Devlin, Vice President of Exploration for Fortitude Gold. "In addition, blocks of oxide and transitional mineralization have been identified below the targeted pit bottom and we are working to include a portion of this mineralization in the upcoming mineral resource update."

"Oxide intercepts including twenty-one meters of over seven grams per tonne gold underscore what an amazing deposit the Isabella Pearl is," stated Mr. Jason Reid, CEO and President of Fortitude Gold. "We look to get as much of this oxide and transitional material in the mine plan as possible which is likely to warrant a modification request to our permit to extend and mine the pit a few benches deeper. Though we do not have a current plan to mine nor the facilities to process the high-grade non-oxide gold ore at Isabella Pearl, it is exciting to see non-oxide intercepts including forty-one meters grading over six grams gold and consider future optionality for this material."

Fortitude Gold Corporation, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, Press release picture

ISABELLA PEARL, FEBRUARY 2023 DRILL SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS Hole # Angle From Interval Au Hole # Angle From Interval Au deg Meters Meters g/t deg Meters Meters g/t IPRC-353 (oxide) -90 0.00 21.34 7.21 IPRC-366 (non-oxide) -71 79.25 39.62 1.25 incl. 0.00 3.05 15.15 incl. 80.77 7.62 2.43 incl. 12.19 1.52 11.10 143.26 9.14 0.64 incl. 19.81 1.52 11.20 incl. 149.35 3.05 1.01 IPRC-353 (non-oxide) -90 21.34 41.15 6.25 176.78 6.10 0.82 incl. 24.38 4.57 10.67 incl. 176.78 1.52 1.60 incl. 47.24 6.10 12.17 IPRC-367 (non-oxide) -52 85.34 3.05 0.81 67.06 1.52 1.00 99.06 12.19 1.81 IPRC-354 (non-oxide) -45 36.58 3.05 2.21 incl. 106.68 4.57 2.60 50.29 13.72 4.67 121.92 1.52 0.98 incl. 50.29 3.05 11.91 167.64 6.10 1.11 IPRC-355 (non-oxide) -55 44.20 16.76 6.47 IPRC-368 (non-oxide) -70 80.77 9.14 2.07 incl. 50.29 4.57 13.34 incl. 88.39 1.52 7.00 IPRC-356 (non-oxide) -46 30.48 15.24 3.21 96.01 6.10 1.34 incl. 30.48 6.10 4.58 109.73 13.72 1.19 54.86 6.10 10.40 incl. 109.73 1.52 2.36 incl. 56.39 1.52 16.90 149.35 3.05 0.84 incl. 59.44 1.52 15.60 IPRC-369 (non-oxide) -51 76.20 9.14 1.24 IPRC-357 (non-oxide) -54 18.29 44.20 2.86 115.82 32.00 1.36 incl. 44.20 16.76 5.07 incl. 123.44 4.57 3.46 IPRC-358 (non-oxide) -54 7.62 35.05 3.78 incl. 143.26 3.05 2.18 incl. 9.14 1.52 5.56 IPRC-371 (oxide) -71 22.86 9.14 1.34 incl. 22.86 13.72 6.45 incl. 24.38 3.05 2.17 IPRC-359 (oxide) -88 0.00 18.29 3.72 IPRC-371 (non-oxide) -71 129.54 21.34 1.19 IPRC-359 (non-oxide) -88 35.05 3.05 2.29 incl. 146.30 1.52 2.21 IPRC-361 (non-oxide) -70 118.87 10.67 1.96 IPRC-372 (oxide) -51 15.24 10.67 0.70 incl. 120.40 3.05 4.17 IPRC-372 (non-oxide) -51 124.97 10.67 1.58 138.68 10.67 1.08 incl. 126.49 1.52 2.18 IPRC-362 (non-oxide) -50 150.88 3.05 1.15 incl. 132.59 1.52 2.21 161.54 13.72 1.74 IPRC-373 (oxide) -84 30.48 1.52 0.91 incl. 169.16 3.05 3.66 IPRC-373 (non-oxide) -84 146.30 21.34 0.90 IPRC-363 (non-oxide) -72 70.10 4.57 0.97 incl. 155.45 4.57 1.49 79.25 19.81 1.74 175.26 3.05 1.05 incl. 89.92 3.05 4.17 IPRC-375 (non-oxide) -51 143.26 10.67 1.17 105.16 28.96 1.10 incl. 143.26 1.52 2.45 incl. 109.73 1.52 1.72 161.54 3.05 0.68 175.26 6.10 1.14 IPRC-376 (non-oxide) -71 144.78 3.05 0.72 incl. 179.83 1.52 1.73 IPRC-377 (non-oxide) -49 152.40 7.62 1.05 IPRC-364 (oxide) -70 25.91 9.14 0.37 IPRC-378 (non-oxide) -71 184.40 3.05 1.35 IPRC-364 (non-oxide) -70 140.21 4.57 0.65 IPRC-379 (non-oxide) -50 172.21 9.14 0.98 IPRC-365 (oxide) -51 24.38 12.19 1.29 incl. 173.74 3.05 1.62 incl. 25.91 3.05 2.65 Assays by Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories, Sparks, Nevada, USA. Meters downhole, not true width. Additional drill results continue below. IPRC-365 (non-oxide) -51 124.97 3.05 0.78

ISABELLA PEARL, FEBRUARY 2023 DRILL SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS (Continued) Hole # Angle From Interval Au Hole # Angle From Interval Au deg Meters Meters g/t deg Meters Meters g/t IPRC-380 (oxide) -63 15.24 10.67 0.38 IPRC-384 (oxide) -81 13.72 10.67 0.43 IPRC-380 (non-oxide) -63 230.12 7.62 0.70 IPRC-384 (non-oxide) -81 138.68 15.24 0.76 incl. 231.65 1.52 1.10 incl. 141.73 3.05 1.30 IPRC-381 (oxide) -78 18.29 1.52 1.14 IPRC-385 (oxide) -62 15.24 3.05 0.37 IPRC-381 (non-oxide) -78 205.74 7.62 1.46 25.91 3.05 0.45 222.50 4.57 0.78 IPRC-385 (non-oxide) -62 120.40 24.38 0.79 IPRC-382 (oxide) -62 16.76 3.05 1.02 incl. 121.92 6.10 1.24 incl. 132.59 3.05 1.09 Assays by Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories, Sparks, Nevada, USA. Meters downhole, not true width. Oxide intercepts are at a 0.3 g/t Au cutoff, whereas non-oxide intercepts are at a 0.6 g/t Au cutoff. Non-oxides are defined by assays having a cyanide leach/fire assay ratio of less than 0.4.

About Fortitude Gold Corp.:

Fortitude Gold is a U.S. based gold producer targeting projects with low operating costs, high margins, and strong returns on capital. The Company's strategy is to grow organically, remain debt-free and distribute substantial dividends. The Company's Nevada Mining Unit consists of five high-grade gold properties located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt and a sixth high-grade gold property in west central Nevada. The Isabella Pearl gold mine, located on the Isabella Pearl mineralized trend, is currently in production. Nevada, U.S.A. is among the world's premier mining friendly jurisdictions.

Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. If you are risk-averse you should NOT buy shares in Fortitude Gold Corp. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are 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. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding the Company's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the Company on the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, the scope, duration, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mining operations, Company employees, and supply chains as well as the scope, duration and impact of government action aimed at mitigating the pandemic may cause future actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Also, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate.

Contact:

Greg Patterson

719-717-9825

greg.patterson@fortitudegold.com

www.Fortitudegold.com

SOURCE: Fortitude Gold Corporation





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/738469/Fortitude-Gold-Intercepts-High-Grade-Including-2134-Meters-Grading-721-gt-Gold-Below-Isabella-Pearl-Pit




Harry Brook launched nine sixes before falling for 97 as England kicked off their tour of New Zealand with a typically assertive batting performance in Hamilton.

After two sessions the tourists had racked up 375 for six, scoring at a punishing rate of 7.2 an over as their bold approach to the longest format continued to provide plenty of thrills and spills.

Captain Ben Stokes opted not to take the field, allowing Ollie Pope to lead the side instead. There are no injury doubts over the skipper, who was said to be happy with his preparations and did not feel the need to face the local attack.

Brook, who scored three centuries in as many Tests during the whitewash over Pakistan before Christmas, was in electric form as he lashed a New Zealand XI to all parts of Seddon Park on the first of two days of warm-up action.

Rookie leg-spinner Adi Ashok bore the brunt, pounded for five consecutive sixes in an over after Brook blocked the first delivery.

The first of those maximums not only cleared the boundary rope, it also soared straight over an ambulance, beyond a security fence and on to the main road out of the ground.

Brook also showed his class against a proven international performer, lacing a flat pull for six more off Kyle Jamieson, the 6ft 8in Black Caps seamer who is set to feature in the Test series later this month.

The Yorkshiremans innings ended in fitting fashion after 71 balls, aiming an uppercut at Jarrod McKay and being caught on the ropes at deep third. A few more inches on the shot and it would have been a tenth six and another hundred.

Joe Root had earlier made a thoroughly accomplished 77 while Dan Lawrence, who looks set to carry the drinks in the series proper, thrashed a lively 85. Zak Crawley (17), Ben Duckett (32) and Pope (26) all failed to kick on after getting starts.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address Tuesday night to cheers and standing ovations from Democrats and heckling from Republican lawmakers.

The president stressed bipartisanship, his economic plan and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, among other accomplishments of his administration.

Smart analysis delivered to your inbox: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

More: Intel chair: China balloon flew over nuke sites; Biden faces divided Congress in SOTU: recap

"Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the union is strong," he said.

But amid the grand sweep of the president's annual address to Congress, there were moments  combative and comforting  that also stood out. Here's what you may have missed from Biden's State of the Union address:

Mitt Romney, George Santos face off before speech

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, had a tense exchange with Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., as they entered the chamber, CNN reported.

You dont belong here, Romney told him, a lawmaker who witnessed the exchange told CNN.

Santos is facing intense criticism for fabricating parts of his resume and is under investigation for campaign finance reports that have raised questions.

Romney told reporters after the speech that Santos "is a sick puppy" and "shouldn't have been there," adding that Santos should have been in the back row of the chamber "sitting quietly" instead of "parading in front of the president" as he sat in an aisle seat.

Pushing police reform, Biden acknowledges Tyre Nichols' parents at SOTU

Biden on Tyre Nichols: 'Everybody has right to be able to go home at night.'

The mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, attended the speech as guests of first lady Jill Biden.

Nichols died after he was stopped for a traffic violation. His mother and stepfather have vowed to fight for police reform.

Story continues

"There's no words to describe the heartache or grief of losing a child, but imagine if you lost that child at the hands of the law," he said in a hushed chamber, glancing toward Nichols' parents, who were tearful in the upper part of the chamber.

Biden said the country needs to come together to finish the job on police reform.

"Let's commit ourselves to make the words of Tyre's mom true: 'Something good must come of this,'" he said to a standing ovation from the chamber.

'Liar!' Republicans boo Biden on Social Security, Medicare

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., yells during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Feb. 7, 2023.

Tension has been building between the two parties over Social Security and Medicare. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said Republicans will not cut the programs, but Democrats argue that lowered government spending could result in reductions because those entitlement programs make up an enormous portion of the federal budget.

"Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage unless I agree to their economic plans," Biden said. "All of you at home should know what those plans are. Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset."

The comment led to Marjorie Taylor Greene standing up and yelling liar! as other Republican lawmakers booed. McCarthy shook his head.

More: Marjorie Taylor Greene, other Republicans spar with Biden over Social Security, Medicare

"Anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I'll give you a copy of the proposal," Biden responded.

OK, so we all apparently agree, Biden said later. Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right?

His comment resulted in bipartisan cheers. Biden promised he would veto anything that sought to cut Social Security or Medicare.

Biden: 'No place for political violence'

Paul Pelosi, right, is recognized by President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, attended the speech as a guest in his first appearance during a joint session of Congress since he was attacked in his home last October.

Suspect David DePape is accused of breaking into the Pelosis' San Francisco home and assaulting Paul Pelosi with a hammer. The attack fractured his skull, and he needed surgery. DePape yelled, "Where's Nancy?" after he entered the home and carried zip ties with him during the break-in, police said.

Biden referenced the political violence and the insurrectionists who used similar language when storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"There's no place for political violence in America," Biden said. "We must give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor."

Republicans to Biden: 'It's your fault'

Biden said fentanyl is killing more than 70,00 Americans a year and the comment brought backlash from Republicans in the chamber.

"It's your fault!" a few Republicans shouted, including Greene, a member of the House Oversight Committee which is looking at issues at the southern border.

"Let's start a major search to stop fentanyl productions," Biden said, calling for a campaign to stop the sale and trafficking of the drug.

Biden blames deficit surge on Trump

President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington.

Biden took a jab at former President Donald Trump's administration for increasing the federal deficit, which he said has been significantly cut under his administration.

For the last two years, my administration has cut the deficit by more than $1.7 trillion, the largest deficit reduction in American history, Biden said.

His comments led to booing from Republicans.

Contributing: Candy Woodall contributed to this reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heckles, spats and deflection: What you missed at State of the Union
Iowa Teen Jumps into Action to Save 83-Year-Old Man and His Dog Who Fell Through Ice

Dickinson County Sheriff's Office - Iowa/Facebook

An Iowa teen and four other men helped save an elderly man and his dog over the weekend after watching their Jeep plunge into a local lake.

Thomas Lee, 83, was heading to his son-in-law's fishing shack with his 6-year-old dog Cooper around 3 p.m. on Saturday when his car plunged into East Okoboji Lake, according to the Des Moines Register.

The man and his dog "went through the ice" under the Highway 71 bridge, according to a press release from the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office.

Joe Salmon, 17, was ice fishing and watching snowmobile races nearby when he saw the Jeep enter the water, per the Register's report.

After dialing 911, the teenager entered the icy water himself in an attempt to rescue the man and his dog, the Register reported.

RELATED: Stranded Fishermen Who Used Drink Cooler as a Life Raft Rescued After Capsizing Near Australia

Iowa Teen Jumps into Action to Save 83-Year-Old Man and His Dog Who Fell Through Ice

Dickinson County Sheriff's Office - Iowa/Facebook

"I took one step and [the water] went to about my chest," Salmon told the newspaper. "I got on the bumper of the rear and tried opening the back door, but all the windows were locked, but one guy gave me a knife and I hit the back glass a couple of times."

After breaking through the glass, Salmon managed to pull Cooper to safety. Lee got stuck multiple times before he managed to escape.

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.

Four other men  Corey McConnell, 30, of Spirit Lake; Kody Harrelson, 26, of Nevada; Cody Chester, 27, of Estherville; and Chris Parks, 27, of Hawarden  also assisted in the rescue, per the reports.

The sheriff's office post said the group of men helped pull both the man and his dog to safety as their car sank to the bottom of the lake.

Video of the rescue  shared on Facebook via Drone Photographs by Tom Gustafson  shows the moments when both Lee and Cooper were successfully pulled from the submerged vehicle.

Story continues

The lake was about 3 to 4 feet deep where the Jeep fell through, Park said, per the Register.

Iowa Teen Jumps into Action to Save 83-Year-Old Man and His Dog Who Fell Through Ice

Dickinson County Sheriff's Office - Iowa/Facebook

A nearby business, called the Okoboji Store, gave all six men space to dry off following the harrowing ordeal, according to the sheriff's office.

Lee was later transported to Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, the DCSO said. Both he and his dog are "doing well," they added.

RELATED: 2 Pilots Survive 'Miraculous' Escape from Boeing 737 Tanker Crash While Fighting Fires in Australia

Salmon was assessed at the scene for minor cuts he received from the glass, but was otherwise uninjured, the Register reported. He was given some dry clothing from the Okoboji Store before returning to ice fishing.

"I'm happy that he was okay and the dog was okay," Salmon said. "It was just crazy at the time. I've never done anything like that."
Hundreds of brides-to-be congregated at the Carl Perking Civic Center on Sunday, Jan. 8 for the 27th annual Jackson Bridal Show, the largest event of its kind in West Tennessee.

Dozens of vendors set up shop to offer services, including floral arrangements, catering, officiating, dress and suit fittings, hair and makeup tips, preparing for a destination wedding, and every aspect that goes into planning the big day.

Models wear different wedding dresses from My Best Friend Jenna during a fashion show portion of the Jackson Bridal Show at the Carl Perkins Convention Center on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Jackson, Tenn.

It also featured a runway of 11 models who showcased an array of wedding gowns to fit the need of any bride, hosted by My Best Friend Jenna  a bridal and formalwear boutique.

A few vendors shared their secrets on making your wedding day go smoothly as one of the most memorable days of your life.

Studio 107: Space for primping on big day

For a brides spray tanning and make-up glam needs, Studio 107 owner Tiffany Vollmers 30 years of experience as a make-up artist propelled her into the wedding sphere.

She moved to Jackson in March of 2022 and committed herself to her passion by signing a five-year lease at the studio where she currently operates.

Attendees take photos and look at vendors booths as models show off different wedding dresses from My Best Friend Jenna during the Jackson Bridal Show at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Jackson, Tenn.

For me to have it be cost-effective to come to you, because a lot of people call me from Milan and Lexington, I didnt have a brick-and-mortar place until now, Vollmer added.

Additionally, she plans to use the large, exposed indoor brick wall at her location as a co-operation for local artists and photographers who seek to use it as a site for headshots or creating their art. The lighting and location of her business offers the opportunity for Vollmer to execute her best work for brides to be.

Its just a cool space, and theres nothing like it, Vollmer said. Ive done this for so long that last year in Nashville I can not tell you how many times I went to hotels to get girls ready, and I had horrible lighting, not enough plug-ins, and one bathroom for ten girls. Now they can get ready here and move freely, and it be the coolest space theyve ever been in.

A model wears a dress from My Best Friend Jenna as a veil is added on during a fashion show portion of the Jackson Bridal Show at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Jackson, Tenn.

Above and Beyond Flowers & More - 28 years of experience

Terrance Spearman has been in the service of accommodating brides for all their floral needs, tuxedo rentals, and event planning for the last 28 years. Over the years, Spearman estimates hes been involved in the planning of 117 weddings.

Story continues

A worker for Sawyers Catering hands a sample to an attendee during the Jackson Bridal Show at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Jackson, Tenn.

Do I like what Im doing? No. I love it, Spearman said.

He adds that the most fulfilling part of being in the wedding industry is seeing the satisfaction on clients faces.

When someone allows you to be a part of their special occasion, that means something to me and I take that personally, he added. Then to see them fulfilled and satisfied, its priceless.

Elegant Events & Rentals, accommodating any event

A rental company that has no limits to the type of event that they can put on, Elegant Events & Rentals is run by Gayle Hudson.

The Henderson-based business offers everything from wedding planning to hosting large-party dinners.

We do tents for outside events, we do big-scale draping and lighting, and we do everything else, Hudson said. Im a one-stop shop, and you could do your whole event with me. Catering, dishes, all of your decorations, linens, tables, and chairs.

Hailey David points at a wedding dresses on display with her daughters Sadie David, 9, and Emma David, 6, during the Jackson Bridal Show at Carl Perkins Civic Center on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Jackson, Tenn.

Having only commenced her journey into event planning one year ago, she combined her background in both accounting and interior design to seamlessly execute her event-planning visions.

I had always had jobs that were either this one or that one, and someone said you have to choose, and I said why do I have to choose? Hudson said. So this lets me do both because putting together an estimate and helping someone plan within a budget, thats my accounting side, and then I get to go and put it up, and thats my creative side.

Lisa Lemonds looks at a wedding dress on display at Rinas Bridal Boutiques booth during the Jackson Bridal Show at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in Jackson, Tenn.

Her sister-in-law had informed her about an event planner in Henderson who was selling all of their rental inventory, to which her husband encouraged her by noting if thats not the perfect business for you, what is?

To make their day magical, you get to walk away with that, Hudson said. Theres so much in this world that pulls us down and then when you get to see somebody just open up and glow when they see what you created for them, thats wonderful to me and gives me purpose to get up the next day and do it again.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: The 27th annual Jackson Bridal Show returns to downtown
JCPS is building a new middle school on Echo Trail Road in eastern Jefferson County. March 16, 2022

Members of the Jefferson County Board of Education unanimously approved the names of three new schools set to open in August, one of which was altered slightly by Superintendent Marty Pollio during Tuesday's board meeting.

The new elementary school being built on 18th and Broadway will be named after William Perry Sr., a Louisville native who was Kentucky's first Black board-certified physician.

Prior to the meeting, Pollio had intended to recommend the new West End elementary be named Perry Wheatley Elementary, a combination of the names of Perry and Phyllis Wheatley. Two nearby elementary schools were named after the two historical figures, but Roosevelt-Perry Elementary closed after becoming the new Grace James Academy this school year, and Wheatley will close in August.

While several community members showed to the meeting to speak in support of naming the school solely after Perry, Pollio said the district will still honor Wheatley, a highly regarded poet from the late 1700s, in some fashion on the Perry campus and pointed to the district's facilities plan as an opportunity to name newly constructed schools after more historical figures.

The new middle school in western Louisville will be named after the late J. Blaine Hudson, which several audience members clapped and cheered for upon approval. Hudson grew up in the West End and was a dean and longtime University of Louisville professor.

Prior to working at U of L, Hudson was a student leader within its Black Student Union in the 1960s, when he was arrested for occupying an administration building as part of a call for creating a Black studies program, according to the university's website. His work as a professor focused on African American history, particularly the underground railroad.

While the new middle school's location has not been selected, it will be the first one built in the predominantly Black area since the 1950s.

More:New group wants to help teachers across Kentucky teach Black history

Story continues

The third of the new schools to open will be a middle school in eastern Louisville on Echo Trail, which is the name the board appoved.

Ahead of Tuesday's meeting, the district hosted community meetings in November through January to get suggestions and received more than 1,000 suggestions through online submissions. Preference was given to those who live in the area, according to district policy.

Attention families: JCPS school start times could be changed to fix bus delays

The district built two new school buildings that opened in August 2022, both replacing outdated infrastructure, but these three schools opening in August are the first new schools JCPS has opened since 2016. These additions are geared toward decreasing crowding in schools across the county  particularly as the district prepares for a shift in student population in the West End due to the new student assignment plan, which allows students to choose schools closer to home.

Enrollment projections show 350 students are expected to attend the new West End middle school. The district notes its building capacity is at 425.

The district intends to open the middle school in a temporary space, then begin building its permanent home in 2024, according to its facilities plan.

Projections for the Echo Trail middle school show very low enrollment. While the building has the capacity for 1,000 students, the projections show just 200 students enrolling. The reason, JCPS spokesman Mark Hebert said, is because the school will only open to the sixth grade class its first year. The school will add grades seven and eight the following two years.

Contact reporter Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Names for new JCPS schools include one honoring a late UofL professor
The cruise line is now allowing travelers to book now and pay later.

Courtesy of Margaritaville at Sea

Cruisers planning a Margaritaville at Sea vacation can now book their trip, but choose to pay later.

The new option comes as the cruise line has partnered with payment service Uplift to offer the ability to pay for their trip in installments, according to the payment company. And for a limited time, the company will offer the option interest-free.

There are also no late fees or prepayment penalties.

"Our loyal travelers enjoy the carefree vacation lifestyle and expect flexibility in the booking experience," Kevin Sheehan, Jr., the president and CEO of Margaritaville at Sea, said in a statement. "This is why Uplift's monthly payment options are the perfect way to provide ease and peace of mind for our guests. And, to celebrate the launch of this partnership, we'll offer limited-time, interest-free payment options, making now a wonderful time to book an affordable trip to The Bahamas."

To choose the option, travelers can select the payment plan when booking their vacation. Theyll then need to apply for the service by inputting personal information, including their Social Security Number for U.S. residents. To pay the trip off, travelers can then either make a payment online or enable the AutoPay option.

In addition to paying for the cruise itself, travelers can add things like a cabin upgrade or pre-book onboard amenities and shore excursions through the system.

Travelers can then sail and pay their cruise off after their trip.

Rob Borden, the SVP of commercial and cruise at Uplift, said in the statement this option will allow travelers to easily begin sailing the tropical waters and enjoying their experience at sea."

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville at Sea cruise line launched its first 658-cabin Margaritaville at Sea Paradise ship in May 2022 after initially being forced to postpone its inaugural sailing. The ship features nautical-themed passenger cabins as well as multiple restaurants and bars like the JWB Prime Steakhouse and the 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar.

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
CenterPoint Energy said it has taken action after more than 100 reports of high carbon monoxide levels were made in December of last year by residents of Clarksville and several other Southern Indiana towns.

In a Tuesday release, the company said it had closed its Jeffersonville plant until the end of 2023 while officials decide its future in the aftermath of the Christmas week panic. The statement acknowledged while initial reports from the company said there was nothing wrong with the plant, an investigation later found a problem with the mixture of gas, which had a "disproportionate amount of propane. None of the mixture at issue remains in the system, the statement added.

We regret that our initial indications were incorrect and accept responsibility for the error," the release said.

More:Indiana native John Mellencamp to bring tour to Kentucky Center. Here's how to get tickets

The Clarksville Fire Department received more than 100 calls since Dec. 24 of last year reporting high levels of carbon monoxide, Clarksville Fire Chief Brandon Skaggs said at a press conference on Dec. 27. Some families from local neighborhoods, including Kenwood, Fairbanks and Green Acres, had to spend time away from their homes because their appliances had to be turned off, Skaggs said at the time.

The fire department said at the time four people, including three that lived in the same household, had to be taken to the hospital to be treated for carbon monoxide exposure. CenterPoint at that time said "improper appliance venting" was the cause behind the majority of the calls.

"We would like to extend our sincere apologies to those who were affected by carbon monoxide issues in their homes and businesses following the events that occurred in our natural gas service areas of Clarksville, New Albany and Jeffersonville, Ind. on Dec. 24," the CenterPoint statement said.

The release said the investigation was done with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, which had already given a review of the Jeffersonville facility. It also said the company would cooperate to provide any information the commission needed and said it would work to prevent this from happening again. State Reps. Rita Fleming and Ed Clere had called for an investigation after the calls in December.

Story continues

Kevin Baity, the town manager of Clarksville, said in a statement he was pleased to have answers about the incident and praised CenterPoint's work towards managing the situation.

The Town of Clarksville will continue to work with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and CenterPoint Energy as they continue to assess their operations and take the appropriate corrective actions to guarantee the safety of our residents, Baity said.

Anyone who experiences issues with their natural gas appliances should contact CenterPoint through their email indianaclaim@centerpointenergy.com or call the company at 713-207-7724.

More:Tax season is here. How long will it take to get a Kentucky state tax refund?

Reach Ana Rocio Alvarez Brinez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: CenterPoint Energy apologizes for Southern Indiana carbon monoxide issues
Georgia Congreswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of the Republicans who took strong offence to Joe Bidens assertion that parts of the GOP wanted to make cuts to Social Security and Medicare at his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Video captured her shouting liar! during Mr Bidens remarks after he accused not even a majority of Republicans of wanting to target the entitlement programs for service cuts.

Her heckling came as many other Republicans joined in booing the president for the suggestion; Mr Biden, meanwhile, was relentless and quipped that he was being polite in not naming the members who supported the idea.

It was easily the most combative moment of the presidents address, including a somewhat muted response from the GOP to Mr Bidens call to ban assault weapons.

More follows...
Rod Watson Urban Affairs Editor/Columnist I write a weekly column, most often about socioeconomic and political issues affecting people of color and the disadvantaged in Western New York. Follow Rod Watson Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you  Gospel of Matthew (7:12)

You might expect the managers of senior citizen apartments developed by a church to be especially cognizant of that religious guideline.

But I seriously doubt any of them would want to live under the conditions they have imposed on the residents of St. John Tower during an ongoing renovation. Those conditions include:

 Rodents so prevalent residents said they were spotted on security video getting off the elevators.

 Gaping holes in the walls behind stoves for mice that prefer to walk up.

 Blankets and sheets over windows because blinds have yet to be replaced.

 Air conditioner covers that dont fit, letting in wind and snow.

 Newly installed floors splotched with paint because workers didnt use drop clothes when painting the walls.

 Loss of 24-hour weekend security, leaving seniors fearful for their safety after finding strangers sleeping on the sofas in the common areas and afraid to say anything to individuals who follow them in.

Conditions are so bad and their complaints have gotten so little response from managers or government that tenant council President Kim Arnold said they have even contemplated a class-action lawsuit, though its not about money.

Its about somebody hearing us, Arnold said. This is our home  I shouldnt have to continue paying rent for what Im getting.

What theyre getting is a $30 million makeover some say has made their lives miserable.

The Rev. Michael Chapman, pastor of St. John Baptist Church and head of its development efforts, calls the tenants complaints unfounded and a small problem  thats been remedied. He focuses instead on the investment hes bringing into the community.

But the work also has brought problems that no one  especially senior citizens  should have to live with.

Opened in 1981 and part of the church campus, the tower has 150 federally subsidized apartments on nine floors. It is overseen by the Virginia-Michigan Housing Development Fund Co., named for the intersection where the tower is located, just up Michigan Avenue from the church.

However, day-to-day management  including managing the renovation  is handled by Capital Realty Group, which develops and manages properties in 27 states.

The company came with a good track record, said William Covington, a church elder and chairman of the Housing Development Fund. But past was not prologue at St. John Tower, according to residents. Chief among their complaints since the work started last year: rodents.

Im sitting in the living room and here he comes out of the bedroom, said one tenant, referring to a mouse that got into her apartment. He sat down on the floor and looked at me like he was watching TV  Theyre all over the building. Youve got people petrified.

Shes under so much stress that her doctor has her on anxiety medication.

Im standing in my kitchen cooking and he shoots out, said another resident whos been living with mice for a month and bruised her ribs trying to flee one. He came out and stood in the middle of the floor  I tried to run, I tripped and fell into my walker.

They have complained for months, taking photos of the rodents they have caught and even going so far as to employ the literal meaning of habeas corpus  show me the body  by taking dead mice to the office.

All they got for their troubles were bait traps  until last week. Thats when residents finally got a notice that workers were going to start sealing the holes behind their stoves. Coincidentally or not, the letter came two days after a Buffalo News photographer was in the building taking pictures and the paper started asking questions of management.

But rodents arent the only issue at the tower, which looks nice from the outside but is riddled with problems inside.

James Harwell lives on the fourth floor while his 88-year-old mother lives on the ninth floor. He said the fumes from some of the materials being used in the renovation are so bad that he made Corsi-Rosenthal boxes for both apartments, connecting MERV 13 air filters on four sides and the bottom and an electric fan on top to filter the air they have to breath.

Fire suppressant devices sit on Harwells kitchen counter  instead of being mounted over the stove  because workers never replaced them. Nor have they replaced the wall plates, switch covers or baseboards and moldings.

Its the same from apartment to apartment, with missing moldings and cabinets that dont fit flush. Arnold pulls her air conditioner cover out of the closet. Its supposed to be installed over the outside of the unit to keep out wind and snow, but she said it doesnt fit.

Joe Payton has blankets and sheets over the windows in his second-floor apartment because his blinds were never replaced.

Harwell, a former tenant council president, said suburban facilities talk about the dignity of senior citizens.

But here at St. John Tower, they dont mention dignity at all   he said. Its like theyre doing you a favor because you get reduced rent. So youre not supposed to complain about anything.

Hes written the state Attorney Generals Office, which sent him a letter promising to look into his complaints, but he has yet to hear anything further.

Arnold said she has left complaints on a federal government website and also called the citys complaint line, where she was told tenants could not withhold rent over the rodent problem because management had put down bait.

Im not a radical. Im 63 years old. Im a retired nurse, she said. She just wants something done.

So does Covington, who says Capital Realtys senior management also is upset and temporarily halted work in November to try to get a handle on things. He said the St. John housing corporation hired Capital Realty because it had a good track record and a good relationship with federal housing officials.

However, St. John Tower residents arent the only ones with complaints. In 2021, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and others held a news conference outside the Concordia Place apartments in Chicago to protest conditions at that facility, which also is managed by Capital Realty.

Covington said he was not aware of that but was not surprised. He took it as a good sign that the companys top officials are dissatisfied and wondered why there seems to be a disconnect between them and the managers overseeing the work.

Capital Realty spokesmen did not respond to a list of detailed questions. Covington said that when contacted by The News, the company reached out to him and the church made it clear that it represents the tower.

In addition to the rodents and other repair issues, hes concerned that the management company does not appreciate the importance of the overnight security to these residents, and that it instead thinks electronic measures like key fobs will suffice.

But were on them about it, and we expect it to be dealt with, Covington said, noting that a community that has been traumatized like the East Side of Buffalo cannot be compared to suburban neighborhoods. A feeling of security is essential to living a peaceful life.

Noting the towers proximity to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Arnold wonders if the shoddy work is part of a plan to drive out the subsidized residents and gentrify the building. But Chapman said they have entered a long-term agreement with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure that the tower remains as subsidized housing.

As for the security system, he called it state of the art and said the residents  some of whom may have dementia  have to take some responsibility for not letting strangers come into the building with them or for letting family members move in.

They have a responsibility, too, he said. Its all of our responsibility to keep our community up.

And while noting that some subcontractors have been fired after the renovation was paused, he also blamed work on the nearby Medical Campus for running rodents into the community. No one has said anything about that.

Thats the problem, he said.

No, the real problem is expecting elderly tenants to confront a stranger trying to enter the building with them when theres no security guard on duty. The real problem is leaving gaping holes in walls that virtually invite in rodents. The real problem is expecting senior citizens to be grateful that money is being tossed around when the workmanship that money is buying would never be accepted in some other community.

The real problem is that the tenants of St. John Tower deserve better.

In any case, the residents refuse to give up. The tenant council president said she and two others complained to the Erie County Health Department and an inspector was slated to come out this week.

And while the notice that workers will finally start sealing up the areas behind stoves is welcome, she wonders if it's a sign of real change or just a move to try to pacify tenants.

In the meantime, they keep setting mouse traps.
Our children and grandchildren are facing a true public education crisis.

Michigans overall student performance is falling farther and faster than leading education states, tumbling in key subject areas such as third grade reading. The pandemic has exacerbated long-term trends, and the results have been most dire for students who long been the most underserved: rural students, students from low-income backgrounds, students of color and students with disabilities.

The results have real consequences for our students success and our states future.

Yet in times of great crisis throughout history, great leaders have stood up in the face of turmoil to make lasting transformation, especially for Americans with the greatest needs.

When our nation confronted one of its darkest moments, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said this: The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

We, the leaders of the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity, think the moment is now to strongly advocate for  and partner with our state leaders to support  those who have had too little, and who have been unjustly underserved for too long.

Our statewide coalition is focused on advancing opportunity and improving learning outcomes for all of Michigans students, especially those who have been most underserved. We care deeply about the future of Michigan and our students, and we are encouraged that many state leaders, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have named public education as a key focus of their agenda to address inequities that have endured for decades.

Alice Thompson

Mike Jandernoa

Amber Arellano, executive director of The Education Trust-Midwest

In the spirit of partnership, we are proposing an evidence-backed, solution-driven agenda with a relentless focus on closing achievement and opportunity gaps by ensuring every student has access and opportunity to the educational resources and support that they need to achieve, from pre-K through postsecondary.

Story continues

A key proponent of our proposal includes revamping Michigans school funding formula to become a fair funding system that follows the example of the nation's leading education state for both performance and fair funding, Massachusetts. Our plan also calls for a robust new system of fiscal transparency and accountability to ensure that new dollars truly reach and benefit current students  and parents and other stakeholders have a clear view of how those dollars are advancing outcomes for their children.

To truly make a difference for our students with the greatest needs, we propose Michigan pursue these immediate opportunities that advance an opportunity agenda.

Create a truly equitable and fair school funding system

Research shows money matters in education. In fact, when used effectively, increased spending has led to gains in student achievement and educational attainment and higher wages. Yet, providing equal supports to all students isnt enough to close longstanding opportunity gaps.

In Michigan, our education system acts like an engine of inequality that limits opportunities for students to reach their highest potential. For instance, too often, students who live in communities with significant poverty do not grow up with the funding and supports they need to thrive in school and in life. Michigan is underfunding our students with the greatest needs at devastatingly low levels.

To address these inequities, Michigan should invest significantly more in the students who have additional needs and who are historically underserved so they thrive academically.

Funding for students of color and students living in poverty

We propose Michigan look to Massachusetts as a model of how to close opportunity gaps for students. Massachusetts is phasing in a new weighted school funding system for students from low-income backgrounds. Massachusetts provides up to 101% more funding for students with greater needs, significantly higher than Michigans current 11.5%

Creating a weighted system here  or additional funding on top of our base funding amount  for concentrations of poverty would address troubling and persistent funding inequities across the state.

Specifically, we recommend an Opportunity Index to address significant inequities across the state. Instead of a flat weight of just 11.5% for students who qualify for at-risk funding, students in districts with higher rates of poverty should receive a significantly higher weight to support their needs  ranging from 35% to 100%, spread across twelve bands determined by concentration of poverty.

Michigans 11.5% is unacceptable, and drastically below what research and best practices suggest will support students with the greatest needs. We have a great opportunity now to transform our model, and finally prioritize those who are historically underserved.

State policymakers have made small but notable strides on fair funding, including some progress for students with the greatest needs in Michigan. But far more needs to be done.

Support our English learners by providing funding for their needs

Michigan also woefully underfunds English Learners, allocating only between 1% and 11% additional funding toward to support their needs. Meanwhile, Maryland is phasing in a weight of 85% more, and Georgia now allocates 159% more for English Learners.

Rigorous empirical research recommends English Learners receive at least twice as much funding as native English speakers to provide the additional resources and instructional supports necessary for language acquisition. We propose increasing the weights to 80% to 100% for English Learners based on language proficiency so they have the opportunity to thrive.

Fully fund support for students with disabilities

Additionally, Michigan has historically underfunded services for students with disabilities. Only 63% of special education students obtain a traditional diploma  leaving them at a disadvantage after high school. Yet Michigans partial reimbursement system leaves districts  many with varying capacities  to shoulder most of the funding responsibility to cover the costs for students with disabilities. As a result, all students have been shortchanged.

A notebook and pencil on a desk in a school classroom

Instead, schools need sufficient resources to address the learning needs of all students for them to meet their greatest potential. In last years budget, the governor and Legislature made investing in students with disabilities a priority and began addressing the disparity by increasing special education reimbursements. However, there remains an annual shortfall of over $343 million, and more needs to be done.

We propose increasing weights and reimbursements to fully fund students with individualized education programs (IEP), including funding for special education expenses and specialized transportation costs. This will address the remaining shortfall and ensure students with the greatest needs receive the education they deserve.

Address the transportation needs of rural students in isolated communities

Additionally, students in rural and isolated communities often face significant challenges, and their schools are often under resourced. Recent data shows that many rural students were disproportionally impacted by the pandemic and are falling behind at an alarming rate.

We also support investments in rural education transportation costs, particularly for high-needs remote school districts.

Create a strong system of fiscal transparency and accountability

To ensure investments for students actually reach them and their classrooms, any new investments should be paired with strong, evidence-based systems of accountability and transparency, not simply for student outcomes but also for fiscal outcomes and accountability.

We propose a thoughtful statewide system of fiscal transparency and accountability based on the best practices and lessons learned from states that have overhauled their school funding systems over the last decade.

Commit to accountability for student outcomes

Along with supporting a more fair and equitable funding system, we are also committed to transparency and accountability for student learning outcomes. Every student should be supported through a single accountability system that is easy to understand, focused first on student learning and outcomes, and is regularly updated to inform parents, educators, community leaders and policymakers.

Student learning should be assessed and publicly reported so that parents understand whether their child is reaching national college- and career-ready standards  and so that parents, guardians, educators, and policymakers can ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

Ensure equitable access to effective and diverse teachers and school leaders

Additionally, every student deserves highly effective teachers and principals who reflect the community and states diversity, and who provide standards-aligned, culturally responsive instruction. Black students, Latino students, and other students of color especially need educators who look like them and reflect the great diversity of their local communities, families, and all of Michigan. We are supportive of investments and strategies that advance these goals.

Create opportunity for all

We know the challenges before us are great.

Yet, we are also confident that our state leaders will rise to the challenge to drive real change and true transformation for all Michigans children, particularly those with the greatest needs. We commend our many state leaders who have named education as a top priority, and we are committed to working hand in hand with them along the way to do whats right for our students.

Alice Thompson is chair of the NAACP education committee, CEO of BFDI Educational Services, Inc., and former CEO of Black Family Development. Mike Jandernoa is founder and chair of 42 North Partners and policy chair for the West Michigan Policy Forum. Amber Arellano is executive director of The Education Trust-Midwest. They are the newly-named co-chairs of The Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Opinion: Michigan public schools need these 9 education reforms
Image via Getty/Theo Wargo/WireImage

Thats So Raven star Orlando Brown will undergo a psychiatric evaluation following his arrest for domestic violence in Ohio back in December.

Legal docs obtained by TMZ show that Browns attorney is asking for the evaluation, which is set to prove if the 35-year-old actor is mentally fit to stand trial. He was previously arrested in Ohio for domestic violence  cause belief of imminent physical harm by threat of force, after he was allegedly wielding a knife and a hammer.

TMZ also reported at the time that a Lima Police Department spokesperson had received a call about a physical altercation occurring either between him and someone in his family or with someone who was staying at his home. Brown was later charged with aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor in Ohio.

The former Disney star pleaded not guilty, but the results of the evaluation could cause Brown to change that plea. He is currently on house arrest following his release from custody after 24 hours behind bars. He posted a bond of around $25,000.

Brown was most recently arrested in 2018 via a bounty hunter after he had multiple outstanding warrants in his name. Brown was supposed to appear in court related to another domestic violence case stemming from an alleged incident in January but never showed.

However, Brown seemed to be getting his act together following his release from Los Angeles County jail. He announced his newfound sobriety in 2021 after he had enrolled in a six-month recovery program at Rise Church in Abilene, Texas.

I can tell you that Im OK. Im alive, he said in an interview at the time with the Christian Post. I was in an unsafe position and it has been shaky but at the end of the day all I can tell you is Im OK and Im graduating and I will be getting married.

Related Articles

Story continues

More Complex

Sign up for the Complex Newsletter for breaking news, events, and unique stories.

Follow Complex on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok
Pamela Anderson and Tim Allen

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images Pamela Anderson and Tim Allen

Pamela Anderson isn't surprised by Tim Allen's response to her allegations that he flashed her on the set of Home Improvement in the 1990s.

In the era of #MeToo, Allen "has to deny it, because look at the times we're in," Anderson said Monday in an interview with ET Canada. "If he said, 'Oh, yeah, I did that,' he'd be  a lot of these stories are just the tip of the iceberg."

Anderson added that she felt it was important to recount the alleged incident because it occurred on the set of her first acting job.

Anderson's latest remarks came a week after the release of her memoir Love, Pamela. In the book, Anderson, who played "Tool Girl" Lisa on two seasons of Home Improvement, accuses Allen of exposing his penis to her on her first day on set in 1991. Allen, who was 37 at the time, allegedly told 23-year-old Anderson that it was "only fair," as he had seen her naked, referring to her time as a Playboy model.

According to Anderson, Allen told her, "Now we're even." Speaking to ET, she said he then "ran back into his room, and he was embarrassed all day and acting like a little giddy schoolboy." Anderson asked, "How could you make that up?"

Allen has denied the claims, and said via a representative that he "would never do such a thing." He also claimed last week that ABC and parent company Disney were "disappointed" by Anderson's accusation. (A source familiar with the situation told EW that there had been no formal conversations at ABC about the alleged incident.)

Anderson's memoir and a companion documentary, Pamela, a Love Story, chronicle her rise to fame, her rocky romances, her stolen sex tape, and of course, her reaction to the Hulu limited series Pam & Tommy, which was made without her involvement or permission.

"I only talked about really pivotal moments to try to get across that some of these things had happened, you know, in my childhood, my career," she told ET of her memoir. "I kind of wanted to sprinkle in some of these things. I mean, not all. Obviously, I didn't tell every story in my life, or I'd be writing volumes."

Story continues

Watch the video above for more from Anderson.

Related content:
It's almost that time of year for the sweet scent of soda bread to fill your kitchen and a cup of Irish coffee to put a spritely pep in your step. Anyone who has ever thrown a shamrockin' St. Patrick's Day party knows that the holiday has four central symbols: leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, and (drum roll)... shamrocks!

Or wait, are those clovers? The whole shamrock versus clover confusion plays out in so many aspects of the holiday, whether we notice it or not. They're often used interchangeably in DIY decorations and even as St. Patrick's Day accessories. But as many an Irish lad or las will tell you, there is indeed a distinct visual and symbolic difference between shamrocks and clovers. One of them has a special place in the history of St. Patrick's Day and religious lore about Saint Patrick. Here, we explain what that difference is and answer perhaps the biggest question of all. Which is lucky: shamrocks or clovers? 

Getty Images

Shamrock vs. clover: what's the difference?

All shamrocks are clovers, but not all clovers are shamrocks. How can that be, you ask? Clover is the common name for plants of the genus Trifolium (from the Latin tres 'three' + folium 'leaf'), which is comprised of about 300 species. As you might guess from the name, clovers typically have three leaves. Occasionally, though, clovers will grow four leaves.



So, the shamrock symbol is a typical clover with three leaves. St. Patrick's Day shamrocks are usually green, but clovers can also be purple, green, or white.

Shamrocks have been the unofficial national flower of Ireland for centuries, according to TIME. The patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, used the shamrock as a symbol to explain the Holy Trinity when he was converting the Irish to Christianity. Or so the legend goes. Either way, three-leaf clovers are plentiful in the emerald isle, and it eventually became common practice to wear them for the holiday.

Which is lucky: shamrock or clover?

The shamrock carries religious ties, while the four-leaf clover is considered a sign of luck due to its exceeding rarity. In fact, around one out of 10,000 clovers have four leaves. If you want to find a four-leaf clover in addition to your St. Patrick's Day shamrocks, you better start searching ASAP!

You Might Also Like
[Source]

On Monday, 3,660 Thai army cadets, university students and volunteers set the world record for the largest Muay Thai ceremony, shattering the previous Guinness World Record of 250 participants.

The volunteers joined thousands of Thai army cadets to perform a mass Muay Thai wai khru ceremony at Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin, a village in Thailand.

During the dance, the performers stood before Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha and six colossal statues of former kings.

Traditionally, the wai khru ceremony is performed before a match to show respect for teachers, parents and ancestors.

More from NextShark: New Zealand petition seeks to change country's name to Aotearoa in honor of its Maori roots

Locals and tourists gathered around as the fighters, clothed in red uniforms, white Mongkhon headbands and white Muay Kard Cheuk ropes  hemp hand wrappings  skillfully performed under the guidance of prominent Muay Thai fighter Sombat Buakaw Bancahmek.

Guinness adjudicator Kazayoshi Kirimura confirmed that the record was broken shortly after the performance, saying, The final result is 3,660. Congratulations, youre officially amazing.

More from NextShark: Son Heung-min Becomes First Asian Player Chosen to Be Part of EPL 'Team of the Year'

Phukrit Purimchaithanat, a 27-year-old cadet who was part of the performance, said, I felt really proud when I realized that we had set the Guinness World Record, adding that the group had been practicing almost every day for the past few months, according to the AFP news agency.

Hua Hin resident Siena Cruz watched the show with friends and said the pre-match ritual was integral, explaining that it is connected to the tradition of Muay Thai.

To be part of another bit of history for Thailand, its bragging rights, the 32-year-old told AFP.

More from NextShark: Shohei Ohtani donates $150K Home Run Derby paycheck to LA Angels support staff

In Thailand, Feb. 6 is known as Muay Thai Day to honor former King Sanphet VIIIs coronation in 1702.

He is remembered as Phra Chao Suea, or Tiger King, for his ferocity as a fighter.

The WBC MuayThai Association reported that the event was completed flawlessly and elegantly by the Royal Thai Army, adding that Feb. 6, 2023, will be remembered as a momentous day for Muay Thai.

More from NextShark: 'Crash Landing on You' couple Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin announce birth of first child
Turkey may be blocking access to Twitter, two days after a pair of catastrophic earthquakes struck the area. Thousands of people are still trapped in buildings in Turkey and Syria, where the death toll is approaching 12,000.

According to Bloomberg, people in Turkey started having trouble accessing Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. Some have resorted to VPNs to use the service. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, has accused the government of blocking Twitter.

It's not clear why the Turkish government might want to prevent access to Twitter amid such devastation. The social media service is still a valuable disaster response tool and users have also been sharing images of the destruction caused by the earthquakes.

Twitter does not have a communications team that can be reached for comment, but on Wenesday afternoon Elon Musk did note through a tweet that Twitter access in Turkey should be "reenabled shortly."

Twitter has been informed by the Turkish government that access will be reenabled shortly  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2023

This would not be the first time that Turkey has stopped residents from accessing social media services. It has also done so during cross-border military operations and terror attacks. In 2014, Turkey temporarily banned Twitter. Users were sharing voice recordings and documents that purportedly showed corruption within then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's sphere of influence. Erdogan became Turkey's president later that year and he remains in power. His government has faced criticism for its response to this week's disaster.
(PA)

Volodymyr Zelensky made a historic visit to London on Wednesday as Britain announced it will train Ukrainian pilots to fly Nato-standard fighter jets.

The Ukrainian president landed in an RAF C-17 aircraft amid tight security at 10.22am at Stansted airport where he was met by Rishi Sunak. He then headed to Downing Street for talks with the Prime Minister before addressing Parliament in Westminster Hall. This afternoon he was due to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace before travelling to see Ukrainian troops being trained in Britain.

Britain has led the West in providing military support to Kyiv and Mr Sunak announced that it would be expanded to train Ukrainian pilots and marines.

It is the presidents first visit to the UK since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion last February.

The Prime Minister said: President Zelenskys visit to the UK is a testament to his countrys courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.

Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory.

The Foreign Office also hit individuals who have helped Vladimir Putin amass his personal wealth, and companies profiting from the Kremlins war machine, with a wave of new sanctions.

The Ukrainian president visited Joe Biden in the White House in December on his first trip outside his country since the start of the conflict. Wednesdays visit to the UK is believed to be only his third foreign visit since the invasion.

Mr Sunak, who visited Kyiv in November, also announced that the UKs military support programme would be expanded to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Nato-standard jets and marines. The UK is not currently planning to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine, with Downing Street having previously ruled this out for the time being on practical grounds given that the Typhoon and F-35 RAF jets are highly complicated planes.

Story continues

Training to fly modern fighter jets takes many months so the Ukrainian pilots are not expected to have the required skills to counter any spring offensive by Putins army.

But Downing Street said the training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future. The UK was the first Nato ally to supply Ukraine with modern Western battle tanks. Ukraine troops are training on Challenger 2s, with 14 of the tanks expected to be sent to Ukraine by the end of March.

The British move was followed by Germany agreeing to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and giving the green light to other allies to deliver these German-built models. The US has also pledged to send Abrams tanks, though these could take considerable time to be delivered. The UK Government has also promised around two dozen AS90 self-propelled guns, hundreds more armoured vehicles and precision-guided missiles, as well as 100,000 artillery rounds on top of the 100,000 already sent.

UK training for Ukraine has seen 10,000 troops brought to battle readiness in the past six months, with a further 20,000 soldiers being upskilled this year.

Mr Zelenskys visit comes after former PM Boris Johnson travelled to Kyiv last month.

On the battlefield, with Putins army massing for a spring offensive, the governor of the eastern Luhansk province Serhiy Hayday told of maximum escalation of Russian troops on the Kreminna frontline: Occupiers are trying to break through our defence line.

Russia is shipping tens of thousands of freshly-mobilised, often poorly-trained troops to the war zone where they are being hit by high casualty rates.

Ukrainian soldiers are also believed to be suffering high casualty levels. Kyiv expects Moscow to broaden its offensive in the north east and south of Ukraine.
All of the University of Delaware campus buildings that closed and evacuated on Wednesday afternoon for a "safety-related incident" in the Lammot du Pont Laboratory will reopen for classes Thursday morning, the university announced Wednesday night.

The evacuation took place after researchers in the lab "inadvertently produced a small amount of a shock-sensitive explosive chemical," according to the university.

UD called it an isolated incident and said there is no threat to campus health or safety. No injuries were reported.

Delaware State Police's explosive ordnance disposal unit removed the chemicals from the lab on Wednesday and took them to a "safe location" on the South Green for a "controlled detonation" at 5:45 p.m., according to the university.

Shortly after police issued the alert about the detonation, a crowd of students gathered across the street from Alison Hall to watch. Police had said there would be a "loud noise" associated with the detonation.

But what started as a flurry of excitement on the University of Delaware's campus didn't exactly end with a bang for UD students when a "controlled detonation" on The Green ended with a single "boom" after hours of waiting.

First responders are at the University of Delaware in connection with a lab "safety-related incident."

Cayden Walker, a second-semester freshman, was one of those students. He said when he got the notification, he and his friends hurried out.

"We brought a whole crowd with us," he said, smiling.

When asked if he should instead be studying, Walker explained that it's the third day of classes for the semester and he didn't want to miss any possible excitement.

"We don't really have any homework to be doing so far, so here we are waiting for the explosion," he said.

By 5 p.m., there were at least several hundred students gathered across the street from The Green, waiting to hear  and hopefully see  something being detonated.

But when the detonation finally happened around 5:45 p.m., the crowd had dwindled down to less than 50 students.

University of Delaware students walk past first responders who were called to the school for reports of a "lab safety incident."

While many details remain unknown, the incident unfolded sometime before 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, when university police announced they had evacuated several buildings and told students and staff to avoid the South Green following a "lab safety incident."

Story continues

Memorial Hall, Alison Hall, Hugh Morris Library, Brown Lab and Drake Lab were also evacuated and closed, according to police.

While UD said it was not aware of any injuries, several paramedics were at the scene, and mid-afternoon, New Castle County Emergency Medical Services' mobile medical aid unit pulled up near the Colburn Lab, which remained open.

Local and state first responders have located themselves outside several science buildings along The Green and Academy Road at the University of Delaware following a lab "safety-related incident."

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's emergency response and prevention unit and its police environmental crimes unit were also on the scene "in a supporting role to lead agency Delaware State Police," DNREC spokesperson Michael Globetti said.

Local and state responders could be seen outside several science buildings along The Green and Academy Street. Other than the presence of first responders, the Newark campus seemed calm Wednesday afternoon as students freely walked by the buildings.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: University of Delaware buildings to reopen after 'lab safety incident'
Woman, 74, Missing After Getting Separated from Family While Hunting Mushroom in Calif. Woods

Del Norte County Sheriffs Office

Although authorities were able to find and rescue her daughter, a 74-year-old woman who got separated from family while mushroom picking in California remains missing.

The woman, whose name has not been released by authorities, was out foraging for mushrooms on Friday with her husband and adult daughter near French Hill Road in Gasquet, according to ABC affiliate KRCR-TV.

Around 8:00 p.m. that night, her husband arrived at the Gasquet Ranger Station "and reported that he had been separated from his wife and daughter in the woods," Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott said in a statement, per the outlet.

RELATED: Couple Camping in California Wilderness Find Lost Man Who Survived for Weeks on Half Jar of Salsa

Afterwards officials "did a preliminary search" of the area, which the sheriff described as "brushy and steep," according to the Lost Coast Outpost.

The following morning, the U.S. Coast Guard was contacted by the sheriff's office for help locating two missing hikers near Smith River, the Coast Guard said in a press release.

Using their helicopter, officials "were able to locate the adult daughter," Scott told the Lost Coast Outpost. "But we're still looking for her mother."

The Del Norte County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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.

After being rescued, the woman's daughter was treated for mild hypothermia at a local hospital and was released on Monday, according to the Wild Rivers Outpost.

RELATED VIDEO: Woman Who Died 37 Years Ago After Being Found Unconscious on Ga. Highway Identified as Missing Mom of 4

The Coast Guard said they continued searching the area where the woman's daughter was found until around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night. Search efforts continued on Sunday and Monday as well.

Although she has not been formally identified, Scott told the Wild Rivers Outpost the missing woman is of Asian descent, around 5 feet 5 inches tall, and weighs about 160 lbs. She was last seen wearing a green rain jacket and pink pants and that she also had a black dog with her.

Story continues

"We did recover the dog's leash," Scott told the outlet on Monday morning. The following day, the dog was found alive.

RELATED: Missing Hiker Found Injured But Alive on Same Mountain Where Search Continues for Julian Sands

As of Monday evening, the sheriff said that around 100 people have helped with search efforts, including several family members from overseas.

"She's definitely going to be extremely fatigued and at this point," the sheriff told the outlet, adding that she likely "would not be very mobile at all because of the elements she's been in."

According to the outlet, temperatures in the area have been below freezing.

"Weather conditions have changed drastically throughout this period," Del Norte County Search and Rescue wrote in a social media post on Monday, noting that's made searching the already "difficult terrain" more challenging.

"If you encounter any search teams traversing the area, please accommodate their routes and slow down while passing in motorized vehicles," they added.
By Sara Merken

(Reuters) - New York-founded law firm Shearman & Sterling said Wednesday it has laid off attorneys and business professionals, citing a need to "align our capacity levels with existing client demands."

Shearman cut 12 associates and 26 business services professionals in the United States, in what a firm spokesperson described as a response to "continuing and growing economic headwinds and market conditions."

The layoffs follow similar moves by a handful of other large U.S. law firms amid cooling client demand for legal services, especially for work involving corporate deals.

The cuts at Shearman, which has about 850 lawyers globally, "focused mainly on transactional practice areas most affected by current and projected market conditions," the firm said.

Seattle-founded law firm Davis Wright Tremaine laid off 21 professional staff this week in areas the firm "either had excess capacity or redundancy and misalignment," according to a Tuesday statement from its managing partner Scott MacCormack. The cuts there did not include any lawyers, a spokesperson said.

Other law firms that have trimmed their lawyer and professional ranks in recent months also cited staffing levels that outmatched demand, including Goodwin Procter, Cooley and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.

Law firms surveyed by Wells Fargo's Legal Specialty Group reported a 1.9% drop in demand in 2022. Lawyer headcount was up 4.5% after firms kept on most of the attorneys they hired in 2021 and early 2022 to handle surging M&A work at the time, the report said.

Shearman has recently seen some partner exits to rival firms, including the departure this week of London-based lawyer Phil Cheveley, who was head firm's M&A practice for EMEA and Asia. A seven-lawyer team left last month in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and a group in France including Sami Toutounji, head of Shearman's European governance and benefits team, left in October.

Story continues

The firm in December also acknowledged reports, without confirming or denying them, that it is in early-stage merger talks with Hogan Lovells. Shearman has reportedly also been in discussions with other firms.

Shearman generated about $1 billion gross revenue in 2021, according to figures reported by The American Lawyer, placing it at number 50 in the magazine's revenue rankings that year among U.S. firms.

(Reporting by Sara Merken; Editing by David Bario)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Parliament in London on Wednesday, as the United Kingdom announced plans to increase its deliveries of "lethal aid."

"I have come here to stand before you on behalf of the brave," Zelenskyy said after receiving a standing ovation from members of both Houses of Parliament.

He thanked Britain for training troops "who will be then deployed to the front line -- front line -- skilled, eager and equipped to win."

PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, inside Downing Street in London, Feb. 8, 2023. (Dan Kitwood/Pool via AP)

The visit was Zelenkyy's second known international trip since the Russian invasion began almost a year ago. The trip underscored the United Kingdom's "unbreakable friendship" with Ukraine, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a statement.

MORE: Russia-Ukraine live updates

Downing Street announced the surprise visit on Wednesday morning, saying it comes as the United Kingdom expands it training for Ukrainian armed forces. Zelenskyy also met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, after saying he wanted to thank him for his support.

"The King was an Air Force pilot, and In Ukraine every Air Force pilot is a king," Zelenskyy told Parliament members.

PHOTO: King Charles III holds an audience with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, at Buckingham Palace in London, Feb. 8, 2023. (Aaron Chown/Pool via AP)

Zelenskyy and Sunak were expected to discuss what the United Kingdom's described as its "two-pronged" approach to aiding Ukraine, which included a "surge" in the supply of military equipment and long-term support with training for troops.

"As part of today's talks, the Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UK's training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future" U.K. officials said in a statement.

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses parliamentarians in Westminster Hall, London, during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Feb. 8, 2023. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP)

About 10,000 Ukrainian troops have been trained in the United Kingdom in the last six months, officials said. More than 20,000 additional troops are expected to be trained this year.

British officials said they expected the program to continue scaling throughout the year. Zelenskyy on Wednesday planned to meet with U.K. defense officials to discuss the training.

Story continues

PHOTO: Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, left, holds the helmet of one of the most successful Ukrainian pilots which was presented to him by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 8, 2023. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP)

"I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak said in a statement ahead of the visit.

British officials said they planned on Wednesday to also announce further sanctions in response to Russia's invasion. The sanctions will target people who've helped Russian President Vladimir Putin build personal wealth, along with "companies who are profiting from the Kremlin's war machine," officials said.

Zelesnkyy also laid out a proposal under which any country that acts as an aggressor or terrorist state will eventually be held financially responsible for its crimes.

PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, inside Downing Street in London, Feb. 8, 2023. (Dan Kitwood/Pool via AP)

He called an eventual victory for Ukraine and its allies the "most important victory of our lifetime," which would amount to a warning for Russia and any other countries considering attacking a sovereign neighbor.

"Any aggressor is going to lose," he said.

ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Guy Davies and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.

Zelenskyy addresses Parliament in London as UK prepares to increase 'lethal aid,' military training originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
By Florence Tan

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Zimbabwe will start operating a new unit at its only coal-fired power plant by March, the country's deputy energy minister said on Wednesday, providing relief to millions of citizens rocked by frequent power outages in recent months.

The new unit of the Hwange power plant will lift the African nation's installed capacity by more than 14% to 2400 megawatts. The next unit is expected to be commissioned soon after, Magna Mudyiwa said, without giving a timeline.

Less than half of Zimbabwe's 16 million citizens have access to electricity, and a global squeeze on funding new coal-fired capacity has limited the country's ability to plug chronic power cuts that have lasted as long as 18 hours in recent days.

"We have the capacity to generate up to 2100 megawatts (MW)from our power sources but at the moment we're generating far less than that..about 1000MW," Mudyiwa told Reuters.

"But our demand for electricity is about 1700MW so we have a serious deficit," she said.

Deficient rainfall has led to a decline in hydropower generation, while the efficiency of the sole, decades-old coal-fired utility has dipped sharply over time while power demand has surged in recent years due to higher mining and agricultural activity.

The International Monetary Fund counts electricity shortages as one of the major factors weighing on Zimbabwe's growth prospects.

Lack of funding for coal-fired power is driving the mining and agriculture-dependent economy to import costly power from regional neighbours including Zambia and Mozambique.

(Writing by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Explore editor

Hi! Im Sara Rae Shields, Explore editor for the Yakima Herald-Republic. Im a very outgoing and sociable person and I want to share with readers whats going on in the Yakima Valley. I also want to hear from you. Lets create strong community bonds over the fun events and fascinating people to meet in the area. Im Wapato born and raised and love meeting locals and transplants. I spend a lot of time supporting the Seattle Sounders as part of the Dry Side Supporters, raving about my rescue dog, Telly and hanging out at local gathering spots like restaurants,breweries, wineries and bars. Prior to working for YHR, I was a GIS Specialist for the Yakama Nation and take great pride in the 15 years I spent working for my tribe. I also coached middle school girls soccer in Wapato and worked the front desk at a tattoo/body piercing shop.
Education Reporter

Vanessa Ontiveros is the education reporter at the Yakima Herald-Republic. She grew up near Los Angeles but has happily made Yakima her new home. She is passionate about reporting stories that serve the community and highlight various aspects of the educational system.She also hosts a podcast that discusses local arts education, Yakima Arts Talk, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The daughter of two longtime public school teachers, she is always looking to include community voices in her work.
Crime and Courts Reporter

Donald W. Meyers is a multimedia journalist at the Yakima Herald-Republic covering crime and courts. He is also the writer behind It Happened Here, a weekly history column. Before coming to Yakima, Meyers covered a wide variety of beats at The Salt Lake Tribune, Daily Herald, and daily and weekly newspapers across New Jersey. He is also a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, serving as a regional officer in the organization as well as on the national Freedom of Information Committee.
Features/The Vanished Editor

Tammy Ayer has worked at the Yakima Herald-Republic since 2015. This is her fourth newspaper gig. Alongside general assignment reporting and profiles, she writes about the centuries-long crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, focusing on those who have gone missing, been murdered and have died mysteriously on and around the Yakama Reservation. Ayer grew up in Indiana, lived in Florida for 13 years and has a masters degree in history.
Yakima City Government Reporter

Kate Smith is the city government & politics reporter for the Yakima Herald-Republic. She is passionate about connecting people to policy in storytelling that is thorough, fair and compassionate. In Yakima, she is following local elections, city council, budgets & audits, public health, housing & homelessness, public safety, utilities and more.
Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush received the keys to the first patrol ship funded by the Visegrad Group, designed to curb people smuggling and patrol the Mediterranean shore, in Adria, in Italy.

Oliver Varhelyi, the European commissioner for neighbourhood policy and enlargement, said the 20 meter ship, able to carry 200 people, was the first to be fully funded by Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.



The Visegrad Group pledged in 2017 to deliver 4 ships to Libyan border patrol, he said.



The ships will help to curb illegal migration across the sea and to block a route which people smugglers and criminal organisations use to enrich themselves, he said.



Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who also attended the event, said Libya was a key starting point for illegal migrants in Europe.



The European Union and Italy also support the project in which Libya will have further 2 ships built by year-end and will receive two used ones.



Italy has trained Libyan border patrol troops and will oversee the maintenance of the ships.
YORK COUNTY  York County Assessor Kurt Bulgrin is reminding qualified property owners that the period for filing Nebraska Homestead Application Forms 458 has opened. It started Feb. 1 and applications must be filed before June 30.

The homestead exemption provides relief from property taxes by exempting all or a portion of the taxable value of the residence. The State of Nebraska reimburses counties and other governmental subdivisions for the property taxes lost due to homestead exemptions.

In Nebraska, a homestead exemption is available to the following groups of persons:

Persons over the age of 65;

Qualified disabled individuals; or

Qualified disabled veterans and their widow(er)s.

Some categories are subject to household income limitations and residence valuation requirements. The income limitations are on a sliding scale.

Disabled first-time homestead exemption applicants will need certification of disabled status from a medical practitioner, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, or Department of Health and Human Services, depending on the applicable category of application.

The certification can be made on Form 458B, available from the county assessor.

This is a great program that provides property tax relief for: Persons who own and reside in their own home; are 65 and older; meet certain income requirements; and/or are a veteran who has some level of service related disability, Bulgrin said. The staff here at the York County Assessors office is more than happy to assist taxpayers who would like to learn more about this program. They can give us a call at 402-362-4926 or just stop by our window on the first floor of the courthouse. If you want to learn more, stop by the office next week for a visit.
The Bengaluru International Airport recorded an impressive passenger numbers recovery of 82% since CY 2019 (pre-Covid year), with a total of 27.50 million passengers travelling through the Bengaluru Airport in CY 2022. This included 85% recovery in the domestic sector and 65% recovery in the international sector. The domestic passenger volume stood at 24.36 million during the year. The international traffic recovered 65 per cent of the pre-Covid level at 3.14 million in 2022 as compared to around 940,000 in 2021.



The rapid recovery in traffic was driven by a host of factors including relaunching of key routes and introduction of new routes connecting leading business hubs and travel destinations, among others, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) said on Tuesday.

The private airport operator had flown a total of 12.39 million passengers as of December 31, 2021. There was a sharp increase in passenger numbers during the year-end holiday season with as many as 3.13 million passengers travelling in December 2022 (of which, 2.74 million were domestic passengers), surpassing the pre-Covid record of 3.06 million passengers in December 2019, BIAL said

Besides, there was a 98 per cent recovery in air transport movements (ATMs) compared to pre-Covid numbers while the domestic ATMs saw a 100 per cent recovery in the year gone by, the private airport operator said. Overall, the domestic air traffic has contributed significantly to the speedy recovery, it stated.

BIAL noted that after the two challenging years of the pandemic, most airlines resumed their operations fully, connecting to an increased number of destinations in 2022 and added that the facility now connects to 75 destinations across India, and an increase of 16 destinations, compared to pre-Covid.

Post-resumption of scheduled international operations in March 2022, Qantas Airways launched direct route between Bengaluru and Sydney with four weekly flights, by making it the first direct connectivity to Australia from South India, BIAL said.

This was followed by Emirates launching A380 service to Dubai, citing increased demand from the Bangalore Airport and South India. Further, Air India's reinstatement of its thrice-weekly Bengaluru - San Francisco route in December last year made the airport the first airport in South and Central India to get direct connectivity to North America.

Transit passengers helped in recovery of the passenger volume, it said and added that with over 100 daily departures, the share of transfer passengers increased to 15 per cent (+5 per cent compared to pre-Covid years).

The airport operator said that Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, and Hyderabad were the top domestic routes in CY 2022, contributing approximately 40 per cent to domestic traffic while Dubai, Male, Singapore, Doha, and Abu Dhabi were the top international routes contributing approximately 47 per cent to international traffic.

With IANS inputs
Amid speculation that Pakistan did not allow Indian Air Force planes to fly over its air space while going to Turkey and Syria for relief operations, the Indian Air Force clarified that as per standard operating procedure, its aircraft have avoided flying over Pakistan. "Our aircraft don't fly over Pakistan as this is our standard operating procedure. Our planes take a longer route by flying from the Gujarat side to avoid Pakistani air space while going towards Europe or West Asia," an IAF official said. The issue came up for clarification after speculations started that Pakistan has denied air space to Indian Air Force for sending relief material to Turkiye and Syria.

These two countries have suffered massively due to earthquakes which have killed thousands of people there. India is extending its support to Turkey through the ongoing crisis after the earthquake that jolted the country on Monday. The IAF has, so far, sent four aircraft to Turkiye with relief material, National Disaster Response Force, and a military field hospital from Agra.

The Indian Air Force has also despatched a C-130 Super Hercules aircraft with medical supplies to Syria but no personnel would be deployed there for relief operations in view of the ongoing security situation there. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted that IAF had also dispatched the field hospital to Turkey to establish a 30 bedded medical facility.

Its first component has left on C17 with a 45-member medical team, including critical care specialists and surgeons. Also has an X-ray machine, ventilators, OT, and other equipment.

According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Monday, a meeting was conducted where it was decided that the NDRF's search and rescue teams, medical teams, and relief supplies would be sent out right away in collaboration with the Turkish government.

Several other countries have come forward to aid and assist Turkey after a massive earthquake shattered lives in the country. Turkey`s death toll rose to at least 3,549 people on Tuesday. At least 22,168 were injured.

At least 100 aftershocks measuring 4.0 or greater have occurred since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey on Monday morning local time, the US Geological Survey said.
New Delhi: Not all IIT graduates are lucky to grab lucrative salaries as a new report on Tuesday revealed that students obtaining jobs with a higher CTC (Rs 50 lakh and above per annum) constitute only 5.5 per cent of the total pool, translating into just 960 students. A team of campus recruitment experts at HirePro, a recruitment automation and assessments solution provider, analysed the data of placements at the IITs in 2022 and collated insights about compensation. The analysis revealed that nearly 54 per cent of total students in the top tier of IITs (7,020) and 50 per cent of students in the next tier of IITs (2,250) receive job offers with salary packages in the range of Rs 10 to 16 lakh per annum.

About 11 per cent of students in the top tier (1,430) and 40 per cent of students in the next tier of IITs (1,800) ended up grabbing jobs with a salary range of up to Rs 16 lakh per annum.

"While many top-tier companies hire some of the best talent from IITs and from within the industry, they are not the ones who pay the highest salary," the findings showed.

The students from IITs in Mumbai, Madras, Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Guwahati, Roorkee, BHU Varanasi and Hyderabad campuses receive job offers with higher compensation in comparison to students from IITs Dhanbad (ISM), Ropar, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Jodhpur, Patna, Indore, and Mandi campuses.

However, the situation is gradually changing as a result of recruitment process innovation and the success of remote recruitment. "Freshers at IITs have a wide salary range, which is consistent with how salaries behave in the New Age, tech and R&D-driven industries," the report mentioned.

IIT students from streams like computer science engineering, electronics and communication engineering, electrical and electronics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and data science, secure the majority of job offers. The campus recruitment experts at HirePro formulated a detailed analysis of CTC and gross salaries offered by various companies at 23 IITs.

Almost 90 per cent of students who participated in the placement accepted a job offer.

"The report dispels the myth that not all graduates from IITs, India's premier engineering institution, get hefty pay packages. Only a small fraction of them receive large compensation packages; the remainder are accessible for organisations to hire at reasonable pay scales," said the report. Just 960 IIT graduates received Rs 50 lakh and above annual pay in 2022.
New Delhi: AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government is bringing back the "Indira Gandhi era" as he referred to a tug of war over the process of appointment of judges and raised concerns over those holding constitutional posts commenting on the "basic structure" of the Constitution. Participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Owaisi also accused the government of not doing enough for the minorities and raised concerns over the India-China border situation. "People on constitutional posts are commenting on the basic structure... The law minister has made comments on collegium... When the NJAC (National Judicial Appointments Commission) Bill came I was the only MP who said it would be against the basic structure of the Constitution," Owaisi said.

"You should learn a lesson from Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi said the judiciary should follow her, now PM Modi is saying the judiciary should be loyal to him..."

"You are bringing back the same Indira Gandhi era," he said.

Also Read: Mallikarjun Kharge Calls PM Modi 'Mauni Baba' Over Silence on Adani Row Ahead of his Lok Sabha Address

The judiciary and the executive have been engaged in a tug of war over the process of appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and high courts. Owaisi also accused the government of not doing enough for the minorities and said the budget for minorities has been slashed by 40 per cent.

"The minorities who make up 19 per cent of the population were not even mentioned in the President's speech," he said. "The Narendra Modi government does not want Muslim children to study, they want them to be victims of poverty," he said. Owaisi also mentioned Bilkis Bano and said, "She has been fighting for 20 years, but justice has been denied to her because her name is Bilkis Bano".

Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped and seven members of her family killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots, has approached the Supreme Court against the remission of the sentence of 11 convicts. Talking about the India-China border situation, the AIMIM MP alleged the government is "scared of China".

"Would the prime minister take the name of China? It was said that out of 65 patrolling points, India cannot do patrolling on 26 patrolling points. You are scared of China. Disengagement happened. When will de-escalation and de-induction happen?" he asked.
New Delhi: Days after he gave the mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle for sustainable development to tackle the menace of climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was spotted wearing a special sleeveless jacket made of material recycled from plastic bottles in the Parliament on Wednesday. According to reports, the Prime Minister who came to attend the ongoing Budget Session in Parliament was seen wearing a light blue "sadri" jacket as he sat and watched the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha.

The jacket that PM Modi was wearing was made of material recycled from plastic bottles, officials said. This special blue was gifted to PM Modi by the Indian Oil Corp during India Energy Week in Bengaluru.

PM Modi in Karnataka!



Indian oil corp presents 'Modi Jacket' to PM Modi made out of recycled PET Bottles.



More than 10 crore PET Bottles will be recycled to make sustainable garments to India Oil employees and Armed Forces!#IndiaEnergyWeek2023 pic.twitter.com/kSQVI7REk4  Karthik Reddy (@bykarthikreddy) February 6, 2023

Notably, the PM is at the forefront of the fight against climate change and wants it to become a people's movement. Today's move is seen as the PM's message about sustainability. More than 10 crore PET bottles will be recycled to make sustainable garments for India Oil employees and Armed Forces.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a jibe at LoP Kharge for wearing an expensive LV scarf while hailing the PM.



Taste Apna Apna, Message Apna Apna



PM @narendramodi sends a green message with his sustainable fashion - blue jacket; enlisting Jan Bhagidari for the cause of sustainable growth & environment



Meanwhile, Kharge ji sports an expensive LV scarf ((not making any judgment)) pic.twitter.com/RijtfCCsGq  Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) February 8, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will later reply to the motion of thanks on the President`s address in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Lok Sabha has allocated a time of over 12 hours to discuss President`s Address.

PM Modi`s reply is expected to begin around evening in the House. The reply to the Motion of Thanks debate got underway in Lok Sabha on Tuesday and the debate was initiated by BJP Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi.

The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha took up debate on the motion of thanks on the President`s Address after three days of stalemate over the Hindenburg-Adani row with BJP members talking of initiatives of the Modi government and the opposition members accusing the ruling alliance of not paying adequate attention to issues such as price rise and unemployment.

Tuesday saw a lot of fireworks in the Lower House with barbs being exchanged between the MPs from the ruling party and the opposition.

During the address by the Joshi in Lok Sabha, Opposition MPs, especially from the DMK protested in the well of the House, after he allegedly glorified the abolished practice of `sati`. The house was adjourned for a few minutes after DMK MP A Raja rushed to CP Joshi`s chair after the intervention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and subsequently after the clarification by Joshi the matter was settled. Soon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a strong attack on the government in the wake of the Hiendenberg-Adani row linking the rise of the Adani group to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleging that "rules were changed" in some sectors to favor the businessman.

Rahul Gandhi, who was the first opposition leader to speak during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President`s address in the Lok Sabha, said the relationship with Gautam Adani began many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister and added that "real magic" started after 2014 and the businessman rose from 609th to second spot globally in the rich list.

"Relationships begin many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat`s Chief Minister...one man stood shoulder to shoulder with PM Modi, he was loyal to the PM and helped Mr. Modi construct the idea of a `Resurgent Gujarat`. The real magic began when PM Modi reached the national capital in 2014," Rahul Gandhi said addressing the Lok Sabha.

The BJP rejected Rahul Gandhi`s allegations both inside and outside the House. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the allegations against the government were baseless and the whole ecosystem of Congress was based on twin pillars "of deal and commission."
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (February 7) launched a scathing attack on the Opposition for targetting him over the Adani-Hindenburg issue. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha, PM Modi hit out at Congress and said its UPA rule will be known as a "lost decade".

In todays DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan made an analysis of PM Modis nearly 85-minute speech in Lok Sabha.

Even though PM Modi did not respond to any of the allegations leveled against him in the ongoing Adani issue, he targeted the entire Opposition including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

He presented some figures for the country's economic progress without giving a direct answer to the questions asked about industrialist Gautam Adani.

He hit out at Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, calling the foot march a low one, citing an incident of him hoisting the tricolor at Lal Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar.

The Prime Minister also took a dig at the unemployment issue raised by Congress and said that the grand old party only brought laws in the name of unemployment, but did not work on them.

Further, he slammed Congress for making 'opportunity a problem' and referred to the scams during the 10-year tenure of UPA.

In his speech, Modi also spoke about the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He asked all the leaders of the opposition to thank the ED for "uniting them".

He said that the work which the public could not do in bringing the opposition to a single platform was done by the probe agency.

PM Modi also took a dig at those who applauded Rahul Gandhi's speech in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He said that after the speech of some people, the "whole ecosystem starts bouncing".

He also surrounded Congress on one of its old statements.

Questioning the policies of the central government during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Congress party had said that there should be a study at Harvard University on the situation in India.

On Tuesday as well, Rahul Gandhi said that there should be a study at Harvard on how the Modi government helped a businessman become this rich.

After repeatedly hearing the mention of Harvard from Congress, PM Modi took the name of the Cambridge-based University and mentioned one of its studies, which was titled "Rise and decline of Indias Congress Party".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised Congress to brainstorm over the topic of the study.

During his speech, he also read a poem by Dushyant Kumar for the Congress, where he emphasised that, instead of raising the issues on which the government should be criticized, Congress is busy making false allegations.

PM Modi stated that the Leader of the Opposition mentions unemployment every time in his address, however, ironically, Congress during its tenure has only enacted laws in the name of unemployment, but did not take concrete steps.

Watch DNA with Rohit Ranjan for a detailed analysis of PM Modi's Lok Sabha speech.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (February 8, 2023) took a dig at the Opposition parties and said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has "brought them together". While replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha, Modi said that the Opposition leaders should have come together on the electoral platform, but it was the ED that brought them together. He said that if the Indian Army shows bravery, then the Opposition criticises it.

"If probe agencies act against graft, the Opposition attacks them," PM Modi said in his reply.

As per a report last year, out of the total 121 cases against politicians under ED probe currently, around 115 are against the Opposition leaders.

He also tore into Congress and said that the UPA rule from 2004-2014 was a "decade of scams and violence".

"UPA's trademark was to let every opportunity turn into a crisis from 2004-2014," Modi said in Lok Sabha.

"2004-14 was a lost decade, current one will be known as India's decade," PM Modi said in his in reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in Lok Sabha.

World looking at India with hope, some 'frustrated' people can't accept it: PM Modi

Prime Minister Modi said that the world was seeing its prosperity in India's growth story but a few "frustrated" persons were not ready to accept the achievements of the nation.

He said that the world was looking at India with hope amid instability in some parts of the globe due to the once-in-a-century pandemic and conflicts.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha. https://t.co/Ikh7uniQoi  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 8, 2023

Modi, who was speaking amid ongoing controversy over Adani Group, said that India was emerging as a manufacturing hub and the world now sees its prosperity in the country's growth.

"But some people who are neck deep in frustration refuse to accept India's growth story. They cannot see the achievements of 140 crore Indians," he said targeting Opposition leaders.
NMIMS SBM Offers MBA (Part-Time) Program for Working Executives

Mumbai India | Published : February 7, 2023







Start a professional learning journey now with the best-in-class MBA (Part-Time) program with the most sought-after prestigious NMIMS, School of Business Management, featured in the top 100 global B-schools as per Financial Times MiM 2022 ranking. A highly respected business school in India with a legacy of 41 years and a prestigious faculty announces admissions open for their MBA (Part-Time) program at their Mumbai campus.



This program offers an opportunity for working executives to acquire a high-end compact management qualification through rigorous and qualitative in-class learning and practical exposure to industry expertise. The program focuses on providing a holistic education to enhance their employability, exposing working executives to contemporary trends and practices in management. It also provides excellent academic resources coupled with industry best practices to boost the managerial competence of executives.



NMIMS SBM MBA (Part-Time) is accredited by Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for working executives who want to enhance their skills and advance their careers. NMIMS has world-class pedagogy to provide students with a comprehensive and engaging learning experience. NMIMS SBM has a team of experts with extensive experience in the business world. The program structure is upto 40% hybrid and 60% in the classroom, whereas Bloomberg Certification Program will help students use financial analysis tools more efficiently.



"The program is specifically meant for executives who have spent quality time in the industry and have adequate exposure to managerial roles and responsibilities. The two-year MBA (Part-Time) program will offer an opportunity for participants to hone their managerial skills and enable them to contribute better to their decision-making. It has been designed to empower students with a well-planned schedule that allows for a balance between study and work," said Dr. Prashant Mishra, Dean School of Business Management.



Dr. Pradeep Pai, Program Chairperson, MBA (Part-Time), School of Business Management, said, " NMIMS SBM is proud to offer this innovative program to working professionals who wish to take the next step in their careers. We believe that this program will be a preferred executive education program for working professionals seeking to upgrade their qualifications by acquiring a widely acclaimed MBA degree."



The MBA (Part-Time) program goes beyond traditional education by providing learners value-added workshops and industry connections. NMIMS SBM's curriculum is regularly updated to ensure students receive the most current knowledge. The program helps them gain a practical and theoretical understanding of the industry and creates a network of professionals for them as they progress.



Eligibility Criteria:



.50% in Graduation from a recognized University in any discipline. (Distance/Part time/Full time)

.Minimum 3 years of work experience in an executive or supervisory capacity or self-employed after graduation & up to the date of written test/personal interview.

.The work experience should be full-time experience and should NOT include internships, projects, training periods, trainee (management, engineering), etc.



Selection Process:



Written Test conducted for MBA (Part-Time) by NMIMS OR Candidates with GMAT score of 600 and above (GMAT score of last 5 years up to the closure of registrations will be considered) OR Candidates with a score of 200 and above in NMAT by GMAC examinations for 2020 admission AND Personal Interview



About NMIMS' SBM:



SBM of SVKM's NMIMS, Deemed-to-be University, is one of India's leading business schools with a legacy of world-renowned faculty and an excellent placement program. NMIMS, which began as a business school 41 years ago, is known for its trailblazing curriculum. The school has consistently ranked among the top 10 B-Schools in the country since 1998 in various such published surveys. SVKM's NMIMS has been granted Category-I Deemed University status by Graded Autonomy Regulation 2018 by MHRD/UGC, and the NMIMS Mumbai Campus is NAAC accredited with a CGPA of 3.59. MBA programs of NMIMS School of Business management has been ranked amongst Top-100 Global B-School by FT MIM 2022.

Find it Useful ? Help Others by Sharing Online

Comments and Discussions
Marathi cinema is seeing a range of genres lined up for release on both the big screen and OTT. The newest film on the block is Bamboo, an entertaining and fun drama directed by Vishal Devrukhakar of the Boyz franchise fame. The film has Abhinay Berde, Vaishnavi Kalyankar, Parth Bhalerao and Shivaji Satam in lead roles alongside notable names like Atul Kale and Samir Choughgule. Bamboo is produced by Creative Viibe Productions, and its founder and entrepreneur, Santosh Kher shared some interesting insights on the film.

What should viewers look forward to in Bamboo?

Every age-group will be able to relate to the film in some way or the other. It is an out and out family entertainer. These days, there are very few films which can be enjoyed with the whole family and group of friends. Many will be reminded of their college days. We are even releasing it on the long weekend since we want families to bond over watching this film in theatres. While we are experimenting with new genres, it is important we dont forget to make slice of life films which can be memorable viewing experiences for audiences for years to come.

Tell us about the USP of this production.

I will not say this project has only one USP. The film was a winner right from the narration stage. When we read the script, we knew right then that we had to make this film. The motley of emotions and moments of the story of the film is its core distinct factor. Another feature is the great combination of senior and young actors we have on board. It has given this film an added edge.

How was the experience making the film Bamboo?

The team behind the making of Bamboo was as fantastic as the films story. Everyone and every single department believed in the film. It was a fun experience for each person involved, be it the cast or crew.

Creative Viibe had a production like Athang, which was a completely different genre from Bamboo. Was this a conscious exercise?

We make decisions based on the script. The idea is to be fluid and work in every kind of genre and industry. It was not a conscious decision to first do a horror genre and then release a light-hearted film, it so happened that the projects have been released back to back. However, this showcases our strengths as a production house to do every kind of project and how flexible we can be. We are selecting scripts and projects which can have an impact and are different from what has been done usually. There are no rules we are playing by. Tomorrow if we have to release two films from the same genre back to back, we will. The only condition is that each project has to be different from the other.

(Above mentioned article is a sponsored feature, This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of IDPL, and IDPL claims no responsibility whatsoever.)
NEW DELHI: In a stinging attack on the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the trust reposed by crores of people was his protective shield which cannot be breached by abuse and allegations from his detractors. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha, PM Modi said the world was looking at India with hope amid instability in some parts of the globe due to the once-in-a-century pandemic and conflicts.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday made serious allegations against the BJP government at the Centre over the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group. During his speech, the Congress Wayanad MP alleged that the meteoric rise in Gautam Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 as he rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot eventually.

The Budget Session of Parliament has been stormy so far over the serious allegations made by the US short-seller Hindenburg Research against the Adani Group. The Congress-led Opposition has been demanding an inquiry into the allegations levelled by the Hindenburg Research firm against the Adani Group. The opposition parties have alleged that the sharp decline in stocks of the Adani Group is a 'mega scam' that involves common people's money as public sector LIC and SBI have invested in them and have questioned the government on steps taken by it.

Here are the key Highlights of PM Modi's Speech: -

''Our priority is to work for the welfare of deprived, poor, tribals; that is our mission.''

''Trust of crores of people is my protective shield, it can't be breached by your abuses, allegations.''

"Some people who are neck deep in frustration refuse to accept India's growth story. They cannot see the achievements of 140 crore Indians. Modi has come to their help in times of crisis. How will they agree with your abuses and allegations."

"People trust in Modi not due to newspaper headlines or TV visuals but due to my years of dedication in the service of the people."

''Not just Harvard, all big universities of the world will conduct studies on Congress' downfall.''

''ED has brought all Opposition parties together on one platform, it has done what electorate could not do.''

"When you lose elections, blame the EVMs, criticise the Election Commission, if the Supreme Court does not give a favourable verdict, criticise the apex court."

''If Army shows bravery, they criticise it; if probe agencies act against graft, they attack them.''

"If corruption is being probed, abuse the investigative agencies. If the Army displays valour, abuse the armed forces, level allegations against them. When there is talk of economic progress, criticise the RBI."

'India emerging as a manufacturing hub, the world sees its prosperity in India's growth but some people don't want to accept it.''

"There were two-three decades of instability; now there is political stability in the country, a decisive government is in place.''

''UPA's trademark was to let every opportunity turn into a crisis from 2004-2014.''

"In the past nine years, compulsive criticism has replaced constructive criticism. The decade before 2014 will always be remembered as 'The Lost Decade', but the decade of 2030 is India's decade."

"No one can forget the attacks of 2008. The lack of courage in acting against terrorism led to a bloodbath and the loss of lives of our innocent citizens. It's synonymous with the UPA's misrule."

"There is positivity, hope, and confidence in the world about India; hosting G20 matter of pride but some people are irked by it.''

"Leaders spoke on President's address as per their interest, nature but their utterances also reflect their capability, capacity, intent.''

"I am happy no one criticised President's address, they accepted what was said."

"President Droupadi Murmu's address to Parliament was an inspiration for everyone. The President has shown us the way".
Rahul Gandhi launched a vicious attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on Tuesday. Rahul Gandhi's views were rebutted by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday, who also questioned his mental maturity. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister, remarked to reporters in Bhopal: "Rahul Gandhi's mental age is something I often question. He doesn't even understand the President's speech or the purpose of the parliament. I want to ask Rahul ji why, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, only people who wished to destroy India were in your immediate vicinity." Shivraj Singh Chouhan added, "They robbed the country when their regimes were there. At that time, scams were the only thing resonating throughout the world, and India was labelled as a scam nation."

    ,   ...



                     ,       



                  -  pic.twitter.com/kIqYtESVSI  Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 8, 2023

On the other hand, the verbal conflict between current chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former chief minister Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh is becoming worse. Despite recently appointing district presidents in each of the state's districts, the Congress has chosen to retain the Khandwa-Khargone district Congress presidents. Former CM Shivraj made fun of the fact that "the entire Congress is kept on hold under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Kamal Nath." Let us inform you that the appointment of two district presidents appears to have sparked political activity in Madhya Pradesh. Because Khandwa and Khargone are regarded as Arun Yadav's home areas. Therefore, a lot of political debates are being sparked by this Congress decision.

Kamal Nath, according to CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, "forgets even after making a commitment." Chouhan said, "Congress is a master of deception. The development of specific agricultural zones, the provision of facilities for agricultural machinery, seed treatment, soil testing, and storage in one location, as well as the exemption of these areas from market tax, were all promises made by Kamal Nath ji. Why didn't you keep your word on this?" Let us say that for the past few days, Kamal Nath has been questioning Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and CM Shivraj has been continuously responding to Kamal Nath's inquiries. The political language between the two state leaders is getting more heated in this circumstance.

Meanwhile, after three days of gridlock in Parliament over various topics, Chandra Prakash Joshi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) submitted a vote of thanks on the President's speech on Tuesday. Following this, leaders and members of several parties, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, DMK leader Kanimozhi, Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, and Union Minister Smriti Irani presented their positions during the discussion that began on Tuesday.
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday called PM Narendra Modi 'Mouna Baba' over his silence on the allegations of financial fraud on Gautam Adani. "The people who spread hatred, if the PM raises an eye on them, they will sit down thinking I will not get a ticket this time. But today he has chosen to remain quiet. He has become a Mouni Baba," Kharge said during the motion of thanks on the President`s Address in the Rajya Sabha. The Leader of Opposition attacked the Central government over the demand for a probe by the joint parliamentary committee in the Adani case even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seated in the House.

Kharge said, "There should be a joint parliamentary committee probe in the Adani row... when the government is not afraid of anything then constitute a JPC."

Also Read: 'PM Modi Should get a Gold Medal': Rahul Gandhi's Fresh Jibe Amid Adani-Hindenburg Issue

While attacking the PM, Kharge alleged, "Wealth of one of the closest friends of the Prime Minister increased by 12 times in the last two and half years. In 2014 it was Rs 50,000 crore group while in 2019 it became Rs 1 lakh crore group, but what `jadu` (magic) happened that suddenly in two years assets worth Rs 12 lakh crore came...whether it is due to the favour of friendship."

#WATCH | Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in exchange with LoP Mallikarjun Kharge who is demanding JPC on the Adani issue says, "it seems you will set up a JPC on me."



(Video source: Sansad TV) pic.twitter.com/hGEt7oPeGz  ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2023

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reacted sharply and said, "It is a very smart thing to say... We are giving data and we will corroborate it, but it is completely infused with insinuation against the Prime Minister and that is what we are objecting to. They are overtly insinuating the PM."

While the chair asked for authentication, he said that there should be discussion in national interest. To this Kharge was furious, and said, "I speak the truth, is it anti-national? I am not anti-national and more patriotic than anyone here as I am `bhoomi-putra`. You are looting the country and telling me that I am an anti-national."

   MPs  Ministers  -   -  



   



Scheduled Caste              ?



       ?



 ,       ?#BharatJodo pic.twitter.com/IUzOKqICo7  Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) February 8, 2023

Kharge alleged, "The responsible ministers, MPs are always Hindu-Muslim always and don`t get any other subject... Scheduled Castes people are beaten up upon entering temples, if they are considered Hindus why then the Scheduled Caste people are not allowed in temples or be educated...Many ministers show pictures of them eating at Scheduled Caste houses. Is that any achievement..."

He said that "one person became rich as his wealth increased 12 times from 2019", which drew objections from the Chair and treasury bench.

However, the chair and the treasury benches objected to it.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "You are insinuating the Prime Minister which can`t be allowed... Any report from any corner of the world cannot be quoted here."

Kharge had mentioned the Hindenburg report while attacking the government.

Even the leader of the House, Piyush Goyal said that LoP casting aspersions on the Prime Minister was unacceptable.

While BJP`s Sushil Modi raised the point of order that any allegations made, a notice should be given in advance which the chair will validate.

The Finance Minister too said, "The LoP is insinuating the Hon`ble Prime Minister."

The Congress members said that they have not taken the name of the Prime Minister.

The LoP, however, continued tirade against the Adani Group.

He said that the group is taking money from the public sector banks and purchasing the public sector undertakings. "Privatisation is also diminishing the reservation system which they could have got in the PSUs," said Kharge.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Police prevented PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti from taking out a march to Parliament here on Wednesday to protest against an ongoing anti-encroachment drive in Jammu and Kashmir. Accompanied by scores of party workers, Mehbooba planned to march from Railway Bhawan to Parliament, where she wanted to inform opposition parties about the Jammu and Kashmir administration's "bulldozer policy".

However, police detained the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, and took her and her party workers to Jantar Mantar. The protesters dispersed from Jantar Mantar.

#WATCH | PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti detained by police during a protest in Delhi against J&K administration's anti-encroachment drive in the UT pic.twitter.com/3zovCMzxaT  ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2023

"We had come to inform the public, opposition parties and members of the ruling BJP about the misery faced by the public at large in Jammu and Kashmir."

"If we can't go to Parliament, I wonder where we should go then. Does the government want us to get our grievances redressed at the United Nations," Mehbooba asked.

There is no rule of law that can be seen in Jammu and Kashmir and "we came all the way to Delhi to speak our hearts out. But it seems that here also the voice of the general public is muzzled," she said.

The PDP and other political parties of Jammu and Kashmir have denounced the anti-encroachment drive and asked the administration to stop it. They have said that it is affecting the poor.
Budget Session Updates: Even today, the Adani controversy has caused a great deal of commotion in the House. Rahul Gandhi, the previous Congress party president, spoke in the House and, according to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, did so at the appropriate time. He said that the whole Bharatiya Janata Party had turned against Rahul Gandhi as a result of his attack. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary commented during the debate over the motion of gratitude for the President's address that Rahul Gandhi had turned the BJP into a "Pappu." Adhir Ranjan claimed, "Rahul Gandhi's speech has changed the atmosphere completely. The country as a whole is debating Rahul Gandhi's speech. Rahul's words were heard throughout the entire nation. The right person was struck by Rahul Gandhi's arrow."

The leader of the opposition, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, criticised the BJP before to PM Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha today. Additionally, he charged the Bharatiya Janata Party with planting political seeds. Adhir Ranjan, on the other hand, asserted that the ruling party had raised the subject of the President's caste. Speaking on the casteist politics of the BJP in relation to President Murmu, Chowdhury stated, "Previously, we never heard about the President's caste or religion but for the first time, it is being conveyed across the country that BJP has made an Adivasi President. It has been turned into a political problem... Rahul Gandhi turned you into Pappu, despite your efforts to do otherwise."

However, during his address to the House of Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi attacked Congressman Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminds Congress of the insults directed at President Droupadi Murmu without specifically mentioning Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Modi recalled the time when Congress was accused of "demeaning" President Droupadi Murmu in reference to Chowdhury's "Rashtrapatni" comment.

Chowdhury also criticised the centre for its bias towards religion. "The cornerstone for the creation of modern India was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru. Despite the fact that 14% of the population is Muslim, your (BJP) government has neither a Muslim MP nor minister, despite your proclamation that "one earth, one family, one future."

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and PM Narendra Modi are both prominent Indian politicians and have had several face-offs in Parliament. As members of opposing political parties, they have engaged in heated debates and discussions on various issues concerning the country. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, as a member of the opposition, has been critical of Modi's actions and policies as a Prime Minister, while Narendra Modi, as a member of the ruling party, has defended the government's stance on various issues. These face-offs in Parliament have been watched closely by the media and the public, and have provided insight into the political ideologies and principles of both leaders.
New Delhi: Hitting out at the Congress for attacking the prime minister in Lok Sabha during the debate on the President's address, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said that PM Narendra Modi's thinking is pure like the Ganga river and no one can stain it. During an intervention in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that instead of pointing out issues with the central government schemes, opposition members are raising unrelated matters, which is against the tradition.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Rijiju said, should have adhered to the rules of parliamentary debate by speaking on the President's address rather than spreading negativity in the House.

He said that before 2014, people only saw news about scams and corruption and had lost faith in the political leadership, but things have changed now.

People have again reposed faith in Prime Minister Modi, he said, adding the Opposition can not mislead the people now.

"The thoughts of the prime minister are as pure as Ganga. His truth and dedication will always be pure. No one can stain it," Rijiju said.

He also said that in 2019, the Opposition tried to defame the prime minister with the slogan 'chowkidar chor hai' but people gave a befitting reply by again reposing faith in Modi.

"Again the people have made up their minds," he added.

Gandhi on Tuesday led a blistering opposition attack in Lok Sabha over the Hindenburg report, claiming that the meteoric rise in Gautam Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 as he rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot eventually.

Rijiju alleged that some members use the House to promote their political interests, which is regrettable.

"Whatever is spoken, should be within the rules... Many opposition members spoke on issues which were not even vaguely related to the address," he said adding that Gandhi's thinking has not improved even after the Bharat Jodo Yatra and he is still spreading negativity.

On the issue of the prime minister's foreign tours raised Gandhi, he said, "PM goes abroad not for honeymoon or holidays, but for the benefit of the country".

My intervention in Lok Sabha on the "Motion of Thanks" to hon'ble President of India's address to the Parliament.https://t.co/uVrXG7rNai  Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 8, 2023

Further, the minister said that the Opposition should refrain from demanding discussion on sensitive issues like China, recalling that as an opposition member, he withdrew a similar demand on Arunachal Pradesh on a suggestion by Pranab Mukherjee, who was then in the government.

He said that on sensitive issues, members should remain united.

Rijiju also regretted that there is a similarity between the statements of Congress leaders and Pakistan.
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra received severe backlash for the use of a cuss word during the budget session in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (Feb 7). In a video, Moitra was heard saying the word, "hara*i" in anger reportedly to a BJP MP after she was heckled by BJP MPs during her speech. The video was shared several times by BJP MPs who criticised her behaviour. In addition, BJP MP and actress Hema Malini also slammed Moitra for her usage of foul language.

Malini said, "They should control their tongue. They should not get over-excited and emotional," Hema Malini said, adding, "By nature, she (Mahua Moitra) must be like that. I don't know."

Defending her actions in Lok Sabha, Moitra said, "Whatever I said was not on record and all I can say is I will call an apple an apple and not an orange. I will call a spade a spade. If they take me to the privileges committee, I will put my side of the story."

. @MahuaMoitra has shamed the entire WB with her unparliamentary language.



Use of such words shows the TMC culture wherein murder, violence, rape and abuses are so common. TMC leaders have lost their common sense in such atmosphere.



I feel pity for them. Bengal is watching. pic.twitter.com/O0KyuoES8j February 7, 2023

#WATCH | They should control their tongue and not get over-excited and emotional. Each and every member of Parliament is a respectable person: BJP MP Hema Malini on TMC MP Mahua Moitra using offensive language in Lok Sabha yesterday pic.twitter.com/J4OlQtLQDB  ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2023

She also said that her speech on the Adani-Hindenburg row was interrupted several times and she was heckled continuously when was trying to speak.

The TMC MP said, "I don't know what kind of language I am supposed to use. I am quite surprised that the BJP party is today teaching us parliamentary etiquette. If you saw my speech and the kind of heckling that the gentleman... I won't call him a gentleman..but still, but the honourable representative of Delhi, did the entire time...I was not even allowed to speak. He heckled me continuously. I asked for protection from the chairperson 5 times but the chairperson was unable to give me protection. And whatever I said was not on record.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: Details from the Delhi Police's chargesheet in the Shraddha Walker murder case have emerged in the past few days. It has been revealed that the scientific tests of accused Aftab Poonawalla corroborate his disclosure in the Mehrauli murder case. Aftab had undergone several tests such as polygraph, and narco analysis, among others as part of the investigation. "The scientific tests of Poonawala, including psychological assessment, layered voice analysis, polygraph test, narco analysis, and post-narco analysis corroborated the accused's version," according to the charge sheet as reported by PTI.

Aftab used to talk to several women while dating Shraddha

Poonawalla had also told the cops that he used to talk to several women, and was friends with them and this made his live-in partner and victim Shraddha suspicious of his loyalty. She suspected him of cheating and this often led to fights between the couple. Poonawalla disclosed that he had "friendships" with several women, including a woman residing in Dubai, police said in its charge sheet and added that he was also friends with a woman residing in Nagpur and another living in Gurugram.

How Poonawalla tried to wipe out the evidence

"Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Rohini, team inspected the room, washroom, fridge and kitchen of the flat and found blood spots at the back side of the plyboard of the lower kitchen cabinet where the accused used to keep the pieces of the dead body whenever his new friend used to visit him at his flat," the charge sheet said.

"Whenever (Poonawalla's friend) used to visit my flat I used to clean the refrigerator and used to put the body parts of Walkar in the lower cabinet of the kitchen. After her departure, I used to keep the remaining body parts that is the head, torso and both forearms in the refrigerator," the charge sheet said quoting Poonawalla.

Poonawalla had even gifted her Walkar's silver ring to his "new friend", the charge sheet said.

A Delhi court on Tuesday took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by City Police. During the interrogation, Poonawala confessed that on the evening of May 18, he had strangulated Walkar and subsequently bought a saw and cut her body into pieces to destroy the evidence, it said.

(With PTI inputs)
Kheenvsar: Union Minister Smriti Iranis daughter Shanelle Irani is all set to tie the knot with her fiance Arjun Bhalla on February 9. The actress-turned-politician reached Rajasthan this morning for her elder daughters marriage. After arriving at the Jodhpur airport, the Union minister for Women and Child Development left for Nagaur by road. The wedding functions will be held at the 15th-century Khimsar Fort on February 8 and 9 with family members and close friends. Shanelle Irani is Zubin Irani's daughter from Zubin's first marriage with Mona Irani. Shanelle Irani got engaged to NRI Arjun Bhalla in 2021, and Smriti Irani took to her Instagram to share the news.

The wedding festivities have started today (February 8) and the wedding is said to be on February 9. It is being said that Smriti Irani's daughter Shanelle Irani was proposed to by her fiance Arjun Bhalla at this fort. For this reason, both of them chose this location for marriage. Not many details have been revealed by anyone and sources have stayed shush about it. The wedding venue is booked for three days in advance and all the rituals will be organised at the 500-year-old Khimsar Fort.

Also read: Invitation sent to Smriti Irani to join Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' scheduled to enter UP on January 3, BJP says THIS

Shanelle Irani has graduated from Government Law College in Mumbai and holds an LLM degree from Georgetown University Law Centre, Washington DC. Media reports claim that Bhalla is an MBA degree holder and reportedly lives in Canada, with his family of four - his parents, Sunil and Shabina Bhalla, and a younger brother.

As per reports, he did his schooling at St. Robert Catholic High School in Canadas Ontario. He also holds an LLB degree from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. On the professional front, Bhalla has been associated with companies including Apple Inc.

Smriti Irani has three children Shanelle, Zohr, and Zoish. While Zohr and Zoish are Smriti's children with her husband Zubin Irani, Shanelle is Zubin's daughter from his first marriage to Mona Irani.
LAKE HOLCOMBE  The 70-year-old Highway M Bridge in the town of Lake Holcombe reduced its weight limit from 40 tons to 30 tons this week after reports of wrinkling on the bridge stress plates.

The 798-foot bridge is located west of Highway 27. About 1,000 vehicles travel across Highway M Bridge every day when crossing the Chippewa River.

Chippewa County Highway Department officials have called in experts to assess the structure and develop a plan for its rehabilitation.

We did a recent bridge inspection, our annual routine inspection, where we looked at all the steel for fracture critical members and we noticed that some of the steel plates that connect the different components of the bridge are starting to buckle, said Brian Kelley, Chippewa County highway commissioner. Theres a little bit of a deflection on them. Some of them are around  of an inch, some are maybe closer to  of an inch.

Kelley said the Chippewa County Highway Department talked it over with Wisconsin Department of Transportations Bureau of Structures staff, who recommended that until further analysis, a 30-ton weight limit is safer for the time being.

For most locals, Kelley said, the new weight limit shouldnt impact their travel.

I dont think its going to have a significant impact on traffic. I mean, most people in cars and pickups theres not any change for them. ... Even smaller delivery trucks and school buses are fine. Garbage trucks should be fine. This is more like fully-loaded semi trucks that cant go across there now, he said.

The county highway department hired a structural engineer from a private engineering firm that is tasked with examining the whole bridge very closely. The engineer will make a recommendation on what needs to be done with the plates to bring the bridge up to snuff.

The analysis is expected to take about two months. Then repairs can begin when the weather improves so that eventually the bridge can return to the 40-ton weight limit.

It could be that we can bolt some stiffeners on the outside of the plates to strengthen them that way. Thats something that we can do with our own crew. Or it could be something more significant where they need to replace the plates. In that case, theyll have to do some temporary bracing on the bridge and make those repairs. Thats probably something that its going to be more of a contractor job, Kelley said. We wont know until the analysis is complete how much it will cost or if we can manage repairs ourselves.

The Chippewa County Highway Department can be reached at 715-726-7914.

Photos: Pure Water Days Parade and River Fest Pure Water Days 1 Pure Water Days 2 Pure Water Days 3 Pure Water Days 4 Pure Water Days 5 Pure Water Days 6 Pure Water Days 7 Pure Water Days 8 Pure Water Days 9 Pure Water Days 10 Pure Water Days 11 Pure Water Days 12 Pure Water Days 13 Pure Water Days 14 Pure Water Days 15 Pure Water Days 16 Pure Water Days 17 Pure Water Days 18 Pure Water Days 19 Pure Water Days 20 Pure Water Days 21 Pure Water Days 22 Pure Water Days 23 Pure Water Days 24 Pure Water Days 25 Pure Water Days 26 Pure Water Days 27 Pure Water Days 28 Pure Water Days 29 Pure Water Days 30 Pure Water Days 31 Pure Water Days 32 Pure Water Days 33 Pure Water Days 34 Pure Water Days 35 Pure Water Days 36 Pure Water Days 37 Pure Water Days 38 Pure Water Days 39 Pure Water Days 40 Pure Water Days 41 Pure Water Days 42 Pure Water Days 43
Tripura Polls 2023: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee travelled to campaign for the 2023 Tripura Assembly Elections. Mamata stated that Tripura is similar to her second home after Bengal after setting foot in Agartala yesterday to appeal to the people of Tripura with Bengali sympathies. Before the Tripura Assembly elections, political insiders predict that Mamata's message would undoubtedly strengthen the TMC camp. The opposition leader in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, did not pay much regard to the Trinamool leader's reputation in the neighbouring states, though. Before leaving for Agartala on Tuesday, he predicted that Trinamool will garner less votes than Nota in Tripura.

One of the prominent BJP campaigners in the Tripura assembly elections is Suvendu Adhikari. It is to inform you that Mamata Banerjee arrived in Tripura yesterday. Additionally, Suvendu departed for Tripura on Tuesday morning. There are currently two prominent political figures in Tripura who are of Bengali heritage. During the key election season, when political analysts speculated on who would win, Suvendu poked fun at Mamata's PR efforts, telling reporters outside the airport in Kolkata, "She is not all in the image. TMC won't get as many votes as Nota," he asserted.

Tension is at an all-time high in Tripura, which is getting close to elections. The Trinamool party's leader, Mamata Banerjee, paid close attention to public relations by visiting this northeastern state before the election. According to political insiders, Mamata's choice to travel to Tripura may have given the Trinamool party a stronger electoral advantage. Suvendu didn't want to increase the importance of Mamata's public relations, though. He asserted that the BJP has decided not to refer to any meetings there by the name of the party that controls the government in Bengal.

Suvendu Adhikari is a former TMC leader and a current member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal. He and Mamata Banerjee have had a political rivalry in recent years, with Adhikari leaving the TMC to join the BJP in December 2020. The two leaders have engaged in public arguments and criticism of each other, with Adhikari alleging corruption and mismanagement by the TMC government led by Banerjee, and Banerjee accusing Adhikari of betraying the TMC and switching sides for personal gain. This rivalry has been a significant political development in the state of West Bengal, where both leaders hold significant political influence.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who is known for her fiery speeches and aggressive style, lost her cool in Parliament during 'Motion of Thanks to the President's Address' in Lok Sabha. Moitra hurled abuse when Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu was speaking during the motion. Moitra launched a stinging attack on the government over the Adani-Hindenburg Research row and alleged that the billionaire businessman had taken the country for a ride.

There were angry exchanges between TMC MP Moitra and the BJP members after she finished her speech. While K Ram Mohan Naidu continued to speak, Moitra got up in between and shouted certain objectionable words following which a ruckus erupted in the house. Naidu was even seen pleading that members should let him speak. The Chair also objected to her remark and urged members to avoid cuss words. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi asked Moitra to apologise out of morality and said if she does not it would reflect on her culture.

Please watch  monkey brigade out in full force to shut me up. https://t.co/C2jPC2CYxm February 7, 2023

Moitra brought two birthday caps to the House to press her argument that the businessman being most talked about had befooled the government. She demanded that an enquiry be ordered against the activities of the Adani group.

Beginning her address by quoting from President Droupadi Murmu's address, Moitra said, "Every word I utter is going to be an oblation and offering a truth into my 'maha yagna' of nation building." "I want to start off by saying as an ex-investment banker, I want companies to thrive. But I want honest, hardworking Indian companies to strive and not trapeze artists. As an MP colleague of mine likes to say the Chair always asked me not to get angry. I will not be angry for what I have to say. I will only say that we've all been fooled," she said.

Referring to a statement by the Adani group in which it had said that short-seller Hindenburg's report was a calculated attack on India, she said, "The pride of India is not the wealth of one individual, pride of India lies in the robustness of its institutional structures."

"India is on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world. Don't let him smear your time in government, with a stink of crony capitalism. Please immediately order a full complete and thorough investigation into all matters...Our country's reputation is at risk," Moitra said.

The opposition has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations of fraud and manipulation made by the US-based short seller Hindenburg Research against billionaire Gautam Adani's companies that triggered an unprecedented stock crash. The group has denied the charges.

The opposition parties have alleged that the meltdown in Adani Group shares is a 'mega scam' that involves common people's money as public sector LIC and SBI have invested in them and have questioned the government on steps taken by it. (With PTI inputs)
Bhadohi: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Wednesday (February 8) spoke on his party colleague's request of changing the name of the state capital Lucknow. Speaking to reporters, UP Dy CM said it is well known that Lucknow was earlier known as 'Laxman Nagri' and the state government will move forward "according to the situation." His remarks came a day after BJP MP Sangamlal Gupta wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking that Lucknow be renamed as "Lakhanpur or Laxmanpur", saying that the city was given its current name in the 18th century by Nawab Asafuddaula.

The Pratapgarh MP claimed Lord Ram had given the city to his brother Laxman and it was known as 'Lakhanpur' or 'Laxmanpur' earlier. Pathak was here to unveil a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Also read: Alert Flyers! Lucknow Airport to Witness Heavy Rush Due to GIS23, G20 Meets in February

On the demand for renaming the city, the deputy chief minister said, "It is well known that Lucknow's name earlier was Laxman Nagri. We will move forward according to the situation." Asked whether the government would go ahead with the renaming, he said, "We will let you all know about it."

Pathak also targeted Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in Lok Sabha over the Adani-Hindenburg row, saying the Congress leader has "lost his mental balance". "Whenever the Congress was in power, hundreds of scams took place," he said.

A belligerent Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (February 7) led a blistering Opposition attack in Lok Sabha over the Hindenburg report, claiming that the meteoric rise in industrialist Gautam Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 as he rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot.

The Congress leader's remarks drew a sharp response from the treasury benches, with Law Minister Kiren Rijiju asking him not to level "wild allegations" and to furnish proof of his claims.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: Not satisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modis reply to the allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against the BJP government in the wake of the Hindenburg report on Adani Group, the main opposition party on Wednesday asked him to clear his stand over the issue. Congress posted a picture on its official Twitter handle along with a caption: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. The tweet showed Rahul Gandhi holding an old picture of PM Modi spending time with industrialist Gautam Adani.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi once again alleged that the Prime Minister was protecting Gautam Adani as he did not order an inquiry into the allegations levelled against the industrialist by the US-based research firm.

Gandhi said the prime minister did not answer the questions he had posed to him. "I am not satisfied, but it reveals the truth. There was no talk of an inquiry. If he is not a friend, then he should have agreed to an inquiry. There was no probe into shell companies in defence sector and benami money is changing hands, but the prime minister did not say anything on that.

"It is clear that the prime minister is protecting him," Gandhi told reporters after the prime minister's reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address. "He (PM) is surely trying to protect him (Adani) and I understand this and there are reasons for it," he also said.

The Congress MP said this is an issue of national security and concerns the country's infrastructure and the prime minister should have said that there will be a probe into the allegations. "This is a very big scam. He did not even say that. He (PM) is surely trying to protect him (Adani) and I understand this and there are reasons for it," he said.

Asked if he got the answers to his questions, the former Congress chief said, "I did not get any reply from the prime minister to my questions." "The prime minister was shell-shocked. He was in shock and there was no answer. I have not asked any complicated questions. I only asked how many times he (Adani) has gone with you. How many times did he meet you? I posed simple questions but got no answers," he said. "I am not satisfied, but it reveals the truth," he said when asked if he was satisfied with the prime minister's reply.

PM              PM        



   ,            



   PM     



: @RahulGandhi  pic.twitter.com/YdPpUedwt1  Congress (@INCIndia) February 8, 2023

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the Prime Minister's reply in Parliament as diversionary and said there was not even a word on his "links" with his favourite "businessmen".

In a stinging attack on the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said the trust reposed by crores of people was his protective shield which cannot be breached by abuse and allegations from his detractors. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha, PM Modi said the world was looking at India with hope amid instability in some parts of the globe due to the once-in-a-century pandemic and conflicts.

"But some people who are neck deep in frustration refuse to accept India's growth story. They cannot see the achievements of 140 crore Indians," PM Modi said, targeting the Opposition. The Prime Minister said people know Modi has come to their help in times of crisis. "How will they agree with your abuses and allegations," he told the Opposition. The Prime Minister said the Opposition had wasted the past nine years in levelling baseless allegations instead of indulging in constructive criticism.
New Delhi: 'Adipurush' co-stars Kriti Sanon and Prabhas are reportedly dating and the buzz has made fans go nuts. Now, one of the film critics, Umair Sandhu has confirmed their engagement in the Maldives next week and this has taken over the internet.

Earlier, Kriti posted an Instagram story to dispel rumours spreading on social media that she was dating Prabhas. Currently, a new update regarding the engagement of the actors has surfaced on the internet and created a lot of buzz.

Umair Sandhu took to his Twitter page and wrote, "BREAKING NEWS: #KritiSanon and #Prabhas is getting engaged in Maldives next week!! So happy for them!"

BREAKING NEWS: #KritiSanon & #Prabhas will get engaged next week in Maldives !! So Happy for them.  Umair Sandhu (@UmairSandu) February 5, 2023

Earlier, during the promotions of 'Bhediya,' Varun Dhawan hinted about Kriti's relationship with Prabhas in the finale of the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.'

The actor had said, "Kriti's name is missing since it is in someone's heart. That dude is not in Mumbai right now since he is filming with Deepika." For the unversed, Prabhas was shooting for 'Project-K' with Deepika Padukone at that time.

This revelation sparked outrage on social media, with many quickly assuming the actor's identity was Prabhas.
New Delhi: After Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advanis wedding, the latest buzz is that Kriti Sanon and Prabhas will get engaged soon in Maldives. A self-proclaimed film critic called Umair Sandhu took to his Twitter page and wrote, "BREAKING NEWS: #KritiSanon and #Prabhas is getting engaged in Maldives next week!! So happy for them!" This news created a lot of buzz among the fans and it was rumoured that they will get engaged soon.

However, according to a report by E Times, Prabhas team has clarified that they are just friends and nothing is going on between them. Prabhas and Kriti are just friends. The news about them getting engaged is not true, ETimes said in its report.

BREAKING NEWS: #KritiSanon & #Prabhas will get engaged next week in Maldives So Happy for them.  Umair Sandhu (@UmairSandu) February 5, 2023

The rumours around their relationship began during the promotions of 'Bhediya,' when Varun Dhawan hinted about Kriti's relationship with Prabhas in the finale of the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.'

The actor had said, "Kriti's name is missing since it is in someone's heart. That dude is not in Mumbai right now since he is filming with Deepika." For the unversed, Prabhas was shooting for 'Project-K' with Deepika Padukone at that time. This revelation sparked outrage on social media, with many quickly assuming the actor's identity was Prabhas. However, Kriti had denied the rumours at that time.

Meanwhile, on the work front, they will be seen together in Adipurush. Apart from this, Kriti will also be seen in Shehzada alongside Kartik Aaryan while Prabhas will be seen in Project K alongside Deepika Padukone.
New Delhi: Apple has drastically cut prices of iPhone 14 models by up to $125 (850 yuan) in China to boost sales after it reported revenue decline in the holiday quarter, the media reported on Tuesday. According to South China Morning Post, Apple's online stores on e-commerce platform JD.com showed a markdown of 800 yuan for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models, with an additional 50 yuan off if the buyer became a member of the online store.

That works out to a 10.6 per cent discount on the 7,999 yuan price of the 128-GB iPhone 14 Pro. Retail stores are also offering price cuts ranging from 600 to 800 yuan on most popular iPhone 14 models.

"Local Shenzhen retail chain Sundan offered a 650-yuan price cut and has run out of inventory for both the Pro and Pro Max models with large storage," the report said, quoting an employee. However, the prices of iPhone 14 models remained unchanged on Apple's official website and offline stores in China.

Apple reported $65.8 billion in revenue for iPhones in the holiday quarter, down 8 per cent (year-over-year). However, on a constant currency basis, iPhone revenue was roughly flat.

Apple faced supply chain disruptions in October and November as China faced Covid surge and protests erupted at its key supplier Foxconn's main factory in the country. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Covid-related challenges "significantly impacted the supply of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and lasted through most of December".

"Because of these constraints, we had significantly less iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max supply than we planned, causing ship times to extend far beyond what we had anticipated," he said during the company's earnings call. Cook said that as a result of a challenging environment, "our revenue was down 5 per cent year over year".
ChatGPT has become the buzz of the town since its inception. Additionally, the responses are fairly similar to what you would receive from a human. Not only that the popular artificial intelligence chatbot, has become the fastest to reach 100 million users in just two months after launching, according to analysts. Many people were debating that it will soon surpass Google as the dominant player in the market but Google is here with a similar software, a brand-new chatbot tool called Bard in an apparent effort to take on the popular ChatGPT.

The development was first reported by CEO Sundar Pichai during an earnings call a few days before the release. In a blog post, Alphabet and the CEO of Google announced that starting on Monday, "trusted testers" will have access to Bard.

AI-powered chatbots have become a popular way for businesses to interact with customers, Language-based models have altered the way humans work, and AI-powered chatbots have become a popular way for businesses to communicate with clients. Open AI's Chat GPT, a potent language-based model that was created and has since altered the digital world.

Chat GPT vs Google Bard: Major Differences

- ChatGPT is working on GPT3 whereas Bard is focusing on the LaMDA language model. AI chatbots are trained using language models using probability and statistics. Where the two chatbots get their knowledge from is a significant difference.

- Though both Bard and Chat GPT are language-based conversational AI models, there are key differences in their design and intended use. Bard gets its information directly from the Internet, unlike ChatGPT, which gets it from the data it was trained on.

- Bard will use a material that is already available online, including data and sources. Bard will have access to the most recent date and will be able to deliver more up-to-current information, whereas Chat GPT's knowledge is restricted to the events through 2021.

- Bard will have access to a wealth of data and be integrated with Google's search engine, providing it an advantage over Chat GPT, which is supported by Microsoft.

- While Chat GPT can make some factual mistakes and embellish stories, Google's Bard AI is thought to give consumers more reliable information.

- Bard AI has an advantage over other AI platforms, such as Chat GPT, in terms of the depth and range of information it can access thanks to Google's enormous data collection.

- Bard will be able to distill difficult subjects into digestible, chitchat-worthy chunks. The goal is to spread knowledge more widely in a manner that is clear and can encourage learning in everyone, including kids. Whereas, Chat GPT creates content in response to the text prompt.

- Due to Google's massive data gathering, Bard AI has an edge over other AI platforms like Chat GPT in terms of the breadth and scope of information it can access.

- Bard will be able to break up complex ideas into bite-sized, conversation-starting morsels. The objective is to disseminate information more widely in a way that is understandable and may inspire everyone, especially children, to learn. Chat GPT, on the other hand, produces material in response to the text prompt.

Although both Google's Bard and Microsoft's ChatGPT are very interesting, they both require careful handling because this is a field of technology that could have far-reaching effects.
New Delhi: Global smartphone brand Motorola on Wednesday announced the launch of its new affordable smartphone which features a 6.5-inch display.

The new 'moto e13' comes in two variants - 2GB+64GB and 4GB+64GB - which cost Rs 6,999 and Rs 7,999 respectively, the company said in a statement.

It will be available in three colours - Cosmic Black, Aurora Green and Creamy White - and will go on sale starting February 15, on Flipkart and motorola.in.

The new smartphone is powered by a UNISOC T606 octa core processor and comes with a 5000mAh battery that is said to last over 36 hours.

It also features a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display and provides users a "multidimensional audio-visual experience" with Dolby Atmos audio.

"With moto e13, you have no more worries about having the right connections. You get support for dual-band Wi-Fi (both 5GHz and 2.4Ghz) - a first in this segment a convenient USB Type-C 2.0 connector and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology," the company said.

The device comes with a 13MP artificial intelligence (AI)-powered camera system, featuring 'Auto Smile Capture' which recognises when everyone in the frame is smiling and clicks a picture, and 'Face Beauty' and "Portrait mode" to enhance the photos automatically.

Moreover, it comes with a 5MP front camera, and is 8.47 mm thin and weighs 179.5g.

"With today's moto e13 launch, we're incredibly excited to announce that the device will be the first to support Kangri and Kuvi, endangered indigenous languages from regions in India. Kuvi and Kangri will make up the third phase of our endangered indigenous languages digital inclusion initiative," the company said.
WASHINGTON: U.S. President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he would cooperate with great power rival China, but vowed "to protect our country," a reference to a Chinese spy balloon that traveled across America last week.

"I'm committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said. "But make no mistake about it: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did."

Beijing denied the balloon was an espionage device.

Biden had been expected to address competition with China, but his speechwriters would have added that remark after the balloon traversed the skies above the United States - dominating the news cycle - before a U.S. fighter jet shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who sat with other members of the cabinet in the House of Representatives as Biden spoke, canceled a planned trip to Beijing amid the uproar.

Tune in as I deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. https://t.co/StnlNblubB  President Biden (@POTUS) February 8, 2023

Republicans seized on the balloon incident to assail Biden's decision, based on military advice, not to shoot it down sooner for fear debris could harm people on land.

Republicans, who took control of the House of Representatives last month, have pushed a hard line in dealings with Beijing, but it is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided U.S. Congress.

Biden touted legislation passed last year with strong support from both his fellow Democrats and Republicans that boosted the U.S. semiconductor industry, and promised more.

"I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, that China intends to be dominating," Biden said.

Asked on Wednesday about Biden's remarks, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said:" the Chinese side has always believed that China-U.S. relations are not a zero-sum game in which you lose and I win, and you rise and I fall."

"China does not shy away from or fear competition, but we oppose using competition to define the entire China-U.S. relationship," Mao said.

Democrats have joined Republicans in demanding more information about the balloon and the Biden administration's policy toward the government in Beijing.

The White House has taken a more nuanced approach, seeking to tamp down tensions with China that flared in August when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited Taiwan.

Pelosi's visit prompted Beijing to conduct military drills near the Chinese-claimed island. Tensions could spike again if the new House speaker, Republican Kevin McCarthy, visits Taiwan as expected this year.

Seven weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed lawmakers from the same podium, Biden also denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and touted U.S. support for the government in Kyiv.

Congress has approved more than $100 billion in aid and military assistance for Ukraine and partner nations since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

"Together we did what America always does at our best. We led. We united NATO. We built a global coalition," Biden said, vowing to stand with Ukraine "as long as it takes."

A few Republicans - led by those most closely aligned to former President Donald Trump - have questioned whether Washington should keep sending so much money to the government in Kyiv.

But most of the party - including its leaders and top members of national security committees in Congress - expect the money to continue. Biden's comments about Ukraine were met with loud applause and cheers from both Republicans and Democrats.
"The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar" by Robin R. Means Colemans and Mark H. Harris; Gallery/Saga Press (327 pages, $27.99)



If you want to survive a horror movie, there are a few things to remember.

Always make sure your phone is charged. Avoid abandoned farmhouses. If you absolutely must go inside, do not go in the basement.

Oh, and remember: The Black Guy Dies First.

Thats the title of Robin R. Means Colemans and Mark H. Harris sometimes funny, sometimes furious pop-culture history tracing Black horror cinema from fodder to Oscar. And its a reminder that, however fantastic the terror tale, Americas racial reality is scarier.

Everyone dies, but Black people do so at a higher rate in both horror and, sadly, real life, they note.

But the Black presence in horror, as in America, has always been about resilience, they add, referencing the genres typical Black victim. He plays his role in film after film, knowing the odds are against him, that hes started the race two steps behind, but he doesnt give up.

Major parts for Black performers barely existed in Hollywoods early days. If there were a leading role, it usually came in a micro-budgeted voodoo film like 1936s Ouanga, starring Fredi Washington as the vengeful mistress of a plantation owner. In early Hollywood zombie movies, Blacks were stuck playing silent enslaved people of the white witch doctors.

They didnt fare much better in other monster movies, relegated to playing supposedly comical servants. The job was to bug their eyes, shake with fear, then run. It gave long careers to comedians like Willie Best and Eddie Rochester Anderson. But the parts often came at the price of ridicule and racist stereotypes.

Like the rest of pop culture, much shifted in the late sixties with the releases of two independent, unrelated horror films.

The first, Jack Hills Spider Baby, would become a cult classic and announced its iconoclasm immediately. It starts with one of the most popular of the old Black sidekicks, Mantan Moreland, nervously arriving at a spooky house, a well-worn comedy setup. Except, unlike his earlier Black colleagues, Moreland is immediately killed.

It was a hint that the action onscreen was about to change  violently.

A prominent sign of revolution came with George Romeros Night of the Living Dead. A zombie movie without voodoo, or white witch doctors, its Black victim was also a hero. Romero later confessed he hadnt intended it as a statement; Duane Jones was simply the best actor who auditioned.

Still, it presented audiences with the genres first brave, brash, Black protagonist  even if he died in the end, shot down by an ignorant white posse.

His heroism and almost-survival were a rarity that signaled promise for a future in which Black actors and actresses could headline horror, Black characters could save the day, and Black horror movies could be commercial and critical successes, worthy of the highest accolades, the authors write. Like the four Oscar nominations and one win for Jordan Peeles Get Out.

Yes, but it would take nearly 50 years to get there.

First, horror movies  and American movies in general  would have to survive blaxploitation. That era began with socially conscious films like Melvin Van Peebles Sweet Sweetbacks Badasssss Song and Gordon Parks Shaft. It would soon devolve into cheap monster movies thrown together by white filmmakers trying to cash in.

Occasionally, the films would accomplish something more. There probably werent high hopes for a movie called Blacula. But then the studio reluctantly allowed star William Marshall to alter the original script to create a more elevated, racially conscious backstory for the titular character, the authors write.

In the stars rewrite, his character, once a generic Black man who stumbled across Draculas castle, became Prince Mamuwalde, an 18th-century African prince who tries to dissuade the Transylvanian count from supporting the slave trade. The vampire angrily puts the bite on the prince, then locks him in a coffin.

Cut to 1972 Los Angeles, where Mamuwaldes casket has been shipped by a couple of antique dealers. The lid is popped, and suddenly Blacula is on the prowl.

Marshall, who returned to the part in Scream, Blacula, Scream saw his regal character not as a monster but as a tragic hero and practically a Black role model. Its important that these people in particular see a demonstration of themselves in a very positive way, he said.

Unfortunately, the people behind films like Black Voodoo, Blackenstein, and The Thing With Two Heads  which had a white bigots head transplanted onto a Black convicts body  likely had less noble intentions.

By the late 70s, the blaxploitation era started coming to an end. So, it seemed, were parts for Black actors in horror films.

In 1978, though, Halloween heralded a new genre, the teen slasher movie. And while that movie had an all-white cast, the copycat films that followed tried to diversify. Most starred a good girl (who usually survived), surrounded her with varied yet predictable victims  a bad girl, a jock, a nerd, a stoner, a Black guy.

If you have any doubt about who usually went first  look at the title of this book again.

Audiences eventually tired of dead teenager movies, and once the slice-and-dice horrors disappeared, so did those roles for Black performers. But when Do the Right Thing opened in 1989, it helped jump-start an early '90s surge of urban movies  Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society, and New Jack City.

And just as Sweet Sweetbacks Badasssss Song eventually led to Blacula, Do the Right Thing paved the way for genre films like Def by Temptation, Tales from the Hood, and Demon Knight.

It helped usher in the creation of an iconic Black monster in 1992s Candyman, a film whose racial commentary deftly ranges from slavery and century-old violence to modern socioeconomics and de facto segregation, the authors note. Albeit through the eyes of a white female protagonist.

If Nia DaCostas 2021 reboot, Candyman, sharpened that focus  thanks to its Black director and even more political approach  horror fans have Jordan Peele to thank. A monster movie maven, Peele brought the Black perspective back to scary movies with his Oscar-winning Get Out in 2017. Like one of his idols, Rod Serling, Peele realized genre stories provide excellent frameworks for addressing serious issues.

Get Out was a perfect storm of wokeness, the authors write. Exasperated Black audiences were hungry for a repudiation of the Obama-era lie of a post-racial America, while White audiences, disillusioned by the onslaught of headline-making racial injustices, were increasingly open to being schooled. Both groups got their wish.

Since, Peele continues making movies with a message. Us examined class. Nope took on Americas love of spectacle. Both delivered necessary shocks  murderous home invaders, a giant, hovering, hungry alien. But, like Night of the Living Dead, they were about something more than horror, something scarier than monsters  real life.

And theyve inspired other filmmakers to do the same.

In Hollywood, trends come and go, but one thing we can be certain of is that there will be plenty of material, because our Black history and present are the wellspring of horror, the authors write. And if history is any indication, we can expect to be enjoying Black horror for many years to come.
Lahore: Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan has said that the only way forward in relations with India is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi restores the special status of Kashmir. In 2019, Indian Parliament revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. "India had revoked the special status for Kashmir. Now the only way forward in holding talks with India is first the Modi administration restores it," Khan told PTI on Tuesday evening while interacting with foreign media at his Lahore's Zaman Park residence. To another question about rule of law, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader said, "There will be no future for Pakistan if there is no rule of law. Take India for example. It progressed because of rule of law."

Khan is looking up to the judiciary to "protect the Constitution" and "foil" the ruling PML(N)-led coalition's design to delay elections in Pakistan's Punjab and Kyber Pakhtaunkhawa provinces where polls are due in 90 days following the dissolution of assemblies last month.

Also Read: 'Biggest Blunder in the 75-Year History of the Country': Maryam Nawaz Attacks Imran Khan

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader, who was ousted as prime minister through a vote of no confidence by PMLN and its allies in April last year, alleged that the ruling coalition with the backing of their handlers in the military establishment has planned to oust him from politics.

"They have made a plan to disqualify me. All efforts are being made at all powerful quarters in the country to keep me out of politics," he claimed.

Asked if Army Chief Gen Syed Asim Munir was also behind such efforts, Khan said, "He has been in office for two months and I give him a benefit of doubt."

Khan also alleged that his political rival and three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, wants him disqualified. "Nawaz has set a condition (to the establishment) for his return from the United Kingdom and that is my disqualification," he claimed.

The PML(N) recently declared that its supreme leader Nawaz Sharif will return ahead of the general elections.

Imran Khan also claimed that the PML(N) and its allies have also planned to target his party's leaders and rig the elections.

Khan also accused Nawaz Sharif of striking a deal with former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during his extension vote in the parliament.

"Giving an extension to Gen Bajwa was my biggest mistake. It was a huge blunder. After a deal with Nawaz, Bajwa ensured that Nawaz, his family members and partymen get relief in multi-billion corruption cases," he alleged.

Imran Khan said he fails to understand how the military establishment can "side with the corrupt criminals like Sharifs and Zardaris".

"There is a visible gulf between the Pakistan Army and the people. They are angry over the Army's support to those who looted this country. And let me tell you this is very dangerous for the country," Khan said.

Imran Khan said that he will be the first to court arrest during the Jail Bharo protest to press for the demand of holding the polls in Punjab and Kyber Pakhtaunkhawa provinces in 90 days. "I will lead the Jail Bharo Tehreek which is a non-violent movement," Khan declared.
Kahramanmaras: Over 11,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria combined after major earthquakes jolted the countries. The countries are torn into pieces as buildings including prominent structures collapsed like packs of cards after the devastating earthquakes. Countries, including India, are sending aid to both nations which includes rescue teams and search operations. Further, many people died due to freezing temperatures in Turkey. Several people who were trapped under the debris died due to severe cold, and even many of those who survived the catastrophe but were rendered homeless died due to freezing temperatures.

The deadly earthquake, which struck on Monday (February 6), killed thousands of people and flattened thousands of buildings in Turkey and neighbouring Syria. It was centered in Turkey's southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and was felt as far away as Cairo. An architectural history scholar, the Turkish national said, "Though we were far from the epicenter, we felt the shocks."

Also read: 'Operation Dost': From Rescue Teams to Medicines and Dog Squads, Here's how India is Helping Earthquake-Hit Turkey

"Ten provinces have been affected and we are seeing only scenes of death and destruction in the local and international media. Houses and buildings fell like packs of cards. Several people who were trapped under the debris died due to severe cold, and even many of those who survived the catastrophe but were rendered homeless died due to freezing temperatures," an anguished Kubra Halici said from Istanbul.

The deadly earthquake, which struck on Monday (February 6), killed thousands of people and flattened thousands of buildings in Turkey and neighbouring Syria. It was centered in Turkey's southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and was felt as far away as Cairo.

Turkiye's death toll has risen to 6,957, the country's disaster management agency has said, bringing the overall total to 9,487. Further, the fatalities reported in neighbouring Syria has surpassed 2,000, since Monday's earthquake and multiple aftershocks, according to international media reports. Countries across the globe are rushing humanitarian aid and manpower to provide succour to the people of Turkey and Syria.

The 7.8-magnitude quake and a cascade of strong aftershocks that followed ripped through the region, the deadliest seismic event in over a decade, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Emotionally moving footage emerging in the media of rescue workers pulling out survivors, including babies and children, out of mountains of rubble, gave a ray of hope to people as the two countries attempt to climb out of this massive crisis.

"I am safe but I do not feel fine. Deaths, sick and injured people in the affected areas, and worried fellow citizens elsewhere in Turkiye, it's a living nightmare for us. Many people we know are not able to reach out to their family members as the powerful 7.8 quake and the magnitude 7.5 quake that followed destroyed our country. We are touched that many countries are helping us," Halici said.

India on Tuesday sent to Turkiye relief materials, a mobile hospital, and specialised search and rescue teams in four C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft to support the country's rescue efforts. On Wednesday, India handed over six tonnes of relief materials, including essential medicines and medical equipment, to earthquake-hit Syria.

Halici shared posts and stories on rescue and relief works and how others can extend financial and other aid to her quake-ravaged country on her social media handle.

"Ten provinces of Turkiye have been affected by this disaster, especially in the eastern and the southeastern regions, and it will be a herculean task to rebuild our country. I have never seen a disaster like this in my life," she said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has decided to declare a state of emergency for three months in the affected provinces.

"We have decided to declare a state of emergency for search and rescue operations to be carried out rapidly," the official Twitter handle of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye tweeted on Tuesday, as rescuers raced against time to search for other survivors even as bad weather hampered their efforts.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday (February 8, 2023) made a historic visit to the UK and addressed British lawmakers. During a rousing address to Parliament, Zelenskyy, who wore his trademark olive sweatshirt, predicted that Russia would lose the war against his country. He also thanked the British people for their support from "Day One" since Moscow's military offensive.

"I stand before you on behalf of our brave soldiers who are right now under artillery fire," Zelenskyy said and complimented the 'strong British character'.

Ukraine "will always come out on top of evil", Zelenskyy said.

"This lies at the core of our, and also your, traditions," he said ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"We know freedom will win, we know Russia will lose and the victory will change the world," the Ukrainian President declared in his address at Westminster Hall.

He also met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

The King welcomes President @ZelenskyyUa to Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/cdcBUFkZIL  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 8, 2023

This was his first visit to the UK since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Zelenskyy's visit to UK is testament to Ukraine's courage: Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak extended UK's ongoing support to train Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and marines to help upskill their defensive capabilities.

"President Zelenskyy's visit to the UK is a testament to his country's courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries," he said.

"Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory. I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak added.
New Delhi: The United State officials on Wednesday (February 8, 2023) said that Washington is not planning to impose sanctions on India for importing energy from Russia.

In a briefing with reporters, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried said, "We are not looking to sanction India. Our partnership with India is one of the most consequential relationships."

Another US official present in the briefing, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt, said, "Implementation of a global price cap on energy is an opportunity for countries like India".

Pyatt stated that India has used the "negotiating leverage" it gains from the price cap and the fact that a large part of the global market is not accessible to Russia to secure a lower price on crude oil, which is a benefit for the Indian economy.

Both Donfried and Pyatt emphasized that India and US are pursuing the energy security agenda, particularly in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy of "weaponizing" Russia's oil and gas resources.

The comments came in the backdrop of Ukrainian lawmakers demanding sanctions on India for importing energy from Russia.

India, notably, has substantially increased its import of Russian oil since the Ukraine conflict began in February 2022.

On the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Pyatt said that US and India share a "commitment to uphold the international rules-based order and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty".

Donfried also welcomed India's support for the people of Ukraine, including the country's provision of humanitarian assistance and calls for an immediate end to Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine.

She also praised India's leadership role at the recent G20 summit, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for dialogue and diplomacy.
Proper nutrition for elementary-age children is a topic that has been on the metaphorical and literal table many times over the years. A new partnership between Lost Creek Elementary School, Platte County Lifestyle Coalition and Columbus Community Hospital aims to educate students on just what nutritious food is.

Platte County Lifestyle Coalition Coordinator Gene Vis said in a Feb. 3 press release that this initiative, which started on Jan. 25 for the school, is one way the hospital aims to improve community health.

"The mission of the hospital is to improve the health of the communities we serve, and this is another way we are striving to move the needle of health in Platte County in a positive direction," Vis said in the release.

The program will integrate into the school's current after-school program. Platte County Lifestyle Coalition members will use a system called MyPlate, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The curriculum, dubbed "MyPlate in Practice," uses a plate diagram to show kids what foods should be in what proportions on their plates.

"We want to reach not only adults, but also kids with this information to better educate them on living a healthy lifestyle. Chronic diseases continue to be on the rise, so we need to educate and empower kids to make positive choices," Vis said in the release.

MyPlate encourages kids to fill half their plate with vegetables and fruit, one-quarter each of some kind of grains and protein including legumes such as beans and approximately one cup of dairy integrated somehow.

According to Sara Colford, Student Services Facilitator for Columbus Public Schools, this kind of program offers the approximately 40 kids participating activities and opportunities for engaging with community partners.

The partnership is partially funded by a 21st Century Learning Grant from the Nebraska Department of Education. With their intended focus on nutrition and health, the hospital partnership worked perfectly.

"From our side we're most excited about building another partnership with the hospital. We're always looking for local things we have in the community and the program will give students a broader perspective for all the opportunities within the community," Colford said.

The school has done similar programs in the past, Colford said, educating students on nutrition through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. The local aspect and nutritional focus, she said, allow for a different group of speakers, topics and engaging activities for the students.

"This is nice for us because the hospital offered this opportunity for us, so the kids can have one more enriching program," Colford said. "We're always excited to see different ways to do that, bring new things to support and it's always good to revisit old habits. It's nice to see a new twist to it."

Columbus Community Hospital will provide participating students with bags, educational materials and labeled cups with nutritional information.
A sea of students erupted in applause, cheering for their teacher, Carmen Johnson, at the end of Mass on Feb. 2.

The cheers were in response to Johnson being named the 25th annual William and Barbara Gerhold Family Teacher of the Year Award for Columbus Catholic Schools.

Johnson is a family and consumer science and religion teacher for Scotus Central Catholic. The Mass was part of the Scotus Central Catholic celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Along with a trophy, Johnson will also receive a stipend of $1,500 to use as she wishes.

Johnson was tender in her response to the students enthusiasm.

I enjoy having them come into my class because its like they are my kids, Johnson said. They ask, Mrs. Johnson how many kids do you have? and Ill say, Well, I have about 151 this year.' I dont have any children so they are my kids. And Ive taught every single one of them.

Scotus students love Johnson and her classes are very popular, said Jeff Ohnoutka, executive director of Columbus Catholic Schools.

Mrs. Johnson is very deserving of this award for many reasons, Ohnoutka said in an email. She has a strong commitment to Catholic education and to Scotus Central Catholic. That same commitment is very evident on a daily basis with her approach to her students. She is always there to listen to them and help them in any way that she can. She has such a positive attitude on life and a deep faith that she exemplifies by her words and actions.

Johnson earned her bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating from the College of Home Economics. She has taught seventh through 12th grades and has been at Scotus Central Catholic for 34 years.

Growing up, Johnson and her sisters were involved in 4-H, and she enjoyed sewing, cooking and other hands-on activities which inspired her to become a teacher. Johnson said she admired her family and consumer science teachers in high school, adding that she learned a lot from them and viewed them as good role models.

She knew thats what she wanted to do when she got older.

Johnson enjoys teaching family and consumer science which includes a variety of subjects which, throughout the years, have changed to some degree.

Theres so much out there, and everything is always changing, trying to inform the kids about new things and instruct them in (topics) whether its money management, reasoning skills, problem solving, Johnson said.

Some classes, for example housing, have changed, she said. To teach the students about the process, she brought in a realtor who spoke about being pre-approved before going house hunting. The need to be preapproved was not needed if you were house hunting years ago.

To keep up with the changes seen in family and consumer science, Johnson picks things up from the internet, but she also attends conferences every June. Here they will discuss how to engage students in particular subjects.

Many of her students she has had more than once. When teaching younger students  like those in the seventh grade  Johnson said they need to be guided. As students grow and mature, the teacher facilitates them more versus telling them what to do, she added.

Having students more than once during their time at Scotus, Johnson said she sees their time at the school as a growing period.

If there is a junior high student who is immature, but they have grown out of that as a senior, Johnson said she doesn't think anything of it.

It does, it really does (make me proud). It's a good feeling  its like yes, they are ready for the next step in life, Johnson said for seeing the growth in her students.

Faith has also been a big part of Johnsons life and shes tried to incorporate that into the classroom whether its family and consumer science or religion class.

She is active at St. Vincents parish in Osceola, as a past president of the Altar Society. She has also been a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine instructor and coordinator for 12 years.

Thats one nice thing about teaching at a Catholic school that you cant do in a public school setting, Johnson said.

According to a press release about the award, the Teacher of the Year award is made possible through funding from the William and Barbara Gerhold Family endowed fund. Besides supporting the annual teacher of the year award, this fund also provides an annual distribution of $3,500 to one of the four Columbus Catholic schools on a rotating basis, and it also provides support for the departments of Mathematics, Science and English at Scotus.

Johnson appreciates the recognition.

I feel very honored to receive this award and I thank all the administrators, teachers and students that I have worked with to receive this award, Johnson said. Its quite an honor and Im humbled by it.

Ohnoutka expressed appreciation for Johnson and her colleagues.

Columbus Catholic Schools is blessed with a number of great teachers, he said. They go the extra mile for their students and work very hard to provide them with an opportunity to grow in their faith. Mrs. Johnson is an excellent example of that dedication and it was a privilege to present her with this award.
HARTFORD, Conn.  A former University of Connecticut student pleaded guilty to murder and other charges Wednesday for killing a man and severely wounding another with a sword in 2020  one of two deadly attacks that led to a six-day manhunt in several states that ended with his capture in Maryland.

Peter Manfredonia, 26, from Newtown, Connecticut, agreed to a 55-year prison sentence during a hearing at Rockville Superior Court. Sentencing was set for April 20. He also is expected to plead guilty in connection with the second attack next week in state court in Milford, his lawyer said.

During the manhunt, police tracked Manfredonia through Pennsylvania, including Chambersburg.

Manfredonia answered questions from the judge about the plea agreement during the hearing, but did not say anything else. He pleaded guilty to murder, assault and home invasion.

States Attorney Matthew Gedansky said the victims and their families in both cases supported the plea bargain, which was the result of months of discussions.

It was a global resolution plea agreement between everybody  a lot of discussion between the two states attorneys, the families of the victims ... and the two judges, Gedansky said in a phone interview.

Manfredonias lawyer, Michael Dolan, called the plea agreement a fair resolution based on the evidence and seriousness of the charges. He said Manfredonia will plead guilty in the second case on Feb. 16 and receive another 55-year sentence, to run concurrently with the sentence in the other case.

Police and prosecutors said Manfredonia killed Ted DeMers, 62, and seriously wounded an 80-year-old man who lost several fingers and part of his ear in a Samurai sword attack in Willington on May 22, 2020.

Its not clear why Manfredonia attacked the men. But an acquaintance of Manfredonias lived near DeMers home and told police she stopped seeing him recently.

After the sword attack, police said Manfredonia broke into another mans house in Willington and held him hostage for about 24 hours before taking off with his truck and firearms. The man later told police that Manfredonia told him he just flipped.

Two days later, Manfredonia went to the Derby home of a high school friend, Nicholas Eisele, 23, and fatally shot him, authorities said. Manfredonia then forced Eiseles girlfriend into her car and fled the state, police said.

After Manfredonia let the woman go near Columbia, New Jersey, investigators tracked him to Pennsylvania, where police said he took an Uber to a Walmart in East Stroudsburg. Authorities searched the area but didnt find him. A man fitting his description was later spotted near Scranton, Pennsylvania, prompting another search there.

Police believe Manfredonia stole a car and abandoned it in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, before taking another Uber to Hagerstown, Maryland, where he was captured without incident when police spotted him near a truck stop.

Dolan, Manfredonias lawyer, said Manfredonia was having mental health problems at the time and it was difficult for him to get help during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.

His mental health issues werent being addressed and unfortunately he had a psychotic episode, Dolan told the Associated Press Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA  A Philadelphia police officer was shot and critically wounded during a vehicle investigation, and two people were being sought, authorities said Wednesday.

Officials said the officer was shot at least twice shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in west Philadelphia and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said one officer had approached the passenger side of the vehicle and a struggle ensued with a passenger who opened fire, hitting the officer in the abdomen just under his vest.

Police said another officer returned fire and vehicle fled. The other officer transported his partner to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

Stanford said one bullet appeared to have gone in and exited, and medical personnel were trying to determine what kind of damage may have been done by the second bullet.

Stanford said the 32-year-old officer has been on the force for five years. Police said no description of the people who were being sought was immediately available but officials were checking body-worn camera video. Officials believed they had located the vehicle involved but were working to confirm that.

Stanford asked anyone with information to call investigators. The fact that you would shoot at a police officer that's doing their jobs, you have no regard for life, he said. We're trying to get these people in custody as quickly as possible.

Mayor Jim Kenney called policing a very dangerous and difficult job done by very brave people.

They go out every day to try to keep us safe, and put their lives in harm's way and their health in harm's way, and we cant really repay them for doing that kind of work, Kenney said.
The "Spread the Love" shopping event is returning to Fredericktown on Saturday.

The day of shopping fun started last year as an attempt to cure the winter blues. It was so much fun, shop owners decided to bring it back this year.

From 10 a.m to 2 p.m. on Saturday, participating local businesses are planning to provide a day of fun, community support, and of course, deals.

Organizers are urging shoppers to keep an eye on the individual pages of such shops as Brick & Mortar, Country Lane, Georgie Kay's and The Crazy Wildflower for deal announcements.

Organizer and Co-Owner of Brick & Mortar Aimee Kurgas said, the event will have two new additions this year.

Calvary Church has partnered with the event to spread a little extra love to those in need. There will be a shoe giveaway, along with a food drive for the local pantry.

"They will be setting up a shoe store at the (Calvary) church where anyone can come to receive a free pair of new, name-brand shoes," Kurgas said. "If they make a donation to the food pantry, they can 'double the love' and receive a ticket allowing them an extra free pair of shoes."

Kurgas said, most of the shoes are kid sizes, but there will be additional sizes as well. They are just more limited.

The giveaway is "while supplies last" but the church has more than 4,000 pairs of shoes on hand.

The shoes are being provided as a free resource open to all, with no special requirements. Most shoe sizes are in the toddler through intermediate school range, but other sizes will be given if available.

Also returning to "Spread the Love" will be a variety of food trucks, located at The Crazy Wildflower on East College Avenue along with a fun photo op.

Similar to Small Business Saturday, shoppers will be given a punch card with a list of participating businesses where they can have their card punched and be entered to win a prize basket.

Punch cards can be picked up at Brick & Mortar, Country Lane, Georgie Kay's and The Crazy Wildflower. After shoppers visit all the locations and have their cards filled, they can be returned at any of those shops to be entered in the grand prize.
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.

Anyone interested in attending should make a reservation by Friday, by calling Sandy at 573-518-4647 or Mary at 858-900-4008.

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, she said. 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.
Woodberry Forest School will present an opening reception for Kelly Coffin: Studies in Nature from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the Baker Gallery in Walker Fine Arts Center. Food and drinks will be served.

Kelly Wilkinson Coffin, an artist and naval aviator, is a 1988 graduate of the University of Virginia who returned to Charlottesville to open her own studio after spending three years at the Ingbretson School of Drawing and Painting. Before becoming a full-time painter, she served as an active-duty naval aviator for a decade and then flew as a first officer with US Airways.

To see the virtual exhibition, go to https://www.woodberry.org/arts/baker gallery. For information about the gallery, email elena_kritter@ woodberry.org.

Nan Rothwell Pottery has scheduled some workshops for March.

Making Wheel-Thrown Chickens and Fish will be presented from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 4 at City Clay. If you already can throw a simple bowl, you can fold it into basic forms that can be transformed into chickens, fish and other creatures. If you havent learned how to throw a simple bowl, one can be created for you, so youll be welcome at the workshop. Sign up at cityclaycville.com.

Take Your Throwing to the Next Level will be presented from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 11, also at City Clay. The class can help potters who want to expand their skills by creating larger pieces or complex forms and arent sure where to begin. Depending on participants goals, the projects may include larger bowls, two-part vases, or textured or faceted pieces.

Sign up for the classes at cityclay cville.com. Rothwells Winter Sale continues throughout February; learn more at nanrothwellpottery.com.

The Connaughton Gallery at McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia will have a spring reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday for Pink Dreams and Counting Sheep by Lesli DiVito and Piper Groves, which can be seen throughout February on the third floor of Rouss and Robertson halls. Look for acrylic on canvas, monoprints and mixed-media works on paper.

Parking is available in the Central Grounds Parking Garage on Emmet Street and on Brandon Avenue.

Quirk Gallery Charlottesville will present an opening reception for Constant Anomalies by Suzanna Fields from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 16. The exhibition will be on view Feb. 16 to April 16.

In the meantime, catch the closing reception for Daily Observations by artist and illustrator Elizabeth Graeber and her mother, painter Susan Graeber, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Elizabeth Graeber works with ink, gouache paint and watercolor. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Edinburgh College of Art.

Susan Graeber works in plein air and out of a studio at the Mill Center in Baltimore, Maryland. She studied art at the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the Aix en Provence Painting Program and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Get all the details online at
To a new American middle class in the 1850s with disposable income for pleasure travel and a blossoming network of railroads  not to mention the artists who enticed them with exquisitely detailed landscape paintings  New Hampshires White Mountains were a destination.

To the families of the Abenaki, or People of the Dawn Land, whod built lives there for generations, they were home.

NDakinna Landscapes Acknowledged, a new exhibition at The Fralin Art Museum at the University of Virginia, offers visitors a chance to gain a different perspective of the peaceful vistas in the diminutive landscapes painted by members of the North Conway artists group led by Benjamin Champney at a moment on the cusp of a revolution to be brought by photography.

Massive wall maps  one documenting the range of different resident groups, another capturing a moment in 1852 of unbridled growth  provide a closer look at the range and impact of an indigenous presence that the new tourism threatened to displace. The large 1852 map by Franklin Leavitt at once shows carriage roads and rail lines that followed age-old Abenaki trails and a fanciful not-to-scale illustration of a hunter aiming a weapon at a bear.

Together, the two maps provide different aspects of the landscapes depicted in the petite paintings.

Were thinking about it not from these gaze approaches, but in terms of indigenous terrain, said exhibition curator Adriana Greci Green, who is curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas. Were modeling how we can rethink the narratives. We take a different angle to open these conversations.

While tourism took root in the area, the people whod lived there year-round and followed subsistence gathering routes on seasonal schedules were displaced by successive arrivals of groups who took their land to establish their own logging and farming operations. Even then, Greci Green said, the resilient Abenaki found new roles for themselves in the burgeoning tourism economy. Some sold handcrafted traditional baskets to tourists, while others served as fishing guides in the picturesque mountains, which continue to lure hikers and leaf peepers to this day.

NDakinna Landscapes Acknowledged is one of three news exhibitions that can be seen at The Fralin through Dec. 31.

Also on view are Processing Abstraction and Look Three Ways: Maya Painted Pottery.

Processing Abstraction, by curator of exhibitions Laura Minton and former J. Sanford Miller Family Director Matthew McLendon, explores large-scale abstract paintings from the museums collection that were created between the mid-1950s and the late 2000s. The seemingly limitless potential of paint as a material shines from work to work, whether the artists used brushes, splatters, pours, sprays or soaks to color their canvases.

The artists represented in the exhibition include Gene Davis, Sam Francis, Sam Gilliam, Sheila Isham, Suzanne McClelland, Joan Mitchell, Larry Poons and Hedda Sterne.

Look Three Ways: Maya Painted Pottery makes use of painted pottery from about 250 to 900 C.E. in The Fralins collection to explore three ways in which scholars interpret the works.

The study of written language on the vessels, or epigraphy, offers a variety of insights; analysis of visual components such as composition, shape and size conveys additional information through the lens of art history.

A third way makes use of neutron activation analysis to help determine where vessels were made. As the Mayan world covered portions of central and southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and western parts of Honduras and El Salvador  and many pieces of pottery were taken from ancient sites without proper archaeological documentation  neuron activation analysis can help answer questions about pieces whose places of origin cannot be confirmed.

Look Three Ways is curated by Greci Green and Dorie Reents-Budet, research associate at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution.

A virtual exhibition, The Indigenous Benches of Brazil, also is available; its a collaboration between The Fralin and Colecao BEI that can be accessed in Portuguese or English.

Theres still time to see two other shows. Remaining on view are Joseph Cornell: Enclosing Infinity, which closes Sunday, and Earthly Exemplars: The Art of Buddhist Disciples and Teachers in Asia, which can be seen through March 19. Structures, drawn from 20th- and 21st-century works in the permanent collection, will stay in place through June 1, 2024.

And fans of the recent Power Play exhibition can hear talks by three of its featured artists. Atlanta photographer Tokie Rome-Taylor will speak at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 21, followed by Chemehuevi Indian Tribe citizen and award-winning photographer Cara Romero at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and British visual artist Sarah Maple at 5:30 p.m. March 17.

The Fralin normally is open Tuesday through Sunday, but it will be closed Saturday for a private event. For information, go to uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu.
Charlottesville City Schools is recommending that Burnley-Moran and Johnson elementary schools be renamed. Just what the schools will be renamed is unclear.

After collecting the survey data, polling third and fourth graders and conducting a community forum last month, the renaming committee is consulting staff at both schools to see how they feel about possible new names. For Burnley-Moran, the two most popular names are Blue Mountain and Rivanna. For Johnson, the two top names are Cherry Avenue and Forest Hills.

In January, city schools put out a survey asking whether respondents supported renaming Burnley-Moran and Johnson. It also asked respondents to rank proposed new names and suggest others for the schools.

The committee will decide what are the proposed new names, Charlottesville City Schools spokeswoman Amanda Korman told The Daily Progress.

The final decision, however, rests with the Charlottesville School Board. A school board vote on new names could come as early as March 2.

City school officials said the schools names are no longer in alignment with the divisions current values, particularly racial equity, as the namesakes worked in segregated schools.

Sarepta Moran, one half of Burnley-Moran, was one of the first two women to lead a Charlottesville school, having served as the principal of Venable Elementary. She was also an active member in the Albemarle chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Carrie Burnley was also among the first female leaders of a Charlottesville school, serving as principal of the former McGuffey School. Burnley was also a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. As principal of McGuffey, she invited students to decorate the since-removed statues of Confederate generals downtown.

Johnson Elementary was named after James G. Johnson, who served as the superintendent of city schools from 1909 until 1946, while the division was racially segregated.

Charlottesville parents, students and school officials could not agree on the renaming of Burnley-Moran and Johnson during the community forum in January. A little more than 60% of survey respondents said they supported renaming Burnley-Moran, while 23% said they didnt want the schools name to change. Half of survey respondents said they supported renaming Johnson, and 30% said they wanted the name to remain the same.

I think the students are very connected to the school name, said Benjamin Thompson, a former Johnson student whose mother serves as its principal, during the forum.

One parent of a Burnley-Moran student said during the forum she was entirely unaware of the history of the school names until the division began reviewing those names.

Until this survey came out, I had never even looked into it, Madeline Hawks said.

After looking into it, she said she supported renaming.

Im in favor of going away from naming things after people, she said.
Another former Charlottesville mayor has joined the Democrats running to represent the Charlottesville area in the Virginia House of Delegates.

David Brown joins a crowding field of candidates to represent the redistricted 54th District.

I decided to run because Ive been devoted to trying to make the community and the state a better place, said Brown, who served on City Council from 2004 until 2011 and was the citys mayor from 2004 through 2007.

Brown said his experience as mayor, especially working with Albemarle County on major infrastructure projects such as the John Warner Parkway and the dam at Ragged Mountain, have prepared him to represent the 54th District.

I feel like I can be an effective advocate for this city and the county, Brown told The Daily Progress on Tuesday.

After he left City Council, Brown worked as a special assistant to House Minority Leader Del. David Toscano, who represented the Charlottesville area, from 2012 until 2014. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe appointed Brown director of the Virginia Department of Health Professions in 2014, given Browns experience as a chiropractor and on the Virginia Board of Medicine. Former Gov. Ralph Northam reappointed Brown in 2018. Brown left the role in October 2022.

Health, specifically womens health, is top of mind for Brown.

One of his priorities, if elected, will be protecting reproductive rights, Brown said.

We need to work hard to protect a womans right to choose, Brown said.

In January, Republicans in the House of Delegates voted down a proposal that would put the right to an abortion in the states constitution. Currently, abortion is legal in the Commonwealth up to 26 weeks, with some medical exceptions after that point.

But at the same time, theres more than that, Brown said. The fact is that a woman of color is 2 1/2 times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth or within the first couple of months after childbirth than a white woman.

Brown also emphasized the need to address climate change.

We need to make sure theres no barriers to getting solar on apartment complex roofs, solar on our businesses, Brown said.

He also said he would prioritize a state-level response to gun violence. Its a topic that has been much discussed in Charlottesville of late after the Nov. 13 shooting at the University of Virginia that left three student-athletes dead, the Jan. 8 shooting in the citys Belmont neighborhood that left one dead and the Jan. 28 shooting in the Fifeville neighborhood that killed a member of the citys anti-gun violence organization  to say nothing of the multiple shootings already reported this year that have only injured their victims.

He said localities each take a different approach to combating gun violence, when a concentrated state effort might be more effective.

Brown said he would also prioritize support for public schools and teachers. A bill to allow Charlottesville and Albemarle County to levy a 1% sales tax to fund school construction has passed the Senate, but its unlikely it will make it through the GOP-controlled House during this legislative session.

We need to have good facilities, but thats just the beginning of it, Brown said.

He said he would like to see a pay increase for teachers, too.

Weve gone from paying among the very last in the country to moving up the ladder, but we need to do more for teachers, Brown said.

Brown has been the chairman of a number of local organizations. He represented the city on the Rivanna River Basin Commission from 2010 until 2011 and the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority from 2010 until 2011. From 1989 until 1997, he was on the Virginia Board of Medicine. He was president of the local arm of Offender Aid and Restoration. He also was the operations and communications director for Edison2, a Lynchburg tech startup, from 2009 until 2012.

The Democratic primary for the 54th District seat has become crowded in recent months.

Albemarle County School Board Chair Katrina Callsen, former Charlottesville Democrats co-Chair Dashad Cooper, former Mayor Dave Norris and former Police Civilian Oversight Board Member Bellamy Brown have all announced their candidacies.

The primary will be held on June 20.
A $100,000 winning lottery ticket was bought in Charlottesville.

It was one of six Virginia Lottery tickets that won their owners at least $50,000 during Mondays Powerball drawing, according to the state lottery.

The $100,000 ticket was bought at the Speedway at 2235 Seminole Lane, according to Virginia Lottery. The other $50,000 tickets in the commonwealth were purchased in Luray, Winchester, Falls Church, Front Royal and online in Henrico.

Virginia law dictates that all profits from the Virginia Lottery are contributed to K-12 education.

The $754.6 million jackpot was won in Washington state. Its the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot in history, according to Powerball.

If you think you have a gambling problem, call or text the Virginia Problem Gambling Helpline at (888) 532-3500.
The six candidates vying for the empty seat on Charlottesville City Council made their pitch to the public on Monday night.

The field of 20 applicants for the post vacated by Sena Magills abrupt resignation earlier this year was pared back last week. It now includes former council members Kathy Galvin and Kristin Szakos, former school board member and University of Virginia administrator Leah Puryear, current school board member Lisa Larson-Torres, nonprofit programs director Alex Bryant and winery wedding sales manager Natalie Oschrin.

It was Oschrin who offered perhaps the boldest action plan at Monday nights City Council meeting.

My generation is looking at an uncertain future, said Oschrin, a 2011 UVa graduate now working at Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards in Albemarle County.

Oschrin, who said she was suffering through a bout of COVID, was broadcast into the meeting via Zoom.

My mission is to champion access to work, schools, commerce and services by pushing for even more homes in mixed-used areas to be built within city limits and for improved public transit, pedestrian and bike routes so that getting into a car is not the default strategy for reaching any destination, she said.

Oschrin called for eliminating parking minimums from the city zoning code, upzoning everywhere and building more on empty land.

Increasing supply is the key, said Oschrin. We have to do big things.

The city and the surrounding area have been struggling with a housing crisis for years. More than 3,300 households in the Charlottesville area have unmet housing needs, according to a 2020 report from the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition. The city said last year that it had spent nearly $50 million on affordable housing since 2010, but the crisis has persisted.

How the city allots that money and how the housing crisis is resolved has divided residents, City Council members and candidates Monday night.

Architect and former City Council Member Galvin voiced support for some of the Oschrins goals and the citys work but criticized others, including aspects of the citys affordable housing plan which  in addition to calling for a $10 million annual investment in housing programs  also calls for upzoning large swaths of the city.

We cant simply assume that increasing density is the be-all, end-all, said Galvin.

Galvin was among the candidates who did not respond to a survey for candidates from the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition.

Only three did: Oschrin, Szakos and Larson-Torres.

Lakeshia Washington with the coalition, who appeared electronically at Mondays meeting, thanked the three that did respond. But she also reiterated the groups pleas for assistance, saying that the cost of living in Charlottesville has been pricing out many residents. The median income in the city is $31,161 per year, according to the latest census figures. The average cost of a single-family residence in the area is about $400,000, according to the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. The annual salary needed to afford a $400,000 home is about $165,000, according to fintech company SoFi.

A lot of residents are scared and nervous, Washington said.

Washingtons group has called for the upzoning of several historically white neighborhoods to allow for the construction of more multifamily projects.

Upzoning of any kind has attracted heated debates in the past.

Larson-Torres said shes ready for those uncomfortable conversations for the good of our community.

Are we truly committed to equity and transformation? Larson-Torres asked rhetorically.

Racial and economic equity were recurring themes among every candidate who spoke on Monday, particularly Puryear, who heads UVas federally funded Upward Bound program, now called Uplift UVA, which assists first-generation college students.

Puryear emphasized her work fostering diversity and inclusion at the school and beyond.

We must hear what our community is saying, said Puryear. I will practice effective listening.

Szakos said the same.

I believe, Szakos said, Ive earned a reputation as someone who tries to listen to everyone.

Szakos, who served on City Council from 2010 until 2017 and was vice-mayor from 2014 until 2015, describes herself as a journalist, freelance writer, editor and grant writer.

Bryant agreed that the person who takes Magills seat on council should be responsive to the public. Originally from Richmond, he has helped organize a number of local festivals over the years, including Monticellos Heritage Harvest Festival, and worked for other prominent event-organizing groups such as the Tom Tom Foundation and Ix Art Park.

Bryant said that by channeling the publics input, a new councilor could help transform Charlottesville in much the same way Richmond has transformed in recent years.

The citizens are the only legitimate fountain of power, said Alex Bryant, a festival organizer. It is their energy that did what I naively believed was impossible in Richmond.

While the candidates did most of the talking on Monday, actual interviews with City Council will be conducted behind closed doors this coming Friday, according to the city.

A successor will be named on Feb. 21, Mayor Lloyd Snook has promised.

Its going to be a difficult decision, Snook said on Monday, but thats what were here for.

Snook also took some time on Monday to explain the how the field of 20 original applicants was winnowed down to just six  a process that some called out for its lack of transparency.

Snook said he made individual calls to council members in order to trim the applicant list. With just 45 days to decide on a final candidate, he said, time was of the essence.

We had been expecting five or six applicants, Snook said. And, lo and behold, we got 20. And so I asked everybody please send me your top four, five, or six choices.

The mayor added that many of the 14 rejected candidates still intrigued him and he may be inviting some of them to lunch.

Im looking forward to getting to know more of them better, he said.

Magill, who was in attendance Monday night, received a plaque honoring her three years of service on council. She took the time to thank the candidates competing for her seat.

I want to thank everyone who stood up and put their names forward to fill my shoes for the next 10 months, she said. I really appreciate it.

Magill appeared before the council dressed in an outfit reminiscent of the uniforms worn by the crew of the on the science fiction TV series Star Trek.

I was actually going to come tonight in my pirate garb to remind you to be a little bit silly and to be little bit weird and to embrace the weird, she said, but I couldnt get the bodice lined up right.

This story has been corrected to say Lisa Larson-Torres responded to a candidate survey from the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition.
Students in Charlottesville who will attend a historically Black college or university next year can apply for a McDonalds Black & Positively Golden Scholarship worth up to $15,000.

The scholarships are open to current and incoming students, McDonalds said in a statement.

Awards also include a yearlong subscription to Alkeme, a Black-owned streaming platform that provides therapist and wellbeing courses.

With Alkeme, students will be able to access curated customized content and resources that center the HBCU experience and empower students to achieve their personal goals, McDonalds said in its statement.

The scholarships are part of a partnership between McDonalds USA and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports nearly 300,000 students attending 47 public historically black colleges and universities, medical schools and law schools. More than $1 million will be awarded in scholarships, according to McDonalds.

The deadline to apply is March 27. Requirements include being a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, being 18 years of age, enrollment in a historically Black college or university during the 2023-2024 academic year, having a grade point average of at least 2.7 and demonstrating financial need.

Those interested can apply online at tmcf.org.

Winners will be announced this summer.
The man accused of shooting a member of Charlottesvilles anti-gun violence organization appeared in court on Tuesday.

Tadashi Demetrius Keyes, a 38-year-old Charlottesville resident, has been charged with the second-degree murder of Eldridge Skeeta Smith near Fifeville Park on the night of Jan. 28. Keyes has also been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He had previously been sentenced to life in prison on prior gun and drug charges but had his sentenced reduced.

Smith, a 36-year-old city resident, was a member of the B.U.C.K. Squad, a group dedicated to removing gun violence from Charlottesvilles streets. According to the organization, Smith was driving to work when he was killed. Police at the scene said they found Smith dead in his car, his body riddled with bullets and multiple casings on the ground nearby.

Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis has said he cannot provide any details regarding the shooters motives. However, he has said that police believe that Smith not only knew his killer but that the shooter had specifically targeted Smith.

Keyes appeared in Charlottesville General District Court on Tuesday morning, where Judge Andrew Sneathern scheduled a status hearing for April 20, according to court records. At a status hearing, the prosecution and defense typically discuss the progress of the case and the judge determines whether and when to schedule a preliminary hearing.

Keyes is being held without bond in Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

Tuesday was not the first time Keyes has appeared in court.

On Sept. 21, 2004, he was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 120 months after he was found guilty for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine and possession and use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. He maintained his innocence throughout his trial.

Keyes, who was 18 at the time, was identified by police as an enforcer and second lieutenant in a narcotics business dubbed Estes Street Inc., named after the area in which it operated.

Keyes participated in a conspiracy that distributed significant quantities of cocaine in Charlottesville, according to court records. He was known as one of the organizations enforcers, pulling the trigger at least once to cause bodily injury.

Keyes was arrested, charged and convicted on those counts.

That sentence, however, didnt stick.

Last year, a judge decided to reduce Keyes sentence based on his young age at the time of the original crime, the fact that Keyes had shot but not killed a man as well as the 2010 passing of the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced sentencing disparities between cocaine and crack cocaine offenses, which were widely criticized for producing racially disproportionate sentencing outcomes.

Keyes sentence was reduced in March of last year to 280 months. He was released six months later in September.

In his petition to have his sentenced reduced, Keyes told the court that his actions were not that of a violent agitator who poses a continued risk to public safety, but someone simply trying to survive in remarkably dangerous environments.
Senate Democrats on Tuesday evening voted to remove a member from the State Board of Education who, in 2020, led the fight against admissions policies at her sons Fairfax County high school that aimed to boost Black and Latino enrollment and resulted in fewer Asian Americans being admitted.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Suparna Dutta, co-founder of the Coalition for TJ (Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology), to the Board of Education in July. A prominent voice against the changes at TJ, which is a highly selective school, Dutta claimed that the policy discriminated against Asian American applicants, who at the time made up more than two-thirds of students at the school. Dutta also campaigned for Youngkin and acted as chairperson for the group Educators for Youngkin.

Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, introduced an amendment on the Senate floor Tuesday evening to block Duttas appointment, and it passed the Democrat-led Senate on a party-line vote.

I was honored to be appointed by Governor Youngkin to the board of education and I believe I succeeded in challenging the status quo while on the board, Dutta said in an email to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It is disappointing, however, that blatant lies and slurs won the day today.

Dutta added: I am proud to be an education advocate. As an immigrant, I believe that education opens doors like nothing else; that supporting and challenging our kids with academic rigor and excellence is very important.

During a marathon floor session on Crossover, the legislatures deadline for each chamber to act on its own bills, Senate Democrats also voted to remove Youngkins health commissioner, Colin Greene, and former prosecutor Steven Buck, a Youngkin appointee to the Parole Board. Democrats bid to remove Bert Ellis from the University of Virginia Board of Visitors failed on a 20-20 tie vote.

In a statement Tuesday night, Youngkin accused Senate Democrats of an appalling show of partisanship in its votes on Dutta, Buck and Greene, adding that they had attacked the integrity of three highly qualified members of my administration.

They voted to remove Suparna Dutta, shockingly claiming that a public school parent isnt qualified to serve on the Board of Education, Youngkin said. She is a mother and advocate for parents rights, she is an immigrant and an advocate for Asian American rights, she is an engineer and advocate for STEM in education. She is not only qualified, she epitomizes parental involvement in our schools and we need her voice on our Board of Education.

Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, offered a floor amendment to remove Buck, a former Richmond, Henrico County and Albemarle prosecutor, from the parole board. Surovell asserted that Buck almost never voted to grant parole.

Greene, Youngkins pick for health commissioner, came under fire last year after he reportedly said he believed there was no evidence that racism plays a role in maternal and infant mortality rates. The Senate voted Tuesday to uphold a committee amendment striking Greene from a list of appointees for confirmation.

Youngkin said Buck is a career prosecutor who has put criminals away at the local level and investigated fraud for the Attorney Generals office. He said Greene has served honorably as State Commissioner of Public Health the past year and has successfully stewarded the Commonwealth out of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dutta has served on the nine-member Board of Education since Youngkin appointed her in July, but appointments to the board are subject to confirmation by the General Assembly.

Hashmi, who is also of South Asian descent, raised concerns about Duttas views on the role of racism and slavery in American history.

This particular board member indicated that racism was not a factor in American history, that the Constitution of the United States did not have any indications of racism or slavery within the document, Hashmi said. We know that that is not correct. American history, of course, has the concerns of slavery all throughout, and the Constitution of the United States has laws in there that protected and held slavery in the country until it was abolished.

Dutta has pushed efforts to move forward on versions of the states K-12 history standards, which were developed under the Youngkin administration and which critics have characterized as an undermining of the histories of people of color.

Last week Dutta pushed back on a statement from Board of Education member Anne Holton, who served as Virginias secretary of education under Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe from 2014 to 2016.

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 of the proposed document that will guide the teaching of history in Virginia for years to come.

Dutta said: I do not believe the Declaration [of Independence] and the Constitution enshrines slavery, nor did they limit protections to white property [owning] men. Maybe you meant to describe the Constitution, but it didnt mention race or slavery, Dutta said.

While the Constitution does not use the word slavery, it included the Three-Fifths Clause, which stated that any person who was not free would be counted as three-fifths of a free person for the purposes of determining congressional representation.

I understand its hideous for a person to be considered anything other than one whole, its unimaginable and its abominable, Dutta said Feb. 1. Its just a fact that it was a compromise to limit the congressional representation of the Southern states. The Constitution did not end slavery, but you know, it never would have been ratified, I guess, if it did.

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, pushed back Tuesday against Hashmis amendment to remove Dutta from a resolution listing dozens of Youngkin appointees requiring confirmation. Newman said Hashmi had not accurately represented Duttas views on history.

She is an American immigrant. Shes a public school mom. She moved here from India to the United States in the 1990s, and she came here with nothing in her pocket, Newman said. What she has said is: My chosen home is America, its been a beacon of freedom around the world, and I came here to be a part of it.

On Tuesday morning, Virginia Ginni Thomas, a lawyer and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, emailed Virginia senators to urge them to confirm Duttas appointment.

Thomas has come under fire for denying results of the 2020 presidential election and urging White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to overturn the results.

In her email, Thomas said that Dutta is being viciously attacked by leftist thugs who hate diverse voices, unless they control them.

Thomas went on to say that Dutta is associated with groups who care about the declining and extreme radical agenda being pushed by educrats, and correctly accused the NAACP and (Fairfax County School Board) members of standing on the necks of Asians.

The Senate voted not to confirm the three high-profile Youngkin appointees, in a continuation of an ongoing partisan fight over nominees.

For instance, in March 2022 Democrats scuttled four Youngkin appointees to the Parole Board only a month after House Republicans rejected 11 of former Gov. Ralph Northams nominees, including three to the state Board of Education and two to the State Air Pollution Control Board.

In February 2022 Senate Democrats rejected Youngkins nomination of Andrew Wheeler  former head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump  as Virginias secretary of natural resources. Wheeler was the first Virginia Cabinet nominee in 16 years to be rejected by the legislature.

The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee recently voted to remove Ellis, the UVa board member, from a list of appointees to be confirmed. Ellis raised alarm on campus in 2020 when he tried to cut a sign containing a derogatory message off a students door. The 20-20 vote in the Senate Tuesday means that Ellis will remain on the board.

On a bipartisan voice vote Tuesday night, senators rejected a bid by Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, to remove Susan Beals, Youngkins appointee to head the Department of Elections.
Former Del. John O'Bannon, a Republican from Henrico County, is the new chairman of the State Board of Elections.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed O'Bannon, who previously has served as vice chairman, to lead the five-member panel after replacing former Del. Bob Brink, a Democrat from Arlington County, whose term expired on Jan. 31. Brink had chaired the board for three years.

O'Bannon, a physician, served in the House of Delegates, representing Henrico, from 2001 to 2018. He lost the seat to Democrat Debra Rodman in 2017.

Youngkin appointed Matthew Weinstein, a McGuireWoods lawyer and Democrat from Arlington, to replace Brink on the board, while reappointing O'Bannon and Republican Georgia Alvis-Long, a nurse and former electoral board member in Augusta County. The other remaining members are former Del. Donald Merricks, a Republican from Pittsylvania County, and Angela Chiang, a Democrat and retired state employee from the Richmond area.

Weinstein is a land use and zoning attorney at McGuireWoods and former chairman of the Arlington Electoral Board. "He has fantastic elections experience," Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals said Tuesday.

Separately, Youngkin announced on Monday that he had appointed former Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax, as chairman of the board of directors at the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. Hugo served in the House of Elections for 17 years before losing to Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, in 2019.

Hugo replaces current chair Maria Everett, a former senior attorney at the Virginia Division of Legislative Services with extensive experience in ABC laws and regulation. Everett remains on the five-member board.

A seat on the ABC board used to be coveted by former legislators and other retired state officials because they were full-time jobs that boosted state retirement benefits. After the former executive branch agency became an independent authority in 2018, membership on the board became a part-time job.

Hugo currently is registered as a lobbyist for Virginia Union University and Grover Gaming, a North Carolina-based company that makes pull-tab games for charitable gaming organizations, which are regulated by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Youngkin also announced on Monday that he had appointed Jason Powell, a longtime fiscal analyst at the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee, as senior adviser to Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller.

Powell previously had served as deputy for special projects on the Senate Finance committee, with experience in transportation and economic development issues.

Best-performing Virginia stocks last week Best-performing Virginia stocks last week #24. Markel Corp. (MKL) #23. Dominion Energy (D) #22. AES Corp. (AES) #21. BWX Technologies (BWXT) #20. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) #19. VeriSign (VRSN) #18. Dollar Tree (DLTR) #17. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) #16. Iridium Communications (IRDM) #15. Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT) #14. AvalonBay Communities (AVB) #13. Leidos Holdings (LDOS) #12. General Dynamics Corp. (GD) #11. Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) #10. Performance Food Group Co. (PFGC) #9. DXC Technology Co. (DXC) #8. NVR (NVR) #7. CACI International Class A (CACI) #6. Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) #5. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. Class A (BAH) #4. Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) #3. Altria Group (MO) #2. Kinsale Capital Group (KNSL) #1. CarMax (KMX)
A team of sailors assigned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek fished what is believed to be the high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon out of the Atlantic a day after it was shot down, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Six photos released by the U.S. Navy show the sailors, who were assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 and the USS Carter Hall, working to pull the balloon into their boat sometime Sunday.

It was brought down around 2:40 p.m. Saturday by an F-22 Raptor fighter from Langley Air Force Bases 1st Fighter Wing, Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, said Monday. The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile was fired at the large white orb, scattering debris about 6 miles off the South Carolina coast.

Debris recovery efforts launched Sunday at 10 a.m., with the USS Carter Hall, an amphibious landing ship out of the Virginia Beach base, acting as the lead ship.

The Carter Halls search was supported by the USS Oscar Austin and USS Philippine Sea from Norfolk, as well as the USNS Pathfinder, a survey ship that has been mapping the ocean floor using sonar.

Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Naval Criminal Investigative Service are embedded with salvage operations personnel to assist in counterintelligence work, VanHerck said.

Officials detected the balloon Jan. 28, when it entered U.S. airspace over the Aleutian Islands off the Alaska coast. It then passed over Canada and reentered U.S. airspace over Idaho on Tuesday, the Defense Department said. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden gave the order to shoot down the balloon once there was no risk to people on the ground.

IN PHOTOS: Downing Chinese balloon a spectacle off Grand Strand
Romance is in the air, and the mid-Willamette Valley has more than enough ideas for you on Valentine's Day  and year-round.

Here are some of our favorites, in all price points, from sunrise to sundown.

Breakfast first

We all know it's the most important meal of the day, but you also can make it the most romantic. Enjoy a mimosa of multiple varieties at Brick & Mortar Cafe in Albany, Bellhop in Corvallis or Grain Station in Monmouth.

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.

But I have it on good authority from my sweetie that donuts can be just as romantic. It may be time to splurge on a fancy doughnut, and Corvallis is the place to go. Try the passion (!!) fruit with poppy seeds at Dough Hook, Oregon marionberry with rosemary at Benny's or the very naughty-sounding Dirty Dave at Death by Donutz (Oreos and peanut butter, we are told).

Bonus! We're hearing good things about Sissy's Donuts in Philomath. The photos of their fritters have our mouths watering.

Go for a drive

When Weather Beaver predicts sunshine (even when it's cold), crank up the car's tushy heaters at this time of year (or pop the roof off your Jeep in summer) and hit the road. Whether you head south on Bellfountain Road to wineries, east on Highway 20 past Sweet Home to the Cascades; north on the backroads to the Willamette Valley Pie Co. Farm Retail Store in Salem or west to the Oregon Coast, you're going to see gorgeous scenery: trees, farmland, rivers and ...

Covered bridges

Worthy of their own entry, there's something magical about Oregon's covered bridges. You can spend days visiting them all. Hear the roaring water below and daydream about vintage vehicles traversing them with their enormous hood ornaments and rumble seats.

Many have picnic tables. Time your stop around lunch, set up the tablecloth, candles, music and desserts.

Did you know you can even rent some covered bridges? The Jordan Bridge at Stayton's Pioneer Park is yours for $100 for three hours. Sweet Home also makes its Weddle Bridge at Sankey Park available for rental.

Antiquing

If the covered bridges have you waxing nostalgic, you may consider antiquing as a fun and romantic outing, even just for window-shopping. Of course, there are day trips to Aurora, the Salem Downtown Historic District and Yachats.

But for our money, the Albany Antique Mall in downtown shows up all of them, and bests similar out-of-state malls too. Not only is it orderly, and the nearly-never-ending wares are creatively displayed and at good prices, the vintage clothes showroom on the second level, organized by decade, is one of the most brilliant arrangements we have ever seen.

Feel like sporting a "Mad Men" vibe? Check out the clothes on the 1960s rack. Trying to recreate Betty Boop? Browse the 1930s. More in the mood for "Back to the Future Part III?" There are even garments from the 1800s.

Take a hike

While you're out on your drive, you may want to brave the great outdoors. We think McDowell Creek County Park outside Lebanon, with its gorgeous waterfalls, is the most romantic south of Silver Falls State Park, but it can get a little muddy this time of year.

If you're a clean freak and want to keep your kicks squeaky white, consider Peavy Arboretum north of Corvallis, Jackson-Frazier Wetland in Corvallis or the wetlands at Bruce Starker Arts Park & Natural Area in South Corvallis.

Flowers

Cue Barry White, we're getting mushy now. Flowers for some are a must, but if you want to make an outing of them, there's a little gem of a place in Buena Vista, dubbed a little too on the nose "Buena Vista Flowers," and you don't have to worry whether they're open  because they're a 24/7 operation.

That's right, it's an unstaffed flower shop. It sells fresh and dried bouquets, and because there's less overhead, the prices are really good. Just drop your cash payment in the mail slot.

Chocolate

For some, it's just not V-Day until chocolates are consumed. If you're staying local, there's Burst Chocolates in Corvallis and Victorian Chocolate Company of Lebanon. They have everything your cacao heart desires.

Another local chocolatier, Philomath's Maureen Nikaido of award-winning Moku Chocolate, sells her specialties at Market of Choice, First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op and the Inkwell in Corvallis, among other locations.

But if you're out and about, consider Brigittine Monks Gourmet (yes, made by actual monks) in Amity. Color us intrigued.

Wineries

If wine is your thing, there may be no more romantic locale than a vineyard. There are soooo many nearby, we could probably have a lively debate for hours  and everyone would be right!

Soak in the vistas and get the pinot noir. It's not only perfect for Valentine's, it's what our area does best.

You could also stay cityside and do a wine bar instead. There are the new Corazon in Corvallis (appropriately named, given the day!) and Harpers Wine House in Brownsville (which, with its funky Wednesdays-through-Fridays-only hours, time-shifts V-Day to Saturday, Feb. 11).

Overnight getaway

If you're a suburban dweller, you may want to head out to one of Airbnb's more unusual stays. There's a "Tiny House in the Woods ~ Corvallis," yes, that's the name, with tilde and all; a "4-Bedroom Farmhouse close to OSU" in Halsey that's adorbs, and a "Joyful Yurt with View of South Santiam River" in Sweet Home. Who isn't tempted by a riverside yurt?

But maybe you already live on a farm (or in a tiny house or a yurt!). What you really need is a night on the town. The Marriott in downtown Corvallis has an indoor pool, a fitness center, an outdoor firepit in an urban setting next to the Willamette River, two live theaters and dozens of restaurants.

Dining, fine, and otherwise

Speaking of restaurants, we end our romantic day with dining. If you took one of our road trips as a cheap date and want to keep it low-key, buy a root beer float and fries or onion rings  check that, fries AND onion rings  at A&W Root Beer in Sweet Home, one of the original iterations where you can park, hit a button to order your meal and have it delivered to you in your car.

Another fun trek to feed your junk food addiction is to Harrisburg, where Olsen Run Winery has set up a food truck with yummy burgers and shakes. Pro tip: Have them do half-chocolate and half-marionberry.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

But if you're looking for the fine in fine dining, we've got your back once again. In Albany, Sybaris Bistro and Gamberetti's Italian have been the go-to for years. But also consider Vault 244 and Sweet Red Bistro.

In Corvallis, woo your love with Castor or Del Amo. If you want to keep that farm-to-table vibe going, we highly recommend Gathering Together Farm in Philomath. In Lebanon, head to 1847 Bar & Grill or The Point in Sweet Home for the view alone.
Corvallis officials this week approved changes to local rules for towing abandoned and illegally parked vehicles, but not without hearing concern from community members.

Four members of the activist group Sunrise Corvallis spoke to the City Council during its meeting Monday, Feb. 6, pointing out aspects of the municipal parking code that they said cause disproportionate harm.

Two concerns were echoed by the Sunrise members: the citys responsibility to provide signage clarifying parking laws, and the ability to send impounded vehicles worth less than $1,000 straight to auction without a 30-day waiting period, which is required for more valuable vehicles.

Equity issue raised

Our community has a number of people living in vehicles who often struggle to find legal places to park and who are at high risk of becoming completely unsheltered, Carly Werdel said.

Right now, a lack of signage can be used as a defense to help people fight parking tickets or vehicle impoundment, which is a crucial tool for folks who are working hard to stabilize themselves and regain housing, Werdel said.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Both of the concerns raised by Sunrise Corvallis are part of existing code language, not proposed amendments to the code, Police Chief Jason Harvey told the council. He added that abandoned vehicles worth under $1,000 arent typically being lived in  theyre just sitting inoperable and unused.

Its impractical to put parking signs every several hundred feet on every block, City Manager Mark Shepard noted in addressing the signage issue, saying the citys 48-hour abandonment standard applies citywide and some areas have special restrictions.

The issues related to abandoned and illegally parked vehicles have created a measurable impact on livability within the city to include safety and environmental concerns, a staff report from Police Department leadership states.

The changes

Police officials acknowledged that the way the current code  recently reviewed by PD staff and the City Attorneys Office  is written makes enforcement of those rules difficult.

The review revealed portions of the code were last revised in 1981 and referenced Oregon laws that no longer exist, according to the staff report.

Additionally, some language was unclear, confusing or contradictory, the report states, leading staff to suggest changes to three areas of the municipal code:

Processing and disposal of impounded vehicles.

Towing nuisance vehicles.

The notice process for towing vehicles.

One of the changes was to remove the word motor from the phrase motor vehicle in certain sections, broadening the types of vehicles that can be towed to include trailers. Other changes bring the chapter into alignment with current state law.

The second set of amendments adds language defining what constitutes "nuisance vehicles," which are subject to immediate removal. Other changes to the section include housekeeping and clarifications.

And the third amendment request addressed pre-tow notice requirements, clarifying the notice period to include holidays and weekends among other changes.

Councilors approved the code changes 5-2, with councilors Gabe Shepherd and Briae Lewis opposing. Shepherd said his opposition was friendly and aimed at getting more information regarding the towing contract. Councilor Charlyn Ellis was absent. The matter will return for a second vote because the first wasnt unanimous.
Being vice president of the United States is sort of like working for Donald Trump or watching reality TV. It requires a high degree of tolerance for indignity and abuse.

The job is inherently subservient  the only thing worse than embarrassing the president is outshining him  and the office almost always diminishes its occupant. Enter as a respected governor or U.S. senator and soon you're transformed in the public eye to a lapdog, a nullity or an anchor on the administration.

(A notable exception being Dick Cheney, who, in caricature, was portrayed as the puppeteer and power behind a feckless President George W. Bush.)

Kamala Harris, California's former U.S. senator and attorney general, is just the latest to experience the enervating effect of the vice presidency, alternating between periods of mockery and being largely ignored.

Now it's her turn to suffer another humiliating rite: speculation on whether Harris will be booted from the Democratic ticket in 2024.

There have been scattered calls for the vice president's replacement  a column here, a blabbering talking head there  and some not very reliable news outlets reporting that President Joe Biden has quietly made up his mind, given the vice president's dismal poll ratings, to cut her loose.

Recently, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who challenged Biden and Harris for the 2020 Democratic nomination, caused one of those bouts of Beltway hyperventilation by endorsing the president for a second term but equivocating when it came to keeping Harris as his running mate.

"I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team," said Warren, who soon followed her conspicuously tepid remarks with a mop-and-bucket statement "fully" supporting the reelection of Biden and Harris "together."

No matter that Biden has given every sign  in both public and private  that he plans to seek reelection with Harris by his side. The conversations that have taken place regarding 2024 have all been grounded in the presumption she will be on the Democratic ticket, according to several people familiar those discussions. There has been no talk, they said, of a replacement.

Still, it is "virtually inevitable that whenever a president gets ready to run for reelection there's talk about dumping the vice president," said Joel Goldstein, an emeritus law professor at St. Louis University and expert on the office.

The chatter may be off base, but it's happening for a reason.

President George H.W. Bush faced pressure to replace Vice President Dan Quayle, who suffered the same kind of lousy approval ratings as Harris.

Former President George W. Bush considered swapping out Dick Cheney as his 2004 running mate as a way, he wrote in his memoirs, to "demonstrate that I was in charge" and that he, not Cheney, was running the White House.

In 2011, when President Barack Obama was at a low ebb in popularity, the White House chief of staff ordered up research on whether it would be a good idea to replace Biden with Hillary Clinton ahead of Obama's reelection bid. Some of those involved in the campaign later insisted it was never a serious option.

For much of the country's history, Goldstein said, changing vice presidents was not all that unusual.

The union of president and understudy was often a kind of shotgun marriage, arranged by party bosses to give a ticket regional and/or ideological balance. The working relationship between supposed partners was virtually nonexistent. Vice presidents spent most of their time presiding over the Senate, one of their constitutional duties, rather than offering counsel to the chief executive or helping shape policy.

That evolved, Goldstein said, over the course of the 20th century.

In 1921, Calvin Coolidge became the first vice president to regularly sit in on meetings of the president's Cabinet. Over the decades, other vice presidents were increasingly integrated into the workings of the White House. In 1977, Walter Mondale became the first to have an office in the West Wing, just a short walk from the Oval Office, where vice presidents have lodged ever since.

More significantly, by the middle of the 20th century presidents had begun deciding on their own whom they wished to run with  which means replacing their vice president would suggest, at least implicitly, they had made a mistake.

Harris has her critics within the White House and those around Biden. The relationship between the president and vice president has been described as friendly but not intimate. Even so, the political cost of replacing Harris, if the thought ever crossed Biden's mind, would far outweigh any gain.

Effectively firing the first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president would risk a serious backlash from the Democratic base  especially Black women, who were crucial to Biden's election.

Harris "was on the ticket for a reason. They won in 2020 for a reason," said Aimee Allison, the founder and head of She the People, an organization that works to empower women of color. Come 2024, she noted, "it's still the same dynamic."

Pushing Harris aside "would definitely ricochet through Black America"  and not in a good way, agreed Aprill Turner, a spokeswoman for Higher Heights for America, a group that advocates for Black women in politics.

In 1976, facing a stiff election fight, President Gerald Ford chose to replace Vice President Nelson Rockefeller as a way to bolster his standing with restive conservatives. Even with a different running mate, Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, Ford lost, and he came to regret the move.

Voters have consistently shown their focus is on the top of the ticket, not the No. 2 position.

Good or bad, the vice president can generally be summed up in a single word: afterthought.
United Group, the parent company of Croatian operator Telemach, denied it is putting the unit up for sale but rather its passive infrastructure to pay off debts, as part of wider plans for all of its units in Eastern Europe.

New channel N1, also owned by United Group, reported speculation had been rising on United Group divesting its operator.

The telecoms and broadcasting company told the broadcaster: "In accordance with current market practice, we plan to monetise our mobile base station infrastructure in some of the countries in which United Group operates, including Croatia."

BC Partners, owner of United Group, were reported to be preparing tower sales in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, according to Bloomberg.

United Group said it began the process of separating its towers from Telemach into subsidiary United Towers.

Operators globally have been selling off passive infrastructures such as towers and base stations to raise cash in their bids to improve service and coverage. N1 noted Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom have made massive moves in regard to their infrastructure. As Developing Telecoms reported, the Philippines has proven a hotbed for tower sales.
The pressure is still on Vodafone Idea (aka Vi), despite the Indian government taking a massive stake in the beleaguered operator. Third quarter dues are apparently overdue for payment, on top of which the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is planning to closely monitor Vodafone Ideas performance for the next three months.

The DoT is expected to ask the company for a date by which it might be making the full payment of licence fee and spectrum usage charges for the October-December quarter. If Vi can at least give a tentative date for making payments, the rules apparently permit it to pay interest on the amount it owes DoT for delayed payment but there will be no penalty payment.

DoT last week converted the firms accrued interest on deferred AGR dues into equity, making the Indian government the largest stakeholder in the company, though it has chosen not to have management control or a seat on the board. Now the question is whether the other owners  Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Plc  will invest, thereby giving more confidence to external investors.

The company certainly needs the money, with latest estimates of net debts coming in at around US$27billion and a lot of firms, such as Indus Towers, waiting to be paid. Then theres the additional expense of network upgrades, and, of course, catching up on 5G rollout: rivals Jio and Airtel are a long way ahead of Vi, which has not yet started.

The DoT has reportedly made it clear that it will be monitoring Vi for the next three months, expecting it to raise the funds it needs to survive  and presumably compete  in the market.

Quoted in the Economic Times, an official said: "The telecom department hopes that they will move very fast, and how it (equity conversion) translates into cash in the next three months, is crucial. An issue of equity shares may be the next step.

The DoT says it wants to retain the existing three-player market. The next few months will be about whether investors believe Vi can continue to be one of those players.
Paratus Zambia, a part of the pan-African telecommunications company Paratus Group, has been awarded a data gateway licence in Zambia; this is, apparently, the country's last available such licence.

The award, from regulator the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), is important because, according to a number of news reports, only data licence holders can deploy international gateways and cross-border communications services, and import internet data traffic into the country.

In fact this service had previously been limited to mobile network and carrier providers. Now Paratus Zambia has joined the five other data gateway licensees in Zambia in holding exclusive rights to import and export internet data capacity.

Quoted on the MyBroadband ICT website, Marius van Vuuren, the Managing Director of Paratus Zambia, said: With this license, we can leverage our terrestrial and cross-border fibre network and satellite communications to provide high-quality internet services and import/export internet data capacity to other ISPs in Zambia.

Chama Chinyanta, the General Manager of Infrastructure at Paratus Zambia, added, We started the process in April 2022. We were awarded the ZICTA tender because Paratus meets the necessary infrastructure requirements. For example, our network is connected and spans the southern African region. This means we can deliver what is needed: international data connections to neighbouring countries. We are now one of six providers with this type of license and can import/export data into and out of Zambia.

The award comes at a time when Paratus Zambia is nearing completion of its metro fibre rollout project which was carried out in partnership with Meta.
ENTERPRISEA military and veterans resource fair was held at Enterprise State Community College Tuesday, the first of five planned in the Wiregrass this month.

A partnership between the State RC&D Council and the Alabama Community College System has made possible the Military and Veterans College, Career and Apprenticeship workshops for active-duty military, guardsmen, reservists, retirees, veterans, and their families to learn about local services and programs available to them.

We want to be able to give to the veterans of our community the opportunity to be an active part of our community, said Wiregrass RC&D Executive Director Ronnie Davis, presenting a $50,000 check to ESCC President Danny Long. This is in appreciation of what military members do and have done for us in the United States of America in order for us to be free and safe.

The Wiregrass RC&D is one of nine councils in the Alabama Association of RC&D Councils, said Davis. Through this program well be touching every community college in the 10-county area that we serve.

During a January press conference in Montgomery introducing the program, Alabama RC&D Executive Director Katie Conner said the workshops will give veterans access to valuable resources available in a convenient location. The Alabama Community College Systems proposal to host workshops to help our veterans gives RC&D councils in every region of the state the opportunity to deliver essential information regarding education and employment opportunities for those who have done so much for our country, she said.

The veterans workshops and luncheons throughout the state are bound to welcome veterans who want to learn what services are available to them within their local communities, Commissioner Kent Davis of the Alabama Department of Veteran Affairs said at the Jan. 10 press conference. I applaud Alabama RC&D and the Alabama Community College System for building a program that serves those who have served and are currently serving.

Long agreed. I cannot think of a more deserving group of people, part of our community, who can benefit from this partnership, he said Tuesday.

The grant will fund educational workshops that include an introduction to the programs and services offered at the colleges, a lunch that includes a panel discussion and other activities which such as career exploration resume writing, campus tours, and roundtables.

Other Military and Veterans College, Career, and Apprenticeship Workshops will be held in the Wiregrass Feb. 21 at Enterprise-Ozark Community College in Ozark; Feb. 24 at Wallace College in Dothan; and Feb. 27 at LBW in Opp.

Wiregrass RC&D began in 1967 to assist the communities in Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Pike counties, said Davis. Russell County was added to the WRC&D area in 1984.

We get an allocation every year from the legislature that comes to our state association and then goes to our nine councils across the state, said Davis, thanking State Reps. Jeff Sorrels and Rhett Marquez, both present, for their support of the program.

Once we have our allocation, we take grant applications from April 1 through June 30, Davis said. Recent WRC&D projects include support for a sensory room at Dothan Prep Academy in Houston County, a new concrete driveway for the Battens Fire Department in Coffee County, and funding for childrens programs at the Opp Housing Authority in Covington County, he said.

The landscape of RC&D has changed in the last six years, Davis said. Its not all agriculture and county government anymore, its economic development, education, and job creation.

We have a real strong partnership with Southeast Alabama Works, Southeast Alabama Regional Planning Commission, Troy University, the two-year colleges, and the power companies in the counties we serve, he added.

The letters in our name stand for: Resource, Conservation and Development, said Davis. Its a big name but it covers a big picture.
DALEVILLE  The Daleville City Council unanimously voted to join the Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corporation at a council meeting Tuesday evening.

The city, known as the Gateway to Fort Rucker, had been part of the Wiregrass Economic Development Corporation, which is also comprised of Coffee and Geneva counties, since 2019.

Weve really enjoyed our time with Wiregrass Economic Development Corporation, but since we are in Dale County, we are going back to ODEDC, said Daleville Mayor Jayme Stayton Wednesday.

Daleville had joined ODEDC in 2012 under a previous mayor and council after the existing contract with Wiregrass Economic Development Corporation expired.

When Stayton was elected mayor in 2016, he said he needed to further research the need to partner with either economic development organization and instead assumed responsibility for economic recruitment himself. In 2019, the mayor and council decided to re-enter partnership with WEDC.

Stayton said that ODEDC has been revamped and has a fresh, new outlook on things, since Smith was named executive director in March 2021.

As the official economic development agency for Dale County, we at the Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corporation are happy to be able to be inclusive of the entire county, said ODEC Executive Director Holle Smith. I look forward to working with the elected officials and citizens of Daleville to find out what their greatest needs and desires are in the area of economic growth, as we help the city develop to its full potential.

ODEDC Board of Directors Chairman Derek Dickens agreed. One of the goals of our business plan is to unify Dale County for economic development, he said. Partnering with Daleville will take us a long way towards that goal. Our board and staff look forward to this partnership.

As a partner, Daleville will pay $12,000 per calendar year to ODEDC.

The ODEDC is a non-profit 501c6 organization located inside the airport building, located at 3247 Highway 231 South in Ozark.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Le Thi Bich Tran wave as they are about to leave Hanoi for Singapore and Brunei on February 8, 2023. Photo by Nhat Bac

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife have left Hanoi for official visits to Singapore and Brunei on February 8-11.

The visits are made at the invitation of Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and Brunei king Hassanal Bolkiah to bolster the relationship between Vietnam and the two nations.

The visits mark Chinh's first trip to the two Southeast Asian countries in his position as prime minister.

They also mark the first visit of a Vietnamese prime minister to Singapore in the last five years and to Brunei in the last 16 years.

Joining Chinh's delegation are Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Tran Van Son, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung and Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.

"The visits will create a strong impetus and deepen the strategic partnership with Singapore and the comprehensive partnership with Brunei," said deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hong Viet. "They also carry the message of close neighbors joining hands to develop for the sake of regional peace, stability and prosperity."

During his stay, Prime Minister Chinh will discuss with the leaders of Singapore and Brunei methods to boost cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, security and national defense.

The three countries will also expand cooperation in emerging fields such as innovation, digital economy, green economy, sustainable development and clean energy.

The trade turnover between Vietnam and Singapore reached $8.3 billion in 2021 and increased to about $9 billion last year.

Singapore, which established diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1973 and strategic partnership in 2013, is Southeast Asia's largest investor in Vietnam. It ranks second out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 3,095 projects and a total registered capital of $70.8 billion.

Vietnam and Brunei established diplomatic relations in February 1992 and upgraded the relations to a comprehensive partnership in March 2019. In 2022, bilateral trade turnover reached $725.8 million, up 134% year-on-year and far exceeding the target of $500 million set for 2025 by the leaders of the two countries.

Brunei is currently ranked 26th out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 157 projects and a total registered capital of $971 million in the fields of processing industry, manufacturing, construction and real estate.
Tourists visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 7, 2023. Photo by Reuters

Thailand's prime minister is confident the country will receive more than 30 million foreign tourists this year as the economically vital tourism sector gathers steam, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has instructed relevant agencies to facilitate visitors with travel and ensure their safety, spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri told a briefing.

Initially, the government predicted more than 20 million foreign tourists this year and later increased that to 28 million, he said.

"Most recently, the prime minister is confident that tourist numbers will even exceed 30 million," Anucha said.

The latest projection follows China's border reopening and the return of Chinese tourists.

Thailand now expects at least 7 to 8 million Chinese visitors this year, up from a previous forecast of at least 5 million, Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, a government body, told Reuters.

"Earlier, we didn't think China would also allow group tours...now we are seeing at least 7 to 8 million people," he said.

The new forecast would be more than half the 11 million Chinese visitors recorded in pre-pandemic 2019.

Up until February 2 of this year, Thailand received 99,429 Chinese tourists, Yuthasak said.

Overall foreign tourist arrivals were around 2.1 million in January, he added.

In 2022, Thailand beat its tourism target with 11.15 million foreign visitors, a surge from just about 428,000 the previous year when broad pandemic-related travel curbs were in place.

Pre-pandemic 2019 saw a record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists, who spent 1.91 trillion baht ($56.78 billion).
An aircraft of Vietnam Airlines takes off from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines plans to resume flying on five Chinese routes next month as it moves toward full resumption of services to the northern neighbor.

They include three and two flights a week from Hanoi to Beijing and Chengdu, and daily flights from Da Nang to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu.

"The resumption of flights to China aims to meet travel demand as tourism is forecast to recover from March," the carrier said in a press release.

Vietnam could receive 3-4.5 million visitors from China this year, equivalent to 50-80% of pre-pandemic levels, according to HSBC.

In 2019, the year before the pandemic began, China was Vietnams biggest source of foreign visitors, sending 5.5 million of them.

After three years of sticking to its zero-Covid policy, China reopened its borders on January 8, but is only resuming tourism activities gradually.

The country on Monday resumed outbound tours to 20 selected countries, including seven in Southeast Asia but not Vietnam.
On February 2, the two brothers walked the 50-cm wide and 10-m long surface in 1 minute and 55 seconds in Milan to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.



In 2021, they brothers set another world record when they climbed 100 steps in 53 seconds at the Saint Marys Cathedral in Girona, Spain, 10 steps more than the previous record established at the same venue in 2016.



Co started circus training when he was four, while Nghiep began at five. The two turned professional in 1999. Their head-to-head balancing act got them into the top three finalists on Britains Got Talent in 2018.
ELKO  A man was shot to death and a woman stabbed to death in a residence east of Elko before the killer took his own life.

The Elko County Sheriffs Office on Wednesday provided the results of a preliminary investigation into an incident that was described as a murder-suicide at White Rock on Jan. 31.

Deputies were called to the home on Hopi Street at about 3:49 a.m. on a report of shots fired inside the residence.

When deputies arrived on the scene they contacted occupants who were inside the residence at the time of the shooting. They advised a gunman had shot people in the house. Deputies, with the assistance of an officer from the Elko Police Department, made entry into the residence and discovered three people deceased.

The initial investigation revealed that Donald Van Hoy, 44, of Elko had murdered the other two and then had taken his own life, the sheriffs office stated Wednesday.

One of the victims has been identified as Andrew Carpenter, 45, from Elko. Carpenter was shot while he was on the couch in the front room of the residence. The other victim, Tiffany Jordan, 47, from Elko was stabbed multiple times while she was in the bathroom.

The sheriffs office first reported the incident on Jan. 31 with no details, other than saying there was no active threat to the public.

The case is still in the beginning stages of the investigation, and we are diligently working on discovering all the facts and a possible motive, the sheriffs office stated Wednesday.

If you or someone you know is suffering from depression or is a victim of domestic violence, please reach out for help. You can call or text 988, the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Nevada Crisis Line is 1-775-784-8090. The Youth Crisis and Suicide Prevention hotline is 1-800-442-4673.
ELKO  Hauling 60 pounds of marijuana across Nevada may sound like a major felony, but a California man may end up serving only a few days in jail and paying $233 in fees.

Muhammad Naeem, 33, of Inglewood was pulled over on Interstate 80 west of Elko by a state trooper in July 2021.

During his investigation, the Trooper identified possible criminal activity and obtained a warrant to search the vehicle, the highway patrol stated. The Trooper subsequently located approximately 60 pounds of marijuana inside the trunk of the vehicle, a Volkswagen passenger car.

The Pakistan native pleaded guilty to attempted trafficking of 50 to 1,000 pounds of marijuana, a category D felony. He was sentenced this week by Elko District Judge Mason Simons to 16-40 months in prison, suspended with credit for six days spent in jail.

If convicted of felony trafficking he could have been sentenced to 1-5 years in prison and fined up to $25,000, according to Nevada Revised Statutes.

Cannabis has been legal in Nevada for several years but residents can only possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana or one-eighth of an ounce of concentrated marijuana purchased from a state-licensed dispensary.

Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug, on the same level as heroin and LSD, but a district judge ruled in September that the classification was unconstitutional.

According to an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Judge Joe Hardy Jr. issued the ruling in Clark County after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Pharmacy.

In the Elko case, Naeem was placed on two years of probation on the conditions that he stay out of marijuana dispensaries as well as bars and casinos, and not possess or consume any alcoholic beverages.
VUFO President Nguyen Phuong Nga awards the For peace and friendship among nations insignia to Brazilian Ambassador to Vietnam Fernando Apparicio da Silva (Photo: TDO)

According to Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, during his tenure in Vietnam, Mr. Fernando Apparicio da Silva has made positive contributions to strengthening Vietnam - Brazil relations in many fields, promoting good traditional relations, solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two peoples.

Ambassador Fernando Apparicio da Silva enthusiastically supported the Portuguese - Vietnamese Dictionary project. During the blockade due to COVID-19, he invited many famous scholars to speak in online conferences to introduce and promote Brazilian history and literature to a large number of Vietnamese people; organized Brazilian film weeks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; and visited and talked with students in many Vietnamese universities.

During his term in Vietnam, Ambassador Fernando Apparicio da Silva also focused on increasing trade between the two countries. He invited many Brazilian businesses to visit and learn about the Vietnamese market. Trade workshops with the participation of a large number of Vietnamese and Brazilian businesses were successfully organized by Ambassador Fernando Apparicio da Silva and the Brazilian Embassy.

Expressing his honor to receive a noble award from VUFO, Ambassador Fernando Apparicio da Silva thanked the Vietnamese people for their hospitality and friendliness.

"During my tenure, the Brazilian Embassy in Vietnam and I have paid a lot of attention to cultural exchanges. Besides trade, culture and bilateral understanding play a very important role in increasing the relations between the two countries," said Ambassador Fernando Apparicio da Silva.

On this occasion, Ambassador Fernando Apparicio da Silva also congratulated Vietnam for its achievements in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and affirmed that despite leaving Vietnam, Vietnam will always be in his heart./.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (R) and UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi (Photo: VNA)

During a reception for the UNDP official in Hanoi on February 7, the Deputy PM spoke highly of the effective and practical cooperation between Vietnam and UNDP across the fields of economy, society, climate change adaptation and ensuring the environment.

He highlighted a number of priority areas of Vietnam, including health, natural ecosystem restoration, circular economy, and the environment, while expressing his hope that UNDP will share experience and effective models that have been carried out in other countries.

He suggested UNDP continue its support for Vietnam in governance, technology, and how to receive energy transformation projects in harmony with the socio-economic transition process.

For her part, Khalidi affirmed UNDP's commitment to supporting Vietnam in energy transition, towards realising the countrys net zero greenhouse gas emission target by 2050 and effectively responding to climate change.

She said she would work and coordinate closely with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities, including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, to enquire about Vietnam's priorities in the field of energy transition.

UNDP will also continue to deploy projects to ensure social security, prevent and control storms and floods in central coastal and Mekong Delta provinces; strengthen infrastructure links between localities; and maintain biodiversity and develop eco-tourism in Vietnam, she affirmed.

Deputy PM Tran Hong Ha (R) receives Aler Grubbs, Director of USAID in Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

The same day afternoon, Deputy PM Ha had a meeting with Aler Grubbs, Director of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Vietnam, during which he highly appreciated the USs support for Vietnam in terms of technology, human resources and finance to handle consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin and decontamination.

He said that energy is one of the top priorities in the two countries' cooperation against climate change, noting that Vietnam needs support to achieve development goals in wind power, renewable energy, and smart grid.

The Deputy PM emphasised the important significance of promoting cooperation between Vietnam and the US in the fields of agriculture, education, enhancing linkage between schools and businesses as well as between enterprises and financial institutions, and promoting training, cultural and art exchange.

Grubbs highly valued close cooperation between USAID and Vietnamese ministries and sectors in recent years, while expressing her pleasure with the cooperative achievements and results between the two countries.

She said the two countries will mark the 10th founding anniversary of the Comprehensive Partnership this year, and this is an opportunity for the US and Vietnam to continue promoting the relationship with many important activities, including those via USAID./.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (Photo: VNA)

On February 7, the Straits Times reported that Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay a three-day official visit to Singapore starting from February 8, as the two sides work towards further cooperation in green and digital economies.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day said the visit comes as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.

The visit also marks the 10th anniversary of the two countries upgrading their relationship to a strategic partnership, signed in 2013, helping to open up new areas of cooperation.

This is Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's first official visit to Singapore since he took office in 2021.

The Prime Minister will receive a solemn reception at Istana Presidential Palace on February 9, meet with President Halimah Yacob and hold talks with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who will host a luncheon reception.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife will be honored with the naming of a new species of orchid in Singapore.

Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the two Prime Ministers will witness the signing ceremony of bilateral agreements to further strengthen multifaceted cooperation between Singapore and Vietnam, especially in the field of green economy and digital economy.

During the visit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will also visit the exhibition Smart Nation CityScape at Singapore City Gallery on Maxwell Road.

The visit follows high-level meetings between the two sides in 2022, such as President Halimah's visit to Vietnam in October 2022 and the visit of Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in September 2022.

Singapore and Vietnam have a strong economic relationship, with bilateral trade growing steadily over the past decade, reaching SGD31.3 billion (USD2.3 billion) in 2022.

As of May 2022, Singapore is the second largest cumulative investor in Vietnam, with a total investment of SGD94.5 billion (USD71.5 billion).

A key element of economic cooperation between the two countries is the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP). There are now 12 VSIPs, attracting USD17 billion in investment and creating 300,000 jobs.

Technical cooperation through the Singapore Cooperation Program is another important area of commitment.

To date, more than 20,900 Vietnamese officials have attended courses within the framework of the program on various development topics./.
Overseas Vietnamese at the event (Photo: VNA)

It drew the participation of officials and staff of the representative agencies of Vietnam in Malaysia, overseas Vietnamese, students, representatives of associations and delegations of Vietnamese people in the host country.

Speaking at the event, Charge d'affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh briefed the participants of the socio-economic situation of Vietnam in the past year.

Despite unpredictable developments of the world situation and numerous difficulties, Vietnam's economy grew over 8%, the highest in the past 10 years. The relationship between Vietnam and Malaysia has been increasingly consolidated and developed and the two sides agreed to continue to create conditions to further promote trade, investment, science and technology and innovation relations, she said.

She highly appreciated the Vietnamese community in Malaysia who have always attached to the homeland and have various activities to contribute to help fellow countrymen. She hoped that they will stay united, have a better life, and to integrate well into their second homeland.

Anh also wished them a New Year of happiness and prosperity.

On behalf of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association, Tran Thi Chang said the association wants to receive more support from the embassy in the upcoming programs when the two countries are about to celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties.

On the same day, a program named "Xuan Que Huong" (Homeland Spring 2023) was organized by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Sydney. The program attracted the participation of members of representative agencies, business associations, student associations and hundreds of overseas Vietnamese in Australia.

Vietnamese Consul General in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia Nguyen Dang Thang affirmed that the relationship between the two countries has continuously developed strongly in the past 50 years, partly due to the significant contributions of the Vietnamese community in Australia - the "people's ambassadors" of Vietnam as Uncle Ho once said.

During the program, participants enjoyed Vietnamese traditional music performances as well as folk games, which were believed to help younger generations understand more about Vietnams cultural traditions./.
Rescuers are searching for the victims (Photo: VNA)

On February 6, the RoK side discovered four bodies of the victims whose nationalities were unidentified. The search is still ongoing.

Upon hearing the news, the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK actively held working sessions with the RoKs Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Coast Guard on the case.

The Vietnamese Embassy also directed the Vietnam Labour Management Office in the RoK to request the dispatch company and competent authorities to determine the identity of the Vietnamese victims inform their families and guide them with necessary procedures.

Under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs directions, the embassy is actively working with Korean agencies concerned to promptly conduct necessary citizen protection measures.

According to the embassy, the host authorities are highly concerned over the incident and working closely with the embassy to handle issues related to the Vietnamese citizens./.
An Giang youth planted more than 8,000 trees after the launch ceremony.

The An Giang Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in coordination with the Vietnam Youth Federation has launched the Tet planting festival in eternal gratitude to Uncle Ho and the movement An Giang children do a thousand good deeds in 2023.

In his speech at the event, Mr. Do Minh Sang, Deputy Secretary of the An Giang provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, shared that in Spring of 1960, responding to Uncle Hos call, the Tet tree planting festival was held for the first time in our country.

Also at the ceremony, the provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Federation awarded 15 full scholarships, each worth 5 million VND, and 37 scholarships with a total amount of 93.5 million VND, to support students in districts, towns and cities in the province.

On this occasion, the Thoai Son District Youth Union also awarded 10 scholarships of 500,000 VND each to poor students with good academic performance in the district.

After the launch ceremony, delegates, union members and youth participated in planting more than 8,000 trees on a 2.5km road route in Phu Tay hamlet, Phu Thuan commune, Thoai Son district./.
Experts work at the Center for Biotechnology in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: HCMBIOTECH)

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on January 30 signed a resolution on behalf of the Politburo on the development and application of biotechnology to serve the country's sustainable development in the new situation.

According to the Politburo, the development of biotechnology is the trend of the world, an important driving force to carry out the process of renewing the growth model, restructuring the economy, ensuring social security and national defense and improving people's living standards.

Vietnam sets a goal by 2030 to strive for a biotechnological foundation reaching the world advanced level in a number of important fields; to be one of the top 10 Asian countries in biotech smart production and services; and widely apply these in industries and fields, contributing to economic and social development.

The Politburo wishes that, in the next 7 years, the biological industry will become an important economic and technical branch. Enterprises increase 50% in investment scale and growth, replacing at least 50% of imported biotechnology products; contribute 7% to GDP and ensure the essential needs of society.

In 2045, Vietnam will have the world's most developed biotechnology, be a center for smart production and services; while its entrepreneurship and innovation in biotechnology will belong to the leading group in Asia. The bio-industry will contribute 10-15% of GDP.

To achieve the above-mentioned goals, the Politburo requires agencies to unify their awareness on the development and application of biotechnology in the new situation; perfect the legal system, development and application mechanisms; and attract businesses, organizations and individuals to research, apply, and produce.

Party committees and authorities must direct the development and effective application of biotechnology in production and life; and develop the biological industry into an important economic and technical branch serving the cause of national construction and defense.

In agriculture, biotechnology needs to support the creation of plant and animal breeds that can adapt to climate change, fight pests and diseases, achieve high productivity and quality; simultaneously research vaccines and biological products to prevent diseases of livestock and plants; and support conservation and development of rare genetic resources.

The product processing industry also needs to apply biotechnology to have safe and high-value products from domestic materials.

Agencies are also requested by the Politburo to assist biotechnology enterprises in improving their ability to access new technologies and intellectual property; branding and commercialization of products; and to effectively use inventions and high-value inventions of the world.

The training of human resources also receives special attention by the Politburo, in which, solutions include researching and building a training model for biotech human resources from general education to university and higher education; strengthen linkages between enterprises, employers and training institutions; and form and develop prestigious research groups of international level./.
People of the Miao ethnic group dance with "Lusheng", a traditional reed-pipe wind instrument, during the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 6, 2023. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 6, 2023 shows local people and tourists watching performance during the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

Local people are pictured before the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 6, 2023. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

People of the Miao ethnic group dance with "Lusheng", a traditional reed-pipe wind instrument, during the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 6, 2023. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 6, 2023 shows local people and tourists watching performance during the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 6, 2023 shows people of the Miao ethnic group dancing with "Lusheng", a traditional reed-pipe wind instrument, during the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

People watch the horse fighting competition during the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 6, 2023. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

A girl of Miao ethnic group is pictured before the "pohui" festival in Xiangfen Town of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Feb. 6, 2023. Since the Spring Festival, villages in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County have held various activities to celebrate the "pohui" festival, a traditional festival observed by the Miao ethnic minority, and to boost local tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Members of a Chinese rescue team are seen before departing for Turkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government.

The team, composed of personnel from the Beijing fire and rescue corps, the National Earthquake Response Support Service and the Emergency General Hospital in Beijing, carried with them rescue equipment and supplies.

Around 5,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria on Monday.

Members of a Chinese rescue team are seen before departing for Turkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Members of a Chinese rescue team check medical supplies before departing for Turkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Members of a Chinese rescue team are seen before departing for Turkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Photo by Wang Jiangtao/Xinhua)

Members of a Chinese rescue team carry equipment and supplies before departing for Turkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Members of a Chinese rescue team are seen before departing for Turkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Turkish Ambassador to China Abdulkadir Emin Onen shakes hands with a member of a Chinese rescue team at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Members of a Chinese rescue team are seen before departing for Turkiye at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows members of a Chinese rescue team boarding a chartered plane at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows members of a Chinese rescue team boarding a chartered plane at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows members of a Chinese rescue team boarding a chartered plane at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

Members of a Chinese rescue team leave for Turkiye from a fire fighting training base in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Members of a Chinese rescue team prepare to leave for Turkiye from a fire fighting training base in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Members of a Chinese rescue team leave for Turkiye from a fire fighting training base in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Members of a Chinese rescue team prepare to leave for Turkiye from a fire fighting training base in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Members of a Chinese rescue team check equipments before leaving for Turkiye from a fire fighting training base in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2023. A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Turkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon to join earthquake relief efforts in the country.

The 82-member team was dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management, at the request of the Turkish government. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Government emphasizes importance of agricultural assets for food security

The central authorities raised the importance of seed technology on a par with farmland preservation at the Central Rural Work Conference in late December, as part of China's effort to bolster food security through greater technological input.

While addressing the conference, President Xi Jinping said that special attention must be paid to farmland and seeds.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for real progress in the campaign to invigorate the seed industry and efforts to keep major varieties "firmly in our own hands".

Agrarians shall be guided by urgent needs in the agricultural sector, and focus on fields such as fundamental technologies, core germplasm resources, as well as key agricultural machinery and equipment, he said.

Germplasm, or seed matter, are genetic resources such as seeds or animal tissue that can be used to aid in the breeding of crops or livestock.

Since the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10), China has been talking about preventing its crop land area from shrinking below a 120-million-hectare redline to ensure the self-sufficiency of staple food.

However, the seed technology represented by germplasm has in recent years been increasingly viewed as an additional avenue to bolster food production in a country that feeds 20 percent of the world's population with just 10 percent of the Earth's arable land.

The Party's push for more cutting-edge farming technologies came as it has attached greater importance to agriculture in building China into a modern socialist country and promoting common prosperity in the decades to come.

Xi told attending officials that without strong agriculture, there won't be a great modern country, and the socialist modernization won't be complete without agricultural and rural modernization.

The growing interest in germplasm was also partly fueled by China's wish to supply its people with homegrown food varieties and reduce its dependence upon imports for oil crops such as soybeans and rapeseed.

In 2021, State broadcaster China Central Television reported that more than 70 foreign seed conglomerates had made inroads into the Chinese market in recent years, and monopolized large parts of the country's vegetable growing industry.

More than 60 percent of plants growing in the Chinese "vegetable capital" of Shouguang, Shandong province, were foreign-developed species, and a single tomato seed could cost as much as 0.18 yuan (2.6 cents), the report said.

The shortfall was steeper in chicken farming. Farmers' Daily reported last month that three major homegrown chicken species accounted for just 15 percent of those raised in animal farms nationwide.

To reverse the situation, the country's seed law was revised and put into force in March in a broader effort to protect the intellectual property of seed breeders and incentivize innovation and investment in seed technologies.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has over the past year ramped up support for seed research and production, and sped up cataloging homegrown species' genetic information.

The ministry said over the past year it had collected 118,000 germplasm samples of food species from across the country, more than it had anticipated. Some 113,000 such samples had been handed over to the national crop germplasm resources nurseries that had been established nationwide since September for preserving genetic data.

The Ministry of Finance has earmarked 2 billion yuan in support of 112 counties to create seed production bases in partnership with seed companies.

The State-owned Agriculture Development Bank of China has also worked to bolster financial services, having lent 22.6 billion yuan to businesses involved in seed production industrial chains since 2021.

China has already begun reaping the benefits from its increased focus on homegrown seed technologies.

On Dec 26, "Chinese Lettuce No 1", a homegrown lettuce species bred by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, passed expert deliberation and was approved for production after four years of research.

China produces 56 percent of lettuce consumed worldwide, but nearly all lettuce species raised in China are developed by foreign companies.

Editor: JYZ
The Regional Gas Company (RGC) has completed the certification of smart natural gas meters developed by the company's R&D department.

"They will be produced and installed at gas consumers' homes as early as 2023," RGC said in a press release on Wednesday.

As explained in the RGC, metering devices combine a membrane meter and a smart module built into the case with a modem. Thanks to the modem, the device will automatically transmit data on gas consumption to the gas distribution company.

"It's just convenient, even when you haven't gone anywhere, you don't have to worry about transferring data at the beginning of each month," Head of Research and Development at RGC Yaroslav Khavrel said.

The membrane meter is based on the components of the world-famous Italian brand Mesura  smart modules with a modem developed by RGC specialists.

According to the company, the production of smart meters will begin in the second quarter of 2023 at the facilities of the Ukrainian metrological centers RGC Metering. The first batch of 16,000 meters will be manufactured this year.

"New meters will be installed both as part of the investment program of gas distribution companies and intended for commercial sales. Usually developers order installations of new meters," Khavrel said.

According to him, gas distribution network operators operating under the RGC brand will, as part of the investment program, replace old metering devices that have not been verified with new meters free of charge.

More than 10 million gas meters have been installed in Ukraine for household consumers. Only a few tens of thousands of them have smart systems. Other consumers have to submit their meter readings on a monthly basis.

As summed up in the RGC, after the launch of mass production of smart meters, conventional meters will be replaced by smart ones if the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission of Ukraine (NEURC) provides appropriate funds in investment programs for distribution network operators.
Biden promises to help Ukraine as long as it takes

U.S. President Joe Biden in his annual message to Congress promised to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

"Ambassador, America are united in our support for your country. We're going to stand with you, as long as it takes," Biden said during his annual address to Congress, which took place at 04.00 (Kyiv time) on Wednesday.

He also said the United States is working "for more freedom, more dignity, and more peace, not just in Europe, but everywhere."
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will arrive in the UK on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Ukrainian military, the Prime Minister's Office told Sky News.

This is his first visit to the UK since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February. Since then, Zelensky has made only one trip from Ukraine, when he traveled to the United States and stopped in Poland on the way back shortly before Christmas, the channel said.

"Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Sunak will discuss the UK's support for Ukraine, starting with an 'immediate surge' of military equipment being sent to the country by the UK, and the prime minister will reinforce his long-term support. The UK is also set to further Russian sanctions today, targeting those who have helped Russian President Vladimir Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin's 'war machine," the channel said

"Mr. Sunak will offer to bolster the UK's training for Ukrainian troops, including to fighter jet pilots so they can fly NATO-standard fighter jets, Number 10," according to the statement.
The UK will begin training Ukrainian marines, according to a government press release issued on Wednesday due to the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"He [the Prime Minister] will also offer to begin an immediate training programme for marines. That training will be in addition to the recruit training programme already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year. The UK will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the programme up in 2023.

As part of today's talks, the Prime Minister's Office reports, "the prime minister will propose to support the UK's proposal to train Ukrainian troops, including extending it to fighter pilots, so that Ukraine can protect its skies in the future." The training will allow pilots to fly modern NATO-standard fighters in the future. As part of this long-term investment, the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to coordinate collective support to meet Ukraine's defense needs," according to the text.

"The Prime Minister will also offer to provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities. This will disrupt Russia's ability to continually target Ukraine's civilian and critical national infrastructure and help relieve pressure on Ukraine's frontlines. The President and his team will also meet defense and security chiefs, including the Chief of Defense Staff and Chief of Air Force Staff, to discuss the details of the training programme," the government said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "President Zelensky's visit to the UK is a testament to his country's courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries. Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory. I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," the government said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the UK to meet with the King, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Ukrainian soldiers, Sky News said.

He landed at Stansted Airport on an RAF plane at around 10:30 on Wednesday.

"Mr Zelensky will meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace this afternoon," the television channel said.

Prior to that, the Ukrainian leader and Mr. Sunak will discuss UK's support for Ukraine, starting with an "immediate surge" of military equipment being sent to the country by the UK, and the prime minister will reinforce his long-term support. UK is also set to further Russian sanctions today, targeting those who have helped Russian President Vladimir Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin's 'war machine," the channel said.
Challenger tanks to be delivered to Ukraine by Royal Air Force  Kuleba

Royal Air Force is expected to transport Challenger tanks and other military goods to Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"I was honored to use the services of the Royal Air Force airline. Soon Challenger tanks and other things extremely harmful to the Russian occupier will fly to Ukraine on this or a similar aircraft," he said on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

"For Ukraine and its defense forces it will be a very useful day," Kuleba said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, during a visit to Great Britain, discussed with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak the key needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in terms of weapons and military equipment.

According to the press service of the head of state, Zelensky emphasized the importance for Ukraine to receive the necessary weapons from allies to stop the Russian offensive and liberate all temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

Also, during the meeting, the parties discussed defense cooperation and the entire range of issues on the bilateral agenda: the implementation of the Peace Formula, Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, future support from the United Kingdom, the possibility of involving the British side in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as a number of other promising projects.

The president informed the prime minister about the situation on the frontline.

The issue of preventing Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the 2024 Olympics in Paris was discussed separately.

Zelensky also expressed gratitude to the British people and personally to Rishi Sunak for providing comprehensive support to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.
JIT MH17 investigation: Strong indications that Putin decided on supplying separatists with heavy weapons from which later Boeing was downed

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) for the investigation into the downing of flight MH17 has announced that there are strong indications that it was Russian President Valdimir Putin who made the decision to supply the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" separatists with heavy weapons, like Buk missile system, which were later used to down the Malaysa Airlines' Boeing.

The JIT said this during a press conference in The Hague on Wednesday.

The intercepted phone conversations show that it was Putin who made the decision to provide the separatists with military assistance. There is also information that the separatists' request for a heavy air defense system was passed to Putin, and the request was satisfied. The other sources also say that the Russian president was personally involved in the conflict in the east of Ukraine, the JIT said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in the UK Parliament on Wednesday, called on the United Kingdom to create an aviation coalition in support of Ukraine.

As the head of state noted, today during the upcoming meeting with King Charles III of Great Britain, he intends to convey to him the words of gratitude from Ukrainians for the support provided by His Majesty when he was still the Prince of Wales.

"I also intend to tell him something very important not only for the future of Ukraine, but also for the future of Europe. In the UK, the King is an Air Force pilot. And in Ukraine today, every pilot is a king. Because there are so few of them, they are so precious. We are doing everything possible and impossible for the world to provide us with modern aircraft to expand the capabilities and protect the pilots who will protect us," Zelensky said.

He stressed that he is proud of the aviation of Ukraine.

During his speech, the Ukrainian President also presented a gift to speaker of the British Parliament Lindsay Hoyle, namely the helmet of a Ukrainian pilot, with the inscription: "We have freedom, give us wings to protect it."

"I believe that this symbol will help us form our next coalition  aviation. I am addressing you and the whole world in simple and at the same time the most important words: Combat aircraft for Ukraine! Wings for freedom!" the president said.
A coalition of long-range missiles will help "force evil to retreat from our country by destroying its shelters deep in the occupied territories," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said speaking in the British Parliament on Wednesday.

"As I have already said, the Ukrainian military are being trained in the UK. In particular, they are trained to drive Challengers, your main battle tanks. This is a tank coalition in action, and I thank you, Rishi, thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for this powerful defensive step - for tank assistance," he said, adding: "The coalition of long-range missiles is the latest of all."

"This will allow us to force evil to completely retreat from our country by destroying its shelters deep in the occupied territories," the president said.

And it's not just about weapons, he noted. "Together we have proved that the world really helps those who bravely defend freedom. And thus paves the way for a new history. Stories of a world that knows how to quickly come to the rescue," Zelensky said.

"The who knows how to be effective in defense, who knows how to remain principled in dark times. Who faithfully fulfills their contracts and agreements. Who does not allow offenders to enjoy impunity. Who knows how to overcome the veto when it is abused. Who knows no fear. And who knows how to win. This will be the new reality of the free world!" he declared.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in the UK Parliament on Wednesday, said that the UK is going together with Ukraine to victory over the very idea of war.

"We know that freedom will win. We know that Russia will lose. We know that victory will change the world! And it will be a change that the world has long needed. The United Kingdom is marching with us to the most important victory of our lives. It will be a victory over the very idea of war," Zelensky said.

According to him, after achieving such a joint victory, any aggressor will know what awaits him if he violates the international order.

"Any aggressor who tries to change borders by force, the one who will bring destruction and death to other peoples, will lose," the president said, noting that Ukraine and the UK have already achieved remarkable results.

"And we must make every effort to turn our achievements into the basis of the future architecture of global security. The world needs your leadership, Britain, just as it needs Ukrainian courage," Zelensky added.

He also recalled that when the full-scale invasion began, not only Ukraine and the United Kingdom, but the United States and other allies formed a real coalition of friends. At the same time, according to Zelensky, it was the UK that was among the very few who helped Ukraine even before the start of the large-scale invasion.

"This is exactly how [Great Britain helped], as it will be necessary every time in the future to prevent aggression. Your help was preventive. We must make this principle  preventive assistance to those who are threatened by aggression and preventive sanctions against those who threaten aggression  the basic principle of world anti-war policy," the head of state concluded.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have arrived at a camp in Dorset to meet Ukrainian troops being trained by the British Army, Sky News has reported.

As Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the UK continues, he and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have arrived at a camp in Dorset to meet Ukrainian troops being trained by the British Army, the message reads.

It is noted that the pair arrived by helicopter and were later shown a Challenger 2 tank simulator being used for training purposes.

Zelensky thanked Mr. Sunak for his support before presenting medals to some of Ukrainian troops.

"It is a privilege for us to have all of you here and your courage is inspiring to us and the courage of your families is inspiring to us. We will be there until the end and you are victorious, the UK Prime Minister said.
The Russian occupation forces launched one missile attack on the civilian infrastructure in Slovyansk, Donetsk region, and 37 air strikes against the territory of Ukraine in the past 24 hours, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has said on Facebook on Wednesday.

The invaders also mounted more than 40 attacks on the territory of Ukraine, in particular, on the civilian infrastructure in Beryslav and Kamyshany, Kherson region, using multiple launch rocket systems.

"Trying to seize full control over Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the enemy continues to focus its main efforts on offensive operations in Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivsky directions," it said.

The occupiers shelled the areas of around 100 settlements in Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions.

The enemy inflicted air strikes near Koazacha Lopan and Oliynykove in Kharkiv region, Ivanivske, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka in Donetsk region.

"There remains a high threat of further Russian air and missile strikes against the civilian facilities all over the territory of Ukraine," the General Staff said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra discussed military assistance to Ukraine, in particular the issue of supplies of combat aircraft.

I spoke to Wopke Hoekstra to coordinate our international steps as Russia's full-scale invasion nears its one-year mark. I thanked for the latest decision on tanks. I also raised the issue of F-16s. We continue our dialogue with the Netherlands and others regarding combat aircraft, Kuleba said on Twitter Wednesday.

In turn, Hoekstra reported on the ongoing financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine, as well as the importance of holding the Russian Federation accountable, which will be discussed at the UN venues.

In our phone call today, I reaffirmed to my dear friend Dmytro Kuleba that the Netherlands is committed to help the Ukrainians for as long as it takes. This includes financial, humanitarian, and military support, as exemplified by yesterdays decision to supply Ukraine with Leopard-1A5 battle tanks in cooperation with Germany and Denmark, he said on Twitter.

Minister Dmytro Kuleba and I also spoke about the importance of #accountability for aggression and war crimes by Russia. This will be discussed in upcoming meetings at the UNGA and UNSC, Hoekstra added.
Germany sent Ukraine a new batch of assistance for the front, which includes two Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has said with reference to data from the Germany government.

"Delivered military support to Ukraine: 32 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns Gepard including circa 6,000 rounds of ammunition (before: 30), 120 border protection vehicles (before: 115), 245 generators (before: 216), 8 load-handling trucks (before: 2), 16 mobile antenna mast systems (before: 10), 10 roll off containers," it said.

Germany supports Ukraine by supplying it with equipment and weapons from the Bundeswehr stocks and from German industry financed from the government's funds for so-called security capacity building.

"Funding for the security capacity building initiative amounts to a total of EUR 2.2 billion for the year 2023 (after EUR 2 billion for 2022). The funds are to be used primarily to support Ukraine. At the same time, they will be used to finance Germany's increased mandatory contributions to the European Peace Facility (EPF), which in turn goes towards reimbursing EU member states for costs incurred to them in providing support for Ukraine," the General Staff said.
Western countries can transfer to Ukraine the first battalion of Leopard 2 tanks consisting of about 31 units by April or May of this year, said head of the German Defense Ministry Boris Pistorius.

"We could provide at least one battalion during the first four months of this year, maybe three. And we need to get down to it as soon as possible," Western media quoted him as saying during a visit to Warsaw on Wednesday.

Earlier, Pistorius paid a visit to Kyiv.
On Monday, February 13, at 15.00, the press centre of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled Why Ukraine needs Union of Architects. Who wants to destroy it and why? Participants include President of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Oleksandr Chyzhevsky; Deputy Chairman of the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Hanna Kiriy; lawyer Yaroslav Yatsenko; human rights activist of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Ihor Gets (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Details by phone: (050) 351 5277.
Egypt's Public Prosecution ordered an autopsy on the body of a 42-year-old bank manager who died on Sunday  nearly six weeks after being attacked by his neighbour's Pit Bull  to determine the direct cause of death.
On 3 June, EgyptAir will start operating three direct flights a week from Cairo International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey using its latest Boeing B787-9 aircraft.
A long line of people appears in silhouette, walking along the flat desert in northern Niger. The strong walkers are at the front. The weakest at the rear. Every week hundreds more migrants thrown out of Algeria end up here in Assamaka, the first village on the Niger border.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday urged the West to turn the Black Sea into a "sea of NATO" a year after the sinking of a flagship Russian warship.
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.
Countries around the world have mobilised rapidly to send aid and rescue workers after a massive earthquake killed more than 5,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Offers of assistance came from countries across the world. Here are some of the chief pledges of support.

European Union

The European Union has mobilised 27 search and rescue and medical teams from 19 countries to help Turkey, together over 1,150 rescuers and 70 rescue dogs, EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic confirmed Tuesday.

United States

President Joe Biden said that US teams were "deploying quickly to begin to support Turkish search and rescue efforts".

National security spokesman John Kirby said the United States was sending two search-and-rescue teams of 79 people each, while the Pentagon and USAID were coordinating with their Turkish counterparts.

Gulf states

Qatar said it would send 120 rescue workers to Turkey, alongside "a field hospital, relief aid, tents and winter supplies".

The United Arab Emirates pledged assistance worth around $13.6 million to Syria, including search and rescue teams, urgent relief supplies and emergency aid.

Official news agency WAM said the UAE had already dispatched a first plane to southern Turkey, where it is planning to establish a field hospital.

Algeria

The country sent a 89-member risk-management team, including medics, to Turkey with 17 tonnes of equipment, and another team will go to Syria, civil defence said.

Iraq

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency shows boxes of rescue aid delivered by an Iraqi Air force plane at Damascus airport.

Tunisia

President Kais Saied ordered "humanitarian aid" for both Turkey and Syria, including 14 tonnes of blankets and food, officials said. Tunis also appealed for volunteer medics to be flown out on Tunisian military aircraft.

Iran

Iran is ready to provide "immediate relief aid to these two friendly nations", President Ebrahim Raisi said, offering condolences on the "heartbreaking incident".

China

China said the first Chinese rescue teams started work in Turkey on Tuesday and that it was sending $5.9 million in emergency aid to the country, including rescue and medical teams, state media reported.

Deng Boqing, vice director of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, told state broadcaster CCTV that Beijing would also coordinate "urgently needed disaster relief materials" for Syria but did not say how much would be sent.

Britain

Foreign minister James Cleverly said the UK was sending a team of 76 search and rescue specialists, equipment and rescue dogs. Britain was also sending an emergency medical team to assess the situation on the ground.

Russia

President Vladimir Putin promised to send Russian teams to both countries in telephone calls with Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The defence ministry said 300 military personnel deployed in Syria were helping with the clear-up effort.

- United Nations -

"Our teams are on the ground assessing the needs and providing assistance. We count on the international community to help the thousands of families hit by this disaster, many of whom were already in dire need of humanitarian aid in areas where access is a challenge," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

India

Two of India's National Disaster Response Force teams comprising 100 personnel with dog squads and equipment were ready to be flown to the affected area, the foreign ministry said. Doctors and paramedics with medicines were also being readied.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "anguished" and "deeply pained" by the deaths in Turkey -- with whom India has frosty relations -- and Syria.

Germany

Germany -- home to about three million people of Turkish origin -- will "mobilise all the assistance we can activate", Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his war-torn country was "ready to provide the necessary assistance to overcome the consequences of the disaster."

Greece

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of Turkey's historic rival Greece, whose relations with Ankara have suffered from a spate of border and cultural disputes, pledged to make "every force available" to aid its neighbour.

Japan

The government in Japan -- which frequently suffers earthquakes -- is dispatching the Japan Disaster Relief Rescue Team to Turkey.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Israels new far-right national security minister called for the immediate demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes in the Israeli-annexed sector of the Occupied city. For Palestinians, the accelerating pace of home demolitions is part of the new ultranationalist governments broader battle for control of east Jerusalem.

Ratib Matar's family was growing. They needed more space. Before his granddaughters, now 4 and 5, were born, he built three apartments on an eastern slope overlooking Jerusalem's ancient landscape. The 50-year-old construction contractor moved in with his brother, son, divorced daughter, and their young kids - 11 people in all, plus a few geese.

But Matar was never at ease. At any moment, the Israeli code-enforcement officers could knock on his door and take everything away.

That moment came on Jan. 29, days after an Israeli military raid on Jenin refugee camp last week killing 10 Palestinians, occupation forces raids brought the death toll to atleast 42 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the year. In response, two attacks in occupied east Jerusalem were carried out by Palestinians, one of which killed seven people.

Israel's new far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called not only for the sealing of the assailant's family home, but also the immediate demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes built without permits in east Jerusalem, among other punitive steps.

Mere hours after Ben-Gvir's comments, the first bulldozers rumbled into Matar's neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber.

For many Palestinians, the gathering pace of home demolitions is part of the new ultranationalist government's broader battle for control of east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, a move unrecognized by the international community. The old city is laimed by the Palestinians as the capital of a future independent state.

The battle is waged with building permits and demolition orders - and it is one the Palestinians feel they cannot win. Israel says it is simply enforcing building regulations.

"Our construction is under siege from Israel,'' Matar said. His brothers and sons lingered beside the ruins of their home, drinking bitter coffee and receiving visitors as though in mourning. "We try really hard to build, but in vain," he said.

Last month, Israel demolished 39 Palestinian homes, structures, and businesses in east Jerusalem, displacing over 50 people, according to the United Nations.

The European Union said in January, that in light of Israels demolition of EU-funded structures in the occupied West Bank, it is considering adopting restrictive measures against Israel.

This is not unusual. Israel has demolished the homes of thousands of Palestinians in recent years. Bulldozing properties of those deemed responsible for violent acts against Israeli citizens or to deter such acts has long been government policy.

But it is also illegal under international law.

That was more than a quarter of the total number of demolitions in 2022. Ben-Gvir posted a photo on Twitter of the bulldozers clawing at Matar's home.

Most Palestinian apartments in east Jerusalem were built without hard-to-get permits. A 2017 study by the U.N. described it as "virtually impossible" to secure them.

The Israeli municipality allocates scant land for Palestinian development, the report said, while facilitating the expansion of Israeli settlements. Little Palestinian property was registered before Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1967, a move not internationally recognized.



Ratib Matarin the rubble of the home that sheltered 11 people, in the Jabal Mukaber neighborhood of east Jerusalem.

Matar said the city rejected his building permit application twice because his area is not zoned for residential development. He's now trying a third time.

The penalty for the unauthorized buildings is often demolition. If families don't tear their houses down themselves, the government charges them for the job. Matar is dreading his bill - he knows neighbors who paid over $20,000 to have their houses razed.

Now homeless, Matar and his family are staying with relatives. He vows to build again on land he inherited from his grandparents, though he has no faith in the Israeli legal system.

"They don't want a single Palestinian in all of Jerusalem,'' Matar said. Uphill, in the heart of his neighborhood, Israeli flags fluttered from dozens of apartments recently built for religious Jews.

Since 1967, the government has built 58,000 homes for Israeli settlers in the eastern part of the city, and fewer than 600 for Palestinians, said Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer specializing in the geopolitics of Jerusalem, citing the government's statistics bureau and his own analysis. In that time, the city's Palestinian population has soared by 400%.

"The planning regime is dictated by the calculus of national struggle,'' Seidemann said.

Israel's city plans show state parks encircling the Old City, with some 60% of Jabal Mukaber zoned as green space, off-limits to Palestinian development. At least 20,000 Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem are now slated for demolition, watchdogs say.

Matar and his neighbors face an agonizing choice: Build illegally and live under constant threat of demolition, or leave their birthplace for the occupied West Bank, sacrificing Jerusalem residency rights that allow them to work and travel relatively freely throughout Israel.

While there are no reliable figures for permit approvals, the Israeli municipality set aside just over 7% of its 21,000 housing plans for Palestinian homes in 2019, reported Ir Amim, an anti-settlement advocacy group. Palestinians are nearly 40% of the city's roughly 1 million people.

"This is the purpose of this policy,'' said Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at Ir Amim. "Palestinians are forced to leave Jerusalem."

Arieh King, a Jerusalem deputy mayor and settler leader, acknowledged that demolitions help Israel entrench control over east Jerusalem, home to the city's most important religious sites.

"It's part of enforcing sovereignty," King said. "I'm happy that at last we have a minister that understands," he added, referring to Ben-Gvir.

Ben-Gvir is now pushing for the destruction of an apartment tower housing 100 people.

King contended it was possible for Palestinians to secure permits and accused them of building without authorization to avoid an expensive bureaucracy.

Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday approved a new delay to the controversial demolition of a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank.

The Khan al-Ahmar community, on a strategic highway east of Jerusalem, was slated for demolition in 2018 after a ruling that it was built without Israeli permits.

When the al-Abasi family in east Jerusalem found a demolition order plastered on their new breeze-block home last month, they contemplated their options. The government had knocked down their last apartment, built on the same lot, eight years ago. This time, Jaafar al-Abasi decided, he would tear it down himself.

Al-Abasi hired a tractor and invited his relatives and neighbors to join. The destruction took three days, with breaks for hummus and soda. His three sons borrowed pickaxes and jackhammers, angrily hacking away at the walls they had decorated with colored plates just last month.

"This place is like a ticking time bomb,'' said his brother-in-law, 48-year-old Mustafa Samhouri, who helped them out.

Protests over the demolitions have roiled east Jerusalem in recent days. Two weekends ago, Samhouri said, the family's 13-year-old cousin opened fire at Jewish settlers in the neighborhood of Silwan just across the valley, wounding two people before being shot and arrested.

"The pressure just grows more and more,'' Samhouri said. "And at last, boom."

Nearly 224 Palestinians were killed last year by Israeli occupation forces including 59 in the Gaza Strip, including more than 150 fatalities in the West Bank, making 2022 the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank in 18 years. according to Palestinian Health Ministrys statistics.

A surge in violence in 2022 made it the deadliest year in the West Bank since United Nations records began in 2005.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The World Bank (WB) launched on Tuesday a report entitled Achieving the Demographic Dividend in the Arab Republic of Egypt: Choice, Not Destiny with the attendance of the banks Human Development Vice President Mamta Murthi and a number of Egyptian ministers.





The 189-paper report, prepared by a team of Egyptian and WB experts, shows that Egypt has the political will, resources, and capacity to achieve its demographic dividend in the next decade despite a reversal in its earlier fertility decline.

The UN defines demographic dividend as the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a populations age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population (15 to 64) is larger than the non-working-age share of the population (14 and younger, and 65 and older)

This means that a country with a growth in young people and decline in fertility is capable of reaping demographic dividend.

In a tweet, Murthi hailed the report as attesting to the strong technical collaboration between the World Bank and Egypt.

The report reviews factors and social drivers related to Egypts fertility decline reversal as well as the economic impact of the demographic changes in the country, the Bank said.

The report proposes six policy and strategic priorities that aim to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate, reduce school dropouts, increase female labour, delay early marriage, enhance social protection, and improve governance of the population programme in the country.

The Bank added that Egypts presidential Decent Life (Hayah Karima in Arabic) initiative and the National Project for the Development of the Egyptian Family can serve as the platform to implement many of the proposed policies and strategies.

In such a manner, Egypt will be back on track to achieve its demographic dividend, the Bank said.

The Decent Life project was initiated experimentally in 2019 by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and its first phase was officially launched in July 2021.

The initiative aims to improve standards of living, infrastructure and basic services, including healthcare across the countryside. It covers 4,658 villages across the country, which are home to 58 percent of Egypts 103-million population.

Social protection relies on achieving social justice, said Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj during a conference to launch the report.

Around 68 percent of social protection programmes is directed for rural areas, where poverty prevails, El-Qabbaj said, adding that 74 percent of women have access to the programmes.

Furtheremore, 45 percent of the beneficiaries from the cash support programme Takaful and Karama (Solidarity and Dignity) are below 24 years of age, the minister said, adding that those below 18 represent 36 percent of beneficiaries.

The Ministry of Social Solidarity has also managed to reduce illiteracy under the Takaful and Karama programme, as 60 percent of the beneficiaries were illiterate, El-Qabbaj said.

In December, the World Bank announced $500 million in financing dedicated to expanding and strengthening the Takaful and Karama programme.

There is a direct relationship between the spread of poverty and the size of the family, El-Qabbaj said.

She added that the ministry has worked to correct misconceptions and wrong beliefs that are common in the society under the Waai programme launched in cooperation with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in 2020.

The ministry also provides access for family planning methods for free and has launched Two is Enough programme that aims to curb population growth among families, El-Qabbaj stressed.

The ministry also opens new nurseries in order to give women the opportunity to work as this would help achieve economic empowerment for families, El-Qabbaj added.

Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Education Reda Hegazy, Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Kamali, and a group of World Bank experts attended the conference.

Fertility decline, overpopulation

The fertility rate per woman in Egypt declined in 2021 to 2.8, a 20 percent drop from the 3.5 births per woman figure in the last survey conducted in 2014, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) said in August. New births registered 2.159 million in 2021 -- down three percent from 2020, added CAPMAS.

However, the WB report says Egypt has gone off track to achieve its demographic dividend at the turn of this century due to a reversal in its earlier fertility decline.

The Egyptian population currently stands at more than 104.5 million, CAPMAS reported.

Over the past years, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has reiterated the necessity to reduce annual population growth rate to 400,000 in order for citizens to reap the fruits of development efforts.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypt has released all detainees who have been arrested in the case of Greater Cairos Al-Warraq Island clashes that date back to 2017, the Presidential Pardon Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.





This comes a few days after reports claimed that security forces arrested three of the Nile island inhabitants earlier this week, making the number of those arrested on account of this case 35 detainees.

The pardon committee, reactivated by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last April, thanked the Ministry of Interior for its efforts to contain the situation in the island which is located within the boundaries of Giza governorate.

The committee added that the ministrys efforts were crowned with success after the citizens arrested were released after finalising the legal procedures.

This positive approach is one of the most prominent outcomes of the general positive atmosphere that accompanied the call for the National Dialogue, the committee said.

The National Dialogue was also launched by El-Sisi in April as a way to open a dialogue between the government and the society on important political, social and economic issues.

Since the call for the national dialogue, Egypt has released around 1,200 pretrial detainees and pardoned several people, including prominent figures, according to officials.

The Warraq island case dates back to 2017 when clashes erupted between security forces and the island dwellers after the authorities attempted to demolish what they said were illegal homes that had been built on state property. Demolishing these homes had been part of the governments plan to develop the 1,295-feddan Nile island.

In December 2020, a Cairo criminal sentenced in absentia 30 defendants to 15 years in prison over clashes between police and residents of the island.

In January 2021, the Supreme State Security Court postponed to April the retrial of 19 defendants who had received tough prison sentences in absentia late in 2020.

The court also handed a life sentence to one defendant in absentia, and sentenced four present defendants to five years in prison.

The defendants were charged by the prosecution with illegal assembly and the injuring of 33 policemen during the clashes, which were the result of a government campaign to remove illegal buildings and encroachments on state property on the banks of the Nile.

The clashes on the island also resulted in the death of a local resident and the injury of dozens of others.

The prosecution also charged the defendants with encroaching on public and private property, shows of force, preventing public officials from carrying out their duties, thuggery and blocking roads.

In 2020, the government started development work on the 1,295 feddan-island, which is home to 90,000 people as part of plans to develop the island.

The plan was rejected by many residents in the island who feared that they would be forcibly evicted from their homes.

The government gave the residents a number of options. First, they can be financially compensated in exchange for leaving the island. Second, they can be given alternative housing outside the island. Finally, if they so wish, they can settle back in the island once the development plans were completed.

In December, Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly urged expediting measures to pay compensations to residents of the island.

The government has asserted that residents would not be forcibly evicted and all relocated residents would be compensated properly.

The government has bought 888 feddans from island residents, accounting for nearly 71 percent of the islands total area, at a cost of EGP 5 billion, according to government figures.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


An Egyptian rescue team comprising medical specialists and rescue technicians as well as three military planes loaded with humanitarian and relief aid, medical supplies, and tents arrived in Syria to help victims of the devastating earthquake, reported Syrian sources.

The White Helmets, a Syrian volunteer organisation, told Al-Hadath TV on Wednesday the Egyptian rescue team entered Syria via the Bab Al-Hawa crossing. The planes landed at Damascus International Airport on Tuesday night, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency.

The Syrian opposition said it was able to secure the entry of aid from the Bab Al-Salama, Al-Rai, and Bab Al-Hawa crossings after contacting the Turkish government.

Earlier in the day, two Egyptian military planes carrying medical aid arrived at the Turkish Adana Airport, announced the Charge d'Affairs at the Turkish Embassy in Cairo Ambassador Saleh Mutlu Shin.

This came a day after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered sending five military planes carrying emergency medical aid to Turkey and Syria to contribute to relief efforts.

The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose above 11,200 -- 8,574 people died in Turkey and 2,662 in Syria -- on Wednesday as rescuers raced to save survivors trapped under debris in the winter cold, according to news agencies.

Two Egyptians from one family have been reported dead in Turkeys Hatay province in the devastating earthquake, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Ministry. A number of citizens were slightly injured in Turkey, the ministry said in a Tuesday statement without specifying numbers, adding that the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara is communicating with the injured to check up on them.

El-Sisi offered his condolences in phone calls to both Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, stressing Egypts readiness to send humanitarian assistance and relief to help both the Syrian and Turkish peoples.

Egypts embassies in Syria and Turkey launched on Monday hotlines for Egyptians in both countries to report any damage or call for help following the deadly earthquake.

Egyptian Embassy in Ankara: 00905497695566

Egyptian Embassy in Damascus: 00963112144886 - 00963112144885

Search Keywords:

Short link:


A high-level delegation from the Qatari Ministry of interior visited Egypt to discuss cooperation with their Egyptian counterparts as well as Wadi El-Natron Correction and Rehabilitation Centre, Egypts Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday.

During the visit, which took place 5-8 February, Qatari security officials visited the Police Academy, Anti-Narcotics General Administration of Egypt (ANGA) and General Department of Criminal Evidence investigation. They also met with their Egyptian counterparts to discuss ways to boost cooperation and exchange expertise between both ministries.

The delegation also visited Wadi El-Natron Correction and Rehabilitation Centre where they witnessed the health and social services being offered to inmates and the various ways used to to rehabilitate them.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the delegation met with interior minister Mahmoud Tawfik.

The visit of the Qatari delegation comes less than a week after Tawfik's visit to Doha at the head of a delegation from Egypts Ministry of Interior. During that visit, the Egyptian Minister of Interior met with Qatari officials, most importantly Qatari Prime Minister Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Thani

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Two Egyptians from one family have been reported dead in Turkeys Hatay province in the devastating earthquake that hit eastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria on early Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

A number of citizens were slightly injured in Turkey, the ministry said in a Tuesday statement without specifying numbers, adding that the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara is communicating with the injured to check up on them.

No Egyptians were reported among the victims in Syria, the ministry added.

Lists of victims issued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs do not include the names of the two Egyptian victims thus far. However, communication between the embassy and Egyptian communities and student unions revealed that the two are among the victims, the statement said without disclosing their names.

The two Egyptians died after the building in which they live in Iskenderun district, Hatay province, collapsed as a result of the quake, the statement noted.

The Egyptian foreign ministry added that it contacted one of the two victims family members who was not injured in the quake to offer the necessary support.

The embassy is also in touch with the Egyptians the Turkish authorities have moved to shelters after their homes were demolished, the statement added.

There is still no information about Egyptian victims in Syria, the ministry said, noting that the Egyptian Embassy in Damascus contacted an Egyptian who was injured after his house suffered from cracks to check up on him.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Egyptian embassies in Ankara and Damascus, continues to monitor the situation around the clock to report on updates, the statement added.

The horrifying 7.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks in Turkey and Syria have claimed the lives of almost 10,000 people in both countries with the number expected to keep rising, making it among the deadliest worldwide over the past decade.

The quake also injured tens of thousands of people and hundreds of thousands were left homeless.

Meanwhile, two Egyptian military aircraft carrying medical aid have arrived at Turkish Adana Airport, according to the Charge d'Affairs at the Turkish Embassy in Cairo Ambassador Saleh Mutlu Shin. This came a day after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered sending five military planes carrying emergency medical aid to Turkey and Syria to contribute to relief efforts.

El-Sisi also presented his condolences in phone calls to both Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, stressing Egypts readiness to send humanitarian assistance and relief to help both the Syrian and Turkish peoples.

Egypts embassies in Syria and Turkey launched on Monday hotlines for Egyptians in both countries to report any damage or call for help following the deadly earthquake.

Egyptian Embassy in Ankara: 00905497695566

Egyptian Embassy in Damascus: 00963112144886 - 00963112144885

Search Keywords:

Short link:


On Safer Internet Day, which falls annually on 7 January, YouTube announced an on-going collaboration with the National Council for Women (NCW) in Egypt to help promote a safe experience on YouTube, and encourage more women content creators to share their stories on the platform.



The collaboration will include a series of workshops and meet-ups that aim at creating a support community of content creators, YouTube experts, and representatives from the National Council for Women.

"We are pleased to partner with YouTube to promote a safer environment for Egyptian women on the platform, especially in light of the various types of cyber violence  such as harassment, bullying, extortion, etc.  that women suffer from on social media, which has become an open space for people to engage in violence against women," said Maya Morsy, President of the NCW.

Morsy explained that the Egyptian state has been keen in recent years, through various decisions and legislations, to ensure the protection of women from all forms of violence .

The NCW is also focusing heavily on the issue of combating violence against women in all its forms, and is keen on raising awareness of women's rights, especially when they are exposed to any form of cyber violence, according to Morsy.

"We are proud to encourage more women content creators and support them to develop their skills to further understand women issues and promote meaningful and useful content," the NCW president said.

As part of this established collaboration, a series of workshops will be organised throughout the year to help more women content creators benefit from available resources to grow their channels and to learn about the different tools and features to stay safe online.

The NCW team will provide tailored workshops for content creators on how to make content that is sensitive to womens needs and will raise awareness on women empowerment and how to stay safe from cyber violence against women and girls.

The workshops will also include #IamRemarkable sessions which is part of Googles initiative that aims to empower women to celebrate their achievements.

The NCW will also be the first entity in Egypt to enroll in YouTubes Trusted Flagger program in order to be able to directly report content that violates policies. This content will consequently be prioritised by the YouTube team as they review content from around the world and make appropriate decisions.

Commenting on the collaboration, Tarek Amin, Director of YouTube Partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa, said: We are pleased to collaborate this year with the National Council for Women in Egypt. Together, we aim to continue developing a safe experience for women creators in Egypt by equipping them with the skills needed, and inviting them to join a wider support circle of other content creators and experts of the platform.

"The YouTube Trusted Flagger program is part of an ongoing collaboration between YouTube and the National Council for Women, which will include a series of workshops that will be organised throughout the year to support more women creators in Egypt, said Hisham El-Nazer, Googles Country Manager in Egypt.

Egypt has been seeing a noticeable increase in the number of mobile internet users since the outbreak of coronavirus and the consequent introduction of social distancing measures to combat the spread of the virus.

In October 2022, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said that the number of mobile internet users in Egypt reached 69.4 million, up from 39 million in December of 2019, a 77.9 percent increase.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Three civilians and three volunteers with the security forces were killed Wednesday when suspected jihadists attacked a village in central-eastern Burkina Faso, a local source said.

The attack on the village of Bekoure, in Bittou district, lasted several hours, a resident told AFP.

"Three civilians and three Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) were killed," the resident said, adding that several people had been injured and many homes burnt down.

A source in the security forces confirmed the attack but said the final toll would be known only after operations to sweep the area for the attackers were over.

One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso has been rocked by a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

Thousands have been killed, more than two million people have fled their homes and around 40 percent of the country lies outside the government's control.

Anger within the military at the mounting toll sparked two coups last year.

On Monday, six civilians were killed in a suspected jihadist attack in the centre-west region, the local governor said.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Peacekeepers killed eight civilians during an attack on a UN convoy in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the military governor of North Kivu province said on Wednesday.

The civilians were killed on Tuesday by "warning shots" fired by the peacekeepers, and 28 people were wounded, the governor said.

The UN convoy was returning from a resupply mission north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, when assailants set four trucks on fire, the UN mission in the country MONUSCO said on Tuesday.

The attack took place at Kanyaruchinya, where thousands of displaced people live.

"The MONUSCO soldiers in charge of security fired warning shots, which unfortunately caused the death of eight of our compatriots among the displaced and 28 wounded," a spokesman for Lieutenant-General Constant Ndima said.

MONUSCO has not responded to AFP's request for comment.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was expected to travel to Paris on Wednesday evening, the French presidency said, following his visit to the United Kingdom.

France's leader Emmanuel Macron will host his counterpart in the evening, the presidency said, without providing further details.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also expected to be in Paris to meet Zelensky with Macron, Scholz's spokesman said.

EU officials are then hoping he will head to Brussels on Thursday to meet European leaders in a largely symbolic but nevertheless keenly anticipated visit after months of European support for Ukraine.

Zelensky's European trip is the first such visit since Russia invaded his country almost a year ago, on February 24, 2022.

In December, the Ukrainian president received a hero's welcome when he travelled to the United States, which has supplied the most military aid to Kyiv as a single country since the start of the war.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Thinly stretched rescue teams worked through the night into Wednesday, pulling more bodies from the rubble of thousands of buildings downed in Turkey and Syria by a catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 9,500, their grim task occasionally punctuated by the joy of finding someone still alive.

Officials and medics said 6,957 people had died in Turkey as more bodies had been recovered. Over 2,500 fatalities have been reported in neighboring Syria.

Amid calls for the government to send more help to the disaster zone, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to travel to town of Pazarcik, the epicenter of the quake, and to the worst-hit province of Hatay on Wednesday.

Turkey now has some 60,000 aid personnel in the quake-hit zone, but with the devastation so widespread many are still waiting for help.

Nearly two days after the magnitude 7.8 quake struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, rescuers pulled a 3-year-old boy, Arif Kaan, from beneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Kahramanmaras, a city not far from the epicenter.

With the boy's lower body trapped under slabs of concrete and twisted rebar, emergency crews lay a blanket over his torso to protect him from below-freezing temperatures as they carefully cut the debris away from him, mindful of the possibility of triggering another collapse.

The boy's father, Ertugrul Kisi, who himself had been rescued earlier, sobbed as his son was pulled free and loaded into an ambulance.

"For now, the name of hope in Kahramanmaras is Arif Kaan,'' a Turkish television reporter proclaimed as the dramatic rescue was broadcast to the country.

A few hours later, rescuers pulled 10-year-old Betul Edis from the rubble of her home in the city of Adiyaman. Amid applause from onlookers, her grandfather kissed her and spoke softly to her as she was loaded on an ambulance.

But such stories were few more than two days after Monday's pre-dawn earthquake, which hit a huge area and brought down thousands of buildings, with frigid temperatures and ongoing aftershocks complicating rescue efforts.

Search teams from more than two dozen countries joined the Turkish emergency personnel, and aid pledges poured in.

But with devastation spread multiple several cities and towns _ some isolated by Syria's ongoing conflict _ voices crying from within mounds of rubble fell silent, and despair grew from those still waiting for help.

In Syria, the shaking toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by the country's 12-year civil war and refugee crisis.

On Monday afternoon in a northwestern Syrian town, residents found a crying newborn still connected by the umbilical cord to her deceased mother. The baby was the only member of her family to survive a building collapse in the small town of Jinderis, relatives told The Associated Press.

Turkey is home to millions of refugees from the war. The affected area in Syria is divided between government-controlled territory and the country's last opposition-held enclave, where millions rely on humanitarian aid.

As many as 23 million people could be affected in the quake-hit region, according to Adelheid Marschang, a senior emergencies officer with the World Health Organization, who called it a "crisis on top of multiple crises.''

Many survivors in Turkey have had to sleep in cars, outside or in government shelters.

"We don't have a tent, we don't have a heating stove, we don't have anything. Our children are in bad shape. We are all getting wet under the rain and our kids are out in the cold,'' Aysan Kurt, 27, told the AP. ``We did not die from hunger or the earthquake, but we will die freezing from the cold.''

Erdogan said 13 million of the country's 85 million people were affected, and he declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. More than 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkey, and some 380,000 have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels, authorities said.

In Syria, aid efforts have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces. Syria itself is an international pariah under Western sanctions linked to the war.

The United Nations said it was "exploring all avenues'' to get supplies to the rebel-held northwest.

In addition to the thousands killed in Turkey, another 37,011 have been injured.

The death toll in government-held areas of Syria has climbed to 812, with some 1,400 injured, according to the Health Ministry. At least 1,020 people have died in the rebel-held northwest, according to volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets, with more than 2,300 injured.

The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Syria on Wednesday made an official plea to the EU for help after the deadly earthquake that struck it and Turkey this week, the bloc's commissioner for crisis management said.

The European Commission is "encouraging" EU member countries to respond to Syria's request for medical supplies and food, said the commissioner, Janez Lenarcic.

It would also closely monitor the use of any aid given to ensure "it is not diverted" by the sanctioned government in Damascus, he said.

The European Union was swift to dispatch rescue teams to Turkey after the massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country on Monday close to the border with Syria.

The death toll from a massive earthquake rose above 11,200 including 2,662 in Syria.

But the EU initially offered only minimal assistance to Syria through existing humanitarian programmes, because of EU sanctions imposed since 2011 on the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Nevertheless, it said the door was open for Syria's government to ask for quake assistance.

Now that Damascus has made that move, through the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism that coordinates aid, Lenarcic said the commission was asking European countries "to respond favourably to this request".

The participants in the EU mechanism comprise the 27 EU countries plus eight neighbouring non-EU nations that include Norway and Turkey.

Syria was asking for "a long list of items", Lenarcic said.

"They need assistance in the efforts of their own rescue services in search and rescue of people who are trapped under the rubble. They need many medical items and medicines and medical equipment. They need food items and the like -- typical emergency aid items," he said.

"It is also important to ensure -- and I would like to underline this -- that this assistance goes to people who need it, that it is not diverted. This is something that we will watch," he said.

The EU sanctions on Syria target members of the regime, the military and prominent companies and businesspeople and the quake relief is proving a diplomatic headache for Western nations and aid groups.

The EU commissioner said that "the humanitarian situation in Syria has been bleak for more than a decade and this latest earthquake has only aggravated this already dramatic humanitarian situation".

Lenarcic said that as of Wednesday, 20 EU countries and three associated European nations had offered Turkey a total 1,500 rescue and medical personnel and 100 search-and-rescue dogs to look for quake survivors.

The Syrian Red Crescent on Tuesday appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The US State Department has dismissed claims that sanctions against Syria are obstructing aid efforts following a recent earthquake.

Samuel Werberg, the regional spokesman for the US State Department, stressed that the sanctions do not include any restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He emphasized in an interview with Al-Hadath Saudi news TV that the US is fully committed to ensuring that the Syrian people receive the necessary aid and that the US is working closely with humanitarian organizations in eastern and northern Syria.

The US has already provided equipment for rescue efforts and will continue to provide all necessary and possible aid to the Syrian people through the United Nations.

The US is currently evaluating the situation at the Syrian Bab Al-Hawa crossing and is determined to assist those affected by the earthquake, he added.

Bab Al-Hawa is a vital border crossing between Syria and Turkey and has been a major transit point for aid deliveries into Syria since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011.

Despite its importance, the crossing has been limited by security conditions and restrictions imposed by both the Syrian government and opposition groups operating in the area.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that while the US would work with partners to provide aid in Syria, it would not work with the government of President Bashar Al-Assad, whose government is under Western sanctions over humanitarian abuses during the country's nearly 12-year civil war.

"Any US or international sanctions include humanitarian, medical, food, and other aid exemptions. US President Joe Biden was clear when he said the US was prepared to provide any and all types of aid to the people of Syria, and the US is not preventing any countries from doing so," a State Department official said in a video posted via Twitter following Blinken's statement.

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, have been at the forefront of rescue efforts following the devastating earthquake that has claimed the lives of at least 7,000 people in Syria and Turkey.

However, their efforts have been severely hampered by the refusal of Turkey, Russia and Syria to open up cross-border points for international aid, resulting in food, medicine, and other necessities not reaching those in need.

According to the United Nations, more than 4 million people in northwest Syria require aid, but only half of them receive support each month. The US has been clear in its commitment to providing aid to the people of Syria, regardless of sanctions.

On Wednesday, Syria made an official plea to the European Union (EU) for help following the earthquake.

The EU's commissioner for crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, stated that the European Commission is "encouraging" EU member countries to respond to Syria's request for medical supplies and food.

The EU will also closely monitor the use of any aid given to ensure "it is not diverted" by the sanctioned government in Damascus.

The EU initially offered only minimal assistance to Syria through existing humanitarian programs due to EU sanctions imposed since 2011 on the government of President Bashar Al-Assad.

However, the door was open for Syria's government to ask for earthquake assistance, and now that Damascus has made that move, the commission is asking European countries "to respond favorably to this request".

The participants in the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates aid, comprise the 27 EU countries plus eight neighboring non-EU nations, including Norway and Turkey.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The EU plans to host a donors conference in March to mobilise international aid for Syria and Turkey to deal with the devastating impact of this week's earthquake, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday as a leading United Nations official on Wednesday called for the facilitation of aid access to rebel-held areas in Syria's northwest, warning that relief stocks will soon be depleted.

"We are now racing against the clock to save lives together. Soon we will provide relief aid, together. Turkiye and Syria can count on the EU," von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.

The EU said the conference would be held early next month in Brussels in coordination with Turkish authorities "to mobilise funds from the international community in support for the people" of both countries.

"No one should be left alone when a tragedy like this hits a people," von der Leyen said in a statement.

The event is aimed at coordinating the international response to the disaster and "will be open to EU Member States, neighbouring countries, UN members" and international lenders, the bloc said.

The European Union was swift to dispatch rescue teams to Turkey after the massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country on Monday close to the border with Syria.

But it initially offered only minimal assistance to Syria through existing humanitarian programmes because of EU sanctions imposed since 2011 on the government of President Bashar al-Assad in response to his brutal crackdown on protesters, which spiralled into a civil war.

On Wednesday, Damascus made an official plea to the EU for help, the bloc's commissioner for crisis management said.

Now that Damascus has made the move, through the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism that coordinates aid, Janez Lenarcic said the commission was asking European countries "to respond favourably to this request".

The participants in the EU mechanism comprise the 27 EU countries plus eight neighbouring non-EU nations that include Norway and Turkey.

Rebel-held zones near Turkey's border, hard hit by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday, cannot receive aid from government-held parts of Syria without Damascus's authorisation.

"Put politics aside and let us do our humanitarian work," the UN's resident Syria coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih said in an interview with AFP, warning: "We can't afford to wait and negotiate. By the time we negotiate, it's done, it's finished."

Monday's earthquake devastated entire sections of major cities in Turkey and Syria, killing more than 11,700 people, injuring thousands more and leaving many more without shelter in the winter cold.

In Syria alone, at least 2,662 people have been killed, according to the government and rescuers in rebel-held areas.

Speaking to AFP from Damascus, Benlamlih said the UN had to negotiate for access.

"We still have to negotiate and we still have to get access to, for example, the northwest area, it's not easy," he said.

No fresh deliveries have been sent from within Syria in about three weeks, according to the UN official.

The UN has some stocks in the area, enough to feed 100,000 people for one week, he said.

"Once it's depleted, we need to replenish and this is my call," he said.

"We dont have time to talk politics or negotiate. We need to have open access."

On Tuesday, the UN said the sole border crossing used to shuttle life-saving aid from Turkey into conflict-ravaged Syria has seen its operations disrupted.

"The road that is leading to the crossing has been damaged, and that's temporarily disrupted our ability to fully use it," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary general.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Senior Libyan officials from both rival administrations on Wednesday endorsed a coordination mechanism to clear the war-torn country of foreign troops and mercenaries, the United Nations announced.

The UN mission in the North African country hailed "an important step toward achieving sustainable stability and peace in Libya" after a meeting in Cairo along with officials from Sudan and Niger.

However, the discussions led by UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily failed to produce a clear timetable or concrete measures for the withdrawal of foreign fighters.

Libya descended into a decade of violence following the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed rebellion.

The resulting power grab gave rise to myriad home-grown militias and prompted interventions by Arab powers as well as Turkey, Russia and Western states.

Since March last year, an administration in Libya's east backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar has challenged the UN-recognised government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, arguing it has outlived its mandate.

Haftar used fighters from Chad, Sudan, Niger and Russia's Wagner mercenary group in his failed attempts to take the capital Tripoli between April 2019 and June 2020.

Hundreds of Wagner fighters have remained in Libya's oil-rich east as well as the south.

The UN estimated in late 2021 that there were more than 20,000 foreign fighters, both military and paramilitary, in the country.

Turkish troops have been stationed in the west, controlled by Dbeibah's government, offering training for Libyan soldiers.

The so-called "5+5" Joint Military Commission, which brings together representatives of both eastern and western Libya, has been working to guarantee the withdrawal of foreign fighters as part of a ceasefire signed in October 2020.

Presidential and legislative elections were originally scheduled for December 2021 to cap a UN-sponsored peace process.

But the polls were postponed indefinitely because of strong differences over controversial candidates and the rules on participation.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


China insists it will "firmly defend" its interests and says it was smeared in U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address which repeatedly mentioned competition between the two countries.

China does not fear competing with the U.S. but is "opposed to defining the entire China-U.S. relationship in terms of competition,'' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing Wednesday.

"It is not the practice of a responsible country to smear a country or restrict the country's legitimate development rights under the excuse of competition, even at the expense of disrupting the global industrial and supply chain," Mao said.

China will "firmly defend China's sovereignty, security, and development interests," and the U.S. should work with it to "promote the return of bilateral relations to a track of sound and stable development," she said.

Mao's comments came against a background of raging disputes over trade, Taiwan, human rights and access to advanced technologies.

Biden mentioned China and its leader, Xi Jinping, at least seven times in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, focusing mainly on how the U.S. was increasingly prepared to compete with Beijing while also seeking to avoid conflict.

"I've made clear with President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict," Biden said.

"I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Investing in American innovation, in industries that will define the future, and that China's government is intent on dominating," he said.

Biden said his administration is "committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world."

However, he also warned that "if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country," a pointed reference to the shooting down on Saturday of a suspected balloon that had traversed the continental United States.

China says the balloon was an unmanned civilian airship used for meteorological research and has strongly protested the U.S. action while threatening unspecified countermeasures.

The incident prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to China this week that had stirred hopes of reversing the continued deterioration of relations between Beijing and Washington.

"We will firmly defend China's sovereignty, security, and development interests," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing, urging the United States to "work with China to push Sino-US relations back to the track of healthy and stable development".

American president Joe Biden vowed Tuesday he would not hesitate to defend US interests against China after he ordered the downing obut, delivering his State of the Union address, kept the door open to cooperation.

In the annual speech to assembled lawmakers, many of whom have pressed for a hard line on China, Biden called for US investment in the military, technology and alliances to take on the country widely viewed as the chief US competitor.

"I'm committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said.

"But make no mistake about it -- as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did," he said to applause.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


European bishops on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of Nicaraguan clergy detained in the government's crackdown on the Catholic Church, saying they have been falsely accused and are being subjected to unjust persecution.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Union, said European bishops would do ``everything in their power'' to press EU institutions to work to liberate the detainees.

Hollerich's letter to the head of the Nicaraguan bishops conference came a day after a Nicaraguan court sentenced four Catholic priests to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges stemming from long-standing government allegations that the church backed illegal pro-democracy protests. A fifth priest was sentenced on the same charges Sunday.

It was the latest chapter in a crackdown on the church by President Daniel Ortega.

Hollerich's letter came in sharp contrast to the relative silence from the Vatican, which did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment on the court sentences. The Holy See has kept relatively quiet about the Nicaraguan crackdown, believing that speaking out would only inflame tensions further.

Pope Francis last spoke out publicly after Nicaraguan police raided the home of Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Alvarez in August. A few weeks later, during a press conference returning from Kazakhstan, he confirmed a dialogue was under way with the government, but has said nothing since.

Alvarez had been a key religious voice in discussions of Nicaragua's future since 2018, when a wave of protests against Ortega's government led to a sweeping crackdown on opponents. Alvarez is under house arrest on charges of conspiracy and ``damaging the Nicaraguan government and society,'' and is set to be sentenced soon.

In the letter, Hollerich said the government's actions were violating religious freedom.

``We are closely following the development of the situation in Nicaragua, marked by the persecution of the Catholic Church and its faithful,'' he wrote. ``We join the voices crying out over the injustice to which our brothers in Nicaragua are being subjected and demand their immediate release.''

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Wednesday decided to recall his country's envoy to France "for consultations" after Paris intervened to fly out French-Algerian activist Amira Bouraoui wanted by Algiers.

Algeria in an official note "firmly protested against the clandestine and illegal exfiltration of an Algerian citizen" via Tunisia to France, a statement from the presidency said, adding that Tebboune had ordered ambassador Said Moussi to be recalled "with immediate effect".

Bouraoui, 46, had been arrested in Tunisia on Friday and risked being deported to Algeria, but she was finally able to board a flight to France on Monday evening.

The French-Algerian doctor by training, who is also a journalist and activist, was sentenced in Algeria in May 2021 to two years in jail for "offending Islam" and for insulting the president.

She has not been placed under arrest since then pending an appeal.

Bouraoui was subject to a ban on leaving Algeria, and was arrested in Tunisia when trying to board a flight for France.

A judge released her on Monday but she was then taken away by police before obtaining protection from the French consulate in Tunis.

Shortly before Moussi was recalled on Wednesday, the Algerian foreign ministry said it had sent an official note to the French embassy expressing "the firm condemnation by Algeria of the violation of national sovereignty by diplomatic, consular and security personnel of the French State".

It said these French personnel in Tunisia "engaged in a clandestine and illegal operation to exfiltrate an Algerian national".

In the note, Algeria said the incident had caused "great damage" to Algerian-French relations.

Ties between the two countries had been frosty since autumn 2021, but warmed when French President Emmanuel Macron visited Algiers last August.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne led a delegation of 15 ministers to the North African country last October to bolster that reconciliation.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypt has reached an agreement to import wheat from Serbia and Romania through the port of Constanta, and is conducting discussions with the European Investment Bank (EIB) on financing the construction of a large field silo in Damietta's port, a statement by the Egyptian Supply and Internal Trade said on Wednesday.





The agreement was announced following a meeting held in Cairo on Wednesday between Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhy and a delegation from Serbia headed by former Serbian President Boris Tadic.

Serbia is a landlocked country in South East Europe.

According to the statement, Moselhy discussed with Tadic importing nearly 1 million tons of Serbian wheat which will be shipped from the Romanian port of Constanta to the Egyptian ports of Alexandria and Damietta.

The discussions with the Serbian side also tackled supplying Egypt's needs of corn to meet the needs of poultry breeders, the statement noted.

Tadics visit and agreement come as a culmination of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis visit to Serbia in July, said Moselhy.

The agreement also comes three days after Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucas visit to Cairo.

"We [Romania] will exert our utmost efforts to avoid a food crisis, and we will seize every opportunity to secure all Egyptian needs and make up for any shortages," the Romanian premier said in a joint news briefing with his Egyptian counterpart on Monday.

Wednesdays announcement should be seen within the context of Egypt's attempts to diversify the sources of the country's wheat imports in light of the shortage in wheat since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Before the conflict, 80 percent of Egypt's imported wheat came from both Russia and Ukraine.

Egypt needs to import five million tons of wheat during the fiscal year 2022/23, according to a previous statement by Moselhy.

Discussions to finance a large silo in Damietta

In a separate meeting on the same day, Moselhy discussed with the EIB delegation, headed by bank official Lionel Raphael, the construction of a large silo in Damietta's port with a storage capacity of 200,000 tons.

The discussions also touched upon constructing 5 other field silos in Sharkia, Kafr El-Sheikh, Dakahlia, Minya and New Valley with a capacity of 5,000 tons each, according to the statement.

The silos will contribute to increasing the storage capacity of wheat in both mainland and port silos once the necessary financing procedures have been undertaken, asserted Moselhy.

The locations for the planned field silos came after intensive studies of the areas that are highest in wheat production; the silos' proximity to these areas would save farmers' time , said CEO and Managing Director of Egyptian Holding Company for Silos and Storage (EHCSS) Sherif Basili.

In recent years, Egypt launched a national project to secure stockpiles of strategic foods through the construction of nearly 50 silos distributed over 17 governorates, with a storage capacity reaching nearly 1.5 million tons.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Israels most right-wing government in years is accelerating its summary executions and mass evictions of Palestinians.

Israels ultra-right-wing government is continuing to expand its collective punishment of the Palestinians, despite calls for calm last week by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. On 5 February, Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in Jericho, including two civilians, in a raid they said targeted resistance fighters.

In another overnight raid later on Monday, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) shot 17-year-old Hamza Askar in the head, killing him instantly during an incursion in the West Bank city of Nablus, according to medical sources.

This weeks operation raises the number of Palestinians killed since the start of this year to at least 43. The Palestinian death toll jumped two weeks ago following a deadly Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank that killed nine Palestinians in a single day.

The tenth casualty, a 16-year-old, was among the 20 wounded civilians in the camp and succumbed to his wounds on 4 February.

The high Palestinian death toll has become a new normal, as Israel continues its daily, mostly night-time raids across the Occupied West Bank to flush out resistance fighters that started in March 2022.

The IOFs escalation is driven by both the policies of successive Israeli right wing governments, which vocally reject the premise of a two state solution, advance land grabs in favour of illegal Israeli settlements, and carry out the summary executions of Palestinians, and Palestinian resistance to these policies.

In this environment of impunity, observers are cautioning against a new and more ferocious phase in the 75-year conflict and one in which even more Palestinian lives will be lost in ever-greater numbers.

By officially embracing policies that virtually translate into the genocide and mass expulsion of Palestinians, the Israeli government is declaring war on the Palestinians, warned Israeli columnist Amira Hass in the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper on Monday.

During a war, it will be easier to reprise the Nakba [expulsion] of 1948, Hass said.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was sworn in on 29 December, approved the establishment of a new illegal Israeli settlement near the border with the Gaza Strip.

The settlement aims to house 500 settler families in a nod to the Israeli governments acceleration of illegal settlement expansion on Palestinian land, a policy that has already been in force, albeit less publicly, over the past 30 years.

There are more than 50 Jewish settlements around Gaza that are home to at least 55,000 settlers, according to Israeli figures in 2019. Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate that there are about 650,000 settlers living in 164 illegal settlements and 116 outposts in the Occupied West Bank.

The Israeli premier also announced that his government would loosen restrictions on private gun ownership in Israel and expand the licensing of weapons for thousands of civilians.

The new ultra-orthodox ruling coalition in Israel has declared that the Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the land of Israel. This includes the Occupied Palestinian West Bank that Netanyahu has promised to annex.

To accelerate this declared land grab policy, rights groups say that the Israeli authorities see opportunities for implementing the collective punishment of Palestinians under the pretext of deterring terror attacks against Israelis.

Following two separate lone-wolf attacks that killed six Israelis and a Ukrainian two weeks ago, Israeli forces took control of and sealed off the homes of the Palestinians suspected of the shootings.

The home of Khairi Alqam, the 21-year-old Palestinian who carried out the first shooting in the illegal settlement of Neve Yaakov in Occupied East Jerusalem on 27 January, will be razed to the ground, the Israeli authorities said. Alqam was killed at the scene of the attack.

The international rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) described Israels punitive measures as a war crime.

Just as no grievance can justify the intentional targeting of civilians in Neve Yaakov, said HRW Palestine and Israel Director Omar Shakir, such attacks cannot justify the Israeli authorities intentionally punishing the families of Palestinian suspects by demolishing their homes and throwing them out on the street.

The months of violence in the West Bank were triggered by a Jerusalem court decision to evict 13 Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem district of Sheikh Jarrah in 2021 to replace the area with a Jewish settlement.

Widespread solidarity with the families in Sheikh Jarrah ignited protests across the West Bank into Arab areas inside Israel up to the besieged Gaza Strip against this act of Palestinian dispossession. Israels attempt to quell the protests from escalating into a nationwide Palestinian uprising led to the May 2021 Israeli shelling of Gaza for 11 days.

The ripple effects of the solidarity protests and the aftermath of Israels bombardment of Gaza have cut across the borders, check points, and apartheid walls dividing the Palestinians and bear the characteristics of a Palestinian awakening or new reality still in the making.

In this new phase, the traditional Palestinian factions appear to be fading into the background or becoming irrelevant, perhaps with the exception of Hamas, which is the only movement in possession of long-range missiles in Gaza, as emerging armed groups in the West Bank come to the forefront.

The Jenin Brigades, a loose coalition of younger generation resistance factions from Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, that emerged a few months after the Sheikh Jarrah incident in 2021 in Jenin, and the newer Lions Den group that appeared last year in Nablus, are responsible among others for what is being described as the historic resurgence of the Palestinian resistance.

In this new phase, the numerous lone-wolf attacks by Palestinians with no political or organisational affiliation have become part of the Palestinian reaction and resistance to excessive Israeli violence and are proving to be hard to thwart or predict by Israeli intelligence.

The influence and public appeal of the emerging resistance groups has been demonstrated multiple times in situations such as when the Palestinians heed their calls for a general strike or in slogans at protests at which they chant the names of their leaders.

It was against this backdrop that the massive joint operation between the IOF, Israeli intelligence, and the Israeli police attacked the Jenin Refugee Camp, a long-time stronghold of the Palestinian resistance, in the early hours of 26 January.

Witnesses at the scene described war-like scenes, with apocalyptic destruction, dozens of cars and a community centre crushed by Israeli bulldozers, and bullet-riddled and damaged houses as evidence of the all-out nature of the operation.

At least half of the Palestinian casualties were civilians, including two children and a 61-year-old mother of six who was fatally shot in the neck inside her home.

The following day on 27 January, Alqam, the 21-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem, killed seven people outside a synagogue at the illegal Israeli Neve Yaakov settlement. It was later revealed that Alqams grandfather was killed by an Israeli settler in 1998.

The independent news website Mondoweiss also disclosed that Neve Yaakov is home to the Israeli militarys central command for the occupation of the West Bank and that it has been central to cementing Israeli control over Occupied Jerusalem.

During 2022, Israeli forces killed 151 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 35 children, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than in any other year since the UN began systematically recording fatalities in 2005.

In a statement on 2 February, HRW highlighted the way in which the Israeli authorities have used the Neve Yaakov attack to step up the punishment of Palestinian property owners for illegal construction in East Jerusalem. This has already led to the demolition of the properties, including the homes, of Palestinians for whom building permits are nearly impossible to obtain.

The Israeli authorities have also said they plan to strengthen West Bank settlements, which violate international law, and have put forward a law to revoke the citizenship or permanent residency of anyone who commits an act of terrorism. This passed its first reading in the Israeli Knesset on 31 January.

Israeli human rights groups have documented an upsurge of settler violence in the West Bank since the Neve Yaakov attack. Between 2005 and 2021, Israeli police closed 92 per cent of investigations against settlers who attacked Palestinians without an indictment, according to the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.

As Al-Ahram Weekly went to press, the Israeli authorities were advancing to demolish an East Jerusalem residential building in the Palestinian Silwan neighbourhood of the city with 100 tenants living in it in order to enforce demolition orders for unauthorised construction.

Israeli settlers have been seizing Palestinian homes in Silwan under Israeli police protection for years, claiming ownership without delivering documents. Illegal Jewish settlements in Occupied East Jerusalem have also increased by 39 per cent according to human rights groups.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 February, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

Search Keywords:

Short link:


"Event overview maps show that potentially 23 million people are exposed, including around five million vulnerable populations," WHO senior emergencies officer Adelheid Marschang told the UN health agency's executive committee.

Rescuers raced Tuesday to find survivors in the rubble of thousands of buildings brought down by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks that struck eastern Turkey and neighboring Syria, with the discovery of more bodies raising the death toll to more than 5,000.

Turkey has deployed more than 24,400 search and rescue personnel to the quake area.

The number was expected to rise with the arrival of additional personnel though the wintry conditions were hampering their deployment, disaster management agency official Orhan Tatar said.

"The adverse weather conditions continue in the region. Therefore, from time to time it may be difficult to transport these search and rescue teams to the region,'' he said.

Temperatures overnight in the quake-hit city of Gaziantep sank to -5 C (23 F).

Tatar said 10 ships were helping the rescue efforts, by transporting the wounded to hospitals, mainly from the Mediterranean port of Iskenderun.

About 55 helicopters had conducted 154 sorties to transport emergency aid and around 85 trucks were distributing food, he said.

Tatar said his agency had received 11,342 reports of collapsed buildings, but only 5,775 of those reports have been confirmed.

In a separate incident a large fire broke out at a section of a port in an earthquake-stricken city in southeast Turkey and is raging for a second day.

Television images Tuesday showed thick black smoke rising from burning containers at Iskenderun Port on the Mediterranean Sea, in the city of Iskenderun. Reports said the fire was caused by containers that toppled over during the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey on Monday.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said a Turkish Coast Guard vessel was assisting efforts to extinguish the fire.
Thabet, the chairman of the countrys biggest dairy and juice producer Juhayna Food Industries, and his son Seif El-Din were released mid-January after spending nearly two years in pretrial detention.

Thabet has been kept in pretrial detention since December 2020 for allegedly joining a terrorist group in case 865/2020. Seif El-Din, deputy chairman of Juhayna, was then arrested in the same case in February 2021.

The business tycoon and his son faced charges of joining and financing a terrorist group to help it change the regime by force. They were also accused of aiding and abetting assaults against the army and police personnel and their institutions and of harming the economy.

Thabet, who is an engineer and served as the chairman of the Chamber of Food Industries at Federation of Egyptian Industries, was added to the terrorism list in April 2018 for a five-year term, a decision that was scheduled to expire in April 2023.

Under Egypt's anti-terrorism law, which has been in effect since 2015, a person on the terror list is banned from travel and is liable to have their assets frozen.
Officials in Turkey said Tuesday more than 5,400 people were killed and more than 15,000 others injured. They said more than 7,800 people had been rescued and that at least 6,200 buildings had collapsed. Syria reported at least 1,800 deaths and about 3,500 injuries, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue groups.

The epicenter of Monday's pre-dawn earthquake was near Gaziantep, close to the Turkey-Syria border, and it was followed by a separate magnitude 7.5 earthquake about 100 kilometers north in the early afternoon.

On a traffic-jammed, snowy road between the cities of Krsehir and Kayseri, VOA Turkish spoke with people who were on their way to the affected area with aid. Cetin Kilic told VOA his truck was carrying blankets and food. "We will do whatever is necessary," he said.

Turkey's emergency disaster management agency said it was conducting operations by road and by air to get supplies and crews to areas affected by the earthquakes. Those efforts were being backed by a growing number of other governments and aid agencies that have sent teams and resources to the region.

Speaking at a WHO meeting in Geneva, Tedros said the organization is sending charter flights to both countries with medical supplies and that it will work to support them as they recover and rebuild. "This is a moment when we must come together in solidarity, as one humanity, to save lives and alleviate the suffering of people who have already suffered so much," he said.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed support for the people of Turkey and Syria "in this moment of unspeakable grief," and said the casualty figures do not capture "the grief and loss being experienced by families right now who have lost a mother, a father, a daughter, a son beneath the rubble -- or who don't know whether their loved ones are alive or dead."

After a night in which temperatures fell close to freezing, there were more aftershocks a day after the 7.8 magnitude quake. More than 20 of them measured a magnitude of 4.0 or greater, shaking the territory along the border between the two countries.

Rescue crews in Turkey and Syria worked Tuesday to find survivors buried in the rubble of buildings toppled by powerful earthquakes that struck the region Monday and left more than 7,200 people dead.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning and a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces directly affected by the quake. Erdogan described the earthquake as "unique in the world," and he thanked Qatar for offering 10,000 container homes for people left homeless.

Search teams and emergency aid from throughout the world poured into Turkey and Syria as rescue workers dug through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors. Some voices that had been crying out for help fell silent. "We could hear their voices, they were calling for help," said Ali Silo, whose two relatives could not be saved in the Turkish town of Nurdagi.

More than 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkey alone, Vice President Fuat Oktay said, and some 380,000 have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels. They huddled in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centers, while others spent the night outside wrapped in blankets gathering around fires.

Awale Ahmed Darfa, a Somali student in Gaziantep at the epicenter, told VOA Somali, "A large earthquake hit while we were asleep... The situation turned critical very quickly. We heard screams, cries and people running. The buildings were shaking as if they were shaken by Jinn [evil spirits]. Everyone ran to wherever they felt they would be safe.

The student added, "We are now outside since we left our homes around 4 a.m. There is a problem being outside -- it is rainy, cold, windy, and we are not wearing protective clothing. Outside, everyone is wearing what they were wearing [while] asleep. Some people do not have shoes. They told us we could not go back to the buildings because of the fear [of aftershocks]. That is the disaster here."

The earthquake struck a region enveloped on both sides of the border by more than a decade of civil war in Syria. On the Syrian side, the swath affected is divided between government-held territory and the country's last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Turkey, meanwhile, is home to millions of refugees from the conflict.

The opposition-held regions in Syria are packed with about 4 million people displaced from other parts of the country by the fighting. Many of them live in buildings that are already damaged from past bombardments. On Monday, hundreds of families remained trapped in rubble, an opposition emergency organization, the White Helmets, said in a statement.

Strained health facilities and hospitals were quickly filled with the injured, rescue workers said. Others had to be emptied, including a maternity hospital, according to the SAMS medical organization. Monday's quake destroyed the historic Gaziantep Castle and many other historic buildings in the area.

In the Turkish city of Mersin, resident Nurhan Kiral told VOA's Turkish Service that the earthquake lasted about a minute. "We woke up with the tremor and got out of the bed. Rubble fell from the chimney. Rubble fell from the empty space between the buildings. It was terrifying," Kiral said.

Residents in Turkey's western city of Izmir organized a clothing donation campaign to help the earthquake victims. Emre Demirpolat told VOA's Turkish Service, "We brought blankets and heaters. We need to be united... In such bad times, we must support each other. While we can't stay outside for 10 minutes in this cold, people there, shudder to think about the loss of their homes and when they will get to go to a warm place."

In other parts of Turkey, residents struggled to find transportation to travel to the earthquake-stricken area to see their relatives and loved ones. Serdar Ozdemir, an Ankara resident, told VOA's Turkish Service he was finally able to get a bus ticket to go to the city Malatya, after not being able to find a car rental. "I can't rent a car. There's no way to go. I have been looking for a car here for hours."

Turkey is in one of the world's most active earthquake zones. In 1999, more than 17,000 people were killed when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake -- the worst to hit Turkey in decades -- struck near Duzce, in the northwest of the country. In October 2022, a magnitude 7.0 quake hit the Aegean Sea, killing 116 people and injuring more than 1,000. All but two of the victims were in Izmir, Turkey.
The strengthening partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has been years in the making, starting with a $1 billion investment from Microsoft in 2019 that led to the development of a powerful supercomputer specifically built to train the San Francisco startup's AI models.

Microsoft said a public preview of the new Bing was to launch Tuesday for users who sign up for it, but the technology will scale to millions of users in coming weeks. Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, said the new Bing will go live for desktop on limited preview. Everyone can try a limited number of queries, he said.

Along with adding it to Bing, Microsoft is also integrating the chatbot technology into its Edge browser. Microsoft announced the new technology at an event Tuesday at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

The revamping of Microsoft's second-place search engine could give the software giant a head start against other tech companies in capitalizing on the worldwide excitement surrounding ChatGPT, a tool that's awakened millions of people to the possibilities of the latest AI technology.

Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence.

While it's not always factual or logical, ChatGPT's mastery of language and grammar comes from having ingested a huge trove of digitized books, Wikipedia entries, instruction manuals, newspapers and other online writings.

The shift to making search engines more conversational -- able to confidently answer questions rather than offering links to other websites -- could change the advertising-fueled search business, but also poses risks if the AI systems don't get their facts right. Their opaqueness also makes it hard to source back to the original human-made images and texts they've effectively memorized.

Google has been cautious about such moves. But in response to pressure over ChatGPT's popularity, Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday announced a new conversational service named Bard that will be available exclusively to a group of "trusted testers" before being widely released later this year.

Google's chatbot is supposed to be able to explain complex subjects such as outer space discoveries in terms simple enough for a child to understand. It also claims the service will also perform other more mundane tasks, such as providing tips for planning a party, or lunch ideas based on what food is left in a refrigerator. Other tech rivals such as Facebook parent Meta and Amazon also worked on similar technology, but Microsoft's latest moves aim to position it at he center of the ChatGPT zeitgeist.

Microsoft disclosed in January that it was pouring billions more dollars into OpenAI as it looks to fuse the technology behind ChatGPT, the image-generator DALL-E and other OpenAI innovations into an array of Microsoft products tied to its cloud computing platform and its Office suite of workplace products like email and spreadsheets.

The most surprising might be the integration with Bing, which is the second-place search engine in many markets but has never come close to challenging Google's dominant position.

Bing launched in 2009 as a rebranding of Microsoft's earlier search engines and was run for a time by Nadella, years before he took over as CEO. Its significance was boosted when Yahoo and Microsoft signed a deal for Bing to power Yahoo's search engine, giving Microsoft access to Yahoo's greater search share. Similar deals infused Bing into the search features for devices made by other companies, though users wouldn't necessarily know that Microsoft was powering their searches.

By making it a destination for ChatGPT-like conversations, Microsoft could invite more users to give Bing a try. On the surface, at least, a Bing integration seems far different from what OpenAI has in mind for its technology.

OpenAI has long voiced an ambitious vision for safely guiding what's known as AGI, or artificial general intelligence, a not-yet-realized concept that harkens back to ideas from science fiction about human-like machines. OpenAI's website describes AGI as "highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work."

OpenAI started out as a nonprofit research laboratory when it launched in December 2015 with backing from Tesla CEO Elon Musk and others. Its stated aims were to "advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return."

That changed in 2018 when it incorporated a for-profit business Open AI LP, and shifted nearly all its staff into the business, not long after releasing its first generation of the GPT model for generating human-like paragraphs of readable text.

OpenAI's other products include the image-generator DALL-E, first released in 2021, the computer programming assistant Codex and the speech recognition tool Whisper.
Korea has dispatched dozens of rescue workers and emergency supplies to Turkey after thousands died in a devastating earthquake there on Monday.

President Yoon Suk-yeol asked his Cabinet on Tuesday to help a "brotherly country that defended Korea's freedom by sending a large number of troops promptly in 1950, when we were invaded by communists."
This is the first time that a Korean court has established government responsibility for the massacre. Korean veterans earlier testified that they were under orders to kill the civilians.

The court ordered the government to pay Nguyen W30 million plus interest accrued since the crime (US$1=W1,255). Her family was killed after being ordered out of their house, and Nguyen, who was a child at the time, was shot in the stomach and nearly died.

Lawyers for a Democratic Society filed the lawsuit in April 2020 on behalf of Nguyen Thi Thanh (64), who was a casualty of the 1968 massacre in the village of Phong Nhi in Vietnam's Quang Nam Province.

The Seoul Central District Court in a landmark ruling on Tuesday ordered the government to compensate a Vietnamese victim of a war crime committed by the Korean military during the Vietnam War.

The Korean government denied the charge, which it claimed was based solely on unverified media reports and the victim's account. Ironically, it used the exact same defense used by the Japanese against Korean calls for compensation for war crimes -- that an agreement between the two countries in 1965 includes compensation for civilian victims and bars separate civil lawsuits.

It also floated a theory that the massacre may have been carried out by Viet Cong "disguised" as Korean soldiers, but this was rejected.

Other points of contention included the five-year statute of limitations on civil claims against the government.

But the court accepted that the massacre was "clearly" a war crime. It cited Supreme Court precedent here, which had ruled in a similar claim for compensation against the Japanese government that a pact between two states cannot void the right of individuals to take legal action.

It added that the statute of limitations does not apply since Nguyen was not in a position to lodge a timely claim.

Legal experts said the ruling shows once again how a lawsuit filed by an individual can add to legal confusion, as seen in the compensation suits filed by Korean forced labor victims against the Japanese government.

One international law expert said, "The Korean government took the first step by admitting responsibility before the Vietnamese government had even asked for an apology. The ruling could be criticized for erring on the side of idealism."
Actor Song Joong-ki will appear in a new Netflix film, according to the global streaming platform on Tuesday.

"My Name is Loh Kiwan" will keep him busy after wrapping up his latest hit TV series "Reborn Rich."

Director Kim Hee-jin's debut feature revolves around a North Korean defector who encounters a woman in Belgium while struggling to settle in and start a new life there.

Song will play the North Korean defector and rookie Choi Sung-eun the woman.

Last week, he surprised fans by marrying British actress Katy Louise Saunders and the two are expecting a child. They started dating sometime in 2021 after they appeared in tvN's hit series "Vincenzo," the story of an Italian lawyer and Mafia consigliere.

Song's work is keeping the newlyweds apart. Saunders is resting in their swish property in Itaewon, Seoul but Song's film will be shot mostly in Europe.
KYODO NEWS - Feb 9, 2023 - 02:38 | All, Japan

The Philippines deported on Thursday the remaining two of four Japanese suspects believed to be involved in a string of robberies across Japan.

Yuki Watanabe, 38, and Tomonobu Kojima, 45, join Kiyoto Imamura and Toshiya Fujita, both 38, who were deported the previous day and arrested by Japanese police aboard a flight to Japan.

The police have sought the handover of the four men since arrest warrants were issued on suspicion of theft in connection with a scam targeting elderly people in Japan.

The four men are also suspected of remotely coordinating a number of robberies via an encrypted messaging app while being held at an immigration detention facility in Manila.

The person or persons thought to have used the pseudonyms "Luffy" and "Kim" when the crimes were allegedly committed are likely to be among them. One of the robberies in which their involvement is suspected resulted in the murder of a 90-year-old woman in Tokyo.

The Philippines planned to resolve the repatriation issue before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s five-day visit to Japan from Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The detainees' repatriation, however, hinged on courts dismissing local criminal cases against them. A regional trial court dismissed the charges against Watanabe and Kojima on Tuesday, clearing the way for the remaining suspects' deportation.

Local authorities believe the criminal complaints lodged against the men, concerning alleged violence against women, were likely fabricated to prevent their deportation.

Related coverage:

2 of 4 high-profile Japan robbery suspects sent back from Philippines

Japan robbery suspects in Manila possibly involved in 6 bil. yen scams

8 arrested in case linked to "Luffy" group robberies across Japan
The Shikoku Shimbun - Feb 8, 2023 - 11:00 | All, Japan

City officials in Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa Prefecture, have learned "easy Japanese" in a workshop to better deal with the growing number of foreign residents in the western Japan prefecture.

Vietnamese, Indonesian and other international students at Anabuki Business College in the city helped the 16 officials deepen their understanding of how to communicate in an easy-to-understand manner with people unfamiliar with Japanese.

The first workshop under a 2020 agreement between the city office and the college was held Jan. 31 at the school.

The school's Japanese language teacher Yukari Hata explained that short sentences, simple words and unambiguous expressions are key in communicating with non-native speakers.

She also advised participants to show a positive attitude when listening.

The officials then did an exercise in which they had to help a foreign student in city hall fill out relocation documents.

The lessons in easy language would not only help foreign nationals but also Japanese as administrative terms are often unfamiliar and confusing, one of the participants indicated.

The Shikoku Shimbun



Related coverage:

Monkeys cook up dumpling-shaped solution to bitter cold in Kagawa zoo

Monks clean Zentsuji Temples Buddha statue ahead of New Year

Police dog competition held in western Japan
KYODO NEWS - Feb 8, 2023 - 20:36 | All, World

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday the government plans to provide additional support to areas hit by a powerful earthquake in southern Turkey as the death toll in the country and neighboring Syria surpassed 10,000.

With Japan's disaster relief rescue team having started work in Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras, Kishida said in a parliamentary session, "We will consider sending necessary assistance in light of the needs of local people."

Japan's top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, told a press conference that Tokyo is also considering providing humanitarian aid to Syria in response to a request by its government.

Two full days have passed since the magnitude 7.8 temblor struck the region, and rescue workers are racing against time, digging through collapsed buildings and rubble in the frigid winter weather.

The earthquake has left over 45,000 people injured both in Turkey and Syria, with buildings toppled and roads damaged across a wide area.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday his country has received offers of aid from 70 countries and 14 international organizations, with more than 1,000 rescue personnel arriving from Europe.

Kurds living in Japan have been worried about the whereabouts of family members and friends in southern Turkey.

"I want international aid professionals to get there as soon as possible," Ekrem Yildirim, a 47-year-old resident of Yokohama, a city near Tokyo, said Tuesday.

He was able to confirm the safety of his father and brother in Kahramanmaras but said a friend has lost three relatives and he is unable to reach more than 20 other people.

"Quake victims are digging through snow and rubble with their hands," he said, mentioning they need blankets.

But Yildirim, who fled to Japan in 2001 fearing Turkish government persecution for being Kurdish, said he strongly doubts that Ankara will provide sufficient aid to his people.

In Syria, planes carrying relief supplies from Iran and the United Arab Emirates arrived at an airport in Damascus, the capital city. Rescue personnel and supplies from Algeria have also arrived in the northern city of Aleppo, according to local media.

Meanwhile, concerns remain over whether sufficient aid will be provided to the country, torn apart by years of civil war and foreign intervention, in its northwestern province currently under the control of forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Humanitarian aid from the United Nations to Syria through southern Turkey has been impeded by the earthquake's devastation in the area.

"As it is an emergency, we want to seek support for the entire area affected by the quake, regardless of ethnicity," said Yugel Mehmet, whose mother lives in southern Turkey, after attending an emergency meeting of Kurdish people in Japan on Tuesday.

The group, the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association, gathered in Kawaguchi, near Tokyo, to exchange information on the local situation. It is collecting donations at restaurants managed by its members or through social media.

Related coverage:

Death toll from Turkey quake tops 5,000

Over 2,700 killed in M7.8 quake in Turkey, Syria
By Takuya Karube, KYODO NEWS - Feb 8, 2023 - 19:25 | All, World

U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is open to working with China, seeking "competition, not conflict," but that Washington will take action if Beijing threatens its national security.

In his second State of the Union address, Biden sought to draw attention to his economic achievements and did not hide his country's rivalry with China, emphasizing that during his presidency, more efforts have been devoted to protecting advanced technologies and modernizing the military.

"I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world," Biden said. "But make no mistake about it, as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country."

The annual speech to a joint session of Congress came as Biden prepares for the 2024 election and on the back of renewed tensions with China after the military on Saturday shot down what is believed to be a Chinese spy balloon that flew over "sensitive sites" in the United States.

With Democrats and Republicans in Congress pushing Biden to be tough on China, he said, "Winning the competition with China should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world."

"But in the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker. Autocracies have grown weaker, not stronger," he said, adding that the United States has been stepping up cooperation and investing more with its allies to that end.

"Bridges are forming between partners in the Pacific and those in the Atlantic," he said. "Those who bet against America are learning just how wrong they are."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Wednesday that Beijing "does not shy away from" competition with the United States, expressing opposition to "slandering, smearing and restricting the legitimate development" of other countries in the name of competition.

"The United States should establish an objective and rational understanding of China, pursue a positive and pragmatic policy toward China and work together to push bilateral relations back to the track of sound and stable development," Mao said at a press conference in Beijing.

The U.S. Defense Department said Tuesday that after the balloon incident, China turned down a request for a phone call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.

The discovery of the large maneuverable high-altitude balloon led to the postponement of a trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing, which would have been a follow-up to Biden's first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.

Blinken had hoped to rebuild bilateral ties, but the presence of the balloon, first disclosed by Washington on Thursday, has made relations tenser. Beijing insisted it was a civilian weather research balloon that had been blown off course.

On Russia's war in Ukraine, Biden reaffirmed Washington's continued support for Kyiv alongside its allies and like-minded countries.

Last year's speech was delivered just days after Russia's invasion started, with Biden calling it "totally unprovoked" and issuing a strong warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would pay a high price for the aggression.

One year later, Biden said the United States, through its support for Ukraine, has contributed to helping people live free from tyranny and defending sovereignty, as well as democracy.

"We united NATO and built a global coalition. We stood against Putin's aggression," he said.

As with his first speech, Biden did not refer to North Korea despite it having test-fired around 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, the most in a single year.

The nationally televised evening speech was given as Biden faces a changed political environment compared to when he took office in January 2021, with the House now controlled by Republicans after they won a narrow majority in November's midterm elections. A probe launched into his handling of classified documents from his time as vice president has also proven a distraction.

With the third year of his term having begun in a new era of divided government, the 80-year-old Democratic president spent a large portion of his roughly one-hour speech not just listing his accomplishments and laying out his policy priorities but also calling for bipartisan cooperation on key domestic issues.

"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can't work together in this new Congress," he said. "The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere."

With his approval ratings now flagging at around 40 percent, Biden underscored his administration's success in bringing the economy back from the COVID-19 pandemic and making progress on regenerating growth from "the bottom up and middle out" rather than the top down.

Biden cited positive trends, such as rising wages, the nation's unemployment rate falling to an almost 54-year-low at 3.4 percent in January and the creation of 12 million jobs during his presidency.

He urged Congress to work together to reconstruct "the backbone of America -- the middle class -- to unite the country," noting that "we have been sent here to finish the job."

Related coverage:

Blinken puts off China trip after spy balloon detected over U.S.

U.S. opens embassy in Solomon Islands to counter China's influence

Germany, U.S. to give battle tanks to Ukraine
KYODO NEWS - Feb 8, 2023 - 23:36 | World, All

North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang on Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of its armed forces founding, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, citing an unnamed informed source.

It was not immediately known whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the parade, held at the capital's Kim Il Sung Square following a pre-parade event that started at 8:30 p.m., according to the report.

On the eve of the anniversary, Kim visited the quarters of general officers of the Korean People's Army on Tuesday and praised the nation's army, calling the troops "the strongest army in the world," state-run media reported.

But there was no mention of the country's nuclear program or the United States in his speech delivered at a banquet, also attended by his daughter, commemorating the anniversary.

The leader attended the banquet with his "respected daughter," thought to be his second child Kim Ju Ae, aged around 10, and his wife Ri Sol Ju, according to pictures released by the official Korean Central News Agency.

It is unusual for the honorific word "respected" to be used for anyone other than North Korea's leader. Ri wore a necklace with a pendant in the apparent shape of a "Hwasong-17" intercontinental ballistic missile.

In November last year, state-run media described the girl as "most beloved" and "precious," fueling speculation that she could be a potential successor to her father.

North Korea first reported on the girl on Nov. 19 last year. She took part in a photo session with those involved in the Nov. 18 test-firing of the "Hwasong-17" ICBM.

The North Korean leader is believed to have three children -- a son, born in 2010, Kim Ju Ae, born in 2013 and a third, born in 2017, according to South Korean media.

In Tuesday's speech, Kim declared his country has "finally cultivated great and absolute strength, getting over untold pain and suffering for the sake of eternal peace," according to KCNA.

"Let us all redouble efforts and work harder to strengthen and develop our army and achieve the prosperity and development of our socialist country," he added.

NK News, a website that provides news and analysis on North Korea, said late last month, thousands of civilians in Pyongyang had been engaged in a practice for a military parade, based on its analysis of satellite imagery.

North Korea last staged a large-scale military parade in Kim Il Sung Square in April last year to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, the predecessor of the present army.

On that occasion, Kim vowed to bolster the country's development of nuclear weapons at a faster pace and use them if its fundamental interests are threatened.

On Monday, North Korea discussed how to expand and intensify combat drills for the "perfecting" of its war preparedness in a meeting guided by Kim, according to KCNA.

Kim's presence at the meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea marked his first public activity reported by the state-run media since Jan. 2.

Related coverage:

North Korea seeks "perfecting" of war preparedness in meeting led by Kim

North Korea lifts 5-day lockdown over flu in Pyongyang: Russian Embassy

North Korean leader's daughter described as "most beloved," "precious"
By Noriyuki Suzuki, KYODO NEWS - Feb 8, 2023 - 11:25 | All, Japan

Japan's current account surplus nearly halved in 2022 from a year earlier to 11.44 trillion yen ($87 billion), its lowest level in eight years, weighed down by a record trade deficit caused by swelling imports and a weakening yen, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

The biggest ever year-on-year decline of 10.15 trillion yen came despite a record surplus in primary income, which reflects returns on foreign investments made by Japanese firms, underscoring the magnitude of the hit to resource-scarce Japan from surging imports of higher-priced energy and other items.

The nation's surplus in the current account, one of the widest gauges of international trade, was the smallest since hitting 3.92 trillion yen in 2014.

Japan's trade deficit stood at 15.78 trillion yen after imports jumped 42.0 percent to 114.47 trillion yen, outpacing exports that grew 19.9 percent to 98.69 trillion yen.

The values of both imports and exports were the highest since comparable data became available in 1996, according to the ministry's preliminary data.

Primary income came to a surplus of 35.31 trillion yen, quadrupling from a year earlier.

In 2022, the yen fell nearly 20 percent against the U.S. dollar, which inflated the value of imports to the detriment of the nation but boosted the overseas earnings of Japanese exporters.

"The trade deficit was massive because of energy imports and the weaker yen inflating import costs. But it will likely become smaller this year as energy prices stabilize. The large increase in primary income should be temporary," said Yuichi Kodama, chief economist at the Meiji Yasuda Research Institute.

"Over the longer term, Japan's current account surplus is expected to shrink and the balance will fall into the red," Kodama said.

The rapid depreciation of the yen cut into national wealth in 2022, when Russia's war in Ukraine sent crude oil and other commodity prices surging.

On the bright side, a weaker yen makes travel to Japan cheaper for foreign visitors. Japan reopened its doors to foreign tourists after its strict COVID-19 border control measures drew criticism at home and abroad.

Japan's services trade deficit widened to 5.61 trillion yen, despite its travel surplus roughly doubling to 436 billion yen helped by an increase in foreign visitors.

The travel balance reflects money spent by foreign visitors to Japan minus the amount spent by Japanese overseas.

In December alone, the current account surplus came to 33.4 billion yen, the smallest ever for the month and down 90.9 percent from a year before.

The trade deficit more than tripled to 1.23 trillion yen after imports rose more than exports. Primary income came to 1.80 trillion yen, the largest on record for December, the ministry said.

For exporters, the backbone of the world's third-largest economy, a slowing global economy is a concern. Aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve have raised fears of a recession in the United States, while economists expect slower growth in China, a major trading partner for Japan.

Related coverage:

Japan posts record trade deficit of 19.97 tril. yen in 2022

Japan current account surplus hits 8-year low in fiscal 1st half

Japan conducted "stealth" currency interventions twice in October
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- At noon outside Makai Restaurant in central Beijing, a long queue of eager customers could be seen almost every day over the past two weeks, as businesses continue to revive following China's optimization of its COVID-19 response.

"At rush hours during the Spring Festival (from Jan. 21-27), diners needed to wait for a long time for tables to clear, while dining booths were fully booked well ahead of the Lantern Festival (on Feb. 5)," said Lyu Yongjie, manager of the restaurant.

China's catering industry is seeing a strong rebound and the Spring Festival tourism market also boomed, following relaxation in the COVID-19 response and also thanks to a government rollout of a spate of measures aimed at spurring consumption.

During the Spring Festival holiday, China's dine-in consumption increased by 15.4 percent from the previous year, with average consumption per restaurant rising by 10.8 percent year on year, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.

"There used to be a line only around dinnertime, but during the Spring Festival the line existed almost all day long," said Sha Jingjing, manager of a hot-pot restaurant in eastern Beijing.

In Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City, a commercial pedestrian area in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the street was packed with people and long lines formed outside several well-known Xi'an restaurants during the holiday.

Le Yuquan, an operations supervisor for a local catering company, said his restaurant has been running at maximum capacity since the Spring Festival holiday. Many customers are tourists looking for authentic local tastes.

Booming tourism has fueled a significant increase in catering consumption from non-locals. In southwest China's Sichuan Province, one-third of customers are from outside the province, driving up daily average consumption by 43 percent compared to last year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

The boom is also evident in the food delivery market. Data from major online delivery platform Meituan showed that the number of merchants offering Spring Festival-related dishes this year had increased by 37 percent compared to last year, with their sales of dishes surging 71.23 percent over the same period in 2022.

The government has launched campaigns aimed at spurring catering consumption. For example, China's southern boomtown Shenzhen issued 100 million yuan (about 14.7 million U.S. dollars) worth of coupons during the Spring Festival holiday, to stimulate consumption in the catering sector.

Li Xinjian, executive dean of the capital culture and tourism development institute of Beijing International Studies University, said that this year's sizzling Spring Festival consumption bodes well for the year as whole, and has boosted confidence in strong consumption in 2023. 
People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the town of Demsarkho of Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 812 in Syria on Tuesday. (Str/Xinhua)

ANKARA/DAMASCUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 in Turkiye and 812 in Syria on Tuesday, while calls mounted to lift the U.S. sanctions on Syria.

The number of injured rose to 31,777 and 1,449 respectively in Turkiye and Syria, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and the media office at the Aleppo governorate headquarters.

The death toll in both countries is expected to rise further as the rescue operations are hampered by bad weather.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT) on Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in Kahramanmaras.

Turkiye's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest loss of lives, while Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus also felt the tremor.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday in 10 of the country's provinces hit by the quakes.

The decision was taken in order to ensure that search and rescue activities and subsequent studies can be carried out quickly, he said at a press conference.

CALLS FOR LIFTING U.S. SANCTIONS

As the rescue effort was underway in quake-hit regions, the Syrian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the U.S. sanctions for blocking the humanitarian work and rescue operations in the war-torn country.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Syrians, while dealing with the earthquake catastrophe, are digging among rubbles with their own hands or using the simplest tools as the equipment for removing the rubbles is banned by the U.S. sanctions.

It also said that the Syrians are also denied access to medicines and medical equipment that would help them face dangers and diseases.

Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) President Khaled Hboubati on Tuesday called for lifting the U.S. and Western sanctions on Syria to facilitate relief efforts as the country is in dire need of rescue equipment.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, the Syrian capital, Hboubati stressed that the SARC needs equipment, ambulances and heavy machinery, but "the main obstacle is the sanctions imposed on Syria, which we demand to be lifted immediately."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on different countries to pressure the U.S. to lift the sanctions on Syria.

The ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday, parts of which were released on Tuesday.

He urged other countries to force the U.S. to lift the siege of the Arab state so that international humanitarian aid can be delivered to the quake-stricken people without any obstacle and at the shortest time.

INTERNATIONAL AID POURS IN

Two days into the deadly earthquake, more countries joined the rescue and relief efforts underway in Syria and Turkiye.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, has ordered an aid package totaling 100 million U.S. dollars for earthquake relief in Syria and Turkiye, which will split the aid equally, the Emirates News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the operation of an air bridge to provide various aid to help the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkiye.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the air bridge will provide health, shelter, food and logistical assistance to alleviate the effects of the earthquake on the Syrian and Turkish people.

Jordan, for its part, sent on Tuesday humanitarian aid and rescue teams to Syria and Turkiye to help search for survivors.

Lebanon, bordering Syria, also sent on Tuesday morning a delegation to its neighbor to assist the rescue operations in Syria.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi made separate phone calls to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts on Tuesday, extending his condolences to the victims of the deadly earthquakes. On the same day, Egypt sent five military planes loaded with medical supplies to both quake-stricken countries.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday also made separate phone calls to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, expressing readiness to offer assistance for the relief efforts.

Iran has already sent three batches of humanitarian aid to Syria, Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Mehdi Sobhani was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying on Tuesday. 

People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the town of Demsarkho of Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 812 in Syria on Tuesday. (Str/Xinhua)

People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the town of Demsarkho of Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes climbed to 812 in Syria on Tuesday. (Str/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows a damaged building in Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras Province, Turkiye. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Rescuers search for survivors on the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)

A rescuer searches for survivors on the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)

Rescuers search for survivors on the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on Feb. 7, 2023. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows damaged buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows a damaged car after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 5,434 on Tuesday, while the number of injuries rose to 31,777, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)
This undated file photo shows the Takav Gate of Angkor Thom temple in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. The restoration work on the Takav Gate in the western part of Angkor Thom temple in the famed Angkor Archeological Park in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province has been 100 percent completed, the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Wednesday. (Apsara National Authority/Handout via Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The restoration work on the Takav Gate in the western part of Angkor Thom temple in the famed Angkor Archeological Park in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province has been 100 percent completed, the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Wednesday.

Starting in December 2019, the project has been undertaken by experts from the ANA's Department of Conservation of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology, the news release said.

ANA's deputy director-general Kim Sothin said the work has been completed, and the team is currently clearing the site and completing only a few remaining tasks.

"Our restoration team will continue to restore the wall next to the gate only five meters long and 1.4 meters high, located on both sides of the gate," he said.

"The remaining work is to carve some artworks and fill in the gaps on the wall next to the gate and it will be completed soon," he added.

Sothin said as for repairing the Deva (guardian gods) statues of the balustrade, the team will continue to restore them with a full figure, arms, legs and some heads, while the Asura statues are a bit complicated because of the foundation.

Asura is a demigod, titan, or antigod, according to the context. They exist in both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions.

The Takav Gate is one of the five gates of the Angkor Thom, which was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. The gate was built by using sandstones and laterites with smiling four-faced tower, up to 23 meters high.

As per the corner of the gate, there is a sculpture of the three-headed elephant and there are Deva and Asura statues alongside the bridge just outside the gate.

Angkor Thom is one of the key temples in the 401-square km Angkor Archeological Park, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992. 

This undated file photo shows the restoration site next to the Takav Gate of Angkor Thom temple in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. The restoration work on the Takav Gate in the western part of Angkor Thom temple in the famed Angkor Archeological Park in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province has been 100 percent completed, the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Wednesday. (Apsara National Authority/Handout via Xinhua)

This undated file photo shows the restoration site next to the Takav Gate of Angkor Thom temple in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. The restoration work on the Takav Gate in the western part of Angkor Thom temple in the famed Angkor Archeological Park in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province has been 100 percent completed, the Apsara National Authority (ANA) said in a news release on Wednesday. (Apsara National Authority/Handout via Xinhua)
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A regulation previously issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on disciplinary action against Party members violating Party disciplines has been published by the People's Publishing House.

The regulation specifies the limits of authority and procedures for approving such disciplinary action.

The booklet is available at Xinhua Bookstore outlets across the country starting from Wednesday. 
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to work with Australia to rebuild mutual trust and bring bilateral ties back on track, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

Mao's remarks came after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference on Tuesday that "trade to China is more than the next three highest trading partners combined," and that it is "in Australia's national interest to have good economic relations and to trade with China."

China and Australia are both important countries in the Asia-Pacific region with highly complementary economies, Mao said at a daily press briefing. "The healthy and stable development of relations between China and Australia is not only in the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but is also conducive to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world," she noted.

Mao said that China stands ready to work with Australia to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries at the G20 Summit in Indonesia, as well as the outcomes of the China-Australia Foreign and Strategic Dialogue.

"Based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit, and seeking common ground while shelving differences, China is willing to launch and resume exchanges with the Australian side in various fields, expand cooperation, manage differences, rebuild mutual trust, and bring bilateral relations back on track," the spokesperson said. 
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- For Liu Ziqi, an eight-year-old museum lover in Beijing, this winter vacation has proved a rather busy one, as she made a to-go list for newly opened exhibitions in the Chinese capital.

During the seven-day Spring Festival holiday starting from Jan. 21, museums in Beijing received 1.01 million visits, up 34 percent year on year, according to Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau.

Like Liu, more and more young people, some not necessarily big fans of museums, chose to spend some of their leisure time in a museum.

COLLABORATION

"There are more special exhibitions and more joint exhibitions, especially the one between the National Museum and the Palace Museum," Liu said, when asked about the most notable change during her latest museum visit.

The exhibition that Liu refers to is "Harmonious Co-existence," the first exhibition held jointly by the two museums in recent years. Featuring over 400 exhibits, from picture scrolls depicting ancient Chinese legends to copies of philosophical classics, it elaborates on the historical origins of the concepts of "harmony" and "unity," which are rooted in the Chinese culture.

"Eye-opening. It truly was a powerful collaboration between the two," said a netizen on the microblogging site Weibo. "I kind of realized what the exhibition is all about after seeing the last two showcases."

"Joint exhibitions, itinerant exhibitions and mutual exhibitions can counter geographical and spacial limitations and revitalize relics," said Yan Hongming, chairman of the Zhejiang Museum Association.

Collaborations between museums and arts organizations also help the younger generation get closer to the relics by reliving the stories behind them.

Last November, a music-and-dance performing group recreated the feminine beauty and social customs of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) by delivering a portrayal on stage of "Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair," a painting kept in the Liaoning Provincial Museum, northeast China.

The museums are innovating their forms to attract more people. "Luduan," a children's musical named after a unicorn in Chinese mythology, is a production of the Palace Museum and it was staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts last week. The images of "Luduan" can be found in many places in the Palace museum.

INTERACTION

A professional museum narrator for over 10 years, Bai Xuesong at Xi'an Beilin Museum, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, observed that more visitors are expecting specialized introductions to the ins and outs behind the cultural relics.

"Beilin," which means forest of stone steles in Chinese, is a must-visit for calligraphy and history lovers. In China, many calligraphy masterpieces of great calligraphists were carved on stone steles.

"More and more visitors began asking questions, and sometimes we couldn't give an answer," Bai said, adding that this indicates a change in the relationship between narrators and visitors -- from "teaching" to interactive communication and mutual learning.

New technologies including AI and VR also enabled museums in China to make a shift from purely displaying artifacts to actively engaging with visitors.

Liu Tingting, a young museum-goer, was thrilled to experience how technologies took her back to the glorious Tang Dynasty at the Daming Palace Heritage Museum.

"I saw the pottery roof decorations for the Tang Dynasty palace, and also learned how they were installed by watching digital projections. I saw female attendant figurines, and tried on their makeup on the screen as well," said Liu after visiting the museum in Xi'an. "It feels like traveling back to the Tang Dynasty. Now I feel closer to history."

Tailoring multiple interactive and educational activities for the kids, the Beijing Auto Museum also became a must-visit destination for young museum lovers. Over 50,000 visits were made to the museum from Jan. 21 to Feb. 5, the Lantern Festival.

SHIFT IN DEMAND

According to data from the National Administration of Cultural Heritage (NCHA), the number of museums in China had reached 6,183 by the end of 2022, over twice as many as in 2012. In 2021 alone, 395 new museums were added to the administration's records.

"For the public, intellectual and cultural activities are gradually becoming inseparable necessities of their lives," said Jin Jiangbo, vice president of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, explaining reasons behind this boom in museums.

According to a guideline issued by the NCHA and eight other departments in 2021, efforts were to be made to integrate museums with industries including education, science and technology, tourism, and commerce.

Such integrations are transforming museums from mere places of public culture and education to public service complexes, meeting the needs of the younger generation who want diversified cultural experiences.

According to data from online travel agency Trip.com Group, formerly known as Ctrip, in the first half of 2022, the majority of users who booked museum tickets through its platform were born in the 1980s and 1990s, and those born between 1995 and 2000 accounted for nearly 30 percent of museum related searches. 
Chinese tourists are welcomed at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 6, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua)

DUBAI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours.

The tour group, composed of over 60 Chinese tourists, came from the southern city of Guangzhou and arrived at Dubai International Airport on Monday.

Waving the national flags of China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Chinese tourists were warmly welcomed at the airport and provided smooth check-in services. They also received commemorative gifts and special privileges at the theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.

"We are so excited to welcome our very first Chinese guests for the first time after three years. We cannot wait to welcome you all back to our beautiful park. We have missed you," said Deana Taylor, general manager at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.

Liu Jian, the head of the local travel agency in the UAE who undertook the tour, said that as one of the popular destinations for Chinese tourists before the pandemic, the UAE is ready to welcome Chinese tourists again.

He revealed that the tourism departments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai and some popular attractions in the UAE have provided special courtesy and convenience for the tour group.

In a video message to Chinese travelers, Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), noted that all Chinese visitors can enjoy "visa-free travel to Dubai" if their passport validity is longer than six months.

"We are ready to welcome you back. Many new attractions and experiences await you here. It is time to create new memories," Kazim added.

"Chinese market has always been a crucial and important tourism market for the UAE," said Dominic Arel, general manager of Fairmont The Palm hotel, noting "we are thrilled to see the ease of travel for this part of the world and the great impact it will have again on Dubai tourism and economic growth."

With the ease of travel, many travel companies in the UAE are now gearing up to welcome Chinese tourists back.

"We are excited about their visit as this is expected to boost tourism business greatly as Chinese tourists are among the highest spenders while traveling abroad," said Geoffrey Salatan, managing director of Dubai-based Pinas Travel. 

Chinese tourists arrive at the theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 7, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

A staff member gives souvenirs to Chinese tourists at the theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 7, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

Chinese tourists arrive at the theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 7, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

Chinese tourists visit the theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 7, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

Chinese tourists are welcomed at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 6, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua)

Chinese tourists pose for a photo at the theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 7, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)

Chinese tourists pose for a photo at Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 6, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua)

Chinese tourists pose for a photo with local staff members at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Feb. 6, 2023.

A red carpet reception welcomed on Tuesday the first group of Chinese tourists in Abu Dhabi after three years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Chinese travel agencies resumed outbound tours. (Xinhua)
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Andrew Hsia, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, will attend activities organized by both sides of the Taiwan Strait to promote exchanges during his visit to the mainland, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.

Hsia will also visit cities including Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing and Chengdu, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

Hsia is scheduled to lead a delegation on a visit to the Chinese mainland from Feb. 8 to 17.

When asked to comment on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' smear that "Hsia's visit may fall into the coercive political framework of the mainland," Zhu said the DPP authorities collude with external forces to seek "Taiwan independence" for its own political interests, damaging the interests and welfare of Taiwan compatriots and pushing Taiwan toward a dangerous situation.

In doing this, the DPP authorities are coercing the mainstream will of Taiwan society, and they are the threat to the highest interests of Taiwan, Zhu added. 
A rescuer searches for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Search and rescue dogs, dubbed "nameless heroes," have been working around the clock over the rubble of collapsed buildings searching for trapped survivors, three days after earthquakes hit southeastern Turkiye and Syria.

by Burak Akinci

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkiye, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Search and rescue dogs have been working around the clock over the rubble of collapsed buildings searching for trapped survivors, three days after earthquakes hit southeastern Turkiye and Syria.

The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 8,574 on Wednesday, while the number of injuries rose to 49,133, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

In the heavily damaged Kahramanmaras city center, the capital of Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras, sniffer dogs were leading from site to site searching for possible survivors despite the winter cold.

Outfitted with a small GPS-enabled harness and driven by his sense of smell, a German shepherd dog, a proud member of a rescue team from the capital Ankara, was sniffing a pile of collapsed rubble to find buried survivors.

These dogs are considered ideal for rescue work as they can smell humans trapped underneath concrete and metal, and who are generally too weak to make their presence noticed.

Yunus Goren, the German shepherd's handler, explained that his dog was trained for a long time to sniff the smell of humans. "Nothing can match the canine skills to find people over a wide area in a limited amount of time," he said.

Normally, a trained dog has to take a rest after several hours of work, but when the situation is too critical, the teams have to keep going on.

Goren stressed that it is critical to find the trapped within the first 72 hours after the earthquake as the survival rate without food or water drops sharply after that.

And there is also an increased risk of hypothermia for the people who are trapped, as freezing temperatures sweep the quake-hit area.

A survivor is evacuated from the rubble of a destroyed building in quake-hit Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Alper Ozgun, a veterinarian from Ankara, told Xinhua that dogs display not only a natural ability to find people but also to aid and protect them.

Besides their innate sense of smell, dogs can also hear the faintest noise from under the rubble and indicate to their handlers where to excavate with precision, he added, stressing "the dogs are essential in a disaster."

During the rescue work after the Marmara region earthquake in northwestern Turkiye in 1999 which killed over 17,000 people, search and rescue dogs were instrumental in finding survivors, and they were praised by the public.

For the latest rescue mission, Turkish social media users have hailed the contribution of "nameless heroes" -- sniffer dogs for their valuable efforts.

Foreign search and rescue teams have also sent sniffer dogs to help efforts in Turkiye, including Mexico's famed canine team.

A search dog from a rescue team from Azerbaijan managed on Tuesday to save a little girl called Zeynep from the rubble she was trapped under, local TV reported, which is one of the many survivors detected by sniffer dogs in the quake-hit area.

The search and rescue teams from more than 65 countries arrived in the Turkish earthquake zone to extend support in the post-quake efforts, according to an official statement.

A plane carrying China's official rescue team and 20 metric tons of disaster relief materials and equipment arrived at the southern city of Adana in the early hours of Wednesday.

The team, which consists of 82 members will take part in search and rescue operations.

In addition to materials and equipment for search and rescue, communication, and medical treatment, the team also brought four rescue dogs.

Two major earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes hit the province of Kahramanmaras Monday, wreaking havoc throughout a vast region spanning over 10 Turkish provinces. 
by Burak Akinci

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkiye, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers were racing against time and a bitter cold to find survivors in Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of two huge and deadly earthquakes that struck Turkiye and Syria on Monday.

"We have found survivors here, but also corpses. We can't abandon the search, the next hours will be crucial to find people still alive," Mehmet, a Turkish rescuer, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

His team was searching for trapped residents under a mound of rubble that used to be the Ebrar apartment complex, flattened by two powerful tremors.

Once in a while, they ask anguished people who gathered around the rubble searching for family members or volunteers to remain completely silent as they listen out for someone to call for help.

Residents were asleep when a magnitude 7.7 quake jolted Kahramanmaras and several other neighboring provinces before dawn.

A second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck several hours later, complicating rescue efforts.

"The problem here is that if there are other survivors, they had to endure the cold which can cause hypothermia, and their chances of survival are getting slim," Mehmet noted.

The rescuer explained that the complex that collapsed like a house made of cards was home to some 120 residents, most of whom are still believed to be under a mass of metal and concrete.

Throughout Monday, dozens of major aftershocks rattled the region.

The latest official death toll from the massive earthquakes in Turkiye stood at 5,894 with 34,810 injuries early Wednesday. Over 6,000 buildings have collapsed, but authorities believe that the actual number is much higher.

Thousands of rescue workers were scattered across the vast quake-hit zone, which covers 10 provinces of Turkiye, home to around 13.5 million people.

But as the quakes have also seriously disrupted the zone's infrastructure, making highways and roads inaccessible, some cities were left mostly unattended, Xinhua correspondents witnessed.

Rescuers worked through the cold winter night in the hope of being able to find more survivors, but as time went by, the chance of finding people alive was diminishing.

Turkish social media users were also using Twitter to relay to authorities and rescue teams the exact locations of many people who used their cell phones to locate where they were trapped underneath the buildings.

Survivors of the biggest disaster that Turkiye has witnessed for nearly a century were trying to live in their cars as there was no electricity and no other buildings left to accommodate them in Kahramanmaras.

But gasoline was scarce, and heating remained a serious problem, so did drinking water.

In Gaziantep, Adiyaman and Malatya, three provinces hit by the quakes, survivors took shelter in community centers where they were given blankets and food, television channels reported.

Mosques in the region were also opened to provide shelter.

"Because the debris removal efforts are continuing in many buildings in the earthquake zone, we do not know how high the number of dead and injured will rise," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday in a televised address in the capital Ankara.

The World Health Organization warned that the death toll in the two countries could end up surpassing 20,000.

The earthquake-stricken region in Turkiye is also home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their homeland. 
TEHRAN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian security official on Wednesday warned against letting "transregional interference" in Afghanistan cause insecurity in the country and to the entire region.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), made the remark in an address to the fifth round of the regional security dialogue in the Russian capital of Moscow, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Shamkhani said insecurity has always been a threat to the Afghan people's lives and foreign interference can turn it into a common threat to the entire region.

He stressed the main priority is to ensure security, peace, stability and progress in Afghanistan.

Shamkhani said the way to end "the vicious insecurity-instability cycle in Afghanistan" is through the implementation of palpable measures by the country's caretaker government and other internal players.

Iran maintains that imposing any political system on the country through foreign interference or internal confrontation will only lead to greater instability and insecurity in Afghanistan, he stressed, noting the United States is constantly seeking to turn Afghanistan into a "platform for spreading insecurity and terrorism."

Commenting on Afghanistan's assets frozen by the United States, the SNSC chief stressed that they belong to the people of the country. "Afghan people must not be deprived of their assets through cruel and illegal sanctions."

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of Russia, delivered a speech at beginning of the fifth round of the regional security dialogue on Wednesday. Security officials from Iran, India, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan also took part in the meetings.

In the wake of the terror attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, the United States led a military coalition to invade Afghanistan in October 2001 to overthrow the Taliban government, which allegedly sheltered the then-leader of the terror network Osama Bin Laden.

In late August 2021, the U.S. forces conducted a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan with a military defeat, leaving the war-torn country in extreme poverty and deep pain. Public data showed that more than 50,000 Afghan civilians and nearly 70,000 Afghan security personnel reportedly had been killed during the two-decade-long U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.

The United States has also frozen Afghanistan's overseas assets worth more than 9 billion U.S. dollars as part of its sanctions against the new government. 
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland has called on the Taiwan side to stop using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to obstruct the resumption of direct flights across the Taiwan Strait, according to a mainland spokesperson on Wednesday.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press conference that the mainland is now fully prepared for the resumption of direct cross-Strait flights, and there is no barrier to the resumption on the mainland side.

She called on the Taiwan side to act according to the people's will, and to stop using the pandemic as an excuse to hamper the process.

Zhu said compatriots and aviation industries on both sides of the Strait are keenly looking forward to the resumption, and the mainland side has communicated the issue to relevant authorities in Taiwan, suggesting that priority should be given to direct flights to the 16 mainland destinations that are most frequently requested by Taiwan compatriots.

As the mainland has entered a new phase of its COVID-19 response, the early resumption of cross-Strait personnel exchanges and cooperation in various fields is a common wish of compatriots on both sides of the Strait, Zhu said. She also said that Taiwan compatriots are welcome to take part in cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and to visit the mainland in person. 
People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the al-Masharqa neighborhood of Aleppo city, northern Syria, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Str/Xinhua)

Sanctions have been a main U.S. tactic toward Syria ever since the latter was listed as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979. Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the United States and its Western allies have imposed a number of economic sanctions and restrictions that denied Syrians the means to pursue growth as well as access to daily necessities.

DAMASCUS, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Syria on Tuesday lambasted the United States for blocking humanitarian relief work in Syria, a day after massive earthquakes rocked the northern part of the country and vast swathes of its neighbor Turkiye.

In a statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Syrians, while dealing with the earthquake catastrophe, are digging among rubbles with bare hands or using the simplest tools, as the equipment for removing the rubbles has been banned by the United States.

Sanctions have been a main U.S. tactic toward Syria ever since the latter was listed as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979. Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the United States and its Western allies have imposed a number of economic sanctions and restrictions that denied Syrians the means to pursue growth as well as access to daily necessities. U.S. sanctions intensified with the passing of the Caesar Act in 2019.





CALL FOR END OF U.S. SANCTIONS

Monday's strong earthquakes drained the already limited resources of Syria, where at least 2,470 were killed and 4,650 injured, according to data released by authorities and rescuers.

The city of Aleppo in northern Syria was among the hardest hit in the quake, with debris still constantly falling in the aftermath of Monday's earthquakes. And for lack of tools, some rescuers to dig through the rubble with bare hands in search of survivors in the snow and rain, Xinhua reporters witnessed.

Local residents are railing against the United States for retaining the economic sanctions when Syria desperately needs help from the international community.

Aisha al-Hilu, a school teacher, fled home with the kids after the earthquakes. All of their belongings were buried under the rubble.

She blasted the U.S. sanctions, which have cut off Syria's economic and financial ties with the rest of the world and impeded the country's access to quake relief supplies.

"These sanctions 'punished' us, but we didn't do anything. Shame on them ... They must remove these sanctions," she said.

Prior to the quakes, Syria was already hurt by a new round of U.S. sanctions. On Jan. 16, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement the United States for imposing new sanctions that hinder Syria's import of medical equipment and spare parts through "inhuman measures."

At a press conference held Tuesday in the Syrian capital Damascus, Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) President Khaled Hboubati called for lifting the U.S. and Western sanctions on Syria to facilitate much-needed relief efforts.

In an interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani called on countries to pressure the United States into lifting the sanctions on Syria and the siege of the country to enable the delivery of international aid.

"The people of northern Syria are really suffering. Sanctions are stifling international relief and medical supplies. Thousands of deaths in Syria are preventable; earthquake relief should pause sanctions," tweeted Khaled Beydoun, associate professor of law at U.S.-based Wayne State University.

"Western countries don't need to send anything. Just remove lethal sanctions on Syria," tweeted Sharmine Narwani, a commentator and analyst of Middle East geopolitics and former senior associate at St. Antony's College, Oxford University.

People light candles during a candlelight vigil for the victims of earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria, in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on Feb. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)





OTHER U.S. WRONGDOINGS

After Monday's earthquakes, Washington has ruled out the possibility of dealing directly with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in quake relief efforts.

U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price on Monday told reporters that the United States will send aid to Syria through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) without engaging with the Syrian government, which it does not recognize as legitimate.

The accusation that Syria is a sponsor of terrorism is "an old-school pretext" that the United States often uses to justify its intervention in other countries, said Maher Ihsan, a journalist and political expert.

"Look at the situation now, the United States is controlling key gas and oil fields in oil-rich areas in Syria as well as key agricultural areas ... the United States didn't come here to help, but to take advantage of the situation and impose their own will," Ihsan told Xinhua in a previous interview.

After its direct military interventions in Syria in 2014, the United States has sent troops to oil-rich regions of Syria, including the northeastern province of Hasakah and the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

Damascus has long blamed U.S. forces for stealing Syrian oil and other resources. Videos footages showing U.S. troops using tankers to transport Syrian oil to U.S. military bases in Iraq have been widely circulated online.

In August last year, the Syrian oil ministry accused the United States of stealing 83 percent of Syria's oil output in the first half of 2022. The average daily output of Syrian oil in the first half of 2022 was 80,300 barrels, while the U.S. forces and their "mercenaries" were stealing an average of 66,000 barrels a day, a ministry statement showed.

By plundering a significant percentage of Syria's oil supply, the United States has not only robbed Syria of its valuable resources direly needed for economic recovery and social construction, but also deprived average Syrians of crucial daily necessities in winter. Syrians have to endure inadequate heating and lengthy power outages during the chilly winter.

"The U.S. role in Syria has been destructive, to say the least," said Osama Danura, a Syrian political expert and former member of the Syrian government delegation to the Syria peace talks in Geneva. "The economic circle in Syria has been damaged by such unilateral measures." 
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday urged the United States to immediately lift unilateral sanctions on Syria as the earthquake-stricken country is facing a serious humanitarian crisis.

Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing that the United Nations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have called for emergency assistance for the victims in Syria to avoid further deterioration of the local humanitarian situation.

Noting that the United States has been involved in the Syrian crisis for a long time, Mao said the frequent U.S. military interventions and harsh economic sanctions on Syria have caused great civilian casualties, cutting the Syrian people off from basic necessities of life and blocking the country's economic development and reconstruction.

"Even today, U.S. troops still occupy Syria's principal oil fields, plunder more than 80 percent of the country's oil production, and have smuggled and burned Syria's grain stock, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis there," the spokesperson added.

"In the wake of the devastating earthquakes, the United States should let go of its geopolitical obsession, immediately lift unilateral sanctions on Syria and open the door for humanitarian aid," Mao said. 
Tourists from China are welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

The return of Chinese tourists could boost the recovery of her country's vital tourism sector, which has long been hampered by the pandemic, said Secretary General of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association Cynthia Lirio.

The tourism industry's contribution to the Philippines' gross domestic product stood at 12.7 percent in 2019.

by Yan Jie, Yang Yunqi

MANILA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cynthia Lirio, secretary general of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), told Xinhua in a recent interview that the Philippines welcomes Chinese tourists and is looking forward to receiving tour groups from the world's second-largest economy.

"Huan Ying Zhong Guo You Ke (Welcome Chinese tourists). Welcome to the Philippines, our Chinese community and friends," said Lirio, both in Chinese and English.

As one of the world's largest outbound tourism markets before the COVID-19 pandemic, China resumed outbound group tours on Monday, signifying huge potential growth in neighboring countries' tourism revenue, including that of the Philippines.

Lirio said the return of Chinese tourists could boost the recovery of her country's vital tourism sector, which has long been hampered by the pandemic.

"It's really a big help for our community by Chinese people coming here, because they contribute a lot of revenue and a lot in tourism. Together with local government units, our (central) government and also our association, we're helping each other to give all the details we have to people who come back for the tourism purposes," said Lirio.

Philippine tourism secretary Christina Frasco (2nd L) and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian (3rd L) greet tourists from China at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City, the Philippines, Jan. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

As a key economic driver, the tourism industry's contribution to the Philippines' gross domestic product stood at 12.7 percent in 2019.

Lirio expects Chinese tourist arrivals to increase rapidly this year, citing the diversity of the nation's tourist resources.

"Actually, the Philippines has a lot of characteristics, it has beautiful places for tourists to visit. We have beautiful white sand beaches, a lot of resorts and bio-diversified places," she added.

Over 1.74 million Chinese tourists visited the Philippines in 2019, an increase of 38.58 percent from 2018. Chinese tourists spent more than 2.3 billion U.S. dollars while vacationing in the country, official data showed.

Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the government's target for 2023 is to lure some 4.8 million international visitors, with the Chinese tourist market remaining on its priority list.




BUDAPEST, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A business delegation from east China's Zhejiang Province met with Hungarian representatives in Budapest on Monday and introduced the preparation of this year's China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo.

According to the delegation, the expo, due to be held in Zhejiang's Ningbo City in May, will include about 20 important activities such as forums, brand promotion meetings, e-commerce live broadcasts to create more business opportunities for CEE countries in economic and trade cooperation.

During the meeting, Hungarian delegates expressed their confidence in Chinese economy and their will to deepen the cooperation of trade and investment between China and Hungary.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
































BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-15 taikonauts, who are currently on board the Chinese Tiangong space station, will conduct their first extravehicular activities within the next few days, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Wednesday.

The three-men crew have been living in orbit for 70 days since they entered the space station combination on Nov. 30, 2022. They completed various tasks, including in-orbit crew rotation with the Shenzhou-14 taikonauts, tests of scientific experiment cabinets, and spacecraft equipment inspections.

They also performed medical checks, weightlessness protection workouts and a series of space science experiments.

However, the past two months have not been only about work. The latest space station residents also celebrated the Chinese New Year and held space painting and photo exhibitions, sending New Year greetings to the Chinese people.

According to the agency, the Shenzhou-15 trio are now in good condition, and the space station combination is operating stably. All conditions are in place for the crew's first spacewalk.

The three Shenzhou-15 crew members are Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu. Their six-month mission is aimed at wrapping up the last stage of the space station construction and starting the first stage of its application and development. 
This photo taken with a mobile phone shows members of a Chinese rescue team unloading materials at Adana Airport in Adana, Turkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. The 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) on Wednesday after flying over 8,000 kilometers on a chartered Air China plane. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

ADANA, Turkiye, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- After flying over 8,000 km on a chartered Air China plane, an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport on Wednesday to assist in rescue efforts in the quake-hit areas in Turkiye.

According to Zhao Ming, head of the Chinese rescue team which arrived at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT), based on the local conditions, the Chinese rescue team immediately started the unloading and transfer work, and coordinated with the Chinese Embassy in Turkiye, the local government and relevant UN agencies as soon as possible.

The team took over specific search and rescue missions based on the current rescue progress, and plans to send a rescue team to survey the site of the mission and choose safe and suitable locations to set up camps.

"As a Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team certified by the United Nations, the Chinese rescue team is equipped with excellent personnel and resources, and can carry out search and rescue operations in two different work sites at the same time," said Wang Mo, deputy head of the Chinese rescue team. "Upon arrival, the team will bring audio and video life detectors, medical equipment and rescue dogs to the disaster area and immediately start the search and rescue work."

The latest death toll from the massive earthquakes in Turkiye stood at 5,894 with 34,810 injuries, the country's Anadolu agency reported on Wednesday, citing Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay as saying.

The Chinese Embassy in Turkiye confirmed to Xinhua that no Chinese casualties have been reported so far.

According to Turkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake with a depth of 7 km struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT), which was strongly felt in the neighboring provinces of Gaziantep, Hatay and Malatya. There were numerous aftershocks in the vicinity. 

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows staff members unloading materials from a chartered plane carrying a Chinese rescue team at Adana Airport in Adana, Turkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. The 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) on Wednesday after flying over 8,000 kilometers on a chartered Air China plane. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows members of a Chinese rescue team arriving at Adana Airport in Adana, Turkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. The 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) on Wednesday after flying over 8,000 kilometers on a chartered Air China plane. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows members of a Chinese rescue team arriving at Adana Airport in Adana, Turkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. The 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport at 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) on Wednesday after flying over 8,000 kilometers on a chartered Air China plane. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

This photo taken with a cell phone shows the Chinese rescue team taking a long-distance coach to the quake-hit province of Hatay, Turkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. After flying over 8,000 km on a chartered Air China plane, an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport on Wednesday to assist in rescue efforts in the quake-hit areas in Turkiye. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)

This photo taken with a cell phone shows the Chinese rescue team taking a long-distance coach to the quake-hit province of Hatay, Turkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. After flying over 8,000 km on a chartered Air China plane, an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Adana Airport on Wednesday to assist in rescue efforts in the quake-hit areas in Turkiye. (Xinhua/Wu Siyu)
by Burak Akinci

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkiye, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Search and rescue dogs have been working around the clock over the rubble of collapsed buildings searching for trapped survivors, three days after earthquakes hit southeastern Turkiye and Syria.

The death toll in Turkiye's devastating earthquakes climbed to 8,574 on Wednesday, while the number of injuries rose to 49,133, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

In the heavily damaged Kahramanmaras city center, the capital of Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras, sniffer dogs were leading from site to site searching for possible survivors despite the winter cold.

Outfitted with a small GPS-enabled harness and driven by his sense of smell, a German shepherd dog, a proud member of a rescue team from the capital Ankara, was sniffing a pile of collapsed rubble to find buried survivors.

These dogs are considered ideal for rescue work as they can smell humans trapped underneath concrete and metal, and who are generally too weak to make their presence noticed.

Yunus Goren, the German shepherd's handler, explained that his dog was trained for a long time to sniff the smell of humans. "Nothing can match the canine skills to find people over a wide area in a limited amount of time," he said.

Normally, a trained dog has to take a rest after several hours of work, but when the situation is too critical, the teams have to keep going on.

Goren stressed that it is critical to find the trapped within the first 72 hours after the earthquake as the survival rate without food or water drops sharply after that.

And there is also an increased risk of hypothermia for the people who are trapped, as freezing temperatures sweep the quake-hit area.

Alper Ozgun, a veterinarian from Ankara, told Xinhua that dogs display not only a natural ability to find people but also to aid and protect them.

Besides their innate sense of smell, dogs can also hear the faintest noise from under the rubble and indicate to their handlers where to excavate with precision, he added, stressing "the dogs are essential in a disaster."

During the rescue work after the Marmara region earthquake in northwestern Turkiye in 1999 which killed over 17,000 people, search and rescue dogs were instrumental in finding survivors, and they were praised by the public.

For the latest rescue mission, Turkish social media users have hailed the contribution of "nameless heroes" -- sniffer dogs for their valuable efforts.

Foreign search and rescue teams have also sent sniffer dogs to help efforts in Turkiye, including Mexico's famed canine team.

A search dog from a rescue team from Azerbaijan managed on Tuesday to save a little girl called Zeynep from the rubble she was trapped under, local TV reported, which is one of the many survivors detected by sniffer dogs in the quake-hit area.

The search and rescue teams from more than 65 countries arrived in the Turkish earthquake zone to extend support in the post-quake efforts, according to an official statement.

A plane carrying China's official rescue team and 20 metric tons of disaster relief materials and equipment arrived at the southern city of Adana in the early hours of Wednesday.

The team, which consists of 82 members will take part in search and rescue operations.

In addition to materials and equipment for search and rescue, communication, and medical treatment, the team also brought four rescue dogs.

Two major earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes hit the province of Kahramanmaras Monday, wreaking havoc throughout a vast region spanning over 10 Turkish provinces. 
BUDAPEST, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- More cooperation in investment and trade is expected as Hungarian company and business representatives met in the Hungarian capital with a visiting business delegation from east China's Zhejiang Province that is seeking trade and investment opportunities.

Speaking at the Hungary-Zhejiang Investment and Trade Cooperation Matchmaking Conference on Monday, Erno Peto, president of Hungarian-Chinese Chamber of Economy, said he was glad to welcome "a large Chinese delegation in three years" here in Budapest.

Zhejiang Province is recognized for its importance in the Chinese economy and has an investor-friendly business environment, he said.

"Zhejiang is a good entry point to the Chinese market for Hungarian companies, just as Hungary is a good platform for Chinese companies to enter the European market. I believe that Hungarian investors will be welcomed," Peto added.

Zsanett Ihasz, manager of Chinese Relations of Hungarian Export Promotion Agency, said at the meeting that China and Hungary have established "exemplary and prosperous" business cooperation over the past seven decades, and Hungary has become an important destination country for many Chinese companies as well as an important transit and distribution center for access to the European market.

Hungary highly values all the opportunities to meet its Chinese partners in person, she said, recalling that the two countries have been able to maintain a close relationship in the form of online conferences and business-to-business meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. "As a result, our relationship has shown unprecedented flexibility."

Ihasz said she believed the event will provide a platform to boost business opportunities between the two countries.

"The (Chinese delegation's) presentations are very impressive. I can see a lot of potentials in China," Giddel Edwin-Uzoaga, a sales manager in the building industry, told Xinhua, naming technological and infrastructural development in Zhejiang.

Edwin-Uzoaga, whose company's business focuses on innovative clean technologies, said he is upbeat about cooperation with China. "I really hope that we can find the right partners that could work with, and maybe set up a joint venture and then see how it goes in the nearest future. "

Along with the meeting, the Chinese delegation also briefed the attendees about this year's China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo due to be held in Ningbo City of Zhejiang Province.

According to the delegation, the expo, scheduled for May 16-20, will include about 20 important activities such as forums, brand promotion meetings, e-commerce live broadcasts, so as to create more business opportunities for CEE countries in economic and trade cooperation.

Hungarian businessman Laszlo Regoczi, who said his first business began in Ningbo, told Xinhua he wanted to participate in the expo not only to find some partners for his mineral water business, but also to help his Hungarian friends present at the "fantastic exhibition."

Talking to Xinhua after Monday's event, Peto said the CEEC Expo is very important for the Hungarian companies, and he has attended it for three times.

He said his chamber would try to organize a delegation to the expo this year, while stressing the importance of cooperation.

"We will try to coordinate the neighboring CEE countries to go together to the Ningbo fair. Even they will have their own country booth or pavilion, companies must cooperate. That's the future," said Peto.

Peto also noted that he is "very positive" about Chinese economy after the country downgraded its COVID-19 control measures early January.

"China has made an incredible high and good development in the past two decades. China is a key player for the recovery of the world economy," he said.

Noting multiple investment banks have upwardly revised their forecasts for China's growth rate in 2023, Peto told Xinhua that is "very important not only for the Chinese economy but for the world economy." 
This photo taken on Feb. 6, 2023 shows a horse racing festival in Xiadongzhai Village, Pingding County of north China's Shanxi Province. The horse racing festival, held on the 16th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the village, is a Spring Festival custom with a history of over 1,800 years. It has also been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.(Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

TAIYUAN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- One day after the Lantern Festival, residents in Xiadongzhai Village, north China's Shanxi Province, had quick breakfasts before assembling for a long-anticipated occasion.

The horse racing festival, held on the 16th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the village, is a Spring Festival custom with a history of over 1,800 years. It has also been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

At about 9 a.m., the festival got underway. The crowd burst into loud cheers, watching horses carrying riders dressed in ancient costumes, as they sprinted to the finish line.

According to Dong Huping, a horse racing inheritor, the tradition was said to have been established during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) to commemorate messengers, who served as a valuable means of communication in ancient times, especially in times of war.

The event has taken root in Xiadongzhai, as the village has since ancient times been acting as an important commercial hub, while its location was also considered important in terms of military strategy.

"The nature of the horse racing competition today remains almost the same as what happened in the old days," Dong said. "For example, we can see the riders carrying flags on their backs, while the horses are without saddles. This is because messengers often had to hit the road hastily, which meant that they had no time to saddle the horse and could only rely on their brilliant riding skills to maintain balance."

Nowadays, the horse racing festival has become a cultural tourism industry brand, integrating parades, folk performances and fireworks show held during the Spring Festival holiday.

Every year around the Chinese Lunar New Year, about 30,000 tourists pay visits to the village, which has significantly increased the income of local residents.

To better preserve and further promote its development, youngsters are encouraged to master and polish their riding skills under the guidance of veteran "messengers," and to participate in the annual event.

At the same time, the village has established a horse racing training center, raised funds and purchased new horses, costumes and props to woo new blood, to pass on and carry forward this ancient skill.

"Participation in horse racing also helps the young generation develop a stronger sense of identity and pride in their hometown," Dong said. 

This photo taken on Feb. 6, 2023 shows a horse racing festival in Xiadongzhai Village, Pingding County of north China's Shanxi Province. The horse racing festival, held on the 16th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar in the village, is a Spring Festival custom with a history of over 1,800 years. It has also been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.(Xinhua/Zhan Yan)
KUNMING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A freight train loaded with 19 cold-chain containers packed with about 280 tonnes of fresh vegetables left Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Tuesday.

This was the first "China-Laos-Thailand" round-trip freight train. The train was scheduled to arrive in the Thai capital of Bangkok in 55 hours.

It will first stop at the Vientiane South Station in Laos for reloading, and then head for Bangkok via the Thai meter-gauge railway, which helps shorten the travel time by about one day compared to the previous route, while also reducing the transportation cost by more than 20 percent, said the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd. The previous route was a combination of railway and highway.

When the train returns, it will carry seasonal fruits such as Thai longan and durian.

At present, cross-border freight transportation via the China-Laos Railway covers Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries along the Belt and Road. The variety of transported goods has expanded from just more than 10 types when the railway was first opened to over 1,200 types currently. Total freight volume on this route now exceeds 2.5 million tonnes. 
MOGADISHU, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 8.3 million people require humanitarian assistance in Somalia where significant segments of the population are on the brink of famine, the United Nations relief agency said Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in the absence of adequate funding and enhanced capacity, famine is projected between April and June in the three population groups including Baidoa and Burhakaba rural districts as well as internally displaced people (IDPs) in Baidoa and Mogadishu.

"Somalis are hungrier, sicker, and more vulnerable than a year ago, pushing an ever greater number of people into reliance on humanitarian assistance for survival," OCHA said in its latest update on the humanitarian situation in Somalia.

It said even if no famine emerges, the humanitarian situation is extremely alarming since more than 6.3 million Somalis are expected to face high levels of food insecurity between January and March, including 322,000 in catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

"The cumulative levels of excess mortality could be as high as in 2011 when almost 260,000 people lost their lives, at least half of them children. In 2022 alone, 1,049 children died in nutrition centers and many more without even accessing the centers," OCHA said.

The crisis is caused by the historic failure of four consecutive rainy seasons, persistent conflict, displacement, and high food prices that have left millions of people at risk and are pushing people in Somalia to the brink of famine.

OCHA said the current drought is the longest and most severe in recent history and has surpassed the 2010/2011 and 2016/2017 droughts in terms of duration and severity.

It also said the recent escalation of the military offensive against al-Shabab, in addition to ongoing political and inter-clan tensions, has resulted in significant humanitarian impacts including increased displacement and reprisal attacks.

"Overall, it is expected that up to 450,000 additional civilians will be displaced due to conflict in 2023," it warned, noting that protection concerns include widespread forced family separation, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, freedom of movement restrictions, forced recruitment, abductions and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

OCHA believed the ongoing military operations offer both an opportunity for expanded access into areas previously under al-Shabab control as well as the increased likelihood of widespread insecurity and acute deterioration of humanitarian access.

"This uncertainty will require partners to exercise flexibility in programming to adapt to shifting insecurity, to assess and provide assistance in newly recovered areas as well as to engage in coordinated advocacy for the protection of civilians," OCHA said. 
HONG KONG, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cross-boundary students were able to return to Hong Kong to resume face-to-face classes in phases starting Wednesday, with secondary school students being the first group to come back.

The next phase will start on Feb. 22, involving students from primary schools, kindergartens, and special schools, according to the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

As normal travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland fully resumed on Feb. 6, cross-boundary students could attend school in Hong Kong without having to do the pre-departure nucleic acid test or make a reservation to cross the boundary.

Secretary for Education of the HKSAR government Choi Yuk-lin visited the Shenzhen Bay Control Point on Wednesday morning to see the arrangements of boundary crossing for the cross-boundary students.

Choi said that more than 1,000 students crossed the boundary through the Shenzhen Bay Control Point on Wednesday morning and the process was smooth. The Immigration Department of the HKSAR government set up a number of special passages for the cross-boundary students so that they did not have to queue and wait.

Junior high school student Chen Jiayi came to Hong Kong via the Lo Wu Control point on Wednesday morning. He said there were staff members at the Control point to guide the students, and everything went smoothly. It took him about half an hour to cross the boundary.

About 21,000 cross-boundary students are studying in Hong Kong, with most of them living in Shenzhen. They crossed the boundary to Hong Kong to go to school daily. 
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday expressed deep condolences over the death of Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order in Taiwan and the Buddha's Light International Association.

Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits extended deep grief over the passing of Master Hsing Yun, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

Zhu said, Master Hsing Yun, who passed away on Feb. 5, dedicated his life to promoting Buddhist doctrines and Chinese culture.

Master Hsing Yun was revered by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait for always safeguarding the overall interests of the Chinese nation, firmly supporting China's national reunification and opposing "Taiwan independence," as well as helping advance cross-Strait exchanges, Zhu said.

She called on all Buddhists in Taiwan to carry on the last wishes of Master Hsing Yun by continuing to promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, support the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and strive for national reunification and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Zhu also expressed condolences over the recent passing of Taiwan scholar Chu Yun-han, who she said bore deep feelings for the motherland and had made significant contributions to exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. 
MOGADISHU, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Wednesday opened a new center that will monitor locust and other pests in northern Somalia.

The first Pest Control Center, based in Hargeisa, a key town in Somaliland, will act as a desert locust early warning and control base and will build local capacity to manage desert locusts in the future, the FAO said in a statement.

"Early action taken in Somaliland will definitely be a game changer and will help to prevent future upsurges and protect the livelihoods of millions of vulnerable communities in the whole eastern Africa region," it said.

The worst desert locust crisis in decades hit the greater Horn of Africa in late 2019, where tens of thousands of hectares of cropland and pasture have been damaged, with severe consequences for agriculture-based livelihoods in contexts where food security is already affected by recurrent climate shocks such as droughts and floods, the FAO said.

"In Somaliland, where the vast majority of people depend on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods, recurrent drought, and floods have resulted in significant impacts on household food security, and the desert locust crisis exacerbated the crisis, threatening the livelihoods of rural families," it said.

The FAO has been working with Somaliland to not only control the 2019-2021 desert locust upsurge but also to build the capacity of the government to quickly respond to and manage future upsurges in a timely manner.

The UN food agency said the choice of Hargeisa hosting the facility was informed by the fact that the hinterland of Somaliland extending from Zeylac to Berbera is some of the most ideal breeding grounds in the Horn of Africa and is regularly invaded by mature locust swarms from the Arabian Peninsula.

"The newly established center continues that collaborative effort, helping the Somaliland government to lead in the management of the crisis, and ensuring they are better prepared for such challenges in the future," the FAO said. 
CAIRO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Heba Gamal, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, has condemned frequent shooting incidents in the United States, saying they are driven by a "deep-rooted culture of racism, bullying, white supremacy and the proliferation of arms."

"American laws that permit 18-year-old citizens to freely and easily possess weapons, even war arms, is the main reason for exacerbating the problem," Gamal, also an associate professor of Comparative Politics at the Cairo-based state-run Institute of National Planning, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Violence, she said, has become part of American society and culture, with murder scenes often seen in TV series and movies.

"Amid high rates of crimes, streets have become unsafe, especially at night," Gamal said, adding that the rising poverty and persecution rates add more fuel to the fire.

Deeming violence a deep-seated problem in the U.S. society, she said, "Violence is part of the American culture and society," and those who immigrated from Europe in history assaulted the indigenous people (Native Americans).

Commenting on democracy and human rights, Gamal considered them "slogans that have not built a homogeneous community."

Targeting people of color indicated that "racism is a well-established culture in the U.S. mentality," the expert said, referring to the murder of George Floyd, an African-American man, in the city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer.

"Colored people are the main victims of the American violent society," she said, holding the belief in white supremacy to be a major reason for the profound racism in the United States as U.S. former President Donald Trump "supported such a concept and many groups eventually appeared to defend the rise of those racist ideas."

She said that the "vicious circle of violence and shooting will continue," not only because the arms trade is a pillar of the U.S. economy, but also the existence of weapons lobbies and the spread of organized crime groups that boost violent attacks.

Human rights groups have called on the U.S. Congress to reinstate a federal ban on assault weapons and warned against the rising violence.

"It is a profitable trade. I do not think the Congress will pass a law on prohibiting sales of weapons for civilians," she said, questioning whether it is "logical for ordinary people to own war weapons."

The repetition of violent attacks signals "ignorance of the U.S. administration of human rights and protection of children and youth from murder," Gamal said.

Weapon sellers are the most influential and richest people in the United States. Both Republicans and Democrats in the Congress need donors for their campaigns, and here the arms lobby plays a significant role in this process, the expert explained. 
WINDHOEK, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Namibian President Hage Geingob on Wednesday conveyed messages of condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, following deadly earthquakes in the two countries.

Geingob extended condolences to the two governments, the bereaved families and the entire Turkish and Syrian people, relaying heartfelt condolences, support and solidarity during the wake of this tragedy.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Turkiye and Syria and hope that amongst the pain and devastation, the brave men and women leading the national rescue effort will be able to find survivors and bring them to safety and refuge," he said.

Turkiye's disaster management agency updated Wednesday the death toll from the earthquakes to 7,108, with around 40,000 injured.

In Syria, at least 1,250 were killed and 2,050 injured, the Syrian Health Ministry said. Media reports also cited rescue workers as saying that at least 1,220 were killed and over 2,600 injured in the rebel-held region in Syria.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT) on Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in Kahramanmaras. 
Joseph Mbugua, the Principal Secretary for Roads, speaks during a ceremony to mark the ten million motorists' milestone on the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 7, 2023. The 27.1 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model on Tuesday honored ten million motorists who have used it since its official launch in July 2022. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

NAIROBI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 27.1 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model on Tuesday honored ten million motorists who have used it since its official launch in July 2022.

Senior officials, executives and ordinary motorists graced the occasion to mark the ten million users' milestone on the modern thoroughfare that has eased movement from the southern tip of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi where the main airport is located, to the upmarket Westlands district.

Joseph Mbugua, the Principal Secretary for Roads termed the Nairobi Expressway an iconic infrastructure project that has enhanced the seamless movement of people and cargo, positioning the country as a commercial and logistics hub.

"The Expressway has introduced efficiencies in the intermodal logistics within Nairobi and the wider East African region while improving supply chain logistics for the business operators," Mbugua said.

He added that courtesy of Nairobi Expressway, conference tourism has regained luster adding that its linkage with the main airport, the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and a host of ring roads within the capital has improved the country's overall economic productivity.

The Nairobi Expressway is a Class A highway with a four-lane dual carriageway that extends to six lanes in some sections while the thoroughfare has 15 entrances and 14 exits to guarantee motorists a seamless movement to various destinations.

Construction of the Nairobi Expressway by China Road and Bridge Corporation commenced in September 2020 and its use on a trial basis started in May 2022, paving way for its official launch by the then Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta on July 31, 2022.

The Expressway has cut traveling time between Nairobi's Westlands district and the main airport from two hours to twenty minutes, amid relief to motorists who include tourists and entrepreneurs.

Steve Zhao, the CEO of Moja Expressway Company which is in charge of toll management and maintenance of the thoroughfare, said that on average, 50,000 motorists were using it daily, up from 10,000 in the last quarter of 2022.

"This shows that the Nairobi Expressway has indeed created a reliable route in the existing transport networks and an effective means to address congestion in Nairobi," Zhao said.

He noted that installation of an electronic toll collection system has ensured that motorists pass through the toll stations within three seconds, saving on fuel and boosting carbon emission reduction goals in Kenya.

Zhao disclosed that over 120,000 motorists were using the electronic tolling system, adding that their safety was guaranteed amid presence of a rapid rescue team in case of an accident.

Kungu Ndungu, the Director-General of Kenya National Highways Authority said the government will leverage Nairobi Expressway to attract investments in key sectors of the economy like housing, tourism and manufacturing. 

Vehicles run on the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 6, 2023. The 27.1 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model on Tuesday honored ten million motorists who have used it since its official launch in July 2022. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Vehicles run on the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 6, 2023. The 27.1 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model on Tuesday honored ten million motorists who have used it since its official launch in July 2022. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Vehicles enter and exit the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 7, 2023. The 27.1 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model on Tuesday honored ten million motorists who have used it since its official launch in July 2022. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Vehicles run on the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 6, 2023. The 27.1 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model on Tuesday honored ten million motorists who have used it since its official launch in July 2022. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Vehicles run on the Nairobi Expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 6, 2023. The 27.1 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model on Tuesday honored ten million motorists who have used it since its official launch in July 2022. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
CAIRO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi made a phone call to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, extending his condolences to the victims of the recent deadly earthquakes that hit Turkiye.

"He reiterated Egypt's solidarity with the brotherly Turkish people, offering assistance and humanitarian aid to overcome the effects of this disaster," Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said in a statement.

Erdogan expressed appreciation for Egypt's support and solidarity, noting that they demonstrate "the profound historical bonds" the Egyptian and Turkish peoples share, Fahmy said.

Earlier in the day, Sisi made a similar phone call to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the strong earthquake that jolted the country simultaneously like the one in Turkiye.

Assad appreciated Sisi's kind gesture, stressing "the historical and fraternal relations" between the two countries, Fahmy said.

Also on Tuesday, Egypt sent five military planes loaded with medical supplies to both Syria and Turkiye to help with the treatment of those injured in the devastating earthquakes, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

More than 5,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands of others injured by the massive earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria. The quakes were also felt in Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel and other surrounding countries. 
Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department personnel are seen in the border city of Ghadames, Libya, on Feb. 6, 2023. The Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department on Tuesday said that Libya plans to reopen all of the closed border crossings. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)

TRIPOLI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department on Tuesday said that Libya plans to reopen all of the closed border crossings.

The announcement was made after Mohamed al-Khoja, the head of the department, paid a visit to the southwestern border city of Ghadames and met with local security officials.

Al-Khoja discussed with the security officials strengthening security in the area and the efforts to fight illegal activities, mainly illegal immigration, according to a statement issued by the department.

Al-Khoja also visited the Libyan-Algerian border crossing, where he opened the office of the immigration control department, the statement said.

Taking advantage of Libya's insecurity and chaos since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, many migrants, mostly Africans, choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores from the country. 

Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department personnel are seen in the border city of Ghadames, Libya, on Feb. 6, 2023. The Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department on Tuesday said that Libya plans to reopen all of the closed border crossings. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)

Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department personnel are seen in the border city of Ghadames, Libya, on Feb. 6, 2023. The Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department on Tuesday said that Libya plans to reopen all of the closed border crossings. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)

Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department personnel are seen in the border city of Ghadames, Libya, on Feb. 6, 2023. The Libyan Illegal Immigration Control Department on Tuesday said that Libya plans to reopen all of the closed border crossings. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)
CHARIKAR, Afghanistan, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Two children lost lives due to a blast in Bagram district of Afghanistan's eastern Parwan province on Tuesday, provincial government spokesman Hekmatullah Shamim said Wednesday.

"The gruesome incident took place in Bagram district on Tuesday afternoon killing a five-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister," Shamim told Xinhua.

Preliminary investigations have indicated that the device exploded was a mortar mine left over from past wars, the official said, adding that the outcome of investigations would be made public.

Afghanistan is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, where unexploded ordnances and anti-personnel mines, which have been left over from the past four decades of wars often claim lives, mostly children. 
TOKYO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan's current account surplus logged in 2022 was almost 50 percent lower than the previous year, marking its lowest level in eight years, owing to a record trade deficit due to an upsurge in imports and the yen's weakness, the government said in a report on Wednesday.

According to the finance ministry, the current account in 2022 stood at 11.44 trillion yen (87.26 billion U.S. dollars), with a record contraction year on year, resulting from surging import costs coming despite the primary income logging a record surplus.

The country's trade deficit totaled 15.78 trillion (120.36 billion dollars), with imports climbing 42 percent to 114.47 trillion yen (873.12 trillion dollars) and exports up 19.9 percent to 98.69 trillion yen (752.74 billion dollars), the ministry said, adding that the value of both was the largest since record-keeping began.

In December alone, Japan logged a current account surplus of 33.4 billion yen (254.74 million dollars), a record low for the month, dropping 90.9 percent from a year earlier, the ministry's data showed.

With imports outpacing exports, the trade deficit rose three-fold to 1.23 trillion yen (9.38 billion dollars), with the primary income totaling a record for December at 1.80 trillion yen (13.72 billion dollars), the ministry said.

Japan's current account surplus is one of the broadest measures of its trade with the rest of the world.

The data is keenly eyed by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the finance ministry ahead of new potential policy changes or monetary easing or tapering measures.

In Japan, the current account surplus increases the nation's net foreign assets by the corresponding amount, and a current account deficit does the reverse.

Both the Japanese government and private payments are included in the calculation and it is called the current account because goods and services are generally consumed in the current period. 
HANOI, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's dragon fruit prices have tripled from a year earlier amid a lower supply and rising demand, local newspaper Vietnam News reported on Wednesday.

Red-fleshed dragon fruit is being sold at around 38,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram (1.6 U.S. dollars) and white-fleshed at 25,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram (1.06 dollars).

China is the top destination for Vietnamese dragon fruit. Exports to China account for 90 percent of Vietnam's total dragon fruit shipments, a local trader in Vietnam's central province of Binh Thuan told the newspaper.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted farming activities, causing the output of dragon fruit down by about 50 percent at one point, said Nguyen Quoc Trinh, chairman of a local dragon fruit association.

As China has optimized its COVID-19 response, the demand for the fruit has been on the rise, strongly pushing prices, Trinh added.

China makes up 60 percent of Vietnam's exports of fruits, according to the data released by the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Vietnam is currently exporting 11 kinds of fruits to China through official channels, including dragon fruit, watermelon, litchi, banana, mango, jackfruit, rambutan, longan, mangosteen, passion fruit and durian.

Vietnam is growing around 1.4 million tons of dragon fruit a year on an area of about 64,000 hectares, mainly in central province of Binh Thuan and two Mekong Delta provinces of Long An and Tien Giang, according to the Department of Crop Production under Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 
MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A motorbike bomb exploded close to a mosque in Maimana city, capital of northern Afghanistan's Faryab province, on Wednesday, causing no loss of life, provincial director of information and culture Mawlawi Shamsudin Mohammad said.

"Terrorists placed explosive device in the cavities of a motorbike and the device exploded in front of Imam Abu Hanifa mosque in Maimana city at around 01:00 p.m. local time today, but fortunately left no casualties," Mohammadi told Xinhua.

Without providing more details, the official noted that the concerned authorities had begun investigations to identify the culprits and bring them to justice.

In the meantime, eyewitnesses who declined to be named said six people including three security personnel were injured in the blast.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility. 
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Construction work of a water dam has been completed in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province and was formally inaugurated on Tuesday, a provincial official said Wednesday.

The dam built with more than 90,000 U.S. dollars has a capacity of 400,000 cubic-meter water, which could help farmers increase agricultural products, besides providing them with potable water, provincial director of economy Abdul Salam Baryalay told reporters here.

This is the second water dam which has been inaugurated in the southern region of the war-torn Afghanistan over the past 10 days.

Afghan authorities inaugurated a similar water dam in Kandahar's neighboring Zabul province in late January to help farmers irrigate more 700 hectares of land as part of efforts to boost agricultural output.

Last year, Acting Deputy Prime Minister of the Afghan caretaker government Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar inaugurated the construction of a 285 km-long water canal in Qush Tepa area of the northern Balkh province to irrigate 550,000 hectares of land in the area, and its neighboring Jawzjan and Faryab provinces. 
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe (L) arrives for the opening session of the parliament in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka, Feb. 8, 2023. Wickremesinghe on Wednesday expressed confidence that his country will recover from bankruptcy by 2026. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

COLOMBO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday expressed confidence that his country will recover from bankruptcy by 2026.

Addressing the parliament about the future policies of his government, Wickremesinghe said that he will go ahead with a tax reform program despite challenges by several groups.

"I'm ready to make unpopular decisions for the sake of the nation. People will realize the importance of those decisions in two to three years," he said.

Wickremesinghe noted that despite difficulties, the government has taken measures to protect the vulnerable groups from the suffering of economic woes.

The president also said the country is now moving from a negative economy towards a positive one, adding that by the end of 2023 Sri Lanka will be able to achieve economic growth.

He urged all the parties in parliament join the process to build the country together. 

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe (1st L) arrives for the opening session of the parliament in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka, Feb. 8, 2023. Wickremesinghe on Wednesday expressed confidence that his country will recover from bankruptcy by 2026. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)
BERLIN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Despite providing military assistance to Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must not become a party to the country's conflict with Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday.

In a speech to the German lower house of parliament (Bundestag) ahead of a special meeting of the European Council to discuss the conflict, Scholz warned against a "public competition to outdo each other along the lines of battle tanks, submarines, aircraft..."

This would harm the unity of the West, he said.

"We preserve and strengthen this cohesion by preparing decisions confidentially first before communicating them," he said, referring to the recent decision taken by Germany and the U.S. on the delivery of battle tanks.

Due to increasing pressure on Germany by NATO partners to supply heavy artillery to Ukraine, the German government decided in late January to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks, and to permit partners to re-export from their Leopard stocks. In addition, the export of up to 178 of the older Leopard 1 tanks was later approved.

The U.S. followed suit shortly afterward, with President Joe Biden announcing the delivery of Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine.

However, experts say it will be months before the German and American tanks are delivered.

Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia's lower house, warned last month that the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine would lead to retaliation with "more powerful weapons."

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his request for more weapons, as well as fighter jets, during a visit to London on Wednesday.

The United Kingdom is Ukraine's second-largest supporter after the U.S. Last year alone, the UK provided military aid worth a total of almost 2.8 billion U.S. dollars, and the British government has already pledged to "sustain the same level of funding in 2023."

At the upcoming European Council meeting on Feb. 9-10, Scholz indicated that sanctions against Russia would be further tightened. The bloc will support Ukraine "for as long as necessary," he said. 
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 36 million trees died in the western U.S. state of California last year due to the cumulative impacts of extended drought, overstocked forest conditions, insect outbreaks, and disease, said a new report released by the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday.

The report revealed that an estimated 36.3 million trees across 2.6 million acres (around 1.05 million square kilometers) of federal, state and private land died in California in 2022. The report noted that total tree mortality increased significantly both in acres affected and particularly in estimated trees killed from 2021 in which an estimated 9.5 million trees died in the state.

"Since 2020, California has experienced the driest and warmest years on record causing serious drought conditions. Without enough water, trees are susceptible to bark beetle attacks and disease," said the U.S. Forest Service in a news release, adding that "their susceptibility rises when trees are crowded and temperatures are abnormally high."

"Even with the recent storms from atmospheric rivers, increased tree mortality should be expected in forests until precipitation returns to normal or above normal for a few years," the agency said.

The U.S. Forest Service said the agency and its partners throughout the state are working together to remove dead trees and increase forest health.

"Working together, we can mitigate the risks of tree mortality and high-intensity wildfire by reducing the overabundance of living trees on the landscape," Jennifer Eberlien, Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region, said in the news release.

California has proposed 1.2 billion U.S. dollars as part of a 2.7-billion-dollar multi-year package to accelerate wildfire resilience and forest health. Current and future actions include thinning dense forests in strategic areas, spraying insecticide on barks of high-value trees, removing trees hazardous to public safety, and ongoing monitoring of landscape conditions, according to the news release. 
OTTAWA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were injured after a city bus crashed into a daycare center Wednesday morning in Laval, north of Montreal, Canada, local media reported.

The reports said three victims and at least one child were transported to a hospital in critical condition and that more injuries were expected.

According to the reports, the driver of the bus was arrested. The reason for the crash is still unknown. 
The information of a horrific road accident has come to the fore in Peshawar, North-Western Pakistan. A bus and a car collided here on Tuesday. After which at least 30 people lost their lives when the bus fell into a deep gorge. At the same time, 15 people have been injured in this terrible road accident. This is the second such fatal accident in less than a week.

According to news agency PTI, the accident took place near Shatial Chowk in Diamir area of Gilgit Baltistan area. According to the local police, the bus was going from Gilgit to Rawalpindi. That's when it had a head-on collision with a car coming from the opposite direction from the Shatial area. After which both the vehicles fell into a deep gorge. After getting the information, police and rescue officials reached the spot and the injured and dead bodies were taken to RHC Hospital.

Police officials said that the rescuers had to face difficulty in the relief and rescue work due to the darkness. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also expressed grief over the death of people in this accident. According to the official 'Radio Pakistan', Prime Minister Sharif expressed condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for peace of the souls of the dead. He has also issued instructions to the officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured. President Arif Alvi has also condoled the death of people in the accident.

It may be known that on Friday, 17 people lost their lives in a head-on collision between a bus and a speeding truck near a tunnel in the Kohat district of North West Pakistan. On the other hand, on January 29, another fatal accident took place in southern Pakistan. When a bus collided with a pole and fell off a bridge, 40 people died. Fatal accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor road infrastructure and disregard for traffic laws.

RBI's UPI Push: G20 travellers can use UPI for payments

RBI proposes borrowing of G-secs, permit lending: Shaktikanta Das

MP Staff Nurse recruitment paper leaked, exam canceled
BOSSAO: At least 24 people were killed and 53 others wounded in a second day of fierce fighting in the breakaway region of Somaliland, two doctors said. This happened after the local authorities announced their intention to rejoin federated Somalia.

Although Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, it has not received widespread international recognition. Some clan elders in the region's east also oppose Somaliland independence and want it to be governed from Mogadishu.

On Tuesday, Somaliland claimed fighters from Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of neighboring Somalia, were embroiled in fighting with local militias in the town of Las Anod. However, Puntland strongly denied these claims.

Also Read: Take these precautions to avoid earthquakes

According to two doctors, 58 bodies have been brought to the government hospital in Las Anods since the clashes began on Monday morning. Many more injured people have not been able to reach the hospital due to heavy fighting in the town.

Elderly residents of Las Anodes reported that health centers had been mortared and water and electricity had been cut off. Somaliland's army is carrying out heavy attacks on hospitals and civilian homes.

According to Mukhtar Abdi, a resident of Las Anod, the administrative center of the Soul region, the number of civilian deaths and injuries is uncountable.

Also Read: Entrepreneur wins Mrs. Universe for the first time as a Russian woman

Unknown who started the fighting, it happened a day after a group of local officials, religious scholars and civil society organizations issued a statement saying they do not recognize the government of Somaliland.

According to a tweet by Somaliland's state broadcaster, (the perpetrators) received well-coordinated support today from militias in Somalia's neighboring Puntland region and the so-called Khatumo militia.

Puntland Interior Minister Abdi Farah Said Juha said that Somaliland should withdraw its troops from Las Anod and other areas because his government, which previously controlled the city, was not involved in the fighting.

Also Read: Former Alfa Bank executive could lose his EU citizenship

On Tuesday, Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud called for a ceasefire: "Let the elders of the clan of Las Anod sit down and talk." Our quest for a united Somalia is the answer.
Washington: Several media outlets on Tuesday cited unnamed West Jerusalem and Washington officials in their reports that the US had requested that Israel and the State of Palestine "pause" their hostilities. Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to Israel for two days and delivered the American request to the two parties.

Blinken specifically requested that Israel temporarily halt all illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank as well as the demolishment of Palestinian homes there as well as in East Jerusalem. At the same time, the US desires an end to the Palestinian Authority's UN advocacy against Israel and the restoration of security cooperation with Israel after a month-long suspension.

According to reports, Washington is hoping the "pause" will last for at least a few months in order to stop the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Palestine from turning into a full-fledged war.

Also Read: China's oil demand is expected to increase dramatically

As media reports on the impending "pause" surfaced shortly after a fresh Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, it is unclear at this time whether the US call will actually be implemented. During the overnight operation in the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp close to Jericho, Israeli soldiers killed a number of people. The men who were killed, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), were "armed terrorists" who were allegedly planning a massacre. Local militants vowed to respond, and the Palestinian Authority called the operation a "crime."

Also Read: Twitter terminates the access of a US lawmaker

Israel has also decided to postpone its plans to demolish a building in East Jerusalem. Israel declared on Monday that the site, which is currently occupied by about 100 people but was originally scheduled to be demolished on Tuesday, will remain standing. However, the demolition order is still in effect; the Prime Minister's Office has just asked that its execution be put off.

Following a deadly Israeli military raid on a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin last month that left ten people dead, tensions between the two sides erupted. At the time, the Palestinians who were killed were described by Israeli authorities as a "terror squad" planning an attack.

Also Read: Fact Check: Heart-wrenching picture going viral after Turkey earthquakes, Know what's the truth

A Palestinian man opened fire on Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in Jerusalem shortly after the raid, killing seven people. The next day, a Palestinian teenager shot and wounded two Israelis. Israel has conducted airstrikes on purported "military sites" in the Gaza Strip in addition to ground raids.
Germany and Poland to convene tank coalition next week 8 February, 11:46 PM Boris Pistorius and Oleksii Reznikov (Photo:Oleksii Reznikov/Twitter)

In the coming days, Germany and Poland will gather representatives of countries that are ready to supply Ukraine with Leopard-2 tanks, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to Poland on Feb. 8, as reported by German newspaper Bild.

He said the meeting of the tank coalition will serve to coordinate joint effort to expedite arming Kyiv with modern Western tanks.

Read also: Boris Johnson calls for fighter jets and more tanks for Ukraine

According to the Guardian, Pistorius also noted that the first Leopard-2 tanks could arrive in Ukraine in March-April.

We could deliver at least one battalion in the first four months of this year  three months maybe  and then we need to proceed as fast as possible of course, the minister said.

Video of day

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.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that Ukraine will receive 120-140 modern Western tanks in the first wave of deliveries. According to him, the tank coalition supporting Ukraine already includes 12 countries.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian military needs 300-500 tanks to conduct an offensive to liberate Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
Rosatom plans to speed up building nuclear plant in Hungary 8 February, 12:11 PM Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, acts as Russia's "advocate" in the European Union (Photo:Bernadett Szabo/File Photo/Reuters)

Russian nuclear operator Rosatom is ready to speed up the construction of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant (NPP) in Hungary if necessary, while preparations proceed according to agreed-upon time frames, Russian propaganda agency Interfax quoted Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev as saying on Feb. 7.

In principle, were proceeding according to the current contract, and the stage of switching to construction and entering the second phase has already been decided in advance, in our understanding, he said.

If the customer asks us to speed up, well speed up, well work in the framework of the current contractual obligations, within those contractual obligations.

Video of day

Likhachev clarified that the first concrete at the NPP site could be poured in a year, i.e. in 2024.

In late January, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksander Novak discussed the status of the Paks-2 NPP project by phone and agreed to accelerate investments wherever possible, the Hungarian minister said following the call.

He once again emphasized that Hungary would not support any EU proposal that would even slightly complicate or make Hungarian-Russian cooperation in the nuclear field impossible.

In late August 2022, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued Rosatom a construction permit for the fifth and six reactors of the Paks-2 NPP.

Currently, four VVER-440-type reactors, with a total capacity of about 2 GW, are operating at the Paks NPP in Hungary, working on Soviet designs.

In 2009, the Hungarian parliament approved the construction of two new reactors for this plant, but the construction timeline was affected by a lengthy review by the European Commission.

The cost of the project is about EUR 12.5 billion ($13.4 billion). Rosatom signed contracts for the completion of the NPP in December 2014. In March of the same year, Russia and Hungary signed an agreement to provide a long-term loan of EUR 10 billion ($10.7 billion) for the plants construction.

In December 2022, Szijjarto said the sides were discussing another expansion for the plant.

Earlier on Feb. 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted the decision of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry.



Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
It's time to learn about what "high school" is like in other countries, y'all.

heathers scenes where they gather together and say "oh my god, here we go"

New World Pictures / Via giphy.com

After years of being bombarded by images of what high school is like in the states, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to dish on what schooling during the teen years is like in their countries.

kids passing notes down a row in a classroom

Kristofer Barton / Via giphy.com

Here's how they described schooling around the world.

1. Australia

"Awesome, fun times. Water wars with other schools' kids was a regular. Teachers were largely supportive and great at making us passionate about all the subjects. There were cliques, but after two years, all cliques kept their various styles but melded together." ednjune Phillip Wittke / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Another Aussie shared their experience.

"I grew up in Australia. The main differences I can think of off the top of my head are 1.) Uniforms, we werent allowed to choose our own clothes except on free dress days. Some girls would roll up the band of their skirts to make them shorter and flirtier, though! 2.) No school lunches. It was bring your own from home, buy from the canteen, or starve. And no lunch room, although there were plenty of benches outside. 3.) I dont remember there being noticeable cliques. Of course, there were groups of friends who stuck together with similar interests, but I guess as we were all in the same uniforms and werent allowed to have wild-colored hair or piercings, it wasnt that noticeable?" m1shm1sh Davidf / Getty Images

2. Germany

"After elementary school, i.e. the end of fourth grade, your grades will decide what kind of secondary school you'll go to. (The recommendation isn't legally binding, meaning that even if your child doesn't get a recommendation for the highest level of secondary school, you can still send them, but they'll most likely have a hard time academically.) The system is 3-tiered. 1. Hauptschule. Ends after 9th/10th grade. 2. Realschule. Ends after 10th grade. 3. Gymnasium. Ends after 12th/13th grade." Hello Africa / Getty Images

"Now, to what it is like. School normally starts around 7:40 a.m., a period lasts 45 minutes, followed by a five-minute break. Most schools will have their 'big break' (15-20 minutes) after second period. Unless you have afternoon school, usually the school day ends after sixth period, around 1 p.m."

"English is your first foreign language, and you will need to choose another at the end of sixth grade. Usually, it's either French, Latin, or Spanish (depending on your profile, see above, you might have to pick a 3rd foreign language later). Classes are smaller. My graduating class was 62 or 63 people. There are extracurriculars or clubs (AG, Arbeitsgemeinschaft), but they're dependent on finding a teacher that's willing, and there's no extra credit for attending. Grades go from 1 (very good) to 6 (insufficient). There are no Scantron or multiple-choice tests." We-ge / Getty Images

"There are electives, like literature, psychology, philosophy, astronomy, etc. but not before 11/12th grade."

"You pick two to three 'Leistungskurse,' kinda like AP classes for your last two years of school. The rest, that you didn't drop anyway, are 'Grundkurs' level classes. School uniforms aren't really a thing, and for the most part, dress codes are neither. Obviously, you're supposed to dress appropriately, but no one gets sent home for wearing spaghetti straps or yoga pants. Afaik, the only kid I remember ever getting sent home to change, was a boy whose jeans were so filled with 'fashionable' holes they were practically one big hole. But even that may have been because the teacher that sent him home was his neighbor." sass2511 Willie B. Thomas / Getty Images

3. Caribbean

"I grew up in the Caribbean, and my high school experience was lit af. You live, you learn, eh, thank the good lord it was not traumatic. In my high school, cliques were irrelevant. My friends and I were all cool; of course, each high school has its share of snobby stuck-ups, but as I said before, they were irrelevant. Nobody really cared about cliques. When I graduated, I learned a lot, and I do miss my high school sometimes. Looking back, those were the best of days." brealopez2022 Nandani Bridglal / Getty Images

4. United Kingdom

"In the UK, we had a uniform, but our school's was literally just black, with a logo hoodie rather than blazers or anything, I went to a state school that won best independent state school in the north one year  and we regularly beat the other schools in terms of results  and was considered 'outstanding' by the Ofsted (the board which reviews all British schools). Despite all this, we had conspiracy theorist history teachers, one of whom spent a whole lesson on the JFK assassination, we had year-8's (12-13-year-olds) dealing drugs in school with teachers that knew about it, and the sanitary bins in the toilets were always literally overflowing. One thing I've always been jealous of in American schools is that you don't have your entire school career judged of like 10 hours of exams. In the UK, that's typically what happens when it comes to GCSE and A levels." unibean Solstock / Getty Images

A couple of BuzzFeed Community members likened their UK high school experience to The Inbetweeners.

teenage boys dancing in "the inbetweeners"

Bwark Productions Young Films / Via giphy.com

"I grew up in the UK, and the closest representation I can think of when it comes to school is The Inbetweeners. It is scary how accurate it is to English secondary schools  the sex pest who claims they know it all, the one who will clearly vote Tory and take things too seriously, the one who's not all that clever, the knobbish teacher who follows his own rules, even the teacher who gets too comfortable with the students (for the record, in my school it was the IT teacher)."

hobbitgirl96

Teenage boy trying to flag down two teenage girls who walk right past him on "The Inbetweeners"

Bwark Productions Young Films / Via giphy.com

"Inbetweeners is a much better example of UK school than Skins or anything! Bunch of horny idiots lacking any social skills.

I went to a Grammar school in the SE of England, which means I had to test to get in. Year 7-9 (11-14) was pretty standard, the whole class would attend together, maybe sets for maths. Year 10/11 was GCSE, so we had our own individual choices and schedules, but still core subjects like math, English, and science. My school also had a sixth form, which was basically year 12/13 for A levels. You took three or four subjects only and only had to be in school for classes. We could also ditch the uniform at that point but still had to dress for 'business.' So, a bunch of 17-year-olds looking like work experience mostly!! This was all 20 years ago, though."

Story continues

harleybear

5. South Africa

"In South Africa: age 3-5=creche, 5/6=grade R, primary school=grade 1 to 7, high school=grade 8 to 12. We wear uniforms, bring our own lunches to school, more academically focused. School year is from late January to mid-December, divided into four terms with short school holidays between each term, December being the longest with at least six weeks off. Most schools don't have lockers (more a private school thing). You had to lug your school bag from class to class with all your books for the day in them." ilseoos81 Jacoblund / Getty Images/iStockphoto

6. Canada

"Im Canadian and went to a very large suburban school in a medium-sized city. What now shocks me about the school is that my parents let us go at all. The football coachs son was a drug dealer. When I was 15, someone set fire to some crash mats outside the gym, and the school was closed for two weeks while they fixed the resulting damage. One year, a guy started running into the school every day and grabbing female students, molesting them, and running out. This went on for weeks before they caught him. Minor incidents were smoke and stink bombs getting set off while they pulled the fire alarm, a protest by native Canadian students that turned violent, and the regular bullying that happens in schools. I even remember being at a school dance, and a guy was bragging that he could get his cousin to bring a gun over in 15 minutes. Fortunately, no one asked him to prove it. I must have learned things because I went to university, and I had friends and the sort of social life a smart, very sarcastic teenage girl who doesnt do any clubs or sports has. But now, I remember how stupidly unsafe it was, and I hope its better, but the drug dealer is a teacher there now."  janes4c411b247 Chris Jongkind / Getty Images

7. The Netherlands

"In the Netherlands, you start school at the age of 4, but in the first two years, you dont learn how to read or write. Then, you learn at six years to write, read, do basic math and some history, geography, English, and art. After those six years, you can go to different schools. It depends on how high you score on a test and the advice of your teacher. There are eight different levels, but there are similarities: Everyone studies Dutch, math, English, German, biology, geography, history, and maybe some other things I cant think of right now. But how high your level tells how many things you have to study, like French, Greek, Latin, and other things. The higher levels take longer, five or six years. The lower levels take four years. If you graduate from the four lower levels, you go to a school that is specialized in jobs that are more practical like nurses, car mechanics, working in restaurants, with animals, technical, or ICT. If you graduated in the higher levels, you can go to the university and become a doctor, a lawyer, all those kinds of jobs." simon-kip Robert Vt Hoenderdaal / Getty Images

8. Serbia

"I'm from Serbia. Here we have two types of high school  general, like yours, and many different vocational (culinary, economics, science, architecture, etc.), after which you can find an entry-level job without college. Classes, or itineraries, are fixed; you don't choose classes for yourself, and one classroom equals 25-35 students who spend four years together as a unit. We tend to know each other better. I always found it weird not to know your classmates like in the US. Oh, and we can choose to go to whichever school we want, doesn't matter where we live. The bad side is that extracurricular activities are limited, our schools are made just of classrooms, bathrooms, and gymnasiums; if you want drama, music, and sports activities, you can join your local clubs outside school, and you have to pay monthly for those. That's the thing I always envied about American high school  you have a club for everything, including the school paper which I would love!" luthy_one Gilaxia / Getty Images

9. Brazil

"I did freshman year at a private school in Brazil. First, uniforms. The school I went to was particularly anal about the uniform being complete down to the pure-white shoes. Second, we only went to school for half of the day. Either you were a morning student or an afternoon student, but you werent there for 8 hours. Third, some schools in the area had special programs, like electrical engineering, that you could enroll in to kickstart your post-secondary education. Sports werent a big deal, kids were just as cruel to one another, and what you got away with depended largely on how much money your parents were willing to dish out. One thing I found interesting was that the young teachers fraternized with students outside of school, sometimes inappropriately. I distinctly remember doing a body shot off of the same girl as my physics teacher at a party." pipac Fg Trade / Getty Images

10. Sweden

"In Sweden, there is a different school system. Year 7 to 9 is high school, which we call it in best translation. Then, we continue our studies in a new school with a new 'main' class, such as theater, home economics, or a whole bunch of other selections. It's about three years, depending on the subject. And, of course, there is the usual basic subjects such as math or English. (We study English here, btw.) High school was mellow as shit, but after that, you really need to do your work. Otherwise, you have to redo a year." Imjoppe Johner Images / Getty Images/Johner RF

11. Israel

"The high school I attended in Israel was a private boarding school for kids who are gifted and/or excellent in school. You might think that putting 200-ish teenagers with massive IQs and, therefore, massive egos and emotional problems, is a bad idea, and you'll be actually only half right. The people who went to my school graduated either intellectually and socially intrigued and enhanced, or deeply, deeply scarred and traumatized. Unfortunately, I'm in the latter." orenlevko1 Gil Cohen-magen / AFP via Getty Images

12. Finland

"Finland, and went to a music-oriented one. There's a lot more freedom and responsibility: You pick around 25-30% of your curriculum based on what you're interested in, but the rest are mandatory courses (math, history, at least one foreign language, Swedish, etc.), and it takes around three years to finish. During the last year, you take your matriculation: You take nationally standardized tests in a few subjects, and those grades factor in when you're applying for university. Socially it's also a bit different since most people at least have some sense of 'wanting' to be at that exact school. The biggest jerks either might go to another school or start growing up and being less jerky." sockcucker Aimur Kytt / Getty Images

13. New Zealand

"I went to school in New Zealand in the '90s/early 2000s. 1.) Our school year begins in late January/early February at the tail-end of our summer. The end of the school year is November or early December, so Christmas falls during the summer holidays. 2.) Most high schools (usually called secondary schools or college here) have uniforms. Only a select few allow people to wear their own clothes. But a few times a year, we would have a 'mufti day' where we could pay $1 to be allowed to wear our regular clothes for the day. The money raised would go toward projects or building upgrades for the school. 3.) Each year, there was a School Ball (a bit like a prom) for the Year 12 and Year 13 students (the oldest levels in the school). It was a fairly big deal; a lot of girls convinced their parents to pay for beautiful dresses and professional hair and makeup. Hardly anyone went with dates, though. Most of us just went in a group with our friends." Chris Jackson / Getty Images

"4.) At the end of the school year, there was a prize-giving ceremony that students and parents went to, and prizes were given for various academic, arts, or sporting achievements."

"The top academic student in Year 13 would get a 'Dux' award. I got a massive trophy for being the student involved in a ton of clubs and extracurricular activities who also did well academically. 5.) In other ways, it was just like how US high school seems in the movies. There were people who were more popular than others; there were bullies. There was homework, detentions, lockers, a lot of the typical stuff." louisiana54 Peter Meecham / Getty Images

14. India

"I grew up in India. My high school experience was nonexistent lol. It was basically a lot of schoolwork, some sports on the side, and then a lot of tuitions (classes). I wasnt necessarily pushed by my parents to get good grades, but more so by society, and pretty much everyone I knew got good grades, so there was a lot of competition. The school that I went to unfortunately had teachers that favored some specific students, and I was not one of them, so I had to work extra hard. Honestly, I dont even know how I managed to do the work that I did way back when or even had the energy to." google_101581609938348549728 Dimple Bhati / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Company Logo

Dublin, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Israeli Tech Online Database" directory has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The publisher's Digital database charts the connections and provides detailed profiles of ~20,200 Israeli high-tech companies (around 9300 of them currently active); thousands of VC funds, PE firms, angel investors, accelerators & incubators; hundreds of multinational R&D centers in addition to featuring profiles of more than 36,000 C-level executives, all daily updated and verified.

It provides the most comprehensive, accurate, updated data, research and insights on Israel's High-Tech, Startups, Private Equity and Venture Capital.

This Database is a subscription-based service for Israeli and foreign entities wishing to touch base with Israeli venture capital and hi-tech industries.

Among it's clients you will find strategic & financial investors, foreign and local VC funds, Family offices, Angels, CVC, PE funds, Fund of Funds, Incubators & Accelerators, service providers, NGO's, government entities, multinational corporations, academy, technology transfer companies, start-ups, research institutions, entrepreneurs and more.

For each entity/person profile, the subscription provides information on their core technology, business description, financing rounds, management team (including contact details - email, phone number, current and previous positions, and short biography), portfolio companies, and more.

The subscription also provides various search options; you can either use the Quick Search to find a specific company (startup, VC fund, incubator etc.) or use the Advanced Search to search for startups in a specific sector, stage developing a specific technology, branch or main address and many other search criteria.

In addition, in the MEMBERS ZONE the subscriptions provides special reports about all Financing Rounds taking place in Israel, a list of startups actively Seeking Capital, list of Recently Added Seed Companies, Recent Exits and more.

Story continues

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

eToro Ltd.

Tipalti Solutions Ltd.

Rapyd Financial Technologies Ltd.

Snyk Ltd.

Pagaya Technologies Ltd.

Gong.io Ltd.

Wiz Inc.

Deel Inc.

Next Insurance Inc.

Melio Payment Inc.

Vast Data Ltd.

Papaya Global Ltd.

StoreDot Ltd.

Armis Security Ltd.

OwnBackup Ltd.

Cybereason Labs Ltd.

Forter Ltd.

Celsius Network Ltd.

Cato Networks Ltd.

HoneyBook Event Planning Ltd.

Yotpo Ltd.

Via Transportation Ltd.

Trax Solutions Retail Ltd.

Transmit Security Ltd.

Fireblocks Ltd.

Redis Labs Ltd.

NSO Group Technologies Ltd. (Q Cyber)

Landa Corp. (Landa Digital Printing)

Autotalks Ltd.

AppsFlyer Ltd.

For more information about this directory visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wbaywv

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




MarketsandMarkets Research Pvt. Ltd.

Chicago, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Adhesive Tapes Market is estimated to grow from USD 63.1 billion in 2021 to USD 83.8 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period, as per the recent study by MarketsandMarkets. The need for advanced products in healthcare, electrical & electronics, and automotive industries has driven the demand for adhesive tapes.

Adhesive tapes can be defined as a continuous, flexible backing material of cloth, cotton, fiber, paper, or metal which is coated on one or both sides with a tacky adhesive. Adhesive tape adheres to a variety of surfaces at the application of light pressure (finger pressure), with no phase change (liquid to solid). Backing material such as PP, paper, PVC, and others coated with acrylic, rubber, or silicone adhesives provide optimum strength for adhesive tapes. These tapes can be used in electricals & electronics, healthcare, automotive, white goods, paper & printing, building & construction, and retail sectors.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=251563138

Browse In-Depth TOC On " Adhesive Tapes Market

211 - Market Data Tables

69 - Figures

265 - Pages

List of Key Players in Adhesive Tapes Market:

3M Company (US) tesa SE (Germany) Nitto Denko Corporation (Japan) LINTEC Corporation (Japan) Intertape Polymer Group (Canada)

Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities and Challenges in Adhesive Tapes Market:

Driver: Increasing use of adhesive tapes in diverse end-use industries Restraints: Fluctuating cost of raw material is one of the major restraints in permanent magnet market Restraints: Volatility in prices of raw materials Opportunity: Replacement of traditional fastening systems Challenges: Implementation of stringent regulatory policies

Key Findings of the Study:

Solvent-based technology segment likely to hold largest share of the adhesive tapes market during the forecasted period. Paper backing material segment hold the fastest growing segment in overall adhesive tapes market during forecast period. Asia Pacific region likely to account the largest share of the global adhesive tapes market during forecasted period.

Story continues

Get Free Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=251563138

The demand for adhesive tapes has increased in the healthcare, electrical & electronics, automotive industries. In the healthcare industry, adhesive tapes are applied to surgical containers, monitoring electrodes, and other medical devices. Currently, these tapes are used in hospitals to cover wounds, for fixing cover shields during surgeries, and for cleaning purposes in antiseptic rooms. In the electrical & electronics industry, a wide range of adhesive tapes is used for special applications in the manufacturing and assembly of electronic components.

The silicone segment in the market is projected to grow at a higher rate than the acrylic and rubber segments because of its better adhesion properties. The performance of silicone adhesive tapes is excellent on low surface energy substrates. Silicone adhesive tapes consist of silicone polymers and are widely used in specific industrial applications such as electricals & electronics, healthcare, automotive, white goods, paper & printing, building & construction, retail, and applications involving extreme environments. These tapes are used in these applications in the form of process tapes and high-performance insulation laminates, wherein organic adhesive does not fulfill the requirements. These factors are expected to drive the demand for silicone-based tapes.

Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=251563138

PP is the most popular backing material used in the manufacturing of adhesive tapes. PP (not oriented, oriented  OPP, monoaxially oriented MOPP, and biaxially oriented BOPP) film is elastic and resistant to humidity. One of the most important polyolefin films is biaxially oriented PP (BOPP) film. BOPP is used in a variety of applications such as food packaging and multi-purpose packaging. They have low hydrophilicity and do not allow printing by ink or wetting by adhesives. These tapes cater to a wide variety of applications in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, which is growing rapidly owing to increasing population and disposable income. In addition, the demand for adhesive tapes in the packaging industry is high because it is

used in various applications such as medium & heavy-duty carton sealing, gift wrapping & decoration, general-purpose repair, bundling & strapping, and stationery.

In terms of region, the adhesive tapes market has been segmented into five regions, namely, APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East & Africa. APAC is expected to record the highest growth rate during the forecast period. This region encompasses a diverse range of economies with different levels of economic development and a large variety of industries. Most of the industries in this region include manufacturing, mining, semiconductors, electronics, oil & natural gas, textile, automobile, financial services, pharmaceutical, and telecommunication. The healthcare, automotive, and electrical & electronics sectors are growing rapidly in tandem with the rising population, easy availability of low-cost labor, and economical & accessible raw materials such as adhesives, backing materials, and release liners. These factors are driving foreign investments, thereby increasing the production of adhesive tapes in the region. The key manufacturers are adopting strategies such as new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, and investments & expansions to tap the growing demand from end-use industries.

Browse Adjacent Markets Coatings Adhesives Sealants and Elastomers Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

CONTACT: 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: sales@marketsandmarkets.com




Precedence Research

The global artificial intelligence (AI) chip market size is projected to surpass around USD 227.48 billion by 2032 from valued at USD 16.86 billion in 2022 and growing at a CAGR of 29.72% from 2023 to 2032, according to new report study by Precedence Research.

Ottawa, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Increasing deployment of robotics to boost the growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market. In recent years, the rising utilization of artificial intelligence in multiple industries, including automotive, healthcare, defence, IT & telecommunications and retail, has boosted the demand for artificial intelligence chips market. Artificial intelligence chips are designed to support deep-learning-based applications. AI chips can turn data into information, and thus, AI chips are widely used in online channels and chatbots. High bandwidth memory, faster computation and parallel processing are a few significances of artificial intelligence chips.



The global artificial intelligence (AI) chip market is in the race to make artificial intelligence chips more effective and petite, offering plenty of room for innovation. Disrupted activities negatively affected the global artificial intelligence (AI) chip market during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the market is projected to combat the loss in the upcoming years. The market is expected to witness noticeable growth during the forecast period of 2023-2032, owing to lucrative development opportunities.

Get the sample PDF of report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/2579

Report highlights:

North America dominates the global artificial intelligence (AI) chip market. At the same time, Asia Pacific is considered the fastest-growing region.

The BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) segment leads the market based on the end user. Increasing demand for potential systems to manage patient data is considered to drive the growth of the healthcare segment during the forecast period.

The machine learning technology segment dominates the market owing to statistical techniques' accurate outcomes.





Story continues

Regional snapshot:

North America holds the most extensive global artificial intelligence chip market revenue share. The region's position in the AI chip market is attributed to the rapid adoption of AI-based solutions in various industries. Increased investments in research & development activities for new AI chips drive market growth. The sudden emergence of digital services in the region is another driving factor for the market. AI chip applications with cloud-based computing services are prone to dominate the North American market in the upcoming years. Prominent companies such as Microsoft and Google, headquartered in North America, focus on creating independent inference for AI chips. This factor is propelling the growth of the market.

Moreover, major key players such as NVIDIA, International Business Machines Corporation, Qualcomm Technologies, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel Corporation have contributed to North America's artificial intelligence chip market. Most key players are headquartered in the United States; thus, the United States is considered a significant contributor to the market's growth.

Europe acquires the second-largest revenue share of the global artificial intelligence chip market. Highly advanced European industries have adopted AI technology for enhanced performance in recent years, which has propelled market growth in Europe. The increasing number of artificial intelligence chip start-ups in the region is a driving factor for the development of the artificial intelligence chip market. The increased success rate of business operations with AI solutions has pulled enterprises to invest in AI-based solutions for their businesses, boosting the growth of the AI chip market in Europe.

Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the global AI chip market. Lower operating costs and increased demand for cost-effective and faster business operation solutions are drivers for the market growth in Asia Pacific. Along with this, ongoing innovations and discoveries in the AI chip market are considered to boost the artificial intelligence chip market's growth in the Asia Pacific. For instance, in September 2022, China-based, Vastai launched its 7-nanometer Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) for cloud artificial intelligence applications. Companies such as Sapeon, Shanghai Think Force Electronic Technology Co Ltd, Huawei Technologies and Samsung Electronics are contributing to the growth of the artificial intelligence chip market in the Asia Pacific.

Ask here for more customization study@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/customization/2579

Scope of the Report

Report Attributes Details Revenue Forecast by 2032 USD 227.48 Billion CAGR 29.72% from 2023 to 2032 Edge Segment Share 75% in 2022 Largest Market North America Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032 Key Players NVIDIA Corporation, Amazon Web Services, Google Inc., General Vision Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Others

Market dynamics:

Driver:

Surged deployment of AI in surveillance cameras

The artificial intelligence in surveillance cameras uses computer software that detects and analyzes audio, video and images. Artificial intelligence in surveillance cameras has increased in recent years as AI technology alerts about doubtful motions, detects face/person, eliminates false motion, and detects objects. For better situational awareness, people are likely to purchase advanced AI-based surveillance camera systems for indoor and outdoor use. Additionally, such devices with AI chips offer high efficiency in AI-specific calculations. Thus, the surged deployment of AI in surveillance cameras is seen as a major driving factor for the growth of the AI chip market.

Restraint:

Lack of skilled workforce for the management of AI systems

The management of AI systems is complex. Lack of or shortage of skilled workforce hampers the growth of the market. AI-skilled professionals are required in the industry to develop and implement artificial intelligence systems and handle any system difficulty, such as cyber threats, bug attacks or any other technical error. Any minor mistake in managing AI systems can result in a significant loss for the business/enterprise. Thus, trained professionals with accurate AI knowledge are necessary for handling the system. The lack of a skilled workforce is caused by a shortage of specialized courses/training programs in many countries, which affects the recruitment of AI professionals.

Opportunity:

Deployment of AI in robotics

Robots enabled with artificial intelligence systems are capable of making decisions without any order or human intervention, and AI offers a better understanding of surrounding conditions to robots. This intelligent automation in robotics is considered beneficial in many sectors, such as automotive, construction, pharmacy, retail, and other industries requiring inspection and maintenance. The overall increased capabilities of robotics with the deployment of AI have boosted the demand for AI-powered robots in the global market. Considering the advantages of AI in robotics, the developers are focusing on creating robots that can be used for self-driving, healthcare management, computer monitoring, smart assistants and marketing chatbots. Thus, the surged application of AI in robotics subsequently provides lucrative opportunities for chipmakers, manufacturers and investors to focus on the discovery of robotics-specific artificial intelligence chips.

Challenge:

Unavailability of structured data

Data inputs in AI chip systems come from various unlimited sources. Such data, a crucial basis for developing a proper AI system, is not manually entered and is highly unstructured. The big unstructured data comes from voice, images and text. The overall extraction of such data takes extra time and hampers the speed of the process. Along with this, the highly unstructured and low-quality data may affect the overall outcome of the process. Thus, the unavailability of structured and high-quality data creates an obstacle to the growth of the artificial intelligence chip market.

Related Reports

Get Our Latest Press Releases@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/press-releases

Recent developments in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market:

In March 2022, a global leader in AI chipmaking, NVIDIA, announced the launch of new artificial intelligence chips and technology. The company stated that this new chip would boost computing speed.

In August 2022, SiMa. Ai., a machine learning specialist company, launched its first silicon Machine Learning System-on- Chip (MLSoC) Chip for edge artificial intelligence performance. SiMa.Ai. has partnered with TSMC for the manufacturing of MLSoC.

In October 2022, South Korea base AI chip firm, Sapeon announced that the company would manufacture its new artificial intelligence chip series X330 this year. The company will be using TSMC's 7-nanometer node for manufacturing AI chips.

In October 2022, a global leader in the artificial intelligence chip market, Intel, announced that the company would open its chip factories to Academia. This step aims to boost the research and development of semiconductors.

In May 2022, AI chip startup, SiMa.ai. closed a $30 million investment from Fidelity Management and Research Company. This raised amount will be used to innovate artificial intelligence-based hardware and software.

In October 2022, an innovative producer of tiny AI chips, POLYN, announced the availability of voice-processing tiny artificial intelligence chips. POLYN has become the first company to implement the combination of voice detection (VD) and voice extraction (VE).

In June 2022, Flex Logics company launched its platform for machine learning (ML) that frameworks for its edge artificial intelligence inference accelerator chip.





Key players in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market:

The global artificial intelligence chip market is widespread and contains multiple vital players that contribute to the market's growth. A few of them are-

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd

Qualcomm Incorporated

IBM Corporation

Xilinx Inc.

Micron Technology

Alphabet Inc

NVIDIA Corporation

General Vision Inc.

Amazon Web Services

Google Inc.

Microsoft Corporation

Market Segmentation

By Technology

Machine learning

Natural language processing

Context-aware computing

Computer vision

Predictive analysis





By Chip Type

GPU

ASIA

FPGA

CPU

Others





By Processing Type

Edge

Cloud

By Function

Training

Inference

By End-Users

Manufacturing

Healthcare

Automotive

Agriculture

Retail

Human Resources

Marketing

BFSI

Government

Others

By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

The Middle East and Africa





Immediate Delivery Available | Buy this Premium Research Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/checkout/2579

You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to contact at sales@precedenceresearch.com | +1 9197 992 333

About Us

Precedence Research is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Precedence Research has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings. We are obliged to serve our different client base present over the enterprises of medicinal services, healthcare, innovation, next-gen technologies, semi-conductors, chemicals, automotive, and aerospace & defense, among different ventures present globally.

For Latest Update Follow Us:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/precedence-research/

https://www.facebook.com/precedenceresearch/

https://twitter.com/Precedence_R




The ChatGPT fear is real. The A.I. is already outstripping human candidates on job applications and top economists have said it will take over half the jobs in the U.S., while lowering the wages of the roles remaining.

And now OpenAI's bot has revealed which roles it thinks it is "likely" to take over. Fortune asked ChatGPT: "Which jobs do you think ChatGPT will replace?"

It coyly responded that it "could not predict the future" but added there are "some tasks currently performed by people [which] may become automated or streamlined by technology like me."

These included: Data entry and data processing, customer service and support roles (e.g., answering frequently asked questions), translation tasks and report writing and content generation.

Quick to defend its answer, ChatGPT added: "However, it is important to note that while some tasks may be automated, technology like me can also help to augment and support human workers, enabling them to be more productive and efficient in their roles."

A.I. bot race

ChatGPT is far from the first of its kind but has quickly prompted rivals to announce a raft of competitors. On Monday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai unveiled Bard, which can summarize internet search results. Chinese internet search giant Baidu announced that it will debut an A.I.-powered, English-language chatbot called Ernie Bot by March. Microsoft announced yesterday it would be using OpenAI's Prometheus model to launch a chatbot interface for its Bing search engine.

And with the market only swelling in size and power it's no wonder ChatGPT also told Fortune job displacement because of bots is already occurring and will continue to do so in the coming years. It added: "In some industries, such as manufacturing and certain types of data processing, the automation of jobs has been underway for several decades. In others, such as customer service and support, the adoption of AI is more recent and is expected to accelerate in the coming years.

Story continues

"It is important to note that while some jobs may be lost due to AI, new job opportunities are also likely to be created as businesses and organizations adopt and make use of these new technologies. The key challenge will be to ensure that workers have the skills and training needed to transition into these new job opportunities."

OpenAI's founder has always been fairly open about how wellor terriblyChatGPT could go. Speaking at a VC-focussed event in San Francisco on January 12, Sam Altman said: "I think the good case [for A.I.] is just so unbelievably good that you sound like a crazy person talking about it. I think the worst case is lights-out for all of us."

ChatGPT's reach is also only going to get wider, with Altman adding Microsoft-backed Open AI is working on system that can generate video from text descriptions. In mid-January the company also hinted it plans to release a commercial version of the bot which would give customers paid-for access to integrate the interface with their own products and services.

The bot also added it would have a "net positive" impact on the jobs market due to A.I. providing increased productivity and efficiency driving economic growth. It added the balance of losing jobs versus new jobs created is down to "the level of investment in AI, the strength of the education and training systems, and the overall health of the economy".

And no, if ChatGPT takes your job, it's got no qualms about it: "I do not have emotions or personal feelings", it added.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to request for comment.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

More from Fortune:

Olympic legend Usain Bolt lost $12 million in savings to a scam. Only $12,000 remains in his account

Meghan Markles real sin that the British public cant forgiveand Americans cant understand

It just doesnt work. The worlds best restaurant is shutting down as its owner calls the modern fine dining model unsustainable

Bob Iger just put his foot down and told Disney employees to come back into the office
The coffee chain founded in Oregon is accelerating its growth in the state

Black Rock Coffee Bar

Delicious coffee and energy drinks

Black Rock Coffee Bar

Fuel Your Story

Portland, Oregon, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Portland, Ore., Feb. 8, 2023  Black Rock Coffee Bar, a national coffee chain that was founded in Portland, Oregon, is laser focused on its rapid growth in the state of Texas. The popular boutique coffee chain has announced it will open a new store in the Memorial area of Houston on Friday, February 10th.

Known for its premium roasted coffees, teas, smoothies and flavorful Fuel energy drinks, this new Black Rock Coffee Bar store is located at 901 Dairy Ashford Road. To celebrate its grand opening, Black Rock will offer all customers free 16 oz. drinks all day on February 10th at this new store.

We love Texas, said Jeff Hernandez, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Black Rock Coffee Bar. We want to be in markets where we think the culture, community, people and their families fit with our brand -- and Houston is that for us. We are thrilled to have a presence in one of the most popular neighborhoods in Houston and we look forward to developing strong connections with this thriving community.

With nearly 120 stores across seven states, this is Black Rock Coffee Bars eighth store in Houston and 18th in Texas.

Black Rock Coffee Bar is guided by three principles - coffee, community and connection. Its mission is to be a positive force in the communities it serves.

Founded in 2008 in Portland, Oregon, an area of the Pacific Northwest known for its coffee excellence, Black Rock Coffee Bar continues its rapid expansion in the West and into the Sunbelt with locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington. The boutique coffee chain recently was named the Fastest Growing Private Company in Oregon and SW Washington in 2021 by the Portland Business Journal. Last year, Black Rock Coffee Bar ranked 837th among Americas Fastest-Growing Private Companies by Inc. Magazines 5000 Annual List.

Story continues

The Black Rock culture prides itself on providing opportunities for young people to learn how to lead, run a business, and develop people skills.

About Black Rock Coffee Bar

Black Rock Coffee Bar is a national boutique coffee shop that is known for its premium roasted coffees, teas, smoothies and flavorful Fuel energy drinks. Founded as a family owned and operated business in Oregon in 2008, Black Rock Coffee Bar has grown to more than 100 retail locations in seven states.

The Black Rock culture prides itself on not only being a positive force for the communities it serves, but also the team members that fuel their locations day in and day out. An important aspect of their team mission is to recognize those that go above and beyond by displaying the 4Gs of Black Rock - grit, growth, gratitude, and grace.

For more information, visit https://br.coffee/

Attachments

CONTACT: Beth Gast Black Rock Coffee Bar 5037024405 beth.gast@bgpublicrelations.com




Growth Plus Reports

Singapore, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new market research report titled,  Botulinum Toxin Market by Product Type (Type A, Type B), Application (Therapeutics, Aesthetics)  Global Outlook & Forecast 2022-2030" published by Growth Plus Reports, the Botulinum Toxin Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.78% from 2021 to reach US$ 9.31 billion by 2030.

Download PDF Brochure of Botulinum Toxin Market Size - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis with Strategic Developments at:

https://www.growthplusreports.com/inquiry/request-sample/botulinum-toxin-market/8156

Growth Drivers

Growing application of botulinum toxin in cosmetic and aesthetic applications is the most prominent trend observed in the global botulinum toxin market. The market growth is attributed to increased demand for enhancing aesthetic appearance and growing awareness about the efficacy of botulinum toxin. People are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of botulinum toxin for several aesthetic applications, particularly anti-aging. Botulinum toxin has proven efficacy for rapidly treating wrinkles, fine lines, and other aging indicators. It can also help enhance the overall look, and make the skin look rejuvenated. Additionally, as botulinum toxin treatment is becoming safer and more affordable, more and more patients are adopting botulinum toxin treatments. Moreover, due to the improving clinical evidence, the global demand for botulinum toxin treatments for conditions such as chronic migraine and overactive bladder.

The global botulinum toxin market has been analyzed from three perspectives: Product Type, Application, and Region.

Excerpts from By Product Type

The global botulinum toxin market based on product type is segmented into, type A and type B. Type A botulinum toxin market is further segmented into:

Botox

Dysport

Xeomin

Between the two classifications, type A botulinum toxin segment has the prominent market share in 2021. Within the same segment, the uptake of Botox drug is the highest, due to the early market entry and the established brand presence in the global markets. Type A botulinum toxin is a refined version of botulinum toxin that is used to treat persistent sialorrhea, muscle stiffness, and dystonia. Type A botulinum toxin is most commonly used in aesthetic applications. It is used to treat fine lines and wrinkles on the face, notably upper facial rhytids such as the forehead, lateral canthus, and glabellar lines. In clinical trials, type A botulinum toxin has been used to treat neuromuscular disorders such as focal dystonia and pain relief associated with cervical dystonia and oromandibular dystonia.

Story continues

Additionally, type B botulinum toxin is widely used in the treatment of muscular disorders such as cervical dystonia, and its use is projected to increase in the coming years. Type B botulinum neurotoxin reduces the severity, pain, and disability during cervical dystonia.

Excerpts from By Application

The global botulinum toxin market is divided into two segments, based on application, viz.:

Therapeutics

Aesthetics

The therapeutics segment at present leads the botulinum toxin market. Chronic migraine, cervical dystonia, overactive bladder, spasticity, and other conditions come under this category. Among these subsegments, the demand for botulinum toxin for spasticity treatment is the highest. The high uptake of botulinum toxin-based treatments for spasticity is mainly owing to the growing prevalence of conditions such as multiple sclerosis. The therapeutics application of botulinum toxin is also expanding as a result of increasing R&D efforts by the market participants. For instance, in July 2020, Allergan PLC reported that the US FDA approved BOTOX, a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the treatment of lower limb muscle spasticity in young patients older than 2 years old with cerebral palsy.

Excerpts from By Region

Geographically, the global botulinum toxin market is segmented into:

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

The Rest Of The World

North America leads the global market both in terms of the volume of procedures and revenue generation. Popularity of cosmetic procedures is the major trend supporting this trend. Aesthetic procedures are more affordable in North America. Moreover, the popularity of enhancing aesthetic appearance is also a major trend in the region. These factors support the high uptake of botulinum toxin in North America market. High number of aesthetic service providers, practitioners, and plastic surgeons in North America has resulted in a significant increase in the uptake of aesthetic surgeries, thus help drive the sales of botulinum toxin and boost the North America botulinum toxin market.

The European region is characterized by high awareness and approvals to various applications of botulinum toxin. Due to the growing public awareness, an aging population, and a growing need to look young, botulinum toxin procedures much more common in Germany. High disposable incomes and medical expenditure also contribute to the prominent position of Europe botulinum toxin market on the global front. The Asia Pacific region is expected to show high growth in forecast period. The regions growth is anticipated to increase due to rising public awareness, increased R&D for products, and rapidly improving healthcare standards.

Excerpts from Competitive Landscape

Some prominent players operating in the global botulinum toxin market are:

Evolus Inc.

Ipsen Group

Allergen Inc.

Medy-Tox Inc.

Merz Pharma Gmbh

Lanzhou Institute Of Biological Products

Galderma S.A.

Abbvie Inc.

Eisai Co., Ltd.

Hugel Inc.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.growthplusreports.com/report/botulinum-toxin-market/8156

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION Market Ecosystem Timeline Under Consideration Historical Years  2020 Base Year  2021 Forecast 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 Trend (COVID-19 Perspective) Technological Trends Key Players & Competitive Positioning (2021) MARKET DYNAMICS Drivers Restraints/Challenges Opportunities GLOBAL BOTULINUM TOXIN MARKET- ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY PRODUCT TYPE Type A Botox Dysport Xeomin Others Type B GLOBAL BOTULINUM TOXIN MARKET - ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY APPLICATION Therapeutics Chronic Migraine Cervical Dystonia Overactive Bladder Spasticity Others Aesthetics Crows Feet Glabellar Lines Forehead Lines Others

Scope of the Report:

Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 US$ 6.12 billion Revenue forecast in 2030 US$ 9.31 billion Growth Rate CAGR of 4.78% from 2022 to 2030 Base year for estimation 2021 Forecast period 2022-2030 Historical Year 2020 Segments covered Product Type, Application, and Region. Regional scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (ROW)

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

Pipeline Assessment

Pricing Intelligence

Customer Base Assessment

Investment & Initiatives Analysis

'Business Profile' of Key Players

Directly Purchase Premium Copy of Botulinum Toxin Market Growth Report (2022-2030) at:

https://www.growthplusreports.com/checkout-8156

View all healthcare related reports here : https://www.growthplusreports.com/report-store

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.

CONTACT: Manan Sethi Director, Market Insights Email: sales@growthplusreports.com 20 Maxwell Road #08-08 Maxwell House, Singapore Phone no: +65 3105 1299 Web: https://www.growthplusreports.com/




GreyViews

Buy Now Pay Later Market are Rely, Visa, Revoult, Clearpay, Hoola, Afterpay, Pace, Mastercard, Monzo, PayPal Holdings Inc., Openpay, LatitudePay, Atom, Affirm Holdings Inc., Perpay, Sezzle, Quadpay among others.

Pune India, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Buy Now Pay Later Market By Enterprise Type (Small & Medium Enterprises and Large Enterprises), By Application (Healthcare, Retail, Fashion & Garments, Consumer Electronics and Others), Regions, Segmentation, and forecast till 2030.

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 buy now pay later market is operating and is predicted to expand soon. The manufacturers and suppliers involved in the buy now pay later market are present across various countries in the above-mentioned regions.

Get The Free Sample Report Within 30 Minutes @ https://greyviews.com/reports/buy-now-pay-later-market/557/request-sample

The report provides a detailed understanding of the market segments which have been formed by combining different prospects such as enterprise type, application, and regions. The key driving factors, restraints, potential growth opportunities and market challenges are also discussed in the paragraphs below.

The significant players operating in the global Buy Now Pay Later Market are Rely, Visa, Revoult, Clearpay, Hoola, Afterpay, Pace, Mastercard, Monzo, PayPal Holdings Inc., Openpay, LatitudePay, Atom, Affirm Holdings Inc., Perpay, Sezzle, Quadpay among others. To achieve a substantial market share in the worldwide buy now pay later market and strengthen their position, manufacturers are pursuing expansion methods such as current developments, mergers and acquisitions, product innovations, collaborations, and partnerships, joint ventures.

Buy now pay later payment methods to provide several advantages, including fast credit card transfers at the point of sale, and affordable and practical payment services. In addition, the buy now pay later platform allows customers to make secure payments without using a debit card, promoting global expansion. The pandemic led to a change in consumer purchasing habits; consumers preferred to use credit cards or pay in small instalments. These features allowed the consumers to spread out their expenses, thereby ensuring financial security for them. Due to interest-free repayment options, the rising demand for high-end products by millennial consumers, and an increasing number of retailers adopting the BNPL model, deferred payments are expected to continue to grow in popularity. In order to purchase high-end equipment and machinery without straining the company's cash flow, businesses can use buy now, pay later arrangements with creditors, suppliers, or vendors. It allows retailers to establish a long-term relationship with consumers, establishing a steady cash flow even when sales are down, which is good for their business. Retailers who utilize this credit model will be able to improve sales and consumer base. There are some factors which are hampering the market growth such as expensive buy now pay later integration and delayed payment leading to a high late fee. Moreover, the market is growing rapidly with rising urbanization.

Story continues

Scope of Buy Now Pay Later Market Report :

Report Metric Information Study Period 2022-2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Market Share Unit USD Billion Segments Covered Enterprise Type, Application, and Regions. Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle-East and Africa Major Players Rely, Visa, Revoult, Clearpay, Hoola, Afterpay, Pace, Mastercard, Monzo, PayPal Holdings Inc., Openpay, LatitudePay, Atom, Affirm Holdings Inc., Perpay, Sezzle, Quadpay among others

Enquiry Before Buying This Report @ https://greyviews.com/inquiry/557

Segmentation Analysis

Small & medium enterprises are expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022.

The enterprise type segment includes small & medium enterprises and large enterprises. The small & medium enterprises segment is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecasted period. Customers are attracted to buy now, pay later models because they make high-end products more affordable and allow them to use credit to pay for them. A larger customer base results in a higher sales conversion rate, which is the primary source of revenue for small and medium businesses. Increasing the adoption of BNPL by small and medium businesses will contribute to the growth of this segment, providing them with a competitive edge.

Retail is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022.

The application segment includes healthcare, retail, fashion & garments, consumer electronics and others. The retail segment is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecasted period. As a result of growing disposable income and rapid urbanization, the growing population will greatly contribute to consumer demand. Retailers dominated the buy now pay later market, accounting for around 32% of global revenue, and consumer awareness and consumption are both increasing as a consequence.

Regional Analysis

The regional analysis provides a detailed perception of the key regions and the countries. Some of the key countries analyzed for the buy now pay later market include the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, the U.K., Italy, Spain, Russia, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Peru, UAE, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia.

The North American region witnessed a major share. People in developing countries are increasingly accepting online payment methods, fueling the growth of the buy now pay later market. The leading digital payment technologies include mobile payments, debit cards, and credit cards, which reduce transaction costs and streamline fund transfers for consumers. In addition, many North Americans utilize smartphone apps and the internet, which is causing the buy now pay later market in the region to grow rapidly.

Country Analysis

Germany

Germany's buy now pay later market size was valued at USD 13.8 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 272.6 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 45.2% from 2023 to 2030.

Over the forecast period, the growth story of the BNPL industry in Germany remains strong in the medium to long term, with BNPL payment adoption expected to grow steadily. Due to German consumers' continued shift toward better payment options, such as BNPL, e-commerce marketplaces are forging strategic alliances with BNPL providers.

China

Chinas buy now pay later market size was valued at USD 14.9 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 299.28 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 45.5% from 2023 to 2030.

It is estimated that the Chinese BNPL market is dominated by big technology companies such as Ant Group, but over the next four to eight quarters, new and modern firms will emerge in the sector, as the Chinese Government continues to crack down on these big firms. According to the publisher, the BNPL industry is expected to grow rapidly in the short to medium term as a result of strong consumer demand for the product in the Chinese market.

India

India's buy now pay later market size was valued at USD 11.49 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 229.5 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 45.4% from 2023 to 2030.

There is a rapid growth in the buy now pay later (BNPL) market in India, where consumers are moving towards online payments. BNPL usage has increased significantly over the past two years as consumers shift more to online payments. As reported by Experian, BNPL transactions in India grew by 21% in H1 2022, an increase of 3% over global growth.

Covid-19 Impact

Covid-19 had a major impact on almost all industries, such as electronics, semiconductors, manufacturing, automobile, etc. However, several companies operating in the technology sector have seen increased revenue due to significant changes in consumer preferences toward technological services. In addition, the pandemic has led to significant growth in technology across developing and developed countries.

Furthermore, the growth of this market is mainly driven owing to the rising awareness about the benefits of using BNPL and the growing e-commerce sector.

Buy Now Full Report @ https://greyviews.com/checkout/557/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




TORONTO, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - As the Prime Minister and Premiers convened in Ottawa yesterday to discuss much-needed reforms to Canada's health systems, cancer patients and stakeholder groups across the country are concerned by the lack of focus on cancer care outcomes in the new proposed plan.

Cancer Action Now (CNW Group/Cancer Action Now)

Cancer Action Now, a national coalition of 30 health organizations, is sounding the alarm and urgently calling on governments to address the gaps in cancer care. This includes ensuring people in Canada have access to timely cancer screening, treatment and surgeries, no matter where they live.

While the discussion at the Federal-Provincial-Territorial meeting focused on funding and shared indicators for the health system more broadly, we urge provincial governments to make cancer a priority and ensure that cancer is a focus when rolling out provincial action plans on priority areas including: access to primary care, reducing surgical backlogs, access to mental health services and health data.

Linda Rouillard, a mom of three from Quebec, who was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer after her pregnancy, described the challenges she experienced in dealing with the cancer care system:

"I called about five clinics. Some told me that they were no longer taking patients because there were already too many requests due to the delays caused by the pandemic. I had to beg to be put on a waiting list as I was told that I would not get care for another two and a half months. I felt that I had run out of options. Next step was either finding a private clinic or flying to another province to get the care I needed, both of which were very expensive options. I had to fight for the request, and I had to fight to be seen earlier."

We know that survival rates improve when cancer is detected early and the patient receives timely treatment. Linda is one of the many Canadians who have been let down by a crumbling cancer care system. Cancer was already the leading cause of death in Canada before the pandemic, but now it is estimated that an additional 21,000 lives will be lost needlessly by the end of the decade due to the backlog of cancer screenings, treatments and surgeries that built up during the pandemic.i

Story continues

Andrea Knox, Director-at-Large, External Relations for the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology and a Cancer Action Now member, said:

"While an increase in funding will help bolster health system capacity, it is also vital to map indicators, set benchmarks and ensure transparent data is collected against them to measure health system performance. This will ensure that evidence-based policy decisions are being made for Canada's cancer care system and assess if the funding is having a desired impact in areas such as workforce planning and timely and equitable access to screening, diagnosis and treatment across Canada."

The pandemic has shown us the power of coming together and working for a common cause. The meeting yesterday was the first step in the right direction; however, this collaboration needs to continue with patients, caregivers, and organizations like the Cancer Action Now alliance. Governments must make cancer a priority in the proposed 10 year health plan to save lives.

About Cancer Action Now:

Cancer Action Now is a national alliance of patient organizations, professional associations, and life sciences companies who are witnessing the magnitude of the problem our cancer care systems and its patients are facing in light of the pandemic. We have come together to call on governments to address the issues in our cancer care systems so that Canadians with cancer have a chance to live longer, better lives than anywhere else in the world.

SOURCE Cancer Action Now

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/08/c8506.html
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CarTrawler, the world's leading B2B travel technology company, announced that it has partnered with Volotea Airlines , a low-cost Spanish airline that offers affordable fares. By integrating CarTrawler's powerful car rental technology and unique AI and machine learning tools, Volotea can provide its customers with more than 1,700 car rental companies globally to choose from.

"Our partnership with Volotea builds on the strong momentum CarTrawler has seen in Europe and North America," said Aileen McCormack, CarTrawler's Chief Commercial Officer. "As the most trusted car rental partner in the market, we utilize our technology to help partners offer their customers the best content, provide a seamless customer experience, and optimize their own revenues. We are very excited to deliver a world class car rental offering to Volotea passengers."

CarTrawler's Trading Squads will actively manage Volotea's business everyday to ensure they are delivering a consistently high performing solution throughout the term of the partnership. Travelers will be able to shop the entire car rental market, all on the Volotea platform. This will ensure an easy booking experience and make their buying journey as frictionless as possible.

"We're on a mission to provide a more engaging and interactive customer experience so we tapped CarTrawler, who has demonstrated a relentless focus on data-driven decision making and prioritizing the customer experience," said David Gonzalez, Chief Commercial Officer at Volotea. "With this new partnership, we are confident that our passengers will have a seamless experience when booking car rentals for their trips."

Volotea joins CarTrawler's extensive network of leading global travel brands, including United Airlines, easyJet, Uber, Hopper, Emirates, Hotels.com and American Express Travel.

For more information about CarTrawler, visit www.cartrawler.com .

About CarTrawler

CarTrawler is the leading global B2B provider of car rental and mobility solutions to the travel industry. Our purpose is to drive successful partnerships.

Story continues

CarTrawler's end-to-end technology platform expands our airline and travel partners' offering to their customers, creating substantial ancillary revenue opportunities. We provide unrivalled breadth and depth of content worldwide, including car rental, private airport transfer and ride-hailing services.

CarTrawler creates innovative, data-led solutions for some of the largest travel brands in the world, including United Airlines, American Express and easyJet. As a B2B company we focus solely on helping our airline and travel partners build their brands, not our own.

About Volotea

Volotea is a Barcelona-based airline founded in 2011 by Carlos Munoz and Lazaro Ros. We operated our first flight on April 5, 2012, and a decade later, we have carried more than 40 million passengers across Europe thanks to a top-notch team and a philosophy based on offering a pleasant travel experience at competitive prices.

Every year we increase the number of aircraft in our fleet, the number of routes served and the number of seats available, which has led us to become one of the fastest growing independent airlines in Europe.

We connect Volotea cities all around Europe offering direct flights, competitive prices, and a crew that will make you feel like you are at home.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cartrawler-announces-new-partnership-with-volotea-solidifying-competitive-rates-for-all-customers-301742163.html

SOURCE CarTrawler
Clarity Metals Corp.

Figure 1

Target area where drill permit has been received on the Lithium381 Property.

Figure 2

Location of Lithium381 Project showing nearby properties and total pit outline on Allkems James Bay Lithium Project from the Allkem Feasibility Study.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clarity Metals Corp. (Clarity or the Company) (CSE: CMET, OTC: CLGCF, FSE: 27G0) is pleased to report it has received the drilling permit previously announced on January 18, 2023 for the Lithium381 Property (the Property) located in Quebec adjacent to Allkem Limiteds James Bay Lithium Property.



The drilling permit specifies the location of 27 drilling pads focusing on a target interpreted from preliminary results produced by a recently completed IP/Resistivity survey which indicates a 1.5 km E-W oriented area of relative high resistivity values. Additional data obtained from a remote sensing survey and a triaxial magnetometer survey further refined the target. See figure 1 for an overview of the target area.

James Rogers CEO of Clarity comments: We are continuing to progress rapidly with the evaluation of this target and are pleased to have received this permit which will enable drill testing on the Lithium381 Property.

Clarity and Genius Metals Inc. are currently reviewing contractors proposals and support logistics to establish timing of a proposed drill program of up to 2000m.

Image 1

Figure 1 Target area where drill permit has been received on the Lithium381 Property.

Image 2

Figure 2 Location of Lithium381 Project showing nearby properties and total pit outline on Allkems James Bay Lithium Project from the Allkem Feasibility Study.

The Lithium381 Property

The Property is located in Northern Quebec, Canada, approximately 3 km from the James Bay Road and the service station at KM381 which provides infrastructure to the local area.

The 21 mineral claims comprising the 1107 ha property are contiguous with Allkem Limiteds James Bay Lithium Property hosting a deposit with Indicated resources of 40.8 Mt @1.40% Li 2 O. The James Bay Lithium deposit is a lithium bearing pegmatite, which is slated to start construction in Q1 2023. (Source: Allkem Feasibility Study filed by Allkem on SEDAR on January 11, 2022). See Figure 2.

Story continues

The Property has not previously been explored for lithium bearing pegmatites but is underlain primarily by amphibolite facies metasedimentary and minor metavolcanic rocks of the Lower Eastmain Group of the Eastmain Greenstone belt in the northeastern part of the Superior Province; the same host rocks of the adjacent James Bay Lithium Deposit.

Quebec has become a favourable jurisdiction for critical mineral exploration investment with its 2030 Plan for a Green Economy targeting a reduction in carbon emissions as well as its Plan for Development of Critical and Strategic Minerals (2020-2025) which includes commitments to share financial risk and plans to improve infrastructure for projects in Northern Quebec.

Clarity recently entered into an option agreement to earn an undivided 50% right, title, ownership and beneficial interest of the Lithium381 Property from Genius Metals Inc., an arms length public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) (See Clarity news release of Dec 7, 2022).

Qualified Person



Mr. Rory Kutluoglu P. Geo., a member of the advisory board and a consultant of the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed the technical information in this news release.

About Clarity



Clarity Metals Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration project generator company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of precious and base metals projects. Claritys exploration mandate is global and focused on countries with established legal and regulatory systems supporting mining investment. The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is listed on the CSE under the symbol CMET.

Clarity recently entered into an option agreement to acquire 50% of the Lithium381 Project adjacent to Allkem Limiteds (Allkem) James Bay Lithium feasibility stage project. See Clarity news release dated December 7, 2022.

The Company also recently acquired 100% of the Fecteau project located in the prolific Abitibi gold belt adjacent to Osisko Minings Windfall project. See Clarity news release dated February 1, 2023.

Additionally, Clarity has title on several early-stage projects in British Columbia and Newfoundland:

Empirical Gold Copper Molybdenite Property (10,518 ha)  Lillooet, B.C.

Tyber Gold Copper Silver Property (928 ha)  Southeast Vancouver Island, B.C.

Gretna Green Gold Copper Silver Property (1,331 ha) - Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, B.C.

Harp Lake Nickel Property (3,452 ha)  Labrador, NL

Eddies Cove MVT Property (450 ha) NW Newfoundland

Hare Bay Nickel Property (750 ha) NW Newfoundland

To learn more about Clarity Metals Corp. and its projects please visit www.claritygoldcorp.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

James Rogers

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 1 (833) 387-7436

Email: info@claritygoldcorp.com

Website: www.claritygoldcorp.com

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding: the exploration program on the Property; targets that may be generated from the exploration program and the fact the Lithium381 property is a project with favourable underlying geology adjacent to Allkems world class lithium deposit and that it hosts the same rocks and geological structure. The forward-looking statements reflect managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements including: that the Property may not host any lithium at all or any commercially viable grades of lithium; that the Property may not host any lithium resources like Allkems adjacent property; that the Company may not complete the exploration program on the Property as proposed; adverse market conditions; and other factors beyond the control of the parties. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include general market conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc8e4ac1-04e4-403d-a675-fc52cc1d5dcd



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e2848121-8eb3-452b-b92d-47312411c5ba




"We are going to the United Arab Emirates this time mainly to discuss the cooperation on the Qatar petroleum and natural gas engineering project," said Zhu Ling, director of the overseas operation department of China Chemical Engineering Third Construction Co., Ltd., as she boarded a flight from Shanghai to the UAE on February 7th. Saipem Group is an internationally renowned engineering company and has collaborated with China Chemical Engineering Third Construction on multiple projects. To further strengthen cooperation, the Group specially invited the company to send staff to discuss the Qatar LNG project and follow-up cooperation matters. "The total construction scale of the project is approximately 4.5 billion U.S. dollars, and based on the bidding situation, we expect to undertake a project contract value of more than a hundred million dollars," said Ms. Zhu. Since the launch of the "Anhui Goes Global" foreign trade campaign at the end of last year, up to now, Anhui Province has organized 210 people from 110 companies to conduct economic and trade activities in more than 20 countries and regions such as Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. 32 foreign investment cooperation projects have been reached, with a total intention investment amount of 12.1 billion yuan (approx. 1.8 billion USD). 260 foreign trade contracts and intention orders have been signed, with a total import and export volume of 12 billion yuan. At the beginning of this year, many enterprises have made seeking oversea business cooperation opportunities a priority. For example, Anhui Heli Industrial Vehicle Import and Export Co., Ltd. plans to visit the United States, Thailand, and Australia in the near future; Anhui Beifalai Spinning Technology Co., Ltd. plans to visit Russia by the end of February; and Onuki Crown Sewing Threads (Xuancheng) Co., Ltd. plans to visit Japan in March. An official from the Anhui Provincial Department of Commerce stated that economic performance would be the core of their work this year and that they will mainly focus on expanding foreign trade, attracting foreign investment, and promoting international cooperation. The province's goals for 2023 are to achieve a total value of 86 billion yuan in imports and exports while striving for 90 billion yuan, and to reach 25 billion USD on foreign direct investment (FDI). The "Anhui Goes Global" campaign is an important scheme to stabilize and increase foreign trade and investment. According to the campaign plan, Anhui will adhere to the principle of "government-led, enterprise-driven, and market-operated" and travel abroad in both concentrated and separate patterns in the form of "charter flight + squads".
GLENDORA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clearwater Living, a real estate and property management company dedicated to the ownership, operation and development of high-quality senior living communities, announced today the opening of Clearwater at Glendora, a 117-unit, luxury assisted living and memory support community in Glendora. Residents began moving in earlier this month.

"We are expecting apartment openings at Clearwater at Glendora to fill quickly based on continued interest," said Danielle Morgan, Clearwater Living's president and chief operating officer. "As the only assisted living and memory support community in Glendora, we are proud to help serve the community by providing these much-needed living options."

Located just off the Foothill Freeway at 333 W. Dawson Avenue, Clearwater at Glendora is a two-story, approximately 117,000-square-foot property offering 88 assisted living and 29 memory support apartments with studio, companion and one- and two-bedroom layouts that are each mindfully designed with sophisticated, contemporary finishes.

Abundant amenity spaces at the community include a theater and learning center, creative studio, radiance salon and a fitness and wellness center, as well as culinary venues for residents such as Savor Restaurant, Exhibition Kitchen, Aqua Lounge and Wine Vault. The senior living community will also have therapy services available on-site through ONR EmpowerMe, including physical and occupational therapy and speech pathology, allowing residents to receive additional support without leaving the community.

Joe Cina, president and CEO of the Glendora Chamber of Commerce, stated, "It's wonderful to see all the hard work and attention to detail that has gone into the new Clearwater at Glendora community come to completion, and to be able to celebrate the opening of this wonderful addition to Glendora and the San Gabriel Valley."

Along with the community amenities, residents will have access to a licensed nurse onsite, 24-hour compassionate care partners, medication coordination, daily monitoring and other comprehensive care services. These amenities and services all represent Clearwater's philosophy of Empowered Living through impactful emotional, physical and social experiences in a stimulating and comfortable environment.

Story continues

Clearwater Living actively acquires, develops and operates a full range of senior housing communities throughout the western United States. Clearwater at Glendora is the company's tenth community in California, Arizona and Nevada, with plans for additional developments in the pipeline.

ABOUT CLEARWATER LIVING

Clearwater Living is committed to providing the most superior customer service and living experiences that celebrate individual relevance, from our residents and their families to our family of team members. Clearwater is growing through strategic acquisitions, development and operational management of senior living communities throughout the western United States. Every Clearwater Living community practices a holistic approach to successful aging and personalized care that improve the daily lives of residents. To learn more about Clearwater Living, visit ClearwaterLiving.com.

Contact: Jennifer Franklin

Spotlight Marketing Communications

(949) 427-1385

jennifer@spotlightmarcom.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clearwater-living-opens-new-assisted-living-community-in-los-angeles-suburb-301742270.html

SOURCE Clearwater Living
NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Computer aided engineering (CAE) market insights -

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) Market 2023-2027

Vendors : 15+, Including Altair Engineering Inc., ANSYS Inc., Autodesk Inc., Bentley Systems Inc., BETA CAE Systems, Cadence Design Systems Inc., Ceetron AS, COMSOL AB, Dassault Systemes SE, ESI Group SA, Fidesys LLC, Flow Sciences Inc., Hexagon AB, Parametric Designs and Solutions, PTC Inc., Seiko Epson Corp., Siemens AG, Simerics Inc., SimScale GmbH, Symscape, among others

Coverage: Parent market analysis; key drivers, major trends, and challenges; customer and vendor landscape; vendor product insights and recent developments; key vendors; and market positioning of vendors

Segments: Type (FEA and CFD), End-user (Automotive, Aerospace and defense, Electrical and electronics, and Others), and Geography (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa)

To understand more about the computer aided engineering (CAE) market, request a sample report

In 2017, the computer aided engineering (CAE) market was valued at USD 5,285.40 million. From a regional perspective, APAC held the largest market share, valued at USD 1,065.69 million. The computer aided engineering (CAE) market size is estimated to grow by USD 4137.6 million from 2022 to 2027 at a CAGR of 9.04% according to Technavio.

Why Buy?

Add credibility to strategy

Analyzes competitor's offerings

Get a holistic view of the market

Grow your profit margin with Technavio - Buy the Report

Computer aided engineering (CAE) market - Customer Landscape

To help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies, the report outlines 

Key purchase criteria

Adoption rates

Adoption lifecycle

Drivers of price sensitivity

For highlights on customer landscape analysis, download a sample!

Computer aided engineering (CAE) market - Vendor Insights

The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services. Technavio report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors including 

Story continues

Altair Engineering Inc. - The company offers CAE named Altair Hyperworks with model structures, mechanisms, fluids, electromagnetics, electrical, embedded software, systems design, and manufacturing processes.

ANSYS Inc. - The company offers CAE Ansys Discovery with bolted structures, flow control devices, and electronic cooling.

Bentley Systems Inc. - The company offers CAE for 3D models of structural steel and 3D printing industries.

Cadence Design Systems Inc. - The company offers CAE solutions for various automotives under its brand named Numflo.

Computer aided engineering (CAE) market  Market Dynamics

Major Drivers 

Growth of the smartphone industry

Increasing requirements for large-scale project management

Reduction in product design time and cost

KEY Challenges 

Lack of awareness among end-users about developments in CFD

High cost of CAE software

Rapid technology changes

Drivers and challenges have an impact on market dynamics and can impact businesses. Find some insights from a sample report!

The computer aided engineering (CAE) market report provides critical information and factual data, with a qualitative and quantitative study of the market based on market drivers and limitations as well as future prospects.

What are the key data covered in this computer aided engineering (CAE) market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the computer aided engineering (CAE) market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the computer aided engineering (CAE) market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the computer aided engineering (CAE) market industry across Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa

A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of computer aided engineering (CAE) market vendors

Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Related Reports:

The digital manufacturing market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15.49% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 60,429.97 million. The benefits associated with the adoption of DM are notably driving the market growth, although factors such as the high cost of implementation and the complexity of processes may impede the market growth.

The GIS market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16.42% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 13,429.94 million. The rising applications of GIS solutions in disaster management are notably driving the market growth, although factors such as data privacy and security concerns may impede the market growth.

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 184 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 9.04% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 4137.6 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 7.87 Regional analysis Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 44% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Altair Engineering Inc., ANSYS Inc., Autodesk Inc., Bentley Systems Inc., BETA CAE Systems, Cadence Design Systems Inc., Ceetron AS, COMSOL AB, Dassault Systemes SE, ESI Group SA, Fidesys LLC, Flow Sciences Inc., Hexagon AB, Parametric Designs and Solutions, PTC Inc., Seiko Epson Corp., Siemens AG, Simerics Inc., SimScale GmbH, and Symscape Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of contents:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global computer aided engineering (CAE) market 2017 - 2021

4.2 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.3 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

5.4 Threat of new entrants

5.5 Threat of substitutes

5.6 Threat of rivalry

5.7 Market condition

6 Market Segmentation by Type

6.1 Market segments

6.2 Comparison by Type

6.3 FEA - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.4 CFD - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.5 Market opportunity by Type

7 Market Segmentation by End-user

7.1 Market segments

7.2 Comparison by End-user

7.3 Automotive - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.4 Aerospace and defense - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.5 Electrical and electronics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.7 Market opportunity by End-user

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

9.2 Geographic comparison

9.3 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.11 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

11.3 Landscape disruption

11.4 Industry risks

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

12.3 Altair Engineering Inc.

12.4 ANSYS Inc.

12.5 Autodesk Inc.

12.6 Bentley Systems Inc.

12.7 Cadence Design Systems Inc.

12.8 Ceetron AS

12.9 COMSOL AB

12.10 Dassault Systemes SE

12.11 ESI Group SA

12.12 Hexagon AB

12.13 PTC Inc.

12.14 Seiko Epson Corp.

12.15 Siemens AG

12.16 Simerics Inc.

12.17 Symscape

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

13.5 List of abbreviations

About Us

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: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Global Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) Market 2023-2027

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/computer-aided-engineering-cae-market-to-grow-by-7-87-y-o-y-in-2023-driven-by-the-growth-of-the-smartphone-industry---technavio-301739150.html

SOURCE Technavio
Join the most important conversation in crypto and web3! Secure your seat today

Bitstamp has officially registered with the Financial Markets Authority in France, according to the regulators website.

The exchange joins Binance, Bitpanda and Societe Generales Forge unit in registering under what is one of the most sophisticated crypto regimes in the European Union.

In France, registration involves checks that the company has competent and reputable management and complies with money laundering norms.

Bitstamp, based in Luxembourg, London and New York, has already registered in Spain and Italy. The European crypto sector is currently awaiting the arrival of the EUs Markets in Crypto Assets regulation, MiCA, which imposes tough reserve and investor information requirements on crypto services such as wallets and exchanges.

Under proposals currently being discussed by French lawmakers in the wake of the FTX collapse, unregistered companies serving the French market would have to separate client assets and manage conflicts of interest  a tougher requirement intended to bridge the transition to MiCA.

In a statement emailed to CoinDesk, the global CEO of Bitstamp, Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux, said the company is "very proud" of its new status as a virtual asset provider in France.

"France represents one of the most important markets for Bitstamp in Europe," Graftieaux said. "The crypto-asset market has been experiencing a major turning point for a few months now and, as a pioneering player, we are keen to be a driving force in the adoption of crypto-currencies from a wider public."

Read more: MiCA at the Door: How European Crypto Firms Are Getting Ready for Sweeping Legislation

UPDATE (Feb. 8, 14:31 UTC): Adds comment from Bitstamp.
NioBay Metals Inc.

MONTREAL, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NioBay Metals Inc. (NioBay or the Company) (TSX-V: NBY) (OTCQB: NBYCF) is proud to announce that Dawn Madahbee Leach, a member of the Company's board of directors, received the 2023 Business Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB).



CCABs Business Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a First Nations, Inuit, or Metis person whose business leadership has made a substantive contribution to the economic and social well-being of Indigenous people. It was the jurys unanimous decision to recognize Dawn Madahbee Leach, a respected international Indigenous business leader with CCABs national award. Through her work with the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, she continues to be integral to Indigenous economic development in Canada.

NioBays board members and employees send their congratulations to Dawn Madahbee Leach for her dedication in advancing economic development in Indigenous communities across Canada.

About NioBay Metals Inc.

NioBay is a company focused on exploration, development and use of critical green metals with an Environmentally, Sustainable, Governance, and Indigenous (ESGI) focus. The Company holds a 100% interest in the James Bay Niobium Project located 45 km south of Moosonee, in the Moose Cree Traditional Territory of the James Bay Lowlands in Ontario. NioBay also holds a 72.5% interest in the Crevier Niobium and Tantalum project located in Quebec and on the Nitassinan territory of the Pekuakamiulnatsh First Nation.

About Niobium

Niobium is a naturally occurring element. It is a readily available, reliable, soft metal that is ductile, malleable and highly resistant to corrosion. Because it enhances properties and functionalities, niobium is used in a wide range of materials and applications in the Mobility, Structural and Energy sectors. Niobium transforms materials. When added to materials like steel, glass and aluminum castings, niobium makes them smarter and lower environmental impacts, while also delivering other benefits like better performance, improved safety and increased value.

Story continues

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

NioBay Metals Inc.

Jean-Sebastien David, P.Geo., MPM

President & CEO

jsdavid@niobaymetals.com

www.niobaymetals.com




Neurosurgeon and molecular biologist will focus on medulloblastoma and ependymoma research

HOUSTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine are proud to welcome Dr. Michael Taylor, esteemed molecular biologist and CPRIT Scholar, as the Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Program at Texas Children's Hospital and at Baylor College of Medicine. Taylor will also remain clinically active as a pediatric neurosurgeon in the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, at Texas Children's Hospital.

Dr. Michael Taylor; Photo by Texas Children's Hospital

"I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Taylor, a world-renowned physician, neurosurgeon and researcher, to Texas Children's," said Mark A. Wallace, President and CEO of Texas Children's. "His extensive experience and passion for brain cancer research will be a tremendous asset to our team and will strengthen our ability to provide the very best care to childhood cancer patients in Texas, throughout the nation and worldwide."

As the director of the transformational pediatric neuro-oncology research program, Taylor will lead a team of investigators dedicated to pursuing novel therapies for particularly difficult-to-treat pediatric brain tumors, including medulloblastoma and ependymoma.

"Throughout my career, I have been inspired by the cancer research taking place at Texas Children's, and I am honored to be joining this collaborative, cutting-edge team," said Taylor. "While I am dedicated to curing medulloblastoma and ependymoma, most of all, I look forward to continuing my research into preventing these aggressive cancers. My vision is that no family ever has to face this devastating diagnosis."

Taylor's research will take place within Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, one of the largest pediatric cancer and hematology centers in the United States and consistently ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

"Dr. Taylor's research into treating and preventing rare, aggressive and recurrent pediatric brain tumors is a wonderful addition to our program, and we are so excited to welcome him to our team," said Dr. Susan Blaney, Director of Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center and Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine. "I have no doubt that Dr. Taylor and his laboratory will enhance and accelerate our mission to cure childhood cancer."

Story continues

Within the Neurosurgery division, Taylor will continue his work as a clinical neurosurgeon. In 2022, Texas Children's Hospital's pediatric neurosurgery division was ranked #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is a national and international destination for world-class, innovative, high quality and attentive neurosurgical care for children. With Dr. Taylor's arrival, Texas Children's Neurosurgery is now the largest and remains one of the most active pediatric neurosurgery teams in the nation, with very high surgical volumes, especially in pediatric brain and spinal tumor, epilepsy and fetal surgery. Just over a decade ago, Texas Children's was the first hospital in the world to use real-time MRI-guided thermal imaging and laser technology to destroy lesions in the brain that cause epilepsy and uncontrollable seizures, and experts here pioneered groundbreaking fetoscopic spina bifida repair. It is also one of the few pediatric centers with focused ultrasound technology, and is the first children's hospital to be designated as a pediatric skull base multidisciplinary team of distinction.

"I am very proud to welcome Dr. Taylor to our special neurosurgical team," said Dr. Howard Weiner, Chief of Neurosurgery at Texas Children's Hospital and Professor and Vice Chair of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine. "He is a widely recognized international leader in pediatric brain tumor research and will be a huge addition to our team. We are so impressed by Dr. Taylor's expertise and sincere dedication to the patients he cares for, and I look forward to working closely with him."

Prior to joining Texas Children's, Taylor was a professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and a principal investigator in the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He earned his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto/Ontario, and he completed his fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery and neuro-oncology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

To learn more about Texas Children's Hospital, visit texaschildrens.org . To learn more about Baylor College of Medicine, visit bcm.edu .

ABOUT TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's Health Plan, the nation's first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children's Pediatrics; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Global Health program leads efforts that advance health care equity through innovative collaboration in care, education and research for underserved populations globally. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

ABOUT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as health sciences university and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked 22nd among medical schools for research and 17th for primary care by U.S. News & World Report. Baylor is listed 20th among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding and No. 1 in Texas. The Baylor pediatrics program ranked 7th among all pediatric programs, reflecting the strong affiliation with Texas Children's Hospital where our faculty care for pediatric patients and our students and residents train. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Baylor has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals and jointly owns and operates Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center. Currently, Baylor has more than 3,000 trainees in medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, physician assistant, orthotics and genetic counseling as well as residents and postdoctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dr-michael-taylor-joins-texas-childrens-hospital-and-baylor-college-of-medicine-as-director-of-the-pediatric-neuro-oncology-research-program-301741355.html

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac; NYSE: AGM and AGM.A), the nation's secondary market provider that increases the accessibility of financing for American agriculture and rural infrastructure, today announced that it has won a 2023 Top Workplaces USA national award, the respected employer recognition program that celebrates organizations across the country that have built exceptional workplace cultures.

Farmer Mac Logo (PRNewsFoto/Farmer Mac) (PRNewsfoto/Farmer Mac)

Top Workplaces USA award recipients are determined by the results of an anonymous, research-based employee survey conducted by an independent firm. The survey measures and benchmarks employee engagement and sentiment against other organizations across the United States, and the winners are among the country's best employers with high-performing, people-first cultures. The 2023 Top Workplaces national award marks Farmer Mac's fifth Top Workplaces award. In 2022, the company was recognized in four Top Workplaces Culture Excellence award categories: Innovation, Employee Appreciation, Compensation & Benefits, and Leadership.

"We are honored to be recognized as one of the top workplaces in the United States, and I sincerely thank our employees for their honest participation in this survey," said Bradford T. Nordholm, Farmer Mac's President and CEO. "The drive and determination we see in our employees are paramount in our efforts to fuel growth, innovation, and prosperity in rural America. This award, along with the four Culture Excellence awards we achieved last year, is a gratifying reminder of the importance of supporting and cultivating a team that is passionate about fulfilling our mission and the positive impact their work has on American rural and agricultural communities."

"At Farmer Mac, we are committed to building a workplace where everyone can be proud of their work and feel motivated every day to deliver exceptional results," said Kerry Willie, Farmer Mac's Chief Human Resources Officer. "Cultivating a strong and supportive culture and offering industry-leading benefits is pivotal in attracting and retaining the best and brightest workers. We will continue to focus on supporting our innovative and talented team as we deliver the capital and commitment that rural America deserves."

Story continues

About Farmer Mac

Farmer Mac is a vital part of the agricultural credit markets and was created to increase access to and reduce the cost of credit for the benefit of American agricultural and rural communities. As the nation's secondary market for agricultural credit, we provide financial solutions to a broad spectrum of the agricultural community, including agricultural lenders, agribusinesses, and other institutions that can benefit from access to flexible, low-cost financing and risk management tools. Farmer Mac's customers benefit from our low cost of funds, low overhead costs, and high operational efficiency. More information about Farmer Mac is available on Farmer Mac's website at www.farmermac.com.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/farmer-mac-wins-top-workplaces-usa-award-301742265.html

SOURCE Farmer Mac
NORTH BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT) is proud to announce a series of executive promotions that recognize the contributions and expanded responsibilities of a number of long-serving team members.

Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. (PRNewsfoto/Federal Realty Investment Trust)

In its legal leasing function, two additional senior positions have been created to better serve its growing operations:

Robyn Sarrat , who has been with the company since 2006, has been promoted to Vice President, Legal Leasing . In this capacity, she will manage Federal Realty's legal leasing function and oversee lease documentation across the organization, including new leases, renewals, and amendments.





Becca Walker has been promoted to Vice President, Head of Legal  Real Estate. Ms. Walker will lead Federal Realty's legal function with respect to all aspects of its operating properties, including leasing, landlord-tenant matters, development and litigation management. Ms. Walker joined the company in 2015.

In its West Coast operation, the company is formalizing promotions necessitated with the appointment of Jeffrey S. Berkes to President & Chief Operating Officer two years ago:

Jan Sweetnam , a seasoned executive with more than three decades in the industry, is stepping into the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer , in which he will lead the company's growth initiatives, including vertical development opportunities at the company's existing assets, acquisitions, dispositions, and investment performance. Mr. Sweetnam has held several senior positions since joining Federal Realty in 1997 and has been instrumental in growing the company's West Coast portfolio. In 2021, he was appointed Executive Vice President, Western Region President.





Jeff Kreshek succeeds Jan Sweetnam as Senior Vice President, Western Region President . In this capacity, he will oversee the asset management, leasing and operating teams for Federal Realty's West Coast portfolio, which comprises nearly 6.5 million square feet of some of the best retail and mixed-use real estate in the country. Mr. Kreshek, who joined the company in 2011 and most recently served as Senior Vice President, West Coast Leasing, has over 30 years of experience in leasing, entitlements, property and asset management with an emphasis on redeveloping and repositioning underperforming assets.





Christian Irwin is assuming the role of Vice President, West Coast Leasing, in which he will oversee and direct all leasing activities for Federal Realty's West Coast portfolio, including new retailer relationships, lease negotiations, and leading his region's leasing team. Mr. Irwin joined the company in 2017 and has been in the industry since 2004.

Story continues

A senior position has been created to bolster the company's commitment to long-term value creation through ESG-focused initiatives:

Emily McLachlan has been promoted to Vice President, Sustainability. Ms. McLachlan, who joined the company in 2018, will be responsible for driving forward Federal Realty's ESG program. This includes setting and implementing portfolio decarbonization strategies, managing the company's solar portfolio, and overseeing all ESG reporting efforts.

In recognition of his invaluable contributions spearheading the company's highly productive specialty leasing efforts:

Mike Kelleher has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Specialty Revenue. The three-decade industry veteran joined the company in 2007 and in 2009, took on the oversight of Federal Realty's specialty leasing program, which includes temporary leasing, sponsorships, corporate partnerships, and programming across the entire portfolio.

"These experts are among the most respected in the industryday in and day out, they demonstrate leadership excellence and a strong track record of execution," said Don Wood, Federal Realty's Chief Executive Officer. "I have the highest confidence in their ability to drive our continued success and strengthen Federal's foundation as a preeminent retail REIT."

About Federal Realty

Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail-based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, Federal Realty's mission is to deliver long-term, sustainable growth through investing in communities where retail demand exceeds supply. Its expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued 0.by their respective communities. Federal Realty's 104 properties include approximately 3,200 tenants, in 26 million square feet, and approximately 3,300 residential units.

Federal Realty has increased its quarterly dividends to its shareholders for 55 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P 500 index member and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit www.federalrealty.com.





Investor Inquiries: Media Inquiries: Leah Andress Brady Brenda Pomar Vice President, Investor Relations Director, Corporate Communications 301.998.8265 301.998.8316 lbrady@federalrealty.com bpomar@federalrealty.com





Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/federal-realty-announces-executive-promotions-301741370.html

SOURCE Federal Realty Investment Trust
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global flexible electronics market size is estimated to grow by USD 20861.94 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.82% during the forecast period. APAC held the largest share of the global market in 2022, and the market in the region is estimated to witness an incremental growth of 46%. For more Insights on market size Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Flexible Electronics Market 2023-2027

Flexible electronics market - Five Forces

The global cloud data warehouse market is fragmented, and the five forces analysis covers

Bargaining Power of Buyers

The threat of New Entrants

Threat of Rivalry

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Threat of Substitutes

Interpretation of porter's five models helps to strategize the business, for entire details  buy the report!

Flexible electronics 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.

Flexible electronics market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (displays, printed sensors, batteries, thin-film photovoltaics, and others), end-user (consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, military and defense, and others), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America).

The market growth will be significant in the displays segment during the forecast period. Flexible displays are light in weight, foldable, and bendable. They are very durable than their counterparts and can be manipulated without breaking. Hence, many electronic device manufacturers are working on the development of flexible displays for smartphones, tablet computers, and advanced consumer electronic devices.

Story continues

Geography Overview

By geography, the global flexible electronics market is segmented into APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global flexible electronics market.

APAC will account for 46% of the market growth during the forecast period. The region has a high concentration of display device manufacturers and OLED panel manufacturers. In addition, the presence of a well-established supply chain for display devices is driving the growth of the flexible electronics market in APAC.

Download a Sample Report

Flexible Electronics Market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

The market is driven by capacity expansion plans.

Many electronic device manufacturers are expanding their manufacturing capacity and investing in their manufacturing plants.

Countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, China, and India are emerging as preferable investment destinations for setting up next-generation manufacturing plants.

For instance, developing countries such as India are launching several initiatives such as "Make in India" to attract investments.

These developments are accelerating activities such as R&D and product development in the consumer electronics industry, which is driving the growth of the market.

Leading trends influencing the market

The advent of conceptual flexible display products is identified as the major trend in the market.

Flexible electronics are becoming mainstream products with different conceptual-level products being prototyped by electronics device manufacturers.

Major companies such as Microsoft and Sony are prototyping screen consoles for their gaming products that provide a more appealing experience for gamers.

Companies such as Samsung are launching curved-screen TVs and are now prototyping these TVs with flexible screens.

With increasing development of conceptual display products, the market growth will accelerate during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering the market growth

The lack in mass production of flexible OLED displays is one of the key challenges hindering the market growth.

The market in focus is still in a nascent stage as there is a lack of mass-production plants to manufacture products at the desired rate.

This is leading to a lack of commercialization of products, which makes it difficult for vendors to achieve higher profits.

Most R&D activities in the field of flexible electronics happen in North America. However, mass production plants are located in APAC, which is creating a lag between the prototype and product stages.

Driver, trend, and challenges are the factor of market dynamics that state about consequences & sustainability of the businesses, find some insights from a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this flexible electronics market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the flexible electronics market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the flexible electronics market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the flexible electronics market industry across APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America

A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of flexible electronics market vendors

Gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Related Reports:

The roll-to-roll flexible electronics market size is expected to increase by USD 4.90 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 11.05%. The rising adoption of smartphones is notably driving the roll-to-roll flexible electronics market growth, although factors such as lag in mass production of flexible OLED displays may impede the market growth.

The flexible display market size is expected to increase to USD 18.93 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 10.22%. The increased R&D investments is notably driving the flexible display market growth, although factors such as reduced shelf life of products may impede the market growth.

Flexible Electronics Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 175 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 9.82% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 20861.94 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 9.01 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 46% Key countries US, South Korea, Japan, China, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled 3M Co., AU Optronics Corp., Blue Spark Technologies, Buhler AG, Corning Inc., Cymbet Corp., DuPont de Nemours Inc., E Ink Holdings Inc., Enfucell, FlexEnable Ltd., Imprint Energy Inc., Kateeva Inc., Koch Industries Inc., LG Corp., Microchip Technology Inc., Royole Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Radiant Technology Co. Ltd., The Lubrizol Corp., and Visionox Co. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of contents:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global flexible electronics market 2017 - 2021

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.3 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

5.4 Threat of new entrants

5.5 Threat of substitutes

5.6 Threat of rivalry

5.7 Market condition

6 Market Segmentation by Application

6.1 Market segments

6.2 Comparison by Application

6.3 Displays - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.4 Printed sensors - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.5 Batteries - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.6 Thin-film photovoltaics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

6.8 Market opportunity by Application

7 Market Segmentation by End-user

7.1 Market segments

7.2 Comparison by End-user

7.3 Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.4 Automotive - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.5 Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.6 Military and defense - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

7.8 Market opportunity by End-user

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

9.2 Geographic comparison

9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.8 South Korea - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.9 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.10 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.11 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

11.3 Landscape disruption

11.4 Industry risks

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

12.3 AU Optronics Corp.

12.4 Blue Spark Technologies

12.5 Buhler AG

12.6 Cymbet Corp.

12.7 E Ink Holdings Inc.

12.8 Enfucell

12.9 FlexEnable Ltd.

12.10 Imprint Energy Inc.

12.11 Kateeva Inc.

12.12 LG Corp.

12.13 Microchip Technology Inc.

12.14 Royole Corp.

12.15 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

12.16 Shenzhen Radiant Technology Co. Ltd.

12.17 The Lubrizol Corp.

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

13.5 List of abbreviations

About Us

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: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Global Coal Tar Pitch Market 2021-2025 (PRNewsfoto/Technavio)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flexible-electronics-market-2023-2027-a-descriptive-analysis-of-the-five-forces-model-market-dynamics-and-segmentation---technavio-301739249.html

SOURCE Technavio
COVID-19 Rose among Top Five Telehealth Diagnoses Nationally in November 2022, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National telehealth utilization increased 1.9 percent in November 2022, from 5.2 percent of medical claim lines in October to 5.3 percent in November, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.1 The increase in telehealth utilization followed a one-month decline in utilization in October. Telehealth utilization was higher than the national average in the West (5.7 percent), Midwest (2.6 percent) and South (2.4 percent), while remaining unchanged in the Northeast. The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.

Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, November 2022

Diagnoses

In November 2022, COVID-19 increased in rank among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally and in most regions, after two months of declining in rank nationally and in most regions. COVID-19 climbed from fifth place to third place nationally and in the Midwest. In the South and Westwhere it had fallen off the list in respectively, October and Septemberit reappeared in third place in November. In the Northeast, its rank remained unchanged at third place.

In November, acute respiratory diseases and infections remained in second place nationally and in every region. Though this diagnosis did not continue the climb in the rankings it had exhibited in September and October, it continued to rise in percentage share of telehealth claim lines nationally and in every region. Nationally, in November, acute respiratory diseases and infections grew from 4.1 percent to 5.1 percent of telehealth claim lines.

Specialties

Nationally and in the West, among the top five telehealth specialties in November 2022, primary care nonphysician rose from fifth place to fourth place, where it supplanted psychologist, which fell to fifth place. Social worker remained the number one telehealth specialty nationally and in every region, though it dropped everywhere in its percentage share of telehealth claim lines, while primary care physician and primary care nonphysician rose everywhere in percentage share.

Story continues

Procedure Codes

From October to November 2022, the rankings of the top five telehealth procedure codes did not change nationally or in any region when compared to the prior nine months. The number one telehealth procedure code nationally and in every region remained CPT2 90837, one-hour psychotherapy. However, CPT 90837 and CPT 90834, 45-minute psychotherapy, declined in their percentage share of telehealth claim lines nationally and in most regions. The exception was the South with CPT 90834, which exhibited no change.

Costs

For November 2022, the Telehealth Cost Corner spotlighted the cost of CPT 97110, therapy procedure using exercise to develop strength, endurance, range of motion and flexibility, each 15 minutes. Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $65.32, and the median allowed amount was $32.85.3

About the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker

Launched in May 2020 as a free service, the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker uses FAIR Health data to track how telehealth is evolving from month to month. An interactive map of the four US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions. Each infographic shows month-to-month changes in telehealth's percentage of medical claim lines, as well as that month's top five telehealth procedure codes, diagnoses and specialties. Additionally, in the Telehealth Cost Corner, a specific telehealth procedure code is featured, with its median charge amount and median allowed amount.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "We welcome sharing these varying windows into telehealth utilization as it continues to evolve. This is one of the many ways we pursue our healthcare transparency mission."

For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here.

Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth

About FAIR Health

FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 40 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data productsincluding benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indicesto commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Careand How to Fix It and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:

Rachel Kent

Senior Director of Marketing

FAIR Health

646-396-0795

rkent@fairhealth.org

1 A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.

2 CPT  2022 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved.

3 A charge amount is the provider's undiscounted fee, which a patient may have to pay when the patient is uninsured, or when the patient chooses to go to a provider who does not belong to the patient's plan's network. An allowed amount is the total fee paid to the provider under an insurance plan. It includes the amount that the health plan pays and the part the patient pays under the plan's in-network cost-sharing provisions (e.g., copay or coinsurance if the patient has met the deductible).

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/following-one-month-decline-telehealth-utilization-increased-nearly-two-percent-nationally-in-november-2022-301740478.html

SOURCE FAIR Health
GATC has discovered and is developing drug candidates and diagnostics for cancer, PTSD, depression, and fentanyl addiction

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GATC Health Corp, a science and technology company revolutionizing drug discovery and disease prediction using artificial intelligence (AI), today responded to the release of President Biden's "Unity Agenda" as detailed in his first State of the Union address. The Unity Agenda's goals include ending cancer as we know it; delivering on the sacred obligation to veterans; tackling the mental health crisis; and beating the opioid and overdose epidemic. Not only are these four subjects the focus of the administration, they are each also current initiatives at GATC Health.

GATC Health's patented AI helps detect diseases earlier and create safer, more effective drugs by mimicking the complex interactions of human biology. (PRNewsfoto/GATC Health)

According to the White House's Fact Sheet on the speech, "During his first State of the Union address, President Biden announced a four-part Unity Agenda focused on areas where members of both parties can come together and make additional progress for the American peopleOver the last year, the President was proud to work with Democrats and Republicans to enact major legislation that delivers on all aspects of this four-part agenda. In his State of the Union today, the President will announce a new set of policies to continue to make progress advancing his Unity Agenda and deliver results for families across the country.

"President Biden's call for bipartisan endorsement of critical health issues outlined in his State of the Union address echo GATC Health's project pipeline," noted Dr. Robert Sorrentino, the company's Chief Medical Officer. "The four goals in the Unity Agenda reflect our work in oncology, veteran's health, mental health and addiction. Our uniquely powerful AI platform is fast-tracking solutions across all four fields, which is something every American can support."

Ending cancer as we know it

In April of last year, GATC Health made news with the announcement that entered the oncology treatment market with a new prodrug for cancer. This new drug, created on GATC Health's Multiomics Advanced Technology platform (MAT), was designed to safely cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for cancer treatment, specifically glioblastoma. Innovative solutions in oncology continue at GATC Health, via planned partnerships with biotechnology firms to de-risk and optimize CAR-T and natural killer (NK) solutions by simulating clinical trial environments using the MAT platform.

Story continues

Delivering on the sacred obligation to veterans

The company's commitment to addressing veterans' needs is evidenced in the development of a new drug candidate for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This new drug asset was developed de novo by MAT and has passed GATC Health's rigorous pre-clinical validation process. This process has been demonstrated to identify drugs that will have a beneficial impact on human healthwith endpoints across a spectrum of FDA defined benchmarkswith 88% accuracy, which is 11-times more accurate than the industry standard. The platform can identify potential failures with 84% accuracy. GATC Health's new PTSD drug candidate is expected to complete in silico and small animal pre-clinical studies by the end of the year.

Tackling the mental health crisis

One of GATC Health's earliest milestones was the development of its personalized Depression Report. This valuable tool leverages MAT's ability to analyze billions of points of data per individual to provide a detailed assessment of 29 genes with almost 500 genetic variants known to be linked to mental health. In essence, its measures how much (or how little) a person's genomics influence their mental state and what simple steps can be taken to optimize mental health. The data is grouped into three categories: genetic predisposition, supplement recommendations, endocannabinoid system. With this tool, clinicians and patients can build a better strategy to strengthen and enhance mental resilience.

Beating the opioid and overdose epidemic

The first drug synthesized by GATC Health and put through pre-clinical studies specifically addresses the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic. This non-addictive fentanyl addiction drug is expected to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) by returning the diseased, addicted brain to its natural, healthy state while maintaining sufficient dopamine levels in the addiction and reward centers to reduce discomfort and agitation. This novel approach will also promote remodeling of the brain limbic system by increasing neuroplasticity, thereby facilitating shifts away from learned addiction patterns of thoughts and behavior.

In a recent presentation at the Opioid Abatement and Settlement Summit at Georgetown University before a crowd of state, municipal and tribal decision-makers who are receiving opioid settlement funds, GATC's Chief Operating Officer, Tyrone Lam described the company's new drug asset to the receptive audience. "We believe our new fentanyl addiction drug could prove to be a critical tool in the fight against this deadly epidemic."

About GATC Health

GATC Health Corp is a science and technology company revolutionizing disease prediction and drug discovery and development through its transformative AI platform and approach, which de-risks drug pipelines and accelerates new therapies to treat disease with accuracy, efficiency and speed never before achieved in medical science. The company's validated and proprietary Multiomics Advanced Technology (MAT) platform simulates human biochemistry's billions of interactions for accurate and rapid disease prediction, novel target identification, and drug discovery and development. GATC envisions the future of medicine now, where health is protected, disease is reversed, and every person's unique biology is treated with precision.

GATC is accelerating the future of predictive, individualized medicine, today.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gatc-healths-ai-platform-addresses-each-of-president-bidens-four-part-unity-agenda-goals-from-last-nights-state-of-the-union-address-301742174.html

SOURCE GATC Health Corp
Editor's note:After the conclusion of its 14th International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee, the World Health Organization issued a statement that the novel coronavirus pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Why did it make that decision and what are its possible consequences? Two experts share their views with writer Zhang Zhouxiang: Pharmacists check prescription information at a fever clinic in Minhang district of Shanghai on Jan 8. [Photo/Xinhua] Talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, one sad but undeniable fact is that it will co-exist with us humans for the long-term, like the flu. That requires society to make seasonal arrangements to protect vulnerable groups, like vaccinating the seniors who have a weak immune system and the medical staff who have higher risks of being exposed to the virus for example, so as to prevent the worse from happening. Besides, past experiences show that the antibodies inside human bodies might gradually diminish or even disappear around three months after vaccination. Therefore, experts predict the risk of a second wave from March to June. A corresponding plan should be made in advance, with the vulnerable groups such as seniors and the high-risk groups being paid special attention to. Especially, ample research must be done on the vaccines so as to make them more effective. In China, it is the effective control and prevention measures that helped China to pass the high risks safely, without any new waves emerging again. Actually, even though there are still multiple Omicron variants such as XBB, BA.7 and BA.5, many experts have already predicted that the mutations might come to an end within the next generation. It will still be a B-level epidemic in the law that must be guarded against, but the risks of it rising fiercely again are not that high. The situation facing the whole world is also quite good, as many experts believe that the pandemic is approaching its end. But as an organization, WHO will naturally tend to be cautious concerning the life and health of the public, which is a responsible attitude. With situations constantly improving, the day when WHO announces an end to PHIEC will not be that far away. A woman receives a booster dose in Chaoyang district of Beijing on July 13, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua] Even though the COVID-19 pandemic as a topic is increasingly getting out of the attention of the international society, its negative effects upon the global human health and social economic life remains. To quote a column fromNew England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)on Feb 2, in the US alone deaths from COVID-19 still range from 300 to 500 daily, which reflects a higher death burden than the severe flu. Further, a glimpse back at the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the original variant, Delta variant and Omicron variant all had their peaks, among which Omicron caused the largest number of deaths in certain countries and regions because of its high infection rate. Besides that, the German health minister and several of his colleagues had all discussed about the high excessive fatality of their nations. All these support the WHO's decision, namely that the COVID-19 pandemic is still a problem worth paying attention to. Currently quite a majority of the global population have already derived short-and middle-term antibodies from vaccinations or past infections that could effectively lower the risk of severity or death, but they prove not that effective in cutting the virus from spreading and infecting more people. With the possibility of trans-species spreading, we might have to co-exist with the COVID-19 virus for quite a considerable length of time. Worse, Long COVID in the West had already cast negative influences upon quite a many people in their daily work and life. In 2022, the UK, the US and Australia had all published their reports on Long COVID to study the persistent problems of COVID facing people. For individuals, health risks still exist, prompting everyone to take effective care.


MONTREAL, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW Telbec/ - Genius Metals Inc. (TSXV: GENI) ("Genius Metals" or the "Corporation") is pleased to report the obtention of the drilling permit previously announced on January 18, 2023, for the Lithium381 Property (the "Property") located in the James Bay Territory of northern Quebec. The property is contiguous to Allkem Limited's James Bay Lithium Mine. The James Bay Lithium Project hosts an Indicated Resource of 40.8 Mt @1.40% Li 2 O (NI 43-101 Technical Report, Feasibility Study, James Bay Lithium Project, Quebec, Canada; January 11, 2022) and on January 16, 2023, the government of Canada approved the construction of the James Bay Lithium Mine which is expected to operate during a span of 20 years.

Genius Metals Logo (CNW Group/Genius Metals Inc.)

Drilling Permit

The drilling permit submitted to government entities early in January specified the location of 27 drilling pads. Genius Metals and Clarity Metals have established a drilling program focusing on a target interpreted from preliminary results produced by a recently completed IP/Resistivity survey which outlined a 1.5 km EW-oriented area of high resistivity values. Previous surveys conducted by Lithium One in 2008 (predecessor to Galaxy Lithium) and Allkem (2021) have shown high resistivity values which in part correspond to spodumene granitic pegmatite dykes and bodies discovered and drilled previously. The last geophysical survey completed by TMC Geophysique in 2021 indicated that the resistivity highs extend for 2.3 km east of the Billy Diamond Road (James Bay Road) where spodumene granitic pegmatite dykes were observed.

Drilling Program

Genius and Clarity are currently reviewing applications from contractors and working on the logistics related to a maiden drilling program of up to 2,000m. Guy Goulet CEO of Genius Metals stated: ''We are eager to start drill testing this high-resistivity target on the Lithium381 property. The surveys recently completed on the property highlight this target within a similar geological setting to the adjacent Allkem James Bay Lithium Project.''

Story continues

The Lithium381 Property

The property is in the James Bay (Eeyou Istchee) Territory, Quebec, Canada, approximately 3km from the KM381 service station, which serves as an infrastructure for the local area. The 21 mineral claims comprising the 1107 ha property are contiguous to Allkem Limited's (TSX: AKE) James Bay Lithium property which comprises the Allkem lithium mineralization formerly known as Cyr lithium.

Genius Metals signed an option agreement with Clarity Metals Corp. (CSE: CMET, OTC: CLGCF, FSE: 27G) on December 6, 2022, which enables CMET to acquire a 50% interest in the Corporation's Lithium381 property, located in the James Bay-Eeyou Istchee region of the Province of Quebec. To acquire this interest in the property, Clarity must spend $750,000 in exploration work before December 31, 2024, and issue 720,000 common shares of its capital to Genius Metals.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Michel Boily, Ph.D., P. Geo, a qualified person under NI 43-101.

About Genius Metals

Genius Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and, if warranted, development of natural resource properties of merit in Canada.

Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimer

Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified using forward-looking terminology such as, "will be", "expected" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the exercise of the Option under the Option Agreement and the timing and amount of Expenditures funded by Clarity and statements relating to the expected findings on the Property, are based on the Corporation's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Corporation will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release

SOURCE Genius Metals Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/08/c0368.html
DUBLIN, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global COVID-19 Diagnostics Market Forecast by Technology, Product, Channel and Country: Assay Volumes and 5-Year Market Size Outlook" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research and Markets Logo

A new dynamic market is emerging for COVID-19-based diagnostics. Testing is moving into physicians' offices and even into the home.



Saliva tests? Handheld multiplex testers? Home based testing sticks? And what about the workplace market where safety is paramount? And what happens to the large laboratory capacity that was built up to handle a pandemic now in decline? Learn all about these changing markets in our latest report.



Revenue, testing volumes, technology, products and channels - they are all looked at in this complete report that provides detailed breakdowns by country and regions. Get on top of the situation quickly with market guides and situation analysis.



Key Topics Covered:

1 Market Guides

1.1 COVID-19. Strategic Situation Analysis

1.2 COVID-19. Guidance for Executives

1.3 COVID-19. Guidance for Management Consultants and Investment Advisors

2 Introduction and Market Definition

2.1 What are Pandemics?

2.2 The Role of Zoonosis

2.3 Market Definition

2.3.1 Assay Volumes

2.3.2 PCR

2.3.3 PCR Multiplex

2.3.4 SEQ

2.3.5 Antigen

2.3.6 Antibodies

2.3.7 Instruments

2.3.8 Reagents and Kits

2.3.9 Extract

2.3.10 Collect

2.3.11 Public

2.3.12 Hospital

2.3.13 Clinic

2.3.14 Workplace

2.3.15 DTC/OTC

2.3.16 Wastewater

2.4 Methodology

2.5 Historical Perspective on Pandemics

2.5.1 HIV/AIDS Pandemic 2005-2012

2.5.2 Flu Pandemic 1968

2.5.3 Asian Flu 1956-1958

2.5.4 Spanish Flu 1918

2.5.5 Sixth Cholera Pandemic 1910-1911

2.5.6 Flu Pandemic 1889-1890

2.5.7 The Black Death 1346-1353

3 The Pandemic Overview

3.1 What is a Virus?

3.1.1 Is a Virus Alive?

3.1.2 Viral Structure

3.1.3 The Viral Genome

3.1.4 Viral Mutation

3.2 The Coronavirus

3.2.1 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

3.2.2 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)

3.2.3 COVID-19. The SARS CoV 2 Virus

3.2.3.1 Signs and symptoms

3.2.3.2 Transmission

3.2.3.3 Diagnosis

3.2.3.4 Prevention

3.2.3.5 Management

3.2.3.6 Prognosis

3.2.3.7 A Note on Global Statistics Reporting

3.3 Pandemic Diagnostics

3.3.1 Risk Management - Spark and Spread

3.3.2 Dx Technology - Nucleic Acid Based

3.3.3 Dx Technology - Immunoassay

3.3.4 Time to Market and Preparedness Issues

Story continues

4 Diagnostic Company Profiles

4.1 Abacus Diagnostica

4.2 Abbott Diagnostics

4.3 Accelerate Diagnostics

4.4 Acces Bio

4.5 Advanced Biological Laboratories

4.6 Agena Bioscience, Inc

4.7 Agilent/Dako

4.8 Altona Diagnostics

4.9 Alveo Technologies

4.10 Anatolia Geneworks

4.11 Applied BioCode

4.12 Applied DNA Sciences

4.13 Assurance Scientific Laboratories

4.14 Aus Diagnostics

4.15 Autobio Diagnostics

4.16 Beckman Coulter Diagnostics

4.17 Becton, Dickinson and Company

4.18 BGI Genomics Co. Ltd

4.19 BillionToOne

4.20 Binx Health

4.21 Biocartis

4.22 Biodesix Inc

4.23 BioFire Diagnostics (bioMerieux)

4.24 Biolidics Ltd

4.25 bioMerieux Diagnostics

4.26 Bioneer Corporation

4.27 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc

4.28 Bio-Reference Laboratories

4.29 Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH

4.30 Cepheid (Danaher)

4.31 Chembio

4.32 Co Diagnostics

4.33 Color Genomics

4.34 Cue Health

4.35 Curetis N.V. / Curetis GmbH

4.36 Diagenode Diagnostics

4.37 Diasorin S.p.A

4.38 Ellume

4.39 Enzo Life Sciences, Inc

4.40 Everywell

4.41 Fluxergy

4.42 Fulgent Genetics

4.43 Fusion Genomics

4.44 Genedrive

4.45 Genetic Signatures

4.46 GenMark Dx (Roche)

4.47 Gold Standard Diagnostics

4.48 Hologic

4.49 Illumina

4.50 Immunexpress

4.51 Inflammatix

4.52 Janssen Diagnostics

4.53 Karius

4.54 Laboratory Corporation of America

4.55 Letsgetchecked

4.56 Lexagene

4.57 Luminex Corp

4.58 LumiraDx

4.59 Mammoth Biosciences

4.60 Mayo Clinic Laboratories

4.61 Mbio Diagnostics

4.62 Meridian Bioscience

4.63 Mesa Biotech (Thermo Fisher)

4.64 Mobidiag (Hologic)

4.65 Nanomix

4.66 Novacyt

4.67 Orasure

4.68 Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

4.69 Oxford Nanopore Technologies

4.70 Perkin Elmer

4.71 Primerdesign (Novacyt)

4.72 Prominex

4.73 Qiagen Gmbh

4.74 quantumdx.com

4.75 Quest Diagnostics

4.76 Quidel

4.77 Randox Toxicology

4.78 Roche Molecular Diagnostics

4.79 SD Biosensor

4.80 Seegene

4.81 Sherlock Biosciences

4.82 Siemens Healthineers

4.83 Sona Nanotech

4.84 SpeeDx

4.85 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc

4.86 Veredus Laboratories

4.87 Vircell

4.88 Visby Medical

4.89 YD Diagnostics

4.90 Zhejiang Orient Gene Biotech

5 COVID-19 Diagnostics Recent Developments

5.1 Recent Developments - Importance and How to Use This Section

5.1.1 Importance of These Developments

5.1.2 How to Use This Section

5.2 LetsGetChecked Closes $150M Funding Round

5.3 Novacyt Gets CE Mark for Multigene SARS-CoV-2 Test, Launches RUO Variant Assay

5.4 Abbott Sees Sharp Decline in COVID-19 Test Revenue

5.5 Phosphorus Diagnostics Gets EUA for DTC C19 Test, Sample Collection Kit

5.6 NY Times Explores Multiplex Testing

5.7 Hologic Banking on MDx Acquisitions

5.8 Demand for Cepheid SARS-CoV-2 Point-of-Care Tests to Continue Through 2022

5.9 DiaSorin Acquires Luminex to Broaden MDx Portfolio, Expand US Presence

5.10 LumiraDx to Go Public Through SPAC

5.11 Eurofins Test Helps to ID Mutations

5.12 Roche Sees Growing Opportunities for Diagnostics

5.13 Roche to Acquire GenMark Diagnostics for $1.8B

5.14 Fulgent Genetics is to Use COVID-19 Testing Gains to Grow Clinical Sequencing

5.15 LexaGene Syndromic Panel Platform Lets Labs Customize Targets

5.16 FDA Grants EUAs for DTC Sample Collection Kit, Two Molecular Tests

5.17 At-Home Infectious Disease Test Developer Lucira Health Goes Public

6 The Global Market for COVID-19 Diagnostics

6.1 Global Market Overview by Country

6.2 Global Market by Technology - Overview

6.3 Global Market by Product - Overview

6.4 Global Market by Channel - Overview

7 Global COVID-19 Diagnostic Markets - By Technology

7.1 PCR

7.2 PCR Multiplex

7.3 Sequencing

7.4 Antibody

7.5 Antigen

8 Global COVID-19 Diagnostic Markets - By Product

8.1 Instruments

8.2 Reagents & Kits

8.3 Extraction

8.4 Collection

9 Global COVID-19 Diagnostic Markets - By Channel

9.1 Public

9.2 Hospital

9.3 Clinic

9.4 Workplace

9.5 DTC/OTC

9.6 Wastewater

10 Appendix

10.1 U.S., Europe, Asia Approved COVID-19 Assays

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ybh3k8-covid-19?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/global-covid-19-diagnostics-market-analysis-report-2023-2028-revenues-testing-volumes-technology-products-and-channels-301741905.html

SOURCE Research and Markets
Allied Market Research

Growing demand for adaptive learning to do tasks based on a given data for initial experience or training in sectors like retail and banking, increasing adoption of machine learning in various sectors, surge in applications of neural processors in the automotive industry, rapid transition in the information industry, and rapid adoption of AI to improve consumer services and reduce operational cost drive the growth of the global neural processor market

Portland, OR, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global neural processor market generated $162.1 million in 2021, and is estimated to reach $849.8 million by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 18.1% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscape, and competitive scenario. The report is a helpful source of information for leading market players, new entrants, investors, and stakeholders in devising strategies for the future and taking steps to strengthen their position in the market.

Download Free Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/13520

Report Coverage & Details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20222031 Base Year 2021 Market Size in 2021 $162.1 Million Market Size in 2031 $849.8 Million CAGR 18.1% No. of Pages in Report 207 Segments Covered Application, End User, and Region Drivers Growing demand for adaptive learning to do the tasks based on a given data for initial experience or training in sectors like retail and banking Increasing adoption of machine learning in various sectors such as BFSI, healthcare, retail, and others Surge in applications of neural processors in the automotive industry Rapid transition in the information industry Rapid adoption of AI to improve consumer services and reduce operational cost Opportunities Introduction of AI to edge devices Restraints Lack of skilled AI workforce acts as a prime barrier for early adoption

Covid-19 Scenario:

The neural processor market was negatively impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to extended lockdowns and unavailability of workforce, the production and manufacturing facilities worldwide were shut down. Furthermore, the global supply chain was disrupted thereby creating a significant gap in the supply chain.

Major players operating in the neural processor industry witnessed a slowdown due to lack of availability of skilled professional to develop neural processor market solutions, thereby leading to a decline in revenues for the financial year 2020 to 2021.

However, the market started recovering since 2021 and is expected to remain in the growth stage during the forecast period.

Story continues

Interested to Procure the Data? Inquire Here (Get Full Insights in PDF - 207 Pages): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/13520

The report offers a detailed segmentation of the global neural processor market based on application, end user, and region. The report provides an analysis of each segment and sub-segment with the help of tables and figures. This analysis helps market players, investors, and new entrants in determining the sub-segments to be tapped on to achieve growth in the coming years.

Based on application, the hardware diagnostics segment held the largest share in 2021, accounting for more than one-fourth of the global neural processor market. However, the image optimization segment is expected to dominate the market in terms of revenue during the forecast period. The financial forecasting segment, however, is estimated to witness the fastest CAGR of 21.49% during the forecast period. The report also discusses the fraud detection, financial forecasting, and others segments.

By end user, the retail segment captured the largest market share of nearly one-fourth of the global neural processor market in 2021. However, the healthcare segment is expected to lead the market in terms of revenue during the forecast period. On the other hand, the media segment is likely to achieve the fastest CAGR of 22.63% through 2031. The report also studies the BFSI, defense agencies, logistics, and others segment.

Based on region, the market in North America was the largest in 2021, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global neural processor market. However, the market in Europe is likely to maintain its leadership status during the forecast period. On the other hand, the market in Asia-Pacific is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 20.71% from 2022 to 2031. The other region analyzed in the study include North America.

Get Detailed COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the Neural Processor Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/13520

Leading players of the global neural processor market analyzed in the research include Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., HRL Laboratories, LLC, Applied Brain Research, Aspinity, Inc., Bitbrain Technologies, Halo Neuroscience, General Vision, Inc., BrainChip, Inc., and BrainCo, Inc.

The report analyzes these key players of the global neural processor 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, product portfolio, and developments by every market player.

Key Benefits for Stakeholders

This study comprises an analytical depiction of the market size along with the current trends and future estimations to depict the imminent investment pockets.

The overall neural processor market analysis is determined to understand the profitable trends to gain a stronger foothold.

The report presents information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities with a detailed impact analysis.



The current global neural processor market forecast is quantitatively analyzed from 2021 to 2031 to benchmark financial competency.

Porters five forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers and suppliers in the neural processor market.

The report includes the market share of key vendors and global neural processor market trends.



Neural Processor Market Key Segments:



Application

Fraud Detection

Hardware Diagnostics

Financial Forecasting

Image Optimization

Other Applications

End User

BFSI

Healthcare

Retail

Defense Agencies

Media

Logistics

Others

By Region



North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)

Europe (UK, Germany, France, Rest of Europe)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

LAMEA (Latin America, Middle East, Africa)

Buy this Research Report at Discounted Price @ https://bit.ly/40De8CU



Trending Reports in Semiconductor and Electronics Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount + COVID-19 Scenario):

Eye Tracking Market by Type (Head-Mounted Eye Tracker and Remote Eye Tracker), Application (Assistive Communication, Academic Research, Consumer Behavior Research, and Usability Testing), and Industry Vertical (Retail, Automotive, Healthcare, Military & Aerospace, and Others) - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2024

mhealth Device 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

Neuromorphic Chip Market by Offering (Hardware and Software), Application (Image Recognition, Signal Recognition, and Data Mining), and Industry (Aerospace & Defense, IT & Telecom, Automotive, Medical & Industrial, and Others) - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2021-2031

Biophotonics Market By End User (Medical Diagnostics, Medical Therapeutic, Tests & Components, and Nonmedical Application) and Application (See-through Imaging, Inside Imaging, Spectro Molecular, Surface Imaging, Microscopy, Light Therapy, Analytical Sensing, and Biosensors): 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






Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

Manufacturers of Non-fusion Spinal Devices to Stand a Golden Chance as Consumers are Willing to Pay More for Better Hospital Experience: Market Anticipated to Rise at 4.8% CAGR. Zimmer Biomet and Medtronic are the top players in the non-fusion spinal devices industry

NEWARK, Del, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global non fusion spinal devices market is predicted to register a CAGR of 4.8% over the forecast period, as per recent FMI analysis. The industrys market valuation is anticipated to rise from US$ 4.37 billion in 2023 to US$ 6.99 billion by 2033 end.



The non-fusion spinal devices industry is poised to attain a healthy pace of growth over the forthcoming years. The widening patient pool that requires non-fusion spinal procedures, largely consisting of the elderly population, is projected to augment the market. Several studies aimed at determining the efficacy of non-fusion spinal devices to treat conditions, such as spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, and stenosis, are predicted to boost the market further.

Request Sample: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-582

The movement and stability of the patient post-spinal surgery afforded by non-fusion spinal devices is resulting in its surging adoption. Some key non-fusion spinal devices include artificial discs and growth-sparing devices. Many benefits of spinal non-fusion devices include extended healing time, adjacent segment degeneration, and bone graft donor site morbidity, which makes them a better alternative for patients in comparison to fusion devices.

Spinal issues induced by a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and sports-associated accidents have played a significant role in the demand for non-fusion spinal devices. These surgeries improve mobility and quality of life and are cost-effective, which is leading to their heightened adoption. The market is anticipated to flourish on account of rising incidences of spinal injuries, growing awareness, and a surging preference for minimally invasive procedures.

Story continues

Key Highlights:

The United States is projected to head the overall market growth, contributing significantly to the global non-fusion spinal devices market. The market growth is underpinned by favorable government initiatives in support of healthcare policies and surging health consciousness among people in America.

China non-fusion spinal devices market is thriving in the Asia Pacific region. Growing at a significant pace, the market is driven by enhancing healthcare infrastructure and advancements in technology.

The market in Germany is being fueled by an upsurge in the geriatric population and the rising per capita income of the people in Germany. The geriatric population is prone to spinal dysfunction/disorders, thus expanding the elderly population is anticipated to boost the uptake of non-fusion spinal devices.



Latest Market Developments in the Market:

In May 2021, Spinal Stabilization Technologies Ltd., which offers PerQ disc Nucleus Replacement System to treat degenerative disc disease, received Breakthrough Designation. Additionally, the device has obtained CE approval. The system is the only commercially available system for lumbar nucleus replacement across the globe.

In February 2021, NuVasive, Inc. procured Simplify Medical, which is a privately held company that develops Simplify Cervical Artificial Disc for the procedure of cervical total disc replacement (cTDR).

In March 2021, Implanet, a company that specializes in knee and spine products, proposed to acquire a significant stake in Orthopedic & Spine Development (OSD), a French firm that specializes in the creation of implants for spine surgery.



View Complete Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/non-fusion-spinal-devices-market

Prominent Companies Active in the Market are as follows

Zimmer Biomet

Medtronic

Medical Device Business Services, Inc.

Stryker

Others



Key Market Segmentation for Non-Fusion Spinal Devices Market

By Product:

Artificial Disc Replacement Device

Partial Disc (Nucleus) Replacement Device

Dynamic Stabilization Devices

Total Facet Replacement Devices

Annulus Repair Device

Others

By End User:

Hospitals

Orthopedic Centers

Others



By Region:

North America

Latin America

Asia Pacific

The Middle East and Africa

Europe



Ask an Analyst: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-582

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand-side Trends

1.3. Supply-side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis

1.5. Analysis and Recommendations



2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage/Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition/Scope/Limitations



3. Market Background

3.1. Market Dynamics

3.1.1. Drivers

3.1.2. Restraints

3.1.3. Opportunity

3.1.4. Trends

3.2. Scenario Forecast

3.2.1. Demand in Optimistic Scenario

3.2.2. Demand in Likely Scenario

3.2.3. Demand in Conservative Scenario

3.3. Opportunity Map Analysis

3.4. Product Life Cycle Analysis

3.5. Supply Chain Analysis

Buy Now: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/582

Have a Look at Related Reports of the Healthcare Domain

MRI Compatible Patient Monitoring Systems Market Size: The global MRI compatible patient monitoring systems market holds a forecasted share of US$ 3,851.4 million in 2022 and is likely to surpass US$ 5,958.6 million by 2032, moving ahead with a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period.

MRI-Safe CRT Devices Market Share: The MRI-safe CRT devices market, which is valued at US$ 550.5 million as on 2022, is anticipated to be valued at US$ 1511 million by 2032 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period.

Intracranial Aneurysm Market Overview: The global intracranial aneurysm market is set to flourish in the global market at a promising CAGR of 8.8% between 2022 and 2032. The market is anticipated to reach USD 2.56 Billion by 2032, while it holds a market value of USD 1.2 Billion in 2022.

Kidney Stone Extraction Balloon Market Demand: Increasing from US$ 450.5 Million in 2022 to US$ 902.2 Million by 2032, the global kidney stone extraction market is expected to display a CAGR of 6.5% from 2022-2032. The CAGR was valued at 6% from 2016-21.

Knotless Tissue Control Devices Market Growth: Expanding at a CAGR of 3.4% in 2022-2032, the global knotless tissue control devices market is projected to secure a market value worth US$ 672.6 Million by 2032. In 2022, the market is projected at US$ 465.6 Million.

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

Tel: +1-845-579-5705

Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com

Web: www.futuremarketinsights.com

LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs | YouTube




Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

The United States are expected to hold 87% of the North American organic spices market share, with demand growing at a 2.8% CAGR over the assessment period. On a global scale, India's organic spices market share is at an all-time high, and the entire spice sector has seen phenomenal growth in the last few years.

NEWARK, Del, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The organic spices market is likely to thrive at an average CAGR of 4.5% between 2023 and 2033. The market is anticipated to cross a share of US$ 17.0 billion by 2033 while it is anticipated to be valued at US$ 10.9 billion in 2023.



The wave of organic food items including spices being in trend is fueling the sales of organic spices in the marketplace. Furthermore, the fresh flavors with no chemicals mixed are liked by the end-users.

Expanding restaurant and hotel businesses with changing tastes and enhanced culinary flavors are creating a high demand for organic flavors as they enrich the food.

The governments support of organic farming and organic products for the better health of its citizens leads to soil-friendly agricultural practices. Thus, business enthusiasts adopt organic spices.

Extensive research and development programs along with social media influences are thriving the sales of organic spices. Furthermore, the conservation of rare spices through organic farming is fueling the demand for organic spices.

Higher consumption of food items like soups, sauces, condiments, and dressings requires fresh spices like pepper and cumin. Therefore, the demand for organic spices is expected to rise in the future.



Request Report Sample@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-14384

Key Points

The United States market leads the space in terms of market share and CAGR. The market is anticipated to cross a value of US$ 3.4 billion by 2033. The regional market is expected to thrive at a CAGR of 4.3% between 2023 and 2033. The growth is attributed to the expanding restaurant businesses, growing organic farming, and frequent social media trends. The Chinese organic spices market is another significant market in the Asia Pacific. It thrives at a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period. The market is likely to reach a value of US$ 2.4 billion by 2033. The excessive growth is attributed to the famous Chinese cuisines requiring fresh spices and conventional spice farming methods. Powder and granules are likely to thrive in the form category as it is the most common and convenient form of mixing spices in food while cooking. It is expected to thrive at a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period. The direct sales segment is expected to top the distribution channel category with a CAGR of 3.8% between 2023 and 2033. The growth is attributed to easy availability and bulk consumption.

Story continues

Ask to Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-14384

Competitive Landscape

The key competitors are focused on increasing the organic content while expanding the distribution channels. Key competitors also merge, acquire, and partner with other companies to increase the supply chain and distribution channel. The key players in the market are SunOpta Inc., Organic Spices Inc., Live Organics, Unilever, and S&B Foods Inc.

For Instance:

SunOpta Inc. has introduced its agreement to sell its global ingredients segment to Amsterdam commodities. The company is likely to participate in the 25 th annual ICR conference.

Organic Spices Inc. has started producing organic spices through different procedures like steam treatment, and dry heat methods. The company also works on renewable energy and green business model.

Key segments

By Product Type:

Ginger

Turmeric

Basil

Cumin

Cinnamon

Clove

Pepper

Garlic

By Form:

Powder & Granules

Flakes

Paste

Whole/Fresh

By End User:

Food

Beverage

Food Service

Retail

By Distribution Channel:

Direct

Indirect Store-based Retailing

Hypermarket/Supermarket

Convenience Stores

Traditional Grocery Retailers

Food & Drink Specialty Stores Online Retail



By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

Asia Pacific (APAC)

The Middle East & Africa (MEA)



Buy Report Now@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/14384

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Organic Spices Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand-side Trends

1.3. Supply-side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis

1.5. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

3. Market Background

3.1. Market Dynamics

3.1.1. Drivers

3.1.2. Restraints

3.1.3. Opportunity

3.1.4. Trends

Old Source: Organic Spices Market Witness Skyrocketing Sales Due to Increased Global Demands for Organic Spices - Future Market Insights, Inc.

Explore FMIs related ongoing Coverage on Food and Beverage Domain

Herbs and Spices Market Trends: The herbs and spices market size is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 3.6% between 2023-2033. The market is expected to incline from US$ 171 Bn in 2023 to US$ 243 Bn by 2033 end.

Herb & Spice Extracts Market Volume: The global herb & spice extracts market is anticipated to thrive at an average CAGR of 5.1%. The market value is projected to increase from US$ 14.5 Bn in 2022 to US$ 23.9 Bn by 2032.

Spice Oils and Oleoresins Market Demand: The Global Spice Oils and Oleoresins Market is expected to reach a market valuation of USD 1,428.2 Mn by the year 2032, accelerating with a CAGR of 6.6% by 2022-2032.

Cajun Spice Market Outlook: The Cajun Spice Market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.2%. The industry's estimated value will increase from US$ 583.6 Million in 2023 to US$ 880.7 Million in 2033.

Dried Spices Market Overview: The dried spices market has reached a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. The market is projected at US$ 5,763.5 million in 2022, and is likely to be valued at US$ 9,036.5 million by 2032.

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




Third party payment providers can now service the fast-growing account-to-account payments market via a single integration to GoCardless

LONDON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GoCardless , a global leader in direct bank payments, has launched GoCardless Embed , a new integration for third party payment providers to access its global bank payment network and reap the benefits of bank-to-bank payments.

Hiroki Takeuchi, CEO and co-Founder, GoCardless

GoCardless Embed, which comes white labelled as standard, allows payment providers to integrate GoCardless' global bank payment network straight into their platform through a single, simple API that provides access to:

bank payment schemes in the UK, Eurozone and US, with more to come in the near future

end-to-end payment processing capabilities for bank-to-bank payments including reconciliation, mandate management, reporting and refunds

open banking-powered features, including instant one-off and recurring payments in the UK and account verification and fraud prevention across the three markets

GoCardless Embed allows providers to tap into the burgeoning account-to-account market, valued at around USD 225 trillion in transaction volumes worldwide*, and expand their total addressable market to new verticals and use cases where bank payments are preferred.

It's a fast and easy way for third party payment providers to increase revenue through expanding the range of payment methods they offer, keeping their merchants in-platform. GoCardless Embed also slots seamlessly into their existing solution, meaning payment providers retain complete control over the customer experience.

By adopting GoCardless Embed, they also benefit from increased efficiency, tapping into a worldwide network that took years to build in just a matter of weeks. The integration will give them an end-to-end bank payment solution that provides merchants and their payers all the benefits of bank payments, without any of the complexity traditionally associated with introducing and managing the payment method.

Story continues

Hiroki Takeuchi, co-founder and CEO of GoCardless said, "We've spent the past decade optimising bank payments and bringing them into the digital age. Our greatest achievement is building a global bank payment network, connecting disparate payment schemes into one interoperable network -- a challenge that our peers and competitors had previously considered insurmountable. Now, for the first time, we've created a product to open up access to our unique network and we're excited by the positive reactions so far."

Market context

Through GoCardless Embed, payment providers can meet growing merchant demand for bank payments. Many types of businesses have already realised a range of benefits powered by payments that are faster, cheaper and more secure:

Smart money app Plum noted that "account-to-account payments are more cost-effective and reliable than cards, which are expensive to process and prone to fail when cards expire or get cancelled."

Similarly, consumer lending firm Plend reported that bank-to-bank payments have saved them upwards of 50,000 and helped them eliminate the need for a full-time financial operations employee at this stage of growth, "which is pretty unheard of for a lending start-up".

Payment providers can also use GoCardless Embed to align with changing payer preferences.

According to a global study by YouGov for GoCardless, when it comes to paying invoices, the top method chosen by consumers globally was bank payments (25%), followed by credit card (21%) and debit cards (18%).

Over half (54%) of all business payers also cited bank payments as their most preferred method when making invoice payments.

Notes to Editors:

*GoCardless analysis drawing from McKinsey Global Payments Map; WorldPay Global Payments Report; industry research

About GoCardless

GoCardless is a global leader in direct bank payments. We help more than 75,000 businesses, from start-ups to household names, collect both recurring and one-off payments, without the chasing, stress or expensive fees. Each year GoCardless processes more than US$30 billion of payments across 30+ countries. Our acquisition of Nordigen means we're also helping businesses make faster and more informed decisions through easy access to bank account data. We are headquartered in the UK, with additional offices in Australia, France, Latvia and the United States. For more information, please visit www.gocardless.com and follow us on Twitter @GoCardless .

 2023 GoCardless Ltd. All Rights Reserved. GoCardless is a registered trademark of GoCardless Ltd in multiple countries. Third party trademarks mentioned above are owned by their respective companies. Unless explicitly identified as such, nothing in this press release should be construed to the contrary, or as an approval, endorsement or sponsorship by any third parties of GoCardless Ltd. or any aspect of this press release.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. For the Financial Decision Makers survey, the total sample size was 1514 adults across the UK, US, France and Germany. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6th  16th June 2022. The survey was carried out online.

For the consumer survey, total sample size was 7611 adults across UK, US, France, Germany and Australia. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st  9th June 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted for each country to produce an 'average' value.

SOURCE GoCardless
VANCOUVER, BC , Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada's oceans play an essential role in the lives of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. They are critical to all life on the planet, are home to a vast array of species and organisms, help regulate the Earth's climate, and play a significant role in our heritage, culture, and economy. The Government of Canada is taking action to further protect our oceans, so that future generations can continue our tradition as a proud ocean nation and enjoy the many benefits of healthy marine ecosystems.

Today, during the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced key developments that continue the momentum towards Canada meeting its ambitious targets of conserving 25 per cent of Canada's oceans by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030.

To start, Canada unveiled its 2023 Marine Protected Area (MPA) Protection Standard, which is endorsed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Parks Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Transport Canada. The 2023 protection standard builds on and clarifies the original 2019 policy, which was based on recommendations from the National Advisory Panel on MPA Standards and applies to federal MPAs established since April 25, 2019. MPAs are an essential part of achieving marine conservation goals, and the protection standard will help safeguard new federal MPAs from the potentially harmful effects of some industrial activities. It will also provide greater consistency and clarity for industry on activities subject to the standard in federal MPAs.

The MPA Protection Standard is founded on a whole-of-government approach and prohibits:

Oil and gas exploration, development and production;

Mineral exploration and exploitation;

Disposal of waste and other matter, dumping of fill, and deposit of deleterious drugs and pesticides; and

Mobile, bottom contact, trawl or dredge gear. Trap-based fisheries are excluded.

Story continues

Transport Canada will also be consulting with stakeholders on how to enhance restrictions on certain vessel discharges that occur within MPAs.

In addition to the protection standard announced today, Canada also released new details on key areas where it is exploring marine conservation, in support of the ambitious target of conserving 25 per cent of our ocean by 2025. This builds on announcements earlier this week that underscore Canada's commitment to advancing its targets, and include the Northern Shelf Bioregion Network Action Plan, a marine refuge at Gw a xdlala/Nal a xdlala  also known as Lull Bay and Hoeya Sound, and the collaborative management and upcoming pre-publication of the proposed regulations for the Tang.  wan - hacxwiqak - Tsigis Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Canada Gazette, Part I for a 30-day public comment period.

While proposed future sites are at different stages of readiness, the Government of Canada is working closely with key partners and stakeholders including provinces and territories, Indigenous governments, organizations across the country, who understand the critical importance, now more than ever, of safeguarding our ocean for the future, while enabling sustainable economic development opportunities.

Today's announcement is an important step towards the conservation and long-term protection of our marine ecosystems, and furthers Canada's position as a world leader in marine conservation. Having well-understood standards will help boost conservation efforts while at the same time provide industry with the clarity it needs to create sustainable jobs in the marine sector.

Quotes

"Canada is a proud ocean nation, with the longest coastline in the world. The ocean plays a central role in climate regulation and are vital to our way of life. Canadians expect us to protect the environment, and today's announcement does just that. With a strong protection standard, and an ambitious plan for new sites that will help us reach Canada's targets to conserve 25 per cent of our oceans by 2025, we are well positioned to preserve oceans effectively for generations to come."

The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"Today's announcement marks a key milestone on our path to reaching thirty percent protection of Canada's oceans by 2030. When Canada stepped up to host the U.N.'s COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal last fall, we played a lead role in getting the whole world to agree to the 30 by 30 targets that we are striving for here in Canada. Protecting healthy ocean ecosystems protects the future of thousands of coastal communities and thousands of marine species. The new protection standard announced today will go a long way to strengthen the level of protection in marine areas."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"Canada's oceans are a vital part of our history, identity, economy and environment. From coast to coast to coast, healthy ocean ecosystems have supported valuable biodiversity and countless jobs. The Marine Protected Area Protection Standard will help us ensure that our oceans, coasts and waterways are preserved for future generations."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources

"Indigenous Peoples have always guarded this continent's natural resources, making their knowledge and partnership key to strong management and conservation. We will continue to work with Indigenous Peoples to integrate Indigenous knowledge and ensure the best possible protection of Canada's waters. Our continual work to renew and transform the MPA Protection Standard is a welcome example of the progress that can be made by working together to protect our environment, resources and planet."

The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

"The Oceans Protection Plan is a Canadian success that allows us to continue to achieve our goals to protect our coasts and oceans while growing our economy and creating good middle class jobs. Today's announcement is good news and will help safeguard new federal marine protected areas from the potentially harmful effects of industrial activities."

The Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport

Quick Facts

A marine protected area, commonly called an MPA, is part of the ocean that is legally protected and managed to achieve the long-term conservation of nature. MPAs and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) contribute to a healthy marine environment and offer a nature-based solution to help address the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss by protecting marine ecosystems, habitats, and species.





In July 2020, Canada joined the Global Ocean Alliance which is advocating to protect at least 30 per cent of the world's oceans by 2030.





In December 2022, Canada stepped up to host 195 members of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, COP15, the largest biodiversity conference of its kind. Canada played a pivotal role in brokering a historic agreement to safeguard the world's nature and to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030.





Canada announced its Protection Standards for MPAs and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) at the Nature Summit in 2019 following work of the independent National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards. The Panel provided its recommendations in a final report to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in September, 2018. Today's announcement pertains to the MPA standard only.





The Protection Standard for OECMs remains unchanged; proposed activities in OECMs continue to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and may be allowed to proceed if the risks to the area can be effectively avoided or mitigated.





On February 23, 2022, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada and Minister responsible for Parks Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the President of the Nunatsiavut Government to examine the feasibility of establishing an Indigenous Protected Area along the northern coast of Labrador, under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act.





On June 8, 2022, the Eastern Canyons Marine Refuge was established, adding 0.76% for a new total of 14.66% of our ocean conserved.





On December 9, 2022, DFO published the Government of Canada's 2022 Guidance for Recognizing Marine Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM).





On February 5, 2023, the Government of Canada, the Mamalilikulla First Nation, and the Province of British Columbia announced fisheries closures and the establishment of a marine refuge, to help protect the ecologically and culturally significant area of Gw a xdlala/Nal a xdlala in Knight Inlet on the coast of British Columbia.

Related Products

Marine Protected Areas Protection Standard (Backgrounder - link)





Pathway to 2025 (Backgrounder  link)

Associated Links

Stay Connected

Follow Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Backgrounder

Canada's path to 25 per cent ocean protection by 2025

In 2015, less than one percent of our ocean space was protected. Today, that figure stands at 14.66 per cent and is comprised of:

14 Oceans Act Marine Protected Areas;

2 National Marine Conservation Areas;

1 Marine Park

13 National Parks with marine components;

1 marine National Wildlife Area, and

60 other effective area-based conservation measures or marine refuges.

The Government of Canada is unveiling the proposed future sites being considered for conservation on our path to 25 per cent by 2025, and we are confident in reaching our goal. We recognize that a great deal of work still lies ahead. Reaching our targets is indeed an 'all in' effort  building upon and sustaining those meaningful partnerships with governments at all levels, Indigenous peoples, industry, environmental non-governmental organizations and academia.

Pathway to 2025  Marine areas under consideration for conservation (CNW Group/Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada)

Together, we continue to make progress on all elements of our plan, which includes:

Establishing new sites (this includes Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) other effective area-based measures (OECMs);

Effectively managing new and existing sites, and enforcing our protection standards;

Working to achieve shared ecological, economic, cultural and social objectives in the marine environment by using Marine Spatial Planning; and

Continuing to advocate for the 30-by-30 targets internationally with the hope that, in time, 100 per cent of the world's oceans will be sustainably managed.

Each of the proposed sites is at a different stage of readiness.

Decisions about which sites to pursue for conservation (and what legal tool to use) continue to be made in consultation with partners and stakeholders. These decisions are based on science and data, Indigenous knowledge and strong socio-economic analysis.

By continuing to work together in a genuine spirit of cooperation and in ways that respect and incorporate the views of our many partners, we expect that Canada will reach its target of conserving 25 per cent of Canada's oceans by 2025.

1. Southern Strait of Georgia

The Southern Strait of Georgia is an island-strewn area in one of the most populated and heavily visited regions in Canada, extending from the southern tip of Gabriola Island to Saanich Inlet and Cordova Bay, just north of Victoria, BC.

Estuarine areas like the Strait of Georgia are among the most productive marine ecosystems in the world due to fresh water and ocean water mixing and upwelling to create a nutrient-rich marine environment. The area is known for its rich assemblages of marine plants and animals ranging from lush kelp forests to a diversity of invertebrate, fish, bird and marine mammal species. The proposed national marine conservation area (NMCA) reserve would represent the Strait of Georgia marine region, one of 29 marine regions that constitute Parks Canada's National Marine Conservation Area System Plan.

Currently, work is progressing on the establishment of a steering committee that includes First Nations and the Governments of Canada and British Columbia. The steering committee will oversee the development of a long-term vision for the area, a proposed boundary, engagement with stakeholders, and recommendations to leadership on whether a NMCA reserve in the area is feasible.

2. Tang.  wan  hacxwiqak  Tsigis

Tang.  wan  hacxwiqak  Tsigis is located west of Vancouver Island, British Columbia; in the Offshore Pacific Bioregion and is being advanced in partnership with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, the Council of the Haida Nation, Pacheedaht First Nation, and Quatsino First Nation. We look forward to advancing public consultation as the next phase of our work together.

The proposed Conservation Objective is to contribute to the protection and conservation of the unique seafloor features (i.e., seamounts and hydrothermal vents) and the ecosystems they support in Canada's Offshore Pacific Bioregion.

Science shows that there are benefits linked to protecting large marine areas in a precautionary manner. Large marine areas typically contain several ecosystems and habitats that interact ecologically at various spatial scales, therefore allowing for holistic conservation opportunities. Large MPAs may capture one or more examples of significant areas (e.g., EBSAs) - while also ensuring that particular elements of biodiversity (e.g., species, communities) and some physical characteristics (e.g., oceanographic properties, geological features) are protected.

3. Central Coast

Highly scenic fjords, long sand beaches, and an archipelago to open sea characterize this region. This area is adjacent to the Great Bear Rainforest and encompasses high concentrations of marine mammals and some of the largest kelps beds in BC. For millennia, the wellbeing of the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo Xai'Xais, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv Nations have been linked, inextricably, to the health of the marine environment. Management and use of abundant marine resources, particularly salmon, eulachon and herring, supported ancient civilizations and allowed rich and complex cultures and societies to develop. Archeologists have dated the origins of village sites on the Central Coast as far back as 14,000 years  making them some of the oldest continually occupied sites in Canada.

It was the Nations who first approached the Government of Canada, seeking a partnership to protect this important area. The proposed site represents the Queen Charlotte Sound Marine Region of Canada's national marine conservation area system. On August 6, 2021, Parks Canada, the Province of British Columbia, and the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo Xai'xais, Nuxalk, and Wuikinuxv Nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launch a feasibility assessment for a proposed national marine conservation area reserve on the Central Coast of British Columbia.

This partnership represents a convergence of traditional knowledge and western science and a tri-partite collaboration to protect this area.

4. Northern Shelf Bioregion

The Northern Shelf Bioregion (NSB) stretches from Campbell River, north to the B.C.Alaska border. The MPA Network planning process began in 2015 and has involved years of consultation, planning, and collaboration involving coastal First Nations, industries, stakeholders, provincial and federal partners, and coastal communities and peoples.

The rich ocean waters, expansive coastline, and aquatic vegetation of the Northern Shelf Bioregion are home to an abundance of marine species. This region supports over 64 species of fish (e.g. salmon and rockfish), 70 species of marine birds (e.g. puffins and auklets), 30 species of marine mammals including orcas, sea otters, dolphins, and 52 species of invertebrates like shellfish, sea urchins, octopus, and squid.

With the joint endorsement by the 15 Coastal First Nations, the Government of Canada and the Province of B.C., the Action Plan can now be used to inform the implementation of an MPA Network in the NSB using a planned approach. It identifies new areas that contain collaboratively identified ecological and cultural conservation objectives to be considered for protection using Indigenous, provincial, and federal spatial protection tools, which may also contribute to Marine Conservation Targets for 2025 and 2030.

5. Tuvaijuittuq

Tuvaijuittuq is the first MPA to be designated by Ministerial Order under the Oceans Act. Located off the northwest coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut in the Arctic Ocean, it includes the marine waters off northern Ellesmere Island starting from the low water mark and extending to the outward boundary of Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Tuvaijuittuq, meaning "the place where the ice never melts" in Inuktut, is located in an area that has been used by Inuit for travel and harvesting. This culturally and historically significant marine area is considered globally, nationally and regionally unique due to the presence of multi-year pack ice.

Working with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the Government of Nunavut towards long term protection of this area will contribute to the conservation, protection and understanding of the natural diversity, productivity and dynamism of the High Arctic sea ice ecosystem. Sea ice provides habitat for ice-adapted organisms, such as microscopic algae, that form the basis of, and provide energy for, Arctic marine food webs all the way up to marine mammals and polar bears.

6. Sarvarjuaq

Sarvarjuaq, also known as the North Water Polynya, is located in northern Baffin Bay between Canada and Greenland. It is the largest open-water area surrounded by ice in the Arctic, and Inuit-led conservation of this area is being advanced in partnership with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

This area is one of the planet's most productive ecosystems, and its high rates of biodiversity, biological productivity support an abundance of marine life. It is a key feeding area and migration corridor for seabirds, fish, and mammals such as narwhal, walrus, beluga and bowhead whales, ringed bearded and harp seals, and polar bears.

The conservation priorities would seek to mitigate negative impacts associated with climate change, and potential increases in anthropogenic activities (e.g., shipping).

7. Southampton Island

The nearshore waters around Southampton Island and Chesterfield Inlet are in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. This site occurs within the Hudson Bay Complex Marine Bioregion and captures important portions of Southampton Island, Repulse Bay/Frozen Strait, and Western Hudson Bay Coastline Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas.

This area provides a migration pathway for marine mammals, important haul-out sites for walrus, as well as denning areas and summer refuge for polar bears. The Eastern Canada-West Greenland bowhead whale population can be found in the area around Southampton Island, while the Western Hudson Bay Coastline area is particularly important during the ice-free season for beluga and killer whales. The marine area also supports colonies of seabirds like nesting common eiders and Arctic char stocks that feed in the area.

The proposed overarching goal is to conserve and protect the ecological integrity of the area. Inuit-led conservation of this area is being advanced in partnership with the Kivalliq Inuit Association and territorial partners.

8. Western Hudson Bay/Western James Bay

The waters of Western Hudson Bay/Western James Bay are home to threatened and endangered species, including beluga whales and polar bears, while also supporting estuarine fish populations, eelgrass meadows, and an important global migratory bird stopover. This region plays a vital role in the cultural and economic history of the Omushkego Cree People.

This proposed marine area is adjacent to one of the largest stocks of carbon-rich peatlands in the world called the "breathing lands" by Elders. These ancient wetlands play a very important role in cooling the planet. While the marine and peatland ecosystems support each other, they are also critical to supporting the culture and traditions of the Omushkego people.

On August 9, 2021, the Government of Canada and the Mushkegowuk Council, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to launch a feasibility assessment for a national marine conservation area in western James Bay and southwestern Hudson Bay.

9. Eeyou Istchee (Eastern James Bay, Quebec and Ontario)

In May 2019, the Government of Canada and the Crees of Eeyou Istchee signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to assess the feasibility of creating a national marine conservation area (NMCA) in eastern James Bay. The study area for the proposed NMCA is found within the James Bay Marine Region, one of the 29 marine regions that make up Parks Canada's NMCA system.





Stretching from Chisasibi, in Eeyou Istchee (northern Quebec), south to the Quebec-Ontario border. Eeyou Istcheethe Cree lands and waters in Eastern James Bay, the study area is rich in biodiversity. Many rivers flow through the area, bringing large amounts of freshwater to the Bay. This creates a special marine environment with a low concentration of salt.

As a part of the larger Hudson Bay inland sea, James Bay is also a hub for migrating geese, ducks, and shore birds. Enhancing the protection of these ecosystems both conserves biodiversity and fights climate change. This would also support the treaties and rights of the Eeyou (Crees) of Eeyou Istchee and their determination to maintain their culture and way of life. The Eeyou have been stewards to these lands and waters since time immemorial.

10. Qikiqtait

Qikiqtait encompasses an archipelago of over 1,500 islands and adjacent marine waters located off the western coast of Quebec in southeastern Hudson Bay and it is home to the southernmost community in Nunavut's Qikiqtaaluk Region, Sanikiluaq. Inuit-led conservation of this site is being advanced in partnership with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, local boards and organizations.

This area houses critical marine and terrestrial habitats, both seasonally and year-round. It is a refuge, feeding area, and migratory corridor for marine mammals (e.g., seals, belugas, polar bears, walrus), fish (e.g., Arctic char), and seabirds (e.g., Arctic eider duck). It encompasses up to 35 recurrent polynyas, and the coldest summer sea-surface temperatures in Hudson Bay south of Southampton; this sustains high invertebrate populations (e.g., sea urchins, cucumbers, bivalves).

The conservation goals will be led by community interest in protecting their unique, complex, and sensitive marine and coastal environment, including mitigating negative impacts of climate change and outside anthropogenic activities.

11. Torngat Mountains (Northern Labrador coast)

The Government of Canada and the Nunatsiavut Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in February 2022 to continue work to assess the feasibility of establishing an Inuit Protected Area under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act.

The study area is located in the coastal and marine areas of northern Labrador and adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park. Northern Labrador has been an area of continuous human use and settlement for nearly 10,000 years. Inuit have been stewards of this region since time immemorial and they continue to practice their traditions on its lands and waters.

The study area includes coastal and offshore waters adjacent to Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Labrador within the Labrador Shelf Marine Region. Its known for its importance as a critical area for visiting narwhals, ringed seals, Arctic char, breeding and migrating seabirds and waterfowl, and is a unique migratory area for endangered Eastern Hudson Bay belugas and polar bears.

12. Witless Bay

The Witless Bay Study Area lies seaward of the eastern coastline of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, centered on seabird colonies within Newfoundland's Witless Bay Ecological Reserve.

Key goals for the area include ensuring the long-term viability of habitats used for foraging by globally significant seabird breeding aggregations, notably of Atlantic Puffin, Black-legged Kittiwake, Common Murre and Leach's Storm-Petrel.

Additional goals focus on ensuring the long-term viability of migration and wintering habitats used by sea ducks, including Common Eider and Harlequin Duck. These habitats also host key forage species and biogenic habitat features, such as sea plants and mussel beds that contribute to biodiversity and enhance broader ecosystem connectivity and resilience, with benefits to human well-being.

These goals originate from ongoing collaborative participatory meetings, enhanced by targeted knowledge sharing opportunities.

13. Cape St Mary's

The Cape St. Mary's Study Area lies seaward of the southern coastline of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, centered on seabird colonies within Newfoundland's Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve .

Key goals for the area include ensuring the long-term viability of habitats used for foraging by globally significant seabird breeding aggregations, notably of Northern Gannet and Black-legged Kittiwake.

Additional goals focus on ensuring the long-term viability of migration and wintering habitats used by sea ducks, including Common Eider and Harlequin Duck, and those used by Great Shearwater during their austral winter. These habitats also host key forage species and biogenic habitat features, such as sea plants and mussel beds that contribute to biodiversity and enhance broader ecosystem connectivity and resilience, with benefits to human well-being.

These goals originate from ongoing collaborative participatory meetings, enhanced by targeted knowledge sharing opportunities.

14. The Magdalen Islands (Quebec)

The Governments of Quebec and Canada are jointly conducting a feasibility assessment for a marine protected area in the Magdalen Islands, which will help to identify the benefits and limitations related to the designation of a proposed marine protected area in collaboration with a local consultation committee.

The Magdalen Islands are in the heart of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Its landscapes are known for their sandy shores, red sandstone cliffs, and lagoons. The archipelago is made up of 15 islands, 8 of which have people living on them. Two municipalities are under the administrative structure of the Magdalen Islands Maritime Community. Commercial fishing and tourism are the main economic activities. Lobster and snow crab are the most fished.

The islands represent a unique natural and cultural maritime heritage in Quebec. They are rich in marine resources and the conservation know-how of local fishers. 'Les Madelinots' have a very close relationship with the marine environment. The fisheries and aquaculture sectors apply sustainable management measures as much as possible. The community is welcoming and proud of its roots and is always ready to share stories of them.

15. St. Lawrence Estuary

St. Lawrence Estuary is complementary to and lies adjacent to the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, a marine protected area created in 1998 by Quebec and Canada mirror legislation, and co-managed by Parks Canada and the Societe des etablissements de plein air du Quebec.

The area is found in the portion of the St. Lawrence where the most pressure is exerted on marine mammals by human activities (e.g., disruption or destruction of their habitat, exposure to toxic chemicals, risk of collision with vessels, exposure to noise and disturbance). This includes species that live there year round, such as the beluga whale and harbour seal, as well as migratory species, such as the blue whale, fin whale and harbour porpoise.

The overarching Conservation Objective is to ensure the long-term conservation and protection of marine mammals, their habitats and their food resources.

16. Inner Bay of Fundy

The Inner Bay of Fundy lies east of a line drawn between the eastern limit of Saint John Harbour, NB and the eastern limit of the Digby Gut, Nova Scotia.

Key goals for the area include ensuring the long-term viability of a diverse suite of habitats shaped by some of the world's largest tides. These habitats include sites that host migratory corridors and stopover sites used by shorebirds, waterfowl and other marine birds, most notably globally significant aggregations of Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Additional goals focus on ensuring the long-term viability of habitats used by other species, including Atlantic salmon, American eel, and those that host key forage species and biogenic habitat features, such as saltmarsh, rockweed and mussel beds. Together, these contribute to biodiversity and enhance broader ecosystem connectivity and resilience, with benefits to human well-being..

These goals originate from ongoing collaborative participatory meetings, enhanced by targeted knowledge sharing opportunities.

17. Fundian Channel-Browns Bank

Fundian Channel-Browns Bank is located south of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion. This area includes two geographically separate components. The western section is centred on Georges Basin while the larger eastern section encompasses the Fundian Channel (also known as the Northeast Channel) and part of Browns Bank. A portion of the area is currently protected as a marine refuge, called the Northeast Channel Coral Conservation Area.

The area's diverse representation of habitat types include basin, bank, deep water slope and channel habitats. The area provides habitats to juvenile Atlantic Halibut, beaked whale, and concentrations of large mature female lobster, and is home to deep-water corals, significant concentrations of sponges, Atlantic cod, Atlantic wolffish, winter skate, thorny skate, white hake and cusk. Its oceanographic features, such as internal waves, areas of upwelling, and occasional presence of Gulf current and warm-core rings also make it a highly productive area that is associated with the presence of large pelagic fishes, sea turtles, and cetaceans. The area is also a foraging area for blue whales and most functional guilds of marine birds, including Leach's storm petrel.

The overarching Conservation Objective is to conserve and protect the ecological integrity of the area, including its biodiversity, productivity, ecosystem components, and special natural features.

Backgrounder

Protection Standard for Canada's Marine Protected Areas

In April 2019, the Government of Canada announced its protection standard for new federal Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The protection standard prohibited oil and gas exploration and exploitation, mining, dumping, and bottom trawling in all federal MPAs established after April 25, 2019. Following the Government's announcement, the Federal MPA Marine Protection Standard Task Group was established to develop the detailed scope of the four categories of activities subject to the Protection Standard.

The 2023 MPA Protection Standard will provide greater consistency and clarity on activities subject to the standard in federal MPAs for partners, stakeholders, and the public. These concrete and predictable measures are part of a balanced approach that will provide high levels of environmental protection.

Marine Protected Areas

A Marine Protected Area, commonly called an MPA, is part of the ocean that is legally protected and managed to achieve the long-term conservation of nature.

What is Prohibited

The MPA Protection Standard applies a whole-of-government approach and prohibits:

Oil and gas exploration, development and production;

Mineral exploration and exploitation;

Disposal of waste and other matter, dumping of fill, and deposit of deleterious drugs and pesticides; and

Mobile, bottom contact, trawl or dredge gear. Trap-based fisheries are excluded.

The MPA Protection Standard provides a federal baseline of a common set of activities that are prohibited or further restricted. The Standard only applies to activities occurring within MPA boundaries. Further prohibitions may apply according to MPA regulations and law.

To further strengthen the MPA Protection Standard, the Government of Canada is also announcing its intent to enhance restrictions on certain vessel discharges within MPAs. These discharges include sewage (blackwater), greywater, oily engine room bilge, exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers), washwater, and food waste. These will be achieved through a combination of measures for MPAs in Canada's territorial waters and Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone. Consultations with stakeholders to determine the extent of the enhanced restrictions will begin in spring 2023 and regulatory amendments in support of the standard are expected to be completed by 2025 or 2026.

How it will be applied

The MPA Protection Standard will apply to new federal MPAs, including:

Oceans Act MPAs established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO);

National marine conservation areas and marine components of national parks established by Parks Canada under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act and Canada National Parks Act respectively; and

Marine National Wildlife Areas, and marine portions of National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries established by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) under the Canada Wildlife Act.

There are four situations where the new Standard will not apply:

The MPA Protection Standard will not apply to MPAs established using mirror federal and provincial or territorial laws or joint law(s) uniquely developed for a single MPA.

Where MPAs are established using both a federal law and a separate but complementary provincial or territorial law, the determination of whether or not to apply the MPA Protection Standard will be made on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with existing intergovernmental collaborative agreements.

The MPA Protection Standard will not apply to MPAs established in the Great Lakes. The Panel's work and recommendations did not include consideration of MPAs in this area.

The MPA Protection Standard will not apply to MPAs established by Oceans Act Ministerial Order or Oceans Act emergency Order-in-Council. These legal instruments are not designed in a manner that would support application of the protection standard.

These four situations do not mean that the prohibited activities will take place in these MPAs. Activities may be prohibited or restricted according to individual protected area laws and other marine laws.

General Exceptions

The protection standard would not apply to any activity conducted for the following reasons:

public and vessel safety,

national defence,

national security,

law enforcement,

responding to an emergency,

Aboriginal and treaty rights,

in adherence to international law, or

any other matter the Minister deems necessary for the purpose of implementing the MPA Protection Standard.

How it will apply for existing MPAs (established prior to April 25, 2019)

The protection standard will be applied as follows for all existing MPAs established prior to April 25, 2019:

Existing MPAs will be reviewed to seek the voluntary relinquishment of any existing oil and gas permits or licences, where they exist. Should permits or licences not be relinquished in these areas, the portion of the MPA that overlaps with the licence area would no longer contribute to Canada's marine conservation targets.

Mineral exploration and exploitation does not currently occur in existing MPAs.

Permits will not be issued for the disposal at sea of waste and other matter in existing MPAs.

Permits will not be issued for the dumping of fill in existing MPAs.

Deposit of deleterious drugs and pesticides will continue to be prohibited in existing MPAs.

Any enhanced restrictions on vessel discharges in the Territorial Sea up to 12 nautical miles may apply to current MPAs, and voluntary restrictions may be pursued in current MPAs in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), where possible.

Existing MPAs will be reviewed as part of their ongoing management cycle to determine the compatibility of mobile bottom contact -trawl and dredge gear with the MPA's (conservation) objectives. Where this gear is determined to be incompatible, its use would be prohibited.

SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/08/c7554.html
New Hampshire Democrats are increasingly at odds with the Democratic National Committee after the organization knocked the Granite State from its perch as the first primary state over the weekend.

The new calendar bumps Iowa, which holds caucuses, out of its spot as the first-in-the-nation presidential contest, replacing it with South Carolina on Feb. 3. New Hampshire, which was the first state to hold a primary in the presidential contest, is expected to hold its contest three days later, along with Nevada.

But New Hampshire Democrats say they will still go first, despite the DNC vote, citing state law that says it must hold first-in-the-nation primary status.

We really are in a bind, said one New Hampshire-based Democratic operative. The narrative has been painted that New Hampshire Democrats are just being really difficult, and as much as I would really like for that to be true and that now that we dont get our way we just cave, we cant. Its the law.

That has led to a call from outside of New Hampshire to call for penalties against the Granite State if the state party doesnt abide by the new calendar.

Following the vote on Saturday, former top political strategist to the late Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Rebecca Lambe published a memo calling on the DNC to impose and enforce severe penalties on states and candidates who do not honor the rules as adopted.

New Hampshire has been the first primary election in the nation since 1920, following the Iowa Caucuses, in presidential contests. Supporters of New Hampshire going first argue that the states small size allows candidates to better take part in retail politicking and gives underdog candidates a fair shot. The states backers also point to its engaged electorate and the strong independent voters presence.

But since 2006, when Nevada and South Carolina were moved up in the Democratic primary calendar, there has been a movement to push the two states even further up the calendar, in part, because proponents say they offer a better demographic representation of the party and the country.

Story continues

The voters of South Carolina not only reflect the diversity of the Democratic Party but they tended to correct things that had occurred in the opening primaries and caucuses in a way that were more reflective of the subsequent primaries and caucuses, said former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges, the last Democrat to hold the post.

This dynamic played out clearly in 2020, when then-candidate Biden left New Hampshire prior to primary night to travel to South Carolina, which propelled him to the nomination.

Hodges also points out the situation will be much more of a concern in 2028, when theres likely to be an open field in the Democratic presidential race.

Granite State Democrats are showing no signs of giving up their position.

Well, New Hampshire is going to be first, Ray Buckley, chair of the states Democratic Party, told The Hill when asked about his reaction to the vote.

But proponents of the new calendar argue that New Hampshire technically has not been moved because for decades its taken place after the Iowa Caucuses. They also argue that no one state should have a monopoly over the presidential primary process.

They have asked us to maintain their tradition and that is exactly what were doing  maintaining their tradition as the second in the nation contest but doing it in a way that elevates some other voices as well, said Mo Elleithee, a member of the DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee.

The stalemate puts New Hampshire Democrats at odds with their national committee, which has the backing of President Biden in the calendar matter. Democrats in support of the calendar change have floated potential penalties New Hampshire could face if it leapfrogs South Carolina.

The DNC has pulled delegates to states who have jumped their place in the calendar. In 2008, the committee refused to seat half of Florida and Michigans delegates after they moved their primaries forward without approval.

However, Democrats say that this time around, penalties could be more severe for states that jump the calendar.

Any candidate who campaigns in a state that jumps the line will face their own penalties, Elleithee said.

Elleithee added that the DNC has a definition of campaigning, which includes a candidate putting their name on the ballot in a given state.

It could be anything from denying some delegates to the candidate to access to certain resources, access to the debate stage. All of those are on the table, he said.

But the situation puts New Hampshire and the DNC in uncharted territory, given that it is state law in New Hampshire for its primary to be first in the nation.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu (New Hampshire) has given no indication that he would move to change that.

Our primary will still be first and the nation will not be held to a substandard process dictated by Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, Sununu said late last year.

Supporters of the calendar change say that New Hampshire not following the DNCs rules due to its own law could set a negative precedent going forward.

If every state passed a law that said that they should be going first, then what would that say about our process? said South Carolina-based Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright.

Additionally, Democrats backing the calendar change say the state law is no excuse for New Hampshire Democrats to not comply.

If I were a New Hampshire Democrat, rather than going to war with the DNC, Id be going after the Republican establishment and saying, Why are you jeopardizing our ability to stay in our rightful place? Elleithee said. Democrats have a long history of taking on state laws that prohibited more voices being a part of the process. Theyve had an opportunity here to follow that tradition and so I hope they take it. Theyve got several months.

New Hampshire has until June 3 to change its primary date.

When asked whether he believed there was any room for negotiation on the calendar, Buckley said the DNC must feel so since they asked to continue talking till June 3.

We look forward to working with them, he added.

However, Buckley emphasized the need for the state party to get the ball rolling ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

We still want to start organizing toward the general election of 2024 because thats where our focus is, Buckley said. We will talk with the DNC, with the various other political committees in Washington, and the presidents campaign and say heres what we need to do to be victorious on the November general election ballot.

Other Democrats argue that New Hampshires strategy has more to do with posturing ahead of 2028, with Biden having stated he intends to run for a second term in 2024.

I think in 24 its going to be a bit of an odd event because Biden would not campaign there if they had a primary, Hodges said. This really is a lot less about this time around and more sending a message about how aggressive New Hampshire and to some extent Iowa is going to be when it comes to the 28 primaries and caucuses.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Siauliu Bankas

New Siauliu Bankas group company was established  UAB SB Asset Management, legal entity code: 306241274, registered office address Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius, whose sole founder, who owns 100 percent of the shares, is Siauliu bankas AB.

UAB "SB Asset Management" was established to properly prepare for the implementation of the agreement signed on 22 November 2022 regarding the merger of AB Invalda INVL retail asset management and life insurance businesses with AB Siauliu bankas (see. Notice ), and which after the transaction closing date would take over the management business of pension funds and investment funds for its further development.

Additional information:

Tomas Varenbergas, Head of Treasury & Markets

tel. +370 5 203 22 00, tomas.varenbergas@sb.lt




Seasoned executive brings decades of experience in capital markets, finance, and corporate strategy

WEST HILLS, Calif., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc. ("ImmPACT Bio"), a clinical-stage company developing transformative logic-gate-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for treating cancer, today announced the appointment of Biren Amin, M.B.A., to its board of directors.

Birin Amin, MBA, member of ImmPACT Bio board of directors

Mr. Amin has been the chief financial officer (CFO) and chief strategy officer of Pyramid Biosciences, Inc. since August 2022. He also serves as a co-director on the board of trustees of Axiom REACH Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on addressing public health disparities.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Biren to the board of ImmPACT Bio. Biren is a seasoned executive who is highly experienced in capital markets, finance, and corporate strategy," said Sheila Gujrathi, M.D., chair of ImmPACT Bio's board of directors. "Biren's broad and deep expertise will be invaluable as we continue to build the company to advance our pipeline of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies."

"This year we are rapidly advancing our novel bispecific CAR to treat aggressive B-cell lymphoma into Phase 1/2 clinical trials," said Sumant Ramachandra, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of ImmPACT Bio. "Biren's world-class experience in the cell therapy space as a biotechnology equity analyst at a top investment bank, along with his knowledge of finance and capital markets, will help us implement robust strategies to grow the company and move our next-generation CAR T-cell therapies through the clinic and ultimately to patients."

"ImmPACT Bio's portfolio of logic-gate-based CAR T-cell therapies holds tremendous potential to transform how we treat cancers," said Mr. Amin. "I am excited to work with this dynamic board and talented leadership team to help ImmPACT Bio achieve its vision of developing transformative oncology medicines for cancer patients who are in desperate need of new treatment options."

Story continues

Previously, Mr. Amin was CFO of Immuneering Corporation and led its IPO in mid-2021. Before his pivot to industry, Mr. Amin spent nearly two decades on Wall Street building a strong track record covering small and mid-cap biotechnology companies. He was managing director and senior biotechnology analyst at Jefferies Financial Group and earned industry recognition from Financial Times/StarMine and Institutional Investor. Earlier in his career, Mr. Amin held positions within business development and medical affairs functions at Aventis Pharmaceuticals. He holds an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University and earned his M.S. in pharmacy from Long Island University, and a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Sciences in Philadelphia.

About ImmPACT Bio

ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc., is a clinical-stage company dedicated to the discovery of transformative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for cancer patients who have exhausted their treatment options. The company's logic-gate-based CAR T-cell platforms, licensed from UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG), address key biological challenges in treating cancer. ImmPACT Bio's technologies are specifically designed to prevent antigen escape, and to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The company's technology is based on the work of pioneering scientists Yvonne Chen, Ph.D., and Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., both from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In addition, another logic-gate-based CAR T-cell technology is based on the work of Gideon Gross, Ph.D., from the MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, to address the prevention of 'on-target  off-tumor' toxicities. For more information, visit www.immpact-bio.com.

(PRNewsfoto/ImmPACT Bio USA Inc.)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/immpact-bio-appoints-biren-amin-mba-to-its-board-of-directors-301741085.html

SOURCE ImmPACT Bio
Chinese researchers have described what they claim is the world's youngest Alzheimer's patient, a 19-year-old in Beijing, as an "intriguing" discovery that could shed light on the evolution of the disease that mostly affects the elderly. The young patient first experienced difficulties concentrating when he was 17 and began to struggle with short-term memory loss, such as the inability to recall the previous days' events or where he'd left personal belongings, according to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, an international peer-reviewed journal, on Jan 31. The study found that the patient's memory continued to worsen, and he often misplaced items and even had trouble remembering whether he had eaten. He dropped out of school due to his condition, but was still able to live on his own. At hospital, the patient took a series of tests, including the most authoritative diagnosis examinations. His results showed that the cerebrospinal fluid that acts as a cushion for the brain's cortex was abnormal and he was suffering from mild brain atrophy, which meets the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's. The study was led by Jia Jianping of the Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders at the Capital Medical University's Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing. Jia Longfei, a doctor at Xuanwu Hospital's neurology department who was also involved in the study, said in an interview with Beijing Youth Daily that the case is extremely rare because the patient is not only very young, but also carries no known genetic mutation associated with the disease. Even though there are reports of cases of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's in their 20s, most usually either have a family history of the disease or carry genetic mutations. But comprehensive testing of the 19-year-old showed that he fitted neither circumstance. "In recent years, we have begun to diagnose a younger cohort of Alzheimer's patients in their 40s or even 20s," Jia said, adding that the rising incidence may partly be attributable to increasingly advanced diagnostic tools. Jia said that the 19-year-old is significant to further research into the disease's underlying causes. George Perry, a professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the University of Texas, said that he thinks the initial diagnosis is reasonable but that long-term follow-up of the patient is needed to further support it. He said that memory impairment in young adults is a complicated condition influenced by genetic and environmental factors, as well as lifestyle. "Taken together, this is a very interesting case, and no one in the world has reported such an early case without known pathogenic gene mutations previously, which attracts wide attention to AD (Alzheimer's disease) in young people," he said in an editorial published along with the study. "Such very early-onset AD without any genetic background inspired my interest and further thinking on the conventional perspective, pathogenic mechanisms and limitations of current technologies of genetic testing in the field of AD," he said. Data from the National Health Commission shows that China has nearly 10 million Alzheimer's patients. The disease's incidence among those aged 65 and above is 5 percent and the rate among people aged 80 and above is 30 percent.
Growth Plus Reports

Newark, New Castle, USA, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global intraocular lens market is expected to clock US$ 6.9 Billion by 2030, a rising prevalence of ophthalmic diseases, increased geriatric population, and availability of advanced treatment for eye surgery (robot-assisted surgery and lesser surgery others) are driving this market. Government support and regulations on the price of intraocular lenses, technological advancements in the manufacturing of intraocular lenses, adoption of premium intraocular lenses, and a large number of key players are contributing to the market growth, states Growth Plus Reports

Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.growthplusreports.com/inquiry/request-sample/intraocular-lens-market/8176

According to The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), in 2020, almost 1.4 billion people were diagnosed with myopia, and 1 billion people have corrected presbyopia. One hundred forty-six million people are diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and 76 million cases of prime-stage glaucoma. Globally 1.1 billion people live with vision loss, nearly 600 million are far-sighted, and 510 million are near-sighted. It is estimated that by 2050 vision loss cases will go to 1.7 billion.

The global intraocular lens market has been analyzed from four perspectives: Intraocular lens Type, Material, End User, and Regions.

Excerpts from By Intraocular lens Type

The global intraocular lens market has been segmented into products such as:

Accommodative Intraocular Lenses

Toric Intraocular Lenses

Monofocal Intraocular Lenses

Multifocal Intraocular Lenses

Toric intraocular lenses hold the highest market share owing prevalence of ophthalmic diseases, the rising number of astigmatism cases and the increasing geriatric population, the prevalence of diabetes, and the availability of advanced technology for eye surgery contributing to market growth. Additionally, affordability, better treatment outcomes, government reimbursement schemes, and precise astigmatism correction are expanding toric intraocular market growth

Excerpts From By Product Material

The global intraocular lens market is also segmented based on materials such as:

Story continues

Acrylic

Silicone

Polymethyl Methacrylate

Acrylic intraocular lenses have a high market share and will continue to expand in the future. Acrylic intraocular lenses are further categorized into hydrophilic and hydrophobic acrylic lenses. The demand for hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses is driven by their resistance to breakage, high refractive index, transparency, and elasticity. Moreover, affordability, availability, better mechanical stability, and government reimbursement policies are fueling the acrylic intraocular lens market. Additionally, silicon intraocular lenses are expected to show highest growth in demand owing to high quality of refractive index, tangibility, and affordability.

Excerpts from by End User

The global intraocular market is segmented based on end users such as:

Ambulatory Centers

Hospitals And Clinics

Research Institutes

The hospitals and clinics segment is dominating the global intraocular lens market owing to the availability of highly skilled surgeons, advanced technologies, government policies for hospital bill reimbursement, and rising patient footfall for diagnosis and treatment, fueling the intraocular market. Additionally, the prevalence of eye disorders, an increasing number of diabetic patients, and the severity of eye diseases that require medical attention are contributing to market growth.

Excerpts from By Region Segmentation

North America is dominating the global intraocular lens market with modern infrastructure, robust government reimbursement policies, and early adoption of technological advancements. Furthermore, the high geriatric population, perpetual new product launches, large pool of patients with eye diseases, high prevalence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, and advanced healthcare infrastructure have played a crucial role in the growth of this region in the global intraocular lens market. Moreover, Europe also showed high potential for market growth. Quick regulatory approvals for novel products, high prevalence of eye disorders in geriatrics are prime driving factors for market growth in the region.

Browse Full Report with Complete TOC @ https://www.growthplusreports.com/report/intraocular-lens-market/8176

Excerpts from Competitive Landscape

Some of the prominent players operating in the global intraocular lens market are:

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc.

Staar Surgical Company

Rayner Intraocular Lenses Limited

PhysIOL S.A.

Ophtec B.V.

Humanoptics AG.

Hoya Corporation

Eyekon Medical Inc.

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Bausch & Lomb Inc.

Aurolab, Alcon, Inc.

Nidek Co. Ltd.

Strategic Developments

In Dec 2021, Alcon expanded its advanced technology intraocular lenses portfolio with the launch of Clareon monofocal and Clareon toric lenses for cataract and astigmatism treatment. These products have more rotational stability and excellent clarity.

In Oct 2021, Alcon launched Vivity intraocular lenses in the Indian market, which are presbyopia-correcting lenses. Vivity is a non-diffractive presbyopia-correcting intraocular lens, which has less visual disturbance.

Ask for Customization: https://www.growthplusreports.com/inquiry/customization/intraocular-lens-market/8176

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION Market Ecosystem Geographic Scope Timeline Under Consideration Historical Years  2020 Base Year  2021 Forecast 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 Trend (COVID-19 Perspective) Key Players & Their Competitive Positioning (2021) MARKET DYNAMICS Drivers Restraints Opportunities GLOBAL INTRAOCULAR LENS MARKET - ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY TYPE Multifocal Intraocular Lens Monofocal Intraocular Lens Accommodative Intraocular Lens Toric Intraocular Lens

TOC Continued..

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

Schedule a call with our analyst: https://appoint.ly/s/salesZ3Jvd3RocGx1c3JlcG9ydHMuY29t/introduction

Visit our report store at - https://www.growthplusreports.com/report-store

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.

CONTACT: Manan Sethi Director, Market Insights Email: sales@growthplusreports.com 256 Chapman Road STE 105-4, Newark, New Castle - 19702, USA Phone no: +1 888 550 5009 Web: https://www.growthplusreports.com/




Tokyo is still the most popular city to investors

TOKYO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shenjumiausuan released a research result recently on "the interests of investing in Japanese real estate from Chinese investors" that 89% of Chinese investors are interested in going for a house-viewing tour if the overseas traveling market reopens. Shenjumiausuan (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan, CEO: Jie Zhao) is one of the sub-companies of the GA technologies group; it runs the biggest platform service which provides Japanese real estate information mainly to customers in Mainland China[1], Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It is part of the GA technologies group, a real estate business corporation in Tokyo, Japan (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Ryo Higuchi, Securities code: 3491).

The online questionnaire was carried out among 100 platform users asking about their interests in investing in Japanese real estate. From the result, we could see that the interests of Chinese buyers are still high even after 3 years since the outbreak of the pandemic and with all the traveling restrictions. Major cities like Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka, and Kyoto are still the most popular among Chinese investors. The average budget willing to spend is between 77,500 USD~232,600 USD (34%); one-room layout apartment/studio is still the most popular for investment purposes (40.6%), the whole building option comes in second (28.7%), and the high-rise condos come in third (12.9%). Chinese investors' interest in investing in Japan's real estate market is still strong. Therefore, the impact due to the pandemic on our business is limited.

[1] "Number of listings (portal site for inbound real estate investmentApril 2020~" researched by Shenjumiausuanformer NeoX Co., Ltd.

Key Highlights

89% of Chinese investors say that they are interested in going to Japan for a house viewing tour if traveling overseas is possible.

34.7% of the investors are willing to spend around 77,500 USD ~ 232,600 USD (10 million yen~ 30 million yen) to purchase a property for investment purposes.

Major cities are still the most popular locations to investors. The list is as follows: Tokyo (47.5%), Hokkaido (19.8%), Osaka, and Kyoto regions (14.9%).

When asking about the type of property you are interested in, the list is as follows: single-room layout apartment/studio (40.6%), whole building option (28.7%), and high-rise condos (12.9%).

Major reasons for investing in Japanese real estate: "consistent rent income" is the biggest reason (33.8%), and "good rate of return" comes in second (32.5%).

Story continues

89% of the Chinese investors answered that they are interested in going to Japan for a house viewing tour if the overseas traveling market reopens

89% of Chinese investors are interested in Japanese real estate

The Chinese government has announced the Covid-19 restrictions (constraints) would be lifted on January 8th, 2023. All restrictions for travel (national & International), long-distance moving, and going outside would no longer be applied. People in Mainland China welcomed a pandemic-restrictions-free Lunar New Year holiday in the three years since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. The Lunar New Year holidays fell between 1/21~1/27 this year. And according to Trip.com, the biggest online booking platform in Mainland China, bookings jumped 6.4 times more than last year (2022). Japan is also the No.3 most popular travel destination among Chinese customers (Mainland China). As we could possibly predict, as the restrictions have all been lifted, more people from Mainland China will be more willing to come to Japan for a house-viewing tour.

Most investors are willing to spend around 77500 USD ~ 232,600 USD as for budgets

34.7% answered with 77,500 USD ~ 232,600 USD (10 million yen~30 million yen)

26.7% answered with under 77,500 USD (under 10 million yen)

20.8% answered with 232,600 USD ~ 383,820 USD (30 million yen~50 million yen)

Big cities with more population are still the preferred options when it comes to property for investment purposes

"Tokyo" tops the list with 47.5% of investors preferring it. 19.8% answered "Hokkaido", and 14.99% chose "Osaka" and "Kyoto" regions. 2% of the investors choose "Fukuoka". From the answers, we can see that big cities with more population are still popular choices for investors when thinking about buying a property for investment purposes.

One-room studio type of property for rental is still the most popular among investors

Single-room layout apartment/studio is the most popular (40.6%). The whole building option is the second most popular (28.7%). 12.9% preferred High-rise condos.

"Stable profit of return" is the biggest reason that attracts investors to Japanese real estate

What attracts Chinese investors to be willing to invest in Japanese real estate is "stable profit of return" which, no surprise, is the top reason. 33.8% of the investors want to invest in Japanese real estate for "consistent rent income". 32.5% answered that they would like to invest in Japanese real estate because of the good rate of return.

According to a report ("Index of cost to rent price of International real estate market) released by Japan Real Estate Institute that the total cost of purchasing real estate in Tokyo (apartments/luxury mansions) is cheaper compared to other major cities in the world such as London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore when the rate of return is better compared to these cities.

Result Summary

Research time period: September 6th, 2022, ~ November 21, 2022

Targets for research: Shenjumiausuan platform users (100 practical answers received)

Research method: Online questionnaire

Shenjumiausuan Co., Ltd.

The business concept of Shenjumiausuan is "to bridge the users from all over the globe by the power of technology". The service mainly targets customers living in the Chinese cultural regions. The accumulated number of page views is about 4,500,000 views, with about 1,100,000 unique users' access. (By 2022). It is one of the most popular Japanese real estate service sites that is receiving attention from Greater China.

Shenjumiausuan Co., Ltd.

Representative: Jie Zhao

Website: https://www.shenjumiaosuan.com/company

Headquarters: 40F of Sumitomo real estate Roppongi Grand Tower, Roppongi 3-2-1, Minato-Ku, Tokyo

Year of founding: December 2016

Capital fund: 5,000,000 yen

Service: Real estate service platform "Shenjumiausuan" targets customers living in the Greater China regions

GA technologies Co., Ltd

Representative: Ryo Higuchi

Website: https://www.ga-tech.co.jp/

Headquarters: 40F of Sumitomo real estate Roppongi Grand Tower, Roppongi 3-2-1, Minato-Ku, Tokyo

Year of founding: March 2013

Capital fund: 7,238,798,466 yen (by October 2022)

Services:

Internet real estate marketplace business: RENOSY

BtoB PropTech SaaS development

GA technologies group: ITANDI, RENOSY PLUS, Shenjumiausuan, and 12 other group companies

Please contact us through the following information

GA technologies P.R. team: Hayata, Judy (+81-80-8899-1699)

Mail: pr@ga-tech.co.jp

GA technologies (PRNewsfoto/GA technologies Co., Ltd.)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/japan-insights-89-of-chinese-investors-are-interested-in-taking-a-real-estate-tour-in-japan-301740151.html

SOURCE GA technologies Co., Ltd.
KnowledgeLake "Ontario" update brings an expanded process automation engine and new digital customer experience portal to the company's Intelligent Document Processing platform

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KnowledgeLake , a leading provider of Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) solutions, today announced the immediate availability of its "Ontario" Update through the company's cloud-first software platform.

The Ontario update expands the KnowledgeLake platform's capabilities to help organizations solve their most complex business process and workflow automation challenges on a single platform. The update also elevates the customer experience by simplifying document and data collection and providing greater transparency into the status of applications, transactions and other processes.

The most notable update is KnowledgeLake's enhanced process automation engine, which features an intuitive interface for citizen developers as well as automation and IT specialists. The process automation engine has been expanded to include conditional routing, looping, error handling, granular permissions and other enhancements that enable basic and complex automations across different applications and systems.

"We've taken a major step forward in our process automation capabilities," said Ron Cameron, founder and CEO of KnowledgeLake. "We know that not every workflow is the same, and business processes are often messy or non-linear. We've developed an even more powerful process automation engine to support all the various contingencies, conditions and applications modern business processes require. Organizations will be able to address their most complex workflows and automate them beautifully in one easy to use interface. At the same time, they can bring customers directly into those workflows."

The Ontario update features two brand new capabilities to the KnowledgeLake platform that enable better digital customer experiences:

Story continues

Digital Experience Portal  An interactive gateway that loops customers and other external participants (such as contractors and third-party vendors) into workflows and provides real-time insight into the status of processes. The portal features an auto-generated task list builder and secure file sharing capabilities.





Secure Electronic Forms - A no-code, low-code, and pro-code tool that enables users to design and customize external-facing online forms that can be used to trigger workflows. The flexible white-label form builder includes embedded data validation and ReCaptcha authentication for security/compliance.

"Digital workflows and processes are getting more complex by the day and involve a growing number of stakeholders," said Jason Burian, VP of Product for KnowledgeLake. "To succeed in this dynamic environment and satisfy customers, organizations require more technical agility, and that means better tools. The Ontario release loops customers right into workflows and lets IT professionals and citizen developers alike automate complex, end-to-end business processes and create streamlined digital experiences for customers."

The KnowledgeLake Ontario Updates are available now. For more information or to schedule a demo, visit www.knowledgelake.com/workflow-automation-software .

About KnowledgeLake

KnowledgeLake is the only end-to-end, fully cloud-native solution for intelligent document processing, enabling organizations to capture, process, and manage their content in a single platform. The company combines AI-powered intelligent document capture, workflow automation and robotic process automation (RPA) to increase organizational productivity. Two million users worldwide employ KnowledgeLake to work faster and more efficiently. For more information, visit knowledgelake.com.

Media Contact

Andrea LePain

eMedia Junction

andrea@emediajunction.com

617-894-1153

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/knowledgelake-unveils-enhanced-process-automation-and-digital-workflow-tools-301741065.html

SOURCE KnowledgeLake
Custom Market Insights

[220+ Pages Latest Report] According to a market research study published by Custom Market Insights, the demand analysis of Global Automotive HVAC Market size & share revenue was valued at approximately USD 16.35 Billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 18.10 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach around USD 32.10 Billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.75 between 2022 and 2030. The key market players listed in the report with their sales, revenues and strategies are DENSO Corporation, MAHLE GmbH, Valeo Group, Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd, Sanden Holdings Corporation, Japan Climate System Corporation, Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kg, Air International Thermal Systems, Hanon Systems Corp., Marelli Corporation, Valeo, Calsonic Kansei Corporation, Keihin Corporation, Calsonic Kansei, Engineered Plastic Components, DelStar Technologies, Sanden Holdings Corporation, Behr GmbH, and others.

Sandy, Utah, USA, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Custom Market Insights has published a new research report titled Automotive HVAC Market Size, Trends, and Insights By Technology (Automatic, Manual), By Vehicle Type (Passengers Cars, Commercial Vehicles, Electric Vehicles), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 20222030 in its research database.

According to the latest research study, the demand for Global Automotive HVAC Market size & share was valued at approximately USD 16.35 Billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 18.10 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach a value of around USD 32.10 Billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 6.75 during the forecast period 2022 to 2030.

Our recently published report, Automotive HVAC Market, offers a comprehensive and deep evaluation of the market stature. Also, the market report estimates the market size, revenue, price, market share, market forecast, growth rate, and competitive analysis.

Story continues

Automotive HVAC Market: Overview

The HVAC is a small, versatile system that enables air circulation in car cabins by using a number of parts including fans, thermal exchangers, filters, etc. Due to rising passenger demand for comfort features including high-quality air conditioners, infotainment systems, and noise-free systems, the market will expand at a modest rate in the next years.

As passenger cars have evolved, producers of light commercial vehicles and big trucks are increasingly integrating HVAC systems into their products. According to the interior components of the vehicle, various HVAC providers offer various system designs, which will determine the effect of prospective design modifications on system performance.

Click Here to Access a Free Sample Report of the Global Automotive HVAC Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/request-for-free-sample/?reportid=21351





Growth Factors

The global need for air conditioning systems in adverse weather conditions and rising auto sales contribute to expanding the global Automotive HVAC market. Due to the rising need for better performance, air quality, and environmental concerns, automotive HVAC systems are increasingly used.

The factors driving the market expansion during the projected period include the increased demand for remote access control systems that improve air conditioning efficiency and lower fuel usage. A further factor driving market expansion is the adoption of energy-saving and environmentally friendly car HVAC systems in response to rising environmental consciousness among the general public.

The market is expanding as a result of the introduction of new HVAC systems with cutting-edge technologies that help demist windshields, defrost windows, and dehumidify air while improving passenger comfort. Other factors that contribute to the expansion of the global automotive HVAC market over the course of the projected period include increased consumer spending power, expanding demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs), and the adoption of several government programs to support energy-efficient systems.

Additionally, it is anticipated that the global expansion of research and development in the automotive industry would strengthen the technological expertise of the markets competitors. In order to create new goods that provide them with a competitive edge in the industry, these market players are implementing cutting-edge technology in automotive HVAC. Another factor fueling the markets expansion throughout the projection period is energy efficacy.

Manufacturers who use green technologies to create eco-friendly and energy-efficient vehicle HVAC systems are growing, which is another potential driving the markets expansion. In the upcoming years, the Automotive HVAC industry will have development prospects due to new expanding markets, changing customer demographics, and strict regulatory restrictions.

(A free sample of the Automotive HVAC report is available upon request; please contact us for more information.)



Our Free Sample Report Consists of the following:

Introduction, Overview, and in-depth industry analysis are all included in the 2022 updated report.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis is included in the package

About 220+ Pages Research Report (Including Recent Research)

Provide detailed chapter-by-chapter guidance on the Request

Updated Regional Analysis with a Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2022

Includes Tables and figures have been updated

The most recent version of the report includes the Top Market Players, their Business Strategies, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis

Custom Market Insights (CMI) research methodology

(Please note that the sample of the Automotive HVAC report has been modified to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.)

Request Customized Copy of Automotive HVAC Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/request-for-customization/?reportid=21351

Segmental Overview

The market for automotive HVAC is segmented into technology and vehicle type. According to the technology, the automatic category is expected to increase at the quickest rate. Due to the rising demand for automated automotive HVAC systems, which is a result of changing customer tastes and a rise in the popularity of premium automobiles, the automatic category is leading the global automotive HVAC market.

The development of HVAC technologies like automated air recirculation, automatic temperature controls, and fogging sensors, among others, is a contributing element to the global automotive HVAC markets expansion.

The global market is divided into passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and electric vehicles depending on the manner of vehicle. The primary drivers of the expansion of the global automotive HVAC market in the passenger segment are the rising disposable income and the accessibility of various financing options. Moreover, Swashplate compressors are popular for usage in passenger automobiles due to their low cost and high efficiency. These options are often chosen by HVAC system makers, which broadens the market.

Regional Overview

The biggest market share of the total market was held by the Asia-Pacific in the automotive HVAC industry. A considerable portion of the demand for these systems comes from China, one of the biggest markets. Governmental efforts and support to revitalize the automobile sector in nations like China and India also contribute to the expansion of the industry.

A further factor in the expansion of the industry in the area is the rising demand for passenger cars coming from India as a result of rising living standards. High-end automobiles with comparable comfort amenities are more popular with consumers. Additionally, nations like Thailand and Malaysia are experiencing an increase in the manufacture of vehicles by multinational firms.

Click Here to Get a Free Sample Report of the Global Automotive HVAC Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

Key questions answered in this report:

What is the size of the Automotive HVAC market and what is its expected growth rate?

What are the primary driving factors that push the Automotive HVAC market forward?

What are the Automotive HVAC Industry's top companies?

What are the different categories that the Automotive HVAC Market caters to?

What will be the fastest-growing segment or region?

In the value chain, what role do essential players play?

What is the procedure for getting a free copy of the Automotive HVAC market sample report and company profiles?

Key Offerings:

Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222030

Market Dynamics  Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Leading Trends

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by Types of Services, by End-User Services, and by Regions

Competitive Landscape  Top Key Vendors and Other Prominent Vendors

Directly Purchase a copy of the report [220+ Pages] @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

Report Scope

Feature of the Report Details Market Size in 2021 USD 16.35 Billion Projected Market Size in 2030 USD 32.10 Billion Market Size in 2022 USD 18.10 Billion CAGR Growth Rate 6.75% CAGR Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Prominent Players DENSO Corporation, MAHLE GmbH, Valeo Group, Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd, Sanden Holdings Corporation, Japan Climate System Corporation, Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kg, Air International Thermal Systems, Hanon Systems Corp., Marelli Corporation, Valeo, Calsonic Kansei Corporation, Keihin Corporation, Calsonic Kansei, Engineered Plastic Components, DelStar Technologies, Sanden Holdings Corporation, Behr GmbH, and Others Key Segment By Technology, Vehicle type, and Region Report Coverage Revenue Estimation and Forecast, Company Profile, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Recent Trends Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South & Central America Buying Options Request tailored purchasing options to fulfil your requirements for research.

Competitive Landscape

The players have implemented various strategies to expand in the global automotive HVAC market . The study contains a thorough competitive analysis of the major automotive HVAC market participants and information on their company overviews, recent developments, and vital business strategies.

Click Here to Access a Free Sample Report of the Global Automotive HVAC Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/request-for-free-sample/?reportid=21351





Prominent Players

DENSO Corporation

MAHLE GmbH

Valeo Group

Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd

Sanden Holdings Corporation

Japan Climate System Corporation

Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kg

Air International Thermal Systems

Hanon Systems Corp.

Marelli Corporation

Valeo

Calsonic Kansei Corporation

Keihin Corporation

Calsonic Kansei

Engineered Plastic Components

DelStar Technologies

Sanden Holdings Corporation

Behr GmbH

Others

Request Customized Copy of Automotive HVAC Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

(We customized your report to meet your specific research requirements. Inquire with our sales team about customizing your report.)

Still, Looking for More Information? Do OR Want Data for Inclusion in magazines, case studies, research papers, or Media?

Email Directly Here with Detail Information: support@custommarketinsights.com

Browse the full Automotive HVAC Market Size, Share, Growth Analysis Report By Products & Software, (Instruments, Consumable, LIMS), By Services (Heavy Metal Testing, Microbial Analysis, Potency, Residual Screening), By End-User (Cultivators, Laboratories, Research Institutes), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Intelligence, Trends, Outlook, and Forecast 20222030 Report at https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

The global Automotive HVAC market is segmented as follows:

By Technology

Automatic

Manual

By Vehicle type

Passengers Cars

Commercial Vehicles

Electric Vehicles

On the basis of Geography

North America

The U.S.

Canada

Mexico

Europe

France

The UK

Spain

Germany

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Australia

South Korea

Rest of Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Egypt

Kuwait

South Africa

Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Click Here to Access a Free Sample Report of the Global Automotive HVAC Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

Spectacular Deals

Comprehensive coverage

Maximum number of market tables and figures

Subscription-based option offered

Best price guarantee

Free 35% or 60 hours of customization.

Free post-sale service assistance.

25% discount on your next purchase.

Service guarantees are available.

Personalized market brief by author.

Browse More Related Reports:

In-Car Wireless Charging Market : In-Car Wireless Charging Market Size, Trends, and Insights By Technology (Inductive Power Transfer, Magnetic Resonance Charging, Conductive Charging), By Charging Standard (PMA Standard, QMA Standard), By Device Type (Smartphones, Tablets, Other Devices), By Vehicle Type (Electric Vehicle, Hybrid Vehicle, Fuel-based Vehicle), By Distribution Channel (OEM, Aftermarket), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 20222030

Electric Truck Market : Electric Truck Market Size, Trends, and Insights By Propulsion (Battery Electric Vehicle, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), By Vehicle Type (Medium & HCV, LCV), By Range (Less than 200 Miles, More than 200 Miles), By Automation Level (Semi-Autonomous, Fully Autonomous), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 20232030

Electric Commercial Vehicle Market : Electric Commercial Vehicle Market Size, Trends, and Insights By Propulsion (BEV, PHEV, FCEV), By Vehicle Type (Bus, Truck, Pick-up Truck, Electric Van), By Power Output (Less than 150 kW, 150  250 kW, Above 250 kW), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 20222030

Electric Ships Market : Electric Ships Market Size, Trends, and Insights By Power (Fully Electric, Hybrid), By Power Output (>7,560 kW, 746-7,560 kW, 75-745 kW, <75 kW), By Autonomy (Fully Autonomous, Semi-Autonomous), By End-use (Commercial, Defense, Special), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 20222030

Electric Bus Market : Electric Bus Market Size, Trends and Insights By Battery (Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Iron Phosphate), By Vehicle Type (Battery Electric Vehicle, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), By End-use (Private, Public), By Application (Intercity, Intracity), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 20222030

This Automotive HVAC Market Research/Analysis Report Contains Answers to the following Questions.

Which Manufacturing Technology is used for Automotive HVAC? What Developments Are Going On in That Technology? Which Trends Are Causing These Developments?

Who Are the Global Key Players in This Automotive HVAC Market? What are Their Company Profile, Product Information, and Contact Information?

What Was the Global Market Status of the Automotive HVAC Market? What Was the Capacity, Production Value, Cost and PROFIT of the Automotive HVAC Market?

What Is the Current Market Status of the Automotive HVAC Industry? What's Market Competition in This Industry, Both Company and Country Wise? What's Market Analysis of the Automotive HVAC Market by Considering Applications and Types?

What Are Projections of the Global Automotive HVAC Industry Considering Capacity, Production and Production Value? What Will Be the Estimation of Cost and Profit? What Will Be Market Share, Supply and Consumption? What about imports and exports?

What Is Automotive HVAC Market Chain Analysis by Upstream Raw Materials and Downstream Industry?

What Is the Economic Impact On The Automotive HVAC Industry? What are Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis Results? What Are Global Macroeconomic Environment Development Trends?

What Are the Market Dynamics of the Automotive HVAC Market? What Are Challenges and Opportunities?

What Should Be Entry Strategies, Countermeasures to Economic Impact, and Marketing Channels for the Automotive HVAC Industry?

Request Customized Copy of Automotive HVAC Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

Reasons to Purchase Automotive HVAC Market Report

Automotive HVAC Market Report provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market based on segmentation involving economic and non-economic factors.

The Automotive HVAC Market report outlines market value (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment.

This report indicates the region and segment expected to witness the fastest growth and dominate the market.

Automotive HVAC Market Analysis by geography highlights the consumption of the product/service in the region and indicates the factors affecting the market within each region.

The competitive landscape incorporates the market ranking of the major players, along with new service/product launches, partnerships, business expansions, and acquisitions in the past five years of companies profiled.

Extensive company profiles comprising company overview, company insights, product benchmarking, and SWOT analysis for the major market players.

The Industry's current and future market outlook concerning recent developments (which involve growth opportunities and drivers as well as challenges and restraints of both emerging and developed regions.

The automotive HVAC Market Includes in-depth market analysis from various perspectives through Porter's five forces analysis and provides insight into the market through Value Chain.

Reasons for the Research Report

The study provides a thorough overview of the global Automotive HVAC market. Compare your performance to that of the market as a whole.

Aim to maintain competitiveness while innovations from established key players fuel market growth.

Directly Purchase a copy of the report [220+ Pages] @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

What does the report include?

Drivers, restrictions, and opportunities are among the qualitative elements covered in the worldwide Automotive HVAC market analysis.

The competitive environment of current and potential participants in the Automotive HVAC market is covered in the report, as well as those companies' strategic product development ambitions.

According to the component, application, and industry vertical, this study analyzes the market qualitatively and quantitatively. Additionally, the report offers comparable data for the important regions.

For each segment mentioned above, actual market sizes and forecasts have been given.

Click Here to Get a Free Sample Report of the Global Automotive HVAC Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/

Who should buy this report?

Participants and stakeholders worldwide Automotive HVAC market should find this report useful. The research will be useful to all market participants in the Automotive HVAC industry.

Managers in the Automotive HVAC sector are interested in publishing up-to-date and projected data about the worldwide Automotive HVAC market.

Governmental agencies, regulatory bodies, decision-makers, and organizations want to invest in Automotive HVAC products' market trends.

Market insights are sought for by analysts, researchers, educators, strategy managers, and government organizations to develop plans.

About Custom Market Insights:

Custom Market Insights is a market research and advisory company delivering business insights and market research reports to large, small, and medium-scale enterprises. We assist clients with strategies and business policies and regularly work towards achieving sustainable growth in their respective domains.

CMI provides a one-stop solution for data collection to investment advice. The expert analysis of our company digs out essential factors that help to understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The professional experts apply clients inside on the aspects such as strategies for future estimation fall, forecasting or opportunity to grow, and consumer survey.

Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/custom-market-insights/

Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/custommarketins

Follow Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cmarketinsights

Contact Us:

Joel John

USA: +1 801-639-9061

India: +91 20 46022736

Email: support@custommarketinsights.com

Web: https://www.custommarketinsights.com/

Blog: https://www.techyounme.com/

Blog: https://atozresearch.com/

Blog: https://www.technowalla.com/

Blog: https://marketresearchtrade.com/

Blog: https://www.cmiconsulting.co/

Directly Purchase a copy of the report [220+ Pages] @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/automotive-hvac-market/




Latin Metals Inc.

Initiates Geophysical Surveying at Auquis Copper Project, Peru

Figure 1

Location of initial rock samples collected at the Tillo copper project.

Figure 2

Map of the Auquis copper project showing previously disclosed rock sample analysis and the location of planned ground geophysical survey lines.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Latin Metals Inc. (Latin Metals or the Company) - (TSXV: LMS) (OTCQB: LMSQF) announces that it has received assay results from three initial rock samples collected at the Tillo copper project (Tillo) with copper grades ranging from 0.19% to 1.36% copper. The Company also provides an update on the Auquis copper project (Auquis), where an extensive magnetic geophysical survey has begun.

Tillo Copper Project

A suite of three rock samples were collected, which are all located within the largest (2,500m x 1,500m) area of anomalous soil and talus samples (see previous news release January 30, 2023) (Figure 1). The rock samples returned copper grades ranging from 0.19% to 1.36%, with associated molybdenum mineralization ranging from 5ppm to 94ppm.

Figure 1





Figure 1: Location of initial rock samples collected at the Tillo copper project.



The next steps at Tillo include a program of detailed rock chip sampling and geological mapping, focusing on the most anomalous areas defined by the initial sampling.

Auquis Copper Project

A magnetic survey has been initiated at the Companys 100%-owned Auquis copper project, where a total of 434 rock samples were collected in 2022, defining a core area of high-grade mineralization that measures 1,500m x 1,500m (see previous news release November 3, 2022). The new magnetic survey is planned to be completed over approximately 50-line km, covering the core area of porphyry-related mineralization and an area considered prospective for skarn mineralization (Figure 2).

Figure 2





Figure 2: Map of the Auquis copper project showing previously disclosed rock sample analysis

and the location of planned ground geophysical survey lines.

Corporate Update Webinar

On Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET, the Company will host a live corporate update and will provide an overview of Latin Metals, its projects in South America and its goals for the coming year.

Story continues

A live question-and-answer period will follow this for investors, analysts, and media.

Webinar Details

Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023

Time: 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET

Speaker: Keith Henderson, CEO of Latin Metals Inc.

Registration Link: https://meet.zoho.com/W7CE9ctAr2

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

QA/QC

At the Auquis project, the geophysical survey is being undertaken by Zissou Contractors, who are responsible for aspects of data collection and QA/QC. At the Tillo project, the work was designed and supervised by Eduardo Leon, the Company's Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the QA/QC program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to the ALS laboratory in Lima. Rock chip samples were taken in a 1 m x 1 m area with rock chip material weighing approximately 1.5 kg to 2.0 kg. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by multi-element analysis using an inductively coupled mass spectrometer in compliance with industry standards.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Keith J. Henderson P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and the Companys CEO. Mr. Henderson is not independent of the Company, as he is an employee of the Company and holds securities of the Company.

About Latin Metals

Latin Metals is a mineral exploration company acquiring a diversified portfolio of assets in South America. The Company operates with a Prospect Generator model focusing on the acquisition of prospective exploration properties at minimum cost, completing initial evaluation through cost-effective exploration to establish drill targets, and ultimately securing joint venture partners to fund drilling and advanced exploration. Shareholders gain exposure to the upside of a significant discovery without the dilution associated with funding the highest-risk drill-based exploration.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

LATIN METALS INC.

Keith Henderson

President & CEO

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site ( www.latin-metals.com ) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

For further information, please contact:

Keith Henderson

Suite 890

999 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W2

Phone: 604-638-3456

E-mail: info@latin-metals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Properties and otherwise, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, and the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves on the Properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Argentine projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities at the Properties, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs being proposed for the Properties (the "Programs"), actual results of exploration activities, including the Programs, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals and copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays or the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSX-V acceptance for filing of the Option Agreements, any current or future property acquisitions, financing or other planned activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Management Discussion and Analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fa989721-1c31-4cb1-9cec-1a6ab800f749

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6de405cc-a8a3-410f-ae6c-22279bb3d105




Surrey complex includes Centre of Clinical Excellence and Affordable Housing

Legion Veterans Village in Surrey, BC

New complex includes Whalley Legion Branch, Centre of Clinical Excellence, and affordable housing

Legion Veterans Village in Surrey, BC

$312 million complex at dusk

OTTAWA, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation is pleased to announce the official grand opening of the Legion Veterans Village (LVV), a unique $312-million multi-purpose social infrastructure project led by the BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion, together with Whalley Legion Branch 229, the Province of B.C., and Lark Group in Surrey B.C. The project features a first-of-its-kind Centre of Clinical Excellence in veteran and first responder health, a new Whalley Legion, as well as 91 affordable housing units owned and operated by VRS Communities, and 171 market housing units in phase one of the overall development.



The Legion Veterans Village in Surrey is a brilliant and progressive example of what can happen when dedicated partners come together, says Bruce Julian, Dominion President, The Royal Canadian Legion. We are proud of what BC/Yukon Command has achieved with this opening and look forward to hearing about the Veterans and families who will be helped through this unique venture.

We are excited to usher in a new era of the Legion with this unique Legion Veterans Village project, says Veronica Brown, Executive Director of the BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion. It is a symbol and monument of what a modern Legion could be, representing much of what our veterans care about, what they need a Legion to be, and how we can better service our veterans, our communities and the essential first responders who look after us.

Located on the corner of City Parkway and 106th Avenue in downtown Surrey, the 20-storey Legion Veterans Village building houses the brand new 10,500 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Whalley Legion Branch 229, which includes a restaurant and bar, full-service industrial kitchen, cadet assembly hall, banquet room, lounge and billiards area with underground parking.

Story continues

The Whalley Legion has been serving the community at this location since 1960 and we are incredibly excited to launch our brand new Whalley Legion where we can continue to serve our Legion members and become a gathering place for local residents, neighbours and first responders, says Tony Moore, President of the Whalley Legion Branch 229. We would like to thank each and every person who made this project possible and we look forward to continuing to honour and serve veterans and first responders and fostering a new community legacy for generations to come.

Legion Veterans Village was originally inspired by the courageous efforts of Canadian veteran Captain Trevor Greene who experienced a debilitating head injury from an axe attack in Afghanistan. The BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion helped fundraise for an exoskeleton machine to help him walk again, which became the inspiration for the ambitious LVV project to bring innovative health technologies to help more veterans and first responders like him.

The LVV development is also a mixed-use building which includes 91 affordable housing units owned and managed by the VRS Communities Society (VRS), with priority given to Canadian veterans, first responders, Legion members and their families. The Province, through BC Housing, provided $12-million through the Building BC: Community Housing Fund for the affordable housing units which are a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom suites, with 10 units designed specifically to meet VRS requirements for accessibility. These complement an additional 171 one- and two-bedroom Parc Centrale market housing units by Dava Developments, which have already sold out.

Lark Group takes great pride in being a dedicated community partner and collaborator, and as a purpose driven developer in Surrey for 50 years, were pleased to deliver this amazing project on time and on budget for all of our partners, says Kirk Fisher, Executive Vice President of Lark Group.

The key centerpiece that sets the Legion Veterans Village project apart from others, is the Centre of Clinical Excellence for veterans and first responders health. The clinics offer an integrated continuum of health and wellness programs and services for veterans and first responders focusing on clinical health care and rehabilitation services, innovative research and health technologies, as well as counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health.

This grand opening is the culmination of 10-years of collaboration and perseverance of the BC/Yukon Command of The Royal Canadian Legion, the Whalley Legion Branch 229 and developed by long-time Surrey developer, the Lark Group, which as a group never failed in its determination to make this innovative project a success, says Rowena Rizzotti, Project Lead for Legion Veterans Village.

Now that the facilities are in place, the Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation is officially launching phase one of its $10-million Fundraising Campaign to support the translation of clinical research into programs, technologies and services that will support health and wellness of our veterans, first responders and their families at the Centre for Clinical Excellence and across Canada.

The mission from the beginning was to bring an integrated continuum of health care and mental health services into one building as a major step towards improving care and services for veterans and their families and to address the increasing incidence and impacts of PTSD for both veterans and first responders, says Dr. Venu Karapareddy, Centre for Clinical Excellence Medical Director and Founder of Actum Health.

The Centre of Clinical Excellence is operated by Veterans and First Responders Health (VFRH), an integrated group of primary health care, wellness, and rehabilitation service providers connected through Welmind, the digital healthcare partner enabling streamlined, coordinated care. Providers include:

VFRH Primary Care & Lifestyle Medicine - A collaborative team of family physicians, nurse practitioners, and other care providers supporting veterans and first responders through an integrated lifestyle medicine approach focused on long-term, sustainable health and wellness.

Actum Health Specialists in interdisciplinary, complex care empowering veterans and first responders dealing with persistent pain, mental health, PTSD, and/or addiction to achieve their recovery goals and return to the life they want to live. With decades of experience in the rehabilitation of complex health care issues, Actum Health works with clients to make lasting, meaningful change.

Neuromotion - A neurological physiotherapy and rehabilitation company whose vision is to ensure every individual who is impacted by a neurological condition is cared for in a supportive, inclusive, empowering setting and can access a knowledgeable, specialized multidisciplinary rehab team. Neuromotion is bringing innovative technologies like the Lokomat robot-assisted gait therapy technology and the XOmotion robotic legs to LVV to help clients, veterans and first responders with neurological injuries optimize their recovery and learn to walk again.

City Parkway Dental - Comprehensive dental care for veterans, first responders, and the general public in a safe, caring atmosphere by highly educated, compassionate professionals delivering the very best in gentle dental treatments to improve patient health and quality of life.

HealthTech Connex Brainnovation Network  An evolving network of care providers dedicated to advancing clinical research and evidence-based practice in the area of brain health. They test and innovate new treatment paradigms, measure effectiveness using technologies like NeuroCatch, and train clinicians how to safely and effectively embed these new approaches into practice.



All levels of government have offered supportive thoughts about the unique project.

Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence:

I congratulate the Legion and its partners for spearheading the Legion Veterans Village. Its an extraordinary project that captures the spirit of what a Legion can be at the heart of a community. Here, Veterans and first responders can access a range programs and services for their health and well-being under one roof.

Randeep Sarai, Member of Parliament for SurreyCentre:

I am proud to celebrate and mark this momentous grand opening of the Legion Veterans Village right in the heart of downtown Surrey. This social infrastructure project will no doubt become a catalyst and model for future Legions across Canada, especially given the major role the Legion plays in each community it serves.

Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whalley:

The Legion Veterans Village is a welcome addition to the downtown Surrey neighbourhood. Our government is proud to have contributed nearly $12 million through our Community Housing Fund so that British Columbians who have served our country can live affordably, close to new, innovative health care services and improve their quality of life.

Mayor Brenda Locke, City of Surrey:

The City of Surrey is proud to have been a partner and supporter of the Legion Veterans Village from its inception. Veterans Village is a shining example of what can be achieved when different organizations and government come together to build a lasting legacy. There is no doubt that Veterans Village will have a positive impact for generations to come and its model of care will serve as the blueprint for other Legions to follow.

For more information on Legion Veterans Village, please visit www.LegionVeteransVillage.com.

Contact for Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command: Nujma Bond, publicrelations@legion.ca, 343-540-7604

Contact for BC/Y Command: Yvonne Chiang, news@chiangpr.ca, 604-880-5090.

About Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation (LVVRF):

Founded in 2022, the Legion Veterans Village Research Foundation is the charity organization working to support world-leading scientists, technologies, and clinicians as they work collaboratively to advance innovation, research, rehabilitation and health care for veterans, first responders, and their families. The Foundation is actively working with donors and communities across Canada to encourage and inspire support from individuals, organizations, and groups for the continuum of care for veterans, first responders, and families who are affected by physical injuries, mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, neurological disorders and more. www.lvvresearchfoundation.com

About The Royal Canadian Legion

Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canadas largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S. and Europe. With 250,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.

Legion.ca

Facebook.com/CanadianLegion

Twitter.com/RoyalCdnLegion

Instagram.com/royalcanadianlegion

youtube.com/user/RCLDominionCommand

Linkedin.com/company/royalcanadianlegion

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3300b1be-235b-43de-8d53-e73a7834ad85

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c6c35040-2571-41b0-ba52-74e392b2294e




CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquid Handling System is a device used to transport small liquid, such as biological samples, chemicals, or reagents, from one container to another. It is used in laboratories for various applications, such as pipetting, cell culture, drug discovery, DNA extraction, and more. The system consists of a pipette and a controller. The pipette is used to move liquid from one vessel to another, while the controller manages the movement of the liquid. The system can be automated or manually controlled. Automated liquid handling systems are used for high-throughput applications, such as drug screening and genomics.

MarketsandMarkets Logo

Liquid Handling System Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $4.6 billion in 2022 and is poised to reach $5.8 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2022 to 2027 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growth of this market is majorly driven by industrial growth in the pharma-biotech sector, rising R&D expenditure by biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and increasing life science research, which is supported by a favorable funding scenario, expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries, increasing focus on data precision and accuracy and Increasing labor costs leading to higher automation requirements.

Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=192124302

Browse in-depth TOC on "Liquid Handling System Market".

205 - Tables

41 - Figures

279 - Pages

Liquid Handling System Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2022 $4.6 billion Estimated Value by 2027 $5.8 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% Market Size Available for 20202027 Forecast Period 20222027 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Type, Product, Application, End user and Region Geographies Covered North America (US, Canada), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy and RoE), APAC (China, India, Japan, and the RoAPAC), and Rest of the World Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Growing genomics and proteomics research Key Market Drivers Global expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries

The Pipettes segment accounted for the largest share of the Hemato oncology testing devices market, by product type, in 2021

On the basis of products type, the global liquid handling system market is segmented into Pipettes, Consumables, Pipettes, Consumables. Microplate Reagent Dispensers, Liquid Handling Workstations, Microplate Washers, Burettes, Software and Other Products. The Pipettes segment accounted for the largest share of the global hemato oncology testing market in 2021. This can be attributed to the high and growing demand of the drug discovery and the genomic and protenomic research.

Story continues

The automated liquid handling systems segment holds a major share of the global Liquid handling system market, By type, in 2021

By type, the global Liquid handling system market is broadly segmented into electronic systems, automated systems, and manual systems. In 2021, the Automated liquid handling systems segment dominated Liquid handling system market. Factors supporting the growth of the segment is the wide use in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies for its speed, accuracy, reliability, and consistency of operations.

The drug discovery segment accounted for the largest share of the Liquid handling system devices market, by Application, in 2021

By application, the global Liquid handling system are classified into drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, genomics, proteomics, and other applications. In 2022, the drug discovery segment dominated the global market. This can be attributed to factor such as the rising investment in drug discovery and development, role of sample preparation, assay set-up, high-throughput screening, in vitro experiments, cellular assays, and in vivo toxicity studies.

North America dominates the global Liquid Handling System market

Based on the region, the liquid handling system market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). The global liquid handling system market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and ROW. North America dominated liquid handling system market. The largest share can be attributed to North America due to the significant advances in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and increasing investment and government funding for the research.

Request for FREE Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=192124302

Liquid Handling System Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Global expansion of pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries Significant R&D expenditure by biopharma companies Increasing funding for life science research Growing market demand for high-throughput screening Increasing focus on data precision and accuracy

Restraints:

Pricing limitations Slow adoption of automation among small and medium-sized laboratories

Opportunities:

Changing scenario in emerging economies Growing genomics and proteomics research

Challenges:

Developing infrastructure and other barriers in emerging markets Possibility of errors in automated systems

Key Market Players:

The major players in the Liquid Handling System are the liquid handling system market is highly consolidated and is dominated by various players. The major players operating in this market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Danaher Corporation (US), Eppendorf (Germany), PerkinElmer Inc. (US) and Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US).

Recent Developments:

In 2022, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (US) company of Danaher Corporation launched the Biomek NGeniuS liquid handling system. It automates the labor-intensive process of manual library construction and reagent transfers, helping free up technicians and researchers to focus on the science, not the workflow, while also reducing the possibility of errors.

Gilson (US) launched MyPIPETMAN, a customizable and modular pipette. It is lightweight, ergonomic, reliable, and easy to use, with technical and personalization options to adapt to the researcher's laboratory needs.

In 2022, Endress+Hauser (Switzerland) launched Memosens 2.0 technology that converts the measured value to a digital signal and transfers it inductively to the transmitter, offering safe data transfer for increased availability of the measuring point and trouble-free operation. The new technology is available for pH/ORP, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen sensorsand it will be extended to the complete sensor portfolio for liquid analysis.

Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=192124302

Browse Adjacent Market: Analytical and Scientific Instrumentation Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Pharmacy Automation Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Microplate System Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Laboratory Informatics Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Intraoperative Imaging Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

Lab Automation Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

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: sales@marketsandmarkets.com

Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/liquid-handling-system-market.asp

Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/liquid-handling-system.asp

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg

Cision

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/liquid-handling-system-market-worth-5-8-billion--marketsandmarkets-301741845.html

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
Fortune Business Insights

The global lithium-ion capacitor market was valued USD 23.8 million in 2020. The market size for Lithium-ion Capacitor is expected to reach USD 35.6 million by 2028, and expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% during this forecast period.

Pune , india, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium ion Capacitor Market Analysis

The global Lithium-ion Capacitor market size is anticipated to rise from USD 24.7 million in 2021 to USD 35.6 million by 2028 at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. This growth attributed to factors such as, increasing demand for energy storage solutions in various industries. The demand for Lithium-Ion Capacitors is projected to surge in the comoing years, due to the expanding requirement for energy storage solutions across multiple industries. The growth of electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, and smart grid technology is expected to drive the demand for lithium ion capacitor, as they offer high energy density, long cycle life, and quick charging capabilities. The trend towards miniaturization and lighter weight energy storage solutions is also expected to fuel the lithium-ion capacitors market. However, the market growth may be hindered by the higher cost of lithium ion capacitor compared to traditional capacitors.

Also, rising demand for capacitors from industrial and automotive applications and its adoption in distribution and power generation sectors are likely to incite market growth. Fortune Business Insights publishes this information in a report titled, "Lithium-ion Capacitor Market, 2021-2028". As per the report, the market was valued at USD 23.8 million in 2020.

Get a Free Sample Research PDF: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/lithium-ion-capacitor-market-103790

Market Drivers & Restraints:

Rising Demand for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles to Bolster Market Growth

The rising adoption of fuel vehicle alternatives and increasing fuel prices lead to the adoption of electric vehicles. Faster charge and discharge properties of lithium-ion capacities are expected to propel adoption. Furthermore, cost reductions and technological advancements are likely to surge LICs sales. The capacitors are also used in consumer electronics such as GPS chips, barcode scanners, RFID tags, LED flashlights, thermal printers, wearable devices, mobile phones, and laptops. In addition, lower costs associated with the capacitors are likely to boost LIC's adoption. These factors are likely to drive the lithium-ion capacitor market growth.

Story continues

However, lower energy density compared to alternative products is expected to hinder the markets growth.

COVID-19 Impact:

Lack of Labor and Supply Chain Disruptions to Impede Industry Growth

This market is expected to be negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because of the lack of labor and supply chain disruptions. The halt on manufacturing led to the lack of raw materials needed to produce capacitors, affecting the supply chain. Further, the lack of labor resulted in reduced production, leading to backlogs. However, adopting technologically advanced production techniques, reduced capacities, and part-time shifts may enable companies to recover losses and meet deadlines. These factors are likely to boost market growth in the upcoming years.

Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/lithium-ion-capacitor-market-103790

Segmentation of Report:

By product, the market is segmented into laminating type and radial type.

Based on application, it is classified into industrial machine, UPS, transportation, energy storage, and others.

Geographically, it is clubbed into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Regional Insights:

Rising Demand for Electricity and Increasing Industrialization to Incite Market Growth in Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the lithium-ion capacitor market share because of the rising demand for electricity from textiles, information technology, and automobiles. The market in Asia Pacific stood at USD 10.90 million in 2020 and is expected to grow positively during the upcoming years. In addition, increasing industrialization activities is expected to propel market development.

North America is expected to be the second-largest market shareholder due to the extensive adoption of lithium-ion capacitors for energy storage applications. Further, the adoption of capacitors in uninterrupted power supply applications is expected to boost industry growth.

In Europe, the presence of key market players and technological innovations are likely to boost market development in the upcoming years.

Quick Buy - Global Lithium-ion Capacitor Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/103790

Competitive Landscape:

Prominent Companies Launch Novel Products to Enhance Brand Image

The prominent companies operating in the market launch novel products to offer innovative features and enhance their brand image. For example, VINATech Co., Ltd. announced its new range of 3.8V lithium-ion capacitors in May 2021. The capacitors possess a wide operating temperature range, high capacitance, low self-discharge, and high operating voltage. This announcement may enable the company to boost its brand image. Also, the adoption of better materials and technologically advanced production technologies also enable companies to improve product quality and boost market position.

Industry Development:

January 2021: AFWERX opted for Nanoramic Laboratories FastCap lithium-ion capacitor for its Mobile and Fixed Energy Storage Challenge. The lithium-ion capacitors offer an extensive temperature of nearly -55c and a high power range.

List of lithium-ion capacitor Manufacturers Covered in the Report:

LICAP Technologies, Inc. (U.S.)

TAIYO YUDEN (Japan)

JSR Micro NV (Belgium)

Electro Standards Laboratories (U.S.)

Socomec Group (France)

VINATech Co., Ltd. (South Korea)

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Japan)

Spel Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (India)

Elecorev Ramway India Private Limited (India)

Yunasko (Ukraine)

Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/lithium-ion-capacitor-market-103790

Table of Content:

Introduction

Research Scope

Market Segmentation

Research Methodology

Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Restraints

Market Opportunities

Key Insights

Key Emerging Trends  For Major Countries

Latest Technological Advancement

Regulatory Landscape

Porter Five Forces Analysis

Qualitative Analysis  Impact of COVID-19

Impact of COVID-19 on the Lithium-ion Capacitor Market

Steps Taken by the Government to Overcome the Impact

Key Developments by Industry Players in Response to COVID-19

Potential Opportunities and Challenges due to COVID-19 Outbreak

Global Lithium-ion Capacitor Market Analysis (USD Million), Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028

Key Findings / Summary

Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product

Radial Type

Laminating Type

Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Application

Energy Storage

Transportation

UPS

Industrial Machine

Others

Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

North America Lithium-ion Capacitor Market Analysis (USD Million), Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028

Key Findings / Summary

Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product

Radial Type

Laminating Type

Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Application

Energy Storage

Transportation

UPS

Industrial Machine

Others

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Competitive Analysis

Company Market Share Analysis, 2020

Company Profile

LICAP Technologies, Inc.

Business Overview

Product & Service Offering

Overall Revenue

Geographic Presence

Recent Development

Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/lithium-ion-capacitor-market-103790

About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

Contact Us:

Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd.

US: +1 424 253 0390

UK: +44 2071 939123

APAC: +91 744 740 1245

Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com




The Government of Canada hosts a reception to celebrate Black History Month 2023

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, will host the official Government of Canada celebration for 2023 Black History Month at the National Arts Centre, on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023.

This year's theme, "Ours to Tell" will be highlighted throughout the evening through live performances, tributes and panel discussions that will honour and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black communities from across Canada.

EVENT: Black History Month

DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

TIME: 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

LOCATION:

National Arts Centre

1 Elgin Street

Ottawa, Ontario

Media representatives are instructed to proceed to the mezzanine (Elgin Level) for registration.

ONLINE BROADCAST: A live broadcast of Minister Hussen remarks will also be available via Facebook Live. Watch it on Canadian Heritage's account: http://facebook.com/CdnHeritage

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

Cision

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/07/c3875.html
Scholarship awards 1,00,000 INR to each winner to be used towards their STEM education

Symbol or mark Infinity Green Floating on a blue background (PRNewsfoto/Navisite)

GURUGRAM, India, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Navisite announced today the two winners of its inaugural Steminist Scholarship program in India. The scholarship program is designed to help close the gender gap in tech and encourage young women to pursue their dreams in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The two winners are Sangem Prasanna from Nizamabad, Telangana, and Sonam Khera from Nainital, Uttarakhand, who will each receive 1,00,000 INR to put towards their university education in STEM.

"We're honored to announce the first-ever winners of Navisite's Steminist scholarship program in India," said Tejal Munagekar, managing director of Navisite India. "Navisite has maintained a strong presence in India for over two decades, and we've seen enormous strides made as more women enter STEM fields. We're proud to be able to contribute to this growth with financial support for two deserving young women pursuing their educational goals."

Since Navisite's Steminist scholarship program launched in the U.S. in 2021, the company has awarded $60,000 in scholarships. In 2022, Navisite expanded the program to India, offering two needs-based scholarships to eligible female candidates who are currently enrolled full-time at an accredited college or university.

The two winners in India plan to use the scholarship towards their education in medicine and software programming, respectively:

Sangem Prasanna is currently attending Government Medical College, Suryapet, Telangana, where she plans to earn a degree in medicine and, ultimately, a specialization in neurology.

Sonam Khera is currently attending Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, Ghaziabad, where she studies engineering and computer science and plans to pursue a career in software programming.

For more information on Navisite's Steminist program, please visit Navisite's Steminist scholarship. To learn how #WomeninSTEM are making a difference at Navisite, read our Steminist Spotlight series.

Story continues

About Navisite

Navisite is a trusted digital transformation partner for growing and established global brands. Through our highly specialized teams, industry solutions, business process expertise and application services, we provide the capabilities and practical guidance customers need to modernize, build and support more agile, resilient and expanding businesses. Our strategic advisory and transformation services advance innovation with comprehensive cloud, enterprise application, data management, intelligent automation and cybersecurity solutions, empowering customers to navigate change and meet new demands at any point in their journey. To learn more, visit navisite.com.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/navisite-announces-inaugural-winners-of-steminist-scholarship-program-in-india-supporting-young-women-in-stem-301741060.html

SOURCE Navisite
BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China has launched an emergency humanitarian assistance mechanism and will provide emergency aid to quake-hit Turkiye and Syria, said Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, on Tuesday.

China will provide the first batch of emergency aid worth 40 million yuan (about 5.89 million U.S. dollars) to Turkiye, according to Deng. A rescue team will leave within hours and a medical team will be sent within the shortest time possible, he added.

He said China is coordinating efforts to provide relief supplies to Syria and speeding up the implementation of the ongoing food aid program.

More than 4,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

The Chinese government will continue to provide aid to the two countries within its capacity and in light of the evolving situation and actual needs, Deng said.
CARROLLTON, Texas, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NerdsToGo, a leading information technology (IT) solutions and technology services franchise for both business and home, recently held its 2023 NerdsToGo Franchise Convention in Las Vegas, NV. Themed IT's Time, the multiple-day event celebrated franchisee achievements and the growth initiatives of the network.

NerdsToGo Convention

Over 90 % of the NerdsToGo network attended in addition to key vendor partners and corporate staff members. Attendees represented 35 locations in the US. and included a Vendor Showcase featuring 25 vendors.

Attendees heard from Brian Seurth, President of Technology Assurance Group (TAG), an organization of leading managed technology services providers (MTSPs), and Partner at i-NETT, southern California's top MTSP. Seurth shared insights and best practices for growing a successful MSP business. Attendees also heard from Steve LeFever, a successful entrepreneur and Chairman of Profit Mastery, who spoke about how franchise business owners can identify and amplify their financial performance.

Highlights from the 2022 Awards Dinner at the Convention include:

The President's Award, which recognizes the top 25% of NerdsToGo locations with the highest total sales from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, was given to David Alcorn: League City, TX, Regis Deveaux: NerdsToGo Alexandria, VA, Rory Dunnaback: NerdsToGo of Milwaukie, OR, Kevin Martin: NerdsToGo of Franklin, MA, Erik Nelson: NerdsToGo of Swarthmore, PA, Gina & Michael Santiago: NerdsToGo of Bellevue, WA, and Angel Soto: NerdsToGo of Las Vegas, NV.

Charles Bailey and Matt Swearingen with NerdsToGo of Moon Township/Pittsburgh, PA won The Rookie Award, which honors the franchisee with the highest sales for the first full 12 months of operation.

The three awards for Highest Volume Centers in Sales Achievement were given to Regis Deveaux: NerdsToGo of Alexandria, VA, Rory Dunnaback: NerdsToGo of Milwaukie, OR, and Kevin Martin: NerdsToGo of Franklin, MA.

Caesar Serralta: NerdsToGo of Las Vegas, NV received The Nerd Know-How award which recognizes the Nerd in the network who exemplifies outstanding leadership and strong business acumen, demonstrating the desire to make a difference every day. Committed to excellence of service, this individual contributes daily to the success and growth of their NerdsToGo store.

Gina & Michael Santiago received The Nerdy Award, an award that recognizes a franchisee that best represents the concept and the spirit of the NerdsToGo name, both in the business community and within the network. They excel in helping customers and employees achieve their objectives and realize their full potential while they build deep relationships with their customers. Michael and Gina define generosity and cooperation in working with other franchisees to increase the strength, size and integrity of the network. They are truly champions of the NerdsToGo brand, doing all they can to build the value of the brand.

Story continues

"Our 2023 convention brought our franchise network together to celebrate and recognize their many achievements, as well as to engage in both networking and educational opportunities," said Jim Howe, President of NerdsToGo. "The excitement from convention is contagious, and it was the perfect way to begin a successful 2023."

"Joining a franchise is like joining a family. The convention offers the opportunity to connect with those who share the same challenges and struggles. It also enables us to celebrate victories, look at things from a fresh perspective, catch a glimpse of successes to come, and share our stories to benefit others in our network. I always come away feeling better about where I'm going," said Pete Holczinger, franchisee at NerdsToGo of Green Brook, New Jersey.

About NerdsToGo

NerdsToGo is a growing IT services franchise brand that provides a simple path to overcoming the pain points and complexities of technology. Friendly and approachable Nerds offer solutions for efficiency and security for small to medium-sized businesses, as well as the individual who needs help with personal computers, devices and home networks. As a Managed Services Provider for business, the Nerds can assess, design and support IT networks while providing remote support and vendor management.

To learn more, visit NerdsToGo.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/nerdstogo/mycompany/ , or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NerdsToGoComputerService/ . For information about the NerdsToGo franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@propelledbrands).

Media Contact:

Clarissa Rios | BizCom Associates

972.352.7601 | clarissa@bizcompr.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nerdstogo-recognizes-achievements-and-honors-franchisees-at-2023-convention-in-las-vegas-nv-301742225.html

SOURCE NerdsToGo, Inc.
Oil faces a 'serious problem' by 2024 as production capacity runs out, warns Goldman Sachs  here are 3 big oil stocks with yields as high as 3.8%

Oil prices have cooled down in recent months, but Goldman Sachs sees a major rebound on the horizon.

Don't miss

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Saudi Arabia, Goldmans global head of commodities research Jeff Currie predicts that oil prices could climb back above $100 a barrel this year.

The analyst sees rising demand for oil from China. Meanwhile, sanctions against Russia will likely reduce the countrys oil exports.

Right now, were still balanced to a surplus because China has still yet to fully rebound, Currie tells Bloomberg. But the analyst notes that by May, the oil market could swing to a supply deficit.

And thats not all.

Are we going to run out of spare production capacity? Potentially by 2024, you start to have a serious problem.

Economics 101 tells us that shortages drive prices up. If Currie is right and oil prices shoot up, oil producers stand ready to benefit.

Here is a look at three big oil stocks. Wall Street already sees upside in this trio.

Shell

Headquartered in London, Shell (SHEL) is a multinational energy giant with operations in more than 70 countries. It produces around 3.2 barrels of oil equivalent per day, has an interest in 10 refineries, and sold 64.2 million tons of liquefied natural gas in 2021.

Its a staple for global investors, too. Shell is listed on the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam, and the New York Stock Exchange.

The companys NYSE-listed shares are up 10% over the past year.

Story continues

Piper Sandler analyst Ryan Todd sees an opportunity in the oil and gas supermajor. The analyst has an overweight rating on Shell and a price target of $70.

Considering that Shell trades at around $61 per share today, Todds price target implies a potential upside of 15%. The stock also offers a dividend yield of 3.8%.

Chevron

Chevron (CVX) is another oil and gas supermajor thats benefiting from the commodity boom.

In 2022, the company reported earnings of $35.5 billion, which represented a 127% increase from 2021. Sales and other operating revenues totaled $235.7 billion for 2022, up 51% year over year.

Recently, Chevrons board approved a 6% increase to the quarterly dividend rate to $1.51 per share. That gives the company an annual dividend yield of 3.6%.

Read more: Rich young Americans have lost confidence in the stock market  and are betting on these 3 assets instead. Get in now for strong long-term tailwinds

The stock is up slightly over the past year.

In January, Barclays analyst Jeanine Wai reiterated an overweight rating on Chevron while raising the price target from $196 to $212. That implies a potential upside of 20% from the current levels.

Exxon Mobil

Commanding a market cap of over $450 billion, Exxon Mobil (XOM) is bigger than Shell and Chevron.

The company also boasts the strongest stock price performance among the trio  Exxon shares are up 38% over the past year.

Its not hard to see why investors like the stock: the oil-producing giant gushes profits and cash flow in this commodity price environment. In 2022, Exxon earned $55.7 billion in profits, a huge increase from the $23.0 billion in 2021. Free cash flow totaled $62.1 billion for the year, compared to $37.9 billion in 2021.

Solid financials allow the company to return cash to investors. Exxon pays quarterly dividends of 91 cents per share, translating to an annual yield of 3.1%.

Bank of America analyst Doug Leggate has a buy rating on Exxon and a price target of $140  around 25% above where the stock sits today.

What to read next

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
New Pacific Metals Logo (CNW Group/New Pacific Metals Corp.)

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - New Pacific Metals Corp. ("New Pacific" or the "Company") (TSX: NUAG) (NYSE American: NEWP), reports its financial results for the three and six months ended December 31, 2022. All figures are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

FISCAL 2023 Q2 HIGHLIGHTS

The Company reported the results of the preliminary economic assessment (the "PEA") of the Silver Sand Project on January 9, 2023. The PEA shows a post-tax net present value ("NPV") (at a 5% discount rate) of $726 million with an internal return rate ("IRR") of 39%, underpinned by a total silver production of 171 million ounces over 14 years of mine life. Please see " Cautionary Note Regarding Results of Preliminary Economic Assessment ".

The Company released the updated National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") mineral resource estimate (the "MRE") for the Silver Sand Project on November 28, 2022. The MRE shows total measured and indicated mineral resource of 201.77 million ounces of silver at a head grade of 116 grams per tonne ("g/t"). Please see " Silver Sand Project ".

The Company completed the 2022 drill program at the Carangas Silver-Gold Project for a total of 50,368 meters ("m") in 115 drill holes, of which assay results for 85 drill holes have been received and released to date. The assay results continue to indicate that a thick zone of gold mineralization occurs beneath a shallow silver horizon measuring approximately 1,000 m long, 800 m wide, and up to 200 m thick. Please see " Carangas Project ".

The Company advanced the 6,000 m initial discovery drill program at the Silverstrike Project, and a total of 3,200 m in 10 drill holes have been completed, of which assay results for two drill holes have been received and released to date. The assay results intersected broad gold mineralization near-surface. Please see " Silverstrike Project ".

The Company strengthened the Board and management team by appointing Dr. Peter Megaw and Mr. Dickson Hall as directors and Mr. Andrew Williams as President of the Company.

The Company maintained working capital of $14.4 million, sufficient to advance the existing exploration projects and other regional exploration initiatives.

Story continues

FINANCIAL RESULTS

Net loss attributable to equity holders of the Company for the three months ended December 31, 2022 was $1.87 million or $0.01 per share (three months ended December 31, 2021  net loss of $1.30 million or $0.01 per share). The Company's financial results were mainly impacted by the following: (i) operating expenses of $1.93 million compared to $1.36 million in the comparative quarter; (ii) net income from investments of $0.08 million compared to $0.13 million in the comparative quarter; and (iii) foreign exchange loss of $0.03 million compared to $0.06 million in the comparative quarter.

For the six months ended December 31, 2022, net loss attributable to equity holders of the Company was $3.96 million or $0.03 per share compared to net loss of $2.67 million or $0.02 per share for the six months ended December 31, 2021.

Operating expenses for the three and six months ended December 31, 2022 were $1.93 million and $3.99 million, respectively (three and six months ended December 31, 2021 - $1.36 million and $2.96 million, respectively).

Net Income from investments for the three months ended December 31, 2022 was $0.08 million (three months ended December 31, 2021  $0.13 million) and is comprised of a $0.01 million loss on the Company's equity investments (three months ended December 31, 2021  gain of $0.07 million), a $0.03 million loss on bonds (three months ended December 31, 2021  gain of $0.03 million), and $0.12 interest earned from cash accounts (three months ended December 31, 2021 - $0.02 million).

For the six months ended December 31, 2022, income from investments was $0.04 million (six months ended December 31, 2021  $0.08 million).

Foreign exchange loss for the three months ended December 31, 2022 was $0.03 million (three months ended December 31, 2021  $0.06 million). The Company holds a portion of cash and short-term investments in USD to support its operations in Bolivia. Revaluation of these USD-denominated financial assets to their Canadian dollar ("CAD") functional currency equivalents resulted in unrealized foreign exchange gain or loss for the relevant reporting periods. For the three months ended December 31, 2022, the USD depreciated by 1.2% against the CAD (from 1.3707 to 1.3544) while in the comparative period the USD depreciated by 0.5% against the CAD (from 1.2741 to 1.2678).

For the six months ended December 31, 2022, foreign exchange loss was $0.01 million (six months ended December 31, 2021 gain of $0.2 million).

Working Capital: As of December 31, 2022, the Company had working capital of $14.4 million.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

SILVER SAND PROJECT

In 2021, the Company completed a drill program of 13,313.7 m in 55 holes. The 2021 drill program comprised structure orientation drilling, step-out and infill drilling as well as exploration drilling. Assay results of all drill holes have been received. Detailed structural logging and assays of the oriented drill cores confirmed previous understanding of the orientation of mineralized structures and resource model which are dominantly striking in the direction of north and northwest and dipping in the direction of west at high angles which are also evidenced at surface outcrops and historical underground workings. Step-out drilling was carried out mainly outside of the major mineralized trends with results indicating the existence of multiple smaller satellite mineralized zones between the major mineralized trends. For details of the 2021 drill program, please refer to the Company's news release dated April 6, 2022.

In 2022, the Company conducted a resource infill drilling and step-out drilling program at the Silver Sand south block and completed 19,323 m in 86 drill holes. Assay results for all drill holes have been received. The resource infill drilling aimed to improve the confidence in the continuity of mineralization in the core area of the Silver Sand Project and upgrade resources, while the step-out drilling was designed to test the extension of the mineralized zones up and down dip as well as on strike. The infill and step-out drilling results were included in the MRE update and incorporated into the PEA. For details of the 2022 drill program, please refer to the Company's news releases dated September 19, 2022, May 31, 2022, and April 6, 2022.

On January 9, 2023, the Company reported the results of the PEA of its Silver Sand Project. AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd. (mineral resource, mining, infrastructure and financial analysis) was contracted to conduct the PEA in cooperation with Halyard Inc. (metallurgy and processing), and NewFields Canada Mining & Environment ULC (tailings, water and water management). The PEA is based on the MRE, which was reported on November 28, 2022. Please see "Cautionary Note Regarding Results of Preliminary Economic Assessment". For more details on the PEA, please refer to the Company's news release dated January 9, 2023.

For the three and six months ended December 31, 2022, total expenditures of $1.70 million and $4.20 million, respectively (three and six months ended December 31, 2021 - $1.22 million and $3.42 million, respectively) were capitalized under the project.

CARANGAS PROJECT

In 2021, the Company completed an initial discovery drill program of 13,209 m in 35 drill holes. Assay results of all drill holes have been received. Results from the 2021 discovery drill program confirmed the broad silver-rich polymetallic mineralization near surface and intersected a wide zone of gold mineralization below it. For details of the 2021 discovery drill program, please refer to the Company's news releases dated May 17, 2022, February 23, 2022, and February 10, 2022.

Following the success of the 2021 discovery drill program, the Company completed the 2022 resource definition drill program for a total of 50,368 m in 115 drill holes. Assay results of 85 drill holes have been received and released to date. The assay results continue to indicate that a thick zone of gold mineralization occurs beneath a shallow silver horizon measuring approximately 1,000 m long, 800 m wide, and up to 200 m thick. For details of the 2022 drill program, please refer to the Company's news releases dated February 1, 2023, January 24, 2023, October 19, 2022, August 8, 2022, and July 13, 2022.

The Company plans to drill 15,000 m during the first quarter of 2023 at the Carangas Project to test the eastern extension of gold mineralization beneath the East Dome and expand parts of the shallow silver horizon. Following this drill program, an inaugural resource estimate is planned in the second quarter of 2023.

For the three and six months ended December 31, 2022, total expenditures of $2.87 million and $5.85 million, respectively (three and six months ended December 31, 2021 - $1.43 million and $1.97 million, respectively) were capitalized under the project.

SILVERSTRIKE PROJECT

In 2022, the Company commenced a 6,000 m initial discovery drill program at the Silverstrike Project. As of the date of this news release, a total of 3,200 m in 10 drill holes have been completed, of which assay results of the two drill holes have been received. The assay results intersected broad gold mineralization starting near surface. For details of the initial discovery drill program, please refer to the Company's news releases dated November 1, 2022 and September 12, 2022.

For the three and six months ended December 31, 2022, total expenditures of $0.70 million and $1.15 million, respectively (three and six months ended December 31, 2021 - $0.01 million and $0.01 million, respectively) were capitalized under the project.

MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's management discussion and analysis and the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and notes thereto for the corresponding period, which have been filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com,on EDGAR at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website at www.newpacificmetals.com.

QUALIFIED PERSON

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Alex Zhang, P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration, who is a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101. The Qualified Person has verified the information disclosed herein using standard verification processes, and is not aware of any significant risks and uncertainties or any limitations on the verification process that could be expected to affect the reliability or confidence in the information discussed herein.

ABOUT NEW PACIFIC

New Pacific is a Canadian exploration and development company with precious metal projects in Bolivia. The Company's flagship Project, the Silver Sand Silver Project, has released its inaugural PEA study in January 2023. The PEA study shows a post-tax NPV (5% discount) of US$726 millions with an IRR of 39%, underpinned by total silver production of 171 million ounces over 14 years of mine life. At the recently discovered Carangas Silver-Gold Project, a resource drilling program of more than 50,000 meters was completed in 2022. The third project, the Silverstrike Silver-Gold Project, had a 6,000 m discovery drill program ongoing since June 2022.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Williams, President

New Pacific Metals Corp. Phone: (604) 633-1368 Ext. 236

U.S. & Canada toll-free: 1 (877) 631-0593

E-mail: invest@newpacificmetals.com

For additional information and to receive company news by e-mail, please register using New Pacific's website at www.newpacificmetals.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING RESULTS OF PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT

The PEA results of are preliminary in nature and are intended to provide an initial assessment of the Silver Sand Project's economic potential and development options. The PEA mine schedule and economic assessment includes numerous assumptions and is based on both indicated and inferred mineral resources. Inferred resources are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the project economic assessments described herein will be achieved or that the PEA results will be realized. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology, environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Additional exploration will be required to potentially upgrade the classification of the inferred mineral resources to be considered in future advanced studies. AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd. (mineral resource, mining, infrastructure and financial analysis) was contracted to conduct the PEA in cooperation with Halyard Inc. (metallurgy and processing), and NewFields Canada Mining & Environment ULC (tailings, water and waste management). The qualified persons for the PEA for the purposes of NI 43-101 are Mr. Wayne Rogers P.Eng and Mr. Mo Molavi P.Eng both Principal Mining Engineers with AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd, Mr. Andy Holloway P.Eng, Process Director with Halyard Inc., and Mr. Leon Botham P.Eng., Principal Engineer with NewFields Canada Mining & Environment ULC. This is in addition to Ms. Dinara Nussipakynova, P.Geo., Principal Geologist with AMC Consultants (Canada) Ltd. Who estimated the mineral resources. All qualified persons for the PEA have reviewed the disclosure of the PEA herein. The PEA is based on the MRE, which was reported on November 28, 2022. The effective date of the MRE is October 31 2022. The cut-off applied for reporting the pit-constrained mineral resources is 30 g/t silver. Assumptions made to derive a cut-off grade included mining costs, processing costs and recoveries and were obtained from comparable industry situations. The model is depleted for historical mining activities. Mineral resources are constrained by optimized pit shells at a silver price of US$22.50 per ounce, silver metallurgical recovery of 91%, silver payability of 99%, open pit mining cost of US$2.6/t, processing cost of US$16/t, G&A cost of US$2/t, and slope angle of 44-47 degrees. Key assumptions used for pit optimization for the PEA mining pit include silver price of US$22.50 per ounce, silver metallurgical recovery of 91%, silver payability of 99%, open pit mining cost of US$2.6/t, incremental mining cost of US$0.04/t (per 10 m bench), processing cost of US$16/t, tailing storage facility operating cost of US$0.7/t, G&A cost of US$2/t, royalty of 6.00%, mining recovery of 92%, dilution of 8%, and cut-off grade of 30 g/t silver.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements or information. Such statements include, but are not limited to: statements regarding anticipated exploration, drilling, development, construction, and other activities or achievements of the Company; inferred, indicated or measured mineral resources or mineral reserves on the Company's projects; the results of the PEA; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; and estimates of the Company's revenues and capital expenditures.

Forward-looking statements or information are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information, including, without limitation, risks relating to: global economic and social impact of COVID-19; fluctuating equity prices, bond prices, commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization, general economic conditions, foreign exchange risks, interest rate risk, foreign investment risk; loss of key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, environmental risks, operations and political conditions, the regulatory environment in Bolivia and Canada, risks associated with community relations and corporate social responsibility, and other factors described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended June 30, 2022 and its other public filings.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements or information.

The forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates, assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this news release that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates, assumptions, beliefs, expectations and options include, but are not limited to, those related to the Company's ability to carry on current and future operations, including: the duration and effects of COVID-19 on our operations and workforce; development and exploration activities; the timing, extent, duration and economic viability of such operations; the accuracy and reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and assessments; the Company's ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the stabilization of the political climate in Bolivia; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain social license at its mineral properties; the availability and cost of inputs; the price and market for outputs; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits, including the ratification and approval of the Mining Production Contract with the Corporacion Minera de Bolivia ("COMIBOL") by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia; the ability of the Company's Bolivian partner to convert the exploration licenses at the Carangas Project to AMC; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Other than specifically required by applicable laws, the Company is under no obligation and expressly disclaims any such obligation to update or alter the forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release.

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO US INVESTORS

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada which differ from the requirements of United States securities laws. All mining terms used herein but not otherwise defined have the meanings set forth in NI 43-101. Unless otherwise indicated, the technical and scientific disclosure herein has been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, which differs significantly from the requirements adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Accordingly, information contained in this news release containing descriptions of the Company's mineral deposits may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Additional information relating to the Company, including the Company's Annual Information Form, can be obtained under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and on the Company's website at www.newpacificmetals.com.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-pacific-reports-financial-results-for-the-three-and-six-months-ended-december-31-2022-301741229.html

SOURCE New Pacific Metals Corp.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/07/c1637.html
Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

The regulatory reporting solutions demand in the USA is expected to account for nearly 84.1% of North America market share through 2033. The United Kingdom is the largest market for regulatory reporting solutions due to the strong presence of regulatory reporting solutions providers.

NEWARK, Del, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global regulatory reporting solutions market is expected to create lucrative growth opportunities over the projection period by registering a CAGR of 14.9% from 2023 to 2033. The global market is estimated to reach US$ 5.2 Billion by 2023 and is projected to grow by US$ 21.0 Billion by 2033.



According to the historic analysis conducted by Future Market Insights, the global regulatory reporting solutions market registered a growth rate of 10.2% CAGR from 2018 to 2022. Banks and various financial institutions are adopting regulatory reporting solutions to automate the KYC data collection procedures and analyze and identify the key rules and related changes over time.

Regulatory reporting solutions market at present accounts for nearly 60% of total sales in the market. Furthermore, regulatory reporting solutions are rapidly gaining traction as they aid in risk and compliance management and provide real-time data analysis with flexibility and scalability attributes.

Request a Sample Copy of the Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4285

Furthermore, it makes it perfect for various types of regulatory reports such as financial reports, prudential reports, statistical reports, transactional reports, granular reports, and other various types of reports as per jurisdiction. Cloud-based regulatory reporting software, insurance companies, and cross-regulation banks comply with global regulatory requirements.

In order to follow the changing regulations, financial institutions are rapidly adopting new models and running them concurrently. Furthermore, financial institutions seek new technologies that aid them to track, manage, and trace the liquidity risk and regulatory reporting data and also to better understand the crisis impact on the balance sheet and financial liquidity.

Story continues

Additionally, adequate technology and solutions help banks and financial institutions to smoothly navigate regulatory reporting and financial liquidity issues. Companies are reducing regulatory costs by utilizing third-party regulatory reporting services.

Key Takeaways

The increasing number of fraudulent activities has resulted in the development of RegTech (Regulatory Technology) solutions for efficient regulatory reporting. Furthermore, the implementation of these solutions assists in a significant reduction of compliance costs and improves efficiency.

RegTech is also responsible for speeding up the business processes, enhancing their reliability, and reducing hassle for customers and the risk of compliance failures. In addition to that, regulatory reporting comprises several components such as financial reporting, transactional reporting, prudential reporting, granular reporting, statistical reporting, and others.

In order to go through hassle-free reporting for humongous transactions of financial institutions, RegTech solutions have witnessed a significant rise in demand. These solutions include transaction monitoring, regulatory intelligence risk, and compliance management among others.

Customers are capable of choosing an appropriate RegTech solution depending on their performance attributing to the presence of a huge variety of solutions in the market. Furthermore, individual transactions in financial institutions are propelling at an exponential rate.

Regulatory reporting has rapidly become an important part of many countries all over the globe. The demand for faster and at the same time, accurate regulatory reporting such as financial performance, strategies and practices, and accounting policies requires an automated registry of regulatory reporting per transaction.

RegTech solution creates a need for a solution that comprises its own guidelines following regulations of government as well as institutions. AI is expected to enjoy broad adoption all over risk and compliance and regulatory reporting.

Numerous financial institutions utilize AI as a regulatory reporting solution. It is excessively viewed as a standard statistical toolkit for institutions, which allows them to rapidly add sophisticated data management capabilities according to regulations and policies. Moreover, this new tool may create organizational challenges that are much larger and more complex than spreadsheet environments.



Get More Information on this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/regulatory-reporting-solutions-market

Competitive Landscape

Regulatory reporting solutions market players are focusing on several effective strategies for increasing their investments in research and development to support future technologies. In addition, several companies are acquiring and entering into a partnership with other companies to develop their own regulatory reporting solutions to serve their customers and reduce the churn rate.

Key Companies Profiled are Moodys Analytics Wolters Kluwer Regnology Oracle SS&C Technologies Saude Labs Vermeg Workviva Prima Solutions Matterhorn Reporting Services Sopra Banking Software Sovos Compaliance Bloomberg Fintelix Smart Stram Technologies

More Insights into the Regulatory Reporting Solutions Market

The European region is anticipated to dominate the global regulatory reporting solutions market over the assessment period. According to the valuations, the United Kingdom regulatory reporting solutions are predicted to propel by 5.7X throughout the projection period.

The North American region is anticipated to create promising growth opportunities over the forecast period by accounting for nearly 84.1% of the North American market share through 2033.

Regulatory Reporting Solutions Outlook by Category

By Solution, Regulatory Reporting Solutions Demand is segmented as:

Regulatory Reporting Software Cloud-based On-premises

Services Managed Services Professional Services



By Industry, Regulatory Reporting Solutions Outlook is segmented as:

Banks

Insurance

Wealth & Asset Management

Securities & Investments

By Region, Regulatory Reporting Solutions Sales is segmented as:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia & Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Request for Customization@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-4285

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Regulatory Reporting Solutions Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand Side Trends

1.3. Supply Side Trends

1.4. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

3. Key Market Trends

3.1. Key Trends Impacting the Market

3.2. Product Innovation / Development Trends

4. Pricing Analysis

4.1. Pricing Analysis, By Regulatory Reporting Solutions

4.1.1. Subscription Pricing Model

TOC continued..!

Top Reports Related To Technology Market Insights

E-tailing Solutions Market Size - Global e-tailing solutions market size in 2020 is estimated to be valued upto US$ 12 Billion. E-tailing solutions market is expected to register a CAGR of 14% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2030.

Peer-to-Peer Lending Market Share - Exhibiting a healthy CAGR of 12.7%, the global peer-to-peer lending market is expected to secure US$ 1.3 Trillion, by the end of the 2022-2032 forecast period. As of 2022, the market is estimated at US$ 407.2 Billion, up from US$ 274.4 Billion in 2021.

Parking Management Solutions Market Demand - The parking management solutions market trade is estimated at US$ 404.7 Billion in 2021. The sale is expected to reach US$ 440 Billion in 2022. According to the analysis, the global parking management solutions market is anticipated to secure US$ 768.2 Billion in 2032.

Customer Journey Mapping Software Market Growth - The customer journey mapping software market is anticipated to document a CAGR of 16.3% during the period of 2022 to 2032. The market is anticipated to reach US$ 48.5 Billion in 2032, from US$ 10.7 Billion in 2022.

IoT In Utilities Market Outlook - The global IoT in the utilities market garnered US$ 36.8 Billion in 2021 and is likely to exhibit a Y-o-Y increase of 11.9% to be valued at US$ 41.8 Billion in 2022. Owing to the soaring adoption of IoT techniques and increasing internet penetration in several countries, the market is likely to propel to US$ 129.1 Billion by 2032.

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




A.I.S. Resources Limited

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A.I.S. Resources Limited (TSX.V: AIS, OTCQB: AISSF) (the Company or AIS) announces C29 Metals Limited (C29, ASX:C29) has intercepted a +30 m brine acquifer at Hole DDH1 on the Pocitos 7 property, which C29 has optioned from AIS. Highlights are:



Maiden hole at Pocitos 7 intercepts +30m brine aquifer zone at 370m

Drill Hole pumped at 2,000 litres per hour with 49mm pipe

Samples taken for assay and testing with Ekosolve DLE technology

Drilling concluded at 420m

Martyn Element, CEO, stated, I congratulate C29 for completion of a successful maiden hole. AIS looks forward to continuing to facilitate drilling work with C29 as it proceeds with its drilling program. This is yet another successful result for AIS and its activities in Argentinas lithium triangle.

C29 Option Agreement  Key Elements

AIS has granted an option to acquire an 80% interest in the Pocitos 7 and 9 licences at the Pocitos Salar in Argentina to C29 Resources by June 30, 2023.

Option Fees

AIS has received $280,000 in option fees which entitles C29 to undertake a technical evaluation of the Properties until March 30, 2023;

C29 may pay an additional US$75,000 per licence after the technical evaluation is completed, payable within 2 days of March 30, 2023 to extend the option period to June 30, 2023;

Purchase of 80% Interest

C29 may pay US$2.38 million (1400Has x US$1,700 per Ha) for an 80% interest in both licences payable June 30, 2023;

AIS will retain a 20% interest in both licences;

C29 has the right to buy out AISs 20% interest at a price determined by the FOB lithium carbonate price multiplied by 2% of the indicated and measured resource and 0.5% of the inferred resource of the contained lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE).



About A.I.S. Resources Limited

A.I.S. Resources Limited is a publicly traded investment issuer listed on the TSX Venture Exchange focused on lithium, gold, precious and base metals exploration. AIS value add strategy is to acquire prospective exploration projects and enhance their value by better defining the mineral resource with a view to attracting joint venture partners and enhancing the value of our portfolio. The Company is managed by a team of experienced geologists and investment bankers, with a track-record of successful capital markets achievements.

Story continues

AIS owns 100% of the 28 sq km Fosterville-Toolleen Gold Project located 9.9 km from Kirkland Lakes Fosterville gold mine, a 60% interest in the 57 sq km Bright Gold Project (with the right to acquire 100%), a 40% interest in the 58 sq km New South Wales Yalgogrin Gold Project, and 100% interest in the 167 sq km Kingston Gold Project in Victoria Australia near Stawell and Navarre. AIS has a 20% joint venture interest with Spey Resources Corp. in the Incahuasi lithium brine project in Argentina. AIS has further options to acquire four lithium concessions in the Pocitos Salar and one lithium concession in the Cauchari Salar in Argentina. AIS has granted the option to acquire the Pocitos 1 and 2 licences to Spey Resources by June 30, 2023. If exercised AIS will retain a 7.5% royalty. AIS has granted an option to acquire an 80% interest in the Pocitos 7 and 9 licences to C29 Resources by June 30, 2023.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

A.I.S. Resources Limited



Martyn Element

President, CEO, Chairman

Corporate Contact

For further information, please contact:

Martyn Element. Chairman

T: +1-604-220-6266

E: melement@aisresources.com

Website: www.aisresources.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

ADVISORY: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company 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. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. 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.




Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Vancouver, BC, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rockridge Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: ROCK) (OTCQB: RRRLF) (Frankfurt: RR0) (Rockridge) (the Company) is pleased to announce it is planning an upcoming drill program at its high-grade Raney Gold Project located southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada (the Raney Gold Project or the Property). The drill program will be designed to evaluate the strike, depth and expansion potential of the high-grade zones of gold mineralization discovered in previous drilling. Rockridge is currently permitted for the program and has begun the application process to extend the permit beyond 2023. The project is road accessible with nearby infrastructure to help bring down the cost of exploration and drilling.



Raney Gold Project Location Map:

http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/maps/location_map_may2020a.jpg

Rockridge is planning for an initial drill program that will consist of a minimum 2,500m of drilling in 10-12 diamond drill holes with the potential to be expanded. The historical geophysics and previous drilling, including hole RAN-20-06 which returned 27.9 g/t Au over 6.0m at approximately 100m vertical depth, has identified several key structures that could potentially be host to new high-grade gold zones. This planned drill program will utilize all exploration data to date with the goal to test the strike potential and depth continuity of high-grade gold mineralization intersected in previous holes. Specifically, the Company plans on testing the eastward and westward continuity of the Main Raney Gold Zone where there is a coincident geophysical anomaly that has yet to be drill tested. Additional news will be forthcoming on the drilling program.

Rockridges CEO Jon Wiesblatt commented: Raney is a very important asset in Rockridges portfolio and is prospective for additional gold discoveries. The Project is near to some of the most prolific gold mines in Canada and further exploration at Raney is warranted. We are excited to be planning further exploration and drilling at Raney as gold prices strengthen in the current global macro-economic climate. The main mineralized zone at the Raney Gold Project has returned significant, shallow, high-grade gold results from previous drilling campaigns and this data will be utilized to design a follow-up drill campaign this year.

Story continues

Additionally, we have completed our most recent exploration program at our VMS copper project in Saskatchewan and have now earned 100% interest in the Knife Lake Project. Knife Lake remains a high priority project for Rockridge, and exploration results over the last few years have increased our confidence that there are further discoveries to be made.

The Raney Gold Project is strategically located within the highly prospective west extension of the Abitibi Greenstone belt, proximal to several regional deposits. Newmonts operating Borden Gold Mine (reserves of 4.17 MT @ 6.38 g/t Au for ~860k oz. Au reported in 2015) is located 35 km west of Raney. IAMGOLD and JV partner Sumitomo Metals Mining recently decided to proceed with construction of their Cote gold project located 75 km southeast of Raney. The Cote project, estimated to contain gold reserves of ~7 million ounces (~236MT @ 0.96 g/t Au), is noted as a world-class deposit by IAMGOLD.

Raney Gold Project History and Previous Diamond Drilling:

In 2020, Rockridge completed just over 5,000m of drilling in twenty drill holes. The drilling focused on the main mineralized zone over a strike extent of approximately 225 metres that produced the best historic intercept of 6.5 g/t Au over 8.0 metres in 2010. Rockridges drilling in 2020 returned a high-grade intercept of 27.9 g/t Au over 6.0 metres near the 100-metre depth level in hole RAN-20-06. The broad structural corridor that hosts the mineralization is up to 125 metres wide and extends well beyond the area tested by drilling. Other results from the drilling included hole RN 20-13 which returned 2.5 g/t Au over 13.0m, including 9.6 g/t Au over 2.0m, as well as hole RN 20-18 which was a significant step out hole along strike 250m to the west of the main zone and returned 1.36 g/t Au over 9.0m including 2.1 g/t Au over 4.0m.

Mag Survey Plan Map Showing Exploration Hole Collars:

http://www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/Raney-Gold-Project-Summer-2020-Drill-Targets.jpg

Prior to Rockridges drilling, historical drilling at the Raney Gold Project focused on identifying near-surface gold mineralization. Previous exploration on the Property from 1972 to 1991 consisted of prospecting, mapping, sampling, trenching, winkie drilling, ground geophysics, stripping, and some limited diamond drilling. This was followed by exploration work during the 2009 to 2010 period. The Property is underlain by mafic volcanics to the north, and felsic to intermediate volcaniclastics to the south. The felsic volcaniclastics are host to the gold zones. Quartz feldspar porphyry dykes and sills and minor mafic intrusives occur throughout the Property. The porphyries are generally massive but may be sheared and hydrothermally altered and veined in places.

A 100 metre-wide intensely sheared and altered quartz-feldspar porphyry body is located just to the south of the main Raney gold showing. Gold mineralization exposed on the surface and intersected in drill holes on the property is typical of the lode gold class of gold deposit which is the dominant gold deposit type in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Gold mineralization on the property is associated with the intensely sheared and altered zones within the felsic tuffs, and higher grades tend to occur where quartz veining is present.

The Property is in the Archean Swayze Greenstone Belt, considered to be the southeast extension of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, which hosts the world-class Timmins and Kirkland Lake gold districts. Numerous gold occurrences occur throughout the district and several world-class mines have been developed. These deposits are responsible for a significant portion of the worlds cumulative gold production and are often characterized by gold enriched quartz vein systems associated with supracrustal belts in low to medium grade metamorphic terranes. Gold mineralization at the Property is typical of the mesothermal lode gold deposit model. Rockridge owns a 100% interest in the Raney Gold Project.

Qualified Person:

Todd Keast, P.Geo., a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and the Raney Gold Project Manager for Rockridge Resources Ltd., has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Rockridge Resources Ltd.:

Rockridge Resources is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties in Canada, specifically copper and gold. The Companys 100% owned Knife Lake Project is located in Saskatchewan which is ranked as a top mining jurisdiction in the world by the Fraser Institute. The project hosts the Knife Lake Deposit, which is a VMS, near-surface Cu-Co-Au-Ag-Zn deposit open along strike and at depth. There is strong discovery potential in and around the deposit area as well as at regional targets on the large property package.

The Company's gold asset is its 100% owned Raney Gold Project, which is a high-grade gold exploration project located in the same greenstone belt that hosts the world class Timmins and Kirkland Lake lode gold mining camps. Recently reported drill hole RN 20-06 intersected 28.0 g/t gold over 6.0 metres at a shallow vertical level of 95 metres, which is the best result from the project thus far. Rockridges goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Raney Gold Project Regional Geology Map:

https://rockridgeresourcesltd.com/_resources/images/Rockridge-RandyGold-RegionalGeo.jpg

Additional information about Rockridge Resources and its project portfolio can be found on the Companys website at www.rockridgeresourcesltd.com.

Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Jonathan Wiesblatt



Jonathan Wiesblatt

CEO

For further information contact myself or:

Jordan Trimble, President or

Nicholas Coltura, Corporate Communications



Rockridge Resources Ltd.

Telephone: 604-558-5847

Toll Free: 800-567-8181

Facsimile: 604-687-3119

Email: info@rockridgeresourcesltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements, including the Private Placement. Although management 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 or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, regulatory approvals, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.




Market Research Future

Rise in Broadband Customers to Boost Web Scale IT Market Growth

New York, US, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Web Scale IT Market Analysis By Solution, By Services, By Providers - Forecast 2030 valuation is poised to reach USD 2.93 Billion by 2030, registering an 18.53% CAGR throughout the forecast period (20202030).

Key Players

Eminent industry players profiled in the global web scale IT market report include:

VMware Inc. (U.S.)

Nutanix Inc. (U.S.)

Amazon Web Services Inc. (U.S.)

Rackspace Inc. (U.S.)

Google Inc. (U.S.)

Scale computing Inc. (U.S.)

Nexenta Systems Inc. (U.S.)

SimpliVity Corporation (U.S.)

Pivot3 Inc. (U.S.)

Facebook Inc. (U.S.).

Get a Free Sample PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1990

Web Scale IT Market Report Scope:

Report Metrics Details Web Scale IT Market Size by 2030 USD 2.93 Billion Web Scale IT Market Growth 18.53% CAGR Base Year 2019 Forecast 2020-2030 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Key Market Opportunities The increasing dependence on Web-scale IT support of several industries around the globe has doubled the need for Web-scale IT.

Drivers

Growing Need for Cloud Computing among Businesses to Boost Web Scale IT Market

An increase in company demand for cloud computing to reduce infrastructure expenses and allow them to focus on their core competencies will boost market growth over the forecast period.

Opportunities

Increasing Use in Social Media to offer Robust Opportunities

The increasing use of web scale IT in social media, swift consciousness regarding the perks of web-scale IT and rise in broadband customers will offer robust opportunities for the market in the forecast period.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on Web Scale IT Market:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/web-scale-it-market-1990

Restraints

Story continues

Cyber Security Concerns to act as Market Restraint

Cyber security concerns, risk of migrating sensitive data to new cloud approaches from traditional approaches, and shortage of technological infrastructure may act as market restraints over the forecast period.

Challenges

Availability of Performance and Capacity Management Skills to act as Market Challenge

The availability of performance and capacity management skills for the horizontally scaled architecture and threat of losing highly confidential data may act as market challenges over the forecast period.

Market Segmentation

The global web scale IT market is bifurcated based on solution, service, and providers.

By solution, analytics will lead the market over the forecast period. The expansion of this market is being driven by various data collection provisions and web scale IT improvements. Analytical services are being used by smaller businesses, which is another element fueling this market's expansion. It is employed for the identification, explanation, and dissemination of significant data patterns. It also involves using data patterns to make smart decisions. Analytics, which depends on the concurrent application of computer programming, statistics, and operations research to quantify performance, can be useful in sectors with a wealth of recorded information. Numerous industries, including marketing, management, finance, online systems, information security, and software services, may benefit from analytics.

By service, consulting and IT will domineer the market over the forecast period. Software defines web-scale data centers as a collection of creative concepts developed by service providers and IT vendors and put into practice using cloud technologies. Due to effective and fast connectivity, businesses in the web-scale IT sector create their own versions of solutions employing advanced technology and complex operating systems. It aids clients in evaluating various technological strategies and, as a result, in coordinating those strategies with their business or process strategies. These services provide strategic, architectural, operational, and implementation planning to assist customers' IT initiatives.

By providers, the web scale IT market is segmented into content providers, internet service providers, and marketplace builder.

Ask for Discount:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/1990

COVID-19 Analysis

During the COVID-19 epidemic, there has been an increase in demand for web-scale IT. However, it is anticipated that this necessity would be hampered by the decrease in IT expenditure budgets brought on by the global full/partial lockdowns. Global firms have suffered significant losses as a result of the lockdowns. The lockdown that has been imposed in many nations throughout the world to stop the epidemic's spread has restricted public gatherings at international events, concerts, theatre performances, and music festivals, which is slowing the market's expansion.

Regional Analysis

North America to Steer Web Scale IT Market

Throughout the projection period, the North America area is anticipated to have significant expansion. The largest market share in North America is predicted to come from the United States. The U.S. has the greatest market for cloud services, so there are many potential for web scale IT in these areas. The large demand for cloud solutions across US industrial and marketing channels fuels the expansion of the North American area of the global web scale IT industry. Additionally, the existence of significant players in nations like Canada and the United States will further influence the regional market growth throughout the expected timeframe. The increasing demand for cloud solutions across American manufacturing systems and marketing channels is blamed for the growth of the web-scale IT sector in North America. Additionally, the existence of significant players in nations like Canada and the United States will further influence the regional market growth throughout the expected timeframe. Because more cloud-based services are being used by production systems and distribution channels, North America is anticipated to be the market with the largest profit contribution.

APAC to Have Admirable Growth in Web Scale IT Market

Due to the expanding number of cloud providers in this region, Asia-Pacific is also anticipated to have the second-fastest growth rate in 2021. As the cloud service providers get ready to increase their presence in this area, adoption of web-scale IT is on the rise. Due to the high level of service quality, Asia Pacific will have a sizable market share with Europe. Included among the major players in the web-scale IT sector are Rackspace, Netflix, Google, Facebook, & Amazon. By combining their portfolios to defend against bundled attacks, other companies including CSC, IBM, Cisco, Lockheed Martin, Allen Hamilton, Booz Northrop Grumman, Symantec, Sophos, and McAfee are expected to offer cutting-edge cyber solutions at competitive pricing.

Ask To Expert:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_schedule_call/1990

Due to increased investment by major players like Rackspace business, Joyent Cloud and VMware limited in modernizing cloud-based services in the international zone, the web-scale IT market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to expand quickly. The need for various software-based services has also increased in significant developing nations; for instance, India and China are anticipated to lead expansion in a number of web-scale IT markets in various Asia-Pacific areas.

Related Reports:

Web Hosting Services Market - By Type, By Application, By Connectivity 2030

Web Real Time Communications Market - By Type, By Organization size 2030

Web Application Firewall Market - By Deployment, By Security Models 2030

About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis regarding diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

CONTACT: Contact Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com




RICHMOND HILL, ON, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - The following statement can be attributed to SEIU Healthcare president, Sharleen Stewart:

Canada's Healthcare Union (CNW Group/SEIU Healthcare)

"SEIU Healthcare welcomes the federal government's commitment today of $1.709 billion to invest in personal support workers (PSWs) and care workers like them who support our vulnerable loved ones.

This funding marks a giant step forward towards achieving a $25 per hour national minimum wage for all PSWs across Canada.

Our message to provincial and territorial governments is simple: the time for excuses is overit's time to raise wages for PSWs and provide better healthcare jobsit's time for $25 for Canada's PSWs and all underpaid healthcare workers like them.

We call on Canada's premiers to accept this money and raise wages for healthcare workers immediately because good healthcare jobs mean better care for seniors and patients.

Canada's health human resources are in crisis and workers on the frontline are demanding that all governments invest in safe staffing levels. That's why SEIU Healthcare will never stop fighting for all healthcare workers who are overworked and underpaid, and with action from all levels of government we can end the exploitation of women in the care economy more broadly, and all healthcare workers in particular."

SEIU Healthcare represents more than 60,000 healthcare and community service workers across Ontario. The union's members work in hospitals, homecare, nursing and retirement homes, and community services throughout the province. www.seiuhealthcare.ca

SOURCE SEIU Healthcare

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/07/c6390.html
New petition calls for immediate action to lower fees

TORONTO, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - With credit card usage rising due to the pandemic, growing online shopping and tight consumer budgets, small merchants are urging the federal government and the payments industry to move quickly to deliver on the Fall Economic Statement's promise to lower processing fees for small business.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of small businesses said that they want to see credit card processing fees drop to no more than 1% of the total dollar sale, according to a new survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). This would require interchange rates for small firms to be set at 0.7% or less  half of the current average of 1.4%.



CURRENT PROPOSED MAXIMUM Interchange Fees for banks (1) 0.87-2.35% 0.7 % Processor Fees for acquirers (2) 0.2 % 0.2 % Visa/Mastercard/Misc. Fees 0.1 % 0.1 % TOTAL 1.17-2.65% 1 %

(1) Example includes a broad sample of instore and ecommerce interchange rates available to small businesses (Visa's Everyday Needs, Electronic, Card Not Present Tokenized and Mastercard's Card Present EMV and Digital Commerce) (2) Example is CFIB's rate with Chase  the lowest rate available to a broad cross-section of SMEs





CFIB research shows most (81%) small businesses take a hit to their bottom line to cover the costs of accepting credit cards. Yet, many small merchants feel they have no choice but to continue accepting credit cards if they want to attract and retain customers and grow their business.

"While a handful of large multinationals can get special deals, small firms aren't able to negotiate lower interchange rates on their own," said Dan Kelly, CFIB president. "Ensuring that smaller merchants can access lower rates  including for ecommerce  is key to relieving some cost pressures, encouraging more small businesses to sell online and levelling the playing field with larger firms."

"As the spring budget approaches, CFIB is calling on Ottawa to quickly deliver on its promise to work with the industry in negotiating a better deal for small business," Kelly added.

Story continues

CFIB's recommendations to the federal government and Visa and Mastercard on ways to lower credit card fees include:

Lowering merchant fees to no more than 1% of the total sale

Ensuring fees for e-commerce are kept low to allow small firms to compete online

Protecting low-cost Interac debit and the Code of Conduct

"Business owners want to do what they do best: run their business. With the increased cost of doing business and lack of staff, they don't have the capacity and time to deal with confusing rules and rates that make it impossible to compare between different processors," said Corinne Pohlmann, Senior Vice-President of National Affairs at CFIB. "Any changes made to credit card fees should be kept simple and help small firms better understand the rates they pay."

Business owners can sign CFIB's petition to lower credit card fees here .

Methodology:

Final results for the Your Voice  January 2023 survey. The online survey was conducted from Jan. 18-31, 2023, number of respondents= 3,403. For comparison purposes, a probability sample with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of at most +/- 1.7 %, 19 times out of 20.

Final results for the flash survey  Credit Card Merchant Fees. The online survey was conducted from September 1 September 8, 2022, number of respondents = 3,980. For comparison purposes, a probability sample with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of at most +/- 1.6 %, 19 times out of 20.

About CFIB

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 97,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners' chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca .

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Cision

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/08/c7260.html
Market Research Future

Smart Materials Market Insights and Industry Analysis by Product (Piezoelectric Materials, Shape Memory Materials, Electro strictive Materials, Magneto strictive Materials), by Application (Actuators & Motors, Transducers, Sensors, Structural Materials) and Region, Competitive Market Size, Share, Trends, and Forecast to 2030

New York, USA, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smart Materials Market Overview

According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Smart Materials Market Information by Application, Region, End-user, and Product Type - Forecast till 2030, the market is estimated to grow at a 14% CAGR to reach USD 115.08 Billion by 2030

Market Scope

Smart materials are produced to respond to external stimuli and behave according to the direction given to the materials. The global market for smart materials has demonstrated massive development in recent years.



Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5333



Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 115.08 Billion CAGR 14% (2022-2030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 20222030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Million) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Application, Region, End-user, and Product Type Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Increasing usage of smart actuators and motors, smart sensors, smart devices, smart vehicles. The increasing investment in the automotive industry has helped in replacing conventional materials.



Competitive Analysis

The catalog for the leading participants across the global market for smart materials includes players such as:

Ametek Inc

Kyocera Corporation

APC International Ltd.

Lord Corporation

Ceram Tec

Piezo Kinetics

CTS Corporation

Smart material Corp

Harris Corporation

TDK U.S.A Corporation

Among others.





Market USP Covered

Market Drivers

The global market for smart materials has demonstrated massive development in recent years owing to the aspects such as rising usage of smart actuators & motors, increasing investment in the automotive industry, increasing demand for automated machines, and revolution in weapons manufacturing.

Story continues

Market Restraints

On the other hand, several aspects may hamper the market's growth. These include a lack of awareness regarding the industry's materials and development, limited economic potential, and high manufacturing costs. In addition, the need to develop every specific material is likely to impede the performance of the market over the coming years.



Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on Smart Materials https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-materials-market-5333



COVID-19 Impact

The global health hazard in the shape of COVID-19 has had a massive impact on most industry sectors. Considering the rapid spread of the infectious disease, several governments across the globe announced partial or complete lockdowns for quite a long time. Consequently, the industry operations were halted, and some businesses shut down. Given the sudden fall in demand for vehicles and travel restrictions imposed, the smart materials market faced several unexpected challenges during the pandemic. On the other hand, with the rapid vaccination rates and all the global industrial operations returning to normal, the market is anticipated to experience substantial development over the forecasted timeframe.

Segment Analysis

Among all the products, the piezoelectric materials segment is predicted to secure the top spot across the global market for smart materials over the assessment era. Stress or mechanical deformations can induce electric dipoles in these materials producing electricity. Various sources, such as synthetic and naturally occurring crystals, can produce piezoelectricity. The main parameter supporting the segment's growth is the escalating demand for piezoelectric devices in several end-use sectors, such as manufacturing, communication, information, healthcare, aerospace and & defense, and automotive industries. On the other hand, the shape memory products segment is anticipated to showcase the maximum growth rate over the coming years. copper-based alloys, nickel, and several shape memory polymers have a large use in actuators & motors, structural products, and sensors. The growing application of these materials in medical applications such as stents, prosthetics, and surgical devices will likely catalyze the segment's growth over the review timeframe.

Among all the application areas, the actuators & motors segment is predicted to hold the top position across the global market for smart materials over the assessment era. The substantial demand for smart actuators & motors in consumer goods, aerospace & defense, and automotive sectors is also projected to have an appositive impact on the development of the segment over the coming years. On the other hand, the structural materials application segment is anticipated to demonstrate a maximum growth rate over the coming years. the growth of the segment is ascribed to the considerable demand from the medical industry.



Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=5333



Regional Analysis

The global smart materials market is analyzed across five major regions: Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

The MRFR research reports imply that the North American region is anticipated to secure the top position across the global smart materials market over the assessment era by contributing a maximum share of approximately 40%. The primary parameter supporting regional market development is the escalating demand in the aerospace, defense industry, and significant others. The region has the US as the leading growth contributor, given the nation's aerospace and defense industry exports. Furthermore, the significant demand for smart actuators & motors across various end-use sectors is also likely to enhance the performance of the regional market over the coming years.

The Asia-pacific regional market for smart materials is anticipated to showcase the maximum growth rate over the assessment era. The main aspect causing an upsurge in the regional market's growth is the substantial research activities supported by the government. Furthermore, the rapidly growing construction sector is also likely to boost the regional market's development over the assessment era.

The smart market for the European region is predicted to grow considerably during the evaluation period. The higher purchasing capacity of people across the region is the prime aspect supporting regional market development. Thus, favorable global conditions offer lucrative opportunities for smart materials market growth over the coming years.



Share your Queries @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/5333



Discover more research Reports on Chemical Industry , by Market Research Future:

Epoxy Coatings Market : Information by Technology (Water-Borne, Solvent-Borne, Powder), End-Use Industry (Building & Construction, General Industrial, Automotive & Transportation, Consumer Goods), Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa)Forecast till 2030

Cement Market : Information by Type (Portland Cement and others), by End Use (Residential Construction, Commercial Construction and Infrastructure) and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa) - Forecast Till 2030

Flat Glass Market : Information by Product Type (Clear Float Glass, Tempered Glass, Insulated Glass, Coated Glass, Annealed Glass and Laminated Glass), by End-Use Industry (Building & Construction, Automotive, Consumer Goods and Solar) and by Region (Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa) - Forecast till 2030

About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

CONTACT: Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com




BEIJING, Feb. 8 -- At the invitation of the Pakistan Navy, the guided-missile destroyer Nanning of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will participate in the multinational naval exercise AMAN (Peace)-23 in waters near Karachi, Pakistan, from February 9 to 14, according to a statement released by China's defense ministry on Wednesday.
Cape Town, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2023) - Banxso, the leading FX & CFD brokerage of South Africa, has announced that it has secured multiple licenses to expand its services across the globe.

Banxso

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9243/154084_5a711a84d4268a86_001full.jpg

The brokerage now holds an EU investment business license from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). Regulatory permits provide the brokerage business the ability to provide a variety of financial services, as well as the authorization to offer cross-border services within the EU and EEA in accordance with European passport rights. 

In order to expand its business in Africa, Banxso has also received an international brokerage license and a class "A" banking license from Comoros.

Banxso's rapid expansion to these countries is proof that it has concrete plans for what's to come this year in 2023. The South African trading platform has actively taken steps towards expanding towards the northern part of the continent.

The company noted that it is actively collaborating with authorities to get licenses in 2023 for the Central Bank of Cabo Verde, Seychelles, Kenya (CMA), Zimbabwe (SEC), Mauritius (FSC), Vanuatu (FSC), and Zimbabwe (SEC). This will help to secure the company's rapid expansion in Africa.

2023 will prove to be a pivotal year for the company as it spreads its wings outside the country and expands to new jurisdictions.

About Banxso

An award-winning, FSCA-licensed multi-asset brokerage firm in South Africa, Banxso concentrates on offering cutting-edge financial services, including zero-fee trading.

Since its establishment, Banxso has grown significantly to become the leading broker in South Africa, earning a reputation for its innovative, customer-focused methodology and sophisticated technology.

The Banxso trading platform allows users to trade major world currencies, buy and sell fractional shares on international exchanges with no fee, and speculate on commodities like gold, silver, and oil. For individuals who don't want to trade alone, the Banxso platform also comes with cutting-edge features like AI automatic decision tools and social trading capabilities.



Twitter: @banxso

Instagram: @banxsocom

YouTube: @banxso

Manuel De Andrade

+27 104 464 170

pr@banxso.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/154084
Virtual Investor Conferences

Company invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend real-time, interactive presentations on VirtualInvestorConferences.com

TORONTO, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SusGlobal Energy Corp. (SusGlobal or the Company) (OTCQB: SNRG), an industrial, environmental and agricultural biotechnology company and the developer of SusGro, an award winning, revolutionary and pathogen free organic liquid fertilizer, today announced that Marc Hazout, President and CEO will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on February 9, 2023.



DATE: February 9, 2023

TIME: 1:30 - 2:00 PM ET

LINK: https://bit.ly/3IWUew5

Available for 1x1 meetings: February 10, 2023

This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com .

Recent Company Highlights

SusGlobal Announces Creation of 105,000 VERRs and Opening Sale of Carbon Credits

SusGlobal Signs Brand Endorsement Agreement with Hall of Fame Golfer Ernie Els

SusGlobal Completes VERR Report and Submits to GHG CleanProjects Registry

https://www.csaregistries.ca/GHG_VR_Listing/CleanProjectDetail?ProjectId=909



About SusGlobal Energy Corp.

SusGlobal Energy Corp., the developer of SusGro, an award winning and revolutionary pathogen free organic liquid fertilizer, is an industrial, environmental and agricultural biotechnology company focused on acquiring, developing, and monetizing a portfolio of proprietary technologies in the waste to energy and regenerative product applications globally. It is management's objective to grow SusGlobal into a significant sustainable waste to energy and regenerative products provider and a trusted brand for the fertilizer, soil and aquaculture market, as LEADERS IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY. For more information, please visit the Company's website at: www.susglobalenergy.com.

Story continues

About Virtual Investor Conferences

Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

CONTACTS:

SusGlobal Energy Corp.

Marc Hazout, President and CEO

(416) 223-8500 or Toll Free: 1-866-512-7374

Email: info@susglobalenergy.com

Virtual Investor Conferences

John M. Viglotti

SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access

OTC Markets Group

(212) 220-2221

johnv@otcmarkets.com






SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

The syngas & derivatives market has undergone significant changes in recent years, with major breakthroughs and innovations driving growth in the industry. SkyQuest's comprehensive report on the market takes a close look at these developments, providing valuable insights into market trends, key players, and new growth opportunities. In addition, the report features a detailed analysis of trade regulations, import-export trends, production levels, and value chain optimization, all of which are critical for understanding the state of the market and its growth potential.

Westford, USA, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asia Pacific region is the most significant contributor to the growth of the syngas & derivatives market, with increasing demand from end-use industries such as chemicals, fuels, and power generation. This demand is driven by a growing awareness of the need for cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions and strict environmental regulations aimed at reducing emissions from traditional fossil fuels. The rise in the number of syngas-based projects across the globe also contributes to the market's growth. The use of syngas as an intermediate product that can be processed in several ways to produce various energy outputs is projected to drive the market forward in the future.

SkyQuest predicts substantial growth in hydrogen production from renewable energy sources by 2025. This growth is expected to reach an annual output of 100,000 to 200,000 metric tons, contributing to a decline in carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million to 2 million metric tons per year. The increasing demand for hydrogen from renewable energy sources is likely to drive the growth of the syngas & derivatives market in the coming years.

Browse in-depth T.O.C. on "Syngas & Derivatives Market"

Pages - 257

Tables - 93

Figures - 74

Syngas is an intermediate form of gas produced from a hydrocarbon feedstock, mainly consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. It is essential in producing a wide range of products, including gasoline, chemicals, and fertilizers. In addition, further processing syngas can yield various energy outputs, such as electricity and high-quality fuels that can be used as transportation fuels. Examples of syngas derivatives include methanol, ammonia, high-speed diesel, and polymers. The composition of syngas may also have secondary constituents such as CO2 and methane.

Story continues

Get sample copy of this report:

https://skyquestt.com/sample-request/syngas-and-derivatives-market

Prominent Players in Syngas & Derivatives Market

Sasol Limited (South Africa)

Air Liquide S.A. (France)

Haldor Topsoe A/S (Denmark)

Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (US)

Siemens AG (Germany)

Linde plc (UK)

KBR Inc. (US)

TechnipFMC PLC (UK)

BASF SE (Germany)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Japan)

McDermott International, Inc. (US)

Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc. (US)

Chiyoda Corporation (Japan)

Methanex Corporation (Canada)

Yara International ASA (Norway)

Dow Inc. (US)

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (US)

John Wood Group PLC (UK)

Chemical Segment to Capture Higher Revenue Share owing to Increasing Demand for Personal Protection Equipment and Healthcare Industry

The chemical segment is expected to drive substantial syngas & derivatives market growth in the coming years. It can be attributed to the increasing demand for environmentally friendly chemicals and the use of syngas & derivatives in the production of chemical intermediates. In addition, the versatility of syngas & derivatives, which can be adjusted to suit the specific H2/CO ratio requirements for various chemical production processes, has made them a popular choice in the chemical industry. According to SkyQuest, global ammonia output in 2021 was around 150 million metric tonnes. With approximately 64.6 million metric tonnes, East Asia produced the most ammonia. On the other hand, China held the dominant position as the world's largest producer of ammonia.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

https://skyquestt.com/report/syngas-and-derivatives-market

The Asia Pacific region holds a major market share due to the high demand for syngas and its derivatives in countries such as China, India, and Japan. The utilization of syngas & derivatives in the chemical industry, particularly for fertilizers and petrochemicals, is a major growth driver in the region. With the presence of large chemical companies and abundant resources, the Asia Pacific is expected to continue to lead the market in the coming years.

Coal Emerges as the Dominant Feedstock Category Segment due to Ample Availability of Coal Resources

The coal segment is projected to witness tremendous growth in the production of syngas and derivatives in the coming years as this fuel source becomes increasingly popular. Such growth is driven by the abundance of coal in several major countries and its compatibility with various syngas production technologies. Furthermore, with China, the United States, and Russia being some of the largest coal-producing nations, the demand for syngas derived from coal is expected to rise in the near future.

North America is poised to grow as the leading market for syngas & derivatives, characterized by a robust growth trajectory in the coming years. It can be attributed to the region's mature industrial landscape and many established players in the sector. In addition, with the increasing demand for syngas-based products in various applications, such as liquid fuel, gaseous fuel, and hydrogen-based energy, the region is set to see substantial growth in the near future. Moreover, the well-developed infrastructure for the production and consumption of syngas adds to the overall growth potential of the market in North America.

The syngas & derivatives market is extensively analyzed in a new research report, exploring the industry's size, share, and key players on a global level. The report delves into the impact of significant events and market conditions in various regions, presenting a comprehensive picture of the current market scenario and strategies. The study also forecasts the market's growth until 2028, drawing on the insights of industry experts. Furthermore, the report strives to understand the critical customer attributes that define the market and recognize the demands throughout the industry.

Key Developments in Syngas & Derivatives Market

Primus Green Energy has taken a significant step towards realizing its vision of a natural gas-to-gasoline plant in Texas by partnering with a well-known petrochemical company. The FEED study will be conducted in collaboration with IHI E&C International Corporation, a leading engineering and construction company. The joint venture will build a large-scale plant modeled after Primus's successful demonstration plant in New Jersey, which has produced gasoline and methanol safely and efficiently.

Oil and gas giant Shell has joined forces with Kansai Electric Power to explore the commercial viability of liquid hydrogen supply chains. The two companies will work under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to investigate and promote this cleaner and greener energy source as part of their efforts to decarbonize their respective businesses.

Air Products and Chemicals Inc. has announced a massive investment of USD 500 million to establish its largest steam methane reformer (SMR) facility for hydrogen production, an air separation unit (ASU) for nitrogen supply, and the necessary utility facilities. This move marks the company's largest US investment and is expected to impact the industry significantly.

Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements:

https://skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/syngas-and-derivatives-market

Key Questions Answered in Syngas & Derivatives Market Report

What is the market outlook for the syngas & derivatives industry, and what is driving its growth?

Who are the key players in the syngas & derivatives market, and what is their market share?

What are the most promising segments, applications, and regions for investment in the market?

What strategies should market players adopt to enter the global market effectively?

Related Reports in SkyQuests Library:

Global Nanomaterials Market

Global Advanced Composites Market

Global Green Ammonia Market

Global Lithium-Iron Phosphate Batteries Market

Global Green Chemical Market

About Us:

SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally.

Address:

1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886

Phone:

USA (+1) 617-230-0741

Email: sales@skyquestt.com

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter




Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

The Development of Telehealth is a Better Approach to Consulting with Online Doctors Through Healthcare Tools. Know More Opportunities with FMI. The United States dominates the global market by securing a CAGR of 23.8% with a valuation of US$ 183.2 billion during the forecast period

NEWARK, Del, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Telehealth and Telemedicine Market is projected to secure a valuation of US$ 106.0 billion in 2023, and is likely to be valued at US$ 912.0 billion by 2033. The market is anticipated to capture a CAGR of 24% during the forecast period.



Growing demand for advanced technology, mental health, and chronic diseases are the factors that drive the market growth. Rising adoption of telehealth and telemedicine for better healthcare and low-cost services are flourishing the market expansion. Increasing diabetes patients, old-age population, and chronic pain are estimated to boost the demand for telehealth and telemedicine.

Innovation of novel technologies enhances the efficiency of healthcare services through the digital platform. The rising number of radiological tests for heart-related diseases is advancing the market size. Patients' growing demand for telehealth and telemedicine to reach physical and mental consultants or experts for a quality of life.

Download Sample Copy@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-14379

The increasing number of healthcare providers, advanced laboratories, and clinics propel market growth. The government initiative programs, prominent manufacturers, and growing investment are expected to propel market opportunities.

Innovation by Healthcare Manufacturers Drives the Market Growth

Healthcare manufacturers are growing the market with the adoption of novel technology. These manufacturers develop several healthcare application tools to help patients by providing their services through online doctors, driving market growth. These doctors consult their patients and monitor them to detect their diseases early.

Story continues

The main motto behind this innovation is to reduce the patient's cost and traveling expenses, and quick monitoring results are expanding the market growth. Various developing countries are launching telehealth and telemedicine programs to raise patient awareness. The increasing demand for telehealth and telemedicine to provide remote patient monitoring is advancing the market growth. A few programs launched for telehealth services are TELEKART and Whole System Demonstrator.

Key Takeaways:

The telehealth and telemedicine market are expected to have a valuation of US$ 4.4 billion by 2033.

With a CAGR of 3.1%, the global market is increasing from 2022 to 2033.

The United States telehealth and telemedicine market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 23.8% through 2033.

With a CAGR of 23.0%, the United Kingdom market significantly uplifts during the forecast period.

China market is expected to secure a CAGR of 23.3% over the forecast period.

Japan market captured a CAGR of 22.3% from 2023 to 2033.

Who is winning?

The prominent players are launching innovative products in the market by acquiring maximum output. These players focus on providing better healthcare equipment to the patients as per their requirements. The prominent players invest millions of dollars in research and development activities to carry out unique products and services in the market. These players adopt several marketing tactics, which include collaborations, partnerships, mergers and agreements.

Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-14379

Other Key Players in the Market are:

Medtronic

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc

GE Healthcare

Siemens Healthineers

Cerner Corporation

BioTelemetry

Koninklijke Philips NV



Recent Developments in the Telehealth and Telemedicine Market is:

In July 2021, Estshara invested US$ 5,00,000 to provide telepharmacy services and online consultations to patients.

In May 2021, Teladoc Health announced its partnership with Vivo to enhance the quality of healthcare services through telemedicine in Brazil.

In Dec 2021, BioTelemetry announced an agreement to merge with Royal Philips to advance its portfolio.



Telehealth and Telemedicine Market segmentation by Category

By Component:

Software & Services

Hardware

By Mode of Delivery:

Cloud-based

On-premise

By Application:

Teleconsultation

TeleICU

Telestroke

Teleradiology

Telepsychiatry

Teledermatology

Other Applications



By End Use:

Providers

Patients

Others



By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

South Asia & Pacific

East Asia

The Middle East & Africa (MEA)

Browse full Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/telehealth-and-telemedicine-market

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Telehealth and Telemedicine Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand-side Trends

1.3. Supply-side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis

1.5. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

3. Market Background

3.1. Market Dynamics

3.1.1. Drivers

3.1.2. Restraints

3.1.3. Opportunity

3.1.4. Trends

3.2. Scenario Forecast

3.2.1. Demand in Optimistic Scenario

3.2.2. Demand in Likely Scenario

3.2.3. Demand in Conservative Scenario

3.3. Opportunity Map Analysis

3.4. Investment Feasibility Matrix

3.5. PESTLE and Porters Analysis

Request for Report Customization@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-14379

Explore FMIs related ongoing Coverage on Healthcare Market Insights Domain

Eosinophilia Therapeutics Market Size: The global eosinophilia therapeutics market is anticipated to reach a market value of US$ 413 Million in 2023 and US$ 739.62 Million by achieving a CAGR of 6% in the forecast period of 20232033.

ePharmacy Market Share: By the end of 2033, the worldwide ePharmacy industry is expected to have grown at a 14.3% CAGR from its US$ 81.5 billion market size in 2022 to US$ 351.9 billion.

Injection Pen Market Demand: The injection pen market is expected to grow at a 7.0% CAGR, from a market worth of US$ 40.7 billion in 2022 to US$ 85.8 billion by the end of 2033.

Cellular Reprogramming Tools Market Growth: By the end of 2023, the market for cellular reprogramming tools is anticipated to be worth US$ 400 million, according to Future Market Insights. The market for these instruments is expected to increase globally at a CAGR of 5.7%, reaching US$ 700 million by 2033.

Dementia Management Market Trend: The global dementia management market is anticipated to reach a market value of US$ 35 million in 2023 and to reach a market value of US$ 75.56 million by achieving an 8% CAGR from 2023 to 2033.

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




Tier One's New Visual Identity

Tier One's New Visual Identity

BOSTON and CHICAGO, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celebrating its 20th year in business, women-owned Tier One Partners has introduced a new brand identity inspired by client feedback on what they value most in working with the PR, content, and digital marketing agency. At the core of Tier Ones brand platform is the notion of oneness: sharing one vision, one purpose, and one goal with clients.

As we approached our third decade of business, we conducted in-depth conversations with clients to get a sense of what our brand means to them. And the answer was unexpected, said Kathy Wilson, co-founder and managing partner of Tier One Partners. Our clients thought about our name differently than wed imagined. To them, the term partners wasnt about our senior leaders or our business model; it was about showing up as true partners and doing whatever it takes to elevate their brand. Working together as one, cohesive team is what sets us apart in their minds. That sentiment is front and center in our rebrand.

Tier One's New Visual Identity

To learn more about Tier Ones rebrand, visit the agencys refreshed website at www.wearetierone.com , our blog or our Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn handles.

"What we value most about our relationship with Tier One is how in sync our teams are," said Jennifer Ristic, vice president of corporate communications at global software leader Altair. "We see our challenges and opportunities the same way and bring the same intensity and nimbleness to driving results, which is critical in a healthy agency/client relationship."

The best way to describe Tier One is all-in, said Giana Gaughan, director, corporate communications at healthcare technology software company Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX). They care about relationship management and forming true partnerships with their clients. We've maintained such a long relationship with Tier One because the team consistently approaches their work with a ton of heart, hustle and high-level thinking."

Story continues

Tier One was founded in 2003 by a group of senior public relations industry veterans as one of the first fully-remote agencies  roughly 17 years before hybrid work became the norm. The rationale was that clients would care more about the extraordinary quality and experience of their team than conference room views. While the agency has grown to maintain co-headquartered offices in Boston and Chicago, the philosophy remains the same. Tier One puts a premium on attracting and retaining outstanding talent with a client-first mindset across PR, digital marketing, content creation, social media strategy, and graphic and web design.

Today, Tier One works with leading innovators in technology, financial services, digital health, manufacturing, and marketing technology. The agencys work is regularly recognized by top industry awards, including the Global and North American SABREs, PRWeek Awards, PR Daily Awards, PR News Platinum Awards, and Bulldog Awards.

Tier One collaborated with another women-owned firm, HATCH The Agency , on its rebrand.

About Tier One

Now in our 20th year, Tier One Partners is a women-owned full-service PR, content, and digital marketing agency. We work with innovators in B2B and B2C technology, digital healthcare, financial services, energy tech, and manufacturing to develop award-winning creative, data-driven strategies that propel them to industry leader status. From day one, were committed to earning our clients trust, sharing their vision, and embedding their purpose into everything we do. One team, advancing one mission. To learn more, visit wearetierone.com .

Media Contact:

Sofia Moreno

340-513-4872

smoreno@wearetierone.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f3b7fa1c-b5ec-49af-9d6e-3293b2ae0112




TSX.V: TORC OTCQB: TORCF

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 8, 2023 /CNW/ - TinOne Resources Inc. (TSXV: TORC) (OTCQB: TORCF) ("TinOne" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has sampled highly elevated lithium grades from its 100%-owned 9,600 hectare Aberfoyle Project ("Aberfoyle" or the "Project") located in the tier-one mining jurisdiction of Tasmania, Australia.

Highlights

Surface rock samples taken while geological mapping and prospecting for tin have returned highly elevated lithium values in several areas across the Aberfoyle project covering an area of at least 8 km by 4 km (Figures 1, 2 and 3)

Ten samples returned 0.1% Li 2 O with a maximum of 0.57% Li 2 O

Independent X-ray diffraction analyses has confirmed the host mineral to be zinnwaldite, the major mica host of significant lithium projects in Europe and elsewhere in the world

Independent third-party check analysis has confirmed original laboratory analyses

Field teams have been mobilized to undertake follow up geological mapping, rock and soil sampling

The district-scale project is underexplored and has never seen modern systematic exploration for tin and tungsten and lithium has never been targeted

"We are very excited to have encountered significant values of lithium in our surface work at Aberfoyle, which is also a highly prospective tin and tungsten project," commented Chris Donaldson, Executive Chairman. "While prospecting for tin and tungsten, the Company made an unanticipated discovery of lithium mineralization at the Project, which has never been explored for lithium. The lithium grades are in line with mica-hosted projects in Europe and we are eager to continue the field work to complete more targeted sampling and follow-up. The prospectivity at Aberfoyle is an excellent complement to its more advanced Great Pyramid tin project also located in NE Tasmania. Tin, lithium and tungsten are indispensable for decarbonization and TinOne is in an excellent position to create shareholder value."

Story continues

Key Results

During reconnaissance exploration programs for tin across the Aberfoyle project, TinOne geologists sampled mica (greisen) altered granite, where ten samples returned highly elevated lithium values of 0.1% Li 2 O or above with a maximum of 0.57% Li 2 O (Table 1, Figure 2).

Greisen alteration of the type sampled at Aberfoyle is a typical alteration style associated with many tin deposits globally and is also associated with certain large scale lithium deposits, where the mica alteration minerals are lithium-bearing. Lithium grades (expressed as Li 2 O) in these mica-hosted deposits are typically in the range 0.3-0.7% Li 2 O (Table 2).

The elevated lithium samples at Aberfoyle come from three separate areas over an area of more than 8 km by 4 km (Figure 2), suggesting that the lithium occurrences are not isolated and may be part of a previously unrecognised lithium camp.

The main area of elevated lithium sampled to date covers the historic Guinea Pig and Dead Pig small-scale tin mining prospects with five of the seven rock samples collected over an area of approximately 600 x 250 metres returned values over 0.1% Li 2 O and up to 0.57% Li 2 O (Figures 2 and 3).

Approximately 2 km north of the Guinea Pig prospect, two samples in the Ockle Creek area returned 0.10% and 0.12% Li 2 O, respectively (Figures 2 and 3).

In addition, another sample collected at the Tasmania Creek prospect to the northeast returned 0.22% Li 2 O and one sample a further 1 km north returned 0.1% Li 2 O (Figure 2).

Check Analysis and Mineralogical Analysis

Samples that returned 0.1% or more Li 2 O were sent for umpire analysis at SGS Townsville, Australia and returned values consistent with the original ALS results (Table 1), thereby confirming the significance and validity of the original laboratory results.

Selected higher grade samples were also analysed by X-ray diffraction12 (XRD) at the Minerals Resources Tasmania laboratory and confirmed the presence of substantial quantities of the mica zinnwaldite {KLiFeAl(AlSi 3 )O 10 (OH,F) 2 }, which is globally the most important mica-host for hard rock lithium deposits (Table 2).

Next Steps

TinOne has mobilized its field team to undertake geological mapping and additional systematic and targeted rock sampling in the areas identified to-date and in other areas of similar altered granite known from historic records. Soil sampling in these areas is also underway in order to define the extent of anomalous lithium within the granite host.

Results from ongoing rock sampling will be released in the coming weeks as soon as they are received.

Table 1. Results and sample descriptions for surface rock samples with Li 2 O greater than 0.1%.

Sample ID ALS Li 2 O SGS Li 2 O Sample Description GM10216 0.57 % 0.51 % Hard siliceous granite with green fine-grained mica and thin veinlets of chalcopyrite/pyrite. GM10214 0.30 % 0.31 % Altered granite with fine white mica and quartz and tourmaline veins. GM10217 0.25 % 0.22 % White and black altered granite with tourmaline and dark green micas. GM10140 0.22 % 0.22 % Green altered granite with miarolitic cavities filled with tourmaline. GM10219 0.20 % 0.18 % Quartz-rich altered granite, green rock with dark micas, tourmaline, quartz and sulfide minerals. GM10204 0.12 % 0.13 % Altered porphyritic granite with diffuse bands of quartz-tourmaline and pink chalcedonic quartz. GM10220 0.12 % 0.12 % Altered granite with chalcedonic quartz veins, green micas and dark veinlets of tourmaline. GM10202 0.10 % 0.10 % Altered porphyritic and aplitic granite with yellowish mica, dark veinlets, chalcedonic quartz veins and bucky white quartz veins with tourmaline. GM10245 0.10 % 0.09 % Silicified granite with minor fine-grained tourmaline with white mica. GM10256 0.10 % 0.08 % Silicified tourmaline aplite and clay with dark veinlets, grey minerals and white mica.

NOTES: The SGS values are on average marginally lower than the original ALS, as were the Li certified reference material submitted by TinOne to SGS as part of its QA/QC protocol. The same Li certified reference materials analysed by ALS were in range of the certified values.

_________________________________ 1 MINERAL RESOURCES TASMANIA LABORATORY REPORT LJN2023-010. MINERALOGICAL EXAMINATION OF POWDERED ROCK SAMPLES, GIPPS CREEK AREA. 25 January 2023 2 X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a technique that detects the specific minerals present in a rock sample with a high degree of confidence.

Figure 1: Location of the Companys projects in the mining friendly jurisdiction of Tasmania (CNW Group/TinOne Resources Corp.)

Figure 2: Location of samples with high lithium on tenement EL27/2004 (CNW Group/TinOne Resources Corp.)

Figure 3: Location of samples with high lithium in the Dead Pig  Guinea Pig area, also showing old prospecting workings identified using LiDAR. (CNW Group/TinOne Resources Corp.)

Figure 4: Sample GM10216, Li2O  0.57%. XRD analysis indicates that the sample is comprised largely of quartz, zinnwaldite and topaz. Note that these photos are not intended to be representative of broader mineralization on the Project. (CNW Group/TinOne Resources Corp.)

Table 2. Li-mica associated deposits worldwide

Project Company Location Mineral Resource Recovery

(to concentrate) Cinovec 1,7 European

Metals Czech

Republic zinnwaldite JORC Indicated 372.4Mt @ 0.44% Li 2 O JORC Inferred 323.5Mt @ 0.39% Li 2 O 90 % San Jose 2,7 Infinity

Lithium Spain zinnwaldite

(and other

Li-minerals) JORC Indicated 59Mt @ 0.63% Li 2 O JORC Inferred 52.2Mt @ 0.59% Li 2 O JORC Probable Reserve 37.2Mt @ 0.63% Li 2 O 66.5 % Zinnwald3 Zinnwald

Lithium Germany zinnwaldite NI43-101 Measured 18.51Mt @ 0.78 Li 2 O NI43-101 Indicated 17Mt @ 0.73% Li 2 O NI43-101 Inferred 4.865Mt @ 0.76% Li 2 O 92 % Sadisdorf4,7 Zinnwald

Lithium Germany zinnwaldite JORC Inferred 25Mt @ 0.45% Li 2 O NA Trelavour5,7 Cornish

Lithium England zinnwaldite JORC Inferred 51.7Mt @ 0.24% Li 2 O NA Karibib 6,7 Lepidico Namibia lepidolite

and other

Li-micas JORC Consolidated M+I+Inf 11.85Mt @ 0.46% Li 2 O 80.1 %

NOTES: 1. ASX announcement; 13 October 2021 2. ASX announcement; 23 May 2018 & Nov 2020 3. See technical report: "Preliminary Economic Assessment for the revised Zinnwald Lithium Project, Germany, September 2022", effective date 06 September 2022 4. ASX announcement ("Lithium Australia") 7 December 2017 5. Company announcement; 02 December 2021 6. ASX announcement; 19 December 2022 7. See Competent Person Statement section at end of news release

None of the projects shown in Table 2 are owned, controlled or in any other way associated with TinOne Resources Corp. The resource estimates are provided, as quoted by the respective owners, purely for information purposes regarding Li-mica associated deposits worldwide. TinOne's Aberfoyle project has not been subject to any detailed investigation, including drilling and the reader is cautioned that the resource figures in Table 2 may not be indicative of future results at Aberfoyle. Mineralization hosted on geologically similar properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties.

About the Aberfoyle Project

The Aberfoyle project area straddles the boundary between the Silurian to Devonian Mathinna Supergroup sedimentary rocks and the Devonian Ben Lomond Granite. The historic Aberfoyle (tin) and Storeys Creek (tin-tungsten) mines as well as other vein systems are hosted in the sedimentary rocks and occur as strike extensive systems of sheeted and stockwork veining. Elevated lithium has not previously been reported from the project area.

Historic records and drilling indicate the mineralised vein system at Aberfoyle is up to 60 metres wide, 800 metres in length and extends approximately 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Lutwyche prospect occurs approximately 1 kilometre northeast of Aberfoyle and is comprised of two sets of mineralised veins which can be traced along strike for approximately 750 metres.

An additional sediment-hosted vein system, the Kookaburra, is located 200 metres southwest of the main Lutwyche vein system and is known to be approximately 40 metres wide with an along strike extent of at least several hundred metres.

Mineralisation at Storeys Creek is hosted within a 30 to 50 metre wide, north-northwest striking sheeted vein array which dips to the southwest. The system can be traced along strike for 300 metres and extends 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Ben Lomond Granite crops out approximately 1km west of the mine and has been identified at depth at 180 metres below the surface.

Additional poorly known sediment-hosted vein systems occur at Brocks, Eastern Hill and elsewhere in the tenement.

Granite-hosted occurrences are developed throughout the exposed areas of granitoid outcrop and consist of vein, disseminated and breccia style occurrences with associated greisen style alteration. These have given rise to historic small scale hard rock and more extensive alluvial production in the Gipps Creek, Rex Hill, Ben Lomond, Royal George and other areas.

The Company interprets that both sediment- and granite-hosted systems have developed in structural corridors of multi-kilometre extent and that historic exploration has not systematically explored these corridors. TinOne believes systematic exploration of these prospective corridors will result in the definition of high-quality drill targets.

Sample Methodology

Rock samples reported here were collected by experienced geologists from outcrop, float and historical mining spoil dumps. Samples were typically 1.5 to 2.5 kg and were placed in pre-numbered, calico bags and then into large rice sacks which were sealed for shipping. Due to the nature of the available sample media, the samples are not continuous channel samples and consist of multiple individual small rock pieces collected from an area considered representative of the material being sampled.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Rock 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). Forty-eight element multi-element analyses are conducted by ICP-MS with a four-acid digestion (ALS method ME-MS61).

Selected elevated lithium sample pulps were shipped to SGS Townsville for check analysis using a 4-acid digest with and ICP-OES finish (SGS methods GO_DIG41Q100 and GO_ICP41Q100).

Control samples comprising certified reference samples (including reference material certified for lithium) duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company'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 controls some of the most important tin districts in Tasmania including Aberfoyle, Rattler Range and Great Pyramid. The Company is focussed on advancing its highly prospective portfolio while also evaluating additional tin opportunities. TinOne is supported by Inventa Capital Corp.

Qualified Person

The Company's disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Stuart Smith., Technical Adviser for TinOne. Dr. Smith is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.

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 "ForwardLooking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forwardlooking statements or information. These forwardlooking statements or information relate to, among other things: the development of the Company's projects; future mineral exploration, development and production; the release of drilling results; and completion of a drilling program.

Forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking 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 management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management'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; TinOne's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.

These statements reflect TinOne'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 forwardlooking 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 Company's dependence on early stage mineral projects; metal price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Australia; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company'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 Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company'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 "Risk Factors" in TinOne's management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forwardlooking 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 forwardlooking 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 law.

COMPETENT PERSON'S STATEMENT

European Metals

Information in this report that relates to exploration results for CIS-15 to17, CIS-27 and CIS-31 to 36 is based on, and fairly reflects, information and supporting documentation prepared by European Metals Competent Person Dr Vojtech Sesulka. Dr Sesulka is a Certified Professional Geologist (certified by the European Federation of Geologists), a member of the Czech Association of Economic Geologist, and a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Dr Sesulka has provided his prior written consent to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. Dr Sesulka is an independent consultant with more than 10 years working for the EMH or Geomet companies. Dr Sesulka does not own any shares in the Company and is not a participant in any short or long term incentive plans of the Company.

The information in this release that relates to Mineral Resources and Exploration Targets is based on, and fairly reflects, information and supporting documentation prepared by Mr Lynn Widenbar. Mr Widenbar, who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australasian Institute of Geoscientists, is a full-time employee of Widenbar and Associates and produced the estimate based on data and geological information supplied by European Metals. Mr Widenbar has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity that he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Minerals Resources and Ore Reserves. Mr Widenbar has provided his prior written consent to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context that the information appears. Mr Widenbar does not own any shares in the Company and is not a participant in any short or long term incentive plans of the Company.

https://www.europeanmet.com/wp-content/uploads/EMH-Cinovec-Resource-Estimation-AIM-131021.pdf

Infinity Lithium

The information in this report that relates to Exploration Targets is based on the information compiled by Mr Jeremy Peters, FAusIMM CP (Mining, Geology). Mr Peters has sufficient relevant professional experience with open pit and underground mining, exploration and development of mineral deposits similar to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of JORC Code. He has visited the project area and observed drilling, logging and sampling techniques used by Infinity in collection of data used in the preparation of this report. Mr Peters is an employee of Snowden Mining industry Consultants and consents to be named in this release and the report as it is presented. The information in this report that relates to the December 2017 and updates in May 2018, updated Mineral Resources is based on the information compiled by Mr Patrick Adams, FAusIMM CP (Geology). Mr Adams has sufficient relevant professional experience with open pit and underground mining, exploration and development of mineral deposits similar to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of JORC Code. Mr Adams has not visited the project area and has relied on the documented (Peters, May 2017) drilling, logging and sampling techniques used by Infinity in collection of data used in the preparation of this report. Mr Adams is a Principal Geologist and a Director of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and consents to be named in this release and the report as it is presented. The information in this report that relates to Exploration Results is based on the information compiled or reviewed by Mr Adrian Byass, B.Sc Hons (Geol), B.Econ, FSEG, MAIG and an employee of Infinity Lithium Corporation Limited. Mr Byass has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the JORC Code. Mr Byass consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears.

https://wcsecure.weblink.com.au/pdf/INF/01983857.pdf

The information in this announcement relates to metallurgical test work results in relation to the San Jose Lithium deposit in Extremadura, Spain, and is based on the information compiled by Mr Adrian Byass (as Competent Person) and as assisted by David Valls, of Extremadura Mining S.L. Mr Byass has sufficient relevant professional experience with open pit and underground mining, exploration and development of mineral deposits similar to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking. He has been working in the project area and managing drilling, logging, sampling and supervising metallurgical test works used by Infinity in collection of data used in the preparation of this report. Mr Byass is an employee of Infinity Lithium Corporation Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary Extremadura Mining S.L. and consents to be named in this release and the report as it is presented. Mr Byass holds securities in Infinity Lithium.

https://wcsecure.weblink.com.au/pdf/INF/02309544.pdf

Zinnwald Lithium

The information in this announcement that relates to in situ lithium Mineral Resources for Sadisdorf is based on and fairly represents information compiled by Mr Thomas Branch under the direction and supervision of Dr Andrew Scogings who are both full-time employees of CSA Global Pty Ltd, in accordance with the requirements of the JORC Code 2012. Dr Scogings takes overall responsibility for the report. Dr Scogings is a Member of both the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience, which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration, and to the activity he is undertaking, to qualify as a Competent Person in terms of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' (JORC Code 2012). Dr Scogings consents to the inclusion of such information in this announcement in the form and context in which it appears.

https://lithium-au.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/07122017-Maiden-lithium-Mineral-Resource-estimate-for-Sadisdorf.pdf

Cornish Lithium

The Maiden Mineral Resource has been prepared by Kerry Griffin of Mining Plus UK Limited, who is a Competent Person as defined by the JORC Code, 2012 Edition.

https://cornishlithium.com/company-announcements/cornish-lithium-announces-maiden-jorc-resource-for-the-trelavour-project/

Lepidico

Exploration and Resources The information in this report that relates to Exploration Results is based on information compiled by Mr Tom Dukovcic, who is a fulltime employee of the Company and a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and who has sufficient experience relevant to the styles of mineralisation and the types of deposit under consideration, and to the activity that has been undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves." Mr Dukovcic consents to the inclusion in this report of information compiled by him in the form and context in which it appears. The information in this report that relates to the Helikon 2 - Helikon 5 Mineral Resource estimates is extracted from an ASX Announcement dated 16 July 2019 ("Drilling Starts at the Karibib Lithium Project") and was completed in accordance with the guidelines of the JORC Code (2012). The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcement and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the Mineral Resource estimates in the relevant market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are represented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement. The information in this report that relates to the Helikon 1 and Rubicon Ore Reserve is based on information compiled by John Wyche who is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM) and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the type of deposit and mining method under consideration and to the activity to which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves." Mr Wyche is an employee of Australian Mine Design and Development Pty Ltd which is an independent consulting company. He consents to the inclusion in the report of the information compiled by him in the form and context in which it appears.

https://cdn.lepidico.com/production/LPD_221219_Replacement_Announcement_Phase_1_Economics_Improved_f161419e3d.pdf

TinOne Resources Logo (CNW Group/TinOne Resources Corp.)

SOURCE TinOne Resources Corp.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/08/c3076.html
LAWRENCE, Kan., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite Private Networks (UPN), a leading provider of high-capacity, fiber-based communication networks, is pleased to announce a network expansion into Lawrence, Kansas.

Unite Private Networks (PRNewsfoto/Unite Private Networks)

The expansion will bring a total of 24 miles of high-count fiber to the Lawrence metro, delivering over 900 serviceable locations across the community. The network will connect back into UPN's core network in Kansas City, Missouri with dual 100 Gbps routes. This allows business and carrier customers access to dark fiber or dedicated lit services that are scalable from 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps, and a suite of other products powered by a low-latency carrier-grade, 100 percent fiber-optic network.

"Headquartered and founded in Kansas City, we're always eager to grow in serving the Midwest," said Michael Dillingham, Regional Vice President at Unite Private Networks. "As a college town adjacent to a large metro experiencing accelerated growth, Lawrence is poised to see its business community continue to thrive. We're looking forward to providing the critical infrastructure to support that growth, and to serving new customers."

"The Chamber welcomes Unite Private Networks to our business community. As a growing region, high-capacity communication is a priority to retain and attract talent to our workforce. This economic investment is exciting, and we look forward to working together," said Bonnie Lowe, President & CEO of the Lawrence Chamber.

About Unite Private Networks: UPN provides high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks and services to schools, governments, carriers, data centers, hospitals, and enterprise business customers across a 21-state service area. Service offerings include dark and lit fiber, private line, metro-optical Ethernet, Internet access, data center services, voice, and other customized solutions. Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, UPN has been providing customer focused communications solutions since 1998. For more information on UPN, please visit www.uniteprivatenetworks.com, or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Story continues

Media Contact:

Brandi Tubb

816-903-9400

brandi.tubb@upnfiber.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unite-private-networks-announces-market-expansion-into-lawrence-ks-business-and-carrier-community-will-now-have-access-to-diverse-fiber-optic-network-301742505.html

SOURCE Unite Private Networks
Verano Holdings Corp.

CHICAGO, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verano Holdings Corp. (CSE: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF) (Verano or the Company), a leading multi-state cannabis company, announced that effective today, Ed Brown has stepped down from its Board of Directors to return to the alcohol industry.



We are so grateful to have had Eds expertise on Veranos Board of Directors and Audit and Compensation Committees, said George Archos, CEO and Founder. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in developing and executing our long-term growth strategy, which included going public, accelerating our expansion efforts, and positioning the Company ahead of future opportunities. We thank him for his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Mr. Brown stated, It was a bittersweet decision for me to leave Veranos Board. I was honored to have worked with what I believe is the best team in the industry and am proud of what the Company has accomplished to date. Although I will be pursuing my passion as an entrepreneur in the alcohol industry, I am confident that I am leaving Verano in a strong position to continue to grow in this fast-moving sector. George and his team have built an incredible company and I look forward to cheering them on.

About Verano

Verano is a leading, vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator in the U.S., devoted to the ongoing improvement of communal wellness by providing responsible access to regulated cannabis products. With a mission to address vital health and wellness needs, Verano produces a comprehensive suite of premium, innovative cannabis products sold under its trusted portfolio of consumer brands, including Verano, Avexia, BITS, Encore, MUV and Savvy. Veranos portfolio encompasses 14 U.S. states, with active operations in 13, including 14 production facilities comprising over 1,000,000 square feet of cultivation capacity. Verano designs, builds, and operates dispensaries under retail brands including Zen Leaf and MUV, delivering a superior cannabis shopping experience in both medical and adult use markets. Learn more at www.verano.com.

Story continues

Contacts:

Media

Verano

Steve Mazeika

VP, Communications

Steve.Mazeika@verano.com

312-348-4430

Investors

Verano

Julianna Paterra, CFA

VP, Investor Relations

investors@verano.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Companys beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Companys control. Generally, such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, future, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, projects intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, will continue, will occur or will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements herein, including, without limitation, the risk factors described in the Companys registration statement on Form 10, as amended, and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except as may be required in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice regarding forward-looking information and statements.

###




Company Logo

Dublin, Feb. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Whole Genome and Exome Sequencing Markets by Application, Organism and Product with Executive and Consultant Guides. Includes Direct to Consumer Analysis 2023 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report forecasts the market size out to 2023. The report includes detailed breakouts for 14 countries and 5 regions.

Will all newborns receive Whole Genome Sequencing at birth? How fast will Direct to Consumer Testing grow? What sequencing technology will take the lead? What's holding the industry back? Where are the over 800 locations that have high throughput devices?

The plummeting costs for Whole Genome Sequencing are creating a gold rush for market players. New consumers, new technologies, new specializations. In a situation reminiscent of the birth of the internet industry a wide range of well funded players are racing for market share on a truly global stage.

Tumor Cell Sequencing? Direct to Consumer? Gene Expression? Find out about the technology in readily understood terms that explain the jargon. What are the issues? Find the opportunities and the pitfalls. Understand growth expectations and the ultimate market forecasts for the next five years.

All report data is available in Excel format on request. Make investment decisions and valuations with confidence using the latest data.

Key Topics Covered:

Market Overview

Market Participants Play Different Roles

Instrument Manufacturer

Independent lab specialized/esoteric

Independent lab national/regional

Independent lab analytical

Public National/regional lab

Hospital lab

Physician lab

DTC Lab

Sequencing Labs

Audit body

Whole Genome Sequencing - Markets, Examples and Discussion

Direct to Consumer - Two Approaches

The New Age of Medical Information

Dangers in DTC-WGS - Health Costs and Regulation

Newborn and Prenatal - A Brave New World

DTC - How Many Segments?

Research Markets

Research Funding and Capital Expense

WGS Datasets Preferred

Existing research repurposed

Organism Wide Market

Service Suppliers Respond

Clinical - Understanding Germline and Somatic

Somatic - Chasing Mutations and Pharmacogenomics

Pathogen Testing

The Hepatitis C Story

Will the Microbiology Department Disappear?

AgriBio - Big Business

GMO is Here to Stay

WGS Benefits and Risks

The New Agriculture

Story continues

Industry Structure

Hospital's Testing Share

Economies of Scale

Instrument Manufacturer Role

Healthcare Industry Impacts - Still Struggling

Can the Healthcare Industry Adapt?

Genetic Counselling as an Industry

WGES Adoption and Cannibalization

The Meaning of Grail

Market Trends

Factors Driving Growth

Diagnostic Factors

Interpreting the Code Otherwise

Changes in Agriculture

Fertility Technology Comes of Age

Pathogen Challenges

Factors Limiting Growth

Increased Competition Lowers Price

Lower Costs

Healthcare Cost Concerns Curtail Growth

Wellness has a downside

GMO Opposition Movement

Sequencing Instrumentation

Instrumentation Tenacity

Declining Cost Changes Industry Structure

LISTING of CURRENT NGS INSTRUMENT SPECIFICATIONS

llumina

ION

Pacific Biosystems

Roche

SOLiD

Oxford Nanopore

What is Oxford Nanopore Sequencing?

What can Oxford Nanopore Sequencing be used for?

Oxford Nanopore Products

Long Reads - Further Segmentation

Linked Reads

Targeted Sequencing Adopts CRISPR

New Sequencing Technologies

RNAP sequencing

In vitro virus high-throughput sequencing

Tunnelling currents DNA sequencing

Sequencing by hybridization

Sequencing with mass spectrometry

Microfluidic Sanger sequencing

Microscopy-based techniques

WGES Recent Developments

Genomics England, Aims to Sequence 100K Newborns

Juno Diagnostics NIPT With At-Home Sample Collection

Cardio Diagnostics Launches Genetic Cardio Risk Test

Universal Genetic Testing in Breast Cancer Further Supported

Aniling Gets CE-IVD Marks for Cancer Sequencing Tests

MyOme Lands Investment for WGS

GenomSys Gains CE Mark for New Genomic Analysis Software

WGS Finds Lung Cancers Fall Into Molecular Subtypes

Testing Distinguishes Benign Tumors From Precancerous Condition

Plan to Sequence All Newborns in UK

Clear Labs Raises $60M for Nanopore Sequencing

Variantyx Expands Into Prenatal, Cancer Testing

Whole-Genome Sequencing Aids Diagnosis in Stockholm

Variantyx Raises $20M

Nonacus WGS Service for SARS-CoV-2 Laboratories

Center to Report Risk Scores in Clinical WGS

Stanford Launches WGS for Cardiovascular Testing

Illumina and NY Healthcare Partner on Clinical WGS

Increased Adoption of WGS Needs Acceptance by Payors, Providers

Veritas Intercontinental Completes 5M Series B Financing Round

M2GEN and Discovery Life Sciences in Bioinformatics Agreement

Genomics England Adopts Quantum ActiveScale Object Storage

GenomiQa, Icon Group to Validate Genomic Analysis Platform CapeDx

NHS Wales Introduces WGS for Critically Ill Newborns

Illumina Achieves EAU for NGS-Based SARS-CoV-2 Test

C2i Genomics to Launch Trials for MRD Detection Tech

Roche Acquires Sequencing Company Stratos Genomics

UK COVID-19 Sequencing Consortium Launches

Invitae Acquires Three Companies: YouScript, Genelex, Diploid

Experience From Centralized Genomic Medicine Lab

MGI to Enable $100 Human Genome

Nebula Genomics offers $299 WGS

Team to Study Campylobacter Omics

Veritas Genetics Restarts US Business

NEOGEN, Gencove partner to advance animal genomics

UK Whole-Genome Sequencing Project Obtains 200M

WGS may help with disease outbreaks

Veritas Cuts WGS Price by 40%

Dante Labs Launches GenomeL, Long Reads Human Whole Genome Sequencing

Machine-learning system used to diagnose genetic diseases

Whole Genome Sequencing for healthy creates controversy

Nebula Genomics Offers FREE Whole Genome Sequencing

Profiles of Key Companies

10x Genomics, Inc

Diagnostics

23andME Inc

Abbott Laboratories

AccuraGen Inc

Adaptive Biotechnologies

Admera Health, LLC

Agilent/Dako

Akonni Biosystems

Amoy Diagnostics Co., Ltd

Ancestry.com LLC

Anchor Dx

ARUP Laboratories

Baylor Miraca Genetics Laboratories

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics

Becton, Dickinson and Company

BGI Genomics Co. Ltd

Bioarray Genetics

Biocept, Inc.

Biodesix Inc.

BioFluidica

BioGenex

Biolidics Ltd

bioMerieux Diagnostics

Bioneer Corporation

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc

Bio-Techne

C2i Genomics

Caris Molecular Diagnostics

CellMax Life

Centogene

Circulogene

Clear Labs

Clinical Genomics

Complete Genomics, Inc. - A BGI Company

Dante Labs

Datar Cancer Genetics Limited

Day Zero Diagnostics.

Diasorin S.p.A

Epic Sciences

Epigenomics AG

Eurofins Scientific

Excellerate Bioscience

Fabric Genomics

Freenome

FUJIFILM Wako Diagnostics

Fujirebio

Fulgent Genetics

GE Global Research

Gencove

Genedrive

GeneFirst Ltd

Genetron Holdings

Genewiz

Genomics England

Genomics Personalized Health (GPH)

GenomOncology

Genzyme Corporation

Grifols

Guardant Health

Guardiome

HeiScreen

Helix

Helomics

Hologic

HTG Molecular Diagnostics

Human Longevity, Inc

iCellate

Illumina

Incell Dx

Inivata

Invitae Corporation

Invivoscribe

Karius

Lunglife AI Inc

Macrogen

MDNA Life SCIENCES, Inc

MDx Health

Medgenome

Meridian Bioscience

Mesa Biotech (Thermo Fisher)

Mesa Laboratories, Inc

miR Scientific

MNG Labs

NantHealth, Inc

Natera

Nebula Genomics

NeoGenomics

New England Biolabs, Inc

Novogene Bioinformatics Technology Co., Ltd

Omega Bioservices

Oncocyte

OncoDNA

OpGen

ORIG3N, Inc

Origene Technologies

Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Panagene

Pathogenomix

Perkin Elmer

Personal Genome Diagnostics

Personalis

Precipio

PrecisionMed

Promega

Protagen Diagnostics

Qiagen

QuantuMDx

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Roche Molecular Diagnostics

Roswell Biotechnologies

Seegene

Sequencing.com

Siemens Healthineers

simfo GmbH

Singlera Genomics Inc

SkylineDx

Standard BioTools

Sure Genomics, Inc

Sysmex

Sysmex Inostics

Tempus Labs, Inc

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc

Variantyx

Volition

Vyant Bio





For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sonr8d-genome-and?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 the mid-1800s, a Black man who owned a successful barber shop out of a hotel on Caroline Street went on to become chief White House butler under 10th U.S. president John Tyler.

In the early 20th century, Black women supported themselves and their families as the owners of boarding houses located on Fifth Street, as Lafayette Boulevard was then known.

In the mid 20th century, a successful seafood restaurant on Sophia Street was owned by a Black man but catered only to white diners.

These are some of the inspiring and painful stories from 235 years of Black entrepreneurship in Fredericksburg  the subject of a new walking tour led by Gaila Sims, curator of African American history and special projects at the Fredericksburg Area Museum.

Sims will lead Black Business and Entrepreneurship in Fredericksburg, 1787 to present on Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. The tour begins at the Lewis Store on Caroline Street and ends at the Fredericksburg Area Museum.

In addition to downtown businesses, it will include information about Black-owned businesses a little farther afield, such as in Mayfield and Libertytown.

The tour is presented in partnership with the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation and with support from the city.

It was immediately clear to me upon arriving in Fredericksburg how much the city embodies national trends, Sims said. But what makes it unique is that it has a documented history of Black-owned businesses. Two hundred and thirty-five years of history is really astounding, and it speaks to the tenacity of Black entrepreneurs.

Sims said her inspiration for the tour was the story of the De Baptiste family. John De Baptiste was a free Black man of West Indian descent who served in the Virginia Navy aboard a ship owned by Fielding Lewis, George Washingtons brother-in-law.

De Baptiste later rented and then in 1796 purchased land on what is now Canal Street in Fredericksburg. He operated a successful wharf and ferry business carrying travelers across the Rappahannock River to Falmouth, where he was buried when he died in 1804.

De Baptistes sons inherited his entrepreneurial spirit. At various times they rented out hackney carriages, operated a brick kiln and sold seafood. But Virginia became increasingly inhospitable to free Blacks, Sims said, and the De Baptiste sons left the state for territories north.

George De Baptiste became an organizer and conductor for the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Michigan. During the Civil War, he recruited soldiers for a Black regiment, eventually known as the 102nd U.S. Colored Troops, and after the war he worked to obtain supplies for Black schools. He is commemorated in Detroits international memorial to the Underground Railroad.

The theme of potential thwarted by the pressure of racism is part of the tour, but so is the theme of Black business owners overcoming obstacles and fostering community.

Black business owners were always embodied in the community and shared their wealth, Sims said.

There were business owners who were able to buy and free their own family members and others who petitioned for and organized schools for Black children.

In addition to telling stories from the past, Sims will highlight the citys modern-day Black-owned businesses, such as Curitiba Art Cafe, Pimenta, Foode and Jus Popnall of which carry on their predecessors history of giving back to the community.

Tickets for the tour, which are $25/person or $20 for members of FAM or HFFI, can be purchased at famva.org/famevents.

A complete calendar of Fredericksburgs Black History Month events is at fxbg.com/black-history-month.
Many Spotsylvania County residents asked that the School Boards budget for next fiscal year include more money for teacher pay, student support and special education.

The School Board conducted a public hearing on Superintendent Mark Taylors proposed $390.4 million budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1, at a work session Monday evening.

The proposed budget requests $21.6 million in new funding from the county Board of Supervisors.

That is a very significant ask, said Taylor, who worked as Spotsylvania County Administrator from 2015 to 2019. Our request represents a request for an 11.3-cent increase on the real estate tax rate.

But community members who spoke during the public hearing said the proposed budget does not go far enough to meet the needs of all students, especially those who are economically disadvantaged or require special education services.

The proposed budget represents the bare minimum that is needed, said Adam Blosser, the parent of a special education student. Im here to urge you to support the (special education) needs identified and to look for ways to support other (special education) needs that are not included.

County resident William Jordan said he is convinced this budget proposal is designed only to meet the Virginia Standards of Quality, which are the minimum instructional standards.

I wonder why the superintendent believes minimum SOQs are sufficient to achieve the strategic goals of the school division, Jordan said.

According to a budget summary Taylor presented on Monday, more than half of the $21.6 million increase is for compensation and requirements.

Additional positions to meet federal and state compliance requirements are a significant portion of this increase, according to the budget summary, which is posted on the school divisions website.

Also driving the increase is an average 5% salary increase for teachers, support staff and administrators. Taylor is not included in the pay increase, spokeswoman Tara Mergener confirmed Tuesday.

In past budget cycles, board members Kirk Twigg, Rabih Abuismail and Lisa Phelps have stated that they would not support a top-heavy budget that includes the same raise for administrators as it does for teachers and support staff.

The budget under discussion also includes $2.6 million to implement year one of a teacher step and market adjustment recommended by the consulting firm Dass Advisory Group, which is conducting a compensation study.

Phelps said Monday that she has always been concerned about pay compression, which can occur when raises and bonuses are given across the board without taking into account employees years of service.

She praised the consultants for giving the board data about how compression is affecting school division employees.

Sintrel Dass and Cynthia Lott of Dass Advisory Group described the methodology for conducting their study at a School Board work session last week but did not provide details about their findings.

Mergener said Tuesday that Phelps is waiting for a report from board member Dawn Shelley on the Dass study.

Shelley is on the School Board's pay scale study committee but said Tuesday evening that the committee has never met.

"I was not included in the process and received no information from Dass until the meeting last Monday," she said.

Last year, school division staff estimated that it would take $19.7 million to modernize the salary scale for all employees.

School Board member Nicole Cole called the $2.6 million recommended by Taylor and based on the Dass study a made-up number and said the study is unfinished and unvetted.

No detail has been provided to us, she said. I trust the work our finance staff did last year. It would be prudent for the superintendent not to rely at all on the Dass information because it is not good information.

Cole said the proposed budget does nothing to help Spotsylvania recruit and retain staff and meet the needs of students.

Were just digging a hole, she said.

Other board members praised Taylors budget, with Twigg calling it a lighthearted ask.

We do not have to compare ourselves with other counties, he said. We just have to do the best we can.

Vice Chair April Gillespie said all school divisions are competing for staff in the midst of a teacher shortage.

And yeah, we could pay more, we could add another $100 million to the budget, but who is going to stay in the county to pay the taxes on it? she said. We have to do the best with what we are given.

The School Board is expected to approve its version of the budget at its meeting on Monday. County Administrator Ed Petrovitch will present his proposed county budget to the Board of Supervisors the following day.
University of Mary Washington president Troy Paino has been selected to receive a national award from NASPA, an association of higher education student affairs professionals.

Paino is the recipient of NASPA's 2023 President's Award, which is the organization's highest honor and is given to a university leader who demonstrates sustained dedication to student well-being and support for student affairs staff and initiatives.

He is, above all, a student-centered leader, UMW Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair wrote in the nominating letter she submitted for Paino.

Paino, who has been UMW president since 2016, is known on campus for his commitment to seeking student input and understanding diverse perspectives.

He and his wife host regular dinners for students at Brompton, the UMW president's residence.

"Paino has promoted the values of service, community and civic engagement and prioritized immersing students in applied, impactful learning experiences," wrote Amy Jessee, executive director for university communications, in a press release about the award. "He is deeply committed to UMWs public liberal arts and sciences mission of providing academic excellence and social uplift."

Paino will be recognized as NASPA's 2023 President's Award recipient at the organization's annual conference in April.
The Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care has received a $135,684 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help re-house families fleeing domestic violence in rural King George and Caroline counties.

The grants were announced this week and the Fredericksburg CoC project was the only one in Virginia to receive federal rural homeless assistance dollars.

Local shelter Empowerhouse will partner with the regional CoC to help re-house survivors of domestic violence using the rapid rehousing model, a response to homelessness that connects families to permanent housing using time-limited housing subsidies as quickly as possible.

We are thrilled to have this new opportunity to meaningfully expand support to survivors of domestic violence, said Tammy Torres, Empowerhouse assistant director, in a press release issued this week. By providing housing services to two of our most rural counties, we hope to build on the good work being done by our community partners.

The grant is part of $315 million that HUD awarded this week to address rural and unsheltered homelessness in 46 communities across 30 states.

The regional CoC applied for the grant last fall.

This application process was very competitive, and we are honored to have our strong partnerships, collaborations, and strategic planning processes highlighted by receiving even a part of the award, said Sam Shoukas, housing and community health program director at the George Washington Regional Commission, which staffs the regional CoC.

The CoC is the federally mandated coalition responsible for planning and implementing the homeless response system for Planning District 16, which includes the city of Fredericksburg and Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline and King George counties.
Fremont Parks and Recreation board members heard about a possible plan to divert water from a ditch along Luther Road into Johnson Lake.

Justin Zetterman, interim director of public works, brought the idea to the board for discussion.

At this point, this is all conceptual, Zetterman told the Tribune. Before we spent any resources on it, I wanted to make sure the parks board would be supportive of the idea.

The plan would include widening the ditch along Luther Road from First Street/Jack Sutton Drive north to Fifth Street.

Going east, First Street turns into Jack Sutton Drive at Luther Road.

We would expand the ditch along Luther Road and create a diversion to shift some of the runoff in that ditch to the Jack Sutton Drive ditch, Zetterman said.

Water in the Jack Sutton Drive ditch then would flow about three-fourths of a mile to the east. Because the water moves slowly in the ditch, this will help sediment drop out as well as collect debris that may be in the water.

The water from the Jack Sutton ditch would be diverted north into a wetland.

Plant growth in the wetland area can help remove substances such as fertilizer from peoples lawns as well as any remaining sediment that may be in the water.

This will help from degrading the water quality of the lake, Zetterman told the Tribune.

The current size of Johnson Lake would be expanded.

Although no designs have been made and the idea is still in the concept stage, Zetterman estimates the wetland area could consist of about an acre of ground and there would be a 2-acre addition to the lake itself.

There are no cost estimates at this time.

During the meeting, Zetterman said the trail around Johnson Lake could be routed through the wetland.

Zetterman spoke with a consultant about a wetland project in another city, where a boardwalk was made through the wetlands.

The idea would be to make the wetlands aesthetically pleasing.

It would be a chance to show that things we can do for water quality can be attractive and worthwhile, Zetterman said.

Dan Moran, parks board president, considered the aesthetic possibilities of a wetland area.

If aesthetics is the focus of it, then I think its fantastic, because as far as foot traffic, theres not another place in town that has more people walking, Moran said of the trail around Johnson Lake. Any day, there are people there.

Moran liked the idea of the trail being extended with a boardwalk.

Zetterman noted that widening the ditch along Luther Road would be part of the Elkhorn Township Project.

In May 2021, Dodge County, the City of Fremont and the Lower Platte Natural Resources District entered an inter-local agreement for Elkhorn Township/Fremont East drainage improvements and applied for grant funds.

The agreement states that the Elkhorn Township/East Fremont ditch network captures storm water from the city and flood waters from the Maple Creek and Elkhorn River and Rawhide Creek.

Flood water is diverted back into the Elkhorn River, while draining the city and areas around the citys critical infrastructure, county roads, U.S. Highways 275 and 30 and a railroad line.

The agreement also states, however, that after abandonment by a drainage district that dissolved in 1929, the Elkhorn Township/East Fremont ditch drainage system has not been maintained or upgraded to meet the current needs of the City of Fremont and the Dodge County population and industrial growth.

During the 2019 flooding, these ditches were unable to handle the capacity of City of Fremont water runoff, Rawhide Creek watershed and Elkhorn riverine flooding, the agreement states. Unable to properly drain floodwater, the ditches received substantial siltation and bank erosion, further reducing flow capacity.

With such things in mind, the county applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grand Program assistance of up to $600,000.

This would be used to help the city, county and Lower Platte North NRD in engineering design, feasibility studies and funding application development.

The three entities would be required to have a local match of 25%, up to an estimated $200,000. Upon assistance approval, the county would pay $67,000 (9%), the city, $66,500 (8%) and the Lower Platte North NRD, $66,500 (8%).

During the recent park board meeting, Zetterman said the proposed Johnson Lake project is something the city could do ahead of the FEMA grant or it could be included in that grant.

That will be some discussions we will have to have, Zetterman said. Either way, if we did it ahead of time  even though that wed be paying for it, but not through the grant  it would show FEMA were serious about this. Were making an effort on our own outside of the grant to do these types of things and in the end hopefully be able to improve the park as well.

During the parks board meeting, Fremont City Administrator Jody Sanders said if the city went ahead with the Johnson Lake project before any FEMA funding, the funds would come from the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) dollars.

The city received approximately $4.4 million in ARPA funds, which have been designated for drainage.

We really cant use ARPA funds for some other park and rec projects, so its not like wed be taking away from the park and rec budget at all, Sanders said. This would be an approved use of ARPA dollars.

Parks board member Dian Christensen-Hillis asked about a possible timeline for the proposed idea.

If we did it (the project) in-house, it wouldnt be before next year, Zetterman said. If it became a part of the (FEMA) grant, were guessing 2026 at the soonest before we see any construction for that.

Nick Hansen, parks and recreation director, talked about partnering with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum for possible funds for the wetland area.

The board took no action on the matter as the possible project was just brought to it for discussion.

The next park board meeting will start at 7 p.m. March 6 in the second floor conference room of the Fremont Municipal Building, 400 E. Military Ave.
After Nebraska saw a sharp increase in HIV cases in 2021, including a jump in rural cases and in the percentage linked to injection drug use, health officials began looking for new tools to tackle the problem.

That led to the introduction of a bill (LB307), which would allow local jurisdictions to authorize pharmacies and public or behavioral health programs to set up syringe services programs to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C.

Lacie Bolte, lead support services manager for the Nebraska AIDS Project, said she doesn't want to see Nebraska become home to another outbreak like the one that put Scott County, Indiana, in the national spotlight in 2015.

That year, intravenous drug use and sharing of needles led to an outbreak of HIV. Eventually, 235 people in the rural county were infected with HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, which attacks the body's immune system. If not treated, it can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

"That's what I'm worried about, is suddenly we have all these infections and we don't have tools to combat them as quickly as we need them," Bolte said.

Nebraska has averaged about 80 new cases of HIV a year over the past 10 years, she said. In 2021, the state recorded 104 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase of 26%. While some of that increase occurred in metropolitan areas, Buffalo and Hall counties went from one or two cases a year to five in Buffalo County that year and eight in Hall County.

In addition, 24% of total cases in 2021 were linked to injection drug use as compared to 8% in 2018, Bolte said.

While 51% of those diagnosed that year identified themselves as white, a disproportionate number compared to the state's population were people of color: 21% were Black and 19% Hispanic.

LB307 essentially would exempt the staff and participants in public or behavioral health programs from a law that makes it illegal to provide others with drug paraphernalia, as long as their efforts are part of locally authorized programs to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Pharmacies also would be exempt.

A hearing on the bill, introduced by State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, will be at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Edward Krumpotich, Upper Midwest policy lead for the National Harm Reduction Coalition, said syringe services programs currently exist in 38 states. Many were originally developed in the 1990s to battle HIV and other infectious diseases.

Syringe services programs, he said, used to be known as needle exchanges. But most such programs these days are offered with a host of other services, including testing and connections to both medical and substance abuse treatment.

The programs work, he said. According to CDC, the programs are associated with an estimated 50% reduction in HIV and hepatitis C incidence.

In Indiana, NPR reported, health officials credited a syringe services program that then-Gov. Mike Pence approved in the rural county as an emergency measure with a dramatic drop-off in cases.

Krumpotich said his organization saw Nebraska's numbers and recognized a need for such a program here. He contacted a number of organizations, including the Nebraska AIDS Project. Many of them were already having similar conversations.

The Nebraska measure, he said, is intended to leave the decision to authorize such programs to local officials, recognizing that Nebraskans do not like statewide mandates.

Said Bolte, "We want to empower local communities."

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session 010523-owh-new-lege-em01.jpg 010523-owh-new-lege-em02.jpg 010523-owh-new-lege-em04.jpg 010523-owh-new-lege-em05.jpg 010523-owh-new-lege-em06.jpg 010523-owh-new-lege-em65 010523-owh-new-lege-em37 010523-owh-new-lege-em38 010523-owh-new-lege-em49 010523-owh-new-lege-em60 010523-owh-new-lege-em45 010523-owh-new-lege-em39 010523-owh-new-lege-em48 010523-owh-new-lege-em55 010523-owh-new-lege-em59 010523-owh-new-lege-em43 010523-owh-new-lege-em42 010523-owh-new-lege-em50 010523-owh-new-lege-em53 Sen. Beau Ballard 010523-owh-new-lege-em40 010523-owh-new-lege-em47 010523-owh-new-lege-em51 010523-owh-new-lege-em61 010523-owh-new-lege-em64 010523-owh-new-lege-em52 010523-owh-new-lege-em56 010523-owh-new-lege-em62 010523-owh-new-lege-em63 010523-owh-new-lege-em58 010523-owh-new-lege-em44 010523-owh-new-lege-em41 010523-owh-new-lege-em54 010523-owh-new-lege-em36 010523-owh-new-lege-em31 010523-owh-new-lege-em30 010523-owh-new-lege-em32 010523-owh-new-lege-em33 010523-owh-new-lege-em35 010523-owh-new-lege-em34 010523-owh-new-lege-em24 010523-owh-new-lege-em27 010523-owh-new-lege-em26 010523-owh-new-lege-em28 010523-owh-new-lege-em25 010523-owh-new-lege-em29 010523-owh-new-lege-em23 010523-owh-new-lege-em18 010523-owh-new-lege-em21 010523-owh-new-lege-em15 010523-owh-new-lege-em17 010523-owh-new-lege-em22 010523-owh-new-lege-em19 010523-owh-new-lege-em16 010523-owh-new-lege-em20 010523-owh-new-lege-em12 010523-owh-new-lege-em09 010523-owh-new-lege-em14 010523-owh-new-lege-em13 010523-owh-new-lege-em07 010523-owh-new-lege-em11 010523-owh-new-lege-em08 010523-owh-new-lege-em03 010523-owh-new-lege-em10 010523-owh-new-lege-em03.jpg
The El Paso County Board of Commissioners gave their support for plans for a high-tech manufacturing center with "national security impacts" on Tuesday when the board unanimously agreed to allocate approximately $9.2 million in incremental tax revenues to the project.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to allocate the future property tax revenues over 25 years to help finance the proposed urban renewal plan, known as Project Garnet, in northwest Colorado Springs.

Massachusetts-based Entegris, a global supplier of electronic materials that support the semiconductor and other high-tech industries that has a longtime presence in the Springs, wants to spend as much as $631 million to build the manufacturing center, an approximately 500,000 square-foot facility on about 88 acres of commercial land at 301 S. Rockrimmon Blvd.

Commissioner Stan VanderWerf, whose district will house the center, said the project is integral to keeping microelectronic manufacturing, including the semiconductors that support U.S. defense systems, stateside.

The work that this particular company will be doing will be a key component in helping us address national security issues with regard to integrated circuit manufacturing," he said. "It's important to consider use of taxpayer dollars (and) overall national strategy challenges."

That facility would constitute the first phase of the property development at an anticipated $4.9 million in property tax revenue, county Chief Financial Officer Nikki Simmons told the commissioners during a Jan. 24 work session.

"Depending on how things go for (Entegris), there's a possibility of Phase Two," which could be a second facility of the same size slated for around 2028 at the remaining $4.3 million, Simmons said.

Economic Development Department Director Crystal LaTier said the project is "one of the biggest attraction projects for the state of Colorado in recent years" and that Colorado Springs was chosen out of several potential sites across the country.

Sign Up for Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters.

"This level of package of incentives needs to happen to ensure that this Entegris project moves forward," LaTier told the board in January. "If it moves forward, it will provide extraordinary economic benefit and impact to our region."

Entegris expects to add nearly 600 jobs to the area over five years, LaTier said, with the average wage around $75,700. It could also create around 4,000 construction jobs during the development stage.

The center could have a nearly $2.5 billion local economic impact over the next five years, the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and EDC President and CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer said in December, when Entegris announced its planned expansion, according to previous reporting by The Gazette.

The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and several development organizations, utilities and municipal institutions also offered more than $115 million in incentives to the company.

The package includes funding from the city, rebates from Colorado Springs Utilities, the creation of an urban renewal district and money from the joint city-Chamber & EDC Deal Closing Fund.

Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority Executive Director Jariah Walker on Tuesday said Academy School District 20 and the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District have agreed to contribute future property tax revenues.

Project Garnet is now set to move before the City Council during its regular meeting Feb. 14, when it is expected to consider resolutions approving agreements between the city and the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority for the project.
Over its 15-year history, Colorado's Independent Ethics Commission has reviewed more than 400 complaints against state lawmakers, a governor, county commissioners and municipal elected officials. Just over 10% have gone through the full complaint process.

Never in its history has the commission looked at a complaint against an elected official associated with a special district or a school board. The commission asserted years ago that it had no authority over those affiliated with these subdivisions of state government.

That could all change under a bill approved Tuesday by the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee. House Bill 1065 would put special districts and school districts, including school boards, under the authority of the ethics commission.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jennifer Parenti, D-Erie, noted that in the past year, the ethics commission received dozens of emails and several complaints tied to school boards but had to decline them because the commission lacks authority over those bodies.

Only once has an ethics complaint against a school board member been made public, a decision made by the person who filed the complaint against himself.

In 2015, then-Jeffco School Board President Ken Witt said he would file a complaint against himself, tied to an upcoming recall of conservative members of the school board.

Witt said those backing the recall claimed the three members of the five-member board, which included Witt, violated the state's open meetings law in making major decisions behind closed doors. That claim should be reviewed by the ethics commission, Witt said.

But the ethics commission has no authority over the state's open meetings law, which is stated clearly on the commission's website, and no authority over school boards, which is also pointed out on the commission's website. Witt, who is now the interim superintendent of the Woodland Park school district, was recalled, along with the other two conservative board members.

The co-sponsor of HB 1065, Rep. Tammy Story, D-Evergreen, was one of the leaders of the recall effort.

Amendment 41 has two main provisions under which a complaint can be considered: One is on gifts to an elected official, the other a prohibition on lobbying by an elected official until they have been out of office for at least two years. The Commission also has jurisdiction over the state code of ethics as contained in CRS 24-18-105, which among its provisions includes a requirement that a public official cannot take action on a matter in which the official has a personal, private or financial interest.

Brian Matise of Burg Simpson said the commission can look at "other standards of conduct" and that the legislature can always provide additional jurisdiction.

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 testimony offered in support of HB 1065 Tuesday  there were no witnesses opposed  focused entirely on the problems experienced by residents of metropolitan districts.

Metro districts are the primary method of meeting Colorados burgeoning housing demand, with more than 2,000 of them across the state, according to a 2022 Denver Gazette report. In nearly every instance, developers vote themselves, family, friends and associates onto a metro district board of directors when the district is first created and long before a single home is built. Acting as the metro district board, the developer and associates then establish a debt ceiling for the project, sometimes for billions of dollars, all of it to be funded through municipal bonds that are leveraged by the property taxes of the homes that are eventually built.

Several witnesses pointed out problems with how directors of those districts are elected. One cited a situation where a landlord was offered financial benefits if he terminated the leases of tenants who were running for a metropolitan district board. Another cited districts where developers ensured they held the majority of seats on the board and took steps to maintain that majority. A third talked about bonds approved by a metropolitan district run by developers. That was the subject of a 2022 bill to prohibit metro district board members that approve issuance of debt from acquiring any interest in the debt while they're on the board. That bill failed, although the sponsors are trying again this year.

However, the ethics commission has no jurisdiction over how bonds are set up for a metro district, which are governed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Rep. Don Wilson, R-Monument, questioned whether the bill addresses what he perceived as the real problem  structure of metropolitan districts  or whether the legislature is "punting" the problem to the IEC.

IEC Executive Director Dino Ioannides also raised concerns about the bill, stating that he believed some of the language was unconstitutional.

The bill was amended to partly address Ioannides' concerns, although not all of them, and to narrow the scope of just who would be under the commission's jurisdiction. The amendment limited the commission's authority to an elected official or their appointee, and not to employees of the special district or school district. That could lower the bill's cost, estimated at nearly $250,000 and which could require the addition of two more employees to the commission which currently has just one employee, Ioannides.

Ann Terry, executive director of the Special District Association of Colorado, told Colorado Politics that her understanding of the bill is that most of the issues raised by the witnesses in Tuesday's hearing are not something the commission has jurisdiction over. "It sets people up to be disappointed if the bill passes and a complaint is filed and then thrown out" or the commission lacks enforceability, she said.

HB 1065 passed on a party-line 9-4 vote and now heads to the House Appropriations Committee.

David Migoya of the Colorado Springs Gazette also contributed to this article.
Two Colorado Springs educators are in the running for a prestigious charter school honor.

Sara Martin, director of wellness at Atlas Preparatory Schools, and Nikki Myers, school director at Academy for Advanced and Creative Learning, are finalists in the 2023 Charter School Hall of Fame awards. The Colorado League of Charter Schools will announce winners at the Colorado Charter Schools annual conference on Feb. 27 at the Westin Westminster.

The League is a nonprofit, membership-based organization for Colorados 269 charter schools and their more than 137,000 students.

The hall of fame represents the best of those 269 charter schools and all their teachers, all the advocates, all the school leaders, said Pete Mason, the Leagues vice president of communications.

When Martin received an email announcing the news, she initially thought it was spam, she said. She only transitioned into her new role as director of wellness in July after three years as a full-time counselor at Atlas. The grant-funded position was one of six added to a staff of seven mental health professionals already supporting the K-12 school.

Martin is nominated under the Most Valuable Charter Contributor category. The award recognizes a staff member who has made a significant contribution to their school and demonstrates exceptional leadership in and commitment to charter school operational excellence, according to the Leagues website.

It was totally unexpected, Martin said. I was a little anxious stepping into the role, but I work with such an incredible team that it actually has been a pretty seamless transition.

Martin occupies her days by offering one-on-one support for her mental health team, retaining a small caseload of counseling students, managing grants and establishing community partnerships.

This school year, Martin established partnerships with Latino empowerment nonprofit Voces Unidas and with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs school of social work, which added four interns to Atlas robust counseling and social work departments. Working with and mentoring young professionals has been a highlight of her time as director of wellness thus far, she said.

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.

Especially post-COVID, in the wellness and mental health world, the acuity of trauma that weve seen and the acuity of grief and loss has just been so much higher than Ive ever experienced, Martin said.Being able to work with the university and have interns connect with our team as well, theres just always collaboration and the desire to know what the best interventions are and really get to know our students.

Myers, who oversees AcademyACL, a K-8 school for gifted learners, said she knew she wanted to be a teacher ever since the second grade. She reaffirmed her passion at every career day until she was a senior in high school, she said.

After 25 years in education, shes nominated under the Charter School Leader of the Year category. The award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to a communitys education system over a period of time by developing or maintaining a charter school, improving school accountability and performance, or driving other aspects of school excellence, according to the Leagues website.

Myers founded AcademyACL in 2010 with a team of other parents and educators after their childrens school closed abruptly, leaving a hole in local education for this group of learners with unique educational needs.

Im so fascinated with the art and the science of teaching, Myers said. Watching kids learn new things, and watching teachers come together and figure out new things to serve kids is just a fascinating process.

Facing a teacher shortage, Myers has juggled two full-time jobs this school year: in addition to her typical principal duties, she has also instructed students in the classroom every day since August, she said.

As the League, were all just so proud of all the winners, finalists and the nominees and very supportive of all the hard work that goes into making sure we put students first, Mason said.

Nominations are submitted by teachers and school leaders who know their coworkers professional contributions best. A committee then reviews each nomination before selecting finalists and winners.

I feel really grateful to be in a school that values mental health and values supporting students from a holistic perspective, Martin said. Regardless of what happens with the award, I feel really grateful.
In a small victory for many residents, the Colorado Springs Citizens' Transportation Advisory Board will recommend a controversial possible extension of Constitution Avenue to Interstate 25 be considered only for public transit, walking and biking options as part of a mobility study city officials want to include in Colorado Springs' master transportation plan.

Residents have for weeks spoken against the city's plans to include a proposed feasibility study within its ConnectCOS draft master transportation plan that would, among other options, look at whether extending Constitution Avenue from either Powers or Union boulevards to I-25 could alleviate traffic congestion across the city's east-to-west corridors.

They have shared concerns that extending Constitution would fracture established and historic neighborhoods in the area. They also protested the potential noise, traffic and pollution they say extending the roadway could bring if more cars are allowed to traverse it.

"I think it's a step in the right direction, looking at just multimodal options (for Constitution Avenue)," resident John Hawk said Tuesday. "But I still have trust issues."

Hawk and dozens of other residents watched online and packed meeting chambers at City Hall Tuesday night, pleading their case with the transportation advisory board for nearly two hours to remove the study completely from the project list.

Residents have repeatedly recommended the city improve mobility by enhancing public transit and widening other east-to-west corridors, such as Fillmore and Uintah streets.

Members of the advisory board and city Transportation Planning Manager Tim Roberts said Tuesday the proposed study would consider those options, too, as well as the "do nothing" possibility for Constitution.

"I've heard good ideas about what can be done with the Constitution right of way but ... none of those great ideas can be investigated without a study," Board Member Karen Aspelin said, adding that she supports studying mobility in the area.

Aspelin motioned, and the board voted as a compromise with residents, to recommend an east-to-west mobility study be included on the ConnectCOS project list with the caveat that the possible extension of Constitution would not include using existing right of way to add lanes for motor vehicle travel.

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.

Instead, the study should only consider widening the roadway so buses, bikers and pedestrians could safely travel along it, they said.

A previous version of the draft transportation plan included the feasibility study as well as Constitution's extension on its project list. The city removed the Constitution extension from the list and revised the scope of the feasibility study  now called an east-to-west mobility study  after some residents overwhelmingly spoke against both items during two public town halls held in January and February.

Bonnyville neighborhood resident Nancy Logan said she was pleased with the recommendation, though her husband, Dave Finley, had reservations it would not be implemented if the study remained on the project list.

"I still don't trust it," he said.

The ConnectCOS draft transportation plan must also receive a recommendation for its approval or rejection from the Planning Commission before it heads to the City Council for final consideration.

The Planning Commission will hear the Citizens' Transportation Advisory Board's recommendation during its regular meeting beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The commission is expected to consider recommending the City Council approve or reject the ConnectCOS plan then.

The City Council is scheduled to review the ConnectCOS draft plan at an informal work session on Feb. 13. It could approve or reject the plan during its regular meeting Feb. 28, and will make a final decision during the item's second hearing on March 14, according to a staff presentation.

A list of meetings and agendas is available online at coloradosprings.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.
A Black rancher who alleges he and his wife have endured months of racially-motivated property crimes and intimidation in their rural Colorado community was arrested Monday by the El Paso County Sheriffs Office.

Courtney Mallery, 41, now faces a felony charge of stalking the neighbors he has accused of carrying out a bias-based terror campaign on his property in Yoder, about 30 miles east of Colorado Springs.

In an uncommon move, after considering the charges for which Mallery was arrested  which also include misdemeanor tampering with a utility meter and petty theft of under $50  El Paso District and County Magistrate Deborah Pearson set bond at $6,000, three times the amount requested by the people.

In statements made during a video advisement Tuesday, Pearson said she came to her decision after reviewing documents detailing a history of conflict, complaints and investigations by the Sheriffs Office, dating back to March 2022.

The court is concerned about the risk to the victims and the community, said Pearson, referencing an easement between Mallery's property and that of the neighbors he is charged with stalking, where cameras and a loud speaker  (allegedly) were being used.

As part of the bond agreement, Mallery promised to abide by a previously-issued restraining order barring him from contacting or harassing his neighbors.

In his plea for Mallerys release on an unsupervised personal recognizance bond, public defender Joseph Blythe described the Texas transplant as a life-long farmer with a clean record, strong connections to the local community and a wife who also lives in the greater Colorado Springs area. Mallerys wife, Nicole, was arrested Nov. 22 on two charges of felony stalking. She posted bond in December and is due back in court this week, according to court documents.

News of Courtney Mallerys arrest quickly spread through social media, redoubling outrage and online campaigns that began last month when a New Jersey-based media outlet published a lengthy piece sharing the couples side of a story thats brought unwanted national attention to the quiet ranching community, and its law enforcement.

I would really hope that the El Paso County sheriff's department and several others in rural areas understand that we're taking this very seriously, Portia Prescott, president of the Rocky Mountain NAACP, told Gazette news partner 9News in Denver.

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.

During Tuesdays advisement hearing, Blythe described the long-running conflict that led to Courtney Mallerys arrest as more of a neighborhood dispute  than a criminal case.

What Courtney and Nicole Mallery described in the story published Jan. 16 by the Ark Republic, however, is anything but: a life-and-death struggle, of animal mutilations, poisonings and armed menacing, and local law enforcement that has been deaf to their complaints, and at times complicit in the crimes.

The Sheriff's Office pushed back against the couples assertions and the groundswell of bad blood online in a statement Feb. 2, saying that it vehemently denies the allegations and takes all allegations of crime and civil rights violations seriously. Officers, it said, responded and acted in an appropriate and professional manner at every juncture.

Sheriff Joseph Roybal and the nearly 1,000 dedicated sworn and professional staff of the El Paso County Sheriffs Office remain committed to fostering safety for our community and our neighbors while ensuring Constitutional and civil rights are upheld regardless (of) race, color, national origin, or any other legally protected characteristic.

The statement went on to say that, over the past two years, the Sheriffs Office had investigated 19 different complaints and responded to more than 170 calls filed by and/or involving the Mallerys.

Each of these complaints were individually and thoroughly investigated. The El Paso County Sheriffs Office has also responded to over 170 calls for service that involve the individuals identified in the article (accurate as of February 2, 2023).

The Sheriffs Office says it has documents and records, including body-worn camera video, that support its side of the story. It hasnt yet released that cache of information to the public, and attempts by The Gazette to gain access to the material so far have been unsuccessful.

On Monday, El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal shared a letter, via Twitter, to Willie Breazell, of the Black & Latino Leadership Coalition and former head of the local NAACP chapter, requesting an intervention-style sit-down meeting where all interested parties meet in an effort to address ongoing concerns. Roybal also proposed the meeting be attended by a panel created of a diverse representation of the community.

It is my hope this meeting is the beginning of efforts and understanding to ensure a safe community for all, Roybal wrote.

The Gazette was not able to confirm Tuesday night whether such a meeting is in the works.

Courtney Mallery is set to make his first court appearance Feb. 14.
A student was arrested after allegedly bringing a gun to Sierra High School on Tuesday, according to a statement from the principal. There is no danger to the school.

Students informed administration at the Harrison District 2 school that another student might have a weapon in their bag at the start of the school day, according to the statement. The student was escorted from class and searched, leading to recovery of a gun.

The student was arrested and will face criminal charges as well as school-imposed disciplinary measures, according to the release.

The gun was never shown at school nor used to threaten students according to a statement by Principal Nicole Schurbon.

"Please speak with your students to let them know that weapons never have a place in our schools," Schurbon wrote in the statement. "There is no danger to our school, and we appreciate our staff, students and families who work together to keep our school safe."

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 spokesperson Christine O'Brien, each Harrison District 2 high school, including Sierra High School, has three security guards and an armed school resource officer through the Colorado Springs Police Department on campus. Security staff is also present at high school entrances.

"One of the greatest sources of security is the situational awareness of staff and students," O'Brien said.

The incident at Sierra High School is not the first this academic year in which a student was arrested at a Colorado Springs-area school for firearm possession.

Deputies with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office arrested a student who reportedly brought a handgun and ammunition to class at District 49's Evans Elementary in October. That student faced a sixth-degree felony charge of unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds.
Nearly 600 people have been missing for a year or more in Colorado. Their families and state officials honored them during Colorado Missing Persons Day on Friday, according to a press release from Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

There was a ceremony in the Senate chambers and a ceremony in the House chambers to designate Feb. 4, 2023, as Colorado Missing Persons Day. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, there was a prayer vigil and a bubble release.

While Colorado law enforcement agencies have recorded a number of solved cold cases in the past year, we must never lose sight of the families still left without answers about their missing loved ones, said CBI Director John Camper, in the press release. While we are making great strides in incorporating emerging technologies as part of some cold case investigations, we must continue to also focus our resources on supporting families who are navigating the myriad of challenges associated with having a missing loved one.

The CBI included tributes to the missing persons through a list of their names and a page of personalized tributes.
A man was shot in a drive-by shooting early Tuesday on Colorado Springs' north side, according to Colorado Springs police.

The victim was a passenger in a vehicle driving in the 8000 block of North Academy Boulevard, when another vehicle pulled up alongside them, police said. Several rounds were fired into the vehicle, striking the victim at least once in the leg.

The victim was taken to the hospital with a serious but not life-threatening injury.

Police did not say whether the attack was random or if the victim knew the suspect. No arrests have been announced, and there is no suspect information in the investigation, according to police.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement continue their search for suspects in a shooting early Sunday morning in a Falcon neighborhood that left one juvenile dead and four others injured.

No arrests have been made as of Tuesday after the overnight shooting rocked the Meridian Ranch subdivision in unincorporated El Paso County.

The Sheriffs Office is pursuing productive leads, according to a news release Tuesday, while asking anyone with information to come forward as the investigation moves ahead with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Investigators believe there may be multiple suspects in the shooting, which is possibly connected to a Saturday night carjacking near Potter Drive on the east side of Colorado Springs, according the Sheriffs Office.

Bullets rained down on a house in the 12200 block of Point Reyes Drive in the subdivision north of Falcon shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, striking five people, one of whom was killed. The juvenile who died after being rushed to the hospital has not been identified. The other four people sustained injuries of varying severity, according to Sheriffs Office spokesperson Lt. Deborah Mynatt.

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.

Numerous apparent bullet holes are visible on the facade of a residence in the neighborhood where sheriffs deputies cordoned off more than a block as investigators collected evidence Sunday morning. Two vehicles with front-end damage were also parked at the scene Sunday, one with possible bullet holes in its cracked windshield.

Initial reporting by The Gazette indicates the residence where the victims were shot may have been a short-term rental property, according to neighbor accounts and online data that linked the address to an apparent rental company.

Most of the subdivision was placed under a shelter-in-place order for about one hour Sunday morning after law enforcement arrived at the scene, according to the Sheriffs Office. Residents were advised to secure their homes and stay away from doors and windows.

Anyone with information connected to the shooting can call the Sheriff's Office tip line at 719-520-7777, or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 719-634-7867.
A 12-year-old car theft suspect died of a gunshot wound after being confronted by the vehicle's owner, according to the Denver Police Department.

Denver's Office of the Medical Examiner reported Tuesday that Elias Armstrong, 12, died of a gunshot wound Sunday.

Police received a report of an auto theft in the 8300 block of East Northfield Boulevard, according to police.

The car's owner tracked the vehicle using an app and found it stopped in the area of West 12th Avenue and North Decatur Street.

"When the vehicles owner approached the car, he was involved in an exchange of gunfire with occupant(s) in the stolen vehicle," according to investigators. "A juvenile male then drove the stolen vehicle to the 2900 block of W. 10th Ave. where he was found by officers to be suffering from a gunshot wound."

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.

Armstrong was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The car's owner gave a statement to investigators. He has not been arrested and no charges have been filed, according to police.

It appears other occupants of the stolen vehicle "fled on foot from the 2900 block of W. 10th Ave. prior to officers arrival."

In May of 2021, Denver Police sent out an alert to help locate a 10-year-old boy named Elias Armstrong who ran away from home, and was last seen near 30th Avenue and North Downing Street. The boy was quickly located and the alert was canceled. Police late Tuesday did not confirm it was the same boy.

Anyone with information about this incident can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
A recent Gazette article highlighted the urgency of our water crisis  The Water Wars Of The West Have Begun Feb. 4. Colorado  in fact the entire West  is in a water crisis. Local governments are imposing water restrictions on current residents. Aurora water department warns of drought projections, need for restrictions, Gazette, Feb. 6.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has announced that he is not afraid to sue other states for using more than their legal share of water from the Colorado River. New York hedge funds are buying up our water rights hoping to turn our water scarcity into a Trillion Dollar opportunity. CBS News, Jan. 31, New York Investors Snapping Up Colorado River Water Rights, Betting Big On An Increasingly Scarce Resource.

In an ominous sign of what could happen to residents of Colorado, the New York Times reports that a community of $500,000 homes on the border of Scottsdale, Ariz., just was told that Scottsdale can no longer supply them with water. They cant shower, wash dishes or flush commodes. Their homes are unlivable.

At the same time, local governments throughout Colorado continue to approve hundreds of thousands of new homes  homes that will need water  water that we dont have.

Eastern Boulder Country, where my wife and I live, is an example. A marketing brochure for a new retail development on the Lafayette/Erie border touts 59,000 new homes in the pipeline just in our little area  59,000 new homes! Multiply that many times over to get a sense of what is happening throughout Colorado.

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.

Some local governments argue that they make residential developers identify new sources of water for their developments. But this argument is specious. First, there are no new sources of water. Our water supply is finite. Second, if those new sources of water were not earmarked for new homes, those new sources would be available to serve existing residents.

There are powerful forces that want to keep approving an endless stream of new homes  developers, builders and local governments (who like the impact fees they collect).

But continued local government approval of hundreds of thousands of new homes is not sustainable in the face of our water crisis. It is imperative that Colorado local governments pause the approval of new homes. Your ability to shower, wash dishes, flush your commode  live a normal life, depends on it.

Preston Padden lives in Lafayette and had a 50 year career in the media business: President, ABC Television Network President, Network Distribution, Fox Broadcasting Company; and Executive Vice-President, The Walt Disney Company.
Schools are failing students

Regarding the front page SEL training article in Mondays paper  that is social emotional training, SEL.

I once again wish to ask this question. What is the purpose of educating students?

Is it scaring them? Making them throw up?

Once again I ask you the citizens who pay for this training, is this what you want? I once again want you to consider that our school systems need an overhaul.

No wonder students do so poorly on the tests measuring their skill level when they are not prepared for the materials expected on those tests.

Emotional training should not use up valuable educational time, especially using nasty tasting jelly beans that cause you to vomit.

Daryl Kuiper

Colorado Springs

Take attitude out of classrooms

Most of the D-49 school board cant appreciate the gift that it has in board member Ivy Liu.

She said, This whole victim mentality and the intersectionality, which is, as you go through life, look for everything that works against you.

Can you imagine having that attitude?

Why dont we teach our students the power of the disciple Paul: Whatever is excellent, think on these things.

A high school student from Malaysia went to a mathematics camp in England because he had heard that the English were excellent in math. In the pre-test, Matthew finished in half the time of the best English student.

The old colony had defeated the old empire.

In Matthews school, no cellphones are taken out on campus. Students stand when the teacher enters the room. The school is hat-free.

Students are seated with study equipment ready at the bell. The teachers and the parents together have decided these acts of simple respect that, for the students, become a lifelong memory of the adults who cared enough to require them to be their best selves.

But these are our American traditions of excellent education, too.

School boards should put on hold expensive outside programs that teach anxiety and intersectionality.

Instead, boards should make it their highest priority to get ALL the parents to the school monthly  including secondary schools  to hash out and decide with the teachers: do we want our students to make social anxiety and intersectionality or academic and social excellence their own?

James Sayler

Colorado Springs

Keep pets with families

Pets bring us so much joy it is no surprise that these lovable companions are part of many Colorado families! It never gets dull seeing folks out on walks with their four-legged family members.

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.

Families and their pets are permanent fixtures in our beautiful landscape, and we have two of our own that help us get in our daily steps!

For this reason, I am asking Coloradans to contact your legislators urging them to support HB 23-1068, to keep pets and people together in their homes.

Did you know that an increasing number of families are being forced to surrender their pets due to restrictive policies that make it difficult to find housing?

No pets policies, restrictions on breed and weight of a pet, high pet deposits, and monthly pet rent are housing barriers that have devastating impact on families, especially renters and lower-income households.

I cannot imagine having to choose between a beloved pet and a place to live  not to mention the strain it puts on our shelter system.

HB 23-1068 would ensure that beloved pets can remain with their families by prohibiting pet deposits and pet rent (mitigation funds would be created for landlords to repair pet damage) and requiring landlords to contact animal shelters when pets are discovered abandoned because of evictions.

This bill would also require those who receive the Colorado Housing Tax Credit to allow pets, and insurance companies would no longer be allowed to discriminate on the basis of breed. This would remove housing barriers for thousands of responsible pet owners.

No one should have to decide between giving up a beloved pet, and safe and secure housing. Again, please contact your legislators urging them to support HB 23-1068.

Pets belong with their families.

Chau McAusland

Erie

Moving water uphill

A recent letter suggested the Western states could obtain water from the Great Lakes.

Among several reasons that will not happen is the Great Lakes compact. It has been in place for long time.

The watershed-related U.S. states and Canada have an agreement not to allow water diversion outside the Great Lakes watershed.

Other reasons are technical and economic. The elevation of Lake Michigan is 580 feet. Can you even estimate the challenge and cost of pumping millions of gallons of water to final destination that exceeds a mile elevation.

Ken Thompson

Colorado Springs

Becoming a citizen

Re: your article on the front page of the Sunday Gazette.

I wonder whether Sabine and Michael Berchtold, the owners of Uwes Restaurant and longtime residents in the U.S., have considered going to Mexico, crossing the Rio Grande illegally to the U.S. to be admitted without red tape and thus be able to become citizens of our wonderful country.

Good luck!

Doris T. McLeod

Colorado Springs
On Feb. 1, The Denver Gazettes editorial board published an opinion piece on the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) program (Denver cops are ABLE to do a tough job). The Denver Police Department was an early adopter of the program and was central to starting a consortium to provide the training to police officers across the state of Colorado who otherwise would not have the access to such an opportunity. But one program completed by a smattering of law enforcement agencies across the country alone will not generate the improved outcomes in public safety our communities deserve. There has been a number of legislative initiatives at the state and federal level since the murder of George Floyd, but they all miss the mark on an important reality: law enforcement professionals in this country lack the resources for evidence-based, holistic academy training and proper continuing education throughout an individuals career.

The Council of Criminal Justices Task Force on Policing released a report nearly two years ago highlighting the fact that most academy training is too short in duration and does not align well with the realities of police work. Additionally, the report calls out police training as not aligning with basic educational tenets from other professions or what is required to be a police officer in other developed countries. In other words, police officers work in one of the most stressful environments where governments expect them to shoulder a significant amount of responsibility, but they are not provided with appropriate evidence-based, professional training.

I have always been proud of the focus on innovative programs, alternative responses, and training initiatives the Denver Police Department has implemented in my time with the agency through the support of Mayor Hancocks administration and City Council, but not every agency is so fortunate. When there is a negative outcome or worse, the killing of an individual at the hands of law enforcement, in America it creates further distrust and divide in communities everywhere. It is beyond time for a national framework and minimum standards in law enforcement initial and continuing education.

By setting national standards and supporting training centers around the country, the federal government can ensure greater fidelity to adult learning theory, evidence-based training, and delivery that would improve officers preparation for the complex service they are about to enter. It has long been lamented in forward-thinking policing circles that so much time is dedicated to firearms and defensive tactics training when officers really need a greater focus on critical thinking skills, de-escalation, and effective communication skills. Scenario-based training must also be the standard, not a nice-to-have. A few jurisdictions have built new training facilities with realistic environments with city streets, businesses, and residences that allow recruits to work through complex scenarios in teams; Denver has benefited greatly from the use of a virtual reality environment through generous support by the Denver Police Foundation. A move towards national standards does not mean an elimination of local control.

Even the best police training must consider the unique qualities and challenges of the communities our officers serve in. It is common practice in Denver and elsewhere that not only do subject matter experts and academics assist with training development but so do community members and those with lived experience. This is how jurisdictions can provide capstone courses for the officers they hire to ensure they understand the unique aspects of the community they will serve after attending a general academy that meets elevated national standards.

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.

Lastly, by standardizing basic recruit training at a higher level, you open up greater opportunity for competition for transfers between agencies at all ranks, similar to what is seen in other countries. This increases the diversity of thought and experience within agencies and similar to the private sector will improve overall department operations as local and state governments look to recruit the best talent.

In the last couple of years, the Colorado legislature has mandated statewide training in certain instances. This is an important step to ensure changes in practice are understood and properly adopted, but what is needed is federal leadership and funding on a larger scale. The women and men who swear an oath to serve and protect our communities deserve the appropriate career-long training to ensure they can successfully complete the complex job we ask them to perform, and every one of our community members deserves to feel safe and respected.

Improving our standards and training is the only way to ensure this future.

Matthew M. Lunn, PhD, is the director of strategic initiatives for the Denver Police Department.
Results of a study that was released in January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show that western bumble bee numbers are on a steep decline in Colorado.

According to the report, numbers of this bee species have dropped 72% in the Southern Rocky Mountain region between 1998 and 2020, with this region including the mountains that stretch through central Colorado, slightly extending into southern Wyoming and northern New Mexico.

The 72% drop in western bumble bee populations in the Southern Rocky Mountain region was the fifth largest drop among 16 regions included in the study. The largest drop took place in the Madrean Archipelago  83%  with this region spanning parts of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. It's also worth noting that bee populations dropped in all studied regions over the given time frame, dropping the least in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem  15%.

Warmer temperatures and drought were determined to be two key factors in this widespread population drop. According to the research, lab studies indicate that warmer winter temperatures can drain energy reserves, thus increasing a risk of starvation. Warmer temperatures can also result in an earlier queen emergence, which can result in resource shortages if the queen emerges prior to spring flowering. Meanwhile, drought can also impact floral growth  another factor that limits resources for bees.

Researchers noted that continued impacts from a warming climate are likely, looking ahead to a grim future for the bee species.

While a 'best case' scenario showed that there could be an 8% increase in western bumble bee populations in the Southern Rocky Mountain region by the 2050s, middle and worst case scenarios predict a 69% and 91% drop, respectively. Across all 16 regions, 'worst case' scenarios showed drops in population ranging from 86% to 97% over the next three decades.

This drop in bee populations could be problematic for a number of reasons, including a potential decline in food supplies as many fruit and vegetable plants would lack essential pollinators.

Researchers involved in the bee population study also found that increased use of pesticides was a factor in their decline. One silver lining related to this finding is that Colorado lawmakers are already considering a bill that's designed to protect the health of pollinators through a number of measures, including providing grants to producers that do not use seed-applied systemic insecticides.

Find the full study here.
The Army veteran from Colorado Springs who helped subdue the Club Q gunman will be watching from the gallery Tuesday night when President Joe Biden delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.

Richard Fierro is set to attend the speech as a guest of U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, the Centennial Democrat announced.

Hailed as a hero, Fierro and another patron, later identified as Navy officer Thomas James, tackled and disarmed the shooter at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub on Nov. 19, stopping a rampage that killed five and injured 18.

A co-owner with his wife of Atrevida Beer Co., the two-time Bronze Star recipient retired from the Army with the rank of major after serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Fierro and James, along with family members, were guests at Gov. Jared Polis' State of the State address at the state capitol in Denver last month.

Crow helped pass a gun violence prevention bill last year and supports legislation to ban assault-style weapons, as well as "additional measures to help save lives, and prevent deadly weapons from falling into dangerous hands," his office said.
Feuding Republicans in Colorado's largest county likely won't find out until at least next week which of this weekend's competing party leadership elections will count.

A district court judge on Tuesday ordered the El Paso County Republican Party and the state GOP to file responses in a lawsuit initiated last week by the county party over who gets to run the local GOP's upcoming reorganization meeting.

Until the court issues a ruling, both sides in the ongoing battle say they plan to proceed on Saturday with rival meetings set for different locations on opposite sides of Colorado Springs, with each faction scheduled to elect officers to run the local party for the next two years.

Since early last week, local and state Republicans have filed a flurry of claims and counterclaims in the Arapahoe County-based 18th Judicial District Court, following a Jan. 31 decision by the Colorado GOP's state central committee to install a neutral third party from outside El Paso County to run the county party elections.

The unprecedented move was in response to complaints by local Republicans who contend county GOP chair Vickie Tonkins has demonstrated bias toward some Republicans and can't be trusted to conduct an impartial election. Tonkins who is seeking a third two-year term running the county party, rejects the charges and maintains the state party is engaging in a blatant power grab.

Tonkins and the county party  along with six precinct officials  sued the Colorado GOP and state chair Kristi Burton Brown last week, arguing that the state party lacks the authority to take over the local party's elections. After Burton Brown and the state GOP asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, Tonkins and her fellow plaintiffs sought a restraining order. Meanwhile, a group of local Republicans critical of Tonkins asked the court for permission to intervene in the original complaint.

Saying she can't resolve the question until first determining whether the courts have jurisdiction, District Judge Elizabeth Volz told the county Republicans to respond by Friday to the state GOP's motion to dismiss and gave the state party until next Monday to respond to the county party's argument. The judge added that she plans to issue a "prompt" ruling after that.

As it stands, Tonkins and her supporters plan to convene Saturday morning at Sand Creek High School on the east side of Colorado Springs, while the party election supervisors put in place by the state GOP are organizing a party election at the same time at Discovery Canyon Campus in Northgate.

Both sides have been rallying Republicans to attend their meeting while branding the other event as "fake" and "illegitimate."

"Thanks for your patience in dealing with others who are trying to steal your voice and misdirect you to another location," Tonkins said in a text message sent to county Republicans on Friday. "Our attorneys are working to stop their illegal activity."

Burton Brown said in an email sent late last week to county Republicans that former Fremont County GOP chair Gregory Carlson had been appointed by the state party to run the county party's reorganization meeting.

"The meeting chaired by Gregory Carlson will be the only legitimate, official re-organizational meeting in El Paso, and the officers and bonus members elected there will be the ones recognized by the State Party," Burton Brown wrote.

Colorado's two major political parties kicked off their biennial reorganization process last week, with county parties electing officers through Feb. 15 and state-level elections set for mid-March and early April.
Colorado has among the worst recidivism rates in the country, with over 50% of people released from prison ending up back behind bars within three years. State lawmakers want to change that with House Bill 1037.

HB 1037 would deduct one year from an inmates prison sentence for every associate's, bachelors or graduate degree they earn while incarcerated, and six months for every certificate or other credential earned. Only nonviolent offenders would be eligible.

Prisoners who pursue higher education while incarcerated have been found to be less likely to return to crime after theyre released. Recidivism rates drop to 13.7% for prisoners who earned associate's degrees, 5.6% for those who earned bachelors degrees and zero percent for those who earned masters degrees, according to a 2006 national analysis by Emory University.

When you get them connected to education, they dont reoffend, they become productive members of society, said bill sponsor Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, who worked at the Adams State University Prison Education Program before being elected. It really gets their lives back on track.

Bikram Mishra said he was incarcerated in Colorado for 12 years, when he participated in numerous college courses and earned certificates. Now, Mishra said he works with outgoing prisoners to help them prepare to reenter society.

Mishra said having access to education was rehabilitative for him, providing him with the hope and motivation needed to turn his life around.

If I were to not have that, I definitely would have joined the ranks of the revolving door of prisoners, Mishra said. I understand there might be many in our community that feel that thats what we get for breaking the law. But we are still in society, and we really want to be good members of society.

Lauren Reed, interim director of the Adams State program, described the initiative as transformation through education, pointing out that prison is often the first time in their lives that these offenders have access to higher education.

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.

Under the bill, the money saved by shortening sentences of qualifying inmates would be split evenly between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Higher Education to continue facilitating higher education programs in prisons. The bill also allows prisoners released before completing their degree the option to finish in order to earn time off of parole.

This effort comes as people in prison will be eligible to receive federal Pell Grants up to nearly $7,000 per year, beginning in the 2023-24 school year, thanks to recent changes from the U.S. Department of Education.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on Tuesday, sending it to the full House. Only Republican Reps. Stephanie Luck of Penrose and Matt Soper of Delta voted against the bill.

I strongly support this policy, the idea of enabling people to access the kind of information that opens all sorts of doors, Luck said. I do have issues with some of the technical pieces of it.

Luck raised concerns about the portion of the bill that would earmark the funds saved by the bill to be reinvested in prison education programs. The Department of Corrections similarly criticized this element of the bill, saying it would be infeasible to calculate the funding saved.

Martinez said he is collaborating with the Department of Corrections to work this out, adding that he is confident they will be able to find a solution. Proponents of the bill were equally confident in the bills future, championing the bills support from education, criminal justice and religious institutions alike.

This is laying out a more hopeful path, said Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora.
A proposal to increase Colorados special education funding by $40 million unanimously passed its first committee vote Monday.

If approved by the full state legislature, Senate Bill 99 would add $40,203,671 to the Department of Educations annual appropriation. Proponents said the funding would be used for special education programs to help bring down student-teacher ratios, decrease class sizes and provide additional support.

Every Colorado student deserves a great public education, but the current level of state support for special education isnt giving every learner that same opportunity, said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada. Weve been fighting hard to fix that, and this bill will help us get even more critical resources to the classrooms that need them most while helping ensure that every student, regardless of their ability, is prepared for success.

Complex disabilities among children have recently increased, largely due to children surviving infancy who would not have only decades ago, said Callan Ware with Consortium of Directors of Special Education, adding this has resulted in the costs of special education rising in recent years.

Children with complex disabilities require intensive support in their daily education, Ware said, which can include speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, trained behavioral specialists and trained paraprofessionals, in addition to normal special education teachers. But in some schools, special education programs dont even have the bare minimum to operate.

Bri Buentello said when she moved from Kansas to Colorado as a special education teacher, the lack of resources shocked her. She said the classroom had no working HVAC system, forcing her to rely on space heaters bought with her own money to keep students warm  though the heaters often knocked out the rooms electricity.

You see the very real cost of not funding special education in the classroom, said Buentello, who is now a representative for Stand for Children Colorado. When I could scrape together resources for my kids, it was just so often the bare minimum. That wasnt the Colorado I believed in.

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.

In the Canon City School District, 17% to 18% of students are classified as special needs, higher than both the national and state averages, said Robin Reeser, president of the districts board of education.

Reeser said the district spends $5.5 million on special education services annually, though the special education funding they receive covers only 47% of the costs to provide services required under state and federal law. The district is forced to take the rest of the money from their general education fund, she said.

Your support for this measure will help districts like mine and kids like ours, Reeser said.

The bill is backed by over a dozen organizations, including the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Colorado League of Charter Schools and Colorado Rural Schools Alliance, as well as the school districts of Aurora, Douglas County, St. Vrain Valley and Pikes Peak. No one testified or registered in opposition to the bill.

The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved the bipartisan bill  also sponsored by Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton  sending it to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

This bill comes after, last year, the legislature increased special education funding by around $80 million per year, bringing the annual funding from $220 million to $300 million, and the funding per student from $1,250 to $1,750.

You are probably tired of hearing me at this dais talk about special education funding, but the sole reason why I am here is because we are not done yet, Zenzinger said, and I will continue to come back here until we have fully funded special education.
An effort to add suicide hotline numbers to student identification cards took a huge step forward Tuesday, receiving approval from the state House of Representatives.

If passed by the state Senate, House Bill 1007 would require Colorados higher education institutions to print the phone and text numbers of statewide and national mental health crisis and suicide hotlines on the back of student IDs beginning in August 2023.

This comes as, in Colorado, suicide is the leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults.

I think were going to save some lives, said bill sponsor Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. If somebody actually needs that number, they have easy access to it. And it normalizes the idea that people do need access to that number.

In 2021, 10% of Colorados suicide deaths were among college-aged adults, age 19 to 24, according to the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado. Thats nearly twice the suicide rate of youth aged 10 to 18. Advocates say the transition period of early adulthood can take a toll on a persons mental health, with the stress of increased financial and social responsibility adding to the loss of lifelong support systems.

Nationally, in the 2020-21 school year, over 60% of college students met the criteria of at least one mental health condition and around 25% of the age group said they had seriously considered suicide.

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.

Bill sponsor Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, said his district in particular has experienced an increase in youth suicides in recent years.

My community has suffered greatly, Catlin said. This bill is a subtle attempt at reaching out to people.  When I was young, I wouldnt have walked through the crisis doorway, because somebody might see me. This gives you the opportunity to check in.

The House voted 59-3 in support of the bill Tuesday, advancing it to the Senate. Though the bill received broad bipartisan approval, only Republicans voted against the bill: Rep. Scott Bottoms of Colorado Springs, Rep. Ken DeGraaf of Colorado Springs and Rep. Stephanie Luck of Penrose.

Bottoms said he opposed the bill because he believes the legislature shouldnt force businesses to do the governments bidding.

The government is always forcing businesses, always forcing groups to spend their own money to accomplish all these extra things. This is about good governance, Bottoms said, adding that students already have access to and are aware of suicide hotlines.

Last year, the legislature passed a similar bill, requiring suicide hotlines to be added to high school student IDs.

In addition to expanding the mandate to colleges, HB 1007 would also require higher education institutions to distribute suicide hotline information to students who got their IDs before the change took effect.
In 2017, Britains House of Commons gave its final approval to a bill authorizing the government to start exit talks with the European Union, and more events that happened on this day in history.
A Mason City woman was arrested Tuesday for allegedly breaking a no-contact order, setting a fire inside a residence, stealing property from that residence and assaulting the person inside.

According to court records, 60-year-old Annalisza Bryant is being held on $51,000 bond after allegedly entering the residence of an individual with whom a valid no-contact order was in place in Clear Lake at 3 p.m. Jan. 27

The affidavits state Bryant was found in the bathroom by Clear Lake Police officers and admitted she knew she was not supposed to be there. The documents do not specify where the fire was started inside the residence or how much damage was done. They also do not specify what items were stolen.

Officers found dozens of text messages and phone calls from Bryant to the alleged victim from January. Bryant also is facing a fourth-degree criminal mischief charge for damages caused.

First-degree arson and first-degree burglary are both class B felonies punishable by up to 25 years in prison on each count.

Bryant pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a domestic abuse offender charge in December and is expected to receive a suspended five-year sentence at a hearing Feb. 13.

North Iowa history in photos: Mason City street scenes of the early 1900s 1937 Downtown MC.jpg Cigar and peanut wagon on Federal 1909.jpg Parade for the July 4th 1910.jpg 1920 Ford dealeship in Mason Cityr.jpg 1901 Uncle Tom's Cabin Parade MC IA.jpg 1910 Fire Department MC.jpg 1920s Birdsall's Ice Cream Store same location today..jpg 1910busy intersection standard oil wagon.jpg 1920 Commercial Bank on Federal with parked motorcycle.jpg 1915 Charles Hotel at Central Park with Trolley.jpg 1930 2nd St SE and Federal facing North Best.jpg 1915 Iowa Hardware Mutual Office Bldg old metalcraft bldg.jpg 1930s Jefferson Lines buses at the downtown depot MC.jpg 1915 State st North of delaware facing NE2.jpg 1930 East side Federal to State street.jpg 1915 Street scene at Charles Hotel with Trolleyand Olympia Billboard.jpg 1934 buildings being torn down Federal Ave 1.jpg 1918 North Iowa Fair 19th SW at Federal (Southport Mall site.jpg Mason_City_1212.jpg 1919 White Motor Cars on Federal MC.jpg
The Danville Police Department encourages parents to make sure their children stay safe from online predators.

As part of Safer Internet Day Tuesday, the department took part in a nationwide campaign to inform parents and children about the dangers of financial sextortion.

The act is an online exploitation crime aimed at youth in which threats are made to demand money from the victim. The situation can involve convincing a child to send a nude picture or other suggestive photo of themselves electronically and then ordering them to pay money to prevent the perpetrator from posting the image over the internet.

Danville Police Department Lt. Stephen High said the city has not had a large number of such incidents.

We dont have a big problem here in the city, High told the Danville Register & Bee on Tuesday afternoon. Were posting it because of our collaboration [with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force]. We dont see a big issue of it here in the city limits, but we always want to be aware of it and inform the citizens as much as possible.

For Safer Internet Day, the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program teamed up to raise awareness about the crimes to protect children.

The day is observed annually by agencies and this years theme is sextortion.

Sextortion occurs when children and teens are being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for more explicit content or money, according to a news release from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Last month, the FBI, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, issued a national public safety alert regarding a surge in sextortion schemes involving children.

In 2022, more than 3,000 minor victims, primarily boys, were targeted with for sextortion. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of reports involving sextortion more than doubled, according to the center. More than a dozen sextortion victims were reported to have died by suicide.

Danville police and state and federal law enforcement agencies want parents and caregivers to inform their children about sextortion in order to prevent it from happening.

Sextortion schemes take place in online environments where young people feel most comfortable, including social media sites, gaming sites or video chat applications. Predators often use fake accounts and target minors.

There is no fail-safe way to prevent sextortion completely, High said.

Because as society moves today, most teenagers have an electronic device in their hands, High said.

Thats why its important for parents to know the apps and games their children are playing online and to make sure the content is age-appropriate, he said.

For smaller children, set limits on the devices for content, High added.

Most sites have parental-control options that can block a childs access, he pointed out. Parents can also promote pro-social behavior and critical-thinking skills among their children so they can recognize when sextortion is happening to them, he said.

Danville police posted the definition of sextortion on social media and provided tips for children when it happens:

Stop responding to the perpetrator;

Take screenshots of the threats/interaction;

Report and block the user;

Tell someone.

Dont send more images;

Dont pay any money;

Dont respond to demands;

Dont continue the conversation.

Victims can report any such incidents to law enforcement, to the Cyber Tipline at www.cybertipline.org or call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
A 51-year-old Raleigh, North Carolina, man was identified as the driver in a crash that snarled traffic along the Danville Expressway on Saturday following a police pursuit.

The Virginia State Police released new details Wednesday on the incident.

Gerald Eugene Carvin was traveling south on U.S. 29 as the 2006 Mercedes he was driving ran off the right side of the road and hit a tree, Sgt. Richard Garletts, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, confirmed to the Register & Bee.

The vehicle overturned and came to rest in the roadway, Garletts said.

Carvin, wanted out of North Carolina, was involved in a police chase that entered Halifax County, in the state polices Appomattox division.

That pursuit was terminated by the officer chasing the vehicle, Garletts wrote in an email to the Register & Bee.

A Virginia State Police trooper in the Salem division  which covers the Danville area  spotted the driver who refused to stop and fled.

After losing sight of the vehicle, the trooper ended the pursuit. Garletts said a report did not indicate the speed involved in the chase.

It was shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday when the crash happened on the Danville Expressway just before entering the North Carolina state line. There was no active chase when the crash happened, Garletts confirmed.

Officers detoured traffic into North Carolina using Old Ridge Farm Road and Old U.S. 58. Danville police were on scene Saturday afternoon along with the Danville Fire Department, Danville Life Saving Crew, Virginia State Police and Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office.

Carvin was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for injuries. His condition wasnt available Wednesday.

Garletts said charges are pending in Virginia.
Caesars Virginia, which is opening a $650 million casino resort in Danville in 2024, held a recruitment event Wednesday at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. Caesars representatives led sessions for individuals interested in working at the casino that will be located at the former Dan River Inc. site in Schoolfield. The company is looking to hire for hundreds of positions at its temporary casino that is slated to open the middle of this year and operate until the permanent facility is built. Representatives gave demonstrations at gaming tables to people interested in becoming dealers. There were also sessions offered for those interested in other casino-related positions. Select candidates will be offered an opportunity to undergo a 12-week training program for dealers, with successful graduates offered employment at the casino. Caesars Virginia General Manager Chris Albrecht said the company was looking to fill 450 jobs for the temporary casino, with more to be hired later for the permanent one scheduled to open late next year.
EDEN  State and federal fire investigators recently ruled out criminal activity as the cause of the Jan. 25 fire that destroyed the main mill building of the former Spray Cotton Mills complex here.

Investigators, however, said the origin and exact cause of the blaze at the historic mill at 413 Church Street are still undetermined.

The Eden Fire Department initially spearheaded the investigation of the inferno that was brought under control by a major turnout of 23 county and regional fire departments, including two from Virginia.

On Jan. 27, Eden fire officials requested help with the investigation from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Representatives from the agencies arrived in Eden on Jan. 30 and spent several days assessing the smoldering scene.

Developer Faisal Khan of Pittsboro owns the destroyed mill, as well as Nantucket Mill, another of the four Spray Cotton Mills complexs buildings.

Khan had recently begun work refurbishing the roof of the main mill and had cleared several of the structures windows to prepare the building for conversion to high end apartments, residents close to the project said.

NCSBI and ATF investigators found, according to their reports, that the portion of the mill that caught fire was the area being renovated. Investigators called the zone an active construction sight with electrical power and said construction tools and supplies were found among the rubble.

No one was working in the building at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported, authorities said. Khan was not immediately available for comment.

As leader of the city of 15,000, Mayor Neville Hall said on Jan. 26 that he and emergency responders had often pondered how they would handle such a major fire.

And this was that fire, Hall said.

Well move on and, hopefully, find a building these developers can use instead, Hall said, mentioning the Nantucket Mill as an option.

The mill complexs four buildings, with a combined 200,000 square feet, sit along the Smith River near the Barrett Canal.

More than a century old, the mill was one of the countys major employers for decades and brought generations of workers to help spin yarn, Hall noted.

Its what drew people to this area ... peoples grandchildren, great-grandchildren ..., Hall said.
GREENSBORO  A 14-year-old who was shot in Greensboro on Sunday afternoon has died and police have opened a homicide investigation.

Officers responded just after 5 p.m. to a call about an assault in the 2000 block of North Church Street. They arrived to find the teen with life-threatening injuries.

The teen was taken to a local hospital, according to a news release from Greensboro Police. A department spokeswoman, Josie Cambareri, said in an email Wednesday that the teen died Tuesday and that the shooting Sunday occurred inside an apartment complex.

The department did not provide the teenagers name or gender, or say if the teen lived in the apartment complex.

Police have identified persons of interest in the case and are not searching for additional suspects. The department would not say if this was a domestic situation or release any details about what led to the shooting.

Greensboro has experienced at least one other fatal shooting this week.

A 21-year-old Greensboro man was found shot to death early Monday and authorities have charged an 18-year-old with murder.

Police identified the victim as Quantell Tehmel White.

Officers were called around 7:30 a.m. to the area of St. Croix Place, off West Friendly Avenue, where they found White with the gunshot wound.

Kaylee Gene Abagail Utt Turnipseed, 18, of Greensboro has been charged with first-degree murder in the case, police said in a news release Monday afternoon.

Anyone with information about these cases is asked to contact Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000. Citizens can also download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to P3tips.com to submit a web tip. All tips to Crime Stoppers are completely anonymous.
The Triads advanced technology and manufacturing sector has been abuzz in recent years with expansions and successful economic recruitments, such as Toyota North America, Boom Supersonic and Ziehl-Abegg.

Carving out an important, but under-the-radar niche has been Guerrilla RF Inc., a wireless semiconductor company based in Greensboro. Guerrilla was founded in 2013. The companys common stock is traded on the OTC Markets QX tier with the symbol GUER.

Its main focus is providing monolithic microwave integrated circuits for the automotive, 5G infrastructure and cellular booster markets. The company has shipped more than 100 million devices that include low-noise amplifiers, RF switches and digital-step attenuators.

In January, the company entered into the lucrative, but highly competitive satellite communications industry.

Guerrilla recently moved its 70 local employees into a 58,970-square-foot facility at 2000 Pisgah Church Road. The company has 75 employees overall.

In October 2021, the company said it expected to create 50 jobs as part of making a $6 million capital investment. The company said the new jobs would have an average annual wage of $100,000.

Sam Funchess, Guerrillas vice president of investor relations, said last week the company has hired 25 of those employees.

Funchess recently took time to address the companys growth rate and future plans. An edited version follows:

For those unfamiliar with Guerrilla RF, how would you describe what the company does in terms of program development that affect and benefit your customers and end-use consumers?

Guerrilla RF designs, sells and supports (radio frequency) semiconductors. Most people use RF semiconductors everyday: Wi-Fi, cellular phones, satellite radio, etc.

What has made your business model viable in such a global semiconductor and wireless sector marketplace?

Guerrilla RF has made a name for itself by focusing on underserved industries that need high-performance chipsets. Automotive is a small industry in the semiconductor space, and the last few years have proven how they have struggled to get the supplies they needed to keep manufacturing going.

We have provided unparalleled support and delivery of chips for the wireless applications and have been able to gain significant market share in new product launches.

What were some of the challenges to entry into the sector and how were they overcome?

Capital is the biggest challenge in the semiconductor industry, as the shear cost of starting a company in this industry is staggering.

Most semiconductor chips require design (six to 24 months, $500,000 to $2 million in costs), manufacturing test chips (four months, $50,000 to $500,000), testing (one to six months, $100,000 to $500,000), sample to clients and win slots (six to 36 months) and then customer order.

The entire process takes five years on the aggressive side to turn your first revenue and usually a decade to make your first profit.

Thankfully, we have a few early investors that believed in what we are doing and understood the capital intensity and time it would take. They make it happen.

On your website, you cited under company profile this definition of what you do: We find and develop products for numerous underserved market segments that the larger companies are not interested in addressing. Why does that work for your development and product niche?

We focus on the underserved markets because they tend to be very loyal customers. They recognize they are not getting the attention from the big players in the industry. We have our engineers work with their engineers to meet the intended specifications. When you take this level of care with a customers needs, they tend to be very loyal and appreciate you and your product.

A perfect example of this is satellite radio. Several years ago, AT&T and SiriusXM satellite radio had issues with AT&Ts cellular signal bleeding into the SiriusXM spectrum, causing interference.

Guerrilla RF worked with suppliers to isolate SiriusXMs spectrum significantly better than any other product on the market. This relationship has turned into a majority market-share position that continues to grow and offer other opportunities in the automotive industry.

How has Greensboro and the Triad served as the right location for Guerrilla RF in terms of operationally and workforce?

Most people do not understand how important semiconductors are to North Carolina. There are hundreds of semiconductor companies in North Carolina, and we expect growth to continue.

Specific to our community, we estimate that Greensboro is the third-largest concentration of RF semiconductor assets in the world.

Given the risk/reward involved in being a publicly-traded company, why did management chose to go in that direction and how has the company benefited from the outside investment?

Going public, while extremely difficult, expensive and challenging, allows our long-time investors the opportunity to make a return on their investment. The company is entering its 10th year of business. Without going public, there would be no liquidity for the shareholders.

The downside though is we dont have the close relationship with our shareholders as we did when we were private. We knew each shareholder by name. It also means that our shares have the opportunity to have volatile price swings when nothing different has happened.

Where does the company see itself in 10 years in terms of size, product mix and innovation?

In 10 years we see the company having a $1 billion valuation and being a Greensboro name. We imagine having several thousand jobs located right here in Greensboro.

We are currently looking at two different technologies to increase our product mix. We expect to have several thousand parts in our catalogue in industries, ranging from automotive, space, satellite, microphones and technologies that have not even been announced.

We see the sky, not the ground.
RALEIGH  Facing hit-and-run charges from a December car crash, state Auditor Beth Wood sent her attorney to her first court date and has not appeared in public recently. When it came time for the monthly Council of State meeting on Tuesday, she didnt go to that, either.

Instead, Wood called in remotely from a different office.

Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters after the meeting that he still has not talked with Wood about the downtown Raleigh hit-and-run crash involving Woods state-owned car.

I have not spoken with her, Cooper said.

Wood has spoken publicly about the incident only through statements, including an apology for her serious mistake of leaving the scene of the crash.

This case is still under investigation, Cooper said Tuesday, and still has a court date. And well let that play out.

Asked if Wood should be more transparent about what happened, Cooper said shes spoken about the matter publicly. The matter is still under investigation.

Wood, however, has not spoken publicly beyond statements from her office.

After the meeting, The News & Observer asked Attorney General Josh Stein about Woods absence.

Well, Ive had to call into meetings before. I have no idea what her daily schedule is. And its perfectly appropriate to participate virtually, Stein said. It is an issue for Auditor Wood. Its being investigated, and well let the process play out.

Wood is one of the 10 statewide elected officials in the executive branch who sit on the Council of State. The council meets the first Tuesday of the month, most months of the year, in a downtown state government building. Most Council of State members make the short walk or drive from their agency offices.

The business of Council of State meetings is generally brief, and members then take turns sharing updates. Some are about their agency. Others are about themselves. At a fall meeting, Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson used his time to say he was not running for reelection.

During Woods time on Tuesday, via a remote video screen, she talked about office space and recruiting auditing staff.

Of course, what media members wanted to hear were any additional details from Wood about the December crash beyond official statements.

A police report says Wood turned to the right while driving on South Salisbury Street and crashed into a parked car. She said in her statement that she had just left a holiday gathering downtown, that the crash left her shaken and that she left the scene after she couldnt move her car.

Video from the Dec. 8 incident shows Wood entering the law office of Rufus Edmisten as her car was left outside resting on top of another car. Edmisten, a Democrat, is a former state attorney general and secretary of state.

On Jan. 24, Coopers office said that he had not communicated with Wood about the crash and that it was a troubling incident. Steins office told The N&O last month that he had only learned about the incident through news coverage.

If Wood were to resign, according to the state constitution, the governor would appoint a replacement to finish her term, which ends in 2024.

Republican leaders in the General Assembly have not called for her resignation, though the state Republican Party has done so. Senate leader Phil Berger, an Eden Republican, said it was ultimately up to the voters. House Speaker Tim Moore, a Kings Mountain Republican, said Wood deserves to have her day in court.
The head of a Helena-based nonprofit that helps people with basic health care in times of need on Tuesday urged people to support rescue efforts for the victims of the Syrian-Turkey earthquake.

Monday's magnitude 7.8 quake and a series of strong aftershocks cut a swath of destruction that stretched hundreds of miles across southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria. Thousands of buildings were toppled and heaped more misery on a region wracked by Syrias 12-year civil war and refugee crisis. One temblor that followed the first registered at magnitude 7.5, the Associated Press reported.

The death toll soared above 7,200 and was still expected to rise.

Valerie Hellermann, executive director of Hands On Global, said she received word from Omar Alshakal of Refugees 4 Refugees, a nonprofit she has worked with for six years.

She said Alshakal, a Syrian refugee living in Greece, has made contact with the Syrian Red Crescent society and members of White Helmets Rescue.

Hellermann said he is asking for trauma supplies and orthopedic equipment.

She said if Hands On Global can source some of this material here, a member of her team heading to Ukraine will divert their flight to Istanbul and deliver supplies.

For more on Hands on Global, go to handsonglobal.org.

Hellermann said if people want to donate, she suggested they make a donation to www.whitehelmets.org. The White Helmets focus on medical evacuation, urban search and rescue and removing people from danger areas.

People can also make donations through https://www.unicefusa.org/.

She called it a compounded humanitarian crisis, noting the long-time civil war. Hellermann said there are 2 million internally displaced people now living in camps on the Syrian border.

And she said the civil war has created a diminished health care system in which hospitals were bombed and doctors fled the country.

The health care system is extremely frazzled, Hellermann said.

Helena-based Hands On Global Inc. provides basic health care, mostly in remote underserved areas and refugee camps.
A substance state officials suspect as the culprit in a rise in youth hospitalizations may soon be added to the list of products that can't be sold to kids.

"Intoxicating hemp products" have found an apparent loophole in the regulations that ban marijuana and vapes from being sold to minors. Hemp doesn't have the psychoactive effects of marijuana with a typical tetrahydrocannabinol level of 0.3%; marijuana's THC limits in Montana, by comparison, is 35%.

But Cannabis Control Division officials earlier this month told lawmakers some companies have processed and distilled hemp products to reach concentrations with much higher THC levels, and are still able to reach gas station shelves due to loose hemp regulations.

House Bill 737, sponsored by Rep. Ron Marshall, a Republican from Hamilton, would subject someone to an "unlawful transactions with children" charge if they sold these products to a minor. The misdemeanor charge already includes alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicating substances, and comes with a possible $500 fine and up to six months in jail.

Marshall told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday the bill is meant to capture all kinds of derivatives that fall under intoxicating hemp substances, which can quickly be altered by producers to wiggle out from under regulations.

"There's another one I just found out about 10 minutes ago," he half-joked with the committee.

The Montana Medical Association supported the bill, saying it was a good proposal to block adults, not just gas station clerks, from providing the products to kids.

"It keeps bad stuff out of good kids' hands," Jean Branscum, CEO of the Montana Medical Association, said. "We know there are individuals that are adults that are making decisions to consume certain products, but when it comes to children we don't know the impact completely on those children."

The bill's list of substances includes Kratom, a plant-based substance that can produce effects similar to opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It's a newer product on which the institute is still gathering information to inform its policy.

But Rep. Jennifer Carlson, R-Churchill, pointed out during Tuesday's hearing that Kratom is not a controlled substance. After the hearing she told a reporter she had too many questions about carve-outs for its medicinal use to support the bill.

In early January, Cannabis Control Division Administrator Kristan Barbour had fielded questions from several lawmakers about rising public health concerns of marijuana use among children, particularly in Missoula and Billings.

Barbour told legislators then that the department suspected intoxicating hemp products to be the actual source of child hospitalizations considering the ease with which they could purchase the products.

"In most parts of the country and in Montana these products are available for sale to minors," Barbour said last month.

The committee did not take action on Marshall's bill Tuesday.

-This article has been corrected after previously misstating Rep. Carlson's position on Kratom.
After narrowly going down on the House floor a day earlier, lawmakers revived a bill to implement screening programs for youth mental health and scheduled another debate for early next week.

Rep. Jonathan Karlen's House Bill 252 had died on a slim 49-51 vote Monday. On Tuesday, seven Republicans who had then voted against the bill voted in favor of a re-hearing on the proposal after Karlen, D-Missoula, said he had drummed up some additional information to mitigate some of the concerns against it.

"It's an important issue to all of us," Karlen testified.

After the hearing, Karlen said those concerns generally boiled down to a lack of results despite continuous funding. He said he'll use the coming days to work the projected $5 million of the program downward and clarify which gaps in mental health services for children the program would address in Montana, which Karlen said has 2.5 times the national rate of youth suicides.

"It's hard for me to believe that's the best we can do," he said.

In 2021, 41% of Montana high school students self-reported symptoms of depression, the highest rate ever registered in the state. A pilot project implemented a youth mental health screening program since the last session in three counties.

Rep. Paul Green, a Hardin Republican, spoke in favor of reconsidering the bill. He had supported the bill Monday, but on Tuesday testified he since found additional data online available through the state health department showing 80% of people who died by suicide had never encountered prevention services.

The House endorsed a bill Wednesday that will require all county election offices in Montana to continue counting ballots on Election Day, without cease, until all non-provisional votes cast by in-person and absentee voters have been counted.

House Bill 196 was amended by the State Administration Committee to ensure that election officials wouldn't have to keep working for seven consecutive 24-hour days. Lawmakers had questioned whether the original version of the bill would do that, given that provisional ballots cast in Montana aren't counted until the Monday following Election Day.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Lyn Hellegaard, a Missoula Republican who has been vocal in questioning the validity of Missoula's election results. No evidence has emerged to substantiate allegations of voter fraud in Missoula or elsewhere in Montana.

"Recent history has shown us the longer the vote-counting takes, and the lack of public involvement and enforcement, the less confidence and increased suspicion the public has in election results," Hellegaard said.

The bill was supported by Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen. It received unified opposition from House Democrats, while most Republicans supported it. Democrats argued it was unnecessary and would lead to fatigue among election officials already being accused of malfeasance.

It still needs to pass a final vote in the House.

Rep. Jerry Schillinger, R-Circle, has been replaced on the Joint Select Committee on Election Security by Rep. Steven Galloway, R-Great Falls.

Schillinger said in an interview Tuesday that the select committee's afternoon schedule was conflicting with his work on the House Appropriations Committee, which also meets in the afternoons.

The select committee was formed at the beginning of the legislative session, following repeated attempts by some GOP lawmakers to establish one during the interim. Its meetings so far have mainly consisted of hearings with election officials and experts on voting systems.
There is no liberty if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 78.

It is easy to attack those who cannot defend themselves. Ethical rules prevent judges from responding to partisan punches, even in self-defense. Despite this fact, politicians of all stripes tend to sound off when they learn of judicial decisions they dont like. Sometimes though, political disagreements escalate into personal attacks on judges and legislative proposals to undermine and dominate the judicial branch.

When that happens, watch out, because freedom is in danger.

In 2020, the American Bar Association, explained: In Mexico, the threat to independent judges comes from drug cartels. In Poland, it comes from the president and parliament. And in the United States, it comes from politicians who would turn impartial judges into partisan political actors.

A nonpartisan judicial center reported last year that at least 26 states had introduced bills in 2021 that would politicize or undermine the independence of state courts.

In Montana, attempts are underway to discredit judges by subjecting them to ridicule, insult and even threats of criminal investigation and prosecution. Talk of impeachment is in the air. Proposals are on the table calling for term limits, making judicial elections more political, putting the Legislature in charge of judicial discipline and pressuring judges to toe a party line. All this, of course, is calculated to intimidate judges and render them subservient.

A 2018 poll by the National Judicial College found that 90% of American judges think judicial independence is threatened in the current political climate.

According to the American Board of Trial Advocates: Recent years have witnessed a tremendous increase in attempts to assert political influence on the courts. These efforts came from politicians, political parties and special interests with a political agenda. Frequently they amount to efforts at intimidation and retaliation. When successful, they disrupt and interfere with the fair and impartial administration of justice. Indeed, political vendettas aimed at the judiciary are assaults on the rule of law itself.

Attacks on the courts represent an attempt to usurp judicial authority and violate the separation of powers. We have all heard the term, but why does the separation of powers matter? What is so important about an independent judiciary?

The United States and Montana constitutions established three co-equal branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. This separation of powers is designed to ensure that no one person or group accumulates too much authority.

These constitutions also guarantee fundamental individual rights like freedom of speech and religion, the right to bear arms, the rights to due process of law and to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, the rights to access the courts and to personal privacy. Together, the federal Bill of Rights and the Montana Declaration of Rights provide the legal fortress for the most cherished American value: LIBERTY. At least on paper they do  but without the independent judiciary, the paper means nothing.

The judicial branch is frustrating to some powerful interests. Unlike the legislative branch and the executive branch, judges cannot be lobbied. The decisions of judges turn not on relationships or passions or personal preferences, but on the law. Fact issues are decided by juries, based on evidence, and juries cannot be lobbied either. There is no buttonholing, no log rolling, no deal making, no wine and cheese receptions. And every person gets an equal seat in the courtroom regardless of their position or rank or wealth. So, it is not surprising that certain groups want to weaken this process.

The good news is that Americans overwhelmingly support strong courts that adjudicate cases without political interference. Montanans also have overwhelming confidence in the courts  so long as they remain independent. But because the judiciary has no army or treasury, its independence depends on the other branches of government to respect and honor its decisions and separate authority.

When the other branches fail to do that, our judges count on us  the people of Montana  to have their backs.

So, when self-serving political interests propose and advocate so-called reforms in the next few weeks, let your legislator know where you stand  with judicial independence and against those who threaten it.
DECATUR  If the project to convert the former Garfield School on West Grand Avenue into a senior living center is successful, it will give new life to the only unused building in the school district that Decatur Public Schools still owns.

District spokeswoman Denise Swarthout said the district is working with the developer, who is believed to be Bywater Development Group based in St. Louis, Mo., on the project.

Repurposing the former school building fits in with the Decatur school board's policy of selling or demolishing empty buildings to avoid leaving them to deteriorate and cause blight, said Swarthout.

The building on Grand Avenue was Garfield School until 2000, when the Garfield Montessori School moved its program and its name to the former John Adams School in South Shores and Durfee Magnet School moved into the building on Grand.

Under the BOLD Facilities Plan of former Superintendent Paul Fregeau, Garfield and Enterprise's Montessori programs were combined into Montessori Academy for Peace and moved to the former Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Other buildings were closed and consolidated. Durfee closed and the students were sent back to their home schools. Stevenson School was consolidated with Parsons School, but the building is in use now by Futures Unlimited and Milligan Academy, alternative education programs of the Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education. Oak Grove School consolidated with Franklin and the name was changed to Franklin Grove to reflect that. Oak Grove's building was torn down and a new American Dreamer STEM Academy will be built on that site.

Other former school buildings have been bought and reused by others, including the former Roosevelt Junior High, now transformed into apartments, not far from Durfee's building on West Grand Avenue.

Woodrow Wilson Junior High in the west end is part of a deal between the city of Decatur and Decatur schools. The city bought the property from Macon County after it was foreclosed on for unpaid property tax and will demolish the building, then sell the property to Decatur schools for half the cost of the demolition. The building had been owned by an out-of-state investor for many years, but left to decay and had become unsafe.

The former Centennial/Coppenbarger school building is no longer owned by the district, Swarthout said.

21 photos of Decatur high school activities through the years
DECATUR  Albert E. Tillman, the Decatur man with a history of legal trouble associated with illegally possessed guns, has now been sent to prison for nine years on a charge of being an armed habitual criminal.

Tillman, 27, had been pleading not guilty and suggested in prior Macon County Circuit Court appearances that he was considering acting as his own attorney. He earlier rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for a term of anywhere from 12 to 15 years.

But in a court appearance Jan. 20, Tillman told Judge Jeffrey Geisler he was willing to take a new deal negotiated by defense attorney Caleb Brown that came with the nine-year sentence.

The judge also agreed to dismiss an additional charge of being an armed habitual criminal and one count alleging the aggravated discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle.

Those dismissed charges related to an incident on Sept. 22, 2021, when Tillman had been accused of trailing a juvenile female leaving Richland Community College and opening fire at her car. Sworn affidavits filed by Decatur police said the vehicle was shot at five times and one of the bullets punctured a tire.

Macon County States Attorney Scott Rueter later told the Herald & Review the evidence against Tillman was open to question and that is why prosecutors agreed to drop those charges given the sentence the defendant received on the offense he did plead to.

That charge dates to Sept. 24, 2021, when police patrols searching for a suspect vehicle associated with the shooting two days earlier pulled over a car in which Tillman was the passenger.

Another sworn affidavit said a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol tucked underneath the rear car seat where a 2-year-old child was seated.

Court records show Tillman was on probation at the time of his arrest after he had been sentenced to 4 years in prison in January of 2020 for a conviction of possession of weapons by a felon. His criminal record also includes a conviction for the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and his history of offenses means he is not allowed to possess firearms.

Updated mugshots from the Herald & Review Joseph A. Williams William A. Hosea Randolph Hayes Byron D. Theus Jetrevius O. Jarrett Phillip Gehrken Emmanuel White Aaron L. Hand
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 such as 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 Yorks 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 didnt 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 Yorks 3rd Congressional District, the Republican Party has also moved past shame and will no longer apply pressure 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 nations 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 partys members are doing as justification for what happens on our team.

Im 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."
I recently read of the passing of a friend to many people in the Decatur area, Kent Mears. Kent was known to be an expert auto body repairman and an instructor of collision repair at Richland Community College. He restored many antique and special interest cars that can be seen at car shows all over the state.

One thing that some might not know about Kent was his patriotism. At his own expense, Kent volunteered as a sponsor to fly along with many veterans on Honor Flights to Washington D.C. He also made it a point to keep in contact with most of the veterans that he escorted long after their flights became a memory.

Of all the veterans I know who have been able to visit the war memorials in Washington, many in wheel hairs and years past their prime, very few can talk about their experiences there without shedding tears. Kent took it upon himself to make sure these veterans would carry those precious memories the rest of their lives.

Kent also sponsored yearly car shows on the Richland campus grounds donating all proceeds to various veterans organizations each year. Our American Legion Post 72 in Macon was proud to be a part of these shows serving as the honor guard, posting the colors, or the American flag to civilians.

The most interesting thing about Kents dedication to American veterans is that he never served in the military himself, although he had family who did.

When a member of the American Legion passes away, we refer his or her passing as a transfer to Post Eternal. Though not a veteran in the physical sense, Im sure Kent was welcomed into heaven by multitude of veterans and patriotic Americans and was saluted for a job well done. I just wanted you to know. Pass in Review my friend.

Bob McQuality, Macon
Every freedom-loving citizen of Illinois should extend their full support to the sheriffs who have decided to not enforce Pritzkers egregiously unconstitutional assault on our Second Amendment rights.

By standing in the gap, the sheriffs are demonstrating the historic and biblical Doctrine of Interposition by placing themselves between the tyrant or bad law---and the people. The lesser magistrates (sheriffs) have the God-given right and duty to place themselves between the oppressor and the intended victims. Sheriffs have the authority.

As Rich Miller of Capitol Fax wrote, sheriffs state-mandated oaths of office require them to support the U.S. and Illinois constitutions, but not individual laws.

These sheriffs are fulfilling their duty as protectors of the people and constitutional rights. They take an oath to defend and protect the Constitution: their oath is not to the governor, state legislature, mayors, etc. They are elected as protectors of the people and their rights. This is their number one priority.

Former Sheriff Richard Mack, who challenged the Clinton Brady gun law all the way to the Supreme Court and won on Tenth Amendment grounds, writing in his book, The County Sheriff: Americas Last Hope, eloquently summarized the issue with these words: For the tyrant to win; for the tyrant to be successful; for the despot to have his way, the only thing that has to happen is for the nations police and sheriffs to be convinced that all laws must be enforced. Freedom is thereby destroyed and America dies when sheriffs go along with tyranny.

Monica Seigfreid, Assumption
SPRINGFIELD  The lightbulb went off in Decatur resident Andrea Kelly's head during a visit to see her grandfather at PPG Industries (now Fuyao Glass Illinois) in Mount Zion.

"They were having some electrical issues," Kelly recalls. "And they brought some electricians out and they were working and fixing the electrical problems. And I just happened to be there with my grandpa that day."

"And as I was watching him, I thought it was pretty cool the things they were doing, the stuff that I was seeing," she said.

Ever since, Kelly, now 19, knew she wanted to be an electrician. And it's a goal she's closer to achieving after success in a pre-apprenticeship program.

Kelly's success was highlighted when she attended President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address as the guest of Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield.

The freshman congresswoman, in an interview with Lee Enterprises Tuesday morning, said she wants to incentivize more stories like Kelly's. Her first bill, which has not yet been filed, will address the job skills gap by providing tax incentives to small businesses that hire apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship workers.

"Union apprenticeship programs are one of the best examples of a way to support working people getting into the middle class through their skills training programs," Budzinski said. "And so, I really wanted to find opportunities in this first legislative initiative to really emphasize that I want to be a federal partner in that work supporting pre-apprenticeship opportunities and apprenticeship programs."

Kelly applied for the IBEW's apprenticeship program while working at McDonald's. The union directed her to a pre-apprenticeship program that prepares participants with the skills to compete for union apprenticeships.

Upon completing the program, Kelly has been hired as a construction wireman and applied to be an IBEW apprentice. She will be initiated next week as an IBEW member.

Asked about her experience in Washington, Kelly said she was "just trying to keep it all together" and "just have a good time."

Budzinski said she would like to hear Biden talk about workforce development, continued efforts to bring down costs and the and his thoughts on the Farm Bill, which is up for renewal this year.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
A man originally charged with murder in a 2018 shooting took a plea deal last week in Burke County Superior Court.

David Andrew Barnes, 36, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the August 2018 shooting death of 49-year-old Roger Dewayne Hoglan, said Assistant District Attorney Mitch Walker.

Walker said the altercation began when Barnes and Hoglan got into an argument at a home on Costner Road in eastern Burke County on Aug. 15.

Hoglan reportedly got in his car while Barnes was standing near the back of it, Walker said. A witness and Barnes said the victim got into the car and started to back up.

As Barnes was moving out of the way, he pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the car, Walker said. That shot ended up killing Hoglan. Barnes received hospital care for his injured foot after the incident. Barnes said the injuries were the result of Hoglan backing his vehicle over the foot, Walker said.

Barnes has no other previous convictions in North Carolina, according to a records check on the North Carolina Department of Public Safety website.

Hell end up facing a mandatory prison sentence and as a felon, wont be able to own any firearms, Walker said. Barnes is set to appear before a judge for his sentencing on March 27.
Press Release

February 8, 2023 MANIFESTATION OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON SOGIE BILL Mr. President, dear colleagues, a brief manifestation. In December last year, I was ready to sponsor this Committee Report no. 15, or an act prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Pebrero na po ngayon at tinatanong na po sa akin ng mga myembro ng LGBTQI+ community kung ano na nga ba ang nangyari sa bill. Bakit daw hindi ko pa ito inisponsor. They want to know what is happening. Madame President, I owe them an answer. And I owe them an answer in public. Here in plenary. I have been made to understand that the majority leader has obtained 19 signatures to remand the committee report to the Committee on Women because a number of pastors still want to speak. This was a couple of weeks ago. Today, I am still waiting for it to be remanded. I have no illusions that the bill will sail through this chamber quickly, and I am ready to defend it on the floor as a Sponsor defends any bill -- with arguments and logic. *What I was not ready for was for this bill to be in this kind of suspension or limbo* While I will always defer to the majority of this collegial body, perhaps some points need to be made for the historical record. *Tatalima ako pero di ako tatahimik.* Firstly, while I believe in genuine participation and consultations, the evangelical groups participated actively in our committee hearing and in the TWG. Ito po ang mga naimbitahan sa hearing at TWG at lumahok pa rin po sa hearing or TWO or pareho: United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Union Theological Seminary (UTS), Intercessors for the Philippines, Mindanao Evangelical Leaders Council, Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, Jesus is Lord, Bible Values Movement, The Lord who Cares Foundation, Living Waters Philippines, Simbahang Kristianong Lumad, Davao Region Evangelical Association Ministers, Philippines for Jesus Movement at Christian Coalition Movement. Maliban po dito ay ako po ay nakipag dialogue sa Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches bago Mag Pasko at sa aking pagtingin ay mabunga ang aming pinagusapan. Secondly, and perhaps my dear colleagues also need to hear this in open session to allay any fears that none of the recommendations of the religious groups were accepted. I already agreed on a number of concessions -- these include the explicit exemption of marriage licenses in the provision on licenses para malinaw na *this is not the bill that legalizes gay marriages,* the explicit inclusion of the principle of academic freedom and the *non-disturbance of parental responsibility in the Family Code,* and I agreed to reconsider criminal liabilities on schools that impose heteronormative uniform requirements and parents who seek medical tests to determine the SOGIESC of their children. Some of you, dear colleagues, have expressed concerns on this. Thirdly, I am willing to begin a conversation on trimming some of the criminal prohibitions. Mahalaga lang po sa akin na manatili ang pagbabawal sa 1) workplace prohibition -- dahil ito po ay karapatan natin lahat bilang mga manggagawa; 2) expulsion from schools on the basis of SOGIE - because this is not in accord with the best interest of the child; 3) discrimination in access to emergency and necessary medical services - because this is against the principles of the universal health care law and basic humanity; 4) SOGIE-based abuse against persons deprived of liberty; at 5) discrimination in access to social protection instruments gaya ng ayuda. Fourthly, we have been listening to and hearing our religious groups for 23 years among all groups. I am willing to keep on engaging and listening in good faith, and I can engage with those who speak from a place of faith and religion being a woman of faith myself. *But I was voted by the Republic to pass secular laws.* Laws that protect the least of us. Laws that reflect our commitments to international law and to human rights norms. I hope you agree with me that the oppressions that visit our LGBTQI+ community are real, documented and undeniable. Wag na sana natin ipagkait sa kanila ito. Yes we will revert the bill to committee, yes we will hold another hearing, if that is what you want, dear colleagues. But I ask this of each of you my colleagues: if you still think that the oppressions against LGBTQI people are imagined and exaggerated, reach out to a member of the community. Ask your staff who is gay. Your friend who is a lesbian. Your family member who identifies as bisexual. Ask them about the aggressions and micro-aggressions they face each day. Our God is a God of love. Of inclusion, of compassion, of lifting up those at the margins. In the words of Pope Francis, "We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity." *When we pass measures that protect those that society casts aside, we do God's work.* *To my friends in the LGBTQI+ community, I will continue to fight for you and fight with you. Love is the currency of our struggle. Love will always win.* Salamat po.
HICKORY  Hickory author Mary Ellen Snodgrass has added "Asian Women Artists: A Biographical Dictionary, 2700 BCE to Today" (McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2022) to her extensive body of reference works.

Pick a page, any page of "Asian Women Artists," and youll be introduced to a woman of courage, curiosity, and talent. The biographical dictionary spans more than 2,500 years, spotlighting 108 women with just enough well-chosen particulars about each to cause readers to say repeatedly, Somebody ought to make a movie about her.

Wool weaver, dancer, poet, freedom fighter, diplomat, beer fermenter, hymnographer, calligrapher . . . The list of abilities and contributions is long and awe-inspiring. Many pursued their passions in spite of cultural mores  some severe, never wavering from their faith in art as peacemaker and repository of beauty.

Leading the list is Leizu, a weaver and empress in Imperial China, 2700 BCE, who took notice of a silkworm exuding a fiber from its mouth and winding the thread around its body. Leizu observed a cocoon of the larva falling from a mulberry tree into a cup of tea. As steaming water killed the caterpillar and dissolved the cocoon, Leizu tugged at a loose thread. Her discovery resulted in the creation of silk material and then garments. Leizus husband, the Yellow Emperor, encouraged domestic cocoon gathering as Leizu created a reel for the threads and eventually a silk loom. Revered as the Silkworm Mother and Goddess of Silkworms, the empress became goddess of silk.

Further into the dictionary is Queen Insu, a late Middle Ages textbook author and Koreas first female author. Queen Insu endeavored to educate women of all classes, especially in regard to behavior and spiritual matters, urging them to set examples for men.

Among the 1900s and 2000s crowd is 20th-century autobiographer and orator Ani Pachen of Tibet, a Colonial Buddhist nun/chieftain and guerrilla warrior, who claimed her homeland to be the worlds roof. She evaded forced marriage; was imprisoned in the early 1950s by Chinese Communists whod slaughtered nearly half a million Tibetans and annexed the country; mapped a trail over Mount Kailash to exile in Nepal; later met with the Dalai Lama; and in poor health during her final years of life wrote her autobiography "Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior Nun."

This is not a dictionary of names with scant biographical details and quick lists of accomplishments. "Asian Women Artists" is a thoroughly researched, century-by-century study of the imaginative efforts of fascinating women and the curious times in which they lived.

Find "Asian Women Artists" at numerous locations including booksamillion.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

Snodgrass has written award-winning English and Latin textbooks and reference works for 35 years. She taught at Hickory High School and Lenoir-Rhyne University. She lives in Hickory with her husband Hugh Snodgrass, five dogs, and Arthur Pendragon Snodgrass, the family cat.
All the hoopla over the Chinese spy blimp, aka the weather balloon, brought something to mind that I havent heard about in a long while.

Anybody remember the U-2 incident? And no, I dont mean the rock band.

Francis Gary Powers was an American pilot whose Lockheed U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. Hes still a footnote to the Cold War. I havent heard his name come up among the talking heads or YouTubers or posts on Facebook. Maybe its because they cant remember or never knew about it, but when the Cold War was particularly icy, the episode was a huge deal.

Powers was a former Air Force pilot trained by the CIA to fly covert reconnaissance missions. Family members and friends believed he was a NASA weather reconnaissance pilot.

Sound familiar?

After the U-2 craft was spotted deep into Soviet territory, their military downed Powers plane in the Ural Mountains. He was captured, interrogated by the KGB and sentenced to three years in prison and seven more of hard labor. Lucky for Powers, he was exchanged for a Soviet spy after only two years of incarceration.

In the wake of the U2 incident, a conference between the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain and France was canceled, which reminds me a bit of Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponing his trip to China.

Ill admit that I was dubious when I read a friends text last week about a Chinese spy balloon sailing over the U.S. I was sure it was an internet hoax. A Chinese balloon sailing across the American continent? Are you kidding me?

Seems this airship was especially interested in atmospheric conditions around sensitive sites such as Air Force bases and missile silos.

On Friday, I heard mention of Kansas City. Then on Saturday, I looked up the whereabouts of the balloon. It had been seen hovering over Asheville, moved across North Carolina and was later shot down off Myrtle Beach.

How weird is this story? Let me put it to you this way. A week ago, nobody would have believed such a tale. Im not even sure anybody would believe this plotline if it were a TV movie.

A friend from my college days in Missouri said a man in his hometown saw the balloon sailing overhead near Interstate 70. My cousin in Illinois said that in her part of the state, everyone was on the lookout Friday. And when I was having these conversations, it never occurred to me to look overhead myself.

There are a lot of questions to be answered over last weeks balloon incident.

Critics of President Biden questioned why he did not insist that the balloon be shot down when it was hanging out in Montana, or earlier, over Alaska. And his critics want to know why a similar incident near Hawaii went unreported a while back.

Others lambasted President Trump for ignoring Chinese spy balloons that reportedly encroached on U.S. air space during his administration. Those incidents are said to have involved Texas, Florida and the U.S. territory of Guam.

When Powers was shot down in 1960, international tensions were high, as they are now. If the U-2 incident taught us anything, it was that international espionage involves both us and them.

Im not naive enough to believe that the United States doesnt conduct reconnaissance missions into China.

I hope were using something sturdier than a balloon and that we dont expect the craft to operate in plain sight for days on end.

Meanwhile, Ive read that the Chinese are upset about losing their weather balloon. After the balloon was shot down on Saturday, they issued a statement calling the action a violation of international practice and threatened repercussions.

Stay tuned.
On February 3, I watched as a Chinese weather balloon floated across America. The balloon just got away from them. The Pentagon says the balloon can be maneuvered. If we have a maneuverable Chinese weather balloon floating over America, they maneuvered it here.

This violates international law, American airspace, and American sovereignty. I'm sure the Chinese laugh at American sovereignty, because they are using the Mexican drug cartels to fill our streets with their poisonous fentanyl. They have concluded, what's the big deal? The Chinese Communist Party knows who is pumping fentanyl into America through Mexico. They know everything that happens in their country because it is a police and a surveillance state.

Perhaps the Chinese used it as a trial balloon. We always hear about situations where people are floating a trial balloon. Maybe that's what this is. They were testing our will to see how we respond. It is part of the decision process to overtake Taiwan. Since we have done very little to deter them from anything in the last couple of years, I'm sure they believe they have carte blanche for whatever they are planning next.

It is time for America to stand up. For those who are not familiar, the Chinese have plans called MIC 2025. It would be good to read about it. I believe China will move on Taiwan before the 2024 presidential election. They want to control everything we do and view balloon trespassing as a marker. This is an egregious act by a Communist government hostile toward America. The balloon can survey sensitive military installations.

Why have we done nothing before now? I guess we are no longer a real country.

Mike Zimmerman

Conover
Ann Street United Methodist Church

335 Ann St., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Randy L. Wall. In person and Facebook Live worship 11 a.m. at Ann Street Church. Sermon: Just Right, But Just Wrong. Scripture: Revelation 3:14-19.

Bethpage United Methodist Church

109 Fellowship Ave. at West C St., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Gary McDonald. Christian Education at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. Sermon: Why I Am United Methodist: Engaging GodTalk. Scripture: Luke 6:6-11.

Bogers Chapel United Methodist Church

1775 Flowes Store Road East, Concord. Pastor: Pastor Eric Shaver. Sunday School at 9 a.m. Worship in-person or Facebook at 10 a.m.

Calvary Lutheran Church

950 Bradley St., Concord. 704-782-6923. Pastor: Rev. Debbie Frye. In-person worship at 8:30 a.m. (Casual Worship) and 11 a.m. (Traditional Worship with Childrens Church). Childrens area and nursery available all times. All services live-streamed and available anytime on the Calvary Lutheran Concord YouTube channel  easy access through our website http://www.clconcord.org. Also on Sundays, 9:45 a.m. Sunday School. All are welcome. Sermon: Rest in Me.

Center United

Methodist Church

1119 Union St. S, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Tony Allen. Sunday school for In Betweens and young adults at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. Nursery is provided during the worship service. Website is www.centerumcconcord.org. Look forward to you joining us for our service! Sermon Topic: Grace that Enables. Scripture: Matthew 5:21-37.

Crossroads Church

220 George W. Liles Pkwy., Concord. Pastor: Lowell McNaney. Live worship streamed on Facebook, Crossroads Concord Church app or mycrossroads.co website at 9:30 a.m. and 11:11 a.m.

Crown Pointe

Baptist Church 703 Tennessee Street, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Doug Crawley. Sunday school at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, or view online at our Facebook page. Series: Love God  Love People. Sermon: The Greatest Example: Christ. Scripture: John 4:1-42 ESV.

Eastside Missionary Baptist Church

199 Elgin Drive, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Stephen Burrow. In person services: Sunday school, 9:30 a.m. Worship services, 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Recorded worship services and other information at EastsideMissionaryBaptist.org. You will be welcomed. Practice social distancing.

Epworth United

Methodist Church

1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Bill Roberts. Sunday school at 9 a.m., followed by worship at 10 a.m. We welcome all to join us in person, or you may livestream or watch the recorded service at our website at www.epworthnc.com. Sermon: God Gave the Growth. Scripture: I Corinthians 3:1-9.

Forest Hill United Methodist Church

265 Union St. N., Concord. Senior Pastor: Rev. Mandy Jones. Associate pastor: Rev. Wes Judy. We are open for in-person worship. Contemporary worship, 9 a.m. Sunday school/small groups, 10 a.m. Traditional worship, 11 a.m. Both the contemporary and the traditional worship services will also be live-streamed at foresthillumc.org or facebook.com/foresthillumc, in case you dont feel like being here in person.

Harmony United Methodist Church

101 White St., NW, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Thad Brown. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. followed by our worship service in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. Sermon: Talking About Jesus #6, Perseverance. Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-22; Mark 15:37-39; Hebrews 10:23-25; II Peter 2:20-22; Hebrews 10:28-32, Hebrews 10:39. We welcome you to join us in worship! Service is live on Facebook.com/HarmonyUnitedMethodistChurch. We welcome all who are unable to join us in person to worship with us online. For more information, you can call the pastors phone 704-791-2883 or the churchs phone 704-782-8237.

Jackson Park United Methodist Church

715 Mable Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor Laurie Knoespel. Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship at 10:30 a.m. Nursery will be provided during worship service.

Kirkwood Presbyterian Church 900 Klondale Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Dennis B. Craft. Worship at 11 a.m. in church sanctuary on Sundays. No mask restrictions. Sermon: The Mockery of Giants.

McGill Baptist Church

5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, in-person services. Pastor: Rev. Steve Ayers. If you have not taken the COVID-19 vaccine, please wear a mask. McGill will stream a worship service Sunday at 10 a.m. on www.facebook.com/mcgillbaptistchurch/ and on YouTube. The services will be live and also available on recording afterwards. Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. Sermon: A Deeper Truth. Scripture: Psalm 119:1-8; I Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37.

Midway United

Methodist Church

108 Bethpage Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Craig Allen. Come join us on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. for Sunday School and 10:30 a.m. for worship. Our service is also livestreamed on the web at midwayunitedmethodistchurch.org or facebook.com/midwayUMC. Sermon: Righteous Relationships. First Reading: Psalm 119:1-8. Second Reading: Matthew 5:21-37. Suggested Hymns: UMH 601, Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet; UMH 467, Trust and Obey.

Mt. Mitchell United Methodist Church

6001 Old Salisbury-Concord Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Joel Locklear. Sunday school at 10 a.m. (adult and childrens classes.) Worship at 11 a.m. in-person or Facebook. Masks are optional and social distance. If you have not taken the Covid vaccine, wear a mask.

Multiply Church Concord

150 Warren C. Coleman Blvd. N., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Douglas Witherup. 8:30 a.m. service held at 280 Concord Pkwy S., Suite 15, Concord. Services at 150 Warren C Coleman Blvd. N., are Worship and Sermon at 9:30 a.m. and Worship and Sermon at 11:15 a.m.

New Gilead Reformed Church, ECO

2400 Old Salisbury-Concord Road. 9:40 a.m., adult Bible study. 10 a.m., Sunday school. 11 a.m., worship in the sanctuary, also live on Facebook.

Oak Grove Baptist Church 200 Sims Parkway, Harrisburg. Pastor: Rev. Franklin D. Watkins. 10 a.m. In-Person Worship Service and Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Sermon: Jesus Wants To Be Your Valentine. Scripture: John 3:1-16.

Second Presbyterian Church

1578 Dale Earnhardt Blvd., Kannapolis. Pastor Sue Black, minister. Rev. Aaron Price, assistant pastor. Worship, 11 a.m. in sanctuary and on Facebook live. Sermon: Our Hearts Desire. Scripture: John 1:29-41.

St. Johns

Reformed Church 901 N. Main St., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Chris King. Sunday school for all ages, 9:30 a.m. Worship service, 10:30 a.m. Website, www.ourstjohns.org. Email/phone, ourstjohns@gmail.com / 704-932-3656. Sermon: How NOT to Worship God  Part 2. Scripture: Various Scripture texts.

Information for Sermon topics must be submitted by 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Email your topic to jstamey@independenttribune.com
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> President Biden arrived back at the White House aboard Marine One helicopter Monday after he spent all weekend at Camp David. Joe looked quite thrilled as he spoke to reporters while he walked across the South Lawn. He was holding the over-stuffed teddy bear he just won for shooting the balloon.

 President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech to a joint session of the House and Senate in the Capitol. The speech derives from the kings annual speech to Parliament. One of the surprises in last nights address was when Biden introduced the Chinese spy balloon sitting next to the First Lady.

 GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy had budget talks with President Biden last week as both sides seek ways to lower the deficit. The national debt just hit thirty-one trillion dollars and bondholders have to be getting nervous. Now China says the balloon was just performing an inspection before they foreclose.

 The State of the Union speech was telecast live Tuesday by all the major broadcast networks and cable news channels. The president opened his address to Congress by declaring that the state of the union is strong. Its always best to start your speech with a good joke to get the audience on your side.

 China vowed retribution for the U.S. shooting down their balloon and accused the U.S. of overhead surveillance of China. Its true, astronauts can see the Great Wall of China from the International Space Station. The Chinese built that wall six hundred years ago and they still dont have any Mexicans.

GET ARGUS' DAILY SMILES TO YOUR INBOX. SIGN UP FOR THE JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here.

 Black Lives Matters founder blasted Biden and Democrats for backing away on police defunding which theyd pledged during the 2020 riots. The BLM movement is communist by nature. During the BLM riots in L.A. that summer, looters broke into my apartment, looked around, then tossed me a twenty.

 Fox News asked chicken farmers for the cause of the egg shortage and they blamed the contents of Purinas new chicken feed for reducing their hens output. Dont lose hope. Tyson Foods last week posted a Colonel Sanders photo in their chicken coops and egg production tripled in just three days.

 Disney Plus is taking heat for its cartoon called Proud Family for being anti-white. It demands reparations. My Anglo-Norman ancestors indentured Saxons in 1066, stole land from the Indians in America and owned slaves but if they want anything from me, they can all get in line behind the IRS.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
President Biden delivered his third State of the Union address before a televised joint session of Congress tonight, and if you're like me  and like the great majority of Americans  you didn't bother to tune in. The days when a US president could expect to attract upward of 40 million, 50 million, or even 60 million pairs of eyeballs to his annual keynote address on Capitol Hill are over. Donald Trump managed to lure 47 million viewers when he delivered his 2019 address, but that dropped to 37 million in 2020. Biden's first two State of the Union appearances averaged an audience of 32.5 million. By contrast, when Super Bowl LVII airs Sunday, it's likely to be watched by a TV audience of 110 million or more. Americans know what they like and, for most of them, the State of the Union address  in which the president pats himself on the back, recites a long list of policy proposals unlikely to go anywhere, extols a few notable guests in the gallery, and is repeatedly interrupted by applause or ovations from members of his own party  ain't it. New to Arguable? Click here to subscribe. What should be done about a State of the Union address in which fewer and fewer Americans have any interest? My advice is to emulate the Coca-Cola Company's strategy for dealing with the widespread rejection of New Coke: Give it up as a lost cause and return to the classic product that worked so well for generations. But Josh Tyrangiel, a creator of "Vice News Tonight" for HBO, has a different idea. He thinks the State of the Union address just needs to be punched up with a little hoopla and razzmatazz. "It's way past time to integrate other media" into the president's speech, Tyrangiel wrote in a recent guest column for The New York Times. He suggests transforming the State of the Union into a high-tech theatrical production, complete with dimming the lights in the House chamber, airing short films, bringing in the secretary of state by video hookup from Kiev, and displaying graphics that will make the White House's data "dance." The president should refashion his appearance before Congress into a "meticulous storytelling machine," Tyrangiel declares. "Dare to cross the nerd Rubicon," he advises Biden. Yeah, I don't think so.

SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here.

include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?>

The imperious Woodrow Wilson revived a practice rejected by every president since Jefferson: an address to a joint session of Congress. The core problem with the State of the Union speech is that it's a speech. Not just a speech, but a quasi-royalist oratorical spectacle that symbolically obliterates the constitutional division of federal power among three coequal branches. The annual event  with the president, alone on the podium, being attended to by lawmakers, diplomats, uniformed military officers, and even Supreme Court justices in their black robes  smacks disturbingly of the British monarch's "Speech from the Throne."

None of this is appropriate for a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Presidents are obliged by Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution to provide Congress from "time to time" with information on the "state of the union" and to "recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." But nothing in the Constitution requires the chief executive to do so by speech. The first two presidents, George Washington and John Adams, did appear before Congress in person. But Thomas Jefferson, who abhorred what he called the "pompous cavalcade" to Capitol Hill, put an end to that practice. Very early in his presidency he let it be known that his first annual message to Congress, "like all subsequent ones," would be in writing.

The change was widely applauded by Jefferson's allies. US Senator Michael Leib of Pennsylvania rejoiced to see an end to "all the pomp and pageantry, which once dishonored our republican institutions. . . . Instead of an address to both houses of Congress made by a president who was drawn to the Capitol by six horses, and followed by the creatures of his nostrils, and gaped at by a wondering multitude," Leib wrote with satisfaction, "we had a message delivered by his private secretary, containing everything necessary for a great and good man to say."

Jefferson's innovation became the standard. For 112 years, every American president  Democrats, Republicans, and Whigs alike  fulfilled his constitutional obligation by dispatching an annual written report to Congress. Not only did presidents not trek to Capitol Hill, it came to be firmly understood that presidents must not intrude on congressional turf.

Then came an unfortunate development: Woodrow Wilson was elected to the White House.

The 28th president, imperious and arrogant ("Princeton's answer to Benito Mussolini," Kevin D. Williamson once called him), made no secret of his disdain for the separation of powers ordained by the Founders. With a commitment to democratic norms that was shaky at best, he maintained that the president alone represented the people. So it was not out of character when Wilson decided to disregard the understanding that Congress was off-limits to the occupant of the White House. Not since 1801 had a president gone up to Capitol Hill to harangue Congress on what he expected of them and when Wilson announced that he meant to do so, reported The Washington Post in 1913, "all official Washington was agape."

Wilson's precedent didn't take hold at once. His immediate successor, Warren G. Harding, followed Wilson's lead and delivered State of the Union speeches, but his successor, Calvin Coolidge, reverted to the time-honored practice of sending an annual message in writing. So did Herbert Hoover. Only when Franklin D. Roosevelt came along was Wilson's practice revived. The advent of television then cemented it in place. Now every president, Republican and Democrat alike, engages in this annual ritual of political self-aggrandizement. And most Americans tune it out.

Jefferson was right. An American "speech from the throne" is a sacrilege, suitable for a Caesar, a Duce, or a Sun King, perhaps, but not for the president of a democratic republic. The imperial presidency doesn't need more bells, whistles, electronic whiz-bangery. It needs more modesty and humility.

Canceling the State of the Union address would be a fine step in the right direction.

Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe, from which this is reprinted with permission."
Don't Miss

"Esther's Notebooks" by Riad Sattouf, translated from the French by Sam Taylor; Pantheon (165 pages, $30)



You might call this graphic novel a translation of a translation. Once a week for three years, cartoonist and filmmaker Riad Sattouf met with his friend's daughter Esther, who told him stories about her life, which he then translated into comic strips. Written in French, those cartoons have been translated into English by Sam Taylor.

Esther lives in Paris, and this book covers ages 9 through 12, when her life revolves around friends, school and family. Esther is an adorable character  strong-minded, curious, wary of dogs, loves her parents but sometimes rebels. She doesn't think she believes in God but she prays if something is important. ("Dear God, please cancel tomorrow's English test, I beg you, Lord.")

She imagines what it will be like to be grown up. ("I'll live in a tiny apartment with my friend Cassandra and we'll eat junk food all day and be happy.")

But she is also acutely aware of the larger world  she fears terrorist attacks, she's savvy to schoolyard bullies and their extortionist ways, she worries about politics. (If Marine Le Pen is elected president, she says, her family will move to Belgium.)
MATTOON  A dog and two cats perished in a Mattoon house fire early Wednesday.

The Mattoon Fire Department was dispatched to 705 Oklahoma Ave. around 8 a.m. Wednesday for a possible structure fire. When crews arrived they found an active fire in the single-story, single-family home, later found to be electrical in nature.

A resident of the home told fire crews that all occupants of the home were safely evacuated but the dog and cats were still inside .

Some firefighters extinguished the fire as others began a search in the home for the animals. The dog and one cat were located and resuscitation efforts were initiated, but the efforts were unsuccessful.

No civilians or firefighters were injured in the fire.

The residence is uninhabitable and the family is being assisted by the Red Cross.

Mattoon firefighters were assisted by Coles-Moultrie 911, Mattoon Police Department, Charleston Fire Department, Ameren Illinois and the Coles County Animal Shelter.

5 most common causes of reported house fires 5 most common causes of reported house fires #5. Smoking materials #4. Intentional #3. Electrical distribution and lighting equipment #2. Heating equipment #1. Cooking
CHARLESTON  David Glassman will step down from his role as Eastern Illinois University president in June, but his pay will continue to be more than that of the professors he will work alongside.

Glassman, who will continue working for the university as a tenured professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology, will earn $160,000  more than $17,000 per month  during the term of the nine-month contract. By comparison, Illinois Board of Higher Education salary data from 2021 shows Glassman will make $7,000 more than the the highest paid professor at Eastern. With that salary, he will earn 2.5 times what the only currently listed anthropology faculty member of his future department, an associate professor, made in 2021 and nearly $40,000 more than the chair of the department. His new salary will be half of his current salary, $325,412, and the $32,289 in additional compensation.

The contract was recently approved by Eastern's Board of Trustees to avoid a conflict of interest between Glassman and the person selected to succeed him as president. The board announced last week that Jay Gatrell, the university's current vice president of academic affairs, had been selected to be its 13th president.

Board chair Joyce Madigan said the contract with Glassman was intended, among other things, to help the transition into the next presidency.

"The president is the CEO of campus, so this is a way of providing assistance for the new person to know what needs to be done on a day to day basis," Madigan said.

That pay discrepancy doesn't sit well with the head of the EIU-University Professionals of Illinois union who said she was "shocked, insulted, and disgusted by Glassmans contract as negotiations for a new contract for professors and academic support professionals have stalled.

"He will be the highest paid faculty member at our university and I would like to know why he deserves that especially with the juxtaposition of us negotiating and the negotiations not going very well, union president Jennifer Stringfellow said.

Negotiations have been ongoing since March 2022. In November, the union requested the involvement of a federal mediator to assist in negotiations deemed unproductive from the unions standpoint. Glassman said his contract and union matters are unrelated. "None of this ... with my going back into faculty or salary or anything else is related to anything dealing with negotiations. Theyre just two separate things that just happen to be coinciding at the same time, but they're totally and completely unrelated, Glassman said. Stringfellow said related or not, the Glassmans contract came at a tumultuous time. "I was just shocked that they had the gall to do that at this time, Stringfellow said. "It just is such an insult to the people who have worked here for years." She added she worries about the impact the contrast of Glassman's contract versus other professors' contracts will have on members of her union and others on campus. Under the terms of his agreement, Glassman will be assigned a total of 12 credit units in the fall, which is standard for professors at Eastern. However, the makeup of his credit units will be different from other professors.

He will be assigned three units to support scholarship and creativity (research), three non-instructional units to assist with course preparation and three instructional units. He will also be assigned three non-instructional units for remaining duties for his tenure as president during the leadership transition.

The following term, his duties will be determined by his department chair in line with the EIU-University Professionals of Illinois agreement. It is unknown what his salary will be at that time.

Though he will only have three instructional credit units, Glassman said he is most looking forward to being back in the classroom.

"The primary focus of staying at the university is to be back with the students and to be back in the classroom. That's how I started my career and after 43 years of being in higher education, it only seems fitting that that's how I'll end my career, back in the classroom, Glassman said. "It gives me great joy to be with the students and I love my discipline of anthropology and sharing that with with students.

Going forward, Glassman will have the option to be a card-carrying member of UPI, though he will not have to. Either way, he will benefit from the unions negotiations as part of their bargaining unit.

"That will be an interesting conversation, to have him sign a union card to see if he wants to be an actual dues paying member of the union, Stringfellow said.

Paired with his new contract, Glassman also received an emeritus title from a unanimous Board of Trustees vote, something he believes solidifies his belonging at Eastern.

Of all the universities I've been affiliated with, this is the institution I want to be associated with, Glassman said. "Its the institution I want people to think of me in connection to and so to be emeritus of EIU is very, very special to me.

Glassman said being awarded the emeritus title shows him that the institution appreciates the work he did as president.

"This is my home. This is where my heart is, Glassman said. The emeritus will go on, forever, you know, it's always this, this is, this is where I belong.

Glassman has served as EIU's 12th president since June 2015. He announced his retirement in October 2021.

Stringfellow said she knows the draw Eastern has all too well and understands why Glassman would want to stay at the university.

"I can understand why he wants to teach at this university. It's a great place, it has been a great place and I wish that it would continue to be a great place, Stringfellow said. "Part of the way that that could be demonstrated is through negotiating a fair and equitable contract for all of the faculty members on this university campus.

Overall, she said she hopes the contract inspires the board to vote in favor of a contract that the union believes is fair.

If he believes that what he got from the Board of Trustees, and I would say this to the Board of Trustees as well, if you believe that that is an equitable contract, then I would hope that you would understand that the rest of us deserve an equitable contract as well, Stringfellow said.

20 artists who played at Eastern Illinois University  The Carpenters The 5th Dimension Ted Nugent Styx Sly and the Family Stone REO Speedwagon Kool and the Gang Kansas James Taylor James Brown Howie Day Goo Goo Dolls Foreigner Creedence Clearwater Revisited Counting Crows Commodores Ciara Cheap Trick Bachman Turner Overdrive Aerosmith
Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to pay $300 million in cash as part of a settlement with shareholders addressing a federal class-action lawsuit filed in 2018.

The Construction Laborers Pension Trust for Southern California led the class action lawsuit brought on behalf of an estimated hundreds of thousands of investors.

The settlement also involves former Wells Fargo chief executive Timothy Sloan.

A trial had been scheduled to begin Feb. 27.

According to the settlement, the $300 million represents between 31% and 47% of the estimated aggregate damages in this case.

It is an excellent result for the class and falls significantly above the typical range of percentage recoveries, the filing said. This settlement is thus exceptional.

On an absolute basis, it will likely rank within the top 100 largest settlements obtained to date in a securities fraud class action.

Wells Fargo said in a statement that while we disagree with the allegations in this case, we are pleased to have resolved this legacy issue.

The settlement, which alleged violations of the Federal Securities Laws, requires court approval, which could come as soon as March 22.

The settlement funds will be placed in an escrow account within 10 days of the final settlement approval.

Key details

The plaintiffs claimed they were damaged by the bank when they purchased or acquired Wells Fargos common stock during the class-action period of Nov. 3, 2016, to Aug. 3, 2017.

According to the settlement, the plaintiffs alleged that during that period, (Wells Fargo) made materially false or misleading statements in violation of federal Securities law.

Those statements caused the price of Wells Fargo stock to trade at artificially inflated prices.

In late October 2016, the share price was around $46. The share price reached upward of more than $58 before closing the period in August 2017 at around $51.

The key element to the complaint was plaintiffs accusations that Wells Fargo improperly force placed unneeded collateral protection insurance on hundreds of thousands of its customers and failed to refund unearned guaranteed auto protection premiums to tens of thousands of customers.

Force-placed insurance is defined by the N.Y. Insurance Department as a policy placed by a lender, bank or loan servicer when the property owners own insurance is canceled, has lapsed or is deemed insufficient, and the borrower does not secure a replacement.

For nearly 25,000 customers, the end result was repossession of their car.

According to the Financial Web website, collateral-protection insurance is defined as a policy that protects auto-loan lenders from financial losses resulting from having to pay claims when the vehicle owner does not have auto insurance.

CPI allows lenders to cover the claims without losing any money.

In most cases, the insurance cost is built into the borrowers loan, sometimes without the borrowers knowledge, as it appears may have been the case with Wells Fargo customers.

The lead plaintiff alleged the bank knew of these issues, but never disclosed them to investors or the public.

The facts did not come to light until they were published by the New York Times in July 2017.

Lead plaintiff alleged that persons who purchased Wells Fargo stock during the class period suffered economic losses when the price of Wells Fargo stock declined as a result of two alleged corrective disclosures that revealed the issues to investors.

Related settlement

In January 2019, Wells Fargo agreed to pay at least $386 million to settle a 2017 class-action lawsuit addressing its auto collateral-protection insurance practices.

The amount was more than six times the $64 million that Wells Fargo initially agreed to pay in July 2017 to settle the lawsuit.

As this litigation has shown, Wells Fargos 2017 remediation plan was woefully inadequate and ultimately represented only a fraction of the benefit the settlement confers on customers, according to the filing.

National General Insurance Co. agreed to pay $7.5 million for its role with the products. Both parties denied wrongdoing.

That class-action period was Oct. 15, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2016  the latter date being a couple of weeks after Wells Fargos fraudulent customer-account scandal surfaced that has affected at least 3.5 million retail customers.

Wells Fargo said in a January 2019 statement that reaching this agreement, which leverages remedies available in our existing remediation plan, is an important step in making things right for customers impacted by this issue.

The settlement said the scheme worked like this:

Wells Fargo would purchase CPI from National General or its predecessors, and then force-place the insurance on auto loan borrowers accounts.

Wells Fargo would assess a full years worth of CPI charges against the borrowers account, and then charge monthly interest on the premium before applying payments to a customers principal loan balance.

That payment mechanism, according to the filing, ensured that the bank was paid for the CPI charges first, which left some customers delinquent on their auto loan payment.

There also was an unearned commission tacked onto the costs bore by customers.

On Dec. 21, Wells Fargo announced agreeing to a record $3.7 billion settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The settlement involves $1.7 billion in fines and more than $2 billion in redress and compensation to customers.

The CFPB enforcement action is just the latest in a series of regulatory and other federal fines and consent orders for Wells Fargo since its fraudulent customer-account scandal erupted in September 2016.

During that time period, total regulatory penalties have added up to at least $11.44 billion.

The CFPB described Wells Fargo as a repeat offender that has been the subject of multiple enforcement actions by the CFPB and other regulators for violations across its lines of business, including faulty student loan servicing, mortgage kickbacks, fake accounts, and harmful auto loan practices.

Wells Fargo responded to the CFPB settlement by saying it resolved multiple matters, the majority of which have been outstanding for several years, related to automobile lending, consumer deposit accounts and mortgage lending.
Press Release

February 8, 2023 Zubiri, Legarda to lead RCEP ratification Presiding over the resumption of the Senate deliberations on its concurrence on the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda shared the frustration of farmers, who are among the direct stakeholders of currently the world's biggest free trade pact. During the public hearing conducted by a special subcommittee under the Committee on Foreign Relations, Legarda assured that farmers' issues are heard and answered by the concerned agencies. "The Senate leadership is one with you. Iisa-isahin ano ang issue ninyo at didinggin ng lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno. Ito ba'y nasa probisyon ng RCEP? Ito ba'y talagang makakasama? O baka may panukalang batas na dapat gawin para masolusyunan ang inyong concerns. Kami po ay nandito para sa inyo," she said. Among the issues raised by agricultural groups that expressed opposition to the country's move to participate in the RCEP is that a free trade agreement among its member economies would lower the tariffs on certain products, leading to an increase in imported food products. They said this does not protect the Philippines' agricultural produce as it would bring down local prices and eventually harm local farmers' earnings. Moreover, they said there are already existing free trade agreements with RCEP member countries. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Fred Pascual defended RCEP and assured that the government would continue to provide the needed support and level the playing field to help equip and sharpen the capacity of local businesses. "RCEP provides a framework of rules and disciplines to ensure regulatory consistency, creating a conducive business environment that is key to ensuring the confidence of the business sector and spurring further economic growth," he explained. "While we recognize the concerns raised by some sectors, it is important to understand the bigger picture and view RCEP in terms of the opportunities it can bring to us," Sec. Pascual furthered. Legarda stressed she is one with the farmers being a farmer herself, but also considers the benefits that the country could get from RCEP. "Ramdam ko kayo at pinag-aaralan ko ito. On the other hand, naiintindihan ko rin kasi hindi tayo puwedeng maiwanan sa ASEAN," she said. After hearing the farmers' concerns and the government's side, Legarda stated that the stakeholders would be consulted to help draft the guidelines, which will be part of the Senate's concurrence to the agreement's ratification. She said she would add environmental and sustainability provisions in the guidelines since those are not included in the RCEP rules. With the support of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri who attended the hearing, a special oversight committee shall likewise be created. It will be in charge of overseeing the implementation of the guidelines and ensuring that the concerned government agencies are giving the needed support to the farmers and other sectors. "Gagawa tayo ng guidelines, policies, programs, funding, resources, commitments, and oversight that will ensure that the agencies who negotiated for this -- [the DA] who are mandated to bring about a robust agricultural sector, and the DTI to bridge the trade deficit -- will do better than better, will do their best," Legarda said. RCEP members include the ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and five of its major trading partners, including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. The regional pact is said to open a wide range of market opportunities for investors, particularly in export-oriented enterprises, and further promote the economic efficiency of its member states. Only the Philippines has yet to complete the ratification process among the 15 signatory economies.
An attorney for a death-row inmate argued to the N.C. Supreme Court Wednesday that the removal of all the Black potential jurors by the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office demonstrated a pattern of racial discrimination in her clients 1996 trial.

Elizabeth Hambourger of Durham, the attorney for Russell William Tucker, told the nine-justice panel that a prosecutor used a handout to give his reasons removing the Black jurors.

If a prosecutor is asked to give reasons, they should be very easy to give, Hambourger said. They should not be able to read those reasons off a piece of paper that was prepared by someone else presumedly months or years prior to this trial.

A prosecutor reading from the handoff is a pretext to racial discrimination, Hambourger said.

Tucker, 56, of Winston-Salem, is on death row in Central Prison in Raleigh after a jury convicted him in February 1996 of first-degree murder in the death of Maurice Travone Williams.

Prosecutors allege Tucker fatally shot Williams, 23, a security guard at a Kmart store on University Parkway, on Dec. 8, 1994. Williams was shot in the chest after authorities said Tucker walked out of the Kmart store. Williams believed Tucker had stolen clothes.

Hambourger is asking the N.C. Supreme Court to review a decision by Judge Stuart Albright of Forsyth Superior Court. Albright rejected Tuckers recent appeal. The states highest court will issue a decision later this year.

In the 58-minute hearing, Hambourger argued in favor of Tucker while Danielle Elder, a special deputy attorney general, told the justices that Tuckers claims of racial discrimination in his jury selection lacked legal standing.

State prosecutors have argued in court papers that race was not a factor in jury selection in Tuckers case and that the handout, a training document, was meant only to remind prosecutors across North Carolina that they are not to use race.

Hambourger said that the racial discrimination practiced by the trials prosecutors mirrors the racial bias that is present in the United States, North Carolina and Forsyth County.

Hambourger pointed to the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision called Batson v. Kentucky, which prohibited racial discrimination in jury selection.

In criminal cases, prosecutors and defense attorneys have a certain number of peremptory challenges that they can use to remove a juror without stating a reason. But if criminal defense attorneys suspect that prosecutors are using race to get rid of potential jurors, they can make a challenge based on the U.S. Supreme Court case.

A judge would then offer prosecutors a chance to provide a race-neutral reason for why they got rid of a particular juror.

Thats what happened in Tuckers case, when a Forsyth County prosecutor used peremptory challenges to remove five potential Black jurors. Tuckers attorneys challenged the removals but a judge accepted prosecutors reasons.

In her argument Wednesday, Elder described the actions that led to Tuckers murder conviction.

Tucker was approached by Williams and another store employee who suspected Tucker had stolen merchandise from the store, Elder said. Tucker then fired at both men, killing Williams and narrowly missing the other employee.

Tucker ran from the scene and through the stores parking lot where he was confronted by two Winston-Salem police officers. Tucker fired his gun, hitting both officers and wounding one of them.

Tucker later admitted to shooting the men, Elder said.

The appeal of Racial Justice Act, which allowed inmates to challenge their death sentences based on allegations of racial bias, makes Tuckers claim of racial discrimination legally invalid, Elder said.

The defendant (Tucker) has had many opportunities over the various years to reassert his unsuccessful Batson challenges , Elder said. He has failed to do so.
The N.C. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in the case of a death-row inmate who alleges that Forsyth County prosecutors used a training document to make up non-racial reasons to remove potential Black jurors in his trial 27 years ago.

Russell William Tucker, 56, formerly of Winston-Salem, is on death row in Central Prison in Raleigh after a jury convicted him in February 1996 of first-degree murder in the death of Maurice Travone Williams. Prosecutors alleged that Tucker fatally shot Williams, a security guard at a Kmart store on University Parkway, on Dec. 8, 1994. Williams was shot in the chest after authorities said Tucker walked out of the Kmart store. Williams believed Tucker had stolen clothes.

Tuckers attorneys, Elizabeth Hambourger and Mark Pickett, are asking the N.C. Supreme Court to review a decision by Judge Stuart Albright of Forsyth Superior Court. Albright rejected Tuckers recent appeal. The states highest court will issue a decision later this year.

Jonathan Babb, an attorney for the N.C. Department of Justice, couldnt be reached Wednesday for comment.

State prosecutors have argued in court papers that race was not a factor in jury selection in Tuckers case and that the training document was meant only to remind prosecutors across North Carolina that they are not to use race.

The exclusion of Black people from juries is a long-standing problem in North Carolina stretching back to the days of Jim Crow, said Gretchen M. Engel, executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, which represents Tucker.

But rarely is the evidence so clear as in Mr. Tuckers case, Engel said. The prosecutor cited vague and nonsensical justifications to remove one Black citizen after another from the jury, belittling them in open court and denying them the right to serve in a life-and-death trial.

Hambourger said Wednesday that Tuckers jury was selected through a discriminatory process.

The prosecutors removed all of the Black citizens from the jury, and when Mr. Tuckers lawyers objected, the prosecutors used a pre-prepared list of reasons  a cheat sheet  to obscure their discriminatory intent, Hambourger said. The merits of this claim have never been heard by any court because the lower court said the claim should have been raised earlier, even though the cheat sheet did not come to light until many years after the trial.

We are asking the court to lift that procedural bar and consider the underlying claim, Hambourger said. We argue that this discrimination entitles Mr. Tucker to a new trial.

Tuckers attorneys point to a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision called Batson v. Kentucky, which prohibited racial discrimination in jury selection.

In criminal cases, prosecutors and defense attorneys have a certain number of peremptory challenges that they can use to remove a juror without stating a reason. But if criminal defense attorneys suspect that prosecutors are using race to get rid of potential jurors, they can make a challenge based on the U.S. Supreme Court case.

A judge would then offer prosecutors a chance to provide a race-neutral reason for why they got rid of a particular juror.

Thats what happened in Tuckers case, when a Forsyth County prosecutor used peremptory challenges to remove five potential Black jurors. Tuckers attorneys challenged the removals but a judge accepted prosecutors non-racial reasons.
The leaders of the Winston-Salem Police Department and the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office say they are committed to reducing local violent crime, but they need residents help to achieve that goal.

More than 200 people gathered Tuesday at the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church on Northampton Drive to attend the citys gun violence community briefing.

Barbara Burke, who represents the Northeast Ward on the Winston-Salem City Council, led the briefing in a response to the nine homicides that happened last month in the city.

Police Chief William Penn told the audience that he gets phone calls every night when there is a shooting or violent act in Winston-Salem.

Im praying that is not one my officers injured or no one from the community is injured, Penn said. Every one of our children (has) a right to dream and try to fulfill that dream.

Children must learn to resolve their conflicts peacefully, Penn said.

However, there are about 390 million guns in the country, and children must decide not to use a gun in their lives, Penn said.

The police department is committed to keeping the local community safe, Penn said. Officers can intervene with people who have made a mistake and help them live productive lives in the community, he said.

The Winston-Salem Police Department works with the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office and the Kernersville Police Department as well as state and federal law enforcement agencies and state and federal prosecutors to reduce violent crime within the city, Penn said.

Before the briefing started, organizers brought a casket to the front of the churchs sanctuary, and a hearse was parked in front of the church at 4129 Northampton Drive.

This is the end result of gun violence, said Greg Cain, a funeral director at Russell Funeral Home.

During the briefing, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Adams said the citys police department and city officials cannot reduce local gun violence by themselves.

We didnt get here overnight, Adams said.

Most of the homicides locally and nationwide happened in African American and Hispanic communities, Adams said.

Weve got to take back our communities, Adams said.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. said that his agency will continue working with the police department and other law enforcement organizations to reduce gun violence in Winston-Salem.

People in the city pay taxes, so they should have access to the sheriffs office, Kimbrough said.

Mayor Allen Joines told the audience that local governmental and social programs are addressing the issue, but young people need to help in the effort.

Its the most important issue facing our community, Joines said.

Winston-Salem is among the U.S. cities and towns that are coping with an uptick in gun violence and homicides in the past three years.

Joines pointed to the CURE (Communities United for Revitalization and Engagement) program, Winston-Salem Police Foundation and the citys poverty reduction effort and a scholarship program.

CURE is an alliance of neighborhood association representatives and community stakeholders, according to a city document. The program received $200,000 in the citys budget for fiscal year 2022.

Counselors have been hired to go into city neighborhoods to work with young people, Joines said.

David Moore, of Winston-Salem, told the crowd that he provides job training to young people to help them learn skills in car maintenance and repair.

Moore said more job-training programs are needed to keep young people away from crime and provide them with hope to live productive lives.

PHOTOS: Winston-Salem Gun Violence Community Briefing
Its Wednesday. Dont panic - yet - but wintry mix is in the mix for Sunday.

Talk about soft landings.

Tanned, rested and ready - to borrow a phrase from days gone by - former U.S. Sen. Richard Burr didnt waste time finding a new gig.

Burr, who before his lengthy tenure in Congress sold appliances and lawn equipment, has joined a global law firms regulatory and government affairs practice.

According to a statement put out by DLA Piper - a firm with lawyers in 40 countries, Burr will be the chairman of the firms health policy consulting group, where in all likelihood he will offer insight on life sciences and health-care companies in a rapidly changing policy landscape and significant regulatory and political uncertainty.

Whatever that means.

Could be that, between tee times, the former senator will keep tabs with friends and former colleagues in Washington. And that type of water cooler talk should prove valuable for companies willing to pay for educated guesses and heads-ups about trends and potential changes to the law.

Its neither illegal nor surprising in the least to hear about former lawmakers of both parties who step into golden parachutes.

And remember this is the same Congress who cant see its way clear to ban stock trading for members while in office.

Burr, you might recall, was subject to an investigation following the news that hed dumped in February 2020 tens of thousands of his familys equity holdings before the coronavirus shut down the global economy.

He was not charged with breaking any laws, of course.

Still, a sworn affidavit of an FBI special agent offered to help convince a federal judge to permit a search of Burrs phone - a request that was granted, by the way, showed that the Justice Department had reason to think Burr had committed insider trading and securities fraud.

A timeline laid out by the FBI in that affidavit shows a string of calls and texts between the then-senator and family members that took place the same day as hundreds of thousands in stock were sold before the market took a header.

Again, no charges were filed. But thats not quite the same thing as a blanket declaration of innocence. But it is enough cover to help guarantee future opportunities.

Still, after the harrowing experience of being investigated by the feds, it is nice to see that a millionaire former senator was able to land on his feet.

The ag secretary?

GREENSBORO - See that State of the Union address?

Somehow we managed to miss it, too. Two hours of our lives wed never get back.

In a tired but time-honored tradition, the president, the vice president and Cabinet members will fan out across 20 states this week to reinforce whatever it was that Biden was pushing.

Infrastructure? Jobs? Heckling?

Anyhow, North Carolina gets Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack who will discuss grants for smarter production.

Which stands to reason since the Department of Agriculture announced last year an $1.9 million grant to establish an Agriculture Business Innovation Center on campus at N.C. A&T State University.

Community forum

WINSTON-SALEM - Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough of the Forsyth County Sheriffs office is scheduled to hold a community forum at 6 p.m. this evening at the Walkertown Public Library.

Its the second in a series of such forums designed as sort of a listening tour.

Coming on the heels of a similar meeting held Tuesday night by City Council Member Barbara Burke to discuss crime and violence - again - it perhaps wont come as a surprise that Kimbrough, too, will reiterate a message pleading for community engagement to curb gun crime.

Nine - count em nine - killings in Winston-Salem in January made for the bloodiest start to the year in recent memory.

Frustrated cops, in another message that bears repeating, continue to ask with little success for members of the community with information on killings to pass it along.
Former U.S. Sen. Richard Burr didnt need very long to transition into a new professional career, joining the global law firm of DLA Piper.

The firm said Tuesday that Burr, of Winston-Salem, will work with the firms Regulatory and Government Affairs practice group as a principal policy adviser.

The Republican retired from Congress in January after serving five terms in the U.S. House and three terms in the U.S. Senate.

Under congressional rules, Burr cannot lobby his former Senate colleagues for two years.

Burr spent much of his time in Congress preferring a lower profile even as he took leadership roles in key Senate public health, finance and foreign intelligence committees.

Burr will join the firm with a team of policy advisers that will supplement its legal, policy, economic, medical and technological attorneys and advisers in the health care and life sciences field.

Among the advisers are Margaret Martin, the committees former senior adviser of health policy, and Michael Sorensen, Burrs former director of operations.

We are excited to join DLA Piper and help clients navigate the funding, regulation, policy and political landscape of the health care system, from drug development to patient care, Burr said in a statement.

Burr said his team will provide unparalleled insight and strategic advice at a time of regulatory and political uncertainty.

In addition to the draw of DLA Pipers strong platform, its expansive global footprint is one of the reasons we chose the firm, Burr said. Life sciences is global by every nature, and this allows us to build a roadmap to advise clients no matter where theyre doing business.

Burrs duties will include being chairman of the firms Health Policy Strategic Consulting practice to provide policy advice, strategic consulting and a wide range of related services to life sciences and health care clients.

Political analysts say much of Burrs accomplishment in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate were of the behind-the-scenes variety in terms of crafting and introducing legislation and building and maintaining bipartisan coalitions to get policies enacted.

Burr served as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Burrs legislative accomplishments include the 1997 FDA Modernization Act, the Pandemic All Hazards Preparedness Act, which created the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

Burr also served as chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee and as a prominent member of the Senate Finance Committee.

The addition of Senator Burr is yet another way the firm is further distinguishing and refining its service offerings and capabilities in the life sciences and health care sectors with the aim of keeping our clients advised of whats around the corner, said Frank Ryan, DLA Pipers Americas chair, global co-chairman and global co-chief executive.

Senator Burr and his team will offer strategic advice based on institutional knowledge, political intelligence, and a nuanced understanding of marketplace conditions in a complex global economy.

Defining legacy?

Burrs legacy in Congress is likely to be remembered for three high-profile developments over the past three years.

Burr was one of seven Republican senators who voted on Feb. 13, 2021, to convict Trump based on Trumps actions and statements linked to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by thousands of Trump supporters.

Burr was subject to criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike following media reports on his actions after attending a joint Jan. 24, 2020, Senate Health and Foreign Relations committee briefing on COVID-19.

The briefing included the director of the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Burr told members of the well-connected the Tar Heel Circle, a nonpartisan group comprised of business leaders and entities, that the novel coronavirus would have dire effects on the U.S. economy and population, likening it to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that left millions dead, according to a secret recording obtained by NPR.

Burrs comments carried significant weight in part because he is author of the federal Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006.

Burr has been the subject of multiple federal investigations into allegations of insider stock trading, of which the U.S. Justice Department ended in January 2021 by apparently declining to bring charges.

In May 2020, Burr resigned as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in a ripple effect from the controversy.

In September 2022, a less-redacted version of a federal court filing showed Burr and his wife avoided a loss of at least $87,000 as a result of well-timed stock sales in February 2020 and profited by at least $164,000.

On Jan. 6, Burr said the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken no action against him involving an insider-trading investigation related to February 2020 stock trades and the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am glad to have this matter in the rearview mirror as I begin my retirement from the Senate following nearly three decades of public service, Burr said.
Legislation that would allow civilian investigators to handle minor traffic accidents has been reintroduced, this time allowing such investigators to be used by cities statewide.

Senate Bill 77, titled Cities/Civilian Traffic Investigators, was filed Tuesday by Sen. Paul Lowe, D-Forsyth.

The House version of the legislation, House Bill 140, was filed Feb. 16 with primary sponsors including Reps. John Faircloth and Jon Hardister, both R-Guilford, and Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth.

The bills would allow cities to hire and utilize those investigators to address accidents involving only property damage, including authority to have a vehicle towed or removed from the accident site if it is obstructing a public street or highway.

Lowe filed a bill during the 2022 session that would have allowed just Winston-Salem to hire those investigators. That bill was not heard in committee.

The new bill would allow such investigators across the state.

On Feb. 15, Senate Bill 117 was filed that would allow similar civilian investigators for just Asheville and Wilmington.

The civilian traffic investigators bill was included in the City Councils 2023 legislative priorities package, which was approved by council on Nov. 14, city attorney Angela Carmon said. Senator Lowe filed Senate Bill 77 at the request of the city.

Winston-Salem has said it has a shortage of law-enforcement officers.

Moving routine traffic accidents to civilians would allow sworn officers to handle more serious crimes, city manager Lee Garrity said in June.

Lowe said he introduced SB77 as a public bill because there are other municipalities that would like the same thing as well as Winston-Salem.

During the 2022 session, six local bills were filed to allow for those investigators: Asheville and Raleigh combined on one bill, while there were separate bills filed for Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham, Greenville and Wilmington.

Local bills are not subject to a governors veto.

Main SB77 details

According to SB77, a report completed by a civilian traffic investigator shall be treated the same as if it were completed by a law enforcement officer.

However, only law enforcement would be able to investigate a crash involving alcohol, personal injury or a fatality.

Each civilian investigator required to attend a training program designed by the city in consultation with the N.C. Justice Academy.

Civilian traffic investigators would be issued credentials, but no badges or weapons, by the city. They would wear a uniform color substantially different in color and style from a local police officer.

The civilian traffic investigator would be required to produce those credentials when requested by a member of the public involved in or a witness to a crash.

Their vehicle may have emergency equipment and lights installed, but shall not use blue lights in any manner or form. Red and amber lights are permissible.

Previous bills

There were two local bills that cleared the N.C. House during the 2022 session involving civilian traffic investigators, only to be shelved by Senate Republican leadership.

House Bill 303 would have allowed the city of Greensboro to hire those individuals, along with amending the Greensboro city charter to authorize creating a small business enterprise program.

House Bill 1011 would have permitted only the city of Greenville to utilize those investigators.

The main objection to the 2022 bills appeared to be language that would have allowed those civilians to issue citations.

According to state statute 20-166.1, if a motor vehicle accident happens in a city or town, drivers are required to call the local police department.

If the accident occurs outside a city or town, drivers must call the N.C. Highway Patrol or the county sheriffs office.

The Wilmington Police Department began using two civilian traffic investigators in 2008, according to a 2018 Spectrum News report. The report said the two investigators had averaged more than 1,000 accidents every year through at least 2017.

The Fayetteville Police Department operates with a similar civilian traffic investigator authority.

Civilian traffic investigators in Fayetteville and Wilmington are not allowed to write citations, nor authorized to arrest or issue criminal processes.

SB77 also would not allow those investigators to issue criminal processes.

Rep. Sarah Stevens, R-Wilkes and chairwoman of Judiciary 2, said in June that the citation language represents a pretty significant leap for a program that has been experimental anyway.

Stevens said she wants more input from the state Department of Public Safety and the Fayetteville and Wilmington police departments before supporting any expanded authority of civilian traffic investigators.
The first potential test of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper veto powers in the 2023 session will get its first N.C. House committee presentation Wednesday.

House Bill 40, titled Prevent Rioting and Civil Disorder, would increase the penalties for demonstrators who engage in violent protests.

House speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, has taken the rare role as main bill sponsor.

Moore and other Republicans have said HB40s language would more forcefully hold criminals accountable for their actions.

Critics have said HB40 could target the Black Lives Matter movement and would impede the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly of state residents.

HB40 also has Rep. Shelly Willingham, D-Edgecombe, as one of three primary co-sponsors.

Willinghams support is pivotal given that House Republicans need at least one Democrat vote at full attendance to achieve the 72 votes necessary to override a governors veto.

HB40 is nearly word for word as House Bill 805, which cleared the General Assembly in August 2021, only to be vetoed by Cooper on Sept. 10, 2021.

Moore said before the 2023 session began that HB40 would not only be reintroduced, but likely fast-tracked. It was filed Feb. 1.

HB40 is set to be heard in House Judiciary 2 at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The House Rules and Operations committee has the bill listed on its agenda for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

This common-sense bill simply enforces harsher penalties for the perpetrators of violence and looting, while also preserving every North Carolinians right to protest peacefully, Moore said in a statement after filing HB40.

Moore pushed the bill that was a legislative response to rioting and looting that took place in Raleigh in 2020 amid frustration over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Black Lives Matter-Winston-Salem, the N.C. NAACP, Emancipate North Carolina, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina and Democracy North Carolina opposed HB805.

Bill details

Under North Carolinas legislation, anyone who engaged in a riot would face felony charges if more than $1,500 in property damage happens or if people suffer serious injuries or death.

HB40 provides punishments against offenders who assaulted emergency personnel, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses and members of N.C. National Guard.

The bill also would allow business owners to recover triple the amount of property damage or the cost of personal injuries caused by rioters and looters.

Cooper said in his veto message for HB805 that people who commit crimes during riots and at other times should be prosecuted and our laws provide for that.

But this legislation is unnecessary and is intended to intimidate and deter people from exercising their constitutional rights to peacefully protest.

Moore called Coopers veto of HB805 a slap in the face to the small business owners and residents of cities and towns across this state that were damaged by lawless riots.

Still, a veto override vote of HB805 was not attempted the rest of the 2021-22 sessions.

When Republicans had super-majorities in both chambers during the 2017-18 sessions, Cooper had 23 of 28 vetoes overridden.

By comparison, during the 2019-22 sessions, Cooper vetoed 47 bills with none overridden.

Willingham perspective

Willingham, a police officer in Washington, D.C. in the late 1960s and early 1970s, discussed his co-primary sponsorship support of HB40 with the News & Observer of Raleigh.

Although Williamson said he recognizes the stiff opposition to the bills language from civil rights organizations and advocates, his decision to support HB40 was an easy one and that he would vote to override the governors veto.

Willingham told the Raleigh newspaper he feels strongly that there is never a reason to destroy property or hurt others, including law enforcement officers, and that those who do so should be held responsible.

I know that most of the people that come out and demonstrate or march, or whatever, theyre doing it in a peaceful way and they have the right attitude as to why theyre out there, Willingham said. But, I also know that its always possible for that element on the side to take advantage of legitimate protests, and turn it into something else.

Early test

HB40 is likely to be the first of many occasions over the next two years when the governor is going to face a difficult choice, said John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest University who is a national expert on state legislatures.

The choice will be whether to issue a veto and put pressure on Democratic house members to back his veto  and perhaps without success  or whether to allow measures to become law, with or without his signature, and save his veto for another day, Dinan said.

On some occasions, he may well issue a veto and see what happens with a possible override.

Mitch Kokai, senior policy analyst with conservative think tank John Locke Foundation, said Moore has considered the numbers when he enlisted Rep. Willingham to co-sponsor the bill.

House leaders would need to ensure they do nothing to change the bill in a way that would lose Willinghams support, Kokai said. That makes him a key player as the debate moves forward.

If this measure reaches Cooper later in the year, his response might depend on how well he is working with Republicans on the budget or other high-priority items, Kokai said.
A burglar pried open the door at the east Lincoln Dunkin' location early Wednesday morning and emptied the doughnut shop's safe before employees arrived for work at around 5 a.m., according to police.

The break-in at the coffee spot formerly known as Dunkin' Donuts happened sometime before 4:54 a.m., when arriving employees called police to report the break-in at the chain's 84th and O street location, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.

Surveillance video from the business showed an unknown party pry the back door open before doing the same to the safe and leaving with the contents, Vollmer said.

Police in Lincoln generally don't disclose how much money businesses lose in burglaries.

An investigation into the break-in is ongoing.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will soon begin looking at how to trim roughly $13 million from its budget to address a revenue shortfall caused by declining enrollment.

This year's budget shortfall follows a $10.7 million revenue gap from the 2021-22 fiscal year also caused by a drop in the number of students enrolled.

Chancellor Ronnie Green told the UNL Faculty Senate on Tuesday the previous year's budget shortfall was solved without any noticeable adjustments to operations because of cost reductions put into place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Green, who will retire at the end of the school year, said UNL should be able to close this year's budget gap without eliminating any programs, as has been considered in previous years.

The chancellor did not rule out reducing UNL's workforce, however.

"We are deep in the planning phase for how we'll make budget adjustments to solve the revenue shortfall we currently have," Green said.

Some of the budget woes could be helped by a bump in enrollment heading into the 2023-24 school year this fall, he added. UNL is predicting "some growth" in the number of students at the state's flagship campus.

Any positive growth would reverse two years of enrollment losses that have largely reflected the higher education environment across the country in the wake of the pandemic.

The state's largest public university saw a 2.6% drop in enrollment in the 2021-22 school year, as well as a 2.7% decline this year to 23,805 students, the lowest reported at UNL since 2008.

Across the entire NU system, including campuses in Lincoln, Omaha, Kearney and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, enrollment for the fall 2022 semester was at its lowest level since 2009.

For the spring 2023 semester, UNL recorded 22,272 students during a census taken last week  a number Green said is "where we expect to be in the spring relative to where our enrollment was in the fall."

Green told the Faculty Senate on Tuesday the university anticipated a modest increase in state appropriations from the Legislature this session, as well as a conservative approach to budgeting from central administration moving ahead.

NU requested a 3% increase in state funding for each of the next two school years; Gov. Jim Pillen, a former member of the NU Board of Regents, proposed 2% growth in his budget recommendation.

With Pillen focusing on expanding state investment into K-12 education, Green said he thinks "that's going to be a challenging appropriations process to get anything beyond that 2%."

NU President Ted Carter and Vice President for Business and Finance Chris Kabourek will update regents on the proposed budget during the board's first meeting of 2023 scheduled for this Friday.

The board will also hear a presentation from Speaker of the Legislature John Arch.

Regents will meet at 9 a.m. at Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege St.

The NU Board of Regents will set its budget for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years in June after the Legislature approves its two-year budget.

In other news, Green also said UNL has raised $840 million as part of the "Only in Nebraska" campaign. The campaign, launched publicly last fall, has a goal of raising $3 billion to support the NU system.

The chancellor said the total raised so far puts UNL ahead of schedule to reach its $1.5 billion goal.

Photos: Historic UNL buildings University of Nebraska-Lincoln buildings; Architectural Hall UNL CBA building UNL Temple Building UNL Morrill Hall Cather Hall, Pound Hall Teachers College Brace Laboratory Brace Hall University of Nebraska astronomical observatory UNL Architecture Hall University of Nebraska-Lincoln buildings; Architectural Hall Cather Hall, Pound Hall University of Nebraska-Lincoln buildings; Architectural Hall
Margaret Reist Local government reporter Margaret Reist is a recovering education reporter now writing about local and county government and the people who live in the city where she was born and raised. Follow Margaret Reist Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Lincoln Parks and Recreation officials hope $6 million in federal stimulus money will help build a 6-acre park in the South Haymarket.

The park, planned on land adjacent to the railroad lines near Arena Drive and N Street, is a key part of the South Haymarket redevelopment plans and will be anchored by a $47.5 million office, apartment and retail building being developed by the East Downtown Development Corp., or EaDo.

Parks and Recreation officials applied for the grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, which is using part of the $335 million appropriated by Justin Waynes LB1024 last year to help underserved parts of the state. There's up to $10 million available for Lincoln projects in this particular grant program.

On Monday, the City Council passed a resolution supporting the grant. The mayor, several Lincoln state senators and U.S. Congressman Mike Flood also lent their support.

The park will cost $10 million to $12 million, and the city already has $2.7 million earmarked, including an $873,000 donation from EaDo, and plans to launch a fundraising campaign this spring.

In its application, Parks and Recreation officials note the increased use of parks and trails during the pandemic and said additional green space will be critical to managing future public health emergencies.

The site will function as a neighborhood park for downtown residents but also will draw residents from across the city and be used by tourists, the application said.

The land is located in a floodplain and park amenities will be designed to accommodate the temporary storage of stormwater, so the surrounding area can be developed.

J.J. Yost, Parks and Recreation manager of facilities and operations, told the council those amenities could include an interactive water feature, a permanent skate park, a destination playground, as well as a connection to the Jamaica Trail.

The city hopes to start construction of the park in the summer of 2024.

Short-term rental update

Since the city began a much-debated short-term rental registration program in October 2021, the vendor that manages it has taken about 12 complaints  all from the same address.

The complaints generally involved the number of people staying in the house and events happening there, said Chad Blahak, the citys director of building and safety, but those complaints have ceased since the property was registered.

The City Council approved the rules and registration program in June 2021 and the city hired a vendor to manage registrations, which began four months later.

The council passed rules that included an amendment by Councilman Richard Meginnis, who was trying to find a compromise between neighbors who were concerned about large parties that caused parking and noise problems and property owners who felt the proposed rules were too restrictive.

Meginnis' amendment removed a requirement that short-term rentals be at least 600 feet apart and exempted downtown high-rises from a requirement limiting short-term rentals to 10% of their occupancy.

Meginnis proposal also required the city to track short-term rental activity and review the spacing rule after a year, and Blahak updated the council Monday.

He said in an interview his staff may have taken more complaints but not enough regarding the spacing or occupancy rules that rose to the level that staff let him know.

He also offered these stats: In June 2021, the vendor found 180 short-term rentals listed in Lincoln, 145 of which it could connect to specific addresses.

Today, 201 properties are actively registered with the city. The vendor found a total of 318 properties listed and was able to identify addresses of 263 of them.

The number of registered properties fluctuates, Blahak said, because property owners deactivate and reactivate their listings from time to time. The $250 annual registration is charged just once a year, regardless of whether property owners deactivate and reactivate their listings in that time.

Property owners sign an affidavit saying they will abide by all city safety and fire codes, though the city doesnt inspect the short-term rentals unless theres a complaint.

Protesters and police remain

Protesters remained adjacent to a planned development near Wilderness Park on Tuesday as construction workers resumed removing trees from Snell Hill, an area within the 75 acres thats part of a controversial housing development just south of Pioneers Boulevard between First Street and U.S. 77.

Police remained there, too, and had blocked off First Street at Pioneers Boulevard and Van Dorn Street.

Erin Poor, one of the organizers of the Niskithe Prayer Camp established last year in opposition to the development and among the small group of protesters at the site Tuesday, said there were sacred objects, such as prayer ties, in the trees being flattened.

She said police arrested five people Tuesday. One person who went on the land when the tree removal began was ticketed for trespassing. Four people who were among those who made a human chain across First Street to try to block a truck going onto the private land were ticketed for failure to comply and blocking a public street, Poor said.

She said they were taken to jail, processed and released on their own recognizance.

The protesters  who oppose the Wilderness Crossing development because of environmental concerns and its proximity to a Native sweat lodge  say coming out to the land to try to stop or at least bring attention to the removal of trees was their only option.

They tried to fight the councils zoning, annexation and comprehensive plan changes through the citys zoning appeals board, but the city told them the unelected board doesnt have the authority to rule on actions by elected officials.

Poor said theyve asked their legal counsel to take any legal steps possible, but she didnt know what that might entail.

Snell Hill, which has Dakota sandstone bedrock, is where Poor said some Native ceremonies and gatherings were held when the property was owned by the Catholic Diocese.

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
Press Release

February 8, 2023 Continuous gains from FTA with EFTA states vital to PH's int'l trade policy, economy - Legarda Philippine international trade policy and economy gained significantly since the free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), according to Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda. The Philippines has maintained its strong foothold in the European market since the EFTA. EFTA States are Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein and the agreement entered into force on June 2018. Legarda, as then Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sponsored the measure to ratify the agreement. "Given the current developments with our cooperation with EFTA states, I am confident that the partnership would be beneficial to our economy. The preference utilization rate of the Philippines continues to improve, from 30% in 2019 to 31% in 2020 as per the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)," she said. "We will maximize the benefits from this FTA as we recognize our bilateral trade as a promising tool toward economic recovery and building back better post-COVID pandemic, the global economic recession following the Russia-Ukraine war, and the twin crisis of climate and biodiversity" Legarda added. On January 10, 2023, delegations from the Philippines and EFTA member states met in Geneva, Switzerland for its first Joint Committee meeting focused on trade in goods, sustainable development, trade facilitation, and technical cooperation. DTI Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo headed the Philippine delegation, while Ms. Karin Buchel, Minister at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, acted as the EFTA spokesperson. The Philippines was able to secure duty-free market access for all industrial and fisheries tariff lines and significant concessions on agricultural products through the FTA. In 2020, around EUR 24.84 million worth of Philippine agricultural and industrial products entered the EFTA market. The country exported tunas, desiccated coconuts, fruits and nuts, processed foods and other food preparations, pasta, malt products, vacuum cleaners, new pneumatic tires, and hairdressing apparatus with reduced or zero tariff rates. The DTI also noted that Switzerland remains the Philippines' primary partner in the EFTA and has been its regular source of foreign investments in the European region. It said that from 2018 to the third quarter of 2022, the Investment Promotion Agencies (IPA)-approved Swiss investments totalled PhP 1.40 billion in the manufacturing, real estate, and administrative sectors. From 2018 to the second quarter of 2022, investments from Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein amounted to Php 229.4 million in the finance and insurance, manufacturing, administrative, transportation, and storage sectors. DTI also remarked that the opening of 100% foreign capital in renewable energy projects will pave the way for more investments from EFTA to the Philippines, particularly in the energy sector. "The DTI would like to convey our utmost appreciation for Sen. Loren Legarda's leadership in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations during the ratification of the Philippines-European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (PH-EFTA FTA) in 2018. The EFTA countries have been the country's steadfast partners, and this important milestone in boosting our strong linkages in the European region was made possible by the senator's support," DTI Secretary Fred Pascual said. The PH-EFTA FTA is the Philippines' second bilateral FTA next to the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA), which officially entered into force on December 2008. As Legarda pointed out, the Philippines is behind compared to other countries in actively engaging other trading partners through FTAs. "Opening markets through agreements such as the EFTA enables a business environment conducive for investments, and thus, provides opportunities for producers, consumers, and service suppliers alike. We want to promote international trade to help Filipino businesses and MSMEs through the benefits that we get from FTAs," she said.
More than a year after child advocates and city leaders announced a $5.2 million expansion and remodeling of Lincoln's BraveBe Child Advocacy Center, police investigators have finally moved into the northeast Lincoln facility.

The relocation of the Lincoln Police Department's Special Victims Unit marks the culmination of the center's goal to become "a true one-stop shop for child victims," BraveBe Executive Director Paige Piper said at a brief news conference Tuesday announcing the unit's relocation to 5025 Garland St.

"When we pool our resources and combine our knowledge, we believe we can offer holistic care," Piper said at Tuesday's new conference, where she appeared alongside Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Police Chief Teresa Ewins and City Councilman James Michael Bowers.

The relocation of the Special Victims Unit  which moved into the facility Feb. 2 after temporarily working from the old Muny Pool building in Lincoln's Telegraph District  comes close to 15 months after work began on the 17,000-square-foot expansion.

The move brings criminal investigators, trained forensic interviewers, child advocates and medical professionals all under the same roof in an effort to foster better collaboration between the groups and and improve legal outcomes in the prosecution of alleged child abusers.

"(We) are your partner in this journey," Ewins told Piper at Tuesday's news conference. "It is our collective vision for BraveBe to pursue justice for our children and get them the greatest care."

BraveBe's 29 staff members provide services for 17 counties in Southeast Nebraska and have served more than 19,000 child victims since the center's founding in 1998.

The expansion provides room for evidence storage, classrooms for abuse prevention education, space for triage services for children being removed from their homes and office space for the 15 criminal investigators who now work at the center.

The renovation also created space for the addition of two medical clinics, room for mental health services for children and caretakers and space for operations for Foster Care Closet, a nonprofit that offers clothing to children being placed in state custody.

When contractors broke ground on the expansion in 2021, BraveBe had raised more than $3.5 million through a yearlong private fundraising effort, launching a public-fundraising campaign in October 2021.

The police department paid $500,000 of CARES Act funds toward the renovation of the office space for investigators. The department will not pay monthly rent, but will pay for utilities.

At Tuesday's news conference, Gaylor Baird pointed to that investment as the latest in a series of efforts from her administration to prioritize public safety, a theme that has been a hallmark of the mayor's reelection campaign.

"Thanks to our public-private partnership  and to the generosity of so many in our community who supported the center's ... expansion project  our joint effort to support and protect our most vulnerable residents just got bigger," she said.

"And better."

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
Nebraska is a big state. The needs of its urban centers in the east are far different from the rural communities that dot the rest of the landscape.

That's one of the reasons the concept of local control is essential here. And it's one of the reasons that statewide solutions can have unintended and far-reaching consequences.

That notion hit home again when voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative in November to gradually raise the minimum wage from $9 per hour to $15 by Jan. 1 2026.

While the measure passed 59% to 41%, it was approved by only 28 of the state's 93 counties. And those rejecting it were all smaller counties.

It's not hard to see that smaller communities with limited jobs and fewer potential workers might struggle with a state-mandated wage increase.

So it's also not hard to see why Sen. Tom Briese of Albion (in Boone County, which narrowly defeated the measure 1,238 for versus 1,281 against) would be the one to bring forward LB15, which would carve out two exceptions to the higher minimum wage -- to create a lower youth minimum wage for workers 14 to 17 years old and to establish a training wage for those 18 and 19.

But voters voted, and Nebraska approved the simple language of Initiated Measure 433 that set out a stair-stepped $1.50 per year increase in the minimum wage for the next 4 years with cost-of-living adjustments after that. That was crystal clear, and it was the will of the people.

The idea of a statewide minimum wage is complicated enough that prior to the election the Journal Star editorial board was unable to endorse one way or the other. The issues of rural communities are real. But so are the issues of urban voters, who supported the increase by a wide margin.

Briese said he is trying to "iron out the details," rather than undermine the intent of the measure. But the intent seemed -- and seems -- crystal clear. He is representing his constituency. But it shouldn't happen at the expense of the will of the majority of voters in this state.

If imprecise wording on an initiated measure can disqualify a ballot issue signed onto by tens of thousands of petitioners, it seems incongruous that a bill drafted after the fact could be used to carve a huge chunk of beneficiaries out of a voter-approved measure.

This remains a complicated financial issue, particularly for small businesses and smaller communities. But voters made it simpler with the clarity of their response in November. The Legislature should respect the intent and the will of the people and let Initiative 433 stand as approved.
It seems our governor and some state senators are concerned about the exodus of workers from Nebraska and our ability to attract workers to come to Nebraska.

If I were them, I wouldnt be concerned. I suspect that those people leaving Nebraska are Democrats. Youd think the Republicans would be happy. Our Republican leaders need to understand that low taxes are not going to attract people or convince them to stay. Maybe they should consider removing abortion restrictions, legalizing marijuana, expanding gambling opportunities and fund our teachers and let them teach.
The dream of carbon-free flight is inching toward some reality.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday granted California-based Universal Hydrogen clearance to proceed with a first flight of its hydrogen-powered Dash-8-300 test airplane at Moses Lake, Washington.

On Friday, the aircraft began initial ground taxi tests and on Monday the propellers ran up to their full RPM. The FAA's grant of the special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category means that, provided the taxi tests go well, the plane could fly as soon as this month.

Universal, led by Paul Eremenko, former chief technology officer and leading clean energy visionary at both Airbus and United Technologies, is developing the technology to retrofit midsized turboprop aircraft to run on hydrogen.

To create the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen-powered aviation, the company is developing modular pods of liquid hydrogen that can be easily transported to any airport by truck and loaded onto an airplane.

Separately, Universal's engineers are developing a power system inside the plane's nacelle  the casing around the motor  including a fuel cell that converts the hydrogen to electricity that turns the propellers.

Eremenko in an interview Monday compared the hydrogen pod to a Nespresso coffee pod and the airplane to the coffee machine.

On the test plane at Moses Lake, it's only the coffee machine that's being tested: the powertrain that converts the hydrogen to electricity and turns the propellers.

Instead of the pods filled with liquid hydrogen, the plane has a tank of gaseous hydrogen in the back. One propeller is powered by that, the other by regular jet fuel.

If it flies, it will be the largest hydrogen-powered airplane to fly. Universal plans to outfit the Dash-8 with 41 seats.

However, once development is complete, its first product will be the even bigger ATR-72-600, configured for 56 passengers.

Last month, competing California-based ZeroAvia flew a 19-seat Dornier 228 turboprop in England. That plane's hydrogen fuel cell was supplemented by an electric battery to provide extra support for takeoff and backup power.
A United States congressman will soon open an office in the Kenosha County Center. It is envisioned as a place where his staff can meet with constituents, answer questions and assist with federal government-administered program concerns. The County Board approved the lease Tuesday night.

By a vote of 19-1, the supervisors favored providing the office space to U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, in the County Center, 19600 75th St. in Bristol. Supervisor William Grady cast the dissenting vote. Earlier, two committees, finance and public works, also approved the lease.

Having the office will enable Steils staff to meet with the public from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and by appointment beginning in March.

Under the agreement with the county and required by the U.S. House of Representatives, Steil will be leasing a 120-square-foot office over a two-year period through Jan. 2, 2025. His rent for the office will be $350 per month. Residents and constituents will be able to confer with a member of Steils staff who will be available to assist in resolving issues they have with federal government agencies. The office is located in an interior corridor space at the County Center.

The congressman, who previously held office hours in Somers, had sought a new meeting place with the county after village officials there indicated they were undergoing a number of changes affecting their space availability and could no longer offer him space. Steil was grateful for the new office at the County Center.

Being available and accessible to Wisconsin families remains my top priority. This new office space at the Kenosha County Center will create an important partnership to better serve seniors, veterans, and families in Kenosha County," he said in a statement following the vote. "Whether local residents need help with a federal agency or want to share their thoughts on the issue of the day, I look forward to helping people in our community through this new office. Thank you, County Executive Samantha Kerkman and the Board, for your efforts to make this opportunity available.

During deliberations, Supervisor Mark Nordigian, who chairs the Public Works Committee, said the committee addressed concerns surrounding use of the space including whether partisan political activities, such as campaigning, would be conducted.

This building is not, has not and will not be a polling location, so we shouldnt have an issue there. And also, federal law does not allow any campaigning. This is an information office only, he said.

Another question addressed was whether other federal elected officials, regardless of their political party affiliation, would be allowed to lease space. Nordigian said they would be welcome and that County Executive Samantha Kerkman has already contacted U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson, a Republican and Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, both who represent Wisconsin, notifying them of space available for lease in the County Center. There are three other offices available.

Which I think is a good idea, said Nordigian, who would like to see all three federal-level elected officials have an office presence in the county.

Supervisor Terry Rose, Finance Committee chair, said the issues people would seek help with at the office would include Social Security or some other personal problem that needs to be addressed by the federal government.

The kind of issues that would be dealt with there by the public official are non-partisan type issues, he said. This is not a partisan office (space) and shouldnt be viewed as such. I think we should welcome and encourage a Democratic governor, a Republican governor, senator, to locate there, as well.

Grady, who voted against the lease at the Finance Committee and on the board, said his comments opposing it were not directed at Steil.

More to the idea that an office holder, partisan office holder being part of the county municipal building, said Grady. He said that if the issue was about a shortage of space in the county to have an office he mightve considered it, but this is certainly not the case.

But this case were in a very polarized society, he said alluding to ongoing political strife between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, that continues to trickle down to the state and local levels.

So why, at this particular time, (when) we have a polarized environment, we would entertain having an elected official in a building that is supposed to be neutral why youd do this is beyond me, said Grady. Its just very, very poor timing and its very poor public policy.

While the offer to lease has been extended to be inclusive of all elected officials, Grady said it still doesnt address the idea having elected officials in a building.

Supervisor John Franco, also had similar concerns, including one that Supervisor Laura Belsky expressed earlier that had to do with the price of the lease. Franco brought up the issue for Belsky, who was absent Tuesday. Belsky believes that the cost of the lease was too low at $3 per square foot.

Franco said that if the office space was open to all, then the lease agreement should also indicate the same price for anyone else who might consider leasing from the county.

But if were going to lease the office space for $3 per square foot, then that needs to be the set rate for future politicians, he said.

Public Works officials and the countys Corporation Counsel are in the process of drafting a uniform building use policy that is expected to address how leases are handled. The policy proposal would be introduced in the next few months.

IN PHOTOS: Flag dedication at Brighton War Memorial From Washington to Brighton Flag dedication at Brighton War Memorial Flag dedication at Brighton War Memorial Flag dedication at Brighton War Memorial Flag dedication at Brighton War Memorial
After the Wisconsin Department of Health Services identified nine suspected opioid drug overdoses in Racine County last week, the Racine County Public Health Division and the City of Racine Public Health Department issued a drug overdose alert.

DHS identified the overdoses at hospital emergency departments.

The intent of the alert is to raise community awareness and encourage preparedness among first responders, healthcare providers, drug users and their support network, the county said in a news release.

From 2017 to 2021, there were 194 opioid-related deaths in Racine County, many of which could have been prevented with access to life-saving treatments such as Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, among other brands.

Behavioral Health Services of Racine County and the City of Racine Public Health Department train people how to administer Narcan.

Narcan reverses the effects of an opiate overdose by blocking an opiates effects and restoring breathing.

Narcan is safe, easy to administer and has no potential for abuse or side effects. It also does not harm someone who receives it, even if he or she is not experiencing an overdose.

Drug users can prevent an overdose death by:

Having Narcan available and telling others where it is stored.

Using fentanyl test strips to determine the presence of fentanyl in a drug. Test strips are available for free at the City of Racine Public Health Department, 262-636-9431, and Behavioral Health Services of Racine County, 262-638-6375.

Never using drugs alone.

Avoiding mixing drugs, such as heroin and alcohol.

Those witnessing a potential overdose should:

Call 911 immediately.

Administer Narcan, one dose every two to three minutes.

Provide rescue breaths and chest compressions (CPR).

Keep the person awake and breathing.

Lie the person on his or her side.

Stay with the person until help arrives.

If the person refuses to get medical assistance after an overdose, it is important to stay with the person for at least four hours because the overdose can resume after the Narcan wears off.
President Joe Bidens first stop after his State of the Union address will be the Madison area, where he is scheduled on Wednesday to tout his economic plan, according to a White House statement.

Biden is scheduled to arrive at the Truax Field Air National Guard Base around 11:30 a.m., according to the statement. At 1 p.m., he is slated to talk about how his economic plan is creating good-paying, union jobs and delivering real results for the American people at the Liuna Training Center in DeForest, the statement says. Hes scheduled to depart Madison for the White House at 5 p.m.

Biden last visited the state in September, when he spoke at a Labor Day event in Milwaukee. The last president to visit Madison was Barack Obama in November 2012. Thirteen other presidents have visited Madison, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Traffic will likely be impacted given the size of presidential motorcades, Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said.

The presidents visit is scheduled amid a critical month in Wisconsin.

One week after Bidens visit, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will present his budget to the Republican-led Legislature, launching a monthslong battle over state government spending.

On Feb. 21, less than one week after Evers budget address, four contenders will face off in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary, an election that will decide which two candidates advance to the April 4 general election.
Some conditions will be ideal for this years sturgeon spearing season that opens Saturday, but other factors could reduce the annual harvest on the Lake Winnebago system.

The state Department of Natural Resources reports there is an average of 13 feet of water clarity with generally clearer water on the eastern shores and farther from shore on the lakes western side, meaning that visibility will be ideal for seeing the prehistoric fish that can grow to more than 200 pounds.

However, warm weather this week and next could create less-than-ideal ice conditions, and that could limit travel on the states largest inland lake. Meanwhile, a low density of lake fly larvae and red worms, favorite foods of sturgeon, could negatively impact sturgeon distribution around the lake, the DNR reported.

It is ultimately water clarity that determines where in the water column spearers suspend their decoys. During years with water clarity 12 feet or greater on Lake Winnebago, the pre-set harvest caps are often reached prior to the full 16-day season, causing shorter seasons, according to the DNRs website. Shifting ice, snow-covered ice, the date the lake freezes over, and thawing and refreezing events are all factors in water clarity under the ice.

This years harvest caps are 70 juvenile females, 79 adult females and 246 males for the upriver lakes Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts. For Lake Winnebago, the harvest caps are 280 juvenile females, 714 adult females and 985 males.

And for those who are successful or for those who want an up-close view of a sturgeon, in-person registration stations are returning for the first time since the 2019 season. Locations on the east side of the lake are at Pipe, Stockbridge and Quinney, and on the west side of the lake in Neenah and Oshkosh and at Wendts on the Lake, located northwest of Fond du Lac. On Lake Poygan, there are registration stations in Winneconne, Indian Point and Poygan.

The Winnebago system is home to one of the largest lake sturgeon populations in North America and is one of only two places in the country, joining Black Lake in Michigan, in which spearing sturgeon is allowed.

Lake Winnebago is typically home to bigger fish and thousands of shanties that bring in big business to retailers, bars and restaurants that rim the lake. Guides rent out shacks to customers from around the country, and local churches get a bump in attendance, while other businesses sell specialized chairs or have televisions that stream the weigh-ins at registration stations.

The first regulated season occurred in 1932, lasted two months and had a five-fish bag limit with each tag costing a nickel. The fish has been in constant flux since, with seasons and regulations adjusted through the years in an effort to maintain and grow the sturgeon population. In 1977, Sturgeon for Tomorrow was formed to help promote, nurture and protect the habitat that includes prime spawning grounds on the Wolf River.

During the 2022 season, 12,694 people purchased spearing licenses and spearers harvested 1,519 sturgeon from the entire Winnebago System. Of these fish, 1,169 sturgeon were harvested from Lake Winnebago, resulting in a success rate of 9.6%, making it the second-highest success rate in seven years. The average size of a fish harvested from Lake Winnebago was 59 inches long and weighing 49.6 pounds. Two fish surpassed 170 pounds, according to DNR records.

Photos: Sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago 08Sturgeon0509AJA-02162018145708 A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility 11Sturgeon0629AJA-02162018145708 A sturgeon season with limited visibility A sturgeon season with limited visibility
Press Release

February 8, 2023 SPONSORSHIP SPEECH OF SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE LOREN LEGARDA

Cultural Mapping Bill 07 February 2023 Mr. President, esteemed colleagues in this Senate, the Committee on Culture and the Arts now sponsors, for the consideration of this Chamber, Committee Report No. 21 , and seeks approval of its proposed measure, Senate Bill No. 1841 entitled: "AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF PHILIPPINE CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH CULTURAL MAPPING, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10066, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "NATIONAL CULTURAL HERITAGE ACT OF 2009" The bills relating to the proposed measure and referred to the Committee on Culture and the Arts are Senate Bill No. 622, introduced by this representation; Senate Bill No. 117, introduced by Senator Nancy Binay; and Senate Bill No. 1094, introduced by Senator Ramon Revilla, Jr. Mr. President, I stood here on our first session day this year on a matter of privilege sounding the alarm for the climate. I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate that changing climate threatens our way of life, including our heritage. It is for this reason, we need changes in our heritage law, now almost fourteen years old, to include what we missed and to address new threats from a fast-changing cultural landscape brought about by a digital tidal wave. Since we passed Republic Act No. 10066, or the "National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009," we have had a good record of preserving important cultural properties but still have lost quite a number of structures. The collective experience of its implementation has led the cultural agencies -- a) protect, preserve, conserve, and promote the nation's cultural heritage, its property and histories, and the ethnicity of local communities; b) establish and strengthen cultural institutions; and c) protect cultural workers and ensure their professional development and well-being -- to band together and seek the necessary changes we are asking for in this bill. To further strengthen heritage conservation in our country, this bill seeks to mandate local government units (LGUs) to conduct a cultural heritage mapping of their areas for both tangible and intangible, and natural and built heritage. The proposed amendments aim to harmonize the relationships between the cultural agencies and update definitions and coverages, taking into consideration laws and regulations since the original law was enacted in 2009. The proposal also aims to be more sensitive to intangible cultural heritage (including heritage in the performing arts), as well as audio-visual and broadcast heritage. The proposal also includes a provision that will protect visual sightlines. The re-classification of terminologies also includes the classification of intangible cultural heritage listed in the UNESCO register as a Grade I Cultural Properties. The same is true for properties listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World (MOW) register. The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), as the agency mandated to administer the Philippine Film Archives under RA no. 9167 and Administrative Order no. 26 [s. 2012], is made responsible for heritage in film and the broadcast arts. The institutionalization of cultural mapping is sought as a way to make heritage an inclusive tool for local and national development. In particular, cultural mapping employs a grassroots approach that empowers local communities to identify and assign cultural value to properties - tangible and intangible, built and movable, cultural and natural - that are important to them. The proposed amendments assign local government units (LGUs) as the lead in conducting comprehensive cultural mapping activities in their respective areas. Meanwhile, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), together with other cultural agencies, are mandated to provide technical and financial assistance to LGUs to comply with the cultural mapping mandate. In addition to tangible cultural properties, the following are also considered as covered by the cultural mapping mandate: a. heritage crops, products, technologies, agricultural heritage systems, food sources, and natural and nontraditional fibers; b. natural heritage sites, including national parks, habitats of endemic species, unique biodiversity, and cultural landscapes; c. natural dyes, traditional textiles and apparel materials, designs, techniques, processes, and machines; d. traditional medical practices and medicinal formulations; and e. indigenous knowledge systems skills and practices. NCCA's experience in working with local government units show the importance of a participatory approach in cultural preservation as a way to address issues on community consent and feedback that often comes from a centralized, outside-looking-in perspective in heritage management. The Philippine Registry of Cultural Properties (PRECUP) was earlier mandated under Section 14 of the National Cultural Heritage Act. This is operationalized at the local level by the submission of Local Cultural Inventories by LGUs. Based on an agreement between the NCCA and DILG, the submission of LCIs is now included in the criteria to qualify for the Seal of Local Good Governance. As of December 2022, 980 of the 1,715 LGUs have complied with the submission of LCIs. The total number of properties registered with the PRECUP, including those registered by the cultural agencies, is 10,385. On November 25, 2022, I'm happy to note, the Province of Antique, my home province, completed its cultural mapping. It was done in partnership with the NCCA, the University of the Philippines (UP)-Visayas, the Department of Education (DepEd), culture and history experts, our teachers of our dear province who hailed from various elementary and secondary schools of the municipalities of Antique as cultural mappers, the Antique provincial government, and this representation when I was a member of the House of Representatives. The 21-volume compendium record Antique's rich heritage and significant research material. This proposed amendment also includes stipulations on compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012, as well as the requirement for prior consultation with Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICC) and their free, prior, and informed consent. Cultural heritage value is bestowed by the society. Hence it is a decision that is attended by agreement and a level of consensus as to how a society values itself and the shared experiences that make our society a cohesive one. These values include historical accounts that connect us with our shared past and provide continuity; symbolic value that lends power and meaning to our identity; spiritual value that gives sanctity and transcendence; aesthetic value for simple pleasure and inspiration and social value that makes us a cohesive whole, promotes connectedness to reduce conflict and tension. For these reasons, I propose that heritage values, including intangible cultural property and natural heritage, must be held up for greater public appreciation and collective concurrence. What we have to do to ensure that these resources are accessible, shared and preserved is to undertake widescale cultural mapping. This bill aims to allow multiple agencies to bring this about. Especially when threatened by climate change and biodiversity loss, our heritage values must be protected as a source of our connectedness and resilience, to help us get through the direst times in unison ?using the best available means that promote our interrelation. Cultural values are not fluff, nor mere luxury. They are not soft and nor are they the first to be sacrificed in the face of trial. They are, in fact, our bridge to each other and to the other side of these twin crises. I urge this body to race against time to pass this bill.
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
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.




By Yi Whan-woo







Korea Federation of Banks (KFB) Chairman Kim Kwang-soo met Luxembourg Finance Minister Yuriko Backes and discussed ways of cooperation in the banking sectors of the two countries, the federation announced on Wednesday.







The areas of topics discussed ranged from conventional offline banking to digital banking, wealth management, and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices.







While no Korean banks are currently operating in Luxembourg, Kim noted that the small, land-locked country in Western Europe is a leading global financial hub and that it was considered a "bridge" by multiple banks for crossing into the European market before the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.







"The chairman accordingly expressed hope to share Luxembourg's knowhow on nurturing digital banking and fintech, in which the Korean banking industry is deeply interested," the federation said.







In particular, the KFB chief wanted to work with Luxembourg House of Financial Technology, a public-private sector initiative dedicated to broadening the country's fintech industry.







Backes highlighted Luxembourg's solid financial health and unwavering growth momentum despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war that is heavily affecting Europe.







"The minister underlined that Luxembourg's strengths in finance offer a favorable business environment for Korean banks," the federation said, adding that the European country's areas of interest in bilateral cooperation center on corporate banking, wealth management and ESG management.







The Kim-Backes meeting took place as Luxembourg decided to set up its first embassy in Korea.







Kim welcomed the decision while Backes said the forthcoming diplomatic mission will be a channel to ensure active exchanges between the finance sectors of the two countries.


German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo's Chief of Staff Park Kyung-mee, Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor and U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg hold signs commemorating the victims and survivors of the Holocaust during a ceremony commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Goethe Institute in central Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The United Nations established Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and raise awareness through education to prevent future acts of genocide.



The embassies of Germany and Israel in Korea hosted an event at the Goethe Institute, Monday, to honor Holocaust victims and survivors  who fought against the violence, disinformation and hate speech that led to systemic injustice, discrimination and ultimately, genocide  during the 78th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.



The embassies have held joint commemorations for this day in Korea for several years as an example of friendship.



Ambassador of Israel to Korea Akiva Tor began by sharing his experience during his first diplomatic posting in the Netherlands, where he felt the immediacy of the "Shoah," which means Holocaust in Hebrew.



"You feel like you are at the scene of the crime. Other than Rotterdam, Holland's cities were not destroyed and you feel like the arrests, the transports to Westerbork and then to Auschwitz could have happened on a day just like this one  the same trees, the same sidewalk, the same homes, the same spring morning," he said.



"I would imagine this is the feeling of immediacy felt by Koreans when they cross the Hangang Bridge or happen near other sites of tremendous sacrifice and suffering during the Korean War."



Then the Israeli ambassador continued, talking about his experience of distributing the Righteous Among the Nations Award, which is bestowed upon non-Jewish individuals who acted to rescue Jews during the Holocaust.



"It was always a lesson to meet these unique people  they were of several types, devout Christian farmers living in the countryside, socialists in working-class neighborhoods. Despite their differences, I always received the same answer when I asked them why they did it. Why were they willing to risk the welfare of their families and their own personal safety? The answer was always brief and quite simple: 'I did it because it was right,'" Tor said.



German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel noted that the word Auschwitz has become synonymous with mass murder, cruelty, inhumanity, fanaticism and perversity of Nazi Germany.



"The atrocities that were committed by Germans were inconceivable and beyond comprehension," Reiffenstuel said. "As a German, I'm convinced that every citizen of Germany has the moral duty to do everything in their power to prevent a repetition of history. Be it German or be it anyone else."



Ambassador Reiffenstuel also mentioned this year's theme of the UN Holocaust Remembrance Day, "home and belonging."



"The victims and survivors, all of them had their home and a sense of belonging, and it was stripped away. We have to think about the Holocaust not only in terms of numbers and facts but in every single individual fate and every human being. This is our responsibility towards the victims. We must keep alive the memory of the Holocaust, as well as the developments that led to it," he said.



"We have to counter hate speech, antisemitism, Holocaust distortion, and denial. This is a responsibility of the Federal Republic of Germany, of every German government and everything living in the current state. I believe that has to be part of our identity."



This year, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg attended as a guest of honor and lit candles for Holocaust victims.


By Arthur I. Cyr





Bilal al-Sudani is not exactly a household name, which is all the more reason to highlight the fact that this dangerous terrorist leader has been removed.



On Jan. 26, U.S. military troops killed 11 members of the Islamic State, including him. Members of this violent fundamentalist movement were engaged in a mountainous cave complex in Somalia. Al-Sudani was a powerful and effective leader, involved in the broad coordination of military and terrorist operations.



Islamic State has been formally classified as a terrorist organization by the U.N.



The special military operation which killed al-Sudani was announced by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. His statement noted that al-Sudani "was responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa and for funding the group's operations worldwide, including in Afghanistan."



Secretary Austin emphasized the crucial importance of intelligence professionals in making a successful operation possible.



Earlier, on Jan. 20, U.S. Africa Command at the request of the Somali government undertook a joint military operation. This attack took place northwest of Mogadishu near an area named Galcad. There, Somali National Army troops were engaged in heavy combat against the terrorist movement al-Shabaab, based in Somalia.



Previously, a decade ago, al-Sudani was involved in recruiting and training members of al-Shabaab. This organization is directly associated with al-Qaeda, which carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.



For decades, Somalia has been generally regarded as a "failed state," with the government unable to provide even elementary services or security. In 1993, a United States military mission to Somalia ended in frustration after the killing of eighteen U.S. Army Rangers. The book and film "Blackhawk Down" describe this. Pirates continue to operate off the coast of Somalia posing a vexing challenge to passing ships.



Al-Shabaab was formed around December 2006, from the shifting formations of extreme, essentially insane, terrorist groups. Included were extreme elements of the formerly stabilizing Islamic Courts Union. American terrorist Omar Hammami was involved until being killed in a power struggle.



Historically, Americans have been absent-minded about Africa. Past presidents generally focused on other parts of the world, with notable exceptions. Senator John F. Kennedy was chairman of the African Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, extremely attentive to that task. He carried concern about Africa into the Oval Office.



President Jimmy Carter in office and since has steadfastly worked with Africa. The Carter Center has devoted sustained emphasis on public health and related problems in the continent. One dramatic result is the virtual eradication of the devastating, agonizing, guinea worm. Carter effectively leveraged his center's efforts with the World Bank's efforts targeting the disease.



Former President Bill Clinton achieved rock star status in Africa, a popular stop in his travels on behalf of the Clinton Foundation. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama devoted at least periodic attention to the continent while in office, reflecting the changing times.



President John F. Kennedy deserves credit for establishing the Peace Corps, a concept promoted by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Senator Hubert Humphrey (D-MN). The Peace Corps is remarkably durable, today involving selfless volunteers ranging widely in age.



Indeed, the enormous growth in private philanthropy means there are unprecedented opportunities to raise living standards across Africa. Basic safety and security, however, remain a challenge.



Terrorists generate continuing death, destruction and headlines, but are yet to demonstrate appeal to the average person in Africa  or elsewhere on the globe.



The world today rejects extremism.





Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is the author of "After the Cold War" (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan).


Casaiya Keyser says she routinely experienced racism at Chippewa Falls High School  from slurs and Confederate flags to being told to go back to Africa  but one instance sticks out in her mind.

During her senior year, a white student asked Keyser if she had a job. When she said yes, Keyser said the student told her, Oh, so youre not a (N-word).

Keyser said she wasnt angry. She was in the process of explaining to the student why it was inappropriate to use the N-word. During that conversation she swore. Not angrily, she said, but just as part of conversation.

A teacher approached them and began filming her, telling her that she couldnt swear. According to a complaint later filed by students, when Keyser explained what happened, the teacher told Keyser she was being disrespectful, threatened to call the school police officer and said, No word should make you that angry.

Moments like those played a role in Keyser becoming a founding member of Cultivative Coalition, a space for students who said they had experienced things that were harmful to them based on their race, sex or sexual orientation.

Keyser graduated in 2018, but she is still among those who are fighting discrimination at the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District.

Over the past few years, the Cultivative Coalition and the Wisconsin ACLU have filed complaints with the district. And while a district investigation found, in part, that there was insufficient evidence to assert that the district created a hostile environment  and a subsequent DPI review did not overrule those findings  Keyser and others maintain that there is still work to do.

Cultivative Coalition

About six years ago, current and former Chippewa Falls students banded together to develop an organization within the CFAUSD called Cultivative Coalition.

In 2020, Cultivative Coalition, which continued to advocate for students even after half the founding members graduated, began organizing throughout the community. It used an online platform to collect stories from other Chippewa Falls students about harassment and discrimination. They ended up with dozens of stories from current and former students.

The Cultivative Coalition published these stories anonymously to create a safe space where people could tell their experiences.

In the meantime, the Cultivative Coalition filed a formal complaint against CFAUSD, providing documents to the school district that cited incidents of LGBTQ+ and racial discrimination, harassment, slurs and sexism. Most of the incidents included in the official complaint happened between 2017 and 2020, but stories from Chippewa Falls alums that were attached to the complaint go back as far as 2012.

Another founding member of the Cultivative Coalition, Hazel Behling, has been working with Keyser from the beginning. Together, they have been fighting discrimination at CFAUSD alongside the Wisconsin ACLU.

Behling experienced discrimination for her sexual orientation. It started when she was outed in the school cafeteria by another students parents.

I was outed in front of other students at an event. And the parents who outed me would really, like, threaten my parents. They called them and told them on multiple occasions that they had staff members inside of the school watching me, she said. So that was really scary for both me and my parents.

She said she was also told by a school counselor that, I needed to repent my sin of being gay or I would go to hell.

With these and numerous other experiences of harassment and discrimination under their belt, Keyser and Behling decided to go talk to the administration.

We initially went to the school administration and the school board and shared those experiences with them privately, and we asked them for some follow up steps that we wanted them to take, Behling said. And we gave them a couple of months and no progress was really being made there. They didnt follow up on any of the things that we discussed with them.

So the two women decided to file a formal complaint with the school.

After the coalition filed its complaint against CFAUSD, the high school opened an investigation into the allegations. An attorney appointed by the district interviewed approximately 35 people, including the complainants, current and former students, and gathered and reviewed numerous documents.

The investigators final report was 64 pages and concluded that in each allegation there was no evidence or insufficient evidence to conclude that CFAUSD created or was responsible for a hostile environment on the basis of race, sex, or sexual orientation that was sufficiently severe, pervasive or persistent so as to interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from the services, activities or privileges provided by CFAUSD.

CFAUSD agreed with the findings and informed the students.

Then the Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union got involved. The ACLU worked with the Cultivative Coalition to document the claims and filed a formal complaint against the school on behalf of some of its current and former students who wanted to appeal the investigators conclusions.

The Chippewa Falls High School principal and CFAUSD superintendent declined to comment on this story.

The Wisconsin ACLU and DPI

The ACLU complaint against CFAUSD, filed in June 2021, detailed multiple instances in which former and current students experienced racial, sexual and homophobic harassment by other students, staff and parents while on school property.

We drafted a complaint, which we filed with the school district, saying that theres this big pattern of anti-LGBTQ and racist and sexual harassment situations happening in Chippewa schools, said Elisabeth Lambert, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Wisconsin who represented the students who filed the discrimination complaints.

In each instance, the complaint claims, instead of protecting students from further harassment, the school district blamed the individual students for the harassment they endured and forced the harassed students to find a resolution to the situation.

According to Lambert, the investigator the school hired in response to the complaints the students filed didnt do a thorough job.

The reports really did not go below the surface of what was happening, what students are experiencing in the schools, as far as harassment, so theres nothing in the report about the district records of harassment incidents, even though the district reported to DPI that they had received dozens of complaints of harassment in various forms over the preceding years. But the investigative records didnt include any of the records of those complaints, Lambert said.

Larry Dupuis, legal director for the ACLU of Wisconsin, said the ACLU just wants the school to take the allegations seriously and make sure students feel safe.

I think for us, the main thing is, if the district is serious about doing the right thing and trying to diminish the hostile environment that students are still experiencing  maybe not every student is experiencing it, but some students are still experiencing this  if they want to do the right thing thats great. Thats what we want, he said.

After Chippewa Falls internal investigation and the ACLUs filing against CFAUSD, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction investigated the complaints. That included looking into the CFAUSDs investigation of harassment and discrimination complaints.

In its ruling, DPI chastised the CFAUSD because with respect to many allegations, the investigator failed to state whether she concluded that the facts uncovered in the investigation met the standard for a hostile environment.

DPI warned the district that any future investigations must make this important initial finding.

But in the end, the DPI didnt reverse the districts decision. DPI determined that the districts investigations met the requirements of applicable law and that the investigative records supported the districts conclusions. DPI concluded in each case that the district did not violate the states pupil discrimination statute.

DPIs report stated: Even if DPI substantiated the allegations of Ms. Keyser, Ms. Behling and (redacted), no relief would be granted related to any hostile environment that only they experienced because they are no longer legally entitled to participate in CFAUSDs school programs or activities as students.

The report continues by stating: If the victims of the alleged discrimination are no longer students (and cannot choose to return as students because of their age or because they have graduated from high school), then the school board has no ability to come into compliance with respect to those former students and there is no relief available under Wisconsin law.

The ACLUs concern was largely that DPI, on technical grounds, said they would not investigate any further what the school district did or did not do, Dupuis said.

So the district can essentially just do a superficial review, making a finding that the district isnt at fault, Dupuis said. Then the schools do not really have to do anything and not have any consequences. And the problem is that what happened here could just happen again, right? I mean, things could get bad. All they need to do is say, again, we dont think were responsible.

The other issue the ACLU raised was the length of time it takes to conduct these reports. Dupuis and Lambert agreed that the precedent these DPI findings set will only encourage schools and the state to drag its feet on discrimination and harassment claims by K-12 students because once the students graduate, the state wont do anything to correct the behavior that was reported.

On Jan. 4, the ACLU of Wisconsin criticized the DPIs decision, which the ACLU alleged was allowing CFAUSD to continue to ignore the discriminatory environment in its schools.

ACLU alleges that the DPI findings dont vindicate the school.

The DPI said, Well, were not going to engage on this question because those students have already graduated and theres nothing we can do to make things better for them specifically, Lambert said.

Lambert said this response is deeply disturbing, because it means that if a student is aware of something harmful happening in a school district, and tries to use these formal legal procedures that are available to them, to raise awareness of that issue, and make sure that other students arent subjected to the same harm, their ability to do that evaporates as soon as they graduate, even if there are other students that are still being harmed in the same way.

In January, CFAUSD issued a press release on the matter, specifically geared toward commenting on the ACLUs accusations.

The ACLUs complaints to DPI were entirely unfounded, the release said.

The District and Board of Education absolutely stand against any form of discrimination, harassment, hostility or bullying, it said. We have implemented curriculum, training and special projects dedicated to eliminating discrimination and providing a safe and secure environment for all our students and staff.

The Board is confident that our staff provides for an inclusive educational environment and is committed to protecting our students from discrimination.

CFAUSDs release also criticized the ACLU for its representation of the case.

It is an understatement to say that DPIs decision is remarkably different from the ACLUs description of it. To hear the ACLU tell the story, the DPI chastised the District for any number of legal infractions and ruled that the District did something wrong in almost every respect. As a result, the ACLUs commentary makes the decision sound unexpected and unfounded; its persistent refrain that the Districts atmosphere is perennially hostile gives the impression that two clear, meritorious cases are being thrown out without good cause.

The statement goes on to say, No school district can guarantee that every one of its citizens or students will never act or speak in a discriminatory manner.

Were saddened by these cases, not celebrating their dismissal, the release said. We know that we have much work to do.

Classroom a space to meet

Former CFAUSD English teacher Josh Ingersoll was at Chippewa Falls High School when Keyser and Behling were students.

He said though he worries about sounding like a disgruntled employee, what matters to him is making sure the students complaints are validated. Keyser and Behling wanted Ingersoll included in the narrative because he was not one of the teachers interviewed by the CFAUSD investigator and they said he should have been included.

If theyd talked to him it would have been a different story. It felt like the people interviewed were carefully chosen, Keyser said.

Ingersoll said his classroom was a space where students would gather to discuss their experiences when Keyser and other students were having a hard time. And he supported the Cultivative Coalition.

I wasnt involved officially. I didnt organize anything. I just gave them a place to gather, he said. Kids would come to my room and basically talk about how (terribly) theyd been treated in one way or another  for their disease or their race or their gender or sexuality, things like that. The things I heard from them were horrid and inexcusable. The school needed to do more.

Ingersoll said he wishes that the school superintendent had taken on the issues more directly.

He could have walked in and could have said, You know, it seems like weve got some issues at the school and Im new here, but Im gonna seize the bull by the horns, he said. But instead, they chose to invest a ton of effort to push against every single little thing and invalidate these experiences.

Behling said she wants to make it clear that shes not trying to hurt Chippewa Falls High School. She wants it to improve. Thats why the Cultivative Coalition started.

The important thing for us was that this was never really just about us. The goal was never to knock down or attack the school or the community. We really just wanted them to acknowledge the harmful past and present and try to create a positive atmosphere for future students, Behling said. We know that this happens all over. This is not just happening in Chippewa Falls. We just want them to own up to those past mistakes instead of blaming the children and students for the harassment they experienced.

Keyser said shes frustrated by the outcome with DPI and CFAUSD but stands by their decision to tackle discrimination head on. When Cultivative Coalition first started meeting with the school district, it arrived with a letter with about 150 signatures from staff and students with certain asks attached to it  asks that would address discrimination in the school.

Among other things, the letter asked the district to create specific disciplinary actions for any incident involving hateful words and actions that occurred in schools. It asked staff and administration to propose a plan to incorporate more diverse and accurate history, including Native American, LGBTQ+ and Black history, into the curriculum. It asked that staff, administration and students be inclusive of all people. And the letter proposed that the district seek out diversity and inclusion training for students and staff in the Chippewa Falls School District.

The hope was that the school district would look at those asks and find them necessary, and because they didnt, we hoped that through filing the complaint that they would be forced to take those asks and do something with them and make considerable changes, Keyser said. I just always want to advocate for current students and future students, especially mental health wise. Because we had a suicide every year until we graduated.

Im always wanting to make sure that students are being put first and taken care of and also that teachers have an avenue and a path to speak out when they dont feel like something is right.

Keyser said shes worried about continuing discrimination at the high school.

Since weve graduated discrimination has continued. I know this because of the response that weve gotten with Cultivative Coalition and because of the other students and the cases that are coming up within the school district, Keyser said. I can confidently say that its continuing to happen and it will continue to happen because when you dont take steps to fix a problem, the problem persists.

PHOTOS: Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally Cultivative Coalition Chippewa Falls rally
Press Release

February 8, 2023 Local holidays to bolster economy, tourism, post-pandemic recovery - Tolentino MANILA - Senator Francis 'Tol' N. Tolentino said that local holidays will play a key role in reviving and bolstering the country's economic growth, three years after it was badly hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Tolentino made the remarks during Tuesday's hearing of the Senate Committee on Local Government over several pending local holiday bills, in which he bared the benefits of a 'non-working' holiday scheme during a celebration or commemoration of specific local holiday especially during this post-pandemic period. "The reason being is that, there is really no detrimental effects to the local economy because the celebration of a holiday in an LGU (local government unit) would support two premises--One, it fosters local autonomy; two, it bolsters economy," said Tolentino. According to Tolentino, reversing the economic trend on non-working holidays is now "needed in a post-pandemic Philippines" to further stimulate the tourism industry which is now heavily needed by every local economy. Tolentino, who chaired the Senate local government panel during the 18th Congress stressed that any effect that would be imposed on an employer, by paying "double salary" to their personnel, "can be compensated by the upsurge of economic activities." "(It) can be countered by the presence of local tourists spending and spending and it all goes well for the post-pandemic society that we are entering right now," he explained "For instance in Kalibo, there will be more boat operators, there will be more restaurant owners opening their shops, and there will be more waiters, there will be more souvenir craft vendors--these will all be compensated and the day the economic upsurge is not just on the day itself, but even three days before there will be pre-Kalibo. For instance Kalibo, pre-Kalibo holiday events: concerts, more soft drinks to be delivered, more ice to be manufactured, etcetera, etcetera, so more flights to Kalibo," the senator added. Tolentino explained that whatever extra compensation that would be made by the employers during local holidays can be recompensed by the above-mentioned economic activities.
QUESTION: How does a zipper work?

ANSWER: The zipper is so common and has been around for so long, we dont give much thought to where it came from or how it works. It is one of those devices that is not absolutely necessary but is one of the most useful devices in everyday life. Its much easier and faster to close a suitcase, back of a dress, coats, pants fly and sleeping bags compared to using buttons or cords. The zipper is so effective and reliable it has been the standard fastener for over 100 years.

The zipper was patented in 1893 by Whitcomb Judson as a method to fasten boots. The Navy bought Judsons patent in 1918 to secure flying suits. His invention was given the name zipper in 1926.

The zipper is an excellent example of a simple machine. All machines, implements, tools, and instruments, are made up of six simple machines: lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, wedge and screw. The zipper makes use of the wedge plus a hook. A wedge is an object with an inclined surface. If you push a wedge forward, it will push an object to the side, perpendicular to the direction the wedge is moving. A door stop and plow are examples of a wedge. A wedge is used to split wood.

A hook is a curved piece of material that can be used to grab onto another piece of material. Think of a crochet hook. A zipper is made of dozens of teeth, and each has a hook and a hollow. The job is to latch every hook on each of the two tracts into a hollow on the opposite side. That latching mechanism is the slide that contains wedges that either force the interlocking teeth together or force them apart.

Each tooth has a small knob or protrusion on its top face and a hollow on its bottom. Teeth on the opposite sides of the zipper are staggered so that the protrusion of one fits into the hollow of the opposite tooth on the adjoining side. Some plastic zippers use two intermeshing spirals instead of two rows of teeth.

The teeth are built so that they can only be opened or closed one at a time. The slide is necessary to pull the teeth apart or put them together. When the zipper is opened, the upper wedge forces the teeth apart one at a time. When the zipper is closed, the interlocking teeth are forced together so they intermesh.

Whitcomb Judson (1843-1909) led a full and interesting life. Born in Chicago, Judson enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 and served in the 42nd Illinois Infantry Regiment. After the Civil War, Judson attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and became a salesman for agriculture equipment.

Judson began concentrating on railway systems that ran on urban streets. The first 14 of his 30 patents were for the railroad/streetcar. The first application for his newly invented zipper was as a shoe fastener to relieve the tedium of fastening high button boots that were fashionable at the time. Soon after, zippers were put on rubber galoshes, gloves, and tobacco pouches.

Judson married Annie Martin in 1874 and they had three children. In 1906, he and his wife moved from New York City to Muskegon, Michigan, to retire.
Review and Approve Minutes from Previous Meeting-Action Item, Agency Reports (NRCS, DNR, FSA, UW-Ext., any others), Schedule next Conservation & Education Meeting(s), Review and Approve Land & Water Bills for Payment- Action Item, Audience to Visitors-Land & Water Portion, Wildlife Damage Claim Approval (USDA-APHIS)-Action Item, Introduction of New Watershed Planner, F-150 Truck Bid Approval-Action Item, Sidie Hollow Construction Plan Approval to Release for Bids-Action Item, Mlsna Construction Plan Update-Action Item, Cell Tower Discussion-Action Item, Forestry Summer Tour Approval-Action Item, Parks Update, Approval to Apply for EPA Grant-Action Item, Watershed Update, Conservation Landowner of the Year Vote, Conservation Teacher of the Year Vote, Accounts Manager Report, Reports from Committee Members and Announcements, Audience to Visitors-UW Extension Portion, Review and Approve UW-Extension Bills for Payment-Action Item, Update on Vacant Positions, Regional Crops Educator and Community Development Educator, Donation of Grape Equipment to Wisconsin Wine Growers Association Approval-Action Item, Educator Reports-4-H and FoodWise.
Its been an exciting week at the library, as three staff had the opportunity to participate in Library Legislative Day at the State Capitol in Madison on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Trina Erickson, Laci Sheldon, and Maggie Strittmater attended the annual event. The day began with an opening session at the Madison Public Library. Gov. Tony Evers and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jill Underly were two of several guests who spoke with library staff from across the state. Later in the day attendees had an opportunity to meet with staff from Sen. Pfaffs office and Rep. Oldenburgs office as well. Library Legislative Day provides a platform to have conversations about the importance of public libraries and the pivotal role they play in the communities they serve.

Valentines Day is quickly approaching and we have a very special treat for everyone! Our annual Sweetheart Books are back for a limited time. Near the circulation desk you will find a table of specially gift-wrapped library items available for checkout. Checking out an item from the table is the fun part because you dont know what book is under the wrapping paper. Much like a blind date you really dont know what to expect! We have wrapped items for patrons of all ages. Stop by and enjoy this fun activity while supplies last!

Were looking forward to hosting a presentation about a newly published book titled Through Childrens Eyes. The program will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. inside the lobby of the McIntosh Memorial Library. Author LC Groth will talk about her book with a question and answer time.

Through Childrens Eyes is a true story of history and adventure as a Coon Valley, Wisconsin farmer sells his farm and moves his family to Brazil in the year of 1906. This book allows the reader to experience the places and people the family encountered along their journey through the written accounts of travels captured by two of the daughters. Attendees can view the actual tablet writings along with other items which were kept as souvenirs of the journey. There will also be photos of the family to enjoy. Copies of the book will be available for purchase with the authors signature.

LC Groth was born and raised outside the small town of Stoddard, Wisconsin. Groth turned to writing when she began preserving her grandmother and great-aunts journals they kept of their expedition to Brazil. Through Childrens Eyes is a story not only written by Groth, but through the eyes and words of Mary and Bertha Meier who lived it.

State and federal tax forms are here! We have a table at the entrance to the library full of forms and instructions for you to choose from. If a form you need is not on the table, please ask a librarian for assistance. We can print forms for you off the IRS.gov website. Stop by early for the best selection, as we will not be able to order additional forms before the end of the tax season. If you have questions about the forms, please contact Adult Services Director Lisa at 608-637-7151, extension 4.

To stay up-to-date on everything happening at the library, like the Viroqua Library page on Facebook, visit our website at www.mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org, or visit us in person at 205 S. Rock Ave. in Viroqua.
At Sultan Restaurant, which is coming to Williamson Street this spring, servers won't be tipped.

Sultan Ahmed, 31, said he's proud of the business model for his new Pakistani restaurant, where employees will make $20 an hour plus a 5% profit share.

Ahmed, a former project manager at Epic Systems, was born in Pakistan and lived in Egypt for five years. He moved to Wadsworth, Ohio, when he was 9 because of his father's job as an international corporate accountant.

He went to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for undergrad and grad school, earning a master's degree in philosophy and medical ethics, and came to Madison in 2012 when he was recruited by Epic. He worked there for six years and has been an independent consultant since.

Ahmed enrolled in culinary school at Madison College last fall because he's always wanted to open his own restaurant.

"I love it. It's been a blast," he said. "I have met a lot of local industry people. The instructors are great. The curriculum's been great."

He's gotten his culinary production specialist certificate, and isn't sure if he will finish his last year. He said it depends on how busy the restaurant gets. If he doesn't finish, this will be his last semester, but if he finishes, he'll graduate in May 2024.

Ahmed is planning to have Sultan, 1054 Williamson St., open by May 15 after substantial renovations to the kitchen and dining area. He said it will have a low-lit lounge feel with lots of dark wood surfaces, metal, and cascading lighting.

The 1,700-square foot space, formerly Roman Candle Pizza, will seat 50, including 10 at the bar.

"The goal is to serve authentic South Asian flavors that are a little bit modernized," Ahmed said.

He said the food will be primarily Pakistani, similar to Indian food, but with Northern Pakistan Punjabi influences. Ahmed plans to offer a lot of small plates to share so customers can try multiple dishes.

A sample menu includes a cheese and meat board; lentil fritters; tandoori fish; bone-in chicken and fragrant rice served in a clay pot; braised beef shank with shaved ginger and cilantro; spiced chicken with tomato and yogurt; and beets, mango, pickled red onion and mint.

Ahmed said he plans to get produce from local farmers when in season. Proteins will also come from local or regional providers, except for the lobster and scallops in a tandoori dish. He said he'll be getting meat from The Conscious Carnivore and the fish will be sustainable and farm raised.

Even with the no-tip policy, Ahmed said Sultan won't charge higher prices, and will offer a middle price point that will reflect the quality of the ingredients used and still allow the restaurant to be as accessible as possible to many potential customers.

Ahmed said each employee will get additional pay each month equal to 5% of the profit the restaurant makes after he accounts for all of the expenses and costs.

He said the restaurant will have six employees: three in the kitchen, two front of house, and a bartender.

Sultan will be open daily for dinner, and for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

It will have a full wine list and a full cocktail menu, provided its liquor license gets approved, Ahmed said.

Ahmed is using his first name as the restaurant's name. It's "a pretty common word in Pakistani culture," he said. "It means king or ruler, literally translated. It's used to refer to people of high importance. So I thought it was a good name for a restaurant."

Roman Candle Pizza closed in May after almost 18 years, with its owner, Brewer Stouffer, saying it never quite recovered from COVID-19.

From smart kitchens to robocooks: 10 tech innovations transforming restaurants From smart kitchens to robocooks: 10 tech innovations transforming restaurants Pizza-assembly machines Kitchen management software Service robots Fully automated restaurants On-table tablets Food waste analytics Drone delivery Compost systems Cloud kitchens Drive-thru AI
VIROQUAAnnette L. Dahl, age 84, of Viroqua, WI, passed away in the comfort of her home on Friday, January 27, 2023. She was born in La Crosse, WI, on May 14, 1938, the daughter of Elmer and Bertina Olson. After graduating high school, Annette married Wesley Otto Dahl, and they were married for over 62 years before Wes passed in 2021. They lived a full life of love and laughter together, with a bit of adventure and one or two winning bets along the way. Annette had a giving spirit and donated her time to many worthy causes throughout her life. Whether she was faithfully lending a hand at church, serving on school board or helping others at the hospital, Annette volunteered with a generous heart. During their retirement, Annette and Wes traveled extensively, going to places like Norway and Hawaii and wintering for over 20 years in Mississippi. She was a fun-loving social person who made countless friends over the years and enjoyed having a good time.
Gov. Tony Evers wants to make it harder for Wisconsins Republican-controlled Legislature to stop conservationists and the state from buying land, proposing Wednesday to increase the thresholds for stopping stewardship projects.

Evers said his executive budget proposal will repeal the requirement that all projects north of Highway 64 be subject to legislative review and double the threshold of legislative review for grants and acquisitions under the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program from $250,000 to $500,000. The governors budget also will require any member of the Legislature who objects to a purchase to be named publicly. Currently, lawmakers can object anonymously, delaying or even killing projects.

The proposal comes after Republicans on the Legislatures finance committee last month killed a state Department of Natural Resources plan to spend $15.5 million on an easement to preserve 56,000 acres of northern Wisconsin forest. About $11 million would have come from federal dollars with the remaining $4 million or so coming from the stewardship fund.

The review process for these projects have been weaponized by members of the Legislature to indefinitely suspend critical projects from moving forward, leaving projects hanging in limbo, Evers office said in a statement Wednesday.

Evers is expected to release his full budget proposal on Feb. 15. The Legislatures finance committee will spend the next four months reworking the spending plan. The full Senate and Assembly will then vote on the Republican version of the budget and send that document to Evers, who can use his partial veto power to rework the plan to his liking.

The stewardship program provides money, mostly through bonding, to conservation groups to purchase blocks of land for preservation. The state Department of Natural Resources, which is controlled by the governors administration, also uses the stewardship fund to buy land.

Republicans have been trying for years to scale back stewardship purchases, complaining that it takes too much land off the tax rolls, robs northern Wisconsin municipalities of revenue and drives up state debt. GOP lawmakers almost certainly will oppose any attempts to loosen legislative controls on the program.

Michael Pyritz, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, declined comment, saying LeMahieu doesnt plan to comment on individual budget proposals until Evers releases the entire spending plan next week. A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, didnt return a message.

Our duty

Sen. Mary Felzkowski, of Irma, who sits on the finance committee, said she was one of the Republicans who anonymously objected to the $15.5 million forest purchase last month. She told Wisconsin Public Radio then that the state cant keep taking property off tax rolls because local governments need that revenue to provide services.

She said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday morning that Evers plan to loosen legislative oversight of the program amounts to stealing power from the finance committee.

Its the task of this committee to ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely, and be a check on the spending of the executive branch, Felzkowski said. Governor Evers is asking us to surrender our duty to the people of Wisconsin and would rather provide the DNR with a rubber stamp for irresponsible spending on unnecessary acquisitions of public land  acquisitions that ultimately harm the local communities who are directly affected.

Other initiatives

Evers announced a number of other conservation-related budget proposals on Wednesday as well, including:

$4.4 million to encourage planting trees and growing forests across the state.

$2.7 million to combat invasive species that damage Wisconsins forests, parks and other natural spaces.

$6 million on clean energy and conservation-related job training.

Evers has called for 100% of all electricity used in Wisconsin to come from carbon-free sources by 2050. The statement from his office said the initiatives will help speed the state toward that goal.

Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report.
Press Release

February 8, 2023 Villanueva seeks review of deployment policies to Kuwait Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva is pushing for a comprehensive review of the bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait amid rising cases of abuse of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Villanueva made the call after another case of OFW abuse in Kuwait was reported following the death of Jullebee Ranara. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) reported that on January 21, OFW Myla Balbag fell from the third floor of her employer's house in the residential area of Hateen while trying to escape. "After these two unfortunate incidents, we need to carefully study if the policies are fair and being followed and clearly set the parameters on when to impose a ban and when to lift," he said. To further ensure the safety of our OFWs, Villanueva filed Senate Resolution No. 456 urging the executive department to ratify the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the workplace. ILO Convention No. 190 or the Violence and Harassment Convention seeks to protect workers and other persons in the world of work from violence and harassment occurring in the course of, linked with, or arising out of work with an accompanying recommendation that provides guidance in implementing the Convention. Villanueva said the Philippines' ratification of the ILO Convention will provide the "impetus" to reflect on the principles of the labor standards and could provide the country the option to elevate the killings of OFWs to the ILO Supervisory Bodies. "The brutal killing of Ranara happened even amid an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippines and Kuwait on the kafala system, which lays down the obligations in the treatment and protection of foreign workers," the Majority Leader said. As of 2022, there were 24,549 OFW welfare cases in Kuwait of which, 8,755 are contract violation cases, 823 are physical maltreatment cases, 99 are sexual abuse cases and 26 are rape cases. The Department of Migrant Workers data showed a significant increase in welfare cases from 2016 which was at 6,536. "Let's give our OFWs reassurance that their government is doing their best to make sure that they are protected and that their rights are not violated," Villanueva said. "This is living up to our obligations to our 'heroes' who have braved foreign worlds and transformed the economic landscape of our country for want of better lives for their families," Villanueva added. Bilateral labor agreement ng Pilipinas, Kuwait repasuhin - Villanueva Isinusulong ni Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva na magkaroon ng kommprehensibong pagsuri sa bilateral labor agreement sa pagitan ng Pilipians at Kuwait sa gitna na tumataas na kaso ng pag-abuso sa overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Ginawa ni Villanueva ang panawagan sa gitna nang panibagong kaso ng pag-abuso sa OFW sa Kuwait kasunod na pagkamatay ni Jullebee Ranara, 35, noong Enero 21. Sa ulat ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Enero 21 din nang tumalon ang OFW na si Myla Balbag mula sa ikatlong palapag ng isang gusali sa Hateen para takasan ang kanyang malupit na amo. "After these two unfortunate incidents, we need to carefully study if the policies are fair and being followed and clearly set the parameters on when to impose a ban and when to lift," sabi ni Villanueva. Para sa karagdang kaligtasan ng mga OFW, inihain ni Villaneuva ang Senate Resolution No. 456 na humikayat sa kagawarang ehekutibo na pagtibayin ang International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 190 para maalis ang karahasan at harassment sa lugar ng trabaho. Ang ILO Convention No. 190 o Violence and Harassment Convention ay naghahangad na protektahan ang mga manggagawa at iba pang tao sa mundo mula sa karahasan at harassment na nangyayari sa kanyang pinagtatrabahuhan. Kaakibat nito ang rekomendasyon na magbibigay ng gabay sa pagpapatupad ng nasabing kapulungan. Sabi pa ni Villanueva, ang ratipikasyon ng Pilipinas sa ILO Convention ay magbibigay ng motibasyon na sasalamin sa mga prinsipyo ng labor standards at maaring makapagbigay sa bansa ng opsyon para maiangat ang kaso ng pagpatay sa mga OFW sa ILO Supervisory Bodies. "The brutal killing of Ranara happened even amid an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippines and Kuwait on the kafala system, which lays down the obligations in the treatment and protection of foreign workers," ayon sa Majority Leader. Nitong 2022, may 24,549 OFW welfare cases ang naitala sa Kuwait kung saan, merong 8,755 contract violation cases, 823 physical maltreatment cases, 99 sexual abuses cases at 26 rape cases. Makikita rin sa datos ng Department of Migrant Workers na tumaas ang welfare cases ng OFWs mula noong 2016 sa naitalang 6,536 mga kaso. "Let's give our OFWs reassurance that their government is doing their best to make sure that they are protected and that their rights are not violated," ani Villaneuva. "This is living up to our obligations to our 'heroes' who have braved foreign worlds and transformed the economic landscape of our country for want of better lives for their families," dagdag pa niya.
A Sauk County Circuit Court judge recently issued an arrest warrant for a former Baraboo man accused of brutalizing and stalking another person for years.

Wendell D. Gist, 48, of Country Club Hills, Illinois, faces three felony counts of first-degree sexual assault by use of a dangerous weapon, a felony charge of first-degree sexual assault causing great bodily harm and stalking with a result of bodily harm.

The charges stem from complaints made by the person who Gist allegedly attacked to a Sauk County Sheriffs Office detective in early 2020. The person tried to explain that by working with a rape crisis counselor, they had decided to report the attacks. During the attempted interview, the person was distraught. The detective advised that they write down a record. In April 2021, a letter from the reporting person arrived.

According to the complaint, the letter detailed three separate attacks, two at a home on Quarry Street in Baraboo and another at Campus Inn in West Baraboo. A later attack also reportedly happened at another residence on Oak Street in Baraboo.

In one attack, Gist entered the home without the persons knowledge and attacked them. The complainant told police that Gist forced them to a bedroom and laid them out on plastic wrap, threatening them with a knife and stabbing the person in the leg before sexually assaulting them while holding a gun to their head.

I know a lot of this is hard to read, says the letter. I tried to go back and reread/write. I cannot.Ive spent my adulthood traumatized. I live in fear.

Gist also attacked the person in a separate encounter by using a hair straightener to burn the persons arms, causing infection. During the attack at Campus Inn, the person told police Gist strangled and sexually assaulted them in a room there.

Gist also burned them with cigarettes. This person told police that as a result of Gists alleged attacks, they now deal with post traumatic stress disorder, paranoia, night terrors and depression.

These events happened roughly a decade ago, in 2011 and 2012, before this person moved away, though Gist has continued trying to contact them through social media.

Gists arrests over the years meant that the alleged harassment and abuse would be sporadic. According to court records, Gist was charged in September 2011 with substantial battery in Sauk County Circuit Court. He spent 90 days in jail as a condition of probation ordered by Circuit Court Judge Guy Reynolds, but it was revoked in February 2014 and he was sentenced to another 12 months in jail with work release privileges.

Gist has also been convicted of felony child abuse, carrying a concealed weapon, possessing up to 40 grams of cocaine with the intention to sell, strangulation and suffocation and misdemeanor battery.

According to messages provided in the complaint, Gist contacted the person he allegedly attacked in separate incidents in 2017, 2018 and 2021. He said he had grown up and apologized.

Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett issued the warrant Jan. 12. Gist faces a maximum of 167.5 years imprisonment and up to 85 years of extended supervision if convicted.

GALLERY: Sauk County court, cops Arsonist sentenced Shores enters Spoentgen argues Amber Lundgren hearing 'I'm sorry, that's all I can say' 020221-bara-news-metzger1 Defense attorney Jeremiah Meyer-O'Day Amber Lundgren in shackles Medflight near Baraboo Judge sets $250K bond for Pulvermacher in Baraboo homicide case Amber Lundgren homicide hearing Albart B. Shores trial Sauk County ADA Rick Spoentgen Pulvermacher listens 102519-bara-news-sauk-co-homicide1 William Wenzel Judge Michael Screnock Judge Klicko and attorneys Martinez and Spoentgen Sauk County Assistant District Attorney Rick Spoentgen Drew Bulin testifies Wenzel and Van Wagner in courtroom 073021-bara-news-dogs1 Mike Albrecht sworn in 051121-bara-news-law-zunker
Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday proposed that counties and more than two dozen large cities in Wisconsin be allowed to ask voters to raise their sales tax to pay for local services such as police and fire protection and road repairs.

He first unveiled a proposal to change how local governments are funded in his State of the State speech last month. Evers announced the local option sales tax part of the plan on Tuesday, a week before he submits his two-year budget proposal to the Legislature.

Evers, a Democrat, wants to fund local governments with 20% of the state sales tax, or 1 cent of the 5-cent sales tax charged per dollar spent. That amounts to about $576 million in the first year, with future payments increasing as the sales tax goes up, Evers said.

The state must fulfill our obligation to ensure our local partners can meet basic and unique community needs alike, and this historic investment will ensure that we do, Evers said in a statement. I look forward to working with the Legislature to find common ground in the weeks and months ahead to fund our communities now and with growth into the future.

Evers plan is similar to one that Republican legislative leaders have been discussing. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Vos has repeatedly said he doesnt want to send more money to Milwaukee without the city instituting spending reforms.

All Wisconsin counties are now able to only levy a half-cent sales tax.

Evers proposal would allow for Milwaukee County to impose an additional 1-cent-per-dollar tax on sales, with half of what is raised going to the city of Milwaukee, if approved by voters. All other counties could ask for a half-cent sales tax increase.

Officials in the city and county of Milwaukee have been pushing for the ability to raise more from sales taxes.

Cities other than Milwaukee with at least 30,000 people could also ask voters for a half-cent sales tax increase. There are 25 cities with at least 30,000 people, based on the 2020 Census.

There is a broad coalition of cities, counties, towns, villages and others that supports tapping state sales tax revenue to pay for local governments after years of stagnant funding.

Under the Evers plan, more than 43% of the aid would be earmarked for public safety, such as law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, courts and district attorneys offices. The other 56% would be general aid.

The current shared revenue program to fund local governments, created in 1911, has remained nearly unchanged for nearly 30 years despite overall growth in tax revenues, according to the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum.

Shared revenue for counties and municipalities was cut in 2004, 2010 and 2012, and since then has been relatively flat. It was 12.5% of the states general fund budget nearly 30 years ago, but is less than 5% now, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

The push also comes as Wisconsin is projected to have a budget surplus exceeding $7 billion.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Stop This Drive Towards a Two-Front Global War!

Feb. 7, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The national rally against the war machine being organized for Feb. 19 before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is coming none too soon.

War against one nuclear power is not enough. The State Department announced this week that it is busy organizing a coalition of like-minded countries to work in lock-step to confront China, citing the example of the coalition of like-minded countries which Press Spokesman Ned Price bragged again that the Biden administration organized against Russiawhich has brought us already to the brink of nuclear war.

And now we are to prepare to confront a second nuclear power over high-altitude balloons, which the U.S. government raves are floating over five continents?

Look for a moment at how the situation looks through Chinas eyes. Russia and China are treated in U.S. strategic policy documents as adversaries to be contained or derailed. The Chinese hear U.S. military and civilian officials repeat that the goal of the war in Ukraine is the strategic defeat of Russia. The pace of U.S. naval sorties near China picks up. Neighboring Japan is welcomed as a partner of NATO, and Japanese media now report that the U.S. is discussing an agreement to install long-range, even hypersonic missiles on Japanese territory. High-level Pentagon officials publicly report that they are preparing for war with China, and an Air Force general sends a memo to his troops advising them to get their family and legal matters in order, because they will likely be fighting China by 2025and he is not cashiered. China sees such U.S. diplomats as Victoria Maidan coup Nuland deploy, one after the after, to organize provocations and opposition to China from the countries along Chinas Himalayas border.

There was cautious hope in China that the November 2022 agreement between Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping, that differences between the United States and China should be handled carefully through hard diplomatic work so as to avoid conflict, was a counter policy to the war machine. Now that agreement is on hold, while an international anti-China coalition is hyped up around a Chinese high-altitude balloon which Gen. Glenn VanHerck, head of NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, admits that the Pentagon was aware of days before the scare propaganda started, and that it was his assessment that this balloon did not present a physical military threat to North America.

This is a policy in search of an incidentand that policy is gambling on provoking and winning showdowns with two nuclear powers.

This insanity comes at the same time that the devastation in Turkiye and Syria from two back-to-back earthquakes cry out for humanity to join together and cooperate on saving lives! And what does the U.S. government do? President Biden and the State Department refuse to lift the brutal sanctions the U.S. has imposed for years on Syriaand any nation which seeks to help or trade with that nationin the name of protecting the Syrian people.

These crimes against humanity are too much. The Schiller Institute has issued a call, demanding that the sanctions be lifted. The Middle East Council of Churches, representing all the various Christian denominations in that region, urge that sanctions be lifted. From within the United States, former state senator Col. (ret.) Richard Black issued a biting statement today against this criminal policy.

Statementsand actionsfrom other Americans must follow, demanding that this policy end. People from some 50 countries who participated in the Schiller Institutes Feb. 4 conference, The Age of Reason or the Annihilation of Humanity?, showed the fighting spirit which is beginning to break out in the United States as well, to overturn this genocidal policy of unending war, leading to nuclear war. Join us, in building the upcoming Feb. 19 rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, and sister rallies in numerous cities across the United States, Europe, and Ibero-America..
FORT WORTH, Texas  Saidi Ringenberg of Lexington was the 2023 Senior Division National Make It With Wool Winner and Emma Olson of Sargent was fourth runner-up in the Junior Division.

The National Make It With Wool (MIWW) competition was held in conjunction with the American Sheep Industry Association Convention, Jan. 19-21, in Fort Worth, Texas, according to Andrea Nisley, State MIWW director. The wool contest has been conducted for 75 years.

Saidi also received two other special awards, the Senior Division Exemplary Construction award and second place in the Creative Machine Embroidery category. As a national winner Saidi received a $1,500 cash award, from the American Sheep Industry Women, $250 cash award from Heidi Aleman Sorrano, subscription to Threads Magazine, wool fabrics, a sheep pelt, a MIWW garment bag and sash, and a trip to the 2024 National MIWW Contest.

For her entry, Saidi constructed and modeled a heather gray fitted princess-seamed coat with a high neck and flared skirt. To coordinate with the coat, she constructed a classic sleeveless plaid wool halter dress. Saidi is the daughter of Joel and Stephanie Ringenberg.

Emma Olson received Pendleton wool fabrics, wooden spool holder, Schmetz gift bag, Coats & Clarks thread assortment and sewing notions. For her entry, Emma constructed and modeled a plaid wool jumpsuit. She is the daughter of Pete and Kyla Olson.

The trip and contest were sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Women, American Sheep Industry Association, Nebraska Sheep and Goat Industry, and Nebraska Make It With Wool.

The purpose of the Make It With Wool Contest is to promote the beauty and versatility of wool fabrics and yarns, to encourage personal creativity in sewing, to recognize creative skills and to develop life skills.

Contestants must select, construct, and model their own garments. All entries must be made with 100 percent wool or wool blend (minimum 60 percent wool or specialty wool fiber) for each fashion fabric or yarn used.
Don't turn until you know where to turn.

Mac Demere watched the car in front of him lose control and veer left toward the inside of the track. He tried to anticipate the car's next move, not wanting to turn until he knew where the other car was headed next.

Don't turn until you know where to turn.

He finally swerved far to the track's outside. But as the other car regained traction, it veered sharply to the right, directly toward Demere, and Demere's car smashed into its right side.

"I can't tell you what caused him to lose control," Demere said of the 1983 crash at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York. "It happens so fast."

Demere, now 57, walked away from that crash, but the other driver suffered a broken ankle.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you crash, said Demere, a former racer from South Carolina and longtime motorsports journalist.

That certainly seemed to be the lesson at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway a week ago when 15 cars crashed, killing two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon. He was the first IndyCar driver to die on a track since Paul Dana was killed during a practice run at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2006.

On Oct. 16, two cars went airborne -- Wheldon's and Will Power's. Wheldon hit a catch fence built to protect spectators from crash debris. He died later at a hospital of head injuries.

Power hit a barrier designed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. He walked away.

The tragically different fates of Wheldon and Power have raised concerns about the catch fence at NASCAR and IndyCar tracks and have highlighted the safety performance of the UNL-designed SAFER barrier.

Dean Sicking, director of the safety facility at UNL, said the SAFER -- or Steel and Foam Energy Reduction -- barriers now are in place at all NASCAR and IndyCar tracks. There have been no fatalities involving crashes into those barriers since 2004, when all of the barriers were fully installed at NASCAR tracks.

Before those barriers were installed, 1 to 1.5 drivers died each year at NASCAR tracks alone, Sicking said. In an especially cruel span of 10 months in 2000 and 2001, NASCAR crashes claimed the lives of budding stars Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper, and one of the sport's legends, Dale Earnhardt.

The trapezoidal barriers designed at UNL are made of insulation foam that is waterproof and effective at absorbing the impact of cars going well over 100 mph, Sicking said. Steel tubes serve as a barrier between the foam blocks and track. The SAFER barriers protect drivers from the unforgiving nature of concrete walls.

Sicking -- whose office is decorated with a photo of him shaking hands with former President George W. Bush, as well as numerous awards -- related the story of how the UNL center got the contract to design the barriers.

In 1998, Tony George, the longtime former IndyCar president and Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO, wanted a new racetrack barrier. The concrete barriers simply weren't good enough.

IndyCar designers had developed a new barrier made of sheets of plastic, but it broke into 50- to 100-pound chunks that littered the speedway when hit too hard. George asked the UNL center to improve the design.

"He said, Can you fix this?'" Sicking said. "We never admit we can't do something."

Initially, Sicking wasn't convinced it would be worth the extra effort. Then his assistant director, Ron Faller, convinced him it would drive the UNL center to find new solutions to road safety and new materials with which to build them.

Sicking agreed and asked George for $1 million.

"He said, When can you start?'"

It didn't take the UNL center long to figure out the IndyCar plastic barrier would never perform as well as foam, and Sicking worked to convince a skeptical George. Finally, George relented.

In 2002, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway installed the SAFER barriers, and, seeing how well they performed, NASCAR CEO Bill France Sr. ordered them installed at all NASCAR speedways by the end of 2004 at a cost of $100 million.

The UNL center oversaw installation.

"No one can ever put it in right," Sicking said, laughing.

The barrier has earned the UNL center numerous awards, including the prestigious 2002 Louis Schwitzer Award, presented in conjunction with the Indianapolis 500.

IndyCar senior technical director Phil Casey called SAFER barriers the greatest achievement for safety in automobile racing.

The barriers were installed at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2003, and the speedway where both Petty and Irwin Jr. died has had no fatalities or serious injuries since, said speedway spokeswoman Kristen Costa.

"It's better on impact. It moves with the vehicle," she said.

Costa said the speedway reconfigured its catch fence in 2009 to make it safer as well. Sicking said catch fences at motorsports facilities need to be re-examined.

"The catch fence is a difficult safety issue, a tough nut to crack, but I think it can be," he said.

Sicking said IndyCar is reluctant to invest the large amount of money required to redesign the catch fence, and NASCAR isn't as interested in redesigning it as its cars rarely go airborne like the open-wheel Indy cars are prone to do.

While nothing has been determined, the UNL center could end up leading the investigation into the crash that killed Wheldon, as it did with the 2001 crash that killed Earnhardt, Sicking said. The UNL center has examined nearly 2,000 crashes under federal contract.

"Any time you have a big wreck, we normally get to look at it," he said.

Demere, the former racer who now is pursuing a master's in journalism from UNL, said it appears Wheldon tried to slow down by lifting his foot off the accelerator and tried to direct his car toward the gearbox of the slowing car in front of him. But his car's nose lifted, and, traveling at more than 200 mph, his car quickly took to the air.

With 15 cars involved, it was simply impossible for Wheldon to avoid the carnage, Demere said.

He said drivers try not to think about getting seriously injured or killed while they're racing. They simply try to focus on the track and the racers around them.

"We all know that it might happen to us," he said. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised that it didn't happen to me."
CA 44-year-old Omaha man will spend 17 years in federal prison after being convicted of possession of child pornography.

Adam F. Juenemann was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska for sharing child pornography with a prior conviction. After serving his time, Juenemann will be under a lifetime term of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

In October 2020, law enforcement located a sexually explicit video and photographs posted through an internet account traced to Juenemann. A search warrant executed at Juenemanns residence resulted in the recovery of several electronic devices containing 62 images of children being subjected to sexually explicit conduct.

Juenemann was previously convicted of three counts of sexual exploitation of a child in Ellis County, Kansas. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the FBIs Child Enticement and Human Trafficking Task Force and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine responded to the decision of the Tbilisi City Court on the postponement of the sentence or release from the sentence for Mikheil Saakashvili. The Ukrainian agency expressed disappointment about the judge's decision.The MFA of Ukraine wrote that the Georgian government should stop the political settlement with Mikheil Saakashvili and hand him over to Ukraine.According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the court did not take into account the doctors' report regarding the seriousness of Mikheil Saakashvili's health condition and also rejected the request to transfer him abroad for treatment."The court did not take into account the doctors' report about the severity of Mikheil Saakashvili's illness. It also refused to transfer the citizen abroad for treatment. The Georgian authorities should immediately stop the political settlement with the Ukrainian citizen, ensure the protection of his rights and hand him over to Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine will continue to protect the interests of the Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili, who should be released," the agency wrote.The government administration released the information regarding Irakli Gharibashvili holding a working meeting with Tea Tsulukiani and her deputies.In the press release issued by the Government Administration, it is mentioned that while talking about infrastructural projects, it was mentioned that it is planned to design and/or start rehabilitation works of about 50 cultural heritage monuments and other buildings throughout the country."Among them is the continuation of work on the elimination of existing deficiencies in the Gelati monastery complex in accordance with UNESCO's recommendations, which should be published from February 10 of this year," the release reads.
Emilie Heidemann picks her 5 favorite 2022 stories

"The storm will abate, and the sun will rise again."

That was a quote I read recently. It's was written by a renowned psychiatrist who actually practices locally.

It's hard not to get caught in the throes of all the headlines and wonder what the world is coming to. Even for me  an anxious and introverted pessimist-who-is-secretly-an-optimist with high hopes that, while the world may seem bleak at times, things will eventually get better.

There are still pockets of joy even in the deepest pits of fire.

I never envisioned that my journalism career would entail weathering an ongoing pandemic whose affects are likely to be felt for decades to come. For one story this year, I drove for miles as cars lined up outside a pharmacy waiting for a COVID-19 test amid a shortage caused by the omicron variant.

Eventually, that shortage eased. And more is now known about the once mystery virus that had everyone fearing an apocalypse was imminent.

Soon after, with a colleague and friend, we highlighted the problems plaguing Wisconsin's childcare industry as exacerbated by pandemic.

Since then, various organizations have sought ways to better support parents and providers with more work to be done. Sometimes, it takes work to make things better.

I covered the city of Madison's effort to better support businesses owned by people of color last spring. I recall one of my sources texting to tell me I had created "art" once the story published. Efforts continue.

Additionally, I wrote about how a local uptick in unionization rates (that's continuing by the way) was reflective of a national trend, and how the Dane County employers were jumping on the bandwagon to support workers with children despite no federal guidelines for doing so.

There are still no federal guidelines in December 2022, but the story did inspire a well-written column by the Wisconsin State Journal's editorial board.

Solving some problems may have to start with new knowledge and awareness, just like storms always start with lightning, and then cracks of thunder.

The clouds always pass with time. And the sun comes out again.

That's my personal theme for 2022. Enjoy the below collection.
Right To Nationality and Citizenship Network

January 31, 2023

On 27 January 2023, Indias biggest detention centre was opened in Matia, Goalpara district, Assam. 68 persons were shifted to the centre, with more expected to be shifted soon. Sanctioned in 2018 by the Ministry of Home Affairs for Rs 46 crores, the 25 bigha centre can house between 3000 to 3,500 persons. The camp at Matia will replace the six detention centres operating out of jails in Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and Tezpur. As of September 2022, there are 195 persons in detention, out of which 42 persons are those declared foreigners by Foreigners Tribunals in Assam. It should be noted that the Government of Assam in 2021 renamed detention centres to Transit Camps.

Citizenship determination processes in Assam, such as the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Foreigners Tribunals and the marking of persons as D(doubtful)-Voters, have been fundamentally arbitrary and discriminatory. The NRCfinalised in August 2019excluded 19,06,657 persons who are yet to be given the right to file appeals against their exclusion.

Foreigners Tribunals in Assam, through an arbitrarily determined procedure and non-reasoned orders, regularly declare citizens as foreigners, often without giving them a chance to defend their citizenship. The burden of proof is on individuals suspected of being foreigners, and tribunal members routinely reject documents based on the most minor discrepancies to declare persons as foreigners.

Persons declared foreigners are detained in detention centres. While they are declared foreigners, the authorities fail to attribute any alternate nationality to them, as a result of which they cannot be deported. In fact, most persons declared foreigners are citizens who have failed to discharge an unreasonably high burden of proof and are effectively being deprived of their citizenship. Following orders of the Supreme Court in 2019, which was later modified in 2020, persons declared foreigners are now released after a period of two years but have to continue reporting to the local police stations in their jurisdiction of residence every week. Stringent bail conditions, including the need for two sureties, financially ruin their families and cause them a lot of anxiety as they feel isolated from their communities and are unable to find work.

The state is rendering citizens stateless, detaining them on the pretext of deportation, and then releasing them into a life of precarity and constant surveillance. In this landscape, the Matia Detention Centre will worsen the conditions of people by removing them to one corner of Assam, far away from their families and communities. Moreover, the existence of a standalone detention centre will only prompt increased detention. Even now, detentions in Assam are slowly but inexorably increasing. It should be also noted that at the annual police conference held in January 2023, there were discussions on creating a larger number of detention centres across India.

We reject the arbitrary detention of citizens who are declared foreigners by a prejudiced and whimsical system. The above will lead to creating a classification among citizens, and persons with generational ties to Assam shall perpetually live in illegal confinement, across generations, without any recourse, all under the false guise of addressing illegal migration.

We, from the Right to Nationality and Citizenship Network (RNCN) and Collective Against Detention (CAD), unequivocally demand an end to arbitrarily declaring people as foreigners in Assam. We reject detention of declared foreigners as wholly illegitimate and demand their immediate release. We also hold that incarceration can never be a legitimate state response to migration and that no human being is illegal. We call upon the civil society to join us in this demand.

Right to Nationality and Citizenship Network

Collective Against Detention (cadetentionindia[at]gmail.com)
The Filene House near Tenney Park which faces demolition should a new housing development go forward will for now not be made a historic landmark after a Madison City Council vote last Tuesday.

The council went against the unanimous support of the city's Landmark Commission for giving the two-story structure at 1617 W. Sherman Avenue a landmark designation. The building once housed the first permanent location of the Credit Union National Association and was dedicated by President Harry Truman in 1950.

"I really think it's a judgement call," said Ald. Patrick Heck, 2nd District.

"I believe the historical significance standard is subjective, and I judge that this property is not particularly significant compared to others that we've declared landmarks," Heck said.

The council ultimately put the landmark designation on file, meaning that it can considered again at a later date.

Regardless of how the council voted Tuesday, the future of the building remains uncertain as Chicago developer Vermilion Development has proposed to erect a five-building apartment complex with 331 housing units on an 8.2-acre site at 1601 and 1617 W. Sherman which includes the Filene House.

Vermilion submitted its plans for the site last month, preempting a vote on the landmark status. Since Vermillion's submission came before the vote, the city does not need to consider a landmark designation while conducting a land use review for the project.

To appease historic legacy concerns, Vermilion has proposed creating a public space to honor the credit union movement, a key plank of U.S. Cold War policy.

"We believe Madison deserves two things at once, a commemorative space for people to gather, learn the story of the credit union movement and the creation of essential housing for the future of Madison," said Darrin Jolas, a managing director for Vermilion.

A review of the structure has found that it isn't feasible to repurpose the Filene House into the development, Jolas said.

But advocates for preserving the site's historic significance still pressed their case Tuesday night.

"It's important to me to maintain the legacy properties in this community," said resident John Rolling, who drafted the 33-page landmark nomination for Filene House.

"We don't preserve everything in fact we preserve very little, but some of them need to be kept," Rolling said.

Supporters of the development noted that talk of the site's history never materialized until Vermilion came out with their proposed development.

"I don't think anywhere here is debating the significant and importance of credit unions," said resident Lindsay Nigh. "But the idea that a well planned development could be derailed over this frankly nonsensical landmark nomination is absurd to me."

No money for violence prevention, investigator

Over two votes, council members voted against funding for violence prevention and a new equal opportunities investigator with the city's Department of Civil Rights.

The department had previously requested the new investigator during budget talks to handle an uptick in case loads due to the annexation of the town of Madison and a reduction in pandemic-era housing protections.

The city had to refer landlord complaints from some former town of Madison to the state due to lack of staff, said Norman Davis, the city's civil rights director.

The department typically has 250 complaints each year, but that figure is expected to rise to over 400 this year, Davis said.

"If we had the ability to serve those residents we could hopefully bring their concerns to resolution much quicker," Davis said.

"We don't want residents of the former town to have less access," Davis said. "We want them to have more access."

But the council voted 11-8 in support creating a new investigator position, short of the 15 votes needed for passage. Some in opposition cited concerns about future budget deficits. Council members Conklin, Figueroa Cole, Foster, Furman, Heck Paulson, Phair and Verveer voted against the investigator position.

In a different vote, the council rejected allocating about $91,000 to Public Health Madison and Dane County that would have went to community organizations focused on violence prevention. Spending that extra funding failed on a 8-11 vote, with council members Bennett, Conklin, Figueroa Cole, Foster, Furman, Heck, Madison and Vedder voting in favor.

More floors, more housing

Prior to Tuesday night's meeting, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and other elected officials announced they were proposing a zoning change that would allow Downtown developers to add extra stories to buildings if half the new space is set aside for affordable housing.

City leaders' latest push to remedy the city's dire housing shortage targets market-rate developers who wouldn't normally invest in affordable housing, according to a statement from the mayor's office.

"This is a win-win for Madison's housing needs," Rhodes-Conway said in a statement.

Under the new rules, buildings still couldn't exceed Downtown height limits designed to protect the view of the State Capitol.

City officials see the zoning change as an incentive for developers to build up their projects with some affordable housing in lieu of direct city financial help, said Jim O'Keefe, the city's community development director.

Any housing affordable housing included in the new stories must be maintained for at least 30 years under the plan.

If a developer is already building affordable with the help of city dollars, they will have to negotiate with the city the number of extra units they'll need to build to earn the bonus stories.

Here are the plans of the 3 finalists looking to redesign the Lake Monona waterfront Madison has invited three finalists for its Lake Monona Waterfront design challenge to present their vision for the future of the shoreline from Williamson Street to Olin Park. Here are their concepts. Galleries Agency Landscape + Planning 'Reviving Lake Monona' Galleries James Corner Field Operations 'The Wild Lakeshore: Monona Lakefront Park' Galleries Sasaki Voices of the Lake: Mononas Waterfront.
Legislative Republicans on Tuesday launched an audit into persistent backlogs at the state agency that processes professional licenses, which department officials and Democratic lawmakers have long attributed to ongoing staffing shortages.

The Republican-led Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted along party lines to order the audit of the Department of Safety and Professional Services, which oversees close to half a million professional license holders and permits more than 200 types of professional licenses and construction proposals.

Rep. Robert Wittke, R-Racine, said the audit, which will be carried out by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau, relates to weekslong waits faced by those seeking professional licenses through the agency.

We have way too many people waiting way too long for licenses, said Wittke, the audit committees co-chair. We need to understand what the issues are and get this resolved.

Wisconsin Watch reported Tuesday that many of the complaints lobbed at DSPS involve the agencys call center, where performance began to drop in 2017 under then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican. The department data compiled by Wisconsin Watch show just more than half of all calls were answered in 2018.

The rate improved dramatically in the second half of 2022 after Evers used federal funding to hire an outside firm to increase the agencys call center staff from six to 26. The department also switched to a new phone system with a higher capacity in December 2021, so fewer people now get a busy signal, which wasnt logged as a call under the old system. A department spokesperson said that explains why the number of received calls under the new system nearly doubled to 400,000 in 2022.

Speaking before the committee Tuesday, DSPS Secretary Dan Hereth said the agency is happy to work with the audit bureau on the audit. He noted that some of the agencys previous efforts have helped address some concerns, including the addition of a call center with full-time staff, which increased the rate at which customer calls are answered.

Hereth also noted that increased funding would have the biggest impact.

More staff, better processes, better technology  those all have a meaningful impact on our end customer, Hereth said.

DSPS has requested in the 2023-25 biennial budget the addition of 70 new full-time positions. Gov. Tony Evers will unveil his formal budget request on Feb. 15. From there, the Republican-controlled budget committee will rewrite the document before sending it back to the governor.

The Republican-controlled Legislature has largely rejected previous requests by Evers and the department for additional funding for staffing needs. DSPS is almost entirely funded by revenue collected from license and inspection fees.

DSPS has a roughly $47 million surplus, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, but the Legislature controls how the department spends those funds and must approve increased staffing expenses.

State Auditor Joe Chrisman said the audit will look at a number of factors, including staffing, state funding and the nature of delays contributing to the licensing backlog.

Lawmakers letter

Democratic members of the audit committee, who voted against the audit, sent a letter Tuesday to their GOP colleagues warning that a DSPS audit could further exacerbate delays in the licensing and credentialing process.

We write today to raise concerns about the potential day-to-day consequences of your plan to conduct a professional license processing audit at the Department of Safety and Professional Services, the lawmakers wrote.

The letter is signed by Sens. Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, and Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, and Reps. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, and Ryan Clancy, D-Milwaukee, and cites the multiple study committees and informational hearings and information requested from DSPS over the last two years related to backlog issues.

All of this work has repeatedly and consistently underscored what has been immediately obvious for years, has been reaffirmed and reiterated to this Legislature time and time again over the course of the last decade, and remains fundamentally clear today: DSPS needs additional staffing and resources support, and that will require legislative approval and action, the lawmakers wrote.
MILWAUKEE  A Milwaukee police officer chased down a robbery suspect and was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire early Tuesday. The suspect also died from a gunshot wound, police said.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the suspect ignored officers commands and fled on foot after they arrived at the robbery scene at about 1:15 a.m. on the citys south side. One officer then caught up with the suspect and a struggle ensued. Both men fired their weapons.

The wounded officer, 37-year-old Peter Jerving, died at a hospital, he said. Jerving had four years of experience with the Milwaukee Police Department, the chief said.

The suspect, 19-year-old Terrell Thompson, died at the scene. The chief said it was not immediately clear if Thompson died from the shot fired by Jerving or a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Thompson was sentenced Monday to a year of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge filed against him in July 2021, court records show.

Milwaukee, our hearts are heavy. Milwaukee Police Department hearts are heavy. My heart is heavy, Norman told a news conference. The violence needs to stop!

He said the city and its police department are in mourning.

One of our finest, who put on that uniform, put on that badge, went into work last night, has paid the ultimate sacrifice for protecting our community, he said. Milwaukee, we need your prayers, we need your support.

The departments chaplain, George Papachristou, read a statement from Jervings family at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

It is with much sadness that we, the family of Officer Peter Jerving, announce his untimely death which took place in the line of duty, the chaplain read. Officer Peter Jerving loved and dedicated his life to serving the great people of our city. To his last breath, Peter fulfilled that goal. Milwaukee has lost one of its finest young officers.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said earlier in the day that the entire community, not just police, must play an active role in trying to combat gun violence and making the city safe.

The men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department, its not just them  its up to all of us, the mayor said. Enough of this, enough of this. Theres no excuse for this. This officer should not be dead right now.

As in other communities across America, gun violence has been a problem for years in the city of 569,000. According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel database, 224 people were killed in the city last year, 197 people in 2021 and 190 in 2020, about 90% of them shot to death.

The city saw fewer than 120 homicides each year from 2017 to 2019. Guns were still the weapon of choice, though, at around 80% each year.

Milwaukee City Council President Jose G. Perez said in a statement that the shooting happened just blocks from his home.

In our city we have too many guns, too many who are willing to carry and use guns, and far too much violence affecting every neighborhood, he said. We can and we must do better.
"Victory City" by Salman Rushdie; Random House (352 pages, $30)



Victory City indeed.

When he began writing his 13th novel, Salman Rushdie couldnt have known it, but the book proves to be a vivid testament to the power of language against those who would suppress it  and to Rushdies own endurance.

He was all too familiar with suppression after his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses, resulted in a fatwa, or sentence of death, against him by the Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which led to Rushdie living in hiding for years.

In the meantime, he wrote novels, nonfiction and childrens books, spoke out against censorship and collected a roster of awards and honors (including being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II) that fills several pages.

By last year, he had long since reentered public life. On Aug. 12, he had just taken the stage at a literary festival in Chautauqua, New York, when a man rushed the stage and stabbed him repeatedly. The attacker, who has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault, has not talked publicly about his motives but said in an interview he had read like two pages of The Satanic Verses and decided I dont like the person.

Rushdie, 75, has been out of public view ever since, with only occasional reports that hes recovering from the attack but lost one eye and the use of one hand. Publisher Random House announced he wont be making appearances in support of Victory City.

But the novel speaks for itself. After setting his last three books in the United States, where he has lived since 2000 (becoming a citizen in 2016), Rushdie returns to his native India for this exuberant historical novel.

Spanning more than two centuries, Victory City is based on the historical Vijayanagar empire, which ruled southern India from the mid 14th century until it collapsed in 1646.

Many of the books characters and events are taken from history, like the two Sangama brothers, cowherds who became the first two kings of the empire.

But its main character is Rushdies extraordinary invention. In the ruins of a city destroyed more than four centuries ago, the novels narrator tells us, a manuscript was found, buried in a clay pot. Its an immense narrative poem in Sanskrit called Jayaparajaya, or Victory and Defeat. He presents the novel as that story, retold in plainer language by the present author, who is neither a scholar nor a poet but merely a spinner of yarns. ...

The author of the poem, Pampa Kampana, named for a river that in turn is named for a Hindu goddess, is 9 years old when she watches her mother walk willingly into a funeral pyre after most of their villages men die in battle.

The traumatized child vows she will never follow dead men into the underworld, and in that moment shes possessed by her namesake goddess, who grants her an array of powers, including extraordinary longevity without aging  she will live to be 247.

But shes still an orphan child, and she takes shelter with a monk, who turns out to be a less than holy man. He does teach her the Hindu holy books, and she learns to read and write. For nine years, she grows into a beauty but never speaks.

Her voice returns with the arrival of the Sangama brothers, Hukka and Bukka, drawn by rumors of her beauty and bearing gifts. The goddess speaks to her again: The bag of seeds the brothers gave her is magical.

Hukka and Bukka become the astonished witnesses as Pampa sows the seeds and an entire city springs up overnight, houses and temples and palaces and a soaring wall to protect it all. Its population also appears, people of all ages, but they seem to wander in a fog.

Pampa begins to whisper in their ears, the narrator tells us. Her solution was fiction. She was making up their lives. ... writing the grand narrative of the city, creating its story now that she had created its life.

Her whispers work. It was as if everyone had lived here for years, Rushdie writes, and had formed a long-established community, a city of love and death, tears and laughter, loyalty and betrayal, and everything else that human nature contains.

The city will come to be called Bisnaga, the Victory City of the title. Hukka becomes its king and wants to make Pampa his queen. She wont give up her true love, a red-haired, green-eyed Portuguese horse trader named Domingo Nunes, but she has plenty of ideas about what she might do with the power of the throne.

So she marries Hukka and bears him three daughters, whose red hair and green eyes are never mentioned in the court. The ambitious, free-spirited girls are the apples of their mothers eye. Later, after the deaths of Hukka and Nunes, she marries Bukka, the next king, and bears him three sons, whose arrogant behavior so offends Pampa she exiles them.

In her time on the throne she makes of Bisnaga a kind of utopia where women are educated and liberated, where the arts are revered, and the city prospers.

But history tells us such utopias spark backlashes. Religious conflict rears its hideous head, flanked by misogyny and puritanism. At one point Pampa and her daughters flee to spend years in an enchanted forest ruled by the goddess Aranyani, where they can speak to the birds and beasts and where a war occurs between different-colored monkeys. (Watch out for the hairless pink ones.)

The cycles will continue as Pampa returns, marries yet another king, grapples again with power and its loss, culminating in a horrific punishment that does not stop her from completing her poem, the tale of her witness of more than two centuries of empire.

Victory City overflows with magical realism and myth, with court intrigue and epic battles, with sly satire and heartbreak. And all of it shows us, yet again, the power of writing despite those who would try to stop it. In the last lines of her poem, Pampa writes:

I myself am nothing now. All that remains is this city of words.

Words are the only victors.

We dont know whether Rushdie completed Victory City before he was attacked or was able to work on it afterward. But the resonance between its fictional story and his life is unmistakable.

The shock and savagery of that attack struck a chord worldwide. I felt a personal chill as well  only three years before, I had interviewed Rushdie on stage at Tampa Theatre.

The knife attack didnt happen here, but are we sure it couldnt? Florida is fast becoming a symbol of intolerance for ideas that disturb those in power. Books are in the direct line of fire of people who want to suppress those ideas.

Pinellas Countys school board has stripped Nobel laureate Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye from school libraries; teachers around the state have been told they could be charged with a felony for sharing with their students books that havent been vetted for material deemed unacceptable to the state.

Censoring a book is not the same thing as trying to kill its author. But both are fatal to freedom.
Valentines Day will be here before you know it. If you havent got anything planned for your sweetheart yet or just really want to impress them, local places and events are a great way to plan something fun.

Heres a list of what the Magic Valley is offering for this years Valentines Day:

Dinners and events

Four-course meal at Canyon Crest: Redhawk at Canyon Crest Event Center will be putting on a four-course dinner from 4 to 10 p.m., February 14. The meal is $89.95. You can reserve your table at opentable.com/r/redhawk-gastropub-twin-falls.

Yellow Brick Cafe wine dinner:

Yellow Brick Cafe is holding its Valentines Day celebration dinner at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 11. They will have a chef-driven menu with expertly paired wines from around the globe. Its on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets are $150 per person with wine pairings and $115 per person for just food. Call 208-731-9873 to reserve your spot.

Milners Gate: Milners Gate will be celebrating Valentines Day all week, starting Feb. 9 through Feb. 16, for those who cant make it on the actual day. They will be featuring a couples dinner for two, plus great specials if youre riding solo this year. Call 208-293-8250 to make your reservations.

Holesinky Winery: The XOXO Wine Event will be held from 5 to 9:30 p.m., Feb. 11 at Holesinky Winery. The evening will be filled with wine, food, and live music by Ellie Mae. Tickets are $25 per person. Tickets get you entry and include a token for the XOXO wine treat which includes a glass of sparkling wine, mini charcuterie, and a delectable gourmet cupcake. Find out more at holesinsky.com/events

Valentines arts and crafts:

The Twin Falls Public Library will be hosting a Valentines Day-themed arts and craft event for all ages from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Feb. 11.

Sweetheart dinner: If youre in the MiniCassia area, you and your partner can attend this Sweetheart Dinner for $70. It will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Feb. 14. It includes a pasta bar, salad breadsticks and cheesecake as well as live music by Carson Hasher. You can get your tickets at eventbrite.com/e/sweetheart-dinner-tickets-519045136977?aff=ALLEVENTS.

The Relationship Show: Comedians will choose a willing couple from the audience, get their story of how they met and fell in love and then reenact it live on the stage. This is the eighth year of this show being put on and is one of the most popular comedy shows in the Magic Valley. The show will take place at 7 p.m., Feb. 17 and 18. Tickets can be bought at orpheumtwinfalls.com/shows

.

CloverLeaf Farm Market:

CloverLeaf will hold a Valentines Sip n Scoop event from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 17 at its Main Avenue location. They will offer four different ice creams and four different wines and beers to try. Cost is $20.

Flowers and candy

Dont stick to the box stores. Here are some local options to make your gift extra special and to help a local business:

Canyon Floral, 208-733-9292

Petal Pushers, 208-423-4235

Absolutely Flowers, 208-734-2800

Fox Floral, 208-733-2674

Idaho Flower Company, 208-644-1140

Fredericksons Candy, 208-733-7624

Daisys Olde Time Confections, 208-733-7171

More Valentines Day ideas

Want something different than the usual Valentines Day gifts and activities? Here are some other Magic Valley places to try for a special date:

Gemstone Climbing Gym, 208-329-7257

The Bearded Axe, 208-933-2937

Fillmore Bed and Breakfast, 702-580-3310

Hands On, 208-736-4475

Koto Brewing Company, 208-933-257

Laser Mania Family Fun Center, 208-733-0773
BURLEY  A group of parents banded together and received a 501c3 nonprofit tax status to open the Burley Discovery Museum.

The group is looking for sponsors, donations and volunteers.

Most of us moved here from somewhere else. The community is growing and has a lot of newer families, Burley Discovery Museum Board Member Britney Langer said. This project is about the people who want to stay here in the community and not have to travel to have access to places like this.

Twin Falls is in the process of building a childrens museum and there is one in Pocatello, but both require traveling to visit for people in Mini-Cassia.

The groups mission is to provide an indoor space to promote creativity, screen-free play, and discovery using hands-on learning for children of all abilities and ages.

As moms, we saw there were limited options of places here to bring kids to play, Board Chair Nicole Carter said. We also want to provide spaces for parents to engage with their kids. We all believe a childrens museum can provide all of that in Burley.

South-central Idahos inclement weather means parks and pools are out of the question as play spaces for a good portion of the year, she said.

As a nonprofit organization, the museum can also provide tools for parents in the community who may not have a lot of learning toys or resources, Board Member Catharine Edgar said.

Daycares and other groups could also utilize the museum during field trips.

The project is not about making money, she said, but rather filling a need in the community.

We want options that get our kids away from their screens and engaged in something meaningful, Carter said.

The group began surveying the community last spring to see what people wanted and to gauge the support for the project.

They also opened a booth during the fall Burley Farmers Market and were surprised by how many people showed interest.

The number one request that came from people was a large indoor climbing structure  that isnt at a fast-food joint.

The group wants to include an arts and crafts area, a pretend play area, and a baby and toddler space with soft toys.

We want not only a place for parents to take kids but also a place where parents can talk with each other, Edgar said.

The facility the group builds will depend on the community support the project receives, Carter said.

This year the group will be fundraising, implementing a Founding 50 Campaign, and garnering interest by holding events. The initial financial goal is to raise $150,000.

Identifying what types of land or buildings are available for the museum is also on the docket.

We will be doing a feasibility study and looking at what kind of places are available to rent, Langer said.

The timeline to open the museum is fluid and will depend on support, Carter said.

We want people to catch the vision and help make the community at large better, Langer said.

The board is in the process of launching a website that will have a direct donation link and people can connect with the museum on its Facebook page, where a PayPal donation link is provided.

For more information email the museum at info@burleydiscoverymuseum.com.
It is not inevitable that the Idaho Legislature will invite a school funding lawsuit, but legislators appear to be heading toward provoking legal action.

Three factors will play into a decision as to whether to sue the state for violating provisions of the Idaho Constitution: (1) Whether the legislature continues to disregard its constitutional duty to maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools, which means adequately funding the instructional side of the public school system; (2) Whether the legislature complies with the Idaho Supreme Courts 2005 ruling that the State has the primary responsibility for building, equipping and maintaining school facilities; and (3) Whether the legislature violates Idahos strong prohibition against using taxpayer money to support religious schooling.

Idaho has long been at the bottom of the national per-student spending ladder. Every state bordering Idaho provides more funding per student, giving their kids a competitive advantage over Idaho students. The most recent NEA report (2020-21) ranked Idaho 51st in the country with $8,376 per-student spending, while Montana ranked 31st at $12,597 and Wyoming 11th with $18,385.

Even at that level, the Wyoming Education Association is suing the state for underfunding Wyomings public school system.

Idaho Launch faces another fight in Senate after narrow escape from House Seven of eight Magic Valley representatives voted for House Bill 24, which would expand Idaho Launch to include an $8,500 scholarship for graduating Idaho high school seniors beginning in 2024.

As a result of Idahos inadequate funding of schools, we have a teacher shortage. Teachers can get better compensation and more appreciation in surrounding states. Several school districts have had to hire underqualified staffers.

And, because of a chronically inequitable funding formula, rural school districts have been particularly disadvantaged. Idaho is ripe for a school funding lawsuit, especially if the legislature turns down Gov. Brad Littles request for a substantial increase in funding.

Another serious funding deficiency is the legislatures flagrant disregard of its obligation to pay for construction and maintenance of school buildings, forcing those costs onto local property taxpayers.

In 2005, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the legislature was primarily responsible for financing public school facilities, saying the valuation of local property has no connection whatsoever to the actual education needs of the locality. Nevertheless, the legislature has made little effort to shoulder this obligation.

To his credit, Sen. Dave Lent, chair of the Senate Education Committee, has stressed the importance of the school facilities issue. If he is unable to get decisive action on this important issue, it would be a strong element of an Idaho school funding lawsuit.

From a strictly political standpoint, relieving local property taxpayers of the burden of paying for the construction and maintenance of school facilities should be a winning issue for lawmakers. They should go for it and avoid the necessity of a lawsuit.

The third issue that will more than likely provoke a school funding lawsuit is the current effort, being strongly supported by out-of-state money, to force Idaho taxpayers to fund private and religious education. There is ample evidence that the use of state funds to subsidize private education hurts public schools, particularly those in rural areas.

Equally important is that the drive to require Idaho taxpayers to shoulder the additional burden of financing private schooling will require the State to finance religious instruction. The Idaho Constitution strongly prohibits the use of public money for religious teaching.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court has opened a backdoor to the Idaho treasury  if states provide taxpayer money for private schooling, they must also provide it for religious schooling.

The so-called school choice advocates completely ignore the words of Chief Justice John Roberts, who stated: A state need not subsidize private education. But once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.

Idaho need not take on the added burden of subsidizing private education but, if the legislature tries to do so, it can expect a lawsuit.
Heres what happened locally on Feb. 8 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: Sanville  Well, we have some snow for our first time this winter. We are sorry to say there is so much sickness around. Mr. W.B. Stone died the fourteenth of this month of flu and pneumonia. His family are improving. Mr. N.P. Stones people are improving from flu. Mr. Jerry Daniel is confined to his home with something like the flu. Mr. L. Franklin is better. Mr. Sam Jones is better. Mr. Jeff Philpott, who has pneumonia, seems to be just a very little better. We hope he continues to improve.

1948: CLASSIFIED ADS: WITH THE HIGH COSTS OF LIVING, dinnertime in some homes is whenever the company decides to leave. Club Billiard Parlor./BOYS ARE BEING TAUGHT home making in a Missouri school. Darn those socks! Martinsville Printing Co., 21 Fayette Street.

1973: [The owner of 21 Book Mart in Collinsville] was arrested during a raid  on charges of selling obscene handbooks.  He was also charged with having three coin-operated (movie) machines in the store and with having four coin operated machines on which no state tax has been paid. [Deputy Elzy M. Law] who led several deputies on the raid said 1,000 books, four movie machines, 57 movies and several plastic novelties were confiscated.

1998: Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Collinsville, and Martinsville City Councilwoman Elizabeth Haskell on Wednesday appealed to a House of Delegates committee to keep $10 million for a new natural history museum in the state budget. I dont think Im overstating the situation when I say we are fighting for survival down there, Armstrong said. We dont have a choice of museums and cultural opportunities. The opportunities that come to us are few and far between.
The information was given, in South Africa, by the Minister for Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, at the Angolan Mining Investment Forum, as part of the Mining Indaba 2023 Conference, which is being held in Cape Town.

According to the minister, Angola has critical mineral investment opportunities and will be a reliable source for the critical minerals needed for the energy transition.

However, we must emphasize that the Angolan government will not only promote the extraction of these minerals, but will also require that a significant part of their value chain is also developed in our country, he stressed.

At the forum, which was held under the slogan, Critical Minerals for Energy Transition, the Angolan minister said that Angolas current list of critical minerals provides greater confidence and predictability for investors, in the countrys priorities and capacity to produce critical minerals.

Given the greatest urgent need to develop Angolas critical minerals, he continued, the efforts are focused on lithium, iron ore, nickel, lead, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements, targeting the entire value chain.

The Angolan minister estimated, for the next five years, the start of production of neodymium and praseodymium, metals used in the manufacture of batteries for electric cars, as well as copper and niobium.

This means that Angola can make a great leap in terms of mining critical minerals in the next five years, he admitted.

The ruler pointed out that currently critical minerals represent a generational opportunity for Angolas government, economy and net zero future, as they are the basis on which modern technology is built.

Simply put, let it be said and confirmed that there is no energy transition without critical minerals and that is why critical mineral supply chain resilience is a growing opportunity for advanced economies, he pointed out.

For Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, without critical minerals there is no energy transition for Angola and the world. By investing in critical minerals, he argued, one is building a sustainable industrial base in all the critical minerals for the next generations.

He also assured potential investors that Angola has significant deposits of critical minerals, a stable investment environment, strong regulatory model and good governance to attract companies that can be trusted by the worlds main investors.
CCTV: Its been reported that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on February 7 that he was pleased by the productive video meeting between the Australian trade minister and his Chinese counterpart. The trade to China is more than the next three highest trading partners combined. Its in Australias national interest to have good economic relations and to trade with China, he said. Does China have any comment on that?

Mao Ning: China and Australia are both important countries in the Asia-Pacific with highly complementary economies. The sound and steady growth of ties between our two countries serves the fundamental interests of both peoples and helps advance peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond. The Chinese side stands ready to work together with the Australian side to further deliver on the important common understandings reached between our two leaders in their meeting in Bali and the outcomes of the China-Australia Foreign and Strategic Dialogue. Based on the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit and seeking common ground while shelving differences, we are ready to launch or resume dialogue and communication with Australia in various sectors, expand cooperation, manage differences, and strive to rebuild trust and bring bilateral relations back to the right track.

Anadolu Agency: China sent two search and rescue teams to help Turkiyes disaster relief efforts after two strong earthquakes in the country and its vicinity. I want to say that the Turkish people welcome and deeply appreciate Chinas support during such a challenging time. My question is, do you have any updates about Chinas contribution efforts? Have the teams arrived? Have they reached affected areas?

Mao Ning: After a flight of more than ten hours, the 82-member rescue team sent by the Chinese government arrived at the airport in Adana, southern Turkey, on the early morning of February 8, local time. The team brought with it a total of more than 20 tons of relief supplies and equipment for search and rescue, communications, medical and other purposes, and will soon join the international rescue efforts on the ground. As far as I know, more civil and private Chinese rescue teams are on their way to the quake-hit areas. We will continue to provide support and assistance to the best of our capability in light of Turkiyes needs.

The Paper: After the deadly earthquakes hit Turkiye and Syria, the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee called for the immediate lifting of US sanctions on Syria so as to open the doors for aid to Syria. But the US said they still would not engage with the Syrian government. What is your comment?

Mao Ning: The devastating earthquakes - on top of years of war and turmoil - have left Syria in a terrible humanitarian crisis. The UN and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have called for emergency aid to Syria to avoid further deterioration of its humanitarian situation.

The US has long been engaged in the Syrian crisis. Its frequent military strikes and harsh economic sanctions have caused huge civilian casualties and taken away the means to subsistence of the Syrians. As we speak, the US troops continue to occupy Syrias principal oil-producing regions. They have plundered more than 80% of Syrias oil production and smuggled and burned Syrias grain stock. All this has made Syrias humanitarian crisis even worse.

In the wake of the catastrophe, the US should put aside geopolitical obsessions and immediately lift the unilateral sanctions on Syria, to unlock the doors for humanitarian aid to Syria.

KBS: US President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address today that we seek competition, not conflict with China and I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests. He added, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. Whats Chinas comment?

Mao Ning: China has always believed that China-US relations should not be a zero-sum game where one side out-competes or thrives at the expense of the other. The successes of China and the US are opportunities, not challenges, for each other. The world is big enough for the two countries to develop themselves and prosper together.

China does not shy away or flinch from competition. However, we are opposed to defining the entire China-US relations by competition. It is beneath a responsible country to use competition as a pretext to smear other countries and restrain their legitimate right to development, even at the expense of global industrial and supply chains.

A healthy and stable China-US relationship is in the fundamental interest of both peoples, and meets the shared expectation of the international community. On Chinas part, we will handle China-US relations in accordance with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation proposed by President Xi Jinping. At the same time, we will firmly defend our sovereignty, security and development interests. The US needs to view China in an objective and rational light, follow a positive and practical China policy, and work with China to bring China-US relations back to the track of sound and steady development.

China-Arab TV: Yesterday we saw that China offered 40 million-yuan emergency aid and sent rescue teams to Turkiye. I wonder if similar assistance will be provided to Syria?

Mao Ning: We are also closely following the situation in Syria in the wake of the earthquake. To convey our government and peoples sympathy and support for the Syrian government and people, China has decided to provide 30 million-yuan emergency humanitarian aid to Syria, including two million US dollars of cash assistance and urgently-needed relief supplies. At the same time, we are also speeding up the delivery of ongoing food aid programs. Relevant Chinese departments will work in close coordination with the Syrian side to make sure the aid can be delivered as soon as possible to help Syrias relief efforts.

Kyodo News: Could you state Chinas position again on whether you are in contact with the US side over the unmanned airship?

Mao Ning: The Chinese side has repeatedly shared information on the unintended entry of the unmanned Chinese civilian airship into US airspace. I would like to stress that the USs downing of the unmanned Chinese civilian airship by force is unacceptable and irresponsible. The Chinese side has lodged a stern protest.

I would also like to stress that exaggerating or hyping up the China threat narrative is not conducive to building trust or improving ties between our two countries, nor can it make the US safer.

Bloomberg: A team of UN experts have said in a statement on February 6 that children of Tibetan origin are being affected by the Chinese governments assimilation policies through the use of obligatory education in the Chinese language. They also mentioned that they had sent a communication to the government of China last year on November 11. Can you confirm receipt of that communication? What would your response be to the team of experts statement?

Mao Ning: China always handles relevant UN communications by checking the facts and replying to them responsibly and seriously. Some Special Procedures experts chose to ignore the factual and authoritative information from China and, in open violation of the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council, endorsed lies and rumors to malign and discredit China. We strongly condemn this.

We urge these experts to observe the mandate of the Human Rights Council and the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate-holders, perform duty in a fair and objective manner, stop politicizing and instrumentalizing human rights issues, and stop serving certain countries political scheme to suppress and contain China by abusing the UN platform. Otherwise, they will risk losing their own credibility.

AFP: The Belgian police say they have arrested 25 people. Many of them are of Chinese background who are suspected of trafficking women from China into Europe for sex work. Is the foreign ministry aware of these arrests and do you have any comment on the case?

Mao Ning: I am not aware of the case you mentioned. I want to stress that the Chinese government firmly opposes and has always been tough on human trafficking and other crimes. We always ask our fellow citizens to observe local laws and regulations and refrain from engaging in any illegal or criminal activities while they are abroad.

Reuters: The US has briefed 40 nations about the Chinese balloon and has also presented findings about it. These briefings were done in Washington as well as in Beijing. Does the ministry have any comment on this?

Mao Ning: It is hoped that the US will communicate with other countries based on facts.
The Cape Verdean government approved last January, eight years after it was signed, an agreement to reciprocally protect investments by businesspeople from Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau, according to a resolution.

The agreement in reference creates a legal framework that favors investments by citizens and/or companies of one of the contracting parties in the territory of the other contracting party, thus allowing the consolidation of economic cooperation, while stipulating a catalog of obligations and commitments for the parties and investors, who will be subject to comply with the terms of the agreement and the legislation in force in the host country, reads the resolution approved by the Cape Verde Council of Ministers.

The resolution, which came into force after 3 February, noted that Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau have been strengthening the strong relations already existing between them, characterized by historical, cultural and linguistic ties that have united both countries and peoples since colonial times.

In this context, the two countries, through their respective governments, signed on 29 January 2015 an Agreement on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, having as its main objectives the strengthening of economic cooperation and the promotion of investments, as a factor for sustainable development of both countries and the welfare of their respective peoples, it said.

Cabo Verde has agreements on reciprocal investment promotion and protection with Hungary, Portugal and Equatorial Guinea, among others.

The agreement with Guinea-Bissau  countries that form part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)  provides for the safeguarding of obligations and commitments of the contracting parties, undertaken in relation to third parties, in the context of their participation or association to a free trade area, customs union or common market.

It also safeguards the investors right to freely transfer dividends, profits and other current income, as well as transfers to meet commitments to third parties, and to comply with the stipulations of his companys articles of association.

In a situation of political and social instability, the investors right to be treated in the same way as an investor who is a citizen of the host country is protected, the resolution adds.

The measure also provides for the obligation of each party to protect within its territory and, in accordance with its laws and regulations, investments made by an investor from the other contracting party, refraining from applying unjustified or discriminatory measures.
The Council of Ministers of Mozambique Tuesday set between April 20 and June 3 voter registration for the municipal elections on October 11.

The Council of Ministers has appreciated the decree that sets the period for voter registration, Ludovina Bernardo, spokeswoman for the Council of Ministers, announced at the end of the meeting.

The operation will last 45 days and will start after the rainy season.

This month a pilot registration will take place, covering 100,000 potential voters in nine districts in the provinces of Nampula, Manica and Maputo, to test the equipment and procedures.

Mozambique begins a new electoral cycle this year, with the holding of local elections, followed by general elections in 2024 (presidential, legislative, provincial and the first district elections).
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 geographical heatmap of suicide mortality in different states of USA taken from CDC and social media and news media chatter about mental health crisis. Credit: Predicting Depression and Anxiety on Reddit: a Multi-task Learning Approach (2023).

Suicide, the 10th leading cause of death for adults in the United States and the third leading cause of death among kids ages 10 to 14 and young adults ages 15 to 24, is often the result of an underlying mental health condition such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.

Motivated by a suicide mortality by state map released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the increasing severity of mental health crisisfurther exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemicthree Ph.D. students and their advisor at the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics are analyzing social media in a way that can help social workers and other professionals better understand and tackle different aspects of mental health issues to help prevent suicide.

"Since social media platforms like Reddit are accessible, convenient, and anonymous, more users candidly express feelings about their own mental health issues," said Shailik Sarkar, first author on "Predicting Depression and Anxiety on Reddit: a Multi-task Learning Approach." Sarkar and his team garnered the Best Paper Award at the IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining in November.

Sarkar's collaborators are fellow students Abdulaziz Alhamadani and Lulwah AlKulaib, and Chang-Tien Lu, professor of computer science and associate director of the Sanghani Center.

Typically, research on the Reddit platform would employ the subreddit name, such as r/Anxiety, r/Depression, or r/SuicideWatch, to detect the type of the post and the nature of the mental health issues that correlate to the post.

But the multi-label classification data set designed by the Virginia Tech researchers does not overly rely on the subreddit topic chosen by the user because someone posting in the r/Anxiety subreddit could also be suffering from other mental health conditions such as depression, sleep disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Their unique model has a task-specific feature that extracts the words and phrases used in a post and assigns them a score corresponding to each topic that applies. For example, words and phrases such as "meds," "panic attacks," "often," "taking," and "worrying" could suggest anxiety, while "struggling," "therapist," "don't want," "need," and "anymore" could indicate depression.

"Reddit posts can be longer than other social media posts, especially when pertaining to mental health discussion, so there is a very good chance that the same post will fall into different categories," said Sarkar. "Insights into the kind of language used by those suffering from anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses can be of great benefit to social workers and mental health practitioners. A better understanding of those under their care may help prevent incidents of suicide."

"Our research with Redditwhich always adheres to privacy and anonymity of users demonstrates how the lack of unlabeled data or benchmark data set can be tackled by using active learning and can help inform other data scientists who are interested in human-centered computing or social media data mining," said Lu.
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

Certain complications during pregnancy bring an increased risk of heart disease later on. However, there is still much to learn about how arteriosclerosis develops between pregnancy and heart disease later in life. A large new study led by researchers from Lund University in Sweden shows that narrowing and calcification of the blood vessels of the heart are more common in women previously affected by pregnancy complications.

Despite complications in pregnancy having increasingly been acknowledged as a new type of risk factor for heart disease, it is yet to be determined how this information can best be used within healthcare.

"Our results suggest that the correlation exists even among women with a low expected risk of cardiovascular disease. The study is an important piece of the puzzle in understanding how women with pregnancy complications should be followed-up by their healthcare provider after pregnancy," says Simon Timpka, associate professor of clinical epidemiology who leads the research team Perinatal and Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Lund University and is a resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Skane University Hospital.

Researchers included 10,528 women from the National Medical Birth Register who have subsequently gone on to participate in the large population study SCAPISSwedish CArdiopulmonary bioImage Studyat age 50-65 years.

All the women underwent CT scanning of the coronary arteries (coronary computed tomography angiography) in order to detect calcification of blood vessels, narrowing and other signs of heart disease. The researchers investigated signs of heart disease by history of five common complications in pregnancy: pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension), preterm delivery, gestational diabetes and infants born small for gestational age.

Four percent more of the women with pregnancy complications had visible atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, compared to the group who had not had complications in pregnancy (32 percent as opposed to 28 percent).

The greatest link was for pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. Among women who had not experienced any complications in pregnancy, two percent had narrowing in coronary arteries while the corresponding number among women who previously suffered from pre-eclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension was five percent.

"To reduce the risk of these women developing coronary heart disease in the future, it is important that they check risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol regularly," says Sofia Sederholm Lawesson, consultant cardiologist at the University Hospital in Linkoping and one of the co-authors of the study.

"In this study, we have investigated many different associations between complications in pregnancy and heart disease all at once, so it is possible that chance might explain individual results," says Simon Timpka. "Yet the pattern is relatively consistent, which makes it easier to draw conclusions including that women with prior pre-eclampsia have changes in the coronary arteries that are equivalent to the changes seen in women who have not experienced complications in pregnancy but are five to ten years older."

According to Simon Timpka, CT scans of the coronary arteries are increasingly used in patients presenting with symptoms, but there is still a lack of large studies into the significance over time of some of the studied changes among women without current symptoms.

"Even if our study provides new knowledge on the development of coronary heart disease among middle-aged women who have previously suffered complications in pregnancy, there is a need for long-term studies in order to understand the true meaning that our discoveries have for symptomatic disease," concludes Simon Timpka.

The paper is published in JAMA.

More information: Sofia Sederholm Lawesson et al, Association Between History of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Coronary Artery Disease Assessed by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography, JAMA (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.24093 Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association
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:

Human infants and young children are most likely to survive, grow and develop to their full potential when breastfed. Despite scientific evidence more infants are fed formula milks today than ever before. Credit: The Lancet

Formula milk marketing tactics are exploitative, and regulations must be urgently strengthened and properly implemented, according to a new three-paper Series published in The Lancet. Experts call for an international legal treaty to end irresponsible formula milk marketing and political lobbying, accompanied by more effective breastfeeding support worldwide.

Series co-author Professor Nigel Rollins, of the World Health Organization (WHO), says, "The sale of commercial milk formula is a multi-billion-dollar industry which uses political lobbying alongside a sophisticated and highly effective marketing playbook to turn the care and concern of parents and caregivers into a business opportunity. It is time for this to end. Women should be empowered to make choices about infant feeding which are informed by accurate information free from industry influence."

He continues, "Our Series finds society, politics, and economics all contribute to why fewer than half of infants globally are breastfed as recommended. Breastfeeding should be considered society's collective responsibility, not the sole concern of women. We need to see wide-ranging actions across different areas of society to better support mothers to breastfeed for as long as they want."

"Babies are most likely to survive and grow to their full potential when breastfed. Breastfeeding promotes brain development, protects infants against malnutrition, infectious diseases, and death, while also reducing risks of obesity and chronic diseases in later life. Yet, globally, many women who wish to breastfeed face multiple barriers, including insufficient parental leave and lack of support in healthcare systems and at the workplace, in the context of exploitative marketing tactics of the commercial milk formula industry," says Series co-author Professor Rafael Perez-Escamilla, Yale University School of Public Health, U.S.

In a novel analysis, the Series describes how profits made by the formula milk industry benefit companies located in high-income countries while the social, economic and environmental harms are widely distributed and most harmful in low and middle income countries.

An exploitative marketing playbook

Triggered by "The Baby Killer" investigative report into Nestle's marketing of formula milk in the Global South in the 1970s, the World Health Assembly developed the voluntary International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes and subsequent resolutions (the Code) in 1981. However, the powerful influence of the milk formula industry and the marketing of their products in violation of the Code continues, with sales from commercial formula milk having rapidly increased over the past twenty years and now at more than $55 billion a year.

The Series outlines the exploitative tactics used by formula milk companies to sell their products, including taking advantage of parents' worries about their children's health and development. One common reason women introduce formula milk is interpreting unsettled baby behavior, especially disrupted sleep and persistent crying, as a sign that breast milk is insufficient. However, sleep patterns of babies are not the same as for adults and unsettled baby behaviors are common. When mothers are appropriately supported, concerns can be addressed successfully without the use of formula milk.

"The formula milk industry uses poor science to suggest, with little supporting evidence, that their products are solutions to common infant health and developmental challenges. Adverts claim specialized formulas alleviate fussiness, help with colic, prolong night-time sleep, and even encourage superior intelligence. Labels use words like 'brain,' 'neuro' and 'IQ' with images highlighting early development, but studies show no benefit of these product ingredients on academic performance or long-term cognition. This marketing technique violates the 1981 Code, which says labels should not idealize the use of formula, and exploits poor science to create an untrue story to sell more product," says Professor Linda Richter, Wits University, South Africa.

The Series explains how formula milk marketing exploits the lack of support for breastfeeding by governments and society to use gender politics to sell its products. The authors describe how the formula milk industry frames breastfeeding advocacy as a moralistic judgment that is anti-feminist and damaging to women, while presenting milk formula as a convenient and empowering solution for working mothers.

In recent years, digital communications have greatly increased the reach of marketing in ways that blur the difference between advertising and the provision of nutrition and care advice. The Series highlights examples of digital marketing such as industry-paid influencers sharing the difficulties of breastfeeding as preludes to formula milk marketing, and industry sponsored parenting apps with 24/7 chat services that enable product placement, offer free samples or deals, and promote online sales. The authors argue there is very little regulation of the formula milk industry online and there are regular violations of the Code.

A new review of 153 studies, conducted for the Series, details how marketing practices in violation of the Code have continued in nearly 100 countries and in every region of the world since its adoption more than forty years ago. The Series says voluntary uptake of the Code is not enough and calls for an international legal treaty on the commercial marketing of food products for babies to protect the health and well-being of mothers and families.

The formula milk lobby

The Series also draws attention to the power of the milk formula industry to influence national political decisions and interfere with international and national regulatory processes. The formula industry has established a network of trade associations and front groups that lobby against the Code and other breastfeeding protection measures. For example, in 2012, South Africa passed new national legislation to implement The Code into law. However, this took nine years, with many setbacks resulting from industry lobbying. Formula milk manufacturers formed a new lobby group, the Infant Feeding Association, that applied pressure for amendments to the regulations.

This outsourcing of lobbying allows the corporations themselves to project an image of benevolence and corporate social responsibility, suggesting that they can adequately self-regulate through corporate policies on responsible marketing. However, their self-regulation falls far short of compliance to the Code.

As well as influencing political organizations, the authors argue formula milk companies also draw on the credibility of science by sponsoring professional organizations, publishing sponsored articles in scientific journals, and inviting leaders in public health onto advisory boards and committees, leading to unacceptable conflicts of interest within public health.

"The voluntary Code is not workingformula milk companies chose to disregard the guidance and lobby at every opportunity to weaken regulation. We need a stricter international legal treaty on the marketing of milk formula which is incorporated into law across the world. The treaty must protect policymaking from industry influence, with obligations for senior public officials to divulge meetings with lobbyists and requirements for scientific organizations to disclose funding sources and members of expert advisory groups. This would regulate the commercial milk formula industry while not restricting the sale of the products to those who need or want them. More generally, the global and public health community must also be much more critical about public-private partnerships that enable or tolerate conflicts of interest," says Professor David McCoy.

Society-wide changes needed

In addition to ending the marketing tactics and industry influence of formula milk companies, broader actions across workplaces, healthcare, governments, and communities are needed to more effectively support women who want to breastfeed.

Half a billion working women globally are not entitled to adequate maternity protection. A systematic review of studies found women with a minimum of three months' maternity leave, paid or unpaid, were at least 50% more likely to continue breastfeeding compared to women returning to work within three months of giving birth. The authors call for governments and workplaces to recognize the value of breastfeeding and care work, by actions such as extending paid maternity leave duration to align with the six-month WHO recommended duration of exclusive breastfeeding.

Women also face a lack of breastfeeding promotion, protection and support within healthcare systems due to limited public budgets, skilled support by health workers, influence from the milk formula industry and an absence of care that is culturally appropriate and led by the needs of women. Authors argue that breastfeeding outcomes improve when health systems actively empower women and enable experienced peers to support women during pregnancy, childbirth and onwards. Healthcare providers should offer skilled counseling before and after birth to all mothers to enable them to address unsettled baby behaviors while continuing to breastfeed if they wish to do so.

Sonia Hernandez-Cordero, from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, says, "We are seeing improvements in some countries. A case study which we commissioned for the Series found that despite lacking federally mandated paid maternity leave, the US continues to recognize an increasing number of Baby-Friendly hospitals each year, and the National Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which reaches half of annual births in the US, is increasingly providing breastfeeding counseling as it continues to support more women to choose breastfeeding."

"Many governments fail to protect mothers and children from unethical marketing practices because of the economic and political power of trans-national companies. The extreme power of corporations relative to public-interest bodies must be rebalanced. Anti-trust legislation and the ending of corporate tax abuse would help reverse the favoring of private financial interests at the expense of the rights of mothers and infants," says Professor David McCoy, United Nations University.

"Advice that breastfeeding is best for their babies' health is no use if women are not supported to understand and manage unsettled baby behaviors, or if mothers without maternity leave or pay are forced to go back to work out of financial necessity," says Dr. Julie Smith, Australian National University.

A large expansion in health professional training on breastfeeding, as well as statutory paid maternity leave and other protections, are vital. This requires changing the way society views breastfeeding as the sole responsibility of individual women and putting the onus across all levels of society," says Professor Rafael Perez-Escamilla, Yale School of Public Health.

A linked Editorial published in The Lancet says, "Some women choose not to breastfeed, or are unable to. Perceived pressure, or inability, to breastfeedespecially if it is at odds with a mother's wishescan have a detrimental effect on mental health, and systems should be in place to fully support all mothers in their choices. Women and families make decisions about infant feeding based on the information they receive, and a criticism of the CMF industry's predatory marketing practices should not be interpreted as a criticism of women. All information that families receive on infant feeding must be accurate and independent of industry influence to ensure informed decision making."

More information: The Lancet 2023 Series on Breastfeeding, The Lancet (2023). www.thelancet.com/series/Breastfeeding-2023 Journal information: The Lancet
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

Five medical organizations are recommending updated best practices for hand hygiene to protect patients and staff in healthcare settings. The recommendations emphasize the importance of healthy skin and nails and easy access to alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

"Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene: 2022 Update," one in a series of expert guidance documents known collectively as the Compendium, was published today in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

"Hand hygiene is a basic function of healthcare safety," said lead author Janet Glowicz, Ph.D., RN, CIC, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "By engaging healthcare personnel and establishing reliable processes described in the Compendium, we can achieve effective, consistent hand hygiene. Commitment by healthcare leadership is also necessary to establishing a culture of safety."

The document addresses how facilities can train healthcare personnel in proper technique, monitor their compliance, engage them in the selection of products to keep their skin healthy, and properly use gloves. It also discusses where facilities should place and how they should maintain alcohol-based sanitizer dispensers and sinks.

The guidance reviews the evidence around nail polish, gel, and shellac, which shows that short, natural nails with standard polish or no polish are easiest to clean. The authors found no new evidence specific to chipped nail polish and artificial nails but note previous findings that they can harbor germs. The guidance leaves specific policies about nail polish, gels, shellac, and artificial nail extenders to the discretion of infection prevention programs at each facility, with the exception of policies for those who scrub for surgery or work in high-risk areas. These personnel should maintain short, natural fingernails free of polish and nail extenders.

Citing research that shows only 7% of healthcare personnel effectively clean the entire surface of their hands, the guidance recommends ongoing training in handwashing and proper use of sanitizer. Thumbs and fingertips were most frequently missed.

The authors recommend that healthcare personnel not be provided with individual, pocket-sized hand sanitizers in lieu of wall-mounted sanitizer dispensers and emphasize that hand sanitizer dispensers always be widely available and never prohibited, even in situations when washing with soap and water are indicated. When healthcare personnel suspect organisms that are difficult to remove, such as C. difficile and noroviruses, healthcare personnel should wear gloves and follow structured techniques for hand washing and hand sanitizing. In addition, facilities should not top-off sanitizer dispensers meant for single use or provide antimicrobial soaps that contain Triclosan. Facilities also should discourage the use of double gloves, except in certain circumstances.

To encourage compliance and to support healthy skin and nails, facilities should include healthcare personnel in the selection of hand sanitizers and moisturizers, while ensuring the products are compatible with antiseptics and gloves used on site. Maintaining healthy skin is a crucial element of hand hygiene.

Surgical settings require special care, but waterless hand hygiene with surgical hand rubs is acceptable, especially as it improves compliance. Brushes should be avoided in surgery prep due to their negative impact on skin health.

This document updates the 2014 "Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene." The Compendium, first published in 2008, is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA). It is the product of a collaborative effort led by SHEA, with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the American Hospital Association, and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise. The Compendium is a multiyear, highly collaborative guidance-writing effort by over 100 experts from around the world.

Upcoming Compendium updates will include strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Clostridium difficile infections, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, and surgical site infections. Strategies for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections and pneumonia were updated earlier in 2022. Each Compendium article contains infection prevention strategies, performance measures, and example implementation approaches. Compendium recommendations are derived from a synthesis of systematic literature review and evaluation of the evidence, practical and implementation-based considerations, and expert consensus.

More information: Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene: 2022 Update, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (2023). Journal information: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
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:

Gram stain of meningococci from a culture showing Gram negative (pink) bacteria, often in pairs. Credit: public domain

At least 18 people in southeastern Niger have died of meningitis in the past three months, the WHO said Wednesday, warning that the outbreak could spread to other countries.

Between November 1 and January 27, 559 cases of the bacterial disease were reported in Niger's Zinder region, including 111 that were confirmed in a laboratory to be meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

During the same period a year earlier, 231 cases were reported.

The Sahel nation is located in Africa's so-called meningitis belt, experiencing seasonal outbreaks every year.

Nearly 1,400 deaths have been recorded in the country since 2015.

But the UN health agency voiced concern, saying the ongoing outbreak shows "both an increased number of cases and an increased growth rate" compared to the previous seasons.

Meningitis is an infection of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord, transmitted through respiratory droplets or throat secretions from those infected.

The disease is potentially fatal and without treatment can cause neurological damage, especially deafness and mental retardation among young children.

In the current outbreak in Niger, people under 20 years of age have been most affected, with most cases seen among children aged 10 to 14. Seventy-six cases were seen among children aged four and younger, the WHO said.

Six strains of the Neisseria meningitidis germ are notorious for causing epidemics.

But early symptomsheadaches and fevercan be difficult to spot as they are similar to other common ailments.

Most of the lab-confirmed cases in the Zinder region were due to the serogroup C of N. meningitidis, or NmC, the WHO said in its statement.

It pointed out that the region shares a border with Jigawa State in Nigeria, where a NmC outbreak is also ongoing, "confirming the risk of international spread".

"The simultaneous occurrence of other epidemics, insecurity and population displacement, all in the context of a protracted humanitarian crisis, are likely to contribute to the spread of the outbreak in other countries of the West African subregion," the WHO warned.

The organization said it assessed the risk from the outbreak as "high" at the national level in Niger, and "moderate" at the West African regional level, but said that the risk of it spreading beyond the region was "low".

 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: California Institute of Technology

If you have an assignment due in two weeks, do you work on it right then and there, or do you wait a week-and-a-half and rush to finish it the night before it's due?

If you're like many people (and the writer of this piece), you're going to wait until last-minute panic sets in before you buckle down and get your work done.

Procrastination is common, and often it is even expected, but that does not mean it is completely harmless. In some situations, it can have a significant effect on productivity. For Caltech's Charlie Sprenger, professor of economics, procrastination is a problem that can be solved with the tools of his trade, and he has started in a place where its effects can be acute: health care.

In a paper published in the Journal of the European Economic Association, Sprenger and colleagues from UC San Diego, the London School of Economics, Germany's FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, and the University of Pittsburgh show how they used economics principles to tackle the problem of procrastination during polio vaccination drives in Pakistan.

During those drives, health care workers are tasked with going out into neighborhoods and administering vaccinations to a set number of children over a two-day period. The system used to track those vaccinations was not exactly robust: The workers carried with them a piece of chalk and tallied the number of doses they administered on the outside walls of homes.

Eventually, Pakistani health authorities decided it could do better with a mobile phone app, which is where Sprenger and his colleagues came in. The app provided the authorities with better datadata that showed the workers were procrastinating. If a worker was expected to administer 200 doses in two days, they might do 50 the first day, and then rush to finish the remaining 150 on the second day, for example.

"That's the standard force of procrastination that most of us are familiar with when we're under deadline," Sprenger says. "We postpone the unpleasant task of doing the work until close to the deadline and then have to rush and maybe don't provide the best work that we can, given our time constraints."

Because of the logistics of distributing vaccines and their need to be kept refrigerated, health authorities want them administered in a smooth (predictable and consistent) way. A last-minute rush is not ideal.

The researchers conducted interviews with the workers to get a better idea of how they wanted to perform their workessentially how much work did they want to do on day one and on day two. Using those preferences, Sprenger and colleagues developed tailored incentives for some of the workers.

"You could think about various ways to implement this," Sprenger says. "You could say, 'Look, I'll pay you 10 cents per vaccine on day one and 5 cents per vaccine on day two. Doesn't that make you want to do your work earlier?' Or you could think about it differently, saying vaccines that you do on day one count for two times as much as vaccines that you do on day two."

By tailoring these kinds of incentives to individual workers based on their stated preferences, the research team showed that it was possible to reduce procrastination substantially. (They generate "behavior around 30% closer to the policy target of equal allocation," to be specific.)

That is a lesson that Sprenger says could be applied in many policy areas.

"It didn't need to be Pakistan, it didn't need to be government health workers. It could have been anything," he says. "This fits into a bigger agenda of using the tools of experimental economics to measure preferences and change incentive schemes based on those measurements in an individualized way."

As far as the app goes, Sprenger says the Pakistani government turned off the preference/incentives feature after the team completed its study, but the rest of the app is still in use, allowing Pakistan to monitor its vaccination efforts.

The paper describing the research is titled "Using Preference Estimates to Customize Incentives: An Application to Polio Vaccination Drives in Pakistan."

More information: James Andreoni et al, Using Preference Estimates to Customize Incentives: An Application to Polio Vaccination Drives in Pakistan, Journal of the European Economic Association (2022). DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvac068
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:

Prostate cancer cells. Credit: NIH Image Gallery

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have helped develop a new blood test to detect prostate cancer with greater accuracy than current methods.

New research shows that the Prostate Screening EpiSwitch (PSE) blood test is 94 percent accuratebeating the currently used prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

The research team say that the new test shows significant potential as an accurate and rapid cancer screening diagnostic.

The test was developed by Oxford Biodynamics in collaboration with UEA, Imperial College London and Imperial College NHS Trust.

Prof Dmitry Pshezhetskiy, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said, "Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and kills one man every 45 minutes in the UK.

"There is currently no single test for prostate cancer, but PSA blood tests are among the most used, alongside physical examinations, MRI scans and biopsies.

"However, PSA blood tests are not routinely used to screen for prostate cancer, as results can be unreliable.

"Only about a quarter of people who have a prostate biopsy due to an elevated PSA level are found to have prostate cancer.

"There has therefore been a drive to create a new blood test with greater accuracy."

The UEA team evaluated the new PSE test, which combines the traditional PSA test with an epigenetic EpiSwitch test, in a pilot study involving 147 patients.

They compared its results with those of the standard PSA testand found that PSE significantly enhances overall detection accuracy for at-risk men.

Prof Pshezhetskiy said, "When tested in the context of screening a population at risk, the PSE test yields a rapid and minimally invasive prostate cancer diagnosis with impressive performance. This suggests a real benefit for both diagnostic and screening purposes."

Dr. Jon Burrows, Chief Executive Officer at Oxford Biodynamics said, "There is a clear need in everyday clinical practice for a highly accurate blood test that can screen men for prostate cancer and accurately identify those at risk, while sparing those who up to now would be subject to unnecessary, expensive and invasive procedures.

"This is another example of how our product portfolio can contribute to reducing the total cost of care for global health."

"Circulating chromosome conformation signatures significantly enhance PSA positive predicting value and overall accuracy for prostate cancer detection" is published in the journal Cancers.

More information: Dmitri Pchejetski et al, Circulating Chromosome Conformation Signatures Significantly Enhance PSA Positive Predicting Value and Overall Accuracy for Prostate Cancer Detection, Cancers (2023). DOI: 10.3390/cancers15030821
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 authors analyzed data from 7,068 Americans who were part of a larger study that regularly measured their cognitive function from 1996 to 2016. Credit: mohamed_hassan, Pixabay, CC0 (creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

The risk factors linked to cognitive decline in older adults explain a surprisingly modest amount about the large variation in mental abilities between older people, according to a new national study.

Researchers found that the factors most commonly associated with cognitive functioningincluding socioeconomic status, education and raceexplained only 38% of the variation in functioning among Americans at age 54.

Health behaviors such as avoiding obesity and smoking and participating in vigorous exercise had only very small effects on functioning by the time people reached their mid-50s.

In addition, the factors studied explained only 5.6% of the variation in how quickly cognitive functioning declined in people between age 54 and 85.

"There's still a lot we don't know about why cognitive functioning varies so much between older adults," said Hui Zheng, lead author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University.

"More research is urgently needed to discover the main causes of how quickly cognitive functioning declines and how we can slow down its progression."

Zheng conducted the study with Kathleen Cagney, professor of sociology at the University of Michigan, and Yoonyoung Choi, a graduate student at Ohio State. Their study was published today (Feb 8, 2023) in the journal PLOS ONE.

Data came from 7,068 participants in the 1996-2016 Health and Retirement Study. Participants were born between 1931 and 1941. Researchers measured their cognitive functioning at age 54 and how it declined until they were 85.

The study provides a more robust analysis than prior studies because it used a large, nationally representative sample and followed participants for decades, using a broad range of possible predictors of cognitive functioning, Zheng said.

The most important predictor of cognitive functioning at age 54 was education, which explained about 25% of the difference between people, results showed. That was followed by race, household wealth and income, parental education, occupation and depression.

The contributions of chronic diseases, health behaviors, gender, marital status and religion were rather smallless than 5%.

The researchers found that the variation in cognitive functioning at age 54 was three times as much as the variation in how quickly the participants declined over the next 30 years.

"We found that the rate of cognitive decline was much more similar between participants than the baseline of cognitive functioning we found at age 54," Zheng said.

Overall, all the factors examined in this study only explained 5.6% of variation in the decline of cognitive functioning with age.

"From an intervention perspective, that suggests it is much more important to try to improve functioning at the baseline than trying to slow down the rate of decline."

Zheng said one particularly interesting finding was that the number of years of education was not associated with the rate of decline in functioning after the age of 54, but having a college degree did have a small protective effect, which explained 1.7% of the variation in the decline with age.

The value of a college degree supports the "cognitive reserve" hypothesis that, in some people, their brains have the ability to find alternative ways to solve problems and cope with challenges when they have some type of damage to the brain.

"College may provide an especially rich environment for cognitive development that may help people develop this cognitive reserve," Zheng said.

One explanation for declines in cognitive functioning that this study could not account for is a genetic factorthe APOE4 gene. That gene has been found to increase the risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

But other studies show that dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, accounts for only 41% of cognitive decline among the elderly.

"Cognitive decline is pervasive in older adults, even those without dementia, which is why it is important to study other predictors of cognitive functioning and decline," Zheng said.

"But still, our study raises more questions than it answers. We have a long way to go to understand the trajectories of cognitive functioning in older adults."

More information: Predictors of cognitive functioning trajectories among older Americans: A new investigation covering 20 years of age- and non-age-related cognitive change, PLoS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281139 Journal information: PLoS ONE
By Azernews

Qabil Ashirov

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will consider the possibility of expanding the Southern Gas Corridor, Azernews reports, citing the head of EBRD, Kamola Makhmudova, telling at the IT Hub Azerbaijan project in Baku.

At the moment, the government of Azerbaijan is talking to the management of the bank. Currently, were waiting for the results of the diagnostics. So, first, we need to see the diagnostics for the projects economy and once it is there, the EBRD will consider arranging to finance or participating in the financing of the Southern Gas Corridor, Makhmudova noted.

Besides, Kamola Makhmudova said that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested 86m in 9 projects in Azerbaijan in 2022.

"Some 71 percent of investments are aimed at the development of the country's green economy, renewable energy, the creation of sustainable infrastructure, as well as the telecommunications, media, and technology sector," she added.

Established in 1991, the EBRD is a leading investor in Azerbaijan. To date, the EBRD has invested over 3.6bn ($3.5bn) in 187 projects in Azerbaijans economy.

The country has been cooperating with EBRD since 1992 to achieve further economic development. One of the main priorities of the EBRD in Azerbaijan is to support the local corporate sector with direct financing. The EBRD continues to pursue investments in energy projects, especially where there is a gap to improve efficiency and energy security.

Azerbaijan is the largest recipient of the EBRD funds in the Caucasus, as well as one of the largest recipients of this organizations funds in the CIS and Eastern Europe.
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 interview with a Cote dIvoire healthcare provider to learn her ideas on improving HIV testing rates. Credit: Dr. Nancy Mugisha

To improve HIV testing rates in the West African country of Cote d'Ivoire, community health workers need more training and support, researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and the Institute de Recherche et Actions en Afrique, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire report in a new study. The scientific paper appears in the Feb. 8 issue of the journal PLOS ONE.

HIV testing is a vital element of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS effort to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As part of its fast-track initiative, the program set standards to achieve what it calls its "95-95-95" targets by the year 2030. These targets are defined as: 95% of people infected with HIV would know they are infected, 95% of those who know they are infected would be on treatment, and 95% of those on treatment would achieve suppression of the virus. To achieve these 2030 targets, a successful policy would begin with a good system to identify HIV positive individuals.

In this study, the team of researchers sought to determine, from the perspective of healthcare providers in Cote d'Ivoire, major challenges to identifying people infected, given that less than 40 percent of people with HIV infection knew they were infected.

"We need to identify people who are infected if we are going to treat them, but identification can be the hardest of the three 95 percent goals to achieve," said Dr. Nancy Mugisha, the lead author and a fellow in Global and Rural Health in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Mugisha was born and raised in Burundi, and moved to Texas after high school. She recently finished her internal medicine residency at the UW School of Medicine.

To find out why Cote d'Ivoire was struggling to achieve the first 95% target, Mugisha collaborated with colleagues at Health Alliance International and the Institute de Recherche et Actions en Afrique to conduct interviews in French with more than 100 healthcare providers (physicians, nurses and community health workers) working in 16 rural health facilities in four health regions of the country. They wanted to understand the work they to the identify people infected with HIV and the challenges they face.

The interviews focused on the challenges for implementing a strategy called "index testing." With this strategy, when a person with HIV infection is identified (the so-called "index case"), clinic and community health workers then seek to identify and test people who have had close contact with the index case. These individuals could be their children or siblings, their sexual partners, or people with whom they might have shared syringes. Although the index testing strategy has had success in several African countries, at the time of the study, the effort in Cote d'Ivoire was falling short.

The researchers found that most of the index testing outreach efforts fell to the non-clinician health counselors.

"Lay providers are implementing these programs," Mugisha said. "Physicians and nurses have a lot on their plates treating patients. It is common in global health programs to have a lot of task shifting to people who do not necessarily have medical training."

In general, the community health workers who carried out the index testing program preferred a passive referral strategy, where the index client brought their contacts into the health facility to be tested, followed by the provider referral in which the healthcare worker reached out directly. The other strategies were employed much less often.

With regard to the greatest challenges the community health counselors faced in implementing the index testing strategy, they talked about their clients' fear of the stigma associated with HIV infection, with index cases fearing they will be abandoned by their partners and shunned by society should their diagnosis become known. A significant part of the problem is that many in these rural communities still think of HIV infection as they did in the 1990s when there were no effective treatments, said Mugisha.

"The 1990s is when most people first heard about HIV and that image of the disease has stuck in their minds, even though we can now control the infection with medications allowing people to lead a normal life," she said.

The study was part of a project led by Ahoua Kone, a Seattle lawyer and clinical assistant professor of global health at the UW School of Medicine and UW School of Public Health. At the time she was the director of the Cote d'Ivoire HIV prevention and treatment program at Health Alliance International. The study was conducted on the behalf of Health Alliance International as part of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Mugisha said she would like to thank the Cote d'Ivoire Ministry of Health, the health care providers and community counselors who gave so much of their time for this study, and her co-authors, particularly Kone and family physician Dr. Stephen Gloyd, professor of global health and of health systems and population health at the UW, for their support.

More information: Nancy Mugisha et al, Implementation process and challenges of index testing in Cote d'Ivoire from healthcare workers' perspectives, PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280623 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:

Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from damage. This image shows telomeres (green) and DNA (blue) during DNA repair activities. Credit: Salk Institute

As we age, the end caps of our chromosomes, called telomeres, gradually shorten. Now, Salk scientists have discovered that when telomeres become very short, they communicate with mitochondria, the cell's powerhouses. This communication triggers a complex set of signaling pathways and initiates an inflammatory response that destroys cells that could otherwise become cancerous.

The findings, published in Nature on February 8, 2023, could lead to new ways of preventing and treating cancer as well as designing better interventions to offset the harmful consequences of aging.

The discovery is the result of a collaboration between co-senior authors and Salk Professors Jan Karlseder and Gerald Shadel, who teamed up to explore similarities they had each found in inflammatory signaling pathways. Karlseder's lab studies telomere biology and how telomeres prevent cancer formation. Shadel's lab studies the role mitochondria play in human disease, aging, and the immune system.

"We were excited to discover that telomeres talk to mitochondria," says Karlseder, holder of the Donald and Darlene Shiley Chair. "They clearly synergize in well-controlled biological processes to initiate cellular pathways that kill cells that could cause cancer."

When telomeres shorten to a point where they can no longer protect chromosomes from damage, a process called "crisis" occurs and cells die. This beneficial natural process removes cells with very short telomeres and unstable genomes and is known to be a powerful barrier against cancer formation. Karlseder and the study's first author Joe Nassour, a senior research associate in the Karlseder lab, previously discovered that cells in crisis are removed by a process called autophagy, in which the body rids itself of damaged cells.

In this illustration, shortened telomeres are represented as the ends of the two sparklers. The telomeres sendoff inflammatory communication signals, represented as sparkler paths, to mitochondria. The telomere-to-mitochondria communication activates the immune system which destroys cells that might become cancerous. Credit: Salk Institute

In this study, the team wanted to know how autophagy-dependent cell-death programs are activated during crisis, when telomeres are extremely short. By conducting a genetic screen using human skin cells called fibroblasts, the scientists discovered interdependent immune sensing and inflammatory signaling pathwayssimilar to the ones by which the immune system combats virusesthat are crucial for cell death during crisis. Specifically, they found that RNA molecules emanating from short telomeres activate immune sensors called ZBP1 and MAVS in a unique way on the outer surface of mitochondria.

The findings demonstrate important links between telomeres, mitochondria, and inflammation and underscore how cells can bypass crisis (thereby evading destruction) and become cancerous when the pathways are not functioning properly.

"Telomeres, mitochondria, and inflammation are three hallmarks of aging that are most often studied in isolation," says Shadel, holder of the Audrey Geisel Chair in Biomedical Science and director of the San Diego Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. "Our findings showing that stressed telomeres send an RNA message to mitochondria to cause inflammation highlights the need to study interactions between these hallmarks to fully understand aging and perhaps intervene to increase health span in humans."

"Cancer formation is not a simple process," says Nassour. "It is a multistep process that requires many alterations and changes throughout the cell. A better understanding of the complex pathways linking telomeres and mitochondria may lead to the development of novel cancer therapeutics in the future."

Next, the scientists plan to further examine the molecular basis of these pathways and explore the therapeutic potential of targeting these pathways to prevent or treat cancer.

Other authors included Lucia Gutierrez Aguiar, Adriana Correia, Tobias T. Schmidt, Laura Mainz, Sara Przetocka, Candy Haggblom, Nimesha Tadepalle, April Williams, and Maxim N. Shokhirev of Salk, and Semih C. Akincilar and Vinay Tergaonkar of the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore.

More information: Jan Karlseder, Telomere-to-mitochondria signalling by ZBP1 mediates replicative crisis, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05710-8. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05710-8 Journal information: Nature
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

We all do it: that high-pitched, sing-songy voice that spills out of your mouth whenever a baby is around. Caregivers have long used this playful, emotional, exaggerated form of speechcalled "motherese"to capture their children's attention. Now, scientists may be able to use it to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In a study published February 8, 2023 in JAMA Network Open, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new eye-tracking test to quantify toddlers' level of attention to motherese. Using these measurements, the scientists were able to reliably identify a subset of toddlers with ASD, whose low levels of attention to motherese were also associated with weaker social and language abilities.

Studies have shown that motherese speech stimulates children's attention and learning, helping them develop language skills and emotional reactivity. If toddlers with ASD do not pay as much attention to this speech style, this might affect their social skills later in life. The eye-tracking test could thus be beneficial for early ASD screening, diagnosis and prognosis, and help clinicians identify which treatments would be most useful for the child.

"We know the earlier we can introduce treatment, the more effective it is likely to be, but most children don't get a formal diagnosis until around age 3 or 4," said corresponding author Karen Pierce, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine and co-director of the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence. "There is a real need for easy and effective diagnostic tools that can be used on young children, and eye-tracking is a great place to start."

The study surveyed a group of 653 toddlers, age 1 to 2 years old, with and without an ASD diagnosis. In the experiment, each child was presented with two videos on a screen: one of a woman speaking in motherese, and one non-human scene (either a busy highway or a movie of abstract shapes and numbers with accompanying electronic music). The videos were available for one minute, and the toddlers used their eyes to control which video played at a given time.

Toddlers without ASD showed consistently high interest in motherese, spending approximately 80 percent of the experiment watching that video. But results were not as uniform in toddlers diagnosed with ASD; their fixation levels spanned the full range from 0 to 100 percent of the experimental time.

The subset of toddlers who fixated on motherese less than 30 percent of the time could be accurately identified as having ASD through this measurement alone. These children also showed lower scores on subsequent tests of language and social skills.

Toddlers who had ASD but still spent a majority of the time attending to motherese displayed greater social and language abilities, highlighting the diversity within the ASD population.

Whether less attention to motherese is the cause of these childrens' reduced sociability or merely a symptom of it has yet to be determined, the authors note, but in either case, it appears to be a highly accurate biomarker for a subtype of ASD.

"The fact that we can reliably identify children with autism using such a simple and rapid eye-tracking test is really remarkable," said Pierce. "In the future, we hope to use a child's attention to motherese as a clue for which treatments they may most benefit from, and as a tool for measuring how well those treatments work."
A greatly moving hybrid film, the British entry "Living" is based on the 1952 film "Ikiru" by the Japanese master Akira Kurosawa, itself loosely based on Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." The Kurosawa film features a great Takashi Shimura ("Seven Samurai") in the lead. "Living," which was adapted by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), tells the 1953-set story of an older London civil servant (a heartbreaking Bill Nighy), who learns that he has cancer and his days are numbered.

'LIVING' Grade: A- Rated PG-13 (for some suggestive material and smoking) Running time: 1:42 How to watch: Opens at the Roxy on Feb. 10

The interesting thing is that this news is both devastating and liberating. For one, the film's protagonist, whose name is Williams, can stop going to the office, where he has gone every working day and ruled with a gentle, but strong hand for many years. In opening scenes boasting a flight of bowler hats, a new employee named Wakeling (Alex Sharp) accompanies his colleagues on the train commute into London, and they encounter the tall and regal Williams on their way into the city. Into this cadre of pale men, young and middle-aged, led by Williams, comes a somewhat sassy young woman named Margaret Harris (a delightful Aimee Lou Wood of TV's "Sex Education"). Ms. Harris is a literal splash of color (and sound) in the monochrome office, and it is no surprise that Williams tries to befriend this vivacious creature while he can.

For those used to watching Nighy bring octopus-faced Davy Jones menacingly to life in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films or steal "Love Actually" (2003) from his younger cast mates, his gentle and understated work in "Living" will come as bit of a surprise. As Williams, Nighy is at times already a ghost. Also newly arrived are three mothers, who visit the Public Works office over which Williams presides, to petition to have a bombed-out and hazardous area in their neighborhood transformed into a playground. The dying Williams makes this noble cause his last stand. For the most part, Williams and his colleagues have merely referred members of the public to other offices in order to avoid rocking the boat and risking difficulties. They are a bunch of literal paper pushers.

Before long, it gets back to Williams' sleepy London suburb, where the widowed Williams lives with his son (Barry Fishwick) and daughter-in-law (Patsy Ferran), that the old man has been seen with a much younger woman. He even takes Ms. Harris for lunch at Fortnum's. In many ways, she is the Ghost of Christmas Past, a sweetly stinging reminder of the opportunities Williams has passed up. Taking half of his savings for a trip to the seaside, Williams meets a playwright (Tom Burke), who shows him the local attractions. They are a bittersweet reminder to Williams that, while he could help those young mothers get their playground, he can't really change much about himself at this point. South African director Oliver Hermanus of the acclaimed 2019 release "Moffie" guides Nighy in this quietly triumphant performance.
Both state lawmakers and Missoula city officials are taking shots at the affordable housing crisis this winter.

While the Missoula City Council is taking public comment on a proposal to increase registration fees for new tourist homes, a raft of bills aimed at creating or preserving affordable housing are plodding their way through the Montana Legislature, some faster than others.

Senate Bill 194, sponsored by Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena, is one example of a bill thats officially supported by Missoulas local government.

SB 194 would provide an income tax credit to landlords who rent their properties at below-market rate, explained Jessica Miller, a digital engagement administrator with the Missoula mayors office, in a presentation to the city council on Monday. Were supporting that one. Were seeing a lot of creative approaches to the housing problem this year statewide, from both sides of the aisle. We dont know where these are going to go but were seeing a lot of approaches and weve been supportive of those.

Dunwell introduced her bill in the Montana Senate on Jan. 31. She said Montana ranks No. 4 in the country for its increase in rental rates this past year.

Its a bill for affordable rental housing, she said. SB 194 provides a financial incentive for landlords to keep rents at or below fair market rents. When I was out knocking doors during the campaign, talking to constituents and stopping by rental units, I just heard, Oh my gosh, I dont know how long Im going to be able to stay here because my landlord keeps raising rent.

For every $100 that a landlord sets rent below 110% of the Fair Market Rate set by the federal government, a property owner would be eligible for $200 in state income or corporate income tax credits if the bill was signed into law. The rental units would need to meet quality standards and there would have to be a rental agreement for one year to exclude short-term rentals.

This is not going to solve our housing problem in Montana, Dunwell said. This is one little teeny piece of a multi-pronged approach that its going to take. But we have the money now with a revenue balance of $2.5 billion.

The bill is supported by the Montana Environmental Information Center, the Montana Landlords Association and the Associated Students at the University of Montana.

A lot of students are feeling the crunch, said Ethan Hanley of ASUM. I cant tell you how many stories Ive heard of renters in Missoula moving to Frenchtown, Lolo and Florence just to find affordable housing.

The Montana Society of Certified Public Accountants opposes the bill because they believe most of Montanas income tax credits should be removed to simplify the tax code. They also believe that the burden of paying for the tax credit will fall on everyone who isnt a landlord.

Each credit that is added requires the rest of us to shoulder the cost, explained Allen Lloyd, the executive director of the society.

Sen. Becky Beard, R-Elliston, noted that the states revenue surplus is one-time only money and that Dunwells bill would require an ongoing funding commitment.

This is sugar-high money, Beard said. "How do you propose to pay for this going forward?"

Dunwell replied by saying that tax credits are reviewed every 10 years and she would be amenable to adding a sunset clause to her bill.

We need to tackle this housing crisis head-on right now, Dunwell said.

Short-term rentals

Meanwhile, on Monday night, the Missoula City Council opened a public hearing on a proposal to update registration and renewal rates for tourist homes in city limits.

The first-time registration would be increased to $555 to more adequately cover the costs that the city incurs in processing, inspecting and registering tourist home registrations, explained Montana James, the deputy director for the citys community planning office.

City officials in mid-2022 said they know of 445 registered short-term rental units in the city, which is less than 2% of Missoulas housing stock.

Ward 3 Councilor Gwen Jones asked if the city is going to differentiate between full-time tourist homes and owner-occupied homes that are periodically rented out for extra income. James said that the city doesnt consider someones primary residence to be a full-time tourist home.

The council has opened a public hearing on the proposal and will make a final decision next Monday night.

Miller, with the mayors office, followed up that discussion by pointing out that the city is closely following the many housing bills in the Legislature.

Of course were looking for overall reform of the property tax system, Miller said, pointing out that residential property taxes made up about 43% of the citys revenue in 1999 compared with 60% today.

Thats because revenue from commercial property taxes, business equipment taxes and industrial taxes has fallen fairly drastically in that same time, largely due to laws passed at the state level.

Miller also said that the Legislatures interim study committee studied Montanas property tax system and found that Montanas local governments get 96% of their funding from property taxes compared with about 72%, on average, for local governments in the other 49 states.

So thats a pretty dramatic number, Miller said. Missoula supports efforts to allow local governments the ability to ask their voters for alternative revenue solutions such as a local option tourist tax.

She said a recent study found that Missoula County could get up to $3.8 million in revenue per year from out-of-state visitors with a 3% local-option sales tax.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Office released the name of a man who was killed during a suspected attempted burglary on Sunday.

Patrick S. Shemorry, 41, from Spokane Valley in Washington died from multiple gunshot injuries at a Brooks Street house, according to Missoula County Sheriff Jeremiah Petersen.

Missoula police said a resident at the 300 block of Brooks Street shot a suspected burglar at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The suspect, believed to be Shemorry, is accused of entering the house through an outer screen door.

"The homeowner provided multiple warnings for the male to stop," Missoula Police spokesperson Whitney Bennett said after the incident happened.